gonelike-ach00

[gonelike-ach00]

ꜱɪx - jaemin

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summary:

They weren't aware of it but they were beginning to write their future as the days finally welcomed their youth. Now, as the sun begins to rise and the cold days of childhood leave them, they are welcomed into the warm—sometimes too hot—hug of youth.This was their start--the first taste of the warmth of youth.

Jaemin and Naeun have nothing in common except their common friends, until he starts working for her family's restaurant and they shared a lot more things in common than they thought.

genre:

fluff, angst, slice of life, high school romance, recurring anthology

word count : 2.3k

pairing: high school! jaemin x high school! female character

ꜱɪx - jaemin

“Would you like to introduce yourself to the crew?” Jaemin stands in front of an odd group of people. He was sure that two of them were university students, he wasn’t sure but they were older than he was. Not to mention that they oddly remind him of someone. Besides Jaemin was a manager a bit older than a university student, but someone who wasn’t in their 30’s. The family-owned small business had a management team of family members and he predicts that this manager of his is probably fresh out of the military with that buzz cut of his.

“Hi!” He bows his head towards those who are older than him. “I’m Jaemin.”

“I’m Lee Seungho,” the taller one of the university students points to himself and then puts his arm around the other university student next to him, “This is my twin Seungmin.”

“Twins?” Jaemin’s words come out as more of a question.

“They’re fraternal, which is why they don’t look alike.” His manager, who he found out was named Lee Hajoon, answers the question he never fully formed.

It takes him a moment of realization to finally understand why the two of them looked rather familiar. His head doesn’t hide as he compares how the twins, Seungho and Seungmin, looked and how the manager shared the same familiar look as the twins. This was why Jaemin thought they felt a little more familiar than usual. Of course, the family business employed their kids as their employees instead of hiring outside.

“You’re a bit slow, aren’t you?” Hajoon pats Jaemin’s back. “Don’t worry, you’re lucky we’ve dwindled in size over the years.” 

“There’s more of you?” Jaemin had no intention of sounding rude, but his mouth spoke before he could process anything he just said.

Hajoon, Seungho, and Seungmin laugh at his comment. “Imagine this, Jaemin,” Seungho puts his arms around the high schooler, “we can go up against each other in basketball with two full teams.”

The analogy was great, because it was easy to count that there were always five people on a basketball court, but the analogy wasn’t really for someone like Jaemin who had no knowledge about basketball except that you have to throw a boucy ball into a basket that was really high up in the air.

“How many is that exactly?” Jaemin shyly asks.

Seungho doesn’t answer as he drags him over to the cashier where a family portrait sat. Amidst the chaos of plaques, celebrity pictures and signatures, there was a picture that sat on a pretty wooden frame. It stood out as nothing like the laminated signatures and pictures on the wall. There he stood staring at a twelve-person photo. In the middle, there was a couple carrying two small babies in their arms, the smaller child looked like a newborn, while the other could sit upright. Then on their right two boys of the same age stood there with the goofiest smiles on their faces—it was hard to miss that they were the twins, Seungmin and Seungho.

Then on the left stood a boy that looked like a small Hajoon, except he wasn’t entirely sure about it himself. Then behind them were five more boys that varied in age of pre-teen to late teens.

“For the longest time, we were an all-male household. A living nightmare for our mother.” Seungho then points his finger at the newborn in the mother’s arms. “Until the sweaty little angel came along. The first girl—”

“The only girl.” Seungmin corrects Seungho.

Seungho nods his head. “Mom’s pregnancy was risky, aside from only having given birth to Minjae,” he points at the other baby in their father’s arms, “not even a full year before she came along.” 

“Couldn’t exactly tell you how nervous everyone felt—I was a bit too young—but, from their stories.” Seungho shakes his head and takes his arm off of Jaemin. “It was a rough time.”

Seungmin stands there with his arms crossed over his chest and shakes his head. “We should be teaching him about what to do, not the family history.” 

Seungho turns to look at Seungmin and mocks him by pretending to mimic him. His head was bobbing side to side more than usual. After a few more exaggerated movements, Seungho turns his attention back to Jaemin. “Right, we should get you changed into the uniform.”

“We don’t have a uniform,” Hajoon calls out.

Seungho looked at his older brother then down onto the apron he was wearing and then back towards Hajoon, who had long gone into the kitchen. “Then what have I been wearing all along?”

This is where Jaemin finds out that Hajoon didn’t really understand that the apron he was asking the servers to wear was a form of uniform to distinguish themselves from the crowd that ate in their family restaurant. In the midst of the siblings bickering back and forth, he finds himself sitting at the edge of the dinner with the apron over his body. Sitting by the counter, he figured that they didn’t have a lot of customers around 4 p.m. There were barely any customers. ‘Barely’ would even be considered a stretch, the family restaurant was empty.

Until he hears the door of the restaurant finally slide open and he stands up from his seat ready to greet his first customer.

“Welcome!”

She stopped midway and looked up at whoever it was that greeted her. Once she raised her confused expression, Na Jaemin knew exactly who she was. The side braid she was known for and her pastel pink bag that he was sure was larger than her were hard to miss when he walked home and caught a glimpse of her. 

“Jaemin?” Lee Naeun’s voice called out his name as she realized he was standing in the middle of her family restaurant. 

“Jaemin?” Another voice pops out from behind Naeun. His bright eyes greet Jaemin with a sense of familiarity and confusion. “What are you doing here?”

In rare cases, the group has played with a few older boys in the field after lunch. That group of older boys included Lee Minhyun, who Jaemin knew was Naeun’s older brother. Standing in the middle of the empty dinner, he realizes that Minhyun is the youngest son to eight older brothers, and Naeun is the youngest girl of nine brothers.

It smells like a nightmare to the only child Jaemin.

“Right,” Seungmin’s head pops out from the kitchen, “forgot that you all go to the same school.”

“When I heard about the new part-timer, I didn’t think it would be you.” Minhyun walked up to Jaemin to give him a brief side hug. “My brother’s have been raving about getting some time off from the restaurant thing.”

Naeun walked up to Jaemin and Minhyun. “You were looking forward to it too.” 

Minhyun nods his head in embarrassment. He rubs behind his neck and nods his head. “Ever since, Kiyoung left for the military there just aren’t enough hands to go around.” 

Jaemin nodded his head as he was situated between two siblings with Seungho standing by the counter watching them. Sure, he has his group of friends, but this was the first time he was situated between siblings bantering, talking, and interacting. 

He wasn’t exactly sure what he needed to do.

When they all returned to the locker room, he finally had the time to think to himself—to hear his thoughts. Jaemin finds himself sitting down on the chair by the counter as he waits for someone to enter the shop. Until he hears the locker door open and he was preparing himself mentally to hear everyone’s voices interlap with each other’s again.

Jaemin turns his body around to check on who is making their way towards him. Instead of seeing five out of the ten siblings, he sees Naeun walk out first. She changed out of her uniform into something more casual—a white tee and denim pants. Her hair was now placed into a ponytail as she wore the same apron Jaemin was wearing where the print ‘10 siblings’ were now beginning to fade.

“I thought my brother’s just scared you off with how loud they were.” She admits walking up to the counter Jaemin was sitting beside.

Jaemin shakes his head.

“Well, I wouldn’t be so surprised. Only children get a little overwhelmed with my family,” she was checking something on the touch screen computer. “I remember the first time I brought Eunji home—she looked so pale from being so overstimulated by my brothers’ yapping.” 

Jaemin nods his head completely understanding where Eunji is coming from. “I’m friends with people who are the same.”

Naeun snickers at the comment. “Well, that’s great practice for the family.”

“I just—didn’t expect such a large crowd for a family restaurant.”

Naeun stops whatever she is doing and slowly turns towards Jaemin. “You do know, that’s barely half of them.” 

The moment of realization hits Jaemin’s face.

“My older brothers already have families of their own. So, there’s even more of them now.”

Staring at Naeun, he finally understood why she was so eager to become part of the library committee (the only one there). She has been surrounded by a lot of louder people in her life. The thought of living with nine older brothers sort of even overwhelms him—and Jaemin was only thinking about them. He couldn’t imagine living through it himself.

“I should warn you about the dinner rush.” 

“Dinner rush?”

Naeun sighs and turns her attention back to the screen. “Just prepare.”

This was her last warning before he hears the ruckus of the five older guys. Little did Jaemin know that this would be nothing compared to the dinner rush that Naeun had just warned him about.

No one told him that he would not catch a break from the orders to be taken, orders to be delivered, and the tables to be cleaned. After a certain amount of orders taken, orders delivered, and tables cleaned, it was like he was acting on autopilot. There was now way he would think about what he was doing at a certain part in hour two. By the third hour, Jaemin’s feet were beginning to swell from the pain. As his feet began to swell the amount of people were beginning to finally subside.

Jaemin finally sits down on the chair by the counter as he stares at the hall with chairs on top of the tables after cleaning beneath the tables. He sits there blankly staring at the once full-to-the-brim restaurant, which is now empty and cleaned out.

“For someone’s first time, you did a good job.” Naeun appears right behind him and pulls a chair for herself. 

“The warning wasn’t enough.” He complains and shakes his head.

Naeun snickers at the paler Jaemin, who is catching his breath.

There was nothing particular about how Jaemin caught his breath, but something about it was catching hers. He had pushed his hair out of his face earlier in the night and was sitting there with his hair slicked back and his forehead exposed. She caught a glimpse of the face so adored by the rest of their school. His bright eyes, tall nose bridge, and soft kissable lips were always the topic of various female friend groups. He was hard to miss when he walked down the hallways.

She understood exactly why he was always talked about.

“Hope you don’t quit too soon.” Naeun stopped staring at him and turned her attention back to what she was supposed to do, which was to double-check the tabs.

“Aside from the absolute hell hole of work—your brothers are nice.”

Naeun snickers. “Nice to you.”

“It can’t be that bad.”

This comment physically makes her freeze. Then a look of absolute disbelief was all over her face.

“I mean, I have cousins—”

“Brother, Jaemin, brothers. Imagine if your cousins would throw you around just because they can. Oh my god,” she throws her hand in the air, “think of it like this, what do you do when you’re bored?”

“I think of something else to do—”

“You can’t do that. No, because if you’re bored, they’re bored and they would find it fun to bother you instead of looking for something else to do. Bothering you is that something else. Now, normally people only have one other sibling with them, but imagine it multiplied by nine. There is no silence in the house.”

Jaemin sits there as Naeun is now completely facing him with absolute passion. She was even catching her breath by the end of it. She stands there with her passionate residue still calming down with her realization that she just absolutely broke it all off when he didn’t understand what it was like to have siblings. 

“Sorry about that.” Naeun turns around and runs her hand through her messy pony tail.

Jaemin shakes his head with a smile planted on his face. “No, its fine.”

Naeun stands there completely taken aback by his response. There was an air that she wasn’t sure what it was, an air she wasn’t exactly familiar with. Bona was someone she would rely on when it came to matters like this, she was just better at understanding these kinds of things. Yet, she stands here in absolute confusion of the sudden shift in the air with a simple word he said.

Naeun shakes her head. “You tend to flatter people around you, don’t you?”

“What?” Jaemin doesn’t catch on.

“You’re a bit—”

“Alright, that’s a wrap!” Hajoon walks out of the kitchen completely satisfied with his handywork in cleaning the kitchen for the evening.

Naeun didn’t really realize that she was standing a little too close to Jaemin at that moment. Maybe in her monologue, she had taken a step towards him and stood a little too close for comfort. When Hajoon announces his presence, she takes a step back and looks away.

“What just—”

“Nothing.”

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[gonelike-ach00]

ꜰɪᴠᴇ - haechan

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summary:

They weren't aware of it but they were beginning to write their future as the days finally welcomed their youth. Now, as the sun begins to rise and the cold days of childhood leave them, they are welcomed into the warm—sometimes too hot—hug of youth.This was their start--the first taste of the warmth of youth.

Haechan was always so bright and cheerful and energetic that it was hard to imagine him as anything else. That's until Mina stumbles into his little secret.

genre:

fluff, angst, slice of life, high school romance, recurring anthology

word count : 2.4k

pairing: high school! haechan x high school! female character

ꜰɪᴠᴇ - haechan

"Oh come on, you know the drill!" Haechan stands from his seat in the middle of the cafeteria, he stands up and puts his hand out. It was held into a fist as he waited for his four other friends to stand up and do the same thing in the middle. "You know the drill." He speaks out as soon as all five hands are in the middle and touching each other's.

The drill that Haechan was talking about was their little after-meal thing. Being five teenage boys at the peak of their gluttony, their plates were an absolute mess and they went through their food as if a hurricane had just passed over them. Thus, it was a pain in their little butts to be cleaning up after themselves once they finish eating. That little task was then given to the person who would lose their very intense game of rock, paper, scissors.

"I swear to god if I'm going to clean it again," Renjun mumbled. He was sulking because he had been on a losing streak for the past few days since they returned from their semestral break.

"If those gods worked in my favor, you would have to clean it again." Jaemin jokes.

"You're not even religious," Renjun points out.

"I know."

Renjun rolls his eyes.

"How about this time around, Jeno does the cleaning, huh?" Haechan turned his attention to Jeno who was standing beside him, even nudging him making him sway from side to side.

"How about you do it instead?" Jeno replies.

"I've cleaned the table enough."

On his other side, Yangyang snickers under his breath. "You know what," he turns towards Haechan, "maybe you should clean up this time around."

Haechan stands there in momentary shock. His mouth was wide open as he looked around him and saw that everyone else seemed to agree with Yangyang's statement, as if Jeno didn't say the exact same thing earlier. At this point, Haechan was sure that if they stared at each other enough, the four of them would agree on the same thing to put out. This would then leave him no choice but to be the person in charge of cleaning the table.

"Rock," they all look around as they move their hands upward and then down.

"Paper," competition was fierce at this point.

"Scissor," this was it, life and death for him—as Haechan would describe it.

"Shoot!" He swears the moment everyone had their hand out he stopped breathing. Everyone held out paper and then his hand was the only one that was still curled up in a ball the same way he had it when he initiated the rock, paper, scissor competition.

"There's no way!" Haechan shakes his head at the sight.

"Rules are rules," Jaemin shrugs his shoulders.

"Wait!" Haechan watches as his friends put their trays on top of his own. "You guys obviously cheated!"

Renjun looks among his friends and then at Haechan. "You don't even have proof!" Although it was so obvious when he lied. The corners of his mouth would always ride upwards and he could no longer stop himself from smiling. Except this time, Renjun was making it very obvious that he was hiding his face from Haechan.

"Really?" Eventually, Haechan was obviously wronged by the four people in his friend group.

At this point, all he could do was pick up the trays his friends had left him as they walked toward the self-busting station. They stood there waiting for him to bring their trays even if they all weren't going to the field to hang out. Yet they were standing there chattering about the most absurd topic—today, they can't seem to stray away from the Korean Valorant e-sports team, and if e-sports were to join the Olympics would it fall under winter sport or summer sport?

Haechan on the other hand was grumbling under his breath. "They're all cheaters—"

"Can't complain about it," Yangyang appears beside him, "you're the one who taught us that."

Haechan bitterly laughs as he recounts how he raised his hand behind Renjun's head the past few days so he would be the one unfortunate enough to put all their dishes away.

"Karma's a bitch," Yangyang shrugs his shoulders as he walks up to everyone else waiting for Haechan.

Walking through the hallways before anyone else finished their lunch was their favorite moment. It felt like the school was alive, yet at the same time, it was quiet and dead. These were the few moments where Haechan allowed his friends to talk and he just walked behind them quietly. His hands in his pocket as he hears various comments come from his friends about how e-sports would make its own Olympic category.

It was as if the midday sun shone light onto them as they walked through the halls. It felt a lot brighter than normal. His friends were just as bright—if he would admit it, but he wouldn't. He would never tell that to anyone, but it was hard for heads not to turn towards the four of them. He was lucky he didn't live in some shoujo anime or else girls would be flocking them or screaming their names.

Haechan snickers at the thought.

"Going to hide now!" Haechan announces as he puts his left foot onto the stairs.

His four friends turn back and nod their heads acknowledging that even Haechan needs a break sometimes.

On the other hand, Kang Mina and Shin Sua found themselves not knowing where to go after eating lunch.

"You should just try to face him head-on," Mina complains as Sua walks through the third floor of the school.

The third floor wasn't the top floor of the school, but it was hot enough for the lunch sun to finally take its hit on the heat up here. Yet, Mina finds herself walking behind Sua, who might just decide to sit down on the stairs going to the fourth floor.

"That's rich for someone whose only friend is me." Sua sighed as she walked towards the stairs leading to the more empty fourth floor.

"Foul," Mina mutters as she walks up with Sua.

Mina couldn't even remember how she became friends with Sua. She came to this place in the city two years ago. Sua had approached her first and they soon become inseparable at that point. She was more confident than she let on, but she never really expanded her circle except for her and some other girls (Naeun, who was the library assistant). Mina, unfortunately, had to watch as Sua's doors completely closed when Jeno moved to the exact same school as she did.

"We're going to waste the whole lunchtime just looking for a place to study in, aren't we?" Mina sighs as Sua continues to walk.

"I should have known that was where he was studying."

Mina shakes her head. "This is the first time we've even decided to check in on that corner of the library."

"As much as I would prefer to just hide in the other corner, just the thought of staying in the same room as Jeno—" Sua stops talking as she comes to stand in front of the stairs. The wide stairs are then separated into two different flights of steps, one that leads to the fourth floor and the other to the second floor. "You check there," Sua refers to Mina as she points to the steps leading to the lower floor, "I'll check up here." Mina points towards the fourth floor.

"You know, we can just check if there's anyone in your classroom—" Mina turns to look at Sua, only to realize that she was no longer standing beside her but climbing up to the fourth floor of the building.

Mina sighs, giving in to what Sua wants her to do.

Just as Mina expected it, the halls were empty. No one was anywhere up here. She could distinctly hear the fields slowly being filled with more people. It was a positive sign that no one was planning to climb back up to their classrooms and if they did most of them would just gather in one spot, in one place, and in one classroom. No one would really bother them if they decided to stay in Sua's classroom.

The second floor is where most first-year classrooms were, but at the end of the halls were a few rooms that were used as the teacher's stock rooms. It's where most of the physical projects get stored and to be returned by the end of each semester. It was an ideal place to hide in if Sua wasn't so uptight with rules and regulations.

Even if Sua doesn't really approve of her snooping around the stock rooms, she decides to try her luck and see if the stock room on the stairs that sat furthest from the cafeteria (the same one where Sua was at a crossroads earlier). She twisted the doorknob to find that it wasn't locked.

Mina's heart dropped after she realized she pushed it open.

She never really caught a glimpse of this place, she just never found the need to glance into the storage room. She never realized that the room actually had windows in them. She always imagined it as nothing more than a closed-off room filled to the brim with projects collecting dust, but it was the start of the semester so there weren't a lot of things in the room as well.

Then she finally catches a glimpse of the oddest thing in the room. At the exact same time, she heard voices climbing up the stairs, and she acted before she could even think. Mina steps into the room and shuts the door.

The odd thing in the room was lying down on a lover's couch. The couch was too small even to be lying down on, but with his head lifted onto the armrest and their feet dangling on the other end of the couch. His back was facing her and his uniform was now a mess from lying down, but he didn't seem to be bothered by her presence at all, maybe because he was asleep.

Until he started to move and squirm around.

It then dawns on her, that this person was not a teacher. The uniform should have been a dead giveaway, but it wasn't.

He moves around.

All she needed to see was his mop of hair. His slightly wavy hair glowed a light brown when he sat in the sun, it was hard to miss who this person was. Haechan was always so full of life, so as he turned around to lie on his back, Mina caught a glimpse of his calm expression.

Then he opened his eyes and he was staring up at the ceiling.

Mina kept her distance, still standing by the door, but the room wasn't really that big to begin with. If there were two people in the same space it would be impossible for them not to be aware of each other's presence.

"Hi?" Haechan doesn't even turn his head, as he groggily greets the other person in the room. "Mr. Chi—" He sits up and realizes that it wasn't the familiar Mr. Chi standing by the entrance of the room. Instead of the teacher in his 20's, he was looking at a classmate of his, Kang Mina.

"Sorry." She bows her head and almost turns around.

"Wait, Mina!"

She stops and slowly turns back around to face him, not because he asked her to stop in the middle of leaving, but because she found out that Haechan knew her name.

Mina and Haechan were like oil and water, they never really were the type to blend at all. They've never really interacted, even if it meant for academic purposes. In the almost half year that they've been classmates, their interactions were zero—there was no exaggeration. They've never talked, run into each other, or even something as light as saying 'hello' to each other.

"I'm not going to tell anyone."

Haechan rubs his eyes and then runs his hand through his hair. "I don't want to threaten you, but please don't tell anyone else."

Mina nods her head. "Yes." She replies a bit too stiffly.

Haechan chuckles at the sight of Mina. "You can chill here a bit."

She shakes her head from side to side. "No! No, you don't have to."

"Really, Mina, I don't mind." He pats onto the empty seat beside him. "You're here already."

"I have to get back to Sua."

Haechan ears perk up at the name. He slowly nods her head. "As much as I know you're really good friends with Sua, please don't tell her about this place." He puts his pointer finger over his mouth as if telling her it was a secret—it was their secret.

Mina nods her head.

"I may have an idea why you stumbled here," Haechan admits. "Jeno wouldn't shut up about it."

Mina nods her head, again. However, this time it was a lot slower.

"Must be exhausting." He comments making Mina's head snap upwards and their eyes meeting for the first time since she got into the room, or at all. Then she watched as Haechan's expression softened looking at her. "If you ever get tired, you hide here."

"I—"

"Just don't tell Sua, Mr. Chi gave me the keys to this place and Mr. Chi's engaged with Jeno's sister. Although I doubt that his sister was as petty as Jeno is, there is still a bit of animosity between the siblings." Haechan admits. "I don't really know what goes on beyond Jeno's anger towards Sua. That if you ask me is a little bit out of place. It wasn't really her fault, to begin with—"

Mina stands there staring at Haechan as he rambles and then stops to look at her once again.

"I was rambling."

Mina shakes her head. "It's okay. I'm not much of a talker anyway."

Haechan smiles at her remark. "I'm serious about the offer, Mina."

"Really?"

"I appreciate a different company anyway." Haechan smiles at her one last time.

Mina stands there in absolute appreciation for the door Haechan had just opened for her. She knew that they were oil and water, liquids that never mixed. Except at this very moment, maybe with a binding agent, they were more than just unmixable oil and water.

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[gonelike-ach00]

ꜰᴏᴜʀ - jeno

previous | masterlist | next

summary:

They weren't aware of it but they were beginning to write their future as the days finally welcomed their youth. Now, as the sun begins to rise and the cold days of childhood leave them, they are welcomed into the warm—sometimes too hot—hug of youth.This was their start--the first taste of the warmth of youth.

genre:

fluff, angst, slice of life, high school romance, recurring anthology

word count : 2.2k

pairing: high school! jeno x high school! female character

ꜰᴏᴜʀ - jeno

After lunch library sessions were his favorites. Sure, Jeno loves his friends and always chooses to spend time with them, but it was during his lunchtime study sessions that he found himself the most productive. The library barely has anyone in them after lunch, students would usually find themselves hanging around with their friends.

“Naeun!” Jeno raises his hand to greet Lee Naeun from class D, who worked part-time at the library. He never thought he was allowed to, until apparently, he finds out that instead of being paid monetarily, her tuition gets a cut. 

“Jeno!” She stops him from walking into the library any further, she stands from her seat.

“Yeah?”

“Your usual seat’s occupied.” 

He straightens his back and looks at her weirdly. His head jolts back and he stares at Naeun as if she had gone crazy for a good few seconds. “What do you mean?”

Naeun sighs. “I mean your seat’s taken.”

“By who?” He doesn’t even need to catch his breath when he asks this.

Naeun mutters something under her breath. “Just so you know, you don’t technically own that spot, right?” She leans in towards Jeno and then leans forward, not really towards him, but beside him as she peaks out of her seat in the library and tries to catch a glimpse of the person sitting in his seat. “She seems to be having the time of her life studying on that seat.” 

“Study?—” Jeno needed a moment to realize who might have taken his favorite spot. There was only one other student at his age who would willingly study during lunch breaks. Nearly everyone else took this as a chance to rest and hang out with friends since most of the students during the day would be studying. No, he was sure that anyone serious about their future would most likely end up studying even after school had ended, which is why lunchtime was reserved for breaks and playing games with your friends.

Except for someone like Cho, Cho Eunji.

Jeno took a few steps back to catch a glimpse at whoever was sitting at his favorite seat. It was the perfect place to study, it was at the edge of the library and sat in front of a window that looked out the school grounds. Sure, you would be able to hear the other students talking, laughing, and giggling, but it was the perfect mix of silence and murmurs. 

“Why did you let her sit there?” 

There in that same spot, Cho Eunji was sitting. Her eyes were glued tightly on the paper in front of her and her non-dominant left hand was keeping her head up as she read through the text in front of her. He had never seen her with earphones on, thus, this was the first sight he had ever caught her listening to music at all. The white earphones felt like a contrast to her study bug exterior.

A subtle change that he can’t seem to take his eyes off.

“Jeno,” if Naeun had never talked, he would have never taken his eyes off of her, “just take the seat beside hers.”

The comment alone makes his eyes roll. “Really?” If he could stomp, he would have, but he knew better than that.

“Jeno—” That was the last thing he heard from Naeun before he made his way to Cho, so lost in her studies that she didn’t seem to notice the looming presence over her shoulder.

 Did Jeno find Cho a beauty in his eyes? Yes. If he denied that he would be lying. But does he find her absolutely repulsing and a constant reminder that he was just not doing enough? Absolutely.

This is why instead of being the better person of simply just tapping her shoulders to catch her attention (which he didn’t need to do if he wore his big boy pants), he knocks on the the wooden table she was sitting on. Of course, her eyes would look at his hand first then slowly trace his arms to his face. Cho looked at Jeno, at first, confused then annoyed to be seeing him standing there bothering her. 

“Of all the seats?” Jeno asks her as she takes out one of her earphones. “Really?”

Cho pauses and then takes out the other earphones she has in her ear. Then she looked behind her because this was definitely a joke, wasn’t it? Then at the far back there Naeun was standing by the entrance of the library staring at the two of them with her hands on her waist just like the perfect librarian she was. She shakes her head as Eunji looks at Jeno once again. “What—”

“This is my seat.”

“Your seat?” She lifts one side of her book and then the other. Shaking her head as if she was confused that she couldn’t find what she was looking for, she looked at Jeno innocently. “Last time I checked your name isn’t written anywhere here?”

“Come on, Cho.” Jeno sighs and looks away from her in frustration. “You’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you?”

Eunji’s eyes just look up at Jeno innocently. “On purpose?”

Jeno could see it in her eyes. She knew. She knew that this was where he would study after eating lunch with his friends. He knew that this was where he would be at his most productive. There’s no way she didn’t know if it was written all over her face.

Jeno runs a hand through his hair in frustration. He never likes admitting defeat when it comes to Cho. It was as if his whole body was wired to not allow her to win. Thus, in his stubbornness, he doesn’t drag out the seat beside her—no, he was more petty than that. He stands.

 He stands lingering over her shoulder as he pulls out his review notebook and scans the notes he had taken in class. He just stands there, with his backpack on and his notebook in his arms. He pulled out his ballpen from his pocket and started underlining sentences he had written earlier in class. 

Eunji just sits there staring at him in absolute disbelief. There was no way Jeno was acting like a ten-year-old child not given his favorite chocolate on Halloween. No, she was sure this scene was incomprehensible for those who know Jeno merely for his academic excellence. In the mere few months he’s been at this school his reputation has skyrocketed. He was friends with cool— she dared argue that they weren’t really that cool—the crowd of the school. had grades unlike any of the guys (or any guy in school at all) in his friend group, and was gifted in the coordination department. Yet, he sulked like a small kitten who was forced to take medicines because they ate off the mud in the park.

“Just sit down will you?” She leans back on her seat.

Jeno looks around him before looking back at Cho. “My seat’s already been taken,” he shrugs his shoulder.

“Oh my god!” She sighs and throws her whole head down on the table. She looked to the side and she could see that Naeun was no longer in her line of sight. Even her friend has given up on keeping an eye on the two of them.

Jeno pauses and closes his notebook to lean his lower body on the table where her stuff sits. “I don’t even see you in the library during this time,” Jeno complains. As he remembers that he would always see her sitting in her seat chatting with Bona (who would often come and visit the class because Renjun was there). 

“What’s—”

“It’s just you also take breaks during lunch.” He shrugs not really realizing the fact that he just exposed that he paid a little more attention to her than anyone else around them.

Except, the dense Jeno was lucky that Eunji was equally as dense as he was. 

“Bona said she had something to do today.”

“That’s weird.” Jeno tilts his head to the side.

Eunji’s eyes snap towards him after his comment. “What’s weird?”

Jeno opens his mouth and then sighs. He turns his body a little bit toward her and puts his notebook down on the table. “Renjun returned to the classroom after we had lunch.” Just as his friend always did. Renjun was always the first back in the classroom because he knew that Bona would be waiting there with Eunji.

“So, Renjun doesn’t know she had something to do?” Even Eunji leaned back in her chair as she tried to think about what was going on with Bona.

“Is she sick?” Jeno asked.

Eunji shakes her head.

“Is there anything bothering her?” He tries to ask again.

“Not that—” Eunji pauses, because she knows Bona made an odd comment yesterday.

“So, she said something?”

Eunji’s head snaps up and she turns to look at Naeun. She stands up from her seat and takes a few steps towards Naeun, except she isn’t seated where she usually sits. Knowing that her friend was often busy at lunch, she didn’t want to bother her with the question about Bona. Eunji gives up and turns around, except when she does Lee Jeno is sitting in the seat she left open.

“What are you doing?” She stomps back to where he was now seated.

Jeno looks at her innocently in the same teasing manner she gave him earlier. “What?” He even shrugs his shoulders.

“Are you being serious right now?”

“What did I do?” He turns his whole body towards the desk and pulls his chair into the desk.

“You can’t possibly be sitting there, when all my stuff is literally on the table.” She crosses her arms over her chest and leans her weight onto one of her legs while staring at him in absolute disbelief. 

Jeno looks over his shoulders and then down to the table. He pretends to look under the table first before heading towards the chair—even standing up in the process—and looking through it as if he would spot her name written on those two objects. “Sorry, can’t see anything here.” He shrugs.

Eunji reached down to close her open book, there at the front of the book was her name neatly printed and placed inside the plastic sleeve of the book. “Here.”

Jeno’s eyes looked at the book then back at her, then down at the book once again, and then back at her. This was all before he slumped into the chair and crossed his arms over his chest. “Oh come on, Cho, you—”

“Hey.” Naeun walked up behind Jeno and appeared closer now in Eunji’s line of sight. “Can the two of you tone it down?”

Even Eunji was baffled by the request. There was barely anyone in the library. No, Eunji and Jeno were sure that besides the three of them, no one really went around the library after lunch. Then they hear the door of the library open and close. All their heads turned towards the direction of the sound, but they were all too late. The only thing they saw was the door closing.

“Someone else was—” Jeno doesn’t even turn around.

“Aside from you,” Naeun was referring to Jeno, “Sua and Mina always come by during lunch.”

“Sua?” Eunji repeats the name Naeun had just said.

Naeun nods her head. “Yeah, Shin Sua, she’s a girl from class D. She’s really good friends with Mina from your class.” 

Eunji nods her head familiar with Mina, yet not so familiar with the girl named Sua. “She new?” She asked Naeun.

“Who? Mina or Sua?”

“Sua.”

Naeun shakes her head. “I think she moved here during her second year in middle school. She always kept to herself, so she didn’t stand out too much.”

Eunji turns her head around towards Jeno after asking Naeun all her questions. She thought clouds were forming above his head because even with the high beam of the afternoon sun, his expression had darkened. It wasn’t in anger, that much she could tell, but one she couldn’t particularly read on his face. This was saying a lot because she has definitely teased Jeno far more often, some she admits were really pushing it, but she has never seen him with this kind of expression on his face.

“Jeno? Are you—”

He stands up from his seat and takes his notebook back into his arms. Then he does something that definitely throws both Naeun and Eunji off, he bows. 

“Jeno—” This time Naeun tried calling out his name as he made his way out of the room, except he was stopped when Mina appeared from the corner.

Jeno stops walking and looks at her. Her short bobbed her and softer cheeks made her blend in really well with everybody else. There was nothing distinct on her face that he could remember, but he knew that she was definitely a classmate of his. Mina, on the other hand, after quickly meeting Jeno’s gaze averts her own and bows her head before running after her friend.

It didn’t take long before Jeno followed suit and left the library earlier than he usually did.

“What just—”

“I know.” Eunji was shocked to see that Jeno, who always seemed to like the idea of challenging her, just backed off and disappeared.

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[gonelike-ach00]

ꜰᴏᴜʀ - jeno

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summary:

They weren't aware of it but they were beginning to write their future as the days finally welcomed their youth. Now, as the sun begins to rise and the cold days of childhood leave them, they are welcomed into the warm—sometimes too hot—hug of youth.This was their start--the first taste of the warmth of youth.

genre:

fluff, angst, slice of life, high school romance, recurring anthology

word count : 2.2k

pairing: high school! jeno x high school! female character

ꜰᴏᴜʀ - jeno

After lunch library sessions were his favorites. Sure, Jeno loves his friends and always chooses to spend time with them, but it was during his lunchtime study sessions that he found himself the most productive. The library barely has anyone in them after lunch, students would usually find themselves hanging around with their friends.

“Naeun!” Jeno raises his hand to greet Lee Naeun from class D, who worked part-time at the library. He never thought he was allowed to, until apparently, he finds out that instead of being paid monetarily, her tuition gets a cut. 

“Jeno!” She stops him from walking into the library any further, she stands from her seat.

“Yeah?”

“Your usual seat’s occupied.” 

He straightens his back and looks at her weirdly. His head jolts back and he stares at Naeun as if she had gone crazy for a good few seconds. “What do you mean?”

Naeun sighs. “I mean your seat’s taken.”

“By who?” He doesn’t even need to catch his breath when he asks this.

Naeun mutters something under her breath. “Just so you know, you don’t technically own that spot, right?” She leans in towards Jeno and then leans forward, not really towards him, but beside him as she peaks out of her seat in the library and tries to catch a glimpse of the person sitting in his seat. “She seems to be having the time of her life studying on that seat.” 

“Study?—” Jeno needed a moment to realize who might have taken his favorite spot. There was only one other student at his age who would willingly study during lunch breaks. Nearly everyone else took this as a chance to rest and hang out with friends since most of the students during the day would be studying. No, he was sure that anyone serious about their future would most likely end up studying even after school had ended, which is why lunchtime was reserved for breaks and playing games with your friends.

Except for someone like Cho, Cho Eunji.

Jeno took a few steps back to catch a glimpse at whoever was sitting at his favorite seat. It was the perfect place to study, it was at the edge of the library and sat in front of a window that looked out the school grounds. Sure, you would be able to hear the other students talking, laughing, and giggling, but it was the perfect mix of silence and murmurs. 

“Why did you let her sit there?” 

There in that same spot, Cho Eunji was sitting. Her eyes were glued tightly on the paper in front of her and her non-dominant left hand was keeping her head up as she read through the text in front of her. He had never seen her with earphones on, thus, this was the first sight he had ever caught her listening to music at all. The white earphones felt like a contrast to her study bug exterior.

A subtle change that he can’t seem to take his eyes off.

“Jeno,” if Naeun had never talked, he would have never taken his eyes off of her, “just take the seat beside hers.”

The comment alone makes his eyes roll. “Really?” If he could stomp, he would have, but he knew better than that.

“Jeno—” That was the last thing he heard from Naeun before he made his way to Cho, so lost in her studies that she didn’t seem to notice the looming presence over her shoulder.

 Did Jeno find Cho a beauty in his eyes? Yes. If he denied that he would be lying. But does he find her absolutely repulsing and a constant reminder that he was just not doing enough? Absolutely.

This is why instead of being the better person of simply just tapping her shoulders to catch her attention (which he didn’t need to do if he wore his big boy pants), he knocks on the the wooden table she was sitting on. Of course, her eyes would look at his hand first then slowly trace his arms to his face. Cho looked at Jeno, at first, confused then annoyed to be seeing him standing there bothering her. 

“Of all the seats?” Jeno asks her as she takes out one of her earphones. “Really?”

Cho pauses and then takes out the other earphones she has in her ear. Then she looked behind her because this was definitely a joke, wasn’t it? Then at the far back there Naeun was standing by the entrance of the library staring at the two of them with her hands on her waist just like the perfect librarian she was. She shakes her head as Eunji looks at Jeno once again. “What—”

“This is my seat.”

“Your seat?” She lifts one side of her book and then the other. Shaking her head as if she was confused that she couldn’t find what she was looking for, she looked at Jeno innocently. “Last time I checked your name isn’t written anywhere here?”

“Come on, Cho.” Jeno sighs and looks away from her in frustration. “You’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you?”

Eunji’s eyes just look up at Jeno innocently. “On purpose?”

Jeno could see it in her eyes. She knew. She knew that this was where he would study after eating lunch with his friends. He knew that this was where he would be at his most productive. There’s no way she didn’t know if it was written all over her face.

Jeno runs a hand through his hair in frustration. He never likes admitting defeat when it comes to Cho. It was as if his whole body was wired to not allow her to win. Thus, in his stubbornness, he doesn’t drag out the seat beside her—no, he was more petty than that. He stands.

 He stands lingering over her shoulder as he pulls out his review notebook and scans the notes he had taken in class. He just stands there, with his backpack on and his notebook in his arms. He pulled out his ballpen from his pocket and started underlining sentences he had written earlier in class. 

Eunji just sits there staring at him in absolute disbelief. There was no way Jeno was acting like a ten-year-old child not given his favorite chocolate on Halloween. No, she was sure this scene was incomprehensible for those who know Jeno merely for his academic excellence. In the mere few months he’s been at this school his reputation has skyrocketed. He was friends with cool— she dared argue that they weren’t really that cool—the crowd of the school. had grades unlike any of the guys (or any guy in school at all) in his friend group, and was gifted in the coordination department. Yet, he sulked like a small kitten who was forced to take medicines because they ate off the mud in the park.

“Just sit down will you?” She leans back on her seat.

Jeno looks around him before looking back at Cho. “My seat’s already been taken,” he shrugs his shoulder.

“Oh my god!” She sighs and throws her whole head down on the table. She looked to the side and she could see that Naeun was no longer in her line of sight. Even her friend has given up on keeping an eye on the two of them.

Jeno pauses and closes his notebook to lean his lower body on the table where her stuff sits. “I don’t even see you in the library during this time,” Jeno complains. As he remembers that he would always see her sitting in her seat chatting with Bona (who would often come and visit the class because Renjun was there). 

“What’s—”

“It’s just you also take breaks during lunch.” He shrugs not really realizing the fact that he just exposed that he paid a little more attention to her than anyone else around them.

Except, the dense Jeno was lucky that Eunji was equally as dense as he was. 

“Bona said she had something to do today.”

“That’s weird.” Jeno tilts his head to the side.

Eunji’s eyes snap towards him after his comment. “What’s weird?”

Jeno opens his mouth and then sighs. He turns his body a little bit toward her and puts his notebook down on the table. “Renjun returned to the classroom after we had lunch.” Just as his friend always did. Renjun was always the first back in the classroom because he knew that Bona would be waiting there with Eunji.

“So, Renjun doesn’t know she had something to do?” Even Eunji leaned back in her chair as she tried to think about what was going on with Bona.

“Is she sick?” Jeno asked.

Eunji shakes her head.

“Is there anything bothering her?” He tries to ask again.

“Not that—” Eunji pauses, because she knows Bona made an odd comment yesterday.

“So, she said something?”

Eunji’s head snaps up and she turns to look at Naeun. She stands up from her seat and takes a few steps towards Naeun, except she isn’t seated where she usually sits. Knowing that her friend was often busy at lunch, she didn’t want to bother her with the question about Bona. Eunji gives up and turns around, except when she does Lee Jeno is sitting in the seat she left open.

“What are you doing?” She stomps back to where he was now seated.

Jeno looks at her innocently in the same teasing manner she gave him earlier. “What?” He even shrugs his shoulders.

“Are you being serious right now?”

“What did I do?” He turns his whole body towards the desk and pulls his chair into the desk.

“You can’t possibly be sitting there, when all my stuff is literally on the table.” She crosses her arms over her chest and leans her weight onto one of her legs while staring at him in absolute disbelief. 

Jeno looks over his shoulders and then down to the table. He pretends to look under the table first before heading towards the chair—even standing up in the process—and looking through it as if he would spot her name written on those two objects. “Sorry, can’t see anything here.” He shrugs.

Eunji reached down to close her open book, there at the front of the book was her name neatly printed and placed inside the plastic sleeve of the book. “Here.”

Jeno’s eyes looked at the book then back at her, then down at the book once again, and then back at her. This was all before he slumped into the chair and crossed his arms over his chest. “Oh come on, Cho, you—”

“Hey.” Naeun walked up behind Jeno and appeared closer now in Eunji’s line of sight. “Can the two of you tone it down?”

Even Eunji was baffled by the request. There was barely anyone in the library. No, Eunji and Jeno were sure that besides the three of them, no one really went around the library after lunch. Then they hear the door of the library open and close. All their heads turned towards the direction of the sound, but they were all too late. The only thing they saw was the door closing.

“Someone else was—” Jeno doesn’t even turn around.

“Aside from you,” Naeun was referring to Jeno, “Sua and Mina always come by during lunch.”

“Sua?” Eunji repeats the name Naeun had just said.

Naeun nods her head. “Yeah, Shin Sua, she’s a girl from class D. She’s really good friends with Mina from your class.” 

Eunji nods her head familiar with Mina, yet not so familiar with the girl named Sua. “She new?” She asked Naeun.

“Who? Mina or Sua?”

“Sua.”

Naeun shakes her head. “I think she moved here during her second year in middle school. She always kept to herself, so she didn’t stand out too much.”

Eunji turns her head around towards Jeno after asking Naeun all her questions. She thought clouds were forming above his head because even with the high beam of the afternoon sun, his expression had darkened. It wasn’t in anger, that much she could tell, but one she couldn’t particularly read on his face. This was saying a lot because she has definitely teased Jeno far more often, some she admits were really pushing it, but she has never seen him with this kind of expression on his face.

“Jeno? Are you—”

He stands up from his seat and takes his notebook back into his arms. Then he does something that definitely throws both Naeun and Eunji off, he bows. 

“Jeno—” This time Naeun tried calling out his name as he made his way out of the room, except he was stopped when Mina appeared from the corner.

Jeno stops walking and looks at her. Her short bobbed her and softer cheeks made her blend in really well with everybody else. There was nothing distinct on her face that he could remember, but he knew that she was definitely a classmate of his. Mina, on the other hand, after quickly meeting Jeno’s gaze averts her own and bows her head before running after her friend.

It didn’t take long before Jeno followed suit and left the library earlier than he usually did.

“What just—”

“I know.” Eunji was shocked to see that Jeno, who always seemed to like the idea of challenging her, just backed off and disappeared.

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[gonelike-ach00]

ᴛʜʀᴇᴇ - yangyang

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summary:

They weren't aware of it but they were beginning to write their future as the days finally welcomed their youth. Now, as the sun begins to rise and the cold days of childhood leave them, they are welcomed into the warm—sometimes too hot—hug of youth.This was their start--the first taste of the warmth of youth.

genre:

fluff, angst, slice of life, high school romance, recurring anthology

word count : 2.1k

pairing: high school! yangyang x high school! female character

ᴛʜʀᴇᴇ - yangyang

"You coming with us?" Jaemin asked Yangyang as soon as their last class ended. Jeno had his hakwon and left as soon as the bell had rung leaving their usual five-member group to four. As usual, the first place they headed towards was his seat, where Yangyang was putting stuff into his bag.

"Can't, my sister's coming back home today." He puts an apologetic smile on his face.

Jaemin raises his eyebrows at his friend who was usually left alone at home because his parents worked abroad and his sister was beginning to fall into the same pattern as their parents did. "Where did she come from?"

"She spent a week in London." For a brief moment, he could feel two concerned eyes looking at him. When he turns to face Jaemin, he simply looks away, but Renjun just stares at him. He licked his lips and it was so clear that he was hesitating to say anything to him.

Yangyang stands up from his seat stopping Renjun from his hesitation. He looks across the three faces that are staring at him. "We can just play games tomorrow instead." He puts his bag onto his shoulders.

"Wait, Yangyang—" Renjun tried to talk to him, but to no avail, Yangyang had walked out of the room and into the street back home.

In all honesty, Yangyang hates going back home as soon as the bell rings. The timing wasn't the best when it coincided with the rush of people leaving work and every other school ending their classes. Trains were tightly packed and he was a bit uncomfortable with the little space he shared with strangers. Yet, he was lucky that South Korea's public transportation was reliable and barely had any issues.

That's except for today, as the train comes to an abrupt stop and someone tumbles over to his chest.

"Sorry." She mutters.

He raises his head only to look down at the same uniform he was wearing. With the dark blue coat over her shoulders and the similar white and blue plaid on his pants to match her skirt, it was hard not to think that this person went to the same school as he did. Yangyang, however, wasn't the type to initiate conversations with others, for that he would often leave Haechan and Renjun to do the talking. Except, she raised her head and his heart sank to the pit of his stomach to see who it was.

Her relatively long hair and stoic face made it impossible for him not to know who this girl was—Shin Sua. She was pretty well known around school and not for all the right reasons. She was a bit of a snob as others would call her and he had only ever seen her talk to one other person in school, Kang Mina. They were sort of a soft-spoken, never-loud duo. They kept to themselves and often weren't involved with any other students.

"Sua?" His voice falters as he realizes that he is stuck in the full commuter train it was.

For a second she was startled by the name and looked up at him and then he saw the first expression he had ever seen on this girl's face—panic.

There was another thing Shin Sua was known for, Lee Jeno's step-sister. A name that would haunt her until the day her step-father dumps their family to return to Jeno's. She has yet to tell her stepfather (and not her adoptive father) that she went to the same school as the son he has been trying to contact for years. Yet their run-ins in school have never really been all too pleasant.

The usual mild-mannered and playful Jeno was gone the moment they came face to face with each other during the first few weeks of high school. She was in the cafeteria scanning the food and realized that she might just want some snacks from the snack bar, she turned around and stopped in her tracks as she stared at the replica of her step-father's face—except he was younger, much younger. The same son that her father had left back in the province to be with her mother—the mistress.

So, when the realization hits her that she was standing right in front of one of her step-brother's friends she panics and tries to move away, except the train is full.

"Sua, you shouldn't—" Yangyang grabbed onto her wrist to stop her from sneaking between larger male adults who were giving her rude stares as she tried to walk between them. "I'm not going to hurt you," Yangyang mutters after making sure she is safely standing closer to him than to anyone else around them.

Her eyes scan the cart completely avoiding Yangyang's gaze. Her eyes eventually settle at her own hands as she fiddles around with it. She purses her lips together not entirely sure what to talk about with someone like Yangyang, who just so happens to be friends with her stepbrother, who despises her.

"Didn't know you rode the same train home." He tries to make small talk.

She nods her head. "I often leave as soon as the bell rings since I have a part-time job."

"Really?" He raises his eyebrows hearing about this for the first time. "Where?"

"Just a small family restaurant."

Yangyang's silence made Sua finally turn her head towards Yangyang and look at him. His deeper eyes were looking at her as if he couldn't believe what he just heard about her. She immediately turned her head around as soon as both their eyes met.

"I know it doesn't really suit me." She said.

"No!" He immediately tells her. "It's not that it doesn't suit you—just that I never knew you had it in you."

Her confused expression didn't even need to be lifted from staring at her findling hands for him to notice. Her shoulders go stiff at his words and for a moment she stops fiddling with her hands and just blankly stares at them unmoving in front of her.

"It must pay you good if you could do it."

Sua blinks a couple of times and looks at Yangyang. "They do pay really well for part-timers."

Yangyang couldn't help but smile at the seriousness on her face. Her comment was so genuine that he caught himself just smiling at her.

That famous Liu Yangyang smile that even someone so distanced from everyone else in school knew about. Shin Sua knew about Yangyang's smile and never really understood why until she saw it up close. His smile was wide and warm and welcoming in a manner that it was hard not to be completely drawn by it. It's a smile that appears to be born without an ounce of sin and desire. A smile for a smile's sake. She didn't understand why, but now she knew that it was so easy to be drawn to it. There was a reason why it was so popular.

"Woah," she muttered under her breath but was halted when she realized that she had just said that out loud. She coughed pretending it was nothing more than a lump stuck in her throat and she looked away hoping he wouldn't read through her cover-up.

"What—"

"Nothing!" She turns back to look at him, who appears more confused than anything else. She was lucky that his confusion had wiped off the smile on his face or she would have been drawn into it.

As she was facing him, in a quick motion, she found herself in his arms as the train began moving once again. There has never been an incident where she has found herself inside someone else's arms, except for her mother's, yet she was standing in the middle of the train inside Yangyang's arms. The same arms that were making sure he was okay as she stood there completely shocked.

Yangyang had Shin Sua, the always quiet and never talking, girl in his arms. The same Shin Sua that he has heard about from Jeno. The same girl that he was told was the child of a home wrecker. Yet in his arms, Shin Sua was nothing more than a girl.

She was a girl inside Yangyang's arms.

For a moment, he wasn't sure how he would recover from this situation. No, he was sure that if she even wiggled out ever so slightly he would let her go. Except she simply stood back on her feet and took a step away from Yangyang.

"Sorry."

Sua looked at Yangyang who had his hand over his neck and was looking in the opposite direction as to where she was standing.

"It's my fault, I wasn't really paying attention to what was going on around me." Sua looks away as she tries her best to really lament over the fact that she had this coming for herself.

"Chill, Sua," his tone rises and falls as he calls out her name, "it's not your fault."

For a moment, she feels her heart sink to the pit of her stomach. His words they had no intention of addressing her worries, but they did. This was a mere light-hearted exchange between acquaintances stuck in the same train on their way to wherever they needed to go. In the scale of the whole universe, this exchange was nothing more than a mere wind passing by.

Yet she feels her heart sink to the pit of her stomach as she looks at Yangyang once again. This time she was no longer looking at him hesitantly or staring at him—she was properly looking at him standing there in absolute confusion about what was going on.

"Are you okay?" His voice was concerned with her sudden change in attitude.

She shakes her head, not to tell him she wasn't doing well, but to shake her from the reality that she was in. Shin Sua wasn't some shoujo main character set to fall in love with a foreign man who grew up in Korea like Yangyang. She was just—just there.

"You aren't okay?"

"I'm fine." She sighs in a manner that would easily be described as bitterness. "A little thrown off by your kindness if I'm being honest."

Yangyang's eyebrows knit together as he stares at her. "It's the bare minimum."

She nods her head as she takes a deep breath in and looks away from Yangyang. She bites down her lips as if that was the one move that would keep things from flowing out of whatever part of her body made her heart beat at the idea of Yangyang. She knew it would cause chaos, Yangyang was friends with her stepbrother Jeno, the one guy on campus who holds a grudge against her.

This goes against everything that she told herself when she found out Jeno was going to the same school as she did. She promised to never cross his path, to never involve herself with his circle, to never even glance towards him. Being attracted to Yangyang felt like it would go against all of it.

"Where are you headed?" Yangyang asked as the train finally came to a stop on the first station from the stop they got on.

Sua for a moment hesitated. "Work."

She could see Yangyang's head nod. The train had moved from the first station and they were now moving across the dark underground tunnels of the subway. Sua could see perfectly how Yangyang's eyes were wandering anywhere but at her.

"Why are you on the train back home this early?" She asks knowing that this might be the last question she could ask him before she gets off at the next station.

Yangyang's head moves to turn to look at her and she continues to observe him from the reflection of the train window. "My sister's back home." There was a bit of excitement in his voice. "We would always eat out when she came back home."

He stands there looking at her. The two of them don't share a drastic height gap, but it would be a stretch for her to claim that she is the same height as Yangyang. Which is why when he turned to look at her, at the corner of her eye she could see as he waited for her response or maybe he was just observing her the way she would—except she wasn't that up front with observing him.

Then the train stops, just where she needs to get off.

"Is this—"

Sua bows her head slightly. "I'll see you when I see you."

That was it. She almost runs out the door.

Then alone in that same train was Yangyang staring at the same door that Sua had just left. He couldn't help but smile at her shyness. He doesn't full-on smile, but one subtle enough that anyone looking at him could tell that he just found something a little more adorable than usual.

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[gonelike-ach00]

ᴛᴡᴏ - renjun

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summary:

They weren't aware of it but they were beginning to write their future as the days finally welcomed their youth. Now, as the sun begins to rise and the cold days of childhood leave them, they are welcomed into the warm—sometimes too hot—hug of youth.This was their start--the first taste of the warmth of youth.

genre:

fluff, angst, slice of life, high school romance, reoccuring anthology

word count : 1.9k

pairing: high school! renjun x high school! female character

ᴛᴡᴏ - renjun

Renjun has never known true peace.

He was an only child born to parents who were always busy with their jobs but made sure to pester him with how his day had gone. He was an only child yet lived with three of his elder female cousins, all of which have decided to live in South Korea just as his family had decided to. He used to live in one of those high-rise condominiums, but with the decision to house more than the average size family and more paying adults, they ended up buying a house closer to the edge of the city.

Except, his parents forgot to mention an important factor that pushed them to decide whether or not they were moving or not.

They moved right next door to the house Kim Bona lived in.

Kim Bona was his greatest nightmare and the most constant thing in his life.

She was even more constant than the alarm clock he knew he had set for 6 am in the morning. He hears knocks on his window that sit at the bottom part of the house and right beside the space that separates their homes from each other.

"Junnie!" Bona calls out their old childhood nickname.

All the teenage boy could do was growl at her presence. He pulls the covers up over his head as he hears another round of knocks from his window.

"Renjun!"

"What?" He shouts back.

"It's 6 am!" She shouts back at him.

He groans and pulls out his phone to check. The bright light of his phone blinds him momentarily. It wasn't 6 am—no, he could have had a few more minutes of sleep. It was 5:49 am, and in the morning the difference of 5:59 am and 6:00 am was crucial to making sure he didn't go crazy while he was at school.

"It's not 6 am!"

"It is!"

She continues to knock on his window. He was growing tired of her knocking on the door so he decided to sit up from his bed and pull his curtain to the side. He catches her in the act when her palms are wide open and she is about to knock on his window with her whole palm. Except, there was a certain shock on her face that wasn't just because he had opened his windows.

"Don't you have keys to the house?" He reminds her of the keys his parents had given her all those years ago. She was the only one in her family to have keys to their home and he was the only one who had keys to the Kim's place.

Bona blinks her eyes a couple of times before she turns her head around. This was when Renjun took notice that she wasn't even in her uniform yet. She was just there knocking on his window to wake him up and yet here she was acting all shy about it.

"What's your—"

"Why aren't you wearing a shirt?" Bona sighs out as she continues to look away.

Renjun looks down at his bare chest and then back at her. He couldn't understand it. She has seen him without his shirt countless of times. When they went on beach vacations when they went on lake visits, and even when they would play with water in their backyard.

"Nothing you haven't seen before." He sighs as he stands up from his bed and grabs the shirt he had taken off last night.

"I'll change into my uniform and eat breakfast at yours." She finally turned to look at Renjun, who was finally looking more decent than when he had first greeted her.

"Did you wake me up for that?" Renjun runs his hand through his messy hair.

She was about to return to her home when she stopped walking and nodded her head.

"Kim Bona!" He called out her name in frustration and then she started sprinting as Renjun could walk through his windows—he could definitely climb out of it if he wanted to— and chase her down.

Walking out of his room after a shower and dripping wet hair with his uniform on, he could hear the noise in the dining room. There sat a sight he had grown far too familiar with, three of his older cousins sitting together and sharing the breakfast table with Bona, who was busy talking to them about the first day of the second semester. She was talking about her new classes and what she found interesting with his three older cousins listening to her with the most attention.

"Morning," he greets everyone on the table.

"Renjun," the eldest of his three cousins, Yue, makes sure to scold him as soon as he catches a glimpse of the drippings on his uniform, "dry your hair or you'll get sick." She stands from her seat to walk into the bathroom and grab a towel.

"Its barely the second day of school, do you want to get sick?" The third eldest cousin, Aihan, shakes her head. Aihan had just recently graduated from university but was still studying to become a doctor. She had yet to become one and spent most of his early medical degree using Renjun as her little dummy for checking his health—the only thing she didn't to do him was practice her needle skills on him.

"If he wants that just give it to him." The second eldest cousin, Yitze, rolls her eyes.

They were three very mean older sisters, but there Yue was drying Renjun's hair off like he was still eight years old and Yue had to stop getting ready for class just so she could help Renjun get ready for grade school. At the time, it was just the two of them, Yitze and Aihan were still in China finishing their high school diplomas. She would even go out of her way to cook him his breakfast, but most days they would just walk to the convenience store and eat their breakfast there with the money Renjun's parents left the two of them.

"Want me to drive you to school?" Yitze asked the two as she stood up from her seat after seeing that Renjun finished his breakfast and was drying his hair on the floor of the living room.

"Would you?" There was a hopeful tone in Bona's voice.

Yitze couldn't help but smile. "It's in the same direction anyway." Yitze used to look down at Bona. She had moved to Korea when she was 18 years old and Bona (and Renjun) was 9 years old and barely stood by her shoulders, but now she was looking at Bona straight in the eye—no, she was sure that Bona was now taller than her.

Bona turns around and looks at Renjun, who is finished styling his hair. "Renjun!" She runs up to him and stops right before they crash into each other. "Hurry, Yitze's going to bring us to school."

"She doesn't have to—"

"Oh, come on, do you really prefer to walk to school than be driven there?" She basically tries her best to pull Renjun up from the ground. He wasn't budging no matter how much she tried to pull him off the ground.

Bona never realized when things really changed for the two of them. Physically, Renjun has always felt the same, except this morning. He looked different, far different from what he used to look like. They were no longer the same small child, it was like she was being left behind as Renjun grew taller and stronger than she was. She could no longer just pull him around nor could she drag him wherever she wanted him to go.

"Fine." He sighs after her multiple attempts of trying to make him stand.

He stands up on his own. Bona could only watch as he easily stood up from the ground and her arms remained around his. As they stood there in the middle of the living room, she was left speechless with the realization that she was now tilting her head up to look at him. Her arms kept them close and his arms sat between a valley he never knew was there.

"B-Bona," he coughs his name as he tries to wiggle his arms away from her.

"Right." She lets go of his arms.

Lunch break at their school was weirdly depressing, especially for the Eunji-Naeun-Bona group of friends. Bona was leaning forward with her empty tray of food lying there. Her eyes were emptily staring across the room and her two friends were busy listening to her repetitive sighs. It was like clockwork with every passing minute.

"You have to tell us what's wrong." Naeun initiated the questioning.

Bona sits up and looks between Naeun and Eunji, who is busy playing with the food on her place. Lunch times were the only time she would let go of her books to finally interact with human beings other than Lee Jeno in class. "It's weird."

Eunji and Naeun exchange looks with each other.

"What's weird?" Eunji asks Bona.

Bona's eyes travel across the room to see five guys playing a very intense round of rock, paper, scissors. Their plates were all gathered and ready to be picked up from the table and it looked like they were just deciding who would bring the trays back to the busting station of the cafeteria. Among that group was their shortest member—yet somehow still taller than her—Renjun who was always oddly competitive when it came to not losing.

"When did things change this much?"

"Oh, honey, the more you talk, the more confused I get. What's going on?" Naeun shook her head at the fact that she couldn't decipher what she was saying.

"Do you ever notice that the guys in our grade are so different now?" Bona leans her head on her hand as she stares at that specific group of friends. As Naeun and Eunji exchange glances, they notice that she is now staring at one specific group from across the hall. They were loud—they always were a loud bunch—and easily caught anyone's attention when they walked the halls together. Oddly, that same group of friends were individually really quiet individuals.

"Are you talking about Renjun?" Eunji asks.

Bona doesn't hide it and nods her head. "I used to be able to drag him around—like physically, but now it barely affects him at all."

Naeun pushes her eyebrows together. "He's a guy—isn't it natural for it to turn out like that?"

"No!" Bona looks at Eunji and Naeun as if she were stuck on trial trying to convince the jury that she wasn't guilty. "This is Renjun we're talking about."

Naeun nods her head. "He's still a guy."

"The same Renjun that I used to pull around and carry. The same Renjun that would fall down when I pushed him. The same Renjun—"

"Bona!" Eunji puts both her arms over her shoulder. "You just never realized it, but we've been changing for a while too. It's not just them."

For a moment, she was silenced. Her eyes searched Eunji for any malice, but she was definitely not telling her a lie. Of course, she knew she was changing. It was her body, she would definitely notice if things were changing—and things have been changing for a while. She was yet to get used to the pains of her periods. She knew that the other gender was bound to change, but why did she only notice it about Renjun now?

Has Renjun been like this since—she shudders at the thought. No, there was no use in denying it anymore. Renjun knew earlier than she did, he was probably aware before she was. It was exactly why he's been in love with her older sister for years. It's the reason why he has refused to enter her home after last year.

Oh, how odd this feeling was.

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[gonelike-ach00]

ᴏɴᴇ - jeno

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summary:

They weren't aware of it but they were beginning to write their future as the days finally welcomed their youth. Now, as the sun begins to rise and the cold days of childhood leave them, they are welcomed into the warm—sometimes too hot—hug of youth.This was their start--the first taste of the warmth of youth.

genre:

fluff, angst, slice of life, high school romance, reoccuring anthology

word count : 2k

pairing: high school! jeno x high school! female character

ᴏɴᴇ - jeno

The school finally felt a lot more familiar than before. He could now walk around this place with his eyes closed if he wanted. The second semester has finally started and he made sure to arrive here earlier than everyone else.

Or so he thought.

The classroom felt a little more daunting than before. The large windows that looked out the soccer field and front of the school gave the room a much larger appearance than a normal room. It was enough to sit 40 students if the school wanted, but they opted for 30 students per class. Yet in this class, why was there someone else sitting in the classroom when he had more than an hour left before class started?

"Cho." He snickers as she raises her head as soon as he enters the door.

Cho Eunji was Lee Jeno's greatest nightmare. Her slicked-back ponytail and thick-rimmed glasses made it hard for anyone not to know that she was someone who took her studying seriously. Everyone in this class probably took their studies seriously, but she was on a different level. Even further than the province-born, former valedictorian, Lee Jeno himself.

There was a reason why Jeno was skipping at his heel as he made his way to the school he had just made up his mind that he was going to take his place back. There was no way he would allow Cho to take his spot once again.

"You're here early." There it was that smug grin on his face. He watched as she pushed her glasses up her nose and put down her pen.

Jeno wanted to roll his eyes so badly, but it felt like he would allow her to win if he allowed himself to roll his eyes. Instead, he takes a deep breath in and force a smile on his face. He walked up to the seat, the one just right beside hers. The classroom was set up in rows that sat by pairs. Jeno and Cho sat right at the front of the class with their seats right beside each other—they were seatmates.

It was almost impossible for the two of them not to talk to each other. Classes for the second semester hadn't even started, but she was already studying materials he was sure that she was studying for university entrance exams. His eyes couldn't help but drift to materials on her desks, ones he had yet to purchase on his own. He had no plans to buy them until he was in his second year, but here she was embodying the idea that university preparation starts once you enter high school.

Finally, after holding himself back, he rolls his eyes.

"What are you even doing this early?" Jeno leans his elbow onto his table scanning onto the pages she was flipping over.

Cho pauses and then looks back down at her university entrance exam materials. "Figured, this was a better place to study."

"There's a library."

"That isn't even open yet." She shakes her head without even lifting her sight from the page she was on.

"Tell the library committee to come in earlier then. Aren't you friends with Naeun?"

Cho sighed, finally lifting her head from the book and turning to face Jeno. She puts her pen down and turns her whole body to face Jeno. "What do you want?"

For a moment, Jeno sits there with his head leaning onto his desk and his eyes meeting hers. He knew that Cho was the hard worker type (which he was one himself, but had a little more luck in terms of genetics when it came to that side), but seeing her this close where he could see evidence of it made him feel a little bit guilty with his intentions to bother her so early in the morning.

Jeno wasn't the type to take notice of it, but Cho had really beautiful eyes. They were large, almost as large as his own and they were bright even amidst the darkening bags of her hard work. It was eyes that could draw people in with a simple glance almost medusa-like in the way it had sitting there staring at her and looking at her like he was a statue. If only they weren't hidden behind the thick frame of her glasses he would have noticed it before—no, he was certain he would have seen it before.

Jeno opened his mouth but was stopped by the door of the classroom sliding open. Cho turns her head forward and Jeno sits forward with his whole body leaning towards his desk. He pretends to raise his head and stare at whoever it was that had just opened the door.

Yangyang entered the room and looked between Jeno and Eunji in absolute confusion. "Do the two of you actually come to school at this hour?" He had to double-check with the watch on his wrist.

Jeno sits up suddenly feeling relieved to see a familiar face pop up by the door. He sits up straight and stands up from his seat.

Unlike all his other friends, Yangyang had gone back to Taiwan over the break. His family mostly lived there and only his sister and him were living in South Korea. His sister worked as a set designer for a lot of agencies and was quite well known. So, if you wanted a signature from a popular idol he was the guy people at school hit up for it.

"Bro!" Jeno gets up to hug Yangyang. "I haven't seen you since the break started."

"Samesies!" He pats Jeno's back and then turns to look at Eunji. "Eunji, hi!" He greets her enthusiastically, almost in a cute manner that Yangyang was completely unaware of.

Eunji lifts her head and pushes her lips together to smile. "Hello." She was completely baffled by his quite cutesy morning greeting, but beyond the morning greetings and saying hello to each other Yangyang and Eunji didn't really talk too much. That was unless she was in a group setting with other people from class.

"What were the two of you—" Yangyang then looks between Eunji and Jeno. The scene that Yangyang saw before he had opened the door was quite an intimate scene—in his opinion. Two students were alone in a room, sitting next to each other, but what sealed the deal was how both Jeno and Eunji were barely a few inches from each other.

Jeno stops Yangyang from talking as he throws his arms around his shoulder. This included his weight as well, making Yangyang bend his upper body forward as he carried most of Jeno's weight. They staggered towards his desk, leaving Eunji in her own world and the two of them in their own plant.

"Well, what was that?" Yangyang whispered as soon as Jeno sat down in his seat.

"What was what?" Jeno leans his back on the chair and looks side to side obviously avoiding Yangyang's eyes.

"The whole thing the two of you had going on?"

Jeno sighs and shakes his head. "She was just getting on my nerves," he runs a hand through his hair frustrated. "I mean she's studying for the university entrance exams. We just finished the first semester!" His voice was not really growing louder but hers was definitely getting more expressive.

Yangyang paused and looked at Jeno before he slowly took the seat beside him. "Is this because of the whole situation with you getting second place last sem?"

Jeno snickers bitterly as he turns to face the front of the classroom and leans his body onto the table. "I just don't understand—"

"She works really hard, Jens." Yangyang comments.

"What do you know?" Jeno retorts.

Yangyang sighed knowing there was no way he could win an argument against Jeno in this state of stubbornness of his. "Why are you so eager to win over her anyway? With your grades alone, you could get into a really good school on a scholarship."

Jeno looks up to see her back facing them. Her posture was the worst as her head was nearly parallel to the table that kept her book. She was sometimes stretch her neck as she read but her eyes never left the book. "There's no way I'm losing."

Yangyang shakes his head. "There's no—"

The door opened once again, this time it was going to be the last time it was going to close. Most of the students were about to arrive on campus and it just so happens that the first ones here were the three of them. Three other people stood at the entrance of the door and completed their group of friends. Haechan, Jaemin, and Renjun entered the room and placed their bags down in their seats before making their way towards the two of them.

"Yang!" Haechan gallops towards Yangyang and Jeno after dropping his bag. "Welcome back!"

Yangyang stands from his seat to give him a quick hug. "Dude, what have you been up to!"

"Liking all of your Instagram posts." Yangyang was referring to pictures of the four of them hanging out. They were out going to each other homes playing video games and hanging out. In some cases, the four of them were outside their homes and that was then Haechan would post the most.

"Come with us next time," Haechan puts his arms around Yangyang, but unlike Jeno's heavy blow, he was basically hanging around his shoulders. "All we could think about was how much you would enjoy the things we were doing."

The subconscious nods of heads in the group made it pretty obvious that the group was indeed talking about him even if he wasn't there all break. For a moment, Yangyang admits that he has found a group of people who finally cherished him in his absence.

"You could've given me a call." Yangyang tries not to show too much sentiment on his face. They had a good two more years of hanging out like this before he could finally open up about all he's been thinking.

"Would you even have answered?" Renjun grabs a seat from beside Yangyang's seat and sits down. Renjun doesn't sit there, most of them don't but they had just naturally gathered around Yangyang.

"Touche."

"Figured that much." Renjun sighs and leans his head towards Yangyang's table.

"Why do you look so tired?" Jaemin asks Renjun as he sits at Yangyang's table instead of pulling a chair towards where everyone else is seated.

Renjun sits up and stretches his arms over his head. Among the five of them, it was Renjun who carried the most boyish charm that actions as simple as stretching his arms over his head would appear cuter than all of them combined. He even leans back on his chair and then sighs. "Bona got herself a new shelf and guess who was told to help her build it at 12 midnight."

"Last night?" Jeno raises his eyebrows at the statement.

"Trust me," Renjun runs his hand through his hair, "I don't know what was going in that mind of hers."

Haechan puts his hands on Renjun's shoulder. "Yet, you can't deny her." There was a hint of teasing in the way that Haechan was talking about Bona, Renjun's childhood friend.

All he could do was sigh as Haechan wiggled his eyebrows at him. At this point in Haechan and Renjun's friendship, he was exhausted by this joke about his relationship with Bona. The long-time friends, Haechan and Renjun have spent their middle school years together and decided to enter high school in the same school as each other. Haechan says it's a coincidence, and Renjun tells everyone that Haechan is stalking him.

"Bona knows too much." Renjun sighs giving Haechan one long look before sitting up straight and facing everyone else.

Haechan's reception of that look shut him up.

As everyone finally entered the classroom, even with several other students in class, their voices were always above everyone else. They weren't aware of it but they were beginning to write their future as the days finally welcomed their youth. Now, as the sun begins to rise and the cold days of childhood leave them, they are welcomed into the warm—sometimes too hot—hug of youth.

This was their start. The first taste of the warmth of youth.

masterlist | next

[gonelike-ach00]

the warmth of youth | nct 00 line

high school! nct 00 line x high school! female original characters

for quicker updates, you can read it on ao3 or wattpad

summary:

They weren't aware of it but they were beginning to write their future as the days finally welcomed their youth. Now, as the sun begins to rise and the cold days of childhood leave them, they are welcomed into the warm—sometimes too hot—hug of youth.This was their start--the first taste of the warmth of youth.

genre:

fluff, angst, slice of life, high school romance

notes:

My favorite genre of nct fanfics is when they're a group of friends first before they are romantic leads. Self-indulged fluff fic inspired by: nijiiro days & koi ni mudagachi

fan fic cast

masterlist

Author: Can you introduce yourself or tell us what you name is?

Kim Bona [02.10.2000]

Shin Sua [03.14.2000]

Huang Renjun [03.23.2000]

Lee Jeno [04.23.2000]

Lee Naeun [05.30.2000]

Lee Haechan [06.06.2000]

Na Jaemin [08.13.2000]

Cho Eunji [09.05.2000]

Liu Yangyang [10.10.2000]

Kang Mina [11.10.2000]

disclaimer

the use of idols and public personalities as models for the female lead is simply here to aid in the visualization process of the author and/or reader, it has no intention to ship anyone with anyone.

yes, kang mina the character is based on kang mina the idol/actress because I will forever hold her dear in my heart as her fan during her pd101, ioi, and gugudan days (lol). everyone deserves to love her <3

masterlist

[gonelike-ach00]

the warmth of youth | nct 00 line

ｍａｓｔｅｒ ｌｉ���ｔ

high school! nct 00 line (renjun, jeno, haechan, jaemin, yangyang) x high school! female original character

for quicker updates, you can read it on ao3 or wattpad

summary:

Renjun and Bona has always been friends. They've known each other since they were kids, but why was Renjun suddenly all interested in romance and someone else?

Jeno finds himself at odds with Eunji, the girl who just happens to take his spot as the number one student of their school.

Haechan was always so bright and cheerful and energetic that it was hard to imagine him as anything else. That's until Mina stumbles into his little secret.

Jaemin and Naeun have nothing in common except their common friends, until he starts working for her family's restaurant and they shared a lot more things in common than they thought.

Yangyang knew that Sua was someone he wasn't supposed to be around. Except he catches her at the train and then in school. Not talking to her only became a lot harder than he thought.

genre:

fluff, angst, slice of life, high school romance, recurring anthology

structure:

this work features five lead couples, where each chapter would be dedicated to each their own story. you can imagine it as five fanfics all happening at the same time. the intention to write the fanfic like such is deeply rooted in the idea that although romance is important and the highlight of this fic, it is just as important to highlight platonic connections that help shape your character.

notes:

My favorite genre of nct fanfics is when they're a group of friends first before they are romantic leads. Self-indulged fluff fic inspired by: nijiiro days & koi ni mudagachi

ｃａｓｔ

ｃｈａｐｔｅｒｓ

ᴏɴᴇ - jeno ᴛᴡᴏ - renjun ᴛʜʀᴇᴇ - yangyang ꜰᴏᴜʀ - jeno ꜰɪᴠᴇ - haechan ꜱɪx - jaemin seven - yangyang eight - haechan

[gonelike-ach00]

[UPDATE]

Hi! I also posted it on ao3 if you prefer reading it there instead of wattpad (lol)

the warmth of youth | nct 00 line

this was their start. the first taste to the warmth of youth.

[posting here for promo]

high school! nct 00 line x high school! original female characters

Summary: They weren't aware of it but they were beginning to write their future as the days finally welcomed their youth. Now, as the sun begins to rise and the cold days of childhood leave them, they are welcomed into the warm—sometimes too hot—hug of youth.

This was their start. The first taste of the warmth of youth.

Where Renjun, Jeno, Haechan, Jaemin, and Yangyang navigate their academics, their futures, and their romances

Genre(s): romance, fluff, angst, slice of life, reoccurring anthology

Inspired by: Nijiiro days (Rainbow days) & Koi ni Mudaguchi

You access the work here:

I can post it here as well, but I mostly post on wattpad, so if you want to be up to date with the fanfic you can read it there (though I understand the hesitation, especially with how ad heavy the app is now)

I'll send links for ao3 and here as well

[gonelike-ach00]

the warmth of youth | nct 00 line

this was their start. the first taste to the warmth of youth.

[posting here for promo]

high school! nct 00 line x high school! original female characters

Summary: They weren't aware of it but they were beginning to write their future as the days finally welcomed their youth. Now, as the sun begins to rise and the cold days of childhood leave them, they are welcomed into the warm—sometimes too hot—hug of youth.

This was their start. The first taste of the warmth of youth.

Where Renjun, Jeno, Haechan, Jaemin, and Yangyang navigate their academics, their futures, and their romances

Genre(s): romance, fluff, angst, slice of life, reoccurring anthology

Inspired by: Nijiiro days (Rainbow days) & Koi ni Mudaguchi

You access the work here:

I can post it here as well, but I mostly post on wattpad, so if you want to be up to date with the fanfic you can read it there (though I understand the hesitation, especially with how ad heavy the app is now)

I'll send links for ao3 and here as well

[gonelike-ach00]

Chapter 4

chaebol! Kim Doyoung x chaebol! Original Female Character

Word count: 2,021

Summary: What truly goes on behind the lights, the stages and the performances? Kim Doyoung has lived his idol life quietly, getting ample exposure and being in a popular group. He was now fully independent and plans to continue his life in this direction.

Yet all things are easier said than done. Once his old life begins to creep up to him it was getting harder to escape and runaway. What does this humble and scandal free idol truly hide?

Genre: fluff, angst, arranged marriage, drama

Warning(s): eventual smut, violence, trauma, guns, blood

✦•······················•✦•······················•✦

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✦•······················•✦•······················•✦

There was no space to grieve.

If the weight of the world were to be measured, it would be added upon Doyoung’s own body weight. The moment he woke up the following day after leaving his father’s remains in its final resting place, he had been running around the house. He was wearing old clothes, obviously outdated from his high school days, yet it was what was available. He hasn’t stepped foot inside his dormitory since the whole incident with Jinah, nor has he faced his label, managers and other staff. They probably were wondering where he had disappeared off to for the week. 

“Secretary Kim,” Doyoung calls out the secretary as he sat down in his father’s study checking on the details of the board that his father did not finish, “where is the data for Director Go’s department?” Hoping his father’s long time secretary would know where the data was. 

“It has yet to be submitted.” 

Doyoung could simply sigh, who was to blame when his father set the deadline on the day he passed away. He simply runs his hand through his unkempt hair, “can I have his contact info?” In almost an instant, the secretary opens his phone and sends him the director’s details. 

Just as he was about to give Director Go a call, a face that he has never met in person, or as he recalls never met at all, the door to the study opens. Unlike how it was when his father’s viewing was in process, his cousin and the vice president of Byul group of companies, walks through the door in a pressed gray suit and cleanly styled hair. “What are you doing this early and on a weekend?” 

“I have to finish the reports to present to a few investors and clients next week, some of them are seeking partnership from us for the past few days we were gone. A lot of them are foreign expenditures, I can’t waste the--” 

“And why are you handling all this on your own?” Youngbin immediately stands right beside him. “Is this on Uncle Kijoon’s report?” He refers to the director as their uncle, as they were a cousin to their parents, as he glances down at the monitor on the desk.

“He was on a meeting with a client abroad, the company he manages has been huge on international expenditure.” Youngbin sighs and reports to him directly. “Your father gave him a go signal to submit his report late.” 

Doyoung nods his head and leans back. “I guess with all the various notification sounds popping out of my father’s computer, I couldn’t ignore the responsibility that I’m about to take over.” He honestly replies as he closes his eyes. 

For more than a century, the Byul company has proven its worth by remaining as one of the biggest economical contributors to the country. Even when faced with calamities, wars and economic collapses, they stood strong. Some attribute this to the rigid process of creating their company leaders. The Kim family who owns Byul were known to teach possible presidents and chairs the moment they are able to walk and talk, and only those who were taught were considered to sit in the position. With the current generation, there were only two who can take charge and lead the company, yet a few years ago after the birth of his first child, Youngbin renounced all rights to be elected into position. 

This left Doyoung the only eligible heir to the Byul throne. 

Doyoung knew why Youngbin retreated from the position, it wasn’t safe for his family to be involved in politics of the upper elites. He knew that the moment he chose to run for position, Doyoung’s parents and his mother would go at odds with one another even if they were siblings. Youngbin knew all too well that this was a war on greed for power, yet he cannot be selfish enough to drag his still young children into such a world just as they were able to open their eyes. 

“You,” Youngbin pulls Doyoung out of Dongmin’s chair, “should,” he pauses to finally take a look at what his younger cousin was wearing, “really go get some clothes.” 

“I’ll just get them from the dorms,” Doyoung tries to shrug him off. “I have to eventually move out of there anyway.” 

“You should go buy some clothes instead!” Youngbin pushes him further out of the office. “You look like you rummaged through all your old clothes and forced yourself to fit into them.” He teases.

“You know full well that’s exactly what I did.” Doyoung was about to be pushed out the door of the house when they heard the front door opening. 

While Youngbin was pulling him out of the house, the door swung open. Doyoung was then meeting Jinah in the eye while being headlocked by his cousin. “I should return later, shouldn’t I?” Jinah was about to turn around, putting the keys she had in her hands straight into her pocket.

“Jinah!” She gets stopped by Youngbin who called out her voice in such a tone that made Doyoung sure his mother could hear what was going on outside the master’s bedroom. That nearly sat at the opposite side of their ancestral mansion.

Once she peeks her head back into the house, Youngbin immediately pushed Doyoung towards him. In fact if she wasn’t ready to catch a falling Doyoung he would have skidded on the sparkling marble floor they were all standing on top of.

“Take him out to buy some clothes.” Youngbin claps his hands together as if he took out the trash.

“I can just pick up--”

“Yada! Yada!” Youngbin makes his hands talk, stopping Doyoung from speaking any further. “If I don’t see a new set of clothes when I come visit again, I’ll make sure everyone knows of your deepest darkest secret.”

“That is?” Doyoung jumps off of Jinah as if she were a plague.

“That until you still peed on the bed until you were thirteen.” 

Jinah snickers behind him. 

Doyoung glares at Youngbin and Jinah. 

Honestly, at this point there was no use in shielding things from Jinah when it comes to all family secrets about him. She knew the smallest of detail, both from his parents and this cousin of his, both tend to overshare a little bit. 

“Then,” Youngbin puts his hands on both Jinah and Doyoung’s shoulders before guiding them through the long hallway out of the mansion they were in.

“Are you making me leave in these?” Doyoung looks down at his clothes once they were standing outside the main house. 

“You’re going to buy clothes anyway.” Youngbin waves his hand once again before closing the door on their faces.

Doyoung grunts before running a hand through his unkempt hair. “Seriously.” 

“Well,” Jinah lifts her car keys, “if you don’t have anything else to do might as well just do as he says you know.” 

Doyoung raises an eyebrow at her. 

“What is it this time?” Gone immediately was the kind expression on Jinah’s face.

“Did you guys plan this?” 

She takes a deep breath in and crosses her arms over her chest and then glares at him. “Is it because I walked through your door right when he was forcing you out of the office?”

Doyoung nods his head slowly. 

“Just so you know, your mother was the one who called me because she wanted to have breakfast with me.” Jinah puts her car keys back into her pocket just to pull out her phone and show Doyoung the text she got from his mother.

“Well, if she wanted to have breakfast she should’ve told me.” After checking the text and confirming that what she said was true he stands upright mimicking her arms crossed over her chest.

“I think you should tell your mother that.” 

Then they go quiet. 

“Should we go then?” It was clear with her tired tone that Jinah wasn’t looking forward to going to the mall with him to get him clothes, because it was Doyoung. She knew Doyoung just as his family knew him, and he was quite popular among the aunts and cousin for being a picky dresser.

Doyoung doesn’t even respond as he walks up to the only car sitting at the entrance of their house. Most of the cars they owned won’t usually sit on the curb, they would settle in the garage, so it was easy to tell that the car was hers. 

It was a different car from the one they used to drive to the hospital that day.

“Now that I think of it, I never saw you drive.” That was the first thing Doyoung told Jinah as soon as they were seated.

“Relax, my brother has always told me I’m a much better driver than him.” She starts the car.

Doyoung’s eyes grew wide. If anyone knew Minki the first thing that they would think of aside from his affluent family is his inability to drive a vehicle. It wasn’t like he never took lessons or he never passed the exam, he was just extremely… reckless when it came to driving. 

“Oh no.”

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[gonelike-ach00]

Fangirl | rj

high school! Renjun x high school! fem OC

Author: gonelike_achoo

Summary: Where Na Jaemin's fangirl finds herself needing someone to be in a relationship with to help Jaemin and Yuri, her best friend to finally act on their feelings. Where Renjun just so happened to have promised to help Aera, Na Jaemin's fangirl, after a little favor that saved his face.

Genre: fake dating

Warning(s): none

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Chapter 2

Aera has been out of it since their after school dinner out with the group. Unlike her usual self, where she would often hop between conversation with the guys and talk about whatever comes to mind with them, she only sat there in silence. Her obvious sour mood made it difficult for Yuri to bring up what she wanted to tell her, which they never got to talk about during the night. 

Even as she sat in the art shop her family ran, where she would usually be fixing the shelves and greeting each passerby by the door, she sat right behind the counter pondering on the thing that was happening with Jaemin and Yuri and possibly their biggest hurdle, herself. It was like a huge slap to herself that her best friend was probably hesitating to date Jaemin, possibly the only guy she’s ever shown interest in, because of her fangirling over him.

“Aera?” The door to the shop opens and there Renjun was standing, surprised to see her standing behind the counter today. Just as it was already odd to see her standing behind the counter, she was acting twice as odd when she didn't respond to him calling out her name. He even moves his hand across her face and she even fails to notice that. “Aera?” This time, he reaches out to grab her extended hand and squeezes it. 

“Oh,” Aera’s eyes finally turn to look at Renjun, though he swears he’s been in her field of vision since a while ago, “you’re here again, Renjun.” She forces a smile on her face and moves back from leaning against the counter. 

“I mean I’ve been here for a while, but are you okay?” Even before he could turn back around and pick up the stuff he needed for the art work he was working on, he couldn’t help but feel curious about what was happening to the usually jolly girl. 

“What do you mean?” She forces a laugh before standing up from the seat on the counter and walking around it just to stand along the shelves of art supplies and easels. She puts her hand on top of the tubes of paint pretending to fix them, before getting lost in thought again. 

“Seriously, Aera, you don’t look alright.” This time Renjun gently tugs on the shoulder that was closest to him and makes her turn towards him.

Aera immediately loses the smile on her face. “Did you know that Yuri and Jaemin have a thing?” 

Renjun opens his mouth, but closes it once again. 

“You do know,” she runs her hand through her hair and begins walking back and forth right in front of the counter, “am I the only one who didn’t notice?” 

“To be fair, Jaemin told me about it.” 

Aera looks at him before taking a deep frustrated sigh. “As if that helps!” 

Renjun immediately turned quiet as soon as she snapped at him. It wasn’t like they weren’t considered friends, they are in the same friend group, it was just that unlike everyone else in the group, he and her never truly had a conversation, one that was just between the two of them. That is if you don’t count her asking for his payment for the stuff he buys from her family’s art shop. So, he wasn’t exactly sure how to handle this situation.

“Are you okay with it?” 

Aera snaps her head towards Renjun and stops walking. “Of course I am!” She replies exasperatedly. Aera then walks up to Renjun leaving an ample space between them, but one where they never truly shared between each other. “Serious question,” she looks into Renjun’s eyes for, probably, the first time, “do you think they aren’t acting on it because of me?” 

“Acting on what?” 

“They’re feelings for each other.” 

Renjun goes quiet. 

That was all the answer she needed. She slowly takes a step back and leans against the counter of the shop. She takes a deep breath as she looks up at the low ceiling of the art shop. “What did he tell you?” Aera asks, referring to Jaemin.

“Do you want to know?” 

Aera looks at him with her eyebrows knit together, “I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t want to know, Renjun!” She calls out her name the same way she did when he asked if she was fine with what was developing between their friends. 

He hesitates for a while, but her persistent staring made it incredibly difficult for him to not answer her. “Jaemin has asked me a couple of times if he thinks that you truly had no feelings for him–”

“I don’t!” She looks at Renjun frustrated. 

“Anyway,” Renjun stops her from talking before she could continue with the overused reason she has, “and how Yuri has told him multiple times that she wasn’t interested in starting a relationship with him because of you.” 

“Me?” Aera points to herself. 

Renjun simply nods his head. 

“What do I do now, Renjun?” After her expressive array of showing her frustration, she turns to her whole body and leans her head down on the counter. She feels him walk closer to her, probably to console, but when he is about to talk to her, the bell on the door of the art shop rings and she stands up almost immediately. Aera was immediately back to her joyful disposition and greeted the person who just entered, leaving Renjun standing there staring at her oddly. 

As she was busy entertaining the customer, Renjun, who is just as much a customer as the one who entered, decided to pick up the things that he had intended to buy. Even though he was the first to grab the stuff he needed, once he looked up towards the counter, the other customer was already paying for theirs. 

“You’re buying a lot of stuff today.” Aera picks up the several tubes of acrylic, paint brush, a new palette and a varnish, the wood kind. 

“It’s a possible addition to the portfolio.” 

Aera has finally snapped out of her earlier trance, but it doesn’t mean her head was no longer six feet underground still thinking about the possibility of her best friend holding back just because of her fangirling towards Jaemin. She was thinking of every possible way to convince her that she didn’t like him, but knowing her, she would not believe in her unless something drastic were to happen. 

“Hey,” she realizes that there was someone here who could help her, “do you have any idea what I should do about this?” 

“You usually put them in a bag?” Renjun tilted his head as he stared at the stuff he was prepared to check out. 

“Not this stuff,” she puts down one of the tubes of paint pretty harshly, “about Yuri and Jaemin.”

“Wouldn’t it be better to just talk to them about it?” Renjun was someone that she thought would make sense, he always felt like he was the smartest one among their group, but right now she wanted to think otherwise. 

“I don’t know if you caught it already,” Aera pins in a few more numbers into the cashier as one item couldn’t be read by the bar code, “but if talking was enough, they would be dating now. I can’t even imagine how much I’ve told her that I don’t like Jaemin romantically, but she still thinks as if I do like him like that.”

As soon as the last item was punched, she read the price of all the things he bought, which amounted to something that cost much more than her own weekly allowance. 

“Okay,” Renjun reached out to his back pocket, but in an instant his expression changed. His eyes go wide as he nearly pats his whole body down, even twisting it in ways that she never thought he could do. 

“You lost your wallet or you didn’t bring it at all?” 

“I swear to god I brought it with me.” He looks at her pleading for forgiveness with his eyes. “I live close by, just hold onto them for now and I’ll come back after grabbing it.” 

Taeha simply pouts before nodding her head. “You know,” she gathers all the stuff into the bag before handing it to him, “you can just pay me tomorrow.”

“Really?” Renjun’s face immediately lights up. 

“Well,” she lifts her shoulders, “it’s not like you can hide from me tomorrow, anyways. I’ll make sure to haunt you down in your classroom.” 

“Thank you, Aera!” If he could, he would’ve hugged her, but he didn’t as the counter that sat between them was a little bit too wide. “I’ll pay you back with anything you need!” That was how he said his farewell in compensation for the momentary embarrassment he experienced.

Little did Renjun know that little statement of gratitude made a light bulb above her head blink into a bright light. 

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[gonelike-ach00]

Won't be posting today. When things get stressful for things that should make me happy, I take it as a sign that I need to take a step back and reevaluate.

I am as much frustrated as any other NCTzen out there. Sungchan and Shotaro deserves so much better than this.

[gonelike-ach00]

Crazy Rich Idol | Doyoung

Chapter 3

chaebol! Kim Doyoung x chaebol! Original Female Character

Word count: 2,021

Summary: What truly goes on behind the lights, the stages and the performances? Kim Doyoung has lived his idol life quietly, getting ample exposure and being in a popular group. He was now fully independent and plans to continue his life in this direction.

Yet all things are easier said than done. Once his old life begins to creep up to him it was getting harder to escape and runaway. What does this humble and scandal free idol truly hide?

Genre: fluff, angst, arranged marriage, drama

Warning(s): eventual smut, violence, trauma, guns, blood

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He bows to faces he both recognized and had no idea who they were. Right now, he was the only one standing by his father's grave. His mother did not sleep for two days, since his father passed and the first night of his visit. That was the case for his father's two older sisters and his only cousin. Outside, there were people from the house serving people food and drinks, he was lucky to have them as he was unsure whether or not he could smile and serve people food. He was sure among the crowd outside the main room was his cousin's wife's, since she did greet him earlier, he wasn't sure if she's left already. He can't blame her if she did, their kids were very young and staying too long here would mean leaving the kids with their still emotionally unstable father.

Doyoung stands on his feet once he hears someone approaching the viewing room. As soon as they enter he bows his head first. 

There was no need to look up, they would all say the same thing. They would sing praises for his father and whisper their condolences, yet the moment they sit with their colleagues and co-workers they would mutter all kinds of things about the family owned conglomerate, and him.

"Dongyoung," a hand runs down his arm, which surprised him. Instead of being greeted with a fake smile and infinite praise for his deceased father, he was greeted with a warm smile.

"I heard you were here alone." Her hand goes down to his hands, Jinah then proceeds to squeeze it in assurance, before standing right beside him. 

“What are you doing?” 

“Standing beside you, what else am I doing?” If anyone walked in right now, unaware of who she was, they would think that she truly was a relative of the deceased. Her black attire, and cleanly pushed back hair, it was as if she was mourning as he was.

“People are going to get the wrong idea,” his hand points between the two of them, “between us.”

“Will you calm down,” she swats Doyoung’s hand away, “my brother just got stopped by some snar faced old man who was trying to suck up to him.”

“Your brother?” Doyoung stands up straight and shifts his whole body towards her as if she was joking. If his gulp wasn’t audible for Jinah, it sure did echo inside his head. 

“What’s with you?” Jinah makes him turn back into where he was facing earlier by turning him by his shoulder. 

At the moment where she had both her hands on his shoulders someone entered the room. Instead of flinching off of his body just like how anyone would react if seen standing a little too close with an idol, both their eyes only turn towards the person slowly. He stands there in absolute confusion at first before a smirk grows on his lips. He then lifts his hand then points between the two of them. “Are you two dating?” 

Jinah takes her hand off of Doyoung’s shoulders before she starts shaking her head aggressively. 

“We just saw each other for the first time since I dropped out of high school.” Doyoung smoothes out his suit.

“And anyone could date within that period.” Jung Minki was a walking teasing machine to the two of them. He may have been the reason behind the whole rumor of them engaged back in high school. He was the type to make fun of their relationship when things were purely platonic between the two of them. As MInki, himself, would say he was the biggest Dongyoung and Jinah shipper among the family.

“I’m kidding!” This time Minki smiles apologetically at Doyoung. He simply opened his arms and in an instant had Doyoung in his arms, just like the older brother he was. “My condolences, Dongyoung.” A hand, for the first time, one that wasn’t shaking, soothes his back. This was the first time he felt truly assured, as if he could bawl inside his arms. 

“You arrived a little too late, don’t you think?” Doyoung hides the tears wanting to fall with a joke.

“My father hasn’t been himself since your father passed,” Minki moved back and placed his hands over his arms, “so, Jinah and I have been doing all his work and meetings.” He squeezed Doyoung’s arms before standing right beside Jinah.

“There’s no one who can understand him more than you could.” Doyoung comments as they all stand by the wall waiting to greet another person who would view his father’s memorial and offer their condolences.

“He probably has it worse than me.” 

Their conversation was cut when a group of younger employees entered the chairman’s viewing room. 

If there was one thing Jinah and Minki had understood since they were young, it was that Doyoung was one that catches anyone’s attention. In the split moment that the younger employees looked at Doyoung, the two of them heard them gasp. His small face, and bunny like features seem to astound them, not to mention the build he worked so hard for. He truly was a textbook definition of what it means to be hot. 

That, or they recognized the young man who was often on TVs. 

Just as quick as they reacted to standing in front of the good looking son of the chair, they were quick to bow their heads towards them and run out of the small room with such a good looking guy. 

“How does it feel to be good looking?” Jinah teases the man standing beside him, who didn’t seem to be flustered by the reaction. 

"A burden," she sees him hide his smirk, "but the greatest way to inflate my ego." He leans in closer with a full blown smile on his face. 

"I shouldn't have said anything," Jinah rolls her eyes and hits his shoulders making him stand straight once again. 

It was weird, he was mourning, Doyoung was sure he was. There was fear surrounding him, the sound of condolences seemed to deafen him as well, yet in the presence of these two siblings, things were much lighter on his shoulders. He glances at the two of them who were whispering between each other, and all he could think of was his gratitude. As a smile slowly makes it on his face, the lady beside him, who seems to feel his sight set on the two of them, turns her head.

Immediately the smile on Doyoung's face gone, since her face was contorted in a manner that felt like she was mocking him. "Dongyoung," she pauses and takes a step back, standing closer to her brother, "what's with you?"

As if the tension shared when she entered the room was gone, or the tension shared not so long ago in her work place was now also gone. Instead, there was that comforting presence of their shared youth. Probably the most constant image in his life was her, and how she was acting right now, it was as if they didn't spend a day apart.

"I was just…" Doyoung can't find the right word, "...observing."

"Observing?" Minki's eyebrow raised at his choice of words. "It's not like this is the first time you've seen us—" 

Doyoung knew Minki had much more to say, but his brain zoned out the moment a group of young men entered the room in which they stood. Their all black attires and unstyled hair should blend them in, yet they stood out like a sore thumb. Brightly coloured hairs, small faces and lean builds, they were hard to miss. "Doyoung," not to mention the use of his stage name, one that was never recognized and used among all the workers, clients, and VIPs he greeted earlier.

"Taeyong," he was only able to call out the name of their leader, but seven other men stood beside him, "thank you for visiting my father's grave." He bows his head, this was the only thing he could think of at this moment. He had heaps more to say, one filled with apologies and regrets, yet this was the only thing he could do right now.

"NCT 127, right?" Jinah intervenes in the awkward interaction between the two members.

"Yes," was their simple reply.

"I apologize for the other day," Jinah quickly bows her head and pulls Doyoung back into standing position by his arms, "I received a sudden news about this guy's," she points at Doyoung with her thumb, "father, one that involved life or death." Jinah, as humbly as she could, bows her head in apology.

“It’s fine,” Taeyong, the leader, took charge with conversing with the director of JBG, but as soon as took a good look at the altar filled with flowers and a photo in the middle, it became abundantly clear how things turned out, “it was a situation far more important than work.” His eyes then traveled over to the man who stood there quietly and was opening and closing his mouth.

“You must be Dongyoung's group, right?” Minki’s bright personality threw the tension off of them immediately. He put out his hand and began shaking all their hands individually. “I’m Jung Minki, this one’s,” he points to Jinah using his thumb, “older brother.”

Then there was an immediate change in expression among the boys in the crowd. Jinah was one that they couldn’t believe was present in their shoot, aside from being the daughter of the JBG conglomerate, she was also a director for one of the biggest conglomerates in the country. It was harder to comprehend how they were standing right in front of the president of JBG.

“Looks like we have to compensate for the disturbed shoot that you have experienced.”

“No,” the group, including Doyoung, shakes their heads. 

“Well then, can I ask you one small favor then?” 

“Sure!” This time it was Johnny who responded the quickest. 

Minki walks over to stand beside Doyoung. He puts his arms around his shoulders, his face immediately turns sour at what Minki was doing. “This little brother of mine,” Minki pats Doyoung’s chest, “needs some explaining to do, to his group mates. Would you mind hearing his explanation?” 

Looks were exchanged between the members, as if it was already a given that Doyoung needed to explain himself. It was simply up to their standards on whether his explanation was one that they would quickly forgive. 

“Well then.” Minki no longer waits for a response from the group, “go ahead before Dongyoung gets all busy with sucking up to those weird elder men.” Minki pushes Doyoung towards his members and with a smile, assured him that they were going to stand as his father’s family for the few moments that he would be gone.

Of the thoughts he was plagued with, he never thought that there would be a day where he had to explain to his members who his father was. He was hoping that eventually his father would come to accept the choice of pursuing his career, and eventually greet his members. He never once thought that their first encounter with his father would be in his death. 

“I think we’ve figured out a number of what is going on here.” Haechan was the first to speak as soon as they all sat down. With eyes watching them navigate through the crowd and watching them sit down. “That your father works for JBG, probably one of the directors right?” 

Doyoung wanted to tie his lips down, but with what was about to unfold there was no way he could hide this any longer. He knows that this news of his father’s death should be all over the news already, whatever his cousin and aunts were doing to suppress it, they were doing phenomenally well. 

“It’s much more than that.” Doyoung’s statement makes all heads turn towards him. As he raises his head, he takes notice of their eagerness to know. “My father’s name is Kim Dongmin,” he hears them gasp, “as in, the chairperson and president of the Byul Conglomerate.”

He bows to faces he both recognized and had no idea who they were. Right now, he was the only one standing by his father's grave. His mother did not sleep for two days, since his father passed and the first night of his visit. That was the case for his father's two older sisters and his only cousin. Outside, there were people from the house serving people food and drinks, he was lucky to have them as he was unsure whether or not he could smile and serve people food. He was sure among the crowd outside the main room was his cousin's wife's, since she did greet him earlier, he wasn't sure if she's left already. He can't blame her if she did, their kids were very young and staying too long here would mean leaving the kids with their still emotionally unstable father.

Doyoung stands on his feet once he hears someone approaching the viewing room. As soon as they enter he bows his head first. 

There was no need to look up, they would all say the same thing. They would sing praises for his father and whisper their condolences, yet the moment they sit with their colleagues and co-workers they would mutter all kinds of things about the family owned conglomerate, and him.

"Dongyoung," a hand runs down his arm, which surprised him. Instead of being greeted with a fake smile and infinite praise for his deceased father, he was greeted with a warm smile.

"I heard you were here alone." Her hand goes down to his hands, Jinah then proceeds to squeeze it in assurance, before standing right beside him. 

“What are you doing?” 

“Standing beside you, what else am I doing?” If anyone walked in right now, unaware of who she was, they would think that she truly was a relative of the deceased. Her black attire, and cleanly pushed back hair, it was as if she was mourning as he was.

“People are going to get the wrong idea,” his hand points between the two of them, “between us.”

“Will you calm down,” she swats Doyoung’s hand away, “my brother just got stopped by some snar faced old man who was trying to suck up to him.”

“Your brother?” Doyoung stands up straight and shifts his whole body towards her as if she was joking. If his gulp wasn’t audible for Jinah, it sure did echo inside his head. 

“What’s with you?” Jinah makes him turn back into where he was facing earlier by turning him by his shoulder. 

At the moment where she had both her hands on his shoulders someone entered the room. Instead of flinching off of his body just like how anyone would react if seen standing a little too close with an idol, both their eyes only turn towards the person slowly. He stands there in absolute confusion at first before a smirk grows on his lips. He then lifts his hand then points between the two of them. “Are you two dating?” 

Jinah takes her hand off of Doyoung’s shoulders before she starts shaking her head aggressively. 

“We just saw each other for the first time since I dropped out of high school.” Doyoung smoothes out his suit.

“And anyone could date within that period.” Jung Minki was a walking teasing machine to the two of them. He may have been the reason behind the whole rumor of them engaged back in high school. He was the type to make fun of their relationship when things were purely platonic between the two of them. As MInki, himself, would say he was the biggest Dongyoung and Jinah shipper among the family.

“I’m kidding!” This time Minki smiles apologetically at Doyoung. He simply opened his arms and in an instant had Doyoung in his arms, just like the older brother he was. “My condolences, Dongyoung.” A hand, for the first time, one that wasn’t shaking, soothes his back. This was the first time he felt truly assured, as if he could bawl inside his arms. 

“You arrived a little too late, don’t you think?” Doyoung hides the tears wanting to fall with a joke.

“My father hasn’t been himself since your father passed,” Minki moved back and placed his hands over his arms, “so, Jinah and I have been doing all his work and meetings.” He squeezed Doyoung’s arms before standing right beside Jinah.

“There’s no one who can understand him more than you could.” Doyoung comments as they all stand by the wall waiting to greet another person who would view his father’s memorial and offer their condolences.

“He probably has it worse than me.” 

Their conversation was cut when a group of younger employees entered the chairman’s viewing room. 

If there was one thing Jinah and Minki had understood since they were young, it was that Doyoung was one that catches anyone’s attention. In the split moment that the younger employees looked at Doyoung, the two of them heard them gasp. His small face, and bunny like features seem to astound them, not to mention the build he worked so hard for. He truly was a textbook definition of what it means to be hot. 

That, or they recognized the young man who was often on TVs. 

Just as quick as they reacted to standing in front of the good looking son of the chair, they were quick to bow their heads towards them and run out of the small room with such a good looking guy. 

“How does it feel to be good looking?” Jinah teases the man standing beside him, who didn’t seem to be flustered by the reaction. 

"A burden," she sees him hide his smirk, "but the greatest way to inflate my ego." He leans in closer with a full blown smile on his face. 

"I shouldn't have said anything," Jinah rolls her eyes and hits his shoulders making him stand straight once again. 

It was weird, he was mourning, Doyoung was sure he was. There was fear surrounding him, the sound of condolences seemed to deafen him as well, yet in the presence of these two siblings, things were much lighter on his shoulders. He glances at the two of them who were whispering between each other, and all he could think of was his gratitude. As a smile slowly makes it on his face, the lady beside him, who seems to feel his sight set on the two of them, turns her head.

Immediately the smile on Doyoung's face gone, since her face was contorted in a manner that felt like she was mocking him. "Dongyoung," she pauses and takes a step back, standing closer to her brother, "what's with you?"

As if the tension shared when she entered the room was gone, or the tension shared not so long ago in her work place was now also gone. Instead, there was that comforting presence of their shared youth. Probably the most constant image in his life was her, and how she was acting right now, it was as if they didn't spend a day apart.

"I was just…" Doyoung can't find the right word, "...observing."

"Observing?" Minki's eyebrow raised at his choice of words. "It's not like this is the first time you've seen us—" 

Doyoung knew Minki had much more to say, but his brain zoned out the moment a group of young men entered the room in which they stood. Their all black attires and unstyled hair should blend them in, yet they stood out like a sore thumb. Brightly coloured hairs, small faces and lean builds, they were hard to miss. "Doyoung," not to mention the use of his stage name, one that was never recognized and used among all the workers, clients, and VIPs he greeted earlier.

"Taeyong," he was only able to call out the name of their leader, but seven other men stood beside him, "thank you for visiting my father's grave." He bows his head, this was the only thing he could think of at this moment. He had heaps more to say, one filled with apologies and regrets, yet this was the only thing he could do right now.

"NCT 127, right?" Jinah intervenes in the awkward interaction between the two members.

"Yes," was their simple reply.

"I apologize for the other day," Jinah quickly bows her head and pulls Doyoung back into standing position by his arms, "I received a sudden news about this guy's," she points at Doyoung with her thumb, "father, one that involved life or death." Jinah, as humbly as she could, bows her head in apology.

“It’s fine,” Taeyong, the leader, took charge with conversing with the director of JBG, but as soon as took a good look at the altar filled with flowers and a photo in the middle, it became abundantly clear how things turned out, “it was a situation far more important than work.” His eyes then traveled over to the man who stood there quietly and was opening and closing his mouth.

“You must be Dongyoung's group, right?” Minki’s bright personality threw the tension off of them immediately. He put out his hand and began shaking all their hands individually. “I’m Jung Minki, this one’s,” he points to Jinah using his thumb, “older brother.”

Then there was an immediate change in expression among the boys in the crowd. Jinah was one that they couldn’t believe was present in their shoot, aside from being the daughter of the JBG conglomerate, she was also a director for one of the biggest conglomerates in the country. It was harder to comprehend how they were standing right in front of the president of JBG.

“Looks like we have to compensate for the disturbed shoot that you have experienced.”

“No,” the group, including Doyoung, shakes their heads. 

“Well then, can I ask you one small favor then?” 

“Sure!” This time it was Johnny who responded the quickest. 

Minki walks over to stand beside Doyoung. He puts his arms around his shoulders, his face immediately turns sour at what Minki was doing. “This little brother of mine,” Minki pats Doyoung’s chest, “needs some explaining to do, to his group mates. Would you mind hearing his explanation?” 

Looks were exchanged between the members, as if it was already a given that Doyoung needed to explain himself. It was simply up to their standards on whether his explanation was one that they would quickly forgive. 

“Well then.” Minki no longer waits for a response from the group, “go ahead before Dongyoung gets all busy with sucking up to those weird elder men.” Minki pushes Doyoung towards his members and with a smile, assured him that they were going to stand as his father’s family for the few moments that he would be gone.

Of the thoughts he was plagued with, he never thought that there would be a day where he had to explain to his members who his father was. He was hoping that eventually his father would come to accept the choice of pursuing his career, and eventually greet his members. He never once thought that their first encounter with his father would be in his death. 

“I think we’ve figured out a number of what is going on here.” Haechan was the first to speak as soon as they all sat down. With eyes watching them navigate through the crowd and watching them sit down. “That your father works for JBG, probably one of the directors right?” 

Doyoung wanted to tie his lips down, but with what was about to unfold there was no way he could hide this any longer. He knows that this news of his father’s death should be all over the news already, whatever his cousin and aunts were doing to suppress it, they were doing phenomenally well. 

“It’s much more than that.” Doyoung’s statement makes all heads turn towards him. As he raises his head, he takes notice of their eagerness to know. “My father’s name is Kim Dongmin,” he hears them gasp, “as in, the chairperson and president of the Byul Conglomerate.”

He bows to faces he both recognized and had no idea who they were. Right now, he was the only one standing by his father's grave. His mother did not sleep for two days, since his father passed and the first night of his visit. That was the case for his father's two older sisters and his only cousin. Outside, there were people from the house serving people food and drinks, he was lucky to have them as he was unsure whether or not he could smile and serve people food. He was sure among the crowd outside the main room was his cousin's wife's, since she did greet him earlier, he wasn't sure if she's left already. He can't blame her if she did, their kids were very young and staying too long here would mean leaving the kids with their still emotionally unstable father.

Doyoung stands on his feet once he hears someone approaching the viewing room. As soon as they enter he bows his head first. 

There was no need to look up, they would all say the same thing. They would sing praises for his father and whisper their condolences, yet the moment they sit with their colleagues and co-workers they would mutter all kinds of things about the family owned conglomerate, and him.

"Dongyoung," a hand runs down his arm, which surprised him. Instead of being greeted with a fake smile and infinite praise for his deceased father, he was greeted with a warm smile.

"I heard you were here alone." Her hand goes down to his hands, Jinah then proceeds to squeeze it in assurance, before standing right beside him. 

“What are you doing?” 

“Standing beside you, what else am I doing?” If anyone walked in right now, unaware of who she was, they would think that she truly was a relative of the deceased. Her black attire, and cleanly pushed back hair, it was as if she was mourning as he was.

“People are going to get the wrong idea,” his hand points between the two of them, “between us.”

“Will you calm down,” she swats Doyoung’s hand away, “my brother just got stopped by some snar faced old man who was trying to suck up to him.”

“Your brother?” Doyoung stands up straight and shifts his whole body towards her as if she was joking. If his gulp wasn’t audible for Jinah, it sure did echo inside his head. 

“What’s with you?” Jinah makes him turn back into where he was facing earlier by turning him by his shoulder. 

At the moment where she had both her hands on his shoulders someone entered the room. Instead of flinching off of his body just like how anyone would react if seen standing a little too close with an idol, both their eyes only turn towards the person slowly. He stands there in absolute confusion at first before a smirk grows on his lips. He then lifts his hand then points between the two of them. “Are you two dating?” 

Jinah takes her hand off of Doyoung’s shoulders before she starts shaking her head aggressively. 

“We just saw each other for the first time since I dropped out of high school.” Doyoung smoothes out his suit.

“And anyone could date within that period.” Jung Minki was a walking teasing machine to the two of them. He may have been the reason behind the whole rumor of them engaged back in high school. He was the type to make fun of their relationship when things were purely platonic between the two of them. As MInki, himself, would say he was the biggest Dongyoung and Jinah shipper among the family.

“I’m kidding!” This time Minki smiles apologetically at Doyoung. He simply opened his arms and in an instant had Doyoung in his arms, just like the older brother he was. “My condolences, Dongyoung.” A hand, for the first time, one that wasn’t shaking, soothes his back. This was the first time he felt truly assured, as if he could bawl inside his arms. 

“You arrived a little too late, don’t you think?” Doyoung hides the tears wanting to fall with a joke.

“My father hasn’t been himself since your father passed,” Minki moved back and placed his hands over his arms, “so, Jinah and I have been doing all his work and meetings.” He squeezed Doyoung’s arms before standing right beside Jinah.

“There’s no one who can understand him more than you could.” Doyoung comments as they all stand by the wall waiting to greet another person who would view his father’s memorial and offer their condolences.

“He probably has it worse than me.” 

Their conversation was cut when a group of younger employees entered the chairman’s viewing room. 

If there was one thing Jinah and Minki had understood since they were young, it was that Doyoung was one that catches anyone’s attention. In the split moment that the younger employees looked at Doyoung, the two of them heard them gasp. His small face, and bunny like features seem to astound them, not to mention the build he worked so hard for. He truly was a textbook definition of what it means to be hot. 

That, or they recognized the young man who was often on TVs. 

Just as quick as they reacted to standing in front of the good looking son of the chair, they were quick to bow their heads towards them and run out of the small room with such a good looking guy. 

“How does it feel to be good looking?” Jinah teases the man standing beside him, who didn’t seem to be flustered by the reaction. 

"A burden," she sees him hide his smirk, "but the greatest way to inflate my ego." He leans in closer with a full blown smile on his face. 

"I shouldn't have said anything," Jinah rolls her eyes and hits his shoulders making him stand straight once again. 

It was weird, he was mourning, Doyoung was sure he was. There was fear surrounding him, the sound of condolences seemed to deafen him as well, yet in the presence of these two siblings, things were much lighter on his shoulders. He glances at the two of them who were whispering between each other, and all he could think of was his gratitude. As a smile slowly makes it on his face, the lady beside him, who seems to feel his sight set on the two of them, turns her head.

Immediately the smile on Doyoung's face gone, since her face was contorted in a manner that felt like she was mocking him. "Dongyoung," she pauses and takes a step back, standing closer to her brother, "what's with you?"

As if the tension shared when she entered the room was gone, or the tension shared not so long ago in her work place was now also gone. Instead, there was that comforting presence of their shared youth. Probably the most constant image in his life was her, and how she was acting right now, it was as if they didn't spend a day apart.

"I was just…" Doyoung can't find the right word, "...observing."

"Observing?" Minki's eyebrow raised at his choice of words. "It's not like this is the first time you've seen us—" 

Doyoung knew Minki had much more to say, but his brain zoned out the moment a group of young men entered the room in which they stood. Their all black attires and unstyled hair should blend them in, yet they stood out like a sore thumb. Brightly coloured hairs, small faces and lean builds, they were hard to miss. "Doyoung," not to mention the use of his stage name, one that was never recognized and used among all the workers, clients, and VIPs he greeted earlier.

"Taeyong," he was only able to call out the name of their leader, but seven other men stood beside him, "thank you for visiting my father's grave." He bows his head, this was the only thing he could think of at this moment. He had heaps more to say, one filled with apologies and regrets, yet this was the only thing he could do right now.

"NCT 127, right?" Jinah intervenes in the awkward interaction between the two members.

"Yes," was their simple reply.

"I apologize for the other day," Jinah quickly bows her head and pulls Doyoung back into standing position by his arms, "I received a sudden news about this guy's," she points at Doyoung with her thumb, "father, one that involved life or death." Jinah, as humbly as she could, bows her head in apology.

“It’s fine,” Taeyong, the leader, took charge with conversing with the director of JBG, but as soon as took a good look at the altar filled with flowers and a photo in the middle, it became abundantly clear how things turned out, “it was a situation far more important than work.” His eyes then traveled over to the man who stood there quietly and was opening and closing his mouth.

“You must be Dongyoung's group, right?” Minki’s bright personality threw the tension off of them immediately. He put out his hand and began shaking all their hands individually. “I’m Jung Minki, this one’s,” he points to Jinah using his thumb, “older brother.”

Then there was an immediate change in expression among the boys in the crowd. Jinah was one that they couldn’t believe was present in their shoot, aside from being the daughter of the JBG conglomerate, she was also a director for one of the biggest conglomerates in the country. It was harder to comprehend how they were standing right in front of the president of JBG.

“Looks like we have to compensate for the disturbed shoot that you have experienced.”

“No,” the group, including Doyoung, shakes their heads. 

“Well then, can I ask you one small favor then?” 

“Sure!” This time it was Johnny who responded the quickest. 

Minki walks over to stand beside Doyoung. He puts his arms around his shoulders, his face immediately turns sour at what Minki was doing. “This little brother of mine,” Minki pats Doyoung’s chest, “needs some explaining to do, to his group mates. Would you mind hearing his explanation?” 

Looks were exchanged between the members, as if it was already a given that Doyoung needed to explain himself. It was simply up to their standards on whether his explanation was one that they would quickly forgive. 

“Well then.” Minki no longer waits for a response from the group, “go ahead before Dongyoung gets all busy with sucking up to those weird elder men.” Minki pushes Doyoung towards his members and with a smile, assured him that they were going to stand as his father’s family for the few moments that he would be gone.

Of the thoughts he was plagued with, he never thought that there would be a day where he had to explain to his members who his father was. He was hoping that eventually his father would come to accept the choice of pursuing his career, and eventually greet his members. He never once thought that their first encounter with his father would be in his death. 

“I think we’ve figured out a number of what is going on here.” Haechan was the first to speak as soon as they all sat down. With eyes watching them navigate through the crowd and watching them sit down. “That your father works for JBG, probably one of the directors right?” 

Doyoung wanted to tie his lips down, but with what was about to unfold there was no way he could hide this any longer. He knows that this news of his father’s death should be all over the news already, whatever his cousin and aunts were doing to suppress it, they were doing phenomenally well. 

“It’s much more than that.” Doyoung’s statement makes all heads turn towards him. As he raises his head, he takes notice of their eagerness to know. “My father’s name is Kim Dongmin,” he hears them gasp, “as in, the chairperson and president of the Byul Conglomerate.”

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[gonelike-ach00]

Fangirl | Renjun

high school! Renjun x high school! fem OC

Author: gonelike_achoo

Summary: Where Na Jaemin's fangirl finds herself needing someone to be in a relationship with to help Jaemin and Yuri, her best friend to finally act on their feelings. Where Renjun just so happened to have promised to help Aera, Na Jaemin's fangirl, after a little favor that saved his face.

Genre: fluff, angst, high school au, fake dating

Warning(s): none

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Chapter 1

 “Let’s go, Na Jaemin!” The quiet field was met with her cheers. 

There was no competition on the school football field. There was no game, not even a practice one, just a training session between the members of the team. Yet those who were in the team no longer bat an eyelash at the girl who was cheering on the bleachers. Her cheering didn’t just arrive to them all of a sudden, it started with games and her cheering for the whole team, until they had games where she only cheered for Jaemin, eventually it was practice games and then just practice. Maybe that’s why it never really bothered them at all. 

The girl sits down resting and drinking from her own jug of water. 

Among those who don’t know her personally she had one nickname she was known for and that was Na Jaemin’s fangirl. Kim Aera has always made it clear to anyone who asked, she had no romantic feelings for Jaemin and cannot imagine herself dating the guy. Yet, it was hard to believe since she was there nearly everyday, the only times she does miss it is when she volunteers for the student council. 

“Thank god your spot has a shade.” A voice comes from her behind complaining just as soon as they arrive. 

Kwak Yuri wore her signature track suit every time she was done with her own training. She has it in various colors that some people have given her the weird nickname of a walking crayon box. Though Aera, who is her best friend, couldn’t exactly blame them, since the colors of her tracksuits tend to be a little tacky at times. 

“I’ve told you this countless of times, this is the perfect spot on the bleachers, not too bright and not too hidden either, it's perfect.” Aera begins to pack up the stuff she laid down beside her. 

To those on the field and even to her on the bleachers, once Yuri showed up, they all knew that it was nearly time to pack up. She’s like their living school bell, because as soon as she shows another person comes sitting down right beside them. 

Aera smiles at him and he immediately smiles back, just like the sunshine he is. “How was your practice today, Taro?” 

Shotaro was one hell of a dancer and everyone who knew the loop knew of that. He taught classes on the weekend and is the president of the dance club even in his second year. Not to mention this boy was absolute sunshine and dressed up like a model. “You know,” he plops himself down on the seat lower than Yuri and Aera’s, “it wasn’t all smooth, but it was fun.” He smiles that signature smile of his. 

“Well, you can’t have it all.” Aera shrugs her shoulders. 

Just as Shotaro was about to respond to Aera’s comment his face lit up and she knew that the other person had come to meet them as well. He would often greet them once he has taken his seat right beside Shotaro, that’s why the first thing that Aera always sees when he arrives is his famous paint stained uniform, one that she was convinced all his pairs of uniform was stained, and the backpack he was carrying on his back with his hands instead of its straps. 

“Hey!” Just as he sits down he greets both Aera and Yuri with a smile. 

“Great to see the person who has yet to return my math notes.” Yuri glares at Renjun and crosses her arms over her chest. 

“I got it here, yellow.” Just as he did he calls Yuri based on the color of her tacky colored tracksuit. He puts his bag down and takes out the notebook before handing it over to Yuri without even looking. 

“When I saw the dance room empty I swear I was about to cry in the hallway Taro!” A voice so loud that she was sure this other boy was still standing by the building was calling out to Shotaro while sulking. 

Both Yuri and Aera turn to look at the dude dragging his feet to the sunken bleachers. Haechan was a menace when it came to attention, he is someone whose heads are forced to turn towards him, either for being too loud or too good looking. At the end of the day, just as Shotaro was basically a god at dancing, and everyone in school knew that, Haechan was sort of Shotaro’s counterpart in terms of theater, an absolute beast on stage.

As soon as Haechan reaches the bleachers he makes sure to give Aera a nice and friendly push behind her head. 

“Sometimes, even with the auditorium door closed, I could still hear you cheer.” Haechan takes the empty spot beside Aera, while on her left side Yuri sat watching the two of them talk. 

“Is it a cheer if I just whisper it?” Aera hits Haechan’s arm as soon as he puts his bag down in front of him. 

“Right, Haechan,” Shotaro was the one who called out Haechan. It was this that prompted their conversation, one that she could uniquely associate with the group she hangs out after school. Their topics would often range from the most recent episode of the anime that they all began watching together, to the weirdest gossip among the school grounds. Just as she expected, it was one of their acquaintances from their old junior high school.

“Aera,” Yuri puts her hands on her thighs after calling out her name, “there’s something that I want to talk to you about.” 

Aera tilts her head, shocked by the sudden change in her tone. “What is it?” She grabs the hang resting on her thighs and holds them. “You can tell me anything.” 

Yuki’s eyes landed on the guys who were still lost in their conversation. “We can talk later.”

Yuki smiles at her friend and simply nods in response. 

Though curiosity was obviously eating her away, she decided to change the subject.  She was about to open her mouth as soon as they finished their conversation about the conversation that would eventually happen. The whistle echoes throughout the open field and almost immediately she turns her head towards the football team. 

Aera stands from her seat passing through the group of guys who could care less about their other friends finishing their daily training. Aside from the grunts of annoyance coming from Haechan, there were no other complaints that were met as she walked through their conversation. She hops down to where the football team placed the stuff that they use for practice. 

It didn’t take long for the whole team to walk up to her and be greeted by that wide smile of hers. “You guys did great today!” Though her intention was for the whole team, her eyes were only on Jaemin. 

“You could try to say it with more gusto for the team.” Jeno stands right beside her, teasing her as soon as he could. 

“Okay, Jeno,” she turns her whole body towards Jeno and stretches her mouth as wide as she could while making sure her eyes were wide open, “you did great today!” Her words felt like it was straight out of the caroline movie. 

Jeno shivers at the sight and picks up his stuff, this then allows Aera to turn back towards the other guy in the crowd. 

“Aera,” Yangyang puts his hands on his waist as she always seems to stand in the spot where he leaves his stuff, “move to the side!” He gently pushes her out of the way. 

Aera was about to give him a small push as well, when Jaemin showed up right in front of her. Immediately, the want to push Yangyang was gone from her thoughts and all she had in mind was to smile at Jaemin as soon as she was standing in front of her. “You were great today!” Unlike how she greeted Jeno, this time it was one that felt a lot softer and more cuter.

“Thanks,” Jaemin nods his head before heading towards the towel and water that he left on the lowest level of the bleachers. 

“By the way, the thing with the English class, when do you want to meet?” Aera would look for anything under the sun to talk about with Jaemin, in this case she was lucky both in class and here that they were partnered up for a report due in a few weeks. 

Jaemin pauses and thinks, that is as she watched him blink a couple of times with his long eyelashes that brought her envy. “I mean we can meet next week if you’re up for it?” 

“Yeah,” she nods her head up and down, “I’m down anytime.” 

“Then how about on a thursday?” 

“I’m free!” 

From the corner of her eye she could make out the two people who were judging her very badly, with one of them– Yangyang– shaking his head from side to side. Once Jaemin turns around she looks at them directly and gives them weird faces. The only thing she didn’t notice was Jaemin turning back around causing him to give out a little laugh. “You know that you’re not supposed to see that, right?” 

“Fine, fine,” he laughs a bit more, “I’ll pretend I never saw it.” Jaemin turns around after this and heads where the other team members are headed, the lockers. 

The only odd thing is that instead of typically walking straight towards the lockers, he slows down right in front of the crowd that she left just a while ago. He was obviously greeted by the other three guys that were waiting for them to finish and change. That part wasn’t all that odd, it was how the exchange with Yuri happened. Normally, they would act as friends, greeting each other when they have to and would often talk about their favorite topic to talk about, Aera, but this was different. Yuri’s cheeks were flushed as soon as Jaemin came close and Jaemin made it pretty obvious that he went through that effort just to greet her. 

It was obvious that something was going on between them.

The group which she left on the bleachers also goes silent. 

“Has that always been a thing?” Aera walks up to the two boys who were giving her faces earlier. 

Jeno and Yangyang only exchanged looks with one another. Before looking back at Aera who did not have a hint of jealousy written on her face. “It’s been going on for a while now.” Jeno responds without looking her in the eye. 

“Why didn’t Yuri tell me anything?” 

“I mean,” Yangyang walks up to stand right beside her, “you are known as Jaemin’s fangirl and people sort of assume that, that equates to you having feelings for him.” 

“You guys, especially Yuri, know full well that I don’t see him that way.” Aera’s voice gets louder the more she tries to defend herself. “All that I do feel for him is admiration,” she was now talking at a much faster pace, “like a fan towards her idol, there’s no want to date them or keep them to themselves. Just for the serotonin it gives.” 

Yangyang placed his hand on her shoulder. “You don’t have a club, and you choose to sit there on the bleachers after school nearly everyday.” He then pats it gently, “It’s hard not to misunderstand, even Jaemin thought that you liked him.”

Aera tries to open her mouth to reason out, but is cut short when both Jeno and Yangyang make their way to the lockers as well. 

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[gonelike-ach00]

Crowned Princec | Hendery

Prince! Hendery x Princess! Female Original Character

Author: gonelike_achoo

Genre: Romance, Drama, Arranged marriage, royalties

Word Count: 3,085

Warnings: war, violence, complex family relationships, pseudo incest (not main story, but be warned), sexual relationships

Preview: Where Hendery finds himself in an arranged marriage he can not runaway from- just as he has for everything else in his life. He has planned to runaway from the throne, but marrying the princess from the kingdom besided theirs served as his biggest hindrance.

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2 ♚ Kingdom of Hwei

Just the evening that following the gathering of the lands, Taeha, after supper with her family– what was left of her family rather– on the way back to her room sitting quite close to the often noise filled room of the crowned prince and his family, there was something much rumbustious than the room beside hers. 

“What kind of commotion are you making inside my room?” As soon as she turned into her room she faced her lady-in-waiting. 

A number of maids and other castle staff were packing her stuff into bags and some into huge crates. Confused with what was going on all she could turn her frustration with was her lady-in-waiting, or her soon to be retired lady-in-waiting. 

“Your highness,” she simply bows her head to acknowledge the princess’s presence. Her lady-in-waiting grew up with the crowned princess, thus her friendly demeanor while ignoring the presence of one of the most important people of her kingdom. 

“You aren’t even going to turn around and converse with me?” The princess whines, but all she got was a simple smile from the lady, a little too stoic to be considered the best lady-in-waiting her kingdom has to offer her. “What is all this fuss, especially keeping my items in a box? Where will they be shipped out to?” Though, she wasn’t exactly dumb enough to understand what was happening, at the back of her mind she had her suspicions.

“I am simply following orders, your highness.” The lady checks a box from her list, as a few ladies carry out her luggage. 

Was she about to sleep in an empty room tonight?

Knowing full well she won’t be hearing anything from her lady-in-waiting she walks out of her room, her footsteps heavy in the process. As soon as she turned the corner, she was greeted by the entourage of her brother’s family, complete with the crowned prince himself, his wife, his two children, their maids and body guards. Indeed, there was nothing more important than the next royal family. 

“You look upset, Taeha.” Taeil, his brother, couldn’t be more obvious with what was clearly written all over her face. 

“Do I appear so?” She nearly rushes past the family and their entourage, but is stopped when her brother grabs her by the wrist. “It is improper to stop someone by the wrist, brother.” 

“Are you looking for father?” 

“Who else shall I look for when I am fuming?” Another box that was filled with her stuff passes through the halls. Her eyes could simply follow her items as they disappeared from her sight. Again, not as mindless as she often makes herself out to be, she knew where those items were headed.

“It has not been long since he left the table,” Taeil sighs knowing full well her anger was rooted in something reasonable, “he is probably sharing his late night tea with mama, just as they always do.” That was all the princess needed to hear before rushing towards her father’s tea room, one that was closed off to kids below twelve and was applied whether you were royalty or not.

Taeha raises her hands up and knocks, just as it usually does, the reply comes a bit late. “Come in,” was the muffled reply that came from the other side of the door.

She swings the door open to see her mother sitting with a hot cup of tea in her hands and observing the door open. On the opposite side of the table sat her father, dressed down in a much more comfortable attire, but one that screamed that he was king nonetheless. His pressed down shirt, cleanly slicked back hair and posture that was deeply ingrained into his body.

“Taeha,” he calls out the name of his youngest child, “what brings you in need of my attention as soon as we finish dinner?” 

“You have mastered feigning innocence father,” she crosses her arms over her chest as if she was a child. 

Taemu takes a few seconds to understand what she was talking about. Before realization even shows on his face, he simply takes a sip out of his tea. “It should not come as a surprise, the customs of dealing with a marriage between two kingdoms run deep.” 

“I have never heard of such a circumstance where two betrotheds have to live under one roof?” 

“The case is different when two kingdoms engage.” Taemu sighs. “The distance would seem to hinder the process of getting to know one another. It has been a long practiced tradition between the marriage between two kingdoms.” He states as if he had witnessed a marriage between two kingdoms in his own life as well. 

The princess could not believe what she was hearing. As if her ears were deceiving her, or that is how she wants to believe it as. “Do you not think of briefing me through this before you even announce marriage or continue with your decision?”

The king gives her daughter a long look before sighing. “Does marriage still bother you?” 

“Shall I make it more obvious, your majesty?” 

“Well, it has been arranged, Taeha.” There was no room to argue as her father’s voice lowered. “The crowned prince shall arrive tomorrow morning and you’ll be riding with him back to his kingdom.” That was the last thing she heard before she left that godforsaken room. It was a near mockery of all the years of her voicing out her opinions on marriage, and making effort to not wed anytime soon.

A pure mockery.

The next day followed soon after, as if her life played out three times faster. As she was unable to sleep a wink last night, she grumbled to herself as soon as the sun began peeking through her now empty room. The room was huge even with her stuff inside, but now it felt oddly bigger than it was before, even with all this space, it was making her suffocate. 

The last time she would be able to see her, well her family’s, lady-in-waiting would be today as they force her out of her bed and into clothing she has never seen in her life. The process was both grudgingly slow, but she hoped that they would go slower. That’s why the moment they all move away from her to give her space to examine how she looks at the mirror, she hoped that they had just stayed where they were. 

Then she was guided to the stairs, the one where their guests were entering last night, she walked with two escorts on her side and a few more by the walls making sure that the rebellious princess did not try to make her great escape. Princess Taeha was a runaway bride in the making. 

By the entrance of their castle, her parents were already waiting upon her arrival. It wasn’t until she turned the corner to see the full view of the entrance that she took notice of the prince gladly engaging in conversations with the king of Sui. It was as if his persona last night was a mere lie.

“Here she is, my princess, Taeha.” King Taemu opens his arms wide to welcome her all dolled up daughter. 

Taeha takes her time. She doesn’t rush to stand beside her parents, let alone, his fiance. Once she stood beside her mother, she wrapped her arms around her waist. 

“I heard that the kingdom of Hwei has already prepared their lady-in-waiting for you.” Aside from the absurdity of being engaged just a few days ago, she finds out that she’ll be going to a foreign land all on her own, without anyone she truly knows? 

It took everything in Taeha for her head not to swing towards the queen in absolute anger. “I see,” she sighs, “however,” the moment she began her sentence with this she was met with glares coming from her parents, “I believe that it would be hard to accumulate in a foreign land without my own lady-in-waiting.” She reasons out.

“Wouldn’t that be better?” King Taemu turns his head towards the prince. “You’ll be relying on this young man even more.”

Guanheng remained silent, but continued to force a smile on his face. The sudden silence from her father’s words made everyone’s heads turn towards the horses that were neighing, as if they were the most impatient beings present right now.

“That appears to be the sign for us to send our farewell.” Guanheng bows towards the royal couple of Sui, before walking up a few steps and offering out his hands to the princess.

Taeha before she could even accept his hand was taken into a hug by the queen, one that felt like it was the last time they’ll ever be able to touch one another. A much larger hand on the back was placed  right above the queen’s, and as soon as she looked up, she saw her father with a soft smile on his face. 

She was the one who decided to break the hug. Taking a deep breath, she grabs hold unto Guanheng’s hand. “I’ll be taking my leave.” That was the last thing she told her parents before walking down the stairs. 

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