˚ ✦ kiss kiss fall in love
dongmin feels a hundred times lighter when sejeong actually looks pleased with his idea and it shows in the way that he smiles. “great.” he also vaguely remembers what danbi told him about the carnival (even if he still doubts that he could get sejeong anything really, maybe if the competition was about sewing then he could do it and that’s still a hard maybe), makes a side note to mention it later in the day when they’d be almost done with their picnic. “i also made most of the food.” he admits a little more shyly, remembering all the work he put through each lunchbox, especially in their design and the message in them, and there’s yet again a light blush on his cheeks when he remembers exactly what kind of draws that he made with the food, one hand reaching up to scratch his neck nervously. “it’s not your favorite fried chicken, but i hope it’s good enough. but!” he quickly adds. “we could get that too. if you’d like!”
the sophomore feels flustered but at the same incredibly happy when sejeong gives such a clear reply to his request, when she skips herself the confirmations that dongmin would ask of her before doing his move which again just signs to him how much sejeong is comfortable around him, how much she wants the contact perhaps as much as he does (and tries not too much think about the other possibility of her just being her nice self to him). dongmin squeezes her hand gently, a light pink dusting his cheeks. “thank you.” dongmin for once consciously lets all the affection he feels for sejeong appear on the way he looks at her, on the corners of his smile, because it just feels right, and also maybe he’s a little tired of having to pretend that he only feels like a friend to her. or maybe it’s because today is a special day and it feels a little more ok to show his feelings to sejeong, feels more right to finally tell her about them. “for always trusting me so much, for always allowing me so much.”
dongmin starts guiding sejeong to through the spring festival, being mindful to avoid too crowded places since the last thing he wants is to make her uncomfortable today. he wasn’t lying when he said to danbi that, despite what sejeong’s reply will be to his confession, he wants this to be a memory she looks back with fondness and maybe if she does reject him today, there’ll come the day that they’ll laugh about this, that they’ll be able to light tease about dongmin’s unrequited crush, that this won’t hurt him anymore. sejeong’s question gets his out of his quickly depressing thoughts of rejection.
“o-oh, i—” he tries not to talk about his time with danbi when they were rehearsing for this date. “i actually was in the kissing booth.” he admits and as soon as the words were out of his mouth, he already regrets them. “b-because!” dongmin tries to do some damage control. “seungwoo sunbae asked me to do it and he said it was ok if i only wanted to do cheek kisses which of course it was the only thing i did. no mouth kisses. or pecks, or like mouth to mouth contact at all!” oh god, someone please make him shut up. he clears his throat. ”it was pretty awkward too even with the cheek kisses. i mean you know i’m naturally awkward so you can imagine how it was.” he chuckles, trying to lighten the mood. dongmin wants to say that he wished sejeong would’ve been to the kissing booth, that he was the only girl that he wanted to kiss, but he still wasn’t that brave.
“what about you?” he doesn’t waste much time in also questioning sejeong about it, not only to try to bury his embarrassing moment but because he was truly curious. “did you go to any part of the festival?”
at the younger’s words, her eyes widen in surprise. she’d expected dongmin to put together a picnic basket of prepared foods, but ones that could be easily found in a grocery store or something along those lines. not for one moment had she anticipated that the male would cook for them. the thought sends a pleased feeling of excitement through her, and she can’t help her smile as she beams up at the other. “you made most of the food, minnie? i can’t wait to try it,” she beams enthusiastically. “i don’t need fried chicken,” she laughs, “not when you put so much effort into cooking for us!” she can’t help her smile, half a response to the other’s smile. she’s always thought dongmin’s smile was beautiful (much like the male himself), and she finds more and more that she wants to be the reason for that smile. it makes her heart pound when his smile widens more, turning a bit soft at the edges, so sweet and tender that it makes her fall in love with him a little bit more. “you of all people have more than earned it,” she tells him sincerely in response to his thanks, her eyes fond.
she’s surprised to hear that he had spent the previous day at the kissing booth, not having expected her shy friend to be comfortable doing something like that, but the explanations that he immediately splutters out makes her giggle instead. “oh, i remember hearing about that,” she says in understanding. “oppa was complaining about it, too.” she giggles a little and her eyes are bright. her brother complains about a lot of things, but she also knows that he’d do nearly anything for the helio president, seungwoo, who seems to have both her brother and cousin wrapped around his little finger. though, she supposes that seungwoo is probably equally wrapped around wooseok’s finger, as well. “i didn’t know you were part of it, too, or i would have stopped by,” she says without thinking and it’s only a moment later when she flushes in embarrassment, suddenly realizing what she had said. but she doesn’t say any more, hoping that dongmin will simply let it slide.
“um, i actually —” she laughs at that, nervous from her previous statement, and she hastily moves on. “i actually meant to just explore and eat, but i ran into someone yesterday. it was really funny! he’s like, this tall,” she gestures above dongmin’s head, “but the first time we met, he scared me so i... might have knocked him down by accident? and now he’s scared of me!” she blinks up at dongmin with an amused smile. “of me!”
