pairing : stranger!jihoon x introvert!reader.
genre : fluff, strangers to ?, lil bit of comedy
synopsis : A train. A boy. And ice cream. Apparently, destiny has a very peculiar sense of humour.
warnings : lots of cuteness. beware.
a/n : if u wanna read pt.1 (u can still read them separately, buts it’s best together)
You were buying ice cream from a small corner shop.
This wasn’t your usual surroundings, but you felt the strangest urge to come down a stop earlier to buy the icy goodness.
It wasn’t particularly hot outside.
In fact, there was a steady breeze tickling the leaves on each tree. Silly enough to mess with a few people’s hair strands and knock over a couple of dead branches.
It was fluffy, airy and light.
Much like what you were about to buy.
Your disfigured reflection stared back at you as your eyes intensely studied each flavoured option in front of you through the freezer’s glass door.
Were you feeling adventurous?
You could go for vanilla, but there were so many new flavours you never even knew existed!
You were practically drooling at the mouth. You had to press your lips firmly together, just in case a droplet of saliva fell.
“Wow,” you whispered to yourself in pure amazement. “I could be here for hours.”
The bell to the shop softly rang, indicating the addition of a new customer.
You didn’t even bother to look up, your mind still distracted.
After what felt like hours, though it was realistically five minutes, you slid the door to the freezer and reached out to grab the most appealing flavour.
As soon as your fingers made contact with the ice cream wrapper, another hand accidentally grasped yours.
You quickly pulled your hand back, already apologising for something that wasn’t your fault.
You could hear the other person apologising too, but your head remained trained on the ice cream sitting pretty and snug inside the coolness of the freezer.
It was the last one of its kind.
Of course it was the last one.
And you really really wanted it too.
Sighing to yourself, you mentally got prepared to back off like you always did when it came to any sort of mild confrontation, but a cheery voice stopped you in your tracks.
“Oh, you can have it! I’ve had it plenty of times!”
Gasping like you had won the national lottery, you finally looked up to meet the kind-hearted human that you’d likely dream about today, only for your eyes to meet an oddly familiar pair of brown ones.
Pressing your jaw closed, you narrowed your eyes, trying to forcefully remember where you had potentially met him.
He stood under your gaze, arms squirming a little at his sides.
When you finally recollected your memory, you gave an audible sound of shock.
The boy jumped a little at the unexpected moment.
You slapped your hands across your mouth, already feeling the heat spreading across your face.
“It’s you…” you muttered gently. A part of you was still unsure, but your lips had moved before they had a chance to cooperate with your brain.
Oh. Wow. So like, what do you usually do in this sort of situation?
You bit your lips, eyes quickly averting to the store’s products on the nearby shelf.
Gosh you were so awkward.
Sensing your panic, the boy outstretched his hand in greeting.
You looked at it like it held gold.
He said it with such a carefulness, almost like he was wary that you might just run away if he said it any louder.
Knowing yourself, that was certainly an option.
Your timid hand embraced his, mind too busy thinking of whether your palms were sweaty or not.
You ended up stuttering through it, but you’d say it’s a win nevertheless.
He repeated it a few times, testing the way it rolled off his tongue.
It felt secure, warm, like it belonged on his lips.
He observed you silently. A small dedication to imprinting your face to your name.
Your eyes quickly scanned him.
He’s not wearing his earphones today.
At this point, all interest in the ice cream was completely forgotten.
“Are you from around here?” he asked gently, and you could only shake your head.
“I figured as much.” His face split into an easy grin. “You didn’t get off here last time. I assumed you’d be a few stops down.”
He remembered that you didn’t get off at this stop?
Your eyes slowly widened; a childish twinkle sparked in them.
This could only mean one thing!
…you’re destined to be together!
A short giggle left your lips at your silly thoughts before you could contain it.
Seeing your response, Jihoon gave a small laugh as well, his smile growing triple the size.
“What’s got you laughing like that? Did I say something funny?”he cheekily interrogated, jokingly narrowing his eyes at you.
Finally realising what you’ve done, you rapidly waved your hands in denial.
“Oh no, no! Sorry, I’m in my own head most of the time. I wasn’t laughing at you or anything!”
Your face was concerningly hot now.
Leaning closer to you, Jihoon pressed on, a tilt to his head. His voice lowered significantly, eyes targeted on your own.
You were going to have a heart attack.
Nodding your head a little too hard, you covered your face with your hands. A meek attempt to hide the state of you.
You found it embarrassing.
Giving you enough space to calm down, Jihoon slid the freezer door open.
His hand outstretched to grip the ice cream you had been eyeing for a little too long for it to be normal.
Your breath hitched. Your lips drew a thin line, eyes unable to move away from the item in his hands.
Jihoon held in his laughter, an amused glint in his eyes. It was like a puppy with treats. He could practically see you salivating.
“Are you going to buy that?”you inquired urgently. You were slightly tiptoeing, your body refusing to rest at the threat of not having the ice cream of your choice.
You weren’t even looking at him.
You were just staring, big eyes, mouth slightly open, at the ice cream dangling from his fingers.
“I was going to let you have it, but all of a sudden, I really want it.”
He pursed his lips exaggeratedly; the corner of his eyes crinkled, giving away his teasing intentions.
You sprung to life, taking a bold step towards him, then two shy steps back immediately.
Jihoon watched your expression change from stunned, to horrified, to guilty and finally indifferent. You looked like you were having an internal fight with yourself.
You wanted it, but who were you to deprive someone of ice cream they’ve already claimed.
So you decided to shy away. Usual, typical you-behaviour.
Jihoon’s brows rose past his bangs.
You shook your head, struggled to plaster on a very brittle smile, and very reluctantly picked another flavour.
Something in his eyes softened.
“I’ll take this one.” You lifted the second best option.
Jihoon reached into the freezer to get another ice cream—the same one as you got—then proceeded to pick one you didn’t even notice was there. He grabbed a few other items from a nearby shelf.
Wordlessly, he walked to the front and paid for his shopping.
You continued to stand there, ice cream in hand, unsure if you truly wanted the one you had or not.
Without much further thought, you plopped the ice cream back in the freezer.
You could just come back another day.
Getting ready to leave the store, you jumped in surprise when nearly bumping into someone.
Before you could speak, a plastic bag was dangled in front of your eyes.
Jihoon took a hold of your hand, manually propping it open. He placed the handle of the plastic bag on your palm, then brought your fingers to enclose it. One by one.
Throughout the whole process, he smiled lovingly. He patiently waited for you to face him with your surprised stare.
His hair moved like leaves in the autumn wind as he tilted his head to get a better look at you.
Fragile, vulnerable, and personalised for only you. His voice hugged your heart, giving it a gentle squeeze.
You curtly nodded your head and gave a little wave.
A brief chuckle slipped past his lips.
It sounded like the whimsical singing of wind chimes.
Nothing else happened. It wasn’t like the movies where a whole new act would follow suit. It wasn’t like the old fairy tales you grew up reading where the two characters would suddenly announce their undying love for one another and then get married.
It was quiet. Slow. Simple.
You watched his back grow further and further away as he left the tiny shop. The plastic bag still in your hand.
Inside, the last ice cream you desperately desired sat comfortably amongst a few others.
One of them was the one you had considered buying as the second option.
You could only blink in astonishment.
The shopkeeper looked on with a derpy smile.
Oh, to be young and in love.
The grin on your face said it all.
A sudden thought pestered your mind.
You startled the shopkeeper.
You forgot to ask for his number!
And so, you dragged your feet out of the shop, hand rich in ice cream, sulking like a little child.
It had been a few days since you’ve last seen Jihoon. You wondered if he just didn’t take the train regularly.
The routine stayed the same. Nothing much went on during the past couple of days, and today was no exception.
You managed to snag a seat this time, so you made yourself at home, bag on your lap, eyes glued to your phone to avoid those awkward eye contacts that happen ever so often on trains.
You were in the middle of beating your Block Blast record when suddenly, someone sat next to you.
You didn’t think much of it.
It was a constant part of the public transport experience.
But a soft poke to your shoulder a few minutes later told you to think otherwise.
A confused scowl took over your face.
Turning around with the velocity of a newborn sloth, you readied yourself to come face to face with a complete stranger that perhaps had weird tendencies to prod people.
You did a quick double take, rubbing your eyes in disbelief.
You couldn’t control the huge smile that sprung onto your face once your eyes met his.
“Hey, you.” His lips curved softly.
“Haven’t seen you in a while—”
You held your phone in front of your face.
“Eh?” Jihoon blinked at you a few times, visibly confused.
Your heartbeat increased and you mustered all the courage you could possibly gather in all the years of your existence.
This time, you were going to do it!
“Please. Thanks. Number.”
You got the words jumbled up!
You methodically lowered your eyes.
You wanted to dig a hole in the ground and hide.
A beat passed. It was almost as if the whole train turned silent upon your utterance.
You squeezed your eyes shut.
You jolted at the sound of his bubbly laugh. Peering at him like a meerkat.
One look at your questioning face, and Jihoon doubled over laughing. Full of life. Effervescent in every way.
A corner of your lip tugged upward, unknowingly.
When his laughter died down, he wiped an imaginary tear from his eye.
“I guess you have your priorities straight.” A short chuckle.
Without wasting any more time, Jihoon reached for your phone, his touch grazing your fingers. Intentional. Your breath faltered. For a second, his eyes held yours, suddenly dipping to your lips, almost curious, before lifting again, tender. Like nothing had ever happened. He added his number, casual, easy.
The train’s wheels rung to life, ready to move on to the next station.
“The next one’s mine.” He spoke softly, devoting his full attention to you. His hypnotic orbs never strayed from yours.
You quickly sent a random text, making sure that he too, would have your number.
You weren’t sure why, until you double checked what you sent.
You accidentally sent him the foot emoji.
Well, at least someone was having a good time dealing with your antics.
A startling cry from the wheels of the train.
Something small in you cracked. There weren’t enough stops in the day for you to fully enjoy the passing moments you had with Jihoon.
He must’ve sensed it, because he turned to you, took your hand in his, and gave it a reassuring squish.
“Call me when you get home—”
“—CALL?!” You squawked, taken aback.
“No, no, no! You’re perfect— I mean—it’s perfect!”
Jihoon chuckled at your words.
And with one last pat to your head, he hopped off the train.
His form lingered near the window.
You were curious as to why, until the train began to pull away. And just like the last time you met on the train, Jihoon fervently waved you goodbye.
His beam was stupidly sweet.
You felt a grin of your own growing on your cheeks. Waving back just as hyper as him, you chuckled at what would now be your own little tradition between the two of you.
And just like last time, you didn’t stop waving until you saw the foolish reflection of your smile against the window.
This time, your smile didn’t drop. Instead, it grew. Because this time, you had a way to keep him close to you. This time, you were going to make the moment last.
You relaxed in your seat. The interaction hanging softly at the front of your mind.
You take back what you said.
Today was awfully eventful.
You got off at the next stop.
Ever since Jihoon, little anomalies had started digging their roots in your routine.
Your days weren’t so ordinary anymore.
Not with Jihoon in the mix.
Your phone would buzz all day.
Small texts — ones that questioned how your day was, what you ate, if you arrived home safely. Like a checklist. A very cute, very unnecessary checklist that you found yourself answering with an embarrassing amount of focus.
Random texts — sporadic selfies; some that had absolutely no business looking that good, others that looked like they were taken with his feet instead of hands. Memes that were genuinely funny enough to make you giggle to yourself like a crazy person. Weird rants about the bizarre things that happened to him on any given Wednesday.
Like that one time he got chased by a grandma for an hour straight.
There’s no context to that.
And then came the texts that would make your heart flutter. Subtle, but not undetectable.
‘this reminded me of you.’
‘I like it when you laugh.’
‘I wish I could see you.’
That last one you read approximately forty-two times.
And then there was the train.
Jihoon didn’t take it every day. Just as you suspected. Which meant that on the days he did, it felt a little like finding Wally in that one puzzle book you get when you’re a kid.
Small. Unexpected, and surprisingly rewarding.
Whenever the train crawled to the station he’d usually get on, you’d pay double the attention. Frankly, it was a little embarrassing to admit. Your eyes would quietly drift up from your phone just as you heard the groan from the train’s wheels. Just a quick Look.
Sometimes he wasn’t there and you’d look back down and pretend you weren’t the teensiest bit disappointed.
He’d drop into the seat beside you like he’d been doing it for longer than a few weeks. Earphones around his neck. Slightly out of breath, like he’d jogged to make it. Other times, when the train was too busy, he’d stand alongside you. Body a little too close for it to be passed off as friendly.
At first you were still painfully awkward about everything. Answering his questions a beat too late, almost like you were buffering. Laughing before the punchline to his jokes. Sneaking (obvious) glances at him and then immediately regretting it when he caught you.
And he always caught you.
And he never said anything. Just smiled that easy grin that could light up a whole stadium. As if he found each interaction with you secretly delightful.
Slowly though—and you couldn’t even say exactly when—it stopped feeling as terrifying.
It started feeling completely like something else.
Like finally exhaling after a long day.
He had this thing where he would listen to you like there’d be no tomorrow. Fully turned to you in his seat, eyes following the movement of your lips, like whatever you were saying was the most interesting thing he’d heard all day.
You strongly doubted that was the case.
Even when you were talking about the most mundane thing. Even when you were rambling. Even when you’d lost the plot of your own story entirely.
“And then— wait, what was I talking about?”
“Something about the dolphins,” he offered, completely unbothered.
He would just chuckle and the sound would always find a way to wrap itself, warmly, in your chest like it always belonged there.
He also teased you. A lot. With too much joy for it to be accidental.
The tips of your ears would go red and he would immediately notice, which only made it worse. It made it so much worse. In fact, it only made him happier.
One day, you’d get him back.
You just don’t know when.
His stop always came too soon. You’d watch him stand, adjust his bag on his shoulders, and then he’d look back at you before hopping off the train, waving you off.
And you’d spend the rest of your short commute staring at your reflection in the window with a goofy grin on your face.
A little dessert at the end of the day.
Then came the day it happened.
You had just finished getting ready for bed. Scrolling on your phone, as you usually did before you slept.
Nothing out of the ordinary.
You smiled at the text glowing on your phone. Another weird story. This time, one of his friends accidentally swapped out the sugar for salt.
He had the pleasure of eating salted cereal for dinner.
You snorted, shaking your head as you sank into your bed. Duvet covering half your face.
This time, it was a voice note.
Your brows furrowed together.
He wasn’t much of a “voice chat” person. More like a “call” kind of guy.
You sat up a little, pressing the play button.
The sound of shuffling could be heard. A clearing of the throat. A silly, “Mic test, one, two, three.” You snickered against your blanket.
“AheM—” his voice cracked.
“This is nerve wracking…. I really wanted to tell you this in person, but I’ve been so caught up with schedules…”
You listened attentively.
Your heart skipped a beat.
Wait.
What?….Was this real?
You hoped to everything that this wasn’t a dream.
“Like—a very, really, much—lot.”
What does that even mean?
And just like that, the message cut off.
You replayed it a few times too many. Genuinely trying to make sure your brain wasn’t playing a trick on you.
When it truly settled, you threw your face against your pillow, releasing the highest pitched squeal known to man.
Feet kicking softly against your duvet.
You peeked your eyes over the pillow, staring at your phone. You were a blushing mess.
Slowly typing your own response, you quickly backtracked, shyly pressing the voice note button instead. You pursed your lips, shutting your eyes.
“I like you, like—a very, really, much—too.”
Your voice was shaky. Barely above a whisper. Extremely meek. Imperfect.
You nervously pressed send anyway.
Squealing again, you buried your entire face on your pillow. And this time, you could hear your mother shout for you to shut up all the way from downstairs.
You sat up, fully expecting him to say something serious.
‘what does that even mean?’
You chuckled. You fell right into his trap.
‘that’s my line!’ you typed back in a matter of seconds.
‘okay i’ve sent you all the funny things i can think of’
Rolling your eyes, you typed a simple and rather sarcastic: ‘oh nooo’
The typing bubble appeared again.
‘which means you have to see me in person now’
Then once more. Just in case you were envisioning the moment. Teeth sinking into your bottom lip, you typed back.
Slow, and ever so careful. Like the words might disappear if you typed too fast.
‘i think it means that too.’
You immediately pulled the duvet over your head.
Sitting right up on your bed, you nearly choked on air, fingers moving quick.
‘we’re both in our beds….and i’m in my pjs’
He responded immediately.
Finally relaxing back in your bed, you smiled down at the text.
You lost track of time. You could feel the fatigue pull against your eyes.
‘getting a little sleepy. will i see you tomorrow?’
You let your text hang for a while longer.
‘ohhh are you flirting?!’
A sleepy chuckle, then your phone pinged again.
‘i’ll make sure of that.’
A light, cozy flutter made its way to your chest .
You didn’t squeal this time (mainly because you were sure your mother would be out to get you).
You texted one last message.
You waited. He delivered.
Simple, a smidge past ordinary, small enough to be missed, but it was yours.
It was greater than the movies.
More wondrous than any fairy tale that ever existed.
The story of how you and Jihoon became destined.
@jellyluvsjihoon @haru-reto
