In what is more of a love letter to Vietnam than a straight-up smut, we have Nien in the lead. First time I tried adding an IRL picture to at least help myself a bit. I'm not gonna lie, I was missing the city more writing the first half, that's why it took so long. All vibes for this one.
We're going to another city next!
7,672 words of Nien. Enjoy!
Rain in Southeast Asia is nothing to scoff at. Particularly not when you’re informed to prepare to move for a company branch during said rainy season, worse, in short, a three-week notice. It brings an altogether sigh and a cold drink together, after which I would grab and wipe down my luggages and throw them open about two days before departing. It’s always an adventure, sure, and I look forward to the new person I will come out of the place. But it works altogether. However, I noticed another addition in the email order I received.
“Do not pass immigration until she has transferred from her Taipei flight. You must pass it together.”
Her? They typically do not say names, as HR doesn’t know or care who. I also understood it was not to stir a raised eyebrow from the immigration officer. But yes, the pronoun made my head tilt. Having had a “his” to partner me during the few work trips, and often than not, I just kept it professional. It is usually someone with a better-ish grasp of the local language than I. However, I almost always grab the free two-week language program, which is a good excuse to do other things during company time. It makes the white lie of “easily learns new languages” in my resumé seem worthwhile.
I wasn’t so glum about it. I was looking forward to it even, despite some naughty suggestions from my colleagues, I was firm that it was just another work deployment. Though I cannot deny myself the power of my imagination. I was young and single, so the idea never really left me. The idea made me ponder once or twice in the weeks leading up to the day, all while having no real imagination of who I had to live with for the next few months, except that it was a she. Given that it was Da Nang I was to leave for, there was quite a bit on my mind, though I doubt the adjustment wouldn’t be too hard. I’ve done this before, so it can’t be that different, can it?
In the meantime, I did what I could to get a clearer image of the place I would call home for a bit. I thought I had to grab a motorcycle if I wanted to go around on the weekends. However, I don't consider myself to be the most adventurous of people, but in a new country, I don't mind. I looked forward to sitting on a stool and eating whatever I picked; the good excuse of "I can jog this out tomorrow" always worked like a charm, and being used to greens helped.
Though that was all I did for the past three weeks. Now I'm a bit early at the airport, waiting outside a cafe, a large suitcase on one end, an empty plate and almost-finished mug on the table, and waiting on an empty chair while double-checking whether the documents I had were correct. Though I was just watching something on my phone when I got the message that she had arrived. Let's see if I was lucky, but now I just need to be professional. It did not take long before a tall lady, quite serious, searching, about five-foot-six, could tell from a glance she was Taiwanese, probably because she wasn't so pale. I thought maybe that was her. Then she saw me, looked at her phone, and walked towards me. Yep, that's her.
I stood up to meet her. A firm handshake but a carefree smile. Good impressions all around, she seemed very fun to be around, happy-go-lucky, as said. It was pretty easy to crack the ice, warming up to each other easily, as she had been my counterpart in the Taipei office for some time now. We were now the "traveling circus," since they had shifted from sending uninterested middle-aged executives a while ago. Yet her name was one of the things I asked first, so I have one: Hsu Nien Tzu.
I remember asking her one thing before standing up: if she could speak the language. I was not about to start a bad demonstration.
"I'm half-Vietnamese," Nien replied, "we're gonna be fine."
Save for the passing score I got when it came to comprehension, I was glad. Alright, this was going to be better than I had hoped. So we followed another set of orders: pass by immigration, eat, and wait for our flight to leave after sunset. I was constantly reminded that I needed to speak up more to my trip partners, so I decided to keep the conversation as natural as possible. Talking to Nien over dinner gave that, sharing an early phở before we left. It made me wonder why I didn't decide to set out and look for who I was going with on the trip. On trips before, I got my answer at least a week before we departed. Maybe I was too busy, or perhaps some part of me liked that anticipation, the waiting, yet it's not like I exclusively work with men, so what gives?
Maybe I’ve probably gotten too used to the scheduling. This was also my longest deployment so far, so there was probably more off time between us. I always make it a point not to make it too personal, but I value the companionship I get.
We passed the time that way, and before long, we were number two for takeoff on a rainy evening. It took a bit of both waiting and a little turbulence, with a loud turbofan roar and water flying by the window as we left the city. I saw it disappear behind the clouds; thick clouds only meant rain, and pretty much another goodbye. I hoped the rain wouldn’t follow us there as the plane settled into its climb, so I whispered it to Nien too; she was already, understandably, half-asleep, and she agreed. We were heading to a coastal city after all, and I knew it would be sooner or later. I just about remembered the slight pull of settling into cruising altitude as I dozed off, unable to put my book back and it on the tray table.
We were being told to put the tray tables up when we woke. I look outside and see spotlights on the water, equally spaced apart. The next thing my eyes saw was a mass of lights in a line, some were moving, but most were static; the unmistakable coastline, and a temporary new life. Our little residence should be across what seems to be the river, a little company present that overlooked the estuary. I could feel Nien was looking over, too.
“Fishing boats.” I blurted without question.
“Hm?” Nien sounded off. I asked, letting my thoughts known, “wanna grab something when we land?”
She just nodded.
That’s what we did. Getting our bags and getting into a company car took less than fifteen minutes. A junior representative welcomed us and discussed what to expect in our new residence. Trying not to space out and just look out the window, one moment we were at a stoplight with just a bit too many motorcycles, the next, we were on a bridge, a pretty well-lit one at that, glancing to see the many skyscrapers before looking back and trying to read the paper in the dark. We were told to split tasks for tomorrow as we needed to show up by Monday. I agreed that I was the one getting the long license conversion pipeline.
Unpacking our things, I gave a generous, well, a little too generous, tip to our welcoming party. It was a small third-floor accommodation, with a nice river view as I walked out onto the small balcony, with a row of sellers a few walks to the right. I remembered what I told her two hours ago on the plane. I turned around to see Nien had changed into more comfortable clothes, nothing unusual. She seemed to fit right in, and I did my part by changing into sandals. Our conversation took off where it was at the airport, no work yet, that was tomorrow’s problem, ending our first night with a celebratory beer and two bowls of noodles. I think it was Mì Quảng.
The next day came as it did, and we started working as the weekend passed. It only took about a week, and adding a few more, coupled with plastic bags of beer, or enjoying the long lunch breaks, to really get on their best graces. Before we knew it, we were almost halfway through our stay. They remarked from the first few days that they liked having someone closer to their age to mess around with. I also did, and having a roommate that the guys liked flirting with was fun to watch. It never crossed my mind to look at her differently, visually or personally—though I did understand why people wanted to flirt with her—perhaps keeping myself down, shifting into the college-age rhetoric of never getting involved with your colleagues. Even if we shared the same room, we had to run errands together sometimes. However, Nien did bring up a throwaway line when we were sharing a drink on the balcony once.
Nien asked, "You mentioned I'm the first girl you went on a visiting trip with?"
I replied, "Yeah, it was always men before that."
"Mine too. So you're my first guy partner." Nien answered, adding, "It's quite relaxing."
"And why's that?"
She replied, "You're not a bother," then paused again.
"If anything, I kind of forget we've been together for like, six weeks now."
I paused too, mid-sip, putting the glass away from my lips and corrected her, "Together in Da Nang, you mean."
Nien chuckled, taking it in stride, "Yeah, together in Da Nang," before taking a swig of her glass, which had already made her fingers cold and wet. She had held on to it for a bit too long.
We left it at that. A slight brush at the line. It was like that until we got to Huế.
The monsoon season came as I had predicted. Switching out the sticky, humid heat of mainland Southeast Asia for the torrential rain of its archipelagic neighbors. Save for the second morning, when we were able to tour a bit of the citadel and some of the city. We shared mugs of coffee when the heat got too much for us, which, by this point, was the bitterness we'd gotten used to. Now every other coffee will taste diluted. The rest of our week was forecasted to be just a gloomy morning, followed by an afternoon downpour, and evening rain, all in that order. I looked across the river, our cheap local hotel barely had a view over the river and to the citadel. I wondered to myself, "Just getting across that moat would've sucked."
Our actual reason for being in the older city was far outside the center. A site visit, about an hour or so via a rented motorcycle, amounted to us arriving at a small roadside site. Nien and I were just being toured around and gave pretty faces, maybe interviewing some folks, but all in a day's work; show up, play nice, lead them along, write the report the evening before we get on the bus Saturday morning. We arrived and finished early in the afternoon, which was unexpectedly sunny for that day, both much to our surprise. Changing into more comfortable, warm-weather clothes, we thought the same thing—there was enough time to kill.
It was a fine tour of the citadel, again this time with less time to beat, for ourselves. Perhaps the aspect of sightseeing while breaking a bit of a sweat endeared itself to Nien. Linking onto my arm as we walked to the lesser sights inside the walls, I didn't question it this time. Though maybe, earlier in our stay, I would've. It just never crossed my mind at this point to ask why she's doing it. Perhaps she could just do it because we weren't in our usual city, and I rolled with it. I asked, albeit a bit forcefully, when she pushed me to stand, pose, and take some pictures.
"I'm getting envious of everybody else here."
Hmm. Doesn't sound half bad, but it does sound like an excuse from Nien. To be fair, a more homebody like me became just a bit more adventurous because of her, even after we settled for our stay. Sooner, I told her that it might rain a little later, the grey clouds slowly swamping out the sunlight as we kept walking. We did have a foldable umbrella, but having seen it bent before, I didn't want to trust it if the wind blew. She argued that we could just keep taking our time, though, adding her point that there was more to explore beyond the moat.
Though the grey clouds, heavy as they were, rolled in faster than we anticipated. We were in a garden and managed to walk, almost into a jog, towards a pavilion as the raindrops began to fall heavily on us. When we got under the roof, it was dark. Nien and I caught ourselves for a moment before I started to notice the old wood, and I looked around. There was nobody else there.
“Well, let’s wait,” I said, looking out to the garden. The wind was coming in now.
I moved inside, adjusting my eyes from the hallway to see a sizable, but empty interior, almost cavernous because the roof was the ceiling itself. If we had run the other way, we would’ve ended up at a cafe. But we were here. Nien was on a bench, the second of three, scrolling on her phone.
“Internet’s pretty slow,” Nien remarked when I sat beside her.
I was about to space out, between staring at the interior and my phone, I considered just standing and walking around. The network is slow, as she said. Then Nien blurted out of the blue.
“Sometimes I wonder why you don’t ask me out?”
I heard her. I froze a bit, though it hit like an M79—thump!
“Hm?” I knew I would stutter as I met her stare. Though flatly, maybe firmly, I replied, “We’re workmates.”
That was just me trying to run for cover. Nien was a wily woman.
“And single.” Nien butted in. The free spirit had me cornered. Another one, thump!
I turned to look at her, possibly overreacting, “I sure hope you’re not asking for casual.”
“You know,” Nien grabbed my hand, squeezing it, “I have a visa,” her palm was sweating, “And you’re just an hour away.”
“I know, but I just hope you don’t have any silly surprises from Taipei.” I wasn’t willing to be a third party.
"How about you're my "silly" surprise then?" Nien replied. I was tense, but sneaked out a smile, mirroring her. I asked, "Hard to hold one down with our work, no?"
"Yeah, sounds nice sometimes..," I continued, "to settle." At the risk of sounding like a formal email. I couldn't think of saying anything else, really. Nien had other ideas besides just staring at me. Her gaze was on my lips. I was thinking about it, but she beat me to the chase again. I could only think; Please, don't just be another passing mirage. Yet she was a bold woman—asking for my commitment—there was no “no,” as her eyes locked onto me.
"Is that a yes or no?"
Responding with "maybe" was going to throw everything off. I did not doubt Nien, yet my doubt always forecasted itself when I needed it the least. It took me about a second to really gather my thoughts. This felt like the fucking interview again! I needed to think quickly. Nien was anything but bad. Whatever quirk I had thought of before, I forgot now, and in my recent attempts back home, they were all pale and shallow compared to where we were. It was half a calculation and boyish arrogance, and a matter of time before we reached this point. She got her reply.
A smile came from Nien, her mouth still closed, "I knew you'd say that."
Nien then held tighter, clasping over my palm, and shifted a bit closer. She was nervous. Her stare remained on my lips. We both took a breath, shut our eyes, and leaned into one another. It was no more than a smack, just two touches of our lips. It was juvenile in execution, both of us leaning in from a little too far. That's how I knew it'd been a long time coming for her, too. I leaned away from Nien, and she giggled a bit as I noticed she had already blushed red.
Nien turned to face me, then came in for another. The rain was falling a little harder now. Our hands rose, hers resting on my shoulder, mine on her neck as our lips came together again. She took the lead this time and pushed slightly forward. Lightly tugging at her neck, I pushed back. A smooch rang out, and for a second, somebody giggled. I was trying to remember how to do it right, immediately snapping out of my head when her lips pushed against me, another smooch rang out. My other hand let go of hers, tugging at her pants as it glided up her right leg. I could not recall when tongues started getting involved, nor when I began to leave soft kisses on her neck. I made sure there were no hickeys. Yet once I found Nien’s lips again, we were noticeably getting more handsy, as mine was high up her skirt, while hers rested between my thighs. It couldn’t have been more than a minute or two of us just making out, and just as I grabbed her ass a little, breathlessly, she said.
“Hey,” tapping my chest, “Don’t get too playful.”
“I’m just listening to you.”
Nien just chuckled. Giving me another peck before we continued. She wasn’t stopping me at all. The rain was only falling harder now—time was almost up—and I needed to be bolder. Gently setting her on the bench, she must’ve known I was going to do something else. Pulling away just to see me dive to her neck again, though at the last second before I shut my eyes, hers looked downward. Giving her neck a few light kisses, moving often so as not to leave hickeys. My fingers were pulling on her drawstring, cradling her neck as my other arm meddled with the hem of her pants, sliding my fingers to her panties, but not into them. Letting out her first moan, weak, restrained, more of a hard breath, as my fingers pressed down on the warmest spot I could find. Beginning to draw in circles over the soft fabric as her breath hitched, she grabbed my arm as I moved faster.
I giggled to myself as Nien’s breath hitched again, turning into an actual, audible, but still weak moan this time. Though the grip of her fingers tightened, I wasn’t even going any faster. She became more tense, stirring, shallow breaths, her chest rising outward as she rang herself out more and more. She was getting wetter, and I could only imagine what she looked like, as I was just listening to her. Though of course, we couldn’t do anything more, perhaps some sort of shame came over us when she said,
“Stop.”
I did. Then I heard it, the rain was weaker now.
“We can’t do that here.”
I agreed, never intending to go all the way. Pulling my fingers out and letting her fix her string. Though what we did, a half-assed confession, an exchange of lips, under a reconstructed garden pavilion, in a former palace, during the middle of a monsoon shower, was something I was never ready for.
“You know, it would be hard to run outside if we get caught.”
She said, and was correct. Standing up like nothing happened, though visibly, she still looked a bit red. Almost surprised that we just did that. I stood up too and looked through the doorway, hoping not to catch a glimpse of anybody. I slung my bag around myself and took a sip. I needed to at least say something so as not to abruptly kill the tension.
“We could continue this at the hotel.”
Nien walked forward to kiss me, “I like that.”
I kissed her back. We just have to pretend nothing happened for now. Act cool, I thought, she must’ve too as she tapped on my shoulder, noticing I was a bit nervous. That ought to calm me down a bit, and I was less jittery by the time we were back out on the streets, seeing other visitors again. We hope nobody saw us.
Though for a time, as the sun slowly began to set over the horizon, we were able to see more courtyards and another garden. The sunlight peeped through, as if it only rained to give us that little tussle. Maybe, it winked at us for it. We almost forgot our little episode with just how large exploring the citadel complex was. Nien and I were able to hide behind ourselves the fact that we had just done something so risqué, at a place considered so regal. She was back to her usual self, smiling for her camera as always. However, she was tugging me closer now, letting my arm feel her chest so often when she'd look over for photos. I jokingly had to tell her to quit it, and she just smirked at me.
The golden sunset had already broken through the scattered greys when Nien and I hopped on our motorcycle and, not being the most skilled rider, just waited in traffic. I was sort of hungry, though a snack from a roadside stall before we left seemed to quell it, but I knew a late dinner was due. Nien was hugging me from behind, pressing herself—again—on my back. I was doing everything to not get hard in public.
"You feel it?" Nien asked, giggling.
"Yes," I replied.
Nien seemed to say something as the light turned green. So the only thing I heard was, beyond other vehicles on the road, and I revved the motorcycle, was myself going, "Huh?!"
By the time we turned onto our street. It was a quieter part of town that allowed me a glance upward for a second. The sky had turned a deep grey, and Nien and I were close to the hotel. I was doing my damndest to turn my nervousness around. I heard that imagining yourself succeeding, rather than just scaring yourself with nervousness, helps. It did. Yet, trying to ignore the boner forming in my pants, her hands wrapped around me, all the way to the moment I shut the motor off, wasn't helping.
Proceeding up to our room, the only person that bothered was the desk clerk. Finding ourselves proceeding down the same hallway as earlier, yet both of us seemed to be rushing towards our room. I fumbled the keys. Yes, keys, hurriedly picking them up. The jiggling nearly drove me mad because the lock decided to stiffen up just when we were going to get some. Almost barging inside, we threw our things onto the table, just enough time to switch the doorway light. We can't wait for the AC to cool, and we're next on the line.
Nien then put her hands on me just as she had earlier. Only taking a glance at my lips before leaning into them, meeting her halfway, with her reaching over my shoulders and grabbing my back and nape. I pulled her closer by her waist. Skipping from the shy kisses of earlier, our tongues and lips smacking almost as soon as we started. We weren’t going to get much standing up, though.
Facing Nien to the bed, I continued where I had already been earlier. Planting my lips downward on her neck, sucking harder the lower I went. As I got to the top of her chest, her breath hitched, knees buckling a bit at how suddenly I ramped things up. Carefully, I placed her down, not letting go of her neck for a second, though her slight bounce off the mattress took me away from her collarbone. I got myself back on her lips as she slowly slid herself further up, hovering over her. Now, more comfortably, I looked at her for a moment, lying down, expectant, vulnerable, waiting, on the second bed. My bed. She must’ve seen how nervous I was with the huff I let out, to which she asked.
“Take your time, what’s the rush?”
I just smiled back at Nien. She was rhetorical, through her eyes gazed downward. I answered with a deep kiss and went where her eyes were. Now I was truly hopping off where I was earlier, I slid my hands under her bra as I kissed her exposed chest. Catching on, her hands raised her shirt over her shoulders, and off her. Now, in her bra, it was wireless from the look of it, and easier to remove. She arched her back, but I stopped her from doing it herself, a series of kisses on her tits as my hands pushed her tits, petite, but soft, onto my face. Tick!
Getting Nien’s bra off her, the next sound it made was it being thrown against the wall. Not even giving her time to turn her head back to me as I took a nipple in my mouth, sucking hard. Perhaps a little too excitedly. Hearing her grimace, yet pushing her chest onto my face, I let go of her tit with a pop. Looking up to see her looking down too.
“Don’t stop that.”
I was about to give a boyish smile. In my head, at least. Following her, I clamped on her other nipple, circling my tongue around the small bud while looking up to see her shut her eyes, letting out a long exhale. My hand glided over her body, feeling her shift her hip to let my hand slide in between her legs, sliding my fingers over her panties. She was turning hot, but that warm spot on my fingertips told me everything. Looking at me again, I kept my eyes on her as I slipped my fingers under her pants again, pressing harder where I did earlier. Her brows furrowed, letting out an uncaged moan while her whole body rose up to me as I dug my fingers in. Sliding my fingers over a few times kept making her squirm, then I began tracing my lips downward to her toned tummy, then below that as my fingers slipped to the slide and from her back. Pulling down her pants, it seemed that Nien was more in a hurry to get it off than I was, having me stand as it lay on the floor. I hurried and stripped down, now we were naked.
Nien rose up to meet my lips while her hand grabbed at my cock. I was surprised at the sensation, her squeezing almost making me back off out of juvenile instinct—much like herself—it really had been a minute for us. It was semi-erect, stroking slowly, as we shared our tongues again.
“Haven’t seen one in a while,” she said with a slight giggle. I did too with a hand on her tit, “Me too.”
Slowly pushing her down, I kneeled and retraced where my lips had gone. Though with her pants out of the way, we both knew what I was going to do next. Holding her legs open, I slid my tongue up her thigh, though going down, the closer I got to her pussy, I began to suck at her skin. From a glance, her folds looked dry, but my fingers weren’t lying, they were beckoning me, and I obliged. A moan was building up as I licked around her folds, slowly making my tongue paint, and let her feel my saliva as I prepared. It was a feint. A sharp gasp left her as the sucking on her clit began, lapping up at the hood and teasing my tongue in her hole. I was famished and a bit showy, but was it all just for Nien? Absolutely.
Watching, with my fingers holding her legs open, let me feel her relax, then tense up, torso rising with just an upward swipe gave that shot of confidence I missed. Capturing her folds with my lips, the salty taste filling my imagination as I shut my eyes and just let what I knew how to do, let do. Focusing only on how my mouth slowly moved, hungered, and ate away at her. An arm reaching downward to grab me, only lightly, at my head. Listening, and feeling, hearing her low, buzzing moans would rise to gasps, and beg for just a little more. Even an instance where she slipped into Mandarin when I hit a good nerve with my tongue, even covering her mouth as Nien thought herself getting too loud, trying to hide her head sideways into the pillow.
Holding onto a leg, I took a hand, and, timing my tongue with her clit, slowly pushed a finger inside as she shifted again. Nien groaned as her own hips helped slip my only finger inside. Curling it, her tightness immediately made itself felt as her warmth wrapped around, while I pushed and pressed with my finger. I couldn’t tell if it was my tongue or fingers that worked, as a gasp, her fingers gripping the bed, and a breathy cry told me I had found my mark. So, I pushed, following with a second finger that made her squirm more, her moans now only second to the slobbering between her legs.
Then, Nien began to fall silent, though the same expression, now contorted—holding herself back—yet her body wasn’t lying. Her fingers grip on my hair slowly tightened as I licked and prodded away at her. My fingers almost found it hard to move as the inevitable came knocking. Her tightness made moving difficult, all the more with her twitching and shifting. Yet, she continued to roll her hips, as if she were riding on my fingers and leading herself on. Faster now. A messy dance on the mattress as she seemed more into it than I did, and with how she was grabbing my hair, I was to have my proof soon enough.
A short, breathy, unintelligible string of words left Nien. Then she cried out, sank her head onto the pillow, arched her back, and closed her legs. She came, and came faster than either of us must’ve thought. Looking up, the expression on her face read a mix of surprise and pleasure, but also of a strange relief, relishing that moment of release. Her mouth hanging open, weak moans leaving her while her eyebrows furrowed, rolling and lightly shaking as she let her body talk for itself. She waited for this. Her orgasm almost came in waves, shuddering for nearly a minute before, suddenly, she just plopped down, completely melted, her chest rising and falling, taking deep breaths as she looked like she was about to sleep.
“You okay?”
That was the first thing spoken in a while.
Nien, while still flushed, tried to sit up, but I was first. Getting back on the bed, my cock was now erect and needed to be inside her, fast. Through some sleight of hand, I was slowly stroking myself too as I listened to her. I pushed her down, and just smirked at me with her legs open—no problems—and after I took another smack of her nipple, put her arms over my shoulders.
Curious, I asked her how I did.
“Better than what I could do,” Nien answered. Having not wiped my lips, she beckoned me to kiss her, though not without sucking the two fingers that helped her cum just then. That ought to clean and taste herself. Reaching my arm down, I slipped my hand under her knee and pushed her leg open, her left foot high up in the air, the right over my back. My hand grabbed hers, holding tight and staring at me hard. We knew what was next. I glanced down and lined myself up, planted my knees, and slid in. Both of us moaned as my hips, only on instinct, told me to just push. Halfway inside, I stopped, letting myself feel her tightness, then Nien interrupted.
“Keep going.”
“You sure?”
She nodded. So I did. Holding my breath as I moved my hips, I watched her bite her lip, keeping her gaze as I thrust all the way inside Nien. Letting out sighs as I filled her, relaxing myself, as I slid back and began to move. A renewed but also arrogant vigor came to me as I paced myself, enjoying watching her take me. She watched for a second before one thrust hit her, shutting her eyes as I thrusted deep. Not too fast now, not too fast. Burying her head on the pillow as she tried to get a hold of herself, getting over the short, passing tinge of pain of her first time in a while, and me trying to make that while last. She wanted this, and our pieces were in play now.
Getting at a pace, I found myself moaning along with Nien. Sometimes, I shut my eyes as I dove down to kiss her neck, just to feel how my cock split and felt her pussy contract. When I would see her, the way her body moved, pinned, shivering, and nipples fully erect, a light sheen of sweat already making itself seen. Even with her eyes closed, her fingers unchanged in their tight grip, she let herself feel all of it. In the few shared glances, she looked on, satisfied. My face probably told her that too, tapping me on the cheek and flashing a shy smile before snapping back with a thrust. If I had told myself a few months ago that I would fuck my foreign work visit partner, I wouldn’t believe it, and neither would she.
Straightening myself, I pull Nien’s legs along and hold her at her hip. Picking my pace up a bit, I could feel myself throbbing, while trying to ignore how quickly that building weight of my orgasm rang into my head. Her grip on my wrists tightened and arched her back at the new tempo, her slight movements just a little more pronounced. Giving herself up as she let go and just grabbed wherever onto the sheets—yet it was too overwhelming—from the wet sound of contact, the sensation of her walls choking me, sliding by raw. Trying to focus on her, or even thinking of work, hell, counting numbers even, was useless. That made me cut my run short, barely pulling myself out of her in time. Catching my breath, the whole effort made it look like I finished a little early.
“You came?”
I shook my head, trying to force myself to relax while my cock, undeniably wet even in the poor light, twitched. Nien then switched the lamp on, seeing it better for herself as she sat across from me, the tip had turned red from how close I was.
“You?” I asked back.
“I think I did,” she said with a slight giggle, trailing off with, “maybe a few.”
Though now, Nien had her chance. As I waited, she did too. Knowing that she wanted to blow me earlier, I decided to just sit there, my legs wide open, cock hanging in the air, and she took the bait. Kneeling, her hand wrapped around my base and her lips, looking plumpier than I bothered to, just inches away from the tip. Glancing up at me, she met me looking down, anticipating the first blow I’ve had in a while. Sticking her tongue out, she seemed unsure and kept her gaze at me, slowly licking along the shaft from where her hand was up. Licking her lips, she opened and slowly sank herself downward. I was bracing that she’d be reckless, but she was careful, a rather shy blow rather than a gaudy one. Her lips wrapped around my cock as her neck bobbed at that pace, her glancing so often as if waiting for a thumbs-up from me. The single “fuck,” I breathily uttered, gave me away.
Releasing me with a pop, Nien stroked it twice before she rose up. She then told me to just.
“Stay there.”
Straddling me, Nien lay her hands on her shoulder, straightened herself, and with a deep kiss, sat down on my cock. Grabbing her ass and squeezing, as an arm of hers pressed down on my leg, trying to stop me from slipping all the way in. She wanted the pleasure of riding it down her way. Breaking away just to let out a moan as she sprang back up, going deeper every time she came down, moaning at every inch. Then she began to roll her hips, which seemed to get her more tense and hot. Now she had found the perfect motion to ride me in. Moaning more freely now as I let go of her lips and put mine on her neck, slowly kissing at it as the tightest sensation on my cock signaled where her spot was, shuddering as she forced herself to keep steady. At times, it sounded like she was forcing herself a bit, straining to keep herself going, not going any faster, but just enough to enjoy herself. It wasn’t even long before she started to mount me. I knew her stamina was high, yet maybe we had overestimated ourselves.
“Are you usually this shaky?”
“Not really. I’ve been only using my fingers,” Nien replied.
“Oh?” Maybe my short reply said the quiet part a bit too loud.
“You don’t believe me?” Nien almost stopped and was just about to mope. Her expression was a 180 from a few seconds ago.
“I do,” I must’ve been too blunt, and said an actual truth, “we’re always outside together.”
Nien smiled. Phew. Then whispered something out of the blue. It wasn’t out of character for an extrovert, “Not even my toys are close to yours.”
I must’ve smiled too, because she gave it back, leaning her neck down and kissing me as she continued to ride. I was getting all the attention she could give, and I was bashful about it still. I tried my luck again.
“You seem a little tired already.”
Nien was much sweatier now than when I first noticed. She tried to brush it off, but it was just a ruse. I began thrusting upward. Her other arm swung onto my shoulder as I took over again, both of us moving, pushing with our bodies only to meet halfway. Biting down hard on my tongue as I kept fucking her from below. It didn’t take long before she shot me a look of shock and disbelief, pulling me towards her as she kept moving. The telling twitching of an orgasm surprised both of us, groaning as she rode her own orgasm out. I was desperate to not follow, relaxing my lower half, in contrast to her twitching and squeezing. At the same time, my lips were planted on her chest, sucking away. Forget not leaving hickeys now. Then, just as quickly, she stopped, huffing. I considered myself lucky this time. Pushing her forward a bit so I can suck on her tits while thinking of what to do next.
Then I remembered what I saw once when she wore a backless dress for a function.
“Turn around,” I told Nien. Getting off me, she did as such. Giving me a view of the ass I’d been gripping at since the afternoon. Turning her head to look at me as I slid myself inside, bucking my hips the moment I got past the tighter ring of flesh, huffing as the feeling, the sheer tightness of it, as I went deeper always caught me off guard. Grabbing her wrist, I pinned it down to her back as I began to move, her face dropping almost instantly into the mattress as the first thrust hit. Pulling from her hip, I dug in.
Nien’s muffled moans filled the air. Her back muscles showed while I had my show of athleticism. Abruptly cutting my pace, I watched the length of my cock disappear in and out of her, slipping carelessly with her wetness aiding. That small, but willing resistance of her flesh overcomes my hips, while she groaned and squeezed me from below. Then, through the sound of our sex slapping together, the familiar, sinking weight that I had held back earlier began to rear itself again. Feeling more sensitive, I was twitching, faking out was a kamikaze’s errand. Not wanting to waste such a pretty face, I pulled her upwards, not knowing it would only leave my cock in such a spot that left it lodged deep. Greeting me with a kiss, she could probably tell I was barely holding on, so Nien asked.
“Are you close?”
I answered. Of course I was. Placing her lips on mine, Nien began to move. A reversal of our roles earlier, now she was fucking herself on my cock. I groaned even if my tongue was in her mouth, my hand traveling up her torso, the other, with her wrist guiding it, came up to her neck. Leaning forward, I pulled her closer to me, face to face, feeling our breaths coming right on our skin as we stared each other down. She knew I was ticking, her hips becoming all the more unbearable as I was close to no return.
“You want me to pull out?” I asked Nien. Her face went neutral.
“No,” she replied, kissing me, “You can pull out another time.”
Sounds like we’re not done with one. An exchange of tongues ensued. Seizing my chance, I pinned her down prone. Getting a moan out of her, we shared a moment before snapping back into it. With her ass up, Nien continued to move, now set on making me cum inside her. I did too, fighting back with my own hips as I pushed as deep as I could, her arm reaching backward to my head as her moans continued to rise. Letting our lips go to a cuss for a second, only to return much bolder, sloppier as I picked up my pace. She had completely stopped by this point. I was fucking her as hard as it would allow me.
Taking my lips off Nien’s, I could feel myself at my orgasm’s door, with my cock as the ram. She was loud, yelling and shrieking, and we shared the same chorus in the room. I was the quieter one, grunting and moaning on my own, while she was begging for me to keep fucking her. It seemed she was going too. Trying to keep herself steady as that same stirring and twitching, her hands were gripped hard onto the sheets. All of that only drove my cock at its deepest into her. I couldn’t even tell her, but we knew. Then we came—Nien was first, and I followed—letting out a gasp, pushing myself as deep as I could, as she threw her head back, missing mine as I groaned, before moving my lips to the back of her ear. My cock, having been denied itself a few times before, now relented, flooding her as it squeezed its own load out. Like her, it took me longer than usual to ride my orgasm down. Yet our lips never broke once.
We were tired. Huffing as I spilled onto the bed, while Nien pulled herself away, I grabbed the tissues at the nightstand for her. Given how sweaty we were, it was wise not to crash and lie on the mattress. We both just sat on the edge as I caught my breath, leaning her head onto me. It was a mirror of what we did at the citadel. Now, it was her turn to say the quiet part out loud.
"That was," she paused, "intense."
I agreed. Both of us tried to compliment each other. Nien took it in stride, smiling at me. Finally, that smile again. Meanwhile, I remained shy about it, telling her I must've been lucky making her cum that much. She confided she was also surprised about that. She did her best to make me accept it, putting her foot down with a somewhat cryptic statement.
"That only means you're good to me."
Perhaps I was dense to understand. Nien knew it.
"You figured me out quickly," she said, leaning over to kiss me, "You can't do that if you don't like somebody."
Then Nien stood up and got in the shower. I followed her, though cleaning ourselves wasn't exactly the first priority. It was a tight fit, only made tighter by two horny adults sharing the same space. Taking a cold bath, she knelt down on the tiled floor to suck at my cock as soon as I washed it. Without any intention of really pacing myself this time, I bent her over under the showerhead in return—she was even louder in the shower—cumming inside her mouth this time. That made an ordinary bath much longer than it should have been. Switching to a lazy dinner outfit, by the time I had strung the "for cleaning" sign on the door, we were dragging ourselves by our steps, almost shuffling as we left the hotel. Bún bò Huế and vegetables to restore our spent stamina were what we had in mind. Though linked to my shoulder while we walked down the evening in Huế, she cheekily asked some.
"Maybe a few beers and one more round."
I liked that proposition simply because Nien said it.
How would the housewardens act towards you if you were mute?
kalim, idia, vil and malleus.
Part one with riddle, leona, azul is on my profile <3
Kalim Al-Asim
For Kalim, the fact that you're mute doesn't change how much he enjoys being with you.
If there's anyone who's never had any prejudices about how people communicate, it's him.
From the very beginning, he treats you with the same warmth and enthusiasm as anyone else.
His reaction to learning that you can't speak is more curiosity than concern.
"That's amazing! So how do you communicate? Do you have a special method? Teach me, I want to learn!"
He's not immediately good at sign language because he's a bit slow with memory :( but that doesn't stop him from trying his best.
If you use another method, like writing or using expressions, Kalim adapts quickly because he's already someone who is very guided by emotions and gestures.
Something he loves about you is that, even though you don't speak, you express so much with your eyes and your smile. He finds it beautiful how your face conveys so much without words.
When he's really excited, he forgets that you can't answer him right away and talks nonstop, but as soon as he notices you need a moment to type or respond with signs, he waits patiently with a big smile.
"Oh, sorry! I got too excited again, didn't I? Hehe, it's okay! Take your time, I want to know what you think."
Because he's so expressive, it's easy for you to understand him without him having to say much.
Sometimes just by looking at him, you know exactly what he's feeling, and that makes him even more attached to you.
If someone makes an insensitive comment about your muteness, Kalim flies into a rage. He's not the type to get angry easily, but if someone disrespects you, you can see the serious glint in his eyes as he says,
"Don't ever talk like that again."
Overall, Kalim is the type of person who loves and understands beyond words, and being with you is proof of that.
Idia Shroud
When Idia finds out you're mute, his first thought is like
“Great! I don't have to worry about talking out loud all the time-”
It's not that it bothers him when people talk, but he's someone who hates forced social interactions and finds it stressful to have to respond constantly.
However, when he starts getting closer to you, he realizes something important: it's not that you don't talk, it's that you have a different way of communicating. And that intrigues him more than he thought.
If you use sign language, Idia feels clumsy trying to learn it.
His fingers are fast for games, but when he tries to sign, it feels like he's casting a weird spell with his fingers.
“Ugh, this is harder than learning to program in five different languages…”
But if you use a device to type or communicate in other ways, he feels much more comfortable.
He programs a personalized app that helps you type responses faster, or even a voice synthesizer if you ever need it.
At first, he gets nervous trying to interpret your expressions, but after spending so much time with you, he begins to understand you with just a glance.
"Hey, hey, … in this new game, there's a character who communicates without speaking, just like you! Want to see it? I'm sure you'll love it."
If someone ever makes a hurtful comment about your muteness, Idia first goes pale with fright, then red with fury, and then hacks their devices to play a cruel prank on them
No one messes with his special someone and gets away with it :>
He may not say it out loud, but Idia truly loves how you communicate without words. After all, the best connections don't always require sound.
Vil Schoenheit
Vil has always believed that elegance isn't just about appearance, but also about the way a person communicates and expresses themselves.
When he meets you and discovers you're mute, his first impression is fascination.
“How interesting… You speak without words. It's a unique and beautiful form of expression.”
If you use sign language, Vil learns it without difficulty. He has an excellent memory and is a perfectionist, so he masters it quickly.
If you communicate in other ways, such as with expressions or writing, he watches closely. He becomes adept at interpreting your emotions with just a glance.
He loves the way you convey so much with so little. Sometimes, when others are filling the air with unnecessary words, he looks at you and feels that the connection you have is purer and more genuine than any empty conversation.
When you're in public with him, he doesn't let anyone make you feel inferior for not speaking up.
If someone tries to belittle you, a single glance from him is enough to make them immediately shut up.
“You don't need words to prove your worth. Your presence speaks volumes.”
Malleus Draconia
For Malleus, the fact that you are mute is neither strange nor worrisome.
He himself has spent centuries surrounded by awkward silences and conversations filled with empty formalities.
In comparison, your presence is refreshing.
From the beginning, he takes a genuine interest in how you communicate.
If you use sign language, he learns quickly, and whether you prefer to write or use gestures, he adapts seamlessly.
He isn't someone who needs words to understand you. Over time, he develops a special sensitivity to your body language, to the point where he sometimes asks you something and, before you answer, he already knows the answer just by looking at you.
"You don't need to explain anything. I can see the answer in your eyes."
He loves the reassurance you bring. In a world where people always fear him or treat him with extreme formality, the fact that you can communicate without words gives him a special kind of intimacy he's never experienced before.
When you go for a walk together at night, the silence between you isn't awkward.
Sometimes he simply sits beside you and enjoys the feeling of company without needing to speak.
If anyone dares to belittle you or mock your muteness, his dark presence becomes crushing. Suddenly lightning illuminates the sky man, and his gaze turns icy.
"You dare disrespect someone so precious to me? How insolent."
He's a prince, but to you, he's just Malleus, someone who understands you beyond words.
Reluctant doesn't even begin to describe the way Emre entered the relationship at first. He was afraid of hurting anyone close to him, but you weren't afraid of him. In your mind, there was nothing he could do to you that someone hadn't tried in your gladiator days.
You don't go out for dates like normal people, but it's hard for him to be normal with a God program in his chest. You don't mind though, the two of you swap old stories over quiet meals and that means more than a trip to the movies ever could.
Emre doesn't tell you outright, but he sleeps better with you by his side. Even if it's a quick nap, you being nearby helps him more than a whole day of rest ever could. You help quiet his mind down, a rarity in itself.
The first time you see Chernobog take over, you don't flinch to come up to him after. You're a mess and there's not a scratch on him. Emre apologies for what happened, but you just laugh it off and promise to actually take cover next time.
Vendetta does get him help as promised, but the two of you find out that the program is a part of him. There's not really an easy way of removing it that won't leave him in a worse state than Sigma, so Emre decides to keep it.
He gets sort of depressed after, but you make it clear that you're not going anywhere no matter what. You won't leave him just like he won't leave you, even if the idea of you being safer away from him makes it tempting.
A family is out of the question and Emre has more or less let his believe that he's dead. You grew up on the streets alone, so Emre knows the person you hold as close to family as you'll get: Vendetta.
The two of you make trips to the Colosseum to watch fights and Emre swears your entire body lights up at it. You can tell him every mistake and predict which will cost a fighter their life or winnings. Emre somewhat regrets not getting to see you fight because it must have been something.
He spars with you once then decides it's not a good idea. He's combat trained, but your specialty is hand to hand. He could barely get his hands around you for a grapple before you were "killing" him five times over.
Talon makes it hard for things to be normal like for everyone else in the world, but you are in no shortage of time spent together. Your missions are often together and Vendetta was more than willing to allow you to share quarters (even if she teased you a bit.) It's not easy, but sometimes you can pretend that you're just coming home to each other after a long day of working "normal" jobs.
Emre prides himself on his restraint, but you stripped that away with ease. He has never thought of himself as a desperate man, but there's no other way to describe the way his body craves yours.
He'd easily let you do anything you asked, so you learn to read the tells in his body language to see if he's really comfortable with something because you can't always trust his mouth.
Emre is passionate and you can feel it in every one of his touches. The clumsy presses of his hands a little too roughly are your favorite because he always apologizes with several kisses to the bruises when all is said and done.
His preference is to not use a condom so he can feel you fully, but Emre will always wear one at your insistence. He understands the risks with what he wants.
Foreplay tends to either be drawn out because he got distracted or rushed because he can't help himself. Emre definitely has issues with pacing, but you encourage him in everything he does.
He's talkative and when he slips into Turkish from English, it does something to you. You don't know what he's saying, but you understand the meaning of it.
Emre prefers not to take charge because he doesn't trust to keep himself in check. He does what you want him to because in his eyes, your mind isn't spoiled by Chernobog.
He needs a lot of affection and reassurance after sex, so that's exactly what you give him. He prefers to hold you outside of a sexual context, but he's always the little spoon during aftercare cuddling.
Showers and baths normally turn into round 2, but luckily there's an abundance of hot water for both of you to separately clean up after.
Being the middle child in a family was never easy. Especially when there was nothing remarkable about you.
Not the most talented.
Not the most reckless.
Not the most obedient.
Not even the cutest.
Just an ordinary Na’vi born into the family of an olo’eyktan.
That was me, (Y/N), the fourth daughter of the Sully family.Ever since I was little, I always felt like I did not quite belong with them.
My father, Jake Sully, was strict with all of us, especially whenever Lo’ak caused trouble. Somehow, even when I had nothing to do with it, I still ended up getting scolded alongside him.
As for my mother, Neytiri te Tskaha Mo’at’ite… I knew she loved me. I did. But somehow, I always stood behind the warmth and affection she gave to Kiri. And after Tuk was born, moments alone with my mother became even rarer.
My siblings were never cruel to me. I was simply… quiet. Too quiet. They did not really invite me along much, and conversations with them rarely lasted long. I tried to fit in, truly, I did, but their wild games, dangerous adventures, reckless laughter…I could never keep up with them.
So instead, I spent more time sitting beside the elders of the clan. I became quieter. More distant. I learned to hunt alone, crafted tools and supplies by myself, all without bothering my parents.
Grandmother Mo’at was the first to notice.
She was the one who gently encouraged me to play with the other children. But the children around me were always cautious of my family because my father was not born Na’vi.
Things only became more complicated when I started taking interest in human objects. Technology. Language.
Whenever my father taught English, it felt less like learning and more like remembering.
Books. Video recordings. Human puzzle games…
I mastered them frighteningly fast.
Even Spider, Norm, and Max looked shocked sometimes. It was as if the knowledge had already been carved into my mind long ago.
My father only laughed and said I probably inherited the intelligence of his twin brother.
My mother, however, did not look pleased at all.
The worst moment came when they argued because of me, after I managed to repair and reassemble a piece of human equipment on my own.
I still remembered Neteyam’s confused stare.
Lo’ak’s expression that almost looked accusing, as if it was my fault our parents were fighting.
After that day, I stopped going to Hell’s Gate with the others.
Lonely.
Empty.
Silent.
Until the year I turned seven.
I was walking alone through the forest carrying a basket full of yovo fruit when suddenly
A strange light appeared before me.
I startled and stepped back. It did not move. Made no sound. Did nothing at all.
And yet… something inside me was calling toward it. A strange sense of safety wrapped around my chest, urging me closer.
So I reached out.
And touched the light.
.
.
.
- The AI virus we created… it escaped
- That’s impossible. The firewalls, the hard drives, every software layer—we already scanned everything
- We checked every disk. Every folder. One by one. There’s no trace of it left anywhere in our virtual world
- That’s when I noticed this. Look
*One of the scientists pointed toward a folder on the screen*
- This thing slipped past every antivirus program we have. It’s been running silently in the system this entire time, disguised as a movie file
- So why not just delete it?
- We can only erase the outer shell. Not the core. Someone has to enter the virtual world directly, trace the source, and destroy it from inside.
- …Isn’t that basically transmigrating into a movie?
- Pretty much. We’ll also have to limit contact to avoid drawing suspicion. We need someone physically capable, intelligent, and good at survival
- You’ve been selected. Be careful in there
- Wait. What movie is it?
- Avatar: The Way of Water. I pirated it, watched it, then forgot to delete it
- …I’m speechless
- It’s fine. We can insert you as an ordinary Na’vi to make things easier. Just remember, do not attract attention. We have no idea what the virus is capable of inside that world
- Remember. Just a normal Na’vi. Nothing special
- Yeah, yeah, I got it. I’ll make sure you end up in some random normal family, Ly
The world around me suddenly grew blindingly bright.
The illusion shattered and all my memories came flooding back at once. I jolted upright from the grass, gasping. Atokirina’ drifted around my body as if they had been guarding me.
I grabbed my head in horror.
You all had one job. ONE JOB. And somehow you reincarnated me directly into the main character’s family?! Now great. I'm the poor idiot suffering through this, thank you very much *I screamed curses in my mind*
Chap 1 Chap 2 Chap 3 Chap 4 Chap 5 Chap 6 Chap 7 Chap 8 Chap 9 Chap 10 Chap 11 Chap 12 Chap 13 Chap 14 Chap 15 Chap 16 Chap 17 Chap 18 Chap 19 Chap 20 Chap 21 End main story
synopsis ⟢ wrapping is easy when it comes to dumplings. but when it comes to your feelings…not so much. after getting separated from your childhood nemesis, lee heeseung, you think your life will go smooth like butter (js like what BTS sang). but fate has other plans when he was forced to help around in your family’s dumpling restaurant.
◌ wordcount﹒ 13.1k
◌ pairing﹒ lee heeseung x fmr
◌ genre﹒ childhood enemies to lovers, hs au, takes place in their summer break, reader is taehyun’s (txt) older sister, tbh no srs hating js silly rivalry, crack , heeyn parents r silly
◌ featuring﹒ txt, chaewon lsrfm, enhypen, brief mentions of seventeen (ily joshua n hoshi)
◌ warnings﹒ profanities, harsh language, jealousy, heeyn hating eo, kissing, fluff, heeyn silly stuffs, denial, i think that's it, oh probably bad and inconsistent grammar at times, miscommunication (that shiii)
aerinotes ⟢ u guys don't know how much i giggled at the screen when i write this 😁 THIS FIC MEANS SOOO MUCH TO MEE I HOPE U GUYS GIVE IT SOME LOVE 💗💗💗 also MY FIRST EVER LONG FIC??? aerin long fic debut!!! so im sorry if there r lots of mistakes n it's kinda messyy n if the pacing is badd !! i'll improve next time guys TRUST‼️‼️
this was previously a smau but now the smau is discontinued. i can finally say goodbye peacefully to my heeyn 🙁 i’ll miss them <3 hope you guys enjoyed this! be sure to leave a like, comment n reblog to let me know watchu think abt it !! ENJOYYYY
"MOM YOU WANT ME TO DO WHAT!?" It’s only been a week since you returned from your exchange student program in Japan yet your mom was quick to throw you a bucket of ice water on a hot summer evening.
“Which part of it is not clear, dear? Heeseung is going to start working in our dumpling shop this in this last month of summer and I want you to be his mentor tomorrow.” Excuse me what? Mentor?? “You know, teach him how to use the register, how to serve the customers, and later how to wrap the dumplings.”
No way there was no chance in hell that you were going to do this. Become Heeseung’s mentor? Hell no! You would rather give Taehyun your first born privileges.
Okay, maybe reasoning with her would opt her to change her decision. “Yes, I heard you for the first time but I can’t really place the reason why you want me to do this, mom. You know that we don’t…get along that well.”
Don’t get along that well? You scoffed internally at your choice of words, it was clearly an understatement, your mother knew that too.
You and Heeseung never got along. At all. Your mother and his mother were the best of friends so ultimately that means that he was there for good and you could not escape him. At first, mini-you was glad at the thought of having a childhood friend. Maybe you two could replicate the friendship of your mothers.
Yet at the age of five, where the two of you met for the first time and he stole your toy and decided to hide it from you, you knew from that moment that you would never get along. That first impression only triggered the competitiveness in you and it became a never ending game of chase. Of course, your mothers showed disappointment with the fact that their children did not enjoy each other’s presence, hoping that as they grow up, you and him would learn to overcome this little feud of yours.
Oh how they were wrong. Along the years that follow, your hatred towards each other only grew. Even though you both hated each other, he was still a big part of your childhood. And him being your neighbour didn't even help. You were so fucking bored of that face of his.
Eventually everyone got used to this relationship you shared with the boy and both parents didn’t try to do anything about it anymore. After all there was no point.
Although your feelings towards Heeseung were more on the negative side, you adored his parents, and your parents adored him too. Your families were close but you two weren’t. When you were younger, you would make it your life mission to get Heeseung to cry and he made it his to make you irritated. But as you both grew into adolescence your behaviour began shifting.
Now, instead of sitting by your side to provoke you, he would sit the farthest from you at the dinner table and you would do your best to ignore him at every family event. This never changed, even when you got into highschool. Both of you would try your hardest to let the other’s presence turn to ghosts, yet the tension around you remains haunting.
“Come on Yn, I know you don’t have the best relationship with Heeseung, as you guys are always fighting like cats and dogs,” Your mother muttered the last part quietly. “But I trust you with him, dear. Even though you both hate each other, you’re the one that knows him best there and I feel like he’ll focus more under your gaze instead of anyone else.”
Gosh why was your mother so persistent? “Mom, have you met us?” You can hear your mother’s snicker. “Then you should know that he won’t listen to me! There’s a reason why we don’t get along, mom. He’s gonna cause so much ruckus if I become his mentor. I find no problem with asking Taehyun to guide him instead.”
Your mother knew that you didn’t want to go forward with this. But it was really a last resort of sorts. And a little part of her wished that maybe this occasion would end your feud with him because she and Mrs. Lee always wanted their kids to get along well, just like them.
“Initially, I thought about that too. But Taehyun already has a lot of plans for tomorrow and you just went home like a week ago so you have lots of free time before your senior year starts.” She pointed out.
“Who knows maybe Heeseung changed these past six months without you. Maybe he even misses fighting with you everyday.” Chuckling, your mother gave you a knowing look as your face scrunched at the thought of that.
Hah! He? Missed you? There was no way. Heeseung was probably glad you were gone for six months. In fact he probably wished you were gone forever.
“Come on, my Yn. We’ll go shopping together with Aunty Lee and I’ll get you those concert tickets for that group you like so much. I’ll buy 4 for Chaewon, Yeonjun, and Soobin too. So you guys can watch it together.”
Your eyes lit up as her offer ringed your eardrums. One day of mentoring Heeseung for shopping sprees with your mom and Aunty Lee PLUS concert tickets for you and your friends?? Sounds like a fair deal.
“Ah…you know me so well, mother. You know I will never decline those.”
“You know it, darling.”
*
“You want me to-what?!” Disbelief, Heeseung stood from the couch and turned towards his mother who was currently sitting cross legged on her armchair.
“What did you expect?! I told you to stop sneaking around all the time and this is final! You are working in MANDU4U, Yn’s family dumpling shop tomorrow.”
Spending his summer break working? Are you fucking kidding?
“Bu-”
Mrs. Lee stood up from her chair, levelling her gaze with her son. “No buts! I already talked to your Aunty Kang and all you have to do is show your ass over there and work.” From the tone of her voice, Heeseung knew that he messed up. It was bad, like REAL bad. Maybe he should’ve listened to his friend's advice to NOT sneak out.
Mrs. Lee shrugged before continuing. “Think of this as a new experience. You’ll be learning new things and you’ll be earning money. I see nothing wrong with this. You don’t have any right to complain, young man.”
As much as Heeseung dreaded it, he knew no point in resisting. He was at fault and if it was in other circumstances he would stand his ground but he knew better. Oh well, at least she didn’t forbid him to hang with his boys.
And besides it’s not as if he’s going to meet her. He’s aware of the fact that she went back from that program a week ago. Of course he was, his family insisted that they also accompanied picking up Yn from the airport.
Did he come along? Yes. Did he have the option not to? Also yes. Did he know why he came along? Not really. Maybe he missed her and their fights just a little bit. Or maybe not. That question remained ominous as he himself didn’t even know the correct answer.
But was he glad with the fact that she was gone for the past six months? Of course he was! Well it was a bit more quiet than usual but hey! Quiet is good right? Yeah of course. Now that she’s back does he still hate her guts? For sure, yeah definitely.
“Also Yn will be your mentor and I want you to be on your BEST behaviour and do whatever she says.” Mrs.Lee abruptly added before striding out of the room trying her best to contain her smile.
“Mom WHAT?!”
*
You idly stood on the gazebo of your family’s shop, glancing back and forth towards your watch as the digital digits morphs into what seemed to be eight past twenty. Heeseung was supposed to be here at eight sharp but here you were, still waiting for his stupid ass to come.
It was only five minutes after that, the sight of Lee Heeseung appeared in your line of view. Fucking finally. “Heeseung, you’re late.” You aligned your body opposing his, blocking the entry of the door with your figure as he tried to brush himself through.
“Tch, it’s whatever. Let’s just get started.” His hand longed for the handles but you were quick to stop him. “Drop that attitude, Heeseung. I don’t want this as much as you do so you better not make this any harder on me.” Your grip on his hand opted him to fix his gaze with yours.
You tighten your grip on his wrist. Not caring whether it hurted him or not–which it probably didn’t. “Use that tone on me one more time and you’ll be scrubbing the bathroom floors instead of working behind the cash register.”
Heeseung clenched his fists in between your grasp on his wrist, a low attempt of wanting to break free. “You’re not my mother, you can’t tell me what to do.” He gritted as an annoyed expression washed over his features.
“You’re right, Seungie. I’m not. I’m your employer. And you-” Your point finger shoved his chest “-have to do exactly what I say."
*
Lee Heeseung hated it–hated this. That helpless feeling of not being in control. Especially when his arch enemy is the one stringing him like a puppet.
Kang Yn loved it–loved this. How couldn’t you when your arch nemesis had to grovel in submission for the sake of punishment from his mother. It’s fun really. It's like having a maid–you mean– personal assistant of your own.
“No Heeseung, that's not the right way!”
“Be more thorough when checking someone’s order!”
“Gosh this is tiring. Heeseung, get me a coffee.”
*
Ignoring some mistakes made, the first day of work went surprisingly fine. You taught him various things. Starting from how to work the register and basic manners to serve customers and he was actually going along with what you instructed. Gee, maybe your mom was right all along–you could be really intimidating sometimes.
“This is it for today.” You said, handing him a pen to sign his attendance. “Okay, Thanks.” He calmly received it before signing under his name. Along the string hours of work between you and Heeseung, the atmosphere remained tense. But much to your surprise (and a certain part-timer named Sunoo who went to your school) the both of you endured the entire shift without biting each other’s head off.
Sure there were some occasional fights here and there but the graph always dies down after, returning to its normal wavelength as the days progress. And you were quite happy with the outcome.
One; you did not let the intrusive thoughts win and slice his throat when he was on his break and two; you did not embarrass yourself in front of the customers by screaming frantically at him (although you did do it in private) You could say that this day was a success and you were proud of yourself. Ah you were finally free from him.
Or so you thought.
*
“So you’re telling me your mom told you that you’ll be mentoring Heeseung for the rest of the summer break?” Soobin questioned, making you groan against your pillows. You raised your head towards the window still, the sight of the moon greeted you in an instance, gracing your room with its incandescent glow.
"She made sure to leave that part the first time she mentioned, alright." You grumbled under your breath.
Chaewon patted your head as she noticed your current distress while Yeonjun and Soobin looked at you with sympathy laced upon their irises. It was currently near twilight in the nearing end of summer. From a distance, you can hear a few neighbours that stood up late making BBQ in their backyards, while some of the houses remained still and quiet.
The light on your window was like a singular lamp amidst a dark room to your unlit neighbourhood. It was summer break so your parents didn’t mind you staying up late. They even let your friends stay over with the exception of Soobin and Yeonjun sleeping on a spare mattress on the floor.
“Yn, I knew it was too suspicious that your mom was offering you THAT much just for one day of mentoring!” Yeonjun pointed out from his mattress below before joining everyone on your bed.
“At least you’re getting money out of this, am I right?” Chaewon said after smacking the poor boy with her elbows, triggering a laugh from Soobin as he saw Yeonjun’s current state.
“-Ouch! Gosh Chae that hurt!” He threw her a nasty glare and Chaewon stuck her tongue out in response. “Plus the fact that Mama Kang AND Mama Lee promised to take you shopping makes it too good to be true to just make that a one time thing.” Yeonjun shrugged before dodging another hit from Chaewon.
“Ugh I hate it when you’re smart sometimes, Junnie.”
“Don’t forget the fact that your mom promised to buy us all concert tickets!” Soobin reminded. “Work your ass off Ms.Kang. We would be thanking you for your services!” He stood from the bed, bowing 90 degrees to you causing the room to erupt in laughter.
“You all better be thanking me for this! I don’t know how I'm going to handle him for the rest of the summer! He’s literally my neighbour! I see him everyday. I can even see him across my window!” Once more, you buried your head on the pillows, gaze unconsciously averting to the blinds covering the glass panels.
“But you hadn’t seen him nor contacted him for six months right? Surely he changed.” Chaewon pondered earning a scoff from you. “Girl let me tell you, he did not.” You answered, emphasising the “not”.
Yeonjun laughed at your misery, opting you to throw a pillow at his face. The room had gone through its nth time of laughing fit before you all started to calm down.
As the room went down from its climax, Soobin’s question seemed to pique everyone's interest. “By the way if it’s okay to ask, how did you and heeseung hate each other like this? I mean the two of you never got along. Everyone knows that but like you both definitely seem more intense now like ever since you got offered to join the exchange student program.”
You sighed before answering. “Well it’s a long story but-”
*
“-I was supposed to get the offer to join the exchange student program.” Just a few meters from where you and your friend gathered, Heeseung and his friends were doing the exact same thing you were doing.
They all gathered on his mattress, sharing stories as the moon reaches its peak of serenity. “Ohh i get it, so from your point of view, it seemed as if she “stole” your future.” Jay nodded at his friend as the room was filled with collected hums and a few shocked faces.
“No lie I would’ve hated them too if someone did that to me.” Jake added, agreeing to his friend’s current situation."
Heeseung only shrugged and buried himself in the comfort of his pillows. “So what are you gonna do now, hyung?” The youngest of them questioned. “I don’t know. I mean there’s no point in defying my mom when she’s persistent. So I guess I’ll just go with it.”
“Do you still hate Yn because of it now? I mean it’s been six months.” Jungwon tilted his head, curious. “I…I don’t know. We’ve never gotten along since we were five so I don’t think our relationship changed a lot.” Heeseung raised himself from his pillows, now sitting upright.
“But it's not entirely her fault, is it? If you had been a better option for the program you would still be chosen regardless.” Jay knocked some sense into his friend.
“I guess I just blamed her for being better.” A strain smile settled on his lips.
“But to be honest I don’t really care about it anymore, you know? If i really did get that exchange student program, I would've missed so many moments with you guys, including how Niki literally got a girlfriend?? Earlier than me??” Their hearts warmed to Heeseung’s statement before laughing at his last.
The night on both sides of the window ended after crescent smiles and glee surrounding the atmosphere as the sun began to rise causing them to go to a much needed slumber.
*
“Hey, Noona. Looks like you're in a good mood.” You entered the shop with a smile as you greeted the smiling Sunoo. “Yes because you're the first person I see here, and not that brat.” You whispered the last part.
“Quite the charmer you are, Yn.” A familiar voice rang your eardrums. Speak of the devil. “Right, I was praying you would forget this whole thing and just go sulk in your room all summer.” You grumbled, not bothering to avert your gaze to align with your nemesis behind you.
You feel his presence drawing closer and closer before halting just a few inches from your back. Sunoo is long gone now, opting to prepare some stuff in the storage room.
“And make you look good, whereas I look like the rebel child? Keep dreaming, Kang.” He whispered, voice dripping with mirth.
You scoffed rolled your eyes in response, moving forward towards the register, leaving Heeseung to fend for himself at that moment.
This is going to be a long day.
*
One week has passed and you are now used to seeing Heeseung lurk around the area. Now that he’s already familiar with the register and serving people you have to go to the next step: teach him how to make dumplings.
At first, you were against the idea. But your mom insisted that Mrs.Lee wanted Heeseung to be more adapt than any other employee. Hence why he needed to master more than one skill to manage. So, you gave in.
Heeseung was ready to start his new routine. Coming to the shop everyday (excluding Sundays and Saturdays) at 8am and start preparing the register and other things before opening at 9am. He’ll be honest, the first few days, he was dreading it. But eventually, being surrounded with the busy yet calming atmosphere of the shop feels so comfortable? Or maybe because he was spending his summer productively.
But yesterday, Yn had messaged him to arrive at the shop an hour earlier than usual. Seven am?! That’s basically dawn in Summer! Heeseung dragged his feet towards the welcoming door, the sun greeted him with a morning glow as he slowly entered his demise.
“Morning, sunshine. Are you awake?” Sitting in one of the chairs, you chuckled, amused at his hunched silhouette.
“You’re crazy for forcing me to work this early on. This is basically child labor!” He sat opposing you, hands folded above the table as he buried his head in between his arms.
“Well your mother consented to this. Get up.” Your request was left hanging as Heeseung replied an audible “no”, prompting you to leave the boy behind.
Droplets of water trickled to the back of his neck, stirring him awake before he-hold on why was he wet? His fingers touched the source of coldness, his head jolted up meeting your gaze. ”You’re fucking crazy!”
“Thanks, baby. Awake now?” The smirk on your lips is evident and Heeseung swore that he was going to rip your face off.
*
“What are we doing?” Instead of answering, you hand a slightly-damp Heeseung an apron and ushered him to wash his hands before starting. “Just go wash your hands first.” He rolled his eyes before complying to your demands.
After finishing with such tasks he returned to his position beforehand. “All clean now.” He dangled his palms to align with your vision. Now that the two of you are clean it's time to start this mission. Wrapping dumplings.
Heeseung eyes lingered on the swift movement of your fingers. Quick hands easily wrap the ball of meat between a thin layer of dough. He shifted his attention elsewhere for a second and when he returned, you were already done with the process. The perfectly wrapped mandu sat in the heart of your palms, sitting proudly before him.
“That doesn’t look hard, let me do it.” The boy shrugged, earning an amused scoff from you. He took the initiative to try it for himself, but before he could reach the layers of thin dough, he felt a slight sting lingering on his arm. “Gosh! What was that for?!”
“Do you ever pay attention? Lace your hands with some flour before taking the dough so it’s not sticky, bambi.”
Bambi? Did you just refer to him as a Disney cartoon animal?! Well sucks to be you at least he was a Disney character. Not some meaningless being.
“Crazy bitch.”
“What did you say?!”
“I said I got the hitch!” Was hitch even a word? Probably. Or not. Heeseung grudgingly dipped his fingers into the bowl of flour before spreading a light amount in his palms. He then took a thin layer of dough and a little ball of minced meat mixed with onions and other dumpling stuffings(?). He placed the ball in the center of the surface before…before…uhm what was the next step again?
His hands froze mid air for a second. Should he ask for help? Oh and get roasted for not paying attention again? No thanks, his ego was too big for that. Right he’ll figure this out. This is Lee Heeseung we’re talking about. Lee Heeseung vs dumpling, let’s see who’ll win this game.
The tall boy recalled your hand movements, trying hard to remember the steps you did. Right it was uhm….take the left corner, then the right, unite them to the center? Yeah that right. Next is…squish the edges! He’s too smart and talented for this. Heeseung 1, dumpling 0.
The satisfied smile he wore was so apparent. The tips of his finger lightly pressed onto the dough in an attempt to link them together. Except it was not sticking. He kept on applying pressure, more and more as the seconds tick. Once he thought that it would hold, he settled the…ill-shaped dumpling on the table. With his hands on his hips, he turned to face your observing stance. Not bad for his first try. Or so he thought.
Five seconds of victory was cut short when the dumpling slowly–but surely–unwrapped itself from the shape Heeseung molded it to. Heeseung 0, dumpling 1.
The guise of his face showed it all–his mouth hung open, eyes deadpanning the dumpling like it was his sworn enemy–it was so hard not to erupt in laughter. You covered your mouth to contain your glee. This was too funny.
Your oddly timed coughing shifted Heeseung’s gaze to yours. At first the look in his eyes reeks of annoyance but the sound of your echoing laugh was enough to leave a ghost of a smile on his face. You didn’t get angry, that was a first.
Heeseung was shocked to see how calm you were after witnessing his failure. (except for the laughing part) “I would be a hypocrite if I got angry at you.” You started. “The first time mom taught me how to wrap these, I would always rip the dough.”
“Oh.”
“Right.” You cleared your throat. “Let me repeat the steps again, slowly this time.”
The clueless boy watched your movements distinctly. He noticed how eased you were as you did the task at hand, focused yet you were doing it so effortlessly. He also noticed how you poke your tongue slightly when your fingers pinched the perfectly folded dumplings’ little details, and the little specks of flour that landed on the tip of your nose. There was something about you today that he couldn’t ignore.
Heeseung looked at your current expression, and suddenly you both were five again. You were sitting in his living room with a crayon tucked in between your fingers, your tongue slightly stuck out as you avert your attention to your drawing as your mothers chatter dissipates in the back.
Twelve years have passed yet you still look the same to him. The first girl that entered his life other than his mother, the first girl he fought with, and the first girl he ever loved. Not that he was ever going to admit that. But perhaps just for today, he would forget your fuse with him and pretend that everything is okay
“That’s how you make a perfect dumpling.” The curve of your lips was so warm and inviting and he felt a suspiciously warm feeling slowly settling on his chest. Well that was new. Maybe because it was too early in the morning that’s why Heeseung felt so out of it today. “Ehem, okay. I should be able to do it now.”
*
“Mom, I’m back!” You enter the living room, goals set to lay comfortably down at the soft cushions of your couch. “In the kitchen, sweetie! Come Yn, Aunty Lee is here.”
The smell of homemade cooking dragged you to your mother. “Hi mom, hi Auntie Lee.” Eyes crinkled as you smiled widely at the two most important figures in your life.
“Hey, honey. Hope Hee hasn't given you a hard time.” Mrs. Lee softly smiled. “Do you really need to ask that to know, Auntie?” Your joke (not) prompts the two middle aged women to laugh. “Jokes aside, I guess he's tolerable when he shuts up.”
“Yn!”
“Kidding, mom!” Not really.
“Anyways, we owe you a shopping spree. Let's go this weekend. Your shift ends at noon right, darling? What do you say?” Your eyes lit up at the offer.
Who were you to refuse?
*
Smell of dumplings and busy chatters crowded the shop, sunlight beaming through glass tinted windows as customers took over the vacant seats available. “Here’s your freshly steamed mandu, Auntie Park.” Mrs. Park was a regular, don’t get me wrong, she was lovely, but she could be a little…nosy.
“You’ve gotten much more beautiful since coming home from Japan.” She smiled knowingly. “Tell me, have you found any Japanese boyfriend, dear?”
Your eyes widened–not expecting her direct question. “ I can assure you, auntie. No boyfriends here.” The curve of your mouth formed upwards. “Is that so?” She squinted her eyes in suspicion, eyes darting to follow Heeseung’s moving figure a few feet away. “I see that Ha-eun’s boy is here helping. Is that one your boyfriend?”
Heeseung? You boyfriend? You grimaced at the thought. You would rather eat a raw dumpling.
“Oh auntie, literally anyone but him. Besides, I’m too busy studying and helping with the shop while dad is busy planning on opening other branches.” You chuckled, denying her assumption.
“What a perfect daughter you are! I bet Ha-yoon and Ji-woo are proud to have you as their daughter.” You were about to leave before hearing her continue. “You know, I have a son your age. You should know him, he goes to Decelis too. Park Jeongsong, are you familiar? Maybe I should set you guys up.”
She lifted her point finger to her chin. “I think you guys are compatible, he's mature….”
Park Jeongsong. Of course you were familiar. He’s one of Heeseung’s close friends and the only one that you tolerate. To be honest you were quite tempted at her offer. Jay’s got it all. Perfect looks, ridiculously sharp jawline, and most importantly manners (one that Heeseung lacked for sure). You scoffed mentally at the thought. But unfortunately, you were not looking for anyone to date for the time being.
“I’m sure he’s great, auntie. I’m just focusing on myself right now.” You politely turned her down. “Enjoy your dumplings, please tell me if you need any assistance.”
“Yes, thank you dear. I hope I wasn’t being too nosy. I’m still working on that.”
“Don’t worry about it, auntie.”
*
Mrs. Lee and your mother promised to pick you up right after your shift ends. It’s been two weeks since Heeseung’s arrival and you notice that he’s becoming accustomed to the work before him. Given so, this was your first time leaving him alone in the shop. Even though there were other workers, you still hadn’t completely trusted the boy.
“Double check the orders, got it.”
“-And shut the blinds when closing.” He repeated after you.
“Honestly, why are you so anxious? I’m not going to bomb this place when you leave, Yn.” Heeseung crossed his arms. “Don’t trust me enough, flower?” His glint is mischievous, teasing apparent in his tone.
“First of all, don’t call me that.” You shudder at the nickname. “Second of all, no I don’t trust you. What if this place turns to ashes when I return.”
“Okay, flower.” He was playing with you, you knew that. “I’m not even in charge of the kitchens, I promise I won’t blow this place down.”
“Hmm, okay.” Your pupils shifted left and right–as if you were looking for someone. “Sunoo, watch over him for me when I’m gone.” You untie your apron from the nape of your neck before nearing the exit earning a nod from the young boy.
*
The shopping spree was fruitful, they really went all out on this one. Insisting on buying you dresses, cute tops, pants, shoes, as well as a few accessories. You were grateful–of course–but you would be lying if you said it wasn’t tiring. Though as tiring as it can be, you were having fun.
You entered your house with shopping bags occupying your upper limbs, the weight heavy on your arms. Your mother had a few of her own too and you wonder how she was carrying them with grace. You both dropped the bags on the floor before entering the empty living room. “Huh, I guess Tae and your father have gone to sleep.”
To be honest, any sane person would. It was almost twilight. The three of you found a night market on your way back, compelled by the mannequins and price tags, the two women dragged you out of the car to have a look around.
“So, Yn, now that we’re alone.” Your mother settled on the couch. “Tell me-”
*
“-how’s everything going on in the shop?” Lee Hae-in met her son still sitting in the lounge room upon her return, his eyes glued to the show on tv. But now, the dark screen reflected two figures sitting on the cushions, a mother with the son she grounded.
“It’s not that bad, I guess.” Heeseung started. “At first it was-”
*
“-dreadful. I hated mentoring him. He did everything wrong and would make annoying expressions everytime I corrected him. I felt like I wanted to pull his hair out!” Your hands went up to your head in frustration triggering a laugh from your mom.
“Is that so? Now that we’re basically halfway there,-
*
“-How do you think about her now? About all this, I mean.” The Lee woman questioned, ears perked as she listened contently to her son before her. “Uhm, I guess we’re getting along more? I mean we don’t fight that often anymore. A few insults are thrown now and then but that’s just how we always are at each other.”
“That’s good to hear.” A satisfied smile graced the older Lee. “How about the shop? Are you doing your tasks well, dear?”
“Yeah, I think I’m getting the hang of it now.”
The two older women were happy at their children’s answers. Just two more weeks or so and maybe just maybe this will mark the end of awkward dinners and uneasy tension.
“Heeseung, honey, I know you were upset with Yn after she won the exchange program instead of you. However, you’re almost an adult now. I think this is bothering her as well, why don’t you two take some time to talk about it?”
Heeseung pondered before answering his mother. Even though the tension has resided between you two for the time being, it was mostly due to professionalism to maintain poise in front of other employees and customers. If he wanted this to remain forever (or at least longer than the summer break) he would have to clear the air.
“I’ll think about it, mom.”
*
“Heeseug, I told you to be gentle with that!”
“Yn, I’m doing it exactly like what you told me!”
Shuffling noise and exclamation marks were the first thing Taehyun heard as he entered the shop at the break of dawn. “Gosh it's six am, they better not be fucking.” He grumbled under his breath before going into the kitchen.
“What are you guys doing?” Body leaned at the doorway, Kang Taehyun watched his hyung and noona–who claimed they hated each other–wrapping dumplings (more like wrapping each other) in a very close proximity.
Ha! Two weeks in, and they’re already getting closer. He was right. Now mom and Auntie Lee owe him so much cash for this.
You were quick to add some space in between you. The blood rushed to your face resulting to a pinkish hue. “We’re just preparing the mandus for today.”
“Riight. I’ll be at the register if you need me. Which you probably won’t.” He turned his back from the seniors behind him, the smirk on his face widened as he imagined how much money he’ll receive upon winning the bet with his mom and Heeseung’s.
flashback (few weeks ago)
Rays of sunlight occupied each corner of the living room as the songbird sang its morning praises. It was a perfect day to relax. Lee Hae-in and Kang Ha-yoon sat amidst thick cushions as they waited for their steamed milk buns to cook.
“You know, that was cheeky of you when you suggested this summer activity for Heeseung.” Ha-yoon started earning a light giggle from her dearest friend. “I have the biggest opportunity laid bare in front of me! I couldn't resist even if I could help it.”
“How long will it take for them to warm up to each other?”
“Two weeks.”
A familiar voice urged them to snap their heads in its direction, only to find the youngest Kang standing with his hand crossed over his chest.
“How are you so sure, Taehyunnie?” His mother questioned. The Lee woman also looked reluctant. “They've been hating each other for years, Tae. I don't think they will get along in two weeks.”
“Are you willing to bet on it, Auntie Lee, Mom?” His challenging tone was inviting. Who were they to deny a bet? Without a second doubt, the two women nodded their heads and smirked. “You're so on.”
*
With a final click!, the shop was officially closed for the day. Heeseung handed the key to you before taking something from his bag. “Yn, hold on.” His hand is placed on your shoulder, urging you to turn towards his direction.
“Hm? What’s wrong? You tilted your head, confusion written all over your face. The boy released the light grip he had on you before lifting up his free hand and unfolding his wrapped fingers.
A gasp escaped your lips at the item he held before you. There it was, a small lego figurine sitting on the center of his palm. And it was not just any figurine, but it was your favorite back when you were five. Your eyes wander into his own, the small smile adorning his face along with the swirl of emotion pooling in his vision.
You remember the day you lost it. How the world seemed to crumple beneath your feet as you lost–no–Heeseung stole the main character of your ultimate favourite lego friends set.
“Missed her?” He nudged the figurine towards you, a sign for you to take it and you did just so. “So you did steal her, huh. You denied it so much back then, I still remember.” You bite your lip in effort to suppress the curve that was slowly creeping in, but seemingly failed as you examined the small toy in your hands.
The plastic was old and details were worn out due to aging but aside from that, all the parts remained intact and well kept. Heeseung did not break it nor ruined it like you thought he would. Instead he took great care of it. Why?
“I recall, it was the first time we met. We were at my housewarming party and I really wanted you to play with me and Tae, but you didn’t.” The raven haired boy reminisced, the smile still etched on his face. “You kept playing with this lego set without any bother in the world. I really wanted to play with you but all you do is ignore me.”
“So you stole the figurine to get my attention?” You raised your left eyebrow, an attempt to guess where he was going. A small chuckle rang through your ears. “Well, it worked I guess but not in the way that I hoped. After that I just–I don’t know–kept annoying you because that’s the only way you’ll ever pay attention.”
His words settled heavily on your heart. All this time, your feud growing up was just a matter of attention. Guilt crawled from the depths, slowly leaking through your eyes. Heeseung was quick to notice. “Yn, that was so long ago, no need to be guilty.” His hands went back to your shoulders. Somehow, the warmth radiating from him felt nice–comforting.
“We could’ve been those childhood friends.” You whispered, rewriting memories inside your head. Echoing a “what if” scenario if you got along from the beginning.
“We could be now, if you want.” Dozens of stars are reflected in the dark pupils of Heeseung’s doe eyes and you can’t bring yourself to look away, not even if you tried. Your gaze shifted to his lingering hand on your scapula before urging closer in his embrace. Arms wrapped itself around his body, your movement slow and careful, giving him space to walk away. But he didn’t. He enveloped you further into himself. Your face is pressed against his chest, eyes closed. No words are spoken but the gesture speaks volumes.
“I’m sorry, Yn.” Heeseung broke the silence between you. “For everything I did to you since we were five.” He whispered, fingers trailing the strands of your hair. “And more importantly, for taking out my anger on you when you got accepted to the exchange program instead of me.”
“I’m sorry too.” You replied, head turning up to meet his waiting gaze. “I joined the program to spite you. Didn’t think I would get it, but I somehow did and made everything worse.” You unwrap each other from the embrace, solemn looks embroidered on your faces. A gulf of harsh wind swept through you, your body shivered slightly at the impact, instantly missing the warmth from the previous action.
“You deserve it, Yn. I was jealous, I could admit that now. If I had been the better choice, I would still be chosen regardless.”
“Oh, Heeseung.” Your frown is evident, denting your features and the boy before you feels the urge to wipe it off so badly as if it had no right to tarnish your perfect face.
“It's all in the past now, flower. We're good now, right?” Heeseung smiled and after, you feel a hand slip itself into your own, relinquishing the comfort from the hug. You looked at your entwined hands before offering a small nod.
“It’s getting late. Let's walk home together, yeah?”
*
A week has gone by in a blur of routine. Summer break is ending and no amount of complaints is going to stop the time from running. Heeseung now stands right in front of your door, heart palpitating and hands sweaty. It's been 5 minutes now and he's still contemplating whether he should knock on your door or just leave at this point.
After that night, your relationship with him began to shift. As you arrive at your designated homes, you two meet again across the windows of your rooms. Exchanging waves and passing short notes through the glass barrier before bidding good night. It was like straight out of a Taylor Swift music video.
Heeseung caught a smile corrupting his features before closing his mouth in shock. Did he just smile at the memory of you?? What. The. Fuck. He shook his head abruptly from side to side, almost as if he had a goal to remove something from his mind.
Just as he was doing so, the door suddenly swung open. “Heeseung?” A voice called out, confusion lacing her tone. “Auntie Kang, Hi!” The boy offered a flashy smile, almost blinding the middle aged woman. “What are you doing here, Hee?” The woman smiled at the sight of him and raised her eyebrow in amusement at his…enthusiasm?
Heeseung was happy in the early morning. This was a first.
“Are you okay? Why do you seem so happy? Too happy maybe.” Her eyes squinted in suspicion. “Whaaat? Nothing, Auntie! Just excited because dad said I could use his motorcycle today.”
Your mother hummed in understanding. Muttering how kids these days are so funny before asking the bambi-eyed boy, “What are you doing here thou-”
“Hee, you're here!” An excited voice called out, prompting the two figures on the doorway to look your way.
So this is what it's about. Mrs.Kang bit her bottom lip to contain the smile from seeping through. Noting the interaction in her mind to tell Heeseung’s mother for their planned brunch in a few hours.
Your mother wasn't oblivious, something clearly changed between you too. Gone were the two kids that used to chase each other in the courtyard, sabotaging each other’s items for revenge. You’re all grown up now and Kang Hayoon almost felt a tear drop from her left eye.
Call her dramatic but hey, Heeseung is as much like her child as you are. Just like you are a daughter to the Lees. And these two children used to be muttering curse words why chasing each other.
Kang Hayoon felt a wave of surging proudness. While your father is busy taking care of building another branch for the restaurant, you offered to manage the current one for the summer so your mom could rest. Even with your position as Heeseung’s mentor, you still insist doing so with the excuse that Heeseung is already well adapted with everything now.
You reached the door, giving your mom a quick kiss on the cheek and a goodbye before leaving with the boy. “Bye mom, it’s almost eight. We’re going to the restaurant now!” You greeted her from the motorcycle seat. “Bye, Auntie! We’ll be careful, don't worry!” He smiled once more and with a final wave, the two sped away from the driveway leaving the smiling woman on her porch.
“Hae-in needs to hear about this.” Your mother giggled before calling Heeseung’s mom on dial and closing the door as she decided that she could not wait for brunch to tell her.
*
To say Sunoo was shocked was an understatement. He stood behind the register, preparing the cash for change as he was met with his boss (you) and the intern (heeseung) got out of a motorbike together. His eyes were like saucers and his jaw was wide open. He’s so used to seeing you both fight in the mornings that it felt so…weird seeing the two of you all smiley.
“Fuck, I owe Taehyun 5 bucks now.” He whispered lowly, silently cursing at the bet he lost. The boy smiled and greeted you as well as Heeseung before returning to his current task, not forgetting to make those classic Sunoo bewildered faces behind the register and away from your prying eyes.
Taehyun arrives later with some special premade dumplings made by your mother. Passing by Sunoo as he received the cash with a swift motion in triumph. You and Heeseung are both too easy. He thought, suppressing the singular curve forming on his lips.
*
The restaurant thrives under your management. You silently thank your dad for teaching you these skills since you were little. Heeseung is currently working as a waiter (because you think he is still wonky at wrapping dumplings), busy tending to curious aunties with his charm. After your little heart to heart, you start to see him in a different light. The way his smile deepens as he is asked about his interests, the politeness seeping through his crinkled eyes when he excused himself and moved closer to you-wait what??
“You think I wouldn't notice you staring, flower?” You grimaced at the decor beside you, finding any mistake palpable in your surroundings, and ignoring the way your stomach fluttered at the nickname he just called you. Heeseung chuckled at your antics, finding you adorable.
“Staring? Hah! You’re so full of yourself, Heeseung.” Your false laughter echoed through the restaurant, turning a few heads from other workers before you threw them a glare to go back to work. “That was Jay and Jake’s moms. They were wondering how I’m doing.” You scrunch your eyebrows at his explanation. “Okay? I didn’t ask what you were doing, Lee.”
“Back to last name basis? You wound me, baby.” The bambi-eyed boy placed his hand on his chest, feigning a hurt look on his face. You rolled your eyes at him (and that ridiculous petname) before shoving him lightly. “Go back to work, employee.”
“On it, boss.” He replied, not forgetting to throw a wink at you before opting back to work. Fuck, what was he doing to you?
*
You’re pacing back and forth across your room, hands on your hips, and hair all disheveled. Chaewon laid comfortable on your mattress, elbows supporting her upper body as she watched your distressed state with amusement. “Yn, you’re going crazy.”
Tonight was an overdue girls night, meaning Chae is over at your house for the weekend. This day also marks the second last week of summer. That means one more week ‘till you are back to textbooks and exams. You groaned at the thought (and at Chaewon) before inching towards the window. Your eyes subconsciously reached the house across yours, revealing your beloved neighbor–shirtless–his ridiculously sculpted figure standing there on the other side of his window for the whole world (you) to see as he held what looked like shirts on his left hand and his phone on the right pressed on his ear as if he was calling someone.
“Uhm Yn, you’re gawking.” Your best friend peered behind you. Her hands on your shoulders as she took a peek of the sight before you. You hurriedly closed the blinds in reflex. “Damn okay, you don’t want me looking at your man. I’ll be respectful.” A sheepish smile kissed Chaewon’s face before turning her back on you and jumping back into bed.
“Chae, something is wrong with me.” You fall face flat to your bed, right beside your girlfriend. “Everytime I see him, I feel this weird feeling in my chest–and no it’s not the urge to pull out his hair.” You murmured, flipping your body to align with the ceiling before continuing. “Which is really weird because I used to always feel that way.” You pointed out, index finger up to enhance your stance. “But now everytime I see his face I just want to-want to-”
“Kiss him?” Chaewon’s smirk is glowing in her features, fully dripping with mischief. You sat up at her reply before turning your head towards your best friend, your expression shaped in disbelief. “Chaewon, what the hell.” You grab your nearest plushie–one that you stole from Taehyun’s best friend, HeuningKai–before (affectionately) beating the brown-eyed girl with it.
The sound of laughter filled the room like oxygen. “Yn, you can hit me all you want but you can’t deny it.” The raven haired girl said between her fits of giggle. “After that little apology session, you just want to kiss him pretty.” The wiggle of Chae’s brows urged you to throw the plushie right at her face. Your friend groaned at the impact before recovering as if it was nothing.
Suddenly, everything comes crashing down like an airplane with a failing engine. You paused abruptly, a huge thought bubble forming above your head. Fuck did you like him? Like, like–like him?? No, you can’t. You can’t be catching feelings with the boy you just made amends with a week ago. The boy you swore to hate since you were toddlers.
Chaewon read the expression on your face like an openbook before opting to sit across from you. “Yn, for what’s worth, he’s a really nice person. And he’s practically already family.” Her hands made their way to your shoulders. The feeling is familiar but different. Chaewon’s arms are lighter and more poised in contrast to Heeseung’s warm touch. Your head darted to your covered window, curiosity pooling in your heart at what he was doing and what he would think of this–of you.
“Imagine telling your family that you and Heeseung are a thing.” Your best friend started. “Auntie Lee and Auntie Kang are going to start jumping in glee and start preparing for your wedding with an eight week honeymoon plan to the Bahamas.” You rolled your eyes at Chae’s daydream. Though deep down, your heart swelled at the thought, offering a silent prayer as hope for the future.
“Ever since that day, he’s been, I don’t know, different.” Distress is evident in your sigh, storms of doubt clouding your thoughts. “Maybe I’m getting attached to him, I’m not sure. Maybe I’m spending too much time with that guy.” You place two hands on Chaewon’s shoulders before shaking her. “Chae, baby, loml, cleanse me, like right now.” Chaewon nodded at the request like a diligent soldier before shaking you with much more intensity.
“All cleansed now?” She asked, before stopping the vast movement. Your head is spinning, figuratively and literally, and you raised both of your thumbs toward the raven haired girl. “Fuck, I like him. I like Lee Heeseung.” You confessed against a pillow you found beside you, banging your head at the soft cushion before muffling your exasperated scream as Chaewon sat behind and patted your back in reassurance.
What a way to start girls' night.
*
Heeseung thinks you’re acting weird. You’ve been avoiding him lately–more than usual. Was it because he’s not improving with his dumpling wrapping skills? Or was it because that stunt Jake convinced him to pull, ending with him shirtless before his opened window across your own as he pretended to call someone, looking all important, while it was Jake on the other end, fully assuring him that this plan is foolproof. That it will make you go all drooling on him and finally fall in love.
The bambi-eyed boy mentally cursed at Jake. His plan definitely made you think Heeseung was some weirdo. Fuck, he just ruined all his chances with you and it’s all because of that stupid Austrilian.
Heeseung came true to his feelings one random night in the middle of a night ride with you. You both just finished closing up the shop, bidding farewell to your other workers before logging off for the night.
The boy noticed your tired demeanor, immediately slipping your hand in his before leading you to his bike. “What's the hurry, Hee?” You giggled softly at his antics, the sound speeding his drumming heart ever so slightly.
“Come on, I wanna show you something,” He unclasped your joint hand, and the warmth soon returned as he fixed your helmet on your head before adjusting his own.
Heeseung drives at a medium pace. Not too slow to bore you but also not too fast to risk your lives. The bambi-eyed boy passed your houses, earning a curious look from you. You watch as you exit the suburbs to a little road near the highway. The view from above was breathtaking, city lights cover the vast land like pieces of your lego city collection. You gasped at the beauty ahead of you. The dark haired boy stopped at the hook of the road, taking off his helmet and yours as his steps started inching towards the railings of the empty road.
You follow closely behind, basking on the beauty of the night. The city is still lively–it always is. A contrast to the sleeping stars that hung on the horizon, blinking in haze as humans are left to wonder from below.
Your hand is placed beside his on the railing. Gentle wind kissed the tip of your nose with grace, prompting you to close your eyes to enjoy the serene moment. “This is nice.” You whispered, releasing all the stress harboring on your shoulders and Heeseung hummed in agreement, his head turning in your direction.
The boy watched the sight before him with much intent. His focus shifted to the details of your skin, blurring the busy city’s whispers. Remnants of neon lights were reflected on your face below the moonlight. He noticed your lids fluttering before gazing at the stars above. “What a pretty view.”
Heeseung’s eyes remained on you, the city and sky distorted as he pinned his vision on you. “Yeah, it’s breathtaking.”
The two of you went home in comfortable silence. Your head slowly drowsing on his back before you fix your position to sit upright. Heeseung chuckled at your sleepy state before muttering, “You can sleep, flower. We’ll be home in no time.” His tone is soft on your ears and you hummed at him–too sleepy to voice a proper reply. And before you know it, two arms wrapped itself around Heeseung’s waist, prompting his heart to stop for a second before running at a faster pace. You settle comfortably behind him, your cheek pressed on his back as he drives with such carefulness and grace to your homes.
After returning to his own room, we wasted no time to call his closest friends, confiding to them about his newfound realization. He was in love with you, so badly.
*
Today was the day. The day where Heeseung is going to confront you. He’s tired of having to walk around eggshells around you, he wants to make things right, clear out any misunderstandings (and maybe confess if it all goes right). You texted him yesterday that you won't be needing a ride from him as you had to tend to other matters earlier than usual. As much as it disappointed him, he had no choice but to comply, not wanting to push past the boundaries you built.
Heeseung arrived at the restaurant much earlier than usual. He glanced at his watch, the time read 7:30. Seven fucking thirty. Gosh it was dawn for holiday mood Heeseung (even though it was 30 minutes earlier than his usual routine, BUT that was 30 minutes of sleeping wasted) The things he’d do for you. The boy sighed, fumbling with a copy of the key you gave him before.
He inserted the key towards the hole, turning it to the left in an attempt to unlock the door but failed in doing so. Heeseung paused before examining the handle, confusion glazing his features as his hand grabbed the knob before slowly pulling it down and opening the door with success.
What? Did you forget to lock the door before closing yesterday? No, he was sure you didn't. You were never that irresponsible. In fact you were probably never irresponsible at all. Did someone break in? There were no signs of force breaking in so that was not possible.
An echo of laughter rang through his ears, stopping Heeseung from his tracks. He peered his eyes at the sound that seemed to be coming from the kitchen. Slowly, the boy made his way towards the source, curiosity tugging his heart.
The kitchen light was on and through the window, Heeseung could perfectly see two people standing at the dumpling-making-table-thingy. His eyes widened at the revelation, there was you talking to another man beside you. He's seen him before, but he just can't quite place who. It’s one of those boys you hang around with. Soobin and Yeongjum? Whatever it was.
The boy squinted his eyes, trying to make out who exactly was this person beside you. A distraction to suppress the gnawing feeling pooling in his chest as another line of laughter escaped your lips.
His heart ached when your laugh settled on his mind. A pang of jealousy hit him across the face. You never laughed that much with him. Well maybe it was due to your past rivalry, but it's all gone now, right?
Well maybe he was wrong because your words proved him otherwise.
“By the way, Yn.” The man before you called out, prompting you to hum in reply. “How's everything, you know? With the Heeseung thing and all.”
“It's been really tiring. With school coming soon and everything, ugh.” You sighed, the crease in your eyebrows deepening and Heeseung felt the urge to kiss it away. Though he grounded himself at his position, still behind the walls as he listened to your conversation.
“I’ve been avoiding him lately, Junnie.” His ear perked up at your confession, subconsciously leaning in to hear you more clearly. Ah yeah, Yeonjun. That was his name.
“Why?” Yeonjun asked, confusion wrapping his tone as his hands skillfully wrapped the dumpling before him. Your lack of answer shifted Heeseung's focus to the ridiculously perfect dumpling sitting proudly on Yeonjun’s hand and how quickly he moves on to the next one, wrapping with such professionalism as if he's been folding dumplings since he was born.
Heeseung’s annoyance was cut short as he heard your answer. “I don't know. I just…don't want him to get the wrong idea.” Your voice is small, barely heard, but Heeseung could hear the words clearly.
You didn't want him to get the wrong idea. That was it, that was basically a rejection. You don't feel the same. The bambi eyed boy felt his heart sinking in his chest. The same organ weighs fifty thousand pounds heavier than it usually was, dragging him down with it.
“Anyway, you're driving to the concert, right?” You questioned, tone picking up ever so slightly.
Heeseung furrowed his eyebrows. Concert?
“Yeah, yeah, of course.” He heard Yeonjun reply. “You've worked so hard to earn these tickets, we’ll have the best time there together, Ynnie.”
The boy behind the kitchen window resisted the urge to scoff. So that's it? You agreed to mentor him for a stupid concert date? Jealousy was a drug and Heeseung dwelled in it with no hesitation. He ignored the way his heart clenched at the thought of losing you. Well, you were never his in the first place.
They boy left the restaurant in the same manner he went in but with more passive aggression. Taking the keys with him before driving off back to his house. Fuck this stupid mentoring shit and Fuck these stupid frelings.
You remained unaware of the tragedy that happened outside as you continued to focus on preparing the delicacy. “Yn, you have to tell him.” Yeonjun’s voice snapped you out of your thoughts. You still, knowing exactly what he meant, while hands are still moving–folding the dough as if it ran an automatic program. “I don't know, Junnie. What if he doesn't reciprocate my feelings?”
“He would be stupid not to.”
*
Yeonjun was right, you had to be true to your feelings. Your friend left after he finished helping you with the dumplings, leaving you alone amidst your thoughts as the workers arrived one by one. You watch by the front door carefully, eyes focused to find a certain bambi-eyed boy. Concern clouded your mind, the clock strikes nine and Heeseung has yet to make his appearance.
This was weird, he was never late (save the first day). Well maybe because you’ve been going here together for the past few days, but he was never late even at the beginning. Did something happen to him? “Sunoo, have you seen Heeseung?” You turned your head towards Sunoo behind the register, eyebrows furrowed in question. The boy shook his head in response and you ignored the way your heart sank.
You grab your phone from your pocket, muscle memory automatically hovering towards his contact. These past few days you and Heeseung’s been texting more often, and though you hate to admit it, the feeling made you giddy to the heart. Your fingers typed on the keypad in a swift move, texting a quick “where r u it’s late” and a “r u okay?” right after.
The boy in question was laid in his bed. Back against the mattress as he wallows in heartbreak songs all morning. The ping from his phone urged him to open the screen, his chest heaved heavily upon seeing your messages. Why do you care? He scoffed after reading the message mentally. Just let that Yeonjun replace him or something. Heeseung suppressed his impulsive thought to type that in and settled with a lame excuse instead. “not feeling well, won’t come today. sry." Before turning up the volume as Mr. Loverman comes to play.
You frowned at his reply, a worried expression taking over your features. “oh no :( get well soon hee.” Your fingers moved before you could control them. “rest up. I’ll come over after my shift.”
Heeseung widened his eyes as he read your reply, clearly not expecting your last statement. He quickly sat up, thinking of yet another lame excuse to avoid you seeing him. Fuck this was bad, his plan surely backfired on him. “U CANT! Uhm it’s infectious, don’t come near me or u’ll get sick.”
Infectious? What? Is Heeseung okay? You spent the whole week maybe even month with him lately, and whatever it is he caught, there’s probably a big change you’ve caught it too. “Did u get covid or smthn?” You typed in, concerned for yourself too slowly creeping in. It’s been years since the pandemic, you were even surprised it was still a thing. “does it mean I cld have it too? Shld i get tested? Yk what imma get tested rn.”
“It’s not covid!” His reply made you pause on your tracks. “It’s nthn srs, u don’t have to come. Js focus on the shop.”
“Will u return tmrw?” You questioned, no effort in containing your curiosity. “Idk, we’ll see.”
Yeah right, “we’ll see.” Heeseeung scoffed at his own text. He’ll see if he recovered from heartbreak enough to be able to see your stupidly beautiful face. The boy locked his phone before opting to throw it to his bed as he continued to blast to a thousand more sad songs. Fuck you and your perfect self. Why don’t you just go take care of Yeonjun when he’s sick of something.
*
Friday comes in a flash. The sun has set twice since Heeseung’s disappearance and he thinks two days are enough time to sulk and return to his current summer disposition. It was his last day here anyways. After this, school will return and you both will just pretend the other doesn't exist as usual.
He makes his way past the front doors, mind unfocused as he ventures inside the restaurant. His tired eyes met yours, and for one second Heeseung forgets everything he eavesdropped that morning. “Heeseung.” You called out, surprise laced on your tone, clearly not expecting his return after disappearing from the face of earth. The boy resisted the desire in his heart to just run and hug you until you suffocate. But the remnants of your voice that haunted him till this day pulled him back. “I’ve been avoiding him, Junnie. I don’t want him to get the wrong idea.”
Right, you don’t like him that way. He has to remind himself of that and drill it onto his brain. “Heeseung?” You draw closer at his silence. Your hand slowly made its way to his arm, touching the skin slightly before the boy nudged back, avoiding your grasp.
Oh.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to-”
“It’s fine, whatever. I’ll just go to work now.”
You don’t know what’s going on, you don’t know what’s wrong. His tone is indifferent, cold, and weaved with a harsh emotion you can’t quite place. The boy passed by you, accidentally bumping your shoulder before starting his usual routine. You could almost hear your heart breaking in your chest, the feeling dragging you down as rain started to pour, the clouds diminishing the ray of sunlight left in your eyes and the sky.
*
The rest of the day is filled with awkward tension and forced professionalism. Heeseung is aware of his status in the restaurant so he maintained his poise. Though he can’t help but steal glances of you, managing the schedule and tending the customers with such light in your eyes, contrast to his gloomy vision. The pain in his heart is subduable but he hates it. It was stupid of him to fall for you in the first place. You were always there, not even 200 meters away from him everyday, yet why do you still remain so out of reach?
Yellow hue dissipates into serene blue, the stars finally waking up to light the dark night. Heeseung waits behind, leaning on his motorcycle as you close up for the day. This was it, his last shift and probably his last one-on-one interaction with you.
As much as Heeseung wants to avoid you right now, he doesn’t have the heart to make you walk back alone. After all the past two days has been enough.
The ride back home was quiet, awkward silence cut through the tension like knife slicing though a piece of room temperature butter. The boy stops in front of your driveway, waiting for you to remove your helmet before parking the bike in his garage.
“Thank you.” Your whisper graced his ear, your gaze finding him like a pirate longing for her lost treasure. “For the ride…and for everything.” Was what you said before turning your back on him and reaching towards your front door.
Heeseung was quick to return home, not forgetting to wipe the strain tear that escaped his right eye as he reached the comfort of his room. Gosh was he stupid.
*
“Babe, do you think Hoshi is going to notice me if I use this top or the other?” Chaewon stands in front of the full length mirror, opting two tops each on her left and right hand. The question rang pass through your ears, your focus all poured towards your window, gaze stuck on the glass panels across your own, his midnight blue curtains covering the interior, screaming at you like it held a “MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS” sign right on your face.
Your best friend turned her head towards you at your lack of reply, eyebrows furrowed as she noticed your current predicament. She was quick to move towards your window and closed the blinds, bursting the rain cloud forming above your head. “Yn, spill the beans.” Chaewon’s voice is serious and compelling, and just like that, words start spilling from your mouth. You told how gentle and considerate he’s become for the past week, the occasional night rides, the conversation that continued till midnight, the little notes you passed from your window, and the fact that he suddenly started to act cold and weird on you since Wednesday.
Chaewon listened with much intent, her hands moved quickly to wipe your damp cheeks as the tears fell without any warning. Well good thing you haven’t started your makeup. “You have to talk to him, baby.” She started, hands gentle on the crown of your head. “I’m going to beat him up for making you cry.” She whispered lowly, triggering a chuckle from your throat.
“How? All he does is avoid me. I don’t even know what I did wrong.”
The raven-haired girl hummed in response, the gears of her brain spinning. “Don't your families have a joint dinner together every last Sunday of the month?” You nodded slowly at her question, mind deliberately following where she was going. “That’s tomorrow, you’ll talk to him then. Steal him away after dinner or something.” She lifted up her arms to your shoulders before shaking them hard. “Let me cleanse you. For now, let's have fun, look at hot men dancing and doing fanservice. Forget ALL the drama.”
A chuckle escaped your lips as the light made its way back to your eyes. She’s right. Today you’re going to forget about Heeseung and that stupidly pretty face of his. Tonight you’re going to go to that SEVENTEEN concert and occupy your mind with Joshua Hong.
*
Family dinner is awkward as usual. Well for you and Heeseung, not for your parents and brother. Taehyun talking about something with your parents as you sat across the boy that’s been avoiding you. You dismissed the desire to look at his face because right now you are stuck in a perplexity. You don’t know if you want to punch him or you want to kiss him. Well you do know that you want to do it hard, either of the options doesn’t matter.
Your mothers left the dining room to prepare dessert and Heeseung excused himself to go to take something from his room. You took this as an opportunity, muttering “I need to go to the bathroom real quick.” before exiting the space to follow after him. Missing the way Taehun spoke to your dad and Heeseung’s. “50 bucks say that they’ll make out in his room.”
You sped towards the hall, taking his hand as you pulled him into his chambers. The bambi eyed boy felt like an intruder at his own living quarters, his eyes widened in shock, not expecting your actions. “Heeseung, let’s talk.” You start, voice sturdy and serious, cornering the boy before you with an arm beside his shoulder to block any escape route, his back pressing against the wooden door.
“What…what do you mean? Th-there’s nothing to talk about.” The boy grumbled, trying his best to not fluster under your gaze. Gosh why were you so close? Heeseung’s breath became shallow and quicker, the tips of his ears morphed into a crimson shade as he noticed your proximity.
Your eyes squinted at his sheepish reply. “Don’t act stupid, Lee. You’ve been avoiding me all of a sudden with like absolutely no reason!” A polished finger made its way to the dark-haired boy’s chest before he felt a light pressure at the contact. “You disappeared from the shop for two days–you’re welcome by the way for not telling our parents–and started acting like I don’t deserve your time or something.” You shove repeatedly at the same point, frustration swallowing you entirely and Heeseung? He just braced the impact like it was nothing to him.
Heeseung stilled as he waited for you to calm yourself, his gaze tenderly settled on you, in contrast to the emergency sirens that’s swarming his head like a busy ER hospital. Fuck, what was he gonna tell you? That he overheard you and Yeonjun and that he avoided you because he can’t handle a little jealousy and perhaps competition? Were you and Yeonjun even a thing? His mind is in scrambles and he can’t seem to get anything out.
“Sorry, didn’t mean to hurt you like that.” You peer towards the floorboards, features flushing scarlet as guilt wraps the previous emotion away. Your finger is still on his chest and before you can lower it down, a warm hand enveloped your knuckles. Chocolate colored iris melt into your own letting a thousand emotions seeping through like an overflowing glass of water akin to an eternal fountain. “Yn, let me explain everything.”
So he did and you let him. Heart echoing in sync against your ribcage, his hand not leaving yours anytime soon as he rubs soft circles. You almost melt in his touch. Keyword: almost. Gosh Yn were you that touch starved? Or did you really miss him that badly?
“I overheard your conversation with Yeonjun last Wednesday morning.” He confessed, thumb caressing your skin in a gentle motion. You can hear the gears of your brain spinning before wondering, “Last Wednesday…Yeonjun…What? It was like half past seven, how were you there? You said you were sick.”
“Yeah, let me continue first.” You nodded at his statement. “I wanted to, uhm I don’t know, like surprise you by going there early?” Heeseung paused, silently questioning his past self. “Oh, I also got curious why you didn’t want to ride together that morning.” The boy spontaneously added. “First when I entered I was confused why was the door unlocked but then I heard laughs–your laugh from the inside and I guess I wanted to know who made you laugh like that.”
You soaked his words like a sponge’s first contact with running water. The pattern of his thumb movements is still softly caressing your epidermis, offering you a peace of mind as you sink in his explanation. “Then I saw you with Yeonjun all comfortable and I got jealous. I realise you never smiled at me like that or laughed that much with me around. I got so jealous that I just couldn’t see you or I’ll burst in frustration.”
He stopped stroking your palm and instead squeezed it firmly before fidgeting it with both hands. “I also heard about the concert date. So I found out you mentored me for a month to get a concert date with another man. He must be pretty special, huh.” His movements went to halt and you hate how your heart seemed to ache for more–more of his touch.
“Yeonjun and I are just friends.” Your whisper is gentle upon his ears, the implication of another statement relieved his whole body. You’re still single. “He was helping out because he lost a bet and well he was damn good at wrapping dumplings too.” You chuckled, mind drifting to that particular moment and as if on cue, Junnie’s wise words echoed through your mind. You have to tell him how you feel, Yn.
“Yn I-”
“Heeseung-”
You both started simultaneously startling each other with the synchronisation. “You go first, Hee.”
“Are you sure? You can go-”
“You look like you need to get something out that badly.” You attempted to joke, lifting up the heavy mood that surrounds you like a thick fog.
Heeseung took a deep breath as he stepped closer towards you. His back is not leaned against the door anymore and his gaze is stuck on yours. “Yn I…I like you. Fuck, I love you, even, probably, I don’t know.” The boy pulled your still joint hands, lifting it up before kissing the skin in a gentle manner, one that leaves you yearning for more.
“But I want to…figure it out. With you, if you don’t mind.” Your connecting gaze doesn’t break. You breathe in his confession like a drug, addicted to the true sound of his heart. The light in his eyes dimmed at your lack of reply. But before he could turn away, a force pulled him down from the nape of his neck as warm lips pressed against his own, soft but also fierce, not lacking of passion. Almost as if you’ve been waiting to do this.
The boy doesn’t wait to reciprocate, one of his hands slithered on your waist like it was meant to be there as the other cups your cheek, angling it sideways to deepen the kiss. You could feel it, all the raw emotion rushing through the action. And right now, this is all that matters. His lips are gentle on yours, moving with such care like you were the most precious thing in his possession. Years of tension and harbored feelings melted into the kiss, you pulled him even closer to you, like you can’t handle any remaining distance between you.
Heavy breaths echoed across the room as your faces deepened into five shades of maroon, your past actions finally settling into you. You couldn’t believe it. You just kissed Lee Heeseung. And he kissed you back. If you were to tell this moment to your five year old self, you swore she was gonna punch you in the face for having Heeseung’s cooties.
“So…uhm, I like you too?” You sheepishly smiled, still enveloped in his embrace. The warmth excluding him started to feel like home.
The boy before you mirrored your smile before quickly pecking your lips. You both laughed at the carefree moment. Finally after a decade and two years of constant fighting and suppressed feelings, you both came true to another.
“Come and give me another kiss, girlfriend.” Heeseung felt the corner of his mouth curling up, eyeing his love. The newfound status rolled out of his tongue like it was second nature, like he had practiced it a couple hundred times before.
The butterflies swarming your stomach still continued to linger and even increased tenfold. The tips of your ears showcasing the color of your favorite fruit–strawberries. But instead of melting into a mush (like you would prefer to tbh), you hummed in thought, leaning backwards with his hands wrapped on your waist supporting your back before replying, “Girlfriend?” Your eyebrow shot up. “Maybe after one date, then I’ll consider.”
Heeseung harbored no other emotion in his gaze rather than one reeking of amusement and love as he kissed the tip of your nose, amplifying the crimson shade of your facade.
"Okay, next Saturday, 7pm. Wear something nice, baby."
BONUS:
You and Heeseung made your way back to the dining table with flustered faces, (slightly) swollen lips, and a suspiciously good mood. Taehyun raised his eyebrows at the two older people before him, his gaze later shifted to the side, making eye contact with your dad and Hee’s before receiving two fifty bucks under the table.
Ah, what a good day. Now he just needs to collect the remaining money from Auntie Lee and your mom’s bet.
Kang Ha-yoon and Lee Hae-in watched as their children exchanged sheepish glances instead of muttering curses at the other, a surging proudness fills the air like oxygen, letting the two woman finally breathe in the air with no cut throat tension radiating from you and Heeseung.
They might’ve lost a hundred bucks and may or may not owe Taehyun a new PS5, but as awkward dinners turn into lively conversations (without any passive aggression lacing in your tones) the two women send knowing smiles to each other.
It seemed as if their plan had worked. A little too well maybe but hey, maybe they'll officially be family if this continues. After all, your mothers have always secretly fantasised about yours and Heeseung’s wedding without any knowledge that there is a bigger chance of it coming true.
The private pinterest board rotting in your mother’s account may be for good use after all.
26 personal challenges to be a little more punk in 2026
Following the lessons from last year’s list, this year’s is a real challenge! Do your best. This is difficult by design, and some is better than none. It is not possible to speedrun this list. I suggest making yourself a checklist, journal, or calendar to keep track. Plus, won't it be nice to have a record of all the challenges you took on?
Clean up 26 messes that aren’t your responsibility. It could be litter on the street or a roommate’s dishes or storm damage at a neighbor’s house. Metaphorical messes count.
Meet and learn about 25 people in your community – their names, where they’re from, what they do, what they’re good at, what they want to do, who their people are, what they need help with, what good they’re putting into the world.
Visit 24 new places – and you don’t have to go far! Try local museums, parks, small businesses, third spaces, a library branch you’ve never been to. The next time you see a building you’ve never been in, stop in to see what’s going on.
Create 23 new things. They don’t have to be good or even finished, they just have to be made. A painting, a song, a new recipe, a poem, a computer program, a sculpture, a game, a scarf. Whatever it is you like to make, just keep making stuff.
Go out of your way for 22 little acts of kindness: Stop to help someone who dropped their stuff or is struggling to load something into their car. Help someone cross the road. Give directions. Offer a ride. Edit someone’s resume or writing. Cut a neighbor’s lawn or shovel their walk. Help an older person clean their house. Check on broken-down cars.
Learn 21 new phrases in a local minority language. If you already know the largest, learn about other language communities in your area (don’t forget sign!), and think about what you’d like to be able to say: things like ‘Good morning,’ ‘How are you?,’ ‘Please,’ and ‘Thank you.’
Try 20 new skills. That sounds like a lot, doesn’t it? Well, you don’t have to get good at any of them and they can be as specific as you’d like. Maybe you already know how to embroider but want to learn a new stitch. Maybe you just do a couple of coding lessons then give up. You still tried, and it still counts.
Talk to 19 unhoused people – about anything! Ask their name, get their story if they want to share it, ask if they’re doing okay. Help them out if you can and be one of the few people willing talk to them like normal human beings.
Encourage 18 young people – in whatever it is they’re trying to do. You can give advice, go watch their band play, buy a piece of their art, or just recognize that you see and admire their character or personal growth.
Identify 17 pieces of misinformation in your media. Don’t go fishing in media you already disagree with. Look for sources, click the links, check the byline, look for perspectives that aren't included, find out who’s funding the story, and do your own research. For an added challenge, try to focus on information that you find affirming or instinctively want to believe.
Give 16 heartfelt compliments. Go beyond complimenting clothes or hair. Describe what you admire about someone and tell them what it means to you or how it impacts your behavior. It might feel awkward or too intense at first, but once you get in the habit, you’ll be shocked to see how the practice spreads!
Make 15 honest apologies. A good apology does not include excuses, caveats, or explanations. It focuses on the impact of your behavior (“I hurt your feelings”), not you as a person (“I’m the worst, I can’t do anything right.”) Identify what you did, articulate why it was wrong, and commit to changing. Apologies can be big or small, about long-term or momentary behaviors. Getting in the habit of apologizing correctly and only when appropriate can radically improve your relationships.
Share 14 meals with people you care about. This might be really easy for some and really challenging for others – or maybe the ease or challenge will surprise you! 14 times is more than once a month, so plan accordingly.
Do 13 things that scare you or challenge your comfort zone. Look into distress tolerance and find ways to improve yours: join situations or people you would normally avoid, stand up for yourself when you would normally concede, take on a task you might fail. Whatever boundaries of fear are holding you back from engaging more fully in life, push them in big or small ways.
Take 12 actions in local politics. Go to city council or park district meetings, check out what’s going on with the zoning commission. Write letters, call or meet with your representatives. Leave a witness slip. Go to town hall meetings. Gather signatures. Do research on your school board members. Write an expose for your local newspaper. Get involved.
See 11 artistic events – and you can interpret that as loosely as you want. A craft show, an open mic, a dance recital, a band at a house party, an art gallery opening.
Find 10 ways to divert wealthflow away from corporations and billionaires. Using cash instead of cards, buying things over the phone or in person to avoid transaction fees, finding local alternatives to corporate products – hell, even stealing. Think about how your money is being captured away from the working class and find ways to stop it.
Challenge 9 negative assumptions. Think of people, groups of people, or behaviors that you think negatively about – in small or big ways. Earnestly challenge those thoughts, either through self-reflection, active empathy, or, ideally, by exposing yourself to other cultures or circumstances. You may not end up agreeing with them at the end of the day, but hopefully you understand them better.
Perform 8 acts of disobedience (civil or uncivil) – this could be as big or small as you want! Go to a protest or pirate a movie. Do a little vandalism on a business that’s doing harm in the world or stand outside their store with fliers about what they’re doing. Organize a campaign to overwhelm a corporation’s call center. Slash a slumlord’s tires.
Cut 7 wasteful habits from your life – and it may be easiest to start by actually looking at your garbage can. What do you buy that creates waste that you can stop buying or find alternatives to? What food always goes bad in your fridge, and is there a smarter way to buy or store it? You can also look at your utility consumption – can you ease off the AC or heat a degree or two?
Cut 6 harmful habits from your life. They could be physical, like substance or dietary habits that make you feel lousy, even just bad posture! They could also be mental or emotional – are you in the habit of berating your own work or replaying bad experiences in your mind? Take these on one at a time, unless there multiple bad habits are feeding one another.
Cultivate 5 positive habits in your life – and aim for small stuff, because those are the easiest habits to build! Maybe it’s stretching when you get out of bed or taking eye strain breaks or calling a friend once a week. Don’t try to do them all at once, either – let one become ingrained before starting the next.
Help with 4 community events or projects – in big or small ways. Maybe you work event security or hang fliers around town or maybe you can design the flier or run the volunteer sign-up. Whatever your abilities, there are ways that you can help.
Defend 3 people in a way that matters. No, these opportunities don’t present themselves often, but you’ve got all year, so when you do see your chances, take them.
Find 2 new things to really believe in – and take your time doing it. Let the experiences from the other challenges bring you to new realizations, then find a way to express them as beliefs.
At the end of all of this, decide 1 thing you really want to improve, grow, or change about yourself in 2027.
𝒮YN ╱ James doesn't know how else to explain this new feeling, it's a mix of everything that he's not used to. Whenever he sees you his heart goes boom, mind becomes a mess, and he stumbles over his feet. His response time slows down, almost as if he's come across a virus in his system—an error in his code. As the programmer of the robotics club, let's see if he can fix this one.
𝒫AIR programmer!james & crush-gn!reader ⸝⸝⸝
•ㄑ𝒞ONT ★ oneshot school au romcom hints at love at first sight
𓂅 you’re making my heart kungkung ugh i love this song its sooo cute. We love tws and cortis. i hate tech tho… enjoy this ig ╲ 1.1K+ ( 1165 words )
JAVA, A MULTIPLATFORM programming language that runs on multiple devices all across the world. It can help with powering applications, smartphone operating systems, and more.
Python, easy to learn syntax emphasizes readability and therefore reduces the cost of program maintenance.
Lua, supports several programming styles. It mixes simple procedural syntax with powerful data description.
There are an unknown number of coding languages out there, but these happen to be his favourites. They’re the ones that he recommends to beginner coders too. The most understandable ones. The most common fun ones.
Then there’s James, Zhao James. He’s more complicated. Way too complicated even for himself to understand. The code of his system is broken as if an error interrupted his script while he was asleep. The only problem is, it didn’t happen while he was asleep. He was wide awake and moving about perfectly in school.
Until you came along.
When he first saw you he short circuited, tripping over his feet the next step he took. The sparks from his wires fraying left him in a trance—you left him in a trance. His heart beeped in morse code, short and fast. His mind went ghost, his thoughts silent. You made him feel everything he’s never felt before the moment he saw you. It was only a split second and yet you left him feeling this way longer than that.
It’s been at least three weeks now, maybe a month even. He’s lost track. All he’s been focused on is trying to crack the code. Find out where he went wrong and fix it.
Not for one of the robots he programmed. Honestly, not even close.
It’s for himself.
He’s tried everything. All the way from hitting his chest to calm his racing heart whenever you’re near him, to chugging down bottles of water to cool his overheating figure. To his dismay, nothing worked.
It’s embarrassing. The effect you have on him. He doesn’t even feel that nervous when they’re about to compete against another team. Scrimmages don’t even get him that worked up, and yet, you do.
Someone he met however long ago.
He doesn’t know, he lost track.
The club room (more like classroom) air is still. The sound of the robot’s wheels turning and arms moving upwards fills the silence. James is watching intently, closely paying attention to the way things move. He’s trying to find any possible errors or bugs that he needs to fix, making a mental note of them as he goes.
Fortunately, things are going smoothly. There’s nothing for him to change. He doesn’t even know why he’s doing another trial run, knowing that he’s tweaked nearly every line to his best abilities. Maybe he’s doing this for something else. Not to check for any other glitches and not to see how the robot moves either.
Perhaps, it's a distraction. A distraction from no one other than… you?
“James! I’m so glad that I found you here.”
You’re smiling at him from the door, nearly six feet away from the boy. It’s a big club room and classroom, filled with desks for the learning processes and computers for everything else.
Oh he’s screwed.
His fingers start fumbling with the buttons on the controller, the robot doing moves he’s never seen before. With shaky hands, he places the controller down on the table he sits near as his heart rate starts to rise. All of his prior knowledge of the observation from before is gone. None of his mental notes stayed.
He’s really screwed.
You’re approaching him, one foot in front of the other. He doesn’t know why he pays attention to it. The execution flow makes him swallow hard. You’ll be beside him in no time at this rate.
You pause as if someone lifted their finger off of your controller. As if someone ended your task. “Are you busy?” You question the boy that has a robot before him and a controller beside.
James looks down at the robot and then to the controller on the table. He doesn’t know what to say, a clear sign that his response time is slowing down… like always whenever you’re around.
He feels like a clutz.
“I’m not.” James replies and your eyes light up. You proceed with your way to James, walking down a line, laptop in hand.
“There’s something wrong with my laptop.” You begin as you place the device in front of him.
You’re too close. James already struggles enough when you’re in his vicinity. This is too much for him—too out of code. He’s not used to it and he can’t understand it either. Why does he feel this way? It’s all too new for him.
“I think there’s a virus on it… I’m not tech savvy or anything and you were the first person who came to my mind too.”
The moment you turn on your laptop, a pop-up appears despite the slowness of the device. It’s definitely a virus.
“I don’t know anyone else who’s as good as you. You’re the club’s programmer after all, it’d only make sense to go to you, right?” You joke, a smile on your face as you let out a laugh.
He’s so screwed.
“Anyway, is there a way to fix this?”
James nods, his glasses slipping down the bridge of his nose from the movement. He’s too stiff to even adjust them.
On the other hand, you’re feeling overjoyed. This is the answer you’ve been hoping for, a nod, a yes, maybe even an of course. Luckily, you got one of them. The downside of this whole plan is that you aren’t able to stay until he’s done. Hell, getting this little bit of free time to even come to the club room was risky enough.
“That’s great! Thank you so much, James.” You thank the programmer who peers up at you through his unadjusted glasses.
“Sadly I can’t stay. Mr. T is on my case for even leaving his classroom. I’ll be finishing up a lab. If you’re done before I’m back, you can find me in his classroom!”
And just like that, you’re gone. You take your leave with ease after leaving James a mess. He sighs, getting up from his seat to pick up the robot and return it to its spot before getting to work. That’s all he had to do, simple right?
No.
He can’t even walk, stumbling over his feet the moment he steps down off his stool. He crouches down on the spot, head in hands.
Great, his heart is beating fast, mind is quiet, and he can’t even bring himself to walk. There’s only one thing he can come to conclusion with. It’s not with what he’s feeling or why he feels this way. Instead, it’s simple.
The only way any of this could possibly make sense to him. With the way his heart rate jumps numbers every second, there’s no doubt about it.
