#This happened like right now or a couple of mins ago

[rusty-gloinks]

Hi rare bbygirl content never before seen

[kookslastbutton]

Best Intentions ༓ myg (m)

✑ Summary: As vice president, you are obligated to attend your boss's wedding–you're also his friend. But while you should be focused on the newlyweds, you find yourself far too interested in the attractive best man and the woman who happens to be his plus one.

Pairing: best man!yoongi x vice president!reader

AU/genre: angst, smut, slight thriller, s2l, oneshot

Rating: M, 18+

Word Count: 3,753

Warnings: No infidelity, dark yoongi, sexual content, death (not major character)

sexual warnings: dom!yoongi, sub!reader, cussing, handj*b, unprotected s*x (don't follow their lead!), penetration, car sex, d*rty talk, they c*me together, yoongi has tattoos

Now Playing: Haegeum

A/N: Little nervous about this one butI haven't written fic inspired by Haegeum yet so here we go! Hope you enjoy 💞

You watch as he brushes a few pieces of his dark locks out of his face. Never have you seen such a handsome and alluring man. He takes a seat on the barstool, nodding at the bartender in greeting. “Whiskey, neat. And a sex on the beach for the lady.”

He turns his head over his right shoulder, sparing a glance at the gentle hand resting on him. The woman who it belongs to is nothing short of radiant and confident. Her body is athletically built, her skin soft but tough. Her name is Yeong-Ja and she happens to be his plus one.

“__.” She smiles at you with ruby-red lips. “Why don’t you join us?” Her tone is thick and laced with sensuality. You fight the temptation but you feel instantly small compared to her. It’s not that you find yourself unattractive or anything but Yeong-Ja has a certain aura that’s incredibly rare.

The man, Min Yoongi, sets his gaze on you with a similar intensity. You only met the both of them about half an hour ago and they were already perfectly successful at making your bones quake. You’ve heard the idea of power couples a million times and though Min Yoongi and Yeong-Ja weren't officially together, you'd be a fool to think I'd never happen. They came here together after all.

“Thank you for the invite,” you reply, keeping your eyes as firm as you can. “But I still need to pay my respects to President Kim and his lovely new wife.”

Yeong-Ja taps Yoongi twice, signaling him to stand up. “I need to do that too actually. Why don’t we go together?”

He stays seated despite her gesture. “The drinks haven’t come out yet. I’ll wait for them if you two wanna go.” He looks at you again with his piercing, cat-like eyes. “You sure you don’t want anything __?”

You smooth down the sides of your dress, a nervous response you picked up since a teenager. You wish he wouldn’t follow the movement but he does. “Sure, maybe a strawberry daiquiri.”

Yoongi gives a nod and asks the bartender to include it in the order. “Thank you,” you say.

“Shall we?” Yeong-Ja breaks from Yoongi to near your side. “President Kim’s about to have a ton of guests giving their congratulations. It’s best we do it before the newlyweds run out of steam.”

You nod and make your way to the wedding table.

"Congratulations President and Mrs. Kim." You bow in respect until you're pulled into a light hug.

"Thank you __," Mrs. Kim says. You'd be surprised by the hug if it weren't for the fact that the two of you have known each other since before she and your boss first started dating.

You were the one to set them up actually.

You never thought you'd have that much gull with your boss but you and Seokjin had been working together for a long time. You considered him a friend.

"I'm very happy for the both of you." You smile warmly and embrace Mrs. Kim a little tighter. "And you make such a beautiful bride."

Once broken apart, Yeong-Ja bows herself. "President Kim, Mrs. Kim." They bow in return. "I'm honored to be a guest at your wedding. I wish you both a strong, healthy marriage."

Mrs. Kim smiles wide and touches the woman on the wrist. "Thank you Yeong-Ja....I'm hoping to be a guest at your wedding as well. If you don't mind me asking, how long have you and Yoongi been seeing each other?"

Swallow it. That suddenly sick, queasy feeling in your stomach. If Yoongi was planning to get serious with Yeong-Ja, it's none of your business.

Yeong-Ja blushes and lets out a small chuckle. "Of course, I'll be sure to invite you to my wedding but I'm afraid that won't be anytime soon. Yoongi and I have only been seeing each other for a couple of weeks."

Weeks? With the chemistry they have you figured they were at least at months.

"I wouldn't be too set on it being far out into the future," Seokjin says. "One of my colleagues got married after only six months of dating his girlfriend."

"Who was that?" You mouth to which he replied with 'gguk'. Ah, makes sense now.

"Plus," Seokjin continues, "Yoongi's always talking about you and that's saying a lot considering he's pretty brief in general. Whatever you got, it's keeping his attention." He blinks up and cracks a smirk. "Speak of the devil."

Yoongi walks towards the group of you with a drink in each hand. You really need to not stare at his perfectly chiseled face, stoic eyes, and slicked-back hair. Especially after hearing that he's been practically gushing about Yeong-Ja. Still, a bitch doesn't listen.

"Strawberry daiquiri." He passes you your drink before handing Yeong-Ja hers. "And a sex on the beach." He keeps a straight face as he does this.

You notice he's taken his suit jacket off since your last interaction. His sleeves are rolled up too, veins softly protruding.

"Many thanks," you say, taking a sip. "Where's your whiskey?" You distinctively remember him asking the bartender for one but it's nowhere in sight.

Yoongi gives a quick shrug. "Already drank it."

Before another word is spoken the stereos in the reception are cranked up. Yeong-Ja takes a sip of her drink and then snakes her hand into Yoongi's arm. "Come on, we should dance. You too __."

You shake your head. Absolutely not. Dancing is fun when you're with friends but not so much with couples. You learned that the hard way many times when you'd be told that you'll all dance together.

Wrong for you to fall for that.

As soon as a slow, sensual song came on, you'd be hitting the bar or going back to your claimed table in the corner.

"No I'm good. I wanna sit and enjoy my drink for now." You lift your glass to make your point clearer.

Yeong-Ja smiles at you, then tightens her grip around Yoongi's arm and drags him to the dance floor.

You try not to watch them.

You even try sitting in the chair facing opposite of them.

But you look like a wallflower.

Several men come up to you to ask you if you want to dance, thinking you're only waiting for an invitation. Nice of them to offer but you take no interest.

The only man you remotely have your mind on is currently being swayed by another woman. And after about twenty minutes of watching, you find out that Yeong-Ja is not only a sharp thinker and sweet talker—she's also a stunning dancer.

You can tell at first Yoongi is half-assing it but once she starts getting into the beat, his efforts double.

When it comes to the slower songs, however, you can't help but notice a shift in his posture. Yeong-Ja links both arms around his neck in an effort to close the gap between her and Yoongi. It doesn't close, however, as he keeps a safe distance.

It's odd, to say the least but maybe he's just not used to that type of intimacy yet. You continue to study the two of them until you're caught red-handed. Yoongi's eyes shift over to peer into yours.

You have to snap yourself out of your daze a few times. He's definitely just staring off due to the somber music. He's not looking at you.

Oh, shit—he is.

Yoongi traces his eyes down the lines of your dress, all the way down your bare legs and back up to your eyes. His gaze is heavy and gives you goosebumps.

You grip your glass with one hand while the other clings to the edge of your dress, earning you a half-smirk from him.

Fuck.

He's a man of few words but his non-verbals speak volumes.

"She's not his girlfriend." Seokjin looks up at you from his seated position. Mrs. Kim was mingling with some of her close friends so you seized the chance to ask Seokjin about what had just happened. You needed a second opinion. "But they came here together so I assume they're going out. Are you sure he was giving you suggestive looks?"

"I mean, they weren't that suggestive but he definitely body-scanned me and smirked." You pause before continuing. "I'm trying not to think about it in case—uh I don't know. I'm sorry, it's your wedding day and I shouldn't be bothering you about this stuff."

"__, we've been working basically side by side for ten years. Yes I'm your boss still but right now I'd like to think we're friends. You're not bothering me, okay? And as far as Yoongi goes, just ignore it. He was likely smiling at you and it came off as a smirk. If it happens again maybe ask him about it because as far as I know, things are going good between him and Yeong-Ja." Obviously not that well if he's checking out someone else. You bite back the need to speak your mind.

"Okay," you agree. "You're right. It was likely just nothing."

"But you didn't finish your sentence." Seokjin pipes up before you return to your seat. "You're trying not to think about in case what?"

Let's see....how to reply while remaining subtle as possible. Seokjin and Yoongi are close friends so you need to choose your words very carefully.

Telling him you have interest in Yoongi when he's told you over and over again that he's seeing someone would not end well. A classic Kim Seokjin scold would be in dire order.

"....just in case I'm just being foolish or exaggerating what really happened." You say the words casually, no a trace of a fib. "But thanks Seokjin, for letting me talk to you about it."

"Hey." Yoongi catches you in the hallway. Apparently also needed to use the restroom. You do your best to shrug off what happened earlier.

"Hi, how was dancing?" You ask stupidly.

"It was alright. Not usually my thing but I guess I didn't mind. You sure you didn't wanna join us though? Saw a few guys come up to you."

"You saw that?" And here you were thinking you were delusional for thinking Yoongi was purposefully paying attention to you. It causes a twinge of adrenaline to zap through your body. "I didn't really feel like dancing today, that's all."

For a second you and Yoongi exchange silence. You're not sure if he's done talking or if you need to fill the space with more small talk.

"I'm glad it was better for you than usual. Yeong-Ja looks like she knows what she's doing." You fake a small laugh, hoping to break the tension but Yoongi's face remains straight. "Well I should get back in there." You end up slowly walking away but he stops you.

"We don't know each other super well but, I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable earlier."

"What are you refering to?"

Yoongi gives you a 'really' look before flashing a gummy smile. It's the first time tonight you've seen him smile so fully. Your breath hitches as he continues. "I think we both know the answer to that. Don't you know how captivating you look in this dress?"

If your mouth wasn't gaping before it such as heck is now. But as giddy as the compliment makes you, you're in no way going to mess up a potentially blossoming relationship. You sure as hell hope that Yoongi isn't double-crossing Yeong-Ja, even if you do wish you'd be in her shoes a little.

"Um, not to be so forward but aren't you with Yeong-Ja? I appreciate the compliment though I'd—"

"We're not serious."

"Excuse me?" You as so utterly lost. Sure he and Yeong-Ja weren't together officially yet but they came here as each other's date. Seokjin and his wife were also making comments about their supposedly romantic relationship and she wasn't denying it so why is he coming onto you like this?

"That didn't come out right. I mean, we're not together romantically but we do work together. I asked her to come because I figured she'd be good company. Seokjin thinks we mold together well but I'm not really interested. To keep it short, I respect her as a coworker and consider her in the highest regard, professionally."

"You're not lying to me right? Because she seems really interested and I don't want to get in the way of anything. I'm not that type of woman alright?" You cross your arms reflexively.

Yoongi takes a step towards you, focused intent. "I have no reason to lie to you __. It's true Yeong-Ja may be interested but she's not the one I've spent half the night staring at."

The hairs on your neck stand straight. Blood rushes through your veins. "You should probably tell Yeong-Ja your feelings then."

"I did," Yoongi interuppts. "When we were back in there she came onto me. I thought all the slow, romantic music was getting to her but she kept trying to kiss me so I had to tell her I wasn't interested in anything beyond friendship."

"Oh, well, is she okay or—"

"She'll be fine. She's like me, not much fazes her. She's likely hitting on the next guy that takes her fancy now." Yoongi inches closer, and you take in the cologne he's wearing. It's subtle but enough to knock you out of your senses. "So you see, I'm not that kind of man either."

"Well good because I would have kicked you in the balls if you were double-crossing Yeong-Ja."

Yoongi snorts. "I'd expect nothing less. But thankfully, my balls are safe for now."

Great, now you're thinking about his balls. Yoongi's breath blows hot against your skin as the space between you seems to get narrower and narrower.

"Do you wanna get out of here for a bit?" He asks with a hoarse voice. "I was thinking about going out for a quick smoke."

"I don't smo—" Yoongi quirks a provocative brow. "Oh, " you finish, knowing full well he isn't proposing to have just a smoke.

You shudder as he towers above you in the backseat of his Bentley. Evidently, Yoongi did well for himself. "We shouldn't be doing this here." When Yoongi proposed you to go out, you didn't expect him to be this quick to get down and dirty.

Fooling around is one thing, but fucking in the backseat of his car in the middle of a wedding is a whole new animal for you.

"No one's gonna see if that's what you're worried about. Everyone's too busy wishing the newlyweds well..." His car is short on space but Yoongi manages to remove his silk vest. The skin of his smooth chest peeks out near the collar of his dress shirt. "But if you wanna stop here then, I won't force you any further."

God this is so indecent but you want him so, so bad. His body on yours, in yours—fuck him for being this hard to resist. You grip the fabric of his shirt and tug him back down.

Yoongi takes the opportunity to sink his head near your ear. "I was hoping this would be your answer." Your eyes roll up when he places a hot, open-mouth kiss on your neck. It's not sloppy but rather controlled as if hinting that this isn't his first go around.

"Take it out for me sweetheart." He coos after a few more nips at your jaw. The look of bewilderment on your face brings out a cocky smirk. "Please?"

His eyes turn playful as he watches you fumble with his belt. "Sorry," he says. "I usually prefer doing this myself but given the position we're in, it's better you do it." You nod. "I'd also take my time with you if it weren't for the fact that we're in my car right now." Who's fault is that? You bite down your bitterness.

"I understand." You pull at his belt buckle, releasing the leather from its hold. He groans when the tips of your fingers graze his bulge. Once you unzip the front of his pants you reach forward to free his cock.

"Fuck," Yoongi breathes, his hard length pulsating in your hand. You whimper and reflexively squeeze him harder. "Shit, don't."

You feel hot all over, drunk on the pleasure he's getting from this. "But you like this," you say, moving your hand up and down his shaft. Arousal pools in your panties as you watch him struggle to gain his composure. You wouldn't be disappointed if he came in your hand from this, but Yoongi puts a stake in those plans like a tidal wave.

He reaches between his legs, suddenly yanking your hand off of him to place it above your head. "You know what I really like __?" He grabs your other hand to join it with the other. "When people listen to what their told the first time."

He pushes up the skirt of your dress, tugs your panties to the side, and thrusts himself into you in one full motion. The immediate stretch has you gasping for air. "Fuck Yoongi–" Yes, you're wet but you still need time to adjust! "Yoongi please, I need a second."

He doesn't respond with any more than husky groans as he steadies himself above you, hands clamping down on your waist. Yoongi stills himself in you, waiting for your signal to move and when you give it to him he wastes no time setting a vigorous pace.

Every push and pull sets your body on fire as his length beats inside you. You move to claw at his back, desperately needing something to grip, but your hands are thrown back down. "Leave them," he growls.

You end up clutching your wrists as your body bounces up and down the seat of the car. The friction is a little rough due to the leather material but you don't have time to think much about it as long as Yoongi keeps fucking you this good.

"Feels-ah-amazing Yoongi, fuck. How'd you get so good at this?"

"How do you think sweetheart?" He wraps one of your legs around his waist, the new angle allows him to sink deeper into your gut. Your hips arch and a few more buttons on Yoongi's dress shirt pop open.

"You have a–chest-chest tattoo?" It's only a blur and you barely get a glimpse when he leans his body forward. But over his heart is black ink in the form of what you can only guess as some kind of wild cat.

"Mhm," he grunts. "Got it when I was 19. One of those impulsive things. Fuck–" he curses feeling you clench around him. "Is this a turn-on for you? You're squeezing me so fucking hard right now."

"Yes. My attraction for you went up about 100%, I can't explain it."

He's amused, shit-eating grin on his far too handsome face. "Well lucky for you, you don't have to explain anything. Open my shirt."

You do as he says and swallow hard seeing the tattoo of a bobcat over his left pec. He can tell you want to ask about it but being that his cock is deep in your heat, he's a little preoccupied. "I'll tell you about it later when we're not you know–fucking like rabbits in the back seat of my Bentley."

You let out a small giggle. It's a wonder no one's caught you yet. Yoongi picks up the pace again, with rough thrusts and beads of sweat around his forehead. "Fuck this pussy is making me so hard. Never been in something so wet and tight in my life." You moan as his cock drags in and out of you, stimulating your g-spot only too perfectly.

"Oh god 'm gonna come Yoongi!" You can't hold back your screams anymore. He's hitting inside you so well, cock throbbing, hair sweaty, muscles tensing, and that sinful chest tattoo teasing in front of your eyes.

"Damn right you are, make this cock yours sweetheart."

Your pussy starts spasming around him. You throw your head back, feeling your tightened core close to unwinding. Yoongi's cock twitches inside you in the seconds following before you both have your release.

Yoongi takes himself out of you, cock dripping with your cum. Your breaths are heavy as you blink up at him from your reclined position. "First time fucking in a car?" he asks, monotone.

"Mhm."

"Did you like it?"

"Mhm."

"Good, I'll give you a few minutes to gather yourself."

Once you both manage to make yourself presentable again, you head back to the reception.

"Where the fuck have you been?!" Yeong-Ja hollers at Yoongi, rushing to him through the parking lot. You're startled at her sharp tone but the closer she gets the more your stomach feels unsettled.

She doesn't give you a glance at all, her attention fully on Yoongi. "Min," she starts. Odd of her to be calling him by his last name all the sudden. "We need to leave now."

You dart your eyes at the two of them. "What-what's going on? It hasn't been that long, did something happen?" Yeong-Ja hesitates to answer so you turn to the man next to you. "Yoongi–Oh my god!" You screech when you see a glowing, red dot hovering over his heart.

Yoongi follows your line of sight. "Shit–" He curses under his breath. "Of all fucking times."

Okay, what the fuck is going on?

Yeong-Ja swiftly pulls out a gun from what appears to be a thigh holster. When she does, you spot the same bobcat tattoo on her upper thigh.

Yeong-Ja cocks the gun before aiming it to the far left. She takes the shot, the red dot instantly disappearing from Yoongi's chest.

"You don't know Yoongi very well __." Yeong-Ja lowers her gun ever so slightly. "To the outside, he's Min Yoongi, a reserved and calculative data analyst, best man to your boss Kim Seokjin. But to the inside world, he's Agust D, leader of the most feared mafia gang, Bangtan."

"I'm sorry sweetheart," Yoongi says. "I wanted to spare you from this. But now that you know our dirty little secret we can't possibly let you go."

So she's his right-hand man.

When Yoongi said they were coworkers, this was not what you were expecting.

How the fuck do you get out of this?

Masterlist

A/N: Me through this whole thing...how do I write warnings without giving away the ending? Anyway, tysm for reading and LMK what you think 💞

Note: Pls help me decide if i should turn this into a series of keep it a one shot ➡ vote here ☺

no reposting, copying, or translating my work– © kookslastbutton

[evangelical04]

A Single Daffodil || 2

Summary: Getting arranged to be married to your long-time crush wasn't exactly the fairy tale romance you were hoping for. Nor is the dynamic of the marriage, with your husband treating you like you don't exist. But you're going to make this work, whether he cares about you or not. And he definitely doesn't...right?

Pairing: Min Yoongi x Reader

Rating: 18+ minors DNI

Word Count: 9.1K

Genre: angst, romance, unrequited love, smut, enemies to lovers, arranged marriage au, businessman yoongi

Warnings: parental trauma, sibling trauma, toxic parents, unrequited love, explicit language, alcohol usage, yoongi's kind of mean, future smut

Author's Note: hi everyone! it's currently exactly 2am for me lol but I wanted to get this chapter out today! i was hoping to having the wedding happen but I like it more for the next chapter. all the support has been so overwhelming and amazing, thank you guys so much for all the love!! i appreciate it so much and I'm grateful that you all are so supportive, especially for my first ever fic. i really hope you guys enjoy this chapter! also, just let me know if you want to be added or removed from the taglist!

Taglist:

@yoongisducky @kam9404 @sumzysworld @tarahardcore @viankiss @babystarcandylovejk @ktownshizzle @futuristicenemychaos @igot7fairlyoddparents @baechugff @pb89nv @peachytokki @ratherbfangirling

previous / masterlist / next

You could feel your eyes glazing over with the amount of time you’d spent staring at your computer screen. A quick glance at the clock showed that only a couple hours had passed since you’d arrived at work, and a devastating thirty minutes remained until your lunch break. Rubbing at your tired eyes, you tried to find the energy to resume reviewing the materials your team had sent you, but you came up short. 

The wedding planning had been taking a lot out of you the past couple of months, even though your mother wasn’t letting you decide anything for it anyway. She had been quite clear that all you had to do was show up and that your input wouldn’t be needed. You couldn’t honestly say you had an issue with that, this didn’t feel like your wedding anyway. If it were yours, you would’ve been getting married to someone you love, and crucially, someone who loves you in return.

But that wasn’t in the cards for you and you knew that well, so you went along with your mother’s planning placidly, agreeing to almost everything she mentioned and getting ignored on things you didn’t. It left you exhausted, both physically and emotionally. It felt like an out-of-body experience every time your mother pulled you into another appointment for your dress fittings or makeup and hair test runs. You could feel yourself simply going through the motions and just waiting until the appointment was done so you could return to your mundane life. 

Not much else had changed, honestly. You were still working, hanging out with your friends on occasion, reading in bed, and watching television in the evenings. The only thing looming over you was the date of the wedding, now only six months away. It felt like an omen, always hovering near you, spiking your heart rate, and making you sweat. 

Even your team had noticed your heightened anxiety and expressed their worries to you, especially the youngest, Choi Song Ha. She was a cute, young thing, a fresh face in the industry that you had quickly taken under your wing once you had set eyes on her in the new recruit orientation you visited just over a year ago now. You knew just how quickly the gaming industry ate up and spat out women like clockwork and you didn’t want the same fate for her, so you’d snatched her up into your team. She truly felt like the little sister you’d never had and your bond quickly grew over the months since you’d met. She had picked up on your dampened mood and resolved to leave you small treats of a chip bag or chocolates on your desk every other day or so as a means to cheer you up. She knew you well enough to know you wouldn’t appreciate outright signs of concern or making a scene at work, and you loved her for it. 

She had left you a small red ginseng jelly this morning with a doodle of a grumpy cat stuck to it on a post-it note. It made you smile every time you glanced at it.

It kind of reminded you of Yoongi. The two of you hadn’t talked since that night in the restaurant, and you weren’t sure if you even wanted to talk to him. Your mother had given you his number and you’d saved it, but you hadn’t made any move to message him.

“Team leader?”

You turned, snapping out of your daze to face another one of your team members, Yeonsik. 

“Yes, Yeonsik,” you responded, trying to appear calm and collected, and not like you were just thinking about your soon-to-be husband who hates you.

“We have the materials from the character graphics department for Plan C ready, it’s in your inbox now. They said that they’re ready to make any changes you want, but they’re worried about the deadline for the second draft,” Yeonsik rambled. He was a nice man, only a few years younger than you, and quite passionate about his job since joining your team two years back, just after you’d become the team lead of Planning Group 1. He had a handsome face with longer, dark hair and bright eyes that were eager to please.

“Okay, thanks for letting me know. Also, good job on keeping Graphics 2 on track, I know they’ve been giving us a hard time with getting the updated designs over. Thanks again,” you said politely, sending him a small smile. Yeonsik beamed in response and returned to his seat happily. You chuckled fondly at his antics before opening the file he’d sent. You loved your team members and you held a high respect for them. You knew you led them well and that they respected you in return. It was a small team, consisting of only five people, including you, but you were content with the group and the dynamic. You often went out for drinks together after work, usually followed by karaoke and at least one member passing out, most often Yeonsik, who would then be picked up by his boyfriend. You were a close-knit group and you couldn’t imagine a better job.

Slowly, Mrs. Min’s words crept back into your mind at the thought of how much you loved your position. Surely, Yoongi wouldn’t expect you to quit your job? You wouldn’t be able to bear it. 

No, he said that he would do his thing and you would do yours, you reminded yourself. That’s right, you’d agreed that you wouldn’t interfere in each other’s lives. Except, you hadn’t really agreed, had you? You’d just acquiesced because he’d been in the motion of leaving anyway. You weren’t really sure if that’s what you’d wanted, living separate lives and being married only on paper. 

Yoongi’s words rang clear in your head as you gnawed on your lower lip, was this really how this marriage was going to be? The two of you not even acknowledging each other except at galas and parties where you had to appear married? You didn’t want that.

But…if Yoongi did, how much say did you really have? As much as you wanted to make this work, it had to be a two-way street. If Yoongi didn’t want anything to do with you, you would have to accept that and just try to get through this the best you could. You had said to Joohee that day you’d found out, that there’s nothing you can do to stop him. 

It felt painful to come to terms with, especially in the environment of your office where you still had to appear professional. Thankfully, you breathed, none of your team members had noticed your mini-mental breakdown. 

Your phone buzzed with a new message from Yujin, your mother’s assistant.

From Yang Yujin

Hello Miss Y/N,

Your mother has asked me to confirm your three attendees for your wedding invitations. The invitations will be sent out on Friday night, so please send your three names with their contact information and address to me by then. If possible, please send it at least one day beforehand as Mrs. Seo would like to review them before I send the invitations out.

Additionally, she has set up another meeting for you with Mr. Min Yoongi on Friday, at 6 pm. Please find the location details below.

Please let me know if you need any other information,

Yang Yujin

You sighed, reading over the email again. For one, you honestly didn’t even know who you’d want to invite. You didn’t really have that many friends outside of Joohee, your colleagues, and Jung Hoseok, your friend from college. You knew that Joohee would already be invited, but you weren’t sure about Hoseok. He wasn’t a part of the same social circle as you and Joohee, especially since he didn’t come from a richer family, but you’d met him in college and introduced him to Joohee soon after. The three of you had been practically inseparable during your undergrad but after graduation, the three of you hadn’t met up in person in a while, with Hoseok in Busan for work. You tapped your chin thoughtfully with the eraser end of a pencil, maybe you should send an invite to Hoseok. Suddenly, another thought occurred to you, making the pencil drop from your fingers and onto your lap.

You hadn’t even told Hoseok about Yoongi!

“Damn,” you muttered, making a mental note to call him later today. You’d figure out the other invites later. Your eyes drifted to the second part of the email. 

Another meeting, huh? It sounds like it’ll be just the two of us this time. I wonder if he’ll be any different.

A rap of knuckles against your desk brought your attention back in front of you. Song Ha stood beside your chair, looking at you curiously, “It’s lunch, Team Leader. Want to grab something with the team downstairs?”

Shit, you had agreed to grab lunch with Joohee today. 

“No, Miss Choi, I’ll be meeting a friend of mine. But you all enjoy your lunch!”

“Alright, have fun!”

The team slowly filed out, discussing amongst themselves what they’d get from the cafeteria today. You almost longed to go with them, but you knew you had to tell Joohee about the email you got. 

You could feel a headache coming on. 

Sighing, you stood and gathered your things into your tote bag, never having liked purses, and started the walk towards the elevators to reach the quaint cafe across the street you and Joohee liked to frequent. 

You had arrived before Joohee, which was to be expected with your office right across and decided to grab a table for both of you. Setting your tote bag in the seat beside you, you read the email once more on your phone. It dragged another sigh out of you before you almost jumped into the air at the sound of Joohee’s voice.

“What’s got you so melancholy?’

You breathed out to calm your heart rate from the mini jumpscare and looked up at her. She was dressed a bit more formal than you in a light blue blouse and dark navy dress pants that fell gracefully in silk around her long legs with a maroon purse hanging from her shoulder. Her office was much more formal than yours, working under her father. Your own office often had team leaders and higher-ups in jeans, the nature of your work making it more casual, so you contrasted her in a simple black sweatshirt and blue jeans. 

“I have to meet Yoongi again on Friday.”

“God damn.”

You nodded somberly as she took her seat across from you, “You remember what happened last time? Why does it feel like he’s gonna eat me alive this time?”

Joohee looked at you suggestively, wiggling her eyebrows.

You recoiled, shooting her a glare, “Good God, woman, not like that.”

Joohee relented, waving her hands in surrender, “Okay, well, assume he’ll be the same. Then you won’t be caught off guard. But I think you should still try to get through to him. Maybe, at the very least, you guys can become friends.”

You hummed in agreement, what she was saying made sense. You weren’t exactly hoping for a rom-com drama-like romantic relationship, but being friends wouldn’t be so bad. 

A waiter arrived, taking your drink and food orders, and you and Joohee fell back into easy conversation about your jobs and other small gossip. As much as you were trying to pay attention to what Joohee was saying, you couldn’t help your mind returning to Yoongi and his dark eyes scrutinizing you and his cold, biting voice. 

“Y/N?”

You focused back into Joohee and her concerned stare dug into you, “What?”

“Are you still thinking about Yoongi?”

You nodded, looking away. You felt bad for not listening to her especially when she had basically given you a solution to your anxiety regarding Friday. You heard her sigh before speaking. 

“Listen, Y/N, you can’t stop how he’s going to behave towards you. You can only control how you respond. I think your best bet is to try to tell him you’re not expecting him to treat you like a wife, but you want him to treat you like a friend. Unless that isn’t what you want.”

“No, it is,” you said, keeping yourself from burying your head in your hands, “And you’re right, that’s all I can do. Why didn’t you become a therapist, again?”

Joohee only grinned in response, “I’m too pretty.”

Joohee’s words from earlier echoed in your head for the rest of the workday. Did you really want him to treat you like a friend? Or something more?

You weren’t sure. Of course, you had this half-crush, half-infatuation with the man since you’d met him when you were younger, but marriage was a totally different game. Were you really ready to spend the rest of your life with a man you were attracted to but he couldn’t feel the same? 

Maybe he could.

You knocked that thought away as soon as it entered your mind, you shouldn’t be getting your hopes up. You knew that Yoongi was less than happy about the situation and the unfavorable circumstances would only serve to further distance him from you. You would have to be okay with just being friends if that. 

As you paced around your apartment later that night, you stopped in front of your dresser in your bedroom. In the third drawer from the top was the handkerchief that Yoongi had given you when you were younger. You had kept it meaning to give it back to him, but you had barely seen him since then, let alone had a moment in private to give it to him. 

Most of your interactions had been minimal conversations at parties and galas, often accompanied by Joohee and Seokjin. You couldn’t recall a time when Yoongi had actually talked to you directly in any of those scenarios. So why did your crush persist?

Maybe it was the innocence of your first meeting, the cliche of it all. You, small, sad, and alone, and Yoongi, showing up like your knight in shining armor. You had had a fascination with him since then, always trying to seek out his silhouette or pitch-black hair at gatherings afterward. Yet, he never approached you alone, nor did you make an attempt to do so yourself. You had called it an infatuation with Joohee because it really was, you didn’t really know anything about him, much less had a full conversation with him. Even when you were in a group with him, Seokjin, and Joohee, he would barely acknowledge you. 

Not that he was obligated to.

You fell back onto your bed and stared up at the ceiling, letting out a soft grunt when you hit the mattress. Would you be able to survive actually getting to know Yoongi? Your greatest fear was that you would fall in love with him, you were basically already primed for it. And that would not work out, you knew that, and you refused to consider any other outcome.

You couldn’t afford to get your hopes up.

Turning on your side, you could feel your thoughts drift to your few interactions with him growing up. He had always been polite, but cold. The most he’d said to you was a curt greeting and the barest of small talk. The only other interactions you’d really had were your first meeting and hearing about his escapades through the grapevine, mainly Joohee. Nonetheless, you found yourself infatuated, your eyes finding his slightly round cheeks and pouty lips inevitably. What would life be like once you got married?

You tried to imagine yourself in a domestic setting with Yoongi but quickly shut that down, that would only bring up unwanted feelings. You considered whether or not he would continue seeing other people after you were married. Joohee had said it was very possible. Would you be able to handle it? Joohee had suggested that you fool around a bit yourself but you had quickly dismissed that. Cheating was something you would never tolerate in a relationship, from the other person or from yourself. You knew that the reality would be different in your situation, but you still refused to let yourself stray from Yoongi.

Not that you hadn’t tried in the past. You had been in only two relationships leading up to now, one in college and another as a short burst after graduation. It all felt pointless when you knew you wouldn’t get to choose who you spent the rest of your life with. It was an agony that, along with other factors, ended both of your relationships. Mina had been a bright spot in your life, but she couldn’t deal with the fact that you were not only not out to your parents, but that you would likely not be able to be with her long term anyway. There had been other signs that the relationship wouldn’t work out, and you had tried to remain friends but it didn’t pan out past college. 

The relationship after college that had only lasted a few months was with Jaehyun, a sweet man who had been your coworker at your first job out of college. He was very kind to you and you felt comfortable in his presence, but you couldn’t handle the guilt of going out with him while knowing he wouldn’t be the one you marry. To his credit, he had been very understanding when you’d broken down in front of him in a guilt-fueled spiral. He’d held you until you calmed down, wiped your tears, and squeezed you tight before leaving, stating that you could always call him if you needed anything. You still messaged him sometimes, and you remained firm that if you did get to choose who to marry, he would be your first choice. 

The arranged marriage had been looming over your life since you were old enough to understand the importance of status to your family. You were sure Yoongi’s family was the same. You were both expected to keep your duty to your family, a repayment for the comfortable life you both had lived. Once or twice you had considered telling your parents you wouldn’t go through with it when the time came, but you knew that it would only result in you having to pay them back for everything they had ever given money towards for you. Even though you’d gotten multiple scholarships for college, your parents insisted you go to a prestigious university that rarely gave any money to their students because they knew their parents would have wide-open wallets. There was no way you’d ever be able to pay that back in your lifetime, especially with your current job. 

So you were stuck. But you knew you weren’t really all that unhappy. While the circumstances weren’t what you preferred, you couldn’t deny the small excitement that you felt at the prospect of being able to have a relationship with Yoongi. The caveat to that was also knowing that he was an entirely unwilling participant in this situation, which wasn’t really going to work to your advantage. You were set on remaining a realist, refusing to consider the idea that Yoongi might come to love you. It felt like you didn’t have much of any other choice. Everything about this entire situation made you feel like a passive observer, someone with no impact or voice, which wasn’t far from the truth. You imagined Yoongi was much the same.

Distantly, you wondered how many people Yoongi was allowed to invite to the wedding.

Speaking of! You had almost forgotten to call Hoseok, and it was getting late. You scrambled to reach for your phone, stretching your arm out to the nightstand where your phone sat, and grasping it. Dialing his number, you registered how low his contact was on your recent calls. You really needed to call him more often. Hitting his contact, you waited for the ringing to start. He answered rather quickly, which surprised you, as he was usually an early sleeper.

“Hey, Y/N! It’s been a while.”

“Yeah, it has. I missed you. Hobi,” you said, not realizing how much you meant it until the words left your mouth. It really had been too long since you’d called.

“What’s up? You don’t sound too happy. Is everything okay,” he questioned, and your heart warmed at his concerned nature. He was always able to read you well, better than Joohee sometimes. 

“Yeah, everything’s fine I guess. I’m getting married, actually.”

The other end of the line was silent for a bit before you heard Hoseok let out a breath and speak, “Oh, wow. Okay. How are you feeling?”

You choked out a laugh, “You’re not even asking who I’m marrying?”

“Well, I know that it’s not someone you chose. So I want to know how you’re doing. When did you find out?”

Your laughter died at his serious nature, your attempt at lightening the mood unsuccessful, “About two months ago. The wedding’s in around six. Want an invite? I get a whole three guests of my own choosing.”

He chuckled softly at that, “Of course I do, you know I’ll be there. But seriously, how are you feeling about this?”

You almost sighed at his unwillingness to let you escape his question, “I don’t know, honestly. I really don’t. I think I’m weirdly at peace with it? I’ve been expecting it for so long and now it’s finally happening. Plus, it being Min Yoongi isn’t exactly the worst thing ever.”

You could hear his surprise over the phone, “Min Yoongi? Like your crush of almost two decades, Min Yoongi?”

You groaned, responding, “Jeez, way to remind me how old I am. Yes, that Min Yoongi. He’s definitely not as okay with it as I am though.”

“What do you mean?”

You recounted the past meeting with his family to Hoseok while he patiently listened and interrupted occasionally to provide his own thoughts. When you finished, you could practically see him falling back against his desk chair, exhaling a burst of air. 

“Well, that’s a lot.”

You let out a short laugh, “Yeah, that’s been my life for the past couple of months.”

“I think Joohee gave you some good advice. I’d probably say something similar to you. Try to make the most of the situation but don’t expect a lot from him. I don’t want you getting hurt.”

You nodded, even though he couldn’t see you, “Yeah, you’re probably right. But, enough about me, how are you doing? How’s work?”

Hosek launched into recapping how busy the dance school he taught at had been lately and the gossip surrounding his coworkers. You felt yourself relax more into the conversation and slowly forget your troubling feelings surrounding Yoongi. 

You would deal with those come Friday. 

It was Friday. You made sure to leave work a bit early, giving you enough time to run back to your apartment to change and look presentable. You had chosen your outfit with Joohee’s help the night prior. You were meeting at a relatively fancy restaurant but it was more of a bar, so you didn’t want to be too formal. You had opted for a green dress with a small flower print since you were coming off the winter months into spring. Your dress was an A-line cocktail dress with a square neckline and puffed sleeves that cinched at your wrist. You’d had it for a while and knew how it looked on you, and you knew you would feel comfortable in it tonight. The last thing you needed weighing on your mind was getting in your head about how you looked, which you usually felt nauseous from. 

With it approaching six, you quickly finished up some minimal makeup, topped it off with a lip tint, and tried your best to make your hair look presentable after what was a long day of work. A glance at your watch told you that you didn’t have much time left, so you rushed to your car, almost forgetting your small purse, and started your drive over to the restaurant. You didn’t want to be late and make a bad impression on Yoongi, although you didn’t know if his impression of you could get any worse. 

After you arrived and were sat at your table, you checked your phone to see the time and were relieved to note that you were a couple of minutes early. You felt yourself relax into the booth and started taking slow, calming breaths to slow down your racing heartbeat. The adrenaline of trying to get to the restaurant on time was starting to fade and you took another glance at your watch. 

6:06

Well, that’s fine. He’s probably just a little late, you tried to reassure yourself, but you had a sinking feeling. As the minutes marched on, the sinking feeling grew deeper, and you could feel yourself growing slightly annoyed. 

6:29

Well, whatever.

You took out your phone from your purse and decided to message him. It should be reasonable, right? You had scheduled this beforehand, after all. Well, not you, your mother, but still, the principle held. 

You:

Hi Yoongi-ssi, this is Seo Y/N. I’m waiting at the restaurant at the moment 

and I was wondering if you were alright, since you weren’t here yet? Please let me know if you’d like to reschedule instead.

You winced at how the text message sounded more like an email between colleagues, but you weren’t sure how casual you were supposed to be with him. Before you could mull over the tone of your message more, you hit the send button and bit your lip as you waited for a response. Your fingers began to pick at your dress in a nervous habit and you kept your eyes trained on the restaurant entrance in case you spotted him. 

Finally, at 6:42, you saw the head of black hair that had haunted your dreams as of late. He walked in calmly, looking slightly disheveled, but his lax pace didn’t betray anything about his tardy entrance. He looked infuriatingly attractive in a well-fitted suit with the tie loosened and the top couple of buttons undone. His eyes met yours as the hostess led him to your table and you smiled politely at him, receiving only a cursory nod in return. The waitress quickly approached as he sat down across from you and took his drink order, two fingers of whisky, while you asked for more water. It wasn’t that you didn’t want to drink, more that you needed to keep your wits about you for this dinner and alcohol would only make you feel nauseous in your already anxious state.

With the waitress gone, he turned to you and you felt yourself flush automatically, something you internally cursed. You wished he didn’t have such an effect on you. He declined to say anything, so you took a moment to take in his appearance now that he was much closer to you. 

You could see that his collar was more rumpled than you initially thought and his hair a bit more mussed. You saw a small mark just barely visible from beneath his white button-up, above his tie. Now that he was much closer, you could smell a faint scent of a sweet perfume that you knew wasn’t yours since you had only worn a very light citrus one. 

Oh. He was with someone else. Why does that bother me so much?

Finally, he spoke, his deep voice lulling you out of your trance of staring at the mark on his chest, “Sorry I’m late. I saw your text, but I was driving. To be completely honest, I forgot about this.”

For a moment, his apology surprised you. For some reason, you hadn’t expected him to apologize. Maybe you’d built him up to be this cartoon villain in your head after your last interaction, but you’d forgotten that he was human just like you. 

“That’s alright, it’s no problem,” you responded kindly, noting the way his eyebrow slightly furrowed at your response, “How was your day?”

He raised an eyebrow at you in a questioning manner, “Are you really going to do small talk with me?”

You let out an embarrassed laugh at your failure to engage him and tried for a new tactic instead, “Okay, what would you like to talk about then?”

“I want to set some ground rules.”

Your surprise must’ve shown on your face because you saw the way his expression almost changed to amusement. You quickly shook off the abruptness of the statement and nodded your head, “Okay, like what?”

“First, you’ll be moving into my apartment. I’m sure your mother already told you,” you nodded, “Do not enter my bedroom or office without knocking. I’ll extend the same courtesy to you. Second, we keep our lives separate. Unless we need to appear at an event together, we shouldn’t be mingling our private lives, including friends, work, things like that. Thirdly, this marriage is going to be on paper only. Don’t expect me to treat you like my girlfriend, or my wife, because we both know that’s not what this is.”

You felt your teeth take in your bottom lip as you considered his words, “Okay, that’s fine, I guess.” You couldn’t really stop him from wanting to do that, but it still hurt some. Any hopes you had of getting a normal romantic relationship after this were quickly dashed by his next rule.

“Lastly, I want this to be open. Our parents aren’t pressuring us for kids, so we can both find relief elsewhere. We both know this is only for increased stocks and influence in our respective companies. So, I do whatever I want and you do whatever you want in that regard, and we don’t interfere in each other’s love lives.”

You felt your face fall a bit, but you tried to control your expression. You had prepared for this, Joohee had prepared you for this. So why were you still so upset? He’s giving you the go-ahead to find whoever you want, so it’s not technically cheating. So why does it still feel so wrong?

“Okay,” you said uneasily, “That’s all okay.” It felt like you were saying it more for yourself than for him. 

His eyebrow quirked once more. They were very expressive, you noticed. 

“That’s it? You don’t have any rules of your own you want to add in?”

Your hands clenched onto the edge of the booth seat, needing something to ground you. Rules of your own? Your head was swimming with everything that had just happened, you could barely think of anything else, “No, none I want to add.”

Yoongi leaned back and clasped his hands, “Alright then. Shall we eat? My dad’s technically paying so eat all you want.”

You shakily took hold of the menu you’d already looked over a hundred times while waiting for him, not wanting to appear rude by being on your phone. You had already chosen what dish you wanted when Yujin had sent you the restaurant name, a habit of yours being to look up the menu beforehand to choose. The waitress approached and took your orders, taking the menu from your hands, leaving you with nothing to grasp your quivering fingers onto. 

You looked over at Yoongi, seeing him on his phone, scrolling. You felt yourself blanch at the blatant disregard and couldn’t find it in yourself to try and start a conversation. 

The minutes passed by slowly, and you were barely relieved when the food came, providing momentary respite by giving you something to do. You felt like you’d never been in a more awkward situation. The waitress quickly refilled both your drinks, and you noted that Yoongi had ordered water this time. It must be because he’s driving. 

Soon, the both of you finished your food, in utter silence. The waitress, who was quite on top of her game, swiftly provided the bill and told you to take your time. You had a feeling she felt the awkward tension as much as you did.

Once the bill was paid, you and Yoongi walked out towards the parking lot where he started shifting to move in the direction of his car before you blurted out, “Wait!”

He turned, facing you with a bored expression, waiting for you to finish speaking.

“I do have a rule actually.”

Seeming slightly intrigued now, he gestured for you to continue.

“I want us to try and be friends. Please.”

He seemed slightly surprised, judging by the way his eyebrows lifted slightly and his mouth parted. Collecting himself, he looked directly into your eyes, his dark orbs boring into your own, “No. I want us to keep our lives completely separate. We’re not friends.”

With that, he turned around and walked to his car, not sparing you another glance. 

“Wow, what an asshole.”

You hummed lazily in agreement, feeling your head lull. You were already a bottle deep in more cheap Moscato with Joohee, as well as a couple of shots of strawberry soju. 

“I know right! I agreed to whatever he said, why couldn’t he agree with the one thing I asked for?”

Joohee winced and prepared herself for your buzzed anger that was sure to flare up at her next statement, “Well, he wasn’t exactly wrong. It did conflict with his other rule. Not that I think he’s justified either. There shouldn’t be a problem in being friends.”

Your head snapped towards her, seeing it as a defensive move for Yoongi in your half-drunken state, but before you could find the energy to get upset, you felt yourself melt further into the couch, “Yeah, you’re right, I guess. Whatever, I don’t need him. I’ll just fuck anyone who looks my way, instead.”

“No, you won’t.”

“No, I won’t,” you cried, collapsing onto the pillow beside you, squeezing it tight, “Why am I so pathetic?”

“You’re not,” Joohee cooed, “You’re just in a shitty situation. So is he, but at least you’re not being a dick about it.”

You nodded glumly, still not feeling better about the situation. As you cradled the now-empty wine bottle to your chest, you remembered Hoseok.

“Oh yeah, I invited Hobi for the wedding. My coworker, Song Ha too. Can you believe I couldn’t think of a third person?”

Joohee laughed before throwing herself onto the couch with you, “Hey, you don’t need other friends, you have me. Besides, we’ll all be together again, then! It feels like forever since we’ve seen him.”

“Yeah, I told him and he said the same stuff as you. To try and make the best of it, or whatever,” you could feel yourself becoming less and less sober, “Can I crash here tonight?”

“Of course, do you want me to wash your dress for you?”

“No, I’ll just do it at my place. Thank God I have you.”

Joohee only laughed loudly in response, getting up to grab another bottle of soju from the fridge. The two of you lounged around before moving to watch TV in Joohee’s bed where she promptly fell asleep. Soothed by her snoring, you relaxed into her comfortable mattress and traced the light extrusions on her ceiling. Your thoughts soon drifted to Yoongi, as they seemed to do often these days. 

Was he really fair in rejecting your friendship? Joohee had made a good point earlier in that it certainly conflicted with his rule of ignoring each other outside of obligated functions. But…you didn’t want that. So why did you agree? In the moment, it hadn’t really felt like you’d had another choice. You seemed to be feeling like that a lot lately. 

Yoongi seemed serious about this marriage being for business only and you knew that you didn’t want that, but you couldn’t exactly tell him as such. You couldn’t be more sure that he would only be disgusted if he heard you say that and you didn’t think you’d be able to survive seeing that kind of emotion on his face when it’s directed towards you. 

Not that you’d be able to survive this marriage either. 

Your fingers toyed with the frayed hem of the sleep shorts you’d borrowed from Joohee, a frequent occurrence whenever you stayed over, and you saw her shift in her sleep. She really had been so supportive throughout this whole thing. 

Maybe you should go to her brother for help? No, Yoongi would probably hate that. 

You resisted the urge to kick your feet in frustration out of fear of waking up Joohee. This was so difficult, it was next to impossible to figure out what your next move should be. 

You had a nagging feeling that your mother wouldn’t force you to meet up with Yoongi anymore before the wedding, but why did that not feel like a clear-cut win? Did you want to meet with Yoongi again?

Rubbing at your eyes frantically, you pushed aside the flurry of questions stirring inside you. You didn’t have time to deal with this. There was a large project at work that was in its final stages that you needed your full attention on and then the final beta tests before the official launch, just weeks before your wedding. You couldn’t afford to spend another moment thinking about Yoongi. 

As you got more comfortable in Joohee’s bed, you turned your head to face the clock on her bedside table, reading 3:09 AM. 

A sigh escaped your lips as you forced your eyes closed to try and get some rest. 

You had an inkling that Yoongi would be occupying your thoughts whether you wanted it or not. 

“We’ll be meeting for the rehearsal dinner in one week, Yujin will send you the information and instructions. Don’t be late.”

Your mother’s voice cut off after that, not bothering to say goodbye before ending the call. You could feel your headache coming back and you fumbled for your water bottle before getting up to grab a red ginseng packet from the breakroom. Things had been a lot lately. 

The final preparations for the wedding were underway and your mother was leaving nothing to chance. Your dress had been fitted to perfection with your mother sending you a strict diet and workout plan to make sure you stayed the exact same size until the wedding. That email had been swiftly archived. 

You weren’t even sure of who was in your bridal party other than Joohee being your maid of honor. Not that it mattered. This wedding wasn’t for you anyway. 

As you slowly sucked out the paste from the ginseng packet, leaning against the break room counter, you wondered if Yoongi had had to go through similar procedures, though likely less extensive. You hadn’t heard from him since that dinner where he’d firmly placed a boundary between you, but he’d rarely left your mind since. You’d hoped that the reality check with Yoongi might help clear you of your feelings for him, but, instead, they only deepened your desire to get to know him better, to break past that boundary. But you knew that those ideas were merely fairy tales and this marriage was not going to be one by any means. 

Distantly, you wondered how the ceremony would go. The two of you hadn’t prepared any vows, nor were you expected to. This wedding was not a show of love and everyone knew that. Your parents weren’t concerned with making it appear as though you and Yoongi were a loving couple, no, this wedding was more of an excuse to show off their wealth and influence. Your nuptials were merely a byproduct. Still, would you have to kiss Yoongi?

You quickly shook your head, trying to rid yourself of the mental image, feeling your cheeks flush hot. Yet, you couldn’t get it out of your head. You imagined his lips would be soft and gentle, that he would lead you through the kiss and deepen it for more. His hands would come to rest at your waist before encircling it, pulling you closer, flush, to his body. 

No! You can’t imagine that, you’re not allowed!

Internally, you scoffed. What kind of girl wasn’t allowed to imagine kissing her fiance? You knew the truth, however, that it wasn’t your place to imagine yourself in that position. That was reserved for the person he loved, who was, decidedly, not you. 

Tossing the packet, you made your way back to your way back to your desk. Settling into the pillowed surface of your chair, you browsed through your emails before noticing one from the marketing team.

From: limheesungmarketing1@okgaming.com

RE: MIRA’S AWAKENING Influencer Advertising

Hello Team Leader Seo,

We have decided that we would like to reach out to online influencers and streamers to assist in promoting Project Mira’s Awakening. A list of possible candidates is attached, along with their profiles and viewer analytics. We would like your input on any public figures you believe may be good candidates for this endeavor. Please reach out if you and your team come up with any candidates that are not already included in the attached file.

Additionally, we would like to create merchandise to provide for these public figures and we need to confirm with you and Graphics Team 2 on graphics we can include on merchandise items. You will find a list of items we are looking to make, along with graphics suggestions, attached as well. Please coordinate with GT 2 to send over finalized ideas and start creating the images.

Thank you,

Team Leader Lim

You considered the contents, feeling the eraser of your pencil tap against your lip, who could you suggest? You had your favorite streamers, but none aligned that well with the nature of the game you were producing, which meant the viewer base wouldn’t have enough crossover with your target audience. Running through a list of the streamers you watched regularly in your head, you stopped at one in particular. 

Goldenboy97. 

Jeon Jeongguk was quite popular and played enough combat-based games to have sufficient audience crossover, while still being intriguing for the puzzle aspect of the game. Not that you were biased, but he was your favorite creator at the moment. You jotted down his handle and a note to ask the rest of your team about their thoughts. 

Leaning back in your chair, you stared blankly at the screen as the emails continued flooding in. Slowly, but surely, your thoughts drifted back to the phone call with your mother. The wedding was next week, with the rehearsal dinner only being seven days away. 

You felt a strange combination of dread and giddiness, a swirl of emotional turmoil you weren’t ready to unpack. Hoseok was coming back tonight and you were picking him up from the train station. You’d probably have time to process your emotions then. Hoseok was staying at your apartment in the guest bedroom for a couple of weeks so he could be there through the whole wedding process. He had also mentioned looking for an apartment to move into in Seoul, which made you excited. You really wanted to have the college dream team together again.

The thoughts of the actual wedding were stoking your nerves, you still hadn’t talked to Yoongi since the last time you’d met. You weren’t sure of the protocol or if you should try to talk to him beforehand, especially about the ceremony. Too cowardly to act on your anxiety, you shut off your opened messaging app on your phone. You weren’t keen on finding out how Yoongi would respond to an unprompted message. 

The sound of your team packing up alerted you to the time, being slightly past five. You joined them in getting ready to leave before heading to the elevator. The rest of the group trekked slightly ahead while Song Ha walked slightly slower to stay back with you. 

“So, the wedding is next week. Are you excited?”

You chuckled nervously, “Yeah, you could call it that.”

“Ah, are you nervous? Makes sense. Just think, though, soon, you’ll be married to the love of your life! How exciting!”

Your insides felt queasy. You hadn’t told Song Ha about the nature of your relationship with your betrothed because you weren’t exactly sure how to explain it to someone who wasn’t familiar, nor did you want to deal with the embarrassment, “Yeah, I guess so.”

“Where are you going for your honeymoon?”

You bit your lip, “Nowhere, actually. We couldn’t get time off of work at the same time.” The honeymoon had long been decided as an unnecessary expense, and neither you nor Yoongi complained. Being stuck with him for weeks after the wedding in another country sounded like a nightmarish situation. You wouldn’t have minded a vacation though.

“Gosh, that sucks. Hopefully, you’ll be able to do something over the summer, maybe,” Song Ha pouted, swinging her work bag in line with her step. You smiled at her naivete.

“Yeah, hopefully.”

“Hobi!”

You ran towards the taller man, throwing your arms around his upper body, “I missed you! It feels so nice to have you back in Seoul.”

Feeling his chest rumble with a laugh, you squeezed him harder before releasing him. 

“Feels good to be back too,” he responded, a bright, heart-shaped smile adorning his face, “Let me get my bags to your car.”

“Oh, right, let me help,” you nodded, reaching for the bigger suitcase to roll towards your car. Hoseok easily picked up the duffel bag lying at his feet and followed behind you. You had opted for driving to the station since his train had come too late for the buses to still be running, and you didn’t want to have to deal with paying for or lugging his baggage into a cab. 

After loading the luggage into your trunk, you both settled into the front seats of your well-worn car. You heard Hoseok chuckle while clicking in his seatbelt, “This certainly feels different from the drunk bus and taxi rides back to the campus dorms. Even if it’s about the same level as luxury.”

You rolled your eyes, “Hey, my car is reliable. The previous owner only had it for a couple of years before selling it off and she’s been perfectly good since then. Though, my mom would probably agree with you on the luxury bit.”

“Yeah, well, who wants to listen to her opinion anyway. Before I forget, thanks again for letting me stay at your place while I’m here, I know it’ll probably be annoying with the wedding prep going on.”

“It’s no problem, seriously. Besides, a lot of my stuff’s been moved over to Yoongi’s for when I move after the wedding. I’m just keeping my apartment there in case I need it since I won’t be paying rent at Yoongi’s.” Keeping the lease on your apartment had been a conscious decision because you had figured you’d want a safe space away from the marriage drama and it wouldn’t be an extra hit to your income. What your mother and Yoongi didn’t know wouldn’t hurt them. 

“Has he really paid off his entire apartment? You’re marrying a proper chaebol,” Hoseok joked. 

You laughed lightly, a tinge of awkwardness at the idea that you really were, and you had no idea how he’d act in his own house. Tapping your fingers along the steering wheel, you tried to subtly change the topic, “Well, speaking of apartments, do you know where you’re going to be looking?”

Hoseok launched into a detailed plan he had for looking at rental properties in Seoul for both his apartment and the studio he wanted to open. You excitedly listened along, thrilled that he was planning on settling near you, as you drove to your own apartment. 

After you’d parked, Hoseok insisted on taking the large suitcase, claiming that only he was strong enough to lug it up the stairs. You only laughed a little bit at his sour expression when you showed him the perfectly working elevator. 

Punching in the code to your apartment, you swung open the door, making sure not to step food inside. A loud pop rang out and confetti sprayed out from the doorway.

“Surprise!”

Hoseok stumbled back, clutching at his chest and mouth agape at Joohee’s excited smile from inside the apartment, “Shit, Joohee, you scared me!”

You laughed loudly before grabbing his suitcase and rolling it inside, setting the duffel bag on top. Joohee began cleaning up the mess of confetti, Hoseok started to unpack what he’d need for the night, and you began unboxing the pizza that had arrived while Joohee was setting up. 

As the three of you settled into your living room, Hoseok already teasing Joohee, you felt like a void in your heart had been filled. The last few months had been so stressful and it hadn’t felt like you’d gotten a break emotionally in so long. The sounds of your friends chattering and laughing made you feel at ease. So, naturally, Hoseok had to ruin that.

“So, Y/N, how are you feeling about the rehearsal next week? Or the wedding, for that matter.”

You shifted in your position on the loveseat, feeling yourself frown, “Um, I don’t know. I don’t know what to expect. I can’t believe I’ll be married in just over a week.” Letting out a nervous laugh, you continued, “I haven’t talked to Yoongi in like six months. I don’t know what I’m going to do.”

You could feel yourself spiraling, but you had been holding in so many emotions that it felt like you couldn’t stop yourself from talking, “Honestly, I’m really scared. I don’t want this to be my life forever. I’m not ready, I don’t think I’ll ever be.”

Joohee got up from her spot on the couch to hug you, Hoseok joining soon after. Something about their touch comforting you pushed you over the edge, the dam broke, and tears began streaming down your cheeks. You sniffled pathetically, hating the level of vulnerability you were currently displaying. You hadn’t cried throughout this whole experience, but in the comforting presence of your closest friends, you couldn’t help it. 

“I don’t want to do this. I don’t want to marry him if it’s going to be like this. Why does my life have to be this way? Why can’t I be normal?”

Joohee and Hoseok only squeezed you in response, not having an answer to your questions. Your tears continued on until you couldn’t cry anymore and Joohee finally released you. She stood and smiled kindly at you, “Do you want me to get you anything?”

“Water, please,” you said raspily, throat dry from all the crying. Joohee nodded before heading to the kitchen, leaving you with Hoseok who had shoved himself into the loveseat to further comfort you. 

“Thanks,” you mumbled, slightly muffled by burying your face in Hoseok’s soft, cotton shirt. 

“You know you can always talk to us. I wish I could change this for you, that you didn’t have to do this,” he said softly, stroking your hair. 

“It is what it is,” you said, feeling much more mellow now that you’d cried out all your overwhelming emotions. 

“Still,” Hoseok insisted, “He has no reason to be such a jerk.” You shrugged, you felt the same but there wasn’t much you could do to change that. 

Joohee returned with a cup of water which you gratefully took and sipped. Suddenly feeling quite exhausted, and a headache coming on, you tapped Hoseok to get off of you, to which he complied and clambered off the loveseat.

“Sorry guys, I’m just so exhausted now. I really appreciate you being here, but I think I’m going to head to bed,” you stated, hugging both of them, before starting to gather the trash to clean up. 

Joohee laid a hand on your shoulder to stop you, “Go, get some rest. We’ll clean up.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes,” Hoseok exclaimed, and pushed you towards your bedroom, “Go to bed!”

Laughing, you acquiesced and headed into your bedroom to get ready to sleep. As you went through your nightly routine, you felt yourself feeling a bit calmer about the upcoming week. You had your two closest friends by your side. 

You were ready to handle anything that Yoongi threw at you.

Probably.

Yoongi lightly swirled the glass of whiskey between his fingers as he sat at his desk in his brown leather chair. By this time next week, he would be getting married. 

His eyes drifted towards the manila folder lying at the edge of his desk, a small water stain on the corner. Inside were the files on his soon-to-be wife, Seo Y/N. He took a sip of his whiskey, the smoky flavour traveling down his throat, as he considered his fiancee. 

He didn’t know what to make of her. She just seemed so meek and obedient, which wasn’t at all appealing. He didn’t remember much of her from before the arrangement, aside from vague interactions between them and the Kim siblings. She had seemed quite timid then too. 

Sighing, he leaned back in his chair, setting his glass on his desk. He didn’t want to do this marriage. It was a chore, really. 

Yoongi didn’t necessarily have anyone he was looking to marry, but having to pretend to be exclusive with some girl he didn’t care about wasn’t conducive to the bachelor lifestyle he’d cultivated. He’d set his ground rules, and she’d agreed, pretty easily, another thing that irked Yoongi. 

Couldn’t she stand up for herself? Or say anything at all that was her own opinion?

Yoongi drummed his fingers on the arm of his chair, he supposed she had said something that night. She’d wanted to be friends. He hadn’t been expecting that.

He figured it might be some condition about how she didn’t want to work or for him to stop seeing other people, but, instead, she’d simply asked for his friendship. And he’d refused. 

Of course he did, it went against his other rule. He wanted to keep his life separate from this artificial marriage and that included remaining nothing but acquaintances. He’d have to be steadfast, he decided. That night, when he’d seen your imploring expression with hope shining in your eyes, he’d almost agreed. He wasn’t sure why that was, or if he even wanted to know, but he couldn’t let it happen again. 

Despite your docile and unassuming nature, you were dangerous. And you didn’t seem to know it, which made you all the more so.

previous / masterlist / next 

[skzhua]

Episode nine.

MASTERLIST

pairing: XO, Kitty's Min Ho x Female Reader

genre: Fluff, angst, enemies-to-lovers, slow burn, coming-of-age.

word count: 5.7k

warnings: Swearing, suggestive, jealous Min Ho, sad for some parts.

summary: Transferring to KISS was the last thing you had asked for and, yet, a certain tall boy made it seem both worse and better than you expected.

note: Bold - Korean, Italic - Over the phone

a/n: So much is happening in this one... and it's so long...

"A reason, a season, or a lifetime."

Q paused his workout for a moment. Frowning at Min Ho in confusion, he asked him to explain furthermore. As he stopped massaging his face with the face roller, he sighed.

"Every relationship fits into one of those categories. I read it in a magazine."

Q, not caring much, resumed to working out. Meanwhile, you came out of your room and sat next to Min Ho.

"The point is," he continued. "Y/N and I are starting a relationship. And looking at how things were before between us, I believe we got together for a reason."

"You needed to get laid with a chick?"

You slapped Q's arm aggressively. "What a way to talk about me when I am right here!"

"Not for that, no." Min Ho chuckled. "She showed me that there was more than just casual dating, that it could be worth it."

You laughed and he looked at you weirdly. "What?"

"I'm talking about real feelings and you are laughing?"

"No, I believe you are being sincere and it's real sweet. But it does not fit you at all." you still laughed.

His jaw clenched. "It might not have been that worth it asking you to be my girlfriend, after all."

That shut you up real quick. After a small apology, he invited you in his arms to cuddle before placing a soft peck on the top of your head. You squirmed in comfort.

"Do I have to third-wheel?" Q whined.

"Don't be like this, you have Florian." you assured but it didn't seem to do the trick.

"Yeah..."

Min Ho immediately noticed the shift in his voice. "How are things with him?"

"He's going through some stuff, but I'm here for him."

"That's good. I'm sure he's glad to have you around." you smiled warmly at him.

Having complained about third-wheeling barely two minutes ago, to Q's luck, Dae and Kitty came to join in the living room, skipping before he took her in his arms. Telling each other sweet 'good morning's, the remaining three of you grunted in annoyance.

"And now I am fifth-wheeling." Q muttered to himself.

Min Ho gave the couple the side eye. "It's too early to be this cheery."

"I am this cheery." Kitty affirmed as she and Dae went to the kitchen counter to prepare coffee for everyone. "Not only because I have the most perfect boyfriend in the world-"

"Lucky you." you said as you sat down with Min Ho behind you, rubbing your arms.

"Thank you?" he gasped, offended.

Kitty chuckled before continuing. "But it has also come to my attention that I am failing most of my classes. That means that if I don't do amazing on the finals, I will flunk out of school."

"How is this making you cheery?" you asked.

"Well, if I dwell the fact that I was considered super smart at home and here I can barely keep up, I will start sobbing."

You, on the other hand, had never been doing any better. Your aunt was proud of you for integrating the school perfectly, your uncle praised your grades in his class, you had friends, a boyfriend... This was all too good to be true. You started to doubt that it was going to last, especially with finals coming up so soon.

"We still have a week." Dae spoke. "We're going to make study plans and everyone will help you."

Min Ho shook his head. "I'm very busy and Y/N-"

"Everyone." Dae said in a stern tone. "Guys, Kitty and I are finally together. I'm not going to let her fail out of this school now."

"Well, I'm in. I'll help with chem." Q said.

You raised your hand. "I could ask my uncle for extra exercises in history." you suggested to which Kitty thanked you.

"She definitely needs to work on her Korean." Min Ho mumbled.

"What did you just call me?" Kitty asked angrily, immediately taking offense.

"Exactly." he deadpanned at her.

Dae assured her he'll be helping her with the rest. Being top student, he was the perfect tutor for her. Clinging your mugs of coffee together, you started to get ready afterwards. However, Min Ho did not let you go back to your room and grabbed you by the arm to kiss you.

"I'd love doing that, but I need to change."

He pouted but let go of you. "We can't have a moment to us in this dorm."

You could only laugh at him. You simply adored how much of a softy he was to you.

Tutoring Kitty was either easy or hard. It depended on how motivated she was and, most of the time, she was only discouraged.

"You've got 53%" you said sadly as you gave her back the sheet of paper.

Your uncle happily gave you exam practices for Kitty to study, but with this one being the fourth she did already, you were starting to feel like she was a lost cause. Plus, the library was fully packed since everyone was studying.

"Great." she grunted before dropping her head into her arms.

"It's four percent better than last time."

"And that's what's going to help me pass, yes."

She made a good point. You sprawled on your chair and sighed heavily with her. It looked as if it was the two of you who were failing. And Min Ho just had to confirm that when he sat with you with his Korean lesson books to take over Kitty's tutoring.

"Aren't you two adorable." he teased you and you stuck out your tongue at him. "I'm serious, you are cute."

"Ew." Kitty said in disgust.

"Not you. Y/N." he specified. "I believe it's time to work on your Korean now."

Kitty shook her head. "I am on the verge of dropping out myself. Give me five minutes."

He frowned before glancing at you. "I'm assuming history didn't go well."

"Nope." you chuckled. "I'm sure she'll get the hang of it... We just need to study more."

She let out a whine. "Study, study, study... this is all I've been doing today."

"Stop complaining, you asked us to help you." Min Ho said, frustrated.

He convinced her to get into studying Korean and you stayed with them, having nothing else to do. She started to get the hang of the the basics but it was still very bad. By the end of it, she was able to tell what were some verbs and such.

"Are you coming back to the dorm with me?" she asked while taking her bag to head out.

Min Ho held you by the waist as you walked. "Not today. I have prepared something very special for my girlfriend."

You looked away from him in an attempt to hide your blush. "Another surprise?"

"You can't have enough of them. Don't worry, I think you will like it a lot."

"I'll love it for sure if I'm with you."

Kitty groaned. "I think I preferred it when you were cussing each other out."

"Says the one who is too cheery when she's with Dae."

That shut her up and she parted ways with you, leaving Min Ho laughing with pride. You shook your head in disapproval.

"What? It wasn't even mean."

"Nothing. So, what's the surprise?"

He smirked. "You'll see."

You took a stroll around campus, hand in hand, and he eventually left the grounds to lead you somewhere. Just there, his chauffeur was waiting for you. You skeptically hopped in and he drove off. Being driven away when you didn't know the destination was usually a sign to run away. But you trusted Min Ho, maybe more than you should.

It wasn't even twenty minutes after that he pulled over in front of Han River. A typical date in Seoul. Getting off the car, Min Ho took your hand to help you out and you followed the trail while admiring the view.

"This is so cheesy." you laughed.

"Stop that, it's cute."

You snorted. "I'm sure you brought other girls here."

He smiled in shame. "Fair. But I didn't like any of them as much as you."

Your face became red. A couple of steps later, something popped in your mind. You grew tense and he felt it. As he halted his movements, he rubbed your shoulders while asking you what was wrong.

"What happened with Lulu?"

He gulped. "Should it matter?"

"Kind of."

He sighed and resumed to walking with you. "I went out with her the night after you literally saved my ass. We made out, sure, but I haven't talked to her since."

You nodded. "Okay, and was there anyone else?"

He shook his head violently. "I couldn't get you off my mind after I..." he paused and coughed. "Well, it doesn't matter."

You began to connect the dots. "You had a sex dream about me."

He coughed again. "No."

"So Q was right." you giggled. "How was it?"

"I did not have a sex dream about you."

"Awe, Min, don't be shy."

He looked away and you kept on laughing at him. He fastened his pace in silence. You called out for him and tried to catch up to his pace. He refused to look back at you. But once you did reach him, you were left speechless. On a picnic table, he had delicately placed candles and lights as well as some pillows for comfort. The best wasn't even that. It was the food. You spotted kimbap, japchae, tteokboki, kimchi... The amount was overwhelming.

"I'm... wow." you breathed out.

He walked up to you and hugged you from behind. "I thought we could use a night to ourselves."

You smiled widely. "This is perfect, no one has done something like this for me before."

"Expect to get more of this. Shall we?"

You sat down face to face and he helped you with serving yourself, asking what you wanted to taste first. Every single dish was delicious, you couldn't get enough of it. Min Ho watched you eat, satisfied with how the surprise turned out.

"When did you even cook this?" you asked, still having a bite of kimbap in your mouth.

"I used my chauffeur's kitchen and I missed my classes today."

Your face fell. "Min Ho..."

"It was my pleasure, darling."

You grabbed his hand and stroke it with your thumb. "I love it but I don't want you to fall behind in school because of me."

He gave you a reassuring smile. "I'm doing great in all of my classes, don't worry."

After eating, you went on with your evening stroll. Talking about everything and nothing, it eventually got to the point where he discussed about his parents with you. He understood the lifestyle of his mother but it was starting to get to him more nowadays. If there was one person he loved more than anything, it was her. So being apart from her for so long, he suffered. The relationship with his father wasn't as pleasant. He had pretty much cut off ties with him, not approving of his new way of living life after the divorce.

"Do you miss him?"

He thought for an instant. "Sometimes. But I miss the old him, not what he has become."

"I'm sorry."

He huffed. "Don't be. I'm better off without him."

A silence took over and he stopped you to observe the river. He wrapped his arms around you while you did the same around his torso.

"How did you do when they passed?"

The question took you by surprise, although it shouldn't have since you were already on topic. "I was empty inside. I lost a lot of friends who were sticking to me only for the wealth. I fought a lot with my aunt who didn't even plan on having children and she suddenly had this kid coming to live with her. It was..."

He saw you choke up on your words and brought his hands to your face to stop you from talking any more. "Hey. You don't have to tell me."

"You asked."

He chuckled. "Yeah, but it doesn't mean I wanted to make you think about it all over again and break in front of me."

You got up on your tiptoes – him being the giant he is – and you kissed him. While it was sweet and delicate at first, Min Ho took the lead quickly. Holding you tighter, he deepened the kiss, almost leaving you breathless.

"Shouldn't we get back to the dorm? Curfew is soon."

He didn't want to but you were right. You went back to the car and the driver drove you back to campus.

You didn't know whether it was you or him who started it, but both of you were needy. Walking in the dorm, you couldn't keep your hands off each other as you kept on stealing kisses every two seconds.

"Guys, we're busy here." Q deadpanned at the two of you as he pointed to Kitty with her school books.

Getting his coat off, Min Ho proceeded to help you with yours. "So are we."

Kitty groaned. "Well, don't do that here."

He gave her a look. "But you are all over Dae all the time here, yes."

You dragged him into his room before he would say another stupid thing. As soon ad the door closed, his lips were back on yours. He lost no time in helping get your vest off, both of you still in your school uniforms.

"You're so impatient." you said in-between the kisses.

"Maybe."

You found him shirtless seconds later and you stepped back to his bed. Laying you down, he topped you and started to work on your neck, sucking on your skin. He brushed your thigh gently before giving it a squeeze. You let out a gasp. You felt him smile against your skin. You brought up to your lips again and started to feel him up and you touched his abdomen. His efforts in looking his best truly paid off, you couldn't find him any hotter.

"You're so pretty." he rasped out.

"You're the pretty one."

"You're right."

You slapped him slightly and he laughed. "I think I love you."

You immediately froze. He pulled back slightly before stuttering incoherent words. You only blinked, which made Min Ho sweat. Why weren't you saying anything?

"Y/N?"

You pushed him off and placed yourself so you were laying facing one another. Putting your hand on his jaw, you stroke his cheek softly.

"I love you, too."

The first thing you saw was Min Ho's bare back. You could hear him breathe calmly as the rays of sunshine hit his skin perfectly. So... You slept in his room... Nothing too odd. You were his girlfriend, after all. You tried to get out of bed carefully to not waking him up. But it didn't work as he turned around and brought into his arms, stopping your from getting out of bed.

"Good morning." he mumbled.

"I didn't want to wake you."

"Too late." he said, stretching his arm out.

"Get ready, I'll go make you a cup of coffee."

He grinned and gave you a small kiss. "You're just too perfect, aren't you?"

You walked out of his room to let him change and freshen up and were startled when you saw Yuri sit with Kitty and Dae. You slowly went to make coffee, confused.

"Hi, Y/N." Yuri smiled at you.

"What is happening?"

"I came out to my mom, moved out of the penthouse, and here I am! Living with you!"

You perked an eyebrow at her. "You came out?"

"Yeah, it was hard, but I feel so much better."

"Oh my God, that's great! I'm so happy for you."

She smiled even more. "Thank you."

"Yuri started to help me with history. Want to join?" Kitty asked.

In the meantime of your hot beverage being ready, you sat with them and asked questions to Kitty. You were happy to see she was able to answer most of them easily.

"Timeline of the later Three Kingdoms." Yuri read out loud the memo card, laying on her back while her legs were slumped on the couch, in-between Dae and Kitty.

"890 to 936." she answered automatically.

"The first political state?" you asked in your turn.

"Gojoseon." she said in a broken Korean.

"Gojoseon." Dae corrected her and she repeated properly.

"What is happening?"

You hadn't even notice Min Ho coming out of the room and was now leaning on your seat, rubbing your shoulder softly. You put your hand on top of his and he gave you a quick smile before focusing on Yuri again.

"I moved in!" she answered happily, proceeding to sit up properly.

"What? Why?" he looked to all three of them. "Are you a throuple now?"

"No." they all answered.

"I'm gay." Yuri said and Min Ho seemed to be even more lost so she continued. "I came out to my mom, moved out of the penthouse. Scared, excited..."

"Wait." he stopped her. "You've been gay this whole time?"

"It's not a choice."

"I know, I mean..." he began to say but stopped mid-way. "So you and Dae... you were in a fake relationship?" They nodded. "So Kitty was right?"

Kitty smiled proudly. "I told you I know matchmaking."

His body tensed. "You're not mad at Dae? He lied, and lied, and lied..."

You tensed in your turn. Because you lied as well.

"I was mad." Kitty affirmed. "But then I forgave him, and Yuri, and Y/N-"

"Wow." he scoffed.

He retracted his hand from you and took a step back. You felt your heart pound as anxiety crept in, and not the kind you would feel when something good was about to happen. The kind you'd feel when something bad was coming.

"You're as trusting as my dad's third wife."

"Hey." Dae got defensive. "Kitty and I are good. Leave it alone."

"I'm not good."

The tone of his voice sent a shiver down your spine. At that point, he was ignoring your presence.

"You lied to me, too." he continued. "A lot. I wouldn't do that to a friend."

He slowly dared to glance at you and you gulped. You stood up next to him. "Min Ho..."

"Or someone I care about." he said more softly, though you could hear the pain. "I just wouldn't."

He left abruptly, shutting the door of his room harshly. Meanwhile, you felt the tears prick in your eyes. Things were just starting to be good for you, and you had to mess it all up.

"Finals." Yuri exhaled. "Makes everyone crazy."

You gave her a look but she shrugged and went back to asking Kitty questions. Feeling the need to get away from all of this, you went to get changed and left the dorm. A walk seemed to be exactly what you needed.

So why wasn't it doing anything? You felt nothing but emptiness as you walked by other students. You plugged in your earbuds to block out the outside world and spaced out, heading to nowhere precisely. You checked your phone after a while but you got nothing from Min Ho. You couldn't blame him for being mad at you, you were supposed to trust him the most. You trusted him the most. You were submerged with guilt and, as your mind came back to reality, you were standing in front of the administration of the school. You didn't even need to knock as your aunt had already opened the door of her office only from the sight of you in her window.

"Hey, I didn't know you'd stop by." she cheerfully greeted you but her smile dropped once she took in what state you were in. "Oh, dear. Come on in."

She offered you tea and even if you didn't feel like eating or drinking, you let her make a cup for you. She cleaned up her desk a little to make space and sat in front of you, waiting for you to speak.

"Can I stay over tonight?"

Her eyes softened. "Of course, anytime. Now, tell me what happened."

You took a deep breath. "I don't know. Things got complicated, I guess."

She nodded her head slowly. "I see. I won't tell you what to do but know that I'm always here for you if anything. Time will fix everything, I promise."

You huffed with a smile. "That's what they all say."

"Because it's true." she chuckled and then glanced at the clock in her office. "Your classes start soon. I'll make you a good meal for tonight."

Min Ho: I'm getting coffee with Dae. Do you want me to get you something?

You scoffed at the text. Although you were surprised he was the one to reach out first, this was not the text you thought he'd send.

Min Ho: You saw my message, I know it.

Y/N: I won't be at the dorm tonight, so no thanks.

Min Ho: Where are you?

Y/N: I'm fine.

Min Ho: I didn't ask how you were doing, idiot. I asked where you are.

Y/N: Are you still mad at me?

Min Ho: Yes..?

Y/N: Okay, then I'm not at the dorm to leave you space.

Min Ho: It's not because I'm mad that I don't worry about you. Where are you? I'm picking you up.

Y/N: Don't.

Min Ho: Please.

Y/N: It's only going to worsen things. You'll stay mad, it'll be awkward, and then we both won't be able to sleep.

Min Ho: We'll talk, I promise.

Y/N: Fine. I'm at my aunt's.

You got up from bed and went to the front door. Your uncle, still awake, watched you leave in silence.

"Be careful out there." he said before going back to reading his book.

"I will. Thank you for tonight, it was nice."

He gave you a smile and you left. You waited by the porch of your front door and saw a fancy car coming only a couple of minutes later. You went inside where Dae and Min Ho were seated, coffees in hands. Min Ho passed you an ice americano and you hummed as to thank him. The ride was, as you predicted, awkward as hell. Dae was fidgeting with the hem of his shirt in uneasiness and Min Ho was sipping on his drink every five seconds, visibly nervous.

And the walk to the dorm wasn't any better. As soon as you walked in, you announced you were going to bed. Min Ho immediately stopped you and asked Dae for some time alone with you. Finally just the two of you, you sat on the couch and he copied you.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he finally broke the silence.

You exhaled loudly. "That morning when Kitty ran away, Dae came to our room to talk with her and said it was fake. But then you opened the door, I was there, he didn't know because he left before he saw me. Then I asked Yuri about it and she begged me to keep it to myself."

He hummed. "Okay. I get it for back then because we both didn't like each other. But what about after?"

You shrugged. "It wasn't for me to tell you. I swear I just wanted to have nothing to do with all of it."

He took your hand in his. That's a good start.

"From now on, don't lie to me like this again."

You nodded and that's all it took for him to bring you into his embrace. You melted at the touch and engulfed your head in his shoulder.

"I'm sorry."

He hushed you. "It's okay. I might have overreacted."

You laughed in agreement. The rest of the evening went on smoothly. He invited you to stay with him for the night and he pulled his laptop to his bed so you could watch something together. Dae complained a few times about the volume and the giggles you would slip out every now and then. Other than that, you felt at peace. You were just content that things were back to normal, and you fell asleep soon after.

You groaned loudly as Yuri kept on blabbering about the talent show. To help Kitty get ten percent bonus on her exam, she gathered as many people as she could to do a traditional dance. That was the condition Lee put in place to boost the notes. And you were not left out of it.

"We have to help her, Y/N."

You played around with the food in your plate as another sigh left your mouth. "I don't know, Yuri."

"You'll get ten percent more, too."

You shook your head. "I already have excellent grades, I don't need bonuses."

"She's your friend."

"So is she yours, and you're already doing it. She doesn't need both of us."

She rolled her eyes at you. "The more, the better."

You then saw a guy from your English class walk to your table. Byungwon, if you remembered well. He used to go to school with you and Yuri during middle school. Apart from brief 'hi's and nods of acknowledgement, you hadn't talked to him in years.

"Can I sit here?" he smiled at you.

Yuri frowned. "Why?"

"My friends are at practice for the swimming team."

"I thought you were in the team as well." you said.

"Injured. I'm left alone."

Forming your mouth in a 'o' shape, you gestured for him to sit with you. "How have you been?"

"Great, apart from the injury. I haven't talked to you two in so long. I figured we could catch up." he beamed at you.

Yuri chuckled. "Yeah, we did draw apart with time. I figured you were living your new life well, you know? Part of the swimming team, girls all over you, good grades..."

He blushed. "You're making it seem bigger than it is. I could say the same for you two. You have quite grown well." He looked at you. "And you look great."

You felt the heat rush to your face, so you focused on your food instead, clearing your throat in the process. "You too." you mumbled.

Yuri's eyes flickered between him and you, a smirk slowly creeping on her face. She knew you used to like him, and so the opposite. Visibly, old feelings easily came back. Though she would have usually teased you about it, she rooted for your relationship with Min Ho. If anything, you were simply taken aback from Byungwon's sudden reappearance.

"You still like her." she teased the guy who instantly gulped.

"No."

You wanted to punch her just there and then. "Yuri."

She shook her head. "Or maybe not. But just so you know, she's taken now."

"I know." he said. "I simply want to catch up, that's all."

A couple of tables further from yours, Q was poorly trying to calm Min Ho down. The latter was fuming. All he could see was the sweet smile Byungwon was shooting at you and the giggles you let out with pink appearing on your cheeks. He knew you wouldn't do anything close to cheating on him, but that didn't mean he wasn't going to be worried about you leaving him for someone else. Adding the fact the two of you began your whole dynamic with hate, he was slightly worried you still had that kind of feeling towards him.

"Min Ho, they're just talking." Dae said, growing discouraged.

"I'm not jealous, I'm just saying that he doesn't need to be so close to her."

"He's only sitting next to her."

He pointed at you. "Did you see that? He offered her his drink!"

"Yeah..." Q sighed. "Not jealous."

Back to you and Yuri, she abruptly got up announcing practice for the talent show was about to start. She gave you an intense look and you knew what she was doing. It most likely was not time for practice but this was your opportunity to get away from this awkward situation.

"Right, we have to go." you coughed out.

"And I'll help you get ready for your date after." she added and your eyes grew bigger at her.

"Ah." Byungwon said, slightly disappointed. "You and Min Ho are real serious."

"They are." Yuri nodded. "Let's go. See you around!"

She crossed her arm with yours before you went out of the cafeteria. You could do nothing more but follow her lead.

"I swear I thought you were going to make him make a move on me."

She laughed. "I might not think Min Ho is the best guy to date, but I know you love him. Plus, it's not the first time I've seen Byungwon look at you like that."

"Really?"

"Yeah. But now, that means you have no choice but to participate in the fan dance with us."

You groaned in defeat. As much as you loved her for saving your ass, you also hated her.

"Hi, baby."

"Hey-"

You were cut short as Min Ho eagerly kissed you, long enough for people around to either giggle at you or make noises of disgust. It wasn't an innocent kiss either, he was going for it.

"I missed you." he said after pulling back but still holding your hand to walk with you to the auditorium.

"You saw me this morning."

"Not in front of swimmer guy."

Your eyes shut closed. "You saw that, the other day."

"Yeah." Min Ho said as a matter-of-factly. "And I did not appreciate him eyeing my girlfriend like she is some meat."

You patted his shoulder. "Awe, is my little pup possessive?"

He glared at you. "I thought we agreed on stopping with this nickname. Makes us sound like we are furries or something."

You shrugged. "I still like it. But thank Yuri, she's the one who saved me from him that day."

He kissed the top of your head. "Glad to know she's on our side. Now, how are you feeling?"

"Ashamed, depressed, and on the verge of crying."

He frowned. "I'm not sure if you are referring to your feelings towards the wait for your grades or the talent show."

"Can't it be both?"

He laughed and rubbed your hand softly with his thumb. "You'll do great, for both of them."

While he was not allowed to, Min Ho insisted profoundly in coming with you backstage. Saying he didn't want to watch the whole thing and only your performance so you could leave together in advance, he was only disappointed when you sent him back to his seat with Dae.

You walked up to Madison who was crouched next to a machine. "Hey, what are you doing?"

She squealed. "Fireworks, for my next performance."

"You perform twice?"

"Yeah, K-pop."

You rolled your eyes and gave her the fans. Of course she had to do a K-pop dance. You finished up to get ready by fixing parts of your hanbok.

"Yuri-ah."

You weren't sure what Principal Lim was doing backstage to run to her daughter, especially since they hadn't talked since Yuri moved in with you.

"I want you to come back home." she continued but Yuri only gave her the eyeroll. "I'll talk to Alex. I'll make sure you can get to know him."

"Alex?" she said in confusion. "Alex, who?"

Principle Lim froze. "Oh, I just assumed that Kitty-"

"Wait, Alex is my brother?"

And here was another drama happening right in front of you. You learned your lesson to not get involved, so you went to the other girls to ignore what was happening. It wasn't even a minute later that you were up to go on stage. You wanted to bury yourself alive from how embarrassed you were. Not because you were ashamed of your culture, but you weren't a dancer. This was, in no way, one of your strengths.

"How could you not tell me?" Yuri spoke as the performance began.

You tried your best to block them out but they weren't so quiet.

"I thought Alex was my brother and that my mom was the one who was pregnant." Kitty explained. "It wasn't until we snuck out of detention that day and went to Lee's house-"

"Wait, you've known since detention?"

You subtly shushed them and went on to your next move. They seemed to get the message and you were happily back to focusing on your dance.

"How could you hide this from me?"

You mentally cursed them out.

"It wasn't my place to-"

"To be honest?

Madison groaned. "Guys, I'm trying to focus."

This might have been one of the few times you were thankful to her. But your friends being themselves, they continued to bicker.

"I wasn't not honest, I just-"

"Lied by omission?" Yuri interrupted her again.

"You lied all semester about being with Dae on purpose, and I got past it, and now we're friends."

"We were friends." Yuri corrected her.

And with Kitty being Kitty, she clumsily stepped on her robes and tripped, knocking off the firework machine. Fire came out and the whole auditorium stood up in panic, Kitty first as the fabric of her hanbok caught on fire. She stepped back, panic across her face as she stared at the flame. You looked from afar, worried about her and unsure if you should put yourself in danger as well to help her.

You got your answer quickly when you saw your boyfriend running to her. He took his jacket off as he help her sit down on the ground, and crouched down while putting the fire out. She squirmed for a bit until there was no more flame. You observed them as he helped her relax and something seemed off to you. You weren't exactly sure what, but you knew it made you feel sick. It wasn't until Dae arrived that Min Ho went to you, hugging you tightly.

"Are you okay? You're not hurt?"

You didn't hug him back and only nodded. "I'm fine."

He placed his hands on your cheeks. "This girl is so clumsy, she could have put all of you in grave danger."

You cleared your throat. "Yeah, luckily, you saved her."

You pushed his hands away and walked further from the stage. He caught up with your pace and took your hand.

"Hey, are you sure you're good?"

You didn't know what to say. You only stared at him in silence, feeling the lump in your throat growing bigger and bigger.

Copyright © 2023 skzhua. All rights reserved.

[heartbeat-eras]

Just a little exercise.. right?

TLDR - I’m newly on meds and my heart. Well she doesn’t seem to like them. I did three rounds of 20 squats. After trying to get her to calm down (spoliers she didn’t) I laid down. This caused an immediate extreme drop. I then did a push which brought her into the 60s. I don’t think she threw any pvcs but you be the judge.

————————

If you saw my intro post you would know that I’ve recently been prescribed dexadrine. Dexadrine is an amphetamine that can raise blood pressure and heart rate. In my other post I thought it was high time I tested my Heart’s response to these meds. I know she’s been a lot more poundy and faster than normal but.. I thought I would do some of my own tests.

Firstly was tracking her all night with a chest strap monitor. I followed this up with taking my meds before getting out of bed and waiting for them to kick in. The result was exactly in the small range they said it should be. So my faster rate is clearly the meds and my heart working against gravity.

I’ve been looking into if exercising on meds is safe. There are split opinions if you should do it after / before or if you can do it while medication is in your system. I decided to try a small run. Let me preface this with a couple of years ago I was a runner. My heart always was reactive and fast to exercise but not like what happened here.

So imagine. I’ve put on my workout gear. Taped my Stemoscope to the loudest part of chest and go into the room with the treadmill. I set up my chest strap monitor with the treadmill. Perfect.. she’s beating at 142 and I haven’t done anything. I start the Stemoscope recording. 2 mins standing with her pounding away - not yet exercising. Ok this is gonna be fun. At 2 mins jump on at a brisk walk. She immediately drops to 113 - no there’s not wrong with the monitor. I can hear her. Then she slowly climbs. 117, 124, 131 and back to 142 and beyond. Within 1 1/2 mins we’re at 156. I’m not tired or out of breath but I also know I probably shouldn’t do this for long so I think- ok let’s try max her out. I break into a jog. Nothing like I used to, but a slow recovery run. She’s climbing and fast. Within a short space of time she’s now in the beating at 182 - I usually couldn’t feel beats like this before but I can feel her rocking my chest. I’m oddly out of breath for something I used to be able to sustain for over an hour. I jump off and bend over, trying to catch my breath. My heart thrashing in both my chest and my ears. My head spinning as I try to get her oxygen. I’m watching the number on the treadmill with the little heart next it. It’s not going down. It’s going up. At 187 she peaks and is pounding away. This is 2 mins after ceasing activity. She drop quite quickly.. not this time I guess.

I grab my gear and go back to my room. She’s settled a little bit. She keeps calming down then speeding back up. Down to 151 then up to 176. She’s all over the place like she doesn’t know what she’s meant to do.

Well that’s enough. I need to take some stress off her. I lay down, resulting in an immediate drastic drop to around 100. Finally. The break she needed. I go back to the recording… and we’ll I deleted in my zoned out state.

So this time I’ve recorded some squats. I was only able to get her into the 170s but you can hear just how unconditioned she sounds. This was not what she like pre meds and I will be asking my doctor about this when I see him next (well maybe leave out the constant stething). A part of me is slightly worried about this, whereas another part of me is like…. Oooo well. That’s a fun sound . Damn cardiophile thoughts right?

I hope you enjoy her first try (tech second) at exercise. She would love to hear your thoughts and support. She’s literally pounding in my ears as I share her with you.

[katnisspeetaprim]

Basketball

Min Yoongi/Reader

Summary: Yoongi takes you to your first basketball game, but you have no idea what is going on... (based on those pictures posted on Insta a couple days ago. PLease take this with a grain of salt, I know nothing about basketball but I just thought this was a cute idea!)

Word Count: 684 M.list

‘Why are you so jittery?’ Yoongi glanced across to you, giving you a pointed look. ‘It’s not like I’m asking you to play.’ The car was about to pull up to the venue when you met his eyes.

‘You know I get nervous when I try newn things.’ You defended yourself. Yoongi was currently on tour in the US, and he’d made time to see a basketball game, which just so happened to be playoffs.  You knew how much basketball meant to him so you wanted to make an effort , and take an interest in one of his passions.

‘You’re cute.’ He chuckled, making you huff playfully in response. Just then, the car door opened and Yoongi stepped out first, holding out his hand to help you down. You held tightly onto his arm as you made your way into the arena. Even though you were surrounded by security, you could never be too careful these days.

You were now sat in your seats, which were basically court side. How much did these seats cost you wondered. You were too scared to ask Yoongi, knowing full well that he would say a number that would make your eyes water as if it were nothing. He had his arm lazily thrown round the back of your seat as you watched the game together.

‘So, which team am I supposed to be rooting for?’ You asked coolly as you leaned closer to him, trying to play off that you had no idea what was happening.

Yoongi tried to stop the smirk of amusement from forming on his face, as he digested your question. You frowned at his actions.

‘Hey don’t laugh at me! It’s your fault for not preparing me better!’ You crossed your arms and leaned away from him as you looked back to the court. You were trying your best, this just wasn’t something you knew much about. He could at least help you out a little...

You suddenly felt his hand ghost over your upper back and come to rest on the back of your neck. He leaned in close to you so he could speak lowly to you.

‘I’m sorry, you’re right. Forgive me?’  He asked smoothly. You sighed but looked over to him and nodded none the less. You couldn’t stay mad at him. He smiled and kissed your cheek, effectively cheering you up.

‘We’re supporting these guys, and they shoot this way.’ He gestured at the court, pointing out the different players. You nodded along, watching intently. At least you’d be able to somewhat follow along now that he had stopped being mean to you. You made a mental note to conduct your own research that night so that next time he invited you to a game, you’d be much more prepared.

At some point during halftime, whoever was in charge of the cameras thought it would be a good idea to put you and Yoongi on the big screen. Yoongi is obviously used to the attention, so he just smiled and waved. You on the other hand, were immediately filled with anxiety when you saw yourself on screen in front of so many people. You blushed and quickly turned to hide face. The camera caught sight of Yoongi laughing at your actions and turning to face you, just before it cut away, effectively giving ARMY  new content to fawn over.

‘so what did you think?’ Yoongi wondered as you walked through the building, hand in hand.

‘I had fun! Even if I didn’t really understand the game.’ You chuckled, still slightly embarrassed that he had to explain it to you. Though you weren’t lying, you did have a lot of fun.

‘I’d like to go to more games with you in future if that’s ok?’ You glanced over to Yoongi and saw that he had a big toothy grin on his face.

‘of course it’s ok! I’d love to take you.’ You laughed at his enthusiasm.

‘Ok, but you need to teach me better next time!’ You teasingly bumped your shoulder into his as you exited the building.

‘Deal.’

[hamiltonaf]

Payback | Kylian Mbappé

Pairing: Kylian Mbappé x Female Reader

Word Count: 2.4K

Warnings: Cursing

A/N: My apologies for not posting part 2 of ‘One More Dance’, I’ve been so busy and I’m currently working on it so hopefully it will be up soon. Inspo is from an old tiktok trend. Enjoy .xo

(Y/F/N) - Your Friend’s Name

The thud of heavy rain drops hitting against my window set the mood to do absolutely nothing today. Though it doesn't work like that today since I have an assignment due in a few days time. It would also be ideal to cuddle someone right about now but that's out of the question because of a certain someone.

After completing half of my assignment, which I was quite satisfied with, I decided to call it a day for work and take advantage of the gloomy weather.

Taking a look at Instagram was a bad idea since I came across rumours of Kylian dating another girl. So much for breaking up a month ago and wanting to 'focus on football'. His excuse still bothers me since it was a poor one after dating for almost 3 years. I don't see a change of performance on the pitch if I’m being honest. I guess everything happens for a reason, maybe we're just not meant to be.

I mean if he moved on then so should I, right ? It then hit me that I should spice things up and give something for people to talk about. We’ll excuse my petty behaviour and blame it on the weather for making me somewhat evil. Before causing some drama, I called (Y/F/N), "Ello !" she answered. "Hey girly ! How are you doing on this beautiful day ?" I asked. "Ugh I’m so bored, you have no idea” she whined. “But never mind me, how are you doing more specifically ?” She asked curiously. “I’m doing okay, but-“ “I can already tell something is up your sleeve” she cut me off.

“Damn you really know me well” I pouted. “Of course ! Otherwise I wouldn’t be your bestie. Anywho, spill the tea…I’m all ears” she said enthusiastically. “So word of mouth right now on insta is that he is dating someone else, there’s literally pictures of them at dinner together” I rolled my eyes. “Shut up ! What the actual fuck dude. That’s so messed up. He’s such an ass” she yelled. “Yeah yeah I mean it hurts but the only way for my petty ass to get over it is-“ “If you do the same thing” she finished my sentence.

“Exactly ! So remember that TikTok we wanted to try out ages ago where one of us is dressed up as the guy and take out a bunch of pictures to look like a couple” I reminded her. “Oh my god ! Our time has finally come ! Okay I’m on my way, I’ll literally be there in like 5 mins” she said lastly before ending the call.

As soon as (Y/F/N) came over, we went straight to my dresser and got working on her makeup. We started by accentuating her veiny yet bony hands and then contoured her cheekbones, as well as her jawline to look more masculine. I failed to mention how smart she is, she came through with a bouquet of my favourite flowers so I had something else to post about.

Once we were done with her makeup, she slipped into one of my high heels so she was much taller than me. With her oversized hoodie and cap on you’d literally think that she’s a guy - a hot one at that too. I changed into a black slip dress and took off my shoes to spice up the picture, and exaggerate her height.

When (Y/F/N) came up behind me in the mirror, we both burst out laughing over how accurate she looked to a guy. “Shit. Even I would date me” she said before getting serious and wrapped her arms around my waist. After a few pictures of my head tilted and her face nuzzled into my neck, we finally had the picture. Her side profile looked so sharp, it’s actually insane.

After all of this, I suddenly felt hesitant to post for some odd reason that even (Y/F/N) noticed. I think it was pretty obvious how long I was staring at the pictures. “Girl don’t hold back now, just do it. He should see that you also moved on” she wiggled her brows. “You got a point there” I said to myself. I then uploaded 2 stories, one of the bouquet and one of us together - both simply captioned with a white heart. “If I saw this for the first time, I’d literally scream. Everyone is gonna lose their minds, especially him” she smirked. “Feels good to throw this back at him” I smirked back. “Welcome to the dark side bestie” she patted my back. “Anywho I need to run, got a few errands. Love you and call me later to update me on the drama. I’ll desperately be waiting for your call” she said as she gathered her things. “Of course ! Will do. Thanks bestie” I quickly hugged her before she hurriedly left.

I proceeded to spending the rest of my afternoon binging on early 2000's chick flicks, it wasn't until the evening when I decided to check my phone again that I noticed how many notifications I received. My notifications were the highest its ever been, well shit. We love to see it I guess.

I received countless tags on reposts as well as comments from fans, and surprisingly messages from family - understandable how many messages I received since it’s so evident that it’s not Kylian in the pictures. Scrolling through my notifications I decided to ignore all until my eyes landed on Kylian’s contact name, 'Kyky'. Surprise surprise.

"Heyy" the text read, I rolled my eyes, I don't have time for a conversation starter. I left him on read and proceeded with watching my movies. It wasn't even 5 minutes and my phone started to ring. It was Kyky calling. My heart started racing, I was hesitant to answer the call because what are we going to talk about and why call now ?

"Hello" he greeted. "Hey" I answered plainly. "Are you busy ?" He asked curiously. "Well kind of.. I'm actually just getting ready to leave" I said with a devious smile creeping onto my face. "Oh. Erm okay never mind" he said disappointed. "Why ?" I raised a brow. "I'm actually outside your apartment" he said embarrassed "No way" I said lowly to myself. "Have a look" he said as I then walked towards my front door and was met with his face. I ended the call and looked at him in shock, "You- here- like..what are you doing here ?" I asked.

"Can I come in please ?" He asked pleadingly. "What for ?" I asked back. "To talk about us" he said. "Theirs no us anymore. Theirs nothing for us to talk about" I said as I was about to close the door. "Wait. Just give me a chance" he said softly. "Theirs literally no point. You moved on..I moved on-" "You have another boyfriend already ?" He asked in shock. "I'm offended that you think I'm not capable of moving on so soon" I shook my head and crossed my arms over my chest.

"So you must've known this guy whilst we were dating ?" He asked as he started to grow angry. "Yeah so ?" I scoffed. "You were just waiting for us to break up so you can date this guy" he said as he started to raise his voice. "You literally did the same thing. You made it seem like it was such a simple break up for your own good, but for the last 2 weeks you're rumoured to be with another girl !"I said as I started to grow annoyed. "Yes, but she's just a friend" he said.

"Funny how we’ve been together for so long and I never met this friend before" I said. Just then my next door neighbour yelled at us for raising our voices. "Please do yourself a favour and leave" I said as I shut the door. I then heard rattling of the door and in came Kylian. "You weren't invited inside" I said. "Well I had a spare key" he said as he held up the key. "That was supposed to be returned to me when we broke up" I said as I snatched the key from his hand and went to sit on my couch. “Also, how could you act surprised that I moved on when you’re literally here after I posted a picture with another guy ?” I questioned. He then sat beside me, "Can you just stop talking about that idiot ? I came here to talk about us…How do I make you love me again?"

"Love ? Dream on" I half laughed. "I'm being serious" he said as he looked between my eyes. "Forget about me loving you. How do I know that you love me ?" I asked. "Well I missed you all this time so I came back" he smiled. "It's not that simple. If you truly loved me as you say, you wouldn't have wanted to break up after all these years" I said. "Look I'm sorry okay ? I really am. I wish I could go back in time and reverse what I did...I just needed some time to myself to think about my future personal life and I kept imagining you in it..." he said as he gently moved a strand away from my face.

"Don't play with me right now" I warned. "No jokes. I love you. I really do, and I want to continue to spend the rest of my life with you" he said as he held my hands. "Okay cute. Anyways I have to go meet my boyfriend. It was nice of you to stop by..I'll think about it" I huffed as I got up. He grabbed a hold of my wrist and pulled me towards him to sit on his lap. "Stop lying" he smirked. "What makes you think I'm lying ?" I raised a brow. "I know your facial expressions when you lie. I just know you all too well because you literally could've left the second you opened your door instead of coming back inside" He said with a smile.

"Well I've changed my mind, I rather be with him right now" I shrugged. "I want my old (Y/N) back" he pouted. "She left the building the day you left her" I said lastly and got up to walk to my room. "Ouch" he pouted as he followed behind me. "I still love you no matter what. Always have and always will" I gave him a brief look before pretending to rummage through my closet. "So is this how it's going to be ?" He asked as he leaned back in my bed and watched me. "I told you that I need to think about it" I said as I continued to skim through my closet. "I'm not going until we stop fighting" he said casually "This isn't fighting. People don't get back together based off 5 minutes of talking to them after a whole month" I said as he stood up to stand in front of me.

"I like it when you're angry" he said as he got closer. "Don't" I said softly as I looked down. He lifted my head to meet his eyes as he cupped my cheeks, his thumb tracing over my lips. "You're making this harder" I pouted. Just when his lips were a mere centimetre away, he mumbled "It shouldn’t be hard if you have a boyfriend…Should I stop ?"

I hesitated to answer. To give up the game and kiss him or keep annoying him. “I can’t” I faked a pout. “Why not ?” His mood dropped. “I can’t do this to Nico” I said as I looked down. “Fuck Nico !” He yelled. “How the hell do you even know this guy ?” He asked frustrated. “We met at a party” I answered casually. “Besides him, it’s wrong of you to cheat on your girlfriend” I said looking everywhere else but him. He walked closer which made me take a step back, my back hitting against the wall. He placed his hands on either side of me, cornering me. “I just told you that she’s a friend and nothing more” he tried to say calmly. “I’m not convinced” I shrugged.

“Forget about her, she’s irrelevant right now. I came to claim back what was once mine. If I have to fight this stupid so called boyfriend of yours, then I will” he said as he inched his face closer to mine. There was a moment of silence. Both of us holding eye contact and switching between looking at each others eyes and lips. He leaned in and I didn’t stop him. It was a sweet soft peck. His forehead against mine, he sighed and said "I'll give you your space.” I surprised myself by grabbing a hold of his hand and pulling him back into place. “What’s wrong ?” He asked. “You’ll fight for me ?” I teased. “I know that I’m not fighting anyone because you’re lying, but if I have to then I will” he said as his hands were on my waist.

“How can you tell I’m lying ?” I instinctively wrapped my arms around his neck. “Besides reading your facial expressions, we wouldn’t be in this position right now” he said. “Or doing this” he said softly before placing his lips on mine. I pulled him closer against me and just then he broke away from the kiss. “I think I should go” he teased. "No no wait just a little more" I hushed him as I pulled him closer to connect our lips once again.

[mykoreanlove]

🍊

You fumbled with your outfit for the 100th time, still annoyed with how it looked.

„Why the fuck did she make us dress up in orange. I look like a giant carrot“, you huffed out in annoyance.

It was your friend‘s birthday which you gladly arrived for. You left the city five years ago and returned on happy occasions like this. Still, you were nervous to meet her new friends. But you were even more nervous about your old friends, especially Minho.

Ever since you moved away your friendship took a downfall. Back then the two of you worked at an agency together. You became inseparable from the get go - he was your confidante, your drinking buddy, your big brother when you needed him. Rumors about you dating circulated all the time but it was just that - rumors. You had no romantic feelings for him, even though he did. Or so you thought.

He never confessed properly but dropped some hints over the years.

You took a last glance into the mirror and sighed defeatedly : „Guess I’m gonna be a carrot for tonight.“

Your friend shot you a message as you were late to the party.

„Girl get your ass here. Minho has already asked about you ;)“

You gulped. He did? Wasn’t he coming with his wife? You thought back to when he first met her. Ironically, she has the same name as you, only spelled differently.

Memories of you sitting at the river flooded your mind. Minho consulted you for dating advice as he usually did.

„So, we went on a date yesterday and well, it happened. We had sex. It was nice, nothing too crazy but I still don’t know where this is going.“

He looked like he had to decide if he wanted to join the army now or wait a little longer.

You smiled benignly. „Break up with her.“

Minho turned to you in shock. „What? I can‘t break up with her the day after we had sex!“

You sighed - was he really that oblivious? „Min, I don’t want you to break up because you finally fucked her but because you have dated her for a while now and you’re totally unimpressed by her. Let her go. She deserves better and so do you.“

He was lost in thought, contemplating his options.

You moved away shortly after which resulted in him getting distant. He was serious with your name doppelgänger as they became an official couple. Maybe you were too quick to judge?

You arrived at the venue and laughed to yourself. Given the different shapes of the guests it was like a gathering of carrots and oranges. You spotted your friend and went over to congratulate her. You chatted about the past while downing sweet orange drinks.

„Have you seen him?“

„Whom?“, you giggled.

„Minho, y/n. Aren’t you curious? He’s right behind you.“

You turned around and spotted your old friend. He still looked handsome, even if slightly older. He was listening to his wife talking, holding on to his cigarettes for dear life.

You caught his gaze and congealed. Minho looked sad. No, that was not it, he rather looked lonely.

You thought back to one of your later visits. Your group of friends was all drinking and talking but somehow you ended up alone with him. Minho started pouring out his heart to you, in desperate need for help. He wasn’t happy with her, he wasn’t happy alone either so what was he to do?

„What’s so wrong with breaking up? And actually looking for someone that makes your heart flutter?“

He downed another shot before he answered. „I’d rather be with her on cloud 4 than on no cloud at all.“

Seeing him now made you realize that life on cloud 4 had to be cruel. As Minho realized that it was you looking at him his whole face lit up and he walked right over to you.

„Y/N!“ He hugged you tightly in his strong arms. „Damn, why are you still so good looking?“

You missed his banter, you missed him even more.

„Shut up, Min“, you laughed. Only then did you notice his wife standing beside him, fuming with jealousy.

In all those years you never actually met her, only heard those stories about her. You wanted to give her a chance so you greeted her casually. „Hey, you must be y/n, I am also y/n - nice to finally meet you!“

The second you stopped talking her soul left her body. She didn’t take your hand, she didn’t say a word to you at all. Enraged she turned to Minho and made a scene.

„Y/N? THAT Y/N? Are you seriously expecting me to party with her like this?“

You had no clue what got her so mad but decided to leave the premise before she would ruin the whole party. You motioned at Minho, whispering „I’m gonna go, Min.“

Only when you turned around were you able to fully grasp the argument.

„You take me to a party where the girl you’ve been in love with for years is also at and expect me to be cool with it?“

You stopped dead in your tracks. Did you hear that right? In love with you? Was she for real? You turned around slowly and faced him concerned. He looked embarrassed - both by the scene his wife made but also by the sudden confession. He never intended on telling you but now the cat was out the bag.

His wife noticed you observing them too which only fueled her anger more. „What are you looking at? Aren’t you ashamed to come here even though I am here? Don’t you know your place?“

Before you could explain yourself Minho spoke up. „She didn’t know.“

„What do you mean she didn’t know? You never told her but you told me?“

Minho looked you straight in the eyes, his gaze as intense as their argument. He didn’t break eye contact when he answered his wife.

„I told you because you are my wife and I planned on sharing my life with you. But maybe that was a mistake.“

He turned around and left. His wife broke down crying, only to be immediately consoled by her friends. Your friend came over and patted you on the shoulder. „Damn, did not see that coming.“

You didn’t either.

[moni-logues]

The Fifth Date

Pairing: Yoongi x reader

Genre: friends/idiots-to-lovers

Summary: Yoongi finally realises his feelings for you... But you're on a fifth date with someone else.

Word count:

Content: literally no warnings necessary for this one except Yoongi being a moron

A/N: Happy birthday to my future husband, Min Yoongi! As I said in a post a couple of days ago, this one has had a real edit; it's fundamentally the same, but just (I hope) better.

‘A date. A date. It’s just a date. Why do I care so much? I don’t care. I don’t. It’s fine. She can do what she wants. Obviously. I'm not her keeper. She's a grown woman—an adult. I don't control her. I'm not trying to. It's fine. It's just a date…

'Well, it’s a fifth date. Five is quite a lot- it’s not; it’s not really a lot but it’s different from a first date. A fifth date definitely mean-‘

“YOONGI!”

Yoongi jumps, startled back to the present. He’s supposed to be helping Jungkook finish his song, but he can’t focus.

“Ah, sorry, sorry, ok,” he replies and turns his attention to the screen, adjusting levels and playing the track again.

Music is where he always goes to relax, switch off, zone out, feel better. Music is where Yoongi is in control; he knows what he’s doing; he can feel the music; he can hear it before it even exists and he knows how to create it. He’s comfortable with music; the studio is his home, his retreat. It’s his happy place. This is what he does. This is who he is. He comes to the studio and the world outside its four walls disappears, doesn’t matter. Time passes unacknowledged, one hour, ten, who knows? Who cares? Music production is a flow state that Yoongi slips into whenever he can. Music is simple to him, pure.

But you’re on a fifth date.

Jungkook sighs, seeing Yoongi’s stare go blank once more.

“Yoongi, are you ok? You really can’t focus today.”

“I’m sorry, JK, I will do better. It’s fine. I can focus. Let's do it.”

“Are you sure?”

Yoongi nods.

“Because I know someone is on a date right now-“

“So what? What does that have to do with anything?” Yoongi asks, suddenly defensive.

Jungkook almost pulls a muscle refraining from rolling his eyes. Everyone knows Yoongi has feelings for you; everyone knows you have feelings for him. You’re honest about it, at least. Yoongi refuses to be. They’re not even sure if he’s being honest with himself, despite how obvious it is to everyone else. The two of you together is a no-brainer.

“And they’ve got no brains!” is Jin’s constant rejoinder.

It’s a very good point.

They know he’s just trying to protect himself. He’s been hurt before. But haven’t we all? And you can’t stop yourself being hurt from hiding away. Loneliness is hurt, too; pining is hurt, too. But Yoongi will not be told.

*

You look at your date across the table and smile. You’re having a nice time. The food is good. The company is enjoyable. You’re trying hard to focus on him: what’s likable about him, what makes him a good match for you—the very fact that he asked you out was a start; you have interests in common; he’s not unattractive; but he’s not Yoongi. Your brain knows that you have to let go of the Yoongi thing, but your heart hasn’t got the message yet.

Practice makes perfect, you remind yourself. You laugh at your date’s joke and take a sip of your drink. If he asks for a sixth date? Yeah, you’ll go. If he asks you back to his tonight? Yeah, you’ll go. Because Yoongi’s not asking. And you’ve given up waiting.

Not waiting as such. You aren’t waiting—you never were waiting. Because you know it won’t happen, have always known. He just doesn’t see you like that. You’re friends. Just friends. You did once think, maybe, that he might be showing interest in you, the way he softened and warmed up to you, the way he became almost doting, indulgent, always, always there when you needed. Then you realised that that was just him, really him, truly him, not the cool, shy exterior he had first presented to you. That made it all the harder, truth be told. You had liked him anyway: his shy little laugh, shoulders shaking, eyes closed; his knowledge on any and every random topic you could imagine; his thick dark hair and feline eyes; his obnoxious drinking habits that you nevertheless found endearing. He slipped into your heart and set up camp. It’s just what he is like. He dotes on his loved ones: you and all the others. You realised he didn’t have romantic feelings for you, but familial ones.

It isn’t exactly what you want, being his friend, being family to him, but you’ll take it. Rather that than nothing. Rather that than daring to tread where you might not be wanted—weren’t wanted—and being rebuffed, rejected. So, you date. The best way to get over someone is to get under someone else, right? Worth a shot! It isn’t exactly working but a girl’s gotta eat.

*

The studio session does not go well. It ends prematurely. Jungkook has to pretend to have had enough, to be too tired, to need to rest, anything to put an end to the torturously slow progress he and Yoongi are making. Yoongi is distracted and needs to let loose, he says. He sends a message to the group chat asking them to have drinks so they meet at the dorms and get some bottles out. Yoongi relaxes and forgets about you for a little while, distracted but this time it’s from you, not by you. He forgets, briefly, that you’re on a fifth date with someone else, smiling, laughing, drinking, not with him. He has fun. He gets a little bit tipsy, drinks more than he planned.

Then Hoseok turns in for the night and Yoongi checks the time. It’s late. He’d have expected you to have sent him a message by now, telling him how the date went. You always message. Always. Even when it goes well. Even when it goes badly. But it’s late and he hasn’t heard from you. A thought washes over him like cold water poured down his back: maybe you’re still on the date. It’s not like it’s not allowed; it’s not like you haven’t slept with other people in the time you’ve known each other. He knows you have. He’s fine with that. Of course, he’s fine with it; you’re just friends. But you are still on a fifth date and his stomach flips over unhappily.

He stares hard at his phone, willing it to do something, although he’s not entirely sure what.

“Hasn’t anyone ever told you that a watched phone never boils?” Namjoon asks him.

Yoongi slowly puts down his phone and pushes it to one side.

“Waiting for a message from anyone in particular?”

“No,” he answers simply.

They know he’s lying.

“Have you met the guy she’s on a date with? He works at the company, right?” Jimin asks, his eyes all innocent and shining.

Yoongi nods.

“Yeah, he does. I haven’t met him.”

He doesn’t really ever want to. He’s not interested in who you’re dating; it doesn’t matter as long as you’re happy. If you say he’s good enough, he’s good enough; Yoongi doesn’t need to vet him, interrogate him. He trusts your judgement. He doesn’t have to meet him. Ever. Well, he’ll probably have to at some point, but he doesn’t want to. Why would he? He’s just some guy.

The other members look at each other. They know this is your fifth date and there is a real possibility of more dates; they feel they have to do something to make Yoongi wake up and realise what he’s missing. They just aren’t sure how. They’ve tried everything they can think of. Yoongi is just too hard-headed. They’ve tried with you, too, egging you on, promising success, trying bribes at one point. You are hard-headed, too.

They talk amongst themselves about this guy – whom none of them know, but some have seen around the building; they talk about you and how they might see less of you now if you’re going to have a boyfriend. They wonder aloud if your boyfriend will have a problem with you hanging out with them, seven men, by yourself. A cold fist grips Yoongi’s heart at this – not seeing you? He hadn’t considered that but it’s true; the more time you spend with this guy, the less you can spend with him. He hadn’t realised before that this could actually mean losing you. How many married women does he know who hang out with seven men on a regular basis? (How many married women he knows at his age full stop—a solid zero—does not enter into his equation). Possessed by a forceful energy, he stands up and the others all look at him.

“I,” he starts, not really sure what he’s going to say, “have to go,” he says simply and leaves the dorms.

The others look at each other with trepidation and then shrug; what will be will be and they’ll be there to pick up whatever pieces there are later.

Yoongi leaves the building and starts walking. It’s far too far to walk to your apartment from the dorm, but he needs to burn off a little of his sudden energy. His mind is whirring, an overpowered carousel, an endlessly streaming slideshow of his relationship with you. He shakes his head and frowns deeply, shoving his hands deep into his pockets. He knows he’s coming to you but he doesn’t know what he’s going to say. He sees you, in his mind, on your date, laughing at some man, this company guy, holding hands, kissing goodnight. He shudders.  

He can’t tell you to stop dating other people, not if he’s not going to ask you to date him. But is he going to ask you? It seems insane. Impossible. The thought of asking you out is impossible. But the thought of dating you seems somehow… less impossible. Doable. Real. The thought of it being him walking you home. The thought of it being him who kisses you goodnight.

He laughs to himself. What is going on? What has been going on? He can’t have been this blind. Everyone else can’t have been right. He’s excited and terrified in equal measure. He wonders what you feel. If everyone was right that he has feelings, are they right about you, too? If it has taken him this long to realise, maybe you haven’t realised either. He might be walking into disaster. But he can’t stop. He’ll crash that fifth date if he has to.

After a couple of miles, he orders a car to take him the rest of the way. He stands for a moment outside your building; his limbs feel fizzy, his head feels light, and his stomach feels wobbly, but he pushes the intercom button anyway.

“Yoongi!” your voice comes through the speaker, quiet and grainy.

“Can I come up? I won’t be long.”

The buzzer sounds in reply and Yoongi opens the door and runs up the stairs. He has to assume this is a good sign. You’re in your apartment. You’re letting him come up. Your date is not—probably—not there, too. He breathes heavily outside your door, catching his breath, waiting for his heart to slow down a little.

It doesn’t. Not even when his breathing is even and he’s stopped sweating. So, he knocks anyway. When you open the door, you’re already ready for bed: make-up off, hair down, pyjamas on. He has to assume that this is a really good sign.

“What’s up?” you ask as you welcome him in. “Do you want a drink?”

“No, thank you,” he answers, sitting down. “I just needed to talk to you about something. How was your date?”

You sit next to him on the sofa and consider your answer.

“It was good! He’s a nice guy. I think we’re going to go out again next week, maybe.”

You don’t want to overegg the pudding but you’re not sure how to play it, how much to give away, how honest to be. Keep it vague, keep it simple. He will already know it can’t have gone that well if you’re here, all undone, ready for bed.

Yoongi nods, looking serious. Then he stands. Then he asks you to stand, too. Perplexed, you rise and stand in front of him, your expression questioning.

“I’ve been stupid,” he states. “I’ve been really stupid. I have to apologise to you for that. I don’t want to complicate things for you but you have to know this. I like you. I don’t want you to date that other man. I want you to date me.”

“Date you?” you ask, incredulous.

“Yes. That is what I want and I’ve wanted it for a long time; I just didn’t realise it until now. If you want to date that guy, that’s ok, but if you want to date me, well, I want that, too.”

He sounds so sure, so confident, but he doesn’t feel it. His hands clench and unclench at his sides; his ribs are taking a beating from his heart; sweat pricks in his scalp. He can’t say any more. His mouth has dried up. He can only stand and wait for your response. Whatever it may be.

You look surprised then confused, your brows pulling together over your eyes, your lip sucked into your mouth, chewed on.

“I guess—well, no, I know: I also want to date you.”

That’s definitely got to be a good sign. He nods sharply.

“Ok. Good. Fine. Good. That’s all I wanted to say.” A pause. “Sorry for barging in here. It’s late. I’ll let you go to bed.”

He turns to leave and you’re laughing, more incredulous now than before.

“Where the fuck are you going?” you cry, stepping forward and grabbing his arm, turning him around so he’s facing you again. “What are you doing?”

He looks like a deer caught in headlights, a little shocked, a little dazed, like he can’t believe where he is, what’s just happened. And he can’t. Doesn’t seem real. None of it does.

“Oh, I, uh,” he stutters, not sure himself what he was doing, what he’s going to do now.

“You can’t just come in here and tell me you want to date me and then leave! Are you even going to ask me out?”

He blinks and you hear the clock tick like the cogs in his brain turning.

“Do you want me to ask you out?”

“Oh my god!”

You turn, bewildered, really feeling that extra glass of wine you had at dinner. You rub your hands over your face and turn back to him with a smile.

“Yoongi?”

“Yes?”

“What are you doing on Friday?”

“Studio, probably.”

You roll your eyes and take a deep breath.

“No, what are you doing on Friday?”

You stare at him insistently, willing him to see the breadcrumbs you’re laying out for him, to take a fucking hint for once in his life.

“I’- oh. Oh. Uh, do you want to go out with me on Friday?”

“I mean, I was going to ask you out, but yes, yes I do!”

“Oh… Good.”

“Stop saying that!”

“I don’t know what else to say!”

You feel a little drunk, feel a tiny bit like maybe you’ve fallen asleep on the sofa and are just dreaming this. Because it’s come out of nowhere and Yoongi’s standing in your living room asking you out on a date and it’s everything you’ve wanted for all this time and it can’t just suddenly be happening. Just like that. So easy.

He’s blushing and so embarrassed, squirming a little as he stands in front of you, feeling so silly that he showed up so unprepared. Unprepared for any of this. He would have sworn up and down just a few hours ago that you were his friend and nothing more, but now he’s giddy, a little dizzy, feels like he’s actually drunk even though he sobered up on the walk. He feels like he’s dreaming, passed out on the dorm sofa, imagining all of this.

You both feel weird, exposed. You’re crossing that line, however inelegantly, and neither of you is sure how to do it. You laugh, awkwardly, nervous now in front of him. He laughs, too, rubbing a hand at the back of his head self-consciously, looking down at the floor.

“You can stay,” you offer, quietly, a little timid, not quite meeting his eye.

“Stay?”

“Here, tonight. If you want.”

“Do you want?”

“You think I’d have offered if I didn’t?”

You take whatever Dutch courage you have left and close the gap between you, your feet neatly together between his, your fingers toying with the edge of his jumper. You look up at him through your lashes and he’s looking down at you, blinking hard, his fists clenching and unclenching at his sides again. You tip your head up to him, willing him to take a step, to take his turn, to not make you have to do all the work.

It's a little much, Yoongi thinks, as he looks down at you. It feels fast, sudden, and he’s so hot, flushing all over as your little fingers pull gently at the hem of his jumper. For a second, he considers backing out, shuffling back just a little—and then he catches himself. It’s not sudden—because he’s known you for months now, he’s felt this for months even if he hid it from himself; it’s not fast, it’s slow. It’s been slow—he’s been slow. Everyone has been telling him, everyone has been saying it and he hadn’t realised, hadn’t got the message, but now he has, so why wait? Why pause? You’re right there in front of him, looking up at him with those enormous eyes, a little shy, a little spark of mischief there.

He unclenches his fists and places his hands on your waist as he dips his head and presses his mouth to yours.

[mixtapeminho]

wanna please you too…

TEASER

——————————————

lee minho x virgin fem! reader

genre: fluff, smut (18+ please)

synopsis: established relationship. y/n finally decides to take her relationship with minho a bit further.

warnings: none for teaser; just some dirty talking

a/n: this is my first smut piece ! if there’s enough interest i’ll consider posting it :) feedback appreciated

——————————————————————————

just as you’re about to drift off to sleep, you hear the front door creak open. sitting up, you rub your eyes and push the comforter off of your legs. you tip-toe down the hall, trying to surprise him since he thinks you’ve been sleeping for hours. and really, you should’ve been. nonetheless, you make your way around the corner and…

“ah FUCK baby! holy shit you scared me,” he clutches his chest in fear as he tries to catch his breath. once he’s calmed down, he chuckles a bit as the softness returns to his eyes. he’s back to looking at you like you’re the only thing that matters.

“sorry min, i wanted to surprise you! how was rehearsal? how are the boys?”

“they’re fine, practice was fine. same shit as always. but baby, why are you awake?”

“couldn’t sleep… missed you too much,” your eyes drift to the floor as your voice softens. you take a couple steps closer to minho (not that it was needed) and rest your head on his chest. his arms wrap around you and you feel like you never want to leave this spot.

“y/n, you saw me just a few hours ago, and you would’ve seen me right when you woke up, did something happen?” he pulls away from your grip slightly to search your face for any sign of discomfort.

“no, just… needed you,” you squeak, further burying your face into his chest. you hear his heartbeat quicken the slightest bit. it’s almost unnoticeable, but you know your min.

“i’m right here now. how about you go back to the room and i’ll wash up as quick as i can. then i’m all yours to cuddle okay?” he pecks your forehead and tugs slightly at the back of your hair to make you look at him. instead of agreeing, you shake your head.

“no. i need you now, please min,” you pout slightly. he can’t say no to you when you make a face like that.

he doesn’t want to get his hopes up, but it sure sounds like you need more than cuddles right now. certainly not though. you two have never done more than kissing. “i don’t understand what you mean. i’m all sweaty and if i don’t wash up i’ll feel all gross the rest of the night and-“

“min.”

“…yeah?”

“i need you.”

then the realization hits. you are talking about more than cuddles. his worried expression shifts to that cocky smirk that you know all too well.

“i’m still not understanding…” he slowly states. but the look on his face says something different. he’s going to make you beg for it. you should’ve known.

“yes you do! please be nice to me,” you lightly punch his chest. his beautiful pecs…

“ah ah, that’s not how pretty girls get what they want. beg for it baby.”

[ahundredtimesover]

Belong (03) | MYG

Pairing: Yoongi x (f.) Reader

Genre/Tags: exes-to-lovers-to-exes-to-lovers; actress!OC x basketball coach!Yoongi; summer romance; “long” distance relationship; parallel timelines; angst, fluff, smut

Chapter (Series) Warnings: foul/explicit language; alcohol consumption & passing out, family drama, mention of sport injury; dreams & moving away; implied depression; basketball and acting talk; 2014 and 2022 Yoongi; shy and nonchalant cocky whipped Yoongi; explicit sexual content (straddling, kissing, oral, penetrative sex) (18+)

Chapter Word count: 17.7k

Series Masterlist

Status: Complete

Series summary: Being an actor has always been your dream. Pursuing it meant many things - leaving the town where you grew up, distancing yourself from your family that had fallen apart, and saying goodbye to the man who made you feel what home was like. When you decide to finally return after being away for so long, you meet Min Yoongi again, and you’re reminded of the summer romance from 8 years ago with the college basketball superstar whose broken dream pushed you away. As you find yourself spending time with him, you’re left to wonder if love changes, if it gives second chances, or if it’s just another illusion that will hurt the both of you the second time around.

Listen to: Incomplete by James Bay; Love Like This by Kodaline; Lose Ourselves by Boundary Run; Driving Hours by Axel Flovent || Playlist 🎶

Present day 

Taehyung, sitting in front of you at the Japanese restaurant for his treat, scans the menu then glances up at you and Yoongi going through your orders. He listens as you try to decide between 2 dishes, with the man next to you choosing the one you don’t get.

“What are you getting?” You ask your best friend.

“Hmm,” he sets the menu down. “I’m getting a ‘what the fuck is happening,’ please.”

You blink widely at him as the words process. “What?”

With crossed arms, Taehyung arches his brow.

“Arriving at the restaurant together? Sitting so close to each other? Sharing food?” His eyes focus on you, with a tinge of judgment that you’ve rarely ever seen on him. “Smiling like you’re that 20-year old woman in love? Are you two back together?”

You don’t know if you’ve just forgotten how observant Taehyung is, or if you and Yoongi are back in that bubble you used to have that makes you unaware of how couple-y you both are. You turn to the man next to you who gives you an assured look. 

“Your call,” Yoongi says.

“Your call?” Taehyung repeats, gasping. “That’s basically an admission!”

“Oh, stop being so dramatic!” You roll your eyes. “It’s not the worst news you’ve ever received.”

“So it’s true?” He badgers. “You’re back together? Since when? How?”

“Last night. I returned his jackets, hung out at his place, got to talking, kissed… Do you want details?” You challenge him.

“No!” Taehyung scowls. 

“Then why are you asking so many questions!” You exclaim. “And why are you being judgy?”

“I’m not!” He defends. “It’s just… it’s been a full day since you got back together and you didn’t think to tell me? Your best friend in the entire world?”

“Well, we were busy,” you shrug.

“I didn’t need to know that,” he frowns.

“You were asking.”

“Just to clarify,” Yoongi butts in. “She woke up early in the morning and planned to leave after we, uh, you know. We only talked about our situation then. So technically, it hasn’t been a day.”

“What?” Taehyung exclaims, turning to you. “You planned to dip and skip your ex?!”

“Can you lower your voice?!” You kick his shin. “And no, I wasn’t gonna leave,” you say to Yoongi now. “I mean, I did stop because I wanted to stay. But that’s besides the point.”

“And the point is what?” Taehyung asks.

“That Yoongi and I weren’t actually good with the ‘moving on from each other’ thing. We still feel something towards each other and we decided to just see where things go from here.”

“So just like that summer… but older. Hmm,” Taehyung hums, his eyes moving from you to your right, as if he’s deciding whether to be happy for you or to berate you. 

“Just like that summer,” you repeat, “but more mature, with a past we can learn from. And… happier,” you admit, as you look at Yoongi and once again feel the overwhelming emotion of love and joy. “I’m really happy, Tae. The last time I truly, and I mean truly, felt that… was here.”

You feel Yoongi tighten his hold on your hand underneath the table, as if some confirmation that it’s the same with him. 

Taehyung gives in. His whole face that was tense just seconds ago now softens, as he looks at you and recalls how this carefree and genuine smile of yours was a staple everyday during that summer. It’s been tough since you arrived here, but seeing how you’re glowing right now reminds him that only one Min Yoongi can ever make you look this happy. That’s at least one thing that Taehyung won’t ever deny nor take away from you. 

“I know,” your best friend replies. “I can see that.” 

Turning to Yoongi, he asks the older man if he has anything to say.

“I’m happy, too.”

It’s not something Yoongi just says to anyone who isn’t you, so saying this now to assure your protective best friend means a lot. 

“So can you not be judgy now?” You chuckle, easing the tension.

Taehyung insists that he wasn’t but teases that you and Yoongi were being so obvious. 

You also insist that you were trying to be subtle, but you can’t really defend your giddy smile, which has much to do with the feel of Yoongi’s fingers intertwined with yours. It’s something you’re getting used to again, much like with everything - his gruff morning voice, the scent of his clothes that you wore all day, wrapping yourself around him, and his kisses. There’s more you’ve missed that you know you’ll have again and you can’t wait for those, too. You’ve got a month left here, after all, but if things would continue to go this way, maybe even more. 

Dinner eventually goes by smoothly, with Taehyung no longer being hostile to you or Yoongi but actually being candid, saying that he missed third wheeling with you both, and then flustering him for fun. 

Your best friend is a brat most of the time and he wants to put Yoongi on the spot. He asks Yoongi questions like his favorite body part of yours - your eyes even if he can’t look straight at them; his favorite date - the first time he took you to dinner with a bouquet of marigolds and you spent the night playing arcades; and his favorite mannerism of yours - any time you pout because it’s cute. 

Taehyung insists it’s so Yoongi could be prepared for when you go public with your relationship and he gets asked about you. But deep down you know your best friend is doing it for you; there’s this comfort in knowing that those 2 years still stay with Yoongi, and his quick answers tell you that many things are still fresh in his mind. 

“Favorite outfit?” Taehyung asks. “PG answers only.”

“Nothing.”

“Nothing is not PG,” Taehyung warns.

“I meant, nothing in general,” Yoongi clarifies. “I like everything because everything suits her. But if I’d have to choose, then anything yellow. It’s her favorite color and she looks happiest in it.”

“Hmm, okay. Moment when you knew you really liked her?” Taehyung continues.

“That day I brought her to the shop for the first time,” Yoongi recalls. “I never told her but my dad had been feeling down then; I knew he was missing my mom. But ___ went there with me and spoke to him while he was taking inventory and made him smile and laugh and I don’t know, seeing that just solidified what I felt.”

Taehyung’s face softens; he remembers you talking about that day and he sees you now, the memory hitting you hard as you try to contain your smile.

“And the moment you knew you loved her?”

“The first time we hung out at my place… the morning after,” Yoongi says, as he looks down on his lap and fumbles with his hands, something he does when he’s nervous. “She was walking around my studio with my shirt on and she just… looked like she belonged there, with me, in our own small world. It was just us and nothing else mattered.”

Neither you nor Taehyung says anything. You just gaze at Yoongi and the way he keeps himself distracted with his own fingers, and then you blink the tears away. 

You take his hand in yours. “So, I think he’s ready for his hypothetical interview,” you chuckle.

Later that night, as you lie on your bed next to Yoongi who, just like you can’t seem to fall asleep, you say out loud the thoughts you’ve had since dinner.

“The moment you knew you loved me,” you start, “that… that morning was when we said we liked each other. You already loved me then?”

“The thought was there,” he answers, his eyes rooted on the ceiling. “But I kept going back to that moment even the mornings after.”

“Why?”

“You know how the first time you were on stage, that’s when you said you fell in love with acting?” He asks, earning him a hum of agreement from you.  “It’s the same with me and the first time I played basketball. I fell in love with the sport that moment; I couldn’t see myself playing anything else and I knew that I wasn’t going to love any other sport after. I go back to that moment constantly, just like that first morning with you.”

Yoongi turns, his eyes holding yours. “That day was so simple. We stayed in, watched random videos, cooked whatever, but I could just… see us doing that for a long time, you know? I didn’t want to do that with anyone else, and somehow I just knew that I would never feel what I felt for another person again. I think about that day and what I felt and I think it was love.”

You kiss him and hum against his lips. “I think that was love, too. I think it still is.”

“Hello, stranger,” Hoseok’s playful tone greets you as you pick up the phone. “I feel a little hurt that your break included a break from me. Have I become that manager who doesn’t shut up about work and that’s why you don’t call?”

“Oh, stop it,” you chuckle. “But that’s also your job, though - to talk to me about work to remind me that I actually still have a job and I need to earn.”

“That’s true. You’ve got appearances and photo shoots waiting for you when you get back here in 3 weeks.”

Right. Three weeks, you think to yourself. Not long ago, you couldn’t wait for all this to be over so you could go back to Seoul, but with how things have been with Yoongi, you just want time to stop so you could spend more days with him the way you have. 

It’s been a few days since you’ve gotten back together and you haven’t really spent a day apart since then. You still see your father and grandparents and have meals with them, but days begin and end with Yoongi - your mouths on each other, your hands all over his body, his lips all over yours. It’s been pleasurable for sure, but beyond the cuddles and the sex, it’s the conversations and the silence that have been so affirming. You like starting and ending your days with those, too. 

“___, you still there?” Hoseok asks. 

“Yeah, I’m just fixing up,” you say, looking for another one of your hair ties that you misplaced. You decide to just ask Yoongi for his because he definitely has an extra one. “Anyway, you called, so are you doing the friend thing by checking up on me? Or are you doing the manager thing and calling to tell me that I’ve got a project or something?”

“Both,” he laughs. “Well, there’s a request for you and Jin to be on a variety show and he said you’ve both dreamed of going on one so I assume that’s a yes. And there’s a pitch for skincare endorsement, too.”

“Okay to both,” you say excitedly, as you walk down the stairs. “I’m guessing filming for the show will start when I get back? And send me the details for the endorsement tonight, I’ll go check it,” you add.

You walk into your kitchen where Yoongi’s cooking, and you gasp in excitement as you see the kimchi fried rice he’s making. You hug him from the back, surprising him, but he doesn’t push you away.

“Smells good,” you hum, forgetting the call you’re currently in, only remembering when Hoseok asks what it is that you’re referring to.

“Uh, the food,” you reply.

“That you cooked or…?”

“Uh,” you trail, Yoongi looking at you curiously now, but you know you can’t lie to your manager, even if it's by omission. So you tell him the truth. 

“That Yoongi cooked,” you admit.

“Excuse me, what?” Hoseok says, and you don’t miss the surprise in his voice. “Yoongi is with you? As in, in your house? Why? Are you back together?”

“Uh,” you stutter, choosing to take the conversation outside and then sitting on the couch that faces inside so you could see if Yoongi’s finished. “Yes, we are.”

“Since when?”

“The other day.”

There’s silence before Hoseok speaks again. “___, I told you to be careful.”

“I’ve been!” You insist. “I mean, we don’t go out much and there haven’t been any photos of us, at least that I’ve seen. You don’t have to worry; we’re being careful. And even then, he’s literally the most non-news worthy person I’ve ever dated. There’s no fire you’ll need to put out because there’s no dirt on him.”

“He’s your ex-boyfriend, that’s one. And as your manager, I’m still supposed to remind you that he might not want the attention,” Hoseok sighs. 

“I’m not that big of a celebrity, Hoseok,” you reason. “I doubt people would mind.”

“They could.”

“Then he and I will talk about it when we have to.”

“But about what I said, I didn’t mean that as your manager. I meant that as your friend,” he says. “___, he broke your heart. Who’s to say he won’t do it again?”

“And who’s to say that he will?”

“So is he gonna quit his coaching job and move to Seoul?”

“We… we haven’t talked about it.”

“Do you plan to?”

“Yes, of course!” You groan. “We’ve just been enjoying the time together after so long. There’s so much to catch up on and we just… we just want to savor this for now before I have to go back there.”

“So you’re just gonna live in your own bubble for the next 3 weeks and then decide to talk about it when you feel like it. Is that it? And then what if he doesn’t go with you like last time? What if he lets you go again like last time?”

“You’re being harsh,” you mumble, not feeling like you need this right now. 

“I’m not being harsh, ___. I’m being practical,” Hoseok sighs. “You knew you were gonna see him, and I knew, just like everyone else did, that you weren’t over him. And now you’re in that same position as you were 6 years ago, but this time, you’ve built a career; you’ve got a lot to lose to now. And whether he lets you go again or you choose to stay, you lose. You shouldn’t even be in this position.”

“You don’t get to speak about how I feel,” you respond, feeling a little too bare and vulnerable right now. “Neither should you speak about how I’m supposed to handle my personal relationships, Hoseok. Speak about it professionally and don’t act like you know what I had to go through and what I’m feeling right now.”

“You’re right, I don’t know what you had to go through,” he admits. “But I know that you cried so many nights because of him. I used to take out your trash, remember? Before you had Jimin? I never meant to see it but you threw a ripped photo of you and Yoongi before. You’d skip events at Daegu, date guys you didn’t even like… I— I’m your manager but I’m also your friend, ___. I pick up on your cues, how you avoid questions about your first love, how you say that there was never anything for you back home when I knew you used to head out there every weekend.”

The words feel like a punch to the gut. You know Hoseok; he’d never intend to say them to hurt you. He’d always kept himself out of your personal relationships, including the men you dated just because you were lonely even if he was right - you never really liked them.

But it feels too soon, you think. You don’t want to think of all this right now, of what it would mean for you and Yoongi after the 3 weeks you have left. You don’t know if he’s thought about it; knowing him, he probably has. But maybe you also don’t know; maybe he hasn’t thought about it because like you, maybe he just wants to live in this bubble first… before you lose it all over again.

“___, I’m sorry,” he finally says, after you’ve spent the past minute or so silent. “You’re an adult. The agency doesn’t restrict you or anything. I’m not here to police you either. I just… I don’t want you to get hurt again. And I don’t want anything to hold you back in your career, especially given the momentum you have.”

“I know,” you mumble. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize. It’s your break, a well-deserved one. I didn’t mean to ruin it.”

“You didn’t. It’s all good,” you say, and you mean it, too. He’s just reminded you of the things you’ve been trying not to think about. 

You glance at Yoongi at the same time that he signals that the food is ready. You smile at him and tell Hoseok that you have to go. He apologizes again and tells you he’ll call back about work details. 

Entering the house, the scent of the food immediately makes you salivate. You also spot another dish that you didn’t see earlier. 

“Did you steam the dumplings?” You ask excitedly. 

“Yeah,” Yoongi chuckles. “You got so many packs of it. I figured you’d want some.”

“Always,” you smile, sitting down next to him and placing your legs on his lap, as you usually do. You cling to him like a koala; you always said it’s how you squeeze in as much time to cuddle with him as possible. “I’m so glad we bought so many things at the supermarket the other day.”

“Because we got all the things you usually crave for,” he playfully shakes his head. “We have to buy milk soon, though. You put it in everything.”

“Get used to it again,” you stick your tongue out, earning you another laugh. 

You eat as if you didn’t just have that conversation with your manager and you’re thankful that Yoongi doesn’t bring it up… until he eventually does, when you both sit on the couch later that evening, watching a Pegasus game on TV with your legs on his lap again. 

“So… your friends don’t seem to like me, huh?” 

His dry laugh tells you he’s trying not to be affected. 

“My friends? Who?”

“Well, Taehyung seemed hostile the other day. And you looked pretty down while talking to your manager earlier. I’m thinking maybe he doesn’t like me. Do Jin and Jimin know yet? I bet they’d be disappointed, too. Does—-”

“Yah,” you groan, knowing he tends to ramble when he’s nervous. “Why are you thinking that way? They don’t not like you, okay?”

“I wouldn’t like me if I was your friend.”

“Too bad you’re my boyfriend, then. You can’t dislike yourself.”

“I still could,” he says, unable to hide his smile at how you referred to him as. 

“Well then, I don’t. And that’s what matters,” you declare, climbing to sit on his lap now.

“You really like straddling, don’t you,” he chuckles.

“Only so you could look at me,” you state, “and so I could hug you and you could hug me like this.” You wrap his arms around your waist to his amusement. “And so I can properly tell you that my friends are fine; they’re not out to get you. They’re just… protective, that’s all.”

His eyes soften and you relax your position in his hold.

“I cried to Jin once and told him I didn’t wanna speak of it ever again. Hoseok saw our ripped photo in my trash. Jimin’s never met you but I apparently say a lot of things when I’m drunk. And Tae, well, he took it the hardest. But he also saw me at my happiest with you,” you reveal. “It was hard, but only because it meant so much. I won’t deny any of that. But we’re okay now.  We made decisions that hurt each other but we also can’t seem to just let each other go. That’s gotta mean something, right?”

“It does,” Yoongi nods, thinking that this would do for now. 

There are so many thoughts swimming in his head and hiding underneath. They continue to plague his mind even after he goes to bed that evening, with your body wrapped all over his after he made you come thrice. They stay there even after a shallow slumber, as he wakes the next morning feeling restless. 

He never imagined he’d ever get back together with you. Sure, he’d thought about it many times before; even planned on seeing you one time to catch up and maybe see if things had changed but he’d chickened out seeing that they did, drove back to Daegu, and then convinced himself that it was the right thing to do. 

But you were everywhere for him - in his rare smiles and laughters, in the crevices of his broken heart that he caused, in his dreams where you would probably remain. Being with you again gives him a sense of direction after he lost it all those years ago when his dream slipped away. 

That version of him didn’t think he could love you right, and though he’s grown so much since then, he feels that the remnants of that boy are still there, and he’s scared that he’ll drive you away again, ironically because you - your dreams, your hard work, your happiness - always come first. 

Yoongi always preferred being alone; he didn’t like fitting himself where he doesn’t have a place to be, or if he thinks his presence would cause more harm than good. Dating a celebrity is tricky, and he’s allowed himself to live in this fantasy world within the 4 walls of your rental house where nothing could harm the both of you, including him.

Turning to his side, he gazes at your sleeping form. You’ve shifted since last night, and now you’re comfortably lying on your side facing him, soft snores escaping you. 

He doesn’t fight the desire to feel you, so he cups your cheek with his hand and caresses it, just like you said you always liked. It’s his gentleness, you said, and he never really understood it but he does it because you like it, just like he does many things when it comes to you.

You hum as you feel his warmth, a small smile creeping in your face, causing him to smile as well. 

“G’morning,” you hum, turning your head so you could kiss his hand. “You’re up early.”

“Couldn’t really sleep,” he says, his hand trailing down slowly. “I think I’ve been sleeping too much.”

You giggle with your eyes still closed. “We can go somewhere if you want,” you say, taking in a breath when his fingers graze your pert nipple. “Or just stay in.”

Your chest heaves and Yoongi takes it as a sign, so he cups your breast, his thumb tracing patterns on your bud. You moan in response, and the sound itself causes his own dick to harden, even more when he feels your thighs clench underneath the covers. 

“Baby,” you pant.

He knows the tone of that voice; he heard it last night when your goodnight kiss turned into a make out session and then he slid down to make out with your cunt, too. 

So he takes the bait and slides his hand there again, parting your legs open to gain entrance. You comply right away, moaning even louder this time once his fingers breach your lips and proceed to gently rub your clit that’s already throbbing in anticipation. Comfortably propped up with his arm, he gazes at your closed eyes and parted mouth, his own pleasure increasing from watching yours build up. 

Your body glides against his hand’s movement, your back arching now as you start to crave for more. “Baby, please,” you mumble.

“What do you want?” 

“You,” you moan. 

He smirks and gets on his knees. He retrieves his hand from between your thighs and uses your essence to lubricate his own aching cock, earning him a cuss from you. Lifting your leg over his shoulder, he enters you slowly, until he’s following a pace that has you keening, especially as he kisses your ankle then down your calf, softly and gently even as he starts to go harder.

Watching him from below is hypnotizing, with his taut and smooth chest glowing against the sun. It’s the way his long hair frames his face, how his free hands comb over it, how he bites his lips, and how his head is thrown back, exposing his pretty neck. 

You watch his slender fingers caress your leg. You watch his digits, still coated with your essence, play with your clit again. You imagined how inviting they might’ve looked earlier as he pleasured you, and you get to see them now. Those rough, hard working hands touch you so gently, hold you so fiercely, and they satisfy you to no end. 

Your back arches as you feel the tightness become too much. You come and he follows right after, with moans coming from him and curses coming from you. The way he sounds, despite the absence of his words, makes you feel like you could come all over again.

He kisses your leg another time before putting it down, a shy yet satisfied smile gracing his face.

“Can you kiss me now?” You ask.

He hovers over you and gives you a peck on the lips.

“More,” you demand, kissing him all over his face.

“Jagi, let me brush my teeth first.”

“I don’t care,” you pout.

“I do,” he chuckles, tickling you so he could escape from your hold. 

He puts on his boxers and then scurries to the bathroom where you follow him. You brush your teeth next to each other and once you both finish, you immediately wrap your arms around his neck and pull him for a kiss, one that eventually turns into a make out session like it often does. 

“Jagi,” he laughs, as you now move to his neck as you pepper him with kisses. “You have your niece’s party. You have to fix up.”

“Right,” you say, finally letting him go. “Are you telling your dad about us today?”

“Yeah. I’m spending the day with him and he’ll definitely ask questions.”

“What do you think he’ll say?”

“He’ll probably tell me not to screw it up again,” Yoongi laughs dryly. 

“Did he say something like that before?” You wonder.

“Just years later. He said when I broke it off, I was in a pretty bad place; he didn’t want to add to that and he just supported me with what I needed to get better,” Yoongi recalls. “We’ve gotten closer the past years and he’d bring you up usually when you have a show or moving going on. But he’s never direct about the breakup. I guess it hit too close for him; I did what he couldn’t do.”

“Well if anything, I’m sure telling him would be a less awkward conversation than when I tell my father,” you say, having decided that if you want to repair the relationship, being honest to your old man about your boyfriend is a good first step. “I’ll just maybe hold off on introductions so letting him know should be enough.”

“Good luck to us, I guess?” Yoongi offers.

“I guess so,” you reply, hugging him for the encouragement and comfort you need. “I already can’t wait to be with you tonight.”

As it turns out, Mr. Min was more silent than expected. Yoongi told you that his old man was more emotional, hugging him and saying he’s glad his son’s happy again, that he found the piece that was missing. Yoongi didn’t get that last bit, but you do; you remember that first conversation with his dad when you first visited the shop some weeks ago.

Your father was the talkative one. He asked about how you and Yoongi met, what happened along the way - which you narrated in a rather simplistic manner, given that you knew it’d hit too close to him, too; you did what your mom did, after all - and when he’ll get to meet him.

“Sometime,” you’d said and your father merely smiled and didn’t press further.

That was a few days ago. Since then, you’d gone to the Opera House with Yoongi, played basketball in his favorite playground court, and planned to hike a mountain, until you saw how far you’d have to walk so you both decided to stay at the foot of it and just go for a food trip around the small town. 

While Yoongi’s working at the shop today, you’re at Taehyung’s house, seated on his couch while he lays his head on your lap. You’re both watching a classic movie and reciting the lines word for word, getting sucked into the emotions of the scene. 

Your best friend sits up right after the credits start to roll. “So, how’s it like dating your ex-boyfriend?” He asks. 

“Good,” you smile, recalling how it’s been since you both got back together.. “All the things that I loved about him are still there. He’s still wise and gentle and thoughtful. But he’s so grown up now, like when he talks about coaching the team and improving the sports department of the school. He sounds so mature when he talks about his dad’s business and how he’s helping in growing it, perhaps running the shop in the future when Mr. Min is unable to. But he still teases sometimes, he’s still a little cocky flirt and an unbothered man when he wants to be.”

“You seem really happy,” Taehyung looks at you softly. “It’s different, the way you look. You’ve never talked about anyone like this.”

“I don’t know where I got this capacity to feel for someone so much,” you admit. “It’s… it’s overwhelming sometimes, you know? Like when I watch him preparing our meals or when he’s on his laptop for work or when he’s just seated next to me. I just feel so happy that I’m part of his world, that I get to experience this - being with him. It’s kind of scary sometimes.”

“In what way?” Taehyung asks worriedly.

“In the way that I know that the universe screws with us sometimes and takes things away,” you say. “In the way that I find myself imagining - for the first time - what living here would be like and what job I’ll have and where he and I will live. It’s scary because of the way we got together was so familiar, and what if the heartbreak is the same, too?”

“Do you think about that? Of him, pushing you away again?”

“I can’t help it,” you sigh. “It’s moments when I’m not with him that I end up thinking this way. It’s like I’m overwhelmed with joy when I’m with him but I get so anxious when I’m not. Because what if one day, our circumstances pull us apart again? Then what? What if even with how happy I make him, he wants to stay here? And even with how happy he makes me, what if I still want to leave?”

“___, your life is in Seoul,” Taehyung reminds you.

“My career is there; there’s a difference.”

“Is there really? In the industry where we work?” He challenges. “You can’t be all that you want to be and stay here. I thought you always knew that.”

“I did. I guess, finding my happiness again just gave me ideas,” you say. “Staying here to be with him back then wasn’t an option - I had a career to start and well, he also didn’t want me. But now, I’ve got a few years under my belt. I could do something with it here, you know? Maybe run workshops? Set up my own theater company? Get into broadcasting?”

“Why are they all premised on you staying here, though? What about Yoongi being the one to leave to stay with you? Why do you get to be the one to give up your dream?” 

“Because it’s easier to make it here than it is in Seoul. And well, I guess it’s a better scenario to think about rather than him not wanting to leave his life here to live it with me there.”

You don’t even notice the tears forming until one slides down your cheek, which you eventually wipe away. It’s the thought you’ve been keeping in, unwilling to acknowledge it for fear of it coming true. You’re scared that with all the things about Yoongi that haven’t changed, his choice to prioritize your dream over your relationship is one of them, so you go ahead and think of giving it up for him instead. 

“Hey,” Taehyung says, hugging you for comfort. “Have you told him any of this?”

“No. I don’t like talking about those things when we’re together. I just want us to—”

“Stay in your own bubble of love before it breaks?”

You sigh in frustration. “I sound really stupid, don’t I?”

“You sound like any person who’s been hurt by someone they loved so much, and those fears are valid,” Taehyung assures you. “But even if I want to say that you should follow your heart and be with the man you love regardless of what you have to give up, I can’t. Because I saw how hard you worked to be where you are. I know what this means to you. You love acting more than anything and you always have.”

“But I also know that Yoongi loves basketball, and he’d do anything close to what he couldn’t have,” you point out. “Coaching his college team fills that hole that his  old broken dream left.”

“Then where does that leave both of you?” Taehyung asks. “Who gives up what? The last time this happened, you gave each other up. Was it worth it? Would it be worth it this time?”

“I don’t wanna think about it,” you pout. “I don’t want either of us giving the other up.”

“Well then you’ve got to find a way to live out your dreams while still being together,” Taehyung advises. “And something that’s sustainable, something that doesn’t tire you both out, that doesn’t break you into pieces when being together is meant to keep you whole.”

“I know. I’m just taking it one day at a time,” you huff, exhausted from just thinking about all this and silently crying. “I’m working out schedules in my mind, figuring out arrangements, what I can do here, what he can do there… but they’re all still scary because they’re unknown. Choosing to just be happy with how we are now seems easy.”

“It is. But what happens when it gets hard?”

“I guess he and I just have to… figure out how not to hurt each other unlike the last time,” you sigh, knowing that saying it is much easier than doing it. 

Yoongi never promised he wouldn’t hurt you; he isn’t the type to make those, knowing that his actions always say more than his words ever could. But you knew he wouldn’t, that he’d never intend it. Yet losing him was the most painful thing you had to endure. 

“You know it’s not that simple, though,” Taehyung says, pulling you close to him for the hug he knows you need. 

“I know that, too,” you reply, leaning on his shoulder now. “You’d think that after what I went through, I’d be so scared to be with him again because I lost him once and I don’t know how I’d deal with losing him again but I’m so stubborn, I can’t help myself.”

“You find home in a man in the place that stopped feeling that way and then you don’t want to leave,” Taehyung hums. “That’s natural. That’s human. But you don’t belong here, ___. You belong out there. You belong where you’re wanted.”

The bell over the door of the shop rings, and in you come in a yellow linen ensemble that Yoongi especially likes. His smile is immediate and it grows wider when you walk behind the counter where he is and kiss him.

“Missed you this morning,” you pout, taking his hand even if he still isn’t a hand-holder, but he lets you do it because it’s something you like to do.

“Yeah, me, too. I just needed to get here early to help my dad with some orders,” Yoongi says. “A couple wanted cutting boards for their entourage and it’s too much for him to work on his own. It tired him out actually. He left at lunchtime to rest.”

“Is he okay? You said he’s been getting more tired than usual.”

“I think it’s running this place that exhausts him,” he sighs. “I’ve been telling him to involve my cousins since he wants to keep the business within the family but he’s so stubborn; he doesn’t think they’ll appreciate it as much because they didn’t grow up in the shop. And then when I help, he says I help too much.”

“Maybe you’re too blunt when you tell him,” you chuckle. 

“How else am I supposed to tell him?” Yoongi arches his brow. “We don’t sugarcoat things around here.”

“Well then maybe your words need a little more love and care,” you smile. “Convince him that way; maybe he’ll give in.”

“Fine. When I figure out how to do that, then I will,” he laughs. “Anyway, why are you here? I thought you were doing errands.”

“I was. But then Hoseok asked to call and then we ended up talking for 2 hours and I needed a break,” you answer. “My dry clean can wait.”

“Was it bad?”

“No, not at all,” you smile. “The call was just too long but I also wanted to see you right away. I’m staying here for another week.”

“Really? How’d that happen?” He asks, feeling all sorts of warmth, knowing he’d be with you for a few more days. 

“Jin asked to move our filming so I asked to move my photo shoot,” you smile proudly. “And I arranged my schedule with Hoseok already. I’ve got days in the week I could drive out here and stay with you. Some weeks will be busier than others, though.”

Yoongi’s heart sinks. Of course this is something you’ve thought about. You went ahead and thought he wouldn’t be driving out to see you, too. 

“I can drive out to you, you know? You’re the one with the busy schedule,” he says.

“So are you. Baby, you’re training college kids. And you’re helping your dad out here. I already know you won’t be taking a rest.”

“And you’re the celebrity with so many events and filming and photoshoots to go to,” he counters. “You won’t be taking a rest.”

“Well then how do you expect us to see each other if we don't plan to?”

His silence prompts you to continue. “You haven’t thought about it yet, have you?”

“Of course I have. Even if all I want is to savor our time together, the thought of us being apart again bugs me everyday. It… it got hard the first time. It took a lot from us.”

“Because we were different people back then,” you explain. “I was just starting out with barely any projects and you were recovering. But now, we’re more capable, more confident. I can’t be the only one thinking this is gonna work out this time. Please tell me I’m wrong.”

The worry in your face starts to worry Yoongi, too. But he wants to be the strong one this time, even if everything scares him right now. 

“You are wrong, because we’re gonna be fine,” he assures you, hand on your cheek to calm you down. “We’ll make time and we’ll find something that’s more permanent, okay? We have just a bit more time left. Do you think we can just focus on that first?”

It’s both comforting and worrying to know that somehow, you and Yoongi are on the same page for now, choosing to just focus on your time left together rather than dwelling on what comes after. Sure, thinking how you could sustain the relationship is important, but so is just living in this moment with him without worrying about anything else. 

That’s how the second year of your relationship went, after all. Even with the arrangement you both made of alternating visits after that first summer, you didn’t account for the tragedy he’d suffer through after the next. That’s what made it hard. Some things in life you just can’t predict, some dreams that come true and end that change everything; sometimes it’s what makes the relationship work, sometimes it’s what ends it. 

“We can,” you smile, shifting to kiss his hand that’s still cupping your cheek. “I’ve got a few ideas.”

For the next several days, you and Yoongi spend as much time together as possible. You stay in and watch movies - including yours, have meals out with his dad, go out for drinks with Taehyung, and drive out to places you’ve never been to. 

You join him at the shop when he does some woodwork, something you don’t expect would turn you on so much with how sexy he looks being so focused, his fingers hypnotizing you as they glide through the wood. He stays with you during your video call meetings with Hoseok about several possible projects, noting the ones you really want and the ones that just won’t work out. 

It’s waking up and falling asleep next to him that you love the most, though, and he seems to feel the same way. He pulls you close at night and kisses your forehead; you’re the one who dives into his lips until it escalates to him eating you out or pounding you from behind. But he always finishes with his head on your neck, taking you in, saying he loves you with barely any words. In the mornings, you wake him up with kisses, his pleas for you to stop having no bite at all. The softness of his smiles tells you he secretly loves it, and it’s what stays with you as you go about the rest of your day. 

Before you know it, it’s 2 days before you’re scheduled to drive back. You indulge your father’s request for lunch the day before you leave, and Mr. Min prepares dinner for you that evening. You don’t miss the joy in his eyes as he tells you repeatedly how happy he is that his son is happier now as well. 

That night, you and Yoongi make love gently. With him taking you on the couch and then on your bed, you feel everything he doesn’t say. He holds your gaze as you come for him, and then he kisses you amorously when you ride out your high. 

On your last day, you meet with Taehyung and his parents for breakfast before spending the rest of the day with Yoongi. You stay at home, just lounging about in nothing but his oversized shirt and your underwear. 

“Okay,” you say, as the sun has set and you start to get hungry. “I found this super easy recipe for some garlic pasta that I’m gonna make for us, and then I’m gonna grill some steak that you’re gonna watch over because I don’t know how to tell if it’s cooked.”

Yoongi laughs but he agrees. “Sounds like a plan.”

You walk around the kitchen to get the ingredients and prepare the pot for the noodles and pans for everything else. You get the cutting board and start chopping the garlic as slow as you possibly can.

Leaning on the counter and watching you in amusement, Yoongi chuckles. “Jagi, let me do it. You might hurt yourself. Or overcook the pasta because you’re taking too long. Whichever happens first.”

“Hey, be nice,” you glare at him. 

He just softly smiles as you go about your task, with your eyebrows furrowed as you focus on mincing the garlic. You ask him to season the steak and he teases you that all you’ll be doing now is putting the meat on the pan and claiming that you cooked it. 

“Ha, ha, you’re funny,” you pout. “I’m trying, okay? This is why Tae and I had to survive on instant meals because we couldn’t cook our own.”

“Yeah, now both of you could just hire people to cook for you.”

“Or date people who can,” you wink. “I missed your makchang and your meat dishes a lot. No one in Seoul could make them like you.”

“I also only make them for you.”

“What a sweetheart,” you giggle. 

You finally finish with the garlic and then cook it in the melted butter on the pan. Once ready, you mix in the noodles with some parmesan cheese and parsley. 

At that moment, Yoongi couldn't help himself. He walks over to you and hugs you from behind, his strong arms wrapping around your waist and his face resting on your neck as he watches you continue mixing. He feels your breath hitch at the act; this is something you usually do, after all, and he’s more subtle when he initiates physical contact. He’s never actually done this before, but it just felt right. Seeing you in his clothes, in this place that’s become so familiar, does something to him, especially as you try your best to feed him this time around.

“Hmm, couldn’t help yourself with my cuteness, huh?” You giggle, and he hums his yes.

“You think I could do this everyday?”

“Only if the recipe isn’t more than 5 steps.”

“Hey!” You elbow him, laughing along as he says he’s just teasing. 

You let him taste and then add more salt when he says so. You put it aside so you can cook the steak now, and all you really do is put it on the pan and do what Yoongi tells you to do.

“Can you imagine it?” You wonder out loud as you sear the meat. “You and me in our own place, doing this?”

“It’s a nice thought,” he downplays. He thinks about it more than he cares to admit. 

“It is. That’s why, uh, I’ve been looking around for houses around here for long-term lease,” you finally tell him. “This place is available. It would be a good place to stay for when I visit every week.”

“Is that all you think about?”

“Hmm, I think of what I can do here, too,” you confess, finally expressing the things that have been swirling in your mind. 

“Why?” 

“I mean, Seoul would be great but if I can’t have you there, Daegu isn’t so bad,” you say, your voice dropping a little. “I could teach drama at your university or run my own classes.”

“But this isn’t your home, though,” he says, his eyes now losing its softness and are now focused on the meat he’s cooking. 

“What’s home but the place where you are?” You counter. “I’ll be wherever you are. I… I know that’s what I want.”

“Jagi, that’s a loaded thing to say. This place is too small for you, always has been.”

You don’t respond, only because you agree. It was too small for your mom and it was for you, too. But sometimes, dreams and priorities change. Sometimes, people find something they lost a long time ago and  don’t want to lose it again. Sometimes they find themselves in a place they never expected, and find a home they thought was only warm enough for one. 

“It’s just a thought,” you hum. “It would be nice though, wouldn’t it? To… do this everyday?”

Yoongi doesn’t think it’s a test, but when he manages to say that it is - it’s become one of his gentle dreams, actually, something he feels a little too greedy to have - there's a tinge of uncertainty on your face that mirrors his, and he wishes on your last night, he doesn’t disappoint you. 

But you seem to shrug it off and he tries to do the same. He finishes off the meat and then slices them for you. You plate the noodles and take them to the dining table. Both of you devour your dinner, with your legs over his lap and frequent kisses on his hand while he eats, and enjoy some wine right after.

Later that night after you’ve both washed up, you exit the bathroom and proceed to look through his pile of clothes in your closet. 

“Jagi, no need for that,” he mumbles, prompting you to return one of his white shirts that you were about to wear. 

You turn to him in anticipation, as he removes his own shirt and walks over to you in just his boxers. Cupping your cheeks, he kisses you deeply. 

“It’s our last night together,” he whispers. “I just want to—”

Your hand on his cock disrupts him, and while he doesn’t say anything more, he does continue to kiss you and fondle your breasts. 

He makes you come into his mouth first, and then lets you suck him off until he’s painfully hard that he shoves himself into you once he lays you on your back. You moan obscenely, as he chooses to go hard this time. 

He doesn’t want you to think of whatever uncertainty you may have picked up from him earlier; he doesn’t want you to think of tomorrow or the day after that. Tonight, he just wants you to focus on how he makes you feel; he wants to let you know how good you make him feel. He wants to rid your mind of worries for now about your future together. He just wants your sounds, your curses of his name, your chest heaving, your toes curling, and your screams of wanting more.

And that’s what he gets. You groan when he thrusts deeply into you as you grip the sheets and the pillow you’re lying on. Your whole body shakes when you’re all-fours on the bed, feeling him enter you from behind, shivering with his kisses on your back as he pushes into you. 

You’re spent by the time you both finish, and Yoongi takes his time to wipe off the sweat from your forehead and your mixed slick from your body. You curl into him once he returns to the bed, and all he could do is hold you tight and hope that in the morning, this is all that you’ll remember. 

You gaze at the man sleeping next to you, peaceful, with no care in the world. For someone who says he isn’t all that affectionate, he sure likes to hold you when you sleep at night, as his one arm secures you in his grip. You delay the morning kisses, wanting to savor this first. It won’t be until a few days later when you get to be blessed with this scene again, and you want to hang onto it for as long as you can.

Eventually, you give in, peppering him with kisses until he just pulls you on top of him and cradles your head to stop you. You both end up giggling though, and Yoongi, who usually doesn’t like morning breath kisses, kisses you. He holds it there for a while and you hum against his lips, not wanting to think that you’ll be without this for a while. 

You both finally get up. It’s a quiet morning with the breakfast he makes. You eat your meal right next to him with your legs on his lap like always. You choose to exchange soft looks and giggles rather than words. You take a quiet shower with him. He helps you fix your things, and when Taehyung arrives, Yoongi loads your luggage. 

He greets your best friend and when you’re both left alone outside the car, you give Yoongi a tight hug.

“I’ll drive out to you next week,” he says as he wipes the lone tear that falls down your cheek. “Is that okay? It’s my last weekend before training starts.”

“Yes,” you sniff. “That would be great.”

He gives you a final kiss before entering his car. In the intersection, Yoongi takes a right while you and Taehyung go straight. He thinks there’s no more painful  way to part and to remind him of your reality - no matter how much love there is, you’ll always be heading in different directions.

Yoongi visits you that first weekend. He spends 3 days with you, one of which is spent with Jungkook and Namjoon who almost cry seeing both of you back together. There are a lot of secrets spilled, like how both men sought you out because they’d also been heartbroken by the breakup; they wanted to know how you were doing and wanted to let you know how Yoongi was doing as well, in hopes that you’ll both never lose contact, that despite the separation, you’d still feel connected somehow. 

That second night, Yoongi massages your feet as you talk about the busy week - meeting with Jin and the variety show producers, guesting at a talk show, and giving an interview. In the balcony of your 20th floor apartment overlooking the Han River, Yoongi sees the world through your eyes - at the top, where you’re meant to be. 

The next week, you take the 3-hour drive to Daegu to see Yoongi for 2 days, since your schedule suddenly became full with guest appearances in various shows and meetings for other potential endorsements. You meet him at the antique shop that he helps manage while working on coaching stuff on his laptop, scribbling plays and watching his players’ scrimmages on film so he can work on their system. You don’t do much but lounge at his apartment during his free day, the silence now replaced with numerous phone calls and emails that you can’t reject. 

You get a driver for the trip on the third week. Thursday and Friday are the only free days you have, which is a luxury, you think, since Yoongi works every single day, coaching the team and helping his dad. You’re at least afforded some days when you don’t have filming or something extra on the side, so you take the chance to go to Yoongi.

It’s 5AM when you tell him you’re coming, and he’s up early for morning training to say he’ll see you for lunch. You’re on his couch by the time he arrives with meat to grill, and you run to him immediately for the hug you’ve been badly needing.

“Everything okay?” He hums against your neck, taking in your scent. 

“Yeah, just miss you,” you sigh into his hold. “I miss you everyday and much more than I thought I would. Like, I’m busy when I’m not with you and that should make me think of you less but no, it just makes me think of wanting to go home to you.”

“I’m sorry, jagi,” he says, kissing your forehead to add to the apology. 

“Nonsense. I’m just a clingy girlfriend, you know that,” you chuckle, playing off the sadness you truly feel at being away from him like this. The daily texts and calls could only do so much. 

Yoongi, though, falters a bit at your admission. You love in all ways - through words, gifts - you’ve been bringing him something that reminds you of him every time - actions, and affection. He loves with this - cooking you meals, hugging you tightly, holding your hand, looking into your eyes when you talk. He loves by making you feel like you’re home; he feels like he does it best when you’re next to each other. And that he could only truly return your love when he’s with you. 

He kisses you in response - slow and deep with his hands cupping your face again.

It alights something in you, as you feel so much with it, especially as he seems to want to keep going. But your body reacts immediately - it’s how it is when Yoongi’s expert tongue works around yours, his soft hums against your mouth and the way he caresses your cheeks making you lost in your own little world. It makes you crave for more, too.

Your hands trail down his chest, sneaking underneath his shirt to feel his skin and then pulling it off him for the whole thing. He hisses when you slide further down, your fingers grazing his semi-hard cock. 

“Hmm, I think I’m gonna have my meal first,” you tease, going on your knees to remove his joggers. 

You smile and lick your lips as your hand strokes his length, long and thick in all the ways you want. The view from below is glorious, his long hair framing his face, closed eyes and parted mouth letting you know of his anticipation. You don’t miss the sight of his heaving chest once you take him in your mouth, and his tempered groans cause shivers in your body once you increase your pace. 

“Jagi,” he moans, the term affecting you differently when he says it in desperation, in a tone that screams of pleasure instead of endearment. 

It just prompts you to go faster, to take him in deeper, and once you notice him tighten his grip on the counter and feel his restrained thrusts against your mouth, you know he’s close. 

You pull away briefly, your hand taking control. “It’s okay, baby. I can take it.”

He follows your lead and grinds against you now, his hips so beautiful in motion as he chases his high. He comes abruptly, taking you both by surprise, but you don’t pull away. You milk his every last drop, his whispered curses turning you on even more. 

You stand up and cheekily smile, and he can’t help himself but pull you to him. He hides his face in your neck, too shy to show just how good you made him feel. But he knows there’s another way to do that, so his hand that’s wrapped around your waist travels down and sneaks underneath your dress and inside your lace panties.

“Hmm,” he pants, finding out just what sucking him off did to you. 

He meets you in a frenzied kiss before turning you around, his fingers doing what they do best to your cunt while his mouth attacks your neck. His free hand fondles your breast, and it’s pleasure all over your body that you moan out every possible curse you could.

“Baby, it’s too good,” you heave, much louder than he is, as you normally are. “Fuck, I missed this. I want this everyday. I want you so fucking much everyday. Agh—”

Yoongi disregards your desire, one you’ve expressed multiple times in the last few weeks of this arrangement. He wants nothing more than to have this, too, but he’s learned a long time ago that wanting something so much doesn’t guarantee he’ll have it. Sometimes it’s worse; it’s hard to get back on your feet when you fail.

But he focuses on your pleasure, on the way that your body is responding to his movements, on the way that you’re pulling his hair and grinding against his fingers that’s sliding so perfectly in and out of you. He focuses on the way your sounds let him know that you’re feeling what he wants you to feel.

You reach your peak. Yoongi knows it when you lean your head against his chest and clench your thighs. Your hand goes over to his that’s on your breast, and he knows it’s too much now, so his fingers slow down, ultimately stopping. 

“Guess it’s just right that I have this, too,” he says, sucking his fingers that have your slick all over. 

You chuckle as you catch your breath, turning to him in time to watch him take his fingers in his mouth. His hand is perfect already; knowing it’s laced with your essence makes it even more irresistible. 

“I definitely want more but I’m also really hungry,” you pout, facing him now. “I didn’t get to have breakfast since I was asleep the whole ride here.”

“Did you barely get any sleep again?” He asks, knowing that tiring days make it harder for you.

“Just a little. Dinner with some friends ended late and then I had this early morning fitting for this gala next week,” you explain. “I said I’m only free before 9 so the stylist dropped by my place at 7.”

“Well, then you can spend the rest of the day just resting, okay?” He says, given that he has a meeting with the coaching staff before the team’s afternoon training. 

“I’ll be on your bed waiting for you to come home,” you wink. “Maybe I’ll be naked, too.”

Yoongi laughs and kisses you again, something you’ve noticed him do a lot more since getting back together. He used to wait for you to initiate anything when you first dated, only taking control once you’ve set the pace. Now, he doesn’t seem to mind - he kisses you more, hugs you more, pulls you in more. You like to think this is him missing you just as much; you don’t want to think it means anything else. 

You do as he says, making yourself comfortable on his bed with his scent enveloping you until he’s back home at 8, admitting that he dismissed everyone half an hour earlier so he could grab some dinner and get to you right away. 

It’s sex in the kitchen right after dinner, and gentler lovemaking when you’re both tucked in bed later that night. 

You have to leave right after lunchtime tomorrow, giving both of you just a bit of time for a meal after he finishes with morning training. It feels so fast and there’s never enough time. He’ll have to settle with texts and video calls again, which he was never good at. He’s always hated typing and talking on the screen but he always did it for you; there’s no other way, after all. And then he’ll have to wait for the next free time either of you gets to see each other once more. 

“I’ll miss you again,” you whisper, interrupting his thoughts. 

He thought you were already asleep.

“Me, too, jagi.”

“At least it’s just 3 hours, though,” you comfort yourself. “And no time difference. I don’t know how I’ll survive if we had an actual long-distance relationship that doesn’t let us see each other once a week.”

“That would be tough for me, too. I… I’m not good with calls and stuff like that,” he admits.

“Oh, I know,” you giggle. “You get anxious. And when you have nothing to say, you don’t get to hold my hand or play with my hair like you always do.”

“You know that, huh?”

“Min Yoongi, you’re fiddly with your fingers; you want to always be doing something with them, whether it’s stuffing them inside me or something more wholesome than that,” you laugh. “And I like it. Even when you don’t say much, you do other things that tell me just how much you love me.”

“You know me well, don’t you?”

“I’d like to think so. When I think about you as much as I do, that kinda happens.”

Yoongi just smiles and tells you to go to sleep. You follow and curl into him closer, your warmth comforting every part of his soul. 

He wishes he could love you more, not in a way that’s different to how he does it but in a way that lets you feel it every single day and every minute of it, and in a way that doesn’t tire either of you out, that doesn’t restrict and that doesn’t limit, that doesn’t end and that doesn’t hold back. Everyday he yearns for you, but so far he doesn’t know of any other way to do all that without either of you giving up something important. 

You have your fast-paced career that you were always meant to have; he has one that he’s fallen in love with. Your home is 3 hours away, and his is right here, where he gets to be with his dad whose only life now is the shop and nothing else. 

He’d seen the things people give up for the ones they love; he’s learned that giving up people you love for a dream happens, too. It’s his parents’ story and yours, after all. It’s both of yours, too. And even if he knows that your story will go in either direction, he chooses to live in the one you have now - in tangled limbs and hushed I love you’s under the covers, in cooked meals and lazy days in the comforts of your chosen homes, in untold desires of a different end to your story this time around. 

Yoongi surprises you the next week when he calls you on Friday night as you’re heading home from your event. He drove after afternoon training. Geumjae will be home for the weekend and help his dad in the shop, so there’s time to see you for a few days. 

You’re ecstatic when he shows up at your door, peppering him with kisses like every greeting after a week of being apart. 

You have an interview the next day that Jimin sneaks him in to watch. It’s the first time he’s ever done so, and watching you charm the hosts in your marigold dress hurts and heals his heart at the same time. 

You talk about your favorite roles and what acting means to you; you talk about the hard work you put into every character you play, doing your own research and taking classes to improve yourself. You talk about the love of the fans, how people reach out through letters and social media to tell you how you’ve been a source of joy for them. You live for this and Yoongi wishes he can witness it all the time, that he can see the fulfillment on your face when the hosts and crew compliment you even when the camera's not rolling. 

He wishes that you don’t feel too bad when you have to cancel dinner with him because of another dinner that Hoseok tells you about. It’s on short notice, as this casting director that he sent one of your auditions to some time ago is in town. The man thought to meet up with some friends and acquaintances from South Korea, and Hoseok insists that you join him.

You do, and Yoongi is not one bit disappointed. “Who knows? You might meet someone who’d give you your big break. Don’t worry about me,” he insists.

It’s 1AM when you return to your apartment, over an hour later than you promised. 

“There were more people than expected,” you explain, “so it was actually like a party with all these important people. Hoseok says that directors usually scout in these types of events, so I went for it. I’m sorry I couldn’t be here with you. You’re leaving tomorrow.”

“Nonsense,” he says this time, pulling you into a hug as you lay on the sofa with him, which is where he chose to wait for you. “I’m sure you charmed the guests there. I wouldn’t have kept you to myself, even if I was leaving tonight. There’s no way I’d let you pass up an opportunity like that.”

“You’re too understanding,” you pout. “We’ll stay in tomorrow, and then I’ll go to you next week. I don’t wanna miss your first game of the season.”

“And I can’t wait to see you on the stands, cheering for me,” he smiles.

You’re crying on the phone a few days later, apologetic to Yoongi because you can’t make it to Daegu for the season’s opening game. He’s been excited for his team, saying that they’re one of the favorites to win the tournament, and to be the first champion player and coach of his school would be the biggest honor, a dream he didn’t think he’d have. You hate that you have to miss it.

“One of the men I was talking with during the dinner last week turned out to be a casting director,” you explain. “He’s been in search of an actress for this TV series with a foreign production company and he reached out to Hoseok and wants me to audition. I—”

“And why are you apologizing?” Yoongi asks. “This is an audition that could change everything for you.

“But I promised I’d watch your game.”

“And you will, one day. You have to rehearse for this, ___. This is too important.”

“But—”

“You know that I won’t let you give something up for me, right?” He interjects. “That includes the time you need to prepare. Don’t be upset. I’ll tell you what happens, just promise me you’ll practice well. And I’ll see you when I can, okay?”

“Okay,” you mumble on the other end. 

You want to see him badly, but you also haven’t stopped thinking about this audition. Hoseok doesn’t know all the details but there have been talks of a TV series that will do filming abroad; that means it’s a big budget show and something that the industry will surely hype up. You apparently caught the director’s attention with your carefree yet innocent energy, like there’s this joy and romanticism in you that the character embodies. You remember his question of you ever doing ballet before, and you said you took lessons from your mom who’s a ballerina, and the possibility of that being part of the role excites you. You don’t even know what it entails but you already know you really want it.

You enter the studio the next week, ready for what could be the biggest audition of your life. The fact that the casting director wanted you to audition before seeing any tape that Hoseok would have sent him makes you want to believe that you have a shot. The 2 scenes you’re given have varying emotions that you need to express, and Jin was your mentor throughout the week as you prepared for this moment. 

You’re buzzing with energy right after, feeling like you truly did your best. It was quite draining, since you put so much of yourself into it. You talked to Yoongi less during the week so maybe that’s why, too, but as you enjoy dinner and drinks at your apartment with Jimin, Taehyung, and Jin, you wish that your boyfriend could be here, too. They had a morning game in Heongseong so he must still be tired. 

But your smile is immediate when he sends you a message. 

[From: Yoongi 💕] I’m sure you did great but still, how was it? 

You exchange texts throughout the evening as your friends tease you for ignoring them now, but you laugh along. 

“Are there any more details about the show?” Taehyung asks. “Like what your role is or where it’ll be filmed?”

“None yet, but Hoseok seems excited when he talks about it. Maybe he doesn’t wanna say too much so I don’t get too upset if I don’t get it,” you say. “Let’s just hope it’s a big deal if I get the role, and a cheap ass show if I don’t.”

“Have you thought about what’ll happen to you and Yoongi if it ends up being a big deal?” Jin asks, worry painted on his face because as a fellow actor who’s also done filming abroad, he knows what’s expected of you and what more you have to give up.

“Not yet, I don’t want to worry myself if it turns out to be nothing,” you say. “We’ll figure it out. We've sort of just been doing things one day, one week at a time, you know? We don’t need unnecessary drama at this point.”

Your friends look at each other, collectively deciding not to burst your bubble and this world you’ve created with the man you love dearly. It might not be worth it, but it may also be a big blow if you and him don’t prepare for the implications of a new role, however small or big it is. Your life continues here and so does Yoongi’s, 3 hours away. It may not seem much, but given your respective careers, 3 hours may be a little more than you can handle.

But you’re happy. You’re tired from the travels because every bit of downtime you get, you’re driving to Daegu to see him because Yoongi’s jobs don’t give him as much freedom as you do. You’re incredibly happy knowing that you at least get to be with him, even if the time limit causes you to just spend the days in instead of savoring the autumn season and walking around town.

It’s 3 weeks later when Yoongi’s in your apartment that everything changes. You hadn’t seen him since that time he came here when he watched you do your interview. You’ve been guesting in shows to Hoseok’s insistence in hopes of continuing your relevance as you await a new project, and with a school holiday coming up, Yoongi has the weekend to spare.

It’s the usual stay-in, and it’s in the middle of a make out session as you straddle him that your phone rings, with Hoseok’s face showing up on the screen when you answer the call.

“Hey,” you say, settling yourself down on the couch. “What’s up? And why are you panting?”

“I was doing my groceries when I got a call, and I had to run to my car to let you know,” he replies, building anticipation. But he doesn’t make you wait too long, as he announces the news. “You got the role, ___. And it’s just as big as I heard.”

“Wh—what?” You mumble, not knowing which words of his to focus on. 

“NBC is working with a French production company for this series. It’s an anticipated show with big stars and it’ll be shown around the world,” he explains, your mind still reeling from the news. “You’re taking the lead, ___. This is the big break we’ve been hoping for.”

“Oh my goodness,” you finally say, tears streaming down your face as you process the news. “This is— this amazing, Hoseok. I… I don’t know what to say. What are the details?”

“They’re sending them later and we can go over everything before they give the official offer.”

“Okay,” you reply, trying to calm your racing heart. Looking over at Yoongi who’s smiling softly at you, you know who you want to celebrate with. “Just let me know. I’ll just process all this first.”

“Sure thing,” Hoseok says. “I’m so proud of you, ___. I can’t wait for the world to see what you can do.”

You put the phone down and look at Yoongi next to you. He tugs your arm and you return to your seat on his lap, hugging him as you whisper that you got the role.

He returns the affection, enveloping you in his warmth as he lets you cry against his chest.

“I’m so happy for you, jagi,” he hums against your ear. “You deserve all this and more. Everyone’s gonna fall in love with you all over again.”

“I don’t know what to say,” you sob. “I’m scared but I’m so excited. Am I good enough for this? It feels like such a risk to be handing this kind of task to someone who’s only had her first lead role last year.”

“Jagi, of course you are,” he comforts, turning your head to face him and wiping your tears as they fall. “You got asked to audition after meeting at a party; that’s got to say a lot about the role fitting you so perfectly that whatever it is you exude is exactly what they’re looking for. I mean, I hope it’s all positive though.”

You giggle in sniffles. 

“And your first lead role just happened to be huge. And that obviously helped in your audition and the directors choosing you,” he continues. “You earned this. Treat it as a challenge. And knowing you, you’ll put your heart into it as you always do.”

“Thank you,” you mumble, as you melt into his touch, moving to kiss the hand that’s cupping your cheek. “I’m so glad I get to share this moment with you.”

“Me, too, jagi. Me, too.”

It’s the next morning when you learn more about the project, with Hoseok coming to your apartment in the morning to discuss it with you. He arrives with breakfast for 3, and you don’t miss his soft-but-bordering-on-sadness look when you say that Yoongi’s staying for the weekend.

“Is he up?” Your manager asks as he walks to your kitchen with you. 

“Nope, still asleep. He won’t be up for another hour or so.”

“Okay, good. Then I won’t be here to break the news to him.”

“What do you mean?”

Hoseok goes on to tell you about the call with the directors last night. They’re excited to have you on board, they said, loving the way you portrayed the emotions during your audition. Your face is what they’re looking for, and there’s an elegance yet relatability in you that’s perfect for the role. It’s a lot of nice words leading up to what it would entail, and at the end of it, you’re left even more excited and even more nervous. It’s almost everything you’ve dreamed of, only because of what you know you have to leave behind. 

Over an hour passes by and Hoseok stands up to leave. 

“I know you want this,” he says, “and this is what you’ve been working hard for. I don’t have to tell you what to do.”

“I know, Hoseok,” you sigh. “I know what I have to do.”

“You’ll be okay?”

“I guess.”

“What about him?”

“I hope so.”

He gives you a hug before he leaves, and it’s right as your bedroom door opens and Yoongi exits, mussed hair and sleepy eyes greeting you.

“Hey,” you say, walking towards him for a long, tight hug. 

“Everything okay?”

“Yeah,” you smile. “Hoseok was over and I had him bring some breakfast,” you say, leading him to the counter where an array of sandwiches and parties await him.

“Oh, you talked about the role and stuff?”

You nod in response, sitting next to him as he eats. 

“Are you allowed to tell me about it?”

“Yeah, so uhm. It’s about this young woman who gets into ballet after her adoptive parents die. She meets a man, falls in love, and there’s drama there, and then another man finds her who happens to be someone she knew when she was younger, and there’s drama there, too, since she discovers something about her parents and their death that makes her question her identity and basically her entire life,” you narrate. 

“You’re playing a ballerina?” He gasps. “___, that’s perfect for you. I’m sure your mom would be ecstatic.”

“She will,” you manage a smile. “And also, uh, it’ll be filmed mostly in Paris.”

“Hmm,” he responds, unable to look you in the eyes. “So it’s a foreign series?”

“Not really. It’s a joint project between production companies,” you explain. “My male love interests are Korean and French. There’s a mix of actors in it and the cast is amazing. And there’s a lot going on, so much drama and romance and art. The venues look amazing and I—”

You stop at the feel of tears pricking your eyes, prompting Yoongi to ask what’s wrong.

“I… I’ll be away for a while,” you say. “Filming will take at least 6 months and I have to fly there earlier for French and ballet lessons. And promotions would be huge. And—”

You’re crying harder now, as the words make things even more real. You’re not only playing a role that seems to fit you perfectly; you’re also gonna be in Paris where your mom is. To be able to be with her is just as much of a dream for you, especially as she gets to watch you do what you love. 

But that also means leaving behind the person you love most in the world, and as he stands to cradle your head in his arms, you feel the weight of your own dreams pull you down. Being 3 hours away has been challenging for both of you; you can’t imagine how much more when you’re thousands of miles away. 

“Jagi-ya, everything sounds amazing,” he says, but you don’t miss the sadness in his voice. “You get to learn new things, you get to be with your mom, you get to be in a new place and act and do what you love. It’s what you’ve always wanted.”

“I just… I just don’t want to be so far away from you, not again,” you say. 

Yoongi doesn’t know the words to say. He was never good with them, especially when it came to you. He always had other ways to show you how he felt, but he doesn’t have anything for this. He’s incredibly happy for you, but just like you, he doesn’t want to be far away from the person he loves most. 

But there’s a reason why he doesn’t think he’ll be good at long-distance relationships. It’s the love he’d fail to show, the needs he’d fail to address, it’s the time that’d pass and the changes in between that would be too difficult for him to handle. Much as he wants to comfort you and say that everything will be alright and that you’ll both be okay, he doesn’t have it in him to break your heart by making promises he can’t keep. He loves you and will continue to; he just doesn’t know how to do that properly when he’s not next to you.

So he just kisses you, tender in all the ways that he can make it, to let you know whatever it is he can’t say, that he doesn’t have words for. It stops your cries a little, but the sight of your tear-stained cheeks still hurts him. 

Neither of you says anything for a while but you don’t let go of each other. Even the rest of the day is spent similarly - with minimal conversations and hands that don’t separate, lips that constantly find each other, and bodies that give and feel pleasure as if this is all you can give because for now, words aren’t enough. 

Maybe you’ll find the words one day and so will he. Maybe then they’ll be enough - to heal your heart or break it, you don’t quite know. 

Your heart has been heavy since Yoongi left your apartment last week. You’re not sure if you were expecting him to assure you that things are going to be fine between the both of you, but it doesn’t mean it didn’t hurt when he chose not to say anything about it. You know that he’s the type to think hard about what he’ll say; maybe he just didn’t know what to tell you then, but days later, he still doesn’t, and that’s ringing the tiniest alarm bells in your head. 

He acknowledges your messages of updates you give about the project. You’re working with Hoseok to look at the contract and the schedules, and you’re getting more details as the days go by. Yoongi doesn’t ask anything more, though, a rarity since he’s said before that he enjoys it when you talk about work. 

You want to just be with him, knowing that a hug or a kiss would ease the tension, but that itself makes you worry. What will happen when you’re away and there’s something going on that you both don’t want to address? How would you resolve that when you can’t just drive to each other to fix things? What if he’s going through something that he doesn’t want to talk about? It’s happened before after all. What if you’re struggling and missing him so much? What if the time and distance become too much? 

You let the week pass without seeing each other. Their team has an out-of-town game and the shop has work requests that he’s helping his dad with. You’re also exhausted from all the meetings this week; you have an upcoming photoshoot that you’re preparing for, too.  

So you decide to take an early drive to Daegu the next weekend, getting the ire of Hoseok who had to move a meeting that Saturday because you asked. 

“I just really, really need to see him,” you tell your manager over the phone. “I’m worried about us and I’m losing my mind. I need to know that things are okay.”

Hoseok doesn’t argue. You rarely ever ask to move things around and this matters too much to you, as your shaky voice tells him. 

You make it to the gymnasium for the game, finding Mr. Min in one of the seats and surprising him. 

“Hello, my dear,” he beams, hugging you tightly. “I’m so glad you’re here. Does my son know you’re coming?”

“No, I kinda just decided last night.”

“Okay, then. Maybe your presence will cure his grumpiness,” the old man laughs.

“He’s been grumpy?” You wonder, not having seen that through his texts this past week.

“Yeah, more than usual. He hasn’t been that way since you arrived last summer,” he says. “They had a bad loss the other day. He’s also stressing himself out by helping me manage the shop when I said I could do it. You two didn’t fight, did you?”

“No,” you respond. “I mean, not that I know of.”

“Well, then can you just comfort him in case something else is up? Maybe he also just misses you.”

You hum in response and try to enjoy the game. It’s quite a stressful one that Yoongi doesn’t get to look your way. They eventually lose in a heartbreaking manner and you can sense his frustration through his gritted teeth and blank stare. You decide to send him a text that you’re here and will just wait for him at his apartment. He replies with an “okay.”

He arrives with a look of disappointment that you don’t know how to ease. During the times he’d lose in their games as a player before, he said he just liked to deal with it on his own but having you around made things better. It seems that’s still the case now, as he falls into your embrace once he enters the door. 

“I’m glad you’re here,” he mumbles. “I’m sorry your first game is a loss.”

“It’s okay, it won’t be the last one,” you assure. “At least I got to watch you be a sexy coach and all.”

He chuckles and kisses you, but you can feel he’s still upset, so you don’t push it, knowing that talking about something else upsetting like your scheduled departure won’t do you any good, even if it’s one reason why you came here in the first place. You decide to just let the day pass with cuddles and barely any words. He falls asleep early, with his arms around your waist, and you’ve never felt so far away from him.

You plan to leave in the late afternoon the next day. You both sleep through the morning and Yoongi makes you a loaded brunch to make up for being upset after the loss. You suppose it’s good a time as any, so you tell him that you took the offer and will be signing the contract next week.

“I’m leaving in a month,” you say. “I’ll be away for at least 7 months with projects waiting for me in Seoul. It’s a lot, Yoongi. And I don’t know where we stand right now. You haven’t really said much since the other week.”

“It’s really happening,” he smiles, the tinge of sadness unmistakable. “I guess I’ve been avoiding what taking this role would mean.”

“And what exactly would that be?”

Yoongi doesn’t answer, prompting you to ask again. 

“Jagi, it’s a big project that requires so much of your time and energy. And I don’t… I don’t want you to be thinking of anything else that isn’t about that.”

“You don’t want me to be thinking of you, is that it? You don’t want to go through this with me. Is that what you’re trying to say?”

“What I’m trying to say is that you need to put all your focus on your role, remove all distractions and stuff. That includes me.”

“You’re not seriously suggesting we end this over a 7-month project, are you?” You ask, incredulous that it’s his immediate thought. 

“A lot can happen in 7 months.”

“Like what? I’m not gonna change. I'm not gonna fall in love with someone else while I’m away,” you insist. “I already know I’m gonna be missing you like crazy everyday, wishing you were with me.”

“Exactly. Do you think that would do you any good? Missing someone who can’t be there next to you?”

“How would you know it won’t?”

“Because we’ve done this before, and I know what you had to give up to be there for me because I couldn’t be there for you,” he exclaims. “Remember how it was all those years ago? The late-nights running over lines because you spent the whole day with me? The back-and-forth trips to see me because I couldn’t move? The missed auditions because you had to come here just so I wouldn’t have another breakdown? Loving me while living your dream never did you any good. This is too big for you to consider me a part of it.”

“Are you hearing yourself?” You demand. “I made all those decisions because I loved you and I’d make them over and over again. Things are different now. We’ve learned. We’re more mature and you’re not… you’re not broken anymore.”

“But loving me this time around isn’t gonna be any different. It won’t be easy,” he argues. “We survived the past weeks with an arrangement that barely works but we try and yes, it’s all worth it when we finally see each other but how long will he have to hold on for those 7 months you’ll be away? Missing each other? Hoping to be with each other?”

He heaves, feeling so much at this moment. He wants to pull you close to him, hug you as you cry but he doesn’t know if it’s the right thing to do. He doesn’t know how to comfort you when he’s the one breaking your heart.

“I… I’m not good at expressing how I feel,” he continues. “I don’t… I don’t know what to do with myself while you’re gone, I don’t know how to be there for you while you’re not here. And I don’t want you to feel burdened with going away because of who you’re leaving behind. You apologize every time you have to go back to your life, and I’d hate for you to feel that you’re meant to be anywhere but there. That’s where you belong. You always have.”

You stand there in disbelief just as he is. He’d been in denial for so long about the both of you, choosing instead to live in his version of reality where your dreams and plans align, where your days are spent in your own world and nothing - including him, could hurt you. 

It’s easy to say he’s being over dramatic. There’s so much love between the both of you; clearly that should be enough to make things work. It’s just 7 months after all. But he knows how you love and how you want to be loved. He knows that as long as you’re together, you’ll be constantly living in 2 worlds - the one where you’re living your dream and the one where you’re wishing you weren’t, because somehow, he’ll just always exist in the latter. 

He’ll have a hard time, too, and that’s what he’s terrified about. He doesn’t want to say just how much he misses you, because he misses you a lot. The last thing he wants is for you to be burdened by it, and Yoongi knows that if he’ll struggle, he’d rather he does it without you knowing, and staying together would just hurt the both of you, and your dream is too important for your distance to affect that.

“I don’t know why you don’t even think that it could work,” you say. 

“It could, but to what expense?” He asks. 

You could always come with me, you want to say, but you know that would never be an option. He didn’t think Seoul was for him all those years ago; you doubt he’d think Paris would be. He has his own dreams to live in this town, the big and the gentle ones. Those matter just as much, and you wouldn’t want him to give those up, especially after what he suffered through. Those are what’s left for him, what pushes him. They’re what he lives for. You thought at one point, so were you. 

“I guess I was being naive,” he says after a long beat. “I didn’t think I’d ever have the chance to get back with you so when we did, nothing else mattered. All I knew was that I was happy for the first time in a long time. I didn’t dare to think of what would happen after the summer. I was naive to think that things wouldn’t change much, that we would go on without needing to talk about it. And now this big thing is happening for you and it was just a slap on the face.”

You look at him as he struggles to look at you. He fiddles with his fingers, and you want nothing more than to hold his hand but you don’t know what that would do, not if this turns out to be the end of things. Somehow you don’t have the will to fight because a part of you knows he’s right. You just wish he wasn’t. 

With how both of you love and want to be loved, you know it’s going to be hard, and it’s too much to ask for one of you to give something up. He watched his family get hurt with such choices; you just wish he’d at least try to make it work. 

“I thought it was gonna be different this time around,” you finally say. “I guess I was being naive, too. Something else will always be more important than us.”

You’ve only seen Yoongi cry once and you remember how much it broke you to see that. He’s not the type to show that much emotion, so seeing him break right now with a few tears rolling down his face is breaking you in all the ways possible. 

“I’m sorry,” he heaves, covering his face as he tries to stop crying. “You didn’t come all the way here just for us to end like this.”

“It seems like we’d have to eventually,” you respond, feeling the numbness start to course through you, just like that first time. “I know you have your own dreams to live here. And I’m so sorry, too, for coming back and messing up the life you’ve created for yourself in this place.”

“I don’t regret being with you again, ___. All I’ve ever been was happy with you.”

“Maybe one day, in 10 years perhaps, or in another lifetime,” you manage to say as you wipe your tears. “Maybe then we’ll finally choose us.”

You decide against kissing him a final time, knowing you’ll probably ask him to take it all back. So you give him a smile, one that tells him that sad as you may be, deep down you understand. And it’s all going to be okay.

You struggle for the next 2 weeks, trying to keep all the hurt in until you finally concede and ask your friends to come over so you can cry everything out. They do their best to comfort you, but they know that all you want is their presence so that you don’t have to go through this all on your own. You insist that all you need is a good cry and you’ll be fine. 

There’s a whole world waiting for you in 2 weeks’ time. The crew hosting you there wants you to experience Paris in the best way possible. You’re excited for the lessons and you can’t wait to be with your mom again. Jimin will be accompanying you so you know you won’t get bored, and there’s so much to see and do that you think you’ll be too preoccupied to think about your broken heart. You’ve met with the cast and you already know that you’re gonna get along well. Your male leads have been lovely, too, and you know you have to be comfortable with them enough for the intimate scenes you’ll be having. 

But tonight, you cry and you cry hard. It ends with Taehyung hugging you as you sleep, and that wouldn’t be the last. For the next several days, Jimin makes sure that you’re never alone, always showing up with a cup of coffee and texting you everyday of a new place to check out in Paris. Jin savors the time he has with you, taking you to lunches and dinners - sparking once more those rumors about the 2 of you dating - and hyping you up for your role. 

You even meet Jungkook and Namjoon, who try their best to comfort you after you narrate what happened. 

“No need to update me about him this time,” you tell them. “Somehow I just know he’s gonna be okay. But still, please make sure he is.”

Your busy schedule helps keep you from thinking about Yoongi, but as you learn, all it really takes is a broken hair tie to remind you of the love you lost the second time around, and how despite all the good things waiting for you, you know deep down you would’ve wanted to experience all of this with him.

It doesn’t help that on the weekend before you leave, your photoshoot location happens to be in a town just 30 minutes west of Daegu. Following your heart this one time, you instruct the driver to head to Yoongi’s house, assuring Jimin that you just want to have a proper goodbye with the man before you leave.

Yoongi’s car is parked outside so you know he’s home. Keeping yourself from running back to yours, you garner the courage to walk the steps to his front door, ringing the bell and taking a deep breath when you hear footsteps behind it.

He stands before you, his disheveled hair and the black crescents under his eyes telling you that he’s maybe struggling just as much as you are. 

“Hey,” you greet, trying so hard to level your voice. “I was in town and thought I’d drop by. Can I come in for a bit?”

“Y-yeah, sure,” he says, stepping aside to let you enter. “It’s just quite a mess.”

You look around, his apartment suddenly looking way different from that last time you were here. There are unwashed dishes on the sink and piles of takeaway boxes on the table. You spot the bottles of whiskey on the floor and the blankets on the couch. You hate to think that this is how he was that first time, and the thought breaks you even more. 

“It’s just been a hard couple of weeks,” he says, seeing your face falter at the state of his place.

That’s quite an understatement, actually. He’s been a terrible mess since you left that day. He’s glad he’s at least professional enough to get his shit together during training and games, but once he gets home, he stops  caring about anything else. He likes to think it’s just a phase; he was like this the first time he let you go, and it took a while but he did get his act together. 

“It’s been hard for me, too,” you admit, catching him by surprise. “I leave in a week but I feel quite unprepared. There’s too much of myself I’m leaving behind.”

“Hey, ja— I mean, ___. I told you not to think about it,” he says. “You’re gonna do great, okay? And you’ll love it there. They have amazing parks and so many flower shops and vintage stores. You’ll never run out of things to do. You’ll—”

Your sudden hug stops him, even more when you start crying against his chest, your tears soaking through his shirt and he just knows, those will leave a mark. 

“Why didn’t you ask me to stay,” you sob. “We could have a life here together. Just you and me. Just ask me, please.”

The words sound foreign but they’re yours, and they hold truths that you don’t want to vocalize, only because it feels like betraying your dream, even if a big part of you knows that the man currently holding you is just as much your dream as being an actor is. You wish you were brave enough to choose this life and that he would be, too. But you always knew that your plans for yourselves never aligned with each other’s; it never really did. Summer romances don’t last, after all, and they’re meant to fall away just like the season does. 

But you let yourself be vulnerable at this moment, even if you know that his response wouldn’t change, and that would somehow hurt you more. 

“I can’t, ___. You know I can’t,” he says, his voice shaking as he lets himself be vulnerable and cries, too. “You were always meant for more. This place, this isn’t more; it never was. And that means me, too.”

“I’ve wanted you for so long,” you say, facing him now. 

“You’ve wanted this for much longer than you’ve wanted me,” he says, cupping your cheek. 

You close your eyes as you feel his touch for what seems to be the last time, your tears constantly falling that his thumb wipes away.

“Just live that dream for me, okay? That’s all I want. That would be enough,” he whispers, kissing your forehead.

“Promise me you’ll live yours, too?” 

“I will,” he says. 

You let yourself be weak one last time and kiss his lips, soft and quick, enough to have something for both of you to hold onto.

He looks at you with sorry eyes and you know that’s all he could give you - an apology.

“Goodbye, Yoongi.”

Yoongi waits patiently inside his car, his fingers tapping the wheel as if that would magically call you out of your apartment building. You told him your flight schedule before and he knows you usually leave early because you don’t like being late. You should be leaving around this time, and quite frankly, he doesn’t know why he’s even here. It seems as if he can’t let you go every time, but he does anyway, even if he yearns to crawl back to you right after. 

He’s parked nearby, close enough to see you exit the building, but far enough to hide in case he chickens out. It’s not long before he sees a van pull up and Jimin and a few men loading up endless luggage bags. You exit right after, in comfortable clothes and a baseball cap, and he stops himself from going out of his car to give you one last hug. 

He watches you hug Taehyung who sends you off. The time ticks and you’re entering your car, closing the door, and driving away.

Yoongi’s eyes follow the van until it disappears from his sight, knowing that whatever chance he had to tell you he loves you one last time is gone. Maybe it’s better that he didn’t. What good is his love if it’s not enough to keep you next to him? Maybe it’s enough to make you happy, he decides, but not enough to make you happy with him. 

A knock on the window interrupts him, and he’s about to come up with some bullshit excuse on why he’s parked outside the building when he realizes it’s Taehyung. Yoongi exits the car and greets his friend.

“You know she would’ve liked to see you, right?” The younger man says. “It’s why you’re here, isn’t it? You wanted to see her, too?”

“I don’t know,” Yoongi shrugs. “I guess I just didn’t want the last image I have of her to be one where she’s crying because I’m breaking her heart again.”

“She’s taking it a lot better this time around. She’s not denying how much it hurts, and I think that helps,” Taehyung says. “You were the best thing in her life these past few months, and she’s just choosing to keep all the good memories with her.”

“That’s good,” Yoongi hums. 

The thought of you being more positive is already making him feel a lot better.

“She wanted me to give this to you,” Taehyung adds, handing Yoongi a small envelope. “Take care of yourself, okay? And for her sake, please win that championship.”

Both men share a laugh in the crisp autumn air, and it’s enough to ease the tension. Taehyung bids him goodbye and Yoongi returns to his car, choosing to read whatever you left for him back home.

Yoongi, 

I didn’t want our last time to be full of tears and I wish I got to say this all to you and hold you while I did.

I know that I’m happiest when I’m with you and that will never change. But for now, we’ll go on chasing the dreams that keep us whole. I hope one day both our dreams will include each other. 

Your heart will always be my home. Thank you for sharing it with me. 

With all the love I could possibly give from thousands of miles away and everyday,

___.

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[aseaofyoongi]

we belong together | ch.1

min yoongi x reader (f)

genre: min twins au; angst; smut; arranged marriage themes; fake dating; enemies to lovers; slow burn

rating: mature audiences only (18+)

word count: 8,8 thousand words

summary: before college you and your bestfriend yoongi promised your parents if you were to come back home single you would begin dating to marry as a way to get them to back off your love lives. upon coming back however, although you’re both single, yoongi is in love with someone else and unwilling to let them go. unfortunately, you are left to carry out the hapless promise with yoongi’s twin brother and your sworn enemy min yoojin.

warnings: arranged marriage themes; slowburn; enemies to fake dating to eventual lovers;bickering; wet dreams, post college au; clitorial stimulation; fingering; denial/supression of feelings; sexual tension; brief mention of choi soobin of txt; secrets; chapter one set up like an intro; this is unedited so sorry for mistakes now.

posted: november 27, 2022 at 9:20pm

previous: teaser | next: part 2

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Confined.

That’s the feeling you’ve been consumed by for a sizable amount of your life. As if you were utterly trapped in a massive black hole just floating aimlessly amongst the grand ocean of loneliness and darkness; waiting to be chewed up and spit out with little to greet you on the other side.

Every little detail about your life has been promptly calculated since the moment you were a fetus in your mother’s womb. There was no event spared for you to decide on your own free will as your parents steered you down an avenue of accomplishments worthy of your families last name. While time and time again you wanted to snatch the wheel from their hands and swerve in your own direction there was something that stopped you every single time the thought even emerged in your head. You couldn’t quite pinpoint what it was or where it derived from but you shucked it up to cowardice and continued to comply in being the exemplary daughter they had molded you to be.

Actually, that was bullshit, ‘comply’ was a loose term. You felt it your obligation to obey their demands one after another because it wasn't your duty as their one and only daughter to not burden them with insignificant nuisances.

Still you’d imagine some management over your own life would be nice once in a while. As much as you craved the idea however it was unattainable. A mere figment of your wildest dreams.

Walking through the rotating doors and before you could get a single word out the boy sitting behind the front desk greeted you with a beaming smile. He was nothing short of adorable and you could practically see the bright splendor of vibrancy radiating right off his ambiance. He shone so bright he served as the luminescence for the entire room, “Jiminie, you are glowing.”

There was a gleam sparkling in his eyes at your emphatic display of affection. Jimin was special to you—he was a genuine friend. One you’d make entirely on your own without the need of your parents’ influence of persuasion.

“What can I say. I’m a different man than I was two days ago.” He dusted off the implied dust of the yoke of his black button up as a way to exhibit a hint of pride. Although you knew the reasoning for his puffed chest and radiant grin you decided on teasing him anyway.

“Hm. . I can’t recall anything happening in the past couple of days.” You rubbed your chin pretending to be hurdling around a million thoughts.

Which technically you were daily.. but not because of this and never because of Jimin.

“Seriously?” He pouted, looking a bit deflated like a balloon running low on helium and you couldn't stand to see the sad puppy dog eyes substituting his usual sparkle.

“Of course not. I could never forget my second favorite day of the year right behind my own birthday.” You pulled out a small white box tied in a navy blue ribbon. His favorite color. “Happy birthday, Jiminie.”

His gasped was louder than you expected and the patrons who loitered around the lobby immediately turned their lurking eyes in your direction but neither of you cared. “You really shouldn’t have.”

“Nonsense. Besides, what are friends for?”

“These look so expensive,” he whispered as the opened gift box sat opened on his petite palms displaying the present you had worked on for months. A small pair of sterling silver hoops with the letters ‘JM’ engraved in the inner top corner of the earring. “You didn’t have to.”

“You deserve way more than this, Jimin-ah Plus the big two-one should be celebrated appropriately. Are you doing anything special this weekend?”

“I was planning on going out with someone this weekend but I don’t know if they’ll have the time anymore,” he shrugged. “Apparently, something super secretive came up.”

“Well if the loser ditches. You know I’m always down to party.” You extended your hands to pinch at his roseate cheeks. They truly resembled the softness and intricate tint of strawberry mochi, “I can’t believe you're getting so old already.”

“Ouch,” he smacked your hand away. “You sound exactly like my mother.”

“Correction! I am like your mother. I’ve practically raised you for the past 3 years.”

“You’re only 4 years older than me.”

“It might as well be a ten year difference.” The younger chuckled at your dramatic antics which resulted in you eventually joining along.

“Today after work I have uni orientation but how about we meet up-”

“Back it up,” You interrupted, holding onto his hand tightly. “‘Uni’ as in University?”

“That’s right,” he beamed, “majoring in dance.”

Jimin’s enthusiasm was evident in the way his voice glossed over your tympanum with its delicate velvet vibration. His pitch was just a bit higher than usual and you’d immediately notice how his cheeks curved into an adoring smile—the way he talked about dance. That was the exact way you felt towards painting. The only difference between the two of you was he had a vacant street and a straightforward road ahead to follow. While you stood at the start line with a business degree you had no desire of obtaining in the first place and dozens of obstacles in your way. Thrown in your path by your very own mother and father.

You were happy for him—but you resented his freedom.

“I’m so happy for you. I hope I’m automatically invited to all of the showcases to come.”

“Without a doubt.”

You painted your softest on your cheeks. “Please let me know if you ever need help with anything for school. Promise me, Jiminie?”

“Promise.”

“Keep me updated on your birthday plans,” you walked towards the elevators pressing the first button before it lit up white but the doors remained closed. “I forgot to ask. Is he in yet?”

“I think so. I punched in about an hour ago but I haven’t seen him leave or anything.” Jimin’s demeanor shifted at the mention of your best friend. There were remnants of nervousness in his motions as he fidgeted around with one of the many silver bands hugging his fingers. A habit you’d notice he’d adopt when in distress but you didn’t question it, “I guess I’ll surprise him.”

He spoke almost in a whisper, “you can invite him if you want.”

“Yoongi?”

He nodded.

“I’ll let him know.”

The younger boy nodded but words failed to follow. He remained as quiet as a mouse. The usual richness of his chocolate eyes was dulled down and he never bothered to meet your eyes once as the elevator doors opened.

“See you later, Jiminie.” You stepped into the mirrored walls of the four by four elevator waving him off as the doors began to shut slowly—he waved back.

“See you later.”

The ride up to the 50th floor was shorter than you remembered but you supposed you were distracted by the dozens of thoughts colliding in your head. The main one sitting at the forefront was Jimin’s hostile — tense even — reaction at the mention of Yoongi’s name. To you it was no secret that between the two of them another world war could ensue as they agreed on very little and argued about a lot more but this time it just felt different and you couldn’t figure out why.

The elevator dinged indicating you’d made it to your destination. The digital numeric pad appeared to the left side of the elevator and you quickly punched in the code before the steel doors opened, granting you access to your bestfriends loft.

“Yoongi?” You called out, walking deeper into his home, past the foyer and down the hallway leading you to the living room area. His apartment was in utter disarray. There were shoes, pillows, blankets, clothes and countless objects scattered all over the floor. While a multitude of takeout containers were spread all over the coffee table still containing food that had to be at least a couple of days old. A simple whiff sent your nostrils into a frenzy as the putrid stench overtook the atmosphere. As a result, you pinched your nose to avoid anymore of the horrid smell invading your senses.

Walking past the leather L-shaped couch you set your things on the kitchen island and immediately the mountain of dishes accumulating in the sink.

This was so unlike him.

If there was one perpetual detail you’d become familiar with in all your years knowing Yoongi, it was his cleanliness. And the lack of organization around you only sent a troubling worry to course through you only imagining the worst of events to have unfolded. Your shaky hands reached into your bag for your phone, immediately pulling up his number from your contact list.

No answer. You dialed again—nothing.

Suddenly, your ears became alarmed by a soulful voice.. humming. The melodic vibrato was coming from the direction of Yoongi’s bedroom and even in the distance set out between you and him you could tell the person knew how to carry a tune. That definitely was not Yoongi.

For a second you feared you might be interrupting one of his rendezvous but Jimin hadn’t alerted you of anyone being over.

“Yoongi. .” You called out again a bit louder but you were not met with a response, just the continued rhythmic hum bouncing off the walls—it was soothing and silky and it made the hairs on the back of your neck stand straight. In the back of your mind you know you should feel uneasy but the saccharine voice was hypnotic, recognizable to your ears even and you were enthralled by his sweet song like a snake to a pied piper.

The vexatious ring of the elevator rang behind you followed by the click clacking of shoes against the marble floor.

“Yoongi?” Realistically, you knew you were an idiot for yelling out into the void but in your defense. . Fine, there was nothing to defend. It was downright fatuous on your part. Entirely hypocritical after having made fun of protagonists in horror movies for doing the exact same thing.

“Yes. .” His tone was puzzling and although your impromptu visit was definitely unannounced it wasn’t entirely out of the blue. Your name tasted of lemons against his rose tinted lips, “what are you doing here?”

You rounded the corner into the main foyer and there he was. His skin mimicked the pale tints of ivory. He raked his fingers through his auburn locs displaying the sudden panic in his cafe noir tinted eyes stripping them of their usual shine.

“I texted you last week,” you waved your phone in your hand. “I told you I would be coming to visit after being away for the past few weeks.”

“Right. .” he nodded, “right.”

He forgot.

He never forgets, yet he forgot.

“I just—” there were beads of sweat glistening his temples. “I expected you a little later on in the day is all.”

And now he lied.

Yoongi would never lie to you.

You swallowed the lump sitting in your throat. It was hard to stand before someone you’ve known most of your life and feel so unfamiliar with the version of them you used to know. “Time has never been an issue before. If you prefer I can leave and come back later.”

“No,” He plopped all the bags he’d been carrying down on the floor. Cleaning supplies? Understandable considering your surroundings. “Please stay. I’ve just been dealing with something.”

“Does it involve Jiminie?”

“Jimin?”

You nodded.

“Why? Did he mention anything?”

“Is there anything to account for?” You crossed your arms at your chest. Your attempt at looking a bit more serious. Hoping he’d spill whatever the fuck happened with Jimin which they both seemed to be hiding from you.

“No. .” he stuttered. Not very convincing.

“Are you asking or telling me, Min Yoongi?” your tone was rugged and if you were a rose your thorns would be piercing right through his flesh.

“Telling. .” His words were still sitting on a balance between an inquiry and a statement and Yoongi himself seemed to not be entirely sure which he believed the most, “I’m telling you.”

“Can you listen to yourself Yoongi?” You roared. “Are you really believing the words coming out of your own mouth right now?”

“You’re asking way too many fucking questions,” he scratched the back of his head. “My head cannot tolerate it right now please.”

“Bullshit.”

“No—not bullshit. You are really causing me a throbbing migraine.”

“No.” You hissed, “you did that to yourself.”

“Did you come over just to fight?”

“Not exactly. . but it seems that’s the route you’ve driven us down. So nice to have you back in town.” You walked back to fetch your bag from the kitchen, “by the way your house smells like shit.”

“Well that’s totally my bad.” His voice was bass almost reaching the deepest depths of the undiscovered sea. The sound in the utterance of his words rumbled behind you like an unexpected spark of thunder causing a nimbostratus cloud to near as the azure sky you were used to turned to a dark gray hue. You felt a gaping hole developing in your stomach—slowly swallowing your entire being. So you stood waiting to be sucked in and vanish into thin air.

It couldn’t be.

“Are you just gonna stand there like a fucking statue?” he snickered.

“I’m hoping you would actually disappear.”

“Ah, just as. . peculiar as I remember.”

Yoongi’s eyes inflated to the size of golf balls as he entered the kitchen. He either didn’t know his idiot brother was in town OR he didn’t expect you to find out his idiot brother was in town.

Either way, paired with the secrecy in whatever the fuck was going with Jimin; this was yet another thing he kept from you.

“Were you ever going to tell me that he was back in town?” you were fuming with rage and any more unfounded words would have you reaching a venomous pique you hadn’t reached with Yoongi in a long long time.

“I was going to,” he took a deep breath. “Perhaps, initially I thought I wouldn’t have to.”

“Which one is it?” you tapped at the marble floor with the toe box of your red bottoms. Your back still turned towards the unwanted intruder standing behind you.

“Actually. .” he began, “this is why I was expecting you a bit later in the day.”

“Go on.”

“I needed to propose something to you,” Another thunder blared but this time it was nearer. So close you felt its vibration through your body. “To the both of you.”

“Well. .” Yoojin whispered in your ear, closing the distance between the two of you. His words were lento in their pace and so mellow. You despised the way his euphonious voice was fucking sweet like honey and most of all you hated the way the continued to effect you after so many years, “I already know but we still have to fill you in.”

You turned around to push him away but instead your eyes gravitated towards his towel that was disposed of on the floor near the frame of the kitchen door. His bare physique was completely exposed to your eyes. He was as captivating as you remember and though Yoojin wasn’t chiseled by any means, he was much more captivating than any Greek god who had been marbled into a statue. Not to mention, those pieces of so called art didn’t have a third fucking leg for a dick. He brushed his long black locs back exposing the rich tone of his skin's golden hue. “Yoojin, you wanna stop eye fucking her and put your towel back on?” Yoongi hissed.

You shook your head forcing yourself back to reality. Calling on sane thoughts and drifting your thoughts away from Yoojin and the reminder of his beautiful and massive cock.

“But I like having it all out,” he snickered. “Especially if there’s an audience.”

Yoongi walked past the two of you and grabbed the towel before throwing it in Yoojin’s direction. Your eyes remained on his slender fingers as he wrapped the rectangular fabric low on his waist.

You hated yourself for feeling as if you were still in the palm of his hands even after he did what he did and even after being away for such a long time.

You hate him. He means nothing to you.

“So about that proposition. .”

“Right.” You pointed towards Yoojin, “how come the evil twin already knows but I don’t?”

“He’s been here for the past three days.”

“Three days?” you muttered through clenched teeth.

“Now before you get mad at me again,” Yoongi cleared his throat and Yoojin pranced around the room semi-naked reaching for the handle of the refrigerator. The towel hung low on his body and you despised admitting you were enchanted by him once again there was a part of you hoping it would accidentally slip off. Besides, your last good memory of Yoojin featured him being nude anyway. “I wasn’t here when he invaded my house. I was away.”

“But aren’t you glad I found my way back home?” he raved. His hands flailed in the air signaling his brother to proceed. But that wasn’t cause for your perturbation, it was the cynical smile plastered on Yoojin’s face.

“Go on.”

You raised an eyebrow in your bestfriends direction as he took a seat on the stool beside you. Seemingly consumed by his own thoughts and although his mouth opened more than once there were no actual words being spoken. And while you understood he might need a minute to communicate whatever it was he needed to say. You were slowly dissolving into a puddle of apprehension. Although, you didn't know the precise reason for being here in this position, you couldn’t shake off the anxiousness coursing through your body. Despite what you felt you opted to accompany him in silence deducing perhaps all he needed was a moment of peace. Perhaps, all he needed was you to be there even if it was just like this.

“Yoongi?” You snaked your hand under his intertwining your fingers together, “what is the proposition.”

Though you weren’t looking at him you could feel his eyes burning a hole on you from across the room.

“It’s less of a proposition.. more of a favor.”

“I’m all ears.”

“You promise not to fight with me?” he rested his head on your shoulder.

“I promise.” You held your breath as you levitated above the cerulean sea. It was calm, for now.

Seven words were all it took to leave you sitting speechless with no thoughts baring consciousness to even compose a single sentence. The ocean beneath you no longer lapped its miniscule waves whispering their timid tune, the surf was ravenous and his fucking words had you decending deeper and deeper into the roaring waters.

“I’m sorry, Yoongi. What exactly do you need me to do?”

“A decoy.”

“A decoy?” you inquired.

“A decoy.” Yoojin confirmed, “you do know what that is right?.”

You ignored him. Directing your attention to your best friend, “And you want me to. .”

“I want you to date Yoojin who will be pretending to be me.”

“Why?”

“While you were gone. .” his clammy hands held onto yours a bit tighter, “my parents in agreement with yours provided me with an ultimatum and it was birthed from that ridiculous promise you and I made to them like four years ago.”

“The promise?” your eyebrows scrunched up together shooting him a puzzled look.

He nodded. “The dating to marry promise.”

“That fucking promise?” You scoffed. “We made that to get him off our backs before college. They were setting us up with people we didn’t even know.”

“I’m so fucking glad I left.” Yoojin whispered.

Although, you wanted to be upset at his irreverent comment—he was right. He was always adamant in wanting to opt out of this manufactured lifestyle and actually had the courage to simply walk away but unlike him you and Yoongi were the cowards who you stuck around. Enduring every fucking obstacle your parents chucked your way with a graceful smile still plastered on your faces to satisfy their perfect child syndrome. The two of you were fucking masochistic.

“We didn’t actually mean it though,” you stammered. . your mind was in a haze, struggling to find your way to the surface as you continued to sink deeper under the blue blankets of the sea, “. .but that is not what you want, Yoongi. It is not what I want.”

“When have they spared us our feelings? Our privacy? I met someone you know.” He sounded so fragile as if his heart would break at any moment. Perhaps it already has.

One thing was certain, your heart was already shattered into dozens of tiny irreparable pieces. You had nothing to lose just the condemning perpetuation of a love-less marriage to an affluent tycoon. There wouldn’t be happiness but it’d be something you could endure. Yoongi on the other hand.

He couldn’t.

“And I’m guessing this is where the proposition comes in?”

“Yes, unfortunately. Upon coming back from my vacation Yoojin decided to sporadically visit. He was already at my house. And during that same time our parents phoned me telling me about their plans for us. For our future.. but I’ve met someone who doesn’t know about the wicked ways of our family and I cannot let him go.”

“And I really have to fake date this idiot?”

“I think you mean this handsome idiot,” He stood behind you on the stool placing his chin up on your other shoulder. The proximity between the two of you became miniscule the closer he pressed his chest against your back. You wanted to push him off you but your body betrayed you and it selfishly craved the heat radiating from his semi naked figure like an itch finally being scratched.

“No, that’s not at all what I meant,” you rolled your eyes.

“Don’t worry it won’t be for long.” Yoongi reassured you, “I won’t take forever. I promise.”

“Forever’s a long time.” A nippy shiver ran down your spine when his minty breath crashed against the nape of your neck as he chanted his tempestuous locution. The pool of arousal between your thighs seeped on to your panties. All you could think about was his carnal utter vocalizing his filthy desires to you as he fucks you agaisnt the island or maybe the counters or against every single piece of furniture in this apartment.

“This will never be synonymous to forever,” you scoffed hoping he wouldn’t notice the way your legs were pressed just so tightly onto one another.

“Do you thrive on being annoying?” Yoongi interrupted your sinful thoughts.

“No. But I know you enjoy cockblocking.” Yoojin winked at you.

“There is no cock to block.”

His thunderous laugh rumbled through the walls of the apartment as he exited the kitchen.

Your eyes followed after him, “can I just get back to you later? I need to think about this.”

Yoongi hummed, “I’ll be a text or call away.”

Arriving back at your apartment was a breath of fresh air—though, it was quiet and lonely on most nights. Having a space away from your parents house and their controlling nature was peaceful. Not to say they didn’t just barge in here sometimes but you’d figure dealing with them sometimes was better than dealing with them all the time.

You kicked your shoes off by the door and placed your purse and keys on the entryway table stationed near the front door.

Yoojin was back. You were boggled by the realization as it hit you once again. No matter how many times you repeated it in your head it sounded false—like your mind was playing a trick on you.

Except it wasn’t.

He was back.

And now you have to date him. . This felt like a wicked curse bestowed upon you by your worst enemy and you couldn’t imagine coming out of the whole ordeal sane and in one piece.

But you have to.

Except, the terms of this whole charade replayed in your head as Yoongi uttered them off to you.

‘You will be a couple. You have to kiss, hold hands, be affectionate and actually look like you mean it. Our parents will be watching the two of you two carefully and while you are you, Yoojin will be me.’

You knew Yoongi wasn’t doing it out of wickedness.. he was completely oblivious to what had happened between the two of you but it still felt so cruel.

So fucking cruel.

You plopped on the bed following an exasperated sigh staring up at the eggshell ceiling. A flood of memories coursed through your head—all of them having one common denominator: Min Yoojin.

If you were going to get into specifics your story with the Min twins began the first day of sixth grade when they began middle school as the new kids in town. Yoongi was placed in your class and the two of you shared nearly every class together. You’d remember the first day the teacher introduced him to the class. All of your classmates were indifferent to the boy standing in the front of the class; they were all distracted by their own doings. Some on their phones while others simply ignored the situation entirely as only a few pairs of eyes lifted up to catch a glance at him but your attention remained on him from the moment he walked in.

“Yoongi.” you repeated to yourself.

The soft curves of his timid smile were dulcet—painted in the pastel undertones of comfort and familiarity. You didn’t know him, not yet. . but it sure felt as if you did. In no time that feeling became a reality, as you got to know him real well, real quickly when the both of you connected instantly.

What you didn’t bargain for however was Yoongi’s mischievous twin brother—older by a whopping 2 minutes he’d often argued.

Min Yoojin.

The moment you laid eyes on him your world shifted. Though, he shared the same face as your best friend. He was just . . so goddamn different. While Yoongi kept his hair in a bowl cut his fringe covering nearly half of his face Yoojin kept his short with a middle part framing his petite face, golden skin and dark brown eyes. He used to dress in black while Yoongi’s wardrobe was colorful and bright. They were complete opposites. Yoojin was also an introvert, reserved and kept to himself all of time. Adding to the mysterious aura everyone wanted to crack. Yourself included but unlike the other you kept your distance.

You weren’t really sure why you did. You just knew you didn’t want anything to come between your friendship with Yoongi.

For a long amount of years you kept at the promise you made to yourself but the more time you spent around him (and between sneaky glances and scarce verbal encounters which you often re-lived bashfully under the safety of your bed sheets) the deeper your crush developed.

Your first mistake was developing feelings and the second was that moment of weakness you had succumbed to which led everything to crash and burn to ashes.

Your continuous mistake however was the way your heart continued to palpitate increasingly at the mention of his name—it was obvious in the way your body reacted to him, desiring his touch and attention even now.

There was a slight knock at the door. You weren’t exactly expecting anyone but figured it was Yoongi being anxious as usual to remind you once again of the details of the agreement made between the two of you. . And the other Min.

“Who’s there?” you really needed to stop that.

There was no response.

Looking through the peephole you eye was met with a head full of black locs that hovered right above his shoulders. He stood with his hands in his pants front pockets, swaying his body back and forth as he waited for you to answer.

“What do you want?” You yelled, door still closed.

“Just—” he sighed and you saw as he leaned against the doorframe, “please open.”

“I am not going to open until you tell me why you’re here.” Some might say you were being childish and perhaps you were but Yoojin was the last person you expected to come knocking at your door at 1 in the morning.

Yoojin landed a harder knock, “just open up already.”

“Aggression will get you nowhere.”

“Aggression?” He scoffed, it was your persistent hobby to push his buttons. After everything he had put you through, this could be your coping mechanism.

This time he repeatedly pounced on the door.

“You’re going to wake up my fucking neighbors.”

“And whose fault is that?”

“Yours,” you opened the door slightly, revealing an agitated Yoojin. Immediately, a cunning smile across your face. “Hi.”

“Save it.” He pushed past you, his shoes were placed by yours at the entrance and he walked further into your apartment as if he was familiar with the place.

“If you haven’t noticed,” You shouted after him, “You haven’t been here after disappearing so you cannot just walk into my fucking house like you own the place.”

You found him sprawled out on your couch, seeing him this comfortable in your house really pinched at your nerves for some odd reason, you just wanted to throw something at him just to induce a bit more of irritation his way.

“First of all,” you pushed his feet of the couch, taking a seat on the opposite couch, as far away as possible, “these are new so get your fucking feet off.”

“They are the same fucking couches you had in your room back at your parents house.”

“Well, did you come over to analyze my fucking furniture, or did your little impromptu trip have a actual point?”

“I came over because…” he scratched the back of his neck, why was he nervous? “I missed you.”

You burst out in laughter, but his expression remained stern, “I’m sorry,” you continued, “It’s just you literally had years after years to miss me. Yet. . Now?” you snickered.

“You’re so fucking immature,” he hissed.

“And you’re a fucking loser knocking at my door begging to get some pussy.”

“I never asked for pussy and for the record I wouldn’t have to beg.”

“But you do agree that you’re a fucking loser right?”

He shrugged, “if I say yes will it get me some pussy points?”

“Fuck you, Yoojin.”

You stood ignoring his question and existence, walking in the direction of the kitchen as he followed behind.

Why did you even answer the door? There was a versatility in the feelings you possessed for Min Yoojin that drove you to an intersection. The same one you stood at this precise moment, stuck between two roads. One side was composed of all of the core memories you held onto like a photobook in the back of your mind. This avenue was the reason why your heart beat at the mention of his name. The other other option was a road of sorrow, heartbreak and melancholiness. And every single memory with Yoojin there, you wanted burned to ashes.. It was the reason why you wanted to rid yourself of such a nuisance promise once and for all.

He called you by your name, something you hadn’t heard since that day. It sounded so foreign to your ears but your body felt the complete opposite, there was a bolt of electricity coursing through you causing the hair follicles on your arms to stand straight.

Years later, still the same effect.

You were pathetic.

“Tell me you don’t miss me.” He whispered.

“Wow, that was really fucking cringy.”

Yoojin chuckled as he shook his head, “glad to see not much has changed.”

“I could say the same.”

He stood on the other side of the kitchen island while you leaned on the counter near the sink. It was summertime, the heat was off and your air conditioner was set on high, yet you could feel the beads of sweat forming at the palms of your hands.

“Was your prime objective to make a fucking fool out of yourself,” you crossed your arms at your chest, “did you achieve your goal for the day?”

“Actually, no,” Yoojin rounded the island and walked towards you, closing the distance you had been so desperate to maintain between the two of you, “I just wanted to make sure we were good after our meeting back at Yoongi’s place.”

“I told Yoongi I needed some time.”

“Is it because of me?”

It is. “No.”

“Then why wouldn’t you just agree?”

“Because unlike you I can’t just hide behind this fake relationship. I’m me.” Your tone is a bit more hurtful than you intended, “and I have to continuously lie to my parents for the long foreseeable future.”

He nodded, seemingly understanding where your frustrations stemmed from. Even though that wasn’t your frustration at all. Your parents controlled your life for as long as you could remember and dating fake ‘Yoongi’ who’s actually Yoojin was going to be the best form of secret rebellion you could come up with.

Your parents aren't fond of Yoojin. As his own parents aren’t fond of him. And that slight detail made things so much better.

“You’re right. I guess I never considered the route your life and Yoongi’s life took,” he stepped closer, “the fact that Yoongi even has to go through such lengths is. .” he sighed.

“It’s fucked,” you finished for him, “but that’s how life has been here, at home, for him and I.”

“Tell me. .” his eyes were just as star-filled as you remembered, so alluring, dark, “who were they planning to marry you off to?”

“Choi Soobin.”

“Ah,” the proximity between the two of you was slim and any sudden moves would have the two of you pressed against each other. An exciting thought, though you would never admit it out loud, not with Yoojin around. “He’s richer than the Min’s will ever be. How did you manage to slip away from that?”

“I almost didn’t,” you began, “Soobin is sweet, the sweetest person I’ve ever met actually. We went on so many dates and although we clicked instantly, it was more platonic than romantic. There was love but not like our parents were hoping for so we made plans to walk away from the whole thing.”

“And both parents agreed?”

You shook your head, “Of course not, but in trying to get out of that, Yoongi and I ended up in this. . Well you and I now.”

Once again a deep silence fell in the room.”

“Was that all you wanted to know about?” He nodded, “this could’ve been a text, Yoojin.”

“You never gave me your new number.”

“I know you well enough to assume you probably swiped it off Yoongi’s phone when he wasn’t looking.”

“Did.” He smiled brightly, his golden cheeks rose up like a loaf of bread right out of the oven.

That damned smile. It was so delicate, so bright, mesmerizing, so hard to forget. You knew because that same smile played in your dreams night after night. It was your artistic inspiration and the reason why you always secretly hoped to see Yoojin once more.

However, now that he was here, it was more complicated. You found yourself in a staggering debate ever since you laid eyes on him again. Your mind told you to send him off already, that you’ve entertained him long enough. While, the ocean between your thighs, begged for you to take him back to your room.

You must’ve been enthralled in your own thoughts because you hadn’t noticed when Yoojin closed that tiny gap between you, placing his hands on your waist.

“Yoojin,” you murmured.

“My name has always sounded so much better on your lips,” his hand abandoned the indent of your body and came up to your face, tracing your silk lips.

“Yoojin, please,” your voice was so weak, your eyes were shut so tight you could actually see stars.

“Yoojin please stop or Yoojin please don’t stop.” His hand retracted itself from your lips as he waited for you to answer.

“Yoojin please touch me already before I end up going crazy,” you blurred out.

“See, I knew you it,” his hands wasted no time finding themselves at the hem of your panties. If his intent was to tease, he was definitely working you up real nice and slow because even after what felt like five minutes of having him head south, you still waited for some sort of stimulation.

“When I said touch me, I meant now.”

“Patience.” He said in a hushed tone.

“I’m not a patient person and you know that.”

Yoojin smirked, finally dipping his hand into your underwear. His fingertips found themselves tracing shapes against your clit slowly as his lips landed on the nape of your neck. His mellifluous kisses felt sultry against your skin.

Still, he maintained a timid pace.

“More,” you breathed into his ear, you began moving your hips faster against his fingers.

“You really know what you want huh?”

You nodded, not a single stutter in the way you continued swaying at your own pace. Forward and backwards you moved—chasing your own high.

“Hm, you look so hot like this you know,” he hummed, “just as I remembered but. .” he removed his fingers from your body just as you were nearing your peak, “I want to make you cum on my own accord.”

Your labored breathing hindered a response to escape your lips but you were determined to have things your way.

You felt as two fingers sat at your entrance, pressing against you teasingly, the squelching sound chimed as a result of how drenched you were. He massaged your slickness lento, the recurrent circular motion he added to the bubbling anticipation rushing through you, as his digits began sinking further into your cunt.

“You’re so warm, doll.” He groaned.

Being a whimpering filled mess at the mercy of Yoojin’s fingers was not how you expected your night to roll out when you opened the door earlier that night. But an hour into his visit, here you were bearing his attack against your walls as his digits moved in and out of you slowly.

“Yoojin,” you whimpered, holding on to the edge of the kitchen counter—feeling the knot at the pit of your stomach tighten already .

“That’s it, doll,” His earthy tone was raw and tickled your inner ear, sending a frigid chill down your spine. “Cum for me.”

His pace hastened grazing the spot that drove you over the edge.

You could feel it.

Fuck.

You woke up in cold sweat, heavy breathing. Looking beside you on the bed, you expected a naked Yoojin to be lying next to you, instead you were alone.

It was a dream.

You sighed, slightly relieved that you had not fallen into his abysmal trap so easily.

It was only just a dream.

Thursday came around quicker than expected and being incognito for the last couple of days really served as a form of needed therapy. Providing you all the time needed to think things through—to make a decision on Yoongi’s proposition.

Though, your heart threw spears at Yoojin’s name, you knew Yoongi wouldn’t be asking for a favor if this magnitude unless he was desperate—plus you figured if you were in the same situation, and you found your better half, Yoongi would be one hundred percent willing to do the same for you.

‘How do you know he is the one?’

You asked Yoongi.

‘..Because I cannot picture my life without him.’

So your decision, although hard, came to you rather quickly.

‘I’ll do it. . . For you.’

‘Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.’

‘Will I meet him soon?’

‘Soon.’

You haven’t spoken with him for two days since that conversation took place over the phone with the passing of midnight clouds bearing as the only witness to the assertion of the deal concealed between the both of you.. and Yoojin.

Since then, you were in solitude for a couple more days to prepare yourself for life after the decision you’ve made—to link arms and walk side by side with the treacherous Min until Yoongi was ready to get things (not so) straight with his parents.

Tonight, however, your last spec of sanity disintegrated as your weekend isolation was cut short by your favorite front desk boy as he invited you to celebrate his birthday at club Fuego. Initially, Jimin had decided the two of you were desperate for a much needed night out without the presence of anyone else and you agreed but to your demise and slight surprise, Jimin knew of Yoongi and Yoojin. He knew about Yoojin being here on a secret mission with you and somehow at the expense of that the twins ended up on the invite list to the birthday celebrations as well.

You didn’t mind but a part of you wanted just one more day away from it all, from Yoojin mainly.

The journey in finding the perfect outfit was more exhausting than you would have liked to admit but an essential to having a good night out included looking your best. First, you tried on a knitted royal blue long sleeve dress, though the color was perfect the more you looked in the mirror the more you hated the way it looked for an odd reason; not really flattering at all. Next, came an all black ensemble consisting of a black crop top and black faux leather plants but it looked bland and not ‘night club worthy’ at all. You discarded that outfit in the ever growing mountain of clothes taking residence on top of your bed. Exhaustion washed over you as a result of your continuous outfit changes, and even then you still had no fucking clue on what to wear.

You needed to be out of the house in approximately, you looked at the digital clock on your nightstand, 30 minutes.

You needed something to make you feel confident; sexy; and unstoppable, something that would have Yoo—the city eating out the palm of your hands.

Suddenly the perfect outfit came to mind.

[9:30pm - You] Is this like a hip hop night club or an actual get dressed night club?

[9:31pm - JM] Please tell me you’re already dressed.

[9:32pm - You] I’m basically almost done.

You stared at your lace black undergarments in the mirror.

[9:32pm - You] How far are you though?

[9:33pm - JM] Not far at all. Hurry up!

He attached a picture of the entrance to your building.

Oh shit, you hurried to finished getting dressed.

“You look great ma’am. Have a great night,” The door man nodded in your direction holding the glass door open for you—you shot him a soft smile thanking him and wishing him a good night.

Yoongi’s car sat by the curb as your best friends and an unwanted demon waited for your arrival. Jimin rolled the passenger window down, “I was going to talk shit for making us wait here for like 20 minutes but you look way too fucking good bitch.”

“Thank you, thank you. Your compliments only feed my ego. I hope you’re aware,” You began posing on the sidewalk as Jimin began flashing pictures if you.

“That’s my best friend. She’s a real bad bitch,” he screamed out, calling on the attention of everyone around you. There was a tinge of bashfulness taking over you as the eyes of those settling on the sidewalk were set on you.

“Can you get in the fucking car already?” Yoongi said from behind the wheel.

“Fine.”

Not fine. Of course, you were stalling but only because you knew who would occupy the seat beside you for the 15 minute car ride ahead. And 15 minutes next to Yoojin would be like an eternity in hell. . But you could only stand outside your best friend's vehicle for so long without raising eyebrows or questions being formed about your hesitation to sit next to him.

While Yoongi knew of your mostly hate relationship with his brother. He didn’t know what caused it and you intended to keep that a secret for as long as you could. Before you could reach for the handle, the door was being opened for you from the inside and suddenly there you were, face to face with the man you’ve convinced yourself to be your least favorite Min. His eyes ogled you as you got in the car as strategically as you could without flashing anyone, of course, you settled for the black off the shoulder long sleeve corset dress with crystal trim or the shortest dress in your closet. His intense gaze remained on your figure as you took a seat beside him after slamming the door shut, but his eyes were so fucking hard to read, so dark they mimicked the expansive late night sky. Those were the eyes you thought you knew once upon a time but now they were estranged and knowing Yoojin presently; you figured he was probably mocking you and likely thinking of about a dozen snarky comments he’d make to make you feel like a fool and ruin your night but you wouldn’t let him win this time, or ever.

You had to be nice to him while your parents were around any other time was free territory.

The car ride remained silent aside from the low music being emitted from the radio, of course, they played the same generic crap that looped on continuously all day long so not even that could stop your thoughts from drifting to the man who sat just a couple feet away from you.

You wanted to say so much but instead you bottled it all up and stored it all away under lock and key in the deepest depths of your heart. Unwilling to give him the satisfaction of knowing just how much he occupied your thoughts on a daily basis.

Jimin cleared his throat, clearly uncomfortable by the silence that has taken reign in the last 5 minutes of all of you being in the car together, “have any of you been to this club before?”

Yoongi shook his head, “I’ve been in New York for the last few years.”

New York. . Nice.

The three of them looked at you but you were stuck in your own thoughts as you swirled around the whirlwind gusts of the tornado wrecking havoc in your mind.

“What?”

“Have you gone to Fuego before?”

“No,” you answered. “This is my first time.”

Once again silence fell amongst the four and there was a wave of awkwardness washing over you as you remained hyper focused on looking out the window—enjoying the vibrancy of the city under the grace of the stars.

“Yoojin,” Jimin spoke once again, silence was not in his nature as he flourished in his true social flower nature, “How was New York?”

“Loud.” He was notorious for his one word fucking answer—another thing you despised about him.

“So I guess the city truly never sleeps.”.

“Unfortunately, but I have good memories as well so it wasn’t all negative.”

“Was there a lucky lady?”

“Ah—” you could feel his stare on you. Perhaps, he was trying to figure out what your body language displayed, but you ignored him and slaughtered those butterflies flapping their wings at the lining of your stomach. Your gaze was set intensely on whoever or whatever you could spot through the car window. You knew Yoojin was simply trying to structure the right words to cause a reaction out of you.

“There were a couple.”

A couple? You felt a jab land at your stomach vacuuming the air right out of your lungs in the process. You were hurt, and you were beaten but most of all you hated how much you felt for someone who wasn’t even yours. Someone who doesn’t deserve you.

The gates of Fuego were seemingly the pearly white gates to your safe haven; the only offset was the man still sitting right beside you. But it was within your full intentions to stay as far away from Yoojin as you could and by far, you meant far. . far. . far away.

Yoongi turned off the engine as he pulled into the parking spot—you were ready to jump out of the vehicle, ready to lose yourself in your last night of “singleness.”

The soft utterance of his vibrato voice rang through the tight space of the car, “We’ll catch up in a minute.” Yoojin was demanding, authoritative, and quite invasive. As much as you wanted to rebel against him your body was non compliant and you became enchanted by the spell he cast upon you.

Yoongi looked in your direction and you nodded, signaling that it was OK, “we’ll go ahead and make the entrance line. Don’t take too long.” He opened the door, “And no fighting or I’ll just call the cops on you two.”

You were both now alone in the car.

The air became stuffy, restricting your airway and you weren’t quite sure if it was due to all of the car doors and windows being shut tight or if it was due to the fact that you were alone with Yoojin for the first time in years.

“I know my arrival was unexpected. Especially, to you,” he spoke, scratching the back of his neck, “but I was hoping we could talk”

“There’s nothing to discuss,” you hissed.

“There’s plenty to discuss,”

“There was plenty to discuss before you left Yoojin,” you shrugged, “but that expired long ago.”

He shook his head, “I wasn’t aware things like this had an expiration date.”

“Everything has an expiration date.”

“If only I would’ve been made aware.”

You had not gotten the chance to see how truly captivating Yoojin looked tonight. The buiguilding charm he exuded was venomous and simply looking in his direction had you under his fangs.

“I don’t think knowing would have mattered much to you,” you narrowed your eyes in his direction, “being in New York with all those girls and all.”

“Are you jealous?” he snickered.

It was so fucking hot, your body felt overheated. You were sweating from every single inch of you body. w

“Don’t flatter yourself,” there was a scornful derivative in your intonation, “you were the last thing I thought about.”

“Face it, you missed me.”

Those words took you back to the wretched dream you had the other night, remembering the way he spoke softly into your ear, the way his lips serenaded your neck, the way his fingertips felt as soft as the fluffiest of clouds against your skin.

“I-I did not,” you stuttered.

“Admit it.”

“No, you know what I have to admit though,” you began deflecting, just mention something you hate about him, “I hate this fucking act you adopt. You’re a fucking asshole, stomping over me without much thought when others are around, but as soon as we’re alone you pretend to care.”

You recalled how he used to be, the Yoojin from before the storm. The Yoojin who understood you, showered you with care and love, the Yoojin who was communicative and expressive. The Yoojin your heart longed for in the loneliest of nights for the past five years.

“Listen,” his eyes were finally expressive, they were kinder, the dark tone in his pupils was comforting. There was solace behind them, they felt like a warm blanket but was the opposite of what you needed as the temperature continued to rise in the enclosed car, “I’m here now. I’m back.”

You wanted to believe him, but you knew it was bullshit.

“I don’t care Min. Tonight we’re celebrating Jimin. Tomorrow we begin our little charade which I hope you know I only agreed to for Yoongi.”

“For Yoongi?”

“For Yoongi.” You confirmed.

“So you don’t miss. . .” His words drifted off leaving his implications for you to interpret and you knew exactly what he meant.

You did, but there was no admitting it to Yoojin—a deep silence fell through and the only noise your ears picked up came from the quickened thumping of your heart clashing on the walls of your chest, it terrified you that he could possibly hear.

“There was nothing to miss.”

He huffed, “Alright.”

“I’m glad we got this conversation out of the way. See you inside,” you excited the car, slamming the door behind you.

-

-

-

author’s note: it took me longer than expected to write this (I deleted 3 different drafts 🙂) so hopefully this first chapter isn’t too bad, also this is unedited so hopefully everything makes sense.

thanks for reading. comments, likes, reblogs and messages are always appreciated. let me know what you think <3

[rd0265667]

Minji x Reader: The Chance

TW!: Abuse

You were sitting on the couch at the dorm with your sister, Haerin as the two of you watched "Brooklyn 99" on Netflix. "Y/N!" You jumped in your seat a little, Haerin looking at you in confusion over your reaction. "Coming Minji!" You shouted back, a slight shake in your voice as Haerin's eyebrow furrowed. Was that fear she heard, lingering on your tone?

Shooting Haerin an apologetic smile, you grabbed the remote, pausing the episode before running to the room. "Hey Minji, Wha-" You could barely finish your sentence before your hand bolted up to your face, catching your phone mid air "Nice reflexes Cheater." Minji said mockingly, as you were still stuck in shock. What the fuck just happened? "What are you talking about Min?" You quickly spoke up, as Minji scoffed at your reaction, rolling her eyes. "You know what I mean cheater. I read your texts with Eunchae." She said, an icy tone on her voice as you sighed. You moved to Minji's side, gently trying to grab her hand, but she kept pulling her hand away. You hung your head in defeat, sadly this was a Minji you had grown accustomed to. "Minji-ah, please, Eunchae and I are just friends. Please trust me." You lightly tugged at her sleeve, as her eyes slowly turned to you, softening a little. "I just don't like it..." She slowly muttered, as she pulled you towards her, holding you close.

Truth is, Minji was always like this. When you met Minji, she was broken, fresh off a relationship one would be unlikely to categorise as healthy. The wounds of her old relationship always caused Minji to be more, needy, you would say. Her last partner would never text first, Minji would always have to put in the effort. So now, she dislikes texting first, saying that if you loved her, you'd text first. Her last partner cheated on her, so now she insisted on having your phone's password, checking your chats and socials. You always saw it as a sort of defence mechanism, Minji's heart was broken, so she made herself less attached to a romantic relationship. That, coupled with her always using her past relationships as an excuse, made it such that you were always on the back foot, always apologising. She could have not texted you for a day, or left you on read for hours, but the moment you guys argued, she'd hit you with a "I guess you don't love me anymore, let's just break up",  or talk about how hard things were for her because of her old relationship, and that alone made you just break down, wanting at all cost to repair the relationship. After all, you loved Minji, and she'd get better. Right?

"I'm heading out now Minji!" You shouted out, grabbing your bag and heading to the door to see an unhappy Minji, leaning on the door frame. "Where are you going?" She questioned, looking you up and down "To Le Sserafim's dorm? I thought I told you about this awhile ago, Eunchae asked me to grab dinner with her and her Unnies. What's wrong?" You nervously gripped the handle of your bag, looking at her as she scoffed. "Eunchae again. Whatever." She narrowed her eyes, glaring at you before walking away, slamming her room door behind her, the lock clicking moments later. Your shoulders dropped, not sure what to do at the moment, eyes switching between the door, and Minji's room. With a sigh, you slowly opened the door, heading towards Le Sserafim's dorm. You had rescheduled this dinner 8 times because of Minji already, you just wanted to spend some time with the Le Sserafim Unnies.

Later, near midnight, You slowly opened the door to the NewJeans dorm, careful not to cause any loud creaking sounds and disturb anyone. As you walked through the dark living room, a light suddenly popped on, Minji sitting on the couch with her legs crossed, face stormy as she stared at you. This is gonna be fun... "How was dinner with Eunchae? You must have really enjoyed it considering you're coming home so late huh?" She said mockingly, getting up from her seat and inching towards you menacingly. "Please Minji...Like I told you, I was having dinner with the Le Sserafim Unnies. You can ask Yunjin-Unnie, I just went there, had dinner and talked. We just lost track of time." You tried to explain, as you slowly backed away from her, her figure only illuminated by the light at her back made her look terrifying. "Don't lie to me." She growled through gritted teeth, as you continued backing up, finally colliding with the door. "Why are you even back here anyways? Just go stay the night with your beloved Eunchae!" You tried to lift your bag up, as if that was going to stop Minji from coming uncomfortably close. Seeing your actions, she scoffed, hitting your bag away and to the ground, grabbing you by the hair and pulling you toward her "You love Eunchae more than me right? Just go find her then!" She roughly dragged you to the ground, shoving you to the ground as you landed harshly, head crashing into the door, tears slowly trickling from your face.  Seeing your tears cascade down your face, Minji seemingly snapped to her senses, moving towards you, a look of guilt flashing across her face as she saw you flinch at her movement. "Get away!" You heard a yell from the rooms, the two of you turning to see the other 4 NewJeans members looking on in horror, three of them looking in shock at Haerin. They had never heard Haerin so loud before, or seen such rage in her before. Haerin stormed at Minji, getting right up into Minji's face, who shrunk in Haerin's presence, guilty at what she had just done to you. "Touch her again, harm her again, and I promise you, I will make sure you see the inside of a jail cell." Haerin's expression softened as she turned to you, quickly helping you up as the two of you left the dorm. "How could you?" Danielle could barely whisper, a look of anger painted on her face as she looked at Minji, disappointment evident.

"Are you okay?" Haerin asked, applying ointment on your forehead as you sat there, still stunned. How could she do this to you? You knew Minji was always a Jealous person, that just showed that she cared for you, albeit too much, you always thought. But to go this far? To harm you? Was this really the girl you fell in love with? You were exhausted, physically and mentally, as you lightly tapped Haerin on the shoulder, leaning on her shoulder.

You took a deep breath as you slowly opened the door, locking eyes with the distraught girl sitting at the table "Y/N" She could barely croak out, as you clenched your fist "Minji" You could only monotonously reply, knowing a hint of emotion would break you Minji nervously fidgeted in her seat as you took yours, her hands fiddling with an imaginary toy, slowly mustering the courage to look you in the eye "Are you okay?" Minji asked, as you scoffed at the question "What do you think?" You spat, a hint of venom, Minji flinching at the harsh tone "What did you call me over for anyways?" You rolled your eyes in annoyance, Minji still stunned in her seat. She had never seen you this angry before. "I wanted to apologise, Y/N. I'm sorry for being so Jealous, I know you and Eunchae are just friends, but it's just, with my past re-" "Enough!" You slammed the table in frustration. "Enough with your past relationships! Why is it that I have to shoulder the sins of your exes! Why is it that everything that happens is my fault! Why am I apologising for things I didn't do! Why!" You screamed, tears falling uncontrollably from your face, your pent up anger and frustration overflowing and exploding, before you fell to your seat. As you sobbed into your hands, you felt a gentle hand on your shoulder, looking up to see Minji on one knee, in front of your chair as she looked both sad and guilty. "I'm sorry my love. Could we take a break?" Minji muttered, as you slowly calmed down, while still confused at what she meant "I know I'm flawed, Y/N, and I know that I haven't been the best Girlfriend to you. As much as I want to be with you forever, I don't want to be with you if it means I'm going to harm you. I promise that I'll grow and learn from what I've done wrong so far, be a good girlfriend to you. Will you wait for me?" Minji asked, tears streaming down her face, a sincere and genuine look on her face. Looking at Minji now, you saw her again. Not the jealous, bitter, angry person you were in a relationship with all this time, but the Minji you fell in love with, the kind and gentle soul. You slowly nodded, as Minji smiled in response "How will I know when you're ready?" You whispered "You'll know, my love." Minji lightly caressed your face, before walking from the room, sad but hopeful

A year later

You stretched as you slowly walked towards your door, planning to go to the supermarket, but as you walked out of your door, you noticed something at your shoerack. A white dahlia, your favourite, with a small ribbon tied on it's stem. Picking it up, you smiled, looking around before you spotted her, her face semi-obscured by a tree as she looked at you. Walking over to the tree, the two of you looked at each other, the silence doing all the talking as you both smiled.

"Hello, my love."

[btsficsandsuch]

can you write something about reader who has chronic pain x doctor yoongi?

I hope this is okay!

Dr. Min

“Miss Y/N, You can come on back.”, the nurse said while standing at the door. You grabbed your bag and walked over giving a quick smile before slipping past her into the hallway. You followed her over to a corner section where she instructed you to take off your shoes, “Okay Y/N, we’re just going to get a quick weight and height check and then we’ll be in room 3.” You do as she instructs before following her into the third room on the right. “Take a seat and Dr. Min will be in shortly.”, she said again with a smile before closing the door behind her.

You sat in the room fidgeting with the end of your shirt. You didn’t know anything about this doctor which was very unlike you. Normally you’d do weeks of research, reading reviews and any article you could find about the doctor before making an appointment but you were desperate at this point. For the last two years you had severe chronic pain in your right leg. You were pretty sure you tore a muscle while playing basketball two years ago but you didn’t have insurance at the time so you never got it looked at. Now you had a good job with insurance so you decided to finally try to fix the issue. If only it was that easy.

Every doctor you’ve seen so far brushed you off and told you to just try to exercise your leg and take aspirin if the pain was too much because at this point there was nothing they could do. After every appointment you felt a little less hopeful. You were complaining to your best friend Jimin about how the pain was getting worse and worse and you didn’t know what else to do. He told you about this doctor that he had seen and he did wonders for the chronic pain he was having in his knee so without really thinking you called and made an appointment with the doctor.

You were brought out of your thoughts when you heard a quick knock at the door and in walked a man about your age. He flashed you a big gummy smile. He had jet black hair which was slightly longer than you’d expect a doctor to have but it looked good on him. You were taken back by how handsome he was. Why did he have to be so good looking? You made a mental note to scold Jimin for not mentioning the doctor was a GQ model. Most of the doctors you’d see were old enough to be your parent and were grumpy, probably from the years of practicing medicine but that’s what you liked. You felt like they had a significant amount of experience and would be best able to treat you. The young doctor brought you back out of your thoughts again. “You must be Y/N. I’m Dr. Min. It’s nice to meet you.”, he said extending his hand for you to shake. Shyly you reached out and shook his hand, “Nice to meet you too.”

The doctor pulled over the stool so he could sit facing you while balancing his laptop on his knee. He must’ve noticed you staring as he looked up and gave you a smile, “Don’t mind me Y/N. I’m just going to make some notes to have on record. What brings you in today?”

Taking a deep breath to calm your shaky voice you began, “Well I was playing basketball a couple years ago and I went up for the rebound and I came down and landed weird on someone’s foot. I felt something snap in my leg and instantly felt pain.” You sat there and watched as he nodded to let you know he was listening while typing away on the keyboard in front of him. “Did you see a doctor when this happened?”, he asked. You shook your head, “No I didn’t have insurance at the time. After a couple months it felt better but then the pain came back and it’s getting worse.” He continued to type away, “Wow Y/N you must be pretty tough to just now seek help. I’m sure that was painful.” You shyly smiled at his compliment.

Dr. Min closed his laptop and walked over to the sink to wash his hands. When he came back he instructed you to roll up your pant let. Thank God you shaved beforehand you thought to yourself. “So what I’m going to do Y/N is just squeeze around on your leg for a little. Just let me know when it hurts the most.”, he said while sitting down next to you. You were trying so hard not to stare but he was so close you could smell his cologne, you could see his perfect skin, his beautiful dark eyes. Suddenly you jumped when you felt his hand grab your leg. “Sorry, I know my hands are cold.”, he chuckled. You prayed he couldn’t see the blush creep up on your cheeks.

He continued to squeeze and push on your calf and you’d tell him where it hurt the most. “So were you playing basketball for your school when you were hurt?”, he asked trying to make small talk. You nodded, “Yeah I played in college a little.” “Me too. Until I got to medical school. Then I just didn’t have the time. Actually I always wanted to go to the NBA.”, he laughed. “What made you decided to be a doctor instead?”, you asked. “Well unfortunately I stopped getting taller even though I drank milk religiously and since there’s no height requirement to be a doctor I switched.”, he smiled while looking up at you.

The doctor grabbed your hand and helped you to stand up, “Okay Y/N, now what I want you to do is walk back and forth a few times. Tell me when it hurts so I can see how your foot is positioned.” You did as he said even though you felt silly. After you were done he had you sit back down on the table and began typing in his laptop again. “Y/N I’m going to order some imaging tests on your leg. It looks like we’ll be able to do a surgery to repair that torn muscle in your leg. I just want to see the scans first before we make any definitive plan.” You felt your whole body tense at the word surgery. You’d never had surgery before and the thought terrified you. Dr. Min must’ve noticed because he placed a reassuring hand on your knee, “It’s nothing to be scared of Y/N. It’s a pretty standard procedure. The surgery will take about three hours and you’ll be able to go home 48 hours later.” You nodded and gave him a small smile before he walked you to the door out to the waiting room. “I’ll have my receptionist call you to set up your surgery date. Take care of yourself in the meantime Y/N. Try to rest that leg and ice can help with the pain.”, he said before opening the door for you. You thanked him and quickly walked out of the room ignoring the whispers coming from the nurses and front desk staff.

Just as the doctor had said the receptionist called you a week later to let you know the doctor said your scans looked good and you were approved for surgery. You scheduled the date for three weeks later.

On the day of the surgery Jimin drove you to the hospital so you could get there at your scheduled 6am arrival time. You got changed into the hospital gown and were laying down in bed when Dr.Min walked in. Just as handsome as the first day you saw him. “Good morning Y/N. I’m sorry we had to schedule this so early.”, he said. “It’s okay. This way I don’t have to be stressed out all day.”, you said with a smile. The doctor wrote something on your chart before looking up at you and smiled, “There’s no reason to be stressed. I’ll take good care of you. I promise.” You could feel your cheeks heat up at his words. “I’ll see you in the operating room.”, he smiled before walking back out the door. You heard Jimin scoff from beside you, “He didn’t even remember me.” You rolled your eyes, “Do you know how many patients he sees? How do you expect him to remember you?”. “He’s certainly going to remember you though.”, Jimin said with a laugh. “What do you mean by that?”, you asked. “Oh come on Y/N. That doctor was totally flirting with you.”, he laughed. All you could do was roll your eyes. “Don’t worry Y/N. I’ll take good care of you.”, he said while fluttering his eyelids in an exaggerated way. Luckily the nurses came in to wheel you to surgery before this conversation could go any farther. You gave Jimin a hug and then you were wheeled out of the room.

The operating room was freezing and that was doing nothing to calm your nerves. Just as the tears started to form Dr. Min walked over and pulled his mask down giving you a comforting smile, “Y/N, this is Dr. Namjoon Kim. He’s the anesthesiologist that’s on call right now. He’s going to explain what’s going to happen and then we’ll get the surgery started. It’ll all be over before you know it.” Dr. Kim came over and explained the process before placing a mask on your face instructing you to count back from 100. You got to 74 before it got harder and harder to concentrate and you drifted off.

“Miss Y/N, you need to wake up for me.”, the nurse was saying while lightly shaking your shoulder. “Where am I?”, you asked feeling like you had the worst hangover of your life. “You’re in recovery dear.”, she said. You started to move but felt a large cast on your right leg reminding you about why you were there. After a few minutes you finally felt coherent enough to process things so they let Jimin come in to visit. He was holding a big teddy bear that had a ‘It’s a Girl’ balloon tied to it. You chuckled when you looked up at the balloon. “Hey they didn’t have a balloon for this scenario and this one had a puppy on it so I knew you’d appreciate it.”, he said placing it on the table next to you. Before you could respond Dr. Min walked in and was immediately confused by the ballon even stopping to make sure he was in the correct room and looking back to you surprised. “Don’t ask.”, you chuckled. “Everything went great Y/N. The muscle was pretty damaged but I was able to get that repaired. You’ll still be pretty sore for a few weeks but once you’re up to it we can start you on physical therapy and then you should be good as new.”, he smiled. “Thank you for helping me Dr. Min. You’re the only doctor that had taken me seriously.”, you said eliciting a smile from him. He lifted the blanket to check the cast before placing it back and tucking you in, “I’m sorry I have to leave so soon. I have another surgery scheduled today. Let me know if you need anything.” You smiled and thanked him before he walked out of the room. “Let me know if you need anything.”, Jimin said in a mocking tone. You smacked his arm to quiet him, “Shush. He’s just being nice. It’s called bedside manners.” “Riiigghht because there aren’t a ton of nurses and aids and on call doctors that can take care of you right now, but he said to let him know if you need anything. He totally has a crush on you.”, Jimin laughed. “He’s just being nice.”, you said again but secretly hoping that Jimin was right.

The stay in the hospital wasn’t too bad. Jimin stayed with you as much as he could before he had to go to work. Dr. Min came to visit you a few times, even offering to get you a coffee from the Starbucks downstairs when he saw you drinking the crappy waiting room coffee one of the nurses had brought you. Each time he seemed to stay a little longer, almost like he didn’t want to leave.

Finally you were being discharged. You were given a handful of paperwork with instructions on what to and not to do. They also had you schedule your follow up appointment with Dr. Min for six weeks from now. Jimin and the nurse helped you off of the bed and into the waiting wheelchair so they could get you down to Jimins car.

Six weeks went by quickly and you were happy to be sitting in Dr. Min’s office finally able to get this cast off of your leg. “Y/N, you can come back with me.”, the nurse standing at the door said. She helped you get down to room 4. “Take a seat. Dr. Min will be in shortly.”, she said with a smirk before closing the door behind her. You expected to wait a while like any doctors appointment but Dr. Min was surprisingly quick. “Hi Y/N, it’s good to see you. How are you doing?”, he asked. “Even with the cast on I already feel much better.”, you smiled. Dr. Min got to work removing the cast and then took time inspecting the sutures. “I’m going to remove the stitches. It shouldn’t hurt but you might feel a pinch.”, he said while grabbing the needed tools. He was very gentle. You could tell he was really focused on making sure he caused you the least amount of pain possible and before you knew it he was done and cleaning up the area. “It looks really good Y/N. It healed great and I think you’re going to be much happier. We can help you get your first physical therapy session scheduled and that will help you greatly.”, he said while washing his hands.

“Alright let’s get you standing.”, he said walking back over to you. You grabbed onto his hands and he gently helped you stand up. Gingerly you started putting weight on your right leg. “Alright be careful and go slow.”, he said. You swear you could see him holding his breath as you took a few steps like he was worried you’d somehow hurt yourself. “How does it feel?”, he asked. “Still a little sore, but nothing compared to what it was.”, you replied. He flashed a big gummy smile, “I’m so glad to hear that.” “Thank you again Dr. Min. I really appreciate everything you’ve done for me. I didn’t think I’d ever find someone to help me.”, you said looking down at your shoes trying to hide the blush on your cheeks. “No need to thank me. It’s my job.”, he said and you felt your heart sink just a little. You knew it was crazy but a part of you had secretly hoped Jimin was correct about him having a crush on you but it sounded like you were just another patient to him.

Not wanting to stand in the awkwardness any long you grabbed your purse and began to walk towards the door after saying another goodbye. “Y/N”, Dr. Min stopped you and you turned to face him. He cleared his throat, “Umm technically you’re not my patient any more and I was wondering if maybe you’d like to go have dinner sometime.” You felt your heart swell. “I’d love to Dr. Min.”, you replied. He walked over and opened the door for you before placing a hand on your back to escort you out, “Please, Call me Yoongi.”

[miel-ji]

Rosé

Genre: fluff, established relationship

Pairing: Lee Know x Fem!Reader

Word Count: 3.9k

Warning: hopelessly in love, heated kiss, food, suggestive, implied sex scene at the end

Summary: Your boyfriend, Minho, texts you to come over to his place suddenly without giving you many details, only to pretend that you’re going on a really nice date

A/N: titled this rosé purely for aesthetics and they drink rosé in the fic lol

It was becoming unbearably close to when you would finally be free from work for the weekend. You were glancing at the clock every couple of minutes just to disappoint yourself that the hands on the clock had barely even moved. Your leg would not stop bouncing, and no matter how hard you tried, you could not focus on the work in front of you. You had already finished up the important tasks thirty minutes ago, and this was more just to keep busy while still on company time.

You did not particularly have any plans for that weekend, but you were just ready to be released from the schedules of work and have your freetime. Every Friday the same feelings arose, but who didn’t get excited because of time off? Just when you felt like you were going to burst from anticipation, you received a text from your longterm boyfriend, Lee Minho. All the anticipation shifted into giddiness, and you had to physically stop yourself from letting out an excited squeak as you quickly grabbed your phone to read the message.

Min <3: I hope you’re not doing anything later

You: Maybe, maybe not. Why?

Min <3: Just would hate for you to be ditching plans when you come over to mine at 7:30

You: Is this your way of asking me to come over?

Min <3: No… You’re already coming over ???

You: Sorry, I have plans…

Min <3: Yeah, with me. Keep up babe 😘

You: Okay, I’ll come over

Min <3: Pretend we’re going on a really nice date

You: Are we going on a really nice date?

Min <3: See you at 7:30 😉

You: Can’t wait 🤍

The conversation with Minho did nothing to settle your nerves. If anything, it made them worse as you were restless to leave. You and Minho had been dating for over a year now, but time has never changed the way your heart would still speed up from a simple message from him. You had to bite your lip in order to contain the smile that threatened to split across your face as you kept reading over the messages. However, it seemed not even that could stop the happiness that poured out of your phone screen and onto your face when you heard someone clear their throat beside you and pull you out of your haze.

“Minho?” Your closest colleague to whom you subjected to all of your ramblings spoke up once she got your attention.

“Yeah,” You sheepishly smiled and could feel your cheeks slightly warm up. You shouldn’t be embarrassed that you’d been caught ogling at your phone once again because of Minho when this happened at least twice a week. Not to mention this was the same colleague that you could gush over all the details of your boyfriend with. She’s seen the pictures. She understands. “I think I got a date tonight.”

“Ooo, how exciting- wait, did you say you think?”

“Yeahhh, he has a strange way of doing things sometimes… but I’m sure I’ll love whatever he has planned. My weirdo.” You smiled fondly again while thinking of his unusual tendencies that you find nothing but endearing.

“You’re a weirdo.”

“I don’t mind being a weirdo if he is too.”

“Ew… please never be that lovesick to my face again,” Your colleague creased her eyebrows and twisted her mouth in fake disgust.

“Hey, I’m not that bad,” you playfully scowled.

“You’re a second away from hearts bursting out of your eyes like in the cartoons,” she deadpanned.

“Yeah, okay. I get your point,” You glanced up at the clock right as the minute hand ticked, and everyone was able to leave from work. You made quick work of getting your things together, and you were about to dart for the door when your colleague laid a hand on your shoulder to stop you.

“Fill me in on the details on Monday?” She was wearing a cheeky grin. You knew she loved it.

“Was going to even if you didn’t ask,” You winked at her before finally getting to leave.

Your work was only a twenty minute walk from your home, but today, it seemed to take even longer. You were energized by the thought of what Minho had planned as you sped walked through the city to get home. You had plenty of time to get ready before Minho wanted you to meet, but that didn’t slow you down. You were light on your feet not even aware of them moving as you practically floated to your apartment.

When you entered your home, your cat was ready to greet you, scurrying across the room while meowing at you. Before you did anything, your top priority was to crouch down and softly scratch your cat behind the ear while cooing and asking how his day was. Eventually, he decided that you’d given him the proper amount of attention that he required and left to go nap in the afternoon sun filtering in through the living room window. You put your stuff down on the counter and decided to deal with it later since right now your focus was getting ready to see Minho.

When Minho texted you earlier, you assumed by “really nice date”, you should dress up a little, so you had taken the time to shower, do your hair and makeup, and choose a nice outfit. The last task was the most difficult since you always needed to take everything out of your closet and try it on to be able to determine if you were in the mood to wear it or not. You safely assumed that whatever Minho had planned, you wouldn’t be returning back to your apartment that night, so you made sure to check if the plants needed watering (and not forgetting to actually water them), and leave your cat with some food. You believed that your cat secretly didn’t mind when you left to spend the night at Minho’s because you always gave him a treat before you left, and Minho even sometimes gave you toys to bring back to him if Minho didn’t come along to give them to your cat himself.

You set off once again into the streets of the city in the direction of your boyfriend’s place. Your feet were well accustomed to the walk, so you mindlessly traveled while shooting Minho a quick text to let him know you were on the way. You let your mind wander thinking about all the possibilities of what Minho’s text could mean. Your boyfriend was known to be spontaneous, but this often led to some of your favorite memories with him like getting your favorite food at midnight and having a picnic in the moonlight or camping at home in a pillow fort and baking s’mores in the oven when your actual camping plans fell through. Before you knew it, you were approaching the familiar building that housed Minho, and in what felt like a second after that, you were raising your fist to knock against his door.

You had barely rapped on the door twice before it was being pulled open to what could only be described as a sight from your dreamiest fantasies. Your boyfriend was standing before you wearing a beautifully warm smile on soft pink lips with round eyes that sparkled with adoration as he gazed down at you. “You look absolutely stunning, my love.” His gentle voice floated up to your ears just as soothing as the low music you could hear coming from somewhere within his apartment.

“Thank you,” you felt a fluttering in your stomach from the way he was looking you over, and you stepped across the threshold into his apartment with your own smile tugging at your lips. “And you look devastatingly handsome,” you said as you turned to face him again, and he was pulling you into him by your hips. His fluffy brown hair was slightly curled and fluffy but you could still tell the effort he put in to get it neatly styled as it spilled over his forehead. He leaned in close to you and let his eyes close as he rested his forehead against yours.

You let yourself soak in his presence as he enthralled your every sense. His intoxicating scent almost made you dizzy, but his strong hands still on your hips steadied you. Soon enough, his nose was bumping against yours as he angled his head to seize your lips with his in a slow sensual kiss. His velvety lips worked in tandem with yours, and when his tongue slipped into your mouth, he tasted warm and sweet. He was taking his time with you as if he had all the time in the world to be in this moment with you, as if there was not any place he’d rather be but here kissing you.

Fervent hands worked their way up your sides, and they made home, tangling themselves in your hair that you had spent so much time to get to your liking. You couldn’t bring yourself to care if he messed up your hair when he was kissing you like this. When his hands were touching you like this. You only sighed into the kiss as your lungs finally looked for air, and Minho did the same when your hands cupped his sharp jaw. You didn’t necessarily want to stop now or ever, but you had just gotten there and had all night to continue. When you two finally found the strength to break apart and you faced Minho again, his lips looked even more tinted from their previous entertainment.

Your hands continued to cup his jaw as he spoke, “thank god, you’re finally here. Been waiting forever.” He says as if to softly scold you.

“Please Min, I got here at exactly 7:30,” you said, unimpressed by his dramatics but quirking your lips in a small smirk.

“I don’t care. It’s still been too long since I’ve last seen you.” He had one arm wrapped around your waist to keep you against him, and the other still rested in your hair.

“We see each other almost everyday.”

“That’s not enough,” his voice almost held a whiny quality now as he complained.

You couldn’t help but giggle at your boyfriend being impractical, “and what would be enough?”

“All the time,” he answered quickly and unwaveringly.

“How about you can see me whenever you want?”

“Mmm,” He tilted his head and looked up as if to consider it. “Promise?”

“Promise,” you held out your pinky, and he linked it with yours to seal the promise.

“Hey, love?” Minho’s gentle silky voice returned. “Can I show you something?” You nodded and allowed him to lead you by the hand through the foyer and into the open floor plan of his apartment. As you stood looking at the scene before you, everything was so well- constructed that you knew it couldn’t just be another one of your boyfriend’s whims. Your eyes shined, reflecting the love that had been put into transforming his apartment into the perfect dinner for two.

The lights were turned low, and there were candles dispersed throughout the dining area that spilled its soft light over everything. In the center of the table, there was a gorgeous bouquet of soft pink roses, pure white baby’s breath, warm pink carnations with soothing greenery that accented the flower's beauty even more tied together with some delicate ribbon all for you. The lulling music from before was still playing in the background, and the air was filled with a mouth-watering aroma that could be explained by the creamy steak fettuccine neatly plated on the spaces decorated for two beside each other. Even in the smallest details, Minho was thinking of you, knowing that you preferred to sit next to him rather than across. Although you knew that he also always wanted to be within reach of you to keep a protective hand on the small of your back or your thigh, so maybe this decision wasn’t entirely based on your wants.

The scene before you caused the most dazzling smile to break out across your face as your heart swelled from overflowing with love. You could feel Minho’s eyes on you as he watched your reaction, his own wide boxy smile causing his eyes to crinkle at the edges. You were still observing all the details from the petals sprinkled along the floor and table to the note card peeking out from the bouquet with a special message for you when Minho lowered his voice in your ear, “the food is going to get cold, love.” His breath tickled your ear, and the sound of his deep voice made goosebumps arise on your skin.

“Minho, this is… I want to say amazing, but that doesn’t sound like enough to describe how much I love it…” You tried to express yourself, but words seemed to be failing you right now. Minho just squeezed your hand to reassure you that he understood how much you appreciated it. He always understood. He led you, once again, over to your seat before pulling it out for you to help you sit down. Once you were situated in your seat, Minho took his own beside you and unfailingly rested a warm hand on your exposed thigh. “Did you make this yourself?”

“Yes, I spent all afternoon setting this up and cooking everything for you. I made everything from the steak to the sauce myself,” Minho said so casually, like he was completely unaware how admirable this feat was. “Would you like some rosé, darling?” He retrieved a tall glass bottle of wine from a silver ice bucket that sat on the edge of the table and started using a corkscrew to open the wine. You enjoyed the view of his focused expression and pretty hands twisting until he could pull the cork out, and you gingerly handed him the wine glass that was by your plate.

“Thank you, my dear,” you answered, and he poured the sparkling rose-tinted wine into your glass before pouring himself some. He raised his glass to you to which you responded by clinking them together and taking a small drink. “You really don’t know how perfect you are, hm?”

“Oh, I do.” He winked at you before lightly laughing at his own flirtations, his giggle ending with a small ah. “Go ahead and eat, love. I guarantee that it’s delicious.” You could tell that he was excited for you to try his newest venture in cooking from the encouraging smile he wore.

You eagerly swirled the pasta around your fork and made sure to get some steak too, and as soon as you took a bite, your eyes widened from the explosion of flavor. Minho giggled again at your expressive reaction before taking a bite of his own. You had to eat slowly in order to process the entire flavor profile of the juicy steak and creamy sauce. “Min, this is your best dish yet.” You had to will yourself not to make a sound that embarrassingly resembled a moan, but you still failed after the second bite from the perfection of the food.

“You always say that when you eat a new dish that I make,” Minho said impassively but you could see him fighting back a smile and the tips of his ears turning red.

“That’s because you somehow manage to get even better at cooking every time. I would even choose to eat the dishes that you’re not satisfied with before any other food.” This time Minho didn’t fight back the smile that curled up the corners of his lips as he gazed at you before returning back to eating. “I think I know what makes this one so special though,” you said, picking up another forkful and acting like you were examining it before eating.

“And what’s that?”

“It’s made with love, isn’t it?” you teased him.

Minho scoffed, “Don’t be ridiculous. It's made with sirloin and parmesan.” After a second, he quietly added, “and love..”

“Aha, I knew it,” you took another bite, satisfied while smirking. From that point, you slipped into casual conversation as it flowed naturally and comfortably between you. You always knew that Minho was genuinely interested in whatever you had to say as he intently listened to you with eyes and ears tuned in only to you. You both took turns animatedly engaging or attentively listening as you talked about your days, reminiscing on memories, and whatever else came to mind.

There were never lulls in the conversations or awkward pauses with Minho once you truly got to know him and were able to let your guard down around him. However, as the night went on and the hour got later, you could tell he was growing restless over something. He was starting to fidget in his seat, and his leg was continuously bouncing under the table. He seemed a bit distracted, and he even jumped a little in his spot when you placed a hand on his knee to try to calm him.

“Love, is something wrong?” you tried asking him, but once he took in the worried expression on his face, he was quick to soothe your concern.

“I’m perfectly fine, I promise,” He took your hand in both of his and placed a light kiss to the top of your knuckles.

You knew he was up to something, so you just hoped that he would admit it to you soon. It didn’t seem like something was bothering him, but he just seemed nervous like in those stereotypical rom coms right before they propose. You were sure he wasn’t about to propose since you’ve never had that conversation yet. You both were serious about each other, having remained in the loving committed relationship for over a year, but those conversations were always a matter of what if not a matter of when for now.

That couldn’t possibly be what Minho was so worked up about that was until he disappeared into his room after you’d finished dinner, and when he came back to where you’d moved to the couch, he was hiding something behind his back. Now, it was your turn to be fidgety as you felt your heart start to race and your stomach doing flips. But the black velvet box he revealed was too long and shallow to be a ring box, so you knew it must be a necklace. You weirdly felt a tinge of disappointment, but it was replaced with excitement once again once your boyfriend spoke up.

“I got you something…” He sat down beside you on the couch with a shy smile before opening the case to present your gift to you. It was a dainty rose gold necklace with two hearts that were linked together, and it was beautiful.

Your eyes moved from the pretty necklace from his hands up to the loving expression he wore on his face, “Oh, Minho… I love it.”

“Can I help you put it on?” He beamed at you and carefully removed the necklace from its case.

“Yes, please.” You turned your back to him and lifted your hair out of the way. His arms slipped around your neck and carefully brought the necklace around you. You smiled down at the pendant that represented your hearts entwined together and the feeling of Minho so close behind you. His hands and breath were warm against your skin, and even after he had clasped the necklace, he lingered for a moment. “Love, you really didn’t have to-”

“Move in with me,” he breathed as if he had been holding that in. You stilled, caught off guard before slowly turning to face him. You searched his eyes for answers, and a heartbeat passed between you two before he spoke up again. “I’ll let you redecorate all you want. You could fill our place with your books and plants and whatever else. I don’t care. I want it all.”

“Min-”

“Or I could move in with you or we could get a whole new place.” He powered through aching to get his point across. His ears were completely red now, and the flusteredness was even creeping up his neck. “I just can’t get the thought of coming home to you every night out of my head.” You slowly blinked to make sure that your perfect boyfriend sitting in front of you was real, and you could feel your eyes were getting glassy. His words were still sinking into your brain and heart stopping you from being able to speak, so Minho continued on, “I want to come home to you every night and hug you while I sleep and cook breakfast together in the mornings and see you cuddled with our cats on a lazy afternoon and spend the rest of our days together because you're it for me, y/n.” He finished all in one breath and you could see his eyes were also glassy.

“Did you just say our cats?” You were grinning ear to ear, fighting back the warm tears of happiness that welled in your eyes. You cupped his face, and he could see some of his tension melt away from your touch.

“Yes… as in mine and yours. As in I already love your cat as my own, and I wouldn’t want anyone else taking care of our cats but you.” The look of his deep brown eyes gleamed with vulnerability as he gauged your reaction to his confession. You felt so much joy spilling from your heart that laughter bubbled in your chest and slipped past your lips. Minho frowned at you not anticipating this reaction, but his cheeks were still squished in your hands making it look more like a pout. You leaned in and kissed him over and over until he joined in on your bubbly giggles in between each kiss. “Y/nnn,” he whined while grabbing your wrists to get your attention. “Please, I feel like I’m going insane waiting for your answer. You’ll at least think about it?” He entwined your hands and placed them in his lap.

“Yes, of course, yes. I want all of those things with you too, Minho. I love you so much it hurts. You’re it for me too. Always and forever.”

Minho leaned over to initiate another kiss between you to communicate all the love he felt for you. His grip remained firm on your hands that were still linked together in his lap, but his kiss was gentle and intimate as your lips became one and your breaths melded together. You leaned into him more with every brush of his smooth lips against yours as you craved more. “Always and forever,” He mumbled into your mouth with your eyes still closed and lips still pressed together.

Later that night that was now drawing near the earliest hours of the next day, you were lying in Minho’s arms. Your head was lying on his bare chest, using it as your pillow with his arm tucked around you and resting just underneath your breasts. The lower half of your bodies were tangled together under the sheets, slightly slick with sweat from the activities that left both of you with blissful smiles and a euphoric glow. Minho was busying himself with playing with your fingers like they were the most interesting thing in the world to him, “I can’t wait until we can fall asleep like this together every night.” His voice was low, and he turned his head to lean down and kiss your temple.

“I can’t wait to tell our cats.” You craned your neck to look up at him to see him matching your own wide smile and earning a soft chuckle from him.

“Me neither, love.”

[starhvney]

𝐒𝐔𝐁𝐉𝐄𝐂𝐓 𝟑 | 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟐: 𝐋𝐎𝐒𝐄𝐑

𝐂𝐖: mentions of bullying and mean girl activity, reader is very aware and anxious

𝐀/𝐍: the story is moving a bit slow but bear with me! we gotta meet everyone first ;)

𝐖𝐂: 6,100 +

𝐋𝐀𝐒𝐓 ☆ 𝐍𝐄𝐗𝐓 | 𝐀𝐎𝟑 | 𝐅𝐈𝐂 𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓 | 𝐎𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐊𝐒

you: hey i’m gonna leave my house in 5 min!

delivered 5 minutes ago

you: hello?

delivered 1 minute ago

you hesitantly step out of your house, breathing in the fresh and dewy morning air on what would have otherwise been a perfectly peaceful morning, if it weren’t for the obnoxious laughter sounding from the sidewalk up ahead.

your eyebrows furrow as you squint towards the front of aphmau’s house and spot the whiny girl from the fountain with two other accomplices walking away from your friend, who was obviously too preoccupied to check her texts from you. it seems they didn’t spot you before they turned around, which you’re guiltily thankful for, judging by how aphmau trembled in place like a leaf.

you widen your stride, quickly catching up to the petite girl.

“aphmau?” you ask tentatively, placing a hand on her shoulder. “what was that? are you okay?”

she jolts in place, her round eyes darting up to you in surprise and her ponytail whipping around in the air. 

“oh!! i didn't hear you walk up!” she nervously laughs, attempting to relax her posture as her eyes dart to the trio that was now far off in the distance.

you frown at the slight shakiness of her voice.

“did something happen? i heard laughing,” you question again. though you had only known her for a couple of days, you felt protective of aphmau’s seemingly kind nature.

“oh, uh… i think they were just joking around with me! it’s nothing, really.” she waves her hand dismissively, beginning to walk forward with an unnatural smile stretched on her tan face.

“okay… if you say so.” you cautiously mutter, eyeing her nervous figure from the corner of your eye. you wouldn’t push her if she didn’t want to talk. “if they were being rude, just know you can tell me.”

wavy black hair bounces as she nods and grips onto the straps of her backpack.

“right, thank you.”

you nod, deciding to change the subject.

“so… werewolf class huh?”

“ugh, don’t even get me started!”

☆

the whiny-voiced girl is in your homeroom, and one of the two minions who helped her “allegedly”—based on your pretty solid assumption—bully aphmau this morning is sitting next to her. she’s the same one with the tanned skin and long, curly black hair from the fountain confrontation you had, and it seems she’s just as talented at sending menacing glares your way.

great.

your eyes immediately avoid their pointed stares as you glance around the rest of the classroom for a seat far from the duo. your eyes land on laurance and garroth, as well as katelyn and a pretty ginger-haired girl sitting next to her. 

they seem to be arguing over something, so despite the dread you feel you move to a spot in front of the two boys you had become acquainted with yesterday.

if you didn’t sit next to them, it would be weird, right?

you immediately regret your decision as you see the girls whip their heads back around and start to whisper to each other in your peripheral vision.

yeah, they definitely were not just “joking around” with aphmau this morning. 

“hey guys.” you greet, sitting with a sigh.

laurance and garroth both smile at you with sleepy eyes. 

“good morning.”

“hey.”

“what classes do you two have today?” you ask, slouching on the chair to rest your head on your arms.

“well we both have english next class,” laurance answers, leaning back in his seat as he mindlessly twirls his pencil in his hand.

you perk up a bit, ignoring the anxious thudding in your chest as you still actively spot the girls in the corner of your vision continuing their glares in your direction.

“oh, really? i do too! it’ll be nice to at least know someone in that class.” you note.

you pull out your schedule that had been crudely folded in your bag, unwrinkling it with furrowed eyebrows. a larger hand comes into your view and gently pinches the corner of the paper. your eyes flick up to see garroth with a small friendly smile on his face.

“do you mind if i look at it?”

you shake your head, handing the page over and desperately trying to ignore the anxiety you felt in your chest. even though the girls haven’t necessarily done anything… yet… you still feel like something bad is going to happen. you take in a shaky breath and bite your cheek. 

laurance stares at you, raising a questioning eyebrow at you as he seems to easily tune in to your inner turmoil. before anything can be said though, katelyn and the red-headed girl arguing behind you raise their voices a few octaves.

“whatever, that was just completely uncalled for!” katelyn throws her hands up in seeming irritation and disbelief.

the redhead rolls her eyes, tipping her head up pridefully with pursed lips. “i think we both know who was more unreasonable in this situation.”

katelyn scoffs incredulously. “and what is that supposed to mean?”

“you know exactly what it means.”

your eyes dart over to laurance, who you purse your lips and raise an eyebrow at in confusion. he snickers at your reaction, though he doesn’t really seem fazed by the interaction. neither does garroth, who passes your schedule back onto your desk with a thoughtful look on his face. he doesn’t even seem to be on the same wavelength as the rest of you as he nods to himself, staring at his fingernails with a hum.

“i’m not the one who!—“ katelyn looks like she’s about to fist fight the girl right then and there, smoke practically steaming out of her ears before her eyes meet yours. “you know what, i’m sitting with her now, don’t talk to me, lucinda!”

your eyebrows raise as she quickly moves her things, stubbornly plopping herself down in the seat next to you. you resist the urge to immediately shrink in place. your muscles freeze like a deer in headlights as sharp red eyes dart to yours. you’re thankful that the redhead—lucinda—doesn’t seem to hold anything against you for the outburst.

“yeah, real mature.” she rolls her eyes, turning away from katelyn without another word.

katelyn huffs and crosses her arms, slouching down in her seat with a frown. you glance over at her nervously, trying to hide how stiffly you were now sitting in your seat.

“uh… good morning, katelyn.” you timidly say, your eyes darting uncomfortably between her and lucinda.

starking blue eyes shift over to yours. a beat passes as she regards you with narrowed eyes before she visibly deflates.

“morning,” she grumbles, lifting herself to sit back up straight.

the bell rings and only a few seconds later ms. peacock enters the room, her curly hair bouncing with each step and her relaxed smile relieving you of the awkward tension.

☆

as the bell rings and everyone gathers up their things, you lean over to katelyn.

“hey, katelyn? who is the girl with the uhh, bright red-pinkish hair?” you ask her, lowering your voice.

katelyn glances over at the group of girls impassively.

“oh, are you asking about her? her name’s ivy veleno. and the girl next to her is alex aba…diano, i think.” she whispers back.

you hum and nod in response, biting your lip. you could bring up what happened earlier, but you’ve only known katelyn for a day. you have no idea how the friendships in this class are linked and if she’ll take your side or not. 

“why did you want to know?” katelyn prods, her expression curious as she slings her backpack on.

you shake your head with a small smile. if anything major happens, you might say something, but starting drama on the second day is not a reputation you want to start for yourself.

“just curious.”

katelyn shrugs it off, not giving your excuse much else thought.

“so, you wanna walk to english class with us?”

you turn your head to see garroth and laurance standing with expectant looks on their faces and ready to go. you hesitate, before nodding your head.

“yeah, let’s go. i’ll see you later, katelyn. maybe we’ll have other classes together?”

“yeah, maybe. i’ll see you around,” she replies, a small smile curved on her lips.

you nod, slinging your backpack over your shoulder before shuffling next to the taller boys and following them out of the classroom. you can still feel those same eyes burning into the back of your skull, but very purposefully act oblivious to it.

“i feel like i have personal escorts to my next class,” you joke in a sarcastic tone. “were you two bodyguards in your past life? or maybe knights.”

the two laugh—surprisingly—at your corny joke, turning to look at you as they walk.

“i’d definitely be the best knight. number one in the village.” laurance says, putting on a poor stoic accent and swishing an invisible sword in the air.

garroth lets out a quiet chuckle at his friend’s antics, running his fingers through his hair.

“no, no. i would be the best, i think you mean.”

“oh please, everyone knows you’d be the “prince charming” as katelyn says in this scenario.” laurance pokes at him, wiggling his eyebrows.

garroth rolls his eyes in response. “i’d run away and become a knight then.”

“a rogue prince becomes a knight with his other knight friend. sounds like a cool plot for a show.” you look off in thought.

“what would that make you then? a long lost princess?” laurance asks, tilting his head in your direction with a teasing smile on his face.

you fight off the blush attempting to climb its way onto your cheeks, sudden shyness taking over you again.

“ha, yeah right. i’d flunk out of whatever etiquette classes they make you take and i’d be thrown out of the castle. disowned.”

garroth and laurance both snicker at your response. whether they actually think you’re funny or are laughing cause you’re awkward, you can’t tell.

“well, we first met by you tripping into me, so…” garroth adds on, to which laurance lets out a short amused laugh. “guess you might be a little too clumsy for the job.”

despite his joke clearly being lighthearted, he makes sure to lightly nudge your arm with his elbow, whispering a small, “just kidding” with a charming smile. 

you turn into a classroom—304 you note—and the pair immediately beeline for the back corner seats in the room. you take a glance around the desks and don’t recognize anyone, before looking back at laurance and garroth who are giving you expectant looks. both the seats next to and in front of them are surprisingly empty, even as more students begin to pile in. you thought they would be pretty popular?

you decide to follow after them, walking through the rows of desks to where they sit. you pass by a pair of girls to your left, and flash them a small smile as you make eye contact. the girl you’re looking at has tanned skin and wavy dull purple hair. you want to compliment her on the cute highlights she dons as she smiles back, though you hold your tongue when her sharp eyes fall up and down your body with a snarky twist at the corner of her mouth.

oh.

you quickly turn away as the smile awkwardly drops from your face and you pace forward to set your bag on the row of desks in front of the two boys. you plop yourself into the seat near the wall, which was lined with windows that look out into the school’s hallway.

“seems kinda dangerous to have all these windows looking into the classroom,” you mutter, glancing up to see that the blinds were pulled so the way up to the top.

as you’re about to turn around to the two boys, you see a group of girls looking through the window from around a set of lockers, making direct eye contact with you.

“…what the hell…?” you mutter as they quickly panic and disappear out of sight.

“what is it?” garroth questions, prompting you to turn back towards him again.

you turn back to see laurance has moved to half sit on the desk next to you, glancing out in the direction you had been looking.

“oh… there was a group of girls staring out there… but i’m sure they were just passing by,” you say skeptically, not missing the uncomfortable look laurance and garroth shared.

“oh!”

you turn to the source of the small surprised gasp to see aphmau nervously standing in front of you guys. her eyes dart between the three of you as she stands frozen on the spot.

“hey, it’s you!”

“ah, the little freshman from yesterday.”

“you’re in this class, too?” you ask with a tilt of your head.

she slowly nods, her eyes shifting over to you in relief. 

“why don’t you sit with us?” garroth invites, pointing to the seat next to me.

laurance moves away from the spot he was leaning on, making way for the girl and sitting back down in his seat behind you. “yeah, no one else will sit with us. it’ll be nice to have another person to sit with.”

“are you sure?”

“yeah, come on.” you pull back the chair next to you, tapping the seat in invitation.

aphmau nods and sets her stuff next to yours, giving you a sheepish look. you give her a warm close-lipped smile in return, hoping it helps settle her wiry nerves. so it must’ve not just been you who noticed no one was sitting next to the two boys. they’re pretty nice, and seem respectful—which is a lot to say for teenage boys. what was with the weird looks from everyone else?

“…so, freshman. what’s your name?” you focus back in on garroth’s calming voice.

“it’s aphmau.” she stutters out. you glance over at her, realizing that the poor thing is practically trembling in her spot.

you’ve been nervous this whole time, but she seems like she might crumble into a ball at the slightest change of tone in someone’s voice. then again, you hadn’t been homeschooled for a year, either.

“aphmau? that’s a unique name.” garroth notes, causing aphmau’s cheeks to redden.

you don’t blame her. not only does the boy have a nice face, but he also has a nice voice to match. now that you’re focusing on it, you could hear that o’khasis accent slip into some of his words every once in a while. as far as you could tell, he also seemed super… genuine. you can see where the prince charming joke came from.

“thanks!” she manages to reply.

“so, how’s your friend from yesterday?” laurance smoothly changes the spotlight from the girl, seeming to also notice her nervousness. 

“oh… um, travis? he recovered pretty fast actually.” she nods, picking at the skin near her nail.

“that’s good. so what middle school are you from?”

“oh… i was homeschooled, actually.”

laurance hums in acknowledgment, spinning around his pencil in his hand. “oh, cool! i was homeschooled in elementary, so i know how hard meeting people can be. you’re adapting pretty well.”

she nods, muttering a small thanks before diverting the attention from her once more with her own question.

“so, how long have you two been friends?”

as you shift in your seat to fully face them, you swear you see a flash of cerise through the hallway window out of the corner of your eye. before you can take a second look it’s gone, leaving only an empty hallway in your sight.

“we ran into each other a lot our freshman year and became friends.” laurance’s honeyed voice pulls you back into the conversation.

“this guy had orange hair back then.” garroth snickers, barely flinching as laurance whips his head back to his direction.

“don’t tell them that! my sister dyed my hair!” he defends, his laid-back disposition fizzling out as he punches garroth’s arm.

you can’t help but giggle at his embarassment, and as you make eye contact with aphmau you both hunch over in laughter.

“i can’t imagine that, actually.” she giggles.

“where the heck is our teacher?!” he pouts in his flustered state, and out of pity for the boy you stifle any more of your laughter. 

“not sure, but the bell is about to ring us out of here anyways.” garroth stares at the clock on the wall with his chin resting on his hand. 

right on cue, the bell pierces through the chatter of the students in the room. 

“there it is. hey, both of you.” laurance seems to have gotten over his previous embarrassment, the red that was previously on his cheeks dissipating to reveal his even skin tone as he slings his backpack over his shoulder.

“hm?” you both hum in unison, turning to look back at the taller boy. 

“you two are pretty cool. we should all hang out sometime.”

you tilt your head. you feel like you’ve barely talked. aphmau quickly vocalizes a similar thought.

“yeah, but you actually listen, and interested in what we have to say. it’s nice.”

“don’t be a stranger,” garroth nods with a bright smile, following behind laurance as they start to leave the classroom.

“oh, yeah. i’ll see y’all later!” you give a small wave back, the two boys smiling in return as they leave the room.

“they’re really nice.” aphmau comments. 

you turn to look down at her, nodding in agreement. “yeah, they are. what class do you have next?”

aphmau’s hand blindly pats at the side of her backpack before pulling out her folded schedule. her eyes rake over the page before they dart back up to yours.

“oh, uhh… mrs. hwit… herbology.”

“i do too!” you say, causing her eyes to light up.

“really? want to walk together?” her voice is hopeful as her thin eyebrows raise in expectation, and you quickly nod.

you two surprisingly find the classroom faster than you expected, only having to go up another flight of the school’s ridiculously long staircases. as you approach the door to the room, you smell the faint scent of many different herbs and natural ingredients.

“are you even supposed to be in this class?” a silvery feminine voice carries from inside the classroom doors.

”it’s what my schedule says, so like it or not i’m here until i can change it!”

aphmau and you make eye contact with raised eyebrows at the familiar tone of katelyn’s voice before you enter the classroom.

at a pair of desks right at the front of the class, the tall figures of katelyn and the redhead from this morning—was it lucinda?—are arguing while standing on either side of a desk.

”well you don’t have to yell at me, katelyn.”

”i’ll yell at you all i want to! i should never have given you a second chance at being my best friend.”

ouch. you grimace at the harsh words, even if they’re not directed at you.

”uh… hi! are we the only ones in this class?” aphmau nervously peeps up, looking around the otherwise empty classroom.

the two girls “huh?” in unison as they turn their heads towards you two.

”oh, sorry. we didn’t mean to stare at you guys or anything, it’s just you both were yelling, so…” aphmau quickly rambles out, fidgeting with her sleeves.

katelyn’s expression shifts as she looks down at the nervous girl next to me.

”hey, it’s you. and the freshman from yesterday.” katelyn says with familiarity in her tone, though her eyes are sparkling with some sort of plot.

she lets out a mischievous laugh, her long legs pacing to wedge herself between you and aphmau as she throws her arms around both of your shoulders.

”lucinda, these girls here are my two new best friends.” she says smugly.

“what?” aphmau questions in an incredulous tone as you stay unimpressed and silent at the interaction.

“oh, really?” lucinda questions with an unimpressed look on her face, a red manicured hand coming to rest sassily on her hip.

”yeah, really!”

“you hit my friend in the face—“ aphmau protests before katelyn covers the girl's mouth with her pale hand.

”oh! what an imagination you have!” she laughs nervously, before pulling both of you closer and lowering her voice to a whisper. “play along and i’ll owe you big time.”

”oh, really? what’s their names then?” lucinda questions, clearly not buying katelyn’s dramatic show.

katelyn easily recounts your name, but begins to stutter as she looks down at the shorter girl.

”and this is uh… her name is…”

”it’s aphmau.” the short girl deadpans.

”that’s right! aph…what?”

“that doesn’t count, you got one right but she answered it for you.”

”well, that’s two more friends for me, and how many for you?” katelyn remarks.

lucinda huffs, rolling her eyes before they dart between me and aphmau. “hey, want to be my best friends over katelyn’s? i’ll help you out with this class.”

”why are you two fighting over us?” you finally manage to question, your tone monotonous.

”don’t listen to lucinda,” katelyn ignores your comment, seemingly still focused on whatever rivalry was happening here. “i’ll buy you two lunch from the cafe at the school.”

aphmau hums at the thought.

”i’ll give you a concoction that can turn people into cute kittens.” lucinda offers in a sing-song voice, leaning forward as she presents her bribery.

aphmau awes at the idea before katelyn dramatically gasps and hugs you closer to her side.

”you’re allergic to cats! she’s trying to kill you!” 

”no, i’m not—“

lucinda clears her throat. “you don’t even know your own “friend’s” allergies.”

there’s a sudden whooshing noise near your head before katelyn’s grip completely disappears from your side. you whip your head to the side in confusion, making eye contact with aphmau’s equally confused eyes instead of katelyn’s side like you were expecting. the sound of an angry cat meowing resonates from your feet, and as you look down you see a light blue cat where katelyn was standing only moments before.

”what…?”

”geez, those two can fight. sorry about that, little ones.” a matured voice apologizes.

you remove your eyes from the blue cat that was now pawing angrily at an orange one to the woman behind you. her grey and white hair was pulled back in a fluffy low bun, curled wisps framing her slightly aged face.

“who are you?” aphmau asks in her disorientation.

”i’m the teacher of this class, hyria hwit.”

“why were they fighting like that?”

”well, one of those girls happens to be my daughter. i won’t get into the details, because it’s something they should settle on their own, but there was a boy and some jealousy, and lucinda ended up turning him into a frog. in any case, class is about to begin. students take your seats. and for you four girls, since you all get along so well, you can all sit together.”

turned him into a what?

”huh…?”

”what?!”

two meows of protest could be heard from behind you.

”go on and sit down, so we can begin.” mrs. hwit reaffirms, turning on her heels to set her things down on her desk.

aphmau leans over to me with a giddy expression on her face. “hey, we got to sit next to two attractive guys and now two cute cats. what could go wrong?”

you huff a small laugh at her enthusiasm. “you have a point.”

she did not have a point, in fact, when the two “cute” cats meowed and angrily pawed at each other for the rest of the class period.

aphmau rubs her forehead, squishing her two eyebrows together in annoyance.

”they won’t. stop. meowing.” she groans under her breath. “i can’t even hear the lesson, shut up!”

☆

the rest of the week surprisingly flew by quickly, you realize, as the end of the school day nears on friday.

a sigh leaves your lips as the bell dismisses the last class of the day, signaling the beginning of the weekend. katelyn stands up next to you, slinging her backpack onto her shoulders. she’s much more cheerful today than she was a few days ago, and from what you’ve seen she and lucinda are already friendly with each other again. maybe mrs. hwit was right about their dynamic. they must argue like an old married couple all the time like some sort of friendly rivalry.

as you stand up to go home yourself, katelyn’s voice interrupts your train of thought.

“hey, do you play any sports?”

“uh… well i’ve been in a few, but i’m pretty average at them. i only ever played in so many so i could stay in shape,” you say, slightly caught off guard by the question.

“‘so many?’ how many have you played in?” laurance’s chimes in curiously, coming to stand next to you with garroth right behind.

“oh, uh... volleyball, tennis, cross country, track, and i even tried softball for a year,” you list off, before noticing the surprised looks they were giving you. you wave your hands in embarrassment. “oh, but i went to a small school where they really wanted everyone in sports and would let literally anyone on the team, so…”

garroth lets out a small chuckle. “that’s still pretty impressive.”

“i guess…”

“are you good at volleyball?” katelyn suddenly asks, leaning forward in curiosity.

“i mean, i was the best on my jv team, but they weren’t that hard to beat…” you mutter.

“what position did you play?”

what is this, 20 questions?

“would you believe me if i said i was a middle blocker? i was the tallest on the team.” amusement is in your voice as you recall all of your teammates who stood closer to aphmau’s height than your own.

the three standing much taller than you laugh.

“did you play on a team of midgets?” laurance laughs.

“um, i’m at an average height, thank you very much.” you quip back while holding up an offended hand, though the poorly veiled laugh in your tone made the comeback not too effective. laurance’s eyebrows raise and the corners of his mouth turn in amusement like he wanted to refute your statement, but is cut off when katelyn speaks up again.

“why don’t you come practice with the team next week? then i can judge your skills for myself.”

you pause, before letting out a nervous laugh. “i mean, sure. but don’t expect me to be a pro or anything.”

“well, i doubt you’ll be as good as me, but it’s worth trying out,” she smirks, and you can’t tell if she’s being cocky as a joke or not.

as you all file out of the class, katelyn and garroth go their separate ways, leaving you and laurance standing in front of the classroom doors.

you hum in confusion, looking around the slowly emptying hallways.

“what’s wrong?” laurance questions, looking down at your puzzled expression.

“aphmau was supposed to meet me here so we could walk home together… but she’s not here yet.”

“maybe she got held back by something… do you know what class she’s in?”

“werewolf studies.”

“she’s a werewolf?!”

laughter bursts from your mouth as you hunch over from his expression of pure bewilderment. his grey eyes widen as he freezes in his spot, his mouth agape. you clap a reassuring hand on his shoulder and use him to steady yourself.

“no… no! she’s not!” you manage to giggle out, taking a deep breath to calm your fit of laughter. “they put her in that class and won’t change it for some reason.”

“huh. that’s weird.” he looks off at the now practically empty hallway. “want to go look for her, then?”

“together? are you sure?”

“well, yeah. do you mind?” he asks, scratching the nape of his neck.

“not at all! i’d just assume you’d want to go home right away.”

“usually, yeah. but i don’t mind hanging with you for a little bit. plus, i have soccer practice in thirty minutes, so i have time to spare until then.”

you nod. “ohh, okay. lead the way then.”

it doesn’t take long for you to find her, looking confused as she turns and glances around at the big halls.

“why do i keep getting lost in these stupid halls?” she mutters to herself with an uncharacteristic pout on her lips, clearly not in the brightest mood.

“don’t tell me you forgot the way to the english classroom already?” you muse, causing the girl to jump in place, her head whipping around to you and laurance.

“or perhaps you got lost in my eyes?” laurance’s voice chimes in, his tone sarcastic and overly flirtatious.

“…what? that doesn’t even make any sense.”

you snort in response, before quiet giggles follow. laurance lightly elbows your side with a groan and a pout.

“…yeah, it didn’t. i was just trying to be funny.”

“yeah… it was kinda a lame joke.”

you laugh again, astonished by aphmau’s lack of usual shyness and disgruntled mood.

“noted.” laurance laughs along, his ears dusted a light pink.

“is something wrong, aphmau? the bell rang like fifteen minutes ago.” you question, noticing the lack of her usual bubbliness.

“umm…” she hesitates, her frown deepening and eyes darting to the floor. “i got detention.”

your eyebrows shoot up in surprise. “wha- huh? you’re joking.”

she shakes her head, looking off to the side like she was trying not to let tears gather in her eyes.

“what did you do, if you don’t mind me asking why? you don’t seem like a delinquent.” laurance tilts his head.

your eyebrows pinch together. you haven’t known aphmau for too long, but you can tell she’s a good person. based on her upset attitude and the way she nearly flinches at the question, though… what could have possibly happened for her to land in detention already? did it have something to do with… ivy, was her name?

“umm, it’s nothing. never mind,” she says, looking away with a frown on her features.

huh? you tilt your head, trying to catch her eye. did she not want to say something in front of laurance? her amber eyes don’t meet yours.

“huh… i see. well, if you want to talk about it, you can always talk to me. well, either of us, obviously.”

“oh, thanks. that’s if i don’t get another detention for being late to detention.” she groans, glancing around at the halls and down at the time on her phone.

“don’t sweat it. i can help you find your way there. i got detention once, it’s not so bad. you just do work quietly.”

it’s only one turn down the hall and you’re there.

“you’re kidding.” aphmau groans again, her hand raising to slap her palm against her forehead.

she hesitates as she stares forward at the door.

“it’s okay,” you reach forward, lightly patting her shoulder. “do you want me to wait for you?”

she looks back up at you. “oh! uh, thank you, but that’s okay. you don’t have to.”

you slowly nod at her unsure wording, giving her a look.

tell me later.

she bites the inside of her mouth before flattening her lips, sighing with a shrug as she looks back at the classroom door. her thin purple bow has fallen a bit out of place, hair looking frazzled and tangled.

“oh, that reminds me. can i um…” laurance rubs the nape of his neck. “...give you guys my number?”

“huh? what um…” aphmau stutters out.

“you guys just seem pretty cool. i’d like to be friends and get to know you more… if that’s okay? if you ever get lost again you can just text me.” he explains. for once, he sounds kind of nervous.

“yeah! we’re already kind of friends, i think, so i don’t mind.” you smile in return, pulling your phone out of your pocket, and aphmau promptly does the same.

“yeah! yeah, we’re friends.” he smiles, his shoulders dropping into his usual lax posture.

“alright, well i’ll see you two later!” aphmau waves half-heartedly before turning into her classroom.

you both wave to the short girl as she disappears behind the doors, and you turn to laurance with an exaggerated wistful expression, hand dramatically coming up to rest over your heart.

“ah, baby’s first detention. they grow up so fast.”

laurance leans forward with his hand on his stomach, the other hand covering his mouth as he muffles his laughter.

“baby’s first detention?!” he raises his eyebrows, running his fingers through his dark blonde hair. “i still can’t believe she got detention on the first week. that’s crazy. i actually can’t imagine what she could’ve done.”

☆

after a little more joking around, laurance ran off to his soccer practice and you started on your walk home. you’re sure to send laurance a short text so he could save your number in his phone, too. when you step inside, your mom is already there in the kitchen, and your dad is watching the tv in his recliner.

“hi. i’m back.” you greet, slinging my shoes off at the front door.

“hey, sweetheart.” your dad grunts from the living room, leaning over to look at you through the doorway. his reading glasses are set low on his nose and his eyes are squinted in a small, fond smile. “how was it?”

mom shuffles up to you, wrapping you in a hug.

“it was better than i thought. i’ve already made a few friends.”

“well, good. you like it?”

“yeah, i think so.”

he grunts out another “good” before turning back to the old mystery tv show and whatever mobile game he had on his phone.

good talk…

mom walks with you into the kitchen, the warm smell of dinner hitting your nose. her old binder full of family recipes sits on the counter near the stove, where steam rises from a pot of spaghetti noodles. 

“so, tell me about your friends.” she inquires cheerfully, clasping her hands in front of her with a cheesy smile on her face.

you playfully roll your eyes at her enthusiasm before leaning on the counter.

“well, aphmau’s pretty nice, i think we’ll be good friends. and i think i’m pretty much friends with another girl and two boys in my class. i haven’t talked to anyone else yet, really.”

“and only in the first week! what did i tell you.” she gives you a smug smile and bumps her hip against yours, wagging her shoulders in a poorly executed victory dance.

“yeah yeah, you told me so.” you laughs, giving her a quick hug. “thanks, mom.”

before you eat you shuffle up to your room to shower, peeling off the different layers of your uniform off your body. it was really cute, but there were so many steps to it.

while you waited for the water to warm, you leaned on your bathroom sink and remembered to ask aphmau about her detention.

you: hey, what happened earlier?

you: i was just wondering if it had something to do with that ivy girl

aphmau: is that her name

you: yeah i found out today

aphmau: yeah… i got into a fight with her today, but it was just me against her friends so when mrs. hwit came she took their side.

you: what??? you fought her?

aphmau: well, not really

aphmau: she shoved me down in the gym locker room and i pushed her back

aphmau: then when mrs. hyria came

you: what a loser

you: try not to go anywhere by yourself at school, if we can stick together when we can

you: she’s clearly targeting us

aphmau: yeah…

you: don’t let it get to you. she’s clearly super insecure and jealous over garroth.

aphmau: they’re not even dating either…

you: yeah they don’t sit anywhere near each other in our classes. so she’s really weird for that

aphmau: yeah, and in detention there’s a really rude guy who i have to sit next to in werewolf studies who is being mean to me for no reason

you: huh

you: why is everyone making you their number one public enemy

aphmau: i don’t know T-T school sucks

you: it’ll be okay!! if anyone tries to fight you again i’ll beat them up for you

aphmau: pls don’t

aphmau: but thank you, i feel a little better now

aphmau: i’ll ttyl, have to put my phone away.

you: of course

you: ttyl

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tag list: @orinlin @pain-in-the-ashe @youmake1mistake