Summary: You’re bored, swiping on Tinder and you happen to find one of your classmates on the app.
You hadn’t heard from Hansol since that day. You didn’t expect to and you should’ve been able to move on since he’d fucked you over, but you found yourself thinking of him more often than you should. Why were you still thinking about him when two weeks had passed already? You were sure that you were the last person on his mind. He was probably seeing other people in the meantime, since things didn’t work out with you. You were sure he had a few girls on the back burner, to bring out when it was convenient for him, to bring out to play a game that only he could prevail as a winner.
But Hansol was a thing of the past. He texted you once and you left him on read. Since then, he didn’t text you and you didn’t text him. You deserved better than to be chasing after some entitled man who clearly wanted to have a roster of women to pick and choose from when he felt like it. He was no different from any of the other guys out there, which sucked because you thought you clicked. You thought things would go somewhere, that you could at least be friends. But even that was out of the question.
Things with Alex were going okay. And you went on that date he planned. He picked you up, a single rose in his hand, before whisking you off to a dessert bar. The two of you split a cake sampler platter and had some spiked cider. You talked about any and everything. You enjoyed his company but you still felt like there was something missing that you couldn’t put your finger on. Alex was a good looking guy and he was nice to you, not to mention the fact that he was so thoughtful to plan such a cute dessert date.
Your friends were happy for you, happy that you met someone like Alex, happy that you didn’t try to get back with Hansol. As a friend, you understood. The last thing you wanted, as a friend, was for any of your friends to end up with a guy that treated them like shit. The last thing you wanted was for any of the girls you cared about to be led on and played around with by a man who had unclear intentions. It wasn’t fair.
“Y/N, isn’t that event soon?” called Cam from the kitchen. A moment later, she appeared in your doorway.
“Yeah,” you said, “I was just deciding which shirt to wear.” You pointed to the shirts on the bed, one dark red and the other navy.
“Go with red,” she said, winking. “You look cute in red.”
*
As you approached your senior year, you couldn’t help but feel behind. Everyone had jobs, internships, and just seemed to have their shit together overall. You decided that you wanted to get an internship over the summer. And a couple industry leaders from well known companies were coming to speak at an event at your school. If there was any advice they could give, you’d take it. You figured that you could use as much help as you could get at this point.
You expected the event to be pretty small, since most people didn’t seem to care about campus events. But, as you got inside the hall, you realized that today that that was totally not the case. The space was starting to get a bit crowded. Luckily, you grabbed a seat in the middle row.
Your phone vibrated in your pocket.
Alex [1:51PM] : What time is the event over? Are you busy later?
Y/N [1:51PM] : It’ll be over at 3. I’m going to dinner with my friends later.
Alex [1:56PM] : When are you going to let me make you dinner?
You smiled at the message. It was nice to be courted like this. And for once, a man told you what his intention was from the beginning. It was comforting. You weren’t sure if you and Alex would date for real but at least knowing his intentions with you was good enough for you. You were excited by the idea of having a man like Alex as your boyfriend.
You felt like you were being watched. Someone’s eyes were on you. You looked over your left shoulder to look behind you. In that short span of time the room was filled, people standing in the back of the room as all the seats were taken. And when you looked to your right, your eyes met with the very man you’d been trying your hardest to avoid.
You let out a sigh. “Why here, Hansol?”
He cleared his throat, nervous. “There’s nowhere else to sit.”
He hadn’t planned to see you here, to be honest. He hadn’t assumed that the two of you would ever be in the same room, breathing the same air, again. He knew that after that last conversation he had with you, that his chances of reconciling with you were very low. And when he saw you sitting here, he couldn’t help himself. He made an impulsive decision to sit next to you, unsure of how it would all turn out. Like last time, it could go left or it could go right. He doubted he could make things worse than they already were so he figured, “Why not?”
You rolled your eyes and didn’t say anything else. You weren’t going to let him ruin the event for you before it started, so you didn’t entertain him with another reply. You let the event roll out, taking notes where you could. From your peripheral vision, you saw Hansol typing too. But to your dismay, your phone vibrated with a text from him; you hadn’t blocked him and now you were wondering if maybe you should’ve.
Hansol [4:36PM] : Can we talk?
Y/N [4:36PM] : We have nothing to talk about, Hansol.
Hansol [4:36PM] : I just need two minutes, Y/N
Hansol [4:37PM] : Please
Hansol [4:37PM] : I know I don’t always say or do the right things but I really want to talk to you properly, if you’ll let me
“Fine. We can talk by the garden out back.”
Hansol’s heart skipped a beat. He assumed you’d say no and that you wouldn’t want to talk to him but, with this interaction, there seemed to be a small sliver of hope left for him. You got up, passing in front of him. And he followed behind you, past the people standing and out of the door. Hansol walked behind you in silence and you didn’t open your mouth to say anything to him either. He didn’t blame you. After all, he was the one that wanted to talk to you.
You sat down at an empty table in the garden. It was quiet here. This was one of the most peaceful places to hang out on campus. You liked to come here on sunny days. Today was sunny despite the cool fall air blowing through campus. The table was covered in fall leaves, shades of orange, red and brown. Hansol brushed the leaves off of the chairs so that you could sit.
“Thanks,” you mumbled, sitting down across from him. A few seconds past, as Hansol tried to figure out where he should even begin. “So...what is it that you wanted to say?”
He said, “I’m selfish. Everything that’s happened between us is because I was selfish. I know—”
“You’re pissed because I’m seeing Alex, right?” You let out a laugh, leaning back in the chair and crossing your arms over your chest. “You men are so ridiculous, you know that? It’s like you can do whatever you want with little to no consequences. But the second a woman does what she wants, it’s suddenly unfair. You know, it’s fucking nice to have someone who’s interested in me for more than just sex...”
“Y/N…that’s not all I want from you. Believe me, it’s not. It never was. I know that might be a little hard to believe since things started out with us hooking up...but I felt a connection with you right away and I still do. I know we never talked about where we stand or what we’re even doing and I know I don’t have the right to even feel the way I do. I saw you with Alex and, at the time, I was jealous. I just knew that I didn’t want you to be with him and I guess I got a little carried away.”
You felt so frustrated. You didn’t know if you could believe his words. Things just didn’t make any sense anymore. Things were just so complicated. Feelings were just so...complicated. You were so frustrated that you didn’t even realize you were tearing up. Upon seeing the tears building up in your eyes, Hansol reached across the table to take your hand in his. To his surprise, you didn’t snatch your hand away from him. To his surprise, you actually let him hold your hand. His hand felt warm--no, perfect–on top of yours. He couldn’t stand to be the reason you were crying. “Don’t cry, Y/N. Please don’t cry…”
Even though you refused to look at him, he decided that now seemed like a good time to confess. Plus, if he didn’t do it now he wasn’t sure if he could get the words out later on. “I know I’m an idiot and I hurt you and I suck at communication…” You nodded. “I like you, Y/N...and I was too stupid to realize it sooner.”
At that moment, you looked up at him. You were completely confused and you didn’t know if you could trust his words right now. You were vulnerable and tearing up outside of the campus center. A few people had walked by as you and Hansol spoke and you were sure some of them might’ve noticed your swollen eyes.
How could you believe him right now, after everything?
“Liar,” you said, wiping your tears. You said this with no emotion on your face. Hansol couldn’t read you. He didn’t know what kind of reaction to expect from you but it wasn’t this. He was prepared for all sorts of reactions but what he didn’t expect is for you to call him a liar.
Hansol blinked. “I’m not lying to you. I do like you.”
“If you like me, why would you ignore me for days?”
He sighed. Maybe it was time for him to be vulnerable. Maybe it was time for him to be honest, not only to you but to himself as well. Maybe it was time to say all the things he could never bring himself to say out loud before. Being genuine was more important than his ego, he decided. He needed to tell you. If he didn’t tell you everything, he might lose you for good.
His breathing became unsteady. If he was standing, he felt like he’d collapse. And soon enough, he blinked away tears of his own “I’m scared, Y/N. Maybe it’s stupid but I’m scared. Liking someone opens the door for heartbreak. My ex hurt me in the worst way possible and I know you’re not her but I’m scared, Y/N. I’m scared that you don’t like me back. I’m scared that I’ll have to watch you date someone else. I’m scared that in a couple weeks, we’ll be like strangers...” He continued. “I want to take you out to a nice restaurant to get Italian food because you said it’s your favorite. I want to pick you up from class with a single rose because you said you’d rather have one instead of a bunch. I want you to sleep over at my place and try to make you breakfast in bed even though I’m not good at cooking. I want so much more than just sex from you.”
You blinked away another tear. Hearing this made your heart ache for him. But, for some reason, you still couldn’t find words. Wasn’t this what you wanted to hear? Wasn’t this what you’d been hoping for for the past two weeks?
Hansol felt rejected as you pulled away from him, taking a deep breath. “I know it’s over but I thought that I could at least tell you that…'' He stood up from his chair. It was over. He failed, again. “Thank you for letting me talk...and, um, take care.”
As he turned his back to you, prepared to never see you again, you reached across the table to grab his hand, “Wait.” You stood up, never letting his hand go. “Don’t go…”
Hansol turned around, a bit confused at you rejecting him and then suddenly embracing him again.
You blinked away another tear, your heart aching for him. “I like you, too…”
Hansol’s lips parted. These were the words he wanted to hear but didn’t expect. On his walk over, he thought of all the bad things that could come from this conversation. He expected you to reject him, to send him away with a scowl. But things took a turn for the better, he could see. All he needed to do was allow himself to be vulnerable and to open up, letting you read him like a book, letting you turn the pages and deciding what to do with the information you found.
He leaned in to kiss you and you let him. You kissed him back because your heart was pounding so hard in your chest and might’ve burst if you didn’t. You kissed him back because you’d nearly forgotten what his lips felt like, what his mouth tasted like, and how it just seemed so perfect. He pulled away and held your face in his hands.
“I like you,” he said, looking into your eyes. “Please believe it…”
You nodded, your eyes still a little red and swollen from crying. You did believe it. You knew in your heart that he wasn’t lying to you. You could feel it.
He pulled you into him and wrapped his arms around you. “I’ll give you time if you need it but I just wanted to be honest with you. I don’t know if I’m too late or what but I want to start over. Not as friends with benefits. I want to at least start over and be friends.”
In the midst of these emotions, you remembered Alex and the fact that you had planned on seeing him later. He was a nice guy but you didn’t feel as strongly about him as you did about Hansol. You’d choose Hansol over Alex in a heartbeat and you knew that you needed to let Alex know that you just wanted to be friends. If you were going to start over with Hansol, that meant that you both would have to establish some boundaries.
You shook your head. “I don’t want to be your friend, Hansol...”
Hansol smiled, the widest you’d ever seen. “I don’t want to be your friend either. I want you to be my girlfriend and I want to take you on a real date. Are you busy on Friday?”
You returned his smile. “Yes. I’m going out with you.”
He laughed and put his arms around you, holding you close. He held you tightly, as if you’d disappear if he let go. But this time, he’d be damned if he let you slip through his fingers. Not again.
Tag List: @happiestgirlontheeastcoast @gyulx1 @starsfly01091711
[8:57 PM] Hansol had proposed a formal dinner for no reason earlier in the day, where both of you would get all dressed up and cook and take pictures, just because. Now here you were, dancing awkwardly around your yard with him, making sure to be extra careful to avoid his feet since yours were bare: your shoe had decided to break, and subsequently almost make you break your ankle, while you were taking pictures.
“No excuses, dance with me.” He’d smiled, discarding both of your pairs of shoes and whisking you away before you could even get a word out. Sometimes you swore you didn’t know why you were dating him. But of course you knew, it was because of moments like these.
Summary: You’re bored, swiping on Tinder and you happen to find one of your classmates on the app.
The more Hansol thought about it, the more he hated the idea of you being with Alex. The very thought disgusted him and he found himself thinking of you often. You crossed his mind throughout the day—so much that he found it difficult to concentrate on other things. As he opened his laptop in class, he thought about you and the way you held your pen. As he went to the cafeteria, he thought about you and hoped that he’d run into you there.
He worried that you were losing interest in him, that you wouldn’t want to see him anymore. He felt intimidated by Alex. It seemed like you were having the time of your life with him at the party. As he watched the two of you interact his blood boiled and he found himself having to look in the opposite direction, just to avoid accidentally meeting your eye.
Hansol had been hoping and wishing to see you on campus. He even frequented the places he thought you might be, just in case you were there. And one day, it worked. He was in the library reviewing his history notes when you sat at his table. You casually sat across from him as if Friday night never happened. Sure, it was five days later but that didn’t take away his surprise.
You said, “Hey,” and sat down with your backpack and coffee.
“Hey,” he said, watching you as you got settled.
“Mind if I sit with you?”
Hansol laughed. “Isn’t it a little too late to be asking now?”
You didn’t laugh. Instead, you shrugged coldly. This left Hansol feeling a bit awkward. He brushed it off, assuming that maybe you just weren’t in a talking mood. The feelings of awkwardness didn’t go away. He wondered if you felt it or if it was just him feeling this way.
You looked beautiful today. You were wearing a little bit of makeup, he noticed. He noticed that your eyelashes were a bit longer than usual and that your lips were a shade of red he hadn’t seen on you yet. But seeing you in makeup made his mind race. Had you just come from seeing Alex? Had you seen him since Friday night?
He watched as you wrapped your fingers around the coffee cup and took a sip, leaving a red lipstick stain on it. His mind began wandering and he found himself thinking about how pretty you’d look with your lips around his dick. He shook that thought out of his mind. Was sleeping together out of the question at this point? Did your meeting Alex cut off that possibility?
A text message popped up on his laptop in the middle of his typing. It was Ashley. He’d told her that this week he was pretty busy so now she was asking him if he was doing anything on Saturday night. He wanted to say that he was busy, indefinitely, but he thought better of it and decided to ignore the message altogether. He didn’t want to see her this weekend or the weekend after and so on. In reality, he wanted to ask you if you were busy this weekend. But he wasn’t sure where he stood with you or if you were even interested anymore.
An hour came and went. Interestingly enough, you barely talked. The times you’d talked, you asked him what he was working on and when his test was. You seemed to be engrossed in your work. In the past hour or so, he’d gathered that you were preparing a presentation for communications class on Friday. The worst part of it all was that you didn’t seem interested in talking to him. He wondered why, of all empty tables in the library, you’d chosen to sit with him at this one. Especially since you pretty much gave him short responses every time he attempted to initiate conversation.
He was confused and you confused him further as you closed your laptop and started packing up your things. You stood up from the table and slung your backpack over your left shoulder. “Wanna take a break?”
*
Hansol pushed you up against the closed door. He needed you. In the library, he’d been hard thinking of the last time he fucked you. You moaned into his mouth as he kissed you. He kissed you, hard.
You noticed how different Hansol’s energy was this time around. He was a lot more aggressive. And you noticed. You weren’t phased by it. In fact, you liked it. Playing hard to get clearly paid off. You hadn’t expected to see Hansol in the library but you had and you decided to take the opportunity. Eventually, you got sick of the game and decided to take what you wanted. So, here you were with Hansol helping each other out of clothes.
“Lay down,” he said, pushing you back onto your bed.
You did as he asked and he pulled your panties off, tossing them off to the side. He took off his boxers, revealing his hard dick. Hansol got on his knees and pulled you by the legs to the edge of the bed. He planted a few kisses on both of your thighs, sending chills up your spine. You throbbed and became a little impatient. You wanted him inside of you now. You choked on a silent moan as he flicked his tongue against your clit once, twice, and thrice. You let out a surprised moan at the new feeling of his warm tongue on your clit. He sucked it and licked at it to draw you into a frenzy of gasps and moans.
Hansol had never eaten a woman out quite like this but he was feeling inspired. Your potential interest in Alex had given him the motivation he needed to give you the sex you didn’t know you needed. You were excited and Hansol could tell by how quickly you got wet. He made you squirm and grab the sheets, biting your lips to hold back your own moans.
When he was done with you, he rolled on a condom quickly. He put you on your back and parted your legs. You wrapped them around him as he pushed inside of you. You felt the slight pressure as he pushed into you and you wrapped around him. He thrusted in you slowly at first, planting light, feathery kisses on your neck as he rocked into you.
He kissed your lips, sticking his tongue in your mouth while he fucked you. He went deeper, filling you up completely. Long, deep strokes were one of your favorites, especially in the missionary position. You yelped every time he thrusted into you. It felt so good you couldn’t help the noises you were making.
Hansol loved to see your face twist up in pleasure and he loved to hear your moans in his ears as you wrapped your legs around him, pushing him in even deeper. “Fuck,” he groaned, wrapping his arms around your body. Pussy like yours drove him crazy. He didn’t know how much longer he could possibly last if you felt this good even with a condom on.
Your lips parted with soft moans. “Harder...”
Hansol smiled and put your legs over his shoulder before he started pounding you hard. You could almost see stars from the intense pleasure at this angle. He kept hitting your spot over and over again, the tension building up to the point of no return. Hansol kept at it because, judging by the look on your face, he knew you’d come undone soon.
“Don’t stop,” you whispered.
And he didn’t. If anything, he pounded you even harder. Beads of sweat were forming at his temples and his hair was beginning to stick to his forehead. Your orgasm brought you over the edge as you let out those final, sinful noises. And that was enough for Hansol to come undone and groan as he came in the condom.
He collapsed next to you, exhausted. “Fuck.” You rolled over and he pulled your naked body on top of his. He kissed you, this time being more gentle with you.
You pulled away. “Are you going to head out now?”
“Do you want me to stay?”
You nodded.
“Okay.”
“I’m gonna take a quick shower.”
Hansol nodded and you stood up before disappearing into the bathroom. Hansol disposed of the condom and put his boxers back on. Just as he sat back on the bed, he heard a ding. He picked up his phone and realized that he had no messages. He looked over to your phone and saw that it was your message. The screen went dark before he could see and his curiosity got the better of him, so he tapped your screen only to see that it was Alex. The text read, You looked beautiful today. When can I take you on that date I mentioned?
Hansol flared up with anger and frustration. You were obviously still talking to Alex and you were obviously still interested. He knew that you hadn’t left the party with Alex that night since he saw you leave with your friends but he couldn’t help but wonder what had happened between you since that night. He knew that it was none of his business and that he had no right to be upset but he was. He was upset. He didn’t want you to be interested in someone else. Hell, he didn’t want to do this friends with benefits thing anymore!
He’d had enough. He’d seen more than enough. He started getting dressed. He couldn’t stand to stay here with you knowing that Alex was texting you. He left your apartment in a huff and texted you, saying that he had to leave. It wasn’t a lie but he wasn’t in the mood to go into detail with you. After all, anything that came out of his mouth would be a bold-faced lie. The reality was that he was jealous and didn’t want to feel like this and he certainly didn’t appreciate having to compete with Alex to have you.
*
When you got out of the shower, Hansol’s clothes were off the floor and he was nowhere to be found. You even checked by the door to see if his sneakers were still there but they weren’t. Something had happened and you weren’t sure what. Hansol just up and left even though he had just said he was going to stay the night with you.
You went over to your phone and found a text from him saying he had to leave. He didn’t add any details or excuses to go along with it. You just weren’t sure what to think of it. You just texted him saying it was okay and that maybe he could sleep over some other time. You weren’t going to lie to yourself; you were kind of thrown off by this.
Then you moved on to the text message with Alex. You decided to accept his invitation and texted him saying, How about Saturday?
You put your phone on the charger and lay down wishing that Hansol was lying down next to you. You felt closer to him tonight for some reason. You wanted him but you wondered if things would even work out with Hansol. Maybe Alex was put in your life for a reason. Maybe it was Alex that you should be going for instead of Hansol. After all, the situationship you were in with Hansol was built on a foundation of sex. You and Alex hadn’t done anything other than kiss and you felt he was a genuine guy who was interested in more than just planting himself between your legs.
You let out a sigh. You couldn’t help but feel disappointed by the fact that you’d be sleeping alone tonight.
*
Meanwhile, Hansol was in bed tossing and turning. He couldn’t sleep with the thoughts of you plaguing his mind. As soon as he left your place, he wanted to turn around and go back. He wanted nothing more but to cuddle with you tonight and have you fall asleep in his arms. He was craving intimacy but his pride wouldn’t let him turn around and go back to your apartment. He didn’t want to be just some other option. He didn’t really want to bring it up either. How could he bring it up to you without seeming crazy? What if you didn’t want more? What if he was just a placeholder until you met the right guy?
The more he thought about it, the more insecure he felt. He hated this feeling. He hated feeling powerless.
Since you were moving on, should he do the same? Should he date around? Swipe on Tinder some more? He considered texting Ashley but decided against it. She was nice but she wasn’t his type. And she damn sure wasn’t you.
Then, he decided that maybe you and him weren’t meant to be more. Maybe he just needed to cut you off.
*
Hansol was ghosting you and you didn’t know why. It had only been a couple days but you still felt bad about it. In the meantime, you’d been seeing Alex. You hadn’t had sex and, by not jumping in bed with him right away, you could see that he was a good guy. Not that Hansol was a bad guy but the relationship you had with him was way different.
You figured it would be best to just leave Hansol alone and pursue Alex instead. If Hansol really wanted you, he wouldn’t have ghosted. So, you had to pretend you didn’t see him if you saw him on campus even though you wanted to kick him in the balls. You had to pretend he didn’t exist even though you wanted to kick down the door to his house. You didn’t know if he saw you around or not but you avoided him as best you could.
Your friends said it was for the best but you still felt unsure. If Hansol was going to cut you off, you’d feel more comfortable if he’d done it with some sort of closure. But you weren’t going to get it. Raina had already told you to give up that dream. “Closure is hard to come by,” she insisted.
“What’s on your mind?” asked Alex, pulling you from your thoughts of Hansol. You felt guilty for thinking about Hansol when you’d just come back from a dinner date with Alex and were trying to binge watch a Netflix show with him.
You shook your head. “Oh, it’s nothing.”
“You sure?”
You nodded. “Yeah.” You planted a quick kiss on his lips before you leaned into his shoulder again.
As the credits for the end of the episode began, Alex said, “Can I ask you something?” You nodded. “I know we never really got into this but I was just wondering...what you’re looking for?”
You weren’t sure what to think of this question. There were three outcomes, basically. The first being him wanting more and possibly being okay with getting in a relationship and the second being him wanting to keep things casual and the third was to end it all here if your answers didn’t match up.
You shrugged. “Well, I tried the friends with benefits thing with someone before. I don’t think it’s for me, personally…”
You expected for things to go downhill from there but it didn’t. He respected your response. He said, “It’s hard. We’re living in this hookup culture and everyone’s scared to say what they really want because they’re afraid the other person doesn’t want the same thing and they don’t want to face the truth.”
“Wow,” you said, nodding, “that was really on point...”
Alex laughed. “I didn’t mean to get too deep”
“I mean you do have a good point…”
“Yeah. Being friends with benefits is kinda weird. It’s like one person always ends up liking the other and there are all these rules about what you can and can’t do. It’s hard to both be on the same page, you know?” You smiled, grateful that he wasn’t planning on dropping you like a hot potato. “I know a lot of guys in college aren’t into relationships ‘cause we’re young and they think hooking up is better but I’m more of a relationship kinda guy. I just wanted you to know that that’s my intention if things work out between us.”
Hearing those words brought a smile to your lips. “That’s good to know…”
He smiled right back at you and pulled you closer as the next episode started.
*
Hansol couldn’t stand this. He couldn’t get you off of his mind. It had only been a couple days and his thoughts constantly drifted to you. He had been ignoring your texts, mostly because he didn’t know what to say.
He knew that he should be more mature about what happened and just come out and say that he left that day because he was jealous. Or maybe not even that. Just that he felt jealous because you were talking to Alex. Or…? He didn’t know what he should tell you and it seemed that he was running out of time.
He’d been in his room all day. He’d barely left his room since he came back from his twelve o’clock class. It was almost ten and it sounded like Jun had company in the living room. Just as he was finishing up an episode of F is for Family, there was a knock on his door.
Just as he was about to yell at his friend to fuck off, he came in anyway. Jun came in, a cold beer held up in his hand. He said, “Come out and socialize.”
“I don’t want to,” Hansol replied.
Jun rolled his eyes. “Come on. This cartoon isn’t better than hanging out with your friends.”
“Right now it is.”
“What’s going on with you? You’ve had a permanent frown since Wednesday. It’s Friday and you’re cooped up in your room…”
Hansol groaned. He didn’t want to get into it but, at the same time, he needed to vent. “It’s her…”
“Who?”
“Y/N…”
“What about her? I thought you were hooking up with her.”
“We were but at the party she was all over Alex.”
“So?”
Hansol’s eyes widened, baffled that his friend would even ask that. “What do you mean so?”
Jun chuckled and sat on his bed before handing Hansol the beer. Hansol cracked it open and took a huge gulp. Jun said, “I get it. You like her.”
Hansol nodded. “Yeah....I guess I do.”
“I thought you just wanted to find a friend with benefits.”
“I thought that but I like her. And we haven’t really been on a date or anything. We’ve just been messing around. But I wanna spend more time with her, you know, outside of that.”
“Talk to her. You won’t be able to spend more time with her if you’re gonna sit around and wait for her to run into Alex’s arms…And right now, with you sitting in the bed like this, that’s exactly what’s gonna happen.”
The thought made his stomach turn. He hadn’t returned your last text and he felt bad just ignoring it like that but he was ready to stop being a coward and come clean.
*
Your phone vibrated loudly on the coffee table in the middle of the movie you and your friends had decided on. But just as you thought the vibrations would stop, they didn’t. And your phone kept vibrating.
Cam sighed loudly. “How can we watch the movie with that phone vibrating like that?”
You quietly reached for your phone and found Hansol’s name in your notifications. You blinked a few times, deciding what you should do. Should you even answer or should you straight-up ignore him like he’d clearly done to you? Should you reply?
As you were about to open the message, Cam glanced over and saw the contact name. “Are you serious?” She snatched the phone out of your hand and clicked on the message.
“Hey!”
“Why isn’t he blocked yet? He can’t just text you hey after ghosting for days…”
“At least tell me what he said!”
Cam rolled her eyes. Just when it seemed like Hansol wouldn’t pose an issue for you anymore, he decided to text you. She was a little annoyed that he was coming in to disrupt your peace. With a sigh, she said, “He said ‘Hey, listen. I’m really sorry for how I’ve been acting lately. If you’re willing to listen, I wanna talk. Can we meet?’” Your phone vibrated in her hands, a new message arriving as she ended her sentence. “He also said that he doesn’t mean for sex but to seriously talk...whatever that means.”
You frowned. Things had been weird between the two of you and now he wanted to talk? After days of ignored messages and calls? You wondered what he had to say for himself, after all this time.
Raina said, “Fuck that. I’m with Cam. He can’t just come crawling back when he feels like it...and as your best friend, I say leave him on read.”
You rolled your eyes and, as you did, Cam started typing and before you knew it she had pressed send. You snatched the phone and the message she’d sent read: FUCK YOU in uppercase letters with an angry emoji.
“Cam!”
She shrugged. “What? Did he not deserve that?”
“I guess,” you said as you looked down to find Hansol typing. You were frustrated with him but that didn’t mean that you wanted to text him “FUCK YOU” either.
HANSOL [9:42PM] | I deserve that…
HANSOL [9:42PM] | I just want to make things right…
You couldn’t just leave things like this. As much as you wanted to be strong and ignore him or even block him like Cam suggested, you couldn’t stand at least not knowing what he wanted to talk about. Plus, your heart fluttered at the sight of his name even if your blood boiled when you thought of him. You were angry with him but part of you didn’t want to be.
Y/N [9:43PM] | We can talk.
HANSOL [9:43PM] | Are you free now? If not we can meet tomorrow.
Y/N [9:44PM] | I can meet you now.
HANSOL [9:44PM] | I’ll come to you. I’ll text you when I’m outside your building.
When you looked up, your friends were looking at you expectantly. Raina spoke up first. “So are you gonna meet the asshole or what?”
You nodded. “I just want a little closure. Plus, I have a date with Alex tomorrow night.”
Cam said, “Good. Alex is a cool guy. And no offense, but I think he’s way cuter.”
You chuckled and reached for your wine glass. You’d need a little more to drink if you were going to be talking to Hansol soon, especially since you had no idea what to expect from him. So you started chugging the wine until there was nothing but an empty glass in your hands. Then you reached for the bottle to pour more.
A few minutes later, your phone buzzed with Hansol’s text saying that he was outside. You downed the rest of your wine and bid your friends goodbye. You headed out of the apartment and started walking downstairs. From the second floor window, you could see Hansol standing outside in his hoodie.
Hansol was nervous. He didn’t even know what he was going to say. He thought about it a million times but none of it sounded justifiable at this point. But he pushed the thought out of his head. Even if you didn’t forgive him, he’d feel a bit better knowing that he at least confessed how he felt instead of keeping all of those feelings inside. Because as of now it was killing him.
He turned around as he heard the door open. You came out and walked toward him. He thought of all the times you smiled as you walked over toward him but this time you weren’t. Why would you be happy to see him after what he’d done? You stood in front of him and didn’t say anything. After all, he was the one who called you out here to talk. He had to start somewhere, right?
Hansol cleared his throat. “Um, I just wanted to explain things and clear the air…”
You folded your arms across your chest. “Okay.”
“First, I’m sorry for ignoring you the past couple days. I’ve been dealing with a lot of emotional things and—”
“You’ve been dealing with a lot? That’s your excuse for ignoring all my messages and calls?”
You couldn’t help but feel a little annoyed. He called you out here and started off with this pathetic explanation of what had happened. He hadn’t said much but, at the same time, he’d said enough to understand that Hansol wasn’t the kind of person that considered the other person’s feelings.
Hansol said, “I know it’s no excuse for leaving you hanging but I want you to know that I am truly sorry for taking off that night.”
“Everyone goes through shit, Hansol! You’re not the only one in this world who’s going through something. I’m going through shit too. I just would’ve at least had the decency not to ghost…”
You were hurt and the more you thought about it, the more you felt used and thrown away like a dirty napkin. He had sex with you and left, basically. You didn’t realize it until now. You had the best sex you’d had up to this point and he just disappeared before you got out of the shower. He didn’t give a real reason and he’d been ignoring you. What were you supposed to think of it all?
Hansol looked down at his feet, kicking a nearby rock onto the patch of grass to his left. “I know...I’m sorry.”
You sighed. “Why did you fuck me and then leave?” You bit your lip as you became overwhelmed with emotion. “If you wanted to use me, why say that you wanted to stay over?”
Hansol’s heart dropped. “Y/N, I wasn’t using you...It wasn’t my intention to leave at all.”
“Then why?”
“I saw something I didn’t want to see…” You raised your eyebrows, prompting him to finish his sentence. “I saw that Alex texted you and it made me feel like shit.”
You sucked your teeth. “Are you joking?” You let out a laugh. “You can’t be serious right now. You can talk to other girls but I can’t talk to anyone else? You were all over that girl at the party yet I had to sit there and watch you with her.”
“I don’t like her like that, Y/N. I admit we kissed that night but I would rather it have been with you…”
You were starting to get upset and the tears that fell were angry and frustrated. You didn’t know where to begin. The emotions you felt were all over the place. You felt hurt, angry, betrayed, and sad. And worse, you didn’t even know how to put your true feelings into words.
“So she was just some piece in whatever fucked up game you’re playing?” You turned around, deciding that you were done with this conversation. You turned your head slightly, looking at him over your shoulder. “You know what, Hansol? You’re just like the rest of them...and I was stupid to think you’d be any different.”
You walked away from him and, as much as he wanted to go after you and apologize and beg for another chance, he didn’t want to hurt you more than he already had. He heard you climb up the stairs and he heard you open the front door. He heard murmurs of your friends before the door slammed shut for good.
He didn’t know how long he’d stood there before he actually accepted things and started walking home. He felt so defeated. He had come here with good intentions and he’d somehow managed to make things worse. Maybe he shouldn’t have come. Was this really how things were going to end?
Tag List: @happiestgirlontheeastcoast @gyulx1 @starsfly01091711
[11:59 AM] 'Have you been paying attention, like at all?' You smiled at Woochul's messy handwriting, crammed into the bottom corner of one the many intense games of tic-tac-toe you two had been passing back and forth for a good half of the class period. You made your next move and then scribbled a quick 'yes, I'll give you the notes later,' going to toss the paper across the aisle to your best friend while the teacher's back was still turned. Woochul visibly relaxed upon reading what you'd said, smiling to himself as he adjusted the game according to your play and handing the note back to you as discreetly as possible. 'you're the best' was written in large print underneath the game board, a line drawn through Woochul's Xs and a smug, victorious smile plastered on his face.
[1:34 PM] “So I tie it like this, right?” Yunmin asked, a confused look crossing over his face, all of his concentration going into his efforts to tangle the flowers in front of him together as delicately as possible despite the size of his hands. “Yeah, that’s perfect, babe! And then link that right there… you got it.” You smiled, taking in your boyfriend’s adorable struggles. The flower crown you’d whipped together sat gracefully atop his head, soft hair shining golden brown in the sunlight. He looked ethereal, as always.
"Y/nnn, I messed it up." Yunmin's whining brought you back to reality, the flower crown he'd been slaving over held limply in his hand, two or three of the stems broken. "Aw, that's okay, Minnie. We have a few more flowers here, let's try again." You said, smiling at him and taking the broken crown from his hands. As he started weaving together another, you set the old one atop your head, Yunmin lovingly smiling at the sight of you with flowers woven into your hair.
[4:13 PM] "Alright, ready to go?" I asked, loading up my camera settings for the photoshoot my boyfriend and I had agreed to do with our thrifted outfits.
"Ready as I'll ever be." Hansol grumbled, adjusting the hat perched atop his light purple hair.
"You look… surprisingly good, babe. Just pose for me." I said, and he did. Of course he looked amazing, even in the absolutely ridiculous outfit he'd managed to pull from the stop challenge we'd done in the store: a pink-and-white striped shirt and yellow pants with a white bucket hat. I couldn't help but find myself keening at the fact that some of the shots from that day would definitely end up being some of my favorites I'd ever taken of him.
"Admiring your gorgeous boyfriend?" Hansol crooned, wrapping an arm around my shoulder and placing a kiss to my temple.
Summary: You’re bored, swiping on Tinder and you happen to find one of your classmates on the app.
Sunday came and went. You hadn’t heard from Hansol at all. Temptation almost took over you as you debated whether or not to text him first. But the more you thought about it, the more you figured he’d contact you if he was really interested.
You wondered if Hansol liked you like that. Were you not attractive to him? Did he not enjoy hanging out with you? Was Friday night just a pity thing? Did he hang out with you and have you spend the night because he realized that he actually didn’t like you and felt bad about it?
You dragged yourself out of bed to your Monday morning sociology class. You weren’t in the mood to look nice, so you sported a pair of sweats and university hoodie. You took notes but you weren’t really there. Then you made your way over to your chemistry lab. And you did your lab mindlessly, your partner guiding you through most of it.
And when it was over, you were grateful. You stopped at the cafeteria for a late lunch since you hadn’t had a chance to eat anything. It wasn’t crowded, being that the lunch rush was over. You swiped your card and went inside. You headed for the grill area and opted for a grilled chicken sandwich. While you were choosing condiments, you heard a familiar voice.
“Hi, Y/N.”
You tilted your head and found Hansol next to you, adding tomatoes to his burger. He smiled. You didn’t return it.
You picked up the tongs and put a slice of cheese on your sandwich. “Hey…”
“Are you here with someone?” he asked.
You shook your head, “Nope. It’s just me.”
“Want to sit together?”
You stared at him for a few seconds. You couldn’t help it. After ignoring you all weekend, now he wanted to sit and have lunch together? You were skeptical but, at the same time, wanted some form of communication with him.
Then you said, “Sure.”
You followed him into the main area and to a table by the window. You put your plate down and sat across from him.
Hansol put his plate down and said, “What do you want to drink?”
“I’m fine,” you said.
He nodded and disappeared to the drink machines. Out of courtesy, you waited for him to come back to the table before you started eating. He placed a glass of water in front of you. “You should drink some water, at least.”
You were so shocked at his behavior. You couldn’t put your finger on it. It was so hard to be upset with him when he was being this nice to you. You wanted to be mad at him but he was unknowingly making your life more difficult than it needed to be.
“Thanks,” you said, taking a sip.
“How was your day?”
“It was okay. You?”
You both started eating. “It was good. I had a test today. I think I did well.”
“That’s good.” You felt like the two of you were making no progress. You needed to talk to him, seriously. You need answers and you needed them right now. “I have a question…”
He looked up from his sandwich and at you. “What’s up?”
“Do you like me? Well, not like that, but as a person. Like, are you interested?”
“Of course. Why do you think I wanted to sit with you?”
“I was just wondering...” Because you didn’t fuck me...
Hansol frowned. “Do you not like me?”
You shook your head. “I do. It’s just that I’m a little confused...about what we’re doing.”
“Oh,” he said, “I wanted to talk to you about it too.”
“Did you change your mind about what you wanted?”
He shook his head. “To be honest, I never had a friend with benefits before. And I wanted to get to know you a little before we do anything...”
You smiled. “I thought I wasn’t attractive to you or something.”
“No, no, no. Of course not. You’re a beautiful girl. I’m just…” He sighed. “I just suck at this.”
You chuckled. “Tinder guys usually try to get in your pants right away, so I guess I was surprised that you didn’t.”
Hansol laughed, too. “Yeah?”
“So do you wanna, maybe, hangout? Are you busy tonight?”
“I have dance practice at seven but we should be done by nine. I’m free after that.”
“My place or yours?”
*
You stepped out of the shower feeling confident. You were so grateful that you’d had that conversation with Hansol. This meant that tonight was the night. Tonight was the night that he would finally touch you.
The best part was that he was coming to your place. He’d texted you saying that he was going to shower so you hopped in, too. You took care to put body oil on and a pair of sexy lacy panties before he arrived. You also drank a glass of wine while you waited for him.
There was a knock on the door and you smiled to yourself. You pranced over to the door in your skimpy tank top and shorts and opened it. Hansol was on the other side of the door, wearing a smile. “Hey.”
“Hey,” you said, letting him into the apartment. “My room is back here.” You walked, with Hansol following behind you. “Do you want anything to drink?”
He shook his head, putting his keys and wallet on your desk. He paused “Actually, what do you have?”
“There’s some wine and some leftover vodka my roommate left me. Do you want to, maybe, take a shot?”
Hansol said, “Sure.”
You skipped into the kitchen, grabbed the vodka and some shot glasses, and returned to Hansol, who was still standing in the same place you’d left him.
“You’re being shy today, huh?” You placed the shot glasses on your desk.
“I guess I am feeling a little shy today.”
“Don’t worry,” you said, pouring the liquor. “This’ll loosen you up a little.”
You handed him a glass and, after clinking, you both downed the stuff.
After putting the glass back down, you turned on some music and sat down on the bed. But Hansol stood. You let out a laugh, pulling him toward you. “Relax. Stay awhile...”
Hansol chuckled and sat down on the bed, turning his body toward you. His eyes glazed over your cleavage then back at your face.
“It’s been awhile…”
You didn’t hesitate to take your skimpy shirt off, leaving you in your bra. Then you climbed into his lap, straddling him. “Then let me take care of you tonight…”
He took your body in, swallowing you whole with his gaze. His eyes met yours before pressing his lips to yours first. “God, you’re so sexy…” Then he kissed you again, this time your tongue meeting his. He followed suit, your tongues intertwining.
It had been a while not only for Hansol but for you, too. You hadn’t really met any guys worth your while but Hansol was different. And sleeping with him was convenient. He went to your school and he lives close by. If things worked out, you could have quickies in between classes and late night meetups. Maybe you could even have sex in your car if he was down for it. The thought of it all was turning you on so much.
You started by taking his hoodie off. There was nothing under and you ran your fingers across his bare chest before pushing him back on the bed. You could feel him getting hard from underneath you, his cock pressing against your clit through your panties. Hansol looked up at you, into your eyes. His were full of desire and he tugged at his bottom lip with his teeth.
You lifted yourself up and ran your fingers across his hard on. It jerked at your touch and he groaned.
You smiled. “Getting impatient, huh?”
He smiled back. “Maybe…”
You scooted back, off of him, sitting next to him instead. You reached for the waistband on his sweats and put your hand inside, feeling for his cock. You felt the tip, lightly brushing against it with your pointer finger. It jerked again. And you started stroking him slowly, earning a sigh of pleasure from Hansol.
You continued this for a moment before it started becoming increasingly difficult. “Take your pants off…”
He didn’t hesitate and did as you asked, sliding his boxers off with his sweats. Now, you had a better angle to stroke him. He let out a moan as you wrapped your fingers around his hard cock and started stroking faster. And as you picked up speed, his body jerked.
“Your turn,” he said.
You raised your eyebrows as he turned to his side and reached for your shorts. He pulled them off, along with your panties, and slowly inserted a finger inside you. He thrust it slowly, teasing you. He was getting more and more excited as he felt how wet you already were for him. It turned him on more than you knew. Your lips parted at the sudden pleasure and you let out a soft moan. You wanted more and, almost as if he knew what you wanted, he slipped in another finger. He curled his fingers as he pushed them in and out of you. You were a moaning mess as he pulled them out of you.
“I have a condom,” he said, pulling it out of his pants pocket.
“Let’s put it to use then,” you said.
He started kissing your neck, making you moan out yet again. “Tell me how you like it.”
“Bend me over,” you whispered.
Hansol ripped the condom open and slid it onto his length. While he did this, you bent over on the bed, getting on your hands and knees. Hansol licked his lips at the sight of your ass in the air. He ran his fingers up and down your back, sending shivers through your spine. You let out a whimper at his touch. This was enough for Hansol to forget the teasing he’d intended for you and plunge into you slowly instead.
Hansol didn’t know you well yet. He didn’t know all of the little things you liked just yet. He didn’t know whether you liked it fast or slow. Rough or gentle. Kissing or no kissing. He couldn’t wait to explore your body and get to know you and the things that made your moan.
He made his way inside of you, slowly, and he could feel every inch of your wetness. He could feel how wet you were, how tight you were, how amazingly perfect you were in every single way. As he sank into you, your lips parted with bliss.
“Hansol,” you whispered.
“Yeah?” he replied through gritted teeth.
“You feel so good…”
“Oh yeah?”
At that very second, he thrusted harder. “Fuck.” This feeling was amazing and you wanted—no, needed—to feel every inch of him inside of you. Your moans, first soft and sensual, became louder and more desperate as he grabbed you by your hips and thrust into you more deeply. Just by your moans alone, he could tell how much you liked it. He pulled you closer, so that your back was touching his chest. He thrusted into you still, slowly.
You couldn’t believe how good Hansol was making you feel. It had been a while since you’d had sex and this was exactly what you’d been needing after a stressful week of class.
He thrusted up into you deeply, wrapping his arms around you. He rocked into you, waves of pleasure shooting through your body. Your lips parted and a moan slipped out. Then, in the midst of this pleasure, his fingers roamed down to your clit. He rubbed it slowly, caressing it with just two fingers.
Hansol was getting close but he had to make sure you got your first. Little did he know, you were seconds away from orgasm. Your breaths became heavier and you started grabbing at the sheets. You let out one final cry as your body shook against him with your orgasm.
Hansol licked his lips and he felt his orgasm coming over him. He groaned and grunted as he came, leaning his head on your shoulder. You heard his heavy breaths in your ear and it turned you on so much, you wondered if he would be interested in another round.
You got off of him and Hansol bit his lip as he pulled the condom off. He chuckled. “Is there somewhere I can put this where your roommates won’t see?”
You took it from him after he tied it up, glancing at how much he came. He’d clearly had a huge load and it was just for you. The thought of you being the woman to make him come after so long turned you on so much. You tossed the used condom in the trash before returning to the bed, sliding your panties back on. Hansol followed suit, putting his boxers back on. But he didn’t stop there; he got dressed completely while you watched.
“What?” he asked.
“Nothing,” you said, pulling him back onto the bed. You were feeling bold with a little bit of alcohol in your system. Your body moved forward, into his parted lips. His lips were warm, soft; his cologne wrapped around your nostrils. You didn’t do what you wanted to do which was push him back on the bed and stick your tongue in his mouth. But Hansol didn’t seem like that kind of guy. So you held back, keeping your tongue in your mouth.
He smiled when you pulled back. “What was that for?”
“No reason,” you said.
*
Hansol got to his house a little after midnight. One of his roommates, Junyoung, was sitting on the couch typing frantically on his laptop. He looked up from his computer and said, “Hey.”
“What’s up?” he said, taking a seat on the couch next to him.
“My paper is late,” he replied, taking a sip from the water glass on the coffee table next to him. He cleared his throat and returned to his paper. “Ten points off isn’t bad, I guess. I’m almost done. Maybe she’ll be nice and not take off points if I’m a half hour late.”
Hansol laughed. “Is this the paper you had all week to do?”
“Yeah,” he said. “I’ll have you know that I was very busy this week.”
“Sure…”
“Anyway, let me finish this paper. I’ll tell you what happened yesterday.”
Hansol turned on the TV, flipping mindlessly until something on the screen intrigued him. It was just another music video. But he enjoyed watching intricate choreography. It gave him ideas and, as dance team leader, it helped a lot.
A few minutes, Jun shut his laptop and set it on the coffee table. “Thank god.” He let out a sigh and headed into the kitchen. A moment later he came back with two cold beers in his hands. He handed one to Hansol, plopped down on the couch and cracked it open.
“So where are you coming from anyway?” he asked.
“I was at Y/N’s place,” Hansol answered, opening his beer with the familiar clicking sound.
Jun raised his eyebrows, interest glowing in his brown eyes. “Who’s that?”
“Um, a girl I met on Tinder,” he said.
Jun smirked. “Oh really? Can I see her?”
“Sure,” he said, taking out his phone. He opened up the Tinder app and went on your profile. He handed his friend the phone and waited while he flipped through your pictures.
“She’s cute.” He raised his eyebrows. “Did you guys hook up?”
“Maybe,” was Hansol’s vague reply. “Anyway, I think we’re gonna try the friend with benefits thing. That first night we met up officially, she came over and we drank and she spent the night.”
“Whoa, whoa,” he said, putting his beer can down. “She spent the night?”
“Yeah. Why?”
“Did you fuck her?”
“No,” he said. “We just got food and came back here.”
“And you still didn’t fuck her after that?”
“What’s the big deal?”
“That’s how they start getting attached,” he said. “When they start spending the night and you start going out together, it becomes a problem.”
“What are you getting at? How is that an issue?”
“They start getting attached. They start having feelings for you and then want a relationship.”
Hansol thought about it. He wasn’t sure he was ready for a relationship, especially after his ex girlfriend had cheated on him. He liked having a girlfriend though. He enjoyed having someone to talk to, someone to share his feelings with. He liked having someone come over and cuddle and have sex and all of those more intimate things. But, again, he wasn’t sure he was ready to open up to a relationship right now. He hadn’t been intimate with anyone in three months until he fucked you. And even then, it felt different. He wasn’t having sex with someone he loved and it felt strange but he still enjoyed it.
He liked you as a person but he also didn’t know you well enough to make a judgment on whether or not he would eventually want a relationship with you.
“Is a relationship a bad thing?”
“I mean, no,” he explained. “But come on, you were in a relationship for two years. It’s time for a little fun, don’t you think?”
Request;; Not Requested... I'm new here (to the Newkidd fandom) and I’m sorry if I didn't do Hwi justice - I just couldn't not write something for his birthday. He's just too adorable and cute :(
Notes;; Happy Birthday, Hwi!!
My Masterlist
There was no holding back the smile that lit up your face as you watched him dance. Dancing to the energetic and electrifying beat of his latest favourite girl group song wasn't work to him - it was something he enjoyed. It was a hobby that he indulged in for himself and it showed in the way his joy became your own as he elicited pure emotion from you. Every single move dripped with not only grace but also happiness. Never did his expression falter or drop, and your own smile couldn't hold a candle to the dazzling grin plastered on his face.
Though his technique wasn't the best in the business, his personality and ability to draw out a raw response was more than most could ever dream of. Hwi allowed his happiness to cascade off his body in waves, illuminating the room and everything in it. No matter how hard he pushed himself to give his personal best, his eyes sparkled brighter than the moonlight hidden behind closed shutters.
Safe behind the camera, you felt emboldened enough to express the pent up excitement that had built up over the course of the night. It came as a silent set of bunny hops, a playful pout and a squish of your cheeks as you mouthed a silent coo that he caught from the corner of his eye during an elegant turn. A small blush served as the replacement for the eye roll he undoubtedly would have given you had he not been on camera.
Once he finished the routine, soft pants drifting from soft lips, you ended the recording and turned off the camera. Light sweat lined his brow that was accompanied by a slight frown. All he did was watch in silence as you sat down on the floor. There next to the camera's tripod and attached by a single USB cord was your laptop. Lifting it into your lap, you sighed in relief. So far everything was in order and looking good. You focused on the screen while you uploaded the footage to your video editor, ignoring the impatient shuffling of the young man across from you. Without diverting your attention, you humoured him.
"What's wrong?"
"Did you like it?"
"Of course. You were adorable as always, Hwi."
An indignant huff prompted a grin from you. You eyed him for a brief moment. Though barely noticeable, his blond waves had started to clump from the buildup of sweat. This final recording was far from the first; all night had been dedicated to perfecting the dance. It should have been finished last night but he refused to offer anything less than perfect. It was his birthday gift to his fans, after all, so he had danced into the morning.
"Then why were you playing around and poking fun? Were you bored?"
"I wasn't." You laughed this time when he huffed. "It was fun."
"I saw you. It almost tripped me up," Hwi mumbled.
Grabbing the tripod, he tried to move it aside but the cords were still connecting the camera and laptop. You yelped when the laptop jerked off your lap. Scrambling to catch it even though the likelihood of damage was next to nil, you lurched forward and slammed the back of your hand against the concrete before it had a chance to hit the ground. Waiting for your heartbeat to slow, you raised your gaze inch by inch to meet Hwi's.
"Oops."
"Aish, you're lucky you're cute. Please leave the cleanup to me. You should get some sleep while I finish this."
"But-"
"Nope, none of that. Off you go."
Kicking imaginary dirt on the floor, he pouted. When he didn't clear out of the small practice room, you once again told him to get some rest with similar results. With a shake of the head and a yawn, you stood. You had to finish the video soon so it would be ready to post for his birthday so even though you were dead tired, you couldn't give in to the slumber that beckoned you. It would take a strong, caffeinated drink to power you through the looming task ahead of you. You could just hope that the drinks offered in the break room vending machine would be enough.
"Can't I stay?"
"Why would you want to? This is gonna take awhile. Don't worry - it won't be posted without your approval first. Just sleep."
You stumbled to the door, yanking it open. Stretching upon exiting, you expected Hwi to follow only for the door to creak shut behind you. With a half-hearted yell, you reminded him not to touch the laptop before trudging down the hall. It took about five minutes for your mind to catch up. Once it had and you were able to form a somewhat coherent thought that didn't correlate to editing, you picked a drink and guzzled it down. It was quiet in the building at this time, something you could appreciate. The last thing you wanted to do was explain your presence.
Step by step, the fog covering your mind began to lift as the caffeine kicked into gear. Still focused on the best way to slice, edit, and filter the dance routine in the least time possible, you reentered the room to find Hwi sitting in your spot. Light danced across his face in the now dark room as he watched the screen. You tutted and shook your head but he didn't seem to notice. Taking a seat next to him, you spoke in a low tone meant to go unnoticed.
"Didn't I say not to touch the laptop?"
"Hmm?"
"Nothing. Here, hand it to me."
Without a comment, he passed the laptop over. You disconnected the cords and threw them to the side. If he wasn't planning on leaving anytime soon, you'd just put off the cleanup and instead watch the clips with him. Waggling your finger in a beckoning gesture, you scooted a little further down the wall and he followed. When his legs were a safe distance from the tripod, you allowed yourself to relax.
"I'm happy to see that you didn't delete the footage while I was gone."
"I'm not stupid."
"Even the smartest people make mistakes. I've erased plenty of important memories before, usually by accident." You shrugged and sighed, looking at him from your peripheral, "It's not a big deal."
"You don't need to baby me."
"When have I ever?"
He snorted. "Anyway, you can delete everything before the last three takes. There will be nothing worth saving there, I think. The second chorus and outro in the first of the three can be used and the intro for the second video might have been more polished than the third but… I'll leave it to your judgement."
"You got it."
After three and a half minutes of dutiful work on your part, you felt his stare burning into you. You wondered if he had been watching your actions close enough to pick up on your plan. The building silence was enough to give you your answer, but you hoped he hadn't noticed the full extent of it.
Lifting your eyes off your project timeline, you noticed his hawk-like vision hadn't missed a thing. In an act of subconscious guilt, you chose to catch his gaze in the mirror opposite you both rather than head-on. He scowled. It was meant to be intimidating but it had an adverse effect and you burst into laughter. The way his lips jutted out in a pout at your reaction was beyond cute and only increased the bubbling joy overflowing from you.
"Why are you laughing? I can see what you're doing!"
"Oh, what am I doing?" You goaded, snorting at his incredulous gasp.
"You're collecting all the mistakes!'
"What of it?"
"I asked you to delete them," he whined, pulling at your shirt sleeve and frowning.
"But you were so cute whenever you messed up."
"I don't want to show them anything less than perfect!"
"Making mistakes is human. Having flaws is human. No one is perfect. Your fans will love seeing this, trust me. You're so gee dang cute, they will melt and combust when they see that little nervous laugh you made after you tripped. It's like a gift that keeps giving."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, put your trust in me. I won't lead you astray. Now why don't you just go to sleep and leave this to me? When you wake up, I'll have the finished video ready for you to review."
"Fine." The mirror shook as he dropped his head against it before an irritated groan echoed through the room. Even without the lights on, you knew discomfort would soon crawl across every inch of his face. The cold, hard surface of the mirror was no proper place to sleep. Soon his head rolled to the side to look at you once more. "Sleep where though?"
"Well since you didn't want to leave,-" with a tilt of your head so you were face to face with the exhausted blond, you patted your shoulder, "-you can sleep here."
For the first time since he finished dancing, his face lit up in a dazzling smile. He was quick to lean on you and even quicker to snuggle against you. You knew it wouldn't take long for him to clonk out, not with how tired he was after a full night's work. Pulling a pair of earphones from your pocket, you began to transition yourself and the laptop into a more comfortable and silent setup.
Hwi yawned. If he was curious about your actions, he didn't comment on it and instead closed his eyes. Well on the way to falling asleep, he mumbled, "I'm lucky to have you."
