LINGER [02]
pairings : shinyu x fem!reader
genre: romance, fluff, domestic, slowburn, hurt/comfort, mutual pining, cohabitation, mutual longing, suggestive (in later chapter), might be r-rated as well?
warning: -
status: on going
word count: 1.8k
disclaimer: the story is pure fiction. other characters will show up as the story goes on. the female lead is an original characterâher name is addressed as âYoon Harin,â but the POV will stay second-person (âyouâ / Y/N) throughout.
chapter list:
01 | 02 | 03 | tba
synopsis:
They werenât supposed to fall.
Not in that apartment.
Not after midnight.
Not with so many things left unsaid.
But some feelings donât ask for permissionâ
they just linger.
Your steps halted right across the street, right in front of the campus gate youâd walked through far too many times.
There stood Shinyuâwhite shirt, black tote bag, hair slightly tousled by the wind.
He was talking to a girl you didnât recognize. She looked about the same age as him. Maybe a classmate. Maybe someone from the same department. Maybe⌠anyone.
You didnât know why your feet suddenly hesitated. Instead of walking up to him like usualâteasing, saying hi in that half-joking wayâyou just stood there, letting the distance remain.
âWhat am I even doing just standing here?â you muttered under your breath, but still didnât move. They were still talking. The girl tapped Shinyuâs arm lightly, laughing at something he said.
He nodded, the corners of his eyes curving a little as he replied.
And in that moment, you realized one thing. You didnât like it.
Then, as if he could sense your gaze, Shinyu turned. His eyes immediately found yours across the street.
And his expression shifted. A bit confused. A bit questioning.
You quickly looked down at your phone, pretending to scroll. Pretending not to see.
But your legs only moved again when you heard his voice calling from across the road.
âHarin?â
You looked up.
He had already crossed the street. The girl from before was nowhere in sight.
âWere you waiting for me?â he asked, in that usual calm tone of his.
You shrugged, nonchalant. âNot really. Just passing by.â
He didnât respond. Only tilted his head slightly, watching your face a little longer than usual.
Thenă Ą
âYo! Shinyu! So this is where youâve been!â
You turned your head.
Two guys walked up casuallyâone in a grey hoodie with messy hair, and the other tidier, wearing round glasses and a friendly smile he quickly directed toward you.
âOhâuh, hey,â Dohoon greeted politely, giving you a slight nod.
Shinyu cleared his throat. âThis is Harin.â
âAhâŚâ Jihoon raised his eyebrows and grinned. âThat Harin?â
Shinyu shot him a warning look, but it was too lateâDohoon had already joined in with a teasing smile, even patting Shinyuâs shoulder without realizing.
âShinyu mentions you all the time.â
You blinked, sneaking a glance at Shinyu, who now seemed quieter than usual.
âWhat kind of things?â you asked coolly, your tone clearly testing the waters.
âOh, you know⌠random stuff,â Jihoon replied casually. âLike how someone tends to cook when theyâre mad, orââ
âJihoon.â Shinyuâs voice was soft, but firm enough to make both his friends laugh and back off.
âWe were just about to grab dinner. Wanna join us?â Dohoon asked Shinyu, then looked at you. âOr⌠maybe Harin wants to come too?â
You looked at Shinyu, waiting for him to speak first. But he simply turned to you and asked gently, âDo you want to come?â
Such a simple question. But you felt something shift in the air between you.
âIâm⌠not hungry,â you finally said.
Dohoon and Jihoon exchanged a quick glance, then shrugged casually. âAlright. Next time then,â Jihoon said with a polite smile.
Shinyu didnât say anything. But just before he turned to follow his friends, he paused beside you.
He didnât touch you. But his voice low, almost like a whisperâreached you clearly.
âIf you were really just passing by⌠why did you stand there for five minutes?â
You held your breath. And had no idea how to answer.
***
Later that night, you found yourself curled up on the couch in Sooaâs apartment, a warm mug of citron tea between your hands. The room was dimly lit, only the soft glow of a lamp near the bookshelf flickering as the city lights spilled through the window.
Sooa plopped down next to you with a dramatic sigh. âWork was insane today,â she groaned, tossing her phone aside. âFinance team kept sending back revisions like they were allergic to approving anything.â
You chuckled lightly. âHyunjae?â
âObviously.â She rolled her eyes. âBut enough about that. Whatâs with you? You look like someone just told you your favorite cafĂŠ ran out of tiramisu.â
You hesitated, taking a sip of your tea to stall.
Sooa narrowed her eyes, elbowing you gently. âDonât even try to brush it off. Iâve known you too long.â
You exhaled through your nose, half-smiling. âItâs nothing. Just⌠weird vibes today.â
âWeird vibes?â She raised a brow. âWhere? Office? OrâŚâ Her voice trailed off, and then she gave you that knowing look.
You didnât answer right away. Instead, your thumb traced the rim of your mug.
Sooa leaned in a little. âWait. Is this about Shinyu?â
Your eyes snapped to her for a second too long.
âHa!â She pointed dramatically. âI knew it! That pause? That guilty look? Classic.â
âItâs not like that,â you muttered, not entirely convinced by your own words.
âMhm. Let me guess,â Sooa leaned back, folding her arms. âHe was talking to someone and you didnât like how it looked?â
Your silence spoke louder than anything else.
Sooa grinned, smug and unbothered. âOh my God. Youâre jealous.â
âIâm notâjealous,â you said quickly, defensive.
âYouâre totally jealous.â
You groaned, setting your mug down. âShe looked⌠friendly.â
âAnd he looked⌠happy?â
You didnât respond.
Sooa tilted her head, voice softening. âHey. You know my brother, right? Heâs weird about people. Especially girls. If he looked happy, maybe itâs because he was trying to be polite. Or maybe because someone else was watching.â
Your brows drew together. âYou think he knew I was there?â
Sooa smirked, playful. âPlease. That boy has your presence radar set on high sensitivity.â
You bit your lip, trying to hide your reaction.
And Sooa, of course, noticed. Her smile shiftedâgentler now, almost fond.
âYou really like him, huh?â
This time, you couldnât dodge the question.
Your answer came out barely above a whisper. ââŚI donât know.â
But Sooa didnât press. She just reached over and tucked a strand of hair behind your ear.
âThen take your time figuring it out. But just so you knowâŚâ She paused, lips tugging into a smile again. âHeâs been figuring you out for a while now.â
Time passes by. You were mid-sentence, half-listening to Sooa ramble about office drama, when the sound of the front door unlocking reached your ears.
Click.
Your body stiffened before you could help it.
Sooa glanced at you, then toward the door. Speak of the devil,â she muttered under her breath, almost amused.
The apartment door swung open gently. Shinyu stepped inside, still in his white shirt, the sleeves now rolled up to his elbows. His tote bag hung loosely off one shoulder, and his eyes scanned the roomâthen landed on you.
For a moment, everything went quiet again. The tea in your mug had gone lukewarm. Your heart, inexplicably, had not.
Your eyes met his. And that was the problem.
Because in that half-second of silence, something passed between you and him. Something neither of you had words for.
You were the first to look away.
âI should go,â you blurted, already rising to your feet.
Sooa blinked. âWait, now?â
âYeah, I, um⌠Iâve got some stuff at home. No need to stay over tonight.â You grabbed your tote, avoiding both their gazes.
But just as you were reaching for the doorknob, fingers brushed around your wristâgentle, but firm.
Shinyu.
You froze.
His grip wasnât tight. He wasnât trying to stop you. Not really.
But still, he didnât let go.
ââŚItâs late,â he said, voice quiet, as if trying not to wake something fragile in the air.
You turned slightly, just enough to meet his eyes.
âIâll be fine,â you said, a little too fast.
His brows knit together faintly. âDid something happen?â
You opened your mouth then closed it again.
Behind you, Sooa wisely said nothing. The room held its breath with you.
âNo,â you finally whispered. âI just⌠want to go home tonight.â
Shinyu didnât answer.
But his hand slowly let go.
Your wrist felt colder the second it did.
You didnât look back as you stepped out the door.
But if you had, you wouldâve seen him still standing there, hand slightly lifted, as if he regretted letting go at all.
***
The air outside was heavier than you remembered. Cooler, too, even though the summer hadnât ended.
You walked without really knowing where your thoughts were goingâjust you, your tote bag, and the silence that followed you like a second shadow.
By the time you reached your home, the sky had darkened into a soft indigo. You didnât bother turning on all the lightsâjust one lamp in the corner, enough to chase away the feeling that you were being swallowed by your own thoughts.
You sat at the edge of your bed, phone still clutched in one hand.
No new messages.
Not that you were expecting one. Not that you werenât.
You stared at the screen a little longer than necessary before sighing and tossing it onto the bedspread.
You could still feel the ghost of his hand around your wristâhis voice, low and unsure, asking if something had happened.
And the worst part?
You didnât even know how to answer that.
A few streets away, in Sooaâs apartment, Shinyu stood in the hallway with his hands tucked in his pockets.
He hadnât said much after you left. Not to Sooa. Not to anyone.
Heâd just stared at the door a little longer than necessary. Like maybe if he stood there long enough, youâd come back.
âAre you okay?â Sooa had asked.
He didnât answer right away.
Then finally, ââŚShe didnât even look back.â
Sooa tilted her head. âMaybe she didnât want you to see her face.â
He blinked, slowly.
Then turned away. âIâll head out. Got stuff to do.â
Sooa didnât stop him.
But as he walked out the door, she muttered under her breath, âYouâre both hopeless.â
And she wasnât wrong.
tbc
Helloo! new chapterâs out! i want to tell you that english isnât my first language, so feel free to point out any grammar stuffâIâd really appreciate it! Iâm still new to writing on Tumblr, so your reblogs, comments, or even a little inbox message would honestly mean the world to me <3














