#HTGTG

[ihrtsevyn]

HOW TO GET THE GIRL: A LOVERS GUIDE

CHAPTER NINE: about jiwoo. (1.6k)

WARNINGS: angst, reader is referred to as woman.

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Weeks have gone by since you started tutoring Riki. To say you've started to like him more was a vast understatement. Once you dropped your "cold" act that lasted for a mere 3 sessions, You started to become accustomed to him.

Although you had gone many years without interacting with each other, it felt like the spark you had imagined between you two never left.

The both of you had grown comfortable with each other to the point you started to interact with each other outside of the usual library doors.

At first, it was embarrassing to have your name shouted at the other end of the hallway, however, it turned into a typical routine where instead of keeping your head down and speed-walking away from him to avoid lingering eyes, you'd wave back.

During these study sessions, you learned more and more about him. How he microwaves his strawberries, he has a dog named Bisco, he can play piano, and he has a large fear of bugs that you've sadly had to learn the hard way after he accidentally pushed you aside to run away from a nearby wasp.

Something else you learned about Niki was that his grades did not match up with his knowledge. Sure, he was inconsistent with his attendance and would rarely turn in classwork if any at all, but he was smart and an extremely fast learner.

It had gotten to the point where you'd just set a small bulk of his past-due assignments in front of him and study for your other classes until he finished.

The study sessions quickly turned into more of a hangout. Staying in the library together hours after completing whatever workload had stacked up over the week to share hushed laughter and talk about everything under the sun until the library had to close down for the night.

You'd even go as far as to call him your friend, and so would members of the Newspaper Club.

"You're in a rush." Lily offhandedly mentioned as she typed away on the school's computer. Her posture had straightened at the sound of you hastily packing away your belongings but her eyes refused to stray away from the screen.

"Hm? Oh, yeah. I'm supposed to meet up with Riki." you answered before slinging the book bag over your shoulder.

"To do what exactly? It's a Friday and I thought you only tutored him on Sundays." J suddenly butted in, a playful yet accusatory tone to her voice as she suddenly invested herself in the conversation.

"I don't know actually, he asked to meet me at the school gates when our session ended."

"Oh? Is he walking you home? That's pretty cute." Yoon commented, a teasing smile growing on her face. "I don't know why he would, I mean— he's never done it before. So, I don't see why he'd want to do it now." You replied with fake unconcern.

You were being honest when you said you didn't know why Riki had suddenly made this decision to meet you at the school gate, but if it was to start walking you home on a frequent basis, you're 100% sure your knees would give out.

"Did you guys need any more help before I head out?" You suddenly questioned, trying to shift focus away from your last comment.

"Nope, we got it from here. Only thing we have left to do anyway is restock the printer paper." J assured with a small smile before hoisting herself up to sit on a desk.

"Okay, I'll see you guys later then." You quickly replied as you made your way towards the exit,

Lily only hummed in response to your statement before saying "Have fun, don't get into any trouble."

A smile crept onto your face as you resisted the urge to roll your eyes at how much she sounded like a Mom sending her daughter off. "And text us when you make it back home!" Seeun responded, suddenly bordering out of the storage closet with a box filled to the brim with different bulks of paper.

"Okay, Moms, will do."

"About time." Riki groaned out, loud enough for your approaching figure to hear as you made your way into eye view. "Oh, shut up," you said as he pushed himself off of the gates.

"I feel like I've been waiting for forever." He whines as he follows behind your figure. "Yeah, right. Couldn't have been waiting that long since it looks like you went home to drop off your backpack." You pointed out, silently relishing in the feeling of freedom as you got farther and farther away from school grounds.

"I didn't feel like carrying that thing around all day. Plus, it'll be easier to carry yours." He stated nonchalantly.

He reached over to slip your bag off of your shoulders before flinging it across his own, his delicate fingers brushing over your own as he did so. But just as quick as his touch arrived, it was just as quick to leave.

His simple actions shouldn't ruffle you like they do, yet it still happens. You know that when Riki does things like this he never has an underlying intention which makes it all the more pathetic when you feel your stomach brim with butterflies the moment you make skin-to-skin contact with him.

You cleared your throat before wrapping your arms around your stomach, a meek attempt at trying to calm the raging storm of feelings that was happening inside of you.

"So, why did you want to walk me home all of a sudden?" You asked, shifting your gaze around the growing shrubbery to avoid looking in his direction.

"Oh, right. I wanted to ask you something." He shyly uttered, his free hand that wasn't holding your bag made its way to the back of his neck, nervously rubbing it as he looked down at his sneakers.

You glanced in his direction to see that whatever was on his mind had been weighing in on him for a while. "Yeah, what's up?" you asked softly before shifting your gaze forward.

"Um, you're friends with Jiwoo, right?" he asked, out of the corner of your eye you could see him turn towards you. Trying to gauge your reaction and see what you'd say.

It took a moment for the question to fully translate in your mind as if he was speaking a foreign language you had never heard before. Once it did register in your head you couldn't help the shock that overtook your body, nearly making you stumble over your feet.

You opened your mouth to speak but no words came out, it was as if you were a fish out of water. Your mouth had suddenly gone dry and it felt as if you saw the fantasy of your TV romance crashing in front of your eyes. "Yeah, Jiwoo and I are really good friends." You finally managed to push out.

"Why do you ask?" You quickly follow up, your eyebrows unknowingly furrowing.

"I asked because I wanted to know if she was single." He replied, his tone went from nervousness to giddiness in a matter of seconds.

You couldn't turn towards him because you could hear the smile in his voice at the mere mention of her name. You were afraid that if you saw how he beamed at the thought of her that the butterflies that were swarming in your stomach just a few seconds earlier would escape onto the concrete in front of you.

"She's single," you affirmed with a stiff nod.

"Do you think you could set me up with her?" He immediately asked, a hopeful tone in his voice. Each word that came out of his mouth felt like a blow to the gut, killing off each butterfly one by one.

Your head shook 'no' before you could even form the words. "I-...I don't think I could."

"Oh, come on, please?" He suddenly pleaded, turning towards you once again. He wanted you to look at him, whether intentionally or not he knew that if you made eye contact with him you'd fall into his trap just like everyone else.

"Just get one of the basketball players to help. Or one of their cheerleader girlfriends." you tried to reason. "It's not the same," he muttered, tilting his head towards the sky, another whine threatening to come out of his mouth.

"Come on, you'd be the perfect wing-woman. you're good friends with her so it'd be easy and less weird when someone she barely knows tries to set her up with me," he argued, adding onto why he wanted you to set him up with her.

You bit your lip in contemplation. It felt like the obvious answer was 'NO!' but another part of you wanted to agree to set them up. You were happy with the relationship you and Riki had started to build together and you didn't want an elementary crush to get in the way of that.

There was always the lingering possibility that you and him were only ever meant to be friends and nothing more, and maybe, just maybe, Jiwoo was the one for him.

"What do I get out of this?" You quietly asked after the lingering silence.

"Anything you want. If you do this for me I promise I'll pay you back" He swiftly responded before stopping in his tracks, instinctively making you stop alongside him. "Please, just do this for me." He begged, his hands fidgeting with the rings on his fingers as he waited for your answer.

"Fine, I'll help you."

TAGLIST: @sakiimeo @sakuxxi @ilyjxdz @artstaeh @rosas-in-the-garden @k1ttylvr @stilesks @enhagvrl @yourssincerely-mimi @rizzanna-soda @saursoob @haechansbbg @nishislcve @winuvs @kyrojackson @suhiiiies-blog @rikisgeef @soobs-things @jumigurumino @ssukiyakii @baribaaari @eleanorheartschishiya @rikibun @seunghancore @wonik1ss @sheepgardenbahhhh @rksbae @lukesboo @moomis @luvvvash @conwunder @yvjw @bunnbam @eilidiii @riksaes

[daimadiamante]

same vibe

Just imagine these two, drunk, meeting in a bar… It would go so wrong…

[ijhyo]

How to get the girl is so pretty?? The way you write and the phrasing is phenomenal, and I love the personality you give to the reader is so nice to see, I feel like people rarely lean into that personality and I really appreciate seeing it.

thank you so much omg!! its so nice to hear that people are still reading that fic 😭❤️ im so glad you like my writing like this made my day 🫂🫂

[this-daydream-is-dangerous-13]

I stumbled on another new-to-me lyrical parallel today.

One of Harry’s credited cowrites on Take Me Home—not just a lyrical or story contribution—is on a bonus track called “Still the One”. It took me waaaaay to long to realize that it’s a call back to Haylor song of significance “You’re Still the One” by Shania Twain.

This might be the first official, non-leaked version of the James-apology song or the HTGTG attempt. Our protagonist has to go to the girl’s door and apologize to win her back. It’s an…immature apology: you’re all I think about, I was so stupid for letting you go, but you are still it for me.

The song works toward the bridge, wherein the protagonist wants to reassure “baby” that she’s still the one. Except he cannot say her actual name. So here are the lyrics, which end with Harry’s near-breaking tenor declaring that she’s stiiiiiill the ooooooone,

In a fun parallel, the final vignette described in Harry’s Keep Driving ALSO cannot use her name, and so correspondingly asks:

How many different ways can the boy find to say her name while not actually saying it?

[thediamondarcher]

I NEED to listen to i know places, ootw, htgtg and i wish you would Taylor's version asap

[minastras]

MINAAAA 😭😭❤️❤️ just saw ur reblog on htgtg and honestly it made my day THANKUUU!! like im fr cheesing im so glad you enjoyed it 🫂🫂🫂

LOLA no thank YOU for writing it!!! i've sung ur praises enough in those tags but seriously it's one of my fave fics ever (and ngl i did freak out a tiny bit when i saw u followed me)

[lanternburning19]

[gooasis726twifics]

I finally did it. I have finally made covers for all of my fics that I actually LOVE. 

[irisdaisysource]

↳ how to get the girl by Daisy Johnson and Iris West 

1- Bad pickup lines 

[lovesickallovermybed]

my love was as cruel as the cities i lived in, everyone looked worse in the light

[ihrtsevyn]

HOW TO GET THE GIRL: A LOVERS GUIDE

CHAPTER EIGHT: making progress...(726)

WARNINGS: none :)

◃ previous ep. ⊹ masterlist ⊹ next ▹

The next few days went by much faster than anticipated and you found yourself perched in front of the double doors of the school library. You raised your phone to your face watching as another 5 minutes went past.

You and Riki had a brief conversation the night before planning out the time and place of your first study session.

An agonizing 30 minutes went past before you finally decided to enter the library, it was quiet and nearly empty as you looked around to find a comfortable spot to set up.

You didn't want to lack faith in Riki but your expectations of him coming to any of your tutor sessions were quite low. Because of his position as star player on the school's basketball team, he was able to easily wiggle himself out of academic trouble without any harsh punishments and barely a slap on the wrist. You couldn't help but envy him a little because of it.

While pouting at the thought of the unfair treatment, your mind couldn't help but wander to him. His quiet charm, his tall, muscular but slim figure, his alluring goofy smile, and contagious laugh..

An unknowing smile reached your lips as you fiddled with the loose thread of your cardigan. You were so lost in your thoughts that you had failed to notice the approaching figure of the boy you were daydreaming about.

The thud of his backpack slamming onto the table startled you from your fantasies as your eyes looked up to meet the worried gaze of Riki.

"I'm really sorry." he quietly muttered out, lowering himself into an apologetic bow. You opened your mouth to refute his apology but was soon cut-off by his insistent rambles.

"I got stuck at the convenience store, I-um wanted to get you a drink and something to snack on but I didn't know what you liked." He reached into his bookbag before pulling out a strawberry cream soda and a chocolate bar.

Your confused and slightly startled expression softened into a grateful one as you reached out for the treats and placed them in your own bag. "There was also this really long line and-"

"Riki, it's fine." You softly interjected, putting a halt to his jumbled mutters. "Thank you, I really appreciate it." you continued with a gentle smile before gesturing to the seat across you.

He hesitantly nodded in acknowledgment before sitting down. Your eyes hadn't left his figure since you were made aware of his presence but now that he was directly in front of you and less jittery you were able to take in more of his appearance.

His chest was heaving in heavy breaths while beads of sweat gathered at his forehead. "Riki, did you— did you run here?" You asked slightly exasperated, knowing that the closest convenience store to the school was a mere 10 to 15 minute walk.

"Is it that obvious?" He asks, a weak attempt of a laugh escaped as he grabbed the rest of his needed supplies.

"Riki, you didn't have to do that. And you could've texted me to let me know you'd be a bit late."

"I know I didn't have to, I just wanted to." He responded while flipping through his notebook. "And I was going to text you but I didn't want to spoil the surprise so I decided against it." he added on, his eyes briefly leaving the blank page of his notebook to connect with yours.

You froze for a moment. You felt trapped by his gaze until you suddenly remembered the impassive act you were supposed to be playing up. Funnily enough, you had already failed when you started daydreaming about him but your ego refused to let him get off as easy as he was used to.

You cleared your throat before lowering your head to your books. "Let's start at page 56." You quickly suggested, The lingering stare from the boy sitting across you went unnoticed as you tried your hardest to shift your focus onto the task at hand.

Riki mentally gave himself a pat on the back at your expression, being a mix of shocked and fondness at his simple yet thoughtful gesture.

"Making progress." he thought to himself before looking down at his own book, failing to conceal the growing smile on his face with his fist.

TAGLIST: @sakiimeo @sakuxxi @ilyjxdz @artstaeh @rosas-in-the-garden @k1ttylvr @stilesks @enhagvrl @yourssincerely-mimi @rizzanna-soda @saursoob @haechansbbg @nishislcve @winuvs @kyrojackson @suhiiiies-blog @rikisgeef @soobs-things @jumigurumino @ssukiyakii @baribaaari @eleanorheartschishiya @rikibun @seunghancore @wonik1ss @sheepgardenbahhhh @rksbae @lukesboo @moomis @luvvvash @conwunder @yvjw @bunnbam

[whatiwillsay]

During my marathon training today, my Spotify decided to play ikp, afterglow, and then htgtg. Can I just say that is a wild lineup. I don’t think all three are connected but it kinda told a story in order and made me wonder who afterglow really is about.

your spotify is a dark gaylor

[ijhyo]

Whenever in the future, I need another beomgyu ff HOW TO GET THE GIRL WAS JUST BRILLIANT. FELT LIKE A ROM COM FILM. HaAD BETTER PLOT AND CHARACTERS THAN MOST ROM COMS I’VE WATCHED ACTUALLY !!

But yeah it doesn’t matter when as long as there’s another beomgyu fanfic someday 😔🤞 any person actually I just really enjoy long fives

EEEE IM SO GLAD YOU FEEL THAT WAY!! it feeling like a romcom is probably the best compliment you could have ever given me

don't you worry anon i got stuff cooking in the docs and you are in luck because long focs are my jam

[into-control]

Taylor + Karlie are SO sick & wrong for going the "Karlie broked my heart & now I want to die 💔" narrative they're feeding the entire world right now but I *KNOW* what they're doing & it's *PERFECT* ! They basically both out of the closet now, everyone on the world WANTS Kaylor & Jerklie 'divorce' narrative set-up perfectly already?! They are literally unhinged, their definite future kid is going to grow up to be SO galaxy-brained that it's literally unreal! Taylor's gonna have Karlie HTGTG her

💀

[magxit]

I was listening in the car this morning to 1989 I realized how far superior it is to reputation. The lyrics and production were so amazing. Taylor should have made New Romantics the opening song. Wonderland should have taken the place of HTGTG. The album would have been a 100 percent if that were the case. I know she put W2NY as a way to sell the narrative single girl in the city but it is like one of the worst songs she has ever written. New Romantics would have done the same thing but better.

[taylorswiftstylequestions]

pre 1989 album anon here, thanks for your thorough reply! what i meant is 1989 before she committed to the synthpop, it could be a patchwork-y album akin to RED and SN before it. with polaroids and tweets we know that the songs likely included this love (2012), AYHTDWS & HTGTG (tweets in jan 2013) & as sweeter than fiction was already out we'll assume jack's songs were done (total of 5 songs?) Clean, max martin & ryan tedder songs are from 2014 so not them. how different could patchwork 1989 be?

Hi! Thanks for coming back - I appreciate you wanting to expand on your thoughts. That said, I truthfully don't see any of those songs as belonging on RED and as I said, I don't think Taylor had any intention of creating a patchwork album. She was inspired and writing pop music and wanted to go all in on it and never looked back.

From the ask: TSSQ