then came you | l.jh
genre: opposites attract au, highschool au, strangers to friends to lovers; fluff, comedy, angst!!
pairings: introverted!woozi x extroverted!reader (y/n uses they/them pronouns, but small scene where it mentions that y/n wears a skirt)
word count: 7.9k... jfc
warnings: swearing, a fight scene (not violent, more like a lot of swearing), and the fight scene has a lot of repetitive swear words because i don’t swear that much help :”)
description: in which you, the student council vice president, and lee jihoon, the quiet boy in the back of the class, fell in love despite your differences.
a/n - this was a lot of fun to write but near the end of editing it i was literally pushing SHOVING this out of my drafts to publish im so sick of it now. i rushed the editing so ... forgive me pls. ***fight scene is also inspired by the ep 3 of the kdrama “our beloved summer.”
one. meet cute
well, if it wasn’t for the consequences of your actions smacking you right on the face. yes, you should’ve studied more for that physics test. and studied harder. but also yes, student council duties needed attention. that group project for math was very time-consuming as well in your defense!
all those excuses and yet you still broke down.
sitting and hiding under a table in your school’s music room was becoming familiar. sometimes you wish you weren’t so outspoken or eager because now you’ve bitten off more than you can chew and are suffering the exhaustion from it.
but anyways, thank god for sound-proof music rooms! (your sniffles were beginning to inch their way towards sobs…)
“you okay?”
you jump at the sudden voice, head bumping against the desk with a heavy thud.
you blink up at the voice’s owner, furrowing your brows in annoyance.
the pale boy stammers in shock, struggling to put together his words. he heard you crying while entering the room, but seeing your puffy and bloodshot eyes made him wonder if he should’ve just made a 360 and left the room the first time he heard sniffles.
“s-sorry! i didn’t mean to scare you!” he stutters, rushing to you as you make your way out from under the desk. he quickly puts a hand under the desk, making sure you don’t bonk your head a second time.
you get up, quickly wiping your tears away from your face with the sleeves of your school uniform, the boy could get a good look at your face.
l/n y/n. student council’s vice president and class representative. he knew you very well. everyone did really. you were always all over the place talking to people, socializing, getting things done, and leading the way. you definitely didn’t know him though (he was right).
“it’s fine. don’t worry about it,” you assured, smiling slightly in an attempt to ease his obvious nerves.
you sigh before adding, “just don’t… tell anyone, yeah?” you read his name tag pinned on the chest of his uniform. lee jihoon.
“of course, don’t worry about that.”
“okay well, i have to get going now! see you around!” you send a friendly wave, walking for the door as jihoon interrupts you.
“wait! here, ta-take this,” he hands you a wrinkled napkin he had just pulled from his pockets.
when you stare at his outstretched hand, jihoon explains, “for your tears… although you’re not crying anymore, huh.”
you hold in your smile seeing the napkin most definitely from lunch that was just placed in your hand. so cute.
jihoon watches as you make your way out of the music room, thanking him, making him promise one last time to not tell anyone about today, and saying a goodbye.
so when you close the door behind you, he sighs with a gentle smile on his face. so cute.
two. i hate everyone but you
“lee jihoon!”
before becoming friends with lee jihoon, people should know that jihoon hates five things: people who touch him, annoying people, talkative people, being told what to do, and opening up.
and you haven’t seemed to pick up on these things yet after being friends for about… two months? but for you, it was bearable.
so whenever you march up to his desk, he doesn't complain.
“your group mates just told me how you haven’t attended any of the work meets they planned!” you sighed, pressing your lips together. “and take those damn earbuds out!”
“okay, okay. sorry,” jihoon leans back in his chair with tired eyes before explaining, “i’ve been doing my share of the work anyway, so why does it matter? i can’t be needed that much.”
you pout before sitting at the empty desk in front of him. you also notice how his eyes seem so focused on his hands all of a sudden.
you poke his forehead with your forefinger, making him look up to look at you with wide eyes.
“it’s just me, be honest,” you say in the gentlest tone jihoon’s ever heard from you.
he takes a moment to think before nodding. you smile and lean in, ready to hear his side of the story.
“they’re not the greatest people. i overhear them sometimes and they’re always gossiping. i don’t think i’d be able to stand being in a room with all of them talking for like two hours,” jihoon finally explains, but he’s taken aback as he sees your attentive and genuine expression.
he clears his throat and adds, “in conclusion, they give me a headache, and being with them for hours would drain my social battery for the day, no, week.”
jihoon forgets to mention that being around his group would be unbearable also because you were a common topic amongst their gossip. he remembers the day when one of his partners said you were such a teacher’s pet only for the sake of impressing the student council’s president, choi seungcheol.
he quite literally had to take a step outside before he said something he would regret because l/n y/n doing something for male validation? he would laugh in their faces if he had the courage.
“i see… it’s alright, i’ll see what i can do. don’t worry, jihoon! just focus on your part of the work and let me do the talking!” you grin, standing up abruptly.
jihoon just smiles up at you and nods, not surprised at how you were going to speak in his defense once again (this was becoming the new norm as you two became friends).
before turning to leave, you reach a hand out to ruffle his dark black hair, messing it all up. you quickly dash off, not letting jihoon scold you.
he hides his smile and growing blush as he reaches up to fix his hair.
jihoon still hates five things: people who touch him, annoying people, talkative people, being told what to do, and opening up. but if they come in the form of you, he doesn't seem to mind so much. especially if every time he reluctantly opens up, you always seem to understand him.
three. what was this feeling?
“i swear to god if i don’t beat her, she’ll never let me hear the end of it!”
jihoon was about to lose it. you were pacing back in forth in front of him. every time you had finally stopped moving or talking, he would place the sunscreen in your hand so you could apply some on your face yourself before your race. but every single time he did, you just gave him a look and shoved it right back into his hands, continuing your rant.
“she keeps going on and on about how the class representative should be good at everything including athletics and so sports day should be a breeze for me! why do class representatives have to go last in the relay? it’s so weird! i could be helping student council pass out waters right now or something like…”
your words fade away as his attention diverted to the couple a few feet down the bench from you two. the girl squeezed some sunscreen onto the back of her hand before applying it to her boyfriend’s face.
and to be honest, he couldn’t even remember who you were talking about anymore! yuna was it? or maybe yuri? yura??
so fuck it.
“i think she’s just jealous she’s in a lower class than me! because what other reason could—"
jihoon grabs your hand, pulling you down next to him. as your mouth hangs open in surprise and confusion, he twists the cap off, throwing it to the side and squeezing some onto the back of his hand. he takes a deep intake of breath.
jihoon slaps (not that hard actually) his sunscreen-covered fingers on your forehead making you freeze. unable to form words, sounds even, you just stare at his focused eyes, the slight furrow of his brows as he spreads the sunscreen on your face.
you curse the heat, maybe also your flustered emotions, as your cheeks warm up when you take in the close proximity between you two and also because his cold, pretty hands were on your face!! he was so gentle and cautious with you that you had a feeling he was as panicked as you were right now.
as you were freaking out and praying he couldn't hear the pounding of your heart, jihoon was busy wondering if this was too much. was this weird? was he making you uncomfortable??
jihoon, now much more uncomfortable with the sudden silence, began to change the subject. “you know someone so thoughtful of their skincare shouldn’t forget to put on sunscreen.”
when you responded with a flustered silence, he snorts as you refused to maintain eye contact with him.
he takes your silence as pre-anxiousness for your event, instead of it being because of his bold actions. “you’ll be fine in your race. so beat yuri, get this day over with, and let’s do something after school together, yeah?”
so he did listen to your rants.
it made you think. when was the last time someone paid attention to your rambling? when was the last time someone cared enough to want you to put sunscreen on? when was the last time someone comforted you even when you didn’t show you were troubled?
"anyways!" jihoon yells as he jumps up from the bench, "you still have some sunscreen on your face, but I've done enough so..." (way to ruin the moment, jihoon...)
you felt your heartbeat quicken when jihoon pulled you up from the bench by hand and gave your head a couple pats to calm the anxiety.
“so remember why you wanna win and use that to motivate you. you got this, y/n!” he holds a fist up, truly wishing you the best even though you very well knew he had no care in the world for today’s sports day.
what was this feeling?
four. it's love
the moment you start running, jihoon felt his hands get clammy and heart start pumping though he wasn’t even running. okay, so maybe he was completely listening to your rants even if he didn’t want to. maybe he did want you to beat yuri because he loved seeing you so passionate about something and always rooted for your success.
so as you passed yuri in your relay right before the finish line, maybe he did jump from his seat and start cheering. for once, he ignored all the stares from people around him who were shocked to hear his voice louder than class-speaking volume. he was just so so excited to see you sprint past the finish line with the biggest smile on your face as your classmates rushed over to congratulate their class representative.
he watches as you scan the bleachers, eyes lighting up as you find his eyes and mouthed the words, ‘i won!’
jihoon nods with a smile, sending you two thumbs up as you laugh before turning away to talk to your friends.
despite you being surrounded by so many people and him on the bleachers by himself on sports day, he still can’t help but finally realizes he likes you. he always has despite all the differences. lee jihoon likes you. and his smile never fades away upon processing this fact.
five. the argument
it’s been 11 days, 10 hours, and 34 minutes since jihoon had spoken a word to you. at first, you decided to keep track of the days so you could use it as a point to argue with jihoon. but that was ultimately thrown out of the window when jihoon remained giving you the silent treatment and no argument, not a single word from him was in sight (you did not expect this). he probably just needs some time alone... right?
on the other hand, jihoon could always feel your burning, infuriated stares burning a hole in the back of his head. it came to the point where walking by you in the hallways felt like he was on fire.
lee jihoon was conflicted. he enjoyed being your friend (even if it felt like it should be more sometimes), but at what cost? his mind just kept going back to your friends' conversation that day.
just as jihoon was about to unlock the restroom stall, his hand freezes at the mention of your name from someone's mouth. his name as well.
"you think y/n is actually friends with that loser?"
"who?"
"the nerd who always listens to music in the back of the class!"
"ah, lee jihoon? i mean... i doubt it. they're probably hanging with him to make him feel like he belongs, you know? he has no friends so that's probably why."
"holy shit, that's so depressing."
"right?"
and when jihoon is conflicted, he did what he does best: stay silent. because yes, being your friend made his year. should he keep being your friend even if he knew you were doing it out of pity? would he go that far for his crush?
as jihoon makes his way to the music room after just finishing his lunch, he decides to just stay silent forever! confrontation is difficult... so none of that!!!
he reaches his hand out to turn the knob of the music room, but lets out a pained groan as the door flies into his face unbeknownst to you who just got too excited at his presence because now you could finally talk to him alone!
"jihoon! i knew you'd come here! let's talk," and suddenly all your angry, violent thoughts that said to be angry at lee jihoon for ignoring you for so long flew out of your head. all rational thoughts: gone. you grabbed his hand that wasn't rubbing his now red forehead and pulled him into the room.
jihoon sighs. so much for no confrontation.
when jihoon closes the door behind you both, you take a deep inhale of breath and exhale to calm your nerves. you've been thinking about this moment for ages, don't mess it up now!
you turn swiftly to face jihoon with a bitter expression on his face, making you gulp as the nerves begin crawling back.
"li-listen, whatever i did i'm sorry. i truly didn't mean to hurt you, so please, tell me what i did wrong so we can talk it out and i can apologize properly!"
for the first time since being pulled into that room by you, he looks at you to meet your eyes. how could they be so... genuine?
he looked at you in a way that made you want to sink to the floor. "well? are you gonna say anything?" you frown as he stares at you wordlessly.
"why are you friends with me?"
you blink at him in shock. "w-what?"
jihoon sighs and repeats, "why are you friends with me?"
you struggle to form the right words to say. "well... we kept running into each other and i liked talking to you so i just stuck around.” that could be worded much better, you think.
he didn’t believe you.
“you’re only friends with me because you’re vice president and it’s your job to help your peers, right?”
your jaw went slack.
“where did you get that from??”
this look was different. not mad, but hopeless. “not important. just answer me, is it true?”
“of course not! who told you that? why would you even believe that?” okay, now you were starting to get worked up because that’s such a horrid thing to assume of you! did he have that little faith in you?
his fists tighten because suddenly pin-pointing all the flaws in his friendship with you became easy.
“hey, but to add on to that, why do you baby me?”
your eyebrows knit together because you just got even more lost if possible. “baby you? since when? how? where did any of this come from, jihoon?”
“can you quit being so focused on where this is coming from? it’s coming from me, okay? it makes sense anyways, i am nothing like any of your friends. why me? why be friends with me—“
“why can’t i just be friends with you because i want to?? do all my friends need to be the same?”
he lets out a menacing scoff. “okay, so am i some charity case then? a friendship made out of pity because i can’t seem to ever speak up for myself and you always have to swoop in to save me? i can defend myself, y/n. why do you act like i’m a defenseless loser that needs to be protected and babied?”
“i have never thought about you that way! first of all, whoever told you i was friends with you because it was my job has no idea what you and i are. you’ve never given other people the time of day to listen to their stupid opinions, so why now, huh?”
because it was about you.
“second of all, you always complain about people not understanding you or mistreating you! you always let people walk all over you! i am sick of having to watch you pretend like you’re cool and unbothered at what people say about you, so forgive me if i’m standing up for you because i care. it’s not my job, i’m doing it because i’m your friend. and if you were uncomfortable about it, just tell me! set boundaries! not give me the silent treatment.”
“well i don’t want to be your friend anymore.” his words were eerily cold. he gave up. he clearly didn’t want to try for this or you anymore.
your gentle pants from your yelling fill the silent and tense atmosphere of the music room where you two first met. silent because his words were still processing in both of your heads and tense because this was probably the end of your friendship. you both couldn't meet each other's eyes.
as jihoon was gauging your troubled expression, a pool of heavy guilt filled his stomach. that sentence was not how he imagined it would go. he always thought it would be said bravely. lovingly. like in a confession. not like friends breaking up!
so you decide to give up too because what’s the point in trying when he doesn’t trust you.
“okay then. i respect that. i have nothing else to say. do you?”
he grimaces at the way your voice shakes. the way your nose scrunches unpleasantly. and his heart regrets the way your eyes shine over with tears. jihoon would never believe that he would one day be the cause of your pain and tears.
“no.” goddammit, that’s not what he wanted to say. why was he such a coward?
“okay.” your voice was just a whisper as you breeze past him, not wanting him to see you cry a second time.
when the door of the room shuts behind him, he cries. for the first time in a long time.
he can’t even remember what he was mad about. he could only remember your broken expression and your broken tone. he messed up something beautiful all because it was hard believing that someone as amazing as you would want to be his friend. and possibly like him.
six. right person, right time
22 days, 12 hours, and 16 minutes. why are you even keeping track anymore at this point? you two are not friends. period.
you weren’t even friends with him for that long! you had your other friends too anyways so why did cutting things off with him hurt so much? (i wonder why).
after not talking to jihoon, you start to realize how being his friend was such a breath of fresh air. a break from life. a good and genuine change. it was great. this was probably because how jihoon had no care for social cliques or no expectations or just no interest in things outside of grades and music!
and so for the first time in a long time, someone wanted to talk to you about something that had nothing to do with student council, clubs, school, volunteering, or community service. meeting jihoon was a quick and sharp realization that all your friends, all the people you surround yourself with, are people from the student council or simply smart-popular people! over-achievers! nerds!
maybe jihoon was right when he said you were the definition of a nerd who also happened to be popular… (which you refused to believe because how could a nerd be popular, jihoon?)
nevertheless! jihoon’s interest in music, critiquing animes, playing instruments for fun (not just in school like what), and best of all his carefree attitude, truly make all these nerds around you so bland and basic.
like finally, someone who busies themself with something, not about school or accomplishing something worthy enough to put on a college application.
and about his carefree attitude, it’s crazy how you never noticed until jihoon mentioned how uptight some of your friends were after hearing a close friend of yours, who was also secretary of the council, talk to you about something school related. all you and your friends talked about was school.
so yes, being friends with lee jihoon was beyond eye-opening and more life-changing, but it also made you view your friends differently. were they even your friends? if you weren't a part of all your extracurriculars, no, if you just weren't smart or outgoing, would they care about you at all?
this epiphany has let you see your friends for the people they are. you indeed saw this for yourself when some dumb boys began picking on him.
"seriously, i get if you don't like us. i respect that even. but failing us just because you think we're inferior to you makes you look like a fucking loser," park junghyung laughed cynically as he pulled a chair next to jihoon's desk, getting all up in his face.
if you don't see it, it doesn’t exist. jihoon has been repeating this sentence for the past five minutes because junghyung and his friends couldn't stand not being carried through group assignments for the first time in their lives.
"i didn't fail you, that's up to ms. lee."
with that, junghyung's tight-lipped smile dropped and his "patience" ran dry. he shot up from his seat and kicked it to the floor, the loud clanging sound making people gasp and begin to watch the situation unfold.
yeah, maybe removing his entire group's names from the presentation before submitting was too bold of a move. well, they should’ve done shit to help if they didn’t want a failing grade, right? after all, you always told him 'be bold and be strong! don't let stupid idiots walk over you! run over them instead!' wait, why as he even thinking about you in this situation?? damn it!
so, cue you walking toward jihoon's classroom, ready to confront some bullies and you’re only doing this because it’s the right thing to do, not that you still like him or anything (lie)! you don’t dare to hope you two might reconcile and maybe even become friends again after this because that’s so dumb (lie). and hopefully, jihoon won’t think you're babying him, you just want to clear his name! (truth).
however, seeing your crush (100% truth) lee jihoon being cornered by park junghyung who was grabbing his collar while everyone was staring and recording was not what you expected! are you seriously about to walk into a fight for your crush… (yes).
"you must think you're all that to pull such a move, huh. in reality, you're just a pathetic shit who can’t even pull bitches because they all pity you.” was he talking about you?
now that he thinks about it, the voice in the restroom that day was him. it was park junghyung.
honest to god, jihoon 100% firmly believes the best choice in this situation would be to run because he cannot fight. he guesses he can try, but unfortunately, junghyung is a fit dude. a big dude. if only he didn’t talk about you and insinuate you were a bitch.
jihoon grabs junghyung’s collar and throws him off. he’s at his limit right now.
“if you didn’t want to fail, maybe stop partying and getting drunk of your ass to get away from your fucked up home life? maybe actually use that empty shit brain of yours and do something with it? maybe then you wouldn’t have to ask your rich dad or student council friends to pull favors so you don’t get pushed down a class or kicked out of school even.” jihoon is suddenly very memorable of all the school gossip you’ve told him before.
junghyung laughs in disbelief. “you’re asking for it, you little fucker.”
well. this was it. this is when jihoon gets sucker punched.
“y-you dickhead!”
woah, was that… you??
everyone, including jihoon and an impatient junghyung turns to see you pushing through crowds, and marching your way in between junghyung and jihoon.
junghyung rolls his eyes when you grab jihoon’s hand reassuringly and glare up at him.
“come on, y/n. quit the charity act. it’s getting annoying now. move aside, yeah?”
a slap resonates through the filled classroom. gasps fill the room as even more phones go up to record the student council vice president slapping it boy park junghyung across the face.
jihoon’s eyes go wide. wide! he instinctively pulls you behind him, shielding you from a fuming, red junghyung.
he side-eyes you who was also very shell-shocked at your own actions.
“y/n, what the hell are you doing?” he whispers as junghyung’s group goes up to him to ask if he was okay.
“to be honest, i don’t know. just know i am not babying you. i’m doing this and have always been doing this because i care about you, now move. i’m not done.”
jihoon’s eyes soften as he caresses his thumb over the back of your hand. he doesn’t deserve you.
junghyung lets out a laugh of disbelief. “you know what, you two deserve each other. you’re both fucking insane.”
“well, you and your friends are all fucking stupid.”
yes, you knew his friends (also your friends) were in the room watching. yes, you knew you would be losing a lot of friends today if you continued talking. yes, it’s worth it if it’s for lee jihoon especially if they all think of him the same way junghyung does.
junghyung clenches his jaw before taunting, “oh really! i wonder what our friends will think about that,” he turns around to the crowd of people with arms wide, “what do you guys think about the genius and model student y/n swearing and assaulting other students? their own friend at that too!”
you scoff and roll your eyes at this boy’s sheer audacity. he was never your friend.
junghyung gets more pissed off at your reaction and says, “since when were you such an annoying bitch?”
you cross your arms across your chest impatiently. did he think he was that intimidating? “i’ll start being a bitch because it’s sickening watching you push everyone around. what? do you think i’m like everyone else?”
jihoon panics when he feels you try to push past his arm as junghyung does the same also while his friends attempt to hold him back.
jihoon laughs awkwardly, trying to calm the situation. still making sure to keep an arm between you an junghyung, he apologizes, “they’re just a bit mad at the unnecessary crowding and recording haha, please understand.”
you whip your head to glare at jihoon, “quit apologizing when you’re not in the wrong. now move.”
you move closer to junghyung staring at you with cursing eyes.
“woah junghyung, you gonna slap me back? punch me? like you do with your classmates and call it messing around?”
“man, this bitch is fucking insane!”
“i’ll show you how insane i can be if you keep taking advantage of jihoon or anyone else just because they’re nice people.” you feel jihoon turn around to face you completely, but refuse to look at him because you knew you would melt instantly. you missed him.
you hold his hand tighter before concluding, “now you’re always gonna be known as an idiot who bullies smart kids because he can’t do shit in school. i really won’t let it slide if you mess with jihoon again,” you turn to scan everyone who was in the room recording, “send that video to the principal if you want i don’t care!“
you pull jihoon away from junghyung who punches the nearest desk before letting out a frustrated yell.
“move. move!” you shove your way through the crowd as your friends, well, maybe not friends anymore after they had just seen you slap and swear at someone… but it didn’t matter you’d see them tomorrow for student council stuff anyways if you still had your position after this.
you and jihoon walk away from everyone who began to disperse, gossiping because how could model student y/n act so aggressively?
but that was the last thing on your mind because you felt like there was a lot to discuss with jihoon.
jihoon who just trails behind you, hands still entwined with yours, was zoning out thinking about what just occurred. you stop abruptly, making him walk into your back.
“s-sorry-“
you pull him into an empty classroom and shut the door behind you, letting go of his hand.
you sigh and put your hands on your knees, trying to catch your breath for a moment. you had so much adrenaline running and you could even hear your heartbeat in your ears.
you still manage to slap jihoon’s hand away when he attempts to turn on the lights, “no lights right now.”
he nods, staring at your tired figure awkwardly.
jihoon scratches the back of his head, not knowing what to say. does he thank you? scold you for nearly getting beat up for him? risking your spot and position in the student council?
his thoughts clear as you begin rambling. he sighs internally hearing your panicked tone. “i know, i know! we’re not friends anymore and you didn’t want me to speak for you or to you anymore, i know. i’m sorry. i just… i care about you so so much, even if we're not friends. i never approached you after you caught me crying because i pitied you and felt it was my duty to be there for you. th-that was never the case. so please don’t be mad at me, we can go our separate ways after today. just know—“
jihoon grabs your arm, pulling you towards him so he could wrap his arms around you. he cups the back of your head and in a hushed tone says, “it’s okay. i’m sorry. i was wrong. it was my fault. i still wanna be with you. i was just lost for a moment, i’m sorry i hurt you. you didn't deserve to be treated like that by me. i hope you can forgive me even if i don’t deserve it.”
tears brim your eyes as you nod, sniffling. you hope he understands what you were trying to say wordlessly when you wrap your arms around his waist tightly, not wanting to be apart from him again.
jihoon never knew what to say to people, especially when it came to comforting someone. but then came you. and the words flowed so easily.
seven. because i like you
your phone buzzes in your pocket, you glance down cautiously, avoiding getting caught by your teacher. back then you would have never check your phone for anyone else, but you had started to for jihoon. you blame him for being a bad influence on you, but he said you were being a bad influence on yourself.
hoon: i’m in the music room rn. can we talk?
you: yes, please. i’ll be there in ten after my council meeting
you sigh. this felt like deja vu. hopefully, it wouldn’t end up too much like last time you both were in here though.
you turn the knob and pull the door open, making eye contact with a lee jihoon who was sitting on the ground, leaning against the wall.
he couldn’t even say a word as you let go of the door, closing it in your face. you were not as mentally prepared as you thought you were.
moments later, the door swings back open and you speed walk over to him, plopping down on the floor in front of him.
“sorry. i just needed a moment,” you mutter, looking down at your shoes.
he chuckles at your cute antics, “that’s okay.”
jihoon then pulls out a wrapped triangle gimbap in one hand and a yakult in the other, hands both outstretched to you.
you blink owlishly at the two snacks in his pretty hands as he sighs with a slight smile, “it’s for you. i know you didn’t get to buy lunch because your student council meeting just ended.”
when you still didn’t move after his explanation, jihoon just places it down in front of your legs.
“a-ah! thank you, jihoon! you didn’t have to…” you clear your throat, realizing how affected you sounded by his actions.
“i wanted to,” jihoon replies nonchalantly, taking off his jacket at the same time.
you peel back the wrapper of the gimbap with a throbbing heart and smile, also trying to change the subject before you combust, “is it hot in here?”
without a response, jihoon drapes his jacket over your legs, which were also sitting uncomfortably because of your skirt.
you look up at jihoon looking off to the side with timid eyes, “sorry, i shouldn’t have sat on the ground. you can use my jacket for now.”
you punch his shoulder with a giggle, thanking him as he groans.
“since when were you such a gentleman, gosh jihoon.”
he rolls his eyes in a joking manner, “since always, you just never notice.”
“sure sure. anyways, what…. did you want to talk about?”
the light and comfortable atmosphere and banter between the two of you just now had made you completely forget this was the first time you talked to jihoon after the junghyung incident. though it was only two days ago, you were busy talking to the principal and dealing with the whole situation, which left you no time until now to talk to him. which still wasn’t even enough time!
“oh yeah,” jihoon looks up from his lap to make eye contact with you, suddenly in a serious mood, “i just wanted to see how you were. did you get in trouble?”
“mm, yes and no? like principal han was pretty mad, but all those years of sucking up to her did me good because she said she still thinks i’m a good student, i just handled the situation wrong,” you say while trying to peel off the lid of the yakult.
jihoon notices, taking the drink from your hands and poking a straw through it for you…….
was he hiding the straw from you just so he could do that….cheeky idiot. anyways!
“continue?” jihoon inquires softly, handing the drink back to you.
“t-thanks. uhh, i have to make a formal apology to several classes tomorrow morning! i think just the classes in our hallway because those were the ones that gathered to watch us the most, which was so rude by the way?? why would they just stare and record? couldn’t someone get a teacher? ugh, but i also have to do a buuunch of community service this weekend with everyone who hates me now after the whole thing.”
jihoon frowns. he forgot that you defending him that day ended up making your friends distance themselves from you. he can’t help but feel at blame. at fault. did you even have friends anymore?
your eyebrows furrow when jihoon’s expression began to get cloudy and disturbed all of a sudden.
“jihoon? what’s up?”
“i’m sorry,” he replies almost instantly, making you blink in shock.
“i’m sorry that helping me that day made you get on bad terms with everyone. god, they’re your friends and fellow members… you’ll have to see them everyday a-and i made them all turn on you. i’m sorry, i shouldn’t have said anything to junghyung that day. i shouldn’t have let you talk to him. i shouldn’t have—“
you lean forward on your hands, landing a peck on jihoon’s cheek, successfully shutting him up from his intrusive thoughts.
“geez, jihoon… i thought you said you have trouble expressing your feelings! why are you only expressing the negative ones to me??”
jihoon’s cheeks grow and feel fiery as his hand goes up to his cheek, fingers ghosting over where your lips were just a moment ago. the feeling was still there.
not noticing his blushing state, you continue ranting, “even if i knew the outcome of that fight, i still would do it all again in a heartbeat. a heartbeat! i did it because i like you, okay? i wanted to. it’s not your fault, so why would you apologize?”
jihoon’s eyes shoot up to meet yours. “you like me?”
now it was your turn to become shy. did you really say that…?
your heartbeat pounds against your rib age, not knowing what to say. “do you?”
“yes. and i have for a while.”
you nod, managing to calm your heart. you suddenly find your gimbap very interesting now. “good. we’re on the same terms then.” but then you thought about how jihoon remembered you had meetings on wednesdays and never got the chance to eat lunch.
your heartbeat goes wild again. (gosh, him and his acts of service!!!)
jihoon shakes his head with a quiet laugh at your response, “i guess we are.”
sensing how you seemed very overwhelmed with the unexpected confession, which was not how he imagined you would react if he ever confessed (not that he imagined it or anything…..), he decided maybe making another move or establishing anymore between you two would be for another day. for now, he likes you and you like him. that’s enough for the both of you to be on cloud nine.
eight. closest to the heart
today was the day. lee jihoon will be giving you his nametag today because even though you kissed him that day, nothing has been established since you two refuse to talk about it! although you both can tell the other has some sort of interest or feelings for the other, that was all. nothing more, which was enough for a few days. then jihoon got sick of it and wanted to officially be yours.
hoon: music room after school?
you: yes but buy a cola for me this time too please
hoon: of course :)
you: last time you forgot
hoon: no i ran out of money and offered you mine anyways
you: you’re a bad liar
hoon: i’m sorry
you walk into the music room with a bright smile. any bad memories of this room were quickly replaced with fun, heart-aching memories of him. memories of spending all of lunch eating in here, gossiping away at your now ex-friends. memories of watching him in amazement as he composes a beautiful melody with the several instruments in this room just with the talent of his mind. memories of your feelings only growing more and stronger for him.
waiting for jihoon to arrive, you walk around the room, smiling at all the instruments jihoon has played for you. he was so different from you in such a good way. you who only took up extracurriculars for the sake of having something to put on a college application versus jihoon who did non-academic activities just because he genuinely found peace and joy in them. he was so amazing in your eyes. you wish he could see himself the way you saw him.
while scanning around the room, your eyes land on a piece of paper with writing on a table. you raise an eyebrow. barely anyone else comes here and jihoon always comes here with you? or so you thought?
you walk towards the paper, picking it up to read it. instantly, you recognized it to be jihoon’s writing. you have never met a boy with such nice handwriting before until him.
he had made a short bullet point list.
don’t stutter. look them in the eyes. don’t ramble and be straight to the point. be honest. finally, give them the—
a high-pitched yell interrupts your reading. “Y/N!!”
you yelp as jihoon comes speeding at you, swiping the paper off your hands and into his pocket.
he pants, a hand gripping the table as you look at him bewildered.
“jihoon, what the heck?”
“s-sorry, just boy stuff, you know?”
you stare at him with a blank expression, not believing his lie for a moment. “no, i don’t know.”
jihoon laughs awkwardly with gritted teeth, desperate to move on to another topic.
“oh! i have something to tell you! that’s why i asked you to come here today.”
you nod, gesturing for him to continue.
he clears his throat, fixes his posture, and takes a breath.
“y/n. i already told you this, but i want to tell you again. i like you. i’ve liked you since the early days of our friendship when you kept following me around and i tried to make you leave me alone by constantly saying that you talk too much. that was a lie. well, you do ramble, but i didn’t mind because i do too. i just didn’t know how to deal with such a pretty person wanting to talk to me every day.”
he smiles unconsciously because even the thought of you made him smile. just the thought of you alone.
“i began to like you more when you would come to the music room with me during lunch even when you said your friends wouldn’t stop complaining about it. i liked you more when you texted me good morning and goodnight, when you asked me if i ate, when you wanted to listen to my music, and when you were just you. i don’t think i’ve ever shown my music to someone before, but you’re a special person to me. you will always be a special person to me. and… i hope to be a special person to you as well…”
with a shaky hand, he reaches into his pocket and pulls out his nametag. jihoon grabs your hand and places it in your palm, closing your hand around it.
your confused expression sends jihoon into a whirlwind of panic.
“i like you too, jihoon. you’ve always been a special person to me, though.” jihoon falters when you undo the pin of his name tag and attempt to pin it back on his uniform.
“are you rejecting me?”
the absolute seriousness but also slight wavering of his voice makes you nearly drop the name tag.
“what?” you shriek, “of course not! i thought we were making this official!”
jihoon thinks, trying to connect the dots together... nothing’s connecting.
“we are. and i wanna be your boyfriend…but why are you giving me back my name tag?”
you glance down at the his name tag in your hands puzzled.
“i thought you wanted me to pin it back for you. as in like ‘i like you so much here’s the honor of letting you pin my name tag on me,’” when you take in the horrified look on your now boyfriend’s face, you laugh awkwardly, “isn’t that what you wanted me to do?”
“no! oh my gosh, i would never confess to you in such a douchey way. ever. i just…” his words trail off when he realizes maybe you didn’t know what giving a name tag to someone meant. that never occurred as a possible situation in his head. and trust when i say he thought he mapped all the possible situations that would result from him confessing.
“wait, don’t you know what giving you my name tag means?”
you blink twice.
jihoon lets out a sigh of relief and then laughs at your adorable, lost state.
he collects himself, but one look at you makes him melt and throw his arms around you in a hug.
your breath halts when jihoon practically puts all his weight on you, snuggling his head into your neck.
his soft voice makes your body shiver.
“there’s basically this … tradition where a boy gives his name tag to his crush as a way to confess his love because name tags sit close to the heart.”
the wheels in your head begin turning again.
“so … in way, i’m giving you my heart.”
when you respond with a sniffle, jihoon pulls back from the hug immediately.
“are you crying??” he looks at you with wide eyes, cradling your head.
you pout, “no, but i might. that’s so cute, jihoon. i love it so much.”
your hand grasps his name tag tighter. he just gave you his heart.
you pull his hand, closing the distance between you two once again.
you lean your head on his shoulder, whispering out five words so quiet so only he could hear, “i love you so much.”
“i love you too,” he responds almost immediately.
you hold in a giggle when you feel his pounding heart as he holds back a quip when he also hears your heart beating erratically in the silence and comfort of the music room.
nine. a love that lasts
“highschool love never lasts.” okay tell that to you and jihoon then.
“are you… crying??”
when those words slip from jihoon’s mouth, a sob escapes your throat.
you hid your face with your sleeve, tears falling nonstop and crying, “you wrote a song for me!”
jihoon gawks at you because he was baffled. were these good tears? bad tears? shocked tears? angry tears??? he should be good at reading your emotions by now! he’s been dating you for seven years now. eight years as of today because it was your relationship’s anniversary! and he's written you several songs before??
he stumbles out of his chair to you as you continue to cry (sob).
“y/n, what-what’s wrong? whatever i did, i’m sorry. it's my fault,” he sits beside you on the couch of this recording studio, rubbing your back comfortingly.
“no, you did nothing wrong at all,” you sniffle, “i just love the song so much. i love you so much.”
jihoon bites his lip, holding back a chuckle. he turns your face toward him with both of his hands, cupping your face so he could wipe your falling tears away with his thumbs.
his hands pause as he squeezes your cheeks. “i love you too. i’m glad you like the song so much. happy 8th anniversary, y/n. thank you for loving me all these years even though i was so difficult and still am.”
you close your eyes, more cries erupting as jihoon dares to laugh at you and pulls you in for a warm, but crushing hug.
you sometimes wonder how you would’ve survived high school without jihoon. then and now, he has been someone who helped you breathe when things began to get overwhelming. he was your anchor. for jihoon, he was speeding through life, wanting to grow up as soon as possible. that was until he fell in love with you. you made him feel want to cherish his days and live happily. his life had meaning again. his days had the motivation to do more. you brought out the best in him.
he now begins to wonder how you’ll react when he pulls out the rings and asks the biggest question of his and your lives. however, he has a feeling it’ll be a good cry as well.
