apart of a collection ⤳ ISTJ masterlist
pairing: first love!jisung x reader
genre: fluff
wc: 2.5k
synopsis: Coming back to South Korea after so many years, you hope that things hadn't changed much. But, how much many things can stay the same? And how many people can really wait for you after 6 years?
note: i was also using broken melodies as inspiration if u squint since i couldn't decide between the two at first... and yes it's cringe and corny but it was the only way i could make the idea work!!!
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
You exhaled a sigh of relief as you stepped into your parents’ car. It had been years since you’ve been in Seoul, yet everything seemed the exact same as you had left it. The airport was still busy as you remembered, and your parents' car still smelled just like lemons.
Your little brother smiles cheekily at you before squealing, “How does it feel to be home, sis? I can’t wait to tell you everything you missed!” and you swear you would have cried just hearing his voice. It was different than it was 7 years ago now that he went through puberty. It wasn’t just that he went through puberty, but that you were finally hearing it in real life and not over a phone or facetime call.
“It feels the same,” you say, making contact with your dad in the rear view mirror before continuing, “but everyone’s just… older?” you say hesitantly. Your family laughs at your comment before your mom sniffles quietly.
“Mom? Are you crying?” you ask while putting your hand partly on her shoulder and partly on the back of her car seat while she laughs again. “It’s just that we haven’t been a full family in a long time, you know?” she says, looking back and smiling at you sweetly. You smile back as your dad grabs her hand and gives it a kiss, while mumbling “Well we’re here now, honey.”
You stood on the sidewalk in front of your house as you heard the box truck unload behind you. This moment was so familiar, as it felt like it was the summer before grade 8 all over again, when you moved to America with your dad. You sighed as you recalled how many friends you made cry that day as you looked down the road to the park where kids played. Where you once played with your friends. You stared back at your house before walking inside it after so many years.
You grinned brightly at your group of friends pulling up to your house on their bright, multi-colored scooters. “_____! What’s with these boxes?” Jisung asked as he swatted away the empty cardboard box that was about to fall onto him. “Jisung, you haven’t heard? Our _____ is moving…” Ningning sniffles a fake tear and wipes it off. Jisung’s eyes went wide and shooed all of your friends home to “privately talk to you” (everyone knew you were crushing on each other, it was quite obvious). Not before Jake screamed “They’re going to get their braces stuck together trying to kiss!” and Ningning laughing obnoxiously while skating away. You saw Jisung’s red-tinted cheeks before you gave him a sweet smile and led him into your backyard and inside your treehouse. Jisung and you always loved staying in it until late as it was adorned with multiple fairy lights, many pillows, and the ground was lined with fluffy blankets. Jisung smiled at you sadly, before encasing his small hand over your smaller ones. “____… You won’t forget me and find a new boyfriend wherever you go, right?” he asks timidly. “I won’t, if you’ll promise to stay here until I come back from America!” you look at him fondly as his eyes shift around, anxious. He finally makes eye contact with you before saying “Pinky promise.” and locking pinkies. Jisung began to speak, “ I—” “____! Come on, we need to get ready for the airport!” your dad interrupted him, Jisung just stayed silent before you yelled back at your dad, “5 minutes!” “Jisung, say what you need to say… I have to go soon.” you said before you saw him looking down at his legs, which were criss-crossed of course. “____… I’m going to miss you…” Jisung said and you swear you felt his voice falter into a softer voice than usual. “I’ll miss you too Jisung,” you started and hugged him. “I have to go now.” you said, disappointed that this was how your relationship with him was going to end. “I’ll tell my mom to call you often so we can talk! And don’t worry, I’ll find my way back to you.” you said before letting go of him, and you walked to the ladder. Jisung quickly trailed after you as he yelled your name. You turned around, looking at him confused about why he was pulling you closer before you felt it.
You felt his puckered lips meeting your slightly agape ones.
You gasped into his mouth and accidentally inhaled his breath, making him pull away and cough multiple times. He gave you a wonky smile before you reciprocated, speeding down the ladder before smiling even wider.
Walking into your house, you saw all of the photos of you hung up alongside the photos of your brother and family. You sat down at the couch before you looked around. You are right, nothing has changed in your house. There was no new furniture, not a single missing picture frame of you and your old friends. You grabbed one of Jisung, Sara, and you at the fair. You look lovingly at the photo, remembering this day clearer than any day in your childhood.
“Mom, I want that!” you screamed as you pointed at the beige and white hamster plush. The fair worker gently smiled at you before informing your mom that one play was $2. Your mom hurriedly shuffled around in her purse before pulling out six $1 bills, politely handing them to the fair worker. “Kids, go play!” she urged Jisung, Sara, and you to the stand. “This is going to be hard to win…” Sara mumbled before throwing the ball at the stack of empty bottles. In the end, your mom lost $12 dollars and you lost your dignity. None of you could even knock down three bottles, let alone six. You sulked towards the pirate ship before Jisung stopped in front of the line. “What’s wrong Jisung?” your mom asked as Sara and you both stopped walking, turning to face them. “I-I don’t want to go on this ride…” he mumbled before looking down, shamefully. “It’s okay! you girls go together, alright? I’ll stay here with Jisung.” your mom ushered you and Sara to go on the ride. Before you could protest, Sara pulled you by your linked hands white shouting “Come on!”
While on the ride, you looked everywhere for your mom and Jisung. You couldn’t find them at all, twisting your head in all sorts of ways before the ride stopped. Everyone rushed off the ride as you were still looking for your mom and Jisung. You heard Jisung yell your name before you snapped your head in the direction of his voice. You turned giddy as you felt Jisung wrap your hand around the soft, fluffy fur of the stuffed animal.
It was the hamster stuffed animal you wanted.
You squealed and hugged him as he laughed, saying into your ear “I got it for you!”As you pulled away you looked at him adoringly, and for the first time he felt shy under your gaze. You thanked him and looked at the plush again, then him.
It was the first day you started crushing on Jisung.
As you were about to walk up the stairs to your room, your mom called you.
“____! Could you go to the store and pick up something, please? I forgot to go grocery shopping before picking you up from the airport.”
Your mom spoke from downstairs, and you could smell the scent of braised meat rushing out of the kitchen as you walked towards the door.
“Text me what you want!” you said before leaving the house.
You breathed in the cool, moist air of the grocery store before grabbing a red cart and opening your phone to see the grocery list and $50 of apple pay your mom sent you.
Eggs
Milk
Cereal (Anything your brother and you like)
Salt
Crackers
You can get anything else you want with the extra. Love you!
You smiled at her text before looking for the items she requested.
You placed the dark green box of Club Crackers into the cart as you wheeled it to the cereal section. You tried to remember what cereal your brother liked… Was it Frosted Flakes? Or Cheerios?
Scanning the isle, you took a lucky guess and looked for Frosted Flakes. You went to reach for them on the third shelf, but there was a problem.
You sighed as you looked around for an employee to help you, but you couldn’t see any employees anywhere. Did all the employees really have to be busy right now?
You just saw three on your way to the cereal section!
You looked around once more before accepting that you couldn’t see anyone that could assist you, before trying to reach for the box of sugary cereal once more. You were on your tippy toes, fingers nearly gazing at the cereal box before the scent of vanilla and coconut lingered around you.
It smelled just like the eau de toilette you got Jisung for his 14th birthday.
The person grabbed the box for you before you turned around, pushing the box into your hands.
For a moment, you thought he was Jisung. But the thought quickly vanished as you blinked and the picture of Jisung smiling at you was replaced with the face of a complete stranger.
“Thanks…!” you mumbled quickly before rushing off to your cart before he could say anything to you.
You sat on your pink, pretty princess bed as you opened boxes to put your belongings away. Your room is still as cute and glittery as you remember, the years of love (stickers and drawings) shown on the walls around you. You gazed at the photos on the wall and laughed at the picture of Jisung and you with flower crowns in the park next to your house, where you both met.
You were on the grass, picking flowers as a shadow blocked your sight from picking a white flower. You quickly looked behind you before you saw a small boy’s big, anxious eyes gazing at you. “I—... Wow, you’re beautiful!” his little voice said before you laughed at him. His face lightened up as you invited him to pick flowers with you. Every time you went to talk to him, his eyes still peered at you lovingly, in adoration. It made you just as nervous as him.
As you opened the last box labeled “miscellaneous”, you found your old flip phone. Your parents didn’t trust you enough with a smartphone, so instead they gave it as a farewell gift to keep in touch with your friends. It was fun, but short lived as you could only keep contact for so long.
You kept reminiscing until you heard a group of people talking and laughing outside your window. Turning around to open your curtains, you saw a group of people around your age outside Jisung’s house.
Soon, you saw Jisung exiting his house. A girl wrapping her arm around his shoulder, her face scrunched up into a happy grin.
You furrowed your eyebrows as you looked at someone who was once so present in your childhood.
Did he contradict what he asked of you before you left and found a new girlfriend? I mean you never really broke up and you couldn’t expect him to wait for you forever.
You chewed at your nails as you watched the group sit on his lawn, the girl’s arm still around him before her fingers entangled in Jisung’s now-dyed dark blue hair. You stare a bit more at her chipped, white nails before you abruptly shut your curtains closed.
Is it wrong to still be in love with someone you knew in the past?
It kept you up all night. What if he saw you? What if he's not the same person he was before? What if he doesn’t remember you? Similar questions swirled around in your head as you looked at the pictures of you and your childhood friends plastered on your bulletin board. Hopefully, you’ll figure out all the answers to your questions. And hopefully they’re all the answers you want to hear.
You groaned as you woke up to the sound of your younger brother running into your room. “Hello~! Get up! Let’s go get ice cream!” Your brother yelled, jumping on you. “Hey, hey! Okay. I’m up… It’s too early for ice cream!” you scolded him as you stood up, the hamster plush Jisung gave you falling off of your bed along with your pink blanket.
You were about to speak until you heard your door ring. “Where’s mom and dad..?” you rest your hands on your hip before your brother tells you about the “overdue date” they’re on, and that you have to take care of your brother while you’re away. You exhale as the doorbell rings again.
“Go make your bed,” you say as you peek into his room, seeing his bed sheets messy and pillows everywhere.
“We can go eat breakfast after and get ice cream.” you tell him as you race down the stairs.
The doorbell rings once again, followed by aggressive pounding before you whine out a loud “I’m coming! Geez…”
Opening the door you freeze as you see who it is. Jisung mimicked the look on your face (of shock, by the way) as he saw you, his eyes lit up.
As you both stand still by the door, you look at the contents of the plate he was holding.
M&M brownies, your brother's favorite.
You look up at him and open your mouth to say something, except nothing comes out. You gaze at his face harder, noticing how he’s aged over the years. He no longer had his blue braces and his hair grew out into a mullet. His face was no longer the gentle, cute one you remember, now it was sharp and chiseled. He was now the tallest boy at school, instead of the shortest. One thing that never changed about him however, was the tint of softness in his eyes. He always looked at and treated you like you were made of porcelain ever since you were both kids. Also, he still smelled like vanilla and coconut.
“Jisung?” you muttered quietly, but loud enough for him to hear. His face slowly bloomed into a smile, the same smile you remember.
“Hi..!” He whispered, his voice now deep and rich. You smiled back at him, feeling the homesick feeling finally fading as you took the plate from his hands and led him inside. You listened as he excitedly talked to you. Every time you looked at him, your stomach churned with each word he said all over again.
Because he still looked at you like you just met.
