#horanghxnni writes

[horanghxnni]

coffee shop meet-cute. - j.w.w.

PAIRING: Jeon Wonwoo x Reader

WORD COUNT: 3.1k

TAGS: meet cute, strangers to lovers one-shot, barista!reader, non-idol!wonwoo; pure fluff, oblivious pining

WARNINGS: mentions of food/eating; i tried my best to write as gender neutral as possible, but i haven't proofread this more than once so pls let me know if it's not; other than that none (please let me know if i've missed anything)

NOTES: this is my first post here on tumblr omg. hi! i've been a big fan of work here and i've been writing for a while (i shall not discuss my cursed wattpad days when i was younger) and thought i'd start posting here for fun. i hope you enjoy! <3

You had started working at this local coffee shop when you were 16, at first as a way to earn cash on the weekends to fund your high school escapades, and now, 7 years later, you grew to love the feeling of crafting drinks and managing the shop you now felt was like a second home. You worked every day, and opening the quaint little shop meant that the first hour or so was a quiet peace to yourself, filled with the smell of brewing espresso and baking croissants. 

The morning rush came like clockwork, beginning at 7:15 am and finally reaching a calmer pace around 8 am. Just when the busy atmosphere began to subside and the day reached its first slump, a clearly anxious man made his way to the front counter, hurriedly ordering an iced americano and holding out his card before you could even tell him how much it would cost. You rang him up, and he left the counter to stand in a corner with a polite nod to wait for his coffee, glancing at the clock. You make his simple order as quickly as possible and set it on the pickup counter, calling his name. “Wonwoo, iced americano?” 

He grabs his cup and thanks you quietly, before hurriedly leaving the shop, not even bothering to grab a straw. You don’t think too much of it and get back to filling the pastry case as the curious stranger becomes a distant memory by the end of the day. 

That is, until you notice he comes in every day, always at the same time, just before 9 am. He enters with the same kind of energy, always as if he’s perpetually running late, and orders the same thing: iced americano, and if he was feeling peckish, a blueberry muffin. He never talked much, and the only thing you knew about him other than his coffee order was that his name was Wonwoo, he seemed to have a horrible concept of time, and he must work in some office to be dressed in business casual every day. This Groundhog Day feeling encounter with him remained as a growing routine for you, until 3 weeks later when you began to anticipate his arrival, and you had his order ready and waiting for him by the time he reached the counter. Your interaction grew more efficient as time passed, with a single swap of his debit card for his coffee, and his transaction down to 30 seconds, handing him back his card in record timing. You figured it was helping him, right? He was late to work, or something time-sensitive at least, and you made his caffeine pit-stop easier. It was a win-win: you gained another regular, and he got his coffee without hindering his morning. 

He ruined your flow one Wednesday afternoon. Once again, he arrived just before 9 am, but he walked in much slower this time, and he was wearing much more casual clothes, a faded gray t-shirt and jeans, a brown messenger bag slung on his shoulder. As usual, his coffee was already done, and you almost dropped a tray of apple tarts as he entered almost as an entirely different person. You set them in the pastry case with renewed care, and met him at the register. 

“Not in a rush this morning?” You asked, clearly confused but friendly, as you pushed his cup towards him. 

He chuckled, shaking his head as his eyes roved over the rows of pastries and sandwiches you had displayed. “Nope, we started a hybrid schedule so I’m working from home on Wednesdays.” He met your eyes for a moment before shifting back to the sweets, thinking. “I’m thinking about trying something new, what do you recommend?” 

It took you a moment before you adapted to the fact that you’d heard more than two words from him. His voice was smooth and deeper than you expected, and it seemed to sink into your bones. “Um, well the apple tarts are new, and we make pop tarts in house.” 

He nodded and took one more glance before meeting your eyes. “I’ll take one of each, for here.” He gave you a small smile and slid over his debit card, once again catching you off guard. For here? He was staying? You nodded silently and began to warm his sweets as you rang him up. He thanked you and took back his card, settling in a seat a few feet down the counter, pulling out his laptop and beginning to type quietly. You couldn’t help but steal glances at him as you made his little pastry plate, not used to his presence. You were so used to his rush of energy that seeing him so still and calm was confusing. You decided just before you gave him his plate that you’d slip a cake pop next to the tart, you had made extras today anyway. With a nod, you place it beside his laptop and don’t even wait for an acknowledgement, leaving the pretty stranger to his work and busying yourself with cleaning some dirty cups from earlier this morning and wiping down the counters. 

“The poptart is good. Do you make them yourself?” His voice cut through the quiet lo-fi music playing over the speakers as you paused from your cleaning. You turned to see him already looking at you, the half-eaten poptart in his hand. 

You nodded and put down the rag in your hand. “Yeah, every morning. The flavor changes depending on what fruit I can get my hands on.” You see him nod in approval, and he sets it down on his plate as he turns his full attention to you. 

“Thank you for the cake pop. And for making my coffee so quickly every day, it really helps me out.” He appears more bashful now, almost bordering embarrassed, as his cheeks flush an almost imperceptible pink. “I know I seem pretty pressed for time most mornings.” 

You laugh at his comment, thinking back to the quiet whirlwind of his stressed aura that appears in the shop every day. “Of course, I don’t want to make you any later than you already seem to be.” You pause for a moment before speaking again, wondering if you should ask the innocent question in your mind. He seems open to conversation, and it’s not like anyone else was demanding your attention at the moment. “Where do you work anyway?” 

“Oh, I work at the Pledis building, I’m a writer there for content creation. I’m not technically late ever, but I like to get there at a certain time and I definitely overestimate the time I need to commute.” He answers sheepishly, and you smile. A writer for such a big company? Impressive. 

You spoke for a little bit longer before another rush began, learning he’d been working at Pledis for a few years now, and his friend Joshua had recommended this coffee shop to him a few months ago, but he hadn’t had the chance to come until a few weeks ago. Of course your favorite regular would have pushed him here, and little details seemed to fit into place as your small chats throughout the few hours he remained at the bar revealed more and more about each other. Around 4 pm, he left with a wave, trying his best not to distract you too much. You waved back, and with an offhanded, “See you tomorrow!”, he left the cafe, the door jingling behind him. 

_____________ 

The next morning, Wonwoo surprised you again. He came in at 8:30, standing at the register while you finished the last of the morning rush orders, you hadn’t even seen him walk in. You turned to take the order only to see a face that wasn’t supposed to be here for another 20 minutes. 

“Oh, you’re here early! I’m sorry, I haven't made your coffee yet.” Of course you hadn’t. You had timed your routine almost down to the second, and he had thrown off your entire groove. He simply smiled and shook his head. 

“It’s okay, I have some time this morning. I’ll get my usual and another poptart, it doesn't matter the flavor.” He points to the plate and pulls out some cash. “You can keep the change.” Wonwoo, without another word, moves to where he sat the day before, settling in and pulling out his phone. 

You make his coffee and warm his poptart, placing it in a to-go sleeve, placing both in front of him. “So, I finally get my routine down with you and you all of a sudden decide you want to switch it up?” You raise an eyebrow at him. 

He looks up from his phone, a small smile growing on his lips. “Figured if I got here a little earlier, I’d relieve you of the time constraint.” His smile shifts into a frown after a moment. “I’m sorry if it threw you off that bad, I didn’t-”

You wave a hand at him, shaking your head. “Don’t worry about it, I was just messing with you.” 

His body visibly relaxes as he reaches for his coffee. “Thanks, Y/N.” You couldn’t help but grin as you hear your name in his voice, and you nod and turn before he can see just how wide your smile could get. You make small talk as he finishes his coffee and pastry, asking about his work and new recipes brewing in your head for the next 20 or so minutes before he declares he is leaving to head to work. 

“This was nice, actually sitting down before work. Maybe I’ll do this more often.” He hands you his plate as you agree, placing it in the sink to deal with later. 

“Thanks for hanging out with me this morning. You’re welcome anytime, obviously.” You say your goodbyes, and with another small smile, he leaves, and you’re left thinking of the way his smile lights up his face for the rest of the day. 

_____________ 

For the next few weeks, Wonwoo arrives around 20-30 minutes early. Your new routine involves pleasant conversation as you work, and him becoming a taste tester for new recipes before they hit the pastry case. You become used to each other’s presence, and with every new interaction, he grows more and more talkative. He tells you about frustrations from work from the day before, or a movie he had just watched over the weekend. You tell him about your roommate endeavors and outings you’d gone on recently. You consider yourselves friends at this point, and it was nice to have someone like him around when the morning felt like too much to handle. 

You had offhandedly mentioned taking a few days off one day and Wonwoo encouraged rest, but through all the chaos of pushed forward deadlines at work, he had completely forgotten until he arrived at the cafe one morning to see someone completely different behind the counter. He was confused to see his usual coffee was still sitting waiting for him in its normal place with his name on it, set aside on the counter, yet he did not recognize the barista currently finishing up a latte. As he slowly stepped up to the pickup counter and grabbed his drink, the employee looked up and met his gaze. 

“Oh, you must be Wonwoo. There’s your iced americano, there’s a muffin in the bag beside it.” His demeanor was nonchalant, as he placed the other drink on the counter and called out the order. 

“Is Y/N not in today?” It was the first thing he could think of, despite the answer being obvious. 

The younger boy looked up from his work. “No, they're off all week. They left me a note saying a guy named Wonwoo would come in at 8:30 and that was your usual.” He shrugged and looked down again at his brewing espresso shots. “I guess that’s you. I’m Chan, I usually work afternoons but I’m covering for Y/N this week.” 

Wonwoo nods, still processing what he had just heard. Y/N’s gone all week? Why hadn’t they said anything? He suddenly felt stupid as he remembered a conversation from two weeks ago, where Y/N finally decided the week they would take a solo trip to Jeju to visit their grandmother: this week. “Right. Thanks, Chan.” 

Chan nods back at him and Wonwoo leaves the cafe still in a semi-daze after setting down some cash, suddenly feeling as if he was thrown off balance, an unfamiliar budding feeling of disappointment settling deep in his chest. He makes his way to work, suddenly feeling like his predictable coffee didn’t taste the same. 

The rest of his work day was surprisingly only getting worse: he had printed the wrong files, was late to a meeting he was supposed to lead, and currently Joshua was trying (and failing) to speak to him about a conference they were attending the following month as Wonwoo unintentionally tuned him out. Suddenly, he felt a light shove of his shoulder pull him out of his trance.

“Dude, what is wrong with you? Have you heard anything I said?” Joshua raised an accusatory eyebrow at his friend and coworker. Wonwoo’s eyes suddenly gained focus as he looked up to see Joshua leaning against his desk. 

“I-” he attempted to think of an excuse, “I’m sorry. I guess I’m a little distracted, my whole day feels thrown off.” He frowned and turned his chair toward the other man. “What were you saying?” 

Joshua’s mouth crept into an almost dangerous smirk as he took a glance at Wonwoo’s still full coffee cup, an unfamiliar handwriting scrawling his name on the top. “You didn’t see Y/N this morning.” 

Wonwoo almost choked on his own spit. “What? How- how do you know that?” 

The older boy rolled his eyes and pointed to the cup. “That’s not Y/N’s handwriting. I see them before you do most mornings, and they're not in town. They told me last week. I thought you knew.” 

“I did know, I just forgot, with everything going on at work.” Wonwoo couldn’t help but frown. Had not seeing them really thrown him off that much? “What does not seeing them have to do with anything though?” 

Joshua scoffed. “Dude, every time you come from that cafe, you walk in like you just won the lottery, and you see them every day. You like them, don’t you?” 

It was the last part that struck Wonwoo to his very core. He’d never even considered that to be an option before. Sure, Y/N was stunning, and kind, and he’d found great company in the barista, but like them? Romantically? Maybe it was more possible than he imagined. His face seemed to drop, as Joshua laughed at his rapid change in expression. 

“It’s okay if you do. They seem to make you happy. I think you should go for it.” With a grin that would rival the Cheshire cat, Joshua claps his friend on the shoulder before leaving his desk to return to his own, as Wonwoo’s brain settles on entertaining this thought that seems to bloom an unfamiliar feeling in his chest, replacing the heavy stone of disappointment from earlier. 

_____________

You were back after a relaxing few days with your grandmother, spending time in the sun and looking out on the ocean. Although the time off was needed, you couldn’t help but think about not only your cafe, but a specific regular you hadn’t seen since last week. You hoped Chan had made his usual for him as she said on the note, and you were excited to catch up with Wonwoo about the last week, and honestly, just to see him again. Spending the last few days without seeing each other triggered the realization that he was more special to you than you had initially thought, and though he may not feel the same, you were content with the friendship you had formed already. 

You opened the cafe without issue, and a sense of calm washed over you as you fell back into your routine. The morning rush felt like a breeze as you fell into a groove and before you knew it, 8:30 rolled around and the man you’d been thinking of walked through the door. He was early, as he now often was, but his anxious energy was back. He stepped up to the counter as you handed him his coffee, a fresh pop tart on a plate sliding his way as well. 

“It’s on the house today. I’m sure you missed my magic touch last week.” You joked, your smile widening. His mouth opened before it shut once more, mirroring your grin as he said a quiet thank you as he took his seat. You caught up on missed stories, with mostly you telling stories of your vacation as he sat quietly and listened as you multitasked. It wasn’t until you asked him a question and received no answer that you looked up at him from the espresso machine to see him simply staring at you. “Wonwoo?” 

You saw his eyes clear as his face rapidly turned a deep shade of red. “I’m sorry, I was listening. I just-” He paused, and your brows furrowed. 

“Are you alright?” You asked, putting down the espresso shot and giving him your full focus. 

“Do you want to, maybe, go to dinner sometime?” His eyes couldn’t meet yours at first, until suddenly the dark brown of his irises met yours and you melted at the adoration you felt behind his gaze. 

“Wonwoo, are you asking me on a date?” You couldn’t believe this was happening. You watched his cheeks redden further as he nodded and you couldn’t help the way you seemed to beam at him. “I’d like that very much. Maybe this Saturday, if you’re free?” 

You watched the anxiety leave his body in an instant as he agreed. He handed you his phone as he stood up, coffee cup and plate now empty. “Put your number in and I’ll call you?” 

You punched your contact information in and handed him the phone in exchange for his dishes, and watched as he clumsily pushed in his seat and grabbed his things. “Have a good day at work, Wonwoo. It was nice to see you.” 

“It was good to see you. I’ll call you later tonight, if that’s okay.” You nodded and if he smiled any wider, he thought his lips might start to crack. With one last goodbye, he left out the door, and his eyes didn’t leave your beautiful face through the window until he lost line of sight.

[horanghxnni]

little green monster - l.j.h

PAIRING: Lee Jihoon x Reader

WORD COUNT: 2.2k

TAGS: jealous jihoon friends to lovers, fluff, implied smut if you squint

WARNINGS: implied smut/sexual thoughts, jealousy, brief mentions of alcohol, implied femininity/femme presentations

NOTES: just thought about quietly jealous jihoon and the analogy of the "little green monster" and ran with it. enjoy xx

Jealousy didn’t look good on anyone, but especially Jihoon. He thought he wore it well enough to hide the daggers he was sending into the back of the man’s head, but Minghao’s swat against his arm told him otherwise. 

“Jihoon, he’s going to feel the hole you’re burning if you keep staring at him.” His friend spoke with a sigh. Jihoon feigned nonchalance, and it probably would have worked if he was talking to anyone else. 

“I’m just making sure they’re alright. He’s been over there a long time.” It was an understandable excuse, an easy justification as your friend. You’d all met at a club for the night, you dragging him out along with the others to take a break from all of their collective responsibilities, Jihoon’s first night not holed up in his studio in a while. You had walked over to the bar with an already tipsy Soonyoung to get a drink, and a man had captured your attention while you waited. 

Then, despite his assumptions that he wouldn’t be around long, your drink was settled into your hand, a few sips already taken out as you conversed with him, a polite smile gracing your lips as he spoke to you. Soonyoung has since left your side and Jihoon now felt he had to watch you, to make sure you were alright of course. Definitely not because the way you laughed at his jokes made his heart jump and the way he would lean in closer than needed to hear your responses made his stomach turn. Despite the sick feeling sinking deeper and deeper in his chest, he couldn’t look away. Not until Minghao exposed the little green monster feeding on that sinking feeling. 

“Right. Well, they’re coming back so maybe fix that scowl on your face.” His face remained neutral, but Jihoon could tell the softness in his friend’s eyes reflected some sort of pity for the jealousy he felt for their mutual friend. Jihoon suddenly felt the now uncomfortable frown that had formed without even knowing. Just as he was warned, you came into view as his head turned, a wide smile on your lips and your drink now half gone. Minghao was, of course, nowhere to be seen now, and all that was left was the awkward barely-there smile he attempted to configure and they definitely noticed. 

“Hey, Ji, you alright?” Your eyes grew concerned as you semi-shouted so he could hear you. With a more convincing smile and a nod, he simply reassured you, his heart easing at the sight of your acceptance. You began to sway and dance in the direction of Soonyoung and Mingyu who were already bouncing to the music, and you turned to convince him to follow your graceful steps to the dance floor. The green monster started to shrink and quiet in his chest, curling into a sleeping ball as he couldn’t say no, not when you looked at him like that.  

_____________

Movie nights were a common occurrence, especially now that a lot of the boys didn’t live with each other anymore. This time, it was Wonwoo’s turn to host, and so the members and you filled the couch, a few bean bags, and the carpeted space in front of the TV as you all spread out in various ways to watch the Lego Movie (the only thing the majority of you could agree on). You were settled beside Jihoon as he sat in one corner of the couch. You leaned slightly against his left shoulder, your legs laying over Soonyoung’s lap beside you to your left. You were content, eyes glued to the screen as you occasionally ate out of Soonyoung’s popcorn bowl. The skin that touched yours felt like it was on fire. Jihoon was painfully aware of the lack of space between you two and he tried his hardest to ignore it. You looked beautiful, moonlight flickering over your features that seemed to kiss your skin with a pale glow. You were visibly relaxed and comfortable, and every so often he caught you mouthing your favorite lines. It was Jihoon’s favorite sight, you being truly yourself with nothing to stress you. 

He couldn’t help but sneak glances at you, your reactions to the movie being more interesting than the plot itself, and it was his own curse of being enraptured by you that he noticed when your focus had broken almost immediately. Your brows furrowed as you reached for your phone in your pocket, the screen almost too bright in the dark room as you squint to see the notification. Jihoon couldn’t help it, he really tried not to snoop, but when he saw the phrase followed by an “xo”, he couldn’t look away. It was an unsaved number, a series of unfamiliar digits. The text was what woke the sleeping green monster, quickly filling the space in his ribcage as it grew and stretched: “when can i see you again? xo” 

His breath caught in his lungs, waiting for your fingers to move, close the message, type a response, anything. The green monster pushed against the bones in his chest as he waited what felt like years for him only to see you roll your eyes and click the power button to turn off your screen. He tried to act nonchalant, but his voice sounded strange as the words tumbled out before he could think twice about asking the question in his mind: “Who was that?”

He was an idiot. But jealousy enveloped his vocal chords and if you had known any better, it sounded like he was choking on his own feelings, his voice coming out quiet and strained. But lucky for him, you were preoccupied with annoyance. 

“Just some guy,” you sighed, “We went on one horrible date but clearly he didn’t think it was that bad.” You rolled your eyes again and then threw on a smile like nothing happened. “It’s nothing to worry about, thankfully he’s from out of town anyway. No awkward run-ins, you know?” 

You didn’t see the way Soonyoung was trying (and failing) not to eavesdrop, as he frowned at his friend. You didn’t see the monster in his ribs make one final appearance behind his eyes at the thought of this date you’d never mentioned to him before it settled down once more, curling behind his heart and falling back to sleep. You shifted again, focusing on the children’s movie and tugging at the blanket settled across your lap. You allowed yourself to completely lean against his shoulder, using him as a pillow to prop yourself up, and Jihoon’s mind went blank aside from the hypersensitivity of feeling your weight against him. You spent the rest of movie night like this, Jihoon not daring to move out of fear you’d rethink your position, that he’d lose the comfort of being this close to you. That little text was gone from his thoughts until he got a text from Soonyoung after Jihoon had left for the night:

“Dude, you gotta make a move, or someone else will.” 

_____________

Jihoon didn’t know what he was thinking when he agreed to this. Here he was, sitting on the edge of your bed as you rifled through hangers in your open closet. Your hair was done perfectly, and you were halfway through your makeup when you realized you hadn’t figured out what to wear for the fancy date you’d been asked on a week prior. What did you do? You called Jihoon, begging him to come over to assist. Foolishly, he agreed, and now he’s stuck watching you panic in nothing but a robe as you pull out various outfits to lay beside him for his judgment. 

“The restaurant is this really nice Italian place downtown, you know the one on the water? I heard it’s super fancy and I don’t want to make a fool of myself by going underdressed. But what if I do too much? Ugh, Jihoon, this is a disaster.” You huffed, now looking between two garments in your hands and two laying next to him. 

“Y/N, anything you put on is going to be fine.” He couldn’t focus, not when you looked so alluring in just a robe, his mind drifting to what it would be like to tug at the strings holding it closed, shifting the soft fluffy fabric off your shoulders. The little green monster had been circling in his chest since the drive over, and now the thought that this random man would possibly have a glimpse under that robe if he was lucky had him wanting to puke. 

You dropped your hanging arms to pout at him, “Ji, I need to look more than fine. I need to look expensive, I need to look hot.” 

Jihoon almost choked.

How could he say that you always looked hot, that you looked absolutely divine in sweatpants and a t-shirt or the most expensive fabrics, without confessing it all? There was no fathomable way to say he thought you were dangerously attractive, that you could wear nothing but a sack and he would want to rip it off you just the same. 

So he said nothing. He wordlessly stood, passing your confused frame as he pulled out a garment made of red silk from the depths of your closet, and setting it in your arms. The grin that spread on your face only made the little green monster grow stronger, stretching into his stomach. 

“This is perfect! Oh, I knew I could count on you.” You wrapped him in a quick embrace before leaving to the bathroom to try it on. His skin felt like it was on fire as he practically paced the length of your room. What the hell was he doing? Sitting here suffering while you were about to go out with some douchebag and he was just going to let you go? If Minghao were here, he’d be calling him hopeless for sure. Is that what he was? Hopeless? 

The bathroom door opened to reveal you draped in a flowy dress that accentuated every delicious curve of your body, the blood red fabric only sending Jihoon further into a spiral. You had a pair of gold heels in your hand, your eyes finding his. 

“Can you zip up the rest for me?” You turned and Jihoon saw the zipper still had a few inches to go before it reached the top of the dress. Swallowing the bubbling jealousy threatening to practically crawl out of his mouth, he stepped behind you, his left hand settling on your hip while he grasped the zipper with your right. He felt you flinch at the touch, and he swore your breath caught quietly in your throat. That tipped him over the edge. 

“You shouldn’t go out with him.” He spoke quietly, but his voice was deeper than even he’d expected. You shivered once more. 

“Jihoon, what? What do you mean?” You turned your head to look at him as his grip tightened on your hip to keep you still. 

“He doesn’t deserve you.” He zipped up the dress and took a step back, and when you turned to fully face him, he could tell you could finally see the green monster that was now fully grown, taking over his body. He could see your eyes widen in realization, and there was no point in trying to hide it now, he was too far gone. 

“Are you,” he watched you swallow, “are you jealous right now?” 

Jihoon simply stared back at you. There was nowhere to run, and he had to lay in the grave he had dug himself. “Yeah.” 

You took a step forward. You were only half a step away now, if he even leaned forward, he would be able to kiss you. 

“You should have told me, Jihoon. I would’ve…” Your voice trailed off. 

“I was okay with what he had.” It wasn’t false, Jihoon couldn’t imagine losing your friendship. But this, the thought of another person having you in the way he’d dreamed, it bothered him more than he’d anticipated. His blind confidence began to dwindle as the reality of where this conversation was heading began to sink in. “But this, I couldn’t help it. I didn’t want to send you off on a date with some guy when I want to be where he is. I’m sorry.” 

His gaze dropped to the floor. 

“Then where are we going?”

What? 

He looked back up to see the widest grin on your face, one eyebrow cocked in questioning. 

“Where are we going for dinner?” You repeated, and for a moment Jihoon thought he was going to pass out. 

“Uh, I-” His brain was short circuiting trying to come up with an answer, “Let me stop home and change, and I have a restaurant in mind.” He didn’t, but the car ride would give him time to think, and the giggle that left your mouth was worth the bluff. Your arms wrapped around his neck, and instinctively, his hands held a firm grip on your hips. 

“You’re cute when you’re jealous.” Your words melted away as your lips pressed to his, quelling the monster in his chest until it was practically nonexistent. Jihoon’s hands began to explore for exposed skin as your hands found purchase in his hair as the kiss deepened, months of welled up emotions spilling over. 

You probably weren’t making it to dinner.

[horanghxnni]

counting the days until you're home. - l.s.m

PAIRING: Lee Seokmin x gn!Reader

WORD COUNT: 2.1k

TAGS: ldr established relationship, fluff, missing s/o, reader and seokmin miss each other so maybe a tiny bit of angst if you close your eyes

WARNINGS: ldr struggles like yearning/missing someone, that's really it!

NOTES: i am in a long distance relationship and while every mile is worth it, it can get hard sometimes. my heart goes out to all in a similar situation <3 i had this as a draft and thought seokmin fit it perfectly. enjoy!!

45 Days Left

The incessant buzz of your phone was enough to jolt you out of bed and blindly reach for the answer button. After a moment, the sweet smile of your boyfriend appeared on screen, eyes searching for you. It took you a minute to sit up and turn on your bedside lamp, seeing his eyes light up as he finally saw your face bathed in a warm glow. 

“Y/N! Hi, baby!” His smile widened, head moving a bit closer to the screen to see you properly. 

“Hi, baby.” You matched his smile with a tired one of your own, and glanced at the time before making your gaze meet his slightly pixelated one. His eyes softened, and his smile fell for a moment. 

“Did I wake you up? What time is it over there?” He asked, lips now formed into a small pout. You waved him off, trying to find a way to ease his worry. 

“No, honey, I was awake, I know you said you were going to call late today. It’s almost 4 am here.” You almost didn’t want to admit the time, but knowing him, he’d probably google it if you didn’t say anything. You could see the setting sun behind him through the window he sat in front of, the rare quiet surrounding him considering he was almost always around at least 1 of the other 12 members of his group. He looked well, a little tired behind his eyes, but you could see the energy pulsing through him as he tried his best to sit still. It was a concert day, and if you did your time zone math correctly, he was due for soundcheck in about 30 minutes. 

His frown deepened at the realization of just how late you were awake waiting for him to call. “I’m so sorry I kept you up so late, honey. I meant to call earlier, but we had practice all day for this leg of the tour and I didn’t realize how late it would be for you.” 

You could hear the guilt curl around his voice, and you felt your heart squeeze in his chest. It was hard enough being away from each other, but after finally ending your long distance relationship of 2 years to only end up back to constantly checking time zones and finding moments to speak over a screen hurt all over again. 

“Baby, it’s alright. It’s worth seeing you so happy. What city are you in now?” You asked, attempting to change the subject to a happier one. Seokmin was always excited to talk about what he loved: his job. He was itching for this tour, and seeing his fans in person was his favorite part. His eyes sparkled at the thought, and like magic, his smile was back. You propped the phone on the side table beside your bed and laid against the pillows as he spoke animatedly to you, his cheerful voice slowly lulling you to sleep. 

With a calm smile, Seokmin takes in your sleeping form for a moment more. “Sleep well, my love. I’ll see you soon.” He spoke quietly and with determination, before ending the call and heading to soundcheck. 

14 Days Left

Today was a nightmare. Your boss held a board meeting announcing potential lay-offs, you spilled your morning coffee all over your desk, and dropped your lunch on the way to a table. As if the day hadn’t been rough enough, you got caught in the rain on the way home and had to walk 6 blocks from the train station to your apartment in soaking wet clothes. You angrily stripped from your soiled clothes and threw them in the general direction of your laundry room before taking a very long hot shower in an attempt to scrub away the negative feelings that weighed you down from today’s disasters. You ordered in, not being bothered to cook, and sat tiredly on the couch to watch whatever happened to be on TV. What appeared once you turned it on was a rerun of one of Seventeen’s Going Seventeen episodes. The screen panned across all 13 boys before settling on the one you wanted to see most: Seokmin. He happened to be the topic of discussion, and all the attention caused him to laugh and shift in his seat in embarrassment. Seeing him caused tears to fill your eyes, your food forgotten as you stared through watery eyes at the screen as he spoke to the other members who were egging on his goofy nature as he joked around. 

It was days like this where the floodgates you built to be strong through the distance crumble as you sobbed on the couch. 2 years ago, you were struggling through once a week calls, a constant stream of “I miss yous” and “If only you didn’t live so far” flooding your text messages. You never expected to fall in love with a boy from across the world, much less a celebrity from so far away, but there you were watching all his stages and sending him proof you’d bought his newest album and happened to receive his photocard this time, living through video calls and letters sent as incognito as you could. Those two years were hell, but so worth it to experience him fall head over heels in love with you just like you did with him. To feel that kind of love from thousands of miles away was worth every missed call and unsuccessful attempt at meeting in person for the first time. The first time you got to feel his touch was when you arrived in Korea for the first time with all your belongings packed away and ready for your new life in a country you’d never been to before. It took a lot of saving, planning, and negotiation, but you both came to the conclusion that you could start your life there, with him by your side. You found a nice apartment near the HYBE building, and he was given permission to visit you and see you as long as your relationship was kept private. 

6 months later, you were seemingly in the same position as you were before. Their Face the Sun tour began three months ago, and the facetime calls and alarms in the middle of the night for a chance at speaking were a part of your routine again. He was almost home, something he reminded you of constantly, but that didn’t make it any less hard. You’d finally gotten used to waking up to his messy hair and sleepy kisses that now your bed felt cold and way too big without him to sprawl out in it. You reached for your phone through your blurry vision, finding his contact and pressing the call button, not bothering to check what time it was. 

“Hey angel, I was about to call you!” His voice was injected with joy, speaking loudly over what sounded like Seungkwan and Soonyoung, which only made your heart break more. You sniffled, and the line went quiet save for a few shuffling noises and fading voices. 

“Angel, what’s wrong? Why are you crying?” He sounded worried, and you could just imagine him pacing around a now empty room. You sighed, attempting to calm yourself enough to speak clearly. 

“Today was just a really hard day, and you guys came on TV and I just lost it. I just… I miss you so much.” You’d said those 5 words countless times, but there truly was no other way to accurately explain how you were feeling. You missed his touch, you missed the way he laughed when you accidentally burned breakfast for him, you missed the way he’d kiss you before leaving for practice or a schedule, or the way he cuddled you until the sun came up after a long day at work. You heard him sigh before your phone started to ring with an incoming FaceTime call from him. You answered and you saw his pretty brown eyes widen at the tears streaming down your face before softening once more. 

“Baby, two more weeks. Two more weeks and I’ll be home with you 24/7 and you’ll wish I was gone again.” You laughed quietly at his attempt to make you smile, and he beamed with pride at his success. “I’m so sorry you had a bad day, and I wish I was there to hold you and make it better. What can I do until I can make it up to you?” He asked. 

You contemplated for a moment. “Can you sing to me?” 

He smiled, wide and sweet as candy as his dimples showed prominently. “Of course, honey. Go get comfortable and I’ll sing to you.” You followed his request eagerly, quickly wiping your tears and placing your takeout in the fridge before running to the bedroom. He giggled as you struggled with sliding one of his hoodies over your head, but before long you were settled into his side of the bed and awaiting the angelic sound of his voice to flow through your phone’s speakers. 

“Ready?” You nodded as he began to sing, the sweet melody of a lullaby version of “Imperfect love” flooding through your senses as you closed your eyes. His voice wrapped around you to make up for his arms not being able to, and he sang you into a comfortable sleep. Once he knew you were out, he looked at you for a moment more. 

“I love you, Y/N. I won’t be gone for much longer, I promise.” He whispered, then hung up. He turned to see Wonwoo standing in the doorway, a knowing frown on his lips. Wonwoo had witnessed his friend’s distress as he left the green room, following to watch Seokmin softly sing to you as his voice shook in an attempt to hide his own sadness. His eyes betrayed him, filling with tears that refused to fall. Wonwoo took a few steps forward, opening his arms for his friend to fall into, nothing more to be said as he tried to comfort Seokmin the best he could. 

The next morning, you woke up to a text from Wonwoo: 

If it makes you feel any better, he misses you just as much. He’s a wreck when you’re gone. We’ll be home before you know it and ice cream will be on me <3

0 Days Left

Your phone had been buzzing with notifications all day. Between flight updates from your boyfriend, begging from the boys to make sure you’re at the dorm, and a final approval text from their manager that you could spend a few nights in the dorm, you were a nervous and excited mess. 

You were bouncing in your seat on the couch, eyes glancing up from your phone towards the door every 10 seconds or so. Seokmin and the rest of the boys had landed in Korea from New York about an hour ago, and he would be arriving back at the dorms any minute. Every step you took toward the dorm earlier today had your heart pounding with excitement, and waiting became agony as every second passed. 

The sound of a key entering the lock pulled you to your feet, eyes boring holes into the door handle as it turned with ease, revealing the faces of the boys you adored. One by one, they shuffled in, jet lagged smiles toward you warming your heart as you excitedly waved hello. In usual circumstances, you’d attack them with hugs, but everyone around knew that two specific people had been saving their energy for each other, one of them having just walked through the door. His eyes scanned the room as he passed through the door frame, and when they met yours, it suddenly didn’t matter who walked in after him. His bags hit the floor with a loud thump as he leaped toward you. He stumbled as he narrowly passed furniture in his way and within seconds, his arms had engulfed you. Raising you from the floor, he spun you around as your face buried into his neck, fingers tightly clutching the dark fabric of the hoodie he was wearing. Tears flowed like a river, a low whisper of “you’re home, oh my god, you’re home” being the only thing you managed to say. He nodded in your embrace, tightly holding you as if the moment he lost the feeling of your touch you would disappear. 

“I’m home, baby, and I’m never leaving you again.” He spoke with a finite tone, and that was a promise.

[horanghxnni]

masterlist - horanghxnni

here's all of my works in one place!

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caratland - svt

wonwoo -

coffee shop meet cute - fluff; barista!reader + non-idol!wonwoo

soonyoung -

college party - fluff; frat boy!soonyoung + college au

jihoon -

little green monster - fluff; three times jihoon is jealous

seokmin -

counting the days until you're home - fluff; ldr relationship

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more coming soon! thanks for stopping by <3

byf/about me is also available here!