ᴘᴀʀᴛ ᴛɪᴍᴇ ʟᴏᴠᴇ - ahn keonho
synopsis; you worked a part-time job in retail. It wasn’t the most enjoyable job, but it was manageable—at least until a new hire showed up and threw your routine into a huge mess.
boofest was one of the biggest festivals in your small town, filled with all sorts of foods, tiny shops, rides, and games. it was the one night of the year where all the young people came together to just enjoy being outside. even though it got crowded, you didn’t mind; it was a chance to escape from stress, even if just for a few hours.
“oh my god, where’s my brush?” wonhee’s voice echoed through your apartment as she dug frantically through her makeup bag.
“i think it’s in your hand,” iroha said, pointing casually while handing you a can of soda. you took it with a small, tired smile. “thanks,” you muttered.
“so, yn… what happened last night?” iroha asked, smirking knowingly. wonhee peeked at you through the mirror, her grin spreading.
you sipped your soda, avoiding both their gazes. “what are you talking about?”
“oh, come on,” wonhee said, leaning on the vanity, her eyes sparkling. “you went out with keonho last night and nothing happened?”
you almost choked on your drink. “nothing happened! we literally just went out so i could get a costume. that’s it!”
iroha tilted her head, smirk still in place. “uh-huh. and yet, here you are… dressed as a ladybug,” she said, nodding at your outfit. you glanced down, confused.
“you refused to wear a ladybug costume last year because it was ‘corny,’” she added, taking a slow sip of her drink.
“well… people change their minds,” you said quickly, flustered, twisting the soda can in your hands.
wonhee grinned wider. “so… did you guys… kiss?”
you nearly spat out your soda. “what?! no! we’re just friends!”
iroha laughed, brushing her hair with exaggerated calm. “yeah, yeah, that’s what they all say.”
“please tell me you at least held hands,” wonhee added, her tone teasing but slightly hopeful.
“no!” you said, waving your hands. “we didn’t hold hands either. seriously, i don’t know why you guys are making such a big deal out of this.”
“because he’s keonho,” iroha said, rolling her eyes. “it’s impossible not to overthink every little thing he does around you.”
wonhee nodded vigorously. “exactly! like, did you notice how he kept looking at you at work? or how he almost tripped over his own feet when you laughed?”
“he’s just attentive, okay?” you said, flustered, trying to hide a smile.
“oh, sure, sure,” iroha said, clearly unimpressed, smirking. “you’re just ‘friends’ who happen to be blushing like idiots when you see eachother.”
“i don’t blush,” you mumbled but they both ignored it.
wonhee leaned closer, whispering dramatically. “i’m just saying… if he doesn’t at least make a move soon, i might have to intervene.”
“how?” you repeated, raising an eyebrow.
“oh, you’ll know,” she said, winking.
you groaned, sipping your soda again, but you couldn’t help laughing. despite their teasing, it was nice to feel the warm, chaotic energy in your apartment. keonho was probably oblivious to all of this, but the thought of seeing him later at boofest made your heart beat a little faster, whether you wanted to admit it or not.
you had arrived earlier than the time you and keonho had planned on meeting up. it was 10:20, and the festival had officially started at 8:00. with nothing better to do, you and the girls waited in front of the entrance, the smell of pumpkin spice and the glow of festival lights already filling the air.
wonhee crouched slightly, fussing with the string of tiny lights on her witch costume. “are you sure these things won’t explode?” iroha asked from behind her, trying to adjust the lights that kept slipping. she was decked out as the girl from subway surfers, complete with neon accents and a backwards cap.
“if they exploded, i’d probably take half the festival with me,” wonhee joked, earning a sharp nudge from iroha, who looked entirely unimpressed. “anyways, when are they coming, yn? they’re already five minutes late.” she tapped wonhee’s shoulder for emphasis, then shot you a glance.
you checked your phone and shrugged. “i don’t know. if they don’t show up in the next five minutes, we’ll just head inside,” you said, and the girls nodded, still adjusting and laughing at each other’s costumes.
it didn’t take long for the arrival of keonho and his group to become obvious, you could hear the chaos from across the street before you even saw them.
“i told you not to take the detour!” martin’s voice screeched.
“maybe if you gave me directions instead of singing every lyric of no pole in my ear i wouldn’t have gotten lost!” james yelled back.
and there was keonho, standing slightly apart from the chaos, scanning the crowd. you waved, and his eyes immediately found you. he jogged over, hands stuffed into the pockets of his jacket, his cheeks and nose faintly pink from the cool night air.
“hey… you came,” he said softly, taking in your costume.
“of course,” you replied, smiling. there was something about the way he looked at you that made your heart skip a little.
he shifted awkwardly, glancing down at your outfit. “you… look good. i mean, your outfit looks good,” he stammered, pointing at your costume.
you laughed softly. “thank you. almost like you picked it out,” you teased, nudging him playfully. keonho let out a small, nervous laugh.
you scanned him from head to toe. “where’s yours?”
he rubbed the back of his neck. “i picked the wrong size. it was way too small,” he admitted, a sheepish smile tugging at his lips.
just then, martin shoved the back of keonho’s shoulder and leaned on him like it was nothing. “hi guys!” he said, grinning widely at you and your friends.
you laughed, stepping back to introduce yourself and your friends. “this is iroha, and this is wonhee,” you said, gesturing to them.
the introductions continued, the group chatting and laughing like old friends even though some of you were meeting for the first time. the energy was nice and warm.
finally, you all started moving toward the entrance, keonho falling into step beside you. he kept glancing at you, like he wanted to say something but couldn’t quite find the words. you bumped his shoulder lightly, and he blinked, looking more flustered than usual.
“ready to lose all the games?” you asked with a grin.
he nodded, a small smile tugging at his lips. “don’t get to ahead of yourself.”
as the group disappeared past the glowing entrance, the mix of laughter, shouting, and the smell of food made your chest feel warm.
it didn’t take long for your group to get comfortable with keonho’s friends. wonhee was already arguing with martin over how cotton candy flavors definitely tasted different. “pink is sweeter, i swear,” she insisted, and martin looked genuinely offended. “dude your crazy!” he shot back.
you and keonho walked a few steps behind the group, the festival lights reflecting off his jacket. he leaned slightly closer, his shoulder brushing yours as he murmured, “i didn’t think there’d be this many people.”
you nodded quietly, eyes scanning the glowing booths ahead. “it’s one of the biggest festivals of the year,” you said. “i’m not too surprised.”
he hummed softly, eyes following a group of kids running past in matching ghost hats. “still feels like… a lot,” he said, smiling faintly.
you laughed, and the two of you drifted into easy conversation — talking about the vintage clothes they sold here and how it was lowkey better than the thrift stores back home. “at least these don’t have weird mystery stains,” you joked, and he chuckled quietly, the corners of his eyes crinkling.
after a while, the group decided to grab something to eat, ending up in front of a food truck glowing with purple fairy lights. the sign read haunted pizzeria in bold orange letters, and even though it looked questionable, you ordered some of it anyway, hoping it tasted as good as it looked.
keonho joined you at one of the tall tables while the others waited for their food. he crossed his arms, giving you a pointed look. “i told you i’d buy you food,” he scolded lightly.
you shrugged, trying not to grin. “well, then i wouldn’t be able to use my free food pass after.”
his brows furrowed, genuinely confused. “what do you mean?”
you tilted your head at him, feigning disbelief. “from the time you soaked me, remember? i still haven’t used my free coupon.”
keonho froze before groaning, hiding his face in his hands. “oh my god… i completely forgot about that,” he mumbled, voice muffled behind his palms.
you laughed, leaning on the table. “what part? the one where you basically waterboarded me or the free food?”
he peeked through his fingers, his ears turning pink. “the one where i waterboarded you! i’m still embarrassed,” he whined before covering his face again.
you reached up and gently pried his fingers away, grinning. “i think it was kinda cute when you freaked out,” you blurted out without thinking.
the words hung in the air for a second too long. keonho froze. his eyes widened slightly as he stared at you, the lights from the food truck flickering across his face.
“what?” he mumbled softly, almost in disbelief.
your stomach dropped. great. perfect. why would you say that out loud?
you let out a nervous laugh, waving your hand like you could erase what just happened. “you know, like—the way you freaked out? it was just… funny,” you said quickly, your voice almost tripping over itself.
he was still staring, and you couldn’t tell if he was embarrassed or something else entirely. the lighting didn’t help, it cast his expression half in shadow, half in gold. all you knew was that your face was burning.
and just when the silence started to feel unbearable—
“what do we have going on here?” seonghyeon suddenly appeared, draping an arm over keonho’s shoulders.
“we were just talking about how we met,” keonho said quickly, straightening up.
you chewed your lip, wishing your heart would stop racing.
“how you waterboarded her?” iroha asked as she set her soda on the table, her tone far too casual.
the others gathered around, already laughing as keonho groaned. “i didn’t mean to! it was an accident!” he exclaimed, his voice cracking slightly.
you smiled, finally relaxing as the group’s laughter filled the air. keonho shot you an embarrassed glance, and you bit back another laugh
“we should go on the ferris wheel!” iroha said, pointing toward it. the big metal circle glowed against the sky, every cart lit up with bright lights.
“no way,” martin said immediately. “that line is insane, let’s go play some games instead.”
“you just don’t want to go because you’re scared of heights,” wonhee teased, and martin gave her a look that only confirmed it.
soon enough, everyone started splitting into smaller groups, iroha and wonhee heading toward the ferris wheel, martin dragging juhoon to the game booths, and seonghyeon claiming he and james were just gonna check out how good the food was.
you looked around and realized that, somehow, you and keonho were the only ones left standing there.
“guess everyone ditched us,” you said, smiling faintly.
keonho glanced around too, hands buried in his pockets. “yeah,” he said quietly. “maybe we’re the boring ones.”
you raised an eyebrow at him. “or maybe i was right when i said you stink,” you joked, referring to that stupid argument you had during class about where that weird smell was coming from.
that made him laugh softly, and it sent a little warmth through your chest.
“it was definitely coming from you,” he said, and you frowned dramatically.
“you can’t prove that,” you argued, crossing your arms.
he suddenly leaned down, brushing your hair from your shoulder before sniffing you. you froze, feeling how close he was, your breath catching for a split second until he took a huge step back and pinched his nose.
“dude, you reek!” he yelled, way too loud.
you laughed, shoving him lightly. “stop lying.”
“no, i’m being honest! it’s like…cat shit”
“you’re so annoying,” you said, rolling your eyes but smiling anyway.
you both started walking, with no real destination in mind. the air was cool against your skin, the faint smell of caramel and candy drifting through the air. strings of bright lights hung overhead, flickering slightly as the wind passed through.
“so,” you said, tugging at the hem of your shirt, “what do you wanna do now?”
he thought for a second, scanning the rows of glowing stalls and the rides spinning in the distance. “hmm… something not too crazy right now,” he said.
you smirked, nudging him with your elbow. “so definitely nothing scary?”
he gave you a small grin and nodded. “definitely nothing scary,” he said firmly, but the tiny smile tugging at his lips betrayed him.
“come on, don’t be boring!” you whined, grabbing his arm and shaking it lightly. he stumbled a little, laughing.
“you can’t convince me,” he said, giving you a deadpan look.
“okay, okay,” you said, letting go of his arm, still smiling. “let’s start with something small, like one of the games and then we’ll try the haunted mazes.” you dropped your voice into a low, fake-spooky tone that made him snort.
the two of you wandered deeper into the festival, the noise of the crowd melting into the hum of music and laughter. the path was lined with neon lights and every few feet someone called out, trying to get people into their booth. the air was chilly, and you kind of regretted not bringing a sweater.
you spotted a ring toss booth and smacked keonho’s arm lightly. “let’s do that!” you said, pointing toward it.
he followed your gaze and nodded. “don’t cry when you lose,” he said as you dragged him closer.
you rolled your eyes. “this is coming from the guy who dies in every obby.”
keonho gasped dramatically. “i do not die! you just pick the worst ones!”
“liar,” you said, clutching your chest in fake shock.
the stand owner handed you both a few plastic rings, and you went first. your throw barely missed, bouncing off the top of a bottle.
“ooh, so close,” keonho said, trying not to laugh.
“let’s see you try,” you muttered, handing him a ring.
he threw his first one and somehow managed to hit nothing. it flew straight over the bottles, landing on the ground behind the counter.
you bit your lip to hold back a laugh, but a snort slipped out anyway. “oh my gosh, you’re terrible!”
he looked at you with mock offense. “i was warming up my wrist!”
his second one almost hit the poor guy behind the counter, and keonho immediately apologized, hiding his face with both hands. you couldn’t stop laughing, leaning against the counter for support.
“okay, okay, one more try,” he said, determined. he took a step forward, furrowed his brows, and tossed. this time, the ring landed perfectly clinking around the top of a bottle.
his eyes widened. “wait—i just did that?”
“you actually did it!” you said and, before thinking, threw your arms around him. he hugged you back, firm and warm against the cool air. you didn’t even realize what you’d done until the booth owner coughed awkwardly behind you.
you quickly stepped back, laughing nervously. keonho scratched the back of his neck, looking anywhere but at you until the man pointed toward a shelf of small prizes.
keonho scanned the options; keychains, mini plushies, fake skeleton hands. his eyes landed on a tiny pumpkin keychain with a crooked smile. he picked it up and turned to you.
“here,” he said a little shyly, holding it out.
you blinked. “what? you won it. keep it.”
he shook his head, pressing it into your hand anyway. “nah. i wouldn’t have made that shot without your hate-fueled motivation.”
you laughed at that. “what’s that supposed to mean?”
“kill hate with kindness,” he said, shoving his hands into his pockets, trying to hide a grin.
you lightly punched his arm. “you’re so dumb,” you said softly, but smiled down at the keychain. “thanks. he’s kinda ugly, though.”
“hey,” keonho said, “i picked him because he looks like you.”
you gasped and elbowed him, and he laughed quietly.
you kept walking together, your shoulders brushing every so often. it was easy between you, the kind of easy that made you forget about the crowd, or the noise, or even the chill in the air. for a moment, it almost felt like the festival had shrunk down to just the two of you.
you played a couple more games before heading back to regroup with the rest. everyone had agreed to meet up for the maze before leaving. you spotted wonhee jumping up and down as soon as she saw you. you waved back eagerly.
“okay, i got the tickets!” james announced, holding up eight small slips of paper like they were golden. he handed one to everyone.
“if i get puked on like last time, i’m really making it scary,” martin warned, narrowing his eyes at seonghyeon.
“it wasn’t my fault! we just got off a ride!” seonghyeon exclaimed, throwing his hands up.
“his puke lowkey looked designer though,” juhoon added, and you couldn’t stop the laugh that burst out of you.
the group made their way toward the maze entrance, where a massive wooden arch covered in fake cobwebs loomed overhead. red lights flickered from inside, and faint screams echoed every few seconds. even from where you stood, you could smell the fog machine chemicals.
you turned to see keonho frozen a few steps behind, his eyes wide as he stared into the maze.
“come on,” you said, laughing. “you said you wanted something not too crazy—this isn’t even that crazy!”
“yeah, because it’s actual psychological torture,” he muttered under his breath.
“don’t worry, we’ll protect you, keonho,” iroha teased, patting his shoulder as she passed by.
“you mean we’ll protect each other,” wonhee corrected, already clinging to iroha’s arm.
the staff at the entrance waved your group forward. “groups of two or three at a time!” she called out.
and that’s when chaos broke out.
“dibs on iroha!” wonhee shouted immediately.
“no way, you scream too loud!” iroha protested.
“you’re both loud,” martin cut in. “i’m going with juhoon.”
“what about me?” seonghyeon asked, looking mildly betrayed.
“definitely not in my group!” martin said.
“you can come with me,” james offered, and the two dapped each other up like they just sealed a secret deal.
soon enough, everyone had paired off—leaving just you and keonho standing there. again.
you turned to him, smiling. “guess it’s just us again.”
he sighed dramatically, but the corner of his mouth betrayed him. “of course it is.”
“last group to leave has to pay for desserts!” james yelled as he disappeared into the maze.
“hell no,” keonho said flatly, staring into the glowing red fog. “that thing looks i’ll get murdered.”
you reached for his sleeve, tugging him gently. “you’ll be fine. i promise. i’ll even let you hold onto me if you get scared.”
his eyes flicked to you, unimpressed. “how generous.”
the staff waved you forward. before he could change his mind, you pulled him toward the entrance. the moment you stepped inside, the world shifted. the sounds from outside disappeared, replaced by low music and creaking floorboards. the air smelled faintly like wet dirt and plastic, mist rolled around your ankles.
“this isn’t so bad,” you whispered, glancing around.
something metallic clanged behind you, and keonho flinched so hard that you almost lost it laughing.
“relax,” you said, grinning. “it’s probably just—”
a hand shot out from the wall, brushing against his shoulder.
you doubled over laughing, barely able to breathe.
“you— you said this wasn’t bad!” he hissed, his voice cracking halfway through.
“come on! how’d you get scared at that?” you teased, wiping tears from your eyes.
a second later, a face popped out from a painting on the wall. keonho screamed again, this time grabbing your hand and squeezing it tight.
you didn’t comment on it. you had told him he could hold onto you. still, your heart skipped a beat.
then it was your turn to jump—when a zombie lunged from behind a curtain. you squealed, crashing right into keonho’s side.
“who’s scared now?” he laughed, still holding your hand.
“shut up,” you muttered, trying to sound annoyed even though you were still clinging to him.
the rest of the maze was a blur of shrieks and laughter and pretending you weren’t both totally freaked out. by the time you stumbled out the other side, you were breathless and grinning like an idiot.
“see?” you said, catching your breath. “that wasn’t so bad.”
“you literally tackled me when that zombie showed up,” he said, shaking his head.
“you screamed first,” you shot back.
“yeah, but you screamed louder,” he said with a huge grin.
“whatever, scaredy-cat,” you teased, bumping your shoulder into his.
he looked at you then, the teasing softening into something else—something warm. before he could say anything, iroha’s voice cut through the air.
“took you long enough! you two were in there forever! come on, you owe us desserts!”
the group hung around the exit of the maze for a while, everyone talking over each other—half laughing, half trying to prove who got scared the most. iroha insisted she hadn’t screamed once (a lie), juhoon accused martin of hiding behind him (definitely true), seonghyeon was busy eating his donut, wonhee was defending herself for hitting one of the scare actors, and james was too busy recording everyone to contribute.
you stood off to the side, still trying to catch your breath from laughing so much. the night air had turned colder now that the festival lights were dimming and most of the crowd was starting to thin out. your costume, which had felt fine before, suddenly felt too thin against the chill.
“cold?” a voice said beside you.
you turned to see keonho, hands shoved deep into the pockets of his jacket. he was smiling a little, but you could tell he’d noticed the way you rubbed your arms.
“i’m fine,” you said quickly, though a small shiver slipped out at the end.
“yeah, that didn’t sound convincing,” he said softly, already unzipping his jacket.
“wait—” you started, but before you could protest, he slipped it off and draped it over your shoulders. it was still warm from him, soft and slightly oversized. it smelled faintly like his cologne—like the ocean—and maybe a little like the food you’d eaten earlier.
“keonho, i’m literally fine,” you said again, quieter this time.
“and i’m literally not letting you freeze,” he said, grinning as he tugged the collar gently to make sure it sat right. he zipped it up for you.
you looked up at him, ready to tease him about being dramatic, but the words got stuck. his hair was a little messy from the maze, his cheeks pink from the cold, and for a second, the chatter of the group behind you faded.
“thanks,” you said finally, voice soft.
he shrugged, pretending to look casual but failing miserably. “don’t mention it. besides, now i get to look tough standing here in just a t-shirt.”
you laughed, shaking your head. “you look cold, not tough.”
“yeah, well,” he said, his eyes meeting yours, “if it makes you warm, i don’t mind.”
your heart did a little flip.
“that was corny,” you said, trying to hide your smile.
“it sounded cool, no?” he teased, bumping your shoulder lightly. you shook your head.
wonhee called your name frantically—everyone was leaving already. you started to move, but keonho caught your sleeve gently.
you looked back at him, titling your head in confusion. “don’t lose the keychain, okay?”
you smiled, fingers brushing over the small pumpkin charm hanging in your pocket. “i won’t.”
he smiled back, a little shy this time. “good.”
an: this literally took forever to write, i was genuinely having a melt down 💔 anyways i hope you enjoyed, lmk fr chat
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