1 | blurred lines — p. sunghoon
summery: you're a hopeless romantic forced to share a flat with park sunghoon-the most annoying boy on planet earth—after being left with nowhere else to go.
in order to prove to the boy who broke your heart that you've moved on, you (after all your other options go to shit) agree to fake a relationship with sunghoon, with the hopes it'll make the girl he likes finally see what she's missing. it'll be simple. temporary and strictly pretend.
except nothing about pretending to be in love with someone you can't stand is simple, especially when you live under the same roof. because the walls you rebuilt around your heart? they start to crack. and the ones he's never let anyone past? they begin to crumble.
and the thick line you swore you drew in permanent sharpie to separate fake from real?
pairing: hopeless romantic!reader x fuckboy!sunghoon
chapter content/warnings: angst, heartbreak, cheating, betrayal, reader has poor body image, alcohol, smoking, no use of y/n
notes: sooo this is originally on wattpad (@-saebyeok) but i decided to post it here also. however blurred lines on tumblr will be the explicit version!! updates will go to wattpad will ofc eventually be posted here :)
taglist: @pradaheeseung @maedearest @rairaiblog @zoe1love @snghon @saraabbas @enaesthetix @areikii @8naqvg
01. HOW TO DEAL WITH A BREAKUP
Tears blurred your vision as your reflection stared back at you, mocking and humiliating you the longer your eyes found and highlighted more of your insecurities.
Goosebumps adorned your olive skin and a wave of nausea flushed throughout your body, threatening to spill from your quivering lip.
'Brave' was the word he used whenever you would wear something as ‘revealing’ as this. At the time, you thought it was a compliment because it made your stomach swirl and your cheeks burn.
Now, you just cringe at how naive you were.
The curves of your body felt like a spotlight as they were engulfed in the warm embrace of the dresses' lacy material, and the stretch marks on your arms and thighs only made you feel worse. You had nothing to hide them with, nothing that suited, and now that the dress was on, you were certainly regretting choosing an outfit with spaghetti straps.
It had been nearly a month since your relationship with Yeonjun (the boy you presumed to be the love of your life) came to an abrupt end; the boy you were in love with had decided the fate of your five years of happiness after he claimed he no longer felt 'the spark.'
You didn't know whether that was just an excuse—a cover-up to the truth—or if he truly didn’t feel the spark between you anymore. He left you with not just an aching heart, but a stomach consumed with anxiety and a mind full of wonders and worries.
Did he not like the way you looked?
You didn't know. You had no clue what caused Yeonjun to feel the way he did, and plenty of potential answers kept you up at late hours in the night, leaving you tossing and turning in your cold, lonely bed sheets with droplets of sweat gliding down your back.
However, despite the sudden cut off, you were understanding—you always had been from a young age, even when your older brother got something you didn't.
So, when Yeonjun, the boy you thought you were going to marry and create a family with, broke the news to you in the university’s library one day after a lecture, you accepted it. You accepted the fact he was no longer in love with you and let him go, in spite of how much it pained you mentally and physically.
Heck, if anyone had got brutally dumped in the middle of a silent library, where the only noise that could be heard were the flicking of pages and the tapping of fingers against a keyboard, they’d have a hard time expressing how they truly felt due to the fear of being banned from ever entering the room of books again—at least, that was what kept you grounded.
Luckily, you had been blessed enough to have Kang Yura as a best friend.
At the beginning of the breakup, you cried to her for nearly a month straight, not caring if Yura saw you at your worst. You ranted and poured your heart out and drank until your stomach could no longer take it, and Yura did too, as a supporting friend.
You fell into a slump of depression and despair, queries of what you could have possibly done differently to make Yeonjun stay consuming your mind as Yura did her best to comfort and reassure you.
Today would be the first day you set foot outside of the house since the heart aching breakup occurred (you having decided to attend online classes instead), and you were going big—at least that was what Yura suggested you did for the first time you did something ‘active.’
Before the break up, ‘Afterglow’ had been a bar where you both happened to pay a visit to at the end of every hard, stressful, lecture-full week. It was a place where you let your hair down, drank to get drunk, danced to have fun, and laughed until your lungs couldn’t bear it anymore.
There were many memories stored within the sticky walls of Afterglow, and so Yura thought it'd be good to get back into routine as soon as possible and go big, rather than remain at home.
You had been apprehensive about the idea at first. You weren’t quite sure if you would have the energy to dress up and dance the night away next to bodies you’d never see again, or socialise with other people.
Though, once Yura happened to mention alcohol and the effects it would have on you, you were swayed.
Anything to numb to pain, you had thought.
However, as your reflection glared back at her, daunting her in a way, you felt the plug that had been desperately trying to contain the small amount of joy you felt, get pulled and drain it all from you, before you were cruelly slapped across the face with the harsh reality.
You’d gained weight. A lot of it. And it was visible.
Your arms were a lot more chubbier and when you held them out, you couldn’t help but think it would be possible for you to fly with the excess fat you wore.
The outline of your stomach and bellybutton had become prominent against your maroon, skin tight dress and that only made you want to throw your pyjamas on instead.
You were mentally cursing yourself for drinking and eating your feelings, and all you wanted to do was tear your hair out for being so stupid.
Wasn't a breakup a time to glow up? Wasn't that what usually happened in the romance movies you used to binge? That’s what happened to Elle Woods in Legally Blonde, at least.
Weren't the girls supposed to end up feeling better about themselves, and the boys left feeling lost and regretful of their decision? Was that how Yeonjun was currently feeling?
Did he feel lost without his high school sweetheart?
Was he regretting his choice?
Nevertheless, you pushed through the frustration and pulled the red, desirable dress off of your body in fury, not caring where it landed or if it got crinkled as you threw it out of your sight. You never wanted to see it again. You wanted to burn it, and all of the other things that made you hate herself.
Why were breakups so hard?
Why couldn’t things just be simple?
Ripping your eyes away from the mirror, your skin prickled in disgust and your blood boiled as you carelessly opened the door to your closet and took out the first thing you saw: a grey jumper dress that you knew wouldn’t be revealing, and a pair of black tights to keep you warm through the night.
The outfit made you feel comfortable in more than one way. It made you feel safe and guarded, and you knew by wearing it, you wouldn’t have to wonder if people were staring at the fat on your body because they couldn't see it, and that was all that mattered. You had no one to impress. No motivation. No nothing.
Before leaving the stuffy bedroom you had caged herself in for the last few weeks, you took a final glance at your features.
The skin on your face that once received compliments for how clear it was, was now covered in pimples and oil, and your round cheeks were rosy and irritated. You looked like a thirteen year old entering puberty rather than a twenty year old that had your hormones together.
And you knew applying makeup to your face would only anger the breakout more, so you didn’t put any on. You stuck to black mascara, a bit of black eyeliner, which erupted a meltdown from you earlier on due to the times you messed up, and your favourite lip gloss—Yeonjun’s favourite lip gloss. The gloss he liked to kiss off of your lips oh-so much.
Your long, light brown hair, that was once always healthy and shiny with a kink running through it, was now dead and straw-like. You had thrown it into a ponytail, wanting nothing more than for it to be out of your face. You didn’t want anything else to cause you frustration tonight.
The bags beneath your broken eyes were heavy. They reminded you of the times you would go on shopping sprees with Yura and your arms would be so sore by the end from how heavy the bags were.
Perhaps you shouldn't go out today?
Maybe you should put it off for another few days?
Maybe you’ll feel more up to doing something next week?
You looked like a disaster, and all you wanted to do was curl up into your bed covers and watch the movies you could no longer relate to. You didn’t want to end the night dancing with strangers you wouldn’t remember in the morning, and smelling of sick.
But, the sight of your phone lighting up, your lockscreen that was once a candid photo of Yeonjun in your bed, sleeping, now just some default photo from the wallpaper setting, created light in your dimly lit room.
It was a message from Yura telling you that she was on her way and that she was dying for a Sangria.
A small grin tugged at the corner of your lips and a breathy chuckle escaped. Yura never failed to make the corner of your mouth curve upwards. It was like a superpower she had.
Perhaps you should go out today?
Maybe it won't be so bad?
And so as you refused to glance over at the full length mirror again, you picked up your purse and swung it over your shoulder before leaving your bedroom, planning to get rid of the mirror as soon as you got home that night.
The air outside was bitter and the small breaths you would take would become visible clouds. Goosebumps lined your skin despite your arms being covered by the fabric of the dress, and your legs were swallowed in the material of the black tights. You should have definitely worn a coat tonight.
However, you hadn’t quite realised how bad the weather had become the past month. You had been so absorbed in your tears, Yeonjun and drinking endless bottles of Plum Soju to notice the leaves crisp and the air become drier.
In a way, you supposes that the current weather mirrors the emotions you have swirling within you. The colour of the plants and the sky were drained of its usual vibrancy, just how your personality had depleted its usual bubblyness, and the stillness and lack of people around projected the loneliness that dwelled within you. Though, you think that that might just be the literature in you that makes you have this outlook… you’re not quite sure.
“We’re almost there,” you heard Yura announce with a wide smile spread across her lips, and you felt your best friend link her coat-clad arm with yours. “And then your drinks are on me! I promise.”
It was clear to you that Yura was doing everything she could to make you feel better about agreeing to coming out, and you were grateful for that. You really were. You aren’t so sure what she would do without her.
“Okay,” you hummed out, sending your best friend a tightlipped smile as you welcomed the girl's touch. “You best stick to your word, or I won’t ever trust you again.” You joked and a giggle fell from both of your mouths.
“Hey, I always stick to my word—remember at the start of Uni when you were scared I wouldn’t save you a seat in the dinner hall ‘cause there were ‘so many people’, and it was ‘scarier than high school’, but I did, despite having to tell people they couldn’t sit there?” Yura grinned at you, and even though the memory would seem like the bare-minimum to anyone, it was everything to you.
You remembered how nervous you were on your first day, so nervous that you threw up in the Uni toilets twice! You even considered dropping out at the last minute and getting a full time job at the corner shop near your home rather than pursue your love for books because you couldn’t shake the twisting feeling in your stomach.
There were people everywhere. Everywhere you looked there was somebody doing something and for some reason, that frightened you. You knew University would be a lot different to high school, however you didn’t expect it to be that different. You were worried you wouldn’t find somewhere to sit in any of your class and the dinner hall, and so you asked your best friend, who had been by your side the entire day, convincing you that you can do University, to save you seat.
And she did. She saved the seat that was next to her by putting her very unnecessarily large bag on the chair and telling people her bag needed it more than they did just so you could eat your lunch peacefully.
That happened in March at the start of the academic year. Now it’s December and Yura still keeps a seat for you, in spite of you stating that she doesn’t need to anymore.
But, that was the kind of person Yura was. She was always going lengths to make sure her friends got what they wanted and were happy, and you loved that about her.
Once you eventually made it to the nightclub and got inside after standing in the long line outside for almost thirty minutes, you were instantly hit with a mixture of things.
Firstly, the scent. The pungent, sickly smell of all kinds of alcohol tickled your nose for a moment, making it twitch in disgust before it was taken over by the cocktail of different perfumes and sweat that clouded the air.
Secondly, the sight. The staccato, blinding strobe lights that found rhythm with loud beats of the music. They were colourful and flashy, and bounced off of one person to the next. You knew that the alcohol wouldn’t be the only factor in the reason for your headache tomorrow morning.
And thirdly, the sound. The demeaning, thundering beat of the music was enough to make your body shudder and your ears ring the moment you stepped foot into the confined room. A song you had never heard of before was spitting through the large speakers that had been set up on tables next to the DJ near the dance floor where the majority of the people were, enjoying whatever he was playing.
“Come on, we can dance later!” You just about heard Yura yell excitedly, and she held on tightly to your hand before pulling you past the clammy bodies and to the overcrowded bar. There was no way you were getting a drink anytime soon…
Though, leave it to Yura to be able to push her way past the drunk students, sweet apologies falling from her painted lips and batting her eyelashes as she smiled.
“Give me two rounds of Vodka shots, and two Jägerbombs as well please!” Yura shouted to the bartender and perched herself on the bar stool.
“Thought you were dying for a Sangria?” You questioned with furrowed eyebrows and a smile as you leaned down next to your friend's ear to make sure she heard your query correctly.
Shrugging her shoulders, Yura opened her purse to retrieve her debit card and paid before putting it away and looking back at you. “I had a change of heart. We’re out to get fuck-faced, so that’s what we’ll do—Sangria is like drinking water.” She chuckled and so did you.
Finally, the drinks were given to you on the usual black tray and you smiled at the bartender as a way to thank her before Yura handed you your first shot of the night.
“Ready?” Yura smirked, her eyes twinkling as the lights reflected them.
Nodding your head, you mirrored your friend’s expression. “Ready.”
And before either of you knew it, you were letting loose on the dance floor, dancing to the songs you didn’t know but not bothering to complain because you were having fun.
For the first time in who-knows-how-long you were letting your hair down and enjoying the moment. The alcohol in your system was sending gushes of adrenaline throughout your body, making you feel more than alive and confident, whilst always pigmenting your cheeks.
But you didn’t care. Not at all. You didn’t care how stupid you looked as you danced beside Yura. You didn’t care if you were singing the wrong lyrics, nor did you care that the strobe lights were nearly blinding you. You didn’t care for any of it. And that was all that mattered.
Though, it wasn’t until the ache that came with wearing heels whilst dancing suddenly started to become present in your ankles that you started to care.
Your features scrunched in discomfort and a curse slipped through your lip. You knew you had to sit down for a moment, just to sit the ache off. You had experienced this before. You knew how it worked, and you knew by resting your feet for ten minutes or so you would be good to go afterwards.
So, turning to your best friend who was lost in the music, you told her that you were going to sit down and Yura insisted on going with you, despite how many times you insisted she remained on the dance floor.
“I’m so happy you came out tonight!” Yura slurred the moment you both plonked yourselves down on the leather seats of a booth, a sigh of relief pushing past your lips.
“I am too.” You nodded to Yura’s statement, and you eventually turned to face your best friend who had been watching you. “Thank you for bringing me out tonight—and thank you for helping me through this mess.” You slurred your words as breathy chuckles followed after them.
“I don’t know how I would’ve coped if you hadn’t been there.” You finished, knowing that it was the alcohol in your body that was making you express your feelings so suddenly. You would’ve thanked Yura anyway, but this wasn’t the way you had planned.
Suddenly, you drowned in a wave of confusion the moment you watched as your best friend’s bottom lip began to quiver and her dark eyes filled with salty tears.
Had your words hit her that deep? You wondered to yourself before concern became present across your features. Perhaps it was just the alcohol enhancing her emotions…
However, the moment you saw the tears spill over the edge of Yura’s eyes, your own widened and you hurried to sit closer to the girl, wrapping a comforting arm around her.
“Yura,” you softly muttered. “What’s wrong?” You asked and your voice was laced with nothing but worry.
It wasn’t often that Kang Yura cried—even drunk. You could count on one hand the amount of times you had seen your best friend succumb to tears, and you had been best friends since you were thirteen.
Yura had always stated that crying was a sign of weakness for her, so she didn’t do it at all. She hated to be seen as weak.
And so now, as more and more tears gushed down the girl’s crimson coloured cheeks and her shoulders jerked as sobs poured from her mouth, you didn’t know what to do, or say.
“Yura, please talk to me.” You soothingly urged, slowly pulling back from the comforting hug to get a better look at the girl.
She stuttered your name and at a slow pace, she moved to look at you. “Can I tell you something…?”
Eagerly nodding your head, you muttered an ‘of course’ and patiently waited for her to continue. You hated seeing her in such a state, it really broke your heart.
“You can’t be mad, okay? Please don’t be mad.” Yura almost begged whilst more tears streamed down her face. The girl was getting herself into a mess with tears and snot combing on her face, so you picked up one of the white tissue papers that were left lying on the table and cleaned Yura up a bit, not before making sure the tissue was clean though.
“Why would I be mad, Yura?” Your eyebrows gently knitted together and your shoulders slumped. It pained you to know that your best friend was afraid to tell you something in fear you would be mad. “Talk to me, please.” You practically begged.
Immediately, the sobs that were once falling from Yura’s mouth turned into uncontrollable wails and her body began to heave, and in all honesty, it started to scare you. What could have caused this? Who could have caused this?
“I didn’t mean for it to happen…” Yura stuttered and moved her trembling hands from her lap to hold onto yours. “I didn’t mean to fall for him—I swear I didn’t…” she continued and you listened intently. “It just happened, and I think we’re in love—and I don’t know what to do—“
“Yura,” you abruptly cut your friend short, your eyebrow raised and your back straightened as you subconsciously held onto Yura’s hand a bit tighter. “Who are you talking about? Who have you fallen in love with?”
Though this should be a time where you jumps for joy over the fact that your best friend has fallen in love with somebody, and begins to plan their wedding for them, a large part of you is holding herself back from doing so.
Something within you is telling you that something is wrong. There’s something uneasy in the air that has you holding your breath as you wait for Yura to answer.
You don’t want to take a deep breath in, not yet, not when you’re this close to hearing the name—his name.
That was how you felt the moment your ears heard the name that you hadn’t heard in so long. You had refused to use it and made sure no one used it around you because you knew it would be a dagger to your heart.
And now, for the first time in forever you hear it because your best friend is confessing to being in love with him.
You wanted to be sick. You wanted to cry. You wanted to scream.
But you didn’t. You couldn’t. You were far too stunned to react, and that had Yura sobbing even more.
It felt as if everything around you had come to a halt or slowed down.
The music? No longer heard, but the beats are still present.
The people dancing? Still dancing, but this time in slow motion, unaware of the events that had just taken place.
You had to leave immediately. You needed to escape before you externally imploded.
“Wait! Where are you going?!” Yura asked in a panic and she reached her hand out to grab hold of yours as you slid out of the booth, however you were fast enough to be out of distance by the time she moved. “Please don’t leave—please, I’m begging you!”
Again, you ignored her. You couldn’t bring yourself to say a word to Yura, not when you were emotionally unstable and your system was consumed with alcohol. You would only end up saying something you know you would regret, and regret is something you don’t want to live with.
And so, you pushed your way past the people that continued to dance, unaware of the events that had just occurred, and stumbled your way out of the club with your vision hazy and head spinning.
The midnight air didn’t feel as cold as it did earlier on that evening, but that was probably because your blood wasn’t boiling then.
There was a cocktail of emotions swirling around in your chest and it was overwhelming. You were angry—furious even—and confused, and shocked, betrayed, but most of all, heartbroken.
It felt as if the other half of your broken heart had been shattered into tiny fragments and were left laying on the floor, hard to find and pick up again to mend. You were broken, and nothing could fix it.
The longer you stood outside the booming club, the more you started to become aware of everything that had just happened. The adrenaline that was once soaring through your body was beginning to vanish, leaving your movements sloppy due to the amount you’d drunk tonight.
Your boyfriend—no, ex-boyfriend and best friend were in love…
Just the thought alone made you want to puke. Your throat started to tighten and your eyes became glossy as your hands started to tremble. You needed to cry. You were going to cry.
But you didn’t want to. You needed something to distract yourself.
So, taking a deep breath in to gather your feelings, you hurriedly glanced around in desperation. You needed to find a distraction quickly otherwise Yura would probably end up showing up and catch you crying—you most definitely did not want that.
You weren’t going to allow her to witness another tear fall from your eye ever again.
All of a sudden, blocking out the scent of alcohol and sweat was the acrid smell of smoke. It was strong and musky, and it made your features scrunch in disgust and your eyes dart to find the source.
There were thin wisps of it curling into the bitter air and the moment your dark eyes landed on the lit flame at the end of a cigarette, you gulped.
An idea had formed in your head. A stupid idea.
You had never smoked a day in your life and never planned on doing so, especially after having watched your mothers boyfriend smoke around the house, and seeing how the effects of it caused his teeth to stain and his breath to smell. It never appealed to you.
However, the more you watched the stranger puff out clouds of smoke, the more you felt intrigued to have a go yourself.
Perhaps it was the alcohol in your system that was giving you the green light? Or the heartbreak? You didn’t know, but what you did know was that you weren’t going to be a virgin to a cigarette by the end of the night.
Swallowing thickly and adjusting your posture, you let out a heavy sigh before you felt your feet slowly begin to move in the direction of the stranger that was standing in front of a brick wall.
He looked like trouble in your opinion. His outfit was entirely black—black T-shirt, black trousers—and his hair black too and styled in a way that showed part of his forehead. His skin was pale and glass like (it reminded you of a character you’d see in a Twilight movie), and as he used his slim fingers to pull the cigar from his plump lips, his dark eyes met yours.
You sent him a small smile. It was one to say that you didn’t want any aggro—just a puff of his cigarette and you would be gone.
And watching as he took another drag from it before holding it out for you to take made you think he understood.
Nodding ever so slightly to reassure yourself that you could do this, you hesitantly reached out to take the blunt from him and held it between your two fingers for a moment, staring at it like you were waiting for it to do something.
Do it. You kept telling yourself. You wanted to, so what were you so afraid of?
“You don't seem like a smoker.” The stranger suddenly stated, tearing the silence apart and making you jump ever so slightly. For a moment, you had forgotten he was standing in front of you.
"I'm not." You shook your head and your voice was weak and raspy. You knew you needed to drink some water, so you made the plan to stop by the twenty-four hour corner shop by your house to get something on your way home.
“Alright.” He scoffed quietly and took the cigarette from your fingers and put it between his instead. You were going to protest and tell him that just because you hadn’t smoked before didn’t mean you can’t start now, but you didn’t have the energy.
You were drained mentally and physically. Your chest felt heavy and so did your shoulders. Everything felt heavy. Everything. Was it because of the heartbreak? The weight you gained?—God, the weight you’d gained…
And then, the job that the alcohol did in helping you forget and not care vanished and all of your insecurities came gushing back to you all at once. Reality slapped you across the face and suddenly your bottom lip was uncontrollably quivering.
Your eyes were flooded with tears that you desperately tried not to let go of, however the image of Yeonjun and Yura together, in love, removed the latch keeping the tears in place and allowed them to spill.
You were boyfriend-less, best friend-less, you didn’t feel pretty at all, the alcohol was making you want to be sick, and you were beginning to feel the cold.
Quiet sobs fell from your lips and your shoulders started to tremble as you lowered your head. You just wanted to go home…
“Hey, don't take offense,” you heard the stranger say. “It’s only a cigarette, I don't want to waste mine on an amateur, that’s all.” He shrugged but you had yet to look up at him—that was until his next sentence left his lips.
“This isn’t the only cigarette you have to try, there’s plenty more in the world.” His comment was playful and it had a breathy chuckle ending it, however you didn’t find it funny in the slightest.
Because you knew he was right.
That wasn’t the only cigarette you had to have, and there were plenty more for you later on. Maybe this cigarette wasn’t the right one for you? Maybe it was the right one for Yura?
You only cried harder at that fact. You hated the new reality. You despised it.
“Hey, stay here, will you? I’ll be back.” The stranger instructed as he put out the cigarette with the sole of his shoe before walking away with his hands shoved into his trouser pockets. It’s not like you had anywhere else to be.
A sigh managed to slip its way into the sobs, disrupting the pattern of them and forcing a hiccup to escape your mouth. You brought your hands up to wipe away your tears, not caring whether or not the mascara you put on earlier was ruined.
Silently, despite wobbling a little bit due to your drunken state, you moved to sit down on the curb where you then brought your knees up to your chest to find warmth.
What a night. You thought to yourself as your cries began to calm down and your breathing became a normal pace again. You couldn’t wait for the heartbreak to be over—that’s if you were ever able to get over it…
“Here.” The same stranger abruptly announced as he held a bottle of water out in front of you to take. Glancing up at him, you couldn’t quite see his face properly due to the poor lighting and so you sent him a small smile and muttered your gratitude.
Silence fell upon you as you sat on the curb and he stood next to you, not knowing what to do.
“You okay?” He eventually wondered in a quiet voice. He sounded somewhat curious, somewhat forced to ask. Though, you didn’t take offence. In fact, you probably would’ve preferred it if he hadn’t asked you anything.
“Do I look okay?” You asked back, shocking yourself. You didn’t mean to come across as rude. You really didn’t. However, with everything that had occurred tonight, you couldn’t help it. He asked a stupid question.
“I just figured I’d ask before I leave.” He simply shrugged and looked down at you. “Get home safe, I guess.” He told you and you only nodded your head, screwing the lid back onto the bottle and then resting your chin on your arms, drained.
Not another word was shared between you before the stranger started to walk away, his footsteps becoming more and more distant—just how the memory of you and Yeonjun would become.