jeon wonwoo x fem!reader :D
photophile
you meet the most beautiful boy you have ever seen while shooting a concert, but his cocky attitude turns you away from him. That is until you run into him a day later at your favorite coffee shop, then everything shifts. His demeanor, his emotions, and seemingly his intentions with you. His attitude swings leave you confused as to how he really feels about you. Does he even like you... or does he like you too much.
WC:14.7k TAGS: enemies to lovers, strangers to enemies to lovers, fluff, wonwoo is secretly whipped, wonwoo is relentless CW: fem!reader, wonwoo is an asshole at first, reader is blind to how he feels, thats about it lol WARNINGS: No smut! Heavy making out, heavy tension scenes but no smut :), a teeeeeeny tiny bit of angst A/N: i hope you guys love this fic, its my first time in probably like 7 years writing something that i am super proud of and i had a lot of fun putting this one together! please enjoy :D
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This man could be the love of my life. Like seriously look at hi-
âY/n?... Y/n!â A new voice snaps you out of your internal dialogue. Your head turns to meet the other concert photographer you had just met. âSomething really has you thinking huh? You nervous?â The boy asks with a kind smile. You shrug at him, trying to pretend like you arenât absolutely so nervous.
His name is Joshua, apparently friends call him Josh. You recall to 10 minutes ago where he pronounced both of you best friends so you can âofficiallyâ call him Josh. You learned he had just moved from California into the city, has been doing concert photography for about a year now, has a really close friend named Jeonghan who he wonât shut up about and is very nervous about tonight.Â
âItâs kind of funny!â You hear Joshua start again fiddling with his camera lens. âThat guy over there actually shot a show with me in California a few months ago! Heâs from around here but I guess was in the area visiting a friend and decided to work while he was there. Funny to see him here!âÂ
You look towards the wall Joshua was facing and are met with the same man you were daydreaming about approximately 30 seconds ago, before you were dragged out of your thoughts by your new friend.Â
He doesnât look up, doesnât acknowledge anyone around him, is totally by himself, playing around with the settings on his camera. You watch as he messes with the buttons and the lens, shortly after pushing up his glasses that were slowly making his way down the bridge of his nose from looking down. He looks about your age, very beautiful long-ish black hair, and you want to talk to him.Â
Someone walks towards him and greets him with a friendly smile. They shake hands and continue the conversation. You watch how his eyes squint closed when he smiles, he really does have the most beautiful smile you have ever seen.Â
You turn back to Joshua full of new curiosity about this man. âWhat else do you know about him?â
âNot much, we only talked for a short time and besides, I havenât seen him since.â Joshua seems slightly confused by your question. âHis name is Wonwoo if that helps!â He adds cheerfully.Â
âWonwooâŚâ You say quietly to yourself trailing off looking back at him. As you look back over, his conversation with the other photographer has concluded and he is still fiddling with his camera, all by himself.Â
He quickly looks up, as if he could feel you looking at him, even from a distance. Right as you lock eyes, Joshua grabs your arm and pulls you out of your second trance of the day. âY/n! Come on, we are going in!â He says cheerfully.
You spend the walk from the backstage area of the venue to the floor wondering if you will get the chance to speak to Wonwoo tonight, or if you just let it go, and have him be one of those âpassing by crushesâ that you would see in the hallways in high school.Â
Joshua talks your ear off the whole walk and you let him. Itâs always nice to have someone with you in high pressure instances like these.Â
After what felt like forever, you find yourself on the floor of the venue right in front of the barricade. The place is packed floor to ceiling and full of energy. It was moments like these that made you love what you do, made it feel worth all the time and effort you put into your photos.Â
After quick exchanges with Joshua about how cool the venue is and how packed it is, you see Wonwoo approach Joshua from behind. Joshua turns around and seems delighted to see the familiar face he informed you about prior.Â
The chatter of the venue was so loud it drowns out any semblance of the conversation Joshua and Wonwoo were having until both of their attention was turned to you, though you didnât notice at first because you were messing with your camera settings to make sure it was perfect. Everything needed to be perfect.
âThis is y/n!â You hear Joshua say lightheartedly. Your attention snaps up to the two boys in front of you, one of them being your new friend, the other being the most beautiful man you have ever laid eyes on.Â
âIs your camera alright?â Wonwoo asks, with a very sarcastic undertone in his voice. Your face twists into a confused look full of wonder as to why he said that.
âYes, it is. Why?â You ask curiously.
âYou just have been playing with it forever. I make sure to figure out my settings before I go into venues.â He remarks back.Â
None of this felt right to you. Yes he was absolutely beautiful, but his attitude was far from it. You didnât need this right now. You shoot him another confused glare and look back down at your camera, still adjusting it.
âNice to meet you too.â You say with a bite to it, cold. He looks at you with the most blank expression through his glasses. You hear Joshua laugh uncomfortably to ease the now heavy weight of tension in the air as he exchanges some last remarks with Wonwoo as he walks away.Â
âI am so sorry, y/n. I have no clue what his deal is! He was completely fine to me when we first met.â Joshua turns to you, extremely sorry.
âYou have nothing to apologize for.â You reply, âBesides, I donât have the time for people who make remarks like that without knowing anything about me.â
Joshua gives you a sad smile and a nod right as the lights begin to dim.Â
The intro music is loud. It fills you with so much adrenaline. The photographers around you shuffle around to find spots that work for them. Joshua moves more towards stage right as you stay planted stage left, towards the middle. That always works for you.Â
You pick up your camera, pointer finger on the shutter button, when you feel a slight nudge to your left shoulder. You look over and lock eyes with the same as before.
âWonwoo.â He introduces himself, voice raised over the loud music.
âNot the time, Wonwoo.â You retort, getting ready for the headliner to come on stage.
âWell, good luck. You're gonna need it with that camera. A Nikon? Seriously?â He replies, more sarcastic than ever.Â
It was right then that you realized his snarky, sarcastic attitude fueled your fire. You need to be better than him, in every single aspect.
________________________________________________________________
You wake up the next morning in a daze, unbelieving that last night ever happened. The banging on your door is loud, obnoxiously loud.Â
âWhat do you want!â You yell through the door in a post-waking up haze.
âSeokmin made breakfast and it tastes like shit but if you want some there is extra!â You hear the voice of your roommate Seungkwan yell back at you.Â
âIm just going to get coffee later!â You reply.
âWhy do you both hate my cooking!!â You hear Seokmin yell over both of you as the footsteps of Seungkwan fade down the hall.
You rub your eyes, recalling the events of the night. You grab your camera bag and rummage through it for your SD card and card reader. Right as you grab what you need, you see your phone light up with an Instagram dm notification.
âHey y/n! Here's my number, I totally forgot to give it to you last night. Do you think the coloring on this photo looks good? I can't tell. Canât wait to see how the photos come out, let's hang out soon!âÂ
You respond to Joshua swiftly, answering his questions about his photo and accepting his phone number to contact him easier.Â
After an hour of editing your own photos very precisely, you end up with 75 photos from the night that you absolutely adore. That is well more than how many you needed to submit.Â
You feel your cheeks rise smiling at your hard work and pick out a handful to upload to your own instagram. After sending the selected few to Joshua he replies with an ecstatic response. âY/N! You have outdone yourself! Those are INCREDIBLE! Post them NOW!!!!!â You have never met someone who texts with such emotion but you couldnât help but laugh at his response.Â
You upload the photos to your Instagram account, submit the needed ones to the magazine company you contribute for and lay back in bed, waiting to see the engagement.
After one quick refresh of your screen you see one new like, one new follower and one new comment. You donât think much of it. Until you do.Â
â@wonwoosnaps?â You whisper to yourself in disbelief rolling your eyes. Clicking on the profile, it is exactly who you thought it was. You shut off your phone and drop it face down on your bed, put your head in your hands and let out an exasperating groan.Â
Forcing yourself out of bed the day after shooting a show was always an exhausting task but you never wanted to sleep the day away. After swiftly going through your morning routine and getting dressed, you grab your bag and keys and make your way to the front door of your apartment when your roommates stop you.
âHow was last night?â Seokmin asks looking up from his phone.
âIt was great, I made a new friend, and met someone I didnât like. It was great.â You reply.
âWhat was their name?â Seungkwan adds. He always adds onto Seokminâs statements like they are a married couple.Â
âWell the new friend is Joshuaâ
âAnd the one you didnât like?â
âWonwoo.â You reply with an annoyed tone in your voice.Â
âInstagram handle @wonwoosnaps? Nice comment he leftâ Seokmin butts in giggling to himself while still looking at his phone.
âIâm going now.â Your hand touches the door handle.
âAwfully quiet about Mr. Wonwoo huh?â Seokmin adds teasing.
âBye!â You yell already opening the door and walking into the hallway of your apartment building, closing your door almost too hard behind you.Â
While walking to the coffee shop, you notice your photos are getting a lot of attention from not only people on social media but from the magazine you contribute for. Raving reviews in the comments from friends, family and strangers met with the one comment that sticks out like a sore thumb. A comment from @wonwoosnaps that is a simple thumbs up emoji. Â
You feel absolutely crazy. But why do you care so much?Â
Oh my god y/n snap out of it.
The smell of the coffee hits you in the face right as you walk in. You hear the familiar jingle of the bell above the door as you b-line for the front register.Â
âYour usual?â The barista smiles at you. It is one of the busier days here. People constantly in and out, the bell constantly ringing.
âYes please.â You reach into your bag after a short conversation with the barista to grab your card when you hear the âpayment acceptedâ ring of the cash register.Â
Your head snaps to the taller frame reaching his arm around you to the right. Your eyes widen as he flashes a very charming smile your way after pulling his card out of the machine.Â
You look back at the barista, say thank you in the most shocked tone and swiftly walk away from the register not looking back until you reach your normal table sitting with your back facing the wall and eyes facing the register.Â
âWonwoo.â You whisper to yourself immediately putting your head into your hands in disbelief.Â
âWhat are the odds?â Wonwooâs deep voice sends a shiver down your spine as he walks over to the table you are at. You look up from your hands to meet eyes with the boy. He politely asks the woman at the table next to you if she is using one of her chairs. She shakes her head no, smiles as he takes the chair and sets it across from you, sitting down. âYou tired?â
âNo, actually a quad shot of straight espresso is completely normal for me.â You say coldly.
âI canât tell if you are being sarcastic or not. Normally sarcasm is my thing.â âWell I donât know you do I?â You snap at him looking the boy with the glasses dead in the eyes. His hair was slightly messy and ruffled with the black tint of his hair matching his plain black t-shirt and jeans. He was ridiculously charming.Â
âWell I know that my name is Wonwoo, and your name is y/n.â He replies with a goofy smile, clearly trying to get a raise out of you. His deep voice rings in your ears.Â
âI know that, you told me last night.â You donât want any part of this conversation but your body keeps making you talk. âWhy did you pay for my coffee?â
âWell it seemed like you didnât have experience with your photos last night so I assume you arenât getting paid for the gigs you do. Felt like it was good for me to help you out.âÂ
âBold of you to assume I would need help, I do get paid for my gigs and I would love it if you stood up from that chair across from me and walked out the front door.â You smile at him sarcastically hoping he gets the point. But something about his company is comforting, you donât want him to leave. You just love to push his buttons.
âHow about a âthank you Wonwoo!ââÂ
âI donât owe you anything.âÂ
âHow about next time you get me coffee?â He places both of his hands on the table with a questionable look on his face. You are completely silent, attempting to dodge whatever he is doing right now. He reads your face and puts on a little pout. âWhat? Do you not want to be friends?â
 You scoff in his face.
âYou donât want to be my friend, you just like to annoy the shit out of me.â You reply not making eye contact with the boy across from you.Â
âCorrect and clearly it's workingâ He shuffles in his pocket and pulls out a pen. Quickly after, he grabs one of your arms off of where it was holding up your head on the table and scribbles something down in black ink on the back of your hand. âEasier to contact me this way. See ya Nikon!â He stands up from his seat, heads back to the register, grabs his coffee and yours, and turns back to your table. âCoffee for the lady who knows nothing about cameras.â He places your coffee on the table with a wink and a smile before heading towards the door with his own.
You hold the warm coffee in your hands and look down at the hand he took. His phone number in black ink.
How fucking cliche.Â
You stare at the wall across from you, totally zoned out. Blank. What is happening?
________________________________________________________________
You walk back into your apartment after attempting to get work done over coffee, though that didnât happen. Your mind was just on Wonwoo. He was annoying, intoxicatingly so. He likes to get a raise out of you, he likes to frustrate you.Â
Itâs interestingâŚ
âYou look tired.â Seungkwan says when he sees you step through the door to your apartment.
âIâm overly tired.â
âWhat's that on your hand?â He points at the black ink on the back of your hand, holding your coffee cup. A gasp leaves his mouth when he squints his eyes, focuses and realizes itâs a phone number. âY/n!!! A phone number? Who is the lucky guy?â He is beaming.
âYou just reminded me, I need to scrub this off!â Your feet take off towards the bathroom before you even think to walk until you walk straight into a 5â 10â light brown haired wall.
âYou got someone's phone number?!â Seokmin practically picks you up by the shoulders and pulls you to meet his eyes. âA real person?!â âWhy is this so shocking? I meet people all the time. Kinda.â You hesitate. Seungkwan stifles a laugh from behind you as Seokmin shoots him a glare and pretends to swat him away.Â
âSo whose number is it?â Seokmin asks.
âI ran into Wonwoo at the coffee shop. He said it was easier to contact him this way. ForâŚâ you hesitate. âFor work stuff.â
âAhh yes, photography nerds.â Seokmin giggles to himself. He runs to the big couch in the living room and sits himself next to Seungkwan all cuddled up looking like a married couple, once again.
âWhat? Do you not believe me?â You shoot him a menacing glare.Â
âThats for you to find out!â Seokmin punches Seungkwan in the shoulder with a groan escaping Seungkwan's mouth.
You roll your eyes and walk down the hallway to your room, kicking off your shoes in the process. After throwing your bag on the floor, taking out your computer and tossing it on your bed, you look down at your hand.Â
I need to wash this off.
The thin black ink sits on the back of your hand looking you right in the eye. Wonwooâs phone number. You want to text him. Why would you text him? The way he left you at the coffee shop irked you. He wants to be better than you, and you want to be better than him.Â
You pull out your phone, open messages and type in his phone number.Â
I will regret this
y/n: hey it's y/n.
You hit send immediately and throw your phone face down on the bed.
He responds in less than a minute.
Wonwoo: I knew you would text me
Y/n: What makes you think that?
Wonwoo: Because I am the best for buying your coffee today and you want editing tips.
Y/n: I will not be taking editing tips from you, thanks.
Even cocky over text. You sit on your bed staring at your phone waiting for his response. Itâs a game of cat and mouse.Â
Wonwoo: I know you want to talk to me. You wouldâve washed off my number by now.
Y/n: Oh so you buy me coffee and magically you know me âso wellâ. I just got home, I havenât had time to wash it off.Â
Wonwoo: So the first thing you did when you got home was text me? I must be on your mind right?
You roll your eyes at the text as a small smile forms on your lips. What is his deal? Is he flirting? Or just being downright annoying. He loves to get a raise out of you.
Why am I smiling?
After a minute of not responding, another text comes through.
Wonwoo: Meet me tomorrow, Thayerâs Park, 2:00, bring your camera.
Is he asking me out?
Y/n: How do you know I'm not busy?
I'm not busy.
Wonwoo: I donât know. See you tomorrow⌠maybe. Itâs a date!
You shut your phone off and place it face up on your nightstand, almost like you are waiting for another text from him. You stare at the ceiling, wondering if you are going go or not. You hop out of bed and walk into the living room for a change of scenery.Â
You sit down on the couch next to Seungkwan and cuddle up next to him.
âYou only do this when you are stressed. Whatâs up?â He looks at you while putting his arm around your shoulder.
âI am feeling many feelings. I am feeling conflicted.â You look up at him. âWonwoo is driving me fucking crazy.âÂ
âY/n you met him last night.â Seungkwan says concerned.
âAnd he is driving me absolutely fucking nuts.â You reply, voice raising a bit higher than normal.
âY/n! Can I steal your card reader?â You hear Seokmin yell from across the hall.
You pause your conversation with Seungkwan, âYeah itâs on my nightstand!â
You hear the door to your room open, Seokmin going in. âSeungkwan I just- I donât know. He is so rude. He is so cocky. He honestly is miserable to be around. But I ran into him at the coffee shop today, he bought my coffee without even saying hello, sat across from me, wrote his number on the back of my hand and just left!â
Seungkwanâs eyes look as if they are going to pop out of his head. All he can get out is âOh.â
You hear footsteps running down the hallway, âY/N!â Seokmin runs into the living room out of breath. He has the craziest grin on his face. Your eyes go from his face to his hand where he is holding your phone. âIâll see you tomorrow, I know I will.â Seokmin reads the text off the lockscreen of your phone âYou are seeing Wonwoo tomorrow?â
________________________________________________________________
After a lot of bickering and explaining to Seokmin and Seungkwan as to where you stand with Wonwoo, you decided to call it a night with all the Wonwoo talk. You spent the night like you normally do. Sandwiched between your two roommates on the couch in the living room watching awful reality TV. Seungkwan gets angry at the cast members for being âstupid and annoyingâ while Seokmin always rebuttals with âThey have backstories you just donât get it.â
You let the text messages from Wonwoo sit on your phone, unopened, unanswered. Though you decided to call it quits on the Wonwoo talk, your thoughts about him have not subsided. You canât stop thinking about him. Is it envy? Is it annoyance? or is it just pure attraction? Nonetheless, you know he is attractive, perfectly your type and the glasses, just the icing on the cake. Something about his attitude infuriates you but you canât pinpoint if he is teasing you out of spite, or flirting.Â
After spending well needed quality time with your roommates you call it a night and head to your room. Right when your head hits the pillow you get the urge to read the texts. You know it wouldnât be smart. Would you even meet him tomorrow? You needed to sleep on this, it would definitely be a last minute decision.Â
You wake up the next morning like any other day, more energized than yesterday. Head down the block to the coffee shop, same time as always, order a quad shot like normal, paid for it like you wouldâve yesterday and sat at your normal table back facing the wall.Â
The taste of the straight espresso isnât ideal, but it is what you are used to. A human of habit you call yourself when Seungkwan gets frustrated by your daily rituals. You catch yourself looking at the door whenever it rings, almost hoping Wonwoo would walk in.Â
But why do I care so much.
You spend your walk back to your apartment listening to your usual playlist, walking your usual route, a human of habit. The only thing that was slightly off today was that you had plans. Supposedly. At 2pm. With Wonwoo. Your head is full of thoughts.
Do I even want to go?
Why do I care so much?
I want to see him⌠but why?
Iâm going.
You think it is your urge to be better than him that pushes you forward as you approach your apartment complex. After entering your empty apartment you rush to your room to get ready. Itâs so much easier to get ready when Seungkwan and Seokmin are home, they always give you good advice on what to wear, how to do your hair and how to approach any situation.Â
You put on an outfit you like, something casual, normal, comfortable but still you. You grab your purse and camera bag before heading out the door.Â
The walk to the park was longer than anticipated. 20 minutes from your apartment complex to Thayerâs Park. You figured the fresh air would be enough to clear your head before approaching whatever this âdateâ was.Â
You enter the park taking in a deep breath. You look across the way and see exactly who you were looking for. Long black hair, glasses perched on his nose, bangs slightly swept in his face from the wind. His camera was around his neck, he wasnât looking down, he wasnât looking standoff-ish. He looked normal. Comfortable.Â
You walk over to him and his attention is immediately on you. His eyes blink as if he didnât expect to see you here, slight shock on his face.Â
âFunny to see you here!â He chirps, sliding over the park bench, allowing room for you to sit. You sit down next to him, leaving enough room between the two of you. âNice day out, huh?â His eye contact could burn a hole through the frames of his glasses.
It is a nice day out. Perfectly sunny, nice 70 degrees. Perfect day.Â
âYou are relentlessâ You match his stare.
âYou say that like you don't enjoy it.â
âWho said I enjoyed it?â âWell you met me here didnât you?â He inches closer towards you on the bench. Tension rises in the air. You stare at each other. You canât tell if the tension is rivalry or something else. You decide not to look into it.
âI was curious as to what this meeting might entail.â You unzip your camera bag and pull out your camera.Â
âWhy are you calling this a meeting?â He looks almost disappointed. âWhat else would you call it?â
He looks lost. He doesnât know how to answer that question. He looks nervous as he fiddles with his camera strap. Wandering eyes, now looking everywhere but at your own.
âI have always loved this park. The flowers in the late spring and early summer are really great to photograph.â He smiles, a real smile. You look out in front of you, taking in all of the new, late-spring growth. It really is beautiful. You canât help but look at the roses.
You turn back to look at Wonwoo.
âRoses are my favorite.â You both say in unison.Â
âDidnât pin you to be a roses kinda guy.âÂ
âWell you donât know me yet do you?â He inches even closer. Your legs brush, tension in the air thicker than before.Â
âYou make no sense. It drives me crazy.â You stand up, camera now assembled and hanging around your neck.Â
âOh, so I drive you crazy?â Wonwoo smirks in your direction. You look down at the boy who is still sitting. His eyes looking up at you, same smile as before on his face. He is really so beautiful.Â
âGet up, letâs shoot the flowers.â Before you knew it, you were reaching out your hand for him to grab to stand up. You see him hesitate, his hand trembling to grab your own. You feel your hand in his as he stands up, bodies a lot closer than intended once he is on his feet.Â
You lock eyes, past tension lingering in the air. He forms a small smile as he openly looks you up and down.Â
âI hate Nikon cameras.â He says blankly, dropping the smile on his face as he leaves you behind and starts making his way towards the roses. You stand by the bench confused as ever watching the boy approach the flowers. He crouches down and picks up his camera focusing in on the roses in front of him. The sunlight hits his black hair making a golden outline on his tall frame. âYou coming or what Nikon?â
âDonât call me that!â You yell at him as you pick up your pace, making your way towards him.
You admire his camera,
Almost as beautiful as himâŚ
What am I thinking?
âYou want to try my camera?â He snaps you out of your daydreaming. You walk up to him and crouch beside him, admiring the way he moves the camera lens to focus on the details of the roses.
âWhy do you have such a problem with my camera?âÂ
âI just donât like Nikons.â Wonwoo shrugs. âIâm a Canon guy myself.â
âSo you hate my camera so much it makes you hate me, when you havenât made an effort to know me.â You stand up from crouching down next to him.
âWait!â He yells, pausing you in your tracks. You look at him, confused. âDonât move.â He adjusts himself from crouching to sitting on the grass below you. The sun is warming up your back, now highlighting your frame. He picks up his camera and immediately clicks the shutter button. âThe sun made you look so bright. It looked really cool.â He flashed his goofy smile towards you again standing up to show you the raw image on the screen of his camera.
âThatâs an awful photo.â You reply, locking eyes with him once again.
âHey, I specialize in portraits. Besides⌠I think you look really pretty y/n.â He pauses, hesitant to see how you will react.
Your heart drops.Â
He thinks I'm pretty.
âSure.â Deflecting, you roll your eyes and walk back towards the main path of the park. Shortly after you turn around to see if he is behind you. He is standing right in front of the roses you both were at moments before. He just looks at you, smiling, it looked almost⌠pure. He lets out a small laugh to himself. You pull up your camera to look through the viewfinder, focusing on the boy in front of the beautiful roses. You click the shutter button taking a few photos of him in front of the flowers, walking towards you.
He meets your eye as he walks up to you, still laughing.
âWhat was that about?â He smiles, awfully close to you. His eyes are beautiful, his smile is beautiful, he has the prettiest features. You decide to hit him with what he hit you with just moments before.
âI think you look really pretty Wonwoo.â You smirk in his direction as his cheeks visibly blush a bright pink. He is flustered.Â
You turn around and begin to walk the path back to the entrance of the park, Wonwoo following shortly behind. The walk is awkward, quiet. He eventually catches up to you.
âSo coffee soon?â He asks winded from trying to catch up to your speed walking.
âYou are relentless for someone who apparently hates me.âÂ
âI think we got along pretty okay today.â Wonwoo shrugs quietly gigglingÂ
âYou were definitely less of an asshole today, than you were when I met you, that's for sure.â
âYou like when I mess with you.âÂ
This has to be flirting.
âYou like messing with me.â You pause in your steps. He has the same smirk on his face as he did earlier.Â
âSo, you didnât answer my question. Coffee soon?â He has a look of hope, you can see it in the way his eyes crinkle shut when he smiles.
âDepends. Send me the raw and edited photos of me and Iâll get back to you.â You take your camera bag off your back and begin to put your camera away.Â
âI thought you said they were awful photos?â Wonwoo crosses his arms putting on a fake pout. Itâs devastatingly charming.Â
Heâs so annoying.
âDepends on how you edit them. If I like it, coffee it is.â You respond matter-of-factly. âGoodbye Wonwoo.â You put out your hand to shake his, like an agreement has been made. He hesitates before uncrossing his arms and grabbing your hand like he did before. The same tension as before came back stronger than ever. He flashes you a very content smile.
âGoodbye y/n.â Wonwoo pulls his hand away first, letting you turn around and walk away. You begin walking confused about the tension you both undoubtedly feel. You turn around to look at him while walking backwards now.
âShocker, you didnât call me Nikon.âÂ
âWell we are friends now arenât we?â He yells back to you now at a distance.
âI wouldnât say that. Acquaintances maybe!â You respond with a giggle in your voice. Even from a distance you can see his eyes squint matching his smile. He runs a hand through his windswept hair as he laughs to himself.
The walk home was quiet. You didnât listen to music, you didnât do much of anything. Just following where your feet were leading you back to your apartment complex. You couldnât stop thinking about him. The air was different today but you convince yourself it was just the weather. He was different, he was friendly.Â
The banter wasnât as aggressive as it was when you first met. You acknowledge the tension in the air, not letting it bother you. You walk, recalling the sun hitting his frame in a way that made him look unreal. How the wind moved his hair in his face and he would brush it to the side, how he would push up his glasses back up on the bridge of his nose when he was looking down at the photos he took on his camera.
You remember he now has a photo of you, on his Canon, that he will be editing and giving back to you. Maybe for his editing time you owe him coffee. Besides, he bought coffee for you yesterday, you owe him⌠Right?
So many thoughts flooding your brain on your walk back. You occasionally pick up your phone to look at your lockscreen, almost like you are waiting for something. Waiting for a text from him, from Wonwoo.Â
When you arrived back at your apartment Seungkwan and Seokmin were still at work, and you went immediately into your room. You take your camera out of your bag, remove the SD card and upload the photos to Lightroom. Multiple photos of flowers that Wonwoo swore you would love to shoot mixed with the last few photos you took of him in front of the roses.
You feel your cheeks warm, smiling without even meaning to. You have truly never seen someone who looks like him. Little comments he made today that would have annoyed you initially didnât bother you as much. Maybe you were understanding him a bit more.Â
You start editing the photos of Wonwoo in front of the roses, making the sunlight less harsh, making the red in the roses pop. Adjusting the red in the roses emphasized the tint of red in his cheeks. He was blushing.
After a few hours of editing the photos from the day you transferred them from your laptop to your phone, ready to send them to Wonwoo. You pick up your phone and notice three notifications:
Wonwoo: *one image attached*
I told you I specialize in portraits.
It came out pretty good, did it not?
You look at the portrait of yourself that Wonwoo took. He has a different editing style than you. More vintage based with warmer colors, really touching on earthy color palettes. Not your style particularly, but it made the photo look truly beautiful. You didnât want to tell him that, you couldnât stand boosting his ego.Â
Wonwoo: So⌠is the picture worthy of a coffee date?
Wonwoo: I mean
Wonwoo: Not date
Wonwoo: Just getting coffee
Wonwoo: Is it worth getting coffee?
Y/n: Calm down, why are you texting like you are nervous.
You are taken aback by his multiple texts. He is relentless but this time he seems frantic. Like he messed up by calling it a date?
Wonwoo: Do you like the picture y/n.
A very straightforward question from a man who likes to dance around whatever situation he is in. The fact that he was so adamant about getting coffee filled you with curiosity. You didnât know exactly how to respond.Â
Y/n: Joshua I need your help
Joshua: I am always here to help!
Y/n: I think Wonwoo asked me on a date? At least he called it that and immediately back tracked and just called it âgetting coffeeâ
Y/n: I met up with him today at the park, once again he asked me
Joshua: But you still went?
Y/n: I felt bad if I didnât!!!
Joshua: No, you were curious about it
Y/n: And what if I was!
Joshua: Like I said, Wonwoo was super nice the first time we met, he was quiet and reserved but friendly. Maybe you just got off on the wrong footÂ
Maybe Joshua was right. Maybe you just got off on the wrong foot or he got a weird vibe from you. Unsure if it is the underlying lust, telling you to do so or if you want to give him a few more chances but you want to text him back.Â
Coffee canât hurt right? And besides, I owe him coffee anyway.
Y/n: Coffee. Thursday. 11:00am. I will be in my normal spot, I will get YOUR coffee this time.Â
You canât believe you said yes. Something was deterring you from him, but it also was luring you to him, wanting to spend time with him.
Immediately you get a text back, like he was waiting in the messages for your response.Â
Wonwoo: Itâs a date!
Y/n: No itâs not.
Wonwoo: You are relentless
Y/n: Says the boy who was blowing up my phone just minutes ago
Wonwoo: I'm only relentless until I get my way.
Y/n: I shouldâve said no to coffee then.
Wonwoo: Too late, see you then.Â
__________________________________________________________
Thursday couldnât have come sooner. The week was full of editing photos, coffee shop runs at the same time, same location, spending time with Seokmin and Seungkwan in the apartment, and responding to the plethora of texts from Joshua along with the few from Wonwoo.Â
The messages from Wonwoo were short, sweet. Him asking for editing advice after he nagged you, saying you would be the one to ask for help. He would send a photo and ask if you liked it. You responded with a dry âyesâ every time and he would get annoyed with the dry response.Â
You liked feeling his frustration through text, it felt like you were finally peeling back all the layers of Wonwoo, getting your way in the end. Part of you felt guilty though, maybe you did just get off on the wrong foot like Joshua said. Perhaps the coffee âdateâ as he was calling it would be a better chance to read him since he was finally starting to budge.Â
This week was slow, a burden, just daily tasks and making sure Seokmin didnât burn down the apartment, testing multiple different cake recipes for Seungkwanâs job promotion celebration party that Seokmin begged you both to host. Seungkwan did not want the party to happen, you were partial to the idea. Maybe Wonwoo would want to come? You wondered how His week was. You are snapped out of your thoughts when you look towards the door of the coffee shop as the welcome bell rings as it opens.Â
You meet Wonwooâs eyes, he looks slightly different but you canât pinpoint it. He walks over to you, tall stature making its way through the sea of people getting their coffee. He sits down across from you at your normal table, flashing you a kind smile. When he smiles you register the difference.
âNo glasses today?â You asked, making burning eye contact with him.
âI was feeling contacts, why? Do you like me better with them?â He jokes.
âI donât like you at all.âÂ
He giggles at your response, knowing it isnât the truth. He decides not to acknowledge your statement.Â
âIced americano. Get your espresso too.â He says putting his card flat on the table across from you. âI said I was buying your coffee today.â You snap back.
âNo, you said you would âgetâ my coffee, to me that just sounds like ordering. You never said you were âbuyingâ my coffee.â He urges.
The tension in the air forms like a cloud over your head, you are frustrated. You lock eyes with him, brows furrowed.Â
âY/n. Please. Take my card.â He looks at you in a way no one has ever looked at you before, almost⌠pleading? He looks beautiful.Â
Without saying anything you stand up from the table, leaving his card there. You head towards the register with your own card in hand, feeling Wonwooâs eyes burning in the back of your head upset that he wasnât buying coffee today. He is relentless. You flip him off behind your back while walking to the register. You hear a small chuckle come from him behind you.Â
You return to the table, two coffees in hand, paid with your own card. He smiles and nods at you letting out a small breathy thank you, almost like you snapped him out of his own thoughts without warning.Â
You sit down across from him and take off your sweater beginning the not so awkward small talk. Conversing with Wonwoo about your weeks, what you both were up to. He said he visited family, saw his brother for a day, shot for a wedding, a lot more of a productive week than yours. You nagged on him for not texting you about the wedding or sending the photos. He replied assuming that you didnât care enough to look at them if he were to send them.Â
Friendly banter that was once painful to experience felt fulfilling. It felt nice to hear him speak, his demeanor quieter than yours but still full of emotion and interest for what you had to say. You learned he has two roommates named Mingyu and Vernon, Vernon doesnât talk much, Mingyu talks too much, he considers himself the âhappy mediumâ as he calls it.Â
He also mentioned his past relationships, asking you if you had been in any before.
Let's not overthink this one.
He just recently got out of a relationship. Lasted a little under a year, some girl he met shooting at a concert.Â
Thatâs ironic.
She lives in the area, somewhere around here. She broke his heart, cheated on him. Left him through text. He got very serious talking about it, it seemed hard for him to talk about, or like he had never spoken about it out loud before.
You mentioned you had been in a long term relationship for two and a half years that ended about a year ago. He broke up with you for moving to the city, for being too ambitious. You had been on a few random dates here and there since then but nothing has stuck.Â
âI think your ambition is admirable!â He gets defensive, frustrated that you were dumped for that reason. You laugh.
That was cute.
You continued to talk about your life. Mentioned things you hadnât told him in the past. You love other types of coffee not just straight espresso shots, you love your two roommates Seokmin and Seungkwan even though they drive you absolutely crazy sometimes, you also went as deep as telling him you love the smell of baby powder.
âIs that weird to say?â You ask hesitantlyÂ
âI feel like people liking the smell of baby powder is like⌠a general consensus? At least I like it!â He chirps back positively, not pulling you down whatsoever.Â
All of this lighthearted conversation made you gain a soft spot for him. Maybe Wonwoo is peeling back your layers like you felt you were doing with him.Â
After a good two hours of conversation light and deep inside of the coffee shop, you figured it was time to go home. Seokmin requested that you come home to help him plan Seungkwanâs promotion party since he didnât want any part in it but to be celebrated.
âLet me walk you back to your apartment! I think itâs on the way back to my place anyway.â Wonwoo flashes you a smile, grabbing your now empty espresso glass placing it in the dish return bucket.Â
Before you have the option to say yes or no to him walking you home, he is back at the table holding out his hand to help you up from your chair flashing you a very charming smile. You take his hand, feeling his in yours. You look up at Wonwooâs face, blush creeping on his cheeks. You chose to spare him this time, deciding not to tease him about it. Maybe you really are warming up to him.Â
You leave the coffee shop walking side by side, hands accidentally brushing a few times by accident, or so you think.Â
âSo, Seokmin is throwing a party for Seungkwan because he got a new promotion at work and Seokmin will use any excuse to have people over.â You roll your eyes clearly not showing interest in this party.
âIs this your way of inviting me?â Wonwooâs head turns towards yours flashing that same beautiful smile that he likes to show you. You refuse eye contact as you feel blush creep onto your cheeks. âYou are blushingâ
Damn. He called me out.
âItâs warm outâ You turn your head to look at him, still dodging his eyes denying the blush on your face.
âItâs actually not.â He laughs to himself. âAm I making you blush?âÂ
Oh he IS flirting.
You feed into it. âWhatever. Yes Wonwoo. Would you like to come to the party?â You finally lock eyes with him. You can tell his breath hitches when you take his gaze in. Itâs easier to read his emotions without his glasses.
 His eyes pull away from yours, looking out at the street ahead of you when his face drops. You look in his line of vision to see he is looking at a girl, walking hand in hand with a random guy. Sadness stretches over his face. âWonwoo are you okay?â The couple, though still a ways away, are walking towards your general area.
âY/n, I need-â He stops mid sentence, and turns his body to face yours, halting your steps. âY/n I need to kiss you.âÂ
âIâm sorry?â You are baffled. Was he always this bold?
âI- I need to kiss you. Now.â His eye contact breaks from yours for a brief second, looking to his right. He turns his head back, stepping closer and bringing both of his hands to both sides of your face. You feel your cheeks burn up. âI just need you to say yes.â
âI- uh.â You stammer, completely thrown off.
Wonwooâs hands are like magnets on the sides of your face, a little too firm. His eyes flash past you againâand this time you catch it.
His ex. You can just tell by the way his body tensed just at the sight of her.
Oh.
It was like he spoke her into existence by talking about her just moments before.
Before you can react, he leans in just enough for only you to hear him.
âJust⌠go with it,â he mutters under his breath. âPlease.â He begs
Your brows furrow. So thatâs what this is. Not a confession, a performance. You should push him away. You almost do.
But something in Wonwooâs expression stops youâyou can tell it's not his normal confident front heâs used to putting on, but there's something deeper. Heâs nervous. Wanting. It seems real, even if heâs trying to hide it.
âFine,â you whisper, still unsure.
That was all Wonwoo needed.Â
He closes the distance quickly, like heâs committing before either of you can think too hard about it. His lips meet yoursâmeant to look convincing, meant to send a message over your shoulder.
At least, thatâs what itâs supposed to be.
But the second your lips crash together, something happens, something shifts.
His grip softens. Your hands move up, around his neck, hands brushing the ends of his long black hair.Â
One of his thumbs brushes your cheek, almost unknowingly.Â
He doesnât pull away, he deepens the kiss in a way that is more intimate. For a moment, it doesnât feel fake at all. Â
Your breath catches. Thoughts rushing through your head.
This isnât just for her. It canât be even if heâll never admit it.
After a moment, he finally pulls backâjust enough to make it look casual, like it didnât mean anything more than it was supposed to.
He dropped his hands like the contact burned him. When he speaks, his voice is shaky, nervous, scared to look you in the eyes.
He steps back, nervously brushing a hand through his somewhat messy and windswept black hair.
âThanks,â he says. Wonwoo briefly looks over your shoulder to see if his ex saw. âOh my god, I owe you big time.â
So thatâs all it was.
There's no way his heart isnât still racing.
But also, yours is too.
You look at him, shock filling your eyes. You donât know how to respond. He can tell you are confused, flustered. He decided to quickly change the conversation to what you were talking about previously.
âSo⌠Party, your apartment, for Seungkwanâs promotion, can I bring Vernon and Mingyu?â He says shyly, quiet.
You blink once, then twice, forcing your expression into something neutral. Like nothing just happened.
âYes⌠yeah,â you say, a little too quickly. You clear your throat, slowing yourself down. âYeah, thatâs fine. The more the merrier, right?â
Your voice sounds steady. Youâre proud of that. Inside, though, you are burning up.
Wonwoo nods, relief flashing across his face, grateful for the semi-normalcy. âCool. Yeah. Theyâll be excited.â
Thereâs a pause. Itâs awkward.
You shift your weight, hugging your arms loosely around yourself. He notices, of course he does. He always notices. He would never say anything about it.
Instead, he gestures down the sidewalk. âLetâs keep walking?â
You hesitate for half a second.
âOkay.â
The two of you continue to walk beside each other, not quite as close as before. Not touching. Not even brushing shoulders.
Your apartment building isnât far, but somehow the walk feels longer now, the tension of what you both didnât say hanging over your heads like a raincloud.
You glance at him once.
Big mistake.
Heâs already looking at you.
And just as quickly, he looks away.
Your stomach flips.
You let out a small breath, pretending to be thoughtful instead of completely thrown off. âSo why is Seokmin adamant about throwing a party again?â
âWe just never have people over. Sometimes I think Seokmin gets sick of us and needs more socializationâ You chuckle awkwardly to yourself.
âHow could someone get sick of you- you guys.â Wonwoo studders.Â
A small smile tugs at your lips, and for a moment, things feel normal again.
But it doesnât last.
Because every few seconds, your mind drifts right back to it.
The way he didnât hesitate.
The way it didnât feel like pretending.
You try to refresh your brain, try to reset the memory.
It doesnât work.
By the time you reach your building, neither of you are quite ready to acknowledge it.
âWell,â you say, gesturing lightly behind you âThis is my apartment.â
âYeah.â He nods, hands slipping into his pockets. âI figured.â He locks eyes with you.
âThanks for walking me.â
âOf course.â
Neither of you move.
For a secondâjust a secondâyou think he might say something. His lips part slightly, like heâs about to.
He doesnât.
Instead, he rocks back on his heels, glancing briefly at the door, then back at you. âIâll⌠see you at the party?â
You hesitate. âYeah, I kinda have no choice. It is my house.âÂ
He chuckles to himself.
The air between you both is so heavy.
âGoodnight, Wonwoo.â
âGoodnight.â
You step into your apartment building before you can overthink it.
And as the door closes behind you, your heart is still racingâ
because no matter how normal you actedâŚ
that didnât feel fake to you.
Not even a little.
________________________________________________________________
The minute you shut the stairwell door behind you, your feet holding you up give out as you slide down the backside of the door. You rest your head in your hands letting out a frustrated sigh. You pull your phone out of your bag and open messages.
Y/n: He kissed me.
Joshua: Y/N WHAAAAAT????
THATâS A BIT FORWARD DONâT YOU THINK?
Y/n: His ex was walking by Josh.Â
He wanted to kiss me to make her jealous.
Joshua: Oh.
Did it feel real.
Y/n: To me or to him?
Joshua: Both I guess?
You reflect on the kiss. How your lips pieced together perfectly, your hands resting on the back of his neck playing with his hair as he kissed you deeper.Â
Y/n: He just wanted to make her jealous, Josh.
You swiped out of your messages and placed your phone in your lap. Everything felt like it was crushing down on you. You throw your head back against the door in frustration, tears beginning to form in your eyes. You felt stupid for reacting like this.Â
Frustrating because you liked him. Frustrating because he kissed you, to get back at his cheating ex. Just when you started to see eye to eye, you said yes to the stupidest decision you couldâve made, kissing him.Â
You pick up your phone to check the time. 2:34. Joshua hadnât texted back yet. Tears fall from your eyes as you are choking for breath. This was insufferable, Wonwoo was insufferable, yet all you could do was replay kissing him and wonder if it was really all fake.
The door behind you swings open, making you fall backwards through the opening.Â
A familiar shriek sounds from behind you.
âY/N WHAT THE FUCK! YOU SCARED THE SHIT OUT OF ME!â Seokmin yells at you, leaning over to look your now laying down body in the eyes. He notices the red flush all over your face. âOh y/n.â He sighs, frowning. "What happened?â
You said nothing, Seokmin helped you up off the ground and up the stairs as you cried. He let you cry.
Seokmin was always a silent listener, he was one of the most attentive people you knew.Â
He opened your apartment door letting you in first, hand resting gently on your back. You blink your tearful eyes at Seungkwan who is sitting on the couch playing some game on his ipad.
Seungkwan looks up from his screen and meets your eyes with a smile that immediately drops when he sees your tear stained face, moving to the side allowing room for you on the couch.Â
You sit down in your normal spot, sandwiched between your two roommates and the tears begin to flood again.Â
âHe kissed me.â The room goes quiet.
Seokmin and Seungkwan look at you, clearly trying to mask the pure shock on their faces.Â
You explain the whole story, Seokmin attempting to soak up your tears with tissues.Â
âHe is coming to the party.â You choke on tears. âI donât want to see him.â
âTell him not to come.â Seokminâs face is more serious than ever.
âWhat?â
âHeâs not coming.â He turns to you looking visibly upset. âText him and tell him he's not coming.â
âSeokmin⌠Maybe it would be good if he came?â Seungkwan urges. âBesides it will give y/n the time she needs to think about things and maybe then, they can have a conversation about it? At the party?âÂ
âI am not having someone in our humble abode that made y/n cry so hard I found her sitting in the stairwell.â Seokmin fights back.Â
Iâve never seen him this angry.Â
âI need to lay down.â You stand up and b-line for your bedroom door hearing the small bickers between Seokmin and Seungkwan about the situation you now have yourself in.Â
The rest of the day was spent laying in bed, scrolling on pinterest, with the occasional knock on the door checking on you from Seokmin and Seungkwan in shifts.Â
You pick up your phone often to check and see if Wonwoo texted you. Acknowledging what happened earlier. Apologizing. Even just a hi.Â
Nothing.
It really was just to make her jealous.
Right when you finally calmed down, the tears started again. You wanted to call him. You couldnât do that.Â
Y/n: Seungkwan
Can you come here?
Two minutes later you hear a knock on your bedroom door. You slowly get out of bed and open the door, greeted by Seungkwan.
He sits on your bed, and listens to you.
âI need you to take my phone for the night.â You hold it out in his direction. Seungkwan hesitates to grab it from you. âI want to talk to him, but I shouldnât.âÂ
Seungkwan nods, grabs your phone and puts it in his pocket. His arms wrap around you tightly giving you a long, silent hug.Â
The night ends like that. You are in your bed, staring at the ceiling, with no access to your phone. You canât help but still wonder if he has texted. Seungkwan wouldnât tell you. Or so you thought.
A quiet knock on your door at midnight. Seungkwan is in the doorway, your phone in his hand.Â
âY/n. You should see this.â
You look at your lockscreen. A few texts from Joshua analyzing your day, memes sent from Seokmin to try to make you feel better, and one text⌠from Wonwoo. The notification was from 11:56 PM.
Wonwoo: Can you call?
__________________________________________________________
You donât call him. You donât respond to his text.
You fell asleep that night without responding to him, or Joshua. You did however feel it was right to respond to Seokmin, he would be upset if you didnât.
Days felt like weeks, and the week leading up to the party felt like months. Wonwoo waited a few days after his first text to send you another.Â
Wonwoo: How are you?
Y/n: I am okay, how are you?
This opened the conversation again. It had been a few days of wondering if the kiss meant anything to him.Â
Days went by with casual conversation, he was clearly full of energy to talk to you again, and all you gave him were half assed responses with no meaning behind him. You didnât want to speak to him. Not now.
The days leading up to the party however, went by in the blink of an eye. You went out with Seokmin to go shopping for decorations.Â
Ever since kissing Wonwoo he had been more protective over you.Â
After bickering with him in the dollar store party aisle, you decided on which decorations to get for the house. Seokmin finally figured out the âperfectâ cake recipe for Seungkwan that he swears he will love. You sent out the final texts to party attendees.Â
A few of Seokminâs college friends, Seungkwanâs colleagues and best friends, you even got to invite your two friends from your hometown, Jun and Minghao since they were in the area.Â
And Wonwoo.
You text Wonwoo briefly just to double check and see if he is coming.
Y/n: You coming tonight?
A pit forms in your stomach at the thought of seeing him for the first time in a week or so, though it felt like months.
Wonwoo: Wouldnât miss it.
Is it still okay if Vernon and Mingyu come?
Y/n: Like I said, the more the merrier.
Wonwoo: See you tonight :DÂ
You let out a deep sigh, anxiety stirring in your body.Â
You run and grab coffee as fast as you can before Seokmin gets on your ass for being late to decorating the apartment.Â
The rest of the day was spent bickering with Seokmin about where to put decorations. Seungkwan would be home from work any minute and the place was nowhere near ready.Â
Seungkwan walks through the doorway to you and Seokmin yelling in each other's faces about where to hang the streamers. Seungkwan helps deescalate the situation by ripping the streamers out of Seokminâs hands and hanging them where he wants.
Seokmin eventually gave up and slouched on the couch while you took the liberty to finish decorating. He said that âworking on the cake made him tiredâ.Â
Once you finished decorating, you went into your room to get ready.Â
You walk over to your closet, staring at your clothes like they might magically decide for you. Your hands hover over a few options before you finally pull something outâsimple, but nice. Not like youâre trying too hard.
Even though you definitely are. You want to impress him, whether you realize it or not.Â
This is the first time in days your thoughts lingered on the kiss. The way he looked at you after.
You shake your head slightly, trying to snap out of it.
âIt didnât mean anything,â you mumble to yourself, even though it doesnât sound convincing.
You fix your hair, smoothing it down, then adjusting it again⌠and again. Your hands feel restless, your stomach tight with nerves.
Because tonight, youâre going to see him along with new familiar faces.
And you donât know whatâs worseâ
 the idea that heâll act like it never happenedâŚ
or that he wonât.
Slowly people start arriving at the party. Joshua was the first one to show up, since you asked him to get there early to keep you company while you got ready.Â
People flooded into your apartment including the friends of Seokmin and colleagues and close friends of Seungkwan.
âThis is the most people we have ever had in here.â Seokmin says leaning against the kitchen counter, a red cup in his hand full of some rubbing alcohol tasting beverage.Â
âMaybe itâs nice to socialize?â You hit his arm playfully, taking a sip from the cup that he mixed for you as well. âThis tastes like shit man.â
Seokmin laughs while taking another swig from his cup. You look out into the living room from the kitchen, seeing Seungkwan happier than ever, surrounded by the people who love him the most.Â
You and Seokmin smile at each other, clinking your cups together in a cheers, celebrating your friend was such an easy task.
Seokmin walks into the living room and begins socializing with Minghao and Jun, getting to know about them and their childhood with you, leaving you alone leaning against the cold granite countertop of your kitchen.Â
A knock on the door leads Seungkwan to answer. You look over to the door to see not only Seungkwan looking and pointing at you, but three heads peeking through the doorway.Â
One of them is quick to introduce himself to Seungkwan, immediately immersing himself into the vibe of the party. The other one slowly follows behind saying a nice hello to Seungkwan as well.Â
And then thereâs Wonwoo.
He pauses just inside the doorway and doesnât follow his friends inside, not yet..
For a second, it feels like everything slows down.
Your breath catches.
The two other boys approached you, they knew exactly who you were, Wonwoo following shortly behind.
âYou must be y/n!â One of the boys exclaims, he is seriously a beautiful man. âWe have heard so much about y-â The shorter boy slaps him on the arm.
âDude,â he mutters, shaking his head slightly.
Mingyu winces, rubbing his arm. âWhat? I was justââ
ââabout to say too much,â Vernon cuts in calmly, glancing at him before looking back at you. His expression is neutral, but thereâs something knowing in it. âHi. Iâm Vernon.â
You let out a small laugh, a bit nervous but amused. âHi.â
âMingyu,â the taller one adds quickly, recovering like nothing happened, flashing you another grin. âAnd I promise whatever youâve âheardâ about me from him is probably exaggerated.â
âThatâs not reassuring at all,â you reply, raising an eyebrow.
âItâs fine,â Vernon says, like he didnât just interrupt a whole situation. âHe talks a lot.â
âI do notââ Mingyu starts, then stops, realizing heâs proving the point. ââŚokay, sometimes.â
You laugh again, the tension easing just a little.
Mingyu grabs Vernonâs arm, dragging him into the sea of the party, forcing him to mingle with people they just met.Â
Wonwoo watches as they disappear in the crowd and looks at you, like he has been craving seeing you.
You want to look away from him, but now heâs standing right in front of youâ and whatever you were trying to leave in the past is suddenly right in front of you again.
You lock eyes with him through his frames. Wonwoo is wearing something similar to what he wore the first time you saw him after shooting the concert. Black shirt, slightly cut at the sleeves and at the bottom of the shirt making it a tad shorter and baggier dark blue jeans.Â
Your chest tightens, wondering who is going to speak first.Â
I need to speak first.
âYou wore your glasses today.âÂ
You kick yourself. The second it leaves your mouth, you almost regret it.
Out of everything you couldâve said⌠thatâs what you went with?
He looks exactly how you knew he would. The glasses, the dark clothes, the way everything sits on him so effortlessly. The way his long black hair is always so perfect yet jossled in a messy way.Â
Itâs annoying.
You look away first.
He notices.
Wonwoo clears his throat softly. âYou⌠look really nice.â
There it is.
You expected it. Stillâ your chest tightens anyway.
âThanks,â you reply, a little too quick, taking a sip from your drink like thatâll give you something to do, still looking at the sea of people ahead of you.
Thereâs a pause.
You can feel him looking at you, but you donât meet his eyes right away.
Heâs nervous. You can tell.
More than he wants to be.
Because your textsâgod, your textsâhave been so dry itâs been driving him insane. Short replies, no energy, like you were slowly closing a door he didnât realize he wanted open. A door he opened the day he kissed you just for the sole purpose of making someone jealous. Did it even work?
âI didnât know if youâd⌠want me here,â Wonwoo admits after a second.
You glance at him. âWhy wouldnât I?â
He hesitates. âYouâve been kinda⌠hard to talk to.â
You let out a quiet breath through your nose. âMaybe there wasnât much to talk about.â
That lands exactly how you intended.
He looks down for a second, nodding slowly. âRight.â
There is tension in the air. Not the awkward tension you were used to before, this time itâs heavier, more stressful.Â
A long pause.
âSo,â you say, tilting your head slightly, eyes flicking back up to him, âdo you think it worked?â
He frowns a little. âDid what work?â
You give him a look. âThe whole kissing-me-to-make-your-ex-jealous thing.â
His stomach drops, you can tell by the look in his eyes.Â
âIââ he starts, running a hand through his hair, clearly thrown off.
Before he can finishâ
âHey.â Seokminâs voice cuts in sharply from beside you.
You donât even realize he walked towards you.
Seokmin doesnât look at you first. He looks at Wonwoo.
Your stomach drops.
And the shift in his expression is immediate.
Seokmin looks at you, frustration written all over his face. âY/nââ He starts guiding you out of the kitchen, his hand firm around your wrist. He drags you into your bedroom down the hallway, away from the crowds of people.Â
He shuts the door quietly behind you.
âHe is going to hurt you. I canât see you like that again.â Seokmin bites.
âI know what he did,â you say, softer now. âAnd Iâm still mad at him. But I also want to talk to him. Even if itâs frustrating, even if itâs risky.â
Seokmin runs a hand through his hair, exhaling sharply. âThatâs what I donât get. I justâhe kissed you to make someone else jealous. You donât deserve to be treated like that. And youâre letting him back in.â
âI am not letting him back in. Not really. I know how it looks, Seokmin. But itâs not that simple. I want to talk to him because⌠clearly something must be up with me if I keep thinking about that kiss every fucking moment of my life.â You accidentally start yelling, feeling tears well up in your eyes. âI need to figure this out, Seokmin, I need to know what this is about. Itâs going to kill me if I donât.â
Seokminâs features soften. He seems more understanding.Â
He studies you for a moment, tension still there, but his shoulders dropping just a fraction. ââŚFine. But if he screws upâif he hurts youâyou come find me, got it?â
You grin, a little relieved. âGot it.â
He lets out a short laugh, the protective edge fading just enough. âAlright. Go on then. Talk to your⌠weird boyfriend thing.â
âSeokmin he is not my boyfriend.â You chuckle immediately being enclosed in a hug with your best friend.Â
While hugging Seokmin you realize exactly how you feel about Wonwoo, you know why the fake kiss drove you absolutely fucking crazy. You knew you liked him. You thought he was beautiful from the start, so charming. You knew this would kill you.Â
________________________________________________________________
After spending a few minutes decompressing in your room with Seokmin, you both returned to the party. Wonwoo spent a lot of the night with Mingyu and Vernon, as you spent a lot of the night with Jun and Minghao.Â
You could feel his eyes on you from across the room.Â
You are filling another cup for Minghao when you feel a light hand on your shoulder. You turn around greeted with the cutest smile from Mingyu.
Minghao reads the room and walks away cautiously to return to Jun and Seungkwan.
âOh hello Mingyu!â You say cheerfully, starting to feel your drinks a bit more than before. You are happy to see him.
âLetâs cut to the chase y/n,â He giggles to himself, he is also definitely feeling his drinks as well. Mingyu leans a little closer, lowering his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. âYou know, living with Wonwoo, I know that boy inside and out. And I can tell you right now⌠heâs been talking about you non-stop.â
You blink at him, incredulous. âHe⌠what?â
Mingyu grins, clearly enjoying the effect of his words. âPhotography, mostly. Your photos, your style, how you see the world through a lensâhe canât shut up about it. Honestly, itâs kind of cute⌠and exhausting.â
You raise an eyebrow. âThereâs nothing cute about him,â Mingyu can see right through your lies. âAre you sure youâre not just exaggerating because youâre his roommate?â
âNope,â Mingyu says firmly, shaking his head. âIâd know. He never shuts up about you. I mean, itâs like, every other sentence he says is somehow about you or your photography.â He smirks, nudging you gently. âHeâs really into you, y/n.â
You let out a short, humorless laugh, trying to hide the flutter in your chest. âThatâs⌠hard to believe, considering he kissed me to make his ex jealous.â
Mingyuâs grin softens, but his eyes lock onto yours, serious now. âYeah, okay⌠I get that. But hear me outâwhat if he actually wanted to kiss you? Like, really wanted to, not just to make her jealous?â
You glance across the room again, at Wonwoo, pretending to be in a casual conversation with Vernon, and then back at Mingyu. The little voice Mingyuâs words planted in your head wonât stop buzzing: maybe⌠maybe he really did mean it.
Mingyu nudges you lightly with his elbow. âJust saying. You might want to pay attention, because heâs not exactly subtle.â
âThereâs nothing subtle about him. Never has beenâ You laugh back at him.
âAnd thatâs what I love about him.â Mingyu puts his hand lightly on your shoulder before walking back into the living room. You catch him right before he is too far away.
âHey MingyuâŚâ You yell out towards the tall boy.
âYeah?â He glances back at you.
âCan you tell him to meet me in my room, in 5 minutes?âÂ
That was bold of me.
Mingyu winks at you leaving you with a slight wave.Â
You weed through the few people in the hallway to make your way to your bedroom.Â
You sit on your bed legs crossed underneath you, twiddling with your fingers. Your body is full of nerves, wondering if Wonwoo will even come.
You barely have time to settle before a soft knock startles you.
âY/n⌠can I come in?â You know exactly whose voice that is. Itâs deep, meaningful.
The door creaks open, Wonwoo stands awkwardly in the doorway for a moment before stepping inside. He doesnât sit immediately, just hovers there, hands in his pockets, and you can feel the weight of the tension in the room, almost physically pressing down.
Then he moves closer, finally perching on the edge of the bed next to you. You can smell himâsubtle, comforting, familiarâand your chest tightens again.
âMingyu said you wanted to talk to me⌠in here?â He looks so nervous. You really have never seen him like this before.
You fiddle with the edge of your shirt, trying to muster the courage to break the silence. Finally, you manage it.
âWhyâŚâ you start slowly, voice a little shaky, âwhy did you really kiss me that day?â
Wonwoo exhales softly, staring down at his hands. He shifts closer, the space between you barely a few inches now. âI mean⌠part of it wasâyeah, to make her jealous.â His voice drops, quieter now, more honest. âButâŚâ He hesitates, glancing at you briefly before looking away. âBut I also⌠I wanted an excuse. An excuse to⌠cut the tension. Between us. To just⌠kiss you.â
You blink, trying to process what he just said, and the flutter in your stomach makes it hard to think straight. âYou⌠you mean, it wasnât just⌠you didnât just do it to make her jealous?â
He locks eyes with you. He shakes his head. âNo. That part⌠that part was there, I canât lie. But I really did want to kiss you. I just⌠I thought it would make things easier. InsteadâŚâ He trails off, swallowing. ââŚit just made everything⌠more tense.â
You stand up, flustered, pacing back and forth in your bedroom from desk to door. You feel panicked, worried, like this conversation would just make everything worse. Part of you wants to be mad, still hurt over the ex and the game he was playingâbut another part⌠another part is just staring at him, realizing that maybe Mingyu was right.
You donât respond. Your breath gets heavier, panicked, worried. You refuse to make eye contact with him. You are so confused.Â
He stands up and moves closer towards you.
âY/n⌠look at me.â His voice is soft, delicate, deep.
You pause in your steps, still not making eye contact.
âY/n,â He has a pleading tone in his voice. âY/n please look at me.â
You finally exhale, a little shakily, eyes glued to the floor. âSo⌠it wasnât all for her?â
âLook at me.â He puts his hand on your cheek, flat and warm, tilting your head up so you have no choice but to look him dead in the eyes. He has a light smile on his face, slightly giggling to himself, his eyes crunch together, just like they did the first time you saw him at the cafe.
âNo, it wasn't all for her.â he says softly, leaning back slightly but keeping his eyes on you. âIt was⌠mostly for me. Mostly because I wanted to. And I still do.â
Your chest tightens again, and you canât help the small, shaky laugh that escapes your lips. âYouâre impossible.âÂ
You want nothing more than to kiss him right now.Â
He smirks faintly, that same calm, effortless look that somehow makes your knees go weak. âYeah⌠but you kind of like that about me, donât you?â
You avert your gaze, hiding the small blush creeping up your neck. âMaybe.â
âCan I kiss you, y/n?â
âFor real this time?â You chuckle through your words.Â
âAbsolutely for real.âÂ
âSo, Mingyu was right?â You playfully push his shoulder.
He huffs, rolling his eyes. âMingyuâs an asshole.âÂ
Before you know it, Wonwoo's lips are crashing on yours.
Soft at first.
Nothing like before. But this time, he meant it, you meant it.
It lingersâjust enough to make your chest ache in the best way.
Your hand finds his shirt without thinking, gripping it lightly as you kiss him back, a little more sure now.
Wonwoo exhales against your lips, like heâs been holding that in for days, and the kiss deepens just slightlyâstill careful, but warmer, closer.
Your other hand slides up to the back of his neck, fingers brushing against his hair, and thatâs when it shiftsâjust a little.
Not rushed. Not messy.
Just⌠perfect.
He pulls you in a fraction closer, like he canât help it, and you donât stop him.
For a moment, it feels like the rest of the world doesnât exist.
When you finally pull back, itâs slow, reluctant. Your forehead almost brushes his, your breath uneven as you try to steady yourself, hands now stationed at the back of his neck.
Brushing your fingers through his hair, he smirks against your lips. âCareful⌠I might start thinking you like this a little too much.â Wonwoo teases you.
âOh, I definitely like this,â you whisper back against him, voice teasing, earning a low chuckle from him.
He grins, eyes glinting with mischief. âSee? Mingyu is always right. I donât mess around.â
You roll your eyes, laughing softly, heart still racing. âYeah, yeah⌠youâre full of surprises, arenât you?â
He smirks, leaning in closer again. âAnd you like that, donât you?â
You close the space between the two of you again, just a small kiss. All of the tension dissipated, it is just you and him.Â
_______________________________________________________________
Two weeks had passed since the party. Seokmin and Seungkwan finally got the chance to formally meet Wonwoo at your usual coffee shop, usual table. You slid into your normal table, a small smirk tugging at your lips when Wonwoo plopped down next to you.
âYouâre never paying for coffee again,â he said confidently, as if it were a law of nature.
You raised an eyebrow at him, stirring your drink slowly. âDid you ever really let me in the first place?â you teased, voice low but playful.
Wonwoo froze for a moment, caught off guard by the jab, and then chuckled softly. âTouchĂŠ,â he murmured, eyes flicking to yours with a mix of amusement and something softer, something warmer that made your chest flutter.
Seokmin sat across from him, arms crossed at first, brows furrowed. He didnât say much, clearly unsure what to make of this quiet, dark-haired boy who had managed to rattle you in ways Seokmin didnât like to see. But Wonwoo had a way of talking about things that made people relaxâhis eyes lit up when he talked about trying new recipes, experimenting with flavors, and just the general joy he found in food.
Seokminâs arms slowly uncrossed, and a faint smile tugged at his lips. âSo⌠you like trying new recipes?â he asked, tone a little more curious than before.
âAbsolutely,â Wonwoo replied, leaning forward slightly, hands clasped around his cup.
Seokmin lets out a small hum around his cup of coffee. You see a small glint in his eyes. You know he is warming up to Wonwoo.
Seungkwan, who had been quietly sipping his coffee the entire time, let out a small laugh. âHeâs not half bad, you know,â he said, nudging Seokmin lightly.
You rolled your eyes, shooting Wonwoo a small grin. âSee? Youâve already won over my roommates. Now you just have to win over me I guess!â
Wonwooâs lips quirked into a half-smile, his eyes warm and teasing back at you. âI think I already have you hooked.â He shrugs, itâs so cute.
âBarf.â Seungkwan jabs towards you two, leaving Seokmin laughing in his chair.Â
You caught Wonwooâs eye, and there was that spark againâthe quiet understanding between the two of you that didnât need words, just shared glances and a little laugh over coffee. For the first time in a while, it felt like things were⌠exactly where they were supposed to be.
The rest of those two weeks were spent with Wonwoo coming over occasionally to watch sports with Seungkwan, or cook with Seokmin.
âI think you enjoy your âplaydatesâ with Seungkwan and Seokmin more than you like spending time with me.â You tease him, tugging at the hem of his shirt breaking the kiss of the boy above you.Â
Wonwoo freezes, lips brushing against yours, and lets out a soft chuckle. âMaybe a little,â he admits, smirking down at you. His hands rest lightly on your waist, but thereâs that glint in his eyesâthe one that says heâs not really sorry.
You roll your eyes, playful but still pretending to scold him. âA little? Thatâs it? Iâm the one who gets stuck on the couch third wheeling you and Seungkwanâs games and third wheeling, eating the somewhat burnt food you and Seokmin cook?â
Wonwoo grins, leaning down so his forehead rests against yours. âThird wheeling, huh? Sounds like youâve got a problem with having fun.â
He tilts his head, capturing your lips again, this one a little deeper, softer, teasing, but leaving just enough space between kisses for words. âMaybe you just need to join us! Then you wouldnât feel so left out.â
You bite your lip, heart fluttering, pressing a hand to his chest as he dips down for another kiss, this one lingering longer, lips moving against yours with a teasing urgency. âMmm⌠maybe I like being left out⌠if it means I get to steal you like this.â
Wonwoo chuckles against your lips, âYouâve got me there. Guess Iâll just have to make it up to you.â
You laugh softly, rolling your eyes again, tugging him closer. âOh, so thatâs your grand plan? Just distract me with kisses until I forgive you?â
He smirks, letting his hand slide to the small of your back. âMaybe⌠but youâll never admit it.â
And with that, he presses another kiss to your lips, and you donât pull away, letting the playful, flirty tension between you two stretch on.
Small coffee dates, at home movie nights, night outs with friends, everything started to include Wonwoo.Â
It felt normal, you loved normal. Including him in your routine became so normal.Â
You were editing photos from a recent show you shot when you got a text.
Wonwoo: Meet me, Thayerâs Park, 3:00.
Y/n: Oh we havenât been there in a bit!
Wonwoo: Since the first time yeah
See you there!
Y/n: Who says?
Wonwoo: You donât want to make me sad do you⌠:(
Y/n: Whatever.
You put on a casual outfit, similar to the one you wore the last time you went to the park.Â
Your 20 minute walk felt like 5 minutes with the anticipation of seeing him. Nothing made you happier than seeing him.Â
The weather was beautiful, just as it was last time.Â
You walk through the entrance of the park and see Wonwoo sitting on the same bench as before, camera in his hand. Something looks different.
Your eyes immediately go to the camera. A Nikon. The one he used to tease you mercilessly about when you first met him. You remember the smirk, the teasing comments, the way heâd act like heâd never let you live it down.
You canât help the small laugh that escapes you as you walk closer. âOh so you got a Nikon?â you ask, raising an eyebrow.
Wonwoo looks up at you, a sheepish smile spreading across his face. âSaved up. Figured it was time. Canât let you have all the fun, right?â
You roll your eyes, but thereâs a warmth in your chest. âSo now youâre officially a Nikon user huh? Does this mean youâre going to stop teasing me?â
âNot a chance,â he says, but the grin on his face is soft, almost shy.
He pats the bench next to him, and you sit, sliding close. Wonwoo keeps his camera raised, clicking shots almost compulsively, but each photo is of youâyour profile, your smile, the way the sunlight catches your hair.
âYouâre not going to let me be at peace, are you?â you tease, brushing a stray lock of hair behind your ear.
âNot when youâre this photogenic,â he says, eyes glinting behind his glasses.Â
Wonwoo sets the camera down on the bench beside him and fidgets with the strap of the camera slightly.Â
âYouâre awfully quiet for someone who asked me to meet you here,â you say, trying to keep your tone playful, though your stomach flips.
Wonwoo swallows, blinking up at you, voice low. âYeah⌠I, uh⌠I just⌠I like being here with you. I like⌠this.â He gestures vaguely at the park, the flowers, you, all of it.
You lean a little closer, smiling softly. âYou donât have to overthink it, you know. You can just⌠enjoy it.â
He chuckles nervously, scratching the back of his neck. âI know⌠itâs just⌠I like you. A lot. More than I probably should.â
Your heart skips.Â
This is it.
He laughs, though itâs still a little tight, and turns to face you fully. âI canât lie to you. I just⌠want to be with you.â
You bite your lip, feeling the tension, the nervousness radiating off him, and the flutter in your chest thatâs been growing since you arrived. âOh really?â you murmur, teasing lightly, though your voice wavers slightly.Â
âYeah. I⌠I want to⌠I want to date you, y/n,â he finally says, voice soft but direct. He fidgets with the strap of the camera again, unable to meet your eyes for a second before gathering courage. The boy who was once so confident and cocky was showing who he truly was, a shy reserved boy and all he wanted was for you to be happy.
You grin, leaning in slightly to poke his shoulder. âYou look way too nervous to be asking that,â you tease, watching him flush.
âIâm not nervous!â he protests, though the tip of his ears turning red betrays him.
âYou are asking to date me as if we havenât been making out every night for the past two weeks!â You laugh, he chuckles back, eyes squinting shut showing his beautiful smile. âYouâre adorable,â you whisper, smirking. âFineeee,â You draw out the end of that word. âIâll be your girlfriend.â
Relief floods his expression, and before you can process it, heâs leaning in, kissing you softly, gently at first, then a little more heated, like heâs trying to make up for all the nervous energy.
He pulls back slightly, breathless, eyes wide, and mutters, âI⌠I loveââ
His words catch mid-sentence, and you laugh softly, brushing a hand over his cheek. âWonwoo⌠youâre so nervous.â
âIâI didnât mean to say that!â he stammers, panic and excitement warring in his chest.
You grin, leaning in to kiss him again, slower this time, pressing your forehead against his. âItâs okay,â you whisper. âI like that you said it. I love you too.â
He exhales shakily, finally letting himself relax, his hands holding you close. âReally?â
âReally,â you confirm, smiling softly.
And then he kisses you once more, deep and deliberate, as if heâs memorizing the moment, while the leaves on the trees sway gently around you. It feels as if it is just the two of you in the park.Â
Your phone buzzes in your pocket. You pull it out to see a text from Seokmin.
Seokmin: Where the fuck is my boyfriend Wonwoo and why is he not at the apartment making food with me right now :(((((
Y/n: Heâs my boyfriend now, idiot.
Seokmin: Fucking finally.























