Hey! Could you write a y/n fic about going to a bookstore cafe with Wonwoo for the first date? Maybe a walk along the park after that and a little kissing in front of the apartment door at the end? 🥺
summary: in which you and wonwoo go on your first date
a/n: sorry this took so long omg... i just wanted to write the perfect fic for my first request!!! i hope you enjoy it anon <3 feel free to request more in the future btw! i loved your request <333 (also this is not at all proofread you have been warned)
“To have and to hold, where even death cannot part us. In this life and the next, for however long our souls remain, mine will always find yours. Those are my vows to you.”
“Romance, hm? I didn’t pin you as the type to enjoy that genre.”
The voice behind you gently pulled you from your book’s world, a small smile already gracing your lips as you turned back to face the owner. There, your date, Wonwoo, stood with a tote bag draped over his shoulder. He wore a grey cardigan, along with a pair of dark-wash jeans and the black Converse he’s been wearing since freshman year of college. You noticed he had styled his hair out of his face, a boost to your ego, really, because it meant he wanted to look good for you. You had once told him that he looked handsome with his hair out of his face, and it seemed like he got the message.
“Romance is only a subgenre of this series, Jeon. There’s action, heartbreak, monsters–”
“Spoilers! I thought you brought that for me to read!” Wonwoo whined playfully, moving to take a seat in the chair across from you. He hung his tote bag on the back of the chair before pulling out a book. He placed it on the table, hands covering the front cover before you could see it. “Before you make fun of me, I want you to know that this book was recommended to me by Joshua, so if you want to make fun of anyone, make sure it’s him.”
“But surely you enjoyed it, if you’re recommending it to me? So you have to get some teasing as well, you know,” you stated, the seemingly permanent smile on your face keeping you from sounding serious. You shut the book in your hand, placing it on the table before leaning forward. “You’ve intrigued me now. What is it? The Fault in Our Stars? 50 Shades of Grey?”
“God, no. But… you’re not far off, I guess,” Wonwoo trailed off, resting back against his chair as his hands moved from the book. You glanced down at the bright red cover, a small chuckle escaping your lips. Me Before You by Jojo Moyes.
“I said not to make fun of me!”
“I didn’t even say anything yet! I just… I can’t believe you brought me my mom’s favorite book.”
Wonwoo groaned, moving to grab the book back. You reached out quickly, hand covering his own as you stared at him. “Don’t! I’m sorry, I was just teasing,” you reassured, squeezing his hand gently. Both of your cheeks were dusted red, but neither of you made a move to pull away. “I actually really loved the movie for this. It made me cry, like, a lot.”
“Well, maybe that’s a good thing,” he shrugged, eyes glancing down at your hands. His fingers itched to lace themselves with yours, but he held back the urge. Do people hold hands on first dates? He couldn’t remember first date etiquette. “If you cried for the movie, you’ll already know what to expect and won’t cry again.”
“I like crying, though,” you admitted, Wonwoo’s eyes looking up to meet yours. “I don’t cry often about the things in my life, so when a movie or a book makes me cry, it feels nice.”
Wonwoo blinked. You sighed, an airy chuckle escaping your lips as you pulled your hand away from his. “Sorry, that was–that was weird to say. I sounded like a psychopath, geez.”
“No, you’re um… you’re good. I don’t cry often either. Don’t think you’re weird or anything.”
The pair of you shot smiles towards each other, you nodding your head as you leaned back in your seat.
“Right… thanks.” You grabbed your own book, holding it up for him to see, “Um, this is probably my favorite book ever. It’s called These Violent Delights, by Chloe Gong. Two gangs in Shanghai, fighting for dominance. The heirs love each other but circumstances keep them apart… it’s a series, actually. And, it’s um… inspired by Romeo and Juliet. I think I remember you saying you like Shakespere?”
Wonwoo thought for a second, trying to think of when he told you that. Suddenly it clicked. Two years ago, in your shared Photography class, you and Wonwoo were partnered for a beginning of the semester project. You had to learn about each other through photos, and share those photos to the class so everyone could get to know each other. Wonwoo took pictures of your cats, your daily coffee orders, and your messily organized desk, while you took pictures of his roomates, his cardigans, and his books. He had a bookshelf full of books, ranging from nonfiction to children picture books. He let you borrow a book, once, for your English project. It was Romeo and Juliet, and the pages were covered with annotations and notes from Wonwoo. You brought up his love for Shakespere one day at the school’s cafe, where you had found him reading A Midsummer Night’s Dream in the corner with a hot chocolate in front of him.
“I just like how he writes things. Especially love.”
“I can’t believe you remember that,” he mumbled, but you managed to hear it. Your blush returned, an even deeper red than before.
“I tend to remember things about people I like, so…” you let out. You laughed awkwardly before standing up and grabbing your wallet from your own tote bag. “I’m going to order coffee. What would you like?”
Wonwoo raised a brow at your sudden nervousness, unable to hold back the cocky smile now on his lips. He shook his head at your words, standing up himself and grabbing his own wallet. “I’ll buy the coffee. Still drink Iced Americanos? One pump of chocolate syrup and extra ice, right?”
Your arms fell to your sides, staring at Wonwoo with a look he couldn’t decipher. The last time Wonwoo asked for your coffee order was your senior year of college, after one long morning when you regrettably told Wonwoo you’d join him at the gym. That was four years ago.
“You remembered?” you asked, voice soft and vulnerable. Wonwoo’s smile turned soft, his head nodding.
“I tend to remember things about people I like,” he repeated your words. “Go ahead and start reading. I’ll order our drinks,” he said, switching the books around on the table so Me Before You was now in front of your chair. You watched as he looked at you once more before heading to the front counter of the cafe. Slowly, you sat down, eyes lingering on your date for a few more moments. With one final smile, you shook your head and picked up the book, eyes finding scribbled notes on the first page.
Can I dedicate books that aren’t mine to people? Why not?
To Y/N. Thank you for agreeing to going on this date with me. I hope you enjoy this love story as much as I did.
P.S. I can see you smiling. Keep that smile under control or I might end up falling harder for you.
Your date with Wonwoo went on for another three hours, the pair of you switching from reading your books to having conversations about everything and nothing. You had to admit, you were a bit sad that it seemed as if the date was coming to an end. Wonwoo was throwing away your trash, and you packed away Wonwoo’s book in your bag while grabbing the one you recommended him, holding it to your chest as you waited for him to come back. You couldn’t help but smile at him, watching as he nearly tripped over someone’s bag and apologized profusely, even though no damage had been done. He scratched the back of his neck bashfully as he approached you.
You both paused, laughing at the overlap of your words. Wonwoo held his hand out, gesturing for you to speak first. You took the book in your hand, pressing it gently against his chest.
“This date was fun, Wonwoo. I’m happy you asked me to come,” you stated, moving your hand back once he had a grip on the book. “I’ll admit, I’m a little disappointed that it’s over.”
“That’s what I was going to say,” he admitted. “I was going to say that I… um, I know a park not too far from here. Maybe a couple blocks down that way,” he pointed his arm out. “We could walk for a bit, then maybe I could drop you off at your apartment? If you’d like?”
So you and Wonwoo made your way to the nearest park, books away and attention on each other and the beautiful scenery. Seoul in Summer was one of the prettiest sights you’ve ever seen, and you were happy to be witnessing it with Wonwoo. He had taken his cardigan off, revealing a white t-shirt that made his arms look a little too bad for your mental health. You chuckled at your thoughts, gaining Wonwoo’s attention quickly.
“No–no, I’m just… really happy.”
Your words brought another blush to Wonwoo’s face. His shoulders brushed against yours, your hands threatening to touch as you moved closer to him to get out of a runner’s way.
“I’m glad. I’m happy too.”
You hadn’t noticed, but Wonwoo was staring down at you, eyes gleaming and smile beaming. You truly did look happy, Wonwoo thought, observing the crinkles of your eyes and the permanent smile you held. As he continued to watch you, he didn’t notice the child biking down his side of the sidewalk. Your eyes widened, grabbing Wonwoo’s hand and pulling him to your side. The sudden movement caused Wonwoo to crash in to you, your arms quickly wrapping around his torso to prevent him from falling over. Once you had both regained balance, you look at each other with similar shocked expressions.
“Nearly fell for me, huh?” you broke the silence with a teasing grin, watching Wonwoo’s face scrunch up as he laughed. You stepped back, your arms now on your side. Wonwoo was quick to prevent you from getting too far, his hand finding yours with ease.
“Nearly have,” he grinned back, suddenly stepping towards you to be close once again. “Is this okay?” he asked, eyes glancing down at your joined hands. You bit back a smile at his sudden quiet voice, nodding at the man. He nodded back, pulling you with him gently to resume your walk back to your apartment. Unfortunately, your apartment wasn’t too far from the park, the rest of the walk only taking five minutes. As you approached your apartment building, you couldn’t shake away the familiar feeling of disappointment once again. You didn’t want to let Wonwoo go just yet, but after spending nearly four hours together, you knew it was time to say goodbye. The sun was beginning to set, and Seoul’s quiet atmosphere was soon beginning to change into its infamous, youthful nightlife.
“This is me,” you told him, stopping in front of the doors of the building you lived in. You attempted to pull your hand back, but Wonwoo only held on tighter. His eyes were glued to the concrete floor, his Adam's apple bobbing as he gulped.
“I want to see you again,” he began, his thumb now softly caressing your hand. “Soon. Like… tomorrow? We can go to this cat cafe by my place, then maybe… maybe you could come over and we could watch a movie? Avengers?”
You couldn’t help the laugh that escaped your lips at his suggestion. You nodded soon after, watching the brightest smile spread across Wonwoo’s face. “My cats won’t be too happy about me cheating on them, but maybe the scent will go away after I spend time at your place.”
“So… that’s a yes, then? I don’t want to seem desperate, but I really like you, Y/N. In fact, I’ve liked you since our freshman year and when you agreed to go out with me I was so nervous. I searched for hours through my library to find a book that I thought would be perfect for you, and I thought I was going to have a panic attack but I remembered that you read The Hating Game once so I assumed you like cheesy romance novels, and I–”
You stepped forward, your free hand placing itself on the back of Wonwoo’s neck as you leaned forward to press your lips to his. The first kiss was messy, teeth clashing from Wonwoo being caught of guard. You pulled away, but Wonwoo didn’t let you get too far before he grabbed your hips and pulled you against him. Your lips met once again, this time the kiss being less rushed and more pleasant. After a few seconds, you both pulled back, foreheads resting against each other and deep breaths leaving your lips. You grinned, and Wonwoo brought his hand up to your hair. He ran his fingers through your locks, meeting your eyes.
“I’ll see you tomorrow, Wonwoo. Same time as today?” you questioned, feeling him nod. You both pulled back, with you leaning forward once again to press a quick kiss to the corner of his lips before turning around and heading into your apartment building. As you disappeared through the doors, Wonwoo sighed, his hand moving up to ghost over his lips.
Wonwoo prayed for the first time in a while when he got back home, begging whoever was listening to not let your romance end in a tragedy. He may love Shakespeare, but the man certainly didn’t write happy endings. However, a part of Wonwoo believed that your romance would be one of happiness. He prayed once more before getting ready for his night-in, thinking about seeing you tomorrow with a smile on his face.
