SWEEEEET.

𝖽𝖺𝗂𝗅𝗒 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗸

[soov]

𝖯𝖮𝖲𝖳𝖢𝖠𝖱𝖣𝖲 𝖥𝖱𝖮𝖬　━━━━　𝐀𝐌𝐄𝐋𝐢𝐀　٫　𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑛𝑖

𝗂’𝗆 𝖺𝗅𝗐𝖺𝗒𝗌, 𝖿𝗈𝗋𝖾𝗏𝖾𝗋, 𝗋𝗎𝗇𝗇𝗂𝗇’ 𝖻𝖺𝖼𝗄 𝗍𝗈 𝗒𝗈𝗎　✿　𓈒　𝗒𝗈𝗎’𝗋𝖾 𝖺𝗅𝗐𝖺𝗒𝗌 𝗀𝗈𝗇𝗇𝖺 𝖻𝖾 𝗌𝗈𝗆𝖾𝗈𝗇𝖾 𝗍𝗁𝖺𝗍 𝗂 𝗐𝖺𝗇𝗍　𓇢𓆸　𝘁𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗲 .ᐟ

　　　 　 𝗋𝖻𝗒𝖿 　𝖾𝗇𝗁𝖺 　𝗃𝗃𝗄 　𝗋𝖾𝖼𝗌 　𝗍𝗁𝗆𝗋𝗄𝗏 ᜑ 内永＊

palestine donations & infoㅤ∗　ongoing conflicts

SOOV © ‘25

[soov]

PROGRAMMER HEESEUNG。 lee heeseung

gn reader & programmer heeseung ━━ fluff ꕀ hcs, estabilished relationship (dating), modified repost ⌗ WARNiNGS pet names, kissing, mentions of doctors.

heeseung lets you sit on his lap while he reads and writes codes. he caresses your head softly with a hand — even if it takes away a bit of his capability to type — and the other edits characters and functions

occasionally, he spins his chair around to take a break, looping his arms around your waist. his lips travel from your shoulder to your neck, jaw, cheeks, and then lips, humming tiredly in satisfaction against them

since heeseung spends a lot of time in front of his bright computer screen, his eyesight eventually got bad. after visiting the ophthalmologist, he listened to your suggestions and got a new pair of thick-rimmed glasses, lenses so wide that his big eyes pop out even more

now, whenever you push up the frame that falls to the tip of his nose, he smiles shyly, a crimson tint coating his ears. his bambi-like eyes avert from yours and his fingers press the right button of his mouse repeatedly

heeseung also knows that he should call it a day when you carefully take them off his face

heeseung only knows bits of html and css, but if you're watching a boring online class he will appear by your side and snatch your laptop from your hands, giggling sweetly

despite your protests, he’s already opening the inspect window to change your teacher's name to something dumb like “poopy pants”

he modifies the whole call — from your classmates’ questions in the chat (that now are quoting a random brainrot joke) to the class name (which, at the moment, is named “world heestory”)

he does the most stupidly cheesy things for you without any shame

heeseung once created a python program under a minute and yelled “babe, come see what i did!” from his room. you thought he’d show you the game he’d been working on, but it was just a white page with “how much % of the day do you think about lee heeseung?” written in the middle.

you tried typing out numbers smaller than 10 to joke around with him, only for a message to pop up:

really? :( he thinks about you every moment of his day!

heeseung gazed up at you sadly from his chair as you attempted to write bigger numbers — but none of them made the warning disappear

only when you wrote an obnoxiously big number that a new message came on

:D he thinks about you this much, too! congrats, you got an unlimited free pass to get as many kisses and cuddles as you want!

unfortunately, you didn’t get to even read it since your boyfriend tackled you onto the bed, tickling your sides and murmuring in faux anger that you were an annoying little brat for teasing him

if you didn't know, you don’t need a powerful computer or laptop to start programming. however, heeseung has a huge setup with three monitors, a collection of custom keyboards with different keycaps and lubed switches, and the most insane white & clear computer case you’ve ever seen

and being his partner means that you’ll get a crazy setup too too

no matter if you use it every day or once in a blue moon, he’s ready to spend all his money on a setup as big as his for you

you want new headphones? you got it. a new cooler? consider it done. a computer monitor as long as your wall was released? it’ll be by your doorstep tomorrow morning

being his partner also means having to listen to his late-night complaints when a project of his doesn’t go as planned. ask him how was his day and you’ll get a sulky heeseung holding you close to his chest, ranting your ear off about how the program didn’t execute half the commands he programmed

he’ll pinch your waist or flick your forehead playfully if you laugh at him, not understanding a thing of what he’s saying

but if you actually just lay there and listen, or if you lovingly gaze down at him, heeseung starts to stammer and apologize for “rambling so much”

due to his fast typing, his hand joints got weaker too, leading to a constant quivering of his fingers

it started off pretty small, when you would notice heeseung’s fingers shaking to cradle your face (which you even mistook as nervousness). you bought him some stress balls and essential oils, so every night you could massage his hands

heeseung gets insanely bashful at the feeling of your fingers gliding across the planes of his palms

“you’re makin’ me too shy...” he mutters quietly under his breath, chewing on his bottom lip. “my hand is fine, i just need to hold you for a bit.”

heeseung changed his wifi password to your name, followed by “MyBaby” as soon as you started dating. he secretly hoped to have a small ode to you everywhere in his home

so due to that, even his third, vertical monitor had an 8-bit animation of you on different scenarios: gardens, mountains, coffee shops... you name it. heeseung secretely learned the basics of pixel art just to paint it himself

heeseung couldn’t be more proud when you printed your first “Hello World!” on your own. he showered you in praises, telling you how smart you were, even if you just typed out print("Hello World!")

he’s always making time for you into his packed agenda, going out on dates and grocery shopping when you’re running out of food. to him, you’re his biggest priority, and even if his schedule is eating him up, he finds a way to sneak some time for you during breaks

even if all of his projects went wrong, having you next to him was enough to make him the happiest man alive

𔓕　LETTERS FROM TAM ━━ for hanabuns 🫰

2025 © SOOV

[soov]

PROGRAMMER HEESEUNG。 lee heeseung

gn reader & programmer heeseung ━━ fluff ꕀ hcs, estabilished relationship (dating), modified repost ⌗ WARNiNGS pet names, kissing, mentions of doctors.

heeseung lets you sit on his lap while he reads and writes codes. he caresses your head softly with a hand — even if it takes away a bit of his capability to type — and the other edits characters and functions

occasionally, he spins his chair around to take a break, looping his arms around your waist. his lips travel from your shoulder to your neck, jaw, cheeks, and then lips, humming tiredly in satisfaction against them

since heeseung spends a lot of time in front of his bright computer screen, his eyesight eventually got bad. after visiting the ophthalmologist, he listened to your suggestions and got a new pair of thick-rimmed glasses, lenses so wide that his big eyes pop out even more

now, whenever you push up the frame that falls to the tip of his nose, he smiles shyly, a crimson tint coating his ears. his bambi-like eyes avert from yours and his fingers press the right button of his mouse repeatedly

heeseung also knows that he should call it a day when you carefully take them off his face

heeseung only knows bits of html and css, but if you're watching a boring online class he will appear by your side and snatch your laptop from your hands, giggling sweetly

despite your protests, he’s already opening the inspect window to change your teacher's name to something dumb like “poopy pants”

he modifies the whole call — from your classmates’ questions in the chat (that now are quoting a random brainrot joke) to the class name (which, at the moment, is named “world heestory”)

he does the most stupidly cheesy things for you without any shame

heeseung once created a python program under a minute and yelled “babe, come see what i did!” from his room. you thought he’d show you the game he’d been working on, but it was just a white page with “how much % of the day do you think about lee heeseung?” written in the middle.

you tried typing out numbers smaller than 10 to joke around with him, only for a message to pop up:

really? :( he thinks about you every moment of his day!

heeseung gazed up at you sadly from his chair as you attempted to write bigger numbers — but none of them made the warning disappear

only when you wrote an obnoxiously big number that a new message came on

:D he thinks about you this much, too! congrats, you got an unlimited free pass to get as many kisses and cuddles as you want!

unfortunately, you didn’t get to even read it since your boyfriend tackled you onto the bed, tickling your sides and murmuring in faux anger that you were an annoying little brat for teasing him

if you didn't know, you don’t need a powerful computer or laptop to start programming. however, heeseung has a huge setup with three monitors, a collection of custom keyboards with different keycaps and lubed switches, and the most insane white & clear computer case you’ve ever seen

and being his partner means that you’ll get a crazy setup too too

no matter if you use it every day or once in a blue moon, he’s ready to spend all his money on a setup as big as his for you

you want new headphones? you got it. a new cooler? consider it done. a computer monitor as long as your wall was released? it’ll be by your doorstep tomorrow morning

being his partner also means having to listen to his late-night complaints when a project of his doesn’t go as planned. ask him how was his day and you’ll get a sulky heeseung holding you close to his chest, ranting your ear off about how the program didn’t execute half the commands he programmed

he’ll pinch your waist or flick your forehead playfully if you laugh at him, not understanding a thing of what he’s saying

but if you actually just lay there and listen, or if you lovingly gaze down at him, heeseung starts to stammer and apologize for “rambling so much”

due to his fast typing, his hand joints got weaker too, leading to a constant quivering of his fingers

it started off pretty small, when you would notice heeseung’s fingers shaking to cradle your face (which you even mistook as nervousness). you bought him some stress balls and essential oils, so every night you could massage his hands

heeseung gets insanely bashful at the feeling of your fingers gliding across the planes of his palms

“you’re makin’ me too shy...” he mutters quietly under his breath, chewing on his bottom lip. “my hand is fine, i just need to hold you for a bit.”

heeseung changed his wifi password to your name, followed by “MyBaby” as soon as you started dating. he secretly hoped to have a small ode to you everywhere in his home

so due to that, even his third, vertical monitor had an 8-bit animation of you on different scenarios: gardens, mountains, coffee shops... you name it. heeseung secretely learned the basics of pixel art just to paint it himself

heeseung couldn’t be more proud when you printed your first “Hello World!” on your own. he showered you in praises, telling you how smart you were, even if you just typed out print("Hello World!")

he’s always making time for you into his packed agenda, going out on dates and grocery shopping when you’re running out of food. to him, you’re his biggest priority, and even if his schedule is eating him up, he finds a way to sneak some time for you during breaks

even if all of his projects went wrong, having you next to him was enough to make him the happiest man alive

𔓕　LETTERS FROM REi ━━ for hanabuns 🫰

2025 © SOOV

[soov]

PROGRAMMER HEESEUNG。 lee heeseung

gn reader & programmer heeseung ━━ fluff ꕀ hcs, estabilished relationship (dating), modified repost ⌗ WARNiNGS pet names, kissing, mentions of doctors.

heeseung lets you sit on his lap while he reads and writes codes. he caresses your head softly with a hand — even if it takes away a bit of his capability to type — and the other edits characters and functions

occasionally, he spins his chair around to take a break, looping his arms around your waist. his lips travel from your shoulder to your neck, jaw, cheeks, and then lips, humming tiredly in satisfaction against them

since heeseung spends a lot of time in front of his bright computer screen, his eyesight eventually got bad. after visiting the ophthalmologist, he listened to your suggestions and got a new pair of thick-rimmed glasses, lenses so wide that his big eyes pop out even more

now, whenever you push up the frame that falls to the tip of his nose, he smiles shyly, a crimson tint coating his ears. his bambi-like eyes avert from yours and his fingers press the right button of his mouse repeatedly

heeseung also knows that he should call it a day when you carefully take them off his face

heeseung only knows bits of html and css, but if you're watching a boring online class he will appear by your side and snatch your laptop from your hands, giggling sweetly

despite your protests, he’s already opening the inspect window to change your teacher's name to something dumb like “poopy pants”

he modifies the whole call — from your classmates’ questions in the chat (that now are quoting a random brainrot joke) to the class name (which, at the moment, is named “world heestory”)

he does the most stupidly cheesy things for you without any shame

heeseung once created a python program under a minute and yelled “babe, come see what i did!” from his room. you thought he’d show you the game he’d been working on, but it was just a white page with “how much % of the day do you think about lee heeseung?” written in the middle.

you tried typing out numbers smaller than 10 to joke around with him, only for a message to pop up:

really? :( he thinks about you every moment of his day!

heeseung gazed up at you sadly from his chair as you attempted to write bigger numbers — but none of them made the warning disappear

only when you wrote an obnoxiously big number that a new message came on

:D he thinks about you this much, too! congrats, you got an unlimited free pass to get as many kisses and cuddles as you want!

unfortunately, you didn’t get to even read it since your boyfriend tackled you onto the bed, tickling your sides and murmuring in faux anger that you were an annoying little brat for teasing him

if you didn't know, you don’t need a powerful computer or laptop to start programming. however, heeseung has a huge setup with three monitors, a collection of custom keyboards with different keycaps and lubed switches, and the most insane white & clear computer case you’ve ever seen

and being his partner means that you’ll get a crazy setup too too

no matter if you use it every day or once in a blue moon, he’s ready to spend all his money on a setup as big as his for you

you want new headphones? you got it. a new cooler? consider it done. a computer monitor as long as your wall was released? it’ll be by your doorstep tomorrow morning

being his partner also means having to listen to his late-night complaints when a project of his doesn’t go as planned. ask him how was his day and you’ll get a sulky heeseung holding you close to his chest, ranting your ear off about how the program didn’t execute half the commands he programmed

he’ll pinch your waist or flick your forehead playfully if you laugh at him, not understanding a thing of what he’s saying

but if you actually just lay there and listen, or if you lovingly gaze down at him, heeseung starts to stammer and apologize for “rambling so much”

due to his fast typing, his hand joints got weaker too, leading to a constant quivering of his fingers

it started off pretty small, when you would notice heeseung’s fingers shaking to cradle your face (which you even mistook as nervousness). you bought him some stress balls and essential oils, so every night you could massage his hands

heeseung gets insanely bashful at the feeling of your fingers gliding across the planes of his palms

“you’re makin’ me too shy...” he mutters quietly under his breath, chewing on his bottom lip. “my hand is fine, i just need to hold you for a bit.”

heeseung changed his wifi password to your name, followed by “MyBaby” as soon as you started dating. he secretly hoped to have a small ode to you everywhere in his home

so due to that, even his third, vertical monitor had an 8-bit animation of you on different scenarios: gardens, mountains, coffee shops... you name it. heeseung secretely learned the basics of pixel art just to paint it himself

heeseung couldn’t be more proud when you printed your first “Hello World!” on your own. he showered you in praises, telling you how smart you were, even if you just typed out print("Hello World!")

he’s always making time for you into his packed agenda, going out on dates and grocery shopping when you’re running out of food. to him, you’re his biggest priority, and even if his schedule is eating him up, he finds a way to sneak some time for you during breaks

even if all of his projects went wrong, having you next to him was enough to make him the happiest man alive

𔓕　LETTERS FROM TAM ━━ for hanabuns 🫰

2025 © SOOV

[nadagaza05-deactivated20250603]

My name is Nada, I’m 22 years old, from Gaza 🇵🇸.

I used to live a peaceful and happy life with my husband and our little child ❤️👨‍👩‍👦.

Suddenly, everything changed when our home was bombed and collapsed with all our memories 💔🏚️.

We survived miraculously, but now we live in a tent after losing everything ⛺

The war stole our sense of safety and took away my child’s bed, toys, and little dreams 😢🧸.

We asked our friends in the U.S. to help by launching a support campaign, but the link is taking some time 🇺🇸⌛.

So we had to use my friend Maram’s link temporarily 🙏.

We hope peace returns, and that we can rebuild a new life despite the pain 🌈🕊️.

Thank you to everyone standing with us, even with just a kind word — you are the light in this darkness 🤍✨.

Help Maram and Her Family Rebuild Their Lives

A note to charitable souls; payment by credit card is deeply appreciated but Stripe does take a 10-12% cut.  If you are able to give by Payp

[weoris]

@yeokii @callikari @chrrific @isoobie @jjennuine @htaesan @flwrstqr @boyfhees @bywons @soov

[nadin2003]

🕊 Nadin’s Hope: A Mother, A Memory, A Future

Hello, my name is Nadin. I’m from Gaza. I’m a graphic design graduate, a wife—and now, a mother.

I finished my design studies just before the war began. I had dreams of starting a small studio, of creating art that told stories. I used to think about colors and fonts and the future.

Then, the war came. And the future became something we tried to hold onto, moment by moment.

On October 22, 2023, I learned I was pregnant when a missile destroyed my husband’s family home, killing 25 members—his mother, siblings, nieces and nephews—entire branches of our family in seconds.

We were displaced twice. Everything was gone—home, safety, routine, rest.

A few weeks later, I gave birth to our daughter. There was no crib, no celebration—not even stillness. But she arrived, quietly and beautifully. In her eyes I saw something I hadn’t felt in weeks: life that still wanted to grow.

Now, our days are shaped by decisions that could dismantle the future we are trying to build together.

Today, Israel’s government is discussing plans for a full military occupation of the Gaza Strip, including Gaza City and southern regions. The stated aim: to eliminate Hamas and later hand governing control to allied Arab forces—not Israel—but with no clear path to peace or normalcy.

The humanitarian fallout is devastating. More than 61,000 Palestinians have died in this war; hunger and malnutrition are rising sharply. Hospitals in north Gaza have shut down, and 193 people have now died of starvation, nearly half of them children.

Aid remains blocked, water is scarce, and many risk dying of hunger or disease long before future promises arrive.

We Don’t Know What Comes Next There’s no clear path forward—only uncertainty for our daughter’s life and our ability to survive another day.

Nadin’s Hope: Rebuilding Life for a Mother and Child

My name is Nadin, and I’m a mother from Gaza.

How You Can Help I’m asking for support—not for comfort, but for survival:

Help us meet basic needs so we can breathe, heal, and preserve a world for our daughter.

Support us as I try to stand again on my own feet—even a glimmer of stability matters.

If you’ve read this far, thank you. If you can give—thank you. If you can’t—just sharing this post is a lifeline I will never forget.

[soov]

BOOST @yeokii @mayutism @perlleta @dollyrins @flwrstqr @bywons @boyfhee @weoris @yuons @isoobie @callikari @dollyrins

[tasneemmohammedgaza]

This devastating war has left us with no place of safety or comfort. 🏚️💔

On August 10, 2025, my father was martyred 🕊️, leaving behind an unhealed wound. He left me, my young siblings 👧🧒, and my mother 🤱 alone, without a breadwinner or a warm embrace to protect us. 💔

Displacement continues, and living in tents ⛺ is nothing but unbearable humiliation and degradation, with cold 🥶, hunger 🍞, and a lack of the most basic necessities of life.

Urgent Help for Tasneem

My name is Tasneem, I’m 19 years old, and I’m from Gaza.

Today, I live with my siblings and mother under bombardment 💣, amidst displacement and deprivation. Despite all this pain, I still try to shout out to the world 🌍: Help us survive.

I, Tasneem 🙋‍♀️, ask every person with a compassionate heart ❤️ to stand by us. Your donation is not just money 💵; it is a life saved 🙏, a childhood protected 🧸, and a mother reassured 🤍 that her children will not go to bed hungry 😔.

Please... extend a helping hand 🤲 and support my family in the face of this war of extermination. Any donation, any help, or even sharing my story 📢 can make a difference. Speak up, let the world hear us. ✊🌎

✅️ Vetted by @gazavetters, my verified number on the list is ( #683 )

#SaveTasneemFamily

#HelpGaza

#DonateForLife

#AnyDonationMatters

#ShareAndMakeADifference

[yeokii]

boost . @soov @flwrstqr @isoobie @boyfhee @weoris @callikari @bywons @chrrific @manariee @jjennuine @dollyrins @mayutism @wooonter

[adhamx-gaza]

✅️Vetted by @gazavetters, my number verified on the list is ( #622 )✅️

My name is Adham, I'm 20 years old, and I'm from Gaza City. I dreamed of a happy life, completing my studies, and getting a job, but the war turned this dream into something impossible 💔😭. We lived through this massacre in all its painful details, and we're still in pain 😔. We were very happy when the ceasefire was announced, and we returned to our homes in northern Gaza after being displaced for a year and a half in a tent in the southern Gaza Strip. After we fixed a small room in our destroyed house to live in and start over, unfortunately the war returned stronger than before 💔. Now, we have no shelter and no source of income. We exhausted all our savings during the war. I know that I started my campaign very late, but that's because there is no other way to help my family 🙏. I am completely confident and optimistic that someone here will help us as much as they can and save my family in these difficult circumstances 😔.

I know that the feeling of starting from scratch is painful and frustrating, but I hope to receive any amount for my family 🥺🙏.

Urgent: Please help Adham to Survive this Genocide

Hello, I am running this campaign to benefit Adham, who is in Gaza. He is trying to survive and provide for his loved ones during the ongoin

Even a small donation would have a great impact on us 🥺. May God bless you, my friend 🥰❤️.

[persephone-falling-into-darkness]

Adham's donation campaign has hardly been progressing in the six months he's been active. Please do consider donating to him, he desperately needs help.

[adhamx-gaza]

✅️Vetted by @gazavetters, my number verified on the list is ( #622 )✅️

My name is Adham, I'm 20 years old, and I'm from Gaza City. I dreamed of a happy life, completing my studies, and getting a job, but the war turned this dream into something impossible 💔😭. We lived through this massacre in all its painful details, and we're still in pain 😔. We were very happy when the ceasefire was announced, and we returned to our homes in northern Gaza after being displaced for a year and a half in a tent in the southern Gaza Strip. After we fixed a small room in our destroyed house to live in and start over, unfortunately the war returned stronger than before 💔. Now, we have no shelter and no source of income. We exhausted all our savings during the war. I know that I started my campaign very late, but that's because there is no other way to help my family 🙏. I am completely confident and optimistic that someone here will help us as much as they can and save my family in these difficult circumstances 😔.

I know that the feeling of starting from scratch is painful and frustrating, but I hope to receive any amount for my family 🥺🙏.

Urgent: Please help Adham to Survive this Genocide

Hello, I am running this campaign to benefit Adham, who is in Gaza. He is trying to survive and provide for his loved ones during the ongoin

Even a small donation would have a great impact on us 🥺. May God bless you, my friend 🥰❤️.

[persephone-falling-into-darkness]

Adham's donation campaign has hardly been progressing in the six months he's been active. Please do consider donating to him, he desperately needs help.

[tasneem-gaza05]

*⚠️ URGENT | Humanitarian Appeal to Help Tasneem and Her Family in Gaza 🇵🇸*

The suffering in Gaza continues to grow each day...

*We are hungry, thirsty, and struggling in silence under tents* ⛺☀️

We live in tents that don’t protect us from the intense summer heat, with no enough food and *no access to clean drinking water*.

Water desalination stations have shut down due to the lack of fuel — *even clean water is now out of reach* 💧💔

*Flour costs 35 per kilo*, and we can’t even afford that.

So we had to knead bread from lentils, so we had to buy it because it was a little cheaper than flour, as a kilo costs $20.

We search daily for anything to feed the children... sometimes we sleep hungry.

I’m Tasneem. I launched this appeal because we’ve lost everything…

I need your support to feed my family, continue my education, and regain our basic human dignity.

*Any help matters — even5 can make a real difference.*

Urgent Help for Tasneem

My name is Tasneem, I’m 19 years old, and I’m from Gaza.

*Please, don’t ignore this call for help 🙏*

*Save Gaza. Save the lives before they’re completely lost.*

#SaveGaza #SupportTasneem #GazaUnderAttack #HumanityFirst #GazaAppeal

[yeokii]

‎ ‎ ‎‎୧ 𝖿𝗂𝖼𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇 ‎ 𓊔‎ ‎ ‎‎ ❨ 정원 ❩ / . 𝗌𝗎𝗉𝖾𝗋 𝗋𝖾𝖺𝗅 𝗆𝖾 𐙚 ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ 🍀 LUCKY GIRL SYNDROME

‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ﹕‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ' ✿‎ look into my perfect playlist !

ʚ synopsis ɞ 。ﾟ· when luck was always by your side, you find yourself confused when everything didn't go planned when jungwon didn't fall for you charms. but lucky for you, you're not one to give up so easily!

𓈒⠀☁️ 설렘이, 설렘이, 설렘이 계속 차오르는 걸 ꒰ 𝖯𝖫𝖠𝖸𝖫𝖨𝖲𝖳 𝖵𝖨 ─── ⬩ 𝖺𝗅𝗅 𝗂 𝗇𝖾𝖾𝖽 𝗍𝗈 𝖻𝖾𝗅𝗂𝖾𝗏𝖾 𝗂𝗇 𝗆𝗒𝗌𝖾𝗅𝖿 ઇ⠀:  ۪۫𝖺𝗆𝗈𝗎𝗋 ❁ཻུ۪۪ 𝑠𝑢𝑝𝑒𝑟 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑙 𝑚𝑒 成训 `` 𝟤𝖪 𝖲𝖴𝖭𝖲𝖤𝖳𝖲 ( • 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖿𝖺𝗂𝗋𝗂𝖾𝗌 𝖺𝗌𝗌𝗈𝖼𝗂𝖺𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇 ! ིྀ )

❛ 𝗌𝗉𝗋𝗂𝗇𝗀 𓈒⠀ fluff and crack ( choking myself ) highschool au / based on lgs by illit 𝟎𝟎𝟏 ! ( nonchalant!won&fmr ) lucky girl . . 마주친 눈에, 터진 웃음에 ﹢. 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖼𝗁𝗈𝗂𝖼𝖾 𝗂𝗌 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖻𝖾𝗌𝗍

‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎𝗉𝗋𝗈𝖽 . ⬭ 𝗐𝖺𝗋𝗇𝗂𝗇𝗀𝗌 𝖿𝗈𝗋 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗅𝗎𝖼𝗄𝗒 𝗆𝗂𝗇𝖽 𝜗ৎ kissing, making out, drinking, reader gets pissed LMFAOOO, jungwon is readers main enabler, hes also a big flirt, reader lowk patronising, trust she has good character development,, everyone is of age here.

‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎𝐢𝐢. word count / seventeen thousand . 매일 ' daily click

‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎‎ 🎶 𝖺 𝗅𝗎𝖼𝗄𝗒 𝗀𝗂𝗋𝗅, 𝖾𝗏𝖾𝗋𝗒𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗐𝗈𝗋𝗄𝗌 𝗈𝗎𝗍 𝖿𝗈𝗋 𝗆𝖾. 𝖻𝗎𝗍 𝗐𝗁𝗒 𝖼𝖺𝗇'𝗍 𝗂 𝖿𝗂𝗀𝗎𝗋𝖾 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝗈𝗎𝗍? 𝗈𝗉𝖾𝗇 𝗒𝗈𝗎𝗋 𝗁𝖾𝖺𝗋𝗍 𝖿𝗈𝗋 𝗆𝖾──𝗂 𝗇𝖾𝖾𝖽 𝗍𝗈 𝗄𝗇𝗈𝗐 𝗂𝗍 𝖺𝗅𝗅. ft . enha and illit !

⌕ [ archives ] one result found . . . hallo I finished this FINALLY hai biggest shout out to soov I lidolly only wrote this for her TAM THIS IS FOR U !!!!! thanku for making me that amazing header graphic and proofreading queen !!!!! and for forcing me to write this or this would've been rotting in my google docs LMFAOO literally crashed out so many times when I wrote this but I hope u guys enjoy !!

‎ ‎ ‎‎‎ ‎ ‎‎‎ ‎ ‎‎‎ ‎ ‎‎‎ ‎ ‎‎‎ ‎ ‎‎‎ ‎ ‎‎‎ ‎ ‎‎‎ ‎ ‎‎‎ ‎ ‎‎‎ ‎ ‎‎‎ ‎ ‎‎‎ ‎ ‎‎‎ ‎‎𝗂'𝗆 𝖺 𝗅𝗎𝖼𝗄𝗒 𝗀𝗂𝗋𝗅 𝗐𝗂𝗍𝗁 𝗒𝗈𝗎 ( like and reblog! )

You have always been lucky. Whether it was getting the last banana milk in the canteen or acing tests after breezing over the history book five minutes before the exam, you had an exceeding confidence within you, making everything fall into the palm of your hand—just as you liked it.

You were her. The girl that everyone adored and aspired to be. The attention and admiration had now become second nature to you, walking into your school greeted by a few smiles and waves. You braced yourself before opening your locker, knowing there was going to be a few gifts shoved inside waiting to be opened. And just as you expected, a few letters with hearts on them and a handful of sweets were sitting in your locker. A pink lollipop rolled out and landed near your feet.

It was cute, really.

The endless amount of confessions that came rushing your way. Boys and girls falling for you made you gush at how lucky you were to be adored by everyone. You took out your books, your hands passing through the gifts that were scattered in your locker. A familiar laughter filled your ears—your best friend Minju looked at the locker with a smile on her face, like she was amused by the scene.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” Minju crossed her arms, leaning against the locker next to yours.

“Isn’t this too much for today?” she asked, eyeing the little notes with hearts doodled on them.

“Please, this is nothing compared to Valentine’s Day.” You snorted.

“Right, right. Confession letters final boss,” Minju laughed, remembering how busy you were on Valentine’s Day.

You both giggled as you headed to your literature class. The two of you entered the classroom and took your seats—Minju slid into a spot a few rows behind you.

Your back straightened against the seat and a fresh page turned on your pink notebook, you waited for the teacher to settle down to start teaching about poetic devices or whatever was in the syllabus. Everything flew smoothly for you.

The peers around you seemed a bit confused, struggling to take down notes, but with your black gel pen and the stickers you set aside, it was a piece of cake.

Academics were never a problem for you. Always present and ready to learn, mathematical formulas and physics concepts flew into your mind with ease. Your essay skills were impeccable, and many teachers were impressed with your memory. Well, no wonder you were the top student. You had everything—looks, brains, and luck by your side.

Class ended sooner than you had expected. You were already out of your seat, packing your things, waiting for Minju. You closed your notebook when someone approached you. Still focusing on your books, you didn’t bother to look up.

He cleared his throat, hands in his pocket. “Hey.”

You looked up at him with a smile, even though his face was quite unfamiliar. His hair fell in soft waves above his eyes. His lips were pouty with a soft pink dew on them. A faint blush lingered on his cheeks as if it belonged there—everything about him looked natural. From his brown eyes that met yours to his backpack that slung over his shoulder, he seemed put together.

His uniform was neatly ironed, yet he draped a gray hoodie over his frame. His shirt was tucked in his slacks, though his tie hung loosely around his neck. You looked over at his name stitched on his badge.

Yang Jungwon.

The name left an unfamiliar trace in your mind. You felt like you had seen him around, cooped up in a corner or getting banana milk with his friends, but the memories of him sat at the back of your mind. Of course, he was simply a background character in your life, simply existing, never colliding with your world.

Until now.

“What’s up?” you asked him, confusion laced in your voice.

“Uh, nothing much? Just wanted to ask you if you were free this weekend?”

Oh?

Wow, you must be on a roll today. Already getting a confession before the clock even struck nine. A confession in broad daylight. You couldn’t help the small smile that tugged the ends of your lips.

It was sweet, really. The cute nerdy guy who seemed like he has never had the courage to speak to you finally does. Though he does seem like your type, you barely knew the guy—only hearing about him from your friend’s daily gossip sessions sometimes.

He never crossed your mind once. His name falling out of your friends’ lips, your mind barely registering it, and to be forgotten in a few minutes when Minju brings up her new crush or what she had for lunch that day.

Yet here he was, standing in front of you.

A shameless yet sweet confession out of his mouth already.

“So fast? We just met.” You couldn't help but giggle.

Though, Jungwon’s face stayed the same.

“I mean, I get it,” you went on. Your voice seemed a bit too confident. “It’s not the first time this has happened. You seem like my style, really! But I mean, we don’t even know each other. I’m sure there are other girls willing to spend time with you. You seem like a great guy—handsome even.”

You offered him your signature smile—the kind that made the seniors fall on their knees and the shy boys leave letters in your locker.

Though Jungwon didn’t waver. Instead, he turned his head in confusion.

“Huh?”

How cute! He’s embarrassed.

You giggled at him. “It’s okay. You don’t have to be shy about it. Everyone has crushes. I’ve heard lots of confessions that end this way. But I think it's cute you have the courage to ask me out.”

“I’m sorry—confessions?”

You nodded.

He let out a breathy laugh and turned his head to the side, almost as if he was in disbelief. He was amused by your… confidence. Suddenly, you were the confused one.

“You thought I was asking you out?” Jungwon raised a brow.

“Weren’t you?” you said, slower this time. The confidence that was radiating out of you dimmed down and crumbled into a little ball.

Jungwon bit back his smile, shaking his head. “We’re project partners,” he explained. “Miss Bae gave the list of partners yesterday.”

Everything fell into place.

Idiot!

If only you had dragged yourself to school yesterday instead of laying in bed all day and binge-watching Gossip Girl, you wouldn't be standing here utterly humiliated. You felt like the stupidest person alive. Not only did you assume he liked you when he barely talked to you—you rejected him!

You blinked, your lips parting in horror. “Oh.”

Jungwon looked over at your name on your badge and back at your flustered face—red as ever. “Y/N, is it?”

He didn’t even know your name!

You sighed and nodded, holding your books tight. The chestnut-haired boy could only be amused by your embarrassed state.

Jungwon pursed his lips into a line, his grip on the strap of his bag tightening. “So, this weekend? I'll send you the details.”

“Huh—oh, right. For the project.” You gulped and nodded quickly, your eyes darting anywhere but at him.

“For the project,” Jungwon chuckled. “See you then.”

He turned to leave but paused at the doorway, glancing at you over his shoulder—his expression remained unreadable as always.

“And thanks for the compliment, by the way, Y/N,” Jungwon said before disappearing into the hallway.

Rejecting someone who wanted nothing to do with you romantically was probably a new low for you. What was worse was that you would have to meet him again and work with him. You gulped at the thought of it, already dreading the awkward tension you would have to face this weekend.

You groaned, looking back at your desk, only to be met with Minju’s amused face. Was she watching the entire time? Oh gosh.

Minju opening her mouth to say something was definitely a snarky remark, only for you to shut her down. “Don’t even start.”

You glared at her. Because she was the last of your worries. She wasn’t what was going to kill you.

This project was.

You would never recover from this. Ever.

Minju sat with you at lunch alongside Moka, both of them still giggling at what had happened yesterday in literature class.

“Guys, can you cut it out?” you groaned, putting your head on the table. At least the cafeteria helped drown out the whines you let out due to your embarrassment.

You were sure of it—they would write about this in the textbooks. Your face on the cover and the word “delusional” written under it in big red letters. You were always lucky. Everyone was sure of it. So why wasn’t it helping now?

You waved at the universe, looking for any sign of the luck that drowned out the moment you had your first conversation with Yang Jungwon. Why did your luck run out the moment he stepped into your world? You’d never have this problem with any other guy.

Why him? Why now? Why!

You tried to gulp your embarrassment away with the banana milk you drank, hoping it would help at least (it did not). Moka and Minju were amused—they’d never seen you like this. Heck, you’d never seen yourself like this.

You always had a smile on your face, giggling about some stupid thing. Whether it was a new David Corenswet picture or brand new gossip that had erupted from the girls’ locker room, you had never had a bad day.

Only able to sigh, you accepted your fate. This was your final form—you could only embrace it.

You raised your head again to take a sip from your miserable banana milk (much like how you felt), only to spot the same chestnut-haired boy again. That same tie that was there yesterday still hung loose around his neck. A taller boy by his side had his arm around Jungwon.

You huffed. “No seriously. Who even is he?”

Moka giggled at your state. You crossed your arms and scrunched your eyebrows as you darted your eyes over to the boys across the room.

Minju shrugged. “I’ve seen him around. Once or twice maybe. He doesn’t really talk much.”

Moka nodded at Minju’s statement. “He’s always hanging with that Riki guy.”

“Riki?” You turned your head to Moka.

Moka nodded as she ate her food, her mouth full. “He’s oddly quiet—other than with Riki. I’m surprised they’re friends when Riki’s, like, really loud.” Moka snorted, joking after gulping down her food.

Your gaze turned back to the elder boy, joking around with the younger. They both looked happy, not having a care in the world. Riki poked his chopsticks into Jungwon’s food, stealing some of his snacks while giggling.

Jungwon’s face formed a smirk, similar to the one he’d had yesterday. The shame from yesterday came wallowing back to you. The unsettling memories left a fresh stain on your mind.

“This project is going to kill me, literally!” you whined once more, pouting at your friends as you looked up at them.

“One embarrassing moment won’t end you, Y/N,” Minju reassured you.

“Yeah, welcome to the world, Y/N. People get embarrassed on the daily. C’mon, I literally tripped on air in front of Jake yesterday,” Moka joked, while Minju snorted.

“Hey, if it helps, we are going to that party later. Maybe getting wasted is what you need right now,” Moka nudged your shoulder.

Your lips twitched as you blinked at Moka. You muttered under your breath, “Maybe you’re right.” You sighed, leaning on her shoulder.

“Hell yeah, you are going to forget about him the moment you dunk down that soju,” Minju giggled enthusiastically.

Minju was right. Maybe getting absolutely drunk off cheap alcohol from Jay’s party was what you needed. Maybe—just maybe—you would finally forget about Jungwon and that stupid smirk of his that kept running around in your mind.

You brushed him out of your mind. You only had one plan now: getting absolutely wasted.

You had already downed your second drink, feeling the slight burn in your throat when Minju shoved half an empty carton in your face.

“Trust me,” she said enthusiastically as she poured the juice into your glass filled with vodka. She seemed far too excited for someone who was trying to mix alcohol with the cheapest juice she could find. “This is like, life changing.”

You could barely hear her over the speakers that shook the walls. Jake’s house was hot and stuffy, filled with teenagers who had a far lower tolerance than they bragged about. You swore you could hear someone throwing up in the corner of the house. Gross. But this was the default pack of a badly thrown party at some teenager’s house while their parents were out and about, blindly trusting their children to behave.

And you were supposed to be enjoying it.

“Minju, you just made vodka cranberry,” you deadpanned, sighing after you took a sip from the drink.

“The vodka cranberry,” she insisted, pushing the drink back to your face as she forced you to take another sip—clinking her glass against yours. “Cheers!”

So this is why Moka left the both of you the moment you stepped foot here.

One more minute with Minju would make your head explode. You knew she would be drunk off her ass in about another thirty minutes or so and you would have to hold her hair while she threw up in the toilet.

You glanced around the room for any sign of Moka, but she was nowhere to be found. That fucking genius—you should’ve known when she went to take a fifteen-minute bathroom break. The music that bounced off the walls drowned out Minju’s loud voice as you looked around the room.

Just then, your eyes landed on him. Yang Jungwon.

What the fuck?

Why was he even here? You narrowed your eyes as you watched him lean against the wall, talking to Jake.

“Y/n, look!” Minju said, unusually bubbly—the vodka had gotten to her. “It’s Jake!” She squealed like she hadn’t seen him yesterday.

Before you knew it, Jake was already waving at you both, signalling you over. Minju grabbed you, pulling you through the sweaty bodies of teenagers packed in the living room.

“Hey guys! I didn’t know you were coming.” Jake greeted you both with a grin. “Oh! By the way, have you met Jungwon?” Jake asked, his gaze flickering over towards you.

You caught Jungwon’s faint smirk out of the corner of your eye as he stared intently at you. Jungwon shoved one hand in his pocket while the other held a drink as he leaned against the wall again—his eyes never leaving you.

“Oh, she knows him alright.” Minju giggled, nudging you playfully, which made you elbow her lightly in the ribs before faking a smile.

“I’ve seen him around,” You said, your gaze falling on Jungwon for a second.

“Me too,” Jungwon said, and you could almost hear the smugness in his voice.

You swallowed the sudden tightness that settled in your throat. The air surrounding you felt warm suddenly as you looked at him again. This time, that smirk of his was replaced by a genuine smile, like he was amused to see you. His smile ran through your mind and made you weak in the knees.

Why was he already getting in your head?

“Right, I’m going to get some more drinks,” Jake said, clapping his hands before you could speak.

Minju’s eyes lit up—of course they would. She tagged along before Jake could say anything, already on her way to the kitchen.

So that just left you and Jungwon here in the corner of a stuffy living room while other teenagers were either throwing up or making out.

“You’re drinking?” you asked him.

“No, before you start assuming again, it’s grape juice.” His words brought back flashbacks you wished you could forget.

“I wasn’t—” you groaned. “I’m sorry, alright?. You would assume too if you got confessions almost every day.”

“Oh, right. Who knew the pretty girl had real problems too.” Jungwon chuckled, taking a sip of his grape juice, looking smug.

You mentally scoffed, ignoring how your heart skipped a beat when that nickname rolled out of his mouth so smoothly and the way he looked at you.

Jungwon’s smirk wasn’t just teasing you—he was enjoying watching your nervous self, like seeing you fumble over your words was peak entertainment. You caught yourself fidgeting with the hem of your tiny skirt as his words echoed through your head.

“Are you… mocking me?”

“No, I’m amused,” Jungwon corrected you.

Tilting your head slightly, you asked, “Yeah, amused how?”. For a moment you could see something flicker over his eyes before it returned to his smug self.

He leaned in closer, his eyes never leaving you. “You know, Moka and Jake are right there, waiting for you to join them,” he said, jerking his head towards the pair behind you.

“And I know you saw them.” He was insanely close to you; the distance between you and Jungwon was shrinking by the second, and every alarm in your head went off, screaming at you to step back—except you didn’t.

What shook you more was how he noticed. He noticed every single detail about you: how your hands were slightly trembling and how your eyes shifted to Moka and Jake earlier, yet you stayed still, talking to Jungwon. He read you like an open book, and that terrified you.

“Yet you’re still standing here, talking to me.” Jungwon finally looked at you again, his gaze towering over you, making your knees buckle.

Jungwon’s eyes held a thousand unspoken words, yet none of them were easy to read. You swallowed hard, your heart pounding so fiercely that Jungwon could have heard it too if he listened close enough. The music, the people, the chaos all faded into the background. At that moment, it felt like it was just you and him.

“I could ask you the same,” you whispered, barely able to hear your own voice. “Why haven’t you left?”

“Maybe I like what I’m seeing.” He had that shit-eating grin on his face again, which you wanted to rip off so badly.

Because, fuck, no matter how hard you tried to stay steady and unfazed, your heart fluttered and your mind spun. And this time, you knew it wasn’t the alcohol hitting. It was the boy in front of you making your knees weak.

By the end of that party, you learned three things: Minju was shit at taking shots, Jungwon was a big flirt, and your heart was definitely swelling.

The café seemed calm while your mind buzzed with chaos—thoughts roamed around your head, each one ending with the boy you were dreading to see: Yang Jungwon.

You sat stiffly on the chair, gulping down your matcha, surprised at yourself for getting out of bed early and spending quite an amount of time on what your outfit would be. This wasn’t like you at all.

You glanced at your phone again; ten minutes had passed yet still no sign of the boy.

So you were now early and nervous. Fuck, how much of a loser were you?

Hunching your back, you rested your head in your hands. You tried to ignore the relentless thumps ofin your heart. You were never like this. Being nervous about a boy you met less than two days ago. It felt unfamiliar and annoying, that uneasy warmth in your heart that made your stomach turn.

Usually, it was you who made people nervous. Never the other way around. You were the girl that made boys fall to your feet when you flashed them a smile. So thoughts of a boy who had ticked you off at that party not even ten hours ago made your skin crawl—or worse, it made you flustered.

You? Flustered? You’d laugh at the assumption, but then again it was true. The heat on your cheeks alone was enough to give it away. It was ridiculous. Thinking of a boy who made your knees buckle when you made others stammer and fumble their words.

With the thoughts of the boy out of your head, your fingers tapped against the ceramic mug in your hand. You remained relaxed and composed, yet your heart was pounding in your chest. All you could think of was when he’d walk through that door.

Just then, the boy you dreaded to see finally showed up—clad in a hoodie he threw on with headphones around his neck. His hair was messy yet effortlessly chic as always, and his cheeks had that same blush which you recognised from the other day—the one where you were utterly humiliated by him.

“You’re late,” you spoke, looking up at him.

“By ten minutes. I hardly call that late.” Jungwon chuckled—bringing butterflies to your stomach as he threw his bag on the table, taking a seat in front of you.

“We could’ve gone through the entire overview of the assessment by that time,” you huffed. You really didn’t know why you were already putting up a fight; maybe you wanted to raise your walls up or strengthen your defenses before he made a blushing mess out of you again.

“Sure. Whatever you say, pretty.” Jungwon pulled out his laptop, the nickname rolling off his tongue naturally, like he always called you that.

You were already blushing. Get it together!

You rolled your eyes, hoping he didn't see the warmth creeping up your cheeks. You opened your own laptop, finally starting to work.

“What part are you doing?” Jungwon asked, his eyes prying away from the screen.

“The research. You’ll be handling the analysis and the conclusions,” you said, typing away on your keyboard, wishing he’d stop looking at you like that.

“Mhm,” he hummed. The more you looked at him—through the secret glances amidst your typing—the more effortlessly handsome he looked. Fuck, you couldn’t let him get to your head.

You tried to focus, typing a few notes here and there and jumping to different websites from time to time, yet you couldn’t shake that feeling off your head.

That feeling when your heart skipped a beat whenever he looked in your direction. Your ears grew red whenever he muttered something under his breath or whenever he made a flirty remark, calling you pretty again like it was the easiest thing in the world.

“Does this make sense?” you asked him, pointing at your laptop.

His eyes shifted in a second; he looked at you and then your laptop. He needed a better look, so what better than to sit next to the empty seat beside you. Without another thought, he plopped right into the chair beside you, his shoulders brushing over yours.

“Hmm? Which one?” he said, his eyes scanning over the document.

“This part. I think I should be a bit more specific, but it could be interpreted in many ways, you know,” you explained, your hand steady on the mouse as you pointed to the paragraph you’d been eyeing for the past few minutes.

“Yeah, but it’d help if you made it clearer,” Jungwon said, leaning over to see your screen better. “Like this part.” He said, his hand slowly sliding over yours on top of the mouse and dragging it around to highlight some words.

Jungwon was going to be the death of you.

The document in front of you was long forgotten; you could only think about the boy next to you and how he held your hand. His palm was soft and warm. The background music from the café became a blur as the faint chatter faded into the background.

It felt like time stopped and you could only hear your heartbeat. And you were pretty sure he could hear it too.

“You don’t have to be this nervous, pretty.” He whispered, not looking at you but his hand stayed on top of yours, not moving an inch.

“I’m not—don’t call me that.” You muttered, a desperate whine escaping your lips before you could stop it.

He only chuckled at you. “You’re shaking.” Jungwon finally met your gaze with a lazy smile. He was way too close. Like if he moved another inch closer, your heart would explode.

The boy looked down at your legs which were slightly shaking to the side. A chuckle escaped his lips as he looked back at you, knowing you basically proved his point.

“Relax, it’s just me.” He said, this time his smile wasn’t teasing—It was soft and genuine. Like he wanted to ease your mind, which wasn’t helping.

Instead, you were a mess inside. Your breath hitched as your fingers tightened around the mouse. The composure you’d held until now was fleeting away. He was calm and you were the exact opposite. Chaotic and a blushing mess.

Relax, it’s just me.

The words replayed in your head as he looked at you. It was just him, and that’s what frightened you.

Meeting him once already sent your heart to cardiac arrest, but meeting him multiple times over the days prior to the presentation; you ascended into the afterlife. Though there wasn’t any tension between you too, there was a warm feeling rising over you that you couldn't exactly put your finger on. 

You’d smile at his silly jokes he’d crack when he’d get bored of whatever he was typing down and your heart would slightly flutter when your hands brushed against him.

You swore your heart skipped a beat when he pulled out a chair next to him for you to sit and when he would adjust your work with your laptop, leaning over so he could get a better look. You were slightly embarrassed ( that was an understatement, you were tomato red ) when your cheeks felt warm after his cologne filled your nostrils. 

After working with Jungwon over the weekends and during the evenings after school, you came straight to bed hating the entire time you spent with him, but why were you waiting for the next time you saw him?

It was all a big mess in your heart—you didn't like the boy but you blush every time he looks at you. You hated thinking about him yet he always finds a place in your mind. You hated that little smile he does whenever he glances over at you or whenever he teasingly crosses out whatever you wrote on your shared google docs. So why did it bring a smile to your face? The boy you loathed and swore to make him feel the humiliation you felt bringing butterflies to your stomach?

Over the weeks, he had grown increasingly comfortable with you. Instead of sitting in front of you, he’d now take his place beside you claiming it was ‘easier to see your work’. With shared earbuds, drinks with two straws in one and far too many accidental brushes of his hand against yours—your heart was completely doomed. 

Jungwon had caught you staring sometimes. Sometimes was an understatement, it was many times actually. Yet he never said anything. That stupid smirk was on his face again whenever you looked at his direction a bit too long. It was like he knew, he knew the mess going on in your head and the relentless thuds from your heart. 

It wasn’t fair. It was never fair. The way he leaned in to hear you better and how he always smelled like vanilla and cologne. The way his voice dropped whenever your name rolled off his tongue like it was made for him. 

But it was especially unfair when he called you ‘pretty’.

He had no right to make your heart beat like this whenever he called you his adored nickname. ‘Pretty’ was the name he’d give to the girl he loves, not to you. Not to the girl who mistook his conversation for a confession. 

What you didn’t like the most about Jungwon was how he noticed you. Not the girl you claimed to be—the pretty, lucky junior who made boys fall to her feet.

It was the girl who secretly liked watching Gossip Girl and always snacked on sweets at midnight. It wasn’t Miss Perfect with Jungwon, it was just you. Just Y/n. You never had to be someone else, someone the world had wanted. He never expected anything from you— not your perfect image or the version of yourself that you put out. 

Sure, you loved being confident and a girl everyone adored, but a routine that had been your second skin was tiring. Knowing you could never step out of that without other people criticizing you was suffocating.

But with him, everything changed. Your laughs had become more genuine, your eyes had that glimmer in them that meant something. It was the real you.

“You know, you do that thing with your nose when you’re focused.” Jungwon had said once. It was a casual observation that you knew no one had noticed.

“What thing?” You turned your head towards him.

“That little scrunch. Like this.” He scrunched his own nose, showing you.

You blinked, letting out a breathy laugh. “No I don’t!”

“Hmm, but you do. It’s cute, really.” He said with that same teasing smirk. With that he returned to his work, acting like it wasn’t a big deal not knowing your heart kept pounding for the next few minutes. 

You weren’t used to that.

You were never really used to being seen. Never really used to being noticed past that perfect girl facade. You were just a lucky girl in front of everybody's eyes—a thing with Jungwon was to his eyes, you were Y/n. The girl who always took the last chip whenever he shared a snack ( which he leaves it for ) and the girl whose eyes lit up whenever she finished a part of the project. 

He got to know you. Through your stupidly cute anecdotes or your habits like doodling on the side of his notes. He’d catch himself smiling at the little things you wrote on his book when he went back home or how you’d be rambling along about something that happened in your day.

“Minju genuinely hates me, I swear!” You sighed, typing something on your document.

You kept rambling on about something that happened at school, “Why would she put me on the spot like that? In front of the teacher too!” Jungwon leaned his hand on his palm, completely disregarding his work.

Jungwon watched you with an amused smile, “I mean, you did forget the work. You’re lucky  he gave you an extension.” He said, tilting his head slightly.

You looked at him, “You’re taking her side?”

“No, I’m just saying.” He shrugged, innocently.

You darted your eyes at him, “And when I thought I needed you. You take someone else’s side. Wow.” You sigh, a pout forming on your lips.

“You know I'd take your side, pretty.” Jungwon looked straight at your eyes. His hand slowly came up near your face, tucking a stray strand of hair behind your ear. “All I’m saying is let her go this once.”

You stopped breathing. 

He was so close to you. So close. The world around you blurred until it was only the two of you—sitting in that cafe. Your breath hitched as his fingers brushed ever so lightly against your cheek as he retrieved it back.

You swallowed hard, looking away as his smile deepened. “Whatever. Get back to work, Wonie.” You muttered, trying to ignore that unfamiliar feeling in your chest.

Before you realized, you let out a nickname that was unfamiliar to you. But now it was too late to take it back. Jungwon on the other hand froze. His smile shifted into something different, something softer. 

“What did you call me?” His eyes gleamed as his voice dropped. Jungwon tilted his head, his tone playful as he looked at you with that little grin of his. 

You blinked. “No–nothing!” You looked away as you stammered over your words. Gosh, he was never going to let this go.

“No, you called me something.” Jungwon’s voice was soft, he seemed to actually like what you said. So much so, that your heart fluttered at his dashing smile. “Wonie.” He smiled, saying it outloud. “I like it, you should call me that more often.” 

You groaned, hiding your face in your hands. “Don’t make it a thing!”

“Nope, too late.” He chuckled as he crossed his arms. “Wonie’s my name now, right, pretty?”

“Whatever.” You mumbled, getting back to your work. 

But your breath hitched, you could feel your throat tightening as you looked at him. He didn’t seem bothered by it at all. He leaned back against his chair as he turned to his laptop, starting to type again. 

Was he ever oblivious to the fact that he made you crazy? Did he realize that your heart swelled up whenever he was around or how your cheeks turned red when he looked at you with those eyes.

He never knew how you felt when his voice softened when talking to you—or how he noticed every little thing about you that other people would look past by. He always listened, even if it was as stupid as Minju snitching on you or how you were almost late to class. 

You looked back at Jungwon, leaned back against the chair and focused on his screen. He always managed to look this effortlessly good. Like he didn’t care about anything yet making your heart run marathons. 

You almost caught yourself smiling yet you stopped yourself before Jungwon would catch you staring at him. You turned back to your screen, only being able to focus on the work at hand rather than thinking about the boy next to you.

Minutes passed into hours and before you knew it, you were already done with going through the slides. The busy cafe from a while back had now emptied with the sunny sky turning into a dusky lavender. The stars had begun to set on the sky as the moon was visible enough. 

You stretched your arms back as you let out a quiet sigh, “I’m done.” you muttered, closing your laptop after saving everything. 

“Perfect timing,” Jungwon flashed a smile at you, as he closed his laptop. 

“You’re going home?” You said, seeing his pace while packing his bag.

To your surprise, he only shook his head no. “I can’t go home. I have to drop you off.” He said, a soft smile still on his face as he looked at you after packing his bag. 

“Jungwon, you don’t have to do that.” You glanced at him as you slung your tote bag over your shoulders. 

You both walked out the cafe, you followed him out as he opened the door for you. “You know I can’t let you go out alone this late.”

“You do realize I’m not a kid.” You scoffed at him, crossing your arms as you walked by him.

“Are you sure?” He snickered, making you pout.

You hit his shoulder lightly, “You’re so annoying.” You muttered. 

He only smiled at you, looking at your pouty face the entire time like he was enjoying teasing you. 

The city around you felt quieter now. The traffic had subsided, the buzz around the streets calming down. The wind brushed against your legs, your arms involuntarily shivered as you rubbed your hands up and down both your arms.

Jungwon without saying a word, removed his jacket and pulled it over you. You blinked as you looked around yourself as he came closer to put it on you. Your confused face was soon replaced by a blush. “Jungwon—you didn’t have to do that. I’m not that cold.”

“Sure, let’s act like you’re not freezing.” He chuckled.

You rolled your eyes playfully with a smile on your face as you quietly thanked him, pulling the jacket even closer to your body. His jacket smelt faintly of cologne—his scent. His gesture left you melting, though you could never show it.

“You’re so…hard to figure.” You said, breaking the silence. The thought slipped out of your mind, with his gesture being the one to push you to it.

“Hm?” He glanced at you, his hands reaching into his pockets.

“I mean, you don’t seem like the boy I met that day in class.” You uttered. 

“Ah, you mean the boy that got rejected without even confessing.” 

You sighed, hoping he’d already forgotten about it. “Seriously, let that go!”

“No, it’s one of our core memories now.” He looked at you with that shit-eating smile again.

“Well, you looked like you were about to! And how was I supposed to know? That was the first time you’ve talked to me. Before that, I thought you were like really cold and cut off from the world.”

He giggled at your words, “You thought I was cold?”

You shrugged as you walked on the cobble path, kicking a stone on the way. “You barely talked in class. I’m pretty sure I only knew you because of Minju.” You glanced at him. 

“Well you know me enough now to know I’d never be cold, not to you, pretty.” He smiled at you, not knowing he just made your heart flutter.

You mentally screamed, trying to keep your composure in front of him. “Seriously…I’d have to ask about a thousand questions to figure you out.” Your comment piqued his interest.

“Ask away.”

You glanced at him, caught off guard by whether he was being serious or not. He looked back at you, not with those teasing eyes anymore. He looked genuine. A sincere gaze on you, making your heart do backflips. 

You blinked, needing a moment before you were sure you could ask the question that had been gnawing at you for ages. “Why do you always call me pretty?”

Jungwon was quiet, like the question caught him off guard. But then, at the corner of your eyes you saw a small, faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips. “Because you are. You’re very pretty.”

Jungwon said those words with ease, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Seeing you around the hallways with a wide smile and you focused with that little scrunch on your nose made you the prettiest girl to him. 

Trying to hide the fact that you were already blushing hard, you let out a small laugh trying not to believe him. “Be serious.”

“I am serious. Everytime I see you at school, with your friends. You seem so fit for it. Though I didn’t notice you then. But it was when you were quiet. When you felt like yourself, I just thought you were a really pretty girl.”

You didn’t even realize you stopped walking before his words hit you. “You’re pretty like this. You’re pretty always but especially like this.” 

You stared at him, stunned. No one had ever spoken to you like this before. Not without an angle or expecting something. It wasn’t a compliment that was passed by with your friends during lunch or soft nothings that were whispered to you during parties.

You broke the silence, “This is my house.” You looked at the gate. “I should get going. “ You sent him a tight smile.

“I should go before your Mom thinks I kidnapped you.” Jungwon joked.

You laughed, a faint flush showing on your face before you realized. “Oh right, your jacket.”

“No, keep it. You look better with it.”

“Jungwon…” He managed to leave you speechless again. What could you even say? That he was sweet? That he made your heart race? He only shrugged like it was nothing. Like he hadn't just lit up something in you and made your entire week. 

“Thank you, for this… and for tonight.” You smiled at him, a shy but genuine smile.

The boy only shook his head, brushing it off. “Anytime.”

“Goodnight, Wonie.” You opened the gate and faced him one last time. You could barely hear your own voice. 

“Goodnight, pretty.” He said, his tone was warm and familiar. And with that he left as you closed the gate. 

You stood there for a moment, trying to process what just happened. Your fingers curled around the edges of his jacket, the one that brought butterflies to your stomach and the warmth you so needed. 

The night felt calm for the first time in quite a long period. It was rare to see the Moon so still and everything grounded. And you knew why. You knew the reason was the boy that made your heart flutter a few minutes earlier.

It wasn’t his actions that stirred something in you, it was his words. It was how he saw you. It was real. Everything he said to you before was what was in his mind. Your heart thudded so hard, it made your fingers twitch at your sides.

You gulped as his words played in your mind again and again. His words were the type to make you feel seen. Under all those perfect words people called you or the eyes that looked at you with admiration, it was just a girl that was trying to get on with another day of her life trying to meet everyone’s expectations.

You weren’t used to this and you think you might never get used to it. To be seen without the word ‘perfect’ or ‘lucky’. To be known as Y/n and not anything else. To have a real personality that you could share proudly. You could never get used to it when you grew up chasing people’s views of what they saw you as in your mind and never what you wanted to be. 

To say that you were shaking was an understatement, your heart was fully pounding. And it wouldn’t stop. Your cheeks were warm and your stomach turned. This wasn’t because of the presentation you were currently doing, but because Jungwon was so close to you. Your shoulder brushed against his arm as he slightly bumped into you while explaining the slides.

It felt maddening—the way he alone made you this nervous without even uttering one word to you. When it was your turn to present, your fingers tightened on the iPad in your hands as you tried to keep composure and breeze through the slides easily.

And you were doing so good, amazing even. You tried to focus on the slide in front of you, looking back and forth between the class and the screen, but Jungwon leaned in ever so slightly as he adjusted his laptop and whispered, “You’re doing good.”

You swear you choked. You breath hitched as your eyes glanced at him for a split second. Clearing your throat, you continued on with your presentation, trying to focus. By the time you reached to the end, your palms felt sweaty and your head felt light. Jungwon stared at you the entire time with a faint smile on his face, his eyes not leaving you once. 

A polite wave of applause ( war flashbacks ) rose across the class as you flashed a smile, thankful that you were done. As you returned to your seat beside Jungwon, you finally could breathe as you sat down.

“Oh my gosh, I was about to pass out.” Though he would never know it was because of him and not the presentation.

Jungwon turned to look at you with that smile of his, “Really? You couldn’t tell at all.”

You let out a small laugh as you tucked your hair behind your ear. “I guess so. It was kinda hard since I was so nervous, but I guess I worked past it.” You grinned.

“Oh yeah?” His gaze deepened, he looked almost proud. “Good girl.” 

Oh my gosh. You almost lost it. You blinked at the boy beside, wondering if you heard that correctly. He only turned back and looked at the front of the class, not knowing his words made your heart swell twice the size it was. He was messing up your head without even knowing it. 

You looked away quickly, your eyes darting to the screen as you hoped he wouldn't see the rising heat on your cheeks. It took everything in you to not collapse in front of the whole class. All it took was one phrase, one look to make your stomach turn and your heart flip.

And it wasn't fair how easily he got you blushing. You busied yourself and continued listening to the lecture. You just hoped he didn't catch how you would glance at him every now and then, and how your ears would turn slightly red when his arm brushed against yours.

Class wrapped up sooner than you expected, comments about poems and proses died down as you stood up from your chair. You felt a small wave of relief wash over you. The boy next to you slung his bag over his shoulder as he waited for you to arrange your things.

Before you even knew it, a classmate approached you—the tall boy with a charming smile, everyone knew him and everyone liked him. “Y/n, your presentation was flawless by the way. You always manage to pull it off.”

And just like that, the switch flipped.

Your relaxed shoulders straightened and you put on a smile that never reached your eyes. You tucked a loose strand behind your ear as you replied, “You’re too sweet. I wouldn’t call it flawless, but thank you. I’ll accept your compliment this once.” You giggled. 

“Just once?” He joked, as he tilted his head slightly.

“Well, I can’t accept all compliments. My ego would be too big.” The laugh you gave was polite. It was short, it was rehearsed. You commented just enough for small talk, but nothing further than that. It was like muscle memory. It was the cost of being the perfect, adored girl.

But from the corner of your eye, you could see Jungwon. He had this smile on his face. One you haven’t seen before. It was more of an amusement rather than his regular one. He seemed surprised, almost like he was seeing an entirely different person. As the classmate left, you faced him. He raised an eyebrow as he met your eyes.

“What?” You asked him, confused.

“Nothing.” He dismissed it. “I’m starving, do you want to go eat? I know this good place down the street that serves pho.”

You nodded as your lips formed into a tight smile, “That sounds good.” 

The walk to the restaurant was quiet enough for your thoughts to roam. Jungwon next to you seemed completely oblivious to the heart ache you were having. He seriously cannot be this blind to how you blushed at almost anything he did.

Or he knew exactly how your heart swelled every time he called you pretty. He knew how you would internally melt whenever he did those small gestures that you didn’t even think he’d notice. Maybe he knew it all along and just didn’t say anything—and that somehow made it even worse.

The little pho place was tucked at the end of the street, next to a bakery. It seemed quiet and warm, you could already taste the pho from here. You entered the restaurant, the bell above you chimed as Jungwon opened the door and led you in.

You settled for a quiet spot, near the window and away from the crowd. Jungwon slid on the seat across yours. He barely glanced at the menu while you took yours in your hands and zoomed through it. It seemed like he visited this place a lot.

“You come here a lot?” You asked, breaking the silence.

Jungwon who was looking out the window finally looked at you, “Yeah, this place is quiet. Helps me think.”

“About?” Your curiosity piqued. “You talk like you're a philosopher, Wonie” You giggled. 

Jungwon let out a quiet laugh, his eyes crinkled as he shaked his head. “Well, mostly things in my life. Just when I need to get some peace and quiet.” 

Your shoulders relaxed as you leaned against your chair, “So what? This is your escape? The place that serves pho?” You asked, looking around.

“It might not be much, but it helps.” He shrugged, his hands played with the ends of his hoodie.

You almost seemed to notice Jungwon—you noticed his stillness against the buzz of the restaurant. His edges softened here, his guard let down and his thoughts flew all around the place, they were all raw and real. He seemed effortless to your eyes, but here, he felt like another boy who came to eat pho and nothing more. He almost seemed distant to the boy that bruised your ego weeks ago. 

The butterflies in your stomach rested, the blush on your face faded. The warmth that rested on your chest wasn't as uneasy as it was. You weren’t nervous. No, not anymore. You felt comfortable. 

You let yourself go from the facade that you held up. Your smile came easier, they reached your eyes and your laughs felt full and real as Jungwon and you both joked. Words from each other fell rhythmically like a harmonious ballad, 

When the waiter arrived, Jungwon let out his order without looking twice at the menu, “You should get the beef pho.” He suggested.

“Yeah? Is it good?” You said, skimming through the menu.

“Mhm,” He nodded. “You’d like it,” He said it like he knew you. Maybe he really did. 

Maybe he listened to all those pointless rants you said during the time you spent together. Maybe he knew what you liked and disliked by heart and maybe, just maybe, he saw you for who you really are. For the girl that wasn’t attached to the title of being the perfect and luckiest girl. 

“Hm, I'll trust you on this one.” You muttered before you ordered your meal.

The waiter left quickly, the gentle hum of the restaurant settled around you. The soft edge of the lights reflected against Jungwon, you had to double take—was he glowing?

Every time you looked at him, he looked more perfect. The few flaws he had completely disappeared. You had to pinch yourself to know if this was real, if he was real. Snap out of it, this isn’t like you. Or that’s what you thought, this isn’t like you.

It was never like you to think of a boy for more than a week. But Jungwon has been roaming around in your mind for longer than you knew. The faint voice of the boy had rested on your mind during countless nights, his face showing up in thoughts you would have throughout the day.

You were even daydreaming. Daydreaming! The all perfect girl, who usually other people dreamed about was now falling into the charms of the quiet boy across from her.

You were doomed. Your heart knew it before you. It knew from the moment he cornered you in Jake’s party. The way his body leaned close but not enough to make you uncomfortable, just enough to make you nervous.

His eyes lingered for more than needed, itching to say what was on his mind. His lips twitched whenever you spoke, a smile broke through even though it was the most pointless thing you’d say. It was how calm he acted when your head was a mess. He brought the stillness to your chaos. He was the balance to the commotion in your life—the fresh breath in a life that was rehearsed for you. 

This was the dangerous thing about Jungwon, he never seemed like the boy that would distract you, he never seemed to disrupt your world. He wasn’t loud, he wasn’t chaotic. He was quiet, he kept to himself a lot. He was just there, in the midst of everything. Everyone else was rushing, in a hurry but to you, he was still. His feet didn’t move once, Jungwon was grounded. Maybe that's why he was so collected. He didn’t let anyone else pull him aside. He stayed through the buzz of the crowd. He stayed still.

Jungwon never saw the world the way the others did. His eyes showed him a different view. An almost calm one, a one with no expectations, just raw and real feelings. It was the one that felt like himself the most. And there, he saw you. You, the girl who was true to herself and not the ones everyone else expected you to be. 

He saw the girl who smiled genuinely, the girl who’d be sad when she was. Who felt angry and frustrated when she wanted to be. Who’d laugh at the silliest things.

She was the girl who wanted to feel whatever she wanted. Not rehearsed feelings handed on a silver platter. Not practiced smiles or polished mannerisms. No, it was the girl who had emotions that a real human felt. It wasn’t one that belonged to a porcelain doll. It was hers. 

You looked at Jungwon, he was leaning back slightly against his chair. “Why haven’t you showed me this place before?” You asked, knowing this could have been a place you both studied at.

“I don’t really bring people here.” His gaze fixed on you with a smile. “I mean, I brought Riki here once, but he was too loud—I’m pretty sure the owner glared at him multiple times.” He chuckled.

“Oh, I should be lucky that I got to come here with you.” You nodded, looking around and taking in the smell of the rich food around you.

“I wouldn’t call that lucky. Maybe I brought you here because I like you.” His smile stayed on. “I don’t talk to a lot of people, my only friends are probably Jake, Riki and the librarian. It’s kinda unexpected that I’m here with you.”

You titled your head, “Unexpected?”

“Mm, I didn’t expect to like you, Y/n.” Jungwon muttered. “I don’t think you did either. But I'm glad I’m here with you.”

“You’re right.” You said, playing with the rim of your glass absentmindedly. “You made me see a lot of things about me. Things I didn't even know I had.” You giggled, realizing how much of a blind eye you turned to yourself. “It’s just… I don’t have to pretend. It’s comfortable being around you, not exhausting.”

“Good,” Jungwon whispered. “I don’t want you to be someone else around me. I want you to be you.” Every word he said tugged at your heart as you swallowed your breath.

Just then, two steaming bowls of pho arrived—the waiter set them in front of you. You took in the scent of the rich broth as you brought your bowl near you. You picked up your chopsticks to take a bite.

Jungwon seemed to be enjoying his food, well he’s been here long enough to know the food was good. “This is amazing, Wonie.” You say, your eyes widening as the taste of the broth settles in your mouth. 

He giggles as he places a piece of his chicken in your bowl, “I’m glad you like it, pretty. Eat this too.” You took the piece of meat he placed in your bowl and gulped it down. 

“You really have good taste. I need to come here more often.” You said, taking another bite.

Jungwon laughed at your enthusiasm. “Sure, we can come here more often.” 

Your full cheeks slightly reddened as you heard him mention you both. “You’re a really good eater and I’m glad I’m eating pho here with you in a restaurant. It’s not everyday I get to eat a delicious meal with a pretty girl.”

“Shush,” You said, hiding your smile. 

You didn’t realize but there was a small splash of broth near your lips. As you continued talking, you noticed Jungwon’s smile as he laid his head against his palm. 

“What? Why’re you looking at me like that?” You asked.

“Nah, you got something.” Jungwon was swift as he leaned over to wipe off the broth with his thumb and bring it to his lips. He licked it off and went back to eating like it was the most normal thing ever. 

Now you were fully blushing. His actions made your heart strings tug violently. If only he could stop being the biggest gentleman and flirt in the world, your heart would finally have a rest. 

A few moments later, Jungwon finally spoke. “So, what’s your escape?” Jungwon asked, picking up from the question you asked him earlier.  

You paused for a minute, your chopsticks hovering over the bowl. You looked at Jungwon as the warm steam from the pho clouded your face slightly. For once, you thought of answering what was on your mind, instead of practiced words flowing out your mouth.

“I guess, I don’t really have one.” You said as you dunked your chopsticks in the bowl. “I grew up like this. I don’t think I know how to act like anything else other than this. I guess, I thought this was the real me for the longest time, but it's hard—exhausting even.” You sighed, knowing every day was a routine for you to act according to the title that was given to you. “I don’t have a place to be the real me. It seems pathetic, I know.”

“No it's not.” Jungwon’s voice was soft, almost reassuring. “Even though you can’t find the real you doesn’t make it any less real. It’s still there, I know it.” 

“You’re just saying that.” You tried to brush it off.

“Pretty, I’m being honest. I haven't been around you for long, but…well I don't know, but I don't think I’ve seen you laugh that loud. Or be so you. It seems different when you act around your friends and around me.” Jungwon confessed. 

“But…if you want a place, you can always come here. Even if it’s not with me. It’s a place that brought me the most calmness, and it might to you as well."

The thing is, you don’t think it's the place that made you calm. It was the boy in front of you. You denied your feelings for the longest time, but you don’t think you could keep it contained for any second longer. Whenever you were with him, you were always the real you, the real Y/n. 

For the first time in a while, you are finally allowed to admit it. To admit that the warmth in your heart wasn’t the unfamiliarity of Jungwon, but it was something more tender, more deeper.

It was love. It was the warmth that rested in your chest during those late evenings when you both studied together. It was the swell in your heart when he acted like a gentleman.

You were falling—deep and hard for Jungwon. You fell into the charm of his smile, his kindness and how he could see past your walls and into your heart.

In that moment, you realized that this wasn’t admiration or friendship, it was something you couldn’t deny anymore.

You were falling for Yang Jungwon.

You were sure of this, you’ve been wanting to do it for a long time. Well, it’s been a week since you were at the restaurant with Jungwon, only growing closer to the boy from there. Every shared glance, every laugh, every late night text only made your heart flutter even more. 

Nothing changed after the project, he still looked at you with that stupid smile on his face and he still called you pretty—like he meant it. Your heart only grew from all the useless but silly conversations you’d have with the boy. You couldn’t ignore that feeling in your heart anymore, it was too hard for you to turn a blind eye towards. 

Minju saw how you got all cheery around him, she saw how you let your guard down around him. How your smiles were softer, less practiced. You saw how you were growing closer and closer to the boy. It was dangerous how you were letting him in your heart. 

It was reckless even. The kind of recklessness that made you put your guard down and the kind that made you ignore the little voice in your head that told you to take a step back and remember who you were. The ‘you’ that was practiced and perfect. But you didn’t want that, not anymore. 

Not when Yang Jungwon made you feel alive and free. You wanted to live in the moments when Jungwon’s gaze lingered on you for a little longer. You cherished all those times he called you ‘pretty’ even though you acted annoyed whenever he said it. You replayed the moment where you realized you fell for the boy under the dimly lit pho restaurant. 

So you decided, you made up your mind that you weren’t keeping these lingering feelings floating anymore. You had to tell him. To tell him the words that had been breaking out of your heart, to tell him that your heart belonged to him from now on. To show him that it was Jungwon who’d you think about at the end of each day.

That’s how you ended up in front of the basketball court. The court seemed empty as the  sunlight spilled on the shiny floor. You could hear the thump of the basketball on the hard floors echoing throughout the room with the sounds of sneakers squeaking against the floor. 

You watched Jungwon from afar. He looked effortlessly good as always. The strands of his bangs stuck to his forehead as his uniform sleeves were rolled up, showing off his lean forearms. His shirt stuck to his chest, slightly damp with sweat. He seemed immersed in playing it by himself. 

He didn’t notice you—not until you called his name. 

His eyes lightened as he smiled wide. Before catching the ball he bounced it one more time. “Pretty!” He lifted his head, grinning as you headed to him. 

“Why’re you here?” He started dribbling again, slowly. “You play basketball?”

You giggled softly as you shook your head, “No. I haven’t ever.” He smiled, looking at your face before successfully throwing the ball in the hoop.

“I came here to talk actually.” You looked at the floor, not being able to look at the boy.

“Ah, figured.” He chuckled as he dribbled the ball in rhythmic beats. “Shoot.”

This was it. This was your shot.

“I was wondering if you wanted to get dinner sometime.” You let out, struggling through the uneasy feeling that rested in your stomach.

“Sure pretty, we can go to that pho restaurant or what about the new place that serves steak?” He smiled, his eyes warm as a day.

“Jungwon, I meant as a date. A romantic one.” You quickly added before you could regret everything. “I like you.” You swallowed.

What fell after your confession was complete silence. 

“Y/n…” His voice was gentle, not louder than a whisper. He hesitated to find the words, knowing that it would break you.

“I’m sorry,” This was all he could say. It was all Jungwon could do to let you down. The words struck to your heart like a knife as it pierced through.

You bit your lips finally looking at him. You prayed to God that he wouldn’t see the tears that threatened to pour out of your eyes. Jungwon froze, not knowing what to do. 

He came closer, his hand twitched as it tried to reach out to you, but you backed away. You backed away from the pain before it would make you crumble right in front of the boy you liked. 

“Forget it, I should go.” You muttered, turning your heel before that crack in your voice would betray you. 

“Y/n…” Jungwon called out your name, his voice softer now.

You walked out the court, without looking back. The ache in your throat now burned with a sour taste. Your chest heaved as you tried not to let the tears from your eyes fall. Blinking hard, the echoes of the pain that struck your heart in the court kept lingering around your heart; a mockery of your failure.

You didn’t know what you hated the most, how he let you down so slowly or how he still said your name like it meant everything to him. He held your heart in his hands and carelessly let it slip, not knowing how easily you gave it to him—under the dim lights of the pho restaurant, when he seemed to be your boy just for a moment.

It was never supposed to be like this, you weren’t supposed to fall for him in the first place.

You were the lucky girl, lucky at every turn; with your friends, with your grades and with everything that mattered. So why not with him? Why didn’t he fall for your charms like everyone else did? Why did he slip through the cracks of your highly built walls? Why did he see past that perfected smile?

Jungwon, the only one that saw you for who you were now recklessly dangled your heart around him. He never seemed to like you, something you couldn’t understand why. He was your ‘friend’. But somewhere between the endless study sessions, the lines of friendship and love began to blur. You seemed confused on why a friend would listen to every single detail of your silly stories or walk you home, giving you his jacket even if he was cold. 

You wanted to laugh at yourself. How foolishly in love were you. How naive. The kindness he’d lend over to you was soon mistaken for love. The sparkle in his eyes you noticed was just the affection for a friend. Surely it was.

Luck carried you through everything. Through the hardest moments, when you thought you couldn’t get out of a situation it would swoop in and save you. But the last thing you felt right now was lucky. Soon realizing that love didn’t come with luck, it never did. 

But Gosh, did it hurt to learn it this way. 

Minju and Moka knew it from the moment you walked to them out on the field with a dull face. It was never like you to carry yourself with such a monotonous face, that’s basically coming empty handed to someone’s birthday. What made them terrified was how your perfect posture had a slight hunch to it and the perfect pretty girl plopped herself beside them, with a sigh.

You actually sighed. 

Minju gulped, “Is it, like, safe to talk to you?” She slowly asked, not knowing what she might’ve gotten herself into. 

You shot her a glance, unknowingly a mean one which she mentally winced at. You were just tired. Tired from crying yourself to sleep last night and tired from the heartbreak that stupid boy caused. 

“You’re not going to explode right now, yeah?” Moka added, praying to God that she defuses the time bomb in front of her before it nukes the entire class. Moka bit her lip, knowing she had so much to live for and she couldn't let her life be cut short. Dramatic? yes, but also very needed when you sat there with a sulky pout.

“Why are you guys acting like someone died?” You sighed again. Gosh, they were done for.

“Well, did they?” Minju blinked looking at your state.

“Yes, me.” You said shortly before letting your head rest in your hands.

“Mind telling your best friends what happened?” Moka titled her head, trying to get a better look at your covered face. 

You gulped, you would have to tell them some time. You raised your head as you finally looked at them. This is so embarrassing, your face turned red at the thought.

“Jungwon…rejectedme.” You said, fast enough hoping they didn’t hear.

“Wait—what?” Minju spoke up, double checking if she heard that correctly.

“Jungwon, the boy I liked, rejected me! There, I said it. That’s what happened, he rejected me and continued playing fucking basketball like it was no big deal.” You were sure your face was red by now, not by embarrassment but anger. Gosh, if you could see that brown haired boy just to choke him.

“Hold on, you liked him?” Moka said, mindlessly not knowing about the fact that you’ve been crushing hard on the boy for the past few weeks.

Minju nudged Moka’s shoulder at her obliviousness, “You idiot! How didn’t you realize? She was practically foaming whenever he was around.”

“Yeah well it doesn’t matter anymore. The only thing that does is shooting balls in fucking hoops, apparently.” You groaned, the memories of the days before flushing straight to your mind.

Gosh, you were never going to live that down. 

Minju saw your sulky face, her face roamed over your eyes. “No way, don’t tell me you actually cried.” She said, a pout forming on her face.

You blinked at her. “No I didn’t.” You said, lying straight out of your teeth.

“You did!” Moka joined in, putting her hand over your shoulder for some form of comfort. “He’s seriously got you wrapped around his finger. I never thought I'd see Y/N be so down  bad.” 

“I don’t care anymore.” You sulked as you buried your face in your palms. 

“Cheer up, you don’t need him anyway.” Minju reassured you, rubbing your arm.  “He’s just a boy, it’s his loss he lost the prettiest girl.”

Prettiest girl. That name struck straight through your heart without any warning. The name you blushed at every time it left his mouth now only stung. It echoed with the familiarity that you hated now.

Jungwon had said it so many times that it was your second name by now, but what you never knew was he meant it every single time. Jungwon always liked being honest. He said what was on his mind. Whenever he called you pretty, he meant it with his heart. You felt it too, his sincerity, how genuine he was when he talked to you. 

And for a while, you believed it. You believed that maybe at least in his eyes, you were pretty. Not in the way that most people see you. Not how passerbys take a double look at you, but you as a whole. He saw a pretty girl when you were the real you. The nickname that he gave you now haunts you—a faint reminder of how he looked at you like you were his, how gentle he was with you, how he let you down slowly. 

Now you were sitting with your friends on the field, wallowing on how he crushed you. Somehow, through these past few days, he never really left your mind. Jungwon always found a place at the back of your mind, lingering around with the pain of your heartbreak as well.

Soon after, Minju and Moka left you on the bleachers by yourself after you asked for some time alone. The sun peaked behind the clouds as the breeze ran through your hair.

The field was quiet except for some distant chatter of boys wrapping up on football practice. You sat there, your mind still dazed as your chin rested on your palm. You weren’t one to ever sulk, especially over some stupid boy, yet here you were blankly looking at the grass in front of you without a thought in your head. 

Right then, you heard soft thumps against the grass. As you lifted your head up to see who was walking towards you, your heart skipped a beat. It was Jungwon, in all his glory heading to you like he didn’t just break your heart days ago.

“What’s with the pouty face?” He asked, taking a seat next to you with that soft smile of his.

You huffed, looking away. “Don’t act like you don’t know.” Your voice was low and a little too sharp.

His mouth twitched upwards, holding back a laugh as he raised his eyebrow. “Still hung up on that, I see.” He chuckles softly, looking ahead at the sun.

“Well, it’d be surprising if I didn’t.” You sighed, considering the fact that it literally just happened a few days ago. “I realized I can’t move on fast.”

“That happens. Everyone has their own pace. It’s human nature.” Jungwon comforted you without even knowing it, when he was the reason you put on a pout the whole day.

“Gosh,” You groaned out of annoyance. “Why do you have to be so nice all the time?” Looking at Jungwon at your left, he greeted you with a laugh at your huffy presence.

“You know, it’d help if you were a jerk so I could move on. Then I'd have something to hate about you.” 

Jungwon pouted, pressing his hands to his chest above his heart. “You wound me, pretty.” He chuckles, not knowing how many butterflies were reborn in your stomach once again at the sound of the nickname. “I can’t be rude to anyone who matters to me.”

The lump that used to rest in your throat was brought back again. Gosh, if he could only stop making you fall deeper for him. Jungwon, having a way with his words did not help one bit. You went quiet, there was prolonged silence between the two of you as you glanced at him long enough for him to do the same. 

You broke the silence with a whisper, “Then why say no?”

Jungwon only sighed. He ran his fingers through his hair, knowing the question would come sooner or later. Letting out a slow breath, he collected the right words to say to you—he only hoped that it would reach you as some form of comfort.

“Y/N, I’ve always liked you…since the day you rejected me without even me confessing.” He softly chuckled at the memory. “You were so interesting, such a pretty personality. I could feel your passion about everything you liked, but you hid it. You keep away from being true to yourself. What you show to people isn’t the real you. That made me sad, I kept thinking ‘how come such a pretty girl like you have to hide her personality when it’s so beautiful?’” Jungwon saw right through you, he read you like a book when others didn’t bother to look past your cover.

“It must be exhausting,” He continued with sincerity. “Always meeting other people’s expectations of you. You must’ve lost yourself through it, it feels too much sometimes…right?” You only slowly nodded at his words.

You felt seen now. You felt as if he had truly looked beyond the practiced smiles to the real girl who was underneath the rehearsals of being perfect. 

“I guess, I’ve been doing it for so long I didn’t realize it myself.”

“Figured. You didn’t have anyone to notice it. I…wanted to see you for who you are. Not the girl that other people expect to see.” Your heart thudded like a drum, you swear you just fell for him again.

“You rejected me…because of this?” You asked, tilting your head in which he chuckled at the question.

His silence answered your question as you put your head in your hands again, “Gosh, I’m so pathetic. I thought you hated me. I got too ahead of myself.”

He propped his hands against the bleachers as he leaned back. “I like you like this.”

“You’re all sulky, frustrated. It’s not pathetic. It’s human. It’s the real Y/N that I like. The one that makes stupid jokes which I still laugh at.” He joked, trying to see you slip a smile for once.

You shot a glare at him playfully as you shoved his arm. “You don’t get my humour.”

“No one does. You’re unique. Own it.” He quickly added, smiling. “It's the you that I liked all along.”

You felt your lips part, your cheeks warm as that same uneasy feeling rested in your stomach. The smile on his face lingered on your mind for a bit too long. 

“Cheer up, pretty.” Jungwon said, standing up and turning towards you. He reached out to ruffle your hair before he bid you goodbye. With that he left the field, leaving you alone on the bleachers. 

You stayed seated for a moment longer, the conversation replayed in your head. The fresh air against your skin left a reminder of the real you, the one you had to discover hiding down the practiced laughs. You let your shoulders loosen, closing your eyes. You could only hear the birds chirping and the distant buzz of the school pupils. For once, your heart felt at peace. The calm you didn’t know that you had been searching for. 

You sit with yourself at that thought. The thought of what it would feel like to be the real you in front of everyone; your friends, your peers, Jungwon. You felt something shift, it was small–you could almost miss it–yet it was meaningful. 

Maybe, it was okay to be stubborn, frustrated, messy. Maybe that was who you wanted to be from now on. 

You didn’t even realize the days that passed after you talked with Jungwon on the field. Not knowing if it was Jungwon’s words replaying in your head or how your heart slowly brought its pieces back together, but you slowly started to change. Change into the person who you longed to be. Something snapped in you to break free from the rigidness that had been holding you back.

At first, it was small. You could almost miss it, but it meant something. You didn’t have that faint smile at all times. You allowed yourself to be frustrated, happy, surprised; every emotion in the book without caring about what other people would think.

You didn’t force your laughter nor did you wait for approval from your peers. No, you didn’t care about that anymore. The world didn’t end when you people didn’t smile back at you or when you didn’t get the last banana milk in the canteen. 

You kept to yourself sometimes, not wanting to be the centre of attention all the time. Somehow, it felt lighter—almost as if the load on your back had been taken off you. Not filling the silence all the time felt almost freeing, not worried at night before you go to bed on what people might’ve thought of you today and what you could do to become better for tomorrow. 

Jungwon noticed, of course he did. He was the first person to. His eyes always lingered around you whenever you weren’t paying attention. His eyes were soft, filled with something more than love just for a friend. 

He found himself impressed when you sat next to him as always in your English Literature class, with just a smile and nothing more. Small conversations were made about the weather or the notes about the class—but it wasn’t anything practiced, nothing rehearsed. The stray strand of hair that you always tucked behind your ear was now left alone. It didn’t bother you when it fell on your cheek, it wasn’t like how it was used to—you didn’t have to spend an hour everyday correcting each of your imperfections in the mirror. 

Jungwon only smiled at your changed attitude. And somehow, the anxiousness that rested in your stomach didn’t exist anymore. Your nervousness when you were around him was now replaced with comfort. The softness that was barely there before now began to grow as Jungwon and you pulled to each other closer than before, without even noticing.

It wasn’t just in class. It was everywhere. The change inside you followed you to the cafe you regularly visit or through the school hallways. Just as you were now, walking through the halls with your hands shoved in the pockets of your hoodie. Jungwon had waved at you to come over. Before you could reach him, your foot slipped on an uneven tile causing you to fall towards the ground with a quiet thud. 

Normally, you would’ve panicked, quickly standing up worried if your peers saw your embarrassing moment. You would’ve checked multiple times for wounds that would leave a scar and if you did, you’d worry endless nights about the scar that’s left on your skin, searching for medication days on end to get rid of it.

But you, you were just sitting on the ground, a scraped knee and nothing in your mind other than if you were okay. Jungwon quickly ran to your side, yelling your name.

“Are you okay?” He asked, crouching down to see if you had any wounds on you.

He checked your knee, his hand coming in contact with your leg as he leaned in to get a better look with a worried face. But all you could do was laugh. You laughed right in Jungwon's face about your clumsiness. 

Jungwon looked up at you with confusion, “Gosh, I’m so clumsy.” You let out an airy laugh as you looked at your wound.

The boy stared at you with disbelief. You were hurt yet you were laughing. He blinked before letting out a small chuckle with you. “You know, when I asked you to be the real you, I didn’t mean clumsy.”

“What if the real me is clumsy?” You asked with a giggle, not caring about the wound anymore.

His fingers brushed around the wound over your knee, knowing you needed a bandage. But then he looked at you with a smile, “Then I’d have to support it. I’ll take care of you every time you fall.”

Shoot, you were blushing. Really hard. 

You gulped, trying to dismiss what he said. Though you couldn’t get his boyish smile out of your head. How he touched you with utmost care, like you’d break anytime. His gentleness still plucked your heartstrings, your face slightly flushed. 

He stood up, lending you his hand for you to get up as well. Jungwon tugged you up with ease. You were back on your feet again, the pain has now subsided and was replaced by the warmth that Jungwon left behind. You swore your heart skipped a beat when his hand lingered for too long against yours before he let go. 

He brought you to an empty classroom and made you sit on one of the chairs. Jungwon crouched down and rummaged through his bag for a bandage. He glanced at you for a moment after ripping open the bandage. You slightly winced at the pressure when he pressed it on your knee.

“You’re okay?” He asked, slight concern lacing his voice.

You only nodded with a smile. You were okay really, now all better from the boy who was in front of you, patching you up.

“You should watch where you’re going next time, pretty. I don’t want you to fall again.” He chuckled as you stood up from the chair. “You can walk right?”

“Yes, Wonie. I didn’t break my ankle. It’s just a scratch.” You giggled, not even realizing that nickname found your lips again.

He broke eye contact, looking away with a laugh. Was he…blushing? The faint flush on his cheeks gave it away. You could die in peace now. You finally made the boy who always made you nervous blush. You always wondered how Jungwon would look like this, a blushing mess. Now you finally got to see it in an empty classroom, and it was a sight to see.

“Yeah, well I was just checking if I had to give you a piggyback ride to your house.” He added, his usual softness mixed with playfulness laced in voice.

You giggled, shaking your head. “You think I’m that helpless?”

Jungwon shrugged, “You never know. You’re clumsy enough to need it” 

You scoffed as you shoved Jungwon’s arm at his joke, though the smile stayed on your face. Jungwon just smiled, happy to see you smile again. Even if it was his teasing or his stupid jokes, he still brought out the you he wanted to see for the longest and that was all that mattered.

The sting in your knee had disappeared. You realized it wasn’t that bad to have someone be on your side always, through your frustrated pouts, embarrassing moments or when you got hurt.

It wasn’t so bad when there was someone like him being there to help you whenever you needed it. His actions more than his words made you feel that warm sensation tingling around your stomach, you felt something that you were yet to discover. 

And for the first time in a long time, you finally knew what it meant to be true to yourself.

You decided that today was the day your luck had finally been against you. The rain poured in front of you, making you stranded inside the school entrance. You sighed, hoping the rain would magically stop until you walked towards your house. The sleeves on your hoodie were slightly damp from the raindrops that had somehow got behind the roof that was protecting you from the rain ahead of you. 

You crossed your arms, bringing them close to your chest—too stubborn to walk home in the rain. But the cold made you move a step forward, your body knew your dignity could wait. 

Then an umbrella appeared over your head. 

With the sudden dullness over your head, you looked to your side to see Jungwon hovering one above you. The stands of his hair stuck to his forward as his uniform sleeves were pulled up to his elbows, his tie hung loose.

“Genuinely, what would you do without me?” Jungwon dramatically said with a smile. 

You giggled, “Jungwon, I thought you left.” You said, coming closer to him.

“Nah, I had some work left so I stayed at the library. Didn’t realize it was raining. Thank God I stole this umbrella from Riki.” 

The soft sounds of your laugh escaped your lips, you swore you could see Jungwon’s eyes light up. He props the umbrella more towards you, making you come closer.

“Thanks for stealing his umbrella. You didn’t have to, but whatever makes me walk home not soaked.” You say, pulling your hoodie sleeves further down your hands to keep you warm.

“Would I do anything less?” His voice seemed too casual for the way he showed he cared about you more than anyone else. 

Before you could process anything he said, he added. “Cmon, let me walk you home. Can’t let a pretty girl go alone in the rain.”

You blushed at his comment and came closer to him so you both could equally share the rain. You both stepped through the pouring streets and across the street, his arm brushing over you a few times just enough to make your heart race.

The rain around you filled the silence in between you both. It wasn’t awkward, it was almost comforting. All you could focus was on the drops falling on the ground and how dangerously close Jungwon was to you.

“You hungry?” Jungwon asked, his voice cutting through the rain.

By now the rain had calmed down, not pouring anymore. You glanced up at him, meeting his eyes as you nodded. Without a second thought, he steered his way to the nearby tteokbokki stand. The old lady behind the stand smiled warmly at you two as Jungwon took out his wallet to pay for one portion of tteokbokki as he couldn’t eat with his hands busy holding an umbrella. 

“I’m not hungry anyways,” He says before giving the cup to you, happy at the fact that he’ll be sending you home with a full stomach.

You blew onto a piece before taking a bite. Your eyes widened at the flavours melting into your tongue which spread the warmth in your chest, but it was nothing compared to the way Jungwon looked at you with his doe eyes and comforting smile.

“You should eat too…” You said, blowing onto another piece before holding it out to him. He was taken aback for a moment, but slowly leaned in, taking a piece from your skewer.

You giggled at his lips which were covered in the sauce from the rice cakes. “You got something,” Now it was your turn to do the same to him. You held your hand out and wiped his lips before licking it away from your thumb. Now you got to see how hardly he was blushing, looking everywhere but you. Cute, you thought. 

The world around you both seemed to shrink. Nothing really mattered as long as he was next to you, sharing the warmth under his tiny umbrella. The rain had seemed to stop completely, the smell of the fresh water comforted you as the sun hid behind the clouds. It was beginning to set as you both walked through the streets side by side. You knew you had to savour every moment you had with him. 

Before you knew it, you were already at your house, standing in front of your door and Jungwon entered through your gate, shaking his umbrella a bit to dry it. He ruffled his hair, the wet stands now free, hanging over his forehead. 

“Thank you…for not letting me go home soaked.” You said, looking at him with just a smile. 

“I’d do it for the girl I like.” His lips slipped out the words before he could stop himself. 

Your heart skipped a beat as Jungwon realized what he said. You blinked, checking if you heard that correct or were you imagining it all along. But the blush on Jungwon’s cheeks said otherwise. 

You stepped closer to him, but you didn’t dare say a word. He chuckles, knowing he’d have to do this anyway. Jungwon bit his lip, knowing he was confessing to the girl he adored, this wasn’t a dream. The boy who you rejected on the first day of meeting him is finally confessing to you. 

“Pretty, I like you. I think I can say it properly now. I think that day in the field made me fall harder, you really changed. You are yourself and I can’t even begin to explain how happy I am to see the pretty girl being her true self, I can’t believe I’m standing in front of you, confessing. Just… don’t reject me this time, yeah?” Jungwon chuckled, leaning in.

His hand reached out to cup your face, soft against your cold skin. You could only giggle at his words and shake your head, you wouldn’t dare to reject the sweet boy in front of you. For the first time, from the countless confessions you’ve received, you’re finally accepting one. One that you don’t regret one bit. 

“I couldn’t imagine saying no.” You whispered, your voice like silk which made Jungwon lose his mind. 

He smiled, his thoughts portrayed through his eyes. “Pretty, pretty girl…” His face was inches away from you, you could feel his breath on yours. “My pretty girl.”

That’s all he said before his lips met yours in a sweet kiss under the dim glow of the streetlight that entered your little porch. Time seemed to slow, the only thing that existed now was the warmth of his lips.

Jungwon’s hand snaked around your waist as you tugged on his tie, pulling him closer. The kiss deepened, Jungwon wanted you to know how much he needed you, how much he wanted you. And for the first time, everything left unsaid was poured into the kiss; quick glances, soft touches and quiet giggles melted into the kiss you both shared.

When he finally pulled away, allowing you to catch your breath, you still stayed still, not taking your hands away from his chest. Jungwon rested his forehead against yours. 

“You’re a good kisser.” He chuckled, giving another quick yet firm peck against your lips.

“You’re not so bad yourself, Wonie.” Smiling at his face, your eyes made him weak in the knees.

He finally stepped back, he gave you the space you needed. But you wished he stayed in your arms for a moment longer, or maybe for however long forever was. 

“My mom’s probably waiting for me inside.” You putted, knowing he had to leave.

“Yeah, you’re right. It’s best I leave.” He looked up at the night sky, knowing it was late. “It’s getting dark out.”

You titled your head, your eyes speaking for you. Jungwon could only try and calm his heart down when you looked at him like that. 

“Cmon pretty, how am I supposed to leave if you look at me that way?” Jungwon leaned in again to give you a kiss again. This time it was longer than his peck, but still had the same impact making you giggle.

“You should still go, it’s late.” You said, pushing him away from your lips. 

Truth is, now that he got a taste, he can’t let go. You were his weakness, your lips his addiction. Everything about you made him go crazy. The feelings that he kept inside his heart was finally out to the girl who had been real with him all this time. The only girl he saw past that façade. The girl he fell hard for. 

He said a small goodnight before stepping back. He gave you a small smile and turned around to leave. Jungwon paused mid way, turning around faster than he could think and came jogging back to your doorstep to steal another kiss from you, he couldn’t get enough.

“Last one,” He said, holding your waist as he gave two urgent pecks as you giggled. Jungwon laughed with you, knowing he was a goner.

“Jungwon!” You whined, your hands pressed against his chest as he leaned back. He groaned slightly, getting off your doorstep and back into the front yard. 

“Goodnight, for real this time, pretty.” He whispered with a smile.

“Goodnight Wonie.” You breathed, your heart still racing, mind still floating. 

You stood right on the doorstep where Jungwon had kissed you senseless long after Jungwon disappeared into the street. You could still feel the faint memory of his lips on yours.

Thinking about the way he looked at you, the way he kissed you and held you close. You knew without a doubt that your heart would never be the same. Your heart would flutter every time you thought about him, bringing you back to the night where you kissed the boy you cherished the most.

Dating Jungwon was nothing like you had expected. He only grew more playful and childish. The young boy started opening himself up to you, only pulling you closer to his heart. You could be yourself with him, you didn’t have to rehearse anything; always saying what was on your mind.

You were yourself, the one he wanted to be with. He wanted to be with the girl that didn’t pretend anymore. He loved that about you more than anyone. He loved your laugh, how you didn’t hold back anymore. He loved how you didn’t bother having a perfect mask on all the time, he noticed it all. 

As days passed, the small kisses you shared with him, the silly moments you had were the ones you treasured the most. It wasn’t anything grand, you could almost miss it, but that’s what made you fall harder and harder for him. 

Everyone noticed. You seemed happier, more real—not an unreachable doll that everyone could only admire. They whispered about the subtle glow on your face, the smile that you hid from the world. How Jungwon held your hand firm, never letting it go—you both were now practically joined at the hip. 

Of course, Minju and Moka were the first to know. You practically ran to your bedroom to call them and stay up at night to talk about every little detail. How the sun was barely peaking through the clouds, how Jungwon called you ‘his pretty girl’, how he kissed you. 

Jake and Riki teased Jungwon on how he smiled like a dork every time you walked by, giving him a blowing kiss. They were merciless with Jungwon, calling him ‘loverboy’ and ‘down bad’ every five minutes. You knew they were exaggerating, but for a minute you could almost believe them with the way he looked at you.

You loved how he looked at you, how he kissed you. Everything about him. Most of all, you loved walks with him. The ones with quiet and silly jokes whispered under the sunny sky. One of them, you and Jungwon shared a laugh with some stupid anecdote you told him before. 

Jungwon held your hand as he swung them back and forth slightly, “You’re such a slow walker.” 

“Slow?...Well excuse me, but I wanted to spend some more time with my boyfriend.” You playfully pouted as you glanced at him. “Don’t you wanna?”

He squeezed your hand, “‘Course I do, pretty. I thought you would be giving that excuse of being clumsy again for your slow walking.”

“Well, that too.” You giggled as you leaned into his warmth.

“But you’re one to talk. You almost fell, looking at me that day near the tteokbokki stand.” You joked, remembering his clumsy trip that day he kissed you.

“Alright, that was a minor slip! You said you didn’t even see it.” He whined, his voice made your heart flutter, admiring the adorable boy in front of you. “Plus, I was just trying to see if my pretty girl wasn’t burning her tongue.”

“Gosh, you’re ridiculous.”

“Ridiculously in love.” He added, his smooth talk making your knees weak. 

You shoved him playfully, “Jungwon! How do you even come up with this?” You giggled, trying to not meet his gaze, so he wouldn’t see your flushed face.

“Guess you just make me cheesy.” He smiled, tucking a strand of your hair behind your ear, getting a better look at your face.

Your cheeks burned at his touch as he leaned in to peck your cheek. “You’re insufferable.”

“Still here though,” He said, gripping your hand again to continue walking down the street again.

“Sometimes, I wonder how I even managed to make you fall for me.” You smiled at the memories you both created ever since that day in your English Literature class. “Guess I got lucky after all.”

His gaze was soft and steady, his eyes carrying everything as he looked at you for a moment. “No, this time you weren’t lucky.” He mumbled, his voice certain. “This time, it was just you.” 

For once, you didn’t have a smart comeback up your sleeve, nothing to throw back at him. You only smiled, admiring how much love he had for you. Instead you just let the silence speak as you lightly squeezed his hand. His shoulder brushed against yours as you both conversed with anything that was on your mind, walking along the dimly lit street. 

You couldn’t help but smile as his hand held you tighter, almost afraid that you would let go. But you wouldn’t dare. Not when your heart already belonged to you. Maybe you used to believe that your life was set in luck, it was already prepared. But with Jungwon, it was different. It wasn’t by anything that you expected nor was it luck, it was his choice, it was yours. To choose each other every time. 

lucky girl syndrome tags . @ikeulove @hollxe1 @llearlert @blooqz @maewphoria @ysenik

⠀ join the taglist 💌 @zuyairus @bubblytaetae @yenqa @voikiraz @miumura @haechansbbg @taejaysreads @shinunoga-iie-wa @teddywonss @naespas @isoobie @dimplewonie @jennaissantes @aishigrey @firstclassjaylee @rikislove @hynjinnnnnnnn @flwrstqr @manarieee

⠀⠀𝖺 𝗒𝖾𝗈𝗄𝗂𝗂 𝗉𝗋𝗈𝖽. do not copy, repost or translate my works

[hanaa04-gaza]

I am Hanaa, a resident of Gaza City, specifically in the northern Gaza Strip. I am 38 years old. I live with my eight children and my husband in the Gaza Strip. Before the war on Gaza began, I was living a happy life with my children and my husband.

Emergency Help for Hanaa and Her Kids

My name is Hanaa, I’m 41 years old, and I live in Gaza City—specifically in the northern Gaza Strip—with my husband and our eight children.

We had a monthly income that was sufficient to meet our needs and fulfill our requests. When the war on Gaza began on 10/7/2023, we lived as homeless people after our entire house was bombed at the beginning of the war. We were displaced to countless areas since the first day of the war. After more than 200 days of the war, one of my sons was martyred and two others were injured while trying to find us food to satisfy our hunger. I became fully responsible for him after my eldest son was martyred and the other two were seriously injured. My children,

my husband and I live in displacement camps. We have no other shelter. For the sake of God, help me feed my children and build a home for us. Donate to me, even if it is a little, because I need your help.

[lama-gaza0]

Hello, my name is Lama, and I am from Gaza City, specifically in the northern Gaza Strip. I grew up in a loving family of resilience and hope, with my parents working tirelessly to provide us with a life of dignity and opportunity. My father was our steadfast provider, and my mother was the heart of our home. I have two brothers and three sisters, the youngest of whom is just six months old. She is frail and often sick due to the lack of proper food and medicine. My siblings and I have shared dreams of education, careers and a bright future. But life in Gaza is marked by hardship, and when the war began, everything we had built was shattered. My older brother, a kind and a courageous soul, was martyred while trying to secure basic necessities for our survival, my younger sister was gravely injured, and the cost of her treatment weighs more than the universe to us, now the responsibility for my family has fallen on my shoulders.

Help Lama in the North

Hello, my name is Lama, and I am from Gaza City, specifically in the northern Gaza Strip. I grew up in a loving family of resilience and hop

Our home, once filled with warmth, laughter and memories, has been reduced to rubble. We have been displaced more than thirty times from place to a place with nothing but the clothes on our backs. Each time we returned, we found more destruction, we always clung to the hope of rebuilding, but in the last attack, our home was completely destroyed, we are now homeless, living in unsafe conditions with no shelter to protect us from the cold nights. The loss of our home is not just the loss of a building, it’s the loss of safety, stability, and the place where our dreams were nurtured.

With my father unemployed since the beginning of the war, we have no income to provide even the most basic necessities. Water, food, medicine, warm clothes and blankets-things that many take for granted-are beyond our reach. Every day is a battle for survival, and every night is a reminder of the dangers and struggles we face. I am determined to care for family and give my younger brothers and sisters a chance to grow up with hope. But I cannot do it alone.

I am reaching out to you with a plea for compassion and action. Your support can help us rebuild our lives, restore hope, and secure a future where my family can live in peace and safety. Every donation, no matter how small brings us closer to survival and dignity. Please for the sake of god and humanity, help us in this time of desperate need.

[lama-gaza3]

✅️Vetted by @gazavetters, my number verified on the list is ( #510 )✅️

[tasneemofamily]

Finally, my dear friends, I have been verified and my campaign has been documented. I hope to receive more support and donations to protect my family.

✅️Vetted by @gazavetters, my number verified on the list is ( #683 )✅️

[tasneemarwafamilysblog-deactiva]

Urgent Help for Tasneem

My name is Tasneem, I’m 19 years old, and I’m from Gaza.

[yeokii]

‎ ‎ ‎‎୧ 𝖿𝗂𝖼𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇 ‎ 𓊔‎ ‎ ‎‎ ❨ 정원 ❩ / . 𝗌𝗎𝗉𝖾𝗋 𝗋𝖾𝖺𝗅 𝗆𝖾 𐙚 ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ 🍀 LUCKY GIRL SYNDROME

‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ﹕‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ' ✿‎ look into my perfect playlist !

ʚ synopsis ɞ 。ﾟ· when luck was always by your side, you find yourself confused when everything didn't go planned when jungwon didn't fall for you charms. but lucky for you, you're not one to give up so easily!

𓈒⠀☁️ 설렘이, 설렘이, 설렘이 계속 차오르는 걸 ꒰ 𝖯𝖫𝖠𝖸𝖫𝖨𝖲𝖳 𝖵𝖨 ─── ⬩ 𝖺𝗅𝗅 𝗂 𝗇𝖾𝖾𝖽 𝗍𝗈 𝖻𝖾𝗅𝗂𝖾𝗏𝖾 𝗂𝗇 𝗆𝗒𝗌𝖾𝗅𝖿 ઇ⠀:  ۪۫𝖺𝗆𝗈𝗎𝗋 ❁ཻུ۪۪ 𝑠𝑢𝑝𝑒𝑟 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑙 𝑚𝑒 成训 `` 𝟤𝖪 𝖲𝖴𝖭𝖲𝖤𝖳𝖲 ( • 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖿𝖺𝗂𝗋𝗂𝖾𝗌 𝖺𝗌𝗌𝗈𝖼𝗂𝖺𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇 ! ིྀ )

❛ 𝗌𝗉𝗋𝗂𝗇𝗀 𓈒⠀ fluff and crack ( choking myself ) highschool au / based on lgs by illit 𝟎𝟎𝟏 ! ( nonchalant!won&fmr ) lucky girl . . 마주친 눈에, 터진 웃음에 ﹢. 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖼𝗁𝗈𝗂𝖼𝖾 𝗂𝗌 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖻𝖾𝗌𝗍

‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎𝗉𝗋𝗈𝖽 . ⬭ 𝗐𝖺𝗋𝗇𝗂𝗇𝗀𝗌 𝖿𝗈𝗋 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗅𝗎𝖼𝗄𝗒 𝗆𝗂𝗇𝖽 𝜗ৎ kissing, making out, drinking, reader gets pissed LMFAOOO, jungwon is readers main enabler, hes also a big flirt, reader lowk patronising, trust she has good character development,, everyone is of age here.

‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎𝐢𝐢. word count / seventeen thousand . 매일 ' daily click

‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎‎ 🎶 𝖺 𝗅𝗎𝖼𝗄𝗒 𝗀𝗂𝗋𝗅, 𝖾𝗏𝖾𝗋𝗒𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗐𝗈𝗋𝗄𝗌 𝗈𝗎𝗍 𝖿𝗈𝗋 𝗆𝖾. 𝖻𝗎𝗍 𝗐𝗁𝗒 𝖼𝖺𝗇'𝗍 𝗂 𝖿𝗂𝗀𝗎𝗋𝖾 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝗈𝗎𝗍? 𝗈𝗉𝖾𝗇 𝗒𝗈𝗎𝗋 𝗁𝖾𝖺𝗋𝗍 𝖿𝗈𝗋 𝗆𝖾──𝗂 𝗇𝖾𝖾𝖽 𝗍𝗈 𝗄𝗇𝗈𝗐 𝗂𝗍 𝖺𝗅𝗅. ft . enha and illit !

⌕ [ archives ] one result found . . . hallo I finished this FINALLY hai biggest shout out to soov I lidolly only wrote this for her TAM THIS IS FOR U !!!!! thanku for making me that amazing header graphic and proofreading queen !!!!! and for forcing me to write this or this would've been rotting in my google docs LMFAOO literally crashed out so many times when I wrote this but I hope u guys enjoy !!

‎ ‎ ‎‎‎ ‎ ‎‎‎ ‎ ‎‎‎ ‎ ‎‎‎ ‎ ‎‎‎ ‎ ‎‎‎ ‎ ‎‎‎ ‎ ‎‎‎ ‎ ‎‎‎ ‎ ‎‎‎ ‎ ‎‎‎ ‎ ‎‎‎ ‎ ‎‎‎ ‎‎𝗂'𝗆 𝖺 𝗅𝗎𝖼𝗄𝗒 𝗀𝗂𝗋𝗅 𝗐𝗂𝗍𝗁 𝗒𝗈𝗎 ( like and reblog! )

You have always been lucky. Whether it was getting the last banana milk in the canteen or acing tests after breezing over the history book five minutes before the exam, you had an exceeding confidence within you, making everything fall into the palm of your hand—just as you liked it.

You were her. The girl that everyone adored and aspired to be. The attention and admiration had now become second nature to you, walking into your school greeted by a few smiles and waves. You braced yourself before opening your locker, knowing there was going to be a few gifts shoved inside waiting to be opened. And just as you expected, a few letters with hearts on them and a handful of sweets were sitting in your locker. A pink lollipop rolled out and landed near your feet.

It was cute, really.

The endless amount of confessions that came rushing your way. Boys and girls falling for you made you gush at how lucky you were to be adored by everyone. You took out your books, your hands passing through the gifts that were scattered in your locker. A familiar laughter filled your ears—your best friend Minju looked at the locker with a smile on her face, like she was amused by the scene.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” Minju crossed her arms, leaning against the locker next to yours.

“Isn’t this too much for today?” she asked, eyeing the little notes with hearts doodled on them.

“Please, this is nothing compared to Valentine’s Day.” You snorted.

“Right, right. Confession letters final boss,” Minju laughed, remembering how busy you were on Valentine’s Day.

You both giggled as you headed to your literature class. The two of you entered the classroom and took your seats—Minju slid into a spot a few rows behind you.

Your back straightened against the seat and a fresh page turned on your pink notebook, you waited for the teacher to settle down to start teaching about poetic devices or whatever was in the syllabus. Everything flew smoothly for you.

The peers around you seemed a bit confused, struggling to take down notes, but with your black gel pen and the stickers you set aside, it was a piece of cake.

Academics were never a problem for you. Always present and ready to learn, mathematical formulas and physics concepts flew into your mind with ease. Your essay skills were impeccable, and many teachers were impressed with your memory. Well, no wonder you were the top student. You had everything—looks, brains, and luck by your side.

Class ended sooner than you had expected. You were already out of your seat, packing your things, waiting for Minju. You closed your notebook when someone approached you. Still focusing on your books, you didn’t bother to look up.

He cleared his throat, hands in his pocket. “Hey.”

You looked up at him with a smile, even though his face was quite unfamiliar. His hair fell in soft waves above his eyes. His lips were pouty with a soft pink dew on them. A faint blush lingered on his cheeks as if it belonged there—everything about him looked natural. From his brown eyes that met yours to his backpack that slung over his shoulder, he seemed put together.

His uniform was neatly ironed, yet he draped a gray hoodie over his frame. His shirt was tucked in his slacks, though his tie hung loosely around his neck. You looked over at his name stitched on his badge.

Yang Jungwon.

The name left an unfamiliar trace in your mind. You felt like you had seen him around, cooped up in a corner or getting banana milk with his friends, but the memories of him sat at the back of your mind. Of course, he was simply a background character in your life, simply existing, never colliding with your world.

Until now.

“What’s up?” you asked him, confusion laced in your voice.

“Uh, nothing much? Just wanted to ask you if you were free this weekend?”

Oh?

Wow, you must be on a roll today. Already getting a confession before the clock even struck nine. A confession in broad daylight. You couldn’t help the small smile that tugged the ends of your lips.

It was sweet, really. The cute nerdy guy who seemed like he has never had the courage to speak to you finally does. Though he does seem like your type, you barely knew the guy—only hearing about him from your friend’s daily gossip sessions sometimes.

He never crossed your mind once. His name falling out of your friends’ lips, your mind barely registering it, and to be forgotten in a few minutes when Minju brings up her new crush or what she had for lunch that day.

Yet here he was, standing in front of you.

A shameless yet sweet confession out of his mouth already.

“So fast? We just met.” You couldn't help but giggle.

Though, Jungwon’s face stayed the same.

“I mean, I get it,” you went on. Your voice seemed a bit too confident. “It’s not the first time this has happened. You seem like my style, really! But I mean, we don’t even know each other. I’m sure there are other girls willing to spend time with you. You seem like a great guy—handsome even.”

You offered him your signature smile—the kind that made the seniors fall on their knees and the shy boys leave letters in your locker.

Though Jungwon didn’t waver. Instead, he turned his head in confusion.

“Huh?”

How cute! He’s embarrassed.

You giggled at him. “It’s okay. You don’t have to be shy about it. Everyone has crushes. I’ve heard lots of confessions that end this way. But I think it's cute you have the courage to ask me out.”

“I’m sorry—confessions?”

You nodded.

He let out a breathy laugh and turned his head to the side, almost as if he was in disbelief. He was amused by your… confidence. Suddenly, you were the confused one.

“You thought I was asking you out?” Jungwon raised a brow.

“Weren’t you?” you said, slower this time. The confidence that was radiating out of you dimmed down and crumbled into a little ball.

Jungwon bit back his smile, shaking his head. “We’re project partners,” he explained. “Miss Bae gave the list of partners yesterday.”

Everything fell into place.

Idiot!

If only you had dragged yourself to school yesterday instead of laying in bed all day and binge-watching Gossip Girl, you wouldn't be standing here utterly humiliated. You felt like the stupidest person alive. Not only did you assume he liked you when he barely talked to you—you rejected him!

You blinked, your lips parting in horror. “Oh.”

Jungwon looked over at your name on your badge and back at your flustered face—red as ever. “Y/N, is it?”

He didn’t even know your name!

You sighed and nodded, holding your books tight. The chestnut-haired boy could only be amused by your embarrassed state.

Jungwon pursed his lips into a line, his grip on the strap of his bag tightening. “So, this weekend? I'll send you the details.”

“Huh—oh, right. For the project.” You gulped and nodded quickly, your eyes darting anywhere but at him.

“For the project,” Jungwon chuckled. “See you then.”

He turned to leave but paused at the doorway, glancing at you over his shoulder—his expression remained unreadable as always.

“And thanks for the compliment, by the way, Y/N,” Jungwon said before disappearing into the hallway.

Rejecting someone who wanted nothing to do with you romantically was probably a new low for you. What was worse was that you would have to meet him again and work with him. You gulped at the thought of it, already dreading the awkward tension you would have to face this weekend.

You groaned, looking back at your desk, only to be met with Minju’s amused face. Was she watching the entire time? Oh gosh.

Minju opening her mouth to say something was definitely a snarky remark, only for you to shut her down. “Don’t even start.”

You glared at her. Because she was the last of your worries. She wasn’t what was going to kill you.

This project was.

You would never recover from this. Ever.

Minju sat with you at lunch alongside Moka, both of them still giggling at what had happened yesterday in literature class.

“Guys, can you cut it out?” you groaned, putting your head on the table. At least the cafeteria helped drown out the whines you let out due to your embarrassment.

You were sure of it—they would write about this in the textbooks. Your face on the cover and the word “delusional” written under it in big red letters. You were always lucky. Everyone was sure of it. So why wasn’t it helping now?

You waved at the universe, looking for any sign of the luck that drowned out the moment you had your first conversation with Yang Jungwon. Why did your luck run out the moment he stepped into your world? You’d never have this problem with any other guy.

Why him? Why now? Why!

You tried to gulp your embarrassment away with the banana milk you drank, hoping it would help at least (it did not). Moka and Minju were amused—they’d never seen you like this. Heck, you’d never seen yourself like this.

You always had a smile on your face, giggling about some stupid thing. Whether it was a new David Corenswet picture or brand new gossip that had erupted from the girls’ locker room, you had never had a bad day.

Only able to sigh, you accepted your fate. This was your final form—you could only embrace it.

You raised your head again to take a sip from your miserable banana milk (much like how you felt), only to spot the same chestnut-haired boy again. That same tie that was there yesterday still hung loose around his neck. A taller boy by his side had his arm around Jungwon.

You huffed. “No seriously. Who even is he?”

Moka giggled at your state. You crossed your arms and scrunched your eyebrows as you darted your eyes over to the boys across the room.

Minju shrugged. “I’ve seen him around. Once or twice maybe. He doesn’t really talk much.”

Moka nodded at Minju’s statement. “He’s always hanging with that Riki guy.”

“Riki?” You turned your head to Moka.

Moka nodded as she ate her food, her mouth full. “He’s oddly quiet—other than with Riki. I’m surprised they’re friends when Riki’s, like, really loud.” Moka snorted, joking after gulping down her food.

Your gaze turned back to the elder boy, joking around with the younger. They both looked happy, not having a care in the world. Riki poked his chopsticks into Jungwon’s food, stealing some of his snacks while giggling.

Jungwon’s face formed a smirk, similar to the one he’d had yesterday. The shame from yesterday came wallowing back to you. The unsettling memories left a fresh stain on your mind.

“This project is going to kill me, literally!” you whined once more, pouting at your friends as you looked up at them.

“One embarrassing moment won’t end you, Y/N,” Minju reassured you.

“Yeah, welcome to the world, Y/N. People get embarrassed on the daily. C’mon, I literally tripped on air in front of Jake yesterday,” Moka joked, while Minju snorted.

“Hey, if it helps, we are going to that party later. Maybe getting wasted is what you need right now,” Moka nudged your shoulder.

Your lips twitched as you blinked at Moka. You muttered under your breath, “Maybe you’re right.” You sighed, leaning on her shoulder.

“Hell yeah, you are going to forget about him the moment you dunk down that soju,” Minju giggled enthusiastically.

Minju was right. Maybe getting absolutely drunk off cheap alcohol from Jay’s party was what you needed. Maybe—just maybe—you would finally forget about Jungwon and that stupid smirk of his that kept running around in your mind.

You brushed him out of your mind. You only had one plan now: getting absolutely wasted.

You had already downed your second drink, feeling the slight burn in your throat when Minju shoved half an empty carton in your face.

“Trust me,” she said enthusiastically as she poured the juice into your glass filled with vodka. She seemed far too excited for someone who was trying to mix alcohol with the cheapest juice she could find. “This is like, life changing.”

You could barely hear her over the speakers that shook the walls. Jake’s house was hot and stuffy, filled with teenagers who had a far lower tolerance than they bragged about. You swore you could hear someone throwing up in the corner of the house. Gross. But this was the default pack of a badly thrown party at some teenager’s house while their parents were out and about, blindly trusting their children to behave.

And you were supposed to be enjoying it.

“Minju, you just made vodka cranberry,” you deadpanned, sighing after you took a sip from the drink.

“The vodka cranberry,” she insisted, pushing the drink back to your face as she forced you to take another sip—clinking her glass against yours. “Cheers!”

So this is why Moka left the both of you the moment you stepped foot here.

One more minute with Minju would make your head explode. You knew she would be drunk off her ass in about another thirty minutes or so and you would have to hold her hair while she threw up in the toilet.

You glanced around the room for any sign of Moka, but she was nowhere to be found. That fucking genius—you should’ve known when she went to take a fifteen-minute bathroom break. The music that bounced off the walls drowned out Minju’s loud voice as you looked around the room.

Just then, your eyes landed on him. Yang Jungwon.

What the fuck?

Why was he even here? You narrowed your eyes as you watched him lean against the wall, talking to Jake.

“Y/n, look!” Minju said, unusually bubbly—the vodka had gotten to her. “It’s Jake!” She squealed like she hadn’t seen him yesterday.

Before you knew it, Jake was already waving at you both, signalling you over. Minju grabbed you, pulling you through the sweaty bodies of teenagers packed in the living room.

“Hey guys! I didn’t know you were coming.” Jake greeted you both with a grin. “Oh! By the way, have you met Jungwon?” Jake asked, his gaze flickering over towards you.

You caught Jungwon’s faint smirk out of the corner of your eye as he stared intently at you. Jungwon shoved one hand in his pocket while the other held a drink as he leaned against the wall again—his eyes never leaving you.

“Oh, she knows him alright.” Minju giggled, nudging you playfully, which made you elbow her lightly in the ribs before faking a smile.

“I’ve seen him around,” You said, your gaze falling on Jungwon for a second.

“Me too,” Jungwon said, and you could almost hear the smugness in his voice.

You swallowed the sudden tightness that settled in your throat. The air surrounding you felt warm suddenly as you looked at him again. This time, that smirk of his was replaced by a genuine smile, like he was amused to see you. His smile ran through your mind and made you weak in the knees.

Why was he already getting in your head?

“Right, I’m going to get some more drinks,” Jake said, clapping his hands before you could speak.

Minju’s eyes lit up—of course they would. She tagged along before Jake could say anything, already on her way to the kitchen.

So that just left you and Jungwon here in the corner of a stuffy living room while other teenagers were either throwing up or making out.

“You’re drinking?” you asked him.

“No, before you start assuming again, it’s grape juice.” His words brought back flashbacks you wished you could forget.

“I wasn’t—” you groaned. “I’m sorry, alright?. You would assume too if you got confessions almost every day.”

“Oh, right. Who knew the pretty girl had real problems too.” Jungwon chuckled, taking a sip of his grape juice, looking smug.

You mentally scoffed, ignoring how your heart skipped a beat when that nickname rolled out of his mouth so smoothly and the way he looked at you.

Jungwon’s smirk wasn’t just teasing you—he was enjoying watching your nervous self, like seeing you fumble over your words was peak entertainment. You caught yourself fidgeting with the hem of your tiny skirt as his words echoed through your head.

“Are you… mocking me?”

“No, I’m amused,” Jungwon corrected you.

Tilting your head slightly, you asked, “Yeah, amused how?”. For a moment you could see something flicker over his eyes before it returned to his smug self.

He leaned in closer, his eyes never leaving you. “You know, Moka and Jake are right there, waiting for you to join them,” he said, jerking his head towards the pair behind you.

“And I know you saw them.” He was insanely close to you; the distance between you and Jungwon was shrinking by the second, and every alarm in your head went off, screaming at you to step back—except you didn’t.

What shook you more was how he noticed. He noticed every single detail about you: how your hands were slightly trembling and how your eyes shifted to Moka and Jake earlier, yet you stayed still, talking to Jungwon. He read you like an open book, and that terrified you.

“Yet you’re still standing here, talking to me.” Jungwon finally looked at you again, his gaze towering over you, making your knees buckle.

Jungwon’s eyes held a thousand unspoken words, yet none of them were easy to read. You swallowed hard, your heart pounding so fiercely that Jungwon could have heard it too if he listened close enough. The music, the people, the chaos all faded into the background. At that moment, it felt like it was just you and him.

“I could ask you the same,” you whispered, barely able to hear your own voice. “Why haven’t you left?”

“Maybe I like what I’m seeing.” He had that shit-eating grin on his face again, which you wanted to rip off so badly.

Because, fuck, no matter how hard you tried to stay steady and unfazed, your heart fluttered and your mind spun. And this time, you knew it wasn’t the alcohol hitting. It was the boy in front of you making your knees weak.

By the end of that party, you learned three things: Minju was shit at taking shots, Jungwon was a big flirt, and your heart was definitely swelling.

The café seemed calm while your mind buzzed with chaos—thoughts roamed around your head, each one ending with the boy you were dreading to see: Yang Jungwon.

You sat stiffly on the chair, gulping down your matcha, surprised at yourself for getting out of bed early and spending quite an amount of time on what your outfit would be. This wasn’t like you at all.

You glanced at your phone again; ten minutes had passed yet still no sign of the boy.

So you were now early and nervous. Fuck, how much of a loser were you?

Hunching your back, you rested your head in your hands. You tried to ignore the relentless thumps ofin your heart. You were never like this. Being nervous about a boy you met less than two days ago. It felt unfamiliar and annoying, that uneasy warmth in your heart that made your stomach turn.

Usually, it was you who made people nervous. Never the other way around. You were the girl that made boys fall to your feet when you flashed them a smile. So thoughts of a boy who had ticked you off at that party not even ten hours ago made your skin crawl—or worse, it made you flustered.

You? Flustered? You’d laugh at the assumption, but then again it was true. The heat on your cheeks alone was enough to give it away. It was ridiculous. Thinking of a boy who made your knees buckle when you made others stammer and fumble their words.

With the thoughts of the boy out of your head, your fingers tapped against the ceramic mug in your hand. You remained relaxed and composed, yet your heart was pounding in your chest. All you could think of was when he’d walk through that door.

Just then, the boy you dreaded to see finally showed up—clad in a hoodie he threw on with headphones around his neck. His hair was messy yet effortlessly chic as always, and his cheeks had that same blush which you recognised from the other day—the one where you were utterly humiliated by him.

“You’re late,” you spoke, looking up at him.

“By ten minutes. I hardly call that late.” Jungwon chuckled—bringing butterflies to your stomach as he threw his bag on the table, taking a seat in front of you.

“We could’ve gone through the entire overview of the assessment by that time,” you huffed. You really didn’t know why you were already putting up a fight; maybe you wanted to raise your walls up or strengthen your defenses before he made a blushing mess out of you again.

“Sure. Whatever you say, pretty.” Jungwon pulled out his laptop, the nickname rolling off his tongue naturally, like he always called you that.

You were already blushing. Get it together!

You rolled your eyes, hoping he didn't see the warmth creeping up your cheeks. You opened your own laptop, finally starting to work.

“What part are you doing?” Jungwon asked, his eyes prying away from the screen.

“The research. You’ll be handling the analysis and the conclusions,” you said, typing away on your keyboard, wishing he’d stop looking at you like that.

“Mhm,” he hummed. The more you looked at him—through the secret glances amidst your typing—the more effortlessly handsome he looked. Fuck, you couldn’t let him get to your head.

You tried to focus, typing a few notes here and there and jumping to different websites from time to time, yet you couldn’t shake that feeling off your head.

That feeling when your heart skipped a beat whenever he looked in your direction. Your ears grew red whenever he muttered something under his breath or whenever he made a flirty remark, calling you pretty again like it was the easiest thing in the world.

“Does this make sense?” you asked him, pointing at your laptop.

His eyes shifted in a second; he looked at you and then your laptop. He needed a better look, so what better than to sit next to the empty seat beside you. Without another thought, he plopped right into the chair beside you, his shoulders brushing over yours.

“Hmm? Which one?” he said, his eyes scanning over the document.

“This part. I think I should be a bit more specific, but it could be interpreted in many ways, you know,” you explained, your hand steady on the mouse as you pointed to the paragraph you’d been eyeing for the past few minutes.

“Yeah, but it’d help if you made it clearer,” Jungwon said, leaning over to see your screen better. “Like this part.” He said, his hand slowly sliding over yours on top of the mouse and dragging it around to highlight some words.

Jungwon was going to be the death of you.

The document in front of you was long forgotten; you could only think about the boy next to you and how he held your hand. His palm was soft and warm. The background music from the café became a blur as the faint chatter faded into the background.

It felt like time stopped and you could only hear your heartbeat. And you were pretty sure he could hear it too.

“You don’t have to be this nervous, pretty.” He whispered, not looking at you but his hand stayed on top of yours, not moving an inch.

“I’m not—don’t call me that.” You muttered, a desperate whine escaping your lips before you could stop it.

He only chuckled at you. “You’re shaking.” Jungwon finally met your gaze with a lazy smile. He was way too close. Like if he moved another inch closer, your heart would explode.

The boy looked down at your legs which were slightly shaking to the side. A chuckle escaped his lips as he looked back at you, knowing you basically proved his point.

“Relax, it’s just me.” He said, this time his smile wasn’t teasing—It was soft and genuine. Like he wanted to ease your mind, which wasn’t helping.

Instead, you were a mess inside. Your breath hitched as your fingers tightened around the mouse. The composure you’d held until now was fleeting away. He was calm and you were the exact opposite. Chaotic and a blushing mess.

Relax, it’s just me.

The words replayed in your head as he looked at you. It was just him, and that’s what frightened you.

Meeting him once already sent your heart to cardiac arrest, but meeting him multiple times over the days prior to the presentation; you ascended into the afterlife. Though there wasn’t any tension between you too, there was a warm feeling rising over you that you couldn't exactly put your finger on. 

You’d smile at his silly jokes he’d crack when he’d get bored of whatever he was typing down and your heart would slightly flutter when your hands brushed against him.

You swore your heart skipped a beat when he pulled out a chair next to him for you to sit and when he would adjust your work with your laptop, leaning over so he could get a better look. You were slightly embarrassed ( that was an understatement, you were tomato red ) when your cheeks felt warm after his cologne filled your nostrils. 

After working with Jungwon over the weekends and during the evenings after school, you came straight to bed hating the entire time you spent with him, but why were you waiting for the next time you saw him?

It was all a big mess in your heart—you didn't like the boy but you blush every time he looks at you. You hated thinking about him yet he always finds a place in your mind. You hated that little smile he does whenever he glances over at you or whenever he teasingly crosses out whatever you wrote on your shared google docs. So why did it bring a smile to your face? The boy you loathed and swore to make him feel the humiliation you felt bringing butterflies to your stomach?

Over the weeks, he had grown increasingly comfortable with you. Instead of sitting in front of you, he’d now take his place beside you claiming it was ‘easier to see your work’. With shared earbuds, drinks with two straws in one and far too many accidental brushes of his hand against yours—your heart was completely doomed. 

Jungwon had caught you staring sometimes. Sometimes was an understatement, it was many times actually. Yet he never said anything. That stupid smirk was on his face again whenever you looked at his direction a bit too long. It was like he knew, he knew the mess going on in your head and the relentless thuds from your heart. 

It wasn’t fair. It was never fair. The way he leaned in to hear you better and how he always smelled like vanilla and cologne. The way his voice dropped whenever your name rolled off his tongue like it was made for him. 

But it was especially unfair when he called you ‘pretty’.

He had no right to make your heart beat like this whenever he called you his adored nickname. ‘Pretty’ was the name he’d give to the girl he loves, not to you. Not to the girl who mistook his conversation for a confession. 

What you didn’t like the most about Jungwon was how he noticed you. Not the girl you claimed to be—the pretty, lucky junior who made boys fall to her feet.

It was the girl who secretly liked watching Gossip Girl and always snacked on sweets at midnight. It wasn’t Miss Perfect with Jungwon, it was just you. Just Y/n. You never had to be someone else, someone the world had wanted. He never expected anything from you— not your perfect image or the version of yourself that you put out. 

Sure, you loved being confident and a girl everyone adored, but a routine that had been your second skin was tiring. Knowing you could never step out of that without other people criticizing you was suffocating.

But with him, everything changed. Your laughs had become more genuine, your eyes had that glimmer in them that meant something. It was the real you.

“You know, you do that thing with your nose when you’re focused.” Jungwon had said once. It was a casual observation that you knew no one had noticed.

“What thing?” You turned your head towards him.

“That little scrunch. Like this.” He scrunched his own nose, showing you.

You blinked, letting out a breathy laugh. “No I don’t!”

“Hmm, but you do. It’s cute, really.” He said with that same teasing smirk. With that he returned to his work, acting like it wasn’t a big deal not knowing your heart kept pounding for the next few minutes. 

You weren’t used to that.

You were never really used to being seen. Never really used to being noticed past that perfect girl facade. You were just a lucky girl in front of everybody's eyes—a thing with Jungwon was to his eyes, you were Y/n. The girl who always took the last chip whenever he shared a snack ( which he leaves it for ) and the girl whose eyes lit up whenever she finished a part of the project. 

He got to know you. Through your stupidly cute anecdotes or your habits like doodling on the side of his notes. He’d catch himself smiling at the little things you wrote on his book when he went back home or how you’d be rambling along about something that happened in your day.

“Minju genuinely hates me, I swear!” You sighed, typing something on your document.

You kept rambling on about something that happened at school, “Why would she put me on the spot like that? In front of the teacher too!” Jungwon leaned his hand on his palm, completely disregarding his work.

Jungwon watched you with an amused smile, “I mean, you did forget the work. You’re lucky  he gave you an extension.” He said, tilting his head slightly.

You looked at him, “You’re taking her side?”

“No, I’m just saying.” He shrugged, innocently.

You darted your eyes at him, “And when I thought I needed you. You take someone else’s side. Wow.” You sigh, a pout forming on your lips.

“You know I'd take your side, pretty.” Jungwon looked straight at your eyes. His hand slowly came up near your face, tucking a stray strand of hair behind your ear. “All I’m saying is let her go this once.”

You stopped breathing. 

He was so close to you. So close. The world around you blurred until it was only the two of you—sitting in that cafe. Your breath hitched as his fingers brushed ever so lightly against your cheek as he retrieved it back.

You swallowed hard, looking away as his smile deepened. “Whatever. Get back to work, Wonie.” You muttered, trying to ignore that unfamiliar feeling in your chest.

Before you realized, you let out a nickname that was unfamiliar to you. But now it was too late to take it back. Jungwon on the other hand froze. His smile shifted into something different, something softer. 

“What did you call me?” His eyes gleamed as his voice dropped. Jungwon tilted his head, his tone playful as he looked at you with that little grin of his. 

You blinked. “No–nothing!” You looked away as you stammered over your words. Gosh, he was never going to let this go.

“No, you called me something.” Jungwon’s voice was soft, he seemed to actually like what you said. So much so, that your heart fluttered at his dashing smile. “Wonie.” He smiled, saying it outloud. “I like it, you should call me that more often.” 

You groaned, hiding your face in your hands. “Don’t make it a thing!”

“Nope, too late.” He chuckled as he crossed his arms. “Wonie’s my name now, right, pretty?”

“Whatever.” You mumbled, getting back to your work. 

But your breath hitched, you could feel your throat tightening as you looked at him. He didn’t seem bothered by it at all. He leaned back against his chair as he turned to his laptop, starting to type again. 

Was he ever oblivious to the fact that he made you crazy? Did he realize that your heart swelled up whenever he was around or how your cheeks turned red when he looked at you with those eyes.

He never knew how you felt when his voice softened when talking to you—or how he noticed every little thing about you that other people would look past by. He always listened, even if it was as stupid as Minju snitching on you or how you were almost late to class. 

You looked back at Jungwon, leaned back against the chair and focused on his screen. He always managed to look this effortlessly good. Like he didn’t care about anything yet making your heart run marathons. 

You almost caught yourself smiling yet you stopped yourself before Jungwon would catch you staring at him. You turned back to your screen, only being able to focus on the work at hand rather than thinking about the boy next to you.

Minutes passed into hours and before you knew it, you were already done with going through the slides. The busy cafe from a while back had now emptied with the sunny sky turning into a dusky lavender. The stars had begun to set on the sky as the moon was visible enough. 

You stretched your arms back as you let out a quiet sigh, “I’m done.” you muttered, closing your laptop after saving everything. 

“Perfect timing,” Jungwon flashed a smile at you, as he closed his laptop. 

“You’re going home?” You said, seeing his pace while packing his bag.

To your surprise, he only shook his head no. “I can’t go home. I have to drop you off.” He said, a soft smile still on his face as he looked at you after packing his bag. 

“Jungwon, you don’t have to do that.” You glanced at him as you slung your tote bag over your shoulders. 

You both walked out the cafe, you followed him out as he opened the door for you. “You know I can’t let you go out alone this late.”

“You do realize I’m not a kid.” You scoffed at him, crossing your arms as you walked by him.

“Are you sure?” He snickered, making you pout.

You hit his shoulder lightly, “You’re so annoying.” You muttered. 

He only smiled at you, looking at your pouty face the entire time like he was enjoying teasing you. 

The city around you felt quieter now. The traffic had subsided, the buzz around the streets calming down. The wind brushed against your legs, your arms involuntarily shivered as you rubbed your hands up and down both your arms.

Jungwon without saying a word, removed his jacket and pulled it over you. You blinked as you looked around yourself as he came closer to put it on you. Your confused face was soon replaced by a blush. “Jungwon—you didn’t have to do that. I’m not that cold.”

“Sure, let’s act like you’re not freezing.” He chuckled.

You rolled your eyes playfully with a smile on your face as you quietly thanked him, pulling the jacket even closer to your body. His jacket smelt faintly of cologne—his scent. His gesture left you melting, though you could never show it.

“You’re so…hard to figure.” You said, breaking the silence. The thought slipped out of your mind, with his gesture being the one to push you to it.

“Hm?” He glanced at you, his hands reaching into his pockets.

“I mean, you don’t seem like the boy I met that day in class.” You uttered. 

“Ah, you mean the boy that got rejected without even confessing.” 

You sighed, hoping he’d already forgotten about it. “Seriously, let that go!”

“No, it’s one of our core memories now.” He looked at you with that shit-eating smile again.

“Well, you looked like you were about to! And how was I supposed to know? That was the first time you’ve talked to me. Before that, I thought you were like really cold and cut off from the world.”

He giggled at your words, “You thought I was cold?”

You shrugged as you walked on the cobble path, kicking a stone on the way. “You barely talked in class. I’m pretty sure I only knew you because of Minju.” You glanced at him. 

“Well you know me enough now to know I’d never be cold, not to you, pretty.” He smiled at you, not knowing he just made your heart flutter.

You mentally screamed, trying to keep your composure in front of him. “Seriously…I’d have to ask about a thousand questions to figure you out.” Your comment piqued his interest.

“Ask away.”

You glanced at him, caught off guard by whether he was being serious or not. He looked back at you, not with those teasing eyes anymore. He looked genuine. A sincere gaze on you, making your heart do backflips. 

You blinked, needing a moment before you were sure you could ask the question that had been gnawing at you for ages. “Why do you always call me pretty?”

Jungwon was quiet, like the question caught him off guard. But then, at the corner of your eyes you saw a small, faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips. “Because you are. You’re very pretty.”

Jungwon said those words with ease, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Seeing you around the hallways with a wide smile and you focused with that little scrunch on your nose made you the prettiest girl to him. 

Trying to hide the fact that you were already blushing hard, you let out a small laugh trying not to believe him. “Be serious.”

“I am serious. Everytime I see you at school, with your friends. You seem so fit for it. Though I didn’t notice you then. But it was when you were quiet. When you felt like yourself, I just thought you were a really pretty girl.”

You didn’t even realize you stopped walking before his words hit you. “You’re pretty like this. You’re pretty always but especially like this.” 

You stared at him, stunned. No one had ever spoken to you like this before. Not without an angle or expecting something. It wasn’t a compliment that was passed by with your friends during lunch or soft nothings that were whispered to you during parties.

You broke the silence, “This is my house.” You looked at the gate. “I should get going. “ You sent him a tight smile.

“I should go before your Mom thinks I kidnapped you.” Jungwon joked.

You laughed, a faint flush showing on your face before you realized. “Oh right, your jacket.”

“No, keep it. You look better with it.”

“Jungwon…” He managed to leave you speechless again. What could you even say? That he was sweet? That he made your heart race? He only shrugged like it was nothing. Like he hadn't just lit up something in you and made your entire week. 

“Thank you, for this… and for tonight.” You smiled at him, a shy but genuine smile.

The boy only shook his head, brushing it off. “Anytime.”

“Goodnight, Wonie.” You opened the gate and faced him one last time. You could barely hear your own voice. 

“Goodnight, pretty.” He said, his tone was warm and familiar. And with that he left as you closed the gate. 

You stood there for a moment, trying to process what just happened. Your fingers curled around the edges of his jacket, the one that brought butterflies to your stomach and the warmth you so needed. 

The night felt calm for the first time in quite a long period. It was rare to see the Moon so still and everything grounded. And you knew why. You knew the reason was the boy that made your heart flutter a few minutes earlier.

It wasn’t his actions that stirred something in you, it was his words. It was how he saw you. It was real. Everything he said to you before was what was in his mind. Your heart thudded so hard, it made your fingers twitch at your sides.

You gulped as his words played in your mind again and again. His words were the type to make you feel seen. Under all those perfect words people called you or the eyes that looked at you with admiration, it was just a girl that was trying to get on with another day of her life trying to meet everyone’s expectations.

You weren’t used to this and you think you might never get used to it. To be seen without the word ‘perfect’ or ‘lucky’. To be known as Y/n and not anything else. To have a real personality that you could share proudly. You could never get used to it when you grew up chasing people’s views of what they saw you as in your mind and never what you wanted to be. 

To say that you were shaking was an understatement, your heart was fully pounding. And it wouldn’t stop. Your cheeks were warm and your stomach turned. This wasn’t because of the presentation you were currently doing, but because Jungwon was so close to you. Your shoulder brushed against his arm as he slightly bumped into you while explaining the slides.

It felt maddening—the way he alone made you this nervous without even uttering one word to you. When it was your turn to present, your fingers tightened on the iPad in your hands as you tried to keep composure and breeze through the slides easily.

And you were doing so good, amazing even. You tried to focus on the slide in front of you, looking back and forth between the class and the screen, but Jungwon leaned in ever so slightly as he adjusted his laptop and whispered, “You’re doing good.”

You swear you choked. You breath hitched as your eyes glanced at him for a split second. Clearing your throat, you continued on with your presentation, trying to focus. By the time you reached to the end, your palms felt sweaty and your head felt light. Jungwon stared at you the entire time with a faint smile on his face, his eyes not leaving you once. 

A polite wave of applause ( war flashbacks ) rose across the class as you flashed a smile, thankful that you were done. As you returned to your seat beside Jungwon, you finally could breathe as you sat down.

“Oh my gosh, I was about to pass out.” Though he would never know it was because of him and not the presentation.

Jungwon turned to look at you with that smile of his, “Really? You couldn’t tell at all.”

You let out a small laugh as you tucked your hair behind your ear. “I guess so. It was kinda hard since I was so nervous, but I guess I worked past it.” You grinned.

“Oh yeah?” His gaze deepened, he looked almost proud. “Good girl.” 

Oh my gosh. You almost lost it. You blinked at the boy beside, wondering if you heard that correctly. He only turned back and looked at the front of the class, not knowing his words made your heart swell twice the size it was. He was messing up your head without even knowing it. 

You looked away quickly, your eyes darting to the screen as you hoped he wouldn't see the rising heat on your cheeks. It took everything in you to not collapse in front of the whole class. All it took was one phrase, one look to make your stomach turn and your heart flip.

And it wasn't fair how easily he got you blushing. You busied yourself and continued listening to the lecture. You just hoped he didn't catch how you would glance at him every now and then, and how your ears would turn slightly red when his arm brushed against yours.

Class wrapped up sooner than you expected, comments about poems and proses died down as you stood up from your chair. You felt a small wave of relief wash over you. The boy next to you slung his bag over his shoulder as he waited for you to arrange your things.

Before you even knew it, a classmate approached you—the tall boy with a charming smile, everyone knew him and everyone liked him. “Y/n, your presentation was flawless by the way. You always manage to pull it off.”

And just like that, the switch flipped.

Your relaxed shoulders straightened and you put on a smile that never reached your eyes. You tucked a loose strand behind your ear as you replied, “You’re too sweet. I wouldn’t call it flawless, but thank you. I’ll accept your compliment this once.” You giggled. 

“Just once?” He joked, as he tilted his head slightly.

“Well, I can’t accept all compliments. My ego would be too big.” The laugh you gave was polite. It was short, it was rehearsed. You commented just enough for small talk, but nothing further than that. It was like muscle memory. It was the cost of being the perfect, adored girl.

But from the corner of your eye, you could see Jungwon. He had this smile on his face. One you haven’t seen before. It was more of an amusement rather than his regular one. He seemed surprised, almost like he was seeing an entirely different person. As the classmate left, you faced him. He raised an eyebrow as he met your eyes.

“What?” You asked him, confused.

“Nothing.” He dismissed it. “I’m starving, do you want to go eat? I know this good place down the street that serves pho.”

You nodded as your lips formed into a tight smile, “That sounds good.” 

The walk to the restaurant was quiet enough for your thoughts to roam. Jungwon next to you seemed completely oblivious to the heart ache you were having. He seriously cannot be this blind to how you blushed at almost anything he did.

Or he knew exactly how your heart swelled every time he called you pretty. He knew how you would internally melt whenever he did those small gestures that you didn’t even think he’d notice. Maybe he knew it all along and just didn’t say anything—and that somehow made it even worse.

The little pho place was tucked at the end of the street, next to a bakery. It seemed quiet and warm, you could already taste the pho from here. You entered the restaurant, the bell above you chimed as Jungwon opened the door and led you in.

You settled for a quiet spot, near the window and away from the crowd. Jungwon slid on the seat across yours. He barely glanced at the menu while you took yours in your hands and zoomed through it. It seemed like he visited this place a lot.

“You come here a lot?” You asked, breaking the silence.

Jungwon who was looking out the window finally looked at you, “Yeah, this place is quiet. Helps me think.”

“About?” Your curiosity piqued. “You talk like you're a philosopher, Wonie” You giggled. 

Jungwon let out a quiet laugh, his eyes crinkled as he shaked his head. “Well, mostly things in my life. Just when I need to get some peace and quiet.” 

Your shoulders relaxed as you leaned against your chair, “So what? This is your escape? The place that serves pho?” You asked, looking around.

“It might not be much, but it helps.” He shrugged, his hands played with the ends of his hoodie.

You almost seemed to notice Jungwon—you noticed his stillness against the buzz of the restaurant. His edges softened here, his guard let down and his thoughts flew all around the place, they were all raw and real. He seemed effortless to your eyes, but here, he felt like another boy who came to eat pho and nothing more. He almost seemed distant to the boy that bruised your ego weeks ago. 

The butterflies in your stomach rested, the blush on your face faded. The warmth that rested on your chest wasn't as uneasy as it was. You weren’t nervous. No, not anymore. You felt comfortable. 

You let yourself go from the facade that you held up. Your smile came easier, they reached your eyes and your laughs felt full and real as Jungwon and you both joked. Words from each other fell rhythmically like a harmonious ballad, 

When the waiter arrived, Jungwon let out his order without looking twice at the menu, “You should get the beef pho.” He suggested.

“Yeah? Is it good?” You said, skimming through the menu.

“Mhm,” He nodded. “You’d like it,” He said it like he knew you. Maybe he really did. 

Maybe he listened to all those pointless rants you said during the time you spent together. Maybe he knew what you liked and disliked by heart and maybe, just maybe, he saw you for who you really are. For the girl that wasn’t attached to the title of being the perfect and luckiest girl. 

“Hm, I'll trust you on this one.” You muttered before you ordered your meal.

The waiter left quickly, the gentle hum of the restaurant settled around you. The soft edge of the lights reflected against Jungwon, you had to double take—was he glowing?

Every time you looked at him, he looked more perfect. The few flaws he had completely disappeared. You had to pinch yourself to know if this was real, if he was real. Snap out of it, this isn’t like you. Or that’s what you thought, this isn’t like you.

It was never like you to think of a boy for more than a week. But Jungwon has been roaming around in your mind for longer than you knew. The faint voice of the boy had rested on your mind during countless nights, his face showing up in thoughts you would have throughout the day.

You were even daydreaming. Daydreaming! The all perfect girl, who usually other people dreamed about was now falling into the charms of the quiet boy across from her.

You were doomed. Your heart knew it before you. It knew from the moment he cornered you in Jake’s party. The way his body leaned close but not enough to make you uncomfortable, just enough to make you nervous.

His eyes lingered for more than needed, itching to say what was on his mind. His lips twitched whenever you spoke, a smile broke through even though it was the most pointless thing you’d say. It was how calm he acted when your head was a mess. He brought the stillness to your chaos. He was the balance to the commotion in your life—the fresh breath in a life that was rehearsed for you. 

This was the dangerous thing about Jungwon, he never seemed like the boy that would distract you, he never seemed to disrupt your world. He wasn’t loud, he wasn’t chaotic. He was quiet, he kept to himself a lot. He was just there, in the midst of everything. Everyone else was rushing, in a hurry but to you, he was still. His feet didn’t move once, Jungwon was grounded. Maybe that's why he was so collected. He didn’t let anyone else pull him aside. He stayed through the buzz of the crowd. He stayed still.

Jungwon never saw the world the way the others did. His eyes showed him a different view. An almost calm one, a one with no expectations, just raw and real feelings. It was the one that felt like himself the most. And there, he saw you. You, the girl who was true to herself and not the ones everyone else expected you to be. 

He saw the girl who smiled genuinely, the girl who’d be sad when she was. Who felt angry and frustrated when she wanted to be. Who’d laugh at the silliest things.

She was the girl who wanted to feel whatever she wanted. Not rehearsed feelings handed on a silver platter. Not practiced smiles or polished mannerisms. No, it was the girl who had emotions that a real human felt. It wasn’t one that belonged to a porcelain doll. It was hers. 

You looked at Jungwon, he was leaning back slightly against his chair. “Why haven’t you showed me this place before?” You asked, knowing this could have been a place you both studied at.

“I don’t really bring people here.” His gaze fixed on you with a smile. “I mean, I brought Riki here once, but he was too loud—I’m pretty sure the owner glared at him multiple times.” He chuckled.

“Oh, I should be lucky that I got to come here with you.” You nodded, looking around and taking in the smell of the rich food around you.

“I wouldn’t call that lucky. Maybe I brought you here because I like you.” His smile stayed on. “I don’t talk to a lot of people, my only friends are probably Jake, Riki and the librarian. It’s kinda unexpected that I’m here with you.”

You titled your head, “Unexpected?”

“Mm, I didn’t expect to like you, Y/n.” Jungwon muttered. “I don’t think you did either. But I'm glad I’m here with you.”

“You’re right.” You said, playing with the rim of your glass absentmindedly. “You made me see a lot of things about me. Things I didn't even know I had.” You giggled, realizing how much of a blind eye you turned to yourself. “It’s just… I don’t have to pretend. It’s comfortable being around you, not exhausting.”

“Good,” Jungwon whispered. “I don’t want you to be someone else around me. I want you to be you.” Every word he said tugged at your heart as you swallowed your breath.

Just then, two steaming bowls of pho arrived—the waiter set them in front of you. You took in the scent of the rich broth as you brought your bowl near you. You picked up your chopsticks to take a bite.

Jungwon seemed to be enjoying his food, well he’s been here long enough to know the food was good. “This is amazing, Wonie.” You say, your eyes widening as the taste of the broth settles in your mouth. 

He giggles as he places a piece of his chicken in your bowl, “I’m glad you like it, pretty. Eat this too.” You took the piece of meat he placed in your bowl and gulped it down. 

“You really have good taste. I need to come here more often.” You said, taking another bite.

Jungwon laughed at your enthusiasm. “Sure, we can come here more often.” 

Your full cheeks slightly reddened as you heard him mention you both. “You’re a really good eater and I’m glad I’m eating pho here with you in a restaurant. It’s not everyday I get to eat a delicious meal with a pretty girl.”

“Shush,” You said, hiding your smile. 

You didn’t realize but there was a small splash of broth near your lips. As you continued talking, you noticed Jungwon’s smile as he laid his head against his palm. 

“What? Why’re you looking at me like that?” You asked.

“Nah, you got something.” Jungwon was swift as he leaned over to wipe off the broth with his thumb and bring it to his lips. He licked it off and went back to eating like it was the most normal thing ever. 

Now you were fully blushing. His actions made your heart strings tug violently. If only he could stop being the biggest gentleman and flirt in the world, your heart would finally have a rest. 

A few moments later, Jungwon finally spoke. “So, what’s your escape?” Jungwon asked, picking up from the question you asked him earlier.  

You paused for a minute, your chopsticks hovering over the bowl. You looked at Jungwon as the warm steam from the pho clouded your face slightly. For once, you thought of answering what was on your mind, instead of practiced words flowing out your mouth.

“I guess, I don’t really have one.” You said as you dunked your chopsticks in the bowl. “I grew up like this. I don’t think I know how to act like anything else other than this. I guess, I thought this was the real me for the longest time, but it's hard—exhausting even.” You sighed, knowing every day was a routine for you to act according to the title that was given to you. “I don’t have a place to be the real me. It seems pathetic, I know.”

“No it's not.” Jungwon’s voice was soft, almost reassuring. “Even though you can’t find the real you doesn’t make it any less real. It’s still there, I know it.” 

“You’re just saying that.” You tried to brush it off.

“Pretty, I’m being honest. I haven't been around you for long, but…well I don't know, but I don't think I’ve seen you laugh that loud. Or be so you. It seems different when you act around your friends and around me.” Jungwon confessed. 

“But…if you want a place, you can always come here. Even if it’s not with me. It’s a place that brought me the most calmness, and it might to you as well."

The thing is, you don’t think it's the place that made you calm. It was the boy in front of you. You denied your feelings for the longest time, but you don’t think you could keep it contained for any second longer. Whenever you were with him, you were always the real you, the real Y/n. 

For the first time in a while, you are finally allowed to admit it. To admit that the warmth in your heart wasn’t the unfamiliarity of Jungwon, but it was something more tender, more deeper.

It was love. It was the warmth that rested in your chest during those late evenings when you both studied together. It was the swell in your heart when he acted like a gentleman.

You were falling—deep and hard for Jungwon. You fell into the charm of his smile, his kindness and how he could see past your walls and into your heart.

In that moment, you realized that this wasn’t admiration or friendship, it was something you couldn’t deny anymore.

You were falling for Yang Jungwon.

You were sure of this, you’ve been wanting to do it for a long time. Well, it’s been a week since you were at the restaurant with Jungwon, only growing closer to the boy from there. Every shared glance, every laugh, every late night text only made your heart flutter even more. 

Nothing changed after the project, he still looked at you with that stupid smile on his face and he still called you pretty—like he meant it. Your heart only grew from all the useless but silly conversations you’d have with the boy. You couldn’t ignore that feeling in your heart anymore, it was too hard for you to turn a blind eye towards. 

Minju saw how you got all cheery around him, she saw how you let your guard down around him. How your smiles were softer, less practiced. You saw how you were growing closer and closer to the boy. It was dangerous how you were letting him in your heart. 

It was reckless even. The kind of recklessness that made you put your guard down and the kind that made you ignore the little voice in your head that told you to take a step back and remember who you were. The ‘you’ that was practiced and perfect. But you didn’t want that, not anymore. 

Not when Yang Jungwon made you feel alive and free. You wanted to live in the moments when Jungwon’s gaze lingered on you for a little longer. You cherished all those times he called you ‘pretty’ even though you acted annoyed whenever he said it. You replayed the moment where you realized you fell for the boy under the dimly lit pho restaurant. 

So you decided, you made up your mind that you weren’t keeping these lingering feelings floating anymore. You had to tell him. To tell him the words that had been breaking out of your heart, to tell him that your heart belonged to him from now on. To show him that it was Jungwon who’d you think about at the end of each day.

That’s how you ended up in front of the basketball court. The court seemed empty as the  sunlight spilled on the shiny floor. You could hear the thump of the basketball on the hard floors echoing throughout the room with the sounds of sneakers squeaking against the floor. 

You watched Jungwon from afar. He looked effortlessly good as always. The strands of his bangs stuck to his forehead as his uniform sleeves were rolled up, showing off his lean forearms. His shirt stuck to his chest, slightly damp with sweat. He seemed immersed in playing it by himself. 

He didn’t notice you—not until you called his name. 

His eyes lightened as he smiled wide. Before catching the ball he bounced it one more time. “Pretty!” He lifted his head, grinning as you headed to him. 

“Why’re you here?” He started dribbling again, slowly. “You play basketball?”

You giggled softly as you shook your head, “No. I haven’t ever.” He smiled, looking at your face before successfully throwing the ball in the hoop.

“I came here to talk actually.” You looked at the floor, not being able to look at the boy.

“Ah, figured.” He chuckled as he dribbled the ball in rhythmic beats. “Shoot.”

This was it. This was your shot.

“I was wondering if you wanted to get dinner sometime.” You let out, struggling through the uneasy feeling that rested in your stomach.

“Sure pretty, we can go to that pho restaurant or what about the new place that serves steak?” He smiled, his eyes warm as a day.

“Jungwon, I meant as a date. A romantic one.” You quickly added before you could regret everything. “I like you.” You swallowed.

What fell after your confession was complete silence. 

“Y/n…” His voice was gentle, not louder than a whisper. He hesitated to find the words, knowing that it would break you.

“I’m sorry,” This was all he could say. It was all Jungwon could do to let you down. The words struck to your heart like a knife as it pierced through.

You bit your lips finally looking at him. You prayed to God that he wouldn’t see the tears that threatened to pour out of your eyes. Jungwon froze, not knowing what to do. 

He came closer, his hand twitched as it tried to reach out to you, but you backed away. You backed away from the pain before it would make you crumble right in front of the boy you liked. 

“Forget it, I should go.” You muttered, turning your heel before that crack in your voice would betray you. 

“Y/n…” Jungwon called out your name, his voice softer now.

You walked out the court, without looking back. The ache in your throat now burned with a sour taste. Your chest heaved as you tried not to let the tears from your eyes fall. Blinking hard, the echoes of the pain that struck your heart in the court kept lingering around your heart; a mockery of your failure.

You didn’t know what you hated the most, how he let you down so slowly or how he still said your name like it meant everything to him. He held your heart in his hands and carelessly let it slip, not knowing how easily you gave it to him—under the dim lights of the pho restaurant, when he seemed to be your boy just for a moment.

It was never supposed to be like this, you weren’t supposed to fall for him in the first place.

You were the lucky girl, lucky at every turn; with your friends, with your grades and with everything that mattered. So why not with him? Why didn’t he fall for your charms like everyone else did? Why did he slip through the cracks of your highly built walls? Why did he see past that perfected smile?

Jungwon, the only one that saw you for who you were now recklessly dangled your heart around him. He never seemed to like you, something you couldn’t understand why. He was your ‘friend’. But somewhere between the endless study sessions, the lines of friendship and love began to blur. You seemed confused on why a friend would listen to every single detail of your silly stories or walk you home, giving you his jacket even if he was cold. 

You wanted to laugh at yourself. How foolishly in love were you. How naive. The kindness he’d lend over to you was soon mistaken for love. The sparkle in his eyes you noticed was just the affection for a friend. Surely it was.

Luck carried you through everything. Through the hardest moments, when you thought you couldn’t get out of a situation it would swoop in and save you. But the last thing you felt right now was lucky. Soon realizing that love didn’t come with luck, it never did. 

But Gosh, did it hurt to learn it this way. 

Minju and Moka knew it from the moment you walked to them out on the field with a dull face. It was never like you to carry yourself with such a monotonous face, that’s basically coming empty handed to someone’s birthday. What made them terrified was how your perfect posture had a slight hunch to it and the perfect pretty girl plopped herself beside them, with a sigh.

You actually sighed. 

Minju gulped, “Is it, like, safe to talk to you?” She slowly asked, not knowing what she might’ve gotten herself into. 

You shot her a glance, unknowingly a mean one which she mentally winced at. You were just tired. Tired from crying yourself to sleep last night and tired from the heartbreak that stupid boy caused. 

“You’re not going to explode right now, yeah?” Moka added, praying to God that she defuses the time bomb in front of her before it nukes the entire class. Moka bit her lip, knowing she had so much to live for and she couldn't let her life be cut short. Dramatic? yes, but also very needed when you sat there with a sulky pout.

“Why are you guys acting like someone died?” You sighed again. Gosh, they were done for.

“Well, did they?” Minju blinked looking at your state.

“Yes, me.” You said shortly before letting your head rest in your hands.

“Mind telling your best friends what happened?” Moka titled her head, trying to get a better look at your covered face. 

You gulped, you would have to tell them some time. You raised your head as you finally looked at them. This is so embarrassing, your face turned red at the thought.

“Jungwon…rejectedme.” You said, fast enough hoping they didn’t hear.

“Wait—what?” Minju spoke up, double checking if she heard that correctly.

“Jungwon, the boy I liked, rejected me! There, I said it. That’s what happened, he rejected me and continued playing fucking basketball like it was no big deal.” You were sure your face was red by now, not by embarrassment but anger. Gosh, if you could see that brown haired boy just to choke him.

“Hold on, you liked him?” Moka said, mindlessly not knowing about the fact that you’ve been crushing hard on the boy for the past few weeks.

Minju nudged Moka’s shoulder at her obliviousness, “You idiot! How didn’t you realize? She was practically foaming whenever he was around.”

“Yeah well it doesn’t matter anymore. The only thing that does is shooting balls in fucking hoops, apparently.” You groaned, the memories of the days before flushing straight to your mind.

Gosh, you were never going to live that down. 

Minju saw your sulky face, her face roamed over your eyes. “No way, don’t tell me you actually cried.” She said, a pout forming on her face.

You blinked at her. “No I didn’t.” You said, lying straight out of your teeth.

“You did!” Moka joined in, putting her hand over your shoulder for some form of comfort. “He’s seriously got you wrapped around his finger. I never thought I'd see Y/N be so down  bad.” 

“I don’t care anymore.” You sulked as you buried your face in your palms. 

“Cheer up, you don’t need him anyway.” Minju reassured you, rubbing your arm.  “He’s just a boy, it’s his loss he lost the prettiest girl.”

Prettiest girl. That name struck straight through your heart without any warning. The name you blushed at every time it left his mouth now only stung. It echoed with the familiarity that you hated now.

Jungwon had said it so many times that it was your second name by now, but what you never knew was he meant it every single time. Jungwon always liked being honest. He said what was on his mind. Whenever he called you pretty, he meant it with his heart. You felt it too, his sincerity, how genuine he was when he talked to you. 

And for a while, you believed it. You believed that maybe at least in his eyes, you were pretty. Not in the way that most people see you. Not how passerbys take a double look at you, but you as a whole. He saw a pretty girl when you were the real you. The nickname that he gave you now haunts you—a faint reminder of how he looked at you like you were his, how gentle he was with you, how he let you down slowly. 

Now you were sitting with your friends on the field, wallowing on how he crushed you. Somehow, through these past few days, he never really left your mind. Jungwon always found a place at the back of your mind, lingering around with the pain of your heartbreak as well.

Soon after, Minju and Moka left you on the bleachers by yourself after you asked for some time alone. The sun peaked behind the clouds as the breeze ran through your hair.

The field was quiet except for some distant chatter of boys wrapping up on football practice. You sat there, your mind still dazed as your chin rested on your palm. You weren’t one to ever sulk, especially over some stupid boy, yet here you were blankly looking at the grass in front of you without a thought in your head. 

Right then, you heard soft thumps against the grass. As you lifted your head up to see who was walking towards you, your heart skipped a beat. It was Jungwon, in all his glory heading to you like he didn’t just break your heart days ago.

“What’s with the pouty face?” He asked, taking a seat next to you with that soft smile of his.

You huffed, looking away. “Don’t act like you don’t know.” Your voice was low and a little too sharp.

His mouth twitched upwards, holding back a laugh as he raised his eyebrow. “Still hung up on that, I see.” He chuckles softly, looking ahead at the sun.

“Well, it’d be surprising if I didn’t.” You sighed, considering the fact that it literally just happened a few days ago. “I realized I can’t move on fast.”

“That happens. Everyone has their own pace. It’s human nature.” Jungwon comforted you without even knowing it, when he was the reason you put on a pout the whole day.

“Gosh,” You groaned out of annoyance. “Why do you have to be so nice all the time?” Looking at Jungwon at your left, he greeted you with a laugh at your huffy presence.

“You know, it’d help if you were a jerk so I could move on. Then I'd have something to hate about you.” 

Jungwon pouted, pressing his hands to his chest above his heart. “You wound me, pretty.” He chuckles, not knowing how many butterflies were reborn in your stomach once again at the sound of the nickname. “I can’t be rude to anyone who matters to me.”

The lump that used to rest in your throat was brought back again. Gosh, if he could only stop making you fall deeper for him. Jungwon, having a way with his words did not help one bit. You went quiet, there was prolonged silence between the two of you as you glanced at him long enough for him to do the same. 

You broke the silence with a whisper, “Then why say no?”

Jungwon only sighed. He ran his fingers through his hair, knowing the question would come sooner or later. Letting out a slow breath, he collected the right words to say to you—he only hoped that it would reach you as some form of comfort.

“Y/N, I’ve always liked you…since the day you rejected me without even me confessing.” He softly chuckled at the memory. “You were so interesting, such a pretty personality. I could feel your passion about everything you liked, but you hid it. You keep away from being true to yourself. What you show to people isn’t the real you. That made me sad, I kept thinking ‘how come such a pretty girl like you have to hide her personality when it’s so beautiful?’” Jungwon saw right through you, he read you like a book when others didn’t bother to look past your cover.

“It must be exhausting,” He continued with sincerity. “Always meeting other people’s expectations of you. You must’ve lost yourself through it, it feels too much sometimes…right?” You only slowly nodded at his words.

You felt seen now. You felt as if he had truly looked beyond the practiced smiles to the real girl who was underneath the rehearsals of being perfect. 

“I guess, I’ve been doing it for so long I didn’t realize it myself.”

“Figured. You didn’t have anyone to notice it. I…wanted to see you for who you are. Not the girl that other people expect to see.” Your heart thudded like a drum, you swear you just fell for him again.

“You rejected me…because of this?” You asked, tilting your head in which he chuckled at the question.

His silence answered your question as you put your head in your hands again, “Gosh, I’m so pathetic. I thought you hated me. I got too ahead of myself.”

He propped his hands against the bleachers as he leaned back. “I like you like this.”

“You’re all sulky, frustrated. It’s not pathetic. It’s human. It’s the real Y/N that I like. The one that makes stupid jokes which I still laugh at.” He joked, trying to see you slip a smile for once.

You shot a glare at him playfully as you shoved his arm. “You don’t get my humour.”

“No one does. You’re unique. Own it.” He quickly added, smiling. “It's the you that I liked all along.”

You felt your lips part, your cheeks warm as that same uneasy feeling rested in your stomach. The smile on his face lingered on your mind for a bit too long. 

“Cheer up, pretty.” Jungwon said, standing up and turning towards you. He reached out to ruffle your hair before he bid you goodbye. With that he left the field, leaving you alone on the bleachers. 

You stayed seated for a moment longer, the conversation replayed in your head. The fresh air against your skin left a reminder of the real you, the one you had to discover hiding down the practiced laughs. You let your shoulders loosen, closing your eyes. You could only hear the birds chirping and the distant buzz of the school pupils. For once, your heart felt at peace. The calm you didn’t know that you had been searching for. 

You sit with yourself at that thought. The thought of what it would feel like to be the real you in front of everyone; your friends, your peers, Jungwon. You felt something shift, it was small–you could almost miss it–yet it was meaningful. 

Maybe, it was okay to be stubborn, frustrated, messy. Maybe that was who you wanted to be from now on. 

You didn’t even realize the days that passed after you talked with Jungwon on the field. Not knowing if it was Jungwon’s words replaying in your head or how your heart slowly brought its pieces back together, but you slowly started to change. Change into the person who you longed to be. Something snapped in you to break free from the rigidness that had been holding you back.

At first, it was small. You could almost miss it, but it meant something. You didn’t have that faint smile at all times. You allowed yourself to be frustrated, happy, surprised; every emotion in the book without caring about what other people would think.

You didn’t force your laughter nor did you wait for approval from your peers. No, you didn’t care about that anymore. The world didn’t end when you people didn’t smile back at you or when you didn’t get the last banana milk in the canteen. 

You kept to yourself sometimes, not wanting to be the centre of attention all the time. Somehow, it felt lighter—almost as if the load on your back had been taken off you. Not filling the silence all the time felt almost freeing, not worried at night before you go to bed on what people might’ve thought of you today and what you could do to become better for tomorrow. 

Jungwon noticed, of course he did. He was the first person to. His eyes always lingered around you whenever you weren’t paying attention. His eyes were soft, filled with something more than love just for a friend. 

He found himself impressed when you sat next to him as always in your English Literature class, with just a smile and nothing more. Small conversations were made about the weather or the notes about the class—but it wasn’t anything practiced, nothing rehearsed. The stray strand of hair that you always tucked behind your ear was now left alone. It didn’t bother you when it fell on your cheek, it wasn’t like how it was used to—you didn’t have to spend an hour everyday correcting each of your imperfections in the mirror. 

Jungwon only smiled at your changed attitude. And somehow, the anxiousness that rested in your stomach didn’t exist anymore. Your nervousness when you were around him was now replaced with comfort. The softness that was barely there before now began to grow as Jungwon and you pulled to each other closer than before, without even noticing.

It wasn’t just in class. It was everywhere. The change inside you followed you to the cafe you regularly visit or through the school hallways. Just as you were now, walking through the halls with your hands shoved in the pockets of your hoodie. Jungwon had waved at you to come over. Before you could reach him, your foot slipped on an uneven tile causing you to fall towards the ground with a quiet thud. 

Normally, you would’ve panicked, quickly standing up worried if your peers saw your embarrassing moment. You would’ve checked multiple times for wounds that would leave a scar and if you did, you’d worry endless nights about the scar that’s left on your skin, searching for medication days on end to get rid of it.

But you, you were just sitting on the ground, a scraped knee and nothing in your mind other than if you were okay. Jungwon quickly ran to your side, yelling your name.

“Are you okay?” He asked, crouching down to see if you had any wounds on you.

He checked your knee, his hand coming in contact with your leg as he leaned in to get a better look with a worried face. But all you could do was laugh. You laughed right in Jungwon's face about your clumsiness. 

Jungwon looked up at you with confusion, “Gosh, I’m so clumsy.” You let out an airy laugh as you looked at your wound.

The boy stared at you with disbelief. You were hurt yet you were laughing. He blinked before letting out a small chuckle with you. “You know, when I asked you to be the real you, I didn’t mean clumsy.”

“What if the real me is clumsy?” You asked with a giggle, not caring about the wound anymore.

His fingers brushed around the wound over your knee, knowing you needed a bandage. But then he looked at you with a smile, “Then I’d have to support it. I’ll take care of you every time you fall.”

Shoot, you were blushing. Really hard. 

You gulped, trying to dismiss what he said. Though you couldn’t get his boyish smile out of your head. How he touched you with utmost care, like you’d break anytime. His gentleness still plucked your heartstrings, your face slightly flushed. 

He stood up, lending you his hand for you to get up as well. Jungwon tugged you up with ease. You were back on your feet again, the pain has now subsided and was replaced by the warmth that Jungwon left behind. You swore your heart skipped a beat when his hand lingered for too long against yours before he let go. 

He brought you to an empty classroom and made you sit on one of the chairs. Jungwon crouched down and rummaged through his bag for a bandage. He glanced at you for a moment after ripping open the bandage. You slightly winced at the pressure when he pressed it on your knee.

“You’re okay?” He asked, slight concern lacing his voice.

You only nodded with a smile. You were okay really, now all better from the boy who was in front of you, patching you up.

“You should watch where you’re going next time, pretty. I don’t want you to fall again.” He chuckled as you stood up from the chair. “You can walk right?”

“Yes, Wonie. I didn’t break my ankle. It’s just a scratch.” You giggled, not even realizing that nickname found your lips again.

He broke eye contact, looking away with a laugh. Was he…blushing? The faint flush on his cheeks gave it away. You could die in peace now. You finally made the boy who always made you nervous blush. You always wondered how Jungwon would look like this, a blushing mess. Now you finally got to see it in an empty classroom, and it was a sight to see.

“Yeah, well I was just checking if I had to give you a piggyback ride to your house.” He added, his usual softness mixed with playfulness laced in voice.

You giggled, shaking your head. “You think I’m that helpless?”

Jungwon shrugged, “You never know. You’re clumsy enough to need it” 

You scoffed as you shoved Jungwon’s arm at his joke, though the smile stayed on your face. Jungwon just smiled, happy to see you smile again. Even if it was his teasing or his stupid jokes, he still brought out the you he wanted to see for the longest and that was all that mattered.

The sting in your knee had disappeared. You realized it wasn’t that bad to have someone be on your side always, through your frustrated pouts, embarrassing moments or when you got hurt.

It wasn’t so bad when there was someone like him being there to help you whenever you needed it. His actions more than his words made you feel that warm sensation tingling around your stomach, you felt something that you were yet to discover. 

And for the first time in a long time, you finally knew what it meant to be true to yourself.

You decided that today was the day your luck had finally been against you. The rain poured in front of you, making you stranded inside the school entrance. You sighed, hoping the rain would magically stop until you walked towards your house. The sleeves on your hoodie were slightly damp from the raindrops that had somehow got behind the roof that was protecting you from the rain ahead of you. 

You crossed your arms, bringing them close to your chest—too stubborn to walk home in the rain. But the cold made you move a step forward, your body knew your dignity could wait. 

Then an umbrella appeared over your head. 

With the sudden dullness over your head, you looked to your side to see Jungwon hovering one above you. The stands of his hair stuck to his forward as his uniform sleeves were pulled up to his elbows, his tie hung loose.

“Genuinely, what would you do without me?” Jungwon dramatically said with a smile. 

You giggled, “Jungwon, I thought you left.” You said, coming closer to him.

“Nah, I had some work left so I stayed at the library. Didn’t realize it was raining. Thank God I stole this umbrella from Riki.” 

The soft sounds of your laugh escaped your lips, you swore you could see Jungwon’s eyes light up. He props the umbrella more towards you, making you come closer.

“Thanks for stealing his umbrella. You didn’t have to, but whatever makes me walk home not soaked.” You say, pulling your hoodie sleeves further down your hands to keep you warm.

“Would I do anything less?” His voice seemed too casual for the way he showed he cared about you more than anyone else. 

Before you could process anything he said, he added. “Cmon, let me walk you home. Can’t let a pretty girl go alone in the rain.”

You blushed at his comment and came closer to him so you both could equally share the rain. You both stepped through the pouring streets and across the street, his arm brushing over you a few times just enough to make your heart race.

The rain around you filled the silence in between you both. It wasn’t awkward, it was almost comforting. All you could focus was on the drops falling on the ground and how dangerously close Jungwon was to you.

“You hungry?” Jungwon asked, his voice cutting through the rain.

By now the rain had calmed down, not pouring anymore. You glanced up at him, meeting his eyes as you nodded. Without a second thought, he steered his way to the nearby tteokbokki stand. The old lady behind the stand smiled warmly at you two as Jungwon took out his wallet to pay for one portion of tteokbokki as he couldn’t eat with his hands busy holding an umbrella. 

“I’m not hungry anyways,” He says before giving the cup to you, happy at the fact that he’ll be sending you home with a full stomach.

You blew onto a piece before taking a bite. Your eyes widened at the flavours melting into your tongue which spread the warmth in your chest, but it was nothing compared to the way Jungwon looked at you with his doe eyes and comforting smile.

“You should eat too…” You said, blowing onto another piece before holding it out to him. He was taken aback for a moment, but slowly leaned in, taking a piece from your skewer.

You giggled at his lips which were covered in the sauce from the rice cakes. “You got something,” Now it was your turn to do the same to him. You held your hand out and wiped his lips before licking it away from your thumb. Now you got to see how hardly he was blushing, looking everywhere but you. Cute, you thought. 

The world around you both seemed to shrink. Nothing really mattered as long as he was next to you, sharing the warmth under his tiny umbrella. The rain had seemed to stop completely, the smell of the fresh water comforted you as the sun hid behind the clouds. It was beginning to set as you both walked through the streets side by side. You knew you had to savour every moment you had with him. 

Before you knew it, you were already at your house, standing in front of your door and Jungwon entered through your gate, shaking his umbrella a bit to dry it. He ruffled his hair, the wet stands now free, hanging over his forehead. 

“Thank you…for not letting me go home soaked.” You said, looking at him with just a smile. 

“I’d do it for the girl I like.” His lips slipped out the words before he could stop himself. 

Your heart skipped a beat as Jungwon realized what he said. You blinked, checking if you heard that correct or were you imagining it all along. But the blush on Jungwon’s cheeks said otherwise. 

You stepped closer to him, but you didn’t dare say a word. He chuckles, knowing he’d have to do this anyway. Jungwon bit his lip, knowing he was confessing to the girl he adored, this wasn’t a dream. The boy who you rejected on the first day of meeting him is finally confessing to you. 

“Pretty, I like you. I think I can say it properly now. I think that day in the field made me fall harder, you really changed. You are yourself and I can’t even begin to explain how happy I am to see the pretty girl being her true self, I can’t believe I’m standing in front of you, confessing. Just… don’t reject me this time, yeah?” Jungwon chuckled, leaning in.

His hand reached out to cup your face, soft against your cold skin. You could only giggle at his words and shake your head, you wouldn’t dare to reject the sweet boy in front of you. For the first time, from the countless confessions you’ve received, you’re finally accepting one. One that you don’t regret one bit. 

“I couldn’t imagine saying no.” You whispered, your voice like silk which made Jungwon lose his mind. 

He smiled, his thoughts portrayed through his eyes. “Pretty, pretty girl…” His face was inches away from you, you could feel his breath on yours. “My pretty girl.”

That’s all he said before his lips met yours in a sweet kiss under the dim glow of the streetlight that entered your little porch. Time seemed to slow, the only thing that existed now was the warmth of his lips.

Jungwon’s hand snaked around your waist as you tugged on his tie, pulling him closer. The kiss deepened, Jungwon wanted you to know how much he needed you, how much he wanted you. And for the first time, everything left unsaid was poured into the kiss; quick glances, soft touches and quiet giggles melted into the kiss you both shared.

When he finally pulled away, allowing you to catch your breath, you still stayed still, not taking your hands away from his chest. Jungwon rested his forehead against yours. 

“You’re a good kisser.” He chuckled, giving another quick yet firm peck against your lips.

“You’re not so bad yourself, Wonie.” Smiling at his face, your eyes made him weak in the knees.

He finally stepped back, he gave you the space you needed. But you wished he stayed in your arms for a moment longer, or maybe for however long forever was. 

“My mom’s probably waiting for me inside.” You putted, knowing he had to leave.

“Yeah, you’re right. It’s best I leave.” He looked up at the night sky, knowing it was late. “It’s getting dark out.”

You titled your head, your eyes speaking for you. Jungwon could only try and calm his heart down when you looked at him like that. 

“Cmon pretty, how am I supposed to leave if you look at me that way?” Jungwon leaned in again to give you a kiss again. This time it was longer than his peck, but still had the same impact making you giggle.

“You should still go, it’s late.” You said, pushing him away from your lips. 

Truth is, now that he got a taste, he can’t let go. You were his weakness, your lips his addiction. Everything about you made him go crazy. The feelings that he kept inside his heart was finally out to the girl who had been real with him all this time. The only girl he saw past that façade. The girl he fell hard for. 

He said a small goodnight before stepping back. He gave you a small smile and turned around to leave. Jungwon paused mid way, turning around faster than he could think and came jogging back to your doorstep to steal another kiss from you, he couldn’t get enough.

“Last one,” He said, holding your waist as he gave two urgent pecks as you giggled. Jungwon laughed with you, knowing he was a goner.

“Jungwon!” You whined, your hands pressed against his chest as he leaned back. He groaned slightly, getting off your doorstep and back into the front yard. 

“Goodnight, for real this time, pretty.” He whispered with a smile.

“Goodnight Wonie.” You breathed, your heart still racing, mind still floating. 

You stood right on the doorstep where Jungwon had kissed you senseless long after Jungwon disappeared into the street. You could still feel the faint memory of his lips on yours.

Thinking about the way he looked at you, the way he kissed you and held you close. You knew without a doubt that your heart would never be the same. Your heart would flutter every time you thought about him, bringing you back to the night where you kissed the boy you cherished the most.

Dating Jungwon was nothing like you had expected. He only grew more playful and childish. The young boy started opening himself up to you, only pulling you closer to his heart. You could be yourself with him, you didn’t have to rehearse anything; always saying what was on your mind.

You were yourself, the one he wanted to be with. He wanted to be with the girl that didn’t pretend anymore. He loved that about you more than anyone. He loved your laugh, how you didn’t hold back anymore. He loved how you didn’t bother having a perfect mask on all the time, he noticed it all. 

As days passed, the small kisses you shared with him, the silly moments you had were the ones you treasured the most. It wasn’t anything grand, you could almost miss it, but that’s what made you fall harder and harder for him. 

Everyone noticed. You seemed happier, more real—not an unreachable doll that everyone could only admire. They whispered about the subtle glow on your face, the smile that you hid from the world. How Jungwon held your hand firm, never letting it go—you both were now practically joined at the hip. 

Of course, Minju and Moka were the first to know. You practically ran to your bedroom to call them and stay up at night to talk about every little detail. How the sun was barely peaking through the clouds, how Jungwon called you ‘his pretty girl’, how he kissed you. 

Jake and Riki teased Jungwon on how he smiled like a dork every time you walked by, giving him a blowing kiss. They were merciless with Jungwon, calling him ‘loverboy’ and ‘down bad’ every five minutes. You knew they were exaggerating, but for a minute you could almost believe them with the way he looked at you.

You loved how he looked at you, how he kissed you. Everything about him. Most of all, you loved walks with him. The ones with quiet and silly jokes whispered under the sunny sky. One of them, you and Jungwon shared a laugh with some stupid anecdote you told him before. 

Jungwon held your hand as he swung them back and forth slightly, “You’re such a slow walker.” 

“Slow?...Well excuse me, but I wanted to spend some more time with my boyfriend.” You playfully pouted as you glanced at him. “Don’t you wanna?”

He squeezed your hand, “‘Course I do, pretty. I thought you would be giving that excuse of being clumsy again for your slow walking.”

“Well, that too.” You giggled as you leaned into his warmth.

“But you’re one to talk. You almost fell, looking at me that day near the tteokbokki stand.” You joked, remembering his clumsy trip that day he kissed you.

“Alright, that was a minor slip! You said you didn’t even see it.” He whined, his voice made your heart flutter, admiring the adorable boy in front of you. “Plus, I was just trying to see if my pretty girl wasn’t burning her tongue.”

“Gosh, you’re ridiculous.”

“Ridiculously in love.” He added, his smooth talk making your knees weak. 

You shoved him playfully, “Jungwon! How do you even come up with this?” You giggled, trying to not meet his gaze, so he wouldn’t see your flushed face.

“Guess you just make me cheesy.” He smiled, tucking a strand of your hair behind your ear, getting a better look at your face.

Your cheeks burned at his touch as he leaned in to peck your cheek. “You’re insufferable.”

“Still here though,” He said, gripping your hand again to continue walking down the street again.

“Sometimes, I wonder how I even managed to make you fall for me.” You smiled at the memories you both created ever since that day in your English Literature class. “Guess I got lucky after all.”

His gaze was soft and steady, his eyes carrying everything as he looked at you for a moment. “No, this time you weren’t lucky.” He mumbled, his voice certain. “This time, it was just you.” 

For once, you didn’t have a smart comeback up your sleeve, nothing to throw back at him. You only smiled, admiring how much love he had for you. Instead you just let the silence speak as you lightly squeezed his hand. His shoulder brushed against yours as you both conversed with anything that was on your mind, walking along the dimly lit street. 

You couldn’t help but smile as his hand held you tighter, almost afraid that you would let go. But you wouldn’t dare. Not when your heart already belonged to you. Maybe you used to believe that your life was set in luck, it was already prepared. But with Jungwon, it was different. It wasn’t by anything that you expected nor was it luck, it was his choice, it was yours. To choose each other every time. 

lucky girl syndrome tags . @ikeulove @hollxe1 @llearlert @blooqz @maewphoria @ysenik

⠀ join the taglist 💌 @zuyairus @bubblytaetae @yenqa @voikiraz @miumura @haechansbbg @taejaysreads @shinunoga-iie-wa @teddywonss @naespas @isoobie @dimplewonie @jennaissantes @aishigrey @firstclassjaylee @rikislove @hynjinnnnnnnn @flwrstqr @manarieee

⠀⠀𝖺 𝗒𝖾𝗈𝗄𝗂𝗂 𝗉𝗋𝗈𝖽. do not copy, repost or translate my works

[soov]

THIS WAS WRITTEN FOR MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE bro i’m gonna LOSE IT i’ve waited for this for so long this is so peakkkkkkkk 🤤🤤🤤🤤🤤🤤🤤🤤

first of all thank u sm hana for writing this ive been dying on my seat for lgs…….. this was so so good and such a fun and lighthearted reading. i genuinely enjoyed proofreading this sm (and doing it on call with u EVEN though u kept talking about 67 and singing [idol vocals as flip]) IT WAS SOOOOO much fun!!!! thank u for taking ur time to write this masterpiece

the contrast between yn’s and jungwon’s personality, and the way they compliment each other is sooo cute 😭😭😭😭 i loved it sm how jungwon isn’t fazed by y/n’s popularity or how she holds herself in front of people… but rather about how she really is….. holy guacamole they’re the cutest EVER

jungwon humbling yn HIGHKEY got me 😥😥 like dude i would bury myself alive and u would never hear from me again HOLYYYY i fear yn’s embarrassment won’t ever match the amount of embarrassment i’d feel if that was me God bless her heart 😥 moka and minju were also sososososoooo cute and such good friends, i loved their trio dynamic even if they got only a few moments together!!!!!

the party scene 🤤🤤🤤🤤🤤 hes so COCKY OH MY GOSH SHUT UPPP. the “No, before you start assuming again, it’s grape juice.” and the “Oh, right. Who knew the pretty girl had real problems too.” GOT ME like bro stop teasing me 😂😂😂 not letting the confessions misunderstanding die down and joking ab yn being pretty is diabolical chat… just say u want me brochaco 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 MINJU TAKING A BUNCH OF ALCOHOL WAS TOO FUNNY TOO PLEASEEE shes so silly she was prob my fav character in this fic

also why was he teasing me with the sitting next to yn thing 😂😂😂😂 and holding her hand over the mouse to click on things 😂😂😂 broooo if u want me just say it already thats crazyyyyy!!!!!!!!!!! when bros madly in love with u (aka me) and he has to keep teasin u (aka me) to show his love for u (aka me)

OHMY AND THE “Relax, it’s just me.” BRO I SWEAR ON EVERYTHING I DID A SOMERSAULT AT THIS LIKE ACTUALLY I DID A WHOLE BACKFLIP CS AINT NO WAY PLEASE WHY IS HE LIKE THAAAAAAAATTTT HANAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA LOCK IN BRO I CANT KEEP GETTING CAUGHT LACKING LIKE THIS 😭😭😭😭😭😭 U NEED TO STOP LETTING UR FICS BE SO GOATED LIKE THIS rope to my NECK man 

ALSO ALSO THE SCENE WHERE HES SAYING YN SCRUNCHES HER NOSE AND THEN HE IMITATES HER TO SHOW IT TO HER man im gna log out i cant do this antmore like genuinely this is the most diabolical insane crazy thing ever why is he doing this to her… why is he copying her……………….. why is he giving her VISUAL LESS0Ns on how she behaves 😂😂 boyyyy if u dont stop pmoing seriously i need him so bad Ihmy gosh

man and the  “Wonie’s my name now, right, pretty?” sybau ts so kevin gurt: yo 😂😂😂😂 i need to actually lock in cs why am i giggling while typing this and rereading this part WHATEVEEEEERRRRRRRR ohmy GOODNESS hana yeokii i’ll elect u as my president next year watch out hell YES wonie is ur name now mr freakalicious big biceps chestnut hair enchanting eyes yummylicious yang jungwon COME OVER

“He never knew how you felt when his voice softened when talking to you” oh boy dont make me say the things i wanna say 😂😂😂😂 the little details he noticed about yn were so cute UGHHHHHH

man the bball scene ended me like Ummmmmm i would not recover from that if i was yn ……………… and the “His mouth twitched upwards, holding back a laugh as he raised his eyebrow. “Still hung up on that, I see.” He chuckles softly, looking ahead at the sun.” wouldve done it for me cs i would walk away so fast…… oke maybe not cs its jungwon we’re talking about but still

the way they progressively started getting closer after the “misunderstanding” was so sweet... jungwon taking care of yn when she fell... adore you ice cream scene flashbacks... it’s so cool seeing when yn finally accepts that she doesnt need to fake a personality around jungwon PLEAAAAAAAAASEEEEE

the rain scene... KID U NOT BRO WE WERE HAVING A HEAT WAVE AND LAST NIGHT IT STARTED RAINING (i forgot to tell u that) AND ITS RAINING NOW TOO BRO GOD LOVES LGS 😭😭😭😭😭 “your eyes made him weak in the knees.” and “He finally stepped back, he gave you the space you needed. But you wished he stayed in your arms for a moment longer, or maybe for however long forever was.” won is such a sweetheart in this PLEAK!!!!!!!! the pecks after the kiss were sososososooss cute

THE EPILOGUE....... jungwon opening himself to yn like she did to him is so SWEET man WHATVEEERRRRR i wish they were real the ending was so fire

“His gaze was soft and steady, his eyes carrying everything as he looked at you for a moment. “No, this time you weren’t lucky.” He mumbled, his voice certain. “This time, it was just you.”” Like oh okay so they were made for each other is that what ure telling me 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 they want each other so baf 😂😂😂😂😂😂 Please this is the cutest sweetest most goated work in the world ure so insanely good at this hana EVERYONEEEE needs to read and appreciate lgs!!!!!!!! matter of fact its oke i can share it with everyone else because the world needs to know how talented u are

LUCKY GIRL SYNDROME WILL LIVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[k1tk4ttt]

"not all men" you're right, clark kent would never do this

[maramahmed-gaza3]

Hello 🙋

My name is Maram, I am 25 years old from Gaza. I dreamed of a peaceful life, spending my life with my husband and my three children... but the war turned this dream into an impossible one 💔😭. We lived through this genocide with all its painful details and we are still suffering from it😭. We were so happy when the ceasefire was announced, and we returned to our homes in northern Gaza after being displaced for a year and a half in a tent in the south of the Gaza Strip. After repairing a small room in our destroyed house, we began to live there and start over. Unfortunately, the war came back, and it was even stronger than before 💔. Now, we have no shelter or source of income. We have used up all our savings during the war. I know I created my campaign very late, but that's because I have no other means to help my family 🙏. I am completely confident and hopeful that someone here will help us as much as they can and save my family in these tough circumstances 😔.

I know how painful and frustrating it is to start over from scratch, but I hope to get any amount for my family 🥺🙏.

Help Maram and Her Family Rebuild Their Lives

My name is Maram, a Palestinian woman from Gaza. I am 26 years old and a mother of three children: Malik (8 years old), Ibrahim (6 years old

So, please, donate to my campaign, even if it's a small amount—it will have a big impact on us 🥺. May God bless you, my friend 🥰❤️.

[maramziad-deactivated20260410]

✅️Vetted by @gazavetters, my number verified on the list is ( #570 )✅️