HIDE THE SCISSORS! I DON’T WANT ANYONE CUTTING MY MAN’S HAIR | Myung Jaehyun
pairings — boynextdoor’s jaehyun x reader
genre. rom-com, slice of life warnings. reader is dramatic & can also be seen as controlling wc. 780
note — requested by this anon!! love love love dramatic readers i swear. writing them is just chef’s kiss
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YOU KNOW SOMETHING is wrong the moment Myung Jaehyun says, “Babe.”
Not “hey”. Not “come here”.
Just “babe”, careful and suspicious, like he’s testing the structural integrity of the situation.
You don’t look up from where you’re sprawled dramatically across the couch. “If this is about what I think it is, don’t.”
He pauses. Too long.
“…How do you always know?”
You sit up immediately. “NO.”
Jaehyun blinks. “I haven’t even—”
“You were thinking about it,” you accuse, pointing at him like a courtroom prosecutor. “I can feel it. You were thinking about cutting your hair.”
He laughs, a little guilty, a little fond. His hair—glorious, grown-out, brushing his collarbone—falls into his eyes as he does, and you make a distressed noise.
“See?” you say. “LOOK at that. That is ART.”
He runs a hand through it absentmindedly. “It’s getting kind of long.”
“Yes,” you say fervently. “That’s the point.”
“It keeps getting in my face.”
“That’s what hair is for.”
He tilts his head, amused. “You’re being dramatic.”
You gasp. “I am being correct.”
Jaehyun steps closer, crouching in front of you.
You’re in the bathroom, sitting on the counter like you always do, legs swinging while Jaehyun stands between your knees, towel around his shoulders, hair still slightly damp.
Long. Perfect.
Threatened.
You’re brushing your fingers through it lovingly.
“I’m just saying,” you insist, “if you ever cut this without warning, I will know. And I will be devastated. Like—dramatically.”
Jaehyun hums. Too innocently.
“Mmm.”
You narrow your eyes. “Why did you ‘mmm’ like that.”
“What?” he says, reaching into the drawer under the sink.
Your soul leaves your body.
You hear it before you see it.
Snip.
You freeze.
Slowly, horrifically, you look up.
Jaehyun is holding a pair of scissors.
Open. Hovering.
Right. Near. His hair.
Your face drains of color. “Jaehyun.”
He bites his lip, clearly trying not to smile. “Relax. I’m just—”
“NO,” you gasp, sliding off the counter so fast you nearly slip. “No no no no—why do you have scissors?”
He lifts a small section of hair between his fingers, mock-serious. “I was thinking maybe just a little trim—”
Your eyes immediately well up. “You said you wouldn’t.”
“I said not right now.”
“This is right now!” you whisper, betrayed.
He makes a dramatic thinking face. “Hmm. Is it?”
Your hands come up to clutch his wrists. “Jaehyun, please. I like it. I love it. I emotionally depend on it.”
He falters for half a second.
But then—because he is apparently a menace—he raises the scissors again.
Snip.
You make a tiny, broken sound.
“…You cut it,” you say, voice wobbling.
His smile disappears instantly.
“No—no, I didn’t,” he blurts out, dropping the scissors into the sink. “I swear, I didn’t cut anything. Look—look.”
He lifts the strand. Still intact. Untouched.
You stare at it.
Then at him.
Then your lip trembles.
“Oh my gosh,” he groans. “Oh no. Baby—no, no, no.”
“I thought you—” you sniff, mortified and hurt and very much fooled. “You know I’m bad with jokes.”
He immediately cups your face, panic written all over his own. “I know, I know, I’m sorry. I thought you’d yell, not—oh gosh.”
Before you can even process it, he’s kissing you.
Not one kiss.
Many.
Your forehead. Your cheeks. Your nose. The corners of your mouth.
“I’m sorry,” kiss.
“I was teasing,” kiss.
“I would never,” kiss kiss.
“I love your stupid dramatic reactions but I went too far,” kiss.
You try to stay upset, you really do, but he keeps peppering your face with soft, frantic smooches until you’re laughing despite yourself.
“Jaehyun,” you protest weakly, “stop—”
“Nope,” he says, kissing you again. “This is my apology tour.”
He presses a lingering kiss to your lips this time, slower, gentler, until the hurt melts into warmth.
When he pulls back, he rests his forehead against yours.
“I’m really sorry,” he says softly. “I won’t joke about it again.”
You sigh, hands sliding up into his hair—still long, still safe.
“…You scared me.”
“I know,” he murmurs. “I felt awful the second your voice changed.”
You look up at him. “You’re lucky you’re cute.”
He smiles, relieved. “Extremely.”
You tug him closer by the hair, just a little. “And for the record—if you ever actually cut it without telling me—”
He kisses you again to shut you up. “I won’t.”
“…Promise?”
“Promise.”
You hum contentedly, playing with his hair again like nothing happened.
Jaehyun exhales, resting his chin on your shoulder.
Note to self, he thinks.
Never fake hair violence again.
And for the rest of the night, he lets you hold onto him a little tighter—just in case.
Pairing : bestfriend! taesan x reader (ft. sunghoon)
Synopsis : Taesan wouldn’t say he’s the jealous type. He prides himself on handling every situation thrown his way with complete calm. He can handle just about anything. Except this. ‘This’ being you fawning over some random guy named Sunghoon. Tall, suspiciously pale, with an even more suspicious canine smile. Taesan is not jealous. He is simply concerned. There is a difference. There is definitely a difference. He swears he’s usually more put together than this. So why does his cool exterior crack a little more every time you so much as glance at this annoyingly gorgeous specimen?!
Word count : 3.2k
Genre : fluff, comedy, romance (ooh-la-la)
Warnings : nickname for taesan used occasionally (sannie).
You’ve been awfully distracted lately, and Taesan doesn’t like that. Not one bit, actually. You don’t laugh as hard when he does something silly, you’re always looking elsewhere when he’s trying to tell you something, you don’t even punch him on autopilot anymore when he pulls a prank on you!
And worst of all, you’ve been batting your lashes at this tall, broody looking guy called Sunghoon.
Looking Sunghoon over from across the classroom, Taesan gives an exaggerated roll of his eyes.
He’s not even that attractive.
Taesan scoffs, sitting up just a tad straighter and widening his shoulders subconsciously.
He’s totally better looking than him.
He watches as Sunghoon nears him, walks right past, and goes to ask you a question. He frowns.
You politely smile, giggle a bit and tuck your hair behind your ear.
You. Tucking your hair. Behind your ear.
It’s like witnessing the birth of an alien.
Taesan grimaces, unable to even blink as he watches the scene before him. You join his side a few minutes after, smile still lingering from your short conversation with the vampire-looking guy.
“Ew,” he says for no apparent reason. “Stop acting all cute, it’s weird.”
“You think I’m cute?” You spin to face him. Your movement being so unexpected that it startles him off his seat a little.
Clearing his throat, he slowly recuperates his calm composure.
“I never said that,” he says plainly, with little projection.
You purse your lips at him, a dangerous tease lingers on the crease of corner your eyes.
For the past few days, you’ve been sneakily inserting Sunghoon’s name into almost every conversation, as if Taesan wouldn’t notice.
At first, he thought it’d be a passing joke. Maybe you were purposefully trying to annoy him by talking his ear off, the way you sometimes did when you were bored and he was the easiest target to torture. He’d plainly nod and sigh every time you brought him up.
But a good couple of days have passed now, and something deep inside Taesan’s gut has quietly curdled into an ugly, green feeling.
“What? Don’t tell me you have a crush on him or something…”
You’re both having lunch out on the field today. The weather has started to grow warm and the sun makes it perfect to linger near the bleachers.
You go very still. Eyes wide, cheeks gaining heat like an old stove at his sudden accusation.
You were just telling him how you were one hundred percent sure Sunghoon looked at you during chemistry today. (Totally not in a delusional way, of course…)
Swallowing harshly, you look down at the sandwich in your hands, gripping its edges for dear life.
“Pfft! Whaaaat, no way! Why would you even—”
“You’re dunking your sandwich in your tea.”
You slowly look down to find that you have, in fact, dunked your savoury sandwich into your flask filled with scalding sweet tea. You startle awake, rapidly pulling your arm back. The sandwich comes out soggy and dripping in hot, steaming liquid.
You stare at it like you’ve lost a loved one.
“And your face is red,” Taesan adds, in a thoroughly unimpressed tone.
“Okay! Okay, I got it.” You huff, getting up to bin your sad excuse of a sandwich.
Taesan, ever the annoying little brat that he is, waits patiently for you to come back so he can torment you further.
Plopping yourself back on the bench, you readjust your sitting position. Your fingers brush his accidentally. You don’t even notice, but his heart is already beating at twice the speed from the simple contact.
He clears his throat, acting like it doesn’t bother him.
Anyway, back to business.
You turn to look him dead in the eyes and cock your head to the side like a yakuza straight out of Tokyo. Sneering, you narrow your eyes at him.
“So what, if I like him. What are you going to do about it, Sannie?” You put on the most intimidating face you can muster, purposefully lowering your voice for that extra dramatised effect.
In a rather theatric manner, you begin to jut your jaw out like he owes you lunch money, and you’re sure he’s probably shivering from pure fright right now.
Taesan stares at you for a good minute…
Then, he shoves a sugared donut down your throat.
You never thought death by sugared donut was a realistic option until today.
Lurching forward, you cough harshly, trying to recover from the attempted murder just plotted against you. Once your coughing dies down, you smack him hard across the back of the head.
He nearly falls off the bench from the force.
Good on him.
“Ow!” he hisses, hand flying to massage the spot.
“You nearly killed me,” you say in a bored tone, reaching for your flask to pour out another cup of hot tea.
“At least then we would have been safe from your horrible taste in men,” he mumbles under his breath.
Your ear twitches.
You stop pouring.
“Han Taesan,” you say slowly. “Did you say something?” You turn to face him with your most venomously sweet smile.
He shudders, shaking his head vigorously and plastering a very careful grin.
After a quiet moment, he speaks.
“Why do you even like him?”
“He’s hot.”
“He’s mediocre at best.”
“Wouldn’t that be insulting yourself?”
He blinks at you.
“What do you mean?”
You give a low hum. “He kinda looks like you.”
Taesan twists his lips, giving you a complex look caught somewhere between satisfaction and genuine terror.
“So you’re saying I’m hot?”
“I’m saying he’s hot,” you correct, taking a prim sip of your tea with your pinky raised.
“But you said he looks like me.”
“Resembles.” You correct. “He resembles you,” you nod slowly.
“Isn’t that the same thing?”
“No.” You tilt your head to think on it. “Actually, I don’t know. Is it?”
He shrugs, looking just as confused as you are.
You press on. “He’s just different, okay?”
“Different how? What’s he got that I don’t?”
You suck in a breath at his question. Watching him closely, you manage to see something sitting quietly behind his eyes. This time, you slow down before answering.
“Gosh, why are you so persistent today?”
He pulls his gaze away from yours, trying to look like he’s watching the football game going on across the field. But you catch it anyway, the tiniest evidence of a sulk pulling at the corner of his lips.
“I’m not persistent. I’m just curious.”
You look at him for a second, without saying anything.
A still minute passes. The muffled shouts from the boys on the field blur into the background as you focus solely on him.
The air between you hangs softly.
It barely gets to settle before the most egregiously loud stomach grumble decides to shatter it entirely.
Taesan jumps.
You freeze.
Ever so slowly, he turns to you with eyes as wide as saucers.
“What was that?”
You blink at him, the picture of innocence.
“What do you mean?”
He stares at you in disbelief.
“Was that you?”
Silence.
“Must’ve been the wind,”
He breaks. Laughter spills out of him as he tries to muffle it behind his sleeve, shoulders shaking with the effort.
You quietly watch as his eyes crinkle into little stars in a matter of seconds.
“Are you hungry?” He tries to keep himself together, biting his lips to keep the remainder of the laugh at bay, but he’s doing an awful job at it.
You scoff.
“What do you think?”
He gives half a smile.
“I expected this to happen,” he starts, already rummaging through his bag. He pulls out a clear bowl of homemade goods and holds it out.
“So I came prepared.”
“No,” you take the bowl from him, fingers grazing lightly against his and lingering there a little too long for it to be unintentional. “You just don’t like what your grandma made you today.”
He shrugs, leaning back onto the comfort of the bench.
“Same difference. It all ends up in your stomach anyway.”
“Hey!”
He cheeses at your distress. You signal a knife to your throat.
The bell rings and you try to squeeze as much food as humanly possible into your cheeks before standing up.
By the time you and Taesan are back in class, you’re nearly finished with the bowl, cheeks still stuffed. Taesan, who’s now sitting beside you, prods one of them gently.
“You look like a chipmunk.” He says lightly.
You say something back but it comes out so utterly obscured by the food in your mouth that it sounds more like a cry for help.
The classroom buzzes in low ooh’s and ahh’s. You glance up to gage the commotion.
Porcelain skin. Black framed glasses. A nose you could probably go skiing on.
Sunghoon walks in with little interest in his surroundings, drops into the empty seat on your other side, flips open his notebook, and immediately fishes out his phone to doom scroll as the teacher hasn’t arrived yet.
You blink.
Taesan blinks.
Sunghoon blinks, though he has absolutely no idea about the silent battle he just stumbled into.
Taesan cracks his neck to the side.
Your classmates start whispering, and your skin prickles with the sensation of being watched by so many people.
“Since when does he sit here?” Taesan asks hollowly, loud enough for anyone within a 3 mile radius to hear, pointedly refusing to acknowledge Sunghoon directly.
The pale boy beside you pauses his scrolling and looks up in genuine confusion. His dark eyes land on a pair of stubborn brown ones staring him down like he personally persecuted him in a past life.
He has no idea why, but he answers him anyway.
“We don’t have a seating plan for this class.”
You let out a forced laugh, awkwardly patting Taesan’s shoulder with unnecessary strength, to get him to stop his antics.
“Yup! That’s right, no seating plan, haha! Isn’t that great?!”
Sunghoon’s eyes shift to you. Your breath catches.
“I guess?” he says, mild bewilderment still written across his face.
You nearly melt in your seat.
“You know what else is great?” Taesan’s voice chimes in and you can already tell that whatever he’s about to say is practically designed to come off as a backhanded insult.
“How good it sounds when you’re not talk—”
You slap your hand over his mouth.
With your other hand you grab the back of his neck, pulling your face close to his.
His eyes grow wide as you drop your voice to barely above a whisper.
“Behave, Sannie. Behave.”
In the next second, you’re back to facing Sunghoon like nothing happened.
Taesan is left with his heart nearly tumbling out of his chest at your bold conduct. A faint dust of pink paints the tip of his ears.
Sunghoon, who went back to scrolling the moment you looked away, remains completely unaware.
You tsk at him quietly.
“See? He doesn’t even pay you half the attention I do.”
Soft. Airy. Right beside your ear.
You whip around. A fast-growing flush scatters across your face as you press your fist against your chest.
“You scared me!” Puffing out your cheeks, you exhale slowly, trying to hide the flustered look behind a scowl that isn’t quite convincing.
Taesan, who seems just as caught off guard by your reaction, goes very still.
His eyes move slowly across your face, like he’s trying to calculate your expression. Once it clicks, he files it straight away.
Then, he smirks. He reaches over and flicks your forehead with barely any force at all.
He gets it now.
You bring your hands to cup your cheeks.
They’re warm.
Dang it.
Did he notice?
The teacher walks in and you sink into your seat with a quiet sigh.
“You don’t actually expect me to believe you like him, right?” he says, as you’re walking home together.
You don’t bother to look at him when you respond.
“Your jealousy knows no bounds, Han Taesan.”
“Your pranks know no bounds either.”
Your steps slow to a stop.
It takes a few more strides for him to realise you’re no longer beside him. The absence of you is immediate and obvious. His hand twitches. His side feels cold.
He doesn’t like that.
He turns.
“How did you…”
“How did I know?” he finishes for you.
You can only nod.
“Something was off about the whole thing. It was too sudden, and every time I asked you for a reason as to why you liked him you just said he was hot.” He gives you a flat look.
“And besides.” He takes a step closer.
“You can’t out-do the doer.” Another step.
“Admit it.” He’s close now, smirking easily. “The person you actually like isn’t Sunghoon, is it?”
Even saying his name out loud sat bitter on his tongue.
The two of you are near enough that your noses are centimetres apart, eyes searching each other’s as you both smirk.
You take the smallest step forward. Unyielding.
“I’ll admit it,” you say simply.
Taesan’s smile grows.
“Only if you admit that you like me first.”
His smile freezes.
He blinks at you, confidence visibly cracking at the edges as the realisation of how well you know him settles in.
He takes a step back. Tries to hide the colour rushing to his face behind the cuff of his sleeve.
You step forward. Not letting him escape.
“Oho! Not so brave now, are we?”
“M-me? Have a crush on you? What—”
“Sannie. It’s been kind of obvious for a while.”
Something in him twitches. The panic softens into something quieter, something almost fragile. But he’s still mildly mortified when he asks.
“It has?”
You nod.
“It has.”
“I thought I was doing great, though?”
“What, acting all nonchalant and mysterious while being very obviously jealous at the smallest interaction between me and Hoon?”
“Don’t call him that.”
“See?”
He stares at you in pure offence.
You scrunch your nose at him, fond and teasing all at once. “I find it kind of cute, actually.”
He short-circuits.
“Wait, don’t call me cu—”
You snort, leaning in closer with a soft, doting look on your face. A single gust of wind would be all it took for your lips to meet his.
“I was waiting for you to just say it outright, dummy.” You smile at him. He gulps.
He isn’t usually like this, all flustered and caught off guard. He’s only ever that way when it comes to you. The familiar push and pull that’s been ruling over him ever since he met you.
“So you really don’t like Sunghoon?” Comes his voice. Serious, a little lower than usual, just to make sure. And the sincerity in his plea for confirmation makes you pause before you toss your head back with a boisterous laugh.
“No! Of course not,” you chuckle, pressing your hand over your mouth at his reaction.
“Although he is Earth shatteringly handsome.”
He makes it a mission to ignore any other unnecessary comments you manage to muster.
“And you like me back?” He’s looking right into your eyes, head tipped downwards in focus.
“I like you back, obviously.” You spread your arms theatrically wide. “This much.”
He breathes out slowly, releasing something he didn’t even know he was holding.
“So these past few days I was nervous for nothing,” he says more-so to himself.
Then his eyes slide to you, and whatever softness was there sharpens into something dangerously playful.
“Oh, you’re so going to pay for that.”
Your smile drops.
“W-wait, what? It was a harmless prank, with a good cause!”
You step back. He steps forward. His strides are longer than yours.
Your back meets the bark of a tree. You freeze.
He’s close. Too close. The look in his eyes is unreadable in the best and worst way and you can smell his signature cologne from the collar of his shirt.
You swallow harshly, lips trembling.
“Sannie?”
He doesn’t answer.
His arms come up on either side of you, caging you in as he lowers his face toward yours. Slowly. Far too slowly.
Oh!
OKAY—
You close your eyes, feeling his warmth close the remaining distance between you. His lips are barely hovering over yours and you fully expect to fall into a kiss that would jumble your entire brain chemistry—
He pulls away.
For a second, you don’t move. Then your eyes open at the lack of contact.
…
You’re going to kill him.
Today.
You stare at the stupid, satisfied smirk tugging at his lips.
He’s already backing off, hands lazily tucked into his trouser pockets, trying to act all cool and au naturel.
“Told you you’d pay for it.” A low laugh slips out before he can stop it.
You practically launch yourself off the tree and go for him.
You miss. Of course you miss.
He bolts, laughter still trailing behind him.
“Hey! Come back here right now!”
You chase after him, embarrassingly fatigued after about ten seconds. He is far more athletic than you. You resent everything about that.
“I’ll catch you,” you huff.
Your run slows to a jog. Your jog slows to a walk.
“And when I do—” you wheeze, unable to finish the threat hanging at the end of your tongue. You crouch, hands braced on your knees. “Ugh. Whatever!”
A moment passes before you hear footsteps slow beside you.
You squint up against the sun, looking like an old granny, trying to make out the figure standing over you.
Stepping forward to block the sun rays from your eyes, Taesan’s face comes into view.
You frown at him, throwing a weak punch his way. He catches it in his large hands without trying.
Chuckling quietly, he reaches for your other hand, helping you to stand to your full height.
When you’ve mostly recovered, he looks at you. Observing the flush on your cheeks, the sweat gripping at your temple, the way your eyes are still trained on him with all that familiar warmth even though you’re busy trying to shoot lasers through his face.
He huffs softly. A small, fond smile.
“You’re so weird.”
You open your mouth to protest.
But you find his lips on yours instead.
No warning. No build up. Just him. You instinctively start to lean closer. You can feel one of his hands reach for your waist, the other moving to hold you steady— a sly measure to keep you from pulling away. Selfish. Cheeky.
You don’t even remember what you were going to say. The only thing on your mind being the feeling of his lips on yours. You can feel the shape of his smile against them.
You don’t want to pull away.
You really, truly do not want to….
His hand moves to cup your face and you think, very genuinely, that you might risk your life just to stay here in this moment. Just a little longer—
—But if you don’t get air in the next two seconds you are going to pass out and cease to exist.
Not to be dramatic or anything.
With the greatest reluctance you’ve felt in a while, you break away, gasping cartoonishly, pressing a hand to his chest.
“Oh man!” A cough. “I forgot I literally just ran before this.” You slap his arm half playfully and half seriously. Your nostrils flare as you inhale deeply, still trying to catch your breath.
“Are you actually trying to kill me or what? This is the second attempt today!” You point at him accusingly.
Taesan stares at you. He opens his mouth. Closes it. He looks at you for an extended moment.
Eventually, he tips his head back and looks up at the sky, wondering how he fell for such an idiot.
He sighs.
“I want a refund.”
“EXCUSE ME?!”
He barely gets out of the way of a flying kick.
The evening sky fills with your relentless shouted threats and his unceasing annoyingly gorgeous laughter. Perfect chaos. That’s what the two of you are.
ᅠ ✿ ᅠ NOT THAT I CARE OR ANYTHING ──── ᅠ ( han taesan )
𝓹recis ⠀ : ⠀your ex, seemingly sweet anton, spreads malicious rumours about you that could potentially ruin your entire academic weapon career, so you have to take desperate measures𑁋and that includes a fake-dating contract and the bane of your existence, han taesan.
ᅠ 한태산 ⠀⠀◜◡◝ ⠀⠀𝒇 reader ⠀wc 13k ⠀ genre college au fluff angst if you squint one sided rivals to lovers academic weapon x campus crush ⠀ contains mentions of food vulgar words skinship pet names several ocs ⠀ note i’m sorry if this fic is.. all over the place a bit coz,, yea!! but this fic is highly.. self-indulgent.. heheh! and i originally wanted to make this more angsty but i’m already sad and single so, No! anyways, enjoy reading ^_^ ⠀ tagging @a-dream-bookmark ,@/k-labels , @k-nets , @k-films , @sgz-net
ᅠ ＞︿ please leave feedbacks & reblog
“ALRIGHT. Let’s do it.”
As you gaze into Taesan’s determined eyes, the entire series of events flashes through your mind.
It was back in your first year of university—early winter, the day of the first snowfall. You were walking towards the three-floor library, the cold wind stinging your eyes. You rushed inside, grateful for the gush of artificial warm air that greeted you as soon as the doors closed behind you. The library was quite packed for some reason, and you could barely spot any empty seats.
You walked towards the edge of the library, a corner with the largest window of the level. There it was—one of the only empty seats in the entire library—but that seat was next to a boy, heavily occupied with his studies. Your pace slowed down as you hesitated. The boy had a focused blank look on his face, his headphones on, and several papers and notebooks were scattered on the table around him.
You felt like you wanted to just leave and go back to your room, but remembering how cold it was outside, you decided against it.
After taking a deep breath, you approached him. With a shaky smile, you tapped the boy’s shoulder, muttering a silent prayer.
“Excuse me,” you said as he lowered his headphones to his neck. “May I sit here? I-I mean, if it’s cool with you..”
He simply nodded. “Sure.”
You had sat down next to the mysterious boy for the entire day, not knowing that, in the present, he would be the bane of your existence.
In this moment, you’re brought back to the present, startled at how you’re standing in front of him. The mysterious boy that you had sat next to turned out to be Han “Taesan” Dongmin—KOZ School of Law’s campus crush. There’s almost nothing “bad” that you’re heard of him, yet, when you find yourself walking towards him with a fiery determination in your eyes—you immediately know that you’re about to get hit with something you’d never expect.
“A-are you sure?” you say, surprised to even find yourself stuttering. You’ve held yourself to such a high reputation—being your school’s academic weapon—you’ve worked hard to keep yourself true to that name.
Well, to be fair, you didn’t expect Taesan to even say yes to your ridiculous plan—given that all that’s he’s ever done for you is say everything that will get on your nerves.
Taesan gives you a smirk. “Of course,” he says, clearing his throat. “Being the boyfriend of KOZ Academy’s academic weapon isn’t something you get to do everyday.”
The way he presses the emphasis on the word ‘boyfriend’ makes you flinch. It reminds you of your stupid plan; who in their right mind would offer Han Taesan—your rival—a fake dating deal just to make rumours about themselves go away?
“Right,” you roll your eyes. “Anyway, I think we need to enforce some guidelines and boundaries regarding this… set-up.”
Taesan shoves his hands into his pockets, shifting his weight to let himself stand more comfortably. The smirk still on his face, he replies, “alright. Hit me with all of ‘em.”
You whip your phone out, quickly showing him a document that you spent an entire night typing out—complete with every single thing he needed to do for you.
“Here,” you say, frustrated at how Taesan’s smug smirk just never falters.
Taesan runs a hand through his hair before leaning down to read through the document displayed on your phone. He finishes reading it quickly, taking a step closer to you after. He doesn’t say anything for a while, only to startle you by abruptly saying, “I agree.”
“What–?” you blurt out, surprised once again. You thought that Taesan would be more picky than–
“Your terms are easy for me to do. However,” you narrow your eyes at the boy who’s towering in front of you. Of course he’s picky—he’s Taesan. “I’d like you to agree to my conditions as well. If I have to do some things for you, you’d have to do some things for me too.”
You sigh before nodding. How hard could it be? Besides, this whole ‘relationship’ you’re having with Taesan is merely a fake dating set-up.
“Okay.”
Taesan whips out a full-blown smug smirk, making you roll your eyes. He pushes his glasses up his nose bridge, holding out two fingers.
“First, you have to also put in the effort to make things real. Like, wearing my jersey when I have basketball games, and wearing my initials ‘round your neck,” he pushes his middle finger down, the smug grin still plastered on his face, “and secondly, you’ll have to let me kiss you anytime.”
The moment the word ‘kiss’ escapes his mouth, you choke on thin air.
Why is my plan backfiring on me?
“What? No–”
Taesan shrugs. “Basically, physical contact is allowed to be done anytime.”
You feel your face flush, immediately recalling the third condition that you showed Taesan. No physical affection unless needed.
“I’m afraid I can’t do that—it’s clashing with my third term.”
“But your first term: ‘the other party must always do his utmost best to make the relationship seem real’ exists, am I right?” Taesan objects relaxedly. “Then, my second term doesn’t clash with that. And I also do believe that that first term of yours comes before the rest. Am I right?”
You grit your teeth, sucking in a sharp breath. How could you forget? Taesan will always work to have the last word—be that in court or in conversations.
Plus, he’s not entirely wrong.
Though, you’ve never been someone who lets Taesan win willingly.
“Whatever,” you roll your eyes, your heart twisting in detest at the way Taesan’s face lights up with a smirk again.
“Then, we have a deal?” Taesan asks.
You stare into his dark brown eyes once again, registering what you’re about to commit yourself to. All just to get rid of your ex and the rumour he’s pulled you into.
You hold out your hand, Taesan gladly reciprocating.
IT didn’t hit you that you’re officially Han Taesan’s girlfriend that night. However, the next morning, right after the two of you signed the document at the coffee shop you always study at—it hit you like a million bricks from the sky.
You’re in a “relationship” with the person you loathed the most for the past year. The exact same man who everyone adores, who’s called the it-boy, the campus crush—is now your most “beloved”. Freshman you would rather jump off a cliff than to offer her nemesis a fake-dating pact.
Desperate times call for desperate measures. I guess.
“Here,” Taesan hands you a velvet box—one that obviously contains jewellery of some sort.
Of course. Han Taesan’s always prepared.
You let out a deep sigh, knowing what’s inside. Despite that, you ask, “what’s this?”
Taesan gives you a grin, one that you always see him don during the countable times that he beats you in quizzes. “Open it—I’m sure you’ll like it.”
You run your fingers around the edges of the velvety box, sceptical at Taesan’s sudden soft tone. “Don’t talk to me like that,” you mutter, loud enough for him to hear.
Taesan, instead of immediately throwing a scoff in your face, simply leans back into his seat with a chuckle.
Not waiting for whatever reply he’s preparing to throw to you, you open the box. Your eyes lay upon a beautiful, dainty necklace with a “H.D” pendant, nested elegantly in the box. You bite back a gasp, though you’re unable to hide your surprise. The silver necklace is one of the most beautiful pieces of jewellery you’ve yet to lay your eyes upon—it’s dainty and simple, yet it screams elegance in the best way possible.
You look up at Taesan, obviously bug-eyed. “What- I’m- thank you?”
Taesan throws his head back, laughing. He perches an eyebrow up, clearly amused. “What am I supposed to answer? ‘You’re welcome’?”
Oh. It’s part of his terms.
You glare at him.
Not missing a beat, Taesan says with a big grin on his face, “what is your lazy ass waiting for? Put it on—or do you need me to help with that?”
You massage your temples, tempted to stick your tongue out at him, hissing the obvious at him—that you do not want to wear his initials around your neck.
“I don’t need your help,” you say between gritted teeth, harshly yanking the necklace from the box. You swiftly clasp the necklace around your neck, secretly surprised that you’re able to do so.
Maintaining a glare, you retort, “I’m only wearing this stupid necklace because it’s part of your terms.”
You throw your gaze elsewhere, Taesan laughing his stomach out in the background. Why is he finding your irritated state so funny?
The pendant feels cold against your skin, sending tingles. You gulp, feeling odd. You hadn’t announced your ‘relationship’ to your friends yet—but seeing you with Taesan’s initials could certainly start rumours.
A part of you is jumping with triumph—your plan is starting to set its course, while another part of you is afraid of it all. What if you’re finally not good at something, no matter how much you try—pretending you’re in love with your rival, the bane of your existence?
“We’ll start slow,” you hear Taesan say, pulling you back into reality. You quickly morph into your stoic expression—one that you find yourself often putting up around people. “Like everyone else does. Soft launch.”
“Ah,” you manage, nodding. “Sounds good.”
“Even though that necklace certainly is a big jump for a soft launch,” Taesan voices, chuckling. His words cause you to narrow your eyes at him, hyper aware of the cold metal against your skin—a mark that Taesan managed to place on you.
It’s all fake, you chant to yourself. Once Anton gets the message, it’ll all be over.
THE past few weeks had been a blur. Nothing was out of the ordinary—you attended classes, performed mootings and sent in assignments like usual. Though, only one thing that was out of the routine.
Taesan no longer felt like a thorn to your side.
You still hate him—you despise the way he carries himself, so proud and confident. You wish you could punch his face for the way he’s so smooth with his words, the way that his charm works on everyone so well. You absolutely hate the way a handsome idiot like him had the potential to beat you in every single subject if you slacked for even a minute.
Yet, to the public, he’s your boyfriend.
A cliche: rivals to lovers, they say.
Despite being the one proposing the whole fake dating plan, you had been the one following Taesan’s itinerary so far. The two of you had finally exchanged phone numbers, and at night, Taesan would always send a list of ideas on how to make the soft launch more obvious day by day.
The first week, you found yourself wearing tops that highlighted the H.D pendant, styling your hair to make it more noticeable—you even went as far as attending Taesan’s birthday celebration to top the chances of people noticing the pendant. And Taesan didn’t inform you of this one, but you often found him telling his friends, yours, or random coursemates to pass you drinks and snacks. You had no idea how Taesan had gotten the list of all your favourite things to munch on, but you secretly did enjoy the free flow of snacks. Anton had passed you a snack from Taesan too—five packs of your favourite Choco Pie. You couldn’t forget the bewildered face Anton had as he passed them to you, eyes filled with question and a hint of jealousy.
“What’s up with Han?” he asked.
You shoved the Choco Pies into your shoulder bag, biting back a smile. Who wouldn’t be jolly after getting five of their favourite tidbits?
“How would I know?” you replied bitterly. You quickly turn away from Anton, the uncomfortable feeling of being around him overpowering the bubbly feeling you had from getting snacks.
“Well, those Choco Pies are from him,” Anton repeated for the second time. “And I don’t recall him being anything but hostile to you.”
You suppress a scoff. “Maybe he’s had a change of heart? His brain is probably tired of coming up with things to try and outsmart me,” you muttered. As if.
“Well, if anything—if that asshole tries to do anything to you, I’ll… be here for you, Y/N,” Anton said, taking a step closer. Your eyes widened and your jaw clenched. You quickly finished packing your bag up, swinging it over your shoulders.
You said that last time, too.
“Don’t talk to me, Anton,” you responded as monotony as possible before running out of the lecture hall, not giving Anton even a glance.
The following weeks, Taesan was hanging out with you even more than the previous week. He wasn’t being too obvious, but to you, him walking slightly behind you and not throwing a loud sarcastic remark was already an apparent sign that would show everyone that your dynamics had changed.
Anton had found yet another chance to corner you after a Public International Law lecture. You stayed back in the hall to reread your theoretical essay before sending it in. Behind you, Taesan was packing up his things, busy scrolling through something in his phone.
“Hi, Y/N,” you froze when Anton’s voice reached your ear drums.
You look up at him with a glare. “What do you want?”
Anton flashed his usual pitiful, soft smile. “Nothing. Just a meal with you—this week has been quite stressful for you, right? I heard that last Monday’s mooting was rough.”
“You’re not even a law student, Anton,” you seethed. The KOZ School of Business student ID card hanging on Anton’s neck looked extremely out of place amongst the ocean of law students. “Please kindly get lost, go back to the Business building.”
“My course mates are boring. Besides, you’re more fun to be around,” Anton replied. “I know we… haven’t been on good terms, but give me a chance to fix it all?”
You gritted your teeth, your hands beginning to shake.
The audacity of this boy… where is my stupid fake boyfriend when I need him–?
“I think she clearly said for you to get lost, bud.”
You fought back a grin. Finally.
“Han?” Anton tilted his head. “Wait– who are you to tell me that?”
Taesan stood next to you, his backpack dangling from one shoulder. His height towered significantly above you, making you standing right below his shoulders—enough to match Anton. “Who do you think I am?”
Anton’s eyes darted towards the pendant on your décolletage, his eyes bulging. “What the…” you heard him mutter under his breath.
Taesan seemed to notice this too, and he swiftly pulled you close, wrapping his arm around your shoulders. “So, get it now? Get lost, Lee, and give your ex some space. An ex is an ex for a reason.”
Anton then left with a fuming expression, leaving you in fits of relieved laughter after. You thanked Taesan, who simply responded with a polite smile.
“By the end of this, don’t forget the wish, yeah?” he said, before walking out of the lecture hall.
You stood there, blinking profusely. You had completely forgotten the last clause of your agreement with Taesan—once you were satisfied with his service, you had to grant him one wish. Anything that he wanted.
You face palmed yourself. Why didn’t you think twice before typing that down? You mentally made a note to yourself to prepare your wallet for the outrageous request that the thorn in your side would make later on.
Sophia’s question makes you almost spit your lunch through your nose.
“What?”
“Girl, don’t you dare pretend not,” Yunjin interrupts, pointing her spoon at you. “You literally have his initials as a necklace that you never take off! H.D., which means Han Dongmin, right? Isn’t that his real name?”
“It’s not like–”
“No, no. It’s so obvious! Taesan’s around you more now, and he even gave you a birthday present!”
Sophia smiles, “he looks at you so differently now!”
Yunjin laughs, nodding. “Yeah, yeah, that too, I guess,” she then looks at you, directly in the eyes, “I guess Han Taesan and Y/N L/N have finally begun their lovers era, huh?”
You feel your cheeks warming up, and guilt fills your chest. You draw a sharp inhale before telling the girls the full story. And subconsciously, your fingers find the pendant, playing with it.
“It’s fake,” you sigh, “I mean, not the necklace—he’s just pretending. I’m pretending, too. None of this is… real.”
Sophia gasps and Yunjin frowns.
“Are you… sure? What for?” Sophia asks.
Yunjin nods in agreement. “I’ve always thought that dude had feelings for you, but I… I didn’t realise it’s actually wrong and my deductions were totally off.”
You scoff, though Yunjin’s words left you wondering. “Taesan doesn’t like me—have you girls seen how he treats me?”
“He treats you well,” Yunjin states plainly, shoving a spoonful of rice into her mouth.
“No,” you immediately shake your head, “he hates seeing me happy! He always finds a way to stick his annoying nose into my life, mocking me. He’s like always, always there to only laugh at my face.”
“Then why did he agree?” Sophia asks.
“To what?”
“To fake date you,” she continues, taking a sip of her yakult. “Well, I’m sure you have a plan—a contract and all—don’t you?”
Your eyes widen. How do these two girls know you so well?
“Yeah. I do. I’m doing all this because of Anton,” the look on your friends’ faces makes you feel a little relieved, “I need him to shut up about me.”
You recall the ridiculous rumour you’ve heard about you from Yunjin, that’s been going around like crazy—the rumour that you used to date Anton because he’s rich and that you used him as a bribe to get outstanding grades. Those close to you knew that is and would never become true—yet people are always jealous of others who have certain things better than them.
It may seem like a small matter to some, but to you, it’s a matter of reputation. Your whole image and potentially, your graduation is at risk. What if the rumour reaches some professor and they report you? You couldn’t risk the huge amount of money and time you spent, only to be scrapped off the dean’s list due to some rumour.
Yunjin herself had recorded proof of Anton trying to turn her against you, using that rumour. If she hadn’t shown you the recording, you wouldn’t have believed that sweet, kind Anton was the one who spread those malicious whispers about you.
Now, you’ve got to end it all. One way or another.
You continue finishing your lunch, Taesan somehow in mind. By the end of your lunch, you’re convinced that this is truly all an act—it’s nothing real, and in the end, you’re both just people who hate each other and use each other for selfish, personal reasons.
“DO I really have to wear your ugly varsity jacket?” Dongmin hears you grunt through the call. He stifles a laugh, tossing a ball up and down.
“Obviously, you dimwit,” he replies, “you’re my girlfriend, aren’t you?”
Dongmin lets himself smile. The word rolls off his tongue like a simple melody—it feels natural for him to say. He finds it odd, yet entertaining—your reaction is worth it all. Besides, it’s quite refreshing to take a break from hating you, sometimes.
“Besides, your ex is going to be there,” Dongmin reminds, his voice more throaty than expected. “He’s on the team as well, remember?”
“Yeah,” he catches your quiet answer.
“Anyway, how do you even have time for all this?” you question from the other end of the line.
“Hmm,” Dongmin hums, “I do have time.”
“Don’t fucking lie to me,” you hiss. “You’re in law school, Han Taesan.”
“What? Like it’s hard?”
Dongmin lets out a hearty laugh as he hears you gasp—one of the loudest and most genuine expressions he’s gotten out of you yet.
“I’m so done with you,” you huff. Dongmin hears you shuffle through your closet, most likely finding something to wear.
“You say that everytime,” Dongmin whispers to himself softly.
“Anyway,” you announce loudly, “you better have some food for me once I arrive—I’m wearing your stupid varsity jacket.”
“Alright, sweetheart, anything for you,” Dongmin jests in a sing -song voice.
He hears you yelp in disgust, chuckling. “Yuck! Fuck off, Taesan!”
IT’S a friendly match, nothing serious, Taesan had said; yet you’re here amongst other significant others, to watch him and his team play against another school’s team.
At the bleachers, you feel called out, and insanely out of place. Everyone looks so in love—girlfriends wearing jerseys with their boyfriends’ numbers and names on the back, painted their faces accordingly, and even cheering for them with their hearts; mothers and siblings gathering together to support their sons and brothers.
Everyone looks so genuinely in love, and you’re the only one who’s there just because you have to. You arrived only two minutes before the match started, too, because you obviously don’t love Taesan enough to be rescheduling your work shift to see him play.
You fidget with the edges of the varsity jacket you’re wearing, oddly feeling how it’s perfectly oversized on you.
Earlier, Taesan had spotted you sitting awkwardly on the bleachers. He ran over to you, quickly handing you a quesadilla and a cup of bubble tea, before jogging back to the basketball court to warm up. He didn’t say anything, nor did you—but the gesture made you feel weirdly fuzzy.
Taesan did actually get you some food, even though you grumpily yelled at him to do so. You thought he wouldn’t, just so that he could get on your nerves, just like he always does.
You watch him and the team warm up, pumping up positive energy with each other. You take a bite of your quesadilla, trying to ease your heart—yet you just can’t forget the real reason why you’re here.
Jersey number 35.
The whistle blows, indicating the start of the game, and you catch Anton’s glance at you. He gives you a wide smile, winking twice—a sign that he made up, thanking you for coming, just like the old days. You grimace, turning away.
The mission is to make it seem like I’m in love with Taesan.
You intently watch Taesan play in the arena, his moves sharp and powerful. He slips through the opposition’s defense flawlessly, scoring goals smoothly. Every time he throws the ball, it gets into the hoop—people erupt in cheers and he’s surrounded by his teammates.
And every time, Taesan looks up at you, flashing his signature smirk. His grin sparkles, lighting up the room—it makes you feel like you’re the only one in the huge arena.
It makes you feel odd.
Like there’s so much more under that grin he flashes to you every time he scores.
You touch the pendant on your décolletage, the cold metal stinging against your skin. Your fingers trace the letters—the initials of Taesan’s birth name—reminding you this is all a set-up. You’re supposed to pretend, and Taesan is pretending too.
He must be.
Taking a deep breath, you tug the varsity jacket closer to your body, shoving your hands into its pockets. The weight of Taesan’s name and number lay heavy on your back, yet you don a bright smile—trying your best to show your support for him.
Right now, you’re Han Taesan’s girlfriend. Player number 11’s girlfriend.
The match ends with Anton’s final goal, and KOZ Academy’s team wins 115-113. The entire gym erupts in waves of cheer and heartfelt hugs, every attending person feeling proud of their team, losing or not. You jog down the stairs, heading towards Taesan, whose height stands out in the crowd.
When you reach the end of the stairs, you notice Anton’s gaze on you. You glance at him, the weight of past memories dragging you down. At the end of these exact same stairs, you used to run straight to Anton, engulfing him in a hug after a match. You used to kiss his cheek, congratulating him for a successful game. You used to feel like your entire world revolved around him, and that you would be happy with him.
But that was in the past. Now, you can look at Anton with nothing in your heart. You feel nothing but plain resentment—damning him for the things he did to you. You had thought he was the love of your life, that you’d grow old with him—but Anton had other plans, and another girl that he prioritised more than you.
You turn your head away, directing your gaze towards Taesan. He’s talking to his friends, his hair wet from the sweat. He’s grinning proudly, talking about something that’s interesting to boys.
You sigh. Hopefully this whole set-up works—Anton leaves you alone, the rumours die down, and you can go back to bashing Taesan’s head.
And hopefully, you can move on, too. Once and for all.
From the corner of your eyes, you see Anton take a step towards you. Though, what you don’t see is that Taesan is faster. He waves at you, calling your name with a big grin, before running to give you a hug.
Your eyes widen upon the impact, and it’s like everything is in slow motion.
Taesan pulls away, ruffling your hair. His eyes crinkle with his grin. “Are you proud of me, darling?”
Darling.
You gulp.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
You give him a laugh, trying your best to not make it sound staged. Your nose crinkles at the smell of sweaty boys. Taesan notices, of course, and he chuckles.
“Sorry, I must smell bad. I’ll be sure to spray on some more deodorant next time.”
You gaze into Taesan’s eyes, his arms still around your waist. There’s some kind of softness behind his teasing look—something that you’ve never seen before.
A small smile forms on your lips, one that you’re unable to hold back. “Good job, Taesan.”
“Yeah?” Taesan laughs, his eyes forming crescent moons. “Thanks, Y/N.”
He then leans in to whisper, “that’s the first time I’ve heard that from you.”
You push him away, rolling your eyes. “Fuck off, Taesan. I’ll be waiting at the bus stop.”
Taesan laughs loudly as you stomp away. “By the way,” he yells, “you look good wearing my number, sweetheart!”
You lower your head, biting your lips to fight two things—the urge to flash the middle finger to the jolly Taesan behind you, and the weird fluttering feeling that erupts in your stomach every time he calls you ‘sweetheart’.
“Y/N,” you turn around, finding a panting Anton in front of you.
You’re standing in line outside one of the most famous pasta restaurants in the heart of the KOZ School of Medicine square, waiting to buy this one pasta dish you’ve been craving for the entire month. You didn’t tell anyone you’d be here—not even Taesan or the girls—so you’re weirded out by the fact that your ex found you here.
“...Anton,” you curtly acknowledge.
“Is it true?” he asks.
You force your eyes close for a second, wishing that it wasn’t wrong to beat someone up. “What?”
“That you’re dating Han Taesan. I saw him kissing your cheek last time.”
Your heart almost stops beating for a second. Almost two months have passed, and almost everyone in the entire campus of KOZ Academy knows that you and Taesan are finally getting tired of fighting each other—falling in love instead.
Your plan has passed the soft launch phase, and now, you’re having your nemesis call you sweet, adoring nicknames out in public.
“Yes,” you answer, managing a deadpan expression. “What about it?”
“Do you love him?”
You narrow your eyes at Anton, feeling like if he keeps on shooting questions like this, he’d go home with a black eye. “Why does it matter if I love him or not?”
“Because,” Anton starts, his voice beginning to waver with every following word, “you used to love me.”
His words hang in the air, thick with a known, cursed history. You could hear your heart stutter for a split second, but you shake your head, quickly suppressing the feeling. You take in a sharp breath, feeling the heat of old anger rise in your chest. You force yourself to look at Anton, eyes hardening.
“That was two years ago, Anton,” you say, your voice detached. “And you made sure to end it, remember?”
Anton’s face flickers with something—guilt, regret, maybe even a hint of fear—but you’re not interested in seeing it. You’re sick of it—too familiar with the way he can spin his words to make himself seem like the victim.
“You don’t get to do this,” you continued, lips tightening into a thin line. “You don’t get to just show up and act like we can pick up where we left off, after what you did with Mina."
Anton’s face darkens the moment your old best friend’s name leaves your mouth, but you hold his gaze without flinching. Anton opens his mouth, probably to throw another lame and poorly explained excuse that you’ve heard before, but you’re faster than he is.
“Save it,” you snap. “You don’t have any right to ask me if I love Taesan after what you did. You lost that right the moment you lied to me and slept with her.”
Anton looks taken aback, as if he hadn’t expected you to bring that up, but obviously, you don’t care. You’ve held your feelings in for so long—leaving them behind quietly to try and move on without a commotion. You’ve spent enough time letting him walk all over you in the past—you’re not about to let him do it again.
For a moment, Anton looks like he’s about to say something more, but you don’t give him a chance. You turn away, taking a small step back as you glance briefly at the line in front of you. “I’m done with this conversation, Anton. You should be, too.”
THE next morning, after your first class of the day, you sigh as you find yourself waiting outside of a rather packed coffee shop—allegedly Taesan’s favourite one—bundled up in Taesan’s scarf. Autumn is starting to give way to winter, and as it’s doing so, the winds and temperatures are getting crazier. You bury your face further into the softness of Taesan’s scarf, letting the mixture of champagne orange, passion fruit, and sugar vanilla attack your senses. It’s disturbing, once the fact that the scarf that’s warming you up belongs to Taesan registers in your head; however, you had no choice. Freezing your nose off was the only other option.
“Hey,” you hear Taesan’s voice, turning instantly towards him.
“Apple pie latte?” he says, handing you a warm cup of said coffee. Grabbing it from him, you perk your eyebrows up.
“How did you know?” you say, pushing the scarf down. Taesan shrugs, sipping his own drink. You glance at the sticker on his cup: cinnamon maple latte.
“Instincts.”
You snicker at his reply, rolling your eyes. “Cut me some slack.”
The two of you then walk back towards the law school complex, where both of your classes will be held next. The winds begin to blow, and you find yourself hiding half your face behind Taesan’s scarf. You squint your eyes, blinking harshly as the stray strands of hair sting them.
“I love autumn, but not this kind,” you mumble.
Taesan glances at you, and in one swift motion, he grabs your free hand and shoves it into the pocket of his coat. He interlaces his hand with yours, letting his body warmth transfer to you.
Your eyes widen, your brain slow at processing the situation. You whip your head towards the tall man walking with you, his expression relaxed as ever.
“What are you doing?” you hiss, trying to pull away.
Taesan gives you a look that yells ‘really, Y/N?’. “Keeping you warm?”
“I don’t need your help,” you retort, yanking your hand away.
Taesan grabs it back, shoving it into his pocket. This time, his grip on your hand is firmer than before. “I don’t need my girlfriend to freeze to death—it’s going to ruin my reputation.”
Realisation hits you, again, like a ton of bricks right at the face.
Oh.
“Okay,” you say quietly, letting him do his thing. You look away, deciding to admire the surrounding golden trees. You take a deep breath, reminding yourself of how this whole ‘thing’ with Taesan is temporary—and having a personal heat packet isn’t too bad.
Once the two of you reach the lecture hall together, people begin to clearly spectate. You pull your hand away from him, rushing to your usual seat. Taesan, his expression calm as he always is, walks over to his usual seat as well—directly behind you.
Then, two minutes before the lecture starts, the person you truly hated comes into view, and decides to sit at the empty seat next to you.
“Hi, Y/N,” your ex, Anton, greets you with the biggest smile on his face. You mentally sob—already dreading the three hours to come.
You turn away, scooting as far as you could. The memories rush like a flood you can’t stop—reminding you of the heart-tearing pain the boy sitting next to you caused.
“Y/N? You alright? You look pale,” Anton says, probing further.
“It’s the weather,” you reply dully, your lips downturned. You unravel Taesan’s scarf from your neck, placing it on your lap. Your eyes fixed onto the lecture, you ignore Anton’s attempts to get you conversing with him.
“Y/N, are you free after class?” Anton whispers, twenty minutes into the lecture.
“No.” You give him a side glance.
“And you don’t even take IT,” you fake a smile, “so I don’t think you should even be here. With due respect, get lost, yeah?”
“I’m honoured,” Anton whispers back. The soft smile on his face makes you gag. “You still remember things about me.”
“Oh, please,” you grimace, anger beginning to bubble up inside of you. “I’d rather make out with Taesan than remember even the tiniest bit of–”
You suck in your breath sharply, your cheeks flushing at an alarming rate. You had blurted your words out too fast to even register the fact that you’re actually wearing the said person’s initials in a necklace ‘round your neck.
“You’d rather what now, sweetheart?”
Hearing Taesan’s voice, you can almost see his smug smirk decorating that annoyingly attractive face of his.
Your eyes widen.
I did not just admit that.
You turn to Taesan for a moment, flashing him a sheepish smile. You quickly spin back to face the lecture, forcing yourself to focus.
After the lecture concluded, you find yourself stuck in a sticky situation—Anton just can’t let you go out.
“Do you want to go and grab lunch together? It’s pretty late for lunch, and I know your stomach gets upset easily if you don’t eat,” you wince upon hearing his soft tone.
You frown, hating the fact that Anton knows almost a lot of things about you. “No, Anton, I’m sure I said–”
“She said no, Lee, I’m sure even a stupid motherfucker can understand.”
Seeing Anton’s eyes almost pop out at the sight of Taesan next to you, you’re sure that you look the same. You turn sharply towards Taesan, who has his hand perfectly placed on your back. The look on his face is fierce and scary, like he’s about to completely destroy Anton exactly where he’s standing.
“Han,” Anton addresses him curtly. “I didn’t know that you’re on… good terms with Y/N.”
You fidget with the charm on your décolletage, collecting every bit of energy you have to maintain a stoic expression.
Taesan flashes a sly smirk, pride radiating from his eyes as the corners of Anton’s lips twitch. “Why? Is it important to you who I’m close to?”
“No, but given your history with Y/N—I don’t want her to get hurt,” Anton blathers, “so I’m gladly asking you to–”
“What? Fuck off?” Taesan scoffs. Your eyes bulge, somehow not expecting Taesan’s choice of words to be so vulgar. “I think that’s what you’re supposed to do, Lee.”
“Y/N,” Anton says, desperation vivid in his voice. He grabs your wrist, and you instinctively step back. “C’mon, let’s go. I know you don’t like this stupid asshole here–”
Before you could even act, Taesan steps in front of you, shoving Anton to the floor. The students who are still lingering around stop to look. You couldn’t hold in your gasp—Taesan looks extremely angry, you swear you could see fire in his eyes.
A thought clicks into your head.
Taesan is the it-boy, of course he’s good at acting.
You take a step back, weirded by the heavy feeling of disappointment that begins to cloud your heart as soon as you remember the arrangement.
It’s just acting, Y/N. Get it together.
“Don’t touch her, bastard,” you hear Taesan hiss before he turns to you. Anger still lingering around, you watch with silence as Taesan relaxes the tension in his jaw. In a mirroring silence, he gestures for you to follow him out. You nod.
As you turn on your heel, Anton calls out, visibly irritated.
“Y/N,” he says, “what’s going on?”
You give him a mocking smile. You swing Taesan’s scarf around your neck. “I don’t think I owe you an explanation, Anton.”
AS you and Taesan walk out of the lecture hall, you can’t ignore the heavy weight settling in your chest. It keeps replaying in your mind: the way Taesan stepped in, fiercely protective—it’s all an act, right? You sneak a glance at Taesan, but his face is unreadable, his jaw still slightly clenched from the encounter.
“Taesan… you didn’t have to do that,” you mumble, playing with the hem of his scarf.
Taesan exhales through his nose, his shoulders rising slightly. “I didn’t like the way he was looking at you,” he then adds under his breath, “fucking bastard.”
You blink, unintentionally slowing your steps. That’s… different from what you expected.
“Taesan,” you try again, but he shoves his hands into his pockets, picking up the pace.
You know you should just let it go, but the air between the two of you feels heavier than it was before. Was it just an act? Maybe it was—and that Taesan’s acting skills are as good as the rom-com actors—but something about the way he had looked at Anton; like he was seconds away from doing more than just shoving him to the ground.
It feels too… real.
A sudden gust of wind cuts through your coat, making you shiver. Instantly, Taesan grabs your wrist and pulls you into a nearby convenience store.
“Sit,” he orders, disappearing for a moment. You watch him move through the aisles, confusion twisting in your chest. You take a seat exactly where he ordered you to, your head fuzzy from the mixture of confusing, unnamed emotions.
When he returns, he kneels slightly, pressing a warm drink and a heat pack into your hands, his fingers lingering just a second too long.
“You’re hopeless,” he murmurs, shaking his head. “First my scarf, now this.”
You gasp dramatically, rolling your eyes as your lips twitch, your heart knocking against your ribs. “You’re the one who keeps giving me things.”
Taesan just hums in response, his gaze locking onto yours. His usual unreadable expression softens, something almost unreadable flickering in his eyes.
Your grip tightens on the cup, trying to shake off the way your body reacts to his warmth. This whole thing with Taesan was supposed to be temporary. So why did it feel like something had changed?
DONGMIN takes several deep breaths, his eyes shut. The jazz music plays in the background, and the buzz of the cafe calms him down.
No wonder Y/N likes this place.
Dongmin opens his eyes, finding himself staring at you ordering drinks and some food for the two of you. You had dragged him here as soon as you finished your drink at the convenience store, repeating that you needed to treat him to some food. Your voice rings in his head, telling him that he needed to follow you to the coffee shop, to cool off his steam.
“Do you like apple pie?” you ask, setting a plate of two slices of said dessert, accompanied by two scoops of vanilla ice cream.
“Why do you even ask if you’ve already gotten it? Seems like my preference doesn’t matter,” Dongmin replies, putting on the usual smirk.
Your eyes widen and he chuckles.
“Well,” you huff, “I like apple pie—and it’s impossible to find someone who doesn’t.”
“Alright,” Dongmin laughs, and it hits. His laughter dies down as the realisation sinks in—watching you devour your slice of apple pie like it’s the only food you’ll eat until the end of time.
Dongmin, as he puts a bite of his food into his mouth, realises how messed up he is. He realises how often a hearty laugh escapes him when he’s with you—how a flustered, frustrated mess you make him.
“Why are you being nice to me?” Dongmin asks. He pokes his fork absentmindedly into the crust of the apple pie, second guessing his question the moment it leaves him.
You and he had always, always been rivals—a pair that’s never meant to get along. He’d always find you muttering curses and throwing glares in his direction; and he’d always find himself trying his best to reciprocate your disdain for him.
Dongmin does hate you, too.
He hates how you’re so confident, so diligent, so talented. He despises how hard you work, how determined you are, how you seem to always effortlessly bring him down and defeat him in academics. He feels the most intense dislike for you—whenever you walk in the room, he feels like the world is about to explode, along with his sanity.
Dongmin hates, with a burning passion, how he can’t stop himself from falling in love with you. He absolutely loathes the way you smile, the way your eyes crinkle when you laugh, and the way you look at him—with such fiery determination that’s enough to knock him off his feet. He completely hates the way that he has to keep his tongue sharp, and his attitude insufferable, for you to give him a sliver of your attention. He perfectly hates the way it’s impossible for him to let you know that he doesn’t hate you, at all.
Dongmin watches you open your mouth to reply, yet you don’t for a few moments. You return his gaze, uncertainty playing around in her eyes.
“What do you mean?” you ask, tilting your head in confusion. “We’re just eating apple pie, Taesan,” you laugh sheepishly.
For the first time, Dongmin doesn’t have an immediate answer. He swallows the bite of apple pie in his mouth, unsure of what he should say next. His smirk fades and hesitation engulfs him.
You notice this, of course, and your frown deepens. Though, before you could do anything, Jaehyun—Dongmin’s friend, suddenly appears.
He greets Dongmin, patting his shoulder. “Yo, Taesan, long time no see! Wait–” he pauses, laying his eyes on you. “Wait, am I dreaming? You two? Sitting together? Laughing? Are pigs flying now?”
You immediately shake your head, laughing along with Jaehyun. Dongmin, on the other hand, is dazed. He stays silent, still unsure of what to say. He’s finding everything peculiar—the way he’s unable to say anything, the way that his heart is thumping loudly against his chest at the mention of you as his girlfriend.
He watches you politely say goodbye to Jaehyun, gaining certainty with every beat of his heart.
His little crush on you is resurfacing, after two years of pushing it down with faked hatred.
AFTER Jaehyun leaves, you let yourself sneak a glance at Taesan, who’s absentmindedly poking holes in his already destroyed pie crust, avoiding your gaze. You notice his oddly quiet state—the Taesan you know would never miss the chance to throw in a witty remark.
You throw him a glare, slightly hoping it’d make him knock out of his trance. You set your fork down with an audible clink. “You’re being weird. I mean, you always are insufferably weird, but this is even weirder.”
Taesan scoffs, lifting his drink to his lips. “And you’re being annoying. Paranoid.”
You cross your arms, an annoyed grimace forming on your face. “Am I?”
Taesan holds your gaze for a moment too long, something flickering in his eyes before he looks away. “Maybe not.”
Oh.
You lean back, sighing dramatically. “Fine. I don’t get what you being weird has with me being paranoid, but yeah, I’m totally being paranoid. Definitely imagining things,” you scoff sarcastically.
Taesan hums in agreement. “You do that a lot.”
You choke on air. Glaring at Taesan, you retort, “you’re infuriating.”
“And yet, here you are, sharing dessert with me,” Taesan smirks, tilting his head.
You pause, blinking profusely.
That… is a valid point. How did you even get here? You and Taesan are supposed to be rivals. Aren’t you supposed to hate each other?
Your stomach twists, and suddenly, you find it difficult to swallow your final bites of apple pie.
After moments of deafening silence, you say, your voice slightly wavering, “you’re unbelievably good at dodging questions, Taesan.”
You bring your drink to your lips, hoping that you sounded casual.
Taesan looks up from his finished plate of apple pie, smirking as he leans back. “Oh, yeah? Have you ever considered that you’re too good at asking too many questions, and it’s insufferable?”
Your eyes widen slightly, flickering to the way that his eyes glare vaguely at you. “Maybe I am,” you admit quietly, “but you’re dodging the real ones.”
Taesan’s smirk falters a little bit, just for a second, and there’s something unrecognisable in his eyes. Something you can’t put a name on.
Maybe a shift in the air. Maybe it’s just your imagination. Or maybe it’s because your heart is racing just a little too fast.
You’re so focused on trying to read Taesan’s expressions that you don’t notice the way your voice softens. “So… if this whole thing is an act, why do I keep feeling like you actually care?”
You mentally hit yourself. That isn’t what you meant to say—and it’s certainly not what you would say in front of Taesan.
Though, it’s out before you can stop yourself. The words hang in the air, heavy and uncertain.
Taesan freezes, his eyes widening with a vulnerability for a fraction of a second. Then, just as quickly as it came, his guard comes back up. “Like we’ve discussed before, it’s an act. Nothing more.”
His voice is stern and plain, and his expression is stoic, but you catch the tremble in his hand as he’s fiddling with his fork.
That, somehow, doesn’t sit right with you.
You learn forward, the pendant swinging against your décolletage, your expression more serious now. “Then why do you care so much?”
You watch him closely, catching the tightening in his jaw and the way his hand proceeds to rest on the table, fingers anxiously tapping against the wood. Taesan doesn’t answer immediately, and instead, he looks away to drift his gaze to the window.
Your chest suddenly tightens. He’s acting like this is nothing, but you certainly feel it—the crack in the walls you’ve both constructed carefully against each other. It’s a tug at the back of your mind, a repeating whisper you’ve been trying so hard to push away.
And yet, the silence between you feels louder than ever.
Minutes pass by and the silence gets louder and louder. You’re lost in your own thoughts—realising just how much you’re affected by Taesan; just how much more you’re feeling than you want to admit. In the silence, you’re wondering, are you just imagining all this? Maybe it’s just you, maybe it’s the fact that you’re finding something more from this fake relationship you have with Taesan, your nemesis.
Though, there’s something that you can’t deny: the fact that your chest tightens with fluttering butterflies every time he gets too close, every time his words shift to something softer than usual, it’s something that makes your heart trip in your chest.
“Y/N,” Taesan calls, his voice softer than anticipated, and you’re pulled out of your train of thought. You look at him slowly, uncertain and afraid of what’s to come. He pauses, as if he’s unsure of what to say next. “What if… I told you I’m not sure if I can pretend much longer?”
His gaze finally meets yours, and for a moment, there’s no mask—just the raw sincerity in his eyes.
Your breath catches in your throat, your heart skipping a beat. You open your mouth, trying to say something—but nothing comes out. The evident truth in his words hits you like an ocean wave on a sunny day, and you can’t help but feel something is shifting between you both.
THE next few weeks pass by like a ridiculously large time-skip in a movie. You’re doing things like you usually do—attend classes, do mootings, send in assignments, study for exams. Though, there’s one big thing in your life that you can’t ignore—Taesan, your fake-dating arrangement, and the lingering, unspoken tension between the two of you. The first week after the coffee shop episode, you couldn’t sleep even a wink—your mind kept on replaying the scenes over and over again, the way you caught Taesan’s guard almost falling down. You’re sure you felt it too, the cracks in the walls you’ve built against him—even for a short moment.
At school, you’re hyper aware and extra distracted by Taesan. He’s doing his part of the agreement well, acting like he agreed he would. Every glance from him feels like a load of unspoken words, and the air between you two feels heavy. Every day you ponder, unsure of what to do with the new, fragile tension that’s settled between you and Taesan.
Today is the same—everything passes in a blur of lectures, assignments, and studying. You drag your heavy footsteps out of the room, your head spinning at the thought of the many assignments waiting for you. You look up, and the moment you step into the hallway, you see Taesan leaning against the wall, phone in hand, looking as calm as ever.
You walk near him, and your eyes meet—you see a flicker of something there—a tension, a question neither of you have the answer to.
“Y/N,” Taesan greets you with a casual, unreadable smile. You pause in your steps, turning to face him.
“Hi,” you reply quite timidly. You’re trying to sound casual, but you can hear the slight hitch in your voice. There’s no pretending this isn’t different now. There’s no pretending you didn’t almost cross a line last time.
Taesan takes a final glance at his phone before shoving it into his pocket. “Still pretending this is just an act?” he asks, his voice surprisingly soft but laced with something familiar, almost teasing.
You pause, your breath stuck in your throat. Your heart, yet again, skips a beat, and you try to brush it off by laughing nervously. “Me? Pretending? I’m not pretending,” you say, and it’s directed more towards yourself than to him.
You’re not sure who’s trying to convince who anymore.
Taesan looks taken aback. He blinks profusely before putting his usual, calm expression back on. “Yeah,” he whispers, nodding, “I’ll see you around, Y/N.”
You watch him walk away, heart twisting in the weirdest way.
DONGMIN hates the way everything is now. Why can’t he just tell you everything? Why can’t he just tell you that he isn’t pretending, that he actually cares?
He wants to stop everything–going back to shoving insults at your face might be the safest option of them all. Yet, Dongmin finds himself caring for you in the little ways—wrapping his scarf around your neck, adjusting the placement of your bangs with a simple ruffle, placing a tin of coffee and bread in front of you whenever you seem exhausted with studying, sliding post-its to you with his handwriting reminding you to take breaks when needed. He still finds his heart racing upon seeing you; the way your lips pout when you’re deep in thought, the way you smile and laugh so adorably upon hearing a funny joke from your friends, the way you’re still so cute even when frustrated.
As he walks away, Dongmin fights with his own heart. Why was he acting like this? It’s so clear that you’re expecting something more, but why is he pushing you away?
Dongmin takes a deep breath. Yeah, he’s scared. He’s afraid that maybe it’s all in his head, maybe you’re the one acting so well and it’s just gotten to him.
Dongmin swears to get himself together, but it looks like he’s going to need more than just mental affirmations.
The next day, he misses his alarm, for the first time in forever, and is running late to his 9 AM lecture. He’s speed walking through students, dodging them with a bag hanging on one shoulder and his hair still partially wet. Just as he’s about to near the entrance of the Law building, he hears raised voices nearby. He puts his hood up, his first instinct is to ignore it all—he’s got no time to eavesdrop on people’s business. However, he recognises one of the two quarrelling voices—yours.
Dongmin’s steps come to a halt, and he turns to face you. His eyes slightly widen and his shoulders begin to tense as he sees you and Anton standing a few feet away, locked in an argument. He’s a bit too far away to hear the full conversation, yet he catches some bits of it.
You’re standing at your full height, stiffly in front of Anton, arms crossed and eyes blazing with fury. Anton, on the opposite side of you, no longer has that sickening, innocent smile—instead, he’s flashing you a mocking smirk.
The argument is already reaching its peak, yet Dongmin is quick to analyse the situation just by picking up a few bits.
“You think you’re really something, don’t you?” Anton taunts.
You scoff. Dongmin could tell you’re offended, yet the mask you put on really makes a difference. “At least I don’t have to put other people down to feel important.”
Anton scoffs back, “please. You act like you’re above all this, but you’re just as desperate for attention as everyone else.”
Dongmin clenches his jaw, watching the argument unfold as his fingers begin to twitch.
You give Anton a mocking laugh, stepping forward. “I don’t care what you think, Anton Lee. I don’t care if you think I don’t love Taesan, because what matters is my own feelings, not yours. And I’m done wasting my time on you.”
Before you could turn away and enter the building, Anton grabs your wrist.
It’s not aggressive, but it’s enough. Enough to make Dongmin see red.
Everything’s a blur—one second later, he’s towering in front of Anton, his eyes glaring daggers.
“Let her go,” his voice is low and threatening, as sharp as a blade.
Anton looks up, initially startled, but as soon as he sees Dongmin, he rolls his eyes. His hand still around your wrist, he says with a sneer, “look who’s here, Y/N’s knight in shining armour! Oh, so great, always the hero.”
Dongmin is too busy counting down the ways he could destroy Anton’s life to be noticing how immediate the warmth creeps up your cheeks. Dongmin, in one fluid motion, steps closer, standing between you and Anton.
“Did you hear me?” his voice drops deadly lower than before, his posture relaxed yet his eyes are dangerous. “Let. Go.”
Anton huffs, roughly letting go of your hand. He shakes his head. “You two are seriously something else,” he mutters before storming away.
You and Dongmin stand next to each other, cautiously eyeing Anton until he disappears from sight. For that moment, none of you say anything.
“What was that for?” you say suddenly, crossing your arms. “I didn’t need you to step in.”
Dongmin shoves his hood down to his neck, raising his eyebrow. Feeling slightly irritated, he scorns. “Yeah? Looked like you were having a great time.”
You roll your eyes, scoffing, but something pinches Dongmin’s heart as he notices there’s no real bite behind it. “I’m fine—I had it all handled.”
Silence.
Dongmin exhales sharply, words shooting out of his mouth without second thought. “I know. It’s just–”
He stops, his eyes landing on your wrist. Closes his mouth.
You wait for a few moments, before warily asking. “What? Just what?”
Dongmin hesitates. Suddenly, it’s all he can push out of his throat. He’s already there, halfway crossing the line he’s put between you and him for the past two years.
And then, it just… slips out.
“I just can’t stand it, okay?”
Your frown deepens, confused. “Stand… what?”
Dongmin lets out a frustrated breath, turning sharply to completely face you. “I can’t stand seeing you with people like that fucking bastard. I can’t stand watching you get into these stupid situations. And I really, really can’t stand how much I—”
His eyes widen, and his words stumble upon a stop. Dongmin stammers, realising what he was just about to say.
“Taesan,” you call, gently, hope suddenly shimmering in your eyes. “How much you what?”
Dongmin freezes. He’s silent, tongue frozen, unable to utter another word.
He can’t say it.
Instead, he runs a hand through his hair, muttering curses under his breath.
“You know what?”
“Taesan–”
“Next time,” he says quickly, in a softer voice, “don’t… waste your time on a guy like him.”
Your eye contact is still intact, you open your mouth to argue, but nothing comes out. Your eyes widen for a split second—as if you’re catching on to the feelings displayed, unknowingly, on Dongmin’s face.
His concern is real.
“W-we should go,” you stammer instead, gesturing to the Law building.
Dongmin nods. He grabs your backpack from you, signalling for you to walk in first. “Yeah. Let’s go.”
You force yourself to walk as swiftly as possible to the lecture hall, heart pounding, mind racing. Behind you, Dongmin’s entire body is tense. He’s finally realising he can’t keep his feelings for you hidden forever.
THE next day, you can’t stop thinking about Taesan—and whatever he was about to say to you. Your mind races with a million different thoughts throughout the day. What if he actually feels the same? What if you’re not the only one looking for something more in this fake arrangement?
However, given that exams are looming closer, you’re only given a short amount of time to dwell on your thoughts. After your last class of the day, you find yourself cooped up in the library, studying the rest of the day away. Several of your friends join you, too.
The study group grows, joined by both your friends and Taesan’s—though, you didn’t even realise that Taesan is sitting across you the entire day, until everyone starts leaving one by one.
By midnight, it’s only you and him. You don’t look up, but you can feel your heart thumping faster than usual. You’re hyper aware of your surroundings—how close he is, how his scent feels comforting yet intimidating, and how his presence is reminding you of something that you’re too afraid to admit.
“Y/N,” you open your eyes to someone gently shaking your shoulder, the reality of things crashing onto you all at once. You lift your head up, realising that you fell asleep in the middle of reviewing a past paper. Your eyes meet with Taesan’s concerned gaze.
His voice is low and soft, as if it’s only for you. “Let’s take a break. You’ve been snoozing off way too many times.”
Your heart is beating a little faster than usual, but you agree. Taesan’s request seems too casual, and he looks like he needs a break too.
You follow his lead, walking a little bit behind him to the convenience store that’s still open in campus grounds. He’s silent, observing you and letting you pick anything you want before paying for both your things and his.
“Go sit,” he says, holding your instant tteokbokki package in hand, along with his instant noodles. “I’ll heat these up.”
Taesan quickly moves to the microwave before you can say anything in retaliation, a sign that you take seriously. He’s not in the mood for any fights.
You take a seat, and soon after, Taesan joins you. He puts your instant meal in front of you, breaking your chopsticks for you.
“Here,” he says, his voice quiet. “Careful, the tteok is still hot.”
He then slips his coat around you before turning back to his own beverages.
You find yourself staring at him, long after he’s handed you your things. You watch him, peacefully releasing his tension—running a hand through his hair, chugging down a cup of coffee.
Everything around you looks like it has a blurred filter on, yet one thing is crystal clear: Taesan, and his evident care for you. The longer you stare at him, the more you realise.
He’s always been the one. He’s always been there.
It hits you harder than any bad grade has ever done.
Taesan has always been like this—quietly looking out for you, quietly caring for you.
All this while, all the banter, the little arguments, moments, and glances—it’s not just rivalry. It’s not just the fact that he always finds a way to make you all grumbly and irritated. It’s not just the fact that, even back when you were with Anton, he’d always find a way to show his care for you.
It’s not just the fact that you enjoy his company, even if he makes you feel like you want to bang your head against the wall.
You like him.
You like Han Taesan.
You quickly turn your head away, blood rushing to your head as soon as the realisation hits you. You stuff a few bites of instant tteokbokki into your mouth, wanting to quickly get rid of whatever this warm, refreshing feeling is.
“Can you stop looking at me like that, L/N?”
You cough, shocked at how his sudden comment breaks through the almost comforting silence. All the past moments you’ve had with him—the banter, the insults, the arguments—run through your head as soon as your last name, what Taesan had always called you, reaches your ears.
“Like what?” emboldened by the awakening of your feelings, you retort, your tone more challenging than you intended.
Taesan snaps, pushing his chair back, raking a frustrated hand through his hair.
“Like I’m your fucking boyfriend.”
“What?” you’re confused, not expecting that out of his mouth. “What are you–”
“Like you’re waiting for me to say something that I know I can’t take back.”
“Say it, then.”
You say, challenging him. It feels sentimental—like the old days, where all you did when you met Taesan was throw taunting words at him. But at the same time, the words come out of your mouth without realising—daring the two of you to finally cross the line.
“I like you, okay? I probably love you at this point, I don’t know. I don’t know when it started, but I do. And I—” He exhales sharply, his voice softer. “I don’t want to keep pretending I don’t.”
The world stops spinning and you stare at him, blank.
Your tongue feels numb, your heart racing at a million miles per hour.
You feel the same, you’re sure, but you don’t know how to respond. Do you smile and say it back? Do you tease him, calling him an idiot like you always do?
“I didn’t mean to fall for you,” you catch Taesan muttering.
You smile. “Me too,” you say softly.
Taesan lifts his head immediately, sharply turning to you with widened eyes. “... pardon?”
THE next few days feel like a refreshing spring breeze in the peak of winter, yet the air is filled with a cute awkwardness. After the confession, neither of you explicitly announce to one another that the two of you are a real couple now—yet your interactions feel new and unscripted, but no one exactly is making the first move.
Of course, your friends notice before the two of you do.
You’re sitting at the food hall together with Yunjin and Sophia, eating breakfast. You’re halfway through your pancakes, and Taesan—or Dongmin, as you call him now—suddenly takes a seat next to you.
“Mind if I join, girls?” he asks, a charming grin on his face. He’s asking the table, yet his gaze is directed to you. You bite your lip shyly, nodding.
“Sure, make yourself at home,” Yunjin says, her words laced with teasing. She watches with eagle eyes as Dongmin puts all of the sliced bananas from his serving of pancakes onto yours, knowing that you especially enjoy them with your breakfast pancakes. She snorts at the obvious look of love in Dongmin’s eyes, more evident now that he isn’t shoving insults at your face. “So, you two are really dating now?”
You choke on your bite of pancake, immediately blurting out,
“No!”
“Yes.”
You sharply turn to Dongmin, who has a smug look on his face. It’s the one look on his face that you’re used to, yet there’s a tint of pink on his cheeks. The edge of his smirk twitches, threatening to form into a cute, lovesick smile.
“...I see,” Sophia interrupts your awkward eye contact, sighing dramatically.
“We’re dating?” you ask Dongmin acutely, your brows connecting in an embarrassed frown.
“I don’t know,” Dongmin shrugs casually, the look in his eyes teasing. “Are we?”
The blush that instantly creeps up your cheeks tells you the answer. You look away, suddenly focused on the way you’re cutting your pancakes. Dongmin’s laugh echoes to your left, and your friends’ send you teasing looks.
A few months later, on the first week back after winter break, you go on a walk around campus with your boyfriend, Han Dongmin. It feels weird, calling him yours now. Just almost half a year ago, you were fighting your ego to have your nemesis fake-date you in order to intimidate your ex into leaving you and your life alone. Now, that same thorn in your side has become the light of your life, the apple of your eye. Now, the two of you are in something that’s not written on a flimsy contract.
Dongmin had also helped clear out the rumours surrounding you—in the most annoying, Han Taesan way—announcing the truth about Anton by spreading it like a rumour to everyone. You still get second-hand embarrassment remembering that day, bombarded by questions and apologies from acquaintances and people you’ve only seen around.
“You know,” you say dreamily, distracted by your train of thought, “you’re so annoying—but I love you.”
Dongmin freezes, his steps coming to an immediate halt. You, too, freeze in your steps as you realise you’re a few steps ahead of him now. You turn around, eyebrows perked up.
“What’s wrong, Dongmin?”
Dongmin.
The sound of your voice calling his birth name repeats in his mind, like a favourite song on loop. He stares, unable to say anything. His eyes fall on the pendant dangling from your neck, one that you started wearing due to the fake-dating arrangement. He remembered insisting that you take it off, so that he can buy you a new one later, but you said that it’s special so you won’t take it off.
I love you.
Dongmin feels a smile slowly bloom on his face.
She said it. She didn’t even hesitate. It’s like it’s the easiest thing in the world.
His face softens, jogging up to you. He gives you a cheeky smile.
“Say that again.”
You frown. “What again?”
“The first part.”
“What–” you pause, eyes widening as you get what he’s talking about. Heat rushes up your cheeks, warming your face despite Dongmin’s scarf wrapped around it. “I–”
“Yeah,” Dongmin says, smirking as he wraps an arm around your shoulders. “Me too.”
You bury yourself into the familiar scent of Dongmin’s scarf as he kisses your cheek.
“Fuck you, Han Dongmin,” you grumble, ignoring the obvious butterflies in your stomach.
THAT weekend, you and Dongmin are eating lunch together at your favourite coffee shop. Dongmin had said that the vibes there makes him sleepy, and tried to bring you to eat at one of the more famous restaurants near the KOZ School of Engineering, yet the plan backfires on him when the line is certainly too long.
Now, the two of you are back at your favourite coffee shop, sipping warm cinnamon lattes.
“See?” you tease, smiling cheekily. “I told you this place is the best.”
Dongmin rolls his eyes, taking a big spoonful of the chocolate cinnamon roll on your plate. “I want to eat some real food, like kimchi jjigae, not these sweet chocolate desserts,” he complains, though he can’t hide the fact that he secretly loves it.
“Yet you’re the one finishing my cinnamon roll,” you retort, letting him subconsciously finish your dessert. You’re familiar with his love for chocolate.
Dongmin flashes you an innocent smile, shrugging. “Not my fault.”
Comfortable silence engulfs the two of you, letting you bask in each other’s presence. Suddenly, Dongmin leans closer, adjusting the place of the H.D pendant on your décolletage. Frozen, you watch him lean back into his seat, smiling as he admires you.
“You look good today,” he murmurs, “actually, you look good everyday.”
An undeniable tint of pink colours your face. “I’m literally wearing a black turtleneck sweater, Dongmin.”
His gaze softens. “Like the first time you sat next to me, three years ago, during our foundation year.”
Your eyes widen, your mind replaying the memory, fresh like it happened yesterday.
“You… remember?”
“Of course,” Dongmin replies, his smile delicate.
“I even remember the day you walked up to me, confident and all. I thought you were going to brag to my face that you won first place for the quiz we had the day before, but then you told me to fake date you.”
You almost spit out the coffee from your mouth. “Han Dongmin!” you hiss. “Don’t remind me… it was so stupid.”
“Stupid?” Dongmin asks, tilting his head. The signature cocky smirk is back on his face. “Are you sure about that?”
“Yeah…” you sigh, “I mean, I could’ve resolved the matter by myself, you know–”
“But you know that I’m the best option,” Dongmin cuts you off, smug. You roll your eyes.
“I don’t think it’s stupid, though,” he continues, his expression softer. More… raw. “To be honest, I think I was ecstatic that you walked up to me that day.”
“Why?” you ask croakily.
“‘Cause I’ve always liked you, Y/N. I always have. I just don’t understand where things went wrong—maybe it’s the way I thought teasing you would gain me your attention at first. It did. But then, you became used to my teasing and thought of me as a threat—maybe ‘cause I’m smart as hell, too—but yeah. I don’t know how to say it but, all of that hatred was… pretend.”
You blink at him, too shocked to process his words. You try to reply, but mere stuttering comes out, and your face turns bright red.
Dongmin notices this, of course, and he turns on his shameless, impudent grin. “Besides, you said you’re going to grant me any wish that I have, right?”
Oh.
You inhale sharply. How could you forget? You immediately bring out your phone, checking the balance in your bank account. It’s quite a luxury, due to you working a few part time jobs during your break and whenever you can—but you certainly don’t think it’s fit for whatever grand wish Dongmin is about to demand from you.
“Fine,” you huff, “only because it’s part of our… old contract.”
“Old contract, huh?” Dongmin wheezes, already laughing hard. You frown, fighting back a smile.
“Why are you always laughing whenever I speak, dumbass?”
“Hey,” Dongmin pauses his laughter, flicking your forehead gently. It doesn’t even hurt, but you gasp dramatically, and he laughs it off. “It’s babe for you, sweet girl. And, I’m not laughing at you. I’m just admiring how cute and funny you are.”
Babe, huh?
You snort, hiding a smile. “Fine.”
“Anyway, speaking of the old contract,” Dongmin grins, “what’s the new one, then?”
“You haven’t even told me what sort of dumb, overpriced thing you want for your wish,” you say, lips set in a grim line. “And now you want another one?”
“My wish, huh?”
The unreadable look on his face makes you brace yourself and your wallet.
“Then, my darling, this is my wish.”
Dongmin leans forward, brushing his lips against yours. It’s subtle, short and sweet, but significant enough for you to realise it all—the reality of your feelings and his. He lingers for a while before sitting back in his chair.
“So,” he says coolly, ignoring the plain blush streaked across his face. “Can you grant me the wish? To kiss you anytime, and anywhere I want?”
“Basically, physical affection can be done anytime?” you say, quoting what this man in front of you said months ago, when both of you first agreed on the fake-dating situation. The whole absurd set-up that brought the two of you to where you are, today.
Dongmin laughs, clearly impressed. “Yeah,” he nods.
You give him a warm smile, glad that you’re finally able to follow your heart’s desires, and to not put up a wall of defense around him anymore.
Is he VIRAL? - Boys next door's tracklist | 보이넥스도어 H.DM (TS)
— Boys next door's tracklist (series)
Track 4: VIRAL — Childhood friend!Taesan x reader
In Summary
Boys tease because they like you’ - You scoffed. - That's why they are just 'boys', immature and annoying. Bullies are just mean people. No exceptions. - Especially the immature boy named Taesan, who never gets tired of teasing you. Even if he ends up crawling and hugging his knees in front of your house, he will-- Wait, what? Is he... crying??
If someone hired you to run a poll on "The Most Annoying Creature in the World," you would quickly jot down the name 'Han Taesan' from rank one to ten without a single doubt.
Adults or those innocent first-love theorists love to say, ‘If a boy teases you, it means he likes you’ — Hah, you let out a huge scoff in your mind at the cringe of that statement. Since knowing that guy from childhood through high school, you haven't seen him grow up with his age. He still acts like an annoying elementary school kid.
And his target every single time is 'you'.
You moved out of your house right after high school graduation to attend a university in another city for the past five years. You went back home occasionally during holidays, but not as often as your family visited your dorm in that city.
But now you've graduated. You looked up at the brown fence adorned with potted plants just the way your mom liked, a sight you hadn't seen in over four or five years. Your favorite medium-sized suitcase was carried through the door into a house filled with nostalgia and longing. The familiar scent of home eased the tension in your shoulders.
The house looks exactly the same.
You walked past the furniture and numerous cardboard boxes piled up in front of the house, waiting to be moved by the moving truck you had just called, and headed inside.
“Hey! You're back? Do you need some help?”
A kind voice from next door made you turn around. It was 'Riwoo', your neighbor and your mom's friend's son, whom your mom always compared you to because he was the perfect, sweet older brother.
You were about to decline, but Riwoo had already walked over, grabbed the suitcase you thought you could easily carry yourself, and breezed right into your house. So, your refusal turned into a thank you instead.
There was less furniture inside than you remembered, but some corners were still covered in a thick layer of dust waiting to be cleaned. Well... you were a fresh university graduate. Escaping back to hole up, organize things, and dust off your house in a familiar neighborhood was the best kind of rest before you started thinking about job hunting.
“I'll put the bag right here. It's pretty dusty. Want me to help you sweep and dust somewhere first?” Riwoo turned to ask with a warm smile.
But your polite refusal seemed to fall on deaf ears. Riwoo started making himself at home (obviously, your mom probably welcomed him so warmly while you were gone that he was practically another son).
The casual conversation flowed naturally, comfortably catching up on the past while waiting for the others to return from grocery shopping, as Riwoo had mentioned.
Until it reached an irritating sentence.
“By the way, have you listened to the song that guy produced? It's really popular right now.”
You turned to look at Riwoo in confusion. Whose song?
“Taesan. He works as a producer now and just released a new track – wait, you didn't know?”
How would I know? I was practically *fxckin* dying from my senior project.
You just thought it in your head. Riwoo was too nice to speak to harshly.
“Let me play it for you—”
“No need. I want to concentrate.”
Riwoo paused before laughing again. Too bad, Taesan. Your nicotine isn't going to be that easy to get...
It seemed the adults' grocery run was taking longer than expected. Time passed until you and Riwoo finished packing up the stuff. You sat down on the empty sofa and turned on some random show to kill time.
The sound of the door opening made both of you turn, expecting it to be your mom or someone else. Not him.
Han Taesan.
He looked taller than five years ago, with hair long enough to cover his eyes.
Ripped trendy jeans and an oversized MCR band tee paired perfectly with those silver hoop earrings.
Hmm, it felt a bit unfamiliar. Maybe because your last memory of him was a high school kid in a strict uniform, complete with that signature teasing smirk whenever he successfully provoked you into cursing at him.
“Long time no see. Did you shrink? You're shorter than I remember.”
Wow, First words out of his mouth and he's already talking trash.
His dark eyes scanned you from head to toe before he let out a scoff in his throat.
“...” You took a deep breath, looking past Riwoo's shoulder to glare at the brat from House 605, who consistently maintained his concept of 'The Most Annoying Creature in the World'.
“I'm completely average height. You're the one whose brain never seems to grow along with your height,” you fired back instantly, rolling your eyes at the tall figure still standing at the door with a punchable face.
Taesan didn't flinch at your insult at all. The guy just chuckled in his throat before walking into the house with his hands in his pockets, acting entirely at home. He swept his gaze over the cardboard boxes piled on the floor before stopping in front of one marked 'Books' with a magic marker. It was so heavy that you and Riwoo had left it there, planning to slowly unpack it later.
“And what's this? Moving back to settle down permanently? Why'd you bring so much stuff, you fresh grad?” Taesan raised an eyebrow, lightly tapping the book box with the tip of his sneaker.
“That's stuff for moving out! And what's wrong with being a fresh grad, huh?!” you snapped, starting to feel a sudden headache coming on. You hadn't even been home for an hour. This guy was a premium life-energy vampire.
Riwoo, sitting next to you, let out a soft laugh at seeing the familiar psychological warfare start up again. “Come on now, you two just met. Taesan, stop teasing Y/N. Weren't you pacing around yesterday complaining that—”
“Hyung!” Taesan immediately interrupted, his voice cracking. The ear with the silver hoop earring started to turn a faint red, which you assumed was just because of the hot weather outside. “Who was complaining? Nobody! I just came over to see if Auntie was back yet. I'm starving to death here!”
You narrowed your eyes at his strangely flustered behavior, but you were too lazy to care. The tall figure walked closer before bending down to lift that incredibly heavy box of books as easily as if it were a box of soft clothes.
The muscles and veins on his arm under the oversized shirt bulged slightly from the effort, making you accidentally steal a glance before quickly jerking your eyes back to stare rapidly between the TV screen and the ceiling.
“It's so in the way. Where do you want me to put this?” he mumbled, but didn't put it down.
“Just pile it up in the back of the house for now,” you answered curtly.
“You're really good at bossing people around, considering your size,” Taesan muttered, but he obediently turned around and carried the box upstairs anyway.
You watched his broad back in that baggy MCR tee with an indescribable feeling... Okay, you could admit that he looked more grown-up (just physically), looking like a full-fledged man. Plus, he was frustratingly much stronger now, completely different from the scrawny kid five years ago.
But still, Han Taesan was still Han Taesan — a foul-mouthed creature and the most annoying person in the world to you anyway.
Dinner was a lavish spread thanks to your parents, Riwoo's mom, and Taesan's mom, who were all part of the same neighborly friend group. The adults had bustled around the kitchen with the groceries they just bought, and Riwoo had gone in to help, leaving you sitting dryly at the dining table... looking at the sealed boxes with a slight pang in your heart.
Five years away at college, and just when you came back, you had to see the house being emptied out like this.
“My mom said we're celebrating you coming home and also a farewell party - moving out?” Taesan asked flatly while leaning against the kitchen doorframe, hands still in his pockets.
“Yeah. The moving truck is coming early tomorrow morning, so I rushed back to help move the stuff.” You answered truthfully, keeping your head down to rummage through a box.
Taesan, who rarely kept his mouth shut, went silent. Those dark eyes that usually looked at you with playful annoyance wavered for a moment.
"...Moving where?" His voice dropped a bit lower than usual.
"Busan, probably. Somewhere in the suburbs. I heard the weather is nice," you replied offhandedly, without clarifying the subject of the sentence to specify 'who' was going.
"..."
But all you got in return was silence. Taesan just stood there staring at you blankly. His jaw clenched tight, and his eyes looked... empty? Or shocked? You couldn't read him either, before he abruptly turned on his heel and stormed out of your house without saying another word.
"What the hell is wrong with him? Is he so hungry he's gone crazy or what?" you muttered to yourself, staring after his broad back in confusion.
Before you could seek an answer for your curiosity, the mothers walked out of the kitchen carrying pots of soup and dishes of food.
“Oh, where did Dongmin go?” Taesan's mom asked when she noticed her son was missing from the gathering.
“He just walked out, Auntie. He suddenly gave me a stiff look and just walked away,” you immediately snitched.
“Oh my, what rude manners this kid has,” his mom sighed. “Whatever. He probably went back to work. Before we came over, I saw him looking stressed, wearing his headphones, and glued to his computer since morning.”
“Just let him be. A famous producer is bound to be busy,” your mom added with a smile while setting the table, before turning to you. “By the way, Y/N, have you listened to Taesan's new song yet? I heard it's really popular right now.”
You shook your head immediately. “Not yet, Mom. During my final project grind, I barely touched social media.”
Well, congratulations on the success... even if you still act like an immature brat.
You silently added the sentence in your mind.
“That's a shame...”
Riwoo's soft voice sounded along with a faint smile as he placed a plate of rice in front of you. “That song... Taesan really poured his heart into it. He gave it his all.”
You frowned at the boy-next-door's knowing smile in confusion... What was wrong with everyone today?
That night seemed to just pass by like that...
The weather was cool and comfortable, with rain drizzling outside. The familiar tranquility you hadn't felt in a long time kept you wide awake, even though it was past your usual bedtime.
You were scrolling through your phone in the dark of your bedroom, but suddenly the algorithm seemed to play some kind of joke.
A blue thumbnail with a song title below it, along with familiar names of the singer and producer, popped up on your screen. It made you click it without thinking.
Glancing at the view count, you could guess that this was the song mentioned at the dinner table.
You let the music flow through your earphones... After listening for a while, you understood why it was so famous. The guy was truly talented, passionate, and really produced great work.
But before the song could finish, the drizzling rain suddenly turned into a heavy downpour, the sound of raindrops hitting the window pane becoming loud and clear.
You paused, immediately taking off your earphones. Wait, what about the box of books me and Riwoo oppa left on the front porch? If the rain splashed in, all your high school textbooks would be completely soaked.
Panicking, you sprang out of bed, grabbed a cardigan to throw on, and practically ran downstairs. The darkness in the house didn't trip you up thanks to your familiarity with the place. Your small hand reached out to unlock and twist the front doorknob, pushing it open slightly to check the rain outside.
However... the sight before you wasn't just a wet cardboard box.
On the front steps, amidst the splashing rain that made the ground soaked, a tall figure in the same outfit from this evening was sitting hugging his knees, leaning against the wall. His broad shoulders were slumped, and his perfectly styled hair was now plastered flat against his usually arrogant face, which now looked utterly defeated.
Like a giant kitten abandoned by its owner in the middle of the rain.
"Han Taesan...?"
The owner of the name flinched violently before slowly looking up at you. The dim porch light revealed a face that usually held nothing but teasing annoyance... but now, those dark eyes were bloodshot red, and his pointy nose was flushed and bruised-looking, like someone who had just cried their eyes out.
Uh… let me rub my eyes and look again.
That Taesan was... crying????
“Um… do you want to come inside first?… Sitting in the rain like this probably isn't good.”
“You have to comfort me!” He glared at you, looking displeased — though he never seemed pleased with anything anyway.
“I don't even know what you're crying about, how am I supposed to comfort you? So, you have to tell me. And if you tell me while sitting in the rain like this, do you think I'll hear you clearly? How long do you think this story is going to take? By the time you're done, I'll probably have to visit you in the hospital with a fever.”
You ranted, but Taesan didn't seem to care, burying his face in his knees again.
You decided to step outside even without an umbrella to shield you from the rain. The teary-eyed cat in front of you glanced up, but showed no signs of getting up, just mumbling unintelligibly until you had to crouch down to listen closely.
“Why didn't you bring an umbrella? You're going to get sick.”
“What?”
“I asked—” His deep voice got swallowed down his throat when he looked up and realized you were much closer than he thought.
“Said what?”
“Move over.” Taesan used his hand to gently push your shoulder, but as you were about to lose your balance and fall, he reached out his other hand to grab your arm and steady you. “Be careful.”
“Then let's just go inside and talk properly. Why are you sitting in the rain?” You spoke while trying to use your strength to pull him up by the arm, but Taesan remained stubborn.
You started to frown, clicking your tongue in annoyance, ignoring Taesan's displeased expression.
“You don't have to care about me anymore. You're leaving anyway.”
...?
Huh?
“I'm just an immature kid who likes to tease, and no matter how I take care of you, or how nice I am to you, you still don't like me back.”
...???
“No matter how many songs I write for you, you never even listen to them.”
...?????
“Even though you ran away so far for five years, you were still the only thing in my head. I'm going crazy.” Taesan rambled on as if he was too tired to think anymore. “I just hoped the song I wrote would be talked about everywhere until it reached your ears, but it didn't turn out like that — I'm so frustrated I'm going crazy. I wanted you to cry and miss me, but I also didn't want you to cry or be in pain. I want you to be happy, but if you're happy without me, I'll probably just keep being sad like this...”
”Taesan…”
“I could sing until my voice goes hoarse just asking you to look back at me once, but it's useless now because you're already gone.”
You were starting to have trouble telling whether the liquid on the face in front of you was tears or raindrops, but your hands tried their best to wipe it away from Taesan's face.
Taesan tried to swat your hands away and pull back, rejecting the touch, his mouth still babbling things you couldn't decipher.
“Taesan, listen.”
“Forget it. Just forget it all. You're leaving tomorrow anyway.“
…?
”Leaving where? Listen to me, hey!“
”Busan!“
”I'm not going anywhere!“
…
It seemed raising your voice worked. Taesan froze completely, giving you a chance to continue.
”I'm not going anywhere. The ones moving out tomorrow are my parents — not me, you idiot!“
Silence enveloped the two of you, with only the sound of raindrops hitting the ground interrupting the space between you.
Taesan's sharp eyes widened. The tears that were just streaming down his cheeks seemed to stop abruptly. He blinked rapidly, looking back and forth between you and the front door. The tall figure who was just hugging his knees and crying his eyes out had turned into solid stone.
"Y... Your parents? Not you?"
"Yes! I told you I was staying to clear out the house. Who told you to jump to conclusions and cry your eyes out like a five-year-old kid?!"
Once the young producer's brain finished processing, his pale, cold face slowly flushed with color until his ears were bright red... and it spread all the way down his neck. Taesan immediately buried his face in his own arms, letting out a muffled curse over the sound of the rain.
"Dammit!!"
The utterly defeated and embarrassed state of the 'most annoying creature in the world' made you burst out laughing uncontrollably. All the anger and frustration you had vanished, leaving only pure fondness (and a bit of satisfaction) at seeing the giant cat in front of you so embarrassed he looked ready to dig a hole and hide.
You shook your head with a smile before reaching out to grab his arm again. "Get up right now, Han Taesan. Go inside and dry off. If you die of a fever on my front porch, I'm not taking responsibility for your song royalties."
This time, the tall figure obediently stood up at your pull, even though he was still hiding his face behind his sleeves in pure embarrassment.
Once inside, you threw a large towel over his head. Taesan took it and rubbed his hair roughly. His dark eyes peeked up at you standing there with your arms crossed. His soaking wet state was a far cry from the 'cool producer' image.
"So... you're really not going anywhere?" he asked again, his deep voice still a bit shaky.
"Yes, I already said so. How many times do you want me to repeat it?"
"And what I said just now..." Taesan mumbled, suddenly avoiding your gaze. His large hand ruffled the towel on his head awkwardly. "About... hoping the song would reach your ears..."
You pressed your lips together, holding back a smile until your cheeks hurt. "I'll try listening to it tomorrow. But if it's not as good as Riwoo oppa hyped it up to be, I'm going to roast you, just wait."
The downward curve of Taesan's lips slowly lifted bit by bit... until it turned into a wide, eye-crinkling smile. The exact same smile he used whenever he successfully pranked you. But this time, it looked so bright it was almost blinding.
"Get ready to be addicted to my song, dummy." He reached out a large hand, with the towel still draped over it, to ruffle your hair until it was a mess. His signature Han Taesan brand of annoyance was starting to possess him again. "Because from now on, I'm going to annoy the hell out of you until you can't run away anywhere ever again... Take responsibility for making me cry for nothing, will you?"
"Yah! Who made you cry? You made it all up in your own head, you idiot!" You lightly swatted his hand away, mumbling to yourself. "Immature kid..."
You turned your face away to hide the smile tugging at your lips, secretly clutching the left side of your chest where a certain organ was beating wildly out of rhythm.
...It seemed you had really caught this guy's virus after all.
SYNOPSIS: kim leehan has always believed “situationship” was such a stupid word. however, all his attempts to ask you out or proclaim his feelings for you have ended in nothing but absolute, soul-crushing failure — that is, until you take matters into your own hands.
GENRE/CONTENTS: crack, humor, mini smau, fluff, a little suggestive (like 1%), slightly jealous and extremely chalant leehan + instigator reader, twilight mentioned, no plot just straight bs.
AUTHOR’S NOTE: once again could not come up with a name so i’m just naming it after the song i was listening to while writing this 😭😭 but THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR 200!!!!! i know i’m not as active on here as i’d like to be but that WILL change trust me 😈 anyways enjoy some more stupidity brought to you by bigsuki 🫶🏼🫶🏼
sypnosis: Your best friend loves soccer, and you love your best friend. So when he forces you to watch with him, you have no other choice.
pairings: bsf!JAEHYUN x READER
genre: fluff, comedy
warnings: romantic tension, cuddling, lgbtq+ joke (not offensive), crushes, Jaehyun physically forces reader to wear a jersey lol
w/c: 800+
A/N: First request!! This was so fun omg
woonni's collection
₊˚⊹♡🧸ྀི♡‧₊˚
There were many things you hated: cockroaches, sweat, football, etc.
There were very few things you loved: cats, coffee, and your best friend of five years.
It just so happened that he was obsessed with the thing you hated.
"Come onnnn, just one game," he whined, pulling your hoodie arm and letting it loose over and over again.
You sighed, closing your laptop. This was supposed to be an at-home study session, but Jaehyun had just been droning on about the World Cup since the moment he arrived. Every five seconds, he'd scroll on his phone and go "I'm gonna explode," and you'd have to reassure him that it's not that deep.
"Why the hell," you yank his hand off you. "Would I sit and watch a bunch of men sweat on a screen?"
He props his head on his hands, lying stomach down on your bed. "What if they were hot men sweating on a screen?"
You laughed. "So that's why you watch that stuff. Happy pride month." You stood up, but he grabbed your arm and pulled you down again.
"Come onnn, just once. You'd be the nicest person in the world. You'd be my little pretty princess. I'll be so nice to you for the rest of your life."
You roll your eyes as you fight to hide the smile forming at his words. "...Maybe."
"YOU SAID YES!" He yelled, grabbing you and pulling you into a bear hug on the bed. "I could kiss you."
"Ew," you muttered, hiding your red face. You pushed him off. "You're paying for drinks and snacks."
"Of course." He beamed.
₊˚⊹♡🧸ྀི♡‧₊˚
On the day of the game, Jaehyun arrived at your house with a dorky smile on his face, holding two big shopping bags of food and drinks. He was wearing a bright red jersey, grinning like the devil himself. He streamed past you and into your room, unloading his supplies and setting up the TV.
You watched lazily from the bed, but shook your head in horror when he stood up. He was holding an identical red jersey, smiling deviously.
You shot up from the bed. "Nuh uh. I just said watching. I am not wearing that."
Jaehyun's smile didn't break an inch. "Oh yes you are."
And so the chase began.
You leapt to the door and bolted out of the room, Jaehyun following close behind. You ran through the halls at lightning speed, swerving around and eventually reaching your room again. You zoomed in, trying to close the door in his face, but he grabbed the handle in time and pushed it open, stepping in and closing it shut behind him.
You backed up into the room, hanging your head in defeat as he pulled the jersey on over you, grinning in satisfaction. He adjusted the sleeve and collar proudly. "Look at you. Red's really your colour."
You grumbled and sat down on the floor. "When does this thing start?"
He sat next to you, still staring at you in your new outfit. "Soon. 5 minutes?"
You nodded, playing with the hem of your new shirt. Red's your colour?
Jaehyun soon leapt up in excitement. "It's starting! The game's starting!"
₊˚⊹♡🧸ྀི♡‧₊˚
As the game went on, you couldn't even pretend to be enjoying yourself. When a team scored, you clapped politely while Jaehyun shrieked and howled. You really were just doing this for his sake.
Soon, Jaehyun seemed to realize how low energy you were. He himself was getting pretty tired. He slowly inched towards you, and eventually, he was right beside you, shoulders practically touching. At one point in the game, he gently reached over and tilted your head onto his shoulder.
You stared up at him in confusion, but he pretended to be invested in the game. You could feel his heartbeat. Why was it so fast? Was the game that exciting?
After that, every time Team Korea scored, he would gently laugh, occasionally reaching up to pat your head or shoulder. When the other team scored, he'd groan and gently rub your arm.
At this point, you were more alert than you had ever been while watching a sport. Every time he touched you, you prayed he wouldn't catch your slight tremble.
The game eventually ended, with Team Korea winning. Jaehyun let out a bunch of whoops, falling back to rest his head against the foot of the bed. "See. It's 'cause you watched. You're the country's lucky charm."
You laughed at his absurdity. "What do we do now?"
He smiled, gently pulling you to him. Your head landed on his chest, his arm coming to wrap around your shoulder. "Now, we sleep."
As your best friend drew small circles into your shoulder for the next hour, you couldn't help but think that maybe football wasn't all that bad.
A/N: Again, thank you so much for the prompt!! I hope I did it justice >_<
. . ⇢ ˗ˏˋsummary proposal, wedding and husband w boynextdoor
. . ⇢ ˗ˏˋpairing nonidol!bnd x afab!reader
. . . ⇢ ˗ˏˋgenre fluff
. . . ⇢ ˗ˏˋwarnings marriage content, physical content, metions of arguments between couples, the reader can get pregntant, having children, mentions of sickness
. . . ⇢ ˗ˏˋnote why is haechani4ever writing abt boynextdoor lol? well, ive been writing abt nctdream for two years, and decided to write for other groups that i like. for my 7dream babes, this day ill be posting the nct dream version if i can. let me know if u like it. always thankful for all the suppor, love u
✦➼park sungho
✦- proposal
He would wait several years before proposing—probably four or a little more.
He always knew you were the one, but he wasn’t sure if you felt the same way.
He also wanted to test how stable their relationship was in the long run.
He’d do a lot of research before buying the ring—
the typical guy who looks through your social media posts, reviews on how comfortable they are, etc.
He also plans the whole proposal perfectly.
On that day, he isn’t really nervous—which is normal—because he’s confident you’ll say yes.
He’ll probably take you to either the restaurant where you had one of your first dates or your favorite spot.
He’ll ask the waiter for a table that’s secluded and quiet; he wants it to be intimate and private so you don’t feel any pressure.
You’ll be lingering at the table, chatting before dessert or waiting for the check.
He knows it’s the right moment.
His hand slides down his pants, into his pocket; his fingers move, searching for a velvety, cube-shaped object.
He places it between his legs, waiting for you to finish what you’re saying.
He smiles gently and sets the little box on the table.
“yn , I’ve been thinking about doing this ever since I kissed you for the first time. Would you do me the honor of marrying me and spending the rest of my life by your side?”
As he recites his words, you reach for the box and open it.
It’s the ring just as you dreamed it would be: delicate and subtle, yet it screams that you’re loved.
You say yes, and he gets so emotional
he can’t contain himself and comes over to kiss you.
✦- wedding
He likes to organize things, so he’s 100% involved in the process.
He wants something classic and elegant; he likes to play it safe.
He’ll probably suggest a place like a hotel or a garden.
It’s not really a big event, but it’s not so intimate that it would be considered a small wedding either.
Still, he avoids looking at things like your dress, hairstyle, etc. He’d like that to be a surprise.
But I can also see him suggesting a moment before the ceremony to see each other, to be together.
The vows are traditional, but still sweet.
That was probably his favorite moment: saying so many feelings out loud, coming from the depths of his heart, and despite everyone being there, just thinking that he’s confessing them to you.
They have a quiet first dance, and surely another one when all the guests have left—no music needed, just enjoying each other’s company.
As for the honeymoon, it would be peaceful.
I’d choose a place with a beach or a natural setting where they can relax.
✦- domestic life
They might not move in together right away when they get married; Sungho would suggest waiting until both of them are financially stable. If that happens before the wedding, they’ll probably already be living together by then.
It’s a comfortable and organized home.
The decor is likely minimalist to ensure both of you are happy.
He enjoys taking care of the house, so he usually does the cleaning.
He might also enjoy cooking for the two of you, especially when you come home tired.
He doesn’t overcomplicate the recipes he chooses; he always makes something healthy but quick and easy to cook.
You probably have a well-defined routine.
He might buy something like a chalkboard or a place to write down each of your schedules—not just for yourself, but for the other person too.
On weekends, especially Sundays, you don’t really do anything special.
He might make plans for the two of you at home, like watching a movie or catching up on a show you’re watching together.
But he also likes spending time on his own: you doing your thing and him doing his, while still enjoying each other’s company.
He likes that kind of intimacy, and it’s one of his favorite things about living together—continuing to have your own lives while still being there for each other.
✦- married life
Sweet nicknames—especially now that you spend so much time together in private—
his way of showing love is through acts of service.
He shows his love by taking care of you.
As I already explained, he enjoys taking care of the home, so doing chores for you—like folding your clothes or packing your lunch before work—isn’t a burden for him at all.
He’s the first one there when you’re sick or need something.
You can call him at any time of day; he’ll be wherever you say, ready to do whatever you ask
He’s just such a helpful husband
He plans dates often; he likes being at home with you, but he enjoys going out just as much.
As for arguments—if they ever come up—he always acts very mature and firm.
You’d never sleep apart; he always makes sure to resolve whatever caused the disagreement by the end of the day
It’s also because he can’t sleep well if he’s worried about upsetting you—he just knows there’s something left unresolved
He’s not really very jealous; he’s just protective
He doesn’t like it when people stare at you in a creepy way on the street or treat you badly, but if they show interest in you, it doesn’t bother him—he understands them perfectly!
He never forgets an anniversary, and he listens to every word you say
✦- family life
They talked about it for a long time, but they just didn't feel ready to be parents.
Maybe they'd adopt a pet first to see how they do at taking care of a living creature.
It turns out they’re pretty good at it. We shouldn’t compare taking care of a pet to taking care of a baby, but it does make them feel a little more ready to take the plunge.
During the pregnancy, he won’t let you lift a finger—he takes care of everything and insists on it.
He’s a great dad.
He handles any situation that comes up, and the baby stops crying as soon as he’s in his arms.
It seems like he transmits this calmness to the baby.
Or maybe the baby is just a daddy’s little boy or girl.
He’s content with two children; he likes the idea that his little ones can play together.
He’s very protective—always—and sometimes you have to rein him in a bit.
But he just can’t help worrying!
His children are simply the apple of his eye, and he loves knowing that he shares them with you.
You make a great team—not just as a couple, but as a family.
✦➼lee sanghyuk
✦- proposal
Another guy who’s been waiting quite a while—
maybe at least two years
He’ll choose a simple but meaningful ring
He’ll probably take you somewhere very private, just the two of you
Maybe one of those Pinterest-style proposals in a natural setting
The excuse was a walk to unwind; they’d both had a hectic week
He lets you walk a few steps ahead until you notice he’s not there
You realize you’re talking to yourself, turn around, and there he is, standing there
At first you think he’s lagging behind to look at something or tie his shoelaces—especially when he bends down
You walk over, incredulous
but he’s not reaching for his shoes—he’s reaching into his pockets: that’s when you know
“Can I be your husband, yn?”
The way he says it—so tender, as if asking you for a favor. You can’t help but melt right there on the spot
and, of course, accept his proposal
✦- wedding
Surely, just like in your proposal, he’d prefer something intimate.
If it were up to him, it would just be the two of you.
Even so, on the day of the ceremony, it feels like it’s just the two of you.
Just a few guests: family and your closest friends.
Also, a simple ceremony, without too many frills.
But I can see him hiring one of those live painters to create a beautiful memento of the moment.
He’d choose a very simple setting—a garden or a forest.
Simple vows and rings.
I can picture him having just one large table for all the guests, set up to feel as intimate as possible.
His favorite moment would definitely be when it’s all over and you can be together.
You’ll probably have a lovely conversation about how you can’t believe you got married.
For your honeymoon, you’d go somewhere quiet and secluded.
✦- domestic life
You move into a cozy apartment in a neighborhood that’s not too busy, but not too far from downtown either.
The place is decorated in a warm style.
You’re probably the type who would never turn on the overhead light—instead, you have lots of small light sources scattered around the place.
You enjoy spending time in the kitchen, so you often offer to cook dinner if you’re busy.
If that’s not the case, you like to cook together.
He does little favors every day that help keep things tidy: washing his cup right after using it, not leaving shampoo on the shower floor, arranging the bed pillows, picking up clothes off the floor.
He’s also very organized with his own things.
If you have a double sink, his side will always be spotless.
I really don’t know how he does it.
He enjoys silence; his apartment is quiet and invites you not to disturb that stillness, but he likes to be silent with you.
Their favorite part of the day is lying in bed together, being quiet, and trying to fall asleep.
Lazy Sunday mornings, barely getting out of bed, watching movies, and ordering food at night. It makes Mondays feel a little easier to handle.
✦- married life
He doesn't use many nicknames; he usually calls you by your name.
His way of showing love is through acts of service: removing your makeup when you're tired, drying your hair, helping you with pending tasks
But I also see it in light physical contact—
holding hands while watching TV, kisses on the cheeks and nose, stroking your hair or tucking it behind your ear
Simple dates—they almost always go to the same places}
He avoids arguments; as soon as he senses a disagreement is escalating, he invites you to sit down and work it out calmly
And if an argument does happen, it usually upsets him a lot
He isn’t really jealous; he trusts you completely
He understands that people might approach you with different intentions, but he knows you’ll reject them}
He only has eyes for you, and he has no doubt that you feel the same way
Simple anniversaries, like having his favorite things for breakfast and spending the day together
Or even going on a day trip together
When you get sick, he does everything for you, and if you’re really feeling terrible, he doesn’t hesitate to call in sick to work and stay with you to take care of you
He also always waits for you to fall asleep before he does
✦- family life
He wants to wait a few years; he wants to enjoy married life just the two of you for a while before becoming parents.
He’ll probably want just one or two children.
He finds it hard to talk to you about it—he doesn’t know why, maybe because he never feels ready enough.
But you start trying anyway.
When you tell him, he’s really emotional.
He cries with joy and can’t stop hugging you.
An extremely caring and attentive husband throughout the pregnancy.
When the baby is finally born, he can’t believe he could ever be happier by your side—but somehow he is.
He can never decide whether he was happier on the day he married you or when you had children.
A very patient father, he tries everything to please his child.
He gets very nervous when the baby won’t stop crying and he doesn’t know what the baby wants.
He doesn’t mind waking up at night to take care of the baby.
As his children grow up, he just wants them to have the most peaceful childhood possible.
✦➼myung jaehyun
✦- proposal
Wait until you're both financially and emotionally stable—but not too stable.
I can tell he lets his feelings guide him quite a bit, and those feelings are pretty strong, so maybe in two and a half years you'll have him down on one knee.
He’ll go for something intimate, but spontaneous and romantic at the same time.
Maybe he’ll take you on a picnic to a quiet spot, like a normal date.
Maybe he’ll wait until sunset, or your favorite time of day, to propose.
It’s a long and sincere speech, full of emotion.
He probably had something rehearsed, but in the heat of the moment, it all went out the window, and he said whatever came from his heart.
“Dear YN, we’ve already shared so much. I love you with all the complexity and depth of my heart for who you are as a person. I can’t wait to take the next step—to be more than we already are. I want to be the husband and the person you deserve by your side. Would you do me the honor?”
As soon as you say “yes”—with tears welling up as the words left his mouth—he rushes toward you, without waiting to put the ring on your finger, and kisses you
✦- wedding
He’s very involved in the planning; he’s way more excited than you are.
He tells EVERYONE about your engagement.
A medium-sized wedding leaning toward the larger side, with family and friends.
More than luxury, he’s looking for warmth and celebrating the fact that you two are together.
He writes very long and personal vows; he has a natural way with words when it comes to romance.
As soon as he sees you walking down the aisle, he can’t help but get emotional, but he completely breaks down when you say your vows.
He swears his favorite moment was seeing you walk toward him in that dress while he waited for you.
He simply can’t believe he’s marrying someone like you.
You have a really fun first dance, with lots of twirls and some pretty upbeat music.
I can see him choosing an active honeymoon.
Maybe they won’t choose just one specific place, but rather a tour.
A place like Japan comes to mind, with a variety of landscapes, from the city to a quieter spot.
Or maybe visiting several European cities like Madrid, Paris, Vienna, and London.
I think they’d be the kind of person who enjoys traveling and seeing the world.
✦- domestic life
They’ll move in very soon—maybe by the time they get engaged, or even sooner.
They’ll get a spacious apartment
with cozy decor, full of photos and lovely mementos.
He has no problem dividing up the chores
He feels satisfied when he finishes a task
He’s very capable: he can do everything from ironing to fixing the plumbing
Like I said, he has no problem—whatever you ask him to do, he’ll do it
He cooks when he feels like it, or when you can’t
It’s not that he’s bad at it; he just prefers to do other things
He always plays music at home
I can picture him reenacting those movie scenes where the characters crank up the music really loud and dance
The neighbors definitely hate you—the two of you tend to be noisy *wink wink*
He talks constantly about anything and everything.
He just takes advantage of the fact that he lives with someone who loves him and will listen to him.
Sundays with brunch and spontaneous outings to discover new places.
Life with him is just so much fun.
✦- married life
Lots of sweet nicknames—he’s always testing his creativity and your patience
His love language is words of affirmation and physical touch
He’s just so affectionate
Not a day goes by without him telling you he loves you at least three times: when he wakes up (because you’re better than any dream he was having), when he gets home from work (because it makes him happy to come home tired and find you there), and before bed (because every day he spends by your side makes him happier)
spontaneous dates, like seeing something and getting the urge to do it
he doesn’t need much planning
when it comes to arguments, Jaehyun is a straightforward guy: as soon as he senses a problem, he talks it out
he’s playfully jealous
He teases you when someone shows interest in you, just messing with you
But he can’t really pretend to be upset about it—he trusts you more than anyone else
And since he’s so affectionate in public, everyone knows you two are a couple
He always plans gifts or sweet activities for anniversaries
If you get sick, he doesn’t leave your side; he stays with you in bed without fear of catching it, just to keep you company and help you
He sleeps completely wrapped up in your arms, and at night you can’t even go to the bathroom without waking him up
He notices your absence very easily; he feels like something essential is missing
✦- family life
He wants to enjoy a few years of marriage, but he’s ready whenever you are.
I see him as someone who’s always wanted kids.
He’s been thinking about it ever since they walked down the aisle.
He doesn’t hesitate to bring up the subject just a few months into the relationship; he wants to know where you want to go with him.
Then, he brings it up again a little before your first wedding anniversary.
Two or three kids.
When you tell him you’re pregnant, at first he starts jumping up and down with excitement, then he sits down and starts crying.
I’m sorry, but Myungjae gives off major stay-at-home dad vibes.
I can picture him caring for his baby with the utmost tenderness.
He’s a typical first-time dad.
He’s really fun—the kind who plays with his kids at whatever they ask, no matter how physically demanding it is.
He’s also very involved; there isn’t a single event involving his kids that he misses, and he’s always there to listen to them and help them.
He simply dreams of a warm home, full of life and laughter.
And he makes it happen.
✦➼han dongmin
✦- proposal
I wouldn't set a specific time frame for how long I'd wait before asking you; I'd just wait until I feel ready to take that step.
I'd look for a ring with a story behind it, or at least some kind of meaning.
I'd do it in a place that's symbolic for the two of you.
I'd take you on a date to the park where you had one of your first dates.
I'd try to go at a time when it's not too crowded, to make it as private as possible.
I’d take you to a bridge—the bridge where you shared your first kiss.
You’d be admiring the view of the pond, and he’d start to speak:
“I love you more than anything in the world, and I can’t wait to keep loving you for eternity. If you accept my proposal to share, from this moment on, the rest of our lives, I swear I’ll be the best husband you could ever wish for.”
He seems a little nervous, but you can tell these words are coming from the very depths of his being.
She’s silently moved, and you can see it in that genuine, innocent smile—the one you know and adore so well.
✦- wedding
He's very involved in the planning.
He wants an elegant or aesthetically pleasing wedding.
As for venues, it could be in a garden, a vineyard, or a historic and significant place like a museum.
Very elaborate vows—he spent a lot of time writing them, and you can tell he put a lot of effort into them.
Even though he’s not the best with words, he feels proud.
Your vows almost made him cry, but he tried to hold it together.
That was definitely his favorite moment of the entire ceremony.
He’ll opt for an intimate first dance.
In fact, I can see him skipping the first dance during the ceremony and doing it at the end—just the two of you.
I also think your wedding rings would be quite classic.
For your honeymoon, you’d probably go somewhere interesting, with a lot of cultural significance.
I think he’d like to go somewhere in South America or Southeast Asia.
✦- domestic life
A house with a library or a study
I think his home would have a very artistic decor: not just paintings, but lots of books, vinyl records, and unique decorative pieces
I see him as someone who’s really fun when it comes to decorating his home
He really respects your personal space—not just because he respects you, but because he needs it himself
He enjoys solitude as a source of peace and relaxation
He likes having moments where you pursue your hobbies and he pursues his
It would be a pretty musical home; there would always be soft music playing in the background during every conversation or moment of comfortable silence.
It’s a lovely way to make life feel a little like a movie.
A lot of time spent together in silence, perhaps with very light physical contact.
I think I’d cook occasionally; you’d probably take turns doing it.
On weekends, I’d like to read or listen to music together, or, if we’re in the mood, go for a walk.
✦- married life
Unique nicknames, maybe little inside jokes, or ways that only he calls you
His love language: quality time
Do whatever you want, but do it together
Just knowing that you’re there, close by, in the same room, gives him a feeling he can’t explain, but he loves it
He likes the idea that your routines mesh
One of his favorite moments is doing their nighttime routine together: getting out of the shower, doing their skincare while the other brushes their teeth, waiting for you in bed, and chatting a bit before falling asleep side by side
He’d give you meaningful gifts every now and then, like a dress you saw in a store window, or your favorite snack whenever he goes to the grocery store
He’ll choose dates with interesting activities
He likes to be constantly learning new things
Arguments are almost nonexistent in his marriage
He talks things through calmly
He hates arguing, especially with you.
He’s a bit jealous, but he’s very discreet.
He’s the type who watches the situation from a distance with his arms crossed and a subtle frown.
But he doesn’t like to show it or tell you, because sometimes he thinks jealousy is a weakness.
Anyway, you notice it because you know him
It makes you chuckle a little because you find it endearing, and you make it clear to him that he’ll never have to worry—you love him
✦- family life
He’d wait quite a while before considering having children together—it’s a huge responsibility.
Bring up the topic when you feel the time is right and you notice he’s interested in the idea.
One or two children.
Definitely a girl dad—plus, he’s already said he’d like to have a daughter.
Even though he’s been trying, he’s really surprised when he finds out.
He thinks about it a lot, but not out of worry—rather, out of reflection and joy.
A very creative father—the number one hater of iPads.
He’ll read all kinds of things to his kids; he doesn’t believe children should be treated like fools.
I can also see him taking them to various activities so they can find something they’re passionate about.
He’d like to raise curious and independent children.
✦➼kim donghyun
✦- proposal
He always knew he wanted to marry you; he was just waiting for a sign that you were ready, too.
In fact, I could consider an informal proposal—just talking about whether you two want to take the next step.
But Ek would still like to propose himself.
He’d choose a very delicate ring for you.
He’d probably do it by the sea, or at least in a natural setting.
It would all be very private; maybe he’d choose a place that holds special meaning for you.
“I know we’ve already talked about this, but I feel like I still had to say it: Would you like to share our future together? To grow, grow old, wither away, and die—all while continuing to love each other and enjoy each other’s company.”
He cries a little when you say yes, and you see it as he walks away after kissing you.
✦- wedding
He may not be very involved in planning the ceremony, but you still decide on several things together.
You opt for an intimate wedding, especially with your closest friends and some family members.
The venue will probably be a beach, but secretly she’d like to have it at an aquarium.
He writes very emotional and meaningful vows, which end up bringing tears to your eyes.
The first dance would be a slow dance, as if only the two of you existed in the whole world.
You’re in no rush—after all, you’re going to share the rest of your lives together, so you don’t mind taking your time with your first dance.
But still, your favorite part of the wedding was sharing that beautiful memory with the people you love.
Your honeymoon would take place at a peaceful and welcoming destination.
✦- domestic life
I picture you moving into a bright house, with large windows where the sunlight isn't shy about streaming in
lots of plants, and of course, an aquarium
the atmosphere is so peaceful—just walking through the front door can calm any emotions
The two of you divide up the chores however you think is fairest.
The only chore you don’t split is cooking.
If you’re both home, you can be sure you’ll cook together.
Long conversations—you just feel like you can share anything with him.
There’s always room for the other person’s voice.
Your home is a safe haven for both of you.
Sundays when you go out for a walk, laughing softly.
✦- married life
Very sweet, yet classic nicknames
His love language is definitely quality time
He’s a great listener
He could listen to you talk for hours, and he’s very grateful that you trust him to give you advice and support
He also finds most of his support in you
Low-key dates—he doesn’t like extravagant plans
But he’s willing to give it a try if it’s something you’re really interested in
He never raises his voice during an argument
Conflicts between you two don’t usually last long because you both have good problem-solving skills as a couple
The kind where if you start arguing, you’ve already worked it out within five minutes
He’s quite self-assured, so he doesn’t get very jealous
Simple but meaningful anniversaries
Just being married to you is a gift, so he doesn’t place too much importance on anniversaries
He’s very good at taking care of you when you’re sick; he always knows what to do
✦- family life
He plans to wait a couple of years before having children.
He’d like to have two children—no more, no less.
The topic comes up in conversation, and they discuss it together.
He’s very excited about becoming a father once they start trying to conceive.
When they succeed, he simply can’t contain his joy; he runs to hug you and lift you up.
He’s an extremely understanding father.
He never gets nervous in high-pressure situations.
He always seems to understand what’s going on with the baby—you really don’t know how he does it.
He’s the type who gets very emotional at graduations or birthdays because of how much his children have grown.
He’s also very helpful with them; they know they can count on their dad in any situation.
✦➼kim woonhak
✦- proposal
He doesn't really wait too long to propose to you; he doesn't believe that time determines whether someone is right for him.
When he knows, he knows.
He gets indecisive and asks for help choosing the ring.
He’d make a fun proposal.
Maybe he’d decorate a spot with candles or warm lights.
He’d take you there after a date, and then he’d ask you.
He gives an impromptu speech—he realizes in the moment that he can’t just get down on one knee and ask you.
That’s not enough for you.
“Would you grant me the honor of continuing to enjoy your company for the rest of my life? Of continuing to be each other’s biggest headache, while still loving one another? Because I love you more than anything in the universe, and I doubt I’ll ever feel this way about anyone else again.”
He can’t stop smiling when you say yes, unable to believe it.
“Seriously? You really want to marry me?” he asks, as if in shock.
✦- wedding
They're really excited about the planning.
They're doing it together.
They've decided on a big wedding, in a garden or a ballroom.
Very beautiful vows, with a few jokes slipped in to lighten the mood
A very tender first dance, both gazing into each other’s eyes, with a few laughs
They’ve never been happier or more in love
Both feel like they could stay in that moment forever
Still, their favorite part was the reception
The two of you had a wedding that was a lot of fun, yet also tender and warm.
The love between you two really shines through in the way you look at each other, the guests say—even from the farthest seats.
Modern rings, yet timeless as well.
An adventurous honeymoon—perhaps just like Jaehyun—with a variety of scenery and experiences.
✦- domestic life
They move relatively quickly.
A modern apartment, close to downtown.
The decor is comfortable and aesthetically simple, but with touches of color and fun.
He helps with everything; they don’t have a clear division of labor
They simply have a to-do list, and each does what they can
Very experimental cooking: he follows several online recipe sites and never misses a chance to try the most interesting ones
It doesn’t always turn out right
A home filled with music; they’re always listening to new artists
On their dates, they visit music stores and check out what catches their eye
I can picture him having a record collection on the living room wall
He’s always suggesting activities—he just never gets tired of living with you; he’s just so much fun
Sundays away from home—he likes to break out of the routine
Still, they end up in the late evening lying in bed, leaning against each other and stroking each other’s hair
✦- married life
A thousand nicknames: a different one every day
There are just so many—why settle for just a couple?
Their language of love is expressed through quality time and physical contact
He’s almost always very playful
Lots of dates: each one very different from the others
He loves trying everything with you; he’s quite the adventurous type
Always open to ideas
Arguments aren’t common, but sometimes the two of you clash
You always make up quickly—you just can’t stay mad at each other
He’s jealous in an innocent way; he rarely admits it
He loves you so much—he knows you’re amazing and beautiful—but he doesn’t understand why people approach you. Don’t they see you’re with him?
He celebrates every anniversary: first kiss, the day you met, the day you became a couple, your wedding day, your first date
If you’re not feeling well—whether you’re sick or in a bad mood—he always makes you laugh to cheer you up
He never falls asleep without giving you a hug first
But he ends up sprawled all over the bed as soon as he drifts off to sleep
✦- family life
I wouldn't wait too long; he wants to have kids while he's still relatively young.
He sees fatherhood as something really fun, but without downplaying the responsibility.
He might want two or three children.
He brings up the topic quickly, enthusiastically.
Still, you decide to wait a while and enjoy married life a bit.
When you find out you’re pregnant, you run to tell him.
He cries tears of joy.
He’s the type who talks to your belly a lot during the pregnancy.
He’s a tremendously fun dad.
His kids love him because he’s always right there with them in everything.
He’s willing to jump on the trampoline with them or do experiments with stuff from the kitchen.
No matter what his kids want to do, he’s always there to join them.
But that also helps him build a strong bond with them.
His kids tell him, “Don’t tell Mom, but…”
He always ends up telling you—they’re a team, and they both want what’s best for their little ones
You make up a very close-knit and adventurous family
a/n: i love this man so much someone kill me ☹️ it shouldn't have taken me this long to write for him....
｡♡
“Stay still, you know you need to take your medicine...”
You sighed, setting the small cup down when Sungho immediately rolled away from your hand, only to flop dramatically across your lap like a dead fish.
He usually wasn’t this difficult, but being sick clearly made him sulky.
“Bitter,” Sungho mumbled hoarsely, voice rough from the cold as he buried his face further against you. More than anything, he just wanted your warmth.
“It’s supposed to help,” you muttered, unable to hide the amused smile tugging at your lips.
You checked his forehead again before trying to sit him up properly. “And you’re burning up. That’s exactly why you need it.”
Sungho only frowned harder, stubbornly going limp in your hands.
“It’s cold too...”
You let out a quiet laugh at the pout on his face, fingers brushing his messy hair back gently. “If you keep acting like this, you’re gonna get me sick too.”
That earned absolutely no reaction.
You tried again to hand him the medicine, but he just turned away with a weak groan, practically melting back into the blankets.
After a long pause, you crossed your arms.
“Fine,” you said slowly. “Have it your way.”
“Hm?”
Sungho blinked up at you in confusion as you suddenly stood, grabbing the blanket.
Before he could process what you were doing, you rolled him onto his side and wrapped the blanket tightly around him.
“What’re you doing…-”
“You lost your rights.”
“Hey…-!”
He let out the most offended whine as you tucked the blanket firmly around him until his arms were trapped at his sides, wrapped up snugly like an oversized burrito. Only his head stuck out now, hair messy and pout even deeper than before.
You stepped back to admire your work and immediately burst into a laugh.
Sungho narrowed his eyes at you, though the corners of his lips twitched despite himself.
“You look cute.”
“You imprisoned me.”
“Mhm.” You nodded seriously before crouching back down beside him. “I’m keeping you like this until you learn to cooperate.”
“That’s evil.”
“It's caregiving.”
He huffed under his breath, wiggling uselessly beneath the blanket while you picked the medicine back up. This time, when you held it near his mouth, he finally complied with a dramatic sigh.
Still pouting, he opened his mouth and swallowed it, instantly cringing at the taste.
You smiled victoriously, wiping the corner of his mouth with your thumb. “So that’s all it took? Turning you into a warm little burrito?”
Sungho only stared at you with betrayal in his tired eyes, squirming under the blanket again in a way that looked more adorable than threatening. The sight made you laugh even harder.
“Don’t laugh,” he mumbled weakly. “I’ll get you back for this...”
“Oh? Big words for someone wrapped like sushi.”
He huffed, cheeks slightly flushed from the fever and embarrassment alike before leaning his head against your stomach.
