[milliondifferentlives]

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[whimsyandnostalgia]

๑ kiss me (and i might drop dead) | whc boys.

๑ synopsis : in which, you liked to think the consequences of your impulsive decisions ended fairly well. ๑ featuring : yeon sieun. ahn suho. oh beomseok. park humin. go hyuntak. seon juntae. kang wooyoung. geum seongje. na baekjin.๑ genre : fluff :) ๑ warnings : kissing (title lol) and maybe ooc traits?

๑ requested by @/illuminaughty12345 !

word count : 3.4k ✧ masterlist.

๑ yeon sieun.

Everyone had warned you about him when you first transferred.

He's cold. He doesn't talk to people. Don't bother. And they were right, technically, Sieun didn't talk to people. He sat in the back, read during lunch, and looked at the world like it was a mildly inconvenient equation he hadn't solved yet.

What they didn't tell you was that he noticed everything.

He'd noticed you on your first day, you could tell by the way his eyes tracked you once across the room and then deliberately didn't again. You'd started sitting near him in the library because it was quiet there, and because unlike everyone else, he didn't try to fill the silence with noise. It was comfortable. It was easy. And you also noticed him. 

Somewhere between him wordlessly sliding a reference book your way during exam week and you leaving coffee on his desk without being asked, something had shifted. You knew it. He knew it. Neither of you said anything.

The tension had become its own presence between you. Comfortable and unbearable in equal measure.

When you look back on it, you realise you'd timed it badly. 

He was mid-calculation about something and you could see it, him with that particular focus that meant he was somewhere far away from the real world in his thoughts about calculations. It wasn’t fair that it still made him seem attractive and you think that exact train of thought was what ultimately caused the whole thing.

He wasn't even looking at you. This part both annoyed and impressed you.

And with a spontaneous thought and impulsive action, you grabbed his collar anyway and lightly pressed your lips on his with your eyes fluttering shut before you could think about it more. 

The pencil dropped. That was the only external sign that anything had happened. Internally you felt the exact moment he processed it, and then he kissed you back, no sound yet with all the intention of furthering it, one hand coming up to hold the back of your head with this careful precision that was so entirely him it made your chest ache.

When you pulled apart his ears were red. He looked at the wall for a moment.

"I had a plan," he said flatly as his whole face began warming up and you were sure your own was in a similar state. You couldn’t even believe that happened.

"A plan." You blinked in surprise. That was not an answer you expected. 

"For how I was going to do this. I've been refining it." He brushes his hair from his face with one hand with a sigh yet a smile forming on his face.  "You've derailed it."

"Is that a complaint?"

A long pause. He looked at you properly for the first time since you'd kissed him. Something behind his eyes was very warm, even if his face was doing its best to stay neutral.

"...No," he said. Quieter.

You smiled brightly, one that was reserved for him and he knew it. 

He looked away again. But the tips of his ears stayed red for a very long time. And maybe it didn’t go as bad as you think.

๑ ahn suho.

Suho was the kind of person who made everything look effortless.

That was the first thing you'd noticed about him,  not the fighting reputation, not the way people instinctively cleared a path for him. It was easy. He moved through the world like it had never occurred to him to be intimidated by anything in it. He took life itself, quite easily and never like a burden.

What took longer to notice was the loneliness underneath that. The way he was surrounded by people but close to almost none of them. The way he laughed easily but talked about himself almost never.

You'd become friends through a project, thrown together by circumstance, kept together by something neither of you bothered to name. He showed up to your study sessions with convenience store food he pretended he'd just happened to have. You pretended you didn't notice he always got your order right.

He'd been laughing about something a second before that specific easy and cheeky, open laugh he had, completely unguarded.

You couldn’t handle the way your heart fluttered so much with your stomach churning and so without much thought, you grabbed him and pressed your lips on his, eyes slowly closing. 

For a beat he was completely still. Then he kissed you back with this unhurried warmth, steady and certain, like he didn't do anything at half-measure, pulling you closer until you could feel his own breathing within you, his heart racing against your palm.   

When you separated he looked at you with that direct, uncomplicated gaze and Suho never looked away from things.

"Okay," he said breathing in, his hair slightly disheveled when you had decided to move your hands through it mid-kiss.

"Okay?"

"I mean—" He gestured between you with the ease of two people who had finally come to a realisation,  "Yeah. This is good." A grin started with his tongue coming out to lick his lips as if to actually feel that this was not just him dreaming and his lips were tingling because moments ago they were just on yours, "This is actually really good."

"You're not surprised?"

He tilted his head with a shrug, "I had a feeling." And then with more honesty, he continued, "I was going to say something eventually. I just hadn't figured out the right moment."

"And now?"

"Now you've saved me the trouble." He was fully grinning now, that bright grin that lit up his whole face and managed to make you feel like you’d struck gold. Perhaps you did. He slung an arm around your shoulder like it was the most natural thing in the world. "Come on, let's go get food. We can talk about it."

"That's it? Just– food?" You mused but you think this was probably the most him thing there ever was.

"I'm hungry." He looked at you sideways. "And I like you. Both things can be true."

๑oh beomseok.

The thing about Beomseok was that everyone had an opinion about him and almost nobody was right.

People said he was cold. Arrogant. Unstable. You'd heard all of it, and you'd watched it bounce off the reality of him, the way he checked that you'd eaten when he thought you weren't paying attention. The way he remembered small things you'd mentioned once and never brought up again. The way he'd sat next to you in silence for two hours once when you were upset, not saying anything, just staying. 

That was the thing people didn't understand about him. He didn't do things halfway. He just didn't let most people close enough to see it.

Somehow you'd ended up being one of the few who got close enough. You still weren't entirely sure how. You just knew that somewhere along the way the careful distance he kept from the world had a small, specific exception, and that exception was you.

The tension between you had been building for months. Quiet and enormous.

You had to jump to reach him and you did it without thinking, arms around his neck, momentum carrying you both. He caught you on instinct, hands gripping your waist, and the kiss landed a little crooked at first. 

Then he adjusted. His hands and you brought your hand up to slide his glasses that had begun to slide down and he kissed you back like he'd been waiting a long time for permission.

When you dropped back to your feet he still had his hands on your waist. He looked at you with that expression he always wore, yet you knew it was different. Under all that careful blankness, something was very quietly overwhelmed.

"You couldn't just say something?" he said finally.

"Would you have done anything about it?"

The pause that followed was long enough to be its own answer. "...No," he admitted.

"Exactly."

He exhaled and you could tell he was amused. Then he pulled you back in, much more deliberately this time. His forehead came to rest against yours afterward and he stayed there, like he was in no particular hurry to move.

"You should know," he said quietly. "I don't— this isn't something I do easily."

"I know," you said with a wide grin.

"Okay." A beat. "Good."

๑ park humin.

Everyone at Eunjang loved Baku. That was just a fact of life there — like gravity, like the bell at the end of class. He walked into a room and the temperature went up. He laughed and people around him started smiling without knowing why. He had this quality of making everyone feel like they were exactly where they were supposed to be.

You'd been a little immune to it, at first. Cautious of people who were too easy to like.

Then you'd see the other side of it — the way he carried other people's problems with the same easy strength he carried everything else. The loyalty that ran bone-deep. The way he looked at the people he actually loved, which was different from the warm openness he gave everyone else. More specific. More real.

That was when you'd understood you were in serious trouble.

You'd been friends for months. Close enough that people made assumptions about the two of you that you both laughed off, privately, separately, each hoping the other wasn't actually laughing.

He was smiling at you wide where his eyes squinted at you, in adoration you’d think, when you decided something.

He caught you without even flinching, arms wrapping around you on pure instinct, solid and easy. The kiss wiped the laugh right off his face.

For exactly one second he was completely still.

Then he kissed you back with equal vigour, warm and genuine and a little disbelieving, like he wanted to make sure this was actually happening.

When you pulled apart his hands were still on your back, holding you loosely, and he was looking at you with this wide open expression. No mask. No performance. Just Humin, completely caught off guard.

"You—" He laughed, breathless. "You like me?"

"I almost toppled you over, Humin."

"I—" He ran a hand through his red hair, still laughing, something deeply delighted breaking open in his face. "I just— I didn't think— I thought I was being obvious and you just didn't—"

"You were obvious," you said with certainty, “But so was I.”

He stared at you. Then he dropped his head back and groaned at the ceiling. "We're idiots."

"Complete idiots."

He looked back down at you. That warm, open grin — the one he gave to everyone but somehow felt different when it was directed at just you. "Okay," he said. "Okay. We're doing this. Right now. We're doing this."

He pulled you back in before you could answer, and this time the kiss wasn't surprising at all.

๑ go hyuntak.

Hyuntak didn't talk much. This confused people who didn't know him and made perfect sense to people who did — he simply didn't see the point in words that didn't need saying.

What he did instead was show up. Consistently, quietly, without announcement. If something needed doing, he did it. If someone needed backup, he was already there. He was the most reliable person you'd ever met, expressed entirely through actions and almost never through words.

You'd learned to read him over months of friendship — the small tells, the slight shifts in that practical, matter-of-fact face. The way his jaw set when he was worried about someone. The way something around his eyes went soft, briefly, when he thought nobody was looking.

He looked at you like that sometimes. When he thought you weren't paying attention but you'd been paying attention for a while.

You'd turned his face towards you impulsively and he'd moved on instinct, adjusting his stance automatically before he registered what was actually happening.

Then you kissed him and he went completely still.

He kissed you back after a beat. Not smooth, not practiced. Just direct like the way he was about everything. When you separated he looked at you with that straight, no-nonsense gaze.

"How long?" he asked, his smile slowly forming.

"A while."

He nodded slowly. Processed this with that quiet, practical brain of his. "Me too," he said, sliding his glasses up his nose with his index finger and that move somehow made your heart flutter crazily. "Didn't say anything because I didn't want to make it weird."

"And now?"

"Now it's not weird." He said it simply, like that resolved everything. He reached out and fixed the collar of your jacket, a small, matter-of-fact gesture. "You good?"

You blinked. "You're asking me if I'm okay?"

"You just randomly kissed me. Seemed worth checking."

You laughed. He didn't, but something around his eyes softened in a way you'd only ever seen directed at the people he actually cared about.

"I'm good," you said.

"Good." He nodded once. "Then let's walk."

๑ seo juntae.

People overlooked Juntae. That was the honest truth of it — he was quiet, he stayed in the background, he didn't fight, and in a place like Eunjang that made people assume he wasn't worth paying attention to.

Those people had missed everything important.

Juntae was the one who noticed when you were tired before you said anything. Who showed up with the right snack for a bad day, who remembered that one thing you'd mentioned three weeks ago, who paid attention so quietly and so completely that you didn't realize how you felt until you went a day without seeing him.

You'd been friends long enough that his quiet care had become something you'd built your whole routine around. Long enough that the line between friendship and something else had blurred so gradually you couldn't identify exactly where it had crossed.

You just knew it had. And you hoped he did too.

He saw you coming and his first instinct — as always — was purely practical. He moved, slightly, automatically adjusting his stance.

Then you kissed him and he went completely still, which made you doubt yourself a bit and just as he could feel you almost pulling back he kissed you back, firmly because it was just how he was, and he was sure about his feelings for you at that very moment. 

When you separated, he looked at you. Juntae was always sure about things in his life and never one to be skeptical or have second thoughts, he hardly did. 

When you pulled apart he looked at you. That quiet, earnest face.

"Are you okay?" he asked first.

"Juntae. I just kissed you." You said, a little baffled but a slow grin forming on your face.

"I know. I just—" He pressed his lips together. "I wanted to make sure it wasn't— that you weren't—" He exhaled. "I didn't want to get it wrong."

At this you couldn't help but laugh as you shook your head, how he doubted it even though you basically kissed him. "You didn't get it wrong."

He nodded, something in him settling as he spoke, "I brought you those snacks last week because I wanted an excuse to see you."

"...The snacks you said were just leftovers?"

"They weren't leftovers." He looked slightly guilty. "I bought them specifically."

You stared at him. He looked back steadily, all that quiet sincerity.

You took his hand. He looked down at it, then back up at you and that small, private smile that he gave out so rarely broke across his face.

๑ kang wooyoung.

Wooyoung was the kind of friend who made everything more fun. Louder, warmer, more alive.

He'd been that way with you from the beginning. Easy warmth, easy teasing, easy company. Which was exactly the problem — because you'd spent a long time telling yourself that was just how he was, that there was nothing specific in it.

Then you'd caught him watching you one time when he thought you weren't looking. Not the usual bright, easy Wooyoung. Something quieter. Something that made your stomach do something complicated. After that it had been very hard to think of him as just a friend.

He'd caught the shift in you, you were sure of it. He was too perceptive to miss it. But he'd never pushed, never commented — just stayed warm and easy and close.

You'd finally walked through it.

You'd jumped at him and he'd caught you and spun slightly with the momentum, already laughing before he'd even registered what was happening.

"Finally," he said, pulling back just enough to look at you.

"Finally?"

"I've been waiting." He said brightly, "I figured you'd get there eventually."

"You knew?"

"Strong feeling." He tapped his temple. Then the teasing settled, slightly, into something more genuine underneath. "I like you. A lot. I have for a while. I just didn't want to push it and make things weird if you didn't feel the same."

"So you just waited?"

"I trusted you." He said it simply, no manipulation in it at all. Just that open, honest warmth. "And you got there." He tucked you under his arm, easy and comfortable, like you'd always fit there. "Took you a minute, but you got there."

"You're so annoying," you said, pressing your face into his shoulder.

"You ran at me and kissed me," he said cheerfully, chin on top of your head. "So clearly that's working for me."

๑ geum seongje.

The first time you met Seongje he'd smiled at you in a way that made you instinctively want to take a step back.

Not because he was unkind. Because he was too perceptive. That smile said I've already figured you out in a way that most people would find themselves very cautious of and would tend to avoid. Yet all it managed to do was make you more curious.

Somehow you'd ended up in each other's orbit. And the unsettling thing was that under all that sharp, performative edge, there was something that was genuinely good company. Funny, in a dry, slightly dangerous way and to you, very interesting.

He'd noticed you liked him before you'd fully admitted it to yourself. You were almost certain of it. He noticed everything and catalogued it with that sharp mind of his and then he'd done absolutely nothing about it, which had driven you slowly, completely insane.

You'd kissed him and he hadn't moved. Just let it happen, and then looked at you afterward with that glint of amusement behind his glasses with his sly grin.

"Interesting," he said.

"Interesting?"

"You've been working up to that." He adjusted his glasses, completely unruffled. "I was wondering when."

"You knew and didn't say anything?"

"More interesting to let it play out." A small shrug. Then something shifted underneath the performance, the amusement still there, but beneath it, something quieter and more honest. "I like you too. More than I planned to, if I'm being accurate."

"You planned—"

"I don't usually account for people like you." He said it matter-of-factly, like it was a mild inconvenience. He reached out and pushed a strand of hair from your face casually, almost careless, except his hand lingered a beat too long. "It's annoying," he added.

"That you like me?"

"That I didn't see it coming." He met your eyes, and the real smile appeared briefly. "Don't make a thing of it."

He didn't move away. You decided not to make a thing of it. At least not in that moment.

๑ na baekjin.

You knew who Baekjin was before you knew him. Everyone did.

What surprised you, once you actually got close enough to see past the reputation, was how much of him ran deeper than what he showed. The calculated surface was as real as he showed it. He was sharp, precise and always three moves ahead but underneath it there was something that had been through a great deal and learned to keep very careful walls around anything it valued.

He'd let you in slowly. Almost without seeming to mean to. Small things like a conversation that ran longer than it should have, his guard coming down by a degree here, a degree there. You'd understood instinctively that this was rare and handled it accordingly.

The tension between you had been simmering for months. He'd never acted on it. You understood why, Baekjin didn't do things carelessly, and this wasn't the kind of thing he'd risk without being certain.

So you made it certain for him.

You kissed him, out of impulsive, and he went very still but you could tell he was not shocked. Baekjin was never shocked. He was deciding.

Then he kissed you back. Measured, deliberate, completely intentional. When he pulled back he looked at you with those careful eyes.

"You've been thinking about that for a while," he said with his eyes staring deep into yours, maybe some part of him wanting to assure himself that this was very real.

"Yes." You said honestly.

"Why now?" He asked genuinely as he stared at you with a hint of amusement.

You paused a bit, before you replied, "I got tired of waiting for you to move first."

Something shifted behind his expression. He tilted his head. "Most people prefer not to even get involved with me." he said. "They think it's safer."

"I'm not most people."

A pause. Then something under all that careful control went soft, just at the edges. Briefly.

"No," he said quietly. "You're not." He looked at you for a long moment. "I don't do this carelessly. You understand that."

"I know."

"Then we understand each other."

He reached out and took your hand carefully yet firmly. Baekjin never did anything by accident.

Neither did you.

๑ whimsy's note : ahhh sorry for making you guys wait for so long!! a lot has been happening :") but also this might have some ooc traits? i wanted this to be more fluffy than anything intense :D i hope you liked this! and please let me know what you think :D!! also thinking to start a taglist of some sort perhapss

[milliondifferentlives]

This was so cute omgggg

(can you tell I'm in a kdrama phase 😭🙏)

[evangelene]

Delete Voicemail?

Summary: Ok or Cancel?

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY. GO FIND SOME FLUFF SOMEWHERE ELSE AFTER THIS–COOL? COOL.

Two days after your high school graduation, Jungkook proposed to you.

Granted, it was with a plastic ring sprayed with a flaking silver paint and tucked inside–an equally as cheaply made–plastic egg with a bright yellow bottom. He’d put three coins into one of those horrible, half broken, children’s toy machines and presented you his new treasure by getting down on one knee. At first, you’d laughed; Jungkook was always joking, so it had to be a prank. Who would propose to their high school sweetheart right there, in the middle of a busy street, when both knew their plans were about as solid as the sand at the beach they were heading to.  

But, when he jerked his chin towards your hand and continued to stare at you as if waiting, you could only feel all of the blood rush to your face, ears and brain as he spoke those three words you would never forget.

“Marry me, YN.” It wasn’t a question because he already knew the answer–he always found the answers to life so quickly; it was one of his many talents. Sometimes his greatness infuriated you when you wanted to be right too, but that moment was not one of them. You couldn’t even get the words out properly before he was sliding the shitty ring onto your finger.

Keep reading

[milliondifferentlives]

Oh this was..

.

[tempobaekh]

˖⋆࿐໋ ݁ bf!na hwajin x sunshine gf!reader

⋆࿐໋ ݁ pairing: bf!na hwajin x sunshine gf!reader (no specific facial features or body type mentioned suitable for everyone)

⋆࿐໋ ݁ warnings: fluff, tons of fluff, kisses, a lil bit angst like a pinch, a lil bit suggestive, domestic life, gayun doesn’t exist in this universe BUT WE LOVE HER!! no gayun hate

⋆࿐໋ ݁ authors note: i’ve been writing this for the past weeks and im absolutely hooked on this man. KIM MUYEOL THE MAN YOU ARE im not used to writing for hwajin so might be a lil ooc and i haven’t written in a while as well

˖⋆࿐໋ ݁ bf!hwajin who never really understood what people meant when they said someone “lights up a room” until you. The way your voice carries before he even sees you, the way conversations around you become slightly louder, faster, like people are unconsciously leaning toward your energy. He doesn’t comment on it at first because Hwajin doesn’t comment on things he hasn’t fully analyzed. But he’s aware, always aware; somewhere between observing and understanding, he realizes he's starting to seek it out. Seeking out you.

⋆࿐໋ ݁ bf!hwajin who is initially confused by how you can be so consistently bright without it being an act. He’s spent his life reading people who perform emotions, students trying to avoid punishment, adults masking guilt, authority figures pretending concern. So when you’re smiling for no reason, humming while tying your shoes, waving at strangers like you’ve known them forever. He quietly watches you for patterns. Does your mood depend on the environment? Sleep? Social validation? But there’s no hidden variable. You’re just like that.

⋆࿐໋ ݁ bf!hwajin who absolutely has bratty, cheeky moments where he acts difficult on purpose just to see how you’ll react. He’ll make you repeat yourself, pretend he didn’t hear you. If you're shorter than him, he'll purposefully stand tall to his full height to make you work for the kiss, giving you that infuriatingly panty dropping attractive smirk as you jump up or stand on your tippy toes to get a kiss. If you are taller (or as tall as him), he will annoy you by kissing you everywhere but your lips, causing you to pout. But he loves you too much to keep the teasing going for too long, the way you flutter your eyelashes at him or pout your lips just perfectly to persuade him to give in. God, he’s down bad for you.

⋆࿐໋ ݁ bf!hwajin who loves that you're naturally clingy because it means he never has to wonder if you're comfortable around him. The first few times you randomly loop your arms around his waist while he's making coffee or rest your chin on his shoulder while he's reading through paperwork, he just chuckles and goes, "Can't stay away for five minutes, huh?" But after a while, he starts unconsciously waiting for it. If you're in the kitchen, he somehow ends up standing close enough that you'll naturally lean against him. If you're watching TV, his arm is already stretched across the back of the couch because he knows exactly where you're about to curl up.

⋆࿐໋ ݁ bf!hwajin who is honestly just as physically affectionate as you are once you're dating. He's constantly finding excuses to touch you. His hand naturally settles on your lower back while walking through crowds, he'll absentmindedly play with your fingers while you're talking, he'll smooth your hair back after the wind messes it up, he’ll pull you down to sit on his lap any chance he gets if you walk by, and if you're sitting beside him, one of his legs is almost always pressed against yours. He’ll always instinctively reach for you without thinking. If you’re waiting in line, he's gently rubbing circles across your knuckles while the two of you chat, or pressing kisses on your head. Walking somewhere? Your fingers are laced together so naturally that neither of you remembers who reached first anymore. Physical touch becomes second nature between the two of you.

⋆࿐໋ ݁ bf!hwajin who absolutely melts when you greet him with one of your ridiculously enthusiastic hugs after he's had a long day. A hug where you wrap your entire body around him, jumping into his arms with your legs wrapped around his waist as his muscular arms effortlessly catch your weight, something that deeply comforts him. He'll laugh the second you nearly tackle him through the front door, catching you before you can knock both of you over. "You trying to break my ribs, honey?" he'll tease, smiling despite himself, while hugging you back just as tightly because he missed you more than ever.

⋆࿐໋ ݁ bf!hwajin who celebrates your birthday like it's one of the most important days of the year, because to him it is. You're important to him. He remembers things you've mentioned months ago, plans the day around what would genuinely make you happiest, and somehow manages to surprise you even though you swear you're impossible to surprise. Watching you beam over something as simple as your favorite cake or a thoughtful gift honestly becomes his favorite part of the day. He spends most of it smiling at you more than anything else.

⋆࿐໋ ݁ bf!hwajin who never forgets anniversaries or special dates. You jokingly ask if he has them written down somewhere, and he just looks at you like you've insulted him. "I don't need to." Of course he doesn't. This is the same man who remembers tiny inconsistencies in people's stories for work. You really think he'd forget the day you became his girlfriend?

⋆࿐໋ ݁ bf!hwajin who is incredibly protective without ever making you feel controlled. He trusts you completely. But if someone ignores your "no," gets too close, or refuses to respect your boundaries after you've made yourself clear? That's where his boundary begins. He steps in calmly, positioning himself between you and them. His voice stays level, but the warmth disappears completely. "She said no." That's usually enough. If it isn't... well, he's never been afraid to handle people who mistake kindness for weakness.

⋆࿐໋ ݁ bf!hwajin who absolutely adores how expressive you are. You gasp dramatically at cute dogs. You clap when you're excited. You bounce on your toes when you're happy. Half the time he isn't even listening to what you're saying anymore because he's too busy smiling at how animated you are. Sometimes he has the overpowering urge to kiss you silly because you are so precious; he'll interrupt you with a whispered 'excuse me' before cupping your face in his big hands and pressing the sweetest and most loving kiss to your lips, leaving you stunned. When he leans back and smiles and encourages you to continue speaking, you just stare at him with your mouth open, like a fish out of water, for all thoughts have fled your brain and you need another kiss from him.

⋆࿐໋ ݁ bf!hwajin who has absolutely zero shame about asking for affection from you once you're alone. He won't say, "Come cuddle me." Instead, he'll open his arms while you're doing something else and simply raise an eyebrow. You immediately grin because you know exactly what that means. "Need attention?" you tease. "Didn't say that," he replies. Or if you've been occupied with something for too long and he can't go on without your touch, he'll simply pick you up and carry you to the bed or couch, slung over his shoulder if he's feeling like a little shit.

⋆࿐໋ ݁ bf!hwajin who notices whenever your smile isn't quite real. Most people don't. They see your bubbly personality and assume you're always okay, but Hwajin notices immediately. The way your smile doesn't quite reach your eyes, you hesitate before answering, and your usual energy is just quieter. He never calls you out in front of anyone. Instead, once you're alone, He’ll gently bring you into his side, wrap his arm around you, plant a tender kiss on your forehead, and ask, "What's going on?" Not because he expects you to be cheerful all the time, but because he wants to be the person you don't have to pretend around.

⋆࿐໋ ݁ bf!hwajin who genuinely enjoys being the person you instinctively run to. Whether you're excited, upset, proud of yourself, or just saw a very cute cat or dog, you're immediately looking for him to tell first. And every single time, no matter how busy he is, he gives you his attention. Because seeing your face light up when you share your world with him is something he never wants you to stop doing.

⋆࿐໋ ݁ bf!hwajin who never tells you he's had a rough day, you can just tell. He unlocks the apartment, drops his keys into the bowl by the door a little more quietly than usual, and before he can even say hello, you're already padding over in your fuzzy socks with the brightest smile you've been saving just for him. The second you wrap your arms around him, you actually feel his entire body relax. He lets out the quietest sigh against your hair before murmuring, "Missed you."

⋆࿐໋ ݁ bf!hwajin who tries to convince you that the bruises 'aren't that bad,' only for you to stand there with your hands on your hips, completely unconvinced. "Sit." "I'm fine." "Na Hwajin." He raises an eyebrow at your tone before giving in with the tiniest smile because the two of you both know who's winning this argument. Twenty minutes later, he's sitting on the couch while you're gently cleaning the scrape on his cheek, muttering under your breath about how reckless he is. He just watches you the entire time, finding your little lecture far more comforting than he'll ever admit.

⋆࿐໋ ݁ bf!hwajin who absolutely loves when you play with his hair while he's working or just in general. He'll be reading reports at the dining table, completely focused, until you wander over behind him and start absentmindedly running your fingers through his hair. He doesn't even look up from the papers. He simply leans back into your touch without thinking, earning you a tiny smile when you realize he unconsciously sought out your hand. If you've both had a long day, he'll quietly lay his head in your lap while you're watching a movie without saying a word. Your fingers automatically begin combing through his hair, lightly scratching his scalp, and before long, his eyes are closed. He isn't asleep; he's simply comfortable enough to let himself completely relax with you.

⋆࿐໋ ݁ bf!hwajin who automatically reaches for you despite being asleep. You could fall asleep on opposite sides of the bed and somehow wake up with your back against Hwajin's firm chest, his muscular arms wrapped around your midsection, and his face snuggled in the crook of your neck, or Hwajin would be sleeping on his back, you sprawled on top of him. Ask him about it the next morning, and he'll genuinely look confused. "Did I?" Meanwhile, you're trying very hard not to smile because apparently even unconscious Hwajin refuses to let you drift too far away.

⋆࿐໋ ݁ bf!hwajin who can't help laughing whenever you dance around the apartment while making dinner. You have absolutely no rhythm whatsoever, but that doesn't stop you from dramatically singing into a wooden spoon while stirring soup. He'll lean against the kitchen doorway with his arms folded, watching your little performance with an expression that's half amusement, half complete adoration. Eventually, you'll grab his hand. "Dance with me!" Five minutes later, he's letting you pull him around the kitchen, both of you twirling and dancing with no rhythm, simply enjoying each other's company, sharing smiles and sweet kisses.

⋆࿐໋ ݁ bf!hwajin who never says no when you ask for "just five minutes." Five minutes of cuddling before he leaves for work. Five more minutes before getting out of bed. Five minutes of lying on his chest after dinner. Five minutes of making out with him. He knows perfectly well your five minutes usually turn into twenty. 

⋆࿐໋ ݁ bf!hwajin who knows exactly how to fluster you after months or years of dating. You'll be rambling about something while standing between him and the kitchen counter, and without interrupting your story, he'll casually rest his hands on either side of you, effectively trapping you there for a moment. He isn't trying to intimidate you; he's just close enough that you suddenly forget what you were talking about. He waits a beat before smirking like the smug bastard he is. "Lost your train of thought?"

⋆࿐໋ ݁ bf!hwajin who loves when you steal his attention because it gives him an excuse to steal yours right back. You'll walk over while he's reading reports, hook your finger under his chin to make him look at you, and grin. "Hi." He'll hold your gaze for a second before smiling that annoyingly attractive smile. "Hi." Then, before you can wander off again, he'll catch your wrist and pull you down to sit on his lap, immediately pulling you in for a passionate kiss. "You started it."

⋆࿐໋ ݁ bf!hwajin who has developed the habit of greeting you with a kiss before either of you says a single word. You walk through the apartment door after work, still halfway through taking your shoes off, and before you can even say hello, he's already standing in front of you with that familiar smile. One hand cups your cheek, the other settles naturally at your waist, and he steals a soft kiss before asking, "Long day?" He also has a habit of absentmindedly kissing whatever part of you is closest. Your shoulder while you're washing dishes together, the top of your head while you're reading, your temple when you rest against him, your hand after you patch up one of his cuts. He doesn't even think about it anymore because loving you has become instinct.

⋆࿐໋ ݁ bf!hwajin who always knows when you're trying to get his attention in that particular way. You'll wander around the living room, where he'll be working on something, wearing one of your fitted t-shirts without a bra under it, causing your nipples to perk through the thin material, and one of Hwajin's favorite panties on you as you move around the room pretending to look for something. When bending over to 'look' for the object, making sure you're in his eyeline and stick out your ass a little extra. He'll watch your poor acting for another ten seconds before putting down whatever he's doing and walking over to you, bringing your back to his firm body, his very obvious bulge poking your ass, and immediately placing firm kisses on your neck as you lean back to allow him more access. "You done pretending yet?" You gasp theatrically, the gasp fading into a breathy whine.

⋆࿐໋ ݁ bf!hwajin who absolutely adores slow mornings where neither of you have anywhere to be. You'll still be half asleep, tucked against him, and he'll lazily trace shapes over your back while the room stays quiet. If you're both a little more awake, you would occasionally glance up at him before leaning up to press a long, slow, and lazy kiss to his lips, never being able to go too long without his kisses. Hwajin will eagerly return the kiss, his lips moving with the same passion as yours. His hands roam all over your body, pausing on your ass before gently squeezing it, causing you to let out a soft gasp. Usually, soft and slow make outs like this in bed result in a lot more.

⋆࿐໋ ݁ bf!hwajin who finds domestic life oddly relaxing. After spending all day dealing with awful people, coming home to you humming while making dinner, dancing around the kitchen in fuzzy socks and one of his shirts, genuinely becomes his favorite part of the day. 

⋆࿐໋ ݁ bf!hwajin who will gladly carry your purse or anything else for you. He is a gentleman like that, and he will not allow you to carry anything yourself. He doesn't care if your purse is pink, feminine, large, or bedazzled; he'll proudly wear it on his shoulder or in the crook of his elbow. If you go shopping together, he will carry every single bag in those strong arms while still leaving one hand free to touch yours because he can't help himself.

⋆࿐໋ ݁ bf!hwajin who is a complete giver when it comes to love. He notices the things that make you smile and quietly builds them into your life. He'll warm your side of the bed before you climb in on cold nights, and he'll refill your water bottle before it's empty because he knows you'll forget; he'll slow his pace when you're walking together without either of you mentioning it. Loving you isn't something he switches on and off; it's woven into the hundreds of tiny decisions he makes every day. And if you ever ask him why he does so much, he'll look at you like it's the most obvious thing in the world.

Note: gifs, pictures, dividers, and headers DOES NOT belong to me. CREDITS TO THE RIGHTFUL OWNERS!! Feedback and reeblog is apprecoiated.<3

[whimsyandnostalgia]

๑ inspector teacher reporting for duty ! | na hwajin.

๑ synopsis : Hwajin didn't think his biggest challenge yet might come in the form of six year old kids but luckily a new face is there to help along the way. ๑ pairing : inspector hwajin x pre-school!teacher reader. ๑ genre : fluff. ๑ warnings : none, maybe slightly non-canon but briefly talks about the actual episode!

๑ requested by anon !

word count : 4.1 k ✧ masterlist. ✧ gif credits.

Up until this exact moment, Hwajin was sure nothing in life could ever shake him. Or at the very least surprise him. And that he could tackle any and every type of problem thrown in his way.

But sometimes, the universe has the funniest ways of proving otherwise. 

When he first understood what this next assignment was, his mind had already come up with several different ways to solve the issue. 

The main problem was the mother. An adult. Someone he knew exactly how to dismantle and teach a lesson to. It wasn’t anything new. However, the approach this time would have to be done differently. Because, there was not a possible way where a direct approach as an ERPB inspector would end up in a good manner for the people who would be most affected by this, the pre-school teacher and the child. 

And so after plenty of brainstorming and discussions, there came a proper plan. 

Na Hwajin would be the new homeroom teacher for Class 1-3. 

There is a rule, unspoken but universally understood among the Grade 1 teachers at Hyeongjung Elementary School, that you never leave your door open during free activity time.

Not because the children will escape although they will, but because sound travels. And the specific frequency of seventeen six-year-olds in collective disagreement about whose turn it is on the rhythm sticks is the kind of thing that will ring within your skull even during the late hours of the night.

You know this. You have known this for three years.

The man currently standing outside Class 1-3, staring at the closed door like it has personally wronged him, does not know this yet.

You notice him from down the hall on your way back from the copy room ; tall, bright clothes with a baby pink shirt and glasses that somehow would look comical on someone else but suit him well, carrying himself like he was used to being at full focus at all times with a straightness you realised was probably instilled. Which is a very specific energy to bring to an elementary school hallway decorated with paper sunflowers and a hand-written banner that reads HOME OF THE HEART in scribbled writing.

He hasn't gone in yet.

He's just standing there.

You slow your walk slightly. The stack of worksheets in your arms shifts. You watch him reach for the door handle, stop, and then just, read the hand-drawn nameplate next to the door. Class 1-3, Grade 1, Teacher: Choi Jiseon. He reads it twice, like it would magically change to his name. 

"She's not in there," you say, eventually stopping, giving in to the curiosity. 

He turns and looks at you. Taking you in with a kind of quick yet assessing look that was definitely not something a school teacher would have, "I know," he says. "I am." He notices the way you carry yourself with ease yet confidence and how the loose ends of your hair sit across your face prettily, but then he stops that thought process with a blink as he realises he might be staring for a weirdly long time.

You pause, taking in his words.

"You're the substitute," you say.

"Na Hwajin." He says it like an introduction and a statement of fact simultaneously. "ERPB."

Your eyebrows raise at this, understanding this situation was much more complicated than you thought and a small tinge of guilt arose in you but you brushed it aside for the time being.

"I know you- well your organisation atleast.” The whole school knows who he is. Probably the whole of South Korea at this rate. The ERPB's presence had come with a sudden reshuffling of everything ; the monitoring, the gentle but firm conversations with the principal, the sudden very careful atmosphere in the staff room. "Anyways, I'm Y/N. Class 1-2." You nod at the door directly across the hall. "Jiseon's my neighbor."

Something in his expression shifts, just slightly. Neighbor meaning that you know her and you've been watching what's been happening to her. It was one of those cases where you tried as a fellow teacher to support your fellow teacher as much as you could but it seemed nothing was able to help the situation. You had gotten increasingly worried day by day and honestly were likely going to contact further authorities to help your colleague. But it seemed somehow, help was already on the way. 

"How is she?" you ask sincerely, knowing she was also on leave.

"Resting." he says carefully, making you understand this probably was not the right time and place to fully talk about everything.

You nod in understanding and then you look at Class 1-3's door and then back at him with a questioning look.

"Have you taught before?" you ask, a little in the tone of amusement wondering if this scary looking man was actually not at all scary. 

"No." A pause followed which had a look come across his face as if he was recalculating everything.

"Worked with young children?" 

"No."

"How young is the youngest person you've managed?" Now you couldn’t hold back the amusement in your tone. You didn’t know if he was purposefully ignoring that or not wanting to further address it but he looked in thought about your question.

He thinks about this genuinely, which is somehow more alarming than a quick answer would have been. "Fifteen," he says.

"Okay," you say honestly. "Good luck." And you mean it sincerely, because he definitely needs it. 

You are already turning toward your own classroom when he says, without a shred of identifiable pride: "Is there anything I should know?"

You give him seven minutes.

It's not that you're monitoring him, at least you don't intend to. 

It's that your classroom shares a wall with 1-3, and walls at Hyeongjung Elementary are approximately the thickness of two layers of coloring books and you can hear everything throughout the hallway to your classroom. Plus you're always extra attentive anyways, you need to be in cases of kids going suspiciously quiet to creating ruckus in a matter of few seconds.

The first two minutes are fine. Quiet, even a little too quiet, the way a classroom goes quiet when the children are observing a new thing with their curiosity as if it holds a new wonder for them.

Minute three is when a chair scrapes. Then another.

Minute four is when there is a sound that you will later understand as the calm before a storm.  It's luckily not screaming and it's not crying. 

But it is the specific vocal frequency of an entire class of six-year-olds expressing simultaneous opinions at full volume.

Minute five is when something hits the floor. 

Probably the rhythm stick box. Definitely the rhythm stick box. 

Minute six is when a brief, almost-restored quiet suddenly came and you knew it was probably because Hwajin had decided to use the old banging hands on the desk to create a sudden sound to stop the noise. 

However it didn't work at all because in the next approximately ten seconds even more chaos ensued.

Minute seven is when you decide you should definitely help. So you hand your class over to the assistant teacher with a look that communicates I'll be five minutes, pick up the small laminated schedule card you keep spare on your desk, and cross the hall.

You knock once and open the door.

The scene inside Class 1-3 is not the worst you've ever seen, which is honestly a testament to something, though you're not sure what.

Hwajin is standing at the front of the class. He has the posture of a man who is currently regretting the decision that has made him land in this position. 

Regret with a little bit of defeatedness.

His jaw is set. His eyes are doing that rapid-scan thing, tracking movement around the room, and there is a lot of movement to track because approximately six children are out of their seats, two are arguing over a purple crayon with the intensity of a property dispute, one has somehow gotten to the back shelf and is investigating the art supplies with the focus of a seasoned archaeologist, and a small girl in the front row is simply crying, quietly and steadily, for reasons that are entirely unclear.

He sees you come in. 

Something in his face relaxes but there is still that hint of stubbornness. The way one would look when they've been holding something very heavy and someone else has just walked into the room.

"Everyone," you say, at a volume calibrated specifically for six-year-olds which is basically loud enough to land yet calm enough not to escalate. "Seats, please. Let's show Teacher Na we know how to sit nicely."

It works the way it always works, which is not perfect but mostly a wave of compliance moving across the room, children drifting back to chairs with the slightly guilt of people who know they've been caught. The girl in the front row slowly goes off into sniffles. The future archaeologist returns from the back shelf.

"Thank you," you say warmly, and then you look at Hwajin, and you murmur, low enough for only him yet your eyes stay drifting on the kids, "What were you trying to do?"

"Activity time," he says, with the clipped precision of a mission debrief which makes you almost want to laugh. "The schedule said activity time. I told them activity time. They-” a pause that contains multitudes, "-interpreted that broadly."

You look at the laminated schedule card in your hand, then at the board. He's written the time block up but nothing else which meant it had no structure, no options, no visuals and for a six-year-old, activity time with no further parameters is essentially anything goes, which is exactly what they went with.

"You have to tell them what the activity is," you say pointing out to the board,"And where they do it. And what the rules are. Specifically. In order."

He looks at you with an expression that is not quite this is absurd and not quite of course, but somewhere between them, blinking rapidly and mentally adding it somewhere, "Noted," he says.

"The crying, that's Soo-ah. She probably misses Jiseon. It's not you. Just check in with her quietly in a minute, she'll be okay."

"Right."

"And the purple crayon situation," you glance at the two boys who have reached an uneasy duel where the crayon sits on the desk between them like a prize, “There's a backup set in the third drawer. Give them one each and they'll both be satisfied."

He opens the third drawer, finds the crayons, and delivers them with the same no-nonsense  energy that he is used to and probably uses for everything, which actually works perfectly, because six-year-olds don't respond to reasoning, they respond to certainty, and certainty he has in abundance. 

The boy on the left looks at his crayon then looks at Hwajin and says with a grin showing a missing front tooth,  "Thank you, Teacher."

Something crosses Hwa-jin's face so quickly you almost miss it but you were sure it was delight even if it was for a brief moment, 

"You're welcome," he says with a small smile. 

You don't think much about how his smile changed the way he looked, making him seem much more warmer. You definitely do not. 

You decide to stay for twelve minutes, which is five more than you planned.

It's not that he can't manage,he can, once he knows the structure, he's genuinely strategic about it, moving around the room with the deliberate efficiency of someone who adapts fast and doesn't repeat mistakes. 

Within a few minutes he's got them in a drawing activity with clear parameters and crayons along with their sketchbooks and his hands clasped behind his back, surveying the room with an expression that holds true to his nature you assume but for now he is watching a child carefully draw what appears to be a duck.

It's the duck that keeps you.

He stops next to the girl drawing it and then looks at it for a moment with slight squinted eyes. Then he crouches down which was quite a sight —this large, severe man— folding himself down to her level and asks with a very serious tone "Is that a duck?"

The girl nods, equally serious.

"It's very good," he says with the same seriousness carrying praise.

She doesn't beam the way some kids do when complimented, at least not yet. She considers his opinion first, like she's assessing whether he's someone worthy of listening to and then she says,  "The wings are wrong."

"The wings look right to me."

"You don't draw ducks."

"That's true," he says. "How do you know?"

"Your hands," she says with a serious tone that has you stifling your giggle, and goes back to her paper.

He looks at his hands. Then back at the duck. Then he straightens up, and catches you watching from the doorway, and for just a moment, one corner of his mouth moves. You think if your focus wasn’t already on him, you would have missed that.

You've been here for twelve minutes and you realise you also had your own batch of kids to tend to.

"I should get back," you say quietly, from the door.

"Right." He crosses toward you, and his voice drops. "The schedule after this-"

"It will be a literacy block, which will go on for thirty minutes. There's a read-aloud book on the shelf, red spine, The Very Hungry Caterpillar which they've done before but they'll still ask for it. Ask them questions while you read. They love that.”

He's looking at you in a way that's very focused and you’re choosing not to think more of it than you should but it’s easier said than done when your traitorous heart flutters a tiny bit. "Do you do this often?" he asks. "Help the substitute."

"Jiseon is my friend," you say simply. "And you're helping her."

He holds your gaze for a moment. "Thank you," he says and he doesn’t just mean it for the help you’ve done in the past twelve minutes, that much you understand.

You go back to your class. You absolutely do not think about the way his face entirely changes when he smiles for the rest of the morning.

(You think about it for the rest of the morning.)

Lunch is held in the school cafeteria, which is the one time of day when Grade 1 teachers get to eat food that is technically for them and have conversations that are technically for adults. You're halfway through your rice when he sits down across from you.

Not next to you across because you are the only familiar face in the cafeteria that he knows. Next to you would be weird, he justifies. He has a tray. He looks at it like he's not sure how it got there nor is he sure about the contents on it.

"The duck girl," he says, without anything else because you would know already.

"Minseo."

"Yes." You say with an amused smile beginning to form on your lips.

"She told me during literacy that my reading voice is too flat."

You press your lips together to hold back your laughter, he notices this and looks at you with an unidentifiable expression, "She's not wrong." You decide to be honest about it. Besides, it would help him more to understand how to work with kids.

He looks at you, with this pure look of defeat that makes you feel a little bad for him. 

"You do this-" you pitch your voice lower, perfectly level, "-when you read. The kids need the voices. The caterpillar has to sound hungry."

Something moves behind his eyes which might be genuine consideration. You cannot tell. "I lowered my voice," he says defensively, which has you shaking your head like you would at a  child defending themselves. 

"Hwajin-ssi." You set down your spoon. "The caterpillar ate through one apple, two pears, three plums, four strawberries, and five oranges. On Saturday alone it ate through ten different foods. That caterpillar is having a crisis and it should sound like it's having a crisis."

He is quiet for a moment, considering your suggestion, the seriousness of which you convey and the look in your eyes which was sincere too.

"The children laughed," he says finally. "During the reading. I didn't–I wasn't sure if that was appropriate."

Something in your chest does something unexpected. Because all along it seemed to him that he was not being able to manage anything correctly yet when he does manage to do the right thing the first time, he is surprised by it.  

"It's the best thing," you say earnestly, "If they're laughing, they're engaged. Jiseon was always really good at the voices."

He nods, absorbing this new information and then says, "She's well-liked. The children ask about her."

"They love her." You look down at your tray. "She's a wonderful teacher. What's happening to her is– it's not fair. What that mother did." You catch yourself, glance up. "Sorry. You're investigating. I shouldn't—"

"You're not saying anything I haven't already established," he says, evenly. "And you know her. Anything you've observed is relevant."

You look at him steadily. He looks back, and there's something about the way he gazes at you so attentively, that makes it quite disarming, as if you can’t help but just want to talk about everything with him.

"I should have asked her more directly," you say and he catches the guilt in that admission, "I brought her coffee a few times. Said the usual things — it'll be okay, they can't keep this up forever. But I didn't — I didn't know how bad it was. I was going to talk to her about approaching someone with more authority but-” You pause, not understanding what to say next, partially in guilt. 

"People in those situations are often very good at not showing it," he says truthfully but also not blaming you.

You look at him with understanding,  "You're surprisingly easy to talk to. For someone who looks like that."

It comes out before you fully think it through, and you blink twice when you realise what you just admitted.

He raises an eyebrow, and you can see his amusement, "Like what?"

"Like you're about to conduct an interrogation.”

"I might be," he says, and there it is again — his almost-smile which was just a smile because it also made his eyes squint a little beneath the glasses. You really should not make anything more of how much you enjoy seeing it. 

He comes back to your doorway at the end of the day.

The children are gone, your classroom is quiet, the aftermath of the day visible in both the classroom and yourself and you're at your desk reorganizing the next day's materials. You look up to find him leaning against the doorframe with his jacket back on and there's something about the tiredness that comes after a long day which is visible now that makes him look unexpectedly human.

"Survived the first day?" you ask with a smile. He finds his own one forming at the sight of it. 

"Minseo told me my duck drawing is worse than hers," he says. "She's not wrong."

"That is a very high bar there, Minseo is legitimately talented."

"She made me practice." He looks like he's still processing this as he shakes his head recalling the conversation, "She gave me her spare paper."

The image of Na Hwajin, ERPB inspector, former soldier, sitting at a table of six-year-olds practicing duck drawings at the instruction of a small girl, is something you will carry with you for a long time and it only makes the smile on your face widen at the thought of it.

"She likes you already," you say. "Minseo is very selective."

He's quiet for a moment. Look at his hands again, like he realised that there was gentleness hidden in them that he didn’t even know existed until now. Then after taking some thoughts, he decides to ask you the question, "If you haven't eaten dinner—"

"I haven't," you say before he finishes hoping it doesn’t come off too enthusiastically, but you’d be wrong if you said it didn’t make you want to squeal slightly.

"The teachers' room," you continue. "We have a spot for marking and I always bring too much food. It's technically not dinner but it's something."

"I have a report to write," he says as he nods at your suggestion. 

"You can write it there and I'll be marking. We can be productive and also not sit alone, which is — I think we've both earned that today." You acknowledge as you carry your worksheets to which he steps forward and takes in his hands before you can even say anything else.

"Where's the teachers' room?" 

You sit across from each other at the low table by the window, and you share the contents of your lunch bag, a tangerine, crackers, the last of the lemon tea from your thermos,with the ease of people who are slowly becoming comfortable in each other’s presence. 

He writes his report and continues to mark and occasionally laugh at the answers your kids have written to which he unknowingly smiles at. He doesn’t think he has smiled this much in one day. Hanrim would be proud. Outside, the school empties slowly, the sound of the last children leaving like a tide going out.

At some point he says, without looking up from his tablet: "The caterpillar does need more voice."

"I know."

"I'll try it tomorrow."

You press your mouth flat against a smile. "The kids will let you know how you did."

He makes a low sound, that is a laugh but it is probably how he laughs as someone not used to it frequently and it makes your stomach churn in a much nicer way than you’ve ever felt. 

"The schedule tomorrow," he says, wanting to be informed beforehand, "After morning activity—"

"Math. Counting to twenty with the blocks. They work in pairs and they'll always try to do it before you teach them. So let them."

He types something. You watch him for a moment, focusing of how he does everything, and think about the way he crouched next to Minseo's duck, and the way he'd sat across from you at lunch like he'd decided and that was that, and the way he said thank you earlier like it was about more than twelve minutes in a chaotic classroom. 

"Can I ask you something?" you say.

"Yes."

"Why did you agree to do this? The substitute. You're ERPB — surely there are—"

"I was asked to and I- I felt I’d fit more to handle the situation too," he says and pauses before he continues, "And someone needed to."

That might not be the full answer but whatever it was, it was an honest one and you accepted that.

From the outside, the last of the afternoon light shines through the old through the staff room window, giving a warmer tone to the room. 

Your phone buzzes. You glance at it: Jiseon's number. A short message.

heard there's a substitute. is he terrifying them???

You smile down at your phone, while typing back, he's doing better than expected. the kids like him.

A pause follows before she types back, really??

You look up. Hwajin is reading his report, brow slightly furrowed, the focus of a man who does everything with full attention. On his wrist, half hidden by his sleeve, there is, you notice now, what is unmistakably the faint outline of a child's sticker, a small golden star. 

Minseo, definitely.

He hasn't taken it off.

really. you type back.

He walks out to the carpark at the same time you do, which is probably not a coincidence. 

"The count-to-twenty blocks," he says, at the top of the steps, remembering how he doesn’t know where most of the stuff is "Are they in the cabinet or on the shelf?"

"Cabinet. Left side. There's also a set of number cards in the folder on top if the blocks aren't enough."

He nods, mentally noting it. 

You reach the bottom of the steps. His car is, predictably, clean and black and parked with geometric precision. Yours is across the lot.

"Tomorrow?" he says.

"Tomorrow." you agree.

You walk toward your car. You don't look back, specifically because if you look back you'll do something embarrassing. You hear, just barely, the sound of his car door opening.

And then,"Y/N-ssi."

You turn.

He's standing by his door, jacket on, the gold star sticker still on his wrist, looking across the carpark at you with an expression you haven't seen on him yet which is less certain than usual. 

"Thank you," he says, finally with that smile you have concluded you really like, "For today."

"Come back tomorrow," you say with a smile that does something to his chest,  "Minseo is saving you a duck template."

He looks at you. Something settles in his expression, something that is both delight and patient and you think, maybe the beginning of a lot of things.

"I'll be here," he says.

๑ whimsy's note : ahh!! so sorry this took longer than expected 🥹 i was trying to make it as real as possible and had to do a bit of dive into what they teach kids in grade 1 💔💔 but this was genuinely so so so fun to write!! do let me know what your thoughts on this are and i hope you liked this anon who requested <3!

[esaestrellaeramilujo]

Na Hwa-jin | Hell is lovely

Summary: Cornered by the harassment of your own students, you find a lifeline when the ERPB steps in. The assigned inspector turns out to be Na Hwa-jin, your high school best friend… the same boy you rejected in the past, who vanished from your life without a trace.

Warnings: angst, yandere!Hwa-jin, harassment, canon violence, mentions of toxic relationships, possessiveness, smoking.

Note: English is not my first language so feel free to tell me if there are any mistakes.

You finished calling out the last name on the roster, marked them present and looked up at the clock hanging on the back wall of the classroom. The ancient air conditioner was doing nothing to cut through the suffocating heat, but that was the least of your problems. Your personal hell sat right in front of you, spread across thirty individual desks that felt like they were closing in on you. The air was thick with hostility, a heavy weight that always left your chest aching by the end of the day.

To an outsider, a senior literature class should have been a space for debate or, at the very least, bored silence. But at this school, classroom 4-1 had become your own private purgatory.

You were a teacher here, a career you had chosen as a calling but that now felt like psychological torture. For months, you had been the target of non-stop, increasingly aggressive harassment from your own students.

These weren't harmless teenage pranks. They were double entendres, leering stares that stripped you bare without a shred of decency and obscene notes left on your desk that no one ever owned up to. The boundary of respect between teacher and student had been completely pulverized, leaving you exposed in a game where the deck was stacked against you.

"Hey, teach..." the voice of Jung-hoon, the undisputed ringleader of the class, cut through the low chatter.

He wasn't looking at you. His eyes were still glued to his phone screen, but the smug smirk on his face told you exactly what was coming. His lackeys straightened up in their seats, ready for the daily show.

"That poem we read yesterday was all about passion and desire" the boy continued, finally looking up to lock his eyes on you with blatant disrespect. "It got me thinking… do you get that passionate when you leave this place, or are you only boring when you're with us? Maybe you just need someone who actually knows how to handle you."

A chorus of muffled snickers, crude whispers and rhythmic tapping on the desks erupted from the back of the room. You felt the blood rush to your cheeks, a hot wave of helplessness burning in your throat. You gripped the whiteboard marker so hard your knuckles turned white. You knew you couldn't show weakness. Fear was like blood in the water to the sharks in this room… if they caught a whiff of it, they would tear you to pieces.

"Jung-hoon, put your phone away immediately and open your book to page 142" you said, making a superhuman effort to keep your voice steady, even as your soul trembled inside.

"And what if I don't want to?" he shot back, though he slid the phone into his pocket anyway. He kicked his legs out, interlacing his hands behind his head as he blatantly ran his eyes down your body. "What are you gonna do? Write me up? Go ahead. My dad can clear that from the system with a single phone call. But hey, if you want, we can stay after class alone and you can explain that 'desire' part to me a little better. Maybe then I'll actually listen and learn something useful."

The laughter this time was louder, shattering any remaining semblance of order. Another boy in the back let out a crude catcall. You swallowed the tears that threatened to blur your vision, a suffocating knot tightening in your throat until you could barely breathe.

You felt trapped… no, you were trapped.

You had no choice but to keep quiet, bite your tongue and keep working as if nothing had happened. You had already tried to get the school administration to step in last month. You had gone to the principal with proof, showing him the notes they left on your desk. But the system’s response was always the same: a patronizing pat on the back, useless advice on "classroom management" and a blunt reminder that the school couldn't afford to lose the hefty donations from the wealthy families of these juvenile delinquents. Money talked and you were completely expendable. You desperately needed your paycheck to cover the debts piled up after your disastrous split from Ha-joon, so you had no choice but to duck your head, swallow your pride and endure the daily humiliation while praying internally for the final bell to ring.

Suddenly, the classroom's sliding door opened smoothly.

The chatter in the room died down, caught off guard by someone interrupting the class dynamic in the middle of the morning.

You snapped your head up. A tall man stepped into the room, his sheer presence instantly commanding the attention of the entire class. He wore a sharp black suit, impeccably tailored to his broad shoulders, with a black dress shirt underneath that gave him a sober, elegant aura. His appearance was meticulously put together…. his straight, dark hair was styled with long bangs falling attractively across his forehead. He was clean-shaven, with a sharp jawline and an expression of absolute serenity, wearing a gentle smile that made him look harmless, professional and strangely peaceful.

Your breath caught in your throat.

Your eyes widened and the whiteboard marker slipped from your fingers, hitting the floor and rolling with a dull thud that no one else seemed to notice. Your mind began to spin in a whirlwind of memories you had kept buried through years of heartache and disappointment. His features were more mature now, more masculine, but you would recognize those eyes anywhere in the world.

It was Na Hwa-jin.

The shock of seeing him again after all these years made your head spin, forcing you to grip the edge of the desk for balance. Your mind flashed back in time, returning to the hallways of your high school when you both shared the same classroom. You had been best friends, inseparable confidants who spent every afternoon studying and sharing secrets. Hwa-jin had been your safe haven until the fateful day he confessed he was in love with you. Back then, your heart already belonged to another boy in school… to Ha-joon. With all the clumsy honesty of youth, you turned him down, telling him you could only ever see him as a friend.

From that exact day, he cut you out of his life completely. The beautiful friendship you shared shattered in an instant and you stopped speaking, turning overnight into complete strangers who merely shared a past.

It had hurt you deeply. You had cried over his absence for months because you truly missed him; he was your best friend in the world. You had always believed he simply distanced himself to heal his bruised pride and forget the pain of rejection.

You didn't have the slightest clue about the reality.

You had never noticed that, for the rest of high school, Hwa-jin had spent every single minute of class staring fixedly at your every move from his desk in the back, developing a deep, dark obsession you never once detected.

To you, he was just the lost friend who didn't know how to handle a "no".

Over the years, that obsession seemed to have been buried in the dark recesses of his mind. You had heard through rumors that Hwa-jin had gotten married, that he had tried to live the life of an ordinary man, but that tragedy had struck him in the cruelest way: his wife was brutally murdered by one of her own students. That traumatic event had completely broken him and it was the catalyst for the creation of the ERPB.

And now, whether by fate or the worst kind of coincidence, he was standing in your very classroom.

Hwa-jin walked slowly toward the front of the room, keeping that placid smile on his face, perfectly concealing the predator within. He stopped a few feet from your desk, locking eyes with you and, for a second, the intensity in his gaze was overwhelming.

Seeing you there… so pale, anxious and backed into a corner by a pack of teenagers, something clicked in his mind. The obsession he had spent years trying to bury woke up with the force of a volcano. You looked so broken, it made him want to claim every single piece of you.

Yet, true to his agency's protocol, Hwa-jin didn't let a fraction of that psychotic chaos show. He didn't yell, he didn't make a scene... he simply gave you a polite nod, displaying flawless manners that contrasted sharply with the disrespect running rampant in the room.

"Good morning, teacher" he said, his voice smooth and gentle. "I am inspector Na Hwa-jin from the ERPB. I have been assigned to this institution to observe and evaluate classroom dynamics. Please, disregard my presence and carry on with your lesson as if I weren't here."

He walked with total composure down the side aisle, picked an empty desk at the back of the room and sat down, crossing one leg over the other and leaning back comfortably.

You stood frozen to the spot, your legs feeling like lead. Could it be that he didn't recognize you? You bent down to pick up the marker, trying to process the sheer unreality of the situation. Was it pure coincidence that out of all the classes, he was assigned to yours? Your hands were still shaking as you stood before the board and tried to pick up where you left off with the poem, but your focus was completely shot. You could feel Hwa-jin’s gaze burning into your back, but every time you turned around, you found him staring directly at your students.

Far from being intimidated by his presence, the boys began to whisper among themselves in irritation. They didn't really know what the ERPB was, they just saw a well-dressed guy intruding on their territory. Jung-hoon was pissed, clicking his tongue in annoyance since the inspector had ruined his perfect moment to mess with you. He turned fully around in his seat to glare at the man in the back with utter contempt, eager to regain control of the room in front of his peers.

"Hey, inspector" Jung-hoon called out loudly, drawling his words mockingly. "What are you supposed to be doing back there just sitting around? This is a school, not a waiting room. Or did you come to protect the teacher's skirt because she doesn't know how to handle her own class?"

Several boys in the back rows let out complicit snickers. The room filled with mocking whispers.

"If you don't have anything useful to do, I suggest you grab your things and get the hell out the way you came. My dad is the head of the school board and he doesn't like outsiders getting in our way."

It was at that exact moment that Hwa-jin decided the time for pleasantries was over and it was time to show them what he really was.

The polite smile didn't leave his face, but his eyes turned completely dead… devoid of a single shred of empathy or humanity. He stood up and unbuttoned his suit jacket, maintaining a calm that was infinitely more terrifying than any shout. He walked forward with slow, deliberate steps, stopping right beside Jung-hoon’s desk.

"Your dad?" Hwa-jin asked, tilting his head subtly. "How precious that you need to hide behind your parents to feel like somebody. But let me clear something up for you, punk…"

Hwa-jin leaned in slightly, planting a single hand flat on the boy's wooden desk. His imposing frame completely blocked out the light, trapping Jung-hoon in his own space and forcing him to look up.

"The ERPB doesn't give a flying fuck who your dad is, how much money he has or who he knows" Hwa-jin continued, his voice dangerously low. "From this exact second, I am the only law inside this school. I have the authority to report any infraction that violates educational rights and the power to take disciplinary action. The type of punishment..." he said, slamming his other hand onto the desk "...is entirely up to me. If I hear you disrespecting the teacher again, or if I catch you looking at her the wrong way even once… I won't hesitate to resort to corporate punishment."

"You guys aren't allowed to hit us anymore" Jung-hoon stammered.

"I have special dispensation to do whatever it takes. Want me to prove it to you?" Hwa-jin asked. "Just so we can clear up any doubts."

Jung-hoon went pale instantly. The arrogance and "bad boy" facade were wiped away in a flash, replaced by sheer terror. The boy swallowed hard, visibly shrinking into his seat and dropping his gaze down to his own lap, completely unable to hold the man's eyes. Despite his calm appearance, Hwa-jin radiated the aura of a man who wouldn't hesitate to carry out his threat right then and there.

He straightened up with total composure, adjusted the lapels of his black suit jacket and smiled again with that skin-crawling serenity. He turned his body slowly back toward you, completely ignoring the rest of the students who now sat petrified in their seats.

You were still motionless behind your desk, your heart racing in your chest, the poem entirely forgotten on the board. The fear you had felt toward your students for months had vanished in an instant, but a chill ran down your spine as you discovered the sheer darkness your former best friend hid behind his manners. The sweet boy you remembered from high school was gone; in his place stood a lethal man who seemed to be playing a very dangerous game.

"You may proceed with the class, teacher" Hwa-jin said amiably, turning on his heel to head back to his seat. "I am certain the boys will be on their absolute best behavior today. Right, Jung-hoon?"

The boy didn't even dare to breathe heavily, keeping his eyes glued to the wood of his desk as he gave a tight nod. The rest of the class followed suit, opening their textbooks in absolute, dead silence.

You stole one last look at Hwa-jin before turning back to the board. Your hands were still ice-cold, but for the first time in months, you didn't feel like crying.

(...)

The bell announcing the end of the block finally rang, echoing through your ears.

For the past fifty minutes, classroom 4-1 had remained in total silence… an anomaly you hadn't experienced since the day you started at this school. The students had barely dared to rustle their papers, acutely aware that the imposing figure in black was still sitting in the back, monitoring their every breath.

As the students began to file out of the room without a single one of their usual snide remarks or leering comments, you felt like you could finally release the air you'd been holding in your lungs.

You packed your notes into your briefcase with clumsy hands. You glanced sideways at the back row, but the seat was already empty. Na Hwa-jin had left as silently as he had entered, leaving you with a strange mixture of relief and intense internal agitation.

You needed to breathe. You needed to get out from between those four walls that still held the suffocating tension of the morning.

You walked quickly through the building's hallways, avoiding eye contact with other teachers or administrators. You didn't want to give explanations; you didn't want to talk about the ERPB, the audit, or anything else. You hurried up the service stairs leading to the school roof… a place that was usually locked, but whose padlock you had learned to bypass weeks ago to find a sanctuary. As you pushed open the heavy metal door, a gust of fresh air greeted you.

You walked over to the concrete ledge overlooking the back courtyard. Your fingers dug through your bag until they found a crumpled pack and a lighter. You pulled out a cigarette, slipped it between your lips and sparked the flame, shielding it with your palm. You took a deep drag, closing your eyes as the hot smoke flooded your lungs, slightly numbing the tight knot in your throat. Leaning against the concrete, you exhaled the gray smoke into the sunny sky, trying to convince yourself that everything that just happened downstairs was actually real.

"That habit is going to ruin your health, teacher" a smooth voice called out from your left, shattering the quiet.

You jumped so hard you nearly dropped your cigarette over the edge. You whipped your head around, your heart taking another violent leap in your chest. Na Hwa-jin was standing there, leaning his back against the wall of the rooftop exit with his hands tucked into his trouser pockets.

He was looking at you with an exasperating calmness. His handsome face was still wearing that gentle, harmless smile. It was the same professional mask he had worn downstairs, but now that you were alone, his eyes locked onto you with an intensity that made you feel completely exposed.

"Mr. Na..." your voice came out small, but you immediately straightened up, suddenly feeling intimidated by his sheer size. "I... I didn't know you were up here."

"I was securing the perimeter" he said, stepping away from the wall. He walked over to the ledge and positioned himself right next to you, less than three feet away. "But I saw how fast you were heading up here. I guess you still look for high places when you feel cornered… just like back in high school, T/N."

The comment hit you right in the center of your memories, leaving a bittersweet taste in your mouth. So he had recognized you after all. You looked down at the cigarette between your fingers before taking another drag, drawing courage from the nicotine.

"It's been a lot of years, Hwa-jin" you said, trying to strike a casual tone. "We aren't those high school kids anymore. You've definitely changed a lot. When you walked into the room… I honestly couldn't believe it. I thought you hadn't recognized me."

Hwa-jin let out a short laugh, but the gesture didn't reach his eyes. He leaned against the concrete ledge, mimicking your posture, though his head remained turned toward you in profile. He scanned every detail of your face, from the paleness of your skin to the slight tremor of your lips.

Inside, Na Hwa-jin’s brain was firing at a million miles an hour, analyzing every millimeter of your presence.

Not recognize you? How stupid he thought, his pupils dilating imperceptibly as he watched you wrap your arms around yourself to shield against the wind. A hundred years could pass, you could change your name, your hair, your entire life and I would still know exactly who you are just by the rhythm of your footsteps. I know how you breathe when you're scared. I know how you clench your jaw when you're trying not to cry.

Seeing you standing there, the cigarette trembling between your fingers and that broken look trying to hide the damage from the harassment, sent a dark, possessive jolt straight down his spine.

Hwa-jin experienced a twisted, addictive rush of pleasure at just how small you looked in his presence. You were no longer the unreachable girl walking hand-in-hand with someone else through the hallways… you were a woman backed into a corner by the world, a victim desperately in need of a savior and he was more than willing to play that part until you had no choice but to take shelter in his arms.

However, he shelved those fantasies for the moment and kept his expression serious, masking the obsession that threatened to spill over.

"I recognized you the exact second I opened that door" he confessed, watching the gray smoke you exhaled. "But I had to follow protocol. Besides… I wanted to see how you were handling the situation. Though, from what I witnessed downstairs, it looks like you aren't handling it at all."

You looked down, feeling shame warm your face all over again. The reminder of your own weakness stung, especially coming from him… from your former best friend.

"It's not that easy, Hwa-jin" you muttered, fixing your eyes on the miniature cars in the parking lot. "Those kids… they have power. Their families control the school board. If I try to defend myself or file a formal complaint, the principal turns his back on me and threatens to fire me. I don't have a choice. I have to keep my mouth shut and keep working if I want to put food on the table."

Hwa-jin fell silent for a few seconds that stretched on like an eternity. The placid smile vanished from his lips for the first time, replaced by a cold, hard line. His eyes darkened, fixed on the way your shoulders slumped under the crushing weight of the daily humiliation.

"Why didn't you report the harassment to the Ministry authorities?" he asked and this time his tone carried a sharp edge of coldness that made you shiver. "Why didn't you tell Ha-joon? He's your boyfriend… he's supposed to protect you from any bastard who tries to lay a hand on you."

Your ex's name hovered between you like a heavy, toxic ghost. You tapped the ash off your cigarette, feeling your heart squeeze painfully in your chest… not out of love, but from the raw trauma that idiot had left behind. You took one last, bitter drag before stubbing the butt out against the concrete of the ledge.

"Ha-joon isn't going to protect anyone, Hwa-jin" you said, finally letting out the frustration and exhaustion built up over months. "My relationship with him… it was complete torture. I lived through hell by his side. I left him a few months ago and I swear it's the best thing I could have ever done, even if he left me completely broke."

Hwa-jin didn't move, but from his posture, you knew you had his undivided attention, as if he were drinking in every single word.

"Torture?" he repeated.

"Yes" you confessed, wrapping your arms tightly around yourself, finally unburdening your soul to the only person who, deep down, still felt safe. "He made me feel completely worthless all the time. He controlled me, screamed at me, manipulated me until I doubted my own sanity. Honestly… I think the reason my self-esteem is so shot and why it's so hard for me to stand up to those students is because of how Ha-joon treated me every single day. He left me hollow… he convinced me that I deserved to be stepped on."

Inside Hwa-jin, a symphony of dark, twisted emotions swelled into a perfect, triumphant climax.

Single… she’s single.

He had to fight every muscle in his face to suppress the wicked smirk that wanted to break through. A visceral contempt for Ha-joon flooded his veins; the mere thought that that pathetic excuse for a man had been privileged enough to have you by his side only to mistreat you triggered a brutal urge to track him down and teach him a lesson he wouldn't walk away from.

But at the exact same time, he felt a wave of profound gratitude toward fate.

Ha-joon had broken you and cast you aside, completely clearing the path. Now you were alone, entirely untethered. Right back at the exact same starting point as high school, but with one crucial difference: this time, you had absolutely no one else to turn to.

He left you in pieces, my love… but I am going to be the only one who gathers them up, Hwa-jin thought, his eyes gleaming with unadulterated obsession. I am going to make you forget his name and the name of anyone else who ever hurt you. You're about to see what a real man is capable of doing to keep you safe.

He cleared his throat softly, reclaiming his mask of serenity in a fraction of a second and exhaled a sigh meant to mimic sympathy.

"I'm so sorry to hear that" Hwa-jin said, his voice taking on an strangely comforting undertone. "That asshole never knew what he had in his hands. But you don't have to worry about him anymore and you certainly don't have to worry about those punks downstairs."

You looked up, meeting his gaze. The way he was watching you was so intense that it stole your breath away for a second, but you failed to read the danger hiding in his eyes. You only saw the friend from your past who seemed to be throwing you a lifeline.

"Hwa-jin… it really hurt when we stopped talking, didn't it?" you dared to ask, finally touching the wound that had remained open in your memory. "For years, it killed me to think our friendship was destroyed just because I rejected you. You were my best friend in the world. I missed you so much and I spent years thinking you hated me."

Hwa-jin pulled a hand out of his pocket and stepped closer to you. His long fingers gently brushed against a stray lock of hair that the wind had whipped across your face, tucking it behind your ear with a tenderness that sent shivers down your skin. His touch was warm and the proximity of his massive frame made you feel incredibly small… but for the first time in months, entirely safe.

"I could never hate you" he whispered, his placid smile returning. "The ERPB is going to be stationed at this school for several weeks to handle this 'problem' at its root. I suggest you leave everything in my hands, teacher."

He pulled his hand back gently from your face and turned on his heel, walking toward the rooftop's metal door. Before opening it, he paused and looked back over his shoulder, those cold eyes promising a storm.

"Head back to class whenever you're ready" he said. "No one is ever going to touch you in that room again. I guarantee it."

The door clicked shut behind him, leaving you standing against the ledge, touching the spot where his fingers had left a lingering trail of heat. The smoke from your cigarette had completely vanished, but Hwa-jin’s presence remained branded onto your skin, marking the beginning of a game you no longer had any way of escaping.

(...)

The official deployment of the Teachers' Rights Protection Agency audit changed the entire dynamic of the school overnight.

The formal memorandum hit the main office first thing the next morning, establishing that inspector Na Hwa-jin would remain on-site for fourteen days to monitor school climate and ensure strict compliance with codes of conduct regarding the faculty. For his operational convenience, he was assigned a desk in the furthest corner of the staff room… a corner that rapidly became a high-voltage zone of tension for anyone who dared look his way.

You exchanged phone numbers with him on the second afternoon of his stay. The excuse was strictly bureaucratic: Hwa-jin handed you a business card stamped with the ERPB seal and requested you save his direct line to report any anomalies immediately, no matter how minor.

However, the late-night texts didn't take long to shatter that rigid administrative boundary. At first, they were brief check-ins where he asked if you had made it home safely or if the students had behaved themselves.

Soon, the frequency spiked.

In the quiet dark of your apartment, you found yourself staying up to reply to his questions about your current literary tastes, reminiscing over blurry memories of high school exams and venting about the exhaustion of the routine. Hwa-jin knew exactly what to say to make you feel heard and the hollow void Ha-joon had left in your self-worth began to fill with your old friend's meticulous attention.

The daily routine that wove itself between you during that first week took on a sweet, steady and strangely intimate rhythm.

Every morning, exactly twenty minutes before your literature class started, the classroom door would slide open with a soft click. Hwa-jin would walk in, dressed in his flawless dark suits, carrying a steaming cup of coffee he bought from the nearby café you always frequented after work. He didn't make grand declarations… he simply walked up to your desk, offered you that peaceful smile and placed the cup right next to your binders. The few students who arrived early to classroom 4-1 watched the scene in dead silence, completely cowed by the mere presence of the man who had broken Jung-hoon on day one.

The morning coffee became a sacred ritual, a quiet moment that allowed you to start your day with a comforting warmth in your chest.

By lunchtime, the dynamic naturally inverted. Aware that your paycheck barely covered your debts and that you often resorted to skipping meals, you had started packing your own lunch from home.

When the midday recess arrived and the rest of the faculty cleared out of the staff room to head to local restaurants, you were left entirely alone with him. You would open your containers on the table, shyly offering him a portion of your home-cooked food. Hwa-jin accepted the gesture with a quiet joy that touched your heart. He would sit across from you, push his files aside and eat peacefully, keeping his eyes locked onto your face, listening intently to your complaints about students or your questions about lesson plans.

When the final bell of the afternoon rang and the students evacuated the building like a noisy tidal wave, Hwa-jin would wait for you patiently by the school's main exit. He didn't care if you had to stay late grading exams or meeting with the interim board… he remained standing near the stone steps, hands tucked into the pockets of his black overcoat, watching the perimeter.

The walk back to your apartment building became the space where your walls truly began to crumble. He walked by your side, tailoring his long strides to match your slower pace, always making sure to position himself on the street side to shield you from traffic.

There was no formal label between you. The relationship floated in an ambiguous limbo; you weren't mere acquaintances who exchanged pleasantries out of obligation, but neither of you dared to utter the word "friends" or seek a stricter definition.

The air separating your bodies during those evening walks crackled with a very different kind of tension than the classroom, it was a latent magnetism that both of you recognized but preferred to keep in a respectful silence. You felt deeply cared for by him and you were starting to feel like yourself again for the first time in months.

Hwa-jin seemed to derive a massive, profound satisfaction from treating you with the delicacy and respect he believed you deserved. Yet beneath that flawless facade of chivalry and professional courtesy, Na Hwa-jin’s mind operated on an infinitely darker, more possessive and calculating plane.

Every time he watched you wrap your small hands around the coffee cup, or noticed how your posture completely relaxed the moment you heard his voice on the walk home, a cold, addictive rush of pleasure cut straight down his spine. In the privacy of his own mind, Hwa-jin savored every tiny bit of progress as a personal, absolute triumph.

That’s it, my love, he thought, his gaze entirely fixed on the way the wind tangled through your hair. Depend on me. Let me be the first thing you need when you wake up and the last thing on your mind before you close your eyes. You’re coming right back to the place you never should have left: by my side.

Hwa-jin knew your self-esteem was shattered and, far from being bothered by it, he considered it his greatest ally. He knew the psychological damage Ha-joon had inflicted on you left you completely blind to the red flags in his own behavior… you were so starved for validation that his toxic obsession, masked as love, felt like the purest form of affection. Because of that, he forced himself to maintain strict self-control, meticulously measuring the brush of his hands whenever he handed you paperwork, or carefully modulating his voice to sound comforting and safe. He wasn't going to rush... the game required you to feel completely free before he finally made you his.

Thanks to the inspector's constant presence, the atmosphere in classroom 4-1 underwent a radical transformation during the second week. The students no longer dared to whisper the lewd comments or leave the obscene notes that used to tear your emotional stability to pieces. The sheer terror inspired by the imposing figure in black, who often sat in the very back row, forced a military-like discipline onto the group.

Jung-hoon sat with his back perfectly straight at his desk, doing nothing more than nodding along to your explanations while keeping his eyes glued to his textbooks. His usual lackeys mirrored his attitude, terrified that a single wrong look would trigger the corporate punishment the inspector had threatened them with on day one.

This newfound peace allowed you to focus on teaching in a way you hadn't been able to in months. Your lectures on twentieth-century literature flowed without disruption and the students showed a drastic improvement in their performance. Seeing the high grades and the orderly classroom brought back a piece of the professional pride you thought you'd lost forever.

You felt useful, respected in your own classroom and every time you turned toward the whiteboard, the absolute certainty of having Hwa-jin’s eyes guarding your back gave you an unshakeable sense of security.

However, Na Hwa-jin was not exclusive to your class. As the only high-ranking ERPB inspector sent to the school, his official responsibilities demanded he handle other areas. He had to oversee administrative audits on the ground floor, coordinate reports with the main office and evaluate the underclassmen groups where institutional misconduct had also been flagged.

Because of this, there were periods during the second week when his seat at the back of classroom 4-1 remained empty. Even though the students' discipline held up out of the sheer fear he had planted, his physical absence left you with a strange sense of vulnerability… a subtle ache in your chest that made you count down the minutes until the final bell rang so you could look for him in the staff room.

The two-week routine seemed to be moving toward a peaceful resolution, a transition where the harassment was finally behind you and your life was taking a stable path, all thanks to Hwa-jin. You had grown accustomed to the warmth of his morning coffees, the security of his long strides next to yours and the lunches shared in the teacher’s lounge. You were convinced that fate had finally taken pity on you, returning your childhood friend as the man who could heal all your wounds.

You had absolutely no idea that this apparent calm was merely the eye of the storm, an artificial silence where your students' festering resentment was about to collide.

(...)

The sky on Friday of the second week threatened to unleash a massive storm, a clear omen that the bubble of peace you had been living in wouldn't last much longer. For the past few days, you had been walking on clouds. You had settled into the cozy routine of Hwa-jin’s morning coffees, shared lunches and late-night chats at the entrance of your building. Your self-esteem was beginning to bloom again. You felt safe, almost untouchable.

But the reality in classroom 4-1 hadn't vanished... it had only retreated beneath the surface, pooling into pure resentment.

The last period before lunch ended with the exact same order Hwa-jin had enforced. You packed your things calmly, neatly stacking the literature exams the students had handed in minutes prior. The students filed out, a few throwing sneaky glances your way, but none daring to break the rule of silence. Once the room was completely empty, you sat behind your desk for a moment to alphabetize the papers.

That’s when you noticed it.

Right in the middle of the stack, tucked securely between two exams, was a small manila envelope. It didn't have a name written on it, but the mere fact that it was hidden there made your stomach drop. The memory of the obscene notes you used to find before the ERPB arrived rushed back like a cold sweat, instantly wiping away all the warmth you had built up over the last two weeks. With trembling hands, you slid open the envelope flap and pulled out the contents.

The first thing to fall onto the wooden desk was a piece of grid paper, torn from a notebook. As you unfolded it, your eyes scanned a detailed list of students names written by hand, with monetary figures next to each one. At the top, a single line dictated the purpose of the game: "Who is the Lit teacher sleeping with?" 

The options were split into two clear columns: one read the inspector Na Hwa-jin and the other… with a significantly higher number of bets, read the art teacher, Mr. Cho.

Mr. Cho was a young, kind and mild-mannered man with whom you had coordinated an inter-school writing contest a month ago. Remembering the brief meetings you’d had with him in the library, the purely professional exchanges of opinions and the polite smiles made you physically sick to your stomach. Your own students had taken your kindness and basic everyday interactions and twisted them into a vulgar game, a betting pool where your body and dignity were the grand prize.

Yet, the true horror awaited at the bottom of the envelope.

Reaching inside again, you pulled out a couple of heavy, high-grade white cardstock sheets… the exact kind used only in technical drawing and studio art classes. When you turned them over, the breath was completely knocked out of you and the air seemed to vanish from the room. They were dark charcoal illustrations, rendered with a disturbing level of anatomical detail and an impeccable technique that showed advanced artistic talent.

The first illustration showed you, easily recognizable by your hair and the clothes you usually wore, on your knees on the staff room floor. Your skirt was pulled up, your expression completely unraveled by pleasure and submission, while the unmistakable figure of Na Hwa-jin held you by the hair from behind, claiming you savagely. The drawing perfectly captured the inspector's lethal aura, but warped it into a pornographic fantasy that made you feel utterly violated and exposed.

With your hands shaking uncontrollably, you flipped to the second sheet. The linework was identical, but the setting and the partner had changed. This time, the scene took place on the library desk. You were laid out, legs spread wide and over you was Mr. Cho, drawn in an explicit pose, stripping off your clothes while you clung to his shoulders. The raw cruelty of the strokes, the explicit positions and the humiliation of seeing your face drawn in those scenarios triggered a violent wave of nausea.

You bolted upright, dropping the sheets onto the desk as if they were burning hot. Tears of helplessness and pure disgust blurred your vision. The progress of the last two weeks and the confidence you had slowly begun to rebuild... everything crumbled in a single second. You were a victim all over again, the target of a group of juvenile delinquents who didn't see you as an authority figure, but as a piece of meat.

You shoved the drawings and the betting pool back into the envelope clumsily, wrinkling the edges in your panic. You ran out of the classroom, your footsteps echoing loudly down the hallway, which was empty for lunch. You didn't think about the consequences, you didn't think about protocol. Your mind was only searching for a sanctuary and the only real safe haven you knew in that building was the man who sat in the corner of the staff room.

When you pushed open the lounge door, you were flooded with relief to see that most of the faculty had already left for lunch. Na Hwa-jin was there, sitting behind his temporary desk, looking over some files. Hearing the door slam and noticing your ragged breathing, he looked up immediately. His placid expression tightened into a line of subtle concern the second he saw your bloodshot eyes and your trembling hands.

"T/N" he said, completely dropping his formal rigidity as he stood up. "What happened?"

You couldn't form the words. You rushed over to his desk and, with a swift movement, dropped the manila envelope right in front of him.

"It was... it was tucked inside the exams" you managed to choke out, tears threatening to spill over. "They did it. Classroom 4-1."

Hwa-jin stared at you intensely for a split second before shifting his attention to the envelope. He extended his long fingers and picked up the paper with a calmness that directly contrasted your panic. He pulled the contents out slowly. First, he unfolded the betting list. His eyes scanned the names of the students, the prompt at the top and the two columns of votes. His eyebrows twitched imperceptibly, but his face remained a stone mask.

Then, he pulled out the cardstock drawings.

In that exact second, the entire atmosphere of the staff room shifted completely. The air grew heavy, almost suffocating. You wrapped your arms tightly around yourself, turning your gaze toward the window because you couldn't bear the shame of him seeing those illustrations. You didn't know what to expect, but you could have never predicted the absolute chaos that erupted inside the inspector at that moment.

Looking at the first illustration… the one where he was taking you on the lounge floor, Na Hwa-jin’s pupils dilated imperceptibly. A sharp electric jolt shot straight down his spine. His obsessive mind devoured the image with terrifying intensity. The students had perfectly rendered the exact fantasy he had been feeding his own brain since the hallways of high school. Seeing you depicted like that, completely unraveled and claimed by him, sent a rush of arousal through him so intense you would have noticed it in his trousers if you weren't looking away. To him, the drawing wasn't an insult to you; it felt like a prophecy of what was to come.

However, the dark delight was instantly extinguished when he flipped to the second sheet.

Seeing the illustration of Mr. Cho over you made Hwa-jin’s mind violently short-circuit. A wave of pure, unadulterated fury and psychotic jealousy flooded his veins like venom. The mere thought that another man… a pathetic, insignificant teacher at this school had been paired with you woke up the apex predator inside him.

Who the hell was Mr. Cho to you? Why did your students think he could ever have a chance with you?

He could not tolerate those punks associating your name with anyone but him. The jealousy clouded his vision, his fingers gripping the cardstock so tightly that the thick paper groaned under the pressure. A brutal urge to destroy, to completely wipe off the map anyone who dared lay a hand on you or even imagine it… took absolute hold of him.

He took exactly two seconds to retrieve his mask. He cleared his throat softly, slid the drawings back into the envelope with a terrifying calmness and looked at you as you turned back around. His gentle smile was entirely gone... instead, his eyes were two blocks of ice promising a bloodbath.

"Stay here, T/N" he told you, his voice unusually soft as he slipped the envelope into the inner pocket of his black suit jacket. "Go to the restroom, wash your face and rest in this office. I am going to handle this once and for all."

"Hwa-jin..." you murmured, frightened by the raw intensity in his eyes. "What are you going to do?"

"My job" he replied, giving you one last polite nod before turning on his heel and walking out of the lounge.

Once in the hallway, Hwa-jin’s brain went into overdrive. He didn't need to interrogate the entire class. He cross-referenced the data in his head in a single second: the professional linework, the use of high-quality charcoal and the grades from the art department. The author of the envelope was none other than Jung-hoon, who aside from being the ringleader of the class, possessed the highest marks in technical drawing and studio art in the entire senior year. The punk wanted to reclaim his territory by humiliating you in the worst way possible.

Hwa-jin walked down to the courtyard just as lunch was wrapping up. He spotted Jung-hoon immediately, standing near the vending machines surrounded by his three usual lackeys, laughing arrogantly. The inspector approached from behind and, before the boy could even react, Hwa-jin’s hand clamped down around the back of Jung-hoon’s neck with a vice grip of pure steel.

"Walk" he hissed into his ear, applying a painful pressure to his vertebrae that forced the boy to choke back a scream of agony.

"Hey! What the hell? Let go of me!" Jung-hoon tried to protest.

His friends froze solid, completely paralyzed by the murderous look on the inspector's face. Not a single one dared step forward.

Hwa-jin ignored the boy's complaints entirely, dragging him down the side hallway straight toward the school’s old gymnasium. The concrete structure had been closed for renovations for months… a dusty, neglected place far from the main building and entirely isolated from everyday noise. Pushing open the heavy wooden doors, the inspector shoved Jung-hoon toward the center of the basketball court and locked the door behind them.

"What do you think you're doing?!" Jung-hoon shouted. "I told you, my dad is the school board president! If you touch me, you’ll be out on the street by tomorrow morning!"

Hwa-jin didn't answer with words. He took off his black suit jacket, folded it meticulously and placed it on one of the wooden benches on the sidelines. Then, he began to unbutton the cuffs of his black shirt, rolling the sleeves up past his forearms.

"Your dad isn't here, kid" Hwa-jin said, turning toward him with a cold, predatory smile that made the boy’s skin crawl. "In this gym, it’s just you and me."

Before Jung-hoon could even take a step back, Hwa-jin closed the distance with terrifying speed. His right fist slammed straight into the boy's stomach with a heavy, sickening thud. The air exploded from the kid's lungs in a strangled groan and he collapsed to his knees, clutching his abdomen as the blinding pain took over.

Hwa-jin didn't give him a single second to recover. He grabbed him by the collar of his school uniform, hoisted him completely off the floor and slammed him hard against one of the gym’s concrete pillars. He pulled the envelope from his jacket pocket and slapped it hard against the boy's face.

"You think it's funny drawing this?" Hwa-jin asked, his voice dripping with a deep, dark fury that went far beyond basic school discipline. "Who gave you the right to even imagine her in that position?"

Jung-hoon’s lip was split, his stomach was burning and he could barely process the inspector's words. The sheer terror had completely paralyzed him... the aura radiating off Hwa-jin wasn't that of an educator enforcing order, but a psychopath executing a highly personal vendetta.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" the boy sobbed, his arrogance completely shattered. "I just... I just wanted to mess with her... I didn't think…"

"That’s your mistake. You don't think" Hwa-jin interrupted and his left fist cracked hard against the student’s jaw, sending him crashing to the floor.

Hwa-jin stood over him, delivering a brutal kick to his ribs that left Jung-hoon writhing like a worm. The psychotic jealousy triggered by the drawing of Mr. Cho guided every single one of the inspector's blows, unloading years of accumulated obsession straight onto the young boy's body. The sound of the impacts echoed through the old gym… a macabre, rhythmic beating that seemed to have no end.

Meanwhile, back in the staff room, anxiety wouldn't leave you alone. After washing your face, Hwa-jin’s warning about "handling the problem" began to take on an alarming tone. You remembered the murderous look you’d seen in his eyes on day one and the way the students whispered about the ERPB’s extreme methods. A terrible gut feeling gripped your chest. You ran out of the lounge and searched for Jung-hoon’s lackeys in the courtyard. Seeing their pale faces and hearing them murmur about the "old gym" you knew exactly where you had to go.

You bolted down the dirt path connecting the two buildings and the second you pushed open the gym doors, the echo of a heavy blow and an agonizing groan confirmed your worst fears.

You ran onto the court and the sight froze your blood. Jung-hoon was a bloody mess on the floor, covering his head with his arms and weeping uncontrollably. Standing over him, Na Hwa-jin had his fist raised, ready to deliver another devastating blow. His shirt was unbuttoned, his hair was completely messed up and his expression held a look of pure, unhinged dementia you had never seen on him before.

"Hwa-jin, stop!" you screamed with everything you had. "Please, stop! Let him go!"

Hwa-jin’s fist stopped mere inches from the boy's face. Hearing your voice, something instantly clicked in his brain. The fog of pure rage and jealousy vanished in a split second, replaced by absolute clarity. He froze for a moment before slowly, deliberately lowering his arm.

He stood up smoothly, brushed off his shirt and turned toward you. In the blink of an eye, the mask of placid serenity returned to his face, decorated with that gentle smile that now sent a violent shiver down your spine. He glanced down at Jung-hoon, who was still shaking on the floor and then walked over to the bench to retrieve his black jacket.

"Student Jung-hoon has perfectly understood the lesson on respecting faculty authority" Hwa-jin said, sounding as if nothing out of the ordinary had just happened. "He won't be a disruption to you anymore, teacher. You may return to your classroom if you wish. Right, Jung-hoon?"

The boy nodded frantically, crawling toward the back exit of the gym like a beaten dog, fleeing for his life.

Hwa-jin slipped his black suit jacket back on, smoothed down the lapels with care and walked slowly toward where you stood, paralyzed by horror and confusion. He stopped just inches away from you, forcing you to look up to hold his gaze. His eyes no longer hid the profound darkness they carried within.

"Let’s head back to the classroom, teacher" he whispered with immense delicacy. "The school day isn't over yet."

He turned and walked out of the gym, leaving you alone in the vast emptiness of the space. The storm that had been threatening all day finally broke, the first heavy drops of rain slamming against the windows. The sound of the rain snapped you out of your trance and you rushed to follow him.

Hwa-jin walked right by your side through the hallways, while Jung-hoon marched a few paces ahead, head down, clumsily wiping the trail of blood from his lip. The second you entered the classroom, the students' chatter died instantly. The inspector didn't say a single word... he simply stood by the door and, with a single ice-cold look, ordered the boy back to his desk. The kid sat down in absolute silence, not even daring to look at his friends.

"Please, proceed with the class, teacher" Hwa-jin said with a polite nod, before retreating to the back of the room to watch from the corner, playing the part of the ruthless inspector flawlessly.

The remaining forty minutes felt like an eternity.

Your hands wouldn't stop shaking as you feigned going over the exam material. You could feel the gaze of the entire class, but most of all, you felt Hwa-jin’s eyes pinned directly to your back. When the final bell rang, the students cleared out of the room at lightning speed, leaving you behind with the heavy memory of what had happened. You packed up your things slowly and by the time you walked out of the building, the storm had fully unleashed. True to routine, Hwa-jin was waiting for you at the school gates, walking beside you while holding an umbrella over your head, shielding you completely from the downpour.

When you reached the entrance of your apartment building, you turned around to say goodbye, but seeing the dampness on his broad shoulders and remembering the brutal lengths he had gone to for you, a wave of immense debt and gratitude tightened in your chest.

"Hwa-jin..." you said, pausing before pushing open the glass door. "It’s raining way too hard. If you want... you can come up. I could cook something to say thank you for today... for the favor you did for me."

The inspector stared at you intensely beneath the rim of his umbrella. His eyes flashed with a dark brilliance before that peaceful smile returned to his lips.

"I’d like that, T/N. Thank you" he replied in his usual casual tone.

You walked into the apartment together, the sound of the heavy rain outside creating an atmosphere of perfect, total isolation. You prepared a simple dinner while he helped you organize your school binders. Seeing Na Hwa-jin moving through your kitchen with such absolute confidence triggered a strange mix of unreality and profound relief inside you.

During the meal, the conversation flowed smoothly. You talked about lesson plans and school reforms, allowing you to finally release all the tight anxiety you'd been carrying. Hwa-jin listened intently, nodding at the exact right moments and keeping that gentle smile that completely chased away your fears.

However, halfway through dinner, Hwa-jin set his glass of water down gently on the table and locked his eyes onto you, adopting a tone that was casual yet laced with concern.

"By the way..." he began, tilting his head subtly. "I was looking over the contents of the betting pool in that envelope. They mentioned the art teacher, Mr. Cho, quite a bit. It worried me a little. Has he shown any inappropriate behavior toward you, or is it just an absurd idea the students cooked up?"

On the inside, Hwa-jin’s stomach was twisting with pure, toxic jealousy. He could not get the drawing of you with another man out of his head. Beneath the table, his fingers clenched hard into his palm. He had to admit it... he wasn't just jealous; he was terrified that you might have already found the safe haven in another man's arms that he was so desperately waiting to provide.

"No, not at all" you replied immediately, shaking your head. "Mr. Cho is incredibly sweet. We only organized an inter-school literature contest last month in the library. He has never, ever disrespected me, I swear. The kids just used his name to build their sick little game."

Hearing your answer, the murderous tension in Hwa-jin’s shoulders evaporated entirely and he felt like he could finally breathe easy.

"I’m incredibly relieved to hear that" Hwa-jin said aloud, offering you an immensely warm, comforting smile. "For a second, I thought he might be another predator. You're already dealing with so much."

Once dinner was finished, you moved to the living room. You sat on the sofa and he took a seat a respectful distance away, placing the manila envelope on the coffee table. Hwa-jin let out a soft sigh, running a hand through his dark hair, looking visibly preoccupied with your well-being.

"I know all of this has been entirely overwhelming for you" he blurted out suddenly, touching upon the harassment again. "It frustrates me to see you forced into these situations. But I want you to know the report for the ERPB is ready and you are completely safe. No one, absolutely no one, is ever going to disrespect you in that school again. I am going to see to that personally."

You looked at him, feeling how the warmth of the room, the raging storm outside and his constant, unwavering support finally made every single one of your walls crumble down to the foundation. You were so tired of the loneliness, the constant fear and the shattered self-esteem Ha-joon had left you with as an inheritance. You didn't want professional boundaries with Hwa-jin anymore. You wanted the friend from your past and the savior of your present.

"Thank you for taking care of me so much, Hwa-jin" you said softly, breaking the physical distance between you by sliding across the sofa to sit right next to him. You reached out and placed your hand firmly over his. "Really... I don't know what I would have done today without you. You make me feel so safe."

Hwa-jin’s eyes widened slightly at your touch. Feeling the warmth of your palm against his, his inspector mask cracked and his pupils dilated instantly. He slowly turned his hand over, intertwining his long fingers with yours in a tight, unyielding grip.

"It’s my priority" he whispered. "Your well-being is absolutely everything to me."

You leaned closer to him, holding his gaze as you squeezed his hand. The sheer relief of having him near clouded your judgment entirely, preventing you from seeing the dark obsession gleaming in his eyes. To you, he was the perfect port in the middle of a storm.

"Stay with me, Hwa-jin" you pleaded. "I don't just mean for tonight... or for the two weeks of the audit. Stay in my life. I don't want to lose you again. I need you with me."

Inside Na Hwa-jin, the entire universe seemed to align perfectly in his favor.

She needs me. She’s begging me to stay with her.

Your words echoed in his mind like celestial music. The girl who had rejected him in high school, the woman who had chosen to belong to another man, was now handing him the keys to her life completely of her own free will. The lingering hatred toward your ex, the bitter resentment for the lost years... everything evaporated, leaving behind a single, possessive truth: you were finally his.

Hwa-jin held his breath, exerting a superhuman amount of self-control to avoid scaring you away with the sheer scale of his ecstasy. He brought his free hand up to your face, cradling your cheek with immense gentleness, his eyes scanning your features like a starving man devouring a treasure.

"Are you sure about what you're asking me?" he whispered, giving you one last, false chance to back out. "If you let me into your life... there will be absolutely no way for me to ever walk away from you."

You nodded with a small smile, completely closing the remaining distance between you.

Hwa-jin sealed the promise with a slow, deep kiss, the sensation of having him so close sending goosebumps down your skin. His lips moved against yours, drinking in your sighs and washing away the last traces of your past anguish. To you, the kiss felt like coming home… a protective embrace that made you feel deeply valued for the first time in years.

To him, that kiss was the definitive claim that you were finally his property. As his large arms wrapped around you to pull you flush against his chest, Hwa-jin tasted your complete submission with a dark, twisted pleasure. You clung to his broad shoulders and buried yourself in his scent, completely oblivious to the wicked, triumphant smile drawing itself inside his mind.

(...)

Hours later, the storm outside had settled into a quiet lull. You were resting comfortably against Hwa-jin’s chest, listening to the steady, rhythmic beat of his heart while he held you securely with one arm, gently stroking your hair with a tenderness you hadn't been given in a lifetime.

"I'm sorry if I was ever too strict at school" he murmured softly near your ear. "I was just terrified of not getting there in time to protect you." 

You smiled against his skin, pressing a soft kiss to his chest.

"It’s over now, don't worry" you replied sweetly. "All that matters is that we're here together."

Hwa-jin kissed your forehead, closing his eyes with a profound sense of relief and absolute happiness. He knew that from this night on, whatever the future held, you would face it together.

[whimsyandnostalgia]

๑ bf texts feat. na hwajin !

๑ pairing : bf!hwajin x reader, est. relationship. ๑ warnings : cussing,mentions of alcohol. ๑ genre : fluff, chaos.

a/n : just something short and kinda cute to start posting on this blog :) hope you like these! I find smaus actually so funny to make and even read myself so I will probably make more! lmk if y'all want more smaus and stuff! and yes I have seen the requests I've gotten 🥹 TYSM for the ideas, I will deliver asap!!!

[writingmeraki]

do i clench my fists? | na hwa-jin.

synopsis : It takes almost losing Hwa-jin to realise that you would not be able to exist without him. ( or in the final episode, where you risk your own life to try and save him in turn making him realise just how much he needs you to stay with him. )

pairing: inspector!hwa-jin x medic/doctor!fem!reader genre: angst, hurt/comfort, violence warnings: mentions of violence, knifes, blood, stabbing. maybe not accurate. (for the sake of the storyline, pls pretend Ga-yun doesn't exist/never engaged to Hwa-jin...personally, it is how i wrote this and you can probably see the changes too! no hate to her ofc i love her sm hehe)

author's note : this man single-handedly woke me up from a terrible writer's block i have had since idk very long pls i love him also again been a while since i wrote pls excuse any not great writing but i felt like contributing something to him <3 do lmk what you thought!! more of these two,,?

w.c : 4.3k | title inspo : do i clench my fists? by ridgeclub

You didn't realise how tough it was to handle a drugged adult until the situation called for it.

Let alone said adult being Han-rim.

Geun-dae was trying his best to hold her stable while you had one arm wrapped on her right to hold her too.

“Why don't we sit down?” Geun-dae suggested as he spoke quickly, trying to remain in a stable form so as to not cause more panic. 

Your eyes drifted towards the school window where Hwa-jin had run towards the student. You tried your best to not panic knowing it would only cause more unnecessary stress.

As you led her both towards the stairs you reassured her it was fine. 

“You're good, you got it.” 

“I'm good, I'm good.”

Geun-dae and you sat down, making sure she wasn't about to fall down.

“Are you feeling dizzy?” He asked her as she shut her eyes for a brief moment.

Your heart continued to beat faster, searching her face,

“Should I go bring water?” 

“No,no I'm-I’ll be okay.” 

When your eyes drifted towards the window again, you let out a gasp without thinking. Because all you saw was Hwa-jin being shoved towards the window. Something was very wrong. 

“Inspector Na!” Geun-dae gasped in horror. 

Despite being drugged, Han-rim knew something was going down and it could possibly be the worst case scenario if not acted upon quickly. 

“What are you doing?!” You held onto her as she got up quickly and almost immediately fell back down. 

Breathing shakily, she looked at you and spoke,

“Go. I'll- I'll follow you once I am sobered up.” It was then you knew this was a much worse situation than you could grasp, because for one, you weren't the one who could physically fight at any given moment, instead being the doctor who treated and was giving any needed medical advice. 

You nodded at her rapidly, standing up and running towards the building. You knew they were on the above floors and as someone who had been present throughout the past few weeks due to the ongoing investigation, you had a good idea of the layout of the school.

Quickly finding the stairs, you made sure to run up as quietly as you possibly could, wanting to avoid any sort of confrontation from other students who were fighting against you, knowing you might not easily have the upper hand.

As you raced upwards, you could hear voices and when you got even more closer you heard someone crying. It was a gut wrenching sound and you had to hold control yourself from screaming. 

You reached the floor where they were, deciding to stand just behind the wall to assess the situation. 

“‘I’ll let Seong-gu live when you finally die.” You had to cover your mouth to prevent the gasp of horror that escaped when you saw the situation. 

Hwa-jin had a knife stabbed into his side while Seong-gu seemed to be held captive.

“Please know that I am very sorry.” Gyu-cheol spoke calmly which made you flinch when he shoved Hwa-jin against the wall, knife still pressed into his torso. 

You couldn’t help it when your eyes teared up, knowing how he must be in pain. You knew he had possibly survived far worse, but it didn’t mean you liked it when he got hurt. 

You had to think quickly. There was no time to feel pain, it wasn’t like you were stabbed yet somehow it felt all the same seeing Hwa-jin’s face so still. 

You turned back, eyes clenching shut when you heard another stab and hearing Seong-gu wail in agony. You had to stop this before someone eventually died. 

Rushing back to the stairs, you tried to think of something, hands running through your hair in frustration. 

Think, think think.

You didn’t hear Hwa-jin get stabbed again, him bending over from the sheer force and brute of the knife going deeper. You didn’t know how all he somehow could think about was you. Hoping you hadn’t been hurt. It seemed a bit ridiculous to think that even when his life was on the verge of near death, all he could think about was how he wanted to see you again. 

The lights. You knew Seong-gu was being held as the hostage which in turn prevented Hwa-jin from fighting, you had seen a fire extinguisher just on the wall you were standing at, but you knew if you went in with just that you would be visible to Gyu-cheol. 

Remembering where the emergency testing light switch was, you rushed, knowing it would only turn the main lights off for a brief time to detect any issues and then turn back on when nothing was detected. Luckily, it was on the pathway between the floors, and you flipped it, sudden darkness surrounding you. 

You didn’t care if you made any noise at this point, quickly grabbing the fire extinguisher with all your strength. You took a deep breath before you threw it towards the kid holding Seung-gu, and then the red lights shut off with the main lights coming back on. 

You couldn’t seem to catch a breath, the adrenaline making you shake a little. 

The kid yelled something between a cuss word and a scream of pain, while you moved towards Seong-gu. Your hands seemed to not stay still. 

He saw you. You who were here with two boys who were ready to kill. You who kept her own life in danger…to save him. 

“Oh God, you’ll be fine, you’ll be fine.” 

You pushed him inside the classroom, not realising the kid you’d shoved had gotten back up. You screamed in shock as he grabbed you from behind, hands tightening around the collar of your t-shirt. Your hands immediately latched onto his, digging your nails as harshly as you could.

“Who the fuck do you think you are?” 

Before you could even say a word, he shoved you against the wall behind, your head hitting hard on the wall. “Shit!” You hissed in pain as your vision blurred. It didn’t seem to satisfy the kid as he raised his hand and punched you across the face hard. 

“Stupid bitch!” He hit you on the other side of your face as you bowled over, kicking you hard in the stomach and all you could feel was stomach clenching in the most abnormal way.

And for a moment there, Hwa-jin’s world stopped. Everything around him seemed to blur, maybe due to the rapid blood loss or even just from seeing one of his worst case scenarios come true. Possibly both. It felt like his whole body was suddenly shoved into unfamiliar territory. 

Because despite all the years of being strong, all the years of being the best fighter he could possibly be to protect those he loved and those who could not protect themselves, at the end of the day, removing all the layers of him and underneath was just a human. 

One who could simply not bear to see the sight of his beloved in pain. It made something in him tremble too. Perhaps his heart. 

 No. He would not let anything happen to you. 

“S-sto-” You could only feel the burn on your face, rapidly spreading throughout your body as if it reacted a little later to the hit. Gosh, maybe you should have taken up those training lessons.

Before you could think much, suddenly you felt all the weight disappear as you saw him fly sideways. 

You knew it was Han-rim even before you saw her. You knew your mouth was probably bleeding, the back of your head felt wet enough to assume it was too. 

“Agh! You fucking bitch!” He got up with all his might and charged towards Han-rim, who you knew could handle it as she shoved him into the desk in the classroom. 

It seemed your brain knew, the situation was seemingly in control now. You began sliding downwards. 

“Y/N! Don’t shut your eyes!” Han-rim yelled from inside. Groaning in pain, you looked to your sides, towards him. Seeing him made your heart twist in something you were not too unfamiliar with, seeing the blood this time making you want to throw up. 

“Hwa- I am fine. I-i am okay.” You breathed shakily, trying your best to keep your eyes open to see him. 

You needed to stay conscious. You knew it was more for him then you too. To reassure him that you were fine. The way he would reassure you when he would come to you to get his injuries treated. You understood now how much that reassurance mattered when you were the one giving it. Even if you were in pain, eyes blurring and adrenaline slowly decreasing, you could only worry about him.

And despite everything, it was more than enough for him to fight back. Seeing you worry, trying to reassure him that you were okay even when you could barely stand up, it was enough as he grabbed Gyu-cheol’s hand and began to pull it away from him.

He looked back at you, knowing you would have been safer if you stayed down with Geun-dae while the cops came. But you didn’t. You risked your own life to come up and save him, even when you couldn’t fight. Seeing you hurt made this rage slowly build up in him. As if he had somehow made this happen. As if it was his fault you came and not simply because you loved him more than you could ever realise and could not bear to see him in any pain. 

You could see something going on in his mind, the far-away look you were familiar with coming back along with some form of guilt. You shook your head with a small smile that you tried mustering, “It-it’s not your fault okay?” 

Gyu-cheol seemed to be getting caught off-guard, his violent plans going sideways rapidly ever since you came. “Let go. I said let go, you fucking-” 

“You like running your mouth off, Hm? Gonna let me talk now?”

The ringing in your head was now more prominent as you leaned back against the wall, breathing in gulps as you moved your hand towards the back of your head. You knew head injuries were disarming, you just didn’t expect for it to affect you so quickly. You clenched your eyes, feeling the blood as you groaned. 

You could hear a bit of what was going on, Hwa-jin’s voice loud enough in the empty hallway. 

“Y/n!Y/N!” You momentarily forgot Han-rim was there as she moved towards you, having the kid become unconscious, not dead. She held your head with both her hands. “Look at me!” 

You grabbed her hands with both of yours. “Ta-take Seong-gu, if the bleeding persists- he could-he could get severe blood loss. I-i am okay, just a little- concussed. Hwa-jin- he- he is bleeding- I’ll need to help tha-”

Han-rim, even though as unaffected as she tried to seem, her eyes slightly teared up. Of course, you’d be more worried about everyone else than yourself. She didn’t call you a goody two-shoes for no reason. 

“Go-!” You forced her to listen to you, even though she would have retorted back, she nodded at your words and followed your instructions, glancing back again as she made her way out with Seong-gu who walked with a limp and hand around her shoulder. You nodded firmly to assure her again that you were okay.

“Listen to me carefully. Everyone in this country has the right to an equal education to the extent of their abilities and through that, the right to be happy!”

You looked back at Hwa-jin as he spoke firmly, him moving forward. He had been stabbed multiple times, yet he still found the resilience to move forward. 

“This is what children come to school for.”

“Now, any bastard who gets in the way of that…no matter who has to be taught a lesson.”

And you knew that whatever arrogance that was making the boy pursue all this rapidly melted away, instead being replaced by a fear. A fear that should have been there a long time ago when he chose this path without thinking about the consequences that lay ahead. 

Even when Hwa-jin had his hands on the person who caused all this despair and misery, who would yet choose to go down this same path even when he was punished once for it, who would only cause more and more pain. More destruction. Who would never ever change. He could only think of finding a way to end this before any of it could ever occur. 

You could tell by the shift in his body language that he was contemplating something difficult, something that could change everything in a matter of a few seconds if you did not stop him.

With all you had, you cried out, “Hwa-jin.” He paused. The hesitation already indicated how difficult he was fighting each and every scenario and thought that passed his mind as he thought about how to stop this.

And yet all you could feel was just how much compassion he still held despite it all. 

It would be so easy for him to give into the hatred and end this all. His eyes shifted towards you, you who believed in the good of every single person you met. You who believed that this world, no matter how cruel, still had greatness in it and it came from within. Your gaze stayed on him as you shook your head slowly. 

No. 

You never spoke it but he understood it as his body did, his hold on Gyu-cheol loosening as his raised clenched fist dropped beside him, ultimately letting Gyu-cheol fall to the ground. 

His voice shook slightly as he spoke, “Gyu-cheol.”

“I can’t do that. It’s okay.”

“Let’s-let’s start over then.”

“This-this is the last chance you will ever get.”

You had to go to him, you didn’t care if you would faint half-way but you had to reach him. Holding onto the wall, you began to rise up, hissing in pain as your face continued to ache. You moved towards him.

“Hwa-jin.” Your voice cracked as you held onto the wall to be more stable when your vision began to slightly blur. He seemed like he had words to say but the adrenaline that was giving him strength was also decreasing. 

“Don’t- don’t move,I-” Even when his blood dripped onto the floor as he came towards you, all he could think about was your discomfort. This idiot. 

His legs shook as his knees hit the ground and you pushed yourself to meet him half-way.

“No-no, listen to me. Hwa-jin-” You held his face as you moved your hand through his hair, shaking him to keep his eyes open. Momentarily, your own pain seemed to be phased away as your hands automatically moved to his wound, adding pressure to stop the bleeding. 

His eyelids briefly opened as saw your face and raised his other hand to touch your bruises on it. “You-this is all my-”

“Shut up you stupid. You’re the one who’s bleeding to death.” You didn’t even realise you had begun to cry, your attention focused on making him lean on the wall as you continued putting pressure on the wound to prevent any more blood loss. 

“Seems-seems like a far fetch. Think of it as my sweat hm?” Even when he was quite literally dying, he still found it in him to tell ill timed jokes. 

Rolling your eyes, you scoffed at him in disbelief, “Gosh what is-what is wrong with you!” You were blinking back your tears, him choosing to push his hand towards your face again to wipe them. “I hate it when you are in pain. I am sorry-”

“Stop with the sorry, okay? I chose to come here, I chose to join this knowing everything okay? I chose to be here with you despite it all alright? And you know why? Because I know you,Hwa-jin and you chose to be good despite everything and you annoy me so much sometimes but I lov-” Your voice choked up, your seemingly out of nowhere outburst surprising you, while the idiot managed to have a smile on his face. 

“You have to stay here okay? You promised me you will always be okay, you have to keep that promise.” 

The sounds of footsteps resonated loudly in the empty building, a sigh of relief escaping you as you stayed in your position, his hand slowly falling back to his side. 

“Tell me- tell me what you didn’t say after all this gets over, yeah?” Your heartbeat increased rapidly, realising he picked up on what you stopped at. You didn’t hesitate because you were unsure of your own feelings but you hesitated because you feared it would be ill timed to say a confession to a dying person. 

You nodded and his hands moved over yours, his eyes closing and opening for a few seconds, his gaze still holding all his stubbornness. As if a new found stubbornness to survive against all odds came up within him and perhaps it did. 

“Y/N!” Han-rim yelled as she saw you two, your own exhaustion hitting you suddenly in waves as your hold weakened on Hwa-jin. 

“No-no-” He felt your hands slowly weakening their hold and clenched onto them with what strength he had left.

“I- i will be okay-” Han-rim knelt beside you, another person with her, who you couldn’t make out. She moved you from Hwa-jin as she moved your arm over her shoulder.”Y/N, hold on okay? I will make sure you will be okay.”

Before you could say anything or hear what was said to you, the world darkened around you quickly and your whole body felt lighter than ever. The last thing you felt was Hwa-jin’s hold on your hands with a look of deep worry enveloping his whole face. 

The first thought you had when your eyes were adjusting to the blinding bright light was that this was probably the end of your existence. But immediately another thought came when you felt the excruciating pain of the weight of your own brain in your skull. 

Oh gosh I don’t care about getting hurt but I hope I never go through that pain again. 

You blinked open your eyes to the surrounding, realising you were in an ambulance it seemed. And as the temporary amnesia slipped off, it all came back rushing to you. 

School. Drugs. Fight. Kids. Knife. Stabs. Blood. Hwa-jin.

You shot up quickly, regretting it as quickly when the dizziness hit you so hard that you had to lay back down for a brief second. 

“Shit- is he fine? Hwa-jin?”

“Ma’am, you should take it easy right now.” You ignored the medic beside you as she grabbed your arm to hold you in place.

“I am fine- just- how is he? He was bleeding–he was stabbed–” You were panicking even more as she tried to reply to you. You hated how weak you were feeling in the moment.

Before she could respond, the door that was slightly ajar opened wider. “Y/N.”  

You stopped breathing for a moment when you finally saw him, wanting to already get back up.

“You should be more careful-you were just hurt a while ago.” He nodded briefly towards the medic, her understanding that she is not needed there anymore because her job is done. 

“Are you fine?” Your eyes shifted towards the place he was stabbed, seeing his hand resting over it. 

This action of yours made his lips twitch in fondness. Always the one worrying first. 

“Yes, I got it stitched but I have to say, there’s nothing quite like the way you treat my wounds.” He had moved to sit down where the medic had sat, eyes never leaving your face as he spoke and he moved his free hand to rest on yours. 

Even if it made your head hurt a little, you couldn’t stop the eye roll that came with a shake of your head, “Tha-that is so- gosh sometimes I wonder what is seriously wrong with you- I mean here you just got saved from life or death circumstances and you seriously cannot stop with the- with the”

“With what hm?”

“Flirting! You and your stupid flirt-” 

The way he laughed at your expression then made your heart flutter with the softness that it always did in his presence, your whole chest feeling like there were butterflies trapped within. 

“You are so-”

Before you could say more, the other door flung open and in front stood Han-rim and Geun-dae. 

They paused before their eyes landed on the (very rare) genuinely smiling with that specific smile he had reserved for a certain someone with that look in his eyes Hwa-jin and a flustered you who looked equally annoyed yet happy to be there and the hand that rested on top of yours. 

“Are we interrupting something-”

“Yes-”

“No-” 

Hwajin and you respectively replied and you looked at him with a questioning glare as if to say this is quite possibly not the time while he smiled widely with any time with you is the perfect time.

“Riiight well we just came to check up on you but it seems you are perfectly okay.” Han-rim rapidly said as she made eye contact with Hwa-jin and understood the whole thing. 

“Wait-” Before you said anything else, they closed the door but didn’t shut it fully and left. 

“Wow- that was-”

“That was just normal Han-rim behaviour.” You raised a suspicious eyebrow at him as you faced him. “Mhm sure.” 

“I am glad you are okay now though. You will be better.” He said it so softly, you wondered if it was the same man who could make someone fear for their life with just the way he spoke. 

“I was so worried about you.”

“I know, I know. But I will be fine too.”

“No, you don’t get it because I- i thought I would lose you and I was so worried I would never see you again or even tell you how much I love you. I didn’t even say it then because it felt like I would somehow curse you with the whole ‘confession during dying’ thing you see in movies and-”

His hand that was resting on your cheek stills, the thumb that was rubbing circles on it stopped too and then you realised what you just said in that moment. 

“I-” You wanted to cuss at yourself but you also knew there was no going back and frankly a part of you was relieved to say it. No matter what happens at least you can say you tried. 

“Say it- say it again.”

“Huh?”

“Say-”

“I…I love you, and it’s- I have for a while, I just didn’t realise I should have said it sooner and not when you were…I-” You were going to explain, you were going to say all that has been in your mind since ages. 

“You don’t even know what you do to me.” But these words made you pause.

“I didn’t know for a long time that I was capable of even loving someone. But you- you came into my life and introduced me to everything different. You always see the greatness in people and that- that sounded so absurd to me when I know just how cruel the world gets and can be but it never changed how you continued to believe in people. Believe in me.”

“I am not a perfect man but you make it feel like even with all the flaws that are there, I am capable of loving someone. Loving you. And I have to say it is- it is the most natural thing I have felt and understood. And all because of you, I love you- and honestly, it doesn’t seem like it encapsulates all I feel but-” 

Before he could say anything, you had moved upwards and placed your lips on his. Eyes fluttering shut as he froze but he realised it and his own closed too. You had left his hand on your cheek, moving your own on top of it as you held it while the other moved to pull him closer. It was softer than you anticipated, Hwa-jin holding your face in the most tender way as he relished in how soft your lips felt against his own slightly rough ones. You smiled a little, thinking if it was all a dream but surely it was as real as Hwa-jin moving somehow closer into the kiss. 

“I heard you’re finally awake-” The door slammed open to which you jumped away from him as if you got electrocuted, heart rapidly beating against your chest in shock and awe of everything that just transpired. 

It was the Minister this time that opened the doors and you saw the look of annoyance of Hwa-jin’s face as you moved a bit further away in embarrassment. The Minister had both his eyebrows raised as if he had seen something that was very unexpected and perhaps it was. 

“I think- I interrupted something I shouldn’t have-” The Minister clearly was a bit awkward but also trying to act non-chalant with the way he spoke. 

“Yes-” You pinched Hwa-jin’s hand that sat on the side of your own as if to shut him up. To your own relief, he did for the moment. 

“Uh-no it’s-”

“I see you are presumably well?”

You nodded at the question asked, not wanting to speak in case you said something unusual. He nodded back and said, “Very well–I– just come outside when you can.” 

He closed the door as they were, and Hwa-jin looked at you and you couldn’t help but admire how good he somehow managed to look despite all that went down. 

“It somehow worked out for the best didn’t it?”

He smiled at your words, the smile that you know was only reserved for you, with that look that was also only for you, as others had said,

“Yes. yes it did.”

all written works as well as images and edits (unless credited) belong to pri. do not plagiarise, repost, re-edit or claim as yours. pics mostly found on pinterest.

writingmeraki Ⓒ 2026

feedback is always appreciated 💌 ! want to read more? main masterlist !

[milliondifferentlives]

just finished watching teach you a lesson and I'm obsessed with hwajin y'all like he's too fucking fine. if u have any fic ideas pls drop me in my inbox...I might write actually 😔🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏

update : here we go~

[milliondifferentlives]

ts is so messy but davenport!Reader x dean di laurentis oohhh....if someone can write this pls do 🙏

[milliondifferentlives]

I keep seeing this off campus series on my feed and I find Dean so fucking hot 😔 like I got an idea for a tutor!reader and Dean because duh nerd and jock™ but like it's corny but there's also banter and reader is just so non-chalant and could care less which makes Dean want to pursue even harder, and the more time they spend together the more he admires reader and reader also begins to open up.....

sigh....maybe I should open that doc......

[toddycats]

My hope for whoever is reading this is that your life starts making sense and coming together. I hope the good days are right around the corner for you.

[writingmeraki]

svt as types of bfs on your b'day hcs ! ft. k.sy, k.mg, j.ww

genre : fluff and surprises and romance ! pairing : bf!soonyoung x reader, bf!mingyu x reader, bf!wonwoo x reader warnings : corny lowkey but it is cheesy and sometimes you just need that small bit of cheesiness <3 author's note : this is dedicated to my wife @etherealyoungk 💌 a very happy birthday my love! i hope the year treats you well and no words can ever be enough to tell you how much you mean to me and how much i love you so i give you this corniness with your fave cheesy men <3 i hope you like this and i love you so so much !

WONWOO as THE TYPE to sing a song he specially made for you as a birthday gift !

so he began the journey of songwriting, give or take a few weeks before your birthday.

in the process of it, there were moments he felt like he should just think of another gift but he knew you. He knew you’d appreciate this just as much even if he put together the cheesiest lyrics.

After all for you what matters is the thought and efforts put into something no matter the end result.

You were always his muse, in fact he did have quite a few poems and writings solely made on you.

Having looked through them, he smiled when he recalled how your own reactions to them were.

A mixture of awe and amazement was on your face as you read through a poem Wonwoo wrote for you and made you read it.

“This is so…this is so beautiful wow.” You re-read the words, simple yet holding so much weight.

Giggling at the way he described your eyes holding the whole universe’s stars whenever you looked at him full of love.

“Well indeed I would look at you like that, don’t you already know you are my whole world?” Wiggling your eyebrows teasingly at him, laughing in more delight at the blush that glazed his cheeks.

That's what made him finish the whole song on time, with the help of his bros too ofc!!!

the production and instrumentals were of his own and with the end product, he was extremely happy.

Then the big day finally arrived. He was nervous, more so about how he'd perform rather than if you'd like the lyrics or not.

After you finished greeting all your friends and family, cutting the cake and all the usual shenanigans at birthday parties, apparently there was still something left.

You furrowed your eyebrows in confusion as the lights suddenly dimmed down.

Then like a cliche movie, a spotlight shone on you. Surprised at this, not even realising there was a spotlight in such a place, you looked around and spotted Wonwoo.

He sat on a lifted stage that was once used to cut your cake, now all clear with only him in the center…holding a guitar with a mic in front of him.

He looked nervous, you could see it in his habits of looking around but when he finally looked at you, you smiled reassuringly at him despite not knowing what you were in for.

Cause I'm off my face, in love with you

I'm out my head, so into you

And I don't know how you do it

But I'm forever ruined by you, ooh-ooh-ooh

Playing the final chorus, Wonwoo took a deep breath as he opened his eyes and looked at you.

Honestly you felt like a mess. Your heart felt so full at the moment and before you knew it, you rushed towards the stage.

Wonwoo placed aside his guitar as he also placed the mic to the side, and you almost knocked him out by the hug you engulfed him in.

"That was so…gosh I don't even have words to say. It was so perfect. The lyrics, the instrumentals, just everything about the whole song!" You murmured against his chest, feeling your eyes getting wet as you replayed the lyrics and how full of emotions his voice sounded.

"Really?" He asked jokingly and you pulled yourself away to glare at him, of course with fake anger.

"Shut up, you…you did this on purpose, making me cry on my birthday, and knowing you'd get away with it because I love you too much!" Accusing him of such a crime, then smiling at him.

"Did you love the gift?" He asked after your mini rant as he chuckled to which you clicked your tongue, looking off in deep thought.

"Something's missing though." He raised an eyebrow at you to which you rolled your eyes, standing on your tip toes, you pushed your lips against his.

His arms naturally wrapped around your waist as he grinned into the kiss.

"Now I can say I do love the gift, in fact it's probably the best gift I've ever received." Pulling away from him, you grinned at him.

And he knew if it meant you'd look at him as if you were indeed his whole world, he was ready to give you a million other gifts like these.

MINGYU as THE TYPE to stand outside your window sharp 12 am with a home-baked cake messily decorated to make sure he’s the first one to wish you !

To me this fits Mingyu so much because hear me out.

He's very much love story by Taylor Swift coded.

And what does love story mention?

DING DING DING!

Romeo and Juliet!

And what's a famous scene from that?

Romeo calling Juliet from her balcony ( or something along the lines of that, sorry I don't know shit about Shakespeare other than what Taylor Swift and 8th grade literature taught me )

And hence this whole thing seems very much gyu coded and it is something gyu coded because I say it is :)

Now we do know gyu is a great cook and an even amazing baker ( in fanfics atleast yo )

Having been his own personal taste tester, he knew all your preferences and your likes and dislikes.

He'd basically avoided you the day before your big day.

You thought it was probably because he's busy with studies or something, completely slipping out of your mind what the occasion was.

And he was a master at making up excuses, so lucky for him, you didn't question him much.

The thing was everything was all set and there was exactly one hour left till midnight.

Your cake was ready, it was the exact flavor you loved with your soul and quote on quote would sell Mingyu to the devil for ( he was very much annoyed when you basically counted him less important than your favorite cake flavor )

But he was stuck with something. Minyu knew nothing at all about cake decorating other than what he watched on tv.

So with the help of tasty by BuzzFeed and his own brain braining, he had messily conjured up a design which was on par with if you gave a fifth grader buttercream frosting and cake to decorate however the fuck they want to.

It's the thought that counts he tried convincing himself and fuck, he realised it's already fifteen minutes to 12!

Rushing to his car, mentally checking off everything he'd bought.

Candles check, cake check, gift check, phone check…

Once he was done with that, he drove to your place and parked his car a bit away from your driveway to avoid you seeing him as your window faced the driveway.

Now he was not new to the whole sneaking around your house part, given it'd been a while since you both were together, he knew how to get into your room without your strict parents noticing.

Looking around in wonder, getting distracted from your late night book reading because of a constant thudding noise, you realized it was coming from your window.

Skeptically, you made your way to it. It didn't occur to you that it could be Mingyu, rather you'd been reading a thriller book so your mind was already jumping to other conclusions.

"GYU?!?" You looked down at the grinning black-haired boy, seeing a box in his hands, confused as to what he was doing late at night.

"It's literally so late! Do you even know the timing!-" You whisper yelled at him "Why didn't you tell me you're coming?"

A small pout formed on his face at your scolding,

"It wouldn't be a surprise then." He said softly to which you couldn't really make out so you shook your head and just pointed down,

"I'll open the back door to let you in! Just be quiet once you enter and don't make a single noise until you come in my room!" Making up the swift plan, you closed the curtains shut before he could even confess what he came there to do.

He blinked a few times, astounded at how you just basically ordered him around but then remembering it'd be worse if your parents woke up due to him yelling his undying love for you.

Well then, his love for you won't be the only thing dying if he did his original idea.

You clicked the door open softly, making sure to do it in a way there'd be no sound made.

Pulling your boyfriend's arm inside while pulling him in as well, you shut the door softly. Pressing a finger on your lips, you moved ahead, slowly. You gestured to him to follow you. You wondered what the fuck was in the box but you didn't question anything, not yet anyways.

"Okay now we're good." You shut your door, as you sighed in relief.

Mingyu put down the box on your mini table laying in the middle of your room and turned towards you.

He had that stupid grin on his face and you snorted at his expression, questioning

"Tell me why you're here again and what is with the box-"

Without saying anything and ignoring your questions, he stepped forward, now only about 1 feet away from you.

He'd been wearing a jacket that was pretty baggy and you remembered it had pockets on the inside so it didn't shock you too much when he put his hand inside as if looking for something, just raising your curiosity more.

Pulling out an envelope, he pushed it towards you and then gestured for you to take it.

"Open this when I'm gone but for now, see what I made for you!"

He grabbed your hand, pushing the envelope in it and then pulling you to where he left the box.

You stood beside him as he opened the box and once you saw what was inside you couldn't help but let out an amused giggle.

"Wow this is…"You snorted at the messily written 'happy bday!!!!' and below it in tiny words was 'p.s im not a decorater but I <3 u"

"This is?"

"Adorable gosh I love it!" You squealed, ready to hug him tightly at the thought of him putting in this much efforts for you.

"Wait!" He paused you before you could hug him, you arms frozen mid air.

"3…2…1" He finished counting down as he looked at the time on his phone that he pulled out.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" Jumping into your arms, he wrapped his own around your waist, making you giggle as he lifted you up slightly.

—

"I love you, as cheesy as it sounds you're the best gift that I ever will have." Sitting in your bed after celebrating a bit, teasing Mingyu about the decorations and then resulting in him smearing your face with the buttercream.

"And it was not the cake?" He pouted sadly and you snorted.

"Well the cake maker and the cake are the best gifts I've ever gotten." You leaned forward as his face lit up with an adorable smile, pecking his lips.

SOONYOUNG as THE TYPE to be more excited for it than you because it’s his beloved’s special day !

See this is just my opinion idk if you agree BUT

He has golden retriever energy ofc

SO obv it means he's very excited all days

And especially if it's your birthday then

It's almost as if it becomes double if that was possible like

Planning ahead how to make sure your day would go to how you would normally like a perfect day to go

Scanning over your wishlist and stuff, double.checking the reservations, making sure your whole schedule was clear like he is excited in a normal way

Totally not.

"Wake up baby, we have a huge day ahead of us." You heard a cheery voice whisper in your ears.

Groaning at the way your precious sleep had been disturbed,you were about to slap whoever woke you up before you heard him speak again.

"It's a special day afterall, you can't waste a day like today!"

Deciding you should wake up,you slowly blinked your eyes open and you spotted your boyfriend standing next to your bed.

Even though you were sleepy, you grinned lazily at his pretty face. Oh you think you already got your gift.

As you smiled, you opened your arms wide, hands gesturing for him to hug you, to which he happily obliged and swooped in, kissing you right on your lips.

No matter what, or how much time goes by, you don't think you'd ever get used to how his lips felt on yours, igniting butterflies that made your heart flutter like the same.

“Alright! Now that we're awake, we have a whole day of things to do! First we'll go to your favorite animal shelter and do your traditional birthday thing where you feed them, then lunch is with our friends, and then in the evening we'll have some more plans with them, which are a surprise and then finally dinner with your parents and then it's just us for the rest of the night.”

Wow. It seemed he really went all out to put this together. You couldn't believe he even remembered your birthday tradition considering this was your first birthday you're spending with him.

And just the mere thought of him going out of his way to make sure your day would go this well made you tear up.

“I love you.”

His eyes momentarily widened. It wasn't a first but it wasn't something he was used to.

With a wider smile, a bit of pink on his cheeks, he replied,

“I love you too baby, happy birthday.”

-

The day went as planned and perhaps even better considering he was there during all those moments with you.

Despite being tired at the end of the day from all the socializing you'd end up doing, when you reached home, your heart still felt like it was on cloud nine.

You sat down on the couch, tired but with a wide grin on your face.

"This is probably the best birthday I've ever had."

And it was not just because of all the delicious food, cake and plenty of gifts you'd gotten but also mostly because of who did this all.

Soonyoung came and sat beside you, looking at you with equal adoration, if not more.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah,"

You sat up a little and looked at him, the pure joy radiating on your face,

"Mostly cause of you."

"I'm glad, although I do expect a return gift."

Raising one eyebrow, you narrowed your eyes in mischief,

"Hmm and what would that be?"

He grinned widely before he leaned forward and engulfed you in one of his breathtaking kisses that always seemed to surprise you despite how used to you'd gotten.

Yeah, best birthday ever.

perm. taglist ( open ! ) : @mansaaay ; @gyuguys ; @toplinehyunjin ; @cherrylovescheol ; @stagefrjghts ( if you want to be added just send an ask/reply to this !)

all written works as well as images and edits (unless credited) belong to pri. do not plagiarise, repost, re-edit or claim as yours. pics mostly found on pinterest.

writingmeraki Ⓒ 2026

feedback is always appreciated 💌 ! links : main navi ! | svt masterlist ! | info !

[writingmeraki]

better spite than none at all | zuko.

❝ in which, even if his name came out in spite out of your mouth, at least it still meant you thought of him.

( or where it seems he simply cannot let you go, and perhaps neither can you?)

pairing : ex! zuko x ex! reader genre : arguing, it is funny to zuko but that is because he is lowkey a jerk in this <3, exes that cannot seem to move on (mostly zuko) warnings : again, zuko is a jerk in this 😃 cussing, might feel a lil annoying but perhaps reader lowkey digs it (??). this was kinda fun to write plss i thought about omg what if zuko was just some salty ex but also reader might not be too opposed to that? pls do not seek this irl, this is just fiction 🫡

w.c : 1.5K

Zuko isn’t exactly the friendliest person, so it is not like he expects every single person he encounters to always be smiling wide at him. But when you stare at him hard with malice that could hold competition to his worst enemies, he can’t help but feel a thrill within him. 

“Can we talk?” He had been taking his usual daily garden walks, something that was apparently suggested to him by his royal advisors, when your ever beautiful self stormed up to him, blocking his path as you titled your head to meet his eyes. Not many people would have the courage to even stand in his presence without quivering yet here you were.

He could practically feel the anger that lingered in your tone. It wasn’t hidden in the first place. 

But also you were definitely not just some person. 

“Hm, now is it right to interrupt me during my very rare moment of peace?”

“Do you really think you deserve that right now?”

Zuko waved his arm at the guards that stood tense beside him. It was already ridiculous to him to have guards follow him everywhere, but he understood it was a tradition. Yet in the moment, the guards immediately scrambled off, grateful to have been free from whatever was going to occur in those moments. 

He stands with his hands tucked behind, lips twitching as he tries to not bluntly check you out. It wasn’t like he got the privilege to do it nowadays. But again, Zuko is Zuko and so he effortlessly moves his eyes downwards to upwards while you scoff at him with even more hate. 

“Do you think anyone would be spared if they talked in that tone to the Fire Lord?” One of the guards whispered to the other as they stole a glance in your direction. 

The other one shrugged, knowing already, “Don’t you know who that is?”

He shook his head, not one to really keep up with gossip. 

“That is the Fire Lord’s ex betrothed.” 

-

Meanwhile, you were trying to refrain yourself, arms folded to prevent yourself from strangling the smug smirk off his face. It sucked even more when it seemed even more attractive on his stupid attractive face. 

“Tell me this then Fire Lord,  why did I come to know you summoned my boyfriend last night to question him about his intentions with me?”

Oh. You came to talk about that imbecile. He figured it was one of the other reasons you’d marched up to him. The other being you finally realising your worth and how you deserved better and no one existed like that for you beside him.

Immediately turned off, he rolled his eyes. “DO NOT ROLL YOUR EYES AT ME!” 

He indeed rolled his eyes again, waving his hand dismissively, “I had a bit too much to drink, that’s mostly it.”

Laughing with no humour, “Mostly? Hm, I wouldn’t call it that exactly,” 

 Now he looked at you really, before he chuckled, “What do you want to know?”

You pointed your finger at him, poking it on his chest and you hissed out in disdain, “You, Fire Lord,” Poke, “Summoned him,” Poke “Mind you, almost in the late hours of twilight,” Poke “To ask him whether he could keep me as ‘happy’ as you would” Poke “And if he would treat me better than you could.” 

He tried. He tried really hard not to think too much about the fact that this was the first time you’d been this close and actually touched him. But he could not stop the flare in his chest when you touched him, he was close to holding your hand and letting it linger on his chest, so you could truly know just how much you still held an affect on him. 

Instead, he pretended to look confused and hurt, “I would never.” 

“Oh? Really?” You knew this, you knew him, he would act clueless. Luckily, you brought the letter that had been delivered to your boyfriend.

“What’s this then hm?”

You shoved it towards him, him casually grabbing it, an excuse really to feel your hand brush against him, wondering if the same warmth he felt for the brief second was mutual as he stole a glance back at you. One corner of his lip briefly went upwards when something flashed in your eyes at the contact. 

“You have been summoned to the Fire Lord’s assembly…” He didn’t really pay mind to what you said as he pretended to go over the letter, the one he had had written by himself only and instead choosing to focus on the way your voice lulled him gently. 

“Are you even paying attention to me?!”

“Always.” He said that putting the paper down as he looked you straight in the eye, answering with no hesitation. You had to admit, that caught you off guard and he noticed it as you looked away briefly and gulped down in nervousness he assumed. 

Clicking his tongue, he threw the paper in the air, snapping his fingers so it could be burned. 

Your jaw dropped at his actions as you stared at him, gaping in disbelief. 

“If I had known Kai was such a tattle-tale, I’d have come to visit him directly then.” 

“You are IMPOSSIBLE!”

“Now did he really tell you everything I told him? If he was being such a snitch, did he mention how much I still love you and how much it definitely is more than he ever will in a million years?”

Sighing in defeat, as if this was some miscommunication, “Of course Lee forgot to mention that. And of course, he must have forgotten to mention how I also mentioned you’d show up here, marching in with that same intense fury you always have and how if we argued over this, it would be more emotional than how he treated you.” 

You were speechless. Your tongue weighed heavily inside your mouth as you simply looked at him with a raised eyebrow. 

The ever so present smugness rose back, his smile tilting into it as he looked at you, “Yeah this does sound like it happened. It must have been the alcohol that made me momentarily forget.” 

Letting out a breath of disbelief, you shook your head and rubbed your forehead to somewhat soothe the headache, “Do you even realise how difficult this is for me Zuko?”

It had been way too long, it seemed all his wishes were coming true within the short timespan, when he heard you speak his name. Albeit the intention behind it, a part of him ached to hear you say it no matter how and it seemed that part was partly pleased. 

“Eh, if he is as strong as he is, he can get past it. But seeing how he ratted it out to you but left out the important parts, maybe I overestimated him.”

“Stop it. Stop whatever you’re doing, stop interfering in my life and for fuck’s sake, you don’t even know his name!” You cried out the last bit in frustration. 

“Mm see I thought about it but it simply is not possible.” 

“Oh dear God! He says he thought about it!” You laughed mirthlessly as you were close to pulling your hair out. 

Taking a deep breath, you put all your anger and frustration into your gaze, hoping they were as intense as the burn in your chest currently felt. You moved your index finger and harshly poked him once again, as if it would help to emphasize your point.

“Leave me alone Zuko. I mean it.” Before you could say more, he held your hand that was on his chest and placed it on it more stably. He knew, he knew you could feel the intense heat that was running beneath his fingertips, the rush that sparked as his hand held yours, because you were once again caught off guard by it as you shut up. 

“Tell me this,” His voice came out roughly, “Does his touch feel this way? Does it even hold a flame to what this is?” 

The way he said it, the way his eyes seemed to burn with the passion of a million emotions as if they held all the words he had been holding back over time. The way you could feel how his heart picked up in pace, as if to solidify his words. 

And it felt even more real, when you knew your own heart was in a similar state.

“You left me darling, but I never wanted to. So how can I simply let you go when I am just in love with you?” 

You harshly pulled your hand, hating how your heart picked up even more after his questions, 

“Yo-you can’t just.” 

Shaking your head, you stepped two steps behind to keep a distance, afraid. Afraid of the intensity of your emotions as you heard his words. 

“I am leaving. If you try to send anything to Jun this time, it won’t be put up with. I will make sure you understand what I mean when I say leaving us alone.” 

He had a twitch of annoyance run within him when you addressed that loser and you as one. 

“If it means you’ll still come by, then sure!” He smiled widely as he watched you walk off, murmuring more curses at him, which sounded like a love language if it meant being directed at him from you. 

At least with this, he knows you still have him in your heart somewhere. 

a/n : ...i wrote this because the idea of a zuko mocking your current boyfriend because he can't leave you is funny ngl like he is so in love and cannot see u with anyone but him ?? i have no idea if the execution was good but lmk what you thought! and yes second part to heartburn is in the works (let me finish my paper on saturday💔🚬)

all written works as well as images and edits (unless credited) belong to pri. do not plagiarise, repost, re-edit or claim as yours. pics mostly found on pinterest.

writingmeraki Ⓒ 2026

feedback is always appreciated 💌 !

want to read more ? atla masterlist

-> taglist : @rosieposiediditagain (comment if you want to be added!

[milliondifferentlives]

PRI'S FIC RECS : ATLA (ZUKO EDITION) !

[ ♡ ] : personal favourites !

🎙️this should not be surprising hahahaha he's been invading my mind terribly hence this <3 i hope y'all like these because they helped me indulge in adult zuko to another level lololol also there is a lot of smut fics that i looove (as they should be) but i think i would have to make a separate post for those, lmk if u guys want that ☝️☝️☝️☝️

also!!! pls feel free to promote yourself or recommend any more fics! and a thank you to all writers for their amazing works!!

P.S THIS GOES WITHOUT SAYING BUT PLEASE READ ALL WARNINGS AND MINORS DNI WITH 18+ CONTENT, the rest is up to you as i am not in control of your media consumption :)

TUMBLR FICS

toph's older!sister x firelord! zuko by @marcespeaks

synopsis : in which your little sister, toph, is trying so hard to make you and firelord!zuko get along despite your obvious differences (for the sake of the gaang, of course, because toph has never had ulterior motives). and toph will do anything to get her way, absolutely anything.

notes : yes give me 14 of em but no seriously this was so so sweet and lovely ahhh

silent treatment by @emmyc0z

synopsis : zuko frequently leaves to adventure with the gaang, but when you have your first child your concern for his safety grows and so does your feelings of neglect. another letter from aang leads to a fight, and a long week of silence for zuko.

notes : who doesn't love some good old angst <3 (even if it lowkey hurts )

fire lilies by @leviousshishine

synopsis : being born with no power sucks. But as an unmarried noble woman, you still had a duty to get married. So you left your home and went to the palace, where the test for multiple women began. Who will be the Firelord’s Firelady?

notes : this is so interesting and i am so sat for this omlllll

Rose Garden Dreams; Torn At The Seams by @yenayaps

synopsis : contrary to popular belief, the fire lord can't have everything he wants. however, even he’d admit that what he wanted was troublesome in itself, which is why he forces himself to be okay with having you by his side as his advisor.

notes : this is everything to me atm, go read this if u have not already asappp!!!!!

hair troubles by @fawnindawn [ ♡ ]

synopsis : firelord zuko's hair is a mess after a mission with team avatar. his disheveled appearance sparks concern—but his refusal for any help reveals that the only person he allows to take care of his hair... is you.

notes : cute fluff heheheh love this <3

secrets still kept by @whatsup124u

synopsis : The gaang realized there’s some…tension between you and Zuko, and what are good friends for if not setting you two up? What they don’t realize is that you and Zuko have been together for years.

notes : i LOVE LOVE fics like these so cutesy !

THE FIRE LORD'S GARDENER CAN'T BE THIS CUTE by @kafeiin [ ♡ ]

synopsis : sent from the earth kingdom as a gesture of peace, you arrive at the fire nation with every intent to fulfill your duty of restoring the royal palace gardens. what you didn’t prepare for was the fire lord’s routine visits. you assume it’s to manage his suspicions. he assumes it’s to observe your progress. neither of you are correct. and falling in love was never the plan.

notes : so soft and adorable!!!!

untitled drabble by @selenechronicles

synopsis : what it would be like dating zuko <3

notes : this one is so real and so #me.

firelord zuko and his wife by @lovergirl-coffee

synopsis : when you, The Fire Lady, rescue your husband from a late night meeting and steal him back to your chambers..when you, The Fire Lady, rescue your husband from a late night meeting and steal him back to your chambers..

notes : fluff pls yes. i love u husband zuko.

firelord zuko and his royal advisor by @/lovergirl-coffee [ ♡ ]

synopsis : when avatar aang’s letter accidentally outs firelord zuko’s feelings for his royal advisor.

notes : omg this was so freaking cute and sweet and i love this sm so glad there are many parts to thiss

baby, come back to me! by @yn2ko

synopsis : After FireLord Zuko accidentally snaps at you, his wife, you start to pull away from him and give him the silent treatment until he finally realizes he's been neglecting you.

notes : make him grovel, i love grovelling <3 personally all men should have to grovel but it's zuko so i forgive him ig.....

scale of attraction by @/fawnindawn

synopsis : zuko's straight-forwardness in appreciating the attractive qualities of the lone stranger saved by aang has you curious on whether you could get him to spill on what he thinks of you. (no major movie spoilers)

notes : YES. this was one of the first fic i read after i saw zuko all over my feed the first time and i got even more obsessed <3

heartburn by @writingmeraki

synopsis : in which, you underestimated just how deeply you still felt for the hot-headed fire lord. ( or where you're both idiots and you've finally gotten a potential chance. )

notes : urm 😃😆😅

BETWEEN PLANS AND PROMISES by @uhmnoidontthinkso [ ♡ ]

sypnosis: You forgot that you didn’t just say yes to Zuko—you said yes to the Firelord. Now you’re stuck in wedding planning chaos, palace politics, and expectations you never asked for, all while trying to hold onto the pieces of your old life before they slip away completely.

notes : another cutesy fic and this was soo beautiful <3

burning crimson by @arfemiz

synopsis : you could wear the crown and speak the right words and smile at all the right moments; and still find yourself alone in a garden, wondering if loving the fire lord was ever supposed to feel this much like disappearing.

notes : soft zuko yes pls i need him.

5:36 by @seumyo

synopsis : reader and zuko are engaged

notes : hehe simply adorable.

SMAU FICS (mostly set in modern!au)

-> fyi : i read some of these long ago but being the smau lover i am, i wanted to rec it to those who also love smaus!

transferred by @atlabeth

synopsis : trying to run from your past is hard, but falling for your brother’s roommate is even harder. little do you know that he’s falling for you as well.

notes : vividly have small bits of memories of me reading this and ah even after all this time i still remember how much i loved this <3

lovers among us by @loversamongus

synopsis : just a group of friends gaming, vibing, and falling in love.

allergies by @patchofsunlight

synopsis : Y/N has no feelings for her best friend’s brother. In fact, she might just be allergic to him with how much she definitely doesn’t like him.

Beautiful Day to Save Lives by @zukoszukhoes

synopsis : lifeguard smau !

AO3 FICS

-> just a bit of a fyi : most of the AO3 and wattpad fics are teen!zuko unless stated otherwise so keep that in mind when you read :)

The Unpredictable Fire Queen by @/MizzGinger

synopsis : Fire Lord Zuko needed a wife, fast. You were the least tolerable of the bunch, so why not? He just didn't know what he was setting himself up for...

notes : i read this quite a long ago but i remember it being fun to read so reccomending it here! `

Just Some Tea by @/LetsHaveABlast

synopsis : You've been traveling with the Avatar for a while, but failed to ever be introduced to the firey prince that was tracking them down. So imagine your surprise when you're told the weird but cute tea shop employee that almost threatened your life, was actually the fire lord's son? Honestly, at the rate your life was going... you should've known.

notes : this was one of my fave fics i indulged in like 2-3 years ago when i had a random zuko phase!

Burning Love by @/shogami [ ♡ ]

synopsis : You're a female thief, enemy of the Fire Nation, and partially on friendly terms with the Earth Kingdom. Well, that is, until you teamed up with the former Prince Zuko, son of Fire Lord Ozai. After seeing that he had split up from his uncle, you decided to join him on his journey to Ba Sing Se, and a little romance forms during the trip.

notes : cute cute cute and a lovelyyy read <3

Everything Happens For a Reason by @/atlabeth

synopsis : As a servant in the Fire Nation, you’ve learned that life is often unfair. But as you venture through a tumultuous relationship with a certain prince, you come to realize a very tricky lesson: everything happens for a reason.

notes : ahhh loved this one sm!!!

i've seen your face underneath my dreams by @mangomonk

synopsis : Since the end of Hundred Years War seven years ago, Fire Lord Zuko has been isolated in the Fire Palace, fending off assassinations and mending the Fire Nation and its burnt bridges, all while putting off the Fire Sages' demands that he take a wife. When Iroh finally finds him a match, he reluctantly agrees to the marriage, with the expectation of never speaking to her again and sending her off to Ember Island. It proves to be more difficult than he expects though, when he realizes that his new wife is as stubborn as a dragon moose.

notes : i love a good husband zuko fic hehehe check this one out <3!

WATTPAD FICS

Doubled Elements by @/draninator [ ♡ ] [ ♡ ]

synopsis : the story of the girl behind it all.

notes : wattpad in the big 26 🚬🚬🚬🚬🚬I CANNOT EMPHASIZE WHAT THIS FIC AWAKENED IN 14 YEAR OLD ME. IT WAS EVERYTHING TO HER. I feel like there are still people out there who would love this and i want them to discover this so <3

...and ofc i'll continue to update this as i read!...more to come!

[writingmeraki]

labyrinth — k.mg drabble.

❝ in which you realize that maybe you indeed love the simplest things. and surprises.

(Or you love him wholeheartedly already yet he never fails to remind you just why.)

pairing : secret!agent mingyu x secret!agent reader, established relationship. genre : tooth rotting fluff. hopefully. warnings : cheesy asf probably lol

special dt to my wife @etherealyoungk hehe this is for u my no 1 husband gyu enabler and fan overall love you sm for the inspo too <3

w.c : 1.8k | a/n at end.

It was way overdue for your official work hours. But then again during missions that spanned over days, and not just ones that could be finished within the 24 hours, this was normal. Yet today in particular, it felt like you wished the day could be over just so you can finally get some sort of a break. 

You weren’t one to complain but it just felt a little more heavier than usual. You stood in front of the elevator, wanting to finally descend down and it seemed like it was taking ages to come up. 

Sighing, you checked your watch that was on your left wrist, nothing too grand, just a simple silver Casio. It read ‘9.23’ and you couldn’t help but groan as you looked back up at the elevator sign, showing it was yet on the fifth floor while you stood on the twelfth one. 

A few seconds later as you continued to glare at the numbers on the LED plate, you felt a presence beside you. You didn’t even need to know who it was before you already smelt him, his usual sweet yet strong earthy scent that gave away his whole self before you looked. 

And of course, he addressed you first.

“Hey-”

“Finally.”

You turned towards him, having a slight frown, “What took you so long?”

Mingyu tried not to smile, doing his thing of clicking his tongue and looking away for a second before he replied while you, knowing your husband’s usual behaviour, continued to glare at him. 

“Uh- Seungcheol was giving me a bit of…a brief about the next mission.”

Of course, it had to be Seungcheol with his usual antics, even if he didn’t mean it this time, he still managed to get on your nerves. 

“And he couldn’t wait till literally tomorrow morning?”

He couldn’t help but let out a chuckle as he stepped closer to you, still standing beside you, as he wrapped his arm around your shoulder and pulled you closer to him. It caught you off guard as you yelped, and despite being married, his actions like this made you feel like you were back in the stages of getting to know each other. Your face began to warm up as you hit his torso lightly.

“Wha!-What are you doing!”

“A man can’t even hug his partner??”

“You-! We’re still in the office!”

“So??”

The cheeky grin on his face made you feel the familiar warmth you did when you could see his eyes glinting with his usual mischief. The familiarity of it made you feel a bit better. 

Then the elevator pinged and you pulled yourself as quick out of his semi embrace and cleared your throat. It did not help, even if you stood a bit further again, when the doors opened to reveal Seungkwan, who was in his own world up until he saw Mingyu and you standing directly in front of him. 

Before he could question the teasing look on Mingyu’s face who hadn’t even acknowledged his presence while you looked at Seungkwan and glared harder, as if to say not a word. 

And who was he if not obedient, he raised his hands in defence and went about. 

Without another word, you entered, Mingyu quietly following. 

“Soo what’s going on?”

“Hm?”

As you pressed the basement and stood back beside him, you looked up at him as he spoke,

“There’s something up.”

You knew you weren’t the most joyous person in a room, nor were you someone who vehemently expressed it, most of the time you stood in a neutral mood, to an extent even having been told you have a resting “bitch” face. Yet, it was in your smaller less noticed antics and behaviour that could distinguish when you actually felt upset. 

The one person who could fully understand it, if not sometimes better than you did yourself which also appalled you, was your husband. And in that very moment, he just knew it. 

You felt a touch on the space between your eyebrows, Mingyu lightly pressing his finger and playfully saying, “Stop thinking so much, your eyebrows are all scrunched up.” 

Somehow that worked, as you rolled your eyes and lightly swatted his hand away as he feigned an overdramatic look of hurt, “See you’re being awfully violent.” 

“It’s nothing really, just a tiring week. I just…I wanted a break.” You expressed your truer emotions, which you didn’t to everyone of course, it wasn’t like you hated your vulnerability, it’s just you were so used to being guarded up, you sometimes forgot that you were allowed to say it when you felt it and not just brush it away. 

Without a word, he slipped his hand into yours, intertwining your hand in his and you accepted the gesture as he squeezed your hand a little tighter.

“Well lucky for us, we’ve got a while now, to ourselves.” His smile was contagious, as your lips briefly moved upwards in a small smile nodding along, quietly murmuring, “Yeah…”

You’d finally reached the basement, going to your car as you decided to leave your hand wrapped in his, not wanting to lose the sense of comfort it gave you.

Mingyu had an idea of what to do next and without seeming too suspicious, you both went about with your routine of going home, him driving a little faster so he could reach home quicker and then finish his whole…idea. 

When you reached home, as you opened your apartment, he stopped and turned to you, “Uh so I kinda have something I wanna do, but! I swear I'll be back in a few!”

Of course you felt suspicious, for one he never mentioned it on the way home because he would have and it was already late. “Uhm…alright.” Still,  he might have been wanting to get something from somewhere and you didn’t think too much about it before you headed inside alone and got ready to finally drop dead asleep on your bed. But obviously, you’d clean yourself up before that. 

As you finished your night time activity, not routine because you sometimes didn’t even have nights at home, you wondered what Mingyu might be doing right now so late, and by the time you got out of your shower, it got even more weird when you found your home still empty. 

You picked your phone, seeing the time as ‘10.07’ and decided to call Mingyu before you heard the bell ring. Shaking your head lightly with a small grin, because it was just like him to somehow spawn when you remembered him, you opened the door only to be met with a huge bouquet of flowers in your face. 

You identified red tulips, pink and white ones too along with lilies. Your favourite flowers all in one. Mingyu moved the flowers a little to the side, showing his face with his canines peaking out, grinning, “You’ve got a delivery.”

You were in awe. A bit shocked by the thing because even if it was as simple as flowers, it still made your heart flutter in a way that you felt it in your entire being.

“Oh really? Isn’t it a little too late?” You decided to play the part, leaning on the doorframe and crossing your arms, the slow formation of a grin beginning on your face. Despite being awfully exhausted, somehow in a matter of moments, you felt it slowly disappearing into a much more relaxed state.

“Eh, figured, better late than never right?”

“Mm you sure have a way with words huh?”

He laughed at that while you rolled your eyes playfully, stepping aside to let him in. You didn’t even notice he had something hidden in one hand that he’d kept behind himself and only when he stepped in and pulled it in front of you, you recognised the sign of your favourite bakery. 

“Oh my God, no way!” Kim Mingyu, somehow, managed to get your favourite desserts from this little bakery in the city that was a place you always visited, countless times by yourself and even with him. You didn’t realise they would be open so late. 

You grabbed the bag excitedly as you peaked inside like a kid getting excited over a new gift, and Mingyu found it so delightful to see you as happy even though he knew you’d been having a rough and tiring week, especially since he knew firsthand what it was like to need a break from the job. 

You looked up at the flowers and took them from his extended hand, admiring the beautiful colours with a twinkle in your eyes that made Mingyu remember why he loved to do a lot of things in the name of love, just to see the way your adorable face lit up. And of course, he loves you too much and this was just one of the many ways he wanted to show it. 

“I’ll put these in a vase, and be right back!” You had a pretty vase, a gift from a close friend in your kitchen, which you grabbed and placed the flowers in as you set the desserts on the table. 

Moving back to the living room, Mingyu had just closed and locked the door as he turned around and you quickly wrapped him in a hug, moving your arms around his waist as your head naturally fit on the centre of his chest. He wrapped his arms around your form, a very instinctive thing as he moved his hand slowly up and down your back, in a comforting manner. 

“I love you. I know I should say it more, but this was so…this was so lovely. Thank you, and I love you for you.”

Oh gosh, he thinks if grinned even more, his cheeks will probably begin to ache but he didn’t care at this rate, if it meant having hurt cheeks from your loving words, then so be it. 

“And I love you too, always. Plus there is more left. To this whole surprise.”

“Oh yeah?”

You looked up at him, smiling widely, having the same thing of hurting cheeks but you could care less because for Mingyu, you’d endure way more if it meant you could stay under his warm smile for a little longer. 

He cupped your face in his hands as he leaned down, closing his eyes as his lips wrapped around yours and you scrunched your hands tighter behind his back as if pulling him impossibly closer. Your eyes shut automatically the moment his lips touched yours, you couldn’t stop from smiling into the kiss as he felt his own smile. 

Mingyu was as cheesy as one could possibly be, especially making you wonder how on Earth he loved someone like you, probably on the opposite end of the ‘cheesy’ spectrum, yet when he did small things like these, it made you realise just why you love him. And of course, the fact that he loved you too, which made it all even better. 

a/n : woooo finallyy writing for svt again:") i genuinely missed em and i also missed writing for gyuu and omg these pictures pls i am actually obsessed? i hope this was good enough because it has been a hot minute since i properly wrote omg and i hope to now get back into it properly too haha but anyways lmk what you think!!

perm. taglist ( open ! ) : @mansaaay ; @gyuguys ; @toplinehyunjin ; @cherrylovescheol ; @stagefrjghts ( if you want to be added just send an ask/reply to this !)

all written works as well as images and edits (unless credited) belong to pri. do not plagiarise, repost, re-edit or claim as yours. pics mostly found on pinterest.

writingmeraki Ⓒ 2026

feedback is always appreciated 💌 ! links : main navi ! | svt masterlist ! | info !

[writingmeraki]

do you think i have forgotten? | formula one texts !

"in which, the aftermath of your breakup eventually leads up to finding your way back to where it all began. (or you haven't forgotten, perhaps you never will and neither can they.)

feat. charles leclerc, lewis hamilton, carlos sainz, alex albon, max verstappen, isack hadjar, oscar piastri, lando norris, george russell, kimi antonelli. warnings. angsty, cussing. ib my favest song ever and of all time, about you by the 1975 <3 a/n at end!

CL16, LH4.

CS55, AA23.

OP81, LN1.

MV3, IH6.

GR63, KA12.

a/n : ...hi!!! ofc an angsty (attempt at angsty texts bcoz i realised i havent done before so why not sumn new for a comeback.....) but HI!! it's been so fucking long. i missed you. i miss every single person here and i missed just being silly on tumblr too. making no promises for anything but i hope to get back into writing like i used to and i am making baby steps towards it. the 2026 season has officially began so here's a lil something to celebrate!! lmk what you think and more drivers perhaps?? im so excited to see what this season brings!!

all written works as well as images and edits (unless credited) belong to pri. do not plagiarise, repost, re-edit or claim as yours. pics mostly found on pinterest.

writingmeraki Ⓒ 2026

feedback is always appreciated 💌 ! links : main navi ! | f1 masterlist ! | info !