Needs and Wants: Part Two || Choi Junhong
Summary: As Zelo’s best friend, you offer him a shoulder to cry on. He realizes just how often you’ve been there for him.
A/N: I had several requests for a sequel! I had so much fun writing this one. Oddly enough, I didn’t listen to “Girls Like You” at all when writing this half.
This scenario was loosely inspired by “Girls Like You” by Maroon 5.
You can find Part One by clicking here! This won’t make much sense unless you start at the beginning.
It had been a week since you left Junhong in his apartment on that fateful night, though it felt more like an eternity. The walk back home was full of muffled sobs and quick steps until you found yourself curled up on your bed, letting everything out. Even now, you couldn’t believe you had said what you said. It was something you always felt but never thought you’d admit, let alone admit to his face. The words seemed soaked in venom as you repeated them at your reflection and you imagined that’s how they felt when he heard them.
After you left that night, Junhong let himself slump down onto the floor, tears leaking from his eyes as he replayed your words over and over again. Had you really felt like that after all this time? He never realized that you had feelings for him. He cursed himself now for being so oblivious that he didn’t realize he had been hurting his best friend this whole time. You had never hinted at it, at least not that he could remember. And that was true. You hadn’t ever made it apparent. Honestly, you hadn’t told a soul about it. You didn’t want to do anything that could have jeopardized his career. You cared for him too much to let that happen. You loved him too much to let that happen. You only wanted him to be happy.
Only now, you knew you definitely weren’t. You didn’t know where the two of you stood now and you weren’t about to hear the words you dreaded. So you tried your best to put him in the back of your mind. You worked as if your life depended on it. You took the long ways home, avoiding places you two had frequented. You even cooked as if you were working for a five-star restaurant, and you hated cooking. You were just desperate to get him off of your mind and make yourself feel better.
And yet, a few days after you left you ran into Yongguk on your way home from work. Being the gentleman he was, he asked how you were and if he could walk you home. You let him, and soon enough the conversation turned to Zelo.
“I’m assuming he told you what happened?” you asked, glancing up at Yongguk.
He sighed. “He didn’t tell me until last night, but we could tell something was off. He hadn’t mentioned you before that and wouldn’t tell us how you were when you came over.”
You nodded. There wasn’t much more that you wanted to ask.
“He’s asked about you, though,” Yongguk continued, “he really thinks you aren’t going to see him again after what he did.”
You glanced down, nodding again. “I just don’t know where we stand anymore, Yongguk.”
“You still like him, right?”
Your eyes glanced up to your elder’s only to be met with a small smirk. “He’s the only one who hadn’t figured it out until the other night.”
Glancing down again, you felt yourself blush slightly as you gave a small nod. “I knew he didn’t feel the same way,” you murmured.
Yongguk huffed. “You don’t know that for sure, Y/N.” As you both reached the stairs to your apartment building, he offered one final piece of advice. “Your wants are temporary. At some point your needs become too much and replace your wants.”
You played his words again in your head as you sat on your couch, half-heartedly listening to the news. You missed Junhong terribly but you still didn’t want to reach out to him. If for no other reason, you were afraid he wouldn’t want you back. You were content with being ignorant if it spared your emotions.
As you were lost in your thoughts, your phone chimed. It wasn’t your usual chime, though. It was a chime you had set a long time ago for one specific person.
You felt your heart rate speed up. Apparently this was the time to either patch things up or see him for the last time.
You waited a few minutes before he sent a response.
Okay. Should I let myself in?
Okay, I’ll be there soon.
You sighed to yourself. You weren’t ready for this. You didn’t think you’d ever be ready for this. And yet, it was coming whether you liked it or not.
In the time it took Junhong to arrive, you washed the rest of your makeup off of your face and changed into a set of comfier clothes. You began to heat water for tea when you heard a knock on the door. He was at least being courteous in this whole ordeal.
Quietly you walked over to the door before glancing through the peephole just in case. To your relief, it was Junhong standing there, a bouquet of flowers in his hand. You slid your hand to the knob and opened the door, as ready as you’d ever be to face what came your way.
“H-hi Y/N, can I come in?”
You nodded, muttering a silent “yeah” as you opened the door farther and let him walk in. He looked like he hadn’t slept in weeks, but you assumed you looked the same way. As he turned around in your living room, he passed the flowers to you. He glanced at you momentarily, but his gaze kept falling to the floor. “I-I hope you like them.”
“Thank you,” you murmured, taking a quick whiff of the sweet fragrance. “I was making tea, did you want any?”
The silence that followed was unbearable. Whenever Junhong and you were together, silence was almost non-existent. You took the opportunity to walk to your kitchen, placing your tea bag in your mug and pouring the hot water before reaching into your fridge. As you began to pour the milk into your tea, Junhong began to speak.
“Listen, Y/N, the reason I came over… well I didn’t know if you wanted to come over and I probably should’ve talked to you more before this, but- I-I just- I- tried my best to just let it go but I just COULDN’T- and I-”
He kept getting more and more flustered as he tried to come up with some words, some apology. His frustration at himself grew and grew until he was on the verge of explosion. And you heard it building behind you.
Setting the milk on the counter, you turned around to find him wiping at his eyes with his hands and taking in a breath to prevent tears from falling. It killed you on the inside to think he was hurting as bad as you were, that he wanted you back but didn’t know how to explain himself, that he was imploding on the spot in your kitchen trying to make it up to you.
“Come here,” you said softly, reaching for his shirt sleeve and pulling him closer to you. He took it a step farther, picking you up and setting you on your counter so you were his height and burying his face in the nape of your neck. His arms wrapped around you tightly, as if you were his lifeline. His body began to shake then, heavy sobs overtaking him. You tried to calm him down, rubbing his back gently with your fingers as he wept.  And wept he did.
He wept for himself. He wept for the nights he spent away from those he loved for more practices and work. He wept for the countless others who put up the same problems. He wept for his own heart, having it broken by girls who hadn’t wanted to know him and only wanted the fame. And he wept for you too. He wept for you because he finally realized how you must have felt over the years- love coursing through your being and no way of expressing it. Constantly feeling trapped, alone.
You tried your best to hold him tighter, nuzzling him as best you could as you tried to keep yourself composed. As he continued to shudder in your embrace he began to find the words that failed him before this. “I’m so sorry Y/N…” he gasped out in between sobs, “I never meant to hurt you… I-I hadn’t known…”
“Shhh, shhh… It’s alright,” you whispered in his ear, feeling tears beginning to run down your own face. “I just want you to be happy.”
You felt him pull away from your embrace, and you took the opportunity to wipe at your own eyes. When you opened them again, you found Junhong’s eyes locked onto yours.
“Y/N, you make me happy.”
He leaned in again, but this time you met him halfway, pressing your lips to his. A few of his tears dropped onto your cheek as you reached a hand to cup his face, brushing the rest of them away with your thumb. You felt his fingers snake around to your back, keeping you steady as he leaned in further.
Just as soon as the kiss started, he pulled away, watching your face for any signs of anger or emotion. You saw the same emotion in his eyes that you saw during your first kiss, but this time you knew neither times were because of some girl. They were because of you. And this time, you mirrored that same feeling in your face. Years spent hiding your feelings and being “just a friend” crashed like a broken glass as you reached to him, wrapping your legs around his waist as you clung to him. He returned the hug, pressing a hand around the back of your neck as you nuzzled your face into the crook of his.
“I’ll say it again, Y/N,” he said, just loud enough so you could hear. “I really need a girl like you.”
You took a deep breath, trying to calm yourself down before moving to look at him. He released his hold on you to wipe away your own tears, offering the best smile he could manage. That was what you loved about Junhong- he always tried to make you happy too. As much as he needed a girl like you, maybe you also needed a guy like him.
You smiled back at him,  reaching up to give another small peck to his lips. “Then it’s a good thing you have me.”
He smiled again, picking you up from off the counter. “It definitely is.”
You couldn’t believe any of this had actually happened, but you were determined not to let him go this time. Giving him a final squeeze, he set you down as you put away the milk and got a vase for the flowers. “Do you want to watch a movie?”
He nodded. “I’d like that.”
“Okay,” you said as you grabbed a few snacks and drinks before the two of you walked into your living room. You sat next to Junhong, but just as you set down the snacks, he wrapped an arm around your waist and pulled you down so you were in between him and the couch. Your head rested on his chest as he pulled a blanket down over the two of you and you picked a movie, snuggling in as the opening sequence began.
Sleep greeted you like an old friend as you and Junhong finished the movie. Between him and the blanket on both of you, you were the most comfortable you had been all week. Junhong was too, and as you were just falling asleep, he opened his mouth.
You hummed lightly, signalling that you were awake. “What?”
“I’m so glad I have a girl like you.”
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