#i’ll also probably upload the series to A03 eventually

[aquaquadrant]

It... has not occurred to me that hels to pay will eventually end.

ah, yeah, sadly all good things must come to an end. HTP has def become a bigger project than i anticipated before writing the first part, but i’ve always had a natural ending place in mind. now, once i get there, that doesn’t mean i’ll NEVER write for HTP again- i actually have a few other characters i wanna explore via oneshots and many asks i’ve been saving for drabbles. so long as the inspiration is there, i’ll always wanna write more gay blockman (and woman 🙏) angst.

[causeilikelix]

During the Rainstorm - Chapter Seven

↳ Pairing: Hwang Hyunjin x Yoon Seol (OC)

↳ Genre: Romance, comedy, smut (eventual), slow burn, enemies (idiots) to lovers, non!idol au, angst

↳ Series warnings: See Chapter One

↳ Chapter Warnings: Sex talk, earrings get thrown into the ocean (PLEASE DO NOT LITTER this is just for entertainment value lol), Seol gets all poetic, brief mention of the Void but not in a suicidal way?

↳ Read on my A03: Here

↳ Masterlist & Summery: Here

↳ Notes: This is a repost of this series and I think a re-upload of the first chapter. I also am taking the liberty of making a name change of one of the characters. Woojin and Minho are switching names/characters. Also, before the Tag Police come for me, this story is going to be both smutty and angsty so my tags are appropriate.

<- Chapter Six - Chapter Eight ->

SEOL HAD NO idea who was crazier.  Hyunjin for pursuing her so relentlessly, or herself for being so responsive to it.  Her cheeks burned after watching that little display with the strawberry sugar.  

It was needless to say, but Seol had the desperate need to say it anyway:  Hyunjin was obnoxiously hot.  In fact, he was probably the most beautiful person she’d ever laid her eyes on.  Those plush lips, his smooth skin, and gorgeous eyes that could switch between innocence and sin at the drop of a hat left her knees wobbly and her panties wetter than anyone had ever made them. 

Seol wished she could blame the aching in her core from the anticipation she had over her weekend with Woojin.  However, something about Hyunjin’s… well, everything made her body react to him in ways she didn’t want to think about.  At this point, Seol couldn’t even confidently say that anyone else had ever elicited these kinds of reactions out of her body.  Hyunjin sure gave Woojin a run for his money. 

Seol walked with him side by side down the street, peering into shop windows and glancing at the vendor carts.  His knuckles grazed hers every couple of steps and every single brush sent lightning through her veins.  His touch sparked things in her that she’d never even imagined before.  None of the shops had anything in the windows that caught her attention even half as much as he did.  

Hwang Hyunjin.  Tall, boyishly handsome, and straight out of a romcom.  He was almost too good to be true.  At the restaurant, the sight of his cheekbones that were sharper than a knife had sent her already rising blood pressure through the roof.  She already was in the mood to scream and curse and cry.  His arrival hadn’t helped the situation.  

At least, not until it did.

Now just his touch was sending electricity through her.  

Seol pretended not to be affected as she peered closer at a street vendor selling scarves.  None of the patterns were quite her style but they served as a decent distraction from the next brush of his fingers.  Hyunjin kept his gaze on the offerings of the various shops as well.  The next stall was full of handmade jewelry and Seol perked up immediately.  She stepped up to the table and the shopkeeper greeted her warmly.  Hyunjin trailed behind, watching as Seol peered at the jewelry.  

“Wow, you have such great taste!”  The shopkeeper approved Seol's choice of a pair of earrings.  A pair of seashells made out of clear crystal.  “Those have been really popular.”

“Really?”  Seol smiled warmly.  She held the earrings up to her ear and peered in the small mirror set up on the table.  “Hyunjin-ssi, what do you think?”

“I think...”  He peered closer, not really seeing the earrings but instead being distracted by the brightest smile he’d seen from her all day.  “I think they suit you really well.”

“How much are they?”  Seol turned back to the woman. 

“Hm, well... normally they’d be 35,000 won, but you two make such a cute couple that I’ll give them to you for 30,000.”  The woman’s sly grin made Seol’s cheeks ignite.  

“Ah... we’re not actually a cou-”  Seol began, but was silenced by 30,000 won in cash appearing in front of her face.  The woman snatched it up before Seol could protest. 

“Thank you, ajumma.  I think they look really good on her, don’t you think?”  Hyunjin’s smile nearly blinded her. 

Seol gaped at him, unable to believe how easily he handed over his money and played along with the misunderstanding.  Hyunjin’s easy smile took her off guard and she glanced down at the earrings in her hand.  The woman took them from her to put them in a bag.  Seol swallowed a lump in her throat.  He made it seem so effortless.  He took the small paper bag from the woman before Seol could even lift her hand to take it.

“Come with me,”  Hyunjin broke the barrier between them and slid his fingers into the spaces between hers.  

Hyunjin gently pulled her along through the crowd.  He seemed to have a destination in mind so Seol didn’t protest.  A cold wind blew down the busy street but Seol couldn’t feel the chill.  She couldn’t explain why she found the back of Hyunjin’s head so fascinating, but it was as if no one else existed.  

It wasn’t until Hyunjin came to a stop that Seol came to her senses.  She glanced around to find that he’d let her to an open plaza at the end of the shopping street.  While there was still a crowd here, the space was open enough for everyone to spread out.  Hyunjin stopped them under a streetlight off to the side and away from most of the hustle and bustle.  He turned her to face him before dropping her hand.  Seol’s eyes glanced at it instinctively and Hyunjin’s perfect lips curved into a small smile. 

“Do you want to put these on now?”  Hyunjin produced the small bag with the earrings in it and offered it to her, “I like the ones you’re wearing and all, but I think these will look better with that dress.”

“Oh, uh,”  Seol reached up to touch her earlobes.  She’d forgotten which ones she was wearing until her fingertips grazed the silver teardrops.  The ones Woojin gave her.  “Yes, he gave me these and I don’t wanna-”

“Let me.” 

Before Seol could even touch the earrings, Hyunjin got to work.  He honed in on one ear.  As gently as possible, Hyunjin carefully removed one of the teardrop earrings before moving to the other.  He slowly pulled the post out of her piercing.  Somehow the sensation of his fingers grazing her earlobe sent lightning through her.  Seol watched his face as he worked.  He pulled one of his plush lips between his teeth and furrowed his eyebrows as he focused on not hurting her.  Once the earrings were out of her ears, he slipped the unwanted jewelry into his pocket.  

Then, Hyunjin opened the bag and pulled out the crystal earrings.  The iridescent seashells glittered under the yellow glow of the streetlamp.  He grinned as he watched her admire them for a few seconds.  She reached for them as if to put them on herself, but Hyunjin pulled them out of reach.

“I can do it, I’m not a child.”  Seol protested. 

“Let me.”  Hyunjin’s soft voice washed over her and Seol dropped her hands. 

Seol swallowed the lump in her throat when Hyunjin put his attention on one of the earrings.  He carefully removed the back and leaned in closer.  All of the air between them dissipated as the space between them closed.  His warm, honey smelling breath fanned across her cheek.  His glossy lips were parted in concentration as he guided the post towards her piercing.  She just knew that his lips would taste like strawberries.  His eyes were trained on his task.  As carefully as possible, he slid the post into the tiny hole on her earlobe and secured the back on it.  

His fingers brushed her hair and along the skin of her neck.  His warm breath fanned across her cheek.  Somehow, gooseflesh bumped along her arms and a shiver ripped down her spine. 

Then he switched to the other side.

Hyunjin made a show of turning his head and letting his hair fall into his face a little.  His eyes were trained on her other ear as he advanced.  Seol could only watch.  His skin looked flawless under the light overhead, which gave him an ethereal glow.  Her eyes drifted down to his parted lips.  

His fingertips grazed her cheek as he swept some hair behind her ear.  Seol wondered if he could tell that her cheeks were warm due to the blush spreading through her body.  She wanted to curse under her breath.  Curse in general, curse at him, curse at herself.  She was certain that he was doing this to seduce her and the worst part wasn’t that he was trying, it was that it was working.  Seol’s thoughts swirled with the idea of leaning in and finally tasting the honey on his lips.  

Hyunjin fastened the earring securely and moved his hands, but not far.  His hands enveloped her shoulders and his face remained within kissing distance of hers.  His eyes darted from one ear to the other for a few seconds before pulling back and bursting the bubble.  His face broke into a grin that turned his eyes into little crescents and deepened the dimple on his cheek. 

“There!  You look beautiful!”  Hyunjin beamed. 

“Oh, I... thank you.”  Seol’s blush deepened. 

“Here, do you want these back?”  Hyunjin offered her his hand.  

The silver teardrop earrings sat on his palm, taunting her.  She wondered if she’d just been blind or stupid but they weren’t even that pretty.  The metal didn’t even look silver anymore.  Bits of it flaked off to reveal whatever dark metal hid underneath.  The shapes didn’t look identical.  Seol stared at them for a few long seconds. 

“No, I don’t.  Woojin gave those to me for my birthday a few months ago, let’s just get rid of them.”  Seol started to take them from him but suddenly Hyunjin’s eyes sparkled and he shoved his hand into his pocket with the earrings. 

“I have an idea of how to dispose of them.”  

“Don’t you think that a trash can is good enough?”  Seol gestured to a can a few feet away but didn’t look away from him.

“Seol-ah, wanna go to the beach?”  

~!~!~!~!~!~

“IT’S THE OCEAN!”  Seol squealed as she left Hyunjin’s side to hurry further down the beach towards the water.  The sun was long gone, so most of the ocean looked inky black and she couldn’t tell where the sky ended and the ocean began.  Bright lights illuminated the white sand beach right up to a few feet into the water before turning into the void.  The waves turned white and foamy as they crashed onto the shore.  Seol was certain that the water would be ice cold but she could shake the idea of jumping in anyway.   

Large letters were stationed in the sand with a bright light shining on the words “Haeundae”.  Seol longed to visit in the summer, too.

Right away she determined that her heels would be of no use in the sand so she leaned over to take them off.  Hyunjin joined her as she fiddled with the ankle strap on her silver high heels.  Wordlessly, Hyunjin shrugged off his coat and laid it on the sand for her.  Seol glanced over at him and he gestured for her to sit down. 

“Are you sure?  Isn’t that coat cashmere or something?”  Seol scoffed and turned back to her task without sitting. 

“Nah, I don’t bring anything cashmere within a mile of anywhere sandy.”  Hyunjin took it upon himself to sit down.  Seol glared at him for a second before ultimately deciding to sit next to him.  “Are you planning on going in the water?”

“I have to get close enough to make sure the earrings actually make it into the water.”  Seol successfully took one shoe off and set it aside before getting to work on the other. 

“Aren’t you cold?”

“Sure, but who wears pants to a date?  This outfit was planned with easy access in mind.”  Seol reminded him when she freed her other foot.  Next she reached up the skirt of her dress but Hyunjin grabbed her wrist before she could tug down.

“What the hell are you doing?”

“The only thing worse than wearing heels in the sand is sand getting into your socks.”  Seol shook off his wrist and succeeded in peeling the sheer stockings off her body.  

Almost as an afterthought, Seol glanced around to see if anyone else was at the beach but it was basically deserted for miles.  There were a few people in either direction but they were far enough away where they weren’t going to bother one another.  Seol balled up her stockings and shoved it into one of her heels, though she figured the straps wouldn’t save them from any weather, she could at least keep them from blowing away.  Once her toes were free, she carefully dipped them into the cold sand.  She shivered but didn’t retract her toes.  The icy ocean air blew through her coat but she didn’t really care about the cold. 

“It’s been ages since I’ve been to the beach.”  Seol sighed, staring out into the abyss.

“Yeah, it’s been a while for me, too.”

“When was the last time you saw the ocean?”

“I’ve flown over it a few times on my way to L.A. but I haven’t had the chance to actually go to a beach in four or five years maybe?”

“Me too, I think!  After I graduated from high school a bunch of my friends and I had a party on the beach to celebrate.  I don’t think I’ve been back since.”

“Last time I went to a beach,”  Hyunjin paused to take a long breath as if to prepare him for the words ahead, “I was with my girlfriend.  I told her I loved her and she told me that she didn’t think she was capable of love.”

“Ouch.  Was this the same girl who was married a few months later?”

“No, it was her cousin.”

“Double ouch.”

“Who is now married with two kids, so who’s to say.  Maybe she just wasn’t capable of loving me.”

“I don’t see why not.  You’re kind, generous, loyal, and more of a romantic than you want to admit.”  

“You think I’m a romantic?”  Hyunjin blinked at her in surprise.

“Come on, you basically saved my ass back there from my e- from Woojin.  Why have we spent so much time together since then?  You just bought me these earrings.”  Seol gestured to her ears, as if Hyunjin needed reminding of how beautifully they framed her face. 

“I mean, I don’t know?”  Hyunjin mused, “It's been so long since I’ve romanced anyone, I guess I wouldn’t know.”

“Well, you’ve done a decent job so far.”  Seol shrugged, “Where did you put the other earrings?  I think it’s time to get rid of them.”

Hyunjin patted his coat until he identified which pocket in which he’d shoved the earrings.  He pulled them out of the pocket and passed them to her.  The metal was cold to the touch and she winced when he dropped it into her hand.  Or maybe it was from the blast of icy ocean air that ripped straight through her clothes.  Or maybe it was the spark of electricity that flashed through her when the tips of Hyunjin’s fingers grazed her palm.  

Seol cleared her throat and rose to her feet.  The sand shifted beneath her and she held her hands out to stable herself.  Hyunjin chuckled from his spot on the coat. 

“Do you want me to go with you?” 

“I’m just gonna get a little closer.  I’ll be back.  Don’t steal my shoes!”  Seol started off towards the line of darker sand where the ocean met the land.  

Seol had a feeling that she wouldn’t be able to last very long in the cold wind.  Her toes were beginning to lose feeling and her nose was running.  The last thing she needed right now was to wipe her nose while she was in the company of one of the most beautiful men she’d ever seen.  She had to keep some of her dignity.  She didn’t know why coming to the ocean would be a good idea during the coldest month of the year.  Seol was just about ready to go back to her hotel room but she had no idea if she wanted Hyunjin to join her.  

The icy water caresses her toes and a shiver ripped up her spine.  Seol stared out into the darkness, unable to tell where the sea became the sky.  She glanced down at the earrings in her palm.  

Eight months of complete bullshit.  How had she mistaken attention for affection?  Woojin may have liked her at some point, if not romantically then as a person at least.  They wouldn’t have started hooking up otherwise.  He must have liked it at least a little because this had been going on for months.  She wondered what could have possibly gone wrong.  When did Woojin change?  When did she change?

The earrings were proof that Woojin may have liked her at some point.  Though, he’d given them to her without much ceremony.  She’d invited him to her birthday dinner and he showed up halfway through the night.  He stayed for a drink, slid the box with the earrings over to her, then had one more drink before leaving.  At the time, Seol had been touched.  Now she wondered if he’d given her hand-me-downs or something.  She wouldn’t put it past him. 

A frigid wave lapped at her ankles and she shivered again.  

Woojin didn’t deserve all this ceremony. 

She raised her arm and chucked the jewelry into the sea.  Between the churning waters and the black of night she couldn’t see where they landed but it didn’t matter anymore.  The earrings were gone.  The void began to call.  She didn’t want to fall into it, but the darkness called to her nonetheless.  Seol involuntarily began to lean into the darkness, as if searching for the end. 

She smelled Hyunjin before she felt him.  His musky scent mixed with wool wafted into her nose.  Moments later, a pair of strong arms slid around her waist.  He pulled her against him, back to chest and buried his head into her neck.  Seol leaned into him.  She decided not to resist him any longer.  His hair tickled her skin and she sighed at the sensation.

“Are you okay?”  Hyunjin’s voice reverberated through her. 

“I think so.”

“You’re shivering.”

“It’s February.”

“Let’s get you inside, yeah?  I’ll walk you back to the hotel and we can call it a night.  You need your rest.”  Hyunjin offered quietly.  

Seol nodded numbly.  

For a few minutes, neither of them moved.  Hyunjin’s warmth enveloped her and she let her eyes slide shut.  With Hyunjin wrapped around her, the winter air couldn’t touch her.  Seol turned in his arms and slipped her hands around his nimble waist.  She buried her head in his chest and he hugged her tighter.  

When she was in his arms, the void couldn’t find her.  He became her tether to the mortal world.  He kept her on Earth.  Seol wished she could describe the feeling of being in his arms.  

She wondered how many poems she would write about him.

“Don’t go.”  She mumbled.

“Hm?”

“Don’t go,”  Seol repeated.  She pulled her face out of his chest to look up at him.  Hyunjin chuckled softly, lifting one of his hands to smooth out her hair, though the wind ruined his work easily. 

“I won’t.  I’ll stay with you as long as you want.”

Hyunjin smiled down at her warmly.  His shallow dimples dented his cheeks and his eyes sparkled, even with the lights behind him.  Hyunjin’s pink lips looked warm and inviting.  Seol had no desire to refuse him anymore.  Warmth spread from the crown of her head to the tips of her toes.  It may as well have been August.  

Seol blamed her next move on the alcohol.  But she had a feeling she would have done it without it, too. 

She rose onto her tiptoes and slotted her mouth over Hyunjin’s sparkling smile.  He tasted of sugar and strawberry juice.  For a moment, Hyunjin remained still as he contemplated his new surroundings.  Thankfully, he didn’t take long to melt and part his lips against hers.  Seol sighed into it, gratefully kissing him deeply.  She almost hated that she had to close her eyes because she longed to see what Hyunjin looked like as he worked his mouth with hers. 

One of his arms remained around her waist while the other moved to cup her cheek.  Using this grip on her, Hyunjin controlled the angle to keep the kiss deep.  His tongue swiped along her lower lip in no time and she wasted no time in parting her lips to let him in.  Seol let out an involuntary moan into his mouth which Hyunjin eagerly swallowed.  The muscle swept along hers and she could only taste Hyunjin.  Was it that he tasted of honey and strawberries naturally, or did they taste of him?  

After a moment, Hyunjin slowly pulled away.  He chuckled when Seol leaned up, chasing his lips.  He allowed their lips to connect again, his plush lips pillowy against hers before moving out of her reach.  

“Princess, I’ve spent all day wondering what kissing you would be like,”  Hyunjin admitted with an incredulous laugh, “From the moment I saw you in that coffee shop I wanted to taste the mocha on your lips.  Nothing could have possibly prepared me for how delicious you actually taste.”

“Do you want to come up?”  The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them.  

“What?”

Seol removed one of her arms from around his waist to point towards one of the tall hotels behind them.  Hyunjin followed her line of sight until he realized what she was asking.  It was what he wanted from when they first met, and now that he was getting it he wanted to be careful.  He wasn’t going to take advantage of her, but her lips were too delectable to leave unkissed for the foreseeable future.  

“Do you want to come upstairs with me?  I have too much chocolate and champagne that will go to waste.”  Seol’s explanation was weak and she knew it.  They’d eaten and drunk their fill. 

“Are you sure?”  Hyunjin turned to look back at her.  He gazed deeply into her eyes to search for the consent he needed. 

“Yes.  Please.”

“I would love to.”  

Seol used her now free hand to cup the back of his neck.  She applied some pressure and Hyunjin didn’t need to be told twice.  He slipped his hands along her neck to cup her jaw and dipped down to kiss her again.  They didn’t need to go immediately anyway.

A flash of lightning on the horizon fell on closed eyes. 

Several seconds later, a roll of thunder found itself muffled by the surf and Hyunjin’s sigh of pleasure. 

Seol suddenly had never been happier to be cheated on.

~!~!~!~!~!~

<- Chapter Six - Chapter Eight ->