𝘣𝘣

⋆˚｡𖦹 𝘴𝘩𝘦'𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘪𝘳𝘭 𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘰𝘳. . .

[lxvemaze]

: ̗̀ 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘳, 𝘺𝘰𝘶'𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘰 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵 . . .

▶︎ •၊၊||၊|။||||။‌‌‌‌‌၊|• SUMMER — brockhampton

۶ৎ bb ! — twenty. she/her. stressed uni student. kpop&f1 fanatic. your local hiyyih stan. blog rules !

masterlist. req rules. bias list. taglist.

find my f1 blog here !

-ˏˋ happy reading!

[lxvemaze]

love your eunwoo/dongmin stories. please write more!!

girl TRUST im trying💔 now that im actually a grown up in university with a job, it's been hard to find time to write💔

[lxvemaze]

hihihi im alive I swear, school is just killing me. spring break starts in a few days, though. so you can expect me to be at least a little bit more active

[lxvemaze]

guess who turned 20 today 🫩🫩🫩

[mylovesstuffs]

🔖 thank you @shinysobi for tagging me in this quiz!

and im different in sm and irl

tagging @iknowimanicon @nothoughtsjustfic @eclipsaria @cheers-to-you-th @hanniehaeo and anyone else who wants to join!

[from-izzy]

thank you for including me yuki!

it's actually crazy how accurate this is?! and they even got my mbti from 12 questions?! 🫣 the weaknesses, likes and dislikes is very accurate 🥰 and honestly...it's all just accurate yeah-

join in: @jaehunnyy @chimivx @minkieater @yestodayys @stxrrywoo @mingoooossii @03jyh23 @mars101 @slytherinshua @blue-jisungs @callisrecords and anyone else who wants to!

[blue-jisungs]

haha why… are we calling me out….. haha … ha…………. THANK U FOR THE TAG THO IT WAS REALLY INTERESFING!!!

tagging @trashcigs @loserlvrss @slytherinshua @lusayyawnn @lexeees @weird-bookworm

[slytherinshua]

yeah okay so got hella called out for a quiz so short it has no business being this accurate ............. the too competitive and the perfectionism.... even the likes and dislikes. im just like..... wow ... BUT ALSO WHY I DONT GET A CUTE OUTFIT OR HAT LIKE WHY AM I BALD... anyway got7 mention w hard carry and monsta x mention w no mercy yes yes

tagging @wheeboo @lxvemaze @loserlvrss @lexeees @talkingsaxy @sinvanish @page-yerin @lusayyawnn @callisrecords and anyone else who would like to join <3

[lxvemaze]

I feel so incredibly called out right now im tweaking this is crazy

[gorehoundhammett]

I’m starting a picrew chain because I’m bored.

blog vs blogger!

tagging:… @kirks-exquisite-vegan-pancakes, @marthtron, @backseatrhythm, @aimbuddylist, @aspartame-parent and YOU.

[slytherinshua]

had to jump on this cause srsly cutest picrew ive seen in a while !!!! (removed rbs cause it was getting long)

tagging @blue-jisungs @wheeboo @mingoooossii @loserlvrss @sinvanish @seokminfilm @lxvemaze + anyone else who would like to join !!!

[lxvemaze]

SO CUTESY 😻😻😻

tagging no one, do it if u want 😛

[lxvemaze]

⫸ do i love you?

synopsis. in this prequel to you know i love you, you and your childhood best friend dongmin have finally made it through your final year of high school. but, your many years of friendship end up being put to the test when dongmin invites you along with his five other friends to his family's beach house for your final summer getaway.

pairing. nonidol!/ceo's son!cha eunwoo x reader

genre. prequel, ceo's son au, high school au

wc. 13k

warnings. jinjin is lowkey (highkey) an absolute VILLAIN? dumb teenagers not realizing their feelings and just being generally frustrating and stupid.

a/n. this could be read as a standalone fic, but no actual romance happens in this one (kinda) there's also maybe a couple things that might be confusing without context, but everything should be pretty clear if you read the main fic first (or after, if you want)

<May 30th>

“Fucking finally. Get your ass in here.” Dongmin yelled from the open car window as you walked down the steps of your school. You rolled your eyes at your friend, taking your sweet time to walk up to the car. “What the hell took you so long?”

“I’m the class vice president, remember? It was our last student gov meeting before Summer break.”  You opened the door to Dongmin’s fancy family car, thanking the driver as you usually did before settling down in your seat next to Dongmin.

“Making you meet on the last day of school before break is diabolical. Absolutely cruel. You’re literally graduating, what do they even want with you?”

“It’s not that bad.”

“It’s terrible.” Dongmin sighed, leaning back in his seat and taking his phone from his pocket, shooting a quick text before tossing it onto the seat next to him. “Are you ready for the trip?”

“...Mostly.”

“You haven’t even packed yet, have you?”

“...No.”

“Should have known.” Dongmin rolled his eyes, picking his phone back up as it buzzed, leaving you to stew in your own forgetfulness.

Dongmin had invited you and the rest of his friends to his family’s beach house for Spring break. One last hurrah before you all went off to live your own lives. Like Dongmin, all of his friends were the children of the country’s most rich and powerful. So their Summers would be spent in stuffy corporate offices doing internships and shadowing their parents before they left for University.

You liked Dongmin’s friends. You’d known them since middle school, but you always felt a bit of an odd one out amongst them—even if they furiously declined that idea.

Dongmin’s driver stopped outside your house a few minutes later, you bid your friend goodbye and hopped out of the car, waving him off as he yelled out a reminder that he’d pick you up at 7am the next morning before picking up the rest of his friends. You unlocked your front door and ran up the stairs to your bedroom, throwing open your dresser drawers and practically dumping your entire wardrobe out on your bed.

Normally when packing for a trip with Dongmin, you wouldn’t really care what you packed. You’d just throw whatever clean clothes you had into your suitcase and call it a day. But with Dongmin’s whole friend group coming, that changed things. Because that meant he was coming.

You’d had a crush on Park Jinwoo since middle school. He was one of Dongmin’s closest friends, and while you had a crush on him, he was also kind of your worst enemy. Ever since he hit puberty and realized that he could get whatever girl he wanted, he decided that flirting with you any and every chance he got was the move. Whenever he did, you would always roll your eyes and tell him to get lost, pretending he didn’t have any kind of effect on you. But he did. And you knew that he knew he did. So he kept doing it.

Despite the constant flirtation, you always doubted that he’d actually go out with you if you’d asked. He could get anyone he wanted, and if the rumors were true, he did get anyone he wanted. He just liked to tease you. But unfortunately, you were still obsessed with him. So, you dug through the clothes on your bed, looking for your cutest tops and your shortest shorts. You rifled through your makeup drawer, pulling out all the expensive makeup that Dongmin’s mother had gifted you for Christmas and stuffing it into your makeup bag. The designer perfume that Jinwoo had complimented one time two years ago was the last item to be thrown in.

You nodded in satisfaction at the items you’d carefully selected, folding them carefully and placing them in your suitcase.

You knew that if Dongmin had seen the exuberance with which you packed your suitcase, he’d have laughed and made fun of you for the rest of the night. For some reason, the idea that you had a crush on Jinwoo always cracked him up.

You went to bed that night fighting the grin that kept creeping onto your face.

<May 31>

You woke up the next morning to your phone ringing incessantly. You reached over to grab it, sitting up with a start as the numbers 7:30 glared up at you, cursing as you answered the phone, tripping over yourself as you rushed to get dressed.

“You can’t be serious right now.” Dongmin’s voice droned through the phone. You ran to your window to see his car parked outside your house, the outline of him tapping his fingers on the steering wheel barely visible.

“I know! I’m so sorry.” You pulled your shirt over your head, putting the phone on speaker as you tugged your socks on.

“And here I thought you were excited for this trip.”

You rolled your eyes at your friend's words as you grabbed the handle of your suitcase and pulled it down the stairs. “I am excited, asshole. I just slept in. I’m sorry I forgot to set my alarm on a Saturday.”

Dongmin sighed, his voice crackling through the phone speaker as you tied your shoes. “Just say you hate me”

“I hate you.” You replied without hesitation, hanging up the phone and opening the front door, grabbing your jacket from the closet on your way out. The cold morning air pricked at your skin as you walked outside. Dongmin stepped out of his black SUV, shoving his hands into the pocket of his designer hoodie, jogging around to the back of the car to open the trunk for you. 

“Who are we picking up first?” You asked as Dongmin wordlessly grabbed the handle of your suitcase and hoisted into the back of his car, laying it next to the bags of groceries he’d bought for the trip.

“Myungjun, then Bin, then Sanha, Jinwoo and Minhyuk. Sanha and Jinwoo stayed over at Minhyuk’s house last night.” Dongmin rolled his eyes as you blushed at the mention of Jinwoo’s name. “You’re such a loser.”

You walked to the passenger side door after your luggage was successfully loaded into the back of the car, rolling your eyes with a scoff at your friend’s words. “Says you. Remember when your family took me with you on that trip to Monaco and you totally ditched me for that girl we met in that car museum?”

“Car museum?” A disgusted Dongmin exclaimed as he started the car. “You’re so uncultured.”

“Just say you hate poor people.”

“I don’t hate poor people. I hate you.”

“Nice.” 

Dongmin grinned as he pulled away from the sidewalk, turning the wheel with one hand, the other fiddling with the radio, turning it to your favorite station.

Myungjun was the first of the group to be picked up. He was already waiting outside on the steps of his family’s massive home as the two of you pulled up. He greeted you loudly as you stepped out of the car to help him with his bags, probably waking up half the neighborhood in the process, his loud voice practically echoing around the quiet neighborhood.

Dongmin stayed in the car, putting Bin’s address into his GPS as you helped Myungjun haul his bags into the trunk. Myungjun called shotgun as soon as the trunk was closed, immediately bolting to the passenger side, leaving you to sit behind him.

If you weren’t fully awake before, you definitely were now. Myungjun’s loud voice reverberated in the vehicle the entire way to Bin’s house, him and Dongmin fully engaged in ecstatic conversation as you put your earbuds in.

The front door of Bin’s home opened almost immediately after you pulled up to the curb, giving an excited wave as he pulled his suitcase to the back of the car. Myungjun hopped out to help him, leaving you and Dongmin alone for a moment.

“Minhyuk, Sanha, and Jinwoo are up next.” Dongmin grinned at you in the rearview mirror, smirking as you rolled your eyes at him, turning your music up louder.

Bin greeted you with a smile as he opened the door on the other side, saying something to Dongmin before settling down in the seat next to you. You kept your headphones in your ears, letting the boys catch up, their loud voices muffled by the music.

You leaned your head against the window, attempting to calm your brain down before Dongmin pulled up to Minhyuk’s house. The music in your left ear was suddenly cut off as someone yanked the earbud out. 

Bin was smiling sweetly as you turned to face him, your earbud between his fingers. “Are you gonna keep being emo, or are you gonna join the conversation?”

Resisting the urge to roll your eyes, you took your other earbud out, allowing yourself to pay attention to the conversation between the three boys. Bin smiled as you angled yourself so you could see all of your friends, catching your eye, his smile widened as he rested his head on Dongmin’s seat in front of him.

Bin was always the one you got along with the best out of the group—other than Dongmin. Bin was actually the first person you told about your crush on Jinwoo. He was always someone you felt comfortable around, he just had that kind of energy.

So you knew by the way he was looking at you that he was internally making fun of you hard.

You couldn’t bring yourself to tune in to the conversation happening around you. Your anxiety spiking through the roof at every familiar turn Dongmin took. You’d been to Minhyuk’s house a few times- it was by far the biggest out of the group. A beautiful traditional mansion with a massive backyard and a literal water fountain out front. It was like something you’d see in a TV show. In fact, a couple of TV shows had been filmed there before they moved in.

Your leg bounced as Dongmin pulled into the massive driveway, the anticipation of seeing Jinwoo stroll out of the house was practically killing you as Dongmin parked the car. First out of the house was Sanha, who came barreling out, gripping tightly onto the straps of his backpack like a little kid on the first day of school. He threw his backpack in the trunk before opening your door and practically climbing over you to take his spot in the third row of seats.

Sanha was sweet– he and Minhyuk were a little bit younger than the rest of you, but he and Bin were a lot like you and Dongmin; practically attached at the hip since you were kids. He was fun- kind of like a little brother to the rest of the group.

Minhyuk followed behind Sanha, his mother standing in the doorframe waving him off as he set his bags in the trunk. He walked around to the other side of the SUV, opening Bin’s door, and climbing- much more gracefully than Sanha- into the back row.

The car stayed silent as you looked out the window in anticipation, your heart dropping a little as Minhyuk’s mother closed the door.

Dongmin hummed, his voice confused as he turned in his seat to look at the two youngest boys. “Where’s Jinwoo?”

“Oh, yeah!” Minhyuk face-palmed, everyone in the car turning to him at the exclamation. “I forgot to tell you guys. He said he wouldn’t be coming.”

“What?” You could’ve sworn your heart stopped beating for a second at his words. “You mean like, he’ll be coming later? Like, on his own?”

“Nah, dude. He’s not coming at all. It’s just us.”

“Of course.” Bin sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“He always pulls shit like this.” Myungjun agreed from his spot in the passenger seat.

Dongmin turned his head to look at your reaction, his heart breaking a little bit at the downtrodden expression on your face. As much as he made fun of you for your little crush on Jinwoo, he really did hate to see you upset. “Okay well, I guess there’s no point in waiting around here, then. Let’s get going.”

Dongmin pulled out of the driveway and onto the main road, turning up the music and relaxing slightly as everyone in the car slowly started picking up conversation. His eyes kept flitting up to the rearview mirror, unconsciously checking in on you every few minutes. You were deep in conversation with Bin about some TV show that the two of you were watching. It brought a smile to Dongmin’s face to see you focus on something other than Jinwoo.

Jinwoo was one of his best friends. Other than you, he was probably his oldest friend. Dongmin remembered the day in middle school when you told him about your crush on Jinwoo. He laughed it off, the idea absolutely ridiculous to him. You with Jinwoo. He never saw it happening. But after Jinwoo had found out and started flirting around with you- something about it irritated him.

It shouldn’t. You were two of his best friends. There was nothing wrong with you potentially dating each other. But every time he saw it- every look Jinwoo gave you, every flirty remark, every blush that crept onto your face at the littlest bit of eye contact- it just annoyed him.

Maybe he just didn’t like the fact that it felt like Jinwoo was playing with you. Or maybe he didn’t like the fact that you were falling for it. Whether you wanted to admit it or not. He knew that you knew Jinwoo just flirted with you to see you squirm. He thought it was funny. But Dongmin hated seeing you blush over it anyway.

Maybe he was just being overprotective.

You were his best friend, after all.

But seeing you laugh with his friends, the anxiety of Jinwoo’s presence lifted from your shoulders, it made Dongmin happy.

The hours in the car slipped by quickly, the conversation becoming increasingly ecstatic as you neared the coast. Everyone turned to look out the window as you approached Dongmin’s family beach house, the massive home practically dwarfing every other house nearby. The ocean crashed behind it, the warm Summer air filling the car as Dongmin rolled down the windows.

Myungjun screamed as he stuck his head out the window like a dog, leaning dangerously far out as the car pulled up to the house. As soon as the car was in park, everyone practically fell over themselves getting out of the car, quickly grabbing their bags from the back and running up the tall staircase to the front door.

Dongmin quickly ascended the stairs after rolling the windows back up and turning off the car, placing the key into the front door and twisting it.

The inside of the house was even more beautiful than the outside. Your attention was immediately brought to the floor-to-ceiling windows that overlooked the ocean, with an attached balcony on the other side of the glass. Most of the boys immediately ran upstairs to claim a bedroom, leaving you and Dongmin to bring the bags of food from the back of the car to the kitchen.

“Did you really need to buy this much food?” You sighed as you hauled the fourth bag onto the pristine marble counter.

Dongmin chuckled as he effortlessly lifted the rest of the bags onto the counter across from you, taking out the individual items and setting them on the counter, organizing them carefully as he did so. You always liked to credit your mother for Dongmin’s organizational skills- she’d worked as the Lee’s housekeeper for as long as you could remember- so you liked to imagine that some of her skills had rubbed off on your friend.

It was around two in the afternoon when you and Dongmin had finished putting the groceries in their proper place. You’d settled on freezer pizza for lunch. After five hours in the car, neither of you were really up to actually cooking anything. Despite the fact that Dongmin was a shockingly good cook.

As if they had a collective sixth sense, the group of boys upstairs came barreling down as soon as you put the pizza in the oven- clambering into the kitchen to raid the fridge for sodas.

“Man, you two really should have hurried up with that. You guys missed out on claiming the best rooms.” Minhyuk grinned as he opened the fridge, wincing as Dongmin smacked his shoulder.

Bin stopped to help you grab the paper plates from the top shelf in the pantry, leaning in before whispering “Don’t worry about it. I put your bag in the biggest room.”

At least someone had your back.

As soon as the pizza came out of the oven, you had to practically wrestle Sanha and Myungjun for the last piece- vacationing with five boys for a week was going to be a lot more difficult than you initially anticipated.

After lunch, you all decided to go down to the beach. The boys ran out the back door and down the long staircase, running toward the water, pushing each other into the sand. You and Bin trailed behind them slightly, figuring out your plans for the rest of the week. Now that it was confirmed Jinwoo wouldn’t be coming, plans had to be shifted around a little bit.

Dongmin watched with a smile as you and Bin walked down the beach, talking excitedly about all your plans. He loved seeing you enjoying yourself and getting along with his friends, that genuine happy smile on your face was one of his favorite sights in the world.

Sometimes he wished he could just have you all to himself all the time. You were his best friend, his person. The knowledge that he’d be moving halfway across the planet from you for university ate him up inside. You always joked about him going to Columbia so you could visit New York- but it was just a joke. He never thought he’d actually be leaving you, but in just a few short months, he’d be attending Oxford, thousands of miles away from you.

His father wanted him to go off and be independent, and it’s not like it was for forever, he knew he’d come home for every holiday, every long weekend, and probably fly you out to visit a few times. But still, he wanted to make his last few months before he left last as long as possible. He wanted to keep you happy for as long as possible.

Everyone decided to call it an early night. Except you and Dongmin. You’d all been hanging out in the living room, playing video games on the TV. One by one, all the boys eventually filed up to their rooms, trudging up the stairs with loud yawns as they made their way to their comfortable beds.

Bin was the last one to ascend the stairs, giving you a quick smile before leaving you and Dongmin to yourselves. He stretched out on the couch with a loud groan, planting his head in your lap. His hands ran down his face, the deep bags under his eyes evident as he sighed deeply. “I don’t think I’ve ever been more glad to be on vacation.”

You hummed in agreement, watching as his eyes closed contentedly while you ran your fingers through his hair, your fingers soothingly scratching against his scalp. Uncomfortable silence was a rarity between you and Dongmin, your years of friendship outweighed any potential for awkward moments.

“You wanna go for a walk?”

He regretted asking as soon as the two of you stepped outside. While it may have been warm during the day, the night air immediately began nipping at your faces, your hoodies not doing much to combat against the cold.

“Why’d you wanna go outside?” You had to physically keep your teeth from chattering as you asked.

Dongmin shoved his hands in his pockets, his body naturally gravitating towards yours for warmth, causing your shoulders to bump into each other. “I just wanted to talk to you about something without the others hearing.”

He sat on a log by the water, the waves crashing loudly as you sat next to him. “...You know, I’m really gonna miss you when I’m gone.”

You couldn’t help but roll your eyes “No need to be so dramatic. It’s not like you’re gonna be gone forever.”

He sighed, shivering slightly as a gust of wind rolled through. “I know. I’m just scared.”

You leaned against him, instinctively trying to transfer some of your body heat to him. “I am, too.”

It was silent for a moment, until you heard him sniffle. He avoided your gaze as he quickly rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand. You knew it was only a matter of time before tears started building up in your own eyes—seeing him cry always made you cry, too.

“I’m really sorry.” He sighed, you could see him physically fighting to keep the tears in his eyes. “I just want this to be a good trip, because it’s the last trip we’re gonna have until at least next Summer, and I know we’ll always be friends, I just don’t know what I’m gonna do without being able to see you whenever I’m having a bad day, and the time difference is gonna make it really hard, and I’m just gonna miss everyone, but especially you, because you’re my best friend and I love you.”  You kept quiet as he spoke, just nodding your head as he rambled. He opened his mouth to speak again, but quickly shut it at the look on your face.

He could always tell when you were about to cry before you did. Something about the way you bit the inside of your cheek, the way your breathing slightly staggered, the way your nose twitched as your tears began to well.

You took a deep breath in a poor attempt to collect yourself, leaning to rest your head on Dongmin’s shoulder, his arm instinctively wrapping around you as you did so.

“Just make sure to come visit me whenever you can.”

He let out a tearful chuckle, squeezing you tighter as he shivered against the cold wind. “Obviously. I’m not just gonna forget my best friend while I’m out there living it up in uni. I’ll be thinking about you the whole time.”

You rolled your eyes, pulling away from his shoulder to look him in the eyes, giving him a sad smile before standing from the log, holding your hands out for him. “Good. As you should. Now, let’s go inside. I’m freezing my ass off out here.”

He took your hand without hesitation. “Yes, ma’am.”

<June 1st>

You woke up late in the morning, emotional late-night conversations always drained you. The loud sounds of the boys playing video games downstairs filled your ears as you sat up in bed, running your hands through your hair in a feeble attempt to tame it. Eyes barely open as you pulled on your clothes and washed your face.

You stumbled down the stairs, your brain still half asleep as you poured what remained in the coffee pot into a mug. It had gone cold by now, but you really didn’t mind, you just needed something to wake your brain up.

“Good to see you up and about. Thought we’d have to call an ambulance or something before too long.” Bin mused as he strolled into the kitchen, grabbing the bag of coffee grounds, bringing them to the coffee machine beside you. You grumbled incoherently as you drank, giving him a grateful smile as he started the pot. He shook his head with a grin, ruffling your hair before he wandered back into the living room. 

You spent the next hour in the kitchen, downing almost the entirety of the fresh pot of coffee while you scavenged for something to eat, settling on half a box of granola bars. The boys were still playing on the TV when you eventually wandered into the living room. Half of them were too locked in to notice your appearance, but Sanha gave you a quick smile and Dongmin scooted closer to Myungjun to give you some space to sit down on the couch.

“What’s the plan for today, your majesty?”

You groaned, laying your head on the armrest, the sun shining through the massive windows far too bright for your liking. “Staying inside. Sleeping. Eating.”

“Shame Jinwoo decided to flake like that. He’d have gotten us out of the house.” Minhyuk sighed, tossing his controller aside as his character on screen died.

Bin hummed as he shoved a handful of chips in his mouth. “He always ditches when we want him there, and then shows up to places he’s not even invited. Love the guy, but this isn’t anything new.” 

“It just sucks that this is our last trip together before you guys leave for university, and we’re only here for a week. You’d think he wouldn’t ditch this time.” Sanha pouted, setting his controller on the table beside Minhyuk’s before wandering into the kitchen, probably looking for snacks.

“It would’ve been nice to have him here.” You sighed. Your head lifted off the arm of the couch at the noticeable shift in the air in the room, the silence palpable as the four remaining boys in the room smirked at you. “What?”

“You just wanted to see him shirtless on the beach, didn’t you?”

“Fuck off, Myungjun.” You threw a pillow at his face, the boys bursting into laughter as you crossed your arms and legs, disgruntled. Dongmin’s face remained straight as the others laughed around him, turning to you with brows raised as you elbowed him. “Not gonna defend me?”

He snorted, rolling his eyes with a smirk. “How could I? He’s not wrong.”

“I hate all of you.” You hated that they all knew about your crush on him. There was something so embarrassing about a group of teenage boys having the leverage to tease you over something like that.

After a long afternoon of video games and nearly getting into a physical altercation with Minhyuk over the last of the Dr. Pepper, you decided to take a nap at around 3pm.

You managed to make your way back to bed and crawl into a comfortable position before sleep overtook you, not noticing the way Dongmin had made his way up the stairs and poked his head into the room to check on you, a soft smile gracing his face as he saw you sleeping soundly on your stomach. Your hair splayed all over your face, limbs stretched out in every which way, lips slightly parted as soft snores escaped your mouth.

You woke with a start for the second time that day- the sounds of the boys cheering downstairs bringing you out of your sleep. Your hand clambering over the end table as you blindly reached for your phone, the room now dark as you checked the time; 6:15 p.m. You sighed deeply, rubbing the sleep out of your eyes as you crept downstairs to see what they were screaming at this time.

But you froze halfway down the steps as you heard Myungjun shout “I can’t believe you actually showed up!”

…Jinwoo.

You crept down the stairs, peeking your head to look into the foyer, and sure enough, there he was. Park Jinwoo in all his bleached blonde glory standing in the entryway, all bright smiles and muscular arms, holding multiple cardboard carriers of what you were certain was various alcoholic drinks.

The boys all crowded around him as they walked into the kitchen, helping him set the drinks on the countertop, the glass bottles clinking against each other with the effort. Your heart skipped a beat as you heard Minhyuk mutter something about you, and then an excited Bin saying “I’ll go get her!”

“No need. I’m right here.” You sighed, descending the final few steps, deliberately avoiding eye contact with Jinwoo as you took your spot by the counter next to Dongmin. 

You could feel Jinwoo’s eyes on you as you casually conversed with Sanha and Dongmin, opening a beer and taking a sip as you spoke about your plans for the next day. You refused to look at him, but you could tell he was smirking at you as you drank, telling Sanha about the cool shops in town you found online that you wanted to visit.

The night dragged on slowly as you avoided speaking to Jinwoo as much as you could, ending up in a conversation with Myungjun about the university that he’d gotten accepted into. As per usual with Myungjun, it wasn’t much of a conversation, more so just him talking at you so fast and loud you could barely make out a word.

Eventually, you made your way out to the balcony to catch a breath, the chattering of the boys on the other side of the windows still audible as you took a sip of your fresh drink, the cool air bringing a welcome tranquility to your night.

But of course, all good things must come to an end.

You sighed deeply as the voice of Park Jinwoo sounded out from the frame of the sliding glass door behind you. “There she is. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were avoiding me.”

“I thought Minhyuk said you weren’t gonna come.” You put on your best nonchalant face, resting your forearms on the polished balcony railing.

Jinwoo smirked, leaning his hip on the railing next to you, his eyes burning into the side of your head. “I wasn’t. But once I heard you’d be here, how could I resist?”

You rolled your eyes at that. Maybe it was due to the drink in your hand, or maybe you just weren’t in the mood, but Jinwoo’s flirtations weren’t nearly as charming to you as they used to be. He seemed to pick up on your despondent energy, turning so his back was against the railing, crossing his arms, but keeping his eyes on you.

“You know, I heard something about you and Dongmin sneaking out to the beach last night.”

It was like he was trying to get under your skin. “Yeah, we just wanted a minute to talk. It’s nothing like…whatever you’re thinking.”

“Sure, sure.” You could hear the smirk in his voice. “Just saying, I wouldn’t mind getting you alone on the beach for a few minutes, either. Not sure Dongmin would like that, though.”

“What do you mean by-”

“Well, we should probably get back inside.” He cut you off as he always did. “Looks like some people are starting to miss us.”

You turned to look through the glass door back into the house, face turning red as you were met with the sight of Myungjun and Sanha giggling and making kissy faces, and Dongmin staring at the two of you, a blank expression on his face.

“I’m looking forward to spending time with you this week. I feel like we don’t hang out enough.”

He left you on the balcony, staring blankly at the spot he’d been standing in. When you finally made your way back inside, Dongmin immediately cornered you, a hushed “What did he say to you?” falling from his lips.

Looking around the room to make sure no one was listening, you quietly relayed your conversation to him, his expression getting more blank as you went on. “I don’t even know what he meant about…really any of that. He’s just trying to spin me up, I’m sure.” “Right.” Dongmin mumbled, running a hand over his face before walking off, leaving you standing there.

It seemed as though everyone was walking away from your conversations that evening.

You were restless the whole night after going to bed, the idea that Jinwoo had picked the room right next to yours kept you up, not sure whether you really didn’t want him to come knocking on your door, or if you really did want him to. 

It was funny, you were so excited for this trip, packing your entire suitcase with the thought of Jinwoo heavy on your mind, excited for him to maybe see you as something more than someone to tease. You were so disappointed when you heard he wouldn’t be coming, but now that he was actually here, you wanted nothing more than for him to leave.

<June 2nd>

You weren’t sure if you really ended up sleeping at all. Eyes drooping heavily as you sat in the passenger seat of Dongmin’s car, the boys in the back yelling back and forth as you massaged your temples, attempting to soothe the headache that was beginning to form.

Dongmin’s eyes flitted over to you every now and then. Concern evident on his face as he watched you fall in and out of sleep. His hand slithered into yours as it rested on the center console, his thumb massaging the soft skin on the back of your hand. You returned the favor, your index finger idly tapping against his skin

“You two excited?”

Dongmin’s hand quickly wrenched from yours as Jinwoo’s voice spoke into his ear. He could see the smug look on his friend's face as he leaned between the two front seats, his arm resting casually on the back of the passenger seat, where you were clearly avoiding his gaze.

Jinwoo hummed at the silence between you and Dongmin, quietly sliding back into his seat, seamlessly inserting himself into Minhyuk and Bin’s conversation. On any other day after a rude interruption by Jinwoo, you and Dongmin would’ve made eye contact, rolling your eyes, holding in your laughs, silently making fun of Jinwoo’s determination to flirt with you. But today, it was different.

It was quiet.

And you didn’t know why.

As you and the group walked around the main street of the little beach town, the mood between you, Dongmin, and Jinwoo stayed stale as it had been the past 24 hours. Jinwoo trailed closely behind you as you and Dongmin wandered around a little candy shop, quietly joking to each other about the silly names on the labels by each flavor.

You could almost physically feel Dongmin tense up whenever Jinwoo got just a little bit too close, leaning in close to your ear to make a quiet remark, the hairs on the back of your neck standing up as you felt his breath on you.

Dongmin’s lack of eye contact with you whenever Jinwoo made a poor attempt at a pass on you was starting to weird you out a little bit. Jinwoo and Dongmin had been friends for almost as long as the two of you had been. They were usually constantly joking around with each other- Jinwoo would say something dumb and flirty to you, and Dongmin would laugh and joke that you were saving yourself for whatever celebrity you were crushing on at the time. So Dongmin’s silence at Jinwoo’s demeanor today was nothing short of concerning.

You elbowed Dongmin gently as you exited the candy shop and Jinwoo fell into conversation with Sanha and Minhyuk. He just gave you a small quick smile as you quirked an eyebrow at him, but the smile didn’t do much to quell your concern. Maybe he was just tired. He never was much of a morning person.

The day continued on the same as it had been; the group would stop in some tourist shop, poke fun at the dumb merchandise and overpriced snacks, Jinwoo would lean in a bit too close, your face would go red from either annoyance or nervousness, Dongmin would tense up and stay silent, and then the group would move on to the next shop.

It was starting to get exhausting.

As soon as the sun started to get low on the horizon, Bin suggested finding a spot for dinner, and it took a shockingly short amount of time for everyone to agree on a restaurant. You were sandwiched between Dongmin and Minhyuk at the table, the latter of which was ranting to you about the other kids in the dance team he was the captain of– you hummed and nodded at the appropriate times, although you were only halfway listening, your eyes trained on the way Jinwoo was folding the napkin in front of him, his nimble fingers creasing the fabric, forming it into an intricate spiral shape.

Feeling a pair of eyes on you, you paused, looking up to see Bin smirking at you with a raised brow. You rolled your eyes as if it was no big deal, but the flush creeping up your neck clearly said otherwise. You were just glad it was Bin that had caught you and not any of the others, because at least Bin would never outwardly make fun of you.

“What are you gonna order?” Dongmin leaned in, pressing his shoulder against yours as he asked the question. You hummed and looked over at the menu in his hand, none of the items on the list looked familiar except for the various soups and salads. “Are you just gonna order soup and steal from everyone else's plates?”

It was as if he had read your mind– as per usual.

You were going to respond with something sarcastic and dry, maybe make fun of how he always orders the same thing as whatever his mom does, but your joke was cut short by the waitress arriving to take your orders.

The whole table fell silent as she approached. She was pretty. Very pretty, the kind of pretty that only exists in movies and magazines. No one spoke immediately when she asked if you were all ready to order, all the boys at the table staring with their mouths agape like fish, while you hoped the look on your face was enough of an apology for their behavior.

But they all knew their chance with her was squashed as soon as Dongmin took the initiative to order first. A sigh of either relief or defeat was let out across the table the second the waitress looked at Dongmin, her eyes lighting up as she scanned his face.

You always knew Dongmin was an attractive person, everyone always said so, at least, and the way girls reacted to his mere presence was more than enough proof. So, no, this was not the first time you’d seen all five of Dongmin’s friends give up completely when only eye contact was exchanged between him and a pretty girl.

At least with the group knowing they had little to no chance with Dongmin around, none of them were acting like fools and embarrassing themselves trying to impress the girl. Everyone placed their orders, you ordered a soup just like Dongmin said you would, and the pretty waitress smiled, her eyes lingering on your best friend before departing from your table.

The second she was out of earshot, the table erupted in conversation. “Every. Time. This happens every single time we all go out together.” Minhyuk sighed from beside you, crossing his arms over the table.

“I would say leave some girls for the rest of us, but I don’t think you can physically do that.” Myungjun laughed, patting Minhyuk’s head from across the table.

Sanha shook his head, rolling his eyes, “You don’t even have to do anything. All you have to do is make eye contact and they’re falling all over you. And when it’s not you, it’s Jinwoo.”

“Don’t worry, Sanha. Once you eventually hit puberty, girls will start looking at you, too.” Jinwoo smirked, dodging the napkin Sanha threw at him from the other end of the table.

As the boys around you all argued, tossing napkins and insulting each other's haircuts, Dongmin ducking behind you to shield himself from the carnage, you and Bin smiled and laughed together, silently appreciating being each other's calm in the turbulence that was the dinner table.

The night went on as you’d expect– the waitress would come back every now and again to check that everyone was enjoying their meals, Dongmin would say something sweet to her and she’d giggle and walk away, all the boys would complain that he was just rubbing it in, which he absolutely was, but he’d just shrug his shoulders and say that he couldn’t help it.

You were mostly successful in your attempt to steal from everyone else’s plates as discreetly as you could, Dongmin and Bin willingly turned a blind eye to you grabbing bites of their chicken, but you ended up nearly having to fist fight Myungjun over a bite of his salmon while Sanha and Minhyuk cheered you on.

Dinner slowly winded down and the check came to the table, Sanha begged someone to cover his dinner and the two separate desserts he ordered (which Jinwoo ended up paying for), and Bin forced everyone to finish drinking their glasses of water.

As everyone stood to leave, the waitress reappeared, shyly approaching Dongmin, who smiled at her and gently guided her out of earshot of the group.

“Think she’s asking him to come over and smash?”

It felt like something out of a cartoon, the way the whole group slowly turned to look at Sanha, a devious grin on his face as he stood on his tip toes to watch Dongmin and the waitress talk.

“Who wouldn’t? If I were a girl, I’d probably do the same.” The group turned their gaze to Minhyuk who just shrugged as if he had only stated the obvious. “I said what I said.”

Jinwoo chuckled before turning his attention to you, speaking your name before asking, “Not you, though. Right?”

You rolled your eyes at the question, shaking your head and sighing deeply. “No, I think I know him too well for that.”

Jinwoo shrugged. “Never say never.”

“...Never.”

“If you say so.”

“Okay. I do say so.”

“I’m just saying–”

“Hey, guys?” Dongmin jogged up to the group, a sheepish look on his face as he neared. “So…she’s off her shift in about ten minutes, so I think she and I are gonna hang out if it’s cool with you guys.”

“Dude…you drove us here.” Bin scoffed, the amusement on his face mixed with slight annoyance.

“Yeah, I know. Here.” Dongmin tossed his keys, which Bin caught easily, his face becoming less amused by the second. “She said she’ll give me a ride back to the house later.”

You and Bin exchanged a look, not of amusement or annoyance, but rather of defeat. Because who were you to deny your friend a bit of fun?

“Whatever. Just don’t be out too late, we have actual plans for tomorrow.”

Dongmin grinned at Bin’s reluctant agreement, giving him a quick hug before turning to you, giving a small smile, and running off to tell the waitress the good news.

The group remained silent for a moment, mourning the loss of Dongmin’s presence before Bin sighed and directed you all outside to the parking lot. You were able to snag the passenger seat yet again by physically pulling Sanha back by his shirt collar when he tried to clamber into the seat, Myungjun laughing loudly as you moved Sanha like he weighed nothing more than a kitten.

The humor of the situation didn’t last long, though. The car ride was nearly silent the entire twenty minute drive back to the vacation home, either because everyone was exhausted from the long day, or everyone was mildly annoyed by Dongmin running off from the group.

It was nothing you weren’t used to, though. You’d gone on vacation with Dongmin a few times throughout high school, and he frequently would run off with gorgeous local girls for a few hours, while you were content to explore whatever city you were in by yourself, with nothing but a guide book and your phone. But the older you got, the more annoying these occurrences became. Because why wasn’t he just content to spend time with you?

As soon as Bin pulled into the driveway, the youngest boys (and Myungjun), all went to bed, exhausted from a long day of running through various shops and terrorizing the local wildlife.

You, Bin, and Jinwoo followed each other into the kitchen, Bin wordlessly grabbing a beer for each of you from the fridge. The three of you stood in silence as you drank, quiet sighs periodically escaping from each of you as you mulled over the events of the day.

Bin was the first to finish his drink, leaving you with a smile and light touch on the shoulder as he passed you to ascend the stairs to his room, leaving you and Jinwoo alone in the kitchen.

The silence didn’t last much longer, Jinwoo downed the rest of his beer quickly before grabbing a bottle of wine from the counter and turning to you. “Let’s go outside.”

Ordinarily, you would’ve protested, snapping back with some sarcastic comment and hoping he didn’t notice the blush creeping up on your cheeks. But maybe it was the way this was your first time being alone with Jinwoo without Dongmin in the vicinity, or maybe you were just drunk, but you agreed. 

Nodding your head, you followed Jinwoo onto the balcony where you and him had your conversation the previous night. The air outside was warmer than it was the first night you arrived, when you spoke to Dongmin about your future. But you didn’t want to think about Dongmin right now. Not while Park Jinwoo was looking at you like that.

You could feel his eyes burning into you, practically begging for eye contact as the two of you wordlessly passed the bottle of wine back and forth.

Eventually, he sighed and cleared his throat, placing the bottle on the floor between you. “You know, I really am trying.”

That got you to look at him. His big brown eyes shockingly sincere, the corners of his lips turned down into an uncharacteristic frown. “You’re my best friend’s best friend. I think we should get along, but you’re making it kind of difficult, and I wanna know why.”

Maybe it was the wine toning down his cockiness, but for the first time since you’d met him, Jinwoo actually sounded…sweet? But something in your head told you not to fall for it.

“You know why.” You scoffed, turning away from him, crossing your arms over the balcony railing, focusing your attention on the crashing waves of the ocean ahead of you.

Jinwoo hummed, maybe in agreement, or just acknowledgement. You knew he knew about your crush on him. He always knew, and he loved to make you regret liking him. But there was something different about the way he looked at you tonight. It felt less calculated, less deliberate, less mean. You’d caught his eye a couple of times during dinner, every time you glanced over at him, he was already looking over at you, no cocky smirk present, just a brief moment of eye contact accompanied by a soft smile before he turned away.

The silence remained stale between the two of you before he sighed, grabbing the bottle from the floor and turning to lean on the railing beside you. “Maybe some things are better left unsaid.”

You nodded, taking the bottle as he passed it, your cold fingers momentarily brushing against his warm ones. “Maybe I want you to say it. Just so I know we’re on the same page.”

Jinwoo chuckled, shaking his head with an unfamiliar look in his eyes, “I don’t know if you really want that.” He looked over at you, slightly taken aback by the confused look on your face. His eyes softened as his jaw dropped ever so slightly. “Oh man, you really don’t know, do you–?”

He was cut off by the sliding glass door opening, both of you quickly turning your heads to see Dongmin standing there, confusion evident on his face as he saw you and Jinwoo, the only two in the house still awake, sharing a bottle of wine on the balcony.

A soft laugh left Jinwoo’s mouth as he glanced between you and Dongmin, the silence between you palpable as he grabbed the bottle from your hand. “I guess that’s my cue to go to bed.” He slid past Dongmin who was still standing in the doorway, unmoving. Jinwoo gave you a smile and a wink, patting Dongmin on the shoulder as he moved past him.

Dongmin stayed still, just looking at you with that same confused look on his face. The air felt strangely tense as his mind reeled with the endless list of things you and Jinwoo could have possibly been talking about before he interrupted.

But his thoughts were put on hold when you asked him, “Did you have fun?”

His face dropped, stepping onto the balcony and closing the door behind him, he breathed a small “Yeah.”, before approaching you, leaning on the same spot Jinwoo had been previously. “What were you and Jinwoo talking about?”

“Nothing, really. He was just being weird and cryptic as per usual.” Dongmin nodded at your words, tapping his fingers against the glossy wooden railing, the sound of the ocean filling in the silence between you. “I think everyone was kind of pissed that you ditched us.”

He nodded, his face dropping in shame or guilt. “Yeah, I guess I realized that not too long after I left. It was a total Jinwoo move. Not like me at all.”

“Except it kind of was.” You scoffed.

“What do you mean?”

“You do this all the time. I swear, every time we’ve gone on any trip in the past three years, we’ll be hanging out, and then you’ll find some girl to run around with, and totally ditch me.”

He stuttered for a moment, his fingers now nervously playing with a loose string on his hoodie sleeve. “You never complained, so I thought you were cool with it. You like being alone.”

“Yeah, but I like hanging out with my best friend more.”

He had no response. He knew he was in the wrong. The two of you rarely argued, but when you did, it was usually over stupid things like this. Dongmin had gone his whole life with little to no consequences for his actions, you were one of the few things in his life that kept him grounded in reality, that kept his rich boy ego from going off the deep end.

He didn’t want to be just another stupid rich kid that goes about life with blinders on. So he listened to you. He valued you.

But that didn’t mean his ego wasn’t a little bruised when you’d tell him off.

“You know, Jinwoo and I had a conversation last night after you went to bed.”

“...Okay?”

“It was…weird.”

“What’d you talk about?”

He sighed, kicking imaginary rocks off the balcony, refusing to meet your eye. “I don’t think it’s really my place to say.”

“Oh my god, bro.” You rolled your eyes, standing up straight and taking a step back from the railing. Everyone was starting to get on your nerves, and your patience was wearing thin. “If you’re not gonna tell me, why say anything at all?”

“I don’t know! I’m just trying to make conversation.”

“Well, you’re doing a shitty job.” You opened the sliding glass door and took a step inside before glancing back at your friend, “I’m going to bed.”

You left Dongmin on the balcony, the downtrodden expression on his face doing nothing but irritating you further.

<June 3rd>

You were woken to an incessant pounding on your door, Sanha’s voice cracking as he called you down to breakfast. You groaned, rubbing your eyes as you sat up, the warm morning light spilling through the parted curtains, a mild throbbing in your head reminding you of the bottle of wine you drank the night before.

Sanha called out your name again, his knocking intensifying rapidly before you yelled “I’m coming!” You hopped out of the bed, wrenching the door open to be greeted with Sanha’s wide, braced grin. 

“You’re not gonna believe this.” He giggled before hopping over to the door next to yours, the one that Jinwoo was sleeping behind.

“Not gonna believe what?” You groaned, rubbing your eyes again, trying to get them to adjust to the light. A deep sigh left your mouth as Sanha started pounding loudly on Jinwoo’s door, he giggled after hearing his older friend yell out an unintelligible curse. 

Sanha looked over to you again, yet another giggle escaping from him. “You’re gonna lose your shit once you get downstairs.” His knocking continued.

“Literally what are you talking–”

You were cut off by Jinwoo’s door opening harshly “It is eight o’clock in the morning. What the fuck is your problem?” Jinwoo looked as though he had been through every world war—his bleached blonde hair was sticking up in every which way, his t-shirt was somehow only on one shoulder, and only boxers adorned his lower half—save for the singular sock on his left foot.

Sanha giggled yet again at Jinwoo’s appearance before taking a deep breath and loudly whispering “Dongmin brought the waitress home.”

Your jaw immediately dropped at his words, Jinwoo and Sanha both quickly looking up for your reaction. “You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me.” Immediately, you marched downstairs, both boys nervously following behind you. The second you landed on the bottom floor, you saw what Sanha was talking about.

There she was. Sitting on one of the cushy barstools behind the counter, sipping happily on a glass of orange juice, Dongmin by her side, his arm resting on the back of her seat as he chatted with Myungjun and Bin. The grin on his face dropped as soon as he saw you standing at the foot of the stairs, Jinwoo standing awkwardly beside you, hurriedly fixing his shirt. Sanha had trotted to Myungjun’s side, the two of them giggling quietly to each other about the situation.

Dongmin’s eyes flitted between you and Jinwoo, his gaze lingering on Jinwoo’s disheveled clothes and your messy hair. “Did you two…just wake up?”

You could practically feel Jinwoo’s whole demeanor shift from awkward and nervous to his usual self-confidence. He shrugged casually, giving you a smirk before strolling to the fridge and pulling out the carton of orange juice. “We had a late night. You remember, I’m sure.”

Dongmin and you simultaneously cringed, avoiding each other's gaze as you both remembered the bitter note you left the conversation on the night before. “Lots of wine,” Jinwoo continued, “lots of talking. Had a nice little heart to heart.” You rolled your eyes as he passed you a glass of juice, but you didn’t deny what he was saying. It’s not like he was lying. 

Your eyes landed back on the waitress, she was attentively listening to Jinwoo, who for some reason was telling the story of the first time you and him had met—You were ten years old, hanging out at Dongmin’s house after school, as per usual, when the doorbell rang. Dongmin ran over to answer it, cheering when he opened the door to see a boy around his age, wearing the same school uniform as your friend. Dongmin called you over to introduce the two of you, but as you were making your way over, you tripped on a fold in the expensive rug in the Lee family’s living room, landing flat on your face, listening as Dongmin and his friend made a poor attempt at stifling their laughter.

Dongmin’s friend helped you up, introducing himself as Park Jinwoo, a classmate of Dongmin’s, and his closest friend at school. Your crush on him wouldn’t start until a couple years later, when he finally had a growth spurt and joined the baseball team.

“I can’t believe you remember that.” You scoffed as you took a sip of juice “It was like, eight years ago.”

“Of course I remember it.” Jinwoo leaned against the counter, keeping his eyes trained on you. “It was the day I met you.”

You rolled your eyes as the waitress started raving about how sweet Jinwoo was. She had no idea his words meant nothing to him. You were glad Jinwoo’s flirtations were starting to lose their novelty, it made it that much easier to roll your eyes and act like they had no effect on you. But even though you knew he was just teasing, you never could help the heat that crept into your face.

Dongmin’s eyes were burning into you throughout the entire morning, you could feel them on you while you helped Bin make pancakes, while you chatted with Minhyuk as he did the dishes, and while you convinced Sanha to not wear the stupidest hat you’d ever seen in public.

Maybe it was because he thought you were still annoyed with him over the night before, or maybe he didn’t like the way Jinwoo never seemed to be more than a few feet away from you. 

When you were younger, Dongmin thought your crush on Jinwoo was hilarious, and he’d laugh along whenever Jinwoo would tease you, and you’d roll your eyes in an attempt to look nonchalant while your bright red face betrayed you. He truly did think it was just a silly little thing at first. But Jinwoo’s jokes were starting to turn stale, it just felt mean, the way Jinwoo would tease you, knowing well that you still like him.

Maybe he was annoyed that Jinwoo wouldn’t leave you alone about it, even all these years later, maybe he was just protective over you—you were his oldest and best friend, after all. Or maybe it was the way you and Jinwoo had stayed up last night drinking with each other, and come downstairs together looking more disheveled than usual. Maybe he was annoyed that he felt like you two were keeping something from him. But his conversation with Jinwoo from a few nights ago rang loudly in his head, so he let it go.

You did your best to ignore Dongmin’s gaze and tune out the sound of the waitress giggling at the story Myungjun was telling. The way she blended in so seamlessly with the group irritated you for some reason, the way that she was now sat next to Dongmin in the exact spot you would usually sit, laughing at the story you would have been scoffing at. She was so…sweet. 

And it annoyed you to no end.

With her sat in your spot next to Dongmin, you felt slightly aimless as you wandered into the living room after helping Sanha pick out a new outfit for the day. Sanha flopped down next to Minhyuk, proudly showing him the outfit you picked out, presenting it as his own creation. To your annoyance, the only seat open was next to none other than Park Jinwoo, who had his arm draped over the back of the two-seater he was comfortably lounging on.

You swallowed your pride, taking a deep breath before settling down next to Jinwoo, the small couch not allowing for much leg room, leaving your legs slightly pressed against each other. Quickly, you fell into conversation with Bin, who was sitting on a seat near you, trying to ignore the way you could feel Dongmin’s gaze on you once again.

You didn’t see the way Jinwoo’s eyes moved between you—deep in conversation with Bin about the logistics of your trip to the boardwalk that afternoon now that you had an extra person in tow—and Dongmin, whose eyes were trained on you, although his arm was around the shoulders of the waitress sitting next to him. Jinwoo scoffed to himself, his mind reeling with the burden of the situation the three of you were in, that only he seemed to realize.

That afternoon, you found yourself sandwiched between Minhyuk and Sanha in the very back of Dongmin’s SUV. Myungjun, Bin, and Jinwoo in the middle seat, with Dongmin driving with one hand on the wheel, the other holding the hand of the waitress in the passenger seat. You found yourself wallowing in the fact that she’d not only stolen your spot on the couch, but with her around, you were no longer even designated passenger.

Sanha and Minhyuk seemed to realize your sour mood, whether they knew why you were upset or not, it didn’t really matter. They tried to distract you by playing various car games, and complaining when you only halfway participated.

The car ride to the pier was only an hour and a half, but it felt like an eternity. You couldn’t take your eyes away from the front seat, Dongmin holding the waitress’s hand over the center console, her giggling when he would whisper something you couldn’t make out.

It was the closest thing to torture you’d ever felt.

On the pier, the group seemed to be split nearly in two—Myungjun and Minhyuk hanging back to walk with Dongmin and the waitress, who were walking much too slow for your taste—and you, Jinwoo, and Sanha ahead, stopping at nearly every shop and booth you came across. Bin acted as something of a bridge between the two groups, running back and forth to relay information between the two of you.

Later in the day, after much cotton candy was eaten by the youngest two (and Myungjun), some trinkets were bought, and your eyes were starting to feel sore from how many times you’d rolled them (practically every time you looked at Dongmin and the waitress), both groups had reunited on the beach to rest for a bit before you found a spot for dinner.

You felt like a bad friend for being in such a sour mood, practically temporarily tearing apart your friend group in the process. But you just couldn’t wrap your head around the fact that Dongmin had brought her along.

You really shouldn’t be this mad. Things like this happened every time you and Dongmin went on a trip. You’d be hanging out in whatever city you were in, having a great time just being in each others presence, looking at all the kitschy shops, eating great food, and then Dongmin would find some pretty local girl, you would tell him to go off and have fun, and then you wouldn’t see him until late that night when he came creeping into whatever fancy penthouse or mini-mansion his parents had rented for the trip.

You were usually fine with it. You’d lightly smack his shoulder and roll your eyes fondly before he ran off with whatever beautiful girl had approached him, knowing that he’d come back to hang out with you once they were done doing whatever the hell they were doing. But he’d never invited these girls to hang out with you before now. Maybe it was because you were in a group and it wasn’t just the two of you, but something about the way he’d invited this girl to hang out with the whole group just made you…mad.

You should be having the time of your life right now—Jinwoo had bought you an overpriced tropical fruit smoothie, he was sitting so close to you, his thigh was right against yours, his arm wasn’t around you as you two sat on the sand, but his hand was planted right behind you as he leaned back, the designer sunglasses on his face hanging low on his nose as he watched Myungjun and Sanha wrestle in the sand while Bin and Minhyuk played in the water.

You were, in theory, living the dream. You should be enjoying the moment. You should be reveling in the fact that Park Jinwoo had been all over you since he made his surprise appearance two nights ago. But you couldn’t take your eyes off the way Dongmin leaned into this girl, telling stupid jokes to make her laugh, holding her hand as they walked down the beach. The two of them had been getting on your nerves all day. The way the rest of the group just immediately accepted her, laughing at her silly little anecdotes, telling her how lucky Dongmin is that he found her. They didn’t even know her.

And neither did you. So why were you so upset?

Somehow, Jinwoo had become your only solace. He was the only other one that didn’t seem completely charmed by the girl, the only one that just politely smiled and nodded when she spoke rather than grinning and laughing at her unfunny jokes.

It wasn’t like she was annoying, or rude, or weird. She actually seemed like a very sweet girl, but the way she just kind of showed up without warning that morning completely threw you off, and you supposed it did the same to Jinwoo. Whenever she would speak, you and Jinwoo would simultaneously glance at each other, taking a deep breath in unison before tuning her out.

“God, they’re pissing me off.” You sighed, Jinwoo hummed in agreement, leaning in to sip through the straw of your smoothie. You kept your eyes trained on the two of them, giggling hand in hand as they practically skipped down the beach.

Jinwoo however, had his gaze settled on you, internally sighing at the way you couldn’t tear your eyes away from Dongmin for even a second to look at him. He thought for a moment, and took a deep breath before gently placing his fingers on your jaw, guiding your head so you were looking right at them.

His voice was barely above a whisper as he said, “If watching them makes you mad, I’m right here. Just look at me.”

You felt like your brain had fully short-circuited, his fingers on your face burning into your skin as his deep brown eyes were locked on yours. You couldn’t even tell whether you felt nervous, awkward, or aroused. Suddenly, you were very aware of the fact that all of your friends were in very close proximity, and you and Jinwoo were in fact, not alone on this beach.

Unwittingly, you nervously giggled and turned your head, prompting Jinwoo to drop his hand from your face. You immediately wished you hadn’t moved your head in that direction, because now you were making direct eye contact with Dongmin, who had a completely unreadable expression on his face, standing perfectly still, his hand still entwined with the waitress, yet he was looking right at you.

You could hear Jinwoo sigh from beside you as you and Dongmin stared at each other, both completely frozen like a deer in headlights. Dongmin’s eyes were finally drawn away from yours as the waitress said something to him, pulling on his shirt gently to get his attention.

The second you saw her mouth move, you stood up from your spot, turned around, and started walking away from the beach completely. You heard Sanha call after you, his worried voice doing nothing to slow your stride. You didn’t even know where you were going, all you knew was that you couldn’t stand to look at the two of them for one more second.

If anyone had asked you to explain why, you wouldn’t have been able to tell them. You honestly didn’t even know yourself, but it felt like with her there, you were completely invisible to your own best friend. He had barely spoken to you at breakfast, she took your spot on the couch, she took your spot in his car, and now, when you were supposed to be having fun with your best friend on your last trip together before he moved thousands of miles away, he was spending all his time with her. A girl he had just met.

The only interaction you’d gotten with him the entire day was eye contact. Terrible, uncomfortable, awkward eye contact.

Even the fact that Park Jinwoo, your number one crush of the past eight years, had all but told you he loved you, did nothing to quell your anger at Dongmin and the girl.

You didn’t know how long you’d been walking, but the sun was starting to set over the ocean as you came across a rocky patch of the beach, completely barren from fellow tourists. You sat atop a large rock, your feet dangling as you stared out at the setting sun, trying to make sense of every confusing emotion raging through you.

You didn’t look as you heard someone tentatively walking up to you from behind, expecting it was your best friend coming to comfort you, maybe apologize for acting like a bad friend and ruining your vacation. You didn’t know whether to be disappointed or relieved when it turned out to be Jinwoo instead of Dongmin.

It was silent between the two of you for a while. Not an awkward silence, just…silence, neither of you turning to look or speak to each other as you watched the sun dip lower into the horizon.

Eventually, Jinwoo turned to look at you, the sun casting a golden light over the two of you. You noted the way his brown eyes turned gold in the light as you met his gaze. The silence continued, the only sound coming from the crashing waves and the occasional passing seagull.

You didn’t even realize the way you had slowly leaned into each other until his lips were already brushing against yours.

You should have been happy. Park Jinwoo, practically the only boy you’d ever liked, was kissing you. Fully kissing you.

But you just felt…sad.

Why weren’t you happy?

Jinwoo pulled away after a moment, sighing as soon as your eyes met again. “I knew it.”

“...Knew what?”

“You don’t like me.”

It was as if every braincell in your head had immediately set itself on fire. What the hell did he mean you don’t like him? “Jinwoo, I’ve liked you since we were ten years old. You know that, you always have.”

He sighed again, running a hand over his face, his eyes now doing everything to avoid yours. “You probably did at one point, but you definitely don’t anymore. You haven’t for a long time. I just wanted to see if I was right, and that just confirmed it.”

Tears started burning the corners of your eyes, threatening to fall at any second. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” You stood from your spot, tears beginning to streak down your cheeks. “I’ve liked you forever, what do you mean that ‘confirmed’ it?”

Jinwoo stood, his eyes still avoiding yours. “If you liked me, I would have felt it. But I didn’t, and I know you didn’t either.”

You stuttered for a second, finding it hard to catch your breath through the tears. “You can’t be serious right now. If I don’t like you, then what have we been doing all day?”

He groaned your name, pinching the bridge of his nose as if your words were causing his head to ache. “Come on, we may not be friends, but I've known you long enough to know that you're not that stupid.”

You couldn't help but scoff at his words. Tears falling endlessly down your face as you tried to find some reasoning as to why he was doing this to you. “I don't even know what you mean. Why do you always have to be so weird and cryptic?”

Jinwoo sighed, looking up at the sky that was fading into soft purples and pinks. “I can't just tell you. That wouldn't be fair to any of us.”

“Jesus Christ." You sighed, wiping your tears with the back of your hand. “I don't understand you. You kiss me and then try to tell me that I don't really like you.”

He groaned loudly, frustrated, running his hands through his hair. “I only did that to see if you actually like me, and I could tell. I can tell. You don't. You may think you do, but you don't.”

“What the actual fuck is wrong with you?”

Jinwoo threw up his hands in defeat, which only served to piss you off even more. “I don’t know how to explain it to you. You’ll figure it out one day.” Before you could get another word in, he turned and left. Leaving you standing on that rock, tears staining your face as you watched him go.

Maybe you should have run after him, and demanded he tell you exactly what the hell he was talking about. But you didn’t. You just stood there, blurry-eyed and defeated.

Until your saving grace came. You heard his voice calling your name, your head immediately snapping up in response. No words were exchanged as Dongmin neared, the second he was within your reach, you hugged him tightly, crying into his shoulder as you had many times before.

He didn’t even need to say anything to comfort you. His warm, familiar embrace was more than enough comfort.

“I thought he liked me.” You finally whispered.

Dongmin’s grip on you tightened, his jaw twitching as he heard the heartbreak in your voice. “I know you did. I’m sorry.”

“Sorry for what?”

“For being a bad friend.”

You pulled away just enough to look at him, the sincerity in his voice matched the look in his eyes. “You’re not a bad friend.”

He smiled sadly down at you. You were always so quick to forgive him for his fuckups. “Okay. I was being a bad friend. And I’m sorry. None of this should have happened.”

You shrugged, pulling away from him to wipe the tears from your eyes again. “I guess everyone’s making mistakes today.”

He hummed, his arms still lightly circled around your body. “I feel like you should be angrier at…well…everyone right now?”

“Oh, don’t worry, I am. I just figured I’d let you know I forgive you before I start yelling at you.”

“Oh, good.” He laughed, slinging an arm over your shoulders, guiding you back in the direction of your friends. “You were scaring me with how calm and forgiving you were. But now I have to ask. Can I take a video of you kicking Jinwoo’s ass?”

You snorted, smacking him on the back of the head. Somehow, even in the worst situations, Dongmin always knew how to make you laugh.

You only felt a little bit bad when after you reunited with your friends, Myungjun told you that the waitress had gotten a ride home with a friend after Dongmin left to follow you and Jinwoo without any explanation. But any sympathy you felt was quickly replaced by the genuine joy you felt when you were finally back in the passenger seat of your best friend’s car, happily munching on a drive-thru burger.

Not another word was spoken between you and Jinwoo the entire rest of the trip– in fact, he left the next morning with nothing more than a text to the group chat saying that he was gone and not to worry about him. Not that anyone would have either way.

The rest of the trip went on as it should have from the very start; you and your friends playing on the beach, drinking, reminiscing, sleeping in until the afternoon, and eating too much junk food.

The ride home was quiet. No one wanted your final vacation together to be over. The same thought was heavy on everyone’s mind; this might be the last time for a long time that you’re all together. After this, everyone would be starting their Summer internships, which would allow for hardly any free time, and after Summer was over, Dongmin would be going to the UK for uni, Bin would go to the United States, Myungjun would start uni in another city, and Minhyuk and Sanha still had another year of high school.

You would stay at home working with your dad at the convenience store he owned, taking online courses through your local university in your spare time.

One by one, all your friends were dropped off at their respective houses, many hugs were exchanged, a few tears shed, and a lot of bad jokes were cracked. Bin was the final one to be dropped off, you and Dongmin each hugging him tightly before watching him enter his house, giving a final wave as he reached the front door.

Comfortable silence filled the car as Dongmin drove you home, his fingers tapping the steering wheel to the beat of whatever song was playing through the radio. He glanced over at you a couple times, just to check in. You were staring out the window, which was slightly cracked open, your hair flowing around your face in the breeze. You looked content, which was all Dongmin could ask for.

He pulled up to your house much sooner than either of you would have liked, neither of you saying anything for a few minutes, letting the song on the radio finish before either of you spoke.

“I’ll see you next weekend?” Dongmin looked at you hopefully, his fingers tapping idly in the center console. You rolled your eyes with a smile, leaning over to pull him into a warm hug, which you both knew he needed.

“I’ll always make time for you.”

And you both knew it was true.

You left his car with the memories of the past week heavy in your mind. You’d miss your friends while they were all off chasing their futures, making connections, and climbing the corporate ladder. But you knew you didn’t have to miss Dongmin too much. You knew you were never getting rid of him.

And you were right.

Throughout university, Dongmin made an active attempt to either fly home and visit, or fly you out to visit him at least once every other month. The whole friend group would get together once a year, more or less, the antics you would all get up to making that last beach trip nothing more than a distant memory. When you’d all get together, drinks would be had, jokes would be made, arguments would ensue, and in return, you’d all hug and forgive each other. You could’ve sworn university had somehow made them less mature.

After university, seeing each other all together became harder and harder, now get-togethers would only happen maybe once every couple years. All of the boys had become successful in their own right, even if they were all corporate nepo babies.

Now, you and Dongmin were in your late twenties. Still best friends.

He was lounging on the couch in your studio apartment, lamenting the fact that his parents still hadn’t offered him a position in their company. You were only halfway listening as you waited for the water for your tea to boil, his complaints going in one ear and out the other.

“You know, maybe if I settled down a bit my parents would let me in.” He sighed, twisting in his seat to look at you over the back of the couch. “I think they think university turned me into a total party boy.”

“Well…” You sighed, grabbing a mug from the cupboard. “They might be right about that.”

Dongmin hummed, his mind reeling for a moment before the lightbulb in his head went off. “Actually…can I ask you a really big favor…?”

[lxvemaze]

TAGLIST

@cixrosie @amyyforshort @bbangbies

[lxvemaze]

my comeback era is flopping ridiculously hard

[slytherinshua]

im stalking you, ho

ur scaring me pookie

[lxvemaze]

im lurking and stalking when you least expect it

[lxvemaze]

⫸ do i love you?

synopsis. in this prequel to you know i love you, you and your childhood best friend dongmin have finally made it through your final year of high school. but, your many years of friendship end up being put to the test when dongmin invites you along with his five other friends to his family's beach house for your final summer getaway.

pairing. nonidol!/ceo's son!cha eunwoo x reader

genre. prequel, ceo's son au, high school au

wc. 13k

warnings. jinjin is lowkey (highkey) an absolute VILLAIN? dumb teenagers not realizing their feelings and just being generally frustrating and stupid.

a/n. this could be read as a standalone fic, but no actual romance happens in this one (kinda) there's also maybe a couple things that might be confusing without context, but everything should be pretty clear if you read the main fic first (or after, if you want)

<May 30th>

“Fucking finally. Get your ass in here.” Dongmin yelled from the open car window as you walked down the steps of your school. You rolled your eyes at your friend, taking your sweet time to walk up to the car. “What the hell took you so long?”

“I’m the class vice president, remember? It was our last student gov meeting before Summer break.”  You opened the door to Dongmin’s fancy family car, thanking the driver as you usually did before settling down in your seat next to Dongmin.

“Making you meet on the last day of school before break is diabolical. Absolutely cruel. You’re literally graduating, what do they even want with you?”

“It’s not that bad.”

“It’s terrible.” Dongmin sighed, leaning back in his seat and taking his phone from his pocket, shooting a quick text before tossing it onto the seat next to him. “Are you ready for the trip?”

“...Mostly.”

“You haven’t even packed yet, have you?”

“...No.”

“Should have known.” Dongmin rolled his eyes, picking his phone back up as it buzzed, leaving you to stew in your own forgetfulness.

Dongmin had invited you and the rest of his friends to his family’s beach house for Spring break. One last hurrah before you all went off to live your own lives. Like Dongmin, all of his friends were the children of the country’s most rich and powerful. So their Summers would be spent in stuffy corporate offices doing internships and shadowing their parents before they left for University.

You liked Dongmin’s friends. You’d known them since middle school, but you always felt a bit of an odd one out amongst them—even if they furiously declined that idea.

Dongmin’s driver stopped outside your house a few minutes later, you bid your friend goodbye and hopped out of the car, waving him off as he yelled out a reminder that he’d pick you up at 7am the next morning before picking up the rest of his friends. You unlocked your front door and ran up the stairs to your bedroom, throwing open your dresser drawers and practically dumping your entire wardrobe out on your bed.

Normally when packing for a trip with Dongmin, you wouldn’t really care what you packed. You’d just throw whatever clean clothes you had into your suitcase and call it a day. But with Dongmin’s whole friend group coming, that changed things. Because that meant he was coming.

You’d had a crush on Park Jinwoo since middle school. He was one of Dongmin’s closest friends, and while you had a crush on him, he was also kind of your worst enemy. Ever since he hit puberty and realized that he could get whatever girl he wanted, he decided that flirting with you any and every chance he got was the move. Whenever he did, you would always roll your eyes and tell him to get lost, pretending he didn’t have any kind of effect on you. But he did. And you knew that he knew he did. So he kept doing it.

Despite the constant flirtation, you always doubted that he’d actually go out with you if you’d asked. He could get anyone he wanted, and if the rumors were true, he did get anyone he wanted. He just liked to tease you. But unfortunately, you were still obsessed with him. So, you dug through the clothes on your bed, looking for your cutest tops and your shortest shorts. You rifled through your makeup drawer, pulling out all the expensive makeup that Dongmin’s mother had gifted you for Christmas and stuffing it into your makeup bag. The designer perfume that Jinwoo had complimented one time two years ago was the last item to be thrown in.

You nodded in satisfaction at the items you’d carefully selected, folding them carefully and placing them in your suitcase.

You knew that if Dongmin had seen the exuberance with which you packed your suitcase, he’d have laughed and made fun of you for the rest of the night. For some reason, the idea that you had a crush on Jinwoo always cracked him up.

You went to bed that night fighting the grin that kept creeping onto your face.

<May 31>

You woke up the next morning to your phone ringing incessantly. You reached over to grab it, sitting up with a start as the numbers 7:30 glared up at you, cursing as you answered the phone, tripping over yourself as you rushed to get dressed.

“You can’t be serious right now.” Dongmin’s voice droned through the phone. You ran to your window to see his car parked outside your house, the outline of him tapping his fingers on the steering wheel barely visible.

“I know! I’m so sorry.” You pulled your shirt over your head, putting the phone on speaker as you tugged your socks on.

“And here I thought you were excited for this trip.”

You rolled your eyes at your friend's words as you grabbed the handle of your suitcase and pulled it down the stairs. “I am excited, asshole. I just slept in. I’m sorry I forgot to set my alarm on a Saturday.”

Dongmin sighed, his voice crackling through the phone speaker as you tied your shoes. “Just say you hate me”

“I hate you.” You replied without hesitation, hanging up the phone and opening the front door, grabbing your jacket from the closet on your way out. The cold morning air pricked at your skin as you walked outside. Dongmin stepped out of his black SUV, shoving his hands into the pocket of his designer hoodie, jogging around to the back of the car to open the trunk for you. 

“Who are we picking up first?” You asked as Dongmin wordlessly grabbed the handle of your suitcase and hoisted into the back of his car, laying it next to the bags of groceries he’d bought for the trip.

“Myungjun, then Bin, then Sanha, Jinwoo and Minhyuk. Sanha and Jinwoo stayed over at Minhyuk’s house last night.” Dongmin rolled his eyes as you blushed at the mention of Jinwoo’s name. “You’re such a loser.”

You walked to the passenger side door after your luggage was successfully loaded into the back of the car, rolling your eyes with a scoff at your friend’s words. “Says you. Remember when your family took me with you on that trip to Monaco and you totally ditched me for that girl we met in that car museum?”

“Car museum?” A disgusted Dongmin exclaimed as he started the car. “You’re so uncultured.”

“Just say you hate poor people.”

“I don’t hate poor people. I hate you.”

“Nice.” 

Dongmin grinned as he pulled away from the sidewalk, turning the wheel with one hand, the other fiddling with the radio, turning it to your favorite station.

Myungjun was the first of the group to be picked up. He was already waiting outside on the steps of his family’s massive home as the two of you pulled up. He greeted you loudly as you stepped out of the car to help him with his bags, probably waking up half the neighborhood in the process, his loud voice practically echoing around the quiet neighborhood.

Dongmin stayed in the car, putting Bin’s address into his GPS as you helped Myungjun haul his bags into the trunk. Myungjun called shotgun as soon as the trunk was closed, immediately bolting to the passenger side, leaving you to sit behind him.

If you weren’t fully awake before, you definitely were now. Myungjun’s loud voice reverberated in the vehicle the entire way to Bin’s house, him and Dongmin fully engaged in ecstatic conversation as you put your earbuds in.

The front door of Bin’s home opened almost immediately after you pulled up to the curb, giving an excited wave as he pulled his suitcase to the back of the car. Myungjun hopped out to help him, leaving you and Dongmin alone for a moment.

“Minhyuk, Sanha, and Jinwoo are up next.” Dongmin grinned at you in the rearview mirror, smirking as you rolled your eyes at him, turning your music up louder.

Bin greeted you with a smile as he opened the door on the other side, saying something to Dongmin before settling down in the seat next to you. You kept your headphones in your ears, letting the boys catch up, their loud voices muffled by the music.

You leaned your head against the window, attempting to calm your brain down before Dongmin pulled up to Minhyuk’s house. The music in your left ear was suddenly cut off as someone yanked the earbud out. 

Bin was smiling sweetly as you turned to face him, your earbud between his fingers. “Are you gonna keep being emo, or are you gonna join the conversation?”

Resisting the urge to roll your eyes, you took your other earbud out, allowing yourself to pay attention to the conversation between the three boys. Bin smiled as you angled yourself so you could see all of your friends, catching your eye, his smile widened as he rested his head on Dongmin’s seat in front of him.

Bin was always the one you got along with the best out of the group—other than Dongmin. Bin was actually the first person you told about your crush on Jinwoo. He was always someone you felt comfortable around, he just had that kind of energy.

So you knew by the way he was looking at you that he was internally making fun of you hard.

You couldn’t bring yourself to tune in to the conversation happening around you. Your anxiety spiking through the roof at every familiar turn Dongmin took. You’d been to Minhyuk’s house a few times- it was by far the biggest out of the group. A beautiful traditional mansion with a massive backyard and a literal water fountain out front. It was like something you’d see in a TV show. In fact, a couple of TV shows had been filmed there before they moved in.

Your leg bounced as Dongmin pulled into the massive driveway, the anticipation of seeing Jinwoo stroll out of the house was practically killing you as Dongmin parked the car. First out of the house was Sanha, who came barreling out, gripping tightly onto the straps of his backpack like a little kid on the first day of school. He threw his backpack in the trunk before opening your door and practically climbing over you to take his spot in the third row of seats.

Sanha was sweet– he and Minhyuk were a little bit younger than the rest of you, but he and Bin were a lot like you and Dongmin; practically attached at the hip since you were kids. He was fun- kind of like a little brother to the rest of the group.

Minhyuk followed behind Sanha, his mother standing in the doorframe waving him off as he set his bags in the trunk. He walked around to the other side of the SUV, opening Bin’s door, and climbing- much more gracefully than Sanha- into the back row.

The car stayed silent as you looked out the window in anticipation, your heart dropping a little as Minhyuk’s mother closed the door.

Dongmin hummed, his voice confused as he turned in his seat to look at the two youngest boys. “Where’s Jinwoo?”

“Oh, yeah!” Minhyuk face-palmed, everyone in the car turning to him at the exclamation. “I forgot to tell you guys. He said he wouldn’t be coming.”

“What?” You could’ve sworn your heart stopped beating for a second at his words. “You mean like, he’ll be coming later? Like, on his own?”

“Nah, dude. He’s not coming at all. It’s just us.”

“Of course.” Bin sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“He always pulls shit like this.” Myungjun agreed from his spot in the passenger seat.

Dongmin turned his head to look at your reaction, his heart breaking a little bit at the downtrodden expression on your face. As much as he made fun of you for your little crush on Jinwoo, he really did hate to see you upset. “Okay well, I guess there’s no point in waiting around here, then. Let’s get going.”

Dongmin pulled out of the driveway and onto the main road, turning up the music and relaxing slightly as everyone in the car slowly started picking up conversation. His eyes kept flitting up to the rearview mirror, unconsciously checking in on you every few minutes. You were deep in conversation with Bin about some TV show that the two of you were watching. It brought a smile to Dongmin’s face to see you focus on something other than Jinwoo.

Jinwoo was one of his best friends. Other than you, he was probably his oldest friend. Dongmin remembered the day in middle school when you told him about your crush on Jinwoo. He laughed it off, the idea absolutely ridiculous to him. You with Jinwoo. He never saw it happening. But after Jinwoo had found out and started flirting around with you- something about it irritated him.

It shouldn’t. You were two of his best friends. There was nothing wrong with you potentially dating each other. But every time he saw it- every look Jinwoo gave you, every flirty remark, every blush that crept onto your face at the littlest bit of eye contact- it just annoyed him.

Maybe he just didn’t like the fact that it felt like Jinwoo was playing with you. Or maybe he didn’t like the fact that you were falling for it. Whether you wanted to admit it or not. He knew that you knew Jinwoo just flirted with you to see you squirm. He thought it was funny. But Dongmin hated seeing you blush over it anyway.

Maybe he was just being overprotective.

You were his best friend, after all.

But seeing you laugh with his friends, the anxiety of Jinwoo’s presence lifted from your shoulders, it made Dongmin happy.

The hours in the car slipped by quickly, the conversation becoming increasingly ecstatic as you neared the coast. Everyone turned to look out the window as you approached Dongmin’s family beach house, the massive home practically dwarfing every other house nearby. The ocean crashed behind it, the warm Summer air filling the car as Dongmin rolled down the windows.

Myungjun screamed as he stuck his head out the window like a dog, leaning dangerously far out as the car pulled up to the house. As soon as the car was in park, everyone practically fell over themselves getting out of the car, quickly grabbing their bags from the back and running up the tall staircase to the front door.

Dongmin quickly ascended the stairs after rolling the windows back up and turning off the car, placing the key into the front door and twisting it.

The inside of the house was even more beautiful than the outside. Your attention was immediately brought to the floor-to-ceiling windows that overlooked the ocean, with an attached balcony on the other side of the glass. Most of the boys immediately ran upstairs to claim a bedroom, leaving you and Dongmin to bring the bags of food from the back of the car to the kitchen.

“Did you really need to buy this much food?” You sighed as you hauled the fourth bag onto the pristine marble counter.

Dongmin chuckled as he effortlessly lifted the rest of the bags onto the counter across from you, taking out the individual items and setting them on the counter, organizing them carefully as he did so. You always liked to credit your mother for Dongmin’s organizational skills- she’d worked as the Lee’s housekeeper for as long as you could remember- so you liked to imagine that some of her skills had rubbed off on your friend.

It was around two in the afternoon when you and Dongmin had finished putting the groceries in their proper place. You’d settled on freezer pizza for lunch. After five hours in the car, neither of you were really up to actually cooking anything. Despite the fact that Dongmin was a shockingly good cook.

As if they had a collective sixth sense, the group of boys upstairs came barreling down as soon as you put the pizza in the oven- clambering into the kitchen to raid the fridge for sodas.

“Man, you two really should have hurried up with that. You guys missed out on claiming the best rooms.” Minhyuk grinned as he opened the fridge, wincing as Dongmin smacked his shoulder.

Bin stopped to help you grab the paper plates from the top shelf in the pantry, leaning in before whispering “Don’t worry about it. I put your bag in the biggest room.”

At least someone had your back.

As soon as the pizza came out of the oven, you had to practically wrestle Sanha and Myungjun for the last piece- vacationing with five boys for a week was going to be a lot more difficult than you initially anticipated.

After lunch, you all decided to go down to the beach. The boys ran out the back door and down the long staircase, running toward the water, pushing each other into the sand. You and Bin trailed behind them slightly, figuring out your plans for the rest of the week. Now that it was confirmed Jinwoo wouldn’t be coming, plans had to be shifted around a little bit.

Dongmin watched with a smile as you and Bin walked down the beach, talking excitedly about all your plans. He loved seeing you enjoying yourself and getting along with his friends, that genuine happy smile on your face was one of his favorite sights in the world.

Sometimes he wished he could just have you all to himself all the time. You were his best friend, his person. The knowledge that he’d be moving halfway across the planet from you for university ate him up inside. You always joked about him going to Columbia so you could visit New York- but it was just a joke. He never thought he’d actually be leaving you, but in just a few short months, he’d be attending Oxford, thousands of miles away from you.

His father wanted him to go off and be independent, and it’s not like it was for forever, he knew he’d come home for every holiday, every long weekend, and probably fly you out to visit a few times. But still, he wanted to make his last few months before he left last as long as possible. He wanted to keep you happy for as long as possible.

Everyone decided to call it an early night. Except you and Dongmin. You’d all been hanging out in the living room, playing video games on the TV. One by one, all the boys eventually filed up to their rooms, trudging up the stairs with loud yawns as they made their way to their comfortable beds.

Bin was the last one to ascend the stairs, giving you a quick smile before leaving you and Dongmin to yourselves. He stretched out on the couch with a loud groan, planting his head in your lap. His hands ran down his face, the deep bags under his eyes evident as he sighed deeply. “I don’t think I’ve ever been more glad to be on vacation.”

You hummed in agreement, watching as his eyes closed contentedly while you ran your fingers through his hair, your fingers soothingly scratching against his scalp. Uncomfortable silence was a rarity between you and Dongmin, your years of friendship outweighed any potential for awkward moments.

“You wanna go for a walk?”

He regretted asking as soon as the two of you stepped outside. While it may have been warm during the day, the night air immediately began nipping at your faces, your hoodies not doing much to combat against the cold.

“Why’d you wanna go outside?” You had to physically keep your teeth from chattering as you asked.

Dongmin shoved his hands in his pockets, his body naturally gravitating towards yours for warmth, causing your shoulders to bump into each other. “I just wanted to talk to you about something without the others hearing.”

He sat on a log by the water, the waves crashing loudly as you sat next to him. “...You know, I’m really gonna miss you when I’m gone.”

You couldn’t help but roll your eyes “No need to be so dramatic. It’s not like you’re gonna be gone forever.”

He sighed, shivering slightly as a gust of wind rolled through. “I know. I’m just scared.”

You leaned against him, instinctively trying to transfer some of your body heat to him. “I am, too.”

It was silent for a moment, until you heard him sniffle. He avoided your gaze as he quickly rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand. You knew it was only a matter of time before tears started building up in your own eyes—seeing him cry always made you cry, too.

“I’m really sorry.” He sighed, you could see him physically fighting to keep the tears in his eyes. “I just want this to be a good trip, because it’s the last trip we’re gonna have until at least next Summer, and I know we’ll always be friends, I just don’t know what I’m gonna do without being able to see you whenever I’m having a bad day, and the time difference is gonna make it really hard, and I’m just gonna miss everyone, but especially you, because you’re my best friend and I love you.”  You kept quiet as he spoke, just nodding your head as he rambled. He opened his mouth to speak again, but quickly shut it at the look on your face.

He could always tell when you were about to cry before you did. Something about the way you bit the inside of your cheek, the way your breathing slightly staggered, the way your nose twitched as your tears began to well.

You took a deep breath in a poor attempt to collect yourself, leaning to rest your head on Dongmin’s shoulder, his arm instinctively wrapping around you as you did so.

“Just make sure to come visit me whenever you can.”

He let out a tearful chuckle, squeezing you tighter as he shivered against the cold wind. “Obviously. I’m not just gonna forget my best friend while I’m out there living it up in uni. I’ll be thinking about you the whole time.”

You rolled your eyes, pulling away from his shoulder to look him in the eyes, giving him a sad smile before standing from the log, holding your hands out for him. “Good. As you should. Now, let’s go inside. I’m freezing my ass off out here.”

He took your hand without hesitation. “Yes, ma’am.”

<June 1st>

You woke up late in the morning, emotional late-night conversations always drained you. The loud sounds of the boys playing video games downstairs filled your ears as you sat up in bed, running your hands through your hair in a feeble attempt to tame it. Eyes barely open as you pulled on your clothes and washed your face.

You stumbled down the stairs, your brain still half asleep as you poured what remained in the coffee pot into a mug. It had gone cold by now, but you really didn’t mind, you just needed something to wake your brain up.

“Good to see you up and about. Thought we’d have to call an ambulance or something before too long.” Bin mused as he strolled into the kitchen, grabbing the bag of coffee grounds, bringing them to the coffee machine beside you. You grumbled incoherently as you drank, giving him a grateful smile as he started the pot. He shook his head with a grin, ruffling your hair before he wandered back into the living room. 

You spent the next hour in the kitchen, downing almost the entirety of the fresh pot of coffee while you scavenged for something to eat, settling on half a box of granola bars. The boys were still playing on the TV when you eventually wandered into the living room. Half of them were too locked in to notice your appearance, but Sanha gave you a quick smile and Dongmin scooted closer to Myungjun to give you some space to sit down on the couch.

“What’s the plan for today, your majesty?”

You groaned, laying your head on the armrest, the sun shining through the massive windows far too bright for your liking. “Staying inside. Sleeping. Eating.”

“Shame Jinwoo decided to flake like that. He’d have gotten us out of the house.” Minhyuk sighed, tossing his controller aside as his character on screen died.

Bin hummed as he shoved a handful of chips in his mouth. “He always ditches when we want him there, and then shows up to places he’s not even invited. Love the guy, but this isn’t anything new.” 

“It just sucks that this is our last trip together before you guys leave for university, and we’re only here for a week. You’d think he wouldn’t ditch this time.” Sanha pouted, setting his controller on the table beside Minhyuk’s before wandering into the kitchen, probably looking for snacks.

“It would’ve been nice to have him here.” You sighed. Your head lifted off the arm of the couch at the noticeable shift in the air in the room, the silence palpable as the four remaining boys in the room smirked at you. “What?”

“You just wanted to see him shirtless on the beach, didn’t you?”

“Fuck off, Myungjun.” You threw a pillow at his face, the boys bursting into laughter as you crossed your arms and legs, disgruntled. Dongmin’s face remained straight as the others laughed around him, turning to you with brows raised as you elbowed him. “Not gonna defend me?”

He snorted, rolling his eyes with a smirk. “How could I? He’s not wrong.”

“I hate all of you.” You hated that they all knew about your crush on him. There was something so embarrassing about a group of teenage boys having the leverage to tease you over something like that.

After a long afternoon of video games and nearly getting into a physical altercation with Minhyuk over the last of the Dr. Pepper, you decided to take a nap at around 3pm.

You managed to make your way back to bed and crawl into a comfortable position before sleep overtook you, not noticing the way Dongmin had made his way up the stairs and poked his head into the room to check on you, a soft smile gracing his face as he saw you sleeping soundly on your stomach. Your hair splayed all over your face, limbs stretched out in every which way, lips slightly parted as soft snores escaped your mouth.

You woke with a start for the second time that day- the sounds of the boys cheering downstairs bringing you out of your sleep. Your hand clambering over the end table as you blindly reached for your phone, the room now dark as you checked the time; 6:15 p.m. You sighed deeply, rubbing the sleep out of your eyes as you crept downstairs to see what they were screaming at this time.

But you froze halfway down the steps as you heard Myungjun shout “I can’t believe you actually showed up!”

…Jinwoo.

You crept down the stairs, peeking your head to look into the foyer, and sure enough, there he was. Park Jinwoo in all his bleached blonde glory standing in the entryway, all bright smiles and muscular arms, holding multiple cardboard carriers of what you were certain was various alcoholic drinks.

The boys all crowded around him as they walked into the kitchen, helping him set the drinks on the countertop, the glass bottles clinking against each other with the effort. Your heart skipped a beat as you heard Minhyuk mutter something about you, and then an excited Bin saying “I’ll go get her!”

“No need. I’m right here.” You sighed, descending the final few steps, deliberately avoiding eye contact with Jinwoo as you took your spot by the counter next to Dongmin. 

You could feel Jinwoo’s eyes on you as you casually conversed with Sanha and Dongmin, opening a beer and taking a sip as you spoke about your plans for the next day. You refused to look at him, but you could tell he was smirking at you as you drank, telling Sanha about the cool shops in town you found online that you wanted to visit.

The night dragged on slowly as you avoided speaking to Jinwoo as much as you could, ending up in a conversation with Myungjun about the university that he’d gotten accepted into. As per usual with Myungjun, it wasn’t much of a conversation, more so just him talking at you so fast and loud you could barely make out a word.

Eventually, you made your way out to the balcony to catch a breath, the chattering of the boys on the other side of the windows still audible as you took a sip of your fresh drink, the cool air bringing a welcome tranquility to your night.

But of course, all good things must come to an end.

You sighed deeply as the voice of Park Jinwoo sounded out from the frame of the sliding glass door behind you. “There she is. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were avoiding me.”

“I thought Minhyuk said you weren’t gonna come.” You put on your best nonchalant face, resting your forearms on the polished balcony railing.

Jinwoo smirked, leaning his hip on the railing next to you, his eyes burning into the side of your head. “I wasn’t. But once I heard you’d be here, how could I resist?”

You rolled your eyes at that. Maybe it was due to the drink in your hand, or maybe you just weren’t in the mood, but Jinwoo’s flirtations weren’t nearly as charming to you as they used to be. He seemed to pick up on your despondent energy, turning so his back was against the railing, crossing his arms, but keeping his eyes on you.

“You know, I heard something about you and Dongmin sneaking out to the beach last night.”

It was like he was trying to get under your skin. “Yeah, we just wanted a minute to talk. It’s nothing like…whatever you’re thinking.”

“Sure, sure.” You could hear the smirk in his voice. “Just saying, I wouldn’t mind getting you alone on the beach for a few minutes, either. Not sure Dongmin would like that, though.”

“What do you mean by-”

“Well, we should probably get back inside.” He cut you off as he always did. “Looks like some people are starting to miss us.”

You turned to look through the glass door back into the house, face turning red as you were met with the sight of Myungjun and Sanha giggling and making kissy faces, and Dongmin staring at the two of you, a blank expression on his face.

“I’m looking forward to spending time with you this week. I feel like we don’t hang out enough.”

He left you on the balcony, staring blankly at the spot he’d been standing in. When you finally made your way back inside, Dongmin immediately cornered you, a hushed “What did he say to you?” falling from his lips.

Looking around the room to make sure no one was listening, you quietly relayed your conversation to him, his expression getting more blank as you went on. “I don’t even know what he meant about…really any of that. He’s just trying to spin me up, I’m sure.” “Right.” Dongmin mumbled, running a hand over his face before walking off, leaving you standing there.

It seemed as though everyone was walking away from your conversations that evening.

You were restless the whole night after going to bed, the idea that Jinwoo had picked the room right next to yours kept you up, not sure whether you really didn’t want him to come knocking on your door, or if you really did want him to. 

It was funny, you were so excited for this trip, packing your entire suitcase with the thought of Jinwoo heavy on your mind, excited for him to maybe see you as something more than someone to tease. You were so disappointed when you heard he wouldn’t be coming, but now that he was actually here, you wanted nothing more than for him to leave.

<June 2nd>

You weren’t sure if you really ended up sleeping at all. Eyes drooping heavily as you sat in the passenger seat of Dongmin’s car, the boys in the back yelling back and forth as you massaged your temples, attempting to soothe the headache that was beginning to form.

Dongmin’s eyes flitted over to you every now and then. Concern evident on his face as he watched you fall in and out of sleep. His hand slithered into yours as it rested on the center console, his thumb massaging the soft skin on the back of your hand. You returned the favor, your index finger idly tapping against his skin

“You two excited?”

Dongmin’s hand quickly wrenched from yours as Jinwoo’s voice spoke into his ear. He could see the smug look on his friend's face as he leaned between the two front seats, his arm resting casually on the back of the passenger seat, where you were clearly avoiding his gaze.

Jinwoo hummed at the silence between you and Dongmin, quietly sliding back into his seat, seamlessly inserting himself into Minhyuk and Bin’s conversation. On any other day after a rude interruption by Jinwoo, you and Dongmin would’ve made eye contact, rolling your eyes, holding in your laughs, silently making fun of Jinwoo’s determination to flirt with you. But today, it was different.

It was quiet.

And you didn’t know why.

As you and the group walked around the main street of the little beach town, the mood between you, Dongmin, and Jinwoo stayed stale as it had been the past 24 hours. Jinwoo trailed closely behind you as you and Dongmin wandered around a little candy shop, quietly joking to each other about the silly names on the labels by each flavor.

You could almost physically feel Dongmin tense up whenever Jinwoo got just a little bit too close, leaning in close to your ear to make a quiet remark, the hairs on the back of your neck standing up as you felt his breath on you.

Dongmin’s lack of eye contact with you whenever Jinwoo made a poor attempt at a pass on you was starting to weird you out a little bit. Jinwoo and Dongmin had been friends for almost as long as the two of you had been. They were usually constantly joking around with each other- Jinwoo would say something dumb and flirty to you, and Dongmin would laugh and joke that you were saving yourself for whatever celebrity you were crushing on at the time. So Dongmin’s silence at Jinwoo’s demeanor today was nothing short of concerning.

You elbowed Dongmin gently as you exited the candy shop and Jinwoo fell into conversation with Sanha and Minhyuk. He just gave you a small quick smile as you quirked an eyebrow at him, but the smile didn’t do much to quell your concern. Maybe he was just tired. He never was much of a morning person.

The day continued on the same as it had been; the group would stop in some tourist shop, poke fun at the dumb merchandise and overpriced snacks, Jinwoo would lean in a bit too close, your face would go red from either annoyance or nervousness, Dongmin would tense up and stay silent, and then the group would move on to the next shop.

It was starting to get exhausting.

As soon as the sun started to get low on the horizon, Bin suggested finding a spot for dinner, and it took a shockingly short amount of time for everyone to agree on a restaurant. You were sandwiched between Dongmin and Minhyuk at the table, the latter of which was ranting to you about the other kids in the dance team he was the captain of– you hummed and nodded at the appropriate times, although you were only halfway listening, your eyes trained on the way Jinwoo was folding the napkin in front of him, his nimble fingers creasing the fabric, forming it into an intricate spiral shape.

Feeling a pair of eyes on you, you paused, looking up to see Bin smirking at you with a raised brow. You rolled your eyes as if it was no big deal, but the flush creeping up your neck clearly said otherwise. You were just glad it was Bin that had caught you and not any of the others, because at least Bin would never outwardly make fun of you.

“What are you gonna order?” Dongmin leaned in, pressing his shoulder against yours as he asked the question. You hummed and looked over at the menu in his hand, none of the items on the list looked familiar except for the various soups and salads. “Are you just gonna order soup and steal from everyone else's plates?”

It was as if he had read your mind– as per usual.

You were going to respond with something sarcastic and dry, maybe make fun of how he always orders the same thing as whatever his mom does, but your joke was cut short by the waitress arriving to take your orders.

The whole table fell silent as she approached. She was pretty. Very pretty, the kind of pretty that only exists in movies and magazines. No one spoke immediately when she asked if you were all ready to order, all the boys at the table staring with their mouths agape like fish, while you hoped the look on your face was enough of an apology for their behavior.

But they all knew their chance with her was squashed as soon as Dongmin took the initiative to order first. A sigh of either relief or defeat was let out across the table the second the waitress looked at Dongmin, her eyes lighting up as she scanned his face.

You always knew Dongmin was an attractive person, everyone always said so, at least, and the way girls reacted to his mere presence was more than enough proof. So, no, this was not the first time you’d seen all five of Dongmin’s friends give up completely when only eye contact was exchanged between him and a pretty girl.

At least with the group knowing they had little to no chance with Dongmin around, none of them were acting like fools and embarrassing themselves trying to impress the girl. Everyone placed their orders, you ordered a soup just like Dongmin said you would, and the pretty waitress smiled, her eyes lingering on your best friend before departing from your table.

The second she was out of earshot, the table erupted in conversation. “Every. Time. This happens every single time we all go out together.” Minhyuk sighed from beside you, crossing his arms over the table.

“I would say leave some girls for the rest of us, but I don’t think you can physically do that.” Myungjun laughed, patting Minhyuk’s head from across the table.

Sanha shook his head, rolling his eyes, “You don’t even have to do anything. All you have to do is make eye contact and they’re falling all over you. And when it’s not you, it’s Jinwoo.”

“Don’t worry, Sanha. Once you eventually hit puberty, girls will start looking at you, too.” Jinwoo smirked, dodging the napkin Sanha threw at him from the other end of the table.

As the boys around you all argued, tossing napkins and insulting each other's haircuts, Dongmin ducking behind you to shield himself from the carnage, you and Bin smiled and laughed together, silently appreciating being each other's calm in the turbulence that was the dinner table.

The night went on as you’d expect– the waitress would come back every now and again to check that everyone was enjoying their meals, Dongmin would say something sweet to her and she’d giggle and walk away, all the boys would complain that he was just rubbing it in, which he absolutely was, but he’d just shrug his shoulders and say that he couldn’t help it.

You were mostly successful in your attempt to steal from everyone else’s plates as discreetly as you could, Dongmin and Bin willingly turned a blind eye to you grabbing bites of their chicken, but you ended up nearly having to fist fight Myungjun over a bite of his salmon while Sanha and Minhyuk cheered you on.

Dinner slowly winded down and the check came to the table, Sanha begged someone to cover his dinner and the two separate desserts he ordered (which Jinwoo ended up paying for), and Bin forced everyone to finish drinking their glasses of water.

As everyone stood to leave, the waitress reappeared, shyly approaching Dongmin, who smiled at her and gently guided her out of earshot of the group.

“Think she’s asking him to come over and smash?”

It felt like something out of a cartoon, the way the whole group slowly turned to look at Sanha, a devious grin on his face as he stood on his tip toes to watch Dongmin and the waitress talk.

“Who wouldn’t? If I were a girl, I’d probably do the same.” The group turned their gaze to Minhyuk who just shrugged as if he had only stated the obvious. “I said what I said.”

Jinwoo chuckled before turning his attention to you, speaking your name before asking, “Not you, though. Right?”

You rolled your eyes at the question, shaking your head and sighing deeply. “No, I think I know him too well for that.”

Jinwoo shrugged. “Never say never.”

“...Never.”

“If you say so.”

“Okay. I do say so.”

“I’m just saying–”

“Hey, guys?” Dongmin jogged up to the group, a sheepish look on his face as he neared. “So…she’s off her shift in about ten minutes, so I think she and I are gonna hang out if it’s cool with you guys.”

“Dude…you drove us here.” Bin scoffed, the amusement on his face mixed with slight annoyance.

“Yeah, I know. Here.” Dongmin tossed his keys, which Bin caught easily, his face becoming less amused by the second. “She said she’ll give me a ride back to the house later.”

You and Bin exchanged a look, not of amusement or annoyance, but rather of defeat. Because who were you to deny your friend a bit of fun?

“Whatever. Just don’t be out too late, we have actual plans for tomorrow.”

Dongmin grinned at Bin’s reluctant agreement, giving him a quick hug before turning to you, giving a small smile, and running off to tell the waitress the good news.

The group remained silent for a moment, mourning the loss of Dongmin’s presence before Bin sighed and directed you all outside to the parking lot. You were able to snag the passenger seat yet again by physically pulling Sanha back by his shirt collar when he tried to clamber into the seat, Myungjun laughing loudly as you moved Sanha like he weighed nothing more than a kitten.

The humor of the situation didn’t last long, though. The car ride was nearly silent the entire twenty minute drive back to the vacation home, either because everyone was exhausted from the long day, or everyone was mildly annoyed by Dongmin running off from the group.

It was nothing you weren’t used to, though. You’d gone on vacation with Dongmin a few times throughout high school, and he frequently would run off with gorgeous local girls for a few hours, while you were content to explore whatever city you were in by yourself, with nothing but a guide book and your phone. But the older you got, the more annoying these occurrences became. Because why wasn’t he just content to spend time with you?

As soon as Bin pulled into the driveway, the youngest boys (and Myungjun), all went to bed, exhausted from a long day of running through various shops and terrorizing the local wildlife.

You, Bin, and Jinwoo followed each other into the kitchen, Bin wordlessly grabbing a beer for each of you from the fridge. The three of you stood in silence as you drank, quiet sighs periodically escaping from each of you as you mulled over the events of the day.

Bin was the first to finish his drink, leaving you with a smile and light touch on the shoulder as he passed you to ascend the stairs to his room, leaving you and Jinwoo alone in the kitchen.

The silence didn’t last much longer, Jinwoo downed the rest of his beer quickly before grabbing a bottle of wine from the counter and turning to you. “Let’s go outside.”

Ordinarily, you would’ve protested, snapping back with some sarcastic comment and hoping he didn’t notice the blush creeping up on your cheeks. But maybe it was the way this was your first time being alone with Jinwoo without Dongmin in the vicinity, or maybe you were just drunk, but you agreed. 

Nodding your head, you followed Jinwoo onto the balcony where you and him had your conversation the previous night. The air outside was warmer than it was the first night you arrived, when you spoke to Dongmin about your future. But you didn’t want to think about Dongmin right now. Not while Park Jinwoo was looking at you like that.

You could feel his eyes burning into you, practically begging for eye contact as the two of you wordlessly passed the bottle of wine back and forth.

Eventually, he sighed and cleared his throat, placing the bottle on the floor between you. “You know, I really am trying.”

That got you to look at him. His big brown eyes shockingly sincere, the corners of his lips turned down into an uncharacteristic frown. “You’re my best friend’s best friend. I think we should get along, but you’re making it kind of difficult, and I wanna know why.”

Maybe it was the wine toning down his cockiness, but for the first time since you’d met him, Jinwoo actually sounded…sweet? But something in your head told you not to fall for it.

“You know why.” You scoffed, turning away from him, crossing your arms over the balcony railing, focusing your attention on the crashing waves of the ocean ahead of you.

Jinwoo hummed, maybe in agreement, or just acknowledgement. You knew he knew about your crush on him. He always knew, and he loved to make you regret liking him. But there was something different about the way he looked at you tonight. It felt less calculated, less deliberate, less mean. You’d caught his eye a couple of times during dinner, every time you glanced over at him, he was already looking over at you, no cocky smirk present, just a brief moment of eye contact accompanied by a soft smile before he turned away.

The silence remained stale between the two of you before he sighed, grabbing the bottle from the floor and turning to lean on the railing beside you. “Maybe some things are better left unsaid.”

You nodded, taking the bottle as he passed it, your cold fingers momentarily brushing against his warm ones. “Maybe I want you to say it. Just so I know we’re on the same page.”

Jinwoo chuckled, shaking his head with an unfamiliar look in his eyes, “I don’t know if you really want that.” He looked over at you, slightly taken aback by the confused look on your face. His eyes softened as his jaw dropped ever so slightly. “Oh man, you really don’t know, do you–?”

He was cut off by the sliding glass door opening, both of you quickly turning your heads to see Dongmin standing there, confusion evident on his face as he saw you and Jinwoo, the only two in the house still awake, sharing a bottle of wine on the balcony.

A soft laugh left Jinwoo’s mouth as he glanced between you and Dongmin, the silence between you palpable as he grabbed the bottle from your hand. “I guess that’s my cue to go to bed.” He slid past Dongmin who was still standing in the doorway, unmoving. Jinwoo gave you a smile and a wink, patting Dongmin on the shoulder as he moved past him.

Dongmin stayed still, just looking at you with that same confused look on his face. The air felt strangely tense as his mind reeled with the endless list of things you and Jinwoo could have possibly been talking about before he interrupted.

But his thoughts were put on hold when you asked him, “Did you have fun?”

His face dropped, stepping onto the balcony and closing the door behind him, he breathed a small “Yeah.”, before approaching you, leaning on the same spot Jinwoo had been previously. “What were you and Jinwoo talking about?”

“Nothing, really. He was just being weird and cryptic as per usual.” Dongmin nodded at your words, tapping his fingers against the glossy wooden railing, the sound of the ocean filling in the silence between you. “I think everyone was kind of pissed that you ditched us.”

He nodded, his face dropping in shame or guilt. “Yeah, I guess I realized that not too long after I left. It was a total Jinwoo move. Not like me at all.”

“Except it kind of was.” You scoffed.

“What do you mean?”

“You do this all the time. I swear, every time we’ve gone on any trip in the past three years, we’ll be hanging out, and then you’ll find some girl to run around with, and totally ditch me.”

He stuttered for a moment, his fingers now nervously playing with a loose string on his hoodie sleeve. “You never complained, so I thought you were cool with it. You like being alone.”

“Yeah, but I like hanging out with my best friend more.”

He had no response. He knew he was in the wrong. The two of you rarely argued, but when you did, it was usually over stupid things like this. Dongmin had gone his whole life with little to no consequences for his actions, you were one of the few things in his life that kept him grounded in reality, that kept his rich boy ego from going off the deep end.

He didn’t want to be just another stupid rich kid that goes about life with blinders on. So he listened to you. He valued you.

But that didn’t mean his ego wasn’t a little bruised when you’d tell him off.

“You know, Jinwoo and I had a conversation last night after you went to bed.”

“...Okay?”

“It was…weird.”

“What’d you talk about?”

He sighed, kicking imaginary rocks off the balcony, refusing to meet your eye. “I don’t think it’s really my place to say.”

“Oh my god, bro.” You rolled your eyes, standing up straight and taking a step back from the railing. Everyone was starting to get on your nerves, and your patience was wearing thin. “If you’re not gonna tell me, why say anything at all?”

“I don’t know! I’m just trying to make conversation.”

“Well, you’re doing a shitty job.” You opened the sliding glass door and took a step inside before glancing back at your friend, “I’m going to bed.”

You left Dongmin on the balcony, the downtrodden expression on his face doing nothing but irritating you further.

<June 3rd>

You were woken to an incessant pounding on your door, Sanha’s voice cracking as he called you down to breakfast. You groaned, rubbing your eyes as you sat up, the warm morning light spilling through the parted curtains, a mild throbbing in your head reminding you of the bottle of wine you drank the night before.

Sanha called out your name again, his knocking intensifying rapidly before you yelled “I’m coming!” You hopped out of the bed, wrenching the door open to be greeted with Sanha’s wide, braced grin. 

“You’re not gonna believe this.” He giggled before hopping over to the door next to yours, the one that Jinwoo was sleeping behind.

“Not gonna believe what?” You groaned, rubbing your eyes again, trying to get them to adjust to the light. A deep sigh left your mouth as Sanha started pounding loudly on Jinwoo’s door, he giggled after hearing his older friend yell out an unintelligible curse. 

Sanha looked over to you again, yet another giggle escaping from him. “You’re gonna lose your shit once you get downstairs.” His knocking continued.

“Literally what are you talking–”

You were cut off by Jinwoo’s door opening harshly “It is eight o’clock in the morning. What the fuck is your problem?” Jinwoo looked as though he had been through every world war—his bleached blonde hair was sticking up in every which way, his t-shirt was somehow only on one shoulder, and only boxers adorned his lower half—save for the singular sock on his left foot.

Sanha giggled yet again at Jinwoo’s appearance before taking a deep breath and loudly whispering “Dongmin brought the waitress home.”

Your jaw immediately dropped at his words, Jinwoo and Sanha both quickly looking up for your reaction. “You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me.” Immediately, you marched downstairs, both boys nervously following behind you. The second you landed on the bottom floor, you saw what Sanha was talking about.

There she was. Sitting on one of the cushy barstools behind the counter, sipping happily on a glass of orange juice, Dongmin by her side, his arm resting on the back of her seat as he chatted with Myungjun and Bin. The grin on his face dropped as soon as he saw you standing at the foot of the stairs, Jinwoo standing awkwardly beside you, hurriedly fixing his shirt. Sanha had trotted to Myungjun’s side, the two of them giggling quietly to each other about the situation.

Dongmin’s eyes flitted between you and Jinwoo, his gaze lingering on Jinwoo’s disheveled clothes and your messy hair. “Did you two…just wake up?”

You could practically feel Jinwoo’s whole demeanor shift from awkward and nervous to his usual self-confidence. He shrugged casually, giving you a smirk before strolling to the fridge and pulling out the carton of orange juice. “We had a late night. You remember, I’m sure.”

Dongmin and you simultaneously cringed, avoiding each other's gaze as you both remembered the bitter note you left the conversation on the night before. “Lots of wine,” Jinwoo continued, “lots of talking. Had a nice little heart to heart.” You rolled your eyes as he passed you a glass of juice, but you didn’t deny what he was saying. It’s not like he was lying. 

Your eyes landed back on the waitress, she was attentively listening to Jinwoo, who for some reason was telling the story of the first time you and him had met—You were ten years old, hanging out at Dongmin’s house after school, as per usual, when the doorbell rang. Dongmin ran over to answer it, cheering when he opened the door to see a boy around his age, wearing the same school uniform as your friend. Dongmin called you over to introduce the two of you, but as you were making your way over, you tripped on a fold in the expensive rug in the Lee family’s living room, landing flat on your face, listening as Dongmin and his friend made a poor attempt at stifling their laughter.

Dongmin’s friend helped you up, introducing himself as Park Jinwoo, a classmate of Dongmin’s, and his closest friend at school. Your crush on him wouldn’t start until a couple years later, when he finally had a growth spurt and joined the baseball team.

“I can’t believe you remember that.” You scoffed as you took a sip of juice “It was like, eight years ago.”

“Of course I remember it.” Jinwoo leaned against the counter, keeping his eyes trained on you. “It was the day I met you.”

You rolled your eyes as the waitress started raving about how sweet Jinwoo was. She had no idea his words meant nothing to him. You were glad Jinwoo’s flirtations were starting to lose their novelty, it made it that much easier to roll your eyes and act like they had no effect on you. But even though you knew he was just teasing, you never could help the heat that crept into your face.

Dongmin’s eyes were burning into you throughout the entire morning, you could feel them on you while you helped Bin make pancakes, while you chatted with Minhyuk as he did the dishes, and while you convinced Sanha to not wear the stupidest hat you’d ever seen in public.

Maybe it was because he thought you were still annoyed with him over the night before, or maybe he didn’t like the way Jinwoo never seemed to be more than a few feet away from you. 

When you were younger, Dongmin thought your crush on Jinwoo was hilarious, and he’d laugh along whenever Jinwoo would tease you, and you’d roll your eyes in an attempt to look nonchalant while your bright red face betrayed you. He truly did think it was just a silly little thing at first. But Jinwoo’s jokes were starting to turn stale, it just felt mean, the way Jinwoo would tease you, knowing well that you still like him.

Maybe he was annoyed that Jinwoo wouldn’t leave you alone about it, even all these years later, maybe he was just protective over you—you were his oldest and best friend, after all. Or maybe it was the way you and Jinwoo had stayed up last night drinking with each other, and come downstairs together looking more disheveled than usual. Maybe he was annoyed that he felt like you two were keeping something from him. But his conversation with Jinwoo from a few nights ago rang loudly in his head, so he let it go.

You did your best to ignore Dongmin’s gaze and tune out the sound of the waitress giggling at the story Myungjun was telling. The way she blended in so seamlessly with the group irritated you for some reason, the way that she was now sat next to Dongmin in the exact spot you would usually sit, laughing at the story you would have been scoffing at. She was so…sweet. 

And it annoyed you to no end.

With her sat in your spot next to Dongmin, you felt slightly aimless as you wandered into the living room after helping Sanha pick out a new outfit for the day. Sanha flopped down next to Minhyuk, proudly showing him the outfit you picked out, presenting it as his own creation. To your annoyance, the only seat open was next to none other than Park Jinwoo, who had his arm draped over the back of the two-seater he was comfortably lounging on.

You swallowed your pride, taking a deep breath before settling down next to Jinwoo, the small couch not allowing for much leg room, leaving your legs slightly pressed against each other. Quickly, you fell into conversation with Bin, who was sitting on a seat near you, trying to ignore the way you could feel Dongmin’s gaze on you once again.

You didn’t see the way Jinwoo’s eyes moved between you—deep in conversation with Bin about the logistics of your trip to the boardwalk that afternoon now that you had an extra person in tow—and Dongmin, whose eyes were trained on you, although his arm was around the shoulders of the waitress sitting next to him. Jinwoo scoffed to himself, his mind reeling with the burden of the situation the three of you were in, that only he seemed to realize.

That afternoon, you found yourself sandwiched between Minhyuk and Sanha in the very back of Dongmin’s SUV. Myungjun, Bin, and Jinwoo in the middle seat, with Dongmin driving with one hand on the wheel, the other holding the hand of the waitress in the passenger seat. You found yourself wallowing in the fact that she’d not only stolen your spot on the couch, but with her around, you were no longer even designated passenger.

Sanha and Minhyuk seemed to realize your sour mood, whether they knew why you were upset or not, it didn’t really matter. They tried to distract you by playing various car games, and complaining when you only halfway participated.

The car ride to the pier was only an hour and a half, but it felt like an eternity. You couldn’t take your eyes away from the front seat, Dongmin holding the waitress’s hand over the center console, her giggling when he would whisper something you couldn’t make out.

It was the closest thing to torture you’d ever felt.

On the pier, the group seemed to be split nearly in two—Myungjun and Minhyuk hanging back to walk with Dongmin and the waitress, who were walking much too slow for your taste—and you, Jinwoo, and Sanha ahead, stopping at nearly every shop and booth you came across. Bin acted as something of a bridge between the two groups, running back and forth to relay information between the two of you.

Later in the day, after much cotton candy was eaten by the youngest two (and Myungjun), some trinkets were bought, and your eyes were starting to feel sore from how many times you’d rolled them (practically every time you looked at Dongmin and the waitress), both groups had reunited on the beach to rest for a bit before you found a spot for dinner.

You felt like a bad friend for being in such a sour mood, practically temporarily tearing apart your friend group in the process. But you just couldn’t wrap your head around the fact that Dongmin had brought her along.

You really shouldn’t be this mad. Things like this happened every time you and Dongmin went on a trip. You’d be hanging out in whatever city you were in, having a great time just being in each others presence, looking at all the kitschy shops, eating great food, and then Dongmin would find some pretty local girl, you would tell him to go off and have fun, and then you wouldn’t see him until late that night when he came creeping into whatever fancy penthouse or mini-mansion his parents had rented for the trip.

You were usually fine with it. You’d lightly smack his shoulder and roll your eyes fondly before he ran off with whatever beautiful girl had approached him, knowing that he’d come back to hang out with you once they were done doing whatever the hell they were doing. But he’d never invited these girls to hang out with you before now. Maybe it was because you were in a group and it wasn’t just the two of you, but something about the way he’d invited this girl to hang out with the whole group just made you…mad.

You should be having the time of your life right now—Jinwoo had bought you an overpriced tropical fruit smoothie, he was sitting so close to you, his thigh was right against yours, his arm wasn’t around you as you two sat on the sand, but his hand was planted right behind you as he leaned back, the designer sunglasses on his face hanging low on his nose as he watched Myungjun and Sanha wrestle in the sand while Bin and Minhyuk played in the water.

You were, in theory, living the dream. You should be enjoying the moment. You should be reveling in the fact that Park Jinwoo had been all over you since he made his surprise appearance two nights ago. But you couldn’t take your eyes off the way Dongmin leaned into this girl, telling stupid jokes to make her laugh, holding her hand as they walked down the beach. The two of them had been getting on your nerves all day. The way the rest of the group just immediately accepted her, laughing at her silly little anecdotes, telling her how lucky Dongmin is that he found her. They didn’t even know her.

And neither did you. So why were you so upset?

Somehow, Jinwoo had become your only solace. He was the only other one that didn’t seem completely charmed by the girl, the only one that just politely smiled and nodded when she spoke rather than grinning and laughing at her unfunny jokes.

It wasn’t like she was annoying, or rude, or weird. She actually seemed like a very sweet girl, but the way she just kind of showed up without warning that morning completely threw you off, and you supposed it did the same to Jinwoo. Whenever she would speak, you and Jinwoo would simultaneously glance at each other, taking a deep breath in unison before tuning her out.

“God, they’re pissing me off.” You sighed, Jinwoo hummed in agreement, leaning in to sip through the straw of your smoothie. You kept your eyes trained on the two of them, giggling hand in hand as they practically skipped down the beach.

Jinwoo however, had his gaze settled on you, internally sighing at the way you couldn’t tear your eyes away from Dongmin for even a second to look at him. He thought for a moment, and took a deep breath before gently placing his fingers on your jaw, guiding your head so you were looking right at them.

His voice was barely above a whisper as he said, “If watching them makes you mad, I’m right here. Just look at me.”

You felt like your brain had fully short-circuited, his fingers on your face burning into your skin as his deep brown eyes were locked on yours. You couldn’t even tell whether you felt nervous, awkward, or aroused. Suddenly, you were very aware of the fact that all of your friends were in very close proximity, and you and Jinwoo were in fact, not alone on this beach.

Unwittingly, you nervously giggled and turned your head, prompting Jinwoo to drop his hand from your face. You immediately wished you hadn’t moved your head in that direction, because now you were making direct eye contact with Dongmin, who had a completely unreadable expression on his face, standing perfectly still, his hand still entwined with the waitress, yet he was looking right at you.

You could hear Jinwoo sigh from beside you as you and Dongmin stared at each other, both completely frozen like a deer in headlights. Dongmin’s eyes were finally drawn away from yours as the waitress said something to him, pulling on his shirt gently to get his attention.

The second you saw her mouth move, you stood up from your spot, turned around, and started walking away from the beach completely. You heard Sanha call after you, his worried voice doing nothing to slow your stride. You didn’t even know where you were going, all you knew was that you couldn’t stand to look at the two of them for one more second.

If anyone had asked you to explain why, you wouldn’t have been able to tell them. You honestly didn’t even know yourself, but it felt like with her there, you were completely invisible to your own best friend. He had barely spoken to you at breakfast, she took your spot on the couch, she took your spot in his car, and now, when you were supposed to be having fun with your best friend on your last trip together before he moved thousands of miles away, he was spending all his time with her. A girl he had just met.

The only interaction you’d gotten with him the entire day was eye contact. Terrible, uncomfortable, awkward eye contact.

Even the fact that Park Jinwoo, your number one crush of the past eight years, had all but told you he loved you, did nothing to quell your anger at Dongmin and the girl.

You didn’t know how long you’d been walking, but the sun was starting to set over the ocean as you came across a rocky patch of the beach, completely barren from fellow tourists. You sat atop a large rock, your feet dangling as you stared out at the setting sun, trying to make sense of every confusing emotion raging through you.

You didn’t look as you heard someone tentatively walking up to you from behind, expecting it was your best friend coming to comfort you, maybe apologize for acting like a bad friend and ruining your vacation. You didn’t know whether to be disappointed or relieved when it turned out to be Jinwoo instead of Dongmin.

It was silent between the two of you for a while. Not an awkward silence, just…silence, neither of you turning to look or speak to each other as you watched the sun dip lower into the horizon.

Eventually, Jinwoo turned to look at you, the sun casting a golden light over the two of you. You noted the way his brown eyes turned gold in the light as you met his gaze. The silence continued, the only sound coming from the crashing waves and the occasional passing seagull.

You didn’t even realize the way you had slowly leaned into each other until his lips were already brushing against yours.

You should have been happy. Park Jinwoo, practically the only boy you’d ever liked, was kissing you. Fully kissing you.

But you just felt…sad.

Why weren’t you happy?

Jinwoo pulled away after a moment, sighing as soon as your eyes met again. “I knew it.”

“...Knew what?”

“You don’t like me.”

It was as if every braincell in your head had immediately set itself on fire. What the hell did he mean you don’t like him? “Jinwoo, I’ve liked you since we were ten years old. You know that, you always have.”

He sighed again, running a hand over his face, his eyes now doing everything to avoid yours. “You probably did at one point, but you definitely don’t anymore. You haven’t for a long time. I just wanted to see if I was right, and that just confirmed it.”

Tears started burning the corners of your eyes, threatening to fall at any second. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” You stood from your spot, tears beginning to streak down your cheeks. “I’ve liked you forever, what do you mean that ‘confirmed’ it?”

Jinwoo stood, his eyes still avoiding yours. “If you liked me, I would have felt it. But I didn’t, and I know you didn’t either.”

You stuttered for a second, finding it hard to catch your breath through the tears. “You can’t be serious right now. If I don’t like you, then what have we been doing all day?”

He groaned your name, pinching the bridge of his nose as if your words were causing his head to ache. “Come on, we may not be friends, but I've known you long enough to know that you're not that stupid.”

You couldn't help but scoff at his words. Tears falling endlessly down your face as you tried to find some reasoning as to why he was doing this to you. “I don't even know what you mean. Why do you always have to be so weird and cryptic?”

Jinwoo sighed, looking up at the sky that was fading into soft purples and pinks. “I can't just tell you. That wouldn't be fair to any of us.”

“Jesus Christ." You sighed, wiping your tears with the back of your hand. “I don't understand you. You kiss me and then try to tell me that I don't really like you.”

He groaned loudly, frustrated, running his hands through his hair. “I only did that to see if you actually like me, and I could tell. I can tell. You don't. You may think you do, but you don't.”

“What the actual fuck is wrong with you?”

Jinwoo threw up his hands in defeat, which only served to piss you off even more. “I don’t know how to explain it to you. You’ll figure it out one day.” Before you could get another word in, he turned and left. Leaving you standing on that rock, tears staining your face as you watched him go.

Maybe you should have run after him, and demanded he tell you exactly what the hell he was talking about. But you didn’t. You just stood there, blurry-eyed and defeated.

Until your saving grace came. You heard his voice calling your name, your head immediately snapping up in response. No words were exchanged as Dongmin neared, the second he was within your reach, you hugged him tightly, crying into his shoulder as you had many times before.

He didn’t even need to say anything to comfort you. His warm, familiar embrace was more than enough comfort.

“I thought he liked me.” You finally whispered.

Dongmin’s grip on you tightened, his jaw twitching as he heard the heartbreak in your voice. “I know you did. I’m sorry.”

“Sorry for what?”

“For being a bad friend.”

You pulled away just enough to look at him, the sincerity in his voice matched the look in his eyes. “You’re not a bad friend.”

He smiled sadly down at you. You were always so quick to forgive him for his fuckups. “Okay. I was being a bad friend. And I’m sorry. None of this should have happened.”

You shrugged, pulling away from him to wipe the tears from your eyes again. “I guess everyone’s making mistakes today.”

He hummed, his arms still lightly circled around your body. “I feel like you should be angrier at…well…everyone right now?”

“Oh, don’t worry, I am. I just figured I’d let you know I forgive you before I start yelling at you.”

“Oh, good.” He laughed, slinging an arm over your shoulders, guiding you back in the direction of your friends. “You were scaring me with how calm and forgiving you were. But now I have to ask. Can I take a video of you kicking Jinwoo’s ass?”

You snorted, smacking him on the back of the head. Somehow, even in the worst situations, Dongmin always knew how to make you laugh.

You only felt a little bit bad when after you reunited with your friends, Myungjun told you that the waitress had gotten a ride home with a friend after Dongmin left to follow you and Jinwoo without any explanation. But any sympathy you felt was quickly replaced by the genuine joy you felt when you were finally back in the passenger seat of your best friend’s car, happily munching on a drive-thru burger.

Not another word was spoken between you and Jinwoo the entire rest of the trip– in fact, he left the next morning with nothing more than a text to the group chat saying that he was gone and not to worry about him. Not that anyone would have either way.

The rest of the trip went on as it should have from the very start; you and your friends playing on the beach, drinking, reminiscing, sleeping in until the afternoon, and eating too much junk food.

The ride home was quiet. No one wanted your final vacation together to be over. The same thought was heavy on everyone’s mind; this might be the last time for a long time that you’re all together. After this, everyone would be starting their Summer internships, which would allow for hardly any free time, and after Summer was over, Dongmin would be going to the UK for uni, Bin would go to the United States, Myungjun would start uni in another city, and Minhyuk and Sanha still had another year of high school.

You would stay at home working with your dad at the convenience store he owned, taking online courses through your local university in your spare time.

One by one, all your friends were dropped off at their respective houses, many hugs were exchanged, a few tears shed, and a lot of bad jokes were cracked. Bin was the final one to be dropped off, you and Dongmin each hugging him tightly before watching him enter his house, giving a final wave as he reached the front door.

Comfortable silence filled the car as Dongmin drove you home, his fingers tapping the steering wheel to the beat of whatever song was playing through the radio. He glanced over at you a couple times, just to check in. You were staring out the window, which was slightly cracked open, your hair flowing around your face in the breeze. You looked content, which was all Dongmin could ask for.

He pulled up to your house much sooner than either of you would have liked, neither of you saying anything for a few minutes, letting the song on the radio finish before either of you spoke.

“I’ll see you next weekend?” Dongmin looked at you hopefully, his fingers tapping idly in the center console. You rolled your eyes with a smile, leaning over to pull him into a warm hug, which you both knew he needed.

“I’ll always make time for you.”

And you both knew it was true.

You left his car with the memories of the past week heavy in your mind. You’d miss your friends while they were all off chasing their futures, making connections, and climbing the corporate ladder. But you knew you didn’t have to miss Dongmin too much. You knew you were never getting rid of him.

And you were right.

Throughout university, Dongmin made an active attempt to either fly home and visit, or fly you out to visit him at least once every other month. The whole friend group would get together once a year, more or less, the antics you would all get up to making that last beach trip nothing more than a distant memory. When you’d all get together, drinks would be had, jokes would be made, arguments would ensue, and in return, you’d all hug and forgive each other. You could’ve sworn university had somehow made them less mature.

After university, seeing each other all together became harder and harder, now get-togethers would only happen maybe once every couple years. All of the boys had become successful in their own right, even if they were all corporate nepo babies.

Now, you and Dongmin were in your late twenties. Still best friends.

He was lounging on the couch in your studio apartment, lamenting the fact that his parents still hadn’t offered him a position in their company. You were only halfway listening as you waited for the water for your tea to boil, his complaints going in one ear and out the other.

“You know, maybe if I settled down a bit my parents would let me in.” He sighed, twisting in his seat to look at you over the back of the couch. “I think they think university turned me into a total party boy.”

“Well…” You sighed, grabbing a mug from the cupboard. “They might be right about that.”

Dongmin hummed, his mind reeling for a moment before the lightbulb in his head went off. “Actually…can I ask you a really big favor…?”

[lxvemaze]

sighhhh somebody stop me from writing a bahiyyih fic inspired by Good Luck, Babe! by our lesbian lord and savior chappell roan 😞💔

[lxvemaze]

guess what's now in my drafts almost a full year later 😽

[lxvemaze]

after not posting any fics for SEVEN MONTHS (i am so sorry), i am going to be dropping a 13k wc cha eunwoo fanfic later today.

IM BACK BABYYYYYYY

[lxvemaze]

actually writing for once

[lxvemaze]

⫸ you know i love you

synopsis. when your best friend needs to show his parents that he's settled down enough for them to offer him a job in their company, he asks for your help- in the form of a fake engagement.

pairing. nonidol!/ceo's son!cha eunwoo x reader

genre. ceo's son au, childhood friends to lovers, fake relationship

wc. 10k!! (longest fic i've ever published, bear with me.)

warnings. some mild sexual references, some hurt lots of comfort, dongmin is silly, is jinwoo a wingman or a shit starter? we'll never know

a/n. this idea popped into my mind and i just loved it so much, i had to write it. happy holidays, ya'll!

January 15th

“There is no way in hell you’re actually that stupid.”

“I’m not stupid! You’re just not hearing me out!” Dongmin called out from the small couch in the living room of your sixth-floor studio apartment as you leaned against the counter in the kitchen, waiting for the water for your tea to boil.

You and Dongmin have been friends for over twenty years now. His father was the CEO of a huge company, his mother was the CFO of the same company, and your mother was their housekeeper. She was also basically Dongmin’s nanny, tutor, and personal chef. Starting from the age of six years old, your mother worked out a deal with Dongmin’s parents so that every day after school, their personal driver would pick Dongmin up from his fancy private school, then drive to your significantly less fancy public school, and then drive the two of you back to Dongmin’s house, where the two of you would hang out and do your homework while your mother took care of things around the house until Dongmin’s parents came home.

This routine lasted until the two of you graduated high school. Over the years, the two of you had become close as could be, even hanging out on the weekends. There was never room for any doubt in your friendship; even though Dongmin had gone to Oxford University in the UK, which was arguably the most extra school he’d gotten accepted into (you had begged him to go to Columbia University so you could visit New York), you stayed home and worked in your father’s little corner store. But even so, Dongmin traveled home for every long weekend, every holiday, and every vacation he had. And he spent all the time he was home with you.

You’d done a lot of dumb things to get each other out of a lot of sticky situations in the past, but what he was suggesting now was a new low.

“Well, I don’t really think getting married is the best course of action.” You mused as you poured the hot water into the two waiting mismatched coffee mugs.

“You’re not listening!” Dongmin exclaimed as he hopped over the back of the couch and strolled into the kitchen, leaning on the counter as he watched you steep the tea.

“Then explain to me how this is a good idea.”

“Because. I’m pushing thirty now-”

“You’re twenty seven.”

“Pushing thirty. And my folks want to retire soon, and my dad wants me to take his place, which is like, what I’ve been shooting for since I was a kid. But my mom is pushing back because she thinks I’m not mature enough. She says that she won’t even think about letting me join the company until I’ve shown that I’ve settled down.”

“You go to the club literally every weekend. I think I might be on your mom’s side on this one.” You handed Dongmin his mug of tea and strolled into the living room, settling down on the couch, and picking up the remote to browse for a movie to watch.

“Yeah, but if I stop going to the club for a while and make it look like I'm in a serious relationship, then my mom will see how mature I’ve gotten, and let me join the company!” Dongmin gleefully relayed his plan to you as he stole the blanket from your lap and wrapped it around himself, curling into the other corner of the couch.

“And you think that us getting married is your best bet?”

“Not married! Fake engaged. There’s a difference.”

“Let me reiterate; you really think getting fake engaged to me is the best idea?”

Dongmin turned to you, confusion written all over his face, “yeah? You’re like, my best friend.”

“Well, duh. I just think your mom would prefer it if you got engaged to like, another rich girl.”

Dongmin rolled his eyes and snatched the remote out of your hand, scrolling for a moment before pressing play on a random nature documentary. “I think my mom would see it as a win either way. She’s been on my ass to get into a serious relationship since I started university. Which is totally unfair, by the way! Jinwoo hasn’t had a date since middle school, and he’s already on track to be the COO at his dad’s company. And Myungjun’s had like, twelve relationships in the past year and a half, and his startup is already turning a massive profit.”

“Rich people problems.” You sighed, watching as a lion on TV devoured a gazelle.

“Yeah, it is. But I never ask you for anything. I think you owe me. And I can’t keep working at Minhyuk’s parents company forever. It’s getting kind of embarrassing.”

You remembered all the times that Dongmin paid to have you flown out to England, paid for you to stay in fancy hotels, car service, room service, treated you to extravagant meals, the tens of thousands of dollars worth of birthday and Christmas presents he’d bought you over the years. And you realize, he’s right. You do owe him.

“Okay…We need a plan.”

Dongmin practically jumped out of his seat at your sudden agreement. “Are you serious?”

“Yeah.” You sighed, reaching over to grab the remote, turning the TV down. “But we’re gonna need it to be airtight if we want this to be believable.”

“You’re the smart one. Just tell me what you need me to do, and I’ll do it.”

As you looked at Dongmin’s gleeful face, you almost regretted agreeing to his scheme. Dongmin saw the crease between your brows, and reached over to poke your shoulder.

“Hey, you don’t have to do this if you don’t want to. I know it’s kind of a lot.”

You brushed him off with a shrug of your shoulder. “No, you’re right. I owe you. This is honestly the least I could do.”

“Then let’s do this.” He grinned, holding up his pinkie finger in front of you. You playfully rolled your eyes with a scoff before linking your pinkie in his.

“Let’s do it.”

January 18th

“No, that one’s not big enough.”

You sighed as Dongmin rejected yet another one of your suggestions. “I’m the one who has to wear it, why do you have such a strong opinion?”

“Because I’m the one buying it!”

You and Dongmin were currently at a swanky jewelry shop searching for the perfect engagement ring. At seven in the morning. On a Thursday. Neither of you were in a particularly good mood.

“Shouldn’t you want a smaller ring, then?” You questioned his logic, looking up at him with a cocked brow.

“Hey, only the best for my future wifey-poo.” Dongmin made a kissy face at you, causing you to audibly groan in disgust, pushing his face away. You ignored his giggles as you felt your phone buzz. You saw the most recent text was from your father, asking you to come into work early to help him open his corner store.

“Okay. Well, I have to go to work.”

“Nooooo! You can’t make me do this by myself! The dinner’s next weekend and we won’t have time to meet up again before then.” He protested, grabbing your arm and bouncing on the balls of his feet like a spoiled child- which he was.

“I would say I trust you, but I don’t. You know my ring size, I don’t want anything big, I don’t want anything gold, do not get me anything square cut, and for the love of God, please just ask the lady at the counter for help instead of just buying me the first thing you see that you don’t hate.” You patted his shoulder and made your way out the shop, waving a goodbye to him over your shoulder. You could see Dongmin’s downtrodden expression in the reflection on the glass door as you left. You just hoped he would get you something understated. You would be having to wear it every day for the foreseeable future.

You and Dongmin had spent nearly three hours the other night working out your plan.

Dongmin had invited his parents over for dinner at his swanky penthouse next Saturday night. He’d hired a fancy chef to make the dinner, and a decorator to make his apartment look not so “twenty seven year old single man-child”. After the main course and right before dessert, he would stand from his chair and announce that he had something important to say. Then, he would turn to you, get on one knee, and propose with whatever hopefully not-ugly ring he’d chosen today. To which his parents would hopefully be overjoyed and proud, and after at most a few months, they’d realize how mature he’d gotten since getting engaged, and give him the job in their company.

You weren’t sure it would work, you weren’t sure how long it would take, but you were determined to go through with it. After all the amazing opportunities and experiences that Dongmin had given you over the years, you figured that the least you could do was pretend to be his fiancee for a few months.

January 27th

Today was the day he would propose. You’ve never been this stressed in your entire life. A package had been delivered to your door with a note from Dongmin inside, “Blue has always been your color.” You had been staring at the dress in the box for the past ten minutes, trying to not think about how many thousands of dollars he’d spent on it. He was right, though. He’d taken you to Japan for spring break a few years ago and the two of you’d gotten a color palette analysis done. You’d have assumed he’d forgotten all about it, but the beautiful navy dress on your bed proved otherwise.

You looked at the time on your phone, the numbers 4:27 glared up at you, eliciting a sigh from your mouth. The weight of your actions was starting to weigh down on your shoulders. Why did you have to agree to this? It’s not like you didn’t like Dongmin’s family- they were fine! From the limited interactions you’d had with them over the years and from what Dongmin’s told you about them, they were perfectly nice people. But it was only natural for you to be a little bit intimidated by them. They were wealthy, powerful people, and you were about to get “engaged” to their son.

You got ready slowly, almost unconsciously dragging out the process as long as you could. Your phone rang right as you were slipping on the sleek black pumps Dongmin had bought for you last summer while he was vacationing in Paris.

“Yes?” You picked up the phone, looking at yourself in the mirror one last time before meeting your doom. You looked good. Hopefully good enough.

“I’m waiting in the car. Are you ready?” Dongmin’s pixelated voice rang out through the phone. You grabbed your purse, put on your coat, took a deep breath, and walked out your door.

“Yeah, I’ll be out in a minute.”

Without another word, Dongmin hung up the call. You scoffed and dumped your phone in your bag. You silently thanked whatever invisible force was on your side that day, as the elevator in your building that had been broken for the past two months had finally gotten fixed. You were not looking forward to walking down six flights of stairs in those heels.

As soon as you walked outside your building, you spotted Dongmin’s fancy black car. You couldn’t see him through the tinted windows, but you knew it was him when his driver stepped outside and walked around the car to open the back door for you. You slid into the backseat where Dongmin was playing a game on his phone. He looked up at you briefly, mumbling a “Hey”, and going back to staring at the screen.

You rolled your eyes at your iPad kid of a best friend and rested your head on the window as the car drove through the busy city streets.

Twenty minutes later, you pulled up to Dongmin’s penthouse. No matter how many times you’d been there, you would always be in awe at the massive building.

“You okay?” You turned to look at Dongmin as he spoke, meeting his eyes, seeing the concerned look on his face, you put on a smile, and lightly punched his shoulder as his driver opened the door.

“Of course. Not like I’m about to pretend to get engaged to my best friend in front of his family or anything.”

Dongmin didn’t look convinced as he took your hand in his before you had the chance to leave the car. “You know, it’s not too late to back out.”

His words didn’t do anything to quell the uncertainty in your stomach. But still, you put on a brave face and playfully rolled your eyes. “As if anyone else would be willing to get engaged to you.”

Your words seemed to sate Dongmin’s concern as he rolled his eyes in turn and shoved your arm, prompting you to step out of the car. You looked up at the tall building in front of you and took a shaky breath. It’s not like it was real. You didn’t actually have to get married to him or anything. It was all temporary.

“They’ll be here any minute. We should go up.” Dongmin’s warm breath on your ear caused you to jump, prompting him to flash you a confused look. You shook your head and followed him into the building, mentally hyping yourself up for the night that was to come.

|

“You look beautiful, darling.”

Dongmin’s parents had arrived ten minutes after you had, and you had been internally screaming the entire time since then. You were sat next to Dongmin at the table in his huge dining room with his mother sitting directly across from you. 

“Ah, thank you so much. You know, Dongmin bought pretty much my entire outfit.” You replied, doing your best to keep your shaky hands still as you cut through your expensive steak. You could see Dongmin trying to hold in his laughter in the corner of your eye. Clearly seeing you in intense mental turmoil was funny to him.

“Oh, our Dongmin has always been such a thoughtful boy.”

Thoughtful. Hilarious.

“Yeah, he’s great.”

“So, dear, are you still working at your fathers shop?”

You took a sip of wine and wiped your fingers on your napkin. “Yeah, I am. But I’m planning on applying to some jobs in corporate. Even if just working in the mail room or reception.”

“Oh! Well, I’m sure we could find you a job somewhere in our company. I’m sure I know someone that could use a secretary or assistant.” Dongmin’s father spoke up, causing Dongmin to choke on his wine. You lightly patted his back as he coughed into his elbow, offering a tight-lipped smile to his confused parents.

“That’s very kind, but you really don’t have to do that.” You spoke over Dongmin’s coughing.

“We’d love to have you in our company, really. You and your parents are practically family.”

Dongmin took a deep breath as his coughing fit came to an end. “Are you guys for real?”

“Of course! Why wouldn’t we be?”

Dongmin stayed quiet for the rest of the main course, leaving you alone to continue awkwardly conversing with his parents, and ignoring every kick under the table that you gave him.

“So Dongmin, why did you set up this dinner, anyway?” Dongmin’s mother asked, leaning back in her chair as dessert was being made.

“Well…” Dongmin started. ‘Here we go’ you thought as your leg started shaking. “You know that the two of us have been friends for a long time.” He continued, taking your hand in his, looking at you with what anyone on the outside would see as fondness, but you knew from the look in his eyes that he was struggling to not burst out laughing.

“I hope this doesn’t come as a shock to you two, but we’re ready to take the next step…” Dongmin rose from his seat and pushed it to the side, immediately dropping to one knee in front of you. He softly spoke your name as he looked up at you. You could tell he was about to lose it.

You heard his mother gasp from the other side of the table as he continued, “You’ve been by my side for as long as I can remember. You’ve been my best friend, my partner in crime, and my biggest supporter. We’ve been through every step of our lives together. But I want to go through the next part of our lives…With you as my wife.”

If you didn’t know any better, you would have thought that his speech was very sweet. But you did know better. And now you were the one struggling to hold in your laughter.

Dongmin reached into his pocket and pulled out a small velvet box, “Will you marry me?” He opened the box and your jaw hit the ground. He did good. He did really good. The ring was exactly what you wanted. It was a small round cut diamond surrounded by smaller gems on a beautiful silver band.

You ecstatically nodded your head, holding out your hand for Dongmin to slip the ring onto your finger. The two of you stood up and hugged each other tightly. “I asked the lady at the counter.” He whispered in your ear. You giggled into his shoulder before his mother spoke up.

“Well, it’s about time!”

The smiles immediately dropped off of your faces. 

…What?

The two of you pulled away from each other, slowly turning to look at his parents as they beamed at the two of you from across the table.

“The two of you have been attached at the hip since you were kids. It was only a matter of time.” His father agreed, holding his wife’s hand as the two of them looked up at you with an endearing gaze.

“...Huh?”

February 11th

“Oh yeah, my mom is throwing a valentine’s day party and she wants to know if you’re gonna be there.”

Dongmin was in your kitchen drying and putting away dishes as you washed them.

“Why would I be there?”

“...Because we’re engaged?”

“Oh, yeah.”

You hadn’t actually forgotten. You couldn’t now that your parents knew. As soon as your mother had shown up to work the day after the dinner, Dongmin’s mom was immediately gushing about the engagement that you had forgotten to let your mom in on. Your mom immediately called your dad to tell him about it, and then he immediately called you.

You couldn’t just tell them that it was a lie- they were just so happy about it, you didn’t have the heart to break it to them.

“I can’t just show up to my parents' valentine's party without my fiancée.” Dongmin whined as he put away your ancient cast-iron frying pan. You rolled your eyes behind his back.

“You don’t have to show up at all, actually.”

“Let’s be real for a second. There is no way that my mother will let me get out of going to one of her parties, and I really don’t want to go by myself.” Dongmin gave you his best puppy dog eyes, which caused you to physically hold yourself back from laughing in his face.

“Pleeeeease. I’ll buy you a new outfit for it. I swear to God, you’ll be the prettiest girl there. I’ll have to be constantly throwing hands to keep those gross corporate men’s hands off my gorgeous fiancée.”

“Whatever. I’ll go. You don’t have to buy me a new outfit.” You relented, drying off your hands before opening the fridge to grab a soda.

“You aren’t wearing your ring.”

You looked down at your left hand before looking back up at Dongmin, “Yeah. Our parents aren’t around, why would I?”

You didn’t see Dongmin’s pout as you flopped onto the couch, wrapping a blanket around yourself as you settled into the squishy furniture.

“Okay, but I spent a lot of money on that rock. Also, didn’t you say it put off that creepy guy who works at the coffee shop?” Dongmin hopped over the back of the couch to sit right next to you, wrapping his arm around your shoulder.

“Well, yeah. I wear it in public. But why would I wear it when I’m in the comfort of my own home?” You moved his arm from your shoulder, opting to ignore the disappointed sigh that came from your best friend.

“I’ll take you shopping for the party tomorrow. Get you a cute dress and shoes or whatever.”

“You don’t have to spend money on me, Dongmin.”

“I don’t care. I want to.”

You glanced at Dongmin to see him pouting with his hands in his lap, watching silently as you scrolled through Netflix instead of snatching the remote from your hands and picking a show like he usually would. You sighed and laid your head on his shoulder, feeling his breath stop for a second before he rested his head on top of your own.

Dongmin is your best friend. He’s helped you so much in so many ways, and you genuinely would do anything for him, and you think he’d do the same for you. Ever since you agreed to get fake engaged to him, there was a thought in the back of your mind; “What if this ruins our friendship?” You pushed it aside at first, brushing it off as a stupid anxiety-induced worry. But every day since then, the thought has only grown more and more prominent.

“I’m free after two.”

You could feel the smile in Dongmin’s cheeks and he wrapped his arm around you, holding you close as you finally settled on a movie.

God, you hoped you were wrong.

February 14th

“Keep your eyes closed!”

“They are closed.”

“You better not be peeping.”

“This may come as a shock to you, but I actually really do not want to see you naked!”

You were in Dongmin’s bedroom getting ready for his parents' valentine's day party. You’d have gotten ready at your own apartment, but Dongmin had called you over to help him decide on what to wear, so you decided to just bring your clothes with you and get ready there. Which was probably a good idea, because unlike your apartment, Dongmin’s penthouse actually had a full-length mirror and good lighting.

Dongmin had taken you shopping the day before, and despite your protesting, bought you an inordinately expensive, albeit beautiful, blush-pink dress, and a pair of white pumps. They were beautiful, and although you appreciated Dongmin being so willing to spend money on you, you hated knowing the actual number that he was spending.

“Okay, you can look now.”

You waited patiently for Dongmin’s response after he opened his eyes, but he just looked at you with a blank stare. You looked down at yourself, thinking you might have forgotten to zip a zipper, or your dress had gotten stuck somewhere.

“What?”

“No. Nothing. It looks good.” Dongmin cleared his throat and pulled his phone out of his pocket, quickly typing something before standing up and leaving the room. “You coming?” He called over his shoulder.

“...Okay…” You said under your breath, grabbing your phone from his vanity and following him out of the room. You felt Dongmin’s eyes on you as you put on your coat, looking up at him with a raised brow, he quickly turned away and busied himself with tying his shoes.

“Okay, let’s go.” Dongmin quickly hurried out the door, leaving you behind in a confused state. You shook your head before turning out the lights, setting the alarm system, and locking the door behind you.

You knew you were in for a long night.

|

“Well, aren’t you two just a beautiful couple!” Dongmin’s mother called the two of you out immediately as you walked through the doors to their impressive home. You were no stranger to the glamour and wealth of the Lee’s life, but it still threw you off to see so many beautiful, wealthy people all in one place. 

“Thank you, Mrs. Lee.” She greeted you with a kiss on the cheek, and her son with a tight embrace. You looked around the room to see some vaguely familiar faces; you recognized Park Jinwoo’s parents conversing with Dongmin’s father, and Yoon Sanha at the snacks table as expected. The rest of Dongmin’s friends that you were actually on a first-name basis with, Bin, Myungjun, and Minhyuk, greeted the two of you with a wave from the other side of the room.

“Well, you two have fun! We have food, drinks, desserts, whatever you like!”

“Thanks, mom.” Dongmin took your hand and led you over to his friends, meanwhile, the sudden realization that you hadn’t seen any of these people since long before your fake engagement hit you like a ton of bricks. You could see them smirking at the two of you as you neared. Dongmin felt the shift in your demeanor and he turned to look at you, your face had paled as if all the blood had drained from your face. 

“Just be chill.” He whispered to you as you neared the small group. You gave him a small nod, and quickly plastered a smile back onto your face.

“Hey guys how’s it-” Dongmin was cut off by Myungjun grabbing him by the shoulders and giving him a shake.

“I can’t believe you didn’t tell us that the two of you were even dating! And now you’re engaged!”

“Yeah, man. How could you not tell us?” Minhyuk added on as Bin shook his head in disappointment at the two of you.

“Believe me, it was a surprise for us, too.” You joked as Myungjun turned to you and wrapped his arms around you in a back-breaking hug.

“Well, I’m happy for you two. I think we were just all surprised it took you two this long.” Bin smiled at the two of you as he took a sip of his champagne. You and Dongmin briefly made eye contact before awkwardly smiling at the group.

“Yeah, that’s what everyone’s been saying.” Dongmin slipped his hand back into yours, giving it a gentle squeeze. You gave him a small smile, trying to give off the best “head-over-heels in love” vibe that you could. You weren’t sure how convincing you were being, but Dongmin always was a good actor. He’d make it work.

At some point in the party, you’d ended up at the drinks table, a champagne flute in your hand as you leaned against the wall, trying to recharge from being bombarded with questions and congratulations from people you’d never met. You weren’t sure where Dongmin had ended up- the last you saw, he’d been taken aside by Minhyuk’s father to talk about some business stuff that you didn’t understand nor particularly care about.

You were content with standing in the corner people-watching before someone you hadn’t spoken to for years sidled up to you.

“Well, don’t you look nice?”

You froze in place when you heard the voice of Park Jinwoo addressing you. You slowly turned your head in his direction. Shit. He looked really good. You’d had a little bit of a crush- no, you’d had a massive crush on him while you were in highschool. He was one of Dongmin’s closest friends back in the day, but you’d only seen him a few times since he’d gotten back from university. You thought he was really cute back then, but he’d really grown into his looks. He’d gotten a little bit taller (at least, he was a little bit taller than you, now), he’d gotten a nice haircut, you could tell he’s been hitting the gym, and from your many late nights staying up late stalking his Instagram, you knew that he’d gotten a few tattoos. And he’s single.

“Oh…Hey, Jinwoo. Nice to see you again.”

“No need to be so formal. We’ve known each other a long time.” Jinwoo stood next to you and leaned on the wall, mirroring your stance. “Congrats on the engagement by the way. Didn’t see that one coming.”

“Really?” You scoffed, taking a sip of champagne, “seems like you’re the only one who didn’t.”

“Yeah, well, I was under the impression that you were into someone else until now.”

His statement caused you to choke on your champagne. You cleared your throat and shook your head. Jinwoo stayed silent, simply smirking at you as he took a sip of wine. “Well, I guess you were wrong.”

“Guess so. It’s funny, I was so sure I was right. I mean, it’s not every day someone you haven’t spoken to in years likes one of your four-year-old Instagram posts at three in the morning.”

You were about to refute his accusation before you were cut off by a very welcome interruption. “You two enjoying yourselves?” Dongmin approached the two of you, a glass of champagne in hand, and an indecipherable look on his face. He stood right beside you, wrapping his arm around your waist, staring directly at Jinwoo.

“Just fine.” Jinwoo replied with the same smirk as before, taking a sip of wine as he eyed Dongmin. “You two look good together.”

“Yeah. We do.”

The vibe of the room had massively shifted since Dongmin had approached you two. His hand had moved down from your waist to your hip, and he was holding you tighter than ever. Your eyes darted between Jinwoo and Dongmin, waiting for one of them to say something, but they both remained quiet, their eye contact unwavering.

“Well, I’m happy for you two. See you at the wedding.” Jinwoo gave you a quick wink before flashing Dongmin a smirk and walking off into the crowd. You looked up at Dongmin who still had that look on his face. You’d never seen that look before.

“Let’s go.” He said, grabbing your hand and walking in the direction of the front door.

“Go where?”

“Home.”

“Whose home?”

“Mine.”

“Why?”

“I don’t want to be here.”

“Okay…But maybe we should say goodbye to your parents and friends first?”

Dongmin paused in his tracks, you could see him roll his eyes before nodding in agreement. He dragged you around the house to bid quick goodbyes to his family and friends before he walked the two of you to the foyer, helping you with your coat, and dragging you into his car. He’d driven the two of you there himself, and you were honestly worried that in his current mood, the night was going to end up with the two of you crashing into a tree.

You stayed silent for the first few minutes of the trip, your hands folded in your lap. You’d rarely seen Dongmin so irritated- his hands were tightly gripping the steering feel, and you could practically hear his jaw clenching. You felt like a scolded child the way you were so hesitant to say anything to him.

“Are you okay?”

Dongmin sighed heavily. Glancing over at you, his demeanor melting as he saw you staring at him with that concerned look on your face. His grip on the steering wheel relaxed, and he reached over to hold your left hand in his own, his thumb lightly brushing over your ring finger.

“I’m okay. Just tired, I guess.”

The two of you stayed silent for the rest of the drive to Dongmin’s penthouse. The car was filled with a tense air, even as Dongmin gently held your hand, you couldn’t help but feel you’d done something wrong.

The two of you made your way up to Dongmin’s apartment, turning off the alarm and kicking your shoes off as soon as you were in the door. Without a word, Dongmin went straight to his bedroom, leaving you sighing as you made your way to the guest room. Usually your apartment was the designated hangout spot, Dongmin always said it was more “cozy”, but you’d still stayed over at Dongmin’s enough for you to have a drawer of clothes in his guest room and a toothbrush in the bathroom.

You had been laying in bed for at least an hour at that point. You’d tried to sleep, you really had, but you couldn’t stop thinking about what you could have possibly said to make Dongmin act the way he did. So you resorted to scrolling on your phone to calm your mind, before you heard a light knock on the bedroom door.

You padded over to it, cracking it open to see Dongmin on the other side, nervously shifting his weight between his feet.

“Hey…” He whispered, leaning on the doorway as he looked around the room, doing all he could to not make direct eye contact with you. “I…I guess I wanted to apologize for being a total dickhead tonight.”

“Yeah…You kinda were.”

He smiled at the ground, his eyes still not meeting yours. “Well, I’m sorry. I just…I don’t know. I don’t really have an excuse.”

His eyes finally met yours.

“Are we cool?”

You let out a short laugh and rolled your eyes, poking his arm before responding, “we were always cool.”

He smiled fondly down at you, reaching his arms out, prompting you to lean into him and wrap your arms around his waist, your head comfortably resting on his chest. The two of you stood silently for a minute, his head resting on top of yours. Before pulling away, he gave you a quick peck on top of your head, flashing you a quick smile before taking a step back.

“Goodnight, fiancée.”

“Goodnight, fiance.”

You were friends. Best friends. You always would be. But you were starting to like hearing him call you that.

June 20th

You thought it would be over by now. You thought it would’ve been a few months, a couple family dinners, maybe a fancy corporate party or two, Dongmin’s parents would give him a job in the company, and you could call off your engagement and go back to your normal lives. And yet here you were, six months later. Still engaged- fake engaged. Every time you got together with Dongmin’s family, he’d whisper to you, “I’m sure they’re gonna give the news tonight.” and yet, they never did. And both of your families and all of your friends were still convinced that the two of you were a happy soon-to-be-wed couple. His parents had even spent Easter at your family’s house. It was starting to feel too real.

And now here you were, sitting in a private plane, getting ready to embark on an all expenses paid two week long vacation to Lake Como- where the Lee family apparently owned a large plot of property. Because of course they did. You hadn’t ever realized exactly how wealthy Dongmin’s family was until you’d gotten engaged to him, and you felt more insecure in your own life by the day because of it.

“You want some more champagne?” At the question, you removed one of your earbuds and looked up from the book in your lap to Dongmin, who was sitting across from you, headphones on with his iPad resting on top of the table between the two of you. You shook your head wordlessly, putting the earbud back in place and returning to the book that you honestly couldn’t have relayed the plot of even with a gun to your head.

Planes are so boring.

Dongmin smirked up at you as if he could tell what was on your mind. “Told you you should have brought your laptop.”

“Shut up.” You muttered, flipping to the next page as if you were actually reading. “Why would I want to bring my laptop when I’m going to Italy? I don’t know about you, but I’m intending to actually enjoy myself while we’re there.”

“I don’t think Dongmin could enjoy himself without bringing his iPad.” His younger brother piped up from the seat across the aisle. 

“You’re literally playing Roblox right now.” Dongmin rolled his eyes as he removed his headphones.

“You cannot stop me from grinding on Dress To Impress.”

“You’re like, twenty five.”

“Yeah, and I’m absolutely eating these little kids up.”

“That’s a disturbing sentence.”

“You’re making it weird.”

“Back me up here.” Dongmin addressed you, taking his headphones off and tossing them to the side.

You stuck your tongue out at him before tossing your book in the same direction as his headphones- you’d finally given up on trying to read.

“You’re the worst.” Dongmin sighed.

“You like it.”

“I don’t get you two.”

The two of you quickly turned to Dongmin’s brother, who was still staring at his computer screen, undoubtedly still beefing with middle schoolers on Roblox.

“What do you mean?” Your voice cracked slightly as you asked the question. You could see Dongmin grimacing at it from across the table.

“I mean, you two have been together for like, years at this point. But I’ve never even seen you two kiss.”

“Years-? I mean, yeah. But what’s your point?” Dongmin stumbled over his words, crossing both his legs and arms in a painfully conspicuous fashion.

“I don’t know, it’s just weird. Are you two on some like, hardcore, celibate, not even kissing until you get married shit? I find that hard to believe since you’re like, always at each other's apartments- also like, why don’t you two just move in together? I’ve been to both of your guys’ places, and Dongmin’s is like, way nicer. I don’t know, you guys just aren’t like, a normal couple.”

You were in shock at how hard Dongmin’s brother clocked you. You hadn’t thought of any of that. Why the hell wouldn’t you two have kissed? Normal engaged people kiss. The two of you had never even had your mouths anywhere near each other.

“I’m sorry I haven’t ever made out with my fiancée in front of my little brother. That’s not something I’m into.” Dongmin mused as he picked up his headphones from the floor of the plane, placing them back over his head and resuming his show. You let out a silent sigh of relief at his smooth recovery. 

This was going to become a problem.

June 25th

You hadn't realized that mega yachts were a real thing until this morning when you and the Lee’s packed into the fancy black car that picked you up at their summer home and brought you to the lake, where you were met with the largest boat you’d ever laid eyes on.

After being “confronted” about your strange relationship by Dongmin’s brother on the plane, that same night, you and Dongmin stayed up late in your shared room discussing ways to make your relationship seem more natural.

“Well, we can’t just like, make out in front of your family.” You mused from your side of the ginormous bed in the room that had been assigned to you and Dongmin.

“Normal people don’t make out with each other in front of their families, I don’t think.” He agreed from his side of the bed, “But maybe, we could just like, I don’t know, maybe give each other a little peck on the cheek once in a while. Or call each other stupid pet names like ‘babe’ or ‘sweet cheeks’.”

“If you call me sweet cheeks, I will kill you.”

“No sweet cheeks, then.” Dongmin tossed his phone across the bed and turned to look at you, propping himself up on his elbow. You turned to him with a raised brow, tossing your phone in the same direction.

“What?”

“This is fun.” He smiled up at you, twirling a loose string on the blanket around his finger.

“Is it really?”

“Yeah.” He whispered before turning his back to you and flicking the “off” switch on the lamp on his bedside table. You settled into your pillows and breathed out a heavy sigh. You were having much less fun with this than Dongmin was.

You were currently laying down in a lounge chair on the bow of the yacht in your swimsuit, pretending to watch Dongmin as he repeatedly jumped off the side of the boat and clambered back up, asking you each time to rate his jump and the following splash. Dongmin’s brother was in the chair beside you, arm over his eyes, probably taking a nap. You were going to have to wake him up soon to tell him to reapply his sunscreen.

“Babe, watch this!” Dongmin called out to you, prompting you to look over to him, your hand shielding the sun from your eyes so you could see your fiance’s grinning face as he took a few steps back, dripping water onto the freshly mopped floor. He ran forward and jumped off the boat once again, you could see him lurch forward right before he leapt in what you were sure was a poorly executed attempt at a front-flip.

You grimaced as you heard the splash- you had a feeling that he’d landed face-first. Your suspicions were confirmed as you heard coughing as Dongmin climbed up the side of the boat. As soon as he made it back onto the bow, he walked over to where you were laying, and sat down on the ground next to your chair, laying his head on top of your bare thigh. You patted his back as he continued coughing weakly- trying your hardest to keep from laughing at your friend.

“That was great. Ten out of ten.”

He looked back up at you, a look of pure disdain on his face. “I hate you so much.”

You giggled and ran your hands through his hair. He rolled his eyes at you as he rested his chin on your thigh, closing his eyes as you continued running your fingers through his hair, nails scratching his scalp in a soothing manner. You were worried that you were laying on the “head-over-heels in love” thing too thick, but your worries were immediately quelled as Dongmin’s mother entered the scene.

“You two are just so sweet.” She giggled as she approached you, tightly gripping her full glass of champagne.

“They’re disgusting.” Dongmin’s brother protested from his spot, finally waking up from his nap. 

“You’re just jealous.” Dongmin teased, discreetly flipping his brother off as his mother settled into her seat on the younger brother’s opposite side.

“You two have been all up in each other’s business since we landed. Is that Italian air really getting to you guys that much? My room’s right next to yours, I’m just glad you two are quiet when you bang.”

You were so sure he was onto you.

“You poor thing.” Dongmin mused as he wrapped his arms around your leg, “You’ll understand when you’re older.”

His brother simply rolled his eyes and laid back down, placing his arm back over his eyes. You turned back to Dongmin, who was already looking up at you with a lazy smile. You hated these moments. The moments that made this whole thing feel like a part of it was real. Because why were you here on a yacht in Italy with his family, with his head on your thigh, and a ring on your finger if no part of it was real?

“I’ll be right back, baby.” Dongmin whispered as he stood up. He leaned over and gently put his hand on the side of your face, giving a short, sweet kiss to your forehead before going inside.

You watched as he walked back inside, trying not to lose your mind as you heard his mother drunkenly giggling from behind you.

God, you hated this.

July 5th

It was the night before the end of your vacation in Italy, and you just couldn’t wait to go home.

Sharing a bed with Dongmin every night of the past two weeks had been nothing short of torture. It wasn’t like he’d been all up in your space, and he didn’t snore- actually, he was very quiet and very respectful of the invisible line that you’d drawn in the middle of the bed, sticking exclusively to his side, and keeping all of his clothes on- despite the fact that you knew he usually slept in just his underwear.

But you often found yourself awake into the early hours of the morning just staring at his back, trying to push the random romantic scenarios about your best friend that your brain was making up into the back of your mind. You told yourself that it was all just because of the atmosphere. I mean, what else are you supposed to think when you’re sharing a bed in a romantic villa in Italy? You were just excited to go back home and sleep in your own bed. Alone.

But here you were, sitting out on the balcony that was attached to your room, glass of red wine in hand as you listened to Dongmin ramble on about something that you couldn’t pay attention to- not while the moon was out in full and it just lit up his features so beautifully.

“You know what I’m talking about?” Dongmin turned to you, his eyes scanning over your face that was undoubtedly just staring up at him blankly.

“Not really.” You hummed taking a big sip of your wine, your eyes met his and you immediately looked away, opting to stare out into the beautiful Italian nature instead of at your beautiful best friend’s face.

“You okay?” Dongmin asked softly, nudging your arm much softer than he usually would.

You took an even bigger sip of wine. “I’ll be okay. Just ready to go home, I guess.”

“Yeah…” He sighed, his eyes still on you. “It’s getting pretty late. You ready to go to bed?”

You were going to miss him saying that.

“Yeah.”

You got ready for bed as slowly as possible, dragging the process out as long as you could. You could feel Dongmin’s eyes on you as you slowly brushed your teeth, and again as you were brushing your hair, and again as you exited the bathroom after getting into your pajamas, and again as you climbed into bed.

The two of you laid there in silence in the dark until, simultaneously, you turned to each other. As soon as your eyes met each other, you could feel your eyes welling up. You didn’t want this to be over.

“You sure you’re okay?” Dongmin whispered, shuffling a little bit closer to you. In the moonlight peeking through the curtains, you could see the worried look in his eyes. You nodded quickly, staying still as he reached out to brush your hair out of your face. His fingers lingered over your jawline, causing goosebumps to raise on your skin. “You know, I’m really glad that you were able to come on this trip. I think I’d have gone insane without you here.”

“Yeah?” You whispered back, the feeling of his fingers on your jaw causing your mind to struggle to come up with a witty reply.

“Yeah.” He breathed out, moving his hand to stroke his thumb across your cheekbone, brushing away the tear that you hadn’t realized had fallen. “You’re the best fake fiancée I’ve ever had.”

Right. Fake.

“High praise.” You joked, causing Dongmin to flash you a grin that made your heart ache. You loved his smile.

“I love you, you know? You’re my best friend.”

Friend. Friend. You needed to hammer that word into your mind.

“I love you too, Dongmin.”

He ran his thumb over your cheek one last time before leaning forward to press a kiss to the tip of your nose, bidding you a goodnight, and turning back around- leaving you laying there, staring blankly at his back

You were so screwed.

December 21st

Eleven months. Eleven. Months.

You’d been engaged to your best friend for almost an entire year.

After your trip to Lake Como, things started to become more complicated. Dongmin’s parents had started asking the two of you to set a date and start looking at venues, menus, dresses, suits, flowers, honeymoon destinations, guest lists- you name it. Your acting in Italy had apparently shown them how “in love” you were with each other, and they were eager for the two of you to finally tie the knot. You had been holding them off by telling them that you wanted to wait until the new year for all of that, but they, especially his mother, were all too ready to get involved in the wedding planning.

You’d started hating being engaged to Dongmin. Every time the two of you were alone together, it just reminded you of your last night in Italy. The way he held your face so gently, and the way he wiped away your tear was constantly on your mind.

But you doubted he even noticed the tense air whenever the two of you met up, as he had been sulking since the end of the summer over the fact that his parents still hadn’t offered him a job yet.

But today was the day of his parents Christmas party, and he was so sure that they would offer it to him tonight. You had your doubts.

The two of you were getting ready in Dongmin’s apartment as you usually did for his parents' parties. You were wearing a beautiful forest green satin dress that you'd gotten as a bridesmaid for an old friend, and the same heels that you’d worn when Dongmin had proposed to you almost a year ago. You were waiting in the foyer for Dongmin to come out of his room, tapping your foot as the seconds ticked by.

“Alright, you ready to go?” He asked in a jovial tone as he entered the room, fixing the cuffs of his suit jacket. He looked up at you in anticipation and stopped in his tracks, his hand freezing on his sleeve as his eyes wandered over your form.

You stood there silently for a good few seconds, waiting for him to say something. But he didn’t. “...Yeah?”

His eyes snapped up to your face and he slightly shook his head, dropping his hands from his sleeve. “Right! Okay, let’s go, then.”

He hurriedly turned off the lights and set the alarm before helping you with your jacket, and offering his elbow to you. You gave him a suspicious glare, but he just grinned at you, guiding you downstairs to where his driver was waiting.

|

You were drunk. But you felt the need to be even drunker. The two of you had been at the party for around an hour when Dongmin’s father tapped the side of his champagne glass and made an announcement: He was finally letting Dongmin into the company. At first, you turned to Dongmin ecstatically, pressing a firm kiss to his cheek and hugging him tightly. He’d wanted this for so long.

But then you remembered.

It was over now.

You and Dongmin had agreed in the beginning that you would be engaged only until his parents offered him a job at their company. You’d agreed to this. You knew this was coming. So why were you sitting in an empty room crying into your champagne?

You didn’t look up as you heard the door open, you were assuming that it was a drunk couple looking for some privacy until you heard a familiar voice speak up.

“Any particular reason you’re sitting alone crying into your champagne?” None other than Park Jinwoo asked as he sidled into the room, his hands tucked into the pockets of his beautifully fitting dark blue suit.

You tearfully chuckled, wiping the tears from your cheeks. “You know, I was just asking myself that question.” You looked up at Jinwoo who was leaning on his shoulder against an ornate bookshelf, looking down on you with a placid look on his face.

“Trouble in paradise?” He mused as he dragged his finger down the spine of one of the books.

You scoffed at him, leaning back in your chair as you downed the rest of your champagne in one gulp. “Something like that.”

“That’s a shame…He’s been head over heels for you since high school, so I can’t imagine what could have happened.”

Your eyes snapped up to him, he looked back down at you with a knowing smirk. “What do you mean by that, Jinwoo?”

He shrugged his shoulders casually, as if to brush off your question. “I don’t know. What do you think it means?”

“I’m so not in the mood for your bullshit.”

“Fair enough. Should probably be getting back to the party anyway.” He offered a hand to you which you rolled your eyes at before taking, allowing him to help you out of your chair. “You’d better get back to your fiance. It’s not a good idea for a pretty girl to be drunk and alone at a party.”

Jinwoo didn’t let go of your hand until the two of you were out in the hallway. He gave you a one-armed hug, smirking into your ear, “well, speak of the devil.”

You turned to see Dongmin standing at the other end of the hall, staring at the two of you, an undoubtedly shocked expression casted over his face.

“See you later.” Jinwoo turned and gave you a wave over his shoulder, leaving you standing in the hallway, swaying slightly. You shouldn’t have chugged that glass of champagne. But as soon as you started to feel a little too dizzy, Dongmin was by your side, his steady hands holding onto your waist.

You leaned into him with a deep sigh, wrapping your arms around his neck. As soon as the side of your face made contact with his chest, you felt your eyes welling up. He gently stroked the back of your head, confused at your demeanor, but wanting to offer whatever comfort he could nonetheless.

He pressed his lips to the top of your head, gently rubbing his nose into your hair. “What’s wrong, baby?”

You choked back a sob as you pressed your face into his chest even harder. “Please don’t call me that.”

His hand went still on the back of your head. “Why?”

You took a shaky breath, bringing your hands to his back, gripping into his suit jacket. “Cause it’s over now. Right?”

Dongmin stayed silent, opting to continue gently stroking your hair instead of responding, letting you cry off your makeup into his expensive suit.

“I think I should take you home.” He said to you softly, gently unwrapping your arms from around his body. You sniffled and feebly attempted to wipe away the tears from your face, not daring to look Dongmin in the eye. You nodded at the ground and allowed him to guide you to the front door and help you put on your coat. 

“Stay here for a second. I’m gonna go say goodbye to my parents.” You nodded gently, staring down at your shoes. You’ve never felt so pathetic in your life.

Dongmin returned a minute later, gently taking your hand and leading you to the car. The two of you sat in silence, Dongmin running his thumb over your knuckles, and you, staring out the window, not even bothering to wipe the tears that were running down your face.

You knew it had to come to an end eventually. You always did. But it still hurt.

The car pulled up to Dongmin’s penthouse, and you mindlessly let Dongmin lead you up to his apartment. Your brain was practically dead at that point. He could have been taking you to an old abandoned house to murder you and you wouldn’t have noticed, nor would you have particularly cared.

You let him help you take off your jacket and heels and lead you to his room. He motioned for you to sit down on his bed, which you did, flopping onto it, laying flat on your back, folding your hands over your stomach in an attempt to soothe its churning. Dongmin sighed as he watched you lay down, taking off his suit jacket, shoes, and tie, and sitting down next to you.

“Do you want the ring back?” Your voice cracked as you asked the question, your eyes threatening to shed even more tears. Dongmin sighed as he leaned back, laying down next to you.

“No. I bought it for you.”

Your lips trembled at his words, you quickly wiped away the tears that had started to spill. “I don’t want this to be over.” You finally choked out, your hand covering your mouth to stifle your sobs.

“I know.” Dongmin replied gently, reaching over to wrap his arm under you, prompting you to roll over and dig your face into his chest. “It’s okay.” He whispered as you cried into him. “You’re just drunk. You’ll feel better tomorrow.”

“No, I won’t.”

“You’ll be okay.”

“No, I won’t.”

“Why do you think that?”

“Because I don’t want to lose you.”

Dongmin held you tighter at those words, his brow furrowing as you said it. “You’re not going to lose me, baby.”

“I just want to stay with you.”

“We’ll always be together.”

“It’s going to be different now.” Your tear ducts had finally run dry. You just felt defeated now. Dongmin still held you just as tight as before, one hand on your waist and the other on the back of your head.

“It doesn’t have to be.”

“Yes, it does.”

This time it was Dongmin’s turn to cry. Yet, he smiled. “I love you.”

“God, don’t say that to me.” You sighed into his neck, rubbing your sore eyes as tears continued to run down Dongmin’s face.

“No, but it’s true. I love you so much.”

You pulled away, he was starting to confuse you. You propped yourself up on your elbow to get a better look at him. Your confusion grew as you saw him smiling up at you through his tears. “What are you talking about?”

Dongmin leaned up and reached for your face, holding it in the same way he had during that night in Italy, his fingers on your jawline and his thumb stroking your cheek. “I don’t want this to be over, either.”

“...Are you drunk?”

He grinned up at you and brought his other hand to your cheek, looking at you with a kind of fondness you’d never seen on his face before. “Definitely not. I just love you.”

“Dongmin, what are you saying?”

“I’m saying I love you.”

“Yeah, you’ve said that a few times.” You replied, sitting up fully, Dongmin following you, still holding your face. “But what do you mean?”

Dongmin gently smiled down at you, one of his hands trailing down from your face to take your left hand, gently sliding the ring off your finger. Your heart dropped as he did so, tears once more threatening to start spilling from your eyes.

“Will you marry me?”

Your breath hitched in your throat, you completely froze in place as Dongmin slid off the bed and onto the floor, kneeling in front of you, still holding your left hand in his gentle grip.

“..Huh?”

He chuckled at you fondly, his eyes filled with nothing but adoration, and love spread across his face.

“I want to marry you. For real.” His eyes and smile softened as you stared down at him in shock, “At the start of this, I really did just see this me asking you for a favor. I really thought that at the end of this, we would call off the engagement, and go about our lives as normal. I didn’t expect this to go on this long, and I never expected to realize that I was in love with my best friend, but I did. I think I realized it for the first time in Italy. I loved going to sleep next to you every night and waking up next to you every morning, I loved seeing you with my parents and my brother, I loved sitting on the balcony drinking wine with you, I just loved spending every minute of every day with you. And it made me realize that I love you. As more than a friend. And I think I always have.”

He shifted in his spot on the floor, nervously looking up at your confused stare. He really hoped he wasn’t making a mistake by telling you right now.

“It made me realize that I wished this was for real. So, do you want to make it real?”

Just as he was starting to think that he was making a massive mistake by confessing his love to his best friend, you quickly slid off the bed onto the floor, and hugged him tightly, causing him to fall backwards onto the carpet.

“God, I love you so much.” You whispered into his neck, holding him tighter than you’d ever held anyone. He was smiling so hard, he was sure his face could have gotten stuck that way. He hugged you back just as tightly before pulling back and grabbing your face, causing your eyes to meet his.

“So is that a yes?”

“Obviously. Yes!”

Dongmin grabbed your left hand, sliding the ring back onto your finger before his hands quickly went up to the sides of your face and his lips collided with yours. Your hands gripped the back of his shirt as your lips moved against his, fighting back the happy tears that welled in your eyes.

Dongmin pulled back for breath, breathing heavily as he leaned his forehead against yours. He opened his eyes and met yours, “I love you.”

“I know.”

the two of you giggled quietly before your lips met again.

December 22nd

You woke the next morning in Dongmin’s bed, your dress and his suit lay wrinkled on the floor. You groaned into the pillow and turned to your side, almost jumping as you were met with the face of your fiance sleeping soundly next to you.

You smiled softly, brushing his soft hair out of his face, admiring his features in the early morning light.

His eyes fluttered open slowly, reaching up in confusion to grab your hand that was lightly grazing his face. He smiled warmly and leaned into your hand as soon as he realized it was you. “Good morning.” He groaned, his deep morning voice causing your stomach to flutter.

“Good morning.” You replied gently, pressing a soft kiss to his lips. He looked up at you softly, pressing a kiss to the palm of your hand before slowly sitting up and tossing back the blankets.

“How about I make us some pancakes?” He called over his shoulder as he made his way to the bathroom.

“Sounds good.” You stretched and sat up as Dongmin turned on the shower in the other room.

“You coming?” He called out, you smiled and shimmied out from the blankets, your feet meeting the soft carpet on the floor.

“Just a second!”

You could get used to this.

[lxvemaze]

happy one year to one of the best fics ive ever written💕

[lxvemaze]

guys, im not writing for bigbang anymore💔

[slytherinshua]

we've officially hit 4000 followers! i can't believe we've reached this new milestone so fast (there's still some reqs from my 3k event in my inbox but we'll pretend those don't exist). i love how our community keeps growing, and trust me, i love writing fics for all of you so much. whether you've been here since the beginning or found me recently, i appreciate every single one of you <3

tagging some of my closest moots who i love and appreciate so much and have truly been such an important part of my time on tumblr <3 @haeerizm @blue-jisungs @1009high @lexeees @lxvemaze @wheeboo i love you all so much!!

for this event, the theme is mv inspired fics! i've collected ten (10) of my favourite kpop mvs and/or ones that i love the vibes of to write fics based off of. i've written four prompts for each mv based on the general vibes you can expect for each option. pick from the mvs below and send a request into my inbox for the event with the chosen mv and idol!

example -> firework + tws shinyu

i will accept different requests for the same mv (ie. if two people request the same mv for different idols, i will try to get both requests done), but there is no guarantee that same mv requests will get done. my goal is to write at least one (1) fic for each mv on the list depending on what gets requested! (hoping that all of them get at least one request). feel free to request for any idol on my masterlist for this event, i don't want to limit the options this time! i would appreciate if you limit it to one (1) request per person as there is limited space for this event compared to my previous ones ♡ have fun and happy 4000 🥹🥹🥹

no rules ₊˚⊹♡ - honeymoons, clean shaven, rolex watches, dimples

love language ₊˚⊹♡ - summer getaways, sunsets, dripping water, flushed cheeks

all night ₊˚⊹♡ - hidden longing, flower petals, smooth silk, castle grounds

(requests: 1) firework ₊˚⊹♡ - fields of dandelions, best friends, feelings being realized, warm breeze

(requests: 1) god damn ₊˚⊹♡ - escapism, tattoo lines, smeared lipstick, hidden scars

save me, kill me ₊˚⊹♡ - day old bruises, hospital iv, home movies, convenience store shelves

hai cheng ₊˚⊹♡ - familiarity, lamps with warm lighting, colours of autumn, old love

play ₊˚⊹♡ - whirring printers, time moving slowly, drowsy eyes, repeating cycles

(requests: 1) but i like you ₊˚⊹♡ - first kiss, senior year, cotton sweater, stalling for time

(requests: 1) don't be jealous ₊˚⊹♡ - leather jackets, messy bookshops, hearts beating in sync, first sight attraction

completed fics ♡

[lxvemaze]

CONGRATULATIONS ZANNA OMG THIS IS SO EXCITING ILY BAD

[lxvemaze]

not another white kpop stan good lord im tired of yall

i genuinely have never been so confused in my entire life