sixflame438 - Tumblr blog

sixflame438 · 13 days ago

Text

So soft i might cry

୨୧ - to be seen, not heard

##newjeans

pairing - kang haerin x fem!reader

genre - gxg, slight angst, idol x non-idol, fluff, friends to lovers

— in which, after a breakup shatters her self-worth, y/n takes a job at newjeans' dorm and finds quiet comfort in the company of kang haerin, the one person who understands her silence best

a/n - prompt credits to @rd0265667

The problem with heartbreak is that it never screams—it sits in the throat, soft and sticky, like honey gone sour.

Y/n stood in the middle of her ex-girlfriend, Asura’s apartment, technically, their apartment just a few days ago—watching the other girl stuff her tote with whatever was left of her: an old sweatshirt she used to wear after showers, a toothbrush that had gone untouched for three days, and a worn paperback with her name written in block letters on the inside cover.

No yelling or no tears, just that one sentence, casually dropped like a crumpled receipt into the trash.

“You take too much work.”

Asura didn’t even say it with malice, it was just said, like the weather.

Y/n didn’t flinch, argue, plead, or move. Instead, she just stood there with a blank face, her fingers twitching uselessly at her sides. The silence between them stretched unbearably, heavy with all the things she couldn’t say and everything Asura no longer cared to hear.

“I hope you find someone who…fits better.” Asura added, like it was an apology, but it wasn’t. “Someone who doesn’t need…all that.”

All that—meaning a few signed words, some written notes, and the inability to speak.

Apparently, that was enough to be too much.

She didn’t go home after, though she didn’t really go anywhere. Her aunt’s guest room was soft with pastel sheets and cluttered with boxes of old NewJeans merch, had became a purgatory of untouched meals, muted background TV, and crushing silence.

She didn’t cry, because crying was for people who still had the energy to feel things.

Her aunt, always alert and quick on her feet, noticed but she didn’t say anything, just lingered a little longer in the doorway, left tea on the nightstand, or paused while folding laundry to give Y/n’s shoulder a gentle squeeze and she didn’t push.

But on the sixth morning, a notepad landed beside her bowl of cereal with a soft thud causing Y/n to blink at it, mid-scoop, the spoon frozen in the air, just a few inches away from her lips.

— You’re coming with me today, Newjeans needs someone to help cook and keep the dorm clean. I already told them about you.

Y/n’s eyes flicked to her aunt’s handwriting, precise and no-nonsense. Another line appeared underneath:

— You need a reset, Y/n/n. They’re good girls and you’ll be safe there.

She didn’t argue because there was no fight left in her, so she simply nodded in response.

Y/n didn’t expect much because to her, famous idols were supposed to be pretty, fake, and distant. Just plastic people in expensive clothes with polite smiles and curated perfection.

But the second she stepped into the dorm, dragging her small overnight bag behind her, it was like walking into the eye of a storm but the good kind—warm, chaotic, and alive.

Danielle got to her first. “Hi!” she chirped, pulling Y/n into a hug that smelled like vanilla lotion and strawberry shampoo. “I’m Danielle! Wait, do you go by Y/n or…?”

Y/n offered a small smile and a nod in response to the bubbly Australian-Korean girl in front of her.

Danielle’s eyes lit up, “Cool, okay. Just know we’ve been so excited to meet you!”

Hanni wasn’t far behind her, “We seriously needed someone who could keep Minji from reorganizing the kitchen by spice label color.” she said, slinging an arm around Y/n’s shoulder like they’d known each other for years. “You’re already a hero.”

Minji, trailing in with a basket of laundry, rolled her eyes fondly. “Don’t listen to her. I only color-code the things that matter.”

“You alphabetized the bath towels, Min.” Hanni deadpanned, while raising an eyebrow at the group’s leader.

“I was bored!” Minji exclaimed, defending herself.

Y/n cracked the tiniest smile, at the two eldest members of the girl group.

Then came Hyein, bouncing in from the hallway. “You must be Y/n! Your aunt’s told us about you—all good things.” the maknae’s grin was big, bubbly, and sincere. “I hope you like spicy food, Dani says she can’t handle anything hotter than toothpaste.”

“Hey!” Danielle called from the kitchen, scandalized.

And finally, from the corner of the room, a quiet presence.

Haerin.

She peeked up from her book, hoodie sleeves swallowed in her hands. Her gaze met Y/n’s, curious and calm, instead of loud and invasive. She gave a soft nod, almost imperceptible, but somehow it landed deeper than any hug.

Y/n stared for a second longer than she had meant to, something in Haerin’s stillness had mirrored her own.

The dorm was calm and warm, nothing like the sterile idol fantasy she’d imagined—the living room was a mess of blankets and snack wrappers, shoes were piled by the door, and someone, Danielle, had doodled smiley faces on the whiteboard by the fridge.

Her aunt was right, this place felt safe and maybe, just maybe, she could learn how to breathe again here.

Even if it hurt a little to start.

Y/n wasn’t used to being noticed, not really.

People always saw the silence first—the inconvenience and the things she couldn’t say, they rarely tried to hear her in other ways.

But here, things felt different. It had started small at first.

A post-it note stuck on the fridge from Danielle:

— “What kind of food do you like? I wanna learn 😋 – Dani”

A refill of her water bottle on the counter with a napkin tucked underneath:

— “You forgot this yesterday :) — Hanni”

Minji quietly moved the mugs down to the lower shelf one morning, no comments, just a wink when Y/n stared.

Even Hyein, who had the energy of five Red Bulls and a playlist at max volume, slowed her steps when Y/n was around but not in a patronizing way, just enough to match pace.

Though it was Haerin who lingered, noticing things in a different way.

She didn’t speak unnecessarily and didn’t hover, but she watched—not like she was being studied, but like she understood.

One evening, Y/n was chopping vegetables in the dorm's tiny kitchen, headphones in but no music playing, just needing the soft illusion of distance. The girls were scattered around the dorm—Hyein was FaceTiming her family, Danielle and Hanni were bickering over whose turn it was to do laundry, and Minji was in her room.

She didn’t hear Haerin approach and didn’t notice until a pale hand slid a bowl next to the cutting board.

Cherry tomatoes, washed and ready.

Y/n blinked and then looked up, her eyes meeting Haerin’s cat-like ones.

Haerin gave her the smallest smile—barely-there, shy, but honest. Her sleeve-covered hand tapped a few times on the counter.

Can I help?

Y/n nodded slowly, surprised before passing her knife to Haerin.

They cooked in near silence—Haerin slicing tomatoes with the kind of caution reserved for bomb disposal. Y/N tried not to laugh. Every few minutes, Haerin glanced at her as if to double-check she wasn’t ruining something.

When dinner was ready, Haerin helped plate everything. Five bowls, five pairs of chopsticks. One more plate of cucumber kimchi because “Hyein always eats too fast and regrets it.”

And for the first time since arriving, Y/N sat at a table that felt like it had room for her.

Later that night, Y/N found herself curled into the corner of the couch, blanket draped around her legs, a movie playing on low volume. Some ridiculous zombie rom-com that Danielle had insisted was “so bad it’s good.”

Haerin dropped onto the cushion beside her.

Not too close but close enough that Y/N could smell the faint citrus from her shampoo.

Halfway through the movie, a scene played out—ridiculous and gory, a character slipping on fake blood and landing headfirst in a cake.

Y/N, trying not to laugh, scribbled something on a notepad balanced on her knee and held it out to Haerin.

— “Me trying to cook for my last girlfriend.”

Haerin blinked once.

Then burst into a silent laugh. She pressed the back of her hand to her mouth, shoulders shaking. She reached over and tugged gently on the edge of the notepad, motioning like can I keep this?

Y/N nodded.

She watched Haerin reread the joke again, a smile tucked into the corner of her mouth, like she was saving it for later.

After the movie ended, they didn’t move. The dorm was quiet now—Minji in her room, Hanni asleep on the beanbag, Danielle was taking care of her plants, Hyein face-first on the carpet.

And Haerin still hadn’t left.

She turned to Y/N slowly, lips parted like she was about to say something, then paused. Thought better of it.

Instead, she reached into her hoodie pocket, pulled out a crumpled notecard.

On it, in neat handwriting:

— “I like spending time with you.”

Then, underneath, a second line—awkward and uncertain, but sincere:

— Is that okay?

Y/N didn’t trust herself to write back right away.

So instead, she reached over and gently bumped her shoulder into Haerin’s.

The tiniest answer in the world.

Yes.

Haerin didn’t need more than that.

Later, while brushing her teeth, Y/N noticed a new sticky note on the mirror.

Not one of the usual ones from the other girls. This one was written in smaller, tidier handwriting.

Haerin’s.

— You don’t need to speak for me to hear you.

Y/N stared at it for a long time.

And for the first time in weeks, her reflection didn’t look like a stranger.

Haerin never did anything halfway, she just did it…quietly.

No big gestures and no loud confessions, just consistent, soft effort that built up in the background until suddenly it was everything.

So once she realized how much she liked Y/N—not the surface-level kind, but the deep, bone-soft affection kind—she did what any introvert with a deeply embarrassing crush would do.

She started secretly learning sign language.

It started the day after movie night. The sticky note Y/N had written was tucked into Haerin’s hoodie pocket like a lucky charm. She googled a few signs in the bathroom that night, stumbling through finger-spelling “good night” in the mirror and fumbling the hand shape for “thank you.”

She wasn’t good at it yet but she was trying.

She practiced when no one was watching—hands buried under blankets, miming small phrases behind her phone. And every time she got a sign right, she'd imagine showing Y/N. Imagine the smile. The way her eyes crinkled when she was happy.

But of course, nothing that secret could stay secret in this dorm.

She got caught by Hyein—which, honestly, was inevitable.

It happened on a Tuesday afternoon. The others were out for a photoshoot, Y/N was taking a nap, and Haerin was curled on the balcony, quietly running through a YouTube tutorial.

Fingers curled carefully into the sign for “beautiful.”

“...Girl, are you flirting in sign language right now?” Hyein said, fully upside-down from where she’d been stretching on the floor nearby.

Haerin yelped so hard she nearly smacked herself in the face.

Hyein rolled onto her back, grinning. “No shame, babe. I saw that. You’re so down bad.”

“I’m learning,” Haerin hissed, cheeks already heating. “It’s respectful.”

“It’s cute,” Hyein corrected. “It’s romantic. You’re literally giving ‘I found the quietest girl alive and now I’m emotionally wrecked about it.’”

Haerin groaned and stuffed her face in her sleeves.

Hyein poked her ankle. “You’re gonna tell her, right?”

“I…I want to,” Haerin mumbled into her hoodie.

“Then do it. She deserves to know someone’s choosing her on purpose.”

That part stuck.

Later that week, it rained. Not the soft, aesthetic kind. A full-on stay inside, cancel plans, throw-on-a-hoodie-and-watch-a-movie type of storm.

Y/N was in the kitchen, sleeves rolled up and sleeves already flour-dusted from making something that smelled like heaven. Haerin hovered nearby, not really helping—just existing in the space, watching her in awe like she always did.

Y/N looked up at her with one brow raised, scribbling something onto her notebook and holding it up.

— You waiting to steal a cookie or do you just like watching me struggle?

Haerin flushed. Bit her lip. Then…hesitated.

Her fingers lifted, slow, a little shaky.

“You’re funny.”

Y/N blinked, then blinked again.

Then smiled—wide and stunned—and signed back just one word:

“Practice?”

Haerin nodded furiously.

Y/N reached for the notebook, scribbled something and slid it across the counter:

— You’re not bad at all. Are you learning just for me?

Haerin looked at her. And without thinking—without flinching—she signed again:

“Yes.”

Y/N’s hands stilled.

And Haerin thought, for a split second, that maybe this was it. Maybe she'd just made everything weird. Maybe—

But then Y/N reached across the counter, she didn’t speak or didn’t write.

She just took Haerin’s flour-covered hand in hers and squeezed it—soft and solid, but it was enough.

That night, Y/N left a folded note on Haerin’s pillow.

— You don’t have to do all this for me. But it means everything that you want to.

Haerin traced the handwriting for a while, heart thudding painfully against her ribs.

And then, with shaky fingers and a racing pulse, she wrote back:

— You’re worth learning for. You always were.

Confessing wasn’t Haerin’s thing, she didn’t chase people or didn’t throw herself into feelings like the others did. Minji fell fast and all at once. Hyein? Hyein announced her crushes with matching playlists and unhinged DMs.

But Haerin was quiet and careful. So if she was going to say it, it had to matter and Y/n mattered.

Every movie night. Every scribbled joke. Every smile that took effort but still found its way to Haerin’s lips anyway. And every moment she caught herself watching Y/n laugh silently into her palm and thought, I want this forever.

So she practiced with Danielle or with a mirror, in the corner of her room until her fingers cramped.

And when she was finally ready, when her nerves stopped chewing through her stomach, she found Y/n curled on the couch, sketching lazily in her notebook, legs tangled in a blanket that had clearly been claimed as hers by now.

“Hey,” Haerin said softly, kneeling next to the couch. “Can I…?”

Y/N blinked, then set her notebook down and nodded, shifting to face her.

Haerin took a deep breath.

Then slowly, she signed:

“I like you.”“Romantically.”“You don’t have to say anything. I just needed you to know.”

Y/N didn’t move, didn’t smile, or didn’t react the way Haerin hoped she would.

Instead, after a pause that felt like a full hour, Y/N picked up her pen and started writing.

Haerin waited, heart in her throat, trying not to shake but then Y/N handed over the page, eyes soft but distant.

— I’m sorry, Haerin.— I can’t be that for you.— I’m…too much.

Haerin’s lips parted. “What?”

Y/N was already standing, pulling her sleeves over her hands, hiding them like she always did when she was scared.

She pointed to her notebook again. Wrote another line.

— I take too much effort.

And that—that shattered something in Haerin’s chest.

Y/N turned before she could say anything else, footsteps soft as she slipped away down the hallway, closing the door gently behind her.

No slam and no drama…just quiet heartbreak.

She didn’t come out for dinner and she didn’t respond to Danielle’s knock or Hanni’s whispered check-ins. Even Minji had hovered outside her door for ten minutes before finally sighing and leaving a plate outside.

Haerin sat at the table, stirring cold soup, trying not to feel like she’d ruined everything.

“She doesn’t hate you,” her aunt said quietly later that night, when the dorm was mostly asleep.

Haerin looked up from where she was curled on the beanbag, still wearing the hoodie she’d meant to change out of hours ago. “I don’t…I didn’t mean to push her.”

“You didn’t.” The older woman sat across from her, folding her legs with a tired kind of grace. “But you touched something that’s still healing.”

Haerin didn’t answer. Her hands stayed folded tight in her lap, fingers fidgeting.

“She had a girlfriend before,” her aunt said finally. “One who told her she was too much work. That her silence was an inconvenience. That her needs were exhausting.”

Haerin’s stomach dropped.

“She believed it. Still does, I think.”

Haerin swallowed hard. “But she’s not.”

“I know.” Her aunt smiled softly. “But I think she needs to hear it again. From someone who means it.”

The next morning, Haerin was up before anyone else.

The dorm was quiet, humming with leftover dreams. Outside, rain pattered against the windows again, soft and steady.

She tiptoed to Y/N’s door. Paused.

Then knocked—once.

When there was no answer, she opened it just enough to peek inside.

Y/N was curled under her blanket, face hidden, but not asleep. Her fingers moved restlessly over the fabric, the same way they did when she was overwhelmed.

Haerin stepped in, heart thudding like it might break right through her ribs.

She didn’t say anything, just walked over and knelt at the edge of the bed.

And then she reached out—gently and slowly—and took Y/N’s hands in hers.

Y/N didn’t pull away.

So Haerin brought them to her lips.

One kiss.

Then another.

And then, with tears gathering in her lashes, Haerin raised her hands.

“I promise you…”“You’re worth it.”“You’re worth it all.”

Y/N stared at her—silent and shaking.

Then she launched forward, burying her face in Haerin’s shoulder, arms clinging like she was terrified Haerin would disappear.

She didn’t cry—but her whole body trembled with the weight of being loved anyway.

Haerin held her.

The next morning felt…different—not fixed and not perfect, but lighter.

Like the ache in her chest hadn’t disappeared, but someone had finally reached in and said, “You don’t have to carry it alone.”

Y/N woke up to sunlight peeking through the curtains and the distant sound of Hyein rapping terribly in the kitchen.

Typical.

Her blanket was tucked around her carefully, and on her nightstand sat a glass of water and a sticky note in messy handwriting.

You don’t have to talk to anyone today if you don’t want to.

But I made pancakes. They have chocolate chips. For you.

— Haerin 🐱

Y/N read it three times.

Then slipped out of bed, tugged on a hoodie that didn’t belong to her (Danielle’s, probably—it smelled like peach shampoo), and padded into the kitchen.

The chaos was comforting.

Danielle was burning toast. Hanni was filming it. Minji was muttering something about “food safety violations.” And Hyein was holding up a frying pan like it was a microphone.

But then Haerin looked up from the table—and smiled.

It was so soft. So immediate. Like seeing her made Haerin’s whole day better.

Y/N froze, then smiled back, just a little and just enough.

They didn’t talk about the confession.

Not that day. Or the next.

Instead, they existed in this quiet in-between space—closer now, but still gentle with each other. Like they were rebuilding something precious, one moment at a time.

Haerin started waiting for her in the mornings. They’d drink tea together before the others woke up, feet tucked under the same blanket on the couch, sharing sleepy glances and small gestures.

Y/N started leaving doodles on Haerin’s pillow. Little cartoons of her with cat ears. A note that said “your hoodie is mine now. don’t fight me on this.”

Haerin kept practicing sign. And she was getting better—fingers more confident, timing smoother.

One night, while they were curled up watching some old Ghibli film for the fifth time, Haerin tapped Y/N’s arm and signed:

“Can I call you mine someday?”

Y/N stared and then blinked back tears.

And signed slowly:

“I want to be. I just…”“I need time.”

Haerin nodded, no hesitation.

“Take all of it.”“I’m not going anywhere.”

Y/N had spent most of her life waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Waiting for people to give up, get tired and walk away but Haerin stayed.

Even when Y/N shut down for a whole day and barely left her room—Haerin left tea outside her door and a note that said,

— “You don’t have to smile for me. I like you anyway.”

Even when Y/N doubted herself, avoided the mirror, flinched when someone raised their voice—Haerin would brush their pinkies together under the dinner table, silent reassurance in the smallest gesture.

Even when words failed, Haerin found ways to listen.

The first time Y/N let herself fully believe it, it was raining again.

She was standing by the window, watching the storm, when Haerin came up behind her and gently rested her chin on Y/N’s shoulder.

No words, just warmth and quiet.

And then Haerin signed:

“You make everything softer.”“Even me.”

Y/N turned, cupped her hands around Haerin’s, and signed back:

“You make me feel seen.”“And that’s all I ever wanted.”

They didn’t kiss that night, there was no dramatic music or fireworks, just two girls in hoodies, leaning into each other like gravity had finally lined up just right.

No noise and no pressure, just love—in a language all their own.

It started with a pinkie, just one.

During a movie night, when the dorm lights were low and Hanni was asleep halfway through the opening scene, Y/N’s pinkie slid across the couch cushion and curled gently around Haerin’s.

Haerin, half-focused on the screen and half-aware of Y/N’s scent and the way her hair tickled Haerin’s arm, froze for exactly one second.

Then she smiled, squeezed back and didn’t let go.

Y/N didn’t look at her because she didn’t need to. That one little curl of her hand said I’m here. I’m not scared of this anymore. I want this.

And Haerin? Haerin felt like she could breathe again.

The next morning, they were inseparable.

Not in the dramatic “sit on each other’s laps and make everyone uncomfy” way. In the quiet couple way. The “Haerin now only uses Y/N’s favorite mug” way. The “Y/N has clearly been stealing Haerin’s socks” way.

Everyone noticed, obviously, and none of them were subtle.

“Did you two accidentally hold hands for 30 straight minutes last night or was that on purpose?” Hyein asked with a smirk over breakfast.

“Can we vote on couple nicknames?” Hanni chimed in, already opening a Notes app list. “I’m between Haey/n or Y/nrin.”

“Oh my god,” Danielle groaned, face in her pancakes. “Leave them alone, let them fall in love in peace.”

Minji sipped her tea with a completely neutral face. “They’re cute. Keep going.”

Y/N flushed, half-hiding behind her hair, but Haerin just calmly reached under the table and linked their pinkies again.

She was over the whole hiding thing.

That afternoon, it was just the two of them on the rooftop.

Rain had finally stopped, leaving behind damp concrete and skies streaked with gold. Y/N was sketching something quietly in her notebook—Haerin never asked what, just liked to watch her draw—and Haerin was curled beside her, legs tucked under herself.

“Can I ask something?” Haerin said softly, voice barely louder than the wind.

Y/N looked up, pen stilling.

Haerin turned to face her, eyes gentle.

“Do you feel…ready?” she asked, signing the last word slowly.

Y/N stared at her, blinked and then set the notebook down.

Without breaking eye contact, she reached for Haerin’s hand—laced their fingers and tugged her a little closer.

Then signed back:

“Yes.”“I’m ready.”

Haerin’s breath caught.

Her free hand lifted, hesitated just an inch from Y/N’s cheek—but Y/N leaned in first.

The kiss was slow and careful, like the moment had been waiting patiently for them all along.

It wasn’t dramatic and there were no fireworks, just soft lips, a deep breath, and the unmistakable click of something falling perfectly into place.

When they pulled apart, foreheads resting together, Y/N’s cheeks were pink and glowing and hers.

And Haerin? Haerin was smiling like she hadn’t in years.

Later that night, Y/N left a note under Haerin’s pillow.

A tiny scrap of paper, edges a little frayed, folded three times like it held something sacred.

Haerin opened it slowly.

Inside, in blocky handwriting:

— I don’t need a voice to say you’re mine. But if I had one, I’d never stop telling you.

Haerin pressed the note to her chest.

And whispered, just once, to the quiet:

“Mine.”

36 notes · View notes

sixflame438 · 17 days ago

Note

girl its here 😭 i was so stoked wtf i love it so much. I got dani, yoonchae, and manon pcs. And since I got two of dani’s, I’m asking everywhere even on fb if anyone would love to trade one dani for one megan, sophia, or lara pc. Im going crazy bro. Im like so happy i cant think straight. I’m currently processing everything so I’ll give you a better ask when I settle down a bit.

- 🥝

Omg i didnt even see this ask yesterday wtf

BUT YAYYYYYYYYYYYYYY IM SO HAPPY FOR U ANONIE IM GLAD UR ENJOYING THE ALBUMS!! Oh how i miss opening albums 😔😔😔

Hehe guess u could say ur thinking 🏳️‍🌈 instead 😝😝

Ofc ofc take ur time anon, its nice to see u excited 😋

#✰w - asks✰#✰🥝 anon #even on fb is crazy btw #is there even a kpop community on fb #in nz????#now im curious

0 notes

sixflame438 · 17 days ago

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Stop i see the vision 😭

My friend asked me to make her Jinu headcanon real so here it is guys

1K notes · View notes

sixflame438 · 17 days ago

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୨୧ - behind the frame

##ive

pairing — jang wonyoung x fem!reader

dedicated to: @blissfulflw

genre — gxg, fluff, idol x idol, slow burn, friends to lovers

— in which, fans get clips of IVE's Jang Wonyoung and Park Y/n from behind the scenes clips of Wonyoung's collab photoshoot with the soloist

a/n - happy birthday eva!!

The set smelled like warm makeup powder, hairspray, and cold brew. Industrial lights hung low from the ceiling, and the faint sound of camera shutters clicked rhythmically like a metronome. Stylists and crew members darted across the glossy floors like clockwork dancers, adjusting props and fussing with fabrics under the hot studio lights.

Y/N arrived five minutes early, not because she was overly punctual but because she needed the head start—time to breathe and time to pretend this was just another collab.

She stepped inside, coffee in hand, her usual calm persona firmly in place…until she spotted her.

Jang Wonyoung.

Standing in front of the dressing room mirror, curled hair cascading down her back, one perfectly arched brow furrowed as applied gloss with all the focus of someone solving a national crisis.

Wonyoung turned slowly, like a scene written with intentional romantic pause and caught her gaze—a smile lit up her face instantly, warm and familiar.

“Y/n-unnie.” her voice carried across the studio, light but sure. “You’re here.”

The soloist gave a soft nod, her fingers tightening ever so slightly around the coffee cup. “Didn’t think you’d be here before me.”

“I wanted to see you.”

She said it so easily, like it didn’t mean anything or like Y/n’s heart wasn’t now doing cartwheels in her chest while her manager quietly side-eyed her from across the room.

By the time the shoot started, the studio had settled into that humming kind of chaos—coordinators called positions, photographers adjusted lenses, and Y/n was suddenly very aware of the radiating off Wonyoung beside her.

Their first concept was soft elegance—matching pastel dresses, skin-dewy and glowing under the gold-tinting lighting. They were posed close, arms brushing, and shoulders touching lightly as the photographer directed them to turn slightly inward, and Y/n’s gaze instinctively went to Wonyoung’s profile.

Wonyoung caught her looking. “Focus,” she whispered teasingly.

“I am focused.” Y/n shot back.

“Not on the camera though.”

Y/n’s lips twitched, “Hard not to get distracted when someone’s glowing like a human chandelier.”

Wonyoung giggled and the sound was real, soft, and unfiltered. The photographer paused for a second, murmured something about “natural chemistry,” then kept shooting but they didn’t need to act.

The chemistry was already there—tangible and laced in the way Wonyoung’s fingers curled slightly towards Y/n’s. In the way the soloist turned every time the younger girl laughed and in the stolen glances neither one of them tried that hard to hide.

When the camera stopped rolling for a break, someone handed them water bottles and mochi skewers.

Wonyoung popped one into her mouth, then leaned over and held the next one toward Y/N, wordlessly offering it.

Y/N blinked. "You’re feeding me now?"

Wonyoung shrugged. “You looked too pretty to move.”

That was caught on video.

So was the part where Y/N leaned in, let Wonyoung feed her the bite, then shyly wiped a dot of powder sugar from the corner of her lip.

No one said anything in the moment but a stylist's eyes definitely darted between them with a knowing look. One of the camera assistants definitely smiled behind the lens.

Later, while the team reviewed test shots, Wonyoung and Y/n sat on a bench just off set, their shoulders were close—closer than they needed to be and neither moved.

Y/n glanced over as Wonyoung was focused on the screen, her bottom lip tucked slightly between her teeth.

“You always look like you belong on a magazine cover.” Y/n said casually, like she wasn’t lowkey shaking inside.

Wonyoung smiled but didn’t look at her, “You always say that.”

“Because it’s always true.” the older girl says.

That’s when Wonyoung turned.

Their eyes met, slow and lingering, and something shifted in the air—not quite a confession and not quite a line crossed…but something had changed.

“You know,” Wonyoung said quietly, “I didn’t take this shoot just because it was a good collab.”

“Oh?” Y/n asking trying to play it cool, but her ears were already burning.

Wonyoung leaned in just a little closer, eyes playful but laced with something…softer.

“I said yes because your name was on the schedule.”

Y/n didn’t reply—she couldn’t, not when her heart had basically launched itself into her throat.

Instead, she let the silence speak for her and Wonyoung didn’t push.

She just smiled again, that same smile from earlier, like she’d been waiting for Y/n to catch up.

°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

The next day, the behind-the-scenes footage started surfacing.

Fan accounts clipped a scene of them laughing mid-pose, a moment where Wonyoung looked at Y/n and her eyes went all glassy-soft, and a short shot of Y/n adjusting Wonyoung’s necklace, their fingers brushing.

Someone on Twitter made a thread titled: “Proof Wonyoung’s fallen and Park Y/n is just soft and oblivious 😭 (a thread)”

The last clip? That 3 second video where Wonyoung tucked a stray hair behind Y/n’s ear, and Y/n leaned into the touch for just a beat too long.

The comment section exploded.

“this is not a photoshoot, this is courtship.”

“wonyoung looking at her like she hung the moon is SENDING ME.”

“Not to be dramatic but they’re in love and i’m just a third wheel.”

Y/n saw the video late at night, watched it on loop and rewatched it again.

She smiled softly, face half-hidden in her hoodie, heart full.

She didn’t reply to any comments or didn’t post anything, but the next day, she sent Wonyoung a message.

y/n/nyou make behind-the-scenes feel like the main event.

wonyoungiethat’s because you’re the best part.

Y/n read the message three times, her phone buzzed again before she could even reply.

wonyoungiesorry, was that too much?

No. God, no.

Y/n bit her lip and sank deeper into the warmth of her hoodie, she was curled up in her dorm-style apartment, style, face lit only by her screen and the muted glow of a lava lamp she’d impulsively bought for “vibes” and never unplugged.

Her thumbs hovered over the keyboard.

y/n/nnot too much. maybe too smooth.who taught you how to flirt like that?

wonyoungieyou think I’m smooth? 😌maybe I’m just honest.

That made Y/N’s heart stutter a little, she exhaled, letting her phone fall against her chest, the screen now glowing with seen 12:11 AM. Her manager had once told her to never get involved with another idol, especially not someone that high-profile, but she couldn’t help it—Wonyoung made the rules feel like background noise.

She started typing again.

Y/N: you’re dangerous.

This time it took longer for the reply.

Wonyoung: only if you don’t like the attention.

And there it was. The exact moment the tension tipped from playful to charged.

Y/N didn’t know what to say. She wasn’t used to being flirted with—she was usually the quiet, cool one that everyone assumed would make the first move. But with Wonyoung, she didn’t feel like the one holding the upper hand. She felt like the one slipping.

And maybe she liked it.

°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

They saw each other again two days later.

It wasn’t planned. Y/N had shown up to record a short radio promo and Wonyoung was already in the building, filming content for her beauty brand. When Wonyoung spotted her in the hallway, she didn’t hesitate. She walked right over, ignoring the stylist fussing with her hair.

“Y/N-unnie,” she said with that same bright smile. “Fate?”

“You mean scheduling,” Y/N said, but she was smiling too.

“Same thing,” Wonyoung replied with a wink.

They sat together during break, hiding out in a quiet side room with takeout drinks and their managers distracted by emails. Wonyoung sat cross-legged on the floor, picking at her jelly-filled pastry while Y/N leaned against the wall, sipping something matcha-flavored.

“Can I ask you something?” Wonyoung said suddenly.

Y/N looked up. “Of course.”

“Do you ever get tired of pretending not to feel things?”

Y/N blinked, caught off guard. “What do you mean?”

“I mean,” Wonyoung said slowly, picking at the edge of her pastry bag, “we’re always performing. Not just on stage. But everywhere. Smiling when we’re tired. Laughing when something isn’t funny. Ignoring things that might be too real.”

Y/N felt her throat go dry.

Wonyoung met her eyes. “It’s harder when the feelings are real.”

It hung there—unsaid but understood. The quiet confession sitting just under the surface of the words.

Y/N didn’t run from it.

Instead, she reached out and gently plucked the stray sugar stuck to Wonyoung’s sleeve. Her fingers brushed lightly against Wonyoung’s wrist, and neither of them moved.

“I don’t want to pretend either,” Y/N said softly.

Wonyoung smiled, smaller this time. Like something in her had relaxed.

“Good,” she whispered. “Then maybe we don’t have to.”

By the end of the week, fans had clipped more footage.

One video showed Wonyoung glancing at Y/N on a monitor and then biting her lip like she was trying not to smile. Another showed them walking off set—Y/N’s hand briefly touching Wonyoung’s lower back, light and instinctive. Not enough to be scandalous. Just enough to mean something.

#Y/nYoung started trending. So did “They’re so married.”

One top comment under a fancam read: “they look like they’re living in a kdrama but forgot to tell us it’s real.”

Y/N didn’t reply to the chaos online.

But when she finally collapsed into bed that night—tired, a little overwhelmed, and maybe too in her head—there was a message already waiting.

wonyoungieyou were amazing today.also, you looked really cute in that hoodie.i miss you already.

Y/N smiled into her pillow.

And for the first time in a long time, she let herself fall asleep with the feeling that something good was beginning.

°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

Wonyoung had always been good at keeping it professional—on stage, interviews, and even when surrounded by chaos, she knew how to stay composed, polished, and untouchable.

But Y/n was her weakness, the moment she walked into the room with her oversized zip-up and barely-there eyeliner, Wonyoung’s brain short-circuited like someone had unplugged her cool-girl persona and replaced it with pure teenage yearning.

“You’re late.” she teased as Y/n arrived at the rooftop studio, hoodie strings bouncing with each step.

“I’m early. You’re just obsessed with me.”

Wonyoung smirked, “I’m not denying it.”

Y/n blinked, lips parting in surprise but Wonyoung just spun on her heel and headed toward the makeup chairs, leaving Y/n stuck mid-swoon like someone had slapped her with a “flirt.exe has stopped responding” error.

This time, the shoot was for a joint editorial spread—Late Summer Glow, the kind of theme that meant glowing skin, messy hair, and close-ups that made fans feral.

Their first set of photos was already dangerously soft: bare-faced looks, oversized denim, and bare feet on white-washed wooden floors. The staff kept gushing about the natural chemistry, “You two just fit,” the director had said, not even trying to hide it anymore.

During one set, Wonyoung stood behind Y/n, arms lightly draped over her shoulders as they stared into the mirror with Wonyoung’s chin brushing against Y/n’s temple and the soloist didn’t flinch.

“Too close?” Wonyoung whispered into the shorter girl’s ear.

“No,” Y/n murmured quietly. “Not even a little.”

The camera flash went off and the shot would end up going viral within an hour after releasing, fans captioning it “girlfriends core.”

When the shoot wrapped, the staff gave them a few minutes to rest while the crew packed up. They sat cross-legged on a picnic blanket the stylists had tossed on the rooftop deck, golden light from the setting sun casting everything in soft orange.

Wonyoung passed Y/n a bottle of iced tea and Y/n clinked it gently against hers.

“For good lighting.” she said with a grin.

“For good company.” the IVE visual added, looking at her over the bottle.

The moment lingered, the wind blowing lightly through Y/n’s hair, and she turned her head to meet Wonyoung’s gaze and froze because Wonyoung was already staring, like she wasn’t even trying to hide it anymore.

“What?” Y/n asked, her voice a little too breathy.

Wonyoung blinked slowly, “Don’t look at me like that.”

Y/n tilted her head to the side in confusion, “Like what?”

“Like I’m not already thinking about kissing you.”

Silence.

Pure, paralyzing, mutual gay panic.

Y/n’s lips parted, but nothing came out. Her mind was still doing the rainbow-screen error thing and Wonyoung didn’t push, just watched her with soft eyes, no pressure like she was giving her space to run or fall, whichever came first.

Y/n swallowed, “You can’t just say things like that.”

Wonyoung smiled, but it was different this time—quieter and more serious.

“I only say it when I mean it.”

Y/n didn’t run, she just reached out—light and tentative, and brushed a strand of hair from Wonyoung’s cheek. Her hand lingered, fingers grazing the edge of her jaw.

“I’m not used to this,” she admitted softly. “The attention…you.”

Wonyoung tilted her face into her touch, “Then let me teach you.”

°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

That night, another behind-the-scenes clip dropped on Twitter.

This one showed Wonyoung leaning her head against Y/n’s shoulder as they reviewed shots on the monitor, her hand sneaking to rest lightly on the soloist’s knee and Y/n didn’t move away. Instead, she leaned into it, their smiles were soft and private.

That tweet read: “this isn’t fanservice, this is marriage. I’m crying.”

Another user: “they look like they just adopted a cat together and named it something like ‘macchiato’ 😭”

Y/n saw the posts while lying on her bed, phone glowing inches from her face. She didn’t reply, but she did screenshot the one with the cat comment and sent it to Wonyoung with a caption:

y/n/n are we naming it macchiato or croissant?

wonyoungie you’re already picking pets with me? you sure we’re not dating?

Y/n stared at the message and then replied with the most dangerous emoji possible:

y/n/n 🫣

Wonyoung instantly called her, making her phone buzz against her chest.

Incoming Call: Wonyoungie 💅🏻

Her heart did a full-body backflip, she hesitated for a second, then swiped to answer already hiding her smile under her blanket like some teenage girl in a coming-of-age drama.

“...I was kidding about the cat thing.” Y/n said, before Wonyoung could even speak.

“But were you?” Wonyoung’s voice came through soft, like a secret. “Because I’ve already named our second one.”

Y/n groaned, face burning. “Stop.”

“You started it.”

Y/n rolled onto her side, tucking her phone between her cheek and shoulder, voice low. “So what’s the name of cat number two?”

“Latte, to match Macchiato.”

“You’re ridiculous.”

“Ridiculously into you, maybe.”

Y/n actually smacked the pillow next to her head, “Jang Wonyoung.”

“What?” Wonyoung giggled, “I’m just being honest, unnie.”

God, that word. Unnie. The way Wonyoung said it—teasing but genuine, dipped in honey and smirking affection—it did things to Y/n’s brain that should probably be illegal on a weeknight.

There was a pause, not awkward just…warm.

Both of them quietly existing on either end of the call, the silence filled with soft breaths and unsaid things.

Y/n whispered, “Why do you talk to me like this?”

“Like what?”

“Like you’re trying to make me fall for you.”

Another silence, but this one was heavier.

Then—

“Because maybe I am.” Wonyoung said.

Y/n felt her breath catch in her throat as she sat up slowly, the blanket pooling around her waist. “Don’t say that unless you mean it.”

“I do,” Wonyoung replied, without a single beat of hesitation. “I wouldn’t risk this if I didn’t.”

“This?” Y/n asked, almost too quietly.

“Us.”

God, her throat went dry.

“I know it’s messy.” Wonyoung added, “We’re both idols, we’re not supposed to cross certain lines, and it’s already hard enough when we’re just…dancing around it, but I meant what I said. I don’t want to pretend.”

Y/N stayed quiet for a long moment, head spinning. Because yeah, she wanted it too. She had for weeks, but wanting and doing were two different beasts.

Especially when you had millions of eyes watching.

“I’m scared,” Y/N admitted, barely audible.

“I know,” Wonyoung said gently. “Me too.”

That’s what made it real. Not the flirting or the edits, but this—two voices in the dark, just trying to figure it out.

“I’ll wait,” Wonyoung said after a long pause. “However long you need. Just…let me stay close, okay?”

Y/N bit her lip, eyes burning a little with something that wasn’t sadness. “Okay

°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

The next morning, Twitter had a meltdown.

A new behind-the-scenes video dropped—an unfiltered, thirty-second shot of Wonyoung reaching to fix a loose thread on Y/n’s sleeve mid-interview, simple and sweet. But the way she looked at her while doing it?

Yeah, they were done pretending.

The quote tweet ratio was violence:

“she looks at her like she hung the moon and the stars, and personally handpicked every flower on earth.”

“I’m not jealous. I’m just cold, shaking, hungry, and slightly in love with both of them.”

“you’re telling me they’re not dating? be serious.”

Later that day, Wonyoung texted her.

wonyoungdo you think they know?

y/nknow what?

wonyoung that i’m already yours.

Y/n stared at her screen, then she smiled, heart full and wrecked in the best way.

y/nthey’re starting to figure it out. but you were mine first.

°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

It was always the little things.

Wonyoung trailing one step behind Y/N at a brand shoot, just close enough to graze her knuckles. Y/N casually bringing Wonyoung her favorite boba order without being asked. The way Wonyoung’s laughter always came just a little softer when Y/N was the one who made her smile.

No one had said anything out loud, but it didn’t need to be said.

The staff thought it was a coincidence when Wonyoung showed up at the café where Y/N was filming a behind-the-scenes vlog for her next single. The concept was “A Day in the Life”—super chill, soft lighting, casual outfits.

Wonyoung, of course, looked stupidly gorgeous in a hoodie and ponytail, claiming she just happened to be “in the area.”

Y/N raised a brow at her across the table. “Didn’t you say you had pilates?”

“I rescheduled,” Wonyoung said sweetly. “You’re more important.”

The camera was still rolling and Wonyoung knew that. She winked at the lens.

Fans lost their collective minds when the vlog dropped.

“wonyoung straight up flirted on her vlog with her camera like it was nothing 😭😭😭”

“the delulus are being fed but also…it’s not delulu if it’s true right?”

“this is what love looks like in high def.”

After the vlog shoot, they stayed at the café long after staff left.

Wonyoung sipped her lavender latte slowly, pinky brushing Y/N’s across the tabletop every few minutes like she couldn’t help it. The tension was warm. Easy. Familiar now.

“You always do that,” Y/N said, her voice quiet as she twirled her straw.

“Do what?”

“Look at me like you’re memorizing something.”

Wonyoung tilted her head, not even pretending to deny it. “Maybe I am.”

Y/N tried to hide the way her cheeks warmed, but Wonyoung just smiled wider.

“I like looking at you,” she added. “Even before I liked you. Now it’s kind of…a habit.”

“Habit?”

“Obsession. Whatever.”

Y/N laughed softly and shook her head. “Dangerous game you’re playing.”

“I know,” Wonyoung murmured, eyes fixed on hers. “But I think you’re worth it.”

A week later, PARK Y/N OFFICIAL VLOG #47 dropped. Most of it was harmless content—training clips, makeup room chaos, Rei tripping over a mic stand. But the last 12 seconds?

Chaos.

A blink-and-you’ll-miss-it clip of Wonyoung backstage at a rehearsal, sitting beside Y/N with her head resting lightly on Y/N’s shoulder. Y/N doesn’t move nor flinch, just keeps scrolling on her phone like it’s the most natural thing in the world.

The comments:

“this feels illegal to watch. like i’m intruding on a private moment.”

“they’re so subtle about it and also not subtle at all. i’m losing it.”

“wonyoung literally curled into her like a sleepy cat i’m done.”

And then the final blow:

A leaked 0.5x speed fancam from a recent music show.

Y/N is in the middle of answering an MC’s question when Wonyoung, standing just behind her, reaches out and—gently fixes the collar of her blouse. Not dramatically or performatively.

Just soft, thoughtful and intimate.

Y/N doesn’t even pause her sentence, she just smiles like her entire chest isn’t on fire.

Backstage that day, the air was buzzing with nerves and leftover adrenaline. The interview had gone well, the performance was solid, and the girls were finally free to crash on the couch with their bottled water and heat pads.

Y/N was fixing her in-ears when Wonyoung quietly sat beside her.

They didn’t say anything for a while, just breathed in sync. The same kind of silence that said “I’m here” without needing words.

Wonyoung leaned in slightly. “You okay?”

Y/N nodded, voice soft. “Just tired.”

Wonyoung hesitated. Then, carefully, she reached for Y/N’s hand.

They weren’t mic’d anymore, the cameras were off and no one was watching. For once.

Y/N didn’t pull away.

“I’ve never liked someone like this before,” Wonyoung said quietly, staring down at their hands. “It’s terrifying.”

Y/N turned to her, heart thudding. “Why?”

“Because every time I look at you, I want to do something stupid. Like kiss you in the middle of a live broadcast.”

Y/N blinked, pulse racing. “That would be stupid.”

Wonyoung finally looked up. “But worth it?”

Y/N didn’t answer—not with words.

She just gave Wonyoung’s hand a soft squeeze and leaned her head against her shoulder.

That moment didn’t go viral. No one recorded it. No one outside that room saw it.

But for them?

It was the most real thing yet.

55 notes · View notes

sixflame438 · 17 days ago

Text

Thats me in the sleeping bag

需要第三桌的簽名會🥹🫶💖

9K notes · View notes

sixflame438 · 18 days ago

Text

sunkissed

pham hanni x fem!reader ; fluff

synopsis: it took a day trip to the beach for you and hanni to confront what you two always felt for each other.

warnings: pining 3x ; idiots in love and in denial ; s*nb*rn for those who are very sensitive to that (this is a joke) (im so sorry for those who can’t tan without burning) (couldn't be me i fear) ; literally nothing else just fluff lol ; they’re down bad for each other ; anything else not mentioned; kinda proofread

a/n: smth sweet and shorter than usual and also based on this song AND my friend and i passing out tgt in the car otw back home from a day trip to the beach. we were OUUTT like a light omfg and we both woke up so disoriented ok enjoy

survive the day being around hanni—that was the goal.

it was just a day trip to the beach, nothing crazy. you’ve been to the beach more times than you can count on both hands. the only thing different about this trip is that hanni would be there.

while brushing your teeth in the morning, you told (convinced) yourself that there would be nothing to worry about since the rest of your friends would be going too. even when an uneasy feeling crawls up your back, you tell yourself it’ll be fine.

the last time you went to the beach was when your best friend yunjin invited you to tag along with her friends from home that you’ve met with a few times prior. the day was easy and light. you all sang along to music on the way to the coast, struggled to find a spot to park and settle on the beach, tanned, played with the volleyball kazuha brought, swam and splashed each other until you were too tired to keep messing with each other, took at least a hundred pictures, and walked around until the sun set before you took turns driving home.

you figured today would be similar—fun and simple.

you pray that it’s simple, lighthearted, and relaxing once you’re out the door and on the way to meet up with minji and the rest.

(you shake your head once you find yourself thinking of hanni being part of 'the rest')

once you’ve reached a point where it’s too late to turn back home, you realize you forgot your sunscreen. one of the most important things you needed. you groan at the red light when the realization hits, and once the light turns green, you tell yourself that it’ll be fine—again. someone has to have some sunscreen at least.

you park your car down the road, a secret spot minji knows where they won’t ticket or tow you. you grab your bags, walk over to minji’s place, and catch everyone outside the apartment she shares with hanni. everyone is already in light, summer clothing with their bags hanging on their shoulders looking tired and ready to go.

“there she is,” minji says, turning her head in your direction, everyone following her gaze as well. “took you long enough.”

“i’m two minutes late.” you roll your eyes, “you’ll live.”

“whatever. alright, we can put the bags in the trunk and then get going. the sun is about to rise.” minji adds, gesturing to the youngest of the group so she can help them out first.

you glance over at hanni once minji heads to the car. she has a tote bag hung on her shoulder, a white off-the-shoulder t-shirt on, and a nice flowy, long blue skirt too. her hair is flowing down her shoulders and there’s a hairtie she borrowed from you a few months ago (not that it's important or anything. you just happened to notice) on her wrist that you assume she’ll use later.

hanni looks stunning in the light of dawn. she always looks stunning, and right now she looks especially stunning because you catch the small lines under her eyes and the slight squint that hint at the lack of sleep. she smiles when she greets you.

“hey,” her voice is soft, tired.

“hi hanni.” you grin easily at her. “you look exhausted.”

“i couldn’t sleep,” she sighs, rubbing her eyes. “i tried sleeping at eight. it worked, but i woke up at twelve and couldn’t sleep until thirty minutes before we had to wake up.”

“maybe you’ll get some more sleep in the car?”

“i’d hope so.”

“yeah.” you nod. you both stare at each other for a good two seconds. it spikes your heartbeat. then put your hand out. “let me help you with your bag.”

“what? no, it’s fine.” she tells you, “it’s not that heavy.”

you shake your head, already slipping your fingers underneath the straps of the bag and slipping it off her shoulder. she frowns playfully before you head over to where minji is, helping her load the trunk.

everyone is already situated in the car by the time you and minji are done loading. she closes the trunk and heads toward the drivers seat. danielle is sitting in the passengers seat, haerin and hyein are in the middle, and you’re—

left with hanni.

you blink.

there’s a bag taking up one of the seats on the side, so you’re left in the middle. you take a small breath before squeezing through the small space to get into the back, settling down next to the girl who makes your words fizzle in your throat.

your legs brush against each other and your arms are mildly squished. the proximity screws up with your composure, making you momentarily flustered and unable to think straight.

“it’s a little cramped, isn’t it?” you joke. it’s lame, but hanni’s lips twitch into a small smile.

“dani was complaining about car sickness even though i called shotgun… and so did the other two. were shoved in the back for now.”

“ah,” you don’t know what else to say except for, “i hope you’re able to sleep comfortably.”

“oh definitely.” she laughs softly. “i hope i don’t take up much of your personal space while i’m out.”

you smile, shrugging. “i don’t mind.”

a soft flush graces hanni’s cheeks at your response. she smiles and rests her head against the seat, her blinking slowing down every few seconds.

minji fixes the rearview mirror, then turns up the sound of the music. something easy going and summer-like plays. you assume hyein is on aux.

“okay, everyone, sit tight. we’ll refill gas and grab breakfast in an hour or two.” minji says.

with that, hanni nods, then nudges your shoulder. you tilt your head and she moves her arm to link it with yours, muttering quietly, “so we’re less squished,” before closing her eyes and leaning her head against your shoulder.

you’re stiff at first, although very briefly. your whole body relaxes not so long after, and you find yourself drifting off into sleep as well.

hyein and haerin turn around thirty minutes into the car ride to find you two asleep together. your mouth is parted a bit and hanni is practically hugging your arm now. the two grin at each other, hyein snaps a picture, and when they show it to danielle everyone is content.

“it’ll work out.” minji grins to herself.

—

hanni wakes up feeling completely disoriented.

the car is moving slower than before. she glances out and finds that they’ve already taken an exit out into some small town, probably for gas and breakfast. she blinks a few times before rubbing her eyes with her free hand, trying to bring herself back to reality after her nap.

when she scans the area after gaining full consciousness, she notices that your arms are still linked. you’re asleep, loose and comfortable against her, your neck angled questionably. she links your arms tighter as she stares out the window, the filtered sunlight kissing her features softly.

minji turns into a gas station that looks a little run-down after a few minutes down a small road. the feeling of the car slowing down wakes you up. you mumble something incoherent and groan, lifting your head up and resting it against the headrest tiredly.

haerin catches your groan and turns around to see you struggling to open your eyes. hyein follows, giggling at the sight of you two, but for the most part you, with an expression comparable to a newborn kitten.

“wakey wakey!” hyein beams, making you groan again—louder this time.

“are we here?” you ask in a drowsy voice.

“minji’s getting gas.” haerin says flatly. “bathroom break, snack splurge, and dani’s finding a cafe on the way for us to eat breakfast at. we have like, an hour and a half.”

your body goes limp again as it rests against the seat. “great. i’m going back to sleep.”

“you should probably go to the restroom.” haerin suggests.

“i might pass out on the toilet.” you joke.

danielle pokes her head through the open door in the passengers, turning to you and almost ordering, “you guys should go to the restroom just in case! and grab some snacks.”

hanni yawns, then nudges you.

“well you’re going to have to get out regardless so i can go.”

you groan again.

hanni’s teasing tone is evidence that the nap worked. she’s back to the hanni you’re used to, the hanni that’s relentless when it comes to poking at you and throwing snarky remarks.

you scramble out into the gas station and end up going to the restroom too, even buying a little protein bar to snack on once you’re back in the car. minji turns up the music as she drives out the small lot and danielle finds a place to grab a quick breakfast before the beach.

“thirty minutes away there’s a…” you catch danielle squinting just barely before she continues, “cafe! it’s close to the beach too. we can take pictures before we swim!”

hanni turns to face you, stifling a giggle at her energy. you bite the inside of your lip to keep yourself from smiling too hard—not necessarily because of danielle.

you and hanni aren’t linking arms the rest of the car ride. her arm still rests against yours, which is inevitable due to the bag taking up a whole seat, but you don’t mind.

the sun splays out across hanni’s features gently as she stares out the window. your eyes trail down the slope of her nose that shines softly and lingers on the strands of hair brushing against her cheek. you stop yourself then, turning to face the road and the dangling charm hanging from the mirror of minji’s car.

—

you’re completely awake once you reach the cafe. the exterior of the building is modern looking, but it’s vintage aroma and cozy interior reflects the comfort and authenticity of the place. the employees are around your age, maybe a little older. their smiles light up the area even more.

minji is the first to walk up to the counter and read off the menu. her eyes widen and a small smile graces her lips.

“everything sounds good—it smells good here. do you guys know what you want?”

you squint at the menu for a moment before nodding, “i’ll just share food with someone. get me an iced tea, though.”

“we can share then y/n. i’ll get the classic breakfast with bacon and an iced latte with whole milk.” hanni says matter-of-factly.

danielle glances at minji and it’s weirdly mischievous. she turns on her heel to meet you and hanni face to face, grinning wider.

“since you two know what you want, why don’t you grab us some seats?”

“um, okay.” you say, shrugging.

now it’s just you and hanni walking around the area. it’s not too busy, but a handful of seats are already taken. hanni points at the table outside, something similar to a table you’ve seen at camping sites. the only thing different about it is that it’s really nice looking. the table is marbled and not decade-old wood with moss growing on it.

you stretch your arms out and a hint of your skin peeks out when your shirt lifts. hanni pretends she doesn't notice.

“it’s nice here.” hanni says as she settles down. she’s gazing out at the small town ahead, mixed with hues of green and birds soaring above it freely. “it’s beautiful.”

“yeah.” you agree. it’s not one of those cliche rom-com moments where you’re staring at her while you agree. it’s truly beautiful out there. “it’d be nicer if i had a meal…”

“oh my god,” hanni scoffs as you sit down in front of her. “you’re unbelievable.”

“yeah and i’m also the person who’s going to down half your breakfast.”

“of course you are.”

“...what’s that supposed to mean?”

hanni raises her brows, giving you that look.

you roll your eyes, looking out the distance long enough for hanni to study the side of your face (and if there were a quiz for each feature memorized, she’d ace it). she takes in the view for a bit longer before speaking,

“you look cute by the way,” she says nervously, unable to look you in the eye. “fitting for the beach.”

you long to reach your hand out and simply rest it against her face, but you hold back. your lips lift up into a smile.

“i think that’s the nicest thing you’ve said to me this month.”

“hey!”

you laugh, teeth showing and all. “you look beautiful too, hanni.” you say after a beat.

before either of you can hang on to whatever stills in the air, the rest of the group finds you two together and situates themselves. minji hands you both your drinks and tells you that the food will take a few minutes before they serve it to you. hyein doesn’t stay in her seat for long, immediately standing up to take in the view.

danielle grabs her camera and suggests taking pictures while the food is being prepared. none of you shut down the idea.

first it’s a few solo pictures of everyone, then duos and group pictures. minji and hanni pose together, making a stupid face when danielle takes the picture. hyein and haerin take a picture with you next, all of you smiling like it’s a family photo and it's as cute as it is ridiculous. then it’s danielle, minji, and hanni bunched up together cutely for the next photo.

the session is interrupted when one of the employees brings out the food, placing it on the table before offering to help take a picture of all of you. and after that, just when you think you can finally eat, minji pushes you to hanni, who’s being pushed by danielle.

“now a picture of you two!” minji suggests. it’s not really a suggestion, more of an order.

“okay, okay.” you respond, giving hanni a small grin.

your hand slips down to right above her waist, resting lightly as you nudge her just a bit closer. she tilts her head a bit, smiling softly. you do the same, then the flash on danielle’s camera goes off.

“cute,” danielle mumbles, glancing at the picture. “okay, let’s eat now.”

—

the drive to the beach isn’t long, but the journey to a spot that’s not taken up by families is. it's awfully crowded for a wednesday.

you have your totebag on one arm and hold a bag that minji forced you to carry with the other. it feels as if the bag you’re holding will slip from your fingers any second, or maybe that’ll be you with how much scorching sand sneaks into your slides and hinders your ability to walk. the sand burns your feet here and there, but you push through and end up finding a nice spot that had been a seven-minute walk from parking.

the sun tickles your skin. it’s quite hot, obviously, but it heats you in a way that kind of burns you while also bringing you a feeling of peace. you feel alive.

everyone takes part in setting up their spot. hyein and haerin lay out the blankets with danielle and hanni while you and minji struggle to plant the big umbrellas. once you set up a spot for shade, hyein lies right in that spot and sighs like she’s just lugged a cart full of weights.

“it’s so hot.” she groans, “i need to lie for a bit.”

“put on sunscreen at least.” you scold lightly. you tug on her arm, urging her to get up before squeezing sunscreen on your palms. you rub your hands together before applying the sunscreen on hyein’s arms, legs, and back. you also leave a very noticeable white cast on her face with how messily you’ve applied it. it makes her look stupidly adorable, so you snap a picture and chuckle at it. “the sun is scared of you now.”

“i look like a clown." she pouts, "of course it is."

“it’ll go away,” you assure, rubbing your thumb on her cheek to blend it in a bit nicer. “it’s only bad on your cheek and forehead.”

“your turn.” she says mischievously.

you huff.

hanni watches you slip off your tank top swiftly—in an oddly enticing manner—leaving you in swim shorts and a sports bra. hanni tries to look away but it’s impossible when the curve of your back meets the sun in such an alluring way. you’ve probably worked out a little extra in order to look like this for the beach trip. it’s safe to say that the work paid off.

“nice view, huh?” danielle’s words rip hanni’s gaze from the back of your arm.

hanni meets danielle’s eyes, a glint in the way she’s looking at the older girl. hanni knows what she’s thinking, but she doesn’t want to face it.

“stop it.” hanni sighs.

“i think today is the day for it.”

“for what?”

“oh han, you know.” danielle raises her eyebrows as she looks back over to you. you’re making a face while hyein puts sunscreen on your cheeks a little too aggressively. “you can’t hide your feelings forever.”

“no.” hanni replies almost immediately. she nearly laughs at the way you look with sunscreen smeared all over your face so unevenly. “today is supposed to be normal… relaxing and whatnot. i just want to have a good time—i want y/n to have a good time.”

“she’ll have a good time as long as you’re here hanni. please, trust me.”

“i just—i love her too much. i’m too scared.”

“i’m sure she feels just like you do, and one of you has to face that eventually.”

danielle doesn't give hanni a chance to process her words; she turns hanni into a flustered mess without warning her.

danielle calls you over and insists that you help out hanni with putting on sunscreen. it’s embarrassing how hanni can tell her cheeks are burning through the heat of the sun, amplifying the feeling. it’s even worse when you agree like it’s nothing.

your hands spread sunscreen across her arms and legs with ease. when you tell her to turn around so you can apply it on her back, she finds herself nodding even when her heart is racing and telling her to run away.

the chill of the sunscreen clashes with the warmth on her skin. she instinctively moves away from your touch.

“sorry.” you mutter.

with a turn of her head, no further than where you can see the side of her face, she responds, “no, it’s fine. it just caught me off guard.”

you nod before continuing. your hand is soft against the skin of her back, trailing up the back of her ribs to where her shoulders are. everything is awfully intimate and there’s a thrill in both of your guts that neither of you can suppress.

hanni feels your hand linger on her shoulder before you softly say, “done. did you want me to get your face?”

she wants to simultaneously dismiss and accept the offer. the thought of your hands caressing her face excites her, but the proximity and intimacy of it all makes her heart tumble in her chest.

“it’s fine, i—” she pauses, her brows furrowing when she catches something on your face. “hold on, you missed a spot.”

there’s a small area of sunscreen on your cheek that hanni wipes over with her thumb and it dissolves into your skin easily. she willfully ignores how the glow of your skin under the sun makes you so undeniably cute.

“thanks.” is all you can say to keep you from doing something stupid.

both of you purse a forced smile at the same time before redirecting your attention to something else—anything that’s not each other.

today is going to be a wonderful day, you both tell yourselves. everything will be fine.

—

all of you tan for an less than an hour before actually getting up. you nearly fall asleep and risk a sunburn, but hyein is there to snap you out of your drowsiness and flips you over like a sausage on a grill. you nearly fall asleep again.

minji had been sitting in one of the beach chairs you brought, her cap sitting on her head in a way that made her look like a father. danielle had fallen asleep with the book she was reading on her face. haerin was there next to her not far from passing out. hanni was laid next to you, reading a book, and it was odd that she had always been there. always nearby, always close.

you didn’t mind.

it isn’t long before you finally get up, dusting sand off your legs, and urge minji to play volleyball with you. the two of you share a soda before peppering and it brings enough energy to keep you two shouting at each other to keep the ball up in the air. the rest watch you two run around desperately—minus haerin, who’s still lying down and half-asleep—and are impressed that you’ve kept the ball up for so long. minji slips up and hits the ball too far off to your left, which reels a groan from you once it hits the sand.

hanni decides to get up and join, determined to do better than both of you. you try to keep your eyes off her figure and how great she looks in that two piece of hers. you try your very best not to daydream about kissing every inch of her that the sun touches, to have your hands trace the outline of her body.

you all start a triangle of peppering, but the spikes, bumps, and sets all fall out of pattern when it turns into a scramble to keep the ball up.

it’s nice to spend time doing the most mundane, simple things with your friends on the beach. you can’t remember the last time you felt this relieved. the vitamin d from the sun seems to be working.

it’s even better when danielle decides to dip her foot in the water, letting the waves that hit the shore soak her feet. it’s even better when minji screams and runs into the water, falling in and wailing on about how cold it is.

the best part, however, is when hanni feels a surge of confidence to take your hand and lead you toward the water. both of you laugh the whole way down, you shiver when the water hits your abdomen, and hanni crosses her arms when the chill reaches her whole body.

when you manage to tackle her into the saltwater, soaking her completely and earning a playful jab to your shoulder, you can’t help but fall a little more in love with her. she pushes her wet hair back and looks at you like she’s going to kill you. before you know it, hanni lunges forward and takes you down with her.

maybe she did it because you did it to her first. maybe it’s because she likes the feeling of being close to you.

and maybe you don’t mind at all.

maybe you swim over to the deep end and tease her for not being able to stand there without half her face being submerged, just to see the annoyed look on her face. maybe you like the way it makes your heart flutter. maybe you carry her through the water and keep her on your shoulders while playing chicken, staying skin to skin because you like it too.

for the next few hours a cycle starts. it repeats three times.

you play around in the water, swimming and splashing each other like little kids before returning back to the towels to reapply sunscreen and tan while someone’s queued song plays on the speaker minji brought. after a good amount of time being slow-cooked by the sun, you all play with the volleyball again before returning back to the water. the day is filled with laughter, stupid inside jokes, sand finding shelter in your hair and ears, and hanni lingering closer and closer.

—

you and minji take the reigns when it comes to packing everything up. you take pity on the rest, more so the youngest of the group, who are all out of energy and gawking at their very noticeable tan lines.

hanni bumps your shoulder and tells you she can carry one of the two bags that you’re carrying. you tell her it’s fine. she shakes her head and does what you did that morning; she slips her fingers under the strap of the bag carrying the towels and gives you a shit eating grin that might just make you combust.

“i can hear the wedding bells already,” minji mutters from behind into your ear, “with all the flower girls and bridesmaids and—”

you elbow her shoulder and roll your eyes. “the water is right there, i could throw you back in.”

“whatever. go get her.” you can tell she’s winking at you when she says it with that snarky, knowing tone.

you miss when you try to elbow her again.

the sand had burned your feet the whole way back to the restroom area and the strap of the umbrella bags rubbed against your skin so much that you might mistake the red mark as a sunburn. everyone is exhausted by the time you’re back at the car. you and minji were the last ones to rinse yourselves off and change, so you two are extra tired.

you and hanni find that the back seat has a little more space now. the bag that took up an extra seat somehow found shelter in the trunk. you can’t tell if this is a good thing or not.

hanni’s arm isn’t brushing against yours anymore until she goes limp and is leaning against you. maybe you didn’t need the tight space to be near her.

—

all of you find a place to eat lunch in no time. everyone is hungry and severely dehydrated, so while everyone looks at the menu and finds a seat outside, minji asks you to help buy some water for the cooler you brought.

you’re not sure why minji wanted you to tag along to buy water, but you go regardless.

you find out why the moment you’re away from the group.

“so what are you going to do about hanni?” minji asks.

your head jerks to face her. “do what?” you question, acting stupid.

minji shakes her head. “you two are the most oblivious idiots i’ve ever met.”

she’s right, you know she’s right.

minji’s been one of your closest friends since you started university. she’s seen you at your lowest when you had been fighting with your parents for a month straight for changing your major. she's been there at your best when you received that internship you had been fighting for. she’s even seen you when you were drunk, confessing that you had been in love with hanni the month after you met her. minji knows you like the back of her palm.

“you guys have been lingering near each other the whole day,” she remarks, kicking a pebble on the ground. “she’s been checking you out the whole time. you have been checking her out as well.”

a blush creeps up your neck and tightens up your throat.

“i’m just scared—”

“i know you’re scared, but there really isn’t anything to be scared of. the feeling is mutual, i promise.” she stops talking for a moment to gaze out at the scenery in front of you. the late afternoon sun is shifting into something a little more golden—slowly but surely—and the trees are practically sparkling because of how vibrant they are. “look at how beautiful today is. everyone is happy and tan and all that. today is the day.”

“i’ll think about it.” you say, staring out at the road and the two birds that fly past. “i will.”

—

lunch is filled with laughter, satisfied cravings, and more pictures. you spend an achingly large amount of time smiling at hanni, making eye contact with her, and forcing yourself not to stare at her longer than you should.

(long enough to the point where one of your friends would notice and call you out.)

haerin suggests walking along the boardwalk and you all follow. you all explore a few little shops and danielle spends a little money on a small trinket from one of them. hanni branches out and finds a little display with cute shell bracelets, all with different colors. you wind up following her.

“these are so cute,” she says, picking up a bracelet with pink charms. she finds another one, handing it to you and adds, “look, this one is your favorite color.”

she grabs your wrist and puts it on you, smiling at how nice it fits.

“this is really cute.” you bring your wrist closer to examine it.

“maybe we should get matching ones.”

“do you want to?” you say, quiet and casual, but your eyes are warm, serious.

“yeah, i really like these ones.” hanni decides, but she likes the idea of having something that connects her to you more than the bracelet itself.

the rest of the group watches you both from outside the shop. through the window they catch you two giggling about something as the cashier checks your purchase, and when you’re back out to meet them, they all grin at the sight of your matching bracelets.

“when is the wedding?” minji questions, only half-joking.

hanni rolls her eyes. “it’s just a bracelet. i know you’re jealous.”

minji just laughs, then looks you in the eye and raises her brows, clearly amused.

—

you all end up back at the beach after walking around and talking about anything and everything because it’s been so long since you all were normal, real people and not prisoners to an academic institution.

danielle is taking a few more pictures of everyone, but mainly haerin because she’s been too timid to put herself out there. danielle is determined to curate an instagram post for haerin that will shake everyone to their core.

hyein leans against your shoulder, using you as a pillar for support while she watches minji and hanni play around with the volleyball. your hands are planted behind you as you stare out at the ocean, finding comfort in the sound of the waves crashing and the occasional sound of hyein sipping on her soda.

“y/n?” hyein asks quietly.

“hm?”

“what’s with you and hanni?”

“what do you mean?”

“i can’t tell if you guys are dating or just oblivious.”

you can’t help but laugh. “you sound like minji.”

“ew, don’t say that.” she groans. “but seriously, what’s with you guys? minji said she had some sort of plan for you two but i never really got details…”

of course minji had a plan. danielle was probably a part of it too.

you don’t know how to explain your feelings for hanni. she’s the type of person you look forward to seeing everyday. no one had ever made you feel all giddy like she has, not even your stupid crushes when you were a teenager.

hanni has a smile that kind of steals your breath away. she’s the kind of girl that makes you grin and cackle like an idiot without trying. she laughs hard at your jokes and moments of stupidity and it almost makes you feel like you’re in an alternate universe where she loves you just as much. she’s real and raw with you, letting her voice crack when she’s upset and being that burst of unique energy when she’s on top of the world. you love her for who she is and whatever she feels.

there’s so much warmth that seeps out of her and so much you don’t understand. there’s a lot of things you don’t understand and it’s scary how badly you want to know every inch of her.

you don’t know how to explain the complexity of how your heart pounds in your chest when it comes to hanni. instead, you say, all so casually but genuine in the way your tone softens, “i love her a lot.”

hyein sips on her soda again, then hums. “does she know it?”

you sigh, biting your lip before saying, “i think she will soon.”

—

“oh my god, you’re sunburnt.” hanni says as she returns to the beach towel you’re sat on.

everyone else is god-knows-where and hanni always finds herself drawn back to you. she sits down and examines your cheek.

“no i’m not.” you defend, “i’m sunkissed.”

“sure,” she giggles. she absentmindedly plays with the end of her hair, a habit that stems from her being a nervous wreck. “i think the sun made out with your face.”

a suggestive remark catches in your throat. you decide to have some decorum instead of opening your mouth.

you turn to her finally and the sight of her staring at you with so much care and intimacy makes you feel light and relieved. her cheeks are also a hue of red—like an apple—worse than you for sure.

“i would be more focused on your face. that’s a burn.” you snicker, reaching out to place your fingers on her skin. her cheek is warmer than it should be, not just because she’s burnt. “you look like rudolph if his nose were his cheeks instead.”

“you sound ridiculous.”

“you get what i mean.” you respond bashfully.

hanni melts when you flash that lopsided grin at her. it’s golden hour, the light hits you so perfectly, and all hanni can think of is how nice it would be to kiss you right now. she makes the mistake of glancing down at your lips—for a second—and you catch it. she speaks before you can say anything.

“today has been fun.” she breaks eye contact and plays with her hair again. her knees move to her chest and she hugs them close as she watches the sky dim. “i haven’t had this much fun in a while.”

“not even during the movie night last month?” you giggle at the memory of minji and hanni crying while half-drunk to some romcom danielle put on. the video still lives in your favorites.

“okay, well—you know what i mean. the weather is perfect and everything is going well and, i, well,” her teeth trap her bottom lip and she looks at you shyly. “i’m just really happy to be around you. everytime we’ve been left alone i just—i don’t know. it feels right. it always does.”

your world stops for a moment. your world, usually equally as busy as it is overstimulating, goes silent. hanni has that effect on you, like when she came over to drop off something during finals season to find you freaking out and calmed you down with a soothing, warm hug. or when you had just gotten into a fight with your mother for the second time in the week during lunch with your friends, then brought you back to the ground with a simple hand only our shoulder and the look in her eyes. but now? everything goes still. it’s almost unsettling.

you can only laugh. hanni puts a hand on her forehead and cringes.

“sorry, that sounded so sentimental.”

“no, no. hanni, it’s fine.” you reassure.

a surge of confidence spreads through your body like a wildfire. maybe today is the day.

“i can’t believe the sun got to kiss you and not me.” you sound like a lead in a romcom. your words are corny and make you cringe, but the way you say it sounds awfully genuine and lovestruck.

“what?” she almost chokes on nothing.

“i– sorry. i’m not good with these things.” you pinch the bridge of your nose.

you gulp when she looks at you with those sun-soaked eyes, they’re gleaming like the ocean in front of you.

“minji has been trying to get me to tell you how i feel for a while… and then this trip happened and i realized that i’m too deep into everything i feel for you to keep beating around the bush.”

“you like me?”

you shake your head.

“i love you, hanni.”

she gulps, opens her mouth to say something, but she can’t. it’s impossible after you’ve just said the words that hanni has been wanting to say since you carried her home after one too many drinks at a house party. or maybe it was when you two snuck out to go on a walk late at night, sharing stories that were simultaneously heart-warming and heart-clenching. or maybe it was when she first laid eyes on you. she can’t remember when she figured out she loved you because it feels like it's always just been... there.

“i love you too, y/n.” her words are nearly a whisper.

“oh, okay, i’m really glad.” you exhale heavily, closing your eyes from pure relief and clutching your chest like you’ve just had a heart-attack. this is pretty comparable though. “because you looked so good all day and i seriously felt like an idiot this whole time trying not to look at you too hard.” it spills out your lips like a ramble, but it’s jumbled up enough to convey everything hanni needs to hear.

hanni laughs at how cute you are with your hand still clutching your chest.

“i’ve felt the same.”

“yeah?” you tilt your head, unknowingly shifting a little closer. “minji told me you were checking me out.”

“okay, don’t get ahead of yourself.”

“i worked out a lot for today. did you like the view?”

“shut up before i kiss you.”

your lips relax and you swallow hard.

“i won’t shut up then.”

“then i’ll do it myself.”

it’s not until that moment that you realize that your lips are already a breath apart. hanni tilts her head a little to match you, and her lips search for yours, pressing eagerly once they meet.

you pull away first just to take a good look at her. she stares at your lips the whole time you stare at her face, lit up perfectly by golden hour. she practically launches herself back onto you, cupping your cheek and kissing you again. her mouth presses softly, firmly, warmly. you can feel her smiling into the kiss and she feels you doing the same.

your fingers rake into her hair, tugging gently as you deepen the kiss. you sigh into her like it’s a dream come true.

and it is.

—

the rest of the group walks back to where you and hanni are to spot your hand on her jaw, her fingers twirling your hair, and lips locked from afar.

haerin laughs out of surprise and amusement. “it worked out.”

“finally,” danielle sighs.

“i told you it’d work out.” minji shrugs. she walks past the group and toward you two to purposefully break you apart—she likes embarassing both of you.

—

everyone is completely dead once you’re back in the car. hyein is already asleep on haerin’s shoulder and minji hasn’t even left the parking lot (she’s downing an energy drink to prepare for the two and a half hour car ride).

danielle is looking through all of the photos and a few minutes later a notification pops up on your phone with all the photos danielle uploaded. before you open it up, hanni moves your arm so that it’s around her.

“wow, you’re bold. we just made out and now you’re—”

“i’d shut you up like before, but i’m not going to be an asshole and traumatize anyone today. and i’m tired, move over.” she almost sounds cranky. you find it adorable.

“okay, okay.” you extend yourself so that hanni can lay in your arms. the back of her head is on your chest and she’s holding onto your forearm. the position isn’t the most comfortable—you can feel your butt numbing from the weird angle you’re sitting at, and your legs don’t even extend fully across due to your height—but hanni is. you don’t complain.

hanni whines when you move the arm she had clung onto like a teddybear, but you feel her soften up as soon as it moves over so you can massage her scalp.

“get some sleep.” you insist, pulling out your phone to check out the photos from danielle. they’re really great. you sort out the ones of hanni, then the ones of you and hanni, saving them all before looking over at the rest.

fifteen minutes pass and by then you grow drowsier and drowsier. you place your phone in the cup holder and try to shift as unnoticeably you can to ease the numbing in half your limbs and ass. hanni groans when she feels you move, but you scratch her scalp again and she resumes her slumber.

a soft sigh—relieved, lovestruck, and content—leaves you as you settle down. your arms wrap around hanni, your eyes close, and everything feels perfect. you still wonder if you’re dreaming.

—

by the time minji’s back at her place, everyone is passed out. it’s jarring how full of energy minji is once she’s back home despite the ache in her upper body from repeatedly racing you in the ocean.

(she takes pride in the fact that she won, so it doesn’t matter if her limbs are burning from her freestyle.)

she shakes danielle awake and she murmurs something that’s most definitely a gibberish. but once danielle is awake, she turns to see the youngest of the group passed out cutely and haerin’s head completely covered by her hair.

danielle snaps another picture.

“look here,” minji laughs lightly, turning on the light in the backseats.

you and hanni are cuddled up, the dim light spread across every tangled limb and linked finger. minji and danielle wonder how you two are even comfortable like that, but they brush it off as soon as danielle pulls her phone out to take something candid.

minji laughs. low and soft. “we have to save that for the wedding.”

“for sure.” danielle agrees.

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