lovestruck | haechan imagine #11
title: lovestruck
genre: fluff, slight angst if you squint, lots of pining
warnings: kissing towards the end
word count: ~1.3k
summary: a dull afternoon takes a sharp turn when Haechan hears you raving about Jeno. Faced with a textbook case of jealousy, his impulsivity finally kicks in—and for once, it might actually work in his favor.
author's note: ugh it's been too long since i've written something for haechan. but it's always super fun for me. also i think this story pairs well with his solo song
‧₊˚ ✩°｡⋆♡ ⋆˙⟡♡ ⋆˙⟡♡⋆˙⟡♡⋆˙⟡♡⋆˙⟡♡⋆˙⟡♡⋆˙⟡♡⋆˙⟡♡⋆˙⟡♡⋆˙⟡♡⋆˙⟡♡⋆｡°✩˚₊‧
Haechan sighed in exaggeration for the umpteenth time, sinking deeper into the navy-blue sofa as if he hoped the cushions would swallow him whole. He let his phone drop onto his stomach, rolling his wrist to ease the soreness from playing too much PUBG. His eyes slowly drifted to your back as you typed away at some essay on the oak coffee table in front of him. With his sun-kissed skin glowing from the dim lamp you left on, he was positive you’d forgotten he was even in the room.
“You know, I did warn you I’d be working on my research proposal,” you clarified, eyes glued to your laptop.
“Well, I didn’t think it’d take you this long!” he retorted.
You gave a small laugh, shaking your head at his dramatics. “It’s only been thirty minutes, Hyuck.”
Seemingly wounded by your lack of remorse, Haechan huffed and pushed himself off the loveseat, looming over your shoulder. You stiffened instinctively at the feeling of him peering at the wall of text on your screen.
“Yah- what’s wrong with me reading your thing?” He whined.
“If I wanted you to see it, then I would’ve shown you,” you countered, promptly snapping your laptop shut. “Besides, I’m done anyway.”
Haechan rolled his eyes as you retreated to the far end of the couch; the specific corner he noticed was your designated spot. You slumped against the cushions with a sight that eclipsed his. Your head tilted up until your gaze anchored on the ceiling, allowing a quiet lull to briefly settle over the living room.
As someone who usually felt recharged from consistent banter, he’d grown comfortable with these rare pockets of silence between you two. At least he could actually enjoy your presence now, rather than just staring at the back of your shirt. He observed how the ivory fabric caught the light, the tiny embedded sequins shimmering faintly in the dark.
After a minute or so passed, Haechan could sense that your mind was elsewhere. He playfully nudged your knee to get your attention. “Penny for your thoughts?”
You glanced his way, answering without a second of hesitation. “Sometimes I think Jeno is the male version of me.”
The steady rhythm in his heartbeat was disrupted by an erratic stutter. “The male version of you,” he echoed, looking at you as if you’d just claimed to be long-lost royalty. “Where did that come from?”
You offered a simple shrug, pondering for another second. “Well, minus the abs and the whole working out at the crack of dawn thing.”
“But when you think about it,” you continued, “we’re both homebodies. He dreads traveling for any length of time, so do I. He also gets shy around new people, like me…”
Although you were too caught up reiterating a list of points to recognize the skepticism in his expression that refused to leave.
“He loves cats, too. Oh! And he also listens to One Direction songs on occasion!” you added enthusiastically.
Fighting the urge to dwell on your logic, Haechan scoffed in disbelief. “Wow, you guys sound like a match made in Heaven. Do you want to date him or something?”
Your train of thought hit a dead end the moment his words registered. You blinked at him, a little puzzled. “What makes you think that?”
A sharp, dry laugh escaped him. “(Y/n), did you hear yourself? You’re describing Jeno like he’s your soulmate. All because you both have a few things in common.”
“Hyuck, you’re being silly,” you chided, softening your tone.
Haechan rose to his feet, his frustration boiling over as he ran a hand through his hair. “I’m being silly?” he huffed. “While you're over here having this grand epiphany about your connection with Lee Jeno, I’m the one who hauled myself over here after a full-day of music classes and a two-hour seminar on legal ethics.”
“Didn’t you go to that guest lecture because of a lost bet with Jisung, though?” you asked, half-intrigued. One look at the way Haechan’s pupils nearly bulged out of his head told you that it was a tactical error.
“The bet is irrelevant!” He exploded. “I’ve literally been throwing every hint possible to a freaking psychology major for months, and you still haven’t caught onto the fact that I have a massive crush on you!”
You watched him pace the limited space in your apartment, replaying the last ten minutes— no, the last few months in your head with a new lens. While he proceeded to rave about how clueless you were, your head spun from a dizzying rush of dopamine. Despite the shock, an involuntary smile crept onto your lips.
Standing up, you stepped directly into his path. “Hyuck, hold on a second.”
“What?! You must think I’m crazy for rambling like a fool, right?” He snapped.
With disheveled hair, crazed eyes, and a heaving chest from his outburst, he met your calm gaze. In any other context, you would’ve laughed over how painfully adorable he looked. The genuine despair in his expression was the only reason your amusement remained concealed.
“Jeno and I may share a lot of similarities… But he isn’t you,” you spoke quietly.
Haechan’s brow furrowed in confusion. “Huh?”
You hesitated for a split second before reaching out, your fingers gently finding his hand. “I can pick up on things, you know. I’m not that dumb,” you murmured with a slight frown. “Like how you’re the one who saves me a seat during lunch, or how you never let me walk home alone at night. And I know buying two cartons of strawberry milk wasn’t an accident, Hyuck.”
Your hand was cold in his, a familiar chill that strangely anchored. The physical contact grounded him immediately, yet his heart still raced with the intensity of a high-speed car chase— only now, it was for a completely different reason.
“Wait…so you’re saying— ” Haechan’s voice trailed off, his mind struggling to comprehend the sudden shift in mood.
A little paranoid that this was some cruel hallucination, his eyes searched yours cautiously. But he found nothing except the fond, lingering smile you reserved just for him.
Exhaling shakily, you murmured, “What I’m trying to say is that I’m not looking at Jeno or anyone. How could I be, when you’re right here?’
With the confession finally out in the open, your attention was inadvertently drawn by his admittedly very distracting lips. A brief, frantic debate sparked in your mind about whether this was even the right time for that. But the system in your brain was abruptly shut down.
The short space left between you vanished, and you felt the sudden, dizzying heat of Haechan’s lips against yours, the kiss soft yet heavy with a year’s worth of unspoken desperation. In a heartbeat, your eyes fluttered closed as your hands looped instinctively around his neck. Haechan took that as his cue to pull you flush against him, kissing you with more passion. A low hum rumbled in his throat, a vibration you felt traveling through as you slowly yielded to him.
By the time you both finally parted for air, Haechan kept you close. The previous anguish in his expression was replaced with something dangerously smug.
“Guess I really am a genius, huh?” he whispered, his breath ghosting over yours.
Suppressing the urge to roll your eyes at his instantly recovered ego, you shifted your arms to squeeze him in an affectionate embrace.
“Oh, you’re so cute, Hyuck.”
“Cute?”
The triumph in his voice started to falter. You giggled into his shirt, reluctantly disentangling yourself from his arms.
“We should probably drink some water,” you said, still feeling a little short of breath.
Haechan could only shake his head with a defeated grin, watching you walk into the kitchen. His heart was hammering against his ribs, and his skin still buzzed from the electricity of your touch. Why did you always leave him so lovestruck?
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