Summary: Heechul is one of your most difficult students, he can be quite a sharp tongue and an idiot, but one night that bothersome feeling can turn into something else.
Pairing: Heechul!student x professor!fem reader AU.
Word count: 2009.
Warnings: oral sex (fem receiving), language and dirty shit as always.
I also support very much his relationship, this is pure fiction, written just for fun. Please don't take it seriously just like all of my fics lol.
The Struggle Masterlist | General masterlist
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"I think that's it for today," you spoke, walking between the desks of your students. The classroom was in complete silence as you carried the book in your hands, not really paying attention to it. "Do you have any questions?"
Your gaze traveled to check on the students, some of them looked really lost and it concerned you a little bit inside. However, you felt tired due to work. Sighing after a few seconds, you had no other choice but to let them go since no one raised their hand.
"Alright then, class is over now."
They settled their things and packed up everything on their bags. Quickly, all of them stood up and left the place, just your figure remained in the empty room. Closing the book with a loud sound, you walked over to your desk to check the classroom making sure that no one forgot something.
However, when you made it to the first row, there was this pile of papers on the wooden surface. You knew who sat in here, it was this goofy, arrogant boy. Heechul. The mere though of his name made you shiver and gave you a slight headache at the same time.
He was, by far, the most irritating student you had in your career. He would sit down in front of you, not to pay attention or listen to what you have to say, no. He did it to bother you. He was very popular among everyone, his loud laughter and his stupid remarks in the middle of class were also common from him.
Not only with you, but with a lot of professors on the faculty. You were the only one that hadn't threat directly that issue with him, you ignored him all the time, and for sure it was tired, however you knew he wanted and needed attention. So you decided not to give him the benefit, unlike other people.
Coming back to your present, you took the papers in your hand. It was an essay for another subject, and even if you didn't like him, you found yourself leaving the classroom and walked around in direction of the lockers just to give his homework back.
It was late and almost all students left the place to go back to their rooms, some of them still looked for stuff on their lockers or chatting while walking down the halls. At this moment you hated yourself, because you were sure you knew where his locker was located.
You made your way near the meeting room, you saw Heechul there sometimes before going inside the room with your coworkers and professors. His figure was on on the empty hallway, his face covered by the metallic door, his blonde dyed hair unmistakable.
"Heechul, you left this in my classroom."
After hearing his name, the student turned his head, just to hit himself with the door.
"What? I'm sorry- I'm looking for something," he stuttered, closing it. Suppressing a laugh, you looked away from him. He wasn't that brave now, wasn't he.
"This?" you handed him the essay. He was kind of shocked.
"Yes, thank you," he mumbled. He eyed the paper in his hands.
"You don't seem rude at this time of the day, do you?" you remarked. After all he just embarrassed himself in front of you, with no audience to watch or someone else to relay on his mean jokes.
"I get tired sometimes," he said in a low voice, placing his work inside the locker.
"How could you be tired? You don't do anything," you leaned yourself on the locker beside his.
Heechul closed his locker, and his gaze was on yours, but not for too much. Now your arms were crossed, giving him an unconscious view of your cleavage trough your blouse.
"Are you stressed?" you inquired, his eyes moved to his feet and his cheeks blushed a little.
Straightening yourself you cleared your throat, you felt his gaze before. You thought he wasn't going to talk anymore.
"It's almost my last year, and I now I've been everything but a perfect student, but I really want to graduate with a good score," Heechul confessed.
"You can still do it though, just change your attitude and you'll see how things come well."
He let out a slight chuckle. Damn, that fucking laugh of his.
"It's not easy, you know. When you have your friends here, I want to do something to not die of boredom like eighty percent of the time," he said with a grin.
Blinking a couple of times, you sighed. "Well, then I can't help with that. I think you're not understanding."
"I believe you and me don't work with the same philosophy," Heechul replied, now he had his arms crossed on his chest, looking like he had authority over you.
"I'm not obligated to discuss that since you're not going to accept my advise, and I think is stupid," you snapped.
"Well I think you're attractive," Heechul casually said, shrugging.
"What?"
"Now you're deaf?" he teased. His grin appeared once again.
You rolled your eyes. Just when you thought you could have a serious conversation with this fool, now you were done.
"You know what, stop that," upset, you turned around to leave, but he grabbed your hand to stop you.
"No, no, I'm sorry," quickly he stepped in front of you. Apologizing two times now was a record.
"You're fucking asshole, move."
"No, listen I'm sorry-"
"I don't fucking care you're my student, move or I'll move you," you fumed.
The blonde haired stood there, he gulped. He never saw you this upset and swearing at him, at no one. He was surprised. But it was more surprising when he just closed the gap between you two and pressed his lips against yours.
You let out a short gasp, his hand found the back of your neck to deepen the kiss, which you gladly accepted. You didn't know why you followed him, but he was a great kisser. His tongue explored your mouth, and the kiss was heating up quickly.
You broke up the kiss and guided him to the meeting room. It was open, you locked the door behind your back and rapidly Heechul found his way back to your lips, devouring them with fervor, pressing your body against the door. His large hands roamed over your figure, unbuttoning your blouse.
A moan came from your lips when his mouth went down on your neck and your collarbone, to stop at the top of your breasts. You left your blouse somewhere on the place, and he helped you to take off your bra as well.
"I've been stressed, you're right," he panted, going back to lick and suck on your neck slowly. "I hope you can help me out."
You chuckled. "I'm half naked, don't expect me to stop right here."
"Good."
His mouth then moved to play with your breasts, squeezing them with his hand, his tongue making you moan and shiver against his touch. Slowly he knelt down in front of you, creating a trace with his tongue and hands against your body until he reached the hem of your dressing pants, taking them off along with your panties and shoes.
You were exposed to him now, his big eyes looked at you, his breath against your crotch. He teased you, licking on your thighs until he reached your heated core. His mouth devoured you, you could feel his tongue brushing your clit from time to time and all you could do was moan and stand against the door.
Your legs spreaded more for him, and your hand reached his long, soft hair. Moans and curse words were filling the room, and every time he moaned along you could swear you got even wetter just by hearing those sweetie sounds coming from him. His fingers caressed your slit carefully, pulling his mouth away from you.
Heechul looked back to you, he loved the sight of his teacher with eyes shut, panting and moaning because of him. Your hand loosened from his hair and you whimpered when he slided two slim fingers inside you, pumping them in and out at a quick pace. His gaze never left you, and a grin crossed his features every time you clenched your walls against his flesh.
"Fuck," you moaned with eyes closed. "I'm going to cum."
"Yes, come for me," he praised in a low voice. "You look so beautiful like this."
His voice was the last thing to bring you to the edge, releasing yourself around his fingers. He pulled them out and happily licked your juices, humming at the taste. Heechul stood up and took you over the only couch on the place, placing you on his lap. You felt his hard dick against your bare ass.
You helped him to get out of his clothes, his shirt was thrown on the floor and he took off his pants and underwear. When he was done, he took your hips and made you straddle him on the couch. You whimpered when his tip brushed over your core, your hands running on his shoulders and pale chest, until they reached his dick. You stroke him a couple of times before aligning yourself on him.
He groaned at the sensation of filling you up. Slowly you took him all inside until your ass hit his skin. Your eyes closed, you still felt a little sensitive after your first orgasm, but it felt so good. Heechul's hands on your hips guided you to move up and down on top of him. He breathed against your earlobe, moaning and groaning.
You wrapped your arms around his neck, and you rode him faster. One of his hands moved to your bouncing breast, squeezing it and playing with your nipple, your breath and moans hitting his skin when you hid your head on the crook of his neck. You could feel your skin getting sticky and sweaty along with his.
Heechul suddenly thrusted his hips, getting a whimper from you. His movements now made himself deeper inside you, occasionally hitting your sweet spot when your hips met his everytime you went down on him. The grip on your skin was harder, and you clinged into him, your nails marking him for sure.
His fingers traveled down your core and rubbed your clit. You moaned against his skin and felt that known sensation building up on your stomach. He increased the rythm of his thrusts, you gasped out loud as he started to poud into you senseless. A long string of curses and moans left his lips.
Your walls clenched around him and you came for the second time, moaning his name and clinging into him. Heechul's thrusts became erratic and pulled out from you quickly, he gave quick strokes to his lenght and finally released himself on your stomach with a loud groan.
Both of you stayed silent on the room, panting and coming down from your highs. After some minutes you moved off from him and sat down by his side on the couch, looking up at the ceiling. Suddenly, you felt a little guilty. He was your student and this wasn't right, but it felt so good. And being honest, you wouldn't want it to end.
The fabric running in your skin surprised you, Heechul was helping you to clean his mess and soon when he was done, the piece made it to the trash can. You stood up to look for your clothes.
"I'm not going to say anything," he said, getting dressed. You gazed at him putting your underwear on. "If that's what you think."
You stayed silent and he walked towards you with just his pants on. Heechul tried to study your features.
"Did you not like it?"
"Of course I did," you gave him a weak smile. He was standing so close to you, his big beautiful eyes looking at you and pecked your lips.
Genre: high school au; i’m a believer in fluffy endings, but there are some kind of deep issues explored in this work. namely, beauty standards.
Word Count: 10k (this is actually my longest drabble!)
Tracklist: “Lost In Your Eyes” by Debbie Gibson & “I Think We’re Alone Now” by Tiffany (bc your girl is 80s pop trash)
Note: y’all why do I have no self control when it comes to Heechul? this was literally just supposed to be a short piece based on a dream I had & it became a novella lol. honestly, I could have kept writing this forever & I could definitely be convinced to revisit this story’s universe!
fyi: to explore the themes of this story, the reader character is of Korean and Hispanic heritage.
You almost made it through high school without attracting a single boy. While you didn’t rejoice in that fact, you certainly weren’t losing sleep because the high school boys didn’t fawn over your naturally curly hair and eternally bronzed skin. Long ago, you had accepted that you did not fit their standard of beauty; you never would.
“There are far more important things than boys,” your father said often— whenever he found time to look up from the books that detailed the financial records of the Korean-Mexican restaurant he operated with your mother.
You believed him just as much as you believed your mother when she patted your shoulder and pressed a kiss to your cheek, saying, “You’re beautiful, baby.”
And yet, when your father hired him to work as a host and server so you could focus on studying for the upcoming graduation exams, you wondered if he would look at you if you resembled the girl on the cover of the magazine you read while stuffing your mouth full of rice.
His name was Heechul— or so you gathered from your father’s praises of his salesmanship and the excited chatter of girls who visited the restaurant, clad in tiny shorts and bikini tops, just to get a look at him.
“Come on now, ladies.” He would wink at the girls when they delayed in placing an order as long as possible in an effort to admire him for as long as possible without having to pay for food they didn’t care to eat. “You’ll order something, won’t you? Every penny you spend here goes toward my dream of buying a new motorcycle. Maybe if you help me enough, I’ll take you for a ride.”
Heechul’s dream changed every day. Sometimes, he dreamed of buying a new motorcycle, sometimes a new car, sometimes a new guitar or a new drum set (that he would use to write a song especially for whoever bought the most food). The girls never noticed that he never held a dream for long; they were all too happy to be a part of his fantasy of the day.
You couldn’t blame them for leaning into his every word. Aside from the fact that he was beautiful— his sleek shoulder-length black hair often falling from its ponytail to frame his face— Heechul crafted his sentences carefully. They probably didn’t recognize his wit. How could they even notice it when they were lost in his eyes or enchanted by his smile?
You could appreciate Heechul’s cleverness at first, though, because you only heard his punchlines while reviewing a practice test or while penning your answers to a magazine quiz to learn which K-Pop idol would totally fall for you. Heechul didn’t look at you, so you couldn’t get lost in his eyes. He didn’t smile at you, and yet you were very much enchanted by him long before he sat in the seat across from you in the corner booth.
“Hey.” His eyes met yours over the top of the magazine. Tapping his index finger against the cover, he asked, “Is this nonsense really more important than your studies, Y/N?”
Burning with the question, “How does he know my name?” you dropped the magazine onto the table and closed it over your open textbooks. Heechul pointed again to the neon decal advertising, “Want porcelain skin like your crush’s ideal type? Try these 5 tricks!”
“No.” You shook your head. “That’s not important to me at all. I was reading about this.” With your pink highlighter, you circled the text: “How to tell him you’re not interested.”
Heechul’s face flushed pink when he met your gaze, and once he recognized the teasing smile spreading across your face, he laughed. That high pitched scream of a laugh didn’t seem like it should have come from such a delicately pretty face, but it did; it turned heads, and the stares deepened your own laughter.
“Careful there,” he warned, expression suddenly grave. “You almost had me convinced that you weren’t interested in my attention.”
When you shrugged, feigning disinterest, and dropped your gaze back to the magazine as you flipped through its pages, Heechul yelped, “Hey! If you’re going to neglect your studies, at least pay attention to me!”
He snatched your magazine and fanned himself with it so the hair that escaped his ponytail blew in the breeze. He smirked at your glare— apparently of the belief that all attention is good attention— and you realized that Heechul wasn’t talking to you because of any genuine interest. He just couldn’t live knowing that he hadn’t stared into the eyes of every girl who entered the restaurant.
You had been content with being just another girl who admired Heechul, but you didn’t want to be another girl who inflated his ego. You didn’t want to be another girl who felt special just because he glanced your way.
Frowning at the realization that you couldn’t like him anymore— and you really enjoyed having such a harmless crush before he ruined it— you asked, “Shouldn’t you be working?”
Heechul retorted, “Shouldn’t you be studying?”
Hoping to drive him away by refusing him any attention you agreed, “You’re right,” before grabbing a pencil and reading through the instructions of the next practice test.
Heechul groaned at the lack of admiration and jumped out of the booth. “Right. So you don’t get distracted again, young lady—” he couldn’t have been more than a year or two older, so you rolled your eyes at his condescending language— “I’ll be confiscating this.” He flashed his glittering teeth when you watched him tauntingly lift the magazine higher and higher out of your reach.
“Give that back, Heechul!” You hissed as you stood in your seat to reach for the magazine. It hadn’t cost much, and you weren’t all that interested in it, but that wasn’t the point.
Who was he to make you feel small— first figuratively with his games and then literally by holding your property over your head? He couldn’t get away with being annoying just because he was gorgeous.
Except he could. His behavior had probably been excused every day of his life on account of his appearance. And he probably never paused to consider how his actions— how flaunting his good looks— impacted others.
“Oh, so you do know my name!” Heechul jumped as you tried to grab at the magazine. “It actually sounds better than usual when you say it. Do it again!”
Your fingers caught the cover, but Heechul wouldn’t loosen his grip around the pages, so when you pulled, the staples binding the magazine together snapped. Brightly colored pages depicting celebrities’s faces, detailing fashion advice, and instructing teen girls in the art of appealing to boys scattered across the recently mopped floor. They were ruined.
Heechul’s wide, guilty eyes met yours briefly before he set to gathering each page while muttering, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”
You would have accepted his apology if you weren’t crumbling under the stares of the customers, many of whom were young women who hated you for holding Heechul’s attention for a moment when you were clearly so unworthy— so unappreciative. Too embarrassed to speak, you slumped into your seat, crossed your arms over the table, and buried your face in the bend of your elbow.
“I’m sorry,” Heechul repeated. Had you looked up, you would have seen how delicately he placed the poorly stacked pages on the table’s corner. You would have seen how he leaned forward, his face almost level with yours, to implore you to look at him so all could be forgiven.
You didn’t look, though, because you didn’t want him to see your face scorched by a crimson blush. “Just throw the pages away, please.”
“Are you sure?”
You doubted whether he could see that you nodded into your elbow, but when you looked up minutes later (after the waves of embarrassment subsided) the remnants of the magazine were gone along with every trace of Heechul.
Of course, you hadn’t been foolish enough to think that you wouldn’t see Heechul again just because he had taken care to avoid your table for the rest of his shift. You knew that it was likely just a matter of time until he spoke to you again, but you hadn’t expected his next correspondence to come so soon through a note that you found on your table.
After tossing your backpack into the booth, you read what he scrawled onto a sticky note likely grabbed from the host’s booth: “Sorry I ripped your magazine. Here’s a new one. And here’s my number if you want to call/text to cuss me out.” Carefully, you peeled the note off of the magazine and saw that Heechul used a red marker to circle a featured article titled “Five Ways To Say Sorry.”
It was silly: the fact that he had gone so far to apologize for ruining a cheap magazine filled with superficial thoughts you were supposed to hate and the fact that your heart raced just from reading his handwriting.
Unsure of how to reply to your cousin, you tossed your phone down on the table, rubbed the fatigue out of our eyes, and resumed your work. Sometimes, you thought, studying was less stressful than talking to AJ.
You didn’t think anything about leaving your phone unlocked, screen facing upward, until Heechul settled into the seat across from you and declared, “I see my name!”
Your eyes flicked up to find him scrolling through the texts. When you reached for the phone, knots tying in your stomach as you wondered how much of your cousin’s insanity he had read and taken as truth, he held the phone out of your reach.
“Apparently—” your face burned as you dared to look into his eyes— “you don’t learn from your mistakes. Does this scene look familiar to you at all?”
“I apologized!” Heechul reminded, and he probably would have clung to your phone longer if your father hadn’t appeared at your side.
Clearing his throat, your father asked, “What is going on here?” His stern gaze wandered between you and Heechul.
While you sank because disappointing your father was your deepest fear, Heechul responded promptly. Setting the phone down on the table, Heechul said, “I just came to check on Y/N’s progress. You know, I thought I could offer her some tips because I took the graduation exams just a couple of years ago, but I was never half as smart as she is.”
When Heechul glanced into your eyes, which were narrowed, confused by the sudden flattery, he smiled. “I guess I’m not much of a tutor, then.”
Mouth pressed into a thin line as a wrinkle darkened between his eyebrows, your father suggested, “I suppose that means you should get back to work, then.” It wasn’t a suggestion so much as an order.
Heechul’s smile faltered. Your heart sank at the thought, and you realized that your heart had been swelling with the growth of his smile. You had been leaning across the table, subconsciously willing yourself closer to him. You were just like everybody else: enchanted by Heechul’s smile.
Chewing on his lips as if embarrassed by your father’s reprimand, Heechul nodded. He tucked stray strands of hair behind his ears. “Yes, sir.” He dropped your phone— now locked, as evidenced by the darkened screen— atop your book and encouraged, “Keep up the good work,” before setting off to help your mother carry a tray piled high with enchiladas.
Your father then patted your shoulder and, after praising your hard work, reminded, “There are more important things than boys.” The twitch that moved his eyebrow when his icy eyes fell on Heechul from across the room was in stark contrast with his past boasts about the young college student who nearly doubled profits with his charisma.
Had your father mistaken Heechul’s interest in you too?
He wouldn’t walk away until you promised, “I know,” and proved your belief by fixing your stare on the math practice sheet when you really just wanted to watch Heechul laugh with your mother.
Once satisfied that your father wasn’t watching— he was too busy talking to a longtime customer— you unlocked your phone to see that Heechul had sent a text.
Despite your cousin’s professed interest in visiting, you didn’t expect to look up from your studies to find her sitting across from you, smiling broadly as she twisted one of her long blonde curls.
“AJ!” You would have smiled if your jaw hadn’t gone slack from the surprise. “What are you doing here?”
“Okay, so here’s the official answer.” She tapped her French manicured nails on the shine black tabletop as her peach colored lips pulled more tightly into a bright grin. “It’s my spring break, and your mom paid for me to fly out here as a part of your birthday present!”
Your birthday? Surely you hadn’t forgotten.
When you scrambled through strewn papers to find your phone, you blinked at the date. It was your birthday— the one day of the year that was yours— and you hadn’t even realized until after wasting half of it studying in the corner booth of your parents’ restaurant.
“But unofficially,” AJ divulged, “I’m here on my quest for a baby daddy.”
At that moment, Heechul decided to appear at the table. Wearing his apron and name tag, hair tied back as he held the pen in one hand and notepad in the other, he looked like a model employee except for the devilish smirk twisting the corner of his mouth when he asked, “Who needs a baby daddy?”
Your face flushed crimson, and he laughed when you mumbled, “Damn it, Heechul, why did you have to show up right this second?” Since he called you beautiful, you hadn’t been able to look at him without blushing; this topic deepened your embarrassment.
Placing both hands on his hips and tilting his head at AJ, he asked, “How much will you pay me— to be your baby daddy?”
Anyone else in the world would have melted at his wink, but AJ didn’t crack the smallest smile. She didn’t flatter him with the faintest blush. She only shook her head. “Sorry, sir—”
Heechul glared when you giggled at the word ‘sir,’ but he ultimately broke into his own laughter until AJ concluded, “But you don’t have the assets I’m looking for in a baby daddy.”
As if you had been the one to offend him, Heechul gasped and looked to you for an explanation as he clutched his notepad over his chest. Rolling your eyes at his theatrics and AJ’s ideal type, you started, “She’s into buff—”
“I’ve heard enough!” Heechul decided, waving his hand dismissively as it fell from its place over his heart. “I didn’t come here to get insulted! I came to look at a beautiful girl—” He blew a kiss at you and delighted when you fixed your flustered gaze away from him— “and to take your drink order,” he said to AJ.
“That won’t be necessary.” AJ laughed at your embarrassment with Heechul. “I was just about to drag Y/N off to the beach if you wanna tag along. Maybe we can talk her into wearing a bikini!”
Heechul’s eyes widened at AJ’s proposition, and you wondered, glaring at her, “How are you going to talk me into wearing something I don’t own?”
“We can go shopping!” AJ suggested enthusiastically. “I saw a cute little boutique on my walk over here! Let’s just swing by on our way to the beach!” Then, as if a lack of funds was the cause of your reluctance, she offered, “I’ll buy the bikini— just consider it a birthday gift from me to you!”
Heechul asked, “It’s your birthday?” and he frowned when you nodded. “Damn! Now I feel really terrible about turning you ladies down. I’m on the clock, ya know?” He gestured sadly to his work attire.
Noting how your shoulders slumped, weighted by disappointment, AJ tried to make you laugh by joking, “Damn! Now how are we gonna assess your tiddie situation, Heechul?”
Again, as if you had spoken, Heechul scoffed at you. “Wow! I didn’t know you could be so bold!” He caught his tongue with his teeth as he smirked, his dimples deepening. “If you wanted me to take my shirt off, all you had to do was ask.”
Winking, Heechul set his pen and notepad on the table, reached around his back to untie his apron, and he might have reached for the hem of his shirt (as AJ slapped her hands on the table, roaring with laughter, while you concealed your burning face with your hands, peeking at him through your fingers) had your mother not approached the table.
“Oh, hi, ma’am.” Heechul bowed and donned a smile so sweet it made your teeth hurt. He waved both hands, and your mom mirrored the gesture.
“Hi, Heechul! And hey, AJ— I’m glad to see you made it here safely!” Your mom’s forever smiling eyes landed on you as she asked AJ, “You’re still walking down to the beach with Y/N, right?”
“Yeah, if I can convince her to walk away from her work for just a few hours!” AJ huffed in exaggerated frustration because she knew that would appeal to your mom, who feared that you didn’t spend enough time doing ‘normal teenager things.’
You mom told you, “You can take a break at least for today.”
Before you could argue that you weren’t reluctant to leave your work— you were just uncomfortable about having to wear a bikini— your mother set to closing your books and stacking your papers. “You can take the day off too, Heechul, so you can look after these girls. Make sure to have them back at the restaurant by 7 to have cake; you can stay for that, if you want.”
The beach was less than a mile away from the restaurant, and you had never been in trouble a day in your life, so there was no rational reason for mom to send Heechul to escort you and AJ. Still, you didn’t point that out when Heechul nodded, promising, “I’ll keep them out of trouble, ma’am!”
Nobody could have kept AJ out of trouble, though. As soon as the three of you entered the boutique across the street from the restaurant, she abandoned you and Heechul to strike up a conversation with the boy running the cash register.
While you rolled your eyes at her nerve, Heechul grabbed you by the hand and pulled you to the rack of bathing suits. “Guess that leaves us to shop alone.” He didn’t seem at all affected by AJ’s misplaced priorities.
Heechul usually laughed at your blush, but his gaze softened when he noticed that you were staring down at your sandals. “Hey.” He nudged you until you looked up at him, and he smiled— a small closed mouth grin that wasn’t supposed to make your heart thunder— as he released your hand.
“You don’t have to wear anything you don’t want to wear. See— here’s a modest one.” He plucked from the rack a striped black long sleeved bathing suit top matched with black shorts and held it out for your approval.
You shook your head, and when Heechul looked at you with gathered eyebrows, you explained, “Horizontal stripes aren’t flattering on me.”
“What—” His tone was harsh until he remembered that he was trying to make your birthday happy. Swallowing his annoyance, Heechul forced a grin, returned the striped bathing suit, and reached for another. This one was a ruffled cotton-candy-pink one piece.
“Ruffles exaggerate my curves.” You frowned as you picked at your nail beds.
Heechul groaned, “Y/N, curves are good—” and he bit his tongue only when you cut your eyes at him, cheeks reddening. “Fine.” He slammed the hanger back on the rack and asked, “Where do you get all this stuff, anyway? Is it from those magazines—”
“It’s fashion advice,” you maintained, but Heechul continued to argue.
“I don’t think it’s good for you to read things that tell you ‘You look bad in this, this, and that.’”
Had the shop been busier, you might have been embarrassed by his volume. Maybe then, you still would have been too flattered by his rage on your behalf to care who overheard.
Calmly, you explained, “They don’t just tell me what I look bad in. They also say what’s flattering for my body type.”
Heechul rolled his eyes as he humored you by asking, “Well, what do the magazines say flatters you?”
You pointed to the polka dotted red one piece. Heechul grabbed it and ushered you into the dressing room in the back of the store. In another attempt to make you laugh, the tried to walk into the dressing room with you.
He laughed— that high pitched cackle that drew everyone’s attention— as you snatched the bathing suit from his hands and pushed him out of the room, chuckling, “Nice try, Heechul.”
Even after all his skepticism toward magazine advice, Heechul frowned when you walked out of the dressing room without modeling the bathing suit.
“Patience, Heechul,” you urged as you rose to your tiptoes to pull the elastic that held his hair back. You had never seen him with his hair down before; he looked more beautiful this way. “You’ll see it at the beach.”
He grumbled, “Whatever,” while raking his fingers through his hair. He smiled only when you absentmindedly slid his hair tie onto your wrist before skipping to meet AJ at the register.
“Cute,” AJ cooed when you dropped the bathing suit onto the counter. “Very 1950s chic! Your almost-boyfriend has great taste!” You shoved her as she turned to wiggle her eyebrows and wave at Heechul.
Heechul’s frown returned when AJ whipped her wallet out to purchase your bathing suit.
“Hey!” His eyes spat fire. “I wanted to buy that!” Stepping by your side, he had also pulled his wallet from his work pants’ front pocket. He wore an indignant expression that clearly meant, “And I have every right to buy it! I helped her pick it out while you were sidetracked by your baby daddy quest!”
AJ mimicked his face, going so far as to stick her tongue out at him while adopting his whining tone. “Too bad! This was my idea first, so you’ll have to think of some other present for Y/N!”
While the cashier watched their exchange with raised eyebrows, you offered him an apologetic smile and tugged anxiously at one of your twin braids. “Guys, I’ll just buy it myself—”
“No!” Heechul and AJ shouted in unison, causing you and the cashier to jump and raise your hands in surrender.
Shoving his wallet back into his pocket, Heechul grumbled, “It was AJ’s idea first, so whatever.”
AJ stood triumphantly, beaming as she counted the money likely given to her by your Mom, and Heechul stood over by the door. He crossed his arms over his chest, lips pressed out into a pout.
You couldn’t explain that his presence alone was a gift without sounding like a lovesick fool, so you smiled as you walked to his side and said, “We’ll need towels and sunscreen and stuff, right?”
Heechul blinked until he understood that you were offering him another way to financially contribute to the beach trip since, obviously, that was so important to him. He grabbed you around the shoulders and grinned as he instructed, “Wait here.”
. . .
“What was the point of buying a bathing suit,” AJ asked as she plopped onto the checkered blanket with you and Heechul, “if you’re just gonna sit here the whole time?”
You tossed a towel at her, kicking with your bare feet to drive her off of the corner of the blanket she was soaking with ocean water. “Why did you drag me to the beach for my birthday if you’re just gonna flirt with every guy on the beach?”
The red patches that rose over AJ’s cheeks were either the beginning stages of a sunburn or her first blush. “Well, forgive me for not wanting to interrupt you and Heechul.”
At his name, Heechul propped himself up on his elbows and lowered his sunglasses to cock an eyebrow at AJ. “Excuse me? We aren’t doing anything. I am being a remarkably well behaved boy.”
“Right,” AJ said skeptically before rising to her feet and dropping the towel onto the blanket. “Well, I’m gonna go get ice cream. Might swim some more. I’m not sure yet. But you won’t see me again ’til it’s time to walk back to the restaurant.”
You thought AJ was mad at you until she winked before prancing away.
So that’s why she had been elusive all day: she didn’t want to be the third wheel. In her mind, this was a date that she had coordinated with your mom’s help.
Heechul rolled onto his side. “You can go swimming if you want.” Lying like that, with one hand supporting his head and the other resting on his hip, clad only in his black slacks, you couldn’t bear to look at him. You fixed your gaze on the not-too-distant shoreline as he said, “I wouldn’t mind. It’s your birthday, and your cousin is visiting from across the world, so do what’s fun to you.”
It occurred to you that there was an imbalance between you and Heechul. While you had vaguely admitted your attraction to him as some kind of crush similar to one every girl developed when looking at him, he had been open about liking you. Liking someone is different from having a crush. Liking someone is different from thinking they’re pretty.
The thing was, you did like Heechul. You couldn’t exactly explain why or when it started, but you figured you must have tripped some time during your first conversation. You must have fallen without realizing it until you looked up at him from your place on the ground.
You hadn’t ever liked somebody before, so you didn’t know how these things worked. You didn’t know what marked the distinction between crush and love, but you knew that you liked Heechul, and you didn’t want to swim because he couldn't walk into the water wearing his work uniform.
You knew, “I am having fun,” so you told him.
Heechul didn’t tease you. He simply lowered his sunglasses again to look at you without the barrier— to check your expression for any signs of uncertainty or deceit. He handed the glasses to you, explaining, “You’re squinting. Here.”
As you slid them onto your face, he crawled in front of you, sat with his back to you, and asked, “Do you know how to braid hair?”
“Yeah,” you answered, “but I don’t have a hair tie.”
He advised, “Check your wrist,” and you saw that you were wearing one.
Unable to remember where it came from or how Heechul noticed it, you set to combing through his hair with your fingers. “Do you want, like, a French braid, or—”
“I don’t care.” Always a little too honest to believe, Heechul explained, “I just want you to touch me, okay? And not in, like, a pervy way, so stop blushing.”
It wasn’t so impressive that Heechul knew that you were blushing without watching your face burn; you were almost always turning red while talking to him.
“Okay,” you agreed, playing with his hair without pausing for even a moment. Your movements didn’t falter until Heechul leaned back so that his back was flush with your chest.
“What are you doing?” He whirled around when you pushed him away. His voice had been grating— irritated— until he noticed that the color had drained from your face. “Are you okay? Did I hurt you or—”
Shaking your head, you explained, “My heart is racing. I didn’t want you to feel—”
Heechul gently grabbed your wrist and held your palm flat over his chest— bare and warm from the sun’s rays— so that you could feel it too: the rapid booming of his heart. Somehow, that made it okay. Somehow that made it right: the fact that he felt this way too.
Once you nodded, Heechul returned to his position with his back against your chest. When you said, “I can’t braid your hair when you’re this close,” he repeated, “I don’t care,” and he reached for his phone.
So he really did just want to be close to you.
You sat there for a few minutes, gaze shifting from the clouds overhead to the shoreline to the children building sandcastles to the couples sitting on blankets in positions to yours and Heechul’s. You sat there for a few minutes, stiff and unsure of what you should do, unsure of what you were expected to do, uncomfortably aware of what you wanted to do.
Finally, you gave in to your desires. You wrapped your arms around Heechul’s waist and hid your burning face in the scalding crook of his neck as you awaited his reaction.
He gasped at the unexpected affection and dropped his phone. His hair tickled your nose and lips while he asked, “What are you doing?” For once, he was the surprised one. He was the breathless one.
You replied, “I just want to touch you, okay? And not in a pervy way, so stop blushing.”
“Me?” His voice cracked as his arms grazed over yours. “I don’t blush.”
Hoping to call his bluff, you tried to raise your head, but he held you where you were, saying, “Don’t move. I want to stay like this for a while.”
“But Heechul,” you whined against his skin, “how am I supposed to kiss you from here?”
“Yah!” Heechul jumped out of your embrace and rounded on you again. He leaned forward on his knees, hands pressed down on the blanket on either side of your body, face just inches from yours. He couldn’t truthfully deny that his face was scarlet when he asked, “What’s gotten into you? Your cousin shows up, and suddenly you’re a shameless flirt?”
“Don’t blame AJ.” Somehow emboldened by Heechul’s blush, you accused, “It’s your fault that I’m acting like this.”
“My fault?” His jaw dropped, and he shook his head.
You nodded. “Yeah! You’re a terrible influence!”
“I resent that.” His growing smile suggested otherwise. His blush faded as he adapted to the situation; if you wanted to remain dominant, you would have to take action quickly.
“Besides, Heechul—” you teasingly lowered the sunglasses he gave you so he could see your wink— “hasn’t anybody ever told you that you’re irresistible?”
It was quick— almost too quick for you to appreciate the cherry flavor of his barely chapped lips against yours— over in the blink of an eye, but you would never forget that first dizzying kiss.
“Ah, damn it.” Heechul huffed when he backed away from you. His hair fell over his face, and he didn’t bother to move it (probably) because it acted as a curtain between his blush and your wide, curious eyes. “I’m supposed to prove myself worthy by waiting for you, and then I got all impatient like an idiot.”
At first, you thought that he was throwing a theatrical fit to lighten the mood— maybe he thought you were overwhelmed by the kiss— but then his shoulders slumped. He didn’t meet your eyes because he was focused on his balled fists.
You tried to comfort him by acknowledging, “I went out of my way to tempt you,” but that only seemed to make matters worse.
“That’s no excuse. You clearly said that you don’t want to date, and—”
“I’m sorry,” you interrupted, annoyed by his efforts to dampen the moment, “but I didn’t know that sharing one sweet kiss means we have to get married next week.”
Heechul blinked and opened his mouth like he wanted to argue, but then he broke into a bashful grin. “Oh. Yeah, maybe I’m overthinking things.” When he moved to sit by your side, he was careful not to brush his hand against yours; evidently, he wasn’t done overthinking.
A part of you— the part that forced your lips into a heavy frown— wondered how long things would be like this. How long would he, who never hesitated before, fear crossing the boundary you had drawn before trust was (somehow) established?
A part of you— the part that compelled you to toss the sunglasses into the beach tote so you could look at him without the slightest obstruction to your vision— said, “You’re a really nice person.” Then, that part of you said, “You’re a beautiful person, Heechul.”
“Why are you saying that?” He looked at you with an apprehension you recognize from the times you caught your reflection at school. He didn’t believe you. “You can’t say something like that just because I kissed you—”
“I’m not,” you argued, voice sharp as a blade although your heart was flooded with burning compassion. “I’m not trying to— I’m saying that you’re beautiful because you’re not going to kiss me again.”
Heechul sighed. “I don’t understand. I don’t know why you’re confusing me like this, but—”
“It’s beautiful that you care so much about waiting for me. It’s beautiful that you’re not pressuring me to just hurry up and date you just because the feelings are there.”
“That’s not beautiful,” Heechul murmured, smoothing the patch of blanket before him. “That’s called not being a total jerk.”
“Well,” you breathed, “I think it’s beautiful that you’re not a total jerk.”
When Heechul swallowed, his eyes still clinging to his mistrust, he seemed to realize that he couldn’t change your mind. Maybe he didn’t want to change your mind. “Okay. I believe that you think I’m beautiful, so I think you should try to believe that I think you’re beautiful.”
You gasped. When would you get used to the fluttering in your chest those words caused? Did you want it to end so that you could breathe more comfortably? Or did you want the feeling to last forever?
“What? What’s wrong?” Heechul finally pushed his hair aside so you could watch his face contort as he complained, “Y/N, you make me a little bit crazy. I know there’s a lot going on in your head, and maybe I wouldn’t get it all, but I— try to trust me a little. Please?”
“It’s not an issue of trust,” you claimed, but maybe it was. “It’s just—” adjusting your denim shorts, you worried aloud, “what if you think I’m weird?”
“Who gives a shit what I think?” Heechul apologized when you winced at his tone. “Well, obviously, you care what I think, huh?” He clicked his tongue. “Don’t worry then. I don’t think being weird is bad. I don’t think anything about you is bad.”
“I was just thinking,” you confessed when he linked his pinky with yours, “that I can’t breathe when you call me beautiful. And then I wondered how long I will feel this way. And then I wondered what’s wrong with me.”
“First of all, there’s nothing wrong with you,” Heechul said matter-of-factly. “It’s okay to be happy when somebody calls you beautiful—”
At the risk of sounding like a fool, you elaborated, “It’s not about being called beautiful. It’s about you calling me beautiful. I don’t want to be one of those girls who only feels special because a boy— even a boy like you— compliments her.”
Heechul frowned and scratched at the back of his neck. “See, I don’t know what to say about that. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with you feeling special because— get this— you are. And if I help you realize it, then, well, I don’t see any harm in that.” As if wounded, he asked, “Why can’t I be one of the things that make you happy? I get why I can’t be everything— I don’t want to be everything— but why can’t I be something?”
You shrugged, unsure of how to process his question (much less answer it), and Heechul started guessing, “Because I’m a boy? Because I like you? Because I’ll kiss you every chance I get? That’s not very fair, if you ask me.”
“It’s not because you’re a boy or because you like me or because you want to kiss me,” you admitted in a small voice, gathering your legs so you could rest your chin atop your knees. “It’s because— what do I do when you change your mind?”
Your question knocked the breath out of Heechul. He tried to mask his wheeze with a laugh. “Change my mind about what? Liking you? Falling in love with you? Thinking you’re beautiful?” He looked to you, again, for answers. Again, you shrugged, so he reasoned, “Well, Y/N, I’m not gonna lie or sugar coat things. People change, people grow, and sometimes people leave. I’m not going to promise you forever, and you shouldn’t trust anybody who does.”
Everything he said— you already knew it. Those truths were among the many fears that prevented you from leaping into the unknown with him despite your repressed desires. Hearing them spoken aloud should have stunned you, maybe terrified you, but the words were a comfort.
Heechul understood; Heechul wouldn’t pretend to hold the authority to silence your concerns forever. Perhaps above all, you appreciated his honesty.
“I like you now. I’m pretty sure I’m falling in love with you now,” he confessed. You knew he wasn’t speaking for a reaction, as he often did, because he wasn’t even looking at you. “Now is all I can give you.”
“Now,” you wanted to say, “is beautiful,” but you couldn’t find your voice, or you couldn’t find the words.
“But—” he looked at you briefly, stuttered when he found that you had been admiring him, and fixed his gaze up on the sky— “I will always think you’re beautiful. Even if you cut my heart out and stop on it— and I know you would never intentionally hurt me, but come on, that’s one of those things people do— you won’t stop being beautiful. Maybe you don’t know it yet, maybe you never will, but your beauty is one of those few forever things.”
You said, “I don’t believe in forever,” and Heechul breathed an airy sort of laugh that wasn’t born from amusement.
“Well, I guess we have more in common than we thought.” He looked at you, took your hand, and said, “I guess when it ends—” he gasped and amended— “ah, I don’t want to think about that, so let’s say if— if it ends, I’ll be able to look back and know that I loved someone truly beautiful.”
Heechul’s face burned when you said, “I don’t think that’s so important.” Lacing your fingers through his when he tried to pull away, you supposed, “That’s not as important as knowing that you were loved by someone who knows you are truly beautiful.”
Moments passed in silence, with the two of you looking at each other.
“You need to let go,” Heechul whispered, “because if you don’t, I’m going to kiss you again.”
“I’m not going to let you go.”
This time, you crossed the distance and caught his lips with yours. This time, the kiss lasted long enough for you to memorize the feeling of Heechul’s cool breath against your skin, the feeling of his one hand squeezing yours while the other moved to cup your cheek. This time, you knew that you would never catch your breath again, and you didn’t mind.
. . .
“Nice lipstick, Heechul.” AJ smirked on the walk back to the restaurant. “I’m sure Y/N’s parents are really gonna love how it compliments your complexion.”
Heechul smiled even as he reached up to wipe at his lips and cheeks. You blushed, realizing that he hadn’t stopped smiling like that since your second kiss.
AJ squealed, “Ah! He’s so damn happy he got kissed on the beach, he doesn’t care if he gets scolded by the ’rents!”
“The ’rents?” You rolled your eyes at AJ’s vocabulary while straining to remove the red stains from Heechul’s face. “What kind of— Heechul, stop pushing me away!”
“I like my kiss marks!” He shrieked before lifting you off the ground, arms secured around your waist, and peppering your face with light kisses.
“Children!” AJ playfully scolded, cupping her hands around her mouth like a megaphone. “Behave!”
You couldn’t help but laugh as a sharp breeze blew Heechul’s hair against your face. Cursing, he set you back onto your feet and set to combing through his hair. He was too focused on making his hair presentable to distract you from wiping at his face with a towel from the beach bag.
“My dad won’t like them,” you reasoned to his childish pout. “You don’t want him to make us break up so soon, do you?”
“Obviously not,” Heechul grumbled as you fished his red button-down shirt out of the bag.
Tossing the short at him, you ordered, “Put this on, then—”
Smirking, he jested, “That’s not usually how these things go. You’re asking me to put my clothes on?”
“— Nobody is gonna react well if you walk into the restaurant shirtless,” you concluded, gaze stern in response to his perversion.
AJ observed, wiggling her eyebrows at you, “You don’t seem to mind the sight so much,” and Heechul joined her in laughing at your spreading blush.
Their laughter didn’t die until the three of you walked into the restaurant and met with your father’s disappointed scowl behind the host’s podium. “Where have you been?”
Although his gaze was fixed solely on you— your breath gasped past your lips and, in your shame, you dropped the bag onto the floor— AJ answered your father as Heechul knelt to stuff the escaped towels back into the bag. “Auntie said that as long as we were back by 7—”
AJ fell silent as your father eyed her sharply. He turned his attention to Heechul, who stood up straight while holding the bag’s strap. Fearing that your father could somehow see the lipstick stains you had meticulously scrubbed, you shrank.
“Where have you been, Heechul?” Your father asked. “Weren’t you scheduled to work until closing?”
Shifting from one foot to another, Heechul started, “I—”
You would never hear his response. Your mom walked out of the kitchen carrying a birthday cake and smiled as she asked, “So, kids, how was the beach? Heechul, AJ didn’t act up too badly, did she?”
Apparently, it didn’t matter much (or at all) to your father that your mom had given the three of you permission— encouragement— to go to the beach. Pinching at the bridge of his nose, he said flatly, “AJ, I’m used to you being a bad influence—”
Rather than listening to your father’s scolding and crumbling under the weight of his disappointment, AJ rolled her eyes and stormed past you and Heechul, who were frozen stiff, to help your mom set the table.
“— but Heechul, I expect better from you considering your circumstances. You have a lot to prove.”
Heechul’s circumstances?
You glanced at Heechul for some kind of explanation, knowing well that this wasn’t any time to talk, but he had fixed his gaze down at his dull black shoes. The circumstances— whatever they were— must have been dire, judging by the dark maroon that colored Heechul’s entire face.
“And Y/N—” your father’s stern tone faltered when you looked away from Heechul to meet his stare with tear-filled eyes. Quietly, he asked as if he truly couldn’t understand why you would want to do something fun for your birthday, “You were supposed to be studying— don’t you care about your future at all?”
“Alright!” Your mom slammed the plates down on the table, stormed toward the conflict, and you were thankful that the restaurant closed early; at least nobody else would have to witness your humiliation. “Don’t start saying things like that! Your daughter slaves away in that corner booth every day of every week, and I don’t want her to become one of those zombie kids who don’t know how to crack a smile, so I sent her to the beach with AJ and Heechul because she likes them. She deserves to spend time with people she likes—”
It wasn’t often that your mother lost her temper, but it was never a pretty sight. She was so loud, and your father was so distracted by her wagging finger, that they didn’t notice you slip out the door.
Nobody would have seen you lower your head as your threw your back against the building’s rough brick exterior had Heechul not followed you outside wearing an expression of genuine concern.
“Are you okay?” He leaned against the wall too, and reached for your hand that was much colder in the moonlight outside your parents’ restaurant than it had been under the beach’s sun.
You nodded and wiped at your tears with your available hand. “Yeah. Dad will apologize for being so strict after you and AJ go home. He’ll be proud of me for studying in that corner booth hours before the restaurant opens, and— and—”
“It’s okay to be upset.” Heechul offered, “If it means he’ll apologize sooner, I’ll go home—”
“I don’t want you to go home,” you blurted. Thinking that Heechul would tease you, a hand automatically clamped over your mouth.
He didn’t laugh at you, though. A kind, gentle sort of smile curved his lips as he agreed, “Okay. I won’t go home then.” You nodded gratefully, and he promised, “I’ll wait out here with you until you’re ready to go back inside.”
And he waited patiently.
It turned out that Heechul really did have a motorcycle. On days when the sun shone brightly through the morning clouds, he used it to drive you to school and to pick you up during his break or on his way to start his shift at the restaurant. A far sweeter boyfriend than you dreamed was possible, he always pressed a soft kiss to your forehead and fastened your helmet before every ride.
On overcast days when rain threatened to fall from gray morning clouds, Heechul drove you to and from school in his car. Although meticulously cleaned and well functioning, the car wasn’t exactly new.
Upon entering it for the first time, you joked, “So your little sales pitch to the ladies at the restaurant— ya know, ‘buy today’s special, help me earn money, and I’ll drive you around town in a new convertible—’”
Heechul, who had been resisting laughter since you started to mimic his voice, interrupted with a wink. “Those were empty promises, baby. I only ever had eyes for you.”
“Right. Of course.”
You couldn’t quite understand how Heechul could be so indifferent to all of the girls, many of whom were devastatingly gorgeous, but you believed him when he called those interactions mindless flirting. After all, that was all it had been to those girls— non-committal conversations with one of the prettiest boys they had ever seen.
Moments passed in relative silence. The only noise was the drumming of Heechul’s fingers against the steering wheel until you asked, “What time do you have to work today?”
That was how your conversations went when you weren’t busy making fun of each other. Although it didn’t affect him, Heechul would ask about the tests you had scheduled for the day. Although it didn’t affect you, you would ask about his work schedule. It was just nice to express an interest in each other’s day, even if you wouldn’t be there for most of the moments.
“I’m off today.”
You gawked at him. “You don’t have to go in at all?” You couldn’t remember the last time Heechul hadn’t worked at the restaurant for at least a few hours.
“Baby,” Heechul laughed, bringing his eyes away from the road for a split second to look at you. “That’s what it means to be off.”
As always, you rolled your eyes in instances like these when Heechul pretended to be much smarter than you. “Don’t be a butt.” He chuckled at your weak insult. “I’m just surprised that you woke up early to drive me to school when you could have slept in. I can take the bus when you’re unavailable, you know. That’s what I’ve done for years.”
Granted, you embraced Heechul’s role in your morning routine, and your day wouldn’t start nearly as happily without him, but you didn’t want to be selfish with his time.
“But I’m not unavailable,” Heechul argued, shutting the radio off when a song he didn’t like played through the speakers. “I enjoy our morning chats, so you’ll just have to get used to the passenger seat, alright?”
You adopted the tired tone he usually used when groaning, “Whatever,” before offering your sincere thanks.
Instantly, he replied, “You’re welcome,” and you smiled because he no longer squirmed when you spoke to him in genuine admiration.
As he pulled into the parking lot of your school, bringing the car close to the building so you wouldn’t have to walk far in the rain, you looked at him with a pout.
“Ah damn,” Heechul sighed, working a hand through his hair as he took in your expression. “What do you want?”
“Let’s play hooky!” You suggested just to see how he might react.
Heechul snorted. “I’m out of school for the summer, so I’m not pulling some delinquent stunt by driving out of this parking lot. He raised an eyebrow at you. “You, however—”
“Come on, Heechul, pretty please?” Bringing your hands together, you poked your bottom lip out. “I’m just a few weeks away from graduating, and I’ve never skipped a single day.”
“Your father is never going to approve of me if I aid and abet in your first act of truancy, Y/N,” Heechul deadpanned, shaking his head. “I’ve made a lot of progress during the family dinners, and I’m not about to see all my hard work and good manners go to waste just because you look at me like that with your pretty eyes.”
Your effort to skip school had been half-hearted at best, so you forfeited the fight almost as soon as it started. Zipping your backpack, you huffed, “Fine, fine,” biting back your amusement that, for once, he was being the responsible one. “I’ll see you later.”
“So you’re going to leave without giving me a kiss just because I’m not giving you your way?”
That hadn’t been your reasoning at all, but when you turned to face him, hand on the door handle, and saw that Heechul’s lips were puckered disappointedly, you shrugged. Your only motive to play along with his narrative was your amusement with Heechul’s frustration.
“That’s really childish.” Very rich coming from the king of childish behavior.
You shrugged again, and Heechul asked, “Where would we even go if you didn’t go to class?” He carefully phrased the question as a hypothetical, but you understood that he was giving in.
Settling back into your seat, you chewed on your cheek. Because the rain was falling in full force now— pounding against the roof of Heechul’s car and sliding down the windows— the park, beach, and nearby outdoor shopping center wouldn’t be too fun. What was even open at that hour?
Remembering that on an earlier car ride, Heechul mentioned that he was renting an apartment just a few miles from your school, you suggested, “Your place?”
“Wow.” Heechul chuckled at your nerve. “There you go again, being all bold like I can resist you.”
“There you go, being a pervert again,” you squirmed when he smirked at your suggestion. He probably wouldn’t notice the blush rising beneath your makeup, but you turned to face out the window anyway. “It’s not dirty unless you make it dirty, Heechul.”
“Do you want me to?” He reached across the center console to poke at your ribs like an annoying child. As you reached again for the door handle, he blurted, “Sorry, sorry! I won’t make it dirty if you really want to visit my place.”
You skeptically narrowed your eyes at him, reluctantly leaning back in your seat. “Promise?”
Heechul promised, and once you buckled your seatbelt, he drove away. His only condition for allowing you to skip school was that you text your mother to tell her where you were, preparing for the likelihood that the school may call home to report your absence— he didn’t want to worry her.
“Call me crazy,” he said, “but I feel like your mom will be overjoyed that you’re doing a normal teenager thing for once.”
“You are crazy,” you teased, giggling when he rolled his eyes, “but not because of that. While Dad has always been worried about me growing into a successful adult, I think Mom has been worried that I was never really a happy kid.”
Casually, as if the question weren’t deeply personal, he asked, “Were you? Were you a happy kid?”
Why couldn’t you answer straight away?
In all honesty, you couldn’t remember laughing as much in your entire life as you had in the last month with Heechul. You couldn’t remember the last time you looked up from your textbooks before that day he sat across from you and ripped your magazine.
Maybe it wasn’t so much that you were unhappy before Heechul’s smile became the highlight of your day. Maybe you just hadn’t known before that happiness could be a priority.
Heechul pulled you out of your thoughts by calling your name as he opened your door. Offering his hand, he wondered, “What are you thinking?”
All you could think was, “I love you, I love you, I love you,” the feeling magnified by his touch, but that hardly seemed like the right thing to say when Heechul led you into his spotless all-white apartment, out of the rain.
“Doesn’t it stress you out?” You asked as you anxiously eased onto the red couch at his urging. “Living in a place like this, I mean. I would be afraid I would spill something or somehow ruin the pretty white paint.”
After kicking your shoes off, you pulled your socked feet onto the couch, afraid of soiling the shiny white floor that appeared untrodden.
Heechul said, laughing at your behavior, “You can’t be afraid of making your mark on the world.”
Taking that as encouragement to follow him into some other room, you leaped off the couch. Heechul almost collided with you when he turned out of the room, clutching a guitar in hand.
“Wow,” he grinned despite his promise not to make things weird. “If you’re so eager to come into my room, come on ahead.” He pushed the door open, probably expecting you to run, blushing, back into the living room.
Driven by curiosity and a desire to surprise Heechul, you walked past him into a white bedroom covered with posters, housing guitars— electric and acoustic— and lined with bookshelves. Upon closer inspection, however, you realized that the shelves weren’t filled with books; they were overflowing with alphabetized CDs ranging from all languages, all genres, all decades.
Apparently unable to stand the silence, Heechul remarked, “I just re-organized those. I change it up a lot. This time it’s alphabetical order, but I’ve tried organizing them by genre, release date, language— oh—”
When you turned to face him, he was sitting with his back against the headboard and blushing. Sometimes, like when he chewed his lips to cope with mild embarrassment, Heechul was adorable.
“Oops.” He mirrored your smile when you sat on the foot of his bed. “I’m rambling.”
“Did you write me a song?” You folded your hands in your lap as you teased, “You know, like how you used to promise those girls—”
Throwing his head back, Heechul groaned, “This again!” He couldn’t dampen the bright smile that illuminated his face when you giggled at his reaction. “I don’t write songs about other girls! Only about you!”
Assuming that he was joking as usual, you disregarded that remark until he started strumming on the strings and filled the air with his gentle hum. Heechul sang often in the car, and you often complimented his talent, but there was a softer quality in his voice now.
Why was his voice so different? Was it because you were in his room, whose atmosphere was somehow different— almost forbidden— from his car’s atmosphere? Was it because his voice was accompanied by a dulcet acoustic guitar rather than the full hard rock ensemble he sang along to in the car?
Maybe Heechul sensed your questions, and maybe he wanted to give you some answers. “I haven’t written the lyrics yet. Or maybe I have, and I’m just too embarrassed to sing them while you’re looking at me like that—”
Like what? Like there had never been anybody so beautiful in the history of mankind? Like he held your heart in the palm of his hand (and probably didn’t even realize it)? Like you wanted to admire him for the rest of time?
“— but I kind of thought it would be nice— like something romantic from one of your magazines— to tell you that I love you with a song, but—”
Heechul paused again as if you weren’t leaning in to his every word. His strumming ceased as he looked up from the guitar to gauge your reaction. Once satisfied by your sharp gasp, he continued, “But you know I can’t ever really stick with a plan. I see you, and I get so excited that I can’t just think to myself that I love you. I have to tell you.”
He set the guitar down on the floor, crawled to your side of the bed. Balancing on his knees and maintaining a small distance between your faces that instantly flooded your senses with memories of your first cherry flavored kiss on the beach, he breathed, “I love you.”
Then, as if to spare you the burden of having to return the three simple words, Heechul brushed his lips against yours.
Not too long ago, Heechul would have tried to debate when you breathlessly responded, “I love you too.” He would have said something like “Why are you saying that? You can’t just say that you love me because I said it first.”
Your feelings must have been obvious from the expression he admired on your face when he broke the kiss; Heechul’s only response was a smile as he pulled your body against his.
. . .
“He really likes you,” AJ said over the phone when she called to congratulate you on graduating.
Applying the last touches of your makeup, you agreed. “I know.”
Your father decided that the best way to celebrate your graduation and acceptance into an online summer college program was to host a small party. Beaming too radiantly at your achievements to cling to his disapproval of your boyfriend, he had said, “You can even invite Heechul!” as if Heechul didn’t work at the restaurant where the party would be hosted. Still, you smiled at your father’s effort to encourage your happiness.
Maybe it was silly to put so much effort into your appearance when Heechul considered you beautiful during all those days when you didn’t bother wearing makeup, but maybe you weren’t dressing up to impress him. Maybe you were trying to demonstrate with your appearance some transformation that occurred over the past few months; after all, your magazines called fashion a form of self-expression.
AJ teased, her smirk almost audible, “I bet you’re doing that adorable thing where you smile down at the ground, just lost in the thought of him.”
AJ was right about one thing: you were smiling, but not at the ground. You smiled as you met your bright eyes in the mirror.
“Of course, I don’t blame you or anything. He really likes you,” she repeated, and you almost wanted to brag that he loves you, but that seemed too special to share over a phone call. That detail needed to be reserved for an in-person conversation (or at least a FaceTime chat).
She continued, “You barged into his bedroom, and nothing scandalous happened? That’s true love.”
Or maybe, you thought, smile fading, Heechul just didn’t think about you like that.
It was ironic. AJ (the self-proclaimed wild child always searching for a fling) admired the lack of physical intimacy in your relationship while you (the lifelong good girl who found love without looking) frowned.
Why were you upset, though? Did you genuinely crave that kind of connection with Heechul? Wasn’t it enough— more than enough— beautiful— that he loved you? Was this knotting in your stomach just the latest manifestation of your fear that, maybe, his attraction to you was limited?
You couldn’t understand, and that confusion about your own feelings deepened the frown lines around your cherry red lips.
Calling your name, AJ asked, “Are you still there?”
“Sorry.” Although nobody was there to see it, you forced a smile as you swept your makeup into a drawer. “I have to go, AJ. All this talking about Heechul has made me lose track of time.” You hoped that by distracting her with a joke at your own expense, she wouldn’t be able to imagine your sudden discomfort.
Too consumed by your spiraling thoughts on the short walk from your family’s home into the restaurant, you didn’t see him coming until he had you pinned against the cold, hard floor. Before you ever looked at him, you felt Heechul’s heart thundering against your chest.
He grinned, reaching up to pick pieces of crushed taco shell out of your hair. Apparently in no rush to stand despite the stares and laughter of party guests— comprised mostly of family members and your parents’ friends— Heechul traced the outline of your lips with his thumb. “Hey.”
“Hey.” You were just about to hiss for him to get off, heat rising to your cheeks at his close proximity, when you made the mistake of looking into his eyes.
On the bright side, looking at him— loving him— distracted you from the burning embarrassment of having fallen in a restaurant full of people. You probably would have laid there, heart racing, staring at Heechul for hours if he hadn’t suddenly jumped up.
As if realizing at once that the people closest to you (and your family) were watching, Heechul dropped the tray he had been carrying onto an empty table and offered both hands to help you off of the ground.
The restaurant wasn’t entirely closed to the public— your father probably determined that he couldn’t afford to miss a day of profit. A table full of girls clad in brightly colored bikini tops giggled when Heechul pulled you past them to the back of the restaurant.
Stupidly, as if you couldn’t read the sign that marked the ladies’ restroom, you whispered, “Where are we going?”
“You have lettuce and tomato and beef all in your hair,” Heechul explained as he led you into the restroom. He ushered for you to sit atop the bathroom counter. “And that’s my fault, so—”
“You can’t be in here!” As if transforming into your mother, you wagged your finger as you scolded him. “What if somebody—”
“Look at us. Anyone who walks in here and thinks it’s a little suspicious that the waiter and the owners’ daughter are alone in the women’s restroom, they’ll quickly realize that this is some kind of emergency.” Heechul spun you around to face your reflection. Both of you were covered head to toe, as he said, in lettuce, tomato, beef, and whatever else Chef Leeteuk piled onto the tray.
Having only soiled his apron— which, technically, was made to be dirtied— Heechul frowned only when he noticed your frown in the mirror.
“Hey.” Heechul turned you to face him before he lifted you onto the counter. “I’m sorry.” He ripped a paper towel from its dispenser, ran it under the water faucet, and wiped at some sauce staining your cheek. “I’m sorry if I hurt you.”
Stirred by the guilt flooding his eyes, you didn’t hesitate to explain, “I’m not hurt. I’m just— I know you probably think this kind of thing is stupid— but I spent a long time getting dressed, and—”
Heechul followed your gaze down to your white dress that had been stained by the food. “Shit. I’m sorry—” He moved to wipe at the stain, but faltered once he realized that it covered the majority of your chest. Tossing the paper towel onto the counter, he repeated, “I’m really sorry. It’s not stupid that you dressed up for your graduation party; it’s stupid that I ran into you with a tray full of tacos. I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay,” you responded to each of Heechul’s apologies, but he didn’t seem to hear you.
“I know this won’t be nearly as pretty as your dress—” Heechul looked you over again and cast his eyes up to the ceiling as he hissed, “Damn it, you really dressed nice. You still look pretty post-incident, so I know you looked drop dead gorgeous when you walked in. And I barely even got to see it before I tackled you.”
“Heechul.” To make him hear, you had to hold his face in your hands. His cheeks scalded your palms. “It’s okay. I’m okay. Yeah, this dress is probably ruined—” he groaned— “but it’s not the end of the world. This is one of those one time dresses, anyway. It’s fine. Really,” you said to his skeptical expression, “it’s fine.”
Unconvinced, Heechul shook his head before catching your lips with his. Maybe he thought the sweet act of affection would lessen his guilt. Maybe he wanted to gauge whether you were truly upset by your response to his kiss.
Maybe he was satisfied by the urgency with which you drew him closer, forgetting (or not caring) that the food still sticking to his apron would further taint your dress. Maybe he was smiling into the kiss until, without warning, your hands gathered the fabric over his chest and shoved him away.
“What’s wrong?” Heechul asked so often that the words rolled off his tongue without much thought. He gave you that look— brows furrowing and eyes twinkling with curiosity— that always preceded his request for you to trust him with your deepest thoughts.
“We can’t do this here.”
“What?” Heechul quirked his head at you, hair falling from his ponytail holder to fall into his eyes. “Kiss?”
You nodded, and he kissed— the frustrating tight-lipped pecks that were ending and beginning again before you could react— your lips again and again until you gathered the strength to push him away.
“We are in a public restroom, Heechul,” you reminded him between pants, “and we are in my parents’ restaurant, and—”
“I promise I’m not just being an insatiable pervert.” Heechul retied his ponytail before saying, “I know when you’re embarrassed. You’ve been blushing since those stupid girls laughed at us—”
Us, Heechul said, but they had been laughing at you. Knowing that Heechul wouldn’t want to hear that— explaining that would send him out to their table to harshly deliver a piece of his mind— you bit your tongue.
“— and I would just rather think that you’re blushing because I kissed you over and over again— not because I ran into you with a tray of tacos like an idiot.”
Again, like every other day of knowing him, you were struck by the realization, “You’re nice, Heechul.” Sometimes, because he teased you so much, that fact was easy to forget; rediscovering it every day was a joy, though.
“Only to you,” he conditioned before kissing you. “Oh— like I was trying to say earlier before I got distracted— I know that this isn’t anywhere near being as pretty as your dress—” He frowned, tracing his fingers along the ruined fabric— “but I brought clothes to change into after my shift, before I joined your party. They probably won’t fit you right, but—”
“Heechul,” you wiggled your eyebrows teasingly, “was this all an elaborate scheme to get me out of my clothes?”
Because he was honestly trying to atone for his actions, Heechul wasn’t prepared for your playfulness to strike at that exact moment. His face turned beet red, and he stuttered, “No— I— no—”
“If you wanted me to take my dress off,” you jumped off of the counter and reached for the zipper, biting back laughter, “all you had to do was ask.”
Heechul kept his eyes fixed on yours, either trying to call your bluff or daring you to follow through. When you started to tug on the zipper, however, he clapped a hand over his eyes and whined, “We can’t do this here! We’re in a public restroom, and we’re in your parents’ restaurant!”
Once you doubled over laughing, he dropped his hand, wheezing, “Aish, everything’s a joke with you, huh?”
Thoroughly unashamed— proud, even— you nodded your head. “A funny joke!”
“You win this round, baby,” Heechul warned, “but watch out.” He brushed his lips against your forehead before walking out of the restroom, you assumed, to retrieve the clothes he offered.
Leaning against a stall door, you passed the time as you always did when Heechul wasn’t by your side: by imagining the next time you would get lost in his eyes.
Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4 - Part 5 - Part 6
Pairing: Heechul x Reader
Words count: 2,2k+
Genre: Drama and angst
For anon I hope you like it
‘Chul it is way to early to be sending me death threats, ‘ Leeteuk groaned, ‘Can’t this wait until tomorrow?’
‘No way in hell am I going to do such things!’ Heechul seethed, ‘You bett-’
‘Jagi, who is that?’ A sleepy female voice asked, cutting Heechul’s train of thought.
‘It’s just Heechul, go back to bed Sora.’ Leeteuk affectionately spoke to his wife, ‘I am just going to talk to him on the balcony.’
Leeteuk swung his legs off the side of the bed before leaning and giving his wife a kiss on the forehead. She smile softly as she watched her husband get off the bed and walk away. While the elder was making his way to the balcony, Heechul paced up and down his apartment while hissing to himself. He had never been this angry before in his life and it irritated him to know it was over Min Kyunghoon. Once Leeteuk was securely on the other side of the balcony door, he returned his attention to the phone that was placed at his ear, ready to hear Heechul who was slowly loosing his temper.
‘Now why are you calling me at this unearthly hour?!’ Leeteuk asked.
‘You are lucky that the shock of your betrayal doesn’t have me there and punching your face in,’ Heechul threatened, ‘How dare you interfere?’
‘Heechul at this point all you are doing is giving me a headache, and I have Sora for that,’ Leeteuk joked but then began to massage his left temple with his free hand, ‘Now please stop shouting and explain to me why I am yet another target to your heated anger?’
A sinister chuckle left Heechul’s lips, ‘If only this was my ‘heated’ anger then maybe you would be able to repent for your betrayal.’
‘Betrayal?’ The elder reported.
‘Why the fuck is Min Kyunghoon arriving at my apartment like an old friend?!’
‘To be fair he is your ex boyfriend.’
‘That isn’t the point!’
Leeteuk now had his index finger and thumb pinching the bridge of his nose in defeat, but mostly out of frustration. This was honestly a conversation that could have been discussed in the morning and not at the moment Leeteuk was about to fall into his deep slumber. This was a question he kept on asking. Why couldn’t this be discussed like normal people in the morning? But now Leeteuk stood outside in the cold evening and receiving a scolding from his deranged best friend.
‘Fine, then I am sorry.’ Leeteuk let out a long sigh.
Heechul chuckled deeply, ‘Trust me Park Jungsu, you are going to do more then just simply say sorry! You fucked up hard this time, my friend!’
‘But Heec-’ With that, the phone line went dead and he hung his head low, ‘I’m fucking dead…’
Meanwhile you had entered your apartment after Zhoumi had dropped you off. You placed your clothing in the washing basket and then took a seat in your small lounge. Looking at the money in your hands, you suddenly felt very dirty regardless over the fact that you did shower after the sex. You had hoped Heechul was okay and wanted to phone him but that seemed like a bad idea. Sighing you picked up your phone to give Amber a phone call, but someone beat you to it.
‘Hello?’ You answered, not even checking the caller ID.
‘Omega?’ A familiar voice sounded as you gulped, ‘It’s Heechul.’
‘Yes I ahhh…are you okay?’ You finally mustered a sentence.
He chuckled, ‘That is exactly what I was about to ask you. I do apologise for Hoonie’s bad manners, he is normally very cocky when new people are around but good at heart.’
‘Oh,’ You said softly, ‘Is he your brother?’
‘Oh dear Omega,’ Another hearty chuckle left his mouth, ‘I have no brothers, just an elder sister.’ He explained, ‘But since I see you are interested in knowing him, that was my ex boyfriend. But don’t worry Omega, you are still a better hook up then him so don’t worry.’
At that moment you didn’t know how to feel or respond. So the father of your baby was still seeing his ex boyfriend yet he kept you around for a good fuck? Something about that just didn’t sit well with you, well besides the fact that you were being paid to have his baby. Oddly enough you did muster up a small smile when he called you a better hook up, but then you remembered you were basically a sex worker to him and nothing more. You would make sure he was nothing more because this was all for the money and not for finding a man.
‘Alright then, as long as you are okay then I will go.’ Heechul announced, ‘I will give you a call tomorrow to see if you are okay.’
‘I will not see you tomorrow?’ You asked.
‘Omega, you horny little girl,’ He teased, ‘ But I am not sure. I have some things to sort out with my dear best friend, so goodnight.’
‘Goodnight…’ You said softly as the call ended.
The line went down and you collapsed on the couch. You didn’t know if it was from being tired or what you had just learnt about Kim Heechul. Rubbing your face profusely, you just went and collapsed on your bed because right now all you wanted was sleep. Your neck ached a little, but that didn’t stop you from drifting to sleep because that was always the case when you were overworked at your job. Whilst sleeping, Zhoumi raced back to Heechul’s and barged through the door to find an empty apartment.
‘Heechul?’ He called out and got no response, ‘Fuck…Chul?’ He wondered around and called before shouting, ‘HEECHUL!’
‘Out here you idiot.’ Heechul called from the balcony.
Zhoumi ran to the door and let out a reassuring sigh, ‘Thank god…’
‘What do you want, Seasoning?’ Heechul asked, a glass of wine in his hand and a cigarette in the other.
‘Smoking again?’ Zhoumi asked, walking towards his boss and leaning against the banister while Heechul looked forward at the cityscape.
‘Shit day.’
‘I heard Kyunghoon is back.’
Heechul sighed, ‘You knew about this?!’
‘No no no,’ Zhoumi waved his hands in defence, ‘Y/N told me when I dropped her at home, she seemed very worried about you Chullie.’
‘The same should be said about her,’ He took a drag before releasing the fine smoke, ‘The bastard thought she was a prostitute.’
‘And what did you say?’ Zhoumi asked, turning to face the same direction as Heechul and placing his elbows on the banister, ‘Does Kyunghoon know that you aren’t bi, right?’
‘At this rate I don’t know what my fucking preference is.’ He admitted, ‘But aren’t you meant to be with your new boyfriend?’
Zhoumi rolled his eyes, ‘Why is everyone calling him that?!’
‘Because the bastard phoned me earlier, right after Hoonie left actually, and scolded me for overworking his precious boyfriend when that was his job,’ Heechul joked, enjoying the way his employee blushed profusely, ‘Get going, you deserve this. Tell the brat I said hello.’
‘Are you sure?’ Zhoumi asked, his eyes soft and worried.
‘I’m a big boy, Seasoning.’ He smiled delicately, ‘Now get going.’
Zhoumi turned to give his friend a big hug. Heechul may have this unwelcoming aura about him, but he was a good person and once you knew him, you would never want to let him go. The elder heard his front door close and suddenly he threw his wine glass to the floor and screamed in frustration before falling to his knees right besides the mess he had created. Tears fell down his cheeks as he flicked his finished cigarette off the balcony and balled his hands into fists. His sobs came in harsh sections as he then just fell onto his ass and sat against the banister with his wet face in his hands.
‘Have you seen Y/N?’ A voice asked.
‘No, she hasn’t phoned in either,’ The other responded, ‘Aren’t you here best friend, Amber?!’
‘Shut up Changmin,’ Amber snapped, ‘Like you said, I am here friend not guardian angel.’
‘Awww and here I though I could count on you,’ Another joined, walking in, ‘I am sorry I am late, I overslept.’
Lifting your hair up, you exposed your neck and left Changmin and Amber open mouthed in a loud gasp, ‘H-have you checked the mirror today, Y/N?’
‘No,’ You nodded at Changmin, ‘I didn’t have time. I literally just ran out the house while half changing so I could get here.’
Changmin rubbed his face, trying not to laugh, ‘Ummm Amber, take her to the bathroom and just yeah…GO!’
And with that, their manager just burst out laughing while he walked away. You looked at Amber in confusion as she herself was trying to muffle her laugh. Did you forget to wash off some toothpaste foam from this morning or some dried up coffee? But none of those things seemed to be a reason to be shoved into the small employee bathroom. You allowed her to drag you to the bathroom and force you to look into the mirror while picking up your hair, which you didn’t end up doing. Seeing what they saw, Amber just burst out laughing while holding her stomach.
‘Wh-what?’ You stuttered, broken at what you saw as well.
‘They are hickeys baby girl,’ Amber said breathlessly still laughing, ‘You have been marked heavily there.’
‘No no no no.’ You walked closer to the mirror, trying to rub the bruises but whined in pain instead because you couldn’t even remember Heechul being that rough, but then again.
‘Hey stop, you are going to make them worse,’ Amber pulled your hands away, ‘How did you not see these let alone feel the pain?’
Blushing red, you tucked some hair behind your ear, ‘Nothing was their last night but I did feel some pain but assumed it was from bending at work all the damn time!’
Looking at the mirror again, you examined the dark purplish marks that decorated your fair skin. How the hell did you not notice them? They were huge and looked painful. Skimming your finger over the hickey, you allowed the memories of last night to flood your mind. The way Heechul held you down and ravished your body. His lips sliding down your tender skin and sucking softy on your perking nipples. His hot tongue trailing down between your legs and causing your body to ignite in desperate pleasure. The way his willowy fingers prepared you but didn’t stop him from taking you roughly, which explained the new additions to your skin. Heechul was never gentle, never considerate yet you were okay with it.
‘Y/N?’ Amber called, snapping her fingers in front of your face, ‘Y/N!’
‘Yes…yes?’ You removed your fingers and shook your head.
Amber smiled with a little smirk, ‘So who is he?’
’N-no one, don’t worry.’ You reshuffled your hair so that your neck was covered, trying to walk away.
‘Wait!’ Amber held your arm, ‘Talk to me y/n, you have never not told me when you have someone in your life.’
‘Except this person isn’t in my life.’ You exaggerated your words, watching Amber’s eyes grow twice in size, ‘Don’t look at me like that llama…’
‘You didn’t know the guy?’ She asked and you nodded in response, ‘Was it a hook up?’ You nodded in agreement, ‘YOU HAD SEX WITH A STRANGER!?’
‘Shut up!’ You bombarded her with covering her mouth with your hand, ‘Can we not be revealing my life out here? You know what Changmin is like!’
‘Yeah we all know what I am like,’ The devil stood at the door, leaning against the doorframe and smirking, ‘So our little Y/N is hoeing around?’
‘I’m not hoeing around!’ You rolled your eyes, removing your hand from Amber.
‘So you know him?’ Amber asked, wiping her mouth, ‘Is this friends with benefits? Are you sleeping with, Sehun!?’
‘What? NO!’ You waved your hands, ‘Why would you even thin-‘
‘Hello?’ Someone called from the front, cutting you off, ‘HELLO?’
‘We will be with you sir in just a moment,’ Changmin called out, looking over his shoulder but then back at the two females in front of him, ‘Just having some technical problems.’
‘No no, I am looking for Y/N.’ The voice then sounded very familiar to you but yet you couldn’t put your finger on it but it still caused your heart to stop beating. Did Heechul come to see you?
Amber looked at you and you looked at her. Changmin just said okay and then looked at you for answers because he wasn’t very impressed about this current situation. Was this happening now? Like was this honestly happening to you right fucking now! The person still stood at the front, hands shoved in his pockets as he whistled. Taking a deep sigh, you pushed passed your two fellow employees and went to face your demon. Head down, you reached the front and then lifted your head to have your blood run cold.
‘Hey there you little slut.’ A sly grin on the mans alluring features.
‘Yah Jagi!’ A voice shouted, clicking their fingers in front of your face.
‘Wait what?’ You came back to reality, almost drowsy in some sense.
‘Earth to Y/N?’ The voice chuckled, taking a seat next to you, ‘You have drool on your mouth, daydreaming hurts.’
‘Oh, sorry.’ You wiped it away with the back of your hand, not really meaning the apology.
‘Am I that boring?’ He teased.
‘Yes.’ You stated flatly, ‘Like why am I here, Heechul! I have a job!’
‘And that is being Kim Heechul’s girlfriend.’ He said proudly.
You rolled your eyes but that was mostly due to annoyance rather then amusement. You were a hairdresser and friends with some of the most amazing beauticians in the country, which was a plus when Kim Heechul is your boyfriend. The man always took pride in his looks and appearance which was a good thing, until it became a hazard to your working life. Since Gunhee wasn’t around now on a daily basis for these “Heenim moments”, as he likes to call them, you were thus stuck with it.
‘You get pampered more then a bloody woman does, Chul!’ You scolded, ‘Like I had to cancel three appointments just so I could come to your MANICURE!’
‘My hands are money makers, darling.’ He poked your forehead.
‘Yeah cause your face isn’t that great anyway.’ You smirked, knowing that he would get offended.
A look of complete shock and horror befell his face, ‘Take it back!’
‘Will you admit that you are worse then a girl at getting beautified?’
‘No!’
‘Then I stick to my word.’ You grinned, standing up and walking away since you knew he couldn’t run after you due to waiting for his appointment.
Kim Heechul was famous for his overdramatic demure, but all you knew was that he was just a big baby. A big baby that you loved, but also wanted to throw in front of a busy half the time. It wasn’t that the male was high maintenance, but he was just…. well….you know…yeah okay he was just a damn load of high maintenance but you loved him regardless. You walked out the shop knowing that you just needed a breather before stepping back inside.
A young lady called Heechul’s name and escorted him to the working station before taking his hands, ‘You have nice hands, you know?’
‘My pride and joy.’ He said with confidence just as you walk in.
‘Said no normal man ever.’ You teased.
‘And the devil is back.’ Heechul rolled his eyes.
‘Only because my true master summoned me.’ You witted back.
‘Oh? Kyuhyun is here?’ Heechul looked around comically for the maknae.
‘Oh you poor thing,’ You patted his head, ‘Your old age has gotten you delusional. You are now calling out to people who aren’t even anywhere close to you…’ The young lady couldn’t help but laugh at the banter that you and your boyfriend shared, ‘Ha! I told you I was funny!’
‘In your dreams sweetheart,’ Heechul scoffed, ‘In no world is Y/L/N Y/N funnier then Kim Heechul!’
At that moment your phone began to ring so you stood up and walked towards Heechul and bent down to whisper, ‘And in no world are you getting any sex tonight, Mr Kim.’ Your voice soft before answering the phone, ‘Hello?’
Heechul had been busy with the comeback. Always busy and always stressing but never short of checking if you had eaten or slept well. Your relationship with the idol was that of an old married couple, yet you had not idea what your statues with him was. It never bothered you but it was something you thought about a lot.
‘Hello?’ You answered your phone.
‘Hey beautiful.’ A bright response came.
‘Chul?’ You replied, ‘You okay?’
‘Yeah, why would you assume something was wrong?’
‘Because I knew you had Music bank today.’
You could hear his chuckle on the other side of the line, ‘You are better with my schedule then my own manager, Y/N.’
‘I should be employed by SM then.’
‘Well the reason I called was to invite you to dinner.’
‘With the others?’
‘No, just you and I.’
With that, the call ended and you thought you had heard wrong. Did he just ask you out on a date? Your heart skipped a beat before realising that this wasn’t the first time he had asked you to have dinner with him, but those were his attempted cooking while watching Frozen most of the time. Not thinking much, you just continued your day and then went straight to his place afterwards. You stood outside the door, taking a deep breath before opening the door. The usual setting of his apartment now lay in low light, rose petals on the floor and a cute table set in the middle of the lounge with a romantic dinner set up.
‘I got Ryeowook to help me with the preparations.’ His voice pulled you out of your shock.
‘B-but…military?’ You tried to form full sentences in your head but they weren’t reflecting.
He smirked with a slight chuckle before coming into the better light, ‘Ever heard of the phone, Y/N?’
‘Oh yes, those…’ You said in amazement as Heechul wore a fitting black pants and a red shirt, ‘But this?’
‘I have a proposition for you.’ He asked, taking your hand and leading you to the table.
‘That is?’ You sat down with a raided brow.
‘I like you, very much per say, and so I ask you. The question comes with choices so choose wisely.’ He sat across from you, grabbing to take a hold of your hand, ‘ You have two options: become mine or I become yours.’
‘Ex-excuse me?’ You stuttered.
Never in a thousand years would you ever imagine this to be happening to you. Yes this was stuff straight out of your dreams but now it was reality? The man you had secretly liked for years is now asking you to be his? You had to bite your tongue slightly to measure yourself that you were awake. He stroked the back of your hand with his thumb, a nervous cute crooked smile on his handsome face. You looked at your intertwined hands and then towards his face.
‘So?’ He questioned again.
‘Well umm…’ You faded out.
‘I know this is all to much to process but I promise you this. Even though I will be busy with work and schedules, I will never neglect in checking up on you, even more then I do now. Making sure you are happy and okay.’ He smiled, ‘It has been years that you have entered my life, and now I see you really are someone I want to spend it with. So please….be mine?’
A lump formed in your throat but that didn’t stop you from croaking out, ‘Y-yes.’
You currently stood in the rain. This wasn’t by choice though because no one would choose to randomly stand in such weather. Especially weather that would probably give you a nasty flu. Your clothing was soaked from the cold water that was now falling from the evening sky. It was late in the evening and not the ideal time to be out, in fact, you were actually inside a warm house a few minutes ago. The house of your boyfriend and also the house that hosted many other guests including that of his ex girlfriend.
‘Go back to your damn party!’ You hissed, walking away from the person, ‘She must be missing your terribly, Heechul.’
‘She must be but I am more concerned about my crazy girlfriend who is running around in the dark and cold rain!’ Heechul grabbed your wrist, halting you from trying to advance any further away from him.
‘I wouldn’t be running around if you just gave me back my damn keys and wallet!’
‘And have you run away permanently? No thank you babe, I may be crazy myself but not that crazy to have an amazing woman leave me due to a stupid decision.’
You rolled your eyes, but slightly intrigued by where this would be going, ‘Do continue.’
‘I just realized I made the wrong choice leaving you.’ He explained, ‘I shouldn’t have just left you to socialise alone while I went and spoke to her. It was a stupid idea and even more stupid when I didn’t kiss you in front of her.’
‘Why didn’t you?’ You spoke with speed, not even aware that it came out.
He pulled you closer to his body, ‘The thing is, if i kissed you, i don’t think i’d be able to stop. I wouldn’t like to start something that would then render us absent for a few minutes so we could pleasure ourselves.’
‘You are so gross!’ You tried to push him away as he laughed.
‘I am joking,’ He pressed his forehead against yours, ‘Come back to the party please?’
‘But I’m all wet now…’ You sighed, looking down at the soaked clothing.
A sly grin grew on his face as he suddenly picked you up over his shoulder and carried you to the apartment. You kicked and screamed with many people looking at you, but Heechul dismissing them by telling them to mind their own business. Back in front of the door, he placed you down and then laced his fingers with yours before looking at you and smiling.
‘Just follow my lead.’ And with that he opened the front door and who else but to notice him first other then his ex lover.
‘Heechul Oppa!’ She screeched, ‘Where have you been? I missed you…’
‘Ah sorry, just went to find my girlfriend,’ Heechul leaned in and placed a kiss on your cheek, knowing that would annoy the other just a little more, ‘But do excuse us, as you can see we are soaking wet. Y/N and I are going to have a shower.’
As if on cue, her face dropped and drained of colour. Heechul knew that this girl was trying everything in her power to get in between him and you, but he was having none of it. The singer was right when he stated he was as loyal as they came because he then turned to smile to you and then pulled you down the hallway and to the bedroom, leaving his ex speechless and dumbfounded. He looked over his shoulder and smiled before bringing you closer into the doorway so you were visible to the other woman as well.
‘Wanna put the cherry on top of her scowl mood?’ He asked, placing his hands on you waist.
You sat on the couch on a Wednesday night. It was a cool evening and you were tired from work. It had been a long day at the office and you snuggled up against your boyfriend. It had been a long time since you and Heechul spent an evening together and simply did nothing. Since the comeback, he had been all over the place with promotions, but now it was nice to just have him close to you.
‘You have nice hands, you know?’ Heechul spoke up, holding you your intertwined fingers and smiling at you.
‘Says you!’ you chuckled, ‘Your hands are prettier then most girls out there, Chul-ah.’
‘Most yes, but they will never match up the beauty that are yours.’ He kissed your knuckles.
‘Where you always this cheesy?’ You asked, teasing him a little.
‘That depends really. My sister said I was never this mushy about love but the boys said I was always head over heels for any girl I dated.’
‘Oh…I see.’ You said with slight disappointment.
Heechul and yourself had been dating for four years. You met him but total accident one day and you two remained friends and then sooner more. Heechul had told you about his entire past, from his accident to all the ex’s that he had but no once did that last bit ever come up. Was he so mushy that when it came to you, he just forgot about it. Was that really the case?’
‘Hey, hey,’ He lifted your chin, ‘I am head over heels for you, and to be honest, I think you are the only girl I had ever felt this way like. Everyone else was just sort of all the same. Plain and mundane. Nothing interesting or challenging.’
‘I love you.’ You leaned in and connected your lips to his.
‘I love you too, Y/N.’ He said against your lips before hopping off the couch and stretching out a hand to you while the other switched the tv off.
‘What are you doing?’ You asked with a raised brow just as soft music filled the lounge.
‘Dance with me, please?’ A sweet smile caressed his alluring features.
You looked at his hand and then his face, back to his hand then face before lacing your fingers with his. In a fluid motion, he pulled you into his warm embrace. The side of your face was resting against his chest while one hand was on his shoulder and the other was in his. Heechul began to saw as his one hand slipped to your waist and the other holding yours tightly. You felt him rest his head against yours, humming softly to the music. Many nights he had done this and many times you wished that the two of you could just remain like that forever.
‘You’ve gotten better at dancing.’ He teased.
‘You still don’t get it, I stood on your feet on purpose!’ You chuckled, hearing his laugh along.
Song after song placed and the two of you just danced completely engrossed in each other. He would occasionally twirl you around, or dip and even have you stand on his feet and then rock you both back and forth. The night was starting to get late and you knew he had an early morning schedule, but you just couldn’t bring yourself to tell him that it was time for him to leave.
‘I have to go…’ He said softly, your head still against his chest.
‘Can I ask you a favour?’ Your voice muffled into his clothing, but still audible enough for him to hear.
Heechul when you went with your daughter to Russia to visit your family and you write about what she likes very much. But then you tell him that your parents say that you and he need a son, because you are already old (you are 23-24)
