#youngjae oneshot

[sungbeam]

𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞

nonidol!eric sohn x gn!reader

you can't figure out why eric's been acting different, but maybe you had nothing to worry about in the first place.

8.2k words, bffs2l, college au, reader is incredibly oblivious, swearing, pining, flirting, kissing, mentions of organic chemistry (yuck), eric sohn, fluff, one really bad that's what he said joke (sorry it was chenle), mentions of alcohol

a/n: to @mosviqu !! (requests are closed) hope you like this one, beloved :')) thanks for waiting

A midnight pool party wasn't exactly what you had in mind when you told your friends that you had just gotten off of work. You'd thought they were just having a game night at another friend's house, but it turned out, they decided to utilize said friend's massive backyard space, including his heated pool lined with LED lights at the bottom.

"Who the hell has LED lights at the bottom of their pool?" You voiced aloud in the car.

Ningning's voice wrapped around you from the full volume of your phone's speaker, "My friend from middle school and the one who got us into Yangyang's party the other night—Zhong Chenle. You remember him, right? We went to high school with him, too."

You definitely remembered him. How could you not? He had the most subtly rich personality you'd ever come across. You once thought he was wearing a regular, white Hanes T-shirt from the store (the ones that came in a six pack from Costco), but it turned out that it was a two hundred dollar Balenciaga top.

It was literally just a white shirt.

"Yeah, so we're just here with him and some of his friends," Ningning continued on. You could hear the sounds of merriment in the background, including music and bodies crashing into the pool.

You pulled up to your apartment complex, and it took a second for you to gather your belongings and scramble out of the car. You squeezed your phone between your ear and shoulder as you bumped the car door closed with your hip. "Who's there again? I know you and Winter, but specifically…"

"Uhhh—besides Chenle, there's Renjun, Yangyang, Sungchan, and Eric."

As you let yourself into the apartment, you paused. “Wait, Eric's back?”

There was a commotion on the other side and for a moment, you didn't hear what Ningning said. Then she returned to the speaker with a giggle in her voice, “Yn! We're playing Monopoly soon, but I'm only playing if you're coming over—oh shit, did you say something just now?”

You chuckled, dumping your bag on the kitchen counter and just barely stopping yourself from slumping over like your work bag. “I just asked if Eric was back. I thought you just said he was there with you all.”

“Oh yeah! He said he got back from LA a few hours ago. I don't know how he's not severely jetlagged, but you know what? He brought booze.”

“Sounds like Eric,” you mused. You wondered why he hadn't told you he was back in town. You thought he wouldn't be taking off until tomorrow morning, so that was when you were expecting him.

“—so?”

“Hm?”

“You coming over?”

“Yeah, yeah give me a few.”

One cup of crappy coffee and a change of clothes later, you arrived in front of Chenle's house just a fifteen minute drive from your complex. It was gated and tucked away, which made sense as to why they were able to make so much noise. You could hear the music out from the driveway.

Ningning emerged from the shadows of the side entrance to the house. Her eyes lit up at the sight of you. "Ahh, Yn! I'm so glad you're finally here," she squealed and skipped over to you in her flip-flops, wrapping her arms around you in a big hug. Your friend was dressed in a pretty, bandeau bikini top and bottom, her inky black hair falling down her shoulders like the flow of a waterfall.

You laughed as she pulled away. "Glad I could make it. Are we just going through the side gate or something?"

She nodded and guided you through the foliage. "Yeah. How was work?"

You figured that after your long shift, you probably wouldn't have much energy to actually go swimming. You'd changed into a bathing suit anyway and threw a T-shirt and shorts over it in case, but had arrived with little more than your wallet, keys, and lip gloss.

You gave her a shrug in reply. "Eh. It's work," you said, your voice barely loud enough to hear over the sound of water splashing and high-pitched shrieks. "It was quiet, at least."

"That's good," she nodded with a soft smile thrown over her shoulder. "Thank god you're finally here. Chenle decided he didn't wanna get his limited edition Jade Rabbit Monopoly board wet—” She gave an indulgent eye roll, “—but his game, his decision, I guess.”

You chimed in your agreement just as you and Ningning emerged on the side of the backyard that hosted your friends and their midnight pool party. From your vantage, you could count the heads present, including one Yangyang making a splash into the pool and getting water all over Renjun.

“Yn!” Winter raised a hand from where she sat cross-legged on a lounge chair.

“Yo, what's up, Yn?” Sungchan hollered from the side of the pool where the speaker was. He was fiddling around with whoever's phone was connected to the aux cord.

You grinned, greeting everyone with a big wave. “Hey, guys. Have you been out here for long?”

“Yangyang, I swear to—” Renjun's swear cut through the music to the symphony of Yangyang's screeching of absolute delight. The former brushed his wet hair back, rubbing the pool water out of his eyes. It wasn't until afterward that he greeted you back as you neared where he had been dragged into the pool by his friend. “Hi, Yn. Did you just get here?”

“I did! Where's—”

The back door to the house slid open and Chenle emerged dragging out a massive cooler of what you assumed to be drinks. Carrying the back end was Eric in a pair of dampened board shorts with his wet bangs hanging in his eyes.

“Eric Sohn! You're not supposed to be here until tomorrow morning, you poser!” You shouted in his direction.

Chenle and Eric's heads both whipped over toward where you and Ningning were. Chenle said something to Eric with a wide-ass monkey grin, then proceeded to drag the cooler the rest of the way without Eric's help.

Eric cupped the back of his neck sheepishly as he approached you. He must have recently gotten out of the pool, because there was still water dripping down the lines of his chest and stomach. “In my defense, the airline offered me money if I took an earlier flight,” he said with a laugh.

“As your certified best friend,” you mused, “I'm offended I wasn't the first to know about this update.”

“Okay, best friend, let me hug you to make up for it.”

Your eyes widened, “Eric, you're wet—”

“That's what he said!” Chenle howled with laughter at his own joke, and Ningning groaned in anguish.

“Okay and?” Before you could protest any more, he trapped you in his arms, pressing his dampened skin against your perfectly dry outer garments. For good measure, he nuzzled his wet hair against the side of your face, too.

“You're like—like a dog,” you laughed, playfully pushing him away.

Eric beamed and placed his hands on his hips. “Golden retriever to your black cat. Now, do I have to dump you in that pool myself or are you going to like swimming tonight?”

Your face pressed into a deadpanning line, which drew an even brighter sound from him. You couldn't help but smile; it was nice to have him back. “You're so annoying sometimes. I'm sitting on the edge of the pool only, and you can suck it.”

As you began making your way over to the edge of the pool, Eric trailed after you with his head shaking and a laugh lingering on his tongue. “Missed you, Yn.”

It was a good thing you were facing away from him right then. A smile split your face like a slice of watermelon. “Missed you, too, Sohn.”

You didn't see your friends again until the following Friday evening. It wasn't late enough to call it “night” nor early enough to call it “afternoon.” It was a timestamp somewhere in the middle when the sun had yet to decide if it would hide behind the buildings or peer through the alleyways. It was also when the Korean BBQ place in the university district was relatively bare, and so you and your friends could get away with scoring the big table in the back on the raised platform.

“I feel like a king,” Chenle said with a smile on his face as he breathed in the smell of beef on the grill.

Sungchan flipped over one of the pieces of chicken with his tongs. “Wait, so Yn, they're for real making you work the Friday night closing shift?”

All eyes turned toward your end of the table where you sat with Eric on your right, and Ningning and Winter across from you.

Your eyelashes fluttered as you blinked, your dominant hand pausing your chopstick movements. “Oh, uh, yeah… I mean,” you added with a shrug, “it's not so bad most of the time. I think I would rather have me working than one of the kids.” The store you worked at was relatively understaffed, and your manager oftentimes hired high schoolers from the nearby district to fill in the spaces. There were rare occasions where rowdy customers came in during the latter hours of the night, and you would rather your younger colleagues didn't have to worry about that. (Even if you yourself also worried about rowdy customers.)

“Do you at least get a closing shift bonus?” Winter asked, her cheek stuffed with her last bite. “When I worked part-time at the corner store last year, they at least incentivized closing.”

“Usually when I work alone, yeah,” you said.

Eric's left arm came to rest over the back of your chair as he leaned forward to transfer a slab of short rib to your bowl. “Are you working alone tonight?” He asked, reaching past you to grab a piece of cucumber from one of the metal bowls of side dishes.

You placed the cucumbers between the two of you temporarily so he could have easier access. “I think so,” you said. “Unless my manager recruited someone else, but yeah, I think it'll probably just be me.”

The rest of the table turned to their individual conversations, especially as one of the waiters brought over an additional platter of meats to grill.

Eric murmured to you, “What if I just happened to show up at your work tonight?”

You turned your body slightly to face him, mutual smiles curling onto both of your mouths. “What, need a new first aid kit or something?”

“And a little dose of Yn Ln,” he said before popping a slice of fish cake into his mouth. He was still leaning in close to you, the twinkle in his eyes like a secret only you two knew. You were trying to not let the skin peeking out of his tank top throw you off balance; it was definitely just the heat and steam that made it glisten.

Your eyebrows shot up at his remark. “You're getting plenty of me now.”

“I need to make up for when I was away,” he replied as easy as it was for him to drink water. “I told you, I missed you.”

It was the fire from the grill, the heat of the room, the smell of the food. It was not Eric Sohn making your skin hot or your heart trip—at least, that was what you told yourself. He was attractive, yes, and he was one of your best friends. He was flirty, double yes, but he was still just a friend. (Right?) “Did you breathe too much LA air?” You joked half-heartedly. “You're acting… different.”

He shoved his bite into his cheek and gave you a shrug. “I think I'm acting exactly how I should be,” he said with a quirk of his eyebrows, then tuning into whatever topic Renjun had brought up—something about a party at Han Jisung's house.

Your head tilted to the side in dumbfoundment, but you returned to the rest of the group even if your brain was rewinding that conversation over and over again in your head. What did he mean that he was acting exactly how he should be?

For a moment, you turned back to look at him. His head was so close to yours, his body scooted forward on his chair to close that distance between his legs and yours. You couldn't read him—could only see the mirth in his eyes from Chenle and Renjun going back and forth in Chinese, as if he could understand. You weren't sure what you were looking for.

He glanced over at you then to meet your eyes. It was a split second, but that was enough to alter your brain chemistry, that you were sure his eyes flickered down to your lips. Then his eyes were away from you, having never dared a look at all.

It was about three hours later that you found yourself stationed behind the front counter at the store you worked at. After six, usually the crowd dwindled down when everyone was out having dinner or curled up at home for the night.

That left you with a few options to occupy the time. With the aisles less than crowded, you could hook your phone up to the overhead speaker and bop your head while stocking up the aisles. While Wednesdays were the main inventory days, some of that work spilled into Thursdays and Fridays depending on how much was delivered and who was on the schedule.

You were sorting through the candy aisle checking for expired dates when you heard the jingle of the bell above the front door. “Hi, welcome in!” You hollered from over the aisle, then broke into a smile at the sight of a familiar Los Angeles Angels baseball cap.

Eric tracked your voice and joined you in the aisle you were in, his tank top from earlier swapped out for a dark colored T-shirt under a corduroy jacket. He must have not wanted to come in clothes that reeked of food. “Hey you,” he said, walking over to ruffle your hair.

“Aye,” you chided half-heartedly and reached up to smooth out the hair on top of your head. “I didn't think you were being serious about stopping by,” you mused. You squeezed your hand to reach for the bars of chocolate at the far back. When you examined them and determined that they had reached the shelf expiration date, you dumped them into the shopping basket at your feet to be logged later.

“Of course I was being serious,” he huffed while perusing the bags of gummy candies hanging in the section next to you.

“Those are pretty good.” You pointed out a brand of lesser known gummies shaped like whale sharks. They had adorable, little smiles, but when they got damaged or melted… it was less adorable and less smile-looking. But they were nice and snackable, nonetheless.

He hummed in consideration and plucked a bag off the hanger. “How many of these brands have you tried?”

“Like… five or six,” you said. “I just kind of mark it as a store expense, and then me and the other person on shift share it.”

He chuckled, a smile flitting over his lips after examining the back of the bag. “Wanna share these with me?”

“Sure, man.”

That was how you found yourself at the front counter across from Eric, a bag of whale shark gummies split open between you. You had the store's to-do list binder open and were checking off the items you'd completed, all the while popping a poor whale shark into your mouth. Eric had found interest in one of the celebrity magazines displayed on the rack by the door.

It had so far been a slow night with very few customers coming in to grab a last minute case of beer or condoms. All the usual shit. However, time flew past a lot faster with Eric keeping you company. Even though the conversation you'd had with him at dinner earlier lingered in the back of your mind, it was quickly forgotten as he filled your time talking about LA, plans for the summer, and whatever you were up to while he was gone.

As midnight fast approached, the gummy sharks were finished and you whipped out the broom to begin cleaning up.

Eric idly scrolled through your phone to choose a song, skipping one after the other. “Can I help clean up or anything?” He asked after settling on a Dominic Fike song.

“Just sit still and look pretty,” you teased as you swept some dust and debris into a dustpan.

He smiled to himself. “That should be your job.”

There went your heart again, but thank god you were turned away from him. “Unfortunately, I don't get paid for that.”

“How much do you want?”

You turned your head over your shoulder to look at him, and he sent you a cheeky grin. You laughed loud at the ridiculousness, then returned to sweeping the aisle you were in. “You’re so stupid,” you said playfully. You didn't mean it… sort of. He was stupidly smooth, stupidly pretty, stupidly—

Eric grabbed the dustpan to trail after you. “Damn, I call you pretty and you call me stupid?”

“What if stupid is a compliment?”

“When is it ever a compliment?”

Despite the banter, the two of you were both beaming at each other in the lowlight. In no time, you had the entire store swept clean (for the most part), and you went to tuck the broom and dustpan into the back room. The clock struck just about midnight, too, and you swung the ring of keys around your index finger, your bag hanging off your shoulder.

Eric glanced up from where he had his nose buried in his phone screen. “Ready?” He asked, perking up like a golden retriever.

“Yep.” You stopped behind the counter to clock out. “Thanks for keeping me company, Eric. I really appreciate it.”

“Hey, what are f—” His voice broke for a second, and you sent him a look. He cleared his throat, “What are friends for?”

You finished clocking out on the computer, then slipped out from behind the counter and moved toward where Eric was. “Is that what we are?” You jested in reply.

His eyes went wide for a second. “What?”

Your head cocked to the side quizzically. “Is that what we are? Friends?” You repeated. When he still looked dumbfounded, you grimaced, “Was that lame? Yeah, that was lame. Let's just forget about that.”

You stepped toward the front door, but Eric placed a hand on your upper arm to stop you.

“Wait, Yn—”

You stopped with a hum in your throat, head turned back toward him. The two of you stood slightly closer now. Beneath the dim fluorescents, between the cold medicine and magazine rack, you searched this man's eyes for an answer he wasn't giving you. You could measure the length of his eyelashes from this distance, and you saw the shine mark on his lips after his tongue darted out to wet it.

“Eric?” You voiced quietly after he hadn't said anything. “Everything okay?”

Something shuddered in his expression and you swore his cheeks darkened in shade. “Nothing,” he said swiftly. “Sorry, it's nothing.”

Eric sat down across from you with a pair of headphones hanging around his neck and his hood thrown over his head. He nudged his black-rimmed glasses up his nose as he powered his laptop on. “Hey,” he whispered to you, his eyes darting around to make sure no one around you was bothered by his speaking.

The two of you were situated in the upper levels of your university library to study for your upcoming final exams. Most of the libraries on campus had a system in place where lower levels were meant as collaborative spaces with each level getting quieter in general volume. You and Eric were on the top floor, but at one of the desks tucked into one of the bookshelves. There were a few people around you, but they were hidden by walls and shelves, for the most part.

“I think you're fine,” you whispered to him in amusement as you uncapped your highlighter to mark a specific passage in the text you were reading.

Eric got up and quietly moved his chair to sit adjacent to you, rather than across from you. “What're you working on?”

“Just some research for a paper,” you replied. “You?”

“O-chem,” he said, and his entire being flopped over his closed laptop, his face crumpled in anguish.

You cooed silently and gently patted his hoodie-covered head. “You poor thing.”

Oh, organic chemistry. The monster it was.

When he still didn't pick himself or his laptop screen up, you leaned over to lay on top of him. “This is comfortable,” you muttered into the back of his hoodie.

You heard him hum in agreement.

“Dude, I don't even know how you're keeping up with your classes during baseball season,” you whispered and began mindlessly drawing flowers on his back.

“I'm not.”

You had to bury your face into his back to suppress your snort. “That's valid.”

“Thanks.”

“Awwh,” you murmured and wrapped your arms around his back. “It's gonna be okay. I promise.” Out of the two of you, Eric was usually the one with the sunny disposition, but it didn't mean you wouldn't jump at the opportunity to help him feel better. He deserved just as much tender love and care.

For a moment, you stayed in that position with your body covering his and your arms wrapped around him. If you weren't careful, you might have fallen asleep like that.

Eventually, you peeled yourself off of him and coaxed him to sit up with you. “Study for an hour with me and then we can get a treat.”

“Your face is a treat,” he said groggily, rubbing his eye from behind his glasses while yawning.

You covered up any signs of being flustered with, “Is that how you pull girls, Sohn?”

“No, that's how I pull you.”

You didn't need to feel your skin to know your face was on fire. He didn't even glance over at you, only sleepily smacked his lips together and pulled his laptop lid up with robotic motions. Maybe that was a good thing though. You still weren't too sure how you felt about his flirty remarks as of late, and they had yet to cease.

But… you looked over at Eric and he was already getting to work—you could deal with it later. It wasn't like it meant anything, right? Surely, the quickening of your heart and continually flustered state because of him meant absolutely nothing, right? Of course. And they definitely weren't signs that you liked his increased lines. Definitely.

(Who the fuck were you trying to fool?)

As promised, after about an hour passed by, you and Eric packed up your things to head out to find something to munch on. With spring slowly fading out into a pretty summer, the sun gleamed from its perch in the sky to warm the day. The trees lining the walkway were beginning to lose their flower buds in exchange for rich, dark green leaves.

A few minutes out from the university's main campus, you and Eric walked into a bakery that was frequented by many of your peers. It wasn't a complete surprise to see that nearly all of the tables inside were occupied by people with headphones in, laptops on, and books out.

You and Eric hopped in line, nonetheless, your eyes darting from the display case to the room to scout for an open table. Your fingers drummed against the strap of your bag. “You know what you're getting?”

He hummed. “The almond croissant kind of sounds good right now. What about you?”

“Might get a sandwich, to be honest,” you said. You hadn't had a filling breakfast, so you might as well make up for it.

“Which sandwich?”

“You're not paying.”

He narrowed his eyes playfully with a purse of his lips. “That's what you think.”

He did not pay for your sandwich.

While there was not a single open table inside, there were plenty of them outside. Eric wrinkled his nose at you as you were just about to take a bite of your sandwich. You stopped short. “What? Don't tell me you're butthurt, Sohn.”

“That’s such a weird word,” he said, gently pulling a piece of the croissant apart for him to put into his mouth.

“What, butthurt?” You could agree with that. It was kind of funny. “True, but it describes you pretty well.”

He laughed then, his eyes turning upward into pretty, little crescent moons. Since the two of you were forced to sit outside, the sunshine had an easier path to paint over your friend's face and make him look even more ethereal. A feeling worked its way into your chest at the sight of him like this. “Okay, honey. Whatever.”

You smiled around your bite, replying only after you'd swallowed it, “See? Butthurt.”

“I'm a good sport though.”

“Fine, I will admit that you're a good sport.”

His smile widened as if satisfied with that answer.

From within your bag, you could hear an aggressive vibration from your phone. You set your meal down to wipe your hands, then fished the device out.

At the sight of the text messages, your face morphed into one of mild amusement concealing a whole lot of “what the heck?”

Eric noticed your change in mood. “Something wrong?”

“Not necessarily?” You opened up the text chain that you had with Bae Sumin, one of your friends whom you met from a composition class you both shared in freshman year. “She's asking if you'd be interested in being set up for a date.”

You didn't know why there had been a spike of panic in your heart after reading it. It wasn't like you had any claim over Eric; that wouldn't be right to gatekeep him, especially when you didn't like him like… that, right?

His brows knitted together as he skimmed over the messages. When he was done he leaned away, his head already shaking. “I'm not really interested.”

“Really?” You asked curiously, withdrawing your phone back to your side of the table and mentally drafting a text message back. “Sieun's pretty nice.”

“I'm just—” he nudged his glasses up, letting out a breathy laugh, “—I’d rather figure that all out for myself, y'know? It's not like I don't think Sieun's a good person, but I…” He huffed, and it sounded almost frustrated.

You didn't know why you felt guilty all of a sudden. “You don't have to explain it to me, dude,” you said and began texting Sumin back. “If you don't want to, then you don't want to, y'know? It's better than leading her on.”

“Yeah,” he murmured.

“So you're not interested in anyone then?” You asked, in an attempt to slowly bring the conversation away from matchmaking. “You know what? You don't have to say anything—we can talk about something else—”

“I'm interested in someone,” he cut in.

You paused, surprised. You felt your pulse leap. Who? You wanted to ask, but instead inquired, “Really?”

He avoided your eyes. “Yep.”

“Oh.” Well that would make sense why he didn't want to be set up with someone else. Why couldn't he just say that in the first place then?

You gnawed on your bottom lip and couldn't help but think about who Eric could be interested in. There was a jittery flutter in your stomach at the thought. You didn't want to pry, but you were also curious as to who he was interested in. “Well, uh, good for you! I think that's really great.”

That… sounded so insincere.

Eric lifted his gaze to yours, and you felt a jolt run down your spine at the look in his eyes. “Thanks, Yn. I don't really know what to do though, to be honest.”

You frowned, tucking your phone away. “About—about the person? Or about your feelings?”

“I guess,” he said with a helpless gesture of his hands, “both.”

You pressed your lips together. It had been awhile since you were remotely interested in anyone either. And even back then, you were never the sort of person to speak up about your feelings with the person first. But this was Eric, and you wanted to at least try to help him. “Is this person not someone you think you should have feelings for? I guess I’m just asking why you feel conflicted or helpless.”

“Kind of,” he said, tongue in cheek. “They’re—they’re one of my—” He stopped himself. “They’re one of the best people I know, I just don’t think they feel the same way.”

“And so you don’t want to risk losing them should you confess?” You finished for him. You felt your posture droop with sympathy, and maybe a bit of envy. Who could this be about?

Eric scratched the underside of his jaw. “Yeah, pretty much.”

“Well, I mean, if they’re as good of a person as you say, I think that they wouldn’t hold it against you or your friendship if you confessed and they didn’t feel the same.” If you were in his situation, you wouldn’t want to lose Eric ei—wait, what? Why were you thinking of it like that? You shook yourself out of whatever delusional headspace you found yourself in. “And in any case, maybe you can flirt with them, or hint to them your feelings and see how they respond.”

His eyebrow arched high. “I’ve definitely done that.”

“And?”

He smirked, a chuckle falling out of his mouth. “They may be one of the best people I know, but they’re as oblivious as a rock sometimes.”

Your own brows lifted. “Damn.” And you knew exactly how blatant Eric’s flirting style was.

Eric’s eyes caught onto something behind you, and you sat up to see what he was looking at. Just on the other side of the outside seating area, you recognized Mark Lee and Kim Jungwoo from Eric’s baseball team strolling past.

Mark lifted a hand, his mouth widening into a grin. “Hey, man! What’s up?”

Eric greeted his teammates with his usual cheeriness, clasping his hand with theirs.

“Oh my gosh, is this the—”

“The best friend,” Eric interrupted, his eyes darting to you. Both Mark and Jungwoo did the same thing, so now you were worried about why they were looking at you like that. “Yeah, this is Yn, my best friend.”

Jungwoo grabbed Mark by his shoulder and extended a greeting fist bump toward you. “Nice to finally meet you, Yn. Eric’s told us a lot about you.”

“Oh?” You glanced over at Eric before reciprocating the gesture. “It’s nice to meet you, too. Hope he’s only said good things,” you jested. Partly.

“Oh, all the good things; don’t worry,” Mark chirped. “We’ll see you at practice later, Eric!”

Eric lifted his hand in a wave as they continued down the street. “See you then!”

Once you were sure they were out of earshot, you picked up your sandwich again. “So you talk about me to your teammates?”

“All good things—you heard Mark,” he said with a laugh, but for some reason, you thought you detected a hint of uncertainty there. “How could I not talk about you?”

“Careful there, you’re starting to sound like you’re obsessed with me.”

“Well, maybe I am,” he shot back at you. He brushed the crumbs from his finished croissant onto the plate, reaching for the small stack of napkins between you two. “But seriously, don’t worry about what those guys said. They just like to mess with me.”

You lifted a shoulder in a meager shrug. “No worries, man. I’m obsessed with you, too, so the feeling’s mutual.”

You relished in the way his countenance noticeably lifted, his expression brightened, the corners of his lips curling into the apples of his pinkened cheeks like twin divots. All of a sudden it was just you and Eric, and you could forget about everything and everyone else.

“He said the L word?” Vernon let out a melodramatic gasp, which made it all the more funny since he'd said it with the most monotonous tone. His eyes had gone wide enough to see the white of his eyes though, and you practically doubled over because of him.

Ningning, unaffected by Vernon's silliness, nodded vigorously. “He said he loved her first! Isn't that crazy?”

You plucked out one of your opened water bottles from the fridge. “I don't think it's that crazy. Is it weird that I don't think it's that crazy?”

Vernon sank deeper into the couch cushion he sat on, eyes already drifting closed. “It's Kim Sunwoo; I don't think it's that crazy either.”

“Am I the only person who was shocked by this?”

“Yes,” you and Vernon answered at once.

Ningning rolled her eyes. “Alright, fine. I guess I can see it, too. But it's just weird because he never gave any indication that he even liked her.”

“He was probably just suppressing it?” Vernon offered with a yawn. “Maybe he's just got a lot on his plate. My friend Seungcheol's a little emotionally constipated, too, but it's 'cause he's been slammed by his work stuff.”

“Isn't it crazy that people our age are telling other people they love them already? Like, love-love, and not some kind of primary-school-playground-love.” You moved yourself to join your friends in your micro living room. There was a gathering of laptops and papers scattered on the coffee table, but no one had touched them since they'd been brought out. Finals week burnout was real and tangible.

“One day,” Ningning sighed, less so lovey dovey, and more so exhausted as hell. She leaned her cheek against the back of her knuckles. “I don't know if I wanna get married though.”

“I think marriage is cool,” said Vernon. He had now taken on a coffin position with his arms crossed firmly over his chest and his face tilted up toward the ceiling. “As long as it's with the right person.”

“Yeah, stuff like that can't be rushed,” you agreed. You weren't sure what your plans for the future were; you just hoped you had your friends by your side, at the very least.

All this talk about partners and futures had your mind turning toward your conversation with Eric from lunch the other day. Did he see this crush of his as a potential life partner? He deserved that—someone who loved him as much as he no doubt loved them. Where would that leave you? Didn't you want something like that, too?

“Let's not talk about marriage anymore.” Ningning fwumped onto her side over the remainder of the sectional that Vernon wasn't lying on. She'd clearly given up on studying, same as Vernon. “How's Eric doing, Yn?”

Your head perked up. “Eric? What about Eric?”

“Oh, I dunno.” She held her phone screen directly above her face as she scrolled through social media, her lips pressed together. “Chenle said that Mark said that he's interested in somebody.”

It seemed news traveled fast, but then again, you didn't know how long Eric had been interested in this mystery person. You blinked, gnawing on your bottom lip. “Ah, yeah. He mentioned something about that to me, but he didn't tell me who it was.”

Ningning turned her head slightly to face you and her eyebrow was flicked up toward her hairline. “You're serious?”

“Well, yeah. I'm not gonna force it out of him.”

Vernon peeked one eye open. “Dude, you know that guy would do anything for you, right? If you asked one more time, he probably would have folded like a lawn chair.”

You sent him a pointed look. “I'm not about to force him to give away something sensitive like that. I admit that I'm curious, but…” It just wasn't your business.

He frowned at you, then went back to his half-conscious state.

Were you missing something?

Ningning rolled over completely onto her side. “How about this: how do you feel about Eric being interested in someone?”

Why was this the sudden topic of discussion? You pursed your lips, eyebrows furrowing. “Is this a trick question?”

“Why would it be a trick question?”

You exhaled. “He said that the person he liked was one of the best people he knew, so I'm happy for him. Like I said earlier, it would be nice to know who it was, but I don't want to make him give up something if he's not ready to yet.” That would just be unfair.

Vernon opened his eyes again and turned to Ningning. “Doesn't this sound like an automated response?”

You deadpanned. “It is not an automated response. It's—y’know, why wouldn't I be happy for him?”

With a dead serious tone, your friends said simultaneously, “Because you're in love with him.”

That statement struck a match against your cheeks and set them ablaze. Your lips parted, words failing you. Because you're in love with him?

At your speechlessness, Ningning moved to sit up straight. “We think it's because you have feelings for him,” she rephrased, as if that was any better.

“I do not have feelings for him.”

“I think you do; you might be mistaking it as something else.”

You garbled with the words in your brain, but they slipped and fumbled and wouldn't line up correctly on your tongue. It was to the point that you had to put a pause on trying to come up with a retort, and rather, piece this together logically. There had to be a reason for why both Ningning and Vernon were on the same page with this.

It came to you then, slowly, like a train pulling into the station. It was every one of his flirtatious maneuvers to get you flustered, the bittersweetness you didn't want to acknowledge at the thought that he was interested in somebody else. It was that look in his eyes that you couldn't describe, the way he tripped over his words when it came to calling you a friend. The voice over the intercom was announcing the stop as the train came to a gradual halt.

“Oh.”

Ningning frowned slightly, her head nodding. Vernon was actually awake now. “Yeah.”

So what now?

You knew Eric just finished with his organic chemistry final when you found him passed out on your couch. You'd been out working for the majority of the day and passed him a set of spare keys to your apartment to let himself in whenever he was done so the two of you could start your long awaited movie marathon night. The sun had just set and you'd come with a bag of groceries to make dinner, but all you could think about was the guy snoozing on the couch, his tufts of hair sticking out of his hood.

Cute.

By the time he woke up, you had dinner fixed up, and the apartment was filled with divine aromatics. Some said the smell of food usually made chefs feel full, but you hadn't eaten properly since you left for your shift this morning.

The lump on the couch stirred as you turned off the stove and turned toward the sink to start washing the dishes. You didn't like washing dishes, but it was a necessary evil. Earlier, you’d found the evidence that Eric had helped himself to some of the instant noodles in your cabinets, leaving a note by the dishes in the sink: Sorry, I promise I'll wash these when I wake up!!

You knew he would have kept his word, but you also knew how hard he worked and stressed over that damn exam. It was no inconvenience toward you to wash just a couple extra things.

Eric rolled onto his feet and shuffled into the kitchen, his eyes fluttering to adjust to the warm lighting. “Hi,” he rasped, voice hoarse from his nap.

His chin found your shoulder. “I said I'd wash those,” he murmured, referring to the small pot you were washing now.

“I know. I thought I'd do it anyway.”

“You hate washing the dishes.”

Your movements paused for a second. The organ in your chest was galloping away again, but now you knew the reason. Your head shifted slightly as it bumped against his gently. “I know.”

He was quiet for a moment before his arms came around your form and settled across your stomach and waist. “Thanks. Sorry for the mess.”

“There was no mess, silly goose,” you told him.

“I'll wash the ones after dinner.”

You murmured, “It's okay, Eric. I know you're good for it.”

Eric let out a breath against your neck, his head tucking into the warmth there. “I love you.”

At once, you both froze. You felt his body tense up around you, and knew your movements had stopped completely. You'd both heard what he said crystal clear and even the volume of the sink faucet couldn't dismiss it as a trick of the ear.

“Shit.” He detached himself from you just as you finished washing. You reached for the dry towel next to you on the counter to dry your hands, then turned around to face him. His eyes were wide like he just got caught with his hand in the cookie jar. “I didn't say that aloud, did I?”

You smiled through a small wince. “You kind of did.”

“What if I left and pretended I wasn't even here?—”

You stepped forward and grabbed him by the shoulders. You gave him a little shake, the smile on your face sweetening. “Hey, Eric. I love you, too.”

His lips fell into a pout. “No, Yn. You—you don't get it. It's—I… I love you.”

“I know,” you said and moved your hands up to cup his face. There was a wobble in his eyes as you said this, that puppy pout deepening. “And I love you, too.”

Eric wrapped his arms around you tight then, a breath of air pushing out from his lips in utter relief. “Oh my god, you have,” he stammered, “no idea how—just—” He pulled away from you and pressed his lips to the side of your face.

You laughed, your hand coming up to cup the back of his head.

His face was split wide open by a massive grin and his eyes, his beautiful eyes, gleamed like a pair of twin stars beneath the dim kitchen lights. “Do you know how hard this has been for me?” He exclaimed while throwing his hands up in the air. “Do you know how much pain I was in when you couldn't get the hint—”

“Hey! Normal people don't just assume that their best friend has feelings for them,” you stuttered out in your own defense.

Eric tilted his head up to the ceiling. “I have literally flirted at you, right to your face.”

“You have a flirty personality.”

“And you are oblivious.”

You crossed your arms over your chest, your head cocking to the side. “Agree to disagree?”

He sighed and the sound was something happy and bright. “Agree to disagree,” he replied. He smiled at you again, but the corners were softer and mellower, the tenderness shining through like the glow of a lamp covered in a fabric shade. “I've been dying to tell you since I went to LA; I just didn't know how.”

“LA?” You parroted.

“I just couldn't stop thinking about wanting you there with me,” he said like it was the easiest thing in the world. “I'd be in the hotel room, staring up at the ceiling with the stupidest smile on my face thinkin’ 'bout you, and then I'd realize I actually was in love with you. It would flip-flop between those two things all trip long.”

You chuckled as you imagined Eric's starkly different facial expressions for each version of himself. It was an amusing thought. “Well, for what it's worth, I'm sorry for all the strife I put you through.”

His hands warmed over the sides of your arms. “Hey, honey, it was all worth it in the end.”

“You know,” you said, playing with one of the strings of his hoodie, and his hands came to rest around your waist loosely, “if the comfort and—the warmth and the happiness I feel around you is love, then I think I've been in love with you since the day we met.”

Eric's lips pressed in a deep pout again. “Come on! You can't possibly say that and not expect me to wanna kiss you.”

“I'm not saying no,” you teased.

There was that smile again. He licked his lips once and leaned over to gently press his mouth against yours. Your eyes fluttered shut as you let his softness consume you and ignite you all at once. It occurred to you that you were never scared of losing Eric as a friend—this was just what was next for you both.

When you both pulled away, your breaths still intermingling, his cheeks were a pretty, bubblegum pink color.

“Was that your first kiss?” You joked even though you knew full well it wasn't.

His laugh was low, but his expression brightened. “Might as well be,” he said, “it's the only one I wanna remember.”

Your tongue stuck out of the corner of your mouth as you carefully pulled the loops of ribbon through itself to create the perfect, matching bow to the one on the other side of your head. Chenle was hosting a start-of-summer party, and it was mandated that you and your friends attend (according to Ningning).

Through your mirror, your eyes caught a presence at your bedroom door. “Oh my god, you're so cute,” Eric groaned, turning to the side to melodramatically hit his head against the doorframe.

You melted into a smile. “Thanks. I wasn't really sure how they would look actually.”

“Well, they're perfect. You’re perfect. Please don't take them off.” He came over to join you were you sat on the floor in front of your body length mirror.

You wiggled around a strand of pink ribbon you had cut off earlier, but didn't end up using because it was way too long for a hair bow. “I've got an extra piece. Do you want it?”

He scoffed, a hand carding through his hair, “Of course, I want it.”

Very pleased with his response, you clambered onto your knees to decide where to put it. He was dressed casually with a loose tank top, board shorts, and a cap on backwards. You squinted one of your eyes closed. “I've got it.”

“You've got it?” He repeated with a chuckle, smile widening as you practically climbed into his lap. “Hi,” he said with your faces close to each other and his hands resting on either side of your waist.

“Calm down there, tiger,” you teased, “I'm just gonna tie it where everyone can see it.”

You looped the ribbon around his left bicep, his arm subtly flexing as you did so. You made sure the bow looked as perfect as you were capable of making it. With a little pat of your hand, you deemed that it was all set.

“Perfect,” he said with a nod of affirmation.

You nodded along with him. “I'd agree.”

“Hey.” He drew your attention over to him once more and his hands pulled you flush against him. There was a goofy grin on his lips as he gazed at you with wide, doe-like eyes that melted into pairs of molten chocolate. “Do you think…”

“Do I think?” You prompted, wrapping your arms around the back of his shoulders.

“Do you think that if I kissed you in front of our friends, they'd realize we were dating?”

A laugh fell from your mouth, and Eric had never seen something so pretty in his life. (There were few things worthy of being engraved on the backs of one's eyelids, but he thought he just found a view that was. He would chase your smile until the end of time.)

“What?” He beamed. “Good idea, right?”

“I thought we said we were soft launching,” you said, the smile yet to retreat.

“I guess,” he sighed dramatically and leaned back onto his hand to drape the other one across his forehead like a damsel in distress.

You went forward to kiss him. “You're cute.”

“Isn't that my line?” He teased. He licked his lips a little then, expression becoming thoughtful. “I know this is gonna be something different—this relationship—but at the same time, I feel like nothing's changed.”

Swoon. You went in for another kiss and lingered there a bit longer when his hand came up to cup the back of your neck. “It'll be different and the same,” you agreed. “Just better.”

The corners of his eyes crinkled. “Definitely better.”

It was scary—this venture into new territory. It was something that both you and Eric would experience and discover together. But on the bright side, at least you were in love. Maybe that was all that mattered in the end.

a/n: everybody say 'thank god she expanded the plot'

tbz m.list

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[stayteezdreams]

Intention

Plot: Eric has always been protective of you, he's your best-friend, so of course he is, it comes with the territory, right? But once he interrupts another one of your dates, you start to wonder if it might be something else entirely.

Pairing: Eric | Sohn Youngjae x Gn!Reader

Warnings: Use of Y/n. A couple kisses towards the end.

Words: 2.8k

There was coincidence and then there was intention. Something you were starting to understand the difference between.

A coincidence is when you run into your friend during a date once.

A coincidence is not when you run into that friend every time you were on a date.

Your eyes flicked back and forth from the man in front of you and to the door where you swore you saw a familiar head of hair outside of the restaurant. Looking around and seeing no sign of Eric, you let out a soft breath. It must just be your imagination.

Or the trauma perhaps, of Eric somehow always ending up at your dates.

The first time, you thought it really was a coincidence. He, Juyeon and Jacob showed up “by chance” and saw you. The date became something else entirely when they decided to join you. You never went on another date with that guy.

The second time, Eric called you in the middle of your date for an emergency, which, once you arrived at his place in a frenzy, turned out to be him losing his laptop charger and wanting to borrow yours.

The reasons your dates always got cut short varied. Eric got stranded and needed a ride, he wanted some Italian and happened to go to the same restaurant as you. He and Changmin wanted to go to the arcade for the third time this week, it just so happened it was the same one you were with a date at.

You decided that Eric was doing it on purpose. But, not for the reason you wanted. Not because you wanted him to be jealous, but simply because he was protective of you. Like a sibling, a brother that wanted to make sure you never dated.

You hated it. You didn’t want Eric to protect you like a sibling, it only made your hidden feelings for him feel more pathetic.

So, whenever you had a date now, you didn’t tell Eric, hell you didn’t tell any of the boys, knowing they would let it slip to Eric anyways.

This was your third date with the guy in front of you, Sunghoon. He was cute, and nice, and you were comfortable about him. But that was it. There were no sparks, no desires. You told yourself you would have three dates with him, and if there was nothing there by the third, you would accept it. It was disappointing to say the least.

Nodding along to his story, your eyes had naturally moved to the door as someone entered. Your heart jolted as goosebumps rose up your arms. It really was Eric. But how did he know you were here? He had no idea you had been on a few dates with this guy, let alone that you had one tonight. So how did he find you? There was no way it was actually a coincidence.

As Eric’s eyes met yours he paused before he smiled. You saw a sheepishness to the action that made you realize you were probably giving him a look that could kill.

Sunghoon paused, “What’s wrong?”

Looking back at him you cleared your throat. “Oh sorry, just saw my friend come in.”

“Oh?” Looking around, Sunghoon’s eyes fell on Eric as he walked towards your table.

Eric grinned as he approached, “Y/n!” He greeted, as you eyed him suspiciously.

Eric introduced himself to Sunghoon as he sat in the seat beside you. “Wha- why are you sitting?”

Eric looked at you with an innocent smile, “Huh? Can’t I?”

You looked between him and Sunghoon, “Eric, we’re- we’re on a date.”

Eric opened his mouth in realization, and you could tell it was fake. He already knew. This was on purpose.

Looking at Sunghoon he chuckled, “Oops. Sorry. But, hey, it’s a good time to introduce myself, right?”

As you took a drink of water, your chest tightening, you missed the subtle glaring look Eric gave Sunghoon. Sunghoon rose his brow in confusion at the sudden look of murder thrown his way.

As Sunghoon tried to save the moment, he asked Eric if he was here to have dinner with friends.

Eric just smiled and shook his head. "No, I was just walking by and saw you guys. So I thought I'd say hi, maybe get some food while I'm here."

Pulling out your phone, you texted Eric, knowing you couldn't confront him in front of Sunghoon.

'I know you already went to dinner with the boys, so why are you really here?'

Eric stole your glass of water and took a drink as he checked his phone under the table. You could see him replying as you tried to talk to Sunghoon again. You might not care if nothing happens after this date, but you felt bad for the situation Eric put him in.

'I just wanted to make sure this guy was worth your time. You seem to like him enough to keep your dates a secret.'

As you read the text you spared a glance at Eric, seeing the annoyance that your secret caused.

'I kept it a secret because you always do this. How did you find out anyways?'

"Did you want to get dessert Sunghoon?" You asked innocently.

He smiled and nodded as he checked over the menu.

"I'll have the brownie." Eric added with a smile and you stared at him.

Sunghoon hesitated briefly. "Yeah sure." He smiled, obviously feeling awkward.

Looking at the text reply you sighed internally.

'Nari told me about it.'

You expected one of the boys to tell Eric about your date, which is why you kept it a secret. But your best friend knarking? You did not expect that.

Another text came in and you felt your heart jolt.

'He seems kind of boring, why would you choose him? You should have just come here with me.'

The restaurant you were at was a well known date and couple spot. Why would you come with Eric?

"I'm gonna use the bathroom." You said as you stood up, Sunghoon smiled and nodded.

Eric grinned up at you as if he was innocent in this situation. You spared him a quick glare before heading to the rest room.

Something in his text showed jealousy, but you weren't sure if you were overthinking. Taking a few minutes to gather your thoughts, and thinking of a way to save your date, or at least end it easily, you finally headed back to the table.

You noted the obvious difference in the atmosphere between the two boys, and you immedietely regretted leaving. You gave Eric a look but he avoided your gaze.

'Oh God what did he do?' You thought to yourself as you sat down.

Sunghoon cleared his throat, "I'm sorry Y/n, but something came up." He shook the phone in his hand. "I have to go. But I'll text you later okay? I'll pay the bill on the way out, so don't worry about it."

He spared Eric a glance after this comment as he stood, and something told you, you would not be getting that text.

"Oh, okay, thank you. Is everything alright?"

"Yeah just a small family emergency. I'm sorry again."

After he left the restaurant, silence lingered between you and Eric for a moment before you turned towards him.

"What did you say to him?"

Eric looked at you with a raised brow, "What? I didn't do anything!"

Which of course was a lie.

As soon as you were out of ear shot Eric gave Sunghoon a sly smile as Sunghoon swallowed nervously.

"You don't have a chance."

Sunghoon stared at Eric for a second before scoffing. "And why's that?"

"Three dates and I never heard about you. Must mean Y/n's not interested."

"Why would they tell you anything?"

"We're best-friends."

Sunghoon leaned back in his seat. "Something tells me you don't want to be."

Eric smiled and leaned back as well. "You're right. Me and Y/n are meant to be together, so I recommend you back off."

Sunghoon almost laughed. "Sure you aren't a bit delusional? If you were meant to be, wouldn't you be together by now?"

"You don't need to worry about that. All you need to know, is that you aren't worthy of even breathing in Y/n direction."

Before Sunghoon could retaliate, Eric continued. "What's Y/n's favorite color? Favorite band? Favorite food? Fears? Dreams? When you look at Y/n, do you picture your future together?"

Sunghoon let out a bewildered scoff. "Dude we've only been on three dates."

Eric leaned forward, putting his arms on the table. "Exactly. Yet, I knew the answer to all of those things after knowing Y/n for three days. You don't have a chance in hell dude. Not with me around. So I suggest you drop whatever this is while you can."

Sunghoon sighed, seeing you walking back to the table, he decided as much as he liked your company, it wasn't worth it. Grabbing his phone he cleared his throat.

Eric struggled to keep back his shit-eating grin as Sunghoon excused himself and left.

And now as you stared him down, knowing he did something, he could barely resist smiling proudly.

Sighing, you stood up as Eric followed, feeling a bit guilty as he noticed the disappointed look on your face. You weren't actually into that guy were you?

Once you got outside, you started to head towards your car, ignoring Eric as he followed right behind you.

"Did you really like him?"

Spinning around, Eric stumbled back, surprised.

"How did you even get here?"

Eric spoke sheepishly, "Hyunjae gave me a ride. Can you drop me back off?" He gave you a puppy-dog smile and you sighed softly.

"I should leave you on the sidewalk."

"But you wont...you wont right?"

Turning away you headed towards your car and Eric jogged to catch up.

"Come on Y/n, that guy was totally not worth your effort."

You stopped and faced him once again. "And how would you know that? Did you even catch his name?"

"Yeah, it was Sung...Sung-something."

You rolled your eyes. "Eric, why do you keep doing this?"

"Did you actually like him?" Eric asked again, ignoring your question.

You opened your mouth but closed it again letting out a sigh. "You are lucky I didn't because if I did and you pulled that shit again I would not be talking to you at all right now."

Eric felt relief wash over him, "Well then I did you a favor didn't I?"

"A favor? Eric you embarrassed me. At this point I'll end up alone forever because of you."

Eric pouted. "No you wont, you have me. You'll always have me."

You sighed, feeling your heart cracking a little. He would never understand.

“I’m talking about a relationship Eric, not a friendship. Its not the same.” You turned to unlocked your car as Eric spoke.

“It can be.”

You were about to respond before you paused, thinking about his words again. Turning back you looked at him with a confused gaze.

“What?”

He swallowed, his heart hammering in his chest, “It can be the same. It can be a relationship.”

Your words got stuck in your throat as your thoughts seemed to vanish. Finally finding your voice, you shook your head in bewilderment. “Wh- wait I’m confused.”

Eric sighed as he took a step closer to you, gently grabbed your arms as he stared you down.

“I don’t chase off all your suitors because I see you as a sibling Y/n. I do it because I’ve been in love with you for years.”

His words stunned you into silence as you stared at him. All this time you thought it was because he saw you as family. And now he just told you it wasn't that? That you were wrong, all this time?

All this time you spent forcing yourself on dates, hoping one day you would find someone that would make you forget your unrequited feelings. Unrequited feelings you were apparently wrong about.

“You- you’re in love with me?”

He let out a soft sigh as he nodded. You might not feel the same, he knew that. This might jeopardize your friendship, he knew that too. But you had to know. He couldn't keep living every day with this pain in his heart.

“Yes. And, even if I can't be with you. I hate the idea of letting anyone else have you. And I was afraid you would never want me like that, so, I decided to just…sabotage any chance you had with someone else. “

As the words left his mouth he felt guilt wash over him. Was he really keeping you from being happy? Would you hate him now? He avoided your eyes as he let go of your arms, wondering if this was the last time he would really be close with you.

You could see both the sincerity of his words on his face, and the guilt at his admission of why he always ruined your possible relationships.

“You should have told me sooner Eric.” He met your eyes, and you continued. “We could have avoided all of it.”

His chest tightened. “All of what?”

Your heart was pounding painfully as you felt short of breath. “Thinking our love was unrequited.”

Your words ran through Eric's brain a few times before he really seemed to process them. “Our love?”

You nod softly, as you struggled to find your breath. “I've been in love with you for years too Eric.”

The two of you stared each other down for a moment as Eric processes what you said. All this time, you felt the same.

"Then...why go on these dates?"

You let out a sad chuckle. "So I could get over you."

He let out a breath of realization before he suddenly grabbed you and pulled you into his chest. You grunted in surprise as you now rested your head in the crook of his neck.

You could feel his pounding heart as his breath was uneven. He spoke into your ear, desperation and excitement in his voice.

“Say you meant it, say you’re not joking.”

You smiled softly, “I mean it Eric. Its not a joke.”

He pulled away from you and stared at you intensely, the ghost of a smile on his face.

“Do you mean it?” You asked.

He nodded as the faint smile turned into a grin as he cupped your face in his hands.

“I mean it.”

Your smile mirrored his own as he let out a happy giggle. His eyes scanned your face before lingering on your lips. You felt your ears and neck burn hotter.

"I've always wanted to kiss you." He met your eyes. "Can I?"

You bit the inside of your lip nervously as you nodded.

Grinning he gently pulled your face closer as he leaned in. Your lips brushed together as his eyes stayed locked with yours. Slowly you closed your eyes as he smiled just as his lips met yours.

He was still for a second as the moment sank in, before he slowly started to move his lips with yours. His fingers gripped your face a little tighter as he struggled to contain himself.

Moving his hands down to your waist, he pulled you closer to him as he gave in a little and deepened the kiss.

Your whole body seemed to tingle and feel light as you wrapped your arms around his neck, leaning deeper into the kiss. Eric let out a involuntary sigh at this as his grip tightened and he deepened the kiss further.

You don't know how long you got lost in the embrace, but finally pulling apart to catch your breath your eyes caught before you both broke into grins. Eric let out a soft chuckle as he gently caressed your cheek.

"I really do love you Y/n. I'm sorry it took me this long to tell you."

You felt almost overwhelmed as you smiled softly at him. "And I really do love you too Eric. I could have said something too. I think we were both just afraid to ruin our friendship."

Eric wrapped his arms around you and pulled you closer again as he smiled at you. "I think so too. But hey, now our friendship isn't ruined, its just upgraded."

You giggled, "You're right."

He kissed you again, smiling into your lips. Pulling away he let out a sigh as he hugged you tightly.

"Now I get to be the only one to take you on dates."

You smiled as you rested your head on his chest. "Good. You owe me a few anyway after the ones you ruined."

Eric blew a raspberry and you chuckled. "Ruined, please. I'll take you on better dates than those guy's ever could."

"Oh yeah?"

He nodded as he rested his head against yours. "Just watch."

As you giggled softly Eric chuckled, swaying slightly as he held you against him. He'll do whatever he needs to, to prove that he was right. You really were meant to be with him.

xx End xx

This is my first time writing for Eric, and The Boyz in general, I hope you liked it!

General Taglist: @otsilliak, @brattybunfornct, @bahng-chrizz, @otakutrash669, @tinyelfperson,

@pinievsev, @teenyfinds, @everythingboutkpop,  @shymexican

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[jinkoh]

who needs stars?

eric x gn!reader

wc: 0.5k, established relationship, fluff (like srsly it's so fluffy), saying 'i love you'; warnings: mentions of past alcohol consumption

listen to: bruno major - nothing

masterlist

The thought had crossed Eric’s mind many times before he ever voiced it. Like when you were willing to watch the Notebook with him for what must’ve been the 17th time, not making fun of him for his taste in movies nor for the tears that slipped out because the movie stayed so utterly heartbreaking no matter how many times he watched it.

Eric also thought about it when you were playing Mario Kart and he kept losing over and over, because while you were watching the screen of his TV, he couldn’t help watching you. He was endeared by the way your whole body leaned into the curves and by your little cheers when your items got him. It wasn’t that he liked losing, but he didn’t mind when it was you, because you beamed at him so happily, he’d lose any day just to see that smile again.

The thought crossed his mind again when the two of you were supposed to be at that party, laughing with your friends and drinking until the world spun like a wheel. Maybe, if he’d been lucky he would have even gotten to see you dance on the table again like that night you’d first met, not at all alluring, but so free and so full of life and laughter that Eric still thought it was the sexiest thing he’d ever seen. But the two of you didn’t go to that party and Eric wasn’t mad about it. He loved parties, yes. But that night, your apartment had so much appeal, a cozy night on the couch with just the two of you better than any party could ever be. 

He is thinking about it now too, with the two of you cramped together at the tiny roof light in your kitchen, trying to spot shooting stars between the heavy gray clouds. There is supposed to be a meteor shower tonight, right now, but the weather isn’t playing along. Eric does consider himself a romantic guy, as fond of sweet gestures as he is of sweet movies, but he finds he doesn’t mind the clouds too much. Of course, watching shooting stars together and making a wish would have been romantic. But there was nothing like doing nothing with you.

“I think I’m in love with you,” he says, putting that thought out there for the very first time, and yet he already knows it isn't quite right, “No,” he corrects, “I know. I’m in love with you.” You look at him with those eyes he adores so much, round and wide in surprise but so full of love that he knows the feeling is mutual.

“I love you,” he says again, for good measure, “I’m so in love with you.”

“Yeah,” you whisper, “Me too.” And he thinks he sees a shooting star from his peripheral vision but he doesn’t pay attention. Because who needs stars when he has you?

masterlist

[halaboyz]

2:07 am, eric

gn! reader; angst; tipsy characters; 457 words

you were always a second choice. it wasn't any different when it came to best friend, eric, who knew you liked him a lot. he didn't mean to leave you hanging without any answer to your confession, but you knew. deep inside, you do- that no answer, is an answer.

but even so, you liked that eric's lips lightly graze your earlobe as he whispers sweet nothings as sweet as honey. or when his hand meets your back unconsciously when he guides you through the sea of unknown faces chugging their hearts down.

what you least liked, is that goddamn smile on his face when he unexpectedly meets someone he immediately clicked with in the sea of those faces one day, and the ghost of him is what remained with you. the warmth of his breath under your ear, or his hand on your back.

and that continued to happen, over and over again.

"i'm leaving." you collect your things and stand up, leaving your friends confused and staring at you as you stride away. you hear eric quickly bid a goodbye to his so-called friend he had been meeting with for the past few weeks and to the others, tailing you.

"hey, party's not over. are you not feeling well?" and started with eric's hand on your back again, lips an inch away from your ears again. you leave him with no answer, letting him lead you out the doors of the bar.

"party's not over, like you said. you should head back." you sigh, facing him.

"are you okay? it's not like you to leave mid."

"eric. i'm not." you finally snap, "i'm not okay. i haven't been for the past few weeks and i know you know why."

"is this about her? come on... we've only just met last month and i've been bringing her so that we could be friends all together. once you get to know her it'll be fine-,"

"tell me you don't love her, then." you softly plead, waiting for him to answer. "tell me you don't love her." you wait. and wait. but when eric frowns at you, you chuckle bitterly. "see."

"y/n," he tries to reach for your arm, but you step away.

"right. asking you to tell me you don't love her is like asking you to tell me you love me. so fucking obvious." you let a tear fall before you turn your back on him, and like what you had always let happen, you hope he runs after you and ask you to understand.

but when you reach the end of the road with nothing but loneliness, you've also gotten your answer. the answer you shouldn't have chosen to ignore in the first place.

[prettygirl-gabi]

Seaside Hearts

--- ESESESESESESESESESESES

Rating: General Audiences

Warning:Fluffy fluff, even more fluff

Category:F/M

Fandom: Eric Sohn (The Boyz)

Relationships: !idol-boyfriend Ericx !non-idol f reader

Summary: You and Eric are true soul mates

--- eseseseseseseseseseseseseses

It's been three long months since Eric left for his world tour with The Boyz. Being in a long distance relationship with an idol isn't easy, especially when we're both always so busy but knowing he's living his dream makes the days apart worthwhile. We did our best to stay connected—late-night video calls, endless texting, and sending voice notes filled with our laughter. But nothing beats being together in person.

Now, our reunion is just a few hours away. Eric suggested a private vacation, just the two of us, away from the fanfare and flashing cameras. I can't wait to wrap my arms around him and feel his warmth again.

---

As I stepped out the taxi and onto the sandy pathway leading to the secluded beach house, my heart pounded with excitement. I took a deep breath, feeling the salty sea air filling my lungs, and broke into a run. There he was, standing on the wooden porch, his eyes lighting up the moment he saw me.

"Y/N!" Eric's voice was a melody I had missed so dearly. He dashed down the steps and caught me in a tight embrace, spinning me around as I laughed. He makes me feel as a Disney princess finding true love all over again, every time we are together.

"Eric, I've missed you so much!" I buried my face in his chest, inhaling his familiar scent. It felt like coming home.

"I missed you too, more than words can say," he murmured into my hair, finally setting me down but not letting go.

---

The beach house was everything we had hoped for. Tucked away from the world, it was our little slice of heaven. We spent the first day exploring. The quaint kitchen, cozy living room, and that spectacular view of the ocean from the bedroom window—every detail made the place feel like an escape just for us.

After unpacking, we decided to take a walk along the shore. The sun was beginning to set, casting a golden hue across the water.

"Remember the first time we talked about doing this?" Eric asked, holding my hand as we walked barefoot in the cool sand.

"Yeah, I think you were in Tokyo, and I was at that little café near my apartment," I recalled, smiling at the memory. "We both dreamed about a getaway like this, just you and me."

"I still can't believe it's real," he said, stopping to look at me. "Being with you, openly like this, it's everything I needed."

I squeezed his hand. "Me too, Eric. Me too."

---

The next few days felt like magic. Mornings started with lazy breakfasts on the porch, where we’d talk about everything and nothing. We had picnics on the beach, built sandcastles, and played in the waves like kids. We hiked through nearby trails and discovered hidden spots perfect for quiet moments.

One night, as we lay on a blanket under the stars, Eric turned to me, his eyes sparkling.

"Y/N, there's something I've been wanting to ask you," he said, tracing patterns on my hand.

"What is it?" I asked, my stomach fluttering with nerves.

"Even though my life gets crazy with all the traveling and schedules, I want you to know you're my constant. My home." He paused, taking a deep breath. "Would you… would you consider moving in with me once the tour's over?"

Tears welled up in my eyes. "Eric, are you serious?"

"As serious as I’ve ever been, plus it was discussed as a group, as a team that we wanted separate living spaces." he said, his voice soft but sure.

"Yes," I whispered, throwing my arms around him. "Absolutely yes."

---

Our private vacation gave us more than just a break from the world. It reminded us that no matter the distance or the challenges, our love was resilient. And now, we had a new step to look forward to—building a life together.

As the sun rose on our last day at the beach house, I knew that our hearts were more intertwined than ever, ready to face whatever came our way.

"To our future," Eric said, raising his coffee cup with a grin.

"To us," I echoed, clinking my cup against his, knowing that no matter what, we would always find our way back to each other.

■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■

Thank you for reading! 🩵🩶

-Prettygirl-gabi🎀

[beamtori]

𝐨𝐜𝐜𝐮𝐩𝐢𝐞𝐝 (𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐢𝐢)

nonidol!eric sohn x rem!reader

2.3k words, smut (minors dni), p in v sex, reader is on birth control for convenience of hitting it raw, swearing, kissing, fingering, creampie (such an interesting word...), my weird ver of aftercare cuz how tf do u do aftercare post-getting railed at a party 😭, pet names (baby, sweetheart, hon, pretty boy), he's sweet, i think i got it all skfnksndkd

a/n: this is a second part to this fic occupied on my main writing blog! reading part one is not mandatory at all !! for @mosviqu <3 i hope it's not cringy skdnksjd also special thanks to @ethereal-engene and @winterchimez (i feel like there's always a thank u section to these 💀)

You were wearing his cap—a muted red with a rip in the fabric on the side. It was nearly impossible to miss as you clinked your plastic cup against Han Jisung's and toasted to a night of whatever was to come. (Hopefully you.)

Just about an hour ago, you'd come to find your best friend at this party after departing ways with your university baseball team's shortstop, Eric Sohn. He had obligations and an emergency to attend to, so you were biding your time around the place in case he ever wanted to pick up where you two left off. Along the way, you'd found the red cap he was wearing somewhere on the floor and put it on. Maybe it could be a beacon or some shit.

"—that's crazy, man," Jisung chuckled, shaking his head from over the rim of his cup. "I know I said I didn't wanna cockblock you, but I really didn't cockblock you this time."

You rolled your eyes. The liquid in your cup was a bit of tequila watered down with orange juice for a makeshift margarita. It was a little liquid courage in case you needed it. "Yeah, yeah. It was important, so I don't blame him." Though, you could hardly hide the disappointment behind your words.

Your friend gave you a sideways grin. "Well, the night is still young, my friend. Plenty of hot people around to scratch your itch."

"Well, I hope out of all of them, you still choose me."

Startled, you swiveled on your heel and came face to face with one sheepish-looking Eric. He had his hand clasping the back of his neck, brown hair a little more mussed from whatever emergency had arisen. His white shirt was still clinging to only a couple buttons—you had both been in a bit of a rush earlier.

"Felix? What's that? You need to tell me something—?" Jisung made a very swift exit, shooting a pair of finger guns at you.

You arched your brows as Eric came closer. "I think I'm scoping out my options," you teased, lifting your cup to your lips and draining the last bit of the spiked orange juice. You placed your empty cup on the table behind you, watching his eyes trace the path your tongue took along your lower lip.

The corner of his lips curled upward and he set his hand on the table. "Any way I can sway your judgment?" He asked. "I'm getting a bit of déjà vu."

"You have previous references," you shrugged. "I think I can trust that you're the man for the job." Despite your nonchalance, your heart was throwing itself against your ribcage like it was ready for a prison break.

Eric's other hand caged you in, his low chuckle sending a zap down your spine. "Well since my previous references check out, I'll just make sure you like what you saw."

He leaned in closer to you, and you met him in the middle. Your kiss tasted like oranges now, with the slight sharpness of the alcohol. His brows creased as he cupped your jaw and massaged his tongue with yours, trying to figure it out.

You pulled away, and he lifted the brim of his red cap to see your eyes better. "This looks familiar," he grinned.

"Does it now? Well, I'm sorry to say, but finders keepers," you said, switching the cap from front-facing to backward.

His eyes gleamed in the low lighting, and there was a smug sort of curl to his smile. "You're way hotter in it anyways."

Heat rushed to your neck. "If you keep complimenting me…"

"Then what?" He asked, voice dropping. He was in your space, front pressed to yours, lips a teasing hairsbreadth away. The back of his knuckles found your cheek in a gentle caress, a lover's purr. "If I keep complimenting you, then what?"

This was the second time you both lost the hat. You couldn't remember if this was the same room or not—you didn't really care—but you were fumbling for the lock behind you with your brain turning to mush by the way Eric was kissing you. Clearly, you couldn't multitask. His hand slipped down where yours was to twist the lock and entangle his fingers with yours.

His shirt came off a lot faster this time, your fingers used to the slim buttons, but also because he literally only had two of them to undo. The shirt went missing, and Eric's hands roamed from your waist over your backside and to the backs of your thighs. Waiting for something.

"There's a bed," he said between breaths, kisses, laps of his tongue—

"Good to know," you mused.

He scooped you up, your ankles locked behind his back. Your back hit the cool sheets and you found yourself peering up at one beautiful man. Eric Sohn was a marvel in himself to look upon, but this was a nice angle.

He kissed you again, enough to drive you up toward the headboard, his body following after yours like a shadow. His arm dented the mattress beside your head to brace himself over you, the other tucking itself beneath the hem of your shirt to grab your side.

You gasped something sharp. His mouth latched onto the side of your neck, suckling the hot skin there until you were seeing stars. Your fingers tangled themselves in his hair until they were messy, messy, messy—

"Eric," you exhaled, the sound like a whimper.

He hummed against you. "Yeah baby?"

Your fingers tapped against the nape of his neck. "Let me get my shirt off."

"Good idea." He unattached himself from you for the split second it took to rip your shirt over your head.

For good measure, you reached behind yourself and unclasped your bra, tossing it over the side of the bed. Eric's eyes glued themselves to your chest, rising and falling with the breaths you were trying to regain. He licked his lips, and you found yourself smiling.

"What?" You asked, a nervous laugh bubbling up from your throat.

He swallowed and shook his head. His hand smoothed over the back of your head in a soothing manner. "You're just so pretty. Can I…?"

You might as well have gone into cardiac arrest. "Yeah," you nodded.

The last thing you saw was the glint of his grin. He ducked beneath your chin and you lost your breath at the feeling of his lips wrapping around your perked nipple. You clutched at his hair—swore something colorful when his hand came up to squeeze your other breast. It was the rough pads of his fingers against your skin, the nip of his teeth, the bite of the cold rings on his fingers.

He lifted his lips off your chest, your boobs glistening in spit. He gave them an affectionate squeeze and pressed his lips against yours. "You can say no," he murmured against you, "whenever you want. This train stops whenever you want it to."

"Okay," you said. You appreciated that from him. "I want you to keep going."

"Mmmh, atta girl." You could feel his smile against your lips.

His body pressed down against you, the weight present but comforting in a way. You moaned as his hips grinded into yours and you raised yours in a desperate attempt to gain friction. Both of your movements were frantic now as you fumbled for buttons and zippers and kicked away pants—out of the way.

You reached your hand between your bodies and cupped the outline of his cock through his boxers, drawing a sharp inhale from Eric's lips. He pressed his sweaty forehead against yours, rutting his hips into your palm. "Ugh, baby."

"I'm on the pill," you said and squeezed him.

His eyes screwed shut, and his fingers found the wet spot on the underside of your panties. "You're—you're on the pill? Fuck, you're so wet."

He pressed a hurried kiss to your lips, yanking the hem of your underwear down. Cool air hit the wetness clinging to your pussy, and you shivered. He lost the boxers, your underwear following suit.

"Spread wide for me," his voice rumbled. "There you go, baby." He swiped the pad of his finger down the middle, drawing a shuddering breath from you. "Sounds pretty, looks pretty—mmh, tastes pretty." His finger popped out from his mouth, and he used that same one to draw enchanting infinity signs over your clit.

"Fuck," you swore, your hand digging into his shoulder.

Eric ground his hardened cock into the mattress as he watched you fall apart. He bit his lip, replacing his index with his thumb and dipping a finger into your hole.

"Oh god—"

He curled his finger inside you. "C'mon, pretty girl," he drawled, lazily pumping his finger in and out of you. The ring adorning his finger bumped against your lower lips in greeting. "Say my name."

"Eric, please," you said and pushed your hips toward him, wanting and wanting and wanting more—needing more.

His kiss was softer this time. When he leaned over, you felt the heaviness of his hardened cock over your thigh, the precome beading at the tip dripping onto you. "Yeah, baby. I got you."

He pushed another finger into your weeping folds and dug his thumb down into your puffy nub. You felt the tension mounting in your stomach, the knot winding up.

Before you could reach a precipice, he withdrew his hand clean from you.

Your eyes shot open. "Eric."

"Yn," he teased. He adjusted himself slightly, then took the hand he'd been fingering you with to slicken up his cock with a couple pumps. The sight made your tongue dry. A muscle in his jaw feathered and he braced himself over you to line his cock up with your entrance.

His tip rubbed against your pussy lips and collected the juices dripping out—you held your breath, wrestling yourself onto your forearms to watch him sink into you, inch by inch.

Eric swallowed your moans with his mouth, your fingers digging into his bicep to anchor yourself. Your brain was melting and you grasped the back of his neck as his length filled you up, a muscle feathering so attractively in his jaw.

Once he was seated to the hilt, he guided you to lay flat on the bed again, his arms braced on either side of your head. "You good, baby?" He asked you, breathing shallow.

You nodded for him.

He buried his face in your neck and his sweat-matted hair tickled your chin, his hot breath against your skin. You fucking mewled when he started moving in you—at first, a gentle rocking of his hips to test the waters, his cock pulling out halfway before thrusting back in again. His breathing was heavy in your ear, the sound turning into grunts as his strokes lengthened.

"Let me hear you, sweetheart." His hand found purchase with the soft flesh of your ass, hiking your leg up and around his back. "Feel so good around me—squeezing me just right."

His knees angled his hips upward, and you swore you saw stars when his tip curved up slightly and hit a sensitive spot inside you. You cried out, "Shit—holy fuck."

"Is that the spot, baby?"

You clenched down on him and a sluice of curses engraved themselves into your skin. "Eric, that's the spot. That's the spot. Pleasepleaseplease—" Your nails dug into the muscles of his back as you held on for dear life. The headboard of the bed knocked against the wall in tandem with how he drove into you.

Pressure mounted in your lower belly like molten fire, begging to be fanned and fueled to erupt, goddamn it. You were begging to be pushed over the edge and you could taste it with the salty sweat on your tongue.

"Can you come for me, hon? You're close aren't you?" He grunted.

You nodded, head bobbing vigorously, arching further into him. "Close, Eric. So fucking close."

Eric reached down between your bodies and kneaded the pad of his thumb down over your clit. Your breath hitched as the stimuli crested over and you were crying out for him. He coaxed you through it, his strokes becoming more desperate as he fucked his way to his own high.

You squirmed from sensitivity and whimpered. "Eric, Eric, Eric—"

"Fuck, baby, where do you want me?" He rasped.

"Inside," you said while gasping for air.

His head hung until he came, swears tumbling out of his mouth as fast as his cum flooded into you. Your thighs trembled from the sensation, and he braced his forearms on either side of your head to thank you in a sloppy kiss.

Your bodies were slick and sticky with sweat and cum. His cock softened inside you, and you winced as he pulled out. Eric smoothed a hand over your hair, nose nuzzling against yours.

"You did good, baby," he murmured. He wrapped his arms around your body and rolled over onto your sides, holding you against him.

You gave a little laugh and shoved your face between his pecs. "Thanks, pretty boy," you said. "You too."

He chuckled, biting his lip. "Cute… say, Yn?"

"Hmm?"

"I know we've got it backwards, but can I take you out sometime?"

You smiled to yourself and your heart kicked up. "Sure, I'd uh—I'd like that."

Eric's expression lit up, and you got to see that beautiful smile of his. "Thank god," he said. He brushed the hair from the divot in your shoulder, ringed knuckles running down the lines on the side of your neck and over your clavicle. "Hey, you tired?"

Your eyelashes fluttered at the question. "Not super."

"Round two?"

"Round—" Your words cut off with a shriek as he yanked you back under him. And though you started off giggling, he had those sounds melting into moans again just as swiftly.

This room was going to be occupied for a while.

a/n: the amount of times i yelled while writing this... how do people write smut all the time, i need to know ur secrets 😭

tbz m.list

[katyleen]

Shinyu x Reader

{School Au}

Synopsis: You, an average student suddenly bumped into one of the most popular boy in the school.

Warning: A few curse words, fluff??

——————————————————————————

‘Damn it where’s my notebook?’ You thought to yourself as you’re rummaging your locker. You’re just an average student, with small circle of friends and average scores, not involved in any of the school drama. You’d like think that you’re living a peaceful life in school….besides the assignments and studies that the teacher gives you. It’s their job though so you can’t really blame them.

Finally after looking at your locker for a while, you finally found your notebook. You grabbed it and closed your locker, immediately walking away to go to your class. You didn’t expect to bumped into something after stepping away from the locker though, which results with you accidentally dropping your book. You looked up to see that you didn’t bump into something but someone. And you certainly didn’t expect to be face-to-face with the most popular boy in the whole school, Shinyu.

“Ah..sorry, I didn’t see you there.” You apologized, slightly bowing to him and then going to reach for your book on the floor but he beats you to it. He bended down and grabbed the book, lightly patted your book to remove the dust.

“I’m sorry too, I shouldn’t have stood that close to you.” He replied sheepishly, holding the book out for you. You take the book from his hands and look at his face. You never really paid attention to a lot of people that’s not close with you, but you didn’t expect that this school has such a handsome boy wandering around.

‘Holy shit I’ve been blessed to see such a pretty face.’ You thought to yourself, snapping out of it when you notice him tilting his head at you.

“Oh uh it’s fine. So…I’m just gonna go now…bye.” You nervously said, walking away from him after waving him goodbye. You almost missed it, but you noticed him waving back at you as you keep walking further away from him.

*****

“YOU BUMPED INTO WHO?” Your friend yelled, making you kicked her leg lightly and shushed her.

“Keep it down will you?! I didn’t even realize that he was there. It’s not like I bumped into him on purpose.” You explained yourself. Your friend laughed and calmed down.

“But seriously, that’s so unexpected. What are the chances that you’d bump into him of all people? If you ask me I think this is fate.” She said. You raised an eyebrow, not understanding wha she’s trying to say. “Aish, I mean he could be your potential boyfriend.”

Your eyes widen, face heating up as you try to deny her statement. “What are you talking about? Many people bump into someone, are you saying that they’ll end up together?” She laughed again, clearly enjoying teasing you.

“I’m kidding. Sigh I really want that to happen to me too y’know? I want to bump into handsome people too. Maybe someone like Youngjae? He seems so mature and charming.” F/n sighed dreamily. You can’t help but rolled your eyes at your friend while laughing.

Youngjae is also from the same group as Shinyu. Their group consist of six people, Shinyu as the reliable one, Dohoon as the playful one, Youngjae as the responsible one, Hanjin known as the nicest boy, Jihoon being the social butterfly of the group, and Kyungmin who is very energetic.

“Ok stop daydreaming now, the teacher is here already.” You snapped her out of her daydream as the teacher walk inside the classroom to start the lesson.

*****

“Finally it’s break time. I’m starving.” F/n said, stretching her arms.

“Yeah let’s hurry before the line gets too long.” You then run to the canteen and buy lunch. You walk toward an empty table and start eating while talking to each other. All of a sudden, everyone around starts to look at the same direction and whispering to each other. You and F/n also got curious and try to look at what everyone is looking at.

There you can see Shinyu and his friends walking to the canteen. Their effects are no joke, even their mere presence can make people stop and admire them. Your friend shot you a teasing look, with you just shaking your head and continue eating. You heard footsteps coming towards your direction but you shrug it off, thinking someone is just passing by, until you hear someone clear their throat.

“Ahem…excuse me. There’s no empty table left so can we sit with you guys?” Someone asked. You and your friend look at the newcomers, suprised to see Shinyu and the others in front of you. F/n stutters for a bit before she managed to say yes. Now, you’re sitting between Shinyu and Hanjin with F/n in front of you between Youngjae and Jihoon. Kyungmin sits next to Shinyu while Dohoon sits next to Youngjae.

“Thank you for letting us sit here. Otherwise, we might have to sit on the floor instead. Jihoon joked, looking at you and F/n. You laughed, saying it’s no problem. As you guys eat, you can’t help but notice how Shinyu sometimes looks at you. You hope it’s not because of earlier.

“Hey aren’t you the girl from earlier?”

Well shit.

“Wait this is the girl that bumped into you earlier? Waahh hyung no wonder you can’t stop talking about h-“ Shinyu immediately covers Kyungmin’s mouth, desperately trying to keep him from continuing his line. Luckily you didn’t quite catch what he just said, but your friend sure did, giving you a mischievous look.

“Don’t listen to what he’s saying. Anyways I’m sorry again for earlier.” He said, seemingly still thinking about what happened. You shake your head while giving him a reassuring smile.

“It’s fine. It was just an accident, I also wasn’t looking where I was going.” You said. “And here I was thinking you’d forget about it by now.” You joked. He hides his face from you, maybe still embarrassed about it? You’re not sure.

“Hahaha hyung, your ears are red. Relax, it happens to anyone don’t let it bother you that much.” Dohoon said. They then eat and make a joke every now and then, and they sometimes include you and F/n too. It seems that they are already comfortable with you guys.

Youngjae, as responsible as ever, looks at his phone and reminded you all, “It’s almost time for the next class. We need to go now if we don’t want to be late.” You all cleaned the table and about to go to your separate ways to your own classroom. Unfortunately, F/n suddenly feels sick and has to go to the infirmary. You offered to accompany her but she insisted that she can go alone. Youngjae offered to go to the infirmary with her although she refused at first, he also insisted and ended up going together.

Shinyu walked up to you hesitantly, looking anywhere but you. “Uh…do you want me to walk you to your class? You know, since your friend seems to be sick and won’t be able to come to class with you.” He offered. You wanted to refused at first, really don’t want to bother him, but Hanjin suddenly popped out.

“Just let him walk you to class, otherwise he’s going to be sulking for the rest of the day.” Shinyu turned to Hanjin and playfully hit him. You can’t help but find the situation cute. You decided to take his offer and now you’re walking together to your class. It was a little awkward because none of you were talking so you were about to open a conversation when he once again beats you to it.

“I just realized that I never got your name. May I know your name please?” He asked. You looked at him, realizing that you know him but he obviously doesn’t know you since you’re not as well known as him.

“Oh my name is Y/n.” You introduced yourself. He nodded and proceeds to ask more questions about you, with you answering and also asking something about him in return. It doesn’t take long for you guys to reach your classroom. You turned to him to let him know that this is your class.

“Alright, I’ll see you around then.” He started to walk away but stopped abruptly. You looked at him confused when he turned to you again. He walked up to you again and he looks nervous.

“Um…Can I…can I have your number? It’s fine if you don’t because we technically just got to know each other today and-“ before he can continue to ramble you held out your hand to him. He looks at your hand and then at you in confusion until it clicked and he hurriedly went to grab his phone from his pocket. He gave you his phone and you put your number in his contacts. You returned his phone to him and he looks at his screen.

“Thank you. I’ll add you to our group chat later. Oh and you can give me your friend’s phone number too so I can also add her to the group chat. Anyways I think I should go now. I’ll see you later, bye.” He then ran off to his class.

*****

You look at F/n worriedly.

“Are you sure you’re ok now?” You asked, wanted to make sure she’s really ok.

“Yes I’m fine now. But you know I actually feel thankful that I felt sick because I get to walk with Youngjae together. Oh and he stayed in the infirmary until he absolutely sure I’ll be fine, isn’t that sweet?” She gushed, clearly not over her little interaction with Youngjae. Though you can’t blame her, anyone who’s in the same shoes as her would feel flustered at least.

A ‘ding’ comes from your phone. You checked to see that someone added to you a group chat.

???

Hyung who did you add just now?

???

It’s Y/n

???

Was that the girl that you walked to her classroom?

???

Yeah that’s her

You

Is this Shinyu’s group chat??

???

Yepp

Helloo I’m Kyungmin

???

This is Youngjae

???

Hanjin here

???

I’m Jihoon!!

???

And I’m Shinyu

Wait where’s Dohoon?

???

Sorry, I was still talking with someone

Wait let me scroll up for a sec

“Oh right F/n do you mind if I give your number to-“. you were cut off by another ‘ding’ to find that Youngjae added her to the group chat.

“Waahh he actually added me. Why are you looking at me like that?” She asked you.

“You also gave your number to him?” You asked. F/n laughed sheepishly as she nodded.

“But hey you also gave Shinyu your number too right? I’m not the only one.” She said. You looked back at your screen, reading the chats after adding all of their numbers.

Dohoon

Alright I’m done reading

Y/n and F/n, welcome to our group chat

Hanjin

Warning, we’re very active in this group chat

Kyungmin

But at least we’re fun :D

You

Lol it’s fine

Me and F/n always text each other too

F/n

I can vouch for that

Jihoon

Nicee

Anyways guys, can anyone help me with my homework?

Hanjin

We have homework?

Kyungmin

If it’s math I can help😊

But you have to treat me lunch in exchange😏

Youngjae

Our maknae is actually bargaining

He’s growing up so fast

Dohoon

Ikr🥲

Kyungmin

What

Jihoon

Deal!!

Just help me please🥺

Hanjin

I also need help!!

Let’s do it together

“Wow they’re actually really fun.” F/n said. You can’t help but agree with her. After texting with the boys and laughing at some of their responses, you and F/n grabbed your bags and leave the classroom as school is over already. F/n left first since she needed to go somewhere after school with her family while you need to put your stuff in your locker first. You were just done putting away your stuff when someone tapped your shoulder. You looked to see Shinyu, who is now smiling at you shyly.

“Hi, is your friend not with you?” He asked, looking around to see if he can spot F/n.

“No she left already. I needed to put my stuff in the locker first before leaving.” You answered him, closing the locker.

“I see…um…” he tries to say something but seems hesitant. You wait patiently for him, wondering what he wants to talk about. After taking a deep breath, he looks at you again with a slightly red face.

“Can I walk you home?”

You blinked, processing what he just said. After it clicked, you replied, “Huh? I mean I don’t want to bother you. You must be tired after school so-“

He cuts you off, “It’s fine. I’m fine with it, I don’t mind. I want to walk you home, you’re not bothering me. You know, I’ll be worried if you’re walking home alone. But you don’t have to say yes-I’m not forcing you to let me walk you home. I understand-“ this time you’re the one who cut him off.

“Haha alright. You can walk me home, thank you.” You accepted his request. He seems giddy, though he tries to hide it by suppressing his smile.

While you’re on the way to your house, you noticed how he subtly moved you to the safer side of the road and slowed down his steps to match yours. This makes you feel warm, appreciating his efforts to make you comfortable. As you walk, you continued your conversation from earlier and get to know each other better. For example, you now know that he has siblings and he’s the youngest, his hobby is drawing, etc. Eventually you reach your house, not even aware that you’ve walked so far already.

“This is my house. Thank you for walking me home Shinyu.” You thanked him again. “Be sure to text me once you’re home ok? Be safe.”

“I will. I’ll get going then. See you tomorrow Y/n.” He said, giving you a little wave before walking to his house. You waited a little bit until you can’t see him anymore before going inside your house. When you stepped inside, you find your mother looking at you with a teasing smile.

“So…who’s the boy?” She asked. You give her a deadpanned look.

“What? I can tell that he’s a nice boy, not to mention cute too. Is he your boyfriend?”

“Mom. Please don’t start with this.” You whined.

After you take a shower and changed into a more comfortable clothes, you noticed a notification popped out on your screen. You checked to see it’s from Shinyu, texting you that he’s home already. You smiled, texting him back and told him to rest. You texted each other for a long time until it’s time for you to sleep.

You

I have to sleep soon

Shinyu

Alright, it’s getting late anyways

Don’t stay up too late and get enough sleep

You don’t want to be sleepy for school tomorrow

You

Yes sir🫡

I’ll be off then

Goodnight Shinyu :)

Shinyu

Goodnight :)

Sleep well

You giggled, looking back at his texts. You really enjoy talking with Shinyu. Even though you only started talking to him today, you already feel comfortable around him.

*****

Ever since that day, you always talk to Shinyu and the others. You and F/n often secure seats at your table for them to join you guys in the canteen. You feel like you’re getting closer to them day by day and start to hang out with them even outside of school. Just a week ago, you and F/n were invited to go to the arcade by the boys. You played many games and be competitive with them, constantly challenging each other. It was really fun, but that day you have a certain moment that keeps replaying in your head.

*flashback*

You were waiting for F/n and Dohoon to finish their match in a basketball game when your eyes caught sight of a cute keychain in a claw machine.

“Do you want the keychain?” A voice suddenly said, startling you. Shinyu was beside you, looking at you and the keychain.

“Well it’s cute, but I’m not good at claw machines. Besides, usually these kind of games are rigged right?” You said. He hummed, and then proceeds to enter a coin to the machine.

“Wha-you don’t have to-“ you stopped whatever you wanted to say as you watch him play and successfully grabbed the keychain with the claw. It dropped the keychain to the hole and he grabs it, giving it to you.

“This is the one that you wanted right?” He asked, worried that he got the wrong one. It doesn’t really matter to him, he can just play it again until he gets what you wanted. You look at him in disbelief before laughing.

“Yeah that’s the one. Thank you for getting this for me.” You thanked him.

“No problem. Oh I think they’re done already. Want to go over there now?”

“HAHA I WIN!”

“WAIT I DEMAND A REMATCH!!”

*flashback ended*

You giggled, feeling your heart flutter at the fond memory. You’ve realized that you have feelings for Shinyu for a while now. You don’t know when you started to like him, maybe it’s when he helped you with your studies in the library with him patiently explaining the lessons to you. Or when he invited you to see them dance as they’re in a dance club and you could see the passion in him when he danced. Or maybe that one time when he asked your opinion about his self written rap. After months of getting to know him, you’ve known him not as a popular boy in school but as a shy but reliable guy who can be really competitive in games, as someone who really enjoys dancing, singing and rapping, and as someone who also has a playful and clumsy side. He’s caring towards those who he feels close to, always making sure they’re ok.

But of course, because he’s popular, many people are jealous of your interactions with him.

*****

You were minding your own business when suddenly someone grabbed your hair and slammed you into the wall. You winced in pain, looking at the girls in front of you.

“You bitch. How dare you hang around Shinyu?” One of them sneered and hit you.

“Who even are you? You’re a nobody, and he’s the most popular boy in this school. Do you really think that you’re worth even be in the same place as him?” Another girl said, laughing at you.

You looked around to see students gathering around, but no one bothers to help you. Either they’re too scared or they also agree with the girls. You screamed in pain when one of them kicked you.

“HEY WE’RE OVER HERE! ARE YOU REALLY THAT STUPID TO UNDERSTAND US?” She yelled.

“Don’t ever come near him again or else-“

“WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING?!” A loud voice yelled, making everyone freeze and look towards the source of the voice. You were suprised to see Shinyu, even more so when you noticed how angry he looks right now as he makes his way towards you and the girls.

“S-Shinyu. We were just-“ one of them tried to say something when he cuts her off.

“Do you think I’m blind? Clearly you’re bullying her and for what? For being friends with me? I can decide who I want to be friends with and you can’t change that. Now if you don’t apologize to her right now I’m going to report you to the teachers.” He threatened, glaring at the girls. You have to admit he looks intimidating right now. He then kneels down to you to check for any injuries, glaring at the girls when he hears no apology. They flinched, immediately said sorry and ran away. He then proceeds to give every student who gathers around them a disappointed look.

“You all are no better. Why are you just watching when someone is being hurt? I hope you all are disappointed in yourselves. Shame on you all for allowing this kind of behavior to happen.” They all look guilty as they start to walk away. After that, he gives you his attention again.

“Are you ok? I’m sorry for not being here earlier. Let’s get you to the infirmary.” He said softly, suddenly lifting you up bridal style. You yelped in surprised, arms immediately warped around his neck.

“S-Shinyu-I can walk by my own-“ you tried to get him to put you down but he refused. After arriving at the infirmary, the nurse was nowhere to be seen, so he puts you on the infirmary bed gently and takes it upon himself to help with your injuries.

None of you are saying anything as he treats your wounds until you decided to speak.

“I’m sorry for troubling you. I didn’t expect-“

“Don’t apologize.” He suddenly said. You looked at him. His eyebrows are furrowed and he looks troubled.

“Don’t ever apologize for this. This is not your fault. You don’t need to feel guilty about this.” He takes a deep breath before continuing.

“If anything, I’m sorry for letting this happen to you. I didn’t realize that by being close with you would mean that a lot of people would dislike you to the point of hurting you. If I had known I would’ve-“

“Shinyu.” He stopped himself after hearing you talk.

“You said that this is not my fault, then this is not your fault either. You wouldn’t have known something like this would happen. So what? Does that mean you regret befriending me? Are you regretting the fact that we’ve become so close now?”

“Of course not!” He denied. “I would never regret being friends with you. I would never regret letting myself be close with you. In fact, I’m really thankful for the day you bumped into me.” Now this makes your eyes widen. He then continued, “If it weren’t for that, I wouldn’t have ever met you. I wouldn’t be talking with you, hanging out with you, I wouldn’t-“. he stopped talking, debating whether he should continue or not.

“I wouldn’t be able to fall inlove with you.”

You gasped, clearly didn’t expect him to confess. This whole time you thought he only saw you as a friend but thinking back at it now, there are times where he acts like someone who doesn't just think of you as a friend.

“Shinyu…” you started, hands finding their way to his and hold them.

“I’m also inlove with you.” You confessed. He shots his head up to look at you. A minute has passed, and then two, then he starts blushing to the point where he almost looks like a tomato.

“W-what? Wait..you like me back? I- hang on I need to process this.” He pulled his hands from your hands to hide his face. You laughed at his reaction, trying to pry his hands away from his face.

“Shinyu don’t get shy on me now. You look really cute right now.” His face gets even more red as he tries to say something but failed.

“So…you really like me back?” He asked, finally mustered up the courage to look at you. You give him a smile as you nodded.

“Does that mean…we’re dating then? Are you my girlfriend now? Do you want to be my girlfriend? Can I be your boyfriend?” You hold yourself back from squishing his cheeks.

“Yes I’ll be your girlfriend as long as you’ll be my boyfriend.”

“YES! I’ll be your boyfriend!” He said, grabbing one of your hand and kissed it, making you blush in return.

“Woah weren’t you shy just a few seconds ago? How are you acting so bold now?”

“I mean…I am your boyfriend now right?” He said, smirking at your reaction.

*****

“So…you guys are together now?” F/n asked, looking at you and Shinyu who are holding hands.

“Yeah we’re in a relationship now.” You said. F/n and the rest of the boys gaped at the both of you. After that, they started cheering.

“YEESSS I KNEW THEY WOULD END UP TOGETHER!”

“Y/N YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT WE HAVE TO GO THROUGH! NO OFFENSE WE LIKE YOU AND ALL BUT HE WON’T STOP TALKING ABOUT YOU-“

“HEY WHY ARE YOU BRINGING THAT UP?”

Shinyu went towards the boys and playfully banter with them. Meanwhile, you walk over to F/n.

“So…when are you going to confess to Youngjae?” You asked her.

“Ssshhh. You don’t get to say that after months of pining for each other. How did you not notice how he practically gave you heart eyes?”

You rolled your eyes at her, smacking her shoulder lightly. Shinyu then make his way to you after F/n walks over to the boys to discuss probably more list of him being a simp towards you and hugged you.

“Hmm?? Why the sudden hug?” You asked, returning the hug, not complaining and instead enjoying the warmth he gives off. He then tightens the hug, not wanting to let go.

“Mm, I just really like you.”

——————————————————————————

[loserlvrss]

꒰ 𝐂𝐈𝐍𝐃𝐘 𝐋𝐎𝐔 𝐖𝐇𝐎 ꒱ 손영재

summary : you broke with eric a long time ago, and you thought you were over him until you saw him with another girl

genre : angst, eric x afab!reader, non-idol!au, bestfreind!chanhee, for plot purposes everyone mentioned is around the same ages of 23-25 tws : language, mentions of sex, depressive episode author notes : no happy endings with me ♡ word count : 2.3k

“chanhee, i didn’t even want to come.”

“well, neither did i, y/n, but kevin said he’d send his attack-snake out on me. and i don’t want to find out what that even means.”

“huh,” you said, shoulders motioning with your voice, “kinky.”

"of course you'd think that," your best friend of a couple years (but felt like a million, in a good way) started, rolling his sharp eyes, "you haven't fucked in —"

"alright!" you stopped him, taking the creese of his elbow, "i get it, i'm lonely. damn, what about you though, king? when was your last relationship? because if i'm remembering correctly, it ended before eri —"

"y/n!" running up to the pair of you was the host, a bright and inviting smile plastering his face. although, you weren't sure why you kept walking around like a knife was lodged between your shoulder blades still. "i'm so glad you could make it!" because the moment you saw a familiar stranger, a brunette clinging to his strong arm with a green cocktail between her manicured fingers, your heart suddenly was on the floor.

you don't know why the scene of the liquid covering her perfectly blown-out hair flashed through your head. or why you could imagine the little christmas tree decoration in it scratching the top of her mouth until it stung when she would talk. you could hear her musically-tuned laugh ring through the air at a joke you couldn't imagine was that funny.

"what the hell am i, chopped liver?" chanhee joked, oblivious to what you spaced out on, "you only wanted me to come because you knew i'd bring along my emotional support fish."

it seemed you were always on a one-way street you just couldn't turn off of, because no matter how many potholes you hit, you keep driving; and if your tires popped, you weren't sure the car would stop.

you shouldn't be allowed to be appalled by the sight of your ex having moved on, simply because you broke it off when he wanted to make it work. you dropped his heart when he let you hold it. and when he should've played his cards close to his chest, he let you join his team just to fold. you were making the ship sink, so how could you have the audacity to be mad when he jumped from it while you went down?

he loved you, but at the time you weren't sure what you wanted. sure, you blamed it on being 19, but it was because you were scared to commit to someone so committed to you. you didn't want to be, selfishly, tied down to one person — and now that you've purged it from you system, you, selfishly, wanted the same commitment he had given you 5 years ago.

now you stood in the foyer, two different faces from those kids, attached to another man, thinking about if he looked over, would he get the wrong idea? would it make him as jealous as you felt?

you've loved, had loss and even forgot it. but faced with the void you could never fill was more debilitating than you cared to admit. you wanted to be two ‘i miss you's’ that just needed a push, but evidently only one of you felt that way, as the other was happily coupled up during cuffing season. but then again, you had no right after half a decade to think like that.

you just had to be brave and pretend like it doesn't bother you. you can do that. you can do a lot... right?

chanhee rammed into your side, his desperate attempt to get you back down on earth, instead of inside your never-not-on brain. "did you even hear what kevin just said?" he asked, and you looked to said man, "he said the bands getting back together." your bestfriend made a joke, which did cause you to loosen up and laugh. you thought that as long as he was there, you'd inevitably be okay.

"well not exactly, a couple people couldn't make it — which is fine, but most of our old friend group is here." kevin explained, lacing your free arm with his so you were sandwiched between the two of them. "it seems like you and chanhee were the only ones who really hung out like we all used to."

you reminisced the old times for a second. you remembered when your name was connected with eric's, when you hung out like old times with them and him. you remembered the stupid parties kevin's frat would throw freshman year, that eric would drag you to, just for you and him to have a great time. you remembered when you'd have quiet study sessions with jacob and younghoon in the school's library, or juhaknyeon and sunwoo's soccer games. it made you feel a little messy, because after you and him broke up, it's like you broke up with them all. you habitually stopped hanging out, only being dragged by chanhee who was attached to you since first introduction.

you actually owe your level-headedness all to him. he's the person who convinced you that you didn't need to have a run-of-the-mill to finally find something good. he's also unfortunately the reason you remember eric like it was yesterday, even if you don't front like it. you knew you had someone so devoted to you, yet you let him go and now you had the audacity to feel bad about it.

"well, is sunwoo coming?" you asked, which earned a nod from kevin, "and what about younghoon and juyeon?"

"juyeon got a girlfriend!" chanhee exclaimed excitedly, his voice lowering when sangyeon's attention was caught on the three of you, "like last month."

the oldest of your friend's face lit up, "y/n!" he said, making you force a smile though you were cringing; because just a couple feet away was the love of your adolescence, with the presumable love of his.

standing next to him was hyunjae, "how've you been, oh my gosh, it's been like years hasn't it?" you voiced, bringing him in for a hug, which he reciprocated before you moved to sangyeon to repeat the process. it had been years since you've last spoken to them other than a happy birthday or congratulations once in a blue moon — you honestly wouldn't be surprised if their numbers had changed and you'd been texting a random person.

"good, good," hyunjae replied, sipping a bright red cocktail, "i actually just finished my business degree, thinking of either opening my own or investing in some else's."

"and I just got engaged, though she wasn't able to make it here tonight — ceo stuff — she's getting ready to go international after fully getting elected as the heir."

you couldn't help but compare, sure you had your teaching license, but it wasn't as impressive as either one of them.

they were making it hard to believe that the world was spinning too fast, and that you weren't stuck watching the same film over and over again.

chanhee began talking in your place, forcing you down into the barstool between them all. kevin went over to younghoon and juyeon who had just made their way through the door: a synthetic blonde attached juyeon's arm.

"what's her name?" you blurted, the three boys looking down at you, "she's pretty."

hyunjae was nonchalant, pretending he didn't know exactly what you actually meant. however, sangyeon replied awkwardly, "w-who? kim minyeon? or jang nari?"

"juyeon's girlfriend, n-not eric's."

"o-oh! that's minyeon."

nari. the feminine name meaning lily; new beginnings and rebirth. just fucking perfect, wasn't it? pretty, perfect and delicate, just like the flower.

you sighed and excused yourself, disguising it as having to use the bathroom. in honesty, you weren't sure how much more torcher you could take, and it's barely been twenty minutes. you thought you'd be fine, as long as chanhee stayed by your side, but the longer you watched the pair through your peripherals, the more you just ached.

you cared more than you'd like to have admitted. and the worst part is you had no one to blame — to be mad at — because everyone had rightfully assumed you both were over it.

like you were supposed to be.

it was pathetic, the way you stared yourself down in the mirror. you found yourself resembling someone you've never met, or maybe someone you had just forgotten in all the growing pains. nevertheless, you found yourself disgusted by the fact that you were disgracing your mother's eyes, father's nose, and sister's cheekbones with the self-pity. there was nothing more selfish than crashing someone else's party with one of your own.

so you choked the tears back, the lump in your throat making it hard to breathe. you took a powder from the purse slung over your shoulder and fixed your creasing makeup. you reapplied a red lipstick, fixing your hair and outfit. you thought that if you couldn't have him, maybe you could make it wish he had you instead — god, you were letting the delusions look too good under the fluorescent light.

however, you stooped lower than throwing a pity party. you exited the bathroom with part of your dignity still intact, but the moment you sat against the plush-cushioned bench against the wall your phone was illuminated with pictures of the pretty brunette.

you couldn't get yourself to stop once you typed her name out. it's like you were boarding the gossip train all the way back in high school.

you scrolled like you were obsessed, brain blanking out everything around you. you saw her go through a cherry red hair phase sometime in 2022. you found out that her and eric had taken a vacation to hawaii back in 2021, multiple bikini pictures and perfectly sculpted bodies clinging together like models being the tell. you scrolled farther back, dead-set on finding the first picture she ever posted of him… that must've been close to when they met.

why do you even care? you know he was too caught up following you around like a puppy to even believe that he would entertain someone other than you. so, why were you obsessed? maybe you needed a reason to be mad at him. maybe you needed an excuse to shift the blame.

maybe it's everything you needed that he could live without —

"i didn't meet her that far back, y/n. we were still dating then."

your eyes shut, finger hitting the power button. you took a moment, hoping that it was just your cruel subconscious playing tricks with reality. "didn't think you'd cared that much," he took a seat on the complete opposite end of the bench, "it's been five years... and honestly i didn't think you cared back then either."

you were too embarrassed to say anything. and frankly, you didn't know what to reply with. i'm sorry? i did care about you, but just not enough? nothing seemed to suffice.

"i met nari at work. she treats me —"

your vision was blurring over, but you couldn't find the courage to get up and walk away. you were just so damn pathetic, weren't you? you just thought that everything in this world belonged to you, peaking your freshman year of college in comparison to the people who still innocently call you a friend.

"better?"

"different, y/n. she's different than you."

you sighed, "that doesn't make it bet — i mean, it doesn't matter, eric. i'm sorry, i was just curious after not seeing you for so long." your eyes opened, but the scene was blurred over, almost like it was torrentially pouring while driving late at night. there were questions flashing behind your eyelids every time you tried to blink the tears away. you thought that you couldn't stoop lower, but for the past couple minutes you've done nothing but prove it wrong. "i'm so-sorry, i'm just gonna go."

you got to your feet, but his voice made you stop dead in your tracks.

"w-why does it bother you so much?"

you honestly felt like your heart was re-shattering, joining the dust on the floor at your feet. you thought the question would join the heaps of pathetic things you've said and done tonight.

you turned around, phone clenched between your fist. eric was still sat, dark hair styled so nicely you almost thought that it wasn't him — but her — outfit a matching shade to the dress you saw hugging her figure gracefully.

"do you honestly think i didn't care about you?" you asked, to which he raised his head at an alarming pace, "it's true, i know i fucked it up, eric, okay? i know what i did to you and i'm sorry. i-i'm sorry i waited so long to tell you that." clearing the air didn't feel like closure at all. the tears in his eyes didn't feel like hatred at all. and maybe he didn't mean it. maybe he only told himself that because you did break his heart so bad, still holding pieces he's afraid he'll never get back. "you can think whatever you want, hate me even, but please don't think for a second i didn't love you back then. i was naive and made a mistake, but it's too late to take it back. believe me, i've thought about it. but i always fucking cared about you, okay?"

you found it oddly satisfying, though knowing in the back of your head that he would curse you for saying these things while he's happily coupled up, you didn't regret it.

"i'll forever be sorry, so don't hold it over my head."

"i believed you didn't care about me... back when we were nineteen." he replied after a long pause, "but i haven't believe that for a long time. y/n, i've forgiven you."

reblogs, likes and comments are greatly appreciated! thank u!

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[hcuyk]

3.30am, eric or any other tbz members. i’d appreciate it if u could write a piece based on joji glimpse of us :) i luv ur writing btw!

[3:30AM]

Eric had done everything in his power to get over you.

Out of the many relationships he had been in, nothing compared to what he had with you. The hopeless romantic side of himself had always dreamed of having an unconditional love in his life, but until he met you, he would often shrug it off with partying until the sun rose and running off at night to do stupid things on the railroad tracks with his friends.

It was the way he lived and the life he attempted to return to when you broke up with him.

Ever since then, with his weak attempts to hook up with strangers and drink until all his thoughts were rid of you, his close friends would barge into his room each morning at 4, drilling him to wake up and jog around campus shirtless. The exercise was nothing to him, not when he had always actively visited the gym, but each morning he dreaded it.

Because with every passing day at 3 A.M., he would wake up, unable to fall back asleep, and get lost in his thoughts as he eyed the popcorn ceiling above him. His nightlight would tint the ceiling and the walls around him your favorite color, and he would wonder about your whereabouts and if you were doing better without him. Everywhere Eric looked—it was always you.

He couldn’t fathom dreaming of being with another person because, regardless of how attractive or charismatic they were, he would always get caught up staring into their eyes and catching a glimpse of hope, something your eyes once held.

Throughout your last few months of dating, he watched that light dissipate into utter darkness, one that he couldn’t go through and pull you out of—to make you believe that he was the one for you, the one who would watch you grow into your greatest self and he’d love you more with every day that passed.

But instead of being able to enjoy each day with you, he was left to witness how your actions have morphed into ones of a stranger. He watched you give up on their relationship, and nothing hurt him more than knowing he lost someone he loved for so long.

He wished that if you were capable of holding onto that hope, that spark and newfound love and drive to fight for your relationship, then maybe you two would’ve lasted. Maybe he would’ve been able to see you thrive in your dream career field while he pursued his, and you two would be each other’s number one supporters. The ‘what ifs’ plagued him day by day, always wondering that maybe if he had done something different, you two would still be together. He wished that regardless of what lifetime you two shared together, he wanted this one to be with you.

He wanted to do everything with you.

Eric jolted to the sound of his roommate moving in his bed across the room. He didn’t think much of it aside from Juyeon having a bad dream, but that was until his roommate had actually gotten up onto his two feet to change. Eric scrambled to find his phone on the bed and checked his phone for the time, confirming that there still was another thirty minutes until their daily jog. Before he could process what Juyeon was doing, his roommate had spoken up before him.

“You’re awake early.”

Eric squinted at him, puzzled at Juyeon’s sudden need for a conversation this early in the morning.

“I always am.” Eric turned in his bed to lie on his side. He watched as his friend removed his shirt and replaced it with a tank top. “Why are you up?”

“C’mon, dude. I can hear your thoughts from here.”

The two stared at each other in silence, and Juyeon stood with his feet stapled to the ground, refusing to move. His arms were crossed, and he was ready to get Eric out of bed. When Eric didn’t move, Juyeon cocked a brow at him.

“Am I wrong?”

The slight tension they had between them had disappeared when Eric mumbled ‘no’. Juyeon pursued his lips and held back a sigh, replacing it with a slight shake of his head in disapproval. Eric caught this and parted his lips to explain, to explain how much it hurt, but Juyeon interrupted him with a look of understanding because he knew.

Eric would always talk about you endlessly, and to have that ripped away from him was a pain Juyeon has yet to experience. He always believed you and Eric were endgame too.

“I miss them,” Eric whispered, his voice strangled as he desperately looked at his friend for any sort of mental assistance. He was prepared to be called stupid, to say that he shouldn’t be thinking about you after a month of adjusting without you and to move on, but Juyeon did none of that. Instead, he stared elsewhere, his heart empathizing with how much his friend was still in love.

“I know.” Juyeon kept his tone gentle, and with a forced tug of his lips, he wore a warm smile and approached Eric to pat him, comforting him as best as he could.

“I really do miss them.”

Juyeon watched as Eric curled up under the comforter, hugging his legs close to his chest, as he grew smaller in his bed. He took notice of how Eric buried his lower half of his face under, physically shielding how vulnerable he was, but Juyeon knew Eric better than most. He patted him again, gently.

“C’mon, buddy. Let’s jog.”

permanent taglist . . . @the-cereal-simp @armysantiny @stealanity @zzoguri @nyujjan @tinisprout

author's note // picking up requests from like two years ago because it's about damn time 🧍‍♂️ thank you for sending this in! it's not really true to the song, but i tried to implement it as much as i could!! thank you so much for supporting me :] ^^ also the last time i posted smth for eric he was on a hiatus??? ??? ??? ?? HAS IT BEEN THAT LONG????

[luciathcv]

ᥫ᭡ the boyz masterlist

ᥫ᭡ guide: angst (a), fluff (f), suggestive (sg)

ᥫ᭡ kim sunwoo

why do i even like him? (f).(a)

ᥫ᭡ sohn youngjae

san sebastian (f) - part one

goodbye san sebastian (f) - part two

[sungbeam]

nonidol!eric sohn x f!reader

you won't think golf is a boring sport after he's done with you! (but it's not about golf, and it's not about swings. just a young heir with money, love, and a thing for you.)

▷ genre, warnings. technically s2l, country club au, summer break au, starts with him already into you, slight pining? idk, fluff, humor, rich people™, golf lol, swearing, drinking, kissing, it gets like actually romantic, Eric Sohn bc he's so attractive someone help me.

▷ word count. 11.4k

▷ inspired by swing my way (cha cha malone & phe r.e.d.s)

a/n: my submission for the deoboyznet summer on you event! and @mosviqu who implanted the idea of country club rich boy eric into my brain @@

It wasn't like Eric Sohn, heir to his parents' multi-million dollar investment firm, prized shortstop of the UCLA baseball team, planned to spend his entire summer charming his parents' clients and partners. A summer spent at the Beverly Hills Country Club wasn't something new for the young heir either. The rolling, emerald green hills for golf; the clean cement tennis courts; the dim and classy bars were all ingrained in him since childhood. They were environments Eric had learned to thrive in, and when one had the advantage, one was always taught to wield it like a blade.

At least, that was what he was taught. Over the years, he'd also learned that his extroverted personality and charming smile were disarming—and his pretty boy appearance often resulted in others underestimating him. That was their mistake.

"...that trip to Taiwan will be such a great opportunity to explore the relationship between our companies."

Eric clasped Mr. Thomas Tsaur's hand in a firm shake as the two men stood at the final hole of the golf course. Eric beamed. "Yes, of course! I know my mom would love to see the night markets around Taipei; my parents have been looking forward to the trip all year," he said, as easy as breathing air. Of course, he didn't really know if his parents were looking forward to it. If he was the one on his way to Taiwan instead, he knew that he himself would be ecstatic.

During business meetings—and meetings that weren't officially classified as business, but were definitely about business—Eric tried to stay as true to himself as possible. Once in a while, some of the persona he'd built up slipped through the cracks, but there was a reason he liked baseball more than business.

Mr. Tsaur made a pleasant reply back about promising a fun-filled tour of the city with his wife, and the two of them were splitting up. There were offhanded comments about seeing each other for dinner when Eric's parents finally arrived, but that was all that was left of the interaction.

Eric jogged down the hill toward the conventional path where a white-topped golf cart sat waiting for him. His driver and caddy companion for the day was Jacob Bae, a regular worker here at the country club whom Eric had known for at least a couple years now.

But instead of just Jacob and the cart, Eric found that someone else had joined the group.

You sat in the second row of the golf cart with a circular serving tray pressed over your lap. Like some of the other staff members at the club, you wore the standard black, collared shirt and black skort. He'd seen you around this place plenty of times this summer and even greeted you once or twice, but he knew you were new.

Oh, trust that he knew a new face when he saw one, especially when said face was as pretty as yours. The only shame was that you were often assigned to areas where Eric didn't exactly frequent, but he never took himself as the type to give up easily.

You and Jacob were sharing a laugh as Eric approached the golf cart with his golf putter in hand. "Hey guys," Eric chirped.

All the attention flickered over to Eric, but he couldn't stop staring at the way the slight breeze this afternoon was making your hair fall in your face all pretty. Even in a braid, the little strands fell out to frame your face.

"Oh, hi Eric! How was the last round?" Jacob asked as he twisted around in his driver's seat to watch Eric round the back to put his putter away. You had shifted in your seat slightly to follow him with your eyes, as well.

Eric slid the stick into his bag and caught your eyes. His smile widened. "It went well. Same old, same old," he chuckled, bracing a gloves hand on the roof of the cart. "When'd you get here, Yn?" He asked you with a nod of his chin.

You perked up at the sound of your name. Cute. "Ah, just a few minutes ago," you said. You sheepishly gestured to your empty tray. "Haknyeon dropped me off a few holes over to deliver drinks, and then I saw Jacob over here and walked over to catch a ride back to the clubhouse."

"I can't believe he just ditched you," Jacob chortled.

Eric circled around the cart to take the seat in the front beside Jacob. "He ditched you?" He frowned, leaning his arm over the back of the seat to look at you.

As the cart began making its smooth return down the path and over a small bridge, you smoothed your braid over your shoulder. "No, no! He didn't ditch me; we were just headed in the same direction until we… weren't," you mused. "I mean, if Cobie wasn't here, a walk back wouldn't have been the worst thing anyways."

"I guess," Eric agreed, biting his lip. "So, uh… ever played golf before?"

"Golf? It's been a while, but yeah, I've driven the occasional golf ball across a green."

From the driver's seat, Jacob slapped his right hand down on Eric's shoulder. "Yn-ie! This guy's one of the best casual golf players you'll probably ever meet. His swing? So clean."

Eric chuckled, clasping a hand on the back of his neck, when he felt your attention flicker back to him again. "I'm no pro…"

"I'll have to see that for myself then," you said with a smile.

The golf cart slowed to a stop in front of the doors into the main kitchens of the clubhouse proper. Because this main kitchen was so large, they were given their own set of doors directly to the outdoor courts and beyond for easy access. While Jacob would drop you off here, he would have to continue onward for Eric's proper spot.

You clambered out of the golf cart, poking Jacob in the shoulder as you went. "Bye, guys! Thanks for the ride, Cobie."

"Bye, Yn!" Both boys chimed together. When you disappeared behind the swinging kitchen doors, Jacob pulled the cart back onto the main road to carry onward.

Eric settled into his seat to face forward once again. He lifted the cap off his head and carded a hand through his hair to let the strands, dampened with sweat, dry a bit. "I didn't know Yn was allowed to work the golf range," he commented as innocently as possible.

Jacob made a small humming noise. "Yeah, we're short a couple people out here because of the Ferndale event going on down by the gazebo."

"She wasn't sent there?"

"Did you want her to be sent there?" Jacob grinned slyly at the young heir, who turned his gaze elsewhere.

Eric coughed. "I didn't say that."

His companion still would not wipe that knowing smile off his face, even as he slowed the golf cart to a stop and Eric hopped out to collect his equipment from the back. "I didn't say you did," he snickered as Eric walked away.

He didn't give Jacob the satisfaction of an answer, instead, saying a "thank you" for driving him over his shoulder, before ducking inside the clubhouse locker room.

Jacob shook his head in amusement and began making his way further down the path to return the cart. Silly, silly kids.

You didn't realize country clubs were real until you were sitting in the office of the Beverly Hills Country Club's hiring manager and being hired. That was about a month ago, and no, you still didn't believe it was real. The entire training experience, in fact, had swept through like a fever dream.

The summer season had just begun, though, and they had taken you on in a rush of desperation. You hadn't failed to notice how relieved the hiring manager looked when you told him you'd worked as a waitress at an upscale wedding venue before you moved cross-country, and knew how to carry a drink platter and dirty dishes. That was part of the reason you'd been hired on the spot. You'd also mentioned your extensive knowledge of how to fold cloth napkins into swans, and you liked to think that was your true selling point. (Don't ask, the last part was because you had been very bored while waiting in the backroom during a wedding.)

And while you cared little about cleaning pools or catering to rich prick egos, you did care about the crisp green bills that graced your eyes with more frequency than a Superman actor on Hollywood Boulevard. There was also the possibility to gain some more experience in the dining and catering world; if you were lucky, you could butter up your manager to let you help out in the kitchen some.

After all, that was why you were here so far from home.

"Yn, you've got company at table five," Haknyeon said as he passed by you on his way into the kitchen.

You gave a nod out of instinct. You brushed your hands against your black waist apron, absentmindedly reaching up to also smooth out the black vest on your upper half. Usually when you worked at the club's restaurants and bars as wait staff, your uniform consisted of a white button down under a black vest, followed by a black skirt and apron. It was classy and chic, and definitely added to the expensive atmosphere.

You could see table five in your section up ahead. It was a little early into dinner service, but there were still people who came in. To your surprise, the company at table five was none other than Eric Sohn himself, along with two others you recognized as his parents. They were dressed casually—meaning semiformal. It was something out of a dinner cruise, with Eric's dark brunette waves styled effortlessly messy and the top three buttons of his dress shirt undone to reveal the slightly bronzed, toned skin beneath—

You cleared your throat, plastering a smile on your face as you approached the table. "Evening, everyone. Mr. and Mrs. Sohn," you gave a small greeting bow to his parents, then swiftly doled out little napkins for their drinks. "It's nice to see you on the grounds again today."

"Oh, Yn! It's very nice to see you this evening," said Mrs. Sohn with a delicate flourish of her wrist.

"Yes!" Mr. Sohn chimed in, "What have you been up to? Eric says he saw you on the golf range today."

Your eyes darted to Eric's, then went back to his parents when you realized his eyes were on you. You laughed, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear and bracing the end of your serving tray against your waist. "Oh, uhm, yeah! I was just summoned down there to get some drinks to the Santos family—you know them, right?"

Recognition lit up in Eric's mother's eyes. "Yes, yes! Marina and her kids! Ah, well that sounds nice; I'll have to see if I can bump into her at the spa or something. Eric gave you a ride back in his cart, didn't he? The walk back is awfully far."

You nodded. "Yeah, of course. He was with Jacob, so I just hopped in the back and rode back with them here."

"I still owe you that golf date," Eric cut in smoothly, the hand with his Rolex draped over the back of his chair. His smile was casual, innocent, the kind that so easily could make anyone do his bidding.

"Golf date?" His parents glanced curiously between the two of you, and you felt heat rush up to your cheeks.

"It was just an offhand comment," you said sheepishly. "Jacob was telling me about how great of a golfer Eric is and I said I wanted to see his swing some time." Before anything else could be said on the matter, you tucked your tray under your arm and replaced it with your notepad and pen. "Can I get you anything to drink? An appetizer to start?"

That drew away the conversation promptly. It wasn't like you were uncomfortable with the idea of going on a date with Eric Sohn, it just wasn't that simple. Though the club officially encouraged good relationships between staff and club members, they didn't exactly encourage the romantic kind of relationship. Obviously, it would be impossible to enforce a no-entanglement policy completely, but you wanted to stay on your manager's good side.

You nearly folded in half over the counter of the tiki bar at the pool. Sweat streamed down the side of your face, and you were pretty sure your baby hairs looked akin to a lion's mane under your white baseball cap. Thank god the club didn't force you to wear a black colored hat instead; the black polo and skort were death enough.

Jacob chuckled as he passed you a clean, damp towel that had been soaking in ice water. "Before you get heat stroke," he said, then returned to preparing a tray of drinks someone had ordered at the hot tub.

You thanked him profusely, dabbing your face and neck with the cool blessing. "Sheesh," you groaned. "I think I need to reapply my sunscreen soon. How are you out here all the time, Cobie?"

He grinned with a half-hearted shrug. "Well, I work with cold drinks and I'm under the shade. And—" he tapped the handy little fan clipped to one of the structure poles of the tiki bar, "—this beautiful work of engineering."

"I need one of those umbrella hats and squirt bottles kids bring to Disneyland," you grumbled and plucked yourself up from the bar. You returned the towel to Jacob so he could toss it into the soiled towel bin on the other side of him. You watched as he finished up filling the tray and whistled at the pool waiter who had ordered it for the group at the hot tub.

As the waiter walked away with the drinks, you thought aloud, "How could they stand to be in the hot tub in this heat?" From here, you could see the group of girls gathered in the bubbling jets of the hot tub at the far end of the pool in their bikini tops and Gucci shades.

"They're not standing—they're sitting."

You sent Jacob an unimpressed look, to which he simply smiled wider.

"Hey guys!" Ji Changmin huffed and puffed as he collapsed onto the barstool next to you. He had a towel hanging around his shoulders and a white sweatband holding up his dark bangs dripping with sweat. "Can I get an ice water, hyung?"

"Yeah, man," Jacob said, already dumping a scoop of ice in a cup.

"You alright there, Changmin?" You glanced over at the club's dance instructor with barely concealed amusement.

Changmin took the corner of his towel to dry the dribble of sweat making its way down his forehead. "Whoever thought it was a good idea to do hot Zumba in the height of summer needs a reality check. I think I'm dying."

As one of the country club's primary dance instructors, not only did Changmin lead all of the dance activities on the grounds, he was also supposed to take over any dance aerobics classes like said hot Zumba. You knew it wasn't his favorite, but it was still funny to make faces at him through the window as he did can-can kicks in leg warmers with all of the rich moms.

You leaned down to check if he had the leg warmers on. He did not. At least he finally had the good sense to break uniform.

Jacob slid over an ice-cold glass of water, and Changmin drained it like a man who trekked through the desert for seven days. You glanced at Jacob's digital clock on the counter behind him—he kept it so he could be on time for all of his breaks.

"Oh shit," you said, quickly fixing your cap and adjusting your hair, "time for me to get back to work."

Changmin straightened. "Where are you stationed today, Yn-ie? Chanhee and I wanted to come pick you up later for dinner before we have to come back."

"That's right!" Jacob slapped his palm to his forehead. "We have to all be back here for the banquet. I almost forgot, damn it."

You cocked a brow at him. "Wow, you, Jacob Bae, almost forgot about the major event all of our jobs are riding on that's taking place tonight?"

A smile curled onto your face when Jacob narrowed his eyes at you. "Don't you have work to do?"

You let out a laugh and began backing away from the tiki bar and your friends. "Kim has me at the ice cream bar until the end of my shift, Changmin. I'll catch you boys later!"

Jacob and Changmin raised their hands in twin waves to you as you walked away. If you remembered the time on Jacob's clock correctly, you had about fifteen minutes to get up to the indoor ice cream bar for your shift.

Tonight, the country club was hosting a banquet for one of the business men here. It was supposedly one of the most important events for the club's reputation, so it was all hands on deck. Everyone from Chanhee at the spa to Haknyeon in the kitchen were called upon to clock into work once again tonight to help out. You were glad you weren't a part of the set-up and takedown committees, but you were expected to wait on the banquet. Jacob was supposed to be bartending tonight, as usual, and your other friends and coworkers would be waiting alongside you.

You glanced up on your walk out of the pool area and nearly tripped over the soles of your sneakers.

Coming in hot (literally) were none other than Eric Sohn, Lee Hyunjae, and Lee Juyeon—all of whom were very much shirtless. Swim trunks hung low on their waists, their stomachs carved like triplet Michaelangelos. Seeing shirtless guys at the pool wasn't new for you, but these guys were actually around your age.

Eric saw you first and waved. "Yn, hey!"

"Hi guys," you greeted back with a shallow nod of your head. "Nice day out for a swim."

"I know, right?" Hyunjae raised a hand to shield his eyes from the unforgiving summer sun. "You must be baking in that uniform, Yn." He raised his chin to gesture at the all black attire.

"I don't suppose you'd be able to join us?" Juyeon smiled. He knew you probably couldn't join them because you were clocked in, but he had always been pretty nice nonetheless. He and Hyunjae were cousins, and the Lee family was well-known around here for being big names in the legal sphere, as well as being one of the larger families. There was another cousin of theirs around their age running around here somewhere, too.

You gave a helpless shrug. "Duty calls, unfortunately."

"Yn, hey wait—" Eric caught your attention as you were about to continue walking up toward the main clubhouse. He flashed you that smile again, the one that made your stomach do flips and would convince you to do flips for him if only he asked. "You won't happen to be working at the banquet tonight, are you?"

"How'd you guess?" You replied good-naturedly. "Why do you ask?"

He began walking backwards toward the direction his friends had drifted off to, his smile tilting up slightly. "So I know which cologne I should wear."

And it definitely wasn't a trick of the summer sun that made you see him wink at you.

"He's into you."

"He is not—" you wrestled your sleeve up your forearm and made a frustrated noise when the button would not go through, "—into me."

Chanhee gave you a nice, slow eye roll just so you would see it, and he yanked the sleeve away from you so he could roll it up himself. "A lot of men around here like smelling nice, but no one pulls out the Acqua Di Gio just for the service girl or a business banquet," he hissed as a fellow waiter rushed past you two in the narrow corridor. "Jesus, why is this button such a bitch?"

"That's what I'm saying," you hissed back at him as the two of you both struggled to fix your sleeve. "Not the cologne thingy—I hate how you're able to just take a whiff and name the cologne. What kind of demon nose do you have?"

Chanhee sighed and collapsed against the wall opposite to you when he finally managed to get the sleeve right. The two of you were currently on break, not hiding, in this corridor. In T-minus two minutes, you would both have to be back out in the hustle and bustle of cleanup or after-party drinks in the lounge. Because the main course had finally been served, a lot of the waiters were allowed to go on break. The banquet thus far had gone relatively smoothly, other than the fact that when you had served Eric all of his courses, he'd made sure you practically melted on the smell of his cologne.

It wasn't your fault you had to bend down close to him to not spill the hot food. And it wasn't your fault that he chose to put his mouth right to your ear when he told you a joke, masking it as asking for more water.

You couldn't decide if you were going to giggle or let your knees buckle at that moment. Thank god you managed to laugh behind your hand and hustle away before anyone noticed.

But that was besides the point. The point was that Chanhee had also passed by Eric, caught the faint trail of Aqua De Whatever, and connected some dots.

"If you want a demon, you talk to Changmin," he said. "I just know my shit. And I also know that you only break out the Acqua Di Gio when you want to attract someone, and based on the fact he's currently seated around about fifty other businesspeople…" Chanhee made a wild, desperate gesture with his hands, eyes widened. Are you getting this? He seemed to ask. Because I will smack you if you aren't.

You fanned yourself, justifying it by thinking about how hot the back hallway was and this outfit was, rather than admitting that it was because Eric was hot. "Okay, okay. Come on, we have to get back out there," you said, already turning your heel toward the door.

"I'm just saying that clearly he's been trying to tell you something," Chanhee added as you both broke out of the hallway and into the kitchen. He grabbed a circular serving tray from a stack on the counter next to him to hand over to you.

"Well, what do you suppose I should do with that?"

He pressed his lips into a thin smile, taking hold of a small, empty cart and pushing it ahead of him. "Just keep an open mind, darling."

You and Chanhee separated at the kitchen doors out into the banquet hall. While he would be a part of cleaning up, you needed to head over to the next-door parlor where the party had moved post-dinner. Business would continue as usual, just with a few more drinks and pool involved.

The parlor room was arguably one of your favorite rooms in the club with its cozier atmosphere created by the evergreen walls, tiffany-shaded lamps, and dark oak furnishings. It was also outfitted with a hearth (unused during the summer and spring) and a billiards table. Most of those who had chosen to stay had migrated with a certain crowd of people they planned to continue chatting with. Your job, as well as the few others recruited to the parlor, was to be a fly on the wall until somebody needed something. If tips were passed around, you were free to pocket them.

You were probably standing and waiting for only five minutes before you saw Eric stand up from where he was on the far side of the room. He shouldered his suit jacket off and draped it over the back of his armchair, exposing the white dress shirt and black vest beneath. Whew, he was wearing a full suit to this event? You wondered how he even survived, but all conscious thought flew out the window when he caught you staring and started smirking to himself. The smug, little expression stayed etched into the sharp planes of his face even as he strolled over to the pool table and lined up his shot.

You wondered—and it was just a thought—what it'd be like (possibly) for him to lean over you—

"Excuse me, miss?" You shook out of your daze and remembered why you were here. Unfortunately, it was not to admire the young heir watching you from the other side of the room, but to serve guests.

For the next couple of hours, your job was exactly what you did. You had been so focused on running back and forth from the bar in the other room and back that you always seemed to have missed Eric trying to catch your eye again. If he wanted drinks, he had to suck it up and ask someone else who just happened to be near him instead.

As the evening dwindled into a sweet, humid night, the amount of guests also began to trickle down. You had grabbed a rag on your way back to the parlor room and said goodbye to your coworkers on their way out. Some still lingered for last minute clean up, and though you were technically done for the night, you wanted to wipe down anything you had missed. It was something simple that you could do to help out a colleague, and it wasn't like you were in a rush to go home.

When you walked back into the parlor room, however, you blinked—surprised—at the sight of an individual left. He leaned against the billiards table, one hand holding the edge of the suit jacket draped over his shoulder and the other scrolling through his phone.

Eric glanced up from his device and pocketed it at the sight of you. "Hey."

"Hi," you said back. "Uhm, can I get you anything—"

"Oh, no no. I'm good." He shook his head, pushing off from the table. He shot you that signature boyish smile of his and your heart began doing cartwheels. "I just wanted to ask if I could give you a lift home."

You opened your mouth to answer, but nothing came out. Truthfully, you were caught off guard, stunned. This wasn't what you were expecting from him.

He saw your hesitation and let out a sheepish laugh, cupping the back of his head. "Sorry, this is so out of the blue. I… it's a little late out right now, and I didn't know if you had a ride or not. I know you're not usually scheduled to work so late."

"You know my schedule?" You blurted. Though, the thought did warm you and amuse you.

His eyes widened. "I mean, uhm, definitely not in the creepy, stalkerish sort of way! I uh, I like to think I pay a lot more attention when it comes to you." His admission didn't do much to slow the racing organ in your chest cavity. You always saw Eric Sohn as one of those smooth and collected young men who were born to charm. But seeing him flustered and tripping over his words because of you?

You ducked your head slightly, flattered and most definitely charmed still. "I'd really appreciate a lift home, Eric."

You both shared a smile in the slightly dimmed, slightly warmed lights of the parlor room.

Once you had finished glossing over the surfaces of the parlor room with your rag to catch any rings made by perspiring liquids, your manager dismissed you for the night. Eric told you he would meet you out front where he would bring his car around for you. You found yourself standing at the edge of the curb with a gentle, yet rare summer breeze wafting through your hair. You had your bag slung over your shoulder, and you grasped the strap and fidgeted with the material.

A car pulled up to the circular driveway—it was a sports car. The Corvette, sleek and aerodynamic, was doused in a shiny orange coat of paint that glimmered even in the night. The passenger side window rolled down so you could see Eric leaning over the center console and waving to you.

"Hey, hop in!" He said to you with a grin, lowering the music he was playing.

Gingerly, you walked up to the car and managed to maneuver yourself inside. The passenger seat was lined in soft black leather, and the inside of the car made it all the more easy to suffocate on that delicious cologne of his.

Eric had ditched his suit jacket and vest in the backseat of the car, leaving him in just his white dress shirt and slacks.

"Nice car," you whistled lowly as you buckled yourself in.

His mouth tilted upward. "Thanks," he said. He fussed around with his phone for a second before passing the device to you. "If you wouldn't mind putting your number and address in."

"Oh." It was a brand new contact page. You didn't question it, swiftly inputting all of the necessary information before returning his phone to him.

Eric took a peek at the address, then pulled out of the country club's driveway. You didn't live too far away from the club, luckily. It was only a few minute's drive, but the walk sometimes felt a bit longer. California didn't exactly have the most convenient public transportation system, and in an area like Beverly Hills, it was near impossible to find a reliable bus or train service.

"Any music preferences?" He asked you quietly.

You shook your head. "I'm not super picky. What you have on is all good with me."

"I have to confess, Yn," he said with a half smile, eyes darting toward you, "that I was trying to steal your attention all night."

Your stomach flipped and you suppressed the smile that threatened to crawl onto your mouth. "Really?"

He laughed. "Yeah, but obviously, your work ethic beat me out, as well as my own luck."

"Any reason for seeking me out?" He'd technically had your attention all throughout the banquet, but he had also needed to entertain and chat with the other people around him. While the after party was sometimes used for business discussion, too, the banquet dinner itself was the main event.

"I mean, besides wanting to talk to the cute girl eating up all my thoughts?"

He was turning onto your apartment complex's street all too soon. The car slid into a parking spot along the curb, and he twisted in his seat to face you. "I really want to take you out, show you a good time. It doesn't have to be something fancy if that's not your vibe; we can always start with golf."

You let the smile bloom on your face at the reference to the "golf date" you both had yet to schedule. You still wanted to see his swing, after all. "Then it's a date," you said, "I should have a free day two days from now, if that works for you."

Eric bit his lip. "I'm all yours, hon."

Before you could start doing somersaults from excitement, you resolved yourself to getting into your apartment first. "Well, thank you again for the lift, Eric. You have my number?"

He nodded. "Never losing it."

You grinned something fond. He grinned right back at you. "Get home safe."

"I will. Good night, cutie."

You slammed the car door shut and left Eric to his lonesome. Through the passenger side window, Eric watched as you disappeared into your apartment complex, safe and sound. He had almost given into the urge to ask if he could walk you up, but it was a miracle you had even taken him up on his offer to drive you home.

He pulled up your contact and sent you a text so you could have his number, too, as soon as possible. He deposited his phone into the cup holder, then punched the roof of his car with a shit-eating grin on his face. He'd scored your number and a date in one night—damn right, he did.

You had reasoned with yourself that this was okay based on the fact that you weren't on company time.

"Shoooooot," you whistled with a slight arch in your brows and applause. You tracked the distance Eric's driving shot sent the golf ball flying, and in the early morning sunlight, the white sphere disappeared over the crest of green hill.

You figured being courted by a club member during your own free time was a loophole you could live with. Especially when such a loophole looked so good swinging a golf club.

His follow through was just as beautiful as he was, his arms lifting the golf club over behind him from the arc. When he lowered the club to turn back to you, he was beaming. "What's the verdict?"

Your golf club was currently acting as your arm rest as you staked the head against the grass. "I don't know, Eric," you sucked in a breath, teasingly. "I think you could've gone pro."

He laughed then, eyes narrowed into glorious upturned crescent moons. "Thanks, cutie." He made a gesture to the tee. "All yours."

"Let me preface this by saying that it's been awhile," you were quick to say as the nerves suddenly bubbled up into your chest and made you wanna do a jittery shuffle. You should not have let Eric go first.

"No worries," he chirped. "Why don't we practice first?"

Yes, practice. Thank god he knew where your head was at.

You eagerly agreed, and set your golf ball up on the tee. Nervously, you smoothed your gloves down the front of your pleated golf skirt. You lined up the face of the golf club with the ball and pulled it back a millimeter—

Then chickened out.

"Performance anxiety," you grimaced to your date.

"Oh, well, that's okay!" Eric set his golf club down on the field and made his way over to you. "Can I help?"

Yes. "Please do," you chuckled, leaving room for him to take your club.

But instead, he shook his head. "No, no. You won't learn anything from just watching, silly goose."

He grabbed the golf club over your hands and lined both of your bodies up correctly. Your breath hitched at the feeling of his front pressed against your back. His mouth was so close to your ear again, and there was that damned cologne making you see hearts.

"Sorry, is this okay?" He asked softly.

You gulped, nodding. "Yeah. Perfectly okay." You wondered if he could feel your heartbeat quicken like a drum crescendoing. If he wasn't careful, your heart might just fall out and run to his arms.

From this position, Eric smoothly guided you through the steps of a perfect swing. The pullback was cranked over your shoulder, then the club would swing straight through, followed by the arc back over your other shoulder and the appropriate turn of your body. As he had explained to you, getting the perfect swing or shot in sports mostly came down to the follow through. If one could not back up their initial movement, then why make the shot?

"—and you turn your body—yeah, just like that," he praised as you automatically rotated yourself from the side to the front, the toe of your foot digging into the ground and turning with you. "That's beautiful."

He backed up from you then, giving you some space. It suddenly felt like you were missing something with him gone. "You should try it now!"

You took a deep breath in as you lined your golf club up with the ball again. Cranking the club back over your shoulder, you swung it down and back up again. When the face of the club met the ball, it did so with a resounding PING!, and the ball went sailing.

(That sound… mwah. The sweet, sweet sound of triumph.)

"You did it!"

"I did it!"

It hadn't gone as far as Eric's had, but it had definitely traveled farther than it would have without his help. You whirled to him, clasping his hand with yours as you both shared equally radiant smiles. A giddiness flooded into you, and no doubt into the glow of your face.

"See? Not too bad," he said, squeezing your hand.

"All thanks to you," you pointed out.

He shook his head, using your linked hands to lead you back to where your golf bags were waiting a little ways back by the cart. "Nah, you had it in you, Yn. It was just performance anxiety, as you said."

The two of you each grabbed your own bags and hiked them over your shoulder to head down the hill and find your respective golf balls. From this view, you could see that the other patrons of the club were slowly trickling out onto the acres surrounding. It felt strange to be here as not a staff member, but as a guest instead.

Eric piped up, "Is it weird that I was hoping you would ask for my help?"

"Not really," you mused, then meekly added, "'cause I was kind of hoping you would offer your help."

He looked about as happy as you felt, and he swung your hands together between you.

It hit you, then, that you were still holding hands. But you didn't let go, and Eric didn't say anything. He just helped you find your golf ball, line up another shot, and hugged you from behind like it was nothing.

From across the pond, Jacob, Changmin, Chanhee, and Haknyeon pulled up over the bridge. The four of them were all piled into a golf cart, and Jacob stopped it just over the crest. They all knew about where you were today and why you were dressed in proper golf attire rather than the country club uniform. They watched with wide eyes (and maybe a camera or two) as you and Eric had a good time.

"Young love," Jacob sighed fondly from his spot in the driver's seat.

"I think it's gross," Changmin giggled. He yelped, furiously rubbing the place on his shoulder that Chanhee had whacked. "Hey! I was kidding!"

Chanhee rolled his eyes. "Let them have their moment. I'm glad Yn-ie let herself have fun with him."

"They look like they're having quite the time," Haknyeon said. "They're cute."

Changmin poked his head in between Jacob and Haknyeon from the backseat. "Just a thought, but what if we turned on the sprinklers like in High School Musical 2?"

An exchange of looks, a deep consideration… "No," they all chorused. They would get their asses kicked for that.

You were on lunch break when Changmin practically crashed onto the bench next to you with a crazed look in his eyes. "You. Me. Spa. Now."

You couldn't even say goodbye to the sandwich you were eating before Changmin grabbed your arm and dragged you across the club.

"Changmin! What the hell—"

"I'll explain in a second!" He hissed back at you while ducking into the service entrance of the spa.

The backdoor led to a staff break room, where Chanhee was currently (coincidentally) seated on a stool eating a box of Pepero while watching a cartoon on his phone. The man glanced up from his phone at the loud commotion, one cheek full of his snack, and he blinked. "You're lucky I'm not with a client right now."

"Yeah, yeah," Changmin said, dragging you and a stool over to Chanhee at the same time. He pushed your shoulders so you would take a seat. Changmin placed his hands on his hips as he stood before the two of you. "You're never gonna guess what I just overheard."

"What?" You and Chanhee asked at the same time.

"Well, you know Clara?"

Chanhee jumped right in. "The one fooling around with that Brian Yang guy. He's the heir to that one corporation monopolizing SIM cards or some shit."

How the hell…?

Changmin's head bobbed vigorously. "Yes, yes! That's the one. Anyways—I was walking past the manager's office and they were talking loud enough to hear with headphones on. Apparently, Clara and Brian had a nasty, nasty split, and Brian got her fired."

Silence.

Chanhee's eyebrows flew up. "Like… fired-fired?"

A grave nod. "Fired-fired."

You held your head in your hands. "Just because of a break up?" You asked. "Clara is such a nice girl."

Your friend's lips were pressed into a line. "Doesn't mean he's a nice guy. I dunno—" he threw his hands in the air and let them flop back against his legs, "—it's fucked, man. He said it was, like, too awkward to be around her all the time since he was here all the time. And because his father is one of the stockholders of the country club, Manager Kim could do little but do his bidding."

Your heart had fallen into the pit of your stomach. Drama like this didn't really happen often here, but there was always something going on.

You always thought there were assholes here, but sometimes they just kept on reminding you of it.

"And now I'm fooling around with one of the club members," you thought aloud. The realization hit you, a golf ball to the face. "Oh my god."

Chanhee's hand came up to your shoulder and gave you a soothing, warm squeeze. "Eric seems like a good guy, Yn-ie. You never know."

"But you really never know," you murmured. There was a reason why the club discouraged romantic relations between club members and staff. Perhaps this time, it wasn't about work productivity, but about keeping your damn jobs. You needed this job. You needed it so desperately because of the money, the opportunities, the connections. Not to mention all of the people you'd befriended here… it didn't seem right that you were scared of what Eric could do to you, but reality was settling in fast.

The Sohns were a major shareholder in the club, which meant they could pull strings like tying a shoelace.

But Eric is good. He's been good, you reasoned.

Changmin crossed his arms as he leaned back against the wall behind him. "You should talk to him. At the very least, you only went on one date, so it's not like you're completely involved yet."

That was a good point. You were going to run with it.

When Eric invited you over to his house, you should have known you were about to drive your beat up sedan into the driveway of a palace, not a house. A house was for normal people, not whoever the Sohns were, you knew that much. To say you were intimidated by the massive front lawn, iron gates, and limestone arches and columns would be an understatement. Maybe you should have worn something nicer.

You pulled up to the curb of the roundabout—he'd mentioned to you that you could just park there. Apparently the garage was a little inconvenient for guests, but you weren't complaining. The front of the house was a marvel to look at, and wherever that garage was would have left you unable to fully soak in this modern wonder. Plus, you had some time to pull yourself together before seeing Eric.

The plan was… no plan, really. He wanted to hang out with you, and you'd mentioned your love for cooking. Thus, he proposed a miniature cooking class in his kitchen, along with dinner on the patio. It sounded nice. It also sounded great when you remembered what you needed to talk to him about. (Yay.)

It's not a big deal. Eric's cool.

You finally managed to trek your way up to the front door and you booped the doorbell. It was one of those loud bells that must have echoed throughout the house, because you could clearly hear it from the outside.

A couple minutes later, you heard the locking mechanism come undone. The door opened after; you swore that every time you saw this guy, you became speechless.

You had seen him in a dress shirt before, but this tank top and over-shirt thing was new. It was casual and comfortable, yet chic. His hair was styled in the same manner his clothing was—simple and so attractive. A silver chain and matching silver rings added the subtle touch of elegance to pull everything together.

"Hi," he grinned—he was always smiling, you realized. It was such a pretty smile. He stepped aside and gave you room in the doorway. "Come on in, cutie."

"Thanks for having me over," you said pleasantly, trying not to openly gawk at the front foyer with the sky-high ceiling, chandelier dripping with crystals, and grand staircase wrapping around the walls up to the indoor balcony.

He closed the door behind you as you deposited your shoes by the small rack. Eric wrapped a loose arm around your shoulder to guide you through the foyer. "Of course! I'm so excited you're here; I went out—actually no, I…" he scratched the back of his head sheepishly, "ordered it off that grocery app. I wasn't exactly sure what I was looking for."

"Grocery app?" You laughed. "Are you talking about the stuff for dinner?"

"Yeah!"

The two of you entered the kitchen. It was a wide, open space that flowed straight into the living room. The cabinets were smooth and snow white, accented with countertops marbled with black and hints of gold. Though clean, it was a space well-loved with a recipe book left open to a lobster risotto; little candies left in a jar on the island labeled with chalk; barstools that weren't quite aligned, like they'd actually been sat on. The living room, too, was beautiful. Massive, but beautiful, with a wraparound couch sectional and a flat screen with family photos hung above it. It was framed by shelves filled to the brim with CD and DVD cases, more family photos, books, and little baubles.

And the lighting. Oh man, the natural lighting from the windows making up the entire back wall… it led out onto the acres of land his family owned, as well as a patio that overlooked the valley.

Eric had mentioned dinner on the patio. If your math was right, that meant you would probably be dining at sunset, all while overlooking a splendid view—how romantic. God, you hated how giddy you were starting to get. Those butterflies in your stomach would not cease.

"You have a really, really beautiful home," you murmured, letting him take your bag from you to place on one of the barstools.

You had always thought that big houses like this would be so difficult to fill. What was one supposed to do with so much space anyway? From the pictures on the wall, you could see Eric's parents, himself, as well as a sister who must have been out making her own mark on the world in that special Sohn kind of way. Even with just four people in this place… they still managed to make it feel like a home and not a house. It was like your own house back in your hometown, across the country. It was lived-in and warm and yours, and that was the beauty of it. And you were certain by just looking at this place that the Sohns were a family who loved each other.

How could you not believe in Eric? Not with all of this to vouch for him? He had grown up loved.

"Thank you," he said. "It's one of my favorite places to be. That's why I still haunt it like a ghost," he joked. He placed a warm hand on the small of your back and led you over to the fridge where he had put all of the grocery delivery bags in. Even the fridge was relatively stocked. "Not sure if everything I got was right, but hopefully it'll all turn out delicious anyway."

You helped him unload the bags onto the kitchen island, raising a brow at the labels on the groceries. They were on the higher end of price and quality, which definitely wasn't a problem, but holding a hundred dollar bottle of red wine just for sauce was making your anxiety levels spike. "Oh, no. It all looks great, Eric. Thanks for getting these, by the way. I would have gone out and brought them here, but—"

He waved away your worries. "You're busy and you're working. Plus, it lets me technically pay for dinner," he said with a cheeky look on his face and gesturing with a finger gun. It was cute. He was cute.

"Smooth, Sohn. I see you."

"That's what they called me in high school," he played along, dancing on his toes behind you to fiddle with his phone and turn on a speaker somewhere (you didn't know where). "Smooth Sohn."

You snorted, slapping a hand over your mouth. Eric's eyes glittered with a mutual mirth. "Whatever you say, honey."

He waltzed back over to you, tongue in cheek. "I like that better though—honey." He leaned back against the counter next to you and watched as you sorted out the ingredients in different piles depending on how they should be prepped. "So what's the plan, chef? You're the boss."

"I'd love to know where your knives and cutting boards are," you said.

He leapt into action. "Say no more!"

In reality, you did have to say more. It wasn't that Eric didn't know where everything was in the kitchen, he just wasn't as well versed in using the kitchen. He'd told you while teaching him how to hold a knife properly that he really only came in here for ramen. Good news was he could crack an egg with one hand; bad news was that was about all he could do. It was still charming, nonetheless. And the cute cooking lesson gave him plenty of opportunity to get close to you.

He had even insisted on you teaching him how to chop carrots like how he had taught you how to swing a golf club—over and around him—with your hands over his and your body wrapped around his, your chin on his shoulder.

But with dinner well past done, the two of you made your way out onto the patio just as the sun was sinking into the embrace of the valley below. It melted into the sky like a broken yolk, saturated and golden. He let you have the seat staring out into the valley. The way he looked at you though, made you feel like you were his million dollar valley view.

The table was set with twin glasses of red wine (amazing what a good wine paired with beef stew could do for the soul), plates separated by a hot stew pot, and a couple of candles for ambiance.

"Wow," he moaned as the beef melted on his tongue. "This is so good. And you're telling me you're pretty, smart, and can cook?"

You held back a giggle so you could swallow your bite. "And I'm single," you jested.

"And you're single!" He leaned his head back, eyes closed. "Thank god for that."

Eric leaned his cheek on his fist, his head cocked slightly and his eyes on you with a swoon-worthy admiration. "Thanks for coming out tonight and hanging out with me."

You could kiss him. "Please, I should be the one thanking you. It's been really fun hanging out with you." It was surreal, actually. The fact that this young heir had deemed you "worthy" or whatever to court and entertain—it wasn't like you defined your self worth by his attention and affection, but this felt nice. Your conversation with Changmin and Chanhee the other day came to the forefront of your mind.

"I, uhm, think this is a good time to ask if you wanted to do this more often? Hanging out with me, I mean."

You weren't sure if this was what you thought he was asking you. He reached for his wine glass, and in the fading sunlight and the candlelight illuminating the bashful expression on his face, your heart pounded.

"What I mean to say," he tried again after a small sip of wine, "is would you be my—"

"I think we should talk!" You cut in before you heard anymore. You were getting jittery, unable to figure out when was the right time to bring up the thing, but also, you wanted him to say his thing, and it was just a mess. But when you saw Eric's wide eyes, mouth zipped up, you repeated in a much calmer tone, "I think we should talk about something. It's not… it's not super serious or anything. I could just be overthinking."

Oh, you felt bad. He looked like a kicked puppy, but you saw him pull himself together for you. "It's—you're probably not overthinking, Yn. What's on your mind?"

The wine glass was put down. He even put his fork down.

Were you making a big deal out of this? Probably not, right? This was important, you reminded yourself. You pursed your lips. "So one of my coworkers—former coworkers," you amended, "Clara. Her name's Clara. She and this guy you might know, Brian Yang…"

He nodded. "Yeah, I know of him."

"Well, they kind of had this thing going on between them. And the other day, she was fired because they broke up and he thought it was too weird that she was working where he was hanging out all the time," you rambled on. "And I uhm, I just wanted to make sure from the get-go that… you know… it's stupid, I don't know. But it's my job, y'know? And—and I need this job, but I like you a lot, Eric. Am I making any sense?"

Neither of you were eating anymore.

You looked at him, hopelessly, searching for signs of understanding.

He leaned in slightly and reached for your hands over the table. "Yn, sweetheart," he said, lacing his fingers with yours over the pot of beef stew, "that is a valid point to bring up, and I can understand what you're probably thinking. That—that news must have been scary, or at least nerve-racking, and Brian's a dick for that—"

You nodded, swallowing.

"—and I don't want you to risk your job because of me," he said earnestly. "But I really want to see where this goes, you know? If anything happens and you don't feel the same way, then no harm, no foul. I'm not gonna take my emotions out on you like that asshole; that's not right."

The breath you had been holding in fell from your mouth, a wave of relief. A sappy, grateful sort of smile worked its way onto your mouth and you met Eric's own kind expression. "You are actually perfect," you let out a breathy laugh. "Where have you been all my life?"

He grinned. "Funny, that's what I've been thinking about you." Eric set your laced hands on the side of the table as he raised his glass to you. "So what do you say? Can we try this?"

You lifted your glass to gently clink it with his. "Let's do it."

"So he's perfect, but he hasn't kissed you yet?" Chanhee's gasp of incredulity hit you in a gust of air. His lips pursed like a penguin's beak. "Figures."

You sent him a look. "Oh, please. Figures what? He's just being… I dunno, chivalrous!"

"Chivalry is dead," Haknyeon snickered as he waltzed by you with fresh towels to lay out by the pool. "You should make the move, Yn."

"So you two are, like, dating now?" Asked Changmin as he hopped onto the tiki bar stool next to you and Chanhee. He kept on glancing down at his watch; he must have only a small break in between his dance classes today.

"They're 'seeing where things go,'" mocked Jacob with a shake of his head. He swirled a rag around the innards of a glass to dry it.

You sent them all dirty looks now. "Cobie, out of all the times you choose to be an imp—"

"An imp," Chanhee muttered, glancing away as he took a sip of his piña colada, "I'm dead."

"If it makes you feel better, Yn, I'm supervising a tennis match with him and the Lee cousins later today. I can get a feel of where his mind's at," Jacob offered.

You drummed your fingers against the bar. The offer was tempting… "It's fine," you insisted. "We don't have to rush things. We go to the same university and we live in the same city now. It's not like we don't have time… right?"

"Riiiight," Changmin drawled with an over exaggerated wink. He frowned at his watch, hopping off his stool. "Damn it, salsa class time. Catch you losers later!"

As he darted off into the distance, Chanhee sniffed. "Says the loser." He plucked the pink umbrella out of his drink and set the decoration down on his napkin. "You're not wrong, Yn-ie. Taking it slow isn't a bad thing. From what you told us, it seems like you're both on the same page now anyway."

"Thank you," you said.

"Maybe he's trying to plan a romantic moment." Haknyeon rejoined the conversation now that he had done his towel delivery.

Jacob nodded with an approving turn of his lips. "You might be onto something. He seems the type."

Your heart was fluttering as if it sprouted butterfly wings. Oh, the thought of kissing Eric Sohn in romantic lighting…

"I think you should take her back to her job before she drifts fully into La La Land." When you snapped back to reality, Jacob's eyes were twinkling, eyebrows wagging.

Haknyeon nudged you with the back of his hand and nodded up to the clubhouse. "C'mon, Yn-ie. I think Manager Kim wants to brief us on dinner service anyway."

Hours later, Jacob found himself on the tennis courts, overseeing a match between the three Lee cousins—Sangyeon, Hyunjae, and Juyeon—and Eric. He often thought it was luck that got him to land this job where all he did to pass the day was make drinks, drive golf carts, and occasionally play doubles with club members. For all that it was, he considered himself very content.

"—that was a foul," Jacob declared, jogging to go catch the tennis ball before it bounded into the bushes.

Hyunjae let out a groan. "Nooo! It hit the line. Jacob, please, I thought we were cool!"

Sangyeon shook his head, smiling as he caught the tennis ball from Jacob with his free hand. "Hyunjae, we all know your eyesight is shit."

Hyunjae wrinkled his nose. "Hey! No one asked."

"Can we take a break?" Juyeon asked, wiping his forehead with the back of his hand. "I think I need some water."

The boys all murmured their agreement, and Jacob reached down into the mini cooler he'd lugged out to toss them ice cold bottles of water. It was just one of the few perks that came with the club membership.

While Sangyeon and Hyunjae were bickering about eyesight and foul lines, Juyeon settled into a seat by them to referee. Eric sidled up next to Jacob as they both absentmindedly watched the chaos unfold from afar.

Jacob whistled. "So… Yn said she had a really good time with you the other night."

Eric perked up at the sound of your name. "She did? Well that's a relief to hear."

"It wasn't clear?" Jacob asked, face tilted in question. "I mean, not to completely expose her or anything, but she's been gushing about you all day, man."

A giddy smile took over the youngest Sohn's face. "She was?" He licked his lips, drawing the pad of his thumb over the corner of his mouth to catch the water that had dribbled from the bottle. "She's—she's so cute, hyung. Like, I don't know if this is weird for you because you're friends—"

Jacob coughed in amusement. "It's fine. Think of me as your guardian angel."

"Right," Eric piped up. "I think… I think we really hit it off, y'know? And I mean, she probably told you we just kind of had dinner and she had to leave, but she'd come after work, so she was probably tired and—"

Ohhh. Jacob understood exactly what was going on now. His heart warmed at the thought that Eric was being so considerate and not forcing you to stay. He was thinking about your long day, and didn't wish to prolong it anymore. Little did he know, you probably wouldn't have minded hanging around a tad longer.

"—I wanted to kiss her—"

Wait huh. Jacob tuned back in. "When?"

Eric blinked. "Uhm, at dinner. Or at least, when I was walking her out to her car." He glanced away and his smile softened at the thought. "I wish I had, actually. The moment was right there, and the lighting was perfect, and her smile—oh my god, her smile."

Jacob's eyebrows flew up to his hairline. So this was where Eric's mind was at; good to know. "Then do it—kiss her."

"Right now?"

"No! Not right now—"

"Hey, you guys ready to play again?" Juyeon called. The three Lees had already maneuvered themselves back to court.

Eric and Jacob exchanged glances. This conversation wasn't over, Jacob's look seemed to say.

They nodded to their companions, though. "Yeah, we're ready."

It did not come as a surprise to you when you found out Eric had a home theater in his basement. It was something like you'd pictured from the movies, the ones with the rows of dark leather armchairs, deep cup holders, and a giant screen and surround sound system. The foot of the theater room even had a little snack station to make popcorn, and a mini fridge stocked with drinks.

You and Eric shared the couch on the bottom floor that was big enough for the two of you. It was a random Tuesday, and you didn't have work today, so he'd suggested swinging by and hanging out with him for the day. You couldn't possibly refuse.

Eric scrolled through the movie options on the screen with the remote. "Are you sure you don't want any popcorn?" He asked you.

You shook your head. "I'm good, really. But it sounds like you want popcorn, Eric."

He caught his tongue in his smile. "Maybe."

If you weren't supposed to be watching a movie, you would have gladly curled up on that couch and stared at him for the rest of time. His jawline was enough to make a girl go mad, and the fact that he was just so sweet, too—

"How about this one?"

You snapped out of it, barely flicking your gaze back over to the screen in time to avoid him finding out that you were just blatantly staring. "Uhh, sure. I haven't seen this one, actually."

"Really? Oh my god, we have to watch it then." And so you did.

It was about halfway into the movie that you realized there was a draft coming down on you—the air conditioning in this room was awfully high, but you didn't want to say anything. You hiked your legs up onto the couch and hugged your arms, leaning back slightly against the quilt draped over the back of the couch. (How conveniently placed…)

Eric saw your movement from the corner of his eye. "You cold? We can share the blanket."

"My hero," you joked as he removed the quilt from behind your heads and draped it over your laps.

Because the article wasn't exactly miles long, you and Eric had to shift over closer to each other. Not that you were complaining. The arm and leg pressed against yours were warm, and it gave him the perfect opportunity to raise his arm and place it over the back of the couch behind you.

As you both watched the rest of the movie, you gradually let yourself lean into him, and his arm eventually fell to rest directly around your shoulders, pulling you into his side.

"I always liked the ending of this movie," Eric murmured softly to you as the credits rolled. He brushed his fingers along your arm in a warm, soothing manner. "What'd you think?"

You stayed with your head tucked onto his shoulder. "Hmm, not bad. I think they could have cut the romance though."

"Ah, I see your point," he said. "Sometimes directors just like to force it for the sake of a subplot."

"Wholeheartedly agree."

His fingers danced up to your shoulder and began playing with your hair. He pursed his lips. "Are you a fan of romance movies? That's kind of a random question, I guess."

"Not really—a random question, I mean," you said, and pulled your head off of his shoulder to face him. The thought occurred to you of how close your bodies and your faces were, sharing warmth and skin. You saw his eyes dart down away from yours for a split second. "I like romance movies. I think they restore my faith in humanity," you mused. "You?"

"I like 'em, too." He released a small exhale, an almost-shy smile etching itself onto his face. "Most of them are just… feel-good movies. They're really sweet, and I've always kind of wanted something like that."

"High standards," you whispered, though playfully. "Wouldn't we all like something from the movies?" To you, this was what the movies were like—"handsome guy sweeps girl off her feet, and he's perfect and she's happy." You were already living out your too-good-to-be-true dreams.

He laughed. "True. I think it's just a matter of waiting for the right person to come along, maybe. And following through."

You bit the bait. "Following through?"

"Backing up your initial swing," he clarified. "Something to drive the ball home and make sure you mean it. I feel like maybe that's what people forget about romance—that there's still an after, beyond happily ever after."

Wow. "Your brain," you praised. "That was actual poetry, I think. Is this how you get girls?"

He bit his lip through a smile, leaning closer. "Only one girl. I hope it's working."

"I think it's working a little too well," you admitted, voice barely audible now.

You could feel the warmth of his breath fan over your lips as he came closer, about ninety-percent of the way; the other ten percent was left for you to either push forward or pull back. He was giving you the decision on a gold platter.

And who could deny something served so beautifully?

You closed the gap between you and pressed your lips against his. It was soft, at first, as the nerves in your brain and your vital organs threatened to go haywire. You breathed him in, your noses slotting against each other. He cupped the back of your head with his free hand, the other curling around your waist.

When you broke apart, it was for a split second, until he was kissing you again. You were half in his lap at this point, your legs draped over his, your side pressed to his chest.

Foreheads pressed together, you shared a breath of air with him. He nuzzled his nose against you as if unable to be so far from you. "Be mine," he said, simple at first. Then, "Please."

You smiled against him and felt his mouth do the same. "Only if you'll be mine, too."

"As if I would say no," he laughed, leaning in again, and crushing his mouth to yours. The theater room filled with both of your giggles as you fell backward.

If this was the happily ever after, then you would gladly follow through.

a/n: to anyone who read flight risk, i just redeemed myself from valentine's day

tbz m.list

permanent taglist: @flwoie @vatterie @seomisaho @hqrana @ja4hyvn @tinkerbell460 @kaaimins @hyunjaespresent-deobi @otterly-fey @zzoguri @floatingpluto @winterchimez @ethereal-engene @gyulfriend @polarisjisung @jaehunnyy @shakalakaboomboo @loveliestfelix @bless-311 @zhaixiaowen @leaz-kpop-life @amourdsr @pxppxrminty @kqyutie @sseastar-main @kxthleen14 @fluorescentloves @mosviqu @justalildumpling @jaerisdiction @super-btstrash-posts @jundundun @http-gyu @mvvnsseul @outrologist @vernonburger @maessseongs @kflixnet

[fandomnovella-blog]

Your Crush: Park Jinyoung

“So… Y/N, truth or dare”

You and some of your friends were having a sleepover! It was fun! And everyone was in a comfy mess of giggles and pillows you hesitated, telling the truth seemed easier but at what cost? A dare…well, the possibilities were kinda endless,

“Truth!” You said confidently,

Your friend thought carefully,

“Ok so, who do you think is the most attractive person in school and why?”

You blushed furiously, you hadn’t told this to anyone and was seriously debating lying but, rules are rules

“Ummm if I had to pick…I’d say…Jinyoung?” You blushed again burying your face in your hands! Your friends all gasped and grinned and immediately asked you what you liked about him,

“Ummmm well, I think he’s really sweet!” You said quietly

“He doesn’t really talk much though!” One of your friends said

“I know but when he does he knows what he wants to say! And he doesn’t joke as much as the other people in school, I think he’s quite a gentle genuine soul, it’s nice being around him. He’s so handsome and he has a beautiful voice! ” There was no shame in liking him and you were sure that your friends would keep it to themselves right?

You found out soon that this was as much of a fantasy as a fairy story.

A few days later you were walking down the school hall and you saw one of your friends talking to…oh no…JINYOUNG!!! You tried for the rest of the day to not

think about it, but that was like trying not to imagine purple elephant with blue spots, your mind was hyper-focused on what your friend had said to Jinyoung that day. Everywhere you turned, you seemed to bump into him, and he always seemed to be around the corner . At lunch, you ran into the bathroom, into a stall and breathed heavily into your hands, trying to calm yourself down, does she like him too? Does he like her? DID SHE TELL HIM ABOUT HER CRUSH?! You shook your head furiously! No…no! You were being silly, why worry about it! You can’t take it back now so whatever happens will happen right? You couldn’t control it and if he asked you about it…you swallowed hard, you’d be honest! There wasn’t much else you could do! Straightening up, you walked slowly into your next class.

“We’ll be pairing you up for a small in-class assignment today” said the art teacher, you need to work together to create the picture using clay!” She began handing out the terracotta coloured cubes to the class, and allocating pairs “Luke, pair up with Laila over there! Jessy go sit next to Carmen!” At this point you had shut your eyes tightly and had every finger crossed; praying to every deity that you knew “Please don’t sit him next to me please!!” You heard the scrape of a stool next to you and gulped hard. There was silence next to you, slowly, you opened your eyes and turned… there sat next to you holding the cube of clay in one hand and a second apron in the other, was none other than Park Jinyoung.

“Hey…um…are you ok?”

“Yeah” you squeaked in a tiny voice once you remembered how to breathe

“You sure? You had your eyes shut really tight! Are you in pain?”

“No no not at all!” You shook your head quickly trying to act nonchalant

“Ok..so…shall we get started?”

He placed the clay down along with some carving tools and you both set to work. In silence. I mean what could you say to each other?! This was so embarrassing! Until…

“Hey Y/N I wanted to talk to you about-“

but he never got he chance to finish what he was saying! The pressure of the whole day was weighing on you, and you were desperate to say something! And so it all slipped out!

“Yeah I said I liked you! It’s true! I do I really like you! But I wasn’t planning on telling you like this! But then maybe I wasn’t gonna tell you at all it’s just I know you heard stuff and so I might as well come out and say it right? And I’d rather you hear it from me because I do like you! It’s not a big deal! I shouldn’t be ashamed of that right?” You finished, panting and blowing like you had run the marathon everything in your mind just couldn’t hold it in anymore but the relief of the confession was short lived. The mounting embarrassment only grew as you realised you had just blurted out a confession! You just babbled in front of Jinyoung about how you liked him!

“Um, that wasn’t what I was going to say,” said Jinyoung a little flabbergasted “I was going to say I wanted to talk to you about the history homework but this must have been on your mind!”

Your whole body stiffened and a huge tsunami of shame washed over you. Once again you put your head in your hands. You just wished the ground would swallow you up! Until you heard a chuckle coming from next to you! Was he laughing? There was nothing to laugh about in your mind! But then, you heard a soft voice by your ear

“ You’re cute when you blush! Did you know that? It’s ok I like you too!”

[jinkoh]

If I can't relate to you anymore then who am I related to?

my centerfold

eric x fem!reader

“Is there ever going to be a right time for us?” Eric sounded bitter. He didn’t mean to, but he just didn't know how to hide his feelings about all of this. You tensed up, your fingers almost desperately intertwining themselves with his. “There has to be.”

tags: slow burn, childhood friends to ? to lovers, hurt/comfort, time skips, y/n is 2 yrs older, kinda rlly bad communication but they figure it out, one (1) suggestive scene

warnings: alcohol consumption, implied mental health issues, eric is lowkey not having a good time in this (but things turn out okay!! it will be fine!!)

i tried to stay away from physical descriptions but it does say y/n has smaller hands than eric

wordcount: ~6,7k

a/n: i think i started writing this when hurt me less came out bc it got me in the mood for something angsty and then it somehow turned into a songfic for 'coney island' instead. and ofc it's still angsty bc there is nothing i love more than writing pain :)) anyway i hope you enjoy~

Masterlist

17

Being seventeen sucked. Because seventeen had Eric sitting in his tree house, by himself, picking apart the old bleached out rug. Seventeen had him eating lunch with his friends, except you'd decided not to be a part of them anymore, sitting with Hyunjae and Juyeon instead. Which, to be fair, made sense because they were in the same grade and Eric wasn’t but that hadn’t stopped you before so why did it now?

Seventeen had him going to the arcade, trying over and over to win that silly plastic ring from the claw machine, as if it could fix anything, as if he still had anyone to give it to. Seventeen had him watching you graduate and it was stupid how pretty you looked in that black robe, as you left him and all your shared memories behind. He wanted to take a picture with you, he'd always naturally assumed you would, but you hadn't spoken in weeks and Eric was too much of a coward to start now. So he watched you from afar, radiant smile on your face as you stood with your family that he knew so well it felt like it was his own. And yet he didn't belong there anymore. And yet, you didn’t want him there anymore.

He rode his bike home after the ceremony, mindlessly throwing it onto the lawn before he climbed up the wooden steps to his tree house. He'd spent so much time here with you that sometimes he forgot it was his and not yours. He remembered you sitting on the patchwork of rugs and carpet squares with him, laughing bright as the sun at some silly joke of  his. You're funny, you'd said, wiping away tears from the corners of your eyes, and he'd never liked himself more than in that moment, with you giggling about his antics. Eric wondered if maybe you'd changed your mind and the parts of him you'd thought of as funny before had become annoying and childish. He wasn't that much younger but maybe the age difference had become all you could see, Eric just a kid that wouldn't be able to relate to the things ahead of you. He thought about the way you'd looked at him the last time you'd been up here together. There'd been something in your eyes that Eric had interpreted as love, but then your expression had shifted and you'd left and you hadn’t come back since.

Sitting all alone in the tree house, pointlessly overthinking all your possible reasons, he sort of regretted ever taking you up the brittle ladder. This tree house was supposed to be his safe space, but it felt looming and empty now. Where was he supposed to find comfort, if every possible source of comfort that he knew somehow tied back to you? Maybe he'd shared too much with you, given too much of himself, because now that you were leaving, what was there that you wouldn't take with you? What would be left behind with him, of him, once you were gone? He didn’t want to find out but it wasn’t looking like he had much of a choice.

19

Nineteen had Eric on top of the world. He’d surprised everyone by staying in town for college while most of his friends—including his best friend Sunwoo—didn’t, but it’d felt like the right thing to do. Of course, his plans used to be different, but the reason behind those plans, being together with you, had disappeared. Maybe it looked sad or pathetic from the outside, staying behind while everyone was leaving, but it didn’t feel that way to Eric. Because for once this had been a decision he’d made just for himself. And it'd proved to be the right one. Eric loved college, he loved his classes and he wasn’t lonely either. He'd never struggled to make new friends, so he’d found his people right on the first day, clicking with them so easily as if he’d known them forever. He’d met his girlfriend that way too and they’d been going strong for three months now. She was bold and bubbly and the type of person who made life feel good and easy. He liked her. 

He liked her enough not to think about you anymore, except for the brief moments when he did. But even then it didn’t come with the same burst of emotion as it used to. He’d been so heartbroken back then, and then after the heartbreak there'd been this burning anger about the way you’d never told him why you cut him off. But now all that was left was a sense of bittersweet nostalgia.

The nostalgia overcame him again, when he entered the arcade with his friends. None of them came from this town, so they didn't have any memories about this place. It was just an arcade to them, so it would have been weird to decline when they'd asked Eric if he was up for going. And why would he decline either way? Sure, he hadn’t gone to the arcade in a long time, eventually leaving it behind like so many places he'd associated with you. But he was okay now. 

Or maybe he wasn’t, because once inside he naturally found himself in front of the claw machine again. After all this time the silly little plastic ring was still the same, taunting him from the display of prices to be won. He threw in a coin and then another and another.

"What are you trying to win so desperately?" His girlfriend asked with a giggle, as she came up to him from behind. 

"Uh, nothing really."

"Nothing?" She tilted her head.

"It's a little stupid," he admitted, "but I've always wanted to get that ring. I never managed, so I can't help but try when I see it."

"That's cute though. I’m rooting for you," she said, giving him a little peck on the cheek. Eric felt guilty, as if he was keeping a secret from her.

"Will you give it to me, if you do win it?" 

He hesitated for a moment too long before replying. "Of course. But I doubt I will."

She didn’t take much notice of his faltering and just gave him another peck before she disappeared elsewhere to play a racing game.

Eric got a bunch of key charms that day. Until, suddenly, when he popped open another plastic ball, there wasn’t a key charm inside. He stared at the ring with something akin to confusion. He'd tried so often back then and never succeeded, so a part of him had started to believe it wasn’t actually possible. But here it was, right there in his palm, two years late and looking cheaper up close. In the end it was just a piece of plastic, he supposed. He slipped it into his pocket. When his girlfriend asked later, he told her about the key charms and let her choose one of them before dividing the rest among his friends. The ring stayed hidden in his pocket, a secret heavier than the colorful plastic it was made of. 

He turned the ring between his fingers later that night, lying awake with useless thoughts. That day in the arcade, when he’d failed to get the ring for you was when it’d all gone down the drain. You’d hung out at the arcade a lot back then, you and Eric and Sunwoo and Haknyeon and Hyunjae and whoever else had been in the mood. There hadn’t been anything special about that day; you’d joked around like always, teasing him about not winning anything. “Just watch me,” he’d shot back, trying to defend his pride. “Tell me what you want and I’ll win it for you.” “The ring. From the claw machine," you'd replied and to this day Eric didn’t understand why you’d chosen that of all things. He’d agreed though, telling you it was easy; only to get nothing but a bunch of key charms and a necklace. He’d wasted a ton of coins trying to get it for you, even after that day, even after you were no longer speaking. But now that he finally had it, it felt underwhelming. It was tiny, probably meant for children with the way it didn’t even fit his pinky. Then again, your hands were smaller than his. Not that he’d ever gotten to hold them, but he remembered from the way you’d grabbed the front of his T-shirt the very same day. It was stupid that he could still recall such a silly detail. He should be remembering other things instead, like how it’d felt when your lips crashed into his, but the touch had been so brief and so surprising, he had barely registered it had happened at all when you were already pushing him away again. It’d been his first kiss, so he thought he should be remembering it better, but what came to mind was always the moment right before, when you’d looked at him with fondness, and then the moment right after when there’d been terror in your eyes, a look of reproach. As if he’d been the one to cross that line, when really, it was you. You had grabbed his shirt and you had kissed him first. So why was he treated like he'd been the one who’d made the mistake? 

And why was it a mistake anyway? 

17

“This is pretty cute too,” you said when you were sitting in his tree house together, holding up the necklace that was sparkling in the light of the evening sun that came in through the window. “Of course it’s not a ring, but yanno, can’t have it all.”

Everyone had gone home, but you’d naturally gone back with Eric. He hadn’t questioned it because you always did that, treating his home like your own. And it wasn’t like he wanted you to leave.

“If you don’t like it, give it back,” he complained with a pout, trying to snatch the necklace from you, but you quickly held it out of reach.

“Nope, never. You already gave it to me, so it’s mine now.” You turned your back to him, pushing your hair to the side and holding the necklace around your neck for him to close. “Help me put it on?”

There shouldn’t have been anything weird or special about this, but Eric’s hands trembled and it took him three attempts to finally get it right.

“Maybe a necklace is better,” you’d said as you turned back around to him, brushing over the little pendant, cheap metal against the skin between your collarbones. “I’m too young to get married and I’m sure there are other people you’d prefer giving rings to anyway.”

He should have made a silly comment now, agreeing that just the thought of marrying you was grossing him out. But it didn’t. It actually sounded pretty good to him. 

“No,” he mumbled without making eye contact. “I wouldn’t have minded giving it to you.”

You didn’t reply, and it made him realize that he’d probably fucked up. He shouldn’t have said that. He looked up, searching his brain for a stupid joke to lighten up the mood, but when he met your gaze you looked flustered.

“Really?” your voice was quiet.

“Yeah.”

“Win it for me next time then.”

Eric felt his skin tingle at your words, helplessly trying to figure out if you were fucking with him right now or if all of this meant what he thought it did. “Okay,” he pressed out, because what else was he going to say if the girl he liked asked him for a ring?

For a moment you just looked at him, but then you grabbed his shirt, your fingers wrapping around the fabric to pull him in, and Eric in his surprise almost toppled forward. Except he didn’t because then there were your lips on his that stopped him from falling.

The fall only came after, when you dashed out and completely stopped talking to him.

21

Twenty-one wasn't what Eric thought it would be. That feeling of being undefeatable that had empowered him at nineteen seemed to be completely used up now. Instead  the teenage angst had come back with full force, making him feel more miserable and anxious than ever. Of course he wasn’t actually a teenager anymore, but calling it teenage angst was less frightening than calling it depression and it wasn't like he was seeing anyone about it anyway. As long as he didn’t have a diagnosis he didn’t have an actual problem. It was just a little losing streak, but he'd be back on his game in a bit. He just had a lot to deal with right now, like how college was harder than it'd felt at the beginning. Or how his girlfriend had broken up with him a few months ago and he hadn’t dated since. It was fine though, it was better that way. She deserved better. After all, even now he wasn’t sure if he missed her or if he just missed being with someone. But simply knowing it'd been the right choice didn't take away that looming feeling of loneliness in his bones. 

Of course he had friends that cared about him, but they were her friends too and even though they'd separated amicably, he felt awkward and detached. He didn’t know how to open up to them anymore, or maybe he'd never really opened up to them from the start. More often than not he wished that he'd gone to the same college as Sunwoo after all. Surely, he'd be feeling better then. Because despite his teasing and feigned annoyance, Sunwoo was his best friend and the person he relied on the most. Except that felt so much harder to do with distance between them and Eric couldn’t shake off the fear of becoming a burden if he told Sunwoo just how miserable he was feeling. So, he was somehow dealing with it by himself, mostly relying on the hope that it would eventually pass and that maybe he would wake up some day and feel okay again.

Today wasn’t the day though, he realized as he stood at the grocery store without his shopping list and only fragmentary memories of what he’d been meaning to buy. He was ruffling his hair in frustration in the dairy section, trying to remember if milk was needed or not, when he suddenly got pulled out of his thoughts.

“Eric, right?”

When he turned around he found Hyunjae standing in front of him, four years older than the last time he’d seen him and yet unmistakably the same. 

“It’s Hyunjae,” he unnecessarily explained with a bright smile when Eric didn’t respond immediately.

“Yeah, of course, I remember.” Eric tried to return his smile, but he felt too conscious of himself, too uncomfortable in his own skin and the hoodie that he hadn’t washed in too long.

“Are you also back for spring break?”

There was no reason to feel embarrassed about it, but somehow Eric felt small when he admitted that he had never left town. He'd never felt ashamed of that a year or two ago. 

“Really?” Hyunjae looked surprised, but there was no judgment there at all. “I always thought you’d go to the same school as y/n. The two of you were attached at the hip back then.” He chuckled. “But I guess you had your own plans. Good for you though! Hope life’s been treating you well?”

“Oh, totally,” Eric lied with a smile. “It’s going great. What about you?”

“Yeah, same, but I’m glad it’s spring break now. I’m actually buying some stuff for the weekend,” he nodded towards his cart, loaded with beer and liquor and meat. “Throwing a party since a lot of the guys from school are back right now—,” he interrupted himself for a second. “Actually, you should come. If you’re free on Friday."

“Sure,” Eric nodded, “I’ll stop by if I find the time.” There was no reason to think he wouldn’t, there were no other plans to speak of, but he wanted to keep himself the option of showing up.

“Nice,” Hyunjae grinned. He seemed genuinely pleased about the prospect of Eric coming, but maybe that had more to do with Hyunjae being a nice, sociable guy, rather than how he felt about Eric specifically. Still, it was nice to be invited somewhere. 

“I’ll see you on Friday then,” he added, lightly patting Eric on the back before getting back to his cart.

“Yeah,” Eric gave him a small wave. “See you then.”

Eric was convinced he wouldn’t go to the party. He still thought so until Friday evening, when he was chilling on the couch fumbling with a rubix cube and came to the depressing realization that he hadn’t done anything all week and wasn’t going to do anything on the weekend either.  The thought of that made him feel miserable and like a stranger to himself. He wasn’t the type of person to stay at home by himself all week, letting spring break pass by without any memories to speak of. He had to think of Hyunjae’s invitation then and he decided to go. After all, if he wanted things to be different, he’d have to do something about it. And he liked going to parties, didn’t he? Maybe he hadn’t been to one in a while but he assumed it was like riding a bicycle, surely he’d be back in his element once he arrived. So, he slipped on some fresh clothes, did his hair, and made his way over to Hyunjae’s, fashionably late of course.

Rather than ringing the bell, he headed straight for the garden, where he heard the sound of music and laughter. The party was in full swing already, the atmosphere light and happy, making it easy to blend in and make small talk here and there. Eric didn’t remember everyone’s names, but he did recognize a bunch of faces and it seemed like almost everyone remembered him to some extent. It was a nice feeling to know he’d left enough of an impression on all these people from school for them to still have positive memories about him. Of course, none of the conversations he had were all that deep and meaningful, but after distancing himself from people for weeks now and constantly worrying about being a burden to those around him, it was a relief to see that people did seem to like having him around. 

He was starting to loosen up, feeling lighter and happier than he’d been in weeks. Surely the alcohol was doing its part too, but Eric was convinced it was more than that. The evening felt like a turning point, like the kick of motivation he’d needed to work on getting better again. Maybe he was being a little delusional.

Just when he was about to open another bottle of beer, a voice made him stop in his tracks.

“Eric?”

You hadn’t even been all that loud, but he felt like the noise of the party—the music, the chatter, the laughter—all of it had suddenly diminished to a faint background noise at the call of your voice. 

He hadn’t heard it in years, but there was no doubt in his mind it was yours. The time apart could never erase all the time spent together, your voice ingrained in his memory like a melody from his youth. 

Eric didn’t turn around immediately. Instead he resumed opening the bottle first, using the brief moment to try and collect himself. It wasn’t really working. He hadn’t expected to meet you here. In hindsight that’d been pretty stupid, but hindsight wasn’t really helping him now.

He swallowed around the lump in his throat before finally turning around to face you. “Y/n.” He didn’t know what face he was making. Was he smiling? He wanted to smile.

“It’s been a while.” You were smiling. It was a little timid, as if you weren’t sure if Eric would want you to talk to him, but it was a smile nevertheless. He was glad somehow, that there didn’t seem to be any hard feelings on your side. A part of him had always feared that you’d come to hate him.

“Yeah.”

“Do you maybe—,” you were fumbling with the pendant of your necklace. It looked expensive, or at least more expensive than the one he’d gotten you from the arcade. He pointlessly wondered if you still had it. “Do you wanna go for a walk? Or something?”

“Sure.” It was an automatic response that came out before he had the chance to consider if he actually wanted to. But when you both set foot onto the pavement and slowly distanced yourselves from Hyunjaes house, Eric thought that he did want to.

It was quiet for a bit so Eric said “Hyunjae invited me,” both to fill the silence and because he thought you could be confused about his attendance at the party.

“Yeah, he told me.”

Somehow Eric felt weird about that. He wasn’t sure if it was the fact that the two of them had talked about him, or the fact that they’d talked at all. “Are you still close?” It was a stupid question. Eric could already guess the answer and he didn’t actually want to hear it. A very uncalled for jealousy crept up in his stomach.

“Yes. I mean, not to that extent—we’re not living in the same city—but we’ve kept in touch.”

“That’s nice,” Eric replied and he wanted to mean it but all he could think was ‘why didn’t you keep in touch with me?’

You turned a corner, entering a playground that was deserted at this hour and Eric followed along, taking the other one when you sat down on one of the swings. He watched as you slowly swayed back and forth, your gaze fixed onto your feet that never left the sand.

“I know it’s late,” you eventually started without looking up, “but I always wanted to apologize.”

It felt weird to hear you apologize. Maybe because in his head Eric has assumed you had moved on from everything quickly, starting your new life in a new place and forgetting all about the boy you’d left behind. It’d made sense to him, because while he’d never gotten the luxury of actual closure, always stuck wondering what he’d done wrong for things to go the way they did, you had known. There were no open ends to take care of, not for you. Or so he’d made himself believe, but here you were, apologizing because apparently you too hadn’t just forgotten everything.

“I was a dick back then,” you added and Eric found himself agreeing. “Yeah.” He thought he saw you flinch at his honesty. 

“I’m sorry. I really am. I know it’s not an excuse but I just—I was really scared back then.”

“Scared of what?”

“Everything. Graduation. Change. It all felt so scary to me. And I know it’s scary to everyone, I get that, but back then I felt like I was the only one struggling. Everyone around me seemed all happy and excited and I just felt so scared.”

“I could have been there for you.”  

“I know. I knew. But maybe you were one of the reasons I was so scared and I didn’t know how to tell you that.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Eric turned to you with a frown, but you didn’t look up.

“I was just so scared of losing you.”

“We would have been fine even with the distance. You wouldn’t have lost me.”

“Maybe not.”

“Definitely not,” he insisted.

You stopped swinging, your heels digging into the sand. “It wasn’t just the distance—I mean, of course I was scared of being apart. But at the time even being together felt like I was going to lose you. I just felt different, and I knew I was ruining our friendship but I didn’t know how not to. Or, I don’t know—maybe I thought boycotting things myself would be easier to stomach. It was a mistake, I know that now, but I was stupid back then.” 

Eric knew how hard it was for you to tell him all this, he heard it in the way your voice trembled and he saw it in the way your hands clung onto the chains of the swing like your life depended on them. But hearing it wasn’t easy either. You were confirming what he’d somehow already known: kissing him was a mistake to you. It’d been something to boycott your friendship without any deeper meaning, and that stung because it had meant so much to him. 

“I don’t expect you to forgive me,” you continued when Eric didn’t say anything, “but I at least wanted to say sorry. I was an idiot.”

A moment went by in silence, and then another. There was nothing aside from the wind rustling in the trees and the slight squeaking of the swings’ hinges. Eric felt tears welling up in his eyes and that sucked because he’d so badly wanted to be okay when he saw you again; he’d wanted to be over it, but now that you were here it all came back to him. He looked up to the dark sky, trying to blink away the tears. It was pathetic that he was crying like this, still hung up on his first love after four years.

“Did you ever actually—,” He started but then interrupted himself. —like me?, was what he wanted to ask but he couldn’t get the words out. It seemed you understood him anyway.

“I did. I liked you, Eric. I know I didn’t act like it, but I really liked you.”

He turned to meet your gaze and he was surprised to see tears in your eyes too. You seemed earnest. “But did you like me like that?” His voice was hoarse and quiet and barely came out at all, but he needed to ask, he needed to finally know. 

You looked confused, as if you’d already given all the answers Eric was looking for and he was just too stupid to see. And maybe he was, maybe you’d already said it all, but he had to make sure. 

“That’s what scared me so much, Eric,” you whispered. “I didn’t want to destroy our friendship with my silly feelings, but at the same time I wanted—”

“They weren’t silly. If your feelings were silly then mine were silly too.”

Your breathing hitched. “What do you mean?”

“I liked you too,” he admitted because there wasn’t a reason not to, “I always, always liked you.”

With a long sigh you pushed yourself up from the swing, taking a few steps ahead, maybe just to do something. “I really fucked things up, huh?” You turned to look at him, as if you wanted to ask more, but it took you another two turns and a few more uneasy steps to gather the courage. “What about now? Do you hate me?”

“I don’t hate you,” Eric got up too, reaching out for your hand to stop your pacing. Your fingers felt cold, maybe from the iron chains of the swings, and he wished he could put them in his pocket to warm them up. “I never once hated you.”

When you looked up now, eyes almost a little teary, he realized how close you were. If he just leaned in a little he could have kissed you. He didn’t get to though, because you leaned in first, your lips brushing his in a careful, feather light touch before you pulled away again, a question in your eyes. His gaze followed your lips, chasing the kiss, and that was enough for you to lean in again. This time I need to remember, he thought to himself as he reached up to cup your jaw and pull you in. This time I have to remember every little thing about it. 

Having you back in his room after all this time felt strange and having you in his bed felt even stranger. Eric remembered the days spent sitting on his race car sheets that he would have been too embarrassed to show anyone else, but it was fine if it was you, because you wouldn’t tell anyone. He remembered the laughing and the play fighting and all the dreams and plans you’d talked about while staring at his ceiling with the little sky of glow-in-the-dark stars looking back at you. The stars weren’t there anymore, nor were the race cars. But most importantly, rather than sitting next to him, you were straddling his hips, your eyes dark and beautiful in the halflight of the room. You leaned down to kiss him and your hair felt ticklish where it brushed his skin. It was a slow and sweet kiss, your fingers gently carding through his locks. But you steadily became more greedy, slipping your tongue into his mouth as you drew him in. He didn’t mind at all, feeling that same sense of hunger burning under his skin. When you ground your hips into him, he let out a groan, muffled only by your lips on his own. Almost automatically he grabbed onto your waist, pulling your body even closer to his own because it never felt close enough. He broke away from your lips, his mouth moving to your neck instead, leaving a trail of bites and kisses in its wake. You tilted your head to give him more access as you continuously rolled your hips into his, chasing that sweet sweet friction. His hands slipped beneath your shirt and he loved the feeling of your warm skin right beneath his fingertips as he explored your body. When his hands traveled down to the waistband of your jeans, tugging at the fabric in a question, he felt you jolt in his lap, stopping your movements as if you’d woken up from a trance.

“Wait,” you whispered with a breathy voice, your hand coming to rest on his.

“You don’t want to?” He asked, searching your eyes for answers. Of course he wanted to, but it wasn’t like he’d be upset if you didn’t. Anything was fine with him, really, as long as you didn’t disappear from his side again.

“It’s not that.” You took a deep breath and Eric immediately felt a sense of dread bubble up in his stomach. 

“But?”

“Eric, I’m flying back in three days.”

His grip on you instinctively tightened, as if that could somehow make you stay. Of course he’d somehow known that you would have to go back to your life that very clearly wasn’t taking place in this town, or room, or bed. But he’d chosen to ignore that knowledge, pushing it to the far back of his mind because he didn’t want to think about it. What use was there thinking about it anyway? He couldn’t change it.

“Yeah,” he whispered, letting his head drop onto your shoulder and wrapping his arms around you in a hug.. “But can’t we have this? At least for now?”

“If we indulge ourselves now, won’t it hurt more to part ways?”

“I don’t know. I think it hurt plenty last time.” He didn’t want to sound bitter or like he was holding a grudge, because he wasn’t. But it almost seemed like history was repeating itself. Why did you always kiss and run? What was it about him that you didn’t want to stay?

He felt your arms coming around his back, your hands drawing slow patterns. “You’re right, it hurt plenty,” you admitted and your voice seemed to tremble, “I just don’t know what to do. It’s like we’ll always get hurt, no matter which route we take.”

Eric raised his head to look at you and he felt his heart ache when he saw tears running down your cheeks. “Maybe. But if we get hurt anyway, shouldn’t we at least make the most of being together now?” 

“Okay,” you whispered, resting your forehead against his.

He smiled, reaching up to wipe away your tears. “Okay,” he repeated. And then you kissed, again and again, until the sweet comfort of your touch drowned out the heartache that was haunting both of you.

For two days, you lived in your own little world, shut away from the reality that waited outside of Eric’s room and just indulging in the way it felt to be together. Of course you both knew it wasn’t going to last, it was a mock reality, a simulation of what could be under different circumstances. But Eric had given that enough thought already. At least for a bit he didn’t want to worry about that and just get a taste of that happiness, even if he had to return it eventually. You seemed to feel the same or at least that’s what Eric wanted to believe when you let him snuggle closer in the morning, giggling at the way he buried his face in the crook of your neck, his breath ticklish on your bare skin. He smiled to himself, his chest brimming with happiness as he mindlessly started playing with your hand. You had pretty hands, he thought. He traced your fingers, one by one until he reached your ring finger. His delusional mind wondered, what it’d look like if you wore a ring. Preferably one that he’d gotten for you. Which reminded him—he did get one for you. It was way late, but it was neatly sitting in his nightstand.

“Y/n,” he started in a soft voice because the morning was too quiet to speak any louder, “Sorry for not winning you an arcade ring back then.” 

“You still remember that?”

“Of course I do. You know, I sometimes thought maybe things would have been different if I had won that ring for you.” It was supposed to be an introduction, leading up to the big reveal that he’d finally gotten that ring. That was romantic wasn’t it? But when he was about to sit up to reach for the drawer of his nightstand, you shot him down with your words.

“We would have gone down in flames either way. A plastic ring couldn’t have made a difference.”

“Right,” he whispered and his voice sounded choked up.

“Eric—”

“No, you’re right. It’s just a stupid ring. Who would be hung up on it all this time?” Who, aside from him, of course.

“It’s not that, Eric. It wasn’t stupid—but what I’m trying to say is it wasn’t your fault. You didn’t do anything wrong and it wasn’t because you didn’t win the ring for me. It just wasn’t the right time for us.”

“Is there ever going to be a right time for us?” Eric sounded bitter. He didn’t mean to, but he just didn't know how to hide his feelings about all of this. You tensed up, your fingers almost desperately intertwining themselves with his.

“There has to be,” you whispered and he heard the tears in your voice. He squeezed your hand, a silent comfort because he didn’t know what else to do or say. Nothing could stop you from leaving tomorrow. Nothing could change the circumstances you found yourselves in. 

You’d told him that he didn’t have to drive you to the airport, but he’d insisted. If he already couldn’t keep you he at least wanted to be with you for as long as possible. You arrived early, so you sat in one of the waiting areas for a bit, hands intertwined and a heavy silence hanging above you. It was hard to make conversation, because everything either of you could possibly say seemed so meaningless in the face of having to part. When it was finally time for you to head to the gate, Eric accompanied you as far as he could. You hugged for an eternity before reluctantly pulling away and it still seemed to be too short. Both of you had been crying on and off ever since you’d arrived at the airport, and there shouldn’t be any tears left at this point, but somehow there still were new ones coming anyway.

“I should really go now.”

“Yeah,” Eric nodded, but his fingers still held onto yours for a second longer, the thought of letting go painful, “I know.”

“It will be okay,” you whispered as you turned to leave and Eric wondered if you were telling him or yourself, “there will be a time for us.”

What bullshit, he thought to himself, watching you walk off. Why should you have to wait for a right time, after you’d already waited so long? The small plastic ball that he’d taken out of his nightstand and slipped into his pocket for god knows what reason felt impossibly heavy. He didn’t want to wait anymore.

“There won’t be,” he blurted out without thinking, “There won’t be a right time.”

You halted in your movements, slowly turning back around looking utterly heartbroken. “But can’t we hope?”

With a few steps he closed the distance between you again. “There will never be a right time for us. Because there is no such thing. Aren’t we the ones who should decide what time is right? I am tired of all this uncertainty. I don’t want to see you go without knowing if we’ll talk again. I know it isn’t easy to make things work long distance, but shouldn’t we at least try? Didn’t we spend enough time with regrets?”

“But how—how could I possibly ask that of you? After everything I’ve done, shouldn’t I make things easy for you now? How can I ask you to try something that seems to be doomed to fall apart?”

“Then what if I’m the one who’s asking you?” He pulled out the plastic capsule from his pocket, holding it out to you with shaking hands. “What if I’m the one who’s asking to try?”

You stared at it for a moment, clearly flabbergasted. “Is that—?”

“Yeah,” he opened it to show you the tiny little arcade ring, and it made a new wave of tears roll down your cheeks. 

“You got it? For me?”

“A while ago. I know you said it wouldn’t change anything, it’s just plastic after all but—”

“You really went back to win it for me?” You were straight up sobbing now, but there was a smile in your eyes.

“Well, I said I would.”

“I love it,” you pressed out through tears, “I love you.” 

“Yeah,” he smiled back, trying his best and failing not to cry too. He’d wondered many times if he should just throw the ring away and move on. And maybe he should have, but right now, at this moment, he was glad he didn’t. “I love you too.”

23

Twenty-three was fine, he supposed. And for the most part it was. He felt too young to be finishing college and there was all that fear about what was to come after; the prospect of job interviews scary, the prospect of maybe not even getting invited infinitely scarier. But it wasn’t as frightening as it could have been, maybe because he'd been seeing a therapist for a while now. Or maybe because he wasn’t feeling so alone now. Despite not living in the same town anymore he had a lot of contact with his friends these days, both from college and high school. Actually Sunwoo had even come over to help with his move. Your move, to be more precise. You’d moved in together just a few weeks ago, after his classes had ended for good. It was a cozy little flat close to your workplace that you'd picked together, and Eric had never loved coming home more than he did now. There was nothing better than knowing you’d be there and even at the times you weren’t, he still found you in every inch of your shared apartment, from the potted plant in the kitchen that you insisted wasn’t dead yet, to your forgotten sock between the sofa cushions.

You also actually wore that tiny little arcade ring (on your pinky, because it didn't fit anywhere else). He’d told you a zillion times you didn’t have to wear it, but it gave him butterflies that you did. He promised himself that once he’d found a job he would save up for a proper ring, one that you wouldn’t have to wear on your pinky. The thought made him giddy and excited for the future, overshadowing all the scary parts. Yeah, twenty-three was definitely fine.

Masterlist

[winter-dayz]

Consequences of a Spellbook

Pairing: Choi Youngjae x Reader Magic AU; Witchcraft AU Genre: Angst Words: 1254

Masterlist | Fictober Masterpost

Taglist:  @soobin-chois

“What do you mean no?” He gaped, disappointed and a little surprised at her outright refusal. “You won’t teach me? Why not?” He pouted at the stranger before him.

“I’m not a teacher, that’s why.” She said, baffled at his exasperation. She had never met someone so interested in magic before, but she simply was not prepared or qualified to teach someone else the ways of magic. Especially not someone with absolutely no prior knowledge—which he very obviously did not have.

“But… I returned your spellbook to you, so technically you owe me one right? And I think the fact that I was able to find you at all shows that I am very determined. I mean, rifling through your spells for any obvious signs of the owner of the book was quite challenging, but I did it.” He rambled, hoping that in his rapid pleading she would give in.

“Wait– You read my spells?” She asked with a tilt of her head and eyes narrowed at the still-nameless boy outside her door.

“Um…Yes? Should I not have? I didn’t know they were private, and I figured the book was rather important.”

“That’s–” She shook her head, surprised, “No, I meant you were able to read them?” She blinked several times, and he suddenly realized that it wasn’t that he was not allowed to read them but that he likely shouldn’t have been able to at all. He only nodded slowly in response. She blew out a heavy breath and then stepped aside. “Alright, come in then.”

🎃

“When are you going to teach me how to actually cast spells?” He asked. Youngjae was a pretty decent student. He was quiet, incredibly interested, and attentive, and he actually asked questions if he needed to. But at that moment, Y/N wished he didn’t question at all.

“When you understand the importance and the history of it. If you don’t like my methods then you can find someone else.” She responded, though without any heat. She knew he wouldn’t; she simply wanted him to be patient. “You have to understand that magic isn’t all good and fun… It can be incredibly finicky or specific, and it always has consequences.”

“I was just curious… I was worried you were trying to wait me out until I eventually just left.” He shrugged, doodling in his own journal. Y/N had not advised him to buy a journal or anything, that was all him and his excitement. She was rather impressed at his diligence as a student.

“We’ll get there soon, don’t worry.” He tilted his head with an excited, but close-lipped, smile. She often likened him to a puppy, and mannerisms like that only furthered that belief.

🎃

Youngjae's eagerness didn't wane. He continued to absorb every piece of magical knowledge Y/N provided, but a subtle tension lingered in the air. While appreciating Youngjae's dedication, she was concerned that he didn’t really believe what she had warned him about.

One evening, as they delved into the intricacies of potion-making, Youngjae hesitated before asking, "Is there something you're not telling me?"

“What do you mean? What’s going on?” She eyed him and turned her attention away from the spellbook to inspect his features.

“I… I can’t seem to sleep at night. My head is constantly filled with voices, but I can hardly ever tell what they’re saying or who they are. I thought I’d been cursed, but none of the curses you taught me matched what’s going on.” His eyes met hers, and she could see the toll it was taking on him. His eyes were tired; his skin paler than normal.

“Magic is a powerful force, and with power comes responsibility. There are aspects of it that are not meant to be taken lightly. It's not all just about casting spells and creating wonders. I told you that it has consequences.” She stated, though she did feel bad for the man across from her. He didn’t deserve what he was going through, but if he could persevere then he’d be a stronger witch… a stronger person, for it.

Youngjae sensed her reluctance but pressed on, "You said that before, but what does that mean?"

Y/N's glanced away before meeting his eyes again carefully, a mixture of sadness and apprehension in them. "Every spell, every incantation, leaves an imprint. The more you delve into magic, the more it becomes a part of you, and you become a part of it. It's not always a benevolent force."

As the days passed, Youngjae's enthusiasm met with the harsh reality—unexpected side effects, uncontrolled reactions, and an unsettling connection to the mystical energies he sought to master.

One fateful night, after a particularly intense magical session, Youngjae found himself unable to sleep. His mind was filled with visions and echoes of the arcane. He sought solace in his journal, scribbling down his fears and uncertainties. The pages quickly filled with bold, dark, basically incoherent scribbles.

🎃

As Youngjae's nights became more restless, his condition worsened. The voices in his head grew louder, the arcane echoes more chaotic, and his once bright eyes now held a haunted look. Y/N, tormented by guilt, intensified her efforts to find a solution.

Youngjae collapsed in exhaustion one night in the middle of reading an old text, trying to find information on how to lessen the symptoms of his condition. She watched helplessly as he clutched his head, sweat glistening on his pale, clammy skin. The once-promising student now seemed like a mere shell of himself.

"I can't take it anymore," Youngjae whispered, his voice a fragile echo. "I just wanted to learn magic, to be like you. I never signed up for this."

"I never wanted this for you, Youngjae. I thought I could guide you, but I didn't anticipate the extent of the consequences. I should have anticipated this and tried to find you a better teacher when you first asked me to teach you." She watched him with tears in her eyes.

"Is there no way to fix this? Can't you do something? Anything?"

"I don't know. Magic is unpredictable, and the effects are not always reversible. I should have been more cautious, more aware of the risks. I– I’m so sorry, Youngjae." She sighed and brought over a cold towel to try and soothe his less supernatural symptoms at least.

As the days wore on, Youngjae's condition only increased. She blamed herself for being the catalyst for his suffering. As he lay on her couch in anguish, trying to will the voices away, he spoke up with a choked, pained voice.

“I can’t go on like this. I’ll do anything, but this has to stop… I can’t live like this anymore, Y/N.”

With a heavy heart, she nodded in understanding and guided him through a ritual meant to sever his connection to the magical realm that tormented him.

As the ritual concluded, Youngjae collapsed, his breaths ragged. The voices were gone, but so was the spark of curiosity that once filled his eyes. He looked at Y/N, a shadow of his former self. He was on the cusp of passing out when he spoke up again, voice dim and low.

“Will I remember any of this? Will I remember you when I wake up?”

"I'm sorry," Y/N whispered, her voice choked around a sob as she considered what the sever meant for his memory.

Youngjae managed a watery smile, "It's not your fault. I wanted this, remember?"

[idolimagines]

I have a request. Will you do a oneshot where it's your wedding day and you have a flashback on how Jackson enlisted the help of all the members to help him setup a treasure hunt proposal? At the end the you're crying happy tears because you are pronounced as husband and wife?

Thank you for the request! I hope you like it.

Title: Mrs. Wang

Genre: Fluff

Word count: 1.5K

The fresh smell of orchids filled your nose as soon as the double doors opened and revealed your grand entrance.

The room was filled with guests consisting of your closest family and friends. It was an elegant and intimate wedding adorned with pearl and satin accents and highlighted with the most beautiful shade of Robin’s egg blue. Several gasps were heard and all eyes were on you as you gracefully began to walk down the aisle to your soon-to-be husband, Mr.Jackson Wang. He stared at you lovingly, tears pooling his eyes at first sight of you in your wedding dress. As you continued to make your way towards him, you couldn’t help but admire his handsome appearance. He was dressed in a classic tuxedo and his chocolate brown hair was swept to the side with gel. Jackson’s thick brows helped highlight the rest of his sharp features, from his deep, dark brown eyes to his plump lips that you were dying to kiss.

As you neared the altar, you spotted Jackson’s best man, Jaebum quietly handing him a small handkerchief as a sign to dry his teary eyes. Jaebum earned a thumbs up from Yugyeom and BamBam who were sitting in the front row along with Jinyoung, Youngjae and Mark. It wasn’t long before Jackson dried his tears and walked down the three small steps to meet you. “You’re so beautiful” he whispered just before taking your hand into his and leading you up the steps to the altar. In that moment you felt like you could turn to mush just seeing how he smiled at you so lovingly. Jackson remembered how nervous you were just the day before seeing as you wanted everything to go perfectly smooth. You had been planning this wedding for months and now that the day was finally here, you hoped your hard work had paid off. However, all negative thoughts instantly vanished as Jackson held both of your hands and gently rubbed his thumbs against your fingers, almost as if to give you that nonverbal reassurance you didn’t know you needed.

The officiant began reciting his usual script just after thanking everyone for coming together to witness the lifelong commitment you and Jackson were about to make. Before you knew it, you were suddenly drowning out the officiant’s voice and taking in every single word your fiance uttered before you. Jackson spoke from the heart, looking you in the eyes as he first mentioned how you took his breath away when he first laid eyes on you all those years ago. He made the crowd laugh when he briefly mentioned having to pull out all his smooth moves on you just to give him your number back in the day. You couldn’t help but let out a chuckle as well as you reminisced about your beginning and all the good times you’ve had that led up to this moment.

Jackson bit his bottom lip as he looked at you with tears growing in his eyes again. He bit down on his lip a little too hard, almost as if to stop his voice from shaking before taking a deep breath. “You are my everything,” he added. You looked up at him and smiled while you felt your own tears forming. “I admire you so much.” Jackson said, “You’re the kindest, most loving person I know and I wake up everyday wanting to be the best version of myself because of you. Thank you for always being by my side and I promise to always be by yours. I love you, _____.” 

By this point, tears were cascading down your face before you took a deep breath to begin exchanging your vows. Similarly to Jackson, you declared your infinite love for him and emphasized the impact he has had on your life just as you had his. You spoke of the many moments of laughter and love you two shared throughout the years and made sure to mention just how much he means to you before the officiant continued reciting his script and allowed you two to exchange wedding bands. You watched as Jackson gently placed the band on your finger before locking eyes with you again. After a few more moments, you were suddenly wrapping your arms around his neck as he dipped you and bestowed a kiss just after the coordinator said, “you may kiss your bride.”

The crowd erupted with cheers and chants in celebration of your new milestone. You stood at the altar with Jackson hand in hand, taking in the special moment as you both faced the crowd. You watched as Jackson’s best friends, or more like brothers in the first row whistled and cheered you two on. It brought a smile to your face as the sight of them reminded you of how you two got to this point in the first place - the proposal. 

You remembered how Jackson had recruited the boys to set up a sort of ‘treasure hunt’ like proposal for you. It started with a sly little note at home, with details and clues of where to find your dress, shoes and accessories Jackson had bought for you for the night. He then had Youngjae drive you to your next destination, which was one of the best hotels in the city. Once you arrived you were greeted by Mark, Yugyeom and Jinyoung and instructed to find more clues that would lead you to the ‘treasure.’ “Guys what is going on,” you would occasionally ask as you followed a trail of rose petals and made your way through the hotel and towards the back door. Throughout your search you would find short love notes and compliments seemingly from Jackson along the way.

“Is this what I think it is?’ You asked with a big smile when you saw Jaebum and BamBam. You could feel your heart pounding as you neared them and noticed BamBam’s mischievous smile. “I don’t know. Only one way to find out,” BamBam chimed as he opened the door for you and motioned for you to continue. You will never forget the butterflies you felt as you exited the back door and found yourself walking along the beach at sunset just before catching sight of Jackson. He was standing before the ocean with his hands clasped together, almost as if he had been just as nervous as you were. He was dressed in a white button down and khaki trousers rolled up to his knees.

“Jackson!” You cheered as you made your way to him a little quicker. “Come here,” he chuckled as he eagerly awaited your arrival. “What are you doing out here?” You giggled as he immediately pulled you in for a hug as soon as you reached him. “I know the beach makes you happy, so I wanted to bring you here,” he answered in a calm tone. You smiled at him before looking out to the ocean, admiring how beautiful it looked as the sun set over it. “Yeah there’s nothing quite like this view,” you hummed. 

“Or you,” Jackson added. “There’s no one quite like you, _____.” He said while admiring you and causing you to look at him once more. You watched as he swiftly reached into his pocket and pulled out a beautiful ring. “Jackson-” you gasped as he kneeled in front of you. “I mean it, ____. There’s no one else in the world like you. You’re one of a kind and you mean so much to me.” He confessed. Jackson gazed upon your beauty and suddenly became at a loss for words as he began to stumble upon his next thought. “To be honest, I had a whole script planned out in my head, but looking at you now. Wow.” He smiled. “I just can’t think of what else to say now other than I love you. Will you make me the happiest man on Earth and marry me?” 

You gasped as you heard those words come out of his mouth. You had dreamed of this day so long as it was one-step closer to marrying the love of your life. “Yes of course!” You exclaimed before jumping into his arms and kissing him tenderly. You were surprised as fireworks erupted from above and the rest of the boys appeared, shouting and cheering in awe as their best friend was set to marry the one who made his heart full. 

Those same cheers echoed in your mind as you came back to reality and smiled at Jackson’s life-long friends just before he whisked you up and yelled, “This is my wife!” To everyone in excitement. “Oh my gosh,” you laughed at his antics as more cheers erupted. “Already announcing it to the world?” You added. “Yes!” Jackson beamed. “Now, how about we get out of here, Mrs. Wang?” he asked with a grin and you nodded. “Let’s do it-” you barely uttered before Jackson took off with you in his arms and ran down the aisle. You nearly screamed in surprise and held onto him for dear life with your bouquet barely hanging on. You tossed the flowers aside to gain a better grip as Jackson neared the car outside. “Mrs. Wang,” you cooed. “I like the sound of that.”

[blizzardfluffykpop]

Partners

Summary: The two partners in crime that did everything together as a team for the team, were finally separated.

Oneshot

Fluff, Angst w/a happy ending, Mafia au, Hurt/comfort au

Trigger Warnings: Guns, Knives, Rescuing a spider or two, Murder, Death/Dying mentions, No main character or member death, Damnation, and Mentions of Drugs (none used or sold by reader).

Word Count: 5,582

Younghoon X Reader

[A/n: If my friend; @jinkoh never put this in my mind, my first fanfiction for the boyz probably would have probably been sweet and fluffy. Here we are… Anyways, after a few years of saying I’d write about them, now I have. And yes, of course, the reader had to be a badass. I'm still new to their personalities, so I am sorry if the characterization is off!! Fun fact: this fic starts on the same word it ends on: Another]

------

Another day, another successful mission. Your team was able to find another one of your rival's hideouts and kill off several of the dealers. You high-five Younghoon as you climb out of your lookout together. He lands first on the ground. He waits for you to jump and steadies you after you hop down. You thank him before telling him, “We're such a lethal team.” He grins, and you make it to the getaway car and sit in the back with him. He speaks first, “The shot you pulled off back there?” You hum as you smirk, “Yeah?” He smiles, “I can’t believe you managed to shoot that guy in the head! We were so far away from him!” You laugh and go, “What about you? Mr. I pulled off the ending shot. You killed the guy who we’ve been after for months!” He smirks, “I did, didn’t I?” You both laugh, and Sunwoo goes, “You lovebirds done? I almost got my ass kicked back there.” You roll your eyes, and Younghoon goes, “You’re just jealous 'cause Youngjae bested a big opponent in hand-to-hand combat.” “You two saw where I was and couldn’t kill the guy for me?” You shrug, “If you didn't have it under control, he would have been shot by us.” Younghoon continues, “We had bigger fish to fry anyway.” Sunwoo rolls his eyes, and Youngjae is the last to hop into the vehicle, “Alright, who’s ready for ramen!?” You all grin and yell, “Me!”

You all laugh as you eat a hearty meal before retiring to your rooms. You hold the door open for Younghoon, and he follows you in, groaning, “I’m ready to retire for the night.” You laugh, “Me too.” You wash up first before letting him have the bathroom. You hear a cry of, “Why is it always me?!” And you knock, and he goes, “S-Spider!” You laugh and open the door, and he covers up with the shower curtain, pointing and cowering away from the bug. “You may be a skilled sniper. But you certainly can’t take out a bug.” He pouts, and you smile, “I mean it kindly.” He nods, and you trap the bug and go, “I’m going to run this little guy outside.” He shivers, “Ew.” And before you exit, he goes, “For a person who shows no mercy to the devils, you certainly are gentle to bugs.” You shake your head and laugh as you leave and let the spider out of the balcony window before locking it back up.

The following morning, Sangyeon calls for a meeting. It starts well, reviewing your success of the last year. Before he sighs, “I’ve been thinking about this for a while. And how we’ve been trying to eliminate our rival. And after several talks with Kevin, I’ve decided what course of action to take.” Sangyeon locks eyes with each of you, “We’re going to have to take drastic measures to end this once and for all.” You all wait for him to elaborate, and he says, “(Y/n), I’d hate to burden you with this. But you’re our keyholder. You’ll be the one to infiltrate the devils.” You couldn’t believe your ears as he continued to talk. You felt someone grab your hand and hold it tightly under the table, and you squeezed it back, reassuring him that it was okay.

Sangyeon says, “We’ll talk further. But for now, that’s what I’ve decided.” You nod, “Okay.” Younghoon immediately protests in your favor, his hand leaving yours, but you know it won’t change anything. Sangyeon has made his decision, and while he was lenient. When something favored the team, it was more important than the individuals. Not that he would assign any of you anything outside of your capabilities. Younghoon slams his hands onto the tabletop, “We’re always together! I’m (Y/n)’s partner in crime!” Sangyeon’s lips pull into a firm line, “I know. I’m sorry. But (Y/n)’s our best bet. And as much as I’d love to send Chanhee who’s always behind the scenes. He’s not a skilled marksman, like you and (Y/n).” You were the team’s sniper and weapons specialist, along with Younghoon. He begs, “Send me instead.” And you have to fight your tears as he pleads. Sangyeon shakes his head, “I can’t. They know your face when you tripped that wire when you went on that solo mission eight months ago.” Younghoon groans, and Sangyeon looks at you, “You understand, right?” You hold your voice as steady as possible, “I do…” And Younghoon looks at you, baffled before he sees the tears in your eyes. And Sangyeon leaves the room with the rest of the team to give you both time to think it over.

Younghoon waits until the door clicks before he pulls you up and into his arms. “I know you’re capable. But I don’t want you to go.” You blink back your tears, “Unlike you, I’ve never been without you on a mission. What if I’m not as good without you?” He shakes his head at you, with tears brimming his eyes, “You’ve always been better than me. You never miss a shot. You’ve always been careful. And I know without me, you’ll be okay.” You wrap your arms around him, “I don’t want to go without you even though I have to.” He makes sure you’re looking him in the eyes before he says, “I have to tell you something.” You wait for him as he takes a deep breath, “You’re my partner in crime, right…” You give him a small smile, “Always.” He searches your eyes as he whispers, “I’ve always wanted you more than that. Not just in crime, I want you to be my life partner.” Your tears finally spill over at his confession. “I-I-” He shakes his head, “You don’t have to say anything back. I um- I just needed to tell you.” You cry as you finally say, “I want you too. You’ve always been my partner in more ways than I ever admitted.”

You wipe his tears as he wipes yours. You smile, “The rest of them have always called us lovebirds, it’s about time we make it true.” He laughs and agrees. Before placing his hands on either side of your cheeks and kissing you, as you quickly kiss back. You stay like that for a moment. You pull away and search his eyes, noticing the tears rolling down his cheeks. And you tell him, “I mean it, I love you.” He lays his forehead against yours, “I love you too.”

---

It’s the last day you'll be here, for a short while, you hope. You hug them all goodbye. It was hard to part with them after being with them for eight years of your life. Even with tears threatening to fall, they each do their best to make you laugh as they tell you goodbye. Hyunjae hugs you last, “You’ve always out-skilled me in marksmanship. When you return, we’ll compete, and I'll win, okay?” You laugh, “My ass you’ll win!” He winks, “I guess you’ll just have to prove me wrong when you return!” They all scoot back as you approach your partner. Your tears race forward as you see his tearful eyes. He pulls you into him and hides his face into your neck for a few minutes, just taking it all in, that this would be the last time you’d hug either for a long time or forever. You hold him to you, not wanting to go just as much as he didn’t want to let you go.

“I should have told you about my feelings sooner.” You cup his cheeks, “It’s okay.” Your tears are streaming down your cheeks as he chokes back sobs, “I know you can do it. But what if… What if I waited all this time… Just for it to be too late.” You shake your head at him, and he holds you tighter in his arms, “What if you die out there and I never told you I loved you.” You sniffle, “But you did. And I love you too, don’t you dare forget that.” He cries, and you lift his chin and pull his lips to yours. After a brief kiss, you tell him, “Then it won’t be all for naught. If we live, we’ll be safe. And if not, we’ll at least die knowing we felt the same for each other.” He pulls his lips from yours and shakes his head at you, “How I wish these were different circumstances.” You laugh as you wipe your nose on a handkerchief, “Me too. But that’s why when I leave. I’ll be damned and determined to make it back to you.” He locks eyes with you, and you smile, “I’ll do everything to meet you on the other side. I’m damned to have you by my side.” You kiss his nose, and you both start to pull away when he whispers, “Are you sure I can’t bar you from leaving?” You giggle and whisper back, “Sangyeon would have your head.” He laughs, “It’d be worth it.” You wipe your eyes before shaking your head at him. You kiss him one last time before pulling away.

You sigh as you take one last look at the world you grew to love. They’re all waving goodbye, and Younghoon is waving with tears streaming down his eyes. You give them the bravest smile you can. And with a wave, you disappear into the night.

---

It’s been a year since then, and you’re still in this damn place, waiting for the perfect moment to strike and get this over. All you wanted to do was to return to be by Younghoon’s side. While you were doing this for the team and you to be safe. You were also doing everything you could to thin out the mafia from the inside. From sending the crew out at the wrong place and time or committing inside jobs to move up higher in the rankings. And since you had help from the outside. The number of coworkers you have every day is less. Now, you're the kingpin's bodyguard, and when you're not guarding him, you're the head of patrol.

Your mind is in other places while standing beside your boss. You have to stay strong for not only yourself but your partner and friends. You straighten up as you imagine what shenanigans you'd be doing. Maybe Hyunjae and you'd be pranking Sangyeon. Or you'd be in your shared room cuddling with Younghoon. Holding him to you as you run your fingers through his hair. Your mind is drawn back to your boss, who is chattering about something he wants acknowledged.

He's telling you about his latest fling, and you're resisting your recoil of disgust as you nod along to him. When he finally shuts up, you go back to daydreaming. Maybe this time, unlike before, you'd share the bed instead of just a room. Perhaps you two would buy a queen-sized mattress, plop it in the middle of the room to share, and you'd be happy. You'd still have to go out and deal with the various missions. But at least it would be alongside Younghoon again. After all, it has only been a year and some months since you’ve confessed. You both didn’t know if you’d come back alive, and you’re wondering if you ever will. You’re still waiting for a sign that they’re ready.

Your mind goes back to the first few months. It wasn’t easy infiltrating the system, but you acted swiftly, getting in on training sessions in their gyms until they started to recognize you more. And then, one day, you ‘accidentally’ caught them exercising their crimes: exchanging drugs in plain daylight. So, of course, they had to make sure you kept quiet by dragging you in further. After all, you were already in their gym 24/7. What was another hour? You acted as if you didn’t know how to shoot a gun and went up the ranks rather quickly with your skills that seemed to them as natural talent. What they didn’t realize is that you weren’t naturally rising in the ranks like they thought. After two months of being the head of the patrol, you rose artificially to the main bodyguard after he mysteriously died. Now it was only a matter of time before you’d get alone with the boss without fearing interruptions from staff and fellow guards. You still had three other bodyguards to take care of. And it was still risky to kill them all when you didn’t have the signal yet.

---

You're up late, retiring to your single room after finishing your shift for the night. When you get a text from an unknown number, “New to Deobi.” Your eyes light up as you hide under your covers to text back, “How did you get my number?”

New: You know I have my ways. Your rank?

You: Main bodyguard

New: Good

New: Two days

You: No way

New: Yes, way. Now, get to bed. We got our side under control.

You giggle, almost too giddy to fall asleep. Soon you’ll be out of here. You just had to get rid of the others, an easy feat after knowing how strict everyone’s schedules were with a man who needed guarding 24/7. All you need Chanhee to do is disconnect the internal alarm system. And it was smooth sailing from there. With it still on, your boss can send out a distress signal to authorities or fellow mafias. And you couldn't risk that happening.

—Meanwhile, on the other side—

Younghoon is outside of the kingpin’s bar, just doing his nightly stroll. When one of the goons comes out talking shit about everyone in their rival's group and how the job sucked. And how his fellow bodyguards were even worse, always ordering him around, “Don’t even get me started on the piece of work that's (Y/n)!” The guy groans as he goes on about you and the other guards. How dare he talk about you like that? Without a second thought, he has his gun to his head, “No, continue. See how far that gets you.” The guy gulps, “Why would you even care? You’re in our rival’s mafia.” And he smirks as he cocks it back, “Why shouldn't I?” And that’s the last thing the goon ever hears. Younghoon drags him around to the back of the bar. He pulls the guy’s gun out, unloads the bullets, and sets the gun down beside him. He shoves the remaining ones into his pocket, fiddling with them as he walks around the bar. Even if they saw him shoot the guy, there’s not much they can do, considering how thinned out they’ve become.

It killed him to have to let you go since you had fallen into the world a few weeks after him. From then, you were always together, both of you learning the world together. Sangyeon told the two of you that while you were a team, the two of you would be partners in marksmanship. Combined, your skills had outranked the rest. Which wasn’t an easy feat, considering Changmin had been the former sniper. He stepped down happily to be on field work.

Not only were you two skilled marksmen, but you became weapon specialists together. You two would stay up in your shared room, learning about artillery together and fashioning your own. It was weird to return home and not have you there beside him. And when he’d roll over to say good night to you. You weren't there on your side to say goodnight. He misses staying up with you for hours when he found you still awake. The two of you would talk about everything and nothing at all.

The absence of you ate him away. He shoved his mind into missions, doing everything to not think about you not being by his side. Even when he’d make a shot and look for you to high-five, he'd remember you weren't there. He felt empty from the inside out. The rest of his members did everything they could to comfort him. But none of them were you.

You were his partner. And when he finally got to have you as his life partner. You had to leave. He should have confessed sooner. He had so many opportunities to tell you. He could have slipped it out when you’ve finished an enemy off, telling you that he’s never seen someone make shooting a gun look so hot. But whenever he went to say them back then, it never felt like the right time, let alone the right words. It never felt right to tell you until you were about to slip away forever. He pushed himself deeply into work, and the others couldn’t do anything but try to work faster to get you back. Younghoon was shaving time left and right by killing their goons just because they looked at him funny.

Maybe it was best that you couldn't see how low he went without you. Or how little care he took of himself. But back when you were together. Whenever one of you got hurt, you were always there to patch the other up. If either of you were feeling under the weather, you’d stay by each other’s side. If you weren’t able to go, he wasn’t either. Changmin could always pick up your guy's slack. He wouldn’t leave your side when you caught the flu and took care of you even though Chanhee and Jacob yelled at him more times than he could count for staying in the same room as you while you were sick. But you'd do the same for him in a heartbeat.

The reality he grew so comfortable with is out of his grasp. He misses how you’d jump into action the second he’d shriek and take the bugs he was scared of outside. Now, as a spider spins a web in the corner of the shower, and he screams for you to get it. He sadly remembers you're not coming to his rescue. He sighs dejectedly, heading to shower in a different bathroom. It was so lonely without you. Even though he had his brothers, he didn’t have you. He missed you terribly, just like you missed him.

---

The next day, as Younghoon doom scrolls, a knock comes on his door. Suspecting another mission, he rolls his eyes as he opens the door, but it’s not Juyeon, who usually doles them out. It’s Sangyeon. He moves back to let him in, “Yeah?” Sangyeon sighs, “I thought a lot about how to put this.” Younghoon waits and sits on his bed. Sangyeon stands, knowing better than to sit on your perfectly made bed, “In two days, this can go south very fast or end up in our favor. But we’ve thinned them out enough. And with Chanhee finally being able to hack into (Y/n)’s burner. We’re right at the precipice.” Younghoon gapes at him, “What?” He nods, “I know you wish to contact (Y/n)… But it’s not possible.” Younghoon sighs, “I didn't expect to. But two days? That's all we have left?” Sangyeon gives him a tight-lipped smile, “Yeah if everything goes right, we'll be home free.” He pauses before he says, “And I know you’re not a believer. But I’ve prayed that it’s all worked out. I want you to believe in us, (Y/n), and yourself even more now.” Younghoon nods, “I always do.” Sangyeon clasp his hand over his, “Especially now, okay?” He nods, “I promise.” And Sangyeon squeezes his hand one last time before getting up, “Come down for lunch, and we’ll have bigger plans to discuss.”

—Back to the devil’s headquarters—

You text Chanhee one last thing, “The alarms.” While Chanhee had it automatically deleting your messages off of the network, you deleted the texts off your device. You control your features into a deep frown, knowing if you give yourself a chance, you’ll be smiling with glee. You’re partially through your shift when he goes, “My alarms aren’t working! No one is reporting to me from the kitchens!” Your boss orders you to get their attention, “I’ll have someone come out this weekend for it. For now, I’ll use you four as my messengers. Quickly now.” You resist rolling your eyes, knowing you just had less than twenty-eight hours before all this was over. You go to the kitchen and order them to move it like he would so he can have his precious dinner. As you head back, you are thankful that Chanhee took out the alarms on your shift so your ‘boss’ didn't think you had something to do with it.

After the server brings in the meal and retreats back to the kitchen, another one of the guards comes in, “I’ve been looking all over, sir. And I can’t find Choi anywhere.” The royal fucker goes, “Where was he last?” “Probably one of your bars?” “Well, what are you waiting for? He's next on duty.” He rolls his eyes and looks at you, “Can you believe these imbeciles? Not being able to report for duty on time.” You shake your head, “No, sir. It’s painful to think someone would ditch their duties to drink through the night. I would never do such a thing.” He nods and pats your shoulder, “You never have. You never let me down. Always punctual and always there at my beck and call.” You agree, “Always.”

You don’t speak another word as he eats. It’s not for another hour until your fellow bodyguard returns, “I’ve come to report that Choi has passed.” He rolls his eyes, “Ugh, great, another one. You’re up for duty next, then.” “Yes, sir.” He shoos you away, “You’re dismissed.” You give him a nod before turning on your heel and marching out as your fellow guard replaces your spot. As you open the door, you politely say, “Good night, sir.”

You were giddy as you got ready for bed. One day, that’s all you have before you’re reunited with your best friends and partner. The worst year of your life would finally be over. And while there was no guarantee it’d be any better, at least you’d finally be able to take on the world with Younghoon again. The love of your life, you've done your best to stay alive to see him again. Having several close encounters, especially when you caught them in that drug deal in the first place. If you didn't suck up and beg to join them, you wouldn't have the chance to go back home. And now, with the day in your grasp, you can't wait for tomorrow, no matter what happens. You eat your dinner in your room as you always do on your duty nights and settle into sleep. You’d need a good night’s rest if you’d wish to pull off an impossible feat.

You wake up with a big stretch, wiping your eyes. You couldn’t help but feel glee, even though the worst part of the mission was today. You were about to return home. While everything could go south today, you were determined to pull through. You flick through your mind your plan, the last plan that Sangyeon, Kevin, and Haknyeon gave you. The priority being to get out alive after killing off the kingpin. The other men were secondary. They’d be helping you from the outside and inside. Ensuring no one that goes in comes out again.

You knew the patrol was weak because when you weren’t protecting his highness. You guarded the gate with only one person guarding the front door. Unlike when you first started, there were ten of you on guard. While your next kill is secondary, you know it'll save your ass in the end. You formulated the scheme months ago. All you'd have to do is kill off the guard on duty you were supposed to wake up and take his place as the main guard instead of heading to your scheduled location at the gate for the day. Now, it would be even easier for your team to get inside.

You shake off your grin and control your features into a perfect poker as you’ve done for the past year. You walk out of your room after arming yourself to code. You head to your fellow guard’s room. Again, you were supposed to wake him for his shift. You slip in and lock the door behind you. He starts waking up with a stir, and you shake your head, whispering, “Go back to bed. I'll take your shift.” You wait for him to settle back into sleep before you bring your knife up, and embed it into him, “I’ve always heard it’s better to pass in your sleep. Have good dreams.” You graciously lift a second blanket at the end of the bed over him, concealing the knife embedded in him.

You clean your hands in the attached bathroom and lock the bedroom door behind you. You head over to your boss’ room, and after scanning your eyeball, the door opens. And see him getting dressed for the day. You tell him, “I’d much rather serve today, sir.” He squints, “Why’s that?” “Well, I’d like Saturday off. It’s my birthday.” He nods, “I see. Why have you never mentioned it before?” You smile, “Well, I was too busy committing my life to your cause that I didn’t think of myself until it was right upon us.” He grins, “I admire that. You may trade shifts.” You hold your smile back. You just got away with murder, which will be his fatal mistake. Through the door, you tell your deceased coworker you’re taking his shift. He doesn’t reply, and no one thinks a second thought.

You lead your boss to his office, as you always do. He fiddles with his papers, “You'd think fentanyl would be selling better, considering how new this drug is.” You nod. He never wanted you to give him a reason, just wanted you to acknowledge his reports. You listen to him drown out as he flips through his papers. Like every day for the past year since meeting him, you’re resisting rolling your eyes. You always found it interesting how he’d always send people to complete missions but not go out on them. How interesting that as the kingpin, he'd never carry a gun and always have a bodyguard around him 24/7 unless he was in his inner bedroom.

Even then, the only way to enter the master suite was by scanning your eyes. His actual bedroom was off-limits to everyone, even his flings. He had an extra bed in the first room for such occasions. He didn’t trust anyone with the code, scared of dying in his sleep. And because of that, there were several to enter that room. One of which was a tongue scan. It was the safest place to be in the entire house, but you planned for that. You weren't going to let him escape to it.

However, you’d think he’d be smart enough to wear a bulletproof vest, which he required his employees to wear. Or at least carry a weapon better than the brass knuckles he always wore. While he was street smart, he certainly wasn’t home security intelligent. Considering you were right under his nose. And that would be his downfall. You hear a loud crash, and your eyes go wide as you reach for your gun. Your boss rolls his eyes, “You’d think those lousy chefs would know better than to be quiet while I was working.” You nod. Sure, that’s what that noise was, and not your friends breaking and entering. You move your hand from your gun, but your hand never parts from your side, knowing what's next to come.

It goes silent again, and that’s how it remains for the next hour. Until another crash sounds, “Because the alarms are out until Saturday. Yell out to them to knock it off.” And so you do. You open the door and yell for them to knock it off. You shut it and stand at your post just for the guard who was supposed to guard the front door rushed inside, “We’re under attack!” It’s not you who gasps it’s your boss who goes, “Fuck. I have to get out of here.” He shoos out the other guard, telling him to wake everyone else.

You rush to the door and lock it, “What’s the plan?” He sighs, “I can't get to my room in time. And I don't know if they're rigging bombs, so we’re going down the passage.” You tilt your head, “I’m not sure that’s a good idea.” “Why’s that?” “Pretty sure, the boyz have already sealed it off.” “No one except for me knows where the passage ends. They couldn't possibly have.” You feel the smirk grow on your face before you can hold it back, he’s at your throat. Pulling you up by your collar, “I always had a sneaking suspicion that you were someone else. But I never had the proof.” You smirk, “Exactly. You let me in, not knowing my background.” He slams you against the door, knocking the air out of your lungs for a second. He sputters as he thinks, “But you-you’ve never gone outside of your quarters, I would know.” You laugh, “You’re right. I never did, never had to. We already planned out how to take you down.” He slams you again, and you hold back your groan, not giving him the satisfaction, thankful for the cushion that the vest provided.

You move your hand while he’s concentrating, “You never were smart, huh?” You grab your gun, put it against his stomach, and pull the trigger, “You should have reached for my gun when you had the chance.” He drops you from his hold. You’re glad your bulletproof vest prevented your shirt from choking you. He gasps, “You son of a bitch. I damn you to hell.” You shrug as he coughs up blood, “Oh well, you’ll be there first.” He heaves another breath, muttering something at you, and you sigh as you wait for him to bleed out. When his body freezes, you finally move. The hardest part is finally over, but you aren’t out of the woods yet.

You lean your ear against the door, listening for anyone outside, hearing nothing, you open the door. You quickly make your way to your room. You grab your last few pieces of artillery out of the room, knowing the boyz had probably already cleaned the place out. But you still don’t hear anything. It’s eerily silent until you hear a gunshot. You gasp as you rush out, and on the ground, you see the bodyguard who informed your newly deceased boss you were under attack. “Damn, someone beat me to him.”

That’s when you hear someone say, “(Y/n)?” You snap your head towards the voice, and there he is, the man you’d wait for centuries to see again, “Younghoon?” He grins, and you don’t think twice, dropping the spare pistol you were holding before rushing into his arms, “You’re here!” He smiles, tears pricking his eyes, “They barred me from coming in at first. But I couldn’t let you have all the fun.” You laugh as your tears come out, and he asks, “Did you do it?” You nod, and he kisses the top of your head, “I knew you could.” You both wipe your eyes, “One final sweep together?” He nods, “Let’s go.” You clear the wing you’re in, and he holds you tight to his side after you pick up your spare, “I already did a sweep of the rest of the building.” You nod, “Before or after Jacob did?” He laughs, “After.” You laugh as he moves a hand into his jacket. He pulls out his two-way radio, “You want to call it?” You shake your head, “Together?” He smiles and turns it on, holding the receiver down. And in unison, you go, “All clear.” He lets go of the button when you hear Youngjae’s voice for the first time in a whole year, “Fuck yeah! Bring it on outside, you two!” You both laugh, and he goes, “Let’s never do a mission like this again.” You sigh, “I couldn’t agree more.”

You kiss his cheek, “I’m so excited to be back home and be with you.” He grins, “Me too.” He kisses your forehead, “Let’s go home.”

And there, you returned to your routine of rescuing your lover from bugs, with him talking with you on your queen-sized mattress until you fell asleep. It was everything you daydreamed of. While you still went on missions, you no longer separated from each other. While, apart from each other, you were incredible assets to the team, but together you’re unstoppable. Now you can finally breathe again.

---

He kisses you after you shoot another bull's eye, beating Hyunjae in your mini-competition. Younghoon says, “Did anyone ever tell you that you look hot when you fire a gun?” You giggle as you kiss him, “Only you, my handsome sharpshooter.” Hyunjae groans, “Gross!” You two giggle as you flip him off. As Hyunjae leaves defeated, you kiss Younghoon again, “Oh, how I’ve missed you.” Even if you were separate, you’d make your way back to each other one way or another.