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espresseo-cafe · 11 months ago

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life is still beautiful | johnny | ch.6

genre: cappucino, romance, angst, university!au, dad!au, drama, slice of life

pairing: collegestudent!johnny x fem!reader

bean count: 6.8k

warnings: mentions of past traumas, mental health anxieties, breakups and etc.

a/n: it’s quite a long chapter, so take breaks in between if you can ☕️ happy reading! note: this is only a work of fiction, it doesn’t reflect the artists’ personalities in any way.

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never had you ever thought you’d feel something like this again. separation anxiety was also a trait you’ve come to develop at a young age. a pinch ticked your heart when you saw your best friend packing her luggage. it reminded you of the very thing your dad had done in the past.

he mentioned vaguely that he was leaving because of a living nightmare. this was different, yoohyeon was leaving to pursue her dreams. a total different reason.

she pouted at you, feeling sorry to be leaving you behind but she knew you’d still push her to go even if you’d become lonely.

“don’t pout at me like that, or i’ll cry for real now.”

she hugged you tightly, pressing her cheek into yours. “i know ‘cause what will you do without me? but don’t worry, you’ll be okay.”

you don’t know how to thank the heavens that you’ve met someone like her, yoohyeon was literally the sunshine to your withering flower. she was someone who always had your back, someone to listen to your frustrations and aspirations, and most importantly she was a long lost sister you’ve dreaded to have. she felt like family more than anyone else.

“will i?” you blurted out sadly, mirroring the pout she did a few seconds ago.

“of course. you’ve come a long way. and i’m proud with the progress you made.” her eyes smiled and it was contagious, “both physically and mentally.”

blinking your eyes to avoid waterworks, you popped your lips and held her luggage. it was time. “shall we go? eiffel tower’s waiting for you.”

she nodded and you went out of your dorms. as you reached downstairs, minhyun was already there with his car and johnny was with him- the latter’s car parked just behind minhyun’s- said he needed to return the yoohyeon’s blanket he borrowed for youngmin. you looked at her with a raised brow. “don’t be surprised y/n, i know there’s something going on between you two. sneaky lil puppy.”

your heartbeat spiked up, she figured out the crush you had for johnny and you haven’t even told her yet. “i don’t-”

“it’s obvious. i think everyone knows.” she teased, then looking to minhyun. “my ride’s here so i’ll go on first. take care of yourself y/n, promise me that.” the tightness of her hands on your shoulders showed that she meant what she said.

“yeah, you too.” you hugged her and rubbed her back, “don’t have too much fun with the french.”

“the only french i’m kissing is minhyun.” she winked at you, you shrieked and hit her arm for her implication so early in the morning.

you playfully shooed her away and minhyun started the car. johnny stood there silently and waved as well, remembering the favour yoohyeon asked him to do last week:

“can you do me a favour?” yoohyeon asked.

johnny put down the hammer, interested to what she had to say. “yeah sure, ask away.”

yoohyeon curled her tongue, sighing. “you know how i’m going to paris next thursday?”

“mhm. wait it’s next week already?” johnny’s eyes widened, “so you won’t be at youngmin’s birthday?”

she nodded, making johnny’s face turn sour and she knew it was just a playful thing he usually did. handing him a big box wrapped in green, she explained it was for the growing boy and to let him know she’s sorry for it. “the favour i ask of is about y/n.”johnny didn’t say anything, letting her continue.

“while i’m in paris, i need you to look after her. i realised she trusts you, other than me of course.” she hugged her arms, “it’s rare to see her open up her personality to someone else.”

johnny held in a smile, “we haven’t gone there yet.. you know opening up. you see she owes me a proper date, as friends.” he clarified. “apparently we got a ‘no secrets rule’ until a couple of dates.”

yoohyeon punched him, “ahuh, so you both are in the ‘going out on dates but still testing the waters’ stage. well, if that’s the case, take her out on the day i leave. she loves nature, so maybe you could come up with something.”

the guy nodded and gave a thumbs up, yoohyeon sighed a relief. she knew she could trust johnny, and of course she had something to gossip with yeri about. after all, their ship is starting to sail and they were one of the ones to remove the rope from the hook.

“also, bring these all the time.” she shuffled in her bag, seemingly getting something important. “she forgets these, you know, just in case.”

it was an inhaler for asthma and some pills for medication. yoohyeon’s lips pressed together told johnny that this was more than important. it was a road to recovery, confirming the conversation he didn’t want to eavesdrop two months ago.

“how severe is it?” he dared to ask, holding the items tightly on his hand.

“just pray it doesn’t get worse. she’s been through a lot. i’m sure you’ll know about it soon.” she patted his back, “thank you in advance, johnny.”

“yeah, no problem.” he assured her. “i’ll do what i can.”

the side profile of yours that he observed this morning revealed to him how resilient and strong, yet broken and vulnerable you were. a spark in him told him he needed to protect you. he wanted to, it was for the present and the future you, to heal from the past you tried your best to run away from.

he looked up, taking in the cool breeze before the sun rose up high. it was seven in the morning and he didn’t have anything special planned for the day since youngmin’s birthday was all set for saturday. setting his sight on vehicle he brought then back to you who was stretching at this point, he placed his hands in the pockets of his sweats, saying:

“this is a perfect day and time for a long morning drive. wanna come with?”

you twisted your back from side to side, the domino cracking relieving the tension of your spine. looking up at the sky, you seconded johnny’s suggestion, “sounds great but i haven’t even had breakfast yet.”

johnny hummed, turning around to talk to you properly. “we can go to a drive thru on the way. i know of a good spot where we can do sightseeing.”

your mood was lifted and did a little hop, “okay i’ll go get ready.”

the guy stopped you by gently pulling your wrist, making you look at him before you could go back up to your dorms. “no need, just wear that.”

looking at his large hand that wrapped your wrist, you got nervous for the sudden skin contact. how was he so smooth with making your heart skip a beat? and you quickly realised he could be feeling the gradual speed of the giddy heartbeat at that area, so you squinted your eyes at him for his fishy action as a cover-up.

“johnny,” you sighed, “.. i’m wearing pajamas.”

johnny took his eyes off of you and scanned your clothes. it was just a crop top t-shirt and a light pink coloured sweatpants. “i think it’s alright, we kinda match. after all, someone owes me a date.” he winked at you and held your wrist once again.

“i thought we weren’t counting anymore?” you laughed, following him to the car that was parked across the dorm building. thank goodness you brought your phone and house keys.

“i know but i remembered.” he opened the door, letting you in before he moved on to the driver’s seat.

glancing around the car, it was at the line between old and new. not that you were judging, it just somehow felt right. johnny started the engine, reversing the vehicle. his hand touched the headrest of your seat as he looked back.

it made your heart beat stupidly once again, it was so manly and attractive that you wanted it to stay that way. you stared at him when he drove towards the main road, even more so when he drove with one hand. ah, that was where you hitched a breath.

johnny felt the stare you gave and he found it hilarious. he peeked at you at a side eye and chuckled, taking this chance to tease you again. “what are you staring so intently at? the view’s perfect in front of you?”

“please, you want me to refer to yourself, johnny. i know where you’re getting at.” you echoed his chuckle and he just did so louder.

“no i’m talking about the view in front of us.” he nodded at road.

streaks of sunbeam that peeked along the trees made your clothes twinkle, sparkle even. looking at the said view, a small pull on the corners of your mouth made johnny stare at you this time. you were already beautiful in his eyes and the sunrays made you glow as you looked through the front.

his eyes trailed to your facial features and just a like a movie, the slow smile that appeared on your face got him all hooked on you. the way small wrinkles creased at the sides of your eyes and the way you closed them as if you took in the vitamins for some energy was hypnotising.

she’s so.. beautiful. he reminded himself.

his eyes found themselves staring longer than he thought, licking his lips and focused on driving. then bringing up his all time favourite coldplay playlist to suppress the intensive thoughts of you to the back of his mind.

your ears perked up at the familiar song, “hm, this is my favourite one, it calms me down.” turning the dial to volume up the music.

she likes coldplay.

johnny’s heart picked up its speed and he was probably close to being jittery and excited. the smile he contained on the inside finally made its way out. opening the car’s roof, it became brighter and he hoped the sun’s brightness covered his expression.

you gasped at the view by your side, the opened scenery of a beach below was stunning as you and johnny rode through the highway. the breezy wind flowing through your hair and as you inhaled its freshness, you’ve never felt this happy for a long time.

“nice ride you got here.” stretching your arms up high as if you were swimming on air. “i feel free.”

he gasped at you, “we’ve been driving for more than twenty minutes and you just noticed?” johnny laughed heartily, “i’m hurt. bosco’s hurt.”

your mind processed the information you just got. you let out a loud cackle, covering your mouth to not embarrass yourself. “your car’s called bosco?”

johnny’s ears turned red and pulled a face, “well technically it’s my parents’ car-“

“wait.. so this is not your car?” you gestured the car with your hands laughed even harder. johnny bit the insides of his mouth, feeling shy that he didn’t have a car of his own, yet laughing it off because it was true.

“i don’t have the means to buy one. i got a child to raise and put food on the table.” he turned right to a nearby gas station, “speaking of food, you must be hungry. let’s get brunch on the go, but we need to fuel up first.”

“you just can’t handle my attacks.” you nodded.

johnny was right. he had to work double for himself and youngmin. and that made you feel so much appreciation for the guy. when he got off the vehicle to fill in the gasoline, you couldn’t shake off the thought of youngmin’s mother.

who was she? why was she absent the whole time? how could she leave the two boys who was meant to be her whole world, alone?

she probably had her reasons, yet you were so curious to find out. you’re very nosy aren’t you? johnny’s voice echoed in your head, prompting you to slap your head for thinking way too deep in it.

as you did that, your phone dropped by your foot so you bent down to get it, meanwhile hitting your head on the glove compartment. it opened fully by the time you sat back up- the looseness of it confirming the car was quite old- revealing an a5 sized photocard of a younger johnny with a baby youngmin.

the sight of it was adorable, how johnny carried the infant in his arms as he fed him with a milk bottle. the handwritten caption saying ‘suh youngmin with mom and dad’ was heartwarming but what caught your attention was the girl seated beside him. she was probably the mother, but she was facing away from the camera that you couldn’t make out who she was.

you didn’t realise how long who were staring at the photo until johnny came out of the store after payment, making you put the photo back and closing the compartment, hoping it doesn’t open any time soon.

“okay now that’s all set, let’s go?” johnny fastened his seatbelt and starting the engine. “i’m starving.”

“brunch it is.” you awkwardly said, still looking at the compartment.

johnny drove through a fast food chain that had a pre-lunch option, then leading you both back on the road, not forgetting to bring you to a spot that overlooked the city. as the car came to a stop at the scenic viewpoint, johnny closed the roof and turned off the engine. you got out and the overview fusion of nature and cityscape in the morning gave you a gushing feeling of inner peace.

he took the ordered food, his footsteps scraping against the ground. the sound fading away from you, he called out. “y/n! i got a spot up top. it’s better up there.” gesturing for you to follow him.

it was a little spot at a mini veranda where a table and two chairs placed perfectly across each other, as if it were waiting for you both. the wind was relaxing, cooling off the heat you both had from climbing up a few steps just to get to up here.

and once again, he was right. it was so much better up here than below. coming here was such a good idea, and johnny was good at pleasing people by taking this route. so you both started eating in silence for a bit when your mind came back on the topic of youngmin’s mother.

you hated yourself for being this nosy. but curiosity got the best of you. what would johnny think? he probably was still in the process of moving on and it was a sensitive topic to bring up.

he caught you staring at him again and licked his lips before talking, “like what you see? i think that you might prefer me over the view out there.”

you threw a ball of tissue at him, “and if i say yes how would you react?”

“flattered ‘cause you might feel that way and confused ‘cause you probably lied based on this tissue you just threw.” he joked, playfully throwing it back to you. “but really, is there something you wanted to ask?”

you didn’t respond straight away, still trying to put the right words together to form a proper question. johnny took his time to wait for you, munching away until you shuffled and put your food down.

“i’ve been wondering for a while, and i hope this doesn’t weird you out or put you in a tight spot.” you locked your fingers together.

“hm? i’m okay, you can ask.” he smiled a little, still eating his food then drinking his cup of coffee.

breathing out a nervous puff, here goes nothing. “does youngmin.. still sees his mom?”johnny slightly dropped his cutlery and it wasn’t hard to miss this small reaction, then wiping his mouth with tissue. you panicked, looking at him and regretted what you asked. this was a bad idea. “sorry, that was unnecessary. i shouldn’t have asked-”

“no, it’s okay.” he smiled small, clearing away the empty containers. once settled, he thought it was the right time to open up. after all, you’ve been friends for a while now. “youngmin hadn’t seen his mom since the breakup. he sometimes still looks for her though.”

he shifted on his seat before he spoke again, “my ex was kim minji. i call her mj for short, while others call her jiu. we dated months before high school graduation and we called it quits six months ago.”

“that must’ve been hard to deal with.” you said, fiddling with your fingers. “how are you coping up?”

johnny shook his head, “still needs some getting used to. when youngmin arrived, we stuck together like superglue. she loved youngmin a lot but a year later she wasn’t acting like herself. she changed and i was trying my best to figure it out and talk to her about it.”

you had a feeling where this was going. “she avoided it and ghosted you and went with another guy?”

he looked at you, surprised at how you got that on point. “that’s right. wow, you actually hit the mark. i’m guessing you have a theory what happened next?”

you held your chin and thought for a moment, “maybe.. she fell out of love? you said she changed and you don’t know why.” you stretched, crossing your arms and continued to give a penny for your thoughts.

“don’t get this wrong, but maybe.. you didn’t spend much time with her just the two of you because all of the focus was on youngmin. you both interchange in looking after the child, got busy, and when you do have the time, you both were too tired to spend time alone. ‘cause you know, juggling between school, part-time, and housework could take a toll on both of you. then it became straining in the end.”

johnny just stared at you. even if you heard it only once, you seemed to have figured it out. and as for him; a psychology student, should’ve seen things from another perspective. after all, minji was a girl, like you. and hearing that made him feel shameful because his pride as a guy took over. he should’ve heard her out.

but how will neglecting responsibilities speak about her? how would it show an impression to others as someone who looks after a baby? it didn’t make any sense and he hoped they actually talked about it. however, he recalled the break up conversation, minji didn’t bother communicating with him at all even if he tried. that was why he was still bothered to this day and it still pained his heart.

“you’re probably right, y/n.”

he then looked at you, who had an innocent face yet spoke as if you lived way longer than him. it led him to want to know more about you, “again, i’m so amazed at how you analysed that in a short time.”

“that’s because it hits so close to home.” you spoke with assurance. “it’s all too familiar.”

johnny’s heart ached when he heard that. once again he felt shameful because how could he missed that? someone who spoke of experience saw things differently. you were a person who probably had more to face and what he had experienced was close to nothing compared what you did.

the gaze he held onto you got you relaxed a little bit, he was curious now. “my parents got married for the sake of it.. not for love. it was an arranged marriage from both parties.”

the boy sat forward with a confused look, “but, they had you. they must’ve loved each other at one point.”

you smiled bitterly, yet it was a sad one. “i’d like to think of it that way. but what was the point of having me and raising me if they didn’t actually love each other?”

“if not to each other, then they loved you.” johnny suggested, and he saw how it made your eyes water a bit. “they’re co-parenting for you.”

“i never felt it.” you pressed your lips, “they argued a lot for as long as i could remember, scolded me for the littlest things. then i had to face anxiety hearing their raised voices. i didn’t eat as much as well because i thought about it a lot.”

johnny didn’t want to jump to conclusions, however that wasn’t so true on your part that he thought otherwise. you said you were immune to it, but the tone in your voice hinted you longed for love from your parents.

he wanted to hug you right now, but he held himself back. you probably just needed someone to talk to, a hug right now would be weird. he was worried he might make you feel weird if he did so.

“things will be better. it may not be for now but for the future. sometimes parents think they’re right, even if they’re in the wrong. in some way, you’d still need to have a conversation with them; heart to heart, so you could voice out how you feel. can i ask something though?” he asked cautiously, you tilted your head in response.

“yeah sure, let’s hear it.” you drank from your bottle of water.

johnny had something in mind, he hoped he was wrong about it but with the way you talked about your parents, something was missing. sure, they argued almost 24/7 and it greatly affected you.

“did you do something.. that made them act the way they did back at the carnival?”

your chest ached. johnny pinpointed something you’ve never shared to anyone. it was buried deep, far back at the archives of your mind, never to be brought out to be checked.

johnny was a psychology major, and he knew better at discussions like these. he acted like a librarian looking for a lost book, a book with information that needed to be studied.

what if you wanted it to be found? what if this information was okay for this librarian to read? will he get anything beneficial from it? it was risky, but you knew you couldn’t keep it in for a long time. and if there was anyone you’d share this to, it would clearly be him.

he gave you time to talk, it was a sensitive issue after all. he was given a hint while you were talking, your hand kept holding your left arm since the beginning. was it a habit? or was a trauma that was deadly?

“it happened a month into uni, after i had left home. had to attend a funeral of a hotel’s shareholder and apparently saw them there. the greeting was same as the carnival, interrogated me.”

johnny shook his head, taking in that your remark towards your mom was normal.

“all of a sudden they started arguing. i tried to stop them because they were causing a scene. they just pushed me away and told me not to butt in. i was so hurt that i told them angrily that i wished i was never born. so i left, thought i could escape the reality that my supposed home was a violent storm.” your hand caressed your arm.

“i remember it was a rainy evening with thunderstorms and lightning, it didn’t help though. it mirrored the same situation back at home.”

johnny’s face darkened, his hunch was right.

“so i ran..” you said shakily, placing your hands on the table. “i kept running to find brighter skies and silence, screaming in pain and crying.. i focused so much on that that i thought i already found it.” you exhaled a deep breath, “unfortunately i found myself laying on a hospital bed, was told i got hit by a vehicle, ended up fracturing my whole arm.”

“y/n..” he leaned closer, and you noticed his eyes softened upon hearing that. he held your hands because you were shaking. “i’m so sorry.”

“don’t be, i’m actually glad i got it out of me. i feel so much better. my arm still has a metal rod in it so i could move easier.” chin pointing to your arm. and now that johnny looked back, he just realised that you carry youngmin using your right while patted him with your left hand.

“still.” he sighed, “it’s very brave of you. thank you, i’m glad you told me.”

“no thank you, for listening.” you told him, then your eyes lit up, “ah! it’ll be our secret, okay?” you smiled, eyes finding your hands on his.

johnny saw your eyes trail on where his hands were, slowly letting go so you won’t find him making a move on you. “you bet, i also learned something today.”

“which is?”

“that your heartbeat was so evident on your wrist.” he said, and your face heated up. did he figure it out? “must’ve been nerve-wrecking to share that.”

you mentally sighed, safe. “y-yeah. it’s been two years since that happened.”

johnny stood up and dusted his clothes, prompting you to do the same. “and here’s to more years on holding on to hope, to overcome.”

“yeah i hope so too. a lot has happened which is also why i don’t like driving, arguments, rainy nights. gosh i have a lot of hurdles to pass.”

marching down the veranda towards the viewpoint, you and johnny thought it would be nice to walk around the beach to burn the calories from your brunch meal. you looked up to the sky and you felt alive with the sun. funny how the beach was completely empty at this time. so you wanted to speedwalk and savour the moment.

the guy who took you here felt grateful he did what he did. it somehow helped him face the topic he completely avoided. johnny was even more so that he got to share it with you. even though his friends knew about it, knowing he could trust someone else made him feel at ease.

taking out his film camera, it was a part of him to automatically snap a photo of something memorable. because he was quite weak in recalling, he wanted this to be recorded so that he could look back into it, in case he forgets.

“don’t tell me you’re going to keep those from me. don’t be a creep.” you teased, johnny adjusting the film once more, saying that he wouldn’t keep any secrets from you now. you smiled back at him as you stretched your arms, gasping loudly when you spotted the distant horizon. you called out to johnny, “the ocean’s sparkling! isn’t it beautiful!?”

he smiled, and he looked through the viewfinder, seeing you pointing at the sparkles that seemingly made your day so easily.

“yeah, beautiful.”

—

rowoon exited the bathroom of his apartment, drying off excess water from his hair. he casually walked around his home with nothing but a towel and home slippers. not noticing his dad’s assistant sitting by the sofa, coughing intentionally to get his attention.

that startled the boy and he nearly slipped on the way to the kitchen, a habit of his to immediately eat after a long session in the shower. “oh shoot- i didn’t know you were here, junho.”

“ha, i didn’t know you danced like that. it doesn’t suit you.” he smirked, then frowning a bit. “and that’s junho hyung, quit the casual talking.”

the boy opened a pack of potato fries he managed to find on the pantry, munching on the saltiness he craved for to ease his tastebuds. “what are you doing here, anyway?”

“i got the stuff you asked for.” junho scuffled through his shoulder bag, giving him a file. “you’re safe for now from the court. you know you’re giving your dad a hard time with all of the freakshows you do.”

rowoon looked at the older guy with annoyance in his face, “and so? i’m having a fun time. let me enjoy my youth for once.”

“for once, my ass. you’ve been in and out of the police station so many times.” he complained, “please look after your reputation, young man.”

rowoon chuckled sarcastically, “chill, hyung. i got it all under control.”

junho rolled his eyes. even though he grew up with the boy, rowoon got on his nerves most of the time that he should’ve popped a vessel by now. “if you think you need to get your father’s attention by doing those, i think he got the message loud and clear.”

“beats me, doesn’t hurt to pick me up from the station at least.” he took the file, opening and revising it.

this time junho sarcastically chuckled, “what are you, nine? you’ll be cashing your dad’s money because he spends it on your bails instead of your college tuitions, don’t waste your future and talents like this.”

“it’s fine, he’s the head doctor of the university hospital’s surgical department anyway, college tuitions are easy for me.” he smirked then eyed junho from top to bottom and back to the top. “tell me the information you have.”

junho briefly raised his brows, taking another file from his bag. “that car accident you got somehow got involved in three years ago? the police are still investigating.”

“well that’s bad news and ruined my day all in one go. don’t worry, i’ll do something about it.” rowoon proudly crossed just arms. “oh and the girl’s alive by the way. alive and well.”

junho took off his glasses to clean them using the ends of his suit, “you’ve seen her?”

“you bet i did, she’s matured and bloomed. also saw a familiar face i haven’t seen in a while.” still eating on the fries as if it were a big feast to celebrate on.

“johnny suh?”

“in the flesh.”

——

unsaid words, unspokened feelings, unexpected encounters, undeserved. that was how johnny felt today after spending time together with you. he hadn’t felt this in a long tome, where he could be himself other than his family and friends.

he actually thought of reaching out to minji at one time, but he was having a dilemma if he should. was it worth it? he wasn’t too sure. he also looked back to the app he had on his phone, loveclick. he hadn’t touch that app for a while and put it behind, deciding it was useless.

you came out of the convenience store, holding two ice cream cones, and he saw the joy you had just by eating it. it was evident that you were having a good time. johnny had an idea and he felt stupid for not bringing it up. but his phone broke when he clumsily dropped it on the ground earlier and could never turn it back on. “let’s take a selfie, i realised we haven’t even taken one.”

you licked your lips, “cool, how many?”

it took about five minutes to take a decent one on johnny’s end because he kept saying that he didn’t look good in any of the shots. so you took a selfie instead, and spending the rest of the day walking around nature.

“shall we head back? it’s currently 6pm and it’ll take us about four hours to return to the city.” johnny asked, peeking at his watch and threw away his soft drink to the bin before you made your way back up to the car.

“okay.” you said, thankfully you didn’t have any part time or classes the following day, so getting back wasn’t a problem.

going back in the vehicle again, you fastened the seatbelt and settled your position comfortably. playing with your phone for a bit, johnny started the engine and drove down the scenic viewpoint. a few metres out the main road, the car slowly made a stop before suddenly shutting down.

that made you two look at each other worriedly. johnny tried to start the engine again, only to make a loud kickstart noise then stopping abruptly. he let out a curse in a whisper, “i can’t seem to start bosco, i’ll check go and check the battery and oil.”

he wiped his forehead with his arm, it was getting stuffy since the weather was really hot. johnny excused himself by taking his shirt off to wipe off the sweat building up, going out to open the hood.

as he did that, you mentally got mad at yourself for unintentionally staring.. because the last time you saw him shirtless was at the camp two months ago. just why is he smoking hot? “i’m not looking i’m not looking i’m not looking, i’m looking respectfully.”

“y/n! look at this!” he called out before going to the window next to you.

“i’m not looking!” you exclaimed, covering your eyes as you looked away from him.

“what do you mean?” he squinted his eyes, wiping his sweat once again, “come look at the hood! it’s smoking.”

oh.

you did as he said and saw the hood smoking out black: it meant engine failure. “the engine’s busted. can you fix it?”

johnny stared at you and gave you a side eye as if you asked the stupidest question ever, “i’m a 24/7 single dad i don’t officially own a car let alone have the knowledge to fix one so you’re asking the wrong person.”

you just laughed at it, facepalming yourself. “oh right my bad, papa bear.”you put your sleeves until it reached your shoulders and proudly told him “then you’ll be glad you have me.”

“oh you can do that?” he raised his brows in surprise, actually impressed with that revelation. “like fix the car?”

“no i mean by having me meant that you have an extra phone to use to call a tow truck.” you bit your lower lip, still smiling at the plan b.

“then what was the pulling up of the sleeves for?”

“it’s hot, duh.” you snorted. johnny actually thought you’d able to and it made you laugh harder, earning a pinch on the face. you tapped on the screen, smile fading when you found out your phone battery was 1% before shutting down. “oh s-.”

johnny’s smile also faded. “what?”

“my phone’s dead.” you turned to him. “got a charger or powerbank?”

“i don’t have any on me-”

rattles of summer rain heard in the distance, gradually becoming louder. it didn’t take long for your clothes (and johnny’s muscular body, again you’ve been avoiding eye contact), to be dampened by rain that was obviously going to be heavy.

“can this day get any worse? damn it!” johnny shouted, getting frustrated when he put his t-shirt back on.

you covered your view with your arm and chills went down your spine. you realised it was raining, and your anxieties spiked up. but you didn’t want to make johnny worry, so you put out your arm to hitch for a ride. the car had to stop in the middle of an empty road, with only a few to little of cars driving pass by.

johnny and yourself have been standing for a good minute, which felt like forever in this situation, when a tow truck fortunately drove by. johnny ran to stop the truck. the man eyeing him down when he got off his vehicle.

“well what are you kids doin’ here?” he took a good look at the brokened down car behind you both, “ah! this car needs some fixin’!” then facing to johnny, “young man, if you need to take your girl out on a long drive, you might’ve had it checked first before goin’ out. this car’s close to junk!”

you snickered a laugh and johnny got startled a little bit, smiling, “it’s technically my parents’ car-“

“oh yes it’s his parents’ car!” you told the old man, still holding your arm to your head. johnny pulled a face at you, holding you into headlock playfully.

“keep your mouth shut, you chatterbox.” he embarrassingly said but giggled while you apologised.

the old man looked up, “you guys don’t seem from around ‘ere. thankfully we’re close by a car mechanic who could fix your car and a motel for you to wait. though it’ll take hours for it to get the job done.” pointing to the car. “so you youngin’s should crash in and stay the night. the forecast predicted it’ll be raining heavy ‘til mornin’.”

you nodded, eyes squinted at him, “that’ll be great sir. thank you.”

“sorry kiddos, we’re fully booked tonight.” the old lady by the counter blatantly said while chewing gum, staring at the two in front of her who were completely drenched in pouring rain.

johnny approached the counter, “ma’am, we need a place to stay for the night. we’ll leave first thing tomorrow.”

the old lady grumbled a little, “did ‘ya even hear me? no. more. rooms. available.”

johnny formed his fist into a ball, his blood spiking up on how rude this old lady was. you didn’t miss this and decided to ask another way. “ma’am, if there aren’t any rooms left for single beds. is there any chance for booking a room with two twin beds?”

the old lady tipped her glasses back in place, “there should be one room left, beautiful lady.” she typed on her computer, and johnny scoffed at the contrast, “ah yes, we do have. i can book you here. okay! one couple suite for the night!” she said while getting the key for the room.

“couple suite-” you both said,

“he’s not my boyfri-”

“she’s not my girlf-”

“y’all want to sleep outside instead?” she frowned, pointing to the heavy rain just behind the door. “it’s free.”

johnny clicked his tongue, “why you-”

you immediately prevented johnny from dampening the counter any more by holding his body back with your arm, “we’ll take it! the couple suite.” you faked a laugh, giving her cash, took the keys from her and pushing johnny away from the reception.

both of you exited the elevator and you were so amused by his attitude earlier. “what’s with that, johnny?”

“she was so rude, and i asked nicely.” johnny laid his arms out in confusion, he shook his head and sprinkled his hair. “right?”

you just crossed your arms, “give it a break, she’s an old lady.”

“yeah and she feels so entitled, damn.” he sighed, walking towards the suite.

opening the door, you and johnny sighed as you both saw the king sized double bed. the air instantly changed and it made it awkward when two bathroom robes were laid in front of you.

“i-i’ll go for a shower first,” you stuttered, going to the bathroom immediately, taking the robe before closing the door behind you. holding your chest, this scenario wasn’t happening at all. slapping your face to keep it real, you started to shower.

johnny on the other hand, found an extra towel in the car. he wiped his hair and dried his body a bit to prevent it from being too cold. his ears picked up the tapping of fallen shower droplets, and he didn’t want to focus on that.

he turned the television on, he guided the remote control to flip through the channels, stopping momentarily on a love scene and immediately changing it to a weather forecast.

he remembered what taeyong had told him; and was relieved that he did, not wanting to jump to that. he had to keep his goal, befriending you was priority.

“stop.” he mumbled to himself. he then heard a knock, opening the door for the knocker.

“here’s a little welcoming gift from our staff to you.” the lady smiled at him before handing him a box, bowing her head then taking her leave.

johnny opened the box, expecting snacks as the packaging was a bento box. his eyes caught on something that made him let out a little noise. he didn’t even notice you were finished showering and was standing behind him. “what are you holding?”

“agh!” he closed the box, shouting louder and that made you mirror him as well, holding your arms close to you.

“what the hell?” you said, catching your breath. “why’d you do that for? oh- is that food?”

“room service.” he nervously chuckled, eyeing other things. “i ordered for myself so you can order your own too. i’ll go shower.”

he sprinted to the bathroom and closed the door behind him. his ears were really red at this point. opening the box, he took the item and flushed it down the toilet. “what the hell were the staff thinking?” after he finished showering, he spotted you eating food from room service, all comfortable on the bed.

in the end he decided to sleep on the sofa and he hoped he’d be able to get through the night.

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