ateez writings

updated masterlist with the work i have done per member, the links redirect you to each chapter.

completed | ongoing

𝓱𝓸𝓷𝓰𝓳𝓸𝓸𝓷𝓰

𝓼𝓮𝓸𝓷𝓰𝓱𝔀𝓪

⇀ want you back [one] [two] [three] [four] [five] [six] [seven] [eight] [nine] [ten] [eleven] [twelve] [thirteen] [fourteen] [fifteen] [sixteen] [seventeen] [eighteen]

𝔂𝓾𝓷𝓱𝓸

𝔂𝓮𝓸𝓼𝓪𝓷𝓰

𝓼𝓪𝓷

⇀ engram [one] [two] [three] [four]

𝓶𝓲𝓷𝓰𝓲

⇀ your majesty [one] [two] [three] [four] [five] [six] [seven] [eight] [nine] [ten] [eleven] [twelve] [thirteen] [fourteen] [fifteen]

𝔀𝓸𝓸𝔂𝓸𝓾𝓷𝓰

⇀ your name [one] [two] [three] [four]

𝓳𝓸𝓷𝓰𝓱𝓸

⇀ unspoken [one] [two] [three] [four] [five]

𝕤𝕖𝕣𝕚𝕖𝕤 [common topic, different stories] completed | ongoing | coming soon

𝓰𝓮𝓷𝓻𝓮𝓼: drama, enemies to lovers, fluff 𝓼𝔂𝓷𝓸𝓹𝓼𝓲𝓼: The word enemies couldn't fully explain the relationship between Wooyoung and Seola. They hated each other's guts into their next lifes except Seola had no idea why. Wooyoung seemed to be extremely good at annoying every inch of her, resulting in heated arguments for the smallest things but where did the conflict start and why? 𝓹𝓪𝓲𝓻𝓲𝓷𝓰: wooyoung x reader

[previous] [ⓕⓞⓤⓡ] [next]

The living room was a mess the next day. Yeosang was one of the first to wake up, squinting his eyes as he peeked around – most people had left but the few that stayed were either on the couch or laying on the floor. The group that stayed back was no other but the closest friends to the guy who had just celebrated his birthday. It only made sense that way, anyway as everyone else probably had a life to attend to the next day; the rest of the group, didn’t. It was a tradition between them, spending the midnight of and the rest of the day together unless any of them had prior engagements which rarely even happened seeing they always worked things out.

Yeosang’s eyes quietly analyzed the scene, squinting his eyes firmly as his head was currently the host of a very loud talking show that continued to bring pain in small zaps, forming a headache. With a quiet sigh, he made his way to the kitchen, stumbling on his own feet as the path through the living room was quite messy. He, for a moment, wondered just why the hell he thought his house was the best place to hold this party. Despite that, he managed to make little to no sound.

Once he made it into the kitchen, his hands hurriedly filled a glass of water, quickly drowning it before turning around to meet the mess in the division he was previously in. “Well, fuck me.” He muttered under his breath, scrunching his nose quietly before bringing himself to order delivery for him and his friend group. He knew nobody was in the mood to cook, much less with the headaches, all of them were bound to debut the second they woke up. Therefore, he played his role as a considerate friend.

As he was done, a head shot up from the mess of bodies lying by the couch. Same slow reaction, a groan escaping the person’s lips. Yeosang’s head shot up before he snorted, seeing Sooyoung get up and away from her boyfriend who was clearly knocked out on the couch. She had the very same thought her friend had, moving to the kitchen just to share a small smile with the male who handed her a glass of water.

“I already ordered food; we need it before cleaning up.” He whispered, watching the female give him a small and slow nod as she gulped down the water. “We trashed your place, sorry about that…” she spoke the moment the glass landed on the counter, hearing Yeosang snicker. He knew she didn’t mean the apology because before his, hers was the designated place, before hers, Yunho’s and before Yunho’s, Wooyoung’s. Seola’s had yet to be the center of attention; she had never hosted a party – and quite frankly, she told them she didn’t want to. Which was fair.

“It’s not like we haven’t trashed everyone else’s place with the parties…but damn Woo has a lot of friends, remind me to not invite half of them next year?” his eyes held a hint of playfulness as the friend pair chuckled, watching the chaos in the living room still displayed quietly because most of them were sleeping. It was not like he minded hosting the party, but he knew he clearly needed a better strategy for the following year because this, wasn’t it. His house was a mess, from what he could see – so he could only imagine what had happened upstairs and for a moment, he shivered. He didn’t want to think about that, but he was glad he locked his bedroom door.

“They could’ve stayed back to clean, just saying…half this mess wasn’t even on us.” Sooyoung blurted out, sighing loudly as she reached for a trash bag under the sink. The male watched her quietly for a moment, agreeing with her statement but truth to be told, he didn’t want people he didn’t know sleeping at his house – and he barely remembered when the party ended last night, much less how he got everyone out the house…because he was sure he was the one working that out. He spared her a soft hum, partly agreeing with her statement.

The pair decided to clean up the living room since the state it was in made it impossible for them to have a peaceful meal in it. There were bottles and cans everywhere, cups still half full and a few little puddles on the floor. Yeosang frowned upon seeing confetti somewhere, wondering just where the hell they got that from. And the snacks? There were a couple of dozens on the floor. If not in chunks, in little crumbling piles. That was going to take a while.

“Fuck, my head.” A low grunt came from the living room where Yeosang and Sooyoung were already picking up a few bottles. Yeosang snorted quietly, watching the birthday boy wake up already complaining. He was sprawled on the floor, eyes refusing to open. “Can you guys be quiet? My head is banging right now…” he whispered, referring to the sound of the trash bag wiggling in the air, ready to house the trash the friends were collecting.

“Don’t be a bitch and go wash up, we need help cleaning.”

He wasn’t fond of the tone Sooyoung used but he didn’t want to argue so instead, he rolled over and slowly got up, making his way to the bathroom to freshen up. When he came back, his hands were on his hips, accessing the situation. Yunho still clearly passed out on the couch, mouth wide open and limbs sprawled across it. He snorted, turning his head to the side only to roll his eyes as he saw Seola on the floor, but she wasn’t alone. Hongjoong was serving as her pillow. His arms were wrapped around her as they slept, clearly cuddling and that had Wooyoung gag. “That’s disgusting to wake up to.” He muttered under his breath, taking the trash bag from Sooyoung’s hands just to violently shake it, grinning when the bottles clinked inside of it.

Yeosang’s lips twitched amusedly as he held a couple bottles in his hands, head shaking at how childish his friend was. The noise quickly woke the remaining three up. Yunho was the first to complain. “Hey, hey, hey what’s up with all that noise-” he cried out, covering his ears with his hands as he turned his back to the group, voice rough from sleep as he felt his head starting to hurt, not because of the hangover but because the noise was growing, it seemed Wooyoung had no intentions of stopping.

Hongjoong peeked his eyes open, breathing heavily as he woke up confused, looking around until he felt the pressure on his chest – Seola’s head. The female grunted, sinking further into the comfort Hongjoong provided as she hoped that would take the noise away. She just wanted maybe thirty more minutes of sleep, who the hell was interrupting the loving dream she was having?

“Wake up, I’m not cleaning after you!” Wooyoung’s voice shrieked, earning a glare from Seola, who had now turned her head to the source of noise. Sooyoung and Yeosang watched the scene, laughing under their breath. Seola’s eyes were barely open, but she managed to send him the deathliest glare. It was always like that between them.

“You two wake up first thing in the morning fighting, that’s quite the achievement.” Hongjoong muttered under his breath, allowing his head to fall back down on the pillow, sighing loudly as his eyes closed once again only to have a chuckle fall off his pair as that somehow amused him, how they had so much energy in the morning – he clearly didn’t. He wasn’t ready to get up. In fact, he wished he could get a little more sleep. His hand carefully moved up and down the female’s back, as if helping her get used to the idea of being awake.

“Get used to it.” Said the unamused voice of Wooyoung who shook the bag once more before proceeding to clean up the few other bottles he found on the floor. He was pissed, it seemed and Hongjoong’s eyes had opened once more, to watch him, a quiet snort flying off his pair. He found it amusing, albeit a bit annoying due to the noise. He caught up to something, but he wasn’t sure if he was seeing the full picture correctly. His head peeked at Seola who still laid on his chest before shaking his head, snorting.

“They argue a lot but it’s manageable, I’m sure you’ll get used to it, Hongjoong.” Sooyoung’s voice chanted out softly, helping her best friend get up. “Go wash up, love. Sangie got us food, then we can watch a movie or something.” Her voice continued to display the soft tone she was known for. Seola’s smile widened as she gave her friend a firm nod, happily complying in the upwards direction her best friend’s voice had her follow despite how sleepy she still felt. Her feet dragged her to the bathroom, allowing the male to finally sit up.

Hongjoong had gotten up, against his will but seeing he did spend the night, he thought he should pull his weight and help with the cleaning. Sooyoung was quick to get him a trash bag, making sure to welcome him into the group. “So, what do you do?”

“He’s a DJ.” Wooyoung responded dryly, before he could utter a word. They were friends, not long date, just one of the many Wooyoung had made along his way. The older male chuckled, nodding his head as he agreed with Wooyoung. “That, I DJ most the time but I actually work as an IT, to simplify the whole thing.” He responded, smiling from ear to ear as he gathered a couple bottles before throwing them in the bag Sooyoung got him. “IT, however, is the main source. DJing happens occasionally, not every night though, or I wouldn’t be standing-” his voice carried a little amusement in the end of the phrase, aware he was one to fall into the hole of overworking. That’s how he always made ends meet.

“Damn, hot, responsible and smart, Seola’s in for a treat…don’t you think, Woo?” She teased watching the male roll his eyes and place the bag he was previously holding down to get the broom for the crumbles. Yunho snickered, eyeing his girlfriend before shaking his head. “Stop teasing the poor guy, he just turned twenty…something. He’s just a baby.” He joked, laughter bubbling from the rest of the group.

Hongjoong’s head tilted, following the invisible line Wooyoung drew towards the kitchen before asking. “Am I missing something?” he finally took the chance to ask, feeling he was indeed not fully getting the picture. His mind was still a bit lagged thanks to the alcohol as the praises Sooyoung shoot him clearly sounded like they were used as some sort of irritation source for his friend.

Yeosang was quick to shake his head, waving his hand dismissively. “They just really don’t get along; you don’t need to worry about it. Can’t stand each other and what not.” He offered an explanation, smiling softly at the older guy who gave him a slow, uncertain nod before retributing the smile, continuing to clean. He wasn’t sure if he fully believed that because Wooyoung looked far too pissed for that to be the reality, but he decided to ignore that. If anything, he thought his friend would be adult enough to come talk to him. As far as he knew, Seola was single and as they say, in love and war, everything is fair. Not that he would call what they had love. He wasn’t trying to label it just yet, but he wanted to know up to where he could risk.

By then, Seola had come back to the room, perking up as she heard the bell ringing. “Fuck yeah, I bet it’s the food.” She sang out, rushing to the door. Hongjoong couldn’t help but watch fondly for a moment, finding the sight adorable. He wasn’t sure if it was an effect post alcohol or what it was, all he knew was he wanted to be around her.

Wooyoung, on the other hand, scoffed seeing such scene in front of him. How dare he? He clearly didn’t know Seola the way he did otherwise he wouldn’t be looking at her like that. For a moment, he thought he felt sorry for his friend when the truth that feeling was masking something deeper, something he would never want to admit. “Hey, Loverboy 3000, your turn to swipe.” He called out, shoving the broom in his hands before marching to the couch and sinking in it, clearly not amused by the situation he was in. Yeosang’s lips twitched in amusement, head shaking slowly as he placed the bags aside, asking Hongjoong for the broom so they could take a break and eat.

“Sangie got us pizza and chicken!” Seola started, grinning ear to ear as she brought the food in, watching Yeosang raise a brow. “No, I ordered you guys pizza-” which had Yunho gently shoving him to the side, even if he knew his friend was playful. Yeosang took a seat by Wooyoung, sulking a bit about the chicken even if he didn’t fully mean it. Yunho was quick to launch himself on the other side of Wooyoung, sinking into the couch and pulling his girlfriend down to his lap, wrapping his arms around her.

Seola placed the food on the table, proceeding to get a few plastic cups from the kitchen before taking a seat next to Hongjoong, on the floor. If anything, she knew none of them wanted to wash dishes afterwards, so the plastic cups were the best option. That had Wooyoung’s eye twitching. Was this how things were going to go forward? He wasn’t happy about it, anyone could tell, even Seola, who didn’t spare another second looking at him.

As the group got busy with the food, some conversations boomed through the group, and plans were made for the afternoon.

“I can’t really stay for long, but I’d love to join you guys if you’re going out tonight – I’m actually working tonight on the club if you guys want to stop by.” He happily invited them, taking another slice of pizza, nibbling it at the tip as his eyes flew across the group, landing on Seola lastly with a fond smile as he chewed the pizza. He meant to invite her, not alone just yet, but he hoped his gaze would tell her he would want her there. To show off, and to spend time with her as they seemed to be getting along just fine.

“I’m up for it, if you guys are.” She happily responded, taking a sip of the coke just to see her best friend give her a firm nod, smiling too. Wooyoung rolled his eyes, turning to Yeosang who was about to answer. “We’re going elsewhere.” He stated firmly, wanting to have his friend’s back up but his answer had him gasp.

“No, we’re not.” Yeosang quickly rebutted, snorting and shaking his head. That had the group chuckle. He leaned in closer to his friend, smirking as he whispered “Stop being a sore loser and make a move, or accept your faith. It’s either one or the other.” He commented, patting his friend’s shoulder before turning to the group. Wooyoung was fuming by now; how dare he? It was his birthday! “So, plan is, finishing cleaning up…” He started, watching Seola’s eyes sparkling as she lifted her head.

“Arcade! I haven’t been there in ages…” She called out, choking on a bit of food just for Hongjoong to assist her, patting her back carefully and picking up her cup for her. The excitement must’ve gotten in the way. Wooyoung only snorted, ready to comment over how stupid she is that she can’t even chew properly but before he could, Yeosang cut him off again.

“Sounds great, clean up, arcade, lunch, a walk, maybe karaoke and we meet Joong at the club.”

“Shouldn’t I, the guy who the party is for…hello??? Have a say in this?” Wooyoung burst suddenly, watching all heads turn to him. That irked Seola up, who had just managed to stop coughing. “Suck it up, loser. Either do that or spend your birthday alone.” She stuck out her tongue, proceeding to pick up her slice back up and continue eating, watching Hongjoong’s head leaning forward, a chuckle flying off his lips as he heard the childish way she retorted to whom he could swear by now, was her mortal enemy.

And just like that, the plans were solid for everyone, but Wooyoung who was sulking while shoving the slice in his mouth, glaring at the two members of the group he was starting to hate the most – Seola and Hongjoong. Yeosang was almost there too, but considering the years they had spent together, he knew he would get over it by the end of the night.

“Seola and I need to stop back at home to change, but we will meet you guys at the arcade. Maybe? Is that okay?” Sooyoung suddenly suggested, catching a glimpse of her friend who gave her a small nod, agreeing with the plan she made.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake we’re going to take an eternity” Wooyoung grumbled, sinking on the couch just to groan as Sooyoung smacked his head. “Just because you’re stinky, doesn’t mean we want to be stinky.” And this time, it didn’t come from Seola, but Sooyoung who stuck her tongue out at him who protested right away, pointing over at her only to watch Yunho lean his head back and burst out laughing.

𝓰𝓮𝓷𝓻𝓮𝓼: drama, contract relationship, fluff 𝓼𝔂𝓷𝓸𝓹𝓼𝓲𝓼: ''I thought I was willing, but I don't think I can play your dirty game anymore''. When the only way out is to lie, where do the two of us end up? Song Mingi, the prince who was never shown to the public has been set up to marry with a princess whose mission was to take kingdom down. Aware of that, he finds himself tangled in a mist of lies, that being the only way out of this mess. However, lying to the queen was never a good pick, was it? 𝓹𝓪𝓲𝓻𝓲𝓷𝓰: mingi x reader

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It was like all her world came crashing – a worry she didn't know she had suddenly woken her thoughts; if Haneul was back, would Mingi just send her away? And why was she worried about this? This was great news. First of all, she wouldn't have to worry about hiding things away from Somin. Not only that, but she would go back to work and her normal life, like she wanted, right?

"I'm Park Haneul." She continued, smiling widely just to tug the had she was holding of Yeeun, pulling her closer. "And I can promise you; I'll make sure you know your place." With that, she got up, letting go of Yeeun just to chuckle and tilt her head to the side, smiling. "Who do you think he would come running to?" She asked, only to peek at the direction the two males left and smile widely. "I'll let you live the princess fantasy for a bit longer but know I will be taking what's mine." With that, she vanished, leaving Yeeun dumbfounded. Her heart was racing as every sort of emotion ran through her at the same time, leaving her confused as to what she should be feeling at that moment.

Her head was racing with all the thoughts she didn't want to acknowledge. A small tug of her heart had her realize she had started developing some sort of feelings for the prince – even if she stubbornly insisted it was nothing but a fondness, because he did seem like a good guy after all, and she didn't want to get lost in the mist of the mess feelings being involved would mean.

The female lowered her head slightly, eyeing her hands for a moment. How did things turn this way? In all honesty, she should be concerned about the money she was getting. The pay was generous so she couldn't charge anything further. But deep inside, she felt disappointed knowing her life would go back to the reality she knew in probably around a month – what did she expect anyway?

As she was dwelling in her thoughts, a hand holding an ice cream cone, stopped in front of her. Her eyes trailed from the ice cream to the hand, following the arm up to the shoulder only to quietly land on the features of the person – it was Mingi. His gummy smile had her ditch the thoughts roaming in her head. In fact, it had her forget what she was feeling for a moment – all she could focus was the way he tugged her heart with the way his smile invaded his features; it almost took over all his face. Her hand reached for the ice cream as a soft chuckle escaped Mingi. She had no idea what he was so happy about but whatever it was, made her happy too.

"I told you she'd like strawberry!" Mingi's voice happily announced, as if that was something he should be proud of knowing. Yeeun simply wondered how the hell he managed to keep the scary thoughts away from her brain – just a couple seconds ago she was so concerned over the fact this was coming to an end and right now? Right now, all she could think about was how adorable his cheeks looked pushed upwards with his large smile, or the way his eyes vanished signaling all the happiness he was feeling. With a soft hum, she pushed the ice cream against her lips, allowing herself to savor that moment.

Given she was clearly confused with what had just happened, she couldn't just straight up tell Mingi about who she met, could she? Or the way she was threatened because that was a clear threat in her eyes. Even if it made no sense. The way Yeeun slowly pieced things together had her realize that Haneul was right, if given the chance, Mingi would never come to Yeeun. Even if she didn't know the extent of their relationship, Mingi still wore the ring. That had to mean something.

Yunho had taken a seat by her side, eating his ice cream as he dismissed his friend's comment. "It would be weird if you were dating her for like...two months? Is it? Doesn't matter, but like I was saying, it would be weird if you didn't know such trivial things." He pointed out, biting his ice cream.

The way his teeth sank into the cold food had Yeeun cringe – did he not feel his brain freeze up? It's okay, she felt that for him. Mingi on the other hand, pursed his lips in thought. He nodded his head but deep down he knew his mother would never inquire over such things. Reminded of the last conversation she had with Yeeun, he knew her focus was never to the veracity of their relationship but the holdup of the kingdom. And that made him respect his mother. Despite whom he chose to be with, it had to be someone that could manage their kingdom. A little bit of hope grew in him.

"To be fair, it's not like we're in an actual relationship." His words sank in her brain, her heart felt squeezed as a weird feeling grew in her stomach. She knew, deep down, he didn't see her that way. That was blatantly obvious, but did he need to say those out loud, in front of her and to Yunho? Her ice cream was tugged downwards as she faced the ocean. She didn't know what to feel again; should she pity herself over the situation? Feel bad because she knew her feelings were developing? Be neutral so he wouldn't read that off her? While she decided, Mingi's eyes stayed on her. Watching her every move. Just she didn't notice.

Her tongue licked her lips, allowing the ice cream bits to be wiped off her pair. "I think we should head back soon, I'm sure your mother is worried." She commented, catching both male by surprise. It had been what, thirty minutes since they left? Neither was planning to come back any time soon given the situation. Mingi felt like it was hard to breathe being around his parents all the time especially when he kept such secret from his mother. Yeeun on the other hand, found safety in that house. She knew she was being watched by more people than she could count and that scared her. Yunho's eyes flickered between his best friend and the female. He himself didn't know how to act or what to do at that moment.

"I wasn't planning on going back there today." Mingi confessed, gripping his ice cream a bit tighter as to control the swirl of emotions sitting in his chest. "We have a full week full of celebrating my parents, I wanted to get away for a day or so." He continued, explaining to Yeeun who simply nodded to his request. In all honesty, he was her employer so she would go along with whatever he wanted. "I thought you'd lik-" His speech was cut off by the female who quickly spoke.

"You don't need to show me around. You don't need to justify anything to me either. We go along with what you decide." She spoke, peeking up at him as she forced her lips to stretch into a small smile, quickly bringing the ice cream back to her lips to scoop some into her mouth, eyes still fixed on him. His lips were parted, as if he was still trying to piece together the information he was ready to give to her – in fact, the male was still tempted to finish the word she interrupted him on but the way she sounded so cold had him freeze up.

The male swallowed, peeking up at his friend as if asking for help as he realized his words probably hurt the female. He didn't mean it that way, it seemed to come natural to him, hurting Yeeun. But at the same time, she drew a clear line between them. He was still trying to figure out what he was feeling. Did he have feelings for her? Was she just there for him? Did that lead to him seeing her in a comforting light? But the tugging of his heart and the way his throat seemed to be closing, almost forcing him to grasp for air, suggested otherwise. There was something in there, he just couldn't fully figure out what.

He wasn't sure if he was into her, because once, he was into Haneul. And that felt different. Way different compared to the way his heart beat so firmly against his chest when Yeeun was hurt.

"Well, I think there's potential for us to explore. I have never been to this specific city." Yunho's voice suddenly awoke both of their thoughts. Their heads turned to focus on what was being said by the male. Heads nodded to his statement before they all went back to their ice cream. "Let me look up what we can do around here." He continued, fishing his phone out to do a quick search over what was the go-to activity in that city.

Yeeun and Mingi absentmindedly finished their ice cream. Both were deep in thought about what had just happened, both had decided to face the ocean and quietly sink the uncomfortable feeling settling in. Yunho stole glances at both, sighing under his breath just to shake his head – how oblivious could both be to each other's feelings? And how long would it take to realize the obvious connection between them?

"Oh? There's a masquerade tomorrow!" That phrase earned both his friends' attention. Yeeun wasn't too fond of the idea, but she felt she had no say in it. Therefore, she smiled and nodded slowly. Mingi on the other hand, crossed his arms "My mother is holding that masquerade."

Yunho looked over at Mingi with a frown on his features. How did the queen – who supposedly came for a private celebration – end up on the go-to activities page? Mingi seemed to understand the male's unspoken question as he went ahead and used his voice to answer it. "She's everybody's business. You know my mom, she will put it out in the open for everyone to see. I am surprised she didn't reveal my identity sooner." He sighed, leaning back on the car, now resting his upper back against the windshield. "Though I'm sure there's some markets around. We can try local food or something."

As they were discussing what to do, the female's phone sounded with a notification. Her hand quickly reached for it, a small frown sitting on her features as she read the message that light up the screen. It was anonymous. She quickly shoved her phone back in her pocket, not even giving either of the male's the chance to be curious about what it was. Her eyes quickly scanned the surroundings, heart firmly drumming against her chest. The breathing was slightly uneven, and her eyes clearly looked panicked.

"Yeeun, are you listening?" Yunho's question brought her back into the conversation. Her brows furrowed as her features turned to meet the male's. He understood something happened and continued. "Are you okay? You're acting really weird."

The sheer panic in her eyes had Yunho worried for a split second but before he could voice out any more thoughts, she had gotten up, displaying what Mingi labeled as a very tight and fake smile. He was starting to wonder if bringing her along was the right thing to do. "Yes, sorry I was thinking I left something at home. It's nothing important, either way but it had me panic for a moment." She explained, gulping down before peeking over at Mingi. "Shall we? Is it far from here? Should we walk?"

The prince released a soft sigh, head nodding as he stood up and held out his hand. "Just in case there's any guards, we're walking. Yunho says the fair is that way." He pointed it out with his other hand. The female was quick to take his hand and intertwine their fingers, which surprised both male's. Something was definitely up with her.

"Speaking of the masquerade, does that mean we have to go back today?" Yunho asked, getting up too just to hear the other male groaning. "Fuck, I really didn't want to."

"Why?"

His eyes landed on Yeeun who looked up at him curiously, head tilted to the side as somehow, she managed to dive into the conversation she had been missing out on for the last couple minutes. The male shrugged. "She's bringing far too many guests into her show. It's annoying and I'm exhausted from driving."

Her lips formed a small o as she heard his reasoning and for a moment, the worries were pushed into the back of her brain. As they started walking, she got lost in her thoughts once again. Could Haneul be one of the queen's guests? What happened between the two of them? Did Mingi and Yunho still talk to Haneul? All those consuming thoughts seemed to have their own little theories growing in the female's head and was clearly worrying both male's that kept talking to her and being ignored.

Her hand was soon tugged downwards, Mingi was looking forward but after attempting for the thousandth time to get her attention though small spoken clues, he resorted to a more physical approach. She seemed to finally have woken up, realizing Yunho was nowhere to be seen and they had halted their walking.

"Can you tell me what the fuck is wrong with you?"

Surely, he didn't intend his tone to be so cold, did he? Her eyes climbed from the floor up to his features. He was standing in front of her, how did she not notice? Was she that deep in thought. "Where's Yunho?" She asked, suddenly feeling her throat dry.

"That's- Fuck, can you just talk to me?" He almost begged, frowning as he wasn't sure what led them to be this way. Was it the way he spoke before? Did he do something? Did his mother do something? "Yeeun, what's going on? You're barely focusing right now."

A small smile sat on her pair as their eyes met. The warm feeling on her chest was back – did he somehow care for her? It wouldn't make sense. He probably just didn't want their cover to be blown. Nibbling her inner cheek, the female shook her head before smiling a bit more relaxed now. "If I asked you a question, would you be honest with me?"

Out of the million thoughts inside the male's head, he could point out a few that would maybe be some sort of interest for the question she wanted to ask. It was his turn to feel his throat dry. The drumming of his heart in his ribcage almost made it hard for him to pay attention to what she was desperately trying to make clear.

"If you fell in love, would you tell me?" She asked, squeezing his hand for a moment. Mingi frowned. That was not what he was expecting to come out of her mouth. His eyes showed how confused he was with that question. His lips parted to speak, but the female chuckled and continued. "Sorry, I don't think I made the question clear." Once again, a forced smile sat at her lips – he thought, at that point, that was her new smile. "If you fell in love, with someone..." and the way she said someone made him understand she excluded herself from the equation. Was that the clarification she wanted to make? "Would I be the first to know?" She finally questioned him, moving to her tip toes before landing back down with her full heel on the floor.

He took a moment, not to think but trying to understand what the hell was going on in her head that had her so bothered and led her to ask such question. "Wait, that didn't sound right either." She muttered, laughing meaningfully for the first time. With a loud breath, she took both his hands and actually smiled. "What I mean to say is, I don't want to stand in your way in any way, shape or form. I am trying to ask you to be honest with me when time comes, Mingi. I'm really bad with words, sorry." She whispered the last part having the male exhale a long breath.

"Why would that be of your interest?" He suddenly asked, his tone disinterested in the conversation for a number of reasons. His head turned to the side where now stood a large field.

"Wait, I think I made you misunderstand again, I don't mean you have to confide in me. I just don't want to-"

"Would it be so bad if I confided in you?" His voice suddenly spoke, sounding more hurt than he intended. A frown sat on her features as the male faced her. She nervously reached for the ring in his finger, carefully stroking it as she could never admit she knew his heart belonged to someone else.

Mingi quietly watched, eyeing the ring that she now twisted in his finger. That ring had been passed down from his great grandfather to him. It was a family heirloom he used to twist when he was nervous. Seeing the female do such thing had him feel warm – maybe they weren't so different.

"I didn't mean it that way either, Mingi. I just really don't want to stand in your way. I am asking you to be clear with your instructions to minimize my errors. As your girlfriend..." And once again the way her voice said the word girlfriend had his stomach sinking. It was like that was something she didn't want. Granted, they didn't start this because they were actually into one another, but would it be so bad if that changed. "I know I have not been acting accordingly, and I'm really sorry. I just...I'm seeking your best interests."

A loud scoff escaped the male who closed his hands into fists and slipped them away from hers.

"You're sounding like my mom right now, for fuck's sake. What exactly did she tell you on that ballroom?" And his attitude was entirely different now. He seemed pissed. Yeeun couldn't quite understand what lead him to this, but she could tell he was hurt. With a sigh, the female held her hands together, shaking her head.

𝓰𝓮𝓷𝓻𝓮𝓼: drama, contract relationship, fluff 𝓼𝔂𝓷𝓸𝓹𝓼𝓲𝓼: ''I thought I was willing, but I don't think I can play your dirty game anymore''. When the only way out is to lie, where do the two of us end up? Song Mingi, the prince who was never shown to the public has been set up to marry with a princess whose mission was to take kingdom down. Aware of that, he finds himself tangled in a mist of lies, that being the only way out of this mess. However, lying to the queen was never a good pick, was it? 𝓹𝓪𝓲𝓻𝓲𝓷𝓰: mingi x reader

[previous][ⓕⓞⓤⓡⓣⓔⓔⓝ] [next]

            A couple weeks had passed ever since the two talked face to face, Yeeun was avoiding the male to her best ability and Mingi didn't seem to be bothered with it. In a way, the moon seemed to have granted Yeeun her wish. She felt much better now that Somin seemed to have finally decided to open up to her.

The two were sitting in the kitchen, eating the leftovers they had for lunch. ''I might have to go away for a week or two for work.'' Somin informed, chewing her food. That caught Yeeun off guard, but a soft smile sat on her lips as she nodded slowly. ''I'll take care of the house, don't worry about that!'' Was her immediate reply. Somin snorted, rolling her eyes as she pointed at her friend with the spoon. ''I'm more worried about what that Mingi asshole has been doing to you than the house itself. You've been so quiet lately. Is everything okay?''

Considering the rocky friendship they held lately, Yeeun hasn't shared much of what was happening with her friend. Her teeth gently nibbled on her lips before she nodded slowly. ''Just some things here and there, but it comes with the job.'' Her spoon was shoved into her mouth to keep her from talking too much seeing she didn't want to acknowledge how that kiss bothered her, especially not when Somin had just gotten around to talk to her again.

''Alright, but please tell me if anything happens. I will gladly find where he lives and set him on fire.'' She declared, cheerfully showing off a gummy smile that had Yeeun chuckle and nod slowly. The room went silent as the only thing that could be heard was the chewing both were busy with but soon, the doorbell interrupted them. ''Oooooh, could it be your boyfriend?'' The female teased, getting up and rushing to the door only earning a snort from Yeeun who followed her to the door.

Somin froze as in front of her stood a man Yeeun had never seen. His eyes looked scary. Yeeun immediately stepped in front of her friend, scared it was someone that would harm her. ''Who are you?'' She asked, pushing Somin further into the house just for the male to show off a friendly smile.

''Wooyoung. I'm here to pick my girlfriend up, can I?'' Yeeun frowned, looking back at her friend who smiled at her, nodding slowly. ''I didn't plan on you two meeting like this, but I guess that's how we're doing it.'' Her tight smile was displayed towards the male who simply smiled with a much friendlier expression as if her tone didn't sound threatening.

''You have a boyfriend?'' Yeeun blurted out, frowning as she was confused seeing the female said just a couple weeks ago, she was talking to Yunho. The looks exchanged between the two, however, gave away that something wasn't quite right. ''Sorry I didn't tell you earlier. It...happened recently.'' Wooyoung's smile continued to balance amusedly from cheek to cheek as Yeeun's eyes flew between him and her friend as if she was watching a tennis match. ''Right.'' She whispered, stepping away from the door and making her way back to the kitchen. She had a sinking feeling in her stomach, making her feel less comfortable and more worried about the situation – she felt this was the time she needed to step in and help her friend but at the same time, had no idea what to do. She sat back down and watched as the two of them conversed by the door, quietly. Wooyoung seemed far too amused, from time to time lifting his gaze to Yeeun and sending her a soft smile.

Her friend ended up leaving with Wooyoung who made sure to let Yeeun know it was a pleasure to finally meet her. She nodded slowly, now adding another item to her daily list of worries. Somin seemed to be too busy lately, keeping things from her but she couldn't hold such things against her friend as she herself was holding a couple secrets.

One of which, had her phone ringing. With a soft sigh, she moved to the room to pick up her phone and answer the call. Her lips pursed slightly as information was handed off to her. She would be taking a couple weeks off work, as per request of the queen. Her heart raced as all the worries she had pushed to the back of her head the past weeks have come crashing down on her – the queen was requesting time off her job. She reluctantly agreed, knowing there was no way she could ever say no to such thing seeing she was buried to her chin in the mess the prince created.

The rest of the information Mingi provided her had her feel dizzy. ''Alright.'' Was her only answer. The line fell quiet from both sides. The male seemed to be stalling; he seemed to ask something else but Yeeun beat him to it. "I'll meet you at your house, after lunch is that okay?'' And upon hearing his agreement, she ended the call. It was weird to her, how they didn't speak for two weeks but it was even more weird that she was packaging for what they called royal business.

She had managed to put together a few outfits, along with her essentials before she decided to shower. The house was pretty clean; thus, she just made sure to wash the dishes and get the trash out before leaving.

Before she knew it, she had made her way to the male's house and was ringing his bell. She was not surprised when Yunho came to answer the door – it almost had her question why Mingi didn't tell the queen he'd rather date his best friend than marry princess Lee. In fact, that would be more plausible than whatever they had going on. Yunho welcomed her with a knowing smile, having her look at him confused.

"Welcome, Mingi is just finishing packing something, and we'll be leaving in a couple hours so make yourself comfortable.'' His voice sang. "What's the occasion?'' She finally asked the question she wanted to ask Mingi, but she could barely even put up a full sentence ever since their last encounter. Yunho pursed his lips for a couple moments before crossing his arms. "The queen and the king are celebrating their wedding anniversary. Usually, they invite a few guests to spend a week or two in a place of their choice. This time they had Mingi pick since... you're around.'' He truthfully answered, taking a seat on the couch and patting the cushion to his left.

Yeeun sank in it, nodding her head slowly as her eyes sat on the wall, as if the white paint had something interesting for her to discover. The male let out a soft chuckle, noticing how weird she was acting. "So, did you two make up yet after making out?'' He cooed, earning a quick glare from the female who pushed his side firmly. That earned her a loud yet painful chuckle. "I'm just asking, Mingi won't say a thing...I'm invested.''

"We didn't make out, first of all.'' She pointed out, rolling her eyes and leaning back on the couch. "And there's nothing to make up for.'' She finished, releasing a loud sigh as her eyes sat on the bag she had brought with her. She swallowed before speaking again. "I was having a bad day and I kind of wasn't thinking straight but I figured he wouldn't want to talk about it, anyway. There's nothing to talk about.''

Yunho's head nodded as he heard her explanation, lips pursing for a couple seconds only for him to hum. "Right...right, nothing to talk about. Clearly.'' The last word came out as a chuckle, but the male quickly busied himself with his phone, as both waited for the prince.

Both their eyes ripped away from whatever was distracting them when Mingi made his way into the living room. He stopped, eyeing both his friends before blinking. "What's wrong?'' He asked in a soft whisper only to earn a shrug from both. He rolled his eyes and made his way to the kitchen, searching for anything that would keep him distracted. Truth was, even though everything had happened two weeks ago, his mind was still thinking back to the moment they kissed. He couldn't get it off his head and upon confiding it to Yunho, he got the answer he thought was unreasonable – there was a fondness growing in him, when it came to Yeeun. But he rebutted that saying the moment just called for it – be it because of the guards or because of the way Yeeun seemed so hurt and in need of comfort.

Despite having said that to his friend, he could tell his heart beat differently now and his brain thought of her far too often for it to just be a small case of infatuation, as he previously told Yunho. Yunho, whose eyes were on his phone, clearly had taken a mental note of his friend's actions. He was nervous, uneasy and unsure how to even start the conversation he desperately wanted to start with the female. That much was obvious.

"Did you check the room setup?'' Yunho called out loud, trying to help with the situation but still not lifting his head from the phone. Yeeun on the other hand, peeked over at Yunho and then at Mingi who had come back from the kitchen, holding a half empty glass of water. "I did. My parents are staying in the suite, obviously. Then there's two rooms left, seeing they're inviting more people.'' He commented, breathing out heavily only to raise a brow at the way Yunho's head whipped towards him, another large smile plastered in his features.

"Two, you said?'' He hummed, amusedly peeking at Yeeun before eyeing his friend and wiggling his brows playfully. Mingi raised a brow, unsure of what Yunho was even going on about. "Oh, come on. I'm keeping a room for myself, I can't believe.'' He finally concluded his thought having Yeeun's eyes grow wide as the panic settled in. Sure, it was obvious they would have to sleep in the same room, but she hadn't put that information together just yet. And on top of that, she still felt embarrassed about their last meeting. Her head slowly turned to the prince whose lips were tucked between his teeth. To Yunho, the reactions were priceless. He was quite happy about the idea of having a huge room for himself, even though his room at home was larger than the one he would be staying in.

"This is going to be a long week.'' He stated, watching Mingi turn his back on them; the teasing didn't go as expected for either and he was disappointed for that as he expected at least one of them to smack him with the closest pillow or tell him he was imagining things too far. "Good thing there's a Yunho for the both of you, honestly.''

The awkwardness made time tick by slower but soon, they had managed to pack everything into the prince's car. "I'm shotgun!'' Yunho spoke loudly, making his way out the house, leaving the female dumbfounded. Did he really think she wanted to be next to Mingi at that moment? She only wanted to bury herself in a deep hole if anything. Without making a fuss, she climbed into one of the back seats, easily buckling her seatbelt and looking out the window only to fall asleep in the first fifteen minutes.

"So, how are we going about this?" Yunho's voice sounded. Mingi's eyes sat on the rearview mirror, checking to see if the female was still asleep before focusing back on the road. The prince took a moment to think, just to breathe out a long breath. "I don't think they're going to sell the idea of marriage just yet – first, it's their anniversary, and second they're just now getting to be in the same setting as her and me.'' He started, gulping down before biting his bottom lip as he took a turn. "But I'm fairly worried that she has something up her sleeve. You know my mom.'' Those last words felt heavy on both the male's chests. A knowing nod came from Yunho. He agreed something was off about this whole situation – as much as it was the queen and king's anniversary, it was weird that Mingi was the one picking the location, it was weird Yeeun was invited and the worse of all, was the fact they had no idea who else was tagging along. Usually, they were made aware of the guests. That meant one of two things; Princess Lee would be there to torment them for both weeks or, something else was up his mother's sleeve.

The drive lasted thirty more minutes, seeing the male parked the car by a dirt road, eyeing Yunho. "Switch with her, my mother will find it weird if she's on the back." Mingi spoke, earning a chuckle from his best friend who gave him a small nod, moving to the back seats to gently wake the female up. Yeeun squint her eyes open, looking around just to yawn and stretch. Yunho indicated she would have to move up to the front seat having her become tense and wide awake. Mingi was looking everywhere but at her.

Hesitantly, she made her way to the front seat, heart racing as she closed the door. Yunho leaned forward, taking his friend's hand and Yeeun's before joining them and grinning. "A couple." He spoke, leaning back before getting comfortable in the back seat. With a nod, Mingi let go of her hand to shift the gear and continue driving, holding his hand out afterwards. Yeeun hesitantly took it, puffing her cheeks when his fingers slid in hers. That was awkward given their last interaction but the moment called for it, or at least that's how she justified such in her mind.

Not too long after, they arrived to two huge gates that opened for them. He was quick to find a parking spot within the small welcoming area presented to them. They had gone through the main garden, finding a parking lot to the left. A couple cars were already parked, indicating them they were not the first to arrive. "Showtime." Yunho sang, getting out of the car before the couple that stayed behind, watching him walk up to what seemed to be a butler and couple maids.

Mingi's eyes trailed to his right, finding Yeeun was still tense. "It's all good, if anything they'll be more busy impressing and entertaining the guests than putting us in the spotlight. Let's go." He blurted out, finally letting go of her hand just to get out of the car and move to open the door she came out of. His hand was quick to find hers as he guided her in, following after Yunho.

They were welcomed by a grand wall, illuminated by a thousand different lights. Yeeun's eyes sat on the ceiling, wondering how something could be so broad and tall yet sparkle so much. She smiled softly, taking in the sight only to explore the rest of the surroundings – a huge staircase stood in front of them, in which Yunho was already posing. A soft chuckle left her lips, earning Mingi's attention. A small smile set on his lips as he too, relaxed feeling she wasn't as tense and nervous as before.

The trio had decided to check out their bedrooms, staring with Yunho's and later on, moving on to the one Yeeun and Mingi would be sharing. To Yeeun's relief, it was large, larger than her apartment. It gave her enough space to avoid the clear feelings growing between them.

"How about we go explore the outside, by the way? Mingi picked this because you like the beach and it's pretty close by!" Yunho suddenly spoke, waking the female up from her daze. She looked at both males and smiled, nodding in response. And just like that, they decided that interacting with the royal family and the guests could be a problem for later.

As they made their way downstairs, they found the queen, smiling at the three of them. This time, Mingi's hand was placed on the bottom of Yeeun's back, allowing her to understand he was right there. However, the queen took no interest in such thing. "You made it, I'm so excited for you to meet my guests." The older woman spoke to Yeeun who slightly bowed her head, confused with the tone that was being used on her. Mingi's brow raised, wondering if that meant his suspicions of Princess Lee being around were true. The queen's eyes narrowed as the three stood in front of her "Are you going anywhere?"

"I'm taking Yeeun down to the beach, I told you that's why I picked this location." Mingi simply answered, now allowing his arm to slide to the left, bringing the female closer to him by wrapping it around her waist. The queen smiled, nodding "Very well, please be sure to be on time for dinner, I expect everyone to be around by then." The way those words fell from her lips had an uneasy feeling grow on the male's chest. Yeeun on the other hand, simply nodded and smiled.

"You mom is definitely up to something." Were the first words Yeeun heard when they stepped into the car in the same disposition as before. Mingi snorted, rolling his eyes. "You think?" Was the response that flew off his lips. Yeeun's eyes sat on the mansion they were in just a couple moments ago, watching the queen stand by the door, waving and smiling ever so lovingly at her son who drove the car away. In that moment, she felt her stomach sinking, as if the rug had been pulled from under her feet. It was like falling into uncertainty and that had her scared. Just what did she get herself into? The rest of the car ride was a blur for her as she could only focus on the small interaction she had with the queen and the tone she used.

"Yeeun, you coming or what?" Mingi spoke, having her finally wake up and look around. She realized the car was parked right by the beach. Both Mingi and Yunho were outside, waiting for her. She quickly got out of the car and peeked at both of them. Yunho chuckled. "You okay, there?" He asked, ruffling her hair before peeking at Mingi. "I say we get some ice cream. Though Yeeun seems really out of it. Do you want to just wait here while we get the ice cream?" Her head bobbed as she managed to understand the bit he was speaking. She had no idea why she was so out of it but everything felt so foreign to her that she had no idea what she should be focusing on, anymore. "Okay, stay here, we'll take max ten minutes." He informed.

The female sat on the hood of the car, peeking quietly at the ocean. She wasn't sure if Mingi would mind that but at the same time, her head was far too fogged and clouded with thoughts that she could deal with that later. Her mind was so focused on the current problems playing a big role in her life that she didn't even notice someone else was sitting by her side, in the hood of Mingi's car.

"Yeeun, right?" A voice sounded, waking her up from her thoughts. She turned her head to face the source of sound only to frown when she didn't recognize the person. A blonde, tall and slim female sat by her side, smiling brightly. This was something she would never get used to – people knowing who she was but her having no idea who they were and that scared her. She tried her best to understand who was sitting by her side but nothing seemed to be helping. That was, until the female lift her hand, and a familiar ring came in sight. Yeeun could feel her heart stopping for a couple seconds, thoughts sinking in her brain as the next second her heart started pumping blood in an exaggerated pace. Her lips parted, not to speak but so she could breathe in properly as her eyes scanned the features of the female by her side. She could recognize them now. Her hand somehow ended up shaking the female's.

𝕓𝕣𝕠𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕣'𝕤 𝕓𝕖𝕤𝕥𝕗𝕣𝕚𝕖𝕟𝕕 𝕤𝕖𝕣𝕚𝕖𝕤 𝓰𝓮𝓷𝓻𝓮𝓼: slowburn, romance, fluff, can contain mature scenes 𝓼𝔂𝓷𝓸𝓹𝓼𝓲𝓼: Hongjoong’s best friend's sister is looking for a place to stay for a while, her brother ends up suggesting moving in with him and his best friend seeing she's considering settling down in the area. first few weeks are amazing, everything's going perfectly well. at some point, all Hongjoong does is avoid his best friend's sister like the plague. That is, until one day, where things drastically change and a new problem arises - how can they hide the relationship that's clearly blooming between them, from her brother who is also his best friend? 𝓹𝓪𝓲𝓻𝓲𝓷𝓰: hongjoong x reader

[ⓞⓝⓔ] [next]

“She would be staying for a few months, if you don’t mind.”

“Yeah, that’s fine by me.”

Never did Hongjoong think that phrase, would come to bite him in the ass. His lips were pressed together as he thought back to when Seonghwa had so gently asked him about allowing his sister to take the one bedroom in their shared apartment that was empty. He wasn’t against it; he didn’t care in fact. He had far too much going on in his life to even give a single minute of his life to understand it was a problem. Because to be fair, it really wasn’t.

Until now.

He had no idea when it happened, much less when he had started developing these feelings towards the female who by now played the main role in his life. He would never admit that, though. Because he avoided her like the plague. And he did a great job at that, too. To the point he had overheard her ask her brother if maybe Hongjoong wasn’t comfortable with her around. However, before Seonghwa could ask him if everything was okay, he had done what he was always great at – burying himself with work.

“Joong, can we talk?”

“I’m a bit busy, can it wait?” Was the go-to reply. And Seonghwa knew better than interrupting his friend mid work. So, he shrugged and agreed to leave him alone. He had wanted to tell him he was going to be away for a week but figured leaving him a note on his bedside table would be enough since his friend was far too busy working anyway.

Hongjoong would always get home late. Usually, he would make sure everyone was asleep before coming home so he could comfortably do what he had to do before bed. And that worked out for a couple of months.

Until one day.

It was vastly past midnight. Hongjoong had carefully punched the code in the door, shutting his eyes firmly as the noise it made to unlock was a bit too loud to his liking. He peeked his head in, making sure nobody was around. The lights were all off. “Great!” he thought. He quietly made his way in, placing his stuff by the door before detouring to the kitchen – he was hungry. His eyes quickly scanned the fridge, a warm smile resting on his lips as he saw a dish with plastic wrap on it. He had concluded Seonghwa was cooking extra for him out of worry as every time he got home, there was something new waiting for him in the fridge.

Hongjoong had managed to sit down and was about to take the first bite of the food he had just heated when the front door suddenly slammed open. His heart immediately responded to that sound – first, it was loud and echoed in the house; he thought the worse...someone was breaking in. But then, then came her delicate frame, waddling slide to side as the door slammed shut and suddenly, his heart wasn’t racing because the noise scared him but because he could see her. He panicked, looking around somewhere to hide as the kitchen had a direct window peeking into the entrance of the apartment, something Seonghwa insisted was great and Hongjoong was now second guessing. His breath got caught in his lungs as he continued to panic before hearing a loud thump. His rigid body turned to find nothing but the darkness. She was nowhere to be seen. It took him a moment to process what could’ve happened. One, he was hallucinating with how much he had overworked himself. Two, she actually vanished into a hole that somehow magically appeared and swallowed her alive. Three, she fell to the floor.

Nervously, he bit his bottom lip and considered the three options. All but two were stupid and he could almost take his chances guessing which one made sense. Cursing under his breath, he made his way to the door, peeking his head out to find his best friend’s sister sprawled on the floor. His lips parted in disbelief. It was like she was napping. He pondered leaving her there and pretending he didn’t hear her – maybe eat dinner and rush to his room. He really pondered it but the more he thought about it, the worse it got. Seonghwa would ask questions, he was sure. And between admitting he has a tiny – maybe not that tiny crush – on her and panicked or actually explaining how she got a bruise on her cheek, he would rather explain why her cheek was adorned with a different color.

Grunting, he decided against his first thought and made his way up to her, gently shaking her shoulder to make sure she was conscious. “Hayoung…” he whispered softly under his breath, shaking her once again only to hear a quiet grunt. Then it hit him; the very strong alcohol scent coming from her. She was drunk. “Oh, fuck’s sake.” He whispered, allowing a long sigh to escape his pair as he proceeded to roll her over and bring her to sit down. His knee resting behind her, making sure she didn’t slip as his hand gently delivered small slaps to her cheek, to wake her up. “Hayoung, can you hear me?” he continued to try and get her to respond to him, still hoping Seonghwa wouldn’t wake up – except, he had no idea his friend was not home.

Her head fell forward, balancing side to side which made the situation far more comical – not for him, obviously. He was panicking. His hands brought her head back up as he now grew worried something had happened to her. He was about to reach for his phone when he saw her open her eyes and squint at him. She couldn’t see him fully well and it took her a moment to understand it was him that stood in front of her, close enough for her to be able to sniff his scent. “It’s Hongjoong!” She called out, a smile spreading to her face as she threw her hands up. He was baffled. How in the hell was her body lethargic yet, could she do such move? It didn’t last long though, both her arms fell back down as she leaned forward, bumping her head on his shoulder. A grunt flew off her pair. “I don’t feel so good.” She managed to blurt out through very slurred mumbles.

“We need to get you to bed.” He said, sighing as he brought her arms around his neck, knowing very well those wouldn’t hold due to her state. Still, the way her warm body rested on his had him hyperaware, his body was on fire as he could only feel goosebumps riding up his back. He swallowed thickly, his breath shaking as he tried his best to pull his mind out of the gutter. He had managed to pick her up, keeping her glued to him. Her breath fanning against his neck in small blows as she slipped in and out of consciousness – just how much did she drink?

His brain was split for a moment – he had never entered her room, and it felt wrong to do so when she was in this state…what if he saw something that would make her feel embarrassed? Deciding against his better judgment, he took her to his room, swallowing down as he carefully placed her on his bed. His heart was hammering by now. He made sure she was safely lying on his bed before, with shaky hands, removing her shoes and jacket.

Oh, he was not sleeping tonight.

Her lips kept muttering something as she slept, dragging his attention to her features again only for his heart to spike up again when he realized she was mumbling his name and suddenly, his mind went back to a few months prior.

He could remember vividly the way her lips felt against his, and the taste in her tongue, the strong alcohol they both had consumed leading them to have little to no awareness or better judgment over the situation. He could still feel the way his fingertips dragged against her skin, exploring every inch he had been dying to touch and clearly couldn’t sober. And those memories were slowly coming back.

At first, they were small flashes here and there, making him wonder if maybe he had just gone crazy from how much he had worked but as the days went by, he started getting very clear views of it. And he cursed under his breath because he had realized he had slept with his best friend’s sister. Not only did he do such thing, but he left her behind. And it was all because of that stupid party he swore never to join again.

Hongjoong swallowed loudly as he took a seat by the bed, heart racing firmly against his chest as he dove into the memories again. The night had started just fine, Seonghwa was with him, having a couple drinks at the bar. His sister joined them; the conversation was going just fine. Then came whoever the hell it was her friend that – in the moment – seemed cool as hell, suggesting shots and what not. However, thanks to that little caving in to alcohol, things took a wild turn. He had no idea when he had lost Seonghwa in the crowd, but he could barely make out his silhouette on the dance floor, with someone random. That seemed funny because his friend was as uptight as he was. And that was honestly a sight to see, considering Seonghwa was not usually into a one-time thing, he dove into long-term connections but maybe the drinks had loosened them all up that night. Whatever it was, happened once in a blue moon and Hongjoong was here for it. He was chuckling, at some point raising his shot glass to his friend, though he barely remembered how many he had already taken.

Then, another shot was suggested to him, but this time, by his best friend’s sister who insisted she didn’t want to drink alone. Being the gentleman, he was, and quite frankly, as gone as he was in that moment, he drowned another shot. And after that came another, and another. And then suddenly? Her friend? Gone. The bar? Gone. The alcohol? Gone. All that stood with him was Hayoung. At some point, he remembered she asked him to accompany her to the bathroom, and thus, he was stumbling towards it, remembering nothing about the night. All he recalled was Hayoung’s arm on his shoulder as she too, stumbled with him.

“You’re kinda cute.” She chuckled, clearly drunk, slurring her words. The music had since gone quieter, even if they spoke loudly, through barely understandable words. He remembers stopping, looking at her through half lidded eyes and displaying a smile at her, taking the chance to compliment her back. After that? Their lips crashed together, hungrily like their lives depended on it. There was not much he remembered after that other than somehow getting a taxi and managing to make it to her friend’s place, which was, according to her, closer. And it really was because the ride was short.

He could only recall the panic he woke up to the next morning when he found himself naked, in a room he didn’t know, with someone’s arms draped over him. So, he did the only logical thing he could think of back then: running away.

He didn’t care to check who he had slept with, honestly, he felt bad enough knowing he had probably abandoned his best friend and his sister who was still getting to know the town. She had been with them for barely even a month, had made a friend and he could only feel anxious thinking he had abandoned her for her mercy. If only he had looked to his side. All he was concerned at that moment with was finding out the girl’s whereabouts, if she was safe and relief washed over him when she got home a couple of hours later than he did. Nobody ever mentioned that incident again – Seonghwa didn’t need to know his friend thought he abandoned her. And thought was a funny word because it didn’t translate to reality.

And to be fair, the memories only came back a few days later. Then, the thought had become a reality. He got anxious, understand what he had done. When he couldn’t fix what he had done. Only then did he realize who he had slept with.

He had by then realized he had slept with his best friend’s sister. And the horror! How could he? His best friend would never, ever forgive him. Or so he thought. Because, in Seonghwa’s mind, she was grown enough to decide what she wanted to do with her life, even if the thought of her with his best friend never really crossed his mind. Ever since that day, his heart started beating differently when he looked at her, he felt anxious Seonghwa would discover and lose his trust in him. He didn’t mean to – maybe he did – but he wouldn’t act on his feelings behind his friend’s back. Never. Or would he?

And that’s how this whole situation started.

Back to the present, his eyes carefully scanned her features, watching her attentively for a moment. “I really hope you didn’t make the same mistake we did, because…on God, I’ll chase that bastard down.” He muttered under his breath, realizing just how hypocritical of him that was. He had been with her for a night and abandoned her, so why wouldn’t anyone else be allowed to? Calling it a mistake maybe was a bit overboard but he didn’t know up to what point she wanted such thing to happen to him and just that thought alone had set his mind in eternal chaos. He avoided her to his best ability, reasoning with himself that it was logical he had to give so much of him to work. Not to avoid her, pft, of course not. It was for his own good. Yeah, that was it. He kept telling himself that lie because owing to what he had done was far scarier than pretending it never happened. She probably didn’t even remember, because she never brought it up. Not like he allowed her to, either. That subject had become a taboo in his mind.

“Fuck’s sake.” He whispered under his breath, gently stroking the redness on her cheek with his thumb, understanding tomorrow it would most likely be purple-ish. Just how did she allow herself to drink that much? And why didn’t she call him to pick her up? To be fair, he had no idea if she recalled what happened that night, but anything was better than facing her and asking about it. Anything. Even avoiding her. And up to an extent, he did understand why she wouldn’t call him – if they counted the days they got along before that incident, maybe they had known each other for a month. Barely a month. So, it made sense why she wouldn’t call him. He made it clear to her he didn’t intend on being her friend, or anything of the sort.

His thumb unconsciously moved to her lips, gently stroking them before he caught himself leaning closer to her. His body immediately went rigid and he got up. No, not again. He shouldn’t, he couldn’t and he definitely wouldn’t. He was quick to get out of his room, closing the door behind him just to gulp down a bit of saliva, heart bumping his ribcage firmly as if it was trying to rip out of his chest. He was fucked.

When he closed his eyes, he could clearly see the images he tried so hard to forget, her so close to him, leaning in to kiss him. He could recall the way her lips tasted, the way she always smelled so sweet thanks to whatever perfume Seonghwa gifted her – she commented on that once before the whole ordeal went down. And so, his only task was; being awake. He refused to sleep.

And so, he moved to the kitchen, finishing off the dinner where he left it at before washing the dishes and sinking into the couch. He would inevitably have to deal with her in the morning. But that was a problem for the morning. For now, he turned on the tv as quietly as possible and stared blankly into the screen until he passed out on the couch.

The morning came, and with it, Hayoung had gotten up. She didn’t recognize the room, and for a moment that scared her. Her first instinct was to check for her clothes as she had woken up naked before. And she could barely remember anything about that night. Maybe her brain blocked the memories out to save her from embarrassment. Either way, she never tried recalling those, seeing waking up in her friend’s house, naked was embarrassing enough.

She sat up slowly, grunting loudly as her face was covered by her hands that quickly flew there to aid with the headache – as if that would make things better. It took her a while to realize she was in her apartment, or better, the one she shared with her brother and his best friend. Just not in her room. The frame hanging on the wall with her brother and his best friend smiling ear to ear gave away whose room it belonged to. Because she knew her brother’s room, the only one she hadn’t entered was Hongjoong’s.

Nervously, she got up from the bed, peeking around to find her shoes lying neatly by the end of the bed and the jacket she had had last night, sitting on top of the bed. She could tell that meant Hongjoong had taken care of her the pervious night. Her hands reached for her belongings, quietly stepping out of his room as she still didn’t understand how the hell, she ended up there.

She passed by the living room successfully, realizing he was asleep on the couch which made her understand he had indeed taken her to his room the day before but she couldn’t fully remember what happened as all she remembered was having drinks with her friends since she knew her brother would be away for a week. Quite frankly, she just wanted to have fun. She was almost successful in getting to her room, had her shoe not fallen from her hand and started a whole orchestra. She stood still, hoping it didn’t wake him up, but he was a light sleeper, she knew about that. He had told her back when he talked to her.

“You’re up…” his voice cut through the silence while she still hoped he would have stayed asleep. It was like all odds were against her at this point. She cursed under her breath, her head still banging from the drinks she had the previous day as she turned around. “Yeah…sorry I woke you up.” She muttered softly, showing him a tight smile.

He had gotten up, far too quickly to her liking. In fact, before she could tell him she was going back to her room, he was in front of her, hand resting on her cheek, stroking it. And she was mesmerized by it. By the closeness, by his looks, by the way her heart raced from the smallest bit of his touch. And suddenly the headache wasn’t troublesome anymore. Her biggest concern was now understanding what the hell he was saying because her brain had fully quit on her.

“It’s definitely going to bruise; we need to take care of this. Do you feel okay?”

𝓰𝓮𝓷𝓻𝓮𝓼: fluff, drama, exes to lovers 𝓼𝔂𝓷𝓸𝓹𝓼𝓲𝓼: "Always on the runaway, I see." When misunderstandings happen and one is seen as the coward, always running away from the responsibilities, how can things work themselves out? When the people who stand by your side may not be fully on your side, how do you move on? 𝓹𝓪𝓲𝓻𝓲𝓷𝓰: san x reader

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Saying San’s brain was frying with all these developments was an understatement. He was on the fence about Yeosang’s words from the night before; he didn’t know what to believe. The sudden straightforwardness of his friend, begging for mercy amidst the discoveries he was making about himself? Something wasn’t making sense. Why did it sound like he betrayed him in more ways than he could count? Everything he knew had been erased from his brain; sometimes he’d get a few images in his mind, small memories that would help him regain a bit of confidence in the persona he had built for four years. But he knew a big chunk of his life was missing.

He was ready to discover everything everyone tried to cover up and the fact he only now managed to send Park the information he needed to launch an investigation sent him into a frenzy. He had to hold on. He had to be patient. He had to understand these things took time and quite frankly, for someone who waited four years to get back a tiny portion of his life, what were a couple more days?

“My love, we need to start thinking about getting you a wife.” His mother spoke as they gathered around the table for breakfast. San’s eyes sat on his plate, nose scrunching as for a moment he thought he could stand up against his mother. His eyes lifted, soft as ever to deliver the blow she was not ready for – after all, he had been very obedient, up until now. But he wasn’t ready to let go of the part of his life he didn’t know about yet. He felt there was something he needed to know before moving forward and clearly, was done playing the perfect son part.

 “I have yet to get back more than half my life back, mom. Can’t that wait a bit longer?” His voice broke the chaos in that room. His mother’s features were covered in nothing but betrayal as this was not what she pictured – she had worked so hard for him to get back on track with his life, she had made sure he followed the path she oh so carefully laid out for him. She worked hard to erase the part of his past she deemed not fitting for him so why was he fighting so hard against them?

“San, the part you don’t remember isn’t important.” His father warned with his tone stern as he glared at his son whose head followed his father’s voice to land on his features. He was conflicted. He wanted to avoid these fights, but he knew, something in him told him that there was something he needed to get back, something his parents weren’t willing to accept.

“Why? Why isn’t it suddenly important?” He raised his voice, Yeosang’s body was rigid by his side as he didn’t know how to react, especially when San had burst into tears. He froze for a couple seconds before peeking at the parents, his gaze begging for mercy, just to come back to his friend when he started speaking, through sobs.

“I don’t know who I am. I don’t know who half the people around me are. I just want to get to know myself. This is unfair. I’ve done everything…everything everyone else wanted so why can’t you respect what I want for once?” He continued, breaking out into louder sobs that could be heard throughout the room.

His parents stopped, watching their son with concerned eyes as their very next move was look at Yeosang for answers – what was San trying to remember? He probably knew. But Yeosang responded with a frown. Part of him was fighting the need to fully expose the situation to his parents – San had suffered enough and Yeosang knew, he just knew that if there was the slightest chance he remembered his life before the accident…he wouldn’t be part of San’s life anymore. But even so, that would be better than keep lying to his friend. The friend he always cared so much for. The friend he saw like a brother. The friend he had dragged down into this mess. And maybe…just maybe he would consider this new act as his redemption, and accept him back into his life.

“Mr. and Mrs. Choi, allow me to take San out today. He needs a break. He’s been through a lot of stress lately and I think it will do him some good. Please.” His last word was nothing but a whisper as he attended to his friend – his hand gently rubbed San’s back, soothing him down as his sobs had gone quiet.

That was how Yeosang got him out of the house that day. Under the excuse of calming him down. The trust he had built with his parents had granted him this opportunity that he was willing to make the most of, for his friend. Even if he was shaking with all the consequences that could come back and bite him in the ass.

A call woke Wooyoung up that morning. He had fallen asleep with his niece in his arms as he refused to be alone. Sohee was very against that idea, saying her daughter needed to sleep in her own bed, but after what seemed like an eternity fighting her brother, she ended up giving up and allowing him to take her to his room. She was tired enough and she could definitely tell he was distressed.

His eyes were quick to adjust to the surroundings as he reached for the phone on his bedside table, quietly answering it to make sure his niece didn’t wake up. As he sat up on the bed, he watched the little one cuddling her teddy bear, the one he clearly remembered San had gifted his sister somewhere along the way. As he pressed the phone against his ear, he pressed a kiss on her head, allowing whoever it was in the other end of the line to speak.

“I got a hit.”

Those words were enough to take his breath away and make him wide awake first thing in the morning. It took him a bit to register what he was being told and consequently translate it into words he could understand as suddenly his heart started beating faster than he could take.

“I’ll be there, in an hour.” Was all he said before he hung up the call. His hands were shaking with fear and excitement mixed with a sinking anxious feeling as he realized he was never this close to the truth. He remembered looking for San everywhere for God knows how long, until his sister got tired and decided to give up. In fact, what she told him yesterday made sense – she didn’t want him to look for her lover and was the first to give up on it because Wooyoung was digging around. She didn’t want him hurt, and that made his heart ache. He could only imagine how much pain she was in all those years, having to pick between her lover – the father of her child – and her brother.

“I’ll bring your dad home, Sooyoung. That’s a promise.” He muttered, leaning back down to kiss the little one’s head gently as he proceeded to watch her sleep just a little longer. He loved his niece to bits and saw red when she got hurt because he couldn’t understand how anyone, anyone at all was willing to hurt the little precious princess she was. Including his parents, who withheld information from him and Sohee, as well. He had concluded that, not too far into the second year San went missing. From the way they constantly argued with Sohee over Sooyoung, the fact nobody would want to marry a woman who had made such a stupid decision such as to bear a child whose father went missing. And clearly nobody would want to get involved with someone whose daughter was the cause of their family doom. Because everyone around them knew Sohee and San’s families didn’t get along so what would they say when they knew about the kid, they had together?

But Sohee always took it all quietly. Barely leaned on Wooyoung and always made sure to be the best mother to her daughter possible. She was a shield, a quiet shield that protected both her daughter and her brother. And for a moment, he wondered just how horrible those years must’ve been for her. He knew she heard the comments here and there, he knew she carried the burden of the whole situation in her back – and hearing her tell him these extra details made him realize how she was the one protecting them from a bigger heartbreak.

To look into her child’s face and see whom she once sought comfort every day, just to have him vanish without a trace. To the threats she got, and he never fully knew about because she built a wall around her and let nobody though, not even him. Wooyoung felt heavy, knowing all of this could’ve been avoided.

“Everything will be alright, my princess. Uncle Woo promises to mend our family. And uncle doesn’t break our pinky promises.” He whispered softly, gently wiggling his pinky into hers, smiling as he watched her still deep asleep, holding the teddy to her chest as her pinky draped around his, unconsciously.

Thirty minutes later, the little one was stirring awake, calling out softly for her uncle who she knew had fallen asleep by her side but was nowhere to be found. He had gone to freshen up, but hearing her voice had him come back into the room. And she called him again, just to find him flying to her side and proceed to pepper kisses all over her face. That was exactly the sound Sohee woke up to; her daughter giggling loudly as she got attacked with kisses. She could hear it from the other side of the wall, as her room was adjacent to her brother’s.

Out of the million and one things happening in her life, this was the one she was thankful for. Waking up to her daughter’s laughter, to her happiness, to her being a loved child. That’s the only way she felt she filled her duty as a mother. As for pain, her own was enough. Sohee sat up in her bed, taking in the surroundings only to frown as over the years, her room had gotten bigger, only helping the emptiness that grew inside of her. Her eyes quietly landed on the bracelet sitting on her wrist, a quiet sigh escaping her pair as she gently traced it, recalling vividly the day she was gifted such piece.

She closed her eyes, the memory sitting fondly in her chest as she recalled the spring day this happened in. The sky was clear, and she had stepped out to meet San, secretly. Both their parents had warned them they were not fit for one another but neither cared. Neither cared for status or wealth, in fact, they thought they could take the world together if only the world wasn’t so cruel to them who just wanted to love one another.

She found herself sitting in a picnic blanket, a basket full of food to her right and a huge lake a few meters away from them as to her left, sat San clearly excited about something. He had a way of making her feel warm on the inside with how the simplest things made him happy.

“Here.” He whispered, gently placing a squared wooden box in her skirt, eyes sparkling with joy as he waited for her to open the box. She quirked a brow quietly, only for her features to soften as she saw how excited he was. Sohee shook her head slowly, ending up smiling as her hand lift off the lid, to present a silver bracelet. Her lips parted in surprise as for a moment she admired the piece of jewelry, carefully taking it out of the cage it was in to analyze it.

“Where did you get this?” her quiet voice asked as she noticed the small details protruding out of the main chain. As she admired them, San chuckled and quickly responded. “Oh, I stole it.” Her head snapped up to him as quickly as she could, her one love filled gaze now displaying panic only to watch him fall into a fit of laughter, dimples in full display as his eyes vanished – he was pulling her leg. She glared at him for a moment only to find herself smiling at his playful demeanor…even if it gave her a small heart attack.

“You’re an idiot.” She muttered under her breath, going back to smiling fondly as she looked back at the bracelet, only to hear his laughter die down as he scooched closer to her. “I got my first paycheck, and I wanted to spend it on you.” He sighed happily, leaning closer to nuzzle his nose against her cheek as another smile ripped his lips. His pair gently placed a kiss on her cheek before he spoke again. “So, when you miss me, you can always look at that and remember me. I’ll always be there, holding your hand…your wrist in this case.” And never did she know those words would become a reality so many years later when they were forced apart. But, in that moment, all she could do was bring him into her tight embrace and thank him.

“Mommy!” her daughter’s voice brought her back to reality. Sohee’s head turned to her left, the eyes that were once focused on the bracelet now emanated the overbearing love she felt for her daughter as she woke up from the fond memory. “Mommy why are you crying?” the little one frowned, climbing on the bed after placing the teddy bear in her mother’s lap. Sohee was quick to wipe her tears, unsure when they had started rolling down her eyes. She wasn’t even aware she was crying.

“Mr. Snouts is a good hugger, mama. Do you feel sad? Do you need Soo’s love?” The little girl asked, managing to take a seat in her mother’s lap only to crash gently against her chest as her mother’s embrace brought her closer. “I’m okay baby, I just missed you and Mr. Snouts so much…your uncle hogged you the whole night.” She muttered playfully only to realize her brother stood by the door, watching the scene with a mist of worry and fondness.

“That’s okay, I can sleep with you tonight!” she called out cheerfully, earning a quiet chuckle from both, her mother and her uncle who knew she was making the most out of the situation. “Sounds good, baby, tonight you sleep with mommy, yeah?”

“Yeah!” she grinned, snuggling into her mother’s chest before peeking up at her, never letting go of her teddy bear. “Mama, Mr. Snouts is really hungry, can we go get breakfast?”

 The family collectively let out a quiet fit of laughter as the little girl really meant the world to them. She was adorable and always made sure their hearts were full. Without wasting another second. Sohee picked her princess up, bringing her out of her bed into the kitchen. Wooyoung joined and just like that, they started cooking breakfast together.

“I’m stepping out for a bit, I’ll be back later though, So.” Her brother informed, smiling as he watched their little princess chewing her food, busy trying to feed her teddy bear as well. Sohee watched her fondly, carefully combing her bangs out of her face as she gave her brother a small nod, letting him know she was listening.

“I think I’ll stay home with Soo today, we might step out for a walk but other than that…we’re staying home.” She informed, smiling as she wiped the corner of her daughter’s mouth before peeking up at her brother with a soft smile. He gave her a small nod, sighing a bit as he could clearly see the smile didn’t reach her eyes – this whole thing of seeing San is alive, out of their lives was taking a toll on her and he could tell.

“I’ll take you two out later for ice cream, when I’m back.” He had barely finished that phrase when he heard a squeal coming from his niece who looked at him with the same sparkles in her eyes Sohee had in her memories. “Ice cream? We’re getting ice cream, Uncle Woo?” she asked, looking at him and then at her mother excitedly only to see both adults nod. She giggled, turning to her teddy bear just to squeeze his snout with both hands and whispering. “Mr. Snouts, this is the best day of my life. I had pancakes, I’m sleeping with mama tonight and I’m getting ice cream!” she giggled, placing her forehead against the stuffed animal’s only to earn chuckles from both adults.

Wooyoung had left behind his sister and niece after breakfast. He had rushed to get ready, only throwing something simple on as he was meeting his friend at the police station. He had called for a favor after hearing San had been in an accident. Despite having tried to look for him through his friend back then, the information was somehow concealed and only now, after having pulled a few strings, had he managed to get a bit of that information.

“According to these, the driver was never identified.” Stated the voice reading off the police reports that were filled five years prior. Wooyoung’s head tilted to the side quietly as he gave a small nod to his friend. A sigh escaped his lips as he wondered just how far he could get with this. Now, however, he was aware there was a reason why San went missing. An accident. His brain started throwing hypothesis everywhere – when the accident happened, how and why. But nothing made sense.

Why would San vanish over an accident? Was it something intentional? Did someone benefit from it? His brain was trying to come up with the most logical explanation, but nothing seemed to make sense. Until he remembered what his sister had told him previously. His parents came to her. The timing was oddly off. How could they confirm their son was missing? Why specifically talk to her that day? Did they know where he was going? Something didn’t add up. He gulped down, wondering if there was the slightest chance his parents could be behind this. He knew, deep down, his parents were never fond of the relationship but up to what lengths would they take things to separate them? He gulped down.

The brown eyes belonging to the police officer sitting in front of Wooyoung analyzed the male’s expression. “I know that look.” He said, a smirk appearing on the side of his face before he gently shook the paper in his hand. Wooyoung’s gaze climbed from the papers to his friend’s face, offering him a small smile. “You have a suspect, don’t you?” he continued, watching Wooyoung nibble on his cheek.

back again with a question for you all;

i have the "main plot" ready for all the members, all stories will obviously be different and i've decided it makes sense to part them in different chapters as it takes me less time to update if i do it separately than if i did it in a one shot - and i feel that's how i write better, anyway.

so, my main question now is what member you'd like to see first? i'm honestly itching to write everything and continue to write the ones i'm currently updating but i'd like to see which ones would be of interest?

i'll leave the main plot in here so you can decide what you'd like to read first!

h o n g j o o n g

hongjoong's best friend's sister is looking for a place to stay for a while, her brother ends up suggesting moving in with him and his best friend seeing she's considering settling down in the area. first few weeks are amazing, everything's going perfectly well. at some point, all hongjoong does is avoid his best friend's sister like the plague. that is, until one day, where things drastically change and a new problem arises - how can they hide the relationship that's clearly blooming between them, from her brother who is also his best friend?

s e o n g h w a

seonghwa and his best friend's sister don't get along. the reason? he knows her dirty little secret which he clearly uses against her any time he gets to do so. her brother? has no idea. her luck in men is unmatched - bad relationship after bad relationship - and clearly seonghwa is here for it; he's living his best life knowing she's, in lack of better words, fucked up. that is, until one day where one of her boyfriends acts way out of line. in despair, she calls her brother, who doesn't pick up. with no other options left, and despite the clear hate the other guy displays for her, she ends up calling seonghwa who after undesrtanding the situation she's in, isn't exactly safe, ends up giving in and picking her up and it's during the ride home that things take a dramatic turn; both are caught off guard and end up unsure of how to face her brother.

y u n h o

the female had gone abroad for a few years, seeking stability in her life. after figuring out she's anywhere but where she wants to be, she comes back home. her brother asks yunho to pick her up from the airport, unaware of the story between the two of them. yunho agrees, albeit unprepaired to meet her again. he swears up and down to himself he's over her, and the way they left things off before she left was how things were going to stay. however, when they find each other back in each other's daily lives, feelings spark up again and their new worry is - how to break it to her brother?

y e o s a n g

yeosang had known his best friend his whole life and consequently, his sister as well. his best friend ended up moving away during college, leaving a clear task to yeosang - look after his sister - whom he didn't particularly care for. however, the years go by, yeosang ends up becoming a safe port to the female who inevitably develops feelings for him and before they know it, they end up dating. all is going great, until one day, her brother comes home and finds them far too close on the couch, leading to a long talk with both and one very straightforward demand: break up.

s a n

one night, while they're out partying, he ends up meeing a woman he can't get enough of - be it the way she so easily slides into conversation, the way she keeps it going, or the way she's ever so gentle with everyone around her. faith seems to be on his side, because he keeps meeting her again and again, and they end up becoming friends, developing feelings and ultimately becoming a couple as he finds out things about her nobody does. the holidays come around and they end up going to his best friend's house to celebrate as that year, he was spending it alone. when he was talking about his girlfriend to his best friend, - who never told him he had a sister - she comes downstairs, surprising san and herself who now wonder how the hell they can get themselves away from this situation.

m i n g i

best friend's sisters are always off limits. everyone knows that. and that's exactly how mingi finds himself in this situation he didn't mean to. and to be fair, he was doing a great job with it because him and his best friend's sister never really got along. they'd be civil but other than that, they barely interacted. at some point his best friend catches up to the situation and while he's not particularly against it, uses that as teasing material to which mingi responds with getting a girlfriend. everything is going great until one day his best friend gets into an accident and his best friend's sister leans on him to the point he understands the feelings are no longer what if's but what now's. he then, tries his best to avoid his feelings and so does the woman who actively avoids being around him after they allow their feelings to speak louder than words.

w o o y o u n g

wooyoung and his best friend had been together ever since the womb, or so said their parents. they were partners in crime and clearly each other's ride or die. he had helped his best friend through his parents' divorce and every other major event in his life. even when his step sister became a part of their lives - and he promised to antagonize her and her mother. that however, becomes an impossible task to go through when he finds himself falling in love with her who doesn't back down and spits it right back to his face. and now, he's torn between his best friend and his lover.

j o n g h o

jongho and his best friend's sister meet at a bar. one thing leads to the other and they end up in the same bed. they part ways, not thinking much of it until one day he shows up at her door step. both clearly shocked as none expected to see the other only for them to realize the situation they're in. the female is quick to avoid the situation until he proposes something she can't back out of - go behind her brother's back. and so they do, until her brother finds out and is more than pissed about it.

𝓰𝓮𝓷𝓻𝓮𝓼: fluff, drama, friends to lovers 𝓼𝔂𝓷𝓸𝓹𝓼𝓲𝓼: siah finds herself tangled in deep trouble - between choosing friendship or love, betrayal or following her own heart as she finds herself falling deeper for jongho who happens to be no other than her best friend's crush. 𝓹𝓪𝓲𝓻𝓲𝓷𝓰: jongho x reader

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Siah’s breath staggered at his line. Her eyes narrowed slightly before she rolled her eyes and shoved him aside, hearing a soft chuckle fly off his pair as his body moved away and back to the same place after her hand was back to her lap. The silence settled in once again. Her eyes rest on the ocean as this time, he was the one watching her, a smile etched in his lips as his feet bumped together slowly a few times.

She didn’t intend to speak, in fact, she was still gathering her thoughts, wondering if all she worked for these two weeks made sense. Pushing all of them away because the person she was, once again arguably closer to, didn’t have the courage to talk to her about this so-called problem – her feelings. Siah breathed out through her nose, a long breath escaping her as the male continued to watch her, basking in the silence until he had enough.

“So, what happened the other day?” His voice was soft, his feet crossed over one another again as he didn’t dare to take his eyes away from her. He watched her shift uncomfortably in her seat, gathering her legs closer to her body just to rest her chin on top of her knees as her arms hugged her legs tightly. He waited a couple of seconds, allowing her to take her time and respond to him but when no response came, he spoke again. “I’ve been thinking about you the whole time.” He revealed, peeling his gaze away from her just to look at the sand, that gently massaged his fingers as he moved them. “I’m still confused about what happened, as is everyone, really…”

A quiet hum flew off her lips as she fixed her eyes on the sun, feeling her body heating up; this was not the idea she had for her afternoon. She had decided to come watch the sunset to get her ideas ordered in her head – this whole mess made her consider a lot of things. Only she knew how horrible the feelings inside of her truly were. From understanding there was no floor left to stand in with Minah, to the fact she could potentially be separating the group and even developing feelings for her best friends…lover? Holding her breath, she thought of how to give the male an explanation, heart tugging her chest inwards as if tightening. She hated that feeling. “Is everyone okay, though?”

Her question brought a small smile to Jongho’s lips. His eyes curiously peeked over at her as his head turned to face the ocean; he didn’t want to put that much pressure on her just yet. “Everyone’s alright, a bit shaken with the fact you’re not around, though. Woo especially. He keeps saying he hasn’t heard from you for a while, he’s worried.”

Her head nodded slowly even though she was unsure he was watching her. She didn’t want to give herself that much importance in other people’s lives. Her eyes dropped from the sun to the ocean, slowly getting dragged back to shore with the waves, until they stopped at her naked feet. Her toes wiggled a bit, getting rid of the bit of sand that had easily coated them. Her lips pressed together firmly, cheeks rising as the pair puckered out, like she was measuring her words.

“Did something happen, that day?” His question persisted. She didn’t want to answer but he didn’t want to back out of it. With a small gulp, and hesitation, she bit her tongue before responding, wondering if he could maybe help her think clearly. “I always thought the whole thing was a bit too good to be true and I feel I let myself get too attached to everything and ended up hurting someone. I feel really bad that I didn’t realize that before and just…selfishly made the most out of it.” Her words were a bit muffled as she had now buried her forehead in her knees, feeling that was the most comfortable position to be in.

Jongho hummed, nodding his head as he listened to her. He leaned on his right hand, bringing his left hand to his thigh to gently dust off the sand sitting on his palm before bringing it up to her head, patting it gently as if to let her know it was okay. “Is this about Minah?” His voice came slowly, only after a few minutes as he didn’t want to push her too quickly for answers. She was opening just fine, and he wanted her to know he was just trying to help. Her head slid to the right, cheek now resting on her knee as her eyes found his, a frown stitched to her features. “How did you know?”

A small smile was paired with the man’s lips as his thumb stroked over her head gently. “It was either her or Woo. Woo’s not offended with anything you’ve ever done so it’s kind of given. Do you want to talk about it?”

Her brows raised a bit, allowing another sigh to escape her pair as she gathered her thoughts for a moment. His hand had gone back down, this time sitting behind her as he wiggled a bit closer, still giving her enough space. “I don’t know what to think, honestly. I don’t mean to make anyone feel uncomfortable and I don’t want the group to fall apart if I can avoid it.”

He raised a brow at her last statement, connecting the dots as she spoke. “Did Minah tell you that?” and that question sat heavy in her heart. She didn’t openly tell her that, but she did make it known. Her eyes immediately avoided his, shooting to the sand by his side as she carefully thought her next words out, without compromising who she thought was his lover.

“I was just thinking about that.” He could tell she was lying, by the way she avoided his gaze and from how much she revealed. If before he believed Minah had something to do with it, he now confirmed that was indeed the case. She ran her mouth and spewed a bunch of lies. “See, that I don’t believe.” He started out, leaning closer to bump his shoulder to hers before continuing. “Minah thinks everyone needs to bend over backwards for her, you know? And she definitely uses that to get away with everything. So, my theory here is…she’s either telling you that everyone hates you, or that everyone is uncomfortable?”

A small smile rested on her pair as her eyes looked back at him, mesmerized for a moment over how the warm sunset enlightened his skin even more. But how could she tell him he wasn’t fully right? That maybe Siah was indeed the bad guy and was coming in between them? Being a bad friend? Not supporting Minah with her whole heart? That was the hardest part to talk about. Her heart became tighter as she realized how wrong what she was feeling was – why was she even opening up to him? Could Minah have sent him to figure out what’s going on? And she searched for those answers in his eyes, but she couldn’t find any. They were coated with a glint of worry and dust of amusement. She could tell.

“Hey, I’m starting to think you have a thing for me or something-“He joked, watching her head lift quickly off her knees, still facing him only for her face to scrunch up in something he couldn’t fully understand. Guilt, maybe? How did he hit the nail in the head? Oh, she was fucked.

He couldn’t help but release a quiet chuckle, head dipping forward as this was indeed amusing to him. Her stomach was twisting and turning as the heat creeped up from her chest to her neck – just how stupid could she be? “Minah didn’t do anything wrong.” She finally said, her breath clearly carrying a raspy tone as if warning him she was close to crying.

His features turned serious as he realized maybe he pushed too far, especially the second he realized she was closing back up. His lips parted to speak but she didn’t give him a chance to because her embarrassment lead her to shoot up from her seat. Oh, she was screwed. She could tell she was falling in love with him and how embarrassing that was, after sinking in her own thoughts for two weeks? And the worse part? He was catching up to it. How stupid of her. She barely knew him and yet, felt she was already buried into this mess her own thoughts created.

“Hey-“ he whispered, getting up with her, in hopes to mend what he had just done. He didn’t mean to offend her. That was not his goal. “Siah, don’t do this again, talk to me. We were doing so well.” He almost begged, watching her tug the towel he was still on, refusing to look at him. Understanding he had the upper hand, he sat back down, knowing she couldn’t pull it from under him. Her eyes quickly glared at him but that did make her stop for a moment. Instead, she picked up her shoes, understanding the towel was not worth fighting over.

“Don’t you think you owe us all an explanation if you’re so adamant on leaving? Or are you that selfish that you can’t consider someone else’s feelings?” He suddenly spewed, regretting those same words the moment he watched her tense up. He cursed himself in his head the moment she looked at him; his heart was racing so hard he could barely hear anything else but the sadness in her voice.

“Maybe I am that type of shitty friend.” She spat back out, looking at the towel, then at him for a couple more seconds. “Keep the towel, I don’t need it.” She muttered before hurriedly picking up her bag and marching out of the beach as quickly as she could.

“Fuck.” He whispered under his breath, watching her leave for the second time. However, this time, he was fully aware it was his fault.

A couple days had gone by at that point. Jongho had held in what he had done, not even daring to mention it to Wooyoung; he was certain he would never hear the end of it if he did, anyway. However, he now sat uneasy at Wooyoung’s couch, trying his best to relax. Wooyoung had caught up to the fact something was up, but in all honestly, with all that was going on, he didn’t want to add to his plate.

“Siah said she’d stop by today.” Wooyoung suddenly blurted out, his voice laced with worry, but clearly more cheerful than the past few weeks. A part of him relaxed knowing he would get to see his friend, the one that had been avoiding them for weeks. The response he got from his friend was a quiet hum. He narrowed his eyes at the younger male before shrugging it off. “She said she wants to talk about something. So, I asked everyone to come later.” He continued, finally dropping on the couch as well only to watch his friend sink further into it. “Alright, spill it. What’s up with you, too?”

The younger male frowned, peeking down at his hands for a moment as he started feeling nervous at his friend’s statement. His cheeks were poked by his shoulders as he felt he was a little kid, being scolded by his mother again. But something was on his mind; could he predict what she was about to do? Maybe cut ties with all of them because he decided to snap at her? He nervously swallowed his saliva, peeking at the older male with a frown. “I think I might be the reason she’s coming to you today.” He started off, watching Wooyoung’s expression go from confused to amused, a quiet laugh escaping his pair. “Oh, is that so now? Why? Did something happen?”

“I might…have snapped at her and said something I shouldn’t have, and I think she might be coming here to…let go?” His voice was slightly shaky, not with fear but with shame as he knew if this actually happened, it would definitely be on him.

And Wooyoung didn’t expect this answer. He watched his friend as he spoke, expressions going from amused to confused and finally angry. However, before he could even start lecturing the younger guy, his bell rang. He got up, pointing his finger accusingly “You wait there, we’re not done speaking.” He warned, glaring at the younger as he made his way to the door only to be surprised to see the female they were talking about standing there, looking relaxed as ever.

“Woo!” She said softly, a smile resting on her pair as she watched his face, the way he seemed disappointed and hurt. His brain was going over what Jongho had just said – was she that cheerful because she came to put an end to their friendship? Her head tilted to the side, almost immediately mirroring his expression as she wondered just what was going on. Was this a bad time? “I can come back later, if-“

“No, come in.” His quiet voice said, stepping to the side. She could tell he was sad by the way his eyes balanced between her and the wall as she walked in. She uncomfortably stood by the door, unsure if what she came here to do even made sense, especially considering the mood he was in. He closed the door, eyeing the female as he released a sigh. Neither of them spoke for a couple seconds and that made the female realize she would have to break the silence. So, she did.

“I came to apologize for what I did.” She started, looking down to the floor shamefully only to realize how interesting the pattern was under her feet. His eyes watched her quietly for a few moments, wondering when she would break the news to him, just like Jongho told him. But she never did.

Instead, she moved closer to him, bumping her forehead against his chest as she tugged the hem of his shirt gently. She wanted comfort. The thing she kept avoiding. “I feel really ashamed for what I did, I felt insecure and I didn’t know how to deal with it and I realized I was being stupid. Our friendship means a whole lot to me, and I’m really thankful to have you in my life.” Her words seemed to wash down the sadness he was feeling just a few moments ago. His heart was picking up its pace as he realized that maybe she really just needed time to figure herself out. With a long sigh, he wrapped his arms around her and squeezed her firmly against him. They both stayed quiet for a bit.

“You fucking scared me, you idiot.” He muttered, feeling her easily fit into his embrace, face tucking into his neck as her arms wrapped around his waist. And they held each other for a few moments until she gently pushed him back, to look at him.

Her face was drowning in concern that her actions were misunderstood, and Jongho helped her clear her mind of it. She wasn’t going to reveal what happened just yet. In her mind, it made sense to have a proper conversation with Minah over it, even if she hated the thought of being confrontational. His eyes softened as he continued to look at her, the small smile adorning her lips. “I respect you not wanting to talk about what happened, but please, next time something happens at least come to me. I was really hurt you left me in the dark, I was worried sick.” 

Her head bobbed up and down as a larger smile stretched into her lips, forcing Wooyoung to mirror it. “You silly goose.” He muttered, pushing his index finger against her forehead just to hear her chuckle and gently punch his side. “Jong is on the living room; the others are coming in later. I’ll go get us something to drink, make yourself at home.”

Siah’s smile slowly retrieved into a neutral line, a small nod following his indication before she turned to the living room almost robotically making her way into the division. His eyes lifted to the door the moment she walked in, the environment tensing as she sat on the other couch, deciding that for now that was a great way to start. She wanted to apologize to him, too, but she was a bit hurt by his words, as well. Sure, they helped her realize she did wrong, but he too, was partly wrong for his actions.

Wooyoung was slightly caught off guard by the atmosphere when he came back – first of all, both were quiet, then, in different couches and clearly looking at everywhere but each other. He proceeded to hand them both drinks before taking a seat between both, at the end of the couch Jongho was sitting in. He watched them take a sip, contemplating what to say before clearing this throat. “Do you guys need me to leave?”

“No.” Both responded at the same time, watching the older male nod his head as he leaned back, lifting his hands up defensively before reaching for the remote and turning on the tv.

The three quietly got absorbed in whatever was playing on the channel they were on. Things were so awkward that Wooyoung had excused himself to go to the bathroom a few minutes later. The two people left in the room were avoiding the obvious need they had to converse with one another. But for Siah, apologizing to Wooyoung made sense, it was necessary. To Jongho, not so much. She could deal with the silence a bit longer.

He, on the other side, was feeling uncomfortable, especially after what he told her. He didn’t mean those words. Of course he didn’t. He wanted her to talk to him and every time he felt they were getting somewhere, she would push him away, so he got frustrated and blurted those out. He moved forward, placing the bottle on the coffee table between the couch and the tv. His heart was racing as he thought of how to strike up the conversation, understanding Wooyoung was taking a bit longer than necessary to allow them to speak. And he was about to take that chance.

His lips parted to speak, a bit of air sucked into his mouth only for the bell to ring again. He immediately became quiet again, frustration written all over his face as Siah got up, whispering she would get to the door. He cursed under his breath, leaning back on the couch again just to look towards the wall and sulk, his fist against his cheek as the elbow rest on the side of the couch. He was so close.

Siah, on the other hand, was glad because she really didn’t want the conversation to take place right there. She wasn’t fully ready. Her hand unlocked the door happily only for her smile to waver as she found the only other person, she wasn’t fully ready to face in front of her; Minah.

𝓰𝓮𝓷𝓻𝓮𝓼: fluff, drama, married couple 𝓼𝔂𝓷𝓸𝓹𝓼𝓲𝓼: divorce was a heavy topic to bring to the table. When there's no happiness left to share, and only a sorrow path to go through, how can one couple stand? Seonghwa has been overworked the last few weeks, awakening doubts in his wife, Sojin. However, what he didn't expect was the settlement coming from her. 𝓹𝓪𝓲𝓻𝓲𝓷𝓰: seonghwa x reader

[previous] [ⓔⓘⓖⓗⓣⓔⓔⓝ] final chapter

Time was a weird concept. Especially because it seemed that just three days ago Yonghwa had been born, maybe yesterday started walking and now, he was able to talk and mastered most of the basic functions a human was capable of. He was five. Time surely flew by.

Sojin was laying down with her son on his bed, reading him a bedtime story as her husband was working until late that night. She was in the middle of the book when the little one turned his head to her and tugged her sleeve gently. "Mama" he called softly, earning his mother's attention. Her gaze softened as she stopped speaking, allowing him to share whatever was on his mind.

"Mama, papa Hwa said this was your dot." He spoke again, tugging his own sleeve up to show off a small mole on his right arm. Sojin tilted her head, unsure of what he was talking about. "My dot?"

The little one firmly nodded his head and proceeded to sit up, tugging the blankets down to kick his legs up just to roll the pants up and show her another mole on his leg. "This is uncle Joong's dot!"

Sojin chuckled, wondering just what silly thing her husband had told their son. And she meant to question him further but before she could, he grinned the way Seonghwa did when he came up with something that would have her feel warm on the inside. "Papa Hwa said the dots on our skin appear when you find someone you love a lot and they stay in your life." Though his speech was a bit messy, he still managed to make her heart stammer. Her lips parted for a moment, trying to process what he had just said.

"And mama has them too, so I know it's true! Papa said his dot is the one behind your ear. Can I see it, mama?" his small fingers pointed, eyes sparkling with joy as he hoped her answer would be yes. He wanted to confirm there was a dot that represented his father, on his mother's ear.

"My ear?" She mumbled, unaware she had a mole there, only to give their little one a small nod. He grinned, moving towards her before tugging her ear to the side and gasping softly. "Papa was right, mama has one here...wait no, there's two." He sat back down on the bed, eyes sparkling with excitement. "Mama, mama can mine be the one right next to papa's?"

His mother's lips were parted, surprised with his conversation. Her heart was so full of love that she could barely comprehend how important this was for him. With a soft chuckle, she cupped his cheeks, leaning in to kiss his forehead, nose and cheek. "Of course it can, Hwa." She whispered softly, pulling him into an embrace as she forgot about the story. The little one grinned, snuggling close to his mother, happy to hear the way her heartbeat was so comforting.

"Papa said I had to ask. I like being one of mama's loved people." He whispered happily, snuggling into the familiar body that once was his home. "Mama, I love you so much." He continued, loving the way his mother gently stroked his back and brought the warm blanket over the both of them before whispering how much she loved him to his head, kissing it. And that's the last thing he remembered before falling asleep.

Sojin had slowly let go of her little son that now slept soundly on the bed. She watched him for a few more moments, head shaking slowly as she remembered the conversation they held before he fell asleep. As she was making her way to the bedroom she shared with her husband, Seonghwa unlocked the front door. She turned around, making her way to the door only to stand in front of him, ready to welcome him with a warm smile.

He removed his shoes, smiling softly as he saw his wife waiting for him. His bag was set down as he stepped forward, immediately landing in her arms. "I missed you." He whispered, resting his cheek on her shoulder as her arms embraced him, a larger smile resting on his pair. "I missed you too." She responded softly, enjoying this moment he provided her with.

"Is Hwa asleep?" He asked softly, leaning back as his arms refused letting go of her waist only to scrunch his nose as his wife gave him a small nod, smiling at the thought of what had just happened in their son's room.

"Is this my mole?" She asked, gently grazing her fingertip over his helical crus, where a small mole sat. The male released a heavy chuckle, heart hammering against his chest as he caught up to what she was asking, feeling his features heating up. "Not exclusively, but if that's the one you like the most, then we could say that's yours." He said, peeking at his wife who shook her head slowly.

"Little Hwa's is the one on my cheek. He said he likes kissing me there, I felt that's fair." He continued, a shy chuckle escaping his pair before Sojin shook her head, fondly at the newfound information.

She carefully let go of her husband, leading him into the kitchen as she continued speaking about the moles. "It was a first for me, knowing I had a mole behind my ear. Though I have to say that I was caught off guard with his conversation. I didn't expect him to pick one on me, either." She continued, placing the dinner she had cooked on a plate to microwave the food. A warm smile sat on her pair as her husband wrapped his arms around her, pressing a kiss on the exact mole they were speaking about.

They stood there quietly for a moment, embracing one another as the food heated up. The silence between them was comfortable and felt right, like everything had gone back to its respectful place. "Did he tell you what mole mine is?" Seonghwa asked softly as he let go of his wife, making his way to the table as she got the plate out of the microwave. She placed the dish in front of him, reaching for the cutlery and handing it to him before she took a seat by his side, to keep him company as she had already had dinner.

Her head shook slightly as her eyes climbed to his features, watching her husband take a bite of the food she prepared. He chewed the food before responding with a proud smile. "He has one in the crown of his head. He likes it when I kiss him there, so I claimed it." The male responded proudly, proceeding to eat as his wife laughed quietly.

"That's actually cute. Was that the reason you picked mine?"

His eyes lifted to her, brows lifting as he stopped eating. A sneaky grin made his way up to his lips as he shook his head, amused at her guess even if he had just kissed that spot. The female raised a brow at her husband, questioning him with her gaze before speaking. "Then?"

He wiped his lips with the napkin, straightening his posture before grinning at her and speaking as softly as he could. "Only I knew that one existed, I don't need it to be showing off to the world to know I claimed part of you."

Sojin snorted quietly, feeling her cheeks heating up before she threw a napkin at him who grinned proudly. "You're something." She muttered under her breath, head shaking slowly.

----

"Little Hwa!" Hongjoong's voice called out as giggles could be heard through the street. They had engaged in a race except the older male had no idea what he signed himself up for. Yonghwa's favorite activity was running, other than building Lego with his father but that's beside the point. Anything that involved running was his favorite and he was great at it. Therefore, having his uncle chase him down the street was nothing but fun to him; his hair bounced on his head as he giggled, loving the way his uncle called after him.

His little feet hit the floor, making soft tapping sounds despite the rush he was in, trying his best to dodge whatever came to slow him down – a lot of obstacles showed up and Hongjoong was struggling. He wondered how the hell a kid as small as that could run quicker than him. He wasn't out of shape, he swore he wasn't, but Yonghwa knew how to run. "Yonghwa" He called out again, finally managing to catch up to the kid who had slowed down and was still giggling, finding this situation the funniest of his tiny little life.

Yonghwa had come to a stop, with a large grin, looking at his uncle who still had not managed to stop. He was still rushing to get to where his nephew was, only managing to stop when his body crashed against another. A loud gasp was heard from both parties, and quite frankly, it was like a movie scene. A coffee cup, flying up in the air, off the person's hand just to land all over the person's shirt as the cup tragically crashed. Hongjoong's eyes grew wide as he saw the whole thing happening in slow motion – his hand reached out for the person's arm, stopping her from falling but before he could do anything else, the iced coffee was spilled all over. Yonghwa's little lips let out a quiet giggle as he stood there, looking at his uncle.

"Oh my- I am so terribly sorry." He started, hands shaking as he let go of the woman's arm. His heart was racing over the fact he had just embarrassedly walked into a person – he actually slammed against said person, but his brain was trying to ignore such fact – and poured a drink all over her. The female was still shocked, processing what had just happened as it was far too quick for her to even react. The hand that held her coffee was all sticky; her eyes ran from her hand to her arm and chest, lips parted as she was still figuring out how cold the coffee was. Her lips remained parted as she clearly couldn't care any less for the coffee.

Hongjoong was still shocked with what had just happened. His eyes flew over to his nephew who was grinning innocently at him – in his defense, he was just playing with his uncle. He had no intention of making this happen, but it was quite the scene.

His eyes, however, flew back to the female who was clearly still processing what had just happened. Her eyes flew between the male and the little guy, biting her lip as she understood he was taking care of the kid. She was mad, this was her new shirt, and she had had a great day up until now, but she wasn't about to leash in front of a kid. With a long sigh, she eyed the kid. "Are you okay?" She asked the little one whose eyes were dark and large. He gave her a small nod, peeking over at his uncle.

Only then did Hongjoong fully react. "Yonghwa, apologize to the lady." He ordered, quickly bowing his own head, feeling his face heating up. The woman sighed loudly, giving them a small nod. "It's okay, neither of you is hurt, right?" She asked, biting her tongue as she watched the little one bow his head too. That brought a small smile to her lips.

Hongjoong had slowly stood up, looking at the female as his hand reached for his nephew's quietly to stop him from wandering anywhere else. "I'm really sorry about your shirt and coffee, let me at least make up for it." His trembling voice asked, heart racing firmly against his chest as he could still not believe this had happened.

"Can we get a cake pop, uncle Joong?" Yonghwa suddenly blurted out, looking at his uncle with hope. He was about to scold the little one over the mess he had made but the female's laughter had stopped him. He peeked at her; how was she not mad after getting coffee all over?

"You're such a cutie." She said softly, watching Yonghwa grin at her. Sometimes Hongjoong wondered just how the hell the little one was so social and adorable, especially when he got into trouble. "I'll get you a new coffee and a new shirt, I'm really sorry again." Hongjoong's voice sounded making the female face him. For the first time they actually looked at one another. His eyes analyzed her features, intrigued by the way her short hair complimented her soft expression. On the other hand, her eyes feasted on the smallest details of his face. His eyes seemed fierce but soft, his lips were stretched into a small smile, and she could tell he was as focused on her as she was on him.

"Uncle Joong." The small voice broke their trance. Both peeked down at the kid who was clearly daydreaming about the cake pop. Hongjoong bit back a small smile; even if he was slightly annoyed with had just happened, the little one was his whole world.

That was enough to convince the female to join the pair to a coffee. In between that, Hongjoong had convinced her to allow him to get her a new shirt and wash hers, under the excuse of getting her number.

That afternoon, Yonghwa came home hand in hand with Hongjoong, after dropping off the shirt at a laundry. Yonghwa was getting tired and at that point, had begged his uncle to pick him up. Hongjoong had absolute no will to fight the little one and for the rest of the walk home and actually picked him up, scolding the little one over what happened.

"Little Hwa, I have changed you out of your stinkiest diapers, how could you have me run into Jinah?" He spoke softly to the kid who was nowhere near interested over the conversation his uncle was having with himself. In fact, Yonghwa was already close to falling asleep; his uncle's shoulder was far too comfortable for him to keep his eyes fully open. "I'm glad you had fun but please listen to me next time, somebody could've been hurt." He whispered the last part only to peek at the very quiet Yonghwa in his arms and snort, realizing he was talking to himself, a soft smile resting in his lips.

---

"So, how was little Hwa today?" Sojin asked Hongjoong who sat at their couch after placing the little one in his bed. Hongjoong gave her a small shrug, leaning his head back on the couch. "Gave me a little scare but other than that he was fine." He finally spoke, earning Sojin's full attention as she grew worried about her friend's words.

"Did something happen, Joong?" Concern could be clearly heard in her voice as she wondered if Yonghwa fell or hurt himself or even Hongjoong. She looked at Hongjoong, waiting for his answer as the male only released a loud sigh.

"He's fine, I'm fine. I was just chasing him down the road and bumped...crashed, I actually crashed, against Jinah." He said, now feeling embarrassed that this was the very first encounter the two had. His fingers rubbed his temples as he tried his best to convince himself it wasn't that bad but no matter how much he tried, he realized he crashed into her, spilled coffee all over her and clearly made one hell of an impression.

Sojin frowned, crossing her arms as many questions floated around her head. "I'm sorry, I'm a bit lost. Who's Jinah and why did you crash into her?"

Hongjoong sat up, facing Sojin, clearly displaying a bit of panic sitting in his mind. "I was chasing Yonghwa down the road and telling him to stop. Like I'm sorry but what did you two even do to him for him to run like a maniac?" Sojin chuckled at the picture he painted in her mind, head shaking slowly as Hongjoong continued, he was spewing words far too quickly, she could tell he was nervous. "I kept telling him to slow down and when he stopped, I didn't even see Jinah I wanted to stop but my feet were still in formula one mode and I crashed into her. All was good if she wasn't holding onto a damn coffee...it spilled everywhere gosh I was so embarrassed. Can you imagine that's the first impression I left on her?"

The corners of Sojin's lips tugged upwards as she bit her lips, trying to stop the smile from spreading wider. She caught up to the reason he was so embarrassed and couldn't help but tease him. "And why are you so worried about that first impression?"

Hongjoong's body went rigid. His eyes were a clear mirror of his soul as they displayed the irrational fear of being caught in all he was feeling at that moment. Sojin finally grinned, leaning closer as she wiggled her brows at him. "Oooh, Joong has a crush~" She sang out, chuckling as the male quickly shook his hands in front of him, ready to deny it.

At that right moment, Seonghwa walked in the living room, intrigued by the scene in front of him. "Who has a crush?" He asked, stopping by his wife to place a kiss on her head as she grinned wider. "Hong-"

"Nobody!" Hongjoong quickly shouted, standing up that right moment and making his way to the kitchen in a robotic manner. That left the couple laughing behind. Sojin was quick to catch her husband up on the conversation.

Hongjoong was drowning his sudden thirst with water as Seonghwa joined him in the kitchen, leaning against the door frame with his arms crossed. "So, what I'm hearing is, you owe one to my son, huh?" He teased only to laugh quietly as his friend got caught in the mist of a coughing fit, wanting to deny the accusation his best friend just spewed but it only had Seonghwa chuckle.

"Bring Jinah around sometime, Yonghwa seemed fond of her and you know kids usually have a great instinct about people...we got your back, no more coffee spills, I promise."

___

want you back ˢᵉᵛᵉⁿᵗᵉᵉⁿ; p seonghwa

𝓰𝓮𝓷𝓻𝓮𝓼: fluff, drama, married couple 𝓼𝔂𝓷𝓸𝓹𝓼𝓲𝓼: divorce was a heavy topic to bring to the table. When there's no happiness left to share, and only a sorrow path to go through, how can one couple stand? Seonghwa has been overworked the last few weeks, awakening doubts in his wife, Sojin. However, what he didn't expect was the settlement coming from her. 𝓹𝓪𝓲𝓻𝓲𝓷𝓰: seonghwa x reader

[previous] [ⓢⓔⓥⓔⓝⓣⓔⓔⓝ] [next]

Seonghwa had come home in the morning to shower. He promised he would be back after lunch as he claimed he had something to take care of, which Sojin didn't fight against – if anything, she just wanted to rest.

Showering was the very first thing he did when he got home as supposedly, that was his main purpose of visit. However, the male quickly moved on to check if everything was ready to welcome their little one – he just wanted to make sure the absolutely had everything they needed to welcome Yonghwa into their daily life. The crib was assembled, his room was ready, there were clothes and diapers lined up for him as well as all the hygiene products they were advised to invest in.

But something was missing.

He placed his hands on his hips, pursing his pair as he looked around the living room. The house looked dull and he refused to welcome his son home that way. His son deserved a grand welcoming to the house he would grow up in.

It seemed almost ironic how he was against the idea of becoming a father and suddenly, all he wanted was to make his son the sole reason for his existence. As if he was born for this moment and couldn't wait a second longer to live such life strongly.

The male was quick to plan for a warm welcome. With that in mind, he rushed to the store and bought a few things he deemed fitting for the occasion.

In less than 30 minutes, he had set up in the living room two rows of triangle banners along with helium balloons spelling "welcome home, yh". His eyes twinkled at the sight of such letters – everything became so real now that his son's name was partly spelled on the wall. He chuckled to himself, proud of his work...but it didn't stop there. A few more balloons sat on the couch and floor and even somewhere around the table, he just wanted to make sure this was a memory Sojin would grow fond of, later.

A wide smile sat on his lips – even if the little one couldn't see any of this, he was still happy. He would still remember this moment, and so would Sojin, who had accepted the idea of her husband going above and beyond for the kid he once feared even thinking about. It was endearing.

Upon finishing the tasks he had assigned to himself, the male picked up his belongings and headed down to the store, getting Sojin a couple snacks before making his way back to the hospital.

The sight he found made his heart race. It was Oscar worthy. His wife was clearly too busy speaking to their sleeping newborn to even realize he had come back. Her finger gently stroked the cheek of a clearly drowsy Yonghwa. He moved closer, still as quietly as possible as his first instinct was to capture such moment and he wondered just why the hell was he so willing to throw this away a few months ago? That seemed just the stupidest thing he could come up with now that he was standing in front of such sight.

His wife's smile widened seeing their little one open his eyes and mouth before sticking his tongue out and closing them again – it was like the smallest things he did were amazing. Before he knew it, he had snapped about twenty pictures and was caught in the act. Sojin's head turned just to snort seeing him holding a bag and the phone.

"What are you doing?" She asked, amused before her head turned back to Yonghwa who was clearly used to his mother's voice as his little eyes were once again closed while he was snuggled against her chest, hearing the heartbeat that had guided him the last nine months. His father had joined them, sitting on the bench by the bed, smiling lovingly at him.

"I...can't help it, you two just looked right." He spoke, finally placing the phone back in his pocket and the bag down, leaning closer to place a kiss on her forehead before doing the same to their son that was still very comfortably sleeping.

"Did Joong get to see Hwa?" Sojin asked, curiously as her head tilted to the side, unable to keep her gaze from admiring the still very quiet baby resting in her arms. It was something she could very easily get addicted to.

Seonghwa's gaze lifted to meet his wife, a soft smile spreading to his features before he gave her a small nod. "He was here for a while, he waited the whole night, too. Which reminds me, he's really bad at holding a baby." He commented, a snort escaping on the very last word before he nodded slowly. Sojin raised a brow, peeking at her husband, as if asking him to explain further what he meant. Her husband chuckled, shrugging before speaking again. "He's just...Hongjoong. A bit clumsy. Yonghwa is very small, it's hard to know how to hold him. No Yonghwa was hurt during the moments Joong was here, I promise."

The female rolled her eyes, head shaking slowly before she focused back on their son, leaning down to kiss his forehead. "As long as he doesn't drop our baby, I'm content. I'm glad he got to see Yonghwa." Her voice was nothing but a whisper. "Do you wanna hold him for a bit?"

The father quickly extended his arms, nodding firmly only to hear his wife laughing as she carefully passed their son over to his arms. The little one, still asleep, landed on his father's chest feeling the comfort of his heartbeat that strangely almost matched his mother's.

"Look at you, all fond of Yonghwa and all." She teased, with no ill intend. Her mind was blown at the sight in front of her – she still couldn't believe that after all the fights they had over the same baby he was holding onto, they were finally okay. They overcame their difficulties. "I didn't know this is what I needed until I had it, Sojin but if I could turn back time, I would change everything. I regret ever telling you this was not what I wanted." He started, looking up at her almost guilty.

The male released a soft sigh, frowning as he peeked at his wife. Sojin's lips parted, a small frown setting in her features as she held her breath – despite having talked to him about this already, she could feel he was about to pour his feelings out about the struggles they had just managed to throw over their shoulders. The silence was soon replaced with his voice. "I don't think I can ever fully tell how much I regret not being by your side. And it was stupid, I was stupid." He whispered the last part, stroking his son's thigh carefully with his thumb, over the small blanket that was wrapped around his tiny body. He gulped down, pausing for a moment as if to organize his thoughts.

"I feel I didn't protect you the way I should have, and I didn't consider you were struggling, either. I was selfish and now that I look back, I think was just scared. I was scared because I didn't want to lose you, and I didn't know if I was enough to take care of you and our son." He admitted, letting his eyes find hers. A warm smile rested on her lips, as if encouraging him to go on, and let it all out. He pushed the corners of his lips upwards, feeling more confident about what he was saying. "But I have to admit that holding him like this makes me understand that there's nothing else I'd rather have in this moment. I don't want to miss out on this anymore, I feel like even if I'm scared to fail and go forward, just... having him in my arms makes it worth it. And I wouldn't want this with anyone else." He shyly muttered the last part, the smile reaching his eyes as he peeked down at his son as if he hadn't confessed his love for her a thousand times before.

Sojin chuckled, shaking her head slowly as she leaned on her side, comfortably watching her husband and son. "What a romantic guy you are" She called out jokingly, laughing quietly under her breath before resting her cheek on the pillow. "But I know for a fact our Yonghwa is happy to have you here. And obviously so am I, I never pictured my life without you in it so I'm glad we worked it all out." She told him only to snort as she understood he was not listening to her; he was in the little world Yonghwa had already created which was easy to get sucked into. She understood that and couldn't help but do the same. She reached for her phone, now snapping a couple of pictures of her husband and son, smiling at how in love Seonghwa was with him. She could only wonder if that was the way he looked at her, too.

The female fell asleep not too long after, fond of the image of her husband holding their child, with so much love it could almost fully make up for the wounds they created on one another through their years together.

Coming out of the hospital was far more tiring than anyone expected – Sojin was still exhausted from every new thing that has been happening to her and the little one, and Seonghwa was clearly trying to keep up with everything. But they managed to get home safely. It had been a few days since she had given birth to their son, and quite frankly, the only thing she wanted to do was go home and properly rest in their bed.

Just when she thought she would be able to just get home and rest, Seonghwa was proudly showing off the set up he had built a few days prior – a deserved welcome home. Sojin's lips parted, firstly in disbelief but soon, a loud chuckle fell off her lips as she shook her head slowly; who would've known the guy who didn't want anything to do with their son a few months ago was about to become the biggest fool for that tiny little human being?

Seonghwa was quick to bring their son up to the balloons in his little carrier, knowing fully well the baby was asleep. He spoke as softly as he could, sharing details about the set up – something that would be forgotten or probably unheard by the little guy, but Sojin couldn't help but watch fondly, taking a seat on the couch.

She reached for her phone, taking a few pictures, even going as far as recording a couple videos – Hongjoong had to know of this – as she was aware her husband was not paying attention to her at that moment, and she let them have that moment. If anything, this would be something she would fondly look back on. Something she would love to share with their son whenever he could comprehend her. She was sure, at that right moment, that Yonghwa was going to fall in love with Seonghwa the way she did. How could he not?

The female had no idea when she fell asleep, all she knew was her husband's voice lulled her to sleep. He sounded so calm and lovely with each word he handpicked into the one-way conversation he was having with their son, that she couldn't help but close her eyes and give into the tiredness, easily falling into a deep slumber.

Seonghwa was slightly surprised to find his lover sleeping on the couch once he was done talking to their sone. A chuckle left his lips as he realized she must've been exhausted. He carefully placed the carrier down, picking the little one out of it just to take him to his crib, right beside their bed where they decided to keep it for the first few months. After he was sure the little one was secure and wouldn't require his close watch, he returned to the couch, picking his wife up and bringing her to their bed.

Once they were laying in bed together, his finger gently traced her features, tucking some hair behind her ear before leaning in and placing a kiss to her forehead. "Thank you for allowing me to be part of our family, I'm never leaving your side again." He whispered as gently as he possibly could, smiling as he allowed the female to sleep on his chest, knocking out from tiredness not too long after.

---

"Where the hell is the bottle-" Hongjoong's voice sounded, concerned with the number of things disposed on the table by his long date friend. "Joong, everything will go well. We will be gone for tops three hours, if you need us to come back earlier, we're not even thirty minutes away." Hongjoong's eyes still, however, display the irrational fear he felt about failing. Seonghwa could only laugh, head shaking slowly as he crossed his arms.

"Come on, Yonghwa is a well-behaved kid, most likely will require cuddles to sleep and wake up once before we get home." He continued, watching Hongjoong release a long sigh before giving his friend a firm nod. "Right, right he's going to be okay, the house won't explode...everything will be okay, you guys will be back in three hours-" He mimicked, nodding as he repeated those words again, to calm down. It was the very first time they had asked him to babysit. Not only that, but he would be taking care of the baby unsupervised, even if he had visited plenty of times before...it still made him feel a bit nervous. Yonghwa had turned three months old not even a week ago and Hongjoong felt like this was one heck of a responsibility, that he was willing to take.

Sojin who had just come back from their room let out a quiet chuckle as she placed her purse on her shoulder. "What are you so nervous about, Joong? Do you need us to stay back? Yonghwa adores you, by the way." Her words earned her a confused look, paired with furrowed brows. Hongjoong licked his bottom lip, before responding. "No, I mean, you guys can go obviously. I'm just nervous because he's so tiny..." He spoke, feeling guilty that his friends even thought of not attending their very first date after their son's birth. He didn't want to private them from having such moment to themselves, not after the countless sleepless nights Seonghwa told him about. He understood those were most likely horrible and he wanted to help them get some time for themselves.

His friend gently pat his shoulder, peeking over at the little one asleep on the bouncing chair. Soojin's lips widened into a smile as she crouched down to place a kiss on her son's forehead. "Be good to uncle Joong, he's really nervous about spending a couple hours alone with you." She spoke loudly enough to tease the male who rolled his eyes. Sure, he was nervous, but could he be blamed? This was his very first-time supervising Yonghwa alone. The bottles were a bit confusing, and he was scared to mess up.

"Right...just how hard can it be to watch a three-month-old baby-" He spoke under his breath, laughing nervously as he watched both his friends grinning at him, curious as to how he would do with the little one. He sighed, waving his hand in the air as he shoved them to the door. "Go away before I regret taking the babysitting gig." He warned, glaring at them as they bid their goodbye.

His heart started hammering against his chest as he took a seat on the couch, patting his knees quietly as he peeked over at the baby that was clearly busy sleeping the time away. "Please don't wake up for now...I need to figure out how the hell the bottle thing works..." He muttered, immediately getting up as urgency ran through his veins. "Right, I need to figure that out before you start crying because believe me, Yonghwa, I love you, but I will cry with you...don't try me." He wiggled his finger at the little one before moving to the table, placing his hands on his hips as he tried to piece what the hell he was supposed to do with the fairly new objects he was seeing for the very first time.

Just as he had figured out the right amount of formula and water, he heard a small cry. He froze on the spot, holding tightly the bottle he had in his hand before laughing nervously. It took him a moment to respond. "Yonghwa, uncle Joong is here..." He spoke, peeking over at his phone to check the time – it had been only an hour since the couple left; how could he do this to his uncle?

With shaking hands, he prepared the formula, heart racing as he kept talking to the baby in hopes that would calm him down – that always worked with Soojin! He tried not to sound desperate, but Yonghwa only stopped crying once the bottle was in his mouth. By then, Hongjoong was sitting by his side, on the floor, breathing out in relief that he managed to attend to his needs.

His attentive uncle eyes watched every detail about his nephew, chuckling at the way Yonghwa was looking at him, hands touching the bottle as if letting him know that bottle was his. "You're kinda cute when you're not busy scaring the heck out of me." He spoke softly, tilting his head as he watched his nephew attentively. A smile sat on his pair as the little one breathed heavily, drinking from the bottle. His eyes were getting drowsy with sleep, barely opened at that point. Hongjoong snorted quietly, fondly watching the baby.

"You're definitely your father's son. Your father does look exactly like that after drinking too." He blurted out, smiling as he shook his head. He made sure the little one was done with the bottle before picking him up – like he was instructed to – and placing a small cloth over his shoulder before placing Yonghwa's chin on the same shoulder.

Holding him was one hell of a challenge as well. He was so tiny and fragile that his uncle was scared of hurting him. But just like Soojin taught him, he gently pat the back of his nephew, aiming to get a small burp off him. That helped lull the little one to sleep as he was already drowsy and it didn't take him long before a small burp came. Hongjoong peeked over his shoulder only to chuckle as he found the little one asleep.

𝓰𝓮𝓷𝓻𝓮𝓼: fluff, drama, married couple 𝓼𝔂𝓷𝓸𝓹𝓼𝓲𝓼: divorce was a heavy topic to bring to the table. When there's no happiness left to share, and only a sorrow path to go through, how can one couple stand? Seonghwa has been overworked the last few weeks, awakening doubts in his wife, Sojin. However, what he didn't expect was the settlement coming from her. 𝓹𝓪𝓲𝓻𝓲𝓷𝓰: seonghwa x reader

[previous] [ⓢⓘⓧⓣⓔⓔⓝ] [next]

The following weeks whizzed by. Truth was, they were far too busy preparing for their son, that they barely noticed how time flew by and how short they actually had until they welcomed the little one into their life. It was like the more they did, the more there was to do, in the short amount of time they had left.

The couple had decided to stay at the house Sojin had rented out, not only because she had paid for the rent but also because Seonghwa insisted having Yunho around when he wasn't, – mostly because he still had things to take care at work – was a great idea. Seeing Hongjoong was also busy, covering up the shifts Seonghwa didn't make it into, he thought Yunho was their safest option. Yunho had his family to take care of, but that didn't mean he couldn't stop by ever so often to make sure she was alright, and he was clearly far more prepared than any of the two were. Plus, he was a door away.

With a loud sigh, Seonghwa stood by the door, dressed up in a suit far more composed than when he first came into that house for the first time. "I'm heading off to the office today; to take care of the last few things I need to take care of, yes? I'll be home before you know it. If there's anything you ne-"

"Yes, yes, I know, call Yunho and you'll rush back. I'll be fine, don't worry." Her voice sounded while she wrapped her arms around her husband, a large grin sitting on her pair. "Yonghwa is behaving just fine, don't worry, yes? Plus, I'm due next week, so don't worry so much, yes?" She continued, bringing her hands up to fix his tie, laughing quietly at how straight his posture was. "I promise I'm alright, Yonghwa is alright and Yunho is just next door."

That surely made him relax, he gave her a small nod, leaning down to press a kiss on her forehead. "I'll be back before you know it." He promised, letting his hand move down to stroke her abdomen, smiling as he felt a small bump against his hand. "You too, take care of mama while I'm away, yeah? I won't be long, I promise."

The day was rather slow for Sojin but much to her amusement, Hongjoong kept her updated of everything going on, going as far as sending pictures of him and her husband during work, in which Seonghwa posed for. Only to ask for his nephew's pictures in return. Sojin snorted at that, head shaking as she could only try her best to capture the times Yonghwa would kick, attaching the words "big stretch of the day" to the picture any time she managed to capture that moment.

Life seemed to be back into its actual happy bubble for the couple.

Later that day, Seonghwa came home to find Sojin napping on the couch, the sight bringing a soft smile to his pair; his gaze soft with the sight of his wife and their little one that had yet to grace them with their presence. This was the best part of his day, and he now wondered how he had any doubts this was the life he wanted and needed. It felt like those happened so long ago that he couldn't fully recognize himself. What once scared him was now a certainty he upheld. It was like life made sense only if it was like this. He couldn't picture it any other way, it felt wrong to even equate the little one out of their life. If anything, he was eager to embrace the thing he had feared the most – parenthood.

Before any of them realized it, yet another week had come to an end. They had invited Hongjoong over that weekend, claiming he too, needed a break from work, especially since his best friend announced he would take his parental leave the following week.

"What the heck, last time I saw you, little Hwa was barely showing." Hongjoong stated, pointing to the very round belly Sojin carried. The female gave him a small nod, a chuckle flying off her pair as her hands sat by her kidneys. "He is getting quite heavy, too. I honestly can't wait for him to come out...I'm not looking forward to the sleepless nights, but my back is killing me." She confessed, breathing out loudly as they walked over to the couch.

"Honestly I'm excited to meet him, too." Hongjoong confessed, a grin plastered in his features as he eyed the female's abdomen, hearing his best friend snort. "I think you're more excited for him than the both of us combined." Seonghwa commented, head shaking as he helped Sojin sit down only to get a water bottle from the kitchen.

As the three settled into the couch, Seonghwa's wife leaned on him, closing her eyes out of tiredness only for her to fall asleep as they watched a movie. Seonghwa quietly peeked at his best friend, a soft, honest smile sitting on his pair. "Thank you, Joong." He muttered quietly, stroking the female's hair as his eyes were fixed on the monitor that was still playing the movie.

Hongjoong's lips danced into a solid smile; he was glad things were worked out between the pair. "Why are you thanking me?" He hummed, sinking further into the couch comfortably as his cheek rested on his palm meanwhile his elbow rested on the couch's arm. His eyes continued to pay attention to the movement on the monitor, without allowing his brain to process the actions the characters on the movie completed.

"Had you not been there, I think things would've turned out differently. I feel Sojin and I have a lot to thank you for." His friend continued, a chuckle escaping his lips. "Sojin acknowledges that too." His mind replayed the endless conversations they had had about such theme ever since they decided they were moving forward together. Hongjoong was an essential piece of their life, or at least, that was what the couple concluded.

"Did she ever tell you what I told her when you two took that first break, though?" He suddenly asked, feeling those memories weighing down on his chest – he wasn't fair; the fact she hurt his friend had him seeing red for a while, and he didn't think his words through. He didn't consider her feelings, nor did he put himself in her shoes but looking back, he could somehow understand her actions came from a caring place. Seonghwa shook his head, that being caught through the male's peripherical vision. Hongjoong smiled again. "I don't think she ever wanted us to see each other's faults. It kind of amazes me how deeply she feels for you." He started, nervously, running his fingers through his hair.

"I know. I used to really dislike that in her; we sometimes had little fights about that because we couldn't agree on something and she would avoid fighting. She always did. And she always kept everyone in mind." Seonghwa told him, resting his hand on her abdomen, smiling fondly as the baby pushed firmly against his hand. "I really hope you will find love like that too, Hongjoong. It's frustrating sometimes, but it's worth it."

The shorter male nodded his head to his friend's words, swallowing the worry his next words carried. "I think I probably cursed her out a couple million times in the first fight you two had. I felt bad afterwards, though." He whispered, pursing out his lips as his eyes followed the movement beside him, landing on the sleeping female. "It's kind of weird to think I don't understand what you two share but it's even weirder not having you two like this." His eyes circled around the couple just to land on his friend. "I still don't fully understand why she thought being away from you was the solution, but I'm glad you two worked it out. I don't think either of you realize how happy you are together." He concluded, looking down at his feet.

"Either way, just so you know, I have babysitting rights over little Hwa since I sneaked the first few ultrasounds to you. I'm telling him I was the hero behind all of it." His voice sounded again, chuckling while announcing that. He couldn't be happier with the outcome – even if his words were playful as he realized that he too, made the situation worse before fixing it. A grin spread to his features upon hearing Seonghwa's amused chuckle; his eyes curiously landed on his friend as he waited for his next words.

"I know Sojin's not awake right now, but we have been talking lately..." Seonghwa's voice sounded low and welcoming as his features turned to his friend, the biggest smile resting on his lips as happiness poured from his eyes. "We'd really like for you to be Yonghwa's godfather."

There was a pause between the two of them. Hongjoong's brain was processing his friend's words with his lips parted, eyes fixed on the elder's features as he held his expectant gaze. It was as if the world had stopped. Hongjoong didn't know when this feeling began but he knew the kid that was about to be part of their ever so loving family was the most precious person to him – even if he wasn't born just yet. His heart hammered against his chest as his features slowly drowned in happiness – his lips stretched to his cheeks, eyes turning into crescents as he finally managed to put the sentence together in his brain.

"You...want me to be his godfather?" He asked, a soft breath leaving his lips as his teeth sank into his bottom lip, in anticipation. His eyes were now fully open, a euphoric glint making it obvious how excited he had just become thanks to the invitation. He sat up straight, turning his body to the couple just to hear a deep chuckle crawling out of his friend.

"Definitely. Both me and Sojin trust you with our lives. Sojin was the one who suggested it, by the way. She was very firm on that, and I agree. I think you underestimate the role you have on our lives...Sojin holds you very dearly to her heart, I hope you realize that." He concluded, peeking down at his sleeping wife just to smile at the sight of her sleeping on his chest.

"I'd love to be Yonghwa's godfather." He finally spoke, eyeing the female's abdomen just to gently bump his fist against it. "You're going to be one hell of a spoiled little Hwa."

Later that day, when the trio was busy in the kitchen cooking dinner, laughter filled the house and Sojin never felt so warm – what seemed to be an empty and cold apartment just a few months ago, was now a warm home she never wanted to part from. Her smile widened as she watched the two guys interacting. Seonghwa seemed busy telling Hongjoong what to do and what not to do as the shortest male tried his best to help with cooking.

"Man, I really need to learn how to cook, what am I going to do when little Hwa stays over?" He blurted out, sending the couple into a fit of laughter. "Hey, I'm serious here! What kind of godfather will I be if I can't cook for my nephew?" He continued, placing his hands on his hips just to hear the couple laughing louder. Sojin eyed him with the warmest gaze, wiping away a tear that had managed to slip from how hard she was laughing. "I think you will do just fine, Joong."

His eyes light up as he heard the name, she labeled him with. Did he earn that treatment back? His chest felt warm as he realized he had never felt so welcomed.

That moment was, however, interrupted by the pain Sojin felt. "I think the little one got too excited, hold on." She muttered, taking a seat as she closed her eyes, breathing in and out. Her husband was quick to abandon the food on the stove, rushing to her side to make sure she was okay.

"Just a contraction, I'm alright." She informed, through a painful grunt, lowering her head for a moment as she was unsure of what to focus on seeing she felt a bit overwhelmed. Her husband took a hold of her hand, gently stroking her back as he didn't know what else he could do to ease the pain.

Hongjoong panicked, unsure of what to attend to, if the dinner or the female but seeing his friend already concerned with his wife, he rushed to the stove to make sure nothing burnt down. His heart was racing at how quickly everything happened; his thoughts were barely processing at that moment.

"It's all good, sorry." She finally breathed out, peeking at her husband who shared a small, worried smile with her once her features looked relaxed enough. "Do you want to sit down on the couch?" He asked, having her shake her head slowly.

Little did they know this was one of the many contractions about to follow and before they knew it, by the end of that day, they were rushing to the hospital. Between the mess it was to get in the car with the bag they had carefully put together, and warn their parents, they had made it to the hospital.

However, it wasn't until the very next day that the couple would finally meet their little son. Hongjoong had been pacing back and forth on the waiting room, hoping to get any sort of news from the couple only to fall asleep in one of the chairs until a nurse came to find him. He wasn't even sure what time it was, all he could tell was that the sun had risen and the hospital looked far busier than when they walked in, the previous day. He had barely got any sleep as all he could think about was that he was about to meet the little guy that had everyone panicking for the past few hours.

His hands were shaking when the nurse led him to the room his friends were staying in. His heart was beating so firmly against his chest that he swore he could almost launch himself forward with that force. But suddenly, the whole night was a blur, especially when he slid the door open and was met with the sight of a very tired Sojin, laying on the bed – probably sleeping – and his best friend walking around with the little one against his chest, wrapped in the tiniest blanket he had ever seen.

Suddenly the whole night seemed to have gone by a breeze, he didn't care that he probably waited for (what seemed to be) a thousand hours, all he cared about was the sight presented to him.

"And there is your shortest uncle, and godfather." Seonghwa whispered to the little one, earning a quiet chuckle from his friend who approached them. He couldn't even care about that small diss masked with the gentlest tone he had ever heard his best friend hold.

Hongjoong stopped in front of his friend, smiling fondly as he used one of his hands to tug his shirt aside enough for Hongjoong to see the face he had been dying to attach Yonghwa to. He wasn't sure what he expected but he was met with the tiniest version of a human being he had ever encountered. "He's so tiny." He whispered, fondness coating his tone as he watched the kid snuggling up to his father.

𝓰𝓮𝓷𝓻𝓮𝓼: fluff, drama, married couple 𝓼𝔂𝓷𝓸𝓹𝓼𝓲𝓼: divorce was a heavy topic to bring to the table. When there's no happiness left to share, and only a sorrow path to go through, how can one couple stand? Seonghwa has been overworked the last few weeks, awakening doubts in his wife, Sojin. However, what he didn't expect was the settlement coming from her. 𝓹𝓪𝓲𝓻𝓲𝓷𝓰: seonghwa x reader

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All Sojin could hear was the silence mixed with some sort of drumming beat from her heart. His words had dissipated into the air as both stared at each other, as if caught in a moment. Her eyes took in the features she missed so much; his hair barely hiding away all the insecurities he felt – she could see through him. His eyes begged her for another chance, and she did consider it but remembered that she no longer was looking out for herself only. There was a baby in the mist of all of the mess they were in. Se stood there, frozen, thinking through what he had just said.

His grip never tightened but he also refused to let go, he had spent too long away from her, and he hoped she could see that. He loved her every inch and regretted not being able to uphold that promise sooner but deep down, she also knew he loved her and was there for her no matter what. With a small frown, she tugged her wrist back, ready to protest; it wasn't just her anymore, there was a kid in between them. And Seonghwa refused to let the kid stand between them.

Instead, he got up to face her, eyes slowly climbing down, without leaving her features, as his height easily towered hers. His hand carefully reached for hers, helping her understand this meant more to him than he could ever express through words. The male released a quiet, melodic chuckle realizing how adorable she looked – he was even fond of the small distance between them, created by their son. "I refuse to let this drag on for any longer, Sojin." His words came out as a whisper; it was as if he was scared of speaking any louder and ruining the moment. His eyes feasted on the way she looked at him, like she still loved him, like he still meant the world to her.

"Seonghwa, we've talked over this." She started, the fear evident in her eyes – she didn't want to repeat herself, yet again and quite frankly, she had no energy to argue with him. The pregnancy was draining by itself. And the fact she had nobody to turn to was also exhausting. She was doing this on her own; she didn't want to constantly bother her friends. If anything, this was her problem. Her voice was shaky, as if threatening to evolve into a cry at any given chance.

Seonghwa's attentive eyes caught up to her thoughts. Just like her, he could read her like an open book and knew exactly what was going on in her mind. It hurt him, that she still thought he felt that way. He couldn't exactly blame her as the last time they spoke about this matter; this was his stand. With a sigh, he released her wrist, bringing both hands to her features to gently cup her cheeks, to make their gaze meet. And God, did she miss it. His warm hands, against her skin, his soft gaze, calming her. She missed everything about him. Seonghwa shared the same feeling. He felt like it had been forever since he last placed his hands anywhere near her body. It made his fingertips burn. It was like this was the first time he was holding her, almost as if he could feel such feelings again.

A small smile rested on his pair as he leaned down, eyes closing to place his forehead on hers. "You're not alone in this." He muttered, hearing the way her breath hitched. "Baby, I don't want to exist in a world you don't, I don't want us to be apart any longer and fuck, I realized that even if I'm not ready, it's ours." He continued, hearing Sojin release a quiet sob, her lips were trembling as her hands rest on his, gently squeezing them. Her eyes were still on him, despite the closeness – she was deprived of the love he provided for her for so long that this small gesture had her crash. And thus, she didn't want to close her eyes, she didn't want to lose sight of him. All she wanted, was for everything to be alright, for them to work everything out and begin their journey as a family.

"I'm scared, Seonghwa." She finally whispered, sniffing as she shuffled as close to him as possible, hearing a soft chuckle from him as her belly pressed against his abdomen. His forehead peeled from hers, eyes opening to meet her glistening gaze before his lips gently pressed against her forehead, nose and lips in a slow caring manner. And she allowed him. She leaned into his touch, loving the way his lips felt so right against her skin. "I'm here, for you, for him." He whispered against her pair smiling wider only to lean back. His thumbs stroked her cheeks gently, taking in the sight of his wife. Sojin didn't even fully process what he had said – she figured Hongjoong probably told Seonghwa about their son. Even if she wanted to be the one breaking the news to him, she didn't mind at that point. "I'm sorry I wasn't here for...anything." He continued, watching her shake her head slowly.

A long moment of silence followed as their eyes met again, unspoken words clearly conversing between them with their gaze. But a doubt lingered in the female's head. She had to ask; she had to make sure.

"Are you sure about this?" The male bit his bottom lip at her question. He was sure he wanted to be with her, to father their son as long as she was with him. Sure, he wasn't fully confident he would be a good father but that was pushed to the back of his mind as currently, the biggest problem he had in his hands was providing her with every ounce of reassurance. He gave her a small nod, breathing in before he spoke again. "I don't want to spend another second away from either of you, I want this, I want us, and I want our son to grow up in a loving home...even if it is a little broken right now, I know I can provide you both with everything you need." He confessed, swallowing down a small breath; he stuttered. "I was a fool; I shouldn't have broken us apart. I feel like I was an asshole because I was lost in between the thousand things happening. But...I don't feel home when I'm alone. I feel like I'm anywhere, but where I should be, Sojin. And if we're not doing this together, there's nothing else I have to fight for. It's you who I want to be by my side, it's you who I want to come home to and it's definitely our son who I want to build the future for."

She was about to speak, but her voice halted when she felt the sensation she wanted to share with her husband the most. A small kick. Her lips let out a soft gasp. Her eyes immediately fell on her belly, only to quickly look back up at her husband, watching his eyes open wide, and lips part as he definitely felt it against his abdomen. "Was..." He started off, dropping his hands down to her belly, stroking it gently as a warm smile grew on his lips.

Sojin couldn't help but shed a tear as she watched the scenario, she had thought about so many times unfold. It was as beautiful as she ever pictured it to be – his lips stretched into the biggest smile he could etch, his hands all over her belly, as if begging for another small interaction from their son, his eyes twinkling with excitement and his voice clearly carrying all the happiness and fondness he could muster. She fists her hand, bringing it up to her left eye just to wipe the tears spilling from her eyes, unsure if she wanted to cry or laugh, unsure if this was the reality or a dream. If it was a dream, she wished to never wake up from it.

Seonghwa was clearly lost in the moment, focused on the way their little one seemed to make clear his intentions of being part of the conversation. He knew, by now, his mother's voice by heart but the sound of his father's voice probably awoke excitement within him. His father gently pressed his forehead against the mother's bellybutton, smiling. Yet another small bump appeared momentarily in Sojin's skin. Another kick. "Gosh, I already love you so damn much." Seonghwa's voice spoke, laughing as his forehead bounced with the next kick. Sojin could only watch fondly, despite the tears spilling from her eyes. She wasn't sad, in fact, she was relieved.

Her hand carefully landed on the male's head, gently threading through his hair as she still couldn't believe this was happening; her heart swelled with warmth and happiness as she could only fondly watch her husband interact with their, yet to be born, son. She didn't want to interrupt them, but a soft chuckle escaped her lips as her husband pressed what seemed to be the endless kisses he had kept for months against her skin.

Sojin's lips stretched into a large, loving smile as she could only watch the scene unfold before her. The once empty room suddenly bloomed with all the best feelings the world knew. Feelings she didn't know she was capable of bearing. Seonghwa, too, felt his heart overload with fondness, wondering for a moment as he peeked up at his wife, how he even let this feeling go undercover for so long. It would've been so much easier if only he had told her he was scared, and maybe insecure about becoming a father. But he knew, deep down, that he was addicted to this new reality she presented him to. His brain projected all the events to unfold as he stood again, arms looping around his wife who easily complied to his wish, resting her head against his chest.

"It's forever, Sojin."

That night, the couple fell asleep in each other's arms. Sojin managed to fall asleep and actually relax for a full night as her heart was at ease now that the male was by her side. Her head rest against his chest as she clung to him, refusing to move a single inch; they'd been apart for too long and she found just the right position to sleep on.

When the morning came, the male was the first one to wake up. His eyes scanned the surroundings as he was made aware he didn't recognize the room. It took him a moment to realize where he was, and that last night actually happened. His head turned to the right, a large smile invading his features as he saw his wife snuggling up to him. His eyes attentively watched her features; she looked exhausted. A quiet chuckle flew off his lips as his hand found it's way to her abdomen – he found comfort in that; he was just now beginning to get used to the idea of their son. "Good morning, Yonghwa." He whispered, watching his wife stir awake.

"Good morning, love." He whispered, leaning down to press a kiss to her lips, watching her pair stretch into a soft smile as her eyes remained closed. She was tired and could use a little longer in bed. "How about you and I stay in bed today?" He whispered, bringing his hand up from her abdomen to her head, stroking her nape carefully. She gave him a lazy nod before quickly opening her eyes, realizing she had work to attend to.

Her husband snorted, shaking his head as he realized she panicked over most likely work. "Yunho's worried sick about you. And so am I. You're about to be full term, shouldn't we let Yonghwa rest a bit, too?" He asked watching the female frown. His hand lazily rests on her cheek, stroking it before his lips pressed against hers. "I make enough for you not to worry about money, you know that."

Sojin let out a soft breath, in between acknowledgement and protest – she didn't want to fully depend on him but seeing how far along she was, it wasn't like she had many more options. "I'm not saying you should let me fully make up for what I missed but let me at least be here for the last few weeks." He asked softly, allowing his fingers to thread through her hair, moving down to her nape. That earned him a soft smile from the female who agreed with his idea, it wasn't like she wanted to private him from the little bit they had left.

"I'm sleepy." She whispered, nestling in his arms. Seonghwa's lips stretched into a large smile as he molded into the position, she felt more comfortable with, watching her fall asleep within a few minutes.

While she was asleep, her husband was quick to message Yunho, firstly thanking him for the previous night and only then, telling him about the sudden change in heart of his wife – she wanted to make the most of the very little time they still had before the little one was born and Yunho was understanding of that. In fact, he was quick to congratulate them, adding she didn't need to worry about anything else. Next, he messaged his best friend, updating him on last night's events and asking him to cover his shift that day. Hongjoong was quick to respond positively, excitedly even. And with that, Seonghwa's cheeks started hurting as he realized how many people around them wanted them to succeed. Life was something beautiful.

The male had no idea when was the last time he slept past the six-a.m. alarm as that was usually the time he got up to go to work. It felt amazing not having to get up and rush to work, along with the whole morning routine, getting lunch ready and what not. He liked this far more. Even on the weekends, he would be up early, taking care of work-related things as his goal remained the same – the so wished vacation him and Sojin talked about. But this was his new favorite thing; Sojin sleeping in his arms, their bed warm and no problems swarming their day.

The couple was exhausted – living separate lives was harder than they anticipated. It made their worries grow larger, their problems seem harder and decision making become a harder process. This was what they needed – to rest in each other's arms, resting.

Sojin stirred awake once again, squinting her eyes to look around as her head lift from her husband's chest, just for her to settle it down once again, realizing yet again it wasn't a dream. A soft whimper fell off her lips as she felt the baby move, understanding it was probably time to get up. Seonghwa's eyes slowly opened upon feeling her moving. His hand rested on her head, stroking it yet again, as if to let her know he was also awake. The female smiled, wrapping her arms around his waist before muttering softly. "Your son is hungry." And before she could bring the hand that rests on her back to her abdomen, Seonghwa had settled it down right there, earning a soft laugh from her.

"Is he usually this active in the morning?" He asked, feeling the little one moving against his hand. Sojin gave him a small nod, pursing her lips as she lifted her head to see her husband whose eyes were closed once again. "The doctor said usually babies go active when the mom is resting because whenever I'm moving, he gets lulled to sleep." She explained, gently patting his chest as she unwillingly sat up on the bed. Her eyes caught the sight of the smile enlarging the space his lips occupied in his features as he stretched, sitting up as well.

"Why is that the cutest thing ever?" He muttered, moving forward to place a chaste kiss on her pair, only opening his eyes once he leaned back. "Does that mean he's going to take a nap, now?" The male snorted, leaning down to place a kiss on her abdomen carefully. "Maybe." Her voice whispered, fondly watching the scene in front of her. Sojin's hand gently stroked his head, allowing him to take his time greeting their son before they decided to freshen up.

Soon, they moved to the kitchen to get breakfast. Sojin's head was suddenly clouded by a question. "Don't you have to go to work today?" She voiced, stopping her movements for a moment as she faced her husband who shook his head. "I talked to Hongjoong, he's covering for me for today. And considering you're bound to give birth any given moment, I'm asking for this time off work...it's been a while ever since I had a break, and I'm sure you know that. I regret giving so much to work." He confessed, frowning as he realized how many of their problems could've been solved if only, he had made such decision earlier.

She gave him a small nod, returning to the task she gave herself – which was no other than gather the ingredients for their meal. Her lips suddenly tugged upwards, feeling warmth brewing within her chest – this was the life she pictured for them and she couldn't be happier that it was no longer just a simple thought, but their actual reality.

"Eggs?" He asked, confused as he saw the female place a few down by the counter. As far as he recalled, she wasn't fond of those. Her head turned to the right to meet him, sharing a rather small smile. "Your son seems fond of those, I can't really help it." She muttered, scrunching her nose for a moment. "Plus, they're not really that bad. I just crave them a lot. I think at this point it just became a habit to have some in the morning."

𝓰𝓮𝓷𝓻𝓮𝓼: fluff, drama, married couple 𝓼𝔂𝓷𝓸𝓹𝓼𝓲𝓼: divorce was a heavy topic to bring to the table. When there's no happiness left to share, and only a sorrow path to go through, how can one couple stand? Seonghwa has been overworked the last few weeks, awakening doubts in his wife, Sojin. However, what he didn't expect was the settlement coming from her. 𝓹𝓪𝓲𝓻𝓲𝓷𝓰: seonghwa x reader

[previous] [ⓕⓞⓤⓡⓣⓔⓔⓝ] [next]

Hongjoong had been the one taking Sojin home. He had talked with Yunho as they signed the discharge papers, letting him in on more information about the relationship between the female and her husband – and to nobody's surprise, Yunho was quick to devote his loyalty to their reunion. He liked happy endings. He was fond of Sojin and thought she deserved nothing but a happy ending, too. And seeing her work so hard to provide for the little one, made him want to help her even more. Even if he disapproved of the reasoning behind Seonghwa's decision.

"Are you sure there is nothing else I can help with?" The male asked, looking around the house quietly as he took note of how empty it was – it was if Sojin barely spent time there. He could understand why; the house felt empty. Even in his life, Seonghwa seemed to play a large role, therefore, it was weird to have no such presence around for long periods of time. Sojin let out a quiet chuckle, dismissing the male's worries. "We're fine, Hongjoong." She reassured him, taking a seat on the couch as she felt the tiredness catching up to her. The whole experience of passing out at work was draining. Not only did she have everyone worry about something so silly as her passing out, but also, was rushed into the hospital. How dramatic, she thought.

Hongjoong took a seat by her side, eyeing the monitor standing a couple feet away from them; he watched her though the glass, quietly for a moment. Her eyes were closed, as if she was hibernating. A small smile grew in his lips as his voice started out, softly. "Please call me if you need anything. If you don't, Yunho will, so I'd rather you be the one calling." The female snorted quietly, shaking her head slowly before releasing a soft sigh. "You're not letting this go, are you?" His response was a hum, watching the female's lips stretch into a soft smile.

"Thank you, Hongjoong. For keeping Seonghwa safe, for being here for me and for everything, really." Her eyes opened, head tilting slightly to the left to see the male who faced forward. He gave her a small nod. "You, Hwa and little Hwa are my whole world." His eyes landed on hers, lips mirroring the smile on her pair. "I'm scared of losing any of you, I want you all in one piece. So, I'm sorry for everything I said to you, if I could take back those words, I would."

"That's in the past, Hongjoong. I know you did everything you could with the knowledge you had, to protect Seonghwa. And I'm glad you did. I think that shows he had two people who loved him so dearly, they'd do anything to keep him happy and safe." Sojin took his hand, placing it on her belly, showing off a large grin as the little one suddenly stretched his leg. "I think this means little Hwa forgives you, too." She whispered playfully, chuckling.

The male chuckled, stroking the belly carefully, his heart was acting up as it kept on beating firmly against his chest with this new sensation. Partly, he felt he was robbing his best friend of such intimacy, but he knew, if anything, this only strengthened his need to bring them back together. He leaned down, pressing his forehead against her stomach, smiling softly. "Little Hwa, this is uncle Joong... I love you, so much, please be good to your mama and I promise you, I'll work everything else out."

Sojin couldn't help but chuckle, shaking her head at how silly the male was being. This made her miss Seonghwa even more – would he be that kind of father? Who'd talk to the little one every day? A wave of sadness hit her, but she didn't want to dwell on it, if anything, she was glad Hongjoong was back to the way he once was with her. Things weren't perfect, but they were getting better.

"I really have to head back; will you be okay?" The concern in his voice brought a warm smile to her features, she gave him a small nod, as the female accompanied him to the door. "Scouts honor, if I need anything, I'll let you or Yeosang know!"

Hongjoong let out a quiet chuckle at her silly manners, head bobbing slightly before he eyed her belly. "You too, make sure to behave, you got me and your dad really worried." He spoke, stealing a peek at the female – he wanted her to get used to the idea of Seonghwa warming up to their child. Her expression, however, remained soft. Maybe she didn't fully let his words sink, but his goal was to say it out loud, to have her realize her husband wasn't just trying. He was willing.

With another short bid goodbye, the male made his way to his car, far much relieved than when he came. He knew she was okay, where she was living and even made an ally. Things were going to work out; he was sure of it.

Suddenly, the two-hour ride home wasn't so long. The sky seemed clearer, the air thinner and the radio played just the right songs – it was a perfect harmony. Hongjoong hummed all the way home, despite the sun shying away from his gaze, he could still hear the birds chirping, and every inch of nature bloomed around him. Life was something beautiful.

Coming into Seonghwa's home, however, seemed to drag down his mood. He had great news to share but the aura sitting in that house felt heavy. He raised a brow as he saw his friend in the living room, head lowered into the coffee table as quiet sniffs escaped his nose. "Hwa..."

Seonghwa lifted his head, he had been worried for the past few hours – Hongjoong had shared no updates, and it was driving him crazy; to think Sojin was at the hospital, possibly with something severe, really got him thinking. Did he really want them to be apart like this? Did he really want to go further into this mess? Couldn't he ignore the little insecurity he felt over parenting the child? Sojin would be by his side, everything would be okay...right? But part of him was even more scared when he realized they needed to reach such lengths for him to realize he couldn't live without her.

His friend was quick to move to his side, a small smile adorning his features; his caring hand gently sat on his back, stroking it up and down as if announcing he bared good news. Seonghwa's hopeful glistening eyes begged for him to speak, to tell him anything – that Sojin was okay or even that she didn't want to speak to him. He just wanted to hear about her.

"So first of all, Sojin is okay. I talked to the doctors, she passed out due to stress, something about a vasovagal syncope which I still have no idea what it is." He ordered the priorities; the male knew he had so much to tell his friend that he had to start somewhere and that seemed to be the most important point to cover. His smile tugged a small smile from his friend who wiped his nose with the sleeve covering the back of his hand, waiting for Hongjoong to continue. He chuckled, patting the elder's back. "Yunho is just her neighbor, he's married and expecting and a great guy, actually. He's on board with the bring Seongjin back together mission." That seemed to relieve Seonghwa, whose smile suddenly settled into his lips.

Hongjoong bit his bottom lip, trying his best to contain his excitement as he reached for his pocket, only now realizing he probably should've treasured the item he was bringing out, better. Despite slightly crumbled up, the small, printed photo showed off the clear untouched center – the little Hwa, as Hongjoong called him. "Sojin's not fully closed to the idea of...us being part of her life." His hands placed the small picture in his friend's, smiling as he watched Seonghwa's eyes immediately shoot downwards. He fondly watched his friend stroke it with his thumb, a smile growing into his pair. "And last but not least, that's Yonghwa. Or as I like to call him, little Hwa!"

"Yonghwa?" Seonghwa's broken voice asked, eyes ripping from the picture he dearly held in his hands, to land on his friend's features. The large smile Hongjoong's lips showed off soon spread to Seonghwa's, a quiet sniff breaking through. "It's a boy?" He wasn't sure where the fondness came from, but knowing Sojin kept the name they thought of together, made him feel warm, hopeful and confident. Warm, because that was the name he suggested. Hopeful, because keeping that name probably meant there was a chance to fix things. And confident, because he felt he could, or better, he would become a good father.

That night, Seonghwa had managed to fall into actual sleep. The thought of their son growing in Sojin's belly was suddenly, not scary anymore. If anything, it made him feel secure, like that was one of the only things he could be sure about in life. The photo laid by his side on the pillow and he fell asleep admiring it. Was it possible to fall in love with someone that didn't fully exist yet? Because Seonghwa felt he had just fallen in love with their son.

The male woke up early the next day. The first thing he saw when he woke up was that small picture Hongjoong had sneaked into his life; and he was so thankful. Even if he missed Sojin, he could hold on, he could wait for their problems to slowly be worked out. And that was the mindset he drilled into his brain that day – it was possible.

His morning started with a shower. He had no idea how, but when he closed his eyes while washing his hair, a soft smile sat on his lips. The thought of the little one wasn't as bad as he anticipated. He had a purpose. He wanted to become a better person, for him, for Yonghwa, for Sojin. He didn't know why he was so scared, or why he pushed Sojin away with such thoughts when he felt so good knowing their love was enough to create something so beautiful.

Suddenly, work went by like a breeze. His days didn't seem so heavy, even if they were empty as the place Sojin took was hard to fill. However, he knew he needed to be patient. He needed to figure out how to work this issue out, how to make Sojin trust him again. She had every right to push him away after everything he said and done.

Seonghwa was patient, Hongjoong kept him updated about the smallest things as he understood that for now, that was the bridge connecting them. And he was okay with that, partly at least, as he wanted to be with her and provide her with the comfort she needed. But he also knew his wife, and God, was she stubborn. Even Hongjoong was frustrated with some of the interactions they had. Still, Seonghwa was fond of that stubbornness. His friend was great at keeping him updated, at showing him videos that Sojin probably didn't allow him to sneak to Seonghwa and giving him the smallest details of everything he found out, but at least he knew they were doing well. And just like that, those twenty weeks turned into thirty, thirty two, thirty four, thirty six and finally thirty eight.

However, his patience didn't last forever.

"What do you mean she's refusing to stop working?" Seonghwa's voice asked, hearing the male on the other end of the line release a loud sigh, as if frustrated with the situation. Yunho rubbed his eyes with his index and thumb, clearly unsatisfied. "Seonghwa, man, I know you're concerned but there's nothing I can do about this. She's probably starting to get nervous about the birth. Why don't you come pay her a visit?"

The male's heart stalled. Had it been that long? It seemed that just yesterday she was entering the second trimester, and yet, she was nearing the end of the pregnancy. His eyes landed on the calendar, noticing most likely she had up to two weeks left. If that much. He could only imagine how exhausted she was and knowing Sojin, he knew she couldn't stay still when she got nervous.

"You still there?" Yunho asked, only to hear a soft breath being exhaled off Seonghwa's lips. "Yes, sorry...fuck, I didn't think this would drag on for so long." He confessed, knowing he just never found the right moment to come find Sojin – Hongjoong always kept him updated over the smallest thing the female shared, be it the appointments she went to or the little changes she noticed.

Yunho hummed, his eyes landing on the little girl sleeping in his arms. A smile grew on his lips as he couldn't comprehend the extent of his love for his daughter. It was something unique to experience. "I'll close the library tomorrow, come by." He suggested, unwillingly ripping his eyes away from his most precious little princess, to instead, peek over at the wall. "It's about time you two work it all out, unless you want the hole to grow deeper, Hwa. Anyway, I have to go, call me tomorrow, yeah?"

Upon hearing the quietness of the line, Seonghwa sighed. The phone was brought down to his lap – it had been around five months since she left him. He had to do something; it was about time he took matters into his own hands. Determined, he punched a few icons on his phone, nervously biting his inner cheek as he brought the phone back to his ear. He heard it ring, once, twice, three times and even a fourth time before the other person picked up the call.

He couldn't believe she picked up. He held his breath, suddenly nervous. "Sojin..." He whispered, mouth drying almost instantly as he had no idea where to start but all his thoughts were erased when he heard a soft groan coming from the female. She was panting softly as she announced something to him. "Seonghwa...right now it's really not a good time, can you call later?" The female surprised herself with the way she managed to speak a full sentence so coherently. The pain she was feeling was making it hard to concentrate.

"What...what's going on?" His voice came out as a whisper, in between needing to know what was going on and unsure if he really wanted to find out. He could hear the panting coming from the female who clearly was in discomfort. "Seonghwa, I'll call you later." She managed to tell him in one breath, quickly hanging the phone up as if she didn't want to argue at that moment.

Seonghwa's eyes sat on the clock, it was barely past six and without thinking for another second longer, he grabbed the keys and flew out the door, not even bothering to lock the house. He didn't care, all he knew was Sojin needed him and if it depended on him, he would be there the next second. He wasn't thinking at all when he got into the car, suddenly this had given him purpose to act on his feelings.

His heart was racing; he felt glad the roads were empty as he really didn't want to be stuck in traffic. Not when she needed him. He suddenly realized how two hours held an absurdly long distance. How had he not noticed this before? Truth was, during these months, he didn't have enough courage to reach out for her. He thought giving her space was the way to go, that it would do them good even when Hongjoong kept insisting maybe it was time he took matters in his own hands.

The male had no plan; he didn't know how to face the female as all he cared about was seeing her. Once he arrived to the town Hongjoong had once talked about, he parked the car and immediately called Yunho. Yunho was quick to pick up the phone, a bit surprised that he was being contacted at eight. "What's up, Hwa?" He asked, making his way to the living room just to stop his tracks when he heard Seonghwa announcing he was outside.

"Wow, I didn't expect that...okay, where are you parked, I'll come get you." Yunho was quick to come downstairs, and even quicker to find Seonghwa who was sitting by the little park right in front of the swings. His eyes scanned the surroundings quietly as he understood why Sojin picked such place. It was so nice and welcoming that it almost had him want to move there too.

"What are you doing here, Hwa?" Yunho's voice suddenly had the male focus on him. He gave him a tight smile, explaining the situation only to her the taller chuckle. "And that's contractions, for you. Not fun, and kind of painful to watch." He commented, leading the male into the building. The male explained those were very much normal, and probably they were what Sojin was experiencing.

The duo stood by Sojin's door. Seonghwa felt his heartbeat pick up its pace as he realized the last time he saw her was probably in a video Hongjoong had sent him. "I'm next door if you need anything, Hwa." He whispered, patting his back gently before making his way back home. The male let out a soft breath, pressing his fingers against the door before bravely pushing the doorbell. He waited for a couple seconds, only to hold his breath when the door opened.

His eyes sat on the female as soon as she came in sight. Both stood still, looking at one another, quietly for what seemed like an eternity, until Sojin finally spoke. "What are you doing here?" And that question held no malice, in fact, she was curious, her brain couldn't associate the reason he was there was the fact he was worried about what he heard during the small call they held two hours ago.

She looked at his features closely, watching him tuck his bottom lip in between his two rows of teeth, as if he was unsure of what to say. He seemed concerned and confused. Sojin released a soft sigh, stepping aside to let him in. Only then did he notice how large her belly grew – the pictures and videos didn't fully allow him to picture her. A small smile sat on his lips at her invite; he quickly made his way in, surprised by how civil they were with one another, after all the heartbreak.

"I was...worried." He finally confessed, turning around to meet the female who pushed the door close. Sojin avoided his gaze, giving him a small nod as she slowly made her way to the kitchen, where she previously was. He followed her, not missing the chance to scan the house she was living in. It was small and quite lifeless but filled with just enough things not to look empty.

"It's late, where are you staying?" She asked quietly, allowing him to hear the concern through that simple question. Seonghwa's lips were quickly tucked between his teeth as he tried his best not to show how happy he felt hearing her concerns. "I'm not sure, I just...I thought you weren't feeling well and I came running." He told her, stopping by the counter; his hand sat on it as he watched Sojin serve the food she had just cooked. A hum followed his statement, as if that served as enough answer from the female.

Sojin reached for a second dish, serving some of the food into it before bringing both dishes to the small kitchen table. Her eyes lift to find her husband staring at her and that gaze was enough to invite him to have a meal with her – he missed this. Wordlessly, they sat on the table. While Sojin was busy eating, he watched her as if taking in every single bit of her he had missed so dearly, noticing the changes in her actions and mannerisms. Her cheeks looked round and it was clear she was exhausted; her eyes closed for a moment as she savored the food.

The male took that as a sign, pressing the fork against his pair as he ate the food she had cooked. A party of flavors burst into his mouth as suddenly; all the food he had consumed the past few months was nothing but something to keep him alive. Her food brought taste back into his life and he loved that, he loved her and just then he realized, no matter how unprepared he was for their son, he wouldn't allow her to go through it alone.

"You can stay the night; I wouldn't want you to drive back two hours especially so late." Her voice announced as she got up. "I'll go get the guest bedroom ready." She continued, only to be stopped by his hand. He hadn't touched her in months and suddenly, this small interaction between their skin sent jolts of electricity through their limbs. His fingers, however, didn't stop there; they gently gripped her wrist, signaling his dismay. He didn't want her to leave him there; he didn't want her to cater to his needs just yet. His gaze held something she couldn't fully understand, it was a mix between sadness and need.

𝓰𝓮𝓷𝓻𝓮𝓼: fluff, drama, friends to lovers 𝓼𝔂𝓷𝓸𝓹𝓼𝓲𝓼: siah finds herself tangled in deep trouble - between choosing friendship or love, betrayal or following her own heart as she finds herself falling deeper for jongho who happens to be no other than her best friend's crush. 𝓹𝓪𝓲𝓻𝓲𝓷𝓰: jongho x reader

[previous] [ⓕⓞⓤⓡ] [next]

They faced one another for a couple seconds before Siah broke the trance she was in; she had been caught red handed but she could still make a run for it. She was sure of it because she didn’t want to be stuck in this situation.

“Where are you going?” Jongho’s voice was quiet, his finger twirling through the hoop of the keychain holding his motorcycles key. He had come out to retrieve something from his vehicle, but she didn’t even see him come out. However, to be fair, she had sneaked into the laundry room and then out the door so there was no way she could keep tabs on him – not like she was trying to, anyway.

Siah’s eyes fell to the floor as she knew if she spoke, she was going to break down. Without another word, she moved to the left and continued on her way, rushing down the stairs sniffing quietly. It was embarrassing to be caught like this; in the middle of the mess her feelings were and all thanks to a guy. It was a bad idea to join the hangout, she should’ve told Wooyoung no from the beginning.

His brows furrowed as his eyes followed her, making him swallow quietly; a bad feeling growing in his stomach before he muttered a soft “Fuck it.” And rushed after her, easily catching up to the female that was furiously wiping the tears off her face, now walking as she figured she was far enough from the house.

Her mind was so full of what had just happened that she didn’t realize he was behind her, much less did she realize where she was going. To be honest, all she wanted was to be away from there, head home and call it a day. Or a week. She wasn’t certain just yet. She just knew she had a whole lot to figure out. And she wondered why her friend couldn’t have told her this face to face, why she resented her so much and why it was so embarrassing to be the odd one out.

“Hey, you, okay?” he asked, voice as soft as velvet as his hand reached for her wrist to stop her. The touch of his skin sent shivers down her spine, followed by the electrifying feeling she got when they first shook hands. It was awful to understand none of them had the ability to know this was how it ended. She tugged her hand away gently, still refusing to face the male who was clearly worried.

However, his grip didn’t loosen. Instead, he tugged her back, watching her stumble and regain her balance, still refusing to look at him. “Siah.” He called out softly, watching her body tensing up as they had stopped walking by now. The way her name fell off his lips had her heart race and once again, she asked herself how the hell she ended up in this situation. Why was she into a guy she barely knew? She was trying her best to breathe properly and be quiet but this didn’t help the situation. “Can you please let go?” she asked softly, tugging her wrist again hearing the male release a loud sigh before moving in front of her.

Her eyes could see his sneakers come into sight which had her understand he was in front of her, facing her. “Siah, I’m serious. What’s wrong?” he asked, trying to sound as calm as possible as he watched her bring her free hand up to wipe her face before shaking her head, still refusing to look at him. “Nothing.” She muttered, holding a sob in her chest but her breath betrayed her and she gasped softly for air.

“Do you need me to call Wooyoung?” he asked, reaching for his phone only to finally see her face as she looked up at him panicked and shook her head firmly. “No.” she responded softly, holding her breath again as she realized how stupid the decision of looking up at him was. His dark brown eyes softened seeing her wet cheeks as he unconsciously reached his thumbs up to wipe her cheeks gently, clearly concerned for her. “What’s wrong?” He whispered softly, frowning as her hands gently tugged his away despite how comforting his touch was. Her quivering lips managed to stretch into a smile as she shook her head. She forced out a laugh, bringing her sleeve up to wipe her tears away. “It’s nothing, I’m sorry. Can you please not tell anyone?” she asked softly, tensing up when she heard her phone ringing in her pocket.

“Are you picking it up?” he asked when he watched her check to see Wooyoung’s name lighting up her screen. She clicked the volume button and quickly looked up at Jongho, smiling sadly. “I really got to go, sorry about this.” She said softly, feeling her heart tightening as she turned around to leave only to hear him sigh again. His hand reached for her hoodie to stop her from walking, watching her leg kick up to walk only for her upper body to stumble back unable to move. It would’ve been comical if only she wasn’t looking so horrible.

Her phone continued to ring but she did the same thing, tugging her hoodie back. “I’m not letting go until you tell me what’s up. You don’t get to walk out like that on me.” He said playfully before she turned around to look at him, eyes still watery.

“I don’t want to see you again.” She firmly told him watching his face become serious. His hand let go of her hoodie, cheeks getting sucked in as his expression turned sour. “Very well, suit yourself.” He told her, turning around to make the way back to the house. Siah watched for a bit before turning back in the direction she was walking, quietly making her way down the street.

Her phone had stopped ringing after a while, either that or she stopped hearing it. She didn’t feel like going home because she felt like there was nothing that would comfort her there but at the same time, she had nowhere else to go. She spent most of her time in Minah’s house or Wooyoung’s, anyway but she felt like she didn’t belong in either anymore.

Once she got home, she locked the door and made her way to bed, closing her eyes and quickly covering her body with the blanket. Today felt heavy and horrible for her, as this was the last thing she expected to happen. Her phone rang once more but this time, just when she was about to decline the call, came a knock on her door. “Siah, I know you’re there.” Wooyoung’s voice resonated through the walls of her apartment “Open the door or pick up the phone, I need to know that you’re okay.” His voice continued, prompting the female to hold her phone.

With a quiet sigh, she typed out a message that read “I’m okay, sorry I had to leave I think I ate something bad or something.” And hit send, hearing Wooyoung knock on the door again after reading the message, but she didn’t move an inch. She saw a bubble popping up, signaling to her he was writing something. “Wooyoung, I want to be alone, sorry. I’m sorry for worrying you, everything is okay, I just need to rest. Please go home.” Her eyes closed after hitting send only to hear a ding on her phone.

Her eyes opened again, frowning as she saw Minah’s name sliding in her gaze. A sad smile formed on her lips as she read the message her, once, best friend wrote. Reeking of worry, considering she left without telling anyone. Siah chuckled sadly at how ironic the situation was. Despite that, she opened the chat and wrote back to her. “I’m sorry I left in a hurry, something came up! No need to worry and thanks for today. Sorry for worrying you.”

“Siah, I know something’s up, please open the door.” Wooyoung’s voice spoke again, met with silence as the female felt she didn’t want to talk about it. Her stomach felt like a mess especially after finding out what her longest date friend thought of her. It was messy and she wished she had the courage to face her, but she didn’t. And since she didn’t, she was going to do the only logical thing – avoidance.

She had no idea when Wooyoung had given up on the idea of talking to her, all she knew was; she fell asleep hugging her pillow and refused to acknowledge she had built a thick wall between her and the group, maybe there was a bridge already anyway.

A week had passed since then. The group chat kept blowing up with messages, some of outings that had occurred that week, some with plans and Siah kept on leaving that chat on read. She was trying to grow the courage to leave it but whenever she saw the pictures of her friends smiling so warmly, she felt lonely and wanted to at least get some sort of updates from them.

That was, until the following week came around and someone directly asked in the chat. “Siah, we’re meeting at Woo’s today, can you make it?” the question was redirected to her. She was in bed, reading the message before typing down an answer. “Sorry guys, I’ve been put on the night shift this month, can’t make it to any of the hangouts but have fun!”

The reactions were immediate. Some emojis with a tear came up on the screen, such as Minah’s which dragged and unamused chuckle off Siah’s lips. She was probably the happiest now. But Joohee quickly shoot a message back “When are your days off, this week? I’m sure we can work something out, we miss you.” And Siah’s lips released a soft sigh. She thought about what to say, typing and deleting the message for a few minutes before writing the most plausible excuse. “I’m a bit sick right now, but I’ll let you know if I get better next week, thanks for the invite anyway. Have fun!”

Her screen light up with a message from someone she hadn’t heard ever since the day she left the hangout. Wooyoung. She thought he had given up on contacting her or maybe was just giving her space. All she knew was she felt relieved he didn’t press her for answers. That was comforting.

“Liar.” It read. She didn’t want to open the text but less than a minute later, a longer text followed. “Jongho told me he saw you run out the other day crying. I’m really trying to be patient here and let you take your time and shit but I’m starting to get anxious because you don’t reach out to me. I don’t know what’s wrong but I’m sure I can help…” followed by “I stopped by your work yesterday and they said you were mostly on the morning shift this month so something’s definitely up. Did I do something?”

She pondered if she wanted to reply to those. Truth was that she had been thinking about the long friendship she had with Minah and how deep she must’ve hurt her for her to nurture those feelings for her. And part of her wondered if Wooyoung could ever feel the same way and just not have the strength to admit it. Her stomach sank. Despite that, she replied to the message. “I’m sorry I made you feel that way, you did nothing wrong and I did get my schedule changed to the night shift that’s why I can’t go.” Her lips pouted a bit as she realized just how deep the lies were running in that moment, leading her to sigh quietly as she sent the message.

“You’re acting really off. Did anyone do something at the hangout?” She panicked that he would piece together what was going on before she came up with the stupidest lie she could. “I tried kissing Jongho and now I feel like shit, because I got rejected. Happy?”

Wooyoung’s bubble came up, vanished, came back up and vanished again. She gulped down before typing again. “Please don’t tell him I told you, it’s embarrassing and I don’t want anyone else knowing about it.”

Wooyoung was looking at his screen quietly, tongue between his two rows of teeth as he squinted. He found the whole situation weird. Her? Kissing Jongho? No way in hell. He looked pissed when he came back into the house, which later he revealed was because he caught her crying and she told him she didn’t want to see him anymore so the theory he and Wooyoung had was that Minah had done something. But neither of them dared to accuse her. Wooyoung’s mind only woke up to his surroundings the moment he heard someone speak. His eyes ripped away from the screen, peeking at the person in front of him.

“She’s a grown up, and she’s clearly avoiding our group so I don’t see why we should worry about her, honestly. Things have been much better ever since she left, nobody’s fighting, nobody’s mad so I fail to see why everyone keeps trying to reach her.” Sooyoung’s voice sighed as she leaned against Yunho who raised a brow.

Wooyoung sighed loudly as he got up from the table, slamming the fork down “I’ve lost my appetite.” He called out as he made his way towards the couch quietly. San sent a glare to Sooyoung before getting up as well, to follow his friend.

“See, this was my fear. I knew she would break us all apart.” Sooyoung called out, eyeing her boyfriend who only frowned hearing her. Minah was quietly playing with her food, deep down satisfied with the mess the group had become because that meant things would probably work out for her side. And with Siah out of sight, Jongho would find his way into her. She was sure of that.

“You had something to do with it, didn’t you?” Jongho finally asked as he had been observing Minah’s behavior the past week. The way she would look satisfied whenever this issue was brought up, the way she would pretend she was oh so sad and hold onto Sooyoung like this was the worse thing that could’ve ever happened. Her eyes lifted to meet Jongho’s and for a moment, she forgot to pretend she was sad. She was caught off guard.

Her lips parted to speak as her expression became almost convincingly sad. “Don’t start with your shit. I warned you once, I’m not warning you twice. I’m sick and tired of the shit you keep pulling and quite frankly, I’m a hundred percent sure you did something.” He continued, head shaking slowly as he got up from the table, surprising his sister with the tone his voice had taken. Minah swallowed dryly as her eyes followed his frame.

“Either you go fix this shit or I’ll run my mouth, and believe me, you will wish I didn’t.” he warned, leaving the table behind. He reached for his jacket and picked up his keys, making his way out to his motorcycle. Just what he had wished not to happen had downed on them – Minah never knew when to stop and now, their friend group was divided. Divided into people backing up Minah, people who knew she did something and people who weren’t sure what to believe.

Jongho had gone on a ride to decompress; he felt the last couple weeks were awkward as his friend group was somewhat divided. He didn’t know what to feel but of one thing he was certain; Minah was connected to it. She had to be because he recalled very vividly the way Siah’s mouth was wide open, head leaning back on the couch as she slept – which was quite the sight, he had to admit, it always tugged a small smile to his lips – and right next to her was Minah, cuddling her even if her face didn’t match her attitude. And she was the last one to contact Siah before she so hurriedly left the scene, like something broke between the two of them and only Minah knew to mask it. Like she was the culprit.

He had driven to the beach, where he knew his thoughts would settle. They always did especially when there was so much going on, the strong pull of the ocean, had made him relax. He turned off his vehicle and leaned forward, watching the scene in front of him. His brain easily replayed the day he met Siah, how things started great and ended up with her telling him she didn’t want to see him again and that tugged his heart again – he was sure there was something behind that because she wasn’t actively avoiding him before Minah spoke with her. His hands unbuckled the latch under his chin, ripping the helmet off his head only to place it in one of the handles, hanging from there as he buckled the latch once again so it wouldn’t fall.

As he took a deep breath, his phone vibrated in his pocket, picking up his interest. His hand reached for it, unlocking it to find a message from his sister asking if everything was okay and if he was safe to which he quickly replied he just needed a moment alone. And he really did. This whole mess was something he wanted to avoid, especially because he felt Minah had been overbearing for the last few weeks. He was trying his best not to snap at her, to keep his cool and to pretend the way she acted didn’t bother him, but she kept on stepping on his toes. He didn’t want to bring more drama into the group, especially seeing the way Sooyoung was so adamant her friend did no wrong but he knew, if he didn’t settle his thoughts, all hell would break loose because he wasn’t going to stand down and let everyone slander his behavior when they weren’t the ones actively suffering from Minah’s not so subtle attempts.

As he lifts his gaze from the phone, putting the device away, his eyes caught sight of a silhouette he was familiar with. The person had laid down a towel on the sand and easily plopped down on it, stretching her legs out before peeking around the beach. A small smile rested on his pair as he continued to watch her, his arms resting on top of each other on the handlebar. He rested his chin there, smiling as he simply watched the sight of the female, tilting her head to watch the ocean’s waves crashing. He knew then, there was an immense amount of pressure dropped on her because he realized she lied – she wasn’t sick, and much less taking night shifts unless today was her day off and she decided to decompress.

He watched her for a moment longer before deciding he was going to figure out what was going on. He got off his vehicle, peeking at his outfit only to snort as it was meant for anything but the beach, clearly. He didn’t care. He took a few steps before placing his hands on the little wall parting the parking lot from the beach, and easily hopped to the other side, landing on the sand. The sand, under his feet, crunched as he made his way up to the female, this time not asking any sort of permission to approach, just mimicking her actions and plopping down next to her; his legs stretched out and his hands rest behind him as he gave her time to understand she wasn’t alone, without muttering a single word. He allowed her to sink into the thought of him being persistent and wanting to help her through whatever was happening.

She was startled, at first, and parted her lips as her head turned, ready to tell whoever it was that the towel was for her sole use only to feel her throat tug back the words when she realized who sat by her side. The same amused expression sitting in his features as she analyzed them, just like she did that day at the pool. This time, however, the sunset glowing on his skin made the fondness in his expression more apparent. And the resolve she had worked two weeks in, started to melt right there and then – how could she pull away from someone that brought all the feelings that were still unknown to her, to the surface and feel so real and mesmerizing at the same time?

𝓰𝓮𝓷𝓻𝓮𝓼: fluff, drama, married couple 𝓼𝔂𝓷𝓸𝓹𝓼𝓲𝓼: divorce was a heavy topic to bring to the table. When there's no happiness left to share, and only a sorrow path to go through, how can one couple stand? Seonghwa has been overworked the last few weeks, awakening doubts in his wife, Sojin. However, what he didn't expect was the settlement coming from her. 𝓹𝓪𝓲𝓻𝓲𝓷𝓰: seonghwa x reader

[previous] [ⓣⓗⓘⓡⓣⓔⓔⓝ] [next]

Yunho had left the room with a wide smile – finally Sojin would get to talk to her husband, he felt so relieved and even thought how he'd react in such situation. He would come rushing to the hospital, no matter what part of the world he was in, but he didn't intrude any longer. He slid the door close, moving through the hallway to go get some food, just in case.

The female watched the phone ring; for a couple moments, she wondered if she should pick it up or not but decided she should at least apologize to the male for the unannounced call. With a sigh, she picked her phone up and answered the call.

"Hi, Seonghwa, I'm really sorry." She started not allowing him to speak first as she wanted to get it off her chest – she wanted him to know she didn't mean to call, heart racing only to hear the male breathe out in relief as he heard her voice. She was about to continue when he interrupted her. "Sojin, oh God, thank God. Are you okay? I heard from Hongjoong-"

Her lips trembled slightly hearing his voice, she hadn't heard it in months, her heart raced with just the caring tone he was using; it was panicked and rushed as he tried his best to get an impossible amount of information out in the little time he had to speak. The female, however, stopped him from continue.

"I'm okay, I'm so sorry. I forgot to change the emergency contacts." And it downed on him; she didn't want him to be there. His heart ached but he hadn't heard her voice in months and hearing she was in the hospital – granted it was exaggerated by Hongjoong – made the male feel anxious.

The male bit his lip, heart beating firmly against his chest as he couldn't care any less for the apology, he just wanted to make sure she was alright. The thought of losing her, or her vanishing, made him feel scared. "I'm on my way, yeah? That really scared me..."

"Please don't come." She asked, swallowing nervously as she gripped the sheets tightly, feeling anxious. She noticed a pause from his side, too. He seemed to be running around and suddenly everything went quiet. He was hurt. And that silence lasted an awfully long moment. "I appreciate your concern, but you don't need to come. I'm alright, everything is okay and I am really sorry I worried you; I'll make sure to change the emergency contacts."

Seonghwa frowned, hearing his wife's request. Did she really not want him around her? But he cared for her, and knowing she was in the hospital drove him crazy. Why was she in the hospital? Hongjoong didn't tell him that far, he only mentioned she was in the hospital and only then did Seonghwa notice he had two missed calls from the female. His stomach felt uncomfortable as the thought of her hurting made him even more anxious. In between all the thoughts racing from side to side through his brain, something suddenly light up. "Sojin..." His voice started, a breath escaping his pair as the female waited for him to continue.

"Is...is the-" He couldn't continue; the words were stuck in his throat as he didn't want her to misunderstand him. He wanted to ask about the baby, but he didn't want her to think he meant something bad to happen to it. Even if he couldn't father the kid, he held no grudge against it. That poor little thing probably didn't even know about him.

Sojin seemed to catch up to what he was trying to ask. A sad chuckle left her lips as she interpreted it exactly the way he didn't want her to. Her heart ached as she peeked down to her belly, frowning a bit. "You...don't need to worry about that." She replied, nibbling her cheek before peeking over at the door. "I have to go, and I'm really sorry about the calls, Yunho didn't know any better." She reinforced, not giving him enough time to respond as she quickly hung up the call, finally breathing out in relief.

Seonghwa was left with the phone pressed to his ear, staring at the couch in their living room as her words replayed in his head. She didn't want him there, she didn't tell him about the baby's wellbeing, and who the hell was Yunho? His lips were parted, breathing through his mouth as he was still processing what had just happened. He called, out of worry as he didn't hear the phone ringing before and Hongjoong had stopped by to deliver the news.

"Hwa?" His friend's voice called for the third time, only now watching his face turn to him; his eyes carried sadness and betrayal as he slowly managed to regain control of his body; his hand lowered the phone from his ear to his side, his lips pressed together as his nose took over the breathing. Hongjoong stood there quietly, waiting for Seonghwa to tell him what was going on; he was back to his robotic movements despite the very clear human emotions.

"She doesn't want me there." He finally spoke, frowning as his eyes scanned his surroundings as if that would help him understand the current problem. He scoffed, throwing the phone on the couch, letting his hand run through his hair, feeling the burning from the tears already stinging his eyes. "Joong, I felt so fucking helpless." He continued, choking out a quiet sob, his breathing becoming uneven before he continued. "I thought something bad happened, I can't do this anymore, I don't know where or how she is, this is driving me crazy." His friend could only show him a sympathetic look as he approached him, placing his hand on his back to stroke it as if to calm him down.

Seonghwa had sunken into the couch, hands sitting on his eyes as he allowed the tears to spill, for a moment considering taking back the decision he had made months ago – he couldn't even fill for divorce despite having agreed to it. He couldn't let her go. Not when they spent so long together and she was all he knew he needed. He could do it; he could be a good father if she was there with him.

Hongjoong took a seat beside his friend, worriedly watching him as his hand stroked his back. "Maybe you shouldn't come this once, let me figure things out, yes? I'll go and check up on her, and we'll figure this out. I can't stand watching you like this."

After what seemed like hours calming his friend, they managed to agree to let Hongjoong go alone – she didn't want her husband there and confronting her wouldn't do them any good. He promised to let him know about everything, her whereabouts, how everything looked, if she was okay, if there was anything she needed. And even then, Seonghwa still insisted on going.

Hongjoong's heart felt heavy. Firstly, because he still felt part of this situation was his fault. Only he knew how he kept pushing Sojin to her limit before she left. And then, the way his friend reacted to this new situation. It was heartbreaking. His hands firmly gripped the steering wheel as he drove to the hospital – he was determined to bring Sojin back to Seonghwa. Maybe that wouldn't happen today, or tomorrow, or the next day. But he would make sure he would do it, even if it was the last thing he did.

Two hours never felt so long. He wasn't sure if it was the ride, or the fact he was yet again trying to fix the issue he created but he felt like time was ticking by slower than usual. The gps guided him flawlessly to the hospital. Once he parked the car and his eyes sat on the building, his heart created a beat of its own – it was messy and quick, as if he was running for the first time after laying still for three years. He felt like he needed to vomit from all the anxiety building inside him.

Once he had made his way in, he asked for the room number for his once friend. With heavy steps, he made his way towards the room, too focused on the way his stomach kept on squeezing the food into his esophagus from how nervous he was. His little anxiety showdown was, however, interrupted as someone approached him. A male, a much taller male, with a friendly smile. "You must be Hongjoong." How did he know?

Hongjoong offered him a weak smile, giving a small nod to go along with it as he wondered exactly who this guy was. Was this Yunho? If so, he was a neighbor, as he claimed but how did he meet Sojin? Was there something going on between them? "I'm Yunho." His hand reached out, happily taking Hongjoong's just to shake it, clearing up one of the thousand doubts Hongjoong had. He seemed friendly. And talkative. "Did you manage to contact her husband?" He asked softly before the shorter male nodded.

"Seonghwa is worried about her. Worried is an understatement, actually. He's all over the place." He revealed, sighing as his eyes landed on the door Yunho was standing by. The number on the left of the door matched the number the nurse told him. His eyes flew back to Yunho who smiled warmly. "I get that, if I heard my Naeun passed out, I think I'd book the very first flight to come back home." That relieved Hongjoong. He had no idea who Naeun was, but he deduced it was the male's wife. That meant nothing was going on between him and Sojin. He took a mental note to deliver that information to his friend.

A warmer smile sat on his lips as he nodded. "Seonghwa and Sojin aren't doing very well." He spoke, watching Yunho's features become surprised. He wasn't expecting that. Hongjoong gave him a tight smile before continuing. "They're going through a bit of a rough phase right now, and I think neither of them realize how bad this is to both of them." His arms crossed as he released a long sigh, shaking his head slowly.

"Is that why Sojin moved?" He asked curiously, eyeing the door before frowning as he did find the story she told him quite off. Yunho's eyes ripped away from the door, landing on the shorter male as he curiously waited for the story to be revealed to him. He had no idea how shocked he would be to hear the truth.

"Without getting into much detail, Seonghwa fucked up pretty bad. And when I say pretty bad, that's an understatement." The male muttered the last part, pinching the bridge of his nose, as if it would help with the incoming headache. Yunho's eyes grew expectantly as he could only wait for Hongjoong to tell him more. Hongjoong understood that. With a sigh, he finally revealed the truth – or part of. "They're considering getting divorced."

Yunho's lips parted. He wasn't sure if he was shocked or blown away. The way Sojin spoke about her husband would never lead him to think through that path. If anything, he found it weird her husband wasn't moving in with her as he could never let his wife live alone. But to each their own. He wasn't sure of what to respond, and the other male understood that and gave him a small smile. "I'm not letting that happen. Neither two of those idiots realize how much they love each other. It's frustrating really." He muttered, releasing a loud breath before stepping towards the door. "Let me just make sure she's okay. Seonghwa will kill me if I go back with no information."

The confidence he mustered all the way up to that door suddenly vanished as he slid the door open. He found Sojin sitting on the bed, looking outside and the room was silent. She didn't notice him, despite the loud noises the door made when it moved. She was immersed in her thoughts – he could tell. Her phone was held with both her hands, making him wonder if she had been still ever since she hung up the phone. Seonghwa told him almost word for word what had been said between the two of them. It was, at some point, concerning.

"Sojin." His voice finally announced his presence, soft as ever. He watched the female turn her features and he expected her to be surprised; to tell him to get out but the only thing she replied with was a small smile. It hurt him, that she still displayed that sort of kindness to him despite everything he had done to her. That, however, eased his thoughts as he stepped closer to her. His legs weren't shaking anymore, nor was his heart palpitating; he was starting to relax. The closer he got, the clearer the sight of her belly was – it was growing. It wasn't super obvious she was pregnant, in fact, had he not known she was carrying a child, he would say her belly was bloated.

The female chuckled seeing his reaction, finding it quite endearing. It had her wondering if Seonghwa would ever react in such way, if only this was the right time for him. "I'm sorry you came all the way here; I already changed my emergency contacts." Hongjoong's eyes flew from her belly to her eyes as he took a seat by her, sighing a bit. "You could've kept me as your emergency contact. I owe you that."

She shook her head slowly, finally putting her phone away before leaning back on the bed, peeking out the window quietly. "Neither you or Seonghwa need to worry about me, or the little one." She stated, stroking her belly as a smile grew on her lips. She was glad her son was doing alright – the doctor told her she could be discharged soon. "This is a serious matter, Sojin. It's not fair you're pushing us away." He continued, swallowing dryly; the nervousness made a comeback.

A chuckle came from the female who turned her head to face Hongjoong. "I'm not pushing you two away, I'm protecting my son." She spoke, giving him a small nod. The male frowned only for a smile to grow on his lips as he heard the little bit of information she allowed to escape her. "Son?" His eyes light up, completely forgetting what they were talking about. "You and Seonghwa are having a son?" He asked, looking at her features, waiting for confirmation.

Despite the irritation she felt from the conversation they were having, her heart felt warm watching the male soften his expression at the mention of her son. She couldn't exactly be mad at him – even if he blamed himself, he was not the reason she and Seonghwa parted ways. Giving up, she dipped her head a couple times, nodding to his question.

"Yonghwa?" He asked, smiling even wider, if that was even possible. Sojin chuckled, yet again bobbing her head to confirm his statement. "Can I tell Seonghwa this?" He asked, watching the female's features immediately become serious. She avoided his gaze, allowing it to sit on her hands as they suddenly seemed interesting to her. "Could you not bother him with this? I really don't feel it's necessary to bring this up."

A sigh fell from Hongjoong's lips as he heard her answer – she clearly wasn't aware of the mess she left behind. "Shouldn't you two talk, though? Seonghwa was...how do I even put it nicely? He was all over the place when he heard you were in the hospital, Sojin. I know you're really hurt right now but he's trying his best."

"That's the problem, Hongjoong. This is not a trying matter. Our baby isn't an experiment. He can't... just want to try, that's not how this works. He made his position very clear when we talked about it. I was open to him, and I said I would hold no grudge. I really hold no grudge, I understand his point of view too, but I can't just pretend this baby doesn't exist. Seonghwa's a grown man, he doesn't need me. Our baby does." And the male was quiet, listening to her pouring the feelings out of her chest, his head nodding to all the speech she had trained over and over again in her head as if she knew this meeting would happen sooner or later.

"Not everything is black or white, Sojin. There are also gray areas, and this is one of them. You should keep in mind he has only ever known you as his lover, and I feel that is where his heart will stay even if you two never meet again."

"I appreciate your effort, Hongjoong, but we're no longer together. Seonghwa made his choice and as much as I love him...and believe me, I do...but I can't fail Yonghwa. My love for Seonghwa will always be there, but he can't make me choose between him and something that represents our love. It's not fair."

Hongjoong nodded slowly to her comment, biting his inner cheek as he tried to figure out what his next move could be. "I won't press you on this anymore." He reassured, knowing very well that this was going to be yet another headache, but he was determined – he would bring them back together. He would make sure Yonghwa had both his parents looking after him, one way or the other. Sojin shared a small smile with him as if thanking the male for such act. He, however, wasn't finished. "Though, I want to be there for you, and Yonghwa. And that I'm not willing to throw under the rug."

𝓰𝓮𝓷𝓻𝓮𝓼: drama, contract relationship, fluff 𝓼𝔂𝓷𝓸𝓹𝓼𝓲𝓼: ''I thought I was willing, but I don't think I can play your dirty game anymore''. When the only way out is to lie, where do the two of us end up? Song Mingi, the prince who was never shown to the public has been set up to marry with a princess whose mission was to take kingdom down. Aware of that, he finds himself tangled in a mist of lies, that being the only way out of this mess. However, lying to the queen was never a good pick, was it? 𝓹𝓪𝓲𝓻𝓲𝓷𝓰: mingi x reader

[previous][ⓣⓗⓘⓡⓣⓔⓔⓝ] [next]

            ''So...did you two fuck or what?'' Mingi's eyes panicked as he eyed his friend. ''Wait you two fucked?'' He asked, a bit louder this time. The prince slapped his hands on his friend's mouth before quickly speaking a firm no. Yunho laughed, head nodding as he shoved Mingi's hands away. ''I know you didn't, that would mean you'd have to admit you're actually into her. And that very fragile grinch heart is not ready for it.'' He cooed, laughing quietly as he leaned on the chair as they had their breakfast.

Mingi's eyes scanned his friend's features - he seemed very amused with what was going on and that made the male roll his eyes as he shoved a croissant into his mouth, looking away. Yunho gently shoved the hands away, laughing. That October morning welcomed their presence with a slightly colder wind as autumn seemed to finally be settling in, allowing summer to take its course to the other part of the globe. ''I have furthermore important things to focus on, and you know that.'' He started, chewing the food he had in his mouth before taking a sip of his coffee.

''Such as?'' Yunho interrupted the monologue Mingi started. The prince placed the cup down, raising a brow at his friend as he contemplated for a moment what to exactly respond to that.

''Princess Lee is up to something.'' He responded, hoping that it would distract his friend who nodded his head as response.

''And you're running away from my question.'' He simply stated, grinning as he crossed his arms, leaning back on his chair just to purse his lips and squint at his friend, analyzing him for a moment. ''Something did happen between you two, didn't it? And you're uncomfortable about it because you don't know how to act.'' He sang the last part, chuckling only to realize he was great at reading Mingi. He knew his friend far too well, it was he was reading it off an open book.

''Don't start with your bullshit. Last time you did that, things went downhill.''

''We were kids, Mingi.'' He warned, rolling his eyes before stretching his arms out. ''Plus, there's quite a few differences between them, and your mother is not pushing Yeeun into anything.'' He commented, tapping his index finger against the glass only to grow quiet for a couple seconds. ''We're not kids anymore.''

Mingi sighed at his friend's statement, head bobbing to that bit of information. He was aware they weren't kids, but he was also aware his mother wasn't fully honest with him or Yeeun and had something up her sleeve. ''Do you think my mom's following Yeeun around?'' He suddenly asked, brows almost colliding as he understood that could be an option.

Yunho scrunched his nose for a moment, thinking it over. ''And not confront you about the fact she's been around Hongjoong? That's not likely. She's far too smart to be playing games with you, Mingi.'' He commented, snorting before eyeing their surroundings and sighing as he realized the royal guards were sitting in a car, not too far away from them.

The other male tilted his head to the side, following Yunho's gaze into the car. His lips pressed together as a long sigh was forced through his nose. It was ridiculous, the tight watch his mother had him in. His thoughts collided in his head, starting from what he was expected to do and ending with what he had to do. Why was his life so complicated? He didn't ask for such thing to happen to him; at least he had his friend by his side, despite everything happening in his head. His eyes sat on Yunho who tilted his head to the side, still watching the car.

His thoughts, however, were pulled away from the situation in hand as his phone started ringing. Only then had he noticed he had placed it on the table, facing upwards. His eyes read the name of the caller, brow raising. Yunho's smile widened as he too, looked at the phone vibrating on the wooden table. ''I'd pick up the call.'' He teased, in a singing voice. Mingi rolled his eyes before sighing quietly and fetching the phone off the table and getting up, rushing to take the call elsewhere. A knowing smile balanced on Yunho's lips, only interrupted by his teeth that decided to widely broadcast the happiness he felt.

Mingi took moved as far away as he could from his friend, not wanting to hear him butt in whatever he was talking about. He finally picked up the call, in what seemed the very last ring, gulping down as the person on the other line didn't speak.

''Hi?'' His voice sounded, heart racing, the thoughts flooding in his head only to be distracted as a soft breath cut the thought process his brain was currently loading. The voice sounded awfully quiet and emotionless. ''I'm free, do you need something?'' he continued, brows furrowing as his deep voice now matched the quiet tone. His heart raced as suddenly he realized how easily that affected his mood – not only that but how Yunho's words were affecting his actions. He had to put an end to such thing. ''I'll meet you after lunch, is that okay?'' Was the last thing he said before the call was hung up and he was back on the table with his friend who was still grinning.

''Sooooooo'' Yunho started, brows wiggling as the prince sat down, snorting and turning his phone facing down. ''So, where you guys going?'' he continued, tilting his head only for him to raise a brow at how easily he hit the bullseye. ''The beach, I think she might want to tell me something.''

''Oooh a confession, damn she is wearing the pants in this relationship. Damn, never thought that would be the case.'' The way Yunho's voice sounded, the laughter shaking his chest up and down.

Before Mingi could even realize, time had flown by and he was driving to the beach where he agreed to meet the female. Once he got there, he noticed she was already sitting alone, facing the ocean. He wasn't sure what she wanted to meet for but the way her voice sounded before had him feel nervous – would she tell him something he didn't want to hear? His heart started racing, nervously.

His eyes enjoyed the scenery in front of him for a moment longer. Her legs were crossed, close to her body and her hands were sitting behind her as she leaned back. The ocean was calm, small waves breaking at the shore only enough to help the environment become more welcoming and calmer. With that, he stepped out of the car and made his way to the female. Contrary to his belief, she didn't notice him at first.

''A penny for your thoughts?'' He suddenly called out, noticing her eyes were fixed on the water; he sat down by her side, watching the female's lips stretch without forming a smile. Her cheeks became round as she gave him a small nod, acknowledging his presence.

Finally, her head turned to him and their eyes met. ''I'm sorry to call you, I have so much on my head I just wanted some company.'' She explained, eyes quietly moving down to her hands before her head turned back to the ocean. The male raised a brow, placing his hand by hers, leaning back on it as his legs stretched out. ''I didn't think you'd call me for that.'' He responded, not noting how his tone sounded uninterested and bothered.

Yeeun caught up to that and suddenly it became hard to breathe. ''I'm sorry.'' She managed to blurt out, collecting her hands into her lap. The sand sitting in her palm gave her enough to keep her brain busy as she continued. ''I didn't think it would be bothersome to you, you don't need to stay.''

Mingi's head shot up to the female as he understood his tone gave away a feeling he didn't want to broadcast. ''That's not...what I meant.'' He clarified, watching the female's head bob slightly with a sad smile spreading across her features. ''It's okay, you don't really need to stay, I just didn't want to be alone. You were the first person I thought of and I now noticed how stupid that was.'' Her lips allowed a quiet, clearly depressing chuckle to fly off her lips. Mingi was stunned with the way his words had just done the unthinkable – he made her sound even sadder.

''No, Yeeun, I really didn't mean it that way. I thought Somin would be your pick.'' He quickly called out to her, feeling a sudden tightness on his chest as he couldn't keep his eyes off her. Yeeun nodded slowly, dusting her hands off before peeking up at the male. He could almost read off her gaze the sadness she felt in that moment. ''Somin and I aren't really on speaking terms. I'm not sure what happened.'' She revealed, using her index finger and thumb to squeeze the nail of her other hand's ring finger. She seemed nervous.

''Did something happen?'' He asked after the long pause. She shrugged, peeking at the male with a small smile. ''You really don't need to stay, Mingi. I'm sorry I called you.'' She repeated once again, watching him roll his eyes before turning to face the ocean quietly. ''I'm already here so why wouldn't I stay?''

Her head nodded slowly, her breathing had come back to normal. The silence grew between the two of them once again. His eyes trailed to her figure a couple of times, watching her as she seemed to be lost in her own thoughts. He wanted to hear those, as for some reason, he felt he took part in them. ''You...can tell me anything, you know that, right?''

Her lips parted, she sucked in a loaf of air and for a couple seconds, held it in. ''I just feel lost, Mingi.'' She started, pinching her finger as her teeth sunk in her bottom lip, as if she was thinking over her own words. The male decided to simply listen, leaning slightly closer to her as her voice was nothing but a quiet whisper. ''I feel like there's nothing for me to accomplish, I am doing things just because and if not just because, it's only because I am useful in some way.'' Her voice sounded slightly louder. Her eyes sat on the male, a forced smile sitting on her lips as if forcing him to follow the same expression.

The male tilted his head to the side, raising his brow as his lips were pulled into a small frown. He never expected her to open up to him let alone like this, but he decided to listen. His cheek sat on his shoulder, eyes carefully scanning her features that seemed to carry a bigger burden than her words. He decided to stay silent, listening to her and allowing her to pour her heart out. The female sighed a bit, growing more nervous as she decided to bring her knees to her chest, placing her cheek on them as her eyes held the male's gaze. ''I feel everything around me is a transaction, sometimes I'm scared I am not worth a single thing. I feel the only reason people get along with me is because I bring them some sort of gain. That applies to my family, as well.'' The way her lips curled up brought an unfamiliar ache to the male's chest. Her eyes unfocused, not particularly looking into anything as she allowed her thoughts to float in her head.

''It's always like please take care of your brother; he needs you. Please take care of Somin; she needs you. Please take care of everybody...but who's taking care of me?'' Her voice was quieter in the end. She wasn't even aware she started crying until the male gently used the back of his index finger to wipe the small trail climbing her nose to land on the other side. Her eyes suddenly focused on him as a soft sniff escaped her lips. ''I really don't want to sound ungrateful, but I feel so lonely.'' Her tone sounded shaky as she lift her head to quickly wipe the tears away with her sleeves. ''I'm sorry.'' She whispered to the male who frowned, unsure of how to act meeting her vulnerable side.

A sigh escaped his lips as he brought her closer to him, allowing her to find comfort in his chest. His chin rested on top of her head, hand gently rubbing her back as he could feel her ribcage shaking with the evident crying motions that had her body shivering. She made no sound crying, almost as if afraid he could say anything, but willingly leaned on his chest.

''It's okay, Yeeun.'' His voice sounded quiet. One of his hands sat behind him, keeping both of them secure as the other was snaked around her; his eyes wandered around the water, allowing his thoughts to take over as well. ''Yeeun.'' He called softly, watching the female's head lean back and sit in front of his, her mouth holding the sobs she didn't want to let out, her body trembling slightly. In that moment, he forgot what he was going to say, finding her glossy eyes a reason for him to just stare on.

Her lips curved downwards, noticing that not too far away stood two guards. A quiet cry came off her lips, waking the male up from the trance he was in. She thought he understood the message as her eyes flew to the guards and back to the male – they were horrible at hiding. ''Yeeun.'' He spoke again, gaining her full attention. She noticed the way his throat bobbed, as if he had just swallowed something and she definitely noticed the way his breath seemed to pause. It was like time had stopped at that moment as the next thing she felt was his thumb stroking her cheek and the rest of his hand cupping it. Before she could react, he had leaned closer and pressed his lips against hers.

As confused as she was, she realized he most likely was putting up a show for the guards which didn't help in that situation – they had a deal, this was also a transaction. Without fighting it, she responded to the kiss, letting her hand rest on his shirt, firmly gripping it as their lips molded together in a slow and gentle kiss. It felt like she was floating, their heads tilted, allowing the kiss to grow deeper. For a moment, both forgot about their surroundings and felt that kiss as if it was something they were longing for but soon enough, Yeeun opened her eyes to check for the guards, realizing they had left. With that, she gently pushed him away and looked down. ''They're gone.'' She informed him, sitting back down and letting go of his shirt.

Mingi looked at her confused, only to realize what she meant. ''Right...'' He whispered under his breath, licking his pair as he looked away from her, noticing how his heartrate had picked up. His features were now warm as he tried to understand his own actions seeing he didn't plan for this to happen. It just did. Her lips felt right against his and the moment felt right. Only she misunderstood the situation. He took the courage to peek over at the female who hugged her knees to her chest, seeing she had calmed down and wasn't crying anymore.

''Everything will be okay...I'm here.'' He told her, finally managing to speak out. Her head nodded slowly as she swallowed the harsh reality that what she was complaining about also applied to him. This whole thing was a transaction. She bit her lip firmly, not wanting to cry again and instead placing her chin on her knees quietly trying her best to stay calm and allow the crashing waves to swallow her sadness.

Silence fell between them as the prince now, contemplated what had happened, for the tenth time. His teeth grazed his upper hip as if trying to get rid of an itch as he thought. All that came to his head was Yunho smiling ear to ear and pointing out how obvious it was that he was into the female – and he simply didn't want to admit it. His tongue stuck out for a moment, wetting his lips just for his upper teeth to sink into his bottom lip. He knew he felt something with the kiss, but couldn't it be due to pent up frustration? Or the fact his last relationship didn't work out? A series of questions popped up in his head as his eyes stole small glances at the female.

''Mingi, thank you for coming and I'm really sorry for calling you out like this. I'll make sure not to do it again.'' Her words tugged his brows, almost stitching them together as her body shot up from where she was sitting. Whatever was going through her head was worrying him. He lifted his hand just to part his lips and call her name but before he could do so, she had made her way back to the parking lot. His feelings were hurt by that. But he himself wasn't sure of what was going on. At least, not fully and decided to let her go.

It was ridiculous how they were mad at each other one moment, making up the next only to end up kissing and making a bigger misunderstanding afterwards. It was frustrating for Mingi too, who was trying to figure the situation out. Granted he had more things to worry about, but Yeeun was starting to line up for a daily thought schedule of his. Either that, or Yunho had convinced the prince he was into her and now, he couldn't stop thinking about it.

Mingi decided to stay back a couple more minutes before getting up and making his way to the car, deciding there was no use standing there anymore. As he drove, he wondered what was taking more space in his thoughts – the fact Yeeun seemed mad at him and clearly misunderstood the situation, or the fact he was in the realization stage of the feelings he was developing for her. Either way, the male could only roll his eyes at the thought of his friend singing out a soft I told you, which made him feel quite pissed. It was like he was an open book to Yunho, and he partly hated that. Sure, sometimes that comes in handy but right now? How could he know how he was feeling before Mingi realized it himself? It was annoying.

He decided not to meet up with Yunho for the rest of the day, thinking he needed a moment to figure out rationally what this feeling was before his friend convinced him it was something else.

That night, his bed seemed uncomfortable enough for him to sit down and peek outside, snorting at the sight before him – it was a full moon. As if he hadn't enough to think about, yet another thing reminded him of her. A sigh escaped his lips as his head lowered. His hands clapped together as if he was praying, fingers interlocked. ''I wish to figure out what this sinking feeling means. If I can ask for another wish tonight, please make sure she's safe.''

𝓰𝓮𝓷𝓻𝓮𝓼: drama, contract relationship, fluff 𝓼𝔂𝓷𝓸𝓹𝓼𝓲𝓼: ''I thought I was willing, but I don't think I can play your dirty game anymore''. When the only way out is to lie, where do the two of us end up? Song Mingi, the prince who was never shown to the public has been set up to marry with a princess whose mission was to take kingdom down. Aware of that, he finds himself tangled in a mist of lies, that being the only way out of this mess. However, lying to the queen was never a good pick, was it? 𝓹𝓪𝓲𝓻𝓲𝓷𝓰: mingi x reader

[previous][ⓣⓦⓔⓛⓥⓔ] [next]

            The owner of the voice turned out to be no other than the man who got Yeeun in the mess she was currently in. Despite that, her smile widened as she saw Hongjoong who happily took a seat by Yunho's side. ''Yunho!'' the taller male said loud enough for Hongjoong to turn his head and laugh, seeing he was sitting there. ''Sorry, didn't see you.''

''I can tell, you were far too busy getting Yeeun in trouble last night, weren't you?'' He commented, placing his glass down as he tilted his head. Hongjoong's eyes displayed the panic he felt, flying over to the female who shrugged at him. He looked back at Yunho who laughed quietly, head shaking slowly. ''You know Mingi, can't deal with his feelings and takes everything too personal.'' Yunho continued.

Hongjoong eyed the female, sending her an apologetic smile as the female smiled back. ''It's not your fault, though I'm also mad at you. You two are frustrating. What do you want to drink?'' A shrug followed her question, which lead the female to roll her eyes and shove a beer into his hands. The male laughed quietly, accepting her choice.

The music filled the silence their voices fell into. For the remaining of the female's shift, she found herself getting busy with the other hundreds of drinks she had to prepare. Yunho soon bid his goodbye, arguing he had to be up early the next morning. Hongjoong on the other hand, stayed behind.

''You were right, somebody was following us yesterday.'' Yeeun finally spoke once the customers rushed to the dance floor. The male sighed and nodded, peeking at her softly. ''That's on me, sorry. I realized that...a bit too late. I think they took interest in you though, so you might want to be careful.'' He warned, pursing his lips a bit only to push the bottle against his lips to take a sip. ''Mingi has a lot of eyes on him right now. It's only natural they're also looking into you. I don't feel those are coming from the queen, though.'' He continued, head tilting to the side, watching the female softly as he understood something was off with her.

''Did you two argue?''

Her eyes looked up to meet him, a sigh escaping her lips as she moved away from the counter, wanting to avoid the question. The male chuckled, bobbing his head slightly as he took another sip. She seemed to be having a hard time clearing her head from the male she argued with, and in an attempt to get all of it out of her system, she decided to confide in the male.

''He told me to fuck you since you and I are apparently so close. Someone took pictures of us yesterday and now he thinks I'm against him because I'm talking to you.'' She flatly laid it out for the male whose brows raised. He blinked a couple times before snorting. ''That is, indeed, something Mingi would say.'' The female nodded to his comment, placing the rag down as she peeked around, waiting for any other customers. It finally seemed like she was going to catch a break.

''To my defense, I mean no arm to you or him. He just has unsolved business with our father and it's easier to throw it at me than face the king.'' The male spoke, twirling the bottle in his hands, a sad smile on his lips. ''We were once really close. His mother just loves to plant shit in his head, honestly. I never meant any arm to him.'' He continued, sighing heavily as his eyes travelled down to his hands. ''Can I tell you a secret?'' Hongjoong asked, eyes climbing the counter, through the female's upper body until they landed on hers. She nodded slowly, the corners of her lips tugging upwards and tucking a dimple onto her cheek.

''Our father, if I can even call him that, never had a relationship with my mother. Mingi's mother sold the story to us that my mother seduced our father before they got married, though.'' He hummed, feeling his heart race as the music seemed to grow quiet for a moment. He gulped down, gripping firmly onto the glass of the bottle. Yeeun's head tilted to the side, trying to make sense of his words.

The male smiled softly before licking his dry lips with the tip of his tongue and continuing. ''What I mean is, the only reason I was born, was to protect Mingi. My mother made a deal with the king, to carry his illegitimate child in exchange for a treatment for her dying mother.'' A bitter chuckle flew off Hongjoong's lips. ''I'm nothing but another vassal to the prince.''

Yeeun's features scrunched, frowning at the new bit of information she learnt. ''What...do you mean?''

''I was born to look after the prince. I have a title myself, as prince Hongjoong, but my only duty is to serve and cater to the prince's needs. The king always made that abundantly clear through my childhood. I don't hold that against Mingi, nor do I ever plan on telling him that. Though our relationship has deteriorated over the years.'' He commented, sadness fluttering in the air.

''You're older, though.'' She stated, not understanding fully what he was meaning. She wasn't sure if the alcohol was helping with the situation, as her eyes caught a glimpse of a sparkly, clear drop rolling down the male's features. ''I was born to serve the prince to come.'' He whispered, but that was clear enough through the loud music. It was like she could only hear his voice at that moment. Her heart raced firmly against her chest, as for a moment she understood how Hongjoong felt. His purpose was to take care of his brother, who'd be raised to be the pride and joy of the royal family. Her breath got caught in her throat, as she could relate to that feeling.

''Hongjoong..'' She whispered, frowning as she wanted to comfort the male who seemed deeply hurt by what was happening. He felt used, worthless and alone and Yeeun could relate to that. She bit her bottom lip, watching the male sit his forehead against his fists, a sight she had seen quite a few times from her customers who were going through something and drowned their problems with alcohol. ''Hongjoong, it's okay, take your time...'' She reassured him, sighing a bit as she kept an eye on him during her shift, surprised that he had stayed until the very end, sipping on the bottle from time to time as his tears had dried against his skin.

''I'll take you home.'' His hoarse voice sounded when the club was empty. The female sent him a soft smile, nodding slowly as if thanking him. She didn't mind going home alone but somehow, she found comfort in knowing they shared the same situation, in some kind of way. Surely being the older sibling came with a lot of responsibility and growing pains, but she never thought someone would relate to the way she felt. She felt guilty even bringing those thoughts up.

They exited the club together once the bar was fully clean, he even helped her with the cleaning to make it quicker. Once they were outside, the male led her to his car, smiling a bit. ''I'm glad we're getting along.'' He confessed, feeling a smile take over his features that once portrayed how he felt for years about the situation he lived in. The female nodded at him, quickly getting into the passenger seat.

As he got in, he made sure both had their seat belts on and started the car, soon driving to their destination. ''Please hear Mingi out.'' He suddenly spoke, making the female sigh quietly, she was doing just fine until he brought his brother up. She knew he was looking out for him, but the way he had just cried in the bar made her think he would be selfish enough to detour from that discourse for the rest of the day. It was around two in the morning, both were exhausted and she didn't want to talk about that situation anymore.

''I appreciate your concern, but I think he needs to understand not everyone is going to bend over backwards to fit his taste. What he did was wrong, not only to me but to you as well and he needs to understand that.'' She commented, nodding her head as she leaned her cheek on the headrest, peeking outside at the passing city.

His lips pressed together, emitting a soft hum as his tired eyes sat on the road in front of them. ''I can tell you care for him a lot, do you have feelings for him?'' He suddenly asked. The female scrunched her features, not able to comprehend what she was feeling. She shrugged for a moment.

''He's great at annoying me, hiding things from me and making me mad. Does any of that qualify to having a thing for him?'' Her voice now sounded playful as she couldn't fully admit her head kept fond memories of the male, such as when they danced, or when he held her on the balcony the night, she met Hongjoong. Her heart raced at those.

Hongjoong parted his lips to respond, but the female was quicker. ''I've never really been in love. I think I've had a couple of crushes throughout school, but I have never felt strongly for anyone, I think.'' She shared, smiling softly at the thought. ''I always watched everyone else in love, and I feel like if I allow myself to feel deeply for the prince, I might also witness what it feels like to watch someone you love fall in love with someone else.'' She blurted out, chuckling quietly at the thought, now peeking at her hands quietly. ''That's Haneul, isn't it?'' She asked softly, smiling a bit as only now realized how much she thought she had put into that.

Hongjoong held onto his breath, stopping the car at the red light, thinking for a few moments. ''I...can't say much about Haneul. I'm sorry I brought her up. I just thought Mingi would've shared that with you by now since you two seem so close.'' He nodded, tapping his index finger against the wheel as he watched the light turn green, pressing on the gas once again. ''He will eventually come around and tell you about her. Though I feel you're also giving it too much thought. Mingi's a sweet guy, he's just not in the best situation right now.''

''I understand that.'' She muttered, peeking ahead to see her building making an appearance in the distance. ''I just feel he has everything handed to him easily and he doesn't understand everything he does affects somebody, too. I think he's being unfair towards you, too.'' Her eyes sat on the male whose cheeks were stretched by his lips. A nod followed her words. ''He feels these things deeply too, Yeeun. I know he's trying his best to deal with it.''

The car soon stopped in front of her building. ''Speaking of which.'' He spoke softly, pointing over at the door of her building with his nose. Her eyes followed him, frowning a bit as she saw the male they were talking about sitting on the stairs, at two in the morning.

''What the hell is he doing here-'' she whispered, quickly getting out of the car, forgetting to even bid the male goodnight. He chuckled, watching the scene unfold in front of him. He watched Yeeun make her way to the prince who had gotten up, features covered with a mist of anger and sadness as he faced the car. Hongjoong understood that was his cue and started the car once again, driving to his home.

Yeeun stood in front of Mingi whose attention now fully sat on her. ''Why were you with him, again?'' His deep voice asked, his eyes looking into hers. The female sighed, peeking around the parking lot before taking his hand and pulling him with her. ''Come inside, I don't want you and I to get caught up in more photos.'' She sternly told him.

With that, neither of them said a single word until they made it to her house. Once they step foot in her home, the female placed her purse on the couch and made her way to the kitchen, having the prince follow her inside. It was the first time he had seen her house; thus, he curiously peeked around slightly surprised by how neat it was. His eyes landed on a camera that was set next to a frame. ''You're into photography?'' He suddenly asked, watching Yeeun turn around to meet his gaze. She realized he was looking at the camera and shook her head. ''That's Somin's.'' She replied, getting herself a glass of water before turning to the male.

''So, what could you possibly be doing in my house at almost three in the morning?'' She asked, taking a sip as her eyes curiously scanned him. She leaned on the counter, one of her arms folded over her stomach, the other pressing its elbow against the back of her hand.

Mingi leaned against the doorframe upon stepping into the kitchen, nibbling his inner cheek. Silence followed her question as he couldn't seem to speak his mind to her. She placed the half full glass down, opting to place both her palms on the counter and pull herself up to sit on the marble countertop, head tilting slightly as her legs swinged slightly.

His eyes followed her movements, allowing his head to bump carefully against the door frame as he thought over the speech he had prepared, only to blurt out the question she left unanswered. ''Why were you with Hongjoong, again?''

''Try again.'' She warned. Her lips pressed together as he could see the way her throat bobbed when she swallowed. He nodded slowly for a moment, ripping his eyes from her figure. ''I'm sorry.'' He whispered softly, looking anywhere but at the female.

''What did you say? I didn't hear you.'' She spoke, clearly wanting him to say it louder despite the fact she heard him loud and clear due to the silence reigning in her house. Somin was most likely sleeping; thus, the house was totally silent. His eyes found her, who was leaning forward, eyes squinting at him as if that would help her hear better.

''I said, I'm sorry.'' He articulated his words better, feeling his heart race against his chest as he wasn't sure how else to continue. He could tell she wanted him to elaborate as the look on her face gave it away. ''For?'' She asked. She was having fun with it, he could tell seeing how late it was at that moment.

A long breath escaped his pair as he pushed himself off the frame, making his way to her, and placing both his hands on the cold marble countertop. He wasn't planning on playing her games that night, Yunho had clearly told him to apologize for his behavior and that was what he intended to do. However, his friend didn't tell him how thin his patience would run with the exigences the female was making. Their eyes locked as they faced one another. She had leaned back once he came closer to her, but their faces were inches away at this point, features sitting at the same level. ''You're pissing me off.'' He bluntly told her. The female snorted. ''You pissed me off today, too. I don't see the problem.'' Her voice was none but a whisper as she found no reason to speak louder.

His hands gripped on the counter. Yunho didn't prepare him for that moment. It was like he had never put up together an apology because the way she acted surely made him forget the thousand times he had practiced in front of his mirror. It was something he had grown used to do – practice down to the facial expression, thanks to his mother who seemed to always read him too well. His eyes glared into hers. ''You make it so fucking hard to apologize.'' He spoke through gritted teeth, a smile sitting on the female's features.

''That's because you never meant to apologize to me.'' She spoke, gently poking his chest with her index finger. ''You're always used to having everyone bend over backwards for you, no matter what you say or do. And as much as you're my employer, I don't take disrespect lightly.'' She continued, straightening her back as her feet crossed. ''You need to learn to use your words, and to think that the people you're involved with also have feelings, Mingi. Be it me or whoever else.'' She continued, nodding slowly. ''I've always been alone, Mingi, so I know very well how to tame my feelings and live on my own, you can't say the same about you, so I advise you to be more careful from now on.'' Her voice carried a slight touch of bitterness that the male easily picked up on. This time, he swallowed the lump in his throat, unsure of what to say next.

His breathing seemed to not be regulated, he was nervous. His eyes switched between the two of Yeeun's before settling for one of them. Her hand reached forward to gently comb through his bangs, catching him off guard. His body relaxed slightly, leaning forward to create distance between them as he stood up fully. His eyes still followed hers, he wasn't sure when they developed such intimacy, but he knew her touch felt familiar to him. The hold on the countertop slowly became less firm, having his palms sitting on top of it. ''Learn to trust me, not everyone is out there to get you.'' She whispered softly, not parting her gaze from him who nodded slowly, still a bit lost with the way he should feel about all of this. ''Granted I don't need to know everything but allow me to know enough so I know how to act, so I don't get caught off guard when all these people that have known you for all your life show up in front of me and make me feel defenseless.''