Summary: You and Daesung both have feelings for each other but are too stubborn to admit it. When your boss decides that a PR relationship is best for business you both worry that you're feelings might come out. What could go wrong?
Warnings: None.
Author's Note: This is my first time writing for our angel baby, Daesung. Please let me know if you'd like to be added to my tag list.
Daesung had been one of the first people you’d met when you had started coming up in the industry. With both of you becoming famous around the same time, you’d grown close rather quickly. You’d spent a lot of time with him and his band over the years, so much so that you all went hand in hand at this point. People didn’t think of them without thinking of you and vice versa. It was daunting sometimes being talked about in the same circles, but you loved your friends too much to ever distance yourself from them.
That however, didn’t stop you from being shocked when you walked into your bosses office to see Daesung there.
“Dae? What are you doing here?”
He shrugged and you raised a brow at your boss as you sat down. It had been a long time since you two had been called into the office together. In fact, the last time had been when you were a lot longer and were being scolded for doing something wrong on a variety show. You wracked your brain trying to think of something, anything you’d done wrong recently as your boss began to speak.
“It’s a weird time for the industry and with you two still being single we think it’s best if you do a PR relationship. At least for a bit.” You blinked, having missed all but the end of the conversation.
“What? That’s ridiculous. Nobody cares that we’re single.”
Daesung nodded in agreement.
“It’s perfect timing, Daesung is doing reunion shows with BigBang, you’ve got your new album coming out. It’s a win-win if you promote each other and attend all these events together. You guys have a staged photo shoot in an hour for the hard launch.”
You looked at Dae who rolled his eyes before looking back at your boss.
“And we have to do this?” His voice was soft and you raised a brow, wondering why he wasn’t fighting back as hard as you were.
“Yes.” Your boss leaned over, handing you both a timeline of the relationship.
You snatched it from his hands before standing up to leave the room.
As soon as you were outside the room a hand was on your arm, you looked up into the concerned eyes of your best friend.
“Are you ok?” Your expression softened at his worry and you let out a sigh.
“Yeah, I’m just annoyed that we have to do this.” He cocked his head to the side, dropping your arm and folding them across his chest.
“It’s not that big of a deal. It’s not like we’re not going to take this stupid schedule and make it fun.”
It was a big deal, though. Over the last few months you’d started to feel things that you shouldn’t for your best friend. You weren’t so sure you could handle fake dating your best friend while you were navigating your own feelings for him.
“Yeah, okay. I know we’ll make it fun, it’s just silly that they think anyone would care about this.”
—
A week had passed since the pictures of you being caught on a date had appeared online and you were eating your words. Fans from all over the world were obsessed that the two of you were dating. You were knee deep in instagram comments over a photo of your and Daesung’s hands. It was kind of funny how they could find a way the fans were playing detective over every post and story the two of you would put up. You didn’t even have to be in each other's stories for them to assume you were together.
The agreement had been that you’d be caught out, being a little too friendly but wouldn’t confirm anything yet. This week was a week of soft launching without tagging each other, no faces, nothing just to gauge the reaction. Tonight was the big show. You two had dinner with Jiyong and Youngbae and a couple people from both of your teams, something you all did frequently but after the dinner you and Daesung would get caught kissing.
You were a nervous wreck at the thought of it. Just being around him like this the past week had you on edge. Careful not to linger too much when holding hands, or to not look at him too long when walking down the street. It was one thing for the fans to see you smitten, it was another for him to realize just how much you weren’t acting. You were so busy trying to play it cool that you didn’t realize the way his touch lingered or the fact that he never wanted to be the one to leave first. You were fighting so hard to convince yourself that there were no real feelings there that you were missing the probability that he was in love with you and afraid to admit it too.
A knock at your door broke your thoughts and you grabbed your bag. Checking yourself over one final time before plastering a big smile on your face to hide the nerves.
“You ready?” Dae greeted you and you nodded.
“As I’ll ever be.” You held your hand out for him to take and he laced your fingers together, your heart pounding in your chest just from holding his hand.
This man was going to drive you crazy and he didn’t even know it. As if picking up on your nerves, Daesung gave your hand a gentle squeeze as he led the way to the restaurant.
As expected the paparazzi was out, following you and your security down the street. Thankfully you only lived a couple blocks from dinner so the walk wasn’t too sketchy with your team by your side. As Daesung opened the door to the restaurant you leaned up to plant a kiss on his cheek, his cheeks flushing at the touch. That was unscripted and you cursed to yourself as you let go of his hand to make your way inside. Thankfully, everyone else was already there and the cameras weren’t allowed inside. You only had to keep up appearances in case anyone got a shot of you through the window, but you didn’t have to act in front of your friends.
“I guess I just don’t understand why you two have to be here for the kiss, it’s embarrassing.” You complained as dinner was coming to an end.
Daesung's eyes flashed with a hint of hurt before covering it up with a nod his grip tightening on your leg. You didn’t see how much it was killing him, being so close to you and you shutting him down every chance you got. He should’ve told you how he felt, and now he was starting to chicken out.
“I think it’s so the world can see that we support you both.” Jiyong looked between you too as you spoke. “It’s a big deal for the Hyung to approve of his girlfriend.”
He sat back smugly in his seat and you rolled your eyes at him, knowing he didn’t take that title seriously anymore.
As you went to stand once the meal was over, Daesung kept his arm on your leg, causing you to stay seated.
“We don’t have to do this, if it’s going to make you uncomfortable.”
You thought maybe you were imaging things but he seemed sad as he spoke to you and you frowned, your eyes locking on him. Daesung wanted to make sure you were comfortable before anything else was to happen. He didn’t care about schedules or contracts or their boss, he only cared about you.
“I’m not uncomfortable, never with you, it’s just weird, you know?”
You were projecting, nothing about kissing this man was going to be weird. You were nervous that you wouldn’t be able to hide your feelings and ruin your whole friendship, but you had to do this.
“Come on, once this is over we can go back to my place and watch everyone freak out in real time, it’ll be fun.” He nodded, standing up and taking your hand in his again before leading you outside.
You spotted the cameras hungry for attention, it was show time. Hugs were exchanged between you and the guys and as Daesung pulled you towards your street you leaned up, your mouth brushing his slightly. As his lips met yours, you could feel your heart pounding in your chest, and just as you were about to pull away, Daesung’s arm wound around your back pulling you closer and deepening the kiss. He had one shot to let you know how felt, and he poured all his emotions into that kiss, hoping maybe now you’d realize how he felt about him.
You got lost in the moment, your heart doing somersaults as you kissed your best friend. Jiyong cleared his throat behind you, causing you both to freeze.
“Camera’s left a bit ago.”
Your eyes popped open and you turned slowly, taking in the scene. It was just the four of you and your various security standing awkwardly around you.
“Right. Well, we’re going to go.” Youngbae waved and the two of them took off down the street.
When you turned back around Daesung was looking at you, his expression soft.
“So I guess that happened?” He chuckled his hand finding its way to yours as he faced you fully. “Kind of like you a lot more than just as a friend these days.”
His eyes were wide searching yours for any clue that you felt the same and you let out a breath you hadn’t realized you’d been holding, your hand moving to cup his cheek.
“Kind of feel the same about you. That’s why I was so nervous about this whole fake dating thing. I didn’t think you felt the same and I didn’t want you to realize that I’m stupid crazy about you.”
He grinned, his eyes closing into those perfect half moons that you loved so much and it felt like a weight had been lifted off both your shoulders.
“Starting to think this was a setup to get us to both stop being so stubborn.”
He made a face, looking around as if someone was going to pop out and tell him he was right at any moment.
“I’m glad though, I was too scared to tell you how I felt, and I knew today was my only shot to really show you how I felt. I think maybe we rip up that stupid contract and give dating for real a real shot.” You nodded your head at his words, leaning up to kiss him again.
“Come on, let’s get you home so we can have some privacy.”
He pecked your lips a couple more times before leading you down the street. Both of you making a mental note to thank your boss and everyone else who’d been involved in setting this up for getting you to realize that you two were crazy about each other.
tag list: @wcnderlnds @alosss-blog @sooyasya @dprvivi @infinetlyforgotten @mirahyun
synopsis: When you told the waitress to give your compliments to the chef, you didn't expect the chef to come out and thank you personally, and you really didn't expect the chef to be your classmate Park Jongseong. Realizing how bad this could be, he has you keep it a secret. That shouldn't be too hard for you to do he thinks, but you're full of surprises- and slip-ups.
before you read: character profiles | sunghoon series
note: part 2 of my and scene! series, loosely based off en-drama.
Entry 004: 21/06/24
“There’s something wrong with Jongseong.”
“There’s always been something wrong with Jongseong. One time I asked him if he wanted to play Fortnite and he hissed at me.” Jaeyun argues with Sunoo.
“Valid. Fortnite is so fucking stupid.” Sunghoon scoffs as his quip changes the entire trajectory of the conversation. Jaeyun opens his mouth in defense, but Riki beats him to it.
“That’s because you suck, if you were good you wouldn’t be saying that,” The younger one mocks and Sunghoon rolls his eyes.
“This is why I don’t play games with you.” Sunghoon scoffs.
“Why don’t I go play with your girlfriend then, at least she’s good.” Riki grumbles. “Stay away from her you brat! Go play with Jaeyun!” Sunghoon swats the first year away.
“Hell no! Riki’s so ass! Last time we were in the same party and he literally emoted the entire time! We lost because of him!” Jaeyun throws an accusing finger towards the youngest.
“Bro you said you were goated, I thought you could carry me, but I guess you’re worse than Sunghoon.” Riki shrugs.
The two boys begin to squabble, Jaeyun upset that Riki can never take anything serious, and Riki egging him on because he finds this entire conversation hilarious.
All the while Park Jongseong, the boy in question, is missing. No one has any idea where he is.
“Something is definitely wrong,” Heeseung says to Sunoo, and the first year boy agrees with the senior. “I haven’t seen him since lunch last Tuesday, do you think he’s skipping? Or maybe he was kidnapped?” Sunoo asks suspiciously as he pops a grape into his mouth.
“He could be a drug addict, run off and disappear forever.” Heeseung theorizes, taking a large bite of his lunch.
“If Jongseong is a junkie, tell him to get me some too, I’m dying out here” Jungwon looks miserable as he trudged over to his friends.
The past month has been grueling for him unfortunately. While he’s still the prim and proper Jungwon on the outside, if you look closely, the young Student Body President has lost the light in his eyes.
“Oh Jungwon,” Sunoo massages his shoulders as the younger boy sits down beside him. “Let’s have a sleepover this weekend, I have a face mask that’ll do wonders for those dark circles.”
Jungwon pouts at Sunoo. “And a bubble bath?” Sunoo pets his hair. “Yeah and a bubble bath. You want a rubber ducky too?” Jungwon looks as if he’s going to cry as he sniffles and nods.
“I’m sorry man, I heard how stressful it’s been recently since summer break is coming up.” Heeseung frowns.
“Have you seen Jongseong? He hasn’t been walking with us to school, if he does show up we don’t see him at lunch or during breaks. I think he’s been skipping.” Sunoo asks as Jungwon pokes at his plate of food.
“Huh? What do you mean?” Jungwon pauses, looking at his friends confused. His confusion actually silences the heated argument between the other three boys, who look over curiously.
“Uh, what do you mean?” Sunoo looks around the table. Jungwon sets his utensils down and raises an eyebrow at his friends.
“Jongseong has been at school every day all week. He’s eating lunch with Y/n in the Council room right now.”
“I think I might cry.”
Jongseong almost drops his spoon, head immediately whipping up to look at you with the utmost concern. “What? Why?” His shoulder is gently pressed against yours.
“This pasta- it’s so good! I’ve been moved to tears by your cooking.” You joke, pretending to wipe your eyes.
Jongseong relaxes and teasingly jabs your gut with his elbow. “Stop it, it’s really not-“
“Oh but it is! I would travel across the lands for this meal.” You hold up the container as if it were a holy artifact.
This makes Jongseong laugh, he’s gripping his stomach as if it hurts.
You’re giggling as you eat, and it's like he’s in heaven.
He watches you with a content smile as your laughter calms down. You take another big bite of the pasta with the happiest look on your face.
“So,” Jongseong clears his throat. “How are the preparations for the end of summer term?”
As council members, you guys have to make sure that all students at EN-High have everything in order before they’re gone for the next month and a half. While the school was technically open all 12 months of the year, not all faculty and staff were there for the students, so it was best that students be prepared for things like summer homework, sports clubs, and other electives.
“Everything’s going smoothly so far! I think everyone is finally getting the hang of things now. But I do think poor Jungwon is still losing some sleep,” You frown. “Yunah and I told him that we don’t mind taking on some of his tasks, but he’s really determined to do everything himself.”
That was Jungwon for you. A supremely hard worker who never lets his burdens onto others. Jongseong knows that despite his complaints that Jungwon was actually enjoying his council work. Jungwon was the type of person who liked being reliable and useful towards others.
“I’m stuffed,” You exhale, leaning back into your seat, laying there without a care in the world as you hug your stomach. “What should I make for you tomorrow?” Jongseong asks aloud. You look at him incredulously.
“We just finished our lunch for today, and you’re already thinking about tomorrow’s meal?” You ask in awe. “Wow, you truly are a master chef at heart, I can’t believe it,” You tease.
“I like to plan things, that’s it!” He tries to defend himself. But in truth, he was just excited to see your reaction. He loved spending time with you. If that meant he had to wake up extra early to make time to cook you lunch, then it was all worth it.
“I like- I like that you like my cooking.” Jongseong admits suddenly.
You freeze, then sit up. He can’t make eye contact with you. He’s nervous that you’ll know- know that he likes you.
“Jongseong-”
You’re barely able to utter a word before you hear a suspicious sound coming from the other side of the council room doors.
You both turn, confused. It sounded like- like scratching? Maybe a whimper?
“Did Sanghyuk sneak his dog into school again? I told him he can't bring Daebak-i here.” You ask him as you two stand up to approach the door. Jongseong shrugs, unable to identify the noise.
As you get closer to the door, it becomes apparent that the sound was actually whispering. Really loud whispering.
You and Jongseong look at each other confused.
“Ow! You’re hurting me! Get off bro!”
“Eww! Someone just drooled on me, who did it?”
“Guys shut up! I can’t hear them anymore, do you think they-”
Jongseong swings the door open and five young boys fall to your feet.
“I told them they were being too loud, no one ever listens to me,” Jungwon sighs, stepping right on top of Jaeyun to enter the council room.
“Oh, hey man, what’s up?” Sunghoon grunts as he struggles to sit up without crushing Heeseung underneath him.
“Looking good my guy, have you been working out?” Riki asks just as Sunoo accidentally elbows him in the eye.
“What the hell are you guys doing here?” Jongseong squats down to glare at his friends.
“What are- oops sorry Jaeyun- What are you doing here?! Where have you been for the past ten days?!” Sunoo shouts back, changing the subject.
“Obviously here with his girlfriend,” Jaeyun grumbles. “She’s not my girlfriend-”
“Bro, I cannot believe it, Park Jongseong has a girlfriend before me! Who’s next, bitch ass Jaeyun??” Riki’s outburst leads to the older of the two boys throwing the Okayama resident into a headlock.
“Look, I swear I’m not doing anything weird guys. And she- Y/n is not my girlfriend,” (It takes all of Jongseong’s willpower to even say that word without wanting to combust.)
“We’re just friends. Right Y/n?” He turns around to look at you for confirmation, but instead he finds you missing. You’re nowhere to be found.
“Where did she go-”
“Now is not the time for that, we want answers!” Sunoo exclaims.
“Yeah! Like why don’t you eat lunch with us? Are we not cool enough for you?” Heeseung looks like he might cry. “What? No Heeseung, I promise it’s not that.” Jongseong assures him.
“You don’t hang out with us at all now, we’re starting to feel neglected.” Sunoo speaks up. “It’s like you don’t even want to be friends with us half the time. If you aren’t doing anything suspicious like you claim, then what are you doing?”
Jongseong opens his mouth to defend himself, but nothing comes out.
“Yeah Jongseong, what are you doing?” Jungwon steps into the conversation now, hands in his pockets as he gives Jongseong a long look.
Oh boy. This wasn’t good.
Heeseung finishes his second bowl of naengmyeon when he waves Jongseong down to their table. “Can I get another order please? Extra spicy this time.” He smiles innocently as Jongseong scribbles it down in his notepad.
“I’m crying, I’m actually crying bro. Do you see the real tears coming out of my eyes?!” Riki grabs Sunoo by the shoulders, sniffling.
“Let go of me! I’m eating my steak.” He shoves him off, and stuffs his face.
“I still can’t believe your family owns one of the best restaurants in town, and you never said anything to us! Do you secretly hate us?!” Sunghoon points his fork at Jongseong.
“Nope,” He smiles thinly. “Just you. And I didn’t tell you guys because technically I’m not allowed to be working, remember? None of you can keep a secret at all.”
“What?! I’m great at keeping secrets!” Sunoo gasps.
“Me too! Like that time I never told anyone that Sunghoon’s mom sings him a lullaby to sleep when he has nightmares.” Jaeyun says proudly.
Sunghoon leans over and punches his arm. “Well now they all know, jackass.”
“Don’t worry Sunghoon, my parents used to tuck me into bed every night until I was 15.” Heeseung smiles, but this seems to make Sunghoon feel worse.
Jongseong only rolls his eyes. “Can you guys hurry up and leave? I need to figure out what happened to Y/n. She won’t answer any of my calls or texts.”
Jungwon holds a hand up to stop him. “Woah there! Excuse me, but aren’t we the darling customers you’re supposed to serve, waiter?” He has a sly smile on his face that makes Jongseong sick.
“I’m already giving you guys a discount, don’t make me ban you.” Jongseong grumbles as he walks back to the kitchen.
Just moments ago he’d finally confessed to his dear friends about his true passion and past time. And unsurprisingly they did not believe him.
“I took Home Economics with you, you set your cheesecake on fire and we had to evacuate the entire school.” Sunghoon remembers.
“Yeah, and there was that one time you and Jaeyun both had a crush on that one girl in middle school. You tried to make her chocolates for Valentine’s day but they were so bitter you almost poisoned her.” Sunoo points out.
“I’m just bad at baking, not cooking!” He argues, crossing his arms.
“Don’t forget the time you made me a bento and the rolled egg was filled with shells,” Riki adds. “No, that was on purpose. You cut my hair and gave me a bowl cut the week before.” Jongseong shakes his head.
“That was during his barber phase, right? Eugh, I still can’t believe I almost let him give me a buzz cut.” Jungwon shudders.
“I’m way better now, trust me. I just gave Riki C the best low taper fade of his life.” Riki fishes out his phone to prove himself.
“Ooh, can you give me a mullet-“ “Okay back to the conversation now!” Sunoo interrupts Heeseung.
“I’m being serious guys. My parents opened up the restaurant four years ago, I barely started helping them last year.” Jongseong pleads.
“Dude, just tell the truth, we won’t get angry if you have a girlfriend and want to spend time with her.” Jaeyun argues. “No way, I bet that’s another lie to cover up the fact that he really does suck at baseball and they keep benching him.” Riki laughs.
“I’m not lying! I’ll prove it! Follow me after school today, I’ll even give you guys a discount for your meal.” Jongseong huffs.
And now he’s stuck with a booth full of his annoying friends inhaling meal after meal.
“I’m coming here everyday after school! I swear to god this is the best food I’ve ever eaten in my life.” Jaeyun exclaims with a full mouth.
“Jongseong, can your family adopt me? I need them to feed me forever.” Riki asks, spooning rice into his mouth.
“Hell no-"
“I’m so glad to finally have you boys here! Jongseong always talks about you all. I’m glad to finally see you're all enjoying your food.” Jongseong's mom hums as she walks over.
“Mrs. Park, I love you.” Heeseung says abruptly.
“Aww thanks sweetie!” She chuckles. “But I think you mean you love my cooking. Do you want another glass of apple juice?” She asks him and Heeseung nods obediently.
“Now if only your little girlfriend was here too, that’d be a real celebration Jjongie.” She smirks.
Jongseong looks at his mom completely embarrassed while his friends snicker in the background.
“Yeah Jjongie? Where’s your girlfriend?” Jungwon teases. The older boy glares as his mother leaves to refill Heeseung’s glass.
“I don’t know, I’ve been calling her and she won’t pick up. You idiots scared her off. And she's not my girlfriend. Yet.” He grumbles.
“Well she’s missing out. More food for us I guess.” Riki laughs.
“Wait, was I the only one who saw?” Heeseung speaks up, mouth full of food.
“Saw what?” Jongseong asks, confused and eager.
Heeseung blinks, looking around the table like a deer in headlights. “Saw her leave. You were yelling at Jaeyun when she slipped through the doors and ran down the hall.”
“She looked pretty upset too, I think she was crying.”
That was enough for Jongseong to throw his apron off and run out the front door.
“Hey! Where are you going?! I want to order the clay pot bibimbap!” Riki shouts at him.
But Jongseong doesn’t care. He doesn’t care that he left his shift without letting his parents know. He doesn’t care that his secret double life was revealed. And he doesn’t care that his friends might get him suspended if they blab.
Right now, the only thing, the only person he cares about is you.
Entry 003: 03/06/24 | Entry 005: 21/06/24 5:07 PM
Show Must Go On masterlist | and scene! series masterlist | kpop masterlist
synopsis: When you told the waitress to give your compliments to the chef, you didn't expect the chef to come out and thank you personally, and you really didn't expect the chef to be your classmate Park Jongseong. Realizing how bad this could be, he has you keep it a secret. That shouldn't be too hard for you to do he thinks, but you're full of surprises- and slip-ups.
before you read: character profiles | sunghoon series
note: part 2 of my and scene! series, loosely based off en-drama.
Entry 005: 21/06/24 5:07 PM
Jongseong was probably the stupidest, idiotic jerk to walk the Earth.
He probably should have gotten the hint that something was wrong when you were really quiet for the rest of the day.
But he was too preoccupied with trying to salvage anything left of his mental state after revealing his truth to his friends to really notice.
And now he feels like a total asshole, running down the street in his work uniform to your house.
He’s taken you home a bunch of times by now, and he’s lucky you don’t live too far. He rounds a corner and runs through a small park in order to cut him some time.
As he finally makes it to your neighborhood, he slows to a stop. He had to at least look a bit presentable.
He catches his breath, tries to fix his hair and calm his heart. With a shaky hand he rings your doorbell. A few quiet seconds pass, he tries again.
“Hello?” Someone asks through the intercom.
“Hi, is Y/n home? I really need to talk to her right now.” He asks as politely as he can.
“Nope she’s gone. Moved to Busan. Bye now.” The voice disappears, but it leaves Jongseong with more questions.
He rings the doorbell again. “Hello?” The voice answers again. “What do you mean she moved to Busan? I saw her at lunch!” He argues.
“Well she’s not here!” “Now go away-” “She doesn’t want to see you, bye!” The second voice is interrupted by a third. This last one is more familiar.
Jongseong stands there for a second, trying to figure out what was going on when it hit him.
“Jaehyun? Why are you here at Y/n’s house?” He asks, even more confused. “Why are you here at her house? I’m her best friend! I’m allowed to be here! Unlike you!” Jaehyun mocks from the intercom.
“Please, I know she’s home, let me talk to her. I want to apologize.” He begs. “Oh now you want to apologize! You hearing this bro? Now he wants to apologize!” Sungho laughs.
“Loser! Get out of here! You’re only making things worse!” Donghyun adds. “You do know I’m your senior right?” Jongseong reminds him. The intercom is quiet.
“May you please leave the premises sunbae?” Donghyun sounds much sweeter now.
Jongseong sighs and rubs his face. “Please just let me talk to her. If she really doesn’t want me here, I want her to say it herself.”
“Fine!” Donghyun huffs. “I don’t ever want to see you again, Park Jongseong!” Jaehyun pretends to mimic you, making his voice high pitched.
“Now go away and- OW! OWW!” Jaehyun suddenly hisses.
“I do not sound like that!” You growl, and Jongseong is actually relieved to hear your voice.
“Y/n! Please! Can we talk?” He begs through the door. He’s met with silence and he thinks it’s over. You’ve finally had it with him.
But then suddenly the front door swings open. You stand at the doorway in your casual clothes, eyes red and lips pouty.
“What do you want?” You ask, a frown on your lips to show you’re upset at him. “Can we-“ “Yeah what do you want!” Jaehyun hides behind you, him, Sungho and Donghyun pretending to act tough.
“Greetings sunbae!” Donghyun glares at him while he randomly bows out of respect.
You roll your eyes and push the three boys inside, closing the door behind you as you step out.
“What were you going to say?” You ask, arms crossed as you sniffle.
He feels horrible. Like he’s been stabbed through the heart 50 times. Seeing you so upset and sad over him, Jongseong would rather be strangled to death than see you like this.
“Can we talk? Somewhere private?”
You sit on a bench, hands in your lap as you kick your feet back and forth idly, refusing to look at him. Jongseong sits beside you, leaving a reasonable space between you two.
He and you had returned to the park he ran through moments ago. Children are running around, shouting and laughing as they enjoy themselves in the early summer sun.
“So,” You finally speak up. You’re staring at your shoes. “What did you want to tell me so bad?”
Jongseong turns to you, but you refuse to meet his eyes. He sighs. This was not how he wanted this conversation to go.
“Uh, are you okay?” He asks stupidly. You nod, lip jutting out. “... Are you mad at me?” He questions. He sees you clench your jaw, brows furrowing together.
“What do you think?” There’s an unfamiliar sour tone in your voice. He’s never heard you speak to him like this before. Whatever the reason behind your anger, it was definitely his fault.
Jongseong’s lips go into a thin line as he tries to think. Of all the things that happened today, what could be the reason you were so upset at him?
“I’m sorry that I ruined our lunch because my friends are idiots.” He apologizes. If he’d just been truthful from the beginning, he wouldn’t be in this mess.
Jongseong had trust issues, that was very apparent. How could he not trust his own friends with such a big part of his life? Even though his friends forgave him, he saw the hurt in their eyes when they realized Jongseong was living a double life.
“Why didn’t you just tell us Jongseong, do you really think we’re such bad people that you can’t trust us?” Sunoo’s frown had the guilt in his heart growing by magnitudes.
And now he’s gotten you wrapped up in the chaos. If word got out that you were covering for him as a member of the student council, there was a chance you could lose your position and get suspended. You had more to lose than he did, and he never took the time to realize that.
“We don’t have to be friends anymore if you’re worried. I get it, I mean I’m a jerk for risking you and everyone else at my own expense.” He confesses, head hung.
His fists are balled up, he’s clenching so hard that he’s leaving indents in his own palms. It was painful, the stinging of his own skin. But he deserves it.
Suddenly you scoff, and kick at the floor. “Are you kidding me?” You huff, causing him to look at you with fearful eyes.
“I don’t care about any of that Jongseong!” You whine, standing up to face him head on. “Are you stupid?! I like you! I’ve left so many hints! And you told all your friends that you only see me platonically!” You shout at him, your face red as you reveal your true feelings.
“I-I thought you liked me back too! But now I know that you don’t and I guess- I guess-” You begin to tear up and Jongseong is flying up from his seat.
“Wait! You like me back?!!” He grabs you by the shoulders. Now it’s your turn to be confused.
“Duh, do you really think I visited you every day at work because I like the food? I mean don’t get me wrong I like the food, but I like you way more.” You roll your eyes.
Jongseong releases you and collapses back on the bench, hands in his head as he tries to process this information. “H-Hold on,” He closes his eyes, overwhelmed. “I can’t believe you like me back,” He whispers.
“How is that hard to understand? You’re like the coolest guy in our entire school,” You mumble, now feeling embarrassed. Not only did you like him, you thought he was cool!
Jongseong suddenly groaned as if he was in pain. “What? Are you okay?” You are concerned. “No,” He shakes his head. “I’m just angry- not at you! I just-” He struggles to get the words out of his throat.
“What is it?” You ask, sitting beside him again. He sighs, cheeks turning pink as he begins to get shy.
“I had this whole thing planned out to confess at the end of the term.” He reveals.
“I was gonna invite you to the restaurant when we were closed and set up this super romantic dinner with candles, and your favorite food, and I was gonna give you this pretty necklace I saw at the mall. I even saved up my paychecks to afford it!”
He has to hide his face out of shame. But after a moment he hears you giggling and he peeks through his fingers. You look beautiful.
“Why are you laughing?” He pouts, though he feels a bit better knowing you were smiling. “Because!” You laugh. “I beat you again! First as Treasurer, and now I beat you with my confession!”
Jongseong looks at you flabbergasted. “This isn’t a competition you know,” He sighs, though a small smile sits on his lips.
“I know, I know, I just think it’s funny,” You giggle behind your hand. He rolls his eyes and scoffs, he forgets how childish you can be. He loves it.
“You know, you can still do all that fancy stuff for me, I’ll just pretend I never knew.” You wink at him. “Mhmm, sure,” He chuckles.
You both seem to relax now, giggling and smiling like a pair of idiots. “So,” Jongseong clears his throat. “Will you be my girlfriend Y/n?” He asks, waiting patiently for your response.
Instead of speaking with your words, you grin and hold his hand. In a second you’re leaned in, pressing a gentle kiss to his cheek. When you pull away his eyes are completely wide, his heart is racing faster than a car, and he thinks might faint.
“Yes, I’d love to be your girlfriend Jongseong!” You sing, and it's like he can finally breathe for the first time in his life.
Unable to help himself, Jongseong takes the lead this time, tucking a hair behind your ear before he swoops in to steal a kiss-
“Hey! Keep it PG! You’re still minors!” Jaehyun shouts as he suddenly sprouts from a nearby bush. You yelp and Jongseong gasps.
“Dude! You just totally blew our cover!” Sungho complains. “They were about to kiss! They’ve only been dating for 0.5 seconds!” Jaehyun argues with his friend.
“Damnit! We’re late!” Riki huffs as he jogs over, resting his hand on his knees as he attempts to catch his breath.
“What are you doing here?” Jongseong was so confused.
“I told you guys to hurry!” Donghyun stands up now. “Bro Jaeyun led us the opposite way!” Riki argues. Behind him, the rest of Jongseong’s friends trail behind.
“Hold on! I tripped over a rock,” Heeseung calls out as he and Jaeyun arrive as well. “You all came? Are you guys crazy?!” Jongseong stands up.
“Dude we were not about to miss this opportunity to embarrass you for the rest of your life,” Sunghoon waltzes over. “Donghyun messaged me.” Jungwon waves his phone around with a grin.
“Did none of you record anything?!” Sunoo has his hand on his hips. “Sorry! It’s hard to record when there’s a caterpillar on your arm!” Jaehyun defends himself.
Jongseong inhales, closing his eyes as he tries to find peace, but again he hears you laugh. “You guys are so lame!” You point to your shared group of friends.
Both parties begin to argue with you, defending themselves as if you’d accused them of a real sin.
“This is all stupid Jaehyun’s fault, why did you jump up?!” Soon though they begin to argue with one another, blaming the other side for screwing up their “plan”.
“Come on,” Jongseong bends down to whisper in your ear, offering you his hand to hold. “Let’s go before they notice.”
You giggle and nod, intertwining your fingers. In broad daylight, the two of you make your romantic escape.
Bonus:
“Okay, you can open your eyes now.” Jongseong smiles, and you lift the blindfold off. You immediately gasp. “This is perfect, oh my gosh!” You squeal, taking your phone out to take pictures of the set up he’d created. He’d decorated your favorite booth just like he’d described days earlier: tablecloth, candles, flowers, your favorite dish, and a small little velvet box.
“Open it,” He insists, and you excitedly follow his orders. You gasp even louder this time as you gaze at the gleaming necklace. It’s a simple heart with your two initials in the center. “Oh Jongseong, this is so beautiful.” You say in awe.
He stands and takes it from your hands. “Let me put it on you.” As he does so his fingers graze the skin of your neck, pushing your hair out of the way.
He’s so nervous he struggles a bit, but once that clasp is on, he exhales. You spin around to show him, wearing the brightest smile. “How do I look?”
Jongseong is speechless. “Like the most beautiful girl in the world.” He murmurs, still in shock you could get even more pretty. Before you can hide your embarrassment, he engulfs you in a hug.
“I still can’t believe you’re finally mine.” He whispers in your ear. You turn to peck his lips.
“I’ve always been yours."
Entry 004: 21/06/24
Show Must Go On Masterlist | and scene! series masterlist | kpop masterlist
author's note: woo hoo! the end of our lovely jongseong's series!! he;s so hubby material omg i wish he were real lmao super inspired by that damn side eye he gave in en-drama that shit had me ctfu the first time i saw that scene! anyways next up is our resident sweetie jaeyun! he's my bias so i might be a lil biased in his series lol!
synopsis: When you told the waitress to give your compliments to the chef, you didn't expect the chef to come out and thank you personally, and you really didn't expect the chef to be your classmate Park Jongseong. Realizing how bad this could be, he has you keep it a secret. That shouldn't be too hard for you to do he thinks, but you're full of surprises- and slip-ups.
synopsis: When you told the waitress to give your compliments to the chef, you didn't expect the chef to come out and thank you personally, and you really didn't expect the chef to be your classmate Park Jongseong. Realizing how bad this could be, he has you keep it a secret. That shouldn't be too hard for you to do he thinks, but you're full of surprises- and slip-ups.
before you read: character profiles | sunghoon series
note: part 2 of my and scene! series, loosely based off en-drama.
Entry 002: 23/05/24
“So your solution to the problem is to stalk and intimidate the poor girl into silence? Who are you, Batman?”
Jungwon looks at Jongseong skeptically, the older boy yawning as they walk.
“I’m not stalking her! I’m just going to make sure she doesn’t tell on me. I can’t afford to lose my job, my parents need me,” He sighs, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. “And I’m not Batman!”
“Of course, you’re not, Batman saves the innocent, you're torturing her instead.” Jungwon mocks.
Jongseong glares at his best friend, who laughs at him. “You know, you could just explain that to her. You need to have more trust in people.”
With a sigh, Jongseong grimaced. He knew this, yet he still couldn’t. Even his friends had no idea he helped out his family restaurant. They all believed he was in some hardcore baseball league outside of school.
And it’s not because he couldn’t trust them. Well maybe because he couldn’t trust them, outside of Jungwon, they all had big mouths (especially Riki and Jaeyun).
And after last night, he’s worried his reaction might have made his situation worse. Instead of calmly speaking to you, Jongseong practically shoved you out of the restaurant, threatening revenge if you crossed him. Looking back he had over-exaggerated out of fear, and he felt a bit guilty.
But Jongseong had a lot going for himself, he didn’t want it to end just yet.
“Whatever you do, please don’t drag me into it. I don’t want to get in trouble because my best friend is a bully.” Jungwon shakes his head.
“I’m not a bully! I told you I’m just trying to make sure she keeps her mouth shut!” He argues.
“Uh huh. Yeah, and there’s your victim.” Jungwon nods as he looks forward, causing Jongseong to turn and follow his line of sight.
You’re walking across the street, looking cheerful as you make your way to the crosswalk. You look like you’re having a grand old day. That is until you finally spin around, making eye contact with Jongseong.
Your smile immediately falls, color draining from your face as he mugs you. The crosswalk light signals for you to walk, but you don’t budge, too scared to move.
“Stop that!” Jungwon suddenly shoves him, causing him to trip over his feet. “Y/n! Come on!” Jungwon waves you over and you meekly run across the street to join them.
“Morning,” Jungwon greets you. “G-Good morning.” You stutter, maneuvering around the younger boy so that he separates you and Jongseong.
The three of you walk in awkward silence. You don’t look at either of the boys, too nervous to even turn your head.
“I can hear you glaring.” Jungwon finally says something, elbowing Jongseong’s side.
“Sorry.” He grumbles, facing forward. He quickly glances at you.
The weather was starting to warm up now that it was the end of May. You still chose to wear your winter uniform, the blazer adorning your shoulders.
If he were being honest, Jongseong didn’t know much about you, other than the fact that you competed against him in the elections and won.
You shared homeroom with him, sitting a couple of rows away and closer to the front. In class you were quiet, studious, and polite. You were generally liked by everyone, maybe that was why you’d won and not him.
Not that Jongseong was hated or anything, he just kept to himself and his friends more. He talked with the other students in his class and grade just fine, but nothing more than surface-level conversations ever occurred.
But social images spun perspective.
You were the prim and proper sweetheart, while Jongseong was the routinely late and unenthusiastic grump.
(He blames his late nights and early mornings at the restaurant.)
“So let’s just cut to the chase,” Jungwon clears his throat. “What did you end up ordering at Jongseong’s family restaurant yesterday Y/n? The curry is my favorite,”
Jongseong chokes. Of course Jungwon would ask that, yet the idiot was supposed to be the new student body president.
“W-What?!” You trip over your words, surprised by this blatant question. You probably never expected the outward transparency from someone who was supposed to be your trustworthy president.
“I also recommend trying the katsudon, with curry it’s really good.” Jungwon is salivating. “His mom is a really good cook too, her kimchi jjigae is refreshing-”
“Okay shut up now.” Jongseong slaps a hand over his mouth. The younger boy tugs him off as they enter the school’s main building.
“I’m just giving her suggestions!” He argues, before turning back to you. “Try the ghee-grilled steak, it’s pricey but the meat melts in your mouth-” Jongseong shoves Jungwon into the Student Body Office, shutting the door and blocking your entry.
Finally, he has you alone (if you ignore Jungwon’s abhorrent knocking and yelling from the other side of the door).
You look terrified, stepping backward in fear as Jongseong stares you down. His sharp eyes are burning into your skull.
“Jongseong-”
“You won’t say a word.” He threatens you. You nod meekly, hugging the strap of your bag. “Say it. Promise you won’t tell.”
“I promise I won’t tell!” You squeak, showing him your tiny little pinky. Jongseong observes you. You’re standing pin straight, one hand gripping your bag, the other raised in the air, your pinky standing tall. Your jaw is clenched, and your eyes trained on him.
With a sigh, Jongseong relaxes. “Good.” He mumbles to himself, though he still feels uneasy.
He steps out of the way and swings the door to the Student Body office open with full force.
“Oof-!” A voice grunts. He’d forgotten that Jungwon was there, consequently squishing him against the wall. “Whoops.” Jongseong deadpans as you scurry inside.
As Jungwon begins to argue with him, Jongseong tunes him out, his focus being on you as you hide behind your desk.
“That’s my seat.” Jongseong looks up from the desk to find his classmate Nicholas eyeing him.
“Mr. Lee said we could switch. Forgot to wear my contacts and I didn’t bring my glasses.” He answers, pointing to his eyes before gesturing to his old seat a couple of rows away.
Nicholas eyes him, then shrugs. He doesn’t seem that upset when he realizes he’s sitting closer to his friend Eui Joo.
Jongseong bides his time by finishing his homework, quickly scribbling in his notebook. When the warning bell rings, he hears someone let out a gasp of shock.
You stand in terror a few feet away, clutching your books.
“What’re you doing? Sit down before class starts.” Jongseong calls out to you, and you tiptoe to your desk right next to him.
To make sure you keep your promise, Jongseong had your shared homeroom teacher switch his seat so that he could sit right next to you, much to your disdain.
You sit silently, hands on your knees with a straight back. Jongseong is facing forward, but his eyes are trained on you.
As your class starts, he finds it difficult to keep his attention on the lesson, always glancing towards your direction with a steely glare.
You keep your distance, trying your best to focus on the lesson, but it seems you’re not the only one who’s noticed Jongseong’s unwavering stare.
“Jongseong if you’re just going to keep staring at Y/n, I’ll have you stand in the hall.” Mr. Lee announces, and the boy’s head swivels around to his teacher.
“Sorry.” He mumbles, ears getting red. Mr. Lee sighs, returning to his lecture as the rest of the classroom begins to point and whisper.
Ignoring the unwanted attention, Jongseong has a hard time focusing, how could he if you were right there next to him?
It was like Jungwon knew. The younger boy had walked over to his class the second the bell rang for lunch, he stood outside the door with his arms crossed.
You quickly duck out of the classroom as Jungwon blocks his path. “What’re you doing here?” Jongseong asked after being ambushed.
“Making sure you don’t bully my Treasurer. Come on, let’s go eat.” He pushes him towards the cafeteria.
“I wasn’t bullying her!” Jongseong argues. “Uh huh, Then why did she text me that you were glaring at her all class?” Jungwon cocks a brow.
When did you do that? Jongseong swears he’s had hawk eyes on you since school began. He opens his mouth to defend himself, but Jungwon interrupts him.
“And don’t even think about sitting with her at lunch. Give the girl a break!” Jungwon steers him towards their table, where a few of them already sit.
“I wasn’t going to do that!” He shouts.
He was definitely going to do that.
“Do what?” Heeseung asks as he sits down beside him.
“Jongseong’s been stalking Y/n,” Jungwon quips and the boy turns to him in shock and embarrassment.
“Y/n? The new Treasurer?” Sunoo looks confused. “Oh my God, are you that jealous she won?”
Jongseong looks at Sunoo with furrowed brows. “I’m not-” He shuts himself up quickly. He couldn’t reveal the real reason why he was so upset.
“Oh totally. Super jealous. I think he’s got a crush on her with how jealous he is.” Jungwon adds fuel to the flame.
Everyone at the table suddenly gasps, eating this information up like dessert. Riki and Jaeyun are giggling, hiding their snide grins behind their hands as Heeseung and Sunoo are shocked.
“I don’t like her! Shut up Jungwon.” He threatens. Jungwon doesn’t seem to care, eating his food blissfully.
As the others immediately begin to gossip, Jongseong sighs, massaging his temples. “Where’s Sunghoon?” He needed someone with some common sense right now (Sunghoon wasn’t the ideal candidate, but he was the only one missing).
“He’s eating outside with his girlfriend for lunch.” Heeseung answers, causing Jongseong to groan in response.
“Maybe you should invite Y/n to go eat outside with you too,” Jaeyun giggles, pointing at him like a giddy schoolgirl. He falters from Jongseong’s intense glare.
“I said I don’t like her.” He argues, huffing as he begins to eat his packed lunch. His friends seem to notice his mood drop and change the subject to a movie night at Jaeyun’s place on Friday.
As the other boys argue over what to watch, Jongseong’s eyes browse the cafeteria, finally landing on you, sitting on the opposite side of the room.
You’re smiling, leaning against your hand as you listen to your friends Jaehyun and Sungho converse in front of you.
He’s reminded of this morning during your walk to school. You had the most serene look on your face, completely and utterly full of bliss as the sun shined down on you like you had coaxed it to rise.
Your hair is shiny and healthy, your cheeks have a rosy glow as you laugh, eyes lighting up.
It was as if you had transformed into an entirely different person.
His view of you is suddenly blocked, and he’s snapped back into reality.
“Earth to Jongseong! Hello?!” Sunoo playfully waves a hand in front of his face, chuckling as he catches a red-faced Jongseong in the act.
After school he’d run straight home, changing out of his uniform into some more comfortable clothes to work in.
“How was school son?” His dad asks as he chops some tofu for the soup simmering on the stove.
“Fine,” Jongseong conveniently hides the fact that you had found out his secret job.
“Just fine? Nothing fun happened today?” His dad seems extra curious today. Jongseong shakes his head. “Nope, just the usual.” He lies. Everything was anything but the usual today.
“Well the office called your mom and me today-” Jongseong practically jumps at the mention, looking at his father incredulously, as he dreads to hear his fate.
“-They were so surprised you showed up early today! They said it gave them a really good laugh! Isn’t that funny? Your mom and I were chuckling all day about it.” His father looks joyful as Jongseong’s fears dissipate.
“Oh, yeah. Haha.” He tries to shake it off, going back to his task of breading the chicken to fry.
“Oh!” His dad suddenly chirps. “Your homeroom teacher, Mr. Lee emailed me earlier today.”
Jongseong freezes, dropping the raw chicken into the bowl of flour. “He did?” He chokes out.
“Yeah,” His father sighs and Jongseong feels his stomach turn, causing him to lean against the counter.
“You forgot to turn in an assignment for your English class, he said he’ll let you turn it in late if you finish it on Thursday.”
Jongseong feels oxygen enter his lungs as he takes a deep breath, relaxing once again. “Yeah, I can finish it.” He nods.
“Now listen to this! Jungwon texted me today. Oh that boy, he surprised me.” His dad rambles on.
Jungwon?! What did his best friend have to say? Surely he didn’t out him, right? He may be more reliable of the bunch, but Jungwon was just as prone to blabbing as any of his other friends if he wasn’t careful.
“He asked if we could make him some curry for lunch tomorrow! Haha! He wants you to bring it to school so he can eat it.” His dad lets out a hearty laugh, tossing his head back.
Jongseong is barely able to laugh along with him, his head spinning from all the stress his dad had caused him just now. He quickly finishes the chicken, dusting his hands on his apron.
“I’m gonna take my break,” He announces, his dad waves him off with a grin. On his way out of the kitchen, Jongseong grabs a can of soda to drink.
He takes about three steps out of the kitchen only for him to drop his can when someone yanks him by the arm, stowing him away into the bathroom down the hall.
“What the-”
“Shh!” A hand is slapped across his mouth, shutting him up as he’s pushed up against the wall.
Jongseong looks at you ludicrously, eyes wide. Not only was he shocked and confused about why you were here, but he was also caught off guard by your expression.
You stare up at him with fierce eyes, a steely glare that could rival his own. Your usually perfect hair is messy, and you’re gasping for air as if you’d just run here.
While one of your hands covers his mouth, the other still has a firm grip on his wrist, pinning him down. For some reason, his heart begins to race, ears heating up.
With his free hand, Jongseong removes your hand from his face, gently pushing you off him.
“What are you doing here? I thought I made it very clear for you to never return,” He tries to ignore his beating heart as he scowls.
You sigh, running a hand through your hair. “I know- but I had to! I came to warn you.” You say, your soft and quiet tone long gone, replacing it was something loud and harsh.
“My friends are here, they insisted on coming. I guess Donghyun’s classmate recommended your restaurant. I couldn’t get them to change their minds- well honestly I wasn’t much help, I really liked the soon dubu jjigae and I kinda told them that- but anyway! I ran here as fast as I could to let you know. I’m too late though, they’re all here. You need to hide!” You rush, opening the door to peek your head through, scouting the area.
You… You’re helping him? But why? There was no reason for you to help him. You’d only benefit from exposing him. Hell- he’s been tormenting you for the past 24 hours, you probably wanted to tattle on him more than save him.
Questions kept piling up one by one, but right now they would have to wait. There was a more important matter at hand, like:
“But why are we in the women's bathroom?! I could get in trouble if someone found out I was in here!” He tries to subtly duck down to check if anyone is in the stalls.
“Don’t worry, I checked already! We’re alone.” You assure, turning back to him. “Come on!” You grab his hand once more, running you two out back into the hall.
You push him back towards the kitchen, swiping the checkpad and pen from his apron pocket to scribble something down.
“Here, this is my number, text me so I have your number. I’ll let you know when we leave. For now, don’t come out until I say so.” You instruct, passing him the pad back.
Jongseong looks surprised as he reads your number. Even when in a rush your handwriting is impeccable, no wonder you’re a part of the student body council.
You’re about to dash back out to the restaurant when Jongseong stops you, now it’s his turn to hold your hand.
You look up at him speechless, looking at your two hands (as if you hadn’t grabbed his first?!).
Looking into your eyes, Jongseong finds it hard to speak, the words crowding his throat and never forming. Your shock quickly turns to concern as you step closer to him.
“Jongseong? Are you okay?” Your hand doesn’t fall from his grip.
Suddenly self-conscious, Jongseong clears his throat, dropping your hand as he wipes his sweaty palm against his apron.
“Thanks.” He coughs out, giving you a half-assed smile as compensation. You stare at him with an unreadable expression for a moment, before bursting out into a smile that practically makes his heart leap out of his chest.
“I said I’d keep my promise didn’t I?” You tease, before leaving to return to your friends. He stands there, stunned. He can still feel the heat of your hand on his fingertips.
Jongseong thought his biggest worry would be making sure you keep your mouth shut, but now he realizes he should’ve been worrying about how to keep his heart under control.
Entry 001: 22/05/24 | Entry 003: 03/06/24
Show Must Go On masterlist | and scene! series masterlist | kpop masterlist
synopsis: When you told the waitress to give your compliments to the chef, you didn't expect the chef to come out and thank you personally, and you really didn't expect the chef to be your classmate Park Jongseong. Realizing how bad this could be, he has you keep it a secret. That shouldn't be too hard for you to do he thinks, but you're full of surprises- and slip-ups.
before you read: character profiles | sunghoon series
note: part 2 of my and scene! series, loosely based off en-drama.
Entry 003: 03/06/24
When you said you’d keep your promise, Jongseong didn’t expect you to be so bad at it, especially after you acted so heroically weeks before.
“Why do your friends keep coming to my family restaurant?! Not only that, every day more students come in after school, what ever happened to keeping your mouth shut?!!” Jongseong complains as you two are currently paired for badminton in today's gym class.
“I didn’t mean to!” You frown, hitting the birdie across the tiny net. “I brought my leftovers for lunch last week and Kazuha saw so I gave her a bite and she told everyone how amazing your food was!”
Jongseong lets out a long sigh as he misses and you get a point, he grabs the birdie from the ground while massaging his temples. He doesn’t know if he should just take the compliment or duct tape your mouth shut.
“Fine, just don’t do it again! Just yesterday Sunghoon and his girlfriend had a date there.” He reveals. Luckily Sunghoon is super in love with his girlfriend, he can’t take his eyes off her so he didn’t even realize it was Jongseong’s mom who took their order.
“If Heeseung or Jaeyun came to visit, I can’t imagine what would happen.” He mutters, serving the shuttlecock to your side of the court. Heeseung especially had a way of inhaling food like a vacuum. His hunger never settled and with Jaeyun to support him, the restaurant might actually be in danger.
You suddenly giggle, shaking your head at his antics. “You’re overreacting,” You playfully roll your eyes, rallying with him.
“Plus, it’s not my fault your food’s too good!”
This time Jongseong feels his heart clench, and he trips over his own two feet in an attempt to swing at the birdie. He lands flat on his stomach, his face burning with both pain and embarrassment.
“Jongseong!” You rush to his side, kneeling down as your face contorts into a look of concern. “I’m fine.” He lies, sitting up.
You let out a breath as if you were relieved, extending a hand to help him stand. Jongseong feels the heat from his face extend to his ears and back of his neck as he takes your hand, gripping it firmly as you pull him onto his two feet
“Are you always this clumsy?” You laugh, shaking your head as you walk back to your side of the court.
“I’m not! It was an accident.” He argues, arms crossed now. He hears you laugh, it’s music to his ears. If he had a choice, he’d listen to you laugh forever, for the rest of his life-
Suddenly a pair of hands grab him firmly by the cheeks, and he’s jerked to the right, where he’s suddenly faced with you. Your brows furrow together as you observe him, your faces mere centimeters away from each other.
“What’re you-!” He chokes, trying to pry you off of him. But you don’t let go, instead you scream.
“Blood! You’re bleeding! Jongseong your nose is bleeding!” Your hands are still firmly clasped against his skin as you freak out.
Jongseong pulls out of your grip, hands cupping over his nose. His entire face is burning 100° from your touch.
“Teacher! Jongseong’s got a bloody nose!” You shout as you wave down the gym teacher. Dazed, Jongseong doesn’t register what’s going on until you grab his hand.
“Come on, we’re going to the Nurse’s office.” You decide, dragging Jongseong across the gym to the exit, in front of your entire class to see.
Jongseong swears he’s fainted and fallen onto the wooden floor of the gym, and is currently hallucinating this entire situation. To not only be able to grab your hand, but to have you tenderly hold him?! He was on cloud nine.
He lets you pull him through the twisted hallways of EN-High, arriving at the Nurse’s office in no time.
You swing the door open in a hurry, brushing hair out of your face.
“Ms. Nah! Ms. Nah?! Dang I think she’s making her rounds.” You click your tongue as Jongseong makes his quick escape to the sink, rinsing his bloody face with clean water.
“Let me see,” You tug the hem of his shirt, and Jongseong has to physically fight the urge to spin around and pull you into a hug with that one gesture.
“It’s not bleeding anymore.” He coughs, finding it hard to keep eye contact as he slowly turns back to you.
“Let me see please.” You repeat yourself. He sits down at an empty cot, allowing you to make your own observations. You situate yourself between his long legs, focused on his face as you gently cup his cheeks for a second time.
You don’t seem phased at all as you sternly look over his injury. But Jongseong on the other hand feels as if he might die if you get any closer to him. Your face was already dangerously close, all he had to do was lean in and your two lips would connect-
“Doesn’t look broken, good.” You step back and let go of him, and while he’s glad to be able to breathe again, he feels secretly disappointed he’s lost his chance.
You nudge him to move over and once he does, you plop down beside him on the cot, even laying down to rest. You let out a big long sigh as Jongseong copies you, his gaze already falling onto your perfect side profile.
Your eyes are closed, and your lips are turned up slightly into a soft smile. Your hair surrounds you like a veil, and your lashes flutter slightly as you take in a deep breath. As the sunlight shines through the window, donning you in golden hues, he’s reminded of how grateful he is to even be in your presence.
You were the living, breathing, goddess that is the Sun, and he was the quiet and lonesome Moon who longed for you faraway.
Fated to be together, forever apart.
In Jongseong’s mind, you were a fantasy brought to life, someone who changed his life for the better, giving it new meaning and wonder. You two have only known each other for less than a month, yet he craves your attention more and more.
After you’d pushed him into the kitchen that one day, you routinely visited him and his family’s restaurant, claiming you were here to get some studying done whilst you scouted out any potential students from school who might recognize him.
Even after a long meeting with the rest of the student council, you always wore a bright and happy smile when you two made eye contact. You loved to wave him down and point to your favorite booth just to let him know you were there.
And Jongseong loved to stop by your table as soon as he could to drop off some treats, whether it be a slice of cake, a bowl of soup, whatever he delivered you would take graciously. “It’s on the house,” He’d tell you shyly, just for you to giggle and tip him anyways.
Jongseong savored seeing you like this, your warm and bubbly self. This side of you that no one but him knew, and he liked it that way. This secret between you two was a blessing in disguise, he thinks.
As if you could read his mind, you suddenly open your eyes and turn to face him, catching him in the act.
He holds his breath as he swallows thickly, Jongseong feels vulnerable as you observe him. He’s never had someone look at him so intently and not have any idea what they were thinking.
Then suddenly you lean in close, your soft hand reaching out to him.
It’s as if the world slows down, your movements sluggish as Jongseong tries his best to calm his heart.
Holy shit, this seriously can’t be happening right now.
For some reason he’s scared. Of what? He has no idea, but he squeezes his eyes shut anyways, and hopes for the best.
He feels your gentle fingers graze his cheek, and Jongseong clenches his jaw. You were so much bolder than he was-
“An eyelash fell off,” You suddenly interrupted his line of thought. Jongseong blinks his eyes open in confusion. “Huh?”
You sit up, tucking your hair behind your ear. Your gaze is focused on your right hand, your index and thumb pinched together as you hold something.
“Look, one of your eyelashes fell off, it’s so long,” You show him. Jongseong sits up as well and truth be told, you’re holding a tiny little eyelash hair.
“Oh,” He coughs. You chuckle and hold it up to his lips. “Make a wish, blow it.” You instruct.
He makes a face. He wasn’t a kid, you know? These kinds of things didn’t actually work, they were a waste of time and were silly. How could he possibly do something so childish in front of you?
But your earnest eyes deceive him. There was no way he could ever tell you no. Not if you looked at him like that.
So without arguing he closes his eyes one last time, and quickly puffs out a small shot of air, sending the little eyelash flying out somewhere in the room. You giggle and clap your hands together, smiling at him like he’s won a grand prize.
“What’d you wish for?” You ask curiously as you two are walking back to the gym to rejoin your class.
That we fall in love.
“Nothing.” He shrugs. You scoff at him and playfully nudge his arm. “Come on, I won’t tell, I’m good at keeping my promises, you know that!” You tease.
Jongseong only stuffs his hands into his pockets, taking long strides to get ahead of you. He turns back to you with a playful smirk.
“If I told you, it wouldn’t come true,”
“Son! Guess who’s here!” His mother sings as she struts into the kitchen, she’s got a teasing look in her eyes as she passes by him.
Recently whenever his mom got like this, it usually meant one thing: You just arrived and were waiting for him.
Trying to remain calm, Jongseong ignores his pink cheeks and sticks his head out the kitchen window, happily finding you sitting at your booth as radiant as ever. You’ve got a workbook open as well as your notes, and you’re busy explaining something while Jungwon carefully writes down-
Wait- What the- Jungwon?!
What was he doing here?? Why was he with you?! This wasn’t making any sense!
Before he can think straight, Jongseong finds himself marching over to the booth, arms crossed as he approaches.
“Oh, hey Jong-”
“Jungwon, what’re you doing here?” He interrupts you, all of his attention is on his best friend, who looks very amused.
“Just going over some council stuff with Y/n,” The younger boy shrugs, smirking at Jongseong. He was doing this on purpose.
“Really? Or did you come for some curry?” Jongseong glares behind his smile. Jungwon chuckles. “Now what kind of friend do you think I am?”
Jongseong rolls your eyes, of course Jungwon came for the food. He’s been curryless for a couple of weeks now, he was probably having withdrawals.
Your giggles suddenly remind him that he and Jungwon were not alone, and that he very much embarrassed himself in front of you. He instantly stands up straighter, clearing his throat as he looks off to the side in order to hide his face.
“W-What would you guys like to order?” He coughs, pulling out a notepad and pen. “You know my usual,” Jungwon shoots him some finger guns, while he scribbles down his order. “Surprise me this time,” You hum, resting your chin on your palms as Jongseong smiles.
“Coming right up,” He nods, before making a brisk exit back to the kitchen.
He lets his dad make Jungwon’s curry in order to make yours: dongchimi guksu. He’s noticed you have a preference for noodles and soup, and what better way to fight the summer heat than a bowl of cold noodle soup with kimchi?
He starts by cooking the noodles, and while they boil he chops the water kimchi and cucumbers thinly for garnish later. Luckily, his mother and him had pre-made the broth that morning, so it was perfectly chilled in the fridge. He scoops out a serving of soup, adding kimchi broth for some spice.
After rinsing out the noodles, he places them delicately inside the serving bowl, adds the broth, and with the most care in the world, he gently lays the garnishes on top. He finishes with a half sliced hard boiled egg on top.
“Looks beautiful,” His mom spooks him, looking over his shoulder. “Just doing my job,” He says, but of course she knows better.
“What about mine? I worked hard too,” His dad jokes, presenting his plate of curry to his wife. “I don’t think Jungwon will care too much for the presentation if it’s just going into his stomach.” She chuckles.
“Is it ready to serve? I can take it,” Jongseong speedily grabs the plate and sets it on his serving tray. “Don’t drop it.” His dad winks as he exits the kitchen.
Jongseong scoffs, and makes a swift beeline to your booth. There he finds you (and Jungwon) waiting for him eagerly.
“Wow! This looks amazing!” You gasp as he sets your bowl down, spinning it to the perfect angle for you. “I have to take a photo,” You pop out your phone, and immediately snap a couple of pictures of the divine meal in front of you.
Jongseong admires you, he loved how excited you got about his dishes especially. It warmed his heart seeing you enjoy a meal he made, you were so precious and genuine. If he could, he’d cook you every meal for the rest of your life-
“Ahem. My food.” Jungwon frowns, eyeing his slightly cold curry still sitting on Jongseong’s tray.
“Oh, sorry, here.” He places it in front of his best friend haphazardly. Jungwon rolls his eyes and grabs his utensils. As he digs in, you also finally decide to eat as well.
You grab a pair of chopsticks, and carefully mix in all the ingredients, your mouth is salivating as you do so.
“This weather is perfect for dongchimi guksu, thanks so much!” You grin up at him. Jongseong swears he could have fallen to his knees from that alone.
You create the perfect bite: noodles, kimchi, and cucumbers all in one. You happily slurp away, chewing with the most adorable smile Jongseong has ever witnessed in his 17 years of age.
“This is so good! Every time!” You clasp your hands together as you shoot heart eyes to your bowl, making him laugh. “Glad you like it,” He grins. “I’ll let you guys eat, I’ll be back in a bit.” He bids before leaving.
You and Jungwon are both silent, giving him a pair of thumbs up as your mouths are too full.
Jungwon is long gone, and the sun is setting outside, yet you’re still here.
The restaurant is surprisingly slow, but it was also a Monday, so it made sense. Jongseong was technically finished with his shift, but he found himself making you a special dessert.
A secret menu item, a Japanese style parfait. He’d decorated it with ice cream, sponge cake, fresh fruits, granola, and even syrup and cookies. Despite it being a simple dessert, he’d made it with his whole heart and soul.
With a brave face, he braces himself outside the kitchen, trying to act casual as he approaches your booth.
You’re busy doing your homework, you don’t even notice him until he sits down beside you.
“Oh, hey,” You smile, scooting over to make room, while simultaneously clearing up the table for him.
“Hi.” He swallows thickly. “I made you this.” He presents the parfait, setting it down.
You gasp, a hand covering your face in shock. “Do you like it?” He asks meekly, scared of your reaction.
“Do I like it? Jongseong I love it!” You squeal. “This is so pretty! I love parfaits!” You coo, automatically getting your phone out. As you take some photos, Jongseong sits with rosy cheeks, his smile never leaving.
“Try it,” He urges, and you instantly scoop some into your mouth. With a satisfied hum you lean back into your seat. “This is the best parfait I’ve had in my entire life.” You sigh.
“How many have you had?” He laughs. “Just this one, but it’s the best.” You admit, making him shake his head.
“You should have some too, here,” You scoop some with your spoon and face him, opening your mouth slightly as if to instruct him to copy.
Were you being serious right now? You wanted to feed him?! With the same spoon?!
“Just kidd-” Before you can swipe the spoon away, Jongseong leans in and catches it, taking a bite of the parfait.
“It’s pretty good,” He nods. “We should add it to the menu.” On the outside he’s nonchalant, he acts as if he could care less. But internally, he’s freaking out.
Not only did he steal your bite, he shared your spoon, you guys indirectly kissed. This was a dream come true.
Trying his best to seem normal, he glances your way. And what he sees surprises him.
Your cheeks are completely red. Your eyes are wide open, mouth slightly ajar as you stare not at the spoon, but his lips.
You quickly snap out of it, though still disturbed, you just nod your head and scoop back into the parfait preparing for another bite.
But just as you’re about to eat, you pause. You’ve noticed it too.
You close your eyes and confidently take the bite, before suddenly setting the spoon down. “I have to use the restroom.” You say a bit awkwardly. “Okay,” Jongseong nods.
You excuse yourself and flee down the hallway. Jongseong watches you disappear before sighing and relaxing against the seat.
His eyes naturally fall back to the spoon resting on your napkin, and he immediately feels his face, ears, and practically his whole body, heat up. Deciding he needs to get back to work, he stands up to take refuge in the kitchen.
His lips tingle as he smiles to himself, your lipgloss tastes like strawberries.
Entry 002: 23/05/24 | Entry 004: 21/06/24
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synopsis: When you told the waitress to give your compliments to the chef, you didn't expect the chef to come out and thank you personally, and you really didn't expect the chef to be your classmate Park Jongseong. Realizing how bad this could be, he has you keep it a secret. That shouldn't be too hard for you to do he thinks, but you're full of surprises- and slip-ups.
before you read: character profiles | sunghoon series
warnings: language, loser enhypen
word count: 2.7k
tag list (open): @ancnymcnzjy @melancholy-z @lamin143 @soobinbunnie5 @benny1989fredd @bbsantc
note: part 2 of my and scene! series, loosely based off en-drama.
Entry 001: 22/05/24
Believe it or not, but Park Jongseong wakes up at 5 am every morning, and has done so for the past three years of his life. His friends would have a fit if they heard that, as he was notoriously known for running late to class every single day.
His teachers wouldn’t believe him either, as Mr. Lee himself has chased Jongseong down one too many times for trying to sneak into first period half an hour late by hopping the side gate.
(Riki’s stupid April Fool’s prank had him up at 3 am, his dad thought he was going crazy for how early he was up that day.)
But it wasn’t like he was doing crimes or wasting time before school. No, Jongseong was busy working his ass off at the restaurant his family owned, prepping the kitchen before they opened at 7:30 am sharp.
“Fresh eggs are beautiful, aren’t they?” His mother smiles as Jongseong helps his father carry in the mounds of cartons of eggs the delivery driver just dropped off. She’s holding one of the brown eggs, admiring its color.
“They are,” He nods with a gentle smile. She chuckles and ruffles his bed hair. “Let’s go, we still need to wash and chop the cabbage for kimchi.” She tells him, and he follows her deeper into the kitchen.
Jongseong’s mornings were usually pretty peaceful. He and his parents prepare the restaurant for a long day ahead: making a fresh batch of kimchi to ferment, restocking ingredients, cleaning and pre-cutting meat, washing any leftover dishes, tidying up the restaurant- you name it, he’s done it.
He took pride in knowing he’s able to help and create not only delicious meals, but an enjoyable atmosphere for people to eat in.
“You better hurry, you still need to get ready for school.” His mother urges. They’d returned home to eat their own breakfast. Jongseong shovels his food down his throat (his mom made him scrambled soft tofu and eggs over rice).
“And didn’t you say you’ve still got some Biology homework to finish?” His dad asks, washing a plate.
His eyes widened. He did have a page left in his workbook. Crap.
“Gotta go bye!” Jongseong swallows the rest of his food, downing his drink in seconds before placing his dishes in the sink. “Don’t forget to brush your hair!” he hears his mother call, before he dashes upstairs to his bedroom.
15 minutes later Jongseong showered, changed out of his dirty work clothes into his school uniform, and is now struggling to blow dry his hair while simultaneously brushing his teeth.
He checks the clock, it’s 7:42. He had 18 minutes to get to school. If he ran, he could catch up to the guys, and maybe convince Jaeyun to help him with the last page of his Biology homework during lunch.
He rinses his mouth, and runs back to his room to stuff his books and binder into his bag. At the front door, he trips on his way out while slipping on his shoes.
Jongseong runs across the street, barging into the already bustling restaurant. He waves to a few regulars who greet him cheerily. “Mom?” He leans against the counter, calling out for her.
“I’m here! I made you lunch too,” She holds up the neat looking container, and he happily places it into his bag. “Have a good day at school alright? Don’t be late, I don’t know if I can handle another call from the office about you being tardy,” She warns him.
“Thanks, I’ll be fine,” He assures her. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
His mother nods, and pats his head. “Be safe, I love you.” She gives him a hug and kisses his cheek. Feeling embarrassed, he blushes, reeling back (he’d wipe his cheek if it weren’t for the fact he knows his mom would complain).
“Okay, see you later,” He grins, walking out.
“Bye son!” His dad cheers, sticking his head out from the kitchen window. Jongseong laughs before ducking out back onto the street.
He dashes down the road, running through smaller streets and alleys as fast as he can. His watch reads 7:50, he’s gonna need to speed it up. Jongseong decided to take a shortcut, sprinting through a park to save him some time.
“Hiya mister!” One of the little kids shouts as he goes down the slide. Jongseong chuckles and gives him a big wave as he darts past.
Going back on the main road, Jongseong decides to climb a fence and he’s happy to see on the other side a group of familiar boys, walking leisurely a few meters ahead. Perfect.
Jongseong leaps, landing a bit roughly, not bothering to dust himself off before jogging over to join his friends.
“Thought you’d never show,” Sunoo greets. “You need to stop sleeping in,” Sunghoon lectures. Instead of arguing, he just nods, rolling his eyes.
“Where’s Jungwon?” He asks, looking at the group to realize his best friend was nowhere to be found.
“What do you mean?” Heeseung looks at him, confused. “Jongseong has been late all week, he doesn’t know.” Riki answers.
“Remember Jungwon's president now? He has to come to school early,” Jaeyun fills him in, as they enter school through the front doors. With a groan, Jongseong nods, he’d forgotten about that.
Elections were last Friday, and two days ago on Monday, the results were posted. Jongseong had lost the position he wanted as Treasurer.
While initially upset, Jongseong saw the silver lining of it all. He had no idea how he would be able to juggle being on the student body council, and help his parents with the restaurant (on top of his grades… yikes).
Jungwon on the other hand, had miraculously won the position as Student Body President, his biggest fears coming true.
“They won’t even let me pass it off to Euijoo,” Jungwon sighs as he calls Jongseong a few nights ago. “I don’t even want to be president, Euijoo does! This has to be rigged, my speech was horrible. I literally told people to not vote for me!”
“So do we actually know if the votes were rigged?” Jongseong follows Jaeyun to his classroom. “Dude, Jungwon’s super popular. He’s friendly to everyone, funny, good looking, and down to earth. Who wouldn’t vote for him?”
“He’s like a breath of fresh air compared to all the uptight and strict past presidents” Sunghoon pops into the conversation. “Or at least that’s what my girlfriend told me.” He shrugs. “Oh geez, here we go again,” Jaeyun rolls his eyes.
Ever since Sunghoon got a girlfriend, he’s been insufferable. They’ve been dating for a total of one week and Sunghoon has made it very very apparent that he believes he’s the chosen one.
Before Sunghoon can argue, his girlfriend arrives, tackling the boy in a hug and distracting him for his friends. “Anyways” Jongseong clears his throat. “Jayeun, think you could help me finish my Biology homework at lunch?” The other boy eyes him, looking uninterested. “Do I have to?”
Jongseong huffs. “I’ll buy you a Yakult.” Jaeyun looks tempted. “Buy two and I’ll help.” Jongseong gives in, sighing with a nod while his friend smirks triumphantly. The warning bell rings and Jongseong begins to depart back to his class.
“And make sure they’re nice and cold!” Jaeyun calls out. Jongseong doesn’t even turn around as he gives him a thumbs up.
“Can’t you just do the entire thing for me?” Jongseong whines. “Not unless you buy me one more Yakult.” Jaeyun teases. Like hell he’d pay for another tiny overpriced yogurt cup, even if it was supposed to be good for you.
“Give me that,” He swipes his workbook back, trying to focus while Jaeyun laughs at him.
“Biology isn’t that hard,” Riki says as he takes a bite of his food. “Remind us again what’s your rank in your class?” Jongseong asks as he scribbles down an answer. Riki goes quiet, mumbling obscenities as Sunoo cackles at him. “He’s like five away from last,”
Someone suddenly throws their tray down onto the table, catching everyone by surprise.
“Look who finally arrived!” Riki’s mood flips and he graciously stands to bow, hands pointing to the empty spot beside him. “Your seat, your majesty!”
Jungwon doesn’t look the least bit excited as he sits down.
“Hey, we saw you on the intercom this morning! Good job on the announcements,” Heeseung smiles. “Thanks.” Jungwon’s eye twitches.
“That was so funny,” Riki begins to laugh. “Dude, Riki C and I were gonna piss our pants.”
Jungwon’s eyes turn sharp, he suddenly grabs Riki by the collar, scaring everyone at the table.
“I know where you live Nishimura, I will hunt you down and personally make your life a living hell. Your sister told me you still sleep with your baby blanket. Don’t test me.” Jungwon growls, and Jongseong has to step in and pull him away.
“Okay, calm down prez, you’ve got an entire cafeteria watching you.” He reminds his best friend. (Riki clutches his throat as he moves to sit next to Heeseung. The senior comforts him, petting his hair and whispering soothing words.)
Jungwon settles, now moping as he picks at his food. “If I have to sit through one more boring ass meeting, I don’t know what I’ll do, but I’m going crazy.” Jongseong eyes him as he finishes his workbook, stuffing it into his bag and pulling out the lunch his mom packed.
“Looks like I dodged a bullet,” He jokes, only to receive a glare from Jungwon. “Sorry,” he mumbles.
“Don’t stress out too much,” Heeseung says. “If you want, I can ask my sister to help you out. She’s the new secretary.”
Not only Jungwon, but the entire table, is silent as they stare at Heeseung for a total of seven seconds.
“Your sister is Lee Yunah?!” Jungwon hisses, voice lowering as he mentions the girl’s name.
But no one seemed to hear him, everyone was confused how someone so nice, friendly, and popular as Lee Yunah, was related to… well, Heeseung.
“I sit across from her in class, we talk all the time, she’s never mentioned you were her brother.” Sunoo looks shocked.
“I don’t know, we don’t really interact at school since we’re in different grades, so maybe that’s why?” Heeseung shrugs, continuing to eat his food.
That was definitely not the reason why.
“I think I can talk to her myself,” Jungwon mumbles. Heeseung doesn’t seem bothered.
“Hey!” Jaeyun suddenly speaks up. “I don’t have practice today, you guys wanna go to the arcade after school?”
Heeseung looks ecstatic at this. “Sure! I’d love to go!” Riki also looks more cheerful.
“Yeah, can my girlfriend come?” Sunghoon asks. “Eh, why not? She’s probably better at games than you anyways.” Jaeyun snickers while Sunghoon glares.
“Well I can’t, I’ve got to paint my tree.” Sunoo sighs. “Paint your what?” Jongseong swears he heard him wrong. “My tree costume. You guys do remember I'm Tree number two in the musical, right? We’re doing Wizard of Oz.”
“Oh really? I just thought you just really liked plants all of a sudden.” Riki admits and Sunoo rolls his eyes.
“Well, I’ve got another meeting after school. So I can’t. We’re gonna discuss appropriate and inappropriate ways to wear our uniforms.” Jungwon looks distressed.
“What about you Jongseong? Wanna go?” Jaeyun looks hopeful at him.
Jongseong’s lips grow into a thin line as he winces. “Can’t. I’ve got baseball.” He lies.
The other boys (minus Jungwon) groan in unison. “Your baseball league is crazy, practice every day, including weekends?!” Jaeyun exclaims.
“We haven’t been to any of your games, you never invite us.” Sunghoon complains. “And when you do, we’re always busy or the game gets canceled.” Sunoo points out.
“I bet you it’s because he’s so bad he keeps getting benched. Doesn’t want us to watch him sit all day.” Riki chuckles. Jongseong doesn’t do anything but sigh.
“Sorry, but they’re really strict. Maybe one of these days you'll see me play.” He feigns sadness.
“Quick question, which arcade are we going to?” Heeseung asks. As the boys turn their attention back to their afternoon plans, Jongseong glances at his best friend.
Jungwon looks at him disapprovingly.
He wonders for how much longer he can keep this little lie up.
He’s chopping up some scallions when his mom bursts into the kitchen.
“Son! I thought I told you to go home and finish your homework?” She places her hands on her hips.
“I already finished my homework.” Jongseong fibs.
“Really? Or are you just lying so you can help out tonight?” She eyes him.
“Okay I didn’t.” He tells the truth. His mother does not seem happy with that. “But you and dad need help. Chef Jiyoung has already left, and Chaeyoung and Minjoon are off. I can cook while you and dad serve. Plus my homework isn’t that hard, I can do it before I go to bed.”
His mom sighs, mumbling something about how he stresses her out sometimes. Jongseong has a feeling he’s about to be lectured.
“You’re such a good kid, you know that?” She surprises him by ruffling his hair. His worries subsided.
“And you’re a good mom.” He tells her, feeling shy. “Here’s table 6’s order.” He hands her the plate of food before she can get sappy with him. As she walks out to serve the food, his mother wears the biggest smile.
Jongseong continues his shift, cooking every meal his family throws at him with ease. He always loved to cook. It first started out from just watching his parents, it fascinated him how simple ingredients could become the best meal he’s ever eaten.
When he got older, he began to help around the kitchen. Jongseong found it fun to learn the process of each dish, and enjoyed it even more when the food came out delicious.
Now he’s a master in the kitchen, whipping out dishes without as much as a glance at the recipe. His dad would even argue Jongseong was a better cook than him now.
It’s the end of the night, and Jongseong is cleaning up the kitchen when his parents come in chuckling.
“Son! You’ll never guess what happened. Your dream came true!” His dad chortles. Jongseong looks at him confused. “What do you mean?”
“Remember when you told us you’d always wanted to go out and personally thank a customer for enjoying your food like they do in the movies? Well, it’s happened! A lovely young lady wanted us to give her compliments to the chef, you!” His mother beams.
Jongseong stands there, baffled. He’d told his parents that silly dream when he was eight years old after watching Ratatouille for the first time.
“That’s cool.” He nods. “You should go out there, say thanks. She was very sweet.” His mom encourages.
“Uh, I don’t think so, that’s-“ “Oh son please! She’s the last customer of the night, there’s no one else out there. Don’t be embarrassed.” His dad pushes.
“Plus, she’s very pretty! You should be excited such a pretty girl enjoyed your cooking.” His mom acts as if that’s the biggest accomplishment he’s ever achieved.
His parents look at him eagerly, and Jongseong gives in, sighing as he unties his apron. “Fine, but I’m never doing this again.” He grumbles, much to his parents' delight.
He brushes himself off, running a hand through his hair as he steps out to the front. He spots the person sitting in the booth, their back facing him.
With a deep breath, he approaches.
“Hi, I heard you really enjoyed your meal. I wanted to thank you, I’m the chef.” He states, as he walks over, trying his best to sound joyful. “Is there anything I can do to-“
“Jongseong..? You work here?” The person interrupts.
He finally looks and Jongseong immediately realizes he’s fucked up, since the person he’s just walked up to was you, L/n Y/n, the new Student Body Treasurer.
Why is he screwed? That's because EN-High students aren’t allowed to have jobs, and you’ve caught him red-handed.
Jongseong’s life was ruined the moment he saw you.
Entry 002: 23/05/24
Show Must Go On masterlist | and scene! series masterlist | kpop masterlist
