synopsis: you’re in a complicated situationship with ryujin, almost like friends with benefits. however, you had a disagreement and ended up arguing with her leading to the both of you ignoring each other. eventually, your friends decide to plan a hangout to the aquarium, but you find yourself surprised when you get there.
wc: 2.1k words
gazing out the window pensively, you realized you had reached your destination when the immense aquarium building standing ahead of you caught your attention.
you quickly stood up from your seat at the back of the bus and walked briskly to the door which was just about to close when you managed to get through before it did so.
as you approached the aquarium, you couldn’t help but notice that none of your friends were in front of it, which was the meet-up spot you had agreed on.
you looked around and still failed to find any familiar faces. ‘’where could they be?’’ you wondered as you furrowed your eyebrows in confusion.
thinking you must have been way late as per usual, you realized your friends had probably gone inside to avoid standing under the burning sun.
indeed, it was another one of those scorching summer days, so you decided to enter the building to escape from the heat.
stepping in, you looked around in the lobby and still couldn’t seem to find any of your friends, you started to think, did you get stood up by your own friends?
you spun around on your heels and bumped into someone. not realizing who it was, you took a step back. ‘’oh i’m so sorry i didn’t mean to-‘’ you apologized until you stopped mid-sentence and finally recognized who you were speaking to.
the girl looked down at you because of the slight height difference. she was standing there with her usual laid back attitude, her eyes boring into yours.
‘’ryujin? you exclaimed. what are you doing here?’’ you crossed your arms as you waited for an explanation as to why ryujin was the only one present.
the girl sighed and leaned against the wall ‘’they did it on purpose, they wanted us to stay alone.. together’’ she spoke as she looked behind you, scanning over the posters showing fishes and different marine species that were hung as decoration across the lobby.
suddenly having a moment of epiphany, you let your arms down beside you, realization hitting you. you knew your friends wanted the both of you to reconciliate, but you had never expected them to go as far as tricking you into a hangout with her.
‘’well, i’m not staying then’’ you stated before attempting to walk back out the door until you felt a hand wrap around your arm.
looking down at your arm and back up at the person holding it, your eyes landed once again on ryujin. ‘’we paid for the tickets remember? might as well make a use out of them’’ she noted, rightfully so.
she technically had a point, you had spent your own money for the aquarium ticket, and as much as you hated being in ryujin’s presence right now, you figured you could just ignore her and enjoy the environment in itself.
sighing in resignance, you rolled your eyes ‘’fine, but i’m only staying ‘cuz i want to take photos’’ you mumbled. ryujin simply nodded, more dismissively than to agree with you, before she let go of the light grasp she had on your arm.
she walked past you and led the way to the nearest hallway as you followed, making sure to keep a certain distance between the both of you.
strolling beside the glass walls, you admired the different species of fishes, sharks, and other various creatures, your gaze lingering more on some than on others, you took pictures of almost everything you saw.
there wasn’t a single word shared between you and ryujin, the both of you simply walked side by side in the large hallways, immersing yourselves in the scenery of the aquarium, the way the creatures moved in the water, and occasionally came across a few guides who were telling the stories of how different species became what they are today and how they had developed through the centuries.
you didn’t notice it, but ryujin eventually managed to slowly close the gap you had put between the both of you, your arms now brushing against each other as you seemed to be engrossed in the pictures you were taking, and the creatures you were discovering.
your eyes landed on a few stands that were placed in the center of the hallway, which was calmer than the other ones, where souvenirs like decorative magnets, postcards, and keychains were sold.
slowly picking up your pace, you approached one of the stands where a certain keychain drew your attention. it was a blue and pink keychain consisting of various charms and a blue jellyfish which reminded you of the ones you had seen just a few minutes ago.
after looking at the price tag, you rummaged through your purse for the $7 that were required to buy the keychain. it was expensive, you thought, but being an avid keychain and trinket collector, you could not imagine leaving this building without acquiring at least one physical souvenir.
after a few moments of searching through your bag, you came to the realization that you had not brought anywhere near enough money, slowly giving up on buying the keychain you had instantly wished for.
‘’s-sorry.. i changed my mind’’ you apologetically spoke to the old man behind the stand. before even trying to walk away, someone stood next to you and handed a few bills and coins to the vendor. you turned to your left and saw ryujin, reaching down on the table before gently taking the keychain you had been eyeing and handing it to you.
‘’here’’ she said abruptly. you looked down at the keychain in confusion before taking it from her hand. you tried to figure it out but you couldn’t, why was ryujin buying you the keychain you wanted? even though you were still not on good terms.
ryujin had averted her gaze before she felt yours lingering on her. she turned to you and saw the confusion on your face ‘’it’s just a gift, since i knew you love collecting souvenirs’’ she stated monotonously.
strangely, what she had said warmed your heart, and you had to fight back a smile that was threatening to appear on your face.
you gulped and looked down at the keychain you now possessed. ‘’well.. thanks’’ you muttered to which she smiled.
you weren’t the quickest to connect the dots, but by ryujin’s actions and words, you knew she was trying to move on from the fight you guys had had, and to make it up to you.
not knowing what to do next, you fiddled with the jellyfish keychain, until ryujin spoke up.
‘’are you gonna keep sulking at me or are we good?’’ she smirked, her usual playful attitude making its return.
you yourself were tired of being on bad terms with ryujin, and decided it would be best to end it there than letting it extend unnecessarily.
feeling relief that the tension in the atmosphere was slowly vanishing, you nodded as a smile made its way to your face. ‘’we’re good’’ you stated.
ryujin smiled after hearing your response and simply started walking again, picking up your journey inside the aquarium where you had left off.
slowly but surely, the both of you had started talking and laughing again, a joyful expression on your face as the hangout continued.
standing in front of one of the huge water tanks, you admired the various colorful fishes swimming freely in the water. ryujin stood silently next to you, but instead of looking at the fishes in the water, she looked at you, her eyes slowly scanning over the features adorning your face.
her persistant gaze on you drew your attention, leading you to avert your eyes from the water to ryujin. your gaze met hers as she looked down at you, her eyes fixed on you intently.
you gulped, feeling blood slowly creep up under your cheeks as you prayed that it didn’t show (even though ryujin could clearly see it). at the sight of your reddening face, ryujin reached up slowly and tucked a strand of hair behind your ear, her hand lingering over it for a moment before it slid down to your cheek, gently holding it in her palm.
looking up at her, you saw her eyes flicker down to your lips for a split second before going back up to your eyes. you could see the hesitation in her eyes, until she slowly started leaning in, her gaze never leaving yours.
knowing you had come at a less crowded time, the hallway you stood in was deserted, leaving the two of you alone. your face found itself being only a few inches away from ryujin’s, until you felt her lean in closer one last time.
you fluttered your eyes shut and pushed yourself up on your tippy toes, deciding to take the last step as your lips met. you knew ryujin was startled as she froze for a second, until she pulled you closer, her free hand travelling up to your waist where it rested as she deepened the kiss.
tilting your head slowly to the side, you found one of your hands resting on ryujin’s shoulder, and the other one on her arm which was now wrapped around your waist.
her soft lips fit just right against yours, as if they were made to be together like pieces of a puzzle. warmth blossomed in your chest as you were closer to ryujin than ever, her warm breath against your face as her coconut-scented perfume was almost dizzying.
a shiver travelled down your spine as ryujin’s hand slowly slid from your waist to rest on your hip as she pulled you closer, your bodies almost clinging to each other.
suddenly, sounds of footsteps seemed to be coming your way from behind you. realizing someone must have been coming, you quickly pulled away from ryujin, feeling a surge of embarrassment filling your chest as you looked behind over your own shoulder, seeing that the footsteps you had heard were ones of a couple admiring the scenery of the aquarium.
being sure that they hadn’t caught you mid-kiss, you turned back to ryujin who seemed to be unable to tear her eyes from you, her usual smirk back on her face, making you giggle giddily.
‘’well i guess you weren’t that mad at me’’ ryujin teased as she brought back the memories of you sulking after the both of you had fought, making you playfully hit her shoulder.
‘’i’m mad now’’ you teased back with a smile until ryujin reached for your hand, intertwining your fingers together. the butterflies in your stomach suddenly came back as you suddenly didn’t know how to act.
ryujin looked down at you with a smirk, knowing her actions were making you nervous as she nudged your shoulder, making you giggle once more while you continued walking down the hallway.
eventually, you reached the end of the hallway as you had circled back to the lobby, marking the end of your time in the aquarium.
the both of you walked out of the building side by side, landing out in the street, the heat of the sun warming you up.
as you and ryujin stepped out of the aquarium, the warm sun enveloped you, contrasting the cool ambiance inside. you exchanged glances, the playful banter still lingering in the air.
‘’well, that wasn’t so bad, was it?’’ ryujin said, nudging you with her shoulder.
‘’i could say it was the best aquarium date i’ve ever had’’ you smiled at the girl. she scoffed jokingly ‘’why, you’ve been on other aquarium dates? with other people?’’ she crossed her arms, acting offended.
you reached up and ruffled the taller girl’s hair, earning a giggle from her as you did the same, ryujin mirroring your actions as she ruffled your hair in return.
thank you sm for reading if you stayed until the end!
i really wish i could stop loving you. maybe that would make all the pain go away. maybe then i wouldn’t mind the empty bed in the morning, when i wake up and you’re not there, and you come home with your shirt undone and a bruise on your neck and you swear it’s because you hit it with something but i can tell from the way you still have a slight lipstick smudge where you’ve been and i hate that i care and i hate that i stay and i hate that i still love you and i can’t stop. so please, i need to know how to stop loving you. for my sake.
forever dumb - shin ryujin x competitive sailor! reader
synopsis: how you and your girlfriend met
genre: fluffy, making myself feel single lowkey, reader being in love with water, ryujin just chilling in a sail boat, both being whipped for each other, open waters, be triggered that the top 2 pictures aren't a 470
there were two things that drew significance to your life on jeju island.
your boat. parked in the lot, a small (not really) 470 mainly that you and your race partner use for racing and the occasional trip out of the harbor. allowing both of you to discover the beauty of jeju island when looking from afar to take interesting photos and freeing you from the land.
the other thing was your girlfriend, shin ryujin. your home. she was the person you always felt you could be vulnerable with, and in exchange, she was always vulnerable with you. the best part was that both of you enjoyed the water.
it was the middle of summer in the evening when you met ryujin. you were just chilling on the beach with sand in your toes, sitting on the beach, taking in the lovely salty air, when she tapped you on the shoulder. you noted she seemed scared, so you scooted over on your blanket, making room for her to sit down, and offered her your hat in your bag, which made her seem more at ease.
"you're not going to question what i'm doing?" the mysterious woman asked in a questioning tone, looking towards me.
"nope! unless you want me to, wait, you're not paparazzi, right," you looked at the stranger, a bit fearful of her.
"no-no... god- those are the people i'm trying to escape," the woman sounds a bit shocked by what you had just accused her of.
"oh.... good," you responded, going back to look at the ocean and taking in the breeze for a good 3 minutes.
"... you're not going to ask who i am?" she asked.
"uh... why should i? unless you want me too," you replied, "if it makes you feel better, i'll ask what's your hobby?"
"dancing," she replied with a spark in her eye, "it just something about it that makes it just so." she was struggling to find the word, mumbling a bit under her breath.
"magical?" you questioned, looking at her.
"yes. that's the word," she said.
"hmmmm, that's nice," you hummed out while running your hand through your hair. as you let the sounds of the wave envelop you putting your hat over your eyes. she had a passion just like yours for sailing.
"so... what are your hobbies? the stranger asked with a bit more confidence.
"i wouldn't really say a hobby, but sailing... i guess," you responded, still lying back. you looked up at the inside of your hat, seeing the pink-hued evening sky peaking through. "do you know any fun restaurants here?" you asked the stranger.
"no... i was going to go to a popular restaurant on reccomended by my friend," she says back.
"do you... want to go back to my uncle's restaurant?" you asked her, realizing how bad that sounded. "no no, i- i meant like the food is good, yes. and the person who just happened to own it was my uncle, and it's really popular," you tried to explain.
"pft-" ryujin tried to stifle her laugh when replying, "yea, sure you got a name, stranger?"
"i- uh y/n," realizing it would be bad if you told her your last name.
"ryujin. now where is this so-called popular uncle restaurant," she giggled while taking your hand as you packed up.
when you both got there, the restaurant was almost jampacked with locals except for your tiny 2-person table, where you both sat.
"AH, Y/N!" your uncle yelled as he walked over and slapped you over the back, winking at ryujin in the eye as he loudly whispered, "our little champ." ryujin wondered what he meant by that as you pouted to your uncle, complaining how your back hurt and him teasing back. "so are, you ready to order, lady?" your uncle asked and looked at ryujin.
"i'll have the seafood hot pot stew," she said as she looked at the uncle, who yelled her order to the back, smling to ryujin. slapping your back again as he made his way back towards the kitchen to tame the choas inside. a small, comfortable silence envelops the two of you, both looking out the window and admiring the beach. until it was interrupted by her, "hey, have you ever wondered what it's like to have the wind on your back while out here?" she asked a simple question while still looking out on the sea.
"do you want to find out? you replied as you slowly turned towards her as she was basking in the golden sunset.
"sure, if you have a boat," she hummed out while she turned to face you, giggling at how ethereal you looked underneath the window light. with those 5 words and a giggle, your heart sailed and was captured in the stormy sea of ryujin, making you hers forever long as she so chose to keep you. little did you know that ryujin had been caught in your stormy sea too.
it was the morning after that you had both met on the fateful day on the beach, and you had let her on to your one and only 470 boat. you had rigged the boat before hand and made her put on a life jacket just in case she went overboard. you had let her sit on the upper part of the hull (middle part of the boat) so she could enjoy the breeze while you took care of the halay and till.
the conditions for going out were ideal—not too much wind but just enough to enjoy the view. both of you enjoyed how quiet and atmospheric it was on the boat, with the sun hitting the waters just enough for them to glisten. oddly enough, it was you who broke the silence this time. "so, how do you like the view? you asked ryujin while she was admiring the water and dipping her hand into it.
"you know, when i asked you if you had a boat, i was expecting more like a motor boat. but this is way better than i could ever hope for," she said, removing her hand from the water. "so you still have not answered my question of what you do for a job, little champ," she said while swirling the water around.
you cringed at the nickname that your uncle had given you but still replied, "i race boats. sometimes i win."
"sometimes win? you won the gold medals at the olympics," she bolstered your achievement at you. "i guess i should tell you who i am since you know who you are, i'm itzy shin ryujin," she said while doing the itzy hand greeting and bowing. you stared at her blankly, not knowing what to say, mainly because you didn't know what itzy was. it was maybe a bad idea to stay quiet for so long because ryujin started questioning you. "do you perhaps not know who itzy is?" she questioned you as you shook your head side to side, but you were eager to know what it was. "its a group consisting of hwang yeji, choi jisu, lee chaeryoung, shin yuna, and me almost similar to twice," she explained.
"TWICE???" you interrupted her. "like the one that's friend with joy unnie?" you questioned.
"yea... wait, you know twice," ryujin asked, a bit confused about how you knew her seniors but not itzy.
"yea, the one with nayeon," you looked at her beaming with curiosity.
"first off, yes. second off, you met nayeon-sunbae????" ryujin asked while being more confused than ever.
"once, when joy unnie brought over yeri with nayeon that's when i got introduced," you told her with a serious face.
"god, what a weird small world! ryujin said laughing into her hands, and you laughed along with her. a sudden thought came to your mind as you were laughing along with her: you wouldn't mind if you spent the rest of your life with her. as quick as it entered your mind, it exited through your mouth. "you know, i wouldn't mind spending the rest of my life with you either," she said looking at you.
this was the moment when you knew she was the one.
a/n: can't believe my sailing knowledge was actual useful for something-, anyways CAKE ATE REAL the entire album STREAM ITZY KILL MY DOUBT (baam, baam, can't wait 'til i shoot them)
