Things He Never Throws Away
pairing: bf! soobin x f!reader
genre: FLUFFFF, established relationship, slice of life
word count: 712
sum. you discovered that Soobin secretly keeps small, seemingly meaningless items...
The first time you realized Soobin kept things, it was by accident.
You weren’t supposed to see it.
He’d left his notebook open on the desk while he went to grab something, and you, being you—leaned over out of boredom more than curiosity.
It wasn’t notes. It was… random. A receipt. A dried leaf. A candy wrapper.
You frowned slightly, flipping the page.
A movie ticket stub.
Another page—there was a tiny pressed flower, carefully taped down. And then...
Your handwriting.
You froze.
It was just a scrap of paper. Torn, slightly crumpled, with a messy “don’t forget to eat!!!” written in your rushed handwriting, complete with three aggressively drawn exclamation marks.
You remembered writing it. You’d shoved it into his hand weeks ago when he skipped lunch again.
“…what are you doing?”
You nearly jumped.
Soobin was standing in the doorway, staring at you. Not angry—just… caught.
“I...uh—” You gestured helplessly at the notebook. “You collect trash?”
His ears turned red almost instantly. “It’s not trash.”
“It’s literally a candy wrapper.”
“It was from that place you like,” he muttered, walking over quickly and closing the notebook.
You blinked. “…you kept it because of that?”
He didn’t answer. Which, honestly, was an answer.
You leaned against the desk, crossing your arms. “Okay, but the leaf?”
“…you said it looked like a heart.”
You tried—really tried—not to smile.
“And the receipt?” “You were complaining about the price for ten minutes.” “I still stand by that,” you said immediately. “It was overpriced.”
A pause.
Then, softer, you added, “So you kept it?”
He shrugged, avoiding your eyes. “I just… keep things.”
“Things,” you repeated slowly. “Yeah.” “That remind you of me?”
Silence.
He scratched the back of his neck, clearly debating whether to deny it or not.
“…maybe.”
That did it.
You laughed, not in a teasing way, but something warmer—something that made him glance at you, slightly confused.
“That’s kind of cute, Soobin.”
“It’s not supposed to be cute,” he mumbled.
“Too late.”
He looked like he wanted to argue, but didn’t. Instead, he sat down, pulling the notebook closer to him like you might steal it.
You leaned down slightly, peeking at the edge. “What else is in there?”
“Nothing.” “Liar.” “It’s just random stuff.” “Show me.” “No.”
“Show me,” you insisted, nudging his arm.
He held firm for a second—then sighed, like he knew he wasn’t going to win anyway.
“Fine. But don’t laugh.” “I won’t.”
You absolutely would.
He opened it slowly this time, flipping through the pages himself. There was more than you expected.
A bus ticket. A photo booth strip—your faces slightly blurry because you wouldn’t stop moving. A sticky note with a badly drawn star (yours again).
And then—
You pointed. “Wait, that’s from—”
“Yeah,” he said quietly.
It was from a day you barely remembered mentioning. Something small, insignificant to you.
But he had it. Saved. Pressed between pages like it mattered.
“…you’re really serious about this, huh?” you said, softer now.
He didn’t look embarrassed anymore. Just honest.
“I forget things easily,” he admitted. “So I keep stuff instead.”
You tilted your head. “But these are all… me.” “…yeah.”
There was no hesitation that time.
Something in your chest shifted.
Carefully, you reached out, touching the edge of the page where your messy note was taped down.
“You know,” you said, voice quieter than before, “you don’t have to keep pieces of paper to remember me.”
He looked at you then, really looked.
“I know,” he said.
A small pause. “…but I want to.”
That landed heavier than anything else he’d said. You didn’t tease him this time. Didn’t laugh. Instead, you tore a small piece from your own notebook, quickly scribbling something before placing it in front of him.
He blinked. “What’s this?”
“Add it to your collection,” you said.
Suspicious, he picked it up. “you’re cute too (but don’t get used to it)”
His lips pressed together, like he was trying not to smile.
Failed.
“…this one’s staying,” he said. “Obviously.”
He carefully tucked it into the notebook, smoothing it out like it was something fragile.
And for the first time, you noticed—
He wasn’t just keeping things. He was keeping moments. And somehow, without you realizing...
He’d been keeping you, too.
---- m.list