ateez love net INACTIVE

He was your sun. Your world. The boy you pictured yourself marrying, and even daydreamed about what kind of dress you would wear to your wedding. He was perfect in every way, but the thing was, he was your best friend. Friends don't stay friends when complicated feelings are involved. 

All your little life you dreamed about him. Longed for him in ways no friend should think about. You always thought you kept it buried pretty deep that no one would be able to notice, but you didn't think about a certain younger boy that knew everything behind those eyes of yours. 

It was as if he knew your soul like the back of his hand, while you barely knew him.

Seonghwa was your sun; you were Mingi’s moon. His moonlight—his everything.

You left six years ago, on a journey across the world to the bustling city of New York, you fell in love with everything around you.

But not enough to stay. 

After those years of growing up, you ran through college like it was a marathon. Getting your life on track knowing that you couldn't stay in the states your whole life—maybe because of your lack of english knowledge—you decided to fly back to your hometown. 

You had no plan, no idea in your mind. You just got up and left, hoping everything would fall into place. Maybe you'd bump into seonghwa again, and maybe he would still think of you as his best friend. It was better than nothing, at least.

Stepping onto the rough gravel, you shut the door of the taxi cab with your luggage in the other hand. The air already felt different—like home. The scent felt like a warm embrace, even if you had nowhere to go. It smelled a bit fishy with a hint of salt from the ocean, but you loved it. Craved it.

It was summer. 

Your mom left your childhood home a few years back. She told you it started to get a bit lonely ever since your father left, and decided to move back in with her sister in the heart of Seoul. You couldn't lie, it was a good idea. Your aunt was a riot, so you figured your mom was enjoying herself—and enjoying her homemade fruity cocktails you always wanted as a kid.

You took a breath as you faced the slightly run-down airbnb you booked for a few weeks out of the summer—the perks of being a bestselling author. You've been in a slump for a while, the lack of romance in your life caused your mind to fall behind. This summer, you wanted to find love. Well, at least some form of it.

Lugging your luggage behind you, you checked into the home and walked in. The strong scent of wood erupted your senses, a feeling of nostalgia taking over your heart. It enveloped you as you walked in, your chest feeling heavy. The smell reminded you of your old home here in Jeju, and you had wished you never left. You wondered about the what if’s, but there was no point drowning into any of it.

After settling in and cleaning up a bit of the dust around the house, you sat down on the couch as you wondered what to do. You had your mind set on meeting your childhood best friend again, and you thought about how good he looked now years later. He was slightly younger than you—only by about five months—but you always rubbed it in your face that you were older. His brother was two and a half years younger than you, and you always thought of him as a cute baby brother. 

To be fair, the last time you saw him, he was only sixteen and still hasnt grown into his body. You had no concept of time, and it was hard to imagine him as a twenty-two year old grown man now. Did his ears still turn pink when he blushed? Did he still run around like a maniac as if he never got tired? Is he still as clumsy as ever?

Your mind wandered all around Mingi; the sweet little boy that seemed to be attached to your hip. He wasn't too much younger than you, but a part of you has never thought of him as anything more than a little brother.

Well, until now.

You left the house, your mind on mingi now moving towards the brother you thought you were destined to.

—

You walked around the outside market by the seaside a few days later, the air now really smelling fishy. You tossed in a few things into your basket, not exactly organized in any way.

After tossing in some green onions from the produce stand, someone ran right into you from behind, causing you to tumble onto the ground, dropping all your groceries out from your basket in the process.

“Oh, shit, I’m sorry,” a deep voice rumbled from above you, and you looked up to notice a boy with dark brown hair. A few light brown streaks scattered through his gorgeous locks, and his lips were a soft pink. He looked all too familiar, and held out his hand to you, frowning when you weren't taking it. “Are you alright?”

You let out a breath you didn't realize you were holding, meeting his piercing gaze. His hand twitched now as he peered at you, taking notice of your features—features he could never forget. “Y/N?” he questioned, his deep voice raising a pitch or two. His lips were parted in a smile, his eyes glittering under the fluorescent lights from the fish tanks around you.

It seemed like a movie. From the way everyone stopped and stared, to the way this handsome stranger held his hand out to you—although he’s not a stranger at all. It took you a second to put two and two together, and the minute you took his hand, you felt the warmth flow through you.

Once he pulled you up from the ground, you really noticed how tall he was. He towered over you like some sort of skyscraper, his hand still holding onto yours like his life depended on it. You frowned up at him, peering through the curtains of his hair to stare into his honey-like eyes.

And there it was. The minute you knew him.

You could recognize those eyes anywhere.

“Mingi?!” you gasped, pulling your hand away from his to take a step away from him in shock. It’s been six years since you saw him, and the last time you did see him, he was only about half the size he is currently. His hair changed, and it made you wonder what else changed about him. “Holy shit.”

He was taken aback, looking around shyly before letting out an anxious giggle. “Is that reaction a good or bad one?” he asked you, fiddling with his fingers. You looked up to him—literally. He was no longer that baby brother. He was a totally different person.

“What happened to your teeth?” you mumbled, eyes wide as you noticed how pin-straight they were. They were also blinding white, matching the t-shirt that seemed a bit too snug on his toned body. Since when was he built??

“I got my braces off a few years back,” he spoke, running a hand through his unique head of hair. It was longer now, falling past his ears. “Also grew a few inches. I’m taller than Seonghwa now.”

Seonghwa. He was barely a thought in your mind as you looked at the younger brother. You had to admit, you were a bit curious about Seonghwa's whereabouts, and what better than having Mingi right in front of you for the answers. 

You took a step closer to him, totally forgetting about the scattered groceries on the ground. “Speaking of seonghwa,” you carried on, getting a bit nervous. “How is he? Is he still around?”

He frowned.

“Oh, he um, he’s working on a business trip in Seoul for the time being. It’s just me and the cat,” he let out a chuckle, but the smile didn't reach his eyes. “My parents went on a trip to some tropical place, I don't know.”

You watched his eyes dance around yours until he bent down to pick up your groceries. “So, it’s just baby Mingi, huh?” you bent down to help him, standing back up after everything was collected.

He nodded, sticking his large hands into the pockets of his jeans. They were a bit baggy on his body, sitting loosely on his hips. You couldn't stop looking at him. Staring at him. You could tear your gaze from him. There was nothing “little” about him anymore, you had no reason to keep that nickname anymore…

Should you call him big mingi? Enormous, large, gigantic, monumentous—

“It’s just me,” he shrugged, handing you the basket. “I go back to school in the fall, so I'm home to take care of the cat and the house.”

You looked around the market, realizing it's getting a bit crowded. You reached out without thinking and gripped onto mingi’s hand, pulling him through the crowd and out towards the exit, setting down your basket before exiting. 

“Aren't you gonna get that?” he asked you.

You shook your head, walking further out. You reached a quiet spot, the blue sea visible and the burnt orange sky glistening onto the water. 

“Sorry, I should have remembered you don't like crowds,” He murmured, the corner of his lip upturned in a smirk.

You furrowed your eyebrows as you noticed how tan his skin looked. “You remember that?”

He nodded, looking at you with unknown emotions. “Yeah.”

You took a second to collect the thoughts in your mind. You watched him as he looked at you, and your eyes trailed to his lips as he licked them.

Goddamn. 

“So you're in college? What are you, a third year?”

“No,” he smiled. “It’s gonna be my last year. History Major.”

You smiled. You did remember how much he loved to learn about history. It always intrigued him to the point of no return. It just makes so much sense that it’s what he chose to do the rest of his life.

He moved his gaze to the ocean, a look of content across that face of his. It felt strange—the feeling when you looked at him. It felt like you barely knew him, even if you spent eighteen years in this place with him by your side for sixteen. Your mothers were best friends growing up, causing you and the boys to grow up together as well.

 It was your choice to leave, but it was also your choice to come back, even if the reason to come back was for Mingi’s brother, he wasn't even here anyway. You were strangely okay with that, as mingi offered a source of comfort.

“So, how was New York city?” he asked, his voice deeper than ever. It was hard to imagine that younger self of his now after seeing this version. “Did you meet a city boy with a yacht?” 

You laughed, looking out to sea with him. You watched the waves ripple through the sand, the sound music to your ears. “No, sadly. Although that would've been romantic.”

He smiled as you spoke.

Your voice was music to his ears.

You turned towards him when you felt his gaze on you. You didn't notice his ears turn pink.

“Romantic, huh,” he trailed off, biting the inside of cheek. You peered through his eyes, noticing how pretty they were as the orange hues from the sunset reflected onto them. He looked tan–his skin like honey and kissable lips. You were drawn into him like a fish on a hook, and it made you uneasy. You've never felt this way—you were certain it was just the nostalgia.

“So, where are you staying? I saw that your old house was sold,” He said, his eyes sparkling. They reminded you of the sea.

You sighed, looking back to the ocean. It looked prettier than ever—maybe it was because you were with him. “Just in an airbnb until I find my own place,” you hummed, watching the waves crash onto the shore. “Lame, I know.”

He stuck his hands in his pockets, kicking at the rocks on the ground. It was a bit awkward meeting him right away, but something told you it was fate. 

Maybe he was your fate.

“It’s not lame, but…”he trailed off, seeming a little nervous. “I mean you could always stay at mine. I know that you used to hate being alone….” he spoke carefully, making sure you were comfortable. “I’m not telling you that you have to–I mean, I must be a stranger to you now but um…If you start to feel lonely, I'll be your company.”

His smile cut through you like a knife. You almost stopped breathing for a second, his kindness overtaking you. You weren't used to men being this friendly without motives. He was genuinely making sure you were okay, and he even remembered how much you hated being alone. Sure, you grew out of that fear, but he didn't need to know that.

You thought about it. You already spent the money for the stay, but maybe you could cut it short. This summer would be more fun with him, anyway.

“That sounds nice,” you smiled, fixing the strap of your sundress. “I’ll have to see if I can cut my stay time. I’d rather not spend the money if I don't need to.”

He laughed. It sounded so sweet. “I um, yeah. Think about it and let me know.”

Silence enveloped you both. The air felt smooth and easy to breathe, and you couldn't remember the last time you truly felt at ease. The gears in your mind started to turn, thinking about writing about this moment—he could be the perfect inspiration for a summer romance novel.

Fuck the airbnb, it was time to make a bestselling book.

“Actually,” you rubbed your elbow anxiously as you tried to form the right words in your mind. “I’ll get my stuff out of there tonight, if that’s okay with you.”

His eyes lit up like he was shocked you wanted to stay with him. You didn't want to tell him the reason for your quick response, but he had to know how beautiful he was. He seemed like the perfect protagonist—salty hair and tanned skin, his heart upon his sleeve—you were already planning on the plot as you looked at him.

So perfect.

“How much stuff do you have? I can help.”

–

You watched as Mingi lifted your suitcase into the back of his sleek SUV, dusting off his hands after shutting the trunk. It was unusual to see him so…manly. He was always such a lanky string bean, and now, your mind and heart had a hard time understanding his change.

He looked back to you, opening the passenger door for you to get in. “Only one suitcase? Were you planning on only staying a few days?” He asked you as you got in, holding his hand out to prevent you bumping your head.

To be fair, you had a moving truck ready for all your stuff when you were able to find a place to move in to. You weren't sure how long it would take you to find a place, and you were secretly hoping that your old house was up for sale.

“No, I'll be here permanently after I find an actual home,” you laughed, settling into the car.

He sat in the driver's seat then, and as he drove away, you watched how his fingers wrapped around the wheel ever so slightly. You wanted to touch his hand. Hold his hand. You wanted to touch more than his hand.

Dear god, these thoughts have to stop, or you might do something you regret.

The house was just as beautiful as it was years ago—flowers lining up the walkway to the brick steps. You smiled as you saw a cute little orange cat in the window.

Mingi rolled the suitcase behind him, chuckling as he saw your enjoyment. “There's my baby,” he cooed, and your heart fluttered for a moment too long. You knew he wasn't talking to you, but you kind of wished he was. 

Once you both reached the door, he moved close to you to open the door. You felt your heart race as his shoulder bumped into yours.

You watched the cat jump out of the window when it noticed Mingi.

He opened the door, hinting at you to enter first. You were immediately welcomed by the whimsical orange cat, who rubbed against your legs like it’s seen you before. You've never met such a friendly cat. You wanted to steal it.

“Ah, that’s Clementine. I just call her tiny,” he reached down to pet his sweetheart of a cat, and she meowed at his touch. “Awe Hi tiny girl. I promise I’ll feed you something tasty–ah, be nice, we have a special guest.”

Just by the way he treated the cat made you feel at home. He looked over to you, and all you wanted to do was brush the stray hairs away from those kind eyes of his.

You looked around the beach house, gazing at the picture frames that were scattered along the walls. Everything felt the same, as if it were never moved. It was nice to see his family still intact—even if they weren't all together physically. It was like a breath of fresh air.

“You can sleep in the guest room. No one’s ever used it,” he smiled at you, making his way to the steps, picking up your heavy suitcase with ease. “I just hope you'll be comfortable.”

“Oh, anything is better than that overpriced airbnb,” you giggled, following him up the stairs. 

You trailed behind him as he walked down the upstairs hallway, turning into a pale orange room. The walls were barren, but the bed was made nicely. It was almost bigger than your full studio apartment in NYC, you were grateful for that.

You so didn't have to be here right now.

You took a mind note on how inviting he was, making sure you add that characteristic to your love interest.

“If you need anything, let me know. I’m here for you.”

Fucking hell, he had a way with words.

He started to walk out of the room, but he peeked his head back for a moment. “Oh, my friends are coming over tonight, if you don't mind.”

Friends? Little mingi was a social butterfly now?

You nodded, unable to hide your happiness for him. “Of course, it’s not my place to argue with that, anyway,” you mumbled, unzipping your suitcase to start to unpack. “Oh, and when is seonghwa coming back? It would be awkward if he just showed up while i’m here.”

His smile fell for a second, but he brought it right back. “Oh, um. In three weeks or so,” he murmured, clearing his throat slightly. “I’m sure he’d be happy to see you, y/n.”

You smiled to yourself, but in your heart, you felt not one, but two of the brothers stirring around. You were used to one, but having the two of them in your heart felt heavy. You had to think with your mind instead, anyway. 

You were sure that you’d be happy to see Seonghwa, but right now, you were content with Mingi. He felt like the only person in the world, and you craved that type of comfort.

—

You snapped awake when you suddenly heard a loud thump from downstairs, followed by a bit of laughing. You jumped out of the bed quickly, just in case mingi hurt himself. You didn't want to baby him, you were sure he was having a blast with his friends, but you couldn't help but worry. It was instilled in your mind ever since you were younger—he was always breaking things.

You stumbled down the steps and made your way into the living room. “Mingi? Is everything okay—” you stopped in your tracks as you noticed three more sets of eyes than normal.

“Ah, who’s this, hyung?” one of the boys hummed flirtatiously. “Your girlfriend?”

“Stop it Wooyoung, can you ever be serious?” the other one said with irritation laced through his smooth voice.

“Why else would there be a girl here at midnight?” 

“Uh, hello,” you looked at Mingi, who was smiling at you with slight embarrassment. You weren't sure how to introduce yourself, so you prayed that he would do it for you.

He furrowed his eyebrows for a minute, then looked over to his two friends. “Guys, this is Y/N. She's an old friend of mine and Seonghwa.”

“Ah, I see,” the brown haired boy nodded, a mischievous smirk on his face. You had to admit, every person in this room looked like they were pulled out of a novel. It was hard to know which one to look at. “So, why are you here….this late?”

“Oh I—”

“She’s staying here with me,” Mingi shrugged confidently, flashing you a comforting smile.

You stared at him. Something in your heart just shifted.

“Anyway, Y/N, these are my friends, Wooyoung and San. and I’m sorry if I woke you, I accidentally tripped on the carpet.”

You chuckled. Ah, same old Mingi.

You offered a smile to his friends, and you turned to Mingi, who wouldn't take his eyes off you. “Oh, alright. Just be careful,” you yawed, giving them a little goodbye before trudging up the steps and back into your comfy bed.

You heard them laugh and carry on as you tried to fall back asleep, smiling at how happy Mingi seemed. It was nice to see him again, and even though it was by chance that you ran into him at the market, you haven't felt this comfortable in ages. It was healthy—so unlike your past relationship while you lived in new york.

You dreamed of Mingi—who felt like a warm summer night.

—

The week passed quickly. Staying with Mingi came with routines, and every morning you woke up, he’d have a plate of food ready for you on the table. He wasn't so sure about what kind of food you liked now, but his effort was what made it count.

He was gone most of the time before you were even awake. He helped the grannies at the market every morning, making sure they weren't carrying anything heavy. He was the kindest soul you've ever known, and your mind started to wonder why you never thought of him in any other way other than a brother.

Mingi still wasn't home as the sun set on the horizon, and you started to worry if he was okay. He definitely was, but you had a habit of making up the worst possible situations in your mind. 

Thunder boomed loudly, nearly shaking the house. You let out a yelp, holding onto yourself as it startled you. You were never fond of thunderstorms; they always scared the shit out of you. The minute another boom rang through, you ran up the steps to take shelter under your blankets. Clementine sat at the edge of your bed, not even budging as you moved around.

You didn't know why you were so scared of it, maybe it was because it was thundering the day your dad left. It was deeper than just a little fear, but it still didn't take away the embarrassment of being scared of something so typical—especially at your dinosaur age.

You heard the roar of an engine pull into the driveway, the sound of the rain pitter-pattering against the car. You slid out of the bed to peeke out the window, feeling relief wash over you as you noticed it was Mingi. 

You rushed out of the room in your pajamas, running down the stairs and into the kitchen to act like you weren't scared of anything. After pouring some juice into a mug, you heard the front door open, followed by the squeak of wet shoes.

“Y/N?” his soft voice called. “Are you down here?”

You swallowed the sip of juice, nearly choking on your words. “I’m in the kitchen!” you called out to him, cradling the cup tightly as another boom of thunder erupted.

You squeezed your eyes shut, and opened them as if nothing was wrong when he entered the room.

He seemed cautious, like he already knew you were scared. Maybe he did, and you found it cute how much he remembered about you. It almost made you feel lacking, since you could barely remember anything about him.

“Are you alright?” he asked you softly, taking a step closer to you. 

His hair was soaked, a shade darker than normal. He walked closer and closer until he was an arms length away. Close enough to see the raindrops in his eyelashes.

God, he was so pretty. 

“Yeah,” you gulped, squeezing the cup in your hands. “Just peachy.”

He frowned, looking down at your hands. To your surprise, he reached out, sliding his hands around yours. “Let go, I know how you feel about thunderstorms, y/n.”

Your eyes widened as he took the mug from your hands, replacing it with his own.

You paused, looking down at his hand in yours. “Why…why do you remember so much?” you whispered, watching as his thumb rubbed your knuckle. He was so gentle, you weren't used to it.

He laughed at that, but didn't answer your question. What he did do was tilt your chin up with his free hand, making your heart beat faster than the thunder made it.

“It’s late. You should get some sleep,” he smiled gorgeously, tearing at your heart more and more. There was just something about his demeanor that made you want to jump his bones right then and there, but the other thing was…that you really just wanted to keep holding his hand.

He didn't let go as you walked back up the steps and into the room, but stopped in your tracks as thunder ran through again and again.

“Um, goodnight, I guess.” with all your strength, you pulled your hand out of his hold. It seemed like he didn't want to let go.

You got yourself comfy in the bed while he stood in the doorway. He sighed as he looked at you, and then looked over to the windowsill, where clementine was sleeping peacefully. “Should I…stay?” he mumbled. You barely heard him.

Your heart pounded in your chest as he stared at you across the room. It was dead silence, the only thing making noise was the rain pounding against the roof. 

You took a second to respond. Unable to form words, you nodded, and he took a step further into the room, shutting off the light before walking towards the edge of the bed. He hesitated, and went to lay onto the floor.

“No, don't lay on the cold floor, Mingi,” you huffed out, reaching out to grab his arm to stop him. You let out a shaky breath. “Just…sleep up here with me.”

He swallowed hard, looking down at the hand that held his wrist. After a second, he nodded, slipping under the covers next to you.

He laid stiffly on his back and his eyes trained to the ceiling, but after a large bolt of lightning and a bang of thunder, he reached to hold onto you, tucking your head into his chest. You were honestly just fine with having him by your side, but he was caring enough to hold you like this. It kind of made you want to cry—you haven't been held in ages. 

“Shh, it’s alright,” he hummed into your ear softly, resting his head on top of yours. One arm was wrapped around your waist, the other cradling your head. His soft breaths hit your skin, offering a cozy feeling you weren't sure you've ever felt. 

He held you all night, making sure you were alright, even when the rain stopped.

You fell asleep in his arms, never feeling this safe before.

—

You woke up to the sound of birds chirping from outside the window. Letting out a sleepy yawn, you tried to move, but you were held down by someone’s strong hold.

You opened your eyes then, peeking through the sleepiness to come face to face with a sleeping Mingi, whose lips were slightly parted with drool pooling at the corner of his mouth.

How cute.

Not knowing what to do or if you should do anything at all, you took a second to admire his features. His expression was relaxed, his hair was scattered over his face, and his lips looked as soft as ever. You wanted to reach out and touch them.

So you did; without even thinking.

The tips of your fingertips brushed against his smooth lips, causing you to blink slowly in wonder. It was as if it were the first time you've touched anyone—it wasn't, but he made it feel that way. He captivated you unlike any other, and it made no sense to both your heart and mind.

His eyes opened slowly, meeting your lost gaze. You didn't move. You kept his sleepy stare, lost in the sparkle in his eyes. He was so…pretty. It caused a stir in your heart the more you looked at him. It scared you, but you were too far gone at this point.

He blinked at you as if he couldn't believe you were real. Maybe you were a dream to him the same way he was a dream to you at this moment.

You didn't pull your hand away—you just left it resting on his parted lips like it belonged there. He didn't move it or say anything, and you were too caught up in him to think about anything else.

“Good morning, y/n,” he hummed roughly, his sweet morning voice music to your ears.

You took a second to respond, lost in the thoughts of his beauty. “Morning,” you said, looking down at his lips one more time before letting go.

He watched you back away slightly, but his arm was still tossed on top of you. You watched a smile appear on that beautiful face of his, and you were unable to move any further. It was as if he put a spell on you like some sort of witch—he had a hold on you, physically and mentally, even if you didn't want to admit it.

As the memories of last night flooded into your mind, you offered him a sheepish glance. “Uh, I’m sorry about last night. I’m sorry you had to sleep…in the same bed as…me,” you stuttered out, but he just laid there with a slight smirk. He was even more attractive in the morning. It felt so domestic, like you were in a relationship with him. Maybe he’d bring you breakfast in bed when you’d be sick. Possibly hold you every night without the thunder being the reason behind it. He would kiss you when—

“No, I liked it, actually,” He smiled sweetly, shutting his eyes as he yawned. You wanted to kiss him right then and there.

All right, that's enough of those thoughts now.

Sitting up on the bed, you glanced at him through your eyelashes. “What do you mean?” you wanted to know so bad, but you had a feeling it was just something simple that you over thought about.

“I mean that I enjoyed sleeping with you,” he hummed huskily, but you caught the worry in his eyes as the words left his lips. “I mean, sleeping next to you, not with you. I guess technically I slept with you, but not in the sexual—”

You interrupted him with a laugh. He was too cute. “Mingi, I understand. No need to try and explain it.”

“I just didn't want you to get the wrong idea,” he sat up with you, his back against the wooden headboard. His hair was a mess; you wanted to fix it. “I just–it’s not like I wouldnt want to sleep with you sexually because I would totally want to do that but–” he stopped himself, sighing when he realized what he just said. You watched his ears turn pink. “I’ll just stop talking now.”

You tried to hide your own blush at those words. If anyone else said that, you'd be smacking them to the moon. This time, however, you wanted him to keep talking. You wanted him to tell you all the things he wanted to do to you.

You ignored the pounding of your heart and gave him a slight smile before sliding off the bed. Clementine was standing at the door, meowing like crazy. She was probably hungry. “I’ll go feed tiny,” you glanced over your shoulder to see a sulking Mingi slumped over. 

He didn't say anything as you walked out the room, but as soon as the door shut, he threw himself around in the sheets that now smelled like you. 

—

As you poured clementine's delicious food into her bowl, you heard Mingi come up from behind you. He entered the kitchen like some kind of gremlin, his shoulders hunched and bags under his sparkling eyes. You snickered, standing up straight after giving tiny a little pet.

“You okay? You look like you got mauled by a tiger,” you snarked, to which he replied with a half smile. He walked towards the fridge and grabbed the eggs, setting them down on the kitchen island.

Even the morning looked good on him. God, you were getting different versions of the same man you once thought was a boy, confusing your heart more and more. Was it a crime to find him attractive? No, hell no. but it sure felt like you were committing one as you dreamed of him rather than seonghwa.

“What’s Seonghwa's job now? I haven't even thought about asking that,” you leaned up on the counter while mingi pulled out a pan from the cupboard. “I’m sure he’s some crazy smart businessman or something,” you laughed, but Mingi didn't think it was funny. 

He turned on the stove burner. “He is, actually,” Mingi sniffed, running a hand through his hair while he cracked the eggs into the pan. “How many eggs do you wa—”

“I always pictured him in a suit,” you sighed as you thought about how hot he would look in a suit, when all of a sudden, it changed to an image of Mingi. His lean figure stood tall, the imaginary tailored suit clung to his silhouette. He was so beautiful, so so beautiful. You could say that a million times and you would still believe it.

Mingi watched the delusions shadow your expression, and little did he know you were imagining him and not his brother. 

“He looks like an alien in them. Like a fucking string bean,” he growled, plucking out a spatula from the holder. He aggressively tossed around the eggs in the pan, and then waltzed over to the fridge to grab the leftover rice. “And you didn't answer my question on how many eggs you wanted, y/n.”

The tone of his voice was sharp; it cut like a knife right through you. You wondered if he took offense to the fact that you would think about his brother, but you shook the crazy thought away and changed the subject, standing up from your lean. 

“I’ll have two. And can you put cheese on it for me?”

He didn't turn around to look at you. He just nodded, and rummaged through the fridge for the cheese.

The room was quiet. Too quiet. Mingi was usually quite loud and playful, and you wondered why the change of temperament. “Do you want to go out with me today?”

Mingi choked on nothing at those words, having a coughing fit. You almost grabbed him a drink, but he caught his breath fairly quickly and turned to look at you as he piled the eggs on a plate. “W-what? Go out with you?”

You smirked. “Yeah. like a date, but not a date,” now you were just teasing him.

Mingi stared at you with wide eyes, the sleepiness completely wiped away. “Uh, sure. Yeah. What are you planning on?”

—

“No.”

“Yes.”

“I’m not going up there.”

You both stood at the bottom of a mountain, ready for a hike up it. You were never really an athletic person, but you always wanted to try and do a hike to see if you could do it. Mingi was not having it, backing away towards his car as if he wasn't the one that drove here.

“Mingi, please?” you pleaded with puppy dog eyes, almost cringing at yourself for your actions. “It'll be fun, I promise.”

Mingi scoffed, crossing his toned arms over his chest. You kept getting distracted by him since he decided to sport a cutoff shirt that revealed quite a bit of skin. It made you want to see more. “What do I get out of this?”

You smirked, hooking him in. “Hmm. How about drinks on me? At the bar downtown?”

You saw the sparkle in his eye, knowing that he’d cave at that. And he did.

 You began your trek up the rocky mountain, your feet already starting to burn from the scolding terrain.

“I told you it was a bad idea,” Mingi groaned, sweat dripping down his face. You watched as his smooth skin shined brightly under the sun, feeling a spark go off in your heart.

You huffed as your legs started to get tired. “No,” huff. “It’s a great,” huff. “Experience.”

Mingi scoffed at that, looking ten times better than you after a bit of time. He kept looking over at you every chance he got, but he was still more quiet than usual.

Well, until now.

“Do you still like my brother?” he broke all the walls you put up with one little question.

You stopped mid stride, looking up at the cloudy sky as you thought about the answer. You always dreaded this conversation with him ever since you were a kid, but you never knew Mingi knew. “You knew that I liked him?”

Mingi stopped too, slightly ahead of you. You were about halfway up the mountain with no other hikers in sight. “To be fair, y/n, you didn't really hide it. I think the only person who didn't know was Seonghwa himself,” he sighed as a single raindrop fell between you.

 Maybe you should've checked the weather.

You frowned, furrowing your eyebrows. “I uh, well, I did like him—”

“I know that. Do you still do? He asked sternly, taking a step closer. 

You looked straight into his eyes. It was an easy question—super easy, actually. Your heart knew the answer as soon as it was asked, but for some reason, you couldn't form the words on your tongue. You wanted to tell him that Seonghwa was barely on your mind since you ran into him. You wanted to tell him that you didn't want to look at anything else now that you saw him. You didn't want to think of anything else.

“I…” The rain began to fall around you like tiny shards, and as it started to speed up, you changed the subject as quickly as you could and turned the other way. “We should head back, it's starting to get bad.”

Mingi didn't say anything. As you frantically moved down the mountain to escape confrontation you could easily solve, your foot got caught between a rock, causing you to fall down and tumble slightly. You let out a yelp as your ankle cracked, and the sharpness of the rocks cut up your legs slightly.

“Y/n!” Mingi let out, completely forgetting that he was going to tell you to forget your feelings. “Are you okay? Ah No—don't get up, just give yourself a second.”

You groaned, but more so because of how embarrassing that was. You put your head down and let out a hiss as you tried to move your ankle. “I think I sprained it or something.”

Mingi sighed, kneeling in front of you as the rain pounded on you both. He looked at your beat up legs, and then peered at you through his eyelashes. Without a word, he stood up and turned around with his back to you, hinting at you to get on.

You tilted your head at him, although he couldn't see you. “Just get on, I'll carry you,” he softly said, and you heard the sweetness drip from his lips. The same lips you were dying to kiss.

You leaped onto his broad back, wrapping your arms around his neck tightly. You heard his breath hitch as your hands touched the bare skin of his collarbone, and you nearly got the wind knocked out of you as his hands gripped your thighs to hold you up.

“Thank you,” you mumbled into his ear while he walked down the mountain in the pouring rain, his two-toned hair soaking wet against your cheek. “And I'm sorry for the crappy date.”

“Don't be sorry, y/n,” he hummed, leaning his head against yours as he walked. You were worried that he might slip on the rocks, but he managed to walk like they were dry. He gripped your legs tightly, afraid to drop you as if you were as precious as glass.

He treasured you the way a museum treasured its art.

The rest of the way was quiet. He lifted you into the car and leaned over to put your seatbelt on. He smelled like acid rain and sweat with a hint of vanilla; it stirred something inside you. His wet hair dripped down on you as he tried to get the seatbelt in and oh, the dirty thoughts swimming around your mind.

You were in such a haze that you didn't even realize that he shut the door and was now on the other side of the car. You tried to steady your breaths—in and out, in and out—until he entered the car with you.

“Are we still going to the bar? I need a drink,” you muttered.

He shook his head, running a hand through his dripping hair. “No, we’ll just drink at home. You need rest.”

Home. Home. your heart began to bang in your chest. You had no words to utter, and he drove home quietly, stopping to grab a bag full of soju and beer at the corner convenience store.

The rest of the ride was a blur. He stopped the car in the driveway, running to your side before you tried to get out without help. He picked you up and carried you into the home as if you were married to him, setting you down on the couch softly, afraid to hurt you. You were fine other than the slight ache and cuts, but he didn't need to know that. Right?

“I’ll be right back in with the alcohol,” he hummed, leaving you alone in the dark room. The sun was setting slowly, and you didn't realize how long you were actually out on your date.

Date. you wished you would've just told him your true feelings. You hoped you didn't ruin it.

Mingi waltzed in with the alcohol bag, Clementine trailing him happily. She jumped up onto the couch next to you, but only nudged your head slightly before jumping up and into the window.

You smiled at Mingi as he sat at the edge of the couch. He reached to pull your shoes off, and walked over to set them down at the entryway.

Your eyes followed his every move, already feeling like you were under the influence. He came back with a first aid kit and sat down in front of you. You smiled as he cleaned your wounds, blowing at them gently before covering them with bandages. He was so gentle, it once again caused you to think what he would be like in bed.

The room was quiet. The only sound was both of your breaths tangling in the air. He was so close yet so far, and all you wanted was to cross the distance. You were way too sober to even try.

He looked up at you then, a slight smile on his face. 

“Ready to get fucked up?”

—

One drink. Two drinks. Three. Four. you were completely obliterated—there was no way you were going to remember this tomorrow.

“You're telling me that he dumped you because you touched his hair?” Mingi slurred, leaning towards you with a grimace. “Thats so fucked up.”

“He was like, my hair is sacred, no one can touch it except my mother.”

He nearly spit out his drink. “Pfft, his mother??”

You were both on the floor of the living room, leaning up against the couch, lost in random drunken words and sober thoughts. You were telling him about the messy flings you had as a college student, and when you asked him if he had any, he shrugged and laughed it off and said he had a few. You expected more than just a few.

“His mother was the only woman for him, Mingi. Duh,” you smirked, totally lost in your words.

His laugh nearly shook the room, his head tossed back as he cackled. You watched his adam's apple bob as he let out his enjoyment—he laughed so hard that no noise left his lips, and you couldn't help but giggle at that.

“Mingi!” you giggled, slapping his thigh playfully as he laughed silently. Oh, he was painfully wasted. “What kind of laugh is that? I swear to god there's something wrong with you.”

He calmed down at that, but he was still smiling from ear to ear, lifting his head back from the uncomfortable position he was in.

“Are you making fun of me?” he drunkenly teased, leaning towards you slightly. You saw the strength of his gaze—it pierced right through you. He looked irritated and playful at the same time.

You leaned in, too. “Maybe,” you smirked, looking down at his dewy lips flavored with alcohol. “Hey, it's cute! I promise I'm laughing because it’s cute.” you giggled, but his lips were still downturned.

You furrowed your eyebrows at him, and picked up the nearly empty bottle of soju. He paid strong attention to your movements, especially as you took the bottle up to your lips, causing him to lick his own.

“You never answered my question,” he pondered, still looking at your lips.

“Question?” you slurred, getting the last drops of the apple flavored soju onto your tongue. 

He swallowed hard. “If you still like my brother,” he sniffed, picking up his bottle. “I mean, I think I know the answer, so I don't even wanna—”

“Mingi—”

“Like, it’s always been him. I’ve only ever watched you guys on the sidelines like some shitty benchwarmer or something I swear to god–”

“Mingi please let me talk—”

“I mean to be fair I was a literal child so I get it, but now I—”

“I don't like Seonghwa anymore,” you nearly yelled, causing Clementine to make an appearance by your pile of empty bottles. She rubbed up against one, knocking it over as you focused on the speechless man in front of you. “Ugh. finally. I thought you would never shut up.”

He froze, now just realizing how close you were. You were able to see the little specks of light brown in his irises. You were way too far gone to hold yourself back from anything—and your writer self thought that this would be a great scene in that story of yours.

“So…um…would that mean that you might, um,” he stuttered, his leg shaking anxiously while you smiled at his expression. “That you might think of me in a not so friendly type of way?

You chuckled, watching his eyes grow darker. You looked down at his parted lips now. 

“You have pretty lips.”

He furrowed his brows now, looking as confused as ever. “What are you trying to say? He asked, setting down the bottle that was in his hands.

 His hair was dry now, which was a shame since you really liked how he looked with wet hair. His lips looked even more kissable than they did five minutes ago. 

You shrugged, drunk off your ass. “I mean, you could just kiss me. Or I could kiss you. Either way, it’s what I meant.”

He just stared at you with wide eyes. He didn't make any movement towards you, once again like he didn't want to hurt you or make you feel inferior.

You smiled at his awestruck look. “Do I need to spell it out for you? Me. you. kiss. I–want–to–kiss–you. Mwah.”

Again, just a piercing stare. He licked his lips though, and looked down at yours.

After a few moments of uneasy silence, you couldn't take it anymore.

 “You know what? Fuck it.”

You leaned as close as you could to him and grabbed the back of his neck. His eyes were about to pop out of his head, but the minute your lips neared his, he shut them softly, letting you press your lips to his.

Oh, did it feel like fireworks were going off in the middle of your body. Your heart began to race, feeling like it would pound right out of your chest. His lips melted into yours like honey, and his hands found a home on your hips.

He pulled back slightly, your breaths tangling together.

“Can I really kiss you?” he asked in disbelief, as if you didn't just share saliva. “Is it really what you want?”

“Mingi,” you sighed, moving closer until you were sitting on his lap. He let out a little gasp as you felt the hardness of him underneath you. Sitting on his lap barely got you to eye-level with him, since he was so tall compared to you. He tried to breathe, but his breath was shaky. “I wouldnt of kissed you if I didn't want to.”

“Ah,” he gulped, biting his lip nervously. “My bad, but I’ve just been dreaming about that since I was four, so to be fair, I need a moment.”

You smiled at the man in front of you like he was your world. You couldn't help but lean forward and give him a peck really quick, to which he responded fairly quickly.

You did it again, and again, and again. This time, he gripped your waist and held you to his body with one arm while his other hand gripped your jaw. It caught you off guard—was he the same mingi who needed a moment to process a kiss just a minute ago?

“If you do that again, I’m gonna be tempted to do more than just kiss you, y/n.”

Dear god, his voice. It rumpled right through you, but what really got you was how serious he was. The look on his face made you feel like he was about to maul you like some sort of predator, and you were merely his choice of dinner.

Oh, you were ready to be torn apart—you were drunk and delirious, after all.

You met his gaze for a moment too long, and then you reached out to wrap your arms around his neck. Pulling yourself up to his lips, you kissed them softly, breaking open his own to slide your tongue into his mouth. He tasted like apple soju and smelled like vanilla and sweat; a perfect combination.

It felt like your first kiss. It meant more than any other kiss. He held you so tenderly, caressing your back as he kissed you back with all the love in his heart. You smiled into the kiss as your mind wandered back to how he confessed to liking you for ages, even if it was a bit hazy from the alcohol.

You hoped you'd remember this in the morning. You wanted to treasure this moment.

You let out a shaky breath as you kissed his lips, feeling like you were getting high from him as if he were a drug. His hands began to snake up your top, gliding over the soft skin of your stomach, reaching your ribs.

You shivered at his touch in a good way, ready to rip off your shirt for him. You wanted to tear his right off his body, but you held yourself back for the sake of not ruining the mood just in case.

Subconsciously, you began to roll your hips into his. He gripped onto them as if his life depended on it, and you bet he left fingernail marks into your skin. His hot breaths hit you in the face as he pulled away to catch his breath, looking down at your hips crashing into his.

He leaned his forehead against your head, unable to pace his breathing. You weren't any better, especially with the way you could feel his arousal right underneath yours. Oh, dear god, you were completely lost in his touch. In his gaze. In his movements.

The little brother was now much more of a man than you ever imagined, completely forgetting about the one you made an effort to come back to.

Now, at this moment, when he groaned as he rocked your hips into his for you, your mind exploded in thoughts about him. The way he moved you into him was so effortlessly hot, and the way his face scrunched up when you grasped a handful of his hair in response.

 It felt like you were drowning. Maybe you were. But you needed more than just this.

You needed all of him.

“M-mingi,” you whispered breathlessly as his lips sucked on your neck. 

“Hm?” he moaned right into the skin of your neck, still rocking your hips into his.

Your eyes nearly rolled into the back of your head. You couldn't even think about the words you wanted to say—they aren't important anymore.

What was important was the way your body spoke for you.

Your fingertips brushed against the hem of his t-shirt, curling around it in pleasure. You pulled it up slightly, and without a word, he gave you a nod to take it off of him.

You pulled the shirt over his head, a smirk on your face as you looked at his toned waist. You ran a hand down the ripples of muscle, not noticing the entranced look Mingi was giving you.

He fiddled with the end of your shirt, and met your eyes before doing anything hasty. You smiled and nodded, and he gently took the top off with affection. He smiled back at you, leaning in to bump his forehead with yours with a slight chuckle.

You leaned in again, kissing him with a bit more power than before. Your stomach flipped as he grasped the back of your head with one hand, his other sliding down your neck to meet your chest, gripping your breast softly through your sports bra. 

He spared no time in burying his head in the crook of your neck, biting and sucking like no tomorrow. You were way too drunk to realize how sloppy you both were, but in the moment, it was blissful. It felt like the very first time, and in your mind, you wanted it to be. You kind of regretted how you thought he was nothing but the brother of your crush. Well, now, that was now reversed.

“It’s either I fuck you down here on the couch,” he mumbled into your lips. “Or I’m carrying you up to my bed.”

You nearly melted into a puddle. Who knew he was like this? Was it the alcohol?

“Bed,” you moaned into his neck, biting his earlobe. “I want to be in your bed.”

“Goddammit.” 

He nearly growled as you said those words, gripping the back of your thighs before standing up straight with you. You held onto him tightly while he wobbled up the steps drunkenly. You hoped this wasn't going to be some type of intoxicated mistake in his eyes, but in yours, you had nothing to regret. There was nothing holding you back.

He held you tightly as he walked up the stairs of his beach house, unable to wait any longer. As soon as he entered his room, he set you down gently on the bed. “Is your ankle okay?” he asked, making sure he wasn't manhandling you—it was quite the opposite.

To be fair, you completely forgot about the pain in your ankle. It was the least of your worries as the beautiful man stood above you while you laid flat on his bed.

“Just come here.”

It took a second for him to process that you were laying in his bed, ready for him to do absolutely anything to you. He stared down at you for a moment, eyes raking over your half-naked body. He couldn't get enough of you—you were his dream. So now that you were in his bed? Well, he wasn't so sure where to go with it.

But you did.

“Mingi,” you sighed, meeting his intoxicated gaze. “Just please come here.”

He looked lost, as if he didn't want to do anything rashly. Maybe a bit of the alcohol wore off, as his eyes looked like he wasn't sure how he ended up here. He hesitated as he looked you up from head to toe, but once you saw the slight smirk peek from his lips, you knew what was next.

He leaned over you on the bed, giving you a kiss as his body pressed flat against yours. As the moment sped up with your hands in his hair and his on your chest, he finally slid the bra off in one swipe, catching you off guard.

He took a second to admire your beauty, then gave you another kiss, letting out a breath as he began to kiss you from your lips, to your collarbone, then meeting your breasts. He nibbled at your nipple slightly, causing you to gasp in pleasure. 

You wanted to moan out his name. Cry out for him. At this moment, all you saw was him and the friendly sparkle in his eyes—although now they looked more like the devil’s.

He sat up for a moment to undo the tie on his shorts, allowing you to pull them off of him to reveal his length that you were aching to have inside of you. He was bigger than you even imagined, although you had taken a bit of time to actually acknowledge how much he has grown since you last remembered him. He was more than anything you could imagine, and now the brother you used to think about was only a distant memory in your mind. 

After he was fully undressed, his eyes looked devilish. He leaned over you once again, knocking you onto your back with force. His chain necklace hit your face as his hands caressed your curves, meeting the waistband of your pants. He slid them down your hips, and you lifted yourself up slightly to help him out. The minute he got them off, he was back to feeling you up with a lovestruck look on his face.

“You're so beautiful,” he whispered, leaning his forehead against yours as he hovered above you. “So beautiful that it hurts.” he kissed your forehead at that, leaving your heart spiraling.

You smiled up at his gorgeous face, watching his eyes dance with curiosity. He looked nervous, like he’s never done this before. You knew that he had, but it was his first time with you, atleast. It was an overwhelming thought—this man had longed for you while you longed for his brother. You wanted to prove to him that it was only him in your eyes and heart.

He looked down at your heat and then back up to your eyes, a shy expression on his beautiful features. “Can I…make love to you?”

It was the fact that he asked so respectively that nearly made you squirm under his hold. Not the fact that you were about to get fucked or the fact of his body over yours, but the slight worry in his tone made you want to share your life with him. You nodded without a word, allowing him to begin to enter you. He lined himself up against you, lifting your legs up to put them up on his chest. He gripped your thighs tightly as he slid into you, slowly beginning to thrust with each moment. Your senses began to heighten as your walls collapsed for him, all you could hear was the pitter patter of rain and the tangled breaths between you and him both.

His breath was shaky as he pumped in and out of you, letting out small moans whenever he looked at you. You scrunched your eyebrows in pleasure as he started to move faster and faster, crying out as his fingernails pierced through the skin of your thigh.

“You have no idea how much I wanted this,” he said breathlessly as he moved gracefully.

You were sure the alcohol in your system was long gone, considering how realistic this all was. You saw his eyes glimmer. You felt his heart pound. You saw beads of sweat drip down his neck. You saw the smile he let out as he looked down at you. You were his everything—and now you were one, sharing the same body and moving together like waves of the ocean.

As you were getting closer to your high, he flipped you around quickly, tossing you into your back with no struggle. He slid right back into you, causing you to moan at his strength. “Mingi,” you moaned, lost in the sea of his movements.

He grunted, fucking you harder and harder as you moaned more and more. “Fuck, I love it when you moan my name,” he hissed, gripping your hips as he pounded into you.

He nuzzled his head against yours as he moved, and you got wetter by the minute. You've never felt this way with any other man, and as you reached your high, he bit your earlobe from the back and gripped your hair, tugging it slightly as you began to see stars.

His breaths became shallower, his heartbeat picked up speed. He noticed your state and chuckled seductively in your ear. “Ah, you like that, hm?” His laugh was smooth. “No more making fun of my laugh, huh?”

You had no words for him. He already knew the answer. But when you came all over his dick, he thrusted into you even deeper, causing you to grip at the silk sheets underneath you.

It was as if you put a spell on him. The minute you came, he couldn't hold it in anymore. He let out a sharp breath as he shoved himself inside you, harder and harder, throwing his head back like he was possessed. You were sure your knuckles were turning white as you gripped onto the pillow that your head rested on. He bucked his hips for the last time, emptying himself into you before crashing down onto your back and rolling to the side of you.

The room was spinning, you never even gave yourself a chance to look around to see the detail of his room. You were sure there were lots of unique things tied to the unique mingi, but you couldn't focus on anything but the man beside you.

His chest rose and fell like the sun, glistening with sweat like the morning dew. He was the most beautiful thing you've ever seen, and even as you fought to keep your eyes open after that eventful experience, you reached out to wrap your arms around his waist, throwing yourself into the comfort of his embrace.

You were already asleep when he whispered his adoration with a kiss on the forehead, tucking you under the blankets with him as your pillow.

—

It wasn't the first time you woke up to him, and you hoped it wouldn't be the last. His warm sleepy breaths hit your face in the daylight, and you opened your eyes to see mingi in all his glory, soft snores escaping his lips. The same lips that claimed your own the night before.

Despite your drunkenness last night, you remembered everything in detail, including the way the nightlight in the corner of his room glowed as you drifted off to sleep in his arms. It was a bit domestic, much more realistic than any type of sexual encounter you’ve had in the past. You didn't want to ever have another encounter like that if it wasn't with mingi…

As you were lost in your thoughts, you didn't notice how affectionately Mingi was looking at you through his sleepy eyes. 

“Good morning,” you hummed, suddenly feeling a bit insecure in his hold. He has now seen every part of you in every way, and he was no longer the brother of your friend. He was no longer just a friendly face—he was now your lover.

“Hi,” he smiled, his voice raspy. You watched his gaze deepen as he looked at your eyes, then your nose, then your lips. The corners of his mouth turned up when he saw you yawn. “Are you still tired?”

You didn't want to tell him that the alcohol—and the sex—wore you out completely, but he wasn't the type to really inflate his ego. He would probably blush and hide his face into your chest, and even though it would've been cute to see, you shook your head no.

“I’m wide awake now,” you chuckled as he stared at you lovingly. You looked down at his smooth lips, getting flashbacks from how amazing they felt on yours. You leaned blinked at him for a second, until you leaned over and pecked them quickly. You didn't want him smelling your morning breath.

Just as you were about to escape from his arms to go brush your teeth, he gripped you by the waist to pull you to him, causing you to hold your breath as his face neared yours. “No, you're not just gonna kiss me and leave like that,” he tilted his head playfully, then gripped the side of your face before bringing his lips to yours.

“Wait–” kiss. “My morning breath—”

He kissed you again. “I don't care.”

You stopped trying to squirm out of his grip at those words, and you relaxed in his arms while he kissed you through his smile.

He leaned his forehead against yours now. “I love kissing you,” he smiled blissfully, his brown hair covering the smile of his eyes. You reached out to brush it away, tucking it behind his pink ears.

So cute.

You ran your hand down his cheek in adoration of his beauty. You knew you were gonna add this whole situation into your book, but you might have to change some steamy details. “So, do you work at the market today?” you asked him, leaning on your elbows on your side.

He shook his head. “No, but I am planning on doing something today.”

You raised your eyebrows. “Hm? Like what?”

He smirked. You couldn't get used to it. 

“You.”

It took you a moment to understand the cheesy joke, and when you did, you gave him a smack on the shoulder and took it as a hint to stand up. It felt like you were together for years, but at the same time, it was as if you had just met. It was dreamlike—straight out of a fictional story. Maybe that was why you were so keen on writing your book about him.

“Okay okay, besides doing you, I would also like to take you on a date,” he mumbled as you stood up, but lost his train of thought as you were completely naked in front of him. “I uh, i forgot what I was saying.”

You tried to hide your insecurity as you stood confidently in front of him. You tossed on his t-shirt and slid on your underwear, making him lose it even more.

“Fucking hell, y/n,” he breathed, staring at you in awe as you wore his shirt. 

You slid on your pants then, looking at him mischievously as he sat up in his bed. Clementine was snoring on the edge, offering even more ambiance to the moment. It felt like you were meant to be here with him.

“What?” you tilted your head at him with a smirk. “Are we gonna go on that date or what?”

—

The sound of crashing waves filled your senses, and the smell of the salty air made memories of your childhood flood into your mind. The memories included Mingi, who would always sit on the sand and watch you and seonghwa from a distance. He was there, but it was always his brother, and not him.

Oh, how the times have changed.

You walked through the sand with Mingi next to you; your yellow sundress flowing in the wind. He wanted to hold your hand—you could tell by the way it twitched towards you. The sky reminded you of his hair, as the clouds looked slightly like stripes. It was a beautiful day.

The orange hues of the sky also reminded you of the day you ran into him, and you remembered how you felt when you first saw him. 

Being with him felt like you were meeting for the very first time over and over again. Every touch felt like the first time. Every kiss felt like your first one.

In the hand that wasn't trying to grab yours, he held a wicker-picnic basket filled with homemade food. He had told you earlier about how bad he always wanted to go on a picnic date, so you spent the entirety of the day making random things to take to the beach. It mostly consisted of rooting through cabinets and kissing each other at every chance you could get.

You walked quietly next to each other, the only sounds were the crashing of the waves and the chirping of birds. You held the picnic blanket close to you with one hand, and finally, you interlocked your fingers into his. You watched him swallow hard, and you were unable to hide your happiness. 

Once you got to the perfect spot, he set down the basket and put down the blanket nicely. You sat down on it while he set up the food, unable to keep your eyes off of him. 

He stood tall as per usual, with a white button up with a few of the buttons undone. The sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, and a pair of khaki shorts clung to his thighs. His skin was like honey and his eyes glimmered. He looked otherworldly—as if he didn't belong here. There was no way someone this attractive was real, but here he was, in front of you. 

His heart was beating for you.

“Here,” he handed you a plate of food he so proudly made. There wasn't anything he couldn't do.

You smiled and took it from his hand. “Thank you, Mingi.”

He grinned as he sat down across from you. He watched you as you took a bite of the food, unable to look away from you. He didn't even reach to grab his own plate of food, and just smiled as you ate.

You met his eyes. “What? Is there something on my face?” you asked frantically, wondering why he was looking at you so attentively.

He laughed at that. “No, you're just pretty.”

You smiled and took another bite. “Jeez, you're cheesy.”

He leaned back, the tips of his fingers in the sand. There was barely anyone on the beach at this hour, as the sun was about to set on the ocean horizon. “I can't help it. I never thought I'd be on a date with you. It's like a dream.”

You swallowed the food before you spoke. “I still can't believe you liked me. I never even realized,” you sighed, lost in the past while he was enjoying the present.

“Hey, it’s fine. You're here with me now, it’s all about timing.” he mumbled happily, reaching for a piece of strawberry cake that was store bought. You didn't have the skills to bake. 

You looked him up and down, just happy to be in his presence. Once again, Seonghwa was not a thought in your mind as you looked at Mingi—who couldn't stop admiring you. 

You smiled as you thought about him. “You were my little Mingi,” you teased, watching his ears turn pink.

He scoffed. “Little?” he stood up deviously, and you should've known what was coming next. “Come here.”

He grabbed you before you could even make a move, and lifted you up off the blanket. He carried you towards the ocean, struggling as you tried to get out of his grip.

“No! Stop! I take it back!” you laughed, kicking your feet as you watched the water flow from underneath you. He still held you in his arms, but the minute the water was slightly deeper, he tossed you into the water with a romantic laugh.

Water enveloped you as you fell, and you looked up to him as you tasted the salt water in your mouth. With all the strength you got, you stood up and jumped at him, causing you both to tumble into the water. 

It was like a scene from a movie. He tossed water at you while you tried to knock him down once again, and how he looked even more romantic than he did earlier. His hair was messy on top of his head, and the white shirt he was sporting now clung to his toned chest. You thanked the lord he wore white today, as you were able to see the ripples of his abs through the fabric.

You were tangled in each other both physically and emotionally, lost in each other’s souls and beating in each other’s hearts. You wished this moment would last forever, and you craved to share more moments of him that you could remember for a lifetime.

—

The romantic moment ended the minute you got back to his home, but in a different way.

He ripped your dress off your body as quickly as he could, the shower running in the background. His hair was still wet from the ocean, and his lips tasted like saltwater. You couldn't get enough of him.

He breathed heavily into your mouth, gripping your hips as he backed you up into the wall. His shirt was long gone now, the only thing on him were the soaking wet shorts.

“Take them off,” you groaned as he kissed you hungerly, tugging on his waistband. He moaned in response, gripping your face instead of listening to you. You decided to do it yourself, and as you unbuttoned his pants, you kneeled down onto the soft throw carpet and pulled the shorts down to the ground.

“W-what are you—ah,” he stuttered as you gripped him, unable to finish his sentence. The minute you stuck him in your mouth was the moment his knees weakened, and he almost lost his balance. “Oh my god.”

You glided your tongue around him, sucking tightly as you almost choked on how big he was. He gripped the hair on the top of your head as he inhaled sharply, breathing like he had just ran a marathon.

“Fuck, y/n,” he moaned your name, tossing his head back onto the wall. “How are you so fucking good at this?” he wanted to say more and you could tell, but you nibbled on his dick slightly before he could get any other words out.

You looked up at him from the ground, meeting his intense gaze. He sucked in sharply, gripping you by the shoulders to lift you up and to toss you into the shower. You were immediately met with scorching hot water, but you were numb to it the minute he entered the shower.

His mouth was on yours once again, biting your lip so hard you could've sworn you tasted blood.

“I’m gonna show you that I'm not so little anymore,” he whispered raspily into your face, his eyes slanted with lust. You wanted him to do everything possible to you—no matter what it was. 

There was just something so attractive about a man being in love, and maybe it was because it was him. He was passionate and powerful, and was going to make sure you knew what you were getting into.

He fucked you hard from behind and pounded into you as hard as he could. You saw the stars again as the edges of your vision grew darker and darker. The water from the shower dripped down your face as he moved rhythmically, lost in his movements. 

“You feel so good,” he moaned out, his head resting on top of yours. “Fuck.”

You smacked your head against the tile walls from his strength, unable to hold yourself up. He had a hold on you that no one else ever will, and you were sure that he was going to be the one for you, even if you ever even thought about the possibility before.

It felt like you were floating. He made you feel as if you were above the clouds, lost in a mess of him and his beauty. You knew that you’ve never had someone like him before, and you never wanted this to stop.

He made love to you over and over again as July became August—and you became his lover.

—

You woke up next to him the next morning. And the morning after that. And the morning after that. He’d kiss you on the forehead while you would hold him tightly, and then you’d brush your teeth together in the morning with clementine at your feet.

You never specified if you were officially dating or anything, but you didn't want to ruin the bliss you were in for now. 

As the days passed, you fell in love with him. You knew you loved him from the minute he held you when you were scared of the storm all those nights ago, but now, as you laid in bed next to him on a rainy august morning, your heart knew what it wanted.

And what it wanted was him.

You watched him sleep peacefully as the rain tumbled to the ground outside. Clementine sat on the windowsill, watching the raindrops race down the glass.

But the silence didn't last.

“Yo, i’m back Mingi—” a voice boomed from the door, and it opened to reveal a handsome man you knew was seonghwa. He stood in shock as he met eyes with you, and mingi woke up with a jolt as soon as he heard his brother’s voice. “Oh?” 

You cradled the blanket to your naked chest while mingi leaned over to cover you. “Hyung? Y-you're home?” he frantically stuttered, but you couldn't help but notice the shock in Seonghwa’s eyes as he began to recognize you. 

“Y/N?” his eyes were wide, completely shocked. He dropped the bag that was in his hand, his mouth slightly agape as he stared at you from across the room. “Is that you? In my brother’s bed?”

“I–uh,” you spit out, looking between the two brothers. It was uncomfortable, especially since you were worried about what was running through Mingi’s mind. “Yeah. It's me. In his bed.”

He looked at the way you were clutching the blanket, and the way mingi was protectively covering you with his own body. “Naked…in bed…with my brother. What a great reunion,” he muttered, and you were unable to read his expression. He scoffed then, but then looked away from you respectfully. 

“I’ll explain, hwa—” you tried to say, but Seonghwa interrupted.

“No. No need, just talk to me when you're um,” he signaled to your body without looking over. “Fully clothed.”

He walked out at that, shutting the door behind him. You couldn't lie, he looked great. Amazing even. He had hardly aged a day, but looked much more refined. Mingi looked over at you with a sigh, and you wondered what he was thinking. You hoped he wasn't second guessing himself.

You gave him a sweet kiss to brighten the mood, which made him smile immediately.

“We should go greet him,” you murmured with a slight chuckle, to which he laughed along with you.

“Yeah, that would be good.”

—

Seonghwa stared at you with awe, unable to meet his brother's eyes. 

“I just can't believe it. You and my brother—when did you even come back?” he questioned, looking through your eyes. “I would have rushed back here if I knew you were here.”

“Well, good thing you didn't,” mingi joked, but you knew he was thinking way too hard about something. 

Hwa disregarded that as most older brothers would. “You look good. Really good,” he smiled at you, his eyes piercing into yours. His hair was longer than it used to be, and it was styled smoothly on his forehead. He looked good, too. 

His brother just looked better.

Mingi sat next to you on the couch in the middle of you and seonghwa, his hand gripping your thigh. You knew what he was doing, and you just wanted to tell him he didn't need to worry.

“Thanks, Hwa. it’s so good to see you again,” you smiled at him, truthfully. You had to admit that you really wanted to see him, but right now, every romantic emotion that was once tied to him was now tied to mingi. You set your hand down on top of the hand that was on your thigh, making sure he knew you wanted him as much as he wanted you.

Seonghwa looked down at your hand and swallowed hard. “So, what brings you back here?”

Mingi’s grip tightened on your thigh.

“Oh, well I um. I came back to see you guys. I missed you both.” you couldn't say you came back to see seonghwa, because now your whole motives changed. 

The way seonghwa was looking at you felt like a bomb was about to go off. You were never hyper aware of his feelings for you, but as his gaze met yours and the way mingi kept you close to him made you think that he knew something you didn't. 

“Oh, you came to see me? I’m sorry I wasn't here when you got here, y/n,” he smiled.

Mingi didn't like the way he was smiling at you.

“I have to go feed Clementine,” He made an excuse, letting go of the grip he had on you to stand up. He gave one last look to you before walking out of the room and into the kitchen.

Once he left, your thoughts were interrupted by Seonghwa’s sweet voice.

 “Are you guys a thing?” he asked you softly, his eyes sparkling with curiosity. “I always thought that we were….you know…”

You sighed and sat up more, ready to explain everything on your mind. “Yeah, Mingi and I are together,” you smiled as you thought about him. “And uh, I did like you. I really did. I always did, Hwa, but now, I….” you took time with your words. “Now I know that Mingi is the one for me.”

Seonghwa nodded, letting out a sigh. “I guess my timing was a bit off, huh?” he chuckled, offering you a kind smile. You didn't mean to change the pattern of your heart, but it was just what needed to happen.

You didn't say anything. You didn't need to. He knew your feelings, and knew that they weren't for him. At least not anymore.

“Well, it was good to see you. I hope we can still be friends,” he smiled, standing up from the couch. “I have to go to work, but um, it was really nice seeing you.”

You nodded, standing up with him. “It was good to see you, too.”

He walked past you and patted you on the head before walking out of the house, leaving you alone with mingi once again.

You knew he heard all of that. You hoped he did, at least, so he knows how much you care for him. You know how insecure he feels about the fact you used to like his brother, and you wanted him to know that there was no reason to worry about it anymore.

“Mingi?” you called out, but there was no answer. You walked into the kitchen to see tiny snacking on her dinner, but there was no mingi in sight.

You walked through the kitchen to go out of the patio doors, finding mingi in the backyard next to the garden you used to steal strawberries from.

“There you are,” you breathed, walking on the grass barefoot towards him. The rain had stopped now, the only sign of it was the dewyness of the grass. Mingi was facing the other way, deep in thought as he stared at the crimson fruit in front of him. “Seonghwa just left.”

He nodded without a word. You took notice of his slumped shoulders and his unusual aura. 

You reached out to touch him on the shoulder. “Mingi, I—”

“You're not gonna drop me for him now that he’s back, right?” he asked you, turning around to face you now. 

His words hurt more than they should have. Even if you never declared you were in a relationship together, that doesn't mean you’d drop him for an old flame that never caught on fire.

You looked up into his eyes. Oh, those beautiful eyes. They seemed to worry way too much.

You took a step closer to him, just enough to tightly wrap your arms around his slim waist. You didn't say anything to him at the moment. You just held him, knowing he needed to be held. It took a second for him to wrap his arms around you, and when he did, he squeezed you tightly, as if he were afraid you'd escape his hold.

“No, baby. I’m not gonna leave you,” you looked up at him, smiling bright. “Why would I leave the man I love?”

He stiffened in your embrace, pulling back slightly to read your expression. “What?” he spoke softly, his eyes wildly looking into yours. “What did you just say?”

“I said why would I leave the man I love?” you giggled nervously, knowing it was a bit rash to say. “That would be stupid. How could I do that?”

He held onto you tightly, but looked confused as ever. “I thought I was gonna be the first one to say it,” he smiled, focused solely on you and only you. “I was just worried you didn't feel the same.”

“Oh, come on,” you grinned, pulling him toward you again. “I thought it was obvious.”

He looked down at you, completely in love. “Well I love you, too, y/n,” he pushed his forehead against yours, leaning down to press his lips against yours. “More than you love me, of course.”

You scoffed, but still smiled happily as he kissed you again. 

It was everything you ever wanted. From the way he made you feel—enough to write a book about him—and the way he cared for you as if you were the most expensive work of art in a museum. He cherished you, and you wanted to live out your life with him. You wanted to spend every summer, autumn, winter, and spring with him. 

After all, He was your sun. Your world. And you were his moon, his everything. 

It was the first warm day in spring. The breeze, which gently tousled your locks and made the bright green trees rustle, was still a little cool – the breath of nature after months of slumber, tucked under a snow-white blanket. The sun rays caressed your skin like a sweet embrace and turned the young flora into a glistening, gold toned paradise. It was a time for new beginnings, a time when dreams felt so marvelously within reach, and daily routines transformed into a pleasant waltzing sequence.

This bright spring day compelled one to metamorphose and take on change with newfound vigour – as you took in your surroundings, even though you were tucked away out of the action, sticking to the sitting area outside of your beloved convenience store, you could feel this energy buzzing all around. The enthusiastic chatter of locals resting under flourishing tree canopies, small groups ambling next to the picturesque riverbank, tired, but satisfied smiles on their faces, in wait for the offerings that the coming hours, days, weeks would undoubtedly bring. 

Your decision to move to Seoul for your studies had been nothing short of awe-inspiring – a gift that kept on giving. And any time you felt like you could not go on, and the gloomy weather settled into your heart and clouded your mind, you would remember the tranquil spring days which had been there for you through thick and thin, since the very beginning. Just like the dancing cherry blossom petals soaring into the skies after a mischievous gust of wind would invite them for a twirl, your worries would dissipate and join the floral confetti, nothing more than memories dotting your vision. Full stops over which you stepped towards another season.

This breeze that spurred you on, encouraged you, kept you going and became your pair of wings throughout your life took on many forms. One, the most important of all, was in the form of a boy, now a man who had grown from pulling your hair for fun to now making your heart flutter. The man who had just so happened to inadvertently plan his near future with you and made the choice to follow you to the big city. The man who was sitting across from you, his brown doe eyes glinting with gold from the sun that filtered through one of the pink-hued trees, it having left a gift atop his crown of dark, lustrous hair in the form of one petal. You were not exactly sure how you got here, and how the years had only made you closer, but you would not trade it for the world.

A tranquil late afternoon by the peacefully meandering river, cheeks stuffed with cheap ramen that tasted like memories and a hope for forever, tears springing to your eyes as you struggled to not burst out laughing while your best friend imitated one of your lecturers. His mischief and boyish eagerness to elicit the biggest reaction from you was enough to make your heart hurt, and the way he had to splay his legs out in order to not fall from the flimsy plastic chair – your spot outside the convenience store that had become your shared safe haven, was simply endearing. It was impossible to ever get tired of the radiance, the unfiltered, puppy-like energy that this wonderful man who you had the honour of having in your life exuded.

Had anyone told you five years ago, let alone ten that you would be in love with Jeong Yunho you would have laughed in the poor messenger’s face. Your shared path with him was more accidental than anything. Similar journeys home, similar interests. Even answering the question of how, or when you had become friends perplexed you to this day, with you being unable to pinpoint a specific moment. Sometimes, in him you still saw the excited school kid, clad in a crisp ironed navy uniform, running towards you to show off a particularly cool stick that was totally shaped like a laser gun from an anime, or the kid who dragged you to the arcade as soon as lessons finished. But with one spring replacing another, and with each new refreshed blanket of pink on the ground appearing more gorgeous than before, an innate, growing longing bloomed in your chest. And thus, you had come to treat what you had previously deemed an accident, a mistake or a coincidence as serendipity.

As your gaze followed the stubborn petal, Yunho’s movements grounded to a halt until he was staring right back at you, confusion written across his features.

“Hey, I’m not explaining maths or anything, why so spaced out?”

“Hm? No, I’m not spacing out… Actually, this will keep on bothering me, wait-” your body moved on its own accord as you set down your chopsticks and the foil which you had folded into a makeshift bowl onto some plastic packaging. Leaning over the table, you gingerly pinched the spring snowflake and held it out for Yunho to observe, smiling softly as he lifted one of his hands and cradled it.

“Well, would you look at that! I had a little hat on and didn’t even know about it!” and just like that, the petal ended up on your friend’s hair once again, only this time it was hanging on for all its worth as he launched into a seated fashion show, hands on hips and flaunting the new look. “So, how is it?”

“Stunning. Immaculate drip.” You responded without missing a beat and raised your eyebrows once in approval.

Yunho chuckled, picking off the petal and letting it fall onto the table, landing right by his bottle of water. He took his time with lifting his eyes to meet yours, wondering if the outwardly comical statement contained any element of appreciation. For as long as he had known you, there was one thing that remained constant, and that was that you were someone who was immensely challenging to learn and read, unless you openly wished for it to happen. But he would be lying if he said that it was not enthralling. As he let the breeze cool his lightly blushing cheeks – something of a permanent installation when he was around you, Yunho placed his elbows onto the table and cradled his head in his hands.

“Now you have to sign an NDA, you’ve seen the new spring collection.” He joked, a nod to the job that you had taken on prior to the start of the academic year, which had resulted in many midnight coffee runs, one conversation after another of Yunho keeping you sane enough to last until the end of particularly exhausting days, and a revelation that what you had been feeling was indeed, not an illusion. Fortunately for you, while you were afraid of misinterpretation, you sensed that what you had come to realise only now might just be reciprocated.

“Oh gosh one more mention of that and I will scream.” You shook your head, and dramatically stretched out your arm to lie on the table, hair cascading over the sleeve as a jacket, cushioning your temple. While the situation behind Yunho’s words was less than pleasant, he made it sweet by preserving it – like a pressed flower or leaf in a book, he kept a precious collection of your and his happenings. Yunho had a talent for remembering anything and everything that you shared with him, to the point where you were certain that there were a number of events that he probably could recall much better than you ever could.

“Come on, your internship wasn’t that bad.” a chuckle, a gentle tap on your hand that lasted a little too long, giving you ample opportunity to muster some courage and grasp at his jacket’s sleeve to prevent him from breaking contact. The barely audible gasp, replaced by a bashful silence and a return of the pressure of his hand on your forearm was confirmation enough that your spontaneity was right. Nonchalant, you continued.

“Except that it was like I was stranded in a deathmatch at the hardest possible level, overwhelmed inside, disconnected from outside.”

“I mean… in principle… that means you reached the match and hey, normally those maps are cool?” he seemed to have returned from his daze in record speed, though beaming a little brighter and perky from the game reference.

“So was that place… until- ah, too gloomy.” You attempted to lift yourself up, but one glance to Yunho’s resting hand had you forgetting that idea altogether, so you settled for a simple raising of the head, “Whatever, you heard me rant about all of this anyways. Let’s discuss the quality style instead.”

The action made Yunho retract nonetheless – ever so polite, and so you took to keeping your head in one hand, admiring your friend through blissful, lenses the colour of cherry blossoms. You noted how Yunho moved the feast that you had bought further away, and turned so that you would be facing each other directly.

“Yes please, I will have to ask you to expand on that wonderful statement.” He winked: a lighthearted ruse to keep himself together and not give away the kind of effect that you had on him.

“I am this close to taking my words back.” Almost pinching your thumb and index finger together, you shot back.

“Nuh-huh, I wore my special denim jacket today you can’t do this.”

“Yes, I can. And can remind you of your much more iconic looks.”

“Curious. Which one?” as soon as the question left him, you languidly pushed yourself from the metal, and leaned in close, closer, and closer until you were the reason for Yunho being on the verge of short circuiting. You were rarely this forward; any semblance to seeking contact was the odd accidental brush as you would walk side by side, but this, this was something else entirely and he was not prepared. If anything, this was reminiscent of what his imagination would conjure – so far removed from common reality that he was thinking spring itself was playing tricks.

“You… wrapped up…” your voice dropped into a whisper, and Yunho held his breath in trepidation, “in a duvet at the library.”

It was surprising just how much relief an unexpected humorous memory could bring. Recalling the basic fact that he was a human, and that he was to be socially appropriate even around the closest, most precious person in his life, he let out a sharp exhale and an airy chuckle. At least he had the time you were inferring as clear as day in his brain.

“Ah, you mean the time you were wearing the fuzzy onesie?”

“It was-”

“-finals week. Second year. We really popped off on those fits.” He completed your sentence smugly. Any other time, he would have probably crossed his arms or raised them up in a mock victory, but you kept him frozen in place.

A quietude washed over you. Muted, mutual reminiscing. Time to relive what had been, turning into awe at the fact that in the flurry of ponderings, of long gone snippets that twirled around in your mind palace, most were with this beautiful man.

“Yeah.” “Yeah.”

Was all either of you could utter, before falling back into an expectant silence. There was always a shift between the winter and spring, at least that was how you liked to describe it. It was in the scent that graced your room as soon as you opened the window. It was in the longer days, with somnolent darkness being replaced by a budding brilliance, reflecting in soft leaf buds and the beginnings of pollen – nature’s fairy dust. And just like this, from the slumber of a comfortable, amiable and cosy winter time, a shift between you and Yunho could be detected. On the first warm day in spring, as the blossoms rained down, the petal that was on your table now rejoicing upon having found an adventurous companion that landed only millimetres away. While you could never answer the question of how you got so lucky to have Yunho, you were inspired to guess how the continuation of what you had could unfold, if you wished for this flower to bloom and meet the coming seasons. The mere notion made you feel warm, unlike the rapidly cooling ramen that you were unlikely to return to any time soon. Last wisps of steam were escaping the containers, along with the illusion that this spring was to be just like any other.

“By the way, just for the record, banter aside, you do look really good, okay?”

He wanted to poke fun at you for your habit of playfully attacking and then immediately falling back into a truce – fearful of the possibility that you had hurt your interlocutor’s feelings, but found it to be too endearing to ever comment on. It was normally the time when you were most vulnerable, and the time when you had let most of your true feelings slip through your friendly, yet naturally reserved demeanour. Your expression was unreadable, but there was a tantalising tension that was luring him in. Suddenly, the table was very much in Yunho’s way, and led him to spontaneously rise from his chair, pick it up, flinching as he overestimated the weight and nearly hit himself with the back, and step around the picnic table to set it down next to you. You raised an eyebrow, puzzled, but your intuition was good enough to figure out the response, so you simply seized the chance to give your secret everything a onceover, as if you were seeking confirmation for the statement that had already been established in unwavering truth.

“It’s the jacket you picked out, so of course. But thank you.” Deflecting the generalisation, Yunho focused on the article of clothing, the tips of his ears turning a light shade of pink as he inspected it.

“Oh? OH! Yeah! I spammed you with the link to it!” you clicked the fingers of your free hand, agreeing.

“Yeah, but it was not on sale then, so I hunted it down until it was.”

“Well damn don’t I have good taste.” You mumbled, questioning your own ambiguity. Did you really mean the jacket?

“Yep, and in people too.” And that was your answer. Yunho mirrored you, setting an elbow on the table, a gleam dancing on his lips.

“How sneaky! But you do have a very good point, the universe did do good on this one.”

Unable to refrain from the gesture, you reached out to pat the top of his head. It must had been somewhere in the beginning of high school that Yunho became known as the ‘golden retriever’ type, the puppy boy, the energiser. And right about then, you had started to find immense joy in ruffling his hair, be it to praise, or in encouragement, or just because you had not done it in a long time. And while he would normally pout or roll his eyes, not once did he not tilt his head into the sensation. As you took your hand away, you noticed that he intuitively followed. A smile settled on your features as you sank into the indescribable unity. Not needing words to communicate, you sank into his dark orbs, their magnificent glint shining brighter for you than the afternoon sun and the glittering river.

Had you not been looking so intently at him, and had he been able to take his own eyes away, Yunho would have been pinching himself repeatedly to gain confidence that this was all real. You were the one who he had always quietly admired, the one who he always spotted in a crowd, his desire to achieve, to try his best, his confidence and his blue sky. You were the reason why he had so much focus. He had never experienced the tumultuous feverish youthful love – it was easy when only one person could ever be his motivation, inspiration, the keeper of his adoration. He tried to be with other people, tried to be close with other people. But that was all it was, some ‘other’, when all that mattered was ‘you’.

If one were to assess his situation objectively, Yunho’s feelings towards you were ridiculous. A mess of emotion that he could never untie, the beginning of the knot having faded into a distant oblivion, and him having no intentions of ever tearing the threads apart. Having only ever been acquaintances, friends, best friends, he had no foundation to build his romantic feelings on, at least that was what he repeatedly told himself, and yet, here he was, years deep and pining like a fool.

The spring only made him reminisce about how his feelings had grown in the shade of his turbulent, busy life, amongst the daily worries and a packed schedule, budding flower rising through the cracks to turn into a garden in his psyche. He almost did not want to unlock its gates out of fear that the beauty he had cultivated would be dispelled, and, considering you and him having your respective dreams and aspirations, he had previously felt it would be unjust to impose himself upon you. But much like the cherry blossoms that twirled and fell to the ground that still retained some of the February chill, he only fell deeper, and if he did not make the decision for himself, the garden would do it for him and more and eventually, the flowers of his fascination would consume him whole.

“Do you remember how we met?”

“Why are you asking me this out of the blue?” when you only received a motion with the chin to proceed, you pretended as if you were trying to remember, “That was so long ago-”

“But do you?” he persisted, frustrated at having to drag the answer out of you.

“Do I… Honestly? No. I tried to remember but my mind draws a blank.”

Just as he was expecting, middle school was one big void, out of which only one constant remained, and that one constant was currently stifling a chuckle. It never failed to amaze Yunho how you could quote show after show, novel after novel, occasionally refer him to a particular page in a textbook because, apparently ‘the shape of the text was kind of funny so it stuck in your head’, but when it came to people, you drew a blank. Maybe it was just him. Or at least that was the part that hurt him, and the part that he needed to bring to light if he was going to lay all his card out on the table and risk your friendship.

“Classic, Y/N, classic.”

“Well you are my brain cell after all. An unhinged one that has long lunch breaks, but I’m taking what I can get.”

“That is an interesting way to compliment.”

“And I have heard you on voice chat on Valorant so I think we are pretty even.”

Whether it was his nerves or his infatuation that made him so easily affected by you, he could not tell, but the comment was enough to make him break into a fit of giggles, calmed down only by him massaging the back of his neck and reclining into his chair to collect his thoughts. If he were to be any closer to you physically, he was not confident in how he would act. Narrowing your eyes, you detected the change in his behaviour, the subtle tint of worry, and bit back any remarks.

“Fair. But now, no laughing, okay?”

“Okay? That is ominous, but… go for it?”

Everything had gained an unexpected loudness. From the colours that you were bathed in to the symphony of sound that accompanied your conversation, your heart was accelerating. Finely attuned to a series of delighted shouts from afar – a pair of teens strolling down the pathway at the riverbank, you imagined it to be you and Yunho. In fact, that had been you and Yunho back in your hometown. While you could not pinpoint quantitatively, with ease you recollected the warmth. The giddiness of youth that had gradually matured into being each other’s number one fans. Much like those adolescents by the Han River, you had given each other pep talks, screamed your heads off for therapeutic reasons, and watched the sun lazily move across the sky, waving you goodbye as you entered first school, then university.

It was with Yunho that you understood the idea of someone becoming something like a limb. Or a part of your identity. It was so easy being with Yunho, that you simply forgot how time passed. Much like how one was not conscious of when they were using their hand, instead focusing on the words typed out on a phone screen, you had experienced life with, and through Yunho. He was always there – a constant in the chaos, and without being aware of it, you had flourished independently thanks to him believing that you could. The one supporter of your radical ideas. Number one fan. Reassuring you through actions time and time again that he was always ready to help, and you could only hope that you had done the same.

“So… um… Y/N.”

“Are you about to give me a speech?” you interjected, making the young man whine.

“Shut up for a second I am processing at high speeds here.”

“Okay, okay.” You at upright, placing your hands on the armrests, as though you were about to stand up. Perhaps it was to be the case, as you could barely hear Yunho over the sound of your pulse in your ears.

“Anyways, as I was saying. Y/N. We didn’t exactly meet. We uh… well I ran into someone, and you were walking by. At least that is how I see it.”

Yunho’s eyes fluttered shut as he visualised the scene in front of him. The chase, the hit, the whistle of the referee. How just as he was trying to stand up, a girl his age, one he had seen sitting on the other side of the classroom, was already rushing towards him and yelling that he should stop moving or his injuries will get worse.

“Huh?”

“That time, I was in football practice and decided to, you know, touch some grass quite literally, but didn’t realise that grass and gravel would give pretty nasty cuts.”

“And?”

“You gave me cool band aids.”

“Huh? Did I?”

“Yeah, it had like… superheroes on it and stuff. So, needless to say you got instant respect from me.” That interaction gave him band aids, a packet of wet wipes and an interest in you that he struggled to resist. As you left the field, he had watched the charm on your backpack swaying back and forth, a pendulum hypnotising him.

“Glad to know… Is that the whole meeting?” you asked, Yunho’s certain delivery and courage making you cower.

“Let me continue. Okay, going from there, you also shut down some rumours basically at their source. Oh, and you had brought me homework and notes for two weeks straight while I was sick.”

“You lived nearby so it made sense to do-” putting one of his hands over yours was only natural, and any prior tentativeness had dissipated.

“And let me say, this is all in the span of one term. One school term. Just freshly started the school year and you’re out here being cute and shit and then totally oblivious.” His speech accelerated to the degree that you wanted to remind him that he was not presenting in class and fighting a time limit. If he were to take the step forward, he needed to be sure that this was what he wanted. The wind picked up its pace, and the trees shuddered.

“What are you getting at?” to encourage him, you flipped your hand around and intertwined your fingers with his, the action sending something reminiscent of an electric shock through your system. But you were not about to expose your exhilaration.

“Mmm… I think you know.” He shied away, gawking at the palms pressed together as though it was a work of art. You did the same, though managed to utter:

“I might do but finish your point.” Yunho huffed in agreement and squeezed a couple of times, confirming that this was real.

“So, you tell me that you don’t deserve my help or that I do too much right?” a new wave of passion flared up in his tone, demanding your attention. The rays that melt away the winter chill prevalent in the voice, any argument not feasible. However, you were not one to not try leaving your two cents, especially not when you could count the number of barriers and filters that you relied on dropping to an unmistakable zero.

“Yeah, right, because that’s true.”

“No, because that is bullshit. I am basically paying you back, and never will be able to. Because you have given me nothing but kindness. And every single bit is like a petal.” Words spilling over one another, Yunho shared his soul. With one swipe, he picked up a stray petal from the table and lifted it: “Yeah, see? Like this one.” Shaking it a couple of times, he flicked it away to let it spin to join its family on the ground. “And they just keep on falling and falling and falling and falling and I am falling along with them too. These little gestures, how you stayed up to make sure I came back to the dorms safe, how you… seriously it is impossible to list everything okay?!”

It was as if someone had lit a match, and your body contained nothing but gasoline. Your suspicions had been proven right, and the words were heavenly music.

“Wait… come back to the falling part again. As you say. Expand on that?”

“Shit…”

“Now that’s not romantic.”

“Oh, come on.” Yunho tried to pry himself away, awkward laughed bubbling up, but now that he had given you a glimpse into his feelings, you were not about to abandon them – not when he had recounted moments of when your actions were what reached his heart.

“Look, Yunho. We have known each other for long enough to read the vibe. And I can feel that you are terrified. Guess what. I am terrified too. In the same way. So, say it. For both of us.” You peered into his eyes, smiling, relieved that Yunho was more pleased than you imagined he would be.

“How about… we say it on the count of three?”

“Are you serious?”

“Yeah. If we are about to ruin things, then let’s just say we crossed the finish line together.”

Ruin. If there was anything else to ruin, it was only the ramen that was definitely stale and soggy at this point. But love knew no earthly needs, only the game of chance and destiny.

“Well damn, okay. Fine. If that helps you.”

“One, two, three-”

“I like you.” “I like you.” The phrase resonated like a plucked guitar string, two voices turning into one, with neither of you capable of holding back laughter as the three words that previously were an unbearable load now joined the spring air, the vibrancy and rejoicing of nature, carried away by the breeze. Commenting on how both of you went for the safer option, you leaned closer to one another, a magnetism tugging you along.

“You look like you are debating whether to let your now-approved impulsive thoughts win or not.”

“And you look like you really want them to win.”

“You know it.”

“Are you su-”

Yunho’s eyes shot wide open as you leaned in and cut him off by locking your lips with his. Time stood still as he searched for any sign that he was dreaming, alas, none was to be found. It was your plush, rosy lips against his, a perfect harmony. Those lips that he had spent too long staring at, that haunted him, now capturing him whole. The brightest sun in his chest that rivalled the one that left your practically glowing. Relaxing into the newfound heaven, he brushed back a strand and returned the kiss, slowing its pace to a sultry exploration, a worship of the moment that, even compared to the years that had preceded it, was an eternity that he wanted to sink into and never come out of.

“Who’s impulsive now?” only when his, and your lungs were burning for oxygen did you pull away, and were face to face with a goofy, adorable grin, playfully taunting you.

“Not me. I am cool, calm, and calculated.” You replied, your voice still airy.

“And I waited long enough.”

This was you, in plural. Yunho guided you out of the white chairs and stood to wrap an arm around your waist. You had hugged before, as friends. As friends who wanted more. He wanted to scream out at every bird and passer-by that you felt the same as him. Elated, you melted into one another as your lips reconnected, the perfectly connected puzzle pieces. You tasted of memories and a hope for forever – also known as what you had been having for lunch, but suddenly, that interesting flavour choice was his favourite. Your arms snaked around him, and slipped under his jacket to protect themselves from the flurry of flowers. Even when you pulled away, your foreheads remained pressed together, eyelashes almost touching, and you rocked slowly, side to side, in a silent dance. Embraced by the spring of love. Yunho nuzzled into the crook of your neck, enveloping himself in all that was you. More than he could ever have hoped for. You wondered if he would tear up, but instead he mumbled, dumbfounded:

“So, we are like… a thing now.” You snorted, amused at the choice of words.

“Thing.” Yunho raised his head again to give you a worried glance.

“I am so scared to call you my girlfriend, I seriously think you will disappear if I do.” He explained, hugging you tighter.

It was charming, and simple enough to understand. Much like fearing snowfall in the early days of a floral reawakening, he could not bear the possibility of you fading into an extended frost. But now you were certain, that as much as he was your always, you were his. It could be that you had never considered romance before because you had already committed yourselves to one another so early, that they was never time to process. Hence why you judged your shared life only by the constant. By Yunho.

“But I was here the whole time?” you were no fool to believe that this was the same. Even in the year or so that you had carried the burden of hiding adoration, it was only yours to keep. You had been his, just the title and privileges were a little different.

“But now is even better. I get to call you mine officially.” After a pause where he got lost in his musings, he added, with a euphoric grin, “Too early to say I love you?”

“Ten years isn’t enough time?”

“I mean romantically…”

“Kiss me again and say the words, this is a threat.” You whispered, and pulled him in gently, your hands moving forward, and tugging at the collar of his jacket as you close the space once more, entranced by the magic.

Like the cherry blossoms fell around you, you fell for Jeong Yunho, and he for you. Through the years, you had seen one another’s ups, downs, spirals, and lines. You had adored the best and worked through the worst. No matter the season.

The clanging of thick metal chains kept echoing through the big, almost empty room, making your patience slowly run short and the ghoul behind you knew that. He would notice your sharp exhales every time he inhales, making the same exact noise repeatedly. Even if your back was facing him, he knew what expression you wore, and he enjoyed every second of the little game he was playing with you.

“If you move one more time,” you started in a warning tone, slowly turning to the blonde ghoul behind yourself, “I will make sure that you won’t be able to move one muscle.”

Wooyoung let out a loud, boisterous laugh at your warning, not taking you seriously one bit. Oh, how it amused him when you got mad at the smallest things he’d do. “Starting with your voice chords.” A satisfied smirk made its way onto his lips as he looked at you in a way that made your skin crawl.

The silence was deafening as you two kept staring at each other. When he didn’t say anything, you turned around and continued with your work, scribbling on various colored papers.

Suddenly the chains made such a loud noise it had you jumping up from your desk and pointing your gun at the blonde non-human behind you. A sigh of relief left your parted lips as you noticed that Wooyoung was still chained up, a shit eating grin adorning his handsome face.

You let out a loud groan as you kicked your chair across the room towards Wooyoung, missing him by a hair’s breadth. “Slow down, Officer. Don’t you think it wouldn’t be a fair fight?” His voice was even more annoying.

“I will kill you, Jung Wooyoung.” You mumbled, gripping your gun tighter as you walked towards the ghoul. “I will fucking end you.” You hissed through gritted teeth holding the gun against the middle of his forehead.

“Didn’t your superior say, he wanted me alive?” Wooyoung asked with a teasing tone lacing his words. “Now, imagine you ruined your reputation in your office just because you couldn’t manage your anger, how would you feel? Dumb? Incapable?” he trailed off, pressing his forehead against the gun you were holding with a knowing gaze. “Useless?”

He was such an asshole.

You pulled back,  and let the butt of the gun land straight on his jaw, a sickening crack and the jingling of the chains echoing through the room. “Did I hurt your ego that much?” he still didn’t shut up, no, he even continued. “Come on, (Y/N), don’t be so ridiculous.” And one more hit against his face, this time hard enough to burst his lower lip open. A low chuckle reverberated through his throat as he was hunched over his own knees.

Without a warning Wooyoung lunged at you, but he couldn’t get far due to the chains holding him back. You still stood your ground looking down at his kneeling form with a blank expression. “I am reconsidering the fact that I really should keep you alive. But who knows, I do like a slut like you.”

A smirk slowly showed itself on your lips. “Now, since when did you have such a foul mouth, Jung.” You said lowly, bending down to be eye level with the ghoul, when Wooyoung suddenly spit on your face, a fat glob of spit running down the side of your face. You wiped it off with a deep frown on your face, eyes never falling from Wooyoung’s. “I wouldn’t do that if I was you.”

“Or what, huh? Will you force me to eat a burger?” The blonde kept pushing your buttons, not knowing what you had up your sleeve this time. He was about to say something again, but you didn’t give him the chance to do so as you shoved your pointer and middle finger down his throat.

A shiver ran down Wooyoung’s spine, but he didn’t gag at the sensation of your cold fingers pressing down onto his tongue.

His eyes started glossing over the longer you held your hand in the same position. You leaned lower into Wooyoung’s face, so close that he could feel your warm breath fanning over his face. “Keep that mouth of yours running, and I will make sure you will regret even being born.” Suddenly a stinging sensation started to build up at the back of the ghoul’s throat, making him swallow around your fingers.

He stared at you with wide eyes as you pouted at him in mock pity, “Yeah, you guessed it, it’s silver.” A satisfied hum left your lips as you felt the blonde’s muscles relax in defeat. “Keep up with that attitude and I won’t hesitate to shove it even deeper into your throat.” With that last warning you pulled your fingers out of his mouth, slick with his spit making the piece of silver shine in the dim light.

“One day, (Y/N), one day,” Wooyoung heaved as you left the room. 

It was around 2am when you got into your apartment. You softly sighed as you let your belts and straps fall off your thighs and torso, the weight of the weapons falling on the floor creating a loud noise. Grabbing for your towel, you made your way into your bathroom getting ready to take a warm relaxing shower.

You felt at peace, knowing that you had the ghoul tied up. Hell, you even checked everything before you left to go home.

After a good hour of showering and going through your skin care routine, you finally let yourself fall onto your bed, immediately sinking into the soft mattress. But before you even had the chance to close your eyes to finally sleep, your stomach made a sound you never knew could leave your body. A sigh  left your lips as you stood up and walked to your kitchen, which was connected to the living room area of your small apartment.

You started making your magic and quickly prepared a small plate for you to enjoy on the couch, facing the TV. But as soon as you turned around, your eyes met with glistening ones that made you sick to your stomach. The plate you were holding slipped from your grasp as you tried to process what you were currently seeing.

Wooyoung was sitting there, legs spread like he owns the place, looking straight into your eyes. “Long time no see, (Y/N).” Oh, how he enjoyed your look of anger crawling onto your features he adored.

“Why are you here, Jung?” you asked harshly, taking a small step backwards so you’ll be able to grab the gun, strapped right under the kitchen counter, if you must. “And how did you get out of there?” millions of questions were on the tip of your tongue, but none of them seeed to leave your lips.

A dry chuckle left the man in front of you as he sat up, doing a once-over. Now you realized in what attire you stood in front of him. Loose pajama shorts and a matching crop top that also laid loosely on your skin. A shiver ran down your spine as you tried to cover yourself from his gaze.

Wooyoung’s eyes met yours again as he deadpanned, “I’ve seen you in less, (Y/N).”

It still wasn’t a reason to stand in inappropriate attire in front of the most-wanted ghoul in the country. “It had a reason,” you hissed at him, not wanting to be reminded of that night back then. “And I’d rather not have you talk about it now.”

“Oh,” you didn’t like his tone. You were starting to shake, not with fear, but with anticipation. “Oh, (Y/N), but I could talk about it for hours.” The way your name rolled off his tongue was a sin in itself, it made your skin crawl. Your eyes never left his form as he stood up and slowly approached you.

You heard him release a satisfied sigh. “I can smell you, (Y/N). Don’t try to hide it.” He said, a teasing lilt in his tone, his movements not ceasing as he got closer and closer. With every step he took, you took one backwards. Forgetting that your kitchen wasn’t big, you hit your lower back onto your kitchen counter. With wide eyes you tried to duck away from Wooyoung, but he already had you trapped between himself and the kitchen counter. “Right here,” he mumbled leaning down into the crook of your neck, “when I fucked you on this kitchen counter.” He left a feathery kiss right below your ear. You rapidly clenched and unclenched your jaw as you had the sides of your shorts clutched in your fists.

“I can hear your heartbeat,” a hand of his trailed up your torso to the middle of your chest, flat palm feeling your heartbeat quicken. “Mhm, my ears never deceive me.” He whispered, laying a soft kiss onto the shell of your ear. His soft kisses were getting lower and lower, when he stopped at that one point that had your knees weak. As hard as you tried to keep your composure it all shattered when he bit down on that one spot on your neck, sharp teeth breaking the skin and licking off the bead of blood that trailed down your skin. A soft gasp left your lips as your hands flew to Wooyoung’s shoulders for support. The blonde’s warmth engulfed your whole being as your lower back pressed harder against the kitchen counter, “I will never get enough of you,” he mumbled against your neck.

“Wooyoung,” his name left your mouth in a breathy whine, it was music to his ears. You wrapped a leg around one of Wooyoung’s as you leaned into his touch, your pride long forgotten. The man immediately got the message and grabbed the back of your knees, sitting you down onto the cold counter. Goosebumps appeared all over your legs at the cold sensation under your thighs. A soft moan left your lips as you felt the sinful roll of Wooyoung’s hips against your own.

“Pathetic,” the man mumbled against your neck. “The way you let yourself go by just a few touches.” You didn’t hear anything except your own heartbeat at this point. His touch was sin itself, which made it harder to resist him. It wasn’t even morally okay for you to submit to a ghoul as a human, and you both knew that. Wooyoung had the ability to kill you with the bat of an eyelash, but he chooses not to.

You felt the blonde’s calloused hands wander up your thighs and stop right at the hem of your shorts. “How could you put these on when you knew I couldn’t resist you, (Y/N)? Tell me,” an uncomfortable whine left your throat as Wooyoung bit down on your collarbone. “Or did you really think I wouldn’t give you a visit tonight?” you could hear the smirk in his voice.

When you felt Wooyoung’s fingers inch towards your shorts you felt a pang of realization hit you. With wide eyes you looked at Wooyoung’s hooded eyes, a smirk gracing his features. “Get off me,” you hissed, grabbing a handful of his hair, and pulling him away from yourself. A dark chuckle left Wooyoung as he kept eye contact with you. “I swear to God, Wooyoung. If this is one of your sick jokes,” you trailed off, kicking the ghoul off yourself, making him land on the floor. “I will have you chained up in that room forever.” And suddenly Wooyoung’s head started to spin, it wasn’t what he would be normally feeling when he felt dizzy, no, this felt like his soul was leaving his body. His hand flew to his head as he looked at you, a stone cold expression looking down at him.

A throbbing headache woke Wooyoung up. He tried moving his hand to his head to try and soothe the pain, but he felt cold chains wrap around his limbs making it simply impossible for him to move. His eyes opened completely and looked around the dark room, scanning the room until his eyes met your sitting form on the other side, already looking at him expectantly. “Good morning, sunshine,” you said as you pushed yourself off your chair and walked to the ghoul. “I hope you slept well, but it’s not really my business.” A hand of yours landed on his cheek, lifting his face up. “Did I say that I liked you better like this? You look better all tied up for me,” you trailed off, a smirk sneaking its way onto your lips as you leaned into his ear and whispered, “at my mercy.” Pulling away you looked at him, laughing loudly at his expression that showed nothing but anger.

“I will make you scream for mercy,” Wooyoung started, expression darkening with something more than anger. Was it lust? Or was it simply the thought of revenge? “In more ways than one, (Y/N).”

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