i'll be here | k.sw
this was not the way you imagined meeting your hinge match. fortunately, sunwoo is great at improv.
pairing. kim sunwoo x reader
word count. 1.7k words
author's note. @sunlightwoo | happiest birthday my loveeee <3 literally all up in your messages and couldn't resist spoiling the fact i had a surprise for you but i hope this was still a shock to you HA :3 i've known you longer than all of my college friends but i can count on one hand the fics i have written for you (this was probably the second time tbh I NEED TO DO BETTER) anyhowww i love u and happy birthday. (please don't hate me for using your two ults like this and bringing in hinge to this HAHAHAH my good sis, may we find our forever matches soon)
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You’re not hiding. At least, that was not your intention at first.
The dimly lit restaurant should have worked in your favor, but the lighting can only go so far when the one you’ve been avoiding is sitting at the table right front of the restroom entrance.
You glanced at your phone to check how long you’ve been standing by the hallway. A text from your friend, Di, pops up on the screen.
Di
hello?? im on my way, where r u
You
emergency
please send helkp
Di
wtf are you safe
are you there?
You
yes and yes
but jake’s here
by the restroom
Di
no fucking way
i’m coming
You
dont come to the restroom
he’s gonna see u
You watched the people coming in and out of the restroom, hoping a group big enough where you can blend in comes to your rescue. The whole dilemma started to feel a little silly as you kept thinking about it.
It’s already awkward running into an ex- but the fact that Jake was not your ex-boyfriend, but an ex-situationship, was even worse. You stepped forward, subtly turning your head to peek at his table.
He’s with someone.
You sensed his gaze shifting towards your direction but before it landed, you stepped back to hide behind the wall and bumped your back against some… one?
“Ow-”
“-I’m so sorry,” you turned to apologize to the stranger.
“y/n?” he asked.
Your eyes widened upon hearing your name. Quickly looking up to see who it was, you jumped when you realized how close the man’s face was from your own. Oh, fuck.
“It’s you!” he smiled, “Honestly, I wasn’t 100% sure from the back but uhh- yeah, it’s you.”
“Sunwoo.”
The man straightened up, holding out his hand, “Shake my hand, it’s clean.”
He stepped aside to let the people walking past them to get to the restroom, but his eyes were still on you.
You lift your eyebrows in disbelief, trying to process what kind of situation you just found yourself in. One second you were hiding from your ex-situationship. Now, you’re shaking the hand of a guy you ghosted on Hinge a week ago.
“I wasn’t sure you were going to recognize me too,” he continued, “I was starting to prepare my heart in case I’d get ghosted in real life too-”
“Sunwoo-” you whispered, “I- it was my bad.”
He noticed your discomfort. The hesitation that lingered in your expression was not something he anticipated. Sunwoo was glad to finally see you in person, but he couldn’t help but feel that this was not the right timing. Not at all.
“Sorry- Just wanted to say, it was nice to see you.”
You mumbled a quick likewise before rushing out the corner, completely forgetting who you were hiding from in the first place. When you lifted your head, you found yourself staring directly at Jake’s eyes.
There was no denying either of your presence right here, right now.
Sunwoo watched as you hurried away then stood there, frozen, after mere minutes. Walking back and forth in that narrow hallway meant that you were hiding. He wanted to ask why a few moments ago, even before he realized you knew each other.
Seeing this situation unfold made it clear. You were hiding to avoid someone, the man in front you.
“y/n-”
“Babe!”
You felt a hand on your shoulder, bursting your anxious bubble to face an even greater shock. Your eyes were still on Jake, wearing a surprised face that exactly mirrored yours.
You slowly turned your head towards Sunwoo who was smiling at you. Not a hint of confusion was displayed on his face, interrupting Jake before he could call out your name.
“Babe..” Sunwoo repeated, tilting his head, “why didn’t you wait for me?”
His tone almost sounded amused. You weren’t sure whether he was enjoying this lie or enjoying your reaction to this lie. Then, you realized he was waiting to see if you were going to join him. You glanced at Jake’s face through your peripheral vision. He was paying attention.
“I- was,” you answered.
Jake called you, “y/n.”
You pursed your lips in a tight line. You had hoped that Jake would just turn away and let this pass, but he wouldn’t let it go now that you had met eyes. You shot a quick glare at Sunwoo, letting him know there was no way out of this impasse because of his little act.
“Jake,” you said after a sharp inhale, “it’s been a while.” Two months, to be exact.
Jake nodded, sensing your indifference. He wasn’t surprised to receive such a cold response from you.
Then, he looked at Sunwoo, implicitly forcing you to introduce him to your new friend. The look on his face was like a big question mark plastered above his head. You rolled your eyes.
“This is Sunwoo,” you decided to humor Jake, keeping your introduction vague.
“Hey man,” Sunwoo held out his hand, “nice to meet you.”
Jake looked at him, surprised to see Sunwoo hold out his hand. He turned to look at you again, as if he was asking you whether it was okay to reciprocate the greeting.
Seriously, does this guy just love handshakes or what?
Sunwoo never changed his expression, smiling at him without any reservations. Jake realized the man never hesitated or pulled his hand away despite him ignoring the gesture.
In the end, he took his hand and shook it.
“Sunwoo, this is Jake-”
“You must be y/n’s friend,” Sunwoo smirked.
You can tell that Sunwoo’s comment threw him off. Without any way to correct him, Jake nodded silently. It was far from the truth, whether it was because of the nature of your relationship or the fact that you were no longer speaking to each other.
Jake was not your friend now, but it's too ridiculous to consider if he was your friend at all.
“Jake,” a woman you didn’t recognize walked back to the table, “who?”
He reached forward to drag the seat out for her, “Just ran into an old friend.”
“We should go,” you muttered, turning away from them.
Before you were able to take a few steps, Sunwoo took your hand and started walking in front of you. You waited until you were out of earshot and yanked your hand away. Sunwoo stopped and looked at you, his face displaying notable regret and apology.
“Let’s talk.”
You let go of his hand and walked out the restaurant. Sunwoo followed and stood in front of you. He opens his mouth to start explaining but you hold out your hand to stop him. He listens.
“Why did you lie?”
“What lie?” He played dumb.
“Babe?” you raised your eyebrow, finding it ridiculous that he was still denying his antics.
Sunwoo shrugged, “I mean.. you looked back and answered.”
You raised your palm to your face, feeling the heat rise to your cheeks, “Don’t play with me, Kim Sunwoo. Why did you do that?”
“That man was not your friend.”
“How would you know that?”
“You were avoiding him,” he said with an earnest tone, “Or at least tried to and I just helped you get out of there.”
Sunwoo was the last guy you matched with on Hinge. He was hot, funny, and talented, judging from the dancing video he included in his profile. Now, you can even say, looks cuter in person.
Unfortunately, you only started chatting when you found out about Jake’s new relationship. The distraction of this news was too much to handle, now deeming it was too soon after dealing with your previous heartbreak.
You stood in front of Sunwoo, trying to recall a time when you mentioned Jake to him in the three days you spoke online. Remembering you did share a little bit about that tumultuous entanglement, you were still sure that Jake’s name was never mentioned in your conversation.
Sunwoo noticed you had a lot of questions for him, but didn’t know where to begin.
“I just guessed,” Sunwoo interrupted your thoughts, answering one of those questions inside your head.
“Hm?’ you asked.
“I just guessed he was the one you were walking about. I know you wanted to apologize about leaving without saying anything but.. when you told me about your past relationship, I knew you might not be ready yet. So, don’t feel bad for ghosting me.”
“I didn’t ghost you!” you tried to defend yourself.
Sunwoo wore a surprised look on his face. He thought about the implication of what you said for a second, letting you catch up shortly after. Your changing expression excited him once more, understanding when it finally clicked for you.
He bent his knees a little, meeting your gaze exactly at your line of sight, and he smiled.
“Were you going to text me again?”
You averted your eyes from his face. He was standing too close, but it would be a lie if your body actually felt like moving away. The man was surely not lacking in appearance, but you didn’t anticipate he would not be lacking confidence either.
You bit your lip, “I was going to, until you pulled this-”
“I-I’m sorry I surprised you like that. I didn’t mean to stress you out!”
“Stressed? I was that obvious?” you squint your eyes, pouting.
“So obvious. Plus, I don’t think he bought it,” Sunwoo laughed, referring to Jake believing they were actually together.
“Not at all,” you snorted.
“All thanks to your bad acting,” he joked.
“Who lied first?” you pointed your finger at him.
Sunwoo playfully pointed at himself, “Me?”
You broke out into a smile.
The fact that you couldn’t stay annoyed at this man for long, despite only spending less than an hour interacting with Sunwoo in person. His charm was quite profound, distracting you from whatever mess you had found yourself in just a few moments ago. This is dangerous.
Your thoughts left you speechless for a minute.
You were brought back to reality when you felt your phone buzzing, assuming your friend had called you back for an update. Unsure of where this interaction has left where you both stand towards each other, you tried to say goodbye to Sunwoo.
“Before you go-” he touched your arm, gently, “I’ll send you my number so if you ever want to reach out, I am.. willing to wait.”
You nodded, lifting your eyes to meet his gaze.
“Okay,” you say, letting him know you understood exactly what he meant and hoped he also understood that he said the exact words you wished to hear.
“When you’re ready, I’ll be here.”
...
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