Jason Todd | Red Hood
Text posts
seen from Macao SAR China
seen from Honduras
seen from Brazil
seen from T1

seen from Chile

seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States

seen from Chile
seen from T1
seen from China
seen from United States

seen from China
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States

seen from Brazil
seen from China

seen from United States
Jason Todd | Red Hood
Text posts
â„ă»word count: 17.2k â„ă»warnings: cursing, suggestive but no smut (i think that tag is on all my sungchan fics at this point), also i do talk about biting him probably too much, thereâs one scene where i have to refer to distance and i use miles im sorry itâs the filthy american in me (convert to km if you must but itâs really not that important) â„ă»genre: meet-ugly (like a meet-cute but bad), strangers to lovers, fluff and more fluff good god, forced proximity trope (long car trip, friend group vacation in a cabin, etc.) â„ă»authorâs note: send help the sungchan brainrot is terminal
âI just donât trust people that are that hotâSorry.â
âAre you going to the cabin next week?â Karina asked you, refilling her drink as the two of you chatted in the kitchen of Donghyuck and Markâs place. The former was throwing a âsmall get-togetherâ tonight for his birthday, which was already shaping up to be more like the parties youâd attended in undergrad. Heâd also invited a hopefully actually small number of your closer friends to spend two weeks in his familyâs cabin starting the following Friday.
âYeah, Iâll be there,â you nodded, opening the fridge to nose around in there for something to mix with your alcohol.
âDo you know who all he invited?â
âI think the usual, right?â You had secured some cranberry juice and seltzer, and brought them back out triumphantly. âDidnât he text the details to everyone in a group chat? Check whoâs in it.â
âLet me seeâŠâ She muttered, scrolling through her phone. âYou, me, Hyuck, Mark, Ning, Jeno, Jaemin, Shotaro, AntonâŠâ
âUnless itâs a mansion in the woods, it sounds like half of us will be sleeping on the floor,â you scoffed.
âThereâs one person in here that I donât have saved.â She frowned. âDo you?â
You looked at it on your own phone. âThereâs two people I donât have saved. One of them must be Anton, I just met him the other day when Taro brought him around to⊠whatever, I donât even remember now.â
âI donât have the 512 number.â
You saved the other unknown number as Anton. âI donât have the 512 number either.â
Karina giggled. âMysterious.â
âProbably another guy Hyuck and Mark met playing pickup.â You shrugged, following her back out to the living room. âI feel like thatâs how they meet all their new friends these days.â
âRina! Y/N!â Ningning suddenly appeared in front of the two of you, grabbing your other friendâs wrist. âCome dance with me!â
Karina looked over at you. âY/N?â
âJust topped up.â You lifted your drink. âMaybe later. Have fun, guys.â
As they disappeared into the middle of the room, you drifted off to the side, finding a wall to lean against. You took slow sips of your drink, eyes passing over the crowd. You didnât mind standing by yourself until either your friends were done dancing and found you again, or you spotted someone youâd rather talk to before then.
âY/N!â Your voice was called from behind you, and you turned around to greet the birthday boy with a wide smile.
âHyuck!â You went to hug him. âI feel like I havenât seen you all night!â
âBecause youâve been hiding in the kitchen,â he teased. âI think this is the first time Iâve actually seen you out here.â
You rolled your eyes as you drew back from the hug. âWhatever, Iâm here now. Are you having a good birthday?â
âGreat!â He beamed. It was then that you noticed he had someone with him, a tall guy hovering awkwardly behind him. Donghyuck went to introduce him, âThis is Sungchan, by the way. He also lives in the complex; Mark and I met him playing pickup.â
Of course.
âSungchan, this is my friend Y/N,â Hyuck then gestured to you.
You nodded to him politely. âNice to meet you.â
âYou too,â he smiled back, a bright, heart-stopping smile. You held onto your drink a little tighter, with both hands.
âHey! Renjun!â Donghyuck suddenly yelled out. âNo killing people on the premises! Choke Jisung outside!â
He took off into the crowd, leaving you with his new friend.
âAnyway, it was nice to meet you, Jungchan, but Iâve got to find my friends.â You slipped away before he could say anything else.
Karina and Ningning were still dancing, and while you briefly debated joining them, you decided against it, heading back to your safe haven instead: the kitchen. It was blissfully empty when you got in there, and you started picking at the bowls of snacks mindlessly.
âThat was incredible.â Someone snickered, startling you into dropping a chip onto the floor.
You picked it up, glowering at the newcomer as you went to go throw away the ruined chip into the garbage can. âWhat are you talking about, Anton?â
âHis name is Sungchan, by the way.â He was still laughing, hopping up onto the counter by the bowls of snacks. âNot Jungchan. I happened to have been lucky enough to have overheard that.â
âOops.â You said flatly, well aware that you didnât sound very sorry.
âBut Iâm totally going to use that.â
âYou know him from pickup basketball too, I presume?â
âYup.â He tossed a cheeseball up and caught it in his mouth. âHeâs not very good at shooting, but heâs tall, so heâs alright at guarding.â
âGood for him. Or not, I donât know.â
âSo letâs say, hypothetically, I was eavesdropping on the entire conversationââ
âHypothetically.â
âOf course.â He grinned. âHe said like two words to you, and they were barely even hello. Why did you run away like that?â
You sighed, topping off your drink again. After taking a sip, musing over how best to phrase it, you finally decided on, âI just donât trust people that are that hotâSorry.â
Anton cocked his head curiously at you. âWho hurt you?â
âNobody, god.â You rolled your eyes. âYouâre so fucking dramatic and for what?â
âFun and profit, mostly.â
âYou hurt Sungchanâs feelings,â Donghyuck declared, blotting out the sun above you.
You closed your book on your thumb to deal with this. You had been reclining on a chair at your apartment complexâs pool reading in peace when your friend appeared out of nowhere. Outside the pool fence you could see his roommate, and two more of your mutual friends, Jaemin and Jeno. Jeno had a basketball under his arm, which made sense, the courts were right next to the pool, they were probably already heading there when they saw you and decided to detour over here to⊠interrogate you? Harass you?
âWho? What? When?â You squinted up at Donghyuck in confusion.
âMy friend. Last night.â
âThe tall one? How? Because I didnât want to talk about the weather or whatever with him?â
âApologize,â he demanded, crossing his arms. âAnd get his name right this time. Itâs Sungchan. Not Jungchan.â
You scoffed, sitting up straighter in your chair. âThis is exactly what I was telling Anton last night, you know. I donât trust people that are that hot because even if they donât do anything to abuse their hotness directly, or on purpose, other people will just do things for them anyway.â
âHeâs the nicest person I know. Hotness be damned. Apologize.â
âNo.â
âReally? This is the moral hill that youâre willing to die on?â
âYup.â
âYouâre a true martyr, Y/N,â Hyuck said sarcastically. âThe Second Coming herself.â
âThe nicest person you know? Really?â You questioned doubtfully.
âReally. And you were mean to him,â Donghyuck confirmed.
âIncluding Shotaro?â
âIncluding Taro.â
âMark?â
âMarkâs my best friend. Doesnât mean heâs the nicest person I know,â he retorted.
âJeno?â
âLiterally saw him steal candy from a baby yesterday.â
You blinked. âWait, seriously?â
âJisung. Same thing.â
âIâm not apologizing to your friend,â you declared, opening your book again.
âThis is the stupidest line youâve drawn in the sand yet.â
âIâm not going out and bullying him! All I said was that I donât trust hot people!â
âFlaw in your logic: Youâre friends with me,â he pointed out smugly.
âThink on that one again, Hyuck,â you replied snidely, looking down at your book as if you were trying to get back to reading.
âRude.â He looked back at the other three guys waiting for him, apparently getting an idea. âWhat about Jeno? Heâs like, ridiculously good-looking.â
âI like him just fine. I just donât trust him, or what people will do for him because heâs stupidly attractive,â you argued.
âIt sounds exhausting to be you,â he huffed, turning on his heel and leaving the pool deck.
Later that afternoon, you pulled yourself up out of the pool, heading back towards your chair. Grabbing your towel, you wrapped it around yourself to start drying off before heading back to your apartment. You saw someone walking towards you out of the corner of your eye as you were digging through your bag for your phone.
âHi.â It was Donghyuckâs tall friend from last night, in workout gear rather than swim trunks. Obviously not here to use the pool.
âHi.â You wiped a drop of water off your phone screen that had fallen from your nose onto it.
âDo you have a second?â
âSure.â
He scratched the back of his neck as he focused an apologetic smile on you. âDid I do something or say something? At Donghyuckâs place? Because Iâm reallyââ
âNo.â
ââsorry if I didâWait what?â The smile dropped from his face.
âYou didnât do anything or say anything. You were perfectly nice,â you answered honestly.
âThen it really was what you told Anton?â He asked in disbelief.
Of course, Anton must have told him what you said.
âLook, Sungchan, Iâm sorry, I just donât trust really attractive guys right off the bat.â
âI havenât done anything to earn your distrust other thanââ
ââother than being hot, yeah.â You shrugged. âEven if you really are nice, intentionally or not, people treat you differently just by virtue of you being stupidly hot. Gets in your head, whether you think it has or not.â
âYou donât know me.â
âNot at all.â
âHow are you any different then?â
âDifferent than who?â
âYou say that people treat me differently because Iâm, in your words, âstupidly hot.ââ He put the phrase air quotes. âThatâs exactly what youâre doing right now.â
âHow am I treating you different by not immediately falling at your feet? I donât do that for average looking guys either.â
âThatâs not what Iâm asking you to do.â
âWas I rude to you last night? Bitchy? Outright mean or nasty?â You ticked the adjectives off on your fingers. âNo, the most you can accuse me of was being a bit curt. And getting your name wrong, that really was my bad.â
He was quiet for a moment, and you took the opportunity to slip your sandals back on and shoulder your tote bag.
âLook, youâre not entitled to my time, attention, or to me,â you told him firmly.
âI didnât say I was,â he said immediately, his brow furrowing.
âYouâve taken it as a personal affront that I didnât want to idly chitchat with you last night.â
âIâm just⊠confused,â Sungchan sighed.
âYouâre nice to look at, Iâm sure youâre not a complete dud to talk to, itâs probably not torture to make small talk with you at a party. So people do,â you tried to walk him through it. âBut itâs not mean for someone to not want to talk to you.â
He was silent again, that same pensive, troubled look on his face, and you found yourself in better spirits than you had been last night.
âThis was fun. I would say we should do it again, but Iâm afraid I would make you cry and then Hyuck would be really mad at me.â You chuckled, grabbing your keys from your bag. âSo, goodbye, Sungchan.â
You were relaxed on your couch that night with a tub of ice cream when a violent banging came at your front door. Pausing the movie you were watching, you rushed to answer it, thinking that it must be the police, or some other kind of emergency. Instead, it was Donghyuck and Mark. You looked at Donghyuck incredulously, the one who had been doing the knocking.
âWhat is your fucking problem?â He said in lieu of a greeting, throwing his hands up in the air in disbelief.
âWhat did I do now? Allegedly?â You matched his tone, watching as he started pacing your entryway.
âYou know what you did.â Mark was calmer, reminding you of a disappointed parent as he looked at you, his hands on his hips.
âYou broke him!â Donghyuck declared.
âWhoâOh, Sungchan?â You finally connected the dots.
âWho elseâs soul have you ripped out of their chest and stomped on today?â
âHe sought me out,â you defended yourself, crossing your arms.
âAnd you couldnât have been a human being and talked to him?â
âWe talked. From what youâre saying, it sounds like he didnât like what I had to say.â
âHeâs catatonic!â
âYouâre being dramatic.â
âOnly slightly. But heâs not well.â
You scoffed, âIf one conversation with me is enough to make him spiral, sounds like he had some other stuff going on before I opened my mouth.â
âSo you refuse to take responsibility? For any of this?â Donghyuck regarded you wide, crazed eyes, looking like he was at the end of his rope.
âYouâre asking me to what? Fix him?â You snorted in disbelief. âI donât Mommy grown men, sorry.â
âYou are infuriating.â He pointed at you accusatorily. âThe party I couldâve let slideââ
âNo you couldnât have, you found me literally the next day demanding that I apologize for not wanting to talk to him,â you spat back.
âNot for that! Iâm not going to hold a gun to your head and force you to make small talk with him,â he groaned. âI meant the stuff you were telling Anton, in the kitchen. He heard you.â
âAll I said was that I donât trust people that are that hot. Nothing to have a goddamn mental breakdown over!â
âAnd he wouldnât have, if you had just, I donât know, apologized for the misunderstanding and moved on! But no, you have to take everything to this moral extreme! Honestly, Iâm finding it hard to remember whatâs even likeable about you in the first place right now,â Donghyuck ranted, running his hands through his hair.
âHyuck, that was a bit far,â Mark finally spoke up again, stepping forward.
âYou really want to die on this hill, Y/N?â Donghyuck just went around his roommate, looking you in the eye. âThen fine. Donât bother coming on the trip.â
âHyuck, man, come onââ Mark called after him, but Donghyuck had already stormed out of your apartment.
You watched the empty doorway after him, chest heaving as all the words youâd exchanged finally caught up to you. Looking to your friend that you had been left with, you asked quietly, âDo you think I'm in the wrong, Mark?â
He tilted his head back and forth regretfully. âI think⊠youâre being a bit abrasive.â
âYou agree with Hyuck,â you deadpanned.
âNot entirely. I donât think he shouldâve been throwing Sungchan at you so hard. He shouldâve known you werenât going to take it well, which is probably why he did it in such a weird way.â
âWhat?â
âHe was trying to set you up with Sungchan. But knowing how⊠you⊠are, he thought he had to do it with some uh, âfinesse.ââ Mark shrugged one shoulder. âSungchan wasnât all that hurt after the party, really. A bit bummed that you brushed him off, sure, but he wouldâve bounced back. Heâs hard to knock down, literally and metaphorically. Hyuck demanded that you go âapologizeâ to him so that youâd talk to him again. Same thing with Sungchan talking to you at the pool today, Hyuck told him to.â
âDoes Sungchan know that Hyuckâs been trying to set us up this whole time?â
âIâm pretty sure.â
âSo to him, this has been Hyuck setting him up with, apparently, the biggest bitch he knows,â you winced. No wonder he was so confused earlier.
âI meanâŠâ Mark trailed off sheepishly. âHe shouldâve told you.â
âAnd I shouldâve been fucking normal,â you groaned, rubbing your face.
âAn argument can be made for that, yes.â
âWhat apartment is Sungchan in?â
According to Mark, Sungchan went on a jog every morning at 8:00, and was usually back by 10:00, so you made sure to knock on his front door at 10:15, just in case.
Sungchan opened the door, wiping sweat from his face with a towel as he spoke, âAnton, I thought we agreed on elevenâŠâ
He trailed off when he opened his eyes and saw who was actually on his doorstep.
âHi, Sungchan,â you greeted him.
âOh. Hi, Y/N.â He dropped his hand from his face. In the background, you could hear music playing, and smell food being cooked.
âUhm, are you busy? I can leave, sorryââ
âNo, no, itâs fine.â He stepped back, opening the door wider and gesturing you in. You stepped into his apartment with a polite, grateful nod. It looked like he had been in the middle of making breakfast, a blender out on his counter, various fruits on a cutting board, and ingredients sizzling in a pan. He went to pause the music on his phone, and stirred the food that was in the pan. He pointed to one of the stools that was at the bar attached to the kitchen counter. âDo you want to sit?â
âNo, thanks,â you shook your head. Shouldnât take that long. âI just wanted to apologize. I was abrasive, and shouldnât have been using you to try to draw some moral line in the sand as part of an argument with my friend.â
Sungchan nodded. âThanks. You did have a point, about the party. I wasnât used to people not wanting to talk to me, it was a weird experience. But youâre right, I wasnât entitled to your time.â He went back to the cutting board, chopping up a banana and depositing it into the blender. âBesides, Iâm sure you have guys come up to you all the time and you just want to be left alone. No worries.â
You tilted your head curiously. âWhy do you say that?â
âPeople treat you different when youâre stupidly hot, right?â He shrugged, scooping some blueberries into the blender next.
âI wasnât talking about myselfâŠâ
Sungchan just grinned and shrugged again. âSo I guess Iâll see you at Hyuckâs family cabin then?â
âNo. I was uninvited,â you informed him quietly.
âWhat? Why?â
âBecause of how⊠poorly I handled this.â
Sungchanâs eyes widened with horror. âWhat? Thatâs crazy. I didnât ask himââ
âDonât worry, I totally get why he did it. His choice was between the nicest guy he knowsââ you pointed to Sungchan, ââand the biggest bitch he knowsââ you then pointed to yourself, ââwho is a compulsive vibe-harsher. Iâd pick you too.â
âDonât tell me he called youââ
âMy words,â you assured him.
âIâll talk to him. No way you should be uninvited over a misunderstanding like this.â He flashed you an easy-going smile. âI mean, weâve already worked it out. No hard feelings, right?â
âRight,â you agreed, offering a small smile back. âBut really, Sungchan, you donât have to. Heâll think I just apologized to you to get invited back on the trip.â
âDid you?â
âNo.â
âThen there we go,â he said as if it were already decided. âIâll talk to him.â
[hyuck: youâre un-uninvited]
[hyuck: sungchan will pick you up at 2:00 on friday]
[you: why is he picking me up???]
[hyuck: youâre the only two who need to leave late on friday. the rest of us are heading up in the morning]
[you: i have my own car??]
[hyuck: youâve got a shitty sedan with 200,000 miles on it that can barely make it over a speed bump. youâre not making it up a mountain]
[hyuck: consider this your exposure therapy]
Sure enough, Friday at 2:00 p.m., there was a knock at your front door, Sungchan on the other side.
âHey,â you greeted him, stepping back to grab your small rolling suitcase. âYou really didnât have to come get me, I couldâve met you down at your car.â
âI donât mind. You need any help with your bags?â He offered, watching you also shoulder a duffel bag as you tried to wedge your memory foam pillow under your other arm.
âWhereâs your stuff?â You questioned, noticing his empty hands.
âI already packed it in the car.â He reached for your suitcase, and you willingly let him take it. He held another hand out, and you gave him your duffel bag as well. Without even asking, he picked up the tote that was at your feet, too, leaving you with just your pillow and phone. âYou got everything?â
You looked around your apartment, thinking hard. âMmm⊠Iâm pretty sure.â
âPhone, wallet, keys, charger?â
âCheck.â
âPajamas, toothbrush, toothpaste, other toiletries?â
âCheck.â
âLetâs do it,â he grinned, leading the way to the front door.
[sungchan: picked y/n up! gonna get some gas on our way out of town if anybody has last minute snack requests. eta 5:00 pm!]
[jeno: đ]
As some of the othersâ snack orders came pouring in, you got one text separately.
[hyuck: be. nice.]
After filling up and triple-checking to make sure you had bought everyoneâs food, you and Sungchan were back in his car, a modest-size SUV. He plugged his phone in to charge, then handed it to you.
âHere, you navigate.â The directions to the cabin were already pulled up and started.
âUh, I donât think thatâs a good idea.â You tried to give it back. âI yap and nap.â
âItâs like five turns total for three hours.â He refused to take it back, starting the car and peeling off. âYou can be passenger princess all you want. I even know the first two to get onto the highway on my own. Just need the exit number, the road name, and the house number.â
âOh god, okayâŠâ You sank down into the passenger seat, clutching his phone with two hands.
âAre you really that nice?â You asked once you had been on the highway for a while. Sungchan and you had been taking turns on auxâright now he had something playingâand there was a comfortable lull in conversation, but you couldnât help the question that had been nagging at the back of your mind the entire time.
âThere is no way for me to answer that and not sound like a dick,â he pointed out. âEither I say no, despite knowing that our mutual friends have apparently hyped up how nice I am to you, in which case it just looks like Iâm acting humble. Dick move. Or I say yes, which would make me look like Iâm full of myself. Dick move again.â
You looked over at him, feeling the smirk tug at your lips. âYouâre fun.â
âThanks?â
âSo if you donât think youâre that nice, how would you describe yourself?â
âWhat is this? Speed dating?â He snorted.
âYou want to talk about something else? Pick a better topic yourself,â you retorted. âWeâre stuck in here for like two more hours.â
âThatâs not what I meant,â he quickly went to smooth the conversation over, his tone turning pleasant again. âI just meant⊠I donât know how accurate a self-assessment like that would be. Wouldnât you be biased about yourself? Positive or negative?â
âThatâs the fun of it. Even if a person doesnât describe themselves accurately, understanding how they see themselves can help you understand them a lot better.â
âHow would you describe yourself then?â
âI asked you first.â You pointed out. It felt like it had been a long time since you checked the navigation, so you clicked Sungchanâs phone back on to see how much longer you had to go until your exit.
âFine.â He hummed as he thought. âI like to think Iâm⊠dependable. And a good friend. And patientââ
âThat was our exit,â you said abruptly, staring at the constantly refreshing rerouting screen in front of you.
âWhat?â
âWell, fifty miles ago was our exitâŠâ You winced, watching â288â pass you by. Yours had been 238, apparently. You shouldâve known that.
âWe missed our exit?â Sungchan clarified.
âFifty miles back, yeah.â
âAnd you just decided to tell me?â
âI just noticed! I thought it was 288!â You tried to defend yourself. âI told you not to make me navigate!â
He held a hand out towards you. âGive me the phone.â
âItâs rerouting, Iâll pay attentionââ
âY/N, give me the fucking phone.â His tone was low, with no room for arguing.
You meekly set it in his hand, dropping both your hands in your lap after. He cursed under his breath as he jerked the wheel over, cutting across three lanes of trafficâno turn signalâto narrowly make the next exit. Car horns followed his maneuver, but he ignored them.
âIâm sorryâŠâ You muttered, unable to take the suffocating silence anymore. It was either apologize or tuck and roll, which was honestly still an option at this point.
âText everyone, let them know weâll be late,â Sungchan demanded, knuckles red and white around the wheel.
âOkay.â You scrambled to pull out your own phone. âWhat time should I tell them?â
âEight.â
You gaped. âThree hours?!â
âYes, Y/N, weâre on the other side of the fucking mountain now!â He finally snapped and raised his voice, and your eyes went wide. âWe canât just drive through it to get there!â
You took a deep breath, holding his eye contact for a tense, strangling moment before you looked down at your phone to draft your text.
[you: hey guys! uhm, due to an unfortunate series of events, sungchan and i will be a bit late! new eta 8pm]
[anton: did yâall crash or smth wtf]
Again, a separate text from Donghyuck.
[hyuck: i said be nice not fuck him nasty in the backseat for three hours what is wrong with you]
[you: shut UP]
Back in your vacation group chat, you figured you owed everyone an explanation that alleviated Sungchan of any blame.
[you: completely my fault! iâm apparently the worst navigator ever and we missed our exit :/ ]
[rina: damn y/n maintaining the stereotype that women are bad drivers even when backseat driving]
[ningning: the patriarchy thanks u for ur service queen đ«Ą]
[jeno: i hate when you guys start joking like this, wtf are we supposed to say without looking like assholes]
[hyuck: pour one out for y/n, it must be so hard holding open the gender pay gap like the doors of a subway car all by herself too]
[mark: bro đđđ]
[you: i wish all of you a very fall down the mountain and die <3]
And one more private text from Donghyuck.
[hyuck: okay thatâs how i know you didnât get dicked down]
[hyuck: damn, you really are bad at reading directions huh]
[you: IM BLOCKING YOU]
Sungchan cleared his throat, and you slowly lowered your phone to look over at him again. He smoothly took a curve on the backroad that you were now on, one lane in each direction, that cut between the mountains with trees jutting up on either side of you.
âIâm sorry, Y/N,â Sungchan breathed out, readjusting in his seat. âFor yelling at you just now. Thatâs not⊠like me.â
âBecause youâre so nice?â You couldnât bite your tongue quick enough, still put off from the spat youâd just had.
âI⊠guess so,â he sighed. âI donât know. I donât know where that came from, honest. Iâm really sorry.â
âI told you I shouldnât navigate.â
âYeah, I know that now.â
âIâm really, really sorry for missing the exit. I shouldâve been paying attention better,â you shouldered the blame that was yours.
â238 and 288 look almost the same. Easy mistake.â
âThat added three hours to our drive,â you sighed, leaning your seat back.
âItâs done, no use pointing fingers at each other anymore,â Sungchan shook his head, tapping his thumbs on the steering wheel. âOr yourself.â
âDo you even have enough gas for another three hours? Weâre not going to get stuck out here, are we?â
âIâll stop at the next station I see.â
âHow far is the next station?â You mumbled, pulling up your phone to search it up on your own. âFifty-two miles. How much gas do we have?â
âA hundred miles on the range. See? Weâre fine.â Sungchanâs smile dropped off his face right after he said that. âHuhâŠâ
âWhat?â You sat up as he reached over to put the hazards on and pulled the car off onto the shoulder. âWhatâs going on?â
âLow tire pressure light,â he frowned. âI checked my tires before I grabbed you from your place. Give me a sec.â
He left the car running as he hopped out, and you watched as he walked around the car, squatting down to inspect each of the tires. Finally, he walked up to your window. You rolled it down to talk to him.
âBack right tire has a nail in it. Slow leak,â he explained. âIâve got to change it.â
âArenât you not supposed to drive spares in certain conditions?â You asked as he reached through the open window to unlock and open the door. âLike on a mountain road or whatever?â
With the door open, he rolled the window back up and reached past you to turn the car off, taking the key out of the ignition. âThe roadâs paved, itâs not like itâs gravel or anything. Iâll have to drive careful and drive slow on the spare, but itâs either that or weâre stranded out here.â
You eyed the sun that was already descending behind the mountains. âRight. Spare it is.â
âNeed you to hold the flashlight if you donât mind.â He opened the glove box in front of you, rooting around and grabbing a flashlight the length of your forearm.
You accepted it from him. âGot it.â
Sungchan took the tools out of the trunk, as well as the spare tire. He first lifted the car up with the jack, and you became acutely aware of how abandoned the road that you were on really was as not a single other car passed by the entire time. Sungchan stood back up once the car was up to peel off his flannel, tossing it into the trunk with the rest of the tools and the spare waiting to be used.
âY/N.â
âHuh?â You looked down at where he had gotten back on the ground.
âI need to see the lug nuts, not my arms.â
âSorry.â You shuffled behind him to be able to point the beam directly on the tire instead of where it had drifted to his mostly bare arms under his t-shirt.
âMuch better. Thanks.â
You watched as his hands skillfully unscrewed the lug nuts from the tire with the wrench, holding the first two behind him. âHold these for me?â
âOh, sure.â You held your hand out for him to drop them into your palm.
Once you had all five in hand, Sungchan pulled the flat off the car and swapped it out for the spare. You tried not to listen to the darkened forest behind you.
âLug nuts?â He held his hand up from where he was laying on the ground. You deposited a couple back into his hand for him to screw on at a time.
As he alternated between tightening the nuts and lowering the car down off the jack, you dutifully kept the flashlight pointed on the area he was working on. Finally, the car was back on the ground, and he took the jack out from under it. He rolled the old tire around until he could point out the head of a nail embedded in the tread.
âThereâs the little fucker.â Sungchan clicked his tongue before he heaved the tire up into the back. He put away all the tools too, then wiped away beads of sweat that had gathered under his bangs with the hem of his shirt.
He grabbed his flannel, tossing it over his shoulder before he shut the hatch on the trunk. He then turned to you with a bright smile and held his hand up for a high-five. âAlright!â
You high-fived him back mindlessly, pointing the flashlight at your feet now. âI didnât do anythingâŠâ
âWhat are you talking about? I wouldâve been fumbling around in the dark without you.â He nodded his head towards the front of the car. âCome on, weâre going to be late as is. We need to find that gas station. Hopefully theyâre open late.â
âHopefullyâŠâ
[you: NEW new eta idfk]
[you: we got a flat and need to fill up again]
[you: we might die out here. if this is my last message, just know that i still wish you all a very fall down the mountain and die <3]
[rina: aw ily2 pookie <33]
[you: sungchan probably says hi or smth]
Hyuck texted you individually again.
[hyuck: oh i know that car smells RANK đ«”đ«”đ«”]
[you: bitch this tire is as flat as YOUR ASS]
[hyuck: so itâs caked up??? my point is made đ]
[you: delusion]
âThe stars are really pretty out here,â Sungchanâs voice took you away from your phone.
He wasnât driving as fast as before on account of the spare, making your trip even longer. You looked out the windshield in front of you, at a small patch of sky that you could see peeking out in between the mountains and trees. It was hundreds, if not thousands of stars, infinitely more than you could ever hope to see on a perfectly clear night in the city.
âWow.â You leaned your arms and head forward on the dash to see it better. âThatâs crazyâŠâ
âI bet weâll see even more once we get to the cabin.â
âIf we donât die out here first,â you half-joked. âHow much gas do we have?â
âSixty miles. And the station should be another ten.â
âOnline didnât have any hours for itâŠâ You muttered. âAnd this is kind of ruralâŠâ
âWhich means the owner might live on the property, or they have someone work a night shift for weary travelers just like us.â
âWeary travelers?â You repeated with amusement. âYou make it sound like weâre going on some long journey and are seeking lodging at an inn.â
âSome of thatâs true.â
âYeah, yeah. And I wonât knock the weary part either.â You laid back in your seat again, letting out a yawn.
âTake a nap,â Sungchan encouraged you. âWeâll still have a while to drive after refilling, especially since weâre driving slow with the spare.â
âI would, but if the station is open, I gotta peeâŠâ You whispered. âAnd itâs only like ten miles.â
âThen take a nap after.â
Finally, there was a building in the distance, and miraculously, when Sungchan pulled up to the lone gas pump, the lights inside were even on.
âSungchan?â You walked around to where he was filling up the car.
âYeah?â He looked over at you from where he had been watching the numbers on the meter go up.
âUhm, can you go in with me? Into the store?â You asked almost sheepishly. âI justââ
âOf course.â He agreed with no hesitation, nodding towards the building for you to lead the way. The gas continued pumping on its own as he walked away, and you grabbed his arm as you approached the front door. He didnât say anything as he opened the door for the two of you.
The attendant behind the counter didnât even look up from his phone at the two of you as you entered. There was exactly one bathroom at the very back of the small convenience store, and Sungchan walked you back through the cramped aisles of snacks. When you were done, he was waiting just outside the door where youâd left him.
âGood?â He asked quietly, offering you the same arm that youâd taken in the parking lot.
You took it gladly. âGood.â
Sungchan gave the store employee a nod of acknowledgement as the two of you left, and the man once again didnât even look up at you. Back at the car, the gas had clicked off on its own, and Sungchan replaced the pump. He walked you to the passenger side, opening your door and ushering you in, closing it firmly behind you before getting in on his side and locking it behind him.
âGood?â He asked you again.
âGood,â you confirmed, and he started the car up.
Back on the road, the darkness all around you, steady rumble of the pavement under you, and music Sungchan had playing at a low volume was slowly lulling you back towards sleep again. You let out a rather obvious, violent yawn, not even having enough in you to slap your hand over your mouth all that quick.
âGo to sleep, Y/N,â Sungchan said again.
âBut youâve got to drive more,â you argued. âWhoâs going to keep you awake?â
âIâve got it, promise.â He then chuckled to himself. âYouâve yapped, now itâs time to nap.â
âMm, alright.â You curled up in your reclined seat as best you could, letting your eyes flutter shut. âWake me up if you need entertainment to stay awake. Love a good car sing-alongâŠâ
Your eyes and limbs still felt heavy and sluggish with sleep when you woke up later that night, and you pulled your blanket tighter to you as you tried to settle back in. You took a deep breath in through your nose, and then immediately remembered that you did not go to sleep with a blanket on you, and that this definitely was not yours that was on you right now. You felt at the material bunched in your hand again and recognized it as an article of clothing of some sort, not a blanket. Slowly opening one eye, you saw that it was a big hoodie, the arms wrapped around your shoulders so it didnât fall off.
You shifted in your seat again, sitting up a little more as you looked at the hoodie that was draped over you a little closer.
âHey, are you waking up?â Sungchan asked quietly from beside you.
You looked over at him, squinting. âMm⊠mhm.â
âGood, weâre almost there. Iâd say ten minutes,â he informed you.
âWhat⊠time is it?â
âA little after nine.â
âUghâŠâ You dropped your head back against the seat. âFeels like two in the morning.â
âI know what you mean,â he chuckled. âIâm going to be ready to sleep as soon as we get there too.â
âYeah, but you were like driving and changing tires and stuff. I was... whatever the opposite of a passenger princess is, the whole time. A passenger nuisance.â
âYou held the flashlight. That was a very important job.â
âIâm going to pretend like that didnât feel patronizing and say thanks.â
âWe both had a long night, Y/N. Being tired is warranted, for everyone involved.â
âThanks, Sungchan.â
âYouâre welcome.â
âNo, not just for that.â You were interrupted by another yawn as you went to put the back of your seat upright again. âFor⊠driving me, and apologizing for snapping at me earlier, and changing the tire, and walking me to the bathroom, and for the hoodie. YouâreâŠâ
âNice?â He seemed to be bracing himself for the word.
âA good guy.â
âOh.â
You didnât say anything else, readjusting his hoodie on you as he continued driving. Finally, he pulled off the road into a driveway, and a cabin came into view. All the lights were on, and he stopped behind a few other cars that you recognized: Markâs, Jaeminâs, and Karinaâs.
The two of you had just started taking your stuff out of the trunk when some of your friends met you outside.
âYou survived!â Jaemin cheered.
âBarely,â you groaned, reaching for your pillow.
âWhat happened to your tire, dude?â Mark asked Sungchan.
âGot a nail in it somewhere,â he explained, taking his phone out to shine the flashlight on it. As they looked it over and talked about the car, the others grabbed both yours and Sungchanâs stuff to take into the cabin.
âSo, before you guys got a flat, how exactly did you manage to read the map on your phone so wrong you added three hours to the drive?â Jeno questioned you, your duffel bag slung over his shoulder.
âOur exit was 238, I misread it, thought it was 288,â you explained with a sigh. âWe ended up on the wrong side of the mountain and had to go back around.â
âDamn, itâs a good thing you were with Sungchan when you did that,â Anton laughed, dragging Sungchanâs suitcase in. âAnybody else probably wouldâve lost their shit on you.â
âHe did.â
Everyone who was within earshot turned to look at you.
âWhat?â Anton blinked.
âI mean, he didnât like, go crazy or anything, but he was angry.â
âWeâre talking about the same guy, right? Jung Sungchan, right over there?â Hyuck pointed to where Sungchan and Mark were still chatting by the cars further down the driveway. âHe got like, actually mad at you?â
âUh-huh,â you confirmed. âRaised his voice, yelled, whatever word you want to use. Cursed, too.â
âIâve never even seen him get like, frustratedâŠâ Shotaro whistled.
Hyuck looked between you and Sungchan in disbelief. âWhat the hell?â
âHe apologized,â you added what felt like a pretty important detail.
âIâm sure he did,â Anton snorted, opening the front door. âIâm kind of surprised heâs not still like, begging for your forgiveness.â
âHe apologized for getting upset, I apologized for missing the exit, we moved on.â You shrugged, stepping into the cabin. âAnd the sky didnât fall.â
âYet.â Hyuck scoffed. âWho knows, hell might freeze over before we wake up.â
âSpeaking of, where exactly are we all sleeping?â
The next morning, you slipped out of the king size bed that you, Karina, and Ningning were all sharing and treaded down the darkened hallway as quietly as possible. The sun hadnât risen yet, and you winced when a floorboard creaked underfoot as you passed behind the pull-out couch that Shotaro and Anton had crashed on.
There was already light pouring out of the kitchen when you got there, and a tall figure was standing in front of the stove, a tea kettle on one of the old coil burners. Sungchan was illuminated by the stove light, and turned around when he heard the shuffling of your socks across the tile. It looked like he had already showered and gotten dressed, his hair a little damp as it hung in his eyes, and he was in a fresh t-shirt, shorts, and pair of sneakers.
âYouâre up early,â he commented, keeping his voice low to not disturb the others in the next room.
âYou too,â you replied just as softly.
The kettle began whistling just then, and he immediately flipped open the spout to stop the noise, taking it off the stove. He opened a nearby cabinet to grab a mug.
âTea?â He offered. âIâm not a big coffee guyâŠâ
âSure,â you accepted, and he took a second mug down. âWhat kind?â
Sungchan went to a different cabinet to get a box of tea sachets. âGreen.â
He dropped a tea bag into each mug, then poured the boiling water over them. He handed you your mug before leaning against a spot by the sink.
âThanks.â You wrapped your hands contentedly around the warm drink.
You lifted your bag up and down by the string, letting it steep as your eyes blinked open and closed, your mind still coming to in the early morning hours. Outside the cabin, you could hear birds singing as the forest woke up too, and you smiled to yourself at the thought.
âSo, uhââ Sungchan cleared his throat awkwardly. âWhatâs the difference between a nice guy and a good guy?â
You opened your eyes, lifting your head to look up at him, slightly amused. You hoped this hadnât kept him up last night. âA nice guy wouldnât have yelled at me in the first place.â
âOh.â He looked a bit ashamed, and also like he might try to apologize again.
âBut that also wouldâve made no opportunity for you to apologize,â you continued. âA nice guy is just nice. A good guy can admit when heâs wrong, because he actually is wrong sometimes. But he fixes it after.â
âHuhâŠâ Sungchan took another sip of his tea. âAre you a philosophy student or something? Gender studies?â
âNo.â You laughed. âJust a compulsive vibe-harsher, like I said.â
âI donât know how being smart harshes the vibe.â
âI⊠find it hard to take things at face value. I always have to evaluate them through some lens. Itâs tough for me to live in the moment, I guess. Doesnât always make me the most fun at parties.â
âYou canât be that much of a bummer, they keep inviting you places.â He had finished his tea, and turned around to wash out the mug before setting it aside to dry. âIâve got to go, I found a place thatâll look at my tire. I called and theyâre open on Saturdays.â
âIâll go with you,â you offered. âIf you want some companyâŠâ
âItâs on the other side of the mountain,â he informed you. âItâll be an all-day thing, you should hang out here with everyone. I think Hyuck said they were going to take the boat out.â
âBut then youâll be all alone and bored in the car all day.â You tilted your head. âIf you just donât want me to come, tell me. Iâll be okay.â
âNo, Y/N, Iâd appreciate the company, but are you sure you want to be stuck in the car with me all day again?â
âJust donât make me navigate and weâll be good.â
âNever again,â he smiled. âYouâll be there purely for entertainment.â
âGreat, let me get changed.â
âAw, I thought the jammies were cute,â Sungchan snickered, and for the first time that morning you processed what you were wearing.
A pair of Sanrio character-patterned sleep shorts that were originally from a pajama set (the matching button-up top had long disappeared), well-loved, and a big t-shirt that your dad had gotten from his work when you were high school, worn in with a couple holes in one of the sleeves and another low on the bottom hemânot in any scandalous areas, hence why you hadnât retired it yet, but definitely not your finest attire.
âShut up!â You hissed, putting your mug down on the counter to cross your arms over your chest. âIâm changing!â
[sungchan: going to get my tire fixed, y/nâs with me. car shop is on the other side of the mountain so weâll be back late afternoon-ish]
[jeno: đ]
âI wasnât kidding, the pajamas were cute,â Sungchan chuckled as he pulled away from the cabin.
The backroads looked much more welcoming and pleasant in the daytime, all tall, green trees and beautiful mountain landscapes.
âYeah, sure,â you snorted, taking over the aux first.
âIs my hoodie over there by the way?â He questioned, pointing to the passenger seat floor. âIt wasnât in my stuff yesterday, I thought it mightâve ended up on the floor or something.â
âOh, sorry, I accidentally took it in with me,â you informed him, remembering when you had finally gotten settled into your room late last night and realized youâd brought the article of clothing in with you in the midst of the hecticness. âIâll give it back to you when we get back to the cabin after this.â
âDonât worry about it, just wondering where it went.â He waved you off nonchalantly, eyes focused on the road as he navigated a curve.
But you werenât going to let him chalant around that so easily. âAnd what does that mean, Sungchan?â
âI like that hoodie and didnât want to have lost it on a mountain in the middle of nowhere?â
âSo, if I were to give it back to you and start borrowing, oh, I donât know, Jenoâs hoodieâŠ?â
âThatâd be weird, because you have a perfectly good one,â he replied simply.
âMhmâŠâ
âAnd clearly, Iâm trying to establish my dominance over the other males and stake my unofficial claim over you by having you wear my clothes,â he looked over at you, voice dripping with sarcasm.
You held his eye contact for a moment before you both burst out laughing. âWhat?!â
âSorry, I tried my hand at harshing the vibe like you,â his eyes crinkled as he laughed. âJust sounded like a fucking weirdo, huh?â
âA bit, yeah.â You wheezed as you tried to catch your breath. âYou also canât sound that sarcastic when you do it. People have to believe that you believe what youâre saying.â
âI didnât though. I mean, not completely. I think.â
âEither commit to the bit or donât.â
He frowned thoughtfully. âBut⊠wouldnât that have made you feel weird? What I just said?â
âOh yeah, I donât buy into all that alpha male social hierarchy bullshit. Itâs based off one study on a pack of wolves thatâs been debunked multiple times.â You shook your head. âBut the second part wasnât an incorrect analysis of flirting and dating dynamics.â
âDamn, youâre good at that,â he chuckled fondly.
âI didnât know that Donghyuck was setting us up, by the way,â you felt the need to clarify in that moment. âNot until⊠right before I apologized?â
âI kind of worked that out eventually,â he sighed. âHe shouldâve told you, by the way.â
âYeah, then maybe I wouldâve been fucking normal.â
âProbably not.â
âGee, thanks.â
âI mean, it was unfair to you to have been in the dark like that.â
âThatâs⊠generous. Here I thought it was unfair to you to have been subjected to me like that.â
âI was a bit confused as to why Donghyuck told me he had the perfect person for me and then every time I talked to you, you either ran away or seemed to hate me for no good reason,â he admitted.
âI truly wonder what his thought process wasâŠâ You mused. âHe meets you playing pickup basketball, you turn out to be nicest guy heâs ever met, and his first thought is to introduce you to me? Weird.â
âWhy is that weird?â Sungchan tilted his head. âI think youâre cool.â
âI mean, Iâm not nice. Or, itâs definitely not one of my defining characteristics. Wouldnât you want to set up your two nicest single friends with each other?â
âThey might get bored of each other,â he muttered.
You looked at him curiously. âDo you think youâre boring, Sungchan?â
He shrugged. âIsnât that what people say? âOh heâs⊠a nice guy.â When they canât think of anything else about you because youâre boring.â
âIâve had plenty of fun with you,â you assured him. âIncluding being stuck in a car with you for six hours and getting a flat tire.â
âI havenât exactly been my usual self with youâŠâ He confessed quietly.
âOh?â
âI donât get upset with people, or tease them like this, or say weird stuff to try to harsh the vibe on purpose.â
You couldnât help but let out a peal of laughter. âMaybe you are usually pretty boring, then.â
âI think⊠because youâve already seen me get mad, and we got past that, I feel like I can try out being things other than nice with you?â He seemed to have been picking his words very carefully. âDoes that make sense?â
âYeah, Sungchan, it makes sense,â you affirmed. âAre you seriously saying you donât joke around with the others?â
âI joke around, but Iâm not really like⊠sarcastic, I guess. I donât want to say something and hurt someoneâs feelings either because they didnât get that it was a joke, or even if they did, because it went too far.â
âThatâs fair, but⊠you have to trust people.â
âComing from the woman who said she doesnât trust hot people?â He questioned pointedly.
âOkay, fair,â you chuckled. âBut hear me out.â
âGo for it.â
âIf your friend said or did something that hurt your feelings, and you didnât tell them that directly, would you expect them to know?â
He seemed to think about this for a moment, then shook his head. âNo, they canât read my mind. I would need to tell them so we can talk about it.â
âThen why do you have higher standards for yourself as a friend than you have for your friends?â
Sungchanâs mouth dropped open, then closed, then opened again, then closed once more as he frowned deeply, his brows knitting together.
You continued, âYou have to trust your friends to tell you when theyâre hurt by something you say or do. If you spend your whole life assuming what your friendsâ feelings are instead actually letting them tell you, youâre just forcing your own expectations onto them without their input. And itâs also not fair to you to constantly be living your life trying to minimize all these perceived slights against people. Not to mentionâsometimes someoneâs feelings can get hurt and you didnât really do anything wrong.â
He laughed nervously. âNot philosophy or gender studies grad student; I think Iâm going to skip right over psychology and just go straight for all-knowing deity that can see straight into my soul?â
âBeen thinking about updating my LinkedIn to Professional Yapper, but I think I like that better,â you grinned, handing his phone back over to him. âYour turn on the aux.â
âItâs fixable,â the tire shop owner confirmed. âShould take an hour or so. Itâs just me and my son and we have a couple customers ahead of you. You and your girlfriend are welcome to wait here, or, you know, itâs lunchtime, thereâs a restaurant thatâs a five-minute walk down the road.â
He pointed in presumably the general direction of it.
âRight, uhm, hereâs my number, in case weâre not here when itâs done.â Sungchan wrote his number down on a notepad on the front desk in the small tire shop.
The older man pulled the paper towards him, flashing the both of you a smile. âIf you go to lunch, tell Mrs. Han I sent you.â
âThank you.â He nodded to the man before you both stepped away from the counter, and the owner walked into the back where the cars were.
You looked up at Sungchan questioningly. âI could do lunch. Are you hungry?â
âSure,â he agreed. âBeats sitting here for an hour. After sitting in the car for two days straight, Iâd like to walk for a bit.â
There was of course no sidewalk, so the two of you had to walk on the shoulder of the road, the odd vehicle zipping by every so often and kicking up your hair. Sungchan kept himself between you and the road, meaning that you were on the grassier part of the shoulder, but you didnât mind, taking the opportunity to look for wildflowers by your feet.
âDid we really look like a couple?â You asked, stopping to bend over and pick a yellow wildflower, then continued your walk.
âWe were a man and woman alone in the middle of nowhere with car trouble,â Sungchan pointed out. âI donât think the first assumption would be that we met a week ago.â
âHm, fair.â
âHe probably sees a lot of couples coming out here for romantic getaways breaking down or getting flats or whatever.â
âSounds like the beginning of a horror movieâŠâ You picked a stalk of small white flowers. âOr the first five minutes of a crime procedural.â
Sungchan grabbed a purple flower and held it out to you. âTruly a miracle that we survived.â
âAre you a mechanic or something?â
âWhy? Because I know how to change a tire?â
You shrugged. âItâs a guess. You guessed that I was a philosophy student because I like to yap.â
âNot a mechanic.â
âYou going to make me keep guessing?â
âIâve guessed what you do three times now and youâve yet to tell me.â He elbowed you. âI think you can handle a little more suspense about me.â
You swatted his arm away. âI donât know if all-knowing deity should really countâŠâ
âI was being so serious, hand on my heart.â He laid his hand over his chest dramatically.
âWell, I know itâs not pro basketball player,â you hummed teasingly. âAnton says you suck.â
âMy three-pointer could use some workâŠâ
âPretty much our whole complex is grad students or young professionals... Are you in school?â
âYou havenât given me any hints.â
âYou havenât asked for any.â
He watched you step a little further from the road to get a pink flower from a patch before rejoining him. âIâll answer if you answer.â
âA bargain?â You grinned, taking your gaze off the blue flowers that you had been eyeing up ahead of you and turning it up to Sungchan next to you. âIâll take it. You first.â
âIâm a student. Your turn.â
âBoth,â you answered. âI take night classes.â
âI have to guess two things for you?â
âWhat do we win if we guess right, anyway?â You asked.
âY/N...â Sungchan stared you down at you avoiding his question.
âFine, if you can guess one, Iâll tell you the other,â you acquiesced. âSo whatâs the prize?â
âWinning isnât enough?â He questioned.
âYouâre the one who turned it into a game.â
âPretty sure youâre the one who did that, but okay,â he teased back. âI donât know, what do you think it should it be? You suggested a prize.â
You hummed, stepping away from the road to reach for a bright blue flower, having to lean over to one side as the ground sloped down steeply in this area. A few pieces of gravel under your feet tumbled downhill, and Sungchan grabbed your forearm that was close to him to balance you as you picked the flower. Still hunched over, using your new stability with his hold on you to stretch your arm even further out towards a pretty orange one, you suggested, âWinner picks our first date when we get back home?â
âDate?â He echoed, his grip slipping on you for a moment.
You yelped as you nearly lost your balance, and Sungchan barely caught you from tumbling down the hillside, jerking you back towards him. You landed on your ass at his feet, huffing as you looked up at him.
âSorry,â he said sheepishly, moving to offer you a hand up.
You took it, standing back up and brushing yourself off. Picking the orange wildflower first, you then threatened, âIf you push me down this mountain for real, Iâm taking you with me.â
âYeah, thatâs deserved,â he chuckled. âI was just, uhm, surprised.â
âDonghyuck tried to set us upâfailed stupendously, which I mean, itâs Hyuck, whatâs new?âbut weâve been flirting, I have your hoodie, unless something goes terribly wrong in the next two weeks, that would be the next step, right?â You pointed out. âI wasnât planning on overanalyzing this butâŠâ
Sungchan let out a round of giggles, his whole face scrunching up as he laughed. âOh⊠you donât know how relieved I am right now to hear you overanalyze that for me.â
âWhatâŠ?â
âNo offense, but itâs a bit hard to tell when youâre analyzing and when youâre flirting,â he admitted, still looking at you with a wide, fond grin. âI mean, this all literally started with you calling me stupidly hot and that somehow being a bad thing.â
You pursed your lips ruefully. âI can see how that mightâve been confusingâŠâ
âNo, itâs great,â he chuckled. âYouâre great.â
Finally sitting in a booth in the small roadside restaurant, which only had a handful of other customers, the two of you had put in your orders with Mrs. Han and were sipping on your drinks as you went back to your guessing game from the walk.
âWe have to guess before we get back to the cabin,â you determined, folding your hands in front of you. âOther people there know us. They might say something.â
Sungchan nodded from across the table. âGood point. Time limit, I like it.â
âBusiness major. MBA,â you started immediately.
âWhat? No,â he snorted incredulously.
âItâs basically Undeclared for people who donât want to disappoint their parents, I had to guess it, sorry.â
âLiterature, writing, MFA, something in there?â
âNo, and that was like two guesses, so I get two this time.â You clicked your tongue. âMasterâs in education, focus in coaching pedagogy.â
âThat was one?â
âYeah.â
âNo.â
âOkay, my second: International Relations.â
âNo.â He cracked his knuckles. âIâm switching gears, because you seem to know a lot of degrees off the top of your head. You work in the Registrarâs Office?â
âNo.â
âDamn! Wait, no, youâre an academic advisor?â
âNope.â
âGraduate advisor.â
âNo, and that was three in a row, Sungchan,â you pointed out humorously.
âI know. Alright, your three?â
âCan I ask a question to narrow it down instead?â
He squinted suspiciously. âWhat kind of question?â
âTo help me narrow the field down. I wonât ask you to tell me the field, theyâll still be yes or no questions.â
âYes, only if I can ask you the same.â
âItâd only be fair,â you confirmed. âSTEM?â
âNo.â
âOh thank God,â you let out a groan of relief.
He laughed. âWhatâs wrong with people in STEM fields?â
âListen, love a woman in STEM,â you defended yourself. âMen in STEM⊠theyâre⊠how do I put this nicely? Insufferable know-it-alls?â
âThatâs putting it nicely?â
âYup.â You took a sip of your drink. âDonât tell me itâs Finance eitherâŠâ
âNo.â
âOkay, I have one moreâŠâ You tapped your finger to your chin. âIs it a Fine Art?â
âNo.â Sungchan looked down at the small bunch of flowers that you had set aside on the table. âWhat are you going to do with those?â
You shrugged. âI donât know. Look at them for a while. Take pretty pictures for my Instagram. Toss them eventually, I guess. Theyâre not gonna live forever.â
Selecting one of the little pink flowers, you reached across the table to tuck it behind Sungchanâs ear. âThere.â
He touched the flower, a similar shade of pink dusting his cheeks. âThanks.â
âYour turn to guess.â
âSTEM?â
âMath is my worst enemy, numbers were invented to harm me personally,â you retorted. âNo.â
âI shouldâve known,â he teased.
Mrs. Han brought your food out then, and you both thanked her before she bustled off to take care of a family that had just walked in. There was a pause in your conversation as you started eating. The food was delicious, and as you took another sip to wash it down, you looked out the window next to your table.
âThe view is just crazy here,â you gushed, taking in the mountainside dotted with more colorful patches of wildflowers. You patted your pocket for your phone, then frowned when you couldnât find it. âWhereâs myââ
Wordlessly, Sungchan picked it up from the tabletop and held it out to you. You smiled at him. âOh, thanks! Didnât even see it.â
After taking a few pictures, you set your phone back down and returned to your guessing game. âLaw?â
He shook his head, still chewing, and wiped his face before speaking with a clear mouth. âNope. Are your job and what youâre studying related at all?â
âYes.â
âHuh. I donât think that actually helped me at all.â
âEducation?â
âMm, yes to the field, but I will make you narrow it down further,â Sungchan acquiesced.
You beamed at having finally gotten closer. âSo I was on the right track with my second guess!â
âAre you doing a Fine Art?â
âNo. Masterâs in Early Childhood Education?â
He let out a soft chuckle as he sat back in the booth, holding his hands up in surrender. âYou win.â
âYes!â You cheered quietly, pumping a fist victoriously at eye level. âI was going to start at Early Childhood and keep going up in age bracket until I got a yes.â
âSo?â He prompted you. âWhat do you do?â
âRight now, Iâm a primary school teacher and I tutor on the side for some extra cash.â You watched his eyes grow wide as you revealed this. âAnd Iâm taking a mix of night classes and online classes to get my degree in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies.â
âAnd thatâs aâŠ?â
âDoctorate.â
âWowâŠâ He breathed out. âDonghyuck really didnât tell me anything about you before dragging me over to you at his party but uhââ
âMaybe he figured heâs got one friend who is a teacher and one who wants to be a teacher, might as well?â You suggested with humor in your tone, reaching for your glass.
âYeah, maybe,â he laughed, his eyes sparkling as he kept looking at you.
When you and Sungchan finally got back to the cabin, you found it entirely devoid of your other friends.
âNo welcoming party this time?â You scoffed, gesturing to the empty living room. âNow Iâm thinking we should just keep the free fudge Mrs. Han gave us all to ourselves.â
âHyuck did say they were going to take the boat out,â Sungchan reminded you, placing the bag containing said free fudge onto the kitchen counter. âAnd thereâs no way the two of us could eat all that by ourselves before they got back.â
You made a small âhmphâ sound, moving to the large sliding glass door in the living room that afforded a view of the lake. The sun glistened off the water, and from here you couldnât even see the next closest neighbor.
âDo you want to go down to the dock?â Sungchan suggested, joining you by the door. âThey took the boat, but that doesnât mean weâre stuck inside.â
âSo,â Sungchan followed you down the pathway from the back porch down to the dock. âOnce you have your degree, do you still want to be a teacher?â
âYeah, my kids are why Iâm getting it in the first place,â you explained, carefully picking your way down the steep decline. âI want to be able to advocate on behalf of them better, and understand whatâs going on when the people who arenât teachers are making decisions that affect us.â
âWhat year do you teach?â
âI provide supplemental curricula for all ages. Reading and writing mostly.â You peeked back at him over your shoulder. âDo you have an age you want to teach?â
A giddy smile tugged at his lips. âLittle ones. Preschool. Theyâre so⊠Everythingâs new to them. Itâs so much fun seeing the world like that.â
âYeah, it is.â You could feel that you were smiling too, turning your eyes back down to watch your step.
Soon, you were down on the dock, laid out on your towel as you enjoyed a puddle of sunlight, listening to the sounds of Sungchan splashing around in the water in front of you.
âYouâre going to get skin cancer like that.â
Propping yourself up on one elbow, you looked over your sunglasses at where Sungchan had climbed back up the ladder and was sitting on the edge of the dock, pushing his wet hair out of his face. Like youâd said before, stupidly attractive.
âYou literally helped me apply my sunscreen,â you drawled pointedly, recalling when heâd so coyly offered to help you get your back. Pushing your sunglasses back into place, you laid down again. âIf I do, itâs your fault.â
You could hear him stand up and walk towards you. âIâve never understood laying in the sun like that. Donât you get all sweaty?â
âHavenât you heard? Iâm cold-blooded,â you replied humorously.
âWell, do you think you can survive one swim, or will your blood turn sludge in your veins as soon as you touch water?â
You snickered, finally sitting up. âFine, fine, Iâll get in.â
Sungchan watched you get to your feet, then offered his hand out. You eyed it suspiciously.
âIâm getting in,â you promised, pointing to the ladder.
He offered his hand more insistently. âItâs not that bad. Jump in with me.â
You sighed, grabbing his hand. âFine.â
Stepping up the edge of the dock with him, he swung your clasped hands in time as he counted, âOne, twoââ
âThree!â You finished, pulling him forward with you.
He rushed to bring his other hand up to plug his nose as you careened the both of you off the dock and into the lake. The water surged up around you, cool but not cold, not too warm to be gross, just refreshing enough. You squeezed your eyes shut as you went under, and let go of Sungchanâs hand so you could paddle back up to the surface. Wiping the water from your eyes, you laughed as he immediately pointed an accusatory finger at you.
âDragging your heels only to pull me off!â He was grinning too.
âIâm sorry, did I see you plugging your nose?â You teased back. âAt your big age?â
âIâm not getting a brain-eating amoeba, thank you,â he retorted. âYou were asleep, but there was this billboard we passed on our way here warning people about it.â
âBut do you know how to blow nose bubbles, Sungchan?â
âWell, no.â
âOkay, mini-swim lesson,â you declared, waving him closer. âCome on, I used to teach water safety to little kids. If I can teach a two-year-old to stop snorting water, I believe in you.â
âYou taught swim lessons?â
âYeah, it was my first job, in high school.â You locked back into instructing. âYou can blow your nose, right?â
He looked at you blankly. âYes.â
âHey, some people have body awareness issues, itâs always better to ask.â You held your hands up defensively. âSo, same mechanics, air goes out into the water, keep your mouth closed, and donât inhale through your nose right after while itâs still underwater.â
You did a small demonstration for him, only submerging from your chin to your nose, letting out a slow stream of bubbles. Bringing your face back up, you added, âAnd try not to exhale all at once.â
Sungchan mirrored your actions, lowering his face until his nose was underwater, slowly exhaling. He uncertainly lifted his head again after, eyes on you.
You smiled and clapped your hands. âYay! There we go!â
âThat was... weirdly easy.â He immediately did it again.
âNow you just have to think about doing it all the time, until you donât have to think about doing it.â You rolled over onto your back, relaxing as you floated. âThen youâll never have to worry about plugging your nose again.â
âIf you used to be a swim instructor, why didnât you want to swim?â Sungchan followed after you curiously as you drifted away.
âBecause then I do stuff like give grown men lessons on how to blow nose bubbles.â
âThat was helpful.â
âAndââ You popped up to tread water again, facing Sungchan. âI kind of hate lakes. And oceans. Anything that I canât see the bottom in, and where stuff lives. Like fish, or brain-eating amoebas. I like my pools.â
His face fell. âOh, well we can get outââ
âI said kind of,â you cut him off. âI donât mind, because you wanted to swim, and Iâm having fun with you.â
âButââ
âSungchan.â You held his gaze steadily, keeping your voice calm, inquisitive even. âHave you ever done something you donât really care for, because your friends or family wanted to?â
âWell, yeah.â
âTheyâre worth it?â
âOf course.â
You tilted your head with a knowing smile. âSo are you.â
His face flushed with what you knew wasnât the heat of the sun. âOh...â
The sound of a boat motor in the distance caught your attention. Coming around a bend in the trees was, in fact, a boat, and while you couldnât make out any individual faces at this distance, the fact that it was headed right towards you, and several of the figures were jumping and waving at you, you could guess that it held all your friends.
âWell, thereâs everyone,â you laughed, heading back towards the dock.
Some days later, you were contentedly relaxed in a hammock that had been suspended between two trees in the spacious backyard of the cabin, humming along to a song playing from Ningningâs phone as you half-listened to whatever juicy piece of gossip that the other two were divulging. A cool night breeze passed over your bare arms and legs, pricking up goosebumps in its wake, and you shivered.
âIâm going to grab a sweater or something,â you declared, getting down from the hammock. Picking up your empty drink can from the table nearby, you added, âNot to mention, Iâm out of seltzer.â
âCan you see if we have any more chocolate-covered pretzels?â Karina requested.
âSure.â You grabbed some of the other trash to take in with you.
You passed by the guys playing video games in the living room as you headed for the kitchen, tossing the garbage out first. After throwing on a hoodie from your room, you went back into the living room, fully intending on checking the kitchen for Karinaâs snack. Instead, you were met by a desperate, raucous chorus of yells of your name.
âHm?â You looked up at the guys questioningly, stopping in your tracks.
Mark waved you over fervently. âCome here! We need an even number.â
âWhat are you guys playing?â You took a hesitant step closer, eyes scrutinizing the game menu.
âDonât worry about it, itâs a button masher, super easy,â Shotaro reassured you, grabbing your arm and pulling you into the living room. âSungchanâs not even half-bad at it.â
âYeah, you can uh, you can even be on Sungchanâs team,â Hyuck said, exchanging a mischievous grin with a couple of your other friends.
âOkay,â you shrugged, plopping down into the space that Sungchan had made for you between him and the arm of the couch. A controller was pushed into your hand. Karinaâs pretzels could wait.
âThis moves your character around, this one is to jump, this one is to attack, this one is to shield,â Sungchan quietly explained the controls to you as the others started assigning teams, hands hovering over yours on the controller. âThereâs some other special moves, but those are the basics. Just uh, stay away from Hyuck.â
You nodded. âGot it.â
âNice hoodie by the way,â he added, much softer.
âThanks...â You murmured back, well aware that you were wearing his from the car.
âAlright!â Jaemin announced loudly. âLetâs do it!â
Now, you didnât exactly consider yourself a gamer. In fact, you spent most of the time either running away from the other guys, or at one point, accidentally falling off the level and losing a life all on your own. You couldnât even tell if you were even really helping Sungchan at all. But it was fun, and you were kind of maybe starting to get a hang of the controls by the end of the round. To your surprise, the two characters that popped up as winners, however, were yours and Sungchanâs.
âWe won?â You questioned, looking at Sungchan in surprise.
âLooks like we did,â he confirmed, smiling down at the controller in his hand.
âHell yeah!â You held a hand up for him to high five.
âSungchan, what the hell?â Shotaro smacked his arm from his other side.
âSince when have you been good at video games?â Jaemin interjected from the other couch.
âHave you been sucking on purpose this whole time and just decided to reveal that you were good now?â Mark questioned accusatorily.
âYeah, we were joking when we said he was only half-bad at this game, heâs actually ass at it,â Anton clarified to you, making you roll your eyes at their apparent plan to give you the worst player.
âSorry Y/N, heâs on my team next,â Hyuck declared, bringing up the character selections and switching Sungchanâs team color to match his own.
âHey, change that back,â Sungchan said, his voice level but firm.
Hyuck actually stopped in his tracks, looking back at Sungchan with wide eyes. He held his hands up in surrender.
Sungchan switched his team color back to match yours with no interference from the others. You lightly bumped your leg against his as the room chatter started back up. He bumped your leg back.
The next day, everyone went out on a hike. There was a slightly overgrown trail that went around the mountainside, taking lazy twists and turns through the trees. Said greenery provided you with plenty of shade, and concealed the lake below from you so well it almost felt like you had transported elsewhere. The trail was narrow, however, only fitting three people comfortably at its widest points, but usually only two, so your group was spread out thin along it.
Jaemin and Hyuck were up front, arguing about⊠something that you couldnât parse out from your place all the way at the back. Turning to Sungchan beside you, you took your water bottle out of the side pocket of the backpack he was wearing. Somehow he had been burdened with most of the groupâs supplies, and while you werenât exactly doing any sort of survivalist stuff out here, you didnât see why everyone couldnât at least carry their own water bottles.
Taking a swig from your bottle, you kept it in your hand as you pointed at him accusingly, âYou didnât suddenly get good at that game out of nowhere last night, Sungchan.â
He rubbed the back of his neck. âAh, I meanâŠâ
âWere you sucking on purpose so nobodyâs feelings got hurt?â
âI didnât suck. I was just sort of⊠okay.â He tried to explain. âI donât know if it was on purpose, I guess I just didnât care if everyone knew that I was the best? Iâm just not super competitive, really.â
âI donât think Iâve ever seen Hyuck speechless like that before either.â You laughed at the memory. âYou donât ever stand up for yourself with them like that, do you?â
âItâs not like they bully me or anythingâŠâ
âYou just go with the flow?â
âYeah, exactly,â he seemed to relax again at your words.
âI had fun playing on your team last night,â you said, taking another sip. âWin or lose. Iâm glad you didnât go with the flow that time.â
âHey, hold still?â Sungchan requested, reaching a hand out towards your face.
You froze warily. âWhat is it? A bug?â
âNo, no,â he reassured you, brushing your hair back from one side of your head, then the other. âDid you leave the cabin with only one earring in?â
âShit, no!â Your hands flew up to clutch at your lobes, immediately feeling that one of them was empty. You looked down at the ground around your feet, despite the sinking feeling in your stomach that it was useless. There was nothing around you but dirt and grass. âDamn it!â
Sungchan made an effort to look under him as well, but came up empty-handed too. âI donât see anythingâŠâ
âWell, damn,â you sighed, dropping your hands back down to your sides. âCouldâve been worse, I guess. Couldâve been my grandmotherâs pearls or something instead of a pair of earrings I stole from my freshman roommate.â
âSeriously?â He laughed as you continued down the trail.
âIt was an accident! MostlyâŠâ You explained. âWe borrowed each otherâs stuff all the time, and when we moved out at the end of the year, the earrings ended up in my stuff. I told her I had them and she said I could keep them. Apparently they always made her ears itch anyway.â
âSucks you lost one, though. I thought the little hearts were really cute.â
âJust like you thought my raggedy old t-shirt was cute?â You snorted.
âExactly.â
âWhy do you get shotgun, Y/N?â Anton complained from the backseat, his voice loud to be heard over the wind.
âBecause itâs my car,â Sungchan retorted, his thumb tapping out a rhythm on the steering wheel. âAnd I said so.â
You couldnât help but snicker at the image of poor Anton and his lanky limbs squished into the middle seat between Shotaro and Mark. âYou couldâve stayed at the cabin, Anton.â
âI was bored.â He crossed his arms. âAnd I thought Sungchan wouldâve at least been sympathetic to his fellow long-legged brethren.â
âBut the baby always gets the middle seat.â You turned around to pinch his cheek.
âI am notââ
âCouldâve fooled me,â Sungchan sighed, looking out the window. âWith the way youâre whining right now.â
Antonâs jaw dropped as the other three of you broke into howling laughter.
Soon enough, you arrived at your destination, a natural park with a huge cave system. The main attraction, however, was that one section of the tunnels was so dark that you couldnât even see your own hand in front of your face.
A small family, and field trip for what looked like a summer camp had arrived just before you all, and were put in the same tour group as your friends. You watched from afar with amusement as the counselors put the children into buddy pairs before the tour guide officially began the tour.
âHey, donât you teach, Y/N?â Shotaro asked curiously as your own group took up the rear of the tour, nodding towards all the kids.
âYeah, I do,â you answered, the air immediately becoming cooler as you stepped into the caves. âPrimary school.â
âJungchan over here wants to be a teacher too!â Anton informed you cheerily, slapping Sungchan on the shoulder, the sound cracking through the entire cave loudly.
Several heads turned around to look at the source of the noise, and you all looked around at the walls of the cave innocently until they turned forward again. The cave was getting darker and darker, the lights strung up by the park employees getting fewer and further between. Your eyes continued to adjust to the changing light, but your surroundings were becoming less made up of clear objects with definable features and more the vague outline of shapes.
âOh, really?â You asked mildly, barely concealing the humor in your tone.
âEarly childhood education,â he replied calmly, hand sneaking up to pinch your side.
It took everything in you not to squeal as you squirmed away from his hand, elbowing his arm. You could hear the light puffs of his silent laughter next to you. Right as you had lifted your own hand up to retaliate, the tour group came to a stop, everything was pitch black around you, and Sungchanâs hand caught yours, lacing your fingers together. There were no lights in here, and the childrenâs excited chatter rose as the counselors spoke back to them to confirm that they were still there as well. You held your free hand up in front of your face, and the only way you knew it was there was because you could feel that it was. The only thing your eyes saw was darkness.
âThatâs freaky,â Shotaro commented from somewhere behind you.
âWhat the hell, man?â Mark was somewhere to your other side. âDude, I canât see my hand! Just like it said online!â
âOh! There you are, Shotaro!â Anton breathed out a sigh of relief.
âYeah, I didnât disappear in the five seconds since we walked in here,â Shotaro grunted. âDid you have to practically climb on top of me to confirm that?â
You reached out tentatively towards Sungchan, your hand eventually bumping into his chest. âAh, found you.â
âFound me,â he echoed quietly.
The tour guide started ushering everyone out of the sector, and as the light started entering your vision again, your fingers unwound from Sungchanâs. The counselorâs voices floated back to you as they took a headcount of all their kids, who were still dutifully holding onto their assigned buddies.
Soft footsteps at the top of the stairs caught your attention, and you looked up from your laptop at the tall figure hovering there awkwardly. You offered Sungchan a soft smile, waving him into the small attic loft space. There wasnât much up here except the couch that you were on, a narrow table, and a dartboard. The ceiling was so low that Sungchan had to hunch just the slightest to avoid knocking his forehead into the wooden crossbeams.
âHey.â You pushed yourself up into a proper sitting position on the couch, your computer moving from your stomach to your lap.
âWhy arenât you out with everyone else?â He sat down in the space that you had freed up. The others had all gathered outside around the firepit to roast marshmallows and drink, but you had other things to tend to.
You nodded to the device. âAh, I had some grading to do.â
âI thought you were on summer break.â
âTutoring.â You set the laptop aside on the coffee table, even as your eyes caught on the screen fondly. âOne of my students, I mean, she doesnât need it for her grades. But she just loves writing, so her mom pays for sessions like private workshops. Iâm working on her newest story right now.â
âHow is it?â
âSheâs so creative!â You couldnât help but laugh. âIt amazes me every time. She hasnât quite figured out resolutions yet, still rushes through them once sheâs decided sheâs done with the exciting part. But sheâs gotten a lot better with dialogue. She used to not write it at all, just tell you what characters said, never putting anything in quotes, you know?â
âItâs typed?â He questioned, looking at the word document on your screen.
âYeah, she has coordination issues, pencils kind of slow her down,â you explained. âSheâs working on it in her occupational therapy. But thatâs not what this is for. This is to let her be creative. If I forced her to use a pencil, sheâd have to stop writing because her hands were done before her brain was done.â
âThat... sounds frustrating for her.â
âThereâs other options now. I mean, whenâs the last time you actually used a pencil in your everyday life?â
He seemed to think about this for a moment. â...Good point.â
There was a pause as Sungchan just kept looking at you, the moment feeling much like when you were in the restaurant, his dark brown eyes sparkling even in the dim lighting you had now.
âDid you miss me, Sungchan?â You eyed him teasingly.
âWell, yeah,â he agreed as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. âAnd I wanted to make sure you were alright.â
âWhat did you tell everyone else you were doing when you came looking for me?â
âI didnât make an announcement or anything.â
âYeah?â You sat up closer to him, then did a double-take as you noticed a hole in his earlobe. âHey, I never noticed you had your ears pierced.â
âOnly one.â He turned his head to show you the other, unadulterated lobe. âProbably why you didnât notice, youâve always been on my other side in the car.â
An idea immediately came to your mind, and you stood up from the couch. âWait here.â
Traversing through the house, you came back up the stairs with your prize clutched triumphantly in the palm of your hand. You held your closed fist out towards him indicatively. âHere.â
He held his hand out, letting you drop the single red heart stud into it. His eyes widened as he turned it over with a fingertip. âYouâreâŠâ
âI washed it, donât worry.â
Sungchan promptly put the stud in, securing it with the backing and looking up at you again with a delighted, amazed smile.
âCute,â you commented, tracing the shell of his ear with a fingertip.
âAnd what does this mean, Y/N?â He asked slyly.
âWhat am I going to do with only one earring?â You replied with feigned innocence. âAnd, I was kind of hoping youâd need help putting it on, since thereâs no mirrors in here...â
He leaned back against the couch. âAnd how exactly would you have helped me put it on?â
âWell, I canât really see from here, so, I wouldâve had to get closerââ You stepped forward, putting your hands on his shoulders as you lowered yourself onto his lap. You kept your focus on his face the whole time, watching for any hesitation, any uncertainty, any indication that you should stop. His eyes watched you with rapt attention, big and brown and awe-filled.
âGood?â You asked quietly, your voice barely above a hum.
He swallowed, his throat bobbing up and down, and your eyes followed the movement, before he answered, âGood.â
âThen I wouldâve put the earring inââ You once again outlined the outer shell of his ear, continuing down the line of his jaw. âAnd probably said something about the adorable little freckle you have on the bridge of your nose that I kind of want to bite.â
You tapped said freckle, high up on his nose, nearly between his brows, and his face split into a grin as he laughed breathily.
âBite?â He repeated, clearly amused at the idea.
âMhm.â You nodded, looping your arms around his neck. âYouâve got a very biteable nose, Iâm afraid.â
âOh, the whole nose is biteable, not just the freckle,â he chuckled, settling his hands on your hips.
âWell, more than just the nose.â
âY/N.â
âMm?â
âCan I kiss you?â
You gasped in feigned shock. âBefore our first date?â
âDo I need to ask your hand in marriage first?â He was so close that your noses almost touched now, his question mingling with your answer that came soon after.
âNo,â you snickered, letting him seal his lips over yours in the next moment.
âYou mauled him.â
Turning around from where you were eating a bowl of cereal, you raised an eyebrow at Hyuck. âGood morning to you too, Hyuck. And nice bedhead.â
He didnât fix his hair that was sticking up in all directions, coming around to flop into the seat across the table from you. âWhat do you have to say for yourself?â
âI donât know who or what youâre talking about?â You snorted. Pushing the box towards him, you offered, âCereal?â
âCare to tell me why Sungchan is covered in hickies and bite marks?â
âCare to tell me how you know that?â
âHe sleeps shirtless, donât try to avoid.â
âWhy do you think it was me?â
âHe disappeared from the bonfire last night and didnât return, you didnât show up at all, he appears the next morning coincidentally looking like heâs been someoneâs chew toy. Youâre... you.â
You cocked your head at him curiously. âWerenât you trying to set us up?â
âI was. I still am, kind of,â he sighed. âLike I said, Sungchanâs the nicest guy I know. Donât... chew him up and spit him out, please.â
âIâm touched you think so highly of me, truly.â
âThat didnât come out right,â he groaned, rubbing his face with two hands. âI meant... Make sure you two are on the same page about what youâre doing and what you want.â
âWe are, Hyuck,â you told him quietly.
Hyuck peeked at you over his hands, and based on the crinkles that formed around his eyes, you could perfectly imagine the mischievous grin that was hidden. âSo it was you, then?â
Footsteps entered the kitchen then, followed by Sungchanâs voice, deeper with the early hours of the morning, âOh, morning, Y/N, Hyuck.â
He stopped next to your seat at the end of the table, seeming uncertain of just how close to be to you. He was wearing a longsleeve, which didnât help much with the few marks on his neck and under his jaw. The red heart stud was still in his ear, which made your chest squeeze and your whole body thrum with happiness.
âMorning, Sungchan,â you said brightly, gesturing to the cereal box. âCereal? Hyuck didnât want any.â
âOh, sure.â
âSit, Iâll get your bowl.â You stood up, gently pushing him towards the table as you walked by him towards the cabinets.
âGross, could you not do that in front of me?â Donghyuck made an exaggerated gagging sound.
âDo what?â Sungchan squinted at him in confusion at the same time that you scoffed, âNobodyâs holding you here at gunpoint. Go back to sleep.â
âMaybe I will.â He made a grand display of pushing his chair back and standing up.
âYouâve never been a morning person.â You shook your head at him. âSee you in a few hours.â
As he shuffled back out of the kitchen, you returned to your mission of fetching a bowl and the milk, bringing them back to the table for Sungchan. Heâd taken the seat next to yours, and you happily plopped back down beside him.
âThanks,â he murmured, beginning to fix a bowl of cereal for himself.
âGood one sleeping shirtless, by the way. Hyuck had absolutely no questions,â you teased, finger poking one of the hickies facing you.
Sungchan gave you a pointed stare, but made no move to knock your hand away. âOh and who couldnât keep her teeth to herself?â
âI told you: Youâre biteable.â
He reached up to grab your hand and removed it from where you'd still been messing with the marks youâd left on his throat. Instead of just pushing it away, he brought your joined hands down to rest on his leg. After a beat, he looked up at you, uncertainty in his gaze, as if he were about to belatedly ask permission.
You laced your fingers together, scooting your chair closer to his before picking up your spoon with your free hand.
As the anchor was dropped into the water, there was an excited buzz about the boat, everyone getting ready to get in the water. Hyuck had stopped the boat by a rope swing that was set up in a tree on one of the steep edges of where the mountain met the lake. A few inflatables were tied to the boat so they wouldnât drift away, and of course, a couple coolers with plenty of drinks were on deck.
âY/N, can you help me with my sunscreen?â Ningning requested, holding the bottle out to you.
âNing, I told you to apply it at the cabin,â you sighed, accepting the sunscreen nevertheless as she took her coverup off.
âItâs not my fault weâre currently sharing one bathroom with like five other people!â She pointed out. âI didnât have time.â
Sudden wolf whistles and dramatic yells from the back of the boat made you snap your head over, anger flooding your body immediately. But you realized that none of them were aimed at you and Ningning. Instead, the guys seemed to all be taunting Sungchan, who had just taken his shirt off, revealing the full extent of the love bites scattered on his skin.
âDude, did you get mauled by a bear or something?â Mark laughed.
âOr fall down the mountain?â Antonâs eyes were wide as he went to poke one on Sungchanâs shoulder.
Sungchan slapped his hand away. âPersonal space?â
âFall down the mountain after getting mauled by a bear?â Jaemin proposed helpfully, moving behind him as if inspecting a product that he was purchasing at a store. âWe got claw marks, guys!â
They all let out teasing cheers, and you could see that Sungchanâs ears were bright red. You shook your head to yourself, going back to helping Ningning with her sunscreen.
She craned her neck to be able to look at you over her shoulder. âNice one, Y/N.â
âWho, me?â You blinked at her innocently.
âYou left that poor boy to deal with those menaces by himself.â
Youâd finished up with her sunscreen, handing her the bottle. âOne sec.â
Walking over to where the guys were still razzing Sungchan, who now looked prematurely sunburned, you held a hand up to shade your eyes, squinting as you looked off towards the rope swing.
âI bet Shotaro could make it there first,â you commented casually.
âWhat?!â They all looked over at you, dumbfounded.
âNo way!â Anton argued. âI literally used to be a swimmer.â
âBut if youâre talking enduranceââ Jeno tried to vouch for himself.
âAll your big muscles just make you sink, dude,â Hyuck snorted. âYouâve got no buoyancy.â
As they kept squabbling, you were still eyeing the rope swing. âYeah, but, Taroâs like, halfway there already.â
Their heads whipped around to see that Shotaro had, in fact, been lazily paddling towards the swing all the while they were teasing Sungchan. The guys all rushed to toss off whatever shirts, shoes, hats, or sunglasses they didnât want to get wet, practically shoving each other in their haste to get in the water and race towards the rope swing. The boat swayed a little with their movements, and you grabbed Sungchanâs arm for stability, the only one of them who hadnât taken your bait.
Shotaro turned around when he heard all the splashes behind him, confusion turning to momentary panic as they all rushed at him.
âHurry up! Youâre going to lose your head start!â Sungchan yelled out to him.
âWhat?!â He began backstroking faster. âI didnât know this was a race!â
Karina was already in one of the inflatables off the back of the boat, and Ningning gracefully dove off the back platform to join in her one of the other ones.
Looking back up at Sungchan, you couldnât help but burst into laughter at how perfectly that had worked. He was laughing too, one of his hands dropping to your waist to pull you closer to him.
âThanks for the save there,â he chuckled, thumb sneaking under the shirt you were wearing to rub circles into the bare skin above your swimsuit bottoms. âDid you put sunscreen on?â
âBack at the cabin,â you confirmed. âHate to disappoint.â
âYou couldâve lied and said no.â
âI am nothing if not an honest and pure soul,â you put a hand over your heart as your words were laced with sarcasm.
Sungchan snickered at this, his smile so bright you could forget about the sun, leaning in even closer to him.
âSungchan.â
âMhm?â He looked down at you, tilting his head inquisitively.
âCan I kiss you?â
âIn front of everyone?â He gasped, still teasing.
âThatâs a little bit the point.â You couldnât take your eyes off himâso gorgeous it really was unfair. âAnd also, I really want to kiss you right now.â
âWhat a coincidenceâI want to kiss you too.â
You grabbed the back of his neck, pulling his lips down to yours. He immediately responded in turn, his other hand that wasnât on your hip going to cup your cheek. The sounds of various taunts, cheers, and whistles all faded out behind the roaring in your ears.
It was your last night in the cabin, and you were of course celebrating with one last bonfire. Your group of friends were spread out between the firepit, the hammock, and the other lounge furniture on the spacious deck. You and Sungchan were tucked onto a small loveseat by the table of food, idly chatting as you sipped your drink and he nibbled off the snack offerings in front of you.
The sliding glass door opened behind you, one of your friends walking out from inside the cabin. Glancing up, you saw that it was Mark, his eyes down on his phone screen as he shut the door behind him.
âThose little rolls from Mrs. Hanâs restaurant were really good,â Sungchan sighed happily, hand on his stomach.
âThereâs still one more,â you pointed out. âTake it.â
He looked uncertain for a moment, but you nudged him with your foot insistently.
âEverybodyâs already had one. Go ahead.â
Sungchan had just reached forward towards the last roll as Mark walked by, eyes on his phone as he swiped it from the plate. The man next to you just sighed dejectedly, sitting back in his seat.
âHey, Sungchan was going to eat that,â you called after Mark loudly. Not too rude, just making him aware as he clearly hadnât been paying attention.
Mark turned around, looking at you two, then down at the roll in his hand in confusion. He offered it back out to Sungchan. âOh, sorry man, I didnât realizeââ
Sungchan waved him off. âItâs okay, you can haveââ
You stood up, walked over, and snatched it out of Markâs hand. âThanks, bye.â
Mark paused, as if he were thinking about saying something else, but opted not to, walking over to sit with Jeno and Hyuck by the fire.
You sat back down next to Sungchan and placed it in his hand. âHere.â
âThanks, Y/N,â Sungchan was clearly fighting a smile as he looked down at his feet. He tore the roll in half, offering one half out to you.
You took it gratefully, tapping your half against his in a little cheers before you both simultaneously stuffed the whole thing into your mouths in one go. Looking at him with his puffed-out cheeks, knowing that yours definitely looked exactly the same made you burst out laughing, and your hand flew up to cover your mouth and keep any crumbs in. Sungchan was clearly struggling to not spit out his half-chewed food as he started laughing too, turning away from you and slapping his leg.
When you had finally chewed and swallowed the bread without choking, and composed yourself again, you turned back to Sungchan, still well aware of the faint, smitten smile on your lips. He was already facing you, watching you with a fond sparkle in his eyes. He reached out, brushing a couple crumbs from the side of your mouth with his thumb.
âOh, thanks.â You habitually wiped the other side of your mouth just in case.
âIâm curiousâŠâ He said quietly, grabbing one of your hands to gently play with your fingers. âHave you picked out what weâre doing for our first date yet?â
âMaybe.â
âMaybe?â
âI donât want to spoil anything.â You then added a teasing, âPlus, we have to get home first. Who knows, your car might get another flat on the way back and then weâll get stranded out here and die.â
He burst into soft chuckles. âSince you wonât be navigating, I think weâll make it back just fine.â
âI like those odds,â you beamed.
âMe too.â He pressed a kiss to your cheek, then murmured by your ear, âI like our odds a lot, I think.â
The next day found you in the passenger seat of Sungchanâs car, wearing his hoodie and humming along to whatever he was playing over the speakers. The car had a full tank of gas, four inflated tires, and the maps app was not in your hands.
âYou know, I get it now,â Sungchan spoke into the peaceful quiet abruptly.
You lolled your head over to look at him questioningly. âGet what?â
âWhy you were suspicious of me at first.â
âYou finally realized how stupidly hot you are?â You snorted, reaching over to pinch his cheek.
âIâm thinking I shouldâve been more suspicious of you, actually.â He pinched your cheek right back, and you smacked his hand away. He just laughed, grabbing your hand and entwining your fingers over the console.
âWhyâs that?â
âWe havenât even been on our first date and I feel like Iâve gone head over heels right down the mountainside.â
You groaned and shook your head. âI was suspicious of you for the wrong reason. Youâre not a player or anything, youâre actually too sweet for my own good.â
âYour own good?â
âYeah, you keep saying shit like that and Iâm going to do something crazy like say âI love youâ on our first date.â
He laughed, squeezing your hand. âChallenge accepted.â
‷ masterlist
rip jake the dog, you wouldâve loved swearing on adventure time
I have opinions now that I would've disagreed with 5 years ago. And that's allowed. I have opinions now that I might disagree with 5 years from this time and that's allowed. Just because you become an adult it doesn't mean you stop growing and learning. And if you do - you fucking suck. We live in a society now where people are held accountable to things they said 10 years ago - as if that's who any of us fuckin' are anymore.
Daniel Sloss, X (2019)
[when 98 line is gone]
yunho: since iâm the oldest, that makes me in charge and mingi my wife
jongho: i donât think thatâs how that works
mingi: donât talk to your father like that
y'all need to hype urself up like u hype ur kpop boy up







