#another small note about the line at the end where joshua kisses the corner of reader's eye which was a comment i left on my google doc lol

[wavesmp3]

hi! I read your 8000 layers of inyun yesterday. so it took me a whole day to digest it. Originally i was going to comment but realized i have too much to say so i went ahead and just did an ask, i hope you dont mind! This left me so breathless so i hope my review makes sense. I also apologize for the length but to be fair, your wonderful writing did this to me! i havent seen the movie yet but after reading this i just might. i was initially worried this will turn to something like a cheating situation or close but wow it went deeper than that. even if y/n is in a happy and healthy marriage, theres that grief over that inyun and wondering if a little more time with jeonghan would have been 8000.

The layers of this story is so beautifully laid out in details and the legend of inyun. As someone who had moved countries alot, i am so glad you captured the complexity of leaving home. From not understanding why y/n liked tompkins square park initially, the statue of liberty, and being that person that was always meant to "leave". The way jeonghan poses questions and seems to both understand y/n and also not is such a good take on long distance friendships. I like how its jumping between knowing each other so well but also knowing that you may not bc of the distance and the fact they havent spoken in years. I love how reading this story made me feel melancholic, hopeful, and also satisfied. Melancholic because of the what could have beens, hopeful because sometimes the differences and distances won't fully sever ones connections with each other (in this case inyun if im understanding it correctly) and satisfied because each character had their own maturity and understanding over each other. That mattered to me cause well, drama is very prominent nowadays, no? Is it weird to say that they acted the way 30 year olds should? jhgkdf so this was great! My favorite parts: you don’t remind him to do so once you finally find your keys. instead you slip off your old, faded sneakers, drop your keys on the counter in the lime green dish you made in a pottery class two years ago, and greet him in the kitchen, kissing the side of his chin and reaching over his head to turn the exhaust fan on. he kisses your forehead as an apology, or at least he tries but you’ve already moved and his lips end up catching on the corner of your left eye.

i love the tiny details that are a testament to a marriage.

but beneath the straightforward request feels like a million subliminal ones. like he wants you to prove to him that you’ve made a life worth living here. like he wants to gallivant around new york telling you about a country that used to be home and asking you what would have happened if you didn’t go all those years ago. 

ngl, this hits close to home again bc when you leave home, people will always wonder the same thing.

there used to be oceans and countries and cultures and decades standing between you and him, but somehow now, all of that has compressed into four squares of broken concrete. you were never very good at maths. jeonghan, the one who comforted you whenever you cried over it, knows that best. but even you know that there is no way 20 years can turn into 20 feet.

this was just so damn poetic, i actually had to pause and BREATHE.

and the call ends in 4 minutes. 

this was really short but captures how your world can turn upside down in just a few minutes.

“i came to see you.” 

you don’t take your eyes off his. what is it they say about eyes again? windows to the soul?

“but you and joshua.”

you flinch. 

“you guys have those layers of inyun.”

“all 8000,” you whisper back to him, like the world might burst if you spoke any louder.

its like toeing between a confession or congratulation sdkjhfdkjgh

“how many layers do we have?”

a number hangs off the tip of your tongue. but the world will burst if you say it outloud. so you don’t. for the world, for yourself, for joshua. 

y/n was very real for this and honestly not everything has to be said. i really love this part because it shows y/n's integrity and also her wisdom.

“you’re it for me.” joshua tells you quietly. “you make my life so much bigger.”

my gosh, the way i nearly cried here. WHY SETTLE FOR I LOVE YOU WHEN THERE'S THISSSSSS???!!!

“but i-” he hesitates here, mouth opening and closing like he can’t decide what kind of conversation he wants this to be. “it’s like there’s this whole portion of your brain that will always be out of reach. like i can see it there in the distance, but i can’t get to it.” 

this makes total sense but i cant explain it. its like you want to know every version of someone before they came to be what you know but you know you can't but theres still that grief.

“i didn’t think liking your husband would hurt this much.” (almost). “i can tell he really loves you.”

bc how can you not like him? it def hurts to like him bc that means he's already won anyway.

“yesterday, you asked me why i didn’t try to keep talking back then.” jeonghan continues. “the truth i learned here is that it wouldn’t have mattered how hard i tried even if i did. you were always going to leave because you’re you. and i liked you because you’re you. and who you are is someone who leaves.”

THIS DID MAKE ME TEARY EYED. I was told the exact last sentence before. And i understand how you can't really help it..life is so big and for some, life outside your home country is even bigger.

“but for joshua,” jeonghan says, eyes scanning across the bar, staring at every bartender and every customer before finally, finally, landing on you, “you’re someone who stays.”

no words. really. you blew my mind.

“i haven’t been that kid for a long time now,” you frown, watching jeonghan’s pupils dart back and forth between yours, “but they still existed. they were still real.”

this is very important bc connections and who you once were in the past are very much real...they just don't die because its past. This does circle back to the inyun theme too.

he smiles. and you feel something break apart in your heart.

“i’ll see you then.”

in another life, jeonghan is more than just a series of goodbyes. but in this one, he gets in the uber, and you don’t imagine seeing him again. you don’t think you will. because for the first time in this life, you're not the one that left–he was.  

In another liiiifeeee, I would be youuuurrr giiiirrllll

“i’m sorry,” you finally say, before falling into his arms. the sob that’s been waiting in the bottom of your soul for the past 20 years comes bursting out of your throat. you cry into your husband's shoulder. you feel the weight of all your past lives and all your future ones like they aren't in the past or in the future, like they're now beside you begging you to imagine what could’ve been and what was. 

joshua holds the back of your head. he doesn’t say anything. he doesn’t need to. it’s all been said before. instead he kisses the corner of your eye and takes you home. 

at this point i posted the whole fic. this ending? damn. I really had to take a break from my phone. This was wayyyyy to fitting of an end. I loved joshua's response and the corner of the eye? way to circle back! It's the grief over something you can't truly control but also the happiness of where you are now. I'm not sure how you wanted the end to be if its like a missed connection between jeonghan and y/n or if its grieving over what could have been, or the hope that maybe in the next one its them, or that joshua had always been it but theres that almost with jeonghan. Or it could be all of the above, still this was beautifully written. I apologize for the long review but i just had to express my awe and love for what you've written! Please don't feel obligated to reply just as long or at all! I just wanted to let you know how much your work stuck with me. Thank you for sharing this with us <3 I hope you have the bestest day ever! P.S This unreleased song of woozi fits too! What Kind of Future

i don't mind you leaving this ask at all and the length is more than fine, it's encouraged even!! when i got this ask, i started scrolling and gasped when i saw how long it was. and not in a bad way but in a-i can't believe anyone would take the time to write all this out-way. so thank you thank you thank you!!!

i am going to put the rest of my response under the read more :)) (warning my response is very long lol)

when i was watching the movie/the trailer for the movie i also had very similar concerns that it would be a cheating plot, and i don't really enjoy cheating plotlines much so it was such a pleasant surprise when it was the opposite almost?? i was in awe. and the last sentence of your paragraph here, really hits the nail of what i was trying to do with this piece and what i think the film was doing as well. the sadness over what could have been but what isn't, while also appreciating and enjoying what is. you should most definitely watch the movie though! especially since you also immigrated countries. the story of the movie is based off something that actually happened in the director's life and it's just such a raw beautiful story that is so so real and authentic. i have never actually migrated to another country before, so everything about that was either from the movie or just me imagining what that would be like based on either my background (my parents are immigrants) or other media. anyways, im being extremely wordy, but basically, the experience of the main character here isn't one that i share with them, but the director of the movie does! so you should check it out !

i really liked how you brought up the tompkins square park part and how main character doesn't like it anymore because it almost feels like another reflection of them leaving a place they used to call home and not really feeling like they belong there or like they're that person that lived there anymore. kind of a mirror of how they feel about their home country.

everything you've said here is just sooo spot on!! you understood this piece wholly and completely.

and it's not a weird thing to say at all that they acted like 30 year olds haha in my head i actually imagined them as around that age lol, like early 30 somethings

and what you said about drama... yes! i think this piece would be considered a drama but it's not dramatic. it's such an understated and subtle drama that feels like it's happening in the silences of conversations. (this holds true for the movie especially. i think in interview or something the director said that this story is told mainly through by what isn't being said, it's told through the silences)

abt your fave parts:

i love adding little details like that in, details that make the characters and their lives feel like they go off the pages of the story,, so im really happy that you liked that

abt the line that goes "there used to be oceans and countries..." -- im so so so glad you liked it, i put a lot of effort and made a lot of different versions of this line. so im glad it hit for you the way i hoped it would

and what you said about toeing between confession and congratulation... yup! yeah! exactly!

the line that goes "you're it for me... you make my life so much bigger" was a mash up of a line from the movie and something someone said to me irl :) and it was indeed a very beautiful way to confess love

dang someone actually telling you that exact sentence before is absolutely insane!! im starting to think that maybe you should be the one to write this piece seriously! but also, you have GOT to watch this movie

im so glad you enjoyed the ending!! it's my favorite part as well!! the corner of the eye thing!! so happy you picked up on that. as for what i wanted to the end to be like.... i am a sucker for an open ending and although this ending is less open than others i have written it still is pretty vague... so to your answer your question, the ending is whatever you want it to be. honestly, i don't even know what the ending should be like. but the options you listed (missed connection, or grieving what could have been, etc.) are all ones that were also bouncing around in my mind as i watched the movie and wrote this piece. (for me, i think its mainly grieving what could have been, but also just a mesh of all 4 of the ones you said. emotions can be quite complex huh?)

again, pls don't apologize for the length of this review. it's a dream come true. thank you again for reading this piece, thinking so highly of it, and taking the time to leave this review for me. it makes all the brain rot i had over this film worth it. jk but again thank you. this review made my day and put the biggest smile on my face :))) i hope you have a wonderful day

[beanfic]

Summertime Sadness - Ch. 3

Word count: 1990

Warnings: Talk of porn, alcohol, underage drug usage and language

Author’s note: I hope you enjoy this chapter! It made me giggle when rereading it! Also, music played a huge role when writing this series so I am going to do song suggestions to listen to while reading the chapter! At the very end of the series I am going to make a huge playlist of all the songs but I don’t want to accidentally spoil anything with a song...if that is even possible. Oh well, enjoy chapter 3 :)

Song suggestion: Red Red Wine by UB40 & LDN by Lily Allen

You flickered your eyes open to see your little sister staring at you. The light in the room immediately killed your head, and you slammed a pillow on top of your face groaning into it.

“I heard you got drunk, and vomited all over Johnny.”

“Yep, that all happened. God my head is fucking killing me.”

“You’re not supposed to say fuck in front of me.”

“You just said it though, Bri.” You peeked underneath your pillow and she was still staring at you.

“Did you have your first kiss? Did you have sex?” she asked eagerly.

“Bri, if I had sex I wouldn’t be home right now.”

“Okay, so no sex. Did you kiss anyone?”

“Sort of,” you rubbed your eyes and sat up. “We played spin the bottle and I had to kiss this really attractive guy, but it was just a peck.”

“There we go! One day you will finally tongue dance with someone, don’t worry.”

“Tongue dancing? That sounds disgusting.” You threw your sheets off of you and started to get up.

“I can’t believe you got drunk though, I want to drink.”

“No. No you don’t. It sucks.” You held your head again as a sharp pain shot through it.

“Mom and Dad are really mad.”

“I know, I’m grounded.”

“Why did you come home then? If I were you I would have just stayed at Mariah’s.” She had a point, but you knew that Johnny also told you to call him in case you wanted to go home.

“I hate that you have more street smarts than me.”

She shrugged, “What can I say.”

Bri finally left your room, and you started to get dress. You knew you had to go downstairs and confront your parents sooner or later.

On your way downstairs you ran into Johnny. He just glared at you, and then started to chuckle to himself as he headed back to his room.

“Goodmorning,” you mumbled to your mom who was sitting in her chair drinking a cup of coffee.

“How are you feeling?” She looked up from the book she was reading and started to analyze you.

“I’m fine,” you lied. The last thing you were going to do was explain to her that you were severely hungover. “How long am I grounded for?”

“I talked to your dad and we decided to not ground you, but you are going to have a curfew from now on. Be home by 11 every night.”

“11? Mom it’s summer! That’s so early.”

“Would you rather be grounded and not able to do anything?”

“No. Thank you for not grounding me.”

“No problem. Next time don’t drink while you’re underage.”

You wanted to argue with her and tell her how Johnny use to drink, and he has smoked pot, but it was no use to start another fight. You were happy that you weren’t grounded.

You ate your breakfast silently, and a text from Mariah got your attention.

Want 2 go 2 the carnival w/ me 2night?

“Hey mom, Mariah invited me to go to the carnival with her tonight. Can I go? I’ll be home by 11, I promise.”

“As long as you don’t break any more rules.”

“I won’t.”

You texted mariah back.

Yes! That sounds fun, can u pick me up?

You finished your breakfast and headed upstairs to take a shower. It was already around noon since you slept in so much. Your shower was quick, and you braided your hair instead of letting it air dry.

You still had a few couple hours before Mariah was going to pick you up so you decided to go write some poetry. You had been writing poetry for the past four years. It was like journaling for you, it helped you fight those internal battles.

You sat on your bed and grabbed your poetry notebook, which was a leather book, and grabbed a red ballpoint pen.

A kiss. Soft & Sweet.

You looked out your window for inspiration but none was really coming to you. You looked down at what you had wrote, and laughed to yourself. It was four words but pretty much summed up last night.

You wished that you had at least got his number. You knew you could probably ask Tyler for it, but you didn’t to be that girl.

You decided to head over to Jonny’s room and talk to him for a little. He always made you feel better when you were down.

His door was closed but you didn’t knock, instead you shoved the door open. He was sitting at his desk, and up on his computer screen was porn.

“Do you ever fucking knock?” He screamed as he quickly exited out of the tab and pulled up his pants.

“You shouldn’t watch porn, that’s gross.”

“You should learn how to knock. What do you want?”

“Sorry was I busy interrupting something? Should I leave?”

“Stop being annoying.”

You laughed at his annoyance, and threw yourself on his bed.

“I’m bored and I wish I got this guys number from last night.” You flipped through a magazine that he had on his nightstand. It was about cars so you didn’t really understand it.

“Who’s the guy?”

“His name was Josh, but I didn’t get his last name. He’s friends with Tyler.”

“Tyler Joseph? Like Mariah's boy toy?”

“Yep, that Tyler.”

“It’s probably Josh Dun. I know him from high school, he’s a total douchebag though.”

You didn’t want to believe your brother, he probably was thinking of another Josh. Josh was a pretty common name.

“Do you want to play Mario Kart with me?” you asked him so you could keep your mind off of last night. Your brother agreed, and you spent the next hour or so beating your brother at the game.

“How are you so good at this game?” he asked you. You shrugged.

“I’m going to go get ready for the carnival, Mariah will be here soon.” You headed back to your room to figure out what to wear.

You thumbed through your closet until you decided on a pair of skinny jeans and a black tank top with a dark green cardigan. You took your hair out of your braid so it was now wavy. You applied some mascara and you called it good.

You got a text from Mariah signaling that she was here so you headed downstairs.

“Mariah’s here, I’ll be home before 11!” you kissed your mom on the way out. You could hear her yelling something behind you but you decided to ignore her.

“Hey girl!” Mariah said as you opened the door and got in.

“How are you feeling?” you asked.

“I felt horrible this morning,” she laughed. “How about you?”

“I had the worst headache ever.” You laughed as well.

You both jammed out to music all the way to the carnival. You found parking and got out. It was about a five minute walk from the parking lot to the carnival grounds. It was dirty and you instantly regretted wearing white shoes.

“I see Becca and Grace!” Mariah said, pointing ahead. You saw your two friends standing there three other guys.

“Hey Becca! Hey Grace!” you hugged each one.

“Hey Y/N, this is Theo, and this is his boyfriend Dylan!”

“Hey nice to meet you two!” you shook their hands.

“And this is Mike, he’s Dylan’s cousin!”

“Hey Mike, I’m Y/N!” you shook his hand.

“I found a good corner to go smoke, let’s go!” Theo said, grabbing Dylan’s hand and walking away. Becca, Grace and Mike followed them but you grabbed Mariah’s hand.

“I didn’t know we were smoking.”

“I didn’t know either, but who cares?”

You both met up with them in this corner behind a bathroom building. Theo pulls out a small glass pipe that was translucent rainbow. He took out a little grinder with marijuana in it. He filled the hole, and took out a lighter that was also rainbow colored. He lit it and took a hit.

You really hated the smell of weed so you decided to go on a walk. You told Mariah you were going to be right back, and you headed around the corner towards the games.

You spotted one of those games where you threw balls at pins. You gave the attendant a dollar bill, and he handed you four balls. The first one you threw missed completely, and the second one barely grazed by one of the pins. You wounded up your arm, getting ready to throw the third ball before you were startled by a voice.

“I think you’re supposed to hit the pins.”

You turned around to see Josh, from the party last night, smiling at you. He was wearing a red shirt with black ripped jeans again.

“Oh hey! If you think you could do better then be my guest,” you handed him the last two balls.

“Watch this,” he gave you a little wink making your stomach start fluttering again. You watched him throw both balls hitting two pins down. You were shocked.

“How did you do that?”

“I’m a natural! Plus I’m a drummer so I have lots of arm strength,” he lifted his arm up to flex, making you smile like a dummy.

The attendant handed Josh a little beanie baby for knocking two pins down. It was a little bear wearing a red dress.

“Here you go,” he handed you the little bear.

“For me?”

“For you!”

“Why thank you!” You took it and started to look at it, trying to not smile like an idiot.

“Want to go on a walk and talk?” Josh asked and you nodded.

“What’s your full name?”

“Joshua William Dun.”

Shit. Johnny did know him.

“Dun? That’s a cool last name.”

“What’s your full name?”

“Y/F/N Y/M/N Y/L/N.”

“Y/L/N?”

“Yep!”

“Do you have a brother named Johnny?”

“Yeah, I do!” you said nervously. What if he didn't like him. You didn’t want your brother being a reason you and this handsome man don’t start talking.

“Do you want to go on a ride?” he asked, changing the subject.

“I get sick easily,” you lied. You hated rides, you were especially terrified of carnival rides.

“Oh c’mon, I’ll hold you so you feel safe.”

Wow. He was smooth, you had to admit.

“Okay, Dun.”

“Okay, Y/L/N.” He smiled at you, making you smile in return. He walked you over to this ride that goes really fast and round. Your heart started to race as you stood in line.

“Hey Josh, can I ask a question?” you broke the silence.

“Go for it.”

“How old are you?”

He laughed, “I’m 22, almost 23.”

“Wow, I’m only 18, but my 19th birthday is in September.”

“You look old for your age,” he looked at you up and down making you blush.

“I get that a lot.”

It was your guys turn to go on the ride, and your hands were sweating. You followed Josh to a seat of two. You buckled your seat belt, triple checking it was on right.

The ride was intense, but it didn’t last that long. You tried not to scream, but when you saw Josh letting out tiny screams you decided to do it too. He kept on looking at you during the ride, even though you kept your eyes closed most of the time.

When the ride was over, you could barely walk. Your head was rushing and your breathing was short.

“That was intense,” you whispered.

“Yeah, it was,” he smiled at you again. “Hey, can I get your number?”

“Yeah!” you took your phone out and handed it to him. He put his number in and named his contact ‘Dun’.

“You know, Y/L/N, you’re gorgeous when you’re nervous,” he reached over and touched your shoulder, taking your breath away.

Tag List (lmk if you want to be added!)

@takenvysleep @ohprettyweeper @oncemorewithfeelingg @gaiatheroyalrabbit @svintsandghosts @krispy-cakes @patdsinner33 @breadbinishigh

[dawnover-dusk]

Games (Mingyu)

genre: college!au, fluff

word count: 1,503

summary: “Games are boring.”

series: 23 things a girlfriend wants to hear, based off of this

1. Shop (Jun) | 2. Pay (Wonwoo) | 3. Games (Mingyu) | 4. Friends (Woozi) | 5. Late (Jeonghan) | 6. Change (Seungkwan) | 7. Bare (Hoshi) | 8. Cold (DK) | 9. At Fault (Dino) | 10. Pretty (The8) | 11. Solace (Wonwoo) | 12. Insecure (S. Coups) | 13. Excessive (Joshua) | 14. Snap (Jeonghan) | 15. Protective (S. Coups) | 16. Movies (Vernon) | 17. Drive (Joshua) | 18. Ride (S. Coups) | 19. Blind (Hoshi) | 20. Special (Jun) | 21. Gift (Wonwoo) | 22. Holiday (Joshua) | 23. Love (All) CANCELED

why is this so long? why is the only thing i write college au?

You were sitting cross-legged on a hard plastic chair, your notes and laptop forgotten in front of you as you stared at the group of boys sprawled over an entire corner of Trillium. Their rambunctious laughter could be distinguished even over the chatter of students in the crowded food court, and your heart leapt at the familiar chorus of hisses in response to a certain someone. They must have been making fun of Kim Mingyu again.

Your glassy gaze was interrupted by a slam as Jieqiong set her tray in front of you. You quickly scrambled to collect your papers so that they wouldn’t get wet from her precariously full bowl of noodle soup. With the arrival of two more faces, you shut your laptop and cleared the table of your belongings.

“Where’s your food?” Yebin asked quizzically as she opened her bottle of juice. 

“Already ate,” you muttered, absentmindedly playing with your phone. Jieqiong and Eunwoo exchanged glances while knowing smiles blossomed on their faces. Yebin pouted and nudged the two other girls.

“Don’t be mean,” Yebin said. The three other girls returned to eating their lunches as you smiled gratefully at Yebin, thanking her. You set your phone down on the table in favor of busying your hands with the hem of your oversized cardigan.

“No problem. Besides, why tease you about it when we can just see for ourselves?” Before you even had the chance to form a confused expression, Yebin had snatched your phone from where it laid on the table.

“Yebin,” you warned, your eyes flashing dangerously. Yebin quickly handed the device to Jieqiong, who sat just out of your reach. While chewing a mouthful of noodles, Jieqiong unlocked the phone with glee, punching in the four-digit passcode without a moment of hesitation.

Your eyes widened at her actions. “How did you know—”

“0406? Come on, I’ve known him since we were kids, and all your staring makes it obvious,” Jieqiong scoffed. She handed the now unlocked phone over to Eunwoo, who was staring at your imploringly.

You groaned and hid your face with your hands. “Okay, you guys can look. Just make my death swift and painless.”

Yebin raised an eyebrow at your melodramatic declaration before shrugging and crowding around the screen with Jieqiong and Eunwoo. The three girls scanned the text messages briefly before their faces scrunched up in horror. Jieqiong shrieked and began to hit Yebin while Yebin pretended to gag. Even Eunwoo, who you always thought was the most considerate out of the four of you (perhaps suspiciously so), was muttering “I hate this” over and over.

After the cacophony and shock wore off, you had your phone safely back in your hands as you tried to will yourself from turning too red. Your cheeks were heating up awfully fast, and you were debating the merits of leaving without another word. Maybe you’ll even transfer schools while you’re at it.

Your phone vibrated.

A second round of shrieking ensued as your three friends clamored to wrestle the phone back into their possession. In the chaos, you noticed that the corner where the thirteen boys were earlier was now empty. Mingyu was probably texting you on his way to class, and that meant—

“Are a chicken, because you’re impeccable?” Jieqiong choked out. She slid the phone back to you.

Another bad pick-up line.

Ever since Mingyu (or “Memegyu,” his contact name) had texted you the most basic of pick-up lines (“Are you tired, because you’ve been running through my thoughts all day”) while drunk at a party, you had taken it as a challenge to supply him with better lines to use. It grew into a game of sorts, where you texted each other random pick-up lines: creative ones, witty ones, yet all utterly cringe-inducing.

After a few days of this game, you had silently declared yourself a “pick-up line connoisseur.” And this new one was bad, even for Mingyu’s standards. You quickly texted him back with a “ssssss” before pocketing your phone.

“Is this how you nerds flirt nowadays?” Jieqiong laughed. “I knew you had a crush on him, which is still sort of gross to me, but this is not how normal people go about dating, my dear friend.”

“Look, it started out as a joke, and I can’t go reading too much into it, okay? No point in getting my hopes up over a stupid pick-up line game. Let’s go to class.” 

You led the group out of the eatery. As you shielded your eyes from the setting autumn sun, you missed the rapid-fire texting of the three girls following you.

Memegyu

We need to talk.

Your brow furrowed in confusion as you read the message lighting up your screen. You moved your laptop from its place on your lap and stretched out your legs so that they hung over the side of your bed. Yebin, your roommate, looked over at your side of the room curiously.

Memegyu

It’s about this….”game.”

Your heart raced uncomfortably as you stood up. You reached over for the large sweatshirt draped on your desk chair and slid it on. Yebin sat up on her bed. “Are you going out? It’s like….11PM.”

Memegyu

The bench overlooking West Campus.

You laced up your shoes. “I’ll be fine, mom. Leave my lamp on if you sleep, okay?” You left without hearing Yebin’s reply.

Yebin grinned as the door shut.

To: Operation Puppy Love

Subject is off~ Wonwoo, you did it!

You pressed yourself deeper into your sweatshirt as you made the lonely trek towards the outlook point. The temperature was getting colder, especially at nights, and you wished you had put on another layer before leaving so quickly. The campus was never well lit at night, and the only other signs of life were the one or two students walking back to the dorms after studying. You walked on until you saw the lights of West Campus and the rest of the small college town unfold before you. This sight was always breathtaking, no matter how many times you saw it.

West Campus was located on the bottom of a steep slope, and a few benches were scattered at the top of the slope. You realized that you didn’t know which bench Mingyu was referring to, but it didn’t matter: you saw a tall figure walk towards you, hood pulled up with a bit of his dyed silver hair glinting under the lamp post. 

You jogged over to meet him halfway, and the two of you sat on one of the benches, gazing down onto the twinkling lights below. You shivered as the wind picked up, and he slid closer to you.

“Wonwoo stole my phone.”

You looked up at him and chuckled, eyes crinkling at the sides. “My friends kept taking my phone today, too.” You admired his profile, but didn’t miss the way that he didn’t make eye contact. 

You began again, “So those last texts…” 

He cleared his throat. “Weren’t from me, yeah. But he told me you were on your way out here and said I should probably tell you the truth. About our game.” 

You whacked his arm lightly. “You were drunk, so what? And it wasn’t like it was too…racy or anything.” 

“It was actually a dare. I’ve been gushing about you since last year, and Seungcheol got super annoyed because he’s the type of person that just wants to take action, you know? So we held a party and I got super trashed, and we thought it’d be a great idea to play Truth or Dare, but what I didn’t know was that it was a set-up and they all knew I didn’t have the guts to flirt with you sober so that happened and you just kept responding and – ”

You suddenly stood up and stood in front of him, his words dying on his tongue. You smiled fondly at him as you ruffled his hair. “Our friends really like setting us up. Probably makes them feel like spies or something. But I guess it worked out in the end?” Your cold lips pressed a chaste kiss to his forehead, and he leapt backwards as if scalded, yelping. You laughed and steadied him from falling off the bench.

He stood up to his full height and held you to him in an effort to hide his blushing, embarrassed face. You buried your face into his chest as he hugged you, enveloping you in warmth and security.

“I’m glad. I was getting bored of the pick-up line game…we would be so much more fun.”

You pulled away from him to catch his broad grin. You shook your head as his grin fell. “That would’ve been brilliant if we were in my dorm playing the Nintendo Wii, okay.”

You rolled your eyes and pulled on his hand. “You have much to learn, young one.”

“Wait, where are we going?”

“To your dorm! We’re going to make that bad pun of yours work.”