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paradise-world · 3 months ago

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Act Like You Love Me | Sung Hanbin ZB1

Summary : You’re an up-and-coming actress, and Hanbin is a smug, arrogant A-list star who stole the role you wanted. When the media mistakes your heated argument for romantic tension, your agency forces you into a fake dating stunt to boost publicity. You hate the way he smirks when he teases you, but the way his hand lingers on your waist makes your heart race. As the line between acting and reality blurs, one question remains: when the cameras stop rolling, will your feelings disappear too?

Genre : Enemies to Lovers, Fake Dating, Celebrity Romance, Fem!Reader, Actress!Reader, Actor!Hanbin, Smut, Suggestive, Fluff

Warning : The pet name "princess" occurs a lot, smut (there's a warning before it occurs)

Featuring : Hong Seunghyun (Juhan) from BLITZERS

Playlist : New Magic Wand by Tyler The Creator / Do I Wanna Know by Arctic Monkeys / Touch It by Ariana Grande / Locked Out Of Heaven by Bruno Mars / Into It by Chase Atlantic / Apocalypse by Cigarettes After Sex / True Love by Pink & Lilly Allen / Norman Fucking Rockwell by Lana Del Rey / Scary Love by The Neighborhood / Wrong by Zayn & Kehlani

Word count : 20k (20,910 if you want exact...)

you've always loved slipping into different lives, becoming someone else even if just for a moment. the stage, the screen—it all felt like home. your parents saw that spark early, paying for your first acting lessons when you were twelve. middle school drama club, high school theatre productions—each role you played, each scene you perfected, only deepened your passion. you were never the loudest in the room, never the one begging for attention, but the moment you stepped into character, all eyes were on you. it was the one place you felt invincible.

by eighteen, you were funding your own dream. working odd jobs to afford acting classes, refining your craft, and reshaping yourself—not just in talent but in the way you presented yourself to the world. you started going to the gym, dyed and cut your hair whenever you needed a change, took care of yourself in ways big and small. manicured nails, regular waxes, health check-ups—every detail was intentional, a part of your silent promise to yourself that you would make it. plastic surgery? tempting, sometimes. but you wanted to prove that you were enough as you were. no shortcuts, no regrets.

like most actors, you started at the bottom. background roles, standing just out of focus while others stole the scene. but then came your first real opportunity—han hyojoo, a respected agent, saw something in you. she took you under her wing, guiding you to your first speaking roles. a bit part in "rivalry & roses," a college movie that got decent buzz. then a supporting role in "the rival’s game," a corporate romance that put your face on the map. each step forward was another reminder: you were getting closer.

now, you wanted more. a lead role. not just any lead role—"written in the stars," a fantasy royalty romance that could cement your name in the industry. the kind of film that could turn you from a rising star to a household name.

your hands tighten around the steering wheel as you pull up to the audition venue. deep breath. you’ve worked for this, fought for this. no matter who you have to go up against, you’re not backing down.

today, you’re not just playing a role.

today, you prove you deserve it.

you arrived at the audition venue, a grand hall filled with hopeful actors vying for their chance at a breakthrough. the air buzzed with anticipation, scripts clutched tightly in hands, whispered rehearsals echoing off the walls. you kept your focus forward, but then—

hanbin.

he stood among the crowd, effortlessly commanding attention. his black hair, styled to perfection, and dark brown eyes brimming with confidence. the smug smirk on his lips was enough to make your blood boil. he exuded arrogance, but there was no denying his presence. he was an a-list star, after all. people watched him with awe, whispering about how he would likely claim the lead role.

you clenched your fists, determination burning within you. this role was yours, and you would prove it.

one by one, aspiring actors took their turn before the directors. some stumbled over their lines, others shined, but you refused to let nerves shake you. when your name was called, you stepped forward, every ounce of your training igniting inside you.

"i hate studying, why can't i just go outside & explore like other normal people?" you delivered the line with raw emotion, channelling every ounce of longing and frustration. then, you sang, voice steady, carrying the melody with ease.

"i've got this shake in my legs, shaking the thoughts from my head," you sang, pouring your heart into each note. when you finished, the room was silent for a moment before the directors exchanged glances and nodded approvingly.

"that was incredible," one of them said. "your technique, your voice—it’s all there."

you exhaled, relief washing over you. they motioned for you to step aside, and you did, heart still racing.

then, hanbin stepped forward.

he delivered the same lines, his voice smooth, controlled, effortless. then, he sang more, voice filling the space with undeniable star power. the audience was transfixed.

by the end of the audition, the directors exchanged murmurs before turning back to the anxious crowd.

"we have made our decision," one of them finally announced. "the lead role will be given to... hanbin."

it felt like the ground beneath you had crumbled away.

this was supposed to be your role.

but now, it was stolen.

the moment the words left the director’s mouth, something inside you snapped.

"what?" your voice was sharp, incredulous. your breath came in uneven bursts as you turned toward the panel. "you’re giving the role to him?"

hanbin exhaled a low chuckle, arms crossing over his chest as he looked down at you. "wow. didn’t expect you to take it this hard," he mused. that damn smirk never left his face.

"take it hard?" you repeated, stepping closer, the heat of your frustration rising. "this role was mine. i worked for this. i poured everything into this audition, and you just—" you gestured at him wildly, "—walk in with your celebrity status and take it like it’s your birth right?"

hanbin tilted his head, looking amused rather than defensive. "i mean, can you blame them? talent recognizes talent."

"oh, you arrogant—!" you bit back a frustrated breath, jaw tightening as you stared at him. "you think you’re so untouchable, don’t you? like just because you’re famous, you automatically deserve every role?"

hanbin gave an exaggerated shrug. "hey, if the shoe fits."

something about his careless attitude made your blood boil.

you took another step forward, standing so close you could see the slight gleam in his dark brown eyes. "you didn’t even need this role. you already have a hundred others lined up. this was supposed to be my break."

"maybe you should've acted better, then," he said smoothly, tilting his chin. "the directors made their choice. not my problem if you can’t handle losing."

his words sliced through you, and for a brief second, the hurt almost overshadowed your anger. almost.

you scoffed, shaking your head. "you’re impossible. do you even care about this film, or is it just another stepping stone for you? another notch on your long list of wins?"

hanbin leaned in just slightly, voice dropping into a teasing lilt. "does it bother you that much? knowing they think i'm the better choice?"

the sheer audacity of him made your hands curl into fists. you opened your mouth, ready to fire back, but then a murmur from the crowd made you pause.

you hadn’t even noticed how silent the room had become, how everyone had stopped what they were doing just to watch the two of you. and they weren’t watching like it was a fight. no, they were watching like it was something else entirely. something electric.

"they have so much chemistry," someone whispered.

"i swear i thought they were about to kiss," another person chuckled under their breath.

realization hit you like a slap to the face.

you stepped back abruptly, heart hammering, but hanbin just smirked deeper, as if he had figured it out before you had.

"well," he murmured, eyes twinkling with amusement. "this just got interesting."

the next morning, you sat in hyojoo’s office, a tablet in her hands as she scrolled through endless articles. the headlines were impossible to ignore.

"'a lovers' quarrel? sparks fly between rising actress and a-list star hanbin.'" she read out loud before snorting. "are they serious? a lovers’ quarrel? they must’ve been watching a different argument than the one i saw."

"no kidding," you muttered, leaning back in your chair, arms crossed. "there was nothing romantic about that. we were one step away from throwing punches."

hyojoo tapped the screen, scanning the article. "apparently, the world disagrees. listen to this: 'eyewitnesses describe an intense chemistry between the two actors, their heated exchange dripping with unspoken passion. if this is just an argument, imagine what their on-screen romance will look like.'" she scoffed, setting the tablet down. "unspoken passion? you looked ready to strangle him."

"exactly!" you exclaimed, throwing your hands up. "this is insane. i worked my ass off for that role, and he just waltzed in, took it, and now suddenly we’re a ‘potential power couple’?"

hyojoo shrugged, amused. "people love drama. and apparently, they love you two."

"they love hanbin," you corrected. "i'm just caught in the crossfire."

"not exactly," she said, leaning forward. "your name is everywhere right now. overnight, your social media following doubled. your previous roles are being rewatched. hell, even your old high school drama performances are getting attention."

you blinked. "wait—what?"

"yep," she nodded, picking up her phone and showing you a clip of your past performances. "someone dug up footage from ‘rivalry & roses’ and it’s trending. the internet is eating this up."

"this is ridiculous," you sighed, pinching the bridge of your nose. "i don’t want my career to be built on some fake rumor."

"welcome to the industry," hyojoo said dryly. "it’s all about perception. whether it’s true or not, people believe what they want to believe. and right now, they believe you and hanbin have some sort of fiery, love-hate dynamic."

"more like hate-hate," you grumbled.

"doesn’t matter," she countered. "what matters is how we handle this."

you glanced at the tablet again, rereading the headlines. "i just... i don’t get it. how did this even start?"

hyojoo tapped her fingers against the desk. "well, your argument was loud, public, and heated. that kind of energy can be interpreted in different ways. and let’s be honest, hanbin doesn’t exactly help the situation. he was smirking the entire time, looking like he was enjoying riling you up."

"he was enjoying it," you muttered.

"exactly," hyojoo said. "so people saw tension. and in their minds, tension equals chemistry. they think you two are one step away from a dramatic romance."

you groaned. "this is ridiculous."

hyojoo smirked. "not to them. to them, it's the start of the next great celebrity love story."

before you could respond, hyojoo’s phone buzzed loudly against the desk. you both glanced down at the screen.

it was a call from your agency.

you swallowed, heart thudding.

"well," hyojoo said slowly, meeting your eyes. "this should be interesting."

hyojoo didn’t hesitate before swiping her thumb across the screen to accept the call. "you’re on speaker phone," she announced, placing the device on the desk between you both.

"who are you with?" a firm, authoritative voice asked through the speaker.

"up-and-coming actress son y/n," hyojoo replied, her tone professional. but the moment she glanced at you, there was a teasing glint in her eyes. she might as well have winked at you with how smug she looked.

you shot her a death glare, but she just barely held back a chuckle.

"ah, perfect! son y/n?" the voice continued.

"that’s me," you responded, keeping your voice steady even though you had no idea where this conversation was heading.

"we’ll get straight to the point," the voice said without any hesitation. "you need to enter a fake dating arrangement with sung hanbin."

you blinked. then you blinked again.

hyojoo’s eyes widened slightly in mild amusement, but she remained quiet, waiting for your reaction.

"excuse me?" you finally said, convinced you had misheard.

"a fake dating stunt. you and hanbin," the voice reiterated as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

you let out a sharp, incredulous laugh. "you can’t be serious."

"completely serious," they confirmed.

"why?" you asked, voice laced with disbelief. "why in the world would i do that?"

"because the media has already spun this argument between you and hanbin into a full-fledged romantic story," the voice explained. "the public is eating it up. they think your tension is romantic tension. and we intend to capitalize on it."

your mouth opened, then closed, then opened again as you processed their words. "you want me to... what? hold hands with him in public? gaze into his eyes like he’s my soulmate? post cute couple pictures?" you scoffed. "we hate each other."

"that’s precisely why this works," the agency representative countered smoothly. "the push-and-pull dynamic between you two is exactly what the public loves. they’ll eat up every interaction, whether it’s staged or not. and in turn, it boosts both your careers. hanbin’s already at the top, but you? this could catapult you into a whole new level of stardom."

hyojoo let out a low whistle, tapping a finger against her chin. "they’re not wrong, y/n. this could be huge for you."

you turned to her, incredulous. "you’re seriously considering this?"

she lifted a shoulder in a half-shrug. "i mean, i understand why they’re suggesting it. you’d be everywhere. interviews, magazine covers, brand deals. it’s a free ticket to the next stage of your career."

"at the cost of my dignity," you grumbled. "besides, hanbin would never agree to this. he’s probably laughing his ass off about the rumours."

"actually, he’s already aware of the plan," the agency voice said. "his team has been briefed, and while he hasn’t officially accepted, he’s open to discussion."

you threw your hands up. "of course he is. probably thinks it’ll be fun to torment me even more."

"listen, y/n," the voice softened slightly, but still held authority. "we understand that this isn’t an ideal situation for you. but this is how the industry works. perception is everything. and right now, the world perceives you two as something they want to see more of. it’s a golden opportunity. one that, quite frankly, we highly recommend you take."

you sat back in your chair, exhaling sharply. this was madness. absolute madness.

but the voice wasn’t wrong. overnight, you had gone from an ambitious actress clawing for recognition to someone the entire industry had its eyes on. if you said no, the moment would pass, and you’d fade back into the background while hanbin moved on unscathed. but if you said yes...

"what exactly would this entail?" you asked hesitantly.

hyojoo smirked, knowing you were cracking.

"simple," the agency voice replied. "public appearances together. red carpets, interviews, maybe a few strategically placed paparazzi photos. you don’t have to actually date him, just act like it."

"act like it," you echoed bitterly. "so lie."

"call it what you want," they said. "but make no mistake—this will benefit you both. and if things go well, who knows? maybe it’ll even land you a lead role in your next project."

you swallowed hard. they were dangling everything you had ever wanted right in front of you.

"you have until tomorrow to decide," the voice continued. "a meeting has been arranged at our agency. hanbin and his agent will be there. we suggest you and hyojoo be there as well."

before you could say anything else, the call ended.

the room was silent for a moment. then hyojoo let out a low chuckle. "well, that was something."

you dropped your head onto the desk with a groan. "kill me. just kill me now."

you didn’t lift your head from the desk. "i can’t do this."

hyojoo’s laughter was soft but not entirely unsympathetic. "you’re being dramatic."

"i am an actress," you shot back, voice muffled against the wood. "being dramatic is my job."

hyojoo reached over, giving your shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "look, i know this isn’t what you expected. but take a second and really think about it. this could be the break you’ve been waiting for."

you lifted your head just enough to glare at her. "at the cost of my sanity? my dignity? my peace?"

she raised an eyebrow. "aren’t those all things you already sacrificed when you decided to be an actress?"

you groaned, dragging your hands down your face. "why does it have to be him? why hanbin? of all the people in the industry, why did the universe decide to screw me over like this?"

hyojoo leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms. "because life is funny like that. besides, maybe this won’t be as bad as you think."

"oh, really?" you snorted. "do you know something i don’t? because last i checked, hanbin was a smug, arrogant, irritating—"

"handsome, talented, incredibly popular—"

"—narcissistic, egotistical menace," you finished sharply.

hyojoo just shrugged. "i mean, all of that is probably true, but so what? your job isn’t to like him. your job is to pretend to like him."

you sighed, resting your forehead against the desk again. "pretending to like him might be harder than actually liking him."

hyojoo smirked. "see? you’re already getting into character."

you groaned again, kicking your foot out in frustration. "this isn’t funny. i don’t even know how to prepare for something like this. what am i supposed to do? mentally rehearse flirting with him? practice gazing into his stupidly perfect eyes without throwing up?"

hyojoo tapped a thoughtful finger against her chin. "honestly? yeah, not a bad idea. maybe you should visualize it. picture yourself on a date with him, hand in hand, smiling at each other—"

"stop. just stop," you cut her off, grimacing. "you’re enjoying this way too much."

"i really am," she admitted, laughing. "but all jokes aside, you need to go into that meeting tomorrow with a clear head. don’t let your personal feelings cloud your judgment. if you go in there all tense and defensive, it’ll make things worse."

"easier said than done," you muttered. "the moment i see that smug look on his face, i might throw something."

hyojoo chuckled. "then maybe don’t look at his face."

you exhaled slowly, rubbing your temples. "i just... i need to find a way to deal with this. to make peace with it."

"then start by remembering why you’re doing this," hyojoo said gently. "this is about your career. about everything you’ve worked for. hanbin might be an obstacle, but he’s also an opportunity. you don’t have to like him—you just have to outplay him."

her words settled over you like a strange sort of comfort. you didn’t have to like him. you just had to act like you did. and if there was one thing you were good at, it was acting.

you let out a long breath, nodding. "okay. fine. i’ll do it."

hyojoo grinned. "now that’s the spirit."

you stood up, stretching your arms above your head. "i’m going to take a nap. i need more than eight hours of sleep if i’m going to survive tomorrow."

hyojoo smirked. "sweet dreams. maybe you’ll dream about your new ‘boyfriend.’"

"if i do, i’m blaming you," you shot back before walking away, already dreading the day to come.

the next day arrived too soon, and before you knew it, you were standing outside your agency’s sleek glass building, staring up at the towering structure as if it held all the answers to your problems. beside you, hyojoo nudged your arm, her eyes dancing with amusement at your evident hesitation.

"stop looking like you’re walking into an execution," she teased. "it’s just a meeting."

"just a meeting?" you scoffed, adjusting your blazer for what felt like the hundredth time. "hyojoo, i am about to be legally bound to pretending i like sung hanbin. this isn’t ‘just’ anything."

she smirked, nudging you again. "well, at least you look good doing it. fake it ‘til you make it, y/n."

rolling your eyes, you exhaled sharply and pushed open the glass doors, stepping into the agency’s pristine lobby. the air smelled of expensive cologne and freshly brewed coffee, the kind of place where business deals were made with smiles that didn’t quite reach the eyes. the receptionist greeted you both warmly before directing you to the conference room at the end of the hall. your heels clicked against the polished floors, each step making your stomach churn with nerves.

as soon as you entered the room, the air shifted.

hanbin was already there, leaning against the table with an effortless arrogance that made your skin crawl. his perfectly tailored suit only added to his infuriating presence, making him look like he belonged in a magazine ad rather than a serious business meeting. his manager stood beside him, just as polished and professional, but at least he had the decency to not smirk at you the way hanbin did.

his eyes met yours, and there it was—that signature smug smirk. "look who finally decided to show up," he drawled, his voice laced with that insufferable teasing lilt. "i was starting to think you chickened out."

without missing a beat, you shot back, "trust me, if i had any other choice, i wouldn’t be here."

hanbin chuckled, extending a hand. "since we’re going to be spending so much time together, let’s at least pretend we’re civilized."

for a moment, you hesitated before begrudgingly shaking his hand. his grip was firm, warm—too steady for your liking. you withdrew your hand quickly, and he merely tilted his head in amusement. hyojoo and hanbin’s manager exchanged pleasantries before the representatives from your agency entered, carrying thick folders and a laptop.

"let’s begin, shall we?" one of them said, motioning for everyone to take a seat.

across from hanbin, you sat stiffly, determined to ignore the way he stretched lazily in his chair, exuding an infuriating air of ease. his fingers drummed idly against the tabletop—a silent, smug reminder that he was enjoying this far too much.

as the presentation began, a slideshow clicked onto the screen. the first slide displayed various headlines from major news outlets, all pushing the same ridiculous narrative—romantic tension, undeniable chemistry, a fiery love-hate dynamic between you and hanbin. the absurdity of it all made your stomach twist.

"as you can see," one of the representatives began, adjusting his glasses, "the media has already taken your argument and spun it into something much bigger. public interest in your interactions has skyrocketed, and engagement numbers are through the roof."

"we all know the power of a good story," another representative added. "and right now, the story people want is you two."

you scoffed, unable to help yourself. "you mean they want a lie."

"they want a fantasy," the representative corrected smoothly. "and we’re here to sell it."

hanbin hummed in amusement. "so, what’s the plan? hold hands, go on coffee dates, stare into each other’s eyes like we’re in a drama?"

"precisely," the representative replied without hesitation. "but there’s more."

another slide clicked onto the screen, revealing official concept art for written in the stars. but something was different. something was very, very different.

frowning, you leaned forward. "wait. this isn’t the same script."

hanbin’s smirk finally faded as he studied the images. "yeah, this is completely different."

"the script has been revised," the representative admitted. "due to the overwhelming attention your chemistry has received, the directors, producers, and scriptwriters made the decision to add a love interest into the movie."

head snapping up, you barely managed to keep the frustration out of your voice. "excuse me?"

"originally, written in the stars was a story about a child’s journey to becoming the heir to their kingdom," the representative explained. "but now, hanbin’s character will be the heir to a fallen kingdom, and you—" they gestured to you, "—will be the cunning princess of his enemy nation."

hanbin let out a low whistle. "so they rewrote an entire movie because of us?"

"this is why the fake dating stunt is necessary," the representative continued. "if audiences believe in your relationship off-screen, it’ll translate into even greater success on-screen."

fingers curling into a fist, you bit out, "but this whole situation is based on a misunderstanding! it wasn’t romantic tension, it was a heated argument!"

hanbin turned to you with a slow grin. "and yet, here we are."

ignoring him, you focused on the contract placed in front of you. scanning the details quickly, your stomach dropped. the fake dating arrangement would last from now until the end of the movie’s promotion. interviews, social media interactions, public outings—every aspect of the relationship would be meticulously crafted for maximum publicity.

this was insane.

but you had no choice.

hanbin didn’t hesitate. with a flourish, he picked up a pen and signed his contract first, flashing you a look of triumph.

"your turn," he murmured.

letting out a final deep breath, you grabbed the pen and signed your name at the bottom of the page.

"excellent," the representative said, clearly pleased. "this will be the start of something huge."

hanbin’s manager clapped his hands together. "now, to make it official, let’s have you two shake on it."

stomach twisting, your gaze met hanbin’s, and—of course—his eyes were glinting with amusement as he extended his hand. "come on, princess. let’s seal the deal."

your fingers curled at the nickname, but with all eyes on you, there was no way out. reluctantly, you reached out, grasping his hand. his palm was warm against yours, his grip steady, firm.

for a moment—too long a moment—the air felt too thick, too charged.

then, finally, you pulled away, rubbing your hand against your thigh as if to rid yourself of his touch.

hanbin smirked. "pleasure doing business with you."

"don’t talk to me," you muttered, and beside you, hyojoo barely suppressed a laugh.

it was official.

the contract was signed.

the deal was sealed.

your life was officially a mess.

the next morning arrived too soon, bringing with it the first official date of your fake relationship with hanbin. as you approached the quaint café nestled in the heart of the bustling city, you could already see the crowd gathered outside. a sea of flashing lights, paparazzi, journalists, and eager fans swarmed the sidewalk, all jostling for a chance to capture a moment between the two of you. the low hum of their excited chatter blended with the sharp clicking of cameras, making your stomach twist uncomfortably.

"well, well, look who decided to show up," hanbin’s familiar voice drawled beside you, his signature smirk in full effect. his dark eyes gleamed with amusement as he adjusted his coat, one hand casually tucked into his pocket, radiating an air of ease despite the absolute chaos surrounding you both.

"unfortunately," you muttered under your breath, keeping your expression neutral as you straightened your posture. "let’s just get this over with."

"aw, come on, princess. at least pretend to enjoy my company," he teased, leaning in slightly. the move was subtle, but the cameras picked up on it instantly, the intensity of the flashing lights increasing as reporters shouted even louder.

before you could respond with a sharp retort, you felt it—his hand, warm and steady, slipping around your waist. your breath hitched, body tensing instinctively at the unexpected contact. hanbin, of course, noticed immediately.

"relax," he murmured, his voice just low enough for only you to hear. "you’re acting like i’m about to bite."

"maybe i’m just not used to people invading my personal space," you shot back through clenched teeth, forcing a picture-perfect smile for the cameras. your mind was already spinning with the inevitable headlines this moment would spark.

as expected, the press wasted no time firing off their questions.

"hanbin, y/n! how long have you two been dating?"

"y/n, did you fall for him on set?"

"hanbin, what’s your favorite thing about y/n?"

neither of you answered, keeping to the agency’s carefully planned strategy of maintaining an air of mystery. instead, you allowed the photographers to capture their shots—every tilt of your head, every shift of hanbin’s possessive hold meticulously documented for the public eye. but something felt different. though you knew this was just a carefully orchestrated act, your pulse refused to settle, especially as hanbin’s fingers lingered a little longer than necessary against your waist.

"let’s get inside before you combust from overthinking," hanbin murmured, his breath warm against your ear before he gently guided you toward the entrance.

as soon as you stepped inside, the chaotic noise from outside was muffled, replaced by the soft murmur of conversation, the clinking of silverware against plates, and the rich aroma of freshly brewed coffee. a waiter, quick to recognize you both, led you to a private booth toward the back of the cafe, ensuring that prying eyes remained at a distance. hanbin slid in beside you without hesitation, and to your dismay, his hand remained on your waist even after you were seated.

"you can let go now," you muttered, shifting slightly away from him.

"but then we wouldn’t look like a couple," he countered smoothly. "this is a date, remember?"

rolling your eyes, you reached for the menu. "whatever. let’s just order."

hanbin, of course, didn’t move an inch. instead, he leaned in closer, his chin nearly brushing against your shoulder as he pretended to study the menu alongside you.

"can you even see the menu clearly?" he teased, voice laced with amusement. "i mean, considering all that complaining about the camera flashes."

your grip on the menu tightened. "i swear to god, hanbin, if we weren’t in public, i’d smack you with this menu."

he chuckled, clearly enjoying himself. "but we are in public, so you can’t."

before you could retort, a waiter approached, pen poised over a notepad. "good morning! what can i get for you both?"

"i’ll have the american breakfast with scrambled eggs and extra bacon," you said, your tone still tinged with irritation. "and an iced coffee, light on the sugar."

hanbin hummed thoughtfully, tapping a finger against the table. "i’ll have the same," he said, then added with a teasing grin, "but make my coffee extra sweet—unlike my dear girlfriend here."

you groaned, rubbing your temples. "i swear, this is going to be the longest few months of my life."

once the waiter had left, hanbin leaned back against the booth, his expression turning slightly more serious. "so," he said, fingers absentmindedly drumming against the table, "that was quite the reception outside. looks like we’re officially the hottest new couple in the industry."

"don’t remind me," you muttered. "it’s ridiculous how fast the media spun this narrative."

"it’s the game," he said simply, shrugging. "we just have to play along. besides, it’s not all bad. you get more exposure, more roles. the benefits outweigh the annoyance."

you gave him a sidelong glance. "you say that like you don’t mind being in a fake relationship."

"i don’t," he admitted with a lazy smirk. "if anything, it’s entertaining."

"of course you’d find this amusing," you scoffed. "you’re thriving off my suffering."

"not suffering," he corrected. "just… mild inconvenience."

before you could argue, the food arrived, providing a much-needed distraction. as you dug into your meal, the conversation drifted toward the upcoming film schedule. tomorrow would mark the first day of shooting for written in the stars, and the reality of that hit you harder than you expected.

"it’s going to be weird," you admitted, absently pushing your eggs around your plate. "filming a romance scene with you after… everything."

hanbin arched an eyebrow. "everything? you mean our totally romantic, completely unscripted argument that launched this entire fiasco?"

you shot him a look. "you know what i mean."

he chewed on a piece of bacon before replying, "you’ll be fine. you’re a professional, remember? just don’t fall for me for real."

that earned him a swift kick under the table.

"ow!" he hissed, wincing. "i was kidding! jeez, you’re violent."

"just reminding you of your place," you said sweetly, taking a sip of your coffee.

he sighed dramatically. "see? this is why i called you mean earlier."

"no shit, you have your hand on my waist, idiot."

hanbin feigned offense. "that’s mean, you shouldn’t be calling your boyfriend an idiot."

rolling your eyes, you stabbed at your food with your fork. "how am i going to survive the next few months?"

hanbin grinned. "by falling for my irresistible charm, obviously."

you didn’t dignify that with a response.

instead, you stared down at your plate, mind already drifting to tomorrow’s filming schedule. one thing was certain—this was just the beginning of a very, very long ride.

the morning air was crisp as you made your way onto the set of written in the stars. it was the first day of filming, and even though you had spent years preparing for moments like this, there was an unfamiliar nervous energy in the pit of your stomach. maybe it was the weight of the role, the sudden shift in the script, or the fact that hanbin would be there—smirking, teasing, and generally making your life more difficult than necessary.

walking beside you, hyojoo scrolled through her phone, oblivious to your internal struggle. or at least, that’s what you thought until she casually said, “so, how was your date with hanbin yesterday?”

you groaned, running a hand down your face. “i wouldn’t call it a date. it was staged. a publicity stunt. a nightmare.”

“a nightmare where his hand was on your waist the whole time?” she teased, wiggling her eyebrows.

you shot her a glare. “yes, and it was awful. he’s so full of himself, hyojoo. always smirking, always teasing. he knows exactly how to get under my skin.”

“uh-huh.” she nodded slowly, clearly enjoying this conversation far too much. “but did it make your heart race?”

your steps faltered for half a second, and you hated that she noticed. “no. absolutely not.”

she grinned knowingly. “liar.”

“i'm not lying. my heart raced because i’m not used to being touched like that, okay? it’s a natural reaction. it has nothing to do with him.”

hyojoo gasped dramatically. “so if I touch your waist, will you react the same way?”

before you could stop her, she wrapped her arms around your waist as you walked, hugging you tightly.

“yah! get off me!” you whined, squirming as you tried to push her away. “hyojoo, i swear—”

“but i just wanna see if your heart races~” she sang, tightening her grip.

you groaned loudly, trying to peel her arms off. “you’re impossible.”

laughing, she finally let go, stepping away but keeping that smug grin on her face. “see? no big deal.”

you rolled your eyes and continued toward your trailer, hyojoo following beside you.

inside, the glam team was already waiting. the moment you sat down, they got to work. the makeup artist, a woman named jisoo, studied your face for a moment before pulling out her brushes.

“we’re going for a monochromatic look today,” she said, blending soft hues onto your eyelids. “everything in the same shade range—eyes, lips, cheeks. it’ll look seamless on camera.”

hyojoo sat on the couch nearby, watching the process unfold. “she doesn’t need makeup to be beautiful, but i’m excited to see the final look.”

you smirked slightly. “flatter me more, why don’t you?”

“just stating the facts.”

as jisoo worked, you could see the transformation happening in the mirror. the soft tones blended effortlessly, creating an ethereal yet powerful look. when she reached for the eyeliner, she hesitated for a moment before nodding to herself.

“i think we need a wing,” she decided. “a sharp one.”

a few minutes later, you had the perfect winged eyeliner that made your gaze even more striking. hyojoo gasped dramatically.

“oh, you look so good. like, stupidly good,” she said, eyes wide with appreciation. “if hanbin doesn’t react when he sees you, he’s legally blind.”

“please.” you scoffed. “he’s too in love with himself to notice anyone else.”

jisoo stepped back, admiring her work. “perfect. now for the hair.”

the hairstylist, minji, pulled your hair into a structured yet effortless messy bun. it framed your face beautifully, adding to the regal aura you were meant to exude.

“wow,” hyojoo whispered. “you’re actually shin mina.”

you frowned. “i don’t even know shin mina. this character wasn’t in the original script, remember?”

hyojoo laughed. “true, but if the directors imagined her, she’d look exactly like you.”

you stared at your reflection, taking in the full effect. the monochromatic makeup, the elegantly messy bun, the subtle yet powerful gaze.

“shin mina,” you repeated under your breath. “who is she supposed to be, anyway?”

hyojoo shrugged. “not much information, honestly. but from what i do know, she’s cunning, intelligent, and a total badass.”

you smirked. “well, at least they cast the right person.”

with your transformation complete, the final step was wardrobe. the costume designers helped you into the battle princess gown—an intricate piece adorned with embroidery and a flowing cape that gave it a regal yet formidable aura. when you stepped out of the dressing room, hyojoo let out another gasp.

“you have to be joking.”

you adjusted the fabric around your waist. “what?”

“you look like you just walked straight out of an epic fantasy novel. like… this is it. this is the look.”

you turned to the mirror and took it all in. the dress exuded power, the makeup enhanced every sharp feature, and the hair completed the ensemble.

“well,” you said with a small smile, “i guess it’s time to bring shin mina to life.”

taking a deep breath, you stepped out of the trailer and onto the set, preparing yourself for the day ahead. this was it—the first day of filming. the beginning of something new. and with hanbin involved, you already knew it was going to be anything but ordinary.

on set, the battlefield scene was already in motion. hanbin, clad in tattered yet regal armour, fought fiercely among a horde of actors playing soldiers. swords clashed, battle cries filled the air, and the director’s voice rang out, guiding the action. you watched as hanbin moved effortlessly, his body twisting and dodging with precision. even through the choreographed fight sequences, he made it look natural—almost too natural.

then came the turning point. outnumbered, hanbin’s character was eventually overpowered. a soldier struck him down, forcing him to his knees. two more actors seized him, wrenching his arms behind his back as he struggled. his breath came in ragged gasps, and then, with a rough yank, he was pulled to his feet.

“take him to the kingdom!” one of the soldiers barked.

hanbin gritted his teeth but didn’t resist. his fate was sealed.

transitioning to the dungeon set, the atmosphere shifted dramatically. the stone walls were damp, torches flickered, and the heavy iron bars cast long shadows. hanbin was thrown inside unceremoniously, his body hitting the ground with a dull thud. he groaned in pain, curling slightly as he caught his breath.

“the princess is coming!” a guard announced, and the room fell silent.

you stepped into the dimly lit dungeon, the soft clinking of your boots echoing off the walls. hanbin was on the floor, leaning onto his forearm, his expression twisting in barely concealed disdain as he looked up at you. even in pain, he had the audacity to glare.

“welcome to my kingdom,” you greeted smoothly, your tone unreadable.

hanbin scoffed. “i’d rather be anywhere else.”

“oh, don’t be so dramatic,” you said, tilting your head. “i could be cruel, you know. but i won’t.”

he stilled, his brows furrowing slightly as he studied you.

“instead,” you continued, stepping closer, “i’m offering you a choice. marry me, and our lands will unite. refuse, and you will rot in this dungeon.”

hanbin’s jaw tightened. “you expect me to marry the enemy?”

“no,” you mused. “i expect you to survive.”

for a moment, there was only silence. your gaze burned into his, unyielding, and his breath was uneven, as if something within him was warring against itself. then, finally, he exhaled sharply.

“fine,” he spat. “i’ll do it.”

“good,” you murmured, lips curving into the faintest smirk.

“cut!” the director called, breaking the moment instantly.

the set was immediately thrown into a frenzy, crew members running around, adjusting lights, preparing for the next take. you relaxed your posture, stepping back from hanbin, who was still sitting on the dungeon floor.

“you okay?” you asked, eyeing the spot where he had hit the ground. “that looked like it hurt.”

hanbin rolled his shoulders and stretched his neck. “i’m fine. makes the acting look more real, anyway.”

“well, as long as you’re not actually breaking anything,” you said, crossing your arms.

he grinned. “aww, you’re worried about me.”

“shut up.”

hanbin chuckled before standing up fully, dusting off his costume. “you know,” he mused, “that whole princess act suits you. you should consider ruling a kingdom in real life.”

“if it means ruling over idiots like you, i’ll pass.”

“harsh,” he teased. “but i kinda like it.”

you huffed, shaking your head. “you are insufferable.”

“and yet, you can’t seem to escape me,” he smirked.

flustered, but still annoyed, you groaned and turned on your heel, making a beeline out of the dungeon set. hanbin’s amused laughter followed behind you, his voice laced with pure entertainment.

“see you at the next scene, princess.”

the restaurant was elegant, the kind of place where every glass gleamed under the soft golden lights and the faint hum of classical music filled the air. the scent of freshly baked bread and seared meat lingered, making your stomach tighten in anticipation. despite the luxury, you couldn't fully relax. not with hanbin’s hand resting on your waist as he led you inside.

it had become a pattern by now—his lingering touch, the way he guided you as if you were truly his. the heat of his palm against your waist was impossible to ignore, but you tried your best to maintain your composure. behind you, hyojoo and hanbin’s manager followed a little awkwardly. well, at least hanbin’s manager did. hyojoo, on the other hand, looked like she was having the time of her life watching you squirm under hanbin’s casual affection.

as you reached your reserved table, hanbin smoothly pulled out your chair for you before taking the seat beside you. hyojoo and hanbin’s manager sat across from you two, their seating arrangement mirroring yours. as soon as you settled in, hyojoo wasted no time in sending you a knowing smirk.

“comfortable?” she asked, her tone dripping with amusement.

you shot her a death glare. “oh, absolutely.”

hanbin leaned slightly toward you, peering at the menu in your hands before he smirked. “don’t forget to pick something you’ll actually eat this time. we wouldn’t want another tragic salad incident.”

you exhaled sharply, already feeling the irritation bubble inside you. “that was one small incident on set yesterday.”

“and yet, it lives in my memory forever,” he said with mock solemnity. “a tale of wasted greens and regret.”

“you’re insufferable,” you muttered under your breath, turning your attention back to the menu.

but hanbin wasn’t done. “you know, being angry all the time isn’t a great look for a loving girlfriend.”

hyojoo cleared her throat, and you already knew what was coming. “he has a point. you two need to look convincing. we are in public, after all.”

her words were professional, but the glint in her eyes told you otherwise. she was enjoying this way too much.

hanbin hummed in agreement, propping his elbow on the table as he rested his chin on his hand. “exactly. my lovely girlfriend should be gazing at me adoringly right about now.”

you rolled your eyes so hard you were sure they could have disappeared into another dimension. “you are delusional.”

hanbin let out a low chuckle before nudging your leg under the table. “and yet, you haven’t denied the ‘lovely girlfriend’ part.”

you opened your mouth to retort, but before you could, a waiter approached your table, effectively cutting off your response.

“good afternoon,” the waiter greeted with a polite smile. “are you ready to order?”

you were grateful for the distraction and quickly placed your order, listing off your choices with precision. hanbin followed right after, taking his time as he made his selection. once he was done, the waiter turned to hyojoo and hanbin’s manager.

“and you two?”

hyojoo smiled. “oh, we’re just the managers.”

you barely held back a laugh as the waiter hesitated before nodding and taking their orders as well.

after the waiter left, hanbin’s manager leaned back in his chair and sighed dramatically. “agents never get recognition these days.”

the table erupted into laughter, even you, as the light hearted joke momentarily eased the tension.

as the laughter died down, hanbin’s manager turned his attention to hanbin. “so, how’s filming going? yesterday was the first big scene, right?”

hanbin nodded, leaning back comfortably. “yeah, we started with the battlefield scene and then moved into the dungeon scene. it’s going well so far, considering it’s still the early stages.”

hyojoo turned to you, curiosity gleaming in her eyes. “and you? how are you feeling about everything?”

you took a sip of water, thinking for a moment. “it’s… intense. the script changes still throw me off a bit, but the production team knows what they’re doing. the dungeon scene especially was interesting.”

hanbin smirked. “interesting, huh? you mean the part where i got thrown into the dungeon?”

you smirked back. “that was my favourite part.”

hanbin clutched his chest dramatically. “you wound me, princess.”

hyojoo smirked, watching your dynamic with open amusement. “well, the chemistry is working, at least.”

hanbin’s manager nodded in agreement. “i have to admit, the media is loving it. the rumours about you two are spreading like wildfire. people are convinced you’re actually together.”

“which we’re not,” you pointed out quickly, folding your arms.

hanbin leaned in with an exaggerated pout. “but what if i wanted to be?”

“then i’d tell you to wake up,” you shot back, making hyojoo and his manager chuckle.

hanbin shook his head with a grin. “so cold.”

just then, the waiter returned with your drinks, placing them down one by one before disappearing back into the kitchen. you took a sip of your iced tea, letting the coolness soothe your irritation.

“honestly, though,” hanbin said after a beat, “i think the production team really did well with casting. our characters might not have been in the original script, but the tension makes for a good story.”

“you mean you enjoy making me mad?” you asked flatly.

he grinned. “immensely.”

hyojoo shook her head. “well, keep it up. it’s working.”

hanbin’s manager checked his phone before glancing up. “after lunch, you guys have script rehearsals, right?”

you nodded. “yeah. it’s the first official dialogue scene between our characters after the marriage agreement.”

hanbin wiggled his eyebrows. “can’t wait to be your husband, princess.”

hyojoo nearly choked on her drink, and you kicked him under the table.

“ow!” hanbin winced but laughed, rubbing his shin. “abusive wife already?”

“we’re not married!”

“yet.”

hyojoo snorted, and even hanbin’s manager looked amused. you groaned, placing your head in your hands. this was going to be a long lunch.

the rehearsal room was quiet, save for the faint sound of your own voice as you practiced in front of the mirror. your reflection stared back at you, brows furrowed in concentration as you recited shin mina’s lines under your breath, adjusting your tone, your expression, perfecting every subtle movement. you weren’t just memorizing words—you were stepping into character, feeling her emotions, embodying her presence.

hanbin stood in the distance, watching.

he had only come into the room a few minutes ago, but he hadn’t announced his presence yet. instead, he leaned against the wall with his arms crossed, a small, knowing smirk tugging at the corners of his lips as he observed you. there was something fascinating about the way you lost yourself in your work, completely unaware of his gaze. your focus was unwavering, your movements meticulous, like you weren’t just rehearsing—you were already her.

it was frustratingly impressive.

his smirk deepened as he tilted his head slightly, taking in the sight of you. no matter how much you insisted you couldn’t stand him, you were dedicated to this movie, to this role, to making it as perfect as possible. he respected that. maybe more than he wanted to admit.

but that didn’t mean he was going to pass up an opportunity to tease you.

“are you practicing how to glare at me properly? because if so, you’ve already perfected it,” hanbin’s voice cut through the silence.

you startled, whipping around so fast you nearly knocked over the makeup bag on the table. your heart pounded in your chest, half from surprise and half from irritation when you saw his signature smirk in full force.

“what the hell, hanbin?” you huffed, pressing a hand to your chest. “don’t sneak up on people like that.”

he shrugged, strolling toward you with the same effortless confidence he always carried. “i wasn’t sneaking. you were just too absorbed in your own reflection to notice me.”

you scowled. “i was rehearsing.”

“oh, i know. i watched for a while,” he mused, stopping just a step behind you. “you really take this seriously, huh?”

“of course i do. unlike some people, i actually care about the work.”

hanbin chuckled, leaning slightly closer. “that’s a bit mean, don’t you think? what if i told you watching you work so hard was kind of... charming?”

your breath hitched for just a second, but you masked it with a glare. “if you’re going to distract me, at least be useful. otherwise, go away.”

“harsh,” he muttered, but his smirk didn’t waver. instead, his eyes flickered to the mirror in front of you. “fixing your hair again? you know you don’t have to try so hard. you already look good.”

“flattery won’t get you anywhere, hanbin.”

“you sure about that?” he teased, watching as you touched up your lipstick, carefully blotting it with a tissue.

“yes,” you said flatly, setting the tissue down. “now, if you don’t mind, i’d like to finish rehearsing.”

he didn’t move. instead, he placed a hand on your waist, his usual spot, and grinned at your reflection. “you know what we should do?”

“what?”

“take a photo together. for social media.”

“why?”

hanbin sighed dramatically. “you really have no sense of marketing, do you? we’re supposed to be in a fake relationship, remember? we should at least look like we enjoy spending time together.”

hanbin noticed your reluctance and took the lead. “come on,” he said, more assertively this time. “it’s just a picture. i promise i won’t bite.”

“you’re annoying,” you grumbled, pulling out your phone anyway.

hanbin grinned. “and yet, here we are.”

“look at the camera in the mirror.”

he obeyed, tilting his head slightly with his signature smirk, his hand still resting lightly on your waist. you sighed through your nose but put on a small smile, making sure it looked natural before taking the picture.

you snapped a few more, just in case, before lowering the phone and scrolling through them. hanbin leaned over your shoulder, looking at the screen as well.

“which one’s the best?” he asked.

you both paused.

coincidentally, your fingers hovered over the same photo—one where you looked effortlessly natural, and he looked like he was genuinely enjoying himself beside you.

hanbin smirked, clearly satisfied. “see? we make a good team.”

“don’t push it.”

hanbin chuckled, watching as you finally hit post, pairing the image with a soft, romantic song.

“cute,” he commented.

“don’t make me regret this.”

“too late.”

the morning air buzzed with chatter as you stood among the crew, laughing and engaging in gossip about the latest entertainment news. the makeup artists, costume designers, and even the lighting technicians all had something to say about the newest scandal, the latest trending drama, and, of course, the unexpected but widely beloved pairing of you and hanbin.

"you two look so cute together," one of the makeup artists gushed, her hands clasped together in admiration. "honestly, the chemistry is just unreal. i swear, if i didn't know better, i'd think you were really in love."

another crew member nodded in agreement. "yeah, the pictures you posted yesterday? those went viral. everyone is shipping you guys."

"it’s crazy," you laughed, tucking a loose strand of hair behind your ear. "but thank you. we’re very happy with one another."

saying it felt easier than it should have. the crew all beamed at your response, completely convinced, before the conversation shifted to another topic. you let yourself stay a few minutes longer before politely excusing yourself, the warmth of their words still lingering in your thoughts.

as you walked away, the echoes of their compliments about you and hanbin replayed in your mind. the idea of people seeing you as an actual couple was still strange. fake dating was one thing, but seeing how naturally everyone believed in the illusion made your stomach twist slightly. shaking off the thought, you scanned the set until your eyes landed on the director.

approaching him, you spoke up. "do you have any feedback for me today?"

he looked up with a small smile, handing you a few pages of handwritten notes. "of course. you’re doing really well, by the way. your performance is exactly what we envisioned for shin mina."

"thank you," you murmured, eyes scanning the pages.

as you read through the notes, something quickly stood out to you—hanbin’s name was mentioned more times than you expected. in fact, a significant portion of the director’s comments revolved around your interactions with him, your on-screen chemistry, the way your characters played off one another. it wasn’t a surprise, necessarily, since your roles were intertwined, but seeing it written out so explicitly made you pause.

"a lot of this is about me and hanbin," you noted, glancing up at the director.

he nodded. "that’s because your dynamic is the heart of the film. every scene between the two of you carries so much weight. it’s essential that your chemistry feels completely natural and effortless."

humming in understanding, you flipped through the remaining notes. wrapping up your conversation with the director, you handed the papers back with a quick "thank you" before turning on your heel and scanning the set for hanbin.

he wasn’t hard to find. leaning casually against a prop pillar, he was chatting with a few of the other actors, his signature smirk on full display. taking a deep breath, you made your way toward him.

"we need to talk," you announced as you stopped in front of him.

hanbin turned his attention to you, grinning. "should i be worried?"

"it’s about the notes," you said, ignoring his teasing tone.

he raised a brow. "ah, let me guess. they’re all about how amazing i am?"

rolling your eyes, you crossed your arms. "more like how much work we need to put into making our scenes feel as authentic as possible."

hanbin chuckled. "so basically, they love us together. i knew it."

his smirk was as infuriating as ever, but today, you found yourself simply shaking your head instead of snapping at him. maybe you were finally adjusting to his antics, or maybe you were just in a good mood.

"whatever," you brushed off. "we should get ready. we need to let the director know we’re good to go."

as you adjusted your costume and quickly fixed your hair, hanbin watched you with an amused expression.

"you know," he mused, "today’s a special day."

archiving a brow, you gave him a side glance. "and why is that?"

his smirk widened. "because today, i officially become your husband."

scoffing, you shook your head in disbelief before smacking his shoulder lightly. he winced, rubbing the spot dramatically.

"ow," he complained. "i need to start preparing myself for an abusive marriage."

"that’s not a healthy relationship," you retorted.

he shrugged. "maybe, but it’ll be entertaining."

"you’re impossible."

before he could reply, the crew signalled that the set was ready. taking a deep breath, you squared your shoulders and made your way to the stage, feeling hanbin follow closely behind.

just another day of filming. just another scene where you had to pretend to be in love with the man who never failed to push your buttons.

only today, he was right. today was different.

because today, he became your husband—at least on screen.

the next day, you found yourself walking alongside hyojoo through the sleek hallways of your agency, the faint hum of office chatter and clicking keyboards surrounding you. the polished floors reflected the overhead lights, and the air smelled faintly of fresh coffee and paper. you glanced at hyojoo, adjusting the strap of your bag over your shoulder.

"so, what’s this meeting about?" you asked, your tone tinged with mild suspicion.

hyojoo waved a dismissive hand. "nothing to stress over. just some business talk, probably about publicity."

"ugh, more publicity? aren’t we already doing enough?" you sighed.

she chuckled. "clearly not. the public wants more."

pushing open the heavy glass doors to the conference room, you immediately spotted hanbin lounging comfortably in a chair, his agent seated beside him. the moment his eyes landed on you, he shot you his signature smirk, leaning back slightly as if he had been expecting you to arrive any moment now.

"well, if it isn’t my favourite pretend girlfriend," he drawled, his smirk deepening. "miss me?"

rolling your eyes, you walked past him to take a seat beside hyojoo. "in your dreams."

he chuckled, clearly amused by your response, but before he could get another word in, one of the agency representatives cleared their throat, drawing everyone's attention to the front of the room.

"thank you all for coming today," the representative began, shuffling a stack of papers. "we called this meeting to discuss the overwhelming public response to your relationship. the media and fans are absolutely captivated. they love your dynamic—the way you two interact, the playful banter, the chemistry."

hanbin leaned in slightly, shooting you a sideways glance. "hear that? they love our chemistry. you can’t deny it now."

"i’ll deny it all i want," you muttered, crossing your arms.

ignoring your exchange, the representative continued. "with the growing interest in your relationship, we believe it would be beneficial to provide more content to the public. after all, the instagram story you posted the other day gained tremendous traction. fans are still talking about it."

hanbin grinned, nudging your elbow. "see? my idea was brilliant."

"your idea?" you scoffed. "i’m the one who actually took the picture and posted it."

"but who convinced you?" he shot back, his grin never faltering.

before you could respond, another representative jumped in. "regardless of whose idea it was, the fact remains that people want more."

hyojoo nodded in agreement. "it’s true. strategically speaking, this is a great opportunity to further boost your popularity."

"so what exactly are you suggesting?" you asked, exhaling deeply.

"content," the representative stated simply. "more candid moments, more social media presence—perhaps even some planned public outings that allow for natural interactions to be captured."

hanbin chuckled. "so basically, they want to see more of us bickering."

"playful banter," the representative corrected. "it’s charming and refreshing."

crossing your arms, you glanced at hanbin. "well, if they love it so much, maybe you should start paying me extra for putting up with you."

hanbin laughed. "you love it."

ignoring him, you turned your attention back to the representatives. "actually, vlogging has been really popular these days. i recently set up a whole video station at home—computer, microphone, camera, studio lights, everything."

instantly, the representatives perked up, nodding eagerly. "that’s a brilliant idea. it shows you’re in touch with current trends. fans would absolutely love behind-the-scenes content of you two."

hanbin turned to you, grinning. "well then, i guess i’m coming over tomorrow."

"you’re just inviting yourself over now?" you arched a brow.

he shrugged. "of course. you need me there for the content, don’t you?"

sighing dramatically, you leaned back in your chair. "fine. but at least try to look good for the camera."

hanbin placed a hand over his chest in mock offense. "please. i always look good."

"right," you said flatly. "just don’t stink up my house."

he gasped playfully. "excuse you, i always smell amazing. you wanna smell me and find out?"

scoffing loudly, you made a face. "absolutely not. piss off."

laughter erupted around the room, even from the usually serious representatives. hanbin looked thoroughly pleased with himself, while you just shook your head, already dreading whatever chaos would ensue tomorrow.

"alright, then. it’s settled," the representative concluded. "we’ll expect some engaging content from you two soon."

hanbin turned to you with a grin. "hope you’re ready for a fun day tomorrow."

sighing, you stood up from your chair. "oh, i can hardly wait."

hanbin winked. "i knew you couldn’t resist me."

hyojoo tugged your arm, pulling you towards the door before you could come up with a sharp retort. as you exited the conference room, you couldn’t help but shake your head, already mentally preparing yourself for what was sure to be an eventful day.

and despite your protests, despite your exasperation with hanbin’s endless teasing, you couldn’t deny the tiniest hint of excitement bubbling in your chest.

the next morning, you were already camera-ready, your outfit perfectly styled and your face glowing under the soft morning light filtering through your windows. your morning routine had gone smoothly—you’d woken up early, taken a refreshing shower, done your skincare, and applied just the right amount of makeup to look effortless yet flawless. your bungalow was spotless after a thorough clean-up, ensuring no clutter would be visible in the background of the video. even the cushions on your couch were perfectly fluffed, and a subtle vanilla-scented candle burned in the corner, filling the space with a warm, inviting aroma.

as you adjusted your camera setup, making sure the lighting hit at just the right angle, a knock on the door echoed through your home. you sighed, already anticipating the teasing that was about to come. when you opened the door, hanbin stood there, dressed in a casual yet stylish outfit that made it obvious he had put in effort. his dark jeans and white t-shirt fit him perfectly, and his hair looked tousled in that effortless way that somehow always suited him. his usual smirk was present as he leaned against the doorframe, eyes scanning your house before flicking back to you.

"cute bungalow," he commented, stepping inside without waiting for an invitation.

"thanks," you said, stepping aside, arms crossed as you watched him look around.

he glanced around before his smirk widened. "the one living in the bungalow is cute too."

rolling your eyes, you groaned. "piss off."

hanbin chuckled, stuffing his hands into his pockets as he walked further in. "can't. we have to make some quality content for the public, remember?"

you sighed dramatically but didn’t argue, instead shutting the door behind him. as he wandered deeper into your house, his gaze landed on a shelf lined with old photo frames. he stepped closer, examining them with interest before picking one up. it was a baby picture of you, round-cheeked and beaming at the camera, your tiny hands gripping the sides of a birthday cake that was much too big for you.

"these are cute," he mused, turning the frame slightly. "who knew you used to be so tiny?"

"thanks," you replied, crossing your arms as you watched him.

hanbin turned to you with an exaggerated thoughtful expression. "do you think i was a cute baby?"

"i don’t know, i’ve never seen any of your baby pictures."

he hummed, setting the frame back in its place before straightening up. "fair enough. do i at least look handsome now?"

you blinked at him, taking a moment to study his face. his hair was styled effortlessly, his outfit perfectly tailored to his frame, and his skin looked unfairly flawless. but instead of feeding into his ego, you simply said, "you look camera-ready."

hanbin placed a hand over his chest in mock offense. "ouch. i wish my girlfriend actually complimented me."

scoffing, you reached out and slapped his shoulder, making him wince dramatically. "piss off, hanbin."

he laughed, shaking his head before you motioned for him to follow you to your room. as you led him down the hall, he glanced around curiously before his eyes landed on your recording setup. his expression shifted from playful to genuinely impressed.

"whoa," he said, stepping closer. "this looks really professional. you weren’t kidding when you said you had everything set up."

you watched as he examined your camera, microphone, and lighting setup, his fingers lightly adjusting a dial on the mic.

"of course," you replied. "i don’t do things halfway."

he grinned at you. "clearly."

you adjusted the camera’s position, making sure the frame was set up perfectly before glancing at hanbin. "ready?"

he nodded. "let's do it."

you pressed record and immediately brightened, your expression shifting into your public-friendly smile. "hey everyone! welcome back to my channel. today, i have a very special guest with me."

hanbin, standing beside you, placed a hand on your waist as he grinned at the camera. "your favourite boyfriend, of course."

you resisted the urge to roll your eyes, instead maintaining your smile. "we're doing a q&a today, answering all the burning questions you guys have been sending in. and trust me, there were a lot."

hanbin chuckled. "people are really nosy, huh?"

"they're just curious about our love story," you teased, before grabbing your phone to read the first question. "alright, first question: how did you two meet?"

hanbin glanced at you before smirking at the camera. "ah, the fated encounter. our eyes met across a crowded room, time slowed, and we knew in that moment—"

"stop being dramatic," you interrupted, making him laugh. "we met during casting for 'written in the stars.' simple as that."

he nodded. "yeah, but if you ask me, she fell for me immediately."

you shot him a deadpan look. "next question."

you scrolled down and read the next one aloud. "do you two fight often?"

hanbin smirked. "define 'fight.'"

you turned to him, raising an eyebrow. "bickering. arguments. me wanting to strangle you at least twice a day."

he laughed. "then yeah, all the time. but that’s what makes us entertaining, isn’t it?"

shaking your head, you moved on to the next question. "what can we expect from the upcoming movie?"

hanbin adopted a more serious expression. "honestly, i think people are going to love it. the story is compelling, the cinematography is stunning, and of course, our performances are top-tier."

"agreed," you said. "and i think fans are really going to enjoy the dynamic between our characters."

as you continued answering questions, the atmosphere remained light-hearted, filled with teasing remarks from hanbin and your playful eye rolls in response. when the q&a finally wrapped up, you stopped the recording and leaned back in your chair, exhaling.

"that went well," hanbin remarked.

"surprisingly," you admitted as you pulled the memory card from the camera and slotted it into your computer. you began editing immediately, cutting out unnecessary parts and adjusting the audio.

hanbin watched you work for a moment before speaking. "you're really dedicated to this, huh?"

you nodded, not looking away from the screen. "of course. content creation takes effort."

"it's kinda cool seeing you in work mode."

you glanced at him, raising an eyebrow. "is that an actual compliment? from hanbin?"

he smirked. "don't get used to it."

rolling your eyes, you continued editing. it took a while, but eventually, the video was ready. you uploaded it, selecting a catchy title and an engaging thumbnail before posting it to your channel.

you leaned back, stretching your arms. "done."

hanbin checked his phone, already seeing notifications popping up. "people are gonna eat this up."

you hummed in agreement. "let’s just hope they enjoy it."

he grinned. "they will. after all, we make a great team."

for once, you didn’t argue. instead, you simply smirked and leaned back in your chair, already anticipating the reaction the video would get.

SMUT AHEAD

with the silence now, hanbin took the opportunity to pull you up from your chair flush against him, one hand sliding down to grope your ass possessively.

"now, where were we before the video, princess?"

you gasp softly, squirming in his hold, but don't pull away. "hanbin, stop it. we're not going to do anything like that on camera." you hiss, even as your body betrays you, reacting to his touch.

hanbin just smirks, undeterred. "you're right, princess. let's take this somewhere more private, hmm?"

with that, he scoops you up into his arms, carrying you towards the living room as he pulls the bedroom door shut behind him. he tosses you onto the couch, crawling over you with a predatory gleam in his eyes.

"hanbin," you warn, even as you drink in the sight of his tall, muscular form looming above you. "i mean it. no funny business."

he leans down, capturing your lips in a searing kiss, his tongue delving into your mouth possessively. "funny business is my specialty," he murmurs against your lips. "but don't worry, princess. i promise i'll make it feel so good, you'll be begging for more."

you know you should push him away, but your body is already melting under his touch, craving more of his intense focus and desire. you tangle your fingers in his dark hair, giving it a sharp tug, and are rewarded with a low, appreciative moan from hanbin.

"fuck, i love it when you do that," he groans, grinding his hips against yours, letting you feel the sizeable bulge rapidly forming in his jeans.

you bite your lip to stifle a moan, your core clenching with want. you know you should put a stop to this, but the way he's touching you, the hunger in his eyes... you can't help but crave more.

hanbin seems to sense your hesitation, his hand sliding under your shirt to cup your breast, thumbing your nipple through the thin lace of your bra. "tell me you don't want this, princess," he challenges, his voice a low rumble. "tell me you don't want me to strip you bare and worship every inch of your gorgeous body until you're trembling and begging for my cock."

you swallow thickly, trying to find the words to refuse him, but all you can manage is a breathless, "hanbin..."

he smirks, taking your silence as the consent it is. "that's what i thought, princess. now, let me show you what a real man can do."

with that, he tugs your shirt off over your head and tosses it aside, leaving you in your bra as he takes in the sight of your exposed skin with blatant appreciation. "fuck, you're stunning," he breathes, before ducking his head down to press open-mouthed kisses along the swell of your breasts. "i'm going to make you feel so good, you won't be able to think of anything else."

you know you should put a stop to this, should maintain some semblance of control, but the way he's touching you, the promise of pleasure in his eyes... you can't bring yourself to refuse him. you tangle your fingers in his hair again, holding him against you as you arch into his touch, already craving more.

hanbin's lips find your nipple through the thin lace of your bra, his mouth hot and hungry as he suckles at the sensitive peak. his hands roam your body greedily, mapping out every dip and curve as if committing your form to memory. he slides one hand up your thigh, his fingers dancing along your skin until he reaches the hem of your shorts. with a wicked grin, he slips his hand underneath, cupping your mound possessively.

"you're already so wet for me, aren't you princess?" he murmurs, rubbing his fingers along your clothed slit teasingly. "i can feel how much you want this."

you let out a shaky moan, your hips bucking up against his hand as you desperately seek more friction. your core is throbbing, aching to be filled, and the way he's touching you is only stoking the flames of your desire.

hanbin chuckles darkly, clearly pleased by your reaction. he hooks his fingers into the waistband of your shorts and panties, tugging them down your legs and tossing them carelessly to the floor. now completely bare before him, you feel exposed and vulnerable, but also incredibly aroused.

not wasting any time, hanbin parts your thighs, settling between them as he takes in the glorious sight of your glistening folds. he leans in, inhaling deeply, and groans at the intoxicating scent of your arousal.

"fuck, you smell divine," he growls, before diving in and running his tongue along your slit in one long, slow lick. he focuses on your clit, suckling and flicking the sensitive bud with expert precision until you're writhing beneath him.

your fingers tighten in his hair, holding him against you as you grind your hips against his face, chasing your pleasure. hanbin seems to sense how close you are, and doubles his efforts, thrusting his tongue inside your clenching heat and fucking you with it in deep, powerful strokes.

"hanbin!" you cry out, your voice echoing off the walls of your living room. the obscene wet sounds of his mouth on your pussy fill the room, mixing with your wanton moans and gasps.

just as you're about to crest the peak of your climax, hanbin pulls away, leaving you wanting. you whimper at the loss, only to gasp as he sits up and strips off his shirt, revealing his sculpted torso. he undoes his jeans next, freeing his impressive erection, and you can't help but stare in awe at the thick, hard length of him.

crawling back up your body, hanbin settles between your thighs again, the head of his cock nudging against your soaked entrance. he leans down to capture your lips in a searing kiss, letting you taste yourself on his tongue as he slowly pushes inside you with a low groan.

"fuck, you feel incredible," he praises, his voice strained with pleasure as he hilts inside you completely. "so fucking tight and perfect, like you were made just for me."

you wrap your legs around his waist, the heels of your feet digging into his ass as he begins to move, thrusting in and out of you with deep, powerful strokes. the pleasure is intense, unlike anything you've ever felt before, and you can't help but clench down around him, drawing him in deeper.

hanbin sets a relentless pace, pounding into you with a passion and hunger that steals your breath away, and you know your neighbours will surely hear the lewd noises spilling from your lips - but you can't bring yourself to care. all that matters is the feeling of hanbin moving inside you, claiming you, owning you in the most primal way possible.

"yes, fuck yes!" you cry out, your nails raking down his back as you cling to him, meeting him thrust for thrust. "harder, hanbin! fuck me harder!"

he complies with a dark chuckle, hammering into you with renewed vigour, the wet squelch of your joined bodies filling the room obscenely. you can feel your climax building again, your walls starting to flutter and tighten around his pistoning cock.

"that's it, princess," hanbin pants, his breath hot against your ear. "cum for me. i want to feel you cum all over my cock like the dirty girl you are."

his filthy words are your undoing, and with a sharp cry of his name, you shatter, your orgasm crashing through you like a tidal wave. your pussy clamps down around him like a vice, pulsing and milking his cock as he continues to pound into your spasming heat.

hanbin lets out a guttural moan, his rhythm faltering as he buries himself deep inside you one last time. his cock throbs and jerks as he finds his own release, spilling his hot seed deep inside your clenching cunt. he collapses against you, both of you panting and trembling in the aftermath of your intense coupling.

as you lie there, basking in the afterglow, you can't help but think that this is a far cry from the hatred and disdain you normally feel for your fake boyfriend. right now, in this moment, you can't imagine wanting anyone else touching you, pleasuring you, fucking you like this. and if you're being honest with yourself... you never want it to end.

the morning light filtered softly through your bedroom curtains, casting a warm glow across the room. your body felt heavy, your muscles still a little sore from the previous night. as you stirred awake, you slowly blinked, adjusting to the gentle brightness of the morning. before you could register anything else, your eyes landed on hanbin, standing on the opposite side of the bed.

he was adjusting his shirt, the same one from yesterday, slightly wrinkled from being worn overnight. his movements were slow, deliberate, and oddly careful as if he was trying not to wake you. when he noticed you were awake, his gaze met yours, a small, knowing smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

"morning," he greeted, his voice softer than usual.

you swallowed, suddenly feeling shy. the memories of the previous night flashed through your mind, heat creeping up your neck. "morning," you murmured back, your voice still heavy with sleep.

hanbin tilted his head slightly, observing you. "how are you feeling?"

"i'm okay... just a little tired still."

he nodded, walking around the bed and crouching beside you. "stay in bed. i'll make breakfast."

before you could protest, he placed a firm yet gentle hand on your shoulder, pushing you back down onto the mattress. you sighed but didn’t fight it. the way he was being so thoughtful and caring made your chest tighten. you weren't used to this kind of treatment.

"okay," you relented softly.

hanbin grinned. "good. i’ll be back in a bit."

he left the room, leaving you to stare at the ceiling, trying to process everything. last night had been... different. the intimacy, the way he had held you—it was new. despite his usual teasing and arrogance, last night he had been passionate. attentive.

within ten minutes, hanbin returned, carefully balancing a tray with a plate full of breakfast and a glass of mango juice. the aroma of warm food instantly filled the room, making your stomach rumble.

"breakfast is served," he announced, setting the tray down on your bedside table before handing you the plate.

"thank you," you said sincerely, picking up your fork and taking a bite.

hanbin sat on the edge of the bed, reaching for a hairbrush on your nightstand. without saying a word, he gently ran the brush through your hair, untangling the knots from sleep as you continued eating. the motion was soothing, almost hypnotic.

"you okay with last night?" he asked suddenly, his voice softer now, almost hesitant.

you swallowed your bite of food and turned to look at him. his expression was unreadable, but there was something behind his eyes—concern, uncertainty. before he could say more, he added, "if you didn’t enjoy it or if i made you uncomfortable, i—"

"hanbin," you cut him off, placing your hand over his. "it was okay. i really enjoyed it."

his shoulders relaxed slightly, but he still looked like he needed more reassurance.

"i just..." you hesitated, choosing your words carefully. "i act guarded because... well, it’s just how i protect myself."

he nodded, brushing out a final knot in your hair before setting the brush down. "i get it. i won’t push."

you smiled slightly. "i know."

after a brief pause, he clapped his hands together. "alright, what do you wanna wear today?"

you pointed toward your closet. "that beige knit sweater with the black slacks."

hanbin stood up and went to retrieve them, neatly laying them out on your bed. he made a show of smoothing out the wrinkles, acting as if he was your personal stylist.

"perfect choice, my dear girlfriend," he teased, and for once, you didn’t roll your eyes at his antics.

"thanks, my very considerate boyfriend," you replied, making him chuckle.

after finishing breakfast, hanbin took the tray from you. "i’ll do the dishes. you freshen up."

"you don’t have to—"

"shhh." he placed a finger over your lips before you could argue. "go."

reluctantly, you obeyed, heading into the bathroom. as you stood in front of the mirror, you took a deep breath, staring at your reflection. today felt... different. hanbin was different. maybe things were changing between you two.

once you were fully ready, dressed, and your makeup subtly done, you walked out to find hanbin already by the front door, car keys in hand. he looked up at you and gave an approving nod.

"looking good," he commented.

"you don’t look too bad yourself," you said before realizing what you had just admitted.

hanbin’s smirk widened. "did you just—"

"shut up," you muttered, pushing past him as he laughed.

on the drive to set, the usual bickering and playful remarks were replaced with a heavy silence. not uncomfortable, but... different. hanbin was quieter than usual, glancing at you every so often. the tension from last night lingered between you both, thick and unspoken.

"you’re being weird," you finally said, breaking the silence.

"me?" he raised an eyebrow. "you’re the one being quiet."

you scoffed. "you’re usually unbearable by now. where’s the arrogant hanbin i know?"

he chuckled, shaking his head. "maybe i’m just giving you a break."

you side-eyed him. "or maybe you’re just nervous."

he scoffed. "please. me? nervous? over what?"

you shrugged. "you tell me."

hanbin didn’t answer, instead keeping his eyes on the road. the silence returned, but it was heavier now, filled with questions neither of you wanted to be the first to ask.

when you arrived at the filming venue, hanbin parked the car and unbuckled his seatbelt before stepping out. you reached for your own seatbelt, but before you could undo it, your door swung open. hanbin stood there, leaning down slightly as he reached in and unbuckled it for you.

you blinked up at him. "i can do that myself, you know."

"i know." his voice was quiet, almost teasing, but not quite. "but where’s the fun in that?"

he held out a hand, and after a slight hesitation, you took it. he helped you out of the car before releasing your hand, walking beside you toward the set.

though his usual arrogance wasn’t present, there was something else—an unspoken understanding, a shift in whatever this relationship between you two was becoming.

whatever it was, you weren’t sure yet. but as you walked together, side by side, you knew something had changed. the air between you held an unfamiliar weight, something fragile yet undeniable. each glance held a question, each movement seemed more deliberate. it wasn’t just routine anymore. something deeper was settling in, and for the first time, you weren’t sure whether you wanted to fight it—or let it happen.

the atmosphere on set buzzed with excitement as the crew prepared for another day of filming. you were adjusting your costume in front of the mirror when the sound of an unfamiliar voice echoed through the set. turning your head slightly, you saw a tall figure walking in with confident strides, his warm smile effortlessly charming everyone in the room.

"juhan!" you called out in pleasant surprise, immediately recognizing him. it had been a while since you had seen him, but the familiarity between you two was instant.

"hey, look at you! still stealing the spotlight, i see." juhan smirked as he approached, his deep, warm voice carrying a teasing edge.

"please, you flatter me," you laughed, playfully rolling your eyes. "what are you even doing here?"

"turns out, i'm your new co-star. thought i’d spice things up around here." he winked, making you chuckle.

hanbin, standing a few feet away, subtly tensed as he watched the exchange unfold. his fingers curled into his palm as he forced himself to remain composed. he wasn't the type to get jealous—or so he told himself—but something about the way you and juhan interacted made something burn uncomfortably in his chest.

"well, that explains all the excitement," you said, grinning. "i'm glad you’re here. it'll be fun working together."

"yeah, it will be. i mean, with you on set, how could it not?" juhan's smile was effortless, natural. he had this way of making you feel at ease, and hanbin hated that he noticed it.

hanbin finally decided he had seen enough. he took a step forward, clearing his throat loudly. "so, you two know each other?" he asked, his voice casual but his gaze sharp.

"oh yeah, we worked on a project together a couple of years ago," you explained. "juhan was my first on-screen partner."

hanbin let out a slow breath through his nose. "interesting."

"yeah, we had great chemistry," juhan added, nudging your arm playfully.

hanbin’s jaw tightened. "that so?"

you caught the subtle shift in hanbin’s expression, the way his eyes darkened just a fraction. the tension was thick, almost suffocating, and you weren’t sure why it unsettled you. you felt a little guilty—though you didn’t owe hanbin anything, you couldn’t deny that his reaction made you a little nervous.

"anyway, i should probably let you get back to preparing," juhan said with a charming grin. "we’ll catch up more later."

as soon as juhan walked away, hanbin seized the moment to step closer to you. "hey, we should rehearse before shooting."

his tone was light, but there was something about the way he said it that made it clear: this wasn’t just about rehearsing. still, you nodded. "sure. let’s go."

hanbin led you to a quieter part of the set where fewer people lingered. as you went through your lines, you both fell into the rhythm of your characters, but the unspoken tension between you and hanbin lingered. every now and then, you caught him sneaking glances at you, as if he wanted to say something but couldn’t bring himself to.

just then, soojin, one of the assistants who had always admired your work, approached with a bright smile. "that was amazing! your delivery was spot on."

you smiled warmly. "thank you, soojin. that means a lot."

"i’ve always been such a fan of your work," she admitted, practically beaming. "you bring so much depth to your roles. it’s inspiring."

flattered, you chuckled. "that’s really sweet of you to say."

hanbin, standing beside you, watched the interaction with a growing sense of irritation. it wasn’t that he had an issue with people complimenting you—it was that you were actually receiving the admiration, basking in it. and when soojin placed a friendly hand on your shoulder, hanbin’s patience officially ran out.

"alright," hanbin interjected smoothly, stepping in between you and soojin with a tight smile. "we should probably get back to rehearsing."

you raised an eyebrow. "we were just talking."

"yeah, well, we have a schedule to keep," hanbin replied, not missing the way soojin’s hand dropped from your shoulder.

soojin, oblivious to the underlying tension, nodded. "of course! i’ll leave you to it."

as she walked away, you turned to hanbin, arms crossed. "was that really necessary?"

"what? we do need to rehearse," he said, feigning innocence.

"uh-huh," you said, unconvinced. "or are you just annoyed that soojin complimented me?"

hanbin scoffed. "please, i don’t get annoyed over little things like that."

you gave him a knowing look. "right. and earlier? with juhan?"

his jaw clenched for half a second before he masked it with a smirk. "what about earlier?"

"hanbin," you said, exasperated. "you’re being ridiculous."

he tilted his head slightly, his expression unreadable. "am i? or do you just not want to admit that you like the attention?"

your breath hitched slightly at his words. before you could respond, he leaned in just a fraction, his voice dropping lower. "it’s funny. i don’t recall you ever touching me the way you did soojin."

heat rushed to your face. "that’s different."

"is it?" hanbin’s smirk deepened, but there was an edge to it now. "you seemed pretty comfortable. i’m just wondering where my special treatment is."

"you’re unbelievable," you muttered, pushing past him, but he caught your wrist gently.

"i’m just saying," he murmured, holding your gaze. "if you’re gonna give out attention like that, don’t blame me for wanting my fair share."

you felt your heartbeat quicken, but before you could say anything else, a crew member called for you both to return to set. hanbin released your wrist slowly, but not before running his thumb lightly over your skin, sending a shiver down your spine.

as you both walked back, you couldn’t ignore the shift in hanbin’s demeanour. the possessiveness, the quiet jealousy—it was all new, and it was stirring something in you that you weren’t sure how to handle.

whatever was happening between you two, one thing was certain: things were getting complicated.

the air was thick with the heat of the stage lights, the scent of coffee lingering in the air as the crew buzzed around, resetting the cameras and adjusting the lighting for the next scene. you had just wrapped up a particularly draining shoot, and the exhaustion clung to your body like a heavy blanket. the long hours, the constant retakes, the demand for perfection—it was beginning to take its toll.

wiping a bead of sweat from your forehead, you took a deep breath, rubbing your temples as you tried to shake off the fatigue when juhan appeared beside you with his usual easy-going smile. he always had a way of making everything seem less overwhelming.

"looks like we’ve got some time before the next scene," he said, stretching his arms over his head with a dramatic yawn. "wanna take a break somewhere quiet? i know a good spot."

you hesitated for a moment, glancing around. hanbin was nowhere in sight—likely caught up in a costume change. it wouldn’t hurt to step away for a bit. "yeah, actually, that sounds nice."

juhan grinned and led you through the winding corridors of the film set until you reached a secluded outdoor seating area tucked behind the venue. it was small and intimate, the kind of space that felt hidden away from the chaos. a few trees cast soft shadows over the space, their leaves rustling in the gentle breeze, and the distant hum of the city was barely audible. it was peaceful, a rare moment of stillness amidst the chaos of filming.

he flopped down onto one of the benches, patting the spot beside him. "come on, sit. let’s pretend we’re not actors for a little while."

you let out a small laugh, sinking into the seat next to him. "god, i need this. filming today has been exhausting. i feel like i’ve been running on autopilot."

"tell me about it," he groaned dramatically, throwing his head back against the wooden bench. "i swear, if i have to redo one more take because of a lighting issue, i might just run away and become a farmer instead."

you chuckled, shaking your head. "i think you'd be a terrible farmer. you'd get bored in five minutes."

he gasped, feigning offense. "excuse you! i’d be an amazing farmer. wake up early, take care of my crops, talk to my chickens—"

"talk to your chickens?" you raised an eyebrow, amused.

"obviously. they’d be my emotional support animals. i’d tell them all my problems," he said, leaning in as if sharing a secret. "‘hey, mr. cluckles, today’s shoot was rough. what do you think i should do?’"

"and what would mr. cluckles say?" you played along, a small smile tugging at your lips.

juhan pursed his lips in thought before putting on a mock serious expression. "he’d say, ‘juhan, my boy, you need to relax. eat some corn. take a nap.’"

that was it. the first genuine laugh of the day burst out of you, making your shoulders shake. juhan’s eyes lit up at the sound, clearly proud of himself.

"see?" he nudged you. "mission accomplished. got you to laugh."

"okay, fine," you admitted, still chuckling. "maybe you wouldn’t be the worst farmer. but still a terrible one."

he grinned. "fair enough. but honestly, i get it. filming has been intense. and being in the public eye just makes it harder, right?"

as the laughter faded, you nodded, exhaling. "yeah. it’s like, even when i’m not working, i’m still working. there’s always some article, some interview, some comment section picking apart every little thing. it’s exhausting."

juhan hummed in agreement, his expression thoughtful. "yep. you have to be ‘on’ all the time. people forget we’re actual human beings."

"exactly!" you gestured with your hands, getting more animated. "and if you show even the slightest bit of imperfection, it’s like the whole world is ready to pounce on you. it’s suffocating."

he studied you for a moment before nodding. "yeah… it is. and it’s hard to know who actually sees you for you, and who just sees you as some… image."

you sighed, leaning back against the bench. "it’s like no matter what, we’re performing. even when we’re not on camera."

juhan sat quietly for a moment before turning to you with a small, knowing smile. "wanna hear something embarrassing?"

you raised an eyebrow. "always."

he laughed. "okay, so back when i first started acting, i had this tiny role in a drama. like, blink and you’ll miss me kind of tiny. but it was my first real gig, so i was nervous as hell."

"go on," you urged, intrigued.

"so, my scene comes up, and all i have to do is walk into a room, set down a tray of drinks, and say one line. easy, right?" he grinned, shaking his head. "wrong. because somehow, i managed to trip over my own feet, send the drinks flying, and—get this—knock over the lead actress’s chair in the process."

your eyes widened. "no way."

"oh, it gets worse." he groaned, covering his face for a second before continuing. "instead of apologizing like a normal person, i panicked and just… ran."

that did it. you burst into laughter, doubling over as you tried to picture the scene. "you ran?"

"full sprint!" he confirmed, laughing along with you. "they had to chase me down just to reshoot."

"i can’t believe that actually happened." you shook your head, still giggling.

"oh, believe it. i still get teased about it to this day." he sighed dramatically, placing a hand over his heart. "truly one of my proudest moments."

as your laughter subsided, you realized how much lighter you felt. juhan had a way of making things feel… easier. like the weight of expectations didn’t matter for a little while.

he leaned back, looking up at the sky. "you know, i don’t think i’ve seen you smile this much all day."

you blinked, caught off guard. "really?"

"yeah," he said, his voice softer now. "i know things have been stressful, but i hope you have more moments like this. where you can just be yourself."

his words lingered between you, warm and genuine. for a moment, you simply sat there, appreciating the rare moment of peace before the chaos of filming resumed.

and despite the exhaustion, despite everything, you felt a little lighter than before.

but the moment of peace didn’t last long.

as you laughed at another one of juhan’s jokes, a familiar presence approached from behind. hanbin’s voice rang out, light-hearted but laced with something else, something sharper beneath the surface.

“i see you two are having a good time,” he said, his tone dripping with forced cheerfulness. “should i be worried that i’ll have to fight for y/n’s attention now?”

his signature smirk was plastered across his face, but his eyes told a different story. before you could react, his hand found its way to your waist, his grip firm and deliberate.

juhan, however, remained unfazed, flashing a grin as he leaned back against the bench. “ah, hanbin. don’t worry, i’d never steal your beloved,” he teased, glancing at you before adding, “unless she wanted me to, of course.”

hanbin chuckled, but you felt the tension rolling off him in waves. his fingers lightly squeezed your side, and you shifted slightly under his touch. something about the way he was acting made the atmosphere heavy, like an unsaid battle was happening right in front of you.

“bold of you,” hanbin mused, cocking his head. “but i think she’s got enough on her plate without you making things complicated.”

juhan laughed, completely at ease. “oh, no complications here. just some friendly conversation while we waited. right, y/n?” he turned to you, offering an easy smile.

you nodded slowly, glancing between them. it was clear to you now—hanbin wasn’t just joking. he was jealous. and while you weren’t entirely sure how to feel about that, you didn’t want to let the tension escalate any further.

“actually, juhan, could you give us a moment?” you asked, your voice gentle but firm.

juhan raised his brows slightly before nodding, his smile never faltering. “of course. i’ll see you later, y/n.” he shot hanbin a knowing glance before walking off, leaving you alone with him.

hanbin exhaled, rolling his shoulders back as if shaking off some invisible weight. he turned to you, a careful mask of indifference on his face.

“you didn’t have to do that,” he said, though you caught the flicker of satisfaction in his eyes.

you sighed. “hanbin, i didn’t want you to feel uncomfortable.”

his lips quirked into a small smirk. “uncomfortable? why would i be uncomfortable?”

“because,” you started, searching his face, “you were obviously jealous.”

hanbin let out a scoff, though it sounded more defensive than amused. “jealous? please. if anything, i was just amused watching juhan try so hard.”

“hanbin, come on. don’t do that.”

he ran a hand through his hair, exhaling. “do what?”

“act like it doesn’t bother you when it clearly does.”

hanbin studied you for a moment, his gaze unreadable. then, as if deflecting, he leaned in closer, his smirk returning. “you really care what i think that much?”

“of course i do. you and i—” you hesitated, your throat tightening slightly. “i don’t want you feeling weird about anything. we’ve been spending so much time together, and… after what happened, i don’t want there to be any awkwardness.”

hanbin’s smirk faltered for a split second. his playful façade wavered before he chuckled, shaking his head.

“y/n,” he said, voice quieter now. “we’re a fake couple. remember?”

his words hit like a punch to the stomach. you hadn’t expected that to sting as much as it did. something about hearing him say it so plainly, so casually, made your chest tighten.

“right,” you murmured, looking away.

he must’ve noticed the way your expression changed because his grip on your waist tightened slightly. when you finally met his gaze again, something unreadable flickered across his face.

“y/n,” he started, but you cut him off.

“we spent the night together,” you reminded him, your voice barely above a whisper.

his jaw tensed. for the first time, hanbin had no witty remark, no teasing comeback. he simply stared at you, his fingers tightening for just a second before he suddenly pulled you close.

his embrace was firm, almost desperate, like he was afraid of letting you slip through his fingers. his breath was warm against your hair as he held you there, his heartbeat steady but slightly erratic.

“hanbin,” you whispered, but he shook his head against you.

“don’t overthink it,” he murmured, his lips barely brushing against your temple. “just… stay here for a second.”

hesitating only for a moment, you let your hands rest lightly against his back. despite everything, despite the confusing whirlwind of emotions swirling between you two, you let yourself melt into the embrace. because for that moment, even if just for a second, you didn’t want to be a fake couple either.

his grip tightened slightly before he finally spoke again. “y/n,” he murmured against your hair, voice barely above a whisper. “what are we doing?”

your breath hitched, but you didn’t answer.

because truthfully, you weren’t sure anymore.

you sat comfortably on the couch in hyojoo’s office, a warm cup of tea in your hands as you mindlessly scrolled through your phone. the atmosphere was relaxed, the soft hum of her laptop filling the room. it was supposed to be a casual hangout, a chance to unwind after the chaotic filming schedule, but hyojoo’s sharp voice quickly interrupted the peace.

“so, have you seen the latest articles?” she asked, barely concealing her amusement as she looked up from her screen.

curious, you glanced at her. “what now?”

hyojoo smirked before spinning her laptop toward you. bold headlines from multiple entertainment sites filled the screen, along with several photos of you and juhan laughing together on set. the camera had perfectly captured the effortless way you interacted with him, your expressions open and familiar. beneath the images were headlines like: ‘a new romance blooming? juhan and y/n’s undeniable chemistry sparks curiosity.’

“are you serious?” you scoffed, pushing your cup aside as you leaned closer to read. “they think i’m with juhan?”

hyojoo shrugged, crossing her arms. “well, you’ve been fake dating hanbin, but the media loves a fresh angle. and juhan? he’s got that easy charm that makes people want to ship him with anyone.”

she clicked on another tab, revealing a poll with the question: ‘who does y/n have better chemistry with? hanbin or juhan?’ unsurprisingly, hanbin was winning by a landslide.

“well, at least that’s reassuring,” you muttered, rolling your eyes. “the fake relationship is still strong.”

hyojoo gave you a knowing look. “speaking of which… you and hanbin. anything new?”

her tone was too casual, too pointed. your fingers tensed slightly around your phone. “uh—”

“don’t even try to dodge this. spill,” she demanded, her sharp eyes practically pinning you in place. “you have that guilty look.”

you sighed, running a hand through your hair. “we… spent the night together.”

hyojoo’s jaw dropped. “excuse me?”

“after the q&a at my house,” you clarified quickly, your face heating up. “it just happened.”

“oh my god.” hyojoo practically vibrated with excitement. “why am i just hearing about this now? details. now.”

“keep your voice down!” you hissed, looking around despite knowing no one else was there.

she waved off your concern. “i don’t care if the whole world hears. you and hanbin? finally? do you even understand how long i’ve been waiting for this?”

“it’s not like that,” you mumbled, looking away. “it was just… in the moment.”

hyojoo’s grin softened slightly, and she leaned forward. “okay, but be honest—do you like him?”

that question made you freeze. after a long pause, you exhaled. “i don’t know,” you admitted. “it feels different now. like, before, it was easy to separate acting from reality, but after that night, everything feels… real.”

hyojoo studied you for a moment before nodding. “so you do like him.”

“i think so.” you swallowed hard. “but then juhan came along, and now everything is more confusing.”

hyojoo groaned, rubbing her temples. “oh my god, y/n. don’t tell me you’re actually considering juhan.”

“it’s not like that!” you defended quickly. “it’s just… ever since he arrived, hanbin has been acting weird. distant. what if he’s losing interest?”

hyojoo rolled her eyes dramatically. “please. hanbin is the most stubborn, competitive man i’ve ever met. you really think he’d just lose interest in you? he’s probably fuming every time he sees you with juhan.”

“but what if he’s pulling away because of it?” you asked, biting your lip. “what if—”

“you are overthinking everything.” hyojoo cut you off with an exasperated groan. “you and hanbin have been fake dating for a while now, and let’s not forget the private moments you two have shared. if he didn’t care, he wouldn’t be acting weird at all.”

you hesitated. “i don’t know…”

hyojoo gave you a deadpan stare. “you are impossible.”

“sorry?”

“you should be.”

you chuckled nervously, sinking deeper into the couch. “so… what do i do?”

hyojoo smirked, leaning back with an air of confidence. “simple. if you like hanbin, tell him. stop making this harder than it needs to be.”

her words lingered in your mind, settling deep in your chest. maybe she was right. maybe it was time to stop second-guessing and finally take a step forward.

the sun hung lazily in the sky, casting a golden glow over the filming venue as you walked out of your trailer, drone floating effortlessly behind you. the soft whirring of its blades was a comforting background noise as you turned to greet the camera, a small smile on your lips.

"good morning, guys," you said, your voice light and warm. "today's a filming day, so i thought i’d take you with me and show you around."

you adjusted the angle slightly before heading toward the hair and makeup section. the usual routine went smoothly—foundation, blush, a bit of contour, all while your stylist teased you about your newfound dedication to vlogging. once you were in costume, stomach grumbling slightly, you decided to grab some food before heading to set.

as you navigated through the trailers, you spotted juhan already at the catering table, casually stacking food onto his plate. his eyes flicked up when he noticed you, his signature grin forming.

"well, well," he mused, glancing at the drone. "should i be worried? am i being watched?"

laughing, you shook your head. "it's for vlogging. figured i’d show people what a day on set looks like."

juhan immediately turned to the drone, his confidence kicking in as he offered a charismatic wave. "hello, dear viewers! welcome to the chaotic world of filmmaking."

you giggled, shaking your head. "you should join me for a mukbang."

"absolutely," he said without hesitation, motioning toward the seating area. "let’s eat."

setting up the camera at a good angle, you both began eating, talking about the different dishes available, juhan occasionally throwing in exaggerated reactions to the food, making you laugh. the energy between you was light and easy, and it was clear the camera was picking up on that.

"so, y/n," juhan said between bites, "is this drone your new best friend? should i be jealous?"

you laughed. "honestly? it’s pretty loyal. always follows me around."

"i’ll have to work hard to compete then." he smirked, taking another bite.

midway through, a familiar voice cut through the conversation. "what’s this?"

you turned to see hanbin approaching, hands in his pockets, eyes flickering toward the drone before landing on you. "you’re vlogging?"

"yep," you replied casually. "figured i’d document a filming day."

hanbin smirked, stepping closer to the camera. "well then, hello to all of y/n’s viewers. you’re welcome, by the way, for gracing this vlog with my presence."

you rolled your eyes but couldn’t help the smile tugging at your lips. juhan, ever observant, seemed to notice the way you were looking at hanbin and took that as his cue to leave.

"i should probably go," juhan said smoothly, standing up. "i’ll see you later, y/n."

hanbin’s smirk only widened as juhan walked away, his hand immediately finding your waist, thumb grazing the fabric of your costume. "looks like i scared him off," he mused.

"you're insufferable," you muttered, but the warmth spreading in your chest was undeniable.

taking the opportunity, you turned back to the camera, gesturing toward hanbin. "so, as usual, here’s my boyfriend."

hanbin’s grip on your waist tightened slightly as he nodded. "proudly so."

your stomach did a little flip at that, and you quickly turned the conversation toward the set, leading hanbin around as you continued filming. despite the constant movement, his hand never left your waist, his presence grounding in a way that was both comforting and thrilling.

after some time, you sighed. "i need to brush my teeth."

hanbin arched a brow. "should the camera come along for that?"

you shrugged with a teasing smile. "why not?"

his eyes twinkled mischievously. "this should be fun."

with the drone floating behind you both, you made your way to the bathroom trailer. hanbin leaned casually against the doorframe, watching as you grabbed your toothbrush and toothpaste.

"so, dear viewers," hanbin addressed the camera with a dramatic flair. "this is a rare behind-the-scenes moment of y/n’s daily dental care routine."

you chuckled as you began brushing, watching his reflection in the mirror as he continued talking.

"did you guys know," he continued, crossing his arms, "that y/n is the most meticulous teeth brusher in the world? truly, a sight to behold."

amused, you flicked some water at him, making him laugh. as you moved on to gently brushing your lips, removing any dead skin, he kept talking, his voice a steady, comforting presence.

"also, fun fact," he said, tilting his head. "she takes brushing her tongue very seriously."

you rolled your eyes, scraping your tongue with exaggerated movements just to play along. hanbin chuckled, shaking his head fondly.

"you’re ridiculous," you muttered, rinsing your mouth.

he leaned closer, smirking. "you love it."

you shot him a look through the mirror, heart skipping a beat at the way he was watching you.

as you set your toothbrush down and wiped your mouth, hanbin glanced at you with a raised brow. "you good?"

you swallowed, nodding. "yeah. just… thinking."

his smirk softened into something gentler. "don’t hurt yourself."

you nudged him playfully, the usual banter covering up the whirlwind of emotions stirring inside you.

as the drone hovered nearby, capturing the moment, you realized something else.

for the first time in a long time, you didn’t mind being watched.

because if anyone were to see the way you looked at hanbin, they’d know the truth.

you had fallen for him. completely.

the sun was still rising when you found yourself pacing outside one of the quieter sections of the set, the cool morning air brushing against your skin. you had been rehearsing the conversation in your mind all night, but now that the moment had arrived, your heart pounded against your ribs. every inhale felt shaky, every thought swirling in your head more chaotic than the last.

juhan arrived right on time, wearing his usual relaxed smile, hands stuffed in his pockets as he approached. "you wanted to talk?" he asked, tilting his head slightly. "you look nervous. should i be worried?"

exhaling, you gestured toward the bench nearby. "let’s sit."

he nodded, following your lead as you both settled onto the bench. the morning bustle of the film set carried on in the background—crew members adjusting lights, actors reviewing lines—but here, in this tucked-away corner, it felt like the world had momentarily paused. birds chirped in the distance, the faint hum of conversation surrounding you, but none of it compared to the pounding in your chest.

"look, juhan," you began, your fingers gripping the fabric of your costume as you willed yourself to speak steadily, "i’ve really enjoyed our time together. you're an amazing person, truly, and i’ve loved getting to know you."

his expression softened, though a flicker of something unreadable crossed his face. "but?"

his voice was gentle, expectant, and yet there was an undeniable edge of resignation in his eyes. you swallowed, meeting his gaze directly. "but i’m dating hanbin. and… my feelings for him are stronger than i ever expected them to be."

juhan held your gaze for a moment before exhaling through his nose, a small, wry smile tugging at his lips. "i figured," he admitted, leaning back against the bench. "you look at him differently. i noticed it yesterday."

heat crept up your neck, but you didn’t deny it. "i don’t want to lead you on or let any confusion linger between us. you’re important to me, but i see you as a friend. i don’t think that’s going to change."

juhan was quiet for a moment, his fingers tapping absently against his knee. the silence stretched between you, not necessarily heavy, but thick with unspoken words. then, with a small chuckle, he shook his head. "you know, i could’ve made this difficult for you. could’ve pretended i didn’t see it, could’ve made things messy." his eyes flicked to yours, playful yet sincere. "but i respect you too much for that. and if i'm being honest? i respect hanbin too."

relief washed over you, a weight lifting from your chest. "so… we’re good?"

he sighed dramatically, placing a hand over his heart. "i suppose i’ll live."

it made you laugh, the tension between you breaking just a little. there was still something bittersweet in the air, but you were grateful for the way he handled it. juhan had always been confident, easy-going, but underneath all that was someone who truly cared.

"thank you, juhan. really."

he smiled, his usual confidence tinged with something softer. "you’re worth being honest for, y/n. and hanbin? he’s lucky."

before you could respond, a crew member jogged over, calling out juhan’s name. he glanced toward them before turning back to you, standing up. "looks like i’ve got a costume fix. duty calls."

he hesitated for just a fraction of a second before reaching out, giving your hand a light squeeze. it was brief but meaningful, a silent way of saying that he understood, that there were no hard feelings. then, with a final wink, he turned on his heel and walked away.

watching him leave, you exhaled, feeling lighter than you had in days. the conversation you had dreaded was now behind you, and there were no more uncertainties, no more lingering questions.

only one thing remained—telling hanbin how you truly felt. and this time, you weren’t going to hold back.

you moved through the bustling set, mentally preparing yourself for the next scene. your costume clung comfortably to your form, and the soft hum of conversation between crew members filled the air. then, as you passed a quiet corner where you usually waited for your turn on set, you spotted him.

hanbin.

he was standing there, his posture tense, hands tucked into the pockets of his jacket. his usually smug expression was absent, replaced with something unreadable—serious, almost hesitant. the second his gaze met yours, he straightened, his features shifting into a more resolute expression. without a word, he stepped forward, his movements purposeful.

“y/n,” he spoke softly but insistently, his voice steady, yet holding an edge of something deeper. “can we talk? before we go back to filming?”

you hesitated for only a second before nodding. something about his tone sent a nervous flutter through your chest. wordlessly, you followed as he led you away from the noise of the set, guiding you to a secluded area tucked between the trailers. it was quiet, private, the sounds of the production fading into the background.

hanbin exhaled deeply, rubbing the back of his neck as if he were gathering his thoughts. when he finally looked at you, his eyes were unguarded in a way you weren’t used to seeing.

“i don’t know how to say this,” he started, his voice lower, more vulnerable than usual. “but... i can’t keep pretending anymore.”

your breath hitched. “what do you mean?”

his lips pressed together for a brief moment before he stepped closer, closing the space between you. “this whole fake dating thing... it was never really fake for me.”

your heart pounded as his words sank in. hanbin? the one who had always been so composed, so effortlessly in control, now looked at you like he was baring a piece of himself he wasn’t sure you’d accept.

he shifted, as if struggling with how to proceed, then let out a quiet chuckle—self-deprecating, almost nervous. “i’ve developed feelings for you, y/n. real ones.”

you felt like the world had stilled.

“hanbin...” you started, but he wasn’t done.

“i’ve been trying to ignore it,” he admitted, his eyes searching yours for any sign of hesitation. “telling myself it was just part of the job. but i can’t anymore. every time i see you, i...” he exhaled sharply. “i want more. i want to be with you, not just pretend. and i know we’ve been playing this game, but it’s not a game to me anymore. it hasn’t been for a while.”

his confession left you breathless. he looked at you like he was standing on the edge of something unknown, waiting for you to either pull him back or take the leap with him.

the realization hit you like a tidal wave—you felt the same.

a slow smile formed on your lips, your voice barely above a whisper. “you idiot.”

hanbin blinked, caught off guard. “what?”

“i’ve been falling for you too.” the words left your lips before you could second-guess them, and the way hanbin’s expression shifted—his lips parting slightly, his eyes darkening with something unspoken—made your stomach flip.

a tension neither of you had ever acknowledged fully before crackled between you. you barely had time to process it before he took a step forward, and then another, until he was so close you could feel the heat radiating from him. his hand came up, fingers brushing along your jaw, hesitating just long enough to give you the chance to pull away. but you didn’t.

you leaned in first.

and then his lips met yours.

it was slow at first, almost cautious, but the moment hanbin felt you respond, he deepened the kiss. his hand moved to cup your face, his thumb grazing your cheek as his lips moved against yours with an intensity that sent a shiver down your spine. he tasted like mint and something unmistakably him, a warmth that spread through you like wildfire.

your hands found their way to his chest, fingers curling into the fabric of his shirt as he pressed closer, his other hand finding its way to the small of your back. he kissed you like he had been waiting for this moment forever, like he needed to make sure you understood exactly what he felt for you. his lips molded against yours in a rhythm that felt natural, like you had done this a thousand times before, even though this was the first.

his fingers threaded through your hair, pulling you even closer, and you sighed into the kiss, losing yourself in the feeling of him. it was dizzying, the way he made you feel—like you had stepped into something irreversible, something neither of you could take back, nor would you want to.

when you finally broke apart, your breaths mingling in the space between you, hanbin rested his forehead against yours. neither of you spoke for a moment, the weight of everything settling between you.

finally, he let out a soft chuckle. “so... i guess that means it’s mutual?”

you laughed breathlessly. “took you long enough to say something.”

hanbin pulled back just enough to look at you, his signature smirk making a return—but this time, it was softer, more genuine. “we should tell the agencies tomorrow.”

you nodded. “yeah. let’s make it real.”

his grip on your waist tightened slightly. “we’ll figure it out together.”

you smiled, your heart still racing, but this time it wasn’t from uncertainty. it was from excitement.

this wasn’t fake anymore. this was real.

and for the first time in a long time, everything felt exactly as it should be.

the meeting room was the same as always—bright, sterile, and professional. the long, polished table gleamed under the overhead lighting, and the walls were lined with framed posters of past successful projects. but today, despite the familiar setting, everything felt different.

you walked in with hyojoo beside you, your fingers subtly gripping the edge of your sleeve, a nervous habit you hadn’t quite shaken. across the table, hanbin was already seated. the moment your eyes met, your stomach flipped. you couldn’t tell if it was anxiety or excitement, but his gaze was steady, reassuring. a silent message passed between you: we’ve got this.

“you okay?” hyojoo whispered as she leaned slightly toward you.

you nodded, exhaling slowly. “just nervous.”

“don’t be,” she said with a small smirk. “this is gonna be fun.”

just as you took your seats, the agency representatives shifted in their chairs, clearing their throats as they prepared to begin. hanbin’s agent, a sharp-eyed man with an ever-serious expression, folded his hands together. your agency’s representative, a composed woman in her forties, adjusted her glasses and prepared her notes. the usual routine. you knew exactly what was coming: an update on the status of your fake relationship, potential adjustments to the media narrative, future appearances together.

but before anyone could speak, hanbin leaned forward slightly and interjected.

“actually,” he said, his voice firm but calm. “before we start, y/n and i have something to announce.”

a brief silence filled the room. everyone turned their attention toward the two of you, their expressions shifting from neutral to concerned. hyojoo shot you a side glance, intrigued.

hanbin inhaled sharply, sitting back in his chair as he dragged a hand through his hair. “i can’t do this anymore,” he muttered, his tone tense.

the shift in the atmosphere was immediate. his agent’s brows furrowed. the representatives exchanged uneasy glances. even hyojoo stiffened beside you.

“hanbin—” his agent started, but hanbin held up a hand, cutting him off.

“it’s been unbearable,” he continued, his voice rising slightly. “this entire thing… it’s been driving me insane. keeping up this façade, pretending day after day, lying to the world. it’s infuriating.”

he clenched his jaw, shaking his head. his body language screamed frustration, and you could practically hear the silent panic settling in the room. hyojoo’s grip tightened on your wrist under the table, likely holding back a laugh.

his performance was impeccable.

of course, you knew better. you knew hanbin—knew the way his eyes sparkled when he was up to something, the way his lips twitched just slightly when he was suppressing a smirk. he was playing his part flawlessly, making every single person in the room believe he was on the verge of walking out.

finally, after a long, dramatic pause, he exhaled deeply. then, in a complete shift of energy, he leaned forward, reaching across the table to take your hand in his.

“it’s unbearable,” he repeated, but this time, his voice softened. “because the truth is, i’ve fallen for her.”

silence.

absolute silence.

the tension that had wrapped itself around the room just moments ago dissipated in an instant. your heart pounded as you felt his warm palm against yours, his fingers curling slightly around your own.

you swallowed hard, but you didn’t hesitate. “i fell for him too.”

for a split second, no one moved. no one spoke.

and then—

“AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!”

hyojoo’s piercing scream shattered the quiet, making you flinch before you burst into laughter. she leaped from her chair, practically lunging at you before wrapping her arms around your shoulders in a bone-crushing hug. “OH MY GOD, FINALLY! FINALLY, FINALLY, FINALLY! I KNEW IT!”

you laughed against her shoulder as she rocked you side to side. hanbin, still holding your hand, watched in amusement, shaking his head slightly.

hanbin’s agent let out a breath of relief, chuckling as he leaned back in his chair. “well, damn. congratulations, i guess.” he started clapping, and soon, the rest of the room followed suit, a mix of laughter and genuine well wishes filling the space.

your agency’s representative smiled, nodding approvingly. “well, that certainly changes things. congratulations to you both. we’ll discuss how to move forward from a PR perspective, but first—” she glanced at her colleagues, who nodded in agreement. “i think this calls for a celebration dinner.”

you turned to look at hanbin, your heart still racing. he was already smiling at you, his grip on your hand tightening slightly before he gave it a playful squeeze.

without thinking, you jumped up from your seat and ran around the table, practically throwing yourself into his arms. hanbin caught you effortlessly, laughing as he lifted you off the ground for a second before setting you back down, holding you close.

“well, this is adorable,” hyojoo cooed, crossing her arms as she grinned at the two of you. “so sickeningly cute, but adorable nonetheless.”

you rolled your eyes but smiled against hanbin’s shoulder as he murmured just loud enough for you to hear, “so, we’re really doing this?”

you pulled back slightly, just enough to look him in the eyes. “yeah,” you whispered. “we’re really doing this.”

hanbin grinned, that signature smirk of his finally making a return. “good. because i don’t plan on letting you go anytime soon.”

you felt your cheeks heat up, but before you could respond, hyojoo let out another dramatic groan. “ugh, you two are going to be one of those disgustingly sweet couples, aren’t you?”

hanbin laughed, finally letting you go, though his hand lingered on your waist. “probably.”

hyojoo pretended to gag. “great. just great. but hey,” she nudged you with a knowing smirk. “you better make sure this lasts even after your movie together releases. no flaking out now.”

you squeezed hanbin’s hand, smiling up at him as he looked down at you with nothing but warmth in his eyes. “oh, don’t worry.” you said. “this is just the beginning.”

a/n : hi everyone! this was my first fic in like a REALLY long time & definitely my longest, i hope you enjoyed it & i'd be very open to advice for improvement! hope you have a nice day :)

95 notes · View notes

swagittarius127 · 3 days ago

Text

— Awkwardly meeting Gyuvin

☆ pairing — kim gyuvin x reader

☆ genre — fluff ??

☆ tws — non :0

☆ authors note — this is lowkey bad but unwanted to get it out of the drafts

☆ word count — 462

Moving to a new city is hard. The day had been filled with lugging heavy boxes up the stairs to your new apartment, and of course, with your luck the elevator was broken. Maybe you should’ve listened to your mom and hired movers. This whole process could’ve been a lot easier.

You know what you deserve? A sweet treat. You remembered seeing a cafe down the street from your place. You grabbed your coat and made your way.

As you opened the door to the small business, the smell of caffeine filled your nose. You noticed that the line was kinda long, which was a total bummer. You just wanted to relax after your stressful morning. You were already there, so there was no point in going home. In line, the sound of chatter between the other customers took over your ears. It came to your attention how packed the place really was. Instead of eavesdropping, you looked around at all the decorations the cafe had up. Before you knew it, it was your turn to order. You placed your go to cafe order and the cashier speedily rang you up. They let you know that your food and drink will be ready on the other end of the counter. You nodded to them with a simple smile.

Your order came out faster than expected. You looked around for a seat. Almost all of them were taken, except a small table with two seats in the very back.

A few bites in, a figure approached you.

“Excuse me. Is this seat open?”

You look up to lock eyes with the cutest guy.

“Uh, no.” You slightly stumble across your words, taken aback by his beauty. “It’s all yours.” You gesture towards the chair.

He let out a chuckle at your reaction and flashed you a smile. “Thanks.” He set down a freshly made iced americano and a book.

“Of course.”

How did you get so lucky to end up sitting with a guy with a face like that?? And why did you have to be so awkward??

You pull out your phone to scroll on social media to take your mind off the slightly awkward interaction. You sneak a glance at him as he quietly reads his book.

“Hey, I’m gonna go the restroom. I’ll be back in a second.” You let him know.

He nodded his head.

On the way back from the bathroom, you saw that he left.

Where did the cute guy go? Did you scare him off? Were you too awkward? You didn’t even get the chance to properly have a conversation with him

You palm your head as you approached your seat.

On the table was a small slip of paper that read

“Call me xxx-xxx ;)”

divider credit - @sxmmerberries

reblogs, likes, and comments are greatly appreciated! thank u!

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rinatic · 2 months ago

Text

Under The Rain | Ricky

Pairing: nonidol!Ricky x Fem!reader word count: 800+ | genre: established relationship, nonidol au | Prompt: the rain ruined your date with Ricky | Warnings: none.

The rain fell in thick sheet and drowning the city in silver. It wasn’t the kind of romantic drizzle that made the streets glisten prettily—it was the kind that ruined plans, soaked through clothes, and left you shivering in disappointment.

You stood beneath the café’s awning, arms wrapped tightly around yourself, watching pedestrians hurry by with umbrellas that did little to shield them from the storm. The dinner reservation you’d carefully made? Canceled. The quiet stroll through the park, hand in hand with Ricky under the city lights? Impossible. The night you’d imagined, the one you dolled up for, the one you'd been so excited for, was completely washed away.

Ricky stood beside you, hands tucked into the pockets of his jacket, watching you more than the rain. He wasn't hiding it at all, he was observant and definitely doesn't mind if you know about it. When he lets out a soft chuckle, you turn to him, frowning.

"What’s so funny?" you asked, slight frustration leaking into your voice. The sound of the rain hitting the ground is definitely messing with your head, making you a little agitated along with the ruined plans you had for the day. So to see him not being bothered at all is a bother.

"You," he said simply, lips curving into that effortless, teasing smile. "You’re pouting."

You let out a sigh, dropping your gaze to your damp shoes. There is no way you can even mask your disappointment. "I just… I wanted tonight to be perfect."

Ricky exhaled, and before you could react, he grabbed your hand and stepped into the rain.

"Ricky—!"

The cold drops hit your skin instantly, sinking through your shirt, and seeping into your jeans, but Ricky only grinned, his fingers laced with yours as he pulled you forward. "Come on," he coaxed, spinning you suddenly.

A surprised laugh bubbled up from your chest as he twirled you right there in the middle of the sidewalk, the rain pouring down like a thousand tiny stars. His grip was steady, his movements smooth, and the way he looked at you, the rain couldn't blur his eyes at all. His eyes gazed into you like you were something irreplaceable, and it did make your heart stutter.

"Are you crazy?" you laughed breathlessly, water dripping from your lashes.

"Maybe," he admitted, regarded you with an adoring gaze as he pulled you close. His hands rested lightly on your waist, his thumb brushing against the damp fabric of your shirt. "But you’re always thinking too much. So I figured I'd help you stop."

Your heart pounded, accelerating behind your ribs, not from the rain or the cold, but from the way his eyes softened, his gaze tracing the curve of your face, moving up to your eyes, as a silent confession. Like his gaze was enough to communicate his feelings for you.

"You were worried about making tonight special," he murmured as he invaded your personal space enough for your noses to almost touch, his voice intimate, low for you only to hear him. "But don’t you get it? It already is. Because you’re here with me."

Something warm bloomed in your chest, spreading through your veins despite the chill. Ricky had always been like this—effortlessly charming. Sometimes you wonder how someone can be so thoughtful, finding beauty in moments you thought were ruined.

The city blurred around you, car headlights turning into smudges of gold against the rain-washed streets. The world could have disappeared, and you wouldn’t have noticed, not when he was looking at you like that. Nothing can even take your attention anymore. It's like he has numbed everything else for you so you can only focus on him.

Slowly, he leaned in slightly more, his forehead resting against yours, rainwater sliding down his cheek. His breath was warm, mingling with yours, his lips close enough to steal all the air from your lungs. "You’re shivering," he murmured, voice barely above a whisper. "Let’s get you somewhere warm before I get too distracted."

Your mood has certainly improved a lot. A smile tugged at your lips. "Too distracted by what?"

He smirked, squeezing your hand as he pulled you toward the glow of a nearby shop. "You already know the answer to that." He was definitely teasing you, you thought you might receive a kiss, but is he looking forward to making it more special? You shouldn't get disappointed so easily with him, that's what you know.

Your thoughts were pushed aside when he pulled you closer after noticing you were walking slower than him. “I just don't want you to get sick because of me, pretty.” You could only breathe slower, your heart has slowed down a little as you felt better. Well, maybe Ricky was a little too thoughtful for his own good. But hey, at least the ruined date became something else entirely, something you’d remember forever.

#zb1 #zb1 ricky #zb1 imagines #zb1 scenarios #zb1 soft hours #zb1 reactions #zb1 drabbles #zb1 fanfic #zb1 oneshot

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milkyruins · 2 years ago

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## kim gyuvin x reader, TROPHY WIFE

warning, i've never played pubg in my life *puts on sunglasses*

summary: kim gyuvin might have an embarrassing amount of hours on pubg, but can he really beat his partner, the deadly streamer @/not.an_aimbot?

genre: fluff

content warnings: light cursing, fps/shooter games (violence/death/guns)

wc: ~0.8k

as soon as the webcam feed populated the screen, your comment section explodes. his eyes widen like a deer as he tries to catch whatever was being spammed in the chatbox.

"baby, say hi." regaining a bit of composure, gyuvin's normal cheery self comes back. he flashes your viewers that giant smile of his and waves at the webcam.

"woah, staring into this tiny camera is weird. anyways, i'm gyuvin, yn's-- or i guess you all know them as @/not.an_aimbot on here-- partner."

he pauses to stare at you, deadpanning hard. "have i ever told you how stupid your username is?"

you give his shoulder a light smack, which helps his grin return to his face. "hey! i'm just kidding! kind of!" to which he receives another smack.

"how dare you?! you've only been on stream for what... eight seconds and you're already trying to drag my username?" you puff your cheeks a bit in frustration.

"yeah. and?" he grabs your puffed cheeks and smushes them. hard. as you bark whine at him to stop, he decides to deal more damage. "it's like what a 11 year old boy who thinks they're good would name themselves."

after enduring his sweet gesture torturing for what felt like an eternity, he backs off. finally having your cheeks back in your custody, you continue trekking on. "i'm going to ignore that and move on then." you face the webcam again, eyes carefully trained on the lens. "gyu's here so i can deflate his massive ego via kicking his ass in pubg."

gyuvin huffs. "in your dreams."

"my user isn't just like that for show, y'know. i am pretty damn good."

he gives your hair a light ruffle, breaking character a bit. "i know you are, bubs. you're the best. but i have an embarrassing amount of hours on this game and i will not go down without fight." he proceeds to enter a fighting stance, fists up against the webcam.

and suddenly you're giggling like crazy because holy shit, your boyfriend was a dork. it seemed like your chat had the same idea. "ok loser, stop trying to fight the camera and enter the lobby."

"'aimbot's carrying as usual. gyuvin... he's trying.' @/not.a_luvbot, well said."

"hey!!" gyuvin grumbles, hands frantically smashing the keyboard for some avail. unfortunately, from the glimpses you took at his pov, it didn't seem to help. meanwhile, you were picking up kill after kill, but somehow couldn't find your partner, who you deeply desired to shoot dead.

"baby, where are you? i have a gift for you." you smile brighter than you have this entire stream when gyuvin shrieks at you to quote, "no!!!! take that gift and shove it up your a-".

since you were doing so well, you decide to take a hard-earned break to admire you boy. his little quirks when concentrating, like his eyebrow furrowing comically and him nibbling on his lower lip, were just so endearing. even the obnoxious rgb lighting of his headset highlighted his features breathtakingly. you give yourself a mental pat on the back for pulling this specimen of a partner.

but you had the gift of death to bestow on the egotist next to you, so you had to get to work. you move a bit so you're on some high ground and watch as your boyfriend, god bless his soul, hobbles into view. he was badly injured already, the poor thing.

oh well.

with a click of your finger, he's dead and gone. i mean, there was a reason you had to clarify you weren't an aimbot, no? the match is called and the username he so abhorred sprawls across your screen (next to the iconic "winner winner chicken dinner" of course) triumphantly.

"i wasn't on my game! babe!!"

you shrug, watching as "gg"s flooded the comments. "yep, good game y'all. bad game to you gyu."

"one more match."

"that's what you've been saying for the past three rounds. i hate to break it to you, but you've been absolutely trashed by a prepubescent boy with no naming sense. three times in a row."

"babyyy..." you don't miss the pout that starts to tug on his lips. it makes you scoff and melt at the same time.

patting his shoulder in mock sympathy, you reply. "it's okay gyu, you can be my trophy wife or something." he snorts at that, minor tantrum seemingly forgotten. he gets up from his stream, giving your cheek a quick peck before exiting from the camera's view. "sure, fine, whatever. what do you want for dinner then?"

#kflixnet #gyuvin imagines #zb1 imagines #gyuvin x reader #gyuvin fluff #gyuvin oneshot #zb1 x reader #zb1 fluff #zb1 oneshot #zerobaseone imagines #zerobaseone fluff #gyuvin #kim gyuvin #kim gyuvin imagines #! 💬. ⋆｡𖦹 °✩ minis #mom i love him

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zeroses-world · 2 months ago

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Case File: Now Or Never

Zerobaseone Reactions

Reacting to their S/O randomly kissing their face Finding Out You Collect their merch

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77zrose · 4 months ago

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ZB1 REACTION TO S/O MUMBLING DURING THEIR SLEEP

genre : fluff , ot9

김지웅 kim jiwoong

jiwoong would be intrigued and surprisingly attentive. At first, he’d glance over to make sure you were okay, and then he’d sit quietly, listening to the sounds you were making. If it was something funny or unusual, he might smirk to himself, finding the moment too precious to forget. He’d likely record a small snippet—not to embarrass you but to tease you lovingly the next morning. “You were having quite the conversation in your sleep last night,” he’d say with a teasing grin. However, if your mumbling sounded upset or worried, Jiwoong would immediately reach out, caressing your cheek gently and whispering, “It’s just a dream, love. You’re safe.” His calm, steady presence would be enough to make sure you slept peacefully.

장하오 zhanghao

zhanghao would find the whole situation amusing and irresistibly cute. When he hears you mumbling, he’d stop whatever he’s doing and lean closer, trying to catch what you were saying. If it sounded like you were saying words, he might even join in, playfully responding in a hushed tone, “Oh, really? Tell me more.” He’d treat it like a one-sided conversation, chuckling softly at how unaware you were. If you were completely unintelligible, he’d still find himself entertained, marveling at how endearing you looked in such a vulnerable state. The next morning, he’d bring it up with a mischievous glint in his eye, teasing you gently. “So, were you practicing for a debate in your sleep last night?”

성한빈 sung hanbin

hanbin would find your sleep mumbling heart-meltingly adorable. The moment he hears you muttering softly, he’d pause whatever he’s doing and lean in closer to listen, a fond smile spreading across his face. He might try to make sense of your words, whispering to himself, “What are you dreaming about?” If it sounded like you were dreaming of something silly or nonsensical, he’d chuckle quietly, feeling endeared by this rare glimpse into your unguarded state. If your tone shifted to something distressed, though, Hanbin’s protective side would kick in—he’d gently stroke your hair or whisper soothing words like, “It’s okay, I’m here,” until you seemed calm again. No matter what, he’d make sure you were tucked in snugly and comfortable.

석 매튜 seok matthew

matthew would instantly think it’s the funniest and cutest thing ever. He’d try so hard not to burst into laughter, covering his mouth to avoid waking you up, but his shoulders might shake with quiet giggles. If your mumbling was particularly strange or funny, he might whisper something like, “What are you even dreaming about?” just to amuse himself. At the same time, he’d find it so endearing that he’d lean in closer, brushing a strand of hair from your face and marveling at how precious you looked. In the morning, he’d tease you endlessly but in the softest way, laughing, “You were saying the weirdest things last night—do you even know what you were dreaming about?”

김태래 kim taerae

taerae would immediately be charmed by your sleep mumbling, his heart melting at how peaceful and vulnerable you looked. He might sit quietly for a moment, just watching you with a soft smile, trying to catch what you were saying. If your words didn’t make sense, he’d chuckle quietly to himself, thinking about how cute it was. If your mumbling sounded restless or distressed, Taerae would spring into action, softly humming a tune or even singing a quiet lullaby to soothe you. His voice would be calm and reassuring, and he’d hold your hand or gently stroke your hair to help you relax. In the morning, he’d bring it up gently, asking, “Were you dreaming about something funny last night? You were talking in your sleep.”

리키 ricky

ricky would be completely fascinated, though he’d act cool about it. The moment he heard your sleep mumbling, he’d perk up and lean closer, trying to figure out what you were saying. If it was something funny or nonsensical, he’d smirk to himself, tempted to record it but ultimately deciding against it. Instead, he’d memorize the funniest parts to tease you about later. In the morning, he’d casually bring it up with his trademark playful confidence: “You were saying some pretty weird stuff in your sleep last night. Should I be worried?” If you got embarrassed, he’d reassure you with a grin, “It’s cute, don’t worry.” Deep down, he’d find the whole thing incredibly endearing.

김규빈 kim gyuvin

gyuvin would have no filter—if your sleep mumbling was funny, he’d burst into laughter almost instantly. He wouldn’t be able to stop himself from giggling, even if it risked waking you up. If you stirred, he’d try to stifle his laughter, whispering, “Sorry, sorry, it’s just—you were saying the weirdest things!” He’d lean in closer, hoping to catch more of your words, and might even attempt to interpret your dream based on what he heard. If you woke up and caught him laughing, he’d try to explain through his giggles, “You were having the funniest conversation in your sleep!” While he’d definitely tease you about it later, he’d still find the whole thing ridiculously cute.

박건욱 park gunwook

gunwook would be both curious and shy about the whole situation. Hearing you mumbling in your sleep, he’d tilt his head and listen carefully, trying to make sense of it. If it sounded funny or random, he’d quietly laugh to himself, thinking about how adorable you looked. However, if it seemed like you were dreaming about something stressful, he’d gently nudge you or whisper softly, “It’s okay, I’m here,” hoping to comfort you without waking you up fully. He might spend a few extra moments watching you sleep peacefully afterward, his heart full of affection. In the morning, he’d tease you lightly, saying, “So, what kind of dream were you having last night? You were mumbling a lot.”

한유진 han yujin

yujin would be caught between confusion and amusement. At first, he’d stare at you, blinking as he tried to figure out what you were saying. “What are you even dreaming about?” he’d whisper to himself, shaking his head with a small smile. If your mumbling sounded particularly strange, he’d quietly laugh, covering his mouth so he didn’t accidentally wake you. If he couldn’t understand what you were saying, he’d just let it slide and watch you for a moment, thinking about how funny and cute you were. The next morning, he’d shyly bring it up, saying, “You were talking in your sleep last night… Do you even remember what you were dreaming about?” If you got embarrassed, he’d reassure you with a shy laugh, “No, it was cute, really!”

hi people im back from the small hiatus ill be posting more. if you’d like you can make a request i write for groups like: zb1, p1harmony, seventeen, project7 ( upcoming group ), bts, straykids, ateez, evnne, onepact, riize (ot7), bnd & many more just request don’t be afraid ! i dont write smut only fluffs and more. smut maybe in the future -3- (I’ll make a masterlist soon)

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fanbasetwo · 3 months ago

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BOYFRIEND GUNWOOK HEADCANONS!!

001. SFW SECTION

BOYFRIEND GUNWOOK ! who stumbles over his words when expressing romantic feelings, but if someone messes with you, his protective side kicks in effortlessly.

BOYFRIEND GUNWOOK ! prefers subtle acts of love, like slipping a handwritten note into your bag or making sure your favourite snacks are always stocked.

BOYFRIEND GUNWOOK ! who’s serious about his goals but always makes time for you, scheduling “you time” into his busy life like it's the most important appointment of the week.

BOYFRIEND GUNWOOK ! who's extroverted streak will surprise you with random road trips or impromptu café hopping when he’s feeling energetic.

BOYFRIEND GUNWOOK ! who might suggest studying together or working on personal projects side-by-side, motivated by the idea of growing together.

BOYFRIEND GUNWOOK ! who’s secretly trying to master cooking your favorite dish so he can impress you during cozy home dates.

BOYFRIEND GUNWOOK ! who might overanalyze texts or gestures, worrying he’s not doing enough for you, even though you’re perfectly happy.

BOYFRIEND GUNWOOK ! who loves doing things for you, like fixing something in your room or helping with errands, but gets adorably flustered if he messes up.

BOYFRIEND GUNWOOK ! who loves cuddling while binge-watching your favorite shows.

BOYFRIEND GUNWOOK ! who keeps little mementos from your dates—movie tickets, pressed flowers, or even random doodles you gave him.

BOYFRIEND GUNWOOK ! who believes saturdays are reserved for coffee shop mornings where he orders for both of you.

BOYFRIEND GUNWOOK ! who randomly gets into motivational speeches when you’re feeling down: “you can definitely do this. remember how you aced that last thing? you’re unstoppable.”

BOYFRIEND GUNWOOK ! who will attempt to fix your tech issues with all the confidence of an IT professional, only to accidentally open a hundred tabs and sheepishly admit defeat.

BOYFRIEND GUNWOOK ! who will write a cheesy song inspired by you but refuses to sing it in front of anyone except you. Bonus: it’s actually good.

BOYFRIEND GUNWOOK ! who comes home after the gym and lifts you up like a dumbbell to show off, giggling the whole time.

002. NSFW SECTION

BOYFRIEND GUNWOOK ! who's a bit grey when it comes to morals because most of the time he would just want to speed up, eventually making the neighbors jealous from the sounds of your coupling.

BOYFRIEND GUNWOOK ! who believes that a relationship should always be 50/50: him leaving lots of hickeys on your body while you scratch your name with your nails on his back.

BOYFRIEND GUNWOOK ! who would most likely moan “you’re my fuckin’ girl.” “all mine.” while pumping multiple loads of cum inside your pussy.

BOYFRIEND GUNWOOK ! who starts a slow kiss with just the intention of relieving some stress, soon turns it into an aggressive make out session while you both moan in each other's mouths.

BOYFRIEND GUNWOOK ! who when missing you, clearly shows with the way he fills you with his cum while repeating “missed you s’much” over and over again til he's done.

BOYFRIEND GUNWOOK ! who loves to tease you by holding your face down on the bed with your ass up in the air as he only rubs the head of his hard throbbing cock (making you beg for him to start.)

BOYFRIEND GUNWOOK ! who slips his fingers back in after you've both finished and then tells you to “open up” so that you can taste both of you.

BOYFRIEND GUNWOOK ! who forces you to keep the eye contact with him while his dick twitches deep inside you.

BOYFRIEND GUNWOOK ! who kisses your back while in doggy style.

BOYFRIEND GUNWOOK ! who grabs your hips when you're on top of him and helps you bounce on it.

BOYFRIEND GUNWOOK ! who prefers to take you in ‘cowgirl’ because he loves to see your tits bounce.

BOYFRIEND GUNWOOK ! who’s most likely to grab your hips, bend you over, and eat you out from behind.

BOYFRIEND GUNWOOK ! who makes the make out sessions slow and sloppy followed by whispered praises, “my pretty baby”, “you’re so beautiful.”

BOYFRIEND GUNWOOK ! who fucks you so good that you get wet the next day just thinking about it. (because how could you forget the way he left kisses on your pussy after making you cum?)

BOYFRIEND GUNWOOK ! who won't let you go until you finish too because that's what gentlemen do.

join my taglist by sending an ask or commenting here <3

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hariboz · 1 year ago

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WHY DIDN’T YOU KISS ME?

“asking them why they didn’t kiss you after your date!”

pairing: crush!zb1 x gn!reader

genre: fluff <33

warnings: no yujin!!, cursing, “pretty”?? idk if that’s fem coded so i’m just mentioning it!

notes: did we see the nct wish stage at smtown!! they did so well i love them <33 also!! i tagged this as crush!zb1 bc i get really confused w the different talking stages…like wdym seeing someone, going out w someone & dating aren’t all the same?! weird nuance will be the death of me

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zhaobear · 9 months ago

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a perfect match

PAIRING : sung hanbin x fem reader

GENRES : fluff, crack, college au, barista au, mild enemies/rivals to lovers au, sick fic

WORD COUNT : 4310 words

SUMMARY : you and sung hanbin complement each other perfectly, whether it's behind the coffee bar or during late nights in your dorm building. however, companionship quickly turns to competition as the end of the year approaches — and with that, the glorious title of employee of the year. but when hanbin falls sick, you decide you can put your feud aside for one day.

WARNINGS : profanity, brief mentions of drinking, one slightly heated kiss, mc is competitive, hanbin is messing with her, jiwoong is just there, injeolmi toast reference, there are interspersed flashbacks in italics & one tense change!

AUTHOR'S NOTE : helloo making my zeroseblr debut!! thank you so much to anyone who reads i hope you enjoy <3 a huge huge thank you to @jayflrt and @s7toru for the support and encouragement, i don't think i'd be publishing this without them!

“HANBIN DIDN’T COME IN TODAY,” Jiwoong says in lieu of a greeting as soon as you enter the back of the store.

You flip through the café’s records book, noting down your time of arrival. Jiwoong can yap about Sung Hanbin all he wants, but you won’t let that stop you from getting paid.

“What does that have to do with me?” You shoot back, tying up your apron.

Jiwoong shrugs. “You guys are close, right? I thought you’d know what’s up.”

You scoff. You and Hanbin may have been close once, but that was before he started coming for your position.

“Keep it up, Hanbin!” Jiwoong claps Hanbin on the shoulder as he finishes taking a customer’s order. “Engaging with customers and making them feel connected to the store is one of our most important values.”

“Thanks, Jiwoong,” Hanbin beams, the sight of his dimples causing butterflies to take flight in your stomach, for whatever strange reason. That is, until Jiwoong’s next words.

“With how much improvement you’re making, you might just be up for Employee of the Year.” Jiwoong winks. Your jaw drops to the floor. Jiwoong doesn’t notice your mouth hanging open and simply returns to making drinks like he didn't just shatter your entire world.

“What the hell!” You call out indignantly. “Why would he get Employee of the Year?”

Jiwoong turns to look at you like he’s just remembering your presence for the first time.

“Well, Hanbin’s been learning very quickly since he joined. He’s made a lot of improvement and the customers love him.”

“He served a frozen sandwich the other day!” You cry out. You remember it clearly — the customer had approached you with a furious glint in her eyes, demanding to know why her sandwich wasn’t heated. Hanbin had popped up behind you to apologize for his mistake, and a blush immediately overtook her face as she shoved the sandwich into her mouth, claiming she preferred it frozen anyway.

“That was last week! I’m a changed man now,” Hanbin insists.

“The award should not go to him,” You splutter at Jiwoong. “I can talk to customers too!” You shove Hanbin away as the next customer in line approaches the register.

“Hi, could I please get an iced matcha latte, and a—”

“Hi, how was your day?” You interrupt loudly. Jiwoong slaps a hand to his mouth to stifle a poorly-contained laugh. The girl’s eyes go wide as she takes in your expression, her gaze flitting nervously between you and the door, like she’s considering bolting out of the shop.

“Sorry, don’t mind her. She means well,” a smooth voice interrupts. Hanbin slides back to his position on the register, his hand circling your waist as he gently eases you to the side.

You huff. “I can handle myself on register!”

Hanbin’s hand shifts to your lower back as he leans over to whisper to you. “You’re staring the poor girl down like she just murdered your family. I got this.”

True to his words, the girl visibly relaxes when Hanbin takes over and begins to make conversation. Your cheeks grow hot at the gesture. You should be angry, but Hanbin’s hand is warm on you and his shoulder is knocking into yours and you can’t seem to think straight.

Hanbin leans close again, and your brain short-circuits.

“I’m coming for your award,” he breathes cheekily into your ear.

The giddy feeling in your chest immediately dies on the spot.

You scowl at the memory, your knuckles turning white as you tie the strings of your apron tighter. Jiwoong raises an eyebrow, reminding you of his question.

“I’m not speaking to him anymore.” You have to hold back from crossing your arms like an angry child.

“You were fighting him over the register on Wednesday,” Jiwoong points out.

“A lot can change in three days.”

Jiwoong sighs. “Seriously, do you know what’s up? He hasn’t called or texted at all.”

That makes you pause. Ever since your current feud with Sung Hanbin, he became particularly more committed to “beating” you at work, whether it was clocking in earlier than you, going beyond the necessary opening requirements, or covering more shifts than usual. For him to not show up to work without any prior notice or explanation — maybe there is something wrong.

You relent. “I’ll go check up on him after my shift, okay?”

A Cheshire grin spreads across Jiwoong’s face. “So much extra effort,” he muses.

“We live in the same building,” you deadpan. You check your hair in the small mirror on the wall before heading to the front of the store for your shift.

“I didn’t even tell you to go check up on him!” Jiwoong calls to your back. You give him the finger in return.

“Hanbin, open up!” You yell, pounding on his door for what feels like the millionth time. You press your ear to the wood, but hear absolutely nothing.

“I can see your Snap location!”

Then, a rustle.

You hear the creak of a bed, and the sound of soft footsteps gradually approaching closer. The door swings open, revealing Sung Hanbin in his pajamas.

“You were in bed the whole time?” You shriek. “Jiwoong was worried sick! He was acting like you dropped off the face of the Earth when you didn’t contact anyone!”

Hanbin wordlessly turns around, making a beeline away from the door. You huff, following him inside his dorm without another thought.

“You’re just going to leave when I’m talking to you? Look, I get it if you don’t want to interact with me, but you shouldn’t ghost your manager. Isn’t that—”

Hanbin stumbles into the bathroom and slams the door shut on you. Realization dawns upon you when you hear retching from the other end. The puzzle pieces slot into place — his glazed eyes, paler-than-usual face, and complete lack of energy.

“Hanbin?” You ask, your voice softer than before. No response. “Do you need any help?”

“No,” Hanbin whispers faintly behind the door.

“Okay,” you respond uneasily, “but I’m staying here until you come out.”

You take his soft sigh as affirmation, and immediately pull out your phone to text his roommate.

you: wya??

taerae: staying w my aunt for the weekend taerae: why whats up?

you: hanbins sick

taerae: oh shit taerae: well. gl to him

you: 😭 you: do you have medicine

taerae: no 😂 taerae: wait actually taerae: check the bottom drawer on my desk

you: found it ty

You gather whatever medicines look helpful from Taerae’s drawer, then grab water from the fridge. Soon enough, you hear Hanbin moving behind the door, followed by the flush of the toilet and water running from the sink. He emerges from the bathroom, his face glistening with water droplets. He looks tired in a way you’ve never seen before as he trudges past you and collapses at the foot of his bed.

He groans softly at the hard surface, but makes no move to get up. You crouch down to the ground, pressing your hand against his forehead in concern.

“Hanbin,” you gasp. “You’re burning up.”

Hanbin makes a pitiful noise, shifting so he’s pressing his flushed cheek to the cold tile. You loop your arms through his and haul him to his feet.

“You missed the bed,” you try to joke, but even you can hear the terribly masked worry in your voice. Hanbin slumps onto the mattress, and you carefully pull the covers over him despite his small sounds of protest. He’s clearly not concerned enough to do anything more, so he mutters incoherent nonsense under his breath and then closes his eyes.

You can’t help the minuscule twitch of your lips at the sight, but you turn back to the medicine bottles before you can allow yourself to dwell on it.

Once you’ve arranged an assortment of pills and the water, you gently shake Hanbin, whose eyes are still shut.

“Sit up,” you urge, tapping his shoulder. Hanbin cracks open an eye, sulking. Regardless, he complies, sitting up and fully opening his eyes. “Take these.”

His frown deepens, but his gaze scans your face and he obeys without another word.

“How long have you been sick like this?”

Silence.

“When’s the last time you ate?” You try instead. Hanbin pauses, like he’s taking a moment to genuinely think about it, then shrugs blankly. “Hanbin, you have to eat!”

“Not hungry,” he mumbles.

“This isn’t up for debate,” you shoot back. “I’ll go grab you something, so stay here, okay?”

Hanbin nods, sinking back into bed. You shoulder your bag and search for his phone and keys, finding them on his desk.

“Here,” you say, tucking his phone under his pillow. “Call me if you need anything. I’m taking your keys so you don’t have to let me in. Take a nap, and I’ll be back soon.”

Hanbin only buries his face further into the pillow. You refill his water and adjust the room temperature before slipping on your shoes at the front. You helplessly turn back to look at him once more, like a compass straying north. Then, you leave.

When Sung Hanbin first walked into Say Yes! Coffee with a stunning resume and even more stunning smile, you recognized him instantly.

You had met Hanbin in the beginning of your sophomore year on a Thursday night, when the noise from the room above yours was becoming unbearable.

You had stormed up the stairs in your pajamas, too tired to care about appearances as you incessantly knocked on the door. When the door opened to a man clad in all black with an unnervingly handsome face, you faltered slightly. However, the sight of the dim lights and red solo cups behind him rekindled your anger, and you immediately began to tell him off.

He was holding a party on a Thursday night, for god’s sake, couldn’t he at least have waited until the weekend? As you continued on about the lack of consideration for those with Friday morning classes — however small the number may be — your voice got stuck in your throat when the man responded with a dazzling smile.

“Cute,” he had said, causing you to flinch in shock. He agreeably promised to keep the noise down, and with your face heating up from a mixture of embarrassment and surprise, you turned around and left without another word.

You didn’t see him again after that incident, but true to his word, the noise was considerably softer in the following parties. When you saw him again at your workplace, you weren’t even sure if he’d remember you.

However, Hanbin’s eyes had instantly lit up. “Pajama girl!” He’d exclaimed, and your smile dropped.

From then onwards, your relationship had taken a turn. Jiwoong began scheduling the two of you for almost every shift together, allowing you to witness every step of his journey — from training, to slowly taking over register, to becoming a pain in your ass. It almost made you sentimental, thinking about how much you’d gotten to see.

With the increased shifts came increased shenanigans during breaks, from ridiculous drink concoctions to espresso shot chugging competitions. Eventually, these were followed by unexpected knocks on your door and boba runs between classes.

Hanbin would let you into the dance studio, smirking at your reactions in the mirror whenever he caught you staring as he practiced. You allowed him to tag along on your trips to the library, even though he would use the soundproof study room to loudly poke fun at you while you would fret over your lab reports and problem sets.

Despite the vast differences in your majors, you still had the common denominator of a shared dorm building. This was clear every time Hanbin would knock on your door to drag you to his upstairs parties to expand your social circle, or when you would knock on his to deliver successful baking experiments.

In your second semester, he joined you in a General Education class that he absolutely did not need to take, and you started going to his open dance classes despite your severe lack of coordination.

So perhaps Jiwoong was right, maybe you were incredibly close — until the possibility of Hanbin winning Employee of the Year became real enough to scare you, until you decided it would be easier to hate him. (Was it Employee of the Year that you were afraid of, or something else?)

You reenter Hanbin’s dorm with a giant thermos of steaming hot soup, an extra blanket, and an assortment of items from the nearby drugstore. You dump the contents onto the table, wincing at the amount. You may have gone slightly crazy and swept nearly everything off the shelves at the pharmacy, but you convince yourself they’ll be necessary.

When you enter his room with the food, you’re surprised to find that he’s already awake. His brows furrow slightly at the sight of you.

“I brought you soup,” you explain, nodding at the bowl in your hands. “Eat.”

While the Hanbin 30 minutes ago was so sluggish he could barely keep his eyes open, this Hanbin is uncannily alert. His eyes dart back and forth between you, the soup, and the medicines scattered across his desk. He opens and closes his mouth, like he’s searching for the right words.

“Why’re you doing this?” A strange question to settle on, but you smile at him softly.

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

“I don’t understand,” he replies, his gaze wary.

You frown. “You’ve done the same for me. Remember when I got super drunk at Matthew’s and you brought me home?”

Hanbin goes silent.

Things like this between you and Hanbin are never questioned — they always go without saying. He threatens you at work, but he still picks you up when you drink too much. You fight him over the register, but you still sit next to him in class and watch him from the back of the dance studio. You’re still here, because you know Hanbin would be no different.

“You don’t owe me for that,” Hanbin blurts out, red creeping up his cheeks.

“I don’t think of it like that. I’m here because I want you to get better,” you say, holding out the bowl of soup to him. A peace offering.

Hanbin hesitates, then accepts it, blowing on it to cool it down and taking a sip. He hums in satisfaction, then shovels the rest down his throat within a minute. You gape.

“Slow down,” you scold, remembering the vomiting from earlier. You feel a pang of guilt realizing how hungry he must’ve been, motionless in his bed without the energy to eat.

Hanbin grows more lethargic on his second bowl, his eyelids beginning to sink. He catches himself just before he can allow himself to doze, and you frown. You can’t help but wonder why he’s fighting sleep when it’s what he needs the most — his half-lidded eyes stay focused on you, and then it hits you. Maybe he wants to be alone.

You take the bowl back and pull the covers over him, noting with a twinge of satisfaction that some color has returned to his face.

“I’ll clean things up and then head out so you can get some sleep,” you tell him. Although something deep inside you longs to stay, to stick with him until you’re sure that his fever is gone, you stand up from the chair.

However, Hanbin grabs your elbow before you can fully turn away. When you look at him, there’s a plea behind his eyes that he doesn’t seem keen on voicing. Even when he’s sick, he’s strong, tugging you back towards him until you’re sitting at the edge of the bed.

“Do you want more soup?” You ask, unsure of what he needs from you.

Hanbin shakes his head. “Stay,” he mumbles, so faint that you barely hear it.

Oh.

“Sleep,” you coax him gently, your heart squeezing at his request. “I won’t go anywhere.”

Hanbin searches your face with a hint of desperation, and your breath hitches in your throat at the sparkle in his eyes. (Did Sung Hanbin always look at you like you had hung the moon and stars?)

You don’t have to think about it for too long because Hanbin seems to find whatever he’s looking for in your expression and finally closes his eyes. Sleep pulls him under within minutes, evident in his deeper breathing and the loosened tension in his body.

You brush some of his hair away from his forehead, softening at the lines of his face, more youthful and relaxed with the rest.

In a few minutes, you know you’ll have to clean up, restock the fridge, and find a damp washcloth to reduce his temperature. But you allow yourself a moment to stare, brushing his thumb with your cheek.

Even while asleep, Hanbin leans into the touch, like a flower searching for sunlight, and you flinch. You return to your chair next to his bed and watch him until the sun rises, your heart a jumbled mess.

“Jiwoong.” Hanbin calls out one morning towards the end of his training, when the three of you are opening the store.

“Hmm?” Jiwoong shoots Hanbin a brief glance before going back to busying himself with the espresso machine.

“Why do you always schedule me and Y/N together?”

You turn at the mention of your name, perking up with curiosity. Jiwoong’s brows furrow, almost as though the answer is obvious.

“Y/N is efficient, in pretty much all ways possible. She can make the most drinks in the least time possible, without compromising quality. She’s also great at responding to unexpected situations,” Jiwoong explains. You grin at the compliment but stay silent, sensing he has more to say.

“Hanbin, you’re slower and sometimes you freeze up during mishaps. But you’re good with customers. You know enough about coffee to make recommendations. You’re perceptive, so you’re first to know when we need to restock. All of which Y/N tends to fall short on. Which is fine, of course, because neither of you is perfect.

“But what one of you lacks, the other one makes up. You’re imperfect separately, but a perfect match together.” Jiwoong puts a pause to his grandiose speech to fish for the keys in his pocket. “Anyways, I’m going to unlock the door now.”

You shoot Hanbin an incredulous look, despite the warm feeling spreading throughout your chest. Hanbin looks equally confused, but his gaze softens when you make eye contact. The smile he returns is so tender that you have to look away, your face burning like a star. You go back to wiping down the counters, and avoid thinking about Sung Hanbin and how incredibly red his ears were.

When Hanbin wakes up, you’re reminded of his training days from all those months ago, of his shy but earnest demeanor, unafraid to reveal his struggles and ask for help.

This Hanbin is similarly vulnerable, allowing himself to be open and show you weakness. Allowing you to help him.

“Why’re you looking at me like that?” Hanbin’s voice interrupts your thoughts, and you flush, shaking yourself out of your nostalgia. You press the back of your hand against his forehead, sighing in relief.

“Drink this, it’ll help," you say, avoiding his eyes as you hand him a glass of orange juice. “Your fever finally broke.”

“Yeah, no shit. I’m sweating balls,” he rasps, kicking off the blankets you’d piled on top of him. He chugs down the juice and rubs at his eyes. “What day is it?”

“It’s Sunday evening. You pretty much slept through the whole day,” you grin.

“Did you stay since yesterday?” A hint of guilt flashes across Hanbin’s face.

“It’s fine, I got some work done,” you wave it off, gesturing to your computer propped open on his desk. “Taerae’s gonna be back soon, so I’ll head out, okay? I texted Jiwoong for you, so you’re not working tomorrow. There’s some extra soup in the fridge, so heat that whenever you want.”

You start to gather your things, but Hanbin catches your wrist. His expression is abnormally serious, his eyes piercing holes into yours.

“What’s wrong? Do you need something?” You use your other hand to check his forehead again, but he stops you.

"I need you."

Your mouth falls open. “What?”

Hanbin quickly catches himself. "I need you — to drop this Employee of the Year thing. Jiwoong already told me he's giving it to you."

You're still stuck on the first three words of his sentence, but when the gears in your head finally turn you gasp. It's a lot to process and you shake your head, wondering if you even heard him right. How long were you fighting for an award that was already yours?

"I thought you wanted to win," is all you can think of saying.

Hanbin smiles, warm and soft in a way so familiar that your heart aches. “Y/N, I don’t care about Employee of the Year. Go out with me.”

You find yourself at a loss for words, but Hanbin doesn’t seem to mind as he continues.

“I know I still have a lot to learn, and I didn't even care about the award that much. I was mostly just teasing you, so can we please stop fighting over it? Or else I’ll seriously think you hate me.”

“I don’t hate you,” you choke out.

Hanbin chuckles. “I figured that now. No one spends this much time and effort on someone they hate.”

“Shut up,” you say halfheartedly, your heart hammering in your chest. “Are you serious?” Hanbin tugs you by the hands, enough that you’re sitting on the edge of his bed. All traces of humor vanish from his face as he stares at you intently.

“Y/N, I like you. I thought you were cute ever since you showed up at my doorstep in your pajamas. And I’ve been hopelessly obsessed with you ever since we started working together. Does that answer your question?”

Fireworks explode in your chest as you think back to Jiwoong’s old words.

What one of you lacks, the other one makes up.

When Hanbin is sick, you take care of him. When Hanbin forgets to eat at the dance studio, you bring him food. And despite all your incessant fighting, Hanbin covers for you at the register. Hanbin invites you to parties when you’re cooped up in the library for too long. Hanbin sends you his notes when you doze off in class.

Your heart thumps in your chest as you begin to put together the little moments of your relationship. You were a perfect match the whole time, just as Jiwoong said, only you hadn’t truly realized the weight of his words. You itch with the need to do something, but your hands are still tightly grasped in Hanbin’s and you can’t think of much else to do than to lean down and press your lips to his cheek.

Hanbin makes a small noise of surprise at the contact, his hands slackening around yours. You flush at the warmth of his skin against your mouth, feeling as though you’re floating somewhere above the stars. When you pull away, Hanbin’s eyes are closed, lashes fanned against his cheekbones and face tilted upwards like he’s hoping for more, or savoring it. His eyes are glassy when they finally open, eliciting a giggle from your throat.

“I like you too,” you grin, “if that didn’t make it clear.”

Hanbin smiles then, so wide that you can see his whisker dimples. He pulls you down and on top of him, burying his face in your neck.

“Let me kiss you properly,” he whispers into your skin. You separate from him enough to read his expression, eyes widening at the sudden sharpness in his gaze. His eyes flicker between yours, before darting down to your lips and fixating on them.

“Won’t your mouth taste horrible?” You tease, but you’re already leaning in.

“I’ll make it up to you,” he murmurs against your lips before closing the distance.

A thousand firecrackers flare up in your body when his mouth meets yours. You gasp when his tongue slips into your mouth, leaving behind the pleasantly surprising taste of orange juice.

Sparks fly where his skin touches yours, multiplied by a thousand when he cradles your cheek and deepens the kiss. Your hand moves to the back of his neck, tugging lightly on his hair. The soft groan that emits from Hanbin causes a jolt of pleasure to shudder down your spine, and you instinctively tug harder.

You pull away far too soon to catch your breath, breath hitching at the string of saliva between both your lips.

“Gross,” you lie, but Hanbin’s eyes only darken.

“I wanna do that again.” He leans in again, but you veer away before you can allow your judgment to blur.

“You have to focus on getting better first!” You swat at his hands.

Hanbin pouts. “I’m way better. Stellar, actually.”

“You can kiss me in two days.”

Hanbin’s answering smile is blindingly bright, even though you didn’t say anything particularly funny.

“What is it?” Your pulse races at how he looks at you — like you’re made of every precious thing in the world, like you’re a dream made alive.

“I think this might be the happiest day of my life,” he answers. As he grins at you with the warmth of the entire sun, you realize the fluttering behind your ribcage was never a new feeling — you were just as enamored with him when you first met.

You smile back, bigger than you’ve ever smiled at Hanbin, watching his gaze turn awestruck as a red-hot blush creeps up his cheeks and neck.

“I think it might be mine too.”

409 notes · View notes

zeroseuniverse · 25 days ago

Note

heyoo, can u do write when zb1 members think they fumbled but reader just finds them endearing

ZB1 When They Think They Fumbled, But You Just Find Them Endearing

Taglist: @sh0dor1 @tinyelfperson @kunkunlele @llunaticc13 @zaycie @lezleeferguson-120 @1daily2lele7

Jiwoong

He tries to impress you by opening a jar for you, only for it to be way more stubborn than expected. His arms flex, his jaw clenches, and after a solid minute of struggling, he finally hands it back to you with a sigh. "Okay, maybe I’m not as strong as I thought." You twist the lid lightly, and—pop—it opens instantly. Jiwoong stares in betrayal. "No way. There’s no way." You burst out laughing. "I think you loosened it for me!" He groans, dragging a hand down his face. "That was supposed to be my cool moment…" You nudge him playfully. "You’re always cool. But seeing you like this? Even better." Now he’s the one struggling—this time, with hiding his flustered smile.

Zhang Hao

He stumbles over his words trying to compliment you, ending up saying something that makes zero sense. "You, uh—your eyes are like... two really nice, um, circles?" You blink before bursting into laughter. "Thank you? I do indeed have two eyes!" He groans, hiding his face in his hands. "I meant beautiful! I promise!" But you just find his flustered state ridiculously adorable.

Hanbin

He forgets an important detail you told him earlier, like your favorite coffee order, and when he realizes it, his face falls. "Ah, I should've remembered! I'm the worst, aren't I?" He pouts dramatically, looking genuinely guilty. You laugh, shaking your head. "Hanbin, you’re fine. You remembered that I love coffee, which is what matters!" Still, he spends the next week memorizing all your favorites like a dedicated student.

Matthew

He trips over absolutely nothing while walking beside you, barely catching himself before face-planting. "Yeah, uh, that was just... a gravity test," he says, trying to play it cool. You grin, reaching for his hand. "Need me to hold on so you don’t float away next time?" His ears go red, and he nods way too fast. "Yes. Definitely. For safety reasons."

Ricky

He tries to be smooth, pulling the classic "lean against the wall" move—except he miscalculates and nearly falls over. You have to hold him up while he's muttering, "That was not supposed to happen." You just shake your head fondly. "Who knew the effortlessly cool Ricky could be so cute?" He groans. "Don’t call me cute." You do anyway.

Taerae

He attempts to sing a song to impress you, but his voice cracks at the worst moment. His eyes go wide as he dramatically covers his face. "Nope. That didn’t happen. You imagined it." You reach over, pulling his hands away. "No need to hide! I loved it, voice crack and all." He squints at you suspiciously. "You’re lying to make me feel better, aren’t you?" "Nope, I just think you’re cute." Cue his ears turning pink.

Gyuvin

He’s telling a story with full enthusiasm, grand hand gestures and all, when he accidentally knocks over your drink. His eyes widen in absolute horror. "Oh my god, I fumbled so bad—please, yell at me, I deserve it." You giggle, wiping up the spill. "Gyuvin, it’s not that serious." "But—!" "Relax, I like you way too much to get mad over a spilled drink." He instantly brightens. "Wait, you like me?" Now you’re the flustered one.

Gunwook

He tries to carry something heavy for you, flexing a little, only to realize he underestimated the weight. He wobbles before setting it down with an awkward cough. "Uh, yeah. That was... part of my workout plan." You clap for him anyway. "So strong! So impressive!" He squints. "You’re making fun of me, aren’t you?" You smile innocently. "Not at all~."

Yujin

He calls you by a cute nickname but immediately panics. "Wait—was that weird? Did I just make it awkward?" You tilt your head. "You called me ‘cutie.’ How is that awkward?" He fidgets, looking anywhere but at you. "I don’t know, it just felt so bold—" You grin. "So you think I’m a cutie?" He groans, covering his face. "This is a disaster." Meanwhile, you’re just admiring how adorable he is.

59 notes · View notes

tzyuki · 2 years ago

Text

— (07.16.23) LOVE 2 HATE ME

IN WHICH ✶ Y/n and Gunwook have a secret thing for each other. Except the two are extremely embarrassed to be seen with one another. Gunwook being the soccer star player, class president, student council vice president, and having awesome grades it was almost impossible for her to not see him as a competitor. They didn’t wanna ruin their reputations, how stubborn could they be?

genre 𓏸 ͘ ࣭⸰ park gunwook x f!reader, academic rivals, fluff, lowk a slowburn

warnings 𓏸 ͘ ࣭⸰ swearing, kms jokes, gunwook has his driver license fr fr, theres like an insane amount of usage of the words “scoffed” and “shrugged”. unwanted touch.

release date 𓏸 ͘ ࣭⸰ 07.16.23

word count 𓏸 ͘ ࣭⸰ 19.6k

perm taglist (open) 𓏸 ͘ ࣭⸰ @jinkyu @jangwonie @cwsana @luvyrin @amara-mars @ineedaherosavemeenow @mintydayeon @love-4-keum @kpopx-xlover @abdiitcryy @beepjeongie @ox1-lovesick @ja4hyvn @shinsou-rii @winkura @ddeonudepressions @tnyhees @wannabeyn @kpoprhia @svnghoonsonly

ej note 𓏸 ͘ ࣭⸰ ahhh finally i am posting this! i’ve been working on this for about over three months going back and fourth to it. reblogs, likes and feedback are appreciated, I hope you guys enjoy this!

Everything Park Gunwook could do Jeon Y/n could do better.

That’s what Jeon Y/n thought at least.

The two were equally as smart and equally as devoted to school, but the two were just too damn competitive and one of them had to be a winner.

Y/n was a recommended tutor for all struggling students, she had perfect attendance, won many school awards, and is studying many languages.

Park Gunwook is the class president, vice principal for the student council, soccer star player, also won many awards, and has outstanding grades.

But what bothered Y/n the most was the fact that he was ranked top of the class and she was right behind him.

She despised him and he despised her.

Gunwook liked the competition and the rush feeling he got whenever he and Y/n were pitted against each other. Whether it was in class, love confessions, being favorited, or literally anything else.

He just enjoyed winning over her and the look on her face every time she lost.

“Soccer is probably the most attractive sport.” Huening Bahiyyih said as she and Y/n were sitting on the field bleachers, watching the soccer game go on. “Hiyyih-ah, what has gotten into you. Clearly badminton is the most attractive sport.” Y/n scoffed.

“You’re only saying that because Park Gunwook plays soccer. As much as you hate him you can’t deny how cute he is.” Hiyyih tried to argue.

“Park Gunwook is my enemy.”

Y/n said, Hiyyih shrugging her shoulders and turning her attention back to the game. Park Gunwook walking off of the field to get a sip of water.

Y/n was watching him with an expression of hatred on her face. Gunwook saw her and waved, being awfully polite just to piss her off.

“Ugh, I despise him.” Y/n looked away and tried to find another player to pay attention to.

—

“Y/n,” Mr. Shin called out before she was able to leave class like her pears. “I need to talk to you. Don’t worry, nothing bad.” Y/n sheepishly smiled as she walked up to his desk.

“I need you to tutor another student, Kim Danbi from class 1-3. You’ll meet up tomorrow after school in the library.”

“Tomorrow?” Y/n hesitated to ask. “Can’t I do it this weekend or something?”

“Y/n, we already scheduled it for tomorrow. It’s the only time she is free and she really needs your help so it’s settled.”

“Ah, okay. If she really needs it then.” Y/n laughed nervously. “Have a good day.” She bowed before leaving.

Shocked to see Park Gunwook waiting outside by the door. “What.” She said as he stared at her for a little. “Nothing.” He said before walking into the class she had just left.

Y/n couldn’t do a tutoring session tomorrow. She hated how her teachers would just schedule sessions for her without even asking if she was free or not. But she loved how good it’ll look in her record.

Everyone knew Jeon Y/n’s life was boring, they had just assumed she was always free.

“Hiyyih,” Y/n approached the girl in the lunch line. “Can you do me a favor tomorrow?” She asked as food was put on her tray. “Is it difficult?” Hiyyih asked as the two walked down the room of the cafeteria to go to the table the two always sat at.

“No, I just need you to pick Hayun and watch her tomorrow. Mr. Shin scheduled a session for me again. I asked if we could reschedule but we couldn't.”

“Sure, I love hanging with Hayun.” Hiyyih agreed. “He seriously needs to stop scheduling sessions for you without letting you know.”

“I know, but I feel so bad if I don’t tutor them. And they’ll look so good on my record. I need to get a scholarship before Gunwook does.”

“What’s up with you and Gunwooks rivalry, it’s so silly.” Hiyyih laughed at the ridiculous words coming out of Y/n’s mouth.

“It shouldn’t matter who gets a scholarship first or who tops the class.”

“It matters to me.” Y/n slightly glared at her best friend. “We’ve been in a rivalry since middle school ever since he decided to steal Kim Dayeon from me.”

“Yah, this is all because you and Gunwook both liked Kim Dayeon at the same time?” Hiyyih chuckled at the thought. “He would laugh in my face whenever Dayeon would choose to do something with him.” Y/n sulked.

“It’s my middle school trauma and my revenge is being better at anything he does.”

“Last time I checked you’re absolutely shit at soccer.”

“Okay so I can learn, soccer can’t be that hard?” She shrugged her shoulders. “I can sign up for that school fundraiser game and beat him in a couple matches.”

“Well that’s surely a goal.” Hiyyih mumbled. “I have months to practice, the fundraiser isn’t till may.” Y/n said.

“Hi, sunbaenim.” A junior of the girls bowed and put down a carton of milk on Y/n’s plate. “Thank you for agreeing to tutor me today! I’m so sorry I couldn’t get you a second milk carton.” She turned to Hiyyih and apologetically shook her head.

“It’s okay, I don’t mind.” Hiyyih smiled at the girl. “It’s no problem, it’s what I do.” Y/n responded to her Junior.

“Thank you again!” Kim Danbi said before making her leave.

“Why do our juniors seem scared of you?” Hiyyih asked. “What do you mean?” Y/n slightly tilted her head in confusion. “I mean, it was hard to not notice the tension.”

“How?” Y/n didn’t notice any tension between the two.

“She was looking down the whole time and I saw her hesitating on coming up to us earlier in the corner of my eye.”

“I’m not sure, she’s probably just shy.”

—

Y/n was waiting in the library for Kim Danbi. She hoped this session went by quickly so she could go home and to take care of her little sister.

“Hi, Sunbaenim.” Kim Danbi sat down in the seat across from Y/n. “Hi.” Y/n smiled and started to pull out books from her bag.

“What topic do you need help with?” Y/n, Danbi pulling her pencil case out. “Just english.”

“Good, It’s one of my best subjects. Hopefully I can teach you quickly, if we need a few more sessions that’ll be fine. It’ll just cost 20 each session.”

“Alright.” Danbi smiled, ready for the session to start.

“Okay, what do you mainly need help on?”

“I have a book assignment due this week. I read the book but I’m having trouble writing an essay for it. I heard you were really good at writing essays and you were recommended by a lot of teachers so I wanted to ask for your input and to help me improve.”

“Alright, it shouldn't be too hard. What book were you assigned?”

“All the bright places.” Danbi pulled the book out and Y/n’s eyes shined a little. “I love that book.” Y/n smiled.

“I remember doing that assignment last year, do you have the same essay assignment or a different one?”

—

“Gunwook-ah, do you have to take so long?” Gyuvin complained as Gunwook was picking out a couple books he needed for an assignment.

“If you wanna go to practice soon you can.” Gunwook hummed. “I’m not forcing you to stay.”

“Are you sure? I don’t want to leave you here alone.”

“I’ll be fine.” Gunwook chuckled. “Alright, I’ll see you.” Gyuvin patted his back before leaving the library.

“This is decent, you just need to focus on the emotion. Right now it’s like you’re half-assing it. I don’t mean that in a rude way, I mean it in a way where when somebody else reads this they’ll feel like you didn’t get your point across. Put more detail into it.”

Y/n and Danbi could be seen from the gap of books on the bookshelf. Gunwook listened for a little while. Y/n was good at english and knew how to express emotions with words, he’ll give that to her.

“Hey, actually. Captain is mad right now, so I don’t want to get yelled at.” Gyuvin pops up from behind, startling Gunwook. “You scared me.” Gunwook’s hand rested on his heart from shock.

“What are you looking at?” Gyuvin peeked into the book gap. “Oh, Y/n? That’s a little creepy.”

“It was for a second, I’m not a creep.”

“Oh yeah? Remember the times she was tutoring and you would—“ Gyuvin was trying to rest his hand on the bookshelf but misplaced his hand, knocking down books making themselves seen.

“You make it seem like I did something bad, I just left her juice cartons in her basket without her knowing.” Gunwook whispered and frantically fixed the books.

“I need to check these books out, wait outside for me.” Gunwook gently shoved Gyuvin in the direction of the exit.

“Fine.” Gyuvin put his hands up in defense, almost tripping over a book. “And please stop making noise.” Gunwook sighed.

—

“Unnie! Did you know Hiyyih-Unnie likes mint choco, she’s just like you! You guys have terrible taste.” Hayun spoke as soon as Y/n walked into the house. “Yah, mint choco is amazing.” Y/n scoffed as she hung her bag up.

“Did you eat already?” Y/n asked as she opened a snack cabinet. “Yeah, Hiyyih-Unnie made me a snack.” Hayun and Hiyyih were sitting on top of the island.

“Promise me it was a real snack and not just ice cream.” She glared. “Yes it was.” Hayun groaned.

“Okay, I trust you. Did you call mom and dad today?”

Y/n’s parents were on business trips all the time. They worked as Retail buyers and were always traveling for two weeks twice a month.

“Yes, they asked where you were and I told them you had a tutoring session. They want you to take a break from tutoring. They think you need time to yourself.”

“Believe me, I think so too.” Y/n groaned.

—

Kim Dayeon and Jeon Y/n used to be close friends. Nothing bad happened for the two to stop being close friends, they just drifted apart. Y/n likes to blame Park Gunwook for it because he was like a knife that split a piece of bread in the middle of their friendship.

He had gained an interest in Kim Dayeon and Y/n didn’t like that, no one would. Especially since Y/n’s only friend was Dayeon at the time and she had a secret thing for her, who wouldn’t?

Everyone thought Kim Dayeon was cool, she played basketball in her free time, her parents ran a popular sushi restaurant, and she was class president for a year.

She was funny and nice to everyone. There was just nothing you could dislike Kim Dayeon for.

Park Gunwook made it his goal to get close to Kim Dayeon and to do that he had to hangout with her any chance he got and that was hard since Y/n was with her all the time.

He swears he didn’t mean to make them completely drift apart—only for a little. He found Y/n funny when she would get mad so he would tease her about Dayeon wanting to hang out with Gunwook and not her behind Dayeons back.

Park Gunwook honestly doesn’t dislike Y/n as much as people make it out to be. He thinks they would actually be good friends if they tried, but the two were just equally as competitive. Y/n still had a grudge on him and Gunwook’s life got more interesting once their little rivalry started.

Actually, once he did become closer to Kim Dayeon he realized his interest in her were just pure lies. He actually didn’t like the girl that much, he just thought she was cool and thought he had a crush on her.

But once Y/n was out of the picture it was odd. Y/n wasn’t there to complain, sulk and pull that pouty face to Kim Dayeon that he would see every friday when they argued on who should hang out with Dayeon.

Jeon Y/n completely stopped talking to Kim Dayeon. Yes, it is partially her fault that she and Kim Dayeon don’t talk since she had dropped her out of nowhere but she still blames Park Gunwook since he was the reason Kim Dayeon rarely had time for her.

If he was being completely honest he had a tiny tiny interest in Jeon Y/n. But it would be embarrassing for him to admit to anyone, especially since the two have a known rivalry and “hatred” for each other.

“I wonder how Y/n handles all those tutoring sessions, she has at least three a week.” Dayeon wondered.

Her and Gunwook were hanging out outside by the soccer field.

“I don’t know. She probably has some super ability to teach struggling kids who don’t give a damn about their grades.” Gunwook was kicking around a soccer ball as Dayeon watched.

“Are you gonna sign up for the soccer game fundraiser this year? You should do it.” Gunwook suggested. Dayeon has always said she’d sign up for them but she always ends up not.

“You just want to beat me in a game of soccer.” Dayeon chuckled. “Which is unfair, considering the fact that you are literally our school's star player.” Dayeon rolled her eyes.

“I heard Y/n’s signing up.” Dayeon heard this from a random girl in the bathroom. Everyone was intrigued by her and Gunwook’s rivalry.

“Y/n’s trying so you should try.”

“As if, that’ll be so awkward.” Dayeon sighed. “We haven’t talked in like five years. I wonder if she’s different from back then.”

“Five years is a lot. She probably has changed. I don’t know, I really only talk to her when I wanna tease her about my test score or piss her off.”

“You’re an ass. As if you didn’t torture her enough in middle school.”

“I am not.” Gunwook gasped. “Her reactions are just so funny. When her eyebrows come closer to each other, her eyes shine with hatred and her pouty face she’s had since middle school.”

“That’s a very detailed description for someone who supposedly hates her.” Dayeon had a slight expression of concern on her face, she was shocked at how detailed Gunwook got.

“It’s just very memorable.”

“Sure.” Dayeon just agreed. She knew Park Gunwook could never have pure hatred for anyone.

When she found out about Gunwook’s intentions she was not surprised to say the least. It was obvious. She missed Y/n a lot but she knew it’d be hard to rebuild that friendship. One thing about Y/n is that she knows her worth and knows what’s bad and what’s good for her.

The feeling of jealousy she got with Dayeon and Gunwook was bad. So she stopped talking to Dayeon.

Dayeon stayed close with Gunwook and eventually learned a lot of stuff about him. About how he’s such a big baby despite his intimidating appearance.

—

“Did you hear about that new guy today? I heard he’s cute.” Zhang Hao asked as soon as he sat down in his seat next to Y/n. “It’s only 7 in the morning, how could I have heard of him?” Y/n yawned. “Did you not get sleep?” Hao asked. “You know that’s bad for you, I don’t care about what you were studying for. Sleep and your health is more important!”

“I was not studying.” Y/n pouted. “I was making tutoring notes actually.”

“Even worse.” Zhang Hao was about to speak again but the teacher walked in with a student beside her. The new guy.

“Quiet please. We have a new student.” Ms. Nam said as she pointed to the boy next to her. “Introduce yourself please!” Ms. Nam said joyfully.

“Hi, I’m Ricky Shen and I just recently moved from China.”

“You can sit right behind Y/n and Hao! Please raise your hands!” Ms. Nam said pointing to their direction as the two raised their hands.

“Hi.” Ricky said to the two as he sat right behind Y/n. “What region are you from?” Hao turned around in his seat and asked. “Shanghai.”

“Cool, I’m from Fujian!” Hao smiled. “If you need any help or a "guide ", come to us. Or maybe just me, Y/n is always busy.”

“Oh, are you like the class president? That’s a busy role.” Ricky asked. “I’m not.” Y/n turned to face him. “Park Gunwook is the class president.” Y/n scanned the room to find him staring at her. “The one staring at us.” Y/n pointed out.

“Oh, I see. Why are you so busy then? If you don’t mind me asking.”

“I just study a lot.” Y/n laughed nervously. “She’s downplaying herself, Y/n’s ranked number two in this class and she has this really good reputation with teachers so they send all the struggling kids to her so she can tutor them. Now she spends three days a week tutoring and stays up late at night making notes for them.” Hao just spoke like he told a whole life story.

“It’s kinda messed up in a way.” He shrugged his shoulders. “You could’ve just said I tutor kids. I think you broke Ricky.”

Ricky was confused and lost. Not actually, it just seemed like he was. It was just a lot of information to process.

“Why don’t you say something about not wanting to tutor them? Or that you’re already busy?”

“Oh she does, but she has this rivalry with the class president and she wants to get a college scholarship before him and tutoring looks good on her record so she suffers the pain and sucks it up.”

“At this point you're telling my life story to him.”

“At least he’ll be filled in and not confused. You and Gunwook’s rivalry is kind of the best part of this school. It’s so funny when you guys fight.” Hao teased.

“You guys are crazy.” Ricky laughed, but it wasn’t a loud chaotic laugh like most people. It was a quiet one. Y/n liked that. Ricky seemed like a quiet observer.

“If you think we’re crazy just wait till you meet the soccer team.” Hao hummed. “Are they bad?” Ricky asked. “No, they’re just kinda chaotic—more crazy off the field, y’know? The other day Kim Gyuvin literally knocked books off of the shelves by accident because he misplaced his hand. I don’t know how he’s one of their best players when he's usually so clumsy.”

“And the other day they almost caused a ruckus at the vending machines because it was jammed and Han Yujin was so determined to get his snack he held the line up.”

“And one time Kim Jiwoong flirted his way to get free snacks from the snack bar.”

“That sounds like something I’d do.” Ricky laughed. “They usually only do it to Kim Jiwoong. If it happens to anyone else they’re either really lucky or just extremely attractive.” Y/n explained.

“I think they’ll let you get free snacks. You’re handsome enough.” Y/n looked at Ricky. She found him attractive. He seems sweet as well so that’s a plus. “Hook us up if it works.” She joked.

—

Park Gunwook was upset. Like angry, upset. He wished he had lost all his hearing in his left ear cause all he could hear all class was Y/n laughing with Zhang Hao and Ricky.

He didn’t think Ricky was that funny, so why was Y/n laughing so hard.

“Why are you so upset? You don’t even like Y/n.” Dayeon asked. She was testing the waters, she wanted to know Gunwook’s response knowing in reality he does like the girl.

“Because—they were being distracting. She was laughing so much, they all were! What could’ve been so funny.” He made an excuse.

“I heard Ricky’s getting popular. I’ve heard he also plays basketball, maybe I’ll see him in the courtyard later. I’ll tell you if he’s funny.” Dayeon

“That’s not helpful. You laugh at anything, and since Ricky is mega attractive you’ll just laugh and giggle at everything.” Gunwook sighed. “Oh,” Dayeon laughed, “Are you just jealous that Ricky seems to be so funny and attractive that all the attention will be taken away from you.” Dayeon spoke.

More like the attention of Y/n would be taken from him although he never had it…

But he was also upset at the way she ignored him and didn’t even brag or flaunt her test score which was the best one in that class. The first thing she did was put it in her bag and walk away with Ricky.

“Why would I be upset that the attention isn’t on me?”

“Maybe because you’ve had the attention of others your whole life and this one time it isn’t so you’re upset. I don’t blame you, if I had gotten all the attention growing up and then suddenly someone took that away from me I’d be upset too.”

“Okay, way to take a dig at my heart.” Gunwook glared at Dayeon. “I’m okay with attention not being on me for a couple days.”

“Bullshit, it's a couple of hours not days.” Dayeon argued. “Besides, I heard Ricky’s nice, you’ll probably turn out to really like him.”

“We’ll see.”

—

“Hi,” Gunwook approached the lunch table Ricky was sitting at. Y/n, Hiyyih, and Hao were also sitting at the table. “I’m Park Gunwook, the class president. I didn’t get to introduce myself earlier.” Gunwook smiled as he held his hand out for a handshake.

“It’s okay, I’m Ricky.” Ricky smiled back and shook his hand. “Do you like it here? I hope Y/n hasn’t grown an attachment yet and sulks when someone else hangs out with you.” Gunwook jokes.

Ricky was confused.

“What’s your problem?” Y/n scoffed. “I’m just joking,” Gunwook said as he turned to Y/n. “Forget what I said.” He turned his head back to Ricky.

“I like it here, everyone’s welcoming.”

“That’s good. If you need anything I’m always here.” Gunwook said before walking back to his usual lunch table where his soccer team and more of his friends sat.

“What was that?” Dayeon asked. “Just introducing myself to Ricky.” Gunwook said. “Y/n looked mad. What did you say?” Taerae asked. “It’s nothing. I was just teasing her.”

“Give the girl a break.” Gyuvin suggested. “She already has so much on her plate with tutoring and her little sister, she does not need you teasing her.” He scolded Gunwook.

“We all know why Gunwook’s teasing her, he just wants her attention.” Dayeon spoke out. “Oh my god, are we still on this topic? I thought we were just joking?” Yujin gasped, the group had always joked about Gunwook and Y/n if they had been together.

“It’s still just a joke—it’s nothing.” Gunwook shushed at Dayeon. “Ignore what she said.”

“What are you guys doing after school?” Gunwook asked, trying to divert everyone’s attention to his question. “Well, we have practice and then after that I have my tutoring session.” Yujin answered.

“I’m free after practice.” Gyuvin said, and a couple of ‘Me too’s followed by.

“Dayeon?” Gunwook looked at the girl, in a questioning tone. “I’m free, what are we gonna do?”

“Let’s get something to eat.” Gunwook suggested. “Where to?”Gyuvin asked. “The usual convenience store, duh.” Gunwook scoffed. “Boring. Get money, stop being broke.” Taerae groaned.

“Unless you want to pay for all of us at a nice restaurant then shhh.” Gunwook nodded his head. “Yup. I can barely afford money for the vending machine.” Yujin agreed.

“Yujin, babes you can’t afford anything. You use your cuteness to get everything.” Dayeon called him out. “And I’m proud of it!” Yujin huffed.

—

“How was practice?” Dayeon asked as the group all walked into the convenience store they went to daily. “Hi, Yejun!” Dayeon said as the others waved to the cashier. “It’s like you guys live here, coming here everyday.” Yejun laughed to himself.

Yejun was a student that attended the same school as them, they didn’t have any classes with him but always saw him working at the store.

“It’s in our budget and just so good.” Gunwook placed his items on the counter and waited for the others to come to the front. “How are you?” Gunwook asked. “Good as always, it’s been a slow day.” Yejun sighed, “Did you guys just come back from practice?” He asked.

“Yeah,” Gunwook sighed. “Coach is getting tougher on us, I just hope we win our next game.”

“Hi.” Taerae dragged out as the rest of them placed their items on the counter. “Wow you guys are hungry.” Yejun said as he saw the amount of food on the counter.

“Coach is driving us crazy.” Yujin pouted. “He held us an hour later.” Yujin sulked. “Well, I can’t do much but wish you guys luck on your next game.” Yejun said.

“Oh—by the way, Y/n is here. Please don’t cause a ruckus, I don’t want to disturb the couple over there.”

“Got it.” Gunwook said as he grabbed his bag of his food. The group of friends went towards the seats they usually sat at. There was a couple sitting down a couple seats away from them as Yejun said, and then there was Y/n who was sitting down across from Gunwook’s eyesight. Her head propped up in the palm of her hand. There were books and papers scattered on the table, she was just staring down at the papers.

Y/n looked tired and drained. Gunwook grabbed a Choco Pie and walked over to her table. “Hi, you look tired.” Gunwook said as he dropped the snack on the table. Y/n slowly picked her head up. “It’s because I am.” Y/n rolled her eyes. “What is this?” Y/n asked, picking the snack up.

“A Choco Pie, duh.” Gunwook rolled his eyes. “I know what a Choco Pie—why are you giving me this?”

“You look like you need it.” Gunwook admitted. “Thanks…people have just been coming to get tutored consistently.” Y/n sighed. “It’s so tiring, like I have a life too.”

“Jeon Y/n having a life, something I’d never imagine.” Gunwook chuckled, Y/n looked up and stared at him. Gunwook could see that she hasn’t been in the joking mood due to the lack of comebacks towards him. “Uh—just ask to cancel them or ask for just one student.” Gunwook coughed, clearing his throat.

“You don’t think I’ve tried? Mr. Shin especially keeps sending his students to me for tutoring sessions. It’s so stupid and tiring, at this point I’d rather start selling my notes.” Y/n rambled on and on.

“I could help you.”

“Really?” Y/n’s body jolted up, she was now sitting with a good posture.

“No, I just wanted to tease you.” Gunwook grinned. “I’m also very busy.”

Y/n groaned and quickly shoved all her papers and books into her bag. While she was storming out books and pages fell out but she embarrassingly ran back in with pink rosy cheeks as she picked up her stuff.

—

Y/n was seen sleeping and slacking off in class recently. She had tutor sessions on top of tutor sessions every hour of the week. She could never catch a break.

The bell rang. “Have a good lunch.” Mr. Shin said. Y/n got up a little later than everyone else, shoving her books into her bag. “Y/n, I need to speak with you.” Mr. Shin spoke out, making her stop in her tracks.

Y/n closed her eyes and prayed she wouldn’t get into much trouble. “Yes?” She slowly turned around. “What’s wrong? You’re slacking, you barely passed this test.” Mr. Shin placed her graded test on his table.

“Nothings wrong…,” Y/n tried to find the right words. “Don’t lie to me, Y/n.” Mr. Shin asked firmly. “It’s nothing really—I’m just tired. I’ve been doing a lot.”

“You need to learn how to manage your schedule. Make some time for sleep and studies. No time for fun.” He scolded her. “I’d have time if I didn’t have so many tutoring sessions.” Y/n muttered under her breath. She was honestly hoping he’d hear her.

“Jeon Y/n-ah. Are you talking back? Say what you said out loud.”

“I said, I’d have time if I didn’t have so many tutoring sessions.” Y/n spoke proudly. “Y/n-ah, you tutor because it’ll look good on your applications. You asked me to send students that needed help to you. If you keep this up—.” He picked up her low test score and waved it around, “You’ll never get accepted.”

“Get yourself together, you’re a great and smart student. Don’t waste it.”

Y/n would be lying if she said she was fearless, because she’s not. The cold and confident persona she put out was mostly just an act.

Jeon Y/n was confident and did have a cold personality. She was confident in her ability to stay on top of the school's ranks and almost always had a cold and moody expression on her face.

But she wasn’t just all that. She had fears like everyone else. She feared not being accepted into a good school, she feared failing, she feared disappointing others, most of all she feared not being on top. She wanted to be the best, second place was not enough. Which was the reason her stupid rivalry with Park Gunwook lasted this long.

Park Gunwook didn’t mean to listen to their conversation, he had left his notebook in the room and needed to get it. Y/n and Mr. Shin just so happened to still be in there. He could’ve left but he was way too intrigued once he heard Shin yell at Y/n.

“What the hell!” Y/n jumped as she was met with Park Gunwooks face. “Why are you always here to witness bad moments?” Y/n groaned and stormed off.

“Y/n—wait.” Gunwook grabbed the fabric of her sweater, making her lose her balance a little. “Let me help you tutor.” He said with no hesitation. “Funny. I’m not falling for it again.”

“No seriously, let me help.”

“I don’t want your pity.” Y/n walked off before Gunwook could say another word.

Gunwook sighed.

—

“Hi, Y/n-sunbaenim.” Y/n’s junior bowed. “Hi. Are you ready for today?” Y/n asked. “Yes, I am! I think I’m starting to understand it better!”

“That’s good.” Y/n said, her attention turning to something else. One of the juniors she tutors just walked into the library. “Hyunki, what are you doing here? Our session is tomorrow.” Y/n told the girl as she sat down a seat away from her.

“Oh, Mr. Shin assigned me a new tutor!”

“Oh, is something wrong with my tutoring? Do you know who it is?” Y/n asked, she wondered why Shin suddenly decided to switch Hyunki’s tutor.

“There’s nothing wrong, I honestly don’t know why he switched my tutors. And no, I’m not sure who I got switched to.” Hyunki nodded her head. “I just hope he's good!”

“He?” There were currently no males who tutored at the school, it was all females who volunteered until now. “Yeah, it’s a guy.” Hyunki confirmed. “Oh, Okay. Then he must’ve just signed up to be a tutor.”

“Hi!” Park Gunwook said enthusiastically as he approached the table. “S-sunbaenim.” Hyunki stood up so fast she almost got whiplash. She bowed to him, bowing pretty low to hide her rosy cheeks. Most juniors admired Park Gunwook and thought he was handsome. Hyunki was one of those juniors.

“What are you doing here?” Y/n asked, her eyebrow slightly raised. “I’m tutoring Hyunki!” Y/n’s jaw almost dropped.

“You’re tutoring now? Can’t you just let me have my own thing.” Y/n groaned. “No.” Gunwook chuckled and had a teasing smile on his face.

Gunwook was helping Y/n without Y/n knowing he was helping her. She had just thought it was another attempt at trying to one up her.

—

“Hao, you won’t believe it.” Y/n said as soon as Hao picked the phone up. “Oh my god, really?!” Hao sarcastically gasped. “What happened?” He asked seriously now. “Gunwook started tutoring today. He’s literally coming for my neck. Especially since he saw my argument with Shin about it.”

“First he steals Dayeon, my top spot, and now my whole life!” Y/n said dramatically. “Your whole life?” Hao questioned. “Tutoring takes up all my time, it might as well be my life!”

“You’re overreacting. It’s not like he’ll steal your scholarship.”

“Why would you say that?” Y/n scoffed. “I’m being serious. Gunwook might be an ass to you but he wouldn’t purposely steal your scholarship.”

“Gunwook’s not that bad. He just teases a lot, especially you. He was definitely worse in middle school.” Hao huffed. “But he’s better now. Remember that short period of time where random juice boxes would show up in your bike basket after you tutored?”

“Yeah, what about it?” Y/n was wondering where Hao’s statement was going. “It was Gunwook doing it. I caught him one day. And then remember when it stopped? He probably got scared of getting caught.”

“That was him? Oh my god…no wonder the juices tasted so good! It was probably some expensive ass juice.” Y/n scoffed. “I can’t believe him. He’s so confusing, he teases me all the time but pulls this?”

“I think he actually doesn’t dislike you at all. I mean—he did start tutoring to help you.”

“To help me? That’s crazy, Hao. Why would it be helping me?” Y/n exclaimed, she was pacing around her room now. “Because you said that he always shows up at bad times, like when you and Shin are arguing. He for sure heard your complaints and wanted to help you without you knowing.”

“I mean, he did ask to help me but I said no.” Y/n thought for a second. “I thought he was just fucking with me.”

Hao scoffed. “God, your stupid rivalry is so pointless. You guys could be friends by now if you weren’t so stubborn.”

“Now, you’re blaming me?”

“Am I wrong?” Zhang Hao was not wrong at all. Y/n was stubborn, stupid stubborn. “You think everything is a competition and he just follows along with it looking for entertainment.”

“Even if he started tutoring not to help you and did it for himself you shouldn’t look at it as him trying to steal ‘your thing’. If he’s doing this to look better on applications, don’t be so hypocritical. Because you’re doing exactly that. You’re tutoring to look better on applications, are you not?”

Y/n sighed, “You’re right.” She really hated when Zhang Hao was right, and Zhang Hao is always right. She was glad he was there to bring her to her senses though, she appreciated it.

“I always am.” Hao teased, Y/n scoffed at this.

—

“Hi, Hiyyih.” Y/n said as the tall blonde approached her. “How was your grandparents' house?” Y/n asked. Hiyyih and her siblings spent the weekend at their grandparents house. “Fun, I ate well.”

“I bet you did.” Y/n chuckled. “I gotta go to the gym. Wanna come with?” Y/n shut her locker. “What for?”

“The soccer tournament, duh.” Y/n playfully rolled her eyes. “Oh—you were being serious about that.” Hiyyih’s eyes widened to surprise.

“Why would I lie about that?” Y/n asks seriously. “Because, last time anyone checked you are absolutely shit at soccer.” Hiyyih said with honesty. “If you're doing this simply because of your stupid rivalry with Park Gunwook then don’t do it.”

Y/n had been hearing that a lot recently. She even hears it from people she’s never talked to before.

“It’s not. It’ll look good on my applications. And besides, Jake is gonna help me out.” Y/n sighed.

“Jake? As in, puppy cute aussie jake?”

“Yes—puppy cute aussie jake—why do you call him that?” Y/n’s eyebrow furrowed.

“Because he’s like a cute puppy, and he’s australian.” Hiyyih shrugged her shoulders. “Jake is the only Jake at our school, who else would I be talking about?” Y/n shook her head.

“So—you’re still seriously doing this?” Hiyyih asked as they walked into the gym. A bit crowded from all the signups. “Yes, if Jake Sim said he’d teach me then I’m gonna accept.” Y/n whispered, not wanting anyone else to hear.

“He—he said that!” Hiyyih’s eyes widened. “Yes, Jake Sim would do anything to teach what he loves.” Y/n scoffed. “Oh god—is Kim Dayeon signing up.” Y/n wavered.

“She could be, or she could just be standing with Park Gunwook and Han Yujin.” Hiyyih put some serious thought into it. “Like I am with you.” She shrugged her shoulders. “We’ll see soon, c’mon.” Hiyyih dragged the two into a line.

Park Gunwook, Han Yujin, and Nishimura Riki always signed up for the fundraiser ever since it became a thing. You would think the whole soccer team would but that would just be a disadvantage.

Kim Jiwoong just had better things to do, Kim Gyuvin liked to watch the game rather than play in it once in a while, Jake Sim would actually help people practice since he wouldn’t sign up, Kim Hyunjin had better things to do like karaoke with her close friends, Lee Heeseung would rather do the basketball fundraiser than the soccer one, Hwang Intak also liked to watch rather than play more, Yang Jungwon would actually watch Heeseung play the basketball one, and Kim Sunwoo, the captain who’s in his last year was just far to competitive that he knew it was best not to sign up.

“Okay, Gunwook is taking a sheet of paper…and then Yujin…and now…”

“Okay you don’t have to narrate what’s happening.” Y/n interrupted her. “Okay, she isn’t signing up. You’re good!” Hiyyih gave her best friend a thumbs up.

“So, what team do you want to be on?” Hiyyih asked. There are four teams, red, blue, pink, and green. The sheet of paper they pick before signing up is the team they’ll get, then they’ll sign their name and grade onto the teams sheet.

“Whatever team Park Gunwook is not on.”

“Did Zhang Hao’s little speech not get through to you?” Hiyyih asked and Y/n groaned out loud. “He told you?” Y/n sighed. “Of course he did. Y/n, seriously the rivalry has to stop. What if you both end up getting into the same college and it lasts those four years as well? Your professors are not gonna put up with that shit.”

Y/n huffed. “I don’t know, I have to figure my own shit out first.”

“Hi.” Y/n said as it was her turn to pick up a small sheet of paper. “Red.” Y/n said as she turned her paper around to show Kim Hyunjin and Lee Heeseung. “Sign this sheet right here!” Hyunjin said as she handed Y/n the clipboard with the sign-up sheet.

Y/n scanned the paper to look for a specific name.

Kim MinJi | Grade 12

Moon JaeYun | Grade 12

Huh YunJin | Grade 12

Sim JaYoon/Yoon | Grade 12

Nishimura Riki/Ni-ki | Grade 11

Sohn YoungJae/Eric | Grade 12

Park GunWook | Grade 11

Kum JunHyeon | Grade 12

Naoi Rei | Grade 12

Hirota Riki/Maki | Grade 11

She wrote down her name and quietly sighed.

“Thank you so much.” Y/n smiled and placed the clipboard back down before walking off.

“So?” Hiyyih was waiting to know what made Y/n sigh. “We’re on the same team.” Y/n said bluntly. “I’ll have to be in his range of area for five hours a day for three weeks.”

—

“Hello, is everyone here? Looks like it.” Mrs. Jeo said as she quietly did a head count. “Perfect, all eleven of you are here!”

“I am Mrs. Jeo! I am the red team's coach and representative! Let’s have a safe and fun practice! Please grab a ball and pair up into four groups of two and one group of three!” Mrs. Jeo introduced herself.

Y/n was gonna walk over to Kim Minji and ask if she wanted to be partners but that was before she felt a tug on the sleeve of her shirt.

“Y/n, be my partner.” Park Gunwook said as the girl turned around. “Why?” Y/n asked, eyebrows furrowed. “Because I asked. And who wouldn’t want to be partners with the star player?” Gunwook gassed himself up.

“Me. I don’t want to.” Y/n scoffed.

“Too late. Everyone else already has a partner.” Gunwook hummed and gently grabbed her shoulders, turning the girl around to see everyone else paired up.

“Let’s grab a ball.” Gunwook gave her a taunting smile. “Oh! and these will be your partners for the three weeks! Pick someone you get along with!” Mrs. Jeo said cheerfully.

Everyone’s eyes went to Gunwook and Y/n. Gunwook who had a smile on his face and Y/n who had facepalmed.

“Kill me.” Y/n complained. “Not just yet!” Gunwook gently passed the ball to Y/n by kicking it.

“You don’t seem like a soccer girl? I remember hearing you don't do any sports actually.” Gunwook tried to make conversation with the girl as the two practiced simple passing.

“I’m not. I’m doing this for the hell of it.” Y/n excused. “For the hell of it or just to compete against me? Unfortunately we’re on the same team.” Gunwook teased.

“What made you think you could’ve beaten me anyway? No offense, but you don’t have any experience in soccer.”

“Jake Sim said he’d teach me.”

“Ah~The Jake Sim effect.” Gunwook laughed. “He always does this, instead of signing up he helps the students who absolutely suck at soccer.”

Y/n can’t even take offense to that because it’s true, she absolutely sucks at soccer.

“Tell you what, I’ll teach you if you tell Jake you don’t need to his help anymore.”

“And why would I do that?”

“Because I’m the star player, duh.” Gunwook rolled his eyes. “Yeah, but are you forgetting Jake Sim was a runner up for star player before you took the title?” Y/n reminded him.

“Yeah, but then again he isn’t star player, so.” Gunwook huffed. “Jake Hyung is good but c’mon.” Gunwook dragged the last word out.

“What do I get out of it?”

“Super awesome soccer skills, duh.”

“I could easily get that from Jake Sim.”

“Okay—then, super awesome soccer skills and more time with me.”

“More time with you? As if anyone would like that.” She scoffed. “Hyunki sure does.” Gunwook laughed. “Hyunki’s just got cute boys running in her mind, of course she’ll want to spend time with you.”

“Awh, you think I’m cute? You’re kind of cute too, Y/n.” Gunwook pinched her cheek. “You’re pushing it.” Y/n said sternly.

“Listen, I’m not so bad to be around. I’m sorry I gave you hell back in middle school and—the last three years.” He sheepishly chuckled. “Anyways, the point is that I’m only here to win so the money can go to the charity of the team's choice.”

“Just put some serious thought into it. I won’t force you to.”

—

Y/n put some serious thought into it. Maybe Gunwook coaching her could help them get along. But, would she really do that? No.

“Hi, Jake.” Y/n said as she walked up to the boy on the field. “Hi, Y/n. Are you ready?” He asked as he kicked the ball around and did a few tricks. “Okay, Showoff.” Y/n teased.

“What, you don’t wanna learn a few tricks?” Jake chuckled. “I only need to know the basics.” Y/n shrugged her shoulders.

“The basics? Please, anyone could teach you the basics. Why’d you ask me?”

“Because I know you would’ve said yes. And I know your teammates are busy doing other stuff.”

“I heard Gunwook offered to teach you, why didn’t you take the offer up.” Jake asked. “You know why.” Y/n squinted her eyes as the sun was in her way. “How’d you know anyway?” Y/n asked.

“Please, Park Gunwook and Jeon Y/n. You guys are practically a twitter hashtag trending every week.”

“I can’t stand Gunwook, why would I take his offer up if I can’t even stand him?” Y/n sighed. “Gunwook isn’t that bad. I understand you guys have a bad past but when you get to really know him he’s like a big baby.”

“Park Gunwook, a big baby?” Y/n laughed.

“You love exposing me, don’t you Hyung.” A voice was heard from behind. “Hi, Gunwookie.” Jake teased.

“Whatta’ doing here?” Jake asked. “I can’t watch you guys practice?” Gunwook responded. “Didn’t say that…just kind of…awkward…you’re just gonna watch?”

“I mean, yeah? Everyone’s busy so I’m just gonna watch you guys.” Gunwook shrugged his shoulders. “Help me teach Y/n.” Jake gestured to Gunwook to come closer. “You’re her partner anyway and on the same team.”

“I do end up teaching you after all.” Gunwook whispered as he walked past Y/n.

—

Instead of seeing Gunwook for five hours a day for the next three weeks it turned into six. It was gonna be a living hell for her.

She thought so at least.

The game was soon and they were almost three weeks into the practices plus Jake and Gunwook giving her extra help and it wasn’t so bad actually.

She started to see why people had been so obsessed over Park Gunwook. He was actually sweet and considerate. He would bring extra drinks for the three, towels to wipe sweat, and always brought an extra sweater just in case. He always offers it to Y/n when it gets colder later in the day.

She would be lying if she said that her heart didn’t beat twice as fast those couple of weeks they spent together. But she would never admit that publicly. It was too embarrassing for her and her reputation.

Gunwook pushed aside their rivalry and taught Y/n how to play soccer fairly without any arguments, or trying to start any.

“Y/n, how many times do I have to tell you. Kick harder. You’re not consistent with it.” Gunwook sighed. “I don’t care if you hit me.”

“Trust me I want to hit you.�� Y/n groaned. “So why aren’t you doing so?” Gunwook scoffed. “If you get injured, our team is basically in jeopardy.” Y/n was reaching with this, there were plenty of decent Soccer players on their team.

“Please, like you’d even be able to injure me.”

“You’re really testing my patience, Park Gunwook.” Y/n stepped closer to the boy.

“Okay—that’s enough.” Jake pulled the two apart. He found it funny at first but had to stop before it got out of hand. “Take five.” Jake nervously laughed and pushed the two in the direction of the bleachers.

“You guys need to stop this shit. You can’t argue on the field during the game.” Jake scolded the two.

“We got it, Hyung.” Gunwook sighed. “Do you really? This shit has been going on for years, when is it gonna stop?” Jake rarely ever scolded the younger, and Gunwook hated it when he did.

“Yes, we do. We’ll try and get along.”

—

The two ‘got along’ you could say…?

They tried their best not to argue and stay civil with each other and it actually was kind of peaceful for a while.

It was the day of the games and Y/n’s heart was pounding with pressure and anxiety. Her leg shook up and down and her hands shaking and knuckles cracked consistently.

“You’ll do good. Don’t worry. Once you’re on the field you’ll get an adrenaline rush and do your best to keep up and win.” Gunwook assured the girl.

“How do you know that’ll happen?” Y/n asked. “We’re more alike than you think, Y/n.”

“We have the same desire to win and be the best. We get nervous and then a sudden adrenaline rush hits.”

Park Gunwook and Jeon Y/n had a lot more in common.

“Hi, Hyung! Hi, Y/n Noona.” Yujin said cheerfully as he skipped to the tent the red team was resting at.

“Hi, Yujinnie.” Gunwook ruffled the youngest hair. “Hi.” Y/n waved quietly.

“Did you see the lineup?” Yujin asked. “If you win against blue and I win against green we get to play a game against each other!”

“I did. Good luck, you should head back to your tent now. Games are starting soon!” Gunwook patted Yujin’s back.

“Good luck, Yujin.” Y/n said as well. “Thank you.” Yujin said with a big smile on his face.

Gunwook sighed. “I love that kid. A shame that he’ll lose.” Gunwook chuckled. “But he does have some rage on the field. Better watch out for him.” Gunwook warned Y/n.

“The real person you watch out for is Gyu Duho,” Ni-ki pointed out. “He plays dirty. When we had gym together he would break all the rules in the sports. He even sent a girl to the nurse’s office because he shoved her too roughly.”

“I heard he didn’t even apologize either.” Yunjin chimes in. “He’s a weirdo, and it’s drizzling so better be careful out there.”

The Pink and Green team match was up first.

It went smoothly and slid right by. It was a good match, Green (Yujin’s) team won.

Now it was time for the Red versus Blue match.

“Okay Red team! Huddle up before we go on the field!” Mrs Jeo clapped her hands and everyone huddled up.

“I want you all to do your best, have no worries and just have fun!” She exclaimed.

“Go! Go! Go!” She cheered as the team ran into the field.

“Y/n,” Gunwook said as the two were walking to their positions. “Just flow with it and don’t stress.” He patted her shoulder.

“Okay.” Y/n breathed out. “What if I do something horribly wrong and we lose?”

“I’ll bring the team to victory.” He shrugged his shoulders.

“Now we have the Red versus Blue! On the Red team they have Star Player Park Gunwook and Nishimura Riki of the soccer team! Do you think Red or Blue will win?” Danielle Marsh, the sports announcer said.

“Looks like Park Gunwook and Jeon Y/n are getting along? That’s a first.” Danielle’s little laugh could be heard on the mic.

“Is that Park Gunwook’s arm around Y/n’s shoulder? Looks like the two are getting close!”

“Let’s start the match!”

The start of the match went by smoothly as well. Y/n tried her best to keep up and actually didn’t do so bad. Y/n has only seen just a couple of clips of Gunwook on the field but actually being there next to him, playing the game with him, and passing the ball to him, felt different.

It was finally halftime and Y/n was so happy she survived the first half without being as bad as she expected herself to be.

“Y/n, you’re doing good. I don’t know why you were so worried.”

“This is all new to me.” Y/n gulped her water down. “Of course I’m nervous.” She huffed. “I understand why people are so obsessed with the star player now.” Y/n confessed.

“Yeah, and why’s that?” Gunwook smirked. “I can see your passion for soccer on the field. It’s—the realest version of you, y’know?”

Gunwook hesitated for a bit before nodding his head in agreement. “Yeah.”

—

The second half of the game went even smoother now that Y/n got the hang of it.

The Red team won against the Blue team and now the final match is happening soon.

She was nervous about this last match though, she’ll have to face Gyu Duho.

Going against Green was a little more difficult for Y/n. Especially since they had more experienced players.

“Guys, be careful out there. It’s raining a little harder now so the grass is gonna be slippery, Green has players who are more experienced and rough. Put your health first.” Mrs. Jeo patted all their backs before they ran to the field.

“Looks like we got Red and Green going against each other now! For the first time it looks like Park Gunwook and Han Yujin are going against each other! Will the rage of the youngest win or the star player pull through?!”

“Star Player, blah blah blah. All they talk about is Gunwook, does that not upset you?” Duho scoffed as he and Ni-ki were battling for the ball. “Why would it? Gunwook Hyung is good. They’re not lying.”

“Still, it doesn’t bother you that they never mention you or anyone else?”

“It doesn’t. Our team is good but he makes our team better. You’re not gonna get under my skin.” Ni-ki scoffed.

“Hyung!” Ni-ki shouted as he passed the ball to Gunwook.

Gunwook kicked the ball into the goal, scoring the first point.

“Park Gunwook scores the first point for team Red!”

“Hyung. Duho’s trying to get under our skin, watch out. I’ll try and let everyone know.” Ni-ki said quickly as he passed by Gunwook.

Y/n didn’t know what was happening but she could see Ni-ki spreading some sort of word.

“Y/n.” She felt her shoulder being touched. “Duho’s gonna try and get under your skin. Don’t fall for it.” Gunwook warned the girl. “What’s he gonna say?” She asked. “Probably some shit that’ll make you mad.”

“You’re doing good, don’t let him distract you.” Gunwook teased the girl by squeezing her right cheek. “Ugh.” Y/n wiped her cheek. “Be careful with the grass.” He said before running back.

It was like Y/n was cursed because right after that Gyu Duho and her were fighting for the ball.

“How does it feel to be Gunwook’s shadow? Always second while he’s first.” Duho chuckled. “He's a star player, you’re nothing. He’s top of class, your top two. He's the class president, and you're just the girl who lost to him.”

“He’s Kim Dayeon’s best friend and you used to be her best friend.”

Duho knew he struck a nerve, it was perfect timing for him to steal the ball and ‘accidentally’ kick the back of her leg making her slip.

Y/n didn’t move, it wasn’t like she was injured super bad she just needed to take a breather…on the grassy muddy ground.

“Looks like Jeon Y/n is down! Is she okay…do we need to get a medic? Omg.”

“We can’t tell if that was a foul or not. It could’ve been an accident.”

“Looks like she’s good! She’s up but I don’t think she’ll be able to continue, looks like she’s limping. Park Gunwook is running to the scene and…helping Y/n!? He’s got his arm around her shoulders helping her to the sidelines. I think this is the end of their rivalry.”

“Are you okay?” Gunwook asked in a panic tone. “I’m good, I think my ankles just sprained, I’ll be fine. Just—win the match and best Gyu Duho.”

“What’d he say to you?”

“Some shit that got under my skin.”

Yujin ran over to Duho. “Dude. What was that for? We play fair on the field.” Yujin scoffed. “Dude? Where’s your respect for your senior?”

“Respect? Respect my ass, bro.” Yujin scoffed before he ran to the sidelines to check on Y/n before the match began again.

“I’m so sorry about that, noona.” Yujin apologized frantically. “Don’t be sorry. It was Duho’s fault. He’s such an ass.”

“I can purposely be bad so you guys can win!? Or not pass the ball to him.” Yujin suggested. “Don’t do that, I want us to win fairly.” Gunwook said.

“Just play how you would usually play.”

—

Red team celebrated their win with pizza at a restaurant in the city.

“Gyu Duho sucks, like he can literally kiss my ass.” Y/n said out loud. “Y/n! Don’t speak so inappropriately.” Mrs. Jeo scolded the girl.

“But you are not wrong.” She muttered. “What he did tonight on the field was unfair and wrong! What he did to our Y/n should not have gone over everyone’s head!” Mrs. Jeo complained.

“Look at her.” Mrs. Jeo pointed to Y/n who was sitting with a straight face. “Oh—I’m like good actually, I can handle this pain, but thank you for the awesome speech.” Y/n nodded her head.

“Thank you, Y/n.” She put her hands on her chest like her heart was warmed. “Now excuse me, I have to go to the ladies room.”

“So like, what did he say to everyone on the field?” Huh Yunjin asked. “If he did—he was gonna say some shit to me but then I told him to shut up.”

“He was talking about Gunwook being the star player and how he overshines the soccer team but I said it didn’t bother me.” Ni-ki shrugged his shoulders. “Do I? I don’t mean too…” Gunwook asked and went quiet. “I mean—yeah but it’s good. Our team is good but you make it better. It’s not your fault you were gifted with awesome soccer skills.”

“I wasn’t gifted.” Gunwook awkwardly chuckled. “I just practiced a lot when I was younger.”

“Uh—what did he say to you Y/n? If you want to share it.” Gunwook made sure Y/n felt comfortable in the environment, knowing she rarely ever went out. “I’ll—I’ll tell you later. When I feel like it.”

—

Gunwook offered to give Y/n a ride and she accepted, who wouldn’t? It was cold out and Y/n could barely walk without a limp.

“About earlier, when I said I’ll tell you what Duho said to me.” Y/n broke the silence. “Yeah, what about it?” Gunwook’s head tilted slightly.

“Duho was comparing us. He asked how I felt about being in your shadow. He used every example he could, like how you’re ranked one and I’m ranked two, and how you’re a star player and I do nothing, how you’re class president and I was the girl that lost to you. The one that really hit a nerve was when he mentioned Kim Dayeon and how you’re her best friend now and I’m not.” Y/n wasn’t planning on telling him what he had said due to it actually being true.

“I tried to stop caring about what happened but I can’t. Especially since me and Dayeon used to be so close. To be honest, I had the fattest crush on her.” Y/n laughed out loud. “You did?” Gunwook gasped. “Was it not obvious?”

“I just thought you guys were really close and you didn’t want to lose her.” He shrugged his shoulders. “I’m sorry, again. For all that shit I did in middle school and for the other shit I did that may have hurt you.”

“You’re not a shadow of me. We’re both good at our own stuff. Like how you put so much time into tutoring others. I literally want to quit tutoring so bad right now.” He chuckled. “I don’t know how you deal with everyone. Hyunki literally keeps trying to flirt with me.”

Y/n scoffed. “Almost every one of my students is scared of me, I don’t know why.”

“Maybe it’s the straight face you’re pulling right now, it’s a little intimidating.” Gunwook waved his hand to her face.

“Can we settle this? I don’t want to have any more bad blood with you anymore.” Gunwook asked, looking at the girl as he stopped at a red light.

“Yes, oh my god I don’t know how long I could keep this stubbornness up. Like I’m so sick and tired of trying to one up you.” Y/n sighed. “I’ll admit it and say I just hated not being first and took that out on you, but after hearing—from literally everyone on how stupid our rivalry is I’m finally starting to see their point.”

“I never hated you Y/n. I liked to tease you back then because of how cute your little angry face was. It’s still cute now.” Gunwook confessed to the girl.

“Haha—Thanks.” She laughed awkwardly, she wasn’t used to compliments like this. Especially from someone she’s been feuding with for years.

—

Y/n and Gunwook didn’t talk during school, they would only wave to each other in the morning and that was it. They had settled their bad blood but that didn’t mean they were friends.

“So wait—you guys are cool now?” Hao asked. “Yeah, we settled the rivalry but we aren’t friends. It’s kind of embarrassing to me.”

“How is that embarrassing?” Hiyyih asked. “Because everyone knows how much I’ve slandered him over the years, I can’t be caught as a hypocrite!” Y/n spit out. “So now everyone will only think we wave to each other because he helped me on the field.”

“So, you guys are cool…but you guys aren’t friends? So you’re pretending like you guys didn’t have a heart to heart?” Ricky asked, confused with Y/n’s shenanigans as always.

“Yes! Exactly that!”

“And why again?” Ricky asked again. “Because I can’t be caught being a hypocrite all close to him when last week I was literally talking shit about him and his goofy ass highlighter jersey.” Y/n huffed. “But when we had practices he was actually so nice to me I can’t believe I slandered him so much in my lifetime.” Y/n sighed. “And I actually admire his passion for soccer after seeing him play on the field in real time.”

“So you’re hiding secret feelings for him because you don’t want to be caught as a hypocrite?”

“Yes.”

“Y/n that’s so stupid.”

“I’ve never heard something so dumb.”

“Are you for real?”

All three of her friends said to her.

“Yes, I am for real! My reputation is in jeopardy if this ever gets out!”

—

“So you guys are good now?” Kim Dayeon asked Park Gunwook. “Yeah, we’re good. But I don’t think she wants us to be friends.”

“Why?”

“Because all we do is wave to each other…that’s weird.” Gunwook looked around the room trying not to make eye contact with Dayeon. “Why are you looking around the room? I’m right here?” Dayeon asked.

“Okay, don’t tell anyone this but—we had a heart to heart but it was about some shit that Gyu Duho said and he mentioned you so you were in the conversation.”

“Okay…what did he say?”

“He said some shit about Y/n being my shadow and he even went as far as mentioning how I’m your best friend now and she’s not…that’s why she froze up and he took the opportunity to trip her.”

“He said that!? That’s so evil, oh my god.” Dayeon gasped. “I’ll beat his ass—why would he even say that.”

“Because he was trying to get under all our skins! It was such a jerk move.”

“Where is he right now?” Dayeon asked, standing up from her seat. “Woah—Dayeon you’re not seriously gonna beat him up—right?” Gunwook asked as the girl started walking out the classroom.

“No?” Dayeon’s eyebrow furrowed. “I’m just gonna beat him at basketball, duh.”

“What are you gonna do 1v1?”

“No, you’re crazy, I’m good at basketball but Duho’s better. That’d be setting me up for failure.” Dayeons eyes widened. “I’ll get a team of four.”

“Good idea.”

“I know. I get Heeseung and Kim Hyunjin, and you get Ricky.”

“Woah Woah—Ricky? I’m getting Ricky?” Gunwook stopped Dayeon before she could run off. “This is not a time to be jealous, Park Gunwook.”

Dayeon ran to find Heeseung and Hyunjin. Gunwook stood there for a while before deciding to go find Y/n. Because wherever Y/n was, Ricky was with her.

Ever since Ricky started school here he’s been attached to Y/n, Hao, and Hiyyih at the hip. Besides the times he’d go and play basketball with Dayeon or anyone else at the school court.

“Y/n.” Gunwook said, gasping as he reached the lunch table where Y/n, Hao, and Hiyyih were sitting. “Where’s Ricky?”

“He’s at the basketball court, why?” Y/n asked, confused. “Okay good—he’s already there.” Gunwook said in between breaths. “There is about to be an epic awesome amazing 4v4 game going on. Let’s go.” Gunwook grabbed the girl's arm and she grabbed Hao’s and Hiyyih’s.

“Guys—can we walk at least?” Hao shouted.

—

“So why do we need to be here?” Y/n asked, slightly squinting her eyes since the sun was in her way. Gunwook switched spots with her so the sun wouldn’t blind her. “Dayeon’s gonna 4v4 Gyu Duho and Ricky’s apart of her team.”

Hao’s eyes slightly widened and his head turned to look at Hiyyih. They were shocked at Gunwook’s kind gesture. “Let’s sit on the bleachers. I heard news about it is already spreading.” Gunwook said as he dragged the three to the first row of bleachers.

“Why is she having a basketball match with him?” Y/n asked. “I told her about what he did to you at the soccer game.” Y/n’s jaw slightly dropped. “She’s doing this all because of what he did?”

“Yeah, Dayeon still cares about you, y’know? She never stopped.” Y/n went quiet. “It’s about to start.” She was grateful that changed the subject.

“For reals though, who do you think is gonna win? Because everyone on Dayeon’s team is good but everyone on Duho’s team is also good.” Hiyyih asked. “C’mon, Dayeon got Ricky. Ricky’s so good.” Hao scoffed. “Yeah, did you hear how everyone wants to go against Ricky because they couldn’t believe how good he was.” Y/n said next.

“Is he that good? I’ve never seen him play.” Gunwook asked. “Really?” Y/n gasped. “He’s so good, he’s like your level of good but basketball.” Y/n nodded her head.

Gunwook did not like being compared to Ricky at all. Yeah the guy was probably really good, but Gunwook just didn’t like being compared to him. Especially since Y/n was over here gassing him up.

“Am I really that good, Jeon Y/n.” Gunwook teased. “Hmm…You wish.” Y/n flicked his forehead. “This is about Ricky, stop looking for attention.” She flicked his forehead again.

—

“Can’t believe they won.” Duho was complaining to his teammates. “They aren’t even that good, especially Dayeon, can’t believe we got beat by a girl.”

“Say that shit to my face. You wanna act all big and tough during the soccer game but won’t even talk shit to my face?” Dayeon spoke out, she heard them talking as she walked by.

“What’s the soccer game got to do with this?” He scoffed, walking closer to her. “Nothing, it’s just you played really unfairly and I thought you needed a loss in life.”

“That Y/n girl deserved it, she’s so annoying.”

“Don’t speak about her like that.” Dayeon scoffed in disbelief.

“Yeah? What are you gonna do about it if I do?” Duho pushed Dayeons shoulders. “Hit me I dare you.” Dayeon pushed him back.

“Woah! Woah!” Gunwook pulled the two apart. “Guys not here.” He held Dayeon back.

“Dayeon, not now.” Gunwook pulled the girl aside.

“Hello?? You never get into fights, what was that?” Gunwook asked. “It was nothing, he was just being an ass.”

“Let’s just—Let’s go cool off at the convenience store.”

—

The silence was loud and awkward as the six of them stared at each other.

“Thank you again, Dayeon. You didn’t have to.” Y/n thanked Dayeon for the third time this day. “Oh, I had to. Gyu Duho is an ass and deserved to lose. And can you believe he was being misogynistic?” Dayeon scoffed. “He really couldn’t believe he got beat by a girl.”

“Two girls, Kim Hyunjin’s insane.” Ricky chimed in. “Two! Two! and he was so baffled. What is so hard about believing girls can be good at basketball.”

“He’s just like every other jerk, it’s not surprising.” Hao shrugged his shoulders.

“My brother is here, Y/n are you sure you don’t need a ride?” Hiyyih asked as she clicked her phone off. “Yeah, I literally have a tutoring session in a couple minutes.” Y/n checked the time on her phone.

“Okay, get sleep tonight and please for the love of god do not overwork yourself.” Hiyyih blew a kiss to the girl before leaving the shop with Hao and Ricky behind.

“Bye, guys. We’ll see you whenever.” Ricky said as Hao waved bye.

“Y/n, I hope we’re cool now.” Dayeon said as she sat up. “We’ve always been ‘cool’, I never had a problem with you.” Y/n chuckled. “It’s you, I had a problem with.” Y/n pointed her finger towards Gunwook.

“You were just so fun to tease, Y/n-ah. If you saw your face and reactions, you would do the same.” Gunwook patted the girl's head. “I hope we’re cool too.” Gunwook smiled.

“Yeah, if you keep this shit up that chance is very low.”

—

Gunwook started a part time job at the convenience store to fill his time. Also because he would see Y/n fall asleep every Tuesday and Thursday when she tutored those two students after school and he could play hero and wake her up.

Seriously though, he wished the girl would stop falling asleep because something bad can happen to her.

Gunwook sighed as he walked in for his shift, pulling his uniform vest over his head before walking over to Y/n.

“Y/n.” He gently shook the girl awake. Y/n groaned as she awoke from her sleep. “Gunwook, you could’ve just let me sleep.” She sighed. “And what let some weird guy take advantage of you? Certainly not.” He scoffed.

“I know you would’ve beaten his ass for me.” She mumbled as she put her belongings on the table away in her bag.

“Eat something before you go, on the house. As always.” Gunwook offered. “Thanks, but my sister is at home waiting for me. I need to eat with her.”

“Bring her food then. Just pick anything.”

“Why are you being so nice?” Y/n asked. “Remember, I want us to be cool. Although I really do want to keep our top student rivalry still a thing…” He said hesitantly. “Don’t worry. I want to as well.” Y/n chuckled. “You know how embarrassing it’ll be when people start calling me a hypocrite. Especially since last week I called your stupid sweater ugly and everyone heard me.”

“You’re just a fucking hater it was not ugly.”

“You’re right, I am a hater. The sweater was kind of cute. I just wanted to insult you.”

“Awh, want to borrow it?”

“Yeah, so I can burn it!”

—

“Y/n.” One of Y/n’s classmates called her name out. “Hm?” Y/n looked up from her paper. “What’s going on with you and Gunwook? I feel like I haven’t seen you guys argue all week.”

“Oh—bad week? I don’t know.” Y/n awkwardly laughed. “Yeah, bad week! I just don’t feel like wasting my breath on him.”

“Oh, okay.” Her classmate just nodded her head before turning back to her paper.

Y/n stopped by the convenience store to talk to Gunwook. “Hiiii.” Y/n dragged out. “Hi, you’re in a good mood?” Gunwook’s eyebrow raised. “I am, because look!” Y/n pulled out her test paper. “I overheard you tell Yujin your test score on the english test and when I had his class and got mine that was when I found out I did better, hah!”

“Blah blah, we all know you’re better at English.” Gunwook shushed the girl. “Oh, and people are starting to get suspicious of us. We need to start arguing again.”

“We argue, like—all the time? We literally argued about milk earlier today.” Gunwook shrugged his shoulders. “Yeah, that’s not selling it.” Y/n huffed.

“What, you want me to go back to calling you out on everything? That was too mean of me, and I don’t want to upset you again.”

Y/n just stared at the boy and sighed. He was being so sweet it was hard for her not to fall for him.

“C’mon, I’m never losing the “i don’t give a fuck” war. I don’t care anymore. Let’s go back to arguing like we used to. People aren’t buying what we’re selling right now.”

“Okay, but if you get upset it’s on you.” He pointed at the girl. “Hi, welcome to GS25.” Gunwook said as he heard the bell of the door go off.

“Today’s kind of slow. My shift might end early, want to hang out after?” Gunwook asked as he was organizing the lip balms on the counter. “Just us two?” Y/n hesitantly asked. “If you want it to be,” Gunwook shrugged his shoulders. “You can invite Bahiyyih. I know guys are really close.”

“Sure then.” Y/n nodded her head. “Is it fine if I also invite Gyuvin?”

“Why wouldn’t it be? If i’m inviting Hiyyih you should be able to invite Gyuvin. But,” She dragged out the last word. “If it’s my house we’re hanging out at he better not trash it, you know how clumsy he is.”

—

Y/n shut her phone off and put it in her pocket. “Hiyyih is busy, she can’t make it. What about Gyuvin?” She asked as Gunwook took off his vest. “Gyuvin can’t make it either, he’s with some family right now. What about Hao? I know Ricky and Dayeon are playing ball right now.”

“He’s on a date with Sung Hanbin.” Y/n said. “It’s just us then, we don’t have to hangout…”

“Wait—he’s on a date with Sung Hanbin?” Gunwook’s eyes widened. “Like Sung Hanbin? Sung Hanbin, the one he’s been in a rivalry with since the beginning of the year?”

“Who else? Yeah, I was surprised too. Hao told me they were assigned as partners for bio and they started to get along and then they randomly kissed one night while researching.” Y/n shrugged her shoulders as she clutched into her tote bag that hung on her right shoulder.

“Do you still want to hang out?” Y/n watched as Gunwook was cleaning up for the next person's shift. “Yeah, we can. I’m good with hanging at your house, don’t you have to watch your sister anyway?” Gunwook said as he threw away the cleaning wipe and grabbed his bag.

“She’s fourteen, she can watch herself. I just get worried sometimes so I have Hiyyih hang out with her.” Y/n and Gunwook walked out of the store and walked to his car.

“It’s late, let’s hang out at your house.” Gunwook beeped his car and opened the door for Y/n then walked to the drivers side. “But it’s late, like you said. Don’t you have to be home too?” Y/n put her seatbelt on.

“My parents are out for dinner right now, I have time to kill.”

“Oh, okay.” Y/n nodded her head. “What are we gonna do? I hope it’s not awkward, I don’t really have anything fun at my house.”

“Talk? We can talk. I like talking.” Gunwook nodded his head. “Half of the time you tell me to shut the fuck up?? What do you mean you like to talk?” Y/n scoffed and her jaw dropped.

“I just like to get on your nerves.” Gunwook chuckled.

—

“Hi, Hayun.” Y/n said as she took her shoes off at the door, Gunwook as well. “How was school?” She asked as she hung her tote bag on the hooks on the wall, walking into the kitchen where her sister was at, with Gunwook behind her. “It was good. Who’s this?” Hayun asked as she looked up from her phone screen.

“Park Gunwook.”

“Park Gunwook? That guy you’re always shit talking about? Why is he here, don’t you hate him?” Hayun gasped. “It’s—complicated. We’ve squashed that beef.” Y/n’s head slightly tilted. “Mhm, because that’s totally something you’d do.” Hayun’s eyebrows furrowed. “Listen, I know. We’re cool but we still act all mean to each other around people.” Y/n sighed and slapped Gunwook’s shoulder.

“Gunwook, this is my little sister Hayun. She’s just like me so watch out.” Y/n cheekily smiled. “Wow, twice the torture for me.” Gunwook said sarcastically. “I’m not as bad as my Unnie. Don’t worry.” Hayun scoffed.

“Did you call mom and dad?” Y/n asked as she jumped to sit on top of the counter. “By the way, snack in this cabinet. You can take anything, just not my cookies.” Y/n hit the cabinet next to her. “Yeah, we talked about you.”

“Bad or good?” Y/n sucked in her breath. “Good, of course. But they’re seriously worried about you. When are you gonna stop doing these academic lessons?”

“Like—uh, never. Duh.” Y/n scoffed. “My teacher is on my ass bro, whenever I ask to get less sessions he talks about how I’m a good student and should keep this up in order to get into a good college.”

“Man, fuck college.”

“If mom heard you say that right now you’d get bitch snapped.” Y/n’s eyes widened. Hayun and Y/n were alike in many ways but Hayun didn’t have any big plans in life whilst Y/n did.

“But she isn’t.”

“Where are your parents? If you don’t mind me asking.” Gunwook cleared his throat. “They’re retail buyers. So they’re always out on business trips. Like all the time.” Y/n dragged out the last word. “At this point this is just me and Hayuns house.” She shrugged her shoulders.

“Don’t you guys ever miss them or something? I feel like I’d go insane if I didn’t have my mom with me, she helps me with everything.”

“We do. But this happens so often we got used to it.” Hayun nodded her head. “Don’t have that concerned look on your face. Really, it’s nothing.” Y/n ruffled Gunwook’s hair. “Did you just ruffle my hair?”

“Yeah even that was weird for me.” Hayun had a face of disgust on. “I was trying to be nice.” Y/n’s jaw dropped. “Yeah, maybe don’t be nice.” Hayun teasingly smiled at her.

“Unnie, we don’t have anything fun here. Why did you invite Gunwook over?” Hayun groaned. “Because, we just both happened to be free? And besides, I don’t want to leave you alone. Gunwook said his parents are out for dinner and he doesn’t wanna sit at home doing nothing.”

“So you invited him here? Why couldn’t you guys just go get something to eat?”

“Yah, you already want to get rid of me? Are you secretly inviting boys over? Or even girls? Or even throwing parties?”

“Who do you think I am?” Hayun dramatically leaned onto Y/n. “I just wanted some friends over. Can I?” Hayun put her best puppy face on. “It’s late, your friend's parents are gonna let them come? I don’t care, I just don’t want someone’s mom to come lecturing me.”

“It’s only eight! It’ll be a sleepover!”

“Just let her, my parents rarely let friends over when I was her age and I almost rioted against them.” Gunwook suggested. “I’m not her parent, if anything bad happens I’ll get blamed.” Y/n scoffed.

“Please.” Hayun begged. “Fine, just clean up after yourselves.” Y/n gently shoved Hayun away.

“I knew you’d say yes! I already invited them over…they’re almost here.” Hayun confessed. “I know you did. I smelled popcorn the minute I walked in here. Y/n got close to her face and teased her by pinching her cheek.

“Can you guys hangout in your room or something?” Hayun shoved her sister away. “My room?” Y/n gasped. “Are you embarrassed of us?” Y/n turned her head towards Gunwook. “Do you hear this girl?” She scoffed.

“I’m embarrassed of you, not Gunwook.” Hayun said. “Whatever. Just have fun.” Y/n squeezed Hayun’s right cheek for the last time before gesturing to Gunwook. “Let’s go find something to do.” She said as she grabbed her cookies from the cabinet and led the way to her room.

“This is my room. Nothing impressive.” Y/n shrugged as the two walked into the off white colored room. “Damn, you might have more awards than me.” Gunwook chuckled as he saw the amount of awards hung up on the wall and displayed on the girls bookshelf.”

“Best badminton player?” Gunwook’s head tilted slightly as he saw the award on her shelf. “I didn’t know you played badminton?”

“Only for a little.” Y/n was setting her bed up for the two to sit on. “For a year when I was fourteen. I won the award and then I quit.”

“You quit? Why waste talent?” Gunwook asked as he looked back at the girl. “I’m an overachiever. I quit badminton to join the debate club so I can win a medal.” Y/n said. “Damn, you’re worse than me.” Gunwook laughed.

“I blame my parents.” Y/n chuckled. “They’re both overachievers who are perfect for each other.” She patted the spot next to her on her bed, gesturing for him to sit.

“They practically push everything onto me.” Her face scrunched up slightly. “I don’t even want to go to college that bad. My parents want me in medical school.” Gunwook sat on the bed next to her.

“I’m just doing everything because I’m told to, and achieving all that is kind of worthless but feels nice.”

“What do you want to do?” Gunwook asked with pure curiosity. “I don’t know to be honest. If I live life tutoring students then so be it.” She shrugged her shoulders. “It’s almost like it’s all I know now.”

“That’s not true. There must be something you do like, right?” He asked. “You seem to have no control in your life…no offense. It’s just you’re almost graduating soon and you don’t know what you want to do for yourself?”

“You’re so competitive with me over every academic thing but you’re not getting anything out of it. What if you go to medical school, you're rich but not happy?”

Y/n went silent for a second. Processing what Gunwook was saying.

“No offense taken. You’re right, I don’t know what I’m doing with life.” Y/n sighed. “What do you want to do?” Y/n asked to switch the subject to him. “I want to do soccer professionally, if that doesn’t work out I’ll train to be an idol, and if not that then I’ll go to college for Music.”

“I didn’t know you wanted to do that.” Y/n hummed and nodded her head. “I think you’d be a good idol.”

“I’ve never told anyone but Dayeon that, you have to promise to not tell anyone else.” Gunwook panicked and told the girl. “Don’t worry, secrets are safe with me.” She chuckled. “Do you dance too?”

“Yeah, I dance at this studio near my house.”

“Cool. I hope it turns out well for you. You’d be a good professional soccer player as well, it’s your specialty.”

“Yeah, but I don’t want that to be what people only know me for.” He complained. “Like how people know you for being the school’s official tutor.” He teased the girl. “God, I need to quit, but I make a fair amount of money from it.” She groaned and fell back into her pillows.

The two heard a couple of shrieks from the living room. “If they’re watching a horror movie it better be a good one and not some corny one for them to be screaming like that.” Y/n stood up and peaked out her door to check on the girls.

“They’re fine.” She shut her door and went back to lay on her bed.

“That’s good, at least you’re making money. Seriously, when is Shin gonna get off your ass.” Gunwook sighed. “When I told him I wanted to tutor to help you he almost picked a fight with me.”

“Really? How?” Y/n held herself up with her elbow. “He said that you didn’t need help, and said that I was already super busy with being class president and soccer.”

“Well, he’s kind of right. You didn’t need to do that.” Y/n hummed. “I wanted to help you.” Gunwook shrugged his shoulders. “I never really had anything against you, we’re just both equally as competitive and equally as stubborn.”

“Y/n, I mean it when I want us to be cool.” Gunwook nodded his head. “I know.” Y/n said hesitantly. “I’m still getting used to being friends with you.”

“I get it. Just be yourself around me—but not the one where we argue all the time.” He corrected himself. “It gets tiring arguing all the time.” He confessed. “I know.” Y/n had a slight face of disgustment.

“Wanna watch a movie? Or even listen to some music? You like kpop, right?” Y/n asked as she flipped through her CD folder. “Yeah, what do you have?” Gunwook asked as he watched the girl flip through CD’s.

“Same dream, same mind, same night.” Y/n pulled the album CD and put it into her CD player. “By Seventeen, do you listen to them?”

“Who doesn’t?” Gunwook scoffed. “If you don’t then I’ll just assume you’re a loser.” He chuckled. “You’re right, Seventeen is for the cuties.” Y/n agreed as she laid back down on her stomach. “Did you just call me a cutie, Jeon Y/n?” He teased the girl. “Hm, I called myself a cutie. If the shoe fits though.” Y/n mumbled, getting a little reckless due to her tiredness.

“This song is so nice and dreamy, I love it.” Y/n mumbled some more. “Don’t fall asleep on me.” Gunwook laughed as he saw the girl close her eyes for a while. “You’re right. That’d be awkward.” She said as she sat back up.

“It’s getting really late, are your parents still not home yet?” Y/n asked as she checked the time on her watch. “They should be there soon. I should get going as well.” He sighed. “I’ll walk you out.” Y/n stands up and throws a sweater on to walk the boy out.

“I’ll see you tomorrow? At the park, let’s watch Dayeon and Ricky’s game.” Y/n said as she slid her slides on and Gunwook put his shoes on. “Yeah, do you not have any sessions tomorrow?” He asked as the two walked outside to his car.

“I canceled all of them.”

“Woah? All of them? What will Shin say?”

“Screw what he says. I’m sick of his shit.” Y/n groaned. “I’ll see you, okay? Drive safe.” Y/n said.

“I would give you a hug but I feel like we aren’t that cool with each other yet.” Y/n said hesitantly. “Who said that?” Gunwook unexpectedly grabbed the girl by her waist and hoisted her up over his shoulder. “We’re gonna be best friends, Jeon Y/n!” Gunwook spun around in a circle as Y/n laughed and pleaded to get put down.

“Best friends, my ass.” Y/n genuinely laughed, trying to catch her breath. “Goodnight, I’ll see you tomorrow morning.” Y/n chuckled and punched his shoulder.

“Okay, bye.” Gunwook chuckled and finally got into his car. Y/n waved bye until his car was at the end of the street.

She turned around to see Hayun and three of her friends watching her from the window. She walked back to the house and slipped her jacket and shoes off at the doorstep.

“Unnie, was that your boyfriend?” One of Hayun’s friends asked. “No, do you guys think we’re together?” Y/n asked. “Yes! He lifted you up, and even spun you!”

“Yeah, we’re just friends.” Y/n nodded her head. “Don’t stay up too late.” She gave a small smile to Hayun and her friends before walking back to her room.

—

“Hi.” Y/n said as she and Gunwook approached Dayeon who was already with Ricky and Hyunjin. “Hi, you guys seem unusually close lately.” Dayeon pointed out as she pointed to Gunwook’s arm resting on Y/n’s shoulder.

“Yeah, ever since we first started playing games at this park.” Ricky spoke out. “What? Me and Gunwookie are friends now.” Y/n slightly gasped and teased the boy by pinching his cheek.

“She even called him Gunwookie, oh my god we’ve lost her.” Ricky jokes. “This is nice, we’re just not used to it.” Dayeon smiled, talking about the two getting along without any problems. “Trust me, it wasn’t easy for me to get used to it either.” Y/n chuckled.

“When are you guys playing?” Gunwook asked, squinting slightly due to the sun being in his eyes. “Soon. Is hiyyih or hao coming?” Ricky asked. “Hiyyih has a family thing and Hao is on a date.”

“Is Hao still talking to Sung Hanbin?” Dayeon asked, curious on the two’s relationship status due to their known dynamic between the two. “Talking? They’re practically dating now.” Y/n scoffed.

“That’s so crazy. They used to have such a huge rivalry, and now they’re giggling and probably shit talking together.”

“Honestly could be you guys.” Dayeon gestured at Y/n and Gunwook who were standing next to each other almost hip to hip by now. “Pft, no.” Y/n laughed as she took a step away from the boy. “Gunwook’s cute, I’m busy, dating just isn’t in my schedule.”

“So you admit he’s cute?”

“Yeah, I have no shame.” Y/n shrugged her shoulders and looked at the boy who was slightly red. Y/n slowly stopped caring about keeping their rivalry image up. She started to admit things that would’ve made her die hearing it months ago.

“What, I can’t call friends cute.” Y/n said as she saw the stares her friends gave her. “Ouuu, she just friendzoned you.” Ricky teased Gunwook as he patted his shoulder. “You’re cute too, Y/n-ah.” Gunwook ruffled her hair.

“Ugh, I hate you guys.” Dayeon groaned and walked away to the bleachers, the rest following her behind. “Sometimes I miss when you guys used to argue 24/7. People at school are starting to talk.” Dayeon mentioned as she sat down next to Y/n.

“I don’t care anymore, people can talk.” Y/n sighed. “Shin is getting on my ass about me canceling these sessions.” Y/n ran her fingers between her hair, getting it out of her face due to the wind. “I still have good credits and a good GPA, I’m not gonna fail yet it’s like he still wants me to do all this shit.”

“He’s making you do all his dirty work. Just quit it all together.” Hyunjin suggested as she stretched. “But I feel bad for the kids, they actually need help with their studies and Shin isn’t gonna help them with shit.” Y/n sighed.

“I’ll beg him to take half of your students.” Gunwook suggested. “That’s too much, I have like twelve students.” Y/n sighed. “We can split it equally, I take six and you keep six.”

“No, really it’s okay.”

“Y/n, you’re so stubborn just let him help you.” Ricky spoke out. “And so is Gunwook, if you two keep this up you won’t get anywhere.” Dayeon said.

“Fine.” Y/n huffed. “I don’t know how you’ll convince Shin to let you take half of my students.”

—

“Mr. Shin.” Gunwook walked up to his desk. “I wanted to talk to you about something.” Mr. Shin turned his attention to the boy. “What is it?” He asked.

“Wait, Y/n. Can you wait at your seat? I need to talk to you after.” Mr. Shin stopped the girl before she could leave the classroom.

“I wanted to ask if I can tutor more of Y/n’s students? Just half, she has six and I’ll have six. Just to take some things off her back.” Gunwook spoke.

“Why? Y/n is doing fine. Aren’t you super busy with class president duties and soccer? Aren’t you in the debate club too?”

“I assure you I can do this.” Gunwook assured the older man. “Have you noticed how much she’s been canceling?” Gunwook turned his head to the girl behind him.

Mr. Shin sighed. “That’s what I wanted to talk to Y/n about.” He gestured to the girl to come over to his desk. “Y/n, I was told you were seen at the park the other day. You told me you were sick, did you lie to me?”

“Uh—Yes, Mr. Shin.” Y/n said hesitantly. Thinking it was better to tell the truth now than to get caught later. “Why? You have such a bright future ahead. These sessions will help your application look amazing.”

“To be completely honest…I hate doing these sessions. The only good thing that comes out of these is students' grades are improving.”

“What are you saying? You don’t want to go to college? What about medical school? Your parents have spoken very highly of you and how amazing your future will be.”

“Yeah, a future they want. I don’t want to do any of that.” Y/n sighed. “I’ll continue doing the tutor sessions. Only to help the students out. Let Gunwook take half of my students, I have a life of my own. I don’t want to spend my last years of high school spending it in books. I want to make time for myself.”

“I’m not gonna quit it completely, I just want you to understand that I do not have all the time in the world to help other kids while I can barely help myself.”

“You’re good at negotiating, Y/n. Fine, Gunwook can take half your students. Next time tell me the truth. You guys can go now.” He shooed the two out of his room.

“That last part was a little dramatic.” Gunwook mumbled, only for the girl to hear. “I know, I needed to really sell it.” Y/n mumbled back.

—

“I love driving in the spring.” Gunwook shouted as they had blasted music playing through his car. “I love the wind in my face and the warm weather!” He shouted yet again.

“We’re getting stares.” Y/n laughed as she slightly turned down the music. “We’re blasting Seventeen, it’d be weird if we didn’t get stares.” He shrugged his shoulders, pulling into the school parking lot.

“I think it’s because you just drove me to school, not the fact that we’re blasting Seventeen.” Y/n chuckled as she unbuckled her seatbelt.

“Let’s go.” Gunwook turned his car off and unlocked the doors. “Wow, you guys truly stopped giving a fuck.” Hao laughed as the two approached the group of friends that hung around a pillar in the school’s courtyard.

“It was like that one Twilight scene that happened, where all the siblings walk out of the car.” Hiyyih said. “Are we that cool, Hiyyih?.” Y/n smirked. “Cool? Sure, I guess. Big impact? Yes.” Hiyyih laughed.

“I can’t wait to hear what everyone thinks of this.” Dayeon chuckled. “This might be even bigger than me and Hanbin.” Hao raised his eyebrow as he spoke.

“Right, especially since Gunwook and Y/n have had this rivalry shit since middle school.” Hiyyih nodded her head. “I hope they don’t bring up the fact that I talked shit about his pants last week.” Y/n mumbled slightly.

“You’re my biggest hater, y’know that?” Gunwook looked at the girl with widened eyes.

—

All day Y/n heard whispers around her. Either bad or good ones, there was no inbetween.

“Wasn’t she talking shit about him like three days ago? Something about his pants.”

“Yeah, and what about the time she called his sweater ugly? And her huge ass problem of always wanting to beat him at anything?”

“Yeah, she’s just a big fake. I hope he realizes that soon.”

“Y/n, if I beat you to the cafeteria you have to buy me three chocolate bars from the store.” Gunwook spoke out as he sat down in the empty spot next to the girl. “What do I get if I beat you?” Y/n asked.

“You get to borrow my awesome sweater you love.” Gunwook teased. “I might as well then just walk.” Y/n scoffed. “Fine, then you decide what you want.”

The two were waiting for the bell to ring so they could start the bet.

As soon as it did, they sprinted out of the room, they made sure not to bump into anyone on the way out of the room or down the stairs.

Their laughs and giggles were so loud like it was out on the intercom. “You’re more athletic than me, give me a break!” Y/n giggled as she grabbed onto his arm to drag him back and got the chance to move in front of him.

“Was that Park Gunwook and Jeon Y/n?” A classmate said as they saw the pair run past them. “I heard they were friends now, I didn’t believe it. But I guess they’re cool now.” Another one said.

“As expected! I won.” Y/n said as she touched the glass doors of the cafeteria. “Fine, you win.” Gunwook tried to catch his breath. “What do you want?” He put his arm around the girl and walked her towards the cafeteria line.

“Hm, give me some time to think about it.” Y/n nodded her head. “How did you guys not get in trouble for running? I jog in the hallways one time and I get detention.” Ricky said, cutting the people in front of him to get to the two. “Because it’s almost the end of the year, teachers don’t care.” Y/n smirked.

“Have you heard the whispers Y/n?” Ricky asked. “Duh. People are calling me fake. It doesn’t bother me much. I know me and Gunwook are cool with each other so I don’t really care.” She rolled her eyes. “Yeah, these people need to get over it.”

“Y/n’s just my biggest hater, I don’t really mind. It’s kind of cute, she’s like obsessed with me.” Gunwook sneered. “I am not obsessed with you.” Y/n chuckled. “You wish I was.”

—

Everyone started to get used to the fact that Y/n and Gunwook we’re friends now. The two did often still argue about test grades and stuff but it was nothing to the extreme. It was all jokes now.

Sometimes they even would do tutor sessions together and it went by smoothly. The two also had gotten more comfortable with each other, everyone else had noticed this as well.

It started with the little things, like Gunwook resting his arm on her shoulder, Gunwook leaning his head a little too close to Y/n’s shoulder, then giving hugs before saying bye, Gunwook’s teasing got ‘worse’, he would tickle and throw her over his shoulders.

Y/n didn’t mind, she actually quite liked her friendship with Gunwook now. It’s cute and heartwarming especially when you consider their bad past.

The two hung out a lot, even when they didn’t have anything to do they would just listen to Seventeen and talk or study in silence even. That’s how comfortable they were now, they could sit in silence and study with no ounce of discomfort in the air.

The two endearingly tease each other. They unconsciously flirt and it goes over both of their heads. Calling each other cute, ruffling each other's hair, squeezing one’s cheek, and tickling each other.

People started to think they were a couple and not friends. It was hard to believe really, everyone at school was shocked to see how comfortable and touchy the two were with each other.

“Y/n.” Gunwook groaned as he dramatically leaned into the girl sitting next to him. “What.” Y/n dragged out her word. “Why did you give me your worst students ever?” He said with a pout. “They aren’t bad, they’re just so in love with you that they can’t focus.” She laughed out loud.

“Now, go, you have a shift and I have a session soon.” Y/n pushed the boy off of her. “Fine, I’ll see you later.” Gunwook sighed and walked over to the counter.

After Y/n's session she fell asleep. She usually does but doesn’t worry because Gunwook is around the corner.

Y/n was shaken awake. “Gunwook? Is your shift over?” She mumbled as she slowly lifted her head up. “Oh—Sorry, do you need to sit here?” Y/n asked, suddenly standing up as she saw a man a few years older than her.

“Sorry, miss. You were sleeping and something bad could’ve happened.” The man gently put his hand on her shoulder, caressing it. “Heh, yeah.” Y/n awkwardly laughed as she shifted around slightly. “Uhm—thank you for waking me—my boyfriend is almost here!” Y/n looked at her watch. She gently pushed the man’s hand away but he put it back on her, going up and down her arm, slowly.

She knew Gunwook’s shift was about to end and had really hoped he would be quick to get his things together.

“Baby!” Y/n shouted as Gunwook came from around the corner. He was shocked, but quickly understood the situation as he saw the uncomfortable expression on the girl's face.

“Sorry for taking too long, how was your session?” Gunwook said as he pulled the girl into his arms and kissed her forehead. “It was good! I accidentally fell asleep again.” Y/n said as she put one of her backpack straps on her shoulder and put her other arm around Gunwook’s.

The two walked out of the store still arm in arm.

“God, that guy was such a creep.” Y/n scoffed. “He tried to act like some savior, saying he woke me up because something bad could’ve happened, then he started caressing my arm.” Y/n got the shivers.

“Please stop falling asleep after your sessions, especially in public places.” Gunwook expressed his concern. “I don’t want anything bad happening to you.” Gunwook locked eyes with the girl.

“Thank you, for helping me.” Y/n nodded and gave him a small smile.

“I’ll always be there to help you.”

—

For the past couple weeks Y/n has started to feel different around Gunwook. Not a bad difference, just a difference she wasn’t used to…

She started to notice how long their hugs actually lasted, how long his hands lingered in her hair when he’d get it out of her face due to the wind, and how many hours the two actually spent together on a free day.

She liked all those things mentioned. She enjoyed spending time with Gunwook, she enjoyed his hugs, and she enjoyed his lingering touches when he’d tease her or play with her hair.

She also started to notice the swirly butterfly feeling that spread throughout her body around the boy.

She really didn’t want to admit it but deep down she knew. She had started to take a liking for Park Gunwook, in the way where she wanted him to hold her in his arms for as long as he could.

“Y/n-ah, stop staring so hard.” Hiyyih broke Y/n’s focus on the field. “What, I can’t stare at him? He’s the star player.” Y/n turned her head to look at the blonde. “What’s going on between you two?” Hiyyih asked.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean literally almost all of us can sense the odd tension between you and him.” Y/n sighed at that. “So—yes I’ve been feeling a little odd around him. So what?”

“So what? So what about fixing that odd tension? Something bad didn’t happen, right?” Hiyyih asked with concern. “No, nothing bad!” Y/n rushed to say. “Okay, listen. I think I might have feelings for Gunwook in more than a friend way.” Y/n confessed.

“Fina-fucking-ly.” Hiyyih bursted out laughing. “Why are you laughing so hard? What do you mean?” Y/n was confused and lost.

“You're so oblivious. Gunwook has had such a huge crush on you for like—ever!”

“How? Did he tell you guys something?”

“Not exactly. Dayeon told me how much he loved seeing your cute little pouty face you make when you get mad. Why do you think he teases you so much?” Hiyyih had a smug smile on her face. “What if he doesn’t and that’s just his personality?”

“Just take the chance.”

—

Y/n has started to observe Gunwook’s behavior around her. She was confused on how there could be a chance that Gunwook did like her like that. He was so normal and calm around the girl, there was no sign of shyness at all, so how could he see the girl in that way?

“Gunwook,” Y/n said. Interrupting silence that was there. “Yeah?” He lifted his head from his notebook.

The two were studying in Y/n’s room.

“I heard something about you, and I don’t know if it’s true or not. I just wanted to ask.” Y/n said hesitantly. “What is it?” The boy asked. “Do you have a big fat crush on me?” Y/n said in a teasing tone to make it less embarrassing to ask.

“You wish I did!” Gunwook jokes and started poking at her torso with his pen. “No seriously though. I heard you tease me because you like my mad pouty face.” Y/n said seriously this time.

“Yah! Did Dayeon rat me out to you?!” Gunwook panicked. “So it’s true!?” Y/n laughed. “Ugh—I don’t—I don’t even know!” Gunwook spit out. “What do you mean you don’t know?” Y/n asked.

“I don’t know if what I feel for you is THAT.” Gunwook emphasized on the ‘that’.

“Kiss me then.” Y/n suggested, cringing at what she had just said. “Oh my god, ew I can’t believe you just said that.” Gunwook almost gagged. “What? It’s just a kiss.”

“Where is all this confidence coming from, oh my god.” Gunwook’s ears turned red. “It’s a win-win, we kiss and you figure out if you like me or not.” Y/n said.

“Do you just want to kiss me?” Gunwook asked, eyes slightly widened. “Oh my god, a girl is suggesting you kiss her and you still haven’t?” Y/n scoffed. “You’re so clueless.” Y/n shook her head as she mumbled. “Let’s just—forget about this.” Y/n went back to her book.

—

Y/n had been even more odd and off around Park Gunwook ever since that situation between the two happened. She tried not to distance herself but it failed. She happened to take in two more students to tutor to fill in her time so she won’t have any to hang out with the boy.

“I’m sorry, Gunwook. I have to tutor after school.” Y/n said apologetically. “It’s Friday, you don’t have any on Friday’s.” Gunwook knew Y/n’s schedule in and out. “I took two more students in. I have one at four and another at five.” Y/n nodded her head.

“Why would you do that? Didn’t you give me half of your students so you can have more time?”

“I don’t know. They were Danielle’s students but I know she is going back to Australia so I told her I can take them.” Danielle Marsh was another girl who helped tutor students.

“Are you planning to tutor students the whole summer too?” Gunwook jokes. “If I have too.” Y/n sheepishly chuckled. “Seriously? You should drop all the sessions this summer.” Gunwook said.

“Why?” Y/n asked. “I’ve got nothing better to do.” Y/n said. “Because we’re gonna be hanging out all summer, duh? And the whole crew as well.”

“Well—I actually have a soccer camp the first two weeks of summer.” Gunwook interrupted his own thoughts. “But after that we can hang out all day everyday!” He said with excitement. “I don’t want to take you away from hanging with your other friends. I heard you barely hang out with them anymore.” Y/n glanced down at the floor, not wanting to look Gunwook in the eyes.

“What’s up with you? You’re being weird.” Gunwook’s eyebrows furrowed. “I’m not being weird, it’s the truth. What about your other friends?”

“They don’t really care, they have their own lives, they’re busy doing their own things.” Gunwook was starting to get a little frustrated with the girl. “Seriously what’s up with you.” He scoffed.

“Nothing’s up.” Her shoulders shrug. “Something’s definitely up. Why won’t you tell me?” Gunwook gently shoved the girl's shoulder. “Because it’s so stupid, you’ll probably laugh at me and then walk away.” Y/n spat out and walked away in the direction of Hiyyih’s brother’s car before the boy could get a chance to say anything else.

—

“Dayeon, Y/n has been acting weird, have you noticed?” Gunwook asked the girl. “No, she’s normal around me. Why, is something up with you two?” Dayeon asked, looking up from her phone.

“I don’t even know. She’s being weird around me, I don’t know if I did something or if I said something.”

“Did anything happen before she started acting like that?” Dayeon asked. “Just—ugh promise you won’t tell this to anyone.” Gunwook sighed. “Promise.” Dayeon’s face slightly scrunched up.

“A few weeks back Y/n asked me if I liked her in more than a friend way. I said I don’t even know and then she suggested I kiss her. I just said some random shit because I didn’t want to kiss her and turn all red. Then she said “A girl is suggesting you kiss her and you still haven’t.” and said to forget about it. I listened to her and haven't thought about it.”

“Oh my god! You’re so pathetic, I can’t believe you did that.” Dayeon let out a mixture of a scoff and a laugh. “I thought she was just fucking with me.” Gunwook said. “Clearly she wasn’t. She wants to kiss you bro. Clearly she likes you.”

“Y/n is the type to shut down and give up when it comes to shit like this. Take the chance before she loses feelings. I heard this junior likes her, so get her before he does.”

—

Gunwook realized how distanced Y/n had been now that Dayeon had put that thought into his head. She had been getting awfully close to this junior she was tutoring. They had been hanging out on different occasions that did not in fact involve studying.

“Y/n,” Gunwook called out to the girl in a whisper, who was currently tutoring the said junior in the library. “Y/n, can I talk to you real quick?” He asked, Y/n looked a little annoyed at the boy’s interruption.

“What is it?” Y/n said in a frustrated tone as the boy pulled her behind a bookshelf. “Nothing, I just wanted to talk to you.” Gunwook said with a cheesy smile. “Gunwook, seriously? I’m busy.” Y/n scoffed. “I just miss hanging and talking with you. You’re spending all your time with that junior.” Gunwook scoffed and slightly pointed in the direction of the junior.

“And what’s wrong with that?”

“Nothing—nothing is wrong with that. I just want to know what I did wrong and why you barely talk to me anymore.”

“You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“Then why are you being like this right now.”

“Because—fuck it.” Y/n mumbled the swears that came out of her mouth. “Because, Gunwook I like you. More than a friend, and clearly you don’t. I was just distancing myself so I can get over you.” Y/n finally confessed.

Gunwook was left speechless at that. “See, you don’t even know what to say.” Y/n huffed and walked away but was stopped at the grip of a hand holding her back.

“Y/n, you didn’t even get to say anything.” Gunwook sighed. “I like you, I have for like—ever honestly. I only realized it just a couple weeks ago.”

“Are you just messing with me?”

“No, why would I? I do like you Y/n. I’m not messing with you, this is not a joke at all. I like to spend time with you, I like when you try and argue with me all the time, even when it’s unnecessary and pointless I still argue back because of that fucking face you make. You’re like the death of me!” Gunwook shouted a little too loud, getting a couple looks.

“I like the way you want to achieve things that aren’t even beneficial to you—like who the hell needs to be declared the best pancake maker? No one but you, you have that same competitive fire as me, I thought it’d be hell if I met someone exactly like me but I love to talk and challenge you to anything.”

“Everyone might hate when we argue because it’s annoying and a distraction but I love it, because of that stupid pout you put on.”

Y/n was silent. She didn’t know what to say, she did not expect Gunwook to be so heartfelt to her. Her head slightly dropped down to look at the floor, scared she’d start crying if she looked him in the eyes.

“And I’m so mad that I didn’t kiss you that day. I was so embarrassed that I’d start to stutter and become all red because of a little kiss.” Gunwook’s hands palmed each side of her cheek so the girl could lock eyes with him.

“If I can—If you’ll let me. Can I kiss you?” Gunwook asked boldly, not as shy as he was the day Y/n asked him too. Y/n slowly nodded her head as a few tears rolled down her eyes.

The kiss was short but sweet. Their hearts were racing so fast it could almost malfunction.

“I can’t believe I’m crying in the library.” Y/n said, embarrassed as her head slightly went down.

“It’s normal to cry.” Gunwook wiped the girl's tears with the pad of his thumbs. “Does this mean we’re dating now?” Gunwook said, muffed into the girls hair as they were hugging.

“Yeah, I honestly don’t do this dating shit so I think so.” Y/n said nonchalantly which made Gunwook laugh. “Okay—Jeon Y/n, will you be my girlfriend?” Gunwook said as he pulled himself away from the girl to get a good look at her.

“If I say yes that means you have to admit that I’m better academically than you.”

“You are academically better than me, Jeon Y/n.”

“Then, yes.” Y/n stood on her tippy toes and pecked the boy's cheek.

—

The two decided to keep their relationship hidden from everyone so they could just enjoy each other's time and company without any whispers, rumors, or teasing.

It was going really smoothly. They two had unexpectedly not been awkward about it. They had to make up random excuses on why they couldn’t hang out because they two had scheduled meet up’s and dates.

The only person that did know about the two was Hayun. Hayun didn’t even go to the same school as the two so they didn’t mind telling her.

Gunwook and Hayun got along well and Y/n really liked that. She liked that Hayun liked Gunwook and Gunwook liked Hayun. The two would sometimes gang up on Y/n, she didn’t like that but she liked that the two had gotten close and have a good relationship of their own. After all, her little sister and her boyfriend are probably the people she adores the most in life.

It was hard for her to hide it from Hiyyih, especially since that’s her best friend and she can notice when something is different. She noticed how Y/n had been much happier and was glowing with positivity.

Gunwook knew how hard that must’ve been for her so he agreed to not tell Gyuvin or Dayeon.

Either way the friends would figure out the truth themselves. Or they would catch them secretly kissing one day.

And that they did! They were not that surprised, they had started suspecting it when the two were not available at the same time.

The teasing lasted for about three weeks.

“I almost forgot they were together.” Gyuvin audibly gagged at the sight of the two sitting at a booth with their hands on each other. “Get used to it.” Gunwook threw a fry at his friend as he sat down next to Dayeon and Hiyyih who were squeezed into the seats in front of them.

“I think it’s kind of cute. How they used to despise and hate each other but now they’re all lovey dovey with each other.” Hiyyih said. “Lovey dovey? When Gunwook went to the bathroom she literally called his shirt ugly.” Dayeon said with a tone of disbelief.

“What—you said I looked cute today.” Gunwook gasped and looked at the girl on the side of him. “Because you are cute! The shirt just isn’t.” Y/n smiled cheekily.

“You’re such a hater. You love to hate me.”

2K notes · View notes

tzuberry · 2 years ago

Text

(cute) things zerobaseone maknae line do as your boyfriend ૮ ◞ ﻌ ◟ ა

pairing shen quanrui (ricky), kim gyuvin, park gunwook, han yujin + gn reader⠀⠀⠀details fluff, established relationship, bulletpoint

cw none ⠀⠀⠀wc 410, 418, 505, 462 (1,795 overall)⠀⠀⠀reading time 7 minutes

note HELLOOOO i havent posted a fic since july 15th and that was my first fic ever on this account omg... thank u for all the notes on my other post LIKE i didnt expect so much + thank you for 90 followers!! also i might start writing for tiot and evnne if i have time 🫡 likes are reblogs are appreciated if u can 💟

masterlist navigation

ricky 리키

lets you play with his hair

i think ricky is honestly extremely particular with his hair, and especially who gets to touch it

his hair isn’t very visibly damaged despite getting it dyed frequently / basically not having black hair since he was probably fifteen years old (and he’s nineteen now, so that says something) so he has to take good care of it not to have it fried off

there were stories about him during bopeul where they said they always saw him fully ready with perfectly styled hair whenever he left his room, too

like i’m not even kidding he has to care for his hair a whole lot or by now he could’ve been bald i’m sorry

when his friends—mainly gyuvin—try to play with his hair or comb their fingers through it, ricky allows it but is not that pleased because he put effort into styling his hair and doesn’t want it to get messed up

gyuvin jokingly whines a little, but is over it after a few seconds

when ricky started dating you, although he thoroughly knew you and almost all of your habits and mannerisms, he didn’t think you would be into playing with his hair

you’re hanging out, watching a movie at your apartment while your head is rested on his shoulder when he feels your fingers suddenly brush through the strands of his hair

he turns to look at you, partly shocked but also just wondering what you’re planning on doing to his hair

you shrug your shoulders, keeping your eyes on the tv and not minding him one bit

“what are you doing?” he asks, a little amused

he expects you to reply playfully, to exchange banter or something like that

but instead, you say, “your hair is really soft, you know,” as you proceed to curl a portion with your finger acting as the curling iron

ricky quite literally folded that day... now he lets you do whatever you want with his hair

you can braid it, curl it, whatever

he doesn’t mind as long as it’s you, even if he spent nearly an hour fixing it this morning

you’re in a cafe talking to gyuvin and gunwook, sitting at the other side of the table when you lift your arm to twirl ricky’s hair, him not remotely flinching at the contact

gyuvin is pleasantly surprised to witness this sight

“you don’t let me do that,” he sulks, aimed at ricky

your boyfriend scoffs. “you’re not [name].”

gyuvin 규빈

always texts you + makes sure you’ve eaten

okay i think i’ve seen a lot of people say this already idk but i think it’s soooo true

gyuvin texts you excessively

like. about anything

there was one instance when his little brother had a crush on a girl, and gyuvin literally went to you for help and his brother didn’t even have an inkling of what was happening

gyuvin (DO NOT REPLY): [NAME] MY LITTLE BROTHER... is... growing up :(

gyuvin (DO NOT REPLY): he used to be so small i could put him in my pocket and now

yn: what happened???

gyuvin (DO NOT REPLY): he LIKES A GIRL. who told him it was okay to get a girlfriend? at his toddler age??

yn: gyuvin i love you but we started dating when We were his age

and then he continued to ask you for advice on how to help his brother get the girl he liked

there’s more instances of him oversharing his brother’s life with you, but that ends there

he also buys you snacks all the time

even if you don’t want it. even if you verbally, very clearly, straightforwardly tell him you’re not the tiniest bit hungry

he’s basically your mother oml

he makes those little snack baggies for you to take

before you both graduated, gyuvin would bring you lunch. it didn’t just stop at snacks

he would ask his mom to help him cook for you

and he’d make it all cute and stuff like shaping the rice to be your favorite character

he’d pack it to school and give it to you in the morning. omg

mixing those two things together, you get “have you eaten yet” texts all the time

it’s two pm, and you were so stuck while helping a friend that you regrettably forgot to eat lunch. ‘it’s okay,’ you assure yourself, ‘i had a late breakfast’

gyuvin texts you, asking the usual “have you eaten lunch????” and you lie and say yes

and then your phone rings and you know you can’t avoid it anymore because he can see through your voice when you lie

from the speaker of your phone, gyuvin’s voice is unbelievably attractive—but you choose to ignore that fact for now

“[name],” he deadpans. “be honest. have you eaten?”

choosing to accept defeat, you exhale deeply. “no.”

gyuvin suddenly hangs up and only a text is left on your screen

gyuvin (DO NOT REPLY): i’m coming over in. like 30 minutes i have to ask my mom to help me cook

gunwook 건욱

teaches you how to dance

gunwook is SO good at dancing it’s so crazy

i love watching him on stage because he’s the best performer ever. like he seems to genuinely enjoy it and i hope he never loses that love for dancing / singing / rapping

you on the other hand..... you could be good at dancing too, just definitely not as good as gunwook

so whenever your scheduled dates are interrupted by his extracurriculars at school, you decide to tag along with him, if the members of his clubs don’t mind (which they usually don’t)

one of his extracurriculars is the dance team

and most of the time, when your preplanned dates are cancelled because of an extracurricular he has lined up for him, it is almost always dance

so you end up following him to the practice room, silently watching him in the corner so as to not obstruct their view of the mirror by sitting directly in front of them

his eyes light up with the flame of passion you adore so much, and you’re so content that even if your date is cancelled because of this, you’re not annoyed and you still get to indirectly spend some time with him by spectating him as he does what he likes

in the short breaks that he gets, he takes the opportunity to sit beside you on the floor and ask about your day

when the practice session ends, he asks if it’s okay with you if he stays to polish up the routine, to which you say yes and offer to stay with him because everyone else has started to leave

after a while, he grows tired and plops down next to you

gunwook chuckles. “i’m sorry for cancelling our date and making you stay with me.”

“it’s alright, i like watching you dance.” you smile

he abruptly stiffens up, irises reflecting the light, making his eyes glow excitedly. “do i dance well? what do you think?”

you giggle. “you dance very well. a lot better than i can, for sure.”

“mhm, yeah?” he grins widely, and you know what he’s going to do

gunwook jumps up on his feet, extending his hand out to you to help you get up

“you just need a little help.” he nods proudly. “you’re lucky i’m your boyfriend.”

you take his hand, and he leads you to the center of the room and he starts to dance with you ballroom style (???) like the waltz and stuff

he guides your arms over his shoulder to circle his neck, and his hands rest on your waist and then he starts counting, “4... 3... 2... 1... like this,” as he takes a singular step in different directions, encouraging you to mirror his movements

you almost trip, but you tightly cling on to his shoulders before you can fall

gunwook laughs. “enough dancing for today?”

“yes, please,” you agree, letting your body fall forwards into a hug with him

“alright. if you’re not that tired, are you still up for that date?”

yujin 유진

(tries to) initiate / enjoys physical touch

yujin doesn’t seem like his love language is physical touch.... i know gyuvin does it a lot to him and he kinda pretends to not like it but it’s so endearing and i sooo believe he deep down loves it

it’s the same with you, but he’s the one intiating it

he never thought he liked skinship all that much, because he would even jokingly say it pestered him a little at times when gyuvin would dote on him

but when it came to you, and when you first started dating, he was itching to hold your hand

it was so new to him because he never craved for anyone’s physical affection before

all his older friends like gyuvin and gunwook would always just.... initiate skinship for him and he thought he didn’t like it but

suddenly you come along, and you don’t even try to hold his hand

he thought couples were supposed to hold hands?? and hug??

but you’re not budging and it’s so frustrating

while walking you home from school like usual, as you tell him about your day, he tries to gather the courage to intertwine your hands

it doesn’t work, and he’s left with cold hands as he stares at you enter your front door

“next time,” he whispers to no one but the wind

next time comes and still... he’s too nervous to hold your hand

the distance between your palms is less than four inches, and all he has to do is take the leap—besides, nothing could go that wrong. you like him and he likes you

he purposely bumps the back of his hand with yours, but doesn’t actually take your hand in his

he awkwardly rubs his nape, unsure of what to do now

your brows knit together, as you’re now aware of yujin’s weird behavior

“yujin?” you tug on his uniform sleeve. “is something wrong?”

“no! nothing’s wrong,” he quickly denies, “don’t worry about it.”

“okay... can i see your hand, though?” you request, and it successfully confuses him because why do you want to see his hand?

he obliges, giving it to you palm up when you lace your fingers with his

“i’ve noticed you trying to hold my hand since last week,” you say, giggling. “i was waiting for you to do it, but i guess you’re too shy.”

“i’m not that shy,” yujin defends, looking down at your interlocked hands... ‘this is a good feeling,’ he thinks

you nod passively. “it’s fine. it’s one of the reasons why i like you.” you swing both your hands back and forth in the space between you

yujin doesn’t try to retort, only relishing the feeling of your hand in his

skinship isn’t so bad... maybe he could get used to this.

2K notes · View notes

0810hts · 7 months ago

Text

thank you || p.gw

pairing: Park Gunwook x fem!Reader

genre: fluff, angst, academic rivals to lovers

warnings:school stress, crying, abusive parents, fight, kisses, (if I missed something, pls let me know)

word count: 1.1k+

(a/n: Not me writing this when I should actually be doing my Spanish presentation for tomorrow 🥹. Also, English is not my first language so sorry for any grammar or spelling mistakes and this is my first ever completed story so yay !!)

⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡ ⋆｡ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡ ⋆ ⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡ ⋆｡ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡ ⋆ ⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡ ⋆｡ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡ ⋆

Today was the day. The day you’d get one of the most important grades of your life. You made a deal with your parents: if you ranked first, you’d finally be allowed to go on the school trip. Normally, you’d be the top student—always. But recently, Park Gunwook had been fighting for that spot. One day it was you, the next day him, then you again, then him... the endless back-and-forth was driving you insane.

Because of this stupid competition, your parents banned you from seeing friends, canceled your evening lessons, and forced you to study non-stop. They’d always pushed you to be the best, ever since you were a kid. The second you stepped into elementary school, your childhood vanished.

This deal, this one chance to finally escape, was your only hope. The school trip to Jeju Island—just you, your classmates, and the teachers—was all you could think about. But now, you were sitting at your desk, heart racing, as the teacher passed out the graded papers.

"Good job, L/N Y/N," your teacher said.

Your eyes darted to the score—99%. A smile briefly crossed your face, only to vanish when you saw the ranking: second place. Your stomach sank. You didn’t even have to guess who came in first.

"Congrats to Park Gunwook for first place, L/N Y/N for second, and Asakura Jo for third. Remember, we meet at 8 AM Sunday at the airport," your teacher announced, but you weren’t listening anymore.

You buried your face behind the paper, trying desperately to hold back the tears, but failing. That’s when you heard it.

"Good job, Y/N. Looks like I beat you this time," Gunwook said, his voice light, almost teasing, until he noticed something was off. "Hey… are you okay? What’s wrong?"

Before he could say more, you bolted out of your seat and ran. Gunwook’s voice called after you, but you didn’t look back. He asked Woonhak, your friend, what was going on.

"It’s not you, man," Woonhak explained. "Her parents… they made her promise that if she wasn’t first, she couldn’t go on the trip. Now that she’s second, she’s probably going to be locked up studying until she’s number one again."

Gunwook was stunned. What he thought was just friendly competition meant everything to you.

---------------

Back home, the yelling began.

"We made an agreement!" your father shouted. "Looks like you didn’t want to go after all, coming home with that grade! Did Gunwook beat you again?"

"Yes..." you muttered, staring at the floor.

"Then it’s settled. No trip. You’ll spend the week locked in your room, studying like you should have been all along. Maybe then we’ll get our top student back," your father sneered, throwing your paper into the trash like it was worthless. And with it, your heart shattered into pieces.

"Yes, father..." you whispered, retreating to your room. You locked the door and collapsed onto your bed, tears flowing freely.

---------------

"And who are you?" your father asked, glaring at the boy standing in front of him.

"Park Gunwook, sir."

"Ah, the boy my failure of a daughter keeps losing to. What do you want?"

"I came to talk about her missing the Jeju trip. Just because she came second… it’s not fair—"

"Fair?" your mother interrupted, stepping into view. "We had a deal. She failed. End of discussion."

Gunwook’s eyes burned with frustration. "But second place is incredible. She works so hard, more than anyone. She’s the school president, always helping others, and everyone adores her—even the teachers. Furthermore, she deserves to go. It’s her last field trip before she graduates."

"She lost. There’s nothing else to say," your father growled, about to slam the door shut when you appeared at the top of the stairs.

"Gunwook?" you whispered, shock and confusion in your voice.

"Y/N..." he said softly, unsure of what to do.

You walked past your parents and stood before him. "What are you doing here?"

"Your friend here thinks you should go to Jeju. But it’s not happening," your father spat.

You gave Gunwook a sad, tired smile. "It’s okay. I made a promise, and I lost. You didn’t have to come."

"But Y/N—"

"Really, it’s fine," you insisted, your voice quiet and resigned, before turning and heading back inside.

Gunwook stood there, helpless. He knew there was no convincing you, not with your parents looming behind you.

"Now get out and don’t come back," your father snarled, slamming the door in Gunwook’s face.

Gunwook stood there for a moment, guilt and regret gnawing at him. He was about to leave when he heard it: the unmistakable sound of glass shattering.

He sprinted back to the door and knocked frantically, calling the police as he did. When the door opened, there you were—a sobbing mess, a cut on your cheek, terrified.

You threw yourself into his arms, trembling, as he shielded you from the sight of your father, who was raging, a beer bottle in his hand.

"COME BACK HERE, Y/N!" your father roared as your mother weakly tried to calm him down.

"Don’t you dare take another step. The police are already on their way," Gunwook warned, standing between you and your father.

---------------

Your parents were taken to jail, awaiting their court date. After the police finished questioning you and Gunwook, you were finally free to leave the station, suitcase in hand, unsure of where to go.

"Come stay at my place," Gunwook suddenly offered, breaking the tense silence.

You blinked in surprise. "No, I couldn’t—"

"I won’t let you be alone. You’re staying with me. I’ll protect you. You’ll be safe," he insisted, holding your hand tightly.

Blushing, you nodded.

---------------

"Are you sure your parents will be okay with this?" you asked, sitting nervously on Gunwook’s bed.

"They will be. Once they’re back from their trip and I explain, they’ll let you stay," he assured you, folding your clothes into his closet.

"Go get ready for bed," he said, handing you pajamas and toiletries with a soft smile.

After a long shower, you returned to his room, where he was lying on his bed, scrolling through his phone.

"Are you sure you’re okay with us… sharing a bed?" you asked, hesitant.

He put his phone down and looked at you. "Only if you’re comfortable. I can sleep in my parents’ room."

"No, I’m fine with it."

You slid into bed beside him, the room dimly lit by the soft glow of his nightlight. Turning towards him, you tucked yourself into his arms, pressing a quick kiss to his lips before hiding your face in his chest. He chuckled, kissing the top of your head.

"Thank you. For everything," you whispered, as the two of you drifted into sleep, holding each other close.

The End.

⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡ ⋆｡ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡ ⋆ ⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡ ⋆｡ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡ ⋆ ⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡ ⋆｡ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡ ⋆

(a/n: Yeah, kinda rushed the ending a bit oops)

#kpop x reader #kpop imagines #zerobaseone imagines #zerobaseone x reader #zb1 x reader #zb1 imagines #zb1 oneshots #gunwook x reader #park gunwook #gunwook fluff #gunwook angst #zerobaseone fluff #zerobaseone angst #zb1 fluff #zb1 angst #park gunwook x reader #gunwook imagines #gunwook oneshot

150 notes · View notes

foryiujeans · 2 years ago

Text

say you love me.

synopsis. after being in an arranged marriage with an arrogant + selfish man, you never realised how much he cared for you even if he was away.

pairings. slightly mean!ricky x fem!reader

warnings. swearing, slightly suggestive.

word count. 5k

general taglist. @forsobeans , @lvieee

“where are you?”

the only sound you could hear was the sound of the engines car cutting through the wind. it’s wheels hitting the road, the low volume of the radio coming in as a mix. having a sudden driver that was sent by your parents pulled up right in front of your house, casually saying that you need to go in and to not be late for the special meeting they said. playing with your phone, your cold hands meeting the device, soon as an incoming call from your father came up.

“i’m on the way, in another,” you took a peek at the window, “ten minutes.”

and with that, you ended the call, placing your phone on your lap when a text notification from your father appeared on your phone.

father : tell the driver to hurry. the shen family is already here, we just need you here to get started.

you thought that this meeting was supposed to be just you and your family, turns out it was just another business related thing to be discussed with. groaning at yourself to actually think that your parents finally paid attention to you, letting out a heavy sigh, you turned your phone off. - what’s there to be discussed that involves you?

you’re just a rather normal business woman, daughter of the fourth largest enterprise around the country, known only because of your sister's success for you to only just be her shadow, father’s little maid around the house back then, and mother’s little assistant. so you thought that there's nothing really special about you, only feeling the affection from your parents years ago.

you had entered your parents mansion, locking in the code before entering. the maid opened the door for you just as you were about to type in the pin. seeing the living room with your whole family and the shen family sitting in front of your family. you bowed and greeted the shen family. they all stared and greeted you back.

then your eyes landed at a rather fine and composed man, with his blonde platinum hair, well kept but he just lets it slicked back. there he sat with his legs crossed, repeatedly running his thumb over his lips. he screams success, wealth and more so power.

"there you are y/n, come now and take a seat right beside quanrui," your father soon jumped in, fully entering yourself inside the big study and closing the door behind you.

"we should start talking about why we we all decided to meet up"

youu followed your father’s orders not having any choice, you walked your way beside quanrui, his cool demeanor already suffocating you just by looking at him.

"well are you just gonna stand there?" he soon piped up, probably noticing you staring at him.

"move.” you ordered, voice laced with confidence and not caring if he's the son of the most successful ceo there is to set foot on this planet. he could only smirk by your confidence, not opening his mouth to say anything else. he moved to his side, giving you some space to sit down right beside him.

"great, let's get started." the man behind the desk boomed its voice around the room.

gazing at the man who you assumed was quanrui’s father, the CEO of shen enterprise. he looks a bit like ricky, just without his bleached hair.

“is it fine if we bring both our businesses together to promote our newest ceo of my company and the new chief executive officer?,” he says, “and if you’re both confused by bringing you both together means..”

and that's when it hit you. you weren't marrying just anyone, you were getting married to shen quanrui.

the well known CEO of shen enterprise- korea’s largest manufacturing company and owning up to 50+ brands. he was part of seoul and china’s most powerful businessmen, and even being one of the eligible bachelors. it made you feel small just by sitting right next to him, he was handsome, intoxicating and very much so mysterious.

it was the look that he always gives you to be so weak, wanting to just run away and hide under your covers, his now tall legs spread out before him, it seems like he owns this look, his dark eyes always barging in on your own.

swallowing down the lump in your throat, you stood up in your seat, leaving your purse behind for you to also feel quanrui’s gaze trail you from behind.

"what about us? did you even ask us if we're happy about this arranged marriage? and i don't want to marry a man who i just met! "

you don't know why you're suddenly raising your voice, you just hate the fact that the work you've put yourself through for the past few years is just going to be thrown out the window like it was nothing. you wish your whole adulthood to be free, planning on existing loudly with giving zero cares about the world, yet here you are catching the eyes of your parents and your soon to be husband as well.

"well, i’m going to ask you two now..." quanrui’s mother spoke up, facing her son and you.

"do you want this marriage?"

"no-'

"yes" standing there with great shock, you looked over your shoulder and down at quanrui, now having his arms crossed around his chest, agreeing to this marriage like a business matter.

"very well, we will leave the two of you be, and when we all come back here in this room, the papers should be signed already"

feeling powerless all of a sudden, you can't hear anything, only the sounds of their shoes hitting the well carpeted floors heading out to leave the room.

that's until you felt a hand being placed on your shoulder, looking up you faced your mother, a small yet sweet smile on her lips.

"sign the papers please darling, this would help us rise from being unknown to being known, this would bring happiness to our name, even our reputation would increase…. sign the papers" she finished, eyes watching her leave the room as well.

now here you are with him, the killer silence of the study making your ears hurt. you faced him, a frown sitting on your face making him look at you, smirking. bringing out his own pen, his long slender hands opening his cross pen with his family name engraved in gold.

"why did you say yes?"

"they’ve been talking about this whole marriage ever since i set foot back here, it made my ears hurt, so I said yes to make them stop setting me up with twenty different women already." he shrugged it off, walking his way towards his father's desk where the papers that needed to be signed layed on top.

"are you fine about all of this?" you asked, voice failing to not shake when he turned and faced you.

those eyes stared at you for a moment, noticing them look up and down your body almost like he's studying you.

not knowing the reason why he agreed to get married to somebody like you, a much less known woman when there should be many beautiful girls ahead of you.

"hmm?" he spoke up, hunching down the desk to have a more comfortable position to sign down the papers, watching the way he did it with just one go, no hesitation at all, signing his name with his signature.

"i don't care, i don't want my family name to be dragged down in dirt, and it means i get to see your annoying face every day." he ended, deep voice sounding like honey meets your ears.

you looked at his back facing you, what he said earlier still filled your mind like some hard test, he's fine on helping your parent's company even if it costs his freedom as the CEO to get ruined, you could see it, you could see that he's not ready for all of this. So his family is willing to help yours, you slowly took the pen away from his hands, his own pen caging down your delicate hands, catching him off guard.

he stood there beside you, watching as you signed down the papers with your name and signature right beside his, it's the least thing you could do to make your parents proud, putting your whole life under this piece of paper. he was about to grab his pen back from you, that's when your grip around it tightens, quiet sniffles coming out of you as for his eyes to catch freshly salted tears hit the carpet floors.

shen quanrui didn't know what to do, not the type to comfort somebody that well. are you really sad about this whole marriage?

suddenly there was a grey handkerchief coming close to your vision, looking up, you met his hand extended out to you with his handkerchief sitting on top.

"wipe your tears away it makes you look weak.” he scoffed, waiting for you to take it.

oh, how annoying and stupid is he?

this day was dreadful, here you are standing just before the grand doors of a wedding you never asked for, having to follow your wish to make your parents happy for at least once from you. you felt the weight of your unknown future welcoming you as you began walking down the red carpeted aisle.

all that you have now is yourself, and shen quanrui.

he couldn't help but kiss his teeth, knowing that you're probably feeling way more worse than he is right now, but he was clenching his fists, finding himself to relate.

he grabbed both of your hands, trying to finally comfort you in front of everyone, running his thumb over your knuckles, feeling how cold they are and how warm his hands are. and then the sound of the priest's voice became audible, this word could change everything.

"i pronounce you husband and wife, you may now kiss the bride.”

the two of you locked eyes for a moment, letting go of your hands as quanrui saw that you were already looking at him, starstruck at first, he felt his world stop moving when he looked deeply in your eyes.

finally seeing your face fully because when the two of you first met which was weeks ago, he didn't get a clear view of your face. his eyes trailed down vour lins awaiting the kiss that will probably feel awkward.

feeling the pads of his thumb wipe away your tears, cupping your cheeks as he leaned in, his intoxicating scent still taking the air away from your lungs.

he suddenly stopped, placing his mouth right next to your ear as he whispered some words deeply.

"don’t make that face, it’ll be fine." and with that, he cupped your cheeks, still feeling tears in the corner of your eyes for him to wipe it away, hating to see you like this now. he pressed his lips with your own, surprisingly they were soft, and he guided you through the kiss by placing a hand behind your back.

still standing there in shock, you inhaled deeply and returned the kiss, you swore you felt him smile through the kiss. finishing off with him running his tongue down your bottom lip. you pulled away, crimson cheeks not afraid to hide when you faced him, holding your hand and intertwining them together. the two of you faced everybody, cheers and smiles everywhere for your eyes to see. you took a quick glance to your side, seeing his smile slowly disappear, his body hugged well by his black ralph lauren tux. it’s the first time you've paid attention to him this whole ceremony, you can't deny the fact that he looks breathtaking.

"do you not get tired eating the same thing over and over again?" you asked the boy in front of you, his attention was simply down at the documents he brought along this trip. it’s been a few days after you got married to the CEO of shen enterprise. a plate of cheesecake present for your husband to dig in deliciously, the two of you agreed to meet at the cafe where you and him would always eat whenever he picks you up after work.

"nope, it's addicting and if i do get tired of eating it, that's when l'm probably dead" he shrugged it off, grabbing a fork and feeding himself another serve.

you could only roll your eyes at him playfully, drifting your attention back outside where the car is up for a show to everyone who walks and drives past it. you furrowed your eyebrows when you heard your him let out a groan, probably because he’s tired of work.

"give me a tissue.” he ordered.

"excuse me?, it's right in front of you" you pointed at the thing he was looking for.

"i can't reach it.” he tiredly responded, leaning back on his chair as he made no efforts on reaching for the tissues.

"i can't believe you.” you gave in and grabbed the pile of tissues but instead of giving it to him properly you threw it straight into his face. instead of saying something, your husband could only laugh, even though he hates seeing your face, he appreciates what you do for him.

“my, what a surprise to see you two here.” a voice barged into the conversation, knowing who it is by heart you and quanrui looked up seeing zhanghao also here, sunglasses on, a suit present for he looks like he just finished shooting another magazine cover, a cup of coffee on hand as he sat himself down the same table with you and ricky.

"what are you doing here, hyung?" quanrui took off first by asking a question to the eyebreaking intruder.

"i just finished doing my rounds of photoshoots and stopped by to grab myself some coffee." the boy could only roll his eyes at his friend.

"oh, so it is true!" zhanghao voice suddenly shocked you, jumping from your seat and you turned and looked at her questionably.

"what is?"

"you got married.” zhanghao eyes can't seem to break away from your wedding ring that quanrui slipped into your ring finger, the shining jewelry glittering under the lights for him to see.

"i thought it was a joke," zhanghao could only bite down his lip, trying his best to not laugh, “since i really thought ricky wasn’t interested in women-”

a smack on the back made the brunette groan and pouted at the younger. you could only laugh and watched the two of them argue.

"i was forced to marry him." you corrected him, turning your head to look at him half heartedly, trying to stay seated and not lose it on zhanghao when he gave you a teasing look.

“sorry for not coming to your wedding. i was in jeju for some work,” zhanghao only nodded, giving you a small smile, “i have to go, a meeting starts in thirty minutes.”

he bids goodbye to the two of you, walking out to his car to drive off back to his own company, leaving both you and ricky in the café.

"can i have your phone?" quanrui suddenly asked, leaning towards the table as he watched you from the front, who was busy looking at the café’s inside interior.

"why?" you were quick to turn around, an eyebrow raised to show confusion by his sudden words.

"just give me it.” he almost sounds like he's whining, leaving you smiling to yourself on how cute he could be even though he's still in his sharp suit.

he's still waiting for your phone. letting out a sigh to roll out of your lips you nodded your head at him.

"it's in my purse.” you trailed off, turning your attention back to the matter of hand which was washing the dishes.

you could've sworn you saw how his face lit up by the moment you said that. his eyes then trailed over to where your purse is, opening it up as he wasted no time to grab your phone, how stupid of him actually to think that he knows the password. when quanrui returns, you're already staring.

"open it"

he gave you your phone, not even asking what's going on, you did as you were told. opening your phone and when you did it was snatched away from your hands immediately from him.

"why do i have such a blank name?" he scrunched his nose, showing you your phone with his contact name on the screen as he scrutinized you.

shen quanrui

"i mean it is your name- wait do you want me to give you a nickname?" you finally picked everything up, eyes brightening with playfulness when you caught ricky biting down his lips.

“yeah, give me a nickname and give me one that's cute" he suggested, giving you back your phone.

the way you looked so serious on picking out a nickname for him made him look at you, never knowing that this would be the two of you together behind closed doors, not what he's expecting at all.

he was expecting that the two of you would just ignore each other, go in each other's throats with pure hatred. you nearly laugh out loud when you look at your finished product, his new nickname really making you smile.

cheescake lover!

you noticed this earlier, whenever he picks you up after work and drags you to café’s, he’s always buy blueberry cheesecake.

"this is cute right?" you showed him his contact name, a teasing smile coming in last.

“yah! i can’t believe you.” he then grabs hold of your hand where your phone sits, quickly snatching your phone away from you, turning his back as he typed something down.

"quanrui!" you almost hit his back when you were trying your best to get it back, that's when he finally turned around resulting in you bumping into his chest. cheeks heating up, you looked up seeing him smiling at himself.

"there." he smiled, giving your phone back.

ricky ♡

the simple yet heart shaking name made the red tint on your cheek worsen, never once getting used to seeing his nickname next to a heart. you heard some of his friends call him this, ricky.

"ricky?" you mumbled under your breath.

"then my name better have a nickname on yours too!" you turned your phone off, putting it deep into your pocket where it's completely out of reach from him.

"of course.” ricky says, getting his own phone out and showing you the nickname he puts on you.

only taking note of how his hand made his phone look smaller in size, there he showed you your name.

y/n ♡

maybe being with him wasn’t that bad, the bad thing was he makes fun of you 24/7.

"y/n?"

you straightened yourself up, breathing out while slowly turning your back away to face him, hearing his voice without him singing made your knees weak, it turned deep, with a dulcet of it meeting you.

"hi" you sheepishly responded, a small smile forming in his lips when he noticed the state you're in, the whole scene looked like some father catching his daughter lurking in the hallway at 12am in the morning.

"putting on an all nighter?" ricky soon broke the silence and with every single time you try to break his gaze he would always catch them with just a simple eye contact, it's his thing, being a CEO and a business man with many words he picked up the trait where he would have to keep an eye contact with the one he's talking to.

"i just finished actually.” you said, trying your best to sound alright despite the fact that you're really tired with half of your work still present in your own office.

"can you look at me, y/n?" there was no pressure in his voice, it's the same soft melodic tone when he promised that he would take care of you down the aisle weeks ago. and when you did, the next thing he did surprised you, placing his index finger in the bottom of your chin with his thumb as a support, he looked deeply into your eyes.

"a penny for your thoughts?" ricky’s voice soon brought you back to reality. his soft gaze settles on your face with his sharp jawline being in full view for your eyes to see, he was firm as he faced you, his lips that's only inches away from your sight made your heart run faster than before.

"it's nothing.” you voiced out with a little bit of strength even though you are indeed feeling a little bit sleepy with the clock ticking away. he only looked at you, gazing at the tired features of your face, his brows began to furrow before you picked out a sigh escaping his lips.

"let's go to bed, yeah?" ricky then stood up, setting his guitar down to its stand as he waited for you, nodding your head the two of you walked out of the music room, the cold marbled floors kissing your feet while you walked behind him, his broad shoulders coming into a view as ricky would sometimes run his hand through his luscious raven hair.

"can i ask you something?" he stopped walking, trying to register everything he just said, downright getting flustered by the sudden question for your liking.

"what is it?"

"nevermind." you mumbled quietly after taking a few seconds to take away your question to the blonde.

"y/n, what is it?" you were speechless for the first time because of him, not even knowing what other words to say. a soft chuckle escaped your lips by his current state, now it's your turn to study him. ricky watched you walk up the stairs to be on the same level as him, getting a quick glimpse of your slightly messy hair, your sweet scent greeting his nose along the way. you then stopped, standing on top of a single step to make yourself taller as it made ricky look up at you, the silence of the room embracing the two of you placidly.

“nothing.”

and with that, you backed up away from the blonde and went inside your shared bedroom.

that was a close call.

——————————————————————————

sitting up as you began removing your hair away from your face, looking at the wall clock, seeing that it's late already. thinking that he's already on his way to work, you got yourself ready for the day and headed down stairs, praising yourself on not getting lost inside ricky’s gigantic house. wanting to do a detour when your eyes landed at ricky eating his breakfast when you arrived at the kitchen, him using his other hand to use his cellphone while the other was busy doing its job on feeding him, sitting on a barstool, he was wearing a red knitted sweater that brings out his jet black hair, still wearing the same sweatpants from last night. you want to walk away and just eat some food outside or order something but your stomach wouldn't last long. you don't know why you're acting like this around him even though he was being surprisingly nice to you, maybe it's because you're new to this sudden change of lifestyle and finally living with somebody, for the past years you would sleep alone with only the darkness as your companion, eating alone only with your fork and spoon.

gathering yourself together you entered the kitchen fully, walking past ricky who had his eyebrow up like he's questioning your presence. still, ignoring him you grabbed two pieces of bread that caught your eyes, you suddenly stopped moving, this is not your kitchen so you don't know where everything else was stored. slapping your stupid brain for not functioning, you suddenly heard a chuckle from behind.

“thought you were lost again,” his voice spoke behind you, “just like the first morning you were here.”

a roll of your eyes made him scoff jokingly, ignoring his words. you took your plate and wanted to eat in the living room. your hand holding the perfectly stacked pancakes on your plate and the other hand holding a cup of orange juice.

"baby." you abruptly stopped in your tracks, the thumping on your chest will not stop anytime now.

when you held your place, he walked over to you and turned you around to face him.

ricky continuously walked closer to you with the result of you backing away slowly, you bumped your back to the sink counter and couldn't move any further away from him. he placed both arms on the counter, in between you for him to cage you in.

a smug smirk slipped ricky’s lips, licking them moist as his eyes settled down on your face.

"baby... you like the nickname? huh?"

"n-no.”

"no?

"yes.” a satisfied laugh soon escaped from the lips of the man in front of you, he just completely played with you.

with a pout of annoyance, you gathered the strength to push his arms away and moved to the side as a quick escape. ricky was surprised at first on how you managed to escape his embrace- was it even an embrace? no, it's a trap. it’s a trap to see how every time you push him away, he pulls you in easily, his eyes that look like it's drinking you slowly.

and that made you not step into the living room. you’d prefer to eat on the dining table anyway. hearing a notification and seeing your phone lit up, an email that was sent from your colleague, kim taerae to you.

"what is it?" a voice came out of nowhere, startling you as your gaze got trapped in ricky who happens to be standing right next to you, a glass of water on hand to show that he already finished eating his breakfast.

"a joint project will happen. the dates are not clear yet, and our boss gave me the authority to take care of it.” you sighed, looking down at your wrist watch to see the time. ricky took the time to steal a quick glance over his shoulder to look at you, a soft smile resting on his lips, almost like he's proud.

"you'll do great.”

"i hope so.?”

"you will.” he started watching the trees sway side to side by the calming blow of the wind, the leaves falling down from its branch swayed to touch the ground, you turned and looked at him. his eyelashes were long and soft whenever he would bat them down, his rosy and bow lips were wet when he ran his tongue over them.

words of encouragement from your husband himself.

——————————————————————————

that night when the joint project was happening. the nervousness inside your gut made you panic. the joint project was going in between your company and ricky’s company. if you wrote a report that was not that great, you surely will drop from your chief executive position then.

the blonde saw that you were fiddling with your fingers, staring into space. he was fixing his tie, watching you already dressed from head to toe in the black givenchy dress he made you wear that reached above your knees. he couldn’t lie, you are absolutely gorgeous. he was planning for the event today, he wanted to give out a special thanks to everyone and importantly to his family and you.

looking up from your spot inside the limo, your eyes landed at ricky who is sitting right beside you, his legs sprawled out while he leaned his head back making his adam’s apple on full view for you to see.

he had his eyes closed, there seemed to be a lot of stuff going on inside his mind because he began to wear a visible frown. you want to ask what's wrong with him, is it you? is it this event? or is it the fact that you're sitting right next to him?, you just can't read him.

"we should really act like a couple once we step out of this limo, there will be a lot of cameras and news reporters.” ricky stated the obvious, and just when the limo took a turn, your eyes caught sight of the venue from the outside, packed with people and cameras flashing like they're some fireworks. there he finally opened his eyes, the first thing his eyes saw was you looking at him, he could easily read you like an opened book, the way you would blink faster whenever he catches your gaze for you to just break them, and the way you nervously bit down your lip by all of this sudden pressure of making a public appearance with him.

you nodded your head as you let out a heavy sigh, grabbing your purse when the vehicle put into a stop. ricky unbuckled his seatbelt and so did you.

when he opened the door and stepped out, greeting you with his warm smile as he held out his hand for you, you smiled back sweetly when you noticed some cameras flashing.

“smile for the camera.” he whispered near your ears, holding onto your waist as you both stepped out of the limo.

after taking some pictures, you both saw your friends and colleagues waiting for you at the sides. ricky noticed you looking at your friends and tapped your waist for you to look at him.

“we’ll see each other after the party.”

and with that, he was gone to meet his colleagues and other CEOS from other companies.

oh god, how tired were you tonight.

walking towards the chair where the blazer of his suit was but stopped after hearing your small grunts of defeat, eyebrows coming together in confusion but his face relaxed after realizing the situation that you're in.

"do you need help?" ricky asked you from the other side of the curtain, his shoes peeking through the small gap from below. you looked at yourself in front of the mirror, the dress fitted you like a glove but the only problem was the zipper at the back, it was so high, you couldn’t unzip it on your own.

you were awake for the first two hours of the drive, making use of yourself to keep ricky company inside the car because if it gets too quiet he might get tired and fall asleep without your attention, it was almost 2am.

ricky drummed his fingers to the steering wheel whilst opening the storage compartment between the two of you, taking out one of his glasses to shade his eyes from the bright sun. he looked so good, his slightly messy hair from all of the times he would run a hand through them, and now that he's wearing glasses that rests on the bridge of his sharp nose.

both the event and the drive was exhausting for the both of you.

“y/n,” ricky calls up to you and made you hum after he unzipped your dress, “you know i care for you, right?”

the sudden question caught you off guard, turning to look at him and felt that your heart thumped inside your chest when he came close to you. you never really questioned it but you did thought every single day that did he even care for you since he married you? you didn’t even know whether it was a yes or no.

“to be honest, i’m not sure. you’re always busy, i’m always busy so i never really thought of it. just when mother asked me to marry you. did you even-“

"i want to be a good man and see you smile," he started, straightening up his posture, the urge to see you happy itched his brain, remembering the picture of the two of you laughing beside the fountain that one day, the time where you helped him control a claw machine. knowing where this is leading yet everything goes following each other, watching as the both of you go round and round each time.

"and i want to hold you in my arms tonight."

ricky confessed, standing tall for his eyes to watch you mirror his actions. both trying to find answers in each other's eyes, you took in everything he just said, the bubbling feeling inside your stomach mentioning to you what to do. his voice was a trigger.

his eyes drifted down to your swollen lips on how much you bit them earlier, they were red as a rose along with your cheeks shining down the moonlight from the window beside you. fuck it.

cupping your cheeks and what ricky did next didn't surprise you at all, the feeling of his soft lips met yours, almost forgetting how they felt, he kissed them with so much passion. he’s taking over you slowly, you grabbed his nape and pulled him down so he could meet your height.

"baby.." he spoke up, stopping your actions with a warm cup on your cheek by his hand. the moment you locked eyes with him everything seemed to stop, the flutter inside your heart from his words earlier was still in you. the way he called you out made you love the nickname more than you usually do.

sighing, you settled on top of him and hugged ricky who returned the favor to cuddle you under everything that just happened. both hearts beating right next to each other to create a calm euphoria.

"baby" the sound of his tender voice caught your attention, it almost sounded like a whisper.

"yes?" what is it?" you returned, turning your head to look at him, thinking that he was asking you for some help or anything.

"i love you" those three words never failed to make your heart go feral for it also came from ricky who said those to you.

"and I love you too." you came back, putting a tight smile for your lover.

say you love me.

a/n ! thank you so much for reading and giving me requests. i’m thankful that you guys enjoyed reading it and giving all the notes and support. i do not own any characters, music or pics given, will definitely work harder for the next ones !

signing out, miaaa hihi !

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