#just imagining all these type posts are just them venting to rascal

[rasuo]

Warm weather is weird… too hot for sweaters, but not having long sleeves and tights makes me feel icky… can’t cover scars easily in warm weather… don’t like it… people stare at me weird when I don’t have my scars covered…

[iamsonyeondone]

perseverance // park jihoon

♥ boxer! & bff! jihoon feat. bff! woojin

♥ fluff!! and a dash of angst lmao

♥ 3.3k words

♥ requested!

In a matter of a day, many things could happen. In fact, in less than 24 hours, your best friend was found injured, his broken arm in a cast as he trudged his way to the boxing club, Woojin looking over him with worried glances as he walked by his side. You rushed out of the door as fast as your legs could carry you. Your uneven breathing was not caused by your quick feet but was due to the worry and panick enveloping your chest as you see your dear friend hissing in pain just by the slightest sudden movement. Without hesitation, your feet brought you right in front of him, taking him aback as he stared back into your teary eyes.

"What happened? You didn't answer my texts last night at all," you questioned him as you glanced over to the casted arm, bruises still evident and fresh on his knuckles. His eyes lowered once your eyes travelled back to his, guilt swallowing him up just by the tone of your voice.

"We ran into some guys, that's all," he mumbled in reply before slipping past you, towards the boxing club building. It felt like an arrow had been shot right through your chest as you looked at the figure of his back facing towards you. There never was a time when Jihoon would hide something from you aside from surprising you on your birthday. And today was indeed not a special day. Well, you planned for it to be one but with what the situation had turned into, you felt that it was best to keep your feelings aside and go head on into the problem at hand first. His pain was far more important than a confession.

Woojin gave you a weak smile before sighing, a sign you knew too well whenever Jihoon was facing problems he would never tell anyone. Not even you or Woojin - his best of friends.

"He's been like this ever since he found out the dude broke his arm. He wouldn't even utter a single word when he was done with the surgery. If this continues on, I'm afraid he might just drop boxing altogether," Woojin mumbled as he walked beside you, afraid that his words would further upset his friend. You inhaled deeply, trying your best to absorb the sudden flood of information as Woojin continued to whisper the incident that happened the night before.

"If he's quitting boxing, where will he go to?" The thought of not being able to see him achieve his dreams felt like a nightmare. Ever since the two of you had been acquainted in middle school, all he ever talked about was dreaming to attain achievements and trophies in boxing, constantly mimicking punches and upper cuts from competitions that were broadcasted in the middle of the night.

"Beats me. But I'm not going to just stand here and see him mope. We have to think up of something, and quick," Woojin sighed frustratedly. Albeit the heavy tension between the three of you, he shined his signature snaggletooth smile as he ruffled your hair.

"You better don't mope along with him or you'll give me twice the worry, okay?" You nodded your headed firmly, your smile mirroring his before he jogged over to the mats to do his warm up routine.

You glanced over to the sidelines of the 'Battle Zone', a name the boys had given the boxing ring after the numerous merciless fights and sparrings that left them with bruises and tiny cuts. If it wasn't for Jihoon constantly dragging you to see matches whenever you came over his apartment, you would have not easily gotten used to the bloody scenes that you encounter almost every day at the boxing club.

Jihoon's eyes were no longer twinkling when his eyes set on the boxing ring, uneasiness filling him as he was reminded by the fact that he would not be able to participate in the upcoming competitions, let alone box for the next month or so. With a full expression, he left the ring and sat on one of the benches as he fetched out his laptop from his backpack, his typing pace slowing down with his cast being an obstacle. After constant grumblings and mumblings on how the white thick bandage obstructed his productivity, he slammed it shut as a sigh left his pink lips. It further worsened the thoughts that barged through, constantly reminding himself of his worthlessness and the accident he could have avoided if he hadn't provoked the gang leader from last night. With a heavy heart, he settled on resting his eyes, the events weighing on his spirits and instead filling him with fatigue in his entire body.

After Jihoon began lightly snoring in the corner of the room, you admired his features. They were indeed feminine, sometimes to the point where you would become jealous of his good looks that could easily swoon anyone that glanced his way. You noticed every single one of his beautiful features, but your eyes always settled on his plump lips and imagining how they felt like against yours. But your thoughts were pushed out as you shook your head in denial. Jihoon would never fall for someone as average as you and was definitely way out of your league by the way he was known across his entire school and neighborhood. Whereas, here you were, the boxing club owner's daughter that only had friends because Jihoon was by your side. He was the main reason you were able to befriend Woojin, someone you would have never talked to due to his mysterious and intimidating looks that he didn't intend to show.

You rubbed your face in hopes that you would be able to see Jihoon as only a friend and nothing more. But once your eyes peeked from behind your palms, your heart thumped vigorously once more, the sensation becoming a familiar one. Your attempts for giving up on your silly crush was futile as you shook your head in disappointment - although a little part of you would prefer staying this way, silently watching from the sidelines.

As your fingers brushed through the stack of neon yellow post-it notes, an idea popped up into your head. You had recalled many moves from movies of secret admirers and their anonymous letters. So you decided you could cheer him on in pen and paper if your words fell on deaf ears. Hastily, you scribbled encouraging words, tearing a piece of it if it was too obvious that you had written it. And after many attempts at perfecting your 'fake handwriting' and the structure of your sentence, you slipped away from the front desk and tiptoed your way to Jihoon, watching out for the others who were bound to arrive any second. You quickly pasted the sticky paper onto his laptop, nearly running away in anxiousness. Just as you were about to slip behind the front desk, the main doors burst open, the rest of the nine boys came bustling in. Some of them had just ended their school activities while others had come straight from work, as boxing gave them a platform to vent their stress and worry onto. But something felt off, it was obvious that once they had stepped in and laid their eyes on Jihoon, their spirits were dampened and the fatigue from their busy day began to settle in. You noticed almost every single one of them had small cuts and wounds on them while others were mentally hurting from the scene that took place last night. And when your father arrived, the surroundings only seemed to worsen.

-

"How will I be able to show my face at the competitions when the entire town heard about you rascals thrashing the place with a bunch of thugs? We're already low on manpower but you boys just had to waltz into a fight." Your father screamed, pointing his finger at everyone of them as their dull eyes admired the floor. Even looking at them for another second longer was too painful for you to bear. Thus, with a swift turn of your heel you walked out from the building, taking a seat on the curb as you inhaled the fresh air.

Numerous thoughts bombard your mind as you looked over the other buildings towering over you and sheltering you from the merciless rays of the sun. What if you had been there? Would you have been able to prevent the fight between them and the other men? Would you have been able to prevent Jihoon from experiencing an unwanted injury? All you could ever do was think and a realization hit you. There was never a time when you were helpful towards them.

"What's with the frowning?" A voice pulled you back to reality as you looked towards its source, only to see the last person you wanted to see.

"Who would be smiling in a situation like this?" You chuckled sarcastically, looking back to the rows of shops you had grown up around.

"Right," he laughed nervously before plopping down next to you, supporting his back with his arms as he wonder what could possibly be so interesting about the old town this boxing club was placed on. As his mind soon wandered to what you were currently thinking, possibly about the situation that all of you had been put in, making his chest drop. 'It's my fault isn't it,' he thought, his eyes glancing towards your worried expression. He retraced his thoughts back to the gruesome fight that was still clearly etched on his mind. If he hadn't punched first, his friends would have been unscathed and he would still be able to participate in the upcoming competition that was frighteningly waiting around the corner.

"Don't think too much about it okay?" Your voice was close to a whisper as you playfully nudged his side before leaving him, the tension between the both of you were becoming too much to handle and you didn't want to worsen the friendship with words you didn't mean - especially with your insecurities that were eating you right up.

Jihoon watched your every movement as your steps were closer to the ground than it used to be - a sign that you were obviously upset about something or someone. Of course he would notice your little actions. Who wouldn't be able to notice the actions of someone they had hopelessly fallen in love? Jihoon was sure he loved you, with every fibre of his being, but he couldn't confess his feelings to someone that only saw him as a friend; something he assumed from numerous rumors made by the other boys

-

After an earful of lectures and a much stricter routine as punishment, most of them began to pack to return home and rest their aching bodies. Out of everyone, Daniel took the most beating seeing as he had to catch up to replace Jihoon for the competition, his eyes already drooping in exhaustion as his limbs swung in the air, pain coursing through every fibre of his being as his entire body stung and a burning sensation overcome him.

"Rest up, guys. See you tomorrow as usual," You smiled in sympathy as you tossed the sweat-filled towels into the basket that was supported by your other arm as some of your friends replied in an apathetic tone while others attempted to cheer you up with wide smiles. You searched through the big crowd of boys for someone in particular. But once your eyes laid upon him, your breath hitched and you regretted your decision as you see the scene before you, unable to peel your eyes away from him.

Jihoon finally noticed the little post-it note as he removed it from his laptop to inspect it further, curious as to who had left it behind.

'Don't give up. I believe in you and so should you :)'

Your words were simple and short and yet it deeply resonated with him as he didn't realize his lips were tugging into a small smile. With a soft laugh, he slipped the note into his wallet into the section where it was shown from beneath the transparent film, as a reminder for him.

Your heart was pounding through your ears as you smiled at the sight, your cheeks heating up and colour began to set in as the tips of your ears matched with them. Your little mission was accomplished and you could only hope for the best for him and cheer him on anonymously. You didn't mind if he didn't know who was behind the post-it note even if a part of you wanted, your priority was to cheer him up and you weren't going to let your selfishness get the best of you.

But Jihoon wasn't going to let this anonymous go. He knew by the way the words were structures that it was written by someone with a heart of gold and it was only right for him to thank them for their simple act of kindness.

-

Day by day, you left a note by Jihoon's bag whenever he was distracted or was called out by the others as a judge and a temporary mentor. And day by day, Jihoon got even more frustrated. Your words of encouragement definitely fired him up to recover soon but it also fired him up even more to find who it was. Many people come and go at the boxing club and it wasn't only him and his friends that would drop by. He eliminated his numerous choices and narrowed them down to his closest friends which compromised of Woojin, Guanlin and you. And for the past few days he watched the three of you like an eagle. Surprisingly, whenever his eyes fell on you, you were busy filing documents and payments made by the customers that came by. And you definitely took notice of his strong gaze on you. Well, everyone did.

"Psst, hey (Y/N), do you know why Jihoon keeps staring at us? It's starting to creep me out. Do you think the thugs punched a few screws out of his head?" Woojin questioned you while he packed his belongings, attempting to make it as discreetly as possible.

"Maybe? I would tell you if he wasn't staring holes through us right now," You mumbled, barely moving your lips as you spoke. Woojin looked up from tying his shoelaces to see Jihoon's eyes on the both of you, only for him to retreat his focus back into keeping the supplies in their rightful places.

" Hey Jihoon, are you going out soon?" Woojin hollered as he swung his bag over his shoulder.

"Not yet. I told (Y/N)'s dad that I' ll be staying here to study until he closes," Jihoon replied as a small reassuring smile tugged on his lips. Woojin nod his head with understanding as he called you over.

"We'll be heading out then. Take care Jihoon! Call me if there's a problem," You waved goodbye as you walked side by side with Woojin, walking out of the vicinity.

"So what is it? Did you finally confess to him or-" You smacked the back of his head quickly, your cheeks turning a bright hue of pink by the second he had mentioned it. "Why do you always talk so freaking loud? Besides, it's just about a bunch of postie notes, that's all," Woojin rubbed the back of his head as he scowled at you before continuing his investigation.

"Post-it notes? What about them?" He questioned trying to recall if Jihoon was holding onto one.

"Well, I've been writing a bunch of encouraging words on them and pasting it on his stuff to cheer him up but I can't find the courage to own up to him. Especially since..."

"Since?" Woojin was now on the edge of his seat. What had you done that you were too afraid to own up? You were just doing your duty as a best friend to cheer him up, so what's so wrong with doing that?

"Well, I might have, kinda, confessed to him," You mumbled in embarrassment, and as soon as the words tumbled out from your lips, your hands covered your tomato red cheeks before slapping them, hoping that the warm yet comforting feeling would vanish away with the pain you had inflicted onto yourself.

"Then that means my first question was right, airhead," Woojin shook his head as he looked at you with disdain. But before you could send another attack to the back of his head, a familiar voice echoed from behind you, a voice you were least expecting to hear.

" It's you?" Jihoon questioned as you hesitantly looked at him with fear in your eyes. You weren't expecting to confront to him about your secret so soon, especially when it involved more than just cheering up a best friend.

"I'll leave you two to talk," Woojin mumbled, the tension in the air making it hard for him to increase his voice over the deafening silence. He patted your shoulder as an encouragement to face Jihoon head on, before he walked away briskly, hoping that everything would turn out alright and the outcome would be something he hoped to happen for quite some time.

Jihoon walked over to you, fiddling around with the strap of his bag pack as he attempted to keep his eye contact with you. His chest felt heavy and his incessant heartbeat pounded through it. A part of him was elated that his anonymous cheerleader was none other then yourself, but the other part of him was hesitant when it came to your feelings. Although he had feelings for you, Jihoon had no choice to force himself to see you as only his best friend, especially when your mannerisms around boys you liked were completely different when you were around him, or so he thought. You would act more touchy with them, an unfamiliar feminine side of you was always shown whenever you were around them but it was always the other way round when you were around him. You were much more comfortable, sitting however you liked and not minding if he had seen the many unglamorous angles of you. But that was one of the many reasons why you liked Jihoon, he was the only one that you could truly be yourself with.

"I'm sorry Jihoon, I did it on a whim and I wasn't thinking right. I just wanted you to feel better because it hurt me to see you frown. I know how much you liked boxing and since you couldn't compete in the nationals, I knew you were deeply upset by the news. The confession was nothing, I was desperate to get your smile back and I... I ruined everything instead. I ruined our friendship and made it more worse than it was, " At this point, you were now bawling your eyes out, imagining different scenarios all at once and all of them ending with Jihoon rejecting you and your friendship altogether. You trembled in your spot, wiping away your tears swiftly as your head hung low. You couldn't let him see you like this. You couldn't allow him to see you at your worst.

But the cold breeze stopped as you were in the midst of your waterworks, a warmth enveloping you instead. It comforted you from within as your tears trickled down your cheeks. You looked up to see none other than Jihoon, a small smile adorning his face as he looked at you with his arms wrapped around your frame.

"What do you mean you ruined everything? I've never felt better ever since you sent the very first note. And the latest one..." He trailed off, his smile widening just by the thought of it. You instinctively hid your face in your palms, already feeling the heat rush up to your cheeks as he spoke. Jihoon lifted your chin with his index finger, uncovering your face with his other hand to reveal your teary eyes and tear-stained cheeks. He chuckled at your vulnerable state, as he wiped your cheek and admired the way your eyes twinkled under the golden rays of sunlight.

"I hope you don't regret writing it, because I've finally found my cause to carry on,"

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A/n: another one based off of the beautiful mv!! Also i really struggled trying to make it angsty😿😿 what kind of writer am I if I can't break hearts siGH also I tried to make this as gender neutral as possible, so if there's any errors in it, please do tell me!! Hope you guys are having an amazing day/night 😽💓