Hey! Can I request scenarios (any type) of WHC Boys with shy girly reader
“don’t shy away from me” - whc boys x reader fluff (scenarios)
synopsis: how weak hero class characters shows their feelings for shy fem reader. warnings: catcalling, minor violence, swearing, pls excuse the grammatical and spelling errors
a/n: thank you for the request. this was a lot of fun to write. hope you like it :p includes: sieun, suho, humin, gotak, seongje, baekjin, juntae
it was a part of sieun’s routine to go to the library to study and revise. it was also his routine to see you on the farther end of the table do the same. after months of being strangers who shared a table without a word, sieun had grown rather fond of having someone to accompany him. whether you talked or not didn’t matter to him. he could tell right off the bat that you were shy and introverted. often keeping to yourself and keeping your eyes on the computer screen.
sometimes, if he’s lucky enough, he’d catch your eyes and even a small smile. acknowledging him. one thing stayed the same: you never spoke.
he didn’t know your name. you didn’t know his name. so, why did he feel concerned when you were absent? you were just strangers after all.
sieun found himself craning his head towards your designated spot only to see it deserted. that was unusual of you, you were always there. no matter the weather, no matter the time. you were always where sieun wanted you to be. across from him.
as time went on, sieun had developed feelings for you. a complete stranger. which was unexpected of him. he wasn’t the type to fall so easily but he had found a familiarity in you that brought him comfort. your sheepish smile and evasive eye contact had been his motivation to show up to the library. just being able to study together in silence without the need for small talk or exchanges felt refreshing to him. he enjoyed the silence, the only sound being the clacking of your fingers on the keyboard and the scribbles of his pen on paper. it was his routine. you were his routine.
tensed, sieun wracked his mind over the possibilities of why you were not there. he waited, hoping you were just late. the sun had set, darkening the sky outside. still no sign of you.
the library was to close soon and you weren’t there. you never came.
the next day came. sieun did the same thing as the day before. he waited for you till the very last hour. even waiting until the librarian came to kick him out. he didn’t know why he was doing this but he wouldn’t give up until he was able to see you again. until he was able to get his routine back.
the third day of your absence came and sieun finally began to grow anxious enough to pace around the area. he’d turn around at the sound of footsteps expecting it to be yours, only to be disappointed with the sight of strangers he wasn’t used to.
after a week had past, sieun began to lose his motivation to go to the library to study. what was the point if you weren’t there? but exams were soon so he dragged himself, planning to only stay for an hour or so.
that was until he heard light footsteps come up behind him. and then a raspy cough. one that came deep from the chest.
sieun almost leaped out of his chair to ask you where you were but he stayed seated. waited like he always did for you to turn to him and smile in greetings. and when you did, his heart sank. bags under your eyes had darkened and hollowed, your lips looked pale and chapped, and you looked like you would pass out any moment. despite your exhausted exterior, you gave him a smile, a silent one.
and for the first time sieun gathered the courage to speak.
“haven’t seen you in a while.” he stated, looking down at his hands.
“ah, you noticed?” you answered quietly, voice weak from coughing.
“how could i not? we study on the same table every single day.” he said.
“that’s true,” you scratched your head, “i’ve been out with a cold the past week.”
and with that followed your comfortable silence. you went to your usual seat, pulled out your laptop, coughed a little more and started working. sieun couldn’t help but notice the discomfort in your face. he stood up and left the library.
after about 20 minutes, you began to wonder where he disappeared off to, leaving his stuff behind. you didn’t have his contact information let alone his name.
“hey…” his voice came, breathless.
the sound of a bag rustling caused you to jerk your head towards his voice. sieun carried a bag in his hand. the blue logo of the local pharmacy giving away where he was gone off too the last few minutes.
“i noticed that you were coughing so i bought you some cough drops and this heating pad and…” he fiddled through the bag to show you what he got, “and this ibuprofen. also, i don’t know what you like but i got dark chocolate, it’s good for you.”
“oh uhm—“ you take the bag from his hands, baffled beyond belief.
“looks like you forgot water too. here, take this” he placed a bottle of water on the table by your laptop.
“you don’t even know my name and you went out to do all this for me?” you raised your brow, ignoring the cough bubbling in your chest.
“i don’t need to know your name to care.” he replied, opening the bottle for you as it was screwed too tight and you were out of strength.
“thank you…” you answered with a scratchy voice, “d-do you want to sit next to me?”
sieun got caught by surprise at your proposal but he silently agreed, grabbing his stationary and books, pushing the chair out to sit right next to you.
“my names yeon sieun.” he introduced while sitting himself down, “what’s yours?”
suho often visited the boxing ring to exercise before work. he had very less time to fit in to workout in his schedule but he always ended up there. mainly because you were there.
you were quiet, very shy, and extremely cute. a part timer that stuck around cleaning up the place, replacing toilet paper, handing our water bottles silently. you were a complete mystery to him. he only knew your name and that was only because he heard your manager call for you once. it took him only that one time to have your name memorized and recited in his head over and over.
you rarely spoke to anyone in gym. only watching with curious eyes. sometimes you’d get engrossed in a match with a slight smile on your face. that would never go missed by suho.
he was head over heels, love struck, and frankly desperate in love with you. every part of you from head to toe was his type. he was determined to woo you.
there was obstacle and that was how shy you were. you often avoided eye contact with him, ducking past him to evade his greetings and his attempt at small talk, even leaving the workout area so that you wouldn’t have to speak to anyone. if he greeted you, you’d only smile or nod, never making proper eye contact.
he recalled to himself that he’d never heard your voice yet. that would change soon. suho had a plan to leave the gym with your phone number.
he was absolutely certain he’d be able to pull it off. how could you say no to his handsome face? he hyped himself up in the mirror before walking over to the gym.
luck seemed to be on his side this very day. his eyes landed on you, watering some plants at the front desk area of the boxing club. you were crouched down, deep in concentration. at first, you hadn’t noticed that he was standing there watching you until he cleared his throat.
“hey,” he waved, sounding confident, “i see you’re, uh, watering the plants. i wondered who kept them so well cared for. looks like it was you all along.”
you looked around feeling flustered by the fact that he was speaking to you while standing so close. it felt almost impossible for you to form a response. you couldn’t even look him in the eyes without looking away.
“t-thanks.” you answered curtly, turning away to the office, hoping to escape embarrassing yourself.
“wait!” he called out, stopping you from taking another step.
“i’m ahn suho,” he answered, chuckling awkwardly to thin out the tension between you two, “i know your name. it’s y/n, right?”
your eyes widened and your eyebrows raised, surprised and almost touched that he knew your name. you nodded, hands slightly trembling. you stepped back a little but suho followed.
“i see you looking at me sometimes,” he started, your face dropped in shame, you were ready to walk out but suho put his hands out in defense, “n-not that i mind!”
then he continued, “i look at you too. you’re very beautiful and totally my type…which brings me to my question…do you wanna go out with me?”
you turned and ran. leaving the boy dumbfounded and defeated. he looked down heartbroken, not calling out to you. despite the slight humiliation, he walked towards the punching bag, hoping it would get his mind off of the rejection he just experienced.
he was focused on searching his bag for his gloves, unaware of the fact that you came up behind him with a bottle of cold water in your hand and a pink sticky note stuck to it.
he looked up, blush evident on his face. watching you crouch down next to him to hand the bottle with a shy smile on your face. the apples of your cheeks rose up making you all the more beautiful. suho was practically drooling, but he steadied himself.
“here. have some water.” you spoke, voice soft, “and about what you asked earlier. i’d like that.”
with that, you got up and trodded away to wherever. suho took the bottle in his hand, mouth slack in shock. the pink sticky note had your phone number written neatly and a heart next to your name.
he fell on his bum with a loud thud, earning concerned stares from the others in the room. feeling prideful and excited, he started laughing to himself like an idiot, ignoring the fact that people probably thought he had gone mad.
he was just a boy in love after all.
humin had a crush on you for as long as he could remember. he thought he was good at hiding it but his friends were quick to pick up on it, teasing him every time you walked by or turning to give him looks when your name was called out during attendance. everyone thought of him as a hopeless idiot with an even more hopeless crush.
that was because you rarely ever spoke. too shy and too reserved. timid and observing eyes silently watching the world ahead.
the very few times humin had ever heard you speak was when you were with your small group of friends during lunch. giggling quietly with your hand covering your mouth and eyes to the ground. in his eyes you were like a fairy, glowing and twinkling with sparkly dust following you everywhere you went.
amidst your quiet and withdrawn personality, you seemed to always have one or two or a million guys woo over you. often getting asked out or finding love letter tucked inside your desk and even getting serenaded outside of the school. humin disliked how he had competition. even when you rejected every single person, he felt unreasonably self conscious and jealous.
however he had an upper hand. you had known him since elementary school. the years of seeing each other had warmed you up to him. not enough to have you strike up a conversation but enough to smile and wave at him every now and then when you ran into each other in the hallways.
impatience was all he felt. valentine’s day was nearing and he knew that your locker would be stuffed with anything but his confession. and he wanted to change that.
your house was a block before his so he walked behind you almost everyday. of course, he kept a distance to make sure you weren’t uncomfortable. today, however, he had to stay back to clean the classroom as he was part of the cleaning duties for the week.
after dismissal, he ran home, hoping he’d see you and confirm that you got home safe. something stopped him in his tracks. the sound of laughter came from the alleyway that you both always walked down towards your homes.
from afar, humin was able to spot three guys crowding you against a wall. you looked visibly upset and uncomfortable, arms crossed over your chest. anger knocked him over causing him to shuffled towards the commotion with his brows knitted and his nose flaring.
“cmon, pretty, let’s have some fun,” a deep voice came from the trio of guys.
“yeah! come one, we’ll show you a real good time!” the other joined, moving a strand of your hair behind your ears.
you flinched away, “i don’t want to.”
“stop playing hard to get—“ the third was about to touch your face but a harsh kick to his back caused him to topple over and fall on his face with a loud shriek.
you watched as humin appeared behind the thugs. eyes full of rage and fight as he glared at every single one of them. for a split second, his cold gaze warmed when it met yours.
“you bastards are just ugly.” humin snarled, cracking his neck with confidence.
“who the hell are you?!” the one on the ground groaned in pain, clutching his hips.
“i’m her boyfriend.” humin puffed his chest with pride, “you okay…baby?” the pet name rolled off his tongue hesitantly, causing butterflies in his stomach.
you nodded anxiously, stepping over the guy in the ground to stand next to humin. he turned to you with a wide grin of assurance, giving you a thumbs up. the remaining two watched in horror.
he lowered his head to your ears to whisper, “is it okay if i hold your hands?”
“y-yeah.” you agreed, shyly lacing your smaller fingers with his larger ones.
his hands were tough yet held a warmth that eased your pounding heartbeat. he thanked you silently before turning his attention back on the guys.
“you pricks better leave my girl alone. do you understand?” he declared, showcasing you holding hands “or you’ll end up like your friend.”
he nodded towards the coward still whimpering like a dog on the ground.
they all scattered like mice, leaving you alone with humin in the alleyway. for a moment, humin didn’t speak, watching them fully disappear to finally speak to you.
“you okay?” he asked, not letting go of your hands.
“i am.” you answered, “thank you, humin.”
“i—uh—uhm—“ he stuttered, scratching his head shyly, “y-you’re welcome! anytime!”
you giggled, watching him stutter and squeak. you tightened your grip on his hand, making him fall silent. his heart beat out of his chest.
“could you, maybe, walk me home?” you asked, swaying your hands up and down in the air like a child.
“of course,” he nodded, voice more manly and confident, “if it’s okay with you, i could walk you home everyday…we do live close.”
“really?” you asked, “that would be great.”
“y-yeah, it would.” he smiled, “would you let me hold your hand like this everyday then?”
“yeah.” you smiled, “of course.”
as classmates you had rarely spoken to gotak even though you sat right behind him. that was because he found you intimidating. you kept to yourself most of the time, keeping quiet in conversations. always listening and watching but rarely speaking. you had a small group of friends but you were the quietest, walking along with them silently. to others, you stood out the least due to your unnoticeable presence but to gotak, you shone the brightest.
your mellow presence had an unusual appeal. you were like a mysterious creature lurking around. he was attracted to it.
in contrast, gotak was outgoing. he had many friends and he played for the school’s basketball team which gave him some popularity. he carried conversations and lit up every room he entered.
gotak had the ability to start a conversation with anyone. he lacked fear in going up to people or asking questions in class. for some strange reason, he found himself feeling shy when it came to talking to you.
you were just so intimidating. perhaps even unapproachable. a thick veil wrapped around you everywhere you went.
or that was what he thought.
he was walking to the supermarket to run errands for his mother one day when he saw you outside laughing and talking with an elderly grandma who had a hunched back. she seemed to struggle with her load of groceries and you insisted with the widest smile to help out, offering your arm for her to hold onto as you took the bags from her hands into yours.
he watched, astonished. eyes twinkling like a cartoon character who just discovered treasure. stepping closer, he eavesdropped.
“young lady, you are too kind.” the old woman stated, patting you on the arm.
“it’s nothing. plus your house is right down the street, isn’t it?” you asked, pointing towards the direction.
“yes, dear,” she nodded, “but don’t you have errands to run at the store?”
“i’ll just come back after i drop off your groceries, don’t you worry!” you assured, slowing your pace to match the elderly woman.
gotak’s heart warmed. he no longer felt intimidated by you. he accepted that it wasn’t so bad that you were shy and quiet because above everything, you were kind and you did everything genuinely. you looked out for those around you and you listened intently, remembering everything.
after witnessing that, gotak was certain he had developed feelings for you. not only were you secretly his type, stealing his attention from others. but you were also sweet, just how he liked.
he would break the silence between you and him.
once you helped the nice old lady drop off her groceries at her home, you returned to the supermarket. you panted, out of breath from jogging all the way there, resting your hands on your knees to catch your breath. you looked up, freezing when you made eye contact with your classmate gotak. he looked handsome as ever, clad in his signature blue hoodie. he waved awkwardly, stepping closer.
“hey, what’re you up to?” he asked, feet pointed towards you.
“i came here to run some errands.” you answered, straightening up, “you?”
“same here.” he answered, the silence a little awkward, “i saw you help that elderly woman earlier. i’ve never seen you smile like that in school.”
“oh— you saw that?” you scratched the back of your neck shyly, feeling embarrassed that he saw you.
“yeah, that was…really sweet.” he replied, walking even closer.
you looked up at him, feeling shyness creep all over, threatening you to runaway from him. you ignored it, meeting his gaze.
“i just did what i thought was right.” you shrugged, “well, what are you here to get?”
“my mom sent me a list of items i have no idea where to find…” he groaned, tapping his phone screen to show you the text with a long list of things he had to buy.
“if you don’t mind, i could help you.” you offered, pointing to the entrance of the store.
“only if you let me buy you dinner after.” he blurted out, pink creeping up on his cheeks. he turned away to hide the colour on his face, so embarrassingly bright.
you giggled, covering your mouth, “this is the first time you speak to me and you’re already asking me out?”
“uh well, yknow i’m just shooting my shot—“
“sounds like a deal, gotak.” you grabbed his arm, dragging him into the market excitedly.
he followed along with a big smile spread across his face. you didn’t seem so shy and intimidating now. you seemed sweet and he’d let himself indulge until his teeth began to rot.
seongje was insufferable. he sat in the back of the class with his group of followers who caused nothing but chaos. the teacher had given up on them farther into the semester.
the people surrounding seongje were loud. obnoxious, even. irritating everyone around them with their laughter and idiocy. but seongje never contributed to the commotion, he leaned back with a smug expression on his face, watching the disaster he had orchestrated unfold before him.
unfortunately for you, you sat right near his group of lackeys. desks cluttered towards each other in odd angles, ruining the straight harmony of space. it was hard for anyone to walk by nor get to their seats. you dreaded every single day before stepping through the sliding doors of your classroom. what you dreaded even more was walking past seongje’s lingering gaze. how could someone handsome look at you?
seongje always watched you with sly eyes, following the way you swiftly walked past him as fast as you could. always avoiding his eyes. he found it so adorable how shy you were, hopping by like a little bunny. as more days of silently taunting you passed, he came to reluctantly accept that maybe, just maybe, he had a little crush on you and wanted your attention.
he had never spoken to you before but he knew his presence intimidated you. his domineering aura causing you to shrink away every time he came close. there were many instances where he tried to talk to you— like the time he asked you to pass him a beaker during biology lab or that one time when he was speaking to himself about the weather being shit, hoping you’d join.
you never once replied nor even looked him in the eyes. if he caught your gaze even for a shortest of moments, you’d turn away, occupying yourself with something as an excuse to avoid him. he had to find a way to snatch you up like a wolf.
you were much too shy, much too put-off.
the teacher smacked a ruler against the chalk board to gain attention from the students.
“alright, at the begging of the semester i mentioned a project, do you guys remember?” the teachers asked.
“yes.” the whole class groaned in unison.
“sound a little more excited, will you?” the teacher chuckled, “for this project you’ll need to find a partner. but here’s the catch, it can’t be anyone you sit next to or your friends. i’ll call on each of you and ask you to pick one random person. got it?”
even more groans followed.
seongje looked up to see you all tensed up. poor you. he would make use of this golden opportunity to chomp you up.
he waited like never before for his name to get called out before yours. yes! he almost stood up and pointed and laughed at you but he held back. grinning instead.
“geum seongje. pick your partner. can’t be anyone of your buddies.” the teacher scribbled seongje’s name on the board with chalk as neatly as possible.
“i choose y/n.” he answered curtly, leaning against his chair casually.
you turned your head towards him in horror. he only smirked in response. shooting you a taunting wave.
once everyone sat themselves next to their partners, seongje shuffled over to you, dropping himself down on the chair of the empty desk next to yours.
“hello, partner.” he leaned closer to you.
up close, seongje was even more handsome. everyone in the school knew he was hot but dangerous. rumors of him being a thug spread like wildfire, reaching even to you, someone who hardly spoke, too shy, too timid. which was why you mainly avoided him, scared he’d target you due to your sheepish nature.
you couldn’t help but look at him when he wasn’t looking. stealing longer glances his way. observing his large hands, or the way his long lashes casted a pretty shade over his eyes— then, his pinkish lips.
you slapped yourself back to reality, clearing your throat, “if you’re assuming i’m smart because i’m quiet, i’m here to assure you i’m not.”
“what’s with the self deprecation?” he raised a brow, “i picked you because i thought it would be fun.”
“fun?” you asked, scooting backwards, feeling him get too near.
“mhm…” he drawled, clicking a pen to write his phone number on your notebook, “thought we’d exchange contact info…we’ll need it, yeah?”
“yeah…” you slid your notebook closer.
a month of being partners had passed. neither of you came to an agreement for anything in the project. seongje constantly picked on you although as a joke, you still found yourself dreading and desiring each meeting with him. your feelings had gone complicated yet curious.
you had grown comfortable enough to disagree and argue with him and that made seongje all the more attracted to you. he found you amusing. the shy girl in his classes yelling at him when left alone.
“seongje, this isn’t working out. none of our ideas are aligning…at all.” you rubbed your temple with a frustrated sigh.
“i don’t see the problem. banter is good.” he shrugged, adjusting his glasses.
“you haven’t agreed with a single thing i’ve proposed.” you replied.
“neither have you, you don’t see me complaining.” he smirked.
“you’re frustrating me.” you said, rolling your eyes at him.
“you’re cute when you’re mad.” he complimented.
you paused, caught off guard, “what?”
“i’m serious you’re cute.” he clasped his palms together, leaning closer to you, “fine, i’ll agree with your ideas but then you have to do me a favor.”
you quirked your brow in confusion and curiosity, “what favor?”
“you have to be my girlfriend.” he suggested nonchalantly.
your mouth parted. words knocked out of your tongue. you took a breath as if to speak but stopped.
“i-is this a joke?” you questioned.
“no. i want you to be my girlfriend.” he answered, leaning closer.
the smell of cigarette dulling out any rationality left in you. he leaned closer, eyes not leaving his for an answer. he seemed genuine and yet so casual about it.
“if i say yes, will you do whatever i say?” you eyed him, waiting for a slip but he turned to you and nodded, confident in himself.
“whatever you say, pretty.” his gaze not leaving yours, “whatever.”
“okay then.” you huffed, “but if you piss me off i’ll— i’ll dump you!”
“woah, she’s strict.” he chuckled.
your weekends for the past month had been spent in an orphanage with kids. it wasn’t out of choice at first because you were shy and preferred to keep to yourself but as time went on and you warmed up to the youngins, you started to enjoy your weekends at the orphanage. everyone loved you.
during the fall semester you weren’t able to meet your volunteering hours because you were too shy to join anything and so, the teacher had signed you up to help out the orphanage. in the beginning, you were too nervous to work with younger kids, scared they’d overwhelm you, but through words of motivation from your teacher and the caregivers at the orphanage, you were able to feel comfortable speaking up and spending time with larger groups of people. you were to spend the rest of the semester volunteering there to meet your required hours.
it was a rainy saturday afternoon and you had instructed the kids to paint their favorite fruit on canvases using watercolor while you paced around and gave them tips and tricks. you were still shy, a person of less words, but when anyone approached you, you tried your best to help or keep a conversation flowing.
your attention was glued onto a painting of bananas a little boy was painting until you absentmindedly looked up to meet eyes with a familiar face. na baekjin. your classmate.
he stood across the room, watching you.
he had always known you as the shy girl who sat at the front of the class. and the only interaction he ever had with you was one time when he was walking down an underpass after a fight with some older guys while being all bruised up. you jogged up to him, silently handing him a handful of hot pink hello-kitty bandaids before turning to walk away without a question or a word. he appreciated the fact that you didn’t bombard him with questions like any other person would.
with time, he had found comfort in your silent understanding. you didn’t cower away from him like the others in your class. just treated him like everyone, acknowledging him, but not approaching him.
he was okay with it because he respected the fact that you were shy and liked to keep to yourself. sometimes, however, he day dreamed about how it feel to speak to you. he hoped it would come naturally.
baekjin walked closer, greeting the kids who were focused on painting. then he approached you. he wasn’t in his usual slicked-back hairstyle or school uniform. instead, he had his hair down, clad in a black hoodie and sweatpants. looking more laid back. this was a version of baekjin you never saw or expected. he seemed warm and almost vulnerable.
“what are you doing here?” he asked, voice low.
“i volunteer on the weekends.” you answered, not meaning to sound so curt and uninterested, you bit the inside of your cheek.
as if baekjin understood, he nodded, “aren’t you gonna ask what i’m doing here?”
“i’m good at minding my own business,” you said while placing a paint brush down, “but if you want, you can tell me.”
baekjin chuckled, looking down, “i actually grew up here. so, i try to come every month to see how everyone’s doing.”
you bit your bottom lip to hide the expression of pity taking over your features. you had no clue baekjin was an orphan. always assuming that he came from an extremely rich household just because of the way carried himself. guilt hurtled towards you.
“i— i didn’t know that.” you finally spoke, turning away him his gaze.
“no one does.” he added, leaving you silent.
silence stretched between you as you helped the kids. while baekjin sat down on a bench, observing from afar with a soft glint in his eyes.
you came to sit next to him, handing him a sandwich wrapped in paper. he took it. a sigh escaped your lips.
“i made some sandwiches for the kids to have…thought i’d make an extra one for you to have.” you started.
“i appreciate it.” he thanked, “also i appreciate you giving me those cat bandaids a while ago.”
“y-you remember?” he nodded, showing you the bandaid wrapped around his pointer finger.
“do you only come once a month?” you broke the silence.
“yeah.” he nodded, “why?”
“the kids love you. you should come more often.” you disclosed, “and…it’s nice to talk to a familiar face.”
“i feel the same.” baekjin whispered, tone warming you up “i guess i could make more time.”
“then, will you come next weekend?” you perked up, excitement showing.
a smile plastered on his face seeing your reaction.
“i will…only if you’re there.” he indicated.
you hid a shy smile, turning the other way to hide your flustered face.
juntae’s crush for you developed each day he saw you. yet the silence between you had left him hopeless. all he wanted to do was talk to you and get to know you.
he only knew you as his neighbor who went to a different school, wearing a different colored uniform. each morning, you exchanged shy greetings, walking opposite directions. each evening, you retired with a tired wave to him. and each day, you looked beautiful no matter your mood.
his feelings for you were so obvious, even his mother had teased him about it. urging him to send food over to your place when you were sick, only to have someone else open the door.
disappointed, juntae paced around his room, scheming and dreaming of how he’d make a move on you.
he came to nothing. you were shy but he was shy-er. there was not one interaction he thought of that would play out the way he wanted it too.
one rainy afternoon, your umbrella flipped inside out on your way home, and as you struggled to wrangle it upright in the wind, the door next to yours creaked open. juntae’s head popped up, large beady eyes taking in your drenched appearance.
juntae peeked out. “you’re… soaked.”
you blinked at him, water dripping off your nose. “I—i noticed.”
his eyes widened like he didn’t expect you to respond, and for a second, you thought he might just shut the door again out of pure panic. but instead, he disappeared inside—only to return seconds later holding a towel. he held it out to you with both hands, like it’s the most important peace offering in the world.
“thanks,” you said shyly, smiling as you took it.
he swallowed hard. “I, um… I also made too many hotteok. I was gonna freeze them but… do you want some?”
you were halfway through drying your hair when you glanced up at him. “uh…only if I get to help make them.”
he blinked. once. twice. “you… want to?”
“sure,” you said, looking side-to-side sheepishly. “sounds fun.”
he hadn’t expected you to agree so easily. relief and excitement washed over him.
juntae fumbled with the doorknob, muttering something like “o-okay, wait, I’ll bring the good pan,” before disappearing into the apartment again.
that evening, you sat cross-legged on his kitchen floor as he tried not to burn the syrup filling, and he was so flustered— every time your hands brushed that he nearly forgot to flip the pancake. too lost and too immersed in the way you sat so close to him, coy eyes watching him move so skillfully.
right before you left —full, warm, and still a little damp from the rain—he hesitated in the doorway. fiddling with his fingers. reciting in his head what he had been wanting to ask you since the day you moved in.
“I was wondering,” he started softly, looking down at his socks. “If maybe, you’d wanna go out sometime. like… not just next-door-neighbor hangouts. but, um. a date?”
you tilted your head, heart thudding. “r-really?.”
he looked up at you, eyes wide. nodding like a kid getting offered free candy.
you turned away awkwardly, scratching your arm, “I’d love to.” before bolting back to your apartment to giggle in excitement.
he could hear you through the thin wall.
