⭑ ongoing series
✒︎ [always been you] // lee heeseung (enhypen) // fluff, romance, angst, strangers (kinda) to lovers, social elite!au, gossip girl!au, ceo!heeseung, assistant!reader, antagonist!jongseong
⭑ recently completed series
✒︎ [maybe i'm afraid] // lee minho (stray kids) // fluff, angst, romance, suggestive, strangers to lovers, painter!reader, art curator!minho, art gallery!au, painter!au
✒︎ [rule breaker] // han jisung (stray kids) // fluff, romance, angst, boxer!jisung, journalism major!reader, fake dating!au, college!au
⭑ latest fics
enhypen ✒︎ [enchanted forests] // lee heeseung // oneshot // fluff, angst, romance, high fantasy, strangers-ish to lovers, king!heeseung, fantasy!au, royalty!au
stray kids ✒︎ [there's magic between us] // hwang hyunjin //oneshot // fluff, angst, attempted humour, low fantasy, frenemies to lovers, swimmer!hyunjin, merman!hyunjin, witch!reader, high school!au, modern-day setting
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Disclaimer: All fics published on this blog are works of fiction. The representation given to the idols does not reflect my opinion nor the actions of these individuals in real life.
❥ pairing: lee heeseung x female reader
❥ genres/tropes/aus: fluff, romance, angst, strangers (kinda) to lovers, social elite!au, gossip girl!au, ceo!heeseung, assistant!reader, antagonist!jongseong
❥ rating: pg-13
❥ chapter warnings: drinking, let me know if I'm missing something
❥ word count: 5.3k
❥ chapter synopsis: Y/N returns to the city after five years away. Heeseung meets his new assistant, and it's the last person he expected to see working for him. (series synopsis can be found on the series m.list)
❥ lia's note: Hello! I hope you're well. Here's Part One of the improved version of Always Been You. I'm having a lot of fun returning to this story and making it even better than it was the first time. The changes are pretty minimal so far—mostly typos and grammar fixes—but I hope you enjoy it nonetheless. If this is your first reading this fic, then welcome! Please, like/reblog this if you enjoy reading it and let me know your thoughts in a comment/ask, I’m always appreciative of your feedback! I hope you enjoy it! As always, happy reading.
[series m.list] ● [enhypen m.list] ● [join the series taglist] ● [join my taglist]
The train station was smaller than you remember it being. The last time you had been here was five years ago after your life changed drastically overnight. One day, you were living in one of the most expensive apartments downtown, going to the most lavish parties in the city. In the next, you were crammed inside a train with strangers to go and spend a few weeks with your grandmother in the countryside while your mother tried to deal with the mess that was happening in the city.
Weeks turned into months, and months turned into years, and at one point, you didn’t expect you’d make it back here. People continued to write articles about you and your family, always conspiring about your whereabouts, what had happened to you, why you left. Against your better judgment, you read them all, even if your mother asked you not to. You wanted to know what people were saying about you. Everyone had an opinion about everything in your life, but their opinion couldn’t be the furthest thing from the truth.
There was nothing glamorous about your disappearance from the public eye. There was no secret lover, no unexpected marriage, no new villa in a secluded location only accessible by helicopter. You left because your mother had the decency to try and protect you from the strange turn of events your life had taken.
Now, after five years, you were back. It was your time to take your life back and make your own choices.
This was the first one: appearing at the same place you were last seen before you vanished from the public eye. You knew someone was watching.
They were always watching.
From the top of the grand staircase, you glanced at the crowd below drowning in warm light, trying to find a familiar face among all the people waiting. Some carried signs with names, others hopeful and excited expressions on their faces waiting for the moment they would reunite with family or friends. You, on the other hand, weren’t sure if anyone would come to pick you up.
Slowly, you made your way down the stairs with a large bag over your shoulder, the heavier one pulled by your arm making an annoying sound every time it went down a step. Thankfully, no one seemed to pay attention, and you were grateful for the muffled conversations and train arrival announcements in the background. People were too busy to care about a stranger like you and your noisy bag.
The idea of blending in with all these people brought you some peace and a small smile to your lips. That was all you wanted right now—to be a stranger and build a life for yourself away from your family’s name. For the time being, you would only introduce yourself with your first name and hope that your features had changed enough that people wouldn’t recognise your parents in you or remember who you were for that matter.
You knew this was a foolish plan. It would last you a couple of days, if not less. Still, it would be a time of anonymity and you would cherish it for as long as it would last without dwelling on what you could’ve done differently.
At the bottom of the stairs, you fixed the bag on your shoulder and glanced at the crowd again, hoping you’d lock eyes with someone who would wave at you. You kept walking at a steady pace, your heart growing heavier stranger after stranger as they reunited with their loved ones with hugs, kisses and giggles. Your heart filled with happiness for them, but a certain bitterness tainted it, too. You probably wouldn’t get to experience any of this.
You couldn’t even remember the last time you had received such a warm welcome from someone. You tended to be the one opening your arms to receive people in tight hugs or the first one to say an encouraging word or two, to make people feel like they belonged. It was humbling, to say the least, when you realised that all the happiness, support and kindness people had shown you in the past was more because of your family than because of you as a person.
When you reached the end of the crowd, you took a deep breath and cleared your throat, coming to terms with the fact that no one had come to pick you up. You glanced at the signs around the train station and looked for the one that pointed towards the subway station. Another journey awaited you as you glanced at both of your bags. It’ll have to do, you said to yourself as you fixed the bag on your shoulder once again and took one step forward, ready to leave this place, shedding the last layer of hope you had held onto for the past couple of years.
“Y/N? Is that… you?”
At the sound of his voice, you slowed down. It had been less than a week since you two last spoke over the phone, but you were still taken aback by how much his voice had changed. It was deeper, calmer, richer. Pretty much like his bank account, you were sure.
When you turned to face who had spoken, you couldn’t hide your surprise. Jake had changed. He had grown taller and into his features. His eyes remained the same, so you had no doubt you were talking to the same guy who always let you copy his homework in high school, who always kept you company at the boring events your parents liked to throw to exert their influence. Jake had grown into a handsome man, one worthy of the social elite of this city.
“It’s you!” He sighed and opened his arms, wrapping you into his tight and comforting embrace, taking a deep breath. “I’ve missed you. This city hasn’t been the same without you…”
“I’ve… missed you too.” You weren’t sure whether or not you should hug him back. You couldn’t help but get emotional at reuniting with him after all this time. Slowly, your arms wrapped around his torso and you took a deep breath as you closed your eyes, taking in the scent of his expensive cologne, the familiarity of his arms around you. “I’ve missed you so much…”
“Let me take a good look at you.” He stepped back and held your hands as he looked at you from head to toe, a kind smile greeting his lips as he nodded in approval. “You look gorgeous. The countryside did you well.”
“I look tired.” You met his eyes and smiled. “You look great. I guess becoming your father’s right arm did you well?”
He laughed and rubbed the back of his neck, somewhat shy about your remarks.
“You still can’t take compliments…” he said as a matter of fact and grabbed your bag from your shoulder. You walked alongside Jake, not sure where the two of you were going. “And becoming my father’s right arm did me well, I guess. But all of this,” he gestured to his outfit, slightly disappointed, “it’s how I dress every day now because of my work at the company. I wish I could say it was because I came to meet you, but it’s not.”
You nodded, understanding his tone. Jake had always been against dressing up and showcasing wealth daily, and he had made it his mission to destroy these societal expectations imposed on him. At parties, he always wore the simplest outfits, oftentimes choosing the one that annoyed his parents the most. It was his small way of rebelling, but his rebellious spirit might’ve dwindled with time because he hadn’t been able to fight these ideas entirely.
The more you looked at him, the more you saw how everything about him screamed luxury now: from his accessories to the brand of his suit and shoes, there was nothing on Jake’s body that was a knock-off of an expensive brand or an old heirloom he could’ve found at a garage sale or vintage store. It was all original, all new. He carried more value in his entire body than you did in your bank account. That made you conscious about how different the two of you were now despite everything you might have shared in the past.
“I have the address of the apartment I’ll be staying at,” you said to Jake, taking a small piece of paper from the pocket of your jeans and passing it to him. “Do you think you could drive me there?”
Jake stopped and glanced at you, studying your expression. Despite not having seen him in five years, his mannerisms were still the same. He still pursed his lips when he thought too deeply about something, and it was almost as if you could still read his thoughts.
“So my offer of you staying at my place, you won’t take it?” You shook your head and he sighed, somewhat disappointed. “I know you want to prove your worth, Y/N. But your worth never came from your parents or how much money you had or have, for that matter. It always came from you. Why do you think I’m here right now after all these years?”
You didn’t answer; you simply didn’t know what to say to him. Maybe he was right, maybe your worth was something you carried deep within you. But you had seen what happened when people fell from grace. You had fallen from grace to so many people, and after that, you were no longer worthy of their time, their respect, their attention.
And the hardest part was when you were no longer worthy of their love or their affection.
Heeseung sat by his apartment’s window with a glass of whiskey in his hand. He sipped on his drink as he stared at the tall buildings outside, their lights flickering in different shades and sizes, keeping him company. He loosened the tie around his neck and sighed, pondering whether or not he should turn on the lights of his apartment.
His laziness took the best of him and he remained on his couch, sipping on the bitter drink, thinking about his day and how much of a mess it had been.
Ever since his last assistant quit her job, Heeseung was having a hard time keeping everything in check. Not only that, but HR had failed to find someone to replace her. Whenever they sent someone to assist him with his tasks, he simply grew more disappointed and frustrated with their lack of professionalism, which ended with him doing all the work and sending them away after a few days.
He could only hope that whoever was coming to replace his old assistant next was competent enough to do their job right. Heeseung was tired of this; it was delaying everything in his life: contracts he could sign, new business ventures he could take, his wedding plans that he wanted to finalise as soon as possible so he could be taken seriously by the people he worked with. Still, his fiancée kept her reservations, saying that they shouldn’t rush it, that they should take their time, and that only made Heeseung more frustrated over the whole thing. He knew this wasn’t a marriage of love—it was one of convenience—but delaying it only made him look more like a fool to his peers.
His thoughts were interrupted when his phone rang. He read the name displayed on his screen and sighed in disappointment. Why was his best friend calling him at this time of the night? Shouldn’t he be at a club getting drunk or something?
“This is Heeseung. What’s the matter?”
“Have you seen the news?” Sunghoon asked, out of breath. “Please, tell me you have.”
“I haven’t.” Heeseung kept his cool, glancing at the glass in his hand. He’d call his fiancée after this, just to know what she was up to, if she wanted to have dinner with him some other day. “What is it? Are our shares down?”
“No, it’s not about the shares. The company is doing quite well, actually.”
“Then is it something about my wedding?”
“Why would it be about your wedding?” Sunghoon sounded annoyed. He cleared his throat. “You should stop this guessing game because you’ll never get it right.”
“Then, get to the point, Sunghoon. I have things to do.”
“Of course you do,” Sunghoon said, clearly mocking him. “Let me guess, you’ll call your fiancée after this and she’ll ignore you again?”
“Get to the point.” Heeseung pinched the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath, closing his eyes. “Otherwise, I’ll hang up.”
“Fine, fine. Just make sure you’re sitting down because this is—”
“—Bye, Sunghoon—”
“—No! Heeseung!” As he was about to end the call, Sunghoon added, “Y/N is back.”
Those words cut through Heeseung’s heart like a knife, and what bled out wasn’t blood. It was hope. It had been five years since he last saw you, since he last heard anything from you. All of his calls, you never reciprocated. All of his attempts at finding you always led him nowhere. At one point, Heeseung thought you were dead, but he heard your name at events through people who thought they had seen you here and there, and that gave him a strange hope that you would reunite some other time. This hope was quite foolish since he still knew who you were, but you probably didn’t remember him or your impact on his life.
How could he forget you after everything you did for him?
“Heeseung? Are you there? Heeseung?”
He blinked and put his phone next to his ear as his heart jumped in his chest, the air escaping his lungs.
“What do you mean, Y/N is back? Since when? Where did you get this information from?”
“For someone not interested in gossip, you’re asking too many questions.” Heeseung rolled his eyes at his friend’s remark. “For starters, this was posted a while ago on Click!'s front page. You know, the online tabloid? Apparently, Y/N arrived this afternoon by train and guess who went to pick her up?”
He didn’t want to answer. Whenever Heeseung thought of the people who were closer to you back when you met each other, two people came to mind: your best friend, Jake Sim, and the man you once dated and Heeseung had to see every day at the company, Park Jongseong.
“Enlighten me, please.”
Heeseung didn’t want to guess. Still, he couldn’t help but wonder if you were doing well, if you were back together with Jongseong. The thought of it made him sick to his stomach. What he had done to you, the things he had said about you and your family to the press, were despicable.
“It was Jake.” Heeseung sighed, relieved. Sunghoon chuckled. “I wish I had more information, but all they posted was a picture of them hugging and—”
“How does she look?”
Sunghoon chuckled and Heeseung felt his phone buzzing. “See it for yourself. My job here is done.”
“What do you mean?”
“Now you have the chance to tell her everything you weren’t able to five years ago. Don’t pretend you’ve gotten over her. We both know the only reason why you want to get married is—”
“We’re not talking about this,” Heeseung said right away, upset that Sunghoon was once again bringing this subject up. “For all it’s worth, I… care about my fiancée. That’s why I want to marry her. Besides, I wouldn’t know where to find Y/N.” He cleared his throat. “Not that I want to find her. She probably doesn’t remember me.”
Heeseung gulped, already regretting his choice of words, something that Sunghoon quickly caught on. He laughed on the other side and Heeseung rolled his eyes, trying to regain his composure, although he had to loosen the tie around his neck even more.
“I’m sure you’ll figure something out. You are Lee Heeseung, after all. I’ll get going now. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Sunghoon hung up the call, leaving Heeseung to deal with the confusion between his mind and heart. He had so many questions, most of which he couldn’t answer yet. He didn’t even dare to ask them out loud, afraid of the answer.
When he glanced at his phone screen, he quickly pressed the message Sunghoon had sent him, being redirected to the post where his friend had gotten all of this information.
The photo was of terrible quality, and under any other circumstance he would’ve doubted the authenticity of it, he would’ve denied your presence in it. And yet, this time around, he hoped it was you.
You looked… different. Time had made you grow into your features, but even in terrible quality, Heeseung couldn’t deny the beauty of your smile and the kindness of your eyes. He never expected to be so taken aback because of your return, and yet, everything he ever felt for you was coming back. He thought he had gotten over his first love, but he hadn’t. Mostly because Heeseung had always hoped you would also be his last, his only love.
That proved to be wrong, but it didn’t stop him from being hopeful.
Hopeful that you would cross paths again and that he would be able to see you once more. Not to admit how much he had loved you, but to thank you for everything you had done for him when no one else stood by his side all those years ago.
The apartment you had rented was too small, but it was all you could afford for the time being. Besides, it was located within walking distance of the nearest subway station and you knew that would be useful for getting to work.
After you decided to move here, you searched for job offers and found a couple that you were interested in and applied to them all. Most of them didn’t accept your application, stating you were underqualified, but a couple of them followed through with an interview that was done through video chat. After a couple more hiccups along the way, you landed a job to be an assistant. It wasn’t your first option, but you didn’t say no to it. It paid well, and you planned on working until you found a better job or, if the company allowed, until you climbed the corporate ladder to get a better paycheck so you could move out of this apartment.
Right now, that was your main priority: find a better place to live.
Jake had already sent you a morning text to wish you good luck on your first day at work and even offered to have lunch with you. You rejected his offer and said you’d pack your lunch and have it at the company to avoid unnecessary expenses. He wasn’t very pleased with this, but you promised you’d call him after work, which made him somewhat satisfied.
Before exiting, you checked your outfit one more time in the only mirror available at your apartment. You only had one chance to make a good first impression and you were counting on it. You had chosen your best outfit for today and you were hoping it carried the message that you were reliable and trustworthy as an assistant. Still, you weren’t completely happy with the way you looked. Your jacket was outdated, your shoes looked old, and even your bag didn’t match what you were wearing at all.
“This will have to do,” you whispered to yourself, smiling at your reflection. “You’ve got this. You’ll do great.”
You opened your apartment door and left, making your way to the subway station, already knowing the lines’ colours, their stations and timetables as well as the palm of your hand. It didn’t take you long to get on the subway train and arrive at your destination on time and with no problems.
After climbing up the stairs to leave the subway station, you found yourself drowning in the city chaos, something that brought a smile to your face. In the past, you mostly drove by it and saw all of this through the car window. Now, you were a part of it.
You were one of the busy people with somewhere to be so, you didn’t waste any time. After holding onto your purse and fixing your lunch bag over your shoulder, you walked towards one of the tall buildings that you had recently familiarised yourself with. The previous day, you had spent the afternoon with someone from the HR department who showed you around the building and told you everything you needed to know. At first, you were overwhelmed by all this new information but, just like the subway lines, it was only a matter of time before you figured it all out.
When you passed the glass doors, the sound of traffic subsided and your shoes echoing on the floor took over, matching the intense beating of your heart. You reached the front desk and greeted the person who was there who quickly offered you a kind smile, remembering you from the previous day.
“Y/N, right?” You nodded and they checked a list in front of them, nodding. “Ah, you don’t have an entry card yet… Well, I’ll let you in. Just show me your ID and I have an indication here that you should meet Kim Sunoo. Do you know who he is?”
“I do, thank you.” You opened your wallet and extended your ID card to them and they checked your information, returning it to you with a smile and an extra card for you to carry around your neck.
“It’s all good. I’m sure someone in HR will contact you soon so you can get your card done.” They stood from their chair and manually opened one of the passageways, gesturing to you to come in. “Have a nice day.”
You gulped as you made your way to the elevators, clutching your bag closer to you as you approached it. A small crowd gathered around you and you tried your best to keep calm when you entered the elevator, making your way to the back after pressing the button to your floor. People entered and greeted one another with polite bows and whispered good mornings. You did the same, trying your best to not stand out too much. However, between men in expensive suits and women in high heels and pencil skirts, you definitely stood out for the wrong reasons.
People started to leave the elevator and it grew quieter and emptier the higher it went. You tried to ignore the man standing next to you, who kept his eyes narrowed every time he glanced your way. Your heart jumped in your chest as you hoped that he wouldn’t call you out for your terrible fashion sense, or ask who you were.
“First day?” His voice caught you by surprise and you glanced his way, nodding slightly. His smile widened. “Well, I hope everything goes well for you.” The elevator announced another floor and he looked at the door, pointing at it. “This is my floor.”
“I leave here too,” you said, clearing your throat.
He simply nodded and as soon as he exited the elevator, he greeted everyone with a loud good morning that everyone reciprocated at the same time. When the doors closed behind you, you scanned the floor and soon enough, found Kim Sunoo sitting at a nearby desk. As soon as his eyes landed on you, he waved his arm in the air and stood, walking towards you.
“I’m so happy you’re here on time!” He clapped and grabbed your arm, guiding you to a desk different from the one you had been told would be yours the previous day. When you tried to point that out, Sunoo quickly filled you in. “Well, the chairman doesn’t have an assistant and since he needs one urgently, you’ll be working for him for the time being!”
“I thought I was going to work for someone else, someone less high profile…”
Your fear wasn’t your skills, you knew you’d do a good job regardless of who they were. What you feared was who they were. The higher their profile, the more likely they were to know you, and you were enjoying the fact that no one at this company seemed to know who you were.
“Oh, you don’t have to worry!” Sunoo offered you a smile and patted your shoulder. “Lee Heeseung is a great man. He is cold at times, yes, but that’s because he expects only the best from you. He’s the one in charge of us all, after all.”
“Yes, but—”
A phone started to ring at Sunoo’s desk and he rolled his eyes, sighing in despair right after. “Everything you need is at your desk. I suggest you meet with him first so you can figure out his working style and how you can assist him better. I’ll be here all the time, so let me know if you need anything.”
He gave you a thumbs up and picked up the phone, sitting back at his desk and focusing on the call he was receiving. You glanced at your desk and couldn’t help but panic slightly.
The name Lee Heeseung wasn’t strange to you, but you didn’t know where you knew it from. When you thought of all the people you used to hang out with five years ago, his name didn’t bring back any memories. Yet, there was something at the tip of your tongue that told you that you knew his name from somewhere.
However, just like your memory was failing you, you could only hope that his memory was also failing him and that any recollection he had of you or your family was gone and nowhere to be found.
The traffic was always complicated whenever Heeseung tried to get to work. Although his private driver knew the best routes to get him to the office on time, sometimes the traffic was so bad that all he could do was lean back in his backseat and go over his plans for the day.
This morning, however, his mind focused on something else. As he glanced at the tall buildings passing outside of his car window, he couldn’t help but think about you and what you were up to. Ever since that post on Click! Sunghoon shared with him, Heeseung hadn't been able to stop thinking about it. It had been so unexpected and it caught him off guard in every sense of the word.
Feelings he thought were buried deep within him were slowly making their way back to the surface, stronger than ever. Fallacies he had whispered to himself every day hoping they’d become facts someday were crumbling and crashing down. Your return couldn’t be happening at the worst time. Still, he was glad he had no way to contact you, to see you. That would make everything worse and your return even more real. So far, all of this was just a ghost haunting his thoughts and his mind, but it wasn’t tangible.
“Would you like me to leave you at the main entrance or the parking lot?”
“The main entrance is fine.” Heeseung sighed and fixed the tie around his neck, watching as the familiar building came into view in front of him. “I only need you to come and pick me up later.”
“I’ll be here at the usual time, then.” His driver smiled at him through the rearview mirror and Heeseung nodded, unable to reciprocate the kind gesture.
Eventually, his driver stopped the car and Heeseung made his way out of the vehicle and inside the tall building, greeting employees with small nods, never stopping for more than a few seconds.
When the elevator door opened, he found Sunghoon inside with sunglasses on, leaning against the elevator doors, massaging his temples.
“Good morning,” Heeseung said when the doors closed with only the two of them inside. “Did you have fun last night?”
“Don’t speak so loud,” Sunghoon whined, taking a deep breath. “I went out and had too much to drink with someone.”
Heeseung chuckled and gave his friend an unbothered look. “She slept at your place.”
“Quiet!” Sunghoon placed a finger over his lips and shrugged. “I’m not sure if I slept with someone. They weren’t next to me when I woke up… It probably wasn’t that memorable.”
“Or maybe you were too drunk to remember about it…” Heeseung whispered under his breath, shaking his head in disappointment. Sunghoon had a terrible habit of going out during weekdays and drinking more than he should. This was a behaviour Heeseung constantly called out, but his friend didn’t seem to change. “I’ll ask my assistant to bring us coffee. If this happens again, I’ll have to let HR know.” Sunghoon scoffed but Heeseung gave him a warning look. “I’m serious this time. You need to learn when to be professional and when to play around.”
“You’re no fun, Heeseung.”
“And look at where that led me to.” Heeseung opened his arms and glanced around the elevator. After all, he had built this company from the ground up and it certainly wasn’t because of flirting all day and partying all night.
The elevator doors opened and Heeseung stepped outside, making his way to his office. As he passed by the different assistant desks, they all stood to bow to him and wish him a good morning, something he simply ignored and continued to walk.
“Coffee in your office?” Sunghoon asked after gesturing to Sunoo to remain at his desk. “I’ll meet you in twenty minutes.”
“Fine. I’ll wait for you.”
Sunghoon disappeared inside of his office and his assistant sighed in disappointment, shaking his head as he typed on his computer. Heeseung gulped and glanced at his assistant’s desk to find someone sitting there. He walked closer, already disappointed at whoever they had chosen. After all, they hadn’t stood when he arrived at the office.
“Good morning.” Heeseung greeted, fixing the tie around his neck. “I assume you’re my new assistant, but we can discuss who you are and all that later. For now, I’d like you to bring me two coffees from the lobby.”
“Any special requirements?” The assistant stood from her chair and, for the first time, looked at Heeseung. His eyes widened in shock and he almost lost all the strength in his legs when he realised who his new assistant was. “Do you prefer—”
“What are you doing here?”
This was certainly a hallucination, it had to be. You couldn’t possibly be standing in front of him, you couldn’t possibly be his new assistant.
“Sunoo told me to settle in at this desk.” You quickly bowed to him, flustered. “I apologise if this bothered you. This won’t happen again.”
It was you. Heeseung would’ve never mistaken your voice, he would’ve never forgotten the look in your eyes as you stared at him, trying your best to hide the embarrassment you were feeling.
“Just bring me two coffees from the lobby. No special requirements.”
He turned and disappeared into his office, slamming the door behind him, causing him to jump as he collapsed on his desk’s chair, loosening the tie around his neck, feeling the air escaping his lungs.
What Click! posted wasn’t a manipulated photo. Heeseung hadn’t hallucinated when he saw you sitting at his assistant’s desk.
“Oh no…”
When the pieces of the puzzle all took shape in his mind, he could almost feel his soul leaving his body.
You were back. The one person he had never forgotten was back. Not only that, but you were his assistant. And despite the burning memories he still had of you, it seemed as though you didn’t remember him.
And that begged the question: should Heeseung pretend he didn’t know you as well?
❥ pairing: lee heeseung x female reader
❥ genres/tropes/aus: fluff, romance, angst, strangers (kinda) to lovers, social elite!au, gossip girl!au, ceo!heeseung, assistant!reader, antagonist!jongseong
❥ rating: pg-13
❥ chapter warnings: drinking, let me know if I'm missing something
❥ word count: 5.3k
❥ chapter synopsis: Y/N returns to the city after five years away. Heeseung meets his new assistant, and it's the last person he expected to see working for him. (series synopsis can be found on the series m.list)
❥ lia's note: Hello! I hope you're well. Here's Part One of the improved version of Always Been You. I'm having a lot of fun returning to this story and making it even better than it was the first time. The changes are pretty minimal so far—mostly typos and grammar fixes—but I hope you enjoy it nonetheless. If this is your first reading this fic, then welcome! Please, like/reblog this if you enjoy reading it and let me know your thoughts in a comment/ask, I’m always appreciative of your feedback! I hope you enjoy it! As always, happy reading.
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The train station was smaller than you remember it being. The last time you had been here was five years ago after your life changed drastically overnight. One day, you were living in one of the most expensive apartments downtown, going to the most lavish parties in the city. In the next, you were crammed inside a train with strangers to go and spend a few weeks with your grandmother in the countryside while your mother tried to deal with the mess that was happening in the city.
Weeks turned into months, and months turned into years, and at one point, you didn’t expect you’d make it back here. People continued to write articles about you and your family, always conspiring about your whereabouts, what had happened to you, why you left. Against your better judgment, you read them all, even if your mother asked you not to. You wanted to know what people were saying about you. Everyone had an opinion about everything in your life, but their opinion couldn’t be the furthest thing from the truth.
There was nothing glamorous about your disappearance from the public eye. There was no secret lover, no unexpected marriage, no new villa in a secluded location only accessible by helicopter. You left because your mother had the decency to try and protect you from the strange turn of events your life had taken.
Now, after five years, you were back. It was your time to take your life back and make your own choices.
This was the first one: appearing at the same place you were last seen before you vanished from the public eye. You knew someone was watching.
They were always watching.
From the top of the grand staircase, you glanced at the crowd below drowning in warm light, trying to find a familiar face among all the people waiting. Some carried signs with names, others hopeful and excited expressions on their faces waiting for the moment they would reunite with family or friends. You, on the other hand, weren’t sure if anyone would come to pick you up.
Slowly, you made your way down the stairs with a large bag over your shoulder, the heavier one pulled by your arm making an annoying sound every time it went down a step. Thankfully, no one seemed to pay attention, and you were grateful for the muffled conversations and train arrival announcements in the background. People were too busy to care about a stranger like you and your noisy bag.
The idea of blending in with all these people brought you some peace and a small smile to your lips. That was all you wanted right now—to be a stranger and build a life for yourself away from your family’s name. For the time being, you would only introduce yourself with your first name and hope that your features had changed enough that people wouldn’t recognise your parents in you or remember who you were for that matter.
You knew this was a foolish plan. It would last you a couple of days, if not less. Still, it would be a time of anonymity and you would cherish it for as long as it would last without dwelling on what you could’ve done differently.
At the bottom of the stairs, you fixed the bag on your shoulder and glanced at the crowd again, hoping you’d lock eyes with someone who would wave at you. You kept walking at a steady pace, your heart growing heavier stranger after stranger as they reunited with their loved ones with hugs, kisses and giggles. Your heart filled with happiness for them, but a certain bitterness tainted it, too. You probably wouldn’t get to experience any of this.
You couldn’t even remember the last time you had received such a warm welcome from someone. You tended to be the one opening your arms to receive people in tight hugs or the first one to say an encouraging word or two, to make people feel like they belonged. It was humbling, to say the least, when you realised that all the happiness, support and kindness people had shown you in the past was more because of your family than because of you as a person.
When you reached the end of the crowd, you took a deep breath and cleared your throat, coming to terms with the fact that no one had come to pick you up. You glanced at the signs around the train station and looked for the one that pointed towards the subway station. Another journey awaited you as you glanced at both of your bags. It’ll have to do, you said to yourself as you fixed the bag on your shoulder once again and took one step forward, ready to leave this place, shedding the last layer of hope you had held onto for the past couple of years.
“Y/N? Is that… you?”
At the sound of his voice, you slowed down. It had been less than a week since you two last spoke over the phone, but you were still taken aback by how much his voice had changed. It was deeper, calmer, richer. Pretty much like his bank account, you were sure.
When you turned to face who had spoken, you couldn’t hide your surprise. Jake had changed. He had grown taller and into his features. His eyes remained the same, so you had no doubt you were talking to the same guy who always let you copy his homework in high school, who always kept you company at the boring events your parents liked to throw to exert their influence. Jake had grown into a handsome man, one worthy of the social elite of this city.
“It’s you!” He sighed and opened his arms, wrapping you into his tight and comforting embrace, taking a deep breath. “I’ve missed you. This city hasn’t been the same without you…”
“I’ve… missed you too.” You weren’t sure whether or not you should hug him back. You couldn’t help but get emotional at reuniting with him after all this time. Slowly, your arms wrapped around his torso and you took a deep breath as you closed your eyes, taking in the scent of his expensive cologne, the familiarity of his arms around you. “I’ve missed you so much…”
“Let me take a good look at you.” He stepped back and held your hands as he looked at you from head to toe, a kind smile greeting his lips as he nodded in approval. “You look gorgeous. The countryside did you well.”
“I look tired.” You met his eyes and smiled. “You look great. I guess becoming your father’s right arm did you well?”
He laughed and rubbed the back of his neck, somewhat shy about your remarks.
“You still can’t take compliments…” he said as a matter of fact and grabbed your bag from your shoulder. You walked alongside Jake, not sure where the two of you were going. “And becoming my father’s right arm did me well, I guess. But all of this,” he gestured to his outfit, slightly disappointed, “it’s how I dress every day now because of my work at the company. I wish I could say it was because I came to meet you, but it’s not.”
You nodded, understanding his tone. Jake had always been against dressing up and showcasing wealth daily, and he had made it his mission to destroy these societal expectations imposed on him. At parties, he always wore the simplest outfits, oftentimes choosing the one that annoyed his parents the most. It was his small way of rebelling, but his rebellious spirit might’ve dwindled with time because he hadn’t been able to fight these ideas entirely.
The more you looked at him, the more you saw how everything about him screamed luxury now: from his accessories to the brand of his suit and shoes, there was nothing on Jake’s body that was a knock-off of an expensive brand or an old heirloom he could’ve found at a garage sale or vintage store. It was all original, all new. He carried more value in his entire body than you did in your bank account. That made you conscious about how different the two of you were now despite everything you might have shared in the past.
“I have the address of the apartment I’ll be staying at,” you said to Jake, taking a small piece of paper from the pocket of your jeans and passing it to him. “Do you think you could drive me there?”
Jake stopped and glanced at you, studying your expression. Despite not having seen him in five years, his mannerisms were still the same. He still pursed his lips when he thought too deeply about something, and it was almost as if you could still read his thoughts.
“So my offer of you staying at my place, you won’t take it?” You shook your head and he sighed, somewhat disappointed. “I know you want to prove your worth, Y/N. But your worth never came from your parents or how much money you had or have, for that matter. It always came from you. Why do you think I’m here right now after all these years?”
You didn’t answer; you simply didn’t know what to say to him. Maybe he was right, maybe your worth was something you carried deep within you. But you had seen what happened when people fell from grace. You had fallen from grace to so many people, and after that, you were no longer worthy of their time, their respect, their attention.
And the hardest part was when you were no longer worthy of their love or their affection.
Heeseung sat by his apartment’s window with a glass of whiskey in his hand. He sipped on his drink as he stared at the tall buildings outside, their lights flickering in different shades and sizes, keeping him company. He loosened the tie around his neck and sighed, pondering whether or not he should turn on the lights of his apartment.
His laziness took the best of him and he remained on his couch, sipping on the bitter drink, thinking about his day and how much of a mess it had been.
Ever since his last assistant quit her job, Heeseung was having a hard time keeping everything in check. Not only that, but HR had failed to find someone to replace her. Whenever they sent someone to assist him with his tasks, he simply grew more disappointed and frustrated with their lack of professionalism, which ended with him doing all the work and sending them away after a few days.
He could only hope that whoever was coming to replace his old assistant next was competent enough to do their job right. Heeseung was tired of this; it was delaying everything in his life: contracts he could sign, new business ventures he could take, his wedding plans that he wanted to finalise as soon as possible so he could be taken seriously by the people he worked with. Still, his fiancée kept her reservations, saying that they shouldn’t rush it, that they should take their time, and that only made Heeseung more frustrated over the whole thing. He knew this wasn’t a marriage of love—it was one of convenience—but delaying it only made him look more like a fool to his peers.
His thoughts were interrupted when his phone rang. He read the name displayed on his screen and sighed in disappointment. Why was his best friend calling him at this time of the night? Shouldn’t he be at a club getting drunk or something?
“This is Heeseung. What’s the matter?”
“Have you seen the news?” Sunghoon asked, out of breath. “Please, tell me you have.”
“I haven’t.” Heeseung kept his cool, glancing at the glass in his hand. He’d call his fiancée after this, just to know what she was up to, if she wanted to have dinner with him some other day. “What is it? Are our shares down?”
“No, it’s not about the shares. The company is doing quite well, actually.”
“Then is it something about my wedding?”
“Why would it be about your wedding?” Sunghoon sounded annoyed. He cleared his throat. “You should stop this guessing game because you’ll never get it right.”
“Then, get to the point, Sunghoon. I have things to do.”
“Of course you do,” Sunghoon said, clearly mocking him. “Let me guess, you’ll call your fiancée after this and she’ll ignore you again?”
“Get to the point.” Heeseung pinched the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath, closing his eyes. “Otherwise, I’ll hang up.”
“Fine, fine. Just make sure you’re sitting down because this is—”
“—Bye, Sunghoon—”
“—No! Heeseung!” As he was about to end the call, Sunghoon added, “Y/N is back.”
Those words cut through Heeseung’s heart like a knife, and what bled out wasn’t blood. It was hope. It had been five years since he last saw you, since he last heard anything from you. All of his calls, you never reciprocated. All of his attempts at finding you always led him nowhere. At one point, Heeseung thought you were dead, but he heard your name at events through people who thought they had seen you here and there, and that gave him a strange hope that you would reunite some other time. This hope was quite foolish since he still knew who you were, but you probably didn’t remember him or your impact on his life.
How could he forget you after everything you did for him?
“Heeseung? Are you there? Heeseung?”
He blinked and put his phone next to his ear as his heart jumped in his chest, the air escaping his lungs.
“What do you mean, Y/N is back? Since when? Where did you get this information from?”
“For someone not interested in gossip, you’re asking too many questions.” Heeseung rolled his eyes at his friend’s remark. “For starters, this was posted a while ago on Click!'s front page. You know, the online tabloid? Apparently, Y/N arrived this afternoon by train and guess who went to pick her up?”
He didn’t want to answer. Whenever Heeseung thought of the people who were closer to you back when you met each other, two people came to mind: your best friend, Jake Sim, and the man you once dated and Heeseung had to see every day at the company, Park Jongseong.
“Enlighten me, please.”
Heeseung didn’t want to guess. Still, he couldn’t help but wonder if you were doing well, if you were back together with Jongseong. The thought of it made him sick to his stomach. What he had done to you, the things he had said about you and your family to the press, were despicable.
“It was Jake.” Heeseung sighed, relieved. Sunghoon chuckled. “I wish I had more information, but all they posted was a picture of them hugging and—”
“How does she look?”
Sunghoon chuckled and Heeseung felt his phone buzzing. “See it for yourself. My job here is done.”
“What do you mean?”
“Now you have the chance to tell her everything you weren’t able to five years ago. Don’t pretend you’ve gotten over her. We both know the only reason why you want to get married is—”
“We’re not talking about this,” Heeseung said right away, upset that Sunghoon was once again bringing this subject up. “For all it’s worth, I… care about my fiancée. That’s why I want to marry her. Besides, I wouldn’t know where to find Y/N.” He cleared his throat. “Not that I want to find her. She probably doesn’t remember me.”
Heeseung gulped, already regretting his choice of words, something that Sunghoon quickly caught on. He laughed on the other side and Heeseung rolled his eyes, trying to regain his composure, although he had to loosen the tie around his neck even more.
“I’m sure you’ll figure something out. You are Lee Heeseung, after all. I’ll get going now. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Sunghoon hung up the call, leaving Heeseung to deal with the confusion between his mind and heart. He had so many questions, most of which he couldn’t answer yet. He didn’t even dare to ask them out loud, afraid of the answer.
When he glanced at his phone screen, he quickly pressed the message Sunghoon had sent him, being redirected to the post where his friend had gotten all of this information.
The photo was of terrible quality, and under any other circumstance he would’ve doubted the authenticity of it, he would’ve denied your presence in it. And yet, this time around, he hoped it was you.
You looked… different. Time had made you grow into your features, but even in terrible quality, Heeseung couldn’t deny the beauty of your smile and the kindness of your eyes. He never expected to be so taken aback because of your return, and yet, everything he ever felt for you was coming back. He thought he had gotten over his first love, but he hadn’t. Mostly because Heeseung had always hoped you would also be his last, his only love.
That proved to be wrong, but it didn’t stop him from being hopeful.
Hopeful that you would cross paths again and that he would be able to see you once more. Not to admit how much he had loved you, but to thank you for everything you had done for him when no one else stood by his side all those years ago.
The apartment you had rented was too small, but it was all you could afford for the time being. Besides, it was located within walking distance of the nearest subway station and you knew that would be useful for getting to work.
After you decided to move here, you searched for job offers and found a couple that you were interested in and applied to them all. Most of them didn’t accept your application, stating you were underqualified, but a couple of them followed through with an interview that was done through video chat. After a couple more hiccups along the way, you landed a job to be an assistant. It wasn’t your first option, but you didn’t say no to it. It paid well, and you planned on working until you found a better job or, if the company allowed, until you climbed the corporate ladder to get a better paycheck so you could move out of this apartment.
Right now, that was your main priority: find a better place to live.
Jake had already sent you a morning text to wish you good luck on your first day at work and even offered to have lunch with you. You rejected his offer and said you’d pack your lunch and have it at the company to avoid unnecessary expenses. He wasn’t very pleased with this, but you promised you’d call him after work, which made him somewhat satisfied.
Before exiting, you checked your outfit one more time in the only mirror available at your apartment. You only had one chance to make a good first impression and you were counting on it. You had chosen your best outfit for today and you were hoping it carried the message that you were reliable and trustworthy as an assistant. Still, you weren’t completely happy with the way you looked. Your jacket was outdated, your shoes looked old, and even your bag didn’t match what you were wearing at all.
“This will have to do,” you whispered to yourself, smiling at your reflection. “You’ve got this. You’ll do great.”
You opened your apartment door and left, making your way to the subway station, already knowing the lines’ colours, their stations and timetables as well as the palm of your hand. It didn’t take you long to get on the subway train and arrive at your destination on time and with no problems.
After climbing up the stairs to leave the subway station, you found yourself drowning in the city chaos, something that brought a smile to your face. In the past, you mostly drove by it and saw all of this through the car window. Now, you were a part of it.
You were one of the busy people with somewhere to be so, you didn’t waste any time. After holding onto your purse and fixing your lunch bag over your shoulder, you walked towards one of the tall buildings that you had recently familiarised yourself with. The previous day, you had spent the afternoon with someone from the HR department who showed you around the building and told you everything you needed to know. At first, you were overwhelmed by all this new information but, just like the subway lines, it was only a matter of time before you figured it all out.
When you passed the glass doors, the sound of traffic subsided and your shoes echoing on the floor took over, matching the intense beating of your heart. You reached the front desk and greeted the person who was there who quickly offered you a kind smile, remembering you from the previous day.
“Y/N, right?” You nodded and they checked a list in front of them, nodding. “Ah, you don’t have an entry card yet… Well, I’ll let you in. Just show me your ID and I have an indication here that you should meet Kim Sunoo. Do you know who he is?”
“I do, thank you.” You opened your wallet and extended your ID card to them and they checked your information, returning it to you with a smile and an extra card for you to carry around your neck.
“It’s all good. I’m sure someone in HR will contact you soon so you can get your card done.” They stood from their chair and manually opened one of the passageways, gesturing to you to come in. “Have a nice day.”
You gulped as you made your way to the elevators, clutching your bag closer to you as you approached it. A small crowd gathered around you and you tried your best to keep calm when you entered the elevator, making your way to the back after pressing the button to your floor. People entered and greeted one another with polite bows and whispered good mornings. You did the same, trying your best to not stand out too much. However, between men in expensive suits and women in high heels and pencil skirts, you definitely stood out for the wrong reasons.
People started to leave the elevator and it grew quieter and emptier the higher it went. You tried to ignore the man standing next to you, who kept his eyes narrowed every time he glanced your way. Your heart jumped in your chest as you hoped that he wouldn’t call you out for your terrible fashion sense, or ask who you were.
“First day?” His voice caught you by surprise and you glanced his way, nodding slightly. His smile widened. “Well, I hope everything goes well for you.” The elevator announced another floor and he looked at the door, pointing at it. “This is my floor.”
“I leave here too,” you said, clearing your throat.
He simply nodded and as soon as he exited the elevator, he greeted everyone with a loud good morning that everyone reciprocated at the same time. When the doors closed behind you, you scanned the floor and soon enough, found Kim Sunoo sitting at a nearby desk. As soon as his eyes landed on you, he waved his arm in the air and stood, walking towards you.
“I’m so happy you’re here on time!” He clapped and grabbed your arm, guiding you to a desk different from the one you had been told would be yours the previous day. When you tried to point that out, Sunoo quickly filled you in. “Well, the chairman doesn’t have an assistant and since he needs one urgently, you’ll be working for him for the time being!”
“I thought I was going to work for someone else, someone less high profile…”
Your fear wasn’t your skills, you knew you’d do a good job regardless of who they were. What you feared was who they were. The higher their profile, the more likely they were to know you, and you were enjoying the fact that no one at this company seemed to know who you were.
“Oh, you don’t have to worry!” Sunoo offered you a smile and patted your shoulder. “Lee Heeseung is a great man. He is cold at times, yes, but that’s because he expects only the best from you. He’s the one in charge of us all, after all.”
“Yes, but—”
A phone started to ring at Sunoo’s desk and he rolled his eyes, sighing in despair right after. “Everything you need is at your desk. I suggest you meet with him first so you can figure out his working style and how you can assist him better. I’ll be here all the time, so let me know if you need anything.”
He gave you a thumbs up and picked up the phone, sitting back at his desk and focusing on the call he was receiving. You glanced at your desk and couldn’t help but panic slightly.
The name Lee Heeseung wasn’t strange to you, but you didn’t know where you knew it from. When you thought of all the people you used to hang out with five years ago, his name didn’t bring back any memories. Yet, there was something at the tip of your tongue that told you that you knew his name from somewhere.
However, just like your memory was failing you, you could only hope that his memory was also failing him and that any recollection he had of you or your family was gone and nowhere to be found.
The traffic was always complicated whenever Heeseung tried to get to work. Although his private driver knew the best routes to get him to the office on time, sometimes the traffic was so bad that all he could do was lean back in his backseat and go over his plans for the day.
This morning, however, his mind focused on something else. As he glanced at the tall buildings passing outside of his car window, he couldn’t help but think about you and what you were up to. Ever since that post on Click! Sunghoon shared with him, Heeseung hadn't been able to stop thinking about it. It had been so unexpected and it caught him off guard in every sense of the word.
Feelings he thought were buried deep within him were slowly making their way back to the surface, stronger than ever. Fallacies he had whispered to himself every day hoping they’d become facts someday were crumbling and crashing down. Your return couldn’t be happening at the worst time. Still, he was glad he had no way to contact you, to see you. That would make everything worse and your return even more real. So far, all of this was just a ghost haunting his thoughts and his mind, but it wasn’t tangible.
“Would you like me to leave you at the main entrance or the parking lot?”
“The main entrance is fine.” Heeseung sighed and fixed the tie around his neck, watching as the familiar building came into view in front of him. “I only need you to come and pick me up later.”
“I’ll be here at the usual time, then.” His driver smiled at him through the rearview mirror and Heeseung nodded, unable to reciprocate the kind gesture.
Eventually, his driver stopped the car and Heeseung made his way out of the vehicle and inside the tall building, greeting employees with small nods, never stopping for more than a few seconds.
When the elevator door opened, he found Sunghoon inside with sunglasses on, leaning against the elevator doors, massaging his temples.
“Good morning,” Heeseung said when the doors closed with only the two of them inside. “Did you have fun last night?”
“Don’t speak so loud,” Sunghoon whined, taking a deep breath. “I went out and had too much to drink with someone.”
Heeseung chuckled and gave his friend an unbothered look. “She slept at your place.”
“Quiet!” Sunghoon placed a finger over his lips and shrugged. “I’m not sure if I slept with someone. They weren’t next to me when I woke up… It probably wasn’t that memorable.”
“Or maybe you were too drunk to remember about it…” Heeseung whispered under his breath, shaking his head in disappointment. Sunghoon had a terrible habit of going out during weekdays and drinking more than he should. This was a behaviour Heeseung constantly called out, but his friend didn’t seem to change. “I’ll ask my assistant to bring us coffee. If this happens again, I’ll have to let HR know.” Sunghoon scoffed but Heeseung gave him a warning look. “I’m serious this time. You need to learn when to be professional and when to play around.”
“You’re no fun, Heeseung.”
“And look at where that led me to.” Heeseung opened his arms and glanced around the elevator. After all, he had built this company from the ground up and it certainly wasn’t because of flirting all day and partying all night.
The elevator doors opened and Heeseung stepped outside, making his way to his office. As he passed by the different assistant desks, they all stood to bow to him and wish him a good morning, something he simply ignored and continued to walk.
“Coffee in your office?” Sunghoon asked after gesturing to Sunoo to remain at his desk. “I’ll meet you in twenty minutes.”
“Fine. I’ll wait for you.”
Sunghoon disappeared inside of his office and his assistant sighed in disappointment, shaking his head as he typed on his computer. Heeseung gulped and glanced at his assistant’s desk to find someone sitting there. He walked closer, already disappointed at whoever they had chosen. After all, they hadn’t stood when he arrived at the office.
“Good morning.” Heeseung greeted, fixing the tie around his neck. “I assume you’re my new assistant, but we can discuss who you are and all that later. For now, I’d like you to bring me two coffees from the lobby.”
“Any special requirements?” The assistant stood from her chair and, for the first time, looked at Heeseung. His eyes widened in shock and he almost lost all the strength in his legs when he realised who his new assistant was. “Do you prefer—”
“What are you doing here?”
This was certainly a hallucination, it had to be. You couldn’t possibly be standing in front of him, you couldn’t possibly be his new assistant.
“Sunoo told me to settle in at this desk.” You quickly bowed to him, flustered. “I apologise if this bothered you. This won’t happen again.”
It was you. Heeseung would’ve never mistaken your voice, he would’ve never forgotten the look in your eyes as you stared at him, trying your best to hide the embarrassment you were feeling.
“Just bring me two coffees from the lobby. No special requirements.”
He turned and disappeared into his office, slamming the door behind him, causing him to jump as he collapsed on his desk’s chair, loosening the tie around his neck, feeling the air escaping his lungs.
What Click! posted wasn’t a manipulated photo. Heeseung hadn’t hallucinated when he saw you sitting at his assistant’s desk.
“Oh no…”
When the pieces of the puzzle all took shape in his mind, he could almost feel his soul leaving his body.
You were back. The one person he had never forgotten was back. Not only that, but you were his assistant. And despite the burning memories he still had of you, it seemed as though you didn’t remember him.
And that begged the question: should Heeseung pretend he didn’t know you as well?
❥ pairing: lee heeseung x female reader
❥ genres/tropes/aus: fluff, romance, angst, strangers (kinda) to lovers, social elite!au, gossip girl!au, ceo!heeseung, assistant!reader, antagonist!jongseong
❥ rating: pg-13
❥ chapter warnings: drinking, let me know if I'm missing something
❥ word count: 5.3k
❥ chapter synopsis: Y/N returns to the city after five years away. Heeseung meets his new assistant, and it's the last person he expected to see working for him. (series synopsis can be found on the series m.list)
❥ lia's note: Hello! I hope you're well. Here's Part One of the improved version of Always Been You. I'm having a lot of fun returning to this story and making it even better than it was the first time. The changes are pretty minimal so far—mostly typos and grammar fixes—but I hope you enjoy it nonetheless. If this is your first reading this fic, then welcome! Please, like/reblog this if you enjoy reading it and let me know your thoughts in a comment/ask, I’m always appreciative of your feedback! I hope you enjoy it! As always, happy reading.
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The train station was smaller than you remember it being. The last time you had been here was five years ago after your life changed drastically overnight. One day, you were living in one of the most expensive apartments downtown, going to the most lavish parties in the city. In the next, you were crammed inside a train with strangers to go and spend a few weeks with your grandmother in the countryside while your mother tried to deal with the mess that was happening in the city.
Weeks turned into months, and months turned into years, and at one point, you didn’t expect you’d make it back here. People continued to write articles about you and your family, always conspiring about your whereabouts, what had happened to you, why you left. Against your better judgment, you read them all, even if your mother asked you not to. You wanted to know what people were saying about you. Everyone had an opinion about everything in your life, but their opinion couldn’t be the furthest thing from the truth.
There was nothing glamorous about your disappearance from the public eye. There was no secret lover, no unexpected marriage, no new villa in a secluded location only accessible by helicopter. You left because your mother had the decency to try and protect you from the strange turn of events your life had taken.
Now, after five years, you were back. It was your time to take your life back and make your own choices.
This was the first one: appearing at the same place you were last seen before you vanished from the public eye. You knew someone was watching.
They were always watching.
From the top of the grand staircase, you glanced at the crowd below drowning in warm light, trying to find a familiar face among all the people waiting. Some carried signs with names, others hopeful and excited expressions on their faces waiting for the moment they would reunite with family or friends. You, on the other hand, weren’t sure if anyone would come to pick you up.
Slowly, you made your way down the stairs with a large bag over your shoulder, the heavier one pulled by your arm making an annoying sound every time it went down a step. Thankfully, no one seemed to pay attention, and you were grateful for the muffled conversations and train arrival announcements in the background. People were too busy to care about a stranger like you and your noisy bag.
The idea of blending in with all these people brought you some peace and a small smile to your lips. That was all you wanted right now—to be a stranger and build a life for yourself away from your family’s name. For the time being, you would only introduce yourself with your first name and hope that your features had changed enough that people wouldn’t recognise your parents in you or remember who you were for that matter.
You knew this was a foolish plan. It would last you a couple of days, if not less. Still, it would be a time of anonymity and you would cherish it for as long as it would last without dwelling on what you could’ve done differently.
At the bottom of the stairs, you fixed the bag on your shoulder and glanced at the crowd again, hoping you’d lock eyes with someone who would wave at you. You kept walking at a steady pace, your heart growing heavier stranger after stranger as they reunited with their loved ones with hugs, kisses and giggles. Your heart filled with happiness for them, but a certain bitterness tainted it, too. You probably wouldn’t get to experience any of this.
You couldn’t even remember the last time you had received such a warm welcome from someone. You tended to be the one opening your arms to receive people in tight hugs or the first one to say an encouraging word or two, to make people feel like they belonged. It was humbling, to say the least, when you realised that all the happiness, support and kindness people had shown you in the past was more because of your family than because of you as a person.
When you reached the end of the crowd, you took a deep breath and cleared your throat, coming to terms with the fact that no one had come to pick you up. You glanced at the signs around the train station and looked for the one that pointed towards the subway station. Another journey awaited you as you glanced at both of your bags. It’ll have to do, you said to yourself as you fixed the bag on your shoulder once again and took one step forward, ready to leave this place, shedding the last layer of hope you had held onto for the past couple of years.
“Y/N? Is that… you?”
At the sound of his voice, you slowed down. It had been less than a week since you two last spoke over the phone, but you were still taken aback by how much his voice had changed. It was deeper, calmer, richer. Pretty much like his bank account, you were sure.
When you turned to face who had spoken, you couldn’t hide your surprise. Jake had changed. He had grown taller and into his features. His eyes remained the same, so you had no doubt you were talking to the same guy who always let you copy his homework in high school, who always kept you company at the boring events your parents liked to throw to exert their influence. Jake had grown into a handsome man, one worthy of the social elite of this city.
“It’s you!” He sighed and opened his arms, wrapping you into his tight and comforting embrace, taking a deep breath. “I’ve missed you. This city hasn’t been the same without you…”
“I’ve… missed you too.” You weren’t sure whether or not you should hug him back. You couldn’t help but get emotional at reuniting with him after all this time. Slowly, your arms wrapped around his torso and you took a deep breath as you closed your eyes, taking in the scent of his expensive cologne, the familiarity of his arms around you. “I’ve missed you so much…”
“Let me take a good look at you.” He stepped back and held your hands as he looked at you from head to toe, a kind smile greeting his lips as he nodded in approval. “You look gorgeous. The countryside did you well.”
“I look tired.” You met his eyes and smiled. “You look great. I guess becoming your father’s right arm did you well?”
He laughed and rubbed the back of his neck, somewhat shy about your remarks.
“You still can’t take compliments…” he said as a matter of fact and grabbed your bag from your shoulder. You walked alongside Jake, not sure where the two of you were going. “And becoming my father’s right arm did me well, I guess. But all of this,” he gestured to his outfit, slightly disappointed, “it’s how I dress every day now because of my work at the company. I wish I could say it was because I came to meet you, but it’s not.”
You nodded, understanding his tone. Jake had always been against dressing up and showcasing wealth daily, and he had made it his mission to destroy these societal expectations imposed on him. At parties, he always wore the simplest outfits, oftentimes choosing the one that annoyed his parents the most. It was his small way of rebelling, but his rebellious spirit might’ve dwindled with time because he hadn’t been able to fight these ideas entirely.
The more you looked at him, the more you saw how everything about him screamed luxury now: from his accessories to the brand of his suit and shoes, there was nothing on Jake’s body that was a knock-off of an expensive brand or an old heirloom he could’ve found at a garage sale or vintage store. It was all original, all new. He carried more value in his entire body than you did in your bank account. That made you conscious about how different the two of you were now despite everything you might have shared in the past.
“I have the address of the apartment I’ll be staying at,” you said to Jake, taking a small piece of paper from the pocket of your jeans and passing it to him. “Do you think you could drive me there?”
Jake stopped and glanced at you, studying your expression. Despite not having seen him in five years, his mannerisms were still the same. He still pursed his lips when he thought too deeply about something, and it was almost as if you could still read his thoughts.
“So my offer of you staying at my place, you won’t take it?” You shook your head and he sighed, somewhat disappointed. “I know you want to prove your worth, Y/N. But your worth never came from your parents or how much money you had or have, for that matter. It always came from you. Why do you think I’m here right now after all these years?”
You didn’t answer; you simply didn’t know what to say to him. Maybe he was right, maybe your worth was something you carried deep within you. But you had seen what happened when people fell from grace. You had fallen from grace to so many people, and after that, you were no longer worthy of their time, their respect, their attention.
And the hardest part was when you were no longer worthy of their love or their affection.
Heeseung sat by his apartment’s window with a glass of whiskey in his hand. He sipped on his drink as he stared at the tall buildings outside, their lights flickering in different shades and sizes, keeping him company. He loosened the tie around his neck and sighed, pondering whether or not he should turn on the lights of his apartment.
His laziness took the best of him and he remained on his couch, sipping on the bitter drink, thinking about his day and how much of a mess it had been.
Ever since his last assistant quit her job, Heeseung was having a hard time keeping everything in check. Not only that, but HR had failed to find someone to replace her. Whenever they sent someone to assist him with his tasks, he simply grew more disappointed and frustrated with their lack of professionalism, which ended with him doing all the work and sending them away after a few days.
He could only hope that whoever was coming to replace his old assistant next was competent enough to do their job right. Heeseung was tired of this; it was delaying everything in his life: contracts he could sign, new business ventures he could take, his wedding plans that he wanted to finalise as soon as possible so he could be taken seriously by the people he worked with. Still, his fiancée kept her reservations, saying that they shouldn’t rush it, that they should take their time, and that only made Heeseung more frustrated over the whole thing. He knew this wasn’t a marriage of love—it was one of convenience—but delaying it only made him look more like a fool to his peers.
His thoughts were interrupted when his phone rang. He read the name displayed on his screen and sighed in disappointment. Why was his best friend calling him at this time of the night? Shouldn’t he be at a club getting drunk or something?
“This is Heeseung. What’s the matter?”
“Have you seen the news?” Sunghoon asked, out of breath. “Please, tell me you have.”
“I haven’t.” Heeseung kept his cool, glancing at the glass in his hand. He’d call his fiancée after this, just to know what she was up to, if she wanted to have dinner with him some other day. “What is it? Are our shares down?”
“No, it’s not about the shares. The company is doing quite well, actually.”
“Then is it something about my wedding?”
“Why would it be about your wedding?” Sunghoon sounded annoyed. He cleared his throat. “You should stop this guessing game because you’ll never get it right.”
“Then, get to the point, Sunghoon. I have things to do.”
“Of course you do,” Sunghoon said, clearly mocking him. “Let me guess, you’ll call your fiancée after this and she’ll ignore you again?”
“Get to the point.” Heeseung pinched the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath, closing his eyes. “Otherwise, I’ll hang up.”
“Fine, fine. Just make sure you’re sitting down because this is—”
“—Bye, Sunghoon—”
“—No! Heeseung!” As he was about to end the call, Sunghoon added, “Y/N is back.”
Those words cut through Heeseung’s heart like a knife, and what bled out wasn’t blood. It was hope. It had been five years since he last saw you, since he last heard anything from you. All of his calls, you never reciprocated. All of his attempts at finding you always led him nowhere. At one point, Heeseung thought you were dead, but he heard your name at events through people who thought they had seen you here and there, and that gave him a strange hope that you would reunite some other time. This hope was quite foolish since he still knew who you were, but you probably didn’t remember him or your impact on his life.
How could he forget you after everything you did for him?
“Heeseung? Are you there? Heeseung?”
He blinked and put his phone next to his ear as his heart jumped in his chest, the air escaping his lungs.
“What do you mean, Y/N is back? Since when? Where did you get this information from?”
“For someone not interested in gossip, you’re asking too many questions.” Heeseung rolled his eyes at his friend’s remark. “For starters, this was posted a while ago on Click!'s front page. You know, the online tabloid? Apparently, Y/N arrived this afternoon by train and guess who went to pick her up?”
He didn’t want to answer. Whenever Heeseung thought of the people who were closer to you back when you met each other, two people came to mind: your best friend, Jake Sim, and the man you once dated and Heeseung had to see every day at the company, Park Jongseong.
“Enlighten me, please.”
Heeseung didn’t want to guess. Still, he couldn’t help but wonder if you were doing well, if you were back together with Jongseong. The thought of it made him sick to his stomach. What he had done to you, the things he had said about you and your family to the press, were despicable.
“It was Jake.” Heeseung sighed, relieved. Sunghoon chuckled. “I wish I had more information, but all they posted was a picture of them hugging and—”
“How does she look?”
Sunghoon chuckled and Heeseung felt his phone buzzing. “See it for yourself. My job here is done.”
“What do you mean?”
“Now you have the chance to tell her everything you weren’t able to five years ago. Don’t pretend you’ve gotten over her. We both know the only reason why you want to get married is—”
“We’re not talking about this,” Heeseung said right away, upset that Sunghoon was once again bringing this subject up. “For all it’s worth, I… care about my fiancée. That’s why I want to marry her. Besides, I wouldn’t know where to find Y/N.” He cleared his throat. “Not that I want to find her. She probably doesn’t remember me.”
Heeseung gulped, already regretting his choice of words, something that Sunghoon quickly caught on. He laughed on the other side and Heeseung rolled his eyes, trying to regain his composure, although he had to loosen the tie around his neck even more.
“I’m sure you’ll figure something out. You are Lee Heeseung, after all. I’ll get going now. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Sunghoon hung up the call, leaving Heeseung to deal with the confusion between his mind and heart. He had so many questions, most of which he couldn’t answer yet. He didn’t even dare to ask them out loud, afraid of the answer.
When he glanced at his phone screen, he quickly pressed the message Sunghoon had sent him, being redirected to the post where his friend had gotten all of this information.
The photo was of terrible quality, and under any other circumstance he would’ve doubted the authenticity of it, he would’ve denied your presence in it. And yet, this time around, he hoped it was you.
You looked… different. Time had made you grow into your features, but even in terrible quality, Heeseung couldn’t deny the beauty of your smile and the kindness of your eyes. He never expected to be so taken aback because of your return, and yet, everything he ever felt for you was coming back. He thought he had gotten over his first love, but he hadn’t. Mostly because Heeseung had always hoped you would also be his last, his only love.
That proved to be wrong, but it didn’t stop him from being hopeful.
Hopeful that you would cross paths again and that he would be able to see you once more. Not to admit how much he had loved you, but to thank you for everything you had done for him when no one else stood by his side all those years ago.
The apartment you had rented was too small, but it was all you could afford for the time being. Besides, it was located within walking distance of the nearest subway station and you knew that would be useful for getting to work.
After you decided to move here, you searched for job offers and found a couple that you were interested in and applied to them all. Most of them didn’t accept your application, stating you were underqualified, but a couple of them followed through with an interview that was done through video chat. After a couple more hiccups along the way, you landed a job to be an assistant. It wasn’t your first option, but you didn’t say no to it. It paid well, and you planned on working until you found a better job or, if the company allowed, until you climbed the corporate ladder to get a better paycheck so you could move out of this apartment.
Right now, that was your main priority: find a better place to live.
Jake had already sent you a morning text to wish you good luck on your first day at work and even offered to have lunch with you. You rejected his offer and said you’d pack your lunch and have it at the company to avoid unnecessary expenses. He wasn’t very pleased with this, but you promised you’d call him after work, which made him somewhat satisfied.
Before exiting, you checked your outfit one more time in the only mirror available at your apartment. You only had one chance to make a good first impression and you were counting on it. You had chosen your best outfit for today and you were hoping it carried the message that you were reliable and trustworthy as an assistant. Still, you weren’t completely happy with the way you looked. Your jacket was outdated, your shoes looked old, and even your bag didn’t match what you were wearing at all.
“This will have to do,” you whispered to yourself, smiling at your reflection. “You’ve got this. You’ll do great.”
You opened your apartment door and left, making your way to the subway station, already knowing the lines’ colours, their stations and timetables as well as the palm of your hand. It didn’t take you long to get on the subway train and arrive at your destination on time and with no problems.
After climbing up the stairs to leave the subway station, you found yourself drowning in the city chaos, something that brought a smile to your face. In the past, you mostly drove by it and saw all of this through the car window. Now, you were a part of it.
You were one of the busy people with somewhere to be so, you didn’t waste any time. After holding onto your purse and fixing your lunch bag over your shoulder, you walked towards one of the tall buildings that you had recently familiarised yourself with. The previous day, you had spent the afternoon with someone from the HR department who showed you around the building and told you everything you needed to know. At first, you were overwhelmed by all this new information but, just like the subway lines, it was only a matter of time before you figured it all out.
When you passed the glass doors, the sound of traffic subsided and your shoes echoing on the floor took over, matching the intense beating of your heart. You reached the front desk and greeted the person who was there who quickly offered you a kind smile, remembering you from the previous day.
“Y/N, right?” You nodded and they checked a list in front of them, nodding. “Ah, you don’t have an entry card yet… Well, I’ll let you in. Just show me your ID and I have an indication here that you should meet Kim Sunoo. Do you know who he is?”
“I do, thank you.” You opened your wallet and extended your ID card to them and they checked your information, returning it to you with a smile and an extra card for you to carry around your neck.
“It’s all good. I’m sure someone in HR will contact you soon so you can get your card done.” They stood from their chair and manually opened one of the passageways, gesturing to you to come in. “Have a nice day.”
You gulped as you made your way to the elevators, clutching your bag closer to you as you approached it. A small crowd gathered around you and you tried your best to keep calm when you entered the elevator, making your way to the back after pressing the button to your floor. People entered and greeted one another with polite bows and whispered good mornings. You did the same, trying your best to not stand out too much. However, between men in expensive suits and women in high heels and pencil skirts, you definitely stood out for the wrong reasons.
People started to leave the elevator and it grew quieter and emptier the higher it went. You tried to ignore the man standing next to you, who kept his eyes narrowed every time he glanced your way. Your heart jumped in your chest as you hoped that he wouldn’t call you out for your terrible fashion sense, or ask who you were.
“First day?” His voice caught you by surprise and you glanced his way, nodding slightly. His smile widened. “Well, I hope everything goes well for you.” The elevator announced another floor and he looked at the door, pointing at it. “This is my floor.”
“I leave here too,” you said, clearing your throat.
He simply nodded and as soon as he exited the elevator, he greeted everyone with a loud good morning that everyone reciprocated at the same time. When the doors closed behind you, you scanned the floor and soon enough, found Kim Sunoo sitting at a nearby desk. As soon as his eyes landed on you, he waved his arm in the air and stood, walking towards you.
“I’m so happy you’re here on time!” He clapped and grabbed your arm, guiding you to a desk different from the one you had been told would be yours the previous day. When you tried to point that out, Sunoo quickly filled you in. “Well, the chairman doesn’t have an assistant and since he needs one urgently, you’ll be working for him for the time being!”
“I thought I was going to work for someone else, someone less high profile…”
Your fear wasn’t your skills, you knew you’d do a good job regardless of who they were. What you feared was who they were. The higher their profile, the more likely they were to know you, and you were enjoying the fact that no one at this company seemed to know who you were.
“Oh, you don’t have to worry!” Sunoo offered you a smile and patted your shoulder. “Lee Heeseung is a great man. He is cold at times, yes, but that’s because he expects only the best from you. He’s the one in charge of us all, after all.”
“Yes, but—”
A phone started to ring at Sunoo’s desk and he rolled his eyes, sighing in despair right after. “Everything you need is at your desk. I suggest you meet with him first so you can figure out his working style and how you can assist him better. I’ll be here all the time, so let me know if you need anything.”
He gave you a thumbs up and picked up the phone, sitting back at his desk and focusing on the call he was receiving. You glanced at your desk and couldn’t help but panic slightly.
The name Lee Heeseung wasn’t strange to you, but you didn’t know where you knew it from. When you thought of all the people you used to hang out with five years ago, his name didn’t bring back any memories. Yet, there was something at the tip of your tongue that told you that you knew his name from somewhere.
However, just like your memory was failing you, you could only hope that his memory was also failing him and that any recollection he had of you or your family was gone and nowhere to be found.
The traffic was always complicated whenever Heeseung tried to get to work. Although his private driver knew the best routes to get him to the office on time, sometimes the traffic was so bad that all he could do was lean back in his backseat and go over his plans for the day.
This morning, however, his mind focused on something else. As he glanced at the tall buildings passing outside of his car window, he couldn’t help but think about you and what you were up to. Ever since that post on Click! Sunghoon shared with him, Heeseung hadn't been able to stop thinking about it. It had been so unexpected and it caught him off guard in every sense of the word.
Feelings he thought were buried deep within him were slowly making their way back to the surface, stronger than ever. Fallacies he had whispered to himself every day hoping they’d become facts someday were crumbling and crashing down. Your return couldn’t be happening at the worst time. Still, he was glad he had no way to contact you, to see you. That would make everything worse and your return even more real. So far, all of this was just a ghost haunting his thoughts and his mind, but it wasn’t tangible.
“Would you like me to leave you at the main entrance or the parking lot?”
“The main entrance is fine.” Heeseung sighed and fixed the tie around his neck, watching as the familiar building came into view in front of him. “I only need you to come and pick me up later.”
“I’ll be here at the usual time, then.” His driver smiled at him through the rearview mirror and Heeseung nodded, unable to reciprocate the kind gesture.
Eventually, his driver stopped the car and Heeseung made his way out of the vehicle and inside the tall building, greeting employees with small nods, never stopping for more than a few seconds.
When the elevator door opened, he found Sunghoon inside with sunglasses on, leaning against the elevator doors, massaging his temples.
“Good morning,” Heeseung said when the doors closed with only the two of them inside. “Did you have fun last night?”
“Don’t speak so loud,” Sunghoon whined, taking a deep breath. “I went out and had too much to drink with someone.”
Heeseung chuckled and gave his friend an unbothered look. “She slept at your place.”
“Quiet!” Sunghoon placed a finger over his lips and shrugged. “I’m not sure if I slept with someone. They weren’t next to me when I woke up… It probably wasn’t that memorable.”
“Or maybe you were too drunk to remember about it…” Heeseung whispered under his breath, shaking his head in disappointment. Sunghoon had a terrible habit of going out during weekdays and drinking more than he should. This was a behaviour Heeseung constantly called out, but his friend didn’t seem to change. “I’ll ask my assistant to bring us coffee. If this happens again, I’ll have to let HR know.” Sunghoon scoffed but Heeseung gave him a warning look. “I’m serious this time. You need to learn when to be professional and when to play around.”
“You’re no fun, Heeseung.”
“And look at where that led me to.” Heeseung opened his arms and glanced around the elevator. After all, he had built this company from the ground up and it certainly wasn’t because of flirting all day and partying all night.
The elevator doors opened and Heeseung stepped outside, making his way to his office. As he passed by the different assistant desks, they all stood to bow to him and wish him a good morning, something he simply ignored and continued to walk.
“Coffee in your office?” Sunghoon asked after gesturing to Sunoo to remain at his desk. “I’ll meet you in twenty minutes.”
“Fine. I’ll wait for you.”
Sunghoon disappeared inside of his office and his assistant sighed in disappointment, shaking his head as he typed on his computer. Heeseung gulped and glanced at his assistant’s desk to find someone sitting there. He walked closer, already disappointed at whoever they had chosen. After all, they hadn’t stood when he arrived at the office.
“Good morning.” Heeseung greeted, fixing the tie around his neck. “I assume you’re my new assistant, but we can discuss who you are and all that later. For now, I’d like you to bring me two coffees from the lobby.”
“Any special requirements?” The assistant stood from her chair and, for the first time, looked at Heeseung. His eyes widened in shock and he almost lost all the strength in his legs when he realised who his new assistant was. “Do you prefer—”
“What are you doing here?”
This was certainly a hallucination, it had to be. You couldn’t possibly be standing in front of him, you couldn’t possibly be his new assistant.
“Sunoo told me to settle in at this desk.” You quickly bowed to him, flustered. “I apologise if this bothered you. This won’t happen again.”
It was you. Heeseung would’ve never mistaken your voice, he would’ve never forgotten the look in your eyes as you stared at him, trying your best to hide the embarrassment you were feeling.
“Just bring me two coffees from the lobby. No special requirements.”
He turned and disappeared into his office, slamming the door behind him, causing him to jump as he collapsed on his desk’s chair, loosening the tie around his neck, feeling the air escaping his lungs.
What Click! posted wasn’t a manipulated photo. Heeseung hadn’t hallucinated when he saw you sitting at his assistant’s desk.
“Oh no…”
When the pieces of the puzzle all took shape in his mind, he could almost feel his soul leaving his body.
You were back. The one person he had never forgotten was back. Not only that, but you were his assistant. And despite the burning memories he still had of you, it seemed as though you didn’t remember him.
And that begged the question: should Heeseung pretend he didn’t know you as well?
❥ pairing: lee heeseung x female reader
❥ genres/tropes/aus: fluff, romance, angst, strangers (kinda) to lovers, social elite!au, gossip girl!au, ceo!heeseung, assistant!reader, antagonist!jongseong
❥ rating: pg-13
❥ chapter warnings: drinking, let me know if I'm missing something
❥ word count: 5.3k
❥ chapter synopsis: Y/N returns to the city after five years away. Heeseung meets his new assistant, and it's the last person he expected to see working for him. (series synopsis can be found on the series m.list)
❥ lia's note: Hello! I hope you're well. Here's Part One of the improved version of Always Been You. I'm having a lot of fun returning to this story and making it even better than it was the first time. The changes are pretty minimal so far—mostly typos and grammar fixes—but I hope you enjoy it nonetheless. If this is your first reading this fic, then welcome! Please, like/reblog this if you enjoy reading it and let me know your thoughts in a comment/ask, I’m always appreciative of your feedback! I hope you enjoy it! As always, happy reading.
[series m.list] ● [enhypen m.list] ● [join the series taglist] ● [join my taglist]
The train station was smaller than you remember it being. The last time you had been here was five years ago after your life changed drastically overnight. One day, you were living in one of the most expensive apartments downtown, going to the most lavish parties in the city. In the next, you were crammed inside a train with strangers to go and spend a few weeks with your grandmother in the countryside while your mother tried to deal with the mess that was happening in the city.
Weeks turned into months, and months turned into years, and at one point, you didn’t expect you’d make it back here. People continued to write articles about you and your family, always conspiring about your whereabouts, what had happened to you, why you left. Against your better judgment, you read them all, even if your mother asked you not to. You wanted to know what people were saying about you. Everyone had an opinion about everything in your life, but their opinion couldn’t be the furthest thing from the truth.
There was nothing glamorous about your disappearance from the public eye. There was no secret lover, no unexpected marriage, no new villa in a secluded location only accessible by helicopter. You left because your mother had the decency to try and protect you from the strange turn of events your life had taken.
Now, after five years, you were back. It was your time to take your life back and make your own choices.
This was the first one: appearing at the same place you were last seen before you vanished from the public eye. You knew someone was watching.
They were always watching.
From the top of the grand staircase, you glanced at the crowd below drowning in warm light, trying to find a familiar face among all the people waiting. Some carried signs with names, others hopeful and excited expressions on their faces waiting for the moment they would reunite with family or friends. You, on the other hand, weren’t sure if anyone would come to pick you up.
Slowly, you made your way down the stairs with a large bag over your shoulder, the heavier one pulled by your arm making an annoying sound every time it went down a step. Thankfully, no one seemed to pay attention, and you were grateful for the muffled conversations and train arrival announcements in the background. People were too busy to care about a stranger like you and your noisy bag.
The idea of blending in with all these people brought you some peace and a small smile to your lips. That was all you wanted right now—to be a stranger and build a life for yourself away from your family’s name. For the time being, you would only introduce yourself with your first name and hope that your features had changed enough that people wouldn’t recognise your parents in you or remember who you were for that matter.
You knew this was a foolish plan. It would last you a couple of days, if not less. Still, it would be a time of anonymity and you would cherish it for as long as it would last without dwelling on what you could’ve done differently.
At the bottom of the stairs, you fixed the bag on your shoulder and glanced at the crowd again, hoping you’d lock eyes with someone who would wave at you. You kept walking at a steady pace, your heart growing heavier stranger after stranger as they reunited with their loved ones with hugs, kisses and giggles. Your heart filled with happiness for them, but a certain bitterness tainted it, too. You probably wouldn’t get to experience any of this.
You couldn’t even remember the last time you had received such a warm welcome from someone. You tended to be the one opening your arms to receive people in tight hugs or the first one to say an encouraging word or two, to make people feel like they belonged. It was humbling, to say the least, when you realised that all the happiness, support and kindness people had shown you in the past was more because of your family than because of you as a person.
When you reached the end of the crowd, you took a deep breath and cleared your throat, coming to terms with the fact that no one had come to pick you up. You glanced at the signs around the train station and looked for the one that pointed towards the subway station. Another journey awaited you as you glanced at both of your bags. It’ll have to do, you said to yourself as you fixed the bag on your shoulder once again and took one step forward, ready to leave this place, shedding the last layer of hope you had held onto for the past couple of years.
“Y/N? Is that… you?”
At the sound of his voice, you slowed down. It had been less than a week since you two last spoke over the phone, but you were still taken aback by how much his voice had changed. It was deeper, calmer, richer. Pretty much like his bank account, you were sure.
When you turned to face who had spoken, you couldn’t hide your surprise. Jake had changed. He had grown taller and into his features. His eyes remained the same, so you had no doubt you were talking to the same guy who always let you copy his homework in high school, who always kept you company at the boring events your parents liked to throw to exert their influence. Jake had grown into a handsome man, one worthy of the social elite of this city.
“It’s you!” He sighed and opened his arms, wrapping you into his tight and comforting embrace, taking a deep breath. “I’ve missed you. This city hasn’t been the same without you…”
“I’ve… missed you too.” You weren’t sure whether or not you should hug him back. You couldn’t help but get emotional at reuniting with him after all this time. Slowly, your arms wrapped around his torso and you took a deep breath as you closed your eyes, taking in the scent of his expensive cologne, the familiarity of his arms around you. “I’ve missed you so much…”
“Let me take a good look at you.” He stepped back and held your hands as he looked at you from head to toe, a kind smile greeting his lips as he nodded in approval. “You look gorgeous. The countryside did you well.”
“I look tired.” You met his eyes and smiled. “You look great. I guess becoming your father’s right arm did you well?”
He laughed and rubbed the back of his neck, somewhat shy about your remarks.
“You still can’t take compliments…” he said as a matter of fact and grabbed your bag from your shoulder. You walked alongside Jake, not sure where the two of you were going. “And becoming my father’s right arm did me well, I guess. But all of this,” he gestured to his outfit, slightly disappointed, “it’s how I dress every day now because of my work at the company. I wish I could say it was because I came to meet you, but it’s not.”
You nodded, understanding his tone. Jake had always been against dressing up and showcasing wealth daily, and he had made it his mission to destroy these societal expectations imposed on him. At parties, he always wore the simplest outfits, oftentimes choosing the one that annoyed his parents the most. It was his small way of rebelling, but his rebellious spirit might’ve dwindled with time because he hadn’t been able to fight these ideas entirely.
The more you looked at him, the more you saw how everything about him screamed luxury now: from his accessories to the brand of his suit and shoes, there was nothing on Jake’s body that was a knock-off of an expensive brand or an old heirloom he could’ve found at a garage sale or vintage store. It was all original, all new. He carried more value in his entire body than you did in your bank account. That made you conscious about how different the two of you were now despite everything you might have shared in the past.
“I have the address of the apartment I’ll be staying at,” you said to Jake, taking a small piece of paper from the pocket of your jeans and passing it to him. “Do you think you could drive me there?”
Jake stopped and glanced at you, studying your expression. Despite not having seen him in five years, his mannerisms were still the same. He still pursed his lips when he thought too deeply about something, and it was almost as if you could still read his thoughts.
“So my offer of you staying at my place, you won’t take it?” You shook your head and he sighed, somewhat disappointed. “I know you want to prove your worth, Y/N. But your worth never came from your parents or how much money you had or have, for that matter. It always came from you. Why do you think I’m here right now after all these years?”
You didn’t answer; you simply didn’t know what to say to him. Maybe he was right, maybe your worth was something you carried deep within you. But you had seen what happened when people fell from grace. You had fallen from grace to so many people, and after that, you were no longer worthy of their time, their respect, their attention.
And the hardest part was when you were no longer worthy of their love or their affection.
Heeseung sat by his apartment’s window with a glass of whiskey in his hand. He sipped on his drink as he stared at the tall buildings outside, their lights flickering in different shades and sizes, keeping him company. He loosened the tie around his neck and sighed, pondering whether or not he should turn on the lights of his apartment.
His laziness took the best of him and he remained on his couch, sipping on the bitter drink, thinking about his day and how much of a mess it had been.
Ever since his last assistant quit her job, Heeseung was having a hard time keeping everything in check. Not only that, but HR had failed to find someone to replace her. Whenever they sent someone to assist him with his tasks, he simply grew more disappointed and frustrated with their lack of professionalism, which ended with him doing all the work and sending them away after a few days.
He could only hope that whoever was coming to replace his old assistant next was competent enough to do their job right. Heeseung was tired of this; it was delaying everything in his life: contracts he could sign, new business ventures he could take, his wedding plans that he wanted to finalise as soon as possible so he could be taken seriously by the people he worked with. Still, his fiancée kept her reservations, saying that they shouldn’t rush it, that they should take their time, and that only made Heeseung more frustrated over the whole thing. He knew this wasn’t a marriage of love—it was one of convenience—but delaying it only made him look more like a fool to his peers.
His thoughts were interrupted when his phone rang. He read the name displayed on his screen and sighed in disappointment. Why was his best friend calling him at this time of the night? Shouldn’t he be at a club getting drunk or something?
“This is Heeseung. What’s the matter?”
“Have you seen the news?” Sunghoon asked, out of breath. “Please, tell me you have.”
“I haven’t.” Heeseung kept his cool, glancing at the glass in his hand. He’d call his fiancée after this, just to know what she was up to, if she wanted to have dinner with him some other day. “What is it? Are our shares down?”
“No, it’s not about the shares. The company is doing quite well, actually.”
“Then is it something about my wedding?”
“Why would it be about your wedding?” Sunghoon sounded annoyed. He cleared his throat. “You should stop this guessing game because you’ll never get it right.”
“Then, get to the point, Sunghoon. I have things to do.”
“Of course you do,” Sunghoon said, clearly mocking him. “Let me guess, you’ll call your fiancée after this and she’ll ignore you again?”
“Get to the point.” Heeseung pinched the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath, closing his eyes. “Otherwise, I’ll hang up.”
“Fine, fine. Just make sure you’re sitting down because this is—”
“—Bye, Sunghoon—”
“—No! Heeseung!” As he was about to end the call, Sunghoon added, “Y/N is back.”
Those words cut through Heeseung’s heart like a knife, and what bled out wasn’t blood. It was hope. It had been five years since he last saw you, since he last heard anything from you. All of his calls, you never reciprocated. All of his attempts at finding you always led him nowhere. At one point, Heeseung thought you were dead, but he heard your name at events through people who thought they had seen you here and there, and that gave him a strange hope that you would reunite some other time. This hope was quite foolish since he still knew who you were, but you probably didn’t remember him or your impact on his life.
How could he forget you after everything you did for him?
“Heeseung? Are you there? Heeseung?”
He blinked and put his phone next to his ear as his heart jumped in his chest, the air escaping his lungs.
“What do you mean, Y/N is back? Since when? Where did you get this information from?”
“For someone not interested in gossip, you’re asking too many questions.” Heeseung rolled his eyes at his friend’s remark. “For starters, this was posted a while ago on Click!'s front page. You know, the online tabloid? Apparently, Y/N arrived this afternoon by train and guess who went to pick her up?”
He didn’t want to answer. Whenever Heeseung thought of the people who were closer to you back when you met each other, two people came to mind: your best friend, Jake Sim, and the man you once dated and Heeseung had to see every day at the company, Park Jongseong.
“Enlighten me, please.”
Heeseung didn’t want to guess. Still, he couldn’t help but wonder if you were doing well, if you were back together with Jongseong. The thought of it made him sick to his stomach. What he had done to you, the things he had said about you and your family to the press, were despicable.
“It was Jake.” Heeseung sighed, relieved. Sunghoon chuckled. “I wish I had more information, but all they posted was a picture of them hugging and—”
“How does she look?”
Sunghoon chuckled and Heeseung felt his phone buzzing. “See it for yourself. My job here is done.”
“What do you mean?”
“Now you have the chance to tell her everything you weren’t able to five years ago. Don’t pretend you’ve gotten over her. We both know the only reason why you want to get married is—”
“We’re not talking about this,” Heeseung said right away, upset that Sunghoon was once again bringing this subject up. “For all it’s worth, I… care about my fiancée. That’s why I want to marry her. Besides, I wouldn’t know where to find Y/N.” He cleared his throat. “Not that I want to find her. She probably doesn’t remember me.”
Heeseung gulped, already regretting his choice of words, something that Sunghoon quickly caught on. He laughed on the other side and Heeseung rolled his eyes, trying to regain his composure, although he had to loosen the tie around his neck even more.
“I’m sure you’ll figure something out. You are Lee Heeseung, after all. I’ll get going now. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Sunghoon hung up the call, leaving Heeseung to deal with the confusion between his mind and heart. He had so many questions, most of which he couldn’t answer yet. He didn’t even dare to ask them out loud, afraid of the answer.
When he glanced at his phone screen, he quickly pressed the message Sunghoon had sent him, being redirected to the post where his friend had gotten all of this information.
The photo was of terrible quality, and under any other circumstance he would’ve doubted the authenticity of it, he would’ve denied your presence in it. And yet, this time around, he hoped it was you.
You looked… different. Time had made you grow into your features, but even in terrible quality, Heeseung couldn’t deny the beauty of your smile and the kindness of your eyes. He never expected to be so taken aback because of your return, and yet, everything he ever felt for you was coming back. He thought he had gotten over his first love, but he hadn’t. Mostly because Heeseung had always hoped you would also be his last, his only love.
That proved to be wrong, but it didn’t stop him from being hopeful.
Hopeful that you would cross paths again and that he would be able to see you once more. Not to admit how much he had loved you, but to thank you for everything you had done for him when no one else stood by his side all those years ago.
The apartment you had rented was too small, but it was all you could afford for the time being. Besides, it was located within walking distance of the nearest subway station and you knew that would be useful for getting to work.
After you decided to move here, you searched for job offers and found a couple that you were interested in and applied to them all. Most of them didn’t accept your application, stating you were underqualified, but a couple of them followed through with an interview that was done through video chat. After a couple more hiccups along the way, you landed a job to be an assistant. It wasn’t your first option, but you didn’t say no to it. It paid well, and you planned on working until you found a better job or, if the company allowed, until you climbed the corporate ladder to get a better paycheck so you could move out of this apartment.
Right now, that was your main priority: find a better place to live.
Jake had already sent you a morning text to wish you good luck on your first day at work and even offered to have lunch with you. You rejected his offer and said you’d pack your lunch and have it at the company to avoid unnecessary expenses. He wasn’t very pleased with this, but you promised you’d call him after work, which made him somewhat satisfied.
Before exiting, you checked your outfit one more time in the only mirror available at your apartment. You only had one chance to make a good first impression and you were counting on it. You had chosen your best outfit for today and you were hoping it carried the message that you were reliable and trustworthy as an assistant. Still, you weren’t completely happy with the way you looked. Your jacket was outdated, your shoes looked old, and even your bag didn’t match what you were wearing at all.
“This will have to do,” you whispered to yourself, smiling at your reflection. “You’ve got this. You’ll do great.”
You opened your apartment door and left, making your way to the subway station, already knowing the lines’ colours, their stations and timetables as well as the palm of your hand. It didn’t take you long to get on the subway train and arrive at your destination on time and with no problems.
After climbing up the stairs to leave the subway station, you found yourself drowning in the city chaos, something that brought a smile to your face. In the past, you mostly drove by it and saw all of this through the car window. Now, you were a part of it.
You were one of the busy people with somewhere to be so, you didn’t waste any time. After holding onto your purse and fixing your lunch bag over your shoulder, you walked towards one of the tall buildings that you had recently familiarised yourself with. The previous day, you had spent the afternoon with someone from the HR department who showed you around the building and told you everything you needed to know. At first, you were overwhelmed by all this new information but, just like the subway lines, it was only a matter of time before you figured it all out.
When you passed the glass doors, the sound of traffic subsided and your shoes echoing on the floor took over, matching the intense beating of your heart. You reached the front desk and greeted the person who was there who quickly offered you a kind smile, remembering you from the previous day.
“Y/N, right?” You nodded and they checked a list in front of them, nodding. “Ah, you don’t have an entry card yet… Well, I’ll let you in. Just show me your ID and I have an indication here that you should meet Kim Sunoo. Do you know who he is?”
“I do, thank you.” You opened your wallet and extended your ID card to them and they checked your information, returning it to you with a smile and an extra card for you to carry around your neck.
“It’s all good. I’m sure someone in HR will contact you soon so you can get your card done.” They stood from their chair and manually opened one of the passageways, gesturing to you to come in. “Have a nice day.”
You gulped as you made your way to the elevators, clutching your bag closer to you as you approached it. A small crowd gathered around you and you tried your best to keep calm when you entered the elevator, making your way to the back after pressing the button to your floor. People entered and greeted one another with polite bows and whispered good mornings. You did the same, trying your best to not stand out too much. However, between men in expensive suits and women in high heels and pencil skirts, you definitely stood out for the wrong reasons.
People started to leave the elevator and it grew quieter and emptier the higher it went. You tried to ignore the man standing next to you, who kept his eyes narrowed every time he glanced your way. Your heart jumped in your chest as you hoped that he wouldn’t call you out for your terrible fashion sense, or ask who you were.
“First day?” His voice caught you by surprise and you glanced his way, nodding slightly. His smile widened. “Well, I hope everything goes well for you.” The elevator announced another floor and he looked at the door, pointing at it. “This is my floor.”
“I leave here too,” you said, clearing your throat.
He simply nodded and as soon as he exited the elevator, he greeted everyone with a loud good morning that everyone reciprocated at the same time. When the doors closed behind you, you scanned the floor and soon enough, found Kim Sunoo sitting at a nearby desk. As soon as his eyes landed on you, he waved his arm in the air and stood, walking towards you.
“I’m so happy you’re here on time!” He clapped and grabbed your arm, guiding you to a desk different from the one you had been told would be yours the previous day. When you tried to point that out, Sunoo quickly filled you in. “Well, the chairman doesn’t have an assistant and since he needs one urgently, you’ll be working for him for the time being!”
“I thought I was going to work for someone else, someone less high profile…”
Your fear wasn’t your skills, you knew you’d do a good job regardless of who they were. What you feared was who they were. The higher their profile, the more likely they were to know you, and you were enjoying the fact that no one at this company seemed to know who you were.
“Oh, you don’t have to worry!” Sunoo offered you a smile and patted your shoulder. “Lee Heeseung is a great man. He is cold at times, yes, but that’s because he expects only the best from you. He’s the one in charge of us all, after all.”
“Yes, but—”
A phone started to ring at Sunoo’s desk and he rolled his eyes, sighing in despair right after. “Everything you need is at your desk. I suggest you meet with him first so you can figure out his working style and how you can assist him better. I’ll be here all the time, so let me know if you need anything.”
He gave you a thumbs up and picked up the phone, sitting back at his desk and focusing on the call he was receiving. You glanced at your desk and couldn’t help but panic slightly.
The name Lee Heeseung wasn’t strange to you, but you didn’t know where you knew it from. When you thought of all the people you used to hang out with five years ago, his name didn’t bring back any memories. Yet, there was something at the tip of your tongue that told you that you knew his name from somewhere.
However, just like your memory was failing you, you could only hope that his memory was also failing him and that any recollection he had of you or your family was gone and nowhere to be found.
The traffic was always complicated whenever Heeseung tried to get to work. Although his private driver knew the best routes to get him to the office on time, sometimes the traffic was so bad that all he could do was lean back in his backseat and go over his plans for the day.
This morning, however, his mind focused on something else. As he glanced at the tall buildings passing outside of his car window, he couldn’t help but think about you and what you were up to. Ever since that post on Click! Sunghoon shared with him, Heeseung hadn't been able to stop thinking about it. It had been so unexpected and it caught him off guard in every sense of the word.
Feelings he thought were buried deep within him were slowly making their way back to the surface, stronger than ever. Fallacies he had whispered to himself every day hoping they’d become facts someday were crumbling and crashing down. Your return couldn’t be happening at the worst time. Still, he was glad he had no way to contact you, to see you. That would make everything worse and your return even more real. So far, all of this was just a ghost haunting his thoughts and his mind, but it wasn’t tangible.
“Would you like me to leave you at the main entrance or the parking lot?”
“The main entrance is fine.” Heeseung sighed and fixed the tie around his neck, watching as the familiar building came into view in front of him. “I only need you to come and pick me up later.”
“I’ll be here at the usual time, then.” His driver smiled at him through the rearview mirror and Heeseung nodded, unable to reciprocate the kind gesture.
Eventually, his driver stopped the car and Heeseung made his way out of the vehicle and inside the tall building, greeting employees with small nods, never stopping for more than a few seconds.
When the elevator door opened, he found Sunghoon inside with sunglasses on, leaning against the elevator doors, massaging his temples.
“Good morning,” Heeseung said when the doors closed with only the two of them inside. “Did you have fun last night?”
“Don’t speak so loud,” Sunghoon whined, taking a deep breath. “I went out and had too much to drink with someone.”
Heeseung chuckled and gave his friend an unbothered look. “She slept at your place.”
“Quiet!” Sunghoon placed a finger over his lips and shrugged. “I’m not sure if I slept with someone. They weren’t next to me when I woke up… It probably wasn’t that memorable.”
“Or maybe you were too drunk to remember about it…” Heeseung whispered under his breath, shaking his head in disappointment. Sunghoon had a terrible habit of going out during weekdays and drinking more than he should. This was a behaviour Heeseung constantly called out, but his friend didn’t seem to change. “I’ll ask my assistant to bring us coffee. If this happens again, I’ll have to let HR know.” Sunghoon scoffed but Heeseung gave him a warning look. “I’m serious this time. You need to learn when to be professional and when to play around.”
“You’re no fun, Heeseung.”
“And look at where that led me to.” Heeseung opened his arms and glanced around the elevator. After all, he had built this company from the ground up and it certainly wasn’t because of flirting all day and partying all night.
The elevator doors opened and Heeseung stepped outside, making his way to his office. As he passed by the different assistant desks, they all stood to bow to him and wish him a good morning, something he simply ignored and continued to walk.
“Coffee in your office?” Sunghoon asked after gesturing to Sunoo to remain at his desk. “I’ll meet you in twenty minutes.”
“Fine. I’ll wait for you.”
Sunghoon disappeared inside of his office and his assistant sighed in disappointment, shaking his head as he typed on his computer. Heeseung gulped and glanced at his assistant’s desk to find someone sitting there. He walked closer, already disappointed at whoever they had chosen. After all, they hadn’t stood when he arrived at the office.
“Good morning.” Heeseung greeted, fixing the tie around his neck. “I assume you’re my new assistant, but we can discuss who you are and all that later. For now, I’d like you to bring me two coffees from the lobby.”
“Any special requirements?” The assistant stood from her chair and, for the first time, looked at Heeseung. His eyes widened in shock and he almost lost all the strength in his legs when he realised who his new assistant was. “Do you prefer—”
“What are you doing here?”
This was certainly a hallucination, it had to be. You couldn’t possibly be standing in front of him, you couldn’t possibly be his new assistant.
“Sunoo told me to settle in at this desk.” You quickly bowed to him, flustered. “I apologise if this bothered you. This won’t happen again.”
It was you. Heeseung would’ve never mistaken your voice, he would’ve never forgotten the look in your eyes as you stared at him, trying your best to hide the embarrassment you were feeling.
“Just bring me two coffees from the lobby. No special requirements.”
He turned and disappeared into his office, slamming the door behind him, causing him to jump as he collapsed on his desk’s chair, loosening the tie around his neck, feeling the air escaping his lungs.
What Click! posted wasn’t a manipulated photo. Heeseung hadn’t hallucinated when he saw you sitting at his assistant’s desk.
“Oh no…”
When the pieces of the puzzle all took shape in his mind, he could almost feel his soul leaving his body.
You were back. The one person he had never forgotten was back. Not only that, but you were his assistant. And despite the burning memories he still had of you, it seemed as though you didn’t remember him.
And that begged the question: should Heeseung pretend he didn’t know you as well?
❥ pairing: lee heeseung x female reader
❥ genres/tropes/aus: fluff, romance, angst, strangers (kinda) to lovers, social elite!au, gossip girl!au, ceo!heeseung, assistant!reader, antagonist!jongseong
❥ rating: pg-13
❥ chapter warnings: drinking, let me know if I'm missing something
❥ word count: 5.3k
❥ chapter synopsis: Y/N returns to the city after five years away. Heeseung meets his new assistant, and it's the last person he expected to see working for him. (series synopsis can be found on the series m.list)
❥ lia's note: Hello! I hope you're well. Here's Part One of the improved version of Always Been You. I'm having a lot of fun returning to this story and making it even better than it was the first time. The changes are pretty minimal so far—mostly typos and grammar fixes—but I hope you enjoy it nonetheless. If this is your first reading this fic, then welcome! Please, like/reblog this if you enjoy reading it and let me know your thoughts in a comment/ask, I’m always appreciative of your feedback! I hope you enjoy it! As always, happy reading.
[series m.list] ● [enhypen m.list] ● [join the series taglist] ● [join my taglist]
The train station was smaller than you remember it being. The last time you had been here was five years ago after your life changed drastically overnight. One day, you were living in one of the most expensive apartments downtown, going to the most lavish parties in the city. In the next, you were crammed inside a train with strangers to go and spend a few weeks with your grandmother in the countryside while your mother tried to deal with the mess that was happening in the city.
Weeks turned into months, and months turned into years, and at one point, you didn’t expect you’d make it back here. People continued to write articles about you and your family, always conspiring about your whereabouts, what had happened to you, why you left. Against your better judgment, you read them all, even if your mother asked you not to. You wanted to know what people were saying about you. Everyone had an opinion about everything in your life, but their opinion couldn’t be the furthest thing from the truth.
There was nothing glamorous about your disappearance from the public eye. There was no secret lover, no unexpected marriage, no new villa in a secluded location only accessible by helicopter. You left because your mother had the decency to try and protect you from the strange turn of events your life had taken.
Now, after five years, you were back. It was your time to take your life back and make your own choices.
This was the first one: appearing at the same place you were last seen before you vanished from the public eye. You knew someone was watching.
They were always watching.
From the top of the grand staircase, you glanced at the crowd below drowning in warm light, trying to find a familiar face among all the people waiting. Some carried signs with names, others hopeful and excited expressions on their faces waiting for the moment they would reunite with family or friends. You, on the other hand, weren’t sure if anyone would come to pick you up.
Slowly, you made your way down the stairs with a large bag over your shoulder, the heavier one pulled by your arm making an annoying sound every time it went down a step. Thankfully, no one seemed to pay attention, and you were grateful for the muffled conversations and train arrival announcements in the background. People were too busy to care about a stranger like you and your noisy bag.
The idea of blending in with all these people brought you some peace and a small smile to your lips. That was all you wanted right now—to be a stranger and build a life for yourself away from your family’s name. For the time being, you would only introduce yourself with your first name and hope that your features had changed enough that people wouldn’t recognise your parents in you or remember who you were for that matter.
You knew this was a foolish plan. It would last you a couple of days, if not less. Still, it would be a time of anonymity and you would cherish it for as long as it would last without dwelling on what you could’ve done differently.
At the bottom of the stairs, you fixed the bag on your shoulder and glanced at the crowd again, hoping you’d lock eyes with someone who would wave at you. You kept walking at a steady pace, your heart growing heavier stranger after stranger as they reunited with their loved ones with hugs, kisses and giggles. Your heart filled with happiness for them, but a certain bitterness tainted it, too. You probably wouldn’t get to experience any of this.
You couldn’t even remember the last time you had received such a warm welcome from someone. You tended to be the one opening your arms to receive people in tight hugs or the first one to say an encouraging word or two, to make people feel like they belonged. It was humbling, to say the least, when you realised that all the happiness, support and kindness people had shown you in the past was more because of your family than because of you as a person.
When you reached the end of the crowd, you took a deep breath and cleared your throat, coming to terms with the fact that no one had come to pick you up. You glanced at the signs around the train station and looked for the one that pointed towards the subway station. Another journey awaited you as you glanced at both of your bags. It’ll have to do, you said to yourself as you fixed the bag on your shoulder once again and took one step forward, ready to leave this place, shedding the last layer of hope you had held onto for the past couple of years.
“Y/N? Is that… you?”
At the sound of his voice, you slowed down. It had been less than a week since you two last spoke over the phone, but you were still taken aback by how much his voice had changed. It was deeper, calmer, richer. Pretty much like his bank account, you were sure.
When you turned to face who had spoken, you couldn’t hide your surprise. Jake had changed. He had grown taller and into his features. His eyes remained the same, so you had no doubt you were talking to the same guy who always let you copy his homework in high school, who always kept you company at the boring events your parents liked to throw to exert their influence. Jake had grown into a handsome man, one worthy of the social elite of this city.
“It’s you!” He sighed and opened his arms, wrapping you into his tight and comforting embrace, taking a deep breath. “I’ve missed you. This city hasn’t been the same without you…”
“I’ve… missed you too.” You weren’t sure whether or not you should hug him back. You couldn’t help but get emotional at reuniting with him after all this time. Slowly, your arms wrapped around his torso and you took a deep breath as you closed your eyes, taking in the scent of his expensive cologne, the familiarity of his arms around you. “I’ve missed you so much…”
“Let me take a good look at you.” He stepped back and held your hands as he looked at you from head to toe, a kind smile greeting his lips as he nodded in approval. “You look gorgeous. The countryside did you well.”
“I look tired.” You met his eyes and smiled. “You look great. I guess becoming your father’s right arm did you well?”
He laughed and rubbed the back of his neck, somewhat shy about your remarks.
“You still can’t take compliments…” he said as a matter of fact and grabbed your bag from your shoulder. You walked alongside Jake, not sure where the two of you were going. “And becoming my father’s right arm did me well, I guess. But all of this,” he gestured to his outfit, slightly disappointed, “it’s how I dress every day now because of my work at the company. I wish I could say it was because I came to meet you, but it’s not.”
You nodded, understanding his tone. Jake had always been against dressing up and showcasing wealth daily, and he had made it his mission to destroy these societal expectations imposed on him. At parties, he always wore the simplest outfits, oftentimes choosing the one that annoyed his parents the most. It was his small way of rebelling, but his rebellious spirit might’ve dwindled with time because he hadn’t been able to fight these ideas entirely.
The more you looked at him, the more you saw how everything about him screamed luxury now: from his accessories to the brand of his suit and shoes, there was nothing on Jake’s body that was a knock-off of an expensive brand or an old heirloom he could’ve found at a garage sale or vintage store. It was all original, all new. He carried more value in his entire body than you did in your bank account. That made you conscious about how different the two of you were now despite everything you might have shared in the past.
“I have the address of the apartment I’ll be staying at,” you said to Jake, taking a small piece of paper from the pocket of your jeans and passing it to him. “Do you think you could drive me there?”
Jake stopped and glanced at you, studying your expression. Despite not having seen him in five years, his mannerisms were still the same. He still pursed his lips when he thought too deeply about something, and it was almost as if you could still read his thoughts.
“So my offer of you staying at my place, you won’t take it?” You shook your head and he sighed, somewhat disappointed. “I know you want to prove your worth, Y/N. But your worth never came from your parents or how much money you had or have, for that matter. It always came from you. Why do you think I’m here right now after all these years?”
You didn’t answer; you simply didn’t know what to say to him. Maybe he was right, maybe your worth was something you carried deep within you. But you had seen what happened when people fell from grace. You had fallen from grace to so many people, and after that, you were no longer worthy of their time, their respect, their attention.
And the hardest part was when you were no longer worthy of their love or their affection.
Heeseung sat by his apartment’s window with a glass of whiskey in his hand. He sipped on his drink as he stared at the tall buildings outside, their lights flickering in different shades and sizes, keeping him company. He loosened the tie around his neck and sighed, pondering whether or not he should turn on the lights of his apartment.
His laziness took the best of him and he remained on his couch, sipping on the bitter drink, thinking about his day and how much of a mess it had been.
Ever since his last assistant quit her job, Heeseung was having a hard time keeping everything in check. Not only that, but HR had failed to find someone to replace her. Whenever they sent someone to assist him with his tasks, he simply grew more disappointed and frustrated with their lack of professionalism, which ended with him doing all the work and sending them away after a few days.
He could only hope that whoever was coming to replace his old assistant next was competent enough to do their job right. Heeseung was tired of this; it was delaying everything in his life: contracts he could sign, new business ventures he could take, his wedding plans that he wanted to finalise as soon as possible so he could be taken seriously by the people he worked with. Still, his fiancée kept her reservations, saying that they shouldn’t rush it, that they should take their time, and that only made Heeseung more frustrated over the whole thing. He knew this wasn’t a marriage of love—it was one of convenience—but delaying it only made him look more like a fool to his peers.
His thoughts were interrupted when his phone rang. He read the name displayed on his screen and sighed in disappointment. Why was his best friend calling him at this time of the night? Shouldn’t he be at a club getting drunk or something?
“This is Heeseung. What’s the matter?”
“Have you seen the news?” Sunghoon asked, out of breath. “Please, tell me you have.”
“I haven’t.” Heeseung kept his cool, glancing at the glass in his hand. He’d call his fiancée after this, just to know what she was up to, if she wanted to have dinner with him some other day. “What is it? Are our shares down?”
“No, it’s not about the shares. The company is doing quite well, actually.”
“Then is it something about my wedding?”
“Why would it be about your wedding?” Sunghoon sounded annoyed. He cleared his throat. “You should stop this guessing game because you’ll never get it right.”
“Then, get to the point, Sunghoon. I have things to do.”
“Of course you do,” Sunghoon said, clearly mocking him. “Let me guess, you’ll call your fiancée after this and she’ll ignore you again?”
“Get to the point.” Heeseung pinched the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath, closing his eyes. “Otherwise, I’ll hang up.”
“Fine, fine. Just make sure you’re sitting down because this is—”
“—Bye, Sunghoon—”
“—No! Heeseung!” As he was about to end the call, Sunghoon added, “Y/N is back.”
Those words cut through Heeseung’s heart like a knife, and what bled out wasn’t blood. It was hope. It had been five years since he last saw you, since he last heard anything from you. All of his calls, you never reciprocated. All of his attempts at finding you always led him nowhere. At one point, Heeseung thought you were dead, but he heard your name at events through people who thought they had seen you here and there, and that gave him a strange hope that you would reunite some other time. This hope was quite foolish since he still knew who you were, but you probably didn’t remember him or your impact on his life.
How could he forget you after everything you did for him?
“Heeseung? Are you there? Heeseung?”
He blinked and put his phone next to his ear as his heart jumped in his chest, the air escaping his lungs.
“What do you mean, Y/N is back? Since when? Where did you get this information from?”
“For someone not interested in gossip, you’re asking too many questions.” Heeseung rolled his eyes at his friend’s remark. “For starters, this was posted a while ago on Click!'s front page. You know, the online tabloid? Apparently, Y/N arrived this afternoon by train and guess who went to pick her up?”
He didn’t want to answer. Whenever Heeseung thought of the people who were closer to you back when you met each other, two people came to mind: your best friend, Jake Sim, and the man you once dated and Heeseung had to see every day at the company, Park Jongseong.
“Enlighten me, please.”
Heeseung didn’t want to guess. Still, he couldn’t help but wonder if you were doing well, if you were back together with Jongseong. The thought of it made him sick to his stomach. What he had done to you, the things he had said about you and your family to the press, were despicable.
“It was Jake.” Heeseung sighed, relieved. Sunghoon chuckled. “I wish I had more information, but all they posted was a picture of them hugging and—”
“How does she look?”
Sunghoon chuckled and Heeseung felt his phone buzzing. “See it for yourself. My job here is done.”
“What do you mean?”
“Now you have the chance to tell her everything you weren’t able to five years ago. Don’t pretend you’ve gotten over her. We both know the only reason why you want to get married is—”
“We’re not talking about this,” Heeseung said right away, upset that Sunghoon was once again bringing this subject up. “For all it’s worth, I… care about my fiancée. That’s why I want to marry her. Besides, I wouldn’t know where to find Y/N.” He cleared his throat. “Not that I want to find her. She probably doesn’t remember me.”
Heeseung gulped, already regretting his choice of words, something that Sunghoon quickly caught on. He laughed on the other side and Heeseung rolled his eyes, trying to regain his composure, although he had to loosen the tie around his neck even more.
“I’m sure you’ll figure something out. You are Lee Heeseung, after all. I’ll get going now. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Sunghoon hung up the call, leaving Heeseung to deal with the confusion between his mind and heart. He had so many questions, most of which he couldn’t answer yet. He didn’t even dare to ask them out loud, afraid of the answer.
When he glanced at his phone screen, he quickly pressed the message Sunghoon had sent him, being redirected to the post where his friend had gotten all of this information.
The photo was of terrible quality, and under any other circumstance he would’ve doubted the authenticity of it, he would’ve denied your presence in it. And yet, this time around, he hoped it was you.
You looked… different. Time had made you grow into your features, but even in terrible quality, Heeseung couldn’t deny the beauty of your smile and the kindness of your eyes. He never expected to be so taken aback because of your return, and yet, everything he ever felt for you was coming back. He thought he had gotten over his first love, but he hadn’t. Mostly because Heeseung had always hoped you would also be his last, his only love.
That proved to be wrong, but it didn’t stop him from being hopeful.
Hopeful that you would cross paths again and that he would be able to see you once more. Not to admit how much he had loved you, but to thank you for everything you had done for him when no one else stood by his side all those years ago.
The apartment you had rented was too small, but it was all you could afford for the time being. Besides, it was located within walking distance of the nearest subway station and you knew that would be useful for getting to work.
After you decided to move here, you searched for job offers and found a couple that you were interested in and applied to them all. Most of them didn’t accept your application, stating you were underqualified, but a couple of them followed through with an interview that was done through video chat. After a couple more hiccups along the way, you landed a job to be an assistant. It wasn’t your first option, but you didn’t say no to it. It paid well, and you planned on working until you found a better job or, if the company allowed, until you climbed the corporate ladder to get a better paycheck so you could move out of this apartment.
Right now, that was your main priority: find a better place to live.
Jake had already sent you a morning text to wish you good luck on your first day at work and even offered to have lunch with you. You rejected his offer and said you’d pack your lunch and have it at the company to avoid unnecessary expenses. He wasn’t very pleased with this, but you promised you’d call him after work, which made him somewhat satisfied.
Before exiting, you checked your outfit one more time in the only mirror available at your apartment. You only had one chance to make a good first impression and you were counting on it. You had chosen your best outfit for today and you were hoping it carried the message that you were reliable and trustworthy as an assistant. Still, you weren’t completely happy with the way you looked. Your jacket was outdated, your shoes looked old, and even your bag didn’t match what you were wearing at all.
“This will have to do,” you whispered to yourself, smiling at your reflection. “You’ve got this. You’ll do great.”
You opened your apartment door and left, making your way to the subway station, already knowing the lines’ colours, their stations and timetables as well as the palm of your hand. It didn’t take you long to get on the subway train and arrive at your destination on time and with no problems.
After climbing up the stairs to leave the subway station, you found yourself drowning in the city chaos, something that brought a smile to your face. In the past, you mostly drove by it and saw all of this through the car window. Now, you were a part of it.
You were one of the busy people with somewhere to be so, you didn’t waste any time. After holding onto your purse and fixing your lunch bag over your shoulder, you walked towards one of the tall buildings that you had recently familiarised yourself with. The previous day, you had spent the afternoon with someone from the HR department who showed you around the building and told you everything you needed to know. At first, you were overwhelmed by all this new information but, just like the subway lines, it was only a matter of time before you figured it all out.
When you passed the glass doors, the sound of traffic subsided and your shoes echoing on the floor took over, matching the intense beating of your heart. You reached the front desk and greeted the person who was there who quickly offered you a kind smile, remembering you from the previous day.
“Y/N, right?” You nodded and they checked a list in front of them, nodding. “Ah, you don’t have an entry card yet… Well, I’ll let you in. Just show me your ID and I have an indication here that you should meet Kim Sunoo. Do you know who he is?”
“I do, thank you.” You opened your wallet and extended your ID card to them and they checked your information, returning it to you with a smile and an extra card for you to carry around your neck.
“It’s all good. I’m sure someone in HR will contact you soon so you can get your card done.” They stood from their chair and manually opened one of the passageways, gesturing to you to come in. “Have a nice day.”
You gulped as you made your way to the elevators, clutching your bag closer to you as you approached it. A small crowd gathered around you and you tried your best to keep calm when you entered the elevator, making your way to the back after pressing the button to your floor. People entered and greeted one another with polite bows and whispered good mornings. You did the same, trying your best to not stand out too much. However, between men in expensive suits and women in high heels and pencil skirts, you definitely stood out for the wrong reasons.
People started to leave the elevator and it grew quieter and emptier the higher it went. You tried to ignore the man standing next to you, who kept his eyes narrowed every time he glanced your way. Your heart jumped in your chest as you hoped that he wouldn’t call you out for your terrible fashion sense, or ask who you were.
“First day?” His voice caught you by surprise and you glanced his way, nodding slightly. His smile widened. “Well, I hope everything goes well for you.” The elevator announced another floor and he looked at the door, pointing at it. “This is my floor.”
“I leave here too,” you said, clearing your throat.
He simply nodded and as soon as he exited the elevator, he greeted everyone with a loud good morning that everyone reciprocated at the same time. When the doors closed behind you, you scanned the floor and soon enough, found Kim Sunoo sitting at a nearby desk. As soon as his eyes landed on you, he waved his arm in the air and stood, walking towards you.
“I’m so happy you’re here on time!” He clapped and grabbed your arm, guiding you to a desk different from the one you had been told would be yours the previous day. When you tried to point that out, Sunoo quickly filled you in. “Well, the chairman doesn’t have an assistant and since he needs one urgently, you’ll be working for him for the time being!”
“I thought I was going to work for someone else, someone less high profile…”
Your fear wasn’t your skills, you knew you’d do a good job regardless of who they were. What you feared was who they were. The higher their profile, the more likely they were to know you, and you were enjoying the fact that no one at this company seemed to know who you were.
“Oh, you don’t have to worry!” Sunoo offered you a smile and patted your shoulder. “Lee Heeseung is a great man. He is cold at times, yes, but that’s because he expects only the best from you. He’s the one in charge of us all, after all.”
“Yes, but—”
A phone started to ring at Sunoo’s desk and he rolled his eyes, sighing in despair right after. “Everything you need is at your desk. I suggest you meet with him first so you can figure out his working style and how you can assist him better. I’ll be here all the time, so let me know if you need anything.”
He gave you a thumbs up and picked up the phone, sitting back at his desk and focusing on the call he was receiving. You glanced at your desk and couldn’t help but panic slightly.
The name Lee Heeseung wasn’t strange to you, but you didn’t know where you knew it from. When you thought of all the people you used to hang out with five years ago, his name didn’t bring back any memories. Yet, there was something at the tip of your tongue that told you that you knew his name from somewhere.
However, just like your memory was failing you, you could only hope that his memory was also failing him and that any recollection he had of you or your family was gone and nowhere to be found.
The traffic was always complicated whenever Heeseung tried to get to work. Although his private driver knew the best routes to get him to the office on time, sometimes the traffic was so bad that all he could do was lean back in his backseat and go over his plans for the day.
This morning, however, his mind focused on something else. As he glanced at the tall buildings passing outside of his car window, he couldn’t help but think about you and what you were up to. Ever since that post on Click! Sunghoon shared with him, Heeseung hadn't been able to stop thinking about it. It had been so unexpected and it caught him off guard in every sense of the word.
Feelings he thought were buried deep within him were slowly making their way back to the surface, stronger than ever. Fallacies he had whispered to himself every day hoping they’d become facts someday were crumbling and crashing down. Your return couldn’t be happening at the worst time. Still, he was glad he had no way to contact you, to see you. That would make everything worse and your return even more real. So far, all of this was just a ghost haunting his thoughts and his mind, but it wasn’t tangible.
“Would you like me to leave you at the main entrance or the parking lot?”
“The main entrance is fine.” Heeseung sighed and fixed the tie around his neck, watching as the familiar building came into view in front of him. “I only need you to come and pick me up later.”
“I’ll be here at the usual time, then.” His driver smiled at him through the rearview mirror and Heeseung nodded, unable to reciprocate the kind gesture.
Eventually, his driver stopped the car and Heeseung made his way out of the vehicle and inside the tall building, greeting employees with small nods, never stopping for more than a few seconds.
When the elevator door opened, he found Sunghoon inside with sunglasses on, leaning against the elevator doors, massaging his temples.
“Good morning,” Heeseung said when the doors closed with only the two of them inside. “Did you have fun last night?”
“Don’t speak so loud,” Sunghoon whined, taking a deep breath. “I went out and had too much to drink with someone.”
Heeseung chuckled and gave his friend an unbothered look. “She slept at your place.”
“Quiet!” Sunghoon placed a finger over his lips and shrugged. “I’m not sure if I slept with someone. They weren’t next to me when I woke up… It probably wasn’t that memorable.”
“Or maybe you were too drunk to remember about it…” Heeseung whispered under his breath, shaking his head in disappointment. Sunghoon had a terrible habit of going out during weekdays and drinking more than he should. This was a behaviour Heeseung constantly called out, but his friend didn’t seem to change. “I’ll ask my assistant to bring us coffee. If this happens again, I’ll have to let HR know.” Sunghoon scoffed but Heeseung gave him a warning look. “I’m serious this time. You need to learn when to be professional and when to play around.”
“You’re no fun, Heeseung.”
“And look at where that led me to.” Heeseung opened his arms and glanced around the elevator. After all, he had built this company from the ground up and it certainly wasn’t because of flirting all day and partying all night.
The elevator doors opened and Heeseung stepped outside, making his way to his office. As he passed by the different assistant desks, they all stood to bow to him and wish him a good morning, something he simply ignored and continued to walk.
“Coffee in your office?” Sunghoon asked after gesturing to Sunoo to remain at his desk. “I’ll meet you in twenty minutes.”
“Fine. I’ll wait for you.”
Sunghoon disappeared inside of his office and his assistant sighed in disappointment, shaking his head as he typed on his computer. Heeseung gulped and glanced at his assistant’s desk to find someone sitting there. He walked closer, already disappointed at whoever they had chosen. After all, they hadn’t stood when he arrived at the office.
“Good morning.” Heeseung greeted, fixing the tie around his neck. “I assume you’re my new assistant, but we can discuss who you are and all that later. For now, I’d like you to bring me two coffees from the lobby.”
“Any special requirements?” The assistant stood from her chair and, for the first time, looked at Heeseung. His eyes widened in shock and he almost lost all the strength in his legs when he realised who his new assistant was. “Do you prefer—”
“What are you doing here?”
This was certainly a hallucination, it had to be. You couldn’t possibly be standing in front of him, you couldn’t possibly be his new assistant.
“Sunoo told me to settle in at this desk.” You quickly bowed to him, flustered. “I apologise if this bothered you. This won’t happen again.”
It was you. Heeseung would’ve never mistaken your voice, he would’ve never forgotten the look in your eyes as you stared at him, trying your best to hide the embarrassment you were feeling.
“Just bring me two coffees from the lobby. No special requirements.”
He turned and disappeared into his office, slamming the door behind him, causing him to jump as he collapsed on his desk’s chair, loosening the tie around his neck, feeling the air escaping his lungs.
What Click! posted wasn’t a manipulated photo. Heeseung hadn’t hallucinated when he saw you sitting at his assistant’s desk.
“Oh no…”
When the pieces of the puzzle all took shape in his mind, he could almost feel his soul leaving his body.
You were back. The one person he had never forgotten was back. Not only that, but you were his assistant. And despite the burning memories he still had of you, it seemed as though you didn’t remember him.
And that begged the question: should Heeseung pretend he didn’t know you as well?
❥ pairing: lee heeseung x female reader
❥ genres/tropes/aus: fluff, romance, angst, strangers (kinda) to lovers, social elite!au, gossip girl!au, ceo!heeseung, assistant!reader, antagonist!jongseong
❥ rating: pg-13
❥ chapter warnings: drinking, let me know if I'm missing something
❥ word count: 5.3k
❥ chapter synopsis: Y/N returns to the city after five years away. Heeseung meets his new assistant, and it's the last person he expected to see working for him. (series synopsis can be found on the series m.list)
❥ lia's note: Hello! I hope you're well. Here's Part One of the improved version of Always Been You. I'm having a lot of fun returning to this story and making it even better than it was the first time. The changes are pretty minimal so far—mostly typos and grammar fixes—but I hope you enjoy it nonetheless. If this is your first reading this fic, then welcome! Please, like/reblog this if you enjoy reading it and let me know your thoughts in a comment/ask, I’m always appreciative of your feedback! I hope you enjoy it! As always, happy reading.
[series m.list] ● [enhypen m.list] ● [join the series taglist] ● [join my taglist]
The train station was smaller than you remember it being. The last time you had been here was five years ago after your life changed drastically overnight. One day, you were living in one of the most expensive apartments downtown, going to the most lavish parties in the city. In the next, you were crammed inside a train with strangers to go and spend a few weeks with your grandmother in the countryside while your mother tried to deal with the mess that was happening in the city.
Weeks turned into months, and months turned into years, and at one point, you didn’t expect you’d make it back here. People continued to write articles about you and your family, always conspiring about your whereabouts, what had happened to you, why you left. Against your better judgment, you read them all, even if your mother asked you not to. You wanted to know what people were saying about you. Everyone had an opinion about everything in your life, but their opinion couldn’t be the furthest thing from the truth.
There was nothing glamorous about your disappearance from the public eye. There was no secret lover, no unexpected marriage, no new villa in a secluded location only accessible by helicopter. You left because your mother had the decency to try and protect you from the strange turn of events your life had taken.
Now, after five years, you were back. It was your time to take your life back and make your own choices.
This was the first one: appearing at the same place you were last seen before you vanished from the public eye. You knew someone was watching.
They were always watching.
From the top of the grand staircase, you glanced at the crowd below drowning in warm light, trying to find a familiar face among all the people waiting. Some carried signs with names, others hopeful and excited expressions on their faces waiting for the moment they would reunite with family or friends. You, on the other hand, weren’t sure if anyone would come to pick you up.
Slowly, you made your way down the stairs with a large bag over your shoulder, the heavier one pulled by your arm making an annoying sound every time it went down a step. Thankfully, no one seemed to pay attention, and you were grateful for the muffled conversations and train arrival announcements in the background. People were too busy to care about a stranger like you and your noisy bag.
The idea of blending in with all these people brought you some peace and a small smile to your lips. That was all you wanted right now—to be a stranger and build a life for yourself away from your family’s name. For the time being, you would only introduce yourself with your first name and hope that your features had changed enough that people wouldn’t recognise your parents in you or remember who you were for that matter.
You knew this was a foolish plan. It would last you a couple of days, if not less. Still, it would be a time of anonymity and you would cherish it for as long as it would last without dwelling on what you could’ve done differently.
At the bottom of the stairs, you fixed the bag on your shoulder and glanced at the crowd again, hoping you’d lock eyes with someone who would wave at you. You kept walking at a steady pace, your heart growing heavier stranger after stranger as they reunited with their loved ones with hugs, kisses and giggles. Your heart filled with happiness for them, but a certain bitterness tainted it, too. You probably wouldn’t get to experience any of this.
You couldn’t even remember the last time you had received such a warm welcome from someone. You tended to be the one opening your arms to receive people in tight hugs or the first one to say an encouraging word or two, to make people feel like they belonged. It was humbling, to say the least, when you realised that all the happiness, support and kindness people had shown you in the past was more because of your family than because of you as a person.
When you reached the end of the crowd, you took a deep breath and cleared your throat, coming to terms with the fact that no one had come to pick you up. You glanced at the signs around the train station and looked for the one that pointed towards the subway station. Another journey awaited you as you glanced at both of your bags. It’ll have to do, you said to yourself as you fixed the bag on your shoulder once again and took one step forward, ready to leave this place, shedding the last layer of hope you had held onto for the past couple of years.
“Y/N? Is that… you?”
At the sound of his voice, you slowed down. It had been less than a week since you two last spoke over the phone, but you were still taken aback by how much his voice had changed. It was deeper, calmer, richer. Pretty much like his bank account, you were sure.
When you turned to face who had spoken, you couldn’t hide your surprise. Jake had changed. He had grown taller and into his features. His eyes remained the same, so you had no doubt you were talking to the same guy who always let you copy his homework in high school, who always kept you company at the boring events your parents liked to throw to exert their influence. Jake had grown into a handsome man, one worthy of the social elite of this city.
“It’s you!” He sighed and opened his arms, wrapping you into his tight and comforting embrace, taking a deep breath. “I’ve missed you. This city hasn’t been the same without you…”
“I’ve… missed you too.” You weren’t sure whether or not you should hug him back. You couldn’t help but get emotional at reuniting with him after all this time. Slowly, your arms wrapped around his torso and you took a deep breath as you closed your eyes, taking in the scent of his expensive cologne, the familiarity of his arms around you. “I’ve missed you so much…”
“Let me take a good look at you.” He stepped back and held your hands as he looked at you from head to toe, a kind smile greeting his lips as he nodded in approval. “You look gorgeous. The countryside did you well.”
“I look tired.” You met his eyes and smiled. “You look great. I guess becoming your father’s right arm did you well?”
He laughed and rubbed the back of his neck, somewhat shy about your remarks.
“You still can’t take compliments…” he said as a matter of fact and grabbed your bag from your shoulder. You walked alongside Jake, not sure where the two of you were going. “And becoming my father’s right arm did me well, I guess. But all of this,” he gestured to his outfit, slightly disappointed, “it’s how I dress every day now because of my work at the company. I wish I could say it was because I came to meet you, but it’s not.”
You nodded, understanding his tone. Jake had always been against dressing up and showcasing wealth daily, and he had made it his mission to destroy these societal expectations imposed on him. At parties, he always wore the simplest outfits, oftentimes choosing the one that annoyed his parents the most. It was his small way of rebelling, but his rebellious spirit might’ve dwindled with time because he hadn’t been able to fight these ideas entirely.
The more you looked at him, the more you saw how everything about him screamed luxury now: from his accessories to the brand of his suit and shoes, there was nothing on Jake’s body that was a knock-off of an expensive brand or an old heirloom he could’ve found at a garage sale or vintage store. It was all original, all new. He carried more value in his entire body than you did in your bank account. That made you conscious about how different the two of you were now despite everything you might have shared in the past.
“I have the address of the apartment I’ll be staying at,” you said to Jake, taking a small piece of paper from the pocket of your jeans and passing it to him. “Do you think you could drive me there?”
Jake stopped and glanced at you, studying your expression. Despite not having seen him in five years, his mannerisms were still the same. He still pursed his lips when he thought too deeply about something, and it was almost as if you could still read his thoughts.
“So my offer of you staying at my place, you won’t take it?” You shook your head and he sighed, somewhat disappointed. “I know you want to prove your worth, Y/N. But your worth never came from your parents or how much money you had or have, for that matter. It always came from you. Why do you think I’m here right now after all these years?”
You didn’t answer; you simply didn’t know what to say to him. Maybe he was right, maybe your worth was something you carried deep within you. But you had seen what happened when people fell from grace. You had fallen from grace to so many people, and after that, you were no longer worthy of their time, their respect, their attention.
And the hardest part was when you were no longer worthy of their love or their affection.
Heeseung sat by his apartment’s window with a glass of whiskey in his hand. He sipped on his drink as he stared at the tall buildings outside, their lights flickering in different shades and sizes, keeping him company. He loosened the tie around his neck and sighed, pondering whether or not he should turn on the lights of his apartment.
His laziness took the best of him and he remained on his couch, sipping on the bitter drink, thinking about his day and how much of a mess it had been.
Ever since his last assistant quit her job, Heeseung was having a hard time keeping everything in check. Not only that, but HR had failed to find someone to replace her. Whenever they sent someone to assist him with his tasks, he simply grew more disappointed and frustrated with their lack of professionalism, which ended with him doing all the work and sending them away after a few days.
He could only hope that whoever was coming to replace his old assistant next was competent enough to do their job right. Heeseung was tired of this; it was delaying everything in his life: contracts he could sign, new business ventures he could take, his wedding plans that he wanted to finalise as soon as possible so he could be taken seriously by the people he worked with. Still, his fiancée kept her reservations, saying that they shouldn’t rush it, that they should take their time, and that only made Heeseung more frustrated over the whole thing. He knew this wasn’t a marriage of love—it was one of convenience—but delaying it only made him look more like a fool to his peers.
His thoughts were interrupted when his phone rang. He read the name displayed on his screen and sighed in disappointment. Why was his best friend calling him at this time of the night? Shouldn’t he be at a club getting drunk or something?
“This is Heeseung. What’s the matter?”
“Have you seen the news?” Sunghoon asked, out of breath. “Please, tell me you have.”
“I haven’t.” Heeseung kept his cool, glancing at the glass in his hand. He’d call his fiancée after this, just to know what she was up to, if she wanted to have dinner with him some other day. “What is it? Are our shares down?”
“No, it’s not about the shares. The company is doing quite well, actually.”
“Then is it something about my wedding?”
“Why would it be about your wedding?” Sunghoon sounded annoyed. He cleared his throat. “You should stop this guessing game because you’ll never get it right.”
“Then, get to the point, Sunghoon. I have things to do.”
“Of course you do,” Sunghoon said, clearly mocking him. “Let me guess, you’ll call your fiancée after this and she’ll ignore you again?”
“Get to the point.” Heeseung pinched the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath, closing his eyes. “Otherwise, I’ll hang up.”
“Fine, fine. Just make sure you’re sitting down because this is—”
“—Bye, Sunghoon—”
“—No! Heeseung!” As he was about to end the call, Sunghoon added, “Y/N is back.”
Those words cut through Heeseung’s heart like a knife, and what bled out wasn’t blood. It was hope. It had been five years since he last saw you, since he last heard anything from you. All of his calls, you never reciprocated. All of his attempts at finding you always led him nowhere. At one point, Heeseung thought you were dead, but he heard your name at events through people who thought they had seen you here and there, and that gave him a strange hope that you would reunite some other time. This hope was quite foolish since he still knew who you were, but you probably didn’t remember him or your impact on his life.
How could he forget you after everything you did for him?
“Heeseung? Are you there? Heeseung?”
He blinked and put his phone next to his ear as his heart jumped in his chest, the air escaping his lungs.
“What do you mean, Y/N is back? Since when? Where did you get this information from?”
“For someone not interested in gossip, you’re asking too many questions.” Heeseung rolled his eyes at his friend’s remark. “For starters, this was posted a while ago on Click!'s front page. You know, the online tabloid? Apparently, Y/N arrived this afternoon by train and guess who went to pick her up?”
He didn’t want to answer. Whenever Heeseung thought of the people who were closer to you back when you met each other, two people came to mind: your best friend, Jake Sim, and the man you once dated and Heeseung had to see every day at the company, Park Jongseong.
“Enlighten me, please.”
Heeseung didn’t want to guess. Still, he couldn’t help but wonder if you were doing well, if you were back together with Jongseong. The thought of it made him sick to his stomach. What he had done to you, the things he had said about you and your family to the press, were despicable.
“It was Jake.” Heeseung sighed, relieved. Sunghoon chuckled. “I wish I had more information, but all they posted was a picture of them hugging and—”
“How does she look?”
Sunghoon chuckled and Heeseung felt his phone buzzing. “See it for yourself. My job here is done.”
“What do you mean?”
“Now you have the chance to tell her everything you weren’t able to five years ago. Don’t pretend you’ve gotten over her. We both know the only reason why you want to get married is—”
“We’re not talking about this,” Heeseung said right away, upset that Sunghoon was once again bringing this subject up. “For all it’s worth, I… care about my fiancée. That’s why I want to marry her. Besides, I wouldn’t know where to find Y/N.” He cleared his throat. “Not that I want to find her. She probably doesn’t remember me.”
Heeseung gulped, already regretting his choice of words, something that Sunghoon quickly caught on. He laughed on the other side and Heeseung rolled his eyes, trying to regain his composure, although he had to loosen the tie around his neck even more.
“I’m sure you’ll figure something out. You are Lee Heeseung, after all. I’ll get going now. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Sunghoon hung up the call, leaving Heeseung to deal with the confusion between his mind and heart. He had so many questions, most of which he couldn’t answer yet. He didn’t even dare to ask them out loud, afraid of the answer.
When he glanced at his phone screen, he quickly pressed the message Sunghoon had sent him, being redirected to the post where his friend had gotten all of this information.
The photo was of terrible quality, and under any other circumstance he would’ve doubted the authenticity of it, he would’ve denied your presence in it. And yet, this time around, he hoped it was you.
You looked… different. Time had made you grow into your features, but even in terrible quality, Heeseung couldn’t deny the beauty of your smile and the kindness of your eyes. He never expected to be so taken aback because of your return, and yet, everything he ever felt for you was coming back. He thought he had gotten over his first love, but he hadn’t. Mostly because Heeseung had always hoped you would also be his last, his only love.
That proved to be wrong, but it didn’t stop him from being hopeful.
Hopeful that you would cross paths again and that he would be able to see you once more. Not to admit how much he had loved you, but to thank you for everything you had done for him when no one else stood by his side all those years ago.
The apartment you had rented was too small, but it was all you could afford for the time being. Besides, it was located within walking distance of the nearest subway station and you knew that would be useful for getting to work.
After you decided to move here, you searched for job offers and found a couple that you were interested in and applied to them all. Most of them didn’t accept your application, stating you were underqualified, but a couple of them followed through with an interview that was done through video chat. After a couple more hiccups along the way, you landed a job to be an assistant. It wasn’t your first option, but you didn’t say no to it. It paid well, and you planned on working until you found a better job or, if the company allowed, until you climbed the corporate ladder to get a better paycheck so you could move out of this apartment.
Right now, that was your main priority: find a better place to live.
Jake had already sent you a morning text to wish you good luck on your first day at work and even offered to have lunch with you. You rejected his offer and said you’d pack your lunch and have it at the company to avoid unnecessary expenses. He wasn’t very pleased with this, but you promised you’d call him after work, which made him somewhat satisfied.
Before exiting, you checked your outfit one more time in the only mirror available at your apartment. You only had one chance to make a good first impression and you were counting on it. You had chosen your best outfit for today and you were hoping it carried the message that you were reliable and trustworthy as an assistant. Still, you weren’t completely happy with the way you looked. Your jacket was outdated, your shoes looked old, and even your bag didn’t match what you were wearing at all.
“This will have to do,” you whispered to yourself, smiling at your reflection. “You’ve got this. You’ll do great.”
You opened your apartment door and left, making your way to the subway station, already knowing the lines’ colours, their stations and timetables as well as the palm of your hand. It didn’t take you long to get on the subway train and arrive at your destination on time and with no problems.
After climbing up the stairs to leave the subway station, you found yourself drowning in the city chaos, something that brought a smile to your face. In the past, you mostly drove by it and saw all of this through the car window. Now, you were a part of it.
You were one of the busy people with somewhere to be so, you didn’t waste any time. After holding onto your purse and fixing your lunch bag over your shoulder, you walked towards one of the tall buildings that you had recently familiarised yourself with. The previous day, you had spent the afternoon with someone from the HR department who showed you around the building and told you everything you needed to know. At first, you were overwhelmed by all this new information but, just like the subway lines, it was only a matter of time before you figured it all out.
When you passed the glass doors, the sound of traffic subsided and your shoes echoing on the floor took over, matching the intense beating of your heart. You reached the front desk and greeted the person who was there who quickly offered you a kind smile, remembering you from the previous day.
“Y/N, right?” You nodded and they checked a list in front of them, nodding. “Ah, you don’t have an entry card yet… Well, I’ll let you in. Just show me your ID and I have an indication here that you should meet Kim Sunoo. Do you know who he is?”
“I do, thank you.” You opened your wallet and extended your ID card to them and they checked your information, returning it to you with a smile and an extra card for you to carry around your neck.
“It’s all good. I’m sure someone in HR will contact you soon so you can get your card done.” They stood from their chair and manually opened one of the passageways, gesturing to you to come in. “Have a nice day.”
You gulped as you made your way to the elevators, clutching your bag closer to you as you approached it. A small crowd gathered around you and you tried your best to keep calm when you entered the elevator, making your way to the back after pressing the button to your floor. People entered and greeted one another with polite bows and whispered good mornings. You did the same, trying your best to not stand out too much. However, between men in expensive suits and women in high heels and pencil skirts, you definitely stood out for the wrong reasons.
People started to leave the elevator and it grew quieter and emptier the higher it went. You tried to ignore the man standing next to you, who kept his eyes narrowed every time he glanced your way. Your heart jumped in your chest as you hoped that he wouldn’t call you out for your terrible fashion sense, or ask who you were.
“First day?” His voice caught you by surprise and you glanced his way, nodding slightly. His smile widened. “Well, I hope everything goes well for you.” The elevator announced another floor and he looked at the door, pointing at it. “This is my floor.”
“I leave here too,” you said, clearing your throat.
He simply nodded and as soon as he exited the elevator, he greeted everyone with a loud good morning that everyone reciprocated at the same time. When the doors closed behind you, you scanned the floor and soon enough, found Kim Sunoo sitting at a nearby desk. As soon as his eyes landed on you, he waved his arm in the air and stood, walking towards you.
“I’m so happy you’re here on time!” He clapped and grabbed your arm, guiding you to a desk different from the one you had been told would be yours the previous day. When you tried to point that out, Sunoo quickly filled you in. “Well, the chairman doesn’t have an assistant and since he needs one urgently, you’ll be working for him for the time being!”
“I thought I was going to work for someone else, someone less high profile…”
Your fear wasn’t your skills, you knew you’d do a good job regardless of who they were. What you feared was who they were. The higher their profile, the more likely they were to know you, and you were enjoying the fact that no one at this company seemed to know who you were.
“Oh, you don’t have to worry!” Sunoo offered you a smile and patted your shoulder. “Lee Heeseung is a great man. He is cold at times, yes, but that’s because he expects only the best from you. He’s the one in charge of us all, after all.”
“Yes, but—”
A phone started to ring at Sunoo’s desk and he rolled his eyes, sighing in despair right after. “Everything you need is at your desk. I suggest you meet with him first so you can figure out his working style and how you can assist him better. I’ll be here all the time, so let me know if you need anything.”
He gave you a thumbs up and picked up the phone, sitting back at his desk and focusing on the call he was receiving. You glanced at your desk and couldn’t help but panic slightly.
The name Lee Heeseung wasn’t strange to you, but you didn’t know where you knew it from. When you thought of all the people you used to hang out with five years ago, his name didn’t bring back any memories. Yet, there was something at the tip of your tongue that told you that you knew his name from somewhere.
However, just like your memory was failing you, you could only hope that his memory was also failing him and that any recollection he had of you or your family was gone and nowhere to be found.
The traffic was always complicated whenever Heeseung tried to get to work. Although his private driver knew the best routes to get him to the office on time, sometimes the traffic was so bad that all he could do was lean back in his backseat and go over his plans for the day.
This morning, however, his mind focused on something else. As he glanced at the tall buildings passing outside of his car window, he couldn’t help but think about you and what you were up to. Ever since that post on Click! Sunghoon shared with him, Heeseung hadn't been able to stop thinking about it. It had been so unexpected and it caught him off guard in every sense of the word.
Feelings he thought were buried deep within him were slowly making their way back to the surface, stronger than ever. Fallacies he had whispered to himself every day hoping they’d become facts someday were crumbling and crashing down. Your return couldn’t be happening at the worst time. Still, he was glad he had no way to contact you, to see you. That would make everything worse and your return even more real. So far, all of this was just a ghost haunting his thoughts and his mind, but it wasn’t tangible.
“Would you like me to leave you at the main entrance or the parking lot?”
“The main entrance is fine.” Heeseung sighed and fixed the tie around his neck, watching as the familiar building came into view in front of him. “I only need you to come and pick me up later.”
“I’ll be here at the usual time, then.” His driver smiled at him through the rearview mirror and Heeseung nodded, unable to reciprocate the kind gesture.
Eventually, his driver stopped the car and Heeseung made his way out of the vehicle and inside the tall building, greeting employees with small nods, never stopping for more than a few seconds.
When the elevator door opened, he found Sunghoon inside with sunglasses on, leaning against the elevator doors, massaging his temples.
“Good morning,” Heeseung said when the doors closed with only the two of them inside. “Did you have fun last night?”
“Don’t speak so loud,” Sunghoon whined, taking a deep breath. “I went out and had too much to drink with someone.”
Heeseung chuckled and gave his friend an unbothered look. “She slept at your place.”
“Quiet!” Sunghoon placed a finger over his lips and shrugged. “I’m not sure if I slept with someone. They weren’t next to me when I woke up… It probably wasn’t that memorable.”
“Or maybe you were too drunk to remember about it…” Heeseung whispered under his breath, shaking his head in disappointment. Sunghoon had a terrible habit of going out during weekdays and drinking more than he should. This was a behaviour Heeseung constantly called out, but his friend didn’t seem to change. “I’ll ask my assistant to bring us coffee. If this happens again, I’ll have to let HR know.” Sunghoon scoffed but Heeseung gave him a warning look. “I’m serious this time. You need to learn when to be professional and when to play around.”
“You’re no fun, Heeseung.”
“And look at where that led me to.” Heeseung opened his arms and glanced around the elevator. After all, he had built this company from the ground up and it certainly wasn’t because of flirting all day and partying all night.
The elevator doors opened and Heeseung stepped outside, making his way to his office. As he passed by the different assistant desks, they all stood to bow to him and wish him a good morning, something he simply ignored and continued to walk.
“Coffee in your office?” Sunghoon asked after gesturing to Sunoo to remain at his desk. “I’ll meet you in twenty minutes.”
“Fine. I’ll wait for you.”
Sunghoon disappeared inside of his office and his assistant sighed in disappointment, shaking his head as he typed on his computer. Heeseung gulped and glanced at his assistant’s desk to find someone sitting there. He walked closer, already disappointed at whoever they had chosen. After all, they hadn’t stood when he arrived at the office.
“Good morning.” Heeseung greeted, fixing the tie around his neck. “I assume you’re my new assistant, but we can discuss who you are and all that later. For now, I’d like you to bring me two coffees from the lobby.”
“Any special requirements?” The assistant stood from her chair and, for the first time, looked at Heeseung. His eyes widened in shock and he almost lost all the strength in his legs when he realised who his new assistant was. “Do you prefer—”
“What are you doing here?”
This was certainly a hallucination, it had to be. You couldn’t possibly be standing in front of him, you couldn’t possibly be his new assistant.
“Sunoo told me to settle in at this desk.” You quickly bowed to him, flustered. “I apologise if this bothered you. This won’t happen again.”
It was you. Heeseung would’ve never mistaken your voice, he would’ve never forgotten the look in your eyes as you stared at him, trying your best to hide the embarrassment you were feeling.
“Just bring me two coffees from the lobby. No special requirements.”
He turned and disappeared into his office, slamming the door behind him, causing him to jump as he collapsed on his desk’s chair, loosening the tie around his neck, feeling the air escaping his lungs.
What Click! posted wasn’t a manipulated photo. Heeseung hadn’t hallucinated when he saw you sitting at his assistant’s desk.
“Oh no…”
When the pieces of the puzzle all took shape in his mind, he could almost feel his soul leaving his body.
You were back. The one person he had never forgotten was back. Not only that, but you were his assistant. And despite the burning memories he still had of you, it seemed as though you didn’t remember him.
And that begged the question: should Heeseung pretend he didn’t know you as well?
❥ pairing: lee heeseung x female reader
❥ genres/tropes/aus: fluff, romance, angst, strangers (kinda) to lovers, social elite!au, gossip girl!au, ceo!heeseung, assistant!reader, antagonist!jongseong
❥ rating: pg-13
❥ warnings: included in each individual chapter
❥ status: coming soon (starts Tue, Oct 1st)
❥ updates: every Tue @ 8pm GMT+1
❥ word count: added once completed
❥ synopsis: Five years ago, Y/N's life changed overnight. To avoid gossip whilst her life crumbled right before her eyes, she left the big city, hoping to be forgotten with time. Five years later, she's back to rebuild the life taken away from her, but she's ready to do it on her own terms while hoping no one remembers her after all this time.
Heeseung has never forgotten Y/N. Despite their brief and short encounter in the past, she changed his life for the better, leading him to where he is today. When he finds out she's back in the city, he wonders if they'll cross paths again. And they do, but not in the way Heeseung expected.
❥ lia's note: Your eyes are not deceiving you. I'm reposting this story and improving upon the version you read in the past to make it the best it can possibly be. These changes are mostly typos and grammar fixes, so the plot will remain the same. I hope you enjoy reading it and, if there's enough interest, I'll write more stories in this universe!
❥ Let me know if you'd like to be added to the taglist to be notified of when a new chapter is posted!
[enhypen m.list] ● [join my taglist] ● [join the series taglist]
📸 Chapter List 📸
Part One
Part Two
Part Three
Part Four
Part Five
Part Six
Part Seven
Disclaimer: This fic is a work of fiction. The representation given to the idols does not reflect my opinion nor the actions of these individuals in real life.
❥ pairing: lee heeseung x female reader
❥ genres/tropes/aus: fluff, romance, angst, strangers (kinda) to lovers, social elite!au, gossip girl!au, ceo!heeseung, assistant!reader, antagonist!jongseong
❥ rating: pg-13
❥ warnings: included in each individual chapter
❥ status: ongoing
❥ updates: every Tue @ 8pm GMT+1
❥ word count: added once completed
❥ synopsis: Five years ago, Y/N's life changed overnight. To avoid gossip whilst her life crumbled right before her eyes, she left the big city, hoping to be forgotten with time. Five years later, she's back to rebuild the life taken away from her, but she's ready to do it on her own terms while hoping no one remembers her after all this time.
Heeseung has never forgotten Y/N. Despite their brief and short encounter in the past, she changed his life for the better, leading him to where he is today. When he finds out she's back in the city, he wonders if they'll cross paths again. And they do, but not in the way Heeseung expected.
❥ lia's note: Your eyes are not deceiving you. I'm reposting this story and improving upon the version you read in the past to make it the best it can possibly be. These changes are mostly typos and grammar fixes, so the plot will remain the same. I hope you enjoy reading it and, if there's enough interest, I'll write more stories in this universe!
❥ Let me know if you'd like to be added to the taglist to be notified of when a new chapter is posted!
[enhypen m.list] ● [join my taglist] ● [join the series taglist]
📸 Chapter List 📸
Part One
Part Two
Part Three
Part Four
Part Five
Part Six
Part Seven
Disclaimer: This fic is a work of fiction. The representation given to the idols does not reflect my opinion nor the actions of these individuals in real life.
ahhh i've been so excited to read maybe i'm afraid but i just started the semester </333 however, i will be binging during my break!! thank you for sharing your work as always :DD
Hello anon, how are you?
It's okay; take your time! I hope your semester is going well and I wish you the best.
Thank you for reading my work and taking some time to send me this ask!
❥ pairing: lee minho x female reader (feat. bang chan); seo changbin x female oc (side pairing); han jisung x female oc (minor pairing)
❥ genres/tropes/aus: fluff, angst, romance, suggestive, strangers to lovers, painter!reader, art curator!minho, art gallery!au, painter!au
❥ rating: pg-13
❥ warnings: this story deals with topics such as grief and the loss of a loved one. any other important warnings will be included in each chapter. always reach out if I'm missing something!
❥ status: completed
❥ word count: 105k
❥ synopsis: Lee Minho has everything one could wish for in life: a family that adores him, friends always by his side, an incredible career and a fiancée willing to remain by his side through it all. However, Minho is not entirely happy, and he doesn't know where he can find that happiness.
Y/N is struggling. After her father passed away, she inherited all his life's work, as well as all the debts he accumulated over the years. With only one goal in mind, Y/N wants to show the world all the paintings her father created, making his only wish come to life. Her life isn't perfect, but she can always find beauty in its small imperfections.
How do their paths cross? Will Minho find his happiness? Will Y/N be able to bring her father's last wish to life? Maybe I'm Afraid is a story about compromise. Because to reach happiness, some things need to fall behind.
❥ lia's note: There are stories and then there are stories. I don't think I love a fic as much as I love this one (I still think about it a lot). This is the new version of Maybe I'm Afraid, but this fic won't have many changes when compared to its previous version (the one I posted in 2021). It's mostly the usual typos and grammar fixes, and the plot will remain the same. I hope you enjoy reading it because I loved writing it. This one holds a special place in my heart. I hope it finds a small corner in yours too.
[stray kids m.list] ● [join my taglist]
🎨 Chapter List 🎨
Chapter One: A Glimmer Of Hope
Chapter Two: A Whirlwind of Emotions
Chapter Three: A Change of Pace
Chapter Four: A Gesture of Affection
Chapter Five: A Burst of Passion
Chapter Six: A Leap of Faith
Chapter Seven: A Cry of Despair
Chapter Eight: A Night of Comfort
Chapter Nine: A Period of Choices
Chapter Ten: A Dinner of Discoveries
Chapter Eleven: A Loss of Trust
Chapter Twelve: A Wind of Change
Chapter Thirteen: A House of Cards
Chapter Fourteen: A Portrait of Honesty
Chapter Fifteen: A Day of Surprises
Chapter Sixteen: A City of Lights [Finale]
Disclaimer: This fic is a work of fiction. The representation given to the idols does not reflect my opinion nor the actions of these individuals in real life.
BEAUTIFUL PERSON AWARD! Once you are given this award you're supposed to paste it in the asks of 8 people who deserve it. If you break the chain nothing happens, but it's sweet to know someone thinks you're beautiful inside and out 💛
Thank you so much, Marti! I send this one right back to you! I hope you're having a lovely day/night ☺️
Maybe I'm Afraid — Chapter Sixteen: A City of Lights [Finale]
❥ pairing: lee minho x female reader (feat. bang chan); seo changbin x female oc (side pairing); han jisung x female oc (minor pairing)
❥ genres/tropes/aus: fluff, angst, romance, suggestive, strangers to lovers, painter!reader, art curator!minho, art gallery!au, painter!au
❥ rating: pg-13
❥ chapter warnings: kissing, mentions of pregnancy (not main pairing), mentions of grief, let me know if i'm missing something
❥ word count: 8.7k
❥ chapter synopsis: Y/N meets Minho's parents. After the fair, Minho takes Y/N somewhere special and surprises her. (series synopsis can be found on the series m.list)
❥ lia's note: Hello, how are you? Here's the sixteenth and final chapter of the improved version of Maybe I'm Afraid! I've written a lot of stories in the past four years, but this remains one of my absolute favourites. There's something so special, wholesome and healing about the main pairing of this story, and I hope you loved reading this story as much as I loved writing it. Thank you for following this story week after week and for commenting, reblogging, reading and simply falling in love with it. I'm truly grateful for your support. If I share these stories, that's in great part because of you. Please, like/reblog this if you enjoy reading it and let me know your thoughts in a comment/ask, I’m always appreciative of your feedback! As always, happy reading!
[series m.list] ● [stray kids m.list] ● [join the series taglist] ● [join my taglist]
The car was already loaded with every supply you needed for the booth. Thanks to Jeongin’s help, the work that was supposed to take one hour took much less which meant you had more time to prepare the booth at the fair. That was a relief.
“I guess this is all,” you said and turned to look at Jeongin, smiling. “Do you remember anything else we might need?”
He checked his list scribbled in a notebook that, to Minho, was falling apart. However, Jeongin seemed to have a lot of love to give to it, and he took pride in the appearance of his notebook and the use he gave to it.
“Nope, this is all. I’ll take my notebook, just in case. We can always write it down, so we don’t forget!”
You nodded and Minho closed the door to the studio. He still had the key you had given him—he now had it next to his apartment keys as they carried the same importance to him. When he turned around, he found you on your phone, a worried expression on your face.
“Calm down, Changbin,” you said, shrugging when Minho raised an eyebrow at you. “Okay. Where do you want to meet us, though?”
“What’s going on?” he whispered so whoever was on the other side of the line couldn’t hear him. You gestured for him to wait, and he nodded.
“Yes, we finished loading the car now… we’ll be there right away. Yes, we won’t take long. See you soon.” You sighed and saved your phone in the back pocket of your jeans and glanced at Minho. “We need to go to Yang’s restaurant. All of us.”
“All of us?” Jeongin gestured between the three of you, confused. “Did something happen?”
“I… don’t know for sure. Changbin just called and told me to get us all to Yang’s restaurant as soon as possible. And you know him, we must obey.”
“I find Hyunjae much worse,” Jeongin admitted but was met with your stern gaze, causing him to shake his head in regret. “I didn’t say anything.”
“Let’s go. We don’t want to be late for whatever news they want to share with us.”
Minho nodded and the three of you walked there in silence. Thankfully, he had been able to park the car near the studio this morning, so you didn’t have to walk too much to get to Yang’s restaurant. He walked by your side, holding your hand, while Jeongin walked in front of you at a faster pace.
“How are you feeling?” he asked when he was almost certain Jeongin couldn’t listen to you.
“How am I feeling about what?” You glanced at him and smiled. “If it’s about the booth, then I'm feeling like I do every year, excited. If it’s about meeting your parents, then I'm still terrified.”
You stopped and Minho followed suit, looking back at you as you checked your outfit, worried. “Do you think this is good enough? I tried to dress for the occasion, but I'm not sure… Should I have worn something else? I didn’t have time to—"
Minho placed a finger over your lips and smiled. “Your outfit choice is great for the occasion. They won’t judge you for it, Y/N. And if my opinion matters, then let me tell you that you look magnificent today.”
You crossed your arms and sighed. “Your opinion is extremely biased, you know. I could wear a sack of potatoes, and you’d tell me I looked like a goddess.”
“Well, biased or not, I felt compelled to share it.” He softly kissed your lips, and you smiled. “And next time you should definitely wear a sack of potatoes, I think it would cause quite the scene.”
He laughed when you rolled your eyes, but he could see the smidge of a smile greeting your face. “You give terrible advice, Lee Minho.”
“You don’t mean that,” he teased and the two of you started to walk again, the distance between you and Jeongin bigger than before.
“I may not mean it, but imagining myself wearing a sack of potatoes is just too ridiculous, even for me.”
“You’d look lovely, though.”
“I don’t want to try it, no.” You shook your head distressed and Minho laughed slightly. You were adorable. “I’ll ask Hyunjae what she thinks.”
“If there’s anyone that can be unbiased, it’s her,” Minho confirmed and was met with the same stern look you had given Jeongin a few minutes early. He raised his arms in defence. “I'm just being honest, she always says what’s on her mind. That’s one of the greatest qualities about her.”
You nodded, satisfied at his comment. “I have to agree. Good save, Minho.”
“I try my best.” He gave you a slight bow causing you to laugh. He was too excited today and this caused him to act a little goofier than usual. Although by now, you were used to it.
When you finally reached Yang’s restaurant, Minho noticed how a couple of your closest friends were also there. Besides Mr and Mrs Yang who stood behind the counter, Jisung and Olivia were also sitting at one of the tables, as well as Hyunjae and Changbin who were the only ones standing. When Minho noticed, Jeongin had joined his grandparents behind the counter, you and him standing at the entrance, unsure of what to do next.
“Please,” Hyanjae grabbed your arm and guided you across the empty restaurant to one of the tables, “have a seat.” She turned to Minho and gestured for him to do the same. “You too, Minho, you too.”
He gave everyone a polite smile and walked to sit next to you at the table. You studied the crowd, eyebrows slightly furrowed. Minho cleared his throat and fixed his tie. Today, he had opted to wear the grey suit with blue splatters on the sleeves.
“Do you have any idea of what is going on?” he whispered to you.
You didn’t answer because Hyunjae quickly clapped, bringing everyone’s attention to her. She looked happier than usual and even Changbin had a big smile on his lips.
“Do you think—"
“Okay, I’ll get this done quickly,” Hyunjae said, not allowing Minho to finish his sentence to you. She started to pace around the restaurant, getting teary-eyed from the excitement. “I'm… pregnant.”
She walked closer to Changbin and kissed him, his hand resting on her belly as he said, “We’re going to be parents!”
Everyone stood in silence, glancing at one another, unsure of what to say or do. Hyunjae and Changbin expected a reaction, but everyone was either too sleepy to process or in complete shock. Next to Minho, he found you with your lips slightly parted in surprise. He bumped his shoulder against yours, and you blinked, slowly returning to reality.
“You’re pregnant?” Your voice went a little higher. Hyunjae nodded and opened her arms to you, tears of happiness falling from her eyes. “You’re going to be a mother? And Changbin a father?”
You stood from your chair and went to hug them, and suddenly everyone got out of whatever trance they were on. People started to congratulate them, hugging them, kissing them on the cheek, making plans for the future. Minho watched as you placed your arms around both of your friends, the pure joy on your face.
“I'm going to be an auntie!”
“Yes, you are,” Hyunjae confirmed, grabbing your hands on hers. “And we’re going to be parents. I can’t believe it!”
Minho stood up from his seat and went to congratulate Changbin with a handshake. “I wish you both the best! I said it before and I’ll say it again, you’ll be great parents.”
“Thank you, Minho.” Changbin wiped his tears away, smiling widely. “I'm sure you’ll be a great father too!”
“Father?” Mrs Yang spoke next to Minho, eyes widened as she looked at him. “Y/N is pregnant too?”
“You’re pregnant too?” Hyunjae asked excitedly and your eyes met Minho in confusion, your cheeks somewhat flustered, a reflection of his expression as well.
“I'm not pregnant!” You were quick to shut down the rumours. “You’re the only one who is pregnant here. I think…”
Everyone’s gaze fell on Olivia and Jisung who exchanged a very panicked look.
“No babies coming from here,” Jisung announced, drowned in redness. Olivia confirmed Jisung’s claims with a nod, keeping a poker face when it came to her real emotions. “I just claim my perks as a very distant uncle. If it’s a boy, I’ll teach him how to skate. And if it’s a girl, I’ll teach her how to skate as well.”
“And you?” Hyunjae asked Minho, curiously.
He stuttered and looked at you for support and you quickly came to the rescue. “Minho and I offer great lunches. And of course, painting classes.”
“We… hm,” Minho cleared his throat, thinking of something. “Can take care of your kid whenever you want to go on a… getaway.”
“That too!” You leaned closer to Minho and smiled. “I hadn’t thought of that!”
Changbin studied Minho, eyes narrowed. It felt like when he went to have dinner at their apartment, where everything Minho did, Changbin followed with his eyes. You slapped Changbin in the arm and he jumped, looking at you.
“Stop doing that! You’re no longer on watching duty!”
“I am on watching duty all my life!” he announced proudly and Hyunjae nodded, stepping closer to the three of you.
“What is watching duty?” Minho asked, looking at you.
Everyone slowly started to return to their places, and Jisung and Olivia left the restaurant, congratulating Hyunjae and Changbin once more on the way out.
“Watching duty is one of Hyunjae’s inventions,” you said, gesturing to her. “To know if you are worthy of their approval.”
“We want Y/N to be with someone who deserves her, not just anyone.”
Minho suddenly got concerned, but you quickly reassured him. “Don’t worry, they approved of you and will stop doing these kinds of stunts from now on, won’t they?”
“I was under observation this entire time?” he asked, looking at Changbin who nodded and gave him a thumbs up.
“You passed all the tests. You're free to date her, marry her, all of that.”
“Is Changbin channelling another type of father?” you asked and Hyunjae nodded, worried.
“I have asked him to stop doing this, but it only got worse ever since we found out I was pregnant. I know it'll get better over time, he is just excited.”
Changbin nodded and kissed Hyunjae on the cheek making her smile. “I am more than excited. We’re going to be parents. Together. I am… over the moon.”
Minho could tell. Changbin never stopped smiling, looking at Hyunjae, complimenting her, sharing his excitement.
However, something else caught Minho’s attention. He noticed the television that was on at the restaurant and stepped closer to it, noticing the news on it. The sound was too low for the excitement of the place, but he could read the words on the screen.
“Money laundering scheme dismantled. Two suspects arrested,” Minho read between his teeth, his heart jumping out of his chest.
The two suspects, from the images, were Charles Barnes and Kim Seungmin. He took a deep breath and smiled, happy that this was also over. Now, they would have to answer to the justice and hopefully, they would be put behind bars to prevent them from committing such crimes again.
“Are you ready?” you asked Minho, and he looked at you, nodding softly. You grabbed his hand and waved everyone goodbye, and he did the same.
Outside, you were greeted by the busy streets in the morning, the exciting steps of people who made their way to the fair, part of which was already open to the public. You’d set up your booth for the rest of the morning and wait for it to open in the afternoon.
“Ah.” You took in a deep breath and smiled. “It makes me so happy to know that Hyunjae and Changbin are going to be parents… they’ll be great at it.”
“I agree,” Minho confirmed, and you looked at him, studying his features. “What?”
“Why did Mrs Yang think I was pregnant?”
“Changbin might have said that I would be a great father, instead of a great… uncle?”
You laughed and shook your head. “He is really excited… But for all that matters, I do think you’ll be a great uncle. And I’m sure you’ll be a great father as well.”
“To our children?” Now Minho was just messing with you. “It’s too soon for us to think about starting a family, but… is that something you’d like, in the future?”
He genuinely wanted to know. When Minho thought about his future, you were always there by his side, but you weren’t alone. He always wanted to be a father, whenever the time was right, and now, he had found the woman he wanted to start a family with.
You.
“I’d like to have children someday, yes,” you admitted, a smile on your lips. “But there’s still a lot I want to do before I get there, you know. And yes,” you turned to look at Minho, your smile widening, “I’d like you to be the father of my children.”
“Is it only because of my handsome genes?” You rolled your eyes and he wrapped his arms around your waist.
“Well,” you started to play with the tie on his neck, avoiding his gaze. “It would be because they would have you to look up to. Someone strong, brave, kind, and a fighter at heart. And handsome, of course. But that’s not the reason why I love you.” You finally looked him in the eyes and smiled. “It’s because of everything that you are and that you have shown me. It’s because of all the wonderful things that I get to discover every day about you.”
Minho kissed you softly, pulling you closer to him, the warmth of your body against his bringing him comfort. The way you had described him, the way you were always so certain when speaking of him, always made Minho feel at ease.
“Well,” he started, kissing the tip of your nose. “In my case, it would be because you are patient, kind, hardworking and certainly, no, definitely beautiful. You find the good in people and make them believe in themselves. If I am the man I am today it’s because you taught me how to be brave and kind, Y/N. I am better when I’m with you.”
You nodded and caressed his cheek softly, planting a kiss on his lips. “We make each other better, that’s for sure.”
He couldn’t agree more. Ever since you had entered his life, Minho could see how much of an influence you were on him. A great one, he should add.
After your small moment, you grabbed his hand and walked towards the fair, followed by Minho whose smile never faded and only increased every time his eyes met yours.
The booth was almost ready to open to the public. Minho helped you place some of your and Jeongin’s drawings in a panel behind you, always following your guidance. The three of you worked against the clock, setting up everything such as the flyers announcing your studio, the list with the prices on the table, yours and Jeongin’s easel as well as some other materials you might need. When it was done, you stepped back and observed your work from afar.
“Do you think we should place them a little higher?” You pointed to some of the drawings, biting your lower lip. “What if people can’t see them?”
Jeongin was setting his supplies near his station: white sheets of thick paper resting on his easel; pencils, a rubber, a couple of brushes, and tubes of paint on a small table next to him. There was also a small box where you’d place the earnings you’d make today, the same box Jeongin had offered you on the day of your return to giving workshops.
“Jeongin,” Minho called, and he quickly looked at him, “could you stand for a bit and walk towards Y/N’s station?”
He nodded and got up from his bench, careful not to drop anything. He walked towards your station, and you noticed that the drawings behind him were still on display and visible to you.
“Do you want me to do anything?” Jeongin asked, a little lost.
“Does Jeongin need to do anything?” Minho looked at you, smiling softly. “Even with him there, you can still see them, right?”
“Yes…” You sighed and smiled at him. “I guess I don’t need to move them.”
You looked at the booth again and took a deep breath. Minho thanked Jeongin and he returned to his place, happy to start painting.
“Everything looks the way it should and if I notice anything throughout the day, I’ll let you know.”
You nodded and kissed Minho on the cheek. “Thank you. I’m just… anxious, you know? There’s a lot of things happening today and I…”
“You’ll be fine, Y/N,” Minho reassured you. “Just enjoy the afternoon.”
As you were about to say something to him, Minho’s phone rang and he chuckled, scratching the back of his head. “My father is calling.”
“You should go and get them,” you said and smiled at him. “Just let them explore the fair, don’t bring them here right away.”
“I’ll let them explore on their own. I’ll be back in a bit.” Minho caressed your cheek and afterwards turned to Jeongin and gave him a thumbs-up, smiling. “Remember to have fun. You will both do great.”
“I’m sure we will!” Jeongin continued the positive energy and the two of you watched as Minho walked away, merging with a crowd walking in the opposite direction. “And people are here! About time.”
Jeongin took a deep breath and you joined him, putting on an apron to protect your clothes. You were almost certain this wouldn’t be of any help, but you wanted to have it on anyway.
Slowly, people started to make their way to the booth. Some would look at the paintings, pointing their fingers discreetly at your drawings, but you didn’t let it escape. Others went as far as to ask questions, and you gladly answered them. Whenever they were about Jeongin’s paintings, you would let him take the lead.
People were marvelled at some of the drawings and those started to sell quickly. You would gladly pull them out and give them to whoever was buying them, a smile on your lips as you thanked and advised them to frame the artwork to protect them for longer.
After a while, people started to sit in front of Jeongin’s easel and he began to work on his craft. You focused on your drawings, sometimes replicating some of the existing ones behind you, others trying something new. You didn’t place all these drawings behind you, some you wanted to keep for yourself. Still, you and Jeongin tried to have as many drawings on display as you could, never compromising their quality.
“You’re really good at this.” You observed what Jeongin was working on during your first afternoon break, sipping your water bottle.
You couldn’t help but feel proud of him and how far he had come. He always loved drawing, but when you met him, he didn’t have the greatest technique or skills, but he worked hard to improve and that was now in plain sight. It was extraordinary to see someone grow this much.
“You think so?” He looked at you, excitedly. “I just… try to keep your advice in mind. I still have to improve but… I also think I'm getting better.”
You patted his shoulder lightly, smiling. “Your evolution is noticeable. I'm sure that if you look back at some of your earlier drawings, you’ll be able to see your growth.”
“Thanks, Y/N.”
The crowd moved quickly and, as the hour passed, it also became bigger. However, the movement in your booth slowed down which meant that Jeongin had time to chat with the people he was drawing whenever they wanted to, and that made the process much better for him.
“How long have you been drawing?” A girl, more or less his age asked. You noticed how she looked at him with curiosity, always smiling whenever he glanced at her, and always observing him in awe whenever he was drawing.
“For a couple of years now,” Jeongin said, carefully adding the final details to the drawing. “Do you draw as well?”
She shook her head, lowering her eyes. “I’m not good at it.”
“Well,” he looked at her and smiled, pointing to you, “If you ask her whether I was good or not, she will tell you I wasn’t.”
The girl looked at you, her eyes wide open, and you nodded. “He grew a lot in terms of his skills.”
“Yup,” Jeongin confirmed and appreciated his drawing, smiling proudly. “Beautiful. It’s done.”
He picked the drawing carefully and extended it to the girl, who quickly paid him for his work. She glanced at it with the same amazement she had when she looked at him.
“Do you like it?” you asked, and she nodded excitedly.
“It’s really beautiful. Thank you.”
“It’s that good because you’re pretty,” Jeongin said, unaware of her cheeks turning a light shade of red. “That always helps. There are things to highlight.”
You tried to hide the smile on your face as you watched Jeongin completely unaware of what he had just said. Maybe Hyunjae wasn’t the only one without a filter.
“Thank you,” the girl whispered and lowered her eyes, fixing the hair behind her ear. She looked at Jeongin as he focused on getting his supplies ready for the next portrait. “I… hm… could I get your number?”
He raised his eyes to look at her and gulped. He also couldn’t avoid the redness in his cheeks. “What for?”
The girl got even more embarrassed and you didn’t know whether you should step in or watch the awkwardness escalate. Was Jeongin this oblivious or was he playing hard to get? You voted on the first one.
“I… hm…” She shook her head, letting out a nervous laugh. “Nevermind. It was nice meeting you, and… hm… thank you for the portrait.”
The girl walked away slowly and Jeongin returned to his drawing. You stood from your bench and slapped him lightly on the shoulder, and he jumped.
“That girl just asked for your number because she was interested in you, and you just let her go like that? Jeongin…”
“I don’t think she was interested in me, though.” He shrugged. “She was just being nice.”
“And you were just being nice when you said she was pretty?”
“I was stating the obvious. She is pretty. Very pretty.”
You felt like you were talking to a wall right now. Jeongin was indeed oblivious to everything and everyone’s feelings to the point where he didn’t know what flirting was.
“Go get her number.” You pulled his shirt’s collar upwards to force him to get up from his bench, but he protested. You ignored. “She might be a great friend and you’d be missing out on a great friendship because of your ways.”
“I don’t want her number,” he said, fixing his shirt. He met your stern gaze and sighed. “She’s… pretty, Y/N. I am…” he gestured to himself, a sad look in his eyes, “this. Why would she want my number? She probably just wants to make fun of me. Maybe, she feels sorry for me. I doubt it’s because she's interested in me.”
You sighed, grabbed one of the flyers from the studio and extended it to Jeongin.
“Go find her and give this to her,” you said, and he met your eyes, confused. “If she asks if she can find you there, give her your number. If not, then at least she has a way to find you. And I will let you know if she comes by. No one would go this far to make fun of someone. But someone might go this far if there was some interest to begin with.”
He glanced at the flyer and gulped. Slowly he grabbed it and studied it in his hands.
“What if I can’t find her, Y/N?”
“But what if you can?” You crossed your arms and gave him a reassuring look. “Just go. I’ll cover up for you in the meantime.”
Reluctantly, he stood from his bench and took off his apron, pondering whether this was the right choice. You hurried him and watched as he psyched himself up at each step he gave.
“This guy…” you mumbled under your breath and turned around, ready to sit on your bench and get back into painting.
However, you noticed Minho walking towards you, and a few steps behind him, you saw two people who were overdressed for the occasion. The man wore a suit, his tie matching the dress the woman was wearing, a dark shade of blue. The more you looked at them, the more you saw Minho in them. There was that serious expression in his eyes that he shared with his father, but there was the kindness of his smile that belonged to his mother.
“I’m back,” he said and kissed your cheek softly, placing his arm around your waist. You glanced at him and tried to calm yourself down. “Are you okay?”
You nodded and tried to smile. “I'm nervous, but I'll survive.”
“I'm here.”
The two of you watched his parents move closer to the two of you, and you could feel your heart pulsating in your entire body. When they got closer, you smiled at them and waved softly.
“Mother, Father,” Minho said, smiling fondly at you, “this is Y/N.”
“Good afternoon,” you greeted them.
Their piercing gaze went over you for what felt like forever, and you leaned closer to Minho as if to protect yourself. You felt his grip around your waist increase and after a while, his parents finally smiled at you.
“It’s so nice to finally meet you, Y/N.” Minho’s father extended a hand, and you shook it, smiling at him.
“It’s nice to meet you as well,” you said and Minho’s mother quickly walked closer to you, hugging you. You got concerned about getting her dress ruined by the possible stains in your apron. When she moved away, you glanced at her dress and sighed in relief. “I was afraid I’d get your dress ruined, I should’ve taken my apron off.”
“Please, Y/N.” Minho’s mother took a good look at your face, a kind smile on her lips. “You should be comfortable. You are working, after all.”
“Minho told me you’re a painter?” his father asked and you looked at him. He had the same composure Minho carried whenever he was around strangers and people he didn’t know that well.
“I paint, yes,” you answered shyly.
“You can take a look at some of her drawings behind her,” Minho said and the two of you stepped aside so his parents could have a better look at them. “She’s an extraordinary artist, although she considers my opinion biased.”
You smiled at him. “That’s because it is.”
Minho kissed your cheek softly and your last wave of worry dissipated into thin air.
“Those drawings are from Jeongin.” You gestured to them, proudly. “He's also an amazing artist, and I think he has a lot of talent.”
“He certainly does,” Minho’s father confirmed, looking over at Jeongin’s drawings. “There’s a lot of potential in there.”
The four of you chatted for a while, over different topics. Minho praised you every chance he could, but you also couldn’t resist complimenting him, and his parents were more than delighted to hear the wonderful things you had to say about him. Because truthfully, you could only say wonderful things about Minho.
“Well,” his mother said after a while, hugging you once more. “I'll take this drawing with me and a couple of flyers to share with some of my friends. I'm sure they would love to participate in one of your workshops!”
“That’s so kind of you. Thank you,” you said to his mother, smiling softly.
The two of them walked away, next to each other and Minho wrapped his arms around your waist. You took a deep breath and watched as his parents turned around again, to wave you goodbye once again. You reciprocated the gesture, smiling at them.
“How are you feeling?” Minho asked, studying your expression. “I think my mother is a big fan of yours.”
You laughed and placed your hands on top of his. “I'm calmer now. And your parents are lovely. There’s a lot of them in you.”
“Only good things, I hope.” He kissed your cheek softly and you nodded.
“Only good things,” you said. “Also, your father seemed very interested in Jeongin’s work. That’s… good, right? Should we let him know?”
“Well, if my father is interested, I’ll keep an eye on his work for him. I’m sure it could be showcased at Lee Galleries soon enough. But let’s not say anything just yet. It might startle him or add pressure he doesn’t need. Jeongin is still figuring himself out as an artist.”
“And as a person as well…” Minho looked at you, confused and you shrugged. He let go of you and you turned to face him. “I’ll tell you later. The story is still unfolding as we speak.”
“That’s why he’s not here?” Minho glanced at Jeongin’s empty bench. “Do you need my help with anything?”
“You could always charm people to make their way over here,” you said and fixed his tie. Minho shook his head and booped your nose.
“The only person I plan on charming is you.”
“You’ve been doing that already and pretty successfully, I must say.”
After you let go of him, you saw Jeongin slowly returning to the booth, his cheeks flushed either from running or something else. He smiled and you crossed your arms.
“Did you find her?” He nodded and sat on his bench, grabbing a water bottle, and chugging down most of it. “What happened?”
“Well,” he wiped his mouth and focused his attention on you and a curious Minho next to you, “I followed your advice, right? And then I got her number. And she asked me to have dinner tonight with her at the fair?”
“Tell me you said yes.”
“I… did…” Jeongin was surprised at himself. “Oh… I did say yes.”
“That’s great news, Jeongin,” Minho said and smiled at him. “Have fun on your date.”
He shook his head and gave Minho a serious look. “It’s not a date. We’re going to have dinner.”
“Let him believe that,” you whispered and Minho nodded. “I’ll tell you the full story at dinner.”
“I’ll look forward to it.” He cleared his throat and looked at Jeongin. “You should have fun. Don’t think too much about it.”
Jeongin nodded and returned to his work, a smile on his lips that he couldn’t hide. It was great to see him grow in front of your eyes, not only as an artist but also as a person.
“Oh.” Minho took his phone out of his pocket. He studied the screen for a while and then smiled.
“What is it?” you asked curiously.
He placed his phone in his pocket and shrugged. “I’ll let you know at dinner.”
You sat back on your bench and Minho kissed the top of your head and smiled brightly at you. Whatever it was, he was excited about it.
“I’ll wait, then.”
He nodded and for the rest of the afternoon, he remained with you and Jeongin, helping you manage your payments, convincing people to get their portrait done by Jeongin and sharing his love for your art to whoever offered an ear to listen.
Dinner was long gone and Minho and you were enjoying your time on the improvised dance floor in the middle of the town square. Mrs and Mr Yang had already said their goodbyes and even Hyunjae and Changbin also went home earlier than usual, according to you.
Still, you and Minho stood strong on the dance floor, sharing laughs, spinning next to each other, sometimes tripping while performing the most stupid dance moves you could possibly attempt in each other’s presence. This made Minho happy, extremely happy.
“We should head home too.” He caressed your cheek softly while you slow danced. “I want us to stop by somewhere first.”
You raised an eyebrow at him. “Where?”
Minho smiled and kissed you softly, not revealing any details. He hadn’t told you anything about it and he wanted it to be a surprise. He was certain you would enjoy it.
“We’ll leave after the song is over,” he suggested and you agreed. “And afterwards we go together, and everything will be revealed…”
“You love this, don’t you?” you asked and he shrugged. “So much mystery, Lee Minho.”
“But it’s always worth it, isn’t it?”
“It is.” You sighed and stepped away from him, his arms letting go of your waist. “Should we go now?”
“Do I sense… impatience?” he teased you and laughed after you rolled your eyes. Minho extended a hand to you and you grabbed it, intertwining your fingers together.
“It’s not impatience, it’s… curiosity.”
Minho nodded, the two of you walking away from the fair, the loud music starting to fade the more you stepped away from it. You were on edge, always looking left and right as if looking for something. He reassured you that whatever it was, wasn’t here and you would have to drive there.
Somehow, this information eased your mind and after you entered Minho’s car, the two of you fell into a comfortable silence as he drove you away from the historical part of the town and into the tall buildings from the business district on the other side of the bridge. He enjoyed crossing this bridge at night, seeing the lights on, the city that continued awake throughout the night.
“Is the surprise at home?” you asked, crossing your arms.
Minho shook his head. “It’s not home. But we’re close.”
He turned right and drove for a little longer. The tall buildings stayed behind and started to fade away in the rearview mirror and were replaced by shorter ones that were more distant from each other.
“We’ve been here before, haven’t we?” You looked out of your window and studied your surroundings. Ahead, a plaque announcing Lee Galleries came into view. “You brought me to the gallery?”
“I did,” he said, parking his car. The two of you exited the vehicle and walked towards the entrance, holding hands.
The sound of the traffic on the bridge was loud here but other than that, only your steps on the concrete greeted your ears. Minho quickly guided you to the front door of the gallery where a security guard was waiting.
“Good evening,” he said to the two of you with a smile that you both reciprocated and opened the door for you, giving Minho a flashlight. “Enjoy your visit.”
“Thank you.”
Instead of turning to go to the offices, you and Minho walked to the different rooms of the gallery where all the paintings were hanging. You slowed your steps and Minho let go of your hand, letting you roam the rooms on your own, stopping occasionally to look at some of the paintings, smiling.
During these moments, Minho walked towards you slowly, his steps echoing on the floor of the empty gallery.
“You brought me to an empty gallery?” you asked, surprised. “How many people did you bother?”
“Just the security guard. I asked him to keep the lights on until I got here.”
“What do you mean?”
Slowly, the lights of the different rooms started to turn off, one by one, until you were drowned in darkness. You moved closer to Minho, holding his hand tightly.
“Why are the lights off?” you asked, scared.
Minho laughed and turned his flashlight on, finding your frightened expression looking at him.
“I want to do with you something I did a lot when I was a kid,” he said, pointing the flashlight to you. “Exploring the art gallery with only one flashlight.”
“Is this allowed?” You raised your hands, blinking at the bright light pointed at you.
“It’s more than allowed.” He extended an arm to you, smiling excitedly. “Shall we start?”
You nodded and held his arm, walking right by his side, the flashlight guiding your way.
The paintings seemed different at night. When he was a kid and had to wait for his father, Minho always followed the security guard with a flashlight on, watching as he did the last checkup of the night before closing the gallery for the night.
“I often had to be dragged out of here,” Minho admitted, gesturing with the flashlight to the room around you. He pointed the light to a painting, and you followed it. “That was my favourite painting, and I would stare at it any chance I had. That included sitting on this floor, with my flashlight pointed at it.”
“What kind of kid likes Kandinsky?” you asked and Minho simply shrugged.
“It wasn’t the painting that I loved the most, but what it represented for the gallery.” Minho leaned closer to you and whispered. “It’s our most expensive painting.”
“Prestige,” you said, and he nodded.
“And the future,” Minho continued, a nostalgic smile on his face. “After my father got this painting, we had lunch together at my favourite restaurant and he told me how one day, I would get a painting like this one.”
You nodded at him, smiling softly. He met your gaze and kissed you softly, the flashlight falling to the ground with a sound that echoed throughout the different rooms of the gallery. Minho chuckled and you shook your head as he lowered himself to grab the flashlight.
“It makes sense it would be your favourite painting,” you said and the two of you moved to a different room. “It has a great importance to this place, and to you as well.”
Minho nodded and the two of you stared at a couple more paintings together, laughing and sharing stories, sometimes disagreeing on what you saw on the canvas, but accepting your differences.
“I guess I could start seeing that,” you said, tilting your head and gesturing to the painting in front of you. “I’d have to come back during the daytime.”
“At night, paintings look different,” Minho said, and you nodded.
“More… mysterious. And less… daunting?”
“That’s because we're the only ones here,” Minho supposed, and you didn’t argue against it.
The gallery might be empty, but you and Minho filled the space with your laughs and conversations, and he loved that. He was so glad he had brought you here tonight, that he got to share this little haven of his with you. Now, it was yours as well and he wanted to share it with you even more often. Minho loved the delighted look on your face as you walked closer to some of the paintings you hadn’t seen well on your previous visit and got to appreciate them on your terms.
Before entering the final room, Minho stopped and looked at you, observing your features under the low light. He wanted to remember this moment for the rest of his life, especially what was about to happen.
“My favourite painting is in that room.” He gestured with the flashlight to the passageway, and you started to walk next to him, always looking at him. He kept his gaze fixed ahead, the heart on his chest jumping a little too fast.
This room was emptier than the previous ones as it only had the recent paintings acquired by the gallery. He watched as you explored the room, next to Minho, who pointed the flashlight to each of the paintings, stopping on one that he knew you recognized too well.
He watched as the smile on your face grew wider as you looked at him, your eyes sparkling with joy.
“Is that your favourite painting?”
“It is,” he confirmed, caressing your cheek. “It’s my favourite painting.”
A City of Lights stood in front of you, lit by Minho’s light. The bridge seemed to jump out of the painting, the lighting that glittered in the river coming to life. This was one of those paintings that under a flashlight became a world of its own.
You walked closer to it, and Minho couldn’t help but get emotional as you looked over the painting and the small plaque where the name of the artist and the name of the painting was. Your fingers traced it softly, and you let out a gasp.
“Why is my name here?” You turned to look at Minho and your shocked expression faded into that same expression you had when Minho pointed out your contribution to the mural at Yang’s restaurant.
“What’s the story behind it?” he asked, sitting down on the floor, followed by you.
If there was a painting whose story he wanted to know, it was this one. It had been his favourite when he saw it on your submission to the gallery, and now that he was able to distinguish your contribution to the painting, Minho knew there was no other painting he loved the most like this one. Except for the portrait you made of him, of course.
“This was his last painting.” Your voice failed you slightly and Minho looked at you, his heart shrinking in his chest. “I… finished it for him.”
He nodded and felt your head leaning on his shoulder as you sighed. He knew there was more you wanted to say so he was going to give you space to come to terms with your words.
“I was… terrified. I had asked him to paint this for me so that I could put it in my old apartment. I always loved this view but as a painter… I had never been able to replicate it as well as him. This was his speciality if you will. I could never paint like him.”
“You have your style,” Minho said, kissing the top of your head gently. “And that’s great.”
Minho loved your style and your way of representing the world. You made the mundane, the ordinary look ethereal and special. He had told you once and he would never get tired of saying it. Besides, this wasn’t his biased opinion. That was his expert take. He was almost certain that it was because of your contribution to this painting that it had caught his eye.
“He got sick before he could finish it.” You looked at your hands on your lap, your lower lip trembling. “He asked me to do it for him. And so, I did.” You gulped and glanced at the painting. “He passed away a couple of days after I finished it.”
There was a sense of guilt in your voice that shook Minho to his core. You wiped your tears away from your eyes and Minho caressed your back softly, certain that whatever words he might think to say would never be enough to ease your pain. It was still painful for you to talk about this, even after all this time.
So, Minho would let you talk in your time, and he would listen. The silence was something that he often found comfort in and knowing you the way he did, he was almost certain that you also found more peace in it.
“As stupid as it sounds, I thought that me finishing his painting was the reason why he parted too soon. What if I hadn’t finished it? What if I had waited a little longer? I was spiralling in my pain. Blaming myself for things I couldn’t control.” You let out a sad chuckle. “I thought the solution was to get rid of it. I sold it to someone, closed the studio and avoided drawing, painting, teaching… I just couldn’t bring myself to do it.”
You took a deep breath and nodded, looking at Minho. He wiped the tears away from your cheeks and you grabbed his hand in yours, a comforting touch that he had grown accustomed to. You smiled kindly at him, a smile that wasn’t filled with pain, or regret, or worry.
“And then…” Your smile widened as you caressed his cheek, looking fondly at him. “I saw you. And the rest of the story you already know.”
Minho nodded, wrapping his arm around your shoulders, pulling you closer to him. The two of you stood there in silence, watching the painting on the wall in front of you softly lit by the flashlight, a dance of light and shadow that made part of the painting stand out.
“Does it pain you to look at it?” Minho asked, worried about the answer. He had acquired this painting thinking it would bring you happiness, thinking it would make your father’s wish come true. And now, after knowing the story, he wasn’t sure if this was what this painting meant to you. And he couldn’t help but be afraid of it.
He wanted this gallery to feel like a home to you as well.
You sighed and looked at the painting attentively and after a while, shook your head. “I don’t see pain anymore, no. I see growth, change… the future. I don’t… fear it. I embrace it, whatever it is. It’s a beautiful painting, after all.”
“It is,” he confirmed, never looking away from you. “It’s my favourite in this gallery.”
“Keep it on this wall for many years, will you?” You looked at Minho, smiling. “I like seeing my father’s name and mine below it. It fills me with… joy.”
“I’m glad.” Minho kissed your cheek and you leaned your head on his shoulder. “You should be proud too. After all, you made his last wish come true, Y/N.”
“I did, didn’t I?”
“You certainly did,” he whispered to you.
The two of you stayed there in silence for a little longer in each other’s company, glancing at the painting and taking in everything that it meant.
Pain, sorrow, regret, fear. Feelings that were as dark as the shadows in the painting, like the water below the bridge. But there was also hope, growth, change, love. All of it was small, like the speckles that shined in the water, like the lights that greeted the painting in small details. It was there, all of it.
“Can we come back some other time?” you asked him when you were walking to the exit, the air of the night cold. “Maybe with a picnic, some candlelight…”
He laughed. “That sounds like a lot of work. I’m not sure we could do it. But you know where we could do it?”
“Where?” you asked, curiously. Minho was glad to see you smile.
“At your studio. We did it once, remember?”
You narrowed your eyes, thinking. “I don’t remember there being candlelight but, we did have fun when we did it.”
“I wanted to kiss you back then,” Minho admitted for the first time and smiled proudly. “But I didn’t.”
“I bet it felt good when you did,” you teased him.
You walked inside of his car, and he turned on the engine, ready to drive you home.
“Oh, it still feels great every time I do it. I look forward to it every time.”
You laughed and Minho noticed your flushed cheeks as you looked out of the window. He stopped his car and looked at you.
“Have I told you how much I love you today?” he asked and you looked at him, smiling.
“You have.” You nodded and moved your head closer to his and he did the same, kissing you softly. “But I love it when you say it more than once. And for that matter,” you kissed him again and smiled, looking into his eyes, “I love you too, Minho.”
After a small moment, he started to drive again, the silence that filled the car something comforting as you went home. You ended up falling asleep on the seat next to him and he couldn’t help but think about how lucky he was to have such an incredible woman by his side.
The night lights flickered outside as you sipped your tea, looking out the windows that gave sight to the balcony. You smiled, thinking about everything that had happened in the past few months, and everything that was still to come. Still, you were happy, relaxed.
After the storm, comes the rainbow. And oftentimes, change is good.
You sighed and crossed the kitchen and the living room, listening to Minho taking a shower in the bathroom of your bedroom, mumbling a song as he did it. You found it adorable, but you hadn’t brought it up, afraid he might stop doing it. And you didn’t want that—he had a wonderful and comforting voice.
Slowly, you opened the doors to one of the guest bedrooms and turned on the light, leaning on the door frame as you looked at the inside. You’d suggest Minho this room to turn into your home studio.
You could already picture the walls decorated with some of your paintings and drawings, an easel staring out at the window, the cabinets filled with supplies that you would be eager to use. And of course, protected from all curious eyes, except for yours and Minho’s, you’d hang his portrait on the wall as well. You just weren’t sure on which wall you’d hang it, but it would have a special place, of course.
The noise in the bathroom ceased and after a few minutes, you saw Minho emerging from the bedroom, wearing his comfortable pyjamas, a soft smile on his lips. When he saw you leaning on the door frame, he came closer to you and wrapped his arms around your waist, kissing your cheek.
“Do you think we could turn this room into my home studio?”
“I don’t see why not,” he said. “I can picture you sitting in front of the window, painting and drawing in your world… and then I arrive slowly and surprise you like this,” he kissed your shoulder, “and you look back at me and smile. But of course, I wouldn’t dare to peek at your work.”
You laughed and turned to look at him, caressing his cheek. “Oh, you would peek at my work. But I wouldn’t mind.”
“You wouldn’t?” Minho asked and you shook your head, the grin on his face increasing. “Oh, so I'm allowed to see you in all stages of your creative process? What a privilege.”
“And you get to see it at home,” you said to him, kissing him softly.
“Our home, Y/N. It’s ours now.”
There was satisfaction in Minho’s voice as he said it. A reminder that you were together now, here, in a space where you saw yourselves grow older together, a space that belonged to the two of you now.
And it did feel like home. It was your home now. A home you got to share with Minho, the man you loved the most in this entire world. The same man who had inspired you to paint again, the man who helped you make your father’s last wish come true. The man that turned your life upside down, and yet, found a way to put it back together.
Once, you were afraid, uncertain of what the future had to give you. But as you looked into Minho’s eyes, you felt safe. And you looked forward to your future together. There was no one else you wanted to share it with but him.
Maybe I'm Afraid — Chapter Sixteen: A City of Lights [Finale]
❥ pairing: lee minho x female reader (feat. bang chan); seo changbin x female oc (side pairing); han jisung x female oc (minor pairing)
❥ genres/tropes/aus: fluff, angst, romance, suggestive, strangers to lovers, painter!reader, art curator!minho, art gallery!au, painter!au
❥ rating: pg-13
❥ chapter warnings: kissing, mentions of pregnancy (not main pairing), mentions of grief, let me know if i'm missing something
❥ word count: 8.7k
❥ chapter synopsis: Y/N meets Minho's parents. After the fair, Minho takes Y/N somewhere special and surprises her. (series synopsis can be found on the series m.list)
❥ lia's note: Hello, how are you? Here's the sixteenth and final chapter of the improved version of Maybe I'm Afraid! I've written a lot of stories in the past four years, but this remains one of my absolute favourites. There's something so special, wholesome and healing about the main pairing of this story, and I hope you loved reading this story as much as I loved writing it. Thank you for following this story week after week and for commenting, reblogging, reading and simply falling in love with it. I'm truly grateful for your support. If I share these stories, that's in great part because of you. Please, like/reblog this if you enjoy reading it and let me know your thoughts in a comment/ask, I’m always appreciative of your feedback! As always, happy reading!
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The car was already loaded with every supply you needed for the booth. Thanks to Jeongin’s help, the work that was supposed to take one hour took much less which meant you had more time to prepare the booth at the fair. That was a relief.
“I guess this is all,” you said and turned to look at Jeongin, smiling. “Do you remember anything else we might need?”
He checked his list scribbled in a notebook that, to Minho, was falling apart. However, Jeongin seemed to have a lot of love to give to it, and he took pride in the appearance of his notebook and the use he gave to it.
“Nope, this is all. I’ll take my notebook, just in case. We can always write it down, so we don’t forget!”
You nodded and Minho closed the door to the studio. He still had the key you had given him—he now had it next to his apartment keys as they carried the same importance to him. When he turned around, he found you on your phone, a worried expression on your face.
“Calm down, Changbin,” you said, shrugging when Minho raised an eyebrow at you. “Okay. Where do you want to meet us, though?”
“What’s going on?” he whispered so whoever was on the other side of the line couldn’t hear him. You gestured for him to wait, and he nodded.
“Yes, we finished loading the car now… we’ll be there right away. Yes, we won’t take long. See you soon.” You sighed and saved your phone in the back pocket of your jeans and glanced at Minho. “We need to go to Yang’s restaurant. All of us.”
“All of us?” Jeongin gestured between the three of you, confused. “Did something happen?”
“I… don’t know for sure. Changbin just called and told me to get us all to Yang’s restaurant as soon as possible. And you know him, we must obey.”
“I find Hyunjae much worse,” Jeongin admitted but was met with your stern gaze, causing him to shake his head in regret. “I didn’t say anything.”
“Let’s go. We don’t want to be late for whatever news they want to share with us.”
Minho nodded and the three of you walked there in silence. Thankfully, he had been able to park the car near the studio this morning, so you didn’t have to walk too much to get to Yang’s restaurant. He walked by your side, holding your hand, while Jeongin walked in front of you at a faster pace.
“How are you feeling?” he asked when he was almost certain Jeongin couldn’t listen to you.
“How am I feeling about what?” You glanced at him and smiled. “If it’s about the booth, then I'm feeling like I do every year, excited. If it’s about meeting your parents, then I'm still terrified.”
You stopped and Minho followed suit, looking back at you as you checked your outfit, worried. “Do you think this is good enough? I tried to dress for the occasion, but I'm not sure… Should I have worn something else? I didn’t have time to—"
Minho placed a finger over your lips and smiled. “Your outfit choice is great for the occasion. They won’t judge you for it, Y/N. And if my opinion matters, then let me tell you that you look magnificent today.”
You crossed your arms and sighed. “Your opinion is extremely biased, you know. I could wear a sack of potatoes, and you’d tell me I looked like a goddess.”
“Well, biased or not, I felt compelled to share it.” He softly kissed your lips, and you smiled. “And next time you should definitely wear a sack of potatoes, I think it would cause quite the scene.”
He laughed when you rolled your eyes, but he could see the smidge of a smile greeting your face. “You give terrible advice, Lee Minho.”
“You don’t mean that,” he teased and the two of you started to walk again, the distance between you and Jeongin bigger than before.
“I may not mean it, but imagining myself wearing a sack of potatoes is just too ridiculous, even for me.”
“You’d look lovely, though.”
“I don’t want to try it, no.” You shook your head distressed and Minho laughed slightly. You were adorable. “I’ll ask Hyunjae what she thinks.”
“If there’s anyone that can be unbiased, it’s her,” Minho confirmed and was met with the same stern look you had given Jeongin a few minutes early. He raised his arms in defence. “I'm just being honest, she always says what’s on her mind. That’s one of the greatest qualities about her.”
You nodded, satisfied at his comment. “I have to agree. Good save, Minho.”
“I try my best.” He gave you a slight bow causing you to laugh. He was too excited today and this caused him to act a little goofier than usual. Although by now, you were used to it.
When you finally reached Yang’s restaurant, Minho noticed how a couple of your closest friends were also there. Besides Mr and Mrs Yang who stood behind the counter, Jisung and Olivia were also sitting at one of the tables, as well as Hyunjae and Changbin who were the only ones standing. When Minho noticed, Jeongin had joined his grandparents behind the counter, you and him standing at the entrance, unsure of what to do next.
“Please,” Hyanjae grabbed your arm and guided you across the empty restaurant to one of the tables, “have a seat.” She turned to Minho and gestured for him to do the same. “You too, Minho, you too.”
He gave everyone a polite smile and walked to sit next to you at the table. You studied the crowd, eyebrows slightly furrowed. Minho cleared his throat and fixed his tie. Today, he had opted to wear the grey suit with blue splatters on the sleeves.
“Do you have any idea of what is going on?” he whispered to you.
You didn’t answer because Hyunjae quickly clapped, bringing everyone’s attention to her. She looked happier than usual and even Changbin had a big smile on his lips.
“Do you think—"
“Okay, I’ll get this done quickly,” Hyunjae said, not allowing Minho to finish his sentence to you. She started to pace around the restaurant, getting teary-eyed from the excitement. “I'm… pregnant.”
She walked closer to Changbin and kissed him, his hand resting on her belly as he said, “We’re going to be parents!”
Everyone stood in silence, glancing at one another, unsure of what to say or do. Hyunjae and Changbin expected a reaction, but everyone was either too sleepy to process or in complete shock. Next to Minho, he found you with your lips slightly parted in surprise. He bumped his shoulder against yours, and you blinked, slowly returning to reality.
“You’re pregnant?” Your voice went a little higher. Hyunjae nodded and opened her arms to you, tears of happiness falling from her eyes. “You’re going to be a mother? And Changbin a father?”
You stood from your chair and went to hug them, and suddenly everyone got out of whatever trance they were on. People started to congratulate them, hugging them, kissing them on the cheek, making plans for the future. Minho watched as you placed your arms around both of your friends, the pure joy on your face.
“I'm going to be an auntie!”
“Yes, you are,” Hyunjae confirmed, grabbing your hands on hers. “And we’re going to be parents. I can’t believe it!”
Minho stood up from his seat and went to congratulate Changbin with a handshake. “I wish you both the best! I said it before and I’ll say it again, you’ll be great parents.”
“Thank you, Minho.” Changbin wiped his tears away, smiling widely. “I'm sure you’ll be a great father too!”
“Father?” Mrs Yang spoke next to Minho, eyes widened as she looked at him. “Y/N is pregnant too?”
“You’re pregnant too?” Hyunjae asked excitedly and your eyes met Minho in confusion, your cheeks somewhat flustered, a reflection of his expression as well.
“I'm not pregnant!” You were quick to shut down the rumours. “You’re the only one who is pregnant here. I think…”
Everyone’s gaze fell on Olivia and Jisung who exchanged a very panicked look.
“No babies coming from here,” Jisung announced, drowned in redness. Olivia confirmed Jisung’s claims with a nod, keeping a poker face when it came to her real emotions. “I just claim my perks as a very distant uncle. If it’s a boy, I’ll teach him how to skate. And if it’s a girl, I’ll teach her how to skate as well.”
“And you?” Hyunjae asked Minho, curiously.
He stuttered and looked at you for support and you quickly came to the rescue. “Minho and I offer great lunches. And of course, painting classes.”
“We… hm,” Minho cleared his throat, thinking of something. “Can take care of your kid whenever you want to go on a… getaway.”
“That too!” You leaned closer to Minho and smiled. “I hadn’t thought of that!”
Changbin studied Minho, eyes narrowed. It felt like when he went to have dinner at their apartment, where everything Minho did, Changbin followed with his eyes. You slapped Changbin in the arm and he jumped, looking at you.
“Stop doing that! You’re no longer on watching duty!”
“I am on watching duty all my life!” he announced proudly and Hyunjae nodded, stepping closer to the three of you.
“What is watching duty?” Minho asked, looking at you.
Everyone slowly started to return to their places, and Jisung and Olivia left the restaurant, congratulating Hyunjae and Changbin once more on the way out.
“Watching duty is one of Hyunjae’s inventions,” you said, gesturing to her. “To know if you are worthy of their approval.”
“We want Y/N to be with someone who deserves her, not just anyone.”
Minho suddenly got concerned, but you quickly reassured him. “Don’t worry, they approved of you and will stop doing these kinds of stunts from now on, won’t they?”
“I was under observation this entire time?” he asked, looking at Changbin who nodded and gave him a thumbs up.
“You passed all the tests. You're free to date her, marry her, all of that.”
“Is Changbin channelling another type of father?” you asked and Hyunjae nodded, worried.
“I have asked him to stop doing this, but it only got worse ever since we found out I was pregnant. I know it'll get better over time, he is just excited.”
Changbin nodded and kissed Hyunjae on the cheek making her smile. “I am more than excited. We’re going to be parents. Together. I am… over the moon.”
Minho could tell. Changbin never stopped smiling, looking at Hyunjae, complimenting her, sharing his excitement.
However, something else caught Minho’s attention. He noticed the television that was on at the restaurant and stepped closer to it, noticing the news on it. The sound was too low for the excitement of the place, but he could read the words on the screen.
“Money laundering scheme dismantled. Two suspects arrested,” Minho read between his teeth, his heart jumping out of his chest.
The two suspects, from the images, were Charles Barnes and Kim Seungmin. He took a deep breath and smiled, happy that this was also over. Now, they would have to answer to the justice and hopefully, they would be put behind bars to prevent them from committing such crimes again.
“Are you ready?” you asked Minho, and he looked at you, nodding softly. You grabbed his hand and waved everyone goodbye, and he did the same.
Outside, you were greeted by the busy streets in the morning, the exciting steps of people who made their way to the fair, part of which was already open to the public. You’d set up your booth for the rest of the morning and wait for it to open in the afternoon.
“Ah.” You took in a deep breath and smiled. “It makes me so happy to know that Hyunjae and Changbin are going to be parents… they’ll be great at it.”
“I agree,” Minho confirmed, and you looked at him, studying his features. “What?”
“Why did Mrs Yang think I was pregnant?”
“Changbin might have said that I would be a great father, instead of a great… uncle?”
You laughed and shook your head. “He is really excited… But for all that matters, I do think you’ll be a great uncle. And I’m sure you’ll be a great father as well.”
“To our children?” Now Minho was just messing with you. “It’s too soon for us to think about starting a family, but… is that something you’d like, in the future?”
He genuinely wanted to know. When Minho thought about his future, you were always there by his side, but you weren’t alone. He always wanted to be a father, whenever the time was right, and now, he had found the woman he wanted to start a family with.
You.
“I’d like to have children someday, yes,” you admitted, a smile on your lips. “But there’s still a lot I want to do before I get there, you know. And yes,” you turned to look at Minho, your smile widening, “I’d like you to be the father of my children.”
“Is it only because of my handsome genes?” You rolled your eyes and he wrapped his arms around your waist.
“Well,” you started to play with the tie on his neck, avoiding his gaze. “It would be because they would have you to look up to. Someone strong, brave, kind, and a fighter at heart. And handsome, of course. But that’s not the reason why I love you.” You finally looked him in the eyes and smiled. “It’s because of everything that you are and that you have shown me. It’s because of all the wonderful things that I get to discover every day about you.”
Minho kissed you softly, pulling you closer to him, the warmth of your body against his bringing him comfort. The way you had described him, the way you were always so certain when speaking of him, always made Minho feel at ease.
“Well,” he started, kissing the tip of your nose. “In my case, it would be because you are patient, kind, hardworking and certainly, no, definitely beautiful. You find the good in people and make them believe in themselves. If I am the man I am today it’s because you taught me how to be brave and kind, Y/N. I am better when I’m with you.”
You nodded and caressed his cheek softly, planting a kiss on his lips. “We make each other better, that’s for sure.”
He couldn’t agree more. Ever since you had entered his life, Minho could see how much of an influence you were on him. A great one, he should add.
After your small moment, you grabbed his hand and walked towards the fair, followed by Minho whose smile never faded and only increased every time his eyes met yours.
The booth was almost ready to open to the public. Minho helped you place some of your and Jeongin’s drawings in a panel behind you, always following your guidance. The three of you worked against the clock, setting up everything such as the flyers announcing your studio, the list with the prices on the table, yours and Jeongin’s easel as well as some other materials you might need. When it was done, you stepped back and observed your work from afar.
“Do you think we should place them a little higher?” You pointed to some of the drawings, biting your lower lip. “What if people can’t see them?”
Jeongin was setting his supplies near his station: white sheets of thick paper resting on his easel; pencils, a rubber, a couple of brushes, and tubes of paint on a small table next to him. There was also a small box where you’d place the earnings you’d make today, the same box Jeongin had offered you on the day of your return to giving workshops.
“Jeongin,” Minho called, and he quickly looked at him, “could you stand for a bit and walk towards Y/N’s station?”
He nodded and got up from his bench, careful not to drop anything. He walked towards your station, and you noticed that the drawings behind him were still on display and visible to you.
“Do you want me to do anything?” Jeongin asked, a little lost.
“Does Jeongin need to do anything?” Minho looked at you, smiling softly. “Even with him there, you can still see them, right?”
“Yes…” You sighed and smiled at him. “I guess I don’t need to move them.”
You looked at the booth again and took a deep breath. Minho thanked Jeongin and he returned to his place, happy to start painting.
“Everything looks the way it should and if I notice anything throughout the day, I’ll let you know.”
You nodded and kissed Minho on the cheek. “Thank you. I’m just… anxious, you know? There’s a lot of things happening today and I…”
“You’ll be fine, Y/N,” Minho reassured you. “Just enjoy the afternoon.”
As you were about to say something to him, Minho’s phone rang and he chuckled, scratching the back of his head. “My father is calling.”
“You should go and get them,” you said and smiled at him. “Just let them explore the fair, don’t bring them here right away.”
“I’ll let them explore on their own. I’ll be back in a bit.” Minho caressed your cheek and afterwards turned to Jeongin and gave him a thumbs-up, smiling. “Remember to have fun. You will both do great.”
“I’m sure we will!” Jeongin continued the positive energy and the two of you watched as Minho walked away, merging with a crowd walking in the opposite direction. “And people are here! About time.”
Jeongin took a deep breath and you joined him, putting on an apron to protect your clothes. You were almost certain this wouldn’t be of any help, but you wanted to have it on anyway.
Slowly, people started to make their way to the booth. Some would look at the paintings, pointing their fingers discreetly at your drawings, but you didn’t let it escape. Others went as far as to ask questions, and you gladly answered them. Whenever they were about Jeongin’s paintings, you would let him take the lead.
People were marvelled at some of the drawings and those started to sell quickly. You would gladly pull them out and give them to whoever was buying them, a smile on your lips as you thanked and advised them to frame the artwork to protect them for longer.
After a while, people started to sit in front of Jeongin’s easel and he began to work on his craft. You focused on your drawings, sometimes replicating some of the existing ones behind you, others trying something new. You didn’t place all these drawings behind you, some you wanted to keep for yourself. Still, you and Jeongin tried to have as many drawings on display as you could, never compromising their quality.
“You’re really good at this.” You observed what Jeongin was working on during your first afternoon break, sipping your water bottle.
You couldn’t help but feel proud of him and how far he had come. He always loved drawing, but when you met him, he didn’t have the greatest technique or skills, but he worked hard to improve and that was now in plain sight. It was extraordinary to see someone grow this much.
“You think so?” He looked at you, excitedly. “I just… try to keep your advice in mind. I still have to improve but… I also think I'm getting better.”
You patted his shoulder lightly, smiling. “Your evolution is noticeable. I'm sure that if you look back at some of your earlier drawings, you’ll be able to see your growth.”
“Thanks, Y/N.”
The crowd moved quickly and, as the hour passed, it also became bigger. However, the movement in your booth slowed down which meant that Jeongin had time to chat with the people he was drawing whenever they wanted to, and that made the process much better for him.
“How long have you been drawing?” A girl, more or less his age asked. You noticed how she looked at him with curiosity, always smiling whenever he glanced at her, and always observing him in awe whenever he was drawing.
“For a couple of years now,” Jeongin said, carefully adding the final details to the drawing. “Do you draw as well?”
She shook her head, lowering her eyes. “I’m not good at it.”
“Well,” he looked at her and smiled, pointing to you, “If you ask her whether I was good or not, she will tell you I wasn’t.”
The girl looked at you, her eyes wide open, and you nodded. “He grew a lot in terms of his skills.”
“Yup,” Jeongin confirmed and appreciated his drawing, smiling proudly. “Beautiful. It’s done.”
He picked the drawing carefully and extended it to the girl, who quickly paid him for his work. She glanced at it with the same amazement she had when she looked at him.
“Do you like it?” you asked, and she nodded excitedly.
“It’s really beautiful. Thank you.”
“It’s that good because you’re pretty,” Jeongin said, unaware of her cheeks turning a light shade of red. “That always helps. There are things to highlight.”
You tried to hide the smile on your face as you watched Jeongin completely unaware of what he had just said. Maybe Hyunjae wasn’t the only one without a filter.
“Thank you,” the girl whispered and lowered her eyes, fixing the hair behind her ear. She looked at Jeongin as he focused on getting his supplies ready for the next portrait. “I… hm… could I get your number?”
He raised his eyes to look at her and gulped. He also couldn’t avoid the redness in his cheeks. “What for?”
The girl got even more embarrassed and you didn’t know whether you should step in or watch the awkwardness escalate. Was Jeongin this oblivious or was he playing hard to get? You voted on the first one.
“I… hm…” She shook her head, letting out a nervous laugh. “Nevermind. It was nice meeting you, and… hm… thank you for the portrait.”
The girl walked away slowly and Jeongin returned to his drawing. You stood from your bench and slapped him lightly on the shoulder, and he jumped.
“That girl just asked for your number because she was interested in you, and you just let her go like that? Jeongin…”
“I don’t think she was interested in me, though.” He shrugged. “She was just being nice.”
“And you were just being nice when you said she was pretty?”
“I was stating the obvious. She is pretty. Very pretty.”
You felt like you were talking to a wall right now. Jeongin was indeed oblivious to everything and everyone’s feelings to the point where he didn’t know what flirting was.
“Go get her number.” You pulled his shirt’s collar upwards to force him to get up from his bench, but he protested. You ignored. “She might be a great friend and you’d be missing out on a great friendship because of your ways.”
“I don’t want her number,” he said, fixing his shirt. He met your stern gaze and sighed. “She’s… pretty, Y/N. I am…” he gestured to himself, a sad look in his eyes, “this. Why would she want my number? She probably just wants to make fun of me. Maybe, she feels sorry for me. I doubt it’s because she's interested in me.”
You sighed, grabbed one of the flyers from the studio and extended it to Jeongin.
“Go find her and give this to her,” you said, and he met your eyes, confused. “If she asks if she can find you there, give her your number. If not, then at least she has a way to find you. And I will let you know if she comes by. No one would go this far to make fun of someone. But someone might go this far if there was some interest to begin with.”
He glanced at the flyer and gulped. Slowly he grabbed it and studied it in his hands.
“What if I can’t find her, Y/N?”
“But what if you can?” You crossed your arms and gave him a reassuring look. “Just go. I’ll cover up for you in the meantime.”
Reluctantly, he stood from his bench and took off his apron, pondering whether this was the right choice. You hurried him and watched as he psyched himself up at each step he gave.
“This guy…” you mumbled under your breath and turned around, ready to sit on your bench and get back into painting.
However, you noticed Minho walking towards you, and a few steps behind him, you saw two people who were overdressed for the occasion. The man wore a suit, his tie matching the dress the woman was wearing, a dark shade of blue. The more you looked at them, the more you saw Minho in them. There was that serious expression in his eyes that he shared with his father, but there was the kindness of his smile that belonged to his mother.
“I’m back,” he said and kissed your cheek softly, placing his arm around your waist. You glanced at him and tried to calm yourself down. “Are you okay?”
You nodded and tried to smile. “I'm nervous, but I'll survive.”
“I'm here.”
The two of you watched his parents move closer to the two of you, and you could feel your heart pulsating in your entire body. When they got closer, you smiled at them and waved softly.
“Mother, Father,” Minho said, smiling fondly at you, “this is Y/N.”
“Good afternoon,” you greeted them.
Their piercing gaze went over you for what felt like forever, and you leaned closer to Minho as if to protect yourself. You felt his grip around your waist increase and after a while, his parents finally smiled at you.
“It’s so nice to finally meet you, Y/N.” Minho’s father extended a hand, and you shook it, smiling at him.
“It’s nice to meet you as well,” you said and Minho’s mother quickly walked closer to you, hugging you. You got concerned about getting her dress ruined by the possible stains in your apron. When she moved away, you glanced at her dress and sighed in relief. “I was afraid I’d get your dress ruined, I should’ve taken my apron off.”
“Please, Y/N.” Minho’s mother took a good look at your face, a kind smile on her lips. “You should be comfortable. You are working, after all.”
“Minho told me you’re a painter?” his father asked and you looked at him. He had the same composure Minho carried whenever he was around strangers and people he didn’t know that well.
“I paint, yes,” you answered shyly.
“You can take a look at some of her drawings behind her,” Minho said and the two of you stepped aside so his parents could have a better look at them. “She’s an extraordinary artist, although she considers my opinion biased.”
You smiled at him. “That’s because it is.”
Minho kissed your cheek softly and your last wave of worry dissipated into thin air.
“Those drawings are from Jeongin.” You gestured to them, proudly. “He's also an amazing artist, and I think he has a lot of talent.”
“He certainly does,” Minho’s father confirmed, looking over at Jeongin’s drawings. “There’s a lot of potential in there.”
The four of you chatted for a while, over different topics. Minho praised you every chance he could, but you also couldn’t resist complimenting him, and his parents were more than delighted to hear the wonderful things you had to say about him. Because truthfully, you could only say wonderful things about Minho.
“Well,” his mother said after a while, hugging you once more. “I'll take this drawing with me and a couple of flyers to share with some of my friends. I'm sure they would love to participate in one of your workshops!”
“That’s so kind of you. Thank you,” you said to his mother, smiling softly.
The two of them walked away, next to each other and Minho wrapped his arms around your waist. You took a deep breath and watched as his parents turned around again, to wave you goodbye once again. You reciprocated the gesture, smiling at them.
“How are you feeling?” Minho asked, studying your expression. “I think my mother is a big fan of yours.”
You laughed and placed your hands on top of his. “I'm calmer now. And your parents are lovely. There’s a lot of them in you.”
“Only good things, I hope.” He kissed your cheek softly and you nodded.
“Only good things,” you said. “Also, your father seemed very interested in Jeongin’s work. That’s… good, right? Should we let him know?”
“Well, if my father is interested, I’ll keep an eye on his work for him. I’m sure it could be showcased at Lee Galleries soon enough. But let’s not say anything just yet. It might startle him or add pressure he doesn’t need. Jeongin is still figuring himself out as an artist.”
“And as a person as well…” Minho looked at you, confused and you shrugged. He let go of you and you turned to face him. “I’ll tell you later. The story is still unfolding as we speak.”
“That’s why he’s not here?” Minho glanced at Jeongin’s empty bench. “Do you need my help with anything?”
“You could always charm people to make their way over here,” you said and fixed his tie. Minho shook his head and booped your nose.
“The only person I plan on charming is you.”
“You’ve been doing that already and pretty successfully, I must say.”
After you let go of him, you saw Jeongin slowly returning to the booth, his cheeks flushed either from running or something else. He smiled and you crossed your arms.
“Did you find her?” He nodded and sat on his bench, grabbing a water bottle, and chugging down most of it. “What happened?”
“Well,” he wiped his mouth and focused his attention on you and a curious Minho next to you, “I followed your advice, right? And then I got her number. And she asked me to have dinner tonight with her at the fair?”
“Tell me you said yes.”
“I… did…” Jeongin was surprised at himself. “Oh… I did say yes.”
“That’s great news, Jeongin,” Minho said and smiled at him. “Have fun on your date.”
He shook his head and gave Minho a serious look. “It’s not a date. We’re going to have dinner.”
“Let him believe that,” you whispered and Minho nodded. “I’ll tell you the full story at dinner.”
“I’ll look forward to it.” He cleared his throat and looked at Jeongin. “You should have fun. Don’t think too much about it.”
Jeongin nodded and returned to his work, a smile on his lips that he couldn’t hide. It was great to see him grow in front of your eyes, not only as an artist but also as a person.
“Oh.” Minho took his phone out of his pocket. He studied the screen for a while and then smiled.
“What is it?” you asked curiously.
He placed his phone in his pocket and shrugged. “I’ll let you know at dinner.”
You sat back on your bench and Minho kissed the top of your head and smiled brightly at you. Whatever it was, he was excited about it.
“I’ll wait, then.”
He nodded and for the rest of the afternoon, he remained with you and Jeongin, helping you manage your payments, convincing people to get their portrait done by Jeongin and sharing his love for your art to whoever offered an ear to listen.
Dinner was long gone and Minho and you were enjoying your time on the improvised dance floor in the middle of the town square. Mrs and Mr Yang had already said their goodbyes and even Hyunjae and Changbin also went home earlier than usual, according to you.
Still, you and Minho stood strong on the dance floor, sharing laughs, spinning next to each other, sometimes tripping while performing the most stupid dance moves you could possibly attempt in each other’s presence. This made Minho happy, extremely happy.
“We should head home too.” He caressed your cheek softly while you slow danced. “I want us to stop by somewhere first.”
You raised an eyebrow at him. “Where?”
Minho smiled and kissed you softly, not revealing any details. He hadn’t told you anything about it and he wanted it to be a surprise. He was certain you would enjoy it.
“We’ll leave after the song is over,” he suggested and you agreed. “And afterwards we go together, and everything will be revealed…”
“You love this, don’t you?” you asked and he shrugged. “So much mystery, Lee Minho.”
“But it’s always worth it, isn’t it?”
“It is.” You sighed and stepped away from him, his arms letting go of your waist. “Should we go now?”
“Do I sense… impatience?” he teased you and laughed after you rolled your eyes. Minho extended a hand to you and you grabbed it, intertwining your fingers together.
“It’s not impatience, it’s… curiosity.”
Minho nodded, the two of you walking away from the fair, the loud music starting to fade the more you stepped away from it. You were on edge, always looking left and right as if looking for something. He reassured you that whatever it was, wasn’t here and you would have to drive there.
Somehow, this information eased your mind and after you entered Minho’s car, the two of you fell into a comfortable silence as he drove you away from the historical part of the town and into the tall buildings from the business district on the other side of the bridge. He enjoyed crossing this bridge at night, seeing the lights on, the city that continued awake throughout the night.
“Is the surprise at home?” you asked, crossing your arms.
Minho shook his head. “It’s not home. But we’re close.”
He turned right and drove for a little longer. The tall buildings stayed behind and started to fade away in the rearview mirror and were replaced by shorter ones that were more distant from each other.
“We’ve been here before, haven’t we?” You looked out of your window and studied your surroundings. Ahead, a plaque announcing Lee Galleries came into view. “You brought me to the gallery?”
“I did,” he said, parking his car. The two of you exited the vehicle and walked towards the entrance, holding hands.
The sound of the traffic on the bridge was loud here but other than that, only your steps on the concrete greeted your ears. Minho quickly guided you to the front door of the gallery where a security guard was waiting.
“Good evening,” he said to the two of you with a smile that you both reciprocated and opened the door for you, giving Minho a flashlight. “Enjoy your visit.”
“Thank you.”
Instead of turning to go to the offices, you and Minho walked to the different rooms of the gallery where all the paintings were hanging. You slowed your steps and Minho let go of your hand, letting you roam the rooms on your own, stopping occasionally to look at some of the paintings, smiling.
During these moments, Minho walked towards you slowly, his steps echoing on the floor of the empty gallery.
“You brought me to an empty gallery?” you asked, surprised. “How many people did you bother?”
“Just the security guard. I asked him to keep the lights on until I got here.”
“What do you mean?”
Slowly, the lights of the different rooms started to turn off, one by one, until you were drowned in darkness. You moved closer to Minho, holding his hand tightly.
“Why are the lights off?” you asked, scared.
Minho laughed and turned his flashlight on, finding your frightened expression looking at him.
“I want to do with you something I did a lot when I was a kid,” he said, pointing the flashlight to you. “Exploring the art gallery with only one flashlight.”
“Is this allowed?” You raised your hands, blinking at the bright light pointed at you.
“It’s more than allowed.” He extended an arm to you, smiling excitedly. “Shall we start?”
You nodded and held his arm, walking right by his side, the flashlight guiding your way.
The paintings seemed different at night. When he was a kid and had to wait for his father, Minho always followed the security guard with a flashlight on, watching as he did the last checkup of the night before closing the gallery for the night.
“I often had to be dragged out of here,” Minho admitted, gesturing with the flashlight to the room around you. He pointed the light to a painting, and you followed it. “That was my favourite painting, and I would stare at it any chance I had. That included sitting on this floor, with my flashlight pointed at it.”
“What kind of kid likes Kandinsky?” you asked and Minho simply shrugged.
“It wasn’t the painting that I loved the most, but what it represented for the gallery.” Minho leaned closer to you and whispered. “It’s our most expensive painting.”
“Prestige,” you said, and he nodded.
“And the future,” Minho continued, a nostalgic smile on his face. “After my father got this painting, we had lunch together at my favourite restaurant and he told me how one day, I would get a painting like this one.”
You nodded at him, smiling softly. He met your gaze and kissed you softly, the flashlight falling to the ground with a sound that echoed throughout the different rooms of the gallery. Minho chuckled and you shook your head as he lowered himself to grab the flashlight.
“It makes sense it would be your favourite painting,” you said and the two of you moved to a different room. “It has a great importance to this place, and to you as well.”
Minho nodded and the two of you stared at a couple more paintings together, laughing and sharing stories, sometimes disagreeing on what you saw on the canvas, but accepting your differences.
“I guess I could start seeing that,” you said, tilting your head and gesturing to the painting in front of you. “I’d have to come back during the daytime.”
“At night, paintings look different,” Minho said, and you nodded.
“More… mysterious. And less… daunting?”
“That’s because we're the only ones here,” Minho supposed, and you didn’t argue against it.
The gallery might be empty, but you and Minho filled the space with your laughs and conversations, and he loved that. He was so glad he had brought you here tonight, that he got to share this little haven of his with you. Now, it was yours as well and he wanted to share it with you even more often. Minho loved the delighted look on your face as you walked closer to some of the paintings you hadn’t seen well on your previous visit and got to appreciate them on your terms.
Before entering the final room, Minho stopped and looked at you, observing your features under the low light. He wanted to remember this moment for the rest of his life, especially what was about to happen.
“My favourite painting is in that room.” He gestured with the flashlight to the passageway, and you started to walk next to him, always looking at him. He kept his gaze fixed ahead, the heart on his chest jumping a little too fast.
This room was emptier than the previous ones as it only had the recent paintings acquired by the gallery. He watched as you explored the room, next to Minho, who pointed the flashlight to each of the paintings, stopping on one that he knew you recognized too well.
He watched as the smile on your face grew wider as you looked at him, your eyes sparkling with joy.
“Is that your favourite painting?”
“It is,” he confirmed, caressing your cheek. “It’s my favourite painting.”
A City of Lights stood in front of you, lit by Minho’s light. The bridge seemed to jump out of the painting, the lighting that glittered in the river coming to life. This was one of those paintings that under a flashlight became a world of its own.
You walked closer to it, and Minho couldn’t help but get emotional as you looked over the painting and the small plaque where the name of the artist and the name of the painting was. Your fingers traced it softly, and you let out a gasp.
“Why is my name here?” You turned to look at Minho and your shocked expression faded into that same expression you had when Minho pointed out your contribution to the mural at Yang’s restaurant.
“What’s the story behind it?” he asked, sitting down on the floor, followed by you.
If there was a painting whose story he wanted to know, it was this one. It had been his favourite when he saw it on your submission to the gallery, and now that he was able to distinguish your contribution to the painting, Minho knew there was no other painting he loved the most like this one. Except for the portrait you made of him, of course.
“This was his last painting.” Your voice failed you slightly and Minho looked at you, his heart shrinking in his chest. “I… finished it for him.”
He nodded and felt your head leaning on his shoulder as you sighed. He knew there was more you wanted to say so he was going to give you space to come to terms with your words.
“I was… terrified. I had asked him to paint this for me so that I could put it in my old apartment. I always loved this view but as a painter… I had never been able to replicate it as well as him. This was his speciality if you will. I could never paint like him.”
“You have your style,” Minho said, kissing the top of your head gently. “And that’s great.”
Minho loved your style and your way of representing the world. You made the mundane, the ordinary look ethereal and special. He had told you once and he would never get tired of saying it. Besides, this wasn’t his biased opinion. That was his expert take. He was almost certain that it was because of your contribution to this painting that it had caught his eye.
“He got sick before he could finish it.” You looked at your hands on your lap, your lower lip trembling. “He asked me to do it for him. And so, I did.” You gulped and glanced at the painting. “He passed away a couple of days after I finished it.”
There was a sense of guilt in your voice that shook Minho to his core. You wiped your tears away from your eyes and Minho caressed your back softly, certain that whatever words he might think to say would never be enough to ease your pain. It was still painful for you to talk about this, even after all this time.
So, Minho would let you talk in your time, and he would listen. The silence was something that he often found comfort in and knowing you the way he did, he was almost certain that you also found more peace in it.
“As stupid as it sounds, I thought that me finishing his painting was the reason why he parted too soon. What if I hadn’t finished it? What if I had waited a little longer? I was spiralling in my pain. Blaming myself for things I couldn’t control.” You let out a sad chuckle. “I thought the solution was to get rid of it. I sold it to someone, closed the studio and avoided drawing, painting, teaching… I just couldn’t bring myself to do it.”
You took a deep breath and nodded, looking at Minho. He wiped the tears away from your cheeks and you grabbed his hand in yours, a comforting touch that he had grown accustomed to. You smiled kindly at him, a smile that wasn’t filled with pain, or regret, or worry.
“And then…” Your smile widened as you caressed his cheek, looking fondly at him. “I saw you. And the rest of the story you already know.”
Minho nodded, wrapping his arm around your shoulders, pulling you closer to him. The two of you stood there in silence, watching the painting on the wall in front of you softly lit by the flashlight, a dance of light and shadow that made part of the painting stand out.
“Does it pain you to look at it?” Minho asked, worried about the answer. He had acquired this painting thinking it would bring you happiness, thinking it would make your father’s wish come true. And now, after knowing the story, he wasn’t sure if this was what this painting meant to you. And he couldn’t help but be afraid of it.
He wanted this gallery to feel like a home to you as well.
You sighed and looked at the painting attentively and after a while, shook your head. “I don’t see pain anymore, no. I see growth, change… the future. I don’t… fear it. I embrace it, whatever it is. It’s a beautiful painting, after all.”
“It is,” he confirmed, never looking away from you. “It’s my favourite in this gallery.”
“Keep it on this wall for many years, will you?” You looked at Minho, smiling. “I like seeing my father’s name and mine below it. It fills me with… joy.”
“I’m glad.” Minho kissed your cheek and you leaned your head on his shoulder. “You should be proud too. After all, you made his last wish come true, Y/N.”
“I did, didn’t I?”
“You certainly did,” he whispered to you.
The two of you stayed there in silence for a little longer in each other’s company, glancing at the painting and taking in everything that it meant.
Pain, sorrow, regret, fear. Feelings that were as dark as the shadows in the painting, like the water below the bridge. But there was also hope, growth, change, love. All of it was small, like the speckles that shined in the water, like the lights that greeted the painting in small details. It was there, all of it.
“Can we come back some other time?” you asked him when you were walking to the exit, the air of the night cold. “Maybe with a picnic, some candlelight…”
He laughed. “That sounds like a lot of work. I’m not sure we could do it. But you know where we could do it?”
“Where?” you asked, curiously. Minho was glad to see you smile.
“At your studio. We did it once, remember?”
You narrowed your eyes, thinking. “I don’t remember there being candlelight but, we did have fun when we did it.”
“I wanted to kiss you back then,” Minho admitted for the first time and smiled proudly. “But I didn’t.”
“I bet it felt good when you did,” you teased him.
You walked inside of his car, and he turned on the engine, ready to drive you home.
“Oh, it still feels great every time I do it. I look forward to it every time.”
You laughed and Minho noticed your flushed cheeks as you looked out of the window. He stopped his car and looked at you.
“Have I told you how much I love you today?” he asked and you looked at him, smiling.
“You have.” You nodded and moved your head closer to his and he did the same, kissing you softly. “But I love it when you say it more than once. And for that matter,” you kissed him again and smiled, looking into his eyes, “I love you too, Minho.”
After a small moment, he started to drive again, the silence that filled the car something comforting as you went home. You ended up falling asleep on the seat next to him and he couldn’t help but think about how lucky he was to have such an incredible woman by his side.
The night lights flickered outside as you sipped your tea, looking out the windows that gave sight to the balcony. You smiled, thinking about everything that had happened in the past few months, and everything that was still to come. Still, you were happy, relaxed.
After the storm, comes the rainbow. And oftentimes, change is good.
You sighed and crossed the kitchen and the living room, listening to Minho taking a shower in the bathroom of your bedroom, mumbling a song as he did it. You found it adorable, but you hadn’t brought it up, afraid he might stop doing it. And you didn’t want that—he had a wonderful and comforting voice.
Slowly, you opened the doors to one of the guest bedrooms and turned on the light, leaning on the door frame as you looked at the inside. You’d suggest Minho this room to turn into your home studio.
You could already picture the walls decorated with some of your paintings and drawings, an easel staring out at the window, the cabinets filled with supplies that you would be eager to use. And of course, protected from all curious eyes, except for yours and Minho’s, you’d hang his portrait on the wall as well. You just weren’t sure on which wall you’d hang it, but it would have a special place, of course.
The noise in the bathroom ceased and after a few minutes, you saw Minho emerging from the bedroom, wearing his comfortable pyjamas, a soft smile on his lips. When he saw you leaning on the door frame, he came closer to you and wrapped his arms around your waist, kissing your cheek.
“Do you think we could turn this room into my home studio?”
“I don’t see why not,” he said. “I can picture you sitting in front of the window, painting and drawing in your world… and then I arrive slowly and surprise you like this,” he kissed your shoulder, “and you look back at me and smile. But of course, I wouldn’t dare to peek at your work.”
You laughed and turned to look at him, caressing his cheek. “Oh, you would peek at my work. But I wouldn’t mind.”
“You wouldn’t?” Minho asked and you shook your head, the grin on his face increasing. “Oh, so I'm allowed to see you in all stages of your creative process? What a privilege.”
“And you get to see it at home,” you said to him, kissing him softly.
“Our home, Y/N. It’s ours now.”
There was satisfaction in Minho’s voice as he said it. A reminder that you were together now, here, in a space where you saw yourselves grow older together, a space that belonged to the two of you now.
And it did feel like home. It was your home now. A home you got to share with Minho, the man you loved the most in this entire world. The same man who had inspired you to paint again, the man who helped you make your father’s last wish come true. The man that turned your life upside down, and yet, found a way to put it back together.
Once, you were afraid, uncertain of what the future had to give you. But as you looked into Minho’s eyes, you felt safe. And you looked forward to your future together. There was no one else you wanted to share it with but him.
