Summary: Back home from your year working abroad, you assume it’ll be business as usual— that is, until you meet your dad’s new farm hand, who’s ready to show you something sweeter than sugarcane
*Warning: Eventual smut(chapters will be labeled accordingly)
A/N: Story takes place in Mexico BUT remember that you can be any ethnicity and have been born in Mexico so don’t let it put you off from reading it! Will have some Spanish sprinkled in, but I will translate it. I'll also work on an entirely Spanish translation soon 🤎
*Footnotes w/ translations every few paragraphs
“Want me to show you what else I’m good at?” He asks, leaning in slowly.
Your heart pulses in your chest, your mouth going dry as the night breeze picks up, blowing gently through your scalp. Your lashes flutter as the proximity between the both of your closes further and further, his breath already gently fanning over your face as he says,
"Running from ¹La Llorona..."
Before you can register what he's saying, he's already leaping from his place and making a run for the arch at the entrance to the plaza. You're stunned for only a moment, before you, too, jump from your place and run after him, unable to contain your laughter, "¡Pinche culero!" Fucking asshole! You yell as you run after him.
1.) *Reference to last chapter, when Y/n mentioned protecting Yunho from La Llorona
La Llorona: “The wailing woman”; a ghostly female apparition based in Mexican folklore (too long to explain, but I encourage you to look it up if you don’t already know about her)
Despite how quickly you're running, he loses you easily, and after a moment, you stop and look around, turning every which way as you pant. The street is completely empty, and the only street light left on is the one at the end of the street. You weren't creeped out when you initially started after him, but you definitely are now.
"Where could he have possibly--?" You're cut off by the feeling of two giant hands dropping on your shoulders, "BOO!" He shouts, making you shriek in surprise, despite knowing it's just him. You quickly turn around, a smile of relief on your face at the sight of him, despite how quickly your hand flies to swat his chest, "You're the worst!" You reprimand him, catching your breath for the second time.
"¿¡Quien chingados esta haciendo tanto pinche ruido?! Algunos de nosotros tenemos que madrugar!" Who the fuck is making so much fucking noise!? Some of us gotta get up early in the morning! Shouts a voice from one of the neighboring houses, their lights suddenly coming on.
Yours and Yunho's eyes widen as you look at each other, your smiles growing. Without missing a beat, Yunho's hand quickly reaches for your wrist, pulling you around the corner and down the road to avoid being scolded by wahetever disgruntled neighbor that was. You run together, far enough away to where you reach a shadowy tree line, now only lit by the moon, as on both sides of the road lie small patches of farmland. He finally lets go of you, and the both of you laugh and laugh until your sides literally hurt.
"You almost got me beat up," Yunho jokes, his laughter finally dying down. "Me?! You're the one who ditched me and the scared me!" "Hmph, and you said you'd protect me from La Llorona," He smirks, quirking a brow up at you. "Oh, shut up," You say, exhaling, though the smile is still on your face. He looks at you as best he can, the moonlight streaking across your face through some of the gaps in the tree; his eyes are soft and full of an emotion you've yet to name, though just as quickly as you notice it, he's motioning back down the road, "Come on. Let's go get you back to the ²baile before Wooyoung starts worrying about you."
2.) Baile: a dance
"Damn, what trash can did you crawl out of this morning?" Jongho snorts as you walk in to the kitchen, your face slightly swollen, hair disheveled and sticking up every which way, and residual makeup still on your face, despite how you tried to clean it off last night.
"The same one we rescued you from as a baby, actually," You retort, not even looking at him as you make your way to the electric kettle, and switch it on, "Is there anymore coffee?" You ask, looking in the cupboard for the cinnamon Nescafe. "Nope," Jongho says with a smug smile on his face as he takes a sip of his coffee. "You know, you used to be so cute when you were little. What happened?" You ask, glaring at him.
"³Mija," Your mom walks in, "I'm gonna need you to go to the store for me and get me the stuff on the list I'm gonna send you. "⁴Ama, no, please. It's my day off," You furrow your brows, a pleading tone to your voice. "Stop being dramatic. We need stuff for dinner, we don't have anymore coffee-" "Jongho was the one who finished it, make him go," You begin to whine. "He has to take the truck to the mechanic. Now stop whining and just do it," Your mom says, slinging her bag over her shoulder, "I'm going with your ⁵tía to ⁶Autlán to get stuff for your cousin's ⁷quince. I need you to have done it by the time I get back," Your mom says, ignoring your frown as she gives you a kiss on the cheek and then goes over to Jongho to do the same.
3.) Mija/Mijo: my daughter/my son
4.) Amá: Informal way to address your mother. Similar to 'mom,' rather than "mother"
5.) Tío/Tía: Uncle/Aunt
6.) Autlán: A large city in Jalisco (ppl usually come here from surrounding, much smaller towns to shop because it has a variety of stores you might not find in a smaller town)
7.) Quince: Usually means 15, though in this context, its short for quinceañera, which is a celebration of a teenage girl's coming of age (her 15th birthday)
"Bye ⁸Mami, ⁹Dios le bendiga" Jongho says, like the good little mama's boy he is. "Igualmente, Papi" Same to you, Papi She says, ruffling his hair before walking out of the kitchen. Jongho turns to you, "Looks like you've got a busy day off ahead of you," he lets out a satisfied sigh. "Looks like," You say, suddenly reaching for his mug that's still about halfway full, and just cooled off enough for you to chug the entire thing in one go. "That was my coffee!" He says, snatching it from your hand and seeing you've downed the whole thing. "And that was my day off," You smirk, "Have fun at the mechanic." You walk out of the kitchen and go to your room to get ready for the day.
8.) Mami/Papi: Mommy/Daddy (For the most part, these words don't have the same creepy sexual connotations the way they do in English so it's not uncommon for adults to still call their parents these names). Some parents will even call their children these names as well (mami for their daughters, papi for their sons; term of endearment)
9.)Dios te bendiga: God bless you (you say le instead of te when speaking to someone older/of higher societal rank than you, as a sign of respect; similar to Korean honorifics. Some people use le with their parents, some don't)
"Okay, if I get it done quickly, I'll get to bed rot for the rest of the day," You say, making your way into town, delighting in the lack of foot traffic, since it's only nine in the morning. You look around, trying to find a parking spot. "Aha!" You exclaim triumphantly when you find one at the very end of the road. You start driving down, when suddenly, a car comes from the opposite way, cutting you off completely and stealing your spot. "What the fuck!" You yell, slapping the visor up to be able to look at whoever's driving, "You came the wrong way--!" After a second, your eyes are able to focus, and you realize it's-
"Yunho?" You say, furrowing your brows and squinting to confirm. Of course, you see his signature ¹⁰tejana (and smile), as he sticks his head out the window and waves. Your heart flutters in your chest, the memories of last night coming flooding back to you: his face so close to yours, how excited you got when his fingertips grazed the bare skin of your shoulder-- He shuts off his truck and comes over, looking in each direction to make sure no one was coming up you to get by.
7.)Tejana: traditional cowboy hat/sombrero
He gets to the driver side window and puts his hand on the side of the roof, leaning against it and peering into your car, "'Morning," He says, some kind of red candy in his cheek as he looks down at you. You can feel your cheeks heating up, something that only happens because you just can't quite get used to him getting so close. "I was gonna park there," You say, ignoring his greeting. "Yeah, well," He chuckles, giving you a shrug. You raise a brow at him, "Well? Are you gonna move your truck?" "No, I've actually got a better idea," His smile grows bigger, "Are you doing anything today?" "Just...grocery shopping," You look at him suspiciously, "Why...?"
"Okay, take a left here," Yunho says, extending his unnecessarily long arm to point down the road, while his other arm wraps around a small crate of mangos that your dad had given him. “Where are you taking me?” You ask, slightly annoyed at his secrecy while still choosing to follow his instruction. “Just be patient. You’ll see,” He says with a small smirk
He takes you through a long, winding dirt road that’s WAY too narrow for your liking, but you try not to freak out and just keep going. When you had expressed your discomfort earlier, about driving on such a narrow road, he said, quote, So you hit a horse or two; no big deal. As though the story your dad had told him about how you almost hit Maya wasn’t enough to put him off.
After about thirty minutes, you’ve finally hit a road that’s thankfully completely straight, and is lined with a few businesses. There’s a sign that reads the town’s name, and has a few food stands out, but really the town looks tiny and desolate. “What are we doing here?” You ask, looking at him. “We’re gonna see a man about a horse,” He winks, “Park here.” You sigh and do as he says. He carefully opens the car door, making sure not to drop the crate or mangos as he gets out, “Come on,” He says to you. You roll your eyes and follow him out.
“I saw that,” He says, bumping the door closed with his hip. “Saw what?” You feign ignorance. “Keep acting like that and I won’t buy you tacos.” “I didn’t ask for any,” You snort. “Well, good. You weren’t earning them anyway with that attitude,” He retorts, though it’s all in jest. He leads you toward the food stands you’d seen a moment ago and sets the crate down on one of the crates. “¿Buenos días, Doña Marta, como está?” Good morning, Ms.Marta, how are you? He says to the old lady at the large griddle. “¡Ay, ya llegó mi Yunito!” Oh, My little Yunho is here! She exclaims, a wide smile on her face. He takes off his sombrero, his hair slightly matted, from the heat. He goes over and gives her a big hug. “It’s been a while since you last came, I began to think you forgot about us,” She says, wagging her finger at him. He chuckles and shakes his head, “I could never forget about you, Doña Marta. Your tacos are too good.” “Oh, stop,” She says, playfully rolling her eyes. After a moment, she spots you standing there behind him. “Oh, who is this, mijo?” She asks. You step forward and smile, “Buenos días, Señora,” Good morning, ma’am, “I’m Y/n L/n.” The woman’s eyes widen, “Are you Don F/n’s daughter?” She asks. “Yes, she is,” Yunho interjects.
“You know my dad?” You ask, raising your brows. “Of course I do,” She laughs, “Your dad used to come here all the time before he got married to your beautiful mother. He used to be a troublemaker, that father of yours,” She teases. “The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree,” Yunho snorts, “Esta se porta muy mal conmigo.” This one misbehaves with me. You slap his arm, “Stop lying.” “¡¿Ya ve?!” You see?!
You all laugh together for a bit before he says, “It was nice to see you, Doña. Is ⁸Don Lauro in today?” “Yes, mijo. He’s here today.” “Okay great. I wanna give him these mangos. They’re from Don L/n’s tree.” “Oh, my husband will love these. They’re look great,” She smiles, “Should I pack some tacos for you both?” She asks. You look at Yunho, “Shouldn’t we get them after you drop off the mangos? So they don’t get cold?” You ask. “No, now is perfect,” He says, giving Doña Marta the okay. You disagree with the decision, but don’t contradict him. The tacos take no more than ten minutes, as she’d already had everything pretty much ready for passing customers. “Aqui esta,” Here you go, she hands him a bag with two plates inside. “Grab the bag,” He says to you, and you quickly do so with a smile, “Muchas gracias.” Thanks a lot. “Por nada, mija,” You’re welcome, mija. Yunho grabs the crate, “Is he at the house?” “Yes, you can head on up,” She responds. You furrow your brows, “Up?”
8.)Don/Doña: Mr./Mrs.
“I can see why you didn’t want to tell me where we were going,” You hiss, completely out of breath. “Oh, stop, it’s not that bad,” He laughs. “You only say that because your legs are a million miles long. I have to take like ten steps for every one of yours!” “Should I stand behind you and push you up, then?” He teases, “I can hold the tacos if they’re too heavy for you.” His sarcastic tone isn’t lost on you.
Finally, you reach a clearing, and despite his nonchalant attitude, Yunho’s definitely sweating. A few feet away stands an old house, definitely built long ago. It’s small, but quite cute; like a cottage in a secluded forest. “¡Don Lauro, Ya llegué!” I’ve arrived, Don Lauro! Yunho calls out. After a moment, the large metal door unlocks loudly, and out steps an old man. He’s a bit hunched over, his beautiful, brown skin weathered and sun-kissed. His wrinkles are deep, and his smile lines are even deeper as he greets Yunho with a smile as beautiful as Doña Marta’s. “¿Como estas, hijo?” How are you, son? The old man, presumably Don Lauro, says. His voice is deep and husky, and he speaks with a thick accent that many of the mountain villages have. “I’m good, Don Lauro. How have you been?” Yunho asks, rushing over to the old man to help him down the stairs. “Eh, I’m old. Can’t complain too much, as long as I have breath in my lungs.” His eyes travel past Yunho and over to you.
“¿Tú eres hija de F/n, ‘eda?” You’re F/n’s daughter, aren’t you?” He asks. This time, yours and Yunho’s eyes widen together. “H-how did you know?” You ask. Don Lauro takes a deep breath, closing his eyes, “I felt it on the wind…that-” he slowly opens them again, “and my wife sent me a text,” His smile grows on his face, showing a row of seemingly healthy teeth, although he’s missing two of them. Both you and Yunho take a second before laughing. “Ay, Don Lauro. Sigue igual de chistoso,” Oh, Don Lauro, you’re still as funny as ever. “That’s why I’m so popular with the ladies,” He says, turning and noticing for you both to follow him as he begins to walk back into his house.
Yunho brings in the crate and sets it at its final stop: the old, wooden kitchen table inside of the small cottage. Don Lauro examines the mangos like one would examine gold jewerly. “Oh yeah, these are gonna be good.” “Of course. Only the best for you, Don Lauro,” Yunho says proudly. “Why didn’t I have a son like you,” Don Lauro sighs. "Because a man this fine is only made in Korea," Yunho jokes. They continue on the conversation for a little while, and it's a sweet sight. It feels like everyone Yunho interacts with just seems to automatically love him. His mother definitely taught him right.
After a few minutes, Don Lauro excuses himself to a backroom, saying he'd be back in a moment, leaving you and Yunho in the main room. "You sure know how to charm the ⁹viejitos," You comment, looking around at the old pictures hanging along Don Lauro's wall. Portraits of himself and a very beautiful and younger version of Doña Marta, some photographs, others definitely painted, the way many old school Mexican families would have them done. "Of course," Yunho responds smugly. Finally, Don Lauro comes out, and in his hands is a bag. "I made it fresh this morning. I made sure to save you two of them," He says to Yunho, whose eyes light up instantly. "Just what I came for." "You mean you didn't come all the way here to see me?" Don Lauro teases. You furrow your brows, trying to figure out what's in the bag.
9.) Viejitos: old people
When you finally walk out of the cottage, it's only about 11 in the morning. Luckily, you don't feel rushed to to shop, as you know your mom won't even be back until around six. Plenty of time to kill. You both wave goodbye to Don Lauro, who'd sent you off with two cold, glass bottles of Pepsi-- and whatever mystery item is in the bag.
When you get a few steps down the hill, out of earshot from the cottage, you finally ask, "What's that?" Yunho looks down and smiles, "Only the most valuable substance on planet earth," He says, untying the bag and reaching into it, only to pull out a medium-sized, white, wheel of cheese. You stop dead in your tracks, staring down in disbelief. You're not sure whether to flip out on him or just stare in stunned silence. "What?" He asks, his smile faltering slightly. "You brought me all the way out here at the ass crack of dawn--" "Nine in the morning, you mean--" "for some cheese?"
He furrows his brows, letting his jaw drop exaggeratedly, as though you've personally wounded him. "It's not just some cheese," He corrects you, "It's the cheese. Don Lauro's special, homemade ¹⁰queso panela," He brings the wrapped cheese up to his nose, inhaling deeply, "He used to make it every weekend, but as his arthritis has gotten worse, he's only been able to make a few batches about once a month. People come from far and wide for his cheese, you know?" He says. You stare at him for a moment longer, before shaking your head and resuming your descent, "You're unbelieveable," You say.
10.) Queso Panela: A very popular, very delicious cheese that you should try if you haven't already. But don't get it pre-packaged from the store. Go to a Mexican store, straight to the deli counter and ask for it. It won't taste like Don Lauro's special, homemade queso panela, but its a good start.
"Wait, where are you going?" He calls out from a few steps behind you. "Back to my car? Where else?" You ask, turning to look at him. "But we're not done yet." "There's more?" You scoff, "I'm hungry. The tacos are gonna get cold--" "Y/n, just trust me," Yunho smiles. "Trusting you is how I got here in the first place," You say exasperatedly, motioning toward the fact that you're both pretty much in the middle of nowhere. "Then just trust me one more time," Yunho laughs, "Please. I promise, it'll be worth your time." You stand there again, hesitant to listen, but again, it's like you have no choice but to give in-- like your stupid feet have a mind of their own.
You exhale and walk back up to catch up with him. "Come on," He says. You follow behind silently, feeling like a lamb being lead to the slaughter, as you're usually not big on hiking-- but then you start to hear it. You furrow your brows, stopping and listening, "Yunho...do you-- do you hear that?" Yunho tries to hide his smile, "Hear what?" "That sound. Is that--? Is that a waterfall?" You ask him. He turns and looks at you, "Why don't we go see?" Your heart flutters in excitement, and you begin walking faster, even walking ahead of him, following the sound, and once you get to the source of it, you finally realize why he dragged you all the way out here.
"Yunho," You breathe his name out in utter enchantment as you look at the beautiful cascade of water. "See?" He says, bending down to put everything on a rock, "Told you to trust me." "How could I have known?" You laugh, "You could've told me." "Yeah, I could have," He nods, "But then you would've expected it, and then..." He reaches over and pokes your cheek, "I wouldn't have gotten as big of a smile out of you." You blush madly, looking away, "Hey, I'm not one of your viejitos..." "And yet, here you are, fawning all over me," He laughs. "I bet everyone thinks you're the humble brother," You roll your eyes. "They definitely do," He agrees, "Guess you see the real me." He says it casually, but there's truth in it. A truth you've yet to realize, but he noticed from the moment he met you.
Something about you makes it easy for him to come out of his shell.
"Come on, let's eat," He says motioning for you to sit down.
At first, you both eat in silence, simply enjoying the roar of the water, an the occasional sound of birds chirping as they fly overhead. "How did you find this place?" You ask. "Same way I found the old plaza," He shrugs, referring to the plaza you'd both visited the previous night, "I was just driving around and I got to Doña Marta's taco stand. I was...kind of at a low point and she and Don Lauro really helped talk me down." You imagine Yunho, sitting there with them; it's hard to picture him feeling sad or upset about anything, as it always seems like he's in a good mood. "And then Don Lauro gifted me some panela," He smiles, ripping off a piece and taking a bite, "and the rest is history." He then hands you a piece, "Try it." "I'm not a huge panela person, it's fine." "Hey," he says, putting on a stern front, though it's hard to take him seriously, "Have I steered you wrong yet? Try it." You take it out of his hand, deciding you'll take a bite just to humor him-- but then that salty, milky flavor hits your tongue, and you can't help but let out a little sound of satisfaction, "Oh my God."Yunho throws his hands up triumphantly, "I win again!" You nod, taking another piece, "This is amazing." "I'm telling you," He takes a sip of his Pepsi, "Stick with me, kid."
You both finish, your tacos and the entire wheel of cheese, although Don Lauro luckily added an extra one in the bag as a freebie. "And to think, I was so annoyed this morning when my mom had sent me to the store on my day off...I wouldn't have run into you otherwise." "Oh, I was actually gonna stop at your house to come get you," He says, leaning back on his arms. "And how are you so sure I'd have come?" You raise your brows, "Real presumptuous of you, isn't it, Señor Yunho?" "I like to use the word..." He thinks for a moment, "Optimistic." "Oh, is that what you are?" You laugh in response. He nods, "I'm an optimistic person, you know," He says, "For example, I'm optimistic that right now, I'm gonna jump into this water for a swim, and you're gonna jump in after me." "What makes you so sure--?" You begin asking, but he abruptly stands up and slips off his tee-shirt, throwing it down on the ground.
Once again, you're dumbfounded as you stare at his topless form: his lean, perfectly muscular torso looking even better than your imagination-- so much so, that your brain has completely short-circuited. He looks over at you, smirking briefly before jumping down into the water. It's not a far drop-- only six feet down or so, but you can't help but shriek and rush to look down. After a second, he resurfaces in the water, puhing his hair back to be able to see you, "Well?" He calls out. "Well what?" You respond. "You coming in?" "Are you crazy? I don't even have any extra clothes." "So?" "I just ate!" "Enough of your excuses," He laughs, splashing water at you, though it doesn't reach you at this height. You stare down, debating internally, whether or not you should. "Come on, what are you, scared?" "Scared?" There it is again: the flare of competitiveness. "I'm not scared." "Don't have to lie to kick it, Y/n. If you're a scaredy cat, I completely understand. I can play mermaids by myself, no worries."
His taunts are juvenile, sure, but you still find yourself standing to your feet, heart pounding as you finally decide. "Fine. I'm gonna do it." "Eh, don't push yourself," He continues. You exhale and grab the hem of your shirt, looking up at the treeline ahead, so as not to make eye contact with him as you lift your shirt up and over your head, leaving you in only your bra. Even Yunho has to admit (internally) that he really didn't expect you to do that. His ears burn at the sight, but he sure doesn't look away. You swallow hard as your fingers come to the button on your jeans, "T-turn around," You instruct, feeling too on the spot. He doesn't argue, quickly spinning to face the opposite direction, "Got it." You breathe out once more, finally feeling comfortable enough to slip out of your shorts, folding them neatly and resting them on the rock. Thankfully, your panties are just cute enough not to make you look like a grandma.
Finally, you take a deep breath and jump.
The splash is Yunho's cue to turn around. He sees the slight foam that forms as the water flows around the spot you'd dove into, and then you finally resurface, taking in a deep breath, a huge smile on your face as you feel the refreshing chill of the water. "See? I knew you would," He smiles. "Shut up!" You splash him in the face, to which he responds with a splash of his own, "Make me!" He yells back, scrunching his eyes a bit to keep the water out of them. Your splashes get more intense, along with your laughter, as you get closer and closer-- until he surprises you by extending his arms and pulling you by your bicep until you're flush against him.
Your laughs both fade, and then, much like last night, you find yourself staring up into his eyes; only this time, you're not struggling to make out his features under the starlit night. No...now, his face is crystal clear, even under the canopy of trees, and this look in his eyes-- the same one he'd had as he stared at you when you'd run from the angry man-- it's more obvious than ever that he wants exactly what you want. No more games, no more teasing...
This time, when he leans in, he doesn't stop until his lips are pressed firmly, and longingly against yours.
A/N: I know the whole, driving in the mountains in search of cheese thing sounds ridiculous but I promise my family and I have done this plenty of times lmao The best cheese is made by hermit mountain men. I also find panela pairs VERY nicely with jalapeno flavored Chips brand potato chips....you know, in case you're wondering XD
