NewJeans Hanni x Reader - "What's Your ETA?"
It's really not that obvious who's my bias in NewJeans and what's my recent favorite song of them, right? Righttt? ;)
Your attention was diverted by a ringtone from your phone while you were busy drafting the lyrics for a song you were ready to play for your subscribers as a thank-you present for their support in helping you reach the 500K subscriber milestone on YouTube.
When you took it up off the table, the screen on the ID displayed your friend Haerin's name.
As you read over the lines you've already typed, you swiped the phone to the green button to answer and activated speaker mode.
"Hey Hyerin, what's up?"
"YN! Are you busy?" Hyerin asked with a frantic tone.
Furrowing your eyebrows, you sensed some trouble within Haerin's way of talking at you. "Uhh just writing a song here in my house, not that busy though. Why?"
"Good. C-can you talk to Hanni right now?" Hyerin stuttered because of her uneasiness.
"Why? Is there something happened between the two of you?" You asked curiously. "Sounds like you're nervous, did you two fought?"
"No, I-I mean... we didn't but... I think I pissed her off."
"What did you do then... and wait, what's with the loud noise in the background?" You spotted the only noise barrier that's been keeping you two quite hard to understand each other's words at each other's side of the line.
"Well... I'm at the party with Danielle, Minji, and Hyein. We were invited to perform here." Hyerin explained.
"And why's Hanni not with you four?"
"She said she's not feeling well so we did let her rest." She answered. "And now I'm getting worried for her because that girl's probably breaking down right now of what I've told her."
"And that is?"
Haerin sighed and clicked her tongue, massaging her head. "I reported to her that we saw her b-boyfriend here in the party... and he's flirting with another girl here."
Your blood starts to boil after hearing that information. The emotions intensify as it left distaste on you to learn that the bastard who won Hanni's heart against you still had the audacity to cheat on the most precious girl you've ever met in your whole life.
"How long he's been doing that?"
"More than an hour, I suppose."
"Keep your eyes at them. I'm going to Hanni's house and... say my hi also to the girls."
You heard Haerin passed the message to the other three who were just sitting at the same table together. They exclaimed their greeting at you, making you nod and smile at their adorable voices.
"Got it, oppa."
Haerin took the initiation to end the phone call. You closed your eyes and seethed off the anger rising inside of you as the memories brought you back on remembering those times when he always gets to snatch the opportunity and advantage away from you on winning Hanni's attention to recognize your genuine feelings for your bestfriend. You were a man of sportsmanship. Although it is painful that Hanni didn't end up with you, you tried so hard to accept the fact. You swore to self that you will maintain your attention focused at Hanni every day because who knows there will be a time that despite Hanni has already a man with her, there could be an instance that he's gone and that would put Hanni into a sense of loneliness in the midst of darkness... and you want to be the first person who would come and provide her companionship anytime it may be.
And you were right. It did happen, and it was a perfect time for 'I told you so'. You aren't happy that Hanni had to experience this moment, but at the samd you are relieved and glad that because of what that guy did to her already... you have no other choice but to do your role as her bestfriend and a secret admirer to her: pull her apart from him and do your best to prove her better instead.
Hanni deserves everything that is wonderful in this world, and you are willing to give it all for her as much as you can. This is why you have to do it.
Replacing your house attire with a much presentable casual outfit, you went out of your house and drove your car all the way to the destination which is Hanni's residence.
You parked and hurriedly went to the front door as you knocked slightly aggressive. "Hanni! It's me, YN!"
There was no response. You knocked again, a bit louder in fact, and continued to call her name.
"Hanni! Open the door, please!"
You were having growing suspicions and feeling strange that nobody's responding to your calls so you tried to peek on the windows but it was all covered in curtains, preventing you from the interior.
Picking up your phone, you dialed Hanni's number and waited for it as it rang.
"Cmon... pick it up, pick it up." You said as you tapped your shoes on the ground.
A few seconds after, the profile switches to a timer, informing that the respondent reaches the call. You pressed your phone on your ear and began speaking.
"Hanni! Why are you not in the house?"
"What?"
"I'm here in front of your house. Hyerin said that you're sick. Where did you go?"
"S-so she told you about it too?..." Hanni weakly said. You recognized it immediately what she's referring at.
"Yes, and I came here to check up on you but you weren't here. Where are you now?"
"I just left 3 minutes ago from there." Hanni replied. "I'm on my way to the party."
"Party? Wait, what?" You blurted. "Hanni, you don't need to go there. You have to rest!"
"And what! Just let my boyfriend there flirting along with a girl behind my back?!" Hanni frustratedly complained. "No, YN. I have t-to catch him. I'm going to make him regret what he did to me."
"Hanni, wait. Please, are you serious right now? You're going there all by yourself, and you're even sick right now while you're driving!"
"I'm recovering now! But nothing's gonna stop me from getting back at him." Hanni started to sniff, signalling that she's definitely beginning to cry and it pangs your heart listening to her pain. "I-It hurts... why did he do this to me, YN? I tried to be a great g-girlfriend to him but wasn't... wasn't I enough?"
"Hanni, I understand what you're going through right now okay? Even me dislikes what he did but... again, you're still not in a good condition so far and you're going there alone." You emphatized. "I know you have the girls there monitoring him but I just... let me be on your side like I always do for you, Hanni. I want to join and assist you on this because you mean a lot for me."
Hanni's heart swelled at your sweet and kind words. She smiled a little aside from the cruel situation she's in as of now. "T-thank you, YN."
"No problem, Hanni. Now tell me, do you know the location of the party?"
"i know, it was my former classmate's residence which is a close friend of Hyerin." Hanni said. "I-I'll give you the address."
"Alright, I'll try to catch up on you. Just... when you are already there, don't go there all by yourself. W-wait for me, please. Okay?"
"O-okay."
She ended the call and sent the message directly to you. You sighed heavily and lowered your head as the echoes of her pitiful somber repeats inside your head. It motivated you to help her in this current tough time she's dealing at.
You were about to enter the car when a kid suddenly appeared beside you, tugging your pants.
"M-mister, wait!"
"Oh uhm..." You were taken aback at this kid's presence. "Hey, little one. What is it?"
"C-can you get my kite f-from there, mister/miss?" The kid pointed at the kite stuck in the tree placed in front of a house. "Please... I don't want my mom to be mad at me. She made it for me."
You sighed and tightlipped. You are in a hurry, yes... but still your good-hearted soul couldn't resist a poor kid who is afraid of his parents just because he unintentionally lost a kite that is already meant a lot to his entertainment.
"Don't cry now kid, I'll get it for you." You nodded and patted his head. The kid led you to the tree where his kite is twirled and just swaying there along to the breeze of the thin air.
You noticed that the string were just wrapped around the branch and it's that high for you to reach. You thanked that it was not that hard and too much of a time consuming task for you to do.
Climbing the three, you stretched you body to untangle the string carefully on the branch until you finally got a grasp on it with it's straight form, now back at its fixed condition.
You jumped from the tree and stood in front of the kid. "Here's your kite. You can still play with it." you said as you handed it to him.
"Yehey!!! Thank you so much mister/miss!!!" He cheered loudly and you smiled at his bright mood. You patted again his head and return back to your car.
As you opened the door, you observed that there's a black cat sitting in the roof of your car. You had a staredown with it when it turned its head at you.
You were about to help it go down but it neverminded your kind deed, jumping out of your car by itself.
You just shrugged and entered the car to start driving away.
In the middle of the drive, you removed your focus on the road for a while to switch your music on the radio. It was then you had a glimpse of your gas meter that the fuel of your car is now at a low percentage.
"Oh you got to be kidding me." You groaned.
Fortunately, there was a gas station beside the highway. You went there and refilled you fuel first because obviously you wouldn't like not only yourself taking too much time to reach the party and meet Hanni but also to leave your car there, cause a problem to the other drivers, and have it towed away.
As it got refilled, you thanked the worker and entered your car as you proceeded driving. Remembering Hanni, you contacted her again to get updated. "Where are you now?"
"I'm close. Just a turn at the end and I'll be there now." She answered with a cough after she spoke, confirming to you that she is indeed still not fully recovered yet from her sickness. You felt sorry again for her that she had to go through this and leave her be at peace where she would be rather stay at home and continue resting.
"Okay. I'm on my way now." You stated. Right as you turned off the call, you stopped your car when the other one in front of you did the same, and that's until you realized that you are now in the middle of a traffic.
"BAD TIMING!" You pounded your fist on the steering wheel, causing a honking sound when you hit the horn. Looking back at the time, there's only 9 minutes left before it turns to five in the afternoon. Then, you already knew that you may be a few minutes late since Hanni might have already arrived. You just hope for the best that she won't make a create much of a scene out of catching her cheating boyfriend and that Haerin and the girls would be there to back up her.
You patiently awaited the cars to keep going since you knew that such an annoying circumstance had to develop at the worst possible time when you are in a rush.
There's only 5 minutes remaining in your watch, your desperation urges you to just hop out of the car and run it all the way or just grab a cab through the location instead.
Thankfully, the traffic loosened and the car started to move again, much to your relief but still disappointed that it wasted much of your time remaining.
You successfully made it. The party is still ongoing inside, and you entered the house because luckily there was no guards for you to be questioned if you got any invitation or not.
You went to the backyard and spotted Haerin, Danielle, Hyein, and Minji doing a Super Shy challenge with some strangers, might be their friends you just don't recognize.
As they finished, you called for their names and you drew their attention at you. "YN!"
"Girls!" You exclaimed. "Did you guys saw Hanni?"
"What?" Haerin was puzzled. "Why are you looking for her here? I told you she didn't come with us today, right?"
You facepalmed as you just recalled that she did said that but you never updated her back that Hanni was planning to come in the party.
"Ah shit, I forgot!" You sweared. "So none of you have seen her?"
"YN what is going on?!" Hyein asked, all of them are getting confused now.
"Hanni said she's going here to confront her boyfriend!" Your voice increased, the mix of unknown and nervousness is making you uncomfortable in your stance.
"Huh?!" Minji reacted the loudest. "But we never saw any signs of her around here."
"Then where did she went if that so..." You roamed your eyes around the crowded area as the thoughts only occupied of Hanni attacking your mind in a sense of fear and danger.
"Wait... his boyfriend..." You returned your glances at them. "Where is he?"
"Oh wait!" Danielle exclaimed. "I-I saw him went out of the house with the girl he's flirting with while I was grabbing a food at the kitchen!"
"Then they must be out already, and we lost them..." You slapped your thigh irritatedly as you hissed at your words.
"Wait, unless..." Your eyes sprung up when a possibility just occurred in your head. "Oh no."
"What is it, YN?"
They began calling your name as you quickly ran out of the house while you dialed Hanni's number.
She answered the call. "Hanni. HANNI, WHERE ARE YOU? I'M HERE AT THE PARTY ALREADY. I ASKED THE GIRLS IF-" You paused at your speaking when you heard Hanni crying on the phone.
"Hanni?"
"They were right..." Hanni said between her sobs. "I should've been more aware, now I know why they weren't so okay in their first impression of him..."
She keeps on muttering all her regrets while watching her boyfriend and the girls she's being cheated at kissing beside the house. Hanni is inside the car, sitting on the driver's seat, hands gripping tightly at the steering wheel matched with the intensity of the despair, anger, and dismay she's containing for the sinful act of his boyfriend that she's witnessing.
"Where are you, Hanni? Please, just tell me."
"How could he do this to me... I gave it all, my love... my choice... my trust. I don't know if I could still forgive him, YN."
Her hand starts to hold the stick shift and her feet positioned on the pedal as her lips crunched and eyes dimmed in rage.
You heard an engine revved near at your spot and looked at it.
"YN! THAT'S HANNI'S CAR!" Haerin shouted from the gate, your friends followed you after you began searching for Hanni.
"Yet what I just received in return from him is to break my heart and throw it all in the waste... I'M GOING TO MAKE SURE HE'LL SUFFER WORSE THAN ME!"
She was about to step on the pedal as she screamed in anger when just in time you grabbed her arm, surprising her. You saw that her window is down as you sprinted towards her car.
"Let me go! LET ME GO!"
You opened the car and hugged her instantly. She still tried to force you away from her but the longer you embraced her, the more she starts to calm down and let herself pour all her devastation at you.
"Please, don't. Don't do it, Hanni. You may not deserve what you get, but you don't have to do this. Don't be worse than what he did to you. Let him face the consequences on his own fate."
You helped Hanni get out from the car to allow her breathe some fresh air as you two were joined by Haerin, Minji, Danielle, and Hyein. They gave their friend a group hug to console the heartbroken lover.
Your stare sharpened when you caught the boyfriend and the girl watching the scenario. The girls looked at the direction you are looking at, with Hanni stepping away from the group to finally confront her cheating boyfriend.
"L-look, Hanni... I can exp-"
*SLAP*
The guy touched his aching cheek where Hanni slapped him. "You're done. I'm breaking up with you, and I don't want to see you ever again, do you understand me?", she intimidatingly said with angst.
"H-Hanni... p-please, listen to-"
"She said what she said. Starting today, you stay the hell away from her, you bastard." You grunted as you pulled Hanni back at you again.
Hanni rolled her eyes disgustingly at the girl she's being cheated at before her ex and the girl left. As their figures vanished, she returned on hugging you again as she starts crying out on your body. You stayed there, patting her back to provide comfort at her while your group softly and admiringly watches you two.
"Thank you, YN. I'm sorry if I was stupid to end up with him."
You chuckled and shook your head. "Don't blame yourself. Didn't we all become stupid when we fell in love with somebody. We don't think of the consequences, but rather we look forward at our feelings at first."
"I get it, we just want to try make ourselves oblivious to disregard and escape all the pain we could receive, even though in the end there will always be someone that will enable you to finally wake up in reality to spare you from it... because simply that person just doesn't want to see you suffering any longer." You smiled at Hanni. "You can take it being each of us as your friends including me who also... never gave up loving you." you muttered solemnly at the near end.
Hanni lifted her head and looked at you astoundingly. Her mouth agape, learning that the special boy she's embracing is not only the one who's been very extremely meaningful to her life as her closest friend... but also as the man/woman who was treating her more valuable for so long than what she does, remained loyal and faithful for his/her love to her, even though she didn't picked him/her in the first place and instead chose a bad decision by being with a traitor and didn't cherished all her efforts in return. And that's what she always desired. It's just that she never thought that all of what she's been looking for is already an amalgamation of a perfect lover type... which is you being on her side through most of the times where she needs you.
The girls put up a broadly smile, knowing that you finally got to confess your love for Hanni. Hyerin would never call you right away when they needed a help for Hanni if it wasn't also for that reason.
"Y-you're serious, YN? You meant it?"
You nodded. "I've been loving you for 5 years, 6 months and counting, Pham Hanni. And I never had and will have an intention in my mind that there will be a deadline for me to stop loving you. I just leave it on to my heart that still prefers you as long as I'm living."
Hanni blushed and was touched at your statement. You hugged her again, and she is now feeling your affection in a whole different direction now after your confession to her.
"I know it's sudden and not actually the perfect time for me to do it, but ofcourse I'll give you some time to think about it while you heal your heart." You whispered to her as you caressed her back. "My heart always hurts when you can't let him go because I had this doubt in me that you always deserve better than what he give. I always wanted it to be me, Hanni... but I don't have the control in your life. I'll just be as happy as what you are."
And again, you were the only one who could make Hanni smile in this dreadful day of hers. Her emotions doesn't feel like it weighs her down anymore, because with your presence; everything just helps for her.
It makes her feel amused, complete, and lastly... to be loved uncomparably.
In order to take Hanni home early so she could recover from her increasing health and wait for her sickness to totally subside, you excused yourself from the girls. The girls appreciated their compassion, said you farewell, and advised you to drive safely.
1 WEEK LATER
You were playing the tone of your newly written song in your guitar at the music room of your campus until you officially stopped doing it as you submitted yourself to your bored mood.
Placing down your guitar beside you on the couch, you slumped down and lazily looked around the house thinking of other ways to spend your free time.
An option popped into your mind and you were just hoping that she's also available for today.
You picked up your phone. Your fingertip was about to press down the power button but then your screen lit up, showing the call profile of Hanni, much to your surprise.
Coincidence? You think not.
Smirking at how amazing it was, you answer the call with a large grin in your face.
"Hmmm hey, Hanni how are you?"
"Doing fine but I'm bored right now." She said weakly. It was evident to her voice, but you chuckled again as how the mindset of you both were unknowingly similar. "Really? Because I am too, honestly." You replied. "I was just playing my guitar here and it doesn't please me still."
"Well I'm here building a puzzle and it doesn't help. So I just picked up my phone-"
"Yeah, I did too after-
"I think about you."
Both of you were stunned that you two said the same thing together. You blushed at smiled, with Hanni also reacting as you.
"You know, I find it pretty impressive that both of us were like sharing the same mindset these days."
Hanni laughed at your comment. "Yeah you're right. Well everything has a reason, right? We just have to give it some sense, so maybe... I guess we're just really that specially related."
You nodded, beaming a smile as you agreed at her opinion. "I guess we are."
Both became silent as you let the moment sink in to yourselves, having to hear the voices that belongs to the one that is being held dearly by each other's hearts again which was easily effective to uplift your spirits and lighten up together's moods.
"You're free today?"
"I am. Why?"
"Perfect. What do you say? We can go wherever you like." You smirked at your suggestion. "Just say the words and I'm down, Hanni. "
Hanni didn't think twice about it, it was already a great idea to be with you and she wouldn't hesitate to just let it across. "Well, all I need is you on my side so we can go whenever you like too, YN."
You were glad at her answer. "Just tell me now where are you and what's your ETA so that I could prepare while I wait for you, YN."
It was like every time when you were about to spend your time with her, she tests you how fast you are on preparing yourself to meet up with her...
... and this day might be your fastest so far.
---------------------------
You and Hanni were waiting for your orders to be served inside a fine restaurant you two have decided to try around the mall.
While you are watching the movie that is being showed in the TV screen, Hanni distracted you not only by her question but also with her actions.
She rolled up the sleeve in your arm to see your bandaged wrist. "This took me since earlier when we rode your car, what happened to this?"
"N-nothing." You shook your head and gently pulled it away, hiding it back on your sleeve. "Just got into a little accident, wounded in result."
Hanni nodded and patted your hand. "Try to be careful next time, okay? It's good that you applied it first aid already."
You flinched with a teasing smirk. "Ofcourse, I am. I'm a grown up now, mom."
Hanni bonked your head and pouted sulkily. "OUCH! Okay, I'm sorry!"
"No, that won't do." She swayed her head, rejecting your apology.
"Then what should I need to do, huh?"
"Buy me an ice cream." she requested with puppy eyes as she said it with anticipation.
"Pft. Basic." You scoffed, taking out your wallet from the pocket. "Deal accepted."
"No, I'm not done yet."
You slumped your shoulders as you stared at her ridiculously. "What do you want too, missy?"
She tapped her cheek repeatedly as she presented it to you. You were flustered, trying to deny if she's actually requesting the same thing you're thinking.
"I'm waiting, YN... or we're gonna go home very quickly after we eat~"
You can describe any synonym of "terrified" after she said that, prompting you to land your first kiss in her cheek, as there's going to be no way you two would ruin this day just because you chose stubborn and dense at her hint.
"That was as good as I expected." Hanni winked at you before she returned her focus back at her phone, leaving you sheepishly grinning and blushing intensely on your seat.
As your ordered dishes finally arrived in your table, she lead the prayer before both of you started to feat on each other's foods.
You were gonna pick up the fork until you had a glance on your wounded wrist again, and you recalled the question Hanni gave to you according with that... in which you didn't gave her a proper answer.
She must not know. It's for the better, you thought. You had to lure her away from the darkest secret you just made for the rest of your life.
From what you actually did behind the wound that was left within you as a cost of your unforgivable action.
You'll try to keep it with you as long as it requires to be, but if there's a time she learned about it; you already are willing to take all the responsibility to face her with it.
You ate with Hanni and gave her the same delighted yet forced reaction to the delicious taste of each other's food...
...while the guilt of killing her ex-boyfriend three days after Hanni broke up with her by running the car straight towards at him when he was alone walking in the street. You were stalking him for days, searching for a perfect opportunity to do the favor instead for Hanni on what she almost attempted.
You brought his body in your car's trunk and threw secretly on the cliff to dispose him off. That's where you also noticed the wound in your wrist left by him possibly from the struggle he tried to do to fight you back as you were about to leave from the place. All of it lingers in your head while Hanni is just enjoying her meal in front of you, no clue that her current love interest has just sacrificed him/herself to seek for blood in revenge for the guy who broke her heart and made her miserable.