Summary: Joonhwi prided himself in being calm and collected. Always logical, never emotional. Which is why his friends teasing took him by surprise, because he wasn’t obvious at all with his feelings for Kang Sol, or was he?
Or: Joonhwi being a jealous mess and Bokgi and Yebeom being a comedic duo that doesn’t know how or when to shut up.
A/N:this is a 1.3k fic of pure self indulgence, born from a conversation between @ohcoolnice, @sxfik and I, in which we called Joonhwi "Han Joon Whipped". So kudos to you besties for giving me the idea.
Also, if you want to make this 10x better, I'd recommend you listen to No Way! from the Law School OST (here) and have a laugh just like I did while writing.
Part 2 | Masterlist | AO3
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It had all started when Joonhwi made the mistake of teasing Sol in front of Bokgi, that one morning when he was being relentless with her about the sunbae incident.
“What’s up with you two?” he had asked. And maybe not giving him an answer was the worst decision Joonhwi had made, because the younger boy wasn’t the brightest, but his persistence would take him places.
And of course, if Bokgi was after something, Yebeom was right beside him.
Which inevitably takes us to the fatidic moment where Joonhwi not only found out the horrific news that Sol was skipping lunch because she was on a date, but also first heard how his friends had been calling him behind his back for a while now: Han Joon Whipped.
* * * * * * *
Joonhwi could hear his friends talking in hushed voices as he entered the copy room. Weird, he thought. When they met up for lunch you could usually hear the group’s voices – mostly Bokgi, Yebeom and Sol’s bickering – from the corridor outside of the office.
So, he tried to make as little noise as possible as he closed the door behind him. He wanted to listen in to their conversation and maybe give them a scare when he turned around the corner.
“Ya! What do you mean Sol noona is on a date?!” Bokgi’s voice sounded as incredulous as he felt hearing him.
His Kang Sol was on a date?! But how did she find time to go on a date? Didn’t they all have to study for an upcoming exam? Well, maybe it was Kang Sol B- Joonhwi froze in his place as his mind started whirling with questions.
“I mean, it’s not an actual date, but yes. He’s the guy who sits right behind us in our class- I can’t remember his name but unnie said he’s cute” he frowned at Yeseul’s answer.
It was most definitely his Kang Sol, on a “date”, with someone else. But since when did she find someone cute? He had never heard Sol referring to someone as being cute other than her sister Byeol…
“She even asked if she could borrow one of my blazers last night, she seemed excited…” SolB’s addition made everyone stay momentarily silent.
“Oh! I remember who he is now!” Bokgi exclaimed “he’s the guy that’s always keeping noona behind when we’ve waited for you after class, isn’t he?”
“Him?” Yebeom added with mirth in his voice “the one who’s scared of our Joon Whipped hyung?”
He’s scared of- wait, what did Yebeom say? Joonhwi perked up his head at the nickname for him and right away what sounded like a precedent book smacking against something resounded through the copy room. And then-
“Ya! Seo Jiho!” Yebeom’s pained whine reached his ears “What’s with you hitting people?!”
“We’ve told you not to call hyung that aloud” Jiho scolded “what if he hears you?”
And Joonhwi took that as his cue to turn the corner and appear in front of his friends. There was a chorus of yelps and gasps – minus SolB who just gave him her signature piercing stare – and everyone looked at him like kids caught stealing candy. And they stood frozen like that for what seem like an eternity.
“How much did you hear, oppa?” “You heard everything, didn’t you?” Yeseul and SolB’s questions overlapped.
He avoided their questions and tried to appear as nonchalant as possible when he asked, “Is Sol coming to study later on? Her date isn’t taking her whole afternoon, is it?”
His answer were five pairs of eyes fixated on him and suddenly he felt very small as he sat down at his usual spot by the end of the table. Bokgi and Yebeom were grinning from ear to ear, Yeseul was smiling and Jiho threw his head back as he sighed. SolB’s eyes somehow said you deserve what’s coming your way.
“What?”
Jiho turned his head to look at him “Hyung, please don’t embarrass yourself by talking any further”
“I don’t know what you mean” he kept trying to maintain a cool demeanor as he reached across the table to pick some pickles to put on his plate.
“Hyung, stop trying to fool us” Yebeom kept eerily grinning at him “we all know you’re whipped for Sol noona and you just proved it to us”
Joonhwi dropped his chopsticks, splashing his soup everywhere as he half sputtered/half choked with the noodles he had just put in his mouth. Jiho sympathetically patted his back as he tried to regain his composure.
Once he was able to breathe again, he pondered his options: he could try to play dumb and get teased or he could admit the truth… and still get teased. And since the first option sounded too much like lying and he was no liar, he was left with no choice but to confess.
“Am I that obvi- yeah, okay, wrong question” he backtracked when he saw SolB’s looking at him with an arched eyebrow “since when do you know?”
“Wait, Joonhwi-ah, you’re not denying you have feelings for her?” Yebeom gaped at him, honorifics forgotten.
“Are you answering my question?”
“I’ve known something was up since you were teasing noona that one morning about her remembering something” Bokgi shrugged “I just silently observed you afterwards… but do tell, hyung, did something happen between you two around that time?”
Yeseul smacked his arm and Jiho tskedat him. Joonhwi cleared his throat and ignored Bokgi’s question.
“So, uh- who is… who is Sol-ah on a date with?” he could feel his ears go warm.
“Why, are you jealous hyung?” Jiho pushed his glasses up his nose with the corner of his mouth turned slightly upwards.
Joonhwi fully smirked at him, mischievousness present of his face “out of all people, you’re the one I have more leverage against roomie… are you sure you want to tease me?”
“Is that a threat?” Jiho arched an eyebrow.
“No no, just merely stating facts over here” Joonhwi gave him an innocent smile “you talk an awful lot while you sleep”
“That makes two of us, hyung”
“Ya! Don’t you know it’s disrespectful to talk about something secret in front of other people if you don’t share?” Yebeom whined.
Joonhwi scoffed although he wasn’t angry “it is equally disrespectful to talk about someone and give them nicknames behind their back”
“Touché”
They finished what was left of their lunch in silence. After that they divided what they needed to revise for their upcoming exam and diligently got to work in small groups, purposefully leaving Joonhwi on his own so he could work with Sol once she decided to show up to their study session.
A few hours went by and Joonhwi couldn’t focus on what he had to do anymore. Sol hadn’t show up and his mind started running wild with thoughts about his Kang Sol doing… things, with another guy. Get a grip, he thought, it is none of your business if she- if she…
He had sighed for the umpteenth time when Yeseul addressed him “Oppa, it wasn’t an actual date- not a romantic one anyways. He’s unnie’s partner for our class project, the professor randomly paired us up. Sol unnie agreed to grab something to eat with him so they could discuss the project after”
“Besides, he’s scared of you, hyung” Bokgi added “you have nothing to worry about”
“Scared of me?” his eyebrows shot up in surprise “Why would he fear me?”
“Hyung, Sol noona is the only one who hasn’t realised-”
“Ya! Jo Yebeom!” Sol’s sudden appearance next to Joonhwi made everyone jump on their seats “haven’t I told you it’s rude to talk about people behind their backs?”
hey!!! was wondering if you wanted to write a drabble about byeol actually meeting and talking to joonhwi hehehe
ah, thank you for the prompt anon! (and with this prompt i have discovered that i cannot write children at all so i apologize to anyone who prompts me to write a child au, or even just from a kid’s perspective, i just can’t.)
this actually is a canon-adjacent idea, involving the time when it was that joonhwi put up the cctv near sol’s house. it’s pre-solhwi getting together, but joonhwi is starting to realize in this that he feels a bit more than casual friendship for sol.
Word Count: 813
Joonhwi tells himself that he’s doing this for himself. Installing the CCTV that is. Despite the anklet proof, he’s just still not sure that Lee Manho, convicted child rapist despite the claim of feeblemindedness, is not somehow behind his uncle’s death.
But in reality, he knows his other, more secret reason. Kang Sol. Her little sister, Byeol, lives right across the street from him. Kang Sol worries tremendously. About her sister, about Lee Manho. So installing the CCTV has another purpose. She’ll know when he does if something happens, if her sister runs into Lee Manho again. And it also has the purpose of letting Sol focus on her work rather than worrying. Joonhwi doesn’t like seeing her panic. Hates it actually. Though she may operate in a state of panic half of the time, there’s a difference between Sol panicking and Sol panicked. He saw the difference when she got the call about her sister, when she dropped everything and ran.
He cares about his friend. And if that means ensuring that a CCTV gets installed as a warning to Lee Manho, then he’ll do it.
And now after speaking to a CCTV company, and making sure that they send the feed to his phone, all Joonhwi needs to do is confirm the location.
Standing outside Sol’s house, he paces the space between her door and Manho’s. When he had spent a good portion of the night outside, the first day he met Byeol again, he had found most of the dark spots.
Now, all he needs to do is to check to ensure that the corners are mostly covered, and what exactly the spacing is in real life compared to on camera. So keeping an eye on himself in the feed going to his phone, Joonhwi paces until he can mostly figure out the spatial differences in the camera compared to in person.
“Smart oppa?” It’s Byeol’s voice, and Joonhwi turns to see Byeol peaking out from beyond the gate to her and Sol’s apartment. He gives her a smile, squatting to look her in the eyes.
“Byeol?” he keeps his voice level, not wanting to spook her. After all, her sister isn’t here right now. But she comes up to him anyways.
“What are you doing, oppa?” she tilts her head at him, blinking, but demanding an answer nonetheless.
Joonhwi smiles. “Setting up a camera.” He points up, “see?”
“What’s it for?”
“Ah, so that scary man,” he tries to keep his voice confident and reassuring, “knows that your oppa and unni are always watching him.”
“Good.” Byeol smiles at him. “Smart oppa, what do you think about my unni?”
“Sol?” she nods at his question and Joonhwi pauses. “She’s strong.”
Byeol blinks at that, “do you like my unni, oppa?”
Joonhwi blinks at that. He’s thrown for a second, sure he and Sol are close, mostly because she’s committed to helping him prove someone else, not Professor Yang, killed his uncle. And sure, she’s fun to tease, and a fantastic friend as well. But he hasn’t thought about whether he likes her or not.
It just-hasn’t occurred to him.
“Well,” Byeol waves at him. “Think about it, okay oppa? Unni can’t stop talking about you, and the only other person she ever talked this much about was her ex-boyfriend.”
“I’ll tell her you said that,” he mock threatens, getting to his feet, groaning slightly. Looks up at the camera. It’s actually in the perfect place, for once the company got it right the first time. Exactly where he asked for it to be.
“No you won’t,” she heads back to the gate in front of her door and sticks her tongue out at him. “Tell unni to study, and if she doesn’t that I won’t call her unless she passes first year!”
Joonhwi laughs, waving goodbye to her as she shuts the door behind her.
Looks back up at the camera, smiling at it and the knowledge that Sol’s little sister will be safe (and also, that for some reason, Sol can’t stop talking about him to her sister). Both facts making him strangely warm, and turning back around, he walks back to the bus stop, keeping an eye on his phone, reminding himself to tease Sol about the day they met again.
If only, because he loves having her gaze on him. And teasing her is just the best way to get that. And she must feel something in regards to him then, if she can’t stop talking about him to her sister.
He just can hope that it’s similar to what he feels for her. But they don’t have time, Joonhwi reminds himself, not right now. They have a case to solve and a professor to defend. There’s always time later, for him to figure out what the rest of it, including his emotions and feelings, mean.
and when the seasons change (will you stand by me?)
read on ao3 • main masterlist • law school masterlist
summary: when kang sol's mother has to work late, she has to take care of byeol. it's just her luck that she has an exam the next day, one for professor yang of all people. joon hwi, being the kind classmate he is, offers to study with her.
or: byeol is solhwi mastermind, and she's says everything we wanted to say to the two dummies.
request by anon: hiya! saw that you do solhwi prompts so I was thinking that Sol A has to babysit byeol but there's a big test the next day so she calls joon hwi over to help her w studying. meanwhile byeol(being iconic) tries to set them up in true shipper fashion.
a/n: this is based on a request i got on tumblr, pictured above! i have around 5 (ish) fics that will go out over the week so stay tuned for those lmao! uh yeah, i don't really know what else to say other than im really sad law school ended so i've just been sad and mopey, but still writing to fill that hole. as always, enjoy <333
Although Joon Hwi was the 'star' student of Hankuk Law School, he was never much for studying. It's not because everything came to him that easily, but because finding the strength to concentrate and study when he could be hanging out with his friends or doing anything better with his time was insanely tempting. Finding the effort to get to the library, and read up on his textbooks was arduous and he always found it easier to study by himself, no distractions around. This was, of course, until Kang Sol came along. For Joon Hwi, everything in his life was turned on its axis when she came into his life.
When he first met her, in Professor Yang's class, she was just the poor girl being grilled by the professor. His heart went out to her, watching her pull her hair out of the bun to avoid the question. He didn’t know what possessed him to answer for her, but he assumed it to be a one time thing. But from the moment she crashed into him yelling "Second Round Judicial Exam, save me!", he was stuck on her.
Slowly, she was everywhere in his life, from the study group to the legal clinic to a majority of his classes. Unlike so many of his classmates, who were by the book and generally clinical in personality, she was a fireball of energy and passion. In class, despite not being the best student, she would argue with so much passion and energy that it was impossible to win against her. It was fascinating, watching her connect and jump from case to case. She would throw herself into everything she believed in, which included defending him from the school and his uncle.
Joon Hwi has liked girls before, but he's never been so captivated and head-over-heels for anyone in his life. Love and dating seemed secondary, and he preferred to keep it out of his life until he reached his goals. You could call him selfish but he prefers to call it being focused on his goals. He's always had one goal in life, and it was to work with the law, whether as a judge or working as police or as a prosecutor.
Yet, if Kang Sol was in the room, his eyes were on her. Whether she was frustrated at him or teasing him or gleeful with him, he couldn't help but smile at her. If she was around, he was right by her side, making her laugh or cringe or annoyed.
So there he was, studying in the school library with Kang Sol. Professor Yang’s exam was right around the corner and unlike last time, he cannot miss the comma in the given case. Plus, he doesn’t even have the excuse of being accused of a murder this time, so both Sol and Joon Hwi were hunched over their books, pouring into the texts when Kang Sol’s phone blared loudly from her bag, startling them both.
Sol cringed as she dug around in her cloth bag, the classic dirty looks tossed her way by the sleep deprived students as she stood to leave the library and take the call. He buried himself back into the textbook, but the concentration was lost and he was more interested in the call she’d gotten than ins and outs of defamation laws.
Around 10 minutes later, Sol was speeding back to her chair, the phone clutched firmly in her hand. But Joon hwi could see her frustration from a mile away. Her face held that pout, her eyebrows furrowed and grumbling under her breath. It was adorable.
But he was worried, considering it was the day before the exam, Sol couldn’t afford to be distracted from her studies. He wasn’t blind to her struggles in school, but Joon Hwi never considered her lesser than him for not being able to pick up the concepts with speed.
Unlike him, and a majority of his classmates, she had passion and a heart when dealing with clients. He could see it in her mannerisms with clients in the legal clinic, patiently explaining the clause or the issues they might face to the client. She’s sympathetic to the max, always hearing out the client’s grievances before making a judgement on what they had done. She was exactly what the world needed: a sympathetic, patient lawyer that was willing to fight for the client, someone that they can cling to. He and every professor in the school knew it, but it seemed Sol was the only one who never realized how essential she was.
Suddenly, he felt himself getting up to gather his materials with her without a second thought, despite the confused look Sol shot him. He wasn’t sure what exactly possessed him to do it, but he knew that if she wasn’t there, he didn’t want to study at the library either. Grinning at her, he walked out, side by side until they were outside the quiet library. She paused in her tracks all of a sudden, taking him by surprise and he paused too, looking back at her, tilting his head in confusion.
"My mom needs to work late today, so I need to rush home and take care of Byeol," she looked up at him finally, her face apologetic. "I'm sorry, Joon hwi but I don't think I'll be able to study for the exam with you," she started to walk away, but he couldn't let her go that easily.
"I'll come with you," he offered, surprising himself, "I'll study with you. Plus, it'll be easier to take care of Byeol with two people than one, right?"
She paused, looking back at him, conflicted. Sighing, Joon Hwi stepped closer to her. "Come on, let's not keep her waiting. Shall we?" He was determined to keep her company, especially since she’d have less time to study since she’d have to take care of Byeol. It was easier this way, and I’d do this for any friend he told himself.
The ride there was slow and quiet, but not an uncomfortable one. They both walked in tandem, with their backpacks filled with everything they'd possibly need to study, and even the bus ride was peaceful, the two of them staring out the window, watching the scenery pass by them. Joon hwi sat beside her, rather than across from her like last time, just to save space on the bus. On the very empty bus they were riding together.
Days like this, where the air was heavy and humid, the earth preparing for a heavy rain, were the most comforting types of days. The air was still warm and humid, making Sol’s hair poof out slightly, her naturally wavy hair frizzing out of her bun. The feeling of her beside him, as if this was a regular ritual for both of them, brought a sense of content in his heart. He couldn’t pinpoint exactly what it was, whether it was the girl beside him or the past year’s chaos, but watching the trees and the traffic pass by them brought more peace to his life than ever.
The two made their way into the alleyway, where Joon hwi had once stood guard of when Lee Man Ho once lived, threatening her family. He's standing in front of Kang Sol's house behind her, holding her backpack in hand as she struggles with the keys.
Finally, finally, she gets the door open, and a figure zips by, crashing into Sol. Byeol’s arms wrapped Sol's waist, like the adorable sister she is. Sol stumbled back into him slightly at the sudden weight thrown onto her, but nonetheless, crouched to envelop her sister in a bone-crushing hug. Joon hwi couldn’t help but smile at the two sisters, their love for each other enveloping him
"Unnie!" she grinned up at her, "Did you bring him with you?" Her eyes were serious and wide as Sol opened her mouth to answer.
"Byeol-ah!" Joon hwi yelled out from behind Sol, peaking out to see the 8-year old grinning at him, much wider than she did at Sol. Ha!
"Joonhwi-oppa!" the girl squealed out, leaving Sol's grip to run to him. As she ran to him, he picked her up and twirled her in the air, the girl's giggles echoing through the small alleyway as the two greeted each other.
Sol, standing by the door, smiled faintly before calling out, "Come in, before either of you catch a cold!" Both of them filed in, incessantly chattering as if they hadn't seen each other in months, even though it had only been two weeks since Joon hwi had been by to take the two sisters out to the park.
"Oppa! Why did you come with Unnie?" Byeol asked, finally being set down inside the house, looking up at him curiously as Sol
"Ah, we have an exam tomorrow, so I'm here to study with her," Joon hwi replied.
"Good," the girl jumped onto the couch. "Unnie needs a lot of help," the girl quipped back, nodding her head solemnly, making her look a lot older than 8 years.
"Yah Kang Byeol!" Sol exclaimed, indignantly. Joon hwi chuckled at the two as Sol turned to him. "Here, we can work in the dining room," she moved to grab her backpack from him, stepping towards the dining room.
"NO!" Byeol yelled out at the both of them, her hand flying out to stop the two of them, "Unnie, you should work in your room instead! You know I'll be watching TV and obviously, it'd be too loud for you to focus," the girl rushed out, her doe-eyes a bit too wide, her voice a little too innocent. She is definitely plotting something, Joon hwi narrowed his eyes at her but she avoided the look, choosing to jump off the couch and walk towards them instead.
Before either of them could protest, the girl pushed the both of them towards, presumably, Kang Sol's bedroom. Sol awkwardly laughed at him, Joon hwi shooting her an amused look. They awkwardly stood in her room, Joon hwi avoiding her gaze and choosing to look at the walls instead. Her room here looked similar to the one she had back on campus. Her desk was stacked to the max, sticky notes lining the walls with old reminders and little notes of encouragement. It was neat, but brightly colored, which suited Sol so very well.
“Let’s get started shall we?” Sol finally said, clearing her throat, gesturing for him to set down his books. He obliged, sitting at her desk while she chose her bed. They both set up all their materials, the awkward silence shifting into a peaceful one, the two working themselves into a comfortable rhythm.
It had been almost an hour of straight studying, both of them regurgitating criminal codes and case precedents from memory. Joon hwi was sure that by this point that his mind was complete mush, and Sol was starting to wither, her eyes almost glazed over while she started into one of her casefiles. Her hair was a lot puffier than it was when they started. Turns out, Sol had a habit of ruffling her hair with her pencil each time she was confused or working herself too hard, which was often.
“Let’s take a break shall we? I’m going to get a glass of water,” he said, standing up and stretching his arms out, trying to put the two out of their misery. He yawned, the stiffness in his muscles finally noticeable when he stretched out. She nodded back to him, yawning and stretching out in her chair, before she picked up her phone to check some messages.
He walked out of her room and back to the living room, where byeol was still glued to her seat, her eyes on the TV playing some cartoon. Heading over to the dining table, he poured himself a glass of water with the pitcher, before heading back to check on Byeol.
“What’s this show called?” he asked her, taking a sip of the water while watching the show with her.
“Hm?” Byeol turned to him, “Oh, it’s this show about two kids who set out to find a treasure mapped out by their parents,” she explained, gesturing towards him to take a seat beside him. He obliged, opting to sit beside the girl, both their eyes glued to the screen. A few moments passed by, before the little girl turned towards him.
“You know, my sister’s favorite color is dark green. Not like emerald green, but forest green tinted with some dark blue,” Byeol said nonchalantly. Joon Hwi’s eyebrows furrowed, confused as to why the girl is telling this to him. “And, her favorite ice cream is this nutella infused one that you get down the street, closer to the town square. It’s been her favorite since she was little,” she continued, not giving his confusion any heed. The girl rapidly started telling him facts about her dear sister, all the while confusion took over his features.
“Joonhwi-oppa,” she squinted at him, pausing as her face grew serious, “You like my sister, don’t you?” He sputtered, choking and coughing out the water. “I knew it!” she excitedly squealed.
“Byeol, byeol, shh, you can’t let your sister know okay,” he brought a finger to his lips, his eyes alarmed. For an 8 year old, Byeol was surprisingly cunning and observant. She had managed to figure out what he had been struggling with for the past year after just a few short visits. They shared a look of understanding between the two, before the girl turned her attention to the show, leaving Joon Hwi walking back to Sol’s room. The Kang Sisters, he shook his head, laughing as he thought, what a perfect duo.
bonus
It had been almost 3 hours of studying together before Kang Sol realized that the sun had set outside, and all of a sudden, they were in a rush to clean up. Joon hwi had to leave before the dorms closed entrance and because of their studying, the two of them had their head buried in books since the time they got to her house.
She was glad to have him over though. Despite her hesitation at the school and fears of inconveniencing him, having Joon hwi made the process a lot smoother. With his careful and gentle help, she had a much easier time understanding the concepts and she was eternally grateful, considering Professor Yang’s exams were always some of the toughest.
They were rushing out of the house, his backpack in her hand as he hurriedly put on his shoes and stepped outside the house. But before Joon hwi could turn with a hurried goodbye, she called out to him, her breath suddenly lodged in her throat.
“Thank you,” she quietly told him, the prospect of looking into his eyes as he leaned over her doorstep daunting. “Thank you for helping me, Joon hwi, it was really kind of you,” she beamed at him, trying to convey her gratitude and more in the only way she knew possible.
They both paused, looking at each other as the air got thicker between them, as if a string was drawing him closer to her. She watched as he swallowed slightly, his adam’s apple moving slightly before he let out a soft “You’re welcome,” and a classic smile, before he rushed out, trying to catch his bus.
She sighed, watching him as he rushed off, capturing the bus. Soon, she thought, Soon, I’ll tell him how I feel. She reassured herself, turning around only to find Byeol hiding behind a pillar.
“Byeol? What are you doing, weren’t you watching a show?” she questioned her sister, but Byeol made no response. Suddenly her sister frowned at her, muttering something about how can she possibly be a lawyer and she’s so blind, leaving her in utter confusion at the front steps.
I think the girl in the flashback is Kang Sol and the dongsaeng she defended is Kang Byeol :D
oh noo i don’t think it’s byeol because the flashback happened when sol and dan were in high school so byeol might not have been born yet. i could be wrong though, the timeline in law school is so confusing T⌓T
So, I hesitate, if I can act the same for you (And my darlin', I'll be rooting for you)
Summary: when Kang Sol starts to see Joon Hwi in a different light. Inspired by London Grammar's Rooting For You (you can listen to the song by clicking on its name).
A/N: this is the first time in nearly 3 years I've written something, so it's on the shorter side. Also, please bare with me if there are any grammar mistakes, I mostly wrote this typing in absolute darkness at 4am. It has a part two (found here).
Masterlist | AO3
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"I'll be rooting for you in your uncle's place"
When those words left Sol's mouth she immediately regretted it. Not because she didn't meant what she said, but because she didn't know if she would be able to live up to her promise.
"I'll do the same"
Of course you will, you always do - Sol thought. And for a moment she felt frustrated, because when she said those words of encouragement she wasn't just talking about cheering on him for the competition, no.
What Sol meant to say was that she would stand by him no matter what, being his unconditional support until he didn't want her anymore.
Because she felt indebted to Joon Hwi.
And as she tossed and turned in her bed later that night, unable to fall asleep, she started to recall every memory she had from their first year at law school... And in every sigle one of them he was there by her side, protecting her from evil when he could and being her lifesaver when she felt like she would drown.
Sol realised that after Dan's sudden departure, she had felt lonely and had learnt, the hard way, how difficult it was for her to fend for herself - and her family - without any support. That's why she fought with all her might to stay in school, why she constantly overexerted herself studying. Because being a lawyer meant giving them - or rather, little Byeol - a better future.
And she truly appreciated Joon Hwi for seeing how hard she tried and encouraging her, instead of telling her to just quit already like her classmates did from time to time via sticky notes left on her desk at the library.
That's why, when she received a text from him the next morning asking her to have breakfast together, she beamed and quickly scrambled up and away from her bed, running down the stairs to meet up with him.
And that's also why Sol kept telling herself that picking up on more tiny details and mannerisms about him as time went on, like exactly how he liked his ramyeon to surprise him with it that one time she got up before him or teasing him for changing his hair to a side part when they participated on mock trials which backfired terribly when he teased her back with a flirty comeback and she was left flustered and gaping like a fish out of water to their friends utter amusement, was just a way of making sure she was paying as much attention to him as he always payed her.
Yep, that's definitely it, it absolutely doesn't have anything to do with a change of heart - she thought. Because thinking about her possible feelings for him made her heart ache... There was no way he would ever return them. Because he was the great Joon Hwi and she was just Sol. And she definitely felt satisfied she did not with being his unconditionally supportive best friend and nothing more.
Summary: Joonhwi receives a call from a distressed Byeol about Sol being sick, and as the whipped man he his, he goes running to her aid. What he doesn’t expect is Sol’s feverish admittance.
A/N: thanks to the lovely @confusedsoulsramblings for giving me ideas for this chapter, I was feeling stuck and she came through.
TW: sickness, mentions of throwing up, curse words.
Part 2 | Masterlist | AO3
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“… and then hyung goes “I’ll save you some pickles for tonight” as he fixed Sol-noona’s hair” Bokgi and Yebeom’s reenactment of the situation for Jiho and Solb made Joonhwi wish the earth would split in half and swallow him whole.
They were taking a break from studying and his friends had decided to tease him as entertainment.
“Bokgi-ah, I think that’s enough” Yeseul pulled the boy’s sleeve to catch his attention and gave him an apologetic smile “we’ve laugh too much at Joonhwi-oppa’s expense for today”
“Huh? Oh, sure” Bokgi gave him a sheepish smile “sorry, hyung”
Joonhwi made a dismissive gesture with his hand, but he was glad Yeseul had decided to show some mercy on him. “But oppa” she added “Je Siwoo seems to have a serious intention of sweeping Sol-unnie off her feet”
He threw his head back and sighed. That bastard! he had wanted to throw a punch at him for daring to touch his Sol without her consent. He could almost hear Sol telling him she could defend herself just fine, but he wanted to defend and protect her nonetheless.
“Kang Sol-unnie also seems to be making an effort with her appearance, she asked if she could borrow one of my blazers again” Solb added “it seems like she’s trying”
Aish…
“Oppa, are you going to do something about it?” Yeseul’s concern tinted her voice.
Joonhwi looked at the girl he had somewhat started to regard as a younger sister, who had a worrisome expression on her face, and his frown softened. After her trial, Yeseul had profusely apologized to him for dragging him into her mess of a situation, the remnants of guilt she still felt eating her up. He had told her she didn’t need to apologize, that he would’ve done the same for any of their friends and that he was at peace knowing she was safe now. He also knew he had surprised her with his honest answer, because he usually didn’t let his guard down or express his true feelings with anyone other than Sol.
“I- I don’t know” he stammered.
“Oppa, you’ve been pining after Sol-unnie since our first year and we’re about to graduate”
“You should do something about it” Jiho pushed his glasses back “otherwise you might end up regretting it”
“We can help you” Bokgi and Yebeom said in unison and Solb almost imperceptibly nodded along.
Joonhwi chuckled as he looked at his friends’ expectant faces. “Were you planning this all along? It sounds like an intervention”
“We had plans to talk to you about it, but weren’t sure about it” to his surprise, it was Solb who answered his question.
“Although after your blatant display of jealousy, we have no other choice hyung”
“Ya! Seo Jiho!” he exclaimed
“Would you even entertain the idea of doing something about your crush if you hadn’t overheard us talking about you, hyung?” Jiho seemed unphased by him, and at his lack of response he added “I don’t think so”
And Joonhwi hated to admit to himself that he would’ve probably keep finding poor excuses not to confess to Sol. But what if she doesn’t feel the same? I don’t want to make things awkward between us…
Luck seemed to be on their side, because just as they fell silent, Sol turned around the corner with a big smile on her face – which made Joonwhi’s insides turn and twist in jealousy as he discovered it was because of her date – and ready to study the evening and night away. The study session was cut short when Sol had to go home in a rush to take care of Byeol. Her mother had yet again to work through the night and there had been some attempted burglaries around their neighborhood, so she didn’t want to leave the younger girl alone.
Which is why when he got a frantic Byeol calling through Sol’s phone he nearly had a heart attack.
* * * * * * *
Joonhwi had been feeling off the rest of the evening after Sol left campus. He had picked up on the fact that she looked a little pale and the dark circles under her eyes were noticeable even though she had been so cheery. But he hadn’t had the time to question her about it before she left.
It was nighttime now, he had just come out of the shower and was in the process of drying his hair when he noticed his phone was buzzing on his desk, Sol’s name flashing across his screen. He had turned off the blow dryer and picked up the phone with a teasing phrase on the tip of his tongue as to why was she calling so late, which died down quickly when the voice he heard was not his friend’s.
“Hi, is this Joonhwi-oppa?” Byeol’s voice sounded full of worry.
“Hello? Kang Byeol is that you?” he heard background shuffling noises from the girl’s end of the line and his stomach sank “What’s going on? Are you okay?”
“I’m okay, but my unnie isn’t” she breathed out, her voice still panicky “I think she has a stomach bug… she has thrown up a few times now and I don’t know what to do! she says she’ll be fine, but it doesn’t look like it and she won’t let me help-”
“Okay Byeol, calm down, try to breathe” Joonhwi put the phone on speaker mode on his desk as he put a hoodie on “I’m coming over, is that okay?”
“Yes!! Please come, oppa!”
“I’ll be there as soon as I can” he haphazardly wrote a note to Jiho to let him know about his whereabouts and placed it on his pillow “keep the phone with you and text me if anything else happens, okay?”
“Okay, thank you oppa!”
Joonhwi took a taxi to Sol’s house, deeming the bus as too slow for an emergency. He knew the fare would be high but could not care less at this given moment. He stopped at a pharmacy on his way and bought some medicine, then jogged through the alleyways until he arrived at Sol’s house. He had to lean forward on his knees to take a breath as he knocked on the door.
“Oppa?” Byeol asked from the other side of the door.
“Yes, it’s me”
He heard the door unlocking and when he looked up, he stared straight into Byeol’s worried eyes, who was beckoning him to get inside. He waited for Byeol to lock the door again and they quickly descended the stairs together, stopping at the entrance of the small apartment to take of his shoes and coat.
“Sol-unnie is still in the bathroom, she’s too heavy for me”
“Byeol-ah, who are you talking to?” Sol whined from the bathroom.
Joonhwi walked in the direction of Sol’s voice. When he stood at the door’s threshold and saw her slumped form, half hugging the toilet bowl and leaning her head against her arm with her eyes closed, his heart clenched.
“Sol-ah, what happened to you?”
She opened one eye and looked up at him in confusion.
“Joonhwi-ah? Is that you?” she croaked “No, it can’t be, I’m probably seeing things…”
Joonhwi chuckled at her and bent down to pry her away from the toilet. He then closed the lid, flushed the toilet, and carefully hoisted Sol up to seat her on top of it. He placed his hand on her warm forehead and she leaned against his touch.
“It is you!” Sol opened her eyes in surprise and leaned back to look up at him “what are you doing here?”
“You know how terrifying it was to receive a call from your scared sister? After you mentioned there were attempted burglaries happening in your neighborhood?” he didn’t mean for his voice to sound harsh, but he had been truly scared her situation was worse “why didn’t you mentioned you felt sick before leaving campus?”
“How did you know- I had to rush home! I didn’t have time to explain, besides it is nothing to worry about! It must’ve been something I ate” she whined “It will go away now that I’ve thrown up, I’m fine!”
So, it was something she ate on her date with Je Siwoo. I hope he’s fucking sick too and that he feels far worse than Sol.
“How can you blatantly lie like that Kang Sol-ah” he frowned at her “I’m sure if you were to be just fine Byeol wouldn’t have called”
“Aish! Stop scolding me” Sol extended her arms towards him “help me get up, I want to rinse my mouth”
Joonhwi grabbed Sol by her forearms and she staggered forward, groaning as she landed onto his chest with an oomph. Sol quickly moved away from him and leaned her hip against the sink, but he didn’t let go of her arms. She grabbed her toothbrush from the cup that sat next to the faucet and meticulously brushed her teeth and rinsed her mouth.
When she was finished, he helped her move to lay down on the living room couch, where Byeol had placed a pillow and a comforter for a makeshift bed. Sol would be closer to the bathroom that way. As soon as she was settled, he made her take some medicine and made sure she was comfortably tucked in the comforter.
“Will my unnie be okay now, Joonhwi-oppa?” Byeol yawned as soon as she finished the sentence, exhaustion visible in her face.
“It seems like she will” he smiled fondly at her “you can go to bed if you like, I promise I will let you know if anything happens”
Byeol surprised him by embracing him in a tight hug “thank you, oppa”
She then gave him a toothy smile and trudged away to the only other room the house had. Joonhwi sat on the ground at Sol’s feet, a tired sigh leaving his lips as he leaned his back against the furniture and turned his head to look at her.
“Joonhwi-ah” she turned her head to the side and barely opened her eyes to look at him “thanks for coming, I owe you”
“It is what friends do for each other” he wanted to slap himself as soon as those words left his mouth. I want to be more than a friend to her and here I am sabotaging myself… great move Han Joon Hwi, just great.
“But Joonhwi-ah” Sol spoke softly, sleep lacing her voice “stop looking at me like that, it makes me want to be the Kang Sol you care about more”
Joonhwi froze as soon as he heard her words. He was surprised she still remembered what he had said on the stand all that time ago, when prosecutor Jin had pressed him for an answer. And of course, Sol being herself, had assumed it was the other Kang Sol he was talking about. But why hadn’t she said anything? Did this mean she felt something for him? Or was she just feverish?
“You are the only Kang Sol I care about” he whispered, and he was somewhat glad that the only answer he got from the girl he loved was a snore.
