The nightmare hits you like a wave—sharp, disorienting, the kind that yanks you out of sleep before you can even understand what’s happening. You sit up too fast, breath catching in your throat, heart pounding like it’s trying to escape your chest. The room is dark, too dark, and for a moment you can’t remember where you are.
Then there’s movement beside you.
A soft rustle of blankets. A sleepy inhale. And then
“Hey… hey.” Dae’s voice, warm and low, still thick with sleep. “You’re okay.”
You don’t answer at first. You can’t. Your hands are shaking, breath coming too fast, too shallow. You press your palms to your eyes, trying to ground yourself, but the nightmare clings like static.
Dae shifts closer, not touching you yet—he never touches without checking first—but close enough that you feel the heat of him, steady and real.
“Can I…?” he asks quietly.
You nod, barely.
His hand finds your back, slow and gentle, fingers spreading between your shoulder blades. The touch is warm, grounding, like he’s anchoring you back into your own body. He rubs small circles, patient, steady, waiting for your breathing to match the rhythm of his.
“You’re safe,” he murmurs. “You’re right here with me.”
Your breath stutters, but it starts to even out. The shaking eases. You lean into him without thinking, forehead brushing his shoulder. He shifts again, wrapping an arm around you fully now, pulling you into his chest like it’s the most natural thing in the world.
He smells like laundry detergent and something soft and familiar. Home, in a way you didn’t realize you needed.
“It felt so real,” you whisper, voice cracking.
“I know,” he says, tightening his hold just a little. “Nightmares do that. But it wasn’t real. This is real.” His thumb brushes the back of your arm, slow and soothing. “I’m here. I’ve got you.”
You let out a shaky breath, sinking into him. His heartbeat is steady under your cheek, a quiet, reassuring drum.
“Can you talk to me?” he asks softly. “Tell me what you need.”
You shake your head. “Just… stay.”
He exhales like that’s the easiest request in the world. “Of course. I’m not going anywhere.”
He shifts again, guiding you gently back down onto the bed, keeping you tucked against him. His hand finds yours under the blanket, fingers threading through yours like he’s done it a thousand times in his head but never dared in real life.
“Try to breathe with me,” he whispers. “In… and out. Slow.”
You follow his rhythm, matching him breath for breath. The panic loosens its grip. The room feels less dark.
“You’re doing so well,” he murmurs, brushing a stray tear from your cheek with the back of his knuckles. “You’re safe. I promise.”
Your eyes grow heavy again, exhaustion pulling at you. But this time, when sleep tugs you under, Dae is there—warm, steady, thumb brushing your hand in slow, grounding strokes.
And just before you drift off, you hear him whisper, so soft you almost miss it:
Summary: a shy situationship with Dae finally turns into something real when your friends force you both to finally confess.
Word count: 1,293
———————————————
The first time someone called it a situationship, you nearly choked on your drink.
It was Kitty Song Covey, of course.
She leaned across the cafeteria table, eyes sparkling with way too much excitement. “You and Dae are literally the definition of a situationship.”
“I don’t even know what that means,” you mumbled, staring down at your notes.
Across from you, Dae rubbed the back of his neck, avoiding eye contact just as hard. “Yeah, Kitty, don’t label things.”
“Oh, I’m labeling it,” she said, completely unfazed. “Because you guys are not just friends.”
Around the table, the rest of your group—Min Ho, Q, Yuri Han, Juliana, Eunice, Madison, and Jin—all exchanged knowing looks.
You shrank into your seat.
Because… she wasn’t wrong.
It had started small.
Study sessions that somehow always ended up being just you and Dae. He’d sit beside you, shoulder brushing yours as he quietly asked for help, even when he probably didn’t need it. You’d explain things, voice soft, heart racing every time he leaned a little closer.
Then came boba runs.
Movie nights.
Walks back to your dorm that took longer than they needed to because neither of you wanted to say goodbye.
It was never said out loud.
But it was something.
And everyone could see it.
———————————————
“You’re doing it again.”
You blinked, looking up from your textbook to see Dae smiling softly at you.
“Doing what?”
“Overthinking,” he said.
You let out a quiet laugh. “I have a test tomorrow. I’m allowed to.”
You were sitting side by side in a small café just outside campus, your usual spot. Two drinks sat between you—your favorite, already half gone, and his, untouched as he watched you instead.
“You’ll do fine,” he added gently.
“You say that every time.”
“And I’m always right.”
You glanced at him, cheeks warming slightly. “You’re just biased.”
“Maybe,” he admitted.
There was a pause.
A soft, comfortable one.
Your fingers brushed as you both reached for your drinks at the same time, and you both pulled back immediately, laughing awkwardly.
“Sorry,” you both said at the same time.
That only made it worse—in the best way.
God.
This was exactly the problem.
Everything between you felt… soft. Easy. Close.
But also fragile. Undefined.
Like one wrong move would break it.
———————————————
Later that night, back in your group chat, things were… less subtle.
Kitty: okay this is getting ridiculous
Q: i agree
Minho: finally, something we all agree on
Yuri: just date already
You: ?????
Dae: guys
Kitty: YOU TWO LITERALLY WENT ON A DATE TODAY
You: it was studying
Minho: you got boba and watched a movie
You: AFTER studying
Q: that’s still a date 😭
You stared at your phone, face burning.
Across campus, Dae was probably doing the exact same thing.
———————————————
The next day at school, you avoided looking at him.
Not because you didn’t want to—but because you wanted to too much.
Unfortunately, Kitty had other plans.
“Hey!” she chirped, appearing out of nowhere and grabbing your wrist. “I need help with something.”
“Kitty, I have—”
“It’ll take two seconds.”
That was a lie.
You should’ve known it was a lie.
Because the next thing you knew, she was dragging you down an empty hallway and toward a storage closet.
“Wait—what are we doing?” you asked, laughing nervously.
“Just—go in for a second.”
“Kitty—”
The door opened—
And you froze.
Because Dae was already inside.
“What—?”
Before either of you could react, Kitty gave you a little shove.
The door slammed shut behind you.
There was a click.
Silence.
“…Kitty?” you called, heart starting to race.
“Oops!” her voice came from the other side, far too cheerful. “I think it’s stuck!”
You stared at the door.
Then at Dae.
Then back at the door.
“…She did that on purpose,” you said.
“Yeah,” he replied softly.
You both stood there awkwardly, the small space suddenly feeling very small.
“Kitty?” he tried. “Can you open it?”
“I’m trying!” she called back.
There was a pause.
Then whispering.
Very loud, very obvious whispering.
You could hear Min Ho snickering.
“Guys,” you said flatly.
No response.
“They’re not opening it,” Dae said quietly.
“…Nope.”
Silence settled again.
You shifted slightly, your shoulder brushing his.
It sent a spark through you immediately.
Of course it did.
Everything with him did.
“I’m sorry,” he said suddenly.
You blinked. “For what?”
“For… this. It’s probably uncomfortable.”
“It’s not,” you said quickly—too quickly. “I mean—it’s fine. I just—”
You trailed off, nerves tangling your words.
He let out a small breath. “Yeah.”
Another pause.
Your heart was beating way too fast.
“…Can I say something?” he asked.
You nodded, even though he might not see it. “Okay.”
“I think they’re right.”
Your stomach flipped. “About what?”
He hesitated.
“About us.”
The words hung in the air, soft but heavy.
“I just…” he continued, voice quieter now. “I don’t want to pretend anymore that this is just… nothing.”
Your chest tightened.
Because you’d been thinking the exact same thing.
For weeks.
“I like you,” he said.
Simple.
Honest.
Your breath caught.
“I have for a while,” he added, glancing at you. “I just didn’t know if you—”
“I do.”
The words slipped out before you could stop them.
His eyes widened slightly. “You do?”
You nodded, even though your hands were trembling. “I really like you.”
The tension that had been sitting between you for so long finally cracked—soft and warm instead of breaking.
He smiled.
Not shy this time.
Not unsure.
Just… happy.
“Then why didn’t we say anything?” he asked, a quiet laugh in his voice.
“Because I was scared,” you admitted. “I didn’t want to ruin what we already had.”
“Me too.”
That made you laugh softly.
Of course.
Of course you were both the same.
He stepped a little closer, careful, like he didn’t want to overwhelm you.
“But I don’t think it ruins anything,” he said gently. “I think it just… makes it real.”
Your heart fluttered.
“Yeah,” you whispered. “I think so too.”
For a second, neither of you moved.
Then—
His hand found yours.
Warm. Steady.
You squeezed it lightly, your nerves melting into something softer.
“Can I—?” he started, then hesitated.
You smiled a little, stepping closer. “You can.”
That was all he needed.
He leaned in slowly, giving you time to pull away.
You didn’t.
Your eyes fluttered shut just as his lips brushed yours—soft, careful, like he’d been waiting for this moment for longer than he could say.
It wasn’t rushed.
It wasn’t overwhelming.
It was… gentle.
Warm.
Right.
When you pulled back, you were both smiling.
A little breathless.
A little shy.
But lighter.
“So… not a situationship anymore?” he murmured.
You laughed softly. “Definitely not.”
———————————————
Outside the closet, the silence was… suspicious.
“Do you think they kissed yet?” Kitty whispered.
“Probably,” Q replied.
“Should we give them more time?” Yuri added.
“No, I’m opening it,” Min Ho said. “This is painful.”
The door swung open.
Light flooded in.
You and Dae turned toward them, still standing close—very close.
Kitty’s eyes immediately lit up.
“OH MY GOD—”
“Don’t,” you warned, laughing.
“Did it work?” she asked anyway, practically vibrating with excitement.
Dae glanced at you, then back at them, a small smile on his face.
“Yeah,” he said.
“It did.”
The group erupted.
Q cheered.
Yuri clapped.
Minho looked smug.
Kitty looked like she’d just accomplished her life’s mission.
“I knew it,” she said proudly. “You’re welcome.”
You shook your head, but you couldn’t stop smiling.
Because for the first time—
It wasn’t confusing.
It wasn’t undefined.
Dae’s hand slipped into yours again, natural and easy.
Again this boy is a gentleman! So whenever you seem to stumble/trip or seem to embarrass yourself with anything he will either say or do something that’s embarrassing as well so he won’t make you feel better <3
Whenever you get jealous (in a typical not bad way) he’d reassure you so much that it made you smile again
If it was with him (vise versa) you’d also reassure him as much as well, he’d apologize to you but you’d forgive him
Whenever you and him go out with friends and there aren’t enough chairs he’d happily have you sit on his lap to make you feel comfortable (if you’d like)
He’d carry a small enough bag to carry the things you need but forgot like a pair of sandals/shoes (from wearing heels) or a fan or water bottle
Will definitely help you carry any of your purses, bags when shopping, or any luggage for vacation.
Will also help you tie your shoes for you no matter where you guys are
He’d fix the little things you missed like your bow on your hair, crooked necklace, lip gloss smeared, and even if something is loose from the strap of your tops
He’d be the type to also recognize if he’s in your room and sees the flowers he gave to you a few days are going bad he’d come back to give you another small bouquet of it
Loved it when you met his little sister and his dad, they both liked having you there with him and his little sister would always ask when you’re coming over (she’s a cutie)
He’d try to match outfits with you anytime of the day (cus it’s cute and wants everyone to know you’re with him)
Will always compliment your type of clothing style (even if it’s different it don’t matter) and the type of makeup you’ll wear he’ll always have his eyes on you (UGH)
He’d try cooking for you wether your at his or at yours (sometimes you’ll even cook together)
If you ever applied to any college near with him and got in he’d celebrate the whole day with you and make it a whole special day.
If you decided not to he’d still won’t see you differently and would talk about spending the rest of your life together
Will absolutely be happy that you’ll be spending the rest of your life together with him and he’d even tell you himself how much you mean to him
Tags: @dregonscarred
Thank yall so much I apologize for the lack of posting I had just finish with school but now I’ll have more time!! If you want a part 3 let me know!
So I just finished binging XO, Kitty S2, and I have some comments..
quick warning: this will not be in chronological order
I thought the gremlins (us) could have Minho but unfortunately I was wrong Minty (that's what I'll call them) prevails! (｡ﾉω＼｡)
oh well
Q and Jin (Jincy?) are a slay
Dae and Eunice (Daenice?) are a slay (although I expected them to let the gremlins have him but I was pleasantly surprised)
Hot take but I didn't like Praveena all that much nothing's particularly "wrong" with her she's just not my style y'know?
Dae can SING? WTF?! (the fic ideas are coming hehehehehe)
I wish we could've seen more of Alex and Yuri as siblings and Prof Lee and Alex as a father-son duo
Why did Alex look extra fine this time? 👀👀👀
Dae's "admit it" was hilarious
Totally didn't see Julianna and Praveena coming
Stella can go choke
I BRING I BRING ALL THE DRAMA-MA-MA-MA WITH MY GI-
ehem excuse me
Omg hi Peniel wtf are you doing here?!
Still living for the cameo tho
Mr. Moon gave me JYPapi vibes
Is Minho the youngest among all his siblings? Are he and Joonho full brothers? How many Moon kids even are there?? Are we gonna meet the others next season???
UYY PHILIPPINES!!! Q'S LOLA MENTION AND CEBU BITCH!! 🇵🇭🇵🇭🇵🇭🇵🇭
Prof Lee should've been given more music during the showcaseヽ(`Д´)ﾉ
Soooo thankful that the soundtrack gives me more info for fics timeline wise
X-O-O-O-O-O-O! X-O-O-O-O-O-O! KISS ME-
Sorry I don't know what's happening to me
Girl Stella was so psycho she got Minho's skin to act up DAYUM
Eunice is a beautiful queen who deserves the world
Dae better treat her RIGHT
The family reunion was heartwarming to say the least
I also expected they would involve the debate club in someway cuz Eve was in it and it seemed like they were school pride but I was wrong yet again
Peter is such an amazing boyfriend to LJ like I'm jelly
Wish we could've seen the entire Covey family again tho ｡:ﾟ(;´∩`;)ﾟ:｡
In season 1 was I the only one who laughed when they edited Dae into the movie scene?
ALSO am I who found it weird that the sisters looked no where near related like at all?
In the prom-posal scene with Minho and Stella and Kitty was going "I'm not jealous" I couldn't help but be like "me too girl" #delulu
Anyways I'm willing to take requests now so hit me up
Daeho plays marbles in the games with his little sister reader.
give me a mix of ali/sangwoo and saebyeok and 240.
They are agruing on who takes all the marbles. Dae-ho thinks that you have the bag of marbles until BANG! She dead👹 because she switched the bags so ACTUALLY He has the marbles so her brother can live
please mamas🥺
“One win, One loss”
A/n: YK I HAD TO DO IT 4 YOU BBG THIS IS SOME GUT WRENCHING SHIT AND I RESPECT ITT! HOPE YOU LIKEEEE
Warnings: Gur wrenching angst, squid game gore, brother!Dae-Ho, Sister!reader
“Come on, Dae, just one more round!”
You laughed, flicking a marble across the pavement as the warm summer sun bathed the street in gold. Your little brother huffed, brows furrowed in frustration, his cheeks puffing out like they always did when he was losing.
“You cheat,” he grumbled, crossing his arms.
“No, you just suck,” you teased, ruffling his hair. He swatted at your hand, but you could see the small smile creeping onto his face.
It had always been like this—you winning, him losing. A never-ending game, one you swore he’d beat you at one day.
“One day, I’ll finally win.”
That was a lifetime ago.
Now, under the harsh, sterile lights of the Squid Game arena, that memory felt like a cruel joke.
Marbles weren’t just a game anymore.
They were a death sentence.
You stood across from Dae-Ho, gripping the small cloth bag in your hands so tightly your knuckles ached. You couldn’t stop shaking, couldn’t stop the bile rising in your throat. Because this wasn’t like before. There was no rematch. No second chances.
Whoever lost this game wasn’t walking out.
“Take them, Y/N.” His voice was firm, no room for argument.
Your stomach twisted. No.
“Dae, don’t—”
“Just take them!” He shoved the bag toward you, his hands shaking. “I won’t let you die.”
He was serious.
Your little brother, your baby brother, was trying to throw his life away for you. And the worst part?
You knew he would.
You could see it in his eyes. The same eyes that used to glare at you when he lost a game of marbles. The same eyes that, even now, were still to you—still trusting you to win.
So you did the only thing you could.
You switched the bags.
With a shaky breath, you palmed a handful of small rocks you’d quietly collected from the ground. Then, in one swift motion, you switched your bag with his—or at least, made it look that way.
You acted fast, fumbling on purpose, letting both bags jostle against each other as you pushed one back into his hands. You made sure to keep his real marbles in his grasp while pressing the weight of the fake bag into your own.
You forced a smile. “There, happy?”
The speaker crackled overhead.
“Time is up.”
Dae-Ho’s breath caught. His grip on the bag tightened.
And then—realization hit.
His head snapped up. His face—God, his face—twisted in pure, raw horror.
“No. No, no, Y/N, what did you—”
Guards stepped forward. You backed away.
“Y/N!” He lunged toward you, but the masked men grabbed him, holding him back. He was screaming.
You smiled, a broken, fragile smile, the tears finally falling freely from your eyes. You didn’t care anymore.
“You finally won, Dae…”
Your breath caught as you spoke those words—the words you’d always dreamed of saying. He had won the game—but had lost everything that mattered.
His body seized with panic.
“No—no, no, stop! Please!” He was sobbing now, thrashing against the guards, his voice breaking.
But you just kept smiling, even as your vision blurred.
“I’m proud of you…”
And then, a loud BANG.
The world went silent.
Pain. Agony. A searing heat that spread through your body like wildfire. You collapsed to the ground, your chest tightening, your vision going blurry. Everything was falling apart, but the one thing that cut through it all was the sound of Dae-Ho’s voice, calling your name in desperation, in despair.
But it was too late.
You couldn’t feel your legs anymore. You couldn’t feel your fingers. You couldn’t feel anything except for the overwhelming emptiness that took over your chest as everything around you grew cold.
In his hands, sat the bag of little marbles.
His victory.
The one thing you’d promised to him. The one thing he had finally won.
The last thing you heard, before the world swallowed you whole, was his final scream.
“Y/N!”
A/N: hi my lil monster! How we likey? Honestly I LOVED this request also @takuma-talkz is legit like my bbg so I knew I had for do this first! I also have 2 more requests I should have out between today and tmr!
can u make like a depressed reader x dae ho where he finds her at a bridge or smth and then the rest is history
Crossing The Edge
Warnings: suicide attempt? Reader is abt to jump off a bridge b4 Dae-Ho saves her, fluff, blurb not a full fic
The city stretched out below, alive and indifferent. Cars moved in a blur of red and white, distant voices carried on the wind, but none of it reached you. Not really.
You curled your fingers around the cold metal railing, knuckles aching from how tightly you gripped it. The wind whipped through your clothes, chilling you to the bone, but you barely noticed. The water below was dark, endless, calling in a way that was too easy to listen to.
Then—
“Hey.”
A voice, warm and careful, like someone trying not to startle a wounded animal.
You inhaled sharply, stiffening, but you didn’t turn right away. Footsteps—soft, measured—until he stopped a few feet away.
“You shouldn’t be here alone.”
You exhaled harshly, your breath visible in the cold air. “I am alone.”
A pause. Then, quietly—“Not anymore.”
That made you glance back, just for a second. He stood there, hands buried in the pockets of his hoodie, damp from the drizzle. His dark eyes weren’t full of pity or panic—just something softer. Something that settled deep in your chest, unwelcome and unfamiliar.
Kang Dae-Ho.
You knew him. Not well, but enough. A man who’d been dealt too many losing hands in life and yet still found a way to laugh through it. Someone who, by all accounts, shouldn’t care about a stranger on a bridge.
So why was he here?
“What do you want?” you muttered, your grip tightening on the railing.
Dae-Ho exhaled through his nose, gaze flicking to your hands before meeting your eyes again. “To make sure you’re okay.”
You huffed, looking back at the water. “That’s a lost cause.”
“I don’t believe that.” His voice was steady, too gentle for the weight in your chest. “And I don’t think you do, either. Otherwise, you wouldn’t still be standing here.”
Something about that made your throat tighten. You swallowed hard, shaking your head. “You don’t even know me.”
He was quiet for a moment. Then—“Does that matter?”
That made you look at him again, brows furrowed.
Dae-Ho shifted slightly, then—slowly, like he was afraid to scare you—he shrugged off his hoodie. Before you could react, he stepped forward and carefully draped it over your shoulders.
You flinched. Not because you didn’t want it, but because it had been so long since someone had done something like this for you.
“You’re freezing,” he murmured, adjusting it gently before stepping back. “Just—take it, okay? It’s warm.”
You stared at him, thrown off by how earnest he was. By how much care he put into something so simple. The hoodie smelled like him—faintly like cigarettes, but mostly something warm, like vanilla and the lingering scent of rain.
It felt… safe.
You exhaled shakily, gripping the fabric. “…Why do you care?”
Dae-Ho smiled, small and lopsided. “Because I know what it’s like to feel alone.” He rubbed the back of his neck, almost sheepish. “And because I’d really hate myself if I walked away from this and something happened to you.”
You swallowed, heart hammering against your ribs.
He rocked back on his heels, then, with forced casualness, said, “There’s this diner a few blocks from here. The food’s kinda shit, but the dumplings aren’t bad. And they make the worst coffee I’ve ever had in my life.” He shot you a look, like he was sharing some grand secret. “Wanna go judge it with me?”
You blinked. “You’re seriously inviting me to get bad coffee right now?”
“Well, yeah.” His lips twitched into something soft, teasing. “What, you got better plans?”
You let out a weak, disbelieving laugh, and Dae-Ho beamed like you’d just given him the biggest win of his life.
And maybe—just maybe—that was what made you step back. Away from the edge.
He didn’t react right away, just waited, patient and steady, as if he would’ve stood there all night if he had to.
Then, when you finally turned toward him, he gave you a nod, like this was the most natural thing in the world. “C’mon. I’ll even let you steal my dumplings.”
You huffed, rolling your eyes. “I didn’t say yes.”
Dae-Ho grinned, nudging your arm as you started walking. “Yeah, but you didn’t say no either.”
And just like that, the rest was history.
A/n: Hi my lil monsters!! How we likey? This request was so adorableee!!! Hope this was exactly as anon wanted and always feel free to request if you have any!
