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bp-zb1fics · 2 years ago

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can I request zihao x slightly older reader (by a year or two) university au where the reader courts him instead because they know zihao reciprocates their feelings but is too shy to make a move? I don't mind if it's gender neutral or female reader. whatever you're comfortable with <3

Sunbaenim~

pairing: dance major wang zihao x film major sunbae reader

pronouns: none used

genre: university au on some crack (same verse as perils of asking) , fluff, humor

tw/tags: some pining, flirting, reader is older than zihao by a year, honorifics, etiquette, a lot of bowing, pray for zhang hao, chaos, kinda slow burn idk, zihao tries his best in korean, mentions of alcohol, cafe date, feeding each other, for plot purposes reader has lived in korea for a long time but you can pretend whether they're from there or moved from overseas!

wc: 3132

summary: you’re wondering why the cute boy from the dance studio hasn’t asked you out. well, guess you'll have to ask him first~

a/n thanks for requesting our underrated dance king wang zihao, man was really robbed of screentime. i kind of experiment with the first part, jumping between povs without any line breaks and then kinda gave up, idk if that worked well lol. zihao's language struggles are canon, literally same ~ also! i'm not an expert in korean hierarchy rules and dating culture, this is based on the fair bit of studying i did + dating experience + research so if anyone knows better, please feel free to point out any inaccuracies!

Check my pinned for more fics~

He’s looking at you again.

You can see him from the corner where you set up your tripod. Practice is about to begin, dancers scattered across the studio all warming up and not minding you. (I mean, they’re not supposed to). Only him. You catch his eyes. His face flushes and he drops into a bow before falling back into his own stretches. But every so often, his eyes will flick back to you, usually too quick for you to catch them.

It’s almost a routine at this point, a silent ritual you share with the cute boy who dances so powerfully.

Maybe you’re biased but more often than not, you find yourself pointing your handheld camera in his direction. You’re not looking at him the way he looks at you. Rather, you watch through the screen, while you’re editing and cataloguing footage. He’s easy to watch.

Sometimes, while you’re packing up, you’ll hear a soft “sunbaenim?” You turn around and he’s standing there. His cheeks are still flushed from practice when he politely asks you for the videos you took of him. It’s not uncommon. You send the full practice videos you take to the dance teachers in exchange for them letting you film. But every so often, students will come up and ask if you have any closer footage of them, wanting to monitor themselves.

He never questions why the videos you send to him are so close up, almost always individually shot footage that has him in the centre of the frame. No, he just bows, thanks you again and leaves, shooting you once last backward glance before he walks out of the studio.

It’s not that Zihao doesn’t want to talk to you.

If anything, he’s wanted to talk to you ever since you started coming to his class. He still remembers the teacher introducing you as a film masters student and saying that you’ve been at the university longer than most of them, making you their sunbaenim. It was a respect thing, he understood. Similar etiquette around senior-junior relationships applied in China as well but he wasn’t as well adjusted to the nuances of the Korean rules

He only transferred about a year and a half ago when he was given the chance to finish his degree in this particularly prestigious program. While basic language skills got him through his mostly practical classes which a bunch of other international students like him were taking, social interactions were another challenge altogether.

“I don’t know what to do, ge.”

“Well you can always start by saying more than may I have the close up choreography videos, sunbaenim? Honestly, I teach you how to say one thing Zihao, and that’s all you can say.”

The younger boy pouts. Zhang Hao had been a literal lifesaver when he had transferred. And well, up until now. They had met at the foreign student society, the older boy had also been at the university for awhile, now studying a masters degree as well. And he spoke excellent Korean, Zihao’s favourite, albeit somewhat reluctant, teacher and translator.

“Ge! You know I can’t speak Korean when I get nervous.”

“You can Zihao, you’re just scared of messing up.”

“Exactly! I can’t mess up with them, ge, they might think I’m weird or something.”

“Zihao. They’ve literally caught you staring at them, multiple times. If they don’t find that weird, then I think you could literally say anything and they’ll just be happy that you’re trying to talk with them. And if they find it weird, then I don’t think you’ll need to understand Korean to get it.”

Zhang Hao made good points. Zihao kinda wished he didn’t.

Meanwhile, you’re in the middle of your own crisis.

“I just don’t get it,” you say as you comb through your footage. “We’ve had this thing going on for weeks. Why hasn’t he asked me out yet? Or you know, at least said something more than asking for the choreo videos? You know, maybe I’ve been reading all of this wrong, maybe he’s not into me at all. Maybe he’s just interested in cameras or something.”

Jiwoong hums. You’ve known each other for awhile, having started masters at the same time which made you colleagues even if he was two years your senior. He was an acting major, your classes often worked together.

“From what you’ve been telling me, I think the kid’s just shy, not uninterested.”

“You think?”

You’re editing yet another clip of him, the energy he exudes is just mesmerising. Once again, you’re not biased. The master’s thesis project you were working on centred around capturing the dynamics of body movement and that’s exactly what you were doing.

Jiwoong peeks over your shoulder.

“I think you should ask him out. Or you know, at least make the first move. You’re the sunbaenim after all.”

While he can be a little dumb, Kim Jiwoong makes good points sometimes. You kinda wish now wasn’t one of those times. But what the hell, you’ll give it a shot.

And if it goes to hell, then you’ll take a shot. Or twenty.

Maybe Zihao should have taken something to make the conversation he’s going to attempt to have easier.

No, he doesn’t mean alcohol, though a bit of liquid courage didn’t sound like a bad idea either. Maybe offering you a hot pack for the cold weather outside or even a little snack would be a nice gesture, start him off on the right foot to talk about something simple like the weather or if you’ve eaten.

Unfortunately, Zihao has neither of those things and therefore, no easy conversation starters. The only thing he has as he walks towards you after class is sheer determination and a voice at the back of his head that sounds vaguely like Zhang Hao telling him to go for it.

“Closeup choreography videos?” You ask before he does, metaphorically pulling the imaginary rug from under him. Whatever half-assed thing he was planning to say promptly disappears from his brain.

“Uh..uhm…yes!” Great, Zihao. Actually no, not great.

“Sunbaenim! Yes sunbaenim, thank you!” He adds belatedly, wincing as he bows in apology.

When he finally looks up, you don’t seem mad at him for forgetting the honorific. Rather,there’s a small smile on your face as you send him the videos.

“You dance really well by the way. I always have a fun time filming you.” You say as Zihao is about to thank you for the videos. Ah, there goes the rug again.

“I like your videos.” He manages. I like you. No Zihao, stop. “You do them very good.”

Yeah he definitely needs to work on his Korean. And on being less nervous, maybe, but he’s not sure if he can do anything about that.

“Oh thank you,” You smile even more and his heart really won’t stop jumping. “I hope so.”

He watches as you place the last of your filming equipment into the large bag you bring everytime you come to the studio. Ah, there’s an idea.

“Can I…” You look at him and really, why is he so nervous? “Do you need help with…?”

He gestures at the bag, the exact Korean words escaping him again.

“Oh my bag?”

“Yes! Your bag!....sunbaenim.”

“Ah it’s okay,” you say and Zihao feels his enthusiasm dampen just a little bit. You pause before saying:

“We should talk more. I can text you if that’s okay?”

It takes Zihao a few seconds to translate that and a few more for the meaning of it to sink in.

“Ah yes! It’s okay!”

Maybe he’s a little too enthusiastic now but you don’t seem to mind, the corners of your mouth quirking upward.

“Okay, please wait for my message. I’ll get going first, see you Zihao!”

He waves back and just like that, you’re gone and maybe Zihao’s smiling a little too much but he doesn’t care. He did it. He actually talked to you. And you want to text him which means you want to talk more. The dancer practically bounces out of the studio, reaching for his phone when another thought dawns on him.

Speaking a language was one thing. Texting was a whole other. What if you used abbreviations or slangs that he didn’t know? Are there rules? How long should he wait before replying back?

Zihao moves on auto-pilot, dialling the number and not even waiting for the other person to speak when the call picks up.

“Hao-ge!”

“Aiya, what do you want from me now?”

__________________________________________

“He looked so surprised when I complimented his dancing. I think he got nervous, the way he speaks is so cute. I wonder if I had that much trouble speaking when I first moved here. And he offered to carry my bag, I mean, how sweet is that? Like, I really thought he’d be weirded out when I asked if I could text him out of nowhere but he looked so happy about it….”

Jiwoong just keeps nodding as you ramble about the progress you’ve made with Zihao. Well, it’s one extended conversation but progress is progress. Your phone chimes and you literally stop everything you’re doing to open it. Your friend watches as your expression turns fond. You eagerly type back a response, send it and go back to your laptop, just a little more chipper than before if that’s even possible.

“So I take that everything is going well?”

“Mhmm, we’re hanging out after his next class where I’m scheduled to be filming. I asked if he wanted to get coffee at the cafe near his studio. My treat.”

“That sounds good, should I join as well?”

“Respectfully no, and even if you did, you should be paying for both of us as the eldest one.”

“Hmmph”

“Look, I know you think you’re cute but-”

“I know I’m cute. I mean come on, look at me.”

“Oh I’m looking and I’m not really seeing it, sorry.”

“Ah, I see how it is. I’m sorry I’m not a dancer with-”

“Please don’t finish that sentence.”

Jiwoong finishes the sentence.

Zihao, on the other hand, is currently figuring out how to form a coherent sentence. Luckily he’s got help.

“Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today-”

“Matthew-ah, I love you but please don’t start.”

“Wait. So why are we gathered here today?”

Zhang Hao looked so done. No one was blaming him though. Zihao had bargained, begged and bribed the older boy for a crash course into the wonderful world that is Korean texting and well, dating etiquette. He did not want to mess this up.

And because Zhang Hao is an angel and loves him very much, Zihao is now in the capable hands of Seok Matthew, vice president of the foreign student society and Sung Hanbin, the university’s mr. popular because he’s literally friends with everyone. His Hao-ge graciously agreed to preside over their session as the designated Zihao translator. And Kuanjui was there for moral support. Actually, Zihao didn’t know why he was here but he’ll take what he can get.

“I asked Hao-hyung for help.” He said, the nerves returning when they all look at him. “And he called you to teach me how to..how to…”

He doesn’t even need to look at Zhang Hao for help before the older one smoothly takes over. Wow, he is an angel.

“Zihao wants to learn how texting works because he’s finally talking to the person that’s been making him go 심쿵 for weeks”

“Yes!” Zihao adds enthusiastically before pausing. “...what does 심쿵 mean?”

“Wah, you used to be like that Hao-hyung.”

“Excuse me, I was not.”

“Oh true, hyung never asked for help when he didn’t understand something. He just looked it up, went home and studied another hundred vocabulary.”

Zhang Hao had a lot of patience but Zihao’s pushed his limits enough to see when the older boy begins to contemplate murder.

“Thank you in advance for your help, sunbaenims!” He says loudly, dropping into a low bow.

Kuanjui whistles from the corner he was stretching in. Zihao almost forgot he was there.

“A little too low, Zihao, if you had straightened your back more, it would have been a perfect 90 degrees.”

“We’re the same age, Zihao-ssi.” Hanbin says kindly.

“Does vice president count as being his sunbaenim?” Matthew asks, now looking a little confused himself.

Zhang Hao just sighs very deeply.

Regardless, Zihao learned a lot that day. Sung Hanbin is a very good teacher and Matthew has a lot of helpful tips on what he can do if he forgets a Korean word. Zhang Hao patiently translates everything he wants to say. And Kuanjui teaches him how to do a perfect 90 degree bow because why not?

*심쿵 [sim-kung/shim-koong] - when your heart races because of something/someone you find exciting/thrilling/shocking

__________________________________________

Texting Zihao is fun.

He seems to favour using those cute little emojis especially when you know he’s trying to describe something that he can’t seem to remember the word for in Korean. His texting slang is surprisingly on point, though it interchanges with very formal speech. Not that it bothers you obviously, it’s quite endearing.

And before you know it, you’re on your way to the dance studio, a little more excited than usual since you’ll be hanging out with Zihao after. You fall into your usual routine. Greeting the teacher, choosing a corner, setting up your tripod as the students file in.

When he walks through the door, you give him a wave and he stops in his tracks. A pretty smile spreads across his face and he waves back before freezing and greeting the teacher and you with 90-degree bows. You stifle a laugh. Cute and respectful, literally everything you could want in a man.

Once class begins, you fall back into your roles. You’re professionals after all.

“Ready to go?” You ask when he approaches you after, still in the middle of putting away your equipment.

“Ah, one moment? I…” He falters and gestures at his bag and then himself. “I fix my…in the…”

“No worries, I’ll wait for you.” You figured he might need a few minutes to freshen up. He rushes off and you take your time packing everything up. You fix your hair in the studio mirror and reapply lip balm, not wanting them chapped especially in the winter wind. Maybe you’ve dressed up a little nicer than you usually do, wearing one of your favourite sweaters since the colour compliments your skin.

You hear his footsteps approaching the studio. When he walks in, it’s you who needs to take a few seconds. Somehow, he’s managed to change from the rolled up sweats and t-shirts that he usually wears to class into a white turtleneck, denim jacket and jeans. It’s very boyfriend. He’s even got glasses, white frames perched on his nose. While you don’t know if they actually help him see better, they’re definitely not doing anything to help your poor heart.

“You look nice, very handsome~” you add playfully because honesty is the best policy.

His cheeks flush and this time you know it isn’t from dancing.

“Ah, thank you sunbaenim.” You swear that he gives you a one-over before saying, “you too.”

At this point, you should probably tell him that it’s okay to speak to you more casually. Though it might be difficult, you know, as a foreigner to adjust from formal to casual speech. And there’s something about the way he says sunbaenim that you find so endearing so you let it be. Maybe after the next date.

“May I help you with your bag?” He offers, just like the last time although the line seems more practised now.

“Ah, no it’s okay, really.” You tell him as you both begin to walk out of the studio. “It’s not that I don’t want to but the equipment inside is quite fragile so I just like to hold it myself so I don’t worry.”

“I’ll be careful?” he offers tentatively, really, his smile is so precious.

“Maybe next time.” You say which seems to satisfy him.

Talking with Zihao is just as fun as texting him, if not more.

He’s a little awkward but he listens so attentively when you talk. The gestures he falls back on when he can’t find a word and the way his face lights up when you find it for him, asking to hear it again and repeating after you.

The cafe is cosy. You ask him for his order and pretend not to see or hear him when he tries to pay. But you let him bring the pastries to your table, sitting across him tucked away in a little corner with plush seats, your legs nearly touching. It’s quiet for a moment, he’s looking down at his fingers with a shy smile and you? Well you’re looking at him.

“Shall we eat?”

“Ah, sunbaenim should go first.”

Even though you insist it’s fine, he still waits for you to take a bite before he tucks into his food. It’s good. The lychee cake you chose is not too sweet, the cream light and fluffy and just right. The sound you make must have been louder than you thought because Zihao’s eyes flick up to you immediately.

“It’s really good,” you tell him. Then, a slightly risky idea pops into your head. You take the risk.

“Do you want to try some?”

You take a forkful and hold it up to him. He leans in without thinking, basically letting you feed him. The action must have clicked a moment later because he freezes mid-chew, looking at you with wide eyes as you giggle.

“It’s good right?”

He nods, swallowing. Then, he takes a forkful of his own pastry and offers it to you with another shy smile.

“Do you want to try, sunbaenim?” He parrots your words.

Now, it’s your turn to fluster, not expecting your actions to be returned so directly. Still, you lean him and let him feed you as well. Flavours burst in your mouth and you let yourself express it to him, giving a thumbs-up.

The rest of your date goes similarly. Almost too well, you think. It’s arguably one of the best dates you’ve been on since you started university but maybe you’re biased, who knows?

“Let’s see each other again, yeah?”

If Zihao’s smile can get any wider, it definitely does, he nods so fast you’re worried he might strain his own neck.

“I want to see sunbaenim again~” He says cutely.

Maybe it’s a little too soon but you’re already thinking of confessing the feelings you both know are there next time. Maybe you’ll even try and hold his hand. Regardless, there’s no ending in this film where Wang Zihao doesn’t become your boyfriend.

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