'cause maybe, you're gonna be the one that saves me.
➪ you spent your whole life waiting for vinny hong. maybe this time, he'll be the one waiting for you.
➪ includes : vinny. mentions of y/n in dialogue, slow burn, childhood friends to something even more, au not canon, not proofread soz
➪ wc : 4.6k
➪ a/n : HELLOOO IM BACK. this is actually a request so i hope they enjoy it as much as i did writing this 🤍 this fic is inspired by 2 songs actually! one is wonderwall by oasis and the other is 海屿你 (hai yu ni) soo yeap, just a fun fact :3
you didn’t have much to care about in your childhood. young and naive, it was truly a time to be alive. you frequented the playground near your home; though it was undermaintained and unkempt, you still found joy frolicking around.
the swings rusted by the chain, creaking at every subtle motion. but you ignored it, swinging as high as possible in hopes of touching the sky. the world was yours—the playground, actually. other kids rarely came here, so it was just you, your mother sitting at the nearby bench, and the equipment all to yourself; it was basically heaven, until you felt something shift inside you.
whenever your mother brought you to the nearby supermarket, the route made you walk past this lively area. it was a large playground that was never quiet, filled with laughing children who played with each other. your eyes never left the view even as your mother tugged your hand gently, urging you to walk faster.
this feeling, it was envy.
you wanted to join in, to play with other children, to make friends. but at last, you always ended up at the empty playground, the chill gush of wind making you feel lonelier. you couldn’t even play on the seesaw. sure, your mom was there, but she was always the phone talking to someone. weird words like “rent” and “loan” came out of her mouth, surpassing your knowledge. unsure what to make of it, you didn’t ask her to play with you.
sitting on the swings again, your legs kicking in small motions that at least made you sway. your eyes glued to the ground, watching your feet kick the sand, the particles fly, and a pair of red shoes? you looked up curiously, your surprised gaze meeting the mismatched-coloured eyes of a boy with red hair and two moles on his left undereye.
“... who are you?”
you asked, still in shock that anyone thought about coming here.
“i’m vinny! do you want to play with me?”
the red-haired said, grinning cheekily through his teeth. your eyes practically lit up at the question, meeting his grin with an excited smile,
“yes i do!”
──── ♡
over the next few months, you spent time with vinny, your first ever friend. you found out that he was the same age as you, and recently moved in the nearby houses across the playground. he always brought his bicycle, often showing you his tricks and maneuvers proudly. you were mesmerised by his talent, and told him to keep doing it until he was tired.
along the way, he even taught you how to ride a bike, traversing through the playground while the two of you were in your own world. learning how to cycle wasn’t easy. your face always met the ground, but you told yourself not to cry in front of him because you wanted to look cool, only allowing a few tears to well up in your eyes.
your knees were victim to abrasions gotten against the rough pathway, with your mom sighing whenever she saw your legs after you finished playing with vinny. on days when he didn’t bring his bike, you two would play on the seesaw, something you didn’t think you’d achieve here. as you went up and down, you saw his smiling face; he had as much fun as you did, and that’s what made you feel this weird sensation inside of you, something you didn’t want to acknowledge yet.
your mother kept reading you this fairytale to sleep, a story of how a princess found her prince charming, but it wasn’t an easy journey for both of them. something about how they found each other after their own struggles stuck with you, a moment so beautiful, and that made you want to find your own prince charming; that was your wish.
“y/n, do you have a dream?”
vinny asked, his swing seat stationary while yours swung up high.
“huh? a dream…”
your mind immediately went to the fairytale, but you didn’t want to admit such a thing like that in front of a boy.
“i don’t have one yet, what about you?”
his lips curled into a small smile, looking at the ground with hopeful eyes as he answered,
“i wanna become the best cyclist in the world.”
you stopped your momentum and looked at him, seeing nothing but determination and passion behind those eyes. you smiled sweetly, leaving him with your words,
“okay! i will always support you!”
──── ♡
as you two grew older, you realised how much you stuck with vinny. from attending the same middle school together to even having the same friends, the both of you were basically joined by the hip, never leaving each other’s side. it was endearing, and most people assumed you two were siblings, with some even thinking that you two might be dating instead.
through the course of time, every moment spent with vinny contributed to your developing feelings for him. you kept telling yourself that it was merely infatuation, but you couldn’t help your subtle blush whenever someone accused the two of you of being in a relationship. minu was the main driver of this agenda, always teasing you about vinny whenever he went away for the bathroom during lunch.
you got to know minu through vinny, finding out that they were in a cycling crew called the ‘zephyrus crew’. they often cycled around the neighbourhood park at night, roaming freely through the streets without a care in the world. you often sat at the bench, occupying yourself with your homework assigned to you on that day whilst waiting for them to return from their ride. you had your usual snacks ready: some convenience store sandwiches, cans of energy drinks, and a bottle of barley tea reserved for vinny.
your nights were mostly spent like this, with you socialising with minu, june, and the other members of the crew, while vinny sat beside you on the bench, listening in on the lively conversations among everyone.
──── ♡
“y/n, do you still like vinny?”
you almost spat your food out, trying to shush minu, afraid that he might’ve said that too loud for others to hear.
“what? me? vinny? pfft, we’re just friends.”
you tried to play it cool in the canteen, with minu not believing your behaviour whatsoever.
“you know we’re almost graduating right? what if you don’t end up in the same high school as him?”
“what the– don’t say that!”
you almost raised your voice, earning stares from the nearby tables before you slowly made yourself smaller, hiding your face behind your hand. you watched as minu wiggled his eyebrows,
“you should totally confess to him, i bet he likes you too.”
your face heated up, shades of red painting your cheeks before a firm voice cut through your train of thought,
“what’s going on here?”
vinny was standing directly behind you, and you tilted your head up to see his eyes staring at your face. you felt even hotter after seeing his features he thought no one found attractive except you, and you immediately removed yourself from your position by bolting out of the canteen. your hands palmed your cheeks as you made your way to the bathroom, cooling your face with water as the tap ran in the background of your thoughts.
minu was right; graduation was approaching, and there was a chance you might see him less often if you end up in a different school from him. you sighed in front of the basin, looking at yourself in the mirror and relishing in the embarrassing moment that happened in the canteen a few minutes ago.
──── ♡
and just like that, the two of you graduated middle school. and surprise, you didn’t confess your feelings to vinny.
you chickened out the moment you opened your mouth, letting him walk away to talk to minu instead. you followed behind him like a puppy, hugging your bouquet of flowers your parents gave earlier as you joined in their conversation about what to eat after the event. later that night, you found yourself on the same bench, using your phone instead with your convenience store plastic bag beside you waiting for the group.
this was your routine for the next few months before high school, with vinny now walking you home as a bonus. you didn’t ask why he started doing that, but you liked the gesture anyway, really liked it. while the two of you walked towards your home at midnight, both of your phones lit up with the notification of high school posting results. your breath hitched, opening the message and reading the words 'sunny high school'.
you looked at vinny before saying anything, watching his brows furrow in disdain as he muttered,
“gunn high, huh? what a shitty school.”
you swallowed dryly, slowly showing your phone screen into his view as he would’ve asked eventually. from the corner of your eye, you caught a glimpse of a small smile on his lips. you were confused, wondering why he was smiling despite you two going to different schools. not until you heard his soft words,
“sunny high’s good y/n, i knew you could do it.”
he patted your head briefly before shoving his phone away, walking in front of you while his bike clicked with every wheel rotation. you stood rooted to the ground, unable to move after feeling his hand land on the top of your head gently, stroking your hair like it was precious. the ghost of his touch still lingered, and your face flushed unbearably so. with your racing heart, you brisk-walked to catch up, hiding your face in your hair—vinny had no idea what effect he had on you, and that scared you so much.
──── ♡
the first day of school wasn’t as bad as you thought. you arrived to the campus with minu and june, whom you thankfully found to be your classmates for the first year. you settled in quicker than you expected; having your usual lunch breaks with minu and june, just without vinny this time.
but after school was different story. you would always find vinny waiting outside your school gate, his bike in hand while he scrolled mindlessly through his phone. being in separate schools wasn’t a bother, the distance closed immediately the moment the two of you met after dismissal.
everyday, the both of you walked home together without fail, with the majority of the walk filled with vinny’s ridiculous encounters with the students from gunn high, and frequent mentions of this guy named sung kwon whom he claimed to be his “bro”. the same nights at the neighbourhood park still occurred, with you busying yourself with assessment books and math problems instead while vinny and the rest cycled together in the dead of the night
the years slipped by quietly, and before you knew it, you turned 18, experiencing your final year of high school with new company. minu had introduced you to jay, a second-year student whose class was a floor below yours. they met by chance, where minu dramatised this whole story of jay cycling downhill like he was a god in his eyes. shortly after, you found yourself entangled in what you’ve come to know as the 'hummingbird crew'.
minu had passed down his crew to some juniors, deciding to form this new crew with june to join this biking competition called the “league of street”. the reason? it was money meant to pay for vinny’s mother’s surgery. you vividly remember him telling you his life story last year during the break between graduation and the first day of high school; it was the only moment you got to witness his tough exterior break as he vented to you about future plans and concerns about money. you saw him when he was most vulnerable—his fragile state—and it pained you greatly knowing all you could do was be by his side in support of him.
this addition of people was certainly a change in your life, but it was something you welcomed. you particularly clicked with shelly and mia, whom you observed had the hots for jay. but you didn’t pay much attention to their affairs, all you cared about was telling vinny what happened in your daily debriefs.
when you first told him about the hummingbird crew, he already knew of it from minu, and even asked him to join the crew. however, he didn’t give an immediate answer, just a simple acknowledgement through text. as you walked him to his home (for a change), you noticed his mother coming to the front porch, smiling at you gratefully as requested you to come in for dinner. you glanced at vinny’s expression, but you couldn’t tell if your eyes were deceiving you from the way vinny’s cheeks tinted with a hint of pink.
──── ♡
you were all too familiar with his home as you quickly took off your shoes and placed your bag on the floor, finding his mother by the kitchen and helping her set the table with practised ease. his mother made the best stew. it was warm, comforting, and everything you could ask for in a dish. after the meal, you would always reject his mother’s words of telling you to sit in the living room as you insisted on helping her with the dishes.
a few short conversations here and there made the time pass by so quickly, it was almost midnight. you pat vinny’s cat, jack, one last time before wearing your shoes, with his mother giving you a large container of her homemade kimchi to bring back home. you accepted it with a warm smile before leaving, while vinny followed to walk you home as it was late and dark. you didn’t want to admit that he was such a gentleman, a boy whom anyone could tell was raised by his mother well, as that fact alone would make you fall harder for him than you already had.
──── ♡
the cycling nights changed, but not in a drastic way you expected. your convenience store runs ran your wallet dry even more due to buying more food and drinks. the park changed to somewhere more bustling, your spot upgrading to a longer bench for you to study quietly on. the group dynamic has definitely shifted into something more familial between the cyclists, and you noticed how vinny didn’t quite fit in with the whole cheesy atmosphere.
for some twisted reason, that made you glad.
glad that he wasn’t too close with them, and that silent selfishness of yours sickened you. after the crew competed in their very first round of the competition, they garnered attention from the spectators, mostly about jay jo being a super rookie and even some words about vinny’s skills. the attention didn’t cease after the consequent rounds as even more people expressed their support for hummingbird. you often watched them compete in person, mainly wanting to watch vinny cycle live. you couldn’t help but recall his childhood dream he admitted to you in the park where it all started.
every time you saw his footage on the big screen of the competition site, you didn’t hold back your smile, your eyes never leaving the screen of the boy who was closer to his dream than he’d ever been. many spectators watched in awe as the race unfolded, in particular, you noticed this girl with short, black hair, watching the screen where vinny displayed with that very same gaze you had for him.
yumi was her name, she was part of the tarantula crew before getting disqualified after losing to hummingbird. however, that didn’t stop her from coming to the race site to watch the race, or instead, watch vinny. she kept trying to approach him as well, complimenting his cycling skills and outwardly trying to get his number, though it didn’t work in her favour; not yet.
──── ♡
days turned into weeks, and the competition went into full swing. you found yourself slowly removing yourself from the picture: not showing up as often to support as you were busy with other commitments outside being vinny’s moral support. it couldn’t be helped, exams were around the corner, followed by several projects and volunteering roles you took on to boost your portfolio. every time you texted him, he was either busy training or working his part-time job—at least that was what you thought he was doing.
he’d only reply hours later in the middle of the night, but you were fast asleep by then. the pattern repeated itself for days, and you eventually gave up trying to start a normal conversation with him. before you knew it, seeing vinny wasn’t part of your routine anymore. no more walks back home together, no more convenience store runs for his nightly barley tea after his trainings, no more stupid little conversations with him under the moonlight before you went in your home.
and for some reason, he was alright with it, as if nothing had existed between the two of you. no texts or calls trying to catch up or interact, just silence. you didn’t know which hurt more: the silence, or the fact that he didn’t even bother trying to reach out. so you did what you do best at, drowning yourself in as many activities and commitments as possible to forget about your one-sided crush.
how embarrassing it was to become someone whom he pretended didn’t exist.
but what was even more humiliating was how easily he replaced you with none other than yumi.
you saw them by chance, holding hands in a food street as they stood in front of a street food cart. your eyes didn’t deceive you even when you hoped they did. it was real, the vinny you haven’t seen in weeks standing and holding hands with another girl. the same vinny who never knew what to do with the platonic affection you expressed to him.
he was dating her, no doubt about it, and you couldn’t stop thinking about why it couldn’t be you instead. you quickly walked away, trying not to alert them with your presence as you headed to the direction of your car. with unshed tears, you sat in the drivers seat, both hands grabbing the steering wheel weakly and tucking your head down dejectedly.
you closed your eyes, trying to steady your breathing as you released a breath you weren’t aware of holding. with your heart pounding out of your chest, you couldn’t tell if it was from seeing vinny in forever, or how he was holding hands with another girl that wasn’t you.
ever since that night, you stopped looking for reasons to see vinny. whenever shelly invited you to the hummingbird crew gatherings, you declined without hesitation, knowing vinny would be there, probably bringing yumi along as well. you didn’t want to see that, afraid you might break again just like that unfortunate night in your car.
sometimes on your way home, you’d catch a glimpse of vinny cycling back home while texting someone on his phone. you’d hope that maybe, just maybe, your phone would vibrate during that time, but it never once did.
──── ♡
“vinny’s still MIA, what a douche.”
dom announced in the clubroom, scrolling through his phone mindlessly watching reels about recent sneaker drops. you looked up from your lunchbox, still chewing your sausage as shelly spoke,
“geez, what’s he up to now? he better not be in the mountains, the next round is coming up.”
“maybe he’s just busy,”
you said without thinking, though your words were muffled through your food. but you knew that wasn’t the case. almost a month had passed without any update from vinny to the rest of the crew. and since none of them were close to yumi, no one knew who to ask what happened to him. usually, it would be you—but not now, not this time.
──── ♡
the critical period of your submissions had passed, and you felt free from the shackles as you were finally less busier. you eventually started showing up to their training sessions again, with shelly and the others welcoming you back with open arms. as you showed up to the park, you noticed them crowding around something, or someone.
a certain someone with that damn red hair you could recognise from outer space.
you froze in your tracks, not knowing how to approach the group. you were awful at confrontation, it was basically your worst nightmare. dom had to ruin it by turning around, noticing your awkward stance as he cocked his head in confusion,
“y/n? what are you doing there? come here, this fella finally decided to show up.”
you walked towards them, eyes looking elsewhere to avoid vinny’s piercing gaze. once you stood in front of vinny, everyone dispersed as if on cue, heading to their usual starting point while talking about strategies on the way there. you were left alone with vinny, and you noticed he didn’t have his bike with him.
“hey.”
he said, the monosyllabic word carrying volumes of unsaid thoughts. you gave an awkward smile, replying with the same greeting. the awkwardness hurt. somehow, after years of knowing each other, it felt as though you two were strangers again; you didn’t know what to say to him despite the many things you wanted to.
──── ♡
you heard through shelly that vinny and yumi broke up, said she got the information from someone else who was close friends with yumi. at that moment, your heart stopped for a second. the way shelly said it so casually like it didn’t almost make you lose your life for that second was concerning; you shouldn’t have reacted that way. but you did, and you couldn’t hide from your lingering feelings.
however, you didn’t see it as an opportunity, you only wondered if vinny was coping well. maybe that’s why he suddenly showed up after ghosting them for so long. your mind kept running with reasons on why he returned. it was too noisy, and you hated that you still cared that much about him.
──── ♡
you found yourself at a burger joint after school as shelly practically dragged you out of the classroom when she heard you talk about heading home. poking at your fries absentmindedly, you sat beside vinny while shelly, jay, and dom sat opposite the two of you.
initially, shelly and jay wanted to sit together, meaning you had to squeeze with dom and vinny in that booth seat they made look tiny when together. so, dom decided to squeeze with them instead, leaving the two of you together with a seemingly-awkward gap inbetween.
“you’re not eating.”
vinny said quietly to you whilst the three others were busy with their conversations.
“i’m not hungry.”
“then why did you come?”
“shelly dragged me here.”
you said, sighing softly in defeat. he looked at you, not knowing what to say before focusing on his meal. after a while and noticing your food looking the same as before, he nudged your tray, earning a glance from you as you heard,
“they’re cold,”
“... what?”
you quickly put a soggy fry in your mouth as you watched him place his elbow on the table, resting his head on his hand as his eyes bored onto you, observing you eat under his pressure.
“you always wait too long.”
at this point, the two of you hadn’t noticed the three people blatantly staring at the interaction, a knowing look shared among them.
──── ♡
after shelly, dom, and jay parted ways with the both of you, you stopped by a convenience store to grab a quick breakfast meant for tomorrow morning, while vinny followed you inside. walking down the pastry aisle, you looked for your favourite bread. after getting what you needed, you stopped in front of the beverages section intending to look for cold brew, although you suddenly fixated your gaze on the bottles of barley tea that stood right beside it.
your hand hovered over the familiar bottles before switching over to the coffee grabbing it quickly and heading over to the counter to pay. however, you suddenly saw the same damn bottle slide onto the counter, feeling vinny’s presence behind you as he muttered against your ear,
“you forgot something.”
you looked at him, staring in disbelief as you felt the heat flare up in your body. you turned away and immediately paid without looking at the cashier, grabbing the plastic bag and exiting the store as the chime rang from inside. vinny watched you hurry out of the store before following you, the corner of his lips turning into the faintest smile.
──── ♡
walking side by side in the quiet street, you swang the plastic bag you were carrying, the rustling and other sounds of the night filling your ears. you wanted to distract yourself from how close he was walking along with you, your arms an atom away from touching each others. after reaching the intersection where you two go different ways, you gave him a knowing look before turning around.
however, you felt his hand grab your wrist tight enough to secure, but not hurt. you looked at him in surprise before your eyes darted to where his hand held your wrist, feeling the familiar heat course through you once again.
“... do you need anything?”
breaking the silence, you turned around fully, now standing in front of him and looking, really looking, at him.
“why did you stop showing up back then?”
you paused, not expecting that question at all. like a switch had been flipped, all the memories of you trying to get over his relationship with yumi resurfaced in your mind.
“i thought you didn’t need me anymore.”
you gave a humourless chuckle, one so soft he almost didn’t catch it. he frowned immediately after registering your words,
“... what?”
“well, you had yumi and you stopped replying to my texts,”
you admitted genuinely,
“i didn’t want to get in your way, so i stopped.”
vinny stared at you in an unreadable expression, though as if he couldn’t believe what he just heard come out from your mouth. he hesitated to speak, slightly opening and closing his mouth before choosing what to say.
“you really think i wanted that?” “you didn’t?”
he quickly replied with no hesitation,
“no.
i didn’t, fuck—i really didn’t.”
he covered his eyes with his hand, feeling a subtle heat creep up to his cheeks as he continued,
“i kept looking for you, wondering where you were.
after school, after training, even after my jobs.”
you noticed his ears blooming a shade of red as he slowly removed his hand from his eyes. it was the first time you saw him at a loss for words. he tried to keep his firm expression even with his reddening face, and it looked absolutely adorable in your eyes.
“vinny…
what about yumi? weren’t you two… happy?”
his expression shifted into something more thoughtful and reflecting,
“we were.”
“she was someone i wanted to be with,
but you’re someone i can’t imagine my life without.”
you tugged the hem of his shirt, looking at him with a vulnerable gaze,
“you don’t get to say things like that…”
“i mean it, i really do.”
he grabbed your hand and held it in his, like it was something precious he wanted to keep as he whispered,
“so please,
don’t leave me again.”
you tightened your fingers around his hand after hearing his words;
this time, you didn’t let go.
