#w. gyuri

[lgcminseo]

midnight flower

Minseo had been pleasantly surprised when she saw the gaming stations set up in the venue. She had expected to be able to participate in party games created from Nintendo themes, but the option to be able to play the games in groups throughout the party was much more fun. She wondered how the company pulled that off, but she expected no less from the event coordinator. Her excitement grew when she saw two open spots in the Animal Crossing section, reaching for Gyuri's hand and practically skipping to the station before someone else took over.

"You're going to have to pull me away in half an hour. I seriously can play for hours..." She warns Gyuri, nudging the actress on the side with a bright smile tugging on her lips. She reaches for the console, immediately snooping through the last person's bag to find a decent amount of materials and recipes untouched. "Should we check if we have any visitors on the island?" She suggests, running in circles around Gyuri's villager. "Or get better cloth–Matching clothes! I might need to sell some flowers for money."

@lgcgyuri

[girlscapitalism]

KARA (카라) 「 MOVE AGAIN 」 MOVING POSTER - JIYOUNG & YOUNGJI

[illctaffairs]

🫧 — for @eunoiac ft. gyuri , based on point 1 of this post ! 

" come on , that's , like , four whole years of my life just gone & they were awful , would it really kill you to do this with me ? "

[ybklix]

𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘺 𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘦

⋆˚✿˖° pairing: seo changbin x fem!reader

୧ ‧₊˚ ♡ somethin’ about him is made for somebody like me ₊˚⊹⋆

♡ genre - warnings: smut, fingering, unprotected piv, car and semi public sex, kinda slow burn? idk bear w me

word count: 3.1k

m.list

a/n: idk, a little something ab changbin as i prepare for 1k event fics!<3 and all my wips omg; just bc he’s so ariana slay

Changbin said it simply, whether or not you would go with him to the gym, via text message, to which you declined, you didn’t feel like working out at all, something about you that day seemed to depress you, but every muscle in your body tensed and your whole being woke up as you read:

uh, too bad

i wanted you to meet gyuri, i'm going to train her now

I thought you might get along😁

You jolted up, perplexed as you read the message from your best friend. Next thing you knew you were ready to go to Changbin’s personalized gym, this time dressed a little less sporty, you hoped to excuse yourself smoothly with something you would come up with later since you weren’t thinking clearly.

For years you had this best friend dynamic with Changbin, an unique dynamic where you never touched each other that way, but you treated each other with such affection that people thought you were a couple and, but knowing that he would be with another woman... made you grow jealous, you couldn’t deny it, he was yours, you were in love with him but the idea of a relationship suffocated you, you just knew you wanted him, his company in everything.

Changbin was a professional and personal trainer, he had clients of very high status, usually... other men so you were more than relieved, but a girl was something new to you. So with a slight shiver in your body, you unexpectedly knocked on your friend’s establishment door. He opened it for you within seconds, confused, wearing his tight workout clothes, making you slightly nervous.

“Oh, hey, love” he greeted you with a smile, “You drove here by yourself? You actually decided to come... but... you’re not dressed to...”

“Oh, no, let’s go eat later” you quickly interrupted him.

“Okay! But... you know I’m kind of busy, will you wait here?”

You blinked trying to think quickly, a valid excuse, something, something...

“Mr. Seo!” you heard a high-pitched but sweet voice, interrupting you and diverting his attention.

Changbin turned with a smile and then saw you. The inner fire of yours burst out in you more.

“Oh, it’s Gyuri, come in Y/n.”

You both walked further in, until you came to see a pretty young woman with two glasses with orange juice in her hands... she was, something else, she had such a bright aura, long hair and dyed a light brown. She really was Changbin’s type, if you knew him well enough.

“Changbin, please, I’m not that old” he joked correcting her, taking one of the glasses, “Oh, this is Y/n, Y/n, Gyuri.”

“Nice to meet you” Gyuri replied kindly with a smile to which you reciprocated the gesture, “Oh, I made orange juice, do you want...?”

“I’m fine really...”

And a brief awkward silence formed. Changbin sensed it instantly and took a quick sip of his juice.

“Well, let’s continue” he exclaimed.

You felt... like you shouldn’t be there, you weren’t even wearing work out clothes, you were sad in your apartment but you went all the way here by mere impulse as you felt Changbin was yours.

You watched them walk away, but Changbin quickly turned to see you.

“Ah, Y/n...”

“It’s okay, I can go” you replied awkwardly, your cheeks warm not exactly sure if from a bit of rage or general embarrassment.

“Oh, no, you can stay, I won’t really train, I’ll just make sure Gyuri does a good job and that the exercises I assign suit her.”

You smiled at him, you couldn’t even answer him, you felt so small, pathetic and jealous. And now you had to witness him, pulling her body closer, encouraging her, correcting her posture, lifting her ass to him. You couldn’t take it anymore. Usually you’re that girl, and you come out of your sessions very turned on by his yelling and flattery.

You texted Minho, your other friend, telling him to call you urgently, to which he initially complained and tried to ignore you but after a few minutes, very confused he did. You walked away embarrassed, pretending to have an important call and walked out, exclaiming that it was a call from Minho. Changbin watched you leave, a little confused... as you were acting weird, quieter than usual and the only time he saw your eyes light up was when you got the call from another man, causing him discontent.

You explained the situation to Minho, to which in a mocking tone, after laughing at you, he encouraged you to finally try something with Changbin, that if neither of you didn’t cross the line, something would never happen... so you decided to take his wise words. This wasn’t planned, you’re usually unproblematic and only the universe knows how hard you tried to resist, but you couldn’t help it, the boy was yours. He always was. Only you knew him like no one else and you couldn’t wait to try.

After an exhaustive talk on the phone for more than half an hour with Minho, whom you seemed to be forcibly holding back, you entered, finding Changbin and Gyuri finishing their session. You celebrated internally; you checked even the smallest detail of both of them was in order, analyzing them with the look that nothing had happened in your absence, and everything looked the same. Only the girl was a little flustered who had a slightly tired expression and was sweating, getting up from the exercise machine.

She walked in search of her tumbler cup with water, drinking slowly.

“I’m done, what do you want to eat?” Changbin walked over to tell you.

You still smelled his perfume, with him not shedding a drop of sweat.

You smiled at him, “I don’t know, let’s just go out.”

You were nervous and couldn’t explain it. What you didn’t know was that Changbin was also giving your long phone call with Minho a second thought. So he didn’t even pay attention to Gyuri, just politely bid her farewell, telling her politely that he would see her next session.

Once inside his car, he started driving, suddenly you found him a thousand times more attractive, the way his hair looked so fluffy, he was driving attractively with one hand and his seat belt squeezing between the middle of his pecs... you thought about what to say, honestly confessing with cheesy words was not your thing, what could you do...

“So... what so much did Minho say?” he finally spoke, trying to hide his curiosity.

“Minho? Ah, nothing.”

“Mmm... well, it seems like you talked quite a lot...”

You were so engrossed in your thoughts that you weren’t paying much attention to what Changbin was saying, but his subtle tone changed something in you... it was obvious his slight jealous tone so you quickly seized the opportunity.

“Uh... well yeah, you know how Minho and I are…”

“Minho and you? Since when? He can barely stand you.”

“Well… he tolerates me enough to listen to my voice over the phone for an hour.”

Changbin snorted in annoyance, bringing his other hand to the steering wheel, giving an incredulous half-smile.

“Anyway, let’s go to that food place we went to the other time.”

“Sounds good to me, maybe I can bring Minho something to eat too” you continued to tease him, enjoying seeing his disgusted reaction.

“Why would you bring him food? If you’re hanging out with me, he can cook something by himself. Did you tell him you’d bring him food? Does it mean you’re going to see him later?” exploded Changbin in emotions still looking straight ahead, unable to turn to see you.

You laughed and rolled your eyes in satisfaction.

“God, Changbin, are you listening to yourself?”

“Yeah so what?”

“Are you jealous?” you smiled mischievously.

“As much as you were of Gyuri” he now smiled.

The gesture was immediately wiped off your face. You couldn’t believe he said that. Changbin started laughing in his typical mocking laugh, coming from the pit of his stomach, his low and sonorous 'hehehe', you found it really annoying.

“Oh, shut the fuck up.”

“Well, that’s the way you wanted to play” he added, parking his car in front of a fence on the street of the outside restaurant which was a street food place, a bit far from it.

You crossed your arms and acted indignant, hoping to get his attention, you were both attention whores. Changbin smiled at your expression, looking straight ahead with your arms and leg crossed. He unbuckled his seatbelt, and began to stirr your arm playfully.

“Come on, let’s go eat, don’t say you got mad. If you behave yourself I’ll pay for Lino’s food too and we’ll bother him later, we can see his annoying reaction when he sees us coming over” he mentioned in an amused tone, begging for your attention.

You slowly smiled and it wasn’t because of his comment, just for the simple fact that you really liked Changbin, and you loved the way he begged a little. You turned to look at him, slowly, scaring Changbin in a good way, as your expression was serious, you had a sweet smile drawn on your face, your eyes sparkled in the slight darkness and... you managed to make him nervous in seconds, you looked so attractive in his eyes, with a look that you had only seen him before for a few seconds when you got drunk, a seductive look almost inviting him to do with you whatever he wants.

“Hey, let’s go to...”

“Changbin” you said slowly; he was lost on you, he didn’t finish his sentence nor did he know what he was talking about, “Bin...”

You didn’t know exactly what to say either. You were just waiting for him to react and come to you and take what is his, with a kiss.

Changbin cleared his throat, averting his gaze from you, breaking the moment of tension and the magic moment where you were hypnotizing him. You would have thought it was cute... but instead you grimaced in disgust... was it that you had misread the signs and Changbin really didn’t like you too? You got so angry that you spat impulsively and without thinking:

“Yeah, well, at least Minho would have known to take this chance and would be kissing me by now.”

Changbin’s face perked up as did his ears at being so surprised, the sentence with the words ‘Minho, kiss, me’ didn’t seem to well at all to him.

“Excuse me?”

You moved dangerously close to him, almost brushing his lips, making him open his eyes in surprise:

“That he can read the room and understand what I want” you provoked him again.

“Oh yeah?” he expressed, smugly, brushing his nose with yours, “Then why don’t you go and bother him? But no, you have to be here... Binnie this, Binnie that... I’ve never seen you complain this much...”

“And what could it be that I always called you before anyone else?” his lips inches away, so agonizing that your body throbbed with excitement.

“What is it...? You have to tell me.”

“What do you want me to tell you, Seo Changbin?”

The air suddenly became heavy, your breaths could be heard in every corner of his car.

“Say what you want, you’re free to express yourself, love.”

You smiled, amused about to say the most corny thing in the world, unashamed, about to kiss him, “I’d say you’re mine.”

And you kissed him, being pushed by more than your silly steady wobble. His lips were soft and fluffy, Changbin quickly held the back of your neck gently to intensify his kiss, you took hold of his strong arm; he did it so well, he was slow but wild, taking you into splendid delight. After a little over a minute, his free hand sought to caress your thigh, he brought his hand under your skirt and explored the inside of your mouth dirtyly with his tongue, arousing you a little.

Finally you parted, lips swollen and incredibly aroused from each other, staring into each other’s eyes so lasciviously.

“Oh, Y/n...” he whispered, analyzing every part of your face, “Come here, I’m all yours.”

Changbin roughly slid his seat back, patting his thighs, you looked down at his hand and it was inevitable to notice that he was hard. You smiled broadly and found a way to slide from your seat to his, sitting on his lap facing him, with your thighs on either side of his, feeling a little of his bulge brush against your mons pubis, so close to your clit. You left your hands on his pecs and kissed him again, in a more desperate act, not caring that you were on a public street, you needed him, just now more than any other day, you couldn’t believe it, finally you and him, intertwining, under the night.

Changbin began to touch your body, running his manly hands up your thighs and down your ass, until he reached your panties, desperate, Changbin let one hand squeeze your thigh and the other caressed your sensitive clit, managing to cause you to shiver. You were so wet that it kind of embarrassed you to drop your whole body into his lap, but he loved how slightly needy you looked. Changbin gently bit your lower lip as he pulled away from you and worked more on caressing your throbbing clit; you bit your lip in pleasure as you saw his smug expression on his face, he was more than happy to see a new reaction in you, with your slightly open mouth, panting and your submissive look, suddenly discovering your body became so addictive and filled him with adrenaline.

You gasped harder, you were so ready to see his cock for the first time and decisively to start moving on it, you wanted it right now and you were about to ask for it; but seeing two young people walking down the street through the back window of his car, made you regain your consciousness a little.

“Cha-ngbin” you tried to speak, “we’re in...”

“In a fucking public place, I know dear, so you better be discreet; I’m not gonna take off any of your clothes, you can fuck me like this” he whispered breathy and sizzling near your lips, gently scrunching his nose and unable to take his eyes off your face.

You watched him and for some reason, you just nodded submissively, Changbin widened his smile at your response, sweetly showing his front teeth.

“Stand up a little, so you can feel my fingers...”

You did so instantly, and within seconds you felt the tickle of his fingers across your labia, then moving away the fabric of your panties from your soaked entrance and he slipped two of his deft fingers into your core.

Changbin raised his eyebrows in surprise and pouted finding you tender, your body trembled and you did your best to hold back the soft whimper leaving your lips at the sensation of your insides being touched.

“You’re so wet, love. I think you’re so ready to take my cock already, don’t you?”

He pushed his fingers in deeper, teasing you more, making you lean your limp body into him, enjoying the feel of his fingers digging inside you.

“Y-yes, Changbin, please.”

“I didn’t hear you right, what was the magic word again?”

“Pl-please.”

Changbin thrusted you with his fingers more intensely and rapidly bringing your climax closer and, your wetness spilling out of you, dripping down his hand and onto his thighs and, with his typical smug grin, he pulled out of you without warning, making you sigh in exasperation, but you caught your breath, as you watched him finally pull down his shorts and underwear; Changbin looked to his sides a little guiltily, his heart was racing; his windows were shielded but the rush of having a little bit of public sex filled him with adrenaline again, pumping his cock to perfection.

Finally there it was, something you hadn’t planned at all from the beginning but still circumstances led you to it; his cock, nice and erect and thick, his little trimmed pubic hair in his area perfectly detonating to his rigid and throbbing member with its pink tip coated in shiny precum. The curiosity in you won, stroking it admiringly, from its tip to its base and its soft sensitive balls, you wanted to do so many things with it, take your time, but both of you were already in a very compromising situation.

“Go ahead, baby, ride me” he gasped, somewhat despairing at your sudden masturbation to his cock.

You raised your gaze and lifted your body a little again, bringing it closer to his erection, Changbin grabbed your hips while you leaned on his chest, then pushed the fabric of your panties aside with one hand and with the other you perfectly centered his hard cock at your entrance, finally letting you slowly drop into it, feeling every inch of him stretching your hole and walls; it felt so good in you, that you both gasped at the same time, but it felt even better with his full length inside, as if he was tailor-made for you.

You began to move, whimpering a little, the sensation was indescribable, Changbin finally for you.

“Move for me, move for me, fuck you’re doing great.”

You rode his cock, expecting nothing less from Changbin, but his babbles filling you with compliments made your nipples hard, you wanted to be touched by him, every part of you, completely vulnerable, but for the moment you had to settle for intense car sex, living off the pure sensation and the grotesque sound of your soaking wet core being stirred by his masculinity. Your tiny skirt covered the scene; just two best friends, with the girl jumping on her friend’s lap, panting. You felt complete, you didn’t want to leave him ever, his balls were rubbing against your pussy as he was so fucking deep in you and with your throbbing labia brushing against his body, you were completely rapt, Changbin was too strong to carry you easily and move your body at his mercy, his cock destroying beautifully inside you, you were whimpering in pure pleasure, never stopping babbling his name. You thought you were moving but he was doing his part too, intensifying each thrust into you.

Changbin tightened his grip on you, almost marking your skin, squeezing the fabric of your skirt tightly against you, he grunted loudly and you felt his cock throb in, followed by his orgasm shooting deep into your core, you couldn’t hold it back that long either, you twitched gently a couple more times as you watched him try to recover and you swooned completely into his body, culminating in a shuddering orgasm that altered every sense in you.

You both stared at each other, shaken and with a smirk of satisfaction as if you had won a prize you were aiming for.

｡⋆୨୧˚ ⋆｡°✩

𐙚TAGLIST: @rylea08 @hann1bee @iovecb97 @armystay89 @houseapologist @bubblebisk

[lgchanie]

Hanbin has to hold back a groan, feeling absolutely defeated from juggling both lives, but he knows he has to. Completing his education is the bargain he made with his parents years ago; not a bargain, 'his obligation,' his dad would say.

"It's an uphill journey, but I want to do my best in my studies and as a hopeful idol-to-be." he lets out a small chuckle, though there's a crack in his usual sunny smile.

At least that's the truth. He's doing the best he can for his family. He's part of the second generation, new money, and how their family name will be known depends on Hanbin and his siblings. His brother is well-off, the golden boy, practicing medicine, while Hanbin is pretty sure his younger sister will become a steadfast lawyer or a jet-setting socialite. It's hard to tell. Yet, Hanbin somehow still feels it's all up to him—like it's all or nothing.

"Look, I'm the same. I can spark up a conversation with just about anyone." Hanbin looks towards the street ahead at Gyuri, and sure enough, he can see the Legacy Building coming into view. "I swear we've just started talking!"

He quickens his pace slightly, matching Gyuri’s stride, and glances over at her, hoping his attempt at humor hides the weight of his thoughts. The breeze carries a sense of urgency as they approach their destination, but Hanbin finds comfort in Gyuri’s presence, even if just for a fleeting moment.

"that's really sweet of you to say— thank you," gyuri muses, gaze softening a bit as she continues to walk, eyes set on the path before them. there was something sincere about the words hanbin spoke, his tone seemingly honest in a way gyuri might've otherwise felt suspicion towards had she been in the newfound company of anyone else. it's strange how at ease she feels after a mere handful of minutes. "i'll be rooting for you, too. i know it can't be the easiest trying to balance the trainee life while also being in school."

having forgone taking a more traditional education route once she'd finished high school, choosing to pour her efforts solely into her career for the time being, gyuri wonders if there'll ever be a time when she'll want to enroll. maybe one day, when she can afford to take more of a backseat from the entertainment world.

"i'm not one to keep to myself, if i'm being honest. you could probably already tell, but i enjoy making conversation with others if the chance arises." her smile simmers into something calm. "time seems to fly when you're in good company�� i mean, we're already pretty close to the legacy building now, right?"

[doyeons]

tagged by @yoohyeon to do the cutest tag game ever 🥹🫶 and im doing it asap so i don’t forget!!!!

i’m tagging @kimsuyeon @jiwoms @isabelleadjani @ashmp3 @bandearg @pink-vacancy @lesseraive @boynextdoors if u want to of course <3

[flopllery]

﹙★。！fromis_9 (w/ Gyuri 💛) icons psd by @colour-source

[wonkixo]

idk if anyone here follows up with i-land 2, but i'm gonna dump my thoughts on today's ep here since today was the start of part 2 :0 [+ disclaimer i slept thru the entire ep so if anything is wrong... blame twitter]

• prior to the episode, the 6 girls i thought would make it to part 2 were: jeemin, lingling, yeeun, sujung, yuju, koko

• jeemin my p01 ily 💗💗 i'm so happy she made it through, but i honestly had no doubt about her making it bc her fanbase is so large (myself included... she was my one pick in runext 😭)

• juwon & gyuri making it seem so out of reach for me, but i'm glad they both made it! juwon caught my eye since panorama so i'm glad she's getting recognized. gyuri kinda fell back for me as i oftentimes forgot about her in performances, but she is very talented and i look forward to her in part 2!

• i was very shocked that lingling or yeeun did not make it, considering they both have strong fanbases internationally and in korea respectively. i personally really enjoyed lingling's improvement and performance in part 1. although i was unsure of where i stood with her in terms of debuting, i felt that she would've became a stronger contestant if she made it to part 2.

• LOL i found this brought up on twitter and whether it was done intentionally or not,,, lingling was so girlboss for not speaking a word of korean in her speech

• i'm so sad yui didn't make it, especially as p07, but tbh it felt like it'd be either her or juwon. BUT YUI 🙁🙁 she caught my eye during the unit battle like SHE ATE THAT STAGE DOWNNN,,, ah i'll miss her :(

• i knew minsol wouldn't make it, but it still lowk breaks my heart bc she was always so talented AND her performance in eyes, nose, lips was too unforgettable for me like 🥲

• my current lineup as of 06/06 (assuming ot7 like enha): jeemin, saebi, sujung, jungeun, yuju, sarang, fuko

[very subject to change... the top 12 are all very strong so this is difficult ;-;]

• after episode 8, 06/13 (ot6 confirmed): jeemin, saebi, jungeun, sarang, fuko, jiyoon [honorable mentions: koko + juwon]

i might add more once i can wake up more and yk. Think,,, but please don't hate on me for my thoughts and opinions! feel free to share yours though <3 i'm happy to hear what other people's thoughts!

regardless of whether or not they made it to part 2, i wish everyone luck and i look forward to their future pursuits :)

also if anyone watched i-land... Pls lmk HAHA i'm still recovering from that damn egg show. i rlly told myself i-land would be my first and only survival show... but yeah that didn't rlly work out. i love enhypen though so a W in itself!!

[kpopimagi]

A Flower Under The Rain [Part 6]

Characters: Baekhyun, Kyungsoo and Kang Gyuri (OC) Genre: Angst, Romance Au: Hanahaki!Au  Type: Series  Word count: 8,518

It all began with a cough and then, a subtle sting in her chest. Kang Gyuri cried, knowing that in a matter of months, she would be another figure in the death toll of the most dangerous and cruelest outbreak in human history.

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 7 | Part 8-1

He tucked his hair behind his ear, and it was such an innate characteristic of his beauty that no one else could have a more fitting trait. He smiled, looking straight into her eyes while beautiful memories plagued her dreams. Her body was suddenly flooded with emotions, the heat burned her cheeks, and the hopes of love deprived her of air to the point of waking her up. Terrified that someone was literally sitting on her chest to suffocate her, the more and more she tried to breathe, the tighter the chokehold in her throat was. Gyuri opened her eyes, confused to discover that she was blind. She tried opening them, again and again, only to realize her eyes were already open, but everything around her was pitch dark. In an attempt to move, she was suddenly aware that her body felt heavy and sticky, and as if tied down to the bed, it didn't matter how hard she racked to free herself; she just couldn’t. 

Gyuri screamed and cried for help, but all her efforts got stuck in her throat. Light stormed on around her so suddenly that she had to blink the tears off and find herself surrounded by the familiarity of the pastel-colored walls of her room. Her father was first to come running inside to pull her out of bed and hold her, facing the floor to pat her back. The gagging was instant, she coughed and gurgled as her father kept patting her back in an attempt to help her breathe, but it wasn’t working. Her lungs felt frozen, they hurt, unable to get more air, and her line of vision blurred with even more tears. Amid the scorch in the center of her chest, she heard an apology, followed by a hard struck between her shoulder blades, and then it burned her. Whatever was stuck on her lungs burned its way out of her body, and she suddenly had a red blob of flower petals fall from her mouth to her hands. She dropped it, disgusted at the pulsing heat emanating from it and the way it fell apart, trickling down through her fingers. With the knot in her throat suddenly gone, she gasped for air. However, as soon as she did, the coughing started again. No matter how much she wanted to stop, Gyuri ended up throwing up more bright red flower petals until the floor around her was soon covered with them.

Never, in her entire life, had Gyuri yelled at her parents. There was no scenario in her head in which she could be angry enough to violate them in such a way, but she wasn't herself then. The surge of unexplainable urgency and desperation that took over her body was stronger than anything she had ever felt before. Just by listening to her father's gags and seeing her mother covering her face was like a fuse that sent her in an almost rage-like frenzy. Gyuri squirmed her way out of her father’s hold, kicking and choking as flower petals made her gurgle and tremble in pain. With a burst of strength she knew was not natural, she practically yelled and pushed her parents out of the room. 

“Go away!” Gyuri cried, shutting her bedroom door on their faces and locking it before collapsing to the floor, “Leave me alone.”

That only made her parents cry harder. Her mother fell into full-blown hysterics, desperately banging the door and her father, as calm as he could, tried to stop her. Gyuri could listen to them on the other side, and consciously ignoring their pleas, managed to make her bawl her eyes out in misery. Eventually, they stopped, and so did the coughing. Her breathing leveled out, but Gyuri had no strength left to move, so she stayed there, spent and defeated. The moment she noticed her pajamas stuck to her skin with a substance that left a red tint smearing everything it touched, caused her to cry even more. The first episode and its symptoms felt mild and like nothing compared to the brutal rush of sweetness that she just went through. Suddenly, the disease felt as grave and as threatening as it came. From the thirst and the disgust palpable on her tongue and skin; to the guilt of her horrible screams against her parents and the terrifying trail of stomach juices and flower petals she left from her bed to the door and the most haunting one, to the echo of her mother, begging her to let her in.

Exhausted, Gyuri couldn’t find the strength to move but realizing that the noises on the other side of the door were practically nonexistent, she stood up even if her legs almost gave out under her weight. Utterly disgusted by the scene in front of her, she was driven by an unknown urge and grabbed the first thing that came to her mind to clean the revolting mess on her bedroom’s floor. Pulling a bedsheet, she cleaned the surface, getting as many flower petals as she could under the fabric. Her stomach churned at the sensation of the soft petals getting stuck to her skin and leaving that sickening red tint behind as if the curse wanted her to see just how powerful and dominant it was. She noticed one petal stuck to her wrist, and as she tried to get rid of it, she’d found a couple more over her arms. Tears fell down her cheeks again as she tried desperately to get every single petal off her skin but when she realized she even had them stuck to her neck, to her chest, and even on her stomach, she couldn't bear it any longer. Staggering her way to the bathroom and stumbling into the shower, Gyuri practically ripped her clothes off and scrubbed every inch of her body, desperate to get rid of the red stains that seemed to be engraved into her flesh. After what felt like forever and until she felt clean again, she came into her room to find what looked like a murder scene. By the time she finished mopping and scrubbing the floor, the sky outside her window wasn't pitch black anymore, and her body screamed at her for rest. She eyed her bed for a moment but falling asleep felt like a trap. She wasn't safe in her dreams anymore, and she focused on something different.

As tired as she was, Gyuri's mind was suddenly reeling. She had an idea and knew people did that particular thing and the simple thought of actually doing it felt like an overly romantic idea. Now that she was considering it, it seemed too dark all of a sudden but she felt compelled to do it. Decided, she sat down by her desk, pulled a memo pad, and ripped off a page. She had made up her mind to do it but by the time she had a pen in her hand, she simply stared at the empty page with her mind suddenly blank. For a moment, and it was so fast but the blank page looked beyond scary. It wasn’t exactly the emptiness of that sheet of paper that mirrored what was inside her, that scared her. She hadn’t realized before but as she looked around her desk, most of the stationary placed around her were all flowered-themed. Chuckling at the irony, she could only agree that the cute flowers printed everywhere were only fitting for her situation but regretted it quite instantly.

After the coughing fit, her body ached. Her chest hurt, and her throat throbbed even by doing something as simple as swallowing. Gyuri could picture her lungs being all bruised up on the inside and had to repeat to herself that focusing on writing down that list might be helpful even if it scared her to death. Letting out a deep breath that made her wince, Gyuri put the pain aside and held the pen tighter between her fingers to force it out of herself. She wrote her bucket list. A shortlist of her biggest dreams, and she couldn't stop her tears because most of those wishes involved Baekhyun in some way. Or at least, she would’ve loved to have him there with her, even if it was to mock. If she ever wanted to do something special, she'd always picture him around. Writing that list down was just the beginning. Gyuri stared at the 10 things she wanted to do before dying and couldn’t wrap her head around the idea of doing them without Baekhyun. It was a soft knock on her door that broke her out of the dreary stupor she had been in and Gyuri felt out of place when she noticed the sunlight drifting brightly into her room, welcoming a new day.

"Pumpkin?" Gyuri heard her father ask behind the door.

"I'm fine." She replied, rubbing the tiredness of her eyes, "Just leave me alone, please."

It broke her heart that with a very disappointed voice, her father complied and left her be. She recognized, however, that it wasn't a good idea for her to be alone at that particular moment. She didn’t even want to think about talking. Sleeping was out of the question and any interaction with her parents felt way too dangerous so Gyuri did the next closest thing to functionality, and that was working; she invested all of her energy into it. With the bucket list figured out, and still feeling numb; Gyuri locked herself in her small office. She had her eyes glued to the screen, busy on countless tasks, typing and clicking almost obsessively and nonstop. She might not have had any plans for the future, but she decided it was enough of all the brooding and started to tie all the loose ends she had left. From that moment on, she worked and worked until the days started to blend together. Except for the occasional trip to the bathroom, she rarely left the room while her mother insisted on knocking every now and then to check on her and leave a tray of food. Too busy and too tired to even reject her mother’s attention and her possible nagging, Gyuri tried to eat everything. It was the day she fell asleep on her chair, and the images of Baekhyun smiling at her snapped her awake, that she decided it was best to leave the house for a while and clear her head. She tried to stand up from the chair, but her body felt stiff. She sat there for a moment, feeling her eyes aching from the lack of sleep, and her hands couldn’t stop trembling; however, she had a mission for that day. She could try to rest after that.

Gyuri got ready to go out, searched for the papers she needed, and printed all the documents she had been working on the last few days. She tried her best to leave the house without her mother noticing but before she could open the door, her mother asked where she was heading. That simple and harmless question got on Gyuri’s nerves. It bothered her to treat her parents so badly, but she needed to be alone. She was too tired to give explanations and to have an answer for everything. Gyuri just wanted to be alone.

"I need to run some errands," She explained shortly and left the house in silence. 

However, the fresh air didn’t sit quite well with her. Irritated even by the humidity in the air, she hesitantly checked her phone. After almost a week of ghosting pretty much everyone she knew, Gyuri got overwhelmed with the number of texts, missed calls, and various notifications that blared at her from the small screen of her phone. Putting the device away, she took a deep breath and started walking, but the prospect alone of moving her legs and going down the street to the bus stop made her muscles ache. The ride was just as torturous as she thought it would be, that even her favorite music annoyed her. Gyuri had to keep reminding herself that there were issues to solve and get sorted out before it was too late. Blinking repeatedly to ease the brief burning behind her eyes, Gyuri braced herself and headed to the main building of the company she worked at to deliver her resignation letter. After that, she stopped by the bank to fix her savings account and leave all of the funds to her mother. Then, she went to the car dealership to leave her car to her father. 

Gyuri chuckled to herself. Years ago, she’d bought a car thinking she could handle the nerves to sit behind the wheel, but she failed. She wasn’t even a bad driver; everyone else was, and that made driving too anxiety-inducing, so she let her parents use it. They didn’t complain about it. After all, that car was basically theirs, so leaving it to them was only logical. Getting all the paperwork ready was fairly simple and the easiest part. Bringing the subject to her parents, Gyuri predicted not so much. She let out a sigh as she stepped out of the car dealership and for a split second, felt like dropping to her knees to cry her eyes out. Running those particular errands happened to be a lot more depressing than she first anticipated. She barely had anything to her name. She didn’t have a legacy to leave behind but a laughable amount of savings and a car that had some annoying technical issues, and that was it.

That was all she had.

Gyuri had to shake the dark thoughts aside if she didn't want to break down in the middle of the street. Maybe she didn’t have anything important to leave to her parents but what she could do was to leave everything ready for them.

“Leave no loose ends.” She said to herself out loud.

Feeling a tiny bit better, she braced herself to go to the last stop and practically, the hardest one of her errands. She felt uncomfortable from the moment she wrote the email to make the appointment days before and even more than dreary when she finally arrived at the entrance of what would be her future funeral home. Gyuri had a couple of options to check, but by the time she came in, it was impossible to not feel lightheaded. The employee was kind, maybe too kind for her liking and all she could do was smile whenever a new feature was shown. When they reached the model bedroom, as if driven by her tiredness, Gyuri propped herself up the bed and laid down. It was comfy. It was nice, firm, and comfy, and Gyuri caught herself almost smiling when she realized she was on the bed where her parents could rest during their mourning if they needed it. Jumping out of the bed as if it was burning, Gyuri thanked the employee and left the place with a handful of pamphlets in her hands, and decided that she wasn’t strong enough to handle the rest of the appointments for the day.

Exhaustion was catching up to her, making her feet heavy and her back so stiff and contracted that Gyuri had a hard time walking to her next destination. She refused to sit down and rest because she knew she wouldn't keep going if she did, so taking a deep breath, she headed to the closest coffee shop to get a double americano with five spoonfuls of sugar, and that left the barista dumbfounded. As she sipped her drink, she texted the only person that would never dare to mock, pity, or wouldn't even burst into tears at the sight of her list. She begged to the heavens for him to not be angry at her for going all M.I.A for almost a week and thankfully, that didn’t seem to be the case because Kyungsoo replied to her text as if he had been waiting to hear from her. Gyuri stared at the screen of her phone and realized his fast reply actually managed to make her smile. He sent his location without even asking why and gulping down the almost blunt coffee, even if it burned her throat, she jumped into the next bus, excited to get to meet him.  

Maybe it was the fresh caffeine running through her system, maybe it was the excitement mixed with the exhaustion; she couldn't tell what it was but Gyuri felt generous. She spent all the bus ride searching for the nicest bakery shop around and once she found it, she spent a good deal of time picking the best assortment of french pastries and cookies. Gyuri almost skipped her way to the meeting point with Kyungsoo when she finally got her bearings, and all the rush and giddiness started to fade away, quite rapidly. She had been too absentminded with the immediate task in hand but now that she knew who he was, the obvious sophistication of the place made sense. Aware of her clothes, her sickly looks, and overall presence in such a fashionable place, Gyuri came to a full stop. She texted Kyungsoo, hoping he wouldn't make her wait that long because the people around her were staring at her. She could feel their eyes on her and her shabby self. Closing her eyes to remind herself that most likely, it was all in her mind and the crowds walking past her weren't even aware of her existence; Gyuri pushed the thought aside to focus on something she could control and that was the reason why she was there in the first place.

Kyungsoo had done so much already that her small gift couldn’t be compared. She centered all of her thoughts on the words she would say to properly convey what she had stuck on her chest since the beginning. However, as polite as he could be, he was taking too long and feeling more out of place than a fish out of the water; she looked around, desperate to find him. Growing more anxious by the second, she finally saw him coming out of a building, and he was smiling. It was such a small and pleasant smile that fit his face. However, that smile seemed to disappear with every step he gave closer to her until his entire expression was grave and concerned. He asked something, but Gyuri was so transfixed by the rosiness of his cheeks and the healthy glow of his skin that she didn’t catch on to him moving closer to touch her. 

"What?" She mumbled under her breath as his fingertips brushed her cheek and the warmth they spread across her skin was so nice and pleasant, she instinctively leaned further into his touch.

“I asked," He asked again, tilting her head up, "When was the last time you slept?”

As if he slapped her back to reality, Gyuri realized she probably looked like death. Utterly embarrassed, she stepped back, rejecting his gentle hands even if her body craved for his touch. The severity of the situation rushed over her, making her think that what she was thinking in doing, was an absolute mistake.

“I can’t,” she muttered, mortified to show herself so weak, “I can’t sleep without choking on flower petals.”

“You should’ve called me.”

Nothing in his voice or his expression felt insincere. If anything, his tone was genuinely worried. However, not shameless enough to hold onto his words, Gyuri distanced herself further from the comfort of his company. By doing so, she saw a figure that felt ominously on guard, and focusing her sight, she recognized the face in an instant. If not everyone, a vast majority of the population in the country could make out those features from a distance. Suddenly, she felt exposed to the big, cat-like eyes, the perfect brows, and sharp expression that could only belong to someone as devastatingly handsome as him. She had seen that face on the covers of many magazines and she had to look twice to confirm that Kim Minseok, the infamous editor, was outside the same building Kyungsoo came out of and looking not at all subtly at her, and with what it looked like genuine interest.

“You’re busy.” She mumbled, blushing under the gaze of that man.

“I’m in a meeting,” Kyungsoo nodded, looking over his shoulder.

Gyuri felt herself burning in mortification, and the sudden realization of her self assortment made her almost sick to her stomach. Kyungsoo was a busy person. Not just that, he was an important person that must be busy all the time and she kept on showing up and interrupting his life as if she had any sort of right to his company when she was still the poor stranger he helped in a restaurant. 

“I’m sorry.” She said, bowing the whole 90 degrees.

“Why?” He mumbled.

His eyebrows furrowed deeper into his expression, and Gyuri couldn’t even think. Where to begin? She had to close her eyes to calm down, take a deep breath and remind herself to stick to her original plan which was to make amends for the things she could control.

“I was a bit of a jerk to you the other night, and I didn’t even apologize.” She explained, feeling her determination not as strong as before, “You made it bearable, even enjoyable, so thank you.”

Without giving him any chance to react and make things even more awkward, Gyuri practically shoved the gift unceremoniously into his hands. That wasn't how she envisioned her good deed in her mind, but it had to be enough if she didn’t want to bail altogether.

“Thank you.” Kyungsoo stumbled at his words, looking positively flustered and staring at the fancy cookie box in his hands.

Once again, his gentle smile was back on his face, and it was impossible not to mirror it or not to reciprocate the kindness and smile back at him. As if he had some sort of power and everything in her wanted to avoid and ignore her condition, Gyuri pushed every dark thought aside, at least for a second.

“Do you have any plans this weekend?” She asked.

“I will be visiting my grandma.” He explained, his smile fading quite fast, “but I'll be back by the end of the week.”

“I should be going then.” She said, forcing a smile, “Thank you again.”

Gyuri was out of her mind. She knew it the moment she bowed her head and was aware of how rude that came out of her but the disappointment filling her heart was too much to bear. She even forced her legs to take her away from him, but not giving her a chance, Kyungsoo grabbed her arm, preventing her from leaving.

“Gyuri, why are you here?” He asked without a hint of irritation in his voice.

“Call me when you're back.” 

Most likely ignoring her lack of manners, Kyungsoo didn’t look fazed by her words. She tried to sound calm and easy with a smile on her face but he didn’t drop his arm nor say a thing. He didn’t even look away and that made the little control she had, evaporate into thin air. Her eyes watered again, and giving up on her efforts to look strong, she rummaged through her purse to find her list and handed it to him. Finally letting her arm go, he grabbed the folded piece of paper and read it in silence. Nervous to even look at him and his judgment, Gyuri stared at her shoes, waiting for what he had to say. 

“What's the meaning of this?” He asked.

“I thought that maybe you could help me with it.” She explained, sniffling and rubbing the moisture off her eyes, “I understand that you're busy so don't worry.”

Just as silently as he managed himself, Kyungsoo folded the piece of paper. It didn’t matter what she tried to tell herself, Gyuri grabbed the list as tears started rolling down her cheeks. Gyuri could’ve never imagined that his rejection would hurt her that much. She just felt so utterly dumb for thinking that someone like him would agree to something as silly as helping her to fulfill her bucket list.

“Why are you crying?” She heard him ask gently, although she might have imagined there was a hint of tease in his tone, “I didn’t say I wouldn’t.”

“Call me.” That was all she blurted out as soon as he tried to brush off her tears.

Mortified, to say the least, she pulled away, bowed again, and left the place as fast as she could, without looking back. Determined to ignore everything around and within herself, Gyuri put her earphones on with her favorite music blaring at her as she just walked all the way back home. However, the walk started to feel nothing as therapeutic as she first thought. Her every step felt heavy, her back was stiffer than before and the longer she walked, the more torturous the walk felt. It was hard enough to keep her head from thinking too much about what happened with Kyungsoo, but from time to time, when the ache wasn’t that overpowering, she caught herself walking with her head low and staring at her feet. Gyuri kept reminding herself to look up, to push the tiredness aside and make it home.

After what felt like hours and hours of walking, her legs started to tingle uncomfortably, and that wasn’t anywhere near to the gentleness and warmth of Kyungsoo’s touch. Too tired to fight against her mind, she openly recalled the feeling. The memory alone of his hand on her cheek made her cheeks warm all over again with a pleasant fuzziness that only his mere fingertips could wake in her. Gyuri was so immersed in her memories about the writer that she suddenly recognized her bearings. She was walking the remaining couple of blocks to her house and she came to a full stop when she recognized the car parked outside by the entrance. That red car was so familiar to her that she could recognize it even miles away, and that same thought made her knees feel as weak as ever because it only meant that Baekhyun was home and waiting for her. However, Gyuri wasn’t ready to face him yet. She was too exhausted and drained to even properly formulate a coherent sentence. She thought about turning around and going somewhere else, but he was already coming out of the car, and smiling brightly at her, just like in her dreams.

He was back to his usual fashion; oversized clothes and ugly sneakers and his hair, quite unkempt and simply over his forehead. For a split second, it annoyed her. It bothered her that he wouldn’t even try to look a bit better for her just like he did with Mina when she had to remind herself that Mina was the actual girlfriend and not her. Gyuri had to shake her head to get rid of the ridiculousness of that thought.

“What are you doing here?” She asked, trying her best to not look at him as she reached the gate.

“Skipping work I see.” He pointed out.

Gyuri hated the amusement in his tone and almost snickered at the comment. She didn’t have a job anymore but she couldn’t mention that piece of information without having him interrogating her about it. She simply rummaged through her purse, looking for her keys as an excuse to ignore him.

“Gyuri, I know you like the back of my hand.” He said as he came closer, “Your boss is getting too indulgent if he’s letting you be offline at this time.”

“I had a meeting.” She mumbled, and she wasn’t exactly lying.

“Were you crying?” He asked out of nowhere, only for her to realize how close he actually was.

Baekhyun was right by her side and Gyuri froze on the spot, taken aback, and she could only curse at him in her mind. She hated that he knew her so well, that he could see through every mask and facade she tried to pull. Her eyes watered again in frustration, and her anger shifted from him to herself, and her incapability to stay unfazed under his gaze. Her body and her instincts noticed his reaction. Just like he knew her, Gyuri knew Baekhyun like the back of her hand, and the way his body shifted and his entire essence softened at the vulnerability of her state. Surprisingly, he did the most Baekhyun thing to do.

“I’ve been feeling like getting something good to eat.” Baekhyun changed the subject, diverting his attention from her and leaning against his car. “It’s been a while since we went to a new place.”

Unable to believe he wasn’t fussing over her, and her emotional slip, she stared at the beautiful man in front of her as he held his chin in a pensive manner that was adorable in a certain way. She was frozen there, admiring his consideration, and a huge chunk of her heart, adoring his attention.

“What about something warm and nice, something like a beef stew?” He kept on, and the moment his eyes found hers, she realized something big. “It’s on me, what do you think?”

Baekhyun smiled but said smile never reached his eyes. He stared at her, intently and thoroughly, and Gyuri had to give up. He knew. His searching eyes saw it all and just like her, he looked like a man on a mission.

“You either get in the car,” Baekhyun started, his eyes fixed on her and his tone not as gentle as before, “or we’ll stay here in the middle of the street until you tell me everything about the asshole that is making you cry.”

Writing her bucket list, arranging everything for her funeral, and even asking for Kyungsoo’s help felt like a trivial task compared to what Baekhyun just suggested. Feeling a thrill going down her spine at the possibility, and as if controlled by another invisible force, Gyuri went straight to the car and got in. The weariness grew when she thought she heard him chuckle which wouldn’t be new to her. He always managed to have his way but never in her life, she felt as wary and exposed as she felt there, waiting for him to walk around the car. Gyuri couldn’t keep avoiding him forever, she was aware of that. Eventually, she would have to confront him, to talk to him and not to succumb to his voice; to touch him and not melt in an instant, and to look him in the eye and not die trying. Unable to utter a single word, Gyuri ignored the commotion happening inside her heart and lost any focus on anything. She felt her body succumbing to the shivers of the possibilities of what could happen next. 

“You are hiding something from me,” He said out of the blue as he turned the engine on and drove away.

“No, I’m not.” She lied bluntly, although it burned another bit of her heart.

Baekhyun made a face, unsatisfied with the answer but didn’t go any further when his cell phone buzzed with a text. Right in front of her, Gyuri saw his attention and entire expression shift at whatever was on his screen, taking her chance, she also grabbed her phone. As swiftly as she could, she frantically wrote the texts that felt like her last words.

Kyungsoo? He wants to talk. He knows. I know he does. This might be it. I can feel it

Are you ready?

No

Where are you?

“Start talking.” Baekhyun snapped her out of her agonizing texting.

In a moment of panic, Gyuri shoved her phone under her leg, afraid that Baekhyun might snatch it from her as he usually did. He eyed her suspiciously but remained quiet, waiting for her to talk. But what could she say exactly? She couldn’t tell him the truth without breaking his heart, and lying was by far worse. Gyuri stayed quiet for so long, Baekhyun kept stealing glances at her until he had to call her name out loud.

“What do you want me to say?” She argued, genuinely lost and without a clue of what to do.

“About this new guy.” He started. “What's up with him?”

“Nothing.”

“What do you mean with nothing?” He retorted, clearly annoyed, “Who the hell is he? Where did he come from? What does he want?”

Gyuri fell quiet again, thinking about Kyungsoo with every question her best friend asked and a part of her wanted him so badly to be more than just a charitable soul that took pity on her one day. She wanted to say he was a friend. Damn, she wanted to have the freedom to say that maybe, he could be more than a friend one day.

“Are you two dating?” Baekhyun asked and Gyuri shook her head. “Is he telling you to keep it a secret?”

Her head snapped around to look at her friend in disbelief at the suggestion and she felt an unnatural urge to defend the man, and that made Baekhyun's expression change.

“Why would he ask that?” 

“Kang Gyuri! You have to be kidding me! You got yourself in an abusive relationship, didn’t you?” He gasped dramatically and effusively even if what he was saying sounded beyond ridiculous, “You just can’t see it yet.”

“And yet, you are the one that forced me into his car to scold me over nothing,” Gyuri gave him a disgruntled look, just overall weirded out by his attitude, “He’s a good friend of mine that has been there for me when I need it.”

Cursing under his breath, Baekhyun parked the car and it took a couple of seconds for Gyuri to realize why. As soon as she realized how that came out, she knew she was done for. Her chances of coming out alive off that car were suddenly reduced to none.

“When you needed it?” He asked with a tone that sounded so foreign to her, “Are you listening to yourself?”

For a split second, Gyuri tried to ponder on her words but just as fast as the thought was planted on her head, she had to remind herself of her situation. She was aware of what she said, the way she said it, and what it meant to her. As much as she loved Baekhyun, as in right then and there, if he knew the truth, he could easily kill her with just a couple of sweet words or a heartfelt compliment.

“But I am your best friend.” He mumbled as if he had to convince himself about that particular affirmation.

As if she wasn't even there, Baekhyun started babbling to himself about the strength in the bond of their friendship, and by that point of the conversation, Gyuri decided it wasn’t worth it to keep going. Especially when she wanted Baekhyun to stay oblivious of her condition so she would only leave him to stew in his assumptions. Struggling to break the seemingly flattering spell Baekhyun had on her, Gyuri searched for a grounding point outside the car. Whatever it was, it had to be strong enough for her to ignore the softness in which he kept reminding her of all the great moments they had spent together. When she found the object, some random and perfectly rounded bush, she stared at it and only it, and ignored everything else.

“I mean, you’ve been going out a lot with him, right?” He changed the subject to her suspicious relationship with Kyungsoo, “It’s obvious by the way he touches you.”

Her grounding bush wasn’t working because no matter how much she tried to ignore him, she listened to Baekhyun. She had to hold back the tears as he kept ranting about how sketchy and boring the writer seemed to be.

“Fine,” he paused for a moment, softening his tone, “let’s say he isn’t a manipulative jerk. Do you like him?”

The question distracted her from her emotions for a moment and let her indulge herself on actually, considering the prospect of feeling a certain way about Kyungsoo. Everything in her instantly wanted that possibility. She wanted to have the chance of liking him. Kyungsoo wasn’t just polite. He was nice, caring, and gentle. He was handsome as well and on a very surface level, she did like him, so she nodded. Baekhyun instantly groaned in annoyance.

“Well, don’t. It’s too dangerous.” He ordered, anxiously tapping his delicate fingers on the steering wheel. “If you're too nice with him, you’ll mislead him and he might catch that nasty curse.”

As if he had dropped a bucket of ice-cold water over her, Gyuri looked at him, horrified. Her breathing stuck in her throat and the deadly hold on her heart tightened, making her wince. Gyuri couldn’t hold back anymore and tears fell down her cheeks. So she caught that curse simply because Baekhyun was nice to her.

“You can’t be that nice in times like this.” He added, pressing his lips together in an awkward smile filled with resignation, “Do you want to have that weight on your conscience?”

Gyuri got out of the car, pain coursing through her chest as the sweetness took slowly over the atmosphere. Almost dropping the tin box, she managed to open it and get a couple of candies into her mouth. Still walking, she pulled her cellphone out and sent her location to Kyungsoo. She never stopped walking as she tried to breathe deeply and massaged her chest to stop the knot from getting in the middle of her throat. Of course, Baekhyun went after her, although she wished he wouldn't. He called her, his voice felt so desperately sorry and worried that she had to stop her escape. She had no power over her heart whenever he said her name in that way but another part of her, the part that wanted to live a little longer took over.

"Yah, where are you going!?" Baekhyun nagged her with his beautiful face scrunched in annoyance, "the beef stew place is that way."

Those exact words and the flimsy and brief relief the candies gave her body, were what she needed to fight pain and for a moment, it seemed like Baekhyun noticed the change in her attitude. 

“Baekhyun, I’m bound to get friends of my own,” Gyuri said and had to scrape every bit of courage she could to say the next thing. “One day, I’ll find someone I like enough to date and fall in love with and hopefully…” she choked on her tears, “hopefully, that someone will love me back just as much.”

Very few times, she’d see him as still as she did at that moment. He was just looking at her, his arms fell to the sides of his body and nothing in his expression gave her any clue of what was going through his mind. His silence only encouraged her and wondered if she was petty enough to bring the subject up.

“I don’t need your permission to go out with my friends,” She decided to keep on, holding on to the strap of her purse as if she could die if she didn’t, “just like you don’t need my permission to date.”

“That’s different.” He finally said under his breath as his brows furrowed.

“How’s so?”

As if the question slapped him in the face, Baekhyun looked at her, stunned. He opened his mouth to answer the question but it looked like he couldn't work his words out.

“How is it different?” She insisted, her voice breaking.

That set Baekhyun in motion and Gyuri recognized right away that maybe she shouldn't have pressured him to answer. She couldn't help the mess of feelings bottling up inside her anymore and apparently, neither did Baekhyun because his face changed. He walked up to her, and his glaring eyes were scary and the menacing stance of his entire posture made her step back instinctively. The action didn't go unnoticed by Baekhyun and it felt like it only managed to fuel his anger.

“It's so annoying when you get all emotional.” He spat, making a face, filled with disgust, and walked away, leaving her behind.

Blinking the tears away, Gyuri took a deep breath and turned around, walking away as well. By no chance, she wanted to risk the possibility of dropping dead in the middle of the sidewalk and become another number in the long list of poor souls that died out in the open. She refused to be part of the sick show and found a place to sit. She breathed in and out, with her hand over her watch, she worked herself to calm down while she waited for Kyungsoo. She texted him her new location, even though it wasn't that far from where Baekhyun parked and waited patiently for the writer to arrive. She closed her eyes, struggling to hold back the mess of emotions the recent conversation brought up. Thankfully, in a couple of minutes, a brand new car pulled over, and she bolted to the door, bawling her eyes out as soon as she got into the car.

What she didn’t know was that Baekhyun came back for her. Just as fast as her words made him snap, he realized how mean and hurtful, and how much of an idiot he was for talking to Gyuri in that way. He was angry at himself. At first, he was angry at her for putting him on the spot, and then, he was just scared to death of hurting her and ruining everything. He was just a couple of blocks away when he realized he had to go back. Baekhyun cursed under his breath when he turned around and found himself stuck up in the traffic. He wasn’t even that far and it would’ve taken him less than a minute to go back but he could barely move forward. He could even see the spot he parked at first, and rubbing his face in annoyance, he gripped onto the steering wheel, begging for Gyuri to wait for him but he wasn’t as lucky. She wasn’t going to wait for him and he understood it when he saw her from his car. He could see her from a distance, waiting and looking around as if expecting something or someone to arrive. Suddenly taken over by an emotion he couldn’t pinpoint, Baekhyun saw in disbelief, a car parking near his best friend and her getting into it without a single trace of hesitation.

***

Gyuri had been too out of herself, sobbing as quietly as she could, that she hadn't paid any attention to where Kyungsoo was taking her. She wondered when he would start to get annoyed by her helplessness and the constant need for someone to come to her rescue.

“Where are we?” She asked, not really that interested in the answer but forwarding the appropriate question in that type of social setting.

As if suddenly awake of a deep slumber, Gyuri sat straight when Kyungsoo parked the car in an almost empty gravel lot. When she leaned forward the dashboard, she finally saw the traditional building rising behind the stone walls.

“Tea.” That was all Kyungsoo said with a smile, before getting out of the car.

By all means, Gyuri didn’t mind. A cup of tea felt like an excellent idea, and jumping out of the car, she followed him to the gate where he pulled a rope tied to a bell. Soon after, a woman in uniform opened the gate and let them in. Gyuri almost gasped in awe as the woman led them further into the hallways of the traditional house. Kyungsoo exchanged a few pleasantries with the employee until they arrived at the door of what seemed like a private booth. The woman slid the door open and Gyuri finally gasped out loud. Kyungsoo let her step in first to the booth, which was more like a small pavilion built just above a pond. The rest of the house was set up with small booths flanking the rims of the pond and in which she could see people chatting their time away. Gyuri simply looked around, astonished and taking in the beauty of such a peaceful place.

“How on earth did you find this place?” She asked as she leaned over the wooden railings to find koi fishes swimming around.

“I took on the tea ceremony as a hobby last year.” He explained as they settled themselves at the small table in the middle of the pavilion.

As soon as they were in front of each other, the atmosphere was awkward. It wasn’t as if Gyuri didn't feel comfortable around him. She felt incredibly safe in his company that she didn’t mind the silence between them, but what made her squirm on her spot was the way she looked. Self-conscious of her bloated eyes, messy hair, and overall unkempt look, Gyuri nagged herself. Even though she knew Kyungsoo wouldn’t dare to point it out, she felt just as ugly as ever. Thankfully, as if nature knew of her struggle, the sky darkened and in a blink of an eye, started raining. Much to Gyuri's delight, and Kyungsoo's amusement, she couldn't help herself but to crawl to the edge of the canopy and put her hand out to the rain.

“Why do you like the rain so much?” Kyungsoo asked as he started to prepare the tea.

“Why wouldn’t I?” She asked instead and Kyungsoo simply shrugged at the question. “It’s like music.”

If Gyuri thought the writer would question her reasoning, he didn't. Kyungsoo simply nodded and he slouched his back just a bit to wait for the infusion to be ready. She found herself mirroring his posture and accommodated herself more comfortably by the railing to watch the rain pouring over the pond.

“The world seems to quiet down when it's raining.” She said, closing her eyes to let the sounds surround her, “Soft enough to be comforting but also loud enough to wash away my fears.”

“It’s usually associated with solitude.”

“Yeah, you can say it is.” She agreed and looked over at him to see if there was any trace of judgment in his eyes.

Not that Gyuri could check because Kyungsoo was already pouring the tea in the cups. Gyuri observed every of his slow and methodical movements with attention and was awed by his patience to follow the procedure. Once the two small porcelain cups were filled, Kyungsoo pushed one closer to her.

“Why would you like that if you don’t want to be alone?” He asked as if he was just still talking about the weather, “It's on your list.”

Disarming every single one of her arguments, Gyuri felt small. Kyungsoo was right. Every single one of her wishes involved other people. Her bucket list was about connecting with people and getting close to them.

“It isn't an option for me,” She replied, grabbing the cup with both hands and bringing it close to her face.

Gyuri hoped that such a small and delicate porcelain cup could work as a shield big enough to hide her insecurity from the writer but by the way he just stared at her, she knew she couldn't. 

“Who made you believe that?” He whispered.

By the worry in his voice, Gyuri felt her eyes filling with tears and looked away, trying to find an answer. No matter how much she tried to come up with something clever and confident to say, she didn't have anything. She simply stayed quiet, lost on the rain splatters on the pond and hoping that Kyungsoo wouldn't try to pry further into it 

“Maybe that's why I like it so much.” Gyuri added after a while, trying to divert the conversation to a more pleasant subject, “I can enjoy it all by myself.” 

“For someone who claims they can't talk to strangers,” Kyungsoo added, also staring out to the pond with a renewed interest, “you express yourself very well.”

“You’re a good listener.” Gyuri added with a chuckle, “Give yourself some credit.”

She had the best of intentions with her observation and never meant to embarrass Kyungsoo in any way, but the blush that flared his cheeks was surprising. He didn’t smile widely and brightly as he usually did when she said something funny. As if her words resonated deeper than she intended, he seemed to take them at heart and lowered his head to bring the cup of tea up to hide the smile on his lips. Suddenly, as she observed the writer, Gyuri remembered what Baekhyun asked and she wished her attention wasn’t so consumed by him. She wouldn’t be that tired. She wouldn’t feel so done with everything, and as if in some way sadness could actually crush her in real life, she felt her body give up. She felt too heavy and aching to even try to fight the sensation that she had to leave the cup aside and lay down on the floor. It wasn’t appropriate for the place, but Gyuri was too exhausted to care. When her spine felt like it could snap at any moment, the hardness and evenness of the wooden floor were like the most comfortable surface on earth and Gyuri felt her body appreciate the rest.

“Kyungsoo,” Gyuri started, slowly and carefully of her following words, “You asked me if he’s worth it.”

There was no other sound around them other than the rain. Gyuri could see him staring at her from the corner of her eye, and she had it easy to put everything inside her in order. She had it clear. Yes, Baekhyun could be annoying, headstrong, and short-tempered. But it was that same stubbornness that made him the most loyal, loving, and trustworthy person she’d ever met, sometimes he just happened to be too dumb to put two and two together.

“He is.” She whispered as tears fell by the sides of her face. 

As if saying those words could activate something in her, Gyuri felt herself crumbling into pieces and she let it take over. The roots that were wrapped around her heart switched and she felt them advancing. It wasn’t a new feeling, she’d felt the sting of the roots piercing through her flesh before but this time, as she lowered every barrier like Kyungsoo had been telling her all along, it didn’t hurt. She felt it, yes but there was no pain and she realized he was right. She had to stop fighting it back, however, as much as she didn’t want to feel pain anymore, she was more afraid about everything coming to an end so soon.

“He is worth it.” She repeated to herself in a small effort to overcome the fear, “I just don’t want to die...yet.”

[cloudycrying]

Catch us if you can…

✧༺♥༻✧Sponsored by✧༺♥༻✧

♥Bipolar

♥. ┊Bipolar - Peype Set @Level ♥

✧･ﾟ: ✧･ﾟ:Cute links✧･ﾟ: ✧･ﾟ:

♥. ┊Bipolar *+:｡.｡Mainstore *+:｡.｡Marketplace

✧༺♥༻✧Genetics✧༺♥༻✧

༻✧Cloudy✧༺

✧. ┊Head: Gaia 3.1 ✧. ┊Body: Reborn Ebody ✧. ┊Skin: Tish by Heaux + Velour Modelesque ✧. ┊Hair: Ruby by VCO + Gyuri Bangs by VCO ✧. ┊Eyes: Enfer Sombre*) Deer {Sky}

༻✧On Daddy✧༺

✧. ┊Head: Eon 3.1 ✧. ┊Body: Legacy athletic ✧. ┊Skin: ZION SKIN by Odio (Lelutka EVO X) ✧. ┊Hair: DURA-U101 ✧. ┊Eyes: Serotonin. attention lens

✧༺♥༻✧More✧༺♥༻✧

✧. ┊Fishnet: = DAE = Leggings half fishnet socks ✧. ┊Shoes: Semller Stomper Boots Floral Edt. Black w. Floral Sole ✧. ┊Bag: .:Fio's - I Don't Care Bears - Serena Bunny:.

[occasionalesbianlovermariahcarey]

gyuri space on Twitter. my pussy has lead me to places I wouldn't even go w a gun

[heeheesang]

୨୧ ₕᵢgₕ ₛcₕₒₒₗ cᵣᵤₛₕ! ₗₑₑ ₕₑₑ ₛₑᵤₙg. ୨୧

୨୧ ₕᵢgₕ ₛcₕₒₒₗ cᵣᵤₛₕ! ₗₑₑ ₕₑₑ ₛₑᵤₙg. ୨୧

park yn, a junior of high school who has an ultimately huge crush on her senior and brother's best friend, lee hee seung. one day when she finds out hee seung was talking to a girl the whole time, she decides to move on and change herself.

warning!! inappropriate use of language and cursing.

୨୧ cₒₙₙₑcₜᵢₒₙₛ ୨୧

park yn — flowerynn, 17, in the school's performance team, younger sister of park sunghoon, academically smart.

park sunghoon — flowershh, 18, in the school's basketball team, older brother of park yn, famous for his looks, skills and academics.

yang hyewon — hyeewoon, 17, in the school's performance team, best friends with park yn for three years, twins with yang jungwon, famous for her looks.

kim sunwoo — ddeonu, 17, in the school's performance team, best friends with park yn and yang hyewon, famous for his skills and academics.

₊˚⊹ ᰔ₊˚⊹ ᰔ₊˚⊹ ᰔ₊˚⊹ ᰔ₊˚⊹ ᰔ₊˚⊹ ᰔ₊˚⊹ ᰔ₊˚⊹ ᰔ₊˚⊹ ᰔ₊˚⊹ ᰔ₊˚⊹ ᰔ₊˚⊹ ᰔ

lee hee seung — heeseeung, 18, in the school's basketball team, best friends with park sunghoon, famous for his looks and skills.

yang jungwon — yanggard3nn, 17, in the school's soccer team, best friends with park sunghoon and lee heeseung, yang hyewon's twin brother, famous for his academics and looks.

kim gyuri — gyuurii, 18, in the school's handball team, in a talking stage with lee heeseung, famous for her looks and skills.

୨୧ cₕₐₚₜₑᵣₛ. ୨୧

(w for written, t for texts, w & t for both)

one -> gyuri’s group. ( w & t )

two -> boy problems. ( t )

three -> why do you care? ( t )

four -> hangouts? ( t )

five -> school already? ( w & t )

six -> gyuri. ( w )

seven -> anything for you. ( t )

eight -> operation heeyn! ( t )

nine -> problems. ( w + t )

ten -> rescue! ( w + t )

eleven -> no contact. ( t )

twelve -> risks and chances. ( w + t )

thirteen -> breakup and games. ( t )

fourteen -> finals. ( w + t )

fifteen -> prom + drunkhoon! ( w + t )

bonus! -> vacation! ( w )

taglist status : closed:( ! @haechansbbg @saranghaohoshi @rosas-in-the-garden @yourssincerely-mimi @dimplewonie

[jensthwa]

NEEEEEEEEL. FIRST OF ALL, it all makes perfect sense lmao I get the confusions and I also relate to the half-sleep reading and reviewing so DON'T YOU WORRY. i gotchu, i understand u 🙂‍↕️

I'll go point by point with you LET'S GO:

IK!!! you're like the number one woo and gyuri shipper lmao but this happened before san's story so there's still a possibility there, don't lose hope! ............. 👀 but I'll allow you to jump into the verse and TRY to get them together, I'll honestly think gyuri would rather chop her ears off than get back together w woo at this point but maybe she'll succumb to some convincing (?)

ik you kinda got to that but just to clear things up this is not y/n from san's story! gyuri and san's y/n have been besties since highschool and i also think she would rather chop her ears off than get with woo because that's literally (not so literally) her lil annoying bro 🙂‍↕️

with the line "he wishes his other best friend came along as well..." I was referring to san's y/n but at this point in time they were NOT speaking to eachother at all. she was only speaking to woo and gyuri hehe.

the party eastern time came to me half sleep lmao I'm glad you liked it!!

I'M GLAD YOU LIKED THE ENTIRE THING TBH i wrote it in a rush kind of bc i wanted to post it by halloween but!!! i really liked the final product hehe. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOU REVIEW!!!! I ALWAYS LOOK FORWARD TO THEM, THEY MAKE ME SO HAPPY 😭💜

woo's prelude: a clown's remedy to heal a broken heart (JWY x reader).

part of the love's an uncharted path universe ★.

SUMMARY:

A drunk and kind of akward conversation inside of a closet is the start of Wooyoung's journey into healing his broken heart. Only he doesn't really know the name of the Scarlet Witch that helped mend a heart that wasn't supposed to break anymore, even if she starts plaguing his thoughts and dreams after that.

PAIRING: wooyoung x fem!reader.

GENRE: halloween hookup to [redacted] (we'll get to that when we need to).

WORD COUNT: 11.9k

WARNINGS: SMUT ☽ (MINORS DNI) attempt !!! at comedy, drinking and drunk behavior, mature language, insults, woo getting his heart broken by his ex girfriend even though they're friends and they haven't been romantically involved in YEARS my god he's a dummy, reader getting her heart broken too, some self worth issues, frat bros being stupid and getting drinks throw at them for stepping over the line, howl!wooyoung (not for people with weak hearts and strong imaginations), making out, biting, description of female anatomy, sweet dirty talk and praising , fingering, semi-public (they're at a party, does that count?) and protected sex (wrap it up please), switching them positions for him, masturbation, hook up talk and the start of something new that we won't see for now but soon!

NOTES: hi everyone! decided to do a halloween drop on halloween day because spooky season is not over until i get this story out of my system it seems! this story is PART OF THE LOVE'S AN UNCHARTED PATH / SHOW & TELL UNIVERSE but can be read as a stand alone finally yay! THIS A PRELUDE TO WOO'S STORY, a little taste of what's to come for him and his boo (see what i did there?). this took place BEFORE we can't be friends (san's story) and will be placed accordingly on the masterlist to clear any future confusion. there's mentions of the characters that show up in wcbf so if u want to better understand the dynamics, you can read that but it's def not needed!

this is 100% self indulgent, as all fics should be, and i think i've re-read it so many times that if you find a typo or something that just doesn't make sense, you can blame it on english not being my first language i guess lmao. i hope you enjoy it and if you do feel free to send to my askbox/reblog/type in any feedback or thoughts! <3

POSTED: october 31st 2024 at midnight!

masterlist

There's a particular way one too many tequilas can make a room spin that Wooyoung absolutely adores. 

When it happens, he lets himself catch the world swirling around him before closing his eyes and praying for a little bit of lucidity to come to him so he can get his drunk ass home safely. 

As he opens his eyes, his face scrunches at what he sees: San, dressed as Gomez Addams, waving a hand in front of him. It takes him a little to remember where he is. 

It's a bit extra confusing with all the costumes and strangers and the music blasting through the speakers but when it finally clicks, he's grateful that he's not completely gone yet. 

“Are you good?” He can faintly hear San ask over the music, San’s girlfriend by his side dressed as Morticia, eyeing him with a quirked brow. 

Why is San with her? He will never, ever get it. 

Kyungmi is not really right for him. It's been a few months already since they made it official and Wooyoung can just tell. He always tells. He's not as oblivious as everyone paints him to be. 

There's one girl who's right for San but, in all honesty, Wooyoung is too tired to fight him on it. 

San always shoots back with a comment about him and Gyuri, his ex girlfriend (now best friend) and it always brings his mood down for some stupid reason. 

He's oblivious to why that happens. By choice, of course, but oblivious nonetheless. 

He prefers it that way. 

Wooyoung would nod, but he knows it's dangerous to do so “Just peachy.” 

“Why don't you—” San starts but he interrupts. 

“Some air and water,” he smiles, taking the water bottle from his friend’s hand “Waaaay ahead of you, babe.” 

Kyungmi rolls her eyes “Quit calling my boyfriend babe, dude.” 

San laughs, Kyungmi does not. 

“Don’t be jealous because he loves me more than you,” sticking his tongue out, he stumbles his way around them both “I'll be back.” 

He focuses on putting one foot in front of the other until he reaches a very big window. It's larger than usual. 

Oh. 

It has a door. A door that slides! 

It's a balcony. Amazing, just what he needs: To be a safety hazard and a possible traumatic experience for everyone at the party. 

He should probably turn back around before he's accidentally leaping over the edge but then he sees it. 

He sees her.

Corpse bride. Her blue makeup being wiped off by somebody's tongue in a secluded corner of the backyard of this stupid frat house the friend group ended up for the night. 

Gyuri is kissing someone. 

His chest tightens, his mouth drops slightly and his heart thumps hard enough for him to feel it on his throat. 

Why is she doing that? 

She's wearing matching costumes with him. She carefully picked them out, she ordered everything a month and a half ago and now she's kissing some… Some… Attempt at a Superman costume. 

Which is pretty fucking hilarious because how do you fuck up a Superman costume? 

But Wooyoung is not laughing. He's hurting, he's fucking pissed and, at the same time, he can't pull his eyes away from her. From them. 

Is feeling this pathetic something that would fit Víctor?

Vector? 

Whatever his name is? 

He's never seen the Corpse Bride, so he doesn't remember the name of the dude he's dressed up as. He just knows he wants to wipe the pale complexion Gyuri painted on him off. 

Off. Off. Off. Out. He needs to leave. 

But he ends up going back inside and downing another shot before he can really think about it, giggling to San and pretending nothing happened because who the fuck is he to Gyuri to get upset over it? 

Her ex, sure. But that happened a long time ago, so it doesn't count anymore. 

So it doesn't really matter. Nothing really matters when he finds Yeosang (dressed as the Phantom of the Opera) and drags him to the dance floor for what it feels like forever.

And then, one thing leads to the other and he's sitting on the floor, in a circle of people he doesn't even know, playing spin the bottle. 

Or is it seven minutes in heaven? A vampire and a fairy kissed in front of him half a second ago, but Zuko and the creepy doll from that one netflix show got up and into a closet like… six minutes ago. 

He didn't really pay attention to the rules. 

Oh, well, he's about to find out anyway! 

Fingers grasping the soju bottle in the middle of the circle, he carefully inspects the faces of everyone sitting there, expectantly looking at him. 

His vision is a little blurry but he wants to pick whoever strokes his fancy the most to try and get rid of the funny feeling he gets when he sees Gyuri walk right in front of him and head for the drink table. 

He decides quickly that, as long as it makes him forget the image of that dude's tongue down the mouth of the love of his life, he's good. 

So he spins the bottle. It spins and it spins and it spins and everyone leans forward in anticipation until it stops in front of someone. 

There's someone on his left that audibly gasps and Wooyoung looks at them before his eyes focus on the person he has to… Kiss? Get in a closet with? 

What does he need to do? 

“You can skip her if you like,” some dude with red paint dripping down his forehead and cargo shorts tells him. He's not even sitting down in the circle but lying on the couch closest to it “She's in a bad mood.” 

That’s when the Scarlet Witch that the bottle landed on rolls her eyes and gets up. 

Wooyoung thinks he's about to lose his turn and wait for the next round or until the bottle lands on him when she offers him her gloved up hand. 

He gets up. He's a little bit more sober now, alert as he plants his feet on the carpet again just to not make a fool of himself, throwing a glance at Gyuri just to find out she's not actually looking at him at all.

The pang on his chest comes back. 

“Don't throw a drink on him just for trying to kiss you too, sweetheart, that's what the game is all about,” the same dude from before tells her as they both pass by the couch and head for the space Zuko and the doll who, he assumes, just got done with their seven minutes was occupying “Don’t say I didn't warn ya, Wooyoung!” 

Who is this obnoxious motherfucker and why does he know his name? 

It takes two and a half hazy steps until the darkness of the small space engulfs him and Scarlet Witch. 

It's one of those long closets with narrow walls that leave absolutely no space to move around when you actually need to put something away, but it's a perfect nook to make out. 

He would know, he's been in this situation many times. 

He lets go of the stranger's hand, only because she turns away from him and then she huffs once the door closes. Wooyoung hears a thump against the wood of it, so he assumes she hit it with her fist or her boot. 

“Fucking asshole.” She mutters under her breath but he hears it. 

It dawns on him that the reason he sat down to potentially kiss strangers that night was to be seen. 

Wooyoung wanted people to see him so they knew he was completely fine and, as soon as Gyuri walked into the room, his motivation was for her to see him doing completely fine. 

Cool. He's cool. He's one of the actual cool guys at the university, he's been told so before. 

He also wanted her to feel a little bit jealous but now, eyes closed for a few seconds to try and regain composure after whatever just happened, he realizes that she probably wouldn't even care.

So this whole thing is useless anyway. Only now he gets to meet (kiss?) someone dressed as one of his favorite characters of the decade. 

There, as his eyes adjust to the minimum light that's filtering under the door, he realizes his mistake: he said nothing to defend her. 

In his defense, his drunk brain processes the information a little too late. And, in her defense, Scarlet Witch seemed like she didn't really care what the asshole said in the first place. 

Now he notices that's not true. 

It's hard to make out her figure but he hears another soft thump and when he turns his head to the right angle, he's able to make out that she just leaned against the door. 

He opens his mouth to apologize, he thinks, but she beats him to it. 

“We don't have to kiss or… fuck or whatever people do with their seven minutes.”

“Wow,” he laughs, his back finding a wall and almost knocking something placed on a tiny shelf next to his arm “I promise I wasn't expecting you to—” 

“Yeah, yeah, save it,” she lets out a breath. “If you want to tell them that we kissed, that's fine by me. I know how your frat bros behave when you don't do what you're supposed to.”

“They're not my frat bros. In fact, they are not even my bros,” he frowns, and slides against the wall because his legs are threatening to give in. He's suddenly very, very exhausted “I don't know them.” 

“Isn’t your name Wooyoung?” 

“Y-yes?” 

“Then you know them,” she shoots back, matter-of-factly “And I'm not interested in kissing any of your kind tonight.” 

“My kind?” 

“Men,” she clarifies and Wooyoung can feel her smile in her next words “Although frat bros are a different kind of species altogether.” 

“I'm not a frat bro!” 

It takes a second and his honest frustration but she laughs “Sure.” 

In the dark, with his ego bruised and his heart crushed, Wooyoung thinks it's a pretty laugh. 

He thinks it's even prettier when he hears a little ruffling and then her body heat invades his space, kind of. She just sat beside him, thigh against his and perfume reaching his nostrils. It's a mix of something sweet and something citrusy. 

It's really nice.

He gulps before asking “W-what was that about?” and then points to the door like she can see him. 

“He's in one of my classes. He thought he could kiss me and when I said no, because fucking look at the state of him, he tried to kiss me anyway,” she says all chirpy but Wooyoung picks up on the sarcastic tone and let's out a soft ew at the story “I preventively threw my drink on him because I got a little freaked out and now I'm sober and pissed off. I think he's a little upset about me thinking he was about to take advantage of me.” 

He grimaces “You can't never be too sure, though.” 

She hums and then sighs a: “I know.” 

“I don't even know his name but he does sound like a fucking asshole.” 

“Why does he know you?” 

Wooyoung shrugs and he's a little glad it's dark. He's not exactly smiling, his playful nature not coming out at the moment. “I'm a pretty popular guy.” 

“I don't know you.” 

“Well, I don't know you either, so we're even,” he shrugs again and it's kind of hypocritical because, to be fair, he didn't get a good look at her face at all “I just know you s-smell nice.” He murmurs, tripping on his words like a babbling drunk idiot. 

Maybe because that's what he is right now.

“Thanks… I guess.” She sounds weirded out by that but he's not sober enough to care. 

“You're so welcome.” 

There's silence in which Wooyoung does nothing but try to find her in the dark. He eventually does, given the fact that the light from under the door casts a little on her face now that she's sitting down.

He doesn't recognize her, which is odd. Wooyoung knows almost everyone. At least her voice would ring a bell but there's absolutely no frivolous memories with this girl and he kind of likes it that way. 

If she doesn't know him, she doesn't know about Gyuri. That's a plus because there's no reason for her to be walking on eggshells around him like every other student at the university who finds him attractive. 

There's another beat of silence between them both, music blasting outside and making the floor slightly thrum underneath him. 

He's not usually this quiet. When he doesn't feel like crying, he's usually very annoyingly outspoken. Mind glowing in red alert, he practically stumbles his words out to fix that. 

“I like your costume.” 

“You do? People didn't get it.” 

“That's because they care more about Captain America than Wanda Maximoff,” he scoffs. “It’s the Multiverse of Madness one, hm?” 

“Wandavision post-credit scene,” she whispers back and Wooyoung nods, encouraging her to go on even if she can't see him. He thinks she's about to maybe rant about the show or the character or the party or anything that can help him forget, but she does the opposite “I, uhm… Also like your costume.” 

There's a tint of shyness in her voice, like she's not used to being nice. 

“Victor, right?”

“I've never seen the movie.” He makes sure to clarify before she asks him about it. 

“You don't really have to see the movie to know the character, Wooyoung,” he feels when her head hits the wall slightly, on purpose maybe “I don't like him anyway.” 

“Then why did you say you liked my costume?” 

“I lied. It's called trying to keep the conversation going,” her explanation makes no sense to him in that state of inebriation, but he lets it go “I don't exactly know what to talk about when I drag someone into a closet.” 

Wooyoung pauses and then laughs to himself “We were not exactly supposed to talk in the first place. Have you never done this before?” 

“No. I don't usually go to frat parties,” she says after a second where Wooyoung was met with silence, a moment where he wondered if his question was out of line “Coming here tonight was a mistake.” 

He finds himself asking without thinking, again “Then why did you?”  

“I'm so bored.” 

That takes him by surprise. 

“Bored?” 

“Yes, I'm bored. My dorm room mattress has a hole in it because I never go out and… Well, there's a boy I liked that came here tonight, so, I came as well.” 

Liked? 

Wooyoung doesn't really ask her about it. 

Eyebrows practically touching his scalp, Wooyoung thinks for a split second she's talking about him but that's not really possible because they've never met until now, she said it herself. 

“Well did you find him?” 

She takes in a shaky breath and then lets it out. Sadness suddenly fills the constricted space and Wooyoung isn't sure if it's just him or if Scarlet Witch is going through a heartbreak as well. 

“Yeah, I did” she whispers back and doesn't elaborate, so he doesn't ask “There's a bride going around the party. I saw her, she looks really cool, maybe you could—” 

“She's my best friend,” he interrupts because the mention of Gyuri, so directly at that, has his heart racing with anxiety. So long for her not knowing about his ex girlfriend “We, uh… We dated in highschool and we stayed friends, so it's not really happening again.” 

“Oh… Do you want it to happen again?” 

“W-what?” 

“I mean,” she laughs a little awkwardly, like she's nervous “You sounded very sad when you said it, a little angry too.” 

“Did I?” 

He definitely didn't mean to sound like that at all. 

Scarlet Witch hums in agreement and he really thinks about what to answer. The short answer is a simple yes but, if he's being honest, he already knows that they're not good for each other. Not like that, anyway. 

“I don't really know what to tell you.” 

“You don't have to tell me anything,” she says right away and it calms his nerves a bit. “Just know that there's no real helping when you like someone, it doesn't matter if you thought you didn't like them anymore. It just happens. It sucks but it just happens.” 

The unsolicited advice doesn't really help him, if he's being honest. It stirs something inside him that he wants to keep hidden, concealed, so he turns the topic of conversation away from him. 

Away from Gyuri. 

“Speaking from experience?” He asks, half jokingly.

“Yeah, so I can confidently say that it fucking sucks.” 

She turns to him with a smile (he's hyper focused on her, there's no way he could've missed that) before laughing and a tiny force lifts up the corners of his lips. That's one pretty laugh.

Maybe, in an universe where was a little bit more sober, he could've actually spent these seven minutes kissing her. 

Kissing her. 

He wants to kiss her. That's going to take his mind off Gyuri, sure. 

His heart beats quicker this time, for a completely different reason. 

He leans in. 

He's going to kiss her. 

She clears her throat “Are you going to the party next saturday?” 

Huh? 

Oh. 

“Yes, I think so,” he's a little breathless and probably blushing because of what he was about to do “Why?” 

After the night he had, he thought he was going to struggle to even bring out this sort of excitement out of himself. When Scarlet Witch raises her gloved hand and brings it to the nape of his neck, he wonders if she actually has magical powers. 

It effectively distracts him, it sobers him up and makes him feel drunker at the same time. Short nails caress the skin where her fingers lay and then she grasps the strands of hair sticking out, not gelled down for the sake of his costume. 

“Is this real?” 

What does she mean? This feeling taking over his body? The heat that spreads all around? He's not sure if it is, if that's what she's asking. 

Hia mouth feels like cotton when he asks “Is what real?” 

She laughs softly again “The hair, the length.” 

Oh. 

“Yes, it is.” 

Maybe he should've taken his time in answering because, as soon as he does, her touch leaves him. 

“You should go as Howl,” she murmurs and he melts a little “It'll suit you better than a Tim Burton character, I think.” 

He laughs, it's short lived and through the cloud he feels he's on right now “You think?” 

“Yeah,” he can't see her, but he knows she's nodding “Even if you claim that you're not a frat bro. You know, the whole seducing ladies and stuff.” 

Wooyoung laughs “Howl did not seduce any ladies, it was all a rumor!” 

“He did, in the book.” 

“Oh, I don't read.” 

“See?” she clicks her tongue and then her shoulder touches his, teasingly “Total frat bro.” 

Wooyoung thinks about it again. 

Kissing her. Now out of pure want instead of selfish motivations. 

She said she didn't want to, earlier, if he recalls correctly and that's okay. 

He still wants to though, so… 

The question is on the tip of his tongue, he even thinks he makes out the start of it before it's cut off by the sound of the door opening. 

Closing his eyes at the sudden intrusion of light, it takes a few seconds for them to adjust to it and, when they do, he finally sees her face. 

He should've kissed her. 

The costume she's wearing it's cool, sure, and she's even wearing a wig that looks very expensive so he confirms the fact that she likes to dress up sometimes but that's not really what amazes him. 

Maybe it's because he sort of already formed a judgment of her character but she's beautiful and he really, really, really, should've kissed her. 

“Time's up, you're hogging the closet. Oh, and someone is looking for you,” the girl dressed up as Zuko points in his direction and then, because neither of them makes an effort to stand up, she nods and steps aside “I'll give y'all a minute.” 

Scarlet Witch laughs and Wooyoung wishes he could share the sentiment. At this point, he thought he would be done with a makeout session and in desperate need for another drink to keep the night going. 

Now, he wants nothing but take her hand in his and find a quiet spot where he can keep getting to know her. Maybe get her number. 

And he swears he's going to ask, but the universe is not in his favor. When she turns to him, he loses all ability to speak and when she leans in to peck his cheek his breath hitches and he feels like a teenager getting a crush for the first time. 

“In case you need to tell anyone I kissed you,” she whispers in secrecy, leaning back a bit “So you don't have to lie. I hate liars.” 

He gulps “Noted.” 

She doesn't even give him the opportunity to escort her out of tiny space: she gets up, bolts for the door and when Wooyoung's brain catches on to the gigantic problem of his own creation, as he gets out of the closet and looks around for her, she's already out of his sight. 

“Are you good?” 

It's the second time tonight San has asked that. It's not annoying by any means but when it comes with the concerned faces of Yeosang, Kyungmi and Gyuri he has to think his response through.

But the Scarlet Witch's words echo in his mind. 

I don't like liars. 

“No, I'm not,” he says, a little out of breath “I didn't get her name.” 

This time, the entire crew joins him, Gyuri, Kyungmi and Yeosang to go to the party. 

He wishes his other best friend came along as well, but she's really not that fond of parties in general. 

Which sucks because she would look good in a costume and maybe that would prompt San to act on his feelings and break up with Kyungmi in the process. 

She was a pain in his ass tonight. Didn't really help his nerves at all. 

Yes, he's nervous about possibly seeing Scarlet Witch again. 

Yes, he thought about her all week and tried his best to find her on social media but couldn't. 

Yes, he's aware tonight's theme for the party is a mix of a masquerade and a normal costume party or whatever the sorority organizing it said in their invite. 

And yes, he's dressed up as Howl Pendragon, wearing a black and white mask that he borrowed from one of the girls in the group. They decorated it with little gold and pink stars and it looks cute on him but that's not the point! 

Masks complicate his quest for the night. 

He hopes that she's here tonight. He also hopes that the costume alone is enough for her to recognize him: There's a lot of people here tonight. 

Even waiting in line to pay the cover fee for the party felt stuffy. 

He turns to Gyuri and she's laughing at something her date for the night is telling her. That's right, for the first time in many, many years, Wooyoung is not her date. 

Superman is. He's dressed in the same costume he saw him in last weekend, he thinks he even sees as smudge of Gyuri’s corpse bride body paint on it. 

She's Wonder Woman for the night. So original. 

Wooyoung feels bad as soon as the bitter thoughts go through his head. He didn't even know they exchanged numbers, let alone kept chatting to coordinate their costumes for tonight's party. 

He found out when she told her that the Raven and Beast Boy costumes would have to wait until next year. 

And he, actually, was relieved that he didn't have to paint his face green for God knows how many hours just to keep losing his date in the crowd and finding her kissing someone else. 

Ugh. 

Bitter. He's as bitter and jealous as someone who has to see the love of his life not give a damn about them or their feelings can be.

But that's okay, he has other plans for the night anyway. 

As soon as they all get through security (there's security at a house party, what the hell), they all scatter to do what they do best at parties. 

Hongjoong and Seonghwa head for the drink table, Yeosang and Jongho head for a corner of the main room, San, Kyungmi, Gyuri and Superman go straight to the backyard and Mingi, his girlfriend and Yunho walk with him to the dancefloor. 

He dances with his friends, he pretends he's paying attention to their banter as his eyes scan the crowd looking for someone familiar behind a mask. 

He thinks he remembers her face very well, it stayed on his mind for a whole week but, even after dreaming about their conversation, Wooyoung is having a hard time in finding her. 

She didn't even tell him what she was going to dress up as or if she was even going to show up. 

Or did she? 

His memories are all blended together. He's going to make sure to be sober tonight, just for the sake of remembering every little detail if he does end up finding her. 

But the hours go by and he still can't find her. 

He's losing hope, he's beginning to believe she didn't even show up to the event which, hey, sucks but that means that he can finally get her out of her head. 

Sort of. 

There's a Scarlet Witch staring at him. But there's this alluring nature to his Scarlet Witch that can't be replicated, or so he thinks. 

He's about to convince himself he drunk dreamed the entire thing but then he sees him. 

The obnoxious motherfucker. Her classmate, mister can't-take-no-for-an-answer. 

In all honesty, the first thought that crosses his mind is to punch him in the face. He's still dressed up all frat bro-ish and his mask is a paper mask, completely diy-ed and with a dick drawn on the right side. 

And then he abandons the thought because, although an asshole, he can lead go finding his Scarlet Witch. 

Only issue is: Mister asshole is walking away with a girl on his arm and heading straight to a… room? bathroom? 

Stopping his movements, mid a Troye Sivan song and cutting Yunho off in whatever he's telling him, he let's out a loud “Fuck!” 

Yunho stops, Mingi and his girlfriend turn slowly to them with wide eyes and concerned expressions 

“What did you do to him?” Mingi asks Yunho and his best friend laughs nervously. 

“I didn't do anything! Did I do something?” he turns to Wooyoung “I didn't, did I?” 

“No, no. Sorry, I… I gotta go.” 

“Go where, Serena Van der Woodsen?” 

Wooyoung doesn't get the reference Mingi’s girlfriend makes but he laughs like he does “I'll be right back!” 

He's never been so determined before, moving through the crowd like his life depends on it and crashing into Batman and his Joker on the way to stop the guy who's potentially changing the course of his night. 

“Hey!” He yells behind him but the music is somehow louder on this side of the house and five people turn their heads, but not the guy pushing a Silent Hill nurse into the bathroom door to kiss her before opening it. 

Damn it. 

He runs faster and faster and he thinks he's going to miss his chance when the tip of his boot catches the door before it fully closes on his face. 

Breathing hard, his lips turn up in smirk when he catches the way the guy's face scrunches in confusion before opening the door again and looking at him.

Wooyoung takes it a step further and gets into the bathroom with them, closing the door behind him and lifting up his mask.

“What the fuck, Wooyoung?” 

“Hey, so sorry for interrupting your fifth makeout sesh for the night but I need to ask you something. Hi.” He says to the nurse and she smiles a little before turning to the Frat Bro and raising her eyebrow inquisitively. 

“And it couldn't wait?!” 

“No,” he says right away, smiling sardonically and getting straight to the point afterwards. “So, remember the Scarlet Witch that I ended up going to the closet with last week?” 

“Who?” 

Wooyoung is going to kill him.

“The girl who threw a drink on you last week for trying to kiss her even if she said no the first time you tried,” he reminds him, “Is she here?” 

“Y/N?” the name comes out in a whisper and Wooyoung sucks in a sharp breath. 

Y/N. 

It fits her. 

“Your classmate, yes.”

“Uhm, yeah, I think she's here,” he looks a little embarrassed at the recalling of the events of last week and Wooyoung wants to smile because of it, but he just looks at him with an insistent look so he can catch that he needs more than that to find her. To find you “Look, bro, I don't know where she is right now. I think she's dressed as a… Clown? A jester? Some weird, indie costume, uhm… She has a pointy black birthday hat? I don't know.” 

He's slurring his words but that's not enough for Wooyoung to feel bad for him. He, however, does not want to speak with him anymore. 

“Alright, thank you for that, I'll… Leave you to it,” he opens the door again and frat idiot scoffs, so he turns and looks directly at the Silent Hill Nurse “Please make him wear a condom.” And he can tell she's a little turned off with the whole conversation. 

So, as he closes the bathroom door and scans the crowd one more hopeful time, he counts that as a second victory. A little revenge on your name, even. 

He wanders the house, the hallways and rooms and little hideaway spots but he finds no sign of you in them so he heads for the backyard and looks up to the second floor. 

The first room is presumably empty, lights turned off and no activity in it the few seconds he observes it. 

The second room has an ambiance light turned on and he sees what looks like a Mad Hatter run across the window and then he hears something crashing, so he hopes that's not where you are. 

The third room has a balcony. It's dark, there's not one light lit in the entire room but there's neon lights in the backyard and streetlights and the moon casting perfectly on it, so he's able to see it perfectly from where he stands. 

And there, draped in some sort of vintage looking clown costume, wearing striped tights and a black and white pointy hat, mask in your hand and your forearms supporting your weight, you stare past him. 

You look sad, but it could also be the illusion the makeup you put on gives. 

He doesn't know you enough to know what your sad expression looks like and it bothers him a little. 

You also don't notice him at all, which is odd, because you're staring directly over his shoulder. You only blink fast and focus on his face once someone calls out: 

“Woo!” That's Gyuri's voice. Raising your head, you wave to him and smile a little. He smiles back. 

He has to literally force himself to peel his eyes from you and look behind him, at his best friend “Are you okay? Come hang out with us!” 

She looks so happy. A little drunk, but happy. San is also right beside her and he shoots him a knowing smirk that he ignores because he has to leave and speak to you. 

“I'm a little busy, Yuri. I'll be down in just a sec,” that's a lie but she nods happily and so he turns to you, your smile a little bigger now “Don't move.” He warns cheekily in a whisper and you seem to get it, because you smile wide, raise your arms defensively and open your, once again, gloved hands in defeat. 

He practically sprints to the second floor after that. 

You hope Wooyoung didn't notice. 

Staring daggers at the girl he told you last time is his best friend? Yeah, that could turn into a fight really fast if he reproaches it. 

You don't remember her name but you do remember her kissing the guy you've liked since forever. She's been doing that all night tonight, too. 

It pisses you off for all the wrong reasons. Sure, she's not exactly at fault, but the human mind is horrid when it comes to mental self flagellation and you, unfortunately, are an expert at that. 

All kinds of things went through your head. The main one, a question: Why do you feel so possessive over something that clearly isn't yours? 

His heart. 

His heart it's not yours, it never was, it never will be.

It's time you come to the realization that that's okay even if it hurts you. The obsession you have over it, over what happened with the two of you it's starting to get pathetic and it makes you feel lonelier than usual.

You really hope Wooyoung didn't notice. 

As you walk to the door and unlock the room you claimed for the night (because you want to leave, but the cover was expensive and there's no way you're letting it go to waste) you let yourself detach from the emotions you've been feeling all night. 

Wooyoung doesn't need to know what's going on in your head. You have a good memory of him, you even filtered a little last weekend and you want to keep that going. 

He doesn't need to know, he doesn't need to stay in your life for too long either.

It makes you giggle when he opens the door and scans the moonlit room of this sorority house like he doesn't really believe you were there in the first place. He smiles wide when his eyes land on you, back against the wall closest to the door. 

“Hey.” You say, biting down a smile.

His chest is heaving, like he ran all the way up here and it does nothing but send nervous tingles down your spine.

He smiles beautifully, entering the room and closing the door behind him “Hi.” 

Peeling your back from the wall, you start walking around the room because that keeps your body busy and unable to embarrass you. 

“Thought I missed you completely tonight, Y/N.” 

Frowning, you give him a glance over your shoulder “You know my name.” You say, rather than ask. 

“You didn't want me to?” 

Shaking your head, there's a tiny smile that curves your lips when you turn to him. He's walking around as well, slowly, carefully, like you're about to disappear if he moves too fast. 

“I don't really enjoy mysteries that much.” 

He smiles as well “You didn't tell me your name last time.” 

“You didn't ask me,” shrugging, you take a few steps his way and scan his costume without any discretion “You see?” 

“Hm?” 

“How good you look as Howl?” tilting your head slightly, you don't miss the way his cheeks darken slightly and that makes the remains of your shyness disappear from your body. You tell yourself that you, in this room, there must be no space for it. You point at his cape “Was it hard to get this?” 

“Overnight shipping,” he whispers, taking a step in your direction “You look very cute.” 

“You think?” 

“Yeah, I really like the, uhm…” he gestures to your costume “Vintage vibe.” 

You don't have to be a genius to notice he doesn't really know what you are. “I'm a pierrot clown.” 

He scoffs “I knew that.” 

“Sure you did, buddy.” 

There's a pause and then you both laugh but it dies down quickly and there's this tension between you both you don't really know why it's there.

You two didn't exactly connect that much last time. At least, you don't think you did. He was kind of drunk and you weren't really thinking straight either. 

“Y/N…” Your name sounds good out of his lips. 

“Yes?” 

“Why did you disappear last time?” 

That makes you laugh again. You didn't exactly plan on it, you were going to wait for him outside the closet but then you saw them kissing goodbye and your heart couldn't really stand it, so you bolted. 

You walk towards one of the two beds, sitting down on it carefully, to not disturb it too much. He follows you with his eyes, his head turning slightly in order to do so.

“You mean when I left the party? I didn't disappear on you,” that's not really a lie, you convince yourself. You kind of bid your goodbye to him that night “Didn’t think you wanted me to stay, either. Did they give you too much shit?” 

“For what?” 

“I clearly didn't kiss you that night. I think it was obvious, so… Your frat bros didn't give you shit for it?” 

Closing his eyes, the smile he gives you in return for the inside joke you two have going on makes your heart flutter “Stop insisting on that, will you?” 

“You can't really fight the truth, Wooyoung.” 

“Hm,” he walks over to you again, sitting on the bed next with his thigh touching yours. Innecesarlly so, because there's plenty of space, but you enjoy the warmth it spreads around your body so you don't say anything “You did tell me you didn't like liars.” 

“Oh, you remember that?” 

“I remember everything,” he nods, “I wasn't that drunk.” 

You give him a look “Weren't you?” 

He laughs again and you follow, pushing him slightly with your shoulder like you did back in the closet as well.

You don't really know what to say anymore, so you clear your throat slightly. 

“Are you enjoying the party?” 

“Are you?”  

“What do you mean?” 

“You seemed kind of sad when I saw you, there,” he points at the balcony and that makes you sigh. He noticed, kind of. That's disappointing and impressive at the same time. “I thought it was the makeup but it doesn't really seem like it.” 

“I’m not sad,” you admit, “I'm hurt.” 

“Isn't that the same thing?” 

“Not really, no,” shaking your head, you stare out of the big panel windows into the night sky. He doesn't need to know entirely, but you can tell him something about it “Remember the guy I told you about last time?” 

“The guy you went to the party for?” 

You nod “Well, he's here tonight too. With a date this time.” 

“Oh,” when you turn, catch him licking his lips before continuing and your eyes are fixed on the motion for a second too long “And that hurts you, duh, obviously.” 

You think it's adorable he's also a little nervous but you only smile and don't give him shit for it like you would do to anyone else “When you're obsessed with the idea of someone specifically seeing you a certain way, yes, it hurts,” you shrug “I'll get over it though.” 

“I feel that,” he says and you can imagine. You sensed it in his feelings last time, you can't actually believe the coincidence and irony of it all “Did you and this guy…?” 

“We went to highschool together. He was the only person who I thought saw me for who I was, whoever that is,” there's a bitterness in the laugh you let out you don't enjoy “We kissed a few times, he told me pretty things and I feel. Totally forgot about me when he had a summer glow up before we started our first semester, though.”

“Well, he's an asshole.” 

“He's not, not really,” and you desperately need to change the topic to him, so you bump your shoulder against him one more time “Did you come with your Sophie?” you ask, pretending to not know about Wonder Woman and the fact that she's here with somebody else. 

He catches who you're talking about, though and shakes his head, giving you. tight smile. 

“No, no, uhm… She has a date.” 

You hum “Are you hurt too?” 

“I'm bitter,” he whispers back, right away “Don't know if that's the same as being hurt, but I'm bitter.”

Silence falls comfortably around the understanding in between you both. You stare at each other, lips slowly curving upwards until you end up laughing yet again at the absurdity of the situations you're both in. 

“Guess we're just… A pair of losers tonight, huh?” 

“And what a pair we make.” 

You agree. There's this electricity running through you, you even dare to say it's running through him too and it makes you slightly regret not kissing him last week. 

If you did, the desire to do so right now would be easier to come to terms with. 

Thankfully, the same thing seems to be going through his mind “I know I was drunk, but I wanted to kiss you so bad.” 

“Are you drunk now?” You ask back in a whisper. He shakes his head. 

“Don't want to ruin your pretty makeup. Besides, you said last time—” 

You lean into his space a bit. 

“That was then,” you interrupt with a tiny smile “And now is now.” 

“That's how time usually works, yes,” he laughs and you join, rolling your eyes at the bad joke. You can see the second he makes the decision, his hand hesitantly finding your cheek and, when you don't recoil at the possible contact, he leaves it there “But are you sure it's okay?” 

You know why he's asking. He doesn't want to take advantage of a vulnerable moment, neither do you.

But you want to kiss him. 

“It’s matte,” you say instead and you hope he understands the real meaning behind your answer “The lipstick, it's matte. And the base It's set with really good powder, too, because I thought…” 

You thought that somebody else was going to kiss you tonight. 

He gets it. He understands why you did it and he scoffs with mild annoyance at it, which makes you smile. 

“Y/N,” he closes the distance between you even more and your breath hitches with anticipation before he whispers: “I'm going to kiss you so good, you'll forget about his lips forever.” 

That's the best thing someone has ever said to you, ever. You shudder at the thought and just stare, eyes dropping when he leans in further and his nose bumps into yours. 

“Do you want that?” 

Sleeping with Wooyoung won’t fix your problems. It sure won’t, not yours, not his but it doesn’t need to. You don’t know what the remedy for a wounded heart is but a distraction from the hurt can’t be all that bad. 

It's still a little bit pathetic how you whimper in response to his question. 

But it gains you the prize of tasting him for the first time, his minty flavor mixing with the remnants of whatever soda you had earlier and you sigh into the encounter. He’s not as delicate as you thought he would be. 

Wooyoung kisses you hard, with want, with need, with something you recognize in yourself and give back: the need for a distraction, for a feeling other than that hurt and bitterness you two mentioned not even three minutes ago. 

You don't know what to do with your hands, where to put them, but he fixes that. He grabs them, puts them on his shoulder, scoots a bit more into you and so your chest touches his and he sighs in contentment at that. 

You feel a little bit nervous, but that’s okay. 

It’s not like you’ve never been touched, like you’ve never done this sort of thing but it is the first time you want it. You want him. 

You’re not numb this time around, the hairs on the back of your neck stand up when his other hand joins and keeps you in place, pulling back a second to take in some air before going back in for another toe curling kiss. 

Mind disconnecting from the outside world, you curse the layers of clothing (and there’s a lot) in between you when his hands travel down to your waist, against your body, caressing it and then grasping it in a way you’ve never felt before. 

It’s not rushed and it doesn’t really feel like something that you both want to get out of your system even though it is. You don’t really expect Wooyoung to ask you on a date after hooking up at a sorority party, after all. 

Oh. 

The party, that’s right. Did you lock the door? No, no. He walked in and didn't, you think. 

You can’t really think straight when he’s biting your bottom lip and then licking it as an apology for his misbehaving. It draws a breathy moan out of you and he drinks it, tongue meeting yours for the first time ever as you stand up from the bed, kiss never breaking, his 

body following yours. 

You’re wearing a lace ruffle white collar that goes with your costume. It’s cute, surprisingly not itchy at all and right now it seems to be getting in his way. His fingers look for the velcro clasp and then, when he loosens it enough, he janks it off. 

Somehow, you enjoy the theatrics and you giggle as his mouth abandons yours.

“Woo…” You manage to say when his lips start to make acquaintance with your neck, over your pulse. Craning your head to the side, he moves to the skin that unveils because of it and it’s hard to think of anything but the way you start to tremble under his touch. 

Grounding yourself by sinking your fingers in his hair, you attempt to speak again but he keeps distracting you. 

“Fuck, say that again.” 

Humming, you return “Woo,” you say again, “the door…”  

He moves to the other side of your neck “What about it?” 

“It’s— Oh,” teeth sink into your skin and you moan out loud, you can practically feel his smirk on your skin after that and your face burns as a consequence. “W-we need to lock it.” 

“Afraid someone will walk in on us?” he finally pulls away enough for you to see his face. His lips are swollen and there’s a flush across his cheeks that sits beautifully there when he smiles, forehead resting against yours a second later “You don’t like that thought?” 

There’s a part of you that doesn’t think it’s proper. It’s bad enough you’re hooking up with a somewhat stranger in a room that isn’t yours, but people finding out? That should terrify you. 

But it doesn’t. He seems to read it on your delayed response and the way your eyes widen with need when he pulls away again to watch your reaction to what he said. 

“You do, don’t you?” and then you’re moving, backwards, backwards, backwards until your back hits the door and there’s this passion glistening in his eye that excites you and sends spikes down your spine and into your core “You want people to know I’m kissing you dumb, hm? You want them to see what I’m doing to you?” 

He pauses and you feel like it’s on purpose, you feel like he takes in you heaving chest and the way your eyes follow the veins down his arms when he presses his hand behind you, pushing into your space a bit more and you should feel overwhelmed like you normally do with everyone else, but you don’t. 

You want him to get even closer.

“You want them to see what you do to me?” 

His whisper shakes you, awakens something in you that you desperately want to explore. It makes you feel shy and brave at the same time and the contradiction makes you bite down a smile. 

There’s no need for you to see what you’re doing to him, you can feel it when the hand that wanders to his waist pulls him closer, forward, until his hips meet yours and his leg finds a home between yours. Grunting, he raises a brow and gives you a knowing grin, but you enjoy surprising people. 

Your black gloves contrast against his skin and the white of his shirt when you caress the arm planted next to you and he follows the motion, letting out a breath “What if I don’t?” you ask, low, like it’s a secret you don’t want anyone else to find out even if you’re alone in this room “What if I want to keep you all to myself?” Watching his expression carefully, you try to measure if you’re crossing the invisible hookup line with your words but he closes his eyes and there’s no way for you to tell, so you correct your possible mistake in a whisper “For the night. You don’t want me to be only yours tonight?” 

Something twitches against your leg and the brief tension melts from your shoulder. Damn, you’re not that mouthy during these sort of scenarios so you almost, almost fucked up, huh? 

It doesn’t really matter when his free hand brushes his knuckles against your stomach, over your clothes and the ridiculously big buttons of your costume and then leaves you to twist the lock on the door “We don’t have to do anything if you don’t want to, by the way.” 

“I want you.” The words get out before you think it through and you don’t mind it. You value honesty, you love when your body acts before your mind has the time to make you feel ashamed of your own feelings and wants. 

It pays off because his expression morphs in pure want and his tone is a whimper when he begs you, forehead meeting yours again “Again.” 

“I want you, Woo…” You whisper against his lips and then his mouth is on yours hungrier than ever before. The wood hurts against your back but Wooyoung’s hands pull you against him to move you away from it. 

This time, your hands know exactly what to do, because you know exactly what you want. They tug at his cape, trying to find the clasp of it with desperate trembles because your heart is beating faster and faster and you’re impatient, body too impertinent and rebelling against your wishes of taking this slow and savoring every little touch.

Cape on the floor, you feel his hand trying to figure out your costume. It makes you laugh and you’re glad he returns it, looking down at it and frowning at all the fabric he finds. With your hands against his chest, you push him into the mattress and he lands gracefully on it, supporting himself with his arms “I’ll do it.”

“Baby, this is a great costume and you look so fucking cute on it but why is there so much layering?” 

The nickname is new and he doesn’t seem to catch that it slipped out of his mouth so you don’t comment on it but it sure deepens the color on your cheeks and you laugh shyly, tilting your head to side in a playful manner. 

“I told you I like dressing up.” 

“And it shows! Mine’s a little simple,” without the cape, he just looks like a dude with a loose white shirt and black trousers. A handsome dude, but just a dude nevertheless “But I wanted you to find me, so…” 

“What was the first option?” 

“Beast Boy.” 

There’s something that crosses his expression that goes away the second he sees you slowly working the buttons and the skin underneath reveal after each one. His eyes fix on it and you’re sure you look ridiculous in the makeup and the get up and all but he’s looking at you with so much need you feel sexy wearing it. 

The shirt comes off. You’re wearing a cropped top and a bra underneath and you hook your thumbs under it to make him believe you’re taking it off, but you don’t. 

“You’re killing me.” He groans out and you laugh at him, making a show of bringing your hands down your torso and into your hips. You move to take off the striped bloomers that are matching with the tights you plan on taking off next. 

Your underwear doesn’t exactly match but you weren’t really planning on any of this with anyone. You weren’t planning on going this far but you don’t really care when it’s all, eventually, it’s just going to be off, so it doesn’t really matter. 

“Want to take these off yourself or you’re going to make me do all the work?” 

Smiling, he sits straight on the bed, taking your hand in his and bringing it to his mouth he nips the satin fabric of your glove, it loosening around your index when he pulls. He must see the way it affects you immediately, the way you breath catches, because the corner of his lips lifts up before he does the same to the thumb, the middle finger, the ring and the pinky and then he pulls the glove completely off. 

You feel like you short circuit for a second, even more so when he keeps the hand close to him and starts kissing the pad of your fingers so softly it doesn’t match the hunger in his eyes at all. 

And you’re killing him? 

It happens in a flash but the other glove is off and then your tights, your top and his shirt are off and on the floor and you’re sitting on his lap, tongue parting his lips and mouth bruising against his and you feel like you’re in a small pocket in time no one can really disturb. No one can burst this bubble, this cloud you land on when he turns you around and the expensive material of the sheets touches your bare back. 

“Fuck, you’re so beautiful.” 

When did he take off your bra? It doesn’t matter, his lips are making their way down your throat and exploring your chest, gaining puffs of air and moans from you when he flicks your nipples with his tongue, expert and careful, measuring your reaction and doing it again when your back arches off the bed instead of verbally asking for more. 

He kisses down, down until his teeth are catching your underwear. Looking up to you, he searches for an answer in your eyes and you both come to an unspoken agreement. Even if you’re both taking your time in exploring each other, there’s no actual time for him to eat you out, for you to get on your knees and taste him as well. 

You immediately wonder if there’s going to be another opportunity to do all of that. Either way, there’s not enough time to wonder. You help him get out of his trousers, his boxer briefs and you stare at him with an eyebrow up and an open and watering mouth. 

He laughs at your reaction, like he was expecting it. 

He stops laughing when you reach for him. Breathing hard when your thumb teases his tip, gathering precum, he shakes his head and you immediately stop “Baby, we… Not tonight.” 

Then when? You want to ask. 

You just nod before bringing the thumb to your mouth, tasting him and humming in content. Wooyoung leans in and puts his tongue on yours a second later.

He smiles, teeth sinking on your bottom lip before diving in for another kiss “Dirty girl.” He teases you and you shrug. 

“You look so good,” You say against him, pecking his lips, “Couldn’t help myself,” fingers grasping the hairs at the nape of his neck, like you did the night you met, you stop him from kissing you again just to whisper “You taste so good too.”   

His eyes almost roll at that, hips stuttering against you and almost brushing where they need to. “Fuck, don’t say shit like that to me, Y/N.” 

“Sorry.” You say but it’s clear in your smile that you’re not sorry at all and maybe you shouldn’t have because when it comes to taking your last piece of clothing off, he takes his time. 

Fingernails raise goosebumps as they softly go through your skin and he lets out a ragged breath “So fucking beautiful.” 

You feel beautiful. That’s good, because earlier tonight, before you catched him staring up at you on the balcony, you felt undesirable. You felt little, small, incomparable in the worst way possible because… Why not you? 

His words reassure you. Even if you know that’s something you need to do yourself (built enough confidence to not let the choices of a man who doesn’t give a damn about you define your self worth), it helps you tend that wound that reopened. 

He touches you and you feel worth it again. You believe it when your panties fall to the ground and your legs part for him and he looks at you in delight, thumb finding your clit and circling it right away “So fucking wet, fuck.” 

Your hips go up when he finds the right pacing, the right pressure to it and you really shouldn't moan this loud but you don’t care when he lets out a moan of his own at the way your face scrunches in pleasure “I want you.” You let out, breathy and pliant under his touch. 

“You got me,” he’s sweating but you don’t really care, you love the way his pretty nose touches yours when he leans in, index searching and then entering you. “Fuck, I could slip right in, hm? Is that what you want?” 

A moan slips out when he finds your sweet spot and strokes it carefully, he takes it as a reply and, honestly, it is all you can let out at the moment. You squeeze the second finger as it enters you, so it gives away how much you like the thought of that. 

“You do,” he says, teasingly and smiles against your lips as he pecks it “Dirty girl,” He repeats and you shake your head again, hips bucking up when the heel of his hand press against your clit and it sends a new wave of heat across your entire body “Impatient girl. I wish you were in my room now, fuck.” 

You wish that too.

“Woo…” 

“I had to—” 

“I know but there’s people—” Passing the door, you can sense it. In this midst of anything, you can sense it. 

“Who cares about them—”

There’s a phone vibrating somewhere in the room and it’s definitely not yours. He ignores it, fingers picking up their pace. 

“I need you,” you whisper, propping yourself up to kiss his mouth “Please, please fuck me.”

“I want you to come first.” He communicates his crude intention so cutely you might actually miss him when this is all over. 

“And I want to come with you.” 

That stops him and you can literally feel him get harder where he rests against your inner thigh.

“Condom?” You ask in a whisper. 

“Condom, right, fuck—” Both moving to reach his pants on the floor, you giggle and his lips find your cheek for a second as your torsos hang from the bed and you can safely say you never had more fun during sex before this. 

It’s lighthearted even if you’re both practically strangers and then it grows hot, sexy, passionate again when he finds the condom, breaks the package open and then rolls it on with practiced moves. He kisses you, laying back down against the pillows and aligning himself with your entrance. 

“Wait, let me just…” 

“What?” 

You turn around, laying flat on your chest and arching your back just a little so that you can open up your legs for him to enter. You look at him over your shoulder and his surprised expression makes you giggle “You never tried this one?” you ask and at his silence, you nod “Look how easy it is for me to—” Reaching down your stomach and reaching your clit with your fingers for him to see, you circle it a few times and close your eyes at the sensation. 

He kisses the small of your back “Holy fuck, Y//N.” 

“I told you that I’m coming with you, I’m helping.” 

He leans into you, his tip pressing against your clit deliciously “You’re so fucking hot, I almost came.” 

“That’s the point, Woo.” You say through pants, his hands kneading your ass and spreading you open for him to see. It’s a little nasty and you wonder what you both could do with a little more time and less people waiting for you outside. For him, at least. 

When he enters you, the moan that leaves you echoes his and you probably needed just a little bit more prep for the size of him but since you’re so turned on it barely matters when he’s completely seated inside of you and this position just makes it feel ten times better “You feel so good, baby, fuck.” 

“Yeah?” His chest is touching your back now and his lips are leaving open mouth kisses on your shoulder. He moves his hips experimentally and you moan into the sheets, sweat running down your neck and your chest into them but you don’t have time to feel bad for the owner of the bed at all “Was that okay?”

“You can go harder.” 

“Yeah? Fuck.” 

He complies right away and it feels so good you let yourself close your eyes and fully enjoy it, consequences be damned. 

People outside the room hearing you moan? Who cares when your fingers the weight of Wooyoung against you feels so right? 

When his thrusts help you grind your clit on your fingers just right, especially when he increases the speed of them and the wave of pleasure that hits you squeezes him around you so good his moan bounces off the walls and outside of the balcony where someone downstairs giggles and whistles. 

“Oh, God,” he says, a little ashamed but never slowing down and you turn your head, searching for his lips “We should’ve closed that door too.” 

You decide to tease him to wipe that emotion from him and just focus on you “Thought you wanted to give people a show.” 

Opening your eyes, you are able to watch when his eyes harden slightly at the thought, pace faltering as he lets out a tiny whimper. 

“And I thought you wanted me for yourself tonight,” he resumes his relentless pace, thrusting in and out of you with ease now and your cheek meets the sheets again so the bed can muffle your sounds “Maybe next time.” 

Next time. 

You don't really have time to dwell on what that means because you’re so worked up it won’t take much for you to come. You let Wooyoung know and he nods, his forehead against your shoulder again “Kiss me.” He whispers and you crane your neck to do so, to swallow his moans down and keep them with you forever. 

You swallow all of them down when his hips stutter and he comes and you know he keeps yours when you let yourself come right alone with him. He fucks you through both of your orgasms and slows down gradually until he grows sensitive and hisses at any tiny movement and your arms go kind of numb underneath you. 

There’s a sense of urgency your mind picks up immediately after but you ignore it. You have nowhere to go and they charged you twenty dollars to get into this stupid party so they can wait for you two to return to it. 

But there’s a phone vibrating somewhere. And even if you both hear it, Wooyoung turns you around and leans in to give you a kiss so sweet you almost want to keep it with you as well. 

When he pulls away, you wipe the sweat on his forehead with your hands and brush the hair out his face so delicately he closes his eyes and seems to enjoy your touch. 

Now what the hell should you say at a moment like this? Where he doesn’t seem in any rush to leave you and you don’t really want him to leave either. 

Do you tell him he did good? Do you tell him you enjoyed it, that he made you feel safe? That’s the first time in ages you enjoy a quick fuck this much? 

That—

“Please give me your number.” 

Oh, he’s actually adorable. He takes your stunned expression and silence the wrong way, though, and he sits on his knees, pulling out of you and working on getting his condom off while he speaks. 

“I can give you at least ten reasons you should give me your number. Number one, I enjoyed this a lot and I can do better if you give me time, number two—”

“Woo, you literally just fucked me with clown makeup on. I think we’re past you giving me reasons to sleep with you,” you sit up as well, taking his face in your hands again and leaning in to kiss his cheek soundly “Give me your phone.” 

He gets off the bed and looks around the room for the trash can. It’s a tiny one, sitting on top of a desk and you really, really start to feel bad for the girls who are going to have to sleep off their drunken night in this room. You’re surprised that no one knocked on the door but, on party eastern time, it’s still kind of early. 

Two thirty am reads the clock on Wooyoung’s phone when he hands it to you, unblocked. There’s messages flowing in and you try your best to not read them as you enter your number and name into his contacts but you do notice they’re from a group chat. 

You wonder if his friend group is big, if he’s close to all of them, what kind of friend he is. You’re impatient, you want to get to know him all of the sudden and you know it’s dangerous for expectations to grow after a hookup but, as you hand him his phone back, you can’t help but let out a “Woo, do you just want to fuck me or do you want to be my friend too? Something more?” 

He’s reading the messages on the group chat with a frown when your questions register in his brain and he looks up, a curious expression and a tiny smile “You’re very direct, aren’t you?” 

“I hate wondering and mysteries,” you shrug, “I don’t want to expect the wrong thing.”

“Fair,” he nods. “I’m more of a… Just wait and see what happens kind of guy, but if you want an honest answer I just don’t really know. I want to see you again, though.” 

“I want to see you again, too,” You murmur back and he smiles, leaning in a fraction to try and kiss you again but then there’s a thud against the door and a soft ouch coming from behind it that interrupts you “We should really get out of here.” 

It takes a millisecond for him to misinterpret what you meant, smirk growing on his lips when you shake your head disapprovingly and blushing while you pick your panties from the ground and get up to slip them on. 

“Not what I meant!” 

“I mean,” he starts to dress himself as well, “I wouldn’t mind.” 

“No,” you say but you don’t sound so sure of it yourself and it makes him smile even wider, so you roll your eyes. “Where are my…”

“Here.” He hands you the tights and you thank him, almost falling while trying to put them on fast the next second. He laughs at you “Just sit down, babe.” 

“Don’t laugh!” 

“I’m literally not!” 

You tease each other as you get in costume again. This time the fabric bothers you a little but only because you’re sticky and sweaty even if it’s the last day of october. 

Fully clothed, you walk to the door and you suddenly feel very shy and nervous at what can await you behind it. Wooyoung seems to see it on your face, so he steps in your space and kisses your lips sweetly, holding your waist respectfully like he didn’t just make you come less than ten minutes ago. 

“I’m so glad I met you,” he whispers against you and you melt even if you don’t want to. He doesn’t specify why and you don’t ask, but he does smile when you peck his lips one last time before stepping away “Do you want to step out together or do you want to go first, should I go first? We can meet downstairs,” he clarifies before you can think the worst and you giggle “We can leave together too, if you want.” 

You know he means the party. 

But his phone vibrates again, insistently shaking in his pocket and you rest your head against the door softly “I feel like you have people that need you right now.” 

He takes the phone out of his pocket. The screen reads “yuri”, with a series of heart emojis and a middle finger emoji at the end and his expressions turn worrisome immediately. 

“Shit, no, you’re right, um…” 

Stepping away from the door, you grab the knob and open it for him “Do your thing, Woo.” 

You think you know exactly who's calling him. 

Like you already knew, sleeping with Wooyoung didn't fix yours problems at all: 

It hurts that she's been chosen over you again, but you keep the soft smile on your lips either way. 

“I'll text you. I'll call you, I—” he leans into you again, stealing a hard, parting kiss that you probably are going to think about until he keeps his promise “Hey, everything alright?” You faintly hear when he picks up the call. 

When he leaves the room and closes the door behind him, you sag against the wood of it and let yourself meet the cold floor to try and plan out how you're getting out of there and how long it would take you to walk to your dorm room at this time. 

But then your phone digs in your hand, screen lighting up the dark room and your face. 

+82-8-918-2910: my friend got sick bc she drank too much. wish i could take you to your dorm. text me when you get there, yeah? x 

It makes you smile. Despite it all, it makes you smile really hard. 

+82-8-918-2910: it's wooyoung btw ;)  +82-8-918-2910: send me pic of how you save meeeee  +82-8-918-2910: okay my friend is puking in the pool and her date it's fucking useless i have to go text me back pls!! xx 

When you catch yourself re-reading the texts on your home screen and grinning, this time like a complete fucking idiot, you know you'll have to start thinking of another recipe to mend yet another broken heart. 

That's fine. At least you're not thinking about Superman anymore. 

If you read all the way down here: THANK YOU SO MUCH. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated, don't be afraid to go to my inbox and leave your thoughts there, i love reading them!

© jensthwa, 2024.

[lgcgyuri]

₊ ˚ ପ ⊹ AN EYE FOR AESTHETICS. just two girls working their magic ( w. @lgctaeha ).

gyuri has always enjoyed halloween.

a lover of all things eccentric, her feelings for such an exciting holiday shouldn't be all that surprising, not when it encompasses many of the very traits, albeit in minute traces, that make up gyuris own personality— really, what other day of the year could one witness others dressed to the nines as any obscure character they could think of and not find it odd in the slightest? personally, it isn't as if gyuri would actually care if she was judged, but the point still remained for others who felt more insecure.

this year, considering the only festive thing she'll be doing revolves around the company ( as everything always did ), she's decided not to go as anything too outlandish— odette was a lovely character in terms of visuals, gyuris own take on her rife with stark white feathers adorning her tutu, bodice, and hair piece. she takes up a bit of space, but that's not a problem seeing as it's only her, taeha, and a table full of decorations in the room.

"should we spruce up some of the houses? a lot of them have already been cluttered with things from other trainees, but there are still a few that have free space for us to work with—" her brows are slightly furrowed as she takes stock of the table. with so many different visions having lent their minds to the structure, nothing really looks cohesive. "oh! what if we decorate some of the little trees!"

[romsae]

gyuri talking about her hair clip (◡‿◡✿)

[beterlee]

playful gyulwon during DM’s dance practice ♡