In THE DaRk
order 004 for anon: large coconut milk tea (In THE DaRk by BOBBy) with regular tapioca pearls and fresh taro
Warnings: food mentions
Pairing: idol!Hui x delivery worker!reader
Summary: you deliver food to cube ent. and end up becoming friends with Hui, an idol who's at the peak of his career... but he finds himself falling for you even as his songs rise on the charts :")
Word count: like maybe 3k?
[a/n]: i love this request because i love this song and writing it while listening to the song on loop in the dark of my room just made me so happy? also i put wayyyy more effort into this than necessary and it turned out super long >.< i'm so sorry anonnie i hope you like itttt ahhh
Shine, you shine on my existence
Sure, Hui was an idol with a life of his own - especially now, during Shine promotions, that his group, PENTAGON, was blowing up. Yet he never failed to make time for you, because you were the light of his life.
As a hardworking idol who was always cooped up in his studio and skipping meals, his members encouraged him to at least order food. He was reluctant but eventually agreed, not wanting to make them worry.
That's where you came in: a delivery worker at a local restaurant not too far from Cube entertainment, Hui's company. A lot of people ordered from your restaurant to Cube, so you weren't surprised when a new order flashed on the iPad screen at your workplace.
"We've got another delivery, [y/n]," the worker at the front told you with a smile, walking to the back to tell the cooks what to prepare.
You tapped your feet against the ground, awaiting the order. Once it was prepared, you carefully placed it in your delivery bag, fastened it to your bike and off you went, wearing a helmet of course.
The gentle breeze was enough to cheer you up and give you energy, despite the scene around you being full of traffic and slightly bleak.
Once you arrived, the guards let you in without even checking your workplace ID this time, recognizing you as a trusted delivery person.
You made your way up to the floor listed on the order, roaming through countless hallways until you finally found the right room. Judging by the area and the doors, it seemed to be full of studios.
The person who ordered this must be working hard, you thought to yourself.
Suddenly, you got an urge to leave a note, wishing the person well. You took out a scrap piece of paper and a pen that you always had handy, your heart racing and your hands shaking at the thought of doing this. You were excited at the idea of the person being happy to see such a cheerful note...
I hope you enjoy this meal and that it gives you enough energy to keep working hard :) Go for it!
After neatly placing the food and note at the door, you knocked and walked away, not wanting to bother the person. Even though you didn't turn your back, you heard the door open a few seconds later.
"Thank you!" a voice echoed through the hall.
You turned quickly to say ‘you’re welcome’ in response and caught a glimpse of what seemed to be a young idol hard at work. His hair was messy and he had dark circles under his eyes, but his mismatches clothes and bright smile were quite cute.
You thought that would be the last you’d see of him, but from that day onwards, he always ordered food from your restaurant at the same time: 2:09pm. Why so specific? You weren’t sure, but that’s how it was, and you being the only delivery worker at your restaurant meant that it would always be you taking the food to him.
The second time you went, you were surprised to see a note waiting on the door for you.
Thank you for your cheerful message... I’ll do my best to work harder!
It made you smile and you decided to leave another note with his order, this time just asking him what his favourite side dishes were so you could tell the cooks to put more of those in next time. Instead of him leaving a note for you with the response, though, Hui decided to text you this time so he wouldn't have to wait for you to make another delivery before you could see his response.
Unknown: This is Hui! Ah, I ordered food from you at 2:09pm? I'm not really picky on side dishes, but one of my members likes kimchi, so could you make sure to leave more of that for me?
You: sure, of course! but how did you get my number?
Hardworking Hui: Ah, sorry! It was on the app since you're the delivery worker... for me to contact you in case you get lost? I'm sorry!
You: No, that's okay! i just wanted to be sure ^^
So after that day, you made sure Hui always got extra kimchi with his order. He would always greet you at the door of his studio, quickly asking about your day and how you were doing. Truthfully, he actually wanted to ask you to come inside so he could talk with you some more, because the two of you would always get an interesting conversation going before you declared you had to leave.
Since he was too shy to ask you in person, he texted you, instead.
Hardworking Hui: could you get the rest of the day off after delivering my order today?
You: why?
Hardworking Hui: so you can eat with me? if that's okay? or just take an hour off!
You: ...
You: Only if you pay for my food :P
Hardworking Hui: deal
So that day, you asked your manager for the hour off from 2:30pm to 3:30pm. She agreed, knowing that you always work hard and deserve a break.
Showing up to Hui's studio with his usual order and some food for yourself in your hands, you knocked a little nervously this time, knowing that this wouldn't just be a delivery, but a whole... hang out? Type of thing?
Hui had made sure to clean his studio to the best of his ability, making sure that there was another comfy chair for you to sit on and that the room didn't smell bad or anything. He lit a couple of candles and vacuumed the place so there would be no dust. When you knocked on the door, he jumped out of his seat with excitement, immediately opening it.
"Hi! Come in," he said, holding the door open so you could step inside. Seeing the cosy, dimly lit space left you in awe.
"It's so cool to see where you've been working away for all this time," you said, sitting down on a chair and putting the food down.
"Yeah... sometimes I get tired of it, but it's home," Hui said, sitting on his studio chair and opening up the food.
"Ah... where's the kimchi?" Hui asked, pointing at all the dishes.
"Oh, I'm so sorry, I told the cook to include my favourite side dish too, but he must have just replaced the kimchi with this instead, I'm so sorry!"
Hui laughed, shaking his head.
"It's completely fine!" he said, handing you your favourite side dish.
As the two of you began eating, you were able to get to know each other more as you spoke and asked each other questions. Even though it was a little silly asking for each other's favourite colours and seasons, it was a lot of fun, and the two of you turned out to have a lot in common.
Tears are erased by my emotions / Add, add colour to the world
After that day, you weren't just a delivery worker for Hui, and he wasn't just a customer to you. The two of you became close friends, attending the concerts of your favourite artists together. Hui would joke and say that he was attending for work reasons, trying to gain musical inspiration, while you had no real reason to be there. You'd slap his shoulder lightly, telling him to watch his words while he'd laugh at your reaction.
Even though his work was stressful at times, it was days like those that seemed to make him cry in reverse, if that was even possible? You showed up and turned his world around, adding colour onto his black and white canvas.
His members even told him that he seemed more cheerful and energetic despite still working hard in the studio, and Hui even told you that his songwriting process seemed to be running more smoothly.
"I'm so glad we became friends," he told you, leaning his head on your shoulder one day as the two of you sat on a park bench. You smiled, strongly agreeing with him in your own heart.
But do you remember when I mentioned Shine promotions at the beginning of this? Well, let's skip forward to that point.
By then, you had seen Hui and his group perform quite a few times, whether it was at concerts, music shows or even on the TV at your home. You were incredibly proud of him and wanted nothing but for him to succeed.
Every time Hui found you in the crowd at any of his live performances, he'd feel some kind of crazy adrenaline rush as all of his tiredness just seemed to magically disappear. He'd perform as if rent was due just because you gave him the energy to do so.
"Was [y/n] watching us again?" Hyunggu asked backstage after another performance for Shine ended safely.
"Yeah, I saw them there!" Hongseok confirmed.
"Plus, you can tell by the way Hui is acting," Yuto laughed, nodding towards Hui who was frantically texting you asking you if you'd left completely.
You told him you were still at the venue, and he begged you to come backstage. When you arrived, you greeted all of the Pentaboys, who adored you almost as much as Hui did, before joining Hui at his makeup table. You greeted the makeup artist too, out of respect, before asking Hui why he needed to see you so urgently.
"We might win today... I just wanted you to be by my side as good luck," he explained, a clearly worried expression on his face.
It was a shock to you that despite Shine doing so well on the charts, Pentagon still had not gotten their first win, but you knew they were an amazing group, regardless.
What you doing now? What's your plan now?
You placed your hand on top of Hui's, which rested on his own thigh.
"Hui, I know you haven't been getting all the wins you've been expecting, but we can't deny that this song is absolutely a bop and you have all been killing it!" you told him with a smile.
You couldn't tell whether or not your words had any sort of effect on him because he was looking down, but you hoped they at least didn't make him feel worse.
The rest of the Pentaboys cheered hearing your words though, feeling energized at your honest observation.
Hui was looking down because his stomach was tied in knots at the feeling of your hand on his. It was something he'd never felt before... butterflies? He tried to shrug it off but he couldn't stop wondering about your intentions... did you place your hand over his for a reason? What were you trying to tell him? What were you planning?
Inside my brain, after making a place for you / You make it impossible for me to sleep
That night, Hui still couldn't stop thinking about your simple gesture. You didn't mean anything by it, right? It was just a friend comforting a friend... the two of you had been friends for a while now, so why was he thinking into this so much?
As feelings of sleepiness took over, he drowsily wondered what it would be like to hold your hand rather than to just have his hand underneath yours. What would it be like to be held by you?
-
The next day, with more promotions ahead, you made sure to send Hui a text of good luck. You wouldn't be able to watch from the live audience that day, since you had work and deliveries to carry out, but you still wanted him to know that you were thinking of him.
Hui couldn't stop staring at your message of good luck for the whole day, pressing his finger on the heart emoji that you added at the end of your message.
"Hui hyung, are you reading something?" Wooseok asked the leader, sitting beside him on the sofa in the waiting room.
"Huh? N-no," Hui quickly said with a laugh, tucking his phone away.
"You've been staring at your phone all day... what is it, is it a fun webtoon?"
"No, no! Don't worry about it," Hui laughed, ruffling the tall boy's hair.
Wooseok whined, yelling about how the stylist just did his hair. Meanwhile, Hui's heart was racing. Why had he been staring at your text message all day?
You: I'm thinking of you today, Hui! Go get em, good luck <3
Are you thinking of me in this dawn? / I wish there was a continuous portal from my room to yours
Again, that night, Hui couldn't stop thinking about you. This time, it was about the message you'd sent him. He still had it open and was staring at it. He wondered if, when you said you were thinking of him, did that mean you were thinking of him right then and there too? At the same time when he was thinking about you?
Were your sleepless thoughts filled with him, just like his were filled with you-?
Ring ring. Ring ring.
Shit.
He'd been staring at your text and holding his phone so tightly that he accidentally pressed the call icon next to your name.
"Hello?" you answered sleepily. It was 3am and you had been asleep.
"H-hello? [y/n]?"
"Yes, Hui, what is it?"
"I uh..."
He desperately tried to think of an excuse for calling you, any reason-
"I wish there was a portal that went directly from my room to yours."
Really, Hui? Was that the best thing you could think of?
His heart raced and he smiled as he heard your laugh on the other end. He didn't realize he'd balled his other hand into a fist until your laughter made him calm down.
"What are you saying, Hui?"
"I miss you..." he mumbled.
Despite being sleepy, his words still made you nervous. Your heart raced and you wondered what he was trying to tell you.
"I m-miss you too," you croaked out.
"Really?" Hui asked you, sitting up in bed.
"Yeah, really," you said, laughing. It wasn't a lie, either. You'd been watching all of his performances on your phone that day while working, almost falling off your bike because you were that invested. In him.
"Do you wanna meet up now?"
"Now?" you spluttered.
"Yeah... by the Han River?"
You paused for a while before answering.
"Let's do it."
Even if I breathe in the cold air / It feels sweet, so sweet
"AHHH IT'S SO COOOOLD!" Hui yelled into the night air, rubbing his arms and running around in circles beside you.
"Here, take my coat," you said, but instead just wrapping your arms around him.
Hui tensed up, wondering if your arm that was wrapped around his chest could feel his heartbeat.
"W-what are you doing?" he asked.
"Providing you with warmth," you said.
You also felt butterflies stirring within you, realizing that maybe you saw Hui as more than just a friend. Yet you shrugged it off, telling yourself that Hui was an idol and you were just a delivery worker.
You can't know my pathetic feelings / Even if I've confessed a hundred times inside my brain / I'm invisible to you
Hui stayed quiet, closing his eyes tightly and enjoying the feeling of being in your arms on this cold night. He knew this embrace wouldn't last and that maybe it wouldn't happen again, because in his mind, he was invisible to you. Just a friend who you goofed around with, but all of your jokes made his heart rush.
The two of you ran around the grassy banks of Han River together, laughing into the night and chasing each other like kids. Each time Hui caught up to you, he'd wrap his small frame around you so tightly that it made you lose your breath. You told yourself it was just because you were running so hard, but it was definitely something else.
As the sun was beginning to rise and the two of you were finally in your homes, trying to get some sleep, Hui imagined what it would be like to confess to you. What if he confessed right there and then when you hugged him by the Han River? What if he told you how much he likes you and... what if you felt the same? What if you cupped his cheeks in your hands and kissed him right there as the river reflected the starlight from the sky...? What if Hui would drop his phone in shock but would kiss you back more passionately?
No, Hui. No.
If I ever want you to feel the same / That must be greedy, that'd probably be a chance to peek into heaven / 'Cause you are angel
There was no way any of that would ever happen. There was no way you would ever like him back, at least for Hui. You were way too good for him, an angel on this planet full of demons and sinners.
Little did he know that you were also squinting at the sun, struggling to get some sleep as you thought of the way Hui would press his face into your chest every time he caught up to you at the Han River as you chased each other for fun. His bright smile and gentle laughter made your heart feel like the Han River itself, gently flowing along but filled with such a refreshing feeling.
After another week of intense Shine promotions, Hui feeling all sorts of emotions as Shine continued to soar while his feelings for you also grew, it became unbearable. The two of you would talk late into the night, whether it was sending texts because Hui was busy working or whether it was phone calls. Hui thought about you every second of every day and always missed you a ton.
Please know that I like you / I just want to be there for the rest of your life
Hui asked you to meet him in his studio one evening, as he knew your work schedule and knew that you were free. You agreed, slightly confused as to how he was making time to meet with you despite being so busy.
"Hui, I'm here!" you sang, opening the door to his studio and finding him sitting there in his chair, looking especially cute as his hair was slightly ruffled and he wore a big, comfy hoodie.
"[y/n], I have to tell you something," he said, with a slightly sad smile.
"Yeah, what is it?"
You grew worried, but decided not to make a fuss over anything just yet.
"So, for some time now.... well, of course we've been good friends, and I don't want this to ruin that if you don't feel the same..."
He sighed mid-sentence.
"Gosh, I don't know why I'm rambling," he said with a laugh.
You instinctively laughed along.
"Well, [y/n]. I like you... a lot. I know it's pathetic for me to feel this way when I don't even deserve you, but-"
"You like me?" you cut him off.
Hui nodded in response, looking slightly red now.
Nervous and absolutely bewildered, you starting laughing to yourself, making Hui worry if he'd said something wrong.
"Hui, I... I like you too, what the hell?! And here I was thinking I was pathetic!"
"You're not pathetic at all!" Hui said, grinning widely and bright red in the face upon hearing your answer to his confession.
Both of you nervously smiled at each other for some time before Hui broke the silence.
"I know... it may be hard to date me... well no, it will be hard to date me since I'm an idol, but I promise I'll give this my everything. It's a given, because of how much I like you and how lucky I am for you to even date me-"
"I never said I was dating you," you joked.
"What?" Hui asked in shock.
"I'm joking! Hui, it's okay. We'll get through these difficulties together, whatever they may be," you said, holding half of his face in your right hand, stroking his cheek with your thumb.
Hui leaned into your touch, closing his eyes.
"You're right," he said, before turning his face and pressing his lips to your hand.