Hello! I'm Zeta, 24, she/her and the owner of this blog (EU based). I'm an uni student, a fanfic writer a kpop stan! I'm an ISFJ and a Taurus (May 13th). I'm also an admin of @svthub and @thediamondlifenetwork and a member of @camandemstudios (make sure to check them out!).
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I write mainly for Seventeen, but I also occasionally write for Ateez.
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This post has been postponed for more time than i wanted it to be, but now it's finally time.
after months of radio silence in Tumblr, i have decided to stop writing and leave all networks I'm part of. This is purely because i have long lost my excitement and passion for writing, as well as my attachment to kpop. It sadly cannot bring me the happiness and comfort it used to bring me a few months ago. I know that i had made promises in my 2025 goals post, but seems like life didn't have the same opinions as me!
I do not know if i will ever come back to writing, but i want to sincerely thank everyone who has been following my account since it was first established for their love and support through their reading comments.
It has been one hell of a ride, but it's time for me to get off at the final stop. Hope everyone stays safe and happy
love, zeta❤️
p.s.: the account will not be deleted, so people may still find some comfort in my silly fics :)
Summary: As a writer with a mildly cynical take on love, you’ve always believed people have a “type”—a pattern they never stray from when it comes to dating. And Kim Mingyu? He’s the textbook definition of someone who wouldn’t go for someone like you, nor would you go for him. But you test your theory when a fateful run-in with your charming neighbour sparks an unexpected attraction.
The plan? Go on dates with him and count how many it takes before your heart gets involved—if it ever does. But Mingyu is unpredictable, effortlessly breaking down your carefully constructed walls with every smile, every late-night conversation, every moment that feels too easy to be just an experiment.
The real problem? Secrets never stay secrets for long. And when Mingyu finds out the truth behind your so-called theory, will it prove you right, or that love doesn’t follow the rules you thought it did?
☆ 18+ minors dni |☀︎fluff | ☁︎ angst | ♕smut
Word Count: 18,732 words im sorry i couldnt stop yapping
Pairings: Neighbor! Mingyu x Journalist! Female Reader
Genre/Trope(s)/AU(s): Neighbours AU! Fake Dating AU! (but only one is fake dating. It’ll make sense when you read it, lol). Non-Idol AU!.
Content Warnings: mentions of blood (nothing graphic), wonwoo is also yn's housemate, but they have a mildly flirty relationship. joshua cares too much about plants. strong language and mentions of food and alcohol. Y/N is pretty confused, quite lost in general about her feelings, and very much in denial. quite a bit of arguing, no one here is good with their emotions. Y/N will be very annoying here. I apologise, but the girl has trust issues. they go back and forth, I’m very sorry. she’s feeling insecure, but nothing too intense (she got sad because of alcohol).
Smut Warnings: protected sex (sadly this happens once in the first chapter, and that’s it lol), oral (m & f receiving) big dick! Mingyu, because duh! Sex toy usage (using it on y/n and it’s a vibrator, it’s red if that helps?), multiple orgasms, overstimulation. Lots of spicy moments with a ton of teasing. Shower sex.
Author's Note 1: I'd be remiss if I didn't thank the lovely people who helped beta this monster of a story. thank you @lovetaroandtaemin @nebulousbrainsoup @strxwberry-skiess for your patience time and love thank you guys so much!!
Author's Note 2: welp here it is guys my last fic, ever, but good news, this is only chapter 1!
Series Masterlist
“I am not picking up your tree, Joshua.” You held the phone to your ear, exasperated, as your best friend whined like a child on the other end.
“Y/N, please. First of all, she’s a plant, not a tree! Second, that plant is my baby. She can keep everything else in the breakup, but she’s not getting Lydia!”
You blinked. “You named a tree?”
“She’s a bonsai,” Joshua sniffled, voice wobbling with heartbreak. “And my bitch of an ex left her out on the front step to die. Lydia’s gonna freeze, Y/N.”
You sighed. “You’ve really lost it.”
“Nope. I gave her a human name on purpose. So now you feel guilty abandoning her.”
You groaned. “You’re emotionally manipulating me with a bonsai.”
Joshua smirked through the phone. “And it’s working, isn’t it?”
“Fine,” you grumbled. “But I swear to God, if I have to hear about Julie one more time—”
“Nope! Just Lydia,” he said quickly. “Please rescue my plant baby. I love you, bye!”
The call ended before you could protest again. You let out another sigh, tossed your phone on the desk, and returned to your open document.
Writing had always been your dream—getting to pour your thoughts into something tangible, something that made people feel. You’d started at your company writing fluffy lifestyle pieces—“Make Your Apartment Your Sanctuary,” and “7 Houseplants That Won’t Die Instantly”—but lately, you'd taken control.
Now you led the Lifestyle and Well-Being column, tackling everything from relationship advice to self-love, and yes, even that viral review on the best adult toys on the market. The one that made your editor blush and your DMs explode.
You smiled faintly at the memory. You were making people feel seen—and that meant something.
“Done for the day?” Your boss asked, pausing by your desk.
“Yeah, you need me to stay late?”
“Nope. Just wanted to say—your latest article? Stellar.”
You beamed. “Thanks.” With a wave goodbye, you packed up and headed out—ready to play plant savior.
“Damn, she is cold,” you muttered, spotting the sad-looking bonsai on Julie’s icy doorstep. You scooped Lydia up like a wounded pet and drove her straight back to your apartment.
~~
“Shua?” you called as you stepped inside.
“Lydia!” he gasped dramatically, leaping from the couch.
You blinked. “You greeted the plant before me?”
“And?” he said, completely unapologetic.
“I rescued it for you!”
“Can I water my girl first and hug you after?” he asked sweetly.
You laughed, tossing your bag onto the sofa. “Fine.” Ten minutes later, Joshua returned from the kitchen, Lydia perched happily on the windowsill and a bottle of wine in hand.
“She’s adjusting well to her new home,” he declared, pouring you both glasses. “And hydrated.”
“How nice,” you deadpanned. “Jealous of a plant now.”
“Oh, don’t pout. I’d hydrate you too, but unlike Lydia, the last time I sprayed you with the hose, you got mad.”
You snorted. “Why the hell is her name Lydia anyway?”
“She looked like one.”
You raised a brow. “Okay, then what do I look like?”
Joshua smirked. “Horny.”
You glared. “I will drown your bonsai in wine.”
He grinned. “C’mon, your last article must’ve left you a little pent up.”
“Shut up,” you said, throwing back your drink.
By the time the wine bottle was empty, you were curled into Joshua’s side on the couch, the warmth of alcohol and his comfort loosening your guard.
“Seriously though,” you murmured. “Why’d she dump you?”
He gave a bitter chuckle. “Said I was too nice.”
You blinked slowly. “Wait? How is that an issue?”
He smiled. “You’re drunk.”
“You always do that,” you muttered, suddenly pulling away.
“Do what?”
“Assume I’m just a drunken mess.”
“Well, right now you kind of are. And... you’re really close.”
You recoiled further. “Right. Wouldn’t want to make you uncomfortable.”
“Come on, I didn’t mean it like that,” he groaned.
You didn’t answer. You just grabbed your phone instead.
Joshua sighed. “Okay, I’m going to bed. See you in the morning.”
You poured yourself another glass—your third—just in time for Wonwoo, your other housemate, to walk through the door.
You were sprawled on the couch, one leg dangling over the edge, a half-empty wine glass resting when Wonwoo walked in, looking devastatingly handsome in his work attire.
He was wearing a crisp white shirt, sleeves rolled up to his elbows, showcasing his toned forearms, and a pair of perfectly tailored black trousers. His tie was slightly loosened, and his hair was slightly tousled like he’d run his fingers through it a few too many times. You couldn’t help but stare, your wine-hazed mind fixating on how effortlessly attractive he looked.
“Wow,” you murmured, not realising you’d said it out loud until Wonwoo’s eyes flickered over to you, a small, amused smile appearing on his lips.
“Did you just... wow me?” he asked, shutting the door behind him and shrugging off his coat.
You didn’t even have the decency to feel embarrassed. Instead, you just giggled and nodded, lifting your wine glass in a mock toast. “You look outstanding, Woo. Like, unfairly good.”
He arched a brow, walking into the living room and leaning against the arm of the couch, towering over you. “Have you been drinking alone?”
You waved your hand dismissively. “I started with Joshua, and then he got all snippy. But thankfully, you’re here now looking like a model from a GQ spread. Seriously, do you just walk around looking like that?”
Wonwoo chuckled, the sound low and almost too attractive for your mildly intoxicated state. “It’s called having a job, Y/N. You should try it sometime.”
You scoffed, pretending to be offended. “I have a job! I just... don’t have to wear a suit for it. Or look that good doing it.”
He gave you one of those half-smiles that made your heart thump. “You look pretty good right now. Maybe it’s just the wine talking.”
You narrowed your eyes at him, poking his arm lightly. “Are you flirting with me? Or just being nice because I’m a little tipsy?”
He glanced at your wine glass, then at you, eyes softening. “A little of both, maybe.”
That made you giggle again, and you scooted over, patting the empty spot next to you. “Sit. You’ve been working all day. You deserve to relax.”
Wonwoo hesitated, but eventually lowered himself onto the couch, his shoulder brushing yours as he leaned back. You could smell his cologne now, something warm and woodsy that made your stomach do a little flip.
“So,” he said gently, “what’s with the sad eyes? It’s Friday.”
“Joshua’s pissed at me, I think.”
Wonwoo nodded. “He’s not the best with drunk people.”
You pouted. “So you think I’m drunk too.”
“I think you’re not sober,” he teased, pulling you easily into his lap.
“You’re really pretty, you know,” you mumbled.
Wonwoo glanced at you, one brow raised, clearly fighting a smile. “You’re definitely drunk.”
“Am not,” you argued, sticking your tongue out. “I’m just being honest. You don’t get to be this attractive and not know it.”
He finally gave in to a full smile, one that made your heart flutter. “You really don’t hold back when you’re tipsy, do you?”
You shrugged, taking another sip. “Life’s too short to hold back. And you’re too pretty to not be told so.”
Wonwoo shook his head, but there was a fondness in his gaze that made you feel oddly comfortable. You let the silence fall between you, not awkward, just... nice.
He glanced down at your empty glass and gently took it from your hand, setting it on the coffee table. “Maybe that’s enough for tonight.”
You pouted but didn’t argue. Instead, you leaned against his shoulder, feeling the warmth of his body seep into yours. “You’re really comfy too,” you mumbled.
He chuckled softly, his hand coming up to rest on your shoulder, almost as if it was second nature. “You’re a lot clingier when you’ve had a few drinks.”
You hummed in agreement, not really caring to defend yourself. “It’s because you’re nice to cling to.”
You smiled. “So you’re back home early on a Friday night, what happened, no hot date?”
“Nah, my job and its demands make it difficult to date, what about you? You wrote a very spicy article, did that not get you at least a few contenders to try out the toys in your article?”
You sighed. “ Shut up, and plus, I crave intimacy, not just a one-night stand.”
He paused. “Interesting.”
“Shh, let me sleep,” you mumbled as you curled more into his chest.
Wonwoo didn’t push you away, just let you rest against him, and you could have sworn you felt his thumb gently brush over your shoulder. Your heart beat a little faster, and you couldn’t help but smile, too comfortable to care about anything else at that moment.
As the show on TV changed to something else, Wonwoo sighed, seemingly more relaxed now that he’d settled in. “You’re lucky I don’t mind being your drunk pillow.”
You grinned, snuggling closer. “You secretly love it.”
He didn’t reply, but the soft chuckle that rumbled through his chest was answer enough.
You blinked. “Sure.”
~~
The next morning, you walked into a plant shop, hopeful that obnoxiously expensive and ornate plant would make up for the snippy exchange you and Joshua had last night.
The bell above the door jingled as you approached the counter, pointing to a tiny bonsai in the window.
“For a friend,” you said.
“He likes plants?” The older man smiled.
“He named his.”
The man chuckled, gently wrapping the pot. “Plants are like people. They need the right love to thrive.”
“Yeah,” you murmured. “Thanks.”
~~
You were returning back to the apartment, and you took a sudden turn–then froze.
“Oh, shit—” you yelped as the tiny bonsai smashed into someone’s face.
“FUCK,” he yelled, hands flying to his nose.
“Oh my god, I—your face—your plant! I’m so sorry!”
The man looked up, wincing. “You could have broken my nose. And you’re worried about the plant?”
“Do you live here?” You asked, noticing how he was standing outside the apartment door opposite yours, ignoring the blood.
“What?”
“I mean—can I help? Do you have ice?”
He blinked. “Yeah. Come in.”
Inside, he handed you his keys, too dazed to care.
“You’re very trusting,” you muttered, digging through his freezer.
“You already injured me. What more could you do?”
You found an ice pack and vodka, held up both. “You want comfort or numbness?”
“I’ll take both,” he mumbled, sitting down.
You pressed the pack to his nose. “What’s your name?”
“Kim Mingyu.”
“I’m Y/N.”
He cracked a pained smile. “So this is how you meet people? Assault first, names later?”
You laughed. “Only when I’m feeling flirty.”
“Cute,” he said, gently taking the ice pack from your hand.
You stared at the barely bleeding gash. “You’ll survive.”
“See this scar?” he pointed to one above his brow. “My sister gave me that. I can handle one pot-wielding girl.”
The soft hum of the city buzzed faintly through the windows as you sat on Mingyu’s couch, nervously picking at a stray thread on your sweater. Mingyu plopped down next to you, a little too close, but you didn’t mind. His shoulder brushed against yours as he leaned back, stretching his long legs out.
“So,” Mingyu said, flashing you a charming smile. “Now that I’ve lured you into my lair, I guess I should actually get to know you.”
You snorted, rolling your eyes. “Yeah? You planning to interrogate me?”
He shrugged, eyes sparkling with mischief. “Maybe. Gotta make sure my neighbor isn’t secretly plotting my demise. Or maybe I’m just trying to figure out why you always look like you’re on a mission when you leave the building.”
You bit back a laugh, raising an eyebrow. “Oh, you mean when I’m rushing to meet deadlines and not running a secret spy operation?”
Mingyu grinned. “Exactly. So what’s with all the late-night typing sessions? What do you do?”
You hesitated for a moment. “I’m a writer. Lifestyle pieces mostly. A bit of everything — fashion, travel, relationships. It’s kind of like... whatever my editor thinks people are obsessed with that week.”
Mingyu raised his eyebrows, clearly impressed. “That sounds pretty cool. So you just... write about life?”
“Pretty much,” you said, relaxing into the couch. “Sometimes it’s advice columns, sometimes it’s think pieces. Occasionally, it’s lists of the top ten sex toys to spice up your love life.”
Mingyu choked on his drink, coughing as his cheeks flushed. “Wait... that was you?”
You frowned in confusion. “What?”
He cleared his throat, looking a little embarrassed but unable to hide his smirk. “I, uh... I might have read that article. Thought the writing was... bold.”
You couldn’t help but laugh. “Bold, huh? Didn’t think that piece would be your go-to read.”
Mingyu grinned sheepishly. “It wasn’t exactly on my list, but it popped up. It was one of those late-night ‘am I missing out on something’ moments.”
You couldn’t stop your cheeks from heating up. “I didn’t peg you as the type to read lifestyle blogs.”
“I didn’t peg myself as one either,” he admitted. “But the writing was clever. Funny. Made it sound... approachable. I should’ve known it was you.”
You snorted. “Should I take that as a compliment?”
“Absolutely,” he said, giving you a soft, lopsided smile. “You made it sound... less intimidating.”
You tucked a strand of hair behind your ear, trying to ignore the way your stomach flipped. “Well, I do aim to please.”
Mingyu hummed thoughtfully. “And here I thought I was the one trying to impress you.”
“Oh, really?” you teased, leaning closer. “How’s that working out for you?”
He chuckled, eyes flickering to your lips for just a moment. “Jury’s still out. But I’m definitely intrigued.”
Your pulse quickened at his words, but you tried to play it cool. “What about you? What’s your thing?”
Mingyu gestured casually to the wall behind you, where a few framed photographs hung. You turned around, realizing you hadn’t noticed them before.
“They’re yours?” You asked, genuinely surprised.
He nodded, a bit shy now. “Yeah. I’m a photographer. Mostly freelance, but I’ve done some shows and a few magazine spreads. I guess I’m always chasing light and moments... like that one.” He pointed to a picture of a bustling street at sunset, the sky bleeding shades of pink and orange over the cityscape.
“It’s beautiful,” you murmured, stepping closer to look. “You really captured the way the city feels alive.”
Mingyu’s lips curved into a soft smile. “That’s the goal. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.”
You glanced back at him, raising a brow. “So, you just wander around looking for the perfect shot?”
He nodded, leaning back comfortably. “Pretty much. Sometimes it’s places. Sometimes it’s people. Anything that feels... real.”
You felt a little flutter in your chest at his words. “That’s kind of poetic.”
Mingyu smiled, a little bashful. “Didn’t mean to get all deep on you.”
You waved him off. “No, I like it. You’ve got this... thoughtful way of looking at things.”
He gave a little shrug, eyes twinkling with that familiar mischief. “Maybe I just know how to make things sound good. Photographer skills.”
You laughed. “And here I thought writers were the ones who spun stories.”
He leaned in just a bit, his voice low and playful. “Maybe we’re not so different after all.”
You met his gaze, your heart racing. “Guess we’ll have to see.”
Mingyu smirked, his fingers lightly brushing yours where they rested on the couch. “I’m looking forward to it.”
“So...” Mingyu leaned in, cocking his head. “If it’s not weird to ask, did you test all those toys out yourself or get reviews from others?”
Your eyes widened. “A bit of both.”
“Interesting.”
“I guess you and your significant other can maybe test it out, and I can get more real-time feedback,” you suggested awkwardly, not knowing how to continue the conversation.
He laughed. “Y/N, if I had a significant other, I wouldn’t be sitting here, very turned on, icing my face.”
You swallowed and laughed awkwardly.
An hour had passed, and you were still seated on Mingyu’s couch, the casual conversation flowing easily between you two. The warmth of his apartment wrapped around you, made cozier by the soft lighting that glowed from the corner lamp. Mingyu had moved closer at some point during your chat, and you couldn’t help but notice how his knee brushed against yours every now and then.
“So, let me get this straight,” Mingyu said, his smile widening as he leaned back, resting his arm along the back of the couch.
“You’ve managed to convince an entire city that they need to buy seven different types of pillows just to sleep better?”
You laughed, shrugging. “What can I say? The perfect sleep experience is an art. Plus, people like to feel a bit pampered. Who doesn’t love the idea of sinking into a mountain of plush pillows?”
“Fair point,” he conceded, his eyes sparkling with amusement. “You make it sound so luxurious, I almost feel bad for my one sad, flat pillow.”
You raised a brow. “Oh, that’s unacceptable. I think I have a new mission: upgrade your pillow situation.”
Mingyu chuckled, his fingers brushing lightly against your shoulder as he reached for his drink on the coffee table. The simple touch sent a jolt of awareness through you, but you kept your expression calm.
“What about you?” You asked, trying to steer the focus away from how his touch made your skin tingle. “Aside from photography, what do you do when you’re not charming people with your art?”
Mingyu’s lips quirked up. “I cook. A lot. It’s therapeutic. Plus, I’m kind of a food snob.”
Your eyes lit up with intrigue. “You cook? Like, actual meals? Or are we talking ramen and scrambled eggs?”
He scoffed playfully. “Ramen? Please. I can make homemade pasta from scratch. You’d be impressed.”
“That’s a bold statement. I might have to hold you to it.”
He grinned, eyes glinting with a bit of challenge. “I’d love to prove it. But only if you promise to be an honest critic.”
You hummed, leaning in just slightly. “I’m always honest. Sometimes a little too honest.”
His eyes traced your features, lingering a little longer on your lips before darting back to your gaze. “I don’t mind honesty. It’s refreshing.”
A comfortable silence settled between you, and you couldn’t help but notice how Mingyu’s hand had inched closer, resting on the back of the couch just behind your shoulder. The proximity made your pulse quicken, and you weren’t sure if it was the way his voice dropped a little lower or the way his eyes softened when he looked at you.
“So,” he said softly, voice almost a murmur, “would you ever do a part two for that sex toy article? ”
You rolled your eyes, laughing softly. “Why, do you have any suggestions?”
Mingyu raised his hands in mock surrender, but there was a teasing glint in his eyes. “Maybe; would you listen to them?”
You smirked. “Maybe; I am a very open-minded person,”
His eyes flickered down to your lips, and this time, he didn’t look away. Mingyu leaned in just a fraction, testing the waters. “Oh? I think I’d like to get to know you better.”
Your breath caught at the implication, your heart thudding against your ribs. Mingyu’s hand moved from the back of the couch to gently brush your cheek, thumb tracing a light, comforting path along your jaw.
“Is this okay?” He whispered, his eyes searching yours for any sign of hesitation.
You nodded slowly, your voice just as soft. “Yeah... It’s okay.”
He smiled, his lips curving into something almost relieved, before he closed the small distance between you. The kiss was gentle at first, his lips brushing against yours in a tentative, careful way. When you responded, pressing closer, he deepened the kiss slightly, his other hand moving to your waist.
The world seemed to melt away, and all you could feel was the warmth of his touch, the way his lips moved with yours like he’d been waiting to do this for a long time.
When you finally pulled back, just enough to catch your breath, Mingyu rested his forehead against yours, his thumb still caressing your cheek.
“Worth the wait,” he murmured, his voice rough and sincere.
You couldn’t help but smile, feeling more at ease than you had in a long time. “Definitely.”
“I guess I’m happy you almost broke my nose,” he murmured, leaning in slightly.
You let out a soft gasp when he kissed you again, making you melt against him.
“I want to hear that sound again,” he whispered, making you giggle, and you grinned, and he took it as a sign to further things.
He picked you up easily and carried you to his bedroom and onto his bed, settling you onto his lap like you belonged there. His lips never stopped moving against yours, each kiss more heated, more desperate.
When he finally pulled away, both of you were panting.
“Can I touch you?” He asked, voice lower, rougher now.
You nodded eagerly, lips parted, skin already flushed.
“Good girl,” he whispered.
A moan escaped before you could stop it.
Mingyu raised an eyebrow, that smug smirk creeping back. “Ooh. Praise kink. Duly noted.”
His hands slid up your sides, under your dress, fingertips skating along your skin like he was unwrapping a gift.
“Can I?” He asked again, but this time, he was already tugging at the fabric.
“Please just do something,” you said, practically squirming in his lap, need pulsing through you like a heartbeat.
He laughed softly — a dark, delicious sound. “You’re adorable when you beg.”
Your dress slipped over your head and onto the floor in one swift motion.
“No bra?” He asked, amused.
“Didn’t feel like it matched the vibe,” you replied with a lazy shrug.
“Big fan of that choice,” he said, palming your breasts in his large hands, thumbs circling your nipples until they hardened under his touch. His mouth followed, warm and wet, kissing and sucking until you were arching into him.
Then his hand drifted lower.
“I don’t think you’ll be needing these either,” he muttered, fingers brushing over the damp heat between your legs.
You let out a soft gasp, legs parting instinctively.
“Can I feel you?” He asked again, voice a low rumble against your throat.
“Please,” you breathed, nearly trembling with how badly you needed him.
He slipped your underwear down slowly, teasing you, drawing this out like he enjoyed how desperate you were.
“Been a while?” He murmured, fingers sliding between your folds, making you jolt.
“Way too long,” you confessed, barely managing to speak.
He groaned. “Fuck, I want to taste you so badly, but some beautiful disaster smashed me in the face with a plant tonight.”
“There’s always next time,” you managed to say, breath hitching as he continued to tease your entrance with maddening patience.
“Oh? There’s going to be a next time?” He asked, cocky now.
“Depends if this time’s good,” you teased back.
He grinned, eyes dark. “Oh, sweetheart... it’ll be better than good.”
He lifted you off his lap, laid you gently on the bed like you were something breakable. You watched him undress — slow, purposeful — revealing long lines of muscle and the kind of body that made your mouth water.
When his boxers hit the floor, you let out an involuntary, “Fuck.”
“You keep flattering me; I might forget we’re not in love yet,” he joked, grabbing a condom from the drawer and rolling it on.
“Mingyu,” you moaned, writhing on the sheets, “please, I just need to feel you inside me.”
He froze, eyes wide.
“Won’t it hurt if I don’t—”
“Dude,” you cut in, voice raw. “I’ve been in a dry spell so long I’m practically a desert. Just fuck me.”
He blinked. “Did you just ‘dude’ me while begging for dick?”
“Yes, and your boner better survive it,” you shot back.
He laughed — hard — but that laugh turned into a groan as he lined himself up and slowly pushed inside you.
Your body arched like a live wire had touched it.
“Fucking hell,” he gritted out. “You’re so tight.”
You gasped, fingers digging into the sheets as he bottomed out.
He started moving — slow, deep thrusts that had you babbling nonsense within seconds. One of his hands slid between you, fingers finding your clit and rubbing just the right way.
“I can’t... I’m gonna—” you whimpered, already spiraling.
“Let go. Come on, baby. I’ve got you,” he murmured.
And that was it.
You came hard, shaking, crying out as your body clenched around him. A few rough thrusts later, Mingyu groaned, burying himself deep as he spilled into the condom.
He collapsed on top of you, his face pressed to your chest, both of you struggling to catch your breath.
Eventually, he rolled to the side, pulling you with him.
“Wow,” you whispered.
“I know,” he said, still panting.
“You’re amazing. Thank you.”
He looked over at you, one brow raised. “Are you... thanking me for sex?”
“I mean, yeah? That was better than therapy.”
He laughed, brushing a strand of hair off your face. “I still owe you one. My hands and tongue haven’t even had their turn yet.”
Your eyes widened.
“Unless this was a one-time ‘itch to scratch’ situation?” He added, voice quiet now.
You smiled, slow and wicked. “I think we can definitely make it happen again.”
He kissed your shoulder. “Just... next time, maybe don’t lead with blunt force trauma.”
You grinned. And said,“No promises.”
“I should get going,” you murmured, reluctantly sitting up and scanning the room for your scattered dignity — aka your dress and underwear.
Mingyu nodded, leaning back on his elbows as he watched you move. “Yeah. I mean... this wasn’t exactly how I imagined meeting my neighbors, but I’m not complaining.”
You grinned as he tossed your underwear to you with a lazy smirk and handed you your dress like it was some ceremonial robe.
“How do I look?” You asked, smoothing your hair and tugging the dress into place.
“Stunning,” he said, eyes dragging over you with no shame. “But also, like you just got thoroughly fucked.”
You groaned, covering your face. “Great. Just the look I was going for.”
“Hey, it’s just a few steps across the hall. Embrace the walk of pride,” he teased.
You paused, glancing at the door. “Should I help you finish unpacking? You still have boxes everywhere.”
He shook his head. “Nah. Go get rid of that plant for your housemates before you break another part of me.”
You gave him a soft smile. “Oh that’s a good idea, I have a weapon in my hand.”
Mingyu reached for your wrist and pulled you into a kiss — slow, sweet, and way too tender for a one-night stand. It left you blinking when he pulled away.
“What was that for?” You asked, voice barely above a whisper.
He shrugged, brushing your hair behind your ear. “You had that look — like you were overthinking everything. Just wanted to remind you I’m not a dick.”
You bit your lip, smiling. “No... just a guy with a really nice one.”
He laughed, low and raspy, and you forced yourself to peel away before you crawled right back into bed with him.
“See you,” you said, pausing at the door for just a second longer than necessary.
You slipped out, gathered your things with whatever grace you had left, and padded barefoot across the hall to your own apartment — slightly sore, definitely smug, and still tasting him on your lips.
“Oh my God, you’re alive!” Joshua gasped, immediately pulling you into a hug. Then he squinted, nose crinkling. “Wait—why are you sweaty?”
Wonwoo raised an eyebrow, lounging by the counter. “Your dress is on backwards.”
You groaned, tugging at the fabric. “Okay, you nosy bitches, can I at least shower first?”
Joshua tilted his head like a puppy. “So… who’d you fuck?”
You glared at him, cheeks heating. “Our new neighbor. And for the record, I accidentally smashed a bonsai into his face first.”
Joshua blinked. “Why did you have a bonsai?”
You shrugged. “Felt bad. Thought a peace plant might help.”
His expression softened. “We’re good, really. But damn. You broke his face, and he broke your back? That’s some poetic symmetry.”
You groaned again, stalking toward the bathroom. “I need a shower. Don’t go anywhere—I’ll be back with way too many details.”
Both men nodded eagerly, already settling in like a live show was coming
~~
You were halfway into post-shower bliss, freshly changed and just barely reclaiming some dignity when there was a soft knock at your bedroom door.
“Can I come in?” You heard Wonwoo’s voice ask.
You glanced up and smiled. “Yeah, come in.” You patted the empty spot on the bed beside you.
“Did I disturb you?” He asked, motioning toward your open laptop and mess of notes.
“Not really. Just I was brainstorming, earlier,”
Wonwoo settled beside you, his presence warm and familiar. “Maybe write about your latest hookup?” He teased with a slight edge in his voice.
You narrowed your eyes. “Okay, what’s with that tone?”
He shrugged. “I thought you’d want to maybe ask me instead? Weren’t we sort of flirting last night? I don’t just pull everyone onto my lap. But I guess the hot neighbour is who you prefer? What if he’d been a serial killer?”
Your lips twitched into a smile. “I literally knocked him out with a plant. Pretty sure he wasn’t in a position to hurt me.”
Wonwoo flopped back on your bed, arms spread wide. “So that’s it? He read your article, got turned on, and you jumped his bones?”
You snapped your laptop closed and sighed. “Why are you sounding so judgmental?”
He rolled his head toward you. “I was just worried, okay? What if he was a creep?”
You softened a little, scooting closer. “He’s not. He’s nice. Chill.”
Wonwoo nodded. “Okay. So... was he good?”
You laughed. “He's, um... big.”
One of Wonwoo’s eyebrows arched. “That’s not a skill, Y/N. Did he use his hands? Or, you know, go down on you?”
You gave him a pointed look. “His nose was still swollen from my plant assault. He was doing me a favor, not trying to win Olympic gold in oral.”
Wonwoo crossed his arms, unimpressed. “What, were his hands broken too?”
You huffed. “Look, I was desperate. Dry spell hell. He solved the problem. Can you stop interrogating me?”
Your eyes narrowed. “Besides, why do you care who I hook up with?”
Wonwoo sighed, running a hand through his hair. “Since it’s some random guy who lives next door, and you’re acting like you’ve known him forever. You can’t just trust people like that, Y/N.”
You scoffed. “He’s not a random guy. He’s a new neighbor. It’s not like I’m inviting a complete stranger into my life.”
“He kind of is a stranger,” Wonwoo argued, stepping closer. “You don’t know what he’s like, what his deal is. You’re smarter than this. You shouldn’t just let someone into your life because they’re charming or whatever.”
You crossed your arms defensively. “Why do you even care? It’s not like it affects you.”
His jaw clenched, and his eyes softened just a little. “Because I don’t want you to get hurt. You always rush into things, thinking it’s all fun and games. Not everyone’s going to be what they seem.”
You rolled your eyes. “You sound like a dad, Woo.”
Wonwoo’s face flushed slightly, and he exhaled sharply. “I’m serious. Just... be careful. I’m just looking out for you.”
You softened a bit at his concern, realizing he was only trying to protect you. “I appreciate it, really. But I can take care of myself. I’m not a kid.”
His expression was a mix of frustration and something else — something intense that you couldn’t quite place. Before you could think about it too much, he took a step closer, his hand lifting like he was going to cup your cheek, but he hesitated, fingers hovering near your jaw.
You felt your breath hitch, your eyes flicking from his hand to his eyes. “Wonwoo...”
His gaze dipped to your lips, and for a moment, the air between you grew thick with unspoken tension. It felt like everything slowed down, and your pulse raced at the thought of him closing the distance.
But just as he seemed to make up his mind, his phone rang, cutting through the charged atmosphere like a knife. Wonwoo cursed softly, stepping back and fishing his phone from his pocket.
“Yeah?” he answered, his voice suddenly tight. He glanced at you, eyes regretful. “I... I have to take this. Work.”
You swallowed hard, nodding, trying to act unaffected. “Right. Go ahead.”
He hesitated for a beat longer before nodding and walking out of the room to take the call. You stayed rooted to the spot, heart pounding, wondering just what would have happened if that phone hadn’t interrupted.
You flopped back on the bed, groaning into your pillow. Not only were you aroused, you were annoyed. You knew if you stayed here, you'd either break out one of your new toys or spiral into another pity party.
You grabbed your laptop, shoved it in your bag, and got dressed. A café. That was the move. Coffee, background chatter, and maybe a splash of wine. Anything to reset your brain.
~~
You were halfway through your first glass when a familiar voice cut through your concentration.
“This seat taken?”
You looked up. Mingyu. Those eyes.
“Uh... no,” you said, blinking. “I mean—yeah, sit. Please.”
He chuckled. “You can say no if it’s weird. I won’t cry. Promise.”
You shook your head. “It’s fine. Have a seat.”
He settled in beside you, pulling out his own laptop like it was the most casual thing in the world. You tried to focus. You really did.
“Y/N?” He asked suddenly.
“Hm?”
“Do you hate your laptop?”
You blinked. “No? Why?”
He sipped his drink and gestured to your keyboard. “Because it sounds like you’re trying to kill it.”
You stared at your fingers. “Seriously?”
“I mean, you’re not typing—you’re committing keyboard homicide.”
You sighed. “I’m just wound up.”
“Want to talk about it?”
You glanced at him, then nodded. “My housemate got nosy about us. Asked a bunch of judgmental questions. Then offered to do what you didn’t do, and right when he’s about to kiss me... boom. Call. He leaves. I’m left... frustrated.”
Mingyu tilted his head. “What I didn’t do?”
You swallowed. “Like... go down on me. Use your hands.”
Mingyu leaned in slightly, voice dropping. “Ah. That.”
“My nose was a mess that night,” he explained. “And if I’m going down on someone, I want to enjoy it. I don’t want to half-ass it through a sinus headache.”
You nodded slowly. “It wasn’t a complaint. It just—he made it sound like you were reluctant.”
“Well, he doesn’t know me; I am never reluctant. Just injured with a bonsai.”
“Well then, let me get this straight.” You leaned back with a smirk. “You’re annoyed because you were offered ‘better’ sex, didn’t get it, and now you’re taking it out on your poor laptop?”
Mingyu blinked at you, and then you gave a slow nod. “More or less.”
You grinned, and he took a step closer. “Lucky for you, I don’t tend to get phone calls mid-orgasm. Want me to help… ease that frustration?”
Your breath caught. “I’m still writing.”
“How many words?”
You pouted. “Five. Just the title.”
“Exactly.” He flashed a grin. “You’re wound up. Let me help.”
“Give me like 1 hour more. I’m sure I can write,” you insisted, making Mingyu grin as he leaned back on the chair and played on his phone, with a knowing smirk, almost as if he knew you would not be able to get any work done now, considering how tightly wound up you were.
~~
“You’re not writing anything, are you?”
Mingyu tilted his head at your laptop screen, clearly unimpressed.
“I’m trying,” you muttered, snapping the laptop shut. “But it’s like my brain’s been replaced with mashed potatoes.”
“Then come with me.”
“To where?”
“We’re going pub crawling. It’ll help you unwind.”
You blinked. “It’s three in the afternoon.”
He shrugged. “Perfect time to study the science of types. Dating, attraction, weird flirting tactics—there’s no better place than a pub.”
“So this is pure science?”
“Exactly,” he said.
You groaned but grabbed your bag anyway. “Fine. But if we get sloppy drunk, I’m blaming you.”
Mingyu grinned and offered you his hand. “Deal.”
~~
“Okay, she’s definitely into him,” Mingyu whispered over the rim of his pint, leaning toward you at the crowded corner booth.
You peeked over at the couple across the bar. “How can you tell?”
“She’s playing with her straw. That’s peak first-flirt body language. But watch—he’s not making eye contact.”
“He’s staring at her chest,” you confirmed, rolling your eyes. “Typical.”
Mingyu chuckled. “He’s either nervous or an idiot.”
“Or both.”
You sipped your wine and leaned back against the leather seat, your shoulder brushing his. Neither of you moved away. The buzz in your veins wasn’t just from the alcohol—it was from him.
“You’re good at this people-watching thing,” you said. “Like, weirdly good.”
“I’m a photographer. I notice things.”
“You should’ve warned me you were charming.”
“I did,” he said, nudging your thigh under the table. “You just didn’t believe me.”
You fought a smile and looked away. “What else do you notice?”
“Right now?” He murmured, his voice low and smooth. “You’re tipsy. And you’re wondering what happens next.”
You turned to him slowly. “What does happen next?”
Mingyu grinned. “We go back to mine. Pizza, movie... whatever else comes naturally.”
You raised a brow. “Smooth.”
“Just honest.”
And somehow, you found yourself in a cab minutes later, curled up against his side, letting yourself lean in just a little too close. The city lights passed in blurs, and you weren’t sure if it was the wine or Mingyu’s hand on your thigh making you feel weightless.
“Are you always this cuddly when you drink?”
Mingyu's voice was soft against your ear as he helped you out of the cab. His hand stayed on your lower back, steady and warm as you made your way up the building steps.
“I’m not drunk,” you mumbled, swaying just slightly.
“You’re not not drunk,” he teased, nudging you playfully with his shoulder.
“Shut up,” you said, but you were already laughing. “And for the record, I’m always this cuddly. Alcohol just makes me more velcro-like.”
Mingyu smiled as he unlocked the door to his apartment, ushering you inside. “Welcome to my humble, semi-furnished, testosterone-fueled abode.”
“I thought you said your roommates moved in?”
“They did. You’ll meet them—eventually.”
He kicked off his shoes and walked ahead of you toward the kitchen. You hovered awkwardly in the living room, suddenly very aware of how intimate this was. Mingyu in his home. You in his space.
“Water?” He called from the kitchen.
“Please.”
You accepted the glass he handed you, your fingers brushing his. The contact sent a small spark down your spine.
“So...” he said, settling onto the couch and patting the cushion next to him. “Wanna tell me how many words you wrote today?”
You narrowed your eyes at him as you sat down. “Why are you like this?”
“Charming? Helpful? Irresistible?”
“Insufferable,” you corrected, even though a smile tugged at your lips.
“Still better than mashed potatoes for brains.”
“Low blow.”
He nudged you again, and you nearly spilled your water from how close you were suddenly sitting. His thigh pressed into yours—and that’s when it hit you. His thigh. Solid. Warm.
Unmoving.
And then he flexed it.
You choked slightly.
Mingyu looked amused. “What?”
“Stop doing that,” you hissed.
“Doing what?”
“That thing with your leg.”
“Oh?” He leaned in, grinning. “You mean this?”
He flexed again, and you tried not to squirm.
“You’re evil,” you muttered.
“You’re the one sitting on my thigh.”
Your mouth opened. Closed. “I’m not sitting—”
“You are,” he said, eyes locked on yours. “And I think you like it.”
You swallowed hard, heat curling low in your stomach. “Shut up.”
“I could make you feel better, you know.”
You turned toward him slowly. “I didn’t say I was feeling bad.”
“Then let me make you feel even better.”
His hand moved gently to your hip.
“You sure?” he asked, gaze sincere, voice quieter now.
You nodded, breath catching.
Mingyu smiled, pulled you fully into his lap—and the rest of your thoughts disappeared.
“Besides, I want to taste you,” Mingyu murmured, his breath warm against your skin. “Say something?”
You nodded, breath catching. “Yes.”
Mingyu smirked. “Good girl.”
You whimpered. “Oh no, praise kink. Dangerous game.”
He grinned at you, full of teasing and promise, and led you back to his bedroom. You followed without question.
“Hey, nice,” you said, looking around his space. “You got the place set up.”
“Yeah,” Mingyu said, casually kicking off his shoes. “I had help from someone, but we ended up fucking, so—she wasn’t that helpful.”
You shot him a glare. “Charming.”
“Sit.”
You did. He peeled off his hoodie in one fluid motion, revealing his bare chest.
“You just walk around looking like that?”
“Problem?”
“None,” you said, blinking hard. “Just—wow.”
“Tell me what you like. Move my head, stop me if it’s too much, too fast—just say the word.”
You nodded as he leaned in and kissed you, slow and teasing. You pulled back.
“Wait.”
Mingyu raised a brow, but you stood and started undressing.
“Stop,” he said. “Let me.”
You sat back, breath uneven. He knelt in front of you, his fingers working the clasp of your bra. The straps fell like they were made to. He tossed the fabric aside before wrapping his lips around your nipple, warm tongue flicking against the sensitive skin. His other hand massaged your other breast in perfect sync. You whimpered as he switched sides, giving both equal attention, his lips dragging heat from your skin.
“Oh, I love those sounds,” he murmured against your chest, lips brushing your sternum.
He hooked his fingers into your panties and slid them down, tossing them somewhere across the room.
“If I can’t find those later, I’m blaming you. They were one of my favorites.”
“You’ll survive,” he said, just before he kissed your clit.
Your hips bucked.
“Right there?”
You nodded, breathless.
He smirked against you, arms wrapping around your thighs to hold you still. You weren’t going anywhere—not when he was just getting started.
He traced slow, deliberate circles over your clit with his tongue. Unwavering. Steady.
“You’re good at this,” you moaned.
“Also... was that my name in cursive on your clit?” You asked breathlessly.
“Maybe.”
Mingyu didn’t let up—his tongue kept working you through every shaky gasp. You came hard, trembling in his grip. He didn’t stop. Not even when you cried out, not even when you begged. He sucked on your clit like it was oxygen. You came again, legs twitching, hand buried in his hair.
When he finally pulled back, you were wrecked—back slouched into the cushions, breathing heavy.
“So?”
“Amazing,” you whispered, blinking up at the ceiling.
You turned toward him, your fingers drifting to the button of his jeans.
“You don’t have to,” he said.
“I know,” you replied. “I want to.”
He helped you slide them down, then hissed as you palmed his cock through his boxers.
“Don’t tease me,” he said, voice ragged.
“Noted.”
You pulled him free and tried not to moan at the sight. He was thick, flushed, and already leaking. You licked his tip and smiled when his hips jerked forward.
“Fuck,” he muttered as you took him deeper. What you couldn’t fit, you made up for with your hand.
When you started massaging his balls, he gasped. “Shit. Shit. Baby, I’m gonna—”
You didn’t stop.
He groaned loudly, head falling back, fingers gripping the sofa as he spilled into your mouth. You swallowed every drop, letting your tongue tease his tip one last time.
Mingyu collapsed back into the cushions, chest heaving.
“That was... wow.”
You smiled, cheeks flushed and body warm, still glowing from the attention he’d given you minutes ago.
He looked at you, all awe and affection. “You know,” he said, voice still breathless, “I should’ve invited you over way sooner.”
You were laughing, but the second you finished laughing, suddenly the afterglow of your orgasm had dimmed, and you were painfully aware of how naked you were.
“Hey… you okay?”
Mingyu’s voice was quiet, and your eyes flicked to him as you instinctively grabbed the nearest pillow and hugged it to your bare chest.
“I’m fine,” you said quickly, hoping your shyness wasn’t obvious.
“Oh.”
Mingyu stood, then paused. “Wait.”
He turned the lights off, casting the room in soft shadows. “I can’t see much now, but I’ll just—”
He handed you his shirt blindly. “Here. You can use this.”
“Thanks,” you murmured, slipping it on fast and clinging to the extra bit of coverage.
The lights flicked back on, and Mingyu gave you a reassuring smile. “You can relax. I wasn’t trying to get you out of it again.”
You gave a breathy laugh, still a little too self-conscious to meet his gaze.
“It was fun,” he added casually. “I mean... not that I’m saying we should do it again. Unless you want to. But not because I expect—shit, this is coming out wrong.”
You tilted your head at him. “You think?”
“I’m just saying, I wasn’t expecting anything,” he backtracked. “You’re beautiful. And I’m not... trying to mess with your head or anything.”
“Thanks for the orgasms,” you said dryly, tugging your jeans on.
Mingyu flinched, clearly caught off guard. “Okay. That’s fair. I deserved that.”
You bent down to grab your shirt and looked up at him with a narrowed stare. “Right. Because you’re so emotionally competent.”
“I never claimed to be,” he said, his voice tight now. “Look, we barely know each other. It was just sex. You don’t have to get all weird about it.”
You stood up, heart thudding now—not from embarrassment, but from frustration.
“I’m not weird about it. But you are clearly trying to backpedal hard enough to twist your ankle.”
“Okay, fine,” he snapped, raising his hands. “I’ll go. I’m sorry for bothering you.”
He rolled his eyes as he walked out. You didn’t stop him. Not when you were that close to tearing up. You didn’t know why it suddenly affected you; you knew you had some slight issues with confidence and doubted yourself quite a bit; you just didn’t expect to get like that during a casual hook-up.
~~
You slammed the door behind him, then stormed into your own apartment.
“Y/N?”
Joshua looked up from the couch.
“Not now,” you muttered, brushing past him and heading straight for your bedroom.
You could still hear Mingyu’s voice echoing in your head. “It was just sex.”
Fucking idiot.
You paced for a moment before throwing yourself down on the bed. The knock at your door came less than five minutes later.
You cracked it open to see Mingyu standing sheepishly, holding a paper bag.
“I had to think of an excuse,” he said, offering it. “Your bra’s in here.”
You sighed and took the bag from him. “You came back for my bra?”
“I didn’t want to leave things like that, Bambi eyes let me in, I didn’t catch his name,” he admitted.
“That’s Joshua; he let you in.”
Mingyu glanced around. “Can I sit?”
You pointed to the bed, and he eased down onto the edge.
“Why did you come back?”
“I’m shit at this. At saying things right. I always talk like an idiot when I’m... nervous.”
You blinked. “You’re nervous?”
Mingyu shrugged. “You make me nervous.”
For a second, you just stared at him.
Then, you said, “Stay.”
He looked up. “What?”
You crossed your arms. “Stay. Talk. Don’t leave again acting like we both didn’t enjoy that and like we don’t enjoy spending time with each other.”
He exhaled a long breath, then nodded.
“For what it’s worth,” Mingyu said, voice suddenly softer, “you have nothing to be shy about.”
You held his gaze for a beat, then gave a small smile. “Look, we started this all in the wrong order. You wanted to be friends…”
“Friends,” Mingyu repeated, eyes flicking around the room before landing on a small red object.
“Is that what I think it is?”
You groaned. “Oh my god, can you not—”
“A vibrator?” he grinned, walking over to grab it. “In plain sight?”
“Give it back.”
“Or…” he smirked, turning it over in his hand. “I could show you how sorry I am?”
Your mouth went dry. “What happened to ‘just friends’?”
“We can start that tomorrow.”
That was all the warning you got before he was on you, kissing you like he meant it. You tugged him closer by his shirt, falling back onto the bed as he slipped his hand down and popped the button of your jeans. You kicked them off along with your panties. His knuckles grazed your slick folds.
“You’re still soaked,” he said against your lips, eyes flicking down your body like you were art.
He pulled your shirt over your head.
“Beautiful,” he murmured.
You smiled softly as he began kissing his way down, slow and reverent.
He turned the vibrator on and dragged it gently along your folds.
“Shit,” you hissed, hips jerking as the cold metal touched your clit.
Without warning, he pushed two fingers inside you, curling just right as the vibrator buzzed against your swollen clit. The sensation was overwhelming—fast and dizzying, his fingers moving steadily, the toy pressed right where it needed to be.
“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” you whimpered, digging your nails into the sheets.
“Good girl,” Mingyu whispered. “You take my fingers so well.”
Your body trembled, your thighs starting to shake as the pleasure built.
You whimpered, eyes squeezing shut. “Please don’t stop.”
“Oh, I won’t,” Mingyu smirked, kissing the inside of your thigh as you fell apart on his hand.
He pulled his fingers out and raised them to his lips, sucking them clean with a satisfied hum.
“So… friends?”
You were still panting. “Yeah. Friends.”
“Uh-huh.” He grinned. “Need help with that?” He nodded toward the very visible bulge in his pants.
You sat up slowly. “No thanks. That’s not what friends are for.”
“I’m saying no,” he said dramatically, “but it’s not my cock’s decision. He says yes.”
You giggled, giving his thigh a light slap.
Mingyu leaned in and kissed your forehead. “See you later, friend.”
You nodded, still dazed.
“Oh—by the way,” he added as he reached the door, “my housemates get back this weekend. We’re throwing a party. Chill night, drinks, people meeting people. Bring your housemates if you’re free?”
You smiled, still trying to catch your breath.
“See you around, Gyu.”
He winked and closed the door behind him.
~~
Later that evening, you emerged from your bedroom to find Joshua smirking at you over a mug of tea.
“What?” You asked, suspicious.
He raised his eyebrows. “You moan loudly.”
Your jaw dropped. “I was trying to keep it down!”
“Yeah, no. Wonwoo thought you were a wounded animal at first.”
You gasped, mortified. “I don’t moan that loudly.”
Joshua gave you a pitying look. “You don’t think you do, but when you suppress it, it comes out like a dying banshee.”
You groaned and dropped your head onto the counter.
“Wait, did... Wonwoo hear?”
Joshua nodded slowly, sipping his tea. “He might have been concerned for your well-being.”
You rolled your eyes. “Great. Just great.”
“So,” he said, voice light, “you and hot plant guy...?”
“Friends,” you interrupted quickly. “We decided to just be friends.”
Joshua arched a brow. “After that performance?”
“It’s complicated. We don’t know each other well enough not to accidentally hurt each other.”
Joshua tilted his head. “Wise.”
You sighed, pulling out your phone. “Still, I need to talk to Wonwoo.”
“To apologise? You know you don’t owe him one; you do whatever you want and whoever you want.”
“I don’t owe him an apology, but I could at least apologise for the noise,” you said. “But... yeah. Kinda feels like the decent thing to do.”
You hovered outside Wonwoo’s door before knocking gently and peeking in. “Wonwoo?”
He looked up from his book. “Yeah?”
You gulped. He was in grey sweats and a white shirt, lounging like some kind of soft-focus fantasy.
“You’re drooling,” he said with a smirk.
You groaned and walked inside, flopping onto the bed beside him. “I came to say sorry.”
He shut the book, raising an eyebrow. “For what? Your gorgeous moaning? If anything, I should apologize for interrupting it with my concern.”
You hid your face behind your hands. “You’re unbearable.”
“Relax. You don’t owe me an apology. We’re not dating.”
“Still. It wasn’t to get back at you or anything. I was just... left very frustrated.”
Wonwoo chuckled. “That was entirely my fault. Work called.”
You tilted your head, your eyes softening. “Mingyu and I agreed to just be friends. No feelings. No strings. Which... honestly? Sounds like the safest plan.”
He looked at you for a beat. “And what about me?”
“I know you,” you said softly. “You wouldn’t hurt me.”
Wonwoo didn’t respond. He just reached forward, tugging you until you were curled up against his chest.
“You left me horny,” you whispered, teasing.
“I know. I’m sorry. You deserved better.”
There was a long pause before he added, “So… you two are done?”
You nodded. “Yeah.”
“Then,” he said, his hand brushing lightly at the strap of your top, “What if I just, you know, carry on from what happened earlier? I did get rudely interrupted with a phone call, and I believe I owe you a kiss.”
You laughed. “Oh, yes you do.”
Wonwoo smirked. “Only if he can see how gorgeous you look right now.”
You leaned in, your lips close to his. “Can you do something?”
“Patience is a virtue,” he whispered.
“It’s not one of mine.”
He grinned. “Very true.”
And then his lips were on yours—soft, slow, deliberate. When he finally pulled away, you were breathless.
“I’ve got an article to finish,” you said reluctantly.
“We’re good?” He asked.
“We’re good.” You smiled, standing up.
He smiled at you lazily, and you practically skipped back to your room.
~~
The next afternoon, you were in your local cafe, still stuck with the same five words you typed out yesterday on your laptop.
However, you were laser-focused and attempting to write a new sentence about emotional risk versus reward when a voice interrupted you.
“What is a ‘type,’ and why do we stick to it?”
You nearly jumped out of your skin. “Mingyu! A warning would be nice!”
He grinned as he slid into the seat across from you at the café table. “But you’re so jumpy—it’s adorable.”
“Oh, please. Just sit, why don’t you.”
“I intend to,” he said, already making himself at home.
“So what brings you here? Stalking me?”
“I could ask you the same. Who sits in my usual spot with a laptop and sulks?”
“Writer’s block,” you admitted, closing your screen.
“Want to fix that?”
You narrowed your eyes. “How?”
Mingyu grinned. “We grab a drink and talk about our dumbest hook-ups.”
~~
The bar was buzzing with low chatter and clinking glasses as you and Mingyu sat across from each other in a cosy booth, the soft amber glow from the hanging lights making his eyes look even warmer. You were on your third cocktail of the afternoon, feeling just the right amount of tipsy to start leaning into the silly side of the conversation.
Mingyu was nursing a beer, his cheeks slightly flushed from the alcohol, or maybe it was just the comfortable atmosphere. You twirled your straw around in your glass before looking up at him with a playful grin.
“So, since we’re already a few drinks in,” you began, leaning forward conspiratorially, “I propose we play a game.”
Mingyu arched a brow, his lips twitching into a smile. “What kind of game?”
You took a sip of your drink before answering. “We trade stories. Dumb hookups, silly dates – basically all the weird romantic escapades that made us question humanity.”
Mingyu chuckled, taking a swig of his beer. “Alright, I’m game. But only if you go first.”
You mock-pouted. “Why me first?”
“Because you suggested it, and I’m curious,” he shot back, smirking.
Rolling your eyes, you thought back to your dating history, settling on one that still made you cringe. “Fine. So, there was this one guy I met on a dating app – let’s call him Jay. We went to this fancy rooftop bar, and I’m thinking, ‘Okay, this could be good.’ About thirty minutes in, he starts telling me about his extensive Funko Pop collection. Like, I mean... hundreds. And he insisted on showing me every single one through a photo album on his phone. At one point, he even teared up while talking about a limited edition Batman figure.”
Mingyu snorted into his beer, trying not to choke from laughing. “No way.”
“Yes way! And it got worse. At the end of the night, he asked me if I wanted to ‘meet them’ at his apartment. Like, not him – them.” You groaned, shaking your head at the memory. “I made some excuse about needing to water my plants and just bolted.”
Mingyu was practically wheezing at that point, wiping a tear from the corner of his eye. “You dated a Funko Pop guy. I’m never letting you live this down.”
You pointed at him. “Your turn, Mr. Judgy.”
He composed himself, taking a deep breath. “Alright. I went out with this girl from college once. Really pretty, seemed really cool. We went to a casual pizza place, and everything was great... until the food arrived. She took one bite, looked at me dead in the eyes, and said, ‘I think I might be a vampire.’”
You blinked, waiting for him to laugh, but he just stared at you, completely serious.
“Wait, what?” You finally said.
“Yeah,” Mingyu continued, leaning back against the booth. “She told me that eating anything but red meat made her feel sick, and she’s been craving ‘blood’ lately. She asked me if I’d ever wanted to bite someone, just to know what it tasted like.”
You couldn’t contain your laughter, practically folding over in the booth. “You’re lying.”
“I swear!” Mingyu said, holding up his hands defensively. “She kept making weird comments about how pale I was and how ‘good my veins looked.’ I never got out of a restaurant faster in my life.”
You wiped at your eyes, still giggling. “Okay, you win. That’s worse than the Funko Pop guy.”
Mingyu grinned, obviously pleased. “Yeah, I still get chills thinking about it.”
You leaned back, feeling a little more relaxed now that the conversation had taken a lighthearted turn. The music in the bar changed to something more upbeat, and you tapped your fingers against your glass.
“So, what about the serious ones?” Mingyu asked, his tone shifting slightly.
You paused, your smile faltering just a little. “You mean serious relationships?”
He nodded. “Yeah. You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to. Just... curious.”
You took a deep breath. “I was with someone for about a year and a half. Thought it was going somewhere real, you know? Turns out he was cheating on me for months. Found out through his phone – he was so careless; he didn’t even bother deleting the texts.”
Mingyu’s playful expression faded, his brows knitting together in concern. “That’s awful. I’m sorry.”
You shrugged, forcing a small smile. “It sucked at the time. Felt like my whole self-worth got thrown out the window. But I learned from it. Learned how to be a little more careful with my heart.”
He reached across the table, placing his hand over yours. The warmth of his touch grounded you, and you glanced up to see him giving you a small, reassuring smile.
“You didn’t deserve that. No one does,” he said softly.
You squeezed his hand back. “Thanks. I guess I’m still trying to figure out how to trust people again.”
Mingyu hesitated for a moment before speaking, “I guess I’ll have to be very careful then.”
You met his eyes, suddenly feeling a little exposed but in a good way, and giving him a soft smile not sure how to answer him.
You took a second and then spoke. “And you? Any serious relationships?”
Mingyu hesitated, looking thoughtful. “There was one. A few years ago. We were together for almost two years, but we just... drifted apart. I guess I realized we were more comfortable than in love. It hurt, but it made me realize I don’t want to settle for just comfort. I want something real.”
You felt your heart soften at his honesty. “Yeah. I get that.”
The conversation hung between you, both of you wrapped in the honesty of the moment. The vulnerability, the ease of being real with each other – it made your stomach flip in a way you hadn’t felt in a long time.
Mingyu took a sip of his beer, his hand still holding yours, and you couldn’t help but think that maybe, just maybe, this could be the kind of real you both wanted.
~~
By the time you both left the bar, you were walking arm-in-arm. Your heels clicked against the pavement, your head light with wine and conversation.
“Okay, I’ll admit,” you said, “this was fun.”
“More than writing five words and calling it an article title?”
You smacked his arm. “Rude but true.”
“Come on,” he said, flagging down a cab. “My place. Pizza and Finding Nemo?”
“Nemo?”
“It’s a classic.”
“Big baby.”
“Don’t hate on soft men,” he said as the cab pulled up. “We cry, but we cuddle like champs.”
You laughed all the way into the taxi.
~~
“Here you go,” Mingyu said, handing you a soft black shirt.
“Thanks.” You stood up to change without thinking, but froze mid-movement when you realized he was still watching you.
“Whoa—wow maybe warn a guy, I almost got blinded by your beauty?” His eyes were wide.
You paused, suddenly self-conscious. “Sorry, I just figured… I mean, you’ve seen everything before.”
“I’m not complaining,” he said, stepping toward you. “It’s a fantastic view.”
You smiled sheepishly as you peeled off your shirt. Mingyu took it gently from your hands and set it on the bed, his gaze still lingering but soft. When you moved to take off your jeans, he helped again—quiet, respectful, but definitely appreciating every second.
“Need another shirt?” He asked, catching your hesitation.
“No, I just… I’m wearing a very uncomfy bra.”
“Then don’t,” he replied simply. You raised a brow at him.
“Want to help me get it off?”
His grin widened. “Weren’t we just trying this whole ‘friends’ thing?”
“Yeah,” you said, stepping closer, “and friends help each other.”
He didn’t need further convincing. His hands slid around your waist, pulling you into him. “That they do,” he murmured against your skin. His fingers moved up your back, undoing your bra clasp with practiced ease. The straps slipped from your shoulders like silk.
“Do you want me to fold this nicely with the rest of your clothes?” He teased, voice low and amused.
“Don’t push it,” you smirked.
“You’re cold,” he said, fingers grazing over your hardened nipples.
“Am not,” you muttered.
“Then are you turned on?”
You raised a brow. “And if I say no?”
“I’d find out anyway,” he murmured. “One finger, and I could prove it.”
You didn’t respond, just held his gaze.
Mingyu took that as permission. His hand slipped down your stomach, easing into your panties until a long finger slid inside you.
“You’re soaked,” he whispered.
You gasped as his finger curled just right. “Do you want to cum?”
You nodded quickly, eyes fluttering shut as his thumb found your clit.
He pulled his finger out with a sinful smirk. “Good. Then get on the bed.”
You climbed back onto his bed, legs slightly shaky. Mingyu knelt between your thighs and dragged your panties down in one smooth motion. His hands pressed your thighs open as he lowered his mouth to your core.
“Fuck,” you gasped when his tongue flicked your clit.
“Mingyu, wait—”
He immediately looked up, concern flashing in his eyes. “Too much?”
You shook your head, already lifting your leg to press against the hard line of his bulge. “No. I just—need you.”
His pupils darkened instantly. “You sure?”
You nodded. “Please fuck me.”
He made quick work of his belt and shirt, tossing them aside. “If I don’t eat you out, Wonwoo’s going to call me a selfish asshole.”
You groaned, laughing breathlessly. “Screw that. Just get in me.”
Mingyu climbed onto the bed, lined himself up with your entrance, and paused.
“Wait—condoms?”
“I have an implant.”
His eyes flicked to yours. “You sure?”
You nodded. “Mingyu. Please.”
“At least you said please,” he grinned, and then he pushed into you with a low groan.
You clung to his back, nails digging in slightly as he started thrusting. His rhythm was perfect—controlled, deep, toe-curling.
His fingers found your clit mid-thrust, rubbing in time with each snap of his hips. You clenched around him, moaning as your orgasm washed over you.
“Fuck,” he groaned, lowering himself to kiss you, forehead to forehead. “Can I—”
“Yes,” you breathed.
He groaned as he came, hips stuttering as he spilled into you. Your head lolled back, your entire body melting into the mattress.
“Amazing?” He asked softly.
“Stupid amazing,” you replied, still catching your breath.
“Get your pizza first! Your dick won’t fall off!”
You both froze at the shout. You blinked. “Who’s that?”
“One of my housemates, Seungcheol” Mingyu sighed. He quickly threw on his boxers and padded toward the door.
“Want to say hi?”
“I’m naked.”
Mingyu grinned. “Well I’m half naked, just listen for the dramatics.”
You heard Seungcheol immediately yell, “Just boxers? Really? Why are you always half naked?”
You snorted, deciding to hop in the shower. After a quick rinse, you pulled on Mingyu’s shirt—it hung on you like a dress—and checked yourself in the mirror. Good enough.
You couldn’t stop smiling.
“I’m going to grab some water, is that okay?” You asked Mingyu when he came back to his bedroom.
“Of course!”
~~
“Hi,” said a friendly voice as you padded into the hallway in Mingyu’s shirt.
You froze. A new stranger stood leaning against the kitchen counter, smiling at you. “You must be Y/N.”
You blinked. “I—uh. Hi.”
“I’m Seokmin,” he said, holding out his hand. “I’m one of three housemates here.”
You shook it, already feeling incredibly flustered.
“Mingyu,” he called down the hallway, “have you heard of a shirt?”
You groaned. Mingyu appeared behind you, still shirtless, holding two slices of pizza.
“I have, but I’m sweaty.”
“Fine, fine,” Seokmin waved him off. “Take care, kids. Use protection!”
You turned around and buried your face in Mingyu’s chest.
“Sorry about him,” he muttered.
“It’s fine,” you said, muffled.
Back in his room, you both settled in with greasy pizza and fresh sheets.
“I hope you don’t mind that I showered,” you said.
“You smell like me,” he replied with a smirk.
“I’m keeping the shirt.”
“Figured.”
A pause.
“You’re beautiful,” he said, quieter this time.
You looked over at him.
“I mean it,” he added. “Not in a creepy way. Just... in case no one’s told you recently.”
Your stomach fluttered.
You smiled, leaning into his shoulder as the movie started to play.
~~
Sometime between the second pizza slice and the end credits of Nemo, you found yourself stretched out beside Mingyu, your body limp, skin still tingling from his touch.
He propped himself up on one elbow, brushing damp hair from your cheek. “We okay?”
You blinked up at him, surprised by the question.
“Yeah. Why?”
He sighed. “Just... you’re hard to read sometimes.”
“You mean emotionally?”
He nodded.
“I’ve been told,” you said softly.
“Hey, its not a bad thing, just means I got to work harder.”
He leaned in and kissed your forehead, his action making you swoon.
“Hey,” he said a moment later. “I meant it. About you being my type.”
You scoffed. “You don’t even know me.”
“I know enough to want to keep knowing you.”
You swallowed.
“Okay,” you said.
He grinned, pulling you closer. “Movie round two? Or round two in a very different sense?”
You smacked his chest, laughing. “Movie first.”
But even as you said it, your fingers were already trailing lower.~~
When you woke up the next morning, Mingyu was already in the kitchen, humming along to a playlist and flipping pancakes.
You walked in wearing nothing but his shirt.
He looked up, spatula still in hand. “Hi, gorgeous.”
You smiled sleepily. “Hi.”
He pointed toward the coffee he’d already made. “Caffeine. And carbs.”
You padded over and tiptoed to reach up and kiss his cheek. “Are you trying to spoil me?”
“Nope,” he said, flipping another pancake. “Just bribing you to stay longer.”
You took a sip of the coffee. “Bribery’s working.”
He grinned.
~~
“New shirt?” Wonwoo’s voice made you jump as you stepped into the living room.
You turned slowly, adjusting the hem of your oversized shirt. “Yes?”
He raised a brow. “Is it clean?”
“It’s Mingyu’s.”
“Ah,” Wonwoo said, voice flat.
You squirmed a little under his stare.
“Didn’t realise you two were still...” he trailed off, but the tone said enough.
You sighed. “We’re not anything. Just... two adults with no self-control and shared pizza.”
He let out a breath, his arms crossed. “Right.”
“You’re mad.”
“I’m not.”
“You are.” Wonwoo didn’t answer.
“Fine,” you said, heading toward the kitchen. “Be grumpy.”
“I’m not grumpy,” he said, following. “I just, whatever.”
“Wonwoo, don’t be like that.”
“I’m just saying, kissing me, and then sleeping with Mingyu, won’t that give both of us mixed signals?”
You blinked. “Maybe, but he doesn’t know.”
Silence.
Wonwoo sighed. “Well, that can’t end well.”
You dropped your arms to your sides. “This is exhausting, I don’t want to fight with you.”
“Then, don’t play both sides. Look, even if it’s early on, you and Mingyu have bonded quickly, and maybe it’s not such a bad thing. Besides, you want intimacy, and I’m not in a space in my life where I can give you exactly what you need to give you that.”
The words hit like a slap, and your mouth opened, then shut. You turned away before he could see how much it stung.
~~
Later that evening, you sat on the rooftop of your apartment building, wrapped in Mingyu’s hoodie, a wine bottle tucked between your knees. The city sparkled in the distance, alive and unaware.
“You okay?” Mingyu asked softly, stepping onto the rooftop.
You nodded without turning around. “I’m great. Just airing out my emotional baggage.”
He sat beside you, letting his thigh brush yours. “Want to talk about it?”
“Nope.”
“Want me to distract you?”
You turned to face him. “You think distraction fixes everything?”
“No,” Mingyu replied, smiling faintly. “But I’m really good at it.”
You laughed. It was small, but it cracked through the ache in your chest.
“I just got into an argument with Wonwoo,” you said quietly.
“Why?”
You sighed and began to speak. “I guess just an overprotective roommate,” you said, not wanting to tell Mingyu everything just yet.
Mingyu tilted his head, studying you. “Oh, maybe he’s just looking out for you but going about it in the wrong way.”
Your chest tightened. “Yeah, I guess so.”
“How’s this, anytime you feel blue, you can come over to mine, and talk? I can promise pancakes and zero judgment.”
You smiled, leaning your head against his shoulder.
“Thank you, I really appreciate it.”
Mingyu rested his chin on your hair. “Anytime.”
~~
A week passed. You wrote your article. He read three books. You shared meals, shared beds, shared soft smiles across busy rooms.
But something was shifting.
It wasn’t just about sex anymore; you two spent more time together, talked about more personal things, shared funny anecdotes, and sometimes you both would just cuddle, even if there was no sex.
And that terrified you.
~~
“Y/N,” Wonwoo said one evening as you passed each other in the kitchen. “Can we talk?”
You froze. “Now?”
He nodded. “If you’re not too busy with Mingyu.”
The words were laced with something—resentment? Pain?
You leaned against the counter. “Uh..no I’m not. Look, I don’t want to keep fighting you on this. Besides, like you said, you can’t give me what I need, and all we did was just flirt and kiss once.”
“I know, and believe me, I’m not mad at how we behaved with one another, but I’m worried. What if he hurts you?”
“He won’t. I’ve been spending more time with him, and he’s just the sweetest.”
Wonwoo met your eyes. “He better be. ”
You swallowed. “He is.”
A beat of silence.
“Do you like him?” He asked.
You blinked. “What? Of course I do, he’s such a sweet guy.”
“No. Do you like him? In the sense that, do you have feelings for him?”
You hesitated too long.
“That’s what I thought,” he said quietly, walking away.
You didn’t sleep that night.
You kept thinking about the way Mingyu looked when he was reading in bed, or how he always remembered to bring you a drink without asking. The way he listened. The way he kissed you was like he was trying to memorise your soul.
And the worst part?
You were starting to fall for him.
And that scared the life out of you.
~~
“You look like shit.”
Joshua didn’t even glance up from his cereal when he said it.
“Good morning to you, too,” you mumbled, grabbing a mug from the cupboard.
He raised an eyebrow. “Rough night?”
You poured coffee and took a long sip before answering. “Didn’t sleep much.”
“Because of Mingyu? Or because of Wonwoo?”
You froze, mug halfway to your lips.
Joshua looked up now, spoon suspended midair. “You think I don’t notice things? Come on, Y/N. You’re not subtle.”
You sighed. “It’s complicated.”
He scoffed. “Love triangles usually are.”
“It’s not a triangle.”
“Sure. Just a very... emotionally charged V.”
“Wonwoo and I spoke, and we cleared the air, okay?” You added, already tired from the conversation.
Joshua grinned. “I know, I was eavesdropping when you guys were chatting.”
You rolled your eyes at him. “Of course.”
“So what will you do about your very real feelings for Mingyu?”
~~
“Hey.” Mingyu’s voice was soft when he called you later that afternoon. “You okay?”
You hesitated. “Yeah. Just tired.”
There was silence on the other end, but you could hear the way he breathed—measured and patient, waiting for you to say more.
“I had a weird talk with Wonwoo,” you said finally.
“What kind of weird?”
“He asked me if I liked you.”
A pause.
“What did you say?”
“I didn’t.”
Another pause.
“Do you?”
“I... don’t know.”
You heard Mingyu let out a slow breath. “Okay.”
“That’s all you’re going to say?”
“I’m not going to force you into anything.”
You swallowed. “But what if this—whatever this is—ruins things? Between all of us.”
“Then let it,” he said quietly. “If we’re all pretending to be fine, nobody actually is.”
~~
Later that week, Seokmin knocked gently on your apartment door.
“Hey, sorry, uh... weird question. Have you seen Mingyu?”
You blinked. “No? Not today.”
He nodded slowly. “He’s been... off.”
You closed your laptop. “Off how?”
Seokmin scratched the back of his neck. “Quiet. Moodier than usual. Like he’s trying to disappear.”
Your chest tightened.
“Thanks for telling me. I’m heading out later; maybe I’ll run into him where he usually hangs out?”
Seokmin smiled, “Thank you. You really do know him quite well. I appreciate it.”
You found him at the park.
Curled up on a bench, camera in hand, lenses strewn beside him like offerings. He didn’t even look up when you approached.
“You’ve gone full tortured artist,” you said, forcing a smile.
Mingyu clicked the shutter. “It’s quieter out here.”
You sat beside him. “You didn’t answer my texts.”
“I didn’t know what to say.”
You smiled softly at him, “Just be honest.”
He glanced over. “I want you. But I don’t want to be the one holding you back from figuring things out.”
“You’re not holding me back.”
“But you’re still stuck.”
You exhaled. “Yeah. I am.”
“Then say that. Don’t kiss me and pretend everything’s fine.”
You looked away. “I’m scared, okay? This... feels like it could be something real. And if it ends, I don’t know how to walk away from that.”
Mingyu’s voice dropped. “Then don’t.”
You blinked at him.
“Don’t walk away.”
You stayed on that bench until the sun dipped below the skyline.
You talked about everything and nothing. About the time he dyed his hair orange in college. About your first heartbreak. About the stupid article you were writing on “types” and how maybe Mingyu didn’t fit yours but kept checking every box anyway.
By the time you got home, your fingers were intertwined with his, and neither of you wanted to let go.
“Y/N?” Wonwoo’s voice caught you at the door.
Wonwoo’s eyes dropped to your hands interlaced with Mingyu. “I see you two are fine?”
You opened your mouth. Closed it again.
“Interesting,” he said.
“Wonwoo, what are you—”
“Don’t worry,” he interrupted. Then, smiling, he said. “It’s fine, just be safe, you guys.”
You gave him a small smile, “Shut up.”
~~
That night, as you lay in Mingyu’s bed with your head on his chest, you couldn’t sleep.
The silence between you was heavy, like it was holding its breath.
“Mingyu?”
“Hmm?”
“If this ends badly... I don’t think I’ll survive it.”
He kissed your forehead gently. “Then we make sure it doesn’t.”
~~
“You’re late.”
Joshua said as you entered the apartment, arms crossed, eyes narrowed.
“I didn’t realise I had a curfew,” you muttered, brushing past him into the apartment.
“You said you were coming home after dinner.”
You kicked off your shoes. “I changed my mind.”
Joshua followed you into the kitchen. “So you spent the night at Mingyu’s again?”
You grabbed a glass of water. “Can we not do this right now?”
Joshua scoffed. “You said this was a casual thing.”
“It was.”
“And now?”
You didn’t answer.
He let out a bitter laugh. “So that’s a yes.”
“Shua, I’m not asking for your permission—”
“No,” he snapped, “but I am your friend. And watching you sleepwalk into something that’s going to rip you apart isn’t easy.”
Your chest tightened. “You don’t know that.”
“I know you. And I’ve seen how you get when you fall for someone.”
You set your glass down a little too hard. “He’s not like the others.”
“Maybe not. But you are someone who falls head over heels and more when you like someone, and I’m scared that one tiny misstep on his part will break you.”
You didn’t text Mingyu that night.
Or the next morning.
Or the one after that.
You needed space to think. To breathe. To figure out why everything felt like it was unravelling—when on the surface, things had never been more... perfect.
So why did you feel so off?
~~
Three days later, Mingyu showed up at your door.
“You avoiding me?” He asked, not bothering with hello.
You stared at him. “I just needed time.”
“Without telling me?”
“I didn’t think I needed to give you a heads-up every time I took a breath.”
Mingyu’s jaw flexed. “That’s not what this is about, and you know it.”
You crossed your arms. “Then what is this about, Mingyu?”
“You’re pulling away.”
You stayed silent.
Mingyu stepped closer. “You said this was real. That you wanted it.”
“I did.”
“And now?”
You opened your mouth, then shut it because you didn’t know. Not really.
Mingyu’s voice cracked. “You can’t keep doing this. Wanting me when it’s convenient. Pretending nothing’s changed.”
“I’m scared, okay?” You snapped. “I don’t know how to do this. I don’t know how to be all-in without ruining everything.”
His eyes softened for a moment. “So ruin it with me. Together.”
You blinked, stunned.
But before you could say anything, Wonwoo appeared behind you.
“Hey, just checking—” He froze when he saw Mingyu. His expression shifted, cold and unreadable. “Oh. It’s you.”
Mingyu’s eyes narrowed. “Nice to see you too.”
You rubbed your temples. “Not now, please.”
Wonwoo looked at you. “I’ll be in my room. Let me know if you want to talk. Or if you’re done letting him talk at you.”
“Wow,” Mingyu muttered. “What’s his deal?”
You turned on him. “Don’t.”
“Don’t what? Point out the obvious?”
“He’s trying to stand up for me.”
“Right, and what am I doing? I’m just trying to get you to stand up for yourself, too.”
You swallowed hard. “You should go.”
Mingyu blinked. “What?”
“I need space.”
He didn’t move. Didn’t breathe.
“Mingyu—”
He stepped back, something shuttering in his face. “Right. Got it.”
And just like that, he walked out.
You shut the door and collapsed against it.
Your chest ached in that specific, aching way that only happens when you push away something you want because you’re terrified you’ll destroy it.
An hour later, your phone buzzed.
Mingyu: I won’t chase you. But I’m not going anywhere either.
You stared at the screen, heart thudding.
Because that was the problem.
He wasn’t going anywhere.
And maybe that scared you more than anything.
~~
“You haven’t said anything in ten minutes,” Joshua pointed out, glancing at you from the other end of the couch.
“I’m thinking,” you replied, eyes fixed on the paused movie screen, not actually watching.
He raised an eyebrow. “Dangerous territory.”
You threw a popcorn kernel at him. “Ha-ha.”
“Still no Mingyu?”
“Nope.”
“And that’s... good or bad?”
You let out a long breath. “Confusing.”
Joshua nodded slowly. “That tracks.”
You finally looked at him. “Do you think I’m the problem?”
He tilted his head. “Define ‘problem.’”
“Do not make this worse.”
He laughed under his breath. “Okay, look. You’ve had shit luck with relationships. You guard yourself. You get in your head. And yeah, sometimes you push people away before they can leave.”
You blinked. “Damn. Don’t hold back.”
“I’m just saying,” Joshua said, a little softer now. “Mingyu seems like the first guy who’s actually trying to stay. That scares the hell out of you, doesn’t it?”
You didn’t answer.
Later that night, you found yourself scrolling through photos.
Pictures Mingyu had taken—blurry ones from the pub crawl, snapshots of street lights and half-smiles and candid moments. One of you laughing into a glass of wine.
You hadn’t even known he’d taken that one.
There was something about the way he saw the world. The way he saw you.
Like he was already memorising you before he had the right to.
Your heart ached.
~~
You couldn’t stop pacing. It had been a whole day since the fight, and your chest still felt tight. You hated fighting with Mingyu — it felt unnatural like the world was slightly off balance. You weren’t even sure how it had escalated so quickly.
One moment you were just trying to be honest, saying you needed some space to process everything that had happened between you two. The next, Mingyu was snapping, clearly frustrated, saying it felt like every time you took a step forward, you took two steps back.
Now, you were standing in your living room, debating whether to go over and knock on his door. Joshua had already given you a pep talk, telling you to just be honest with Mingyu, but it still felt like walking into a lion’s den. You weren’t even sure what you’d say.
“Screw it,” you mumbled to yourself, throwing on an oversized hoodie and making your way to his door before you could second-guess yourself again.
You hesitated for a second before giving three firm knocks. You heard some rustling on the other side, and then the door opened, revealing a tired-looking Mingyu. His hair was tousled, and he was in a plain white tee and sweats, but his expression was guarded.
“What do you want?” He asked, his tone sharper than usual.
You swallowed hard, feeling your resolve falter. “Can I come in?”
He hesitated, eyes scanning your face, before he finally stepped aside and let you in. You walked to the living room, standing awkwardly by the couch while Mingyu stayed by the door, arms crossed over his chest. The silence stretched uncomfortably.
“Mingyu,” you started softly, twisting your fingers together. “I hate fighting with you.”
He huffed, looking away. “Yeah, well, I hate feeling like I’m being pushed away every time things start getting good.”
You bit your lip, gathering your thoughts. “That’s not what I was trying to do. I wasn’t trying to push you away.”
“Then what the hell was it?” He snapped, finally turning to look at you, his eyes a mixture of hurt and frustration. “You do all these things that make me feel like this could be something, then the next day you’re saying you need space? I don’t get it. Am I supposed to just keep guessing how you feel?”
You took a deep breath and moved closer, but kept a little distance. “I... I got overwhelmed. I thought that if I took a step back, I’d be able to figure out what I was feeling without dragging you into my mess.”
Mingyu looked at you incredulously. “You are such a hypocrite, you know that? You keep telling me to be honest with how I feel, to just say it when I’m upset or happy or whatever. And then you get overwhelmed and decide to push me away instead of telling me what’s going on in your head.”
The guilt gnawed at your stomach, and you looked down. “I know. You’re right. I’m... I’m scared.”
“Of what?” Mingyu’s voice softened, but he didn’t move closer.
“Of how much I like you. Of how much this means to me. Because if this goes wrong... it’s gonna hurt. A lot,” you whispered, tears stinging your eyes.
Mingyu sighed deeply, rubbing his face with one hand. “You’re not the only one who’s scared, you know. I’m terrified of screwing this up too. But you don’t see me trying to put distance between us every time things get intense.”
You sniffled, wiping at your eyes. “I’m sorry. I just... I didn’t know how to handle it. I never thought I’d care about someone this much again. I just panicked.”
Mingyu finally moved, taking a step toward you. “You can’t keep doing that. You can’t keep pulling back every time you get scared. I can’t take it. I’m all in with you, but I need you to meet me halfway. I can’t keep feeling like I’m chasing after you while you’re running in the opposite direction.”
You nodded, stepping closer until you were right in front of him. “You’re right. I know you are. I’m sorry I keep doing that. I just... I’m scared of losing you, so I keep pushing you away before you can leave on your own.”
Mingyu’s expression softened, and he uncrossed his arms, his hands hovering uncertainly before he cupped your face. “I’m not leaving. Okay? I’m not. You’re stuck with me.”
A small, shaky laugh escaped you, and you leaned into his touch. “I don’t want you to leave.”
He brushed his thumb over your cheek, wiping away a stray tear. “Then stop making it so hard to stay,” he whispered, his voice softer now, more tender.
You nodded, covering his hands with yours. “I’m sorry. I’ll do better. I promise.”
His lips quirked into a small smile, and without another word, he leaned down and pressed a gentle, almost hesitant kiss to your lips. You melted into it, your hands sliding up to his shoulders as his fingers curled into your hair. The kiss was slow, tender, like he was reassuring himself that you were really there, that you weren’t going anywhere.
When you pulled back, you couldn’t help but smile up at him, and Mingyu sighed, pressing his forehead to yours. “You’re really exhausting sometimes, you know that?”
You let out a soft laugh, nodding. “Yeah. But I’m worth it, right?”
He chuckled, finally wrapping his arms around your waist and pulling you close. “Yeah. You are. Just... stop running, okay?”
You buried your face in his chest, feeling his heartbeat under your cheek. “Okay. I’m done running.”
He pressed a kiss to the top of your head, his hold tightening around you. “Good. Because I’m not letting you go.”
You looked up at him, and this time you kissed him first, letting your lips linger on his, soft and unhurried. Mingyu hummed contentedly, his hands sliding up your back. The tension melted away, and for the first time in what felt like forever, everything felt right again.~~
The next morning, after showering at Mingyu’s apartment and changing, you kissed Mingyu several times, before you left his place, and walked across the hall into your apartment to find Joshua seated at the kitchen counter with a bowl of cereal and the look.
“You smell like sex and regret,” he said, casually spooning cereal into his mouth.
“Morning to you, too.”
“Is that Mingyu’s shirt?”
You ignored him, heading toward your room.
“You know,” he called after you, “I’ve been holding off on the ‘told you so,’ but I’m getting real close to breaking.”
You stuck your head out. “Don’t.”
Joshua raised both hands. “Just don’t get in too deep if you’re not willing to commit to him. It’ll hurt you both if that happens.”
You stared at him. “What if I already am?”
He frowned, setting down his spoon. “Then I hope any potential heartache is worth it.”
~~
That afternoon, you curled up on the sofa with your laptop. Article deadline looming. Blank document open. Brain, fried.
It wasn’t until Mingyu texted that something sparked:
Mingyu: What’s your favourite love story?
You stared at the screen.
You: Fictional?
Mingyu: No. Real.
You: Mine hasn’t been written yet.
Mingyu: What if we wrote it together?
Your chest did that stupid fluttering thing again. Like your heart had gone off-script.
You smiled.
You: Bold of you to assume you’d make the final draft.
Mingyu: You keep rewriting the intro, babe. I’m just trying to stay on the page.
You bit your lip, closing the chat.
And just like that, your fingers flew across the keyboard.
Because suddenly, you had something to say.
~~
Two days later, you knocked on Mingyu’s door with with snacks in attempt to bribe him to edit your lastest draft.
He opened it with sleepy eyes and messy hair, wearing a hoodie that had no business looking that good.
“Morning beautiful,” he greeted with a warm smile.
You smiled, and held up a USB. “I wrote a my final draft of my most recent article, do you want to help me edit?” Final draft. No red pen needed.”
“Is that why you have snacks?” He asked already smiling.
You grinned “Maybe.”
“Well in that case, get in here, Hemingway,” he teased, stepping aside to let you in.
You watched him read it from across the room.
He didn’t say anything for a long time. Just kept scrolling, eyes focused, mouth slightly parted.
When he finished, he looked up.
“That last line… ‘a spark can form the most unusual of places and encounters’.”
You tilted your head. “Too much?”
He shook his head. “No. It’s perfect.”
You smiled softly. “It’s about you.”
“I figured,” he said, walking over, “but it still wrecked me.”
You leaned against the counter. “Good. That’s what great writing does.”
He stepped closer. “So, does this mean you’ll fight for us?”
“I think so.”
He grinned. “Good, that’s all I can ask for.”
“I think you already are.”
And as he kissed you—slow, deliberate, familiar in all the right ways—you let the weight fall from your shoulders.
Because maybe this wasn’t the start of a love story.
Maybe it was the chapter where things stopped being a fantasy…
...and finally started feeling real.
~~
“You’ve been quiet all evening.”
You glanced up from your wine glass. Mingyu was stretched out on the other side of the couch, hoodie sleeves bunched around his forearms, watching you with careful eyes.
“I’m thinking.”
“That’s dangerous,” he teased, but his smile didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Want to talk about it?”
“I don’t know how.”
He nodded like he understood—but you could tell it still stung.
You shifted in your seat. “What are we doing?”
Mingyu blinked. “What do you mean?”
“This thing. Us. It’s not just sex anymore.”
“No, it’s not.”
“And we’re not exactly friends either.”
“I’m okay with not having a label,” he said. “Are you?”
You looked down at your glass. “I want to be.”
“But you’re not.”
“I’m scared that if I name it, I’ll ruin it.”
Mingyu sat up slowly. “You think love ruins things?”
“I think people do.”
That hit harder than you intended, and you both knew it.
Later, when he kissed you, it was slow and sweet, like he was trying to remind you it didn’t have to be scary.
You kissed him back with everything you had.
And maybe that was the problem.
Because giving someone everything?
It meant they had the power to break you.
~~
The following day, the tension hadn’t left.
You both pretended it had.
You made breakfast. He teased you for burning the eggs. You laughed too loudly. He smiled too easily.
But the silence between the sentences was deafening.
When he finally left, the apartment felt too quiet.
And when Joshua came home, he took one look at you and sighed.
“Okay. Spill.”
You sank onto the sofa. “I think I’m falling for him.”
Joshua’s eyes widened; he never thought you’d admit it so quickly, but he didn’t interrupt.
“And I don’t know if I’m ready.”
He sat beside you, unusually serious. “Then don’t rush it. But don’t run from it either.”
“I’m not running.”
“You’re limping away at full speed.”
You groaned. “God, you’re annoying when you’re right.”
He smiled and bumped his shoulder against yours. “I only pull it out when necessary.”
~~
It was one of those quiet evenings, the kind where the city seemed to take a collective breath. You were on your way back from the grocery store, bags in hand, when you spotted Mingyu standing just outside your apartment building. At first, the sight of him made you smile – he was leaning against the railing, his broad shoulders relaxed, his profile illuminated by the soft glow of the street lamp.
But then you noticed he wasn’t alone.
A girl stood in front of him, long hair cascading over her shoulders, wearing a fitted leather jacket and heels that clicked against the pavement. She was laughing at something he said, her hand brushing his arm lightly. Your steps faltered, and you instinctively took a step back, ducking behind the edge of the building.
Your heart clenched, a weird mix of confusion and something dangerously close to jealousy settling in your chest. You couldn’t help but feel stupid – why did it bother you so much to see him with someone else? It wasn’t like you had a claim on him. But there was something about how effortlessly beautiful she looked, how easily she made him laugh, that made your stomach twist uncomfortably.
A million questions ran through your mind. Did he know her from work? Was she just a friend? Or worse, an ex? You couldn’t help but notice how naturally he smiled at her, the way he leaned down to hear her better, his hand brushing back his hair the way he did when he was feeling a little self-conscious. You felt like a complete idiot, rooted to the spot, irrationally annoyed at how close they seemed.
You peeked around the corner, just enough to see her lean in a bit closer, her hand lingering on his arm. Mingyu seemed a little uncomfortable, glancing down at her hand before giving her a polite smile. They exchanged a few more words that you couldn’t quite hear, and then she waved, heading off down the sidewalk.
You waited until she was out of sight before stepping back out, trying to act natural. You kept your gaze on the ground as you made your way to the entrance, but of course, Mingyu spotted you instantly.
“Hey!” He called out, jogging over to you.
You forced a smile, not quite meeting his eyes. “Hey.”
He seemed to hesitate, studying your face. “What’s up? You okay?”
“Yeah, just tired,” you mumbled, shifting the grocery bag to your other hand.
Mingyu frowned, stepping closer. “Are you sure? You seem... off.”
You forced yourself to meet his gaze, offering a small smile that felt too tight. “Yeah, just a long day.”
He didn’t look convinced. “Here, let me help.” Before you could protest, he took one of the bags from your hand, his fingers brushing yours. The familiar warmth made your heart ache, and you bit your lip to keep your expression neutral.
As you walked inside, you couldn’t help but feel silly for feeling so... possessive. You weren’t even sure why it hit you so hard. Sure, Mingyu had been flirty with you, and you had shared some intense moments, but did that really mean he wasn’t allowed to have other girls around?
Your mind kept replaying the way the girl leaned into him, her bright, carefree laugh, and the way Mingyu didn’t immediately step away. You hated how insecure it made you feel, and even more so how your mood had completely flipped.
When you reached your apartment, Mingyu put the bags on the kitchen counter and turned to you, concern etched into his features. “You’re incredibly cute when you’re grumpy, but I must still ask, why did you storm off when I called your name?” Mingyu stood in your doorway, his tone curious.
“I didn’t think you’d notice.”
“Of course I noticed.”
You crossed your arms, heart thudding. “You seemed busy.”
Mingyu scoffed. “What does that mean?”
“You were laughing. With some girl.”
“Seokmin’s cousin?”
You looked away. “Does it matter?”
“It does when you weaponise jealousy against me.”
Silence stretched between you like a taut wire ready to snap.
“I wasn’t trying to hurt you,” you whispered.
“But you did.”
You met his eyes. “So did you.”
He sighed, stepping back. “We were supposed to be honest. About what we wanted. About how we felt.”
“You said we didn’t need labels.”
“I didn’t think that meant lying to ourselves.”
Your voice cracked. “I wasn’t lying.”
“No?” He said, eyes searching yours. “Then tell me you don’t care about me.”
You blinked.
Tell him.
Say it.
But you couldn’t.
Because it wasn’t true.
And silence was the loudest answer of all.
~~
You didn’t speak for a week. No texts. No knocks on the door. No laughter through the walls.
It was excruciating. Even Joshua stopped teasing you.
“You okay?” Joshua asked one night, quietly.
You nodded. He didn’t press.
You sat at your laptop, staring at the blinking cursor. You hadn’t written a single word since the argument with Mingyu.
It was as if you had lost your muse.
Worse—you might’ve lost him too.
~~
Another three days passed. You were walking home, umbrella flipping inside out in the wind, when you saw it: A plant. Sitting on your doorstep. A bonsai.
With a tiny note taped to the pot.
“Joshua told me you don’t like when plants have human names, but Lydia 2.0 says she misses you. -M”
You stared at it. Then you cried. Not a pretty, cinematic cry. A real one. Messy. Gutting. Cathartic.
Because it wasn’t about the plant. It was about the space he left—and how much of you still lived in it. You knocked on his door the next day. No answer. You knocked again. Then again.
Finally, the door opened. Mingyu stood there, in a hoodie and sweatpants, eyes tired, expression guarded.
You held up the note. “You’re still annoying, you know that?”
“Glad to know I still have that effect.”
You exhaled. “Can we talk?”
He stepped aside.
You both sat on the floor. No pretence. No distance. Just you two, knees touching.
“I miss you,” you admitted.
Mingyu nodded. “I missed you, too.”
“I panicked,” you confessed. “I didn’t know how to handle what I was feeling, and I ran. I always run.”
“And I push,” he said. “When I want something, I push hard for it.”
You looked at him. “This thing between us... it’s not just physical anymore.”
“No,” he said softly. “It’s not.”
You reached for his hand. “So what now?”
He didn’t hesitate. “Now, we start over. No rules. No games. Just us.”
You bit your lip. “And if I mess up again?”
“Then I’ll remind you why you chose me the first time.”
You laughed through your tears. “You’re really good at that, you know?”
Mingyu smiled, leaning forward until your foreheads touched.
“Let’s just take it slow,” you whispered.
He nodded. “Slow sounds perfect.”
And in the quiet of his apartment, with your hand in his and hope blooming in the wreckage. You realised this wasn’t a new chapter. This was the real beginning.
~~
“So, what’s the plan for the housewarming?”
Mingyu’s voice drifted through the doorway as you padded into his kitchen, still half-asleep in your oversized T-shirt, hair sticking up in odd angles. You squinted at him, blinking the sleep out of your eyes.
“What housewarming?” You mumbled, fumbling for your mug and the coffee pot.
Mingyu gave you a lopsided grin. “The one I said we should do this some time next weekend? Seokmin and Seungcheol hyung are finally settled in. So I was planning to invite some of our friends, it’d be a nice way for everyone to see the new place, and we can also invite your housemates too?”
You took a long sip of coffee, the caffeine finally beginning to wake you up. “Oh. Yeah, sounds good. Just drinks and stuff?”
“Yeah, keep it chill—drinks, music, maybe a game or two if Seokmin gets bored enough,” Mingyu replied, leaning back against the counter with that casual confidence of his.
You raised an eyebrow. “You know Seokmin’s going to demand karaoke. Are you prepared for that chaos?”
Mingyu snorted. “I’m mentally preparing. I’ll make sure we have enough soju to tolerate his high notes.”
You laughed, shaking your head. “Sounds like a solid plan. Who’s handling the drinks and snacks?”
He gave you a thoughtful look. “I’ll handle the drinks, you take care of the snacks? That way I don’t accidentally buy a bunch of instant ramen and call it party food.”
You chuckled, nudging him lightly with your elbow. “Yeah, that’s probably a good idea. I’ll make a list. You’ll just have to carry all the bags.”
Mingyu smirked. “That’s what I’m here for—manual labor and looking pretty.”
You rolled your eyes, but couldn’t help the fond smile tugging at your lips. “You do one of those things better than the other.”
He made a face. “Wow, that’s harsh. I’ll have you know, I can carry all the groceries in one trip.”
“Sure, Hercules,” you teased, pouring yourself another cup of coffee. “Are you inviting everyone from the building or just the usual crowd?”
“Just the usual. Maybe a few others from the floor if Seokmin gets carried away. You know how he is—an introverted social butterfly in a chaotic package,” Mingyu replied, shaking his head fondly.
You hummed in agreement. “I’ll handle the playlist then. Can’t trust you to not play EDM the whole night.”
Mingyu put a hand to his chest, feigning offense. “I have taste, okay? Just because I like a good bass drop doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate your acoustic love songs.”
You rolled your eyes. “I swear, if I hear one remix of a ballad, I’m kicking you out of your own party.”
He laughed, giving you a soft look. “Deal. I’ll keep it classy. Promise.”
As you both continued planning, Mingyu pulled out his phone, showing you a few decoration ideas. You couldn’t help but notice how excited he seemed about hosting—how he wanted everything to be perfect. It was endearing, really.
“So, we’ll get some fairy lights, right?” Mingyu asked, scrolling through a list of supplies.
You nodded. “Definitely. Maybe some cute string lights too, for the balcony. And I’ll put together a few cocktail recipes—something easy for people to mix themselves.”
Mingyu grinned. “You know, we make a pretty good team.”
You smiled, feeling a flutter in your chest. “Yeah, we do.”
He leaned closer, his eyes crinkling at the corners. “Just make sure you save a dance for me, alright? Even if Seokmin’s singing ‘I Want It That Way’ at the top of his lungs.”
You snorted. “I’ll consider it—if you promise to at least try not to drink every cocktail I make.”
Mingyu chuckled, brushing a stray strand of hair out of your face. “No promises. Your drinks are dangerously good.”
You gave him a soft smile, warmth spreading through you at his touch. As the two of you continued planning, you couldn’t help but think that this housewarming wasn’t just about the new place—it was about starting something new between the two of you, too.
~~
You were sitting on the living room couch, scrolling through your phone when you heard the front door open. Wonwoo stepped inside, holding a takeout bag, his shoulders looking a little less tense than usual after a long day at work. You looked up and gave him a small smile as he kicked off his shoes.
“Long day?” You asked, setting your phone down.
Wonwoo nodded, letting out a quiet sigh. “Yeah. Presentation ran over time, and then the client had about a thousand questions.”
You gestured for him to sit next to you, and he plopped down on the couch, stretching his legs out. “Well, I’ve got some news that might cheer you up,” you said, a hint of excitement in your voice.
Wonwoo raised an eyebrow, smirking. “What now? You won the lottery or something?”
“Better,” you grinned. “There’s a party this weekend. Mingyu and his roommates are hosting a housewarming.”
Wonwoo gave you a skeptical look. “A party? At Mingyu’s place?”
“Yep,” you confirmed. “Seokmin and Cheol are finally settled in, and Mingyu thought it’d be a good idea to invite everyone over. Drinks, music, probably some weird games if Seokmin has anything to say about it.”
Wonwoo snorted, shaking his head. “Sounds chaotic. But it could be fun.”
You nodded. “Exactly. Plus, it’s a good way to get to know everyone better. I already told Mingyu we’d be there.”
He gave you a sideways glance. “You sure about that? Joshua’s been swamped lately. Don’t know if he’ll be up for it.”
You mock pouted at him. “Come on Wonwoo, please?”
“Fine, against my better judgement, fine.”
Wonwoo took a breathe and gave you scrutinising look. “So... what’s the deal with you and Mingyu?”
Your smile faltered slightly. “What do you mean?”
He crossed his arms, clearly not letting this go. “I mean, you’re now planning a party together? Isn’t that something incredibly couple like? Are you two a thing now or what?”
You hesitated, not sure how to put it into words. “We’re... figuring things out. It’s not really labeled or anything.”
Wonwoo’s eyes narrowed, clearly not satisfied with that answer. “You sure you’re not rushing into something? You haven’t really known him that long.”
You bristled slightly. “It’s not like that. We’re just spending time together, seeing where it goes.”
“Spending time, huh? You know that’s how people get feelings right?” Wonwoo said cautiously.
You frowned. “I’m not some lovesick idiot, you know. I know how to take care of myself.”
Wonwoo raised his hands in surrender. “Hey, I’m just looking out for you. I’ve you get hurt and cry over idiots, I don’t want crying over yet another guy.”
Your stomach twisted at his words, a tiny seed of doubt planting itself despite your best efforts to ignore it. “Mingyu’s not like that, he’s kind, warm and compassionate.”
Wonwoo gave you a half-smile. “You sure not love sick?”
You didn’t know how to respond, so you just nodded. Wonwoo gave your shoulder a reassuring squeeze before heading to his room.
Left alone with your thoughts, frustration bubbled under your skin. You didn’t want to doubt Mingyu, but Wonwoo’s words kept bouncing around your head. To dispel the tension, you found yourself cleaning the living room with more force than necessary, wiping down the coffee table and fluffing the pillows like they’d personally offended you.
After vacuuming the floor and reorganizing the bookshelf twice, you stopped to catch your breath, realizing how ridiculous you were being. You were annoyed—not just with Wonwoo, but with yourself for letting his words get to you. You couldn’t help it. Mingyu made you feel safe, seen and cared for, and Wonwoo’s word sowed a seed of worry in your mind.
The sound of a knock at the door pulled you out of your thoughts. You opened it, and there stood Mingyu, leaning against the frame with a casual smile.
“Hey, the apartment door was open,” he greeted, his voice soft.
“Hey,” you replied, trying to muster a smile.
Mingyu’s eyes roamed the room, noticing the freshly cleaned space. “Wow. Did you go on a cleaning spree?”
You shrugged. “Just needed to do something to clear my head.”
He gave you a curious look, his smile fading a bit. “Something on your mind?”
You bit your lip, debating whether to bring up what Wonwoo said. “Just... thinking about stuff.”
Mingyu stepped closer, his hand reaching out to tuck a loose strand of hair behind your ear. “If you need to talk, I’m here.”
Your heart squeezed at the simple, sincere gesture. You leaned into his touch, letting out a long breath. “It’s nothing, really. Just overthinking, I guess.”
He cupped your cheek gently, his thumb brushing your skin. “You sure? I don’t like seeing you stressed.”
You nodded, leaning into his touch. “I’m fine. Just... needed a distraction.”
Mingyu’s lips quirked up in a gentle smile. “I’m good at distractions.”
You couldn’t help but laugh, the tension easing from your shoulders. Mingyu’s presence had a way of making the chaos in your mind feel a little quieter.
“Stay?” You whispered.
He leaned in, his forehead resting against yours. “Always.”
You let out a small sigh of relief, and without thinking, you closed the distance between your lips, kissing him softly. Mingyu responded immediately, his hands slipping to your waist, pulling you closer. The kiss was slow, unhurried—like he was taking his time to reassure you that he wasn’t going anywhere.
When you finally pulled back, Mingyu gave you a soft smile, brushing his nose against yours. “Feel better?”
You smiled, your heart fluttering in your chest. “Yeah. A lot better.”
Mingyu pressed a lingering kiss to your forehead before pulling you into a warm hug. You closed your eyes, letting the comfort of his embrace push away the doubts that had threatened to take over.
p.s please read this entire post mainly because it's long but important.
☆ 18+ minors dni |☀︎fluff| ☁︎ angst | ♕smut | ♥ completed works
Summary: As a writer with a mildly cynical take on love, you’ve always believed people have a “type”—a pattern they never stray from when it comes to dating. And Kim Mingyu? He’s the textbook definition of someone who wouldn’t go for someone like you, nor would you go for him. But you test your theory when a fateful run-in with your charming neighbour sparks an unexpected attraction.
The plan? Go on dates with him and count how many it takes before your heart gets involved—if it ever does. But Mingyu is unpredictable, effortlessly breaking down your carefully constructed walls with every smile, every late-night conversation, every moment that feels too easy to be just an experiment.
The real problem? Secrets never stay secrets for long. And when Mingyu finds out the truth behind your so-called theory, will it prove you right, or that love doesn’t follow the rules you thought it did?
Word Count: 52,259 (need to update this)
Pairings: Neighbor! Mingyu x Journalist! Female Reader
Genre/Trope(s)/AU(s): Neighbours AU! Fake Dating AU! (but only one is fake dating. It’ll make sense when you read it, lol). Non-Idol AU!
Content Warnings: Strong language, sexual content, injuries (nothing serious, yn is clumsy, and so is Mingyu). Alcohol consumption (a lot of it). Unrequited love (not from Mingyu). Screaming, shouting, some very unnecessary insults and bitchy moments featuring the rest of Seventeen. Best friend Joshua and fellow roommate Wonwoo, and sometimes is a little shit at times, but it's just fiction. Most of Seventeen features here, too, but only a few are particularly snippy with YN, but it’s warranted.
Chapter 1: Love at First Collision
release date: May 2nd 2025
Chapter 2: Cuddles and Chaos
release date: May 9th 2025
Chapter 3: Flirting and Fighting
release date: May 16th 2025
Chapter 4: Neighbors to Lovers (And Everything In Between) release date: May 23rd 2025
Epilogue: Love Locked
release date: May 30th 2025
Smut Warnings: there will be plenty of smut, and the specific warnings will be given per chapter <3
Author's Note 1: if you wish to be tagged lmk <3
Author's Note 2: If you haven't seen this post, this fic will be my last fic. Now, who knows if I'll come back one day and be like, nvm, here's a fic, but for now, this is my goodbye present to you all. So I hope you enjoy!! 💕
pairing: yoon jeonghan x fem!reader (other idols mentioned as friends)
au: childhood rivals to lovers
genre: smut, comedy - minors dni.
warnings: food, alcohol, mentions of physical injuries and a bit of reckless driving, semi-public sex, fingering, making out.
word count: 2.9k
synopsis: one thing you will never forget from your childhood is the bicycle races around your neighborhood against a certain boy who always lost to you. fifteen years later and in the big city, that same boy isn't a boy anymore and he knows how to ride more than a child's bicycle.
Author's note: hi everyone! this is my entry for the lonely hearts cafe collab hosted by @camandemstudios! i hope you will enjoy reading this fic, along with all the amazing entries from the rest of the participants💕
There’s music echoing in your room, the upbeat song matching your good mood. You’re applying your makeup with careful motions, wanting nothing more than a perfect result that compliments your outfit.
The occasion is obviously a joyous one - you’re reuniting with your college classmates five years after your graduation. While you have kept in touch with most of them, living in different cities and countries was the main obstacle of not being able to see them in person.
But today, nobody and nothing will stop you from enjoying your time with them.
The music playing through your phone is suddenly cut off due to an incoming call and you let out a dissatisfied groan when you see one of your friend’s ID on the screen.
“Can’t believe you called while the best part was playing!” You answer the call.
“You and your addiction to music,” Chaewon sighs, “Are you done with makeup?”
“Almost there, just adding glitter.”
“Girl, relax, it’s not New Year’s eve!”
“I don’t care, Chae, glitter and I are in a long term relationship.”
“Ugh, fine. I knew I couldn’t convince you either way.”
“Did you call me just to ask me for my makeup though?”
“No, I called you to let you know that Joshua is going to bring a friend of his tonight with us.”
“Oh okay. Uh, do we know the guy?”
“I haven’t met him in person, all I know is that his name is Jeonghan.”
Jeonghan? It’s been a long time since you last heard that name.
“Hello? Earth to Y/N?”
“Yeah, I hear you. The guy’s name is Jeonghan.”
“Do you have a problem with Joshua bringing him along? Because you stayed silent for a moment there.”
“Oh no, I have no issue! I just….happened to remember someone who has the same name,” you laugh awkwardly, “Probably just a coincidence.”
“Okay cool! See you soon, love!”
You arrive in front of the bar, your lips forming a huge grin once you spot your friends outside the door.
“Ay, there she is!” Hyunjin exclaims.
“Hi Hyune- What happened to your hair?!” You gasp.
“Oh, this?” He runs his hand over his barely hair covered head, “Just a spur of the moment thing.”
“A spur of the moment that gave us a damn heart attack.” Jihyo sighs audibly,
“Rest in peace, long haired Hyunjin, you'll be dearly missed.” You put your palms together as if you were paying respects and Hyunjin playfully shoves you.
“Where are Joshua and his friend?” Chaewon asks.
“Joshua texted me a couple of minutes ago and said they'll be late, we can go grab a table inside and save two seats for them.” Jihyo responds.
“Awesome, I didn't want to wait in the cold anyways.” You grin.
You walk through the doors of the bar and Jihyo goes to one of the waiters, who in turn guides you to a table big enough to fit the entire group, along with the two who aren't there yet.
You make yourselves comfortable around the table, checking the menu for drinks and possibly some finger food for funsies.
“Alcohol for everyone, I suppose?” Jihyo speaks as she closes the catalog in her hands.
“Damn right,” Hyunjin agrees enthusiastically, “The week was tough.”
“Yeah, because getting your makeup and outfits done by others is so tiring, right?” Chaewon mocks him, but the man flips her off with ease.
Amidst the bickering, you spot Joshua and his friend walking through the door and you wave to let them know your location in the bar.
“Oh, they’re coming!” Chaewon scoots closer to you to make room for the boys.
“Hello everyone!” Joshua greets all of you with a smile, “Sorry we’re late, traffic was kinda annoying.”
“You weren’t even the one driving and you’re complaining about traffic?” The other man speaks up.
“You must be Jeonghan, right?” Jihyo asks with interest, “I’m Jihyo, nice to meet you. The bald one is Hyunjin-”
“Fuck you.” Hyunjin cuts her off.
“Whatever. The lady with the cunty bob is Chaewon-”
“Hi!” Chaewon waves cutely.
“And finally the lady with the glitter all over her face is-”
As soon as you make a double take on the man with the black leather jacket, your throat runs dry and cold sweat coats your skin.
You should have listened to your gut feeling when Chaewon called you before you left the house.
“Y/N L/N?” Jeonghan looks at you with a curious smirk.
“Yoon Jeonghan.”
The rest of the group exchange dumbfounded glances.
“You….know each other?” Hyunjin asks.
“That’s right,” Jeonghan crosses his legs in a deliberately slow manner, “Way too well, if I dare say so.”
“Why aren’t you speaking?!” Chaewon nudges you repeatedly.
“Yeah we have known each other since childhood. Are you satisfied now?” You huff in annoyance.
“That’s all you’re gonna say?” Jeonghan raises his brow defiantly, “I don’t think it’s nice to keep your friends in the dark.”
“Can you not use wording that makes everything sound weird?” You pinch the bridge of your nose.
“Are you guys exes or something?” Hyunjin points at the two of you.
“NO!” You loudly defend yourself.
“That just made it even more suspicious…”
“Aside from her exaggerated reaction, Y/N is telling the truth. We were sort of…. childhood rivals.” Jeonghan explains calmly.
“Sort of? You couldn’t win against me for your life.” You click your tongue.
“Pause for a sec,” Joshua intervenes, “Win against you, in what exactly? And how long ago are we even talking about here?”
“Bicycle races, about fifteen years ago,” You respond dryly, “Spoiler alert - he was fucking terrible.”
“Kinda hard to believe, since he rides a motorbike…” Chaewon comments and you shoot her a disapproving look.
“We all have to start from somewhere, Chaewon,” Jeonghan leans back on his chair, “Even if it involves bruised knees and a boy’s battered ego.”
The waiter soon arrives with everyone’s orders
“Drinking a cocktail while knowing you’re gonna drive later? You’re asking for your license to be taken away.”
“It’s a virgin cocktail,” Jeonghan takes a sip from his glass, “I enjoy the thrill of riding a bike, but I’m not stupid enough to challenge the law.”
“Whatever.”
“Now then. I think it’s time for a little old story.”
Fifteen years ago…
“Haha! I win again!” You jump up triumphantly on the road side.
“Shut up! You cheated this time, I’m sure of it!” Jeonghan points at you, accusing you of cheating once more.
“It's not cheating if I'm better than you!” You stick your tongue out to mock the boy.
“One day, I'll be rich and I'll ride the coolest bike ever and you'll see then!” He gets up from the ground and grabs his bicycle to leave.
As soon as he sits on the saddle and tries to pedal away, he loses his balance and falls down on the asphalt.
“Ow!” He yelps again, tears filling up his eyes.
“Hmph, can't even keep your balance.” You mock him again.
Jeonghan starts crying loudly and you're about to call him a crybaby again, but you notice his bleeding knee, your face turning pale from fear.
“Jeonghan!” You run towards him.
“Stay away from me, you meanie!” He flinches away from you.
“Hannie, you're hurt! Give me your hand so I can help you stand up!”
“Never! I would rather die!” He yells at you with tears on his cheeks
“Urgh, just give me your hand! My house is just around the corner.”
The boy looks at you for a moment and then reluctantly gives you his hand to help him stand up.
You throw his arm around your shoulders and he manages to balance himself on his other leg.
“You shouldn't be helping me.” He sniffles.
“Why do you say that?”
“Because we're rivals, you dummy.”
“I know. But you're the only one who can match me and if you're hurt, who will be able to race against me?”
Jeonghan ponders for a moment, but he’s unable to give a good answer.
“See? You can’t think of anyone else! I'm the best in the entire neighborhood.”
“Just you wait, I’ll get better and I’ll make you eat my dust.”
“It’s a deal!” You grin.
“By the way, are we there yet?”
“We’ll make it in no time, promise! Mom made ice cream yesterday, by the way.”
“Strawberry?”
“Always!”
“I expected petty children’s drama, not this cutesy stuff,” Jihyo rests her chin on her hand, “Not that I complain, of course.”
“Yeah, it was all fun and games back then.” Jeonghan comments with a dreamy tone.
“Y/N sounded kinda like a bully though.” Chaewon side eyes you.
“Not my fault he was crying every single time he lost,” you snort into your cocktail glass, “Oh right, that was every Sunday.”
“Trust me, if we were to race now, you'd eat dirt, angel.” Jeonghan smirks.
“No thanks, I don't plan on risking my life riding a motorbike like a maniac.”
“True, he does ride like a maniac when the highway is empty.” Joshua validates your comment.
“Whose side are you on, exactly?” Jeonghan narrows his eyes towards his friend.
“Mine, obviously.”
“Joshua Hong, ever the shit instigator.” Jihyo rolls her eyes dramatically.
“You love me so much.”
“Sadly, I do!”
The group erupts in laughter and the conversation continues into less relevant topics. Small talk goes on amongst your friends, but your focus is solely on Jeonghan.
Even if you're aware of the years that have passed since you last saw him, you can't help but ogle over how fucking good he looks now.
His gaze meets yours and your eyes shoot up in surprise, caught red-handed like a criminal. But all he does is shoot you a sly smirk.
“Um, I think I'll go to the restrooms for a bit.” you announce all of a sudden.
“You okay? You seem a little out of it.” Hyunjin gently holds your hand out of concern.
“Dude, it's nothing! I just need to pee, jeez.”
“Girl ew, no need to give us the details!” Chaewon scrunches her face in disgust.
You mirror her expression and leave the table, making a beeline for the restrooms.
As soon as you walk into one of the empty cabins, you lock the door shut and sit down, head resting in your hands.
“Fuck fuck fuck,” you curse under your breath, “Why him? Why after so many years?”
You slap your cheek to snap yourself back to reality and unlock the restroom door, needing to wash your hands and throw some water on your neck to calm yourself down.
“Didn’t expect you to be so affected by my arrival.”
You scream in surprise and you turn around to see Jeonghan leaning against the doorframe of the restroom entrance.
“What the fuck are you doing here?!”
“I’m here to take a piss.” He smirks.
“Wrong restrooms, idiot. Didn’t you see the sign outside the door?” You scoff.
“That’s what I told the others when they asked me,” he walks towards you, “Doesn’t mean I actually wanted to do that.”
Jeonghan now stands right in front of you, his face barely a few centimeters away from yours.
“Time really has its favorites, huh.” He twirls one of your hair strands around his finger.
“What are you talking about?” You ask him, not stopping him from whatever he’s doing.
“I mean that you’ve grown into one damn fine beauty, Y/N.”
You bite your bottom lip, mentally giving up on playing hard to get.
You tug him back into the restroom cabin and lock the door, pushing him against the door.
“I could say the same about you, mister hot rider.” You reciprocate the compliment and kiss him without delay.
It doesn’t take Jeonghan long to snake his hands right under your ass and lift you up, switching the positions to pin you against the metal door this time.
“Been wanting to do that ever since I sat across you,” he whispers on your lips, “And much more than that.”
“I’m right here, Hannie.” You purr the nickname on purpose, hoping to get a reaction from him.
“I used to hate that stupid nickname,” he traces his nose over the juncture between your neck and shoulder, “But this…grown up voice of yours makes it sound so hot.”
“Good,” you bury your fingers in his black hair and get a hold of it, “Now would you mind putting your grown up hands into better use?”
Jeonghan instantly gets the memo and puts one of your legs down to free his dominant hand. You keep his mouth busy with your tongue, all while his nimble fingers slither under your panties and make contact with your soaked pussy.
“You had to bear with this all night long?”
“It was fine until you sat on the couch across from me.”
“No, it was bored to death until I sat across from you.” He chuckles as he plunges one finger inside you.
It takes whatever little sanity you have left in you to not moan out loud and let your eyes roll back in your skull, as his finger thrusts in and out of you, your juices starting to drip down his knuckles.
“Feels good, doesn't it?” He murmurs against your skin.
“So fucking good, God.” You reply with a shaky voice.
“Want another one?”
“Pretty fucking please.”
Jeonghan listens to your pleas and slides another finger, but this time, a moan slips past your lips.
“Stay quiet, you idiot.”
“You're making it real hard, dumbass.” You hiss at him.
“Fine.” He deadpans and takes away his fingers, making you gasp at the sudden loss.
“What are you doing?!”
“Making your life easier,” he smirks, “Are you satisfied?”
“Of course not!” You slap his chest in protest.
“Oh shut up,” he puts you down, “It’s not like I wanted to make you cum in a fucking public space.”
“You almost did. And it’s not like we had any choice right now.”
“We could always head back to your place? Or mine?”
His suggestion catches you off guard.
“I mean, if that’s what you want as well,” he scratches the back of his neck, “I…don’t want you to push or anything.”
“Do you have a spare helmet?” You ask with determination in your eyes.
“What?”
“I said - Do you have a spare helmet?”
“Yeah, always.”
“Can I borrow it then?”
“I thought you said you didn’t want to ride on bikes?”
“I can always make an exception. Besides, I’ll tell you the way to my place.”
Jeonghan sucks his fingers clean and you cut a few pieces of toilet paper to clean yourself up and fix your appearance.
“Shall we, then?”
You unlock the door and push it wide open, with Jeonghan quickly washing his hands.
“Won’t it be rude to leave just like that?” You wonder out loud.
“Are you seriously thinking about that right now?” He looks at you with an unamused expression.
“I thought I’d try to show some remorse.”
“Don’t do it if you feel like it, Y/N.” He grins like an imp.
The two of you check the corridor to see any passing people and to your luck, it’s empty. You both almost make a run for it.
Meanwhile, the group at the table sees the two of you from afar, suspicions arising quickly.
“They were gone for quite a while…” Chaewon tilts his head sideways.
“Bet fifty bucks they fucked in the restrooms.” Joshua snickers.
“Make it a hundred.” Jihyo crosses her arms in front of her chest.
“Shh, they’re coming!” Hyunjin signals and they all fall silent.
“Shua, hand me the helmet.” Jeonghan pats his friend’s shoulder
“Uh, why?”
“I’m taking Y/N home, she’s not feeling very well.”
“You’re gonna take her home….On your bike?” Jihyo raises her eyebrow.
“I’ll be fine, don’t worry!” You quickly defend him.
“Wait, if you take Y/N home, how will I get home?!” Joshua further questions his friend.
“Get a cab, you have money.” Jeonghan replies as he takes back both helmets and hands you one.
“Oh, here’s the money for our drinks, by the way,” you leave a couple of bills on the table, “Sorry for the sudden change, hope you guys have fun without us!”
“Stay safe.” Jihyo reminds you with a knowing look in her eyes.
“Will do.” Jeonghan responds as he ushers you towards the exit of the bar.
You pass through the doors of the bar and walk to his motorbike, your eyes wandering over the sleek silhouette of the vehicle.
“Like what you see?” Jeonghan breaks you from your trance.
“It’s so….You look so good on it, Hannie.”
“I know,” he fastens the helmet on his head, “And you’ll look just as good as my passenger princess.”
The nickname makes your heart jump in your chest and you put on the helmet, locking it under your chin. You sit on the bike right behind Jeonghan, trying to make yourself comfortable and he doesn’t hesitate to grab your arms and put them around his waist.
“Don’t hesitate to lean on me!” He shouts through the helmet as he revs up the engine.
“I won’t!” You shout back.
“Ready to go?”
“Yeah!”
“Good. Because riding bikes isn’t the only thing I’m good at.” He shouts again.
You grin behind the visor as you follow Jeonghan’s previous advice.
hello guys! since the new year is in already and a few wips of mine need to be cleaned up from all the dust, i thought it would be a good idea to make this little poll and see what you guys want to see first:
which wip do you wish to see posted first?
half past five high prologue pt2 (joshua)
woncheol poly!au pt3
half past five high chapter 7 (joshua/mingyu)
bloodlove universe - vampire!wonwoo's origin story
hello guys! since the new year is in already and a few wips of mine need to be cleaned up from all the dust, i thought it would be a good idea to make this little poll and see what you guys want to see first:
which wip do you wish to see posted first?
half past five high prologue pt2 (joshua)
woncheol poly!au pt3
half past five high chapter 7 (joshua/mingyu)
bloodlove universe - vampire!wonwoo's origin story
hello everyone! it's been quite a while since i last posted here.
first of all, i wish everyone happy new year and a 2025 filled with health, high spirits and creativity💕
now onto the main focus of this post.
2024 was a wild year for me in many aspects. a lot of good things happened, along with some bad ones, but overall it was a great year for me irl. as for my writing adventures.....well. that wasn't the best lol
which brings me to my resolutions for 2025.
goals for 2025:
be more consistent with writing. i really, really, REALLY don't want to give up writing - it has helped me meet so many wonderful people here (which i'll heartfully mention later) and i explored a creative side of me i never thought i had.
revamp the appearance of this blog. i'm talking about theme and masterlists alike, bcs they have stayed the same since forever. after all, the "new year, new me" motto exists for a reason.
read and reblog more fics. it's evident as daylight that i've been missing out on so many well written fics, it's actually a crime. whether it's by a seasoned writer or a newcomer, i want to show them that their efforts are appreciated and loved. they are doing it for free but their work is priceless to me.
finally, i want to mention some very special people to me, old friends and new ones.
first and foremost: @delicatewerewolfsoul beloved vicky. we've known each other for nearly four years which is insane to me and the fact that we haven't stopped talking a single day since then is even crazier. you're one of the people i hold closest to my heart, if not the first one. i love you dearly and your unyielding support will never fail to lift me up, even from my lowest.
next on the list is @wongyuseokie. my lovely indi. i know that your writing days are nearing their end, but our friendship won't and that's what matters to me. i know that aside from an amazing content creator, you're also an amazing person and an even more amazing friend, who is always there for me.
another person who is a must-mention is @bitchlessdino. dear nana, a literal joy in every single aspect. i will never get tired of your personality and antics. please never change.
@the-boy-meets-evil deserves a mention as well. my favorite backer in so many tough situations but also a great instigator (you know it well lol). your insight has helped me immensely, especially during writing and i wouldn't change it at all.
mentioning a few more people i met this year along with some i met in the previous years and have made my days insanely better: @c-oupsie @tusswrites @highvern @gyuswhore @wonustars @svtiddiess @tomodachiii @wooahaeproductions @okiedokrie @haologram
finally, i want to shoutout @svthub, @thediamondlifenetwork and @camandemstudios for helping me grow as a member and/or admin and kicking a higher sense of responsibility in me.
this is the end of the post and hopefully it wasn't too tiring to read haha. once again, i'm wishing everyone happy new year and maybe, i'll see you soon enough!
Genre: ATLA au, enemies(?) to lovers, forbidden romance, royalty au
General Warnings: violence (bending fights), injuries (mentions of broken bones, burns, blood, bruises), alcohol consumption, mentions of prostitution
Smut Warnings: multiple smut scenes, fingering, dry humping, slight exhibitionism, oral sex (f & m receiving), unprotected sex, handjob, hair pulling, marking, virgin!reader, wonwoo has a tiny bit of a corruption kink
Length: ~14k | Fic Length: ~60k
Credits: banner: @caelesjjk and @shadowkoo | betas: @tomodachiii @miniseokminnies @gyuswhore @haologram and @wqnwoos
Note: insane insane insane. i started this from a tiny little head cannon forever ago and when i started writing i anticipated maybe 20k max. but im a liar because this quickly excelled that by a landslide. i hope yall enjoy this monster of a fic as much as i did writing it. i'll be uploading each part with one day in between. p.s i used the ATLA wiki to build a believable setting for this but it really diverges from cannon and doesn't mention any of the original characters from the cartoon.
summary: Wonwoo is the best fire bender in Capitol City. Or he is. But a water bender he's never seen before changes everything.
| Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 |
m.list
This blog is intended for 18+ only! Minors/blank blogs will be blocked.
Ranchous voices filled the warehouse, deafening as the hoard of bodies looking for a night of gruesome entertainment flooded the stands. Steam and smoke and dust clogged the air, only cleared by the occasional rush of wind the massive hole in the ceiling that showed the clear night sky above, the moon barely half full and the stars dusted across the sky.
Wonwoo watched from the catwalk criss-crossing high above the ring like always. He won’t fight until later, not until someone was dumb enough to challenge him once the adrenaline of the smaller spars bubbles to their head and they decide they would be the one to end his winning streak proudly tallied on the leaderboard.
But for now he stood on the metal platform. Below, Jihoon launched a clay disk at his opponent with terrifying speed. With a wide swing of his arm, Chan knocked it aside before it could land, spinning off balance from the recoil.
Too easy. But no matter how many times the two fight, Chan never catches on to Jihoon’s tricks until it's too late. Jihoon hurled a second disc – cracking it into pieces with a squeeze of his fist – at Chan’s head. The airbender managed to dodge the first piece but the other two landed true, crumbling him to his knees. The crowd fell into a frenzy of starved animals, foaming at the mouth as a tally mark appeared next to Jihoon’s name on the victory board.
Wonwoo’s name sat on the next line above, so many tallies they nearly ran off the side of the sheet of repurposed metal.
He rarely lost. Dokyeom might force a draw for fear the building would burn down if a fight dragged on; but the last time that happened was nearly two years ago when Seungcheol demanded one final fight before retiring. They both walked away with matching black eyes and limps, his friend with singed uneven hair, and Wonwoo with a concussion and a dislocated shoulder.
It was one of the few fights Wonwoo didn’t mind losing. Defeat was much sweeter when he got paid half the betting pool for it.
The next fight geared up to start; another air bender and a fire bender racing into the ring. Wonwoo rarely cared to watch their fights. Hoshi lacked finesse, relying on overwhelming his opponents, while Seungkwan’s temper historically ended the match before it could really begin. But it never stopped the audience from rushing to place their bets with Jeonghan like always.
Deciding he needed a drink for the chaos about to unfold, Wonwoo descended the stairs towards the crude bar in the corner of the upper tier of the stands. It’s nothing more than a shabby counter top, covered with colorful bottles and cracked cups.
The sting of fire whisky going down didn’t shock his system nearly as much as the woman leaning against the wall; watching him, gaze heavy on his skin even in the dim light.
Rounding the bartop, Wonwoo didn’t look away as he approached. If you balked under his gaze, he can’t decipher a tell; only a satisfied smile pulling the corner of your lips high and your eyelids lowering until his chest brushes yours.
His arm rests above your shoulder, pinning you beneath his gaze. “You’re staring at me.”
It isn’t a question, it's an accusation. And you’re more than guilty.
“And what are you going to do about it?” You asked, chin tilting back defiantly, eyes narrowed. Wonwoo makes the mistake of looking at your mouth, hypnotized by the tantalizing pout of flesh as it slips into a smirk. He walked right into your trap before he even knew what was happening.
He dipped closer, eyes still on your lips. “What's your name?”
Just as your nose brushed his own, you melted off the wall and under his arm. Wonwoo cut a glance over his shoulder to find you stalking backwards into the crowd, eyes never leaving his until you're swallowed into the fold without a trace.
The dare was so obvious in your gaze. Paired with the teasing words, Wonwoo felt something surge inside him. That hot need to chase, to tease you back. To find out if your boldness evaporated with enough attention or if you’d use the same haughty tone to chaste him in private.
Wonwoo moved to do just that but he’s called to the ring for the next fight.
“Our reigning champion, the man of fire,” Dokyeom preened dramatically into the mic. The crowd roared in enthusiastic response. “The longest running victor in bending battle history!”
People parted as Wonwoo approached the walkway leading to the isolated platform surrounded by a steep drop off into a pool of water. Maybe he reveled in the applause and anticipatory cheers longer than necessary but if anyone’s earned it, he has.
“And our newest challenger!”
The poor idiot who signed up to fight shouldn’t last too long, Wonwoo isn’t interested in dragged out humiliation. Especially not now. Hopefully, he can end this quickly and find you again, bargain his victory for your name and maybe some time alone.
But, as swiftly as his hopes ignited, they crumbled to ash. Dokyeom continued his rambling as you flashed a smug smile across the ring.
He faltered for only a moment before continuing towards the center of the ring. Out of the dark, he failed to decipher anything that might give him advantage. You lacked the breezeness of an airbender, posture too rigid, the cocky defiance from earlier still present. Maybe an earthbender. Or better yet, a firebender.
Your eyes trickle down his form. Only one of you is at a disadvantage so far but it won’t remain that way for long. Wonwoo thrives on a challenge, and after so long without one his heart squeezed in excitement.
“Good luck.”
You remained silent, eying Wonwoo’s outstretched hand before ignoring it, turning towards your side of the platform with your nose in the air.
Gasps of shock erupted around the warehouse. The stands circling the platform were fuller than before, even the people who only came to socialize found a sudden interest in the stranger bold enough to snub the best. Wonwoo paid them no mind. You’re the most interesting opponent he’s had in a long time.
Words from earlier echoed in his ears.
What are you going to do about it?
Wonwoo followed suit and retreated to his post with a few grounding breaths. The flame inside him grew in preparation. Hungry. Vicious. It raged until there's nowhere for the fire to go but out.
The starting bell cut the air; immediately he's on the offensive, dropping into a low stance, arms drawn into his side before the shrill sound stopped. A swift punch launched a huge fireball from his fist, a swell of heat surging through his veins as it sails over the ring with terrifying speed. Then another and another, fast enough that just as one dissipates, it’s already replaced with a new explosion of flames.
Barely any smoke filled the air when they dissolved. They were nothing more than a cheap scare tactic; completely hollow shells aimed to intimidate rather than maim. The fight is just starting and there's no reason to throw his best moves just yet.
You sidestepped each blow, dipping close to the floor before rising again and twirling out of the way with catlike grace. Wonwoo lobbed the next one right in your path but you adapt without pause. Like you’re dancing around the fire. With the fire.
Wonwoo rushed forward, taking the advantage to drive you towards the edge of the platform, refusing to grant an ounce of reprieve. Not that you needed it. Every blow is avoided even as he adds more punch to the moves, each burning hotter and brighter than the one previous.
He maintained a healthy distance, plenty of room to keep the heat away from himself as his arms sweep and a ring of fire slices at your feet, close enough to singe the edge of your boots before you can avoid it completely. But you dove through the opening and rolled back to your feet, as if you expected the blow.
Wonwoo sliced his hand through the air, a razor thin whip of flame bursting forth to lick against your chin, close enough to feel the heat but Wonwoo maintains control. You could’ve blocked the move but you retreat again, eyes furious at the smoke of burnt hair jagged from contact dangling next to your jaw.
Wonwoo can’t detect any attempt at bending. The clay disks stacked at the edge of the ring remained unmoved, the air undisturbed. There’s no pull at the flames he’s conjuring, no hint that you're manipulating his own fire against him.
After another one sided volley of hits, your refusal to fight began to wear on his nerves. He harnessed more flame with a sweep of his leg, a swift stomp sending it over your head before it exploded and knocked you to your knees. You controlled the impact and roll to a crouch, eyes blazing,
“Is that really all you’ve got?” you said, shoulders squared but lax.
There’s no teasing in your voice, if anything it’s cold disappointment. To Wonwoo’s shame, a hot bolt of want ran through him. Images of you whispering the same words, with the same haughty tone, flashed in his mind; back in the dark corner near the bar where you started this entire game; back in one of the many unused rooms of the warehouse with just you and him and no one else to watch him earn your approval.
Your leg circled around and Wonwoo prepared himself for something of interest to finally happen but you used the momentum to raise back on your feet and brace for the next round.
Wonwoo realized you must be a waterbender. The way you moved, melting around every attack, shifting with impressive flexibility, was a dead giveaway. That or just plain stupid. If you walked into this fight with no bending then it was only a matter of time before you cut your losses and yielded.
Only one way to find out.
A towering wall of pure flame, large enough it’d scare even him to be on the receiving end, swelled in front of Wonwoo. The crowd roared in excitement, feral for the inevitable end to the match. There was nowhere for you to evade this time. It was either into the flame or off the backend of the platform.
A flat footed kick sent the wave barreling directly at you, consuming more oxygen and growing wider with rapid speed.
The flood of fire forced your hand. A tsunami of water rose from the grates criss-crossing the ring, geysers gushing with enough pressure to shake the floor. A sharp hiss echoes as opposing elements collided in an explosion of steam thick enough to clog the entire warehouse. So dense Wonwoo can’t see in front of his own nose.
Wonwoo stood unfazed, even as the crowd distantly murmured in confusion. Now, the game truly began.
“Come out, come out, wherever you are,” he called, listening. Waiting.
A splash behind him is the only warning of your presence. Wonwoo slashed his leg through the air, an arch of flame slicing through the fog providing a brief glimpse of visibility before it sealed back up. However, it did nothing more, you weren’t there.
“Longest running victor in battle history, and he can’t even land a hit,” you tsked.
Wonwoo jerked at the sound of your voice, so close he expected to find you right behind him but he’s only met with a faceful of powder.
A fucking snowball?
You must have been close enough to see the scowl twisting his face because you giggled before launching another.
“Can’t handle a little water?” you snorted.
Under different circumstances, ones not involving you pelting him like a child, Wonwoo might have enjoyed the sound. He might have even wanted to find out what the sound tastes like on his tongue.
Another snowball, this one more ice than anything, collided with his chin and that desire turned into cinders. He whipped fire towards the noise but missed.
Arms raised, he feigned as if to launch another and instead harnessed his breath and forced a wider arch of flame to evaporate the fog you’ve hidden in. Wonwoo found you evading from the corner of his eye and used the moment of weakness to spring into action.
Except you crumbled with a choked scream and the sudden rush of victory tastes like ash.
Three wide strides and Wonwoo was there, hunched and ready for the next blow; ready for another one of your tricks. But your choppy breathing extinguished his competitiveness. The air reeked of burnt. The entire ring smoldered with heat.
He should’ve known better; especially with you. So clearly unprepared for the intensity of a fight like this. Dokyeom should never have let you put your name down to fight, let alone against Wonwoo.
Acrid smoke rose from the discolored collar of your tunic; too close to hope he hasn’t burnt your face but he does anyway. Wonwoo prepared for the worst as he rolled you over, already yelling for a healer.
He isn’t prepared for an icy fist straight to his nose with enough force to send him onto his back. “What the fuck?”
Another blow landed on the back of his head. Hot blood rushed forward as the next punch lands with a grotesque crunch against his nose. His skin stung with cold, eyes burning from the sudden influx of pain.
Long channels of water with blunt frozen ends sprouted from the grates like a watery forest. You stood unscathed amongst the pulsing curtains, smiling like a lunatic.
Wonwoo covered his head from the brunt of attacks. His nose was broken and one of his eyes was already swelling shut. A torrent of water collapsed over him, bearing down with the power of a waterfall. His knees buckled. The air in his lungs abandoned him.
In a last ditch attempt to save his pride, he thrusted his hand forward. The reek of ozone clouded the warehouse as electricity splintered towards you.
And as if it’s nothing, you redirected the bolt of lightning through the opening in the warehouse roof as Wonwoo watches in shock.
The warehouse went silent. Seconds grew into minutes but no one moved as you rose into a lazy stance.
Wonwoo watched through sweat and blood, dark spots floating in his vision as the sound of your boots grew closer.
“How disappointing,” you sighed just loud enough for him to hear before striding towards the platform and out of view.
When the echo of your footsteps faded, Wonwoo sank into darkness.
In the late hour, the Middle District streets buzzed with life. Vendors shouted, hawking their wares, boasting exotic produce and clothing with incatract embroidery from the farthest reaches of the world. Taverns packed with patrons singing and hollering in drunken glee. The smell of fried dough and roasted meat wafted through the air.
Mingyu was easily distracted with every stall he passed. Why, you had no idea. Even as a guard he could get the
best quality of anything he wanted at the palace; food, clothing, drink. But he stuck his nose in the air as the scraggly old man refuses to barter over the bruised moon peaches and wanders down the aisle to another stand with the exact same selection and even more wrinkled merchant.
In the midst of his discussion on cherry nuts, you slipped away, down one of the cramped alleys choked with smoke and shouts of people enjoying the balmy night.
No one looked in your direction twice as you meandered through crowded walkways, children squealing as they chased each other and adults shouting in annoyance when one bounces off their knees. In all the chaos, it was easier to disappear and actually explore without Mingyu hovering like an anxious mother hen. If anyone would get you two caught for sneaking out of the palace, it was him. Even in servant’s clothes, you couldn’t help but feel woefully out of place and he wasn’t helping.
The side streets were calmer; veins flowing slowly into the heart of main street. People moved in lazy sways, some appearing to only remain vertical from leaning against door frames into dark hallways. The lanterns strung above cast an oily sheen on the cobblestone. If you remembered the archive maps correctly, the Gaiety should be close.
Even through the thick clouds above, you felt the moon swelling. Only a few more days until she’d be full and with it came the unbearable restlessness. Mingyu only agreed to sneak you out of the palace after the fight weeks ago because you’d nearly taken his head off while sparring.
A night away, somewhere new. Somewhere to take out the energy without nearly killing him. The warehouse out in the harbor was out of question after the fight weeks ago. Not with the way you made a spectacle of the cocky firebender you’d studied for weeks. Mingyu threatened to rat you out if you thought for a second to step back in there. At least it’d been worth the loss; Wonwoo’s face as you redirected his lightning like it was nothing was worth every second of Mingyu's anger.
No longer feeling like one of your grandmother’s koi, swimming in endless circles of the garden pond, you forced your shoulders to slouch, chin tipping down to obscure your face beneath the wide brim of your hat.
Most of the buildings lining the street are shabby; peeling paint, splintered windows, wooden steps on the brink of collapsing from years of rot. Most are alive with noise, men and women crowded around low tables just beyond the door, wine flowing like a river and laughter spilling from open windows.
Further down, where the lanterns are more sparse with red shades casting everything in an eerie glow, the air grows thick with smoke. The street twisted like a grotesque snake, turning at harsh angles to hide whatever waited beyond, tangled in indecipherable turns. Buildings were little more than shacks, each leaning on the one next to it for support; stacked like a house of precariously stacked cards one gust of wind away from crashing down. Plenty of alleys jutted off into darkness, shadows shifting with scantily clad women and what looked like couples making no attempt to obscure what was clearly taking place. A small crowd still mills about, some ogling but most too absorbed in their own merriment.
Just like when that firebender hit you with lightning, hairs all over your body stood on end. This place is wrong. You need to leave. Now.
Turning to do so, you found yourself nose to nose with a man completely blocking your vision.
“What is a pretty girl like you doing all alone?” he said, clearly drunk from his haphazard slant. That, or incredibly stupid. His breath stung your nose, bile rising at the scent of liquor.
Water, or something resembling it enough to heed your command, rocketed from a nearby drain pipe. The thick haze over the area dissipated in an instant, all eyes on the man frozen to the rickety wall of a nearby building, face turning purple as he shouted indignantly.
You stared for a moment, stunned by your own hand. And then, you ran.
People shouted as you crashed through them, feet pounding on the uneven stone road. Several sets of footsteps chase, gaining by the sound of it, all calling for you to stop. You pushed yourself to run faster, so hard your muscles burned but you pressed forward.
Lungs screaming for breath, you rounded the entrance to the main street in time for someone to snag your arm in a vice grip.
“Let me g—” Your scream is muffled by your captor forcing your face into his chest, arm slipping around your shoulders to keep you from breaking free. You fought but couldn’t break free.
“Walk, don’t look back” a deep voice rumbled.
The hands were too warm to belong to your guard – not that you’d be lucky enough to run into Mingyu and make it back to the palace so easily – completely unfamiliar and unnecessarily rough. Between the guards still in pursuit not far behind and the man already dragging you through the crowd, you preferred the odds of whatever this new stranger had planned.
Out of the side street, your new captor maneuvered hastily. People parted on either side of your path, allowing more distance to grow between you and the mob, but their yells licked at your heels. You chanced a glance up and found the very firebender you’d humiliated weeks ago. Features schooled in a neutral expression, Wonwoo kept moving further down the street, steps so wide it was difficult to keep up.
“Next intersection go right.”
Your heels dug into the ground, refusing to move another step with this man. No way he took that beating weeks ago and wasn’t holding a grudge. You humiliated him in public, in front of his friends and probably a few enemies; few men would take that without protest and pass up an opportunity for revenge.
“Trust me, princess.”
The word striked frigid fear through your veins like ice. But he kept his eyes forward, constantly scanning the crowd and using the momentary pause to push you forward. You bounced off another couple as you stumbled to do as he says, face still hidden in the collar of his shirt. The street is still wet from last night’s rain and the water calls in reassurance.
Wonwoo underestimated you, like so many others. Even though he didn’t look smug about knowing your identity he was still a threat. Perhaps he thought your victory was a fluke but you were prepared to remind him what defeat tasted like.
But first, you needed to lose your pursuers. And for now, Wonwoo served that purpose.
The street he turned you down was far calmer, but no less packed. The bodies moved in a gentle pulse unlike the crush of the central avenue. Wonwoo pressed forward but not as urgently, flowing with the ebb of foot traffic.
Your muscles tensed as distance from the main street grew, prepared for Wonwoo to strike. To pull you into one of the shadowed alleyways and challenge you to another brawl. But there were too many witnesses here for him to do much, not to mention all the buildings made of wood. Unless he was a unique type of stupid.
But, surely this was far enough to shed him. Another busy street was not far ahead, one you recognized; farther south from the palace than you’d like but you’d make do. You just needed to find Mingyu and get back to the tunnels before Wonwoo caught back up.
Preparing yourself to run, you chanced another look to see if guards from earlier were well and truly gone. The chaos of before hadn’t followed, no shouts or discontent from the people left in your wake. But you couldn’t be sure until you—
“Don’t look.”
You huffed but faced forward once more. “I wasn’t going to!”
“Yes, you were,” Wonwoo swallowed something like a laugh.
How dare he! If he thought he could take you captive and chastise you like a rebellious child then he had another thing coming.
You jumped to your toes, twisting against his tight grip at your waist to peer back. Only to find one of the men from earlier already staring straight at you.
“Hey! Stop right there!”
“You looked,” Wonwoo groaned. “Run!”
Turning again, you froze the lanky man’s feet to the ground. He stumbled at the unexpected set back, crashing into passersby who seemed none too pleased but you could only assume from indigent yelling as Wonwoo dragged you away.
“In here,” Wonwoo whispered, shoving you into a dark alley, barely more than a divot between buildings before he followed suit.
His body pressed tight against yours from knee to shoulder. Like back in the warehouse. When he nearly pinned you against the wall and almost made you forget the entire reason you went at all that night. When he tempted you with a different challenge than what you planned to offer. You might have considered the proposition if Wonwoo hadn’t failed so spectacularly; let him prove his worth beyond bending.
In the dark, you tripped over the slick paced ground and fell straight into Wonwoo’s chest. With your hands planted on his shoulders, you felt his lungs stretch around gulps of air. Under more pleasant circumstances you’d remember the impropriety of it all. Alone with a man, in a dark corner of the city; breath mingled in choppy pants, the heat of him sinking straight into your bones with his thigh between your knees. And his hands. Such rough, warm hands pinned against your sides. If anyone saw then they’d see a couple unable to wait for a more private location.
But you didn’t find yourself caring in the slightest. Not about propriety or even the fact that Wonwoo all but admitted he knowingly fought a member of the royal family and was now doing something even more scandalous. You couldn’t think when you were wedged so tightly between a wall and a man, intimate proximity you’ve never experienced before. The miraculous way his palms fit perfectly against your hips, how his breath ghosted against your forehead and the deep rumble of his voice—
“What were you doing?” he said. “Are you trying to get yourself arrested?”
If only he’d shut his mouth long enough for you to enjoy the fantasy of being like any other woman in the kingdom, free to touch and be touched. But the reprimand shattered the short lived dream.
“They wouldn’t have arrested me,” you huff indignitaly. “I had it under control! Or do you need a reminder?”
“By all means, freeze me to a wall! That went so well last time, didn’t it? Maybe this time you can just wait around for them to catch you.”
“Maybe I will!” You jabbed a finger into his chest, momentarily shocked by the firm muscles there, before ducking out of the alcove and back onto the street before doing something stupid with the new information.
But Wonwoo yanked you back into the shadows just in time for one of the men to run past. “Do you even know where you’re going?”
“Of course I do!” you silently scream. “Why wouldn’t I?”
“Because only an idiot would visit the Red Lanterns alone. Especially a woman. You clearly didn’t belong there.”
He said woman, not princess. Maybe he didn’t know. Maybe it was a stupid nickname you were looking far too much into. There was no reason he should have recognized you. Your grandmother was so fiercely protective of her sole heir apparent that she hardly let you explore even the farthest corners of the palace grounds, let alone appear somewhere subjects got close enough to make out a single feature beyond your silhouette next to her. Only nobles, guardsmen, and servants would recognize you and the entire appeal of visiting the Middle District was none of them would be here. No one would know their princess was among them.
“Oh? And how do you know?”
“You’d be a lousy prostitute if you froze all your customers to a wall.”
You watched his face for any hint of dishonesty but he stared right back, eyes blazing with the same contagious annoyance. He didn’t know. His heart raced beneath your palm but didn’t stutter with dishonesty.
“Then what were you doing there?”
“I saw you earlier and thought…it doesn’t matter.” He eyed the disgust on your face before sighing. “Just tell me where you’re going and I’ll help you get there.”
“Thought what?” you gritted.
The air thickened with silence as different emotions flashed across Wonwoo’s face. He was no better than the drunk who tried to proposition you. Your thoughts might have devolved into something less than proper but you’d never act on it. If he thought he could just—
“No!” he shouted, eyes wide and bright red despite the dark. “That’s not…I wanted to challenge you to a rematch and then you went and got yourself into a fight.”
“So you were stalking me?”
“You’re in my neighborhood, waterbender. How do I know you’re not stalking me?”
You snorted at that in an attempt to ignore his muscles flexing between your thighs. He couldn’t have not noticed how compromising the position was. If he dipped his chin you could easily kiss him. Not that you would. Ladies did not kiss strange men in alleys; especially not princesses. Even if the strange man was incredibly handsome. And muscular.
“Why would I need to stalk you for a rematch? I know where to find you if I need a confidence boost.”
Whether you liked it or not – and you most certainly didn’t – you were stuck with Wonwoo until you could shake him and the group of Middle District guards after you. Something tells you even if you did tell him you knew exactly where you needed to go, he’d follow just out of sight. That simply wouldn’t do if you wanted to keep your identity a secret; assuming he truly didn’t know.
Which meant he really did want to help; at least for now. As you peered back up, the fading bruises littering his jaw came into focus. Ugly splotches of yellow and green. Gifts you gave him freely and would happily supply more in spades but there is a twinge of guilt souring your stomach
“Did I do this?”
“Yeah,” he released a long breath through his nose, subtly leaning into your finger unconsciously tracing the marks. Someone did a good job healing him. “And you broke my nose.”
“Maybe next time you should learn to block,” you teased.
The same fire from when he approached you in the warehouse burned across his face, hot enough to scorch everywhere his body touched yours. Maybe one kiss, just to see what all the fuss was about, wouldn’t be so bad. The maids seemed to talk of nothing but which stableboys and guards they were kissing; how some were bad and others were good. Whatever that meant. How several were skilled at doing more vulgar activities with their mouths and hands. No matter how many times you asked, none of them ever answered what exactly they were so talented at but you read enough to have an idea.
For the briefest second, you wondered if Wonwoo would demonstrate just what it was that made the maids giggle so incessantly.
But as his head dipped closer to yours, the spell broke by the crush of reality. You needed to get back home. You needed to find Mingyu.
You looked back towards the street before speaking again, “I don’t know what the street is called but my friend was checking out fruit stalls when we got split.”
“Ah, yes,” Wonwoo grumbled, head tilting back against the wall behind him. “The one street with fruit merchants. Remember anything else? Cobblestones and people? Were there buildings?”
Smartass.
“Um… there was a stall with spirit carvings and a tea house.”
He scrubbed his face, or attempted to. There wasn’t enough room between your faces for the action so his hand hovered in the darkness awkwardly before collapsing back against your side. It seemed only then did he register his proximity, and whatever anger he clung to melted into stammering embarrassment.
“Did you see the sign for the tea house?” he asked, eyes on the street.
“It was silver and had a—”
“The Silver Dragon. I know it. Come on.”
Another check that the coast was clear and Wonwoo pulled you back into the street, arm slung over your shoulders. He navigated easily enough. Each time he spotted something suspicious ahead he pulled you towards a stall, feigning interest in whatever goods were on display while watching from the corner of his eye until he deemed it safe enough to continue towards the Silver Dragon.
Slowly the buildings became more familiar; a merchant with a unique hat, the raven eagle fountain that hosted squealing children splashing in its waters. An old woman dishing out cups of frozen watermelon juice.
A silver flag embroidered with a dragon hung limply overhead. You scanned for Mingyu but to no avail, faces passed and blended the crowd into an amorphous ocean of strangers. Wonwoo kept a firm hold on your shoulders as the crowd swayed. He gripped your bare upper arm beneath the billowing sleeve of your tunic. No one besides your maids had touched you like this; so familiar and foreign at the same time. The heat of his palms like the first lick of a fire after hours in the snow.
While Mingyu appeared to have moved on, the guards seemed to have doubled back. They wove through the thicket of people aggressively. Wonwoo froze, noticing at the same time that there was no way to turn around without garnering their suspicion.
The street choked into a tight squeeze, locking you in place as the guards surged forward. Twenty feet, then ten. Then only a single person separated you from them and desperation fanned the flame of stupidity.
Your neck strained upward, and before Wonwoo could jump back, you fisted a hand in his hair and dragged him down to meet your mouth. He hesitated before sinking into the kiss eagerly, commanding your full attention with his teeth and the, with his tongue. With another pull, he guided you into the narrow space between merchant stalls, tripping over his own feet until all you registered was the hot press of him to your front and the chill of brick behind you.
It’s not like the sweet chaste kisses in the plays you grew up watching. Wonwoo demanded nothing less than your complete attention with a hot suck against your bottom lip. You copied him with clumsy eagerness.
All the thinking, the responsibilities and reminders plaguing your consciousness silenced their screaming; instinct filled its place. Your hips thrashed until his thigh slotted between your legs with dizzying firmness but then there was the want of more that had you rocking against it. In the process you brushed against a lump between his own thighs, and the instinct to rub against it was too strong to ignore.
Wonwoo only groaned before diving to lap against the sensitive skin beneath your ear. He surged forward, meeting every curl of your hips with an enthusiastic arch of his own. A hand at the base of your spine, beneath your tunic, angled you just so – completely at his whim. His other hand heated the side of your throat, tipping your head back to leave you panting with another rough press of his mouth.
Unconsciously, you traced his side, tugged at his shirt before letting go and only to crush the fabric again. Then your hands fell down his stomach until your palm pressed against that straining hardness and Wonwoo seized, teeth razing against your ear until you did the same.
“Spirits,” he exhaled through swollen lips, grinding into your hand.
You sucked him back into another kiss, laving at the swell of his bottom lip until he knocked your hand away and spread your legs for a raw drag against your core. His head tucked into the crook of your shoulder, panting breath creeping through the fabric of your top as he did it again. The press of his mouth made your pace sloppy, mindless grinds until you both groaned.
You wanted him without the frustrating barrier of clothing obscuring the warmth of his hands, his chest; to have him do something about the aching emptiness settled in your core. The pang of needing something stoked by the bruising twists of him against you.
There’s no sound over the roaring blood in your ears. Sparks flashed in your vision but your eyes sneak open to watch Wonwoo’s face twisted in agony. You latched on to his neck – biting and licking the same way he did – until he made that noise again.
In the corner of your vision, you registered the pedestrians moving past as if nothing was happening. As if their princess wasn’t concealed only feet away, pressed against a strange man with a hand sneaking beneath the tie of his pants.
But instead of embarrassment, a hot jolt squeezed your chest. No one knew. Much like the nights you snuck from the palace to explore the city, your freedom was innocuous. A way to learn what was hidden behind the false shine councilmen presented in their reports and the poetic ramblings of tutors.
Wonwoo could teach you about those sneaking passions that drove you mad on long nights. He already proved how much better they were when someone else wanted to resolve them.
Hours or days might have passed as you focused on coaxing out more of those delicious sounds – nail raking through his hair with every rut, rolling against him the same way waves rolled over the shore of the ocean under the full moon's pull.
Your vision blurred, unfocused on the faces walking past as Wonwoo sucked a bruise into your skin. That feeling in the pit of your gut twisted painstakingly tight like an itch you couldn’t scratch. More and more, until a familiar face passed by and reality came like an ice bath.
Mingyu.
He couldn’t see you in the shadows, and the call of his name morphed into a throaty whine as Wonwoo snaked his hand further down your spine, down the back of your pants to squeeze the curve of your ass painfully. He continued to mouth at your shoulder, unaware. When you pushed him this time he pushed back with a hungered moan until you tugged him out of hiding.
“I have to go,” you panted, melting out of his grip. Your voice was unfamiliarly husky. Everything felt slower, hazier like the smokey streets earlier.
His body tightened, attempting to pull you closer before letting go. Lips wet with spit, he regarded you with pure confusion. “What?”
But you were already back on the street before you could answer, underwear uncomfortably sticky. A problem for later; in the dark safety of your room. With vivid memories of a handsome firebender and the way his body felt surging against yours.
You chased Mingyu down the street, snatching his hand and taking off before temptation got the better of you and marched you back into the alley for Wonwoo to finish what started.
“We need to leave,” you said. “Now.”
“Spirits, what did you do?” Mingyu cried.
“Just go!”
Wonwoo didn’t chase, and a part of you curdled with disappointment.
Wonwoo knew he should be in bed. Sleep or not, his body needed rest after the last few nights he spent awake plagued by the nightmare of you. He couldn’t concentrate. Blows he’d block with ease slipped by, bruises littered across his torso as proof. Forms he’d been drilled on for years and years to the point of muscle memory became sloppy enough for his commanders to notice.
And it was all your fault.
You were everywhere; the teasing lit of your voice, the heat of your eyes, the taste of your lips, those soft noises you made when Wonwoo pressed his cock into your core.
It was bad enough after the first night you challenged him. Dokyeom spent all night healing Wonwoo and it hadn’t soothed the sting of humiliation. Then came the fact that no one knew who you were; Dokyeom hadn’t gotten your name, Jeonghan took bets under ‘death wish’. No one recognized you from anywhere in the city. You were a ghost.
But then fate granted him a second chance, only for it to slip through his fingers. Again.
He couldn’t sleep, couldn’t eat. Couldn’t do the one thing he’s good at without being consumed by thoughts of you.
Moonlight dappled through the trees overhead, casting everything in a hazy filter of silver and shadows. Something scurried across the trail ahead and dipped into the bushes. Wonwoo was only fifteen minutes out from the barracks, too close to people for any of the bigger creatures to venture close. Even if something did come across his path, maybe it's what he needed; a new distraction from the one who's been terrorizing him non-stop.
Besides, Wonwoo was a soldier, body trained to remain vigilant even if his mind wanders. If something decided to attack he could handle it. But only fireflies and cicada crickets disturbed the stillness of the forest late at night.
He isn’t sure how long he walked but the moon remained heavy and full in the sky. The sun lay far way away, deep beneath the horizon. Wonwoo’s thoughts wandered farther than his feet could take him, imagining how you’d be spending a night like tonight, probably somewhere getting into more trouble. Maybe freezing another drunken pervert to a wall.
Wonwoo couldn’t help but laugh at the idea. You with your nose in the air as some man begs for mercy, leaving him to rot just because you could.
Then, as all his thoughts of you were in the past few days, the images morphed until it was you and him. You beneath him, on top of him; him between your legs, his cock, his mouth, fingers. All of it as he tried to earn your approval.
There it was. The uncomfortable tightness across the crotch of his pants, the sweat at the edge of his collar. Even the most innocuous thoughts of you sent his body into a helpless frenzy. He hated it all the more because no matter what he did it never stopped. It didn’t matter if he trained until his bones crumbled in on themselves, muscles wilted and spent, there was a part of him immune to exhaustion in light of you. When he took the herbs the medic recommended to help him sleep, his dreams were plagued with the most vivid visions of you; even worse than the waking ones.
It was all your fault for kissing him.
He could have dealt with the embarrassment of being defeated swiftly in the ring. Things happened, he wasn’t immune to bad luck against a good opponent. But you kissed him, and touched him. You let Wonwoo touch you as if there wasn’t a busy street of witnesses only a few feet away. You wanted him to; purred and whimpered with each drag against his thigh. If he had slipped his hand beneath your underbindings like he wanted to there would be evidence of your arousal. He wanted to do that too – where anyone could have seen him. On his knees, with his mouth between your legs as you writhed and pulled his hair until you came.
But he didn’t know your name and was at the mercy of the spirits if he was ever to see you again.
Wonwoo followed the channel, meandering with every bend as his mind worked over and over. He just needed to clear his head enough for tomorrow. After that, he’d figure something out. Find a way to find you or hope you stumbled into his path once more.
Splashes up stream pricked his ears. The closest waterfall was at least an hour's trek upstream from the barracks, where the mountains dropped off into a steep cliff like a spirit cleaved it in half. Wonwoo didn’t know how far or how long he walked but the trees were too dense to be that far out.
The ground was no longer soft from the rain days ago and allowed Wonwoo to sneak forward without sound. It was a shame the night was so clear, the shadows hugging close to the trees, not nearly enough to conceal himself in. But it was of little consequence.
He saw you in profile, bathed in moonlight as you stood in the river, water parted into great walls on either side. Even at a distance, Wonwoo traced the silk binding your torso and the dark leggings clinging to your thighs as you danced among the swelling waves eager to follow your whim. If he hadn’t known better, it looked like the moon was focusing her gaze on you, illuminating you from beneath your skin.
The longer he looked the more he was convinced you were a spirit. No matter how close the waves came to your person, they never seemed to make contact; water completely bent to your will, under total control.
Wonwoo shuffled closer like a moth to a flame. Completely enamored with the sight before him, he didn't realize his mistake until a twig snapped beneath his foot.
In an instant, the sweat and humidity clinging to his clothes froze; icy crystals stinging against bare skin.
Your chuckle was barely audible over Wonwoo’s hiss of discomfort. Heat flushed through his veins, melting your attack but the chill remained.
“You know, it's getting really hard to believe you aren’t stalking me,” you called. The rings of water floated around you even with divided concentration. Something like jealousy and awe rooted in his chest.
“How was I supposed to know you’d be out in the woods tonight?”
“I’m just saying it’s convenient that you always show up when I’m alone,” you smirked. “Don’t worry. I didn’t freeze anyone to a wall this time.”
Cover blown, Wonwoo approached the dry river bank. “Speaking of that, you never said ‘thank you’ for saving your life.”
The whip circling your figure sagged back down into the stream. Wonwoo felt a piece of him warm that he was distracting enough to crack your focus so significantly despite the full moon. As you turned, he became privy to just how much visible through the silk bindings criss crossing your chest. “You didn’t save my life but thank you. Now, do you want to fight or can I get back to my training?”
He couldn’t help but focus on the glittering drops of water cradled in your collarbone. How sweet they’d taste on his tongue if given permission.
“I think I’ll watch for now.” He took a seat on the river bank, legs sprawled in front of him, a careful bend of his knees so the tent in his pants became less obvious.
“Suit yourself,” you shrug. The tentacles previously encasing you rose once again.
It was entirely inappropriate to ogle a woman in nothing but her underclothes. If Wonwoo was a better man he’d leave, or at least have the decency to pretend he wasn’t staring like a starved wolf. But you were spectacular, flowing through different forms with ease that even the best trained guards in his unit would envy. You bent and stretched and twisted suggestively beneath the moonlight.
If you had a weakness, it didn’t show. You bent the river to your will easily, skill that only came with years of trial and failure. Wonwoo stopped admiring the sight of bare skin and focused on your strength as you flowed into the more advanced forms. Thick branches hanging over the river snapping clean from nimble water whips, tree trunks peppered with ice daggers the size of his forearm.
He couldn’t help sending a disc of flame to cut off your next water whip, collapsing it into the grass as you stared indignantly.
Another stream met a tongue of fire from his fist, a burst of steam left in its place. This time you face him with a huff and Wonwoo simply shrugged.
Wonwoo ignored your next moves. You reached over head in a wide circle, back stretched long, all the muscles and skin obstructed by the frustrating blue fabric. It wasn’t until you froze a wall of water in place that he sent a blast of heat, melting the ice to drench you.
“Oops,” he shrugged, stifling a laugh at your indignation.
It’s not as funny when you dump half the river on him and Wonwoo was left gasping like a fish.
When he could finally breathe again, you smiled innocently with an ‘oops’ of your own.
Then the game was on.
Unlike the disappointing night at the warehouse, Wonwoo kept up this time.
You never sparred with someone who didn’t treat you as something fragile. Even Mingyu, try as he might to entertain your wishes, refused to attack with the full force he was capable of. Wonwoo didn’t harbor the same concern.
Neither of you kept advantage for long. Every water whip evaporated before landing, each fireball snuffed by a wave. It was invigorating. You stood shaking and sweaty after hours of trading blow for blow, the moon already dipping low in the sky. Wonwoo didn’t appear to be faring any better. The bruises on his jaw were faded but new ones stained his torso, blood trickling down his elbow from a particularly nasty ice blade. Singed holes scattered your leggings but the grass and trees claimed the brunt of damage.
It would have been so much easier to concentrate if he hadn’t shed his shirt after a whip tore a jagged hole across the front, revealing a muscular torso to the pale moonlight. It was horrible knowing what beneath his clothes looked just as good as it felt the other night. Even worse when his pants ripped just above the knee and you caught a glimpse of his thigh.
The entire reason you even snuck out tonight was because of him. His taste, the feel of him pressed against you so intimately. It haunted you day and night – in sleep, while awake, in meetings, when you were all alone. There was nowhere you could go without the memory of his body against yours; nowhere you hadn’t wondered what could have happened in that alley if Mingyu hadn’t walked by.
You needed something to banish the feeling of his mouth on yours, to dissipate the restlessness settled deep in your muscles. While wading knee deep in the river wasn’t a smart idea, there was nothing at the palace that could help. No one wanted to spar, not to the level you could during the days leading up to a full moon. It wasn’t fair to give your all while guards curbed their skills in fear of hurting you.
So you bid an early goodnight, feigning some sort of illness and retired to your room before the sun had set. Once the moon started her venture across the sky you dug in the back of your wardrobe for the dark clothes from days prior. They were wrinkled but served their purpose. With Mingyu standing guard at your apartment entrance, you snuck out the tunnels and into the city beyond the palace walls.
The clearing was exactly what you needed. Plenty of water and space to lose control, trees offering their service as target practice for whatever twisted move your mind conjured. It helped. Your muscles strained with a level of exhaustion unfamiliar to you, enough so that your mind couldn’t roam as easily. But then he plowed through the forest like he owned it. Of course you couldn’t have a moment of peace, the spirits wouldn’t allow you to indulge in serene silence if they could help it. They sent Wonwoo straight to you as an act of retribution for your long list of sins.
But sparring with him burned away some of the tension. If you were fighting with Wonwoo then you couldn’t think about all the other cravings; of finishing what you started against that wall. Sending ice floes at his head kept him far enough away that even if you wanted to pull him against a tree or down to the grass, you couldn’t.
“Is that really all you got?” he taunted. Wonwoo’s pain is clear on his brow, every step closer punctuated by a limp and labored breathing.
“Oh, please,” you grunted, launching a weak ice disc at his head. The wall of fire lapping at your heels disintegrated as Wonwoo dodged. “As if you could handle more.”
Something feral flashed in his eye at the taunt. “Try me.”
Well at least this time he wasn’t so disappointingly easy to overwhelm.
You skated across the clearing. With the river to your back once again, you pressed the advantage and sent wave after wave. Wonwoo narrowly dodged them with well timed kicks, his fire dispersing them into steam. But each volley soaked clearing until he struggled to remain upright on the muddy ground as he approached the riverbank.
With your next attack, he fell on his back with a hard grunt. For a long second he didn’t move and you worried you’d seriously injured him this time.
“Wonwoo?”
His chest rattled with each labored breath as you approached. He looked horrible; a mess of sweat and dirt, hair matted to his head. His eyes flickered with pain as he stared up at you, hesitating to take your outstretched hand before accepting.
Back on his feet, Wonwoo wasted no time tackling you into the water.
Breaking the surface, you screeched, “You jerk!”
“Come on! I got that move from you,” he laughed.
Even in the midst of dunking his head under, your blood warmed at the sound. He gripped your body tightly to his own, pinning your wrists together in one hand, effectively cutting off your bending. But you refused to go down without a fight. Fortunately he didn’t think you’d be formidable at hand to hand combat and while it was true, he was stronger, you slammed your foot against his thigh, breaking Wonwoo’s hold long enough to slip away.
He breached and sputtered before following again. “Where did you learn that?”
You tussled on the shore, shoving handfuls of mud into each other’s hair and skin. Your legs hooked around his waist, rolling until you sat on his stomach.
Bad idea.
You’re close enough to trace the silver scar through Wonwoo’s brow. A fraction lower, his eyes light with the same fire as when you kissed him the other night. Rocks bit through the thin fabric of your pants, jagged against your knees. But Wonwoo was unaware, tilting his chin up to capture your lips.
You bore down on him, sighing into the seductive heat of his mouth. Wonwoo groaned with a curl of his hips. It took all your focus to snatch his hands from your waist and pin them above his head but he didn’t seem to mind as you rained a series of wet kisses down the column of his neck.
He made another desperate sound as you tugged at the water just out of reach, freezing thick cuffs from Wonwoo’s elbow up to his fingertips.
“Gotcha,” you whispered against his throat.
He slumped into the ground, an indignant huff fanning across your forehead. “Very funny.”
“From where I’m sitting, it is.”
You’re smirk dissolved as he rolled his hips once again. The force sending you up his chest, hands bracketing his shoulders in an effort to maintain balance. To your shame, a sharp gasp squeezed from your lungs at the motion.
“What was that?”
His face – barely an inch away – was lax despite his confinement. It’s enticing. The way he’s spread out, chest displayed, muscles stretched; all of him on display, including the stains on his skin tugging at your conscience. Your hand glided down his chest, catching droplets from the stream to heal the fresher injuries. Those muscles flexed under your gentle touch before relaxing. Wonwoo’s eyes closed with a sigh of relief as cuts knitted back together and bruises faded.
“You’re really bad at this,” you said plainly, shifting focus away from the need to rut down.
Wonwoo’s eyes widened for a moment, ears reddening before he sputtered. The realization dawned on you like the icy waters of the river. Oh.
“Not that!” you corrected. “Fighting me. I’d thought you’d be better this time.”
“It’s a full moon,” he argued, eyes closing once again as you mended a scratch along his chin. It wasn’t even bleeding, but the compulsion to touch him was too strong to ignore.
“So? I could fight you with my hands behind my back and still win.”
“Wanna test that theory?”
With a dismissive wave the ice trapping Wonwoo melted before you answered, rising to your feet before you did something stupid. He was healed enough. “I think I’ve done enough damage to your ego.”
He barely reared back his fist for an attack when the same water froze him again. Now, with his arms and legs immobilized, he glared up at you. Predictable.
Without thinking, you pinned his chest down with a muddy foot. You couldn’t help it; something so satisfying as having him at your mercy conjured the reckless parts of your brain. “Yield.”
His eyes followed the line of your leg, up your torso, only pausing on your wet breast bindings for a moment, and then finally met your gaze. “If I don’t?”
“I can leave you here,” you shrugged, only to hide a shiver. “I’m sure you’ll thaw out by noon.”
Perhaps it'd be better to leave him shackled to the ground. You could leave him and get back to the palace before doing anything scandalous. He could still firebend as long as his mouth was uncovered, and after all the noise of the battle none of the wild life would come close before he freed himself. But Wonwoo wasn’t fond of the idea of waiting until morning to leave.
“Fine,” Wonwoo huffed. “I yield.”
The ice melted again, soaking his pants. No sooner did you turn around, Wonwoo sent a lick of flame at your ankle and, in your attempt to dodge, you sprawled next to him with a hard thud.
“You yielded,” you groaned in pain.
“I’m a sore loser.” Wonwoo rolled to his side, the weight of his gaze heavy on your face. One of his hands found the strip of skin between your bindings and your legs, tracing it with maddening pressure. How easy would it be for him to slip that same hand beneath your pants and touch you again. “Where’d you learn to fight like that?”
“I practice a lot.”
“With who? Assassins?.”
One of your eyes opened to glare. “I watched a few of your matches. You’re…predictable.”
“I never saw you at the warehouse before.”
“Yeah well, I didn’t want to be seen.”
Wonwoo took the opportunity to cover your body with his own, a thigh back between your legs and pressed just right against your center. His mouth found the sensitive spot beneath your jaw as he crumbled your defenses. You could afford to indulge a little bit; some kissing, more of that mind numbing friction from the market. Just to set your nerves at ease, untangle that insufferable knot in the pit of your stomach.
“And why is that?”
Before you can answer, Wonwoo kissed you again but this time you were prepared; surging up to meet him like a tidal wave.
Somehow, the weight of his body like that was even better than when he crowded you against the wall; heavy and satisfying for you to grind against, chasing warm friction. This time he touched without restraint, tugging at your bindings until they fell slack, committing the new swaths of bare skin to memory with his mouth and wandering hands.
His tongue traced the slope of your breast, the chill in the forest pinching your nipples tight for his teeth to take one between.
“Oh,” you moaned, fingers tangled in his hair, urging him to give more. Wonwoo offered the sting of a bite, sucking harder when you made the same depraved sound. You felt it everywhere, down to your core where he pressed against you with a kick of his hips. Far better than when you tried touching yourself after he had lit a consuming hunger in your veins. As if Wonwoo knew the spots driving you mad better than you ever would.
No one was around to hear the way you gasped his name as his hand snaked between your legs, the heel of it nothing short of mind numbing as it rocked against your clit.
“Still predictable?”
You leveled your gaze with his, furious at the confidence you found. During the spar you met him blow for blow. This would be no different, just a new stage.
“You’re hard and trying to scandalize the wildlife after I kicked your ass,” you stuttered through the last bit because Wonwoo curled his fingers against a spot you didn’t know existed. “You’re incredibly predictable.”
You touched him just as eagerly; dipping beneath the tight cling of his pants and fisting his cock with false bravado.
He stopped when you thumbed the leaking tip, huffing against your chest with a throaty groan of his own before continuing with renewed energy. Wonwoo pressed himself through your loose grip, back and forth and back and forth with that mesmerizing hardness that was soft like velvet and hotter than any fire he’d attacked you with; each cant in time with the way you rocked against him. Until he followed your lead and dipped his hand beneath your leggings, calloused fingertips sliding timidly as you writhed beneath him.
“Wonwoo, please.” You needed something, anything. He kept his teeth at your breast, sucking and licking while a finger shallowly dipped inside you.
“Tell me what you want,” he gritted, pulling until you sat back in his lap completely bare from the waist up, the silk of your bindings left on the ground.
I don’t know! I don’t know, tell me what I need, you thought; but you'd rather die than admit inexperience. Instead, you acted on instinct. Each rock of your hips proved it was the right path, the tight press of his fingers better with the new angle as you clung to him. You sank further into it, Wonwoo encouraging you to take whatever you wanted.
It was too much and not enough. Your chest thrusted forward with every motion, and the hand cupping you gently turned into rough pinches hard enough to sting; his mouth the same.
Maybe you could sneak out of the palace every night for this, or sneak Wonwoo in. It wouldn’t be too difficult. He could give this to whenever you needed, no one the wiser as you bared yourself between the sheets for his eyes only.
“So fucking wet.” He punctuated the observation with another finger, palm rocking into that explosive place again and again. You’re knocked off-balance. Knees spread wide to accommodate and Wonwoo took full advantage to brush your hand away from his cock and pull you further into his lap, both hands beneath your bottoms; perfect to roll against as he leaned back to watch. “Don’t seem disappointed now.”
You swam through the beginning of something, Wonwoo’s voice grounding you back down to reality. The goading you could do without but it’s a small price to pay. As long as he maintained the wet slide of your core, he could say whatever he wanted. Your mouth dropped open, head tilted back as your thighs quaked.
“I—” you gasped. All at once the world snapped into a million stars.
He kissed you; your chest, your throat, cheeks, lips. Anywhere Wonwoo could reach was stained with the warmth of his mouth as you shuddered with teary eyes, raking pink lines into his chest. He swallowed each wrecked sound until you kissed back with shaky breath.
“You’re dirty.”
“Excuse me?” you scoffed.
His humor exploded against your cheek, laughter tickling your ears as he dragged a finger across your collarbone. He meant the mud caked to your back, knotted in your hair. But you couldn't focus on the ridiculousness. Wonwoo was still hard, the dewy tip of his cock peeking from the band of his pants. The sight made your chest ache.
The laughter turned to a stunted moan as you gripped him once more. You shifted down his thighs to make more room, but Wonwoo kept you close, nipping at your jaw with each stroke. It’s unlike anything you felt before, the power, the thrill of undoing him, watching as he crumbled into a panting mess beneath your fingers. You pulled his hair and licked behind his teeth.
“O-oh. Fuck,” he groaned. His head fell back, the smooth skin of his throat enticing as he swallowed another sound; the pale glow of early dawn sun providing a startling contrast.
Panic flooded your veins. You looked up and found the moon sunk deeper to make room for the new day.
You were late.
“Shit. Shit. I have to go.” You scrambled away, snagging your bindings. They were disgusting but you had no time to wash them. At least the shirt you snuck out in would hide the wreckage. You tied them tight, whipping around to find the rest of your clothes.
“What?” Wonwoo blinked, as if he was waking from a dream; eyes glazed, cock dewy and pink in his lap as he stared up at you.
You flushed, tempted to sit back down and pretend it was a mistake. The voice whispering in the back of your head wanted nothing to do with responsibilities and obligations. You wanted this. To be reckless and enjoy what Wonwoo offered, and feel the way he responded when offered the same.
But the pale morning light brought reality with it.
“I’m sorry. I—” There was nothing else you could say. No explanation that wouldn’t leave you both with heartache. So you kissed him softly, long and slow, until Wonwoo’s fingers tickled back across your hips and you remembered you had to go. Now. “I’m sorry.”
And then you sprinted home without looking back.
After the beating Wonwoo received into the early hours of this morning, perhaps he should feel the same bruise to his ego like the weeks before when his face resembled the wrong end of a moose dragon. Even with the best healing, his body ached for days after. A constant reminder not only had he lost, but done so in front of one of the biggest crowds the warehouse ever had.
But even though he lost again last night, he’d won enough to walk on clouds like an airbender.
You were distracting while in your element but when you came? He couldn’t look away even if he wanted to. Helpless to the vision of your chin tipped back, spine arched as you moaned his name. Never mind he had to finish himself after you fled, returning to the barracks to hide in the bathroom like a teenager. The memory was enough, it only took a few strokes before he found his own satisfaction; though he preferred to find it with you next time.
Not even the weary day ahead dampened his glow despite the lack of sleep. The Queen rarely visited, and the princess never. But today they planned to, and that meant everything must be in perfect order which included new uniforms starched until Wonwoo could hardly bend.
The courtyard was packed with guards of all levels, cadeats to captains. They spent the morning sparring and working through basic forms under the watchful eye of Commander Aiko, Wonwoo overseeing the training ring. Under the high noon sun, the firebenders maintained a clear advantage over anyone else but Wonwoo conserved his energy for later. Once the Queen arrived, Commander Aiko would no doubt drag him out for a demonstration for the old man to tout as his own accomplishment.
It’d be good to remind the others of his skill, how he earned his rank through nothing but sheer determination. Most of the teasing had faded in the past month but it never hurt to make sure. Just because he lost to you didn’t mean he couldn’t defeat any of them. It wasn’t a fluke, you were just better. Wonwoo admired your skill but next time he’d win.
But he banished those thoughts for now. He’d found you twice – by chance but he still found you – a third time felt inevitable. There was too much unfinished business for him to believe otherwise. When he did have you again, he wouldn’t let you slip away so easily.
It wasn’t until later afternoon that the royal procession arrived, palace guards donned in stark black uniform circling a pair of women like hawk vultures. He couldn’t see the princess’s face from where he stood, only the stretch of silk across her shoulders as Commander Aiko gestured animatedly.
Rumor had it the princess was the most beautiful woman in the kingdom, with soft manners. kind eyes, and a gentle soul. Not that anyone saw her outside the palace. The queen kept her under lock and key, rightfully so as her only heir. But tales of her beauty and warmth flowed freely. She was the kind of princess men went to war for. Sacrificed their lives for.
And as such, most of the men had put extra time into preparing this morning; shaving and hogging mirrors in the bathroom to fix their hair. As if the princess would look upon one of them and find interest in a man with no title, no money, and no influence. The stuff of legends that Wonwoo had no interest in.
Wonwoo supervised the officers as they attempted to throttle one another. Apparently rumors of the princess’ presence inspired their best; it was almost pathetic if he wasn’t impressed by their creativity.
Rone yanked the ground from beneath Pono’s feet, rushing the smaller man forward into his fist covered in rock. The force would’ve knocked Pono unconscious if he hadn’t used the momentum to leap over Rone with a gust of air and slam his knee into his chest. Rone doubled over, gasping for breath.
“That’s enough,” Wonwoo called. “Ura. Tou. You’re up. Try not killing each other this time.”
Ura shook her head. “You light a guy on fire once.”
“Six!” Tou screamed. “You’ve lit me on fire SIX TIMES!”
“Make it seven,” someone on the sidelines cheered.
Ura lunged at To with a fire whip but Wonwoo was distracted with a call of his name before he could see Tou redirect it.
“Captain Jeon, I’d like to introduce you to her Royal Majesty and her granddaughter, Princess Y/N”
Wonwoo, remembering his manners to never turn his back to the royal family, whipped around fast enough everything blurred as he rushed to bow. “Your Majesty, Your Highness.”
“Commander Aiko has told me much about you, Captain Jeon,” a voice greeted him, definitely the Queen from the rich timbre. “I hope you’ll honor us with a demonstration of your skills later.”
“Of course, Your Majesty. It’d be an honor.”
Wonwoo rose and finally got his first glance of the princess. She was even more beautiful than the stories claimed, face glowing in the sun, not a hair out of place. A dress of rich fabric, embroidered with pearls in a wave motif at the collar, hugged her figure but didn’t betray the power beneath.
While he couldn’t vouch for manners, your eyes were anything but kind. If looks could kill, Wonwoo was a dead man walking. His veins froze. Absolutely not. This was not happening. It was a dream, a sick and twisted dream where he made out with royalty in a field without knowing.
It didn’t make sense.
You bowed, eyes averted to your shoes with a greeting in return. The wild energy that possessed you in the field was nowhere to be found; extinguished by faux meekness and rigid posture.
“Jeon,” Aiko started, preening like a peacock. “Give Princess Y/N a tour of the grounds. She’s never seen men in action.”
Wonwoo managed to silence his snort of disbelief but couldn’t help the quip dripping from his tongue. “Oh, I doub—”
“A tour would be wonderful, Captain Jeon,” you cut him off. Your teeth gleamed like knives, gaze pointed. The wildness was still there and a bolt of fear flashed through him.
“Of course, Your Highness.”
Wonwoo spun on his heel, leading you to the far side of the training ring while Ura and Tou lulled into a standoff, circling one another warily. He couldn’t help but feel you and him were doing the same.
Embarrassment, betrayal. It’s why you hadn’t told him your name, he realized. Not at the warehouse, not at the market, not even in the field. You played him for a fool again and again. And he let you
Tou knocked Ura’s left leg out from beneath her with a blazing kick. She fell to her knees but Ura rolled just in time to avoid Tou’s fist, dragging an arch of flame up with her heel and forcing Tou back.
You hovered beside Wonwoo, silently watching the fight. He refused to look at you because if he did then no doubt someone would notice his anger. And why would he be angry at the princess? Wonwoo never officially met you, this is technically the first time he’s ever seen you let alone spoken to you.
From opposite sides of the training ring, Ura and Tou’s both thrust their palms forward to summon fire streams thick enough the air around them shimmers as they collide; blue versus red. The crowd of guards watching stepped back, tugging at their collars. Wonwoo was tempted to step forward and join the fight, work out some of the restless annoyance burning beneath his skin.
“Impressive,” you commented, features tinged golden by the flame.
Wonwoo would have agreed if Ura’s ankle hadn’t quivered. Tou, forever soft for the willowy firebender, refused to take advantage of her weakness. He’d throw a hundred matches before using Ura’s injury against her. And Ura knew it.
“Is that all you’ve got to say?”
“You don’t exactly seem interested in any sort of conversation,” you shot back.
You were right. Wonwoo didn’t want to talk anymore than he wanted to pull his own teeth out. What he wanted was to wake from this horrible dream, for Hoshi to come out of the woodwork and reveal this was all an elaborate prank.
Wonwoo winced as Ura grappled Tou down to his knees, slinging her arm around his neck and pulling him into a chokehold. Then he turned to look at you. “Pardon me for coming to terms with the fact I got into a fist fight with royalty. It’s a first for me.”
“Don’t be dramatic.”
“This isn’t funny.”
“I didn’t plan this.” You have the sense to look ashamed, eyes on the ground Tou wiggled out of Ura’s grip and scrambled to his feet.
“Do you know how much trouble I could get in if anyone found out I tried to fight you? I could be executed.”
“That wasn’t—” You stopped abruptly, chest expanding with a deep breath. “You said you were from the Middle District. How was I supposed to know you were a part of the Crown’s Guard?”
“I am from the Middle District.”
Your fingers bunched in the pleats of your robes. “But most of the guards are from the Noble's Quarter.”
“I’m not like most men. But I don’t expect you to understand what it means to earn something.”
“I think I earn my victories quite well,” you spat. “Perhaps you would like another demonstration, Captain Jeon.”
In the ring, Ura and Tou came to a standstill. The inky braid coiled on Ura’s head had long unraveled, tangled and lopsided as it hung down her back. Tou’s new jacket was signed at the collar, cuffs smoldering as well. They looked like they were having the time of their lives.
Wonwoo waited a long moment before speaking again. It would do no good to insult you. Already the darkest corners of his anger were brightening. “That was…unkind of me. I apologize.”
“Your insults are as deficient as your bending,” you smiled and strode away leaving Wonwoo to follow like a scorned puppy.
Ura and Tou waned but continued.
“Why don’t either of them give up?” you asked.
“Ura agreed to marry Tou if he could beat her in a fight.”
“I thought relations between guards were forbidden.”
“They are. It’s why Tou refuses to take advantage of her weak ankle.”
“Then why would she…”
“If you’re asking me to explain their relationship then I have no answers,” Wonwoo replied as Tou finally yielded and another pair of troops took their place. “You’re lucky most of the guards don’t go to those matches or we’d both be in serious trouble.”
“If none of the other guards go, why were you there?”
“I’ve been doing it for years. They pay well and I needed money.”
Wonwoo leaves the rest unsaid. What other reason did a Middle District kid have to fight other than money? He took his beatings in the public arena for years because coin was coin. He never planned to become skilled enough to start winning. But when he did, after years of blood, sweat, and tears, he was good enough for the Crown Guard to take notice and Seungcheol to bring him into the fold before retiring. Now, Wonwoo had a free place to sleep, albeit it was barely large enough for him and the four other men he shared it with, all on bunk beds. But it was far better than the fifty man barrack he started in years ago. There were free meals and hot showers and his patrols through the Noble's Quarter rarely were more than counting the number of steps through his route before he ended up back where he started.
The fighting kept his skills sharp in the way training couldn’t. Commander Aiko didn’t like his cheap shots or the scrappiness Wonwoo learned in the ring. They were ‘undignified’ for one of the Royal Army, especially the Crown’s Guard. But more often than not, they were the edge he had on the other officers.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. I never intended to put you in such a difficult position. I just—”
“You just what, Your Highness?”
“Don’t call me that,” you spat before softening. “How am I supposed to be Queen if I’m not allowed to actually see my kingdom?”
Seeing your kingdom felt like an odd way to describe what you and Wonwoo had been doing away from wandering eyes but he didn’t dwell.
“Probably not by lying.”
“Or by freezing men to walls.”
The attempt at humor softened and soured Wonwoo’s mood all at once. Rationally, he knew he should be angry. Furious even. But it was not that simple. If he was in your shoes, what would he have done? Probably far worse than sneaking out for a night on the town. Even too many hours at the barracks had a way of making him crave for the anonymity of the city streets he grew up on.
Wonwoo was not angry, annoyed maybe. Even as you stood, wrapped in the finest silks he’d ever seen with enough sapphires and pearls pinned in your hair for him to buy a village, it was pity he felt rather than disdain. To be forced to hide the wildness you possessed behind pretense and perform exactly what was expected of you. Could he blame you for wanting a break from it all?
Judging by the hopeful look on your face you wanted to leave the entire ordeal in the past, same as him.
“That might help you on the throne.”
You smiled and looked back at the two men sparring in the ring who were fighting with swords, the smaller one locking their hilts together and twisting until the larger man was forced to release his weapon.
He’d be infatuated with you but that was all it was; all it could be. A funny story to remember years and years from now, when his children’s children were grown. They’d call him crazy for rambling about how he once knew the princess.
He couldn’t help his next question. “And everything else? Are you sorry for that too?”
A blight of confusion twisted your face before your eyes bulged. Years of etiquette schooled your features swiftly but Wonwoo felt pleased to see you off kilter as he felt, however brief. You should be just as uncomfortable with the looming consequences of what happened in that field as he was.
The satisfaction didn’t last long.
You turned to face him head on, leveling him with a heavy gaze. “Are you?”
Wonwoo choked.
It seems the fire from before was not completely snuffed out under pounds of finery.
“I think I’ve seen enough of the grounds. It's quite warm and I feel myself growing faint.”
When he finally regained his senses, Wonwoo followed several steps behind, face tinged red. Hopefully everyone mistook it as a result of a day in the sun rather than a battle of wits.
Commander Aiko and the Queen ceased their conversation as you approached them..
“What do you think of our troops, Your Highness?” Aiko asked.
“They are very impressive, Commander,” you smiled.
By some great miracle, Aiko stood fifteen feet taller with your compliments. It itches at the back of Wonwoo’s brain that a compliment could slip off your tongue so easily towards others but not towards him.
“I’m pleased my men are up to your standards. Captain Jeon is one of my best, you’ll be completely safe in his care during next month's festivities.”
“Pardon?” you and Wonwoo asked at the same time.
Aiko frowned. “Her Majesty insisted on additional protection due to the increased presence at the palace. Surely, she informed you?”
“She did,” you nodded. “But wouldn’t Captain Jeon’s expertise be more valuable elsewhere? It’d be a shame for his skills to be wasted guarding me when we will be surrounded by allies.”
“In the event something might go wrong, is it not better to have someone as trained as he is to protect you?”
Wonwoo wanted to argue that you were more than capable of protecting yourself. But clearly your bending talents were a secret, at least to Commander Aiko. Perhaps that was for the best; the element of surprise was a powerful tool, one you wielded well. A glance at your blanked expression all but confirmed it.
Aiko continued, “You are next in line, therefore your safety is second only to the Queen herself. Captain Jeon would be honored to serve you.”
The old man leveled Wonwoo with an expectant look, giving him two options: reject the position and directly insult the crown and his commanding officer, inadvertently signing his own death warrant. Or accept, play minder for however long was required. Then he could return to his life and pretend none of this ever happened.
“It would be my honor to serve the royal family and her Highness.”
Wonwoo convinced himself that the disappointment in your eyes was wishful thinking.
⊹ summary: jeon wonwoo has spent most of his adolesence and early adult hood unable to understand why he can't seem to stay in a relationship for more than a few months. as his best friend, you allowed him to vent about his worries without judgment. so what if you're in love with him? your friendship with wonwoo meant more to you than having your feelings reciprocated. that is until you hit your breaking point, while wonwoo finally realizes what has been in front of him this whole time.
⊹ tags: non-idol!au, uni!au, unrequited love (for the most part), pining, toxic!wonwoo, toxic!reader, both in wonwoo and readers pov, questionable protagonists, mentions of other svt members, happy ending (?), emotionally constipated characters (wonwoo), flashbacks, slight seokmin x reader, a lot of emotions thrown everywhere. (content warnings under the cut)
⊹ note: this story was meant to be posted for wonwoos bday, but if you know anything about me by now, i never really stick to my self made deadlines lol. thank you to my cutieful, big brained beta readers:
♡ @junkissed @chocosvt and @sunniques ♡ everyone in @svthub and @highvern and @gyuswhore who helped me w this fic as well ! if u look closely this is pretty much just a sugar coated version of real life events lol... anyways i hope u enjoy and lmk what u think thru the replies and reblogs :) !
⊹ masterlist, fic playlist.
⊹ smut tags: no smut in this part :p
⊹ warnings: alcohol, reader is downbad for wonwoo, stalking, slut-shaming, evasions of privacy, if i missed anything lmk! cuz ik i did i just can't think of what hehe :p
⊹ what i would like to note about this story before you read it: you're not meant to like these characters (for most of the story at least lol), they are flawed in many ways, thats the whole point of this story tbh. tmi--but this story is pretty much my free therapy lol. and i love a messy plot! wonwoo and reader are just two normal people in this story and i wanted to write something a little more raw than i'm used to. so just take what i say with a grain of salt before reading ♡ i still want you to enjoy this story because i poured my soul into it. so thank you for your support and kind asks and comments about the teaser!
prologue.
Despite your age, you’ve never been in a serious relationship. There was always something holding you back, or rather, someone.
In all the years you’ve known Wonwoo, you’ve always thought maybe one day, he would look at you in a different light. Hoping that he could reciprocate the feelings you’ve harboured for him since the eleventh grade.
He was the one who constantly moved out of relationships. You couldn’t even count the amount of late-night calls where he asked you what his “next step” should be. The doting best friend that you are, you’d gladly stay up all night trying to help him fix his girl problems.
“I just, I don’t have feelings for her anymore. Is that wrong?” he asked you over the phone.
Tossing and turning in your bed you let out a deep sigh. One thing is always guaranteed with Wonwoo: in a relationship, he loses feelings quickly. No matter how much he likes the girl, no matter how obsessed or possessive he feels for them at the beginning of it all, it diminishes by the time the six-month mark hits.
Although he may be a great friend to you, relationships were never his strong suit.
“It’s not wrong to fall out of love, but how many times are you going to break up with someone before you decide to stay?” you ask him, and he pauses to think.
“I don’t know, but I can’t stay, that would make things worse,” he sighs. “It’s better to just stop this whole thing now.”
“I agree, but are you sure?” you continue to ask him the same questions you’ve been asking since you were sixteen.
“I’m sure,” he replies with a heavy sigh.
“Okay, then goodnight. It’s almost one in the morning,” you try to cut the call, but he continues to speak.
“I’m not the bad guy, right?” he asks you for reassurance.
“No, you’re just human Wonwoo. There’s nothing wrong with losing feelings for someone,” you affirmed.
“Alright, thank you, good night and sweet dreams,” he whispers listlessly.
“Good night, Wonwoo.”
Your phone beeps indicating that he’s hung up and you can feel the heartstrings pull inside your chest. How many times will it take for Wonwoo to find someone he actually wants to be with? And why is it never you?
act one, favorite crime.
chapter one.
“Wait, what? You and Wonwoo aren’t dating?” Seungcheol asks you, forcing you into the hot seat.
The rest of your friend group is boring holes into your face as they all sit around Jeonghan’s living room. The blood rises in your cheeks, but you shake your head anyway.
It feels like every time you’re with your friends, they ask you the same set of questions. Constantly wondering why you and Wonwoo haven’t thought about dating, or why you two haven’t decided to take the chance and just be together.
“You guys need to stop asking that. A guy can befriend someone of the opposite gender,” Wonwoo defends the two of you.
“You’re telling me in all the years you’ve known her, you haven’t developed feelings for her once?” Cheol continues to instigate, and your eyes go wide.
Looking over at Wonwoo, you anxiously wait for his answer, your chest blooming with hope, only for those buds to be washed away in a millisecond.
“No, c’mon, we’re just friends. That’s it, right?” Wonwoo turns to you, trying to get you to back him up.
Your mouth runs dry as he stares at you, his eyebrows rising in anticipation.
“U-uh yeah, Wonwoo’s right, we’re just friends,” you blurt out, not being able to handle all the expectant eyes on you all at once.
“See? Now can you all just get off our backs?” he chastises.
The chatter starts up again, moving past the topic of you and Wonwoo’s friendship. But you sit there, with your heart crushed in your hands, lifeless and shrivelled. Like his words and actions had the power to tear the life out of you. The worst part was that he did all this without knowing. He’s completely oblivious to your feelings, and you only have yourself to blame.
You understand your relationship with Wonwoo is different from most people’s, but at the same time, it should be normal for a girl and a guy to just be friends. And at least you respect Wonwoo’s feelings, and you also respect that whenever he’s dating someone the dynamic between you two shifts.
He becomes more detached when he’s in a relationship, and you’re okay with that. His priorities change and you’re okay with that. Despite your feelings for him, you know that you can’t force him to feel the same way. And you should be okay with that.
You’ve never tried to get in the way of his love life, or purposefully give him bad advice to ruin what he has with someone else. Not since you were seventeen, and at that time in your life your frontal lobe was a measly speck of dust, but it's different now. Now, your morals don’t change just because you love him, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt any less to see the person you’re in love with, fall in love with someone else.
two.
“Hey, you okay?” Seokmin approaches you, and you turn your head, acknowledging his presence.
“Huh? Yeah, I’m alright,” you mutter, but you know you don’t look that way.
Seokmin has known you since high school and has seen you through everything, probably more than Wonwoo. He knows when you’re not feeling well. A sympathetic permanent on his lips as he continues to observe you play with the food on your plate, pushing around the food aimlessly but never taking a bite.
The sounds of people conversing throughout the dining hall never die down. But luckily, the commotion keeps your thoughts of Wonwoo at bay, or at least that’s what you like to think. But your heart can’t seem to let go of that moment from the other day. Having Seungcheol confirm that Wonwoo has never felt anything romantically for you was like a stab in the stomach, and him getting you to back up his words was just him twisting the knife.
“What’s the matter, sweetheart? You can tell me,” he sighs, pushing the hair covering your face and placing it behind your ear.
You can feel the tears start to pool, but you try your damndest not to let them spill—not like this, not in front of so many people.
“It was just something Wonwoo said when we were all at Hannie’s house,” you mumble, refusing to make eye contact with your friend.
“What did he say?”
“That he’s never liked me before,” you sigh, feeling a tear slip from your eye.
Cursing yourself in your head, you hate how much your feelings for him affect you. You hate how he doesn’t have to even be in front of you, yet he can still cause your emotions to fluctuate.
“It’s alright,” he coos, pulling you into his strong arms.
It felt weird, to hug Seokmin so tightly in the middle of your university’s dining hall. But you’re thankful for how aware he is, how he actually cares about your feelings. You felt melodramatic sitting there crying in the fucking dining hall of all places, but you couldn’t help but let your tears flow as Seokmin comforts you with his soft voice.
“You deserve more than this, I hope you know that,” he whispers in your ear.
three.
Over the next few days, the words Seokmin had whispered to you kept replaying in your head. You did deserve better and looking at all of Wonwoo’s past relationships is the perfect example. He’s not exactly the ideal boyfriend, so why did you even have feelings for him in the first place?
You could feel a migraine coming on from how hard you were thinking, but Wonwoo still seems to be the only person you can’t let go of. No matter how many times you’ve tried.
A knock on your door brings you out of your thoughts. It was late, and you don’t remember anyone messaging you saying that they were going to come over, but you open the door anyway.
“Hey, sorry I didn’t text,” Wonwoo moves past you, takes his shoes off, and plops on your couch.
“It’s okay, what’s up?” you move to sit beside him.
“I broke up with her,” He says, shrugging.
Taken aback by his nonchalance, your eyes widen. He seems calm for someone who has just broken up with his girlfriend. But you try not to think too hard about it, or you might just have to take another Advil to remedy your already growing headache.
“Well, how did it go?” you ask with a bit of apprehension.
Knowing Wonwoo, you knew that he probably just dumped her over the phone or something. He’s never been bothered to really break up with someone.
You have all these examples of why he would probably be the worst boyfriend ever, yet your heart still belongs to him. It’s pitiful, to say the least, people probably would think that you’re a masochist because you subject yourself to staying by his side when he has feelings for another.
“She was crying, but at least it’s over now,” Wonwoo informs you as he eats the snacks you had left on your coffee table.
“Oh.” You could feel the guilt start to seep into your veins.
It never felt good to hear Wonwoo talk about his breakups, but you’re not sure how to react. There’s a part of you that’s happy to know that he’s single again, but the majority of you pities the girl who had just gotten her heart broken.
Wonwoo continues to munch on the snacks left on your table while your mind tries to process the information you’ve been given. Hearing him talk so casually about his breakup leaves a bitter taste in your mouth, but you decide to switch topics instead of asking any more questions.
“Are you still going to Seokmin’s thing this weekend, though?” you ask him, trying to fill the air with something to drown out your rapid heartbeats.
He shrugs his shoulders, “If I feel like it. Are you?”
The bottom of your stomach tightens. You were hoping that he would go, even looking forward to it. Is that pathetic? To want to see him everywhere you go? Maybe you were pathetic to the point where you only felt like hanging out with your friends if he was there.
“I mean, I don’t have a ride so…” you trail off, pretending to pay attention to whatever was playing on the T.V. screen.
“I’ll go since you’re going, that way you have a ride,” he mumbles, adjusting his posture to lean back on your couch.
He sighs as he sinks into the plush cushions, spreading his legs while he puts his arms up. You’re very aware of his proximity, and you try not to let it show. But the smell of his cologne invades your senses, knocking the breath out of your chest.
Wonwoo’s arm circles your shoulder, pulling you closer to him and forcing your head to rest delicately on his broad shoulder. Exhaling, you let yourself enjoy his way of showing affection. Although to him it means nothing, and to you, quite literally everything.
“Thank you for agreeing to go to Seokmin’s so I have a ride,” you whisper but still avoid eye contact so he doesn’t notice your flustered expression.
“Thank you for letting me barge in here just so I can talk about my breakup,” he whispers back, kissing the top of your head.
“Of course, what are best friends for?”
four.
Most people fall in love gradually, slowly growing feelings for the person before they can even call it love. Like the way the seasons steadily turned from winter to spring. Green grass peeking from underneath the melting snow, or flowers gently blooming and unravelling their new set of stems and petals. For you, it was different.
Falling in love with Wonwoo wasn’t gradual at all.
If anything, falling in love with Wonwoo felt like a snowstorm in the middle of a sunny day. Your affection for him grew rapidly, and before you knew it, your mind was clouded with him and him only. It became hard to stay rational as if you were driving down a snow-filled road without any control over the steering wheel. Swerving into different lanes, your brakes malfunction, making it hard to bring your car to a full stop. Falling in love with Wonwoo was not gradual or easy.
When you met him on the first day of your junior year of high school, your sixteen-year-old brain couldn’t fully comprehend your crush on him. He was the shy, scrawny new kid in your class, and no one paid mind to him except you. But that didn’t stop you from liking him. Despite his interest in collecting pokémon cards and his crooked glasses that were too big for his face, you were in love.
You were like two peas in a pod that whole year, and the only time you and Wonwoo spent time apart was when he had to leave during summer break to visit family in Korea.
When he returned for your senior year, you could barely recognize him. Suddenly the nerdy Wonwoo you knew was gone. His glasses complimented his face, his hair was styled differently, and most of all, he got hot. A lot of your classmates must’ve seemed to agree because now your best friend and the man you’re in love with gained attention from people who didn’t even bat an eyelash at him last year.
It annoyed you to see all these people suddenly interested in him. You were angry that just because he grew a few inches and learned to do his hair didn’t mean he was that much different from how he was last year.
Even though Wonwoo was in a relationship, he still stayed true to your friendship. He still hung out with you, ate lunch with you, you even came over on weekends to have dinner with his family. Day by day, your love for him strengthened, and you ignored that his attention had been divided between you and his girlfriend at the time.
When their relationship hit three months, it seemed your friendship had come to an abrupt halt. He didn’t invite you for dinner as often, you two didn’t talk on the phone every other night. He started to invest more of his time into her until he decided she wasn’t worth his energy anymore. Then the calls would come, his contact name flashing across your phone screen to ask you for advice.
“I feel like I need to break up with Haein,” his deep voice flowed through your phone speaker. A sigh left his lips as he faced the truth.
Haein was Wonwoo’s first girlfriend. She was nice, almost too nice. Wonwoo definitely had a type for girls with a bubbly personality. Ones that were effortlessly beautiful, reminiscent of a freshly made porcelain doll. That was Haein to you, unblemished in every way possible. Everything that you weren’t.
You couldn’t bring yourself to hate her. She was too nice to hate, but your younger self was so angry at how much of Wonwoo's time she took up that you envied her. Seokmin once jokingly mentioned that you looked especially green when she was around, and you remember how quickly you checked your appearance on the nearest reflective surface because of what he had said in passing. You remember vividly how nervous his words made you, was it that obvious?
Wonwoo’s first time calling you about his breakup plans was a delightful surprise, and you were too in shock to sputter out a proper response.
“Oh. Why?” was all you could say, still stunned that after a week of no contact, this was the first thing he said.
“‘Dunno, I just don’t like her anymore,” he admitted effortlessly.
You didn’t know how to respond. Your heart was screaming at you to encourage him to break up with his girlfriend at the time, while your brain was telling you to think logically.
“Well, if that’s what you think is right,” you mumbled, trying to hide the fact that you felt a sense of relief at Wonwoo potentially being single again.
Others may have tried to rationalize with Wonwoo, but you didn’t care. You wanted your friendship with him to turn back to normal. Your adolescent brain ignored that it was wrong to encourage him, as long as he was fully yours again.
History repeated itself over and over, and the older you got, you learnt to not be so selfish with his attention. Mostly out of guilt for the person he was going to break up with, but also because you didn’t want Wonwoo to realize your true feelings.
Although being in love with Wonwoo was brutal, you constantly wished that things were different between you two, but they weren’t. He’s never seen you as more than a friend, and as your friendship with him progressed, you had begun to learn to mask your romantic feelings for platonic ones.
five.
By the time you entered university, you had mastered the art of pretending. As if your feelings for Wonwoo didn’t exist. You are quite meticulous in ensuring that he never realizes that you are profoundly in love with him. The mere thought of him finding out how you truly felt frightened you.
You’ve already envisioned countless scenarios on how it could go. The idea of being rejected by the one you love most. It would change everything about your friendship with him. The look of pity in his eyes, the apologies that would spill out of his mouth. You can't bear even the thought of rejection. Not from him.
Two voices are constantly at war inside your mind. Your brain, acting as the voice of reason, constantly reminds you that it’s better to preserve your friendship. To keep the dynamic you’ve always had with Wonwoo guarded where it could last, thrive. While your heart persuaded you with deluded, fake scenarios.
‘What if he likes you back?’
‘You never know until you try.’
‘Take the risk or lose the chance.’
What if.
Like a siren to a sailor, your heart sang with deep imagery. Filling your thoughts with illusions of you and Wonwoo finally together. But your mind doesn’t let you go without a fight. It knows that beyond the deep waters where your siren-voiced heart lies is nothing but a bottomless pit.
The possibilities are endless, and you’d rather stay safely grounded in your boat of rationality.
A notification brings you out of your thoughts. Although you already knew that it was Wonwoo, you scramble to pick up your phone. There’s excitement laced in your veins as you look down at the screen.
7:06 p.m.
[wons <3]: be there in 5.
There was no reason for you to be so ecstatic but you couldn’t help it. He had already texted you prior, notifying you that he was leaving his place to come pick you up, and yet every time your phone buzzes, you still hope that it’s something completely different. But that was your heart talking; you knew that it wouldn’t be anything out of the ordinary.
Everyone had planned to meet at Seokmin’s place today, just to have one last celebration before midterms began again. You had happily agreed, enthusiastic that you could spend more time with Wonwoo, although it wouldn’t be a one-on-one thing. You were more than elated to see him while also being able to hang out with the rest of your friends.
Throwing your phone back on the bed, you change into an outfit that is both cute and comfortable. There wasn’t a reason to dress up when the vibe at Seokmin’s was just going to be sitting around his living room, drinking cocktails and eating pizza.
Wonwoo texts you once more to let you know he’s outside, causing you to race down to meet him. A lump in your throat arises, as he comes into your field of vision, appreciating how breathtakingly handsome he is.
The chilled breeze brushes through the strands of his hair, glasses perched on his tall nose. He looked amazing, just like he always had, but you never get bored of admiring him. Even if it’s just from afar.
“Hi! Sorry if I kept you waiting,” your voice resounds into the night.
“It's never a problem if it’s you,” he chuckles as you dawdle over to the passenger side of his car.
Trying not to read too deep into his words, you snort at his cheesy line instead of giving a response. Watching Wonwoo move to the side as he opens the car door for you. His actions make you blush, and you know you’ll think about it for the rest of the night.
“Are you ready to go?” he asks, smiling at you.
The ride to Seokmin’s house is fairly quiet, the sounds of music filling the silence instead. Your thoughts are overflowing with scenarios once again, wondering how different the car ride would be if you and Wonwoo were in a relationship. His fingers would probably be laced with yours, or rubbing soothingly against your thigh while his other hand gripped the steering wheel. Planting kisses on your cheeks at every red light. It seemed like heaven on the other side. But you knew reality would crush your delusions soon enough.
…
The clock on Seokmin’s pale white wall is nearing midnight and you don’t want to be here anymore. Not when the only thing you could focus on was Wonwoo flirting with a girl whose name you didn’t catch. She’s Joshua’s childhood friend and he only brought her along because she’s visiting from out of town. Whoever she was, it didn’t matter. The only thing that mattered to you was the fact that she was able to bring out Wonwoo’s deep laugh. The kind of laugh that only befalls upon your ears when he finds something genuinely funny.
The ugly swirl of jealousy sits in the pit of your stomach and you couldn't help but scoff at your wretched situation. It made you sick watching them, and you could throw up any minute now. At this point, you weren’t sure who to envy, Wonwoo or the girl he was flirting with. You find it unfair that he doesn’t realize how greatly he can impact your feelings.
Just a few hours ago, you were in utter bliss. Sitting in the front seat of his car, listening to the music softly playing on the ride to Seokmin’s apartment. Making stupid jokes and pointing out the random sights that you had seen while driving down the bustling city streets. You envy how easy it is for Wonwoo to make all those feelings of delight vanish. And he doesn’t even know. He doesn’t know what he’s doing to you, and that’s what hurts the most.
“You doing okay?” Seokmin comes up to you, placing a gentle hand on your shoulder, squeezing it affectionately.
“Huh? Oh. Yeah I’m okay,” you chuckle, but there’s nothing humorous about your laugh at all.
His eyes soften, he knows that you’re not okay. Seokmin always knew. After all these years, he can tell when you’re trying to save face. There’s a lump in your throat, and if you didn’t have a drink to sip on to distract you, you probably would’ve gone to the bathroom to cry.
“You wanna talk in my room?” he offers, and you’re grateful.
Seokmin knew he had to get you somewhere other than the living room. You were practically torturing yourself, sitting on the couch and watching Wonwoo talk to everyone but you.
Instead of agreeing vocally, you nod your head before standing up to follow Seokmin to his room. The door shuts softly, muffling the sounds of laughter and allowing your uneasiness to finally subside.
As you sit on Seokmin’s bed, you feel the tears starting to trickle down your cheeks. It feels pathetic, crying over something so trivial. Why does it have to be you who feels this way? Why can’t you just be a normal friend and see Wonwoo in a platonic light? The whole world could turn upside and he’d be the first person you search for.
Everything just seemed so unfair, how could you possibly be happy if your feelings for Wonwoo were constantly in the way of it all? It’s tiring, worrying about him, yearning for him. You could do so many other things with your time, and when you look toward the future, you know that you’ll regret how much of your life you wasted loving someone who doesn’t love you back.
“It’s okay, just let it out,” Seokmin whispers in your ear, embracing you in a tight hug.
Crying felt good. You rarely cry over your situation despite how upsetting it is. For the first time in a while, you allowed yourself to finally indulge in your sadness and let go of everything you were too afraid to say or feel.
“I know it sucks right now, but honestly, it might be time to get over him,” Seokmin continues to comfort you while trying to help you face the reality of your situation. “You’re so hurt, and it’s taking a toll on you. Please, I can’t bear to see you so sad.”
His words hit you hard because you know it's true. But all you can do is apologize. Saying sorry for feeling this way, even though it’s not your fault, you cannot control your feelings, you still apologize. To Seokmin, to your friends, but also yourself.
“I-I’m sorry,” you hiccup, tears staining Seokmin’s white shirt.
“Why are you sorry? You did nothing wrong,” he mutters, his large hand patting your head, trying to soothe your fit of emotions.
“Because, if I was normal, you wouldn’t have to worry about me, about why I’m always upset, you and the others, my feelings are burdening all of you,” you continue to weep softly in his arms, gripping onto his shoulders as his hands encircle your waist.
“Hey, look at me–” he grabs your face, gentle as a mouse, rubbing away the tears from your cheeks. “You are not a burden. We care, that’s why we worry, and I just want to be there for you.”
“Thank you, Seokmin. I’m so happy that I have someone like you in my life,” you pull him into a hug again, knocking the air out of his chest, but he’s still somehow able to hug you even tighter.
Seokmin is like your favourite childhood blanket, keeping you warm and away from everything that could possibly hurt you. He’s always willing to hear you rant about things that you know you could never tell Wonwoo.
“I’m so tired, I’m tired of feeling like this,” you admit to him.
Running his hands through your hair, he gives you a reassuring smile.
“Maybe it’s time to distance yourself from him a bit, you two have been glued to the hip for so long. Maybe that distance can help organize your feelings better,” he mutters, catching the stray tears that pool at your chin, and wiping them away for you.
“I want to feel better,” you agree with him, still trying to recover from how hard you were sobbing into his chest.
“I care about you, okay? We all do. Wonwoo cares about you, too, but there’s a point where you’ll have to be okay with whatever outcome happens if you decide to tell him how you feel. Or you just have to find a way to get over him,” he speaks softly, trying not to crush your heart with reality, but you know he’s right. “In the Future, you will thank yourself for making whatever decision you have to make, but trust me, holding all these feelings in won’t do you any good.” He ends his pep talk there, and you sigh, trying to process everything he said.
“Thank you, Minnie, I’m so thankful I have you,” you sniffled.
“And I you.”
…
Seokmin explained to Soonyoung and Jihoon that you needed to go home after your talk in his bedroom. They were more than happy to take you along with them before heading back to their place, not wanting to force you into a car with Wonwoo at the end of the night.
“Of course, it’s really no trouble at all,” Soonyoung reassures you after you had asked about a million times if it was okay to ride home with them.
The car ride is drastically different from the one you had taken on the way to Seokmin’s, Soonyoung being the number one reason why. He’s not the best at reading the room, although Jihoon is constantly telling him to shut up. He knows you are upset over something, but Soonyoung’s way of cheering you up is getting you to laugh. While Jihoon believed that you may want a more peaceful environment after everything that happened.
As Jihoon drove, Soonyoung sang along with the lyrics of the current song playing. Loud enough for anyone outside the car to hear him. You could tell he was a bit tipsy after the few beers he had earlier, but you didn’t mind the noise. Jihoon begged to differ.
“Soon, can you tone it down? Please. People are looking at us,” Jihoon grumbles, trying to focus on the road ahead.
“But you love it when I sing,” Soonyoung whines, and you can’t help but laugh.
“I do, but our friend has had a long night,” Jihoon counters.
Soonyoung turns to face you from the passenger seat. “If you want me to be quiet, I will.”
“No, it’s okay, I’m actually enjoying it, thank you very much,” you giggle, and that was all the confirmation he needed, going back to his antics.
Jihoon groans as Soonyoung practically breaks out into full song and dance, causing you to sing along with him. This distraction from all the conflicting thoughts gives you a refuge from the war inside your mind.
The whole way back to your place was filled with singing and laughter, allowing you to finally feel at ease for once. Albeit Jihoon pretended to act annoyed the whole time, you knew he secretly loved how Soonyoung tried to bring the mood back up to help you.
Once you got home, you thanked the two before bidding them farewell. Apprehension flowed throughout you, and you didn't want to be alone with your thoughts after being around someone as cheerful as Soonyoung. But you didn’t know where else to go or what else to do.
Laying in your bed, you think about how today went from beginning to end, and you’re scared of what will happen in the future. Sighing to yourself, you allow yourself to at least get some rest instead of staying up all night thinking about the possibilities of tomorrow. Turning your phone on "do not disturb," the stillness in your apartment lulls you to sleep.
1:09 a.m.
[wons <3]: seokmin said u went home early? u ok?
ARE WE STILL FRIENDS?
chapter one.
Wonwoo’s ride home was sombre, yet desolate. Your absence from his passenger seat irked him. Street lights whisk by his vision in a blur, but he’s too lost in his thoughts as he drives on autopilot, wondering why you went home so early. You didn’t even say goodbye. It’s the first time you went home from Seokmin’s place without him.
By the time he got home, his curiosity had started to claw at him, but he didn’t want to be irrational and assume the worst. So he texted you, hoping that there would be an explanation awaiting him in the morning.
Not a single notification from you came that very next morning. No matter how many times his phone went off, no matter how many notifications popped up from his screen. None of them were you. Morning turned to afternoon, and afternoon slowly turned into night. Still nothing.
He feels dejected. Everything seemed to be going okay just last night. That was until you abruptly left without telling him you were going home. What changed? Why did it feel like there was a shift between you two?
Rejection is foreign to Wonwoo. Most times, it’s him that’s doing the rejecting. He was the one to always initiate the breakup and lose feelings first; every decision he made was made by him. He has no control over whether you’re going to text him back or not, and to put it simply, he can’t stand that feeling.
Wonwoo hates not being in control. Whether that be his future, his relationships, and especially his feelings. At least that’s what he forces himself to believe. That it’s not fair of you to ignore him when he’s worried about you, because he’s your best friend. You should answer him when he texts you. When he calls you, and especially when he shows up at your door, seeking your comfort. In his mind, that is what he believes the foundation of your friendship is. To comfort each other, just like it always has been.
Sure, maybe Wonwoo is entitled, perhaps he’s conceited and selfish, but he doesn’t care. Because in his mind, you’re his best friend. There was no way in hell that you were ignoring him. His ego doesn’t even consider it a possibility. You were busy, that’s it. That has to be it.
…
Less than forty-eight hours in, Wonwoo couldn’t stop himself from texting you once more. Nimble fingers practically itching to open your contact to update you about the most mundane things. Maybe if he pretended that this moment of silence was perfectly normal, then maybe you would eventually end up answering him.
12:36 p.m
[wons <3]: class just finished. lunch at our usual place?
Nothing. Not even a thumb’s up reaction. Wonwoo had become antsy, guilt and slight annoyance gnawing at the pit of his stomach. Where the hell are you? What are you doing that’s so important that you couldn’t even open his message let alone read them?
1:27 p.m.
[wons <3]: this random girl asked for my number after class lol. weird right? i didn’t give it to her though 😁
Cursing at himself, he regrets pressing the send button on that text. Double texting you is already out of the norm for him, but triple texting? He can’t believe how desperate he looks right now. He wishes he could bring himself to unsend it, but he just hopes it’ll be the text that finally gets you to respond.
2:10 p.m.
[wons <3]: saw a bunny running thru the oval today u should’ve seen it! reminded me of u.
[1 photo attachment]
Absolute radio silence from your end. Wonwoo is starting to think that you had him blocked, but his messages are still delivering. Unsure of what’s worse, you ignoring him or blocking his number, Wonwoo still tries his best to remain calm.
4:00 p.m.
[wons <3]: im about to head home soon. r u riding w me today?
The sight of you getting into Seokmin’s car made Wonwoo scoff. Since when did you start getting rides home from Seokmin? And why was he the one opening the door for you? Buckling your seatbelt instead of his own? Wonwoo is completely dumbfounded at what he has witnessed.
4:30 p.m.
[wons <3]: saw u get into seokmin’s car, lmk if u need a ride tmrw.
Seeing you laugh and smile while walking to the student parking lot with Seokmin, of all people, solidified the fact that you are actively ignoring his texts. And he just can’t stand the thought of it. How dare he be ignored? Especially by his best friend, the one person who had always responded to him, no matter the time or how busy you were, you always texted him back.
Wonwoo initially thought that even if the world ended, you would be there within arms reach, enough to hold you close, where he could keep you safe. You were predictable in that sense. But if the world decided to burst into flames, or swallow itself whole tomorrow, he’s unsure if you would be there right next to him by the time he woke up.
two, wonwoo’s summer before senior year.
The school year flew by with the speed of light. And before Wonwoo knew it, he was home back in Korea for the summer. The dreaded fifteen-hour plane ride over was excruciating. There was an ache in his lower back, and his knees felt like they were being struck by a hammer with every step he took. But at least the worst part was over.
Sixteen-year-old Wonwoo was quite naive, thinking that he’d be welcomed into his home country with loving arms. That hadn’t been the case at all, and for the two months that he spent in Changwon, he couldn’t help but count the days till he could come back home. Where you had been patiently waiting for him.
He despised being away from you, and he had yearned for you every moment he was gone. With you by his side, Wonwoo had finally understood the true meaning of solace, a peace of mind that couldn’t be replicated. Not even the fresh air that breezed through his fingers or the scent of the salty water misting its way onto the shore of his hometown could outweigh the feeling of tranquillity that he got when he was with you.
Every year that Wonwoo was dragged back to Korea by his parents was excruciating. Especially because he had a certain distaste for his relatives. Maybe it was disrespectful to loathe them the way he did, but he couldn’t care less. Their scathing comments would flow out of their mouths just to pierce daggers of judgement into his back. To insult Wonwoo was second nature to his aunts, and he couldn’t do much but sit back and listen.
Much to his dismay, his parents hadn’t even bothered to book an Airbnb for their stay, informing him and his brother that they would be staying with his aunt. He couldn’t stand his aunt Seo-Ah in particular, and he swore the feeling was mutual. Unsure of why he had to withstand her crude remarks in front of his family without much protest, he forced himself not to dish out rude rebuttals to everything she had to say.
There was a time when Wonwoo tried to reason with himself on why his aunt was filled with so much bitterness, but he gave up on that long ago. He was about to be seventeen now, and he couldn’t bring himself to empathize with the older lady anymore.
“Wonwoo! You’re all grown up now, and I can’t believe it,” Seo-Ah forced him into a bone-crushing hug as he tried his best not to push her off of him. She pulled back to take a closer look at him and he could already see the scrutinizing gleam in her eyes, “You know, you’re still so skinny for your age. Do your parents not feed you enough?”
Wonwoo wanted to scoff at her, but he kept a neutral expression.
“No they do, I don’t know maybe it’s my fast metabolism or something,” he refuted her claims. He couldn’t wait to get out of her sight.
“You know, maybe you should start going to the gym, get some muscle on you or something,” she patted his lanky arm and laughed that dreadful laugh. The ones that have no real humour behind it, just to cover up the obvious dig she took at his appearance.
“Yeah maybe,” he dismisses her to head into the house. Setting his luggage down to check whether or not you’ve texted him yet.
It was about five in the evening in Changwon, but he knew you wouldn’t be asleep. Faintly recalling how you were planning to stay up late every night to watch BuzzFeed unsolved videos, or until your mom yelled at you to go to bed.
[4:15 p.m. kst]
[you: i stayed up all night watching buzzfeed unsolved]
[you: im going crazy i keep getting paranoid to the point i’ve turned all my mirrors backwards]
[you: hope ur flight was ok tho!!! 🫶]
He chuckled to himself, remembering your wide eyes and elaborate plan to sneak snacks into your room in the early hours of the morning behind your parents’ backs. Wonwoo missed you, and your stupid obsession with horror podcasts and YouTube shows. He missed the way your smile would shine so bright as you talked about all the haunted places the hosts would visit.
Wonwoo did not care for horror or anything scary, but if you were to ask him to stay up all night on Facetime binge-watching your little Buzzfeed videos, he would do so in a heartbeat.
Two days down, about another 89 to go, Wonwoo thought to himself as he looked through your messages with him. You had already spammed the chat mercilessly about your first two days of summer break, and your intricate mission to stay up without accidentally falling asleep in the middle of it all.
[6:00 p.m. kst]
[1 photo attachment]
[you: currently trying to sneak snacks into my room without my mom knowing]
[you: u better not snitch 😾]
[you: its so boring w out u here btw SO COME BACK SOON PLSS]
[you: ok thats enuff…txt me when u land!]
Wonwoo really missed you.
…
One more week and Wonwoo would finally get to see you again. The ability to talk to you in person, hug you, and spend time with you gave him something to look forward to, and thankfully, summer break went by fast because of it.
He had spent most of his time in Korea eating at local food spots, going to the gym, and trying a lot of new things with his brother, Seongho, giving them time to bond before he went off to University again. Wonwoo had missed his brother dearly during the school year, but at least they were able to pass the time together during summer break.
It was initially his brother’s convincing that got him to go to the gym for the very first time. The idea of going to a place with a lot of sweaty, adrenaline-filled people kind of frightened him, but the more he went, the more he started to like what he saw in the mirror. Wonwoo’s shoulders had broadened, and his lanky arms finally started to show signs of muscles. He was satisfied in knowing that all of his hard work, and Seongho’s encouragement had finally paid off.
Seongho told him he looked a lot more carefree now that he wasn’t so worried about his appearance all the time. And it was then that Wonwoo realized that he wasn’t all that bad-looking, after all.
Wonwoo had begun to take pride in his vanity. He searched for different ways to style his hair, bought glasses that better suited his face shape, and, most of all, did his best to act more confidently. The sudden change made him wonder how you would react. He had been anticipating your reaction, wanting to see the look on your face once he returned home.
“You got it. Just one more rep, and we can switch,” Seongho encouraged Wonwoo as he tried to push the bar up from his chest.
His muscles were aching in the most addictive and satisfying way. He almost wished he had started working out earlier because only good things seemed to have come ever since he stepped foot into the gym.
“Okay! You’re done, that was good,” his older brother high-fived him, a proud smile dancing along his lips.
“Thanks, but my arms feel like jelly now,” he huffed a chuckle before gulping down the contents of his water bottle.
Seongho chuckled along with him before setting himself down on the workout bench. His actions faltered, and he slowly observed the mirror in front of him, raising his eyebrows in amusement.
“Uh, don’t look now, but I think that girl is staring at you,” Seongho tilted his head in the girl’s direction and Wonwoo couldn’t be more confused.
“Huh? Are you sure it's me they’re looking at and not you?”
“I’m serious! You should go talk to her,” Seongho grinned, pushing his younger brother in the direction of the girl who was supposedly eyeing Wonwoo.
“Hyung!” Wonwoo calls out but it falls on deaf ears as his older brother begins his bench presses.
Wonwoo turns towards the girl in the most awkward way humanly possible. He was completely dumbfounded and not sure what to do in the situation he’d been put in. The girl who was staring at him waved flirtatiously, and before he could even think about his next move, his feet had begun to move on their own accord.
“Hi, I saw you working out over there, are you new here?” she asked him, batting her eyelashes.
“Uhm, I guess? I’m only here for the summer though,” he spoke with apprehension, because what the hell was he even supposed to say?
“Oh! Me too. My name is Haein, by the way.” Haein’s smile reached her eyes as she giggled, and her hand extended to shake Wonwoo’s.
Wonwoo’s actions were practically robotic, rubbing his sweaty palms on his gym shorts before taking her hand in his. He remembers thinking about how soft her hands were, and how pretty she looked with her hair tied up in a messy bun.
“I’m Wonwoo.”
“Wonwoo, hmm, that’s a cute name. But I think I would like it more in my contacts,” she flirted shamelessly, her fingers squeezing his sweaty bicep.
Wonwoo’s mind short-circuited, and he took out his phone from his pocket so fast it almost slipped out of his grasp. Haein found it endearing though, and happily gave him her phone number.
They talked for the rest of Wonwoo's time at the gym and promised to hang out more before they both went home at the end of the summer.
To put it simply, Wonwoo was on cloud nine for the first time since he’s been here. Suddenly his aunt Seo-Ah’s words weren’t so hurtful, his confidence had skyrocketed, plus he had a beautiful girl to talk to for the rest of his vacation.
By the end of summer, Wonwoo started to miss you less and less. Even though he still saw you as his best friend, he began to find peace in other things, like the fresh air that breezed through his fingers or the scent of the salty water misting its way onto the shore of his hometown. Finally, for the first time in his life, Wonwoo felt serene, and that made him a little more whole than he was when he first landed in Changwon.
…
The after-effects of Wonwoo’s surprisingly pleasant summer vacation hadn’t worn off just yet. The gift of Haein appearing in his life seemed to just keep on giving. Not only did she live overseas, she had told him that she was actually from the same city as him. It was a little hard to believe at first as if he was the main character in a cheesy rom-com, but he couldn’t find it in him to complain. Haein made him feel wanted, excited, and cared for.
Wonwoo wasn’t entirely devoid of those feelings, especially with you as his best friend, but it was different coming from Haein. Every time he saw her, he felt like he was going to throw up, in a good way of course, but she also boosted his confidence. He liked that she made him feel like he was a man worth depending on.
Haein was his first real relationship, and although he was still young, he could see himself being with her for a long time.
…
Quite like the seasons, Wonwoo’s feelings for Haein changed drastically by the time school was back in session. Although he and Haein lived in the same city, there was a lot more than just distance that separated them.
Six months into their relationship, Wonwoo began to doubt himself. He was less eager to meet her or even text her. He could only blame himself for how things turned out with Haein. Despite his adolescence, he believed he loved her; he just got tired and disinterested.
On a subconscious level, Wonwoo could not stop comparing Haein to you, and as fucked up as that was, it was completely out of his control. Why didn’t Haein ever want to talk about what Wonwoo was interested in? Why did she seem bored out of her mind when he would delve into his theories about his favourite shows? Or anything about himself and what he liked. As though she didn’t see him for the Wonwoo he was, the personality he had behind his looks.
“It all makes sense now! Eren had Zeke fooled!” Wonwoo couldn’t contain his excitement about the newest episode, but Haein didn’t seem interested in hearing her boyfriend geek out.
“I'm sorry babe, but I gave up after the first episode,” Haein sighed into the phone, and if Wonwoo could guess, she was probably picking at her cuticles out of boredom. “I just didn’t get anything that was happening.”
“Wait, really?” He was a little offended, how could she not be obsessing over the beautiful intricacies of his favourite anime? Wonwoo didn’t understand.
He didn’t understand because when he introduced you to the show, you texted him the next day saying you were caught up to where he had left off. It amazed Wonwoo how fast you were at binge-watching shows, especially because he had told you about it on a weekday.
You came into school the morning after with dark circles under your eyes, but even with that tired look on your face, you ran up to him with so much eagerness while thanking him for urging you to watch his favourite show. You two were obsessed and never missed out on watching the weekly episodes together. It had become you and Wonwoo’s thing, and even though he wanted Haein to join in on the fun, he found himself more entertained by your theories than by talking on the phone with his girlfriend.
It dawned on him that he wished that Haein acted a little more like you. And it made him feel guilty. He knew he should’ve loved Haein no matter her interests, but he wanted someone who could understand his nerdy side. And that was only something that you were able to do.
“Honestly, I’m really tired, I’m gonna go to bed now okay?” Haein’s voice brought Wonwoo out of his thoughts.
“Oh okay. Night.” He said before ending the call so quickly that Haein’s ‘I love you’ was cut off mid-sentence.
Haein probably had thought he had forgotten, but Wonwoo just didn’t want to say those words if he didn’t mean it. He had grown annoyed, and a little bored of practically talking to a wall all night.
Comparable to the light switching off in his bedroom, he decided to do the same thing with Haein. He pushed his guilt aside and decided it was probably best to leave Haein and Changwon in the past. The memories of his last week of summer with her would become something he would look back on in the future and smile. But he didn’t want to pretend any longer, it would’ve just hurt her more if he stayed, he couldn’t help that he fell out of love with her. The least he could do was not lead her on.
Wonwoo’s relationship with Haein was merely a catalyst and a peek into what the rest of his relationships were going to look like in adulthood. He was never able to comprehend why he couldn’t keep feelings for anyone after the six-month mark, and it almost frustrated him. Something was missing in every single relationship he had been in, and he wasn’t sure what that was. But he was determined to find an answer.
three, present time.
The answer was you. But of course, Wonwoo didn’t know that.
“Are you gonna keep checking your phone every five minutes or are you gonna do your homework?” Mingyu lectures him.
The two were studying in the library before their stats midterm, but Wonwoo’s mind couldn’t help but wonder. He hasn’t been acting like himself since the night of Seokmin’s party.
“Oh, right.” Wonwoo clears his throat, putting his phone face down on the table.
Wonwoo drags his palms against his face, trying to not let sleep overtake him. It is not his fault that every time he tries to close his eyes, your face comes into his mind. The memory of you smiling with Seokmin made his insides twist. He hasn’t seen you smile that hard in a while, and he almost misses how your eyes crinkle whenever you do so. You were practically haunting him and he had no idea how to make it stop.
“Not to be rude, but you’ve been looking like shit lately. What’s wrong?” Mingyu questions him with furrowed eyebrows.
Wonwoo rolls his eyes at his friend, he didn’t have to be insulted to know how crappy he looked, but Mingyu seemed to only be telling the truth. Wonwoo did look and feel like shit. With the amount of near run-ins he’s had with you and Seokmin on campus, he’s begun to sense that it’s some sort of karma. Whatever that karma may be for, he fully believes that it’s completely unwarranted.
Forcing a hand through his dark locks, Wonwoo contemplates whether or not he should just go up to you in person and demand answers. It’s uncommon for the two of you to fight, or ignore each other for that matter. But he can’t help but presume that if he were to confront you about your silence, there would be no rightful explanation. Or at least not the explanation that he wants from you.
Every time he even fathoms the thought of barging into your apartment and asking what the hell is wrong, there’s a lingering nervousness that he wishes would dissipate, leading him to lay awake with his thoughts for hours on end.
“Thanks for that, asshole, I just haven’t been getting much sleep,” Wonwoo huffs.
“Okay, obviously. You practically look like a zombie with the way you’ve been moping around. What has been keeping you up?” Mingyu presses.
It’s not every day that Wonwoo indulges in his problems with Mingyu, that’s what you were for. However, he can’t talk about his problems about you, to you, so he’ll have to settle for the next best thing.
“Y/N has been ignoring me since the night we all hung out at Seokmin’s,” Wonwoo confesses, and it feels nice.
For the past two weeks, he’s been keeping his frustrations to himself, and now that he can freely speak about it lifts the weight off his chest.
Mingyu snorts, obviously finding his friend’s situation humorous. Wonwoo sneers at Mingyu’s reaction, clearly not finding anything about you ignoring him funny.
“Serves you right, you’re a dick to her, man.” Mingyu shrugs without any remorse to spare.
“What?” Wonwoo sputters, since when was he a dick to you? His best friend?
“How blind are you? You have glasses and everything but you can’t see how mean you are to her sometimes? Really?” Mingyu almost sounds offended on your behalf as he stares at Wonwoo with an incredulous expression.
“I am not a dick to her. She would definitely tell me if I’ve ever said something to hurt her feelings,” Wonwoo defends himself.
Attempting to rack his brain of all your moments together, he can’t seem to pick out a memory where he has been especially rude to you. Of course, you two teased each other from time to time, but he wasn’t a complete asshole. He knew when to not take a joke too far or purposely try to upset you.
“You’re a dumbass.” Mingyu lets out a frustrated sigh which only aggravates Wonwoo even more.
“Could you stop with the insults for one second and just tell me what’s going on?”
Shutting his laptop, Mingyu’s posture becomes serious, a deviation from his usual carefree and smiley self. He cares about you just as much as the next person, so if he had to reality-check his friend, then so be it.
“She cares about you a lot. And you treat her like shit. It’s not about what you’ve said to her, it’s your actions. Ever since we were in high school all you’ve done is use her to solve your problems. I can’t even blame her for wanting to cut you off. I don’t know what happened at Seokmin’s place for her to realize that, but you don’t deserve her,” Mingyu confesses.
Soaking up each word that left Mingyu’s mouth, Wonwoo sat in a pool of perplexity. There are so many questions flying through his mind, yet he can’t seem to utter a single word. Is that really how everyone perceives his friendship with you?
Wonwoo is going to throw up. There's a tightness in his chest and a burning sensation behind his eyes. He wants nothing more than to hear all of this coming from you, not Mingyu. The frustration of wanting to talk to you about this is taking a toll on him, he doesn’t want to believe that Mingyu is telling the truth.
It’s not fair. It’s not fair that Mingyu gets to know these things about you while Wonwoo is just left in the dark. Did he make you feel like you couldn’t tell him anything?
Ever since Wonwoo met you, it was evident that he can be quite merciless when it comes to his relationships, but that’s romantic, not platonic. Wonwoo was convinced that he treated you equally because that’s how it's supposed to be.
Hearing Mingyu talk about his friendship with you in that way caused Wonwoo’s whole world to crash down. And the only thing he can do in moments like these is seek out your comfort, except he can’t anymore. Not only has he been a terrible friend without realizing it, but he’s pushed you so far to the brink that you’d rather ignore him than attempt to hash out what’s been troubling you.
“I-I didn’t know that's how you guys saw our friendship,” Wonwoo falters, clearly taken aback, and still attempting to fully comprehend what’s been said to him.
“It’s not that we see your friendship with her that way, it is that way. If I was her, I would’ve cut you off a long time ago.”
“Well, thanks, Gyu. I feel like this could’ve been said before she started ignoring me,” Wonwoo huffs, trying to come up with the words to explain his side.
“It was kinda obvious, man,” Mingyu shrugs.
“Was it, though? If I had known, I would’ve at least tried to be better,” Wonwoo attests, tired of feeling like the bad guy.
“How about you just talk to her about it instead of sulking,” Mingyu suggests.
Desperation hijacked his rational thinking, making Mingyu’s advice sound plausible. Talking to you seemed out of the equation since you started ignoring him; he feared you wouldn’t even answer if he tried to call or show up at your door. But he can’t go on like this, especially now that he knows there is more to your friendship than he had initially thought.
four.
For the first time in Wonwoo’s life, he’s unsure about what decision to make. Although he wants nothing more than to knock on your door, his feet stop him from even entering your building. So instead of mucking up the courage to talk to you face to face, he waits inside his car. Without a solid plan, he continues to sit there, biding his time.
Never has he acted so pathetic in his life, not even for the sake of his relationships. He knows that nothing will come from sitting there, just watching, but before he can even comprehend what he is doing and where he is going, he is already across the street from your place.
Gripping on the leather of his steering wheel, he just couldn’t help himself. He can’t help but watch your silhouette from your window. The curtains are drawn, but there are glimpses of you walking around. He’s such a fucking loser. What type of person has Wonwoo become that he resorts to stalking you from the front of your building?
After all that Mingyu has enlightened him on, Wonwoo’s attitude has become less angry and more apologetic. There was a line he pondered crossing, and it practically mocked him. Stepping over that line would mean getting answers from you, demanding to be brought into the light that you had snuffed out from under him. But his uncertainty of the outcome outweighed his decision to do so.
That same apologetic attitude died a fiery death after watching Seokmin leave your apartment. There you were in all your glory, the tiny sleep set clinging onto your body as the wind forced its way into the door of your building. Then there was Seokmin, grinning like a fucking idiot as he waved goodbye.
“Shit!” Wonwoo grunts as he ducks down, not wanting to blow his cover. His car was visible from where the two of you stood, hoping that you weren’t able to recognize it in the dead of night.
Boring holes into the back of Seokmin’s head, Wonwoo's guilt diminished, floating away with the cold night breeze. You were fine, and he should’ve known that the root of all his problems started with the name Lee Seokmin.
The shape of your figure had faded into the confines of your building. Yet Wonwoo can still make out your body through the glass window of your door. He can’t help but gawk at your skimpy attire, your ass practically on display for the whole world to see. The deathly twist in his gut intensifies the more he ponders on what may have happened during Seokmin’s visit. Wonwoo desperately wants to stop thinking about the possibilities, especially because your lack of clothing only fueled that inferno inside his mind.
He’s never been more annoyed at Seokmin in his entire life, not until today.
Wonwoo allowed himself to ignore the signs, but only for a moment. But this, this he can’t ignore. Not after what he witnessed. He allowed himself to stay ignorant when it came to your silence because he had been so naive to think that it was your decision. Now that he knows Seokmin had somehow weaselled his way closer to you, Wonwoo had to make sure this plan of his didn’t go on any longer.
…
There is a heat inside Wonwoo that, for some reason, he cannot extinguish. The curve and outlines of your body burn in the back of his retinas. No matter how many times he’s tried to put himself to sleep, the image of you is clear as day in his mind. Sparks crawl their way up his spine, and he desperately wishes that it would just go away.
There’s a point where Wonwoo gave up on trying to sleep altogether. Thoughts of you, your body, and the oh-so-painful reminder that you’re still ignoring him. How can he sleep with everything going on? What made things worse, was the fact that the one person he wanted to call most likely wouldn’t pick up.
Wonwoo wasn’t the type of person to let his emotions get the better of him, but this abrupt rift that has been torn between you two has him acting out in ways he’s never acted before.
The urge to grab his phone, to text you, to give it one more try, grows perpetually every second he lies awake.
One more time. One more attempt. What does he have to lose?
Wonwoo stands up, pacing around nonsensically, trying to think of what to say. For all he knows, you may not even answer, but there is the urge to hear your voice one more time and see your name pop up on his screen. Wonwoo yearns for you so much so that it supersedes any part of common sense he has left in him.
[12:52 a.m.]
[wons <3: darling. can we talk? please?]
[not delivered]
The silence within the four walls of Wonwoo’s bedroom is harrowing. Out of all the outcomes he had considered before he texted you, the outcome of you blocking him was not even on the list.
Before jumping to some sort of conclusion, Wonwoo’s finger hovers over the call button with skepticism. If you don’t pick up, then that’s it. That would be the definitive answer to all his qualms.
“The number you have called is not available, please leave a message at the tone,” an automated voice affirmed his suspicions.
The notification is gut-wrenching, but he can’t just sit here and pretend like it’s okay for you to do this. To decide without any of his input. What kind of friend were you to just drop him like he was nothing but an old toy? How unfair did you have to be to not even try to talk it out before you completely cut him off?
five.
Pacing outside the door of your apartment, Wonwoo hasn’t been this nervous in years. He has always been so sure of himself, but it’s almost two in the morning and he’s still continuing to weigh his options.
It’s either you’ll let him in, and talk for the first time in almost two weeks, or you’ll kick him out before he can step a foot past the door. Desperately, he desires that it be the first option. Losing you over this would break him, and not in the way you would expect.
He’s already lost his mind. This shouldn’t be the way you two break it off. It won’t be the way you two break it off. Not if Wonwoo has a say in the situation.
Sweaty palms and white knuckles rasp against the dark oak that barricades himself from you. There’s nothing that Wonwoo wants more than to see your face glowing in front of him. And before he can even get a word out to you, the door whips open. The person on the other side is someone Wonwoo is starting to get really sick of seeing.
“What the hell are you doing here?” Both Wonwoo and Seokmin speak in unison.
Scoffing, Wonwoo rolls his eyes at his so-called friend, “I think I should be asking you that. You clearly don’t live here.”
“Minnie? Is someone at the door?” your voice is as sweet as a glass of lemonade on a hot summer’s day.
Minnie. Wonwoo almost threw up in his mouth.
Minnie. The nickname is parallel to nails scraping against a chalkboard.
“Yeah! Your neighbour just needed to borrow something,” Seokmin goads through a sickly sweet smile, eyes never leaving Wonwoo’s. Without as much as a word of mockery, Seokmin’s expression had said more than his words ever could have.
Despite his soft demeanour, Wonwoo knew there was something vile hiding under Seokmin’s thick skin.
A rebuttal to his deception is on the tip of Wonwoo’s tongue, but your melodic voice echoes throughout your home once more. The refute dies within his throat, and he hopes you will come out and see what your “neighbour” is looking for.
“Okay!” is the only response you give out. The reverberation of the water hitting the shower tiles causes Wonwoo’s stomach to practically lurch out his abdomen.
“Whatever you’re doing, she’s not gonna fall for it,” Wonwoo jeered, staring at Seokmin with looks that should kill, if he could.
Seokmin chuckles bitterly, “She already has.”
There was no need for Wonwoo to put two and two together; he already knew what Seokmin was alluding to. It left a dreadful taste in his mouth.
Puffing out his chest, Wonwoo takes a step closer towards the man he once considered a close friend. Sizing him up, he knew that Seokmin was the reason for the wedge in your friendship. And Wonwoo had no problem treating him as such.
“You’re fucking sick, you know that?” Wonwoo practically spits in his face.
“I could say the same thing for you,” Seokmin mutters, unperturbed, “I didn’t have to do anything you know? Just a little push and she fell into my lap, voluntarily.”
“I’m not just going to let you get away with something like this. She’s my best friend.”
“I think the correct tense is was. She was your best friend,” Seokmin taunted.
He was wrong about Seokmin. Even though he had known about his friend's crush on you for years, Wonwoo didn’t expect the lengths Seokmin would go to in order to cut him out of the picture.
Before a breath could even escape his lips, Seokmin cuts him off, “I think it’s time for you to leave. She doesn’t want to see you.”
The last few words that he heard come out of Seokmin’s mouth nearly fell on deaf ears. It was practically a whisper, laced with enough malice to almost kill the fighting spirit inside him. Almost.
“By the way, don’t text her anymore. I’ve made sure she won’t get any more notifications from you.”
The realization had struck Wonwoo hard. He knew you well enough that you wouldn’t just block him so carelessly, without a word no less. Yet he was no match for Seokmin, not after the fact that you allowed him into your home, your heart, so willingly.
…
Lying in wait, Wonwoo observes the door of your building once more. The distinct difference this time was that Wonwoo had no guilt left in him to care. Whether you see him or his car across the street didn’t matter to him anymore. The only thing Wonwoo wanted to make sure of was whether or not Seokmin would be leaving your place.
After what had felt like hours, he watched the same scene from last night unfold in front of him once more. The abhorrent hug goodbye that is exchanged between you and Seokmin is nothing but a cue for Wonwoo to make his move.
With as much grace as a bull in a china shop, he slams the car door shut, not even bothering to lock it before he stalks his way to your apartment. The anticipation caused the hairs on his neck to stand straight up. As he presses the button to your floor, he can only deliberate whether any of Seokmin’s words hold any truth behind them.
Certainly not, right? Not after all the years you spent together. His friendship with you couldn’t end on this vague note. You were always the sentimental type, holding onto trinkets, memories, and even people for far too long. It should be the same with Wonwoo; he believed it would be the same.
If there is a chance, you should allow him to talk and voice his opinion. No, Wonwoo will voice his opinion; there has never been a time when you haven’t let him speak.
As the elevator ascends to your floor, anxiety begins to weigh down his shoulders. The feeling is atypical and Wonwoo hates how his throat constricts. He hates how his clothes feel too tight and stuffy despite his casual attire. Is this how it feels? To actually care about someone and whether their decisions might affect him later on?
Footsteps echo within the hallway, and with each step he takes, the illusion steadily becomes more vivid. Your front door almost looks like it’ll take a mile before Wonwoo can reach it, rather than a few feet away.
After what felt like years, Wonwoo stands before the entrance of your home once more. The foreboding tension won’t vanish and it’s starting to make him itch. Without another thought, Wonwoo forces himself to knock on the door knowing it’ll be you who answers this time, not Seokmin.
“Minnie? Did you leave something agai—,” Abrupt silence engulfs your words, leaving nothing but an echo to resonate within the expanse of your long hallway.
“Wonwoo…” your voice falters, like you genuinely didn’t expect to see him, let alone have him standing outside your door.
“Did you fuck him?” Wonwoo cuts to the chase, not leaving any room for you to ask questions.
His blunt words caused a frown to grace your soft pink lips, and Wonwoo almost felt bad for being so frank. But he doesn’t have time to beg for your forgiveness, the anger surmounting to nothing but harsh words and a push past you and into your home.
“Did you fuck him? Yes or no?” Wonwoo continues to press you for answers, agitated that you have the audacity to stand there dumbfounded. As if you don’t know who he's talking about. “C’mon, you know who I’m talking about,” he can almost laugh at the situation in front of him.
How is it that all the rage he built up for Seokmin is being taken out on you? Wonwoo had no clue, but the thought of his friend-now-enemy defiling you, tasting you, while Wonwoo desperately waited for your call caused him to direct all his anger to you. Perhaps it’s undeserving to do so, but Wonwoo’s frustration spoke for him before his brain could even register what he was saying.
“The past two weeks you’ve been ignoring me, spending your time with him, do you know where his true intentions lie?” Wonwoo continues to rant with unpreparedness.
He didn’t plan what he was going to say because there was a moment of doubt, he had expected you to open the door just to slam it right back in his face. The look you gave him almost brought him to his knees. Your doe-eyed expression could’ve broken down every wall he’s built if only he hadn’t let his anger proceed him.
Wonwoo should’ve cried, to plead for you to take him back. To go back to the way things were. He knew he fucked up the moment he uttered a single word. The hurt flashed across your face as though Wonwoo turned your world upside down.
“Seokmin doesn’t care about you, and I’ll tell you that now because you need to hear it. He just wants to fuck you! And you just gave that to him?” He can’t stop talking.
“Stop. Just stop fucking talking Wonwoo. Do you hear yourself right now?” You cut off his rant. “Out of all people, who gave you the right to tell me who I can and cannot fuck? Especially knowing the type of person that you are. It doesn’t matter if Seokmin and I had sex. What matters is the fact that you think you can barge in here at two-thirty in the morning interrogating me over a situation that doesn’t involve you.”
“No. I’m just trying to help you. Seokmin isn’t the person that you think he is,” Wonwoo seethes, annoyed at how you’re twisting his words.
The bile in his throat rose further, as you stood before him like he had just kicked your dog. Wonwoo’s extremely aware of the hole he had dug for himself, but he couldn’t stop. His urge to self-sabotage overrides his common sense.
“That is exactly what we’re not going to do right now. Seokmin has been a better friend to me than you have been in all the years we’ve known each other. I have been by your side for years, bending over backwards. I was at your beck and call and I’m tired. Sometimes I wish I could go back in time and warn myself about you. I fell in love with my best friend, and the worst part was that you didn’t care enough to notice.
“I gave up so much for you, Wonwoo. I lost myself trying to please you. But I give up. I was drowning in my love for you. It consumed every part of me to the point I couldn’t even come up for air. And I’m just sick of it. I know there’s a part of you that cares about me too, but it’ll never be equal. I’ll always love you more than you love me, and I don’t want to feel this way anymore.”
“What hurts me the most, is that you thought it would be okay to accuse me of things I didn’t even do. I did not sleep with Seokmin, but why is that what you care about? He respects me and just wants to be there for me. And that’s a lot more than I could ever say about you.”
Your voice was terrifyingly calm, with neither a lilt nor a hiccup during your speech. The heft of your declaration crashed back down onto Wonwoo, leaving him at a loss for words.
“I’m sorry,” is the first thing to come out of his mouth after a long pause.
“Please. It’s late, you should go home,” you sigh, but Wonwoo couldn’t move an inch. He refused.
“I’m sorry,” he repeats himself, looking into your eyes, searching for the look of endearment you had always given him.
“Wonwoo…” there it is. Your voice had broken for the first time since Wonwoo stepped foot in the place.
“Please. I’m so fucking sorry. For getting angry, for doubting you, for not realizing how badly you were hurting,” Wonwoo resorted to pleading.
A look of desperation mixed with agony was the only thing you could exchange for his apologies.
The stare of grief you had given him caused a shooting pain to swell throughout his limbs. The one that begins at his fingertips, creeping up to tug at the strings that held his heart together. He wanted this nightmare to end, and he was sure you did too.
“It’s time for you to go. I’m tired, Wonwoo.” A single tear slips and trickles down your cheek.
He regrets not wiping it away for you at that moment. It was the first time he had been so unsure of his actions. So, instead, he walked out of your apartment, leaving nothing but the lingering scent of his cologne and a piece of his heart.
Wonwoo's world was crumbling underneath him, and there was only one person he refused to let go of. He should’ve known.
He should’ve known that you were in front of him this whole damn time.
end of act one.
⊹ a/n: if you liked this story pls dont be afraid to let me know thru a reblog, comment or ask! also a big ty to my beshies forever @vapidlynn and @bunnyjjongie who i've texted multiple times in the wee hours of the morning for reassurance abt this thing hehe.
Please like and reblog the fics to show the creators love and support~
“Play Again” by @shuarush
Fem!reader || Friends to coworkers to lovers, mutual pining, fluff, mild angst || W.C: 37.6k
⋆.ೃ࿔*:・after ten years of not seeing your high school crush you find yourself partnered with him at the company you work for. Since you've been rejected before, you try your best to not let any feelings flourish, but Jeon Wonwoo's charms make that attempt especially hard for you.
✮ ⋆ ˚。𖦹 ⋆。°✩⋆ ˚。𖦹 ⋆。°✮
“Underlying Pretense” (Part of the Game Over series) by @lovelyhan
⋆.ೃ࿔*:・being two of the most popular streamers across the board, your subscribers often speculate if your constant bickering with wonwoo has some underlying pretense. little did they know, the two of you have everything on display on a single, unsuspecting twitter account.
✮ ⋆ ˚。𖦹 ⋆。°✩⋆ ˚。𖦹 ⋆。°✮
“Favorite Poison” (Part of the Game Over series) by @/lovelyhan
⋆.ೃ࿔*:・no strings attached sex is easy. catching feelings for a person you supposedly hate is hard. it's in times like this when wonwoo wishes he can set the dial to his life on easy mode forever, but everyone knows he's nothing if not stubbornly competitive.
✮ ⋆ ˚。𖦹 ⋆。°✩⋆ ˚。𖦹 ⋆。°✮
“Endpoint” by @highvern
Fem!reader || Uni TA au, FWB to idiots to lovers, fluff, smut, angst || W.C: ~19.5k
⋆.ೃ࿔*:・Senior year of college is meant to be full of celebration and smooth sailing. Years of work culminating in the final semesters that will send you off into the real world where clubs, sports, and weekends packed with hungover volunteering to pad your resume no longer mattered. It’d be a piece of cake if it wasn’t for your fuck buddy turned coworker having the same plan. But only one of you can get the department’s most coveted recommendation that all but guarantees your acceptance. Tension rises and the nearly four year thing you’ve had with Wonwoo approaches its endpoint.
Fem!reader || Strangers to lovers, enemies to lovers, smut, fluff, angst || W.C: ~22.8k
⋆.ೃ࿔*:・your latest assignment has you jetting off to argentina hoping to finally catch the infamous art thief that's escaped your agency one too many times already. you know what's at stake if you lose your focus. enter the beautiful stranger that has you questioning everything you know
⋆.ೃ࿔*:・ wonwoo, a heartbroken and burnt out writer nearing the end of his math degree, wants nothing to do with the seemingly perfect, intimidating girl who has everyone under her thumb. you. unfortunately, his literary talent has got him shoved him between a rock and a hard place when you want to write a book and require his expertise. you two are the furthest from compatible. wonwoo can’t see this going well. at all.
⋆.ೃ࿔*:・HYBE U one of the top highly prestigious universities in the country. A shit hole, a total money making scam that liked to sucked the life out of its students. Not being able to meet the funds to pay for your tuition your best friend lets you in a little secret. A way he’s been keeping afloat for years now, easy money. The problem is you want in.
⋆.ೃ࿔*:・Job hunting is a tough sport and Wonwoo has experienced it to its core. One fine autumn day comes where he's finally free from the shackles of unemployment, but he will soon find himself in the shackles of coffee, tea and cat hairs, But most importantly, he will have to share these shackles with you.
✮ ⋆ ˚。𖦹 ⋆。°✩⋆ ˚。𖦹 ⋆。°✮
“Flower” by @wonwoonlight
Fem!reader || Exes to coworkers au, angst, slice of life, fluff || W.C: ~13k
✮ ⋆ ˚。𖦹 ⋆。°✩⋆ ˚。𖦹 ⋆。°✮
“Wanna be yours” by @viastro
Gn!reader || Uni au, childhood friends to strangers to loversish, angst, fluff, humor || W.C: ~9k
⋆.ೃ࿔*:・you thought that growing up as best friends meant you’d stick together for as long as you could. you never thought of that exact chance for you and wonwoo until entering university, where you were nothing but his driver when he was out partying for too long. so why do you still pick up the phone when he calls you if he’s the one who left first?
⋆.ೃ࿔*:・“He deserved it,” Wonwoo assures you, reaching out to grab you by the back of the neck, pulling you closer. He’s covered in blood, and he looks like a sexy, wild monster. But he’s your monster, and you can’t help but react, leaning in- “Jesus Christ,” you hear Jeonghan breathe, turning to give you and Wonwoo privacy while he presses his lips against yours hungrily. At first, you can try to ignore the wet liquid on your fingertips as you grab at his strong shoulders, but you can’t ignore the taste on his tongue. Your body goes rigid and Wonwoo pulls back with a sigh, resting his forehead against yours. It’s an oddly peaceful moment amongst the chaos.
✮ ⋆ ˚。𖦹 ⋆。°✩⋆ ˚。𖦹 ⋆。°✮
“My Way to You” by @/wonwoonlight
[Series] || fem!reader || heir/heiress au, best friends to lovers, fluff, drama, angst || Total W.C: ~47k || Parts: 13(+1 epilogue) || Status: Completed
⋆.ೃ࿔*:・You don’t remember a time when you don’t have Wonwoo by your side. But when things happen and you’re left to deal with your feelings, you can’t help but wonder if what you have with him can be framed under the name of friendship after all.
or, alternatively, Wonwoo’s been in love with you for as long as he can remember and he doesn’t know if he should be thankful or not that you’ve never suspected him for it.
[Series] || Fem!reader || High School au, fluff || Parts: 10 || Status: Completed
⋆.ೃ࿔*:・He's cool, smart, attractive... and completely out of your league. But that won't stop you from falling head over heels for him. (alt. jeon wonwoo is mr. darcy incarnated… a fumbling nerd turned popular kid)
Please let me know if the links have any problems~
warnings: monsterfucking, exhibitionism, voyeurism, fingering, monster cock!cheol, brat!reader, mean dom!cheol, mentions of pornographic platforms (onlyfans) and related content (hentai), pussy slapping, unprotected sex, degradation, cum play, masturbation, squirting, facefucking, unrealistic amounts of cum, mentions of breeding, tentacle manipulation, use of sex toys, use of petnames (darling, doll, daddy) reader is dressed as a succubus, cheol is MAD jealous
word count: 1.9k
summary: despite having transitioned from strangers to fuckbuddies to sort of situationship, the experimental phase between you and seungcheol seems to never end.
Author's note: happy halloween everyone! tentacle alien!cheol is back 🤭this fic belongs in the same universe as vodka slime and the kraken's girl, so reading those for extra context is wholeheartedly suggested!
You turn off the camera on the nightstand, your breath still not back to its normal rate. Your legs aren’t quite tired, despite the back to back orgasms you forced upon yourself - all for the sake of your content.
You won’t lie though, opening an OnlyFans account after the grand success of your Twitter nsfw account (thanks to Seungcheol and his openness to your sexual endeavors) was one of the best decisions you could have made.
You have managed to make a few more bucks and it has made your everyday life and content creating much easier.
But it has also made Seungcheol more….impatient.
“I cannot believe you still want to make solo content when I am right here,” Seungcheol huffs in annoyance, “How do these toys even satisfy you?”
“Don’t worry, Cheol - I still adore your big, fat cock and anything else on your body that can be used to fuck me,” You wink at him and stretch your legs to clean up your lower half, a low hiss escaping your lips, “Besides, I need to make content for my account - more content, more money!”
“I mean, sure….” He walks over to your desk and looks at the various toys with disdain, “But seriously? These?”
“Seungcheol, we are not going to discuss this again!” You scoff at him.
“Yes, we will,” Seungcheol picks up your pink glittery silicone dildo, “Cute, but boring.”
“Fuck you, that was my first ever toy!” You whine in protest.
“Still boring. Next,” he picks up the all too familiar neon tentacle dildo, “Literally a personal attack.”
“But that was the reason you showed me your own tentacles the first time we met.”
“Hm, fair enough, but it will never be the real thing.”
“Ugh, just move on already!”
“This one seems interesting,” Seungcheol looks at the deep red colored, knotted dildo with curiosity, “But nowhere near close to mine.”
“It was perfect for the Halloween theme! Werewolves during their rut are hot, especially when they are all about breed-”
“Moving on,” he clears his throat and stops at the last toy - an extra large, horse cock shaped dildo, “Is this your new toy, darling?”
“Indeed, it was my newest purchase for my Halloween video,” you cross your arms in front of your chest, “It was a popular request from my audience.”
“Yeah, you made quite the show earlier,” he licks his lips, “Emptied the entire cumtube with that one.”
“Aww, you’re jealous!” You giggle as you swipe the towel over your pussy.
“Yeah, I’m really fucking jealous, Y/N.” Seungcheol drops the toy on the desk and climbs over you, “I am jealous of the fact that I have a hot girl dressed like a succubus right in front of me, all prepped up to take whatever I can give her, but she prefers fake toys over me.”
“You’re really hot when you’re mad, Kraken.” You bite your bottom lip.
“You’re really arousing when you’re being bratty, doll.” He grins like an imp.
“Am I really bratty right now?” You press your lips in a pout.
“The brattiest little sex demon I’ve ever seen in my life.”
Seungcheol kisses you with the fervor of a starved animal, messily swirling his tongue inside your mouth. Silently watching you record a video for your account has made him extremely impatient, extremely horny and most of all, extremely mad.
“Mmf- Hah, Cheol,” you slightly push him back with giggles, “Slow down, you fucker!”
“No can do, doll.” He grabs your wrist with his hand and snaps his fingers with the other, two tentacles ripping the fabric of his shirt and appearing from his back. He effortlessly commands them to wrap around your wrists and keep them pinned above your head.
“Not the tentacles- Hey, stop cheating!” You attempt to fight back, but the slimy appendages are way stronger than you.
“All is fair in love, sex and war.” Seungcheol chuckles as he rips his t-shirt to reveal the rest of his upper body.
“That’s what you said the first time we fucked.” You grumble.
“Oh, so you remember. Guess you didn’t fuck yourself completely stupid with those ugly toys.” He grips the back of your thighs and pushes them flat on your chest, getting a full view of your exposed holes. His eyes narrow down at your rim, adorned with a devil tail butt plug.
“Even a devil tail plug?”
“What’s the point of cosplaying if it’s not accurate?” You smirk.
“Just say you wanted something to fill your greedy holes.” He snaps his fingers again and two more tentacles wrap around your ankles, stretching your legs to their maximum capacity.
He uses his thumbs to spread your lower lips and plays around with your hole, making you whimper. More of the fake cum you used earlier gushes out of your hole and Seungcheol grimaces.
“Just how much of that shitty stuff did you use?” He slides his middle and ring finger inside your pussy, pumping them slowly to push out more cum.
“As m-much as I wanted to!” You arch your back, “Why are you so mad about it?!”
“I’m mad because I want to fuck you so bad until you pass out.” The blond man nearly moans, his hands now untying the string of his sweatpants, sliding them down along with his boxers.
“You see this, doll?” Seungcheol wraps his hand around his cock, “It’s all your fault, all because of your little show and that fucking costume,” he hungrily eyes the leather micro skirt that you deliberately pulled higher on your body, the leather harness around your tits and the black sheer thigh high stockings, “It’s driving me insane.”
“Why don’t you stick your thick, meaty cock in my cute little pussy, then?” You use your cute voice on purpose, “You cleaned me inside out just to fill me up with your own, real cum, didn’t you, Daddy?”
You notice how hard he’s entertaining the possibility you’re presenting him and you mentally run victory laps when you see his composure fall apart even more. Alas, your moment of triumph is short-lived when you see him snap his fingers again, summoning more tentacles.
“As much as I want to give in to your words, you must be taught a lesson, little brat.” He climbs directly over your torso, the tip of his cock ghosting your lips.
You cry out when multiple tentacles target your pussy, one circling your clit and and two more thrusting inside you. Your mouth is agape, arousal clouding your senses.
“Fuuuuck, they feel so good, Daddy.” You say with a lewd voice.
“You look just like a hentai girl right now,” Seungcheol grips your hair, “And I am so ready to fuck your mouth like one.”
He pushes his cock in your mouth and knocks the breath out of your lungs. His sheer size makes you gag almost violently, to the point he has to pull back and let you breathe.
“Ha, hah, fuck, warn a woman before sticking it in!” You complain.
“Aw, the camgirl is struggling to suck a cock?” He fake coos at you, “What a crying shame.”
“C-Can you at least not try to kill me?”
He gently runs the back of his hand over your cheek.
“I would never.”
Seungcheol carefully slides his cock back in your mouth, slowly guiding your head over the shaft. Searing hot tears stream down your face as you slobber all over his length, your limbs going numb from being stretched out for so long and your throat seems to follow suit, with all the effort you’re putting in to not choke on the man’s dick.
He thrusts his hips forward at a steady pace, enjoying the sight of your cheeks covered in tears, hollowing to suck him off harder.
“You’re trying so hard, it’s almost adorable.” He takes out his cock again to slap the tip over your cheeks
“I hate you.” You sob, struggling to keep your thoughts from scattering all over the place.
“Keep telling yourself that.” He smirks and threads both of his hands in your hair, using it as leverage to fuck your face.
The tentacles that were binding your ankles now move right under your knees to let the blood flow down again, but the tentacles occupying your pussy are as relentless as ever. Your walls clench around them as if a real cock was stretching you out, pounding you into next week.
Your whiny moans are muffled thanks to Seungcheol drilling his shaft down your throat, trying to let him know that you’re getting closer to your orgasm.
“You’re close, aren’t you, doll?” He asks you as he pulls out again, letting you breathe and cry out in pleasure.
“Yes, yes, please Cheollie, please make me cum, please!” You whimper, begging him to do as you want.
“I said that you need to be taught a lesson.” He reprimands you and gets up from the bed to move between your legs again, right where his tentacles are still ramming inside you.
“I’m sorry! I’m sorry, I won’t ignore you again, I promise!” You admit out loud, your nails digging in your palms.
“Apology accepted. But I’m still not going to stick my thick, meaty cock in your cute little pussy and fuck you, doll.” Seungcheol wraps his hand around his cock to pump himself, a string of curses and groans spilling from his lips. With another snap of his fingers, all of the tentacles are pulled away and he’s back to looking like a normal human again.
“No! Please, I was almost there!” You scream at him and writhe on the bed, your orgasm slowly ebbing away.
He throws your legs over his shoulders and shuts you up with his right palm pushed flush on your lips, folding you in half.
“I said I won’t fuck you. I never said I wouldn’t fill you up with some real cum.”
You look at him with shock when he slams his cock inside you and he finally cums, spilling every single drop he was holding this entire time. Your thighs shake harder than they did during your filming and your eyes nearly roll in the back of your skull.
“Ah, fuck….” he moans loudly, “Missed that so fucking bad.”
You gently push Seungcheol’s hand away to take deep breaths, your mind still blank from the sensory overload. As soon as he pulls out and his cum flows out, you gasp and start rubbing your clit in rapid circles.
“Doll-”
“Shut up.” You hiss, continuing to rub your cunt and reach your climax. Two harsh slaps on top of your clit are enough to make you squirt all over the sheets, juices coating your asscheeks and inner thighs.
Seungcheol watches you with amusement as your body rests on the ruined mattress, still in the post-sex daze.
“You never cease to amaze me, Y/N.” He lies down next to you.
“I know,” you chuckle, “I’m amazed too.”
He rolls on his side to grab your face with his hand and press a chaste kiss on your mouth, but you slap his chest playfully.
“My little hentai girl.”
“Jesus, stop with that stupid nickname!” You hide your face behind your palms.
“Why?” He pries your hands apart, “I think it suits you.”
“You’re so dumb.”
“Admit it, you enjoy being called that, deep down.”