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Gorgeous

inspiration: Gorgeous by Taylor Swift pairing: non-idol!Kai x fem!reader wc: 11k summary: your new neighbour helps you see that your boyfriend is cheating on you in this fic: non-idol!txt, non-idol!chaewon and non-idol!yunjin from le sserafim tw: cheating (not by txt), alcohol comsumption a/n: I love a next door neighbour fic so I HAD to write one plus Kai is totally gorgeous

You have lived in your tiny studio apartment for 5 years now. Living in the city was your dream and you still love it to this day. The only problem you have encountered was the moody middle aged corporate woman living next door to you on the right. If it wasn’t for her cat Pumpkin, who is your cat Peanut’s best friend, you would struggle to tolerate her. She complained about everyone in the building including you. The walls were quite thin so you could empathise with her a little bit, being victim to some loud and sometimes strange noises from the surrounding apartments too.

Initially you didn’t notice the absence of your neighbour, after living next to her for so many years you had perfected how to avoid her. It was the absence of her cat Pumpkin that had you starting to wonder. He would tightrope walk across the mental railings of your close balconies and enter your space through the sliding door to meet with Peanut. For over a week, Peanut had been sitting by the window every evening waiting for his best friend who never came.

The elderly woman, Mrs Kim, who lived on the other side of you, was a gossip. Whether it came from other tenants or her grandkids she loved a good drama and would share it with anyone she could. Catching you coming home from work one day, she talked your ear off about all sorts yet the only one that got your full attention was that your middle-aged neighbour and her ginger cat had moved out. You couldn’t believe it, Peanut’s friend was gone. You felt a pang of sadness only for it to be taken over by joy realising you didn’t have to deal with your moody neighbour anymore. Mrs. Kim continued talking telling you of the very attractive young gentleman that is now moving in. Like all elderly people, she would exaggerate how gorgeous the younger people of today were, for all you knew she could be telling people you were a beautiful young woman. You wouldn’t hate that actually.

Finally, making it back to your apartment you gave Peanut a big hug and explained to him his friend had moved away. You knew he didn’t understand but it made you feel better to tell him anyway. You decided to buy him a ginger cat plushie as a reminder of his friend.

Entering the corridor from the stairwell you huffed and dragged your feet along, your heavy bag hanging on your shoulder. You loved your job at the office but like all jobs some days were just too much and today had been one of those days. Pulling your keys out of your bag, you notice several cardboard boxes stacked up around your neighbour’s door, one box holding it open. Before you can unlock your door and escape inside, a man appears. He is about to pick up another box when he spots you. A friendly side smile blooming on his face, he steps around the boxes.

“Hey, you must be the pretty young woman with a cat I was told lives next door. It’s nice to meet you, I’m Kai.”

Oh no, Mrs Kim was right. He is gorgeous. There was no exaggeration this time. You can’t tell if it’s from his gaze or the compliment but your face is already tinted pink.

“Hi, I’m Y/N. I can tell you have already met my other neighbour,” you motion to the door next to yours, “She gets very excited to talk to anyone who will listen and my goodness can she talk.” He chuckles, “yeah, I was stuck listening to her for almost an hour. Poor moving men were left to haul all my stuff up here without me but hey, I know a lot about the building already.” You smile at the image of the tiny woman talking up to him. “I’ve only got these left to take in,” he glances round at the remaining boxes giving you the opportunity to quickly look him over. Cute nose, black hair framing his dark eyes, loose fitting black top that is now quite dusty, grey sweatpants and sneakers. Kai turns back around. A killer smile too.

“Well, I’ll let you get on. If you need anything just knock,” you smile at him to show you really did mean it. You would always try to help your neighbours out where you could.

“Thanks so much, I appreciate it. I’ll let you know when I’m all unpacked and maybe you could come over for a house warming drink,” he tilts his head at you still adoring the smirk. It is unclear to you whether he meant that in a friendly way or not, best not think too much into it. Your cheeks flash pink again so you quickly look down to your keys, fumbling with them to move the keyrings out the way.

“I’ll listen out for the knock, good luck with the rest of your unpacking,” and with that you unlock your door and step in without looking at him too closely again. He watches as you walk into your apartment catching a glimpse of the tabby cat meowing at your feet.

“Hey Peanut,” he hears you say before closing the door.

Knowing that your miserable neighbour is gone is a relief but having such a hot man only on the other side of your thin walls is making you sweat a little bit. You hope you never have to interact with Kai when your boyfriend is around.

Kai’s first week in his new apartment has been great. He is getting along really well with everyone in the building, especially the old lady at the end of the corridor that somehow manages to catch him almost every time he is returning home. He hasn’t seen the pretty girl next door as much as he would like. The only time he has seen her, since their initial interaction, was outside the main building doors as he was coming home from work one evening. She met with a man, gave him a kiss then held his hand as they walked away. He must be her boyfriend.

It took him longer to unpack than he expected, not anticipating how difficult it is to reorganise all his belongings in a new space. He has been going to work all week too, not taking too much time off to move. By Friday though he was finally finished. Kai decided he would knock on your door in the evening, noticing that you went to work during the day. He hoped you were alone.

Kai knocks on your door at 7pm, he has just been to the shop and bought a variety of drinks to stock up his apartment so he would definitely have something you liked. He hears you shuffling to the door and unlocking it. The image he is greeted with is not what he was expecting. You are standing in a beautiful dress, neutral shade, flowy short sleeves, length down to your shins. Your hair is curled, matching silver jewelry on and glittery makeup over your eyelids. Kai would be expecting you to be stepping out to go to a fancy restaurant if it wasn’t for the fluffy slippers on your feet. He’s stunned, unable to greet you first.

“Oh… Hi Kai. How are you?” you weekly greet him, quickly trying to fix your eye makeup with the pads of your fingers. The action causes Kai to notice that your eyes are red, small black smudges under them. You had been crying. His smile falls.

“Hey… is everything alright?” he asks, concern evident in his voice.

“Yeah” you reply hastily, not wanting him to worry. Peanut rubs up against your leg, jealous of being left out. You look down at him. Feeling his loving affection causes more tears to well up in your eyes, you were too sensitive right now. Kai sweeps his gaze over your apartment while you are temporarily distracted. On the table are several lit candles and two wine glasses, only one filled.

“Actually… no, I’m not okay,” you confess, looking back up. Kai doesn’t want to pry as you two just met but seeing you so upset wrenches on his heart.

“Are you expecting company?” he treads lightly.

“Not anymore,” you think about your boyfriend and the evening you had planned, the food you made currently keeping warm in the oven. After returning home from work, you had spent hours getting the evening ready to make it special. When Kai knocked you were just composing yourself to spend the evening alone with Peanut. Seeing him standing in your doorway, an idea crosses your mind.

“I made a meal for two but now it's just me, would you like to join me so it doesn’t go to waste?”

Kai had been upgraded from drinks in his bare flat to a meal with you in yours, he thanked his past self for pushing on with the unpacking.

Without hesitating he replies,“I would love to join you,” a softness lacing his voice this time paired with a warm smile. The sight causes your lips to tug into a small smile for the first time this evening.

Kai took off his shoes by the door and crouched to greet Peanut with a gentle stroke on his head. Peanut is a friendly cat so did not waste any time rubbing his fur all over Kai’s dark jeans, purring as he went. Kai chuckled at how affectionate Peanut already is with him. It soothes your heart to see Peanut so happy with another human as your most frequent visitor, your boyfriend, didn’t care for cats so tried to avoid Peanut at all costs. Kai stands up following you into the kitchen, little feet trotting along behind him.

You slide on a pair of oven mitts then lift the baking tray out of the oven. As Kai watches you in your lovely silk dress and brightly coloured oven mitts, his brain spins with questions. You close the oven door and place the tray down. Kai tries his best to ask delicately.

“How come you have ended up alone this evening, if you don’t mind me asking?” Holding a plate in one hand, spatula in the other, you scoop up lasagna and slide it onto the plate.

“My boyfriend was supposed to come round for an early birthday meal with me but he cancelled on me at the last minute,” you let out a breathy laugh to imply it was no big deal yet your red rimmed eyes told the opposite. You repeat the process with the other plate, gaze focused on the task.

“For your birthday?” he clarifies. You nod your head and turn around placing the spatula in the sink. Kai feels a sudden heat rushing throughout his chest. Your boyfriend better have had a good excuse, in fact is there a good excuse to cancel last minute on your girlfriend when she has organised an evening for HER birthday?

Keeping his voice calm, he asks “why did he cancel?” You pick up one of the plates and before you can grab the other Kai has it in his hands, you walk over to your small dining table together. You feel embarrassed to tell him what your boyfriend said he was up to tonight so you try to dodge the question.

“Would you like a drink? I opened a bottle of wine earlier,” you raise the bottle to show him.

“That would be really nice, thank you,” you fill up your glass again and carry both over to the table.

Sitting across from each other now, neither of you touching the cutlery, you know you will have to tell him. His deep brown eyes stare at you, patiently waiting. You sigh realising he should know, after all he has taken your boyfriend's place tonight.

“My boyfriend, Jay…” you pause thinking of the best way to put it, “he texted me an hour ago saying that he was going to spend the night with his mates instead, they will be out clubbing,” you knew this from the countless other times he has been out with his friends. Kai is astounded. Jay ditched you to go to the club?

“And he was aware that this evening was to celebrate your birthday?” he asked, trying to understand this man’s logic.

“He did,” you mumble, feeling the sadness wash over you once again. Staring down at the pasta you had made your appetite vanishes. The sight reminding you of who it was for and how he chose to spend his night elsewhere. Kai studied your expression, understanding that this was hurting you more than your words suggested. He wondered how a man could be so stupid when it came to a woman so beautiful as you.

He has to turn this evening around, even if it isn’t your birthday today he wants to celebrate. He raises his wine glass, “To Y/N, happy early birthday and congrats on your amazing new neighbour!” You are grateful for the energy shift. Kai’s face is filled with hope, you raise your glass too clinking it against his before taking a well needed large sip.

“Thank you Kai. My new neighbour definitely beats my old moody neighbour,” you giggle, “shame he doesn’t have a ginger cat called Pumpkin.” Kai tilts his head at you, brows furrowed slightly.

“Oh yeah…” you realise he didn’t know about Pumpkin, “she had a cat called Pumpkin, he was best friends with Peanut. He would visit my apartment everyday via the balcony to see him,” your eyes search the floor for your cat, finding him sitting right by Kai’s feet, sweeping his tail across the floor like a dog. Kai followed your gaze down to Peanut. He leaned down to rub his head evoking a happy meow.

“I was thinking about getting him a little ginger cat plushie as a reminder,” Kai practically bounces out of his seat at your words.

“Oh oh, I know a great place that sells plushies. They have a huge selection of cats, we should go some time,” he turns back to Peanut, “sorry about your friend buddy, bet you miss him.” Watching Kai pet your cat, a comfortable calm feeling settles across your chest. You had been so busy all day, at work then preparing the evening, getting yourself ready all for it to come to a screeching halt with a single one line text. Now in front of you is a person who enjoys your cat's company, asks the right amount of questions, and makes plans for both of you without giving it a second thought. Things your boyfriend definitely didn’t do.

The evening goes well, just as Kai wanted. The lasagna slowly disappeared between conversation and laughing. Kai steered the chatting away from relationships feeling that would be the best course of action for tonight. You both learned so much about each other. Kai told you about his four best friends, insisting that you would have to meet them at their next monthly game night that will be held at Kai’s new apartment. He spoke passionately about his job as a music producer, diving into some stories about recent projects he is working on. You find out he is a middle child between two sisters which explains his patience and calm tone. When it is your turn to share he listens to you intently, finding out you work in an office, which sounds boring but you actually really love it. Besides Peanut, you have two human best friends. The three of you usually meet up every few weeks to catch up and discuss the books you were reading. You tell him about your family and how they live in the suburbs so you only get to see them during the holidays.

After the meal, Kai generously helps you to wash up and put things away. While observing him wipe down the table, you are struck by an intrusive comparison. Other people in your life, like your friends and family, would do the same as Kai now, help out and share the workload between you. You know this yet your brain compares him to Jay. Based on your first proper interaction with Kai tonight you can already tell that they are complete opposites. Jay doesn’t care for your cat, Jay doesn’t choose to spend the night with you, Jay wouldn’t help you tidy up, Jay wouldn’t sit there and actually listen to you, eyes on you, asking follow up questions that make sense. Kai has done all of those things tonight.

Returning the cloth back where he found it he says “All done! Thank you so much for inviting me in, I’ve had a really nice time getting to know my new neighbour and her cute cat. The lasagna was delicious by the way, I’d definitely eat that again,” he chuckles at himself.

“No problem, I’m glad you enjoyed it. I don’t think it would have been very nice if I ate it for my lunch tomorrow,” you scrunch your nose in disgust. He laughs again.

“Glad I could help out.” Peanut jumps up onto the counter begging for attention. Kai’s eyes widen remembering his suggestion earlier.

“Thanks for the reminder buddy,” he strokes Peanut’s head then takes his phone out of his pocket, “lets exchange numbers then you can let me know when you are free to visit the plushie shop I told you about.” He holds his phone out to you and you gladly take it.

“You’re only next door Kai,” you jest whilst typing your number in.

“I know, but you might not always be able to come to the door.” You hand his phone back to him. He smiles at you then walks to the door getting his shoes. Peanut meows in protest, he has really gotten attached to Kai already and he has only been here a few hours. Giggling, you pick Peanut up and hold him in your arms before he can follow Kai back to his apartment.

“Goodnight Peanut,” he says, patting his little head one last time, “and goodnight Y/N,” he whispers. Taking your gaze off Peanut, your breath hitches realising just how close he is. His signature smile you have become accustomed to these past few hours stretches across his face. He moves backwards reaching for the door handle. You should be saying goodnight but he just looks so gorgeous that your brain is stuck not being able to send the signals to your mouth . Opening the door, he turns and steps through into the corridor. You hold the door open with your foot, cat still draped in your arms. Hearing his door unlock brings you out of your daze.

“Goodnight Kai, see you soon.” Looking at each other one last time you both head into your apartments separated only by a thin wall.

Kai didn’t want to seem too eager to hang out with you so he waited a few days before texting. A plan was made to go to the plushie store at the weekend and to ask your friends if they wanted to join Kai’s game night. He had already asked his friends and they declared the more the merrier. He had never been more excited for a game night.

During the week his excitement changed to concern as he heard odd noises coming from your flat. He had been told the walls were thin between apartments in this building but sometimes he swore he could hear you crying. He hoped it was just your TV.

One night he gets home earlier than he had been other days this week. This particular project had been running into the late hours everyday but today they decided to pack up early. He decided to spend the extra free time trying to finish a video game he started months ago. At first he hears little bangs here and there, he thinks nothing of it, maybe you were cleaning but then he hears a man's voice. Kai assumes it must be Jay, your boyfriend, so he relaxes and continues his video game. Not long later, he hears the male voice again but this time it is louder, angry sounding followed by a series of thumps. Kai pauses the game and stands up, ear tilted towards the wall. All the apartments are built the same so he knows that your bedroom is on the other side of this wall.

Silence stretches on for a few minutes, he tries to convince himself it was nothing. Maybe Jay is watching his favourite sports team and they aren’t doing so well. Kai goes to sit back down when his body freezes in place upon hearing Jay shouting. This time though, it is loud enough for Kai to hear every word.

“I’LL GO OUT WHEN I LIKE AND WITH WHO I LIKE, YOU DON’T GET TO TELL ME WHAT TO DO, IT WASN’T EVEN YOUR ACTUAL BIRTHDAY SO WHY DOES IT MATTER?” Kai is shocked at his words. There’s a brief pause where you must have responded to him quietly, then he continues, “ARE YOU ACCUSING ME OF CHEATING? DON’T BE SO DUMB Y/N.” A soft thump hits the wall next to Kai’s head causing him to step back. After his outburst the conversation volume returns to normal level, Kai strains his ears to hear anything else but all he manages to catch is, “you’re the only girl I want.”

Feeling confused by the rollercoaster of emotions he wonders how you must be feeling. The man shouted at you, called you dumb and said your birthday dinner didn’t matter but then is saying you are the only one for him. Kai knows not to believe it. Finally sitting down, he resumes his game, lowering the volume to keep an ear out for you. He won’t text you tonight to ask if you are alright, even though he wants to check on you, as that would be admitting he heard your argument. Eventually the low game music is disturbed by a rhythmic tapping against the wall, he connects his headphones to blast the music through so he doesn’t have to hear what is happening now.

The weekend arrives without any more disturbances from your apartment. Kai knocks on your door at the agreed time. Grabbing your bag you call out to Peanut, “I’ll be back soon Pea.” You open the door to find a grinning Kai, looking handsome as usual.

“Are you excited?” He clearly is based on how he is practically bouncing now waiting for you to lock up.

“Yes, let’s go. Lead the way,” you reply between giggles.

The day is sunny and bright, it warms your skin. Walking side by side, Kai is rambling on about previous game nights he and his friends have had. It sounds like they are truly great friends, you’re eager to meet them in a week's time. Coming to the end of a particularly ridiculous story that has both of you fighting for breath, he realises he has been doing all the talking. He’s reluctant to bring up your boyfriend yet the need to know how you are after the other night gnaws away at him inside.

Diverting the conversation to you he casually asks “How has it been going with your boyfriend recently?”

“Huh?” you are taken off guard by the sudden switch up. Truthfully, it hadn’t been going too well this past week but you aren’t going to worry Kai with that. “It’s been going okay.”

By the way you won’t meet his gaze he knows that there’s more to it than that but he won’t push you.

“Did he say anything about your birthday dinner?” You search your brain for the words Jay used.

“He was at the club like I predicted, he apologised telling me it slipped his mind that the dinner was for my birthday, he reassured me that I’m the only one he wants,” you lightly smile remembering the moment. Kai looks away from you now, knowing what happened after he told you that. Wanting to move on quickly he realises he doesn’t actually know when your birthday is.

“When is your birthday? Are you doing anything to celebrate?” Turning the corner, the plushie store comes into view.

“It’s on Saturday. I haven’t got any solid plans yet, I was just going to do something with my friends.” No boyfriend again.

“Jay not taking you out?” Kai doesn’t want to keep talking about him yet a curious pull keeps dragging him to understand.

“No… he was going to but now he has to go on a last minute work trip.” The warm rush he felt last week learning that your boyfriend stood you up returns. He decides to give the man the benefit of the doubt, work can be unkind.

Finally reaching the store Kai announces “We’re here!” Smile returning to your face, you follow him in. While watching you “aww” over every cat plushie, Kai thinks about how perfect it is that your birthday is on Saturday. The game night is Friday. You can meet each other's friends, get acquainted and then go on a celebratory night out. He’s just deciding if it should all be on the same night or over the two when you hold a fluffy ginger cat plushie in his face.

“This is the one!” you beam at him. Seeing your ecstatic face at finding the perfect gift for Peanut, he focuses back on you. He feels the soft faux fur agreeing that it is perfect.

On the walk back, Kai shares his idea with you. He notices your eyes start to sparkle as he talks it through. You're agreeing with him before he can finish explaining. It was decided, game night on Friday then the club on Saturday. Forget your boyfriend, you would spend the night with your friends instead.

Arriving on your floor, you immediately spot Mrs Kim’s open door. This is how she captures passerbys in her web.

“Ohhh Y/N, how lovely to see you and oh… Kai too, how wonderful! You both look so radiant today, have you been in the sunshine,” you can’t help nervously laughing knowing exactly what assumption she is about to make. Kai answers innocently before you can think of an answer.

“Good morning, Mrs Kim. Thank you, we just made a trip to the store,” Mrs Kim’s eyes widen in delight. Red creeps across your cheeks.

“Ahhhhh how wonderful! Awww Y/N, I’m so proud of you. You two make such a lovely couple,” she gushes. It takes Kai’s brain a few seconds for the confusion to float away then his cheeks match yours. Waving your hands rapidly you try to correct her gently, “oh no Mrs Kim, Kai and I aren’t dating, we are just friends. I’m still with my boyfriend Jay.” The smile instantly falls off her face and you cringe.

“Mmm… well that’s a shame,” she shakes her head in disappointment, “maybe one day ehh?”

You hum in agreement just to make her feel better. Before she can jump into some gossip she heard recently you wish her a good day. Kai shuffles along behind you.

Finally reaching your apartment, Kai steps in with you. Trying to ignore the awkwardness you call for Peanut and pull out the new ginger cat plushie.

“Hey Pea, look what I got. It’s Pumpkin!” Your cat rubs his little head over the plushie again and again meowing up at you. Setting it down on the couch, he instantly curls up with it, finding a comfy spot.

“Awww, do you think he recognises it as Pumpkin?” The cuteness is too much, your lips form a pout.

“He must do,” normally this would have been super cute to Kai too but his brain can’t let go of Mrs Kim’s reaction to your boyfriend. Why did she seem to dislike him so much?

You notice his distance so you turn around to face him, deciding you need to quickly address the situation in the corridor and move on.

“Hey, about Mrs Kim… don’t mind her, she loves to match make and get in everyone's business. It keeps her going.” He doesn’t know what to say so he just nods. His demeanour has changed since the interaction with Mrs Kim, you hope he doesn’t feel odd around you after being called a cute couple.

“So… I’ll see you on Friday then,” your voice elevated, doing your best to break the tension.

“I’ll see you on Friday,” he responds with a slight smile. Kai leaves your apartment wondering if it would be seen as invading your privacy to ask Mrs Kim about your boyfriend.

Friday finally arrives. After work, Kai spends a couple of hours setting up his apartment to host the game night. He takes a trip to the local shop to grab some snacks and drinks, he tidies up and gathers all the games he knows his friends enjoy the most. Around 6pm he hears loud laughter bleeding through the walls from your apartment, your friends must have arrived early.

Your best friends from school, Chaewon and Yunjin, have always been your biggest supporters except when it comes to Jay. They had tried in the nicest way possible to help you see that he just isn’t the right partner for you.You had brushed them off thinking their previous relationship experiences were clouding their judgement. Jay loves you, he doesn’t say it often or show it often either if you are honest but he is still with you. The girls are happy you are trying to expand your social circle and are excited to join you tonight. They hope the exposure to more men your age will help you see why Jay is not boyfriend material.

You knock on Kai’s door at 7pm. You feel nerves bubble up in your stomach, before you can debate why the door is swinging open revealing Kai wearing a black hoodie and a gorgeous smile as always. A flood of unfamiliar voices rushes out of his apartment. He steps aside and ushers the three of you in. You hang back to let the girls enter first, hearing them introduce themselves to Kai’s friends. Your stomach is bubbling even worse now.

“Hey, thanks for inviting us over,” you step in, replacing your uneasy expression with a soft smile. He closes the door behind you.

“Of course, it’s the first game night here so I had to invite my cool new neighbour,” he says while lightly bumping his elbow against yours as he walks past, “plus, Mrs Kim told me you needed more friends,” he jokes. You roll your eyes playfully, knowing that it probably isn’t far from the truth. Mrs Kim is way too invested in who you spend your time with, she is an honorary family member at this point.

You follow Kai to the sitting area to join the group. The conversation flows easily between you all as you get acquainted. Everyone sits on the carpet in a big circle as there is not enough space for the eight of you on Kai’s small couch. Kai is on your left with Chaewon and Yunjin on your right. Looking over the boys you commit their names to memory so you don’t get them mixed up, from left to right is Taehyun, Beomgyu, Soobin and Yeonjun. Listening to his friends you learn so much about Kai, they gush over him to try and embarrass him and you notice it works as the tips of his ears turn red.

“Did you know that Kai has been single for several years now, the man spends too much time working,” Beomgyu spills, watching the girls closely for a reaction.

“Hey Gyu, they aren’t bothered about that, we should pick out a game to play,” Kai softly pleads, turning his face away from the circle to look through the board game boxes behind him. Your eyebrows raise at the new information. Kai is single? For some reason you just assumed with how attractive and charming he is he would be taken. You are happy with Jay yet you remember feeling jealous of the girlfriend you had pictured Kai with. Learning that he is single stirs a strange feeling within you that you can’t describe. It mixes with the nervous bubbles making you feel slightly queasy. Believing he was taken eased your mind as he was unavailable, now you know he is single and that is honestly worse. You could hear your Mum tutting at you for always wanting what you can’t have.

“I swear if you wore your glasses more often people would be lining up around the block to date you,” Soobin chimes in.

“Glasses?” you asked out loud before your brain could catch up to your mouth. Kai pulls a game out of the stack like a jenga piece placing it in his lap to remove the lid. Without looking up he replies, “yeah, I’ve actually got pretty bad eyesight but I choose to wear contacts during the day, it's easier with all the headphones I wear at work.”

While he is focusing on setting the game up, you study his face trying to imagine him with glasses on. He would look cute you decide. They would frame his dark eyes that always seem to sparkle at you with his black locks tickling the lenses. Kai leans forward to place the game board down in the middle of you all. His movement disturbs your gaze allowing you to realise you may have been staring at him a little too long. Scanning around the circle no one seems to have noticed, they are listening intently to Taehyun who is reading out the game rules. You best limit your glances and chatting with Kai tonight, a few seconds of red cheeks or a giggle too long and your friends will pounce on the idea that you like him. You did not need any more conversations on why you should break up with Jay.

This game Kai chose is new to you. Having only caught the end of the rules you have to closely watch the others play. Turns are taken clockwise so you are the last to go. Throughout the game you manage to keep your focus on the board, there are many players and various strategies so you can’t afford for your mind to wander. You pick up the rules as you go along however, it isn’t enough for you to win.

Beomgyu jumps up in celebration of his victory, laughing and dancing around the room. The boys roll their eyes, used to his overdramatic reactions. While Kai and Taehyun return the game to its box, you notice Yunjin is sitting closer to Yeonjun than she was before. You watch as she chats to him in a whisper, a giggly smile on her face. You make a mental note to ask her about it later.

Not wanting to witness the escalating heated debate between Soobin and Beomgyu over which game to play next, you and Chaewon volunteer to grab snacks from the kitchen. Kai had left everything out so you didn’t have to go searching through the cupboards. Taking the 2 litre bottle of Pepsi you unscrew the lid and pour out eight glasses, watching the fizzy bubbles rise and pop reminding you of your stomach earlier.

“What club are we going to tomorrow again? Did we decide?” Chaewon asks while ripping open a bag of sweet and salty popcorn.

“I don’t think so… what is the name of that popular one downtown?” Screwing the cap back on, you place all the full glasses on a tray. You're too focused on your task to see Chaewon’s face scrunch up in horror. She knew the popular club in town is your boyfriend's favourite. She has never caught him doing anything suspicious but she still didn’t want to take you there just in case.

“Ahhh I’m not sure that one is any good, maybe we should ask the boys if they have any suggestions.” You nod in oblivious approval before carefully walking back to the sitting room balancing the tray with both your hands. Kai passes you in the hall, you don’t look up.

Chaewon stands for a moment, thoughts racing. Seeing Jay in a club would ruin your entire night. She wants to voice her concerns to you but doesn’t want to irritate you again by bringing up the boyfriend topic.

“Hey is everything alright?” Suddenly hearing Kai’s voice causes Chaewon to jump, not noticing his presence until now.

“Oh yeah I’m fine,” she laughs it off emptying the rest of the popcorn into the bowl, “just debating which club to go to tomorrow…” She pauses. Kai waits, feeling the weight of unspoken words in the air. Her voice comes out quieter this time, “I just don’t want her to run into Jay… we should be having fun celebrating her.” Kai is unsure what to say, he knew Jay liked clubbing but why would seeing him be a bad thing, it’s her boyfriend.

“Why would running into him ruin the fun?” he asks, she looks up at him with a sad expression. Before she is able to answer, Beomgyu and Soobin burst in talking over each other at a hundred miles a minute. From what Kai can make out the game has finally been selected and set up so now they are just waiting for them. Chaewon grabs the bowl of popcorn and bolts away leaving Kai to internally curse his friends for once again being too loud.

When Kai returns to the sitting room with a plate of chocolate chip cookies, Mario Kart is pulled up on the TV. It's a tradition every game night to have a racing competition. Only four can play at once so the spectators sit on the couch. For the first round, you are sandwiched between Kai and Taehyun on the floor, Chaewon is sat on the far right. You hadn’t played this game in such a long time that your first lap is embarrassing, you are almost in last place. The controller clicking sounds next to you is the only indication that Kai is sitting there unlike the others who are commentating and laughing throughout. He is concentrating on keeping his lead position. Finishing in seventh place you turn around to Yunjin to hand her the controller with a slight huff. That was more difficult than you expected, these boys really like racing games.

Swapping over with the others you find yourself sitting next to Kai again, you really couldn’t get away from him this evening. As soon as the race starts the shouting begins between Beomgyu and Soobin as they fight for first place. You can’t help laughing at them, were they always like this or is this all for entertainment? It all faded into the background as Kai leant over to you whispering in your ear “is it just me or is there a little something happening over there?” He gestures with his head over to the other side of the room at Yeonjun and Yunjin. They were sitting close together, their chatting being drowned out by the feral screeching of the boys. Kai noticed them too. You turn to look at him to discuss it, forgetting how close he is. The sight knocks the wind out of you. Your brain goes blank. His eyes meet yours expecting you to say something but you can’t, the thoughts have evaporated. You can’t say anything to his face. His rich espresso eyes stare into yours, you feel like you might sink and drown in them.

Kai wishes he knew what you were thinking right now. Are you at a loss for words because you are so shocked at your friend or could he be delusional enough to think it was him. The race finishes with Yeonjun in first place, his male opponents are straight on their feet complaining about something, you weren’t sure what exactly. Kai breaks away from your gaze to stand up, pulling his friends apart telling them to keep it down. The walls are too thin, he didn’t want complaints from the other tenants in the building.

Yunjin flops down in Kai’s spot on the couch, a beaming smile plastered on her face.

“Yeonjun knows of a cool club we can go to tomorrow night,” she says, making eye contact with Chaewon to let her know that it could be a Jay free club. Chaewon sighs in relief. With Kai gone, words finally return to your brain, “Ahh that’s great, we were talking about that earlier.”

Checking your phone for the first time tonight you gasp, it is 11pm, you should go soon. Then you notice a text message, it’s from Jay. It took your brain a second to register, you completely forgot about him. Unlocking your phone, you swipe at the notification to preview his message.

“I gotta go,” you exhale, abruptly standing up and walking out the room. The girls look at you in shock scrambling after you, questioning why you had to leave in such a rush. Silence falls over the boys, eyes trailing after you three. They follow too.

“It’s Jay,” you tell them, pulling your shoes on. Kai’s stomach turns at the mention of his name.

“Is he alright?” Yunjin asks worry in her voice even though she did not care for him.

“I’m not sure, his text was quite vague but he needs me,” you look back up at the seven of them, all their attention on you. Kai felt nauseous at your phrasing.

“I’ll catch you all tomorrow,” you throw them a smile, “thanks so much again Kai for inviting us.” Before he can respond you have flown out the door.

Not too long later, Chaewon and Yunjin decide to leave too. They solidify plans for tomorrow night and exchange numbers with the boys before getting in a taxi. This is not usually how their game nights finished. They either ended in an argument over something silly or in fits of laughter at something dumb, never in silence because they didn’t know what to say. Taehyun put a random movie on the TV and the remaining snacks were dragged to the sitting room.

All the snacks were gone and the movie was almost over when one of them finally spoke up.

“Soooo… What is the deal with this Jay guy?” Yeonjun asked, turning towards Kai. He lets out a long exhale knowing this question was inevitable.

“He’s Y/N’s boyfriend,” his tone flat and eyes lowered. Kai didn’t need to say anything else, the boys could tell he didn’t like Jay.

After last night Kai needed some fresh air. He walked to his favourite café and treated himself to a coffee and a pastry then strolled around enjoying the sweet cream filling and warm breeze. Returning to the apartment building, he typed in the main door code and opened it, coming face to face with the little old lady, Mrs Kim.

“Good morning, Mrs Kim. How are you today?” Kai greeted her, holding the door open so she could pass through. Taking small steps she exited the building, standing on the pavement beside him. The dramatic height difference between them causes the lady to strain her neck to see his face.

“Good morning, Kai. I am very well thank you. How about yourself? Have you been up too much these past few days?” Her eyes are fixed upon him waiting for any scrap of news she can get out of him.

“I’m a little tired. I hosted a game night last night,” she noticed the coffee cup in his hands and the slight darkness around his eyes.

“Oh how wonderful! Sounds like a lovely time. Did you invite Y/N round? She will benefit from some time away from that boyfriend of hers.” This is it. This is the moment Kai was thinking about the other day. Mrs Kim brought the boyfriend up first, Kai is just following the conversation.

“I did invite her, she brought two of her friends around too. She seemed to enjoy it,” he pauses, pondering how to ask about Jay. “Why would she need time away from her boyfriend Mrs Kim?”

Upon hearing his question, her smile dropped and her eyes rolled. A long sigh left her lips.

“Urgh Kai, I could talk your ear off about why I think he is not right for her but I know you're tired so I’ll do my best to keep it short,” she shot him a sweet smile then continued, “I’ve never liked him, ever since I first met him a few years ago I knew something was off with him but she is blinded by love, or what she thinks is love anyway.”

It is easier for people outside of a relationship to see the faults, Mrs Kim could see many with yours, yet it is a difficult task trying to enlighten the ones in it to see those faults.

“I suspect he is not trustworthy. It's the little things you know, like holding the door open for people,” she says gesturing to Kai as he had just done that for her, “buying flowers on special occasions, finding time to spend together even when you are both busy, plus…” she pauses taking in a large breath, “and this is a big one… not being seen with your arm around other women in the broad light of day.” Kai involuntarily gasps. He wouldn’t? Right? Jay told you only last week that you were the only girl for him. Is he lying to you? Is he cheating on you?

Mrs Kim watches Kai’s eyes go wide, seeing that he’d had his own suspicions about Jay and now there was evidence.

She adds fuel to the fire. “I see him quite regularly with various women, when I’m on my way to Bingo every Friday, when I’m doing my weekly shop on a Monday… and that’s during the day. Imagine what he’s up to on a night,” Kai’s mind is taken back to the evening in your apartment, you told him Jay goes out often to the club with his friends. His eyes have wandered away from Mrs Kim now, deep in thought.

“Y/N did tell me that he goes out clubbing alot,” a sudden single clap from the old lady’s hands startles Kai to look at her once again.

“There you go, he is not to be trusted,” she thrusts her bony index finger at him, “you need to help her see that she deserves so much better Kai.” This is her favourite thing about gossip, watching a person's face as it contorts with emotions, mind swirling with new information. Kai seems to be conflicted, unsure of what to think and how he could possibly help you in this situation.

“Anyway, I will let you go. Go and get some well needed rest sweetheart.” Mrs Kim smiles devilishly and pats him lightly on the arm before shuffling away. Kai can barely utter a goodbye, mind racing with questions. She chuckles to herself, proud that she may have set her most hoped gossip into motion.

Sunlight streaming into the room wakes you up, you roll over to check the time on the bedside clock. It's 10am. Stretching your arms you realise this isn’t your bedroom. Turning your head you see Jay. Flashbacks of last night rush back to you, leaving Kai’s apartment, calling Jay, going to his place and the long chat about his work. You are relieved to remember that you are only in his bed because it was too late for you to make it back to your apartment. Slowly starting to question why you feel relief at that fact your mind is distracted by Jay waking up. He yawns obnoxiously loud then gets up without saying a word, walks to the bathroom and locks the door.

You make the bed, get yourself ready and gather your things. Unlocking your phone you wait for him on the couch. There are several messages from Chaewon and Yunjin in your group chat asking you various questions but the singular message from Kai grabs your attention first.

Kai

Thanks for coming over last night, it was really fun. I hope everything went okay after you left. See you tonight, birthday girl!

You had almost forgotten, it’s your birthday today. New messages from your friends flood in wishing you a happy birthday and hoping you are alright this morning. While typing out a response, Jay enters the room with a full duffel bag dropping it on the wood flooring creating a loud bang. Your head snaps up at him.

“Well, I’m off,” he said without looking at you, grabbing his keys from the kitchen. You stand up and pocket your phone, you’ll reply to them soon.

“Oh okay but before you go, is there anything you need to say to me?” you prompt playfully hoping it will jog his memory. You place your hands on his chest as you search his eyes for any recognition. His hands lay by his sides, clutching his keys.

“No…” his voice emotionless and expression blank. He really didn’t remember? “I really have to go,” he removes your hands from him picking up his bag. Your brows furrow. Jay pushes you out the door so he can lock up.

“I’ll be back on Monday,” he calls out over his shoulder marching down the hallway. You stand frozen, processing the moment. You didn’t get a goodbye or a happy birthday from your boyfriend.

Finally making it back to your apartment, you cuddle Peanut who is more than happy to have you back. You reply to your friends and ask if you could all get ready together this evening.

Being with your best friends for hours dancing, singing and getting ready has done wonders to lift your spirits. You never told them about this morning with Jay, he must have just been upset about leaving you for the weekend.

Entering the cool club Yeonjun recommended, Yunjin scans the room furiously checking her phone every 5 seconds for texts from him. The boys are already here. On your journey to the club, you asked Yunjin about her developing crush which causes her to blush the deepest shade of red you have ever seen from her. She spilled her feelings to you reminding you of Mrs Kim and how she would revel in this gossip.

Spotting the boys, she makes a beeline for them. All five of them are huddled round a table, clutching half empty drinks. Upon seeing you then all cheer and burst into the happy birthday song. Soobin places a silly bright red cone party hat on your head which clashes with your cool-toned outfit.

“This round is on me as a birthday gift, what would you girls like to drink?” Yeonjun asks, taking your orders then fighting his way through the crowd with Taehyun to the bar.

After a few rounds, you all migrate to the dance floor. The songs transition into each other seamlessly causing the hours to blur. You have had some good birthdays in the past but this is definitely the best. Singing along to Love Story by Taylor Swift you are shocked to see that Kai knows every word and is singing along just as enthusiastically. It warms your heart and makes you giggle. As the chorus begins you are fixated on him, watching as he begs Romeo to run away, refers to himself as a princess and declares his love. All his actions and the way he sings it is ridiculously cute to you. Before your brain could catch up you playfully mimic his higher pitched voice to sing “I’ll be the princess” just as he did. You gasp realising what you’ve just done without thinking. An expression of shock flashes across his face for only a second before his infectious cackly laughter takes over. The whole group laughs along with him. You're glad he found it funny and hoped he would see your copying as a compliment. The attention only increases his dramatic performance for the rest of the song.

The dancefloor is quite dark considering there are loads of strobing multi-coloured flashing lights beaming down from above. After a few drinks and a couple hours of dancing your skills have dropped off, you can just manage to sway clumsily and shout the lyrics now. A warm hand intertwines with yours pulling you round, expecting to see one of the girls you almost choke as you look up and find Kai instead. Your heart skips a beat. It may be the alcohol coursing through your system but you felt drawn to him like he emits a strong magnetic field. You step closer.

Kai gave you his best carefree smile hoping you didn’t catch his panic. Just moments ago he thought he spotted Jay across the club, he was unsure if it was him at first thinking the stranger just looked like him in the dim light. But as a group of clubbers vacated the dancefloor, Jay came into perfect view with a lady sitting on his lap. Kai acted on instinct to grab your hand and spin you round so you were facing the other side of the club. He has never sobered up so quickly in his life. Now with all your attention on him he has to decide what to do next. As if on queue, Chaewon dramatically gasps and turns around at break neck speed, a sigh of relief leaving her when she sees Kai has already noticed.

“Hey, Y/N will you come to the ladies room with me please?” She calls out, and takes your hand from Kai’s. You agree absentmindedly. Chaewon motions to the others with a nod of her head telling Kai to talk to them while you are gone. He accepts the mission gathering up the group to talk. They need to come up with a plan, do they tell you or keep you in the dark?

Chaewon did her best to keep you away for as long as possible but eventually you two had to rejoin the group. They had left the dancefloor to sit in a booth. You notice the energy shift immediately, something has happened. Sitting down next to Yunjin, you ask her if everything is alright. Her glassy eyes look up at you, a worried look on her face.

“Y/N… I don’t know how to tell you this but you deserve to know,” her voice trembling. Confusion replaces all your thoughts and feelings. What is she talking about?

“What we are about to show you is really upsetting, we only do it because we love you,” she pauses to take a breath and grabs your hands. You glance around at the others who have the same sad look on their faces. Kai’s eyes stare down, he doesn’t want to see your reaction in fear for what it might make him do.

“We have suspected it for a while but we haven’t had any solid evidence until tonight. I’m so sorry Y/N,” she removes one of her hands from yours to gesture across the club.

You look out across the club in the direction Yunjin had pointed, eye brows furrowed in confusion and eyes squinting to see through the darkness. Scanning and scanning you start to wonder what she is going on about then you see him. Jay. Sat in a booth surrounded by his friends with a drink in his hand. A slim girl, who looked younger than you, sitting on his lap. For a few seconds you felt no emotion, just numbness then the bewilderment set in. Why is he here? He told you he was away for the weekend with work. Did it get cancelled? Why didn’t he tell you? What if there was no work trip and he lied to you? Is this the first time he has lied to you?

Your mind was spiraling, falling deeper and deeper. Disorientation fading giving way to anger. It doesn’t matter if this is the first time or not, he has lied to you and is cheating on you. You watch as he kisses the girl hungrily. Yunjin is right, you deserve better. Making up your mind you stand up. A series of gasps sound around the booth.

“You're not about to go over there are you?” Beomgyu asks quickly, “cause I don’t think that's a good idea, right guys?” He searches for agreement.

“I’m going,” you leave no room for debate as you stomp away. The whole group stands up simultaneously. Kai pushes past the boys to get to you.

“Hey Y/N,” he grabs your hand, you keep walking, “let’s think this through first please, I don’t want anything to happen to you.” You stop dead in your tracks to look at him. He has never seen you like this before, you are so upset that you have tipped into fury. His sparkly pleading eyes almost stop you but anger overpowers the feeling.

“There’s nothing to think about, Kai, it ends now!” You leave him behind, making your way towards Jay.

Reaching his table, you see his expression drop as he exhales a long breath. He pushes the girl off him to lean forward.

“Baby, I can explain,” his voice smooth and hopeful. You feign a calm composure.

“There’s nothing to explain Jay,” you say, forcing a smile, “I can see it for myself that you are a liar and a cheater so… we’re done.” He gulps then runs his hands over his face.

“Wait wait… what?”

It all makes sense now, the constant club trips, the way he would shout at you for the smallest questions about those club trips and the way he would make it up to you after he had convinced you. You feel stupid for not seeing it sooner and embarrassed for not listening to your friends.

“You can continue on as you are, doing whatever it is you do at the club but… we’re over.”

“Over? OVER?” his voice rises, the anger transferring into him, “YOU DON’T GET TO TELL ME WHEN WE’RE OVER!” he stands, walking around the table to you. His eyes wild with rage like a predator stalking prey. Your friends panic, stuck like deer in headlights. Kai’s body moves without him telling it to.

Confidence plumating, you open your mouth to respond when your vision is blocked by a tall form. You sigh in relief recognising Kai’s back in front of you.

“Hey man, let’s take it easy okay,” Kai insists, his voice completely different to how he spoke to you only minutes ago.

“Move! This is none of your business,” Jay shoves Kai’s chest. He tries his best to maintain his balance, only wobbling slightly, so he doesn’t fall back into you. Kai decides not to respond, there is no winning in an argument with people like Jay. You shout over Kai’s shoulder, “I meant it Jay, we are done.” Grabbing Kai’s hand you slowly reverse away, guiding him with your free hand on his back so he doesn’t trip. Thankfully, Jay doesn’t follow. He just stands there seething.

When a comfortable distance has been reached you both turn and head for the club doors. The group follows closely behind. The last thing you hear before leaving is Jay shouting that he didn’t need you anyway and that he never did.

The journey back to your apartment building was silent, everyone was still processing the interaction. Chaewon kindly asked the boys for some space so they waited in Kai’s apartment. They sit just like they did the night before, unsure of what to do or what to say. The thin walls let the girls mumbled voices bleed through.

Sinking further into his couch, Kai can’t stop thinking about how thankful he is that nothing happened to you tonight. He had a feeling Jay would react like that which is why he begged you not to face him. He dreads to think what may have happened if he hadn’t stood between you. A distant violent sob causes Kai’s ears to tune back in. You're crying over that ungrateful man, his heart sinks at the sound. Taehyun has never seen Kai look so helpless, his features weren’t meant to accommodate such a glum expression. Kai is his best friend so he knew the answer to his question before he even asked it.

“You like her don’t you?” Kai’s gaze rises to meet Taehyun’s across the room. The sudden sound causes the other boys’ heads to turn and look at him. It felt inappropriate to discuss such fluttery feelings right now when your sobs could still be heard so he doesn’t respond with words. He lightly nods his head then breaks eye contact feeling overwhelmed with conflicting emotions. His friend’s eyes soften at the confession. They all now understood his chivalrous act earlier a little better. Kai lets his head drop back to rest on the couch, his mind wanders to your tabby cat Peanut, hoping he is giving you unlimited cuddles.

Violent sobbing is tearing from you now as you curl into a ball in the girls’ arms. Peanut rubs his fluffy head against your ankles.

“I’m… so… sorry… I’m so stupid… I should have… listened to you,” they shush you and hold you until you run out of tears. Turns out this may not be the best birthday you have ever had. When you can finally breathe again they listen to you intently as you tell them all the red flags you missed including this morning's lying and lack of birthday wishes. It is so obvious to you now. Wait until Mrs Kim gets her little hands on this gossip, she will be sad for you of course but also happy to see the end of Jay.

The girls decide to stay over for the night, cheering for a birthday sleepover. You order late night pizzas and watch a heart warming Disney movie. The girls giggle and sing along like usual while you sit quietly, they don’t ask you to join in this time. You wouldn’t be able to sing along anyway. You were thinking about Kai. How he looked at you so sweetly and spoke to you so desperately then bravely jumped in to help you. Kai was there for your birthday meal, he was there when you needed a gift for Peanut, he was there when you needed friends to spend time with and he was there on your birthday... He is also next door right now.

It’s like your brain deleted a file. Since you woke up on that Sunday morning you forgot that Jay existed. During your relationship you saw him so infrequently that removing him all together had little effect on your routine. Even though your life is better without Jay and you don’t miss him the hurt from being cheated on lingers. Your friends and the five boys have been so kind the past few days to give you space, upon your request, to let you focus on yourself and your job. They are only a call away when you need them.

A new file has replaced it. Kai consumes your thoughts, you're reminded of him by the smallest things plus you occasionally hear him through the walls… like tonight.

Slumping into your couch, Peanut butts his head into your arm. You lazily pet him relaxing at the feel of his warm soft fur. Today was an exhausting day at work after your eventful weekend, you could fall asleep right now in your work clothes. As your eyes close you hear a distant melody playing. You open them to check the TV but realise you never turned it on. You listen closer, recognising it as a guitar. One of your neighbours must be playing music. Closing your eyes once more, you settle back down. Like lightning, a thought strikes. You jump up and cross the apartment into your bedroom squishing your ear against the wall. It’s clearer now, a gentle melody plays then the singing starts. It’s Kai. You strain to hear him, not being able to make out the words. He sounds angelic. This is way more relaxing than your couch. You slide down to sit on the floor, ear still pressed to the wall with your eyes closed. He plays through a full song, you assume, then stops. Your legs move on their own being dragged by a magnetic force and before your brain can catch up you are standing in front of his apartment knocking on the door.

He answers in his comfy black hoodie with a pair of circle glasses sitting on his nose. A small smile forms on your lips at the sight. So that’s what he looks like in glasses.

“Oh hey Y/N, come on in,” he scoots to the side to let you pass. His apartment is darker than the last time you were here. A blue glow shines out from his desk in the corner that touches the opposite side of the wall you had just been leaning on. A beautiful shiny black acoustic guitar sits waiting propped up against the desk leg.

“What brings you over tonight?” he asks, walking into the kitchen and pulling out two glasses.

“Actually… I heard you playing,” you study him noticing the way he stills for only a moment then continues searching through his fridge.

“You did? Are you here to give me a review?” he says playfully, finally selecting a bottle of Pepsi and pouring it out into the two glasses.

“You are gorgeous… at playing I mean and singing, I couldn’t quite hear the words but it was comforting,” your face flushes at your slip up. You fiddle with your fingers so you don’t have to look at him. An amused smirk appears on his face at your words and tinted cheeks.

“Thank you, I’m glad you found it comforting. I can play for you whenever you like,” he hands you the glass then takes a sip of his own.

“I might just have to come round every day then,” you giggle, a strange confidence filling you now. He lets out a breathy laugh.

“I would like that actually,” he says more seriously this time. Meeting his gaze you see the sincerity in his eyes. You knew the first time you saw him that you were in trouble. Looking at him now, you feel warmth spreading throughout your chest confirming your suspicions.

“I could play one now for you if you’d like, any requests?” he offers, sending you a radiant smile before strolling over to his guitar. Scrunching your nose, you think you’re really in trouble now. Kai is just too gorgeous.

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