#atz imagines

[dxnsangki]

𝙨𝙬𝙚𝙚𝙩 𝙢𝙚𝙡𝙤𝙙𝙮 — 𝘴𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘩𝘸𝘢

⤷ They say that the secret ingredient to success is love. A world where a musician's dream is to...bake? Stepping into a pastry shop, you were greeted with an experience beyond your expectations.

boss!seonghwa x employee!reader, workplace romance au, extremely fluff, humor, fem!reader

warnings ━━ highly-inspired by Papa's Scooperia game, Seonghwa and reader are 5 years apart (30 & 25), may have inaccurate Italian terms, ateez's and papa louie characters' names are used interchangeably, slightly toxic stepmother

word count ━━ 23.2k

playlist ━━ everything has changed - taylor swift | can i have this dance - vanessa hudgens, zac efron | I love you too much - diego luna, gustavo santaolalla | ma belle evangeline - jim cummings | you are in love - taylor swift

a/n ━━ I started this story more than a year ago, but due to busy schedules at school, I had to keep this on hold. I'm currently on summer break, so I'm trying my best to upload stories while I have the time. I hope you enjoy this!

𝗺𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁 | 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗶𝗹𝗲𝘀 | 𝘁𝗮𝘆𝗹𝗼𝗿 𝘀𝘄𝗶𝗳𝘁 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀

"That's it for today, famiglia (family)! Another successful show crossed off the list, and five more to go," Bruna enthusiastically announced, stepping down from the stage.

The Romano Family Quartet, also known as the RFQ, had just performed at one of the famous bars in town for their Manicotti Mandolin Tour, performing in 12 different cities in 12 days.

The band had its humble beginnings. Edoardo Romano founded RFQ through his love for music, deciding to form a band with his family, where he plays the percussion and bongo drums. Following him is his eldest nephew, Gino 'Yunho' Romano, the son of his brother, who plays the standup bass after learning from Edoardo himself. Next is Bruna Romano, Edoardo's daughter and first child, who is the lead singer and plays the accordion. She eventually became the band manager, booking gigs, and promoting their songs.

Completing the band is Carlo 'Seonghwa' Romano, Edoardo's son and second child, who plays the mandolin. Through passion, practice and tradition, the family band became what it is now, a renowned Italian country band.

"Is everyone settled? Bruna? Carlo? Zio (uncle) Edoardo?" Gino called from the driver's seat of the Romano Tour Bus.

"Settled!" Both Bruna and Seonghwa responded from the back of the bus, followed by a tap on the shoulder by Edoardo, who sat on the front seat. "Drive safe, Gino."

As the day concluded, Seonghwa sat by the window and stared out at the busy town of Tastyville, surrounded by shops and restaurants. A sigh escaped his lips as he wondered what life would've been if he had taken a different path. What if he wasn't playing instruments in a band for a living? What if he were out there doing his own thing? What if he continued his mamma's dream of becoming a baker? There were five more stops to go before the tour ends, but he felt like he was going nowhere.

"You okay, fratellino (younger brother)?" Bruna asked from beside him, a worried look on her face. "You look...unhappy. Is everything alright?"

Seonghwa's shoulders shrugged without looking in her direction. "Just thinking about stuff, nothing for you to worry about."

Bruna wasn't convinced as she knew him like the back of her hand, but she didn't push him further. "If you say so, but do tell me if I need to break someone's neck."

Seonghwa could only chuckle at his sister's words.

-

Arriving back at the town of Portallini an hour later, Seonghwa found himself at his favorite burger place, where he always goes when he wants to clear his thoughts. With how frequently he visited the shop, he had eventually befriended Rita and Marty, two of the workers at Burgeria. Marty was five years younger than him, while Rita was only two years younger, so there was not much difference in age.

Rita was busy wiping the tables when she saw Seonghwa sit down on one of the tables nearby to order the usual. "Hey, big guy. How was the show?"

"It was alright. We got great reviews from our last stop," Seonghwa said, taking a sip of his cold soda." But I needed a break."

Rita nodded understandingly, "That's good to hear." She proceeded to stack up the used plates and was about to head to the back room when he stopped her with a question.

"Are you happy with your job?"

That question caught Rita off-guard because Seonghwa, the ever-so-nonchalant and sometimes the funny man he is, suddenly asked a question with a serious look. It was a rare sight to see if she was being honest, but it was a good kind of rare. She looked around to see if Marty was watching before she took a seat across from Seonghwa.

"Where is this coming from? The shop's closing, so we've got all the time to talk about it."

"But the customers—"

"Shush, Marty's got it. Now, spill." Rita supported her chin with her palm, putting her attention on the man in front of her.

"Well, the thing is..." Seonghwa started, not really knowing how to go about his words. "I've just been thinking lately about what I could be doing other than going on tours to play my mandolin. I mean, the band is great. Bruna's holding well, Gino...he's good, and Papà (dad) has plans after the tour. But, what about me? What's there for me to do after the tour other than preparing for yet another one of it?"

Rita took in every word Seonghwa let out, and she understood clearly how he felt. He needed answers, clarity, and definitely a little push. "What else do you want to do other than music? What does your heart tell you?"

Seonghwa turned to Marty, who was busy making burgers inside the kitchen. "I've known you and Marty for quite some time now, and I see how both of you run this place at your age."

Rita hummed, "You do."

This time, Seonghwa looked into her eyes, trying to see or feel something, anything, maybe a spark of inspiration. "I asked earlier if you were happy with your job, with all these."

"I mean, it pays."

"But, does it give you that feeling of satisfaction? Are you only doing this because it was given to you? What if you wanted to do something else? What if you were meant to—"

"Woah, hold on. Slow down, big guy." Rita gestured for him to relax when she realized that he was rambling,  "I don't know where this is going, but I feel like those questions are for you to answer. Don't you think?"

Rita was right. Those questions were supposed to be his, except he wanted someone else to answer them for him.

"Are you happy with yours?"

Seonghwa knew he wasn't completely there yet. He loved growing up in music, traveling with the band, and playing the mandolin, which he had had since he was 8, and it pays too. But for some reason, it wasn't giving him the satisfaction he was seeking. He needed more than that, but he didn't know what it was and how he would get there. With Rita around, perhaps he might find some significant answers.

"Should I open my own pastry shop?"

There it was, the question Seonghwa's been dying to ask himself or anyone, really. He used to bake cookies with his mamma in her little kitchen, and he fell in love with it when he saw how happy she felt when he ate the cookies she made. His fingers were always strumming the strings of his mandolin, yet each night, he would end up making a batch of cookies to give to his friends. No one questioned it, but he did many times.

Rita stared into his eyes that were desperate for an answer, and she did have it. Then, it all clicked. Seonghwa was struggling to understand what he wanted to do, and every time he came over to Burgeria, seeing her and Marty work hand-in-hand making delicious foods that keep the customers satisfied, it piqued his interest enough to imagine what it would be like to serve the people with his food, instead of just his music.

"Like you've said, we've known each other for quite some time now, long enough to know that whenever you want something, you would do anything to get it," Rita adjusted herself in her seat. "You bake cookies that taste out-of-this-world, nothing like I've ever tasted before, and I don't even eat sweets. You are incredibly skilled, you know. I believe opening your own pastry shop would be life-changing in the best way."

"Really?"

She looked at him like he was crazy. "People will go nuts over your cookies, trust me."

And he did.

-

Since that conversation with Rita, Seonghwa completed the RFQ tour with more enthusiasm than ever. The idea that once the tour was over, he would be able to start planning on his new business excited him.

"This tour has officially concluded. Great job, famiglia!" With a proud smile, Bruna hugged each member to congratulate them. "Especially you, fratellino. Your energy the past few days was amazing, keep it up." She gave Seonghwa a hug so tight, he found it hard to breathe.

"You've done the best, sorellona (older sister)."

"Aye, we all did our best. But, tell me..." Bruna pulled Seonghwa closer to her face, whispering lowly to prevent Yunho and Edoardo from eavesdropping. "You need my help for something, don't you?"

"What—"

"Don't lie to me, Carlo. Mamma (mom) didn't raise you to be a liar, remember that. Now, what can I help you with?"

Sometimes Seonghwa wondered if Bruna had some kind of mind-reading powers because she always managed to read his mind before his own could even process things. It was absolutely impressive to say the least.

"Did you think I needed help for something?" Seonghwa was still hesitant to open up about his plans to his older sister.

"You blink hard when something's on your mind, and you are blinking hard right now."

Right, why didn't he think of that?

Seonghwa swallowed the lump in his throat. "I don't know how you'll take this, but I want to open a pastry shop. The problem is how I'll go about it, design the shop, create menus, and everything else. All I know is this isn't an impulsive idea, I've been thinking about this."

It was quiet for a few seconds. Bruna deadpanned, processing what he had just shared with her. Seonghwa grew nervous, taking her silence as disappointment, so he prepared himself to receive an earful from the band manager. But, it never came. Instead, what he heard from her was nothing he expected.

"Why didn't you say so? I know just the right people who can help you." Bruna immediately showed him a list of people on her contact list who could help him start his business.

Her role as the band manager allowed her to meet new people and have connections with those of different expertise. Seonghwa was in luck to have a sister like her. With that, the two Romano siblings spent the rest of the night organizing every detail of Seonghwa's plan. Just like that, he was one step closer to achieving his dream of becoming a baker. Thanks to Rita's encouragement and Bruna's support, he was able to start his journey.

For the next seven months, Bruna and Seonghwa worked together with their cousin, Yunho, in making Seonghwa's business come to life. With the help of Bruna's skilled friends, the process was quick and productive. The designs, furniture, decorations, menus, and everything else were ready. Seonghwa wouldn't know what he'd do without his sister's help and Gino's support from the side. He was grateful to have them as his family.

Those seven months passed in the blink of an eye, so fast that Seonghwa was already preparing for the opening of his pastry shop called 'Scooperia'. Finally, the day had come. It still felt surreal to him that his little dream became a reality, and now it was in his hands. What would the public think about all this? How was the Romano Family Quartet on hiatus, not to launch a new album but to launch a new shop? The reactions would be crazy.

"Are you really sure about this, Carlo? You are a Romano," Edoardo asked as he watched Seonghwa fix his olive green tie in front of the mirror. "You were born to play music, not sell food, and definitely not some ordinary cookies."

Seonghwa heaved a sigh, now buttoning his red suit. "I know, Papà...but this is what I want." He checked himself in the mirror. "It's different from what I usually do, it's true. I just have to try this."

Edoardo watched his son with a hesitant yet understanding look, seeing the determined spark in Seonghwa's eyes. Edoardo was never the strict father to his children. He had always been the supportive one. He made sure Bruna and Seonghwa grew up well, especially since their mother passed away.

He always had his eyes on them, but now has he just realized that he had never asked them what they really wanted to do. He thought music was enough to keep them up, and now that his son wants to go in a different direction on his own, the least he could do was support him. Whether he succeeds or not, he would always be there.

"Just make sure you won't regret anything."

Hearing that, Seonghwa embraced his father in a warm hug. "Thank you, Papà. I won't let you down, I promise." Seonghwa would do everything to keep his words to his father, who was there for him in every moment of his life. "For you and mamma."

-

The opening of 'Scooperia' was a success! The ribbon cutting went well, his friends and family came by to show their support. RFQ fans were also there, and because Seonghwa was from a famous band around town, a few reporters asked for interviews, which he tried his best to answer. There were so many people to accommodate, but he still managed it all.

During its first month of operations, the business boomed surprisingly fast. Although it was most likely because the owner was famous to begin with, Seonghwa liked to think it was because the food was great. He was basically doing everything by himself: baking, washing the dishes, budgeting, and more.

He didn't even realize that handling operations alone wouldn't work in the long run until one busy day, he felt the pressure and burden on his shoulders. Seonghwa couldn't do this alone whether he liked it or not. With Bruna's help for the nth time, he was going to find someone to help him out at the shop.

It was a peaceful morning in Portallini. You were casually strolling around the unfamiliar town, your wavy mid-back-length hair blowing with the light wind, a black beret covering your head, a silver scarf wrapped around your neck, an orcein sweater, a black pleated skirt, and black loafers, completed with short black arm warmers. Your outfit made you look like a foreigner traveling in town and not an unemployed young adult.

Two months ago, you had recently moved into your one-bedroom apartment with a few decorations to match your aesthetic, and it had been okay so far, except for the fact that you were in desperate need of a job to pay your bills. Moving in was easy, but surviving there was far from easy. There were barely any available jobs to choose from, and none of the available ones were to your taste. You just had to find something better.

An hour had passed since you walked around the town, and you were getting quite hungry, just something to fill your stomach. You spotted a cosy-looking place with simple aesthetics, which seemed like an ice cream shop. You were curious about what was in there, so you walked towards the shop, and as if your problems were heard from the heavens above, you spotted a poster stuck to the window that had big 'HIRING' text on it.

Perfect. It's exactly what you needed right now: a job. Reading further, the shop was in need of a baker, cashier, and server. Well, you could do it all if you put your mind into it. A job was a job, and you wouldn't let the opportunity pass anymore. Maybe this was meant for you.

You entered the shop, to which the little bell on the door chimed, signifying your presence. Almost immediately, you were greeted by a tall man with dark hair with long front bangs, a bright red suit over a white shirt, an olive green bowtie, a pair of black pants, and brown shoes with green laces. Kind of unusual, you must say. His outfit didn't match the cute vibe of his shop, which may confuse customers like yourself. Nevertheless, you acknowledged him with a smile.

"Good morning, signorina! What can I get you today?" With an enthusiastic tone, the man greeted you warmly.

"Hi, yes. About that, I wanted to ask if you are still hiring," you asked in an almost hushed voice, feeling shy around the other customers of your question.

For a moment, the man froze in thought before he replied. "Right, the poster from outside. Yes, I am still hiring. In fact, I can interview you right now if you want."

You quirked an eyebrow in confusion, looking behind the counter to look for any other employees only to see no one else but this man in front of the cash register. "You? You will interview me right now?"

The man nodded. "Yes, me."

"And who will do the work here while you interview me?"

This time, the man mirrored your confused expression. "Uhm...me?"

That's when it hit you. He was working alone, for goodness sake. Why else would he be looking for a baker, cashier, and server? Those are literally what his shop needs, and how on earth did he do everything by himself? That's a question to be answered for another time.

The man insisted that he was going to interview you for whichever position you wanted, but a number of customers kept coming in to order, keeping him occupied. That's how you found yourself sitting in front of his older sister in his small office doing the actual interview.

"Sorry about my younger brother, Carlo's been really busy the past few days. He thought he could do all these by himself. He insisted he could, but we all know that would be impossible. We just let him do his own thing, you know?" Bruna rambled about Seonghwa, rummaging around his desk for something interesting to find.

You, on the other hand, sat there in front of her not knowing what to do or what to feel. An hour ago, you were simply walking around town with nothing in mind. Next, you're here doing an interview for a job you only found out about today. You also assumed that the man you had just met was 'Carlo', the owner. "Do I need that information for the job—"

"Oh, yeah. I mean you're already hired for me, but for formalities, I'd still ask you anyway. Why did you want to apply here, sweetheart?"

What an interesting pair of siblings they are. "Well, I do need the money to pay my apartment bills. Despite that, I love to bake on my free time, so this job would be perfect for me." You weren't sure if your answer was enough to satisfy her, but at least you were honest.

Bruna stood up from her seat to shake your hand, which you returned immediately. "Indeed, you are perfect for this job. You start working tomorrow. I'll tell Carlo to onboard you after work with everything you need to know because clearly, he needs a hand here."

Just then, Seonghwa entered the room panting. He saw you sitting there with Bruna, who was preparing to leave. "You're leaving already?"

Bruna walked past him and gave him a pat on the shoulder. "I have errands to do, fratellino. She's hired, and since you're the boss, you give her the tasks she needs. See you later!" With that, she left the shop, leaving you and your new boss in his office.

"So, uhm...welcome to Scooperia?"

-

The first week working here at Scooperia was extremely awkward to say the least, especially working alone with your young and handsome boss. Yeah, he was gorgeous from every angle, but that's besides the point. The point was Seonghwa, the name he asked you to call him instead, didn't know how to exactly make the atmosphere between the two of you less awkward than it already was. Still, he was able to help you around the kitchen and teach you everything you needed to know.

Were you aware that your boss was a well-known musician? You weren't at first, but you weren't much surprised the moment you knew. He had a honey-like voice whenever he spoke to you.

You were able to eventually break the awkward atmosphere with your boss within the next two weeks. You'd sometimes initiate a casual conversation with him whenever there was time for breaks, and because of that, both of you became comfortable enough to get to know more about each other, like sharing the same interest in baking. You were glad you got along with him, since you'd be working with him for a while. Just you and him.

Every weekend after work, you would accompany him to do the groceries and restock the needed ingredients, and he'd offer to drive you home in his car, which for some reason he calls the 'Battello RFQ'. It was cute. He said the car was a birthday gift from his father.

Another thing you suggested was having a uniform that matches the aesthetics of the shop and for customers to distinguish the two of you as workers rather than seeing Seonghwa's bright red suit every single day. You designed a simple uniform for Scooperia: a pair of lavender slacks, a lavender tie for him, light brown suspenders held by grey hooks over a white buttoned-up shirt with a purple snowflake printed on both sleeves, and white shoes. It was a clean and fresh look for him. He had no complaints about the idea.

You also helped create marketing plans with Seonghwa in his office in the late evenings of the week using some knowledge you had about business from your college days. You brought up matching the shop decorations, accessories, and special menus with the holidays. Seonghwa thought it was amazing, and so more shopping was added to your schedule. At least, you could be of help. The pay was great, and there's nothing more you could ask for.

Besides work, you often visit Hugo's Warped Records, a local music shop in the nearby town, to check out new music releases. The shop was decorated with multiple CDs, vinyl records, with the rare ones displayed on a special container, and music equipment. The owner, Wooyoung, also known as 'DJ Honey Buster' by night, knew you were a frequent visitor with the number of times he'd seen you around, calling you the 'girl in the beret'.

"Hey, Woo. Any new releases this week?" you greeted the busy man cleaning by the vinyl records shelves.

Wooyoung looked up, resting his shades on top of his head, a smile on his face when he recognized you. "What's up, girl? Nothing of your taste this week, unfortunately. But the shop will be hella busy in two days because Scarlett and the Shakers, you know, the famous ska-punk band, will launch their new album, called the 'Bananazooka Bop'. Can you believe it? I get to hear the song a week early."

Oh, that band. "Will they be coming to Portallini?" You absolutely hoped not.

Wooyoung turned to you like you were crazy. "Haven't you heard? They are already in Portallini since yesterday to prepare for promotions, and my part-timer, Janana, told me about it. She's the band manager of SATS, by the way. She's busy preparing with them."

Great, absolutely perfect timing.

"If you want, you can come to the welcoming party tonight at the Club Atomic. Free ticket for you, guaranteed."

As much as you wanted to come and support Wooyoung in his DJ work, there were two reasons why you couldn't. First, you still had work to do with Seonghwa at the shop, and second, you were avoiding a certain someone. You couldn't tell Wooyoung that, so you politely refused and promised him a visit another time. There was no way you were seeing that band in this town you had just moved to.

It was expected that with the launch of Scarlett and the Shakers' album, there would be an overwhelming increase of customers at the shop. Thank god, closing time was near. Today was one exhausting day if you were being honest, juggling cashier duties to serving, while Seonghwa prepared the orders in the kitchen. You and Seonghwa make an awesome team.

Just then, a few minutes before the shop closed, a customer entered through the door. You stationed yourself by the cashier to take the person's order when you recognized the oddly familiar face. A face you've seen before, but now with a different hair color. With his spiky blonde hair, blue and white striped polo shirt underneath a black vest, matching pants held by a gray riveted belt, you knew well who stood in front of you.

"What can I get you, sir?" You tried to stay professional with him as you were at work.

"Hold on," the man said, shaking his head. "Is that you, y/n?" Before you could respond, the nametag on your uniform confirmed it for him. "It is you, what a small world we have. I never expected to find you here and working for Seonghwa of all people."

Speaking of Seonghwa, the latter showed up beside you to greet the man. "Marty! It's been a while since I've last seen you. How have you been?"

Your boss and your old friend indeed knew each other. While the two exchanged greetings, you stepped aside to give them space. You began cleaning up the counter instead to pass time before work ends for the day, only for you to hear your name being mentioned in their conversation.

"I came to see you and visit your shop. I heard from Rita that the food here is amazing. I wanted to try some for myself and the band, but I was really surprised to see y/n here." Now both men had their eyes on you, and you stood there stiffly, not knowing what to do with the unwanted attention.

"You two know each other?" Seonghwa pointed between you and his friend.

"Yeah, we met back in college. In fact, she had a thing with—"

"San, don't. Do not even say a word." You cut him off with gritted teeth as a warning.

San, who also goes by the name Marty, was an old college friend of yours, but because of an unfortunate event in your life, you had to cut ties with him without a goodbye. Even then, San understood why you had to do what you did before. He thought it was brave of you, and he did miss you along the years. You were his friend after all.

After your warning, San pursed his lips shut, but your boss was curious about what it meant. "Was it Rudy? Is he the band guy you told me about, y/n?"

Of course, your boss wasn't stupid. You should've never opened up to him about your pitiful heartbreak from the past, then this wouldn't happen. You should've kept your mouth shut when you could, so you wouldn't be stuck in this uncomfortable situation right now. Your boss, your old friend, and your ex's name in one setting were just not it.

It was purely a question of confirmation, but with the way your eyes avoided his and how your hands fiddled on your uniform like they didn't know where they should go, Seonghwa figured that you were not comfortable with the topic at hand, especially not with the mention of your past lover.

"Just say your order, San." You spoke without looking up to any of them. All you wanted to do was go home, take a cold shower, drift off to sleep, and forget about this ever happening.

Seonghwa took over for you to take San's order, so that he could close the shop earlier and he could bring you home as soon as possible. You must've been overwhelmed with the sudden meetup, and of course, the mention of that one name you didn't want to hear. Seonghwa must make sure his only partner at work won't feel sick, physically and emotionally, for the next few weeks because that's when he needs you most.

Actually, Seonghwa knew who Rudy was. Seonghwa had been in the music industry for quite a long time already, so he would know other bands and artists too, one of which was Scarlett and the Shakers. He and the band had a few interactions before, congratulating them for their album release, and with San being Seonghwa's student before in guitar lessons, San would introduce Seonghwa to his band with high praise and compliments. If it weren't for Seonghwa's help, San wouldn't be the 'Marty of SATS' he was now. Even then, Seonghwa was curious as to what really happened between you and Rudy.

[ flashback ]

You knew nothing about rock music and never really understood the people who liked it, but you found yourself enjoying it somehow because the person you liked enjoyed it too. Mingi was the guy whom your friend, Jongho, introduced you to during your university's annual music festival in the small town of Burgerburgh.

Jongho performed in a band with his older brother, San, together with Mingi, who were a year higher than you. They were from the same department and have been performing together for almost two years. You met Jongho in one of your classes, where you had to pair up with him, and eventually, you became friends. He wanted to set you up with Mingi for fun, but who knew you'd actually fall for the guy, who liked you back instantly.

For two years that you and Mingi had been in a romantic relationship, you were nothing but supportive of him. You grew to love rock music because he loved it. He was passionate about it, and that made you happy. You really loved the man, admired him for doing what his heart desired, and showed up for him in all the gigs he had. He appreciated every effort you put into him, loved you, and promised to show up for you too. But some things don't last a long time.

It's just that along the way, it became harder for you to be present in his life because of the high demands of your academics. You were aiming for a top spot, and you couldn't risk it. Those times you were absent during his gigs, someone else came into the picture and was there to support him. That someone being the pretty girl, Scarlett.

She was a new student from the town of Frostfield, a singer-songwriter, and the rock enthusiast from the music department. With her interest in rock music, she drew the attention of Mingi. The two shared casual conversations that led to late-night practices and gigs with San and Jongho.

You've heard of her, yes, but you didn't know what she and Mingi did when you weren't around. You weren't the type to confront your lover with baseless assumptions, but it really didn't sit right with you. That uneasiness went on for the next two months until one day, Mingi met up with you at your apartment, not for movie marathon night but to tell you that he didn't feel the spark anymore.

Spark, that was the only reason he gave you. But why was it that exactly a week after the breakup, you see Mingi interlocking hands with another woman? Then you realised who it was, Scarlett. You didn't understand at first because you gave what you could to the relationship.

You found time, learned his love for music, and supported him with no question. Maybe Mingi lost interest in you because he found someone who shared the same interest as him, and he didn't need to explain everything anymore. Soon enough, they started dating, while you were trying to survive the last year of college with a broken heart and a thesis to complete.

Jongho and San did come to see you often times until they didn't because you didn't let them. As soon as you graduated from that university, you distanced yourself from all of them and immediately moved out to another town away from everyone. You couldn't bear to watch the new couple around, and you needed peace of mind.

You looked for jobs, traveled across the country, and did anything to forget the pain, but nothing worked. It was tough crying yourself to sleep until you wake up with puffy eyes the next day, but life went on. It always does.

Exactly a year after that heartbreaking event, you heard from a friend that a new ska-punk band had just released their debut album, but you didn't want anything to do with that, especially not with that kind of music. It would only remind you of someone who shouldn't be named, not knowing that the band your friend was talking about was actually his band.

'Scarlett and the Shakers'—you heard that was the name of the band. Wow, how original. She was the main character once again, and she deserved it because she founded the band alongside her now-boyfriend, Mingi, who pulled in San and Jongho to complete the team. Scarlett was the lead singer, and she could play the electric organ and old trumpet. San, with his stage name 'Marty,' played the guitar. Jongho, or 'Clover,' played the drums. Mingi, or 'Rudy', played the bass guitar. That's how they turned out to be, a great team indeed.

[ end. ]

That was two years ago. What could've changed in those years? Seonghwa wondered.

-

It was a week after the SATS album promotion, and today was supposed to be your day off. You already had a schedule planned out for later: sleeping in, cleaning your apartment, perhaps doing a little shopping, and watching a movie. It was supposed to be a 'rewarding myself for a tiring week' type of day, if only you weren't called in last minute by your boss to come to work due to an increase in customers, or fans, to be exact.

Apparently, San was visiting the shop again to show his support to Seonghwa and give a free promotion for a good friend. Only then at work did you realize that it wasn't just San visiting. Unfortunately, the whole band was present, sitting on one of the tables in front of you as clear as day. Scarlett, Mingi, San, and Jongho—all of them. A little warning would've helped.

Your heart was beating at a fast, uncontrollable pace. You didn't know what it was and why you were feeling that way. You have moved on from the past, but you hated being in the same room as him. Maybe it was the memories haunting you, the 'what ifs,' and the forgotten promises. He was once your first love.

Mingi looked a bit different from when you last saw him, and you can see that he was in his element. His hair was now dark blue, styled in an almost slicked-back way, with white shades resting on top of his head, a blue shirt with a black spade printed on it, and a black collared overshirt. That's his style.

The rest of the members were also in their outfits with their respective symbols printed on them: Mingi was the spade, San was the diamond, Jongho was the clover, and Scarlett was the heart. Those symbols became a part of their identity as band members. Seeing how fashionably dressed Scarlett was, she definitely was the woman of Mingi's dreams, not someone who wore a beret on a normal day, and definitely not someone in a uniform working for a pastry shop.

"Morning, sunshine! I'll go greet the guests and serve the food. You good with taking the orders?" You felt a hand rest on your shoulder as Seonghwa passed by you over the counter of the cash register. He noticed a slight change in your mood. You weren't as smiley around him as usual, and he figured why. "I'll get back to you later. Good luck!"

"Thank you, sir."

Your boss never failed to cheer you up even on busy days, and that's one reason you looked up to him. Even when work demanded so much of his energy, he had never shown any sign of weakness. He was determined to keep this business growing no matter what. You weren't going to let him down.

Your thoughts were interrupted by someone clearing their throat to get your attwnrion, and the moment you looked up, you genuinely wished you didn't. "What can I get you, sir?"

"y/n...how have you been?" Mingi's voice had gotten deeper than the last time you'd heard it, a bit raspy, but it fit perfectly with his appearance.

You were contemplating whether you should answer his question or change the topic, afraid where the conversation may lead to. In the end, you only returned a short response. "Never been better."

Mingi gave a small smile, almost guilty. "I never thought we'd meet again, and in your workplace, too. I hope Seonghwa's treating you well here."

You hummed, not knowing what to say. Mingi wasn't wrong. Seonghwa did treat you so well that he had become more than a just boss, he was your friend outside of work. He had insisted you call him on a first-name basis even when you felt more comfortable in the boss-employee setup. You weren't in the position yet to treat him like an equal. No, that could never be.

Your eyes momentarily wandered behind Mingi, where you spotted Scarlett sitting alongside San and Jongho, who were being entertained by Seonghwa. The sight of her made your body tense, the image of her and Mingi together still made you uncomfortable despite accepting the fact that you have already moved on. You hated bringing back old memories that were supposed to be forgotten, but the scars never disappeared.

"May I please take your order now? I still have work to do here, and there's a line waiting behind you." You just wanted to get this day over with.

While you took Mingi's order, Seonghwa was busy entertaining his guests. Scarlett, San, and Jongho all thanked Seonghwa for the warm welcome, and the latter congratulated them too for their newly released album. Musicians supporting other musicians.

"I hope your business grows even bigger, Carlo. It must've been very difficult for you when you started. Mingi and I felt the same when we first opened our sandwich shop, Cheeseria, a year ago. I swear, balancing business and music was hell," Scarlett sighed. "It was an experience, but it became easier after a while. Seeing how much you enjoy doing this job with such a hardworking employee, surely it'll be a piece of cake. I also do hope you and your family will release new music soon, it's been a while."

Mingi and Scarlett were business people and, at the same time, musicians. Seonghwa was just like them, except that he started his business without a partner or a lover at that. Having a partner to share a business with would probably have been easier, but Seonghwa didn't think much of it. He was still appreciative of Scarlett's encouragement, so he returned it with his own words of support.

While Scarlett indulged in a conversation with her band members, Seonghwa's eyes landed on the cashier counter where you took Mingi's order. He noticed the way your body reacted whenever Mingi spoke to you—nervous and uncomfortable. Is that why you don't listen to rock music nor eat sandwiches? You must've been so hurt by the breakup, Seonghwa could sense it from afar.

Throughout the day, he had kept an eye on you in case something happened. You were quiet, almost moving on autopilot, taking orders and serving customers. You didn't even realize that Seonghwa had already closed the shop and cleaned up all the tables until his voice snapped you back to reality.

"You okay there, sunshine? You seem out of it today, anything on your mind?" Seonghwa leaned back on the counter where you stood, arms crossed towards his chest.

You shook your head in embarrassment, looking for anything to busy yourself with. "It's nothing to worry about, sir. I'm fine, really." You reassured him, but he wasn't quite convinced.

Seonghwa hummed in response, "I see." For a moment, he was thinking quietly. "Let me treat you to dinner, no 'buts.' Take it as a reward because you worked extra hard today."

You wanted to decline his offer, not wanting him to see you possibly breakdown in front of him, but then again, who were you to decline your very handsome boss? One dinner with him wouldn't hurt you. It'll be completely fine. And when you did go to that dinner with him, it made you forget why you felt down in the first place. All the pain disappeared after that night.

-

Rudy and the rest of SATS haven't come back to the shop due to busy schedules and packed tours. That was a relief. Seonghwa would also often perform with the RFQ whenever Bruna would book them gigs now that a new album was in the making. That left you to work alone at the shop, which was quite challenging, but you needed the pay. You'd do anything in order to pay your bills, so there was no room for you to complain about it.

Seonghwa knew how you felt because he had worked alone too before you arrived, and he didn't want you to go through the same thing. He cannot have his only employee be overworked and risk her resigning, especially not you. With that, he decided to hire this new girl, Koilee, and an old friend of his, Hongjoong or 'Akari', a name he uses sometimes, who wanted to work temporarily before he leaves the town.

Changes had to be made and roles had to be clarified: Koilee worked as a server and cashier, and Hongjoong for delivery, while you were promoted as manager. You thought they were a great addition to the shop. Koilee's bubbly personality with her cute lily pad clip on her hair and Hongjoong's chic style contrasting the aesthetic. After the onboarding process, you tried to build a comfortable atmosphere between the new employees, and it went well. Soon enough, the three of you became friends.

Koilee shared that she was from Sakura Bay, a small town next to Portallini, living in a tiny, two-storey houseboat that floats in the centre of Showa Pond filled with koi. Her mother loved koi, hence why she was named after it, and she grew to love it too. She used to be a lead freshwater curator at the Sakura Bay Aquarium, but she wanted to try something new, and that's how she ended up here.

As for Hongjoong, he and Seonghwa were college friends. They both pursued music, but Hongjoong was more on the producing side while Seonghwa was more on vocals. He soon became a producer, even producing a song for the Romano Family Quartet and Scarlett and the Shakers. He wanted to try different jobs before he went back to his hometown, Tacodale, so he decided to work for a few months at Scooperia as a delivery boy using his beloved motorcycle, which he calls the ThunderVolt.

For the next two months, Seonghwa was out promoting and performing with the RFQ. In his absence, your bond with Koilee and Hongjoong grew. You see them every day, work with them, laugh with them, and end the day with them. It felt new whenever they acted formal around you, forgetting that you were their manager, but you told them to just address you like a friend while staying professional, still not used to the authority you had.

Koilee became your close friend, whom you hang out with on your days off. Shopping, going to cafes, and gossiping are some of your favorite activities you do together. She was only two years older than you, and you share a few hobbies, which made it easier for you to get along. Sometimes, Hongjoong would tag along to go shopping, since he was also fond of clothing. He would pick you and Koilee up with his car, called Thunder Volt II, similar to his motorcycle. What an interesting man he was, you thought.

Seonghwa would visit the shop to check on his employees and see how the operations were going, and he found out they were actually doing pretty well. It impressed him very much, hearing from customers how friendly his employees were and how good the food was. He felt so proud of everyone for working hard, at himself for picking the right people, and at you for holding everything just fine. He knew he could always rely on you.

RFQ promotions ended after another month, and Seonghwa was back to work at the shop again. Meetings became frequent, and customers increased now that he was back, but work remained fun and comfortable. Working with these people made work less draining, and it also removed pressure off your shoulders. You believed you could do this for a long time.

You were stationed in the kitchen alongside Seonghwa to bake the cookies, while Koilee was stationed by the cash register with Hongjoong assisting in serving the customers. During closing hours, Seonghwa insisted that Koilee and Hongjoong clock out and go home, while you stayed back with him. Hongjoong would drive Koilee home with his motorcycle, while Seonghwa drove you home with his car. That was the routine and setup established.

But something was different. Was staring at your employee with loving eyes and lingering touches part of the routine? Because Koilee was sure it wasn't.

She would often turn to the kitchen when she had the time, watching you and Seonghwa baking cookies together, sometimes laughing over a bit of spilled flour. She thought it was normal at first, thinking that was how the two of you usually acted around each other, but the look he gave you was something else. It was a look of admiration, the way his eyes followed your every movement with a smile, and when you needed help, he'd touch you so gently, almost as if you were fragile.

"You think those two have something going on?" A voice from behind startled Koilee, placing a hand on her chest to calm her heart down.

"Jesus, Hongjoong. Don't scare me like that."

Hongjoong chuckled at her reaction, moving closer to her behind the counter, where his arms rested on it, supporting his body. "They look cute, don't they?"

She nodded in agreement, "I don't know if you could read my mind, but yes. I agree, they absolutely look cute together."

"They look like high school sweet hearts, perhaps sweeter than the cookies being made."

Koilee quickly turned to Hongjoong, surprised by what he had just said. "I never thought you'd say something like that, it's not your branding at all."

Hongjoong only shrugged, "I can be romantic sometimes, you know."

"Sure, you can."

Koilee and Hongjoong continued to watch their manager and the owner baking in the kitchen, and the moment they caught you fixing Seonghwa's collar and him avoiding your eyes, both of them nodded like it was a confirmation to whatever assumption they had. Koilee thought it was all in her head, but with Hongjoong around, she was surely not seeing things.

Indeed, it was not all in her head because the more Seonghwa worked with you in the kitchen from morning until the evening, the more he saw you fully in such a way that he got to see your face up close, admiring every feature you had. You were beautiful, that was a fact. In his eyes, you were glowing like a flame, and he was a moth.

How lucky he was to have you by his side doing the thing you both loved: baking.

"Hey, you spilled the flour." You laughed when Seonghwa spilled flour on the table.

He didn't realize he let go of the flour bag, too busy staring at your face. "Oh, sorry. It slipped from my hand, my mistake."

"It's okay, it was only a little bit."

You were so gentle with everything, and he could see how much you enjoyed what you were doing. You looked even more beautiful when you smile, it was distracting. I must be crazy thinking like this about my employee, Seonghwa thought to himself, shaking it off his mind.

He cannot have such feelings for you, it was unprofessional. He was the owner, that's even worse. Whatever this was, it was merely out of appreciation and admiration. He cannot cross any lines.

"Your collar is crooked, let me fix it."

When you suddenly moved closer to him to fix the collar of his shirt, Seonghwa felt his heart race and his stomach felt weird. He couldn't look you in the eyes with the small distance between the two of you, he hoped you couldn't hear the beating of his heart.

"There, perfect."

With that smile on your face, Seonghwa realized the situation he was in. Whatever Koilee and Hongjoong talked about, they weren't mistaken. It was exactly what it was.

"Heavens, have mercy."

You heard that Bruna and Yunho would stop by to visit the shop today to check up on Seonghwa's business. It's been a while since you've last seen Bruna, and seeing her again felt nice. It was in the afternoon when they arrived, but to your surprise, his father and fiancée came along. The pressure felt heavier now that his whole family was there.

"Papà, Zia (auntie) Olga, welcome!" Seonghwa greeted the two with a hug, and he led them towards a table by the window with a wonderful view of the town street.

Edoardo and his fiancée, Olga, sat on one side of the booth seats, while Yunho and Bruna sat on the other. Before Seonghwa took their orders, he gestured for you and Koilee to come towards the table where they were. You and Koilee awkwardly moved closer to them, greeting shyly once you arrived there.

"This is y/n, the manager here. She's my first employee, and she's also my right hand in almost everything." You smiled politely when your boss introduced you to his family. "And this is Koilee, my second employee. I also have Hongjoong as my delivery man. He's my friend from college. He currently has errands to do, so he won't be around until later."

You saw Seonghwa's family nodding in acknowledgement, and for some reason, it made you nervous. Perhaps it was due to the serious aura they exuded or the fact that they were a well-known family. It's hard to say. You knew not to mess up in front of them. You felt Koilee wrap an arm around yours to calm herself down, and you placed a hand on top of hers to comfort her.

"Ladies, this is my Papà Edoardo and his fiancée, Zia Olga. This is my cousin, Yunho, and you already know my older sister, Bruna."

From what you remembered, Seonghwa had shared with you about how his mother passed away seven years ago. His father then introduced Olga to the family as his new lover, and the announcement elicited mixed reactions. Seonghwa in particular was not fond of the idea of having a new motherly figure in his life, but when his father proposed to her, he had no choice but to accept it.

If his Papà was happy, then he's happy for him. His parents loved each other, no doubt. Edoardo just wanted to remarry so that his children would have someone to rely on when his time would come.

-

You carried the tray with the pastries the Romano family had ordered, ready to serve them fresh. With careful steps, you made your way to their table by the window, but before you could even pass by the front counter, the tray was removed from your hold. You find your boss giving you a soft smile, the tray that was once in your hands now in his.

"The cookies look great, sunshine. I'm sure my family will love these." With that, Seonghwa walked away to serve the pastries to his family.

You stood beside Koilee by the cash register, watching nervously as each Romano took a bite of the cookies you made. Every bite, every swallow, it made your heart race faster. You thought that if the pastries didn't satisfy their taste, you would let Seonghwa down, and that was not going to happen anytime soon. You couldn't afford to lose your job.

Unfortunately, you weren't able to see their reaction. A new order came up, so you had to prepare. You went back inside the kitchen, prepared the order, and placed it on the tray ready to serve.

"Order for number 5," you announced to Koilee.

All of a sudden, you feel a hand grab your arm, pulling you to the side. "Allow me to borrow y/n for a moment."

Soon, you found yourself in Seonghwa's office, standing there clueless as to why you were pulled aside. Did you mess up? Was he disappointed? Was his family not satisfied by the pastries you made? Your mind was filled with all those negative thoughts. You couldn't help it. The silence in the room and his serious face weren't reassuring at all.

"Did I do something wrong, sir?" There was no response for a few seconds, and your heart dropped at the realization. "I'm sorry—" Your words were cut off when you felt him pull you into a tight embrace with his head resting on your shoulder.

"They love it, sunshine! Your cookies were delicious, thank you so much." Seonghwa's breathing steadied when you returned the hug.

You weren't sure what to feel at that moment. Having your boss this close with literally no distance in between the two of you was new and not what you'd expected to happen at all.

"It's really all thanks to you, sir."

Just then, the door opened to reveal Bruna, making you immediately pull yourself off from Seonghwa. The situation felt like you had been caught having some sort of affair with your boss, and it was embarrassing as hell. Seonghwa was confused when you pulled back from the hug but soon realized why when he saw his older sister by the door with a knowing smirk, Gino appearing behind her with the same curiosity.

"I better head back to the kitchen. Please excuse me." You removed nonexistent dust on your uniform as you exited the room with your head down. You didn't have the courage to look at them in the eyes after being caught in that position with your boss.

As soon as you were out of sight, Bruna closed the door behind her and then turned to Seonghwa with that same smirk on her face. "So, fratellino..." She sat on the small couch in the office, arms crossed to her chest. "You fancy the lady or something?"

"What?" Seonghwa questioned, "Fancy?"

"Yeah, fancy. I mean, what was all that about hugging her in your office during work hours?"

Seonghwa sat on his chair to distract himself from Bruna's strong gaze on him. "I was just thanking her for her hard work, that's all."

"Does that include staring at her like a lovestruck puppy? We saw it with our own eyes, right Gino?"

Yunho nodded. "You're not very subtle about it, cugino (cousin). I'm not sure if it was one of your boss things, but you don't even bat an eye at your cashier. That lady must be special to you."

You? Special? Oh, you were definitely a blessing in his life. It was more than just working together, doing groceries, and going out for dinners as coworkers because somewhere along those lines, he found himself feeling attached to you, looking forward to work because he knew you would be there, and he found a best friend in you as well. He never realized he needed someone by his side until you came around, and he's glad.

"y/n is the manager now. I have to keep a closer eye on her—"

"Here we go again with the excuses," Bruna interrupted with a roll of her eyes. "You keep forgetting that I can read you like a book."

Right, of course. How could he forget the most important thing? Never lie to Bruna Romano.

"Well...she is special to me more than I could fathom." The simple thought of you made Seonghwa's lip curl slightly, but the two other people in the room caught the tiny movement.

"There we go, fratellino," Bruna cheered, but Seonghwa shook his head unsurely.

Seonghwa's eyes landed on a piece of paper on top of his desk with your name in bold with the text 'employee' written under it. "But she works for me. It'll be a complicated situation."

"Oh, come on. It's been so long since you've liked someone, Carlo. You're always working and working and working. You barely have time to get to know people. You never even had a girlfriend before, maybe a talking stage that lasted a month or so, but besides that, what if she's the one?" Bruna explained. She wasn't sure why, but she was hellbent on convincing her brother to make a move on you. She only knew you for a while. You looked decent, soft-spoken, and very much determined to work.

"I'm her boss. I can't."

"You are the boss. You make the rules," Yunho shrugged, trying to make a point. "It's up to you if you'll act on it because you like her enough to pursue her or you won't act on it because you want to keep the line between you as her boss and her as your employee."

Seonghwa was conflicted, unsure of what to do. Hell, he didn't even know why his older sister and cousin were trying so hard to convince him. "Aren't we going a little too fast? I don't want to scare her."

"Nothing's too fast for a Romano. I mean, look at Papà." Bruna waved it off casually like it was nothing to be worried about.

"We're not the same. I got a business to run." Seonghwa wasn't wrong. Running a business wasn't as easy as it looked.

Bruna sighed defeatedly, "Alright, if you say so."

Seonghwa couldn't risk losing you by making a move and scaring you away. You weren't there to find love, so he'll let whatever feelings he has die down.

One Tuesday afternoon, Olga visited the shop again and, this time, with a man whom you've never met before. In his white jacket over a black shirt, denim blue jeans, and black eyeglasses, the man sat across from Olga. He had a briefcase on his side that completed his professional demeanor. Watching from the kitchen as they ordered, you wondered who he was since Seonghwa never mentioned a visitor or a friend would visit today.

"Buongiorno (good morning), Zia!"

"Hello, Carlo. Is your manager around?"

Seonghwa was confused by the unanticipated question, "Yes, she is...she's in the kitchen—"

"Great! I want her to serve our order," Olga replied, leaving no room for questions.

As much as Seonghwa wanted to question it, he knew better than to do that. Instead, he went up to you in the kitchen and told you exactly what Olga wanted you to do.

"Did she really ask for me? Why would—"

"No questions, sunshine. I also have no idea why, so just serve their order."

Just like that, you did what you were told and served the tray of pastries and drinks for Olga and the man sitting across from her. "Buongiorno, signora (miss) and signore (sir). Here's your order. Enjoy!" You carefully placed the food on the table.

You were about to leave with the tray in your hand when Olga called your name, "Excuse me, miss y/n?"

You turned back to her again. "Yes, signora? Is there anything I can help you with?"

"Yes, actually. I see that Carlo is preoccupied at the moment, so if it's not too much, may I take a bit of your time?" Her voice was gentle yet had a hint of seriousness in it.

You were contemplating whether to refuse her request and then go back to the kitchen to get back to work or to accept it in exchange for your time to work even without Seonghwa's permission, but you remembered what your boss always tells you, "The customer is always right, unless they go against our policies." Olga surely doesn't have any bad intentions. She was Seonghwa's family after all, so you should trust her.

"Sure, that'll be no problem at all."

"Perfect! Have a seat." Olga gestured to the empty seat across from her, beside the man you've never met before. You were hesitant at first, but you did it anyway. "This is Doan, the son of one of my friends, and he's a graphic designer."

The man beside you gave you a smile and offered a hand for you to shake, which you returned. "Salve (hello), signorina (miss)..." Doan's eyes traveled down towards the nametag pinned on your uniform. "y/n, it's a pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise, Signore Doan."

"Oh, no need for the formalities. Just Doan or Yeosang will do."

-

It's been minutes, and Seonghwa began to wonder why you haven't come back to the kitchen yet. Growing curious and almost impatient, he exited the kitchen only to find you seated beside the man Olga was with. Why were you there conversing with them during work hours, and why didn't you inform him beforehand?

Seonghwa approached Koilee, eyes still glued on you. "How long has y/n sat there with them?" He gestured towards the table where you sat.

"Since she served their order, sir. It seems that they're in a serious conversation. You could ask y/n about it later."

With the way your eyebrows were furrowed in concentration and you were nodding at whatever the man was telling you, Seonghwa believed you really were in a serious conversation right now. You were currently preoccupied beside a man he had never met before with barely any distance between the two of you. He didn't want to disturb you even when he had the authority to do so.

It wasn't until Olga and Yeosang said their words of appreciation for sharing your time with them and exiting the shop that you were able to get back to the kitchen, where your boss had waited for you the entire time you were gone. You were honestly surprised that he didn't come look for you. He must've been busy, just as Olga mentioned.

Seonghwa didn't approach you and ask about the conversation just yet. He was waiting until closing time to ask you personally. In no time, he called you to his office to finally ask you about it, and once the door closed shut behind you, you saw him sorting some documents on his table.

"You weren't in the kitchen for a while earlier. Mind telling me what the conversation was all about that made you so preoccupied?"

You didn't know what it was, but the seriousness in his voice made you nervous, scared even. Did you do something wrong this time? Were you not supposed to have that conversation with Olga? Was he going to reprimand you? You hoped that wasn't the case, or you'd be doomed. The first time you were brought here was scary, but this one is much more terrifying.

"I apologize for my actions earlier, sir. I was careless about my responsibility as manager," you said, fiddling with the hem of your uniform. "I was supposed to approach you, but Signora Olga insisted that I stay. She introduced me to Signore Yeosang, who is a graphic designer. She recommended him to us for our promotional materials, and he looked promising. I was supposed to tell you about it right after that, but I didn't want to take any more of the work hours I had wasted." You explained everything.

So that was his name. It was odd how Olga insisted on introducing Yeosang to you to talk about the promotional aspect of the business instead of Seonghwa, the owner. He makes the final decision anyway, so why not have him right at the start? That was something that confused both you and him.

"I see, thank you. You may leave now. I'll close the shop in a bit. I just need to finish some things here. I wouldn't want to keep you waiting. Get home safe, sunshine."

Seonghwa always called you by that nickname, but somehow, it felt different tonight. Was he alright? You wondered. Seeing that he was now busy in his work, you decided to push your question aside and exit his office.

-

After his first visit to the shop, Yeosang started coming back to Scooperia more often. Whenever he arrives, coincidentally, you are the one available to serve his order. You were surprised to see his return alone this time, and you were glad meeting him wasn't merely a one-time thing. He would strike up a conversation when you weren't busy, asking you how your day was. Nothing too much, only a simple friendly interaction with you.

"It's you again, Yeosang," you greeted with a jokingly sarcastic tone, which made him laugh.

Yeosang adjusted his eyeglasses that rested on his nose. "What can I say? The food here is great."

"Learned from the boss himself."

From a distance, it looked like you and Yeosang were lost in your own world, smiling at each other like you were on a date. That was what Seonghwa thought, and as minutes went by, he couldn't shake off the feeling that maybe there was something more to it. Hopefully not, although he wasn't completely convinced. Despite that, you were still able to do your responsibilities. He had no other reason to call you over whenever you find yourself conversing with Yeosang. After all, the latter was still a regular customer at the shop.

It must have only been all in his head. That's it. It shouldn't be that serious yet that uneasy feeling wouldn't disappear. Maybe Bruna and Gino were right. Maybe, just maybe, he did fancy you. Was this jealousy? There was no way. He could deny it all he wants, but he cannot deny the fact that the sight of you and Yeosang together like you've known each other longer than you and Seonghwa did didn't sit right with him.

What if he had gigs to attend to? Who would watch over you and your new friend? Koilee and Hongjoong would be there, but that wouldn't be the same. He should be there to see it with his own eyes in case something would happen.

"What the hell am I supposed to do with this?" Seonghwa buried his face on his palms with his elbows resting on top of the table. He's utterly conflicted.

Arriving home straight from work, he went to see Bruna and Yunho in the backyard sitting side-by-side on a bench.

"He's just a friend, I know that, but I don't know why it bothers me so much."

"Then do better," Yunho deadpanned.

Seonghwa looked up at his cousin, unsure of what he meant by it. "Do better?"

"Yes, fratellino." Bruna tapped him on the shoulder. "Step up your game, like buying her flowers. Ladies love that."

"Sing her a song, a romantic one," Yunho added. "Charm her with your voice."

"You guys think that will work?"

"Why don't you try it and see it for yourself?"

-

Day 1

"Hey, Koilee. Did you put these candies inside my locker?"

"No, babe. I just arrived. What happened?"

"Oh, nothing happened. I just found these inside my locker when I arrived earlier."

"They look delicious though."

They were because these were your favorite.

Day 2

"Are you sure you aren't putting these candies inside my locker?"

"If I were to give you candies, I would give them to you in person. I don't think it's necessary for me to put them inside your locker, y/n."

"Right..."

Koilee wouldn't be the type to do something like this. She was someone who preferred a straightforward approach. So, who would?

Day 7

There were no candies inside your locker anymore. Rather, there was a fresh flower this time with a little note that said, 'Cheer up always!'. What a sweet gesture. It definitely cheered you up and made your day. You were grateful to whoever did this for you.

"Ooh, those are new," Koilee said, entering the backroom with a teasing look. "I'm starting to get curious about who this mystery person is. It's not like there are many of us working here."

"I wonder too."

The only people allowed inside the backroom were you, Koilee, Hongjoong, and Seonghwa. Could it be Hongjoong then? You doubt. You barely even see him around work. Seonghwa was your boss. There was absolutely no way that he'd possibly be doing this.

"You'll figure it out soon, y/n."

Whatever that meant.

-

After two to three months, you had already forgotten about the locker situation by then, but something else was new. It wasn't another gift of some sort. Something about the connection between you and your boss had shifted, and you had no idea how or why it felt like that. You and Seonghwa were already close outside of work before Koilee and Hongjoong became part of the team, so why did it feel different this time around?

A simple touch from him brought shivers down your spine. His slender fingers were soft like cotton. His smile was so warm, like you'd melt if you stared too much, and his eyes, they always looked like they had stars inside of them. He had always been an attractive man. It wouldn't be a surprise if one of his fans would want to marry him.

That's how it usually went for musicians like him, except right now, he wasn't a musician. He was your boss, and how you feel whenever he gets closer to you is dangerous. It was risky. Besides, he probably had a secret girlfriend or someone he's courting. It was impossible for a man like him to not have a lover. It was simply hard to believe.

"You got something on your face, sunshine."

Seonghwa wiped off batter that stuck on your cheek with his thumb, bringing his batter-covered finger to his lips to lick it clean. What in the absolute heck was that? Did your boss literally just lick his fingers he used to clean your cheek in front of you? Is he insane?! You feel your face burning up in utter shock by his actions, especially with the way he maintained eye contact while he did that. Is he aware of how it almost killed you on the inside?

"Sir, what..."

Ding. "Cookies are done. We wouldn't want them to burn to a crisp now." With that, Seonghwa walked past you to get the tray of cookies out of the oven like nothing had happened, his lips curled in an amused smirk seeing your reaction. "Cute."

"Sir, are you sure about this? I mean...this is a family dinner. I don't think I should be a part of this." You clutched your purse closer to your body.

You stood in front of the Romano mansion with Seonghwa beside you. He had invited you over for dinner with his family with the reason that the two of you were already close friends and that you'd met his family once before, so inviting you over wouldn't be a problem.

"Don't worry, sunshine. We're only having dinner, and I'll be driving you home after."

It wasn't like you could turn down your boss' invitation to be at his house, so you nodded without any further questions. "Alright." Letting out a quiet breath, you walked behind Seonghwa into their huge but decent home.

Your humble apartment was nothing compared to this. It was the house of a family of well-known musicians after all. Stepping inside made you feel small. The luxurious furniture and the display of awards on their walls decorated the room. So this is what living a comfortable life is like, you thought. You see a door leading to the backyard, a large staircase leading to the second floor, and a chandelier hanging above you. With every careful step you took, you made sure not to touch anything.

"In here, you guys," you hear Bruna call from the dining room.

You feel a hand on your waist from behind, Seonghwa leading you to the said room. Your body was stiff as he guided you there, feeling incredibly awkward from all the eyes that were on you.

"Sit here, y/n." Bruna gestured to the empty seat between her and Seonghwa across from where Yunho sat. "I'm glad you came." She whispered to you the moment you settled down.

You gave a small nod and smiled. "My boss insisted I come with him."

Bruna laughed, "Is that so? Geez, Carlo really is a man."

"Buonasera a tutti (good evening, everyone)! Your Papà and I have an announcement to make." Olga appeared by the door with Edoardo beside her, hands clasped together in excitement. "He and I are getting married next month."

Oh, that was a surprise. You clapped alongside the Romano siblings. "Congratulations!" You greeted, and the sound of your voice caught the attention of Olga, who now sat beside Edoardo.

"y/n, dear. I'm glad you are able to join us tonight." She looked around as if expecting another visitor. "Oh, is Doan not with you?"

Doan? Why would she be looking for him? You were bewildered by her question as well as everyone else in the room. Seonghwa turned to you, waiting for you to explain what Olga meant by it. You had no idea why Olga would mention him anyway because, as far as you knew, it was Seonghwa who invited you for dinner. You weren't expecting anyone else unless, of course, Olga had invited Yeosang too.

"No, signora. I was not informed that Doan would be here, my apologies."

"That's unfortunate." For a second, Olga had a disappointed look on her face but quickly replaced with an anticipating one. "How is he so far? The two of you seem closer these days."

"He's alright, he's a great friend."

Seonghwa felt a slight nudge from Yunho, giving the man a knowing look.

Olga hummed. "Only a friend? Is there nothing more between the two of you?"

Bruna sent a questioning look towards Seonghwa's direction this time, while the latter kept his eyes on you, waiting for your next words and hoping that you would disagree. You, on the other hand, felt your heart race like you were being put on the spot inside an interrogation room for a crime you never even committed. No one knew where the conversation was going, but what they knew was that Seonghwa was not pleased with it.

The room became silent for a few moments, you having absolutely no idea what to say. Then it hit him. Seonghwa realised what it was. From the sudden visit to the shop with a young man he has never met before, insisting that you would serve their order and then pulling you into a serious conversation in which he supposedly should be a part of, to requesting your presence for this family dinner with the reason of her engagement with his father, only to question you about Yeosang. His soon-to-be stepmother was behind all this. All of this arrangement was intentional. Seonghwa clenched his fist in frustration, not wanting to cause a scene.

"Zia, why don't we go serve the other dishes?" Bruna stood up from her seat to divert the topic, trying to lighten the almost tense atmosphere inside the dining room.

If it weren't for her, Seonghwa would've intervened, but he knew better than to do that. Tonight was about their wedding announcement anyway.

Dinner went by normally, and that was a breath of relief for Seonghwa. He would check up on you once in a while to see if you were feeling uncomfortable, but luckily, Bruna kept you occupied making you enjoy dinner somehow. Olga hasn't brought up the topic again, as she was currently in a conversation with Edoardo. At least that's what he thought.

"I just hope y/n and Doan would get together some day. The two of them make a great couple. He is smart and works hard, he would treat her well." Her voice was loud enough to be heard by everyone around the table, almost like she wanted you to hear it, and you did.

"Zia, please," Bruna whispered.

You were put on the spot again, and Seonghwa wasn't having it. Seeing how your smile disappeared but tried to remain polite as much as possible, he was not amused. He shouldn't have brought you over. You didn't deserve to feel like this. This was supposed to be a simple dinner, not an interview you never asked for or an arranged marriage thing.

Olga's words confirmed Seonghwa's assumption that her intention of introducing Yeosang to you was to set you up together, but he wasn't exactly sure why. Right now, he only wanted to escape from this conversation and bring you home so you could let all this slide.

Standing up from his seat, Seonghwa grabbed your wrist and pulled you up, causing you to yelp by the sudden action. "It's getting late, I should bring y/n home. Thank you for the meal, we'll get going now."

He led you out of the dining room towards the front door until you reached his car that was parked by the garage. He opened the door for you to get inside and closed it after once you settled. You had already buckled your seatbelt when he settled in the driver's seat. He started the car and drove off without a word. You didn't speak to him, but he had an evident displeased look on his face.

"Sir, is everything alright?" You asked when the car stopped at a stoplight.

He sighed, looking outside the window. "Yeah, sorry for what happened earlier. Zia shouldn't have asked you questions you weren't comfortable with."

You smiled at his words, "It's okay, maybe she had her reasons. Still, thank you for inviting me over for dinner. Your family treated me very nicely. The Romanos are truly kind-hearted."

You arrived home safely, finally able to rest after tonight's event. After you exchanged your 'goodbyes', Seonghwa drove home with a troubled mind. He hoped you wouldn't push him away because of his Zia's behaviour.

-

Since that incident, Seonghwa started to keep his distance from Olga, not wanting to remember what happened before. Instead, he spent more time with you and made his feelings clearer without scaring you away. Lucky for him, Yeosang got busy with a big project, so he couldn't stop by the shop for a while.

It may be one less customer for the shop, but at least there wasn't anyone to go in between his time with you. It was still a win. Koilee would even join in the fun sometimes, especially when Seonghwa invites everyone for a company dinner or when he needs help with groceries. Koilee would tag along.

Tonight was one of those company dinner nights. You, Seonghwa, Koilee, and Hongjoong went to a barbecue place and ordered a few drinks with your meal. You had excused yourself to the restroom, leaving the three behind at the table. Koilee took the opportunity to ask Seonghwa a question she had been keeping to herself for a few months now.

"Sir, I wanted to ask you something." Koilee placed her arm on the table, picking up a piece of meat with her chopsticks. "When are you confessing your feelings to y/n?"

Seonghwa's eyes widened by the unexpected question. Koilee stared in anticipation as her boss looked around like he had been caught red-handed, Hongjoong finding it extremely amusing. Was he too obvious? How did she know he had feelings for you? Seonghwa's heart raced, swallowing the lump in his throat and pulling his shirt collar as it felt suffocating.

"Confess? What are you saying, Koilee?" He laughed nervously trying to push it off, but both Koilee and Hongjoong knew how bad of a liar their boss was.

"No need to hide it, amico mio (my friend). We see the way you look at her, and don't even get me started with the gifts and the family dinner." Hongjoong took a big bite of his food, and chugged his beer right after.

"W-what?"

"We all know you were the one who put those candies and flowers inside her locker. Who else would know about her favorite things and put them there? Only the four of us have access to that room, and Hongjoong rarely even goes there. You aren't very slick with your actions either. I'm surprised she hasn't picked up on it yet," Koilee added.

Seonghwa scratched his nape, defeated. "I guess I'm just waiting for the right time? It's just— I don't want to scare her."

Koilee scoffed at his response, not in annoyance but in frustration because of how he was hesitating in taking his chances. She wanted him to be clear about it and act on it with intention, not to lead you on for nothing. From what she and Hongjoong observed, you had feelings for Seonghwa as well. It was mutual. The two of you were just too oblivious to notice.

"You don't want to scare her, or you don't want to scare yourself because of all the men who could go in between you and her? There was Rudy, the band guy, the ex, and the first love," she said, putting one finger up to count. "And now, Yeosang, whom your soon-to-be stepmother tried to set her up with." She put up another finger, "What if another man comes around? Will you still wait for the right time? When is the right time for you anyway?"

The mention of Rudy and Yeosang made Seonghwa scrunch his forehead in distress. He remembered the time when Mingi and his band stopped by the shop and how bothered you looked by the sight of your past lover. He also recalled the moments when you and Yeosang would be lost in a conversation only the two of you knew about, and it didn't sit right with him. Koilee was right. Seonghwa had been holding back. Even with Bruna's and Yunho's encouragement, he remained stagnant for someone who wanted nothing but to treat you right.

"I'm not sure, Koilee. I haven't felt this way in a long time..."

Koilee looked up at her boss in understanding, pursing her lips. "You aren't growing any younger, Seonghwa. You'll be in your thirties next year. Either take the risk or lose the chance. I hope you think about it and make a decision."

Before he could reply back to her, you had arrived at the table from the restroom. You hadn't caught on to what they were talking about, and you didn't bother to question it either. Hongjoong and Koilee watched as Seonghwa started a casual conversation with you like nothing had happened just a few minutes ago before you came back.

"This guy..."

"Keep her company for now, I'll be there soon. Thank you, Koilee!" Seonghwa hung up the call before the person on the other end could even respond.

It was only nine in the morning. Seonghwa went to the town of Powder Point to visit Bruna's friend, Julep, who was a florist and the owner of 'Julep's Tulips' flower shop. It was a 20-minute drive from his house, so he had to leave early so as not to get stuck in traffic.

Today wasn't even a busy day. He was just too excited and, at the same time, paranoid that something might disrupt his plans. He entered the shop, and he was met with a room filled with a variety of colorful flowers. Goodness, he didn't know which one he should pick.

"Good morning to you, Carlo." Julep greeted him from the front desk, where she was busy wrapping a bouquet of flowers for a customer waiting.

Seonghwa smiled at her. "Good morning, Julep."

"Anything you want?" She finished her transaction with the customer, her attention now on the young man who looked lost like a puppy around her shop. "You need help?"

"Yeah, I do," he said, completely lost as he wasn't too familiar with flowers and their meanings. He wanted to pick the best one, the prettiest from the bunch, anything that could make someone's day. "I'm not sure what I should pick. What would you recommend for me?"

Julep hummed in deep thought as she looked around at her displayed flowers. "Who is the lucky lady? Do you know her favorite flower?"

Seonghwa remembered a pink flower keychain hanging from your shoulder bag, but he didn't know which one it was. "She has a flower keychain, and it was a pink one. It wasn't blooming as much, almost like a closed bud." Almost the same colors as your cheeks when you felt shy, a pretty shade of pink.

The florist knew exactly which one he meant, she was sure of it. Of course, she was an expert, and that flower was her favorite too. "This is the one, Carlo." Julep picked up a few of the flowers and showed them to him, which earned her an excited grin.

"Yes! That's the one on her keychain. You're a genius." Seonghwa was glad that Julep figured out what he meant despite his poor attempt at describing it. He was relieved that he wasn't going to fail this one.

Julep found his reaction funny yet endearing like a proud sister. She carefully wrapped the flowers in a white wrapper with gold accents. "This is a first. She must be special to you."

Seonghwa nodded, a smile growing on his face. "She is. She is a precious one to me. Today is her birthday, so I wanted to make it extra special."

"That's lovely. I'm sure she'll love this." Once Julep finished wrapping the bouquet with a pink ribbon, she handed it to Seonghwa, who received it happily.

"Thank you so much, Julep."

"It's my pleasure, Carlo. Good luck!"

After paying for the flowers, he drove off to your apartment building to pick you up. He had asked Koilee to help you prepare for today, pick a nice outfit, and keep you busy before he arrives. Hongjoong also came by to help but mostly lay down on your couch on his phone, letting you ladies do what you needed to do.

"Seonghwa just texted me, he must be here now," Koilee announced, grabbing her purse and pulling you up from the bed. "Come on, birthday princess. Don't keep the boss waiting. Hurry!"

"Relax, Koilee. No need to rush. Why are we in a rush anyway?"

It was your birthday, but you weren't expecting anything exciting to happen today. You only planned a simple lunch out with friends, watching a movie, and maybe a few drinks to end the night. You were unaware of why Koilee was insistent on picking an outfit for you, going even as far as putting on your makeup and styling your hair like you were about to get proposed to.

Koilee dragged you out until you reached the lobby of your apartment building with Hongjoong following behind. You were about to question her again when you saw your boss standing outside the building, wearing a white buttoned-up shirt with black stripes paired with black slacks, looking neat like he always was. His sleeves were rolled up, showcasing the veins in his forearms. He had one hand inside his pocket, while the other was hidden behind his back.

Seonghwa heard footsteps coming near, and the moment he saw you, his face lit up with a bright smile. "Good morning, sunshine!" He revealed the bouquet of tulips from behind him, handing them to you. "Happy Birthday!"

You gasped in shock, and you felt lightheaded. In front of you was your boss, who looked absolutely stunning, giving you the most beautiful bouquet you've ever seen. With shaky hands, you accepted flowers from him. "Oh my goodness, I didn't expect this. Thank you, sir."

"Please, just call me Seonghwa for today. We have a busy day ahead of us."

Seonghwa drove you in his car to a 3-star restaurant in town he had reserved beforehand, while Koilee rode with Hongjoong on his motorcycle. Seonghwa paid for everyone's lunch, saying that it was his treat because it was one of his employees' birthday. You weren't able to refuse due to his insistence. Nevertheless, you were grateful for his actions.

Lunch ended, and the four of you went to watch a movie by the theatre. Rita had recommended to Seonghwa a romcom movie that had recently been released, and he was glad you enjoyed it a lot, seeing how you laughed and teared up throughout the duration of it.

It really made your day. Eating out with friends, watching a movie, and sharing laughter with them was enough to make your birthday a memorable one, all thanks to Seonghwa, Koilee, and Hongjoong for making it happen. Seonghwa didn't admit it to you, but he had planned today's activities since last week. He wanted to make your day special, and to you, it was everything.

The day went by in a flash. Koilee and Hongjoong had to leave early, so you bid them goodbye before they left on Hongjoong's motorcycle. There was still some time to spare as the sun began to set. Seonghwa asked if you wanted to head to the nearby park, to which you quickly agreed.

"Finally, a bench." You ran up to a bench you saw nearby and sat down on it with a huff. "I don't know how long we've been walking around the park, but my legs are killing me."

"You were the one who wanted to take the longer route," Seonghwa shrugged.

You waved him off. "I know, I know. No need to call me out."

The park was peaceful with a few people walking around the place. You breathed in the fresh air in satisfaction. You recalled the events from today, and it was the most fun you've had in years. You had always celebrated a simple birthday with your family back at home, but this year was new. It was a good kind of change, and you would want to repeat this for the next year.

"Hey, sunshine," Seonghwa called. "I have something for you." He pulled out a small box from his pocket and opened it to reveal a shiny gold necklace with a flower pendant hanging on it. Seonghwa was full of surprises today, and this was one of them. For the second time today, you gasped in shock at his gift. "It's not much, but I thought it would look great on you." It really would.

Not much? Was he insane? That necklace probably cost more than your monthly rent. Before you could comment, he pulled out the necklace from the box, gesturing to put it on you, and you allowed him.

"Let me see." He made you turn to look at him once he hooked the necklace from behind your neck, and when you did, he was stunned. "You look...wow, it fits you so well."

His words made you flustered, your cheeks turning into a pale shade of pink. You fidgeted with the necklace on your neck, adjusting to the feeling of it on your skin. "Thank you, Seonghwa. I mean...this is too much for someone like me to have this necklace, the flowers, the lunch, and the movie. It's more than I could take, but I appreciate it a lot."

Seonghwa found you endearing, the way you avoid eye contact yet try to look into his eyes but fail. "You deserve it, y/n. It's your day. You should be enjoying it. I did all these for you not only because you're my employee but also because I wanted to make it special for you and see you smile. I'm glad you enjoyed today."

Seonghwa would be the death of you. Making your heart beat so fast, it could escape your chest any time. The way he uses the right words that make you blush and does things that make you fall for him, it's like he has feelings for you too. If only he weren't your boss and you weren't his employee, you would ask him right now if all these meant something more. That wasn't the case.

After a few more minutes at the park, he drove you home and walked you up to your apartment room. You thanked him once again and bid him goodbye. You didn't know what possessed you to do it, but you gave him a tight hug in appreciation, which he returned almost immediately.

While you jumped in joy the moment you closed the door behind you, Seonghwa drove himself home with a lovesick grin as he looked back from his time with you today. The image of you under the night sky wearing the necklace he bought for you that reflected the city lights and the bouquet he gave you in your hands was imprinted on his mind forever.

-

The air between you and Seonghwa had shifted in the best way possible. Hangouts after work became more frequent. He would even visit your apartment sometimes just to chill and do nothing during your days off. It didn't matter to him what he did or where he was for as long as he got to spend time with you. There would even be a movie marathon at your apartment on Friday nights with Koilee and Hongjoong having takeaways and drinks.

Today was your day off, and you decided to invite Seonghwa to Hugo's Warped Records to check out newly released music. Entering the shop, Wooyoung was surprised to see Seonghwa with you because first of all, he was a Romano. He was a literal celebrity in the public eye before he became a pastry shop owner. Wooyoung even owned a copy of RFQ's first single like a prized possession, so seeing the artist in person like this felt like a dream come true.

"Oh my god, signore Romano!" Wooyoung gasped, shuffling through his desk to get something. "May I ask for an autograph?" He didn't hesitate to show Seonghwa an RFQ poster from their first single together with a marker.

Seonghwa gladly took the poster and marker to sign it. "Of course, young man."

"Thank you so much!" After Wooyoung received his autograph, the little boy in him jumped in joy at the opportunity.

The latter walked closer to you, eyeing you suspiciously, and whispered, "Are you dating him? Why are you with him?"

His question made you slap his arm out of surprise, "No! He's my boss, Woo."

Wooyoung only hummed, still suspicious as his gaze traveled towards you and Seonghwa. "Doesn't seem like it, honestly."

"We're just hanging out, okay?"

"Sure, you are."

It was no use trying to convince Wooyoung because you knew how stubborn he was, so you didn't say anything back after that. You wanted to show Seonghwa around the place and tell him which artists you were a fan of, but Wooyoung was nosy.

"Come on, y/n. You can't possibly be telling a famous musician that you listen to other musicians who aren't them. That's offensive." You flinched when Wooyoung appeared at the aisle where you and Seonghwa were.

"I'm just showing him what I listen to—"

"Have you even listened to your boss' music?"

That silenced you, you weren't going to lie. You knew Seonghwa was a musician, but you haven't really listened much to their music. It would always go past your mind because of work, and mostly because you see him more as a baker than a musician on the regular. It wasn't that you were uninterested in him. You just weren't open yet to new music genres.

"Exactly, just what I thought." He shook his head in disappointment.

"Maybe she just didn't have the time to do so because of work. It's not a problem for me," Seonghwa defended on your behalf, but it only made you feel guiltier than you already were.

You wished the ground would swallow you alive with the revelation. It wasn't supposed to go this way. To worsen things for you, Wooyoung didn't stop there.

"She's missing out a lot by not listening to a single RFQ hit, I kid you not. The Romano Family Quartet, the legendary band, releases bangers after bangers, and all their shows get sold out." Wooyoung walked away for a while and came back quickly with a small CD player from who knows where. "This one is my favorite album of all time. Listen to this."

Wooyoung pressed play on the device, and you hear a soft yet unique mix of instruments from it. You first recognized Bruna's voice as the lead singer, and her voice was so beautiful, like an angel. You understood why the public liked them. Then you hear a soft and faint voice during the bridge part, and you know it belongs to Seonghwa. It complimented Bruna's voice so perfectly, and the song ended with instrument sounds fading out.

To call it life-changing would be over the top, but it did change your perspective on music. Who knew country music could sound so beautiful and sweet? You were so used to loud songs that you didn't get to appreciate other genres. This was such an eye-opener for you.

"What do you think? It's amazing, isn't it?" Wooyoung asked you, and you agreed.

"It sounds wonderful. I understand why RFQ is loved by many."

"Not just by their music, they got the looks too. My part-timer, Janana, kept telling me how good-looking signore Carlo is, and seeing him up close like this, I get it. A fine young man who knows how to use his hands, they get the ladies running after them."

Seonghwa waved him off in embarrassment, too shy to take such a compliment. He had heard some fans talking about his looks before, but it never really struck him as something big of a deal. All that mattered to him was people recognizing him for his talent and not his looks. He was grateful either way.

Wooyoung had to get back to work, giving you and Seonghwa more time to walk around the shop until it was time to leave. You didn't tell him this, but you planned to listen to his songs once you arrived home. You weren't pressured to do it, but you were really interested in getting to know Seonghwa through his music.

"Seonghwa?" He hummed in response. "Can you sing me a song? I want to hear your voice."

That was new. You were never one to ask him to do something for you. Even then, he wasn't one to refuse you either. "You have a song in mind?" He glanced at you for a second, and he saw that you were already looking at him, making him smile.

"Anything you want, I just want to hear you."

"Alright, sunshine." Anything for you.

With that, he sang one of his original songs to you. His voice was sweet like honey. Not too deep, not too high, just the right pitch enough to lull you to sleep. Seonghwa was naturally a soft-spoken person, and he was still the same when he was singing. He was gentle in every way. You could listen to his voice forever, and you wouldn't get tired of it.

-

"Why are you avoiding me, Koilee?" Hongjoong grabbed her wrist to stop her from walking away.

Hongjoong had dropped Koilee off at her house after spending the day together. Earlier, he started noticing the shift in her mood but didn't mind it at first, believing it was nothing. However, her short responses and almost cold reactions bothered him too much to ignore.

"Hey, talk to me. What's wrong?" Koilee avoided eye contact, but Hongjoong wasn't having it. He grabbed her shoulders and turned her to face him fully. "Look at me. Did I do something wrong?"

Koilee finally looked into his eyes, but hers looked like they were holding back tears. Feeling worried, Hongjoong cupped her cheeks, wiping off the tears she tried so hard to hold but eventually failed.

"Why are you crying?"

"Because..." She started, holding his wrists for support. "You're leaving me.

Hongjoong's eyes widened. "Who said I was leaving you?"

He heard her sniff, dropping her head down so he wouldn't see her messed-up makeup. "I overheard your conversation with Seonghwa the other day. You said you weren't going to work anymore because you'll go back to your hometown. You're going to leave me here and probably forget about me, right?"

Koilee's tears continued to spill at the thought of his absence, but Hongjoong found her reaction adorable. He admired her face even when she was crying, while his reaction made her even more frustrated.

"Why are you smiling? You think this is funny like this is some kind of joke?" To her surprise, she felt soft lips on hers. Hongjoong's hands were now resting on the back of her neck to pull her closer. Koilee was frozen, too shocked to react. "Hongjoong..."

The man only gave a teasing smile. "You're cute, you know."

Koilee punched him on the chest. "Stop messing with me!"

"I'm not!" This time, he laughed harder. "I swear, I really do find you cute when you cry." He pulled her back in a hug while caressing her hair gently, her head resting on his chest. "I'm going back to my hometown tomorrow, but that doesn't mean I'm going to leave you. I just need to go back and help my brother with his business, that's all. I can still visit you after work if that's what you are worried about, since Tacodale is only a town away from here. No distance will stop me from seeing you. I hope you remember that."

Today was a big day for the Romanos. Edoardo and Olga were going to tie the knots after months of preparation. Seonghwa had invited you as his plus one, and you were over the moon in excitement. You had known him since his father got engaged, and it made you feel special. His family were also looking forward to your presence for the event, especially Seonghwa.

He knocked on your apartment door, and when the door opened, as cheesy as it sounded, it felt like time stopped. You had your hair down styled in smooth waves, bangs kept behind your ears with flower pins, and light makeup on. You wore a light purple, four-layered tube dress, a beaded necklace, and white block heels. It was a simple look, but to him, you looked like a goddess. You were glowing, and nothing could compare to your beauty.

You thought the same when you saw Seonghwa in his white buttoned-up shirt with a purple tie and pants, his hair slicked back neatly. You studied his face, his thick eyebrows, pointed nose, and plump lips sitting perfectly on his face. The most handsome man you've seen, looking like a Greek god. Were you a heroine in your past life to deserve being this close to him?

"You look beautiful," Seonghwa finally broke the silence.

"Thank you, you look amazing as well."

Seonghwa offered an arm for you to take, and then the two of you drove off to the venue of the wedding. It was held in a wedding hall by a waterfront in Portallini, with white and purple as the color scheme. It was a simple celebration with their family, close friends, and a few coworkers. You had sent your congratulations to Edoardo and Olga before the event, as well as met up with Bruna and Yunho, who assisted the guests with their seats.

"You okay?" Seonghwa asked, watching you settle down on your assigned seat.

"Yeah, just a little shy. I don't know anyone here except you and your family." You nervously laughed as you took in the sights of the venue.

"Don't worry, I won't leave your side."

You sat beside Seonghwa by the front with the rest of his family, and it made you feel conscious because you didn't know anyone else but the Romano siblings. You were only a coworker, so you didn't think you deserved to sit with them. You were sure the other guests would wonder who you were too, but you tried not to think too much about it. If you just follow where Seonghwa would go, then the day will be over soon without a problem.

A few minutes later, a soft violin sound started playing in the background to signify the bride's entrance. In slow movements, Olga walked down the aisle in her white wedding dress. She looked beautiful. Love really makes a person shine in a different light. Edoardo watched her with loving eyes, and you were in awe. Getting married to someone you love would feel wonderful. Maybe some day you'll get to experience your own story.

Unbeknownst to you, a pair of eyes was on you instead. You were too busy looking at the front where Edoardo and Olga were taking their vows to notice Seonghwa admiring you from the side. He wasn't even trying to hide it. He imagined what it would be like if it were you in a wedding dress, standing at the front with him, exchanging vows, and sharing a kiss to officially become one. "One day," he whispered to himself.

-

The reception was filled with music, dancing, and conversations between the guests. You remained in your seat eating dinner, sharing a table with Seonghwa, Bruna, and Yunho. The food was great. Seonghwa shared that they prepared Edoardo's and Olga's favorite dishes. He also talked about the story behind them, and you found it interesting.

After everyone had had their dinner, the host announced that one of the main events for tonight was about to start. You wondered what it was going to be until the lights dimmed, leaving only the center lights on the dance floor, and slow music started playing. Bruna and Yunho were already on the dance floor with their partners, while the groom and bride themselves settled in the center of the room.

You watched silently, observing the guests who found their pairs and dancing together to the music. You thought everyone looked cute. It was such a sweet and intimate moment. Little did you know that Seonghwa had been waiting for this since the event started, finding the right moment to ask you.

You see a hand appear in front of you, waiting for you to accept it. "May I have this dance with you, sunshine?"

You feel your heart race. You'd be stupid not to have that dance, and you weren't going to let him dance with someone else. "I'd be honored." You placed your hand on top of his, and he pulled you up into a nicer area on the dance floor away from the big crowd, resting both hands on your waist while yours were on his shoulders.

Take my hand, take a breathe Pull me close and take one step

You feel him pull you closer to his body, causing you to almost lose balance, but he catches you quickly and supports you back on your feet.

"I'm sorry, sunshine," Seonghwa apologized.

You gave him a reassuring smile. "It's okay, sir."

"You know how to dance?"

"Not much, but I try sometimes."

Keep your eyes locked on mine And let the music be your guide

The two of you continued to sway to the music alongside everyone else, feeling the moment, and trying not to be too stiff under his touch. You could feel his gaze on you, and the attention made you feel small. Seonghwa, however, couldn't stop staring at how beautiful you looked tonight, being close to him like this. He didn't care to hide his feelings for you any longer. He was so enamored about you.

It's like catching lightning, the chances of finding someone like you. It's one in a million, the chances of feeling the way we do.

How did he get so lucky? Seonghwa always asked himself that question whenever he thought about you. If he had never started his business and asked for help from Bruna, you wouldn't ever come into his life and be here dancing with him right now.

On the other hand, you looked into his eyes and thought about how naturally he made you ready to open your heart again. If you hadn't left your hometown and moved in to Portallini, you wouldn't be here dancing to a romantic song with your boss at his father's wedding. If you told your younger self that this was what was going to happen to you, she would never believe it, but this was the realest it could get.

And with every step together, we just keep on getting better. So, can I have this dance? Can I have this dance?

Of all the people destined to meet, you and he met at the right place at the right time. Someone who had never experienced love as deep as this and someone who would do anything for the person they loved, the two of you made a perfect match.

Take my hand, I'll take the lead And every turn will be safe with me

Neither of you has said a word, too focused on each other to talk. Some of the guests had started noticing you and him, including Bruna and Yunho, and they had the biggest grin on their faces. Bruna was thrilled as if she had won a competition because something was finally happening. Seonghwa was making progress. The other guests found the two of you cute together, like a younger version of Edoardo and his wife, a sweet young couple in love.

Don't be afraid, afraid to fall You know I'll catch you through it all

Seonghwa suddenly remembered about your past, how you closed your heart after your breakup with Mingi. That shouldn't matter anymore because you were here with him now, right? He was sure about his feelings for you this time, but he hoped that you were ready to be open to the idea of loving him romantically. He could take care of you, give you anything you want, look out for you, and respect you as a person, his employee, and his woman. If you would give him the chance, he wouldn't take it for granted because it was either you or no one.

And you can't keep us apart (Even a thousand miles can't keep us apart) 'Cause my heart is wherever you are

When you first moved to Portallini a year ago, you only had one goal in mind: to find a stable job, and you did. In fact, you found more than just a fair-paying job. You met great friends and coworkers, visited new places, and bought new things for your apartment. Most importantly, you found hope and healing. Portallini held a special place in your heart, and you realized that everything you have right now was all thanks to one person you looked up to: Carlo 'Seonghwa' Romano. How could you leave this place now that your heart found home? 

Let it rain, let it pour What we have is worth fighting for You know I believe that we were meant to be

Seonghwa recalled how this all started. He never expected to fall for you of all people. It was your passion for baking and your warm personality that made him drawn to you. The way you always had a smile on your face at work despite the challenges in your life and how you never had complaints since the day you started working. You worked so hard, yet you always saw the greater things in life.

Yes, there were a number of women lined up to ask for his hand for marriage, but they only wanted him because of his fame and money. You were different. You didn't even know who he really was in the beginning, and when you did, you didn't take advantage of it. You were the same passionate y/n who worked to survive, and he admired you for that.

-

"Finally, peace and quiet." You stretched your arms up to relieve the tension from your muscles.

After the dance, the guests began playing a few games and conversed over drinks. Seonghwa noticed that you were starting to get bored inside with no one else to talk to, so he brought you out to the garden with a wooden bench at the center beside a water fountain where you and he sat down to rest. He had given you his coat earlier to cover up from the freezing wind, and you were thankful for the kind gesture because, goodness, it was a cold night.

You looked up at the sky, admiring the stars painting the sky. Seonghwa was admiring, too. He was admiring you—a painting in a museum and a song to be sung.

"y/n," he said your name softly. "Now that we're here, I want to let you hear the song I wrote a few months ago." He brought out his guitar he carried with him.

"Is this employee privilege?" you asked jokingly, oblivious to his real intentions.

Seonghwa's lips curled up slightly, finding your reaction endearing. He began tuning his guitar. "It's actually a song I wrote about you."

"M-me?" Did you hear him right? The Carlo Romano, renowned musician in town, took the time in between the busy days at work to personally write a song about you, his employee. You stared at him incredulously, refusing to believe his words, but all he had was a smile on his face.

He started strumming the strings of his guitar with his slender fingers, and you were amazed by how they looked. The soft, sweet melody played, pulling you in.

I love you too much To live without you loving me back I love you too much Heaven's my witness and this is a fact

'Love' was a strong word, but it's all Seonghwa felt every time he sees you, thinks of you, and speaks of you. It was a week after your birthday when he started composing the song, a sudden burst of motivation to create a piece for his muse. He wasn't expecting much out of it nor from you, he just wanted to put his feelings into a song.

These were words he had no guts to tell you because he was in no position to anyway. A few may have caught the respect he had for you except, well, you of course. That's alright, what matters is that he was true to what his heart wants, and he was not going to deny that.

I know I belong When I sing this song There's love above love and it's ours 'Cause I love you too much

Singing had always been his first love, something he enjoyed doing with his family, especially his late mother. He grew up listening to and performing song after song. That was his life. That's where he belongs, and now, you belong in it too. Seonghwa's pieces were always centered on topics like his life journey, a family's love, and sometimes a touch of humor.

He was not the romantic type of musician, yet in an instant, with you in the picture, he did things he never imagined he would do. For the first time in his career, he composed a romantic piece, an intimate message for the woman he met a year ago. He never planned on sharing the piece with you, but he figured you'd hear of it someday.

I live for your touch I whisper your name night after night I love you too much There's only one feeling and I know it's right

Seonghwa didn't understand what he was feeling at first. He spent most of his days working with you in the kitchen, baking cookies and serving customers. Even after he dropped you off at your apartment, it felt like it wasn't enough. He seeks your company, your laughter, the look you give him when he teases you sometimes, and just to have you by his side in everything that you do.

One moment, he's a workaholic with nothing but work in his mind. Next, you're all he could think of, like a lovesick puppy. His head is full of images of you, and he didn't know how to erase them. It wasn't that he wanted to. He was simply afraid his feelings for you would consume him whole. How could he not when you live like life is the most beautiful thing to exist? Sleepless nights with the thoughts of you led to this, and it's exactly where he needs to be.

Heaven knows your name I've been praying To have you come here by my side

By the time he was sure of his feelings, he told his mamma all about you like a kid crushing on a classmate at his school. Every night, he would talk to the picture of her he had displayed on his work desk, whispering the words, "You would love her, Mamma." He just knew that if she were still alive, she would be glad to meet the woman he had fallen head over heels for.

Seonghwa was a simple man. He wasn't one to chase a person to romance with. He only chased after his dreams. What would the younger Carlo think if he knew he would become a man who yearns for a woman who works for him?

Without you a part of me's missing Just to make you my home, I will fight

Seonghwa got the dream business he always wanted to have—Scooperia. He's got a stable career, a roof above his head, and everything he could ask for. Anyone would sacrifice to be in his place, but again, he was only a simple man with a dream. He's got everything, and he felt complete. He never knew he could have more than what he had asked for, and now, you became a part of it.

You became someone he'd risk his life for. As absurd as it sounds and considering how little time he's known of you, he just felt like he owed everything to you to repay what you had done for him. Anyone can share the same dream as him, but to be able to call you 'his' to share a lifetime with and to be able to be 'your' man to hold you in every journey—that's something only he can do if you allow him.

You live in my soul Your heart is my goal

At this point in time, you had consumed him. He got his dream, his beloved 'Scooperia,' in his hands, and now, his goal is to have your heart linked with his. Call him an ambitious man because he definitely was. Even a selfish man would agree, and he'd be even more selfish if he chose to let all this go down the drain.

Slowly but surely, he builds himself to become the man you deserve, who'd be there to love you unconditionally. 'Love' is a strong word, but feeling it firsthand and embracing it was stronger.

All he needed was your acceptance of him, and in the case that you wouldn't accept his feelings, he'd be man enough to accept that too. Again, he'll become the man you deserve, and that includes respecting your decision. Meeting you will always be one of his greatest blessings, and that's more than enough.

There's love above love and it's mine 'cause I love you There's love above love and it's yours 'cause I love you There's love above love and it's ours If you love me as much

The song had ended, the sound fading into silence. Seonghwa waited for your reaction to his short yet intimate performance explicitly for you, but you remained speechless beside him. You were processing his words and the unexpected confession from your boss at that.

All you could hear was the beating in your chest and the soft breathing between the two of you. A few minutes had passed and you still hadn't said a single word, so he began to pack up his guitar.

"Did you...mean all that?"

You stared into his eyes, searching for answers and confirmation. It felt too good to be true. You felt like dreaming, like a princess being saved by a knight in shining armor in the form of Seonghwa. The latter stared back at you with only a look of love on his face, the same emotions he poured into the piece he had sung a few minutes ago.

"I mean it with every fiber of my being, y/n. I have deep romantic feelings for you. I am simply a man in love." He held your hands, rubbing circles on them with his thumb. "You are more than just my employee, my coworker, and my friend. You mean so much to me. You make me feel what music makes me feel: with purpose. I want to spend the rest of my life with you in it. I've grown used to having you by my side, and I cannot grow out of it. I'm not pressuring you for an answer. I only hope you understand my feelings."

Seonghwa had his way with words, but looking back at the memories you shared with him, you couldn't believe that the handsome boss you were crushing on felt so much for you. This was everything. Any girl would kill to be in your position right now. Of all people, it was you whom he had chosen to love and write a song for. You were beyond grateful that he poured his heart and passion into making it for you.

"I would be so honored to be part of your life, Seonghwa. Thank you for loving me despite what I am and what I have. There's not much I can offer, yet you always make me feel so special with everything that you do for me even when I don't deserve it."

Before you could react, he had pulled you in a hug, caressing your hair as softly as he does with his guitar strings. "Don't say that. You deserve the things given to you. I did what I did because I wanted to, and I feel happy when I do things for you because I always see the way your face lights up even when you try to hide it. You light me up too, more than you think. I wouldn't reach this far if it wasn't for you, y/n."

"Hey, shouldn't that be my line?" Your question caused the two of you to burst into laughter. "You gave me a job when I needed it most, and you treated me so nicely that it never felt like working at all. You became my partner in almost everything and my safe space when I had no one. Being loved by you feels like I won the lottery. You chose me when you could have chosen someone else. Thank you for everything, Seonghwa."

"I'd choose you every single time."

-

Seonghwa had changed into casual clothing on his way back to your shared room at the mansion his family had rented for the night. As he walked along the hallways, he was met with Olga approaching him in long strides.

"Carlo!" She called his name, stepping closer to him. "What do you think you are doing?" Her voice was stern, like scolding a reckless child.

He had no idea what his now stepmother was talking about, raising an eyebrow in question. "I didn't do anything." He couldn't comprehend what was bothering her on the night of her wedding.

Olga wasn't pleased by his response. "You know exactly what you did. If you date that girl, you will ruin the family's reputation. Think about what the people would say if that happens."

She must have overheard his conversation with you earlier at the garden where he confessed his feelings through a song. How did she even eavesdrop while the reception was still ongoing? She had found out about the confession somehow, and she was not pleased by that one bit. She made sure to confront him after the wedding reception concluded, and now was the time.

"Really? I don't see the problem in dating her." His face was void of any expression, not giving in to Olga's efforts in pushing you away from him because no matter what she does, that would never happen.

Seonghwa figured that Olga was against the idea of him dating a normal middle-class woman like you, thinking that it would affect his career and reputation. She thought a woman of his own class would fit him and the family better, and she believed he deserved someone who didn't have to depend on him for financial support.

To her, she only looked out for him and his future. That, Seonghwa understood, but she wasn't someone to make decisions on what he does with his life because, in the first place, she wasn't his biological mother. Even his mamma wouldn't decide who he should love, so why should Olga? You were everything Seonghwa deserved.

His lack of emotions frustrated her. "She's your employee, for goodness sake."

"I'm her boss, and I decide who she is to me." Seonghwa walked past her to get to his room where you waited, but Olga wasn't finished with the conversation yet.

"Carlo, you are a Romano," she said it like a warning.

With only a glance at her, he simply replied with three heavy words. "And you're not."

"I am officially a Romano now. I married your father."

As if his words weren't enough for her to understand that he had no plans on hearing her out, Seonghwa let out a scoff. "You are not a Romano in my eyes, Zia. I hope you didn't marry my father for that reason."

"What? No, I didn't."

"Then don't talk about y/n like that because you don't get to choose who I should love and marry. As part of the family, the least you could do is respect my decisions as your husband's son. That's all I need to say. Have a good night."

With that, Seonghwa left her alone standing in the hallways, not giving her the chance to speak any longer. He didn't want to hear more of what she had to say anyway, and he knew you overheard that whole conversation when he caught you peeking around the corner and retreating back to hide behind the wall. Without a doubt, you would overthink about what Olga had told him, and he was going to make sure that before the night ends, those thoughts would be erased from your mind completely.

He entered the room with you sitting on the couch by the corner, pretending to scroll through your phone like nothing had happened. Seonghwa didn't waste any time sitting beside you, taking your phone away and ignoring your protests. He wanted to have your full attention, and he was going to do exactly that.

"I know you heard my conversation with Zia earlier, and I'm here to assure you that her words won't change my decision of choosing to love you. If you ever let her words get into your mind, tell me and I'll be there to remind you of my feelings."

It was true that you overheard their conversation when you were about to look for him, but whatever doubts you had about him were replaced with reassurance. You trusted Seonghwa because the whole time you knew him, he was nothing but genuine and transparent with you.

He grabbed your hands and pulled you up towards the balcony that overlooked the garden, bringing your hands to rest on his broad shoulders while his rested on your waist. "You know, this moment feels like this one song that reminds me of you."

"Hmm, what is?"

He studied your face before keeping a loose strand of hair behind your ear, his fingers brushing your skin lightly. "Ma Belle Evangeline (my beautiful Evangeline)."

Seonghwa began to hum and sing the song as he guided your movements into a slow dance, similar to what you did during the reception. This one was more intimate—just you and him. Throughout the whole song, you listened to his sweet, honey voice. The way he sung it with such emotions sounded like those lyrics were written for you.

Like you were his 'Evangeline.'

"Don't stare at me like that."

"Like what?"

"Like you're in love with me?"

He was indeed in love with you, so who was he to look away? Seonghwa moved closer to you, enough to feel his breath on your skin. "Do I make you nervous?"

"I just—" You swallowed a lump in your throat. "I've never been this close to you before."

"You're cute, you know. I love seeing your pretty face. It keeps me motivated."

"Don't say things like that. I get shy when a handsome man like you says that to me." You looked away, flustered by his deep stare, only for him to bring his thumb and index finger to your chin to make you look back at him.

"Oh, there are other men who call you the same?"

"I-It's not like that." Before you could continue your sentence, Seonghwa interrupted you by connecting your lips together in a soft but eager kiss.

The kiss felt magical. Everything spiraled into this moment. The night was peaceful, and in his arms, you felt safe. The two of you stared into each other's eyes, feeling like you were the only ones left on Earth. The man in front of you had one of the most beautiful eyes you've seen, the ones that shine.

"Well, those men can't have you like this because now, you're with me."

"Hwa!"

"That's a new nickname, sunshine." He chuckled at your reddened cheeks, obviously shy over the sudden intimacy. "Je t'aime (I love you)."

That night was the start of something special.

From then onwards, you and Seonghwa continued to work hard back at Scooperia, building a stronger relationship with each other as coworkers and, finally, as lovers. The two of you agreed to not let your relationship affect the business, but sometimes, he couldn't help himself but steal kisses from you in the kitchen or hug you from behind whenever you were busy mixing the ingredients. You worked so hard for him, and he was there to reward you.

The news spread quickly at the shop, and before you knew it, Koilee bombarded you and him with lots of teasing comments. From "Finally, you two made it official" to "Okay, that's enough, loverbirds", Koilee was extremely supportive of your relationship because believe it or not, the business grew bigger as time went on.

You didn't want to make your relationship public, and he respected that, especially since the media would ask him about his status when they got the chance. What mattered was that everything Seonghwa dreamed of was in his hands, more than he had asked for.

On some nights, you and Seonghwa would stay back at the kitchen to prepare a few orders and batches of cookies beforehand. He'd put on songs you like, and both of you would dance around without a care in the world, having fun as you make cookies together. They were definitely baked with love and extra sweetness.

You would then find yourself on the front row of every RFQ show, watching over your lover and his family perform their songs with passion. You finally understood why the people loved them now that you were witnessing it in front of your own eyes, and they deserved the support they got from their fans.

The more shows you attended, the more you grew to love country music. The y/n from years ago loved rock music because she wanted to belong to her ex-lover's world. This time, you loved country music because you felt welcomed in their world, and that's different.

You loved how passionate Seonghwa was in everything and seeing him enjoy the things he does. He was a man who did not give up until he got what he really wanted, and you admired him for having that drive. Many can dream the same, but only a few actually achieve it.

-

Months became years until one evening during dinner at the Romano mansion, Edoardo dropped the question that shocked everyone and made Seonghwa choke on his drink.

"So, when are you and y/n having kids?"

"Papà!" Seonghwa exclaimed. "We're not even married yet."

"Then get married."

You turned to Seonghwa, who had his palms covering his face in embarrassment not because he wasn't ready for what his father had asked of him but because the two of you haven't really talked about having kids yet. Hell, he hasn't even proposed to you, and it's just been over a year since you two made it official. There were still more goals the two of you had yet to achieve, especially with regard to the business.

"Your Papà's right, you two should get married. It's about time that we welcome a new member of the Romano family, a little Romano running around the house," Olga said, coming into the dining room, bringing in a plate full of pasta, and setting it down on the table.

Seonghwa couldn't believe what he heard and from her at that, remembering how she wasn't happy with the idea of you being part of the family at first, even setting you up with another man, which he never wanted to hear of again. "Zia..."

"I know what you're thinking, Carlo. We can see how you and y/n really love each other, and I think it's...impressive."

You noticed the way Seonghwa's eyes were shaking in bafflement and surprise, or something in between, so you held his hand under the table and rubbed the top of it softly to remind him that he wasn't alone in this conversation and that you were always there for him. He felt it and he turned to you with a smile that told you he appreciated the kind gesture.

Like déjà vu, Seonghwa was put on the spot like what happened back at his office with Bruna and Yunho. "Aren't we going a little too fast? I don't want to pressure her." He had said those exact same words before, but the depth of the situation was different.

"Come on, fratellino. What did we say before? Nothing's too fast for a Romano," Bruna spoke up from her seat across from him. "We're not pressuring any of you. We're only giving you ideas."

Right, ideas. Wedding plans weren't even there yet. You and he wanted to take your time growing the business and enjoying more of your time together traveling and maybe even settling into your dream house. However, you couldn't deny the fact that Olga was right. Seonghwa's father was of the age to have grandchildren already.

Bruna couldn't give him one yet despite being older because finding a partner isn't even one of her current priorities, so it was all on you and her brother. Were you ready? Honestly, not yet. But were you willing to give in if that's what his Papà's wish was? Yes, you'd do it. You owe so much to his family anyway, and you believed that with Seonghwa, you could face anything.

"I know you're still thinking about what your family had said earlier, but let's talk about that another time." Even as dinner ended and you were now lying on his bed, on your lover's chest to be exact, their words were still stuck in your mind.

"Yeah, we should," Seonghwa agreed, adjusting himself to a more comfortable position for the both of you.

You could hear his heartbeat and his low breathing, and you looked up to his enticing features. "I just can't believe I get to have you, my insanely hot and handsome boss, as my lover for the rest of my life. How did I get so lucky?"

"No, sunshine." With his free hand, he cupped your cheek to see you closer. "I was blessed the moment you stepped into my store to apply for a job. You changed my life for the better, and I wouldn't have it any other way."

"You spoil me too much. I want to make money for us too."

"I pay you, no?" Seonghwa smirked when you didn't respond, having you exactly where he wanted you, on his bed and in his arms. "Besides, I love spoiling you, and you cannot stop me, amore mio (my love). You will take everything I will give you, and I don't want to hear any complaints. Understood?"

He preferred not to have too much authority on you, but it was times like this that he would show his dominant side, and you secretly loved it. He was older and he knew better than you. It was a given that he would have the upper hand even though he'd let you win anyway.

"Do I even have a choice?" You laugh at your words, and he does too. "I love this version of you so much. You get twice as attractive as you already are."

"Don't worry, you'll see more of me."

How did things turn out like this? The secret ingredient had always been love. This was the result of a beautiful recipe because things are sweeter when done together.

© dxnsangki | all rights reserved, do not translate or plagiarize.

[dxnsangki]

𝙨𝙬𝙚𝙚𝙩 𝙢𝙚𝙡𝙤𝙙𝙮 — 𝘴𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘩𝘸𝘢 [ profiles ]

⤷ They say that the secret ingredient to success is love. A world where a musician's dream is to...bake? Stepping into a pastry shop, you were greeted with an experience beyond your expectations.

𝘀𝘄𝗲𝗲𝘁 𝗺𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗱𝘆 | 𝗺𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁

𝙋𝘼𝙍𝙆 𝙎𝙀𝙊𝙉𝙂𝙃𝙒𝘼 as 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐨 𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐨

𝙅𝙀𝙊𝙉𝙂 𝙔𝙐𝙉𝙃𝙊 as 𝐆𝐢𝐧𝐨 𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐨

𝙆𝙄𝙈 𝙃𝙊𝙉𝙂𝙅𝙊𝙊𝙉𝙂 as 𝐀𝐤𝐚𝐫𝐢

𝙆𝘼𝙉𝙂 𝙔𝙀𝙊𝙎𝘼𝙉𝙂 as 𝐃𝐨𝐚𝐧

𝙎𝙊𝙉𝙂 𝙈𝙄𝙉𝙂𝙄 as 𝐑𝐮𝐝𝐲

𝘾𝙃𝙊𝙄 𝙎𝘼𝙉 as 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐲

𝘾𝙃𝙊𝙄 𝙅𝙊𝙉𝙂𝙃𝙊 as 𝐂𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫

𝙅𝙐𝙉𝙂 𝙒𝙊𝙊𝙔𝙊𝙐𝙉𝙂 as 𝐇𝐮𝐠𝐨

© dxnsangki | all rights reserved, do not translate or plagiarize.

[dxnsangki]

𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙢𝙥𝙖𝙜𝙣𝙚 — 𝘸𝘰𝘰𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘨

⤷ It started from fighting with each other to fighting your brother for each other.

brother's best friend!wooyoung ft. brother!hongjoong, strangers-to-haters-to-lovers au, angst, fem!reader

warning ━━ mentions of physical abuse, profanities, hongjoong is overprotective

word count ━━ 6.8k

a/n ━━ very late update as usual.

𝗺𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁

"I got here first."

"Well, I need it more."

"Does that matter? I need it too."

"Just give it—"

"Excuse me, miss? Sir—oh, Wooyoung..." The store worker sighed at the realization, "You two are causing a scene here at the store. If you could just settle this through, that would be greatly appreciated."

You see, you arrived at the mini grocery store to buy a bottle of champagne for yourself after a long, busy week. It turns out that only one bottle of that certain brand you wanted was left, and it was only 11 in the morning on a Thursday. What the hell? So you quickly grabbed the bottle until a voice stopped you from behind, telling you to stop and give him the bottle. The nerve this guy in a hoodie and baggy pants has, he should wash up.

"But I came here first and got this bottle before he arrived, and he's forcing me to give it to him. The disrespect I'm getting from this young man."

"Young man?" The guy in the hoodie furrowed his eyebrows, feeling very offended, "She called me a young man, can you believe that?"

The store worker shook his head, pinching the bridge of his nose to keep his patience. "Wooyoung, just give it up. She clearly got the bottle first, stop bothering her. This is like the third time this month and I'm tired, so please cooperate with me."

Wooyoung tutted, "Yeah, whatever." He eyed you in annoyance before leaving the aisle to look for other drinks he could buy instead.

"And as for you, miss, please do take that bottle for yourself. We are sorry for the inconvenience, have a great day!" The worker reassured you with a smile, putting on his best customer service tone.

You smiled back at the worker. "Thank you..." You glanced down at their nametag, "...Jongho?"

"Yes, that would be me." Jongho nodded to confirm.

"Have a great day too!"

As soon as you were out of sight, Jongho immediately slapped Wooyoung's arm to scold him about earlier. "What did I tell you about fighting with other customers? This is your last warning, Jung. I don't care if we're friends, I won't hesitate to ban you from coming here if that happens again." He threatened the man but Wooyoung couldn't care less; he just wanted to get the day over with.

-

Wooyoung came home with bottles of soju and some chips to pair them with, settling them down on the coffee table without bothering to get them out of the plastic. He slumped down on the couch tiredly, as if he had joined a marathon, instead of fighting a lady at the store for a bottle of champagne. He's definitely going to put the blame on Hongjoong for asking to play a game with the loser having to buy the drinks...and you know exactly who the loser was.

"Where's the champagne?" Hongjoong's loud voice resounded across the room, catching everyone's attention. "I've been waiting, what took you so long?"

Wooyoung groaned at the mention of the drink, "No champagne, stop asking." The look he gave him was one that could kill if he didn't shut up.

"But, we need it—"

"No, we don't. Now get drinking."

Wooyoung's dismissive tone scared Hongjoong in the slightest, so he rushed to get the glasses, ice, and some cooked food from the kitchen to serve everyone in the room: Wooyoung, San, Seonghwa, and himself. It was another boys night like usual.

"Hey, man." San placed a hand on Wooyoung's shoulder before downing his drink in one go. "What happened back there? Why the gloomy face?"

"Some chic—" San suddenly let out a loud burp beside Wooyoung, making the latter close his eyes in disgust, "...stole the last bottle."

Seonghwa rolled his eyes from his side of the couch, "We all know you caused a scene again, Wooyoung." He spoke as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Well, it wasn't the first time it happened anyway—don't even ask how many times.

"I don't care, I hate her."

"You hate everyone at this point."

"As it should be."

Despite Wooyoung's refusal, Hongjoong had brought the man with him to his house, so he could get changed in a new outfit before going to the nearby club. Wooyoung didn't understand why he had to go with him instead of the others when all he wanted to do was stay in bed until San picked him up at his own place. But no, Hongjoong insisted that Wooyoung should be there for moral support. Ridiculous, the latter thought.

"Just to let you know..." Hongjoong stopped Wooyoung by the front door, "My sister's home and that's a warning."

Wooyoung quirked an eyebrow, intrigued by the sudden warning. "Should I be scared of her?"

"Man, she's crazy. The worst! You'd hate her."

"Nice, I love hating people." Although it sounded sarcastic, there was a hint of truthfulness in it.

The noise from inside the house caught their attention, so Hongjoong opened the front door and met with the sight of...

"You?!" Both Hongjoong's best friend and sister exclaimed, displeased with each other's presence.

"You guys know each other?" Hongjoong stood in between the two, but was completely ignored.

You were busy preparing yourself a glass of champagne, the same drink that was almost stolen from the man standing just a few feet away from you. Wooyoung's gaze dropped towards the familiar bottle in your hand, and the memories from the store the other day came rushing back.

"Hongjoong, why didn't you tell me?" Wooyoung turned to his best friend incredulously, pissed at the current situation.

Hongjoong, on the other hand, was taken aback, having absolutely no idea what the hell was going on. "What do you mean?"

"Why didn't you tell me that she was your younger sister? This girl—"

"Don't you fucking point your dirty finger at me, kid." You harshly slapped Wooyoung's hand away from you. Hongjoong almost choked on his saliva at what you had called his friend before bursting into a fit of laughter on the side.

"Shut up, Hongjoong." Wooyoung glared at him, "Go get changed, so we can leave. I don't want to stay here too long and see her face, that would ruin my night even more than it already is."

"On it." Hongjoong quickly ran upstairs to his room and got changed which was his intention in the first place. Meanwhile, the situation downstairs didn't stop there.

"You talk like you own the place, your ego must be bigger than that head of yours." You remarked from the dining area as you swirled the glass of champagne with your fingers.

The more Wooyoung saw you drinking, the more annoyed he became. Just the way you wanted it to be: him losing his patience. You can sense his footsteps coming towards your way until you feel his presence behind you, a hand resting on the table beside your figure.

"Hmm, are you sure? There's something bigger than that." You knew that he had a smirk on his face, and you wanted nothing but to slap it off of him.

Unfortunately for you, you only roll your eyes at his bad attempt at dirty talking. "Just leave."

"Why? I wanna do bad things to you, though."

"Oh, really?" You gave the fakest look of interest ever, "Like what?" Batting your eyelashes to rile him up even more.

To your surprise, he moved his face closer to yours. His breath was fanning the side of your ear, causing shivers down your arms as he whispered softly. "Break your neck."

"Hey! No fighting...or flirting, whatever the hell you two are doing." Finally, Hongjoong's voice broke the growing tension between you and Wooyoung like a lifesaver. "Leave her alone, Wooyoung."

"I will, don't worry. Just gave your sister some words of respect, is all." The man moved away from your face and patted your shoulder, which was a little too harsh for a friendly gesture. "She needs to know some manners, don't you think?"

What an asshole.

-

"Gosh, how much did you drink?" Your friend asked you for the third time tonight after seeing you stumble your steps towards your seat beside her.

You simply shrugged, "Lost count."

Your friend sighed and looked at your state worriedly, but you assured her that you were fine. You obviously weren't. The loud music, the blinding lights, the people dancing around—you really didn't care about anything at the moment. You were invited by your friend to the club at the last minute because her boyfriend wanted to go and she wanted you to have fun too, so you did only because they paid for you. Wouldn't wanna pass on free party and drinks.

Wanting to get another drink, you stood up with all the energy left in your body and steadied yourself with the table before walking up to the bar. That was until you heard a voice from behind you, a voice you found annoyingly familiar.

"Why are you here?"

You turned around with a bored look, "Why are you here? You own the place?" You scanned his appearance tonight: a black leather jacket with a black shirt underneath and some baggy jeans paired with his usual Jordans. Nothing new except for the gelled-up hair, which showed his forehead.

Wooyoung rolled his eyes at your reply as if it wasn't already expected of you, leaning on to the bar in front of him to order some drinks. "Give me the usual, one for me and one for the lady here."

"Hopefully you aren't talking about me."

You hear him let out a laugh, "Unfortunately, princess..." He turned to you with a playful smirk, "I'm talking about you."

That nickname almost made you stumble on your seat, so you pretended to ignore it to not boost his already big of an ego. "I'm leaving." You stood up from your seat at the bar to go back to where you previously sat with your friend, not caring that you didn't get to order another drink for yourself because a certain someone decided to show up.

"Hey, you didn't even drink this yet—"

You didn't let him finish his words as you drank the drink he ordered for you in one go, so he wouldn't bother you any longer. "There, now leave me alone." You couldn't take another second of seeing his face.

-

A few more shots, and you were absolutely out of it. You excused yourself from your friends and made your way to the bathroom, but the world really was a cruel place, or so you thought. Of all the people here at the bar, did you really have to bump into Jung Wooyoung? Upon seeing you coming towards the hallway where he stood, he immediately blocked the way with his body to tease you, but you weren't having any of his games.

"I'm not here to play with you, Jung. Move."

"And why would I do that, hmm?"

You used all your strength to push him away, but it was no use. He was way stronger than you thought he was. "Seriously? How immature can you get? Move out the way."

Of course, he wouldn't do that. He loved riling you up and seeing the scowl on your face. He loves teasing you, he would do anything to tease you until you lost your mind over it. He usually doesn't do this to anyone else, but knowing that you were his best friend's younger sister brought a new feeling of excitement. That was his goal, and to provoke you even more, he pushed you against the nearest wall.

"You like this?" Wooyoung taunted you with a question to get a reaction that would satisfy him, only to receive a scoff and a look of disgust.

"I'm not interested."

As if he hadn't bothered you enough, he went closer to whisper beside your ear. The same thing he did earlier in Hongjoong's dining, the same breathy sound he made, which he knew had an effect on your body. "You sure about that, darling?"

Again with the petnames. You decided to play along for once after realizing that he was nowhere near done with you...

"What are you gonna do? Kiss me?"

...and immediately regretting it.

An amused grin was now evident on Wooyoung's face. He was enjoying the moment and feeling satisfied with your reaction because, to your utter surprise, he did exactly what you said—he kissed you on the lips—making you freeze in place.

"Don't think about it too much, princess." He gave you one last peck on the cheek before leaving you there in the hallway, stuck in place as you brought your fingers to touch your lips where he had touched with his own.

No, you didn't think about it too much; you were still too shocked to process what occurred a few seconds ago. Instead, Wooyoung did against his own will. He had no idea how good and soft your lips actually felt until he did what he thought he wouldn't ever do: kiss you. He had no idea why he did it, but he knew he wouldn't be the same after that.

Unbeknownst to the both of you, Hongjoong had watched the scene play right in front of his eyes, and to say he wasn't happy about it would be an understatement. He loved Wooyoung as a friend, but he wouldn't let any of his friends date you for multiple reasons. The two of you literally just met, and it already led to this. He found that absurd. The moment Wooyoung disappeared from his sight, he quickly walked up to you before you disappeared yourself. He held your shoulder to get your attention, his expression showing his disappointment in you.

"Stay away from Wooyoung."

"Hongjoong, what—"

"I said what I said, do you get it?" He spoke with all seriousness, so you decided not to fight back.

"Don't worry, I hate the guy." You tried to reassure him with a smile, yet somehow it felt uncomfortable saying those words, and you had no idea why.

"Good."

"Mind telling me why you are trying so hard to play matchmaker with me and your friend, Sam...what was his name again?"

"It's San." Hongjoong pinched the bridge of his nose to control his patience with you, "Like I said, he's a great guy. I've already known him for years, and besides, I think it's about time you find someone to do all that romantic stuff with."

You eyed him suspiciously, "Hmm, that's weird, especially coming from you. You usually don't care about my relationships, then all of a sudden, you're doing this to me." Hearing no response from him, you nodded. "Don't worry, Hongjoong. I absolutely want nothing to do with any of your friends." You waved him off, moving your way up the stairs, when his next words made you halt in your steps.

"I'm setting you up on a date with San, no buts."

You turned to study his expression, and, oh, was he serious, "Why are you even so persistent about this? I don't get it, what do you gain out of it?"

Hongjoong walked past you, not bothering to look you in the eye. He thought that if he caught the look on your face, he might say things he wouldn't want to say. "Stop complaining and be grateful that I'm looking out for you."

You didn't fight back anymore, you didn't even know what to say after that. Hongjoong may not show his affection much, but whenever he does, he means it. He always does, and despite acting the way he does with his friends, he never fails to be the best older brother for you. Right now, he's being overprotective, and you wanted to know what made him act this way. You're his younger sister, after all.

-

Wooyoung let out a huff in disbelief at what Hongjoong was trying to tell him right now, "You're joking?" He placed both his arms on the headrest of the couch, looking across the room to where Hongjoong stood by the kitchen as he busied himself with some groceries.

"If I was joking, I wouldn't even bother doing this." Hongjoong entered the living room and found himself a seat beside Wooyoung, grabbing a can of beer from the coffee table before leaning back on the couch. "I'm setting you up with a friend of mine."

Wooyoung had no idea why Hongjoong suddenly proposed such a thing: setting him up with someone who he doesn't know, who might be a complete stranger to him, and someone who isn't you. He wasn't the type to reject being set up on dates; he enjoys that, but it's different this time. It now felt odd to him, it made him feel uneasy just thinking about seeing people who didn't match his energy and only liked him for his looks.

He didn't want to pretend to be someone he wasn't, he wanted someone to understand him for him. His thoughts led back to you, how you always challenge him with confidence, how you always have your guards up, and to the incident the night before, how soft your lips felt, and how he wishes to feel more.

"Thanks for the offer, dude, but I think I'll pass."

Because you like my sister?, Hongjoong thought, and he hated thinking about it even for a second. Both you and Wooyoung tried to reject the same offer, and knowing that something had happened the other night, he wouldn't let that go easily. "Come on, just go for it. You usually get hyped up for this type of thing, what changed?"

y/n happened, that's what changed. Wooyoung wanted to say, but it would sound like a sin coming from his own mouth. The thing was, he hated you. That's what he should be doing, hating you instead of imagining how it would feel to have you. All it took was one kiss and an attitude to leave a lasting effect on him, something he didn't know he could feel.

Then again, it wasn't so 'Wooyoung' of him to be like that. If he had accepted Hongjoong's offer, perhaps he could slowly forget about everything that had happened before. Maybe he could pretend that he didn't feel anything towards you. There's nothing to lose, right? You two weren't together anyway.

"Who even is this so-called friend of yours?"

"Oh it's just you, Emily." Wooyoung stared boredly at the woman in front of him, "Why did you even agree to this knowing it was me you're being set up with?"

The woman let out a sarcastic laugh, her hands busy stirring her now almost empty drink, "I didn't agree per se, especially when I knew it was you. In fact, Hongjoong forced me to in exchange for free lunch for a week and maybe a month if we keep this up."

Wooyoung found it very weird how his best friend was doing all this, and for what? Sure, Hongjoong would introduce him to women, but only if they were interested or if they wanted something. But this? Emily didn't even see Wooyoung as anything other than a mutual friend. Seriously, she had other things to care about.

"Hey, Wooyoung." Emily's voice brought him back to reality, and she noticed how distracted he had become since she spoke a few minutes ago, "If you don't want to do this, you can just tell me. It's not like I really care about the free lunch anyway."

He looked up at her, surprised at how she sounded concerned for him. Maybe she does care after all. "Oh, haha. It's not that, I was just distracted."

"Clearly."

Wooyoung laughed awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. Emily continued to observe the man who continuously fidgeted in his seat. she wanted to ask what bothered him so much, but she didn't want to pry into his business. Suddenly, her phone buzzed from the table, and she saw San's name pop up on the screen, so she excused herself to answer the call.

"Hey, Em...please save me." San sounded like he was in the bathroom from the echo of his voice.

"What's wrong? What happened?"

"Remember the date Hongjoong set me up with?"

"Yeah?"

"He set me up with his sister! His sister, Em! I can't believe this, I can't do this anymore." She can hear whines echoing on the other line, and San was clearly stressed about the situation.

Oh..."That's weird, why would he set his sister up with his own friend? I thought he hated that."

"Exactly!" San's voice got louder, and Emily had to move the phone away from her ear, "He even forced me to do this in exchange for food."

Emily's eyes widened at the realization, "Hold on." She looked back towards where Wooyoung sat at the table with a drink in hand, "I'm actually also on a date right now, but my date looks like he wants out. Wanna bring her here with us?"

And that's how you found yourself sitting beside Wooyoung with San and Emily across from you, staring at each other in awkward silence. San looked more confused than you and Wooyoung, while Emily shook her head and crossed her arms to her chest.

"Am I the only one who's aware here?" The lack of response confirmed her question. "Right, of course."

You and Wooyoung exchanged looks of confusion, and shrugged your shoulders. Emily sighed deeply before looking straight towards the both of you, catching you off guard. "Be honest, you two. Something happened between the two of you, no?"

She didn't miss the way your eyes widened at her question, and she smirked when she caught you right in her trap. "Knew it." It felt as if you were a deer caught in the headlights, and you could only hope that she wouldn't say a word to Hongjoong or you'd be dead. Emily stood up from her seat, slinging her bag and brushing her hair away from her shoulders. "I think my job here is done, the same goes with my cousin. Poor thing, he looks like he could cry any second now." San whined, causing Emily to laugh at him.

You, however, didn't know what to do, what to say, or how to act around the man beside you. Now that the two of them had left, you were again stuck in silence with the person you wanted to avoid so badly. No one spoke a word, all that was heard was soft breathing and the sound of other customers talking.

"Do you wanna go somewhere else?" Wooyoung turned to you with an empty look, "Since our dates ditched us, might as well spend the day together."

He wasn't wrong, and it wouldn't be wrong to spend the day with him after getting dressed up for a 'date' that was so painfully forced as if it would ever work out. It wouldn't. With that, you and Wooyoung spent the rest of the day at the arcade and the park, eating street foods and talking about each other's childhood memories. This went on for three more times with Wooyoung secretly bringing you home at the end of the day instead of San. You and him made an agreement with San and Emily to pretend that the dates went well to hide from Hongjoong the fact that you hang out Wooyoung behind his back.

As for Wooyoung, he wasn't as bad company as you thought he was going to be. He was actually pretty observant of your preferences, little habits, and how you react to certain things. He found them very intriguing and, as much as he hated to admit it, cute. You also noticed his little habits and how he always made sure that you were walking on the inner side of the sidewalk, pushing the door for you, and insisting on paying for the food despite your constant complaints about it. Nevertheless, he was fun to be with.

"It didn't work out with San? Why? Did he do or say anything to you, or is it the other way around?" Hongjoong bombarded you with questions after you mentioned to him how you stopped seeing San after the third 'date', "Tell me, y/n."

You couldn't tell him the reason why. If you did, you wouldn't see the end of his anger, and you understood why. You couldn't blame him, but he also couldn't blame you for enjoying Wooyoung's company either. What exactly could you say?

"Our personalities probably didn't match, and we barely have any common interests, so it wasn't going to work out even if we tried."

"Bummer." You heard Hongjoong humming beside you while you were busy washing the dishes at the sink, "There's probably someone else I can set you up with, maybe Yeosang? Mingi could work too."

You appreciate your brother's efforts in finding the right man for you, but the thing is, you didn't want anyone else. Your mind would always come back to the thoughts of his best friend, the man he warned you about. You only wanted him: Jung Wooyoung.

How could I want anyone else when Wooyoung treats me so well? He treats me as if I am worthy of being loved, being spoiled, and being alive. We may have started on bad terms, but that was in the past.

Wooyoung brought you lots of food to your place when you told him through the phone that you hadn't had dinner yet because you got too caught up in paperwork, and he would leave a note on top of it with the words "Finish this or I won't show up ever again. Goodluck :)" written on it. You made sure nothing was left on the containers, not even a grain of rice or a single crumb.

Wooyoung also went out of his way to borrow San's car in the middle of the night to drive himself to your friend's house, where you were. You had many drinks that night that you couldn't think straight anymore, so your friend told you to go home. Your first thought was to call Hongjoong, but because you were too drunk to think, you decided to click on the name at the top of the screen, the most recent person you sent a message to. The person picked up the call, but you were already asleep, so your friend answered the call instead. That's why Wooyoung was there in no time.

"Sorry for the inconvenience, we couldn't stop her from drinking." Your friend apologized to Wooyoung, while he gently carried you to the back of the car, so you could lie down.

"Don't worry about it, I'm just glad she called me."

Until one day, he changed your life. The day you realized you needed him by your side until your last breath, almost quite literally. Wooyoung was your angel, your lifesaver, and you would never let Hongjoong take him away from you this time.

You were on your way home late at night from a friend's house, and you didn't bother calling Wooyoung because it was only a few minutes walk to your place, except he knew better than to leave you in the streets at that time, so he forced you to tell him your whereabouts. If it weren't for his persistence, he might not be able to forgive himself.

He was already nearby where you were when he noticed a man in black strolling a distance behind you, his steps fastening in pace, ready to jump on you, and Wooyoung was alerted for your safety. As fast as he could, he ran in your direction before the man could lay his dirty fingers on you. He grabbed your wrist without warning and quickly pulled you faster to where your place was, making you shriek in fear until you slowly calmed down when you realized it was him. Wooyoung pulled you into a tight hug the moment you two entered your house, locking the door behind him. He was so relieved you were safe.

"Wooyoung...what's wrong?"

He didn't reply, he only hugged you tighter if it was even possible. "Hey, what happened? Why were you in a rush—"

"Don't." He let out a deep breath beside your neck, causing shivers down your spine, "Just...let me stay here with you tonight." He finally pulled back to look at you straight in the eyes, and you saw a mix of worry, anger, and relief behind his gaze, "Please."

Since then, he hasn't brought that incident up because it made him mad and he didn't want to remember the day that your life was at risk. He was just glad he was there to save you, and you were still standing beside him with a smile on your face.

"I don't ever want to lose you, y/n."

Unfortunately, Hongjoong had other plans. "How many times do I have to tell you to stay away from Wooyoung?" He was fuming, and it scared you, but you weren't going to give up just like that. "You cannot date him, you cannot love him."

His last words made your heart hurt. It might sound like the craziest thing if the old you said it, but you did love Wooyoung. He was more than just the man you fought with at a store or the man who kissed you at a club, he was the man who made you laugh so hard until your stomach would hurt and he was the man who made you believe in love again. Hongjoong just didn't see that, he didn't understand any of this. "Is that why you set me up with San, or are you trying to ruin everything for your friends?"

He walked up closer to you, but you didn't move an inch from where you stood, "Is looking out for you ruining it for my friends, y/n?"

"You didn't have to do this, Hongjoong. You could've just been honest with me, and it wouldn't have to reach this point."

"Oh, and if I were honest with you, would you really stay away from him? You think I'd believe that?"

Now, you were mad. You were hurt by his lack of trust in you, your own brother doubted your honesty. And I thought he cared for me, what about my feelings? I can't hide this any longer. "So, what if I like him? Is Wooyoung really that bad? Because, as far as I know, he did nothing but treat me with respect. I know we weren't in good terms at the start, but it's different now. If you think so badly of him, why bother being friends with him then?"

"Wooyoung as a friend and Wooyoung as a lover are two different things!" He now raised his voice with every word he spoke, but you didn't budge.

"And we are different people, Hongjoong. How sure are you that he would hurt me? You don't know him enough." He didn't know the whole story.

Hongjoong let out a huff of disbelief at your words, he couldn't believe what he was hearing from your mouth right now. "And you do? You know him better than I do?"

"That's not—"

"This is exactly why I don't want you near him!" You flinched at the sudden raise of his voice, and you wondered if the neighbors had heard him at how loud he was, "I don't want history to repeat itself, y/n. Can't you understand?"

You do. You knew exactly what he's talking about, and you didn't have the courage to fight back anymore. Hongjoong would do anything not to let you experience the past all over again, and you get that.

So the next day, you found yourself in another argument with Wooyoung this time. You told him you'd visit him at his place, but he had no idea what your visit was for. Your back was facing him as you tried to hide the pained expression on your face, you couldn't face him properly like this.

"We can't be together, Wooyoung."

"Why? Because of Hongjoong?" He stepped closer behind your back, "His opinion doesn't matter."

You closed your eyes to keep the frustration in, "It does, that's just how it is."

Then, silence. No one spoke a word for a few minutes, just the sound of breathing and his heart beating so loud that you hoped he couldn't hear yours. It was so painfully quiet that you wanted to turn and see his face, which admittedly calmed you down all the time, but you couldn't until he questioned you with a hushed voice.

"Why are you so mean to me? Why are you pushing me away after everything we've done together as if what we had didn't mean anything to you at all, as if I didn't matter to you."

"Please, don't say that."

"No, y/n. I want to know why you're doing this, why you're letting me go so easily—"

"Because the best way not to get your heart broken is to pretend you don't have one!" You finally turned to him, losing your composure as you let out all your frustration into your words, "Yet, here I am." You caught the way his eyes stared into yours with shock, curiosity, and worry, and you were afraid he would see right through it, so you quickly averted your gaze away from his.

To your surprise, he brought your chin up with his thumb and index finger to meet your eyes again. He didn't want to step boundaries, no. But the way you said those words with hidden anger and pain made him feel protective of you. He wanted to change your perception of love the way you did with his, he wanted to be the man who would treat you the way you deserve to be treated with utmost care, love, and respect. He never knew what genuine love felt like until he knew the real you.

In the most careful way possible, he asked, "Did someone hurt you before?"

His question brought back memories of your past—the past when your abusive ex-lover was still in your life. It triggered memories of your ex treating you so badly in any way he could: ignoring you when you drove hours just to see him, talking badly about you to his friends even when you were in the same room, blaming you when minor inconveniences happened that were caused by other people, and the worst one, slapping you on the cheek when you accidentally broke one of his figurine collections. Even though you were willing to replace it with the exact same figurine from the same store, he didn't have plans on forgiving you that easily.

His temper became shorter, he got more aggressive, and it actually got so bad that Hongjoong had to intervene by beating the hell out of your worthless ex and telling him off. Your brother made sure that man wouldn't step a single inch near your place and lay a single finger on you ever again. That's exactly why Hongjoong did all this: to keep you safe. He couldn't trust anyone to be near you anymore, not even his own best friend.

"What a douchebag. If I were Hongjoong, I would've made sure your ex wouldn't ever lay a finger on you because he'll end up without any."

As much as you wanted to smile at the thought of him being very protective, like Hongjoong was with you, you couldn't help but ask him a question that always bothered you whenever you and Hongjoong would argue about this. "Aren't you also like that...?"

Your question left him speechless, and he felt his heart shatter at your lack of trust with him the same way you felt with Hongjoong. He wanted to ask if you ever doubted his love for you, his actions, and his words. "And who the hell told you that? Who told you such a lie, y/n?"

"Ah...well, it's not exactly like that."

"No." Wooyoung's voice raised in anger, "I need you to tell me right now who told you that bullshit because I am nowhere near your asshole of an ex, I will never be that toxic and abusive." He brought a finger to his chest harshly, "I may look like this and act like this, but I would never ever hurt any woman like that...especially not the woman I love. I know I tease you here and there, but I have never intended to touch you or hurt you in any way, you understand?"

"Wooyoung..."

Wooyoung let out a loud huff at the realization, "If that's the reason why Hongjoong did all that, then we have a problem here. The problem isn't us having feelings for each other, the problem is him not trusting me as a friend, and he even made assumptions about me. How does that make me feel?" He took a deep breath to calm himself down before he lost his mind, "When I love someone, I would never betray them. Yes, I had my share of questionable experiences, but he probably doesn't know me enough to say that about me."

That's what you told Hongjoong too.

Wooyoung then turned to you, gently taking a hold of your hands and bringing them to his chest. "If you were to give me a chance, y/n, I can promise you that you will never experience pain, not even a scratch. What do you say?"

"Where is the idiot, anyway?" Entering Hongjoong's house, you stood in his living room with full determination.

"I'm right here." You turned to find Wooyoung standing awkwardly behind you with his hands behind his back.

You gave him a reassuring smile, "Suprisingly enough, I'm not talking about you this time."

Footsteps were heard from the stairs, and there, Hongjoong stood in confusion at the sight of you and Wooyoung beside each other too close for his liking. He looked at the two of you suspiciously as he asked, "Where were you and why are you with him?"

Wooyoung was about to speak up to explain on behalf of you, but you didn't give him the chance. "If I say that Wooyoung is my boyfriend, are you going to tell us to break up?"

Wooyoung almost choked on his saliva while Hongjoong's eyes widened in shock, and the two stared at you with silent questions, but you only nudged at Wooyoung to play along, which he immediately understood. However, Hongjoong was not amused. No, not at all. It was serious for him.

"Have you not learned anything?" Hongjoong moved slowly closer to you.

"We talked it out last night." And a few confessions too...and maybe a few kisses.

Hongjoong tutted, his gaze landing on Wooyoung, then towards your direction. "Oh, so that's where you were last night?"

"We didn't do anything bad, Hongjoong, if that's what you're worried about. We just talked, and even if we argue sometimes, I trust Wooyoung, you have to understand that."

It took Hongjoong a few seconds to process your words, and you gave him the time he needed. Hongjoong's eyes shifted between you and Wooyoung, sighing to himself afterwards. "Do you...really love each other?"

"Yes." You and Wooyoung quickly turned to each other after saying the same thing at the same time, but he broke the moment to continue his words.

"I would never hurt your sister in any way, Hongjoong. Why don't you trust me?"

Hongjoong quirked an eyebrow in his direction, "You really want me to answer that question?"

Wooyoung pursed his lips from that, but he continued to defend his side, he had to defend you and everything between you two. "No, but y/n is different. She makes me feel so comfortable, and hurting her would be the last thing I'd do. She's your sister, I don't want to lose you too."

That last sentence struck a part of Hongjoong's heart, and memories of their friendship together ran through his head. From the first day they met at a dance school to the fights they saved each other from, every ups and downs they experienced together, yet here they still were.

Wooyoung wouldn't want their 10 years of friendship to end because his best friend didn't trust him enough to date his sister, and Hongjoong wouldn't want their friendship to end either just because he wanted to protect you. Well, it was his fault. Hongjoong knew that, but maybe he was still so furious about what you went through in the past that he wanted to beat up every man that tried to get with you, even if it was his best friend.

"Okay, fine." Hongjoong finally replied after he thought about everything and realized that the two people in front of him, confronting him to defend their love for each other, knew what they were doing and the consequences that came with it. At the end of the day, you still make the decisions for yourself, and he was only your brother who would be there to protect you, not decide for you. "I won't intervene anymore, but if you hurt her even with a scratch, I swear, Wooyoung, I will make sure you experience worse. Got it?"

"Got it!" Wooyoung answered too quickly and enthusiastically to everyone's surprise, but you understood why, "But, where's my apology?"

"No apologies! Now, leave me alone." Hongjoong waved the two of you away as he turned to leave the room, heading back upstairs to his bedroom, where he came from earlier before you broke into his house.

You can hear Wooyoung's breath of relief from beside you, so you slowly held his hand and intertwined your fingers with his in reassurance to let him know that you were equally as relieved as he was. The warm smile on your face brought a much bigger smile to his. He hasn't felt this happy and proud of himself until today, and he was grateful he felt it with you and because of you. It would've sounded too cheesy and annoying to Wooyoung's liking, but when he was the one experiencing this kind of emotion, all that cheesiness wouldn't even matter at all because it felt too good. Love felt so exciting to him.

"From now on, I hope the only thing we would fight over would be for a bottle of champagne."

© dxnsangki | all rights reserved, do not translate or plagiarize.

[dxnsangki]

𝙨𝙦𝙪𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙤𝙣𝙚 — 𝘺𝘦𝘰𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘨

⤷ His overprotectiveness drove you away from him, and now he has to go back to square one, just like back in high school.

ex!yeosang ft. best friend!wooyoung, exes-to-lovers au, angst, fem!reader

warning ━━ implications of toxic relationship

word count ━━ 4.5k

a/n ━━ this felt rushed but hey, it's here.

𝗺𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁

You didn't know where or when it went wrong. Years of being in a happy and fulfilling relationship with Yeosang all went down the drain, and neither of you could save it. Not even a kiss could fix everything.

It's been weeks since you started noticing him acting a little too protective for your liking, and it felt like he was controlling you in many ways. Every night, the bed felt empty despite having him sleep beside you. You stopped giving him goodnight kisses as you pretended to sleep before he arrived home from work, and he didn't bother giving you one. The very apartment you were staying in was one of the goals you and Yeosang worked so hard to achieve, but it didn't feel like home anymore. So, what changed? 

"Seriously, Yeosang?" You huffed, staring intently at him. "You can go out and do whatever the hell you want with other people, but I can't?"

"y/n, you know why I'm doing this—"

"So, you make the rules now? Is that it?" You rested both of your hands on your hips, "You're treating me like a stubborn child."

"No, I'm just being protective of you." Yeosang sighed in defeat, letting his arms fall on his side.

You rolled your eyes, "Oh, shut up. You always tell me what to do, and it's starting to piss me off. I do what I want in this relationship, so stop acting like hanging out with an old friend is a sin." You let out a breath of disbelief, "I can't believe this is happening. I liked you a lot, Yeosang. I loved you, but you know, if it wasn't for your persistence, I wouldn't be in this mess here with you right now."

His eyes widened, shocked and deeply hurt at your words. He couldn't believe how easily you dropped those words without hesitation. It felt as if everything you went through together didn't mean as much to you as it did to him. "Did you really call our relationship a mess?" 

"Of course, you don't think it is. You think you're right all the time, and it's so unfair on my part. I got myself into this relationship because it made me feel alive, but now I just feel so suffocated." You tried your hardest to hold back the tears that were waiting to escape from your eyes, not wanting to show him how painful it was for you. "I want to breathe again, Yeosang. Let's end this..."

Yeosang stared at you with pain in his eyes, and in those few moments, he tried to understand how hurt you were that led you to the decision to end things with him. "Is that it?"

"Yes, I'm not going to waste any more of my time being under your control. This is not right; this isn't the love I needed." 

This isn't the love I needed. That line struck a part of his heart that made him realize how his actions were hurting you instead of making you stay in the relationship. He was so blinded by his ideas that he failed to understand your side of the story, and now he would never forgive himself for what he had done. He cannot turn back time; he cannot bring you back to his arms, nor can he go back to your heart.

The thing was, Yeosang had the biggest crush on you since high school because of your bright personality, how you excel in your academics yet remain humble about your achievements, and most especially, how kind-hearted you were to everyone. Because of that, many liked you too, and he felt conscious of his competitors, not knowing that the feeling had always been mutual. That's why, when he finally got to have you, he became overprotective because anyone could steal you from him (but you only wanted him).

[ flashback ]

You lived a typical high school life with friends by your side and a good academic record minus the high school romance as that was not really part of the picture at the time.

You were in the cafeteria, sitting at your usual table with your friend group: Yunho, Wooyoung, and Mingi. You had no idea how you managed to keep up with their pranks and loud voices until now. The four of you met during one class back in freshman year and stayed together as friends until senior year. Mingi had dated his current girlfriend for a year, while Yunho and Wooyoung? Not too sure. You, however, were stuck in a one-sided attraction to your long-time crush, Kang Yeosang.

Despite your friends' constant push for you to confess your feelings to him, you never made any move. Yeosang was one of the most skilled basketball players at the university; almost everyone on campus knew his name. Of course, many girls lined up to date him, and you were just one of the crowd. How would he even notice you?

Another reason why you never made a move on him was because of a rumor that circulated around the campus about how Yeosang had been talking to this one girl in his literature class for quite some time. There was no way you would intrude just to let him know of your feelings, despite clearly knowing he was attracted to someone else, and it wasn't you.

One random Tuesday, Yunho suddenly announced to the group that he had a girlfriend and had been seeing her for a month already. All of you were happy for him and his new lover, especially knowing that Yunho was the sweetest, most gentle, and joyful man you've met. 

"Awh shucks, I was too late." You joked, and everyone laughed at it.

Wooyoung smacked you playfully by the arm and pulled you closer to him, "What was that, y/n? I thought you liked Yeosang?"

"I do."

"So, what's stopping you?"

You sighed deeply, "Do you really think I have the slightest chance with him? That man has girls lined up for him; he even has something going on with one of his classmates, and I'm just a friend."

Mingi joined in the conversation as he munched on some bread in his mouth, "Girl, shut the hell up. You have a big chance with him, just make your move."

Your friends never tried to understand your reasons; they just kept on pushing and pushing and pushing until you were invited to a house party thrown by Wooyoung, having no idea who he had invited other than your friend group.

You met your other friend and someone from one of your classes, Choi San, who was also part of the basketball team. He was someone you were comfortable telling your secrets to (wooyoung-approved) and he frequently met up with you after classes. So here you were at Wooyoung's front porch, spilling to San about your feelings for his teammate and how you did everything to give him hints as suggested by your friends, but sadly, he didn't notice your efforts.

The thing was, he did. Yeosang noticed all the little things you'd do for him, abs how could he not when you had Wooyoung as a friend? He only waited for the right time to confront you about it, and maybe that time was tonight. 

"I don't know, San. I should just stop liking Yeosang, it's really going nowhere."

"Why would you stop liking me?" A new voice joined in from behind you and San, making you freeze in place when you realized who it belonged to.

San blew an awkward whistle before excusing himself from the two of you, and you cursed him so much in your mind for leaving you behind in this awkward situation. "I think I should go get a drink."

With that, you felt a figure replace San's seat beside you on the porch. His presence makes your heart race so much that you wouldn't be surprised if he could hear it, even with the loud music from the party going on inside the house.

"So...mind explaining to me what you told San earlier about not liking me anymore?"

Maybe it was the drinks, the music, or the way Yeosang stared into your eyes with excitement, but it made you so nervous that you let out all your thoughts and feelings to the person you shouldn't be telling them to. "Well, you never notice me even when we have mutual friends, and...you seem to have another girl's attention, so I don't want to get in the way if I ever did confess my feelings to you. You wouldn't date someone like me, anyway." Maybe he wouldn't even remember all this after tonight.

Yeosang let out a chuckle at your assumption, he found it cute that you knew nothing of the truth. "And who told you that?"

"Oh, uhm...I just heard it..."

Seeing that you were too nervous to answer his question, Yeosang decided to just go for it. He held your chin with his fingers and pulled you in for a gentle kiss, which caught you completely off guard, "Should I prove you wrong then?"

That's when everything started.

[ end. ]

It's been 3 months since you've last seen and spoken to Yeosang, and 3 months since you made the painful decision of breaking up with him. He tried to contact you and spammed you with text messages, but you wouldn't answer any of them. You managed yourself in those 3 months, and your friends and their significant others were there to comfort and cheer you up. Their company made the breakup less painful, and you couldn't be more grateful for them.

Mingi had invited everyone to his engagement party with his girlfriend, now fiancée, from high school, which everyone excitedly looked forward to. You were going to enjoy the party with nothing but support for your friend, even if it meant avoiding a certain someone. After all, your ex was still Mingi's friend, so he was going to be attending the same event.

You were so preoccupied with a conversation with your two closest friends, Wooyoung and Yunho, that you failed to notice the curious glances coming from across the room. Yunho's wife went to Mingi's fiancée to talk about marriage life, and when asked by Wooyoung why you weren't joining them, you replied with a simple "I haven't even been engaged yet; there's nothing for me to say."

The two nodded in understanding and immediately changed the topic. You learned that Yunho and his wife were planning on getting a house near his hometown while Wooyoung and San were in a happy and healthy relationship, and then there's...your breakup. Wooyoung's eyes landed on a certain someone from behind you, making his eyebrows furrow in annoyance. You and Yunho turned to where Wooyoung was looking, and of course, it was Yeosang standing there in a fitted dress shirt talking to Mingi with a proud smile.

A smile you once loved so much...and still do. 

"Sorry to break the tension, guys, but my wife and I have to go. We got busy days ahead of us, catch you both next time!" Yunho embraced you and Wooyoung in his long arms, laughing when Wooyoung tried to kiss him on the cheek.

As Yunho left the venue with his wife, Wooyoung then turned his attention back to you. "You want to stay over at my place? San doesn't mind you being there, and I think you need company tonight."

He wasn't completely wrong. Seeing Yeosang's face might've brought back memories you wanted to forget about, and although you convinced yourself you were over him, there was still a place in your heart that longed for his love. Moving on from a long-time crush and a high school sweetheart was not an easy thing to do. So, you accepted Wooyoung's offer as he led you out of the venue. 

The two of you greeted Mingi and his fiancée goodbye, hugging them in the process. Wooyoung told you to go ahead and wait for him inside his car while he calls for San, not knowing that he was going to confront the man he felt pissed off by. Wooyoung confronted a surprised Yeosang at the bar, where San was busy talking to a friend of his. 

"Hey, Wooyoung—"

"Listen, Yeosang. Just because we're friends doesn't mean I'll let whatever you did to y/n slide, so you better watch out." The way Wooyoung acted towards him made Yeosang remember the reason why he treated you the way he did, which led to your unfortunate breakup.

Back in high school, a lot of guys were attracted to you, and he even forget that he had girls lining up for him as well since he was quite popular on campus. Seeing you and Wooyoung were like attached to the hip, he even had thoughts that you and him were dating before the confession happened. All those insecurities came back in a flash, and he's back as the insecure and cowardly Yeosang.

-

You were currently sitting on the couch in Wooyoung and San's shared apartment, distracting yourself with a box of popcorn Wooyoung bought for you on the way home. The other two sat on either side of you as they listened to you open up about your thoughts and feelings. They made you so comfortable every time you shared personal problems that you weren't afraid of being vulnerable.

"It was a waste of time loving him." Those were the words you kept telling yourself out of frustration, but Wooyoung didn't want you to think like that.

"If it made you happy, then it was not a waste of time. It was a memory and a lesson too, you know."

"But he hurt me, Woo." You turned your body to face your friend with full attention, "It felt so unfair how I couldn't even love him properly anymore. He wouldn't introduce me to his friends or his family because he was scared. Like, what was he even so afraid of? Was he scared of showing me off because he's ashamed of me or that I wasn't satisfying him enough? That's not what I deserve after everything we've spent together."

San pulled you in his arms, "As much as I hate him for treating you like that, I'm sure he has his reasons. Maybe he just hasn't realized the impact of it yet."

Yeosang, on the other hand, had been drowning in regret since you ended things with him. He drank so much to forget the pain and tried to go to parties, but it didn't feel as exciting as it was before, and keeping himself busy with basketball was not helping either. It felt as if he had made the biggest mistake of his life, and it haunted him wherever he went.

The emptiness of his bed, the extra toothbrush you left behind, and the painting you gifted to him made him realize how he lost a part of himself when you left. It felt like he had to find ways to fix the broken relationship you two shared together and find the pieces of himself he lost.

Since Mingi's engagement party and the encounter with Wooyoung, he found himself spending sleepless nights trying to come up with ways on how to win your heart again. He knew confronting you upfront would never work because you hated serious confrontations, so he had to start somewhere else.

He went back to his parents' house, and his first step in his plan was to ask his mother how to love a woman properly—how to love you the way you should be loved. He took notes on what he could've done better, what he shouldn't do, and what to expect in a committed relationship.

He also tried to get the trust of your friends back, which took all the courage left in his body because he knew how they hated him after what happened, especially Wooyoung. The first time he initiated a meetup, Wooyoung immediately declined. The second time, he grew even more annoyed. In the third, Yeosang explained to your friends about his intentions, and although they appreciated Yeosang's efforts in trying to get you back, Wooyoung still wasn't completely convinced. In the fourth, San talked it out with Wooyoung about accepting the invitation, and it was a success. All your friends welcomed him back with the condition that he would never hurt you again in any way, which Yeosang promised them with all seriousness.

Now, it was time for the bigger challenge. Wooyoung had revealed to Yeosang where you've been staying after you left your shared apartment with him, and boy, did it give him flashbacks from the past. It felt as if he was back in high school trying to get the approval of your parents, which went on for years. 

Yeosang was nervously standing in front of your parents' house with a gift in hand, dusting off his shirt before he rang the doorbell. Your mother, who was busy with some chores, answered the door while your father was busy cooking in the kitchen. He knew you were at work around this time, so it was the perfect time to talk to your parents. The look she gave him was one of pure disappointment, which he already expected knowing how protective they were of you, their only daughter. Your mother didn't even let him explain the first time; she just closed the door on him, but he still left the gift on the porch. 

Just like with your friends, his visits to your parents' house went on for a few weeks until his consistency made your mother feel pity for the man. Yeosang never failed to put on a smile whenever she opened the door for him without letting him step an inch inside the house, but he didn't complain. Her accepting his gift and having the time to talk was enough for him; it was still progress.

That's why, when your mother suddenly invited him inside for some snacks that your father had made, he was utterly surprised. At first, he declined because he felt that he didn't deserve it, but your mother insisted that he stay for a bit, and who was he to decline such a rare offer?

"You know, when my daughter came home crying hard, it pained me so much. I told myself that I would never forgive you for what you did to her." Your mother spoke with a hint of disappointment in her voice, and it didn't go unnoticed by Yeosang.

"I understand and I'm really sorry for hurting her, Mrs. l/n. I deeply regretted it the moment she left, and I was a complete mess. I didn't get to tell her what my true intentions were, but then again, I never asked her how she felt about it. I couldn't blame her at all." Yeosang had his head down in guilt when he felt a hand on his shoulder, so he turned to see a reassuring smile from your father this time.

"We understand how you feel, Yeosang. I saw how much you loved each other; you even spent years trying to get our approval, right?" Your father let out a quiet sigh, "I saw how happy she looked talking about you, and it made me happy knowing that there was someone who would protect her, but I'm not in the place to forgive you. This is between you and y/n, so only she gets to decide what happens next."

His words finally brought a smile of relief to Yeosang's face, "I really want to fix everything with her, but I'm not too sure if she'll let me explain or if she even wants to see me like this."

"Did you talk to Wooyoung and Yunho about this?"

"Yes, I did actually." Yeosang couldn't help but laugh at how many attempts he made to earn your friends' trust back, "It took me four tries, but I'm grateful it went better than expected. Even if they don't trust me, it's y/n who I'm most worried about."

Your mother hummed in response, "Why don't you stay here until she comes back home from work? That way you two can talk."

Yeosang shook his head to refuse her suggestion, "Oh, I'll just visit some other time. I know she gets tired from work, and I don't want to disturb her. Thank you for the kind offer, Mrs. l/n."

"I understand, don't worry, and Yeosang?"

"Yes, Mrs. l/n."

"You can call me 'mom'."

-

You had called your mother earlier to inform her that you'd be home late because of a company dinner hosted by your boss. Hearing this, Yeosang decided to stay back to accompany your parents when your mother offered to teach him how to cook and spend dinner with them. However, Yeosang couldn't stop checking the time as the night became darker.

"It's already 10 p.m.; are you sure she hasn't called or anything?" Your father asked your mother in concern, but she only shook her head. 

"No, she hasn't sent any text either."

Just then, Yeosang's phone rang from his pocket. The screen showed Mingi's name, and he immediately answered the call.

"Hey, Yeosang. Sorry to bother you at this time. I don't know who else to call, but can you pick y/n up here at the office? She may have enjoyed the dinner a little too much, and everyone left already. I know you two aren't exactly on good terms right now, but I believe you're the safest to call."

So with no hesitation, Yeosang got his car keys and drove all the way from your parents' house to the building where you worked and back. Despite the traffic and the cold air, he made sure you were sleeping comfortably beside him as he lowered the seat a bit and covered your body with his jacket. Looking at your current state, he noticed that you were still the same y/n who needed to be taken care of, and he was willing to do just that.

-

You woke up in your room to a bad hangover, groaning in pain. Looking around, you saw a glass of water with a medicine beside it which you quickly took. You went downstairs to the kitchen and found a freshly made soup waiting for you on the dining table, so you consumed it in one go. 

"Thanks for the soup and the medicine, mom." You said when you saw your mother enter the kitchen.

"Oh, I didn't make that. A suitor of yours made those for you earlier."

That made the headache worse as you tried to process what she had just told you, "A suitor?"

"Yeah, a suitor. He's here actually, do try to check in the backyard." 

That made you stand up from your seat and walk up to the door that led to the backyard, where you saw a man running around with your dog. The scene flashed of a young Yeosang playing with your dog in the exact same place. He really was part of my childhood. You slowly stepped out, observing them from afar, until your dog ran up to you in excitement.

"y/n, you're awake. How was the food?"

"Yeosang, why are you here?"

"Ah, about that..." He scratched his nape, not sure how to explain everything to you without making you feel overwhelmed, "Mingi called me last night, saying you got too drunk at the company dinner, so I went to pick you up."

You looked down at your dog with a frown, "You didn't have to."

"Well, I had to. I wanted to."

"But, why do all these just now?"

-

"So, you did all that because you were scared?" You quirked an eyebrow at Yeosang, sitting beside him on the couch with your dog sleeping on your lap. "Why were you even scared, Yeosang? We've been dating for a very long time, but you always kept me a secret, you kept controlling me, and you left me hanging."

"I'm really sorry, y/n. You were always this girl who everyone liked, so when you said you liked me, it made me feel so ecstatic, but the thought that other guys could easily steal you scared me so much. That's why I was protective of you, but I didn't realize it became so much that I took your love for granted."

This time, you looked into his eyes, which were filled with regret, and you felt it. "Why didn't you just tell me about this? We could've easily worked it out."

Yeosang sighed, "I didn't know what I was thinking at that time. I messed up and I hurt you; it killed me thinking you'd never forgive me."

But it hurt you more seeing him so broken with the thoughts of losing you, so when you gently wrapped your arms around his neck to pull him closer for a hug, it felt like Yeosang's world became whole again. The way he returned the hug with more force showed how much he craved, missed, and needed that feeling. He missed you so much, it actually hurt.

From then on, Yeosang did everything to prove to you how he changed for the better. He would drive to work and back home, and despite being busy, he still made time to make sure you were safe. He would visit your parents during his free time to help with errands or ask your mother to teach his recipes you loved, and this became a routine until you finally decided to move back with him after thinking about it for a month. 

One day, you got home from work feeling so drained that you couldn't feel your back anymore from working overtime. Yeosang grabbed your bag from you and removed your shoes when you entered the apartment. You immediately laid down on the bed, not bothering to change your work clothes, and he joined in afterwards. To his surprise, you pulled him closer to your body to make yourself comfortable, as your eyes were about to drift to dreamland. 

"Am I forgiven now?" Yeosang asked in a hushed tone, not wanting to disturb you.

You groaned tiredly, "Give me a month to think." You could imagine the pout that appeared on his face, and you couldn't help but smile at that.

"That's too long~" A soft whine escaped his lips.

"Are you impatient now?"

"No, sorry." He snuggled closer to your chest, his hair tickling the skin near your neck. "Even if it takes a lifetime, I'll still wait for you."

"What if I say that you're forgiven?"

"I'll still wait for you- wait...really?!" 

The curl of your lips answered his question, and so he bombarded your face with kisses, causing you to laugh and push him away.

"I'm really going to wife you up right now."

"Hey! Slow down."

Yeosang positioned himself back to where he was earlier, resting his head on your chest while your hands brushed his hair softly. "I'm going to take my time with you, treat you better, and be the best man for you because that's how my mom raised me." He suddenly kissed your shoulder, "Who knows, you'll become a great mom too someday."

"Yeosang!" You felt your cheeks heat up, flustered by the idea, but he only laughed at your reaction, faking a pained expression at your reaction. 

"I was being genuine."

"You're so silly."

"I love you too."

"Really? Then go give me a nice massage."

"Yes, ma'am." Yeosang quickly sat up on the bed and positioned himself behind you, ready to deliver what you'd asked for. "Anything you want." 

You quirked an eyebrow at him playfully, "Oh, so now you do what I tell you to do?" 

"As long as it means I won't lose you again, I would do anything to satisfy you, love."

© dxnsangki | all rights reserved, do not translate or plagiarize.

[monstacheol]

Finally My Muse is coming along quickly than I thought it would be. 😭😭 No more writer blocks

[starrynightnikki]

✦⋆🍒.₊ ⊹Hongjoong behind closed doors✦⋆🍒.₊ ⊹

Pairing: Hongjoong x Fem!Reader

Warnings: Smut, dom!Hongjoong, relationship, penetrative sex, possessive!Hongjoong, hair pulling, choking, fingering, kissing, biting, multiple rounds, nipple play, reader is called a “good girl.”

Word count: 1,121

Summary: Hongjoong x reader sharing an intimate experience in the bedroom.

Authors note: This is my first story. Let me know what you think. I am open to suggestions/advice. Thanks for reading!

Whether in public or behind closed doors, Hongjoong has a possessive hand on you. It appears affectionate and sweet (and usually very clumsy), but in his mind, he is ensuring everyone knows what’s his. He’s careful with you, making sure you understand his devotion, but then the door closes and his eyes immediately darken with brazen lust. All of his former clumsiness seemingly disappears as he grabs your hips and walks you back toward the bed.

He wants to assume control, but he also hopes you will be needy for him, singing his praises and inflating his ego. “Joongie, baby, I’ve been craving you all day,” you profess, palming his growing bulge as he’s actively removing your clothes. “On your knees then, sweetie,” he insists, pushing you down by your shoulders. You go to unzip his pants, but he grabs your wrist and sternly removes your hand. “Let me, y/n,” he says firmly. He tilts your chin, forcing you to look up at him, his other hand pulling his cock from his jeans. “How badly do you want this, baby?” he asks, his grip on your chin more firm in an attempt to squeeze your lips into a pout where he promptly places the tip of his cock.

You try to take charge, to show him how badly you want him, attempting to wrap your lips around his shaft. He grips your hair tightly and keeps you steady as you take him deep, moaning around his length. He starts to lose himself in the pleasure, his hips bucking forward as he thrusts into your welcoming throat. This lasts for some time before he forcibly yanks you back, looking into your eyes as he holds a fistful of your hair. “Turn around. Hands and knees, now,” he commands, releasing your hair and guiding you as you get into position. He lovingly places kisses along your back, one hand wrapping softly around your throat as the other hand slides down your tummy, his fingers finding your clit and circling it slowly.

“Mm,” he growls, “you’re so fucking wet.” He dips his fingers into your wetness to coat them and then continues to rub your clit, his length gliding through your freshly soaked slit from behind. You moan deeply, begging for him to be inside of you, “Baby, please… I need to feel you.” His smirk widens and he intentionally slows his pace as he leans forward to whisper, his lips brushing the shell of your ear, “Don’t rush me, y/n. I’m taking my time with you.” Without warning, he plunges two fingers into your needy cunt, causing you to gasp.

He promptly silences you with a gentle yet firm squeeze to the throat, his fingers fucking you agonizingly slow. You begin to thrust against his fingers, your wetness evident from the squelching sound your pussy makes as you moan and tremble, your knuckles white from your tight grip on the headboard. His arm wraps around your waist, and he kisses your lower back, letting you use his fingers for pleasure. “Fuck, baby… you look so sexy like this,” he says to you, peppering your hips and bottom with wet, breathy kisses. He can tell you’re getting close, noticing your breath becoming more shallow, your body quivering, and your walls gripping his fingers tighter. He growls with desire, “Mmm that’s it, y/n. Use my fingers, baby. Just like that.”

You cum, your body stilling as your pussy pulses, his fingers still sliding in and out, his eyes locked in as he marvels at his cum-soaked digits. “Fuck…” he growls, delivering a playful bite to your hip before pulling you back so he’s able to lie down. He pulls your leg over his waist, his fingers forming a V shape around his cock, using your wetness to coat his shaft. Before you’ve even come down from your orgasm, he is sliding you down his length, both of you groaning softly in unison. “Oh fuck, Hongjoong… you feel so fucking good inside of me,” you praise as he pulls you in for a deep and passionate kiss. You ride him slowly at first, losing yourself in the fullness you feel having him so deep inside you.

His hands slide up and down your sides before settling on your ribs, his fingers dug in firmly as he guides you. He controls the pace, his eyes locked onto yours as he watches your face contort with pleasure. “Such a good girl, y/n. You look so beautiful,” he says, his signature smirk making you lose focus momentarily. He giggles at how easily flustered you’ve become, his hands sliding down to grip your bottom firmly so he can flip you onto your back. He focuses on kissing your neck, continuing his slow and deep thrusts. His thumb finds your clit once more, rubbing slow, firm circles as he continually hits your g-spot with his cock.

He knows what he’s doing, his pace consistent, his face scrunched in concentration as he works you toward orgasm number two. His tongue swirls your nipple, and it hardens immediately, making him smile and growl softly. Your breathing is ragged, your eyes closing despite wanting to look at his handsome face. Your head falls back, your jaw relaxed as you focus on the pleasure. “Mmm, cum for me, y/n. Let me feel you,” he commands. His voice is raspy and muffled as his lips stay firmly on your nipple. You cum, your eyes rolling back, crying out with pleasure as you rumple the sheets in your trembling fists. “Mmph. Joongie, baby, fuuuuck.”

Your eyes flutter open, immediately met with his gorgeous eyes looking back at you. He’s biting his lip, sweat dripping from his forehead as he furrows his brows in concentration, now fucking you harder and faster, his hands spread across your hips as he holds you firmly in place. He’s nearly silent as his eyes scan over your features. “You’re so good to me, Joongie. You always fuck me so good,” you praise, still blissful from your orgasm as he continues to thrust into you, chasing his own pleasure now. He smiles at you, clearly loving how eager you are to feed his ego.

He wraps his arms around you, pulling you close, burying his face in your neck as he moans softly, his cock throbbing deep in your pussy as he cums. You feel him continuing to thrust lazily, milking himself with your walls. His face stays nestled in your neck, delivering soft kisses and nuzzles as he remains buried between your thighs. You both lie there in silence, your fingertips gliding softly along his back to soothe him as you kiss his shoulder. “Thank you, my love,” he whispers against your skin.

[lycheekiiss]

C’mon— Wake up!

authors note જ⁀➴°⋆ heyy! im finally getting back into the rhythm of being able to post without genuinely disappearing off the face of earth. guys js stick with me. i got this gang. trust. :3 !!

ᝰ.ᐟ pairing : bf!wooyoung x gn!reader

ᝰ.ᐟ genre : fluff, slight comedy, wooyoo is js a babey! (pls get the joke)

ᝰ.ᐟ warnings : none rlly (pls tell me if there are..)

the world had to still be fast asleep. the ass crack of dawn was just near, the sun not clearly up and visible just yet, only soft peaks of subtle light visible. but the calm would only last so long.

even in your sleep, you could feel something or a specific someone would wake you sooner or later.

“hey! hey! c’mon! wake up.” an irritatingly cheery male voice chirps, hands shaking your shoulders. see? calm doesn’t last long around here.

the voice is muffled to you, almost like its distorted in your subconscious state of rest. your body moving with the shakes, but your mind still turned off. “hmm..?” you hum back lazily, not registering the words.

“ugh.. seriously! stop being lazy! get up.. c’mon.” the shaking continues, more insistent. “please…?”

a beat of silence passes as you drift back to sleep. the shaking stops and the voice dies down.

“..if you seriously dont wake up, ill make sure your butthole puckers right back up into your intestines.” the threat has a soft snort leaving you despite your lack of sleep and intense irritation.

lifting your hands to rub the sleep out of your eyes, the threat finally waking you up at the sheer stupidity.

as your peeling your eyes open, the world looks distorted and unfocused. just as you’re blinking your vision back, a jumpscare awaits you. a loud and surprised gasp leaves your lips at how close the man before you was. his face right up into yours, a brow raised towards you. “Wooyoung! what the hell-“

“hey!! youre finally awake!” your boyfriend gasps with a big bright smile on his face, clasping his hands to your cheeks as if he’d just resurrected you himself.

furrowing your brows at his excitement, “Wooyoo..if you don’t back your ass up.” you threaten lightly, except your voice holds a real threat.

he pouts big and dramatic but obliges and sits up any way. and just as he does so, you realize he was seated over you. his long legs on either side of your body. a deep groan leaves you at the mere sight of his proximity and his absolute audacity.

a beat of silence as Wooyoung stares down at you with an innocent smile gracing his ethereal face. damn him and his irritatingly jaw-dropping beauty. despite the innocent act, his eyes hold his true mischievous thoughts and probably his intentions.

you let out a deep sigh, shaking your head. “..baby, what do you want?” voice low and irritated.

“our show is about to play!” Wooyoung exclaims with bright eyes and a big smile. as if the movie was the most important thing in the world— because it was. you instantly shoot up from your languid position. “seriously? are you joking?” voice louder, immediately feeling wide awake.

Wooyoung recoils with a soft pout. “no- why would i lie about something so important! i told you last night, they play the movie at 7 sharp!” a grin appearing on his precious lips

before he can begin to say anything else, you gasp with excitement, “why didn’t you tell me earlier?!” you exclaim, stumbling out of your shared bed. the force of your sudden jump has Wooyoung falling back onto the soft mattress, a quiet ‘oof’ leaving him.

a small but quick ‘sorry!’ leaves you as you rush to the bathroom, quickly freshening up to watch the new series that had you and your boyfriend completely invested.

Wooyoung sighs with a soft pout watching you scurry off, his mind already wandering off to how to start the show for you.

after you come back out of the bathroom, the bedroom was already empty. was he watching the show without you? shaking the thought away, you rush downstairs to find Wooyoung.

as you reach the main floor the sound of the the tv echoes through the dim room. oh, so he was watching it without—your thoughts vanish as you find Wooyoung already facing you as if he knew when exactly you’d enter the room. his body seated lazily across the couch.

snacks, that he no doubt had collected while waiting for you, spread all over the coffee table. and him- oh, he looked oh so cute in his black hoodie, his hair messy in the best way possible. the hood just slightly slipped on his head. the giant tv on the wall was on and playing an ad.

“babe! come on already!! its gonna start!” Wooyoung’s booming voice snaps you out of your little trance. an excited grin plastered on his face. like he knew the amount of love you had for him. nevertheless, you beam back, moving quickly to sit beside him.

just as the show began to play, Wooyoung leans closer to you, his arms quickly moving to wrap around your middle, head tucked away into the space between your neck and shoulder. a deep content sigh from him. your own hand immediately finding themselves brushing through his soft hair and the other draping over his back.

the rest of your morning was spent cuddled on the couch, show playing, with soft giggles and laughter. small, soft shared kisses here and there. everything full of love, warmth and affection. everything with Wooyoung was always like that and it always would be. 𓏲ּ𝄢

⤷ credits to @saradika-graphics for the cutest dividers :3

[dxnsangki]

𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙖𝙜𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 — 𝘴𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘩𝘸𝘢

⤷ Who would've thought that meeting him at a co-worker's wedding would lead to opening your heart again?

manager!seonghwa x manager!reader, office romance au, co-workers, angst with a mix of humor + fluff, fem!reader

word count ━━ 7.6k

a/n ━━ another rewritten story because why not!

𝗺𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁

Weddings really weren't your thing; nonetheless, you definitely wouldn't miss your friend's special day. Today, Hongjoong was going to be newly wedded, and you were there to celebrate it as a good friend and co-worker of his for four years.

"Congratulations on your wedding, Mr. & Mrs. Kim." You turned to your friend's wife beside him and whispered, "You look beautiful, sweetheart."

She giggled at your compliment. "Thank you, y/n. You look stunning yourself, it wouldn't be a surprise if any of our guests found you attractive."

As if on cue, one of Hongjoong's friends came up to him and gave him a hug to congratulate him on his wedding. You glanced over at the man, and damn, he was young, fine, tall, and absolutely stunning. You returned your attention back to the bride until Hongjoong called your name.

"y/n, have you met Seonghwa?" Hongjoong gestured towards his friend, who lent his hand for you to shake. "He's one of the marketing managers of our company alongside Yunho and Jongho."

You had just remembered how big the company you're working for actually was because despite working in the same building as him, you have yet to meet with the man personally like this until now. You've definitely heard of his name before and seen him around the building, but never this close. You do admit that he's one undeniably good-looking man with a great physique and all. It wouldn't be of any surprise if the ladies in the room had their attention on him; you too would be staring.

"I've heard of the name." You took his hand and gave him a formal handshake, but before you could pull away, he brought your hand up towards his lips and placed a gentle kiss on the back like a gentleman.

"y/n's also one of the HR managers alongside San and Yeosang," Hongjoong added in between the conversation.

Seonghwa knew you. In fact, he had been keeping an eye on you ever since you both crossed paths last week when Yunho had a talk with you about important matters. There was something about your professionalism and aura that drew him in to you.

"Pleasure to meet you, y/n."

"Likewise, Seonghwa."

After a few more seconds, he finally let go of your hand. The newlyweds excused themselves from the two of you to go talk to their other guests, leaving you alone with the handsome rich man beside you.

[ 1 hour ago... ]

Earlier that night at the reception, you were busy engaging in a conversation with your best friend, Yeosang, and his friend, Wooyoung, from the sales department.

"Wooyoung's got the brain, but I sure do have the looks." Yeosang shrugged with confidence.

You tittered, and Yeosang turned to you, offended. "Yeah, right." Swirling your wine glass around lightly, you stared at the distance.

There was a moment of silence before the wine glass was removed from your hand by Wooyoung, and you looked up at him in confusion. "What—"

Yeosang didn't even let you finish your sentence when he suddenly pushed you towards the middle of the room where other young women gathered. Soon enough, you realized that it was now time for the awaited bouquet toss by the bride, which you honestly didn't want to participate in.

You turned to the two men standing in the same place and gave them a look askance, only to receive teasing grins in return. They have to treat you to a meal someday as a reward for this because there's no way you're doing this without anything in return, and they knew you didn't like these things.

The audience started to cheer louder, and the room was filled with excitement, which brought you back to your current situation. The bride got ready to toss the bouquet backwards, and the other women got ready as well, except for you. Instead of attempting to catch the bouquet, you just stood behind, watching as one of them happily caught it. You clapped for the person and immediately returned to your previous place with your friends. Without speaking a word, you took back your wine glass from Wooyoung and drank the remainder of it.

"You didn't even try," Yeosang commented.

"Nothing worth trying for."

Little did you know that somewhere amongst the crowd was a pair of intriguing eyes following you since they first saw you during the ceremony.

[ end. ]

"So, how's work in the HR department?" Seonghwa asked as he grabbed a glass of champagne from the table nearby. "I heard from Hongjoong that work has been quite packed there lately."

You crossed your arms and leaned on the wall behind you. "Work is fine, like usual, just managing the employees' tasks and sorting a handful of files, though he's not wrong. We've been getting a lot of applications, so we're trying to get it done as soon as possible," you answered. "How's work in the marketing department? San told me that the sales increased like crazy because of the managers."

He chuckled in amusement before replying to your question, "Well, it's quite fun actually. More laughter than pressure, especially when you have Yunho in your team." He took a sip of his wine. "Regarding the increase in sales, it was both an unexpected and also expected result. It wasn't our plan to show our faces in the product advertisement, but the CEO thought that Yunho, Jongho, and I would make a good image of the company if we did. So, there's that." He ended his explanation with a shrug.

"I understand why the sales would increase," you muttered to yourself, which didn't go unheard by Seonghwa, and he smiled at your remark.

"I guess I'll see you around the company then?"

"Sure, that'll be great."

Seonghwa finally bid you goodbye and went to join his friends at one of the tables across the room. It was nice talking to him tonight, but you were afraid of the possibilities of the 'what ifs' with him. You were afraid of history repeating itself, and as much as you felt intimidated by his presence alone, the pride you had managed to build for yourself wouldn't allow you to look weak in front of him. Lowering your pride wasn't something you'd do for a man.

You just have to watch out for those intriguing eyes.

"I think I got all the necessary information from you, which ends our interview. We'll give you a call for any update, so just stay hopeful for now." You clicked your pen closed. "Thank you for making it here today, Ms. Choi. You may leave the room now." You stood up from your seat as the applicant thanked you and left the meeting room.

Finally, you finished interviewing the last applicant for the day. It was your task to interview applicants, whereas San was in charge of evaluating the employees' work performance in the company, as well as their compliance with the policies. He was one intimidating evaluator, making most of the employees nervous whenever he checked up on them. On the other hand, Yeosang was in charge of conducting trainings for employees and handling the onboarding process of the new hires.

It was already time to clock out for the day. With Yeosang's arm resting around your shoulders, the two of you made your way towards the lobby. This was your daily routine with him, as he was your ride home and, at the same time, your roommate. If it weren't for his humor, intelligence, and willingness to share a room with you, he would've been kicked out of the apartment a long time ago. With that being said, you're stuck with him for who knows how long.

To both your and Yeosang's surprise, San appeared from behind, wrapping his arms around the two of you. "Hello, my favorite people."

Yeosang flinched, bringing a hand up on his chest to calm himself down while San laughed merely at him. You turned around to face San properly only to catch two familiar faces approaching him: Mingi from the finance department and Seonghwa.

San pulled you and Yeosang closer, but the latter removed himself from the former's arms in annoyance. "Lies, we all know your favorite is Mingi," Yeosang huffed, fixing the rolled sleeves of his buttoned-up shirt.

"He is Seonghwa's favorite, for your information. Besides, I give you free food most of the time, so be thankful for me before I bite you," San threatened, and Yeosang immediately clung onto him.

You shook your head at their playful banter. "What's the occasion anyway?"

"The three of us are going out for dinner, and since I'm such a good friend, I'm inviting you two to join us. The more, the merrier. You guys down?" San pointed towards Seonghwa's direction. "His treat, by the way."

"Lost another bet?" Yeosang asked expectantly, and when San nodded, followed by Mingi's chuckle, he laughed at the confirmation. "Count us in."

You quickly turned to Yeosang, "I haven't even decided yet."

"y/n," Yeosang wrapped an arm around your shoulder, "Do you really think you have a choice?"

"Yes—"

"No, exactly. You're either coming with us or you're going home alone. You wouldn't turn down free food, would you?"

"I guess not?" You answered unsure.

Not wasting any more time, he led you towards his car while the other three walked to Seonghwa's car since the restaurant was a few minutes away from the company building. Yeosang drove behind Seonghwa, and upon arriving at the place, San was the first one to find a table for the five of you. You waited for Yeosang to exit the car so that you could enter the restaurant together with him. This was why many of the employees would think that the two of you were dating when, in reality, he's more like a brother to you, and the same goes for him.

Mingi sat in between Seonghwa and San on one side of the table, while you and Yeosang sat on the other with Seonghwa sitting across from you, which made it a bit awkward for some reason. So, you tried to save yourself from the embarrassment of staring into his distractingly handsome face. It was just a few minutes of dinner and chitchat, then you could go home and jump straight into the softness of your bed. You were sure Yeosang wouldn't stay long, so you had nothing much to worry about.

Soon enough, you found yourself in a casual conversation with everyone, laughing at their jokes and cringing at the story of Yeosang's encounter with Junghoon, an employee of the research department alongside Hyunwoo, and how Junghoon caught Yeosang spilling his drink on Hyunwoo's table when he came to visit their office. He was lucky that Junghoon was on a lunch break that time and wasn't in the mood to talk about it, so Yeosang had time to clean up the mess as quickly as he could. You could only think of Hyunwoo's reaction if he found out about it. Yeosang would be traumatized.

You were so lost in the conversation that you weren't aware of your surroundings. Yeosang, being his observant self, noticed the way Seonghwa had been glancing at you from time to time, which he wasn't so slick with. You felt a slight nudge from beside you, and Yeosang gestured his head towards the man across from where you were seated. Following his direction, your eyes met Seonghwa's, and he gave you a smile in acknowledgement, although deep down, he was flustered for getting caught by your best friend. Your heart raced a bit at that, but you still managed to return the small action.

You turned back to Yeosang, who had a teasing smirk on his face, and you mouthed, "No." You brought your attention to your unfinished drink and pretended that it was nothing, missing the look Yeosang gave Seonghwa. Pretend all you want, it still doesn't change the fact that the look he gave you wasn't nothing; there was meaning to it.

After showing the newly hired girl, Jane, around the building and introducing her to some of the workers you've walked by, you two stopped outside the marketing team's office. "This is the office where you're going to work starting today."

"Thank you for showing me around, miss y/n."

"You're welcome. Let me call on your manager so he can explain to you further about your tasks."

You carefully knocked on the door and waited until someone finally opened it. "Oh, hi." Yunho greeted as soon as he opened the door and saw you standing there with Jane. "You must be the new girl, Jane?"

She nodded. "Yes, sir. That's me, Choi Jane."

He extended his hand to her, which she accepted, and they exchanged a formal handshake. "Great, I'm looking forward to working with you. I'll introduce you to the rest of the team."

As Yunho had opened the door to their office, Seonghwa's voice was suddenly heard from a distance. "Jane?!"

Jane mirrored his reaction, "It's the Jane you know."

"Glad you made it to the team." Seonghwa embraced her in a friendly hug.

Pulling away from each other's arms, Jane nudged him playfully, making him laugh. "Learned from the best." Even his laugh sounds attractive.

They conversed for a while before moving forward to introduce Jane to the rest of the marketing team, as you and Yunho awkwardly stood near the office door like an audience.

When Jane moved away from Seonghwa, that's when he finally took notice of your presence. "Thanks for showing her around, y/n."

Your hands unknowingly clenched onto the clipboard you'd been holding when he spoke to you for the first time today, "It's my job."

Yunho led Jane inside the office, and Seonghwa followed behind, stopping for a moment to glance back at you still standing there in your previous place. You thought that he was waiting for you to leave, but you realized that you'd been standing there longer than you should have been. Giving him a slight nod to excuse yourself, you began walking away from the office to start your next task of the day.

"y/n." His voice made you stop in your tracks and turn back to face him, who already had his eyes on you.

"Yes?"

"See you at the dinner party tomorrow."

You and Yeosang luckily made it to the venue right on time for the dinner party. You would've arrived here earlier if he hadn't fallen asleep in the afternoon, because even after spending hours putting on your dress, which he had picked for you to wear, and getting your makeup and hair done by his own sister, who volunteered to help you look presentable tonight, you still finished preparing before him.

Back at the party, both of you found your table with San and Mingi. The HR and finance managers were grouped at a table, while the sales and marketing managers shared one.

"I'm surprised you two made it on time," Mingi commented upon your arrival.

You brushed off your dress and sat down on your seat between Yeosang and Mingi. "If it wasn't for Yeosang's sister, we'd still be at home."

The event proper happened for the next hour. There was a simple toast for the company's ongoing success, and at the end of the CEO's speech, everyone in the room clicked their glasses together and applauded for him. Seeing the CEO up on stage with all the workers congratulating each other for their hard work and realizing how far you've all come made you grateful for the people you've worked with and the memories that came along with it. Here's to more years with the team.

Dinner passed by in the blink of an eye. You were probably just hungry enough that you finished your food quickly. The table you were sitting at was now empty, as the men who were previously eating dinner with you had transferred to the others' tables to chat and drink with them, while you stayed back to rest for a bit and digest the food inside your stomach before moving around. You got lost in your thoughts, thinking about work, monthly bills, and...Seonghwa? No, erase that. Why would you even think of him at a time like this? You should worry about the unopened files in your email.

"Why are you sitting here alone? You should enjoy the party." Yunho came up to you with a concerned look.

You shook your head in refusal. "It's fine, Yunho. I'm not really in the mood to party right now."

He sighed disappointingly, sitting down on the seat beside you and bringing you closer by the shoulder. "Come on, this is a party that doesn't happen often. Why don't you join us over at our table? You'll enjoy it there. Yeosang's about to get tipsy, by the way, so you better stop him or you won't get a ride home."

This is why he's in the marketing department; he's good at attracting and persuading people. You moved back a little and raised an eyebrow at him. "You could've stopped him yourself?"

"I don't take 'no' for an answer, y/n."

Without answering your question, Yunho pulled you up by your wrist towards their table, where Jongho, Yeosang, and Wooyoung were drinking and laughing too loudly at some joke Wooyoung made up. Yunho made you sit beside Yeosang, who unknowingly rested his head on your shoulder as he continued to laugh his head off. Fortunately, he wasn't tipsy yet, and you also wouldn't allow him to drink more.

Looking around the table, you noticed an empty seat beside Yunho's, which you soon figured was Seonghwa's. It was a normal instinct for someone to look for a missing person, and that's exactly what you did. You scanned the room for any sign of his presence, and there he was, standing across the room in all his glory, in a suit that perfectly wrapped around his figure and slicked-back hair that made his handsome face stand out in the crowd more.

It looked like he was talking to someone, and when you peered over where he stood, Jane came into view, and you watched as they conversed comfortably. Similar to how you and Yeosang act around each other, they were continuously laughing at who knows what, and maybe it was the drink kicking in your head, but you somehow felt the weird feeling again along the lines of jealousy.

They could be close friends, probably past lovers, or someone who you'll never be. However, even if you deny that feeling, you can't brush off the fact that your mood instantly fell after seeing the scene from afar. You brought your attention back to the table and tried to catch up with Wooyoung's story about...what was it again? Right, his friends back in his hometown. Yunho was laughing so hard that his laughter made you laugh as well, distracting you from your thoughts at least.

"Are you sure it's okay with them?"

"Why wouldn't they be? They're my friends, Jane. They'll understand."

After their fun and friendly conversation, Seonghwa had asked Jane to sit with him and his friends at their table to have more company. But before he could even reach the table, he slowed down his steps to take in the sight of you in your pretty dress that complimented your body and how your hair fell down your shoulders smoothly. You just got back from the restroom and sat back down beside Yeosang, joining in the fun, which you found yourself enjoying. You looked simply stunning in his eyes, gazing over you to admire your beauty amongst the crowd.

Jane had already reached the table and turned back to catch Seonghwa's distracted self. It's not the chase he loved, but you as a person and the thrill that you bring to his heart whenever and wherever he sees you. Seonghwa may look intimidating, but he's a warm-hearted friend and lover behind his looks. Only if you weren't so in denial with your feelings, would this somewhat mutual connection have progressed into something more than just stolen glances.

San managed to successfully ask you to fetch him coffee from the break room because you had a longer break time today while he had to do his usual duties. You only ever go to the break room either during lunch or snack break, but not much in the early morning. Not that you were expecting anyone to be in the room at this time, but you didn't think you'd coincidentally find Seonghwa in the same room as you after last night at the dinner party.

He stood by the coffee machine, currently in the middle of making himself coffee. He turned to you when you entered the room and was about to greet you, only to be greeted by silence and your body passing by on its own. Although you really didn't mean to ignore him like this, your pride was hurt, and you were aware that you had no valid reason to act this way towards him. Clearly, there was nothing going on between the two of you, and you even kept denying your feelings, so what is this?

You sat down on the sofa waiting for him to finish his turn on the machine so you could use it to make San's coffee afterwards. Seonghwa moved to the side with his finished coffee, so you proceeded to make your way to the machine this time until his question made you halt.

"Why are you ignoring me?" he asked with little optimism, and you could only hum in response.

From your peripheral view, you noticed that he was looking right at you and waiting for a concrete explanation. You didn't answer; you couldn't. This wasn't the right time to disclose your unclear emotions to him. It will only lead him on and hurt him with the idea that the special connection between you two ended before it even started.

"I asked you a question."

"I'm not ignoring you." Typical.

"You were."

"Sorry then."

"y/n." he called your name in a more serious tone.

Not wanting to deal with this at this early time, you continued making the coffee. Having to wait for it to actually finish, you realized that you were stuck with him alone in this room with nowhere to run or hide, just the consequences of having to face him. You stood in silence in front of the counter and avoided his gaze as much as possible, only for your body to be spun in a quick motion by his strong hold on your shoulders. There he stood in front of you, observing you with a serious look.

"What did I do wrong?" He questioned you.

"Nothing," you replied, turning your head to the side as if to check on the coffee's progress.

You can hear a sarcastic scoff from him, and even though you knew how he was slowly becoming impatient, you still couldn't get the courage to confront him about the whole thing. "Then why are you acting like this? I don't remember you being like this with me, y/n."

You let out a sigh, "I'm just not in the mood, okay?" The more he questioned you, the more you lost your own patience, but you had to keep it together, at least for a few more minutes.

"Is it because of me?" Yes, it's all because of you.

"No." you denied once again.

The room became silent. No further questions were asked, just your breath combined with his, and you wondered what his next move was. Well, this wasn't what you had expected to happen at all. Seonghwa moved his body closer, causing you to back away and hit your lower back against the counter behind you. You rested your hands on top of the counter to try and move back further away from him, if that was even possible, yet he still trapped you between his body and the counter with his long arms.

"What are you doing, Seonghwa?"

This time, he didn't respond to your question to see how you would react if he did the same thing. He brought his face closer to yours to tease you, his breath fanning over your face, making you instinctively close your eyes shut.

A chuckle left his lips after seeing your cute reaction. "I was just messing with you, y/n."

Unbelievable. He thought it was funny, whereas you thought otherwise as you glared at him. Angry wasn't the right term, and neither was annoyed, but you were disappointed when he said that. "If that's the case, then let me go."

He didn't. Seonghwa kept your body in place between his arms, studying every detail of your appearance closely. His eyes landed on your rosy lips, and he imagined how they would feel on his own. To put it simply, he wanted to kiss you on the spot. As for you, you blamed him when your eyes went to his lips momentarily before looking back up at his busy eyes. He returned the eye contact, and this little interaction brought weird butterflies in your stomach. Moreover, your breath hitched when he finally responded, "You know, you looked extra beautiful last night."

Tension arose, his enticing lips distracting you from the meaning behind his simple words. 'Thank you' is usually the appropriate response to compliments like that, yet you did something no one had expected you to do at all, not even yourself. Either it was the building tension or the lack of space, you had no idea where you got the confidence to cup his face with both hands and bring him closer to you until your lips crashed. His eyes widened at the sudden action but immediately melted into the kiss like sugar melting into coffee as he closed his eyes to savor the moment better.

Two pairs of lips dance together in an empty room with forgotten coffee. Your arms found their way around his neck to bring him even closer than before, while his hands rested on your waist. This exchange made you lose track of time. Your mind was just full of him, his lips, his touch, and the emotions he released from it. Neither of you wanted to let go. If possible, you two could stay that way for as long as you want, living in the moment and forgetting all the problems in the world. Sadly, there is an end to everything that starts.

The coffee machine made a noise, which meant that the coffee you made had finished. Despite Younghoon's attempts to keep you steady by putting pressure on your waist to make you stay, you still pulled back from the kiss and pushed his body away from your chest just enough for you to make your way towards the said machine. His gaze followed you and watched as you finished preparing the coffee, which was your intention here in the first place. There were only a few seconds left until you completely finished, and he could only stand there with mixed feelings. He didn't have the courage to ask you to stay; he couldn't, and he had no right to.

"You're leaving now?" Seonghwa spoke up before you could exit the break room.

Even after what had happened a few seconds ago, you answered without sparing him a glance. "I have to take this to San and go back to work." And just like that, you left him standing there in the room with his longing heart that wanted to chase you and get back to your unfinished business.

You blamed San for putting you in this situation because this would've never happened if you hadn't crossed paths with Seonghwa at the break room. The coffee didn't even feel hot anymore for you as the warmth went straight to your heart.

He only hoped that you wouldn't turn cold towards him just like his now cold coffee.

Yeosang, your best friend and roommate of almost 4 years, noticed something different. Not only him, but even Mingi felt the unusual tension radiating from you. They thought of every possible reason for it, but Yeosang only came up with one, and that was being a man, one from the other department specifically.

He remembered San asking you to make his coffee the other day and you returning to the office a few minutes later in a bothered mood as if something had happened in the break room while you were there. Moreover, he knew too well that Seonghwa always went there to feed his daily caffeine consumption. Put two pieces together; there's only one way to confirm the assumption.

"You've been feeling down since you brought San's coffee the other day, y/n. Does this perhaps have something to do with Seonghwa?"

"What? No." You grimaced at his question.

"You sure?" Mingi added.

"Yes, I'm sure."

"Like, really sure?" Yeosang moved closer towards you until there was almost no space left.

"I just lack sleep, that's all." You kept denying their assumptions obstinately, not in the mood to talk or think about the said incident.

Yeosang tutted in disappointment; he didn't believe your words because he was your roommate, obviously. He knew that you sleep earlier than him, and he didn't think you lacked sleep either. "Don't come at us one day and say, 'Surprise, I'm dating Park Seonghwa,' because I'm not taking it."

"Listen, Yeo." you started in a convincing tone, "I don't date; I work."

You, Yeosang, and Mingi were at the break room taking a snack break and having this uncalled conversation. The two men, who you're unfortunately stuck with, continued to pester you with questions about the situation Yeosang assumed in hopes of getting you to spill the truth.

"So you're saying that those stolen glances mean nothing to you?"

You shrugged defensively. "I don't think it means anything to either of us; it could just be a coincidence."

Not when they keep happening; they aren't.

"You're smart." Yeosang stood up from his seat with a cola can in hand. "But, somehow, oblivious."

You weren't oblivious. In fact, you kissed Seonghwa in this very room you are in right now.

"Lower your pride, y/n. That pride of yours will only hurt you when it gets too much." Mingi stood up as well and cleaned up the trash on the table.

You acted as if you were listening to them boredly, but their words made you ponder the situation at hand. There was some pride inside your heart that pulled you back from taking the opportunity of trying things with Seonghwa, and it wasn't something you could easily control.

Walking through the hallways of the building, you passed by the marketing team's office until someone caught your attention. Seonghwa stood outside the door with Yunho beside him, patting his back to calm him down. There you noticed the angry look on Seonghwa's face, but you had no idea what could've been the reason behind it.

Seonghwa rubbed his forehead out of frustration, and as soon as he looked up, the first person he set his eyes on was you. You stiffened at his intimidating gaze, and, as much as you wanted to leave, it was still your duty as an HR manager to resolve any conflicts among the employees. You had to be professional on company grounds, so you calmly walked up to the two marketing managers.

"What seems to be the problem here?"

Yunho opened his mouth to respond but was immediately cut off by Seonghwa's deep glare towards him. "I think Seonghwa should explain this to you himself." Yunho managed to speak out before going back into their office.

"What's the issue?" you asked once again.

Seonghwa huffed and averted his eyes. "It's between my team and me. Just go back to work."

"And it's my job to fix whatever this conflict is, so please explain," you retorted, moving to his view.

Seconds of silence passed, and seeing that neither of you were going to give in, he sighed in defeat and gestured his head to the other end of the hallway you two were standing in.

"Let's talk in the break room."

He led the way towards the oh-so familiar room, where things that weren't meant to happen happened, and you followed behind him. Upon entering the said room, you sat down on the couch across from where he stood, and soon, he sat down on the couch across from you.

"Talk when you are ready," you told him as you sat firmly on your seat, arms crossed over your chest.

Seonghwa leaned back on his seat and turned to you with a serious look. "That Bea girl from the marketing team, do you know her personally?"

"She's an old high school classmate of mine. Why'd you ask?"

He laughed incredulously. "Who does she think she is to make such comments about you?" He muttered to himself, yet you still heard him in that quiet room.

You were taken aback by his sudden question. You didn't expect him to say anything like that, especially something that involved you. "What does this have to do with me?"

"I know this isn't my place to react like this because we haven't even had a proper conversation for a week now." He paused momentarily, contemplating whether he should just spill what's bothering him or not. "She called you inappropriate names, and I wasn't having it."

Admittedly, you appreciated him for standing up for you behind your back, but you had to be professional with the matter. "I appreciate the concern, Seonghwa, but she's still a good member of your team, and her words won't affect me at all, whatever they may be, so you should move on from this." Noticing his lack of response, you added, "If there's nothing else you'll add on, then let's call this a day." You checked the time on your watch. "We're clocking out in about an hour."

As you stood up from your seat, ready to leave, Seonghwa finally asked the question that had been running through his head since the kiss you shared with him in this same room. "Did you mean it?"

"Mean what?"

He looked up at you directly in the eyes. "The kiss, did it mean anything to you?" He enunciated his words so that you could remember what he was trying to say.

Yes, it did mean something to you as much as it did to him. However, you couldn't tell him that. Not at this time, at least. "We're at work; we shouldn't talk about this." You were clearly avoiding talking about what had happened that day.

Seonghwa sneered at your response, "No difference with kissing me at the break room."

"Let's not mix work with personal affairs," you dismissed, proceeding to leave the room to escape from the tension that was rising.

-

"What took you so long?" Yeosang asked as soon as you entered the office an hour after the break, catching the bothered expression on your face again.

"Had to talk to some workers about a misunderstanding."

"Alright..." He trailed off, staring at you suspiciously. "I have to go meet up with someone, but don't worry, I can ask Seonghwa to drive you back home."

"It's fine, Yeo. I can take the bus." You instantly refused the idea, not wanting to be near Seonghwa any more today.

You weren't sure if Yeosang had asked Seonghwa specifically because he suspected something was going on between you two, or if Seonghwa was simply the only person he knew who drives their car to work. What you were sure of is that you were taking a bus or a taxi back home to the apartment.

You clocked out after a few minutes, exiting the building with your bag and heading your way to the nearby bus stop when an unknown car stopped in front of you, alarming you of a possible danger. The window rolled down to reveal none other than Seonghwa, the owner of the said car. He had one arm resting on the window on his side with his fingers playing with his fringe, while the other rested on the steering wheel.

With a serious tone, he commanded, "Get in."

You tutted at his boldness, "Thanks for the offer, but I'd rather take the bus."

"Yeosang's order, get in. I'm bringing you home."

You stood your ground to see if he'd give up on you, but seeing that he had no plans to leave and remembering that Yeosang would definitely scold you if you didn't listen to him, you were left with no choice but to comply and get inside the passenger seat of the man's expensive car. Seonghwa waited until you fully wore your seatbelt, then started the drive back to your apartment.

The ride home was silent all throughout, and you were spacing out so much that you didn't notice you had arrived outside the apartment. You unbuckled your seatbelt and waited for him to unlock the car doors, which he did not do. Not wanting to start an argument again, you just sat there in silence with your hands on top of your bag, waiting until he decided to let you out of there.

Seonghwa, on the other hand, only turned to look outside the window with no words being spoken. He was contemplating whether to bring up the topic earlier at the break room or not talk about it any further, but he did anyway because there might not be any other time for this conversation to happen.

"What does this mean to you, y/n?"

"I don't know..."

You heed the way his fists clench around the steering wheel, making the atmosphere gloomy and tense.

"The kiss, the glances—do they not mean anything to you at all?" He continued to try until he got the answer or confirmation he needed from you.

"They do." You admitted it, and there was the answer he needed.

Turning to face you, he observed your expression. "Then, why does it seem like they don't? Like it was just the spur of the moment. Do you even have feelings for me, or were all those signs just lies?"

"It's just..." You redirected your gaze to the front, still avoiding his desperate eyes.

"Just what?"

You wouldn't deny that your feelings and the signs you gave him were vague because you were timid with regard to romance.

[ 6 years ago ]

Taking a deep breath, you mustered the courage to confront the man with whom you had a mutual connection. It's been half a year since the two of you agreed to be in an unofficial relationship, so you wanted to ask him today about being official.

Hongjoong was a busy man, very busy, and barely had time for you or his studies, but you loved him. You admired his skills, interests, and personality; almost everything about him was admirable. He was merely a classmate of yours during your 3rd year of college until one day, he courted you out of the blue, and it progressed from there. It started out great; you loved each day you spent with him, but those days slowly became gray.

"Hey, Hongjoong." You called for him when he bade his friends goodbye.

"Oh, y/n, need anything?"

"Can I ask you something?" You felt your hands trembling inside your pockets.

"Sure, ask away," he assured you with a smile.

"Um...so, you know how we have had this thing going on for six months already?" You see him quirk an eyebrow in anticipation. "When do we make it official, or do you even plan on making us official?"

He sighed, which made your heart break a little. "y/n, I'm sorry. Can we not talk about this here? Maybe next time when I'm not busy anymore."

"No, Hongjoong. I need an answer from you; one word is enough."

Seeing your serious look at him, he chose to make things clear with you and end this problem of yours once and for all. "Sorry," Hongjoong calmly said. "Sorry, y/n. I loved you, okay? It's just that my feelings for you felt forced at some point, and my schedule isn't helping. We barely even get along; you're always in my space, and it's really annoying now."

"Then, why didn't you let me go?" He could hear the sadness in your voice. "You could've stopped this stupid thing we have, so I wouldn't have to waste my tears for someone who didn't love me anymore."

"I loved you; I'm just—"

"Thank you for your time, Hongjoong. I have to go home. See you around, I guess."

Since then, you have tried your best not to engage with agreements that involved feelings. You focused on your studies, graduated, applied for a job, and prioritized your work to be financially stable and give yourself the life you deserve.

[ End. ]

"y/n, I swear—"

"I'm just scared, okay?" You cut him off. "I'm scared of what you'll think of me when you get to know my true side. You'll eventually lose feelings for me because we don't get along, and since you're a busy man, I'll only be a nuisance to you. I don't want to risk being hurt again; you probably even like Jane more."

You were rambling, but he scoffed in return, "And then there is me, always waiting for you. Jane is just my college friend; plus, Yunho and she literally like each other, and they're using me to set them up."

Gently, you placed your hand on top of his, which was now resting on his lap, and enclosed it. "I'm sorry for making it seem like I played you. I was only confused with my feelings, especially since we've only started getting to know each other not too long ago. I don't think I can be good enough for you. I don't—" Your words were cut off when he removed his hand from your hold, gently cupped your cheek with it, and pulled you in for a kiss.

Like sugar, you melted into the warm kiss, and your arms found their way to rest around his broad shoulders. This felt surreal. No, this was something you never thought would happen to you with a co-worker. If someone told you that you would kiss Seonghwa at some point in your life, you'd only laugh at them ridiculously. Well, are you laughing now?

Seconds turned into minutes, and after he pulled away from you, the two of you stared into each other's eyes, searching for any sign of sincerity or mutual feelings. It was there; you felt it. All your worries faded into thin air. He was able to make the doubt of your past disappear from your heart.

"You don't have to be afraid anymore." Seonghwa loved you even when there was darkness in your heart and there were stars in your eyes from the reflection of the city lights outside, making you shine. "I won't let it happen to you. I know it hasn't been long since we've casually met other than at company dinners, but I'm glad I met you. I hope you remember that."

"But what if I can't give you what you want?"

"Don't think like that, because what matters to me is that I get to have you, love you, and hope that you are my future." He caressed your cheek one more time, bringing your foreheads to each other, then planted a quick kiss on your lips. "It's getting late; I'll drop you off at your room."

"Oh, Seonghwa. What are you doing here?" San asked when the man in question entered the office, which you share with San and Yeosang.

You were currently busy with paperwork, which you wanted to get over with before lunch break, so you furrowed your eyebrows at Seonghwa, who was casually making his way to you.

"Just came by to check on my girlfriend." Seonghwa placed both his hands on top of your desk, his words shocking everyone in the room, including yourself.

His choice of word caught you off guard, as you hadn't expected him to call or label you as such. From behind the tall figure standing in front of you, San quirked an eyebrow in need of an explanation, whereas Sunwoo gave you his usual teasing smirk.

You rolled your eyes at the latter, "We're not together."

"Not yet," Seonghwa enunciated to correct your statement.

Both your friends widened their eyes in shock, momentarily exchanging looks before Yeosang curled his lips when you didn't reply to the previous claim, "Seonghwa must be that guy. Huh, y/n?"

Seonghwa glanced at your reaction, then turned to him confused, "What do you mean?"

"She told us she doesn't date, but here she is," San explained.

"Hey, I already said that he and I are not dating."

"Yet," Yeosang shook his head disappointingly, "As I said before, I'm not going to take it if you two end up together because you kept denying your feelings for him. After all these years, all it took was for Seonghwa to come into the picture to make you open your heart again, and my best friend will move in with him and leave me all alone with the apartment bills and—"

San placed a finger before his lips to shush him. "Don't worry, Yeosang. You can move in with me; I have a better place anyway."

Yeosang hugged San excitedly, "This is why you're my favorite."

"I thought I was your favorite." You frowned, a bit hurt that your roommate and best friend replaced you with your other friend.

Yeosang looked you up and down in disgust. "Guess what, not anymore. We'll leave you two alone, you disgusting people."

You scoffed jokingly, "You're just jealous."

"Okay, stop exposing me." Everyone finally broke into laughter at the scenario. "San and I are going now, for real this time." The two left the room with San still trying to calm himself down from laughing so much.

As soon as the door closed, Seonghwa turned his attention back to your busy state and waited patiently until you finished your work. You were too focused on typing away on our screen when he noticed a piece of hair fall on your face, which he tucked behind your ear on your behalf. You just realized how much you loved the feeling of having someone care and do little things for you, and it was definitely a great start to something.

Although you and he weren't officially together yet because you wanted to really build a strong connection with him before committing, you were grateful to have him by your side, and so was he. He's got nothing but love and support for you, even from a distance, falling more for you each day that passes.

You may not have caught the bouquet during Hongjoong's wedding reception, but he couldn't wait for the day that you'd be the one throwing it while he stands at the side and stares at you with a look of love. If two people can't stay away from each other, maybe they aren't meant to be apart.

© dxnsangki | all rights reserved, do not translate or plagiarize.