Your Neighbor Sungho | Ch. 3
- left hand corner, @116page
- center, @newat_rie
Rie (sungho) x (female) reader, fluff, slice of life, semi-angsty (?)
appearances of other OnlyOneOf and Dreamcatcher members will occur
hey so I rolled a wheel on who to write a fanfic first and got rie plus picked out a prompt to write from
warnings: alcohol, getting drunk; this fic is PG-13, some light cursing occasionally
btw i’m pretty sarcastic, there’s sarcasm thrown here and there, hope you enjoy
Description: your neighbor, sungho, from the day you've moved in has kept you up countless nights with their significant other. dancing, muffled long conversations, and amongst other noises you wished you could wipe from memory. one day it suddenly stops. those days become months.
This is Chapter 3. Chapter 1 & 2 is linked below.
Sungho brings you to a diner somewhere in the city, not too far from your apartment. It was retro, old school themed. Booths and single counter top seats that stretched to the end of the building. You have heard of this place from a friend, but never came to ever try it out. The two of you picked out a seat at the booths next to the wide window view that looked on to the city streets. It’s a cozy environment, the breakfast hours being rather quiet on a Sunday morning. Hushed voices spoke, the smell of coffee yet again filling in the air, the sound of cooking in the background, the chef yelling orders, and the occasional ding of a bell to let the waiters know a dish was ready. You never thought this would be a place Sungho would like. In reality you weren’t sure what to think at all since little is known.
“You can buy as much as you’d like to eat,” Sungho said, passing you one of the menus from the side of the table.
“And that’s what I like to hear,” you said, taking up the menu gratefully.
Not too long after deciding what to order, a waitress appears to come take your orders. Not noticing at first, you realize that the waitress is one of your friends.
“Yooheon?” you exclaimed, staring at her in surprise.
She jumps, looking up from her notepad upon hearing her name.
You’re standing up to hug her immediately. She reaches out to return it briefly, both your voices in excitement from seeing each other.
“What are you doing here? Of course, to finally come visit this diner I’ve been telling you about right?” Yooheon said, poking you with one end of her pen to your shoulder.
“Ow! Sorry, it’s been very busy. Please don’t kill me,” you said, rubbing the spot, and holding your hands up to defend yourself.
"Yeah, yeah. Save your excuses. I knew you would have come eventually."
She takes notice of Sungho, seeming just as alarmed. The other male simply gives a small wave in greeting.
“Sungho?! You’re here...and with y/n? Wait, you guys know each other?” Yooheon asked, looking back and forth from the both of you.
“I was about to ask the same thing. But please, give me my usual coffee.” Sungho mentions, folding his hands on the table top.
“Alright, Mr. Demand. As for the one who’s been ignoring my messages for the entire month. Are you...doing okay?” she asked as she scribbled down the note, concern showing on her face.
They...know each other, you thought.
“I’m fine. Just...take our orders, would you?” Sungho said bluntly, averting eye contact now.
Yooheon’s a bit taken back by his sudden attitude. You gave an apologetic look to her, mouthing one too.
“Uh, ahem. We’re neighbors, for context. Small world right? Anyways…” you said, scratching at the side of your neck nervously.
Once Yooheon has our orders and Sungho has another cup of caffeine, there’s a silence filled with unnecessary tension. You’re stirring your own iced coffee with the straw, watching the ice cubes in the glass spin.
“Sorry,” Sungho said suddenly to you.
He’s gripping at his cup handle somewhat, moving around the cup slightly in his hands. Was it a nervous habit?
“Hey, stop saying sorry to me. Who you should really be apologizing to is Yooheon,” you tell him, gesturing to the female in the distance.
There's a pause, as if Sungho was thinking again, before he nods in understanding. You hoped that your message was clear and he wasn't only nodding to get you to shut up.
“How do you know Yooheon?” he asks, eyes lifting up to meet yours now.
“Old friend from high school. You?”
“Friend of friends and... this diner. I come here a lot, if it doesn’t show.”
You nodded to his explanation, taking another sip of the ice coffee from your cup. There were a million questions to ask. It wasn't exactly proper to ask about the relationship just yet, so you were deciding on an ice breaker question. Well, Sungho beats you to it in the end.
"I know what you want to ask...about what happened with them...and I," he said, grasping the cup tighter in his hands.
"Huh? What are you talking-"
"It's fine. The walls are thin, I know. That you heard us," Sungho said, cutting you off.
"And the sudden silence too."
There wasn't any point in pretending now that he brought it up.
"Okay, you got me. I am curious," you admitted, still stirring your glass nervously.
"You really don't have to tell me if it's personal. The details and all. Really, it's none of my business."
"I just...want to tell you for some reason. Especially since we both were a nuisance most of the time. And yes, I was very well aware they did not like you for some odd reason. Gave them more or less reason to be louder than they already were..." Sungho explains, his eyes focused on the surface of the table.
"Anyways, not the reason why we broke up. We had a small argument over something so miniscule, insignificant. They made a big deal out of it and ever since that, they haven't returned. It's been a month now. Which explains the silence and my behavior."
It was your turn to nod then, taking another sip of cold coffee. You listened carefully, keeping your eyes on Sungho to let him know that you were listening. Not that he was making eye contact with you, but you found it important in conversation. There's another silence that fills up the air. Just as you were about to speak, Yooheon arrives with the food that was ordered.
"Okay, meals coming up! One for the irritated man and one for my lovely friend, y/n!"
"Thanks Yooheon," you said, smiling up towards her.
"You can say thank you by leaving a good tip! Enjoy!" Yooheon said cheerfully, turning away on her heels to continue her job.
Once Yooheon was out of earshot, you recalled what you were able to say to Sungho. His explanation, of course, was as how you thought it went down. In honesty, someone who threw childish glares at you for only greeting their boyfriend was also on the line of making petty arguments, followed by them throwing it out of proportion. You felt bad for him.
“All I can say is...that I’m sorry this happened. Though the silence wasn’t bad for me…haha...” you responded, smiling playfully.
Sungho scoffed, but there was a laugh along with it. He began to cut a slice of the waffle he ordered. It was topped with whipped cream, strawberries, and syrup. You had the same, but pancakes.
“Yeah, yeah. I know you were probably so happy that you didn’t even check up with your lovely neighbor,” Sungho said, joking along with you as he took a bite of waffle.
“Uh-huh. Lovely. Anyways...I was worried. Kind of. It was at the back of my mind. I totally did have a nice time finishing all the work I was thrown in the past month. It was the busiest time of the year. I didn’t have time to think about anything. Luckily, we’re in the eye of the storm now. A calm point and all deadlines have been met,” you replied, grinning.
“I’m curious, or have been actually. What’s your occupation?” the other asked, changing the topic now.
“Just some office job that pays alright. I write a lot of reports, sort out files, and all that jazz. The most important thing is that I can live and feed myself currently. And you, lovely neighbor?”
Another smile dances across his lips, possibly from the nickname.
“Ah, well...I work as a barista at a coffee shop in the city. It’s a small shop, but customers fluctuate occasionally. Because people can’t live without their coffee. I’m one of said “people.” Guilty of having one too many cups a day.”
“Well, don’t worry. Same here. Whatever gets us through the day, right?” you said with a grin.
The both of you continued to eat, continuing to talk casually and forgot about the subject of his ex-significant other. Through this conversation and a meal, you felt like you learned a lot about Sungho. The both of you had similar interests, with a few sprinkles of differences like the pancake and waffle debate right in front (and it was discussed, each person telling their reason why they thought pancake or waffle was better). Yet, he respected your opinion in the end without any further arguments. This was only the surface of everything. There was more, always more. But you were glad that maybe, just maybe, after this you could finally call your neighbor a friend.
After your meals were finished and the last drops of coffee were gone from both of your cups, the bill was called for. Keeping his promise, Sungho paid for your meal. You can’t help but feel a little guilty watching Yooheon ring up his card. Then you were reminded that he needed to also apologize to the female.
“I didn’t forget, don’t worry. Also, don’t feel bad. Did you forget that you literally took care of my drunk self yesterday?” Sungho said suddenly, as if he read your mind.
“Right...okay, I don't feel guilty. Nope," you replied, sitting up straight and proud.
"Hey, wait...was it that obvious of what I was thinking? How did you know?"
“Your face says it all,” he said as Yooheon comes back, handing him back his card.
“y/n’s emotions are always on her sleeve, so easy to read,” Yooheon added in, despite not knowing what the conversation was about.
Yooheon and Sungho laughed at your response. You couldn’t help but to feel flustered suddenly, yet shocked. That wasn’t even a joke, yet they both thought something was funny. Was it your face? Huffing and rolling your eyes, you gathered your things and stood up from your seat. But you felt relieved to see them laughing together.
“Alright, alright, enough laughing at me. Sungho has something to say to you. I’ll be standing by the door and just come over when you’re done,” you said, pointing, before turning to walk away to give the two their personal space for a minute.
Sungho watched you head down the aisle, going to observe the rest of the store, as now he was going to execute an apology. Not for you, of course. For Yooheon and himself. He agreed with your words, that it was right to apologize. Afterall, he was being unnecessarily rude. That response was a result out of fear. The fear of facing people again after so long. Yooheon was one of his good friends that always checked up on Sungho. Seems like he did take it for granted. Even though he didn’t say anything yet, she knew what it was about. Glancing around, the woman checks to see if there were any new customers. There wasn’t. Her manager wasn’t in view either, so she took a moment to take the seat where you had been sitting.
“So, y/n said you had something to tell me?” Yooheon said, with an expectant look on her face.
“Uh, right. I just wanted to say I’m sorry. For how I acted before and...for the entire month prior to today. Thanks for checking up on me throughout that time period. I didn’t say anything, but I’m grateful to have a friend like you,” Sungho said genuinely.
“Aw, Sungho...it’s okay. I accept your apology, of course. I understand. It was hard, breakups are never easy. Especially when you’ve been with the other person for a long time. Together, happy...ahem. Anyways, like I’ve been telling you. Don’t keep it to yourself. Why else do you think Jisung and I wouldn’t stop knocking on your door every single day to make sure you were okay?” Yooheon said gently, adding one of her comforting smiles.
“You don’t need to thank me. What are friends for? But now...just take it easy and...try to climb back into the way of your life. Without thinking about them. Screw them. You definitely deserve better. As of right now, don’t forget to take care of yourself too. You’re as important as anyone else.”
Yooheon reached out to hold Sungho’s hands, patting them. He would’ve cried there and then at her words, tears of joy mixed in with his sadness. Except it was a public area, so he held them in and moved to hold her hands back just as tightly. He nods simply, showing that he was grateful for her words. She pulled her hands away then, her eyes still wary of her manager coming out. It wasn’t the first time she’s sat down here to have a conversation with him on a slow day. Yooheon noted how you were idly standing in the distance, staring at the wall menus, and deciding what to try the next time if you were to come here.
“So, how’d you meet y/n? Was today like a random hookup or date? Looking at other fish in the sea now, eh?” Yooheon asked, leaning in closer towards him with interest.
“None of the above. y/n’s my neighbor. We barely know each other, actually. Today’s the first day we finally had a proper conversation,” Sungho said, making a face towards his friend now.
“You remember right? How they didn’t let me talk to anyone. Not you, not Jisung, for even a minute. Sounds bad now that I’m only realizing now. The only time I was alone was if they were at work and I wasn’t…”
‘Wow. y/n’s your neighbor?! Talk about a small world! Anyways, I was only kidding. Focus on yourself first before anything, like I said before. And I remember that. Possessive they were. We tried to tell you, but no one sees anything when they’re too lost in love. It was bad, yes. Toxic relationship is what Jisung and I agreed on. You didn’t believe it though,” Yooheon said, sighing at her last sentence.
“Anyways, we can talk more another time or…. later today? You’re free right? We can catch up with Jisung. What do you say? Just don’t want to leave y/n hanging any longer over there.”
Yooheon was right yet again. Sungho had been too caught up in love to realize the relationship he was in was toxic. A common problem in today’s society. People always attached themselves to people that weren’t good for them and weren't aware till the damage was done. He wasn’t the only one who fell into the statistics though. Outsiders could only do so much. It was always up to the person themselves who had fallen into such a relationship to pull themselves out, or not. As for his case, the one who was toxic left. So he was lucky that they weren’t in tbe picture anymore.
“Yeah...I really didn’t believe it, did I? And right, let’s talk another time..."
After you and Sungho said your goodbyes to Yooheon, (she also did not forget to nag you to come for the coming weekend get together as she was also amongst that circle of friends), and let her resume her work, the two of you headed back to the apartment building. Standing in front each other's respective doors, facing each other, there was an awkward moment of silence. Each person wondering what to say now that the out was done and favor was fulfilled.
"Uh, so...thanks for breakfast...again. I had a fun time," you said, giving him another bright smile.
"I did as well. I'm glad that I finally can get to know my neighbor for real. Not exactly the way I thought, as in you having to deal with me drunk," Sungho said, chuckling.
"Consider it forgotten, Sungho. Don't worry about yesterday anymore," you responded.
"Sounds like a plan. Oh, let's exchange numbers? We're friends now, right?"
You pretended to think as you fished out your cellphone from your bag. Honestly, hearing Sungho asking that made you...happy. As you had hoped back in the diner, it was spoken thought into reality. Your neighbor, a friend.
"Hmm, I don't know about that..." you joked, as you opened the phone screen.
The other simply returned another smile, going along with your joke again. You had eventually lost count of how many times he smiled today. It was definitely a lot more than in the past month. From this, you made the conclusion Sungho looked the best when he was happy. He took your phone and dialed his phone number in for you, evening naming the contact for himself.
"Lovely Neighbor Sungho, seriously? Funny. You're really funny," you said as you hit the call button so he could get your number as well.
"What are you going to put my name as?"
"Lovely Neighbor y/n of course. Consistency and now matching nicknames," Sungho replied.
He picked up the call, even though he was right across from you. With another hand, Sungho searched for his apartment keys. Just to humor him, you putting your phone to your ear as well.
"Anyways, I hope you have a great day y/n. I have an apartment to clean. Shall we hang out another time again?" Sungho said, his voice echoing through the speaker of your phone as well.
"Yes, of course. I would love to."
Author's Note: Hello! Sorry for this long gap between chapter 2 and 3. I was a bit busy for some time. Now I'm free again, so hopefully there won't be another long gap in between chapters again. The ending should be at chapter 5, but that is yet to be determined. I tend to write without an ending in mind, a flaw of mine...but don't worry! There is one for this story. Anyways, thank you for reading as always! I hope you enjoyed. Please look forward to chapter 4 ❤️!
