desc: you and jeonghan had decided to spend the last twenty-four hours before your wedding day apart, however everything gets too much...
wc: 1.8k
note: this is a six-year-old draft that i just finished (aaaa), heavily inspired by the voulez-vous scene in mamma mia, enjoy!
In true wedding tradition, Jeonghan and his hoard of groomsmen were banished to the bars and clubs on the beach whilst you and the girls partied at the hotel. It had been a day of running around — last-minute adjustments, make-up practices and flower bouquet arrangement changes.
And, without Jeonghan by your side to contribute his minimal yet valuable opinion, it felt ten times more stressful than it did before. Initially, the whole ‘last 24 hours apart’ seemed like a good idea. Excitement all pent up, ready for the big day. However, as the last 24 hours began to creep up, you only seemed to dread it even more.
The anxiety of the day, combined with the pressure of the wedding, made you regret agreeing not to see Jeonghan. To be honest, you yearned to see your fiancée, who could soothe your worries with a few words.
Absolutely shattered, you dragged a small summer dress over your frame and made your way to the hotel bar with your bridal party. The hotel was exotic, with vast luxurious terraces that sported coloured lanterns shining primary colours onto makeshift mosaic-style dance floors, dark wood tables and chairs had been cleared to the side of what would’ve been the main patio. Dark bushes climbed along the walls, yet the view out to the ocean was not obstructed, the water just a few minutes away.
However, no matter how pretty or enjoyable the surroundings were, you couldn’t seem to budge the feeling of longing.
‘Let’s get a drink down you,’ one of your friends suggested, snapping you out of the trance with the dying sunset and grabbing onto your arm lightly, a cheeky smile on her face.
After two cocktails, both horrendously strong, you sighed, sitting down, watching as your friends all danced around.
They were radiant, excitement and alcohol pumping through them. Swaying and sipping as they screamed along to a pop song that the dj queued up.
‘You miss him, don’t you?’ Only one voice could’ve said that, your mom, wrapping her arms around your shoulders.
‘Could you tell?’ You let out a small laugh, holding onto her arms as they engulfed you, tears threatening to break the horizon and slide down your face.
‘Want to know something funny?’ she questioned, placing her thin wine glass on the table and sitting tightly next to you, a squeeze of your thigh offering temporary grounding.
‘Hm?’ You looked up at her, still toying with the hem of your dress, meeting her soft and familiar eyes, almost a replica of yours.
‘I was exactly like this when I married your father,’ she giggled, a girly one that reminded you that she had been in your shoes all those years ago.
Tracing the outline of the palm trees that swayed lightly in the wind, you smiled, silently beckoning for her to continue.
‘I couldn’t cope without him,’ she said, ‘I was convinced I had to call it off.’
You shot her a confused look, eyes widened and jaw slack.
‘Let me finish, darling,’ she continued, ‘so as soon as my bridal party went to sleep,’ her head turned to your drunken group of friends, all of them shimmying almost aggressively at each other, ‘I slipped out and spent the night before in your dad’s arms.’
Both of your faces mirrored each other, tender smiles borderline beaming as she held your hand.
‘I’ve never seen someone make you glow as Jeonghan does, honey,’ she rubbed her thumb comfortingly along your hand, ‘If you need to see him, go find him.’
Before you could muster a reply, a rather drunk friend of yours came grooving over, grabbing your arm.
‘Come and dance!’ she shouted over the music, and you laughed, getting up. Letting out a large sigh, you wave to your mom, who nods knowingly, and you join them.
The music pumped through your body, the floor below you vibrating with the bass. At some point, a drink was shoved in your hand and then a shot, and then another drink — Your friends quickly became a blur of faces and bodies as sweat slicked down the back of your dress. Someone had put a makeshift veil on your head, which seemed to be pressing too tightly into your pressure points. The lights were distant and couldn’t quite illuminate the people around you like they wanted to.
It was creeping up your throat, clawing and thrashing like a storm. The anxiety, the longing, making their vicious reappearance as you struggled to recognise anyone around you.
Tears. Tears were first. From being overwhelmed, from missing your fiancée, from the heat and the crowd. Then your hands were shaking, your breathing becoming choppy, panic beginning to surge through you as you pushed your way out of the crowd.
Your breath was running away from you; it was practically sprinting, doing absolute laps around you. Get out of there was all your head was saying, your ears ringing in a high pitch as you escaped the colourful lights and followed along a blurry path — your tears compromising your vision as you dipped into a small garden, still rife with panic.
This was a panic attack. A very bad one, the symptoms worsening by the second. It had been months since you’d wobbled your way through one of these, and every time, since the day you met Jeonghan, he’d been by your side to coax you through it.
All you needed was Jeonghan; his soft touch on your shoulder would ground you. You know exactly what he’d say to you right now — ‘What’s gotten you all twisted, angel?’
Desperately, you tried to imagine him in front of you, his beechwood scent, squeezing your eyes shut as tight as you physically could.
‘_____? Are you okay?’ A soft-faced Joshua appeared in the hedge arch you'd previously entered through. Immediately darting to you and crouching in front of you. Through your dreary state, you had failed to hear him approach, but he was alarmed, his features etched with worry.
Panic continued to possess you, even with the familiar face within your vicinity, your heart couldn’t stop speeding.
‘The girls said you disappeared.’ Concern bled through his look, the alcohol pumping through him rendering him useless to the panic attack dominating you. ‘Everyone is looking for you.’
‘Han-‘ You manage to spit out, ‘Get Hannie.’
Joshua sprang into action, like your panic-stricken command had pulled all the booze out of his system. Almost sprinting out of the garden, his shoes tapped loudly against the paving as you looked up towards the night sky, trying to count the stars you could see.
To no avail, your breathing was making you nauseous, your head beginning to bang from the dehydration.
‘Baby?’ His voice echoed from afar, and it made you feel as if his hands were ghosting down your body. ‘Angel!’
Before you could even look up, Jeonghan’s arm was around your shoulder, pulling you into his chest exactly how he had done many times before.
The scent, it was so him. So your fiancée, soon-to-be husband. So the man whom you will give everything for.
‘Oh baby,’ he said softly, scanning your shaky frame and stroking your hair lightly. ‘Breathing with me sweetheart, just how we’ve done it before.’
After many, many minutes of him breathing with you, his fingers wiping your tears without hesitation, you began to calm down, the headache a steady booming in your head.
‘I’m here angel,’ he continued, holding you closely to him.
Finally, your glassy eyes met those warm, chocolatey brown ones you adored so much; his dark hair was half pulled back into a ponytail, his fringe tickling his eyebrows.
Your breath evening out forced the shaking to subside under his soft yet solid grip.
‘You look so beautiful,’ he said, a sincere and loving smile on his face as he traced your jaw with his thumb. This stifled a small laugh out of you; his statement was nothing but a nicety. ‘There’s my girl.’
‘I’m sorry to pull you away.’ You hiccup finally, your voice hoarse and spent, but Jeonghan just shook his head.
‘You over everyone, every day in every life.’ He said, his romance wooing you after so many years. ‘Do you want to cancel tomorrow?’
This question tugged tightly on both of your heartstrings, and you could’ve collapsed on the spot if it wasn’t for his sturdy arms.
‘Never, ever.’ You replied, nestling into his warm chest, slightly bare from the undone shirt he was wearing. He let out an audible sigh of relief and pulled you impossibly tighter to him. ‘Today just got a bit much.’
‘Angel,’ he pouted sadly.
‘I know that we agreed not to see each other before,’ you started, ‘but, I think I needed you here today, they were asking me questions about flowers and food and-‘
‘I should’ve been there,’ a slight scowl played on his lips, why didn’t they ask him?
‘And I just missed you.’
Jeonghan’s big eyes looked at you with such tenderness that you felt you could dissolve into him. ‘I missed you more than I can even say.’
A light silence settles between you as you both look up at the night sky, the distant sound of birds whistling floating through the air. Jeonghan couldn’t tear his eyes off of you, he wouldn’t, afraid you’d start to shake again.
‘I can’t wait for you to be Mrs Yoon tomorrow.’ He said with a wide smile on his face.
‘Mr and Mrs Yoon.’ You replied, lacing your hands together.
‘Shall we go to bed?’ He asked, looking down at your now calm state, his gaze classifying you as glass in this fragile mess. You nod smally, fuck the traditions, all that matters is him and you. ‘In my bed. Both of us.’ He clarified.
‘I thought you’d never ask, Mr Yoon.’ You manage to joke, allowing him to steady your legs as you stand.
‘Well, soon to be Mrs Yoon, how does sharing a bed with me for the rest of our lives sound?’ He pressed a kiss to the crown of your head, bathing in your scent.
‘Gosh,’ You exhale, ‘Might have to think about that one.’
Both of you chuckle, his arm securely around you as he guides you back to the buzzing hotel, avoiding the crowds and nodding at Joshua as you weave through the terrace.
‘You know, my mum and dad stayed together the night before their wedding.’
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⋆ ˚｡⋆౨ৎ˚ DOCTOR! DOCTOR! 🧸ྀི —med student bf matt is here to save his sick gf! ( wc 807 )
[ warnings ] sickness, lokwey chaotic writing bc i kept getting distracted when i was writing it LMAO
ੈ✩‧₊˚ note ! college bf matt save me college bf matt i need u (might write a pt2 who knows..................)
. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . @kstrucknet
the last thing you wanted was to worry matthew. he was swarmed with work and studying, exams just around the corner.
so when sickness took over you, you decided to lay in bed and try to cure yourself.
but it didn’t work out. one day turned into four – not that you noticed: the fever made you lose track of time completely, day and night blurring into one as you slept like a bear all the time.
matthew was waiting for you in front of the university, wanting to surprise you. sure, you didn’t replay to his texts for the past few days but maybe you were just tired. he knew how it was.
he saw some of your friends walking out, so he braced himself. you’ll be there any minute.
except… you weren’t.
matthew saw a guy from your class (he remembered him. he tried to flirt with you once and if not for matt, he would definitely get the wrong idea) and decided to approach him.
“hey dude, have you seen y/n?” matthew asked, a little worried.
“y/n? she’s like… absent. didn’t show up since monday” the guy said and frowned, recognizing matthew “aren’t you her boyfriend? shouldn’t you know?”
matthew just rolled his eyes and decided to go to your place. on his way, he called you but unsuccessfully. he even texted one of your friends but they didn’t know what’s going on either.
his mind started to cloud with worries. were you hurt? maybe someone broke in and you’re laying unconscious in your apartment–
before he could realize, he started running. just in case. he tried to think if you mentioned anything but nothing. no trips, plans, anything. his glasses fogged up by the time he reached your flat, chest rising up and down heavily as he almost jumped through the stairs.
his fingers were freezing off as his trembling hands reached for the spare key you've given him.
"y/n?" he called out the second the door opened. the smell in your apartment was off too, as if you didn't open your window for some time. the air was stuffy but he ignored that, closing the door and taking off his shoes. "baby?"
he threw his scarf somewhere on the floor, followed by his coat as he was looking for you. you weren't in the kitchen nor the living room… he finally reached your bedroom and pushed the door open.
"ah" he let out an audible sigh of relief upon seeing… well, a shape of you. buried under the covers, not even a limb sticking out.
were you just asleep? if so… why for the last four days?
only when he stepped closer, he saw chaos scattered on the floor unfolding before his eyes: piles of used up tissues, half empty pill packages, bottles of water knocked over.
his brows furrowed and matthew sat down next to you, pulling the comforter down. heat spurted from under the covers, revealing your red face. matt immediately put his hand on your forehead and hissed at the temperature.
"what the hell…" you slurred, feeling the freezing cold on your skin. opening your eyes lazily, you saw matthew (two matthews actually, as he was doubling in your eyes, sight blurry).
"you're burning! why didn't you tell me you were sick? since what, monday?" he asked. there was no anger in his voice, just panic and worry.
"i know… you were busy…" you mumbled, closing your eyes again. a sharp shiver took over your body, hiss leaving your lips.
"i'm never too busy for you, especially when you need me" he sighed and his hands traveled down to massage your shoulders. "do you know what day is it?"
"tues…day?" you croaked out.
"nope. thursday, 5pm-ish" he sighed. you jerked forward suddenly and your eyes shot open, looking at him.
"what?!" you groaned and right away felt the world spin, everything going black from how fast you shifted. matthew held you close, preventing you from falling back down. "my—"
"let's take care of your fever first" he sighed, tucking a strand of your hair behind your ear. you sighed heavily and leaned your head on your shoulder, mumbling something incoherent. "you scared me, you know?"
"sorry…" you slurred. he shifted and wrapped his arms around you, humming. "can we stay like that… for a while… please?"
"okay. but later you'll take all the medicine you need, fine?" he asked, voice stern.
you didn't reply.
"that's blackmailing…" you huffed after a while. you rose your head and rested your chin on his chest, hazy eyes looking at him. and despite everything being more blurry than a sight outside a fogged up window, you could still see the deep care in his eyes. "okay, doc…"
matt just huffed and placed a tender kiss on your burning forehead.
ZB1 GETTING CUTENESS AGGRESSION BECAUSE OF THEIR S/O
genre : ot9, fluff “ 💤.*
김지웅 kim jiwoong
jiwoong was watching you absentmindedly when you started humming to yourself while making tea. you swayed slightly as you poured the hot water, completely in your own world.
his chest tightened at how effortlessly cute you were. “ah, stop being so perfect,” he muttered.
you turned around, confused. “did you say something?”
he sighed dramatically, getting up to wrap his arms around you from behind. “I said you’re too cute. it’s making my heart hurt.”
you giggled, leaning into him. “that’s called cuteness aggression, you know.”
“well,” he murmured, resting his chin on your head, “I don’t know how to deal with it, so let me hug you until I calm down.”
성한빈 sung hanbin
hanbin’s eyes softened as he watched you cuddle a stuffed animal while scrolling on your phone. your cheeks puffed out slightly as you focused, and he suddenly felt an overwhelming urge to squish you.
“you’re too cute,” he mumbled under his breath, but you looked up, catching him staring.
“what?” you asked, tilting your head innocently.
instead of answering, he lunged forward, wrapping his arms around you and squishing your cheeks gently. “I can’t handle it! why are you so adorable? I need to squeeze you before I explode.”
you laughed, trying to wiggle away. “hanbin, you’re crazy!”
“I know,” he grinned. “crazy for you.”
장하오 zhanghao
hao caught you trying to balance a pencil on your upper lip, your brows furrowed in concentration. The moment it fell, you huffed dramatically, only for him to burst into laughter.
“what’s so funny?” you asked, pretending to pout.
“you,” he replied, grinning as he walked over to squish your cheeks. “you’re so cute I don’t know whether to hug you or cry.”
you laughed, swatting his hands away. “you’re so dramatic!”
“and you’re ridiculously adorable,” he said, sitting beside you. “don’t be surprised if I end up squeezing the life out of you one day.”
석매튜 seok matthew
matthew was sitting next to you when you started doodling little hearts on the corner of a notebook, completely focused. he noticed your tongue sticking out slightly as you concentrated and felt his heart swell.
“yah,” he blurted, leaning closer. “why are you so cute?”
You blinked, looking up at him. “what did I do?”
he groaned, pulling you into a side hug. “you’re just sitting there, and I can’t handle it! I want to squish you so bad.”
“matthew, calm down!” you laughed as he gently squished your face.
“not until I get all this cuteness aggression out of my system,” he replied with a grin.
김태래 kim taerae
taerae was playing guitar when he glanced over and saw you curled up on the couch, wearing his oversized hoodie and hugging a pillow. you looked so cozy that he couldn’t stop the smile spreading across his face.
“are you even real?” he muttered to himself, setting his guitar aside and walking over to you.
you looked up. “what’s wrong?”
“nothing,” he said, plopping down beside you. “you’re just so cute it’s frustrating.”
“frustrating?” you repeated, laughing.
“yeah,” he said, pulling you into his arms. “frustrating because i can’t squish you enough to show how much I love you.”
리키 ricky
ricky caught you sitting on the floor, trying to untangle a set of fairy lights. you were mumbling to yourself in frustration, your lips forming a pout, and he couldn’t stop himself from smiling
“why are you staring?” you asked, looking up at him.
“because you’re adorable,” he said, walking over to crouch beside you.
“i’m literally fighting with lights,” you replied, laughing.
“exactly,” he said, pinching your cheek lightly. “how can someone be this cute while struggling? i think i’m going to lose my mind.”
김규빈 kim gyuvin
gyuvin was watching a movie with you when he glanced over and saw you tearing up during an emotional scene. your eyes were wide and glistening, and your bottom lip trembled slightly.
“you’re crying over this?” he teased, but his heart melted at how soft you looked.
“leave me alone!” you sniffled, wiping your eyes.
instead of teasing further, he pulled you into a hug and squished you. “you’re too cute. i want to squeeze you so bad.”
“gyuvin, I’m literally crying!” you exclaimed, laughing despite yourself.
“exactly,” he said, grinning. “how can anyone cry so adorably?”
박건욱 park gunwook
gunwook walked into the room to find you attempting to reach a box on a high shelf, standing on your tiptoes and muttering under your breath. he watched for a moment before stepping in.
“you’re too cute,” he said, making you jump.
“don’t sneak up on me!” you said, laughing as he grabbed the box for you.
he handed it to you, then immediately wrapped you in a bear hug. “i can’t help it. watching you struggle was the cutest thing ever.”
“gunwook, you’re so weird,” you teased, but you hugged him back anyway.
“maybe, but I’m your weirdo,” he replied, grinning.
한유진 han yujin
yujin found you sitting cross-legged on the floor, assembling a tiny model set with laser focus. He noticed how your nose scrunched slightly when you concentrated and couldn’t hold back a smile.
“why are you staring?” you asked, looking up.
“because you’re way too cute,” he replied, crawling over to sit beside you.
you laughed. “i’m literally doing nothing.”
“exactly,” he said, resting his chin on your shoulder. “you’re so cute I don’t know what to do with myself.”
“maybe help me with this,” you teased, but he just hugged you tightly instead.
“nope. I’m too busy dealing with my cuteness aggression.”
what cuddles are like with them : zerobaseone (ot9)
pairing — zerobaseone x reader
genre — fluff
warnings — none, just disgustingly cheesy af
「 sung hanbin. 」
⤷ very standard cuddling. loves it when your head is resting on his chest or in the crook of is neck. he also loves it when you trace the tattoos on his chest and while you talk. he would wrap his arms around your waist and every now and then, if he’s feeling a bit playful, he’ll tickle you.
「 kim jiwoong. 」
⤷ he likes it when you lay on top of his back kind of. while he lays on his stomach and he loves it when you bury your face into his back. he likes the feeling of your weight on top of him and just likes spending time with you. especially after a hard day, this is like a comfort to him.
「 zhang hao. 」
⤷ he likes spooning a lot. but he really likes being the little spoon. zhang hao loves it when you hold him against your chest and stroke his hair when you cuddle him. he would also really love it if you tucked your head in the crook of his neck and just lay there with him like that.
「 seok matthew. 」
⤷ he likes lying between your legs and rests his head on your chest. loves when you randomly play with his hair, massaging his head. a lot of times you’re just talking. a lot of times he falls asleep and so do you.
「 kim taerae. 」
⤷ face to face. he likes just holding your hand, talking and looking at you. when cuddling, he just wants to spend time with you, whether it’s before bed or after a long day. he’s constantly smiling at you softly and brushing your hair out of your face.
「 ricky. 」
⤷ very soft cuddles. you two would also face each other and you would have your face burried into his chest. ricky would stroke your back and hair while you talked about your days, dreams and future. a lot of small laughs and smiles too, coupled with softly whispered ‘i love you’s.’
「 kim gyuvin. 」
⤷ loves it when you lay on top of his chest. it gives him lee way to tickle you, roll you over and just joking with you. cuddling with gyuvin is a sport and not that relaxing, cuddling with him is just fun. there is almost always music in the background and he’s always humming along.
「 park gunwook. 」
⤷ very much the big spoon. gunwook is so protective of you and this is why he likes being the big spoon. it makes him feel like he’s keeping you safe. he loves holding you too and kissing the back of your neck lightly. he will always pull you tighter against him and whisper to you.
「 han yujin. 」
⤷ cuddling is a lot of fun with him as well. you guys are tickling each other, teasing each other, etc. cuddles with him also normally happen when he’s sleepy as well. tends to fall asleep on your chest, listening to your heartbeat.
a/n: came to me all of a sudden it's just so cute 🥹 i couldn't help but write it and I missed this man sm like wdym i haven't written for jeno yet....
⋆ 𐙚 ̊.𝜗𝜚
Jeno was not soft.
That’s what everyone believed.
He was the kind of man who leaned against his bike like it was an extension of him, black leather, quiet eyes, a presence that made people step aside without being asked. His voice was low, his expressions minimal, and when he looked at someone too long, they usually looked away first.
No one had ever seen him hesitate.
Until you.
You, who walked into his life like a burst of color he didn’t know he was missing. Soft ribbons, glossy lips, skirts that swayed like petals, everything about you, bright and alive. Pink bags, glittering charms, frilly sleeves, things that had no place in his world of engines and asphalt.
And yet, somehow, you fit.
No, you made everything else feel like it had been wrong before you arrived.
The first time you clung to his arm, eyes sparkling over something as simple as a tiny keychain in a shop window, he just… stood there. Silent. Watching. Processing.
“Jeno, look! It’s so cute, right?” you’d said, holding it up like it was treasure.
He should’ve shrugged it off. Instead, he bought it.
And then another.
And another.
It didn’t take long before it became a habit, bringing you little things. Trinkets, charms, anything that made your face light up the way it did. He didn’t even question it anymore. If it reminded him of you, it was already yours.
The others noticed.
Of course they did.
Because this was Lee Jeno, the same guy who once stared down a group twice his size without blinking.
And now he was standing outside your place, holding a tiny pastel box like it was something fragile 🥹
“Hyung… is that a ribbon?” Jisung had asked once, half horrified, half fascinated.
Jeno didn’t even flinch. “She likes it.”
That was explanation enough.
The real shock came when they saw you together.
You, bouncing on your heels, fingers tugging at his sleeve, talking about something animatedly. And him?
Listening.
Eyes softer than ever, the faintest smile tugging at his lips. The same lips that usually pressed into a straight line like the world wasn’t worth reacting to.
And then you’d look up at him, just one look, and he’d melt.
It was subtle. If you didn’t know him, you might miss it. But to those who did, it was visible.
Because the man who could make others nervous with a glance… was now completely at your mercy.
⋆ 𐙚 ̊.
The bike was the biggest giveaway.
His pride. His space. Untouchable.
Or at least, it used to be.
“Can I decorate it a little?” you had asked one day, voice small but hopeful, holding up a handful of pastel charms and ribbons.
Anyone else would’ve gotten a flat no.
Jeno just looked at you.
Then at the tiny things in your hands.
Then back at you again.
“…Okay.”
He let you do everything.
⋆ 𐙚 ̊.
He sat there while you carefully tied ribbons onto the handles, stuck tiny decals near the mirrors, added a charm that jingled softly when the wind caught it. You were so focused, so careful, like it mattered more than anything.
And it did, to him. Because it was you.
When you finished, you stepped back, eyes shining. “Do you like it?”
Jeno didn’t answer immediately.
He just looked at the bike, now adorned with soft colors and little pieces of you, and then at your face, waiting, a little nervous despite your excitement.
“…Yeah,” he said finally, voice quieter than usual. “I do.”
⋆ 𐙚 ̊.
The others didn’t dare comment on it directly.
But the looks were endless.
Because there he was, Lee Jeno, the guy who once seemed carved out of something unyielding, riding around with tiny pink charms swaying from his bike.
And he looked completely unbothered.
If anything, he seemed… proud.
Because somewhere along the way, he stopped seeing it as his world. It became yours.
And if anyone had a problem with that, they could take it up with him. They wouldn’t
Because even now, soft for you, hopelessly gone for you, he was still Lee Jeno.
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reblogs and feedbacks are appreciated!, phtots are not mine!!, credits to the rightful owner!!( there’s a rich joke in”haechans” and I don’t like it that much so sorry in advance!! florihaei taglist ୨ৎ
MARK LEE !
mark insisted on carrying everything, even your tiny purse. “babe i got it” you say reaching for your bag. he pulls it away with a grin, easily slipping the strap over his shoulder. “nope, to heavy for my baby girl”
you narrow your eyes at him, placing your hands on your hips. “mark baby.. it’s literally lighter than your phone”
he tilted his head, pretending to think. “hmm, it doesn’t matter, what if your body gets sore?, what if you get tired baby?” his voice was laced with amusement, but the way he tucks you under his arm and pulls you close has you smiling
“you’re ridiculous..” you muttered, though you don’t pull away.
“ridiculously in love with you” he corrects you, as he presses a soft kiss to your temple. “now let me be a good boyfriend and spoil my baby yeah?”
you sigh dramatically but you end up smiling even wider when he gives your cheek a squeeze.
-
HUANG RENJUN !
you reach for a cup on the top shelf, standing on your tippy toes and stretching as far as you could. beofre you could even get close, renjun appears behind you , easily grabbing the cup and placing it in your hands.
“what would you do without me?” he teases, resting his chin on your shoulder
“survive” you reply, turning to glare at him playfully
he scoffed, looping his arm around your waist. “doubt it baby, you’re too small and fragile”
“im not fragile” you argued, but he just hums, clearly he was unconvinced.
“mhm sure , but i would rather not risk my pretty girl struggling” his voice is soft as he titled her chin up. his thumb grazing over your jaw before pressing a lingering kiss to your nose. “besides, it’s cute when you try”
you swat at his chest, but the warmth spreading through you was impossible to ignore.
-
LEE JENO !
jeno watches as you struggle to open a bottle of water, your hands twisted at the cap, but with no success. before you can even consider asking for help, he grabs it from your grasp effortlessly, cracking it open with one hand
“jeno.. baby..” you huffed, reaching for it. “i could’ve done it”
he lifted the bottle higher, out of your reach, a playful smirk on his lips. “mm, but why should i when i can just do it for you baby?”
you pout, the smirk softened as he takes your chin between his fingers. “pretty.. i like taking care of you” he murmurs, pressing a slow kiss to your lips before finally handing the bottle to you. “so let me, okay?”
you take a sip, trying to hide your smile, but he sees right through you.
-
LEE HAECHAN !
your standing in the kitchen, trying to wash the dishes, when haechan suddenly wraps his arms around your waist and lifts you off the ground
“you shouldn’t be doing this sunshine” he whines, carrying you away from the sink and placing you gently on the couch. “my pretty baby doesn’t need to be doing chores”
you cross your arms. “and who’s going to do them then?, you?”
“uh no?, that’s why rich people hire maids for” he says. “and since im not rich, ill do it because i love you”
you blink “wait did you just…?”
“shh” he cuts you off, pressing a quick kiss to your lips before rushing to the kitchen. “no more questions sunshine, just sit here and look pretty for me”
your heart feels like it’s doing somersaults, but you’ll just pretend you didn’t hear the way his voice cracked
-
NA JAEMIN !
you’re in bed half asleep, when you feel jaemin shift beside you. he carefully tucks the blanket around your shoulders, brushing a strand of hair away from your face.
“nana… where are you going?” you mumble, reaching for his hand before he can move.
jaemin chuckles softly, leaning down to kiss your forehead. “i was just gonna get some water baby”
you let out a sleepy whine, tugging at his hoodie. “no… stay”
he smiles, lying back down and wrapping his arms around you. “you’re too cute you know that?” his voice is a whisper against your ear warm and comforting.
you nuzzle into his chest as he kisses the top of your head. “okay, okay i’m staying” he murmurs. “not like i’d ever leave my pretty girl alone anyway”
-
ZHONG CHENLE !
you’re running around the house, trying to grab something from the other room, when chenle calls out from the couch. “slow down baby, you’re gonna trip”
“i won-” your foot catches on the rug, and before you know it you’re stumbling forward.
chenle is up in an instant, catching you before you can hit the ground. he steadies you as his hands firm on your waist. “what did i just say baby?” he sighs, shaking his head before pulling you into his arms.
you groan. “okay okay.. you were right”
he smirks, rubbing circles onto your back. “of course i was, my baby is too clumsy for her own good”
you pout up at him, and he kisses your forehead with a chuckle. “from now on just let me do everything baby okay?”
you roll your eyes, but you don’t complain when he picks you up bridal style just to take you back to the couch.
-
PARK JISUNG !
you’re sitting on the floor, playing a video game when jisung suddenly scoots closer and pulls you into his lap.
“jisung baby?” you say, looking at him in confusion.
he wraps his arms around you, resting his chin on your shoulder. “just let me hold you for a bit”
your heart melts. “you’re so clingy” you tease, but you lean into him anyway.
“yeah, yeah” he mumbles, tightening his grip. “you’re my baby so deal with it”
you smile, placing your hands over his. “okay but you better not complain when i call you baby back”
he groans, but you catch the way his ears turn pink.
you all gather at a nearby restaurant after hyuck wanted to have lunch with everyone
your voices all drown out the restaurant noise as everyone talks over one another. on your right, giselle was talking about some insider she had heard through the grapevine while hyuck and karina were adding more credible information about whoever they were talking about with jisung chiming in here and there
on your left, chenle and mark were still talking about business. some client businesses or possible future targets or predictions on what could be their next big move
while you were just in the middle of everything, two ears listening to the two different conversations going on
you were sitting next to chenle per usual. you didn't even have to look through the menu earlier since you know that chenle would order you something you'd like and he has never once failed in that aspect
every once in a while you can feel his hand on your thigh, giving it a gentle squeeze. in return, you put your hand on top of his
it's still a little awkward after last night. he wasn't technically lying about you crying during the call. it was more of you tearing up as you apologized since you were giving him the cold shoulder all day and you've never felt so bad for chenle. it might be the first time you ever felt that way towards him. boss or whatever you call your relationship was wise
after a bit more of chatting here and there, you take a sip of chenle's drink while everyone was preoccupied
but turns out hyuck catches you in the action
"you guys are so parents. i feel so giddy whenever i see the two of you act like a couple" hyuck suddenly gushes, cutting whatever conversation he had with giselle, karina and jisung
all heads turn to you, including chenle who was smiling
"that's because they are a couple, idiot" giselle waves a hand, now also gushing while karina giggles beside her
"chenle isn't even denying it" jisung chimes in
you give everyone a weird look before returning the glass onto it's place, shrugging. no point of denying it now. you technically are a couple. just without the label yet
chenle, who decides to turn this into a whole show, fake yawns and stretches his arms out. only for one of his arms to fall right onto your shoulder before he pulls you to his side
the target audience being hyuck, giselle and karina all start squealing
you immediately shake yourself off chenle and even scold him a little for doing that unprovoked. chenle simply batts his eyelashes and shrugs, now keeping an arm around you while the group winds down from both the squealing and the food
. . . ᝰ.ᐟ
you were all back at the office since lunch break was ending soon but you were all just mingling around the hallway, slowly parting ways with each other
giselle and karina went back to their cubicles to work on their own thing while jisung already left to go back to his office. that meant you were now left with chenle, mark and hyuck
you were just chatting with hyuck for a little just some life updates with chenle since he kept asking you about some juicy info while mark and chenle were back to talking about business again the moment they stepped foot into the company building
"oh right, shuhua had sent in an email about reevaluating the partnership? she even asked if she could visit in person. don't know how that ended up in my email but you should get to that" mark informs chenle
shuhua.
there she is again. this time only mentioned in passing but it made your stomach churn in a indescribable feeling
you immediately make a sour face but you revert back to normal because you just remembered you were talking to hyuck
"she said that? but i'd rather not meet up with her again" chenle laughs, probably at the thought of shuhua. "an email would suffice. forward it to me or i'll get y/n to handle it" chenle adds, suddenly turning to you
"you got shuhua for me?" he asks, a playful smile on his face
instead of responding you just nod your head. not wanting to hear anything else about her, you take this time to leave. you subtly tell hyuck that you'd be heading back to your cubicle, cutting your conversation short
you didn't even say bye to chenle or mark, just walked passed them to head back to your cubicle
chenle stands there stunned at your sudden silent exit. did he say anything wrong again?
he hears mark say "uh oh" while hyuck was busy putting two and two together before he clasps his hands together
"oh my god" he reacts, covering his mouth
chenle turns to them with a bewildered look on his face. "did you guys just see that? what the hell did i say this time?"
and like lightning had just struck, it finally hits chenle
shuhua.
you are bothered by shuhua. no wonder you had started acting weird after the meeting with her. because there was no other plausible reason for you to be acting like this. you don't even normally act like this out of the blue
now it all makes sense for chenle that even the slightest mention of her name is making you turn a whole 180. you were just fine hours ago and suddenly when shuhua's name was said in passing, it's suddenly square one again for chenle
"i get it now.." chenle murmurs, loud enough for mark and hyuck to hear
"what's going on guys?" mark asks, looking around while hyuck might as well pass away because of cardiac arrest
"confirmed. she's jealous. oh my god this is so goood!" hyuck celebrates, jumping around chenle who is standing with his feet planted onto the carpeted floor. he was looking over at your cubicle where you're now at. typing away on your laptop
he finally understands your cold attitude yesterday and the night before. no wonder you acted like that out of the blue. so your whole reasoning about being stressed from all the meetings was just a white lie
chenle doesn't know if he should be a little mad that you lied about something like this since it could've been addressed immediately by him but he also understands why you would deflect instead because you don't want him to know something like this is bothering you
but ultimately, he gets it now
BUSINESS PROPOSAL ᝰ.ᐟ . . . GET IT NOW
✎ . . . things aren't going as planned the way you thought it was going to be. especially the part where you find yourself falling in love with your own boss– which was definitely not part of the agreed proposal.
[ PREV / NEXT ]
✎ AUTHORS NOTE . . . cat is out of the bag. day 4 bbina streak lets keep the fire going yall
ever since chenle lost his composure in front of a client, the proposal went back to square one. this time around it was kun who is taking the lead and dealing with the same client
so that meant he had swapped roles with chenle for this specific proposal. which also meant that chenle's load had doubled overnight the moment he blew the initial meeting proposal
which meant that your load had tripled that also meant more work for chenle that everything was going haywire like a domino effect throughout zhong inc.
to put it simply, zhong inc. has been on fire. literally.
the first few two days weren't that bad. chenle has just been on back to back meetings for the past 48 hours going over every single little thing again with kun now taking the lead
there were also major changes with the proposal just to keep everything civil between the client and zhong inc. just to keep things at bay
kun had also proposed that for this client, meetings should be held strictly over zoom with just the client and the two of them. nothing more, nothing less
as for chenle, it seemed like he was on a little "ban" within his own company since kun has the 'last say' to everything with this proposal. which added more stress onto chenle's mix
by this point everyone knew what had happened with the lunch meeting and why the company lights were still on past 7 PM so it was safe to assume that it was one of those weeks for zhong inc
those rare weeks where quite literally everyone has to hold their breaths and pray to the gods that they aren't going to face chenle any time or any day of this week
hyuck, being the PR manager for not only chenle himself but also the company, had taken the first hit for the team
"the wording makes it seem like we are being apologetic for something we didn't do. do it again" chenle tosses hyuck's 7th printed pr statement back to him. barely even sparing a glance at the three paragraphs up front
hyuck didn't even utter a single word yet. he had just placed the statement on his desk assuming that since it was a brand new day, chenle might've been a better mood than yesterday (this was hyuck's first mistake of the week. assuming that chenle's mood would be better than yesterday's)
"first of all this is the seventh pr statement you've asked me to make or rewrite" hyuck pauses, sucking in a deep breath, "and second of all, we are being apologetic since our image had taken a hit by your actions. this is just all PR for our image that i'm trying to save thank you very much" hyuck snatches the paper off the desk, muttering complaints under his breath
chenle looks up from his monitor for the first time in a while. he glares at hyuck who stiffens up. "don't wait for me to make one myself"
"alright boss man. i'll now make my 8th attempt to save your ass" hyuck does a mock salute before begrudgingly walks out of chenle's office in defeat yet again. for the seventh time in a row
on hyuck's way out, he bumps into you and mark, who was checking in with the paper work and numbers before he presents it to chenle
"wait y/n, i just did a little digging and i found that—"
"hey so don't bother right now. boss man is currently in tyrant mode and i just became his jester" hyuck cuts mark off. he puts his hand over mark's chest as he dramatically falls limp
you give hyuck an apologetic look. you too have been on the receiving end of his words.. for lack of better term. you don't hold it against him for now though. you know damn well the kind of stress is brought upon chenle
"i'll talk to him" you say softly to hyuck who picks himself up and shrugs. you awkwardly pat his shoulders as he takes in a deep breath. "just send me the pr statement, i'll approve it for him. he gave me the go signal yesterday"
"oh thank god" hyuck cries out dramatically. he grabs your hand and puts the recent pr statement that was just tossed back to him. "this is my last attempt. i don't know if i have any brain juice left to come up with another pr statement. what else is there to say about him and his image?!"
you accept the paper the exact moment you all hear the sound of his office doors slam open. all heads snap towards the sound and lo and behold there was chenle who is on a phone call with who knows who
mark raises his hand to ask a question about numbers only to be dismissed with a head shake as chenle walks straight to the elevator leaving the three of you to eat dust
"guess i'll just have to make multiple versions of whatever this is to avoid getting my head bitten off.." mark murmurs, looking over his printed numbers
"i'll see you guys at my bunker.. try not to get in his line of sight" hyuck gives you the salute before he walks to the elevator to probably try and work on more statements just in case
you could only sigh as you have no choice but to follow chenle and fix whatever he couldn't oversee by himself
. . . ᝰ.ᐟ
as days go by, zhong inc. had become a pressure cooker waiting to explode at any given moment
you just got yelled at by chenle after you handed him a revised document that he asked for. mind you. you're not sure if he forgot about that bit or maybe the pressure is getting to him as days go by
"what am i even reading?!" chenle slams the folder shut. irritation clearly written all over his features. he squeezes his eyes shut for a second, breathing heavily through his nose like everything just wronged him this exact second
now, you're one for getting a yelling by letting it in one ear and out the other and you've let chenle off the hook for these past few days just yelling and snapping at anyone he can get his hands on (mostly hyuck, mark, kun and some poor interns and maybe you too but that's besides the point)
but you're all human at the end of the day. everyone has their limits. even if chenle is someone you're romantically involved with, you're not just going to let him run his mouth around you like this. especially when you've done everything he had asked for respectively
"what you've been reading is something you asked for this morning" you say with precise diction, grabbing the now closed folder off his desk. you give him a stern look as he huffs and puffs, grumbling around like a toddler
"i changed my mind. fix it. do it again and don't add any more unnecessary jargons" he says, not even looking up, going back to doing whatever he was doing on his computer
"then next time say it like that" you retort, standing your ground. "don't talk to me like i could read your mind. a message would've sufficed and saved us some time"
chenle snaps his head up to look at you fiercely. eyebrows furrowed and all but he was met with your gaze also intense. he forgot that you actually talk back sometimes and those times are now
for a second there, you hit a vein and he wanted to argue back but seeing you carry the now rejected document and write a sticky note on top just brought him back to earth
"... sorry" he manages to mutter. shoulders now slumped just a fraction
you also let out a deep, tired sigh. you give him a tired look before walking out of his office and redoing the document back to your cubicle with everything else just piling up on the side
though you don't forget to bring him food because you had clocked the time and he had missed lunch. may it be by accident or on purpose, you still went out of your way to order him his favorite food and bringing it up to his office sometime later throughout the day
chenle didn't even notice that he had missed a meal because he has been so busy lately. he had just gotten back from another call with kun in the conference room and by the time he had returned to his office, his stomach grumbled
he was about to text you if you've eaten and if you wanted to get some food but he sees a takeout box sitting directly on his desk with a little sticky note on top
he knows that sticky note anywhere
'don't forget to eat. that's why you're so cranky'
somehow chenle feels a little more guilty as he eats the takeout alone in his office
. . . ᝰ.ᐟ
another meeting had just finished and now you're just waiting for what's next because you can't predict anything that goes on in zhong inc. anymore this week
chenle has been in and out meetings all day. some were with kun and the client, some were with board directors and the most recent one was with the business development team and hyuck for some pr statements to be released again
for zhong inc. it feels like the week has been dragging on for years despite it just being thursday
the sound of the conference room's door being slammed shut brings you back to reality. you stare at the now empty head table where chenle's chair swivels since he had just abruptly left just a few seconds ago
then you hear the collective sighs of the team present inside the room. you take a look at the defeated faces yet again at your coworkers. you feel for everyone in this very room but you also understand and get chenle's side being the ceo and all
it's just been a hard week for everyone and you can't blame them
mark was the first one to break the awkward silence. "i'll follow up with the new numbers" he breathes out, stretching his limbs after endless meetings for the past week
hyuck yawns right after him. he props his legs over the table as he leans back on the chair. he tosses a crumpled piece of paper up in the air and letting it fall wherever
"should i draft another pr statement about this meeting? for keepsake?" hyuck tries to joke but it lands sour on everyone. especially you
"hyuck" you warn, not even looking up from your tablet. you were sending chenle updates about his schedule while you let him cool his head for the substantial time he has before his next meeting
hyuck only raises his hands in surrender. "just playing with fire, bestie" he claims, "just trying to lift the dying morale here" he murmurs the last part
you ignore the slight jab about what happened earlier throughout the meeting. chenle may or may not have snapped at you again for reasons you're now ignoring
it was something small really. some misplaced files and some incorrect presentations despite you preparing everything in tip top conditions and placing the things he needed where he'll see them immediately
chenle has been extra snappy now and you try not to react to it but today just hit a nerve for you. you saw the way he was treating everybody too. just because he was stressed out doesn't mean he has to lash it out on everybody else like you all were his collateral
now that you think about it, him walking out abruptly was just right after you telling him that you or everyone around him isn't his punching bag and if he needed a break then he could just say that instead of running on fumes and just making everything worse when everyone is at their worst
"he's been acting insane these days.. i'm kind of scared" hyuck opens up after the silence
"i know" you sigh, shutting your tablet off and now staring at the scattered papers on the table
"but we don't hold it against him. we know how he is" mark butts in, "despite he yells at me most of the time since i'm the business development manager... it's whatever. in the ear, out the other"
hyuck finally lets out his first laugh in days. but its the tired kind and it passes off more of a chuckle. "dude, tell me about it. try making him proof read pr statements that's meant to maintain his image"
you let out a tired groan as you rest your head on your hands. you were also tired like they are. probably thrice as much since you clean up and look out for chenle in every way possible. not just at work but in general because despite him acting like this for the past few weeks, at the end of the day, one way or another, you still care for him like he cares for you too
because despite how hectic and chaotic everything has been, chenle still never fails to drive you home and pick you up again in the morning. he never fails to make sure that you also eat despite him forgetting on his own
so no matter how much he would snap at you or say mean things in the heat of the moment because of everything piling on top of his shoulders all at once, you don't take it against him. instead, you cover for the things he couldn't do on his own. you pick up the pieces he had missed and do it for him silently
"he just has a lot on his plate these days.. let's just be more understanding" you say out loud. not really realizing the impact of your words on both hyuck and mark
usually if it wasn't hell week, hyuck would've been over the moon hearing things like this come out of your mouth but since his brain has been fried for the past week, he's thinking of something else
"not you defending him" hyuck giggles, shooting you a knowing smile
"i'm not" you say weakly
"you kinda are" mark chimes in. "it's okay. we get it"
you roll your eyes as you fight back a small smile. of course they get it. they're his friends after all and they're the only ones who know something is up with you and chenle
though whatever this conversation was gets interrupted with the door slamming open again. you three straighten up in your seats, thinking that it was kun or board directors but it was just chenle holding out two cups of coffee
chenle walks straight to you and places the coffee down on the table right in front of you
"just a little energizer before the next meeting" chenle murmurs, ignoring the stares he was getting from mark and hyuck. he did kind of publicly snapped at you earlier today and now he's giving you coffee
which is probably the nicest thing he has ever done all day
"what about us boss man—"
"let's start with the next meeting" chenle cuts hyuck off before he could even ask for his own cup of coffee. hyuck lets out an agonizing scream that's muffled by his own pr statements while mark just falls limp on the table
later that day, you and chenle ended up going home a tad bit earlier than usual. only because you forced him to go home earlier this time around (well, with the help of everyone begging you to make him go home early)
he basically looks dead as he drives you home. the bags under his eyes are more prominent than ever before. you've never seen chenle like this. it honestly kind of makes you a little sad to see him overwork himself but due to the nature of the situation, it was almost inevitable with the tight deadlines and all
so you do what you do best in the courtesy of his car that was also your shared safe space. you take care of him in your own little ways in the passenger seat
you brought home a protein bar from the pantry just for this very moment. you take it out of your bag as you opened it before feeding it to chenle as he drives
chenle is caught by surprise when a protein bar is suddenly being waved in front of his face
"eat" you say softly, nudging the bar closer to his face
chenle shakes his head. mumbling about you don't have to feed him and that he could do it himself but you click your tongue in annoyance to silence him
"i want to" you murmured and in an instant, chenle lets you feed him
you don't know if you were imagining it but you swear you saw his shoulders sag as you continue to feed him. like he was finally letting himself relax for a tiny bit. since by the time he had finished the protein bar, he was now leaning his head on your hand that stayed on his cheek
. . . ᝰ.ᐟ
it was already midnight on a saturday when chenle had marked that everything as finished
he barely even noticed the time that he had finished literally everything. from approving the now revised document to kun, to making sure all the logistics on zhong inc.'s end were all correct and aligned with the documents and papers that will be presented again to the client
now all he can think of is how much he wanted to go home and rest because god knows how much he needed it right now after this one hell of a week
so for the first time in literal days, he finally manages to push himself off his desk and walk out of his office on his own accord to finally go home
as the elevators descend to your floor, chenle can't help but think about everything this week. how none of this would've happened if he just stopped himself from mixing his personal feelings and professionalism
he had realized that you were right all along. that it didn't matter in the moment and he had overreacted and now he had to deal with the consequences of his actions and the results of it was.. something
the elevator doors opened when it reached your floor. chenle was so ready to complain about the whole week. how he was so tired of everything and how this week somehow changed his perspective on things and will act on his emotions accordingly next time
though as he walks through the halls of your floor, it hits him that the lights were all off and the only light on was from your cubicle. which he assumes is the light bouncing off your monitor
chenle start to feel hyperaware of everything all of a sudden. how your floor was messy. how there were papers scattered everywhere that his employees didn't even bother to clean up after themselves. like they all wanted to go home immediately when it was time to clock out
how he realizes that he may or may not have killed the company morale all week because he was busy atoning for his own mistake which was again, mixing personal feelings into professional settings
chenle then starts to recall the moments where he had snapped at you throughout the week. or the times he had probably yelled at everyone including you and he winces. he immediately winces at the memories because he knows he was wrong for snapping and yelling. he barely even remembers what happened all week because of how hectic and busy he was and chenle is pretty sure he didn't even get to apologize most of the time
when chenle reaches your cubicle, his initial complaints all died in his throat seeing the state you are in
you were still working even at this hour. after him all because of how he had twice as much on his plate than usual so that meant you had to triple check everything
initially, he came down here to fetch you or to wake you up that it was time to go home and he wanted to complain that he was tired. so tired and exhausted from everything but how can he complain when you're still working after him like this so diligently? without a complaint in the world
he watches the way your hair was now kept up in a bun by a singular pen. how you were now barefoot since you kicked your shoes off for maximum comfort inside the now dark office
how you were still typing like there was no tomorrow. like clockwork not because you wanted to, but you had to because you're his assistant. it's your job to look and take after him
chenle feels his chest twisting and churning at the sight. for some reason, it hurts him to see you like this but at the same time he realizes something else
he realizes that despite him dragging you to hell and back, you're still there with him without a single complaint. you stuck by his side despite it all and not once did he hear you complain about it
while everyone else complained throughout the week, how they had all gone home, you were still here. at the office. taking after him
chenle never wanted to be with anyone else but you in this exact moment
after staring at your monitor and typing your life away for god knows how long, you pause a bit to yawn and stretch your limbs when you see a shadow in your peripheral vision
you look to the side to see chenle standing there. just watching you in the dark
"oh hey. you kind of scared me a bit" you laugh softly, "what's up?"
chenle stares at you for a moment. he suddenly doesn't know what to say. he opens his mouth but nothing comes out
you look at him weird, even tilting your head to the side. you turn your attention back to your monitor when you hear his footsteps moving closer to your cubicle
"let's go home" he says quietly, standing over your cubicle and looking down at you softly. in this angle he can definitely see the bags under your eyes. you look so tired and it physically pains him to realize that he is the reason why
you nod your head weakly, shutting off your monitor. finally, you think to yourself
in the elevator, his hand had never left yours. it was on instinct to intertwine your hands immediately. like just being physically close to you anchors him from everything going on and you just let him
you let him because you feel the same way
despite everything, the snapping, the yelling, raised voices in professional settings, you've learned to choose him and he realized that no matter the stress he'll accumulate or how hectic things may be, all he needs is you
. . . ᝰ.ᐟ
you two were now on the way home after you had gotten a midnight snack at some hole in the wall restaurant
you were leaning against the window, watching seoul's buildings go in and out as chenle speeds through the now empty highways
chenle on the other hand couldn't focus. his eyes were on the road but his mind keeps drifting off to you. he can't shake away the thought of you being hunched over your desk, typing away and keepings things afloat for not only the company but him personally as well
how he wanted to apologize so badly after every snap, after every argument, every raised voice, after all the yelling, literally everything that happened this week
he can't remember the last time he was so invested on someone like this. hell, if he even was interested or invested on someone. was he ever aware of anyone at all until you came along?
chenle steals glances here and there. he knows you're exhausted. if anyone in the company had the right to complain, it should be you and you alone
he can't stop thinking about you because tonight was the night that he finally truly sees through you
he can't believe it took him a deal that he almost ruined, yelling and putting his entire company through hell and back for him to realize within himself that he's actually in love with you
chenle's hand twitches at the mere admission to himself that he's finally in love. he immediately spots your hand resting on your lap and takes it. he intertwines them like usual before he pulls your hand in near his mouth before he presses his lips against your knuckles
you're startled at the sudden action. "chenle—"
"i'm sorry" he cuts you off, voice low and gruff. "for everything this week. for all the snapping, the yelling, the way that i was all week and i—"
"and you should what? should'nt have been like that?" you cut him off softly, finishing his sentence for him. "it's fine. i'm used to it"
his eyebrows furrowed. what do you mean you're used to it?
before he could ask, you beat him to it
"it's like i'm seeing the chenle i met the first time all over again" you start, "the chenle that made me do 127 things all at once just to make me quit but i miraculously didn't" you joke, nudging him
"what do you mean by that?" he pouts
"what i mean is that i kind of missed this side of yours" you smile, scooting close to the center console so you can comfortably lean on chenle's shoulder as he drives you home. "the scary ceo side of yours that i managed to tame" you poke his cheek with your free hand
"... that doesn't mean i should've acted like that" chenle tries to explain but can't find the right words
"i'm glad that you know that but it already happened and it's fine. it's okay. whatever you are feeling, i'm fine and i forgive you for yelling or snapping at me throughout this week" you glance up at him, cupping his cheek with your free hand
the sincerity of your voice tugs on chenle's heart yet again. even grounding him back to earth. there was that weird feeling in his chest again. he couldn't explain what the sensation is but he feels every single bit of it
chenle kisses your knuckles again. softer and more intimate this time. he lets his lips linger on your knuckles a little longer than he should like he was channeling everything he couldn't say. right after that he rubs his thumb across the back of your hand
you lean even closer to him after that because you know what he was trying to say. that's the special thing you have with chenle is that you don't have to hear words to know what he's trying to convey because he shows it and you feel it
the rest of the ride felt like a blur from there. because at that point for chenle, is a point of no return. he's absolutely sure that it's you. as chenle drives, he rests your intertwined hands on his cheek. savoring the new found admission to himself on what he actually feels for you and there's no going back from it
and it's that he has fallen in love with you
BUSINESS PROPOSAL ᝰ.ᐟ . . . ONE HELL OF A WEEK
✎ . . . things aren't going as planned the way you thought it was going to be. especially the part where you find yourself falling in love with your own boss– which was definitely not part of the agreed proposal.
[ PREV / NEXT ]
✎ AUTHORS NOTE . . . not my usual update time but anyway! 4.5k words for this admission <3 hopefully it makes sense i wrote this half asleep
"what's wrong?" chenle asks, after seeing you chuck your phone down as you cover your face in embarrassment after reading the girls' text
chenle reaches over to rest his free hand on your thigh. you two were now at the restaurant where you two will be meeting with a client
"nothing. just the girls being weird and maybe a bit philosophical" you murmur, removing your hands away from your face as you look away for a brief moment, looking around to see if the client had already entered
you feel chenle give your thigh a gentle squeeze. he was chuckling at the thought of whatever karina or giselle could've said to you that would make you react like this
"i bet they said something about me and you’re realizing that they may be correct" chenle teases, poking your sides making you jump
"you wish" you scoff, swatting him away. chenle laughs, scooting his seat closer to yours that your shoulders were bumping against each other
while waiting for the client, chenle took the initiative to order food for the table and pay in advanced since he was the one who had initially set this up for the clients (or at least that's what you heard according to mark)
after some time later and multiple rounds of complimentary bread later, the client had finally arrived with his entourage
you and chenle immediately stood up and greeted the client and his team warmly. promptly introducing yourselves and making them feel comfortable
"so glad you were able to make it" chenle smiles, shaking the client's hand firmly. the client responds positively and pats his arm as he sits down and makes himself comfortable
"of course. i wouldn't want to turn down the offer to meet with zhong inc. thanks for having us.. did you order yet?" the client asks, making small talk
chenle nods his head yes, looking around for the waiter to follow up the table's orders. "yes we have. we can start talking about everything over appetizers. hope everyone isn't allergic to prawns"
the clients lets out a boisterous laugh as his team also lets out a chuckle. "we haven't started yet but i'm liking where this is going, sir zhong!"
you steal a glance at chenle. you smile to yourself seeing him in his element. something that now tugs your heart strings. why does he have to look good at negotiating— hell, they haven't even started yet
you suddenly feel chenle's hand on top of yours. you look up at him instantly and he smiles at you faintly before he introduces you to the table
"while waiting for the food, i'd like to introduce my assistant to everyone in the table. this is y/n and she will be doing the talking for our meeting today" chenle shows you off to the table
you and the client's team exchange polite smiles though the client just simply waves you off and turns to chenle with more enthusiasm
"so sir zhong, let's get to know each other while we wait for the food.. shall we?"
chenle blinks at the client. did he seriously just disregard you right in front of him?
you mentally shake your head. there's nothing new to these kind of behaviors from clients. especially the snobby ones which is unfortunately the client today. you catch chenle's stare while you just simply smile at him. telepathically telling him that it's fine. you hope he buys it because it's going to be a long day
. . . ᝰ.ᐟ
by the time the food had arrived, chenle had already come to a conclusion that this meeting would end up no where especially with the client that you two are dealing with today
now don't get it twisted. zhong inc's proposal is flawless so it had nothing to do with the proposal. it's the character of the client themselves that made chenle decide that they will be blacklisted for the rest of their lives in zhong inc.
solely because of the way the client has been treating you
sure, chenle has dealt with even nastier clients in the past. how did he get to the top without dealing with the other top dogs in the industry first?
but every time you would explain the numbers, the terms and conditions, the client would just brush you off and turn to chenle instead
even though all the things you've been saying have been approved by chenle long ago
"depending on the decision made by the upper heads, we can cut production costs without worrying about jeopardizing the quality if both parties agree to use in house production" you trail off, motioning the company ipad to the client who just mindlessly nods his head
"okay..!" the client chirps dryly, he then turns to chenle who was seated right beside you. "what do you think, sir zhong?" he asks, voice filled with more enthusiasm
chenle simply watches him for a moment, holding himself back from saying "she literally just said what would be more cost efficient". he crosses his arms as he takes in the presence of today's client
loud, a bit obnoxious when interacting with chenle and most especially dismissive to everyone below his status
"we can save more money depending on our decision moving forward" chenle says simply. literally just translated your corporate language into sentences he could probably understand
for some reason, the client's face lit up like chenle just won the nobel prize
"exactly! now we're onto something here since that's a smart move from both companies!" the client practically bounced off his seat
you still for a second. you literally just told him whatever chenle had simplified for the man but of course they listen to the ceo of the company and not the assistant
but you pay no mind. it's just another day of work. so you continue your talks with the clients
though little did you know, that was client's first strike
the conversation continued from there. you were mostly doing the talking while chenle chimes in here and there and even asks the opinions of the client's entourage though they all get overshadowed by the client cutting them off or changing the topic
chenle just smiles his way through all this catastrophic meeting so far. for the investment, he thinks. and most especially for you who has been doing a great job so far despite being pushed to the side
the first time was probably a fluke. maybe the client was just like that to those he think is under his shoe. surely there can't be a second time, won't it?
wrong.
because it seems like today's client was pushing chenle's buttons more than they should
the second time he had dismissed you is when you were now talking about contract negotiations. the do's and don't's once both parties have signed the contract or anything the client wanted to add to the existing contract clause that zhong inc. has by default
"so.. any questions or any additional clauses your company would like to add? we'll have our legal team review it by the end of the week and vice versa?" you spoke with precision. not too harsh, not too lenient either
"hmm.." the client hums, "what do you think, sir zhong? i think the contract is fine" he then diverts the question back to chenle
at this point chenle had both his arms and legs crossed. he was now eyeing the client differently. he taps his his finger against his cheek before he speaks
"i think.." chenle starts, eyes darting between you and the client, "she asked you the question. not me"
there was a moment of silence at the table after chenle spoke. you were looking at him warily now but the client starts to laugh loudly. probably trying to avert the now awkward tension around
"right.. right.. of course... let's carry on!" the client ushered joyously, suddenly motioning you to hurry up which was the last straw for chenle
before you could continue, chenle speaks up first
"actually" chenle starts, now leaning forward and resting his elbows on the table. he takes in the scenery in front of him which was the curious gazes of the client and his team, "let's cut this meeting short" he smiles politely at the table. voice still perfectly polite
it was like time had stopped completely at the exact moment he let those words out
what?
"if you can't listen when the person talking isn't me, what's the point? we're just wasting each other's time" chenle points out, pointing over to the now stunned table
your head snaps towards his. what the fuck is he doing
"now, maybe we got off the wrong foot here—"
"no we didn't. it started off the wrong foot when you started to dismiss my assistant" chenle cuts him off, smiling even as he pointed a hand towards you this time
you shift awkwardly as you feel the stares. you were praying that chenle could finally cut this off because this wasn't helping the proposal what-so-ever. not now, not ever. you were now trying to come up with a way to save this proposal one way or another
fuck.
the client clears his throat, "i respect your assistant. your team, your company, you especially. i'd prefer if i hear the words coming from you" he negotiates, trying to save face with chenle
chenle simply shrugs, pushing himself off the table. he leans back onto his seat before he looks at you lazily. he gives you another smile before looking at the client in front of him
"funny how you say that because she clearly speaks for me"
his words slice through the table. you can hear a pin drop with the stunned silence in the table
if closing your eyes and wishing that this whole meeting never happened wasn't enough? you subtly reach for his hand under the table in hopes that chenle could calm down
he doesn't unfortunately.
"zhong inc. doesn't work with people who don't listen. especially to those who work for them. we treat everyone equally with mutual respect and we expect our clients to do the same" chenle says, standing up. he grabs your arm to pull you up with him. "we can talk again through our legal team. meeting adjourned. thank you for the time" chenle bows, smiling ever so dashingly as ever before walking out of the table with you in tow
the client is stunned at the sudden exit. he didn't think that zhong chenle would walk out of a meeting like that
. . . ᝰ.ᐟ
the car ride back to the office is tense
chenle hadn't uttered a single word upon leaving the restaurant with him dragging you with him. he simply dragged you back to the car, made sure you were in first before circling around and starting the engine and driving normally
with the exception of his tensed jaw and eyes fixated directly onto the road and not to mention the knuckle white grip on the steering wheel
you were debating on actually talking about what the fuck was that back at the restaurant because one, he just practically blew what could've been a multi million investment deal between the two companies over what? you getting ignored?
you can't help but think about the thought and effort that was put onto the proposal. it was one of the proposals the team head worked on before you went to shanghai and it felt like it all went down the drain over chenle losing his composure
so with a deep breath, you steal a glance at chenle before finally breaking the quiet tension in the car
"you didn't have to do all that.." you murmur, loud enough for your voice to echo through the car despite the radio being on
chenle's fingers twitches against the steering wheel, "do what?" he asks cooly
"whatever that was.." you say slowly, "...you blew things out of proportion for no reason"
chenle exhales sharply, almost scoffing. "no reason?"
"yes" you huff, finally turning to face him. "it wasn't necessary, i didn't even feel like he wasn't listening to me when i've probably dealt with worse. you didn't have to do all that"
chenle lets out a humorless laugh. like he couldn't believe what you were saying right now. were you actually defending that shitty good for nothing client?
"so you're saying i should've just let the meeting continue like him ignoring you was part of it and i would just repeat everything you'd say?"
"probably yeah. that would've been a more plausible reason to keep the meeting going and actually keeping the proposal in check" you shrug like it was nothing
"so basically i should've just let him ignore you. got it. anything else?"
"i didn't say that"
"you just did"
"if it means that the proposal gets approved then so be it. it literally doesn't matter" you pinched the bridge of your nose in annoyance. why couldn't he get it or drop it?
chenle snaps his head towards you for a split second the moment the car had reached a stop light. the tires screech a little as he stepped on the brakes a little too hard after hearing your words
"are you hearing yourself right now? it does matter. i don't care about a stupid proposal or an investment deal if it meant that they are disrespecting you" he argues
you resist the urge to roll your eyes right there and then. for him it matters, to you it doesn't because you didn't feel disrespected at all. getting ignored or being pushed around is part of this industry. especially when you have no name for yourself but lousy titles with little to no meaning
you're used to it and he probably isn't and he had probably blurred the lines of keeping things professional and getting personal feelings (which in this case, is your relationship you'd assume) mixed up
"but the thing is, i didn't feel disrespected" you say slowly, trying to find the right words to calm chenle so things don't escalate again but this time between the two of you
the light turns green and chenle floors it before he could say anything. this has been working him up. he hates this new feeling he's experiencing when people can't respect you because to him it also means you don't respect him as well
"that doesn't matter" he murmurs, trying to control his temper. he feels himself get agitated again the more the meeting earlier replays in his head over and over again
you getting sidelined from the moment you were introduced, to the client full on dismissing you and your words and was only attentive whenever chenle was talking
why can't people understand that you two come in a team now?
your patience is decreasing by the minute with the way chenle wasn't hearing you correctly. "it does matter.. to me"
chenle glances at you again. eyes sharp and hurt that you'd actually say that. so you'll just let people disrespect you? is that it?
"why are you defending what happened today?!" he accidentally raises his voice
"i'm not defending anything!" you argue back, voice louder, "i'm saying you just blew a deal for nothing because of what you think was happening when in reality, nothing happened for you to blow everything out of proportion!"
chenle's jaw clenches as he takes a sharp turn. ignoring the honks around him. he sucks in a deep breath as he tries to properly convey the words he wants to convey
"listen y/n.. he was talking over you, he was ignoring you most of the time and he looked like he only saw me in the room when it's supposed to be you and me. together. a team" chenle says, trying to get his point across
"and i noticed. of course i did. and i don't care if he did. it's part of the job and it quite literally is my job and so i move on like most people would. what mattered is that we could've gotten that deal but you unfortunately blew it" you explain
"but it's my job that no one would ever treat you like this ever again"
you let out a huff as you take a good look at him. despite his eyes being glued on the road, there's a permanent frown on his face
"chenle, it really isn't that serious"
that momentarily keeps him quiet. in your defense yet again, it was true. it really isn't that serious. there were probably more things worse than getting ignored during a meeting
you try to read in between his silence because the crease on his forehead never disappeared so that meant he was thinking. he was thinking too loud
you reach over for his arm across the center console. "i know you mean well but you can't just decide what i feel for me" you murmur, tugging on his arm
chenle pulls up to the office. he swerves to the parking lot and parks at his usual spot. once he had parked properly, he doesn't kill the engine just yet. he just sits there with you holding his arm
"you can't risk everything for that split second that you feel like i was being disrespected when i wasn't. i don't take these things to heart. it's nothing personal, it's all work for me" you continue, trying to coax him out of it
chenle suddenly wraps his hand around yours. holding your hand tightly after everything that had happened in the span of 2 hours
"it may be work for you, but it feels personal for me" chenle says out loud, staring at your intertwined hands
the way he says it hits harder for some reason. like you didn't expect him to say such things
you watch him as he squeezes his eyes shut before squeezing your hand again
and you just let him hold your hand. your initial irritation by the whole thing had slowly subdued into exhaustion. it hasn't been a whole day but you already feel tired by the turn of events
"it's been a long day.." you speak up after a while, "let's not do this right now"
chenle looks at you once before he nods. "okay"
you both get out of the car after that. though chenle immediately finds his spot next to you and intertwines your hands together
you glanced down at your hands before looking up at him. you two were in a fairly public space right now which was against your imaginary rules
"chenle–"
"i know. just.." chenle pauses, taking a deep breath, squeezing your hand tighter than usual. "just let me"
and you did exactly that. you didn't push it further. you two continue to make your way upstairs to your respective offices. in the elevator, he stood closer to you. his fingers brushing against the small of your back as the elevator doors opened to your floor
for the first time, he had walked you to your desk
"tell me if you need anything" he mumbles as he drops you off at your cubicle
you hum, "let's just finish the rest of the day then we can go home"
chenle nods, lingering a little longer around your cubicle when he suddenly makes eye contact with kun. he knows that look on his face. he probably heard what happened during lunch
"mr. zhong, a word please?" kun suddenly walks towards chenle
your eyes widened as you look up from your desk to see kun and chenle staring at each other. kun catches your stare and gives you an apologetic smile
oh, so he knows?
"ms. jung" he smiles politely before nodding his head towards his office. "if you'll excuse us, ms. jung. chenle and i have to talk"
and with that the two boys leave your cubicle as they stride over to kun's office. chenle turns around to meet your eyes and he simply nods and smiles faintly before turning back around
BUSINESS PROPOSAL ᝰ.ᐟ . . . PERSONAL
✎ . . . things aren't going as planned the way you thought it was going to be. especially the part where you find yourself falling in love with your own boss– which was definitely not part of the agreed proposal.
[ PREV / NEXT ]
✎ AUTHORS NOTE . . . havent written in so long that i entered flow state
"i'm telling you guys.. something definitely happened. i'm so sure of it!"
"hyuck.. this is your 11th conspiracy theory about what happened in shanghai.."
"because something definitely happened!" hyuck exclaims, shaking his hands up in the sky as he leans on the railings
hyuck, mark and jisung were now at the arrival bay of the airport, waiting for your arrival. chenle had texted them to pick you two up at the airport
mark didn't even bother to look up from his phone when he sighs at hyuck's obscure "conspiracy theories" about whatever he thinks that happened during your supposed work trip aka jun's wedding
ever since you two had left for china and they were all left behind at the office, all he could talk about is chenle's actions around you recently. hyuck had clocked it ages ago, since the partnership with just do it co.
it's not like it wasn't obvious because it definitely was. hyuck has been keeping an eye on you and chenle. he's never seen his beloved ceo slash friend act so different
"it's a work trip, hyuck. i'm pretty sure they didn't just attend a wedding" mark exasperates, pinching the bridge of his nose in annoyance the more hyuck babbles on
"work trip my ass!" hyuck scoffs, "you don't look rejuvenated during a work trip overseas. besides, haven't you noticed? they've been staying a lot later in the office. this is chenle we're talking about! if the clock strikes at 5 o'clock he's already out the door working at home!"
"maybe he feels more productive now at the office?" jisung chimes in beside hyuck, "plus, i don't see anything wrong with chenle these past few weeks.."
"that's because you're not looking at him enough!" hyuck insists, leaning closer to jisung as if to prove a point. jisung steps back and makes a weird face. hyuck's weird, he thinks to himself
mark sighs again. "you're just seeing things"
"i'm not!" hyuck defends himself, "i know it. i can feel it. giselle does too! i bet even karina or even kun himself knows! you know what i think everyone knows. renjun probably has dirt on them too. i just can't prove it"
hyuck continues to ramble on. he momentarily looks up when he sees the airport doors open that revealed you and chenle walking out. he stops mid ramble, eyes wide open as his jaw drops at the sight
"oh my god"
mark and jisung finally look up. they've stopped listening to him at this point but his reaction just basically told them that you two have arrived
"they're here!! it's them!" hyuck points out
the two boys follow hyuck's pointing and he was right this time. there you two go walking out together. chenle, who was pushing the luggage cart with your luggages with one hand and his other arm was draped across your shoulder. like he was adjusting your bag on your shoulder while you had your hood and shades on
"holy shit" hyuck is visibly shaking at this point, "holy fucking shit! do you see that shit mark? i told you! i fucking told you!" he grabs mark's shoulders, shaking them violently
mark pushes him off. "he's literally just carrying their luggage cart—"
"do you not see his fucking arms around her?!"
jisung quietly accepts his fate. people have been looking at them weirdly. hyuck's ruckus clearly loud and proud. just hollering and hootering
"OVER HERE CEO ZHONG CHENLE" hyuck raises both arms this time and waving them around
across the road, chenle had already spotted them. though he didn't do much such as removing his arm around you. he has been keeping you in check ever since you two landed and all you've done is just stand there while he does everything else
"i see our chaperones" chenle mumbles, leaning down a little near your ear
you only let out a grunt. still half asleep despite walking out of the airport already. the shanghai adrenaline had already died down and your body was catching up with the exhaustion for the past 5 days
chenle chuckles at your sleepy state. he adjusts the strap of the bag he had gotten you on your shoulder again as he guides you to the three idiots
when you two had reached mark, hyuck and jisung, chaos had erupted
"BOSS MAN!" hyuck latched onto chenle, wrapping his arms around his boss like he hadn't seen him in years (it's been almost a week), "you're back! i thought you'd never return and that you've finally given me your company!" he cries out dramatically
chenle groans, patting his shoulder twice before pushing hyuck off of him. "it's been 5 days. what are you on about?!"
"five days too long! you know how boring the office has been without hearing you micromanage every single employee? i almost miss you yelling at interns"
chenle ignores him as he greets mark and jisung instead
"welcome back boss" mark daps him up, "how was the trip? felt good to be back home?"
"you know it. how's my company? didn't hear anything from you guys that was marked an emergency so i'm worried now that i'm back" chenle laughs, moving onto jisung, giving him a quick hug
"hey y/n" jisung greets shyly. you grunt again a response
"oh?" hyuck perks up. he walks up to you and wraps an arm around your shoulder. "hey work bestie i missed you! how was being stuck with your boy– boss! in another country for 5 days? did he work you to the bone or did he sweep you off your feet"
you could only nod your head, still half asleep and this makes hyuck burst out laughing
"she said yes! mark, jisung write this down!"
"shush" chenle shoots him a look, pushing hyuck out of the way. "get inside first. i'll load our things" chenle helps you to the car. he opens the door for you this time around and ushers you inside
almost immediately you lean your head against the window. chenle chuckles again at the sight before turning back around to see his three friends staring at him with wide eyes
"first he's the one carrying all their things, second he makes her get inside first. what's next guys? this doesn't seem like the chenle we all knew and loved" hyuck gasps, looking around if jisung and mark would back him up (they don't)
"what? she's tired from traveling" chenle murmurs, avoiding hyuck's sparkling eyes in pure joy
"i'm tired too boss man! are you going to usher me inside next?"
"open the damn trunk, donghyuck" chenle glares at hyuck, grabbing the luggage cart to drag it to the back of the range rover
hyuck immediately clamps his mouth shut and starts helping along with mark and jisung. they all spend a hefty amount trying to figure out the placement of the two luggages. hyuck suggested that they should place it flat on the surface while mark argued that the luggages should be standing to make room for the carry on's
chenle, who was already tired from traveling just shoved everything inside and slammed the trunk shut. he mutters something about he should've just taken a taxi instead of making them pick him up. jisung hears this and flinches
"jesus.." chenle shakes his head, heading towards the backseat and opening the door
"you're not driving?" hyuck questions, staring at chenle in pure disbelief. wow, he isn't driving his own car today
"nope" chenle says, popping the 'p'. "now hurry up and get in and drive or i'll make you guys walk home" with that, he slams the door
the three boys scramble to get in the car. since mark drove earlier to the airport, he's obviously the designated driver. hyuck rides shotgun and so that meant jisung gets to sit beside you and chenle
chenle, who had got in earlier than the rest, finds you sleeping peacefully against the window. he looks at you for a moment before quietly adjusting you. he moves your head from the window and onto his shoulder
in an instant, you relax and snuggle against him
hyuck was about to say something upon getting in but the sight before them zips their mouth shut. he looks at mark and makes dramatic gestures while jisung wanted to shrink further into his seat. he was on chenle's right but he still felt like he shouldn't be here at all
. . . ᝰ.ᐟ
the drive from the airport was quiet. calm even especially with chenle's friends in his car
but that's maybe because you were sleeping soundly on chenle's shoulder and every time someone even dared to make a sound loud enough to make you stir in the slightest maybe chenle would give them the nastiest look they've ever seen
chenle glances at you here and there time to time. every time you stirred or snuggled even closer to him, he'd be quick to adjust himself to make sure you were comfortable
from the front, hyuck had watched his every move like a hawk. every time chenle did something, he taps mark and squeals silently (if that's even possible)
"just look at them. oh my fucking god" hyuck whisper-yells, whirling around his seat
jisung, who was at the back with you two, pleads with his eyes. he had tried his very best to avert his body away from chenle. even the slightest bumps of their shoulders from a speed bump is enough for jisung to stiffen up
why was he even here or better yet, why did he even agree to this
"so tell me sir boss ceo zhong.." hyuck starts, having enough of the silence. he needed answers at this point, "how was the wedding? how was the trip? romance in the air?"
chenle shoots him a death glare as his answer. "drive off the highway mark. hit the gas"
hyuck gasps dramatically and pouts. slumping back to his seat as he stares at the road ahead before his stomach grumbles
"i'm hungry. you're paying boss man" hyuck whines, cradling his stomach
chenle groans, "why"
"because!" hyuck exclaims, whirling in his seat again to face chenle who shushes him. "because.." hyuck hushes this time around, "you made us wake up and pick you up and your girl— oh sorry i meant your assistant from the airport before the sun could even show itself"
"... he's right" jisung speaks up for the first time since the drive
"and you literally have multiple cars. why didn't you like ask someone else to do it?" hyuck continues
"well, i did drop them off and he left this with me" mark chimes in, gesturing to chenle's range rover
"mark you're supposed to be on our side!" hyuck argues, then he turns to chenle again. "the least you could do is feed us"
chenle huffs, rolling his eyes. you stir in your sleep again but your stomach growls along
hyuck beams and points a finger at you. "see? even she's hungry. come on boss man!"
"hungry?" you croak, eyes fluttering open
jisung immediately bites his lip, mark starts cackling and hyuck is celebrating like he just scored a goal
chenle adjusts his arm around you again. "we're having a detour and getting breakfast.. what do you want?"
you blink at him slowly, contemplating on what you want. whatever is fine in your opinion. breakfast is breakfast and either way. so instead of answering you just shrug before resting your head on chenle's shoulder again
"wow when it comes to her he asks what she wants but to us we get an exasperated sigh and he doesn't even ask us what we want.. this is crazy" hyuck comments
"gotcha boss" mark salutes and inputs something onto the gps and the rest of the drive is nothing but hyuck talking about whatever. jisung chiming in here and there while mark just shuts down every conspiracy theory hyuck has theorized in the short amount of time
hyuck would ask chenle here and there about what happened during the trip and jun's wedding. chenle would answer normally but will deliberately avoid certain questions regarding you
every time hyuck had asked about you, chenle would look down at you, who was resting on his shoulder peacefully. chenle himself is at ease like this and he didn't have a care in the world if his friends were watching him at this point because he could care less now
. . . ᝰ.ᐟ
mark had finally pulled into a diner. he put the car into park and the rest were now relieved that they're now able to stretch
"rise and shine, bestie~" hyuck chirps, opening the car door for you as everyone else ushered out of the car
you slowly stir awake, blinking the sleepiness away. groggily, you sit up and stretched your limbs. how long have you been asleep and where are you right now?
you look around to see that you were at some diner. you look for chenle who was standing beside hyuck. he nods his head as you get out
and almost immediately he was by your side. you let out a yawn as you follow the group inside
"still sleepy?" chenle asks, his hand brushing a stray hair away from your face
you just nod your head yes while hyuck was watching you, smiling widely at the sight
inside of the diner, the smell of coffee and toasted bread immediately hits your nostril, prompting you to be more awake. the group gets seated by a booth and not a minute later, menus were passed down the table
you don't even have to look because you already know that chenle was going to order for you so you just leaned against the window, waiting for everyone to order. the waiter gets to your table after a while and takes everyone's orders and before everyone knew it, your orders had arrived
"so..." hyuck starts, leaning forward onto the table, "how was the trip? did something happen? like between two people?"
chenle didn't even spare him a glance as he was busy cutting up your pancakes before pushing your plate to you
"hmm... interesting..." hyuck hums, "because seems like something else happened" he points out, clearly referring to chenle doing everything for you
"thanks" you mumbled to chenle, accepting the plate before eating it normally
mark couldn't stop himself. he snorts into his coffee. "jesus christ"
"i know!" hyuck beams, clearly enjoying the view. his friend slash boss who just arrived from shanghai is now a completely different person because the last time he checked, his friend wasn't like this
"did he just cut pancakes for her?" jisung asks, eyes wide open
chenle ignores them and sips on his own drink like this was normal
to him it practically was
"are we sure we picked up zhong chenle? because i swear this person sitting in front of me is an entirely different person because last time i checked this man wouldn't let anyone breathe in the same direction as him" hyuck starts moving animatedly, copying chenle's usual behavior back then
you let out a scoff that sounded like a laugh because in your defense when you first met chenle, he did emit that vibe
"i'm just being nice?" chenle reasons
"yeah. only to her" hyuck retorts, snickering at his shitty excuse
the way you two have been acting just proved one of his many "conspiracies"
ignoring hyuck's comment, you look at chenle's plate and you steal a piece of bacon, much to the guys' surprise. now they were just looking for chenle's reaction
but again, much to their even more surprise, chenle doesn't have a violent reaction. in fact, he just pushes his plate closer to yours. you hum in delight while you steal bits and pieces of his food
"you hungry?" chenle asks softly, smiling a little at the sight of you happily munching on his bacon
you give him a pointed look but you smile either way. "just a little"
"then eat up, madam. want me to order more pancakes? or do you want waffles this time?" chenle looks around for the waiter
hyuck's jaw drops to the ground. "that tone... that tone! i can't believe this.. zhong chenle... ceo ZHONG CHENLE is acting and sounding like a boyfriend!" hyuck makes sure to emphasize saying chenle's name out loud
"nice. you have a working pair of eyes" chenle says flatly, boredly giving him a look. "now mind your own business before i make you pay for the table"
hyuck gasps while mark burst out laughing and jisung hides his face behind his hands like he wasn't meant to witness this
"he just deflected it! he didn't deny shit!" mark cackles
chenle leans back on the cushion seats, looking absolutely unbothered by it all. you however just shook your head
"you guys are just being dramatic" you murmur
hyuck looks like you just dropped a bomb on him. "we? WE are being dramatic?!"
"yes" chenle agrees, nodding his head, "especially you"
the rest of breakfast was how it usually was back at the office minus the presence of giselle and karina. chaotic in your own terms. hyuck poking his nose in every little thing you two did in shanghai, mark laughing out loud even when it wasn't necessary or wasn't needed and jisung who was pretending that he didn't know you guys but you know deep down he's also listening in intently with the way he chimes in here and there causing mark to double over laughing and hyuck looking like a fish out of water
while you and chenle? just nodding your heads along with whatever hyuck had to say. not confirming nor denying anything. if chenle wants to push hyuck down even more in his own spiral, he'd say something off putting in that tone that makes you double think about if what he just said was for real
only you know the truth and maybe you're not gonna deny anything
besides, what proof do they even have?
in the midst of the chaos, your hands find his under the table. you look at his face for any reaction but he was just calmly talking with his friends while intertwining your hands together
you bit back a smile as you look away at the window, trying to suppress the butterflies in your stomach
especially when he tightens his hold around yours and rubs his thumb across your hand
. . . ᝰ.ᐟ
after having breakfast at the diner, you all were now back on the road. specifically, on the way to your house. finally, you can go back home
you were more awake now so you weren't leaning on chenle's shoulder anymore. you were sitting more upright and even leaning forward onto the driver seat while you and hyuck were talking about whatever
chenle was still in the middle, between you and jisung. earlier his arm was around your shoulders since you were sleeping but since you were awake now, his hand is now resting on your lower back
you felt his hand creeping up your back but you didn't pay no mind. one thing you noticed about chenle recently is that he's touchy. he has to put a hand on you someway somehow
"so.." hyuck starts again. "when did this start exactly?"
"hm?" you raise your brows as you give him a confused look
"don't play coy, y/n! you know what i'm talking about! you and your ceo slash personal assistant slash provider slash everything i want in a man" hyuck exclaims, pointing menacingly towards chenle, "he literally landed back in seoul as a different person in the span of what? a week?! usually if we pick him up from the airport he would've bit our heads off upon arriving let alone get us breakfast!"
jisung suddenly makes a sound between a snort and a laugh but managed to sound like he just choked in mid air. chenle immediately shoots him a look that made him shut up before he can even say anything
you on the other hand starts laughing. yeah, you know exactly what he's talking about
"see?! you know what i'm talking about!" hyuck teases, wagging his eyebrows, "don't think i didn't see you walking out of the airport with his arms around you! not to mention chenle ordering food for you— no scratch that. he was basically feeding you! and the shoulder nap? hello?! if this was a kdrama, this would've been the start of something new!"
"okay troy bolton" chenle exasperates, "are you done troy?"
"actually, i'm not" hyuck retorts, "the day barely started and i already crossed out like 4 of my conspiracies because they're no longer conspiracies"
you let out a laugh again, glancing at chenle for a brief second. again, amidst of all these accusations (which aren't accusations if you were being honest) he wasn't showing any reaction. he was just there
though you did feel him squeeze your sides for a moment before rubbing slow circles. just enough for you to feel tense under his touch. what makes things a little worse is that the rest of the guys were oblivious with his actions
mark was driving, hyuck continued to talk his shit while jisung was busy looking out of the window
you shift slightly, trying to calm your nerves down. this is weird. the good kind. there's a thrill to all of this and that kind of excites you in a way. like its a secret between the two of you
"anyway" hyuck continues, dropping the subject since you two aren't cooperating with his little investigation. "how was the wedding? i saw photos from jun and minghao's stories and it looked expensive.. did chenle cry?"
"a little" you smirk, shooting chenle a teasing look
chenle looks offended the moment you said that. he didn't cry! nor did he tear up. or did he?
"i did not!" chenle defends himself causing hyuck and mark to cackle while jisung stifled in his laugh. a little scared of chenle
"oh right, you didn't. apologies, boss" you smile, "but he did have a moment at the altar" you giggle
mark's ears perk up. "a moment?" he repeats, a little scandalous because wow... maybe his boss did have feelings after all and that he wasn't emotionally constipated as they thought he was (he probably still is)
"let's just say.. he got a little soft" you grin, nudging chenle with your elbow who only groans in response
the whole car erupts into a fit of laughter
"i knew it! boss man did have feelings after all!"
"he's not emotionally constipated after all" jisung chimes in
chenle pinches the bridge of his nose in annoyance. "traitors. all of you. also for the record, i do have feelings and i am not emotionally constipated" he shoots back, looking at jisung directly at the mention of his emotions
"hey it's okay boss.. it's okay to feel emotions" you tease, nudging his shoulder again. "it was kinda cute to see you not frown or have your resting bitch face on"
the car continues to howl in laughter but chenle? he shoots you a knowing look despite him acting like he wasn't just being shitted on by his own friends and possibly his own girl
all of a sudden, he gets an idea. since you called him cute for the first time out loud mind you, in front of his friends..
"oh? so now you think i'm cute?" he leans back, his tone obviously flirty
now it was your turn to be put into the spotlight since now you were flustered that he was openly doing this in front of his friends
but two can play that game
"maybe. maybe not" you play along, tapping a finger under your chin like you were 'thinking'
you aren't going to deny it to yourself anymore. you know damn well he was good looking. you even posted that for the public to see on accident
the car suddenly goes silent. the sexual tension now overtaking the whole mood with the way you two were looking at each other
hyuck starts squealing like a little girl. "they're flirting! mark! jisung! they're putting on a show for us and there's no denying it now!"
you and chenle continue to stare at each other to see who backs down first. theres a certain fire in his eyes that makes you swoon but you aren't going to show that right now. he squeezes your sides again before he runs his thumb down your spine
he winks before he basically calls it truce. he leans back, finally giving up for the first time. his own way of saying "you win this time"
you feel the heat rush to your cheeks as the car goes back to being chaotic. hyuck talking over himself. mark finally agreeing to whatever he was theorizing about your relationship with chenle and jisung.. well, he's jisung
you look out the window to distract yourself with the familiar view of seoul. finally you were home but you know damn well that things are going to be different from this day forward
. . . ᝰ.ᐟ
before you even know it, you were rolling into your neighborhood. the chaos in the car slowly subdued into sleepy talks and laughter. the boys did wake up earlier than usual just to pick you two up at the airport
you had told mark the address to your place when you all made it to the main highway of seoul and mark had finally pulled up to the familiar curb outside of your apartment
"so this is where you live.." hyuck says in amusement. cute!, he thinks
"thanks for the ride guys" you yawn, stretching your limbs as you finally made it home
hyuck turns around in his seat. "your welcome! but you should thank your ceo boyfriend next to you since this is his car and we just drove~ don't forget my souvenirs! i know you got me one!"
"yes i did" you laugh, finally opening the car door. chenle is quick with it since he also got off the same time as you did
"i'll walk her up" chenle announces to no one. you give him a look and he just shrugs, going around the car to the trunk to grab your belongings
the boys didn't need to argue because they know damn well if they did then maybe they'd be walking home from here
as you and chenle walk inside your apartment complex, the boys can't help but let out a sigh
"and he's gone" mark mumbles, looking at your silhouettes slowly disappear further into the building
"he's so down bad it's not even funny. i told you i wasn't crazy" hyuck snorts
"i've never seen him act like this... ever" jisung comments
inside, you kept looking back since your building didn't have any elevators but stairs, chenle had volunteered to carry your luggages by hand with like 3 flights of stairs
"i told you to give me a bag" you huff, shooting him another pitiful look as chenle basically uses all his strength to make it to your floor carrying your luggage
"and i told you it's fine and i'm fine i could handle it" chenle retorts, pushing past you as you two finally make it to your floor
you walk ahead to your door, inserting your keys and home sweet home
chenle trudges behind you, rolling in your luggage and carrying your carry on with his shoulder. he lets out a pant of relief when he was inside
"thought you could handle it?" you tease, laughing to yourself as you walk to your kitchen to get him a glass of water
you wordlessly hand him the glass and he drinks it all in one go. "i'm fine" he pants, wiping his mouth with the sleeve of his jacket
"sure boss" you roll your eyes, taking back your cup and placing it on the sink. "thanks for bringing me home.. literally"
"anytime, madam"
for a moment you two didn't say anything else. you two were just standing in the middle of your living room just looking at each other. the apartment was quiet since it's been days since anyone has been here
chenle's eyes flickered up and down and you can feel the weight of it all. words unspoken but it was loud and clear. with the way you were also looking at him, he feels it too
why is it kinda awkward all of a sudden
to ease the awkward tension, chenle raises his hand before he can even think. he doesn't know what to do with it. does he want to pat your shoulder? brush some hair away from your face? fix your collar?
so he just ended up freezing his hand in mid air
you blink. "high five?" you say awkwardly, raising your hand to meet his
it should've ended right there but instead you both didn't pull away. his fingers slid in between yours. just for a few seconds. enough for your heart to pound against your chest. hard
and then he slowly lets go
you were blushing at this point. its the little things like these that make you blush. chenle is smiling wide this time. the awkward tension has vanished
you two were acting like two teenagers in high school meeting up for the first time after finding out you two had crushes on each other
borderline embarrassing for your age yes but at the same time something about it is so....
chenle rocks back and forth with his heels, his hands now tucked in his pockets
"well," chenle starts, breaking the silence. "i'll text you when i get home"
you nod, not even bothering to hide your blush. "okay"
"okay" chenle murmurs, lingering a bit more before he slowly starts making his way out. his hand was already on your doorknob as he looks back at you again
"don't miss me too much" he smirks
there it is. his infamous smirk that you always wanted to wipe of his face but you've grown to like it
you scoff, rolling your eyes. "you wish"
chenle chuckles before finally opening the door. he was already one foot out of the door when he looks back. again
"i'll get going now" he announces, voice soft. you lean against the door as you watch him slowly leave
you nod your head. "get home safe, boss"
chenle nods, gulping because wow. could he get used to this. he waves at you one last time before you finally close the door
when he turns to the hallway, he lets out a sigh of relief but he doesn't miss the way he hears a bunch of footsteps and some rustling of the worn out carpets and a loud yelp
chenle walks to the stairs to see his three idiotic friends attempting to hide from him. they literally just snooped and watched the two of them bid goodbyes
"really?" chenle deadpans, closing his eyes as he pinches the bridge of his nose, again
"in our defense, hyuck made us follow you!" jisung starts pointing fingers at hyuck who was on the floor. he was probably the one who let out a loud yelp since he probably tripped on his own legs
hyuck immediately sits up straight, "so lover boy.. does it take you this long to say goodbye to your own assistant that you see at the office almost all week?" he asks, shameless of being caught red handed
mark covers his face, "jesus christ hyuck could you not be more obvious.."
chenle doesn't even answer them. he just makes his way downstairs to his car. when the three idiots realize that he was walking to his car, they all scrambled after him
chenle takes the driver seat this time since you weren't in the car anymore. so that meant mark had moved to the passenger seat and hyuck to the back with jisung
the three idiots knew better than to tease their boss relentlessly but they don't miss the way chenle glancing at your building when he pulls away from your street and how he honked three times before he speeds off onto the main highway
and the most notable thing of all, the small stupid smile tugging on his lips
BUSINESS PROPOSAL ᝰ.ᐟ . . . WHO CARES
✎ . . . things aren't going as planned the way you thought it was going to be. especially the part where you find yourself falling in love with your own boss– which was definitely not part of the agreed proposal.
[ PREV / NEXT ]
✎ AUTHORS NOTE . . . the final nail of china arc's coffin that contains 5.4k words i think and i didnt proof read this anymore because im SICK of narrations lol this took too long because... idk... ALSO my face is feeling hot with the way i wrote chenle's texts like why am I blushing over MY own work like ???? GAWDDDD I NEED BP!CHENLE SO BAD FUCK i really ate with this one lil character of mine goddamn. CHENYN YEARNERS WE'VE COME SO FAR IM CRYING
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your eyes flutter open when you feel weight over your body again. you look down and chenle's arm is wrapped securely around you. his breath fanning your neck as he still sleeps peacefully right next to you
and in that moment, you just lie there right next to him. the absurdity of it all. who knew that spending 5 days in shanghai with your boss would end up like this?
sleeping and waking up next to each like its the new normal. waking up with limbs entangled in foreign soil, wrapped in each other like its just the most natural thing to do
there's no panic or scrambling away as soon as you wake up anymore. just this quiet serenity in each other's company that you had grown to enjoy for the past few days
maybe its the close proximity of being forced to be together in a whole different country where you can't even understand nor speak the language
or maybe you've just grown to like chenle and see him in a personal level that he doesn't let most people see
here in shanghai, he isn't just your boss. he isn't zhong chenle, ceo of zhong inc. but he's just a regular person who happens to be the person you're stuck with for the past 5 days
you slightly shift your position so you were fully facing him. he was still asleep either way so not that it would matter. he looked like a whole different person in this state. so peaceful and not a single thought or care in the world or his business
for some strange reason, it makes your heart swell seeing him undone just like this. this chenle isn't the chenle you normally see in boardrooms or in the hallways
this chenle is the real chenle
just a man, a boy rather who just had a lot in his plate for his age
before you could even stop yourself, your fingers softly brush against his cheek. then to the tip of his nose then to his jaw. like you were tracing or memorizing his face with the tips of your fingers
you squish his cheeks with one hand just to check if he'll wake up and he does
his eyebrows furrow before his eyes flutter open. he blinks once before his eyes settle on you— who was busy playing with his face
"good morning" he says, voice gruff and husky from sleep. he momentarily closes his eyes again as he relaxes under your touch
you freeze. you face heats up at the sound of his voice. you roll your eyes to cover up your now blushing face
"drink water. you sound like the sahara dessert" you murmur, your hands still glued to his face
chenle simply hums, snuggling closer to you. he doesn't even open his eyes when he starts teasing you first thing in the morning
"so that means i sound hot, right?"
you scoff, retracting your hand away from his face. "and the moment is gone"
chenle chuckles, tightening his hold around your waist. "correction, we are still in the moment, thank you very much"
and you just let him hold you just like this. not a care in the world or the day ahead. as far as you know, you had a flight to catch later in the afternoon. you two still haven't packed or anything but that didn't matter at the moment
just the two of you just like this under the covers. where being domestic just like this is perfectly normal for a boss and his assistant
but one thing is for sure is that you two have blurred passed that line now and you're not sure how to open nor you're ready to have this conversation just yet with him but for now, while you're still in a different country, you'll enjoy this while it'll last
rather than having breakfast at the hotel, chenle had suggested that you two should eat out since it was your last day in shanghai before returning back to korea
right after breakfast, you two are now wandering around the streets of shanghai looking for a cute souvenir shop to buy gifts for your friends
"do we have to?" chenle complains, scratching his head as he looks around for said shop just so you could stop talking about it
"yes chenle. it's only fair for us to bring back souvenirs since we were gone for a week" you grumble, shaking your head
"it's not like we went here for a vacation! we were here for business"
"you mean to tell me that you consider your own friend's wedding a business transaction?" you stop walking to give him a look
"yes!" he exclaims, hands thrown in the air. "plus it's not like we left them with our load. we literally gave them 6 proposals before we left so all they had to do was to send it out to clients by the time we get back"
instead of coming up with a reply, you just roll your eyes and walk on ahead. chenle heaves a heavy sigh before following along since you two were holding hands after all
yep. you read that right. holding hands between the two of you had become the new normal. it was the first thing chenle had reached for the moment you two stepped out of the hotel so you could get breakfast outside
after the whole ordeal earlier in the morning in bed, you just had somehow accepted it. actually, the both of you did. there's a quiet intimacy shared between the two of you
you could say you two have officially really blurred passed the line between assistant and boss because his actions are speaking louder than his own words ever could
the man who is walking beside you is no longer your boss in your eyes. he is the chenle that you had gotten to know a lot more in a personal level
you've literally met his parents for fuck's sake. his own mom even gave you a piece of her jewelry collection
so it's safe to say that you were in this weird bubble of more than friends, less than lovers
or what would giselle call it if she knew about your situation, a situationship (as corny as it sounds)
your train of thoughts get interrupted when you feel chenle tug your hand into a store. you look up and it was a souvenir shop you two have been looking for
"after you, miss charity work" you hear him mumble, opening the door for you
"charity work?" you raise an eyebrow at him as you enter first
chenle shrugs, shoving his hands in his pockets, finally letting go of your hand as if to unleash a dog
"go crazy with the souvenirs" he says
you let out a scoff and started looking around anyway much to his dismay. you have told him about getting everyone back in the office some cute little gifts just for the sake of it
he argued earlier that it wasn't necessary but you had firmly stood your ground about it. you just wanted to gift your friends a cute little memento of your first out of the country trip
but now look at him, following you around like a lost puppy. he's just walking behind you with his hands deep inside his pockets while you were going over after every single table and every trinket up for display
. . . ᝰ.ᐟ
to chenle, he had felt like he was in this souvenir shop for an eternity now with the pace you were going at
he can feel his patience decreasing by the minute when you pick up another bookmark or a tassel keychain for the nth time in front of him
"should i get hyuck a bookmark.. what do you think?" he hears you ask him
"a bookmark" he repeats, eyes darting between the said bookmark and you specifically like you just asked him the most obvious question (it's a no btw), "you want to give hyuck a bookmark"
"what's wrong with it?"
"this is hyuck we're talking about" he exasperates. you simply roll your eyes, grabbing a handful of bookmarks instead before chucking them inside your little basket
"bookmarks for everyone i guess" you murmured, moving onto the next table
chenle resists the urge to grumble out loud. why would you even ask him if you were just going to get everyone a bookmark?
you casually move along onto the next few trinkets with chenle right behind you like a kid following their mom at the grocery store. at this point he doesn't know what to do with himself since you were taking your sweet time
chenle's eyes look around for anything that's worth entertaining him while you were still busy getting everyone souvenirs
he then locks eyes at the pendant section of the store. he mumbles a quick "i'm going to look at something" real quick to your direction to which you only dismiss him with a wave of your hand
chenle makes his way over to the said section and there he sees a display of pendants of all kinds of stones up for display. the attendant greets him warmly before grabbing the displays from the glass box and letting him take a closer look
his eyes dart towards a rose quartz pendant since his mom already gave you jade. for some reason he too wants to give you a stone as well
chenle points towards the rose quartz and asks the attendant if they sell a bracelet of it. the attendant happily nods their head yes and shows him their range of rose quartz bracelets
he then starts to carefully check each individual bracelets. there were a lot of flashy bracelets which he knows its something you don't like. if chenle were to describe you, you weren't a flashy person at all. you always kept to yourself and avoid the limelight even if you deserve it
instead, he settles for a more refined and subtle rose quartz bracelet. chenle tells the attendant his pick and lets them wrap it for him
"你打算把这个给你女朋友吗？(are you going to give this to your girlfriend?)" the attendant asks, while wrapping the bracelet into its packaging
chenle looks up from his phone in surprise before nodding his head yes
"她真幸运。 祝你们俩关系繁荣！(she is truly lucky. wishing your relationship prosperity!)" the attendant coos, giving chenle the now wrapped bracelet
chenle thanks the attendant before walking over to you, who was still busy picking out very specific gifts for your friends back in korea
"you're still not done?" chenle asks, sneakily putting the boxed bracelet into your basket
"almost" you chirp, you then turn to show chenle two silk scarves you were going to get for karina and giselle. "look at these silk scarves. i think the girls would love them and i also got one for myself"
chenle smiles, shaking his head. you're so cute like this. he then takes the basket off your hands before letting you finish up with your souvenir picking
you steal a glance at chenle while you were picking out your last few trinkets. earlier he sounded like he was annoyed with this whole thing but look at him now. carrying your basket like it was nothing and he isn't even pretending to be annoyed anymore. in fact, he now looks like he is exactly where he needs to be
by your side
ignoring the blush creeping up on your cheeks, you resume your souvenir shopping
. . . ᝰ.ᐟ
you two were now at the counter, getting your things ringed up
for someone who is just getting souvenirs for their friends, it looked like you bought half of the store. everyone had more than one thing so it looks like you were going to give people a goodie bag once you're back to work
chenle, who is now unfazed by it all, was just watching the cashier scan everything. by the looks of it, you were pretty satisfied with your picks so that was enough for him. even if it meant you spent a hefty amount of time in this shop alone
he then sees a lone panda keychain that was probably left behind by a kid who wasn't allowed to get it by the counter. he picks it up and hands it to the cashier
you look at him weird. why did he just buy a panda keychain and who was he giving that to?
"who's that for?" you ask
"for you" chenle shrugs
you raise a brow. "huh? why?"
"you bought everyone a souvenir but yourself so i'm buying this for you"
oh
chenle hums at your stunned reaction. murmuring something along the lines of "thats what i thought"
you roll your eyes as you continue to watch the cashier ring up your items
after what seems like an eternity, the cashier finally tells you your total. since chenle had always paid for you at the speed of light, you thought that this time around it would be on you
it's your souvenirs for your friends anyway
so before chenle could even whip out his own card out of his wallet, you already handed your card to the cashier
"i wanted to pay.." you hear chenle mutter
you give him a fake smile. "it's my souvenirs for my friends so i'm paying"
"yeah but i got you something so it means i should pay" he argues
"no"
"yes"
"i already gave my card!" you counter, pointing a hand towards the cashier who just looked at the two of you in confusion
"打扰一下，你应该用我的卡代替。(excuse me, you should use my card instead)" chenle suddenly turns to the cashier
you let out a gasp. wow, his audacity
"you can't win this argument by telling the cashier not to use my card!" you bark
"wow. how would you know what i told the cashier?" he taunts
"what else would you tell the cashier?!"
"为什么我不给它打个折呢？ 所以你们两个不用吵架。。(why don't I give it a discount? so you two don't need to argue..)" the cashier weakly tries to get the best of both worlds
"what did he say?" you ask chenle who looked a little too pleased with your liking
"he said that we don't need to argue" chenle translates selectively. it was sort of true either way in his defense
"he did not say that"
"he did. believe me" chenle reassures, only to hand his card to the cashier
"if that's the case then why are you giving him your card?" you throw your hands up
why can't chenle just let you pay
"he said he'd charge half of the payment to your card and the other half with mine" chenle reasons, then urging the cashier to just use his card entirely
"this is ridiculous" you exasperate, shoulders falling limp as you basically waive an imaginary white flag. its like you can never win in these situations with chenle
and finally, the cashier gives the damn bag to chenle who smiles in triumph. he thanks the cashier before grabbing your hand and dragging you out of the shop
you two were now walking back to the hotel hand in hand. with chenle carrying the shopping bag for you
"you're actually so insufferable. i hope you know that" you muttered, looking at your intertwined hands and the plastic bag
chenle only grins and starts swinging your hands as you two continue to walk back to the hotel. "and thoughtful. you're welcome"
you grumbled but still, you didn't let go of his hand either
"actually. you're not thoughtful. you just have a severe case of micromanaging your staff" you point out
"damn people love to just tag people as micromanaging when all they've done is take care of the people around them" chenle pouts, "i just made sure your bank account wouldn't cry when it converts yuan to won"
"that would barely make a dent! it's souvenirs so even if it did, at least i spent on something that i actually wanted"
"then that's too bad" chenle teases, "you're so lucky to have me"
you cock your head to the side as you give him the side eye. you're lucky to have him?
yeah right. as if
but then your mind races back to the past few days here in shanghai to the car drives to the time he had personally went over to your house to take care of you when you were sick
lucky, huh
you huff, ignoring his words. chenle watches your face momentarily before he removes his hand from yours. instead, he wraps his arm around your shoulder, pulling you close to him
your eyes widen as you look up at him with wide eyes. he just smiles at you before leading the way back to the hotel
yep. things are definitely different now and you're now sure of it
you two were back at the hotel and your hotel room had just look like a storm had passed by. your clothes were scattered all over the bed while the souvenirs that you had just bought were spilling over the plastic bag
you were kneeling by your suitcase, trying to mentally map out where everything would fit like it was tetris
little by little you started to pack your things accordingly. you curse yourself for bringing a small luggage because there was little to no space left for your souvenirs since you did bring dresses and shoes
"i didn't think this through" you muttered, taking out another dress as you tried to squish some souvenirs in between dresses
chenle, who was already done with his own luggage just watches you in amusement. arms crossed and everything. "i told you not to buy half of the store" he chuckles
you shoot him a glare over your shoulder. technically he didn't say that but he did say not to go overboard but you did it anyway
"first of all, you didn't say that and second of all, the guys might feel bad if i didn't buy them—"
"they won't" chenle cuts you off. he pushes himself off the table he was leaning on and walks over to you. he pushes you with his foot before he crouches down next to you. "move"
"i can do it myself!"
"you can't" chenle points out casually. he chucks out the souvenirs that you had placed accordingly inside your luggage before grabbing the zipper and zipping your suitcase shut
"use my suitcase for your souvenirs since i didn't buy anything" he says, standing up to grab his luggage. he unzips it in front of you and starts putting your souvenirs
you quickly scramble to help him. all of a sudden a small velvet box falls out of the plastic bag. you look at it with an eyebrow raise because you don't recall buying it earlier
you pick the box up, inspecting it closely, "what's this? i don't remember buying this" you murmured
chenle's head shoots up. he snatches the box out of your hands
"hey!" you exclaim, "did you buy that?"
chenle doesn't say anything. instead he opens the box and pulls out the rose quartz bracelet he bought specifically for you
"give me your hand" chenle says, finding the clasp
you look at him with wide eyes but you give him your hand anyway. his fingers brush against your skin as he wraps the bracelet around your wrist so delicately
he clasps it and makes sure its secured and snug around your wrist. when he's satisfied, he lets go of your hand
"there" he murmurs, avoiding your gaze. "can't let my mom one up me or something.."
the casualness in his voice makes your head spin. how do you just casually buy someone a bracelet just because their mom gave a piece of their jewelry?
first he got you a bag because renjun got you a wallet. now he got you a rose quartz bracelet because his mom gave you her jade necklace?
without realizing, you unconsciously caress the jade pendant that's sitting on your neck. you still can't wrap your head at the fact that you and chenle are in this weird bubble so you do what you do best to ignore the butterflies in your stomach, you roll your eyes at him but your body betrays you because you can clearly feel yourself blush
"you're so competitive over everyone" you mumbled
"thank you. i try to be the best person for you" he smirks, shaking his head lightly as he also ignores the growing heat creeping up his face
chenle can't be caught folding over you like this. not yet
as chenle finishes up putting the remaining souvenirs, his hand reaches for the panda keychain that he also got for you. chenle lets you close his suitcase as he says something about he's done packing for you
he gets up and looks for your bag. the same bag he also got for you during the day trip you two had around the city. he attaches the panda keychain onto the front zipper
chenle tugs on it just so he's sure that its attached securely when it makes a small bell sound. he holds in a laugh when he realizes that the panda makes a lot of noise when it moves. he suddenly gets reminded of you
he shakes his head as he heads over to the bathroom to freshen up again, leaving you alone in the room
you look in between the now closed luggages as you let out a sigh of relief. though your eyes dart towards over your bag. you had watched him attach a keychain onto it
slowly, you get up to inspect the keychain he attached and it was a small panda keychain that was eating bamboo. you can't help but smile. he didn't even tell you that he got you a keychain though you had decided that you won't speak of it
but you're damn sure that you'll be taking that keychain everywhere even when you're going to change bags time to time
after a while and after triple checking everything, it was time to check out of the hotel
you both stood at the doorway, taking in the now empty hotel room
the very same hotel room where everything had slowly started to bloom between the two of you. from the first night fiasco where you found out that you two were sharing one room, one bed to making a pillow barrier that slowly broke down as each night passes
to starting the day by waking up next to chenle and having breakfast with him and just being around him the entire five days of your stay
your stay in shanghai will forever be engraved in your memories and in your heart too
"i'm going to miss shanghai" you pout, looking around one last time
chenle, who was adjusting his watch beside you steals a glance. he doesn't understand why you think you're never going to be back here when he had already introduced you to his family
he already knows and feels the dread of his mom's text messages that you two should come visit. so there was no need for you to be sad is what he thinks
"yeah" was all chenle could say in the moment. but the way he said it already feels like you'll be back soon
. . . ᝰ.ᐟ
in the lobby, jun and minghao were already waiting for the two of you
"we can't let you leave without a proper goodbye" jun muses, opening his arms as you and chenle finally make it to the receptionist table
chenle rolls his eyes but hugs jun anyway. along with minghao who stood next to jun while you just simply smiled and wave
"let's grab coffee before you go. our treat" minghao proposes, smiling with his hands behind his back
"also by the way, i already checked out for you since it was under my name anyway so let's go" jun chirps, waving his hand as you all follow him to his car
"thanks jun-ge" chenle murmurs as you all cramp in his car. jun looks at chenle through the rear view mirror and brushes a hand
"anything for my dear friend and his "assistant"" jun winks while minghao starts giggling
you let out a small huff, shaking your head while chenle grumbles. saying something in mandarin that only they could understand as jun drives off to who knows where
. . . ᝰ.ᐟ
you four ended up at some restaurant somehow despite minghao saying that they'd treat you out for coffee
once you were all seated, chenle did not hesitate one bit to start pouring you a glass of water, making sure you had complete utensils and all that. even propped a napkin dispenser near you
so much that minghao can't help himself but to comment
"what a changed man" minghao states
jun chokes on nothing and starts laughing
chenle raises an eyebrow. "what now?"
"nothing" jun hums, "it's just that we've never seen you like this. ever. like did my wedding actually changed you as a man?"
minghao gives jun a high five as they both start obnoxiously plotting out your love story right in front of the two of you
"i'm still the same person thank you very much" chenle scowls, ignoring their hollering and hooting
you simply cover your face in an attempt to disappear from the teasing but it only got worse whenever chenle refills your cup or when the food finally arrived and per usual, he feeds you off his plate
after eating at the restaurant, the two idiots who eerily reminded you of hyuck and renjun respectively
you all spent the rest of the day til it was evening at the restaurant. just catching up and talking about jun's wedding and before you know it, you were now being dropped at the airport
you all get out of jun's car and they both help you unload your luggages from the trunk. now you were all standing at the departure bay, ready to say your goodbyes
"don't forget to visit when you're free" jun pulls chenle into a hug. chenle hugs back and pats his shoulder
"of course. you guys should visit me sometimes in korea too. we're all waiting for you. kun and renjun" chenle laughs, pulling away to move onto minghao
you only stood behind chenle just smiling at the sight. jun however still invites you into a friendly side hug. patting your head in the process
"and you. thank you for coming to my wedding i hope you enjoyed and had a great time in china too" jun smiles sincerely
you smile as you nod your head. "i had a great time. congratulations again, sir jun, sir minghao" you bow politely
jun holds his hands out, shaking them frantically. "oh don't call us sir anymore. you're basically our new in law" he jokes, nudging minghao who gives chenle a look
chenle simply gives them a blank stare as he quietly gathers your luggage
"we're leaving" chenle deadpans, turning his back to jun and minghao who starts cackling again
you take that as your sign to leave. though minghao also offered a side hug which you gladly returned. like jun, he also pats your head before you catch up with chenle
jun and minghao both watch you two slowly enter the airport doors
"we're expecting our wedding invite soon!" jun hollers, cupping his hands around his mouth earning a loud groan from chenle and minghao howling in laughter
again, the two of them just howling and hootering in the middle of the departure bay
you give chenle a concerned look to which he only shakes his head and trudges your luggages faster. the sooner you get inside these doors, the faster you two would be out of jun and minghao's sight. which is what chenle wants
inside the airport out of the mischievous eyes of jun and minghao, chenle immediately found your hand
you barely realized that he was carrying both luggages this time around. unlike last time when you two were heading here, you were the one who handled everything
chenle easily guides you through the busy airport crowd like its the most normal thing in the world. you two stop by a self check in station to check your baggage and for the first time, he does it for you
he just holds his hand out, motioning for your passport and ticket so he could punch it in the machine and the rest of the usual airport things followed like clockwork but the only difference now is that he is the one fussing over everything
like making sure all your things are in check. you two passed security and immigration in ease and everything else in between
for the first time in forever, you just stood next to him while he does everything
now you two were now at the boarding gates, waiting for your flight. at this point you just felt like a princess. the royal treatment is a foreign feeling because most of the time, its you who is assisting him with everything and not the other way around
chenle had stolen your carry on and slung it over his free shoulder with his own carry on hanging on the other so all you were holding was your personal bag
every time you attempted to grab some of your things, chenle just moves it away from your reach. insisting that he'd be the one to do it because apparently you must be tired all week
which is a total lie in your opinion
you weren't tired at all. in fact, you never felt more alive. rejuvenated even
you two were just waiting in the business lounge, leaning on each other. well, you were leaning your head on his shoulder as he goes through his emails
oh right. when you're back in korea in a few hours, you'll be back in reality
no more sharing one bed, no more holding hands together, no more late night talks under the same covers
no more whatever this is between the two of you
you slowly look down on your intertwined hands. a million thoughts running through your head. was this all just a fluke. was it all just the close proximity and that it was all in the heat of the moment
unconsciously, you start to slowly slip your fingers away. your own defense mechanism to leave whatever this is here in shanghai. whatever happened in shanghai, stays in shanghai, right?
but chenle tightens his hand around yours. like he read your mind at the moment
you look up to see him looking at your hands and then to you. he cocks his head to the side as if he was daring you to say something or like he was questioning why did you just loosen your hand around his
seems like chenle can see the doubt swimming in your eyes because he simply shakes his head and holds your hand tighter. even bringing it closer to his face before you feel the ghost of his lips on your skin
"your hand is cold" chenle lies, catching himself before he does anything stupid (like kissing your hand)
for some strange reason, that was all the assurance you needed at the moment because you can't help but roll your eyes at him, chuckling softly at his obvious and blatant lie
so instead of pulling away, you scoot a little closer to him if that was even physically possible at this point, snuggling to his side
chenle takes this chance to wrap an arm around you because your reaction had also somehow eased his nerves about this whole new territory that lies between the two of you
because he's so damn sure that this was just the beginning and this is something that you two couldn't go back from here on out
BUSINESS PROPOSAL ᝰ.ᐟ . . . WHATEVER HAPPENED IN SHANGHAI, STAYS IN SHANGHAI
✎ . . . things aren't going as planned the way you thought it was going to be. especially the part where you find yourself falling in love with your own boss– which was definitely not part of the agreed proposal.
[ PREV / NEXT ]
✎ AUTHORS NOTE . . . 6 written (straight mind u) chapters later... amounting to a total of a whooping 37.7k words later (because this one is 5.3k words) china arc has finally come to a close 🙏 im wrung DRY with this arc alone JESUS CHRIST HOW DID I MANAGE TO SHIT OUT 37K WORDS ... anyway i hope everyone enjoyed their gigantic leaps of development because now we're entering an entirely new territory for chenyn..... let me know how you guys enjoyed china arc because i definitely did enjoy making it!!! finally finishing it feels like rocks have been lifted off my back lmfao also i kinda got lazy towards the end because i was sick of writing lmfao BUT NEVERTHELESS... ENJOY
the constant sound of buzzing slowly stirs you awake
you groan a little, snuggling closer onto the warm pillow next to you, even nuzzling your face deeper onto it
since you were now partially awake, you were in between a limbo of falling back asleep or waking up completely til you feel the pillow you were snuggling with vibrate
then you hear it. his laugh
your eyes snap open. you weren't snuggling a pillow. him
chenle's soft laugh fill the room once again. you shift awkwardly, trying not to make it obvious that you've woken up. though there was a restraint in movement. your legs were also entangled with his under the covers
oh my fucking god, you thought to yourself. so you mean to tell yourself that somehow during your sleep, you managed to wrap your arm around him and not only that but you had entangled your limbs under the covers as well
you were still a little disoriented. fragments of last night's events slowly replaying in your memory. oh right, the wedding was last night and so was the reception. you were dragged into some drinking celebration with the guests around your table and then the next thing you remember was that you were already back at the hotel
but how did you end up like this is the question
how? who? why? what? huh?
and why were you so calm about this situation? just yesterday you were screaming bloody murder when all what happened was his hand was just draped across half of your torso thanks to the lone pillow wall that was left behind
so where's that pillow now?, you thought to yourself
you were debating if you'd just play dead for the sake of it. if you just pretended you had managed to die from alcohol poisoning then you wouldn't have a dreadful conversation about right now if you just—
"good morning" chenle greets, voice still deep and husky from sleep despite being awake for quite some time now
you freeze in his hold. how did he know you were already awake? you didn't even move an inch. you hesitantly look up to meet his eyes. he was looking down at you with a small smirk on his face. his hair still disheveled, a sight you've grown fond of seeing for the past week
and of course, his arm was fully glued onto your sides, holding you plush against him like it was the most natural thing in the world for him to do
"... morning.." you muttered, voice slightly muffled
he leans back to take a good look of your face. "sleep well?"
"why are you already awake?" you narrow your eyes at him
"i've been awake for a while now" he says casually, bringing his attention back to his phone with his free hand. "didn't want to wake you. you looked soo comfortable"
you feel your face heat up. comfortable?!
you try sitting up but chenle just tightens his hold around you
"let go of me" you hissed
"no" chenle hums, adjusting his arm so you were quite literally plush against him. "you might roll off the bed so i'm keeping you here"
you never wanted to smack a person in your life til you met him
"you're insufferable" you scowl
"am i?" chenle counters, "then care to explain why you're literally all over me? snuggling and everything?" his smirk only grew wider at every word thrown back at you
you don't even have to look where your arm was comfortable resting over. instead, you yank your arm back, nearly smacking his face and of course, him being dramatic, just had to let out a loud whine
"first you snuggle me, then not even a second later you try and hit me? at least hit on me before you assault your own boss in his home country"
before you could say anything back, your head throbs a little causing you to wince. seems like the jet fuel still wasn't done kicking your ass
"headache?" chenle quips, removing his arm off of you so he could get up himself to grab you water and some painkillers
you almost curse at yourself for immediately missing the warmth his arm provided. you can't tell if this was the slight hangover talking or you've lost your damn mind
you finally sit up, watching chenle pad around the hotel room. he first grabs water from the mini refrigerator and to his bag where he miraculously kept a small medicine kit. you didn't even know he kept one in his bag
he comes back to your side of the bed to hand you the medicine and even helps you drink water
"since when were you this doting on your assistants?" you ask, wiping your mouth with the back of your hand
"since one of them managed to put up with me. letting me drag them to my home country and since one of them can't handle liquor on their own"
you groan, flopping back down on the bed. bad move on your part
"be careful" he nags, immediately scolding you for what you did
you only glare at him. "and you're micromanaging me again!"
"it's actually called taking care of you but sure. micromanaging you it is"
you let out a groan. he's impossible to deal with but you wouldn't have it in any other way
despite the embarrassing waking up literally next to him moment, somehow you didn't feel awkward at breakfast
in fact, you two are more closer if that's even remotely possible by sitting next to each other this time around. close enough that your thighs are touching his
and somehow you don't jump away from him anymore
you two mostly eat in comfortable silence. just the occasional "do you want more sugar?" questions or chenle letting you steal bites off his breakfast plate
he didn't dare to bring up what happened earlier or maybe he's just enjoying the serenity of eating together which has become the norm for the two of you
halfway through breakfast, chenle's phone buzzes. he picks it up and sees that his mom had messaged him
妈妈 (mama): 你为什么不告诉我你回上海了？(why didn't you tell me you went back to shanghai?)
chenle: 这只是突然的旅行。。 商务目的 (this was just a sudden trip. business purposes)
妈妈 (mama): 俊晖昨天结婚了！你在说什么生意？！(junhui got married yesterday! what kind of business are you talking about?!)
妈妈 (mama): 一个朋友不得不告诉我你在上海！什么样的儿子不告诉妈妈他们回家了！！(a friend had to tell me you're in shanghai! what kind of son doesn't tell his mom they're going home! ！)
chenle pinches the bridge of his nose in annoyance. so his mother found out where he is right now..
妈妈 (mama): 他们还告诉我你带了一个女孩过来？你还剩下什么没告诉你妈妈？(they also told me you brought a girl over? what do you have left to tell your mom?)
before chenle could even type out a reply to his mom's bombarding messages, she beats him to it
妈妈 (mama): 保存你的借口。 你今天过来。带上你身边的人。 没有例外。 待会儿见 (save your excuses. you come over today. bring the people around you. there are no exceptions. see you later)
chenle groans out loud, putting his phone down screen first. you look at him weirdly. he was dragging his hands over his face like he was dreading something
"what?" you ask, looking at him while sipping on your coffee
chenle huffs, grabbing his phone again and showing his text messages with his mom
"mom wants us to come over" chenle murmurs, rereading the texts from his mom. she wasn't asking nicely. she was quite literally telling him— no. ordering him to come over
"wait.. us?!" you gesture to yourself and him
chenle leans back, nodding his head in defeat. "someone at the wedding probably told her that i'm back here"
you let out a snort. people did walk up to him a lot during the wedding. hell, even the rehearsal dinner and you were probably right when you thought that they were family friends
"there's no arguing with her. if she says i'm coming over, then i'm coming over" he sighs. chenle pauses momentarily before looking at you, "that makes the two of us by the way"
"you're not serious"
"i am. dead serious even"
"i can't just meet your family?! i'm just your assistant!"
"which is exactly why we're meeting my family today since you don't get a say" chenle says smoothly, ruffling your hair a little. "we're going after breakfast"
now it was your turn to groan because he's right. chenle bites back a laugh at the sight though there's a warm feeling in his chest that you were about to meet his family because this was the very first time he's bringing home someone else who isn't renjun, kun, junhui and minghao
sure, you two aren't anything yet but just simply boss and assistant but he's already sure with himself about what you are to him. last night just solidified everything
and one thing about him is that once he's sure of something, he just knows he will get it
after breakfast, you two immediately went up to your hotel room to get ready to go to his house and the next thing you know, you two were already on the way to his house
you didn't really expect much. given that his surname quite literally works for him, you already know what you're about to see
and you were right
when his house slowly came into view, it was already what you expected. quiet luxury. the compound itself screamed wealth yet it still felt homey somehow
the nerves were getting to you. your hands were sweating with the way you kept wiping them on the fabric of your jeans. all of a sudden, you felt self conscious. you didn't look like you were about to meet your ceo's family
the taxi had dropped you off at the street. chenle pays the driver as you two finally get out of the car
"relax" chenle says casually, fixing his hair a little as he takes a good look of his house that he hasn't been to. from what you heard, they had built this house a little after chenle had moved to korea to expand their business so this was also his first time visiting, "they're not scary"
"you say that like you weren't just annoyed that your mom is forcing us to visit" you hissed, wiping your hands on your pants again
chenle scoffs and grabs your hand, intertwining your fingers together to at least ease your nerves a little
"that's different. she scares me and definitely not you"
before you could even retort anything, the front gates opened. chenle lets out a hum of surprise and content. you look around, not seeing anyone at all to open the gates so could that mean that the gates are fully electric?
all of a sudden a woman runs down the driveway
"乐乐! (lele!)" the woman exclaims, running up to chenle and engulfing him into a big hug, "你回家了！我儿子回家了！(you're home! my son is home!)"
you freeze almost immediately. you let go of chenle's hand as he hugs his mom back. greeting her back in mandarin while kissing her cheek
mrs. zhong lets go of chenle, patting his cheek before she turns his attention to you this time
your eyes widens as she comes up to you this time. she grabs your hands, shaking them lightly as she greets you in mandarin
"哦，你好啊！你一定是乐乐带到这里的那个女孩。(oh, hello! You must be the girl lele brought here.)" she greets warmly
you look at chenle for a second before looking back at her
"hello mrs. zhong. my name is y/n" you smile politely, even bowing
mrs. zhong coos and pats your cheeks before she says something in mandarin again that you don't understand before she ushers you inside the compound
chenle, who is now walking behind the two of you lets out a huff. "she just said that you're prettier in person and that she's so happy that you're here"
you look at him from behind. how did she even know what you looked like?
"did you tell her about me?" you ask
"no" chenle shrugs, "maybe the people at the reception took some snaps and sent them to her"
you wanted to say something back but you feel mrs. zhong hold your hand. you turn to her in case she wanted to ask for something but instead she coos at you
"艾优… 我儿子一直在喂你吗？(aiyou... has my son been feeding you all along?)"
"妈! (ma!)" you hear chenle protest behind you
"嘘！我在问她，不是你。(hush! i was asking her, not you.)" his mom shushes him, giving him a look
chenle groans, walking up to your side instead from behind so he could translate more easily. "she's asking you if i feed you. tell her yes"
you raise an eyebrow at him before turning to his mom. shyly shaking your head no just to fuck with him
"what the fuck!" chenle exclaims
"no no no" mrs. zhong shakes her head in disbelief. she then hooks her arms around yours. "我儿子怎么敢。来，我来喂你。你喜欢吃什么？(how dare my son. come, let me feed you. what do you like to eat?)" she then looks at chenle with a disapproving look on her face
"你为什么不好好照顾她？ 我以为我们已经好好照顾你了。(why don't you take good care of her? I thought we had taken good care of you)" she nags him
"我确实照顾她！如果不这样的话，我为什么要带她来这里呢？(i do take care of her! if that's not the case, why would I bring her here?)" he defends himself, hands raised up in the air
you couldn't help but giggle at the sight. call this your payback for everything he had made you do in these past few months. since he doesn't have the upper hand here. you can basically tell his mom everything
chenle suddenly turns to you with a slight pout. "why did you tell her i don't feed you? it's basically my routine to feed you" he whines dramatically
"别夸张了，乐乐。 如果你想留住她，就应该照顾好她。(stop exaggerating, lele. If you want to keep her, you should take good care of her)" and his mom ends the discussion there
chenle can only look at the two of you in absolute disbelief and defeat as his mom guides you inside their new home. why do you get the grand tour while he just walks beside you like he is the guest
. . . ᝰ.ᐟ
inside the house, it was lively. turns out mrs. zhong asking you what you wanted to eat was a trick question since she already had a feast prepared
in the dining room, there was a big long dining table filled with endless dishes waiting
though that wasn't the only thing waiting. inside the said room, his whole family was waiting for you and chenle's arrival
"最后 (finally)" a man who looked older than chenle which you could assume was his brother stands up to greet you. up close, he looks like a stricter version of chenle but they had the same smile. "你一定是阿姨们提到的那个女孩！ 很高兴见到你，我是他的哥哥。(you must be the girl that the aunts mentioned! It's great to meet you, i am his brother.)"
"that's my brother. he says nice to meet you" chenle translates
you respectfully bow and wave at his brother. the brother smiles and calls what you assume to be his wife over too
"and that's his wife" chenle adds
you turn to the older woman and smile again. she coos at this and pats her husband, clearly talking about you
you hear chenle groan again while he glares at his sister in law. maybe they were teasing him
suddenly chenle's dad comes forward as well. he looks at you for a while before nodding. he smiles and offers his hand
"你好。欢迎 (hello. welcome.)" he greets
"that's my dad. he said welcome" chenle murmurs in your ear before he walks up to his dad
you shake his hand respectfully as you bow again. chenle's dad smiles at you warmly before turning to chenle and giving him a hug
you stood next to mrs. zhong as everyone exchanges their welcomes. its been a while since chenle came home after all. okay so that's introductions done. so far so well. the nerves were still there but the way they greeted you so warmly slowly eased them a bit
you get seated onto the dining table a little after introductions. you were seated next to mrs. zhong and chenle at your left. initially his sister in law wanted to sit next to you but chenle said something about needing to translate for you
just like chenle, his mom didn't waste time into putting food onto your plate. you can now see where he gets that from because at one point she was deboning fish and chicken just for you much to chenle's complaints
"你为什么为她做这件事而不为我做？ 你自己的儿子！(why are you doing this for her and not for me? your own son!)" chenle whines, pouting at his mom who was a seat away from him
"你可以自己做。 你现在长大了！(you can do it yourself. you've grown up now!)" she retorts while still smiling so sweetly at you
you let out a small laugh, thanking her again for feeding you. you turn to chenle with a small smirk on your face. telepathically telling him that they were on your side and not his
chenle just rolls his eyes but laughs anyway. he then gives you a better portion of meat off his plate to which his brother and his sister in laugh catches sight of but they don't say anything. they just smile to each other knowingly that their beloved little brother isn't telling them something
"乐乐坠入爱河了吗？(has lele fallen in love?)" his sister in law teases, causing his brother to burst out laughing
"不要开始 (do not start)" chenle hisses, ignoring the way he feels his face heat up
before you could ask what did they say, a little boy emerges out of no where and taps your shoulder. he says something in mandarin and you turn to chenle who immediately groans seeing his arrival
is this his little brother?
"this is my nephew. he is asking who you are" chenle mutters in annoyance but still ruffles his nephew's head. "a little menace in the works. call it.. little boss man"
"和我一起玩! (play with me!)" the little boy exclaims, raising both hands up in the air
"he says to play with him but i just told him after we finish eating" chenle translates. the little boy doesn't leave however despite being told they could play after eating. instead, he climbs over your lap
you let out a surprised gasp while the rest of the family just laughs. you immediately adjust your arms so the little boy in your lap was secured
"画！(draw!)" the boy exclaims, whipping out a sheet of paper and crayon out of no where and hands it to you
you didn't hesitate one bit. you flatten the paper onto the table as you draw with the little boy, much to his amusement. the whole table coos at the sight. you seamlessly blending in with his nephew as you play or draw with him
mrs. zhong smiles so wide at the sight. chenle catches this and couldn't help but smile himself too. it was like you just passed some invisible test in his family's eyes
after a while of laughing along with his nephew, chenle has had enough. so he leans down next to his nephew's ear
"稍后再玩。 她来这里是为了吃饭，而不是照看你。(play later. she came here to eat, not to watch over you.)" he sternly says to his little nephew in attempt to claim back your attention
though the little boy did not budge one bit. he looks up and gives chenle an unimpressed nasty look. "那又怎样？ 你的女朋友喜欢我胜过喜欢你。(so what? your girlfriend likes me more than she likes you.)"
chenle's mouth drops in absolute shock. the audacity of this little boy?
the whole table bursts out laughing. you can't help but laugh awkwardly. you didn't know what just happened and why is chenle having a glaring contest with his nephew
"he did not just say that. to me" chenle grits his teeth
the little boy pokes his tongue out to chenle to add more salt to the wound before he wraps his small arms around your neck, completely hogging you from chenle
his brother and his wife are laughing uncontrollably at this point. even whipping out their phones to capture the moment
"i'm guessing he said something about me?" you ask chenle, chuckling softly as the boy continues to taunt his one and only uncle
"no. he said something worse to me and on top of all that, he called you my girlfriend"
you feel your cheeks heat up. suddenly turning your head away from chenle but his whole family sees you blushing
"祝贺你。(congratulations)" his brother wheezes, "我儿子刚刚曝光了你。 (my son just exposed you)"
chenle doesn't know if he wanted to disappear right there and then. first, they didn't even give him a grand welcome and prioritized you over him. now his own family is teasing him about you?
though amidst of everything, chenle couldn't help but fight back a smile because this just clearly meant that you are accepted with his family
they like you as much as he does
but little did he know, you noticed the way his lips curled up
. . . ᝰ.ᐟ
a little after lunch, his mom had decided to give you a whole slideshow presentation with chenle's pictures growing up. you were told about his achievements at a young age and how he liked to sing. she even showed some videos of him singing and chenle couldn't help but turn red in absolute embarrassment
its like his family only had one duty today and that was to embarrass the shit out of him to you
and you? you were having the time of your life. you had new material to tease him over when he's being a little bitch
your initial nervousness had disappeared. you felt completely welcomed by his family and you couldn't be more happy
as his mother starts telling the story of chenle's obsession with ultraman, chenle groans right next to you
"我们为什么要这么做，妈？她非得知道吗？！(why are we doing this, mom? does she have to know? ！)" chenle complains, sulking behind you by covering his face with a pillow
"因为你从不带任何人回家！我必须让他们知道你那时候真是个难缠的孩子。(because you never bring anyone home! i had to let them know that you were truly a troublesome child back then.)" his mom says firmly. she turns to the next page of the 7th photo album of chenle, which now had pictures of him doing ridiculous poses
then the rest of the afternoon becomes a blur that's almost domestic. maybe even too domestic. you had fit right in with their usual routine like you've always been here
you had already helped his sister in law cut some fruit for a fruit platter for snacks, you had played endlessly with his nephew that he had started calling you "ayi" unknowingly. (you still dont even know what this means) and you even had a talk with his dad about chenle's company to which you were given nods of approval
and chenle? chenle had watched it all. he sometimes pretend to be on his phone but he was attentive and stealing glances time to time. he's amused, he's happy and most of all, he's completely head over heels over you
the sun has started to set when you had moved to their personal basketball court due to his nephew's request to play basketball
you had no escape since his nephew deliberately wrapped his small hands around yours, dragging you outside to play with him
"快来吧，阿姨！ 我们在外面玩吧！(come on, auntie! let's play outside!)" the little boy exclaims
there was that word again. ayi
you glance at chenle who was walking behind the two of you. "what's ayi?"
"it means auntie" he explains casually
you nod your head, now smiling down at the little boy who was guiding you to the basketball court
"okay little guy. but i'm not good at basketball" you pat the boy's head affectionately
"that makes the two of you" chenle calls out, smug earning a glare from you
there was a small mini hoop that was just for the boy next to the usual hoop. though you two aren't exactly playing basketball. you were just chasing the little boy around while he dribbled messily. you two are both laughing uncontrollably as he pretends to dunk on you on the small mini hoop
you cheer on the little boy as you raise your hands up for him to give you a high five to which he does enthusiastically. he even engulfs you into a hug while he laughs loudly. clearly enjoying playing with you
meanwhile on the sides, chenle, his brother and his sister in law were just watching the two of you with smiles on their faces
"她和他在一起很好。(she gets along well with him)" chenle's sister in law coos. she smiles so wide at the sight and even starts to take pictures. she makes a mental note to send them to chenle later
chenle scoffs, shoving his hands in his pockets. "他喜欢和他一起玩的任何人。(he likes anyone who plays with him)"
chenle's brother shakes his head. "不，他不容易对人产生好感，但看看他。(no, he doesn't easily develop a good impression of people, but look at him.)"
chenle's jaw tightens. his eyes drift towards you, who is now crouching to meet his nephew's eyes. you were teaching him how to dribble without missing the ball after a couple of bounces
your laugh fills the area when his nephew successfully does what you just taught him
"very good!" you beam, ruffling the boy's hair once again. his nephew squeals and chases you again with the ball. you obviously play along as you let him catch you
"她在这里很合适。(she is very suitable here.)" chenle's sister in law suddenly blurts out after spending the entire afternoon with you, "就像她真的属于这里一样. (just as if she truly belonged here)"
her words hit chenle harder than what he expected
his heart skips a beat as he suddenly can't hear anything but his heart pounding against his chest. he doesn't even know what to say to that. what are you even supposed to say to that?
his eyes find you again. your hair is now all messy from running around the court. your cheeks are flushed from laughing and smiling at his nephew
he hates how his mind starts to imagine that he could spend weekends back here in shanghai with his family with you
his sister in law steals a glance at chenle, reading between the lines of his silence
"你也有这种感觉。 你不这么认为吗？(you have that feeling too. don't you think so?)"
chenle, for once, doesn't have anything to say back. he just lets his silence do the talking for him but the way his throat bobbled up and down and the way the tips of his ears turned red already tells them everything
"我的小弟弟 (my little brother)" his brother suddenly wraps an arm around him, "你终于坠入爱河了 (you've finally fallen in love.)"
chenle just rolls his eyes and pushes his arm away but his smile gives him away. this is the first time he let a person know that he has fallen in love with his assistant
though he didn't exactly introduce you as his assistant either way
because at this point, he doesn't see you that way anymore
. . . ᝰ.ᐟ
the sun had officially set. it was starting to dim that chenle's parents had to turn on the outdoor lights so you and his little nephew could still be playing
"y/n" chenle calls out from the other side of the court, "time to go"
you glance up, wiping the sweat on your forehead. chenle was standing beside his brother and his sister in law
his nephew groans beside you. "nooo!" he whines. he grabs your hand, "留下来！我想多玩一会儿！(stay! i want to play a little longer!)"
you bend down a little, giving him an apologetic smile as you also wipe his sweat. "i'll visit again, okay?" you smile softly though you, yourself aren't sure when you're even going to be back here in shanghai
his nephew stares at you for a little while before he lets you walk him back to the group, hand in hand
chenle watches the two of you walk up to them. he feels all mushy all of a sudden just seeing you hold his little nephew's hand
as you reach them, chenle turns to his brother. "哥 感谢今天 (brother, thanks for today)"
"先别谢我 (don't thank me yet)" his brother only smirks and pushes his shoulder playfully, "感谢她。你把她带回家了，现在看看。我儿子不想放手。(thank her. you brought her home, now take a look. my son doesn't want to let go.)" his brother gestures to you and his son, who now latched onto your legs, hugging them so you wouldn't leave
"不要离开！(don't leave!)" his nephew wails, "我喜欢阿姨！我想让阿姨留下来和我一起玩！(i like the auntie! i want her to stay and play with me!)"
and right on cue, chenle's parents both walk out to the basketball court where everyone was in
"这里发生了什么？(what happened here?)" mrs. zhong asks, concerned after hearing her beloved grandson crying
chenle's sister in law took the initiative to explain what was going on. mr. zhong only laughs as the now crying boy while mrs. zhong couldn't help but coo and feel bad for both you and her grandson
"别走 阿姨 (don't go auntie)" his nephew sniffles
you let out a coo, crouching down to wipe his tears and snot for him
chenle rolls his eyes at his nephews dramatics and comes near the two of you. he tugs on his nephew's shirt. "你从来不是这样的，所以别再哭了。 (you've never been like this, so stop crying.)"
his nephew doesn't even look at chenle. instead he wraps his arms tightly around your neck. "我不在乎你！我更喜欢阿姨！(i don't care about you! I prefer auntie!)"
you look at chenle in surprise before bursting out laughing. his whole family is laughing too. chenle however, looked offended because he used to be the favorite uncle. now he's been replaced with you and you just met this little kid today
chenle huffs, now pulling the kid away from you. "我曾经是你的最爱— (i was once your favorite—)"
"她现在是我最喜欢的！(she is now my favorite!)" chenle's nephew cuts him off, wailing in chenle's arms
you stood up to poke his nephew's nose. "don't cry. we'll visit again. we will play again"
chenle couldn't help but look at you while you try to comfort his nephew who was in his arms. his eyes don't leave your face as you still coddle and fuss with his nephew
eventually his nephew stops wailing and stares at you with his lower lip jutted out before nodding his head yes despite not understanding what you said. all he understood was "play"
chenle puts his nephew down as he runs to his own parents. his parents soothe him before his brother picks him up
mrs. zhong suddenly steps forward after unclasping her jade necklace. she comes to you and grabs your hand before putting the necklace in your hands
"这是给你的 (this is for you)" she says gently. holding your hands firmly
you look at her and then your hands before you realize it was a jade necklace
"oh, i can't accept this mrs. zho—"
mrs. zhong firmly shakes her head no. she takes the necklace again and puts it on for you before saying something in mandarin. her tone firm but kind
"she says its from her collection and she wants you to have it. it's for luck and protection" chenle translates, voice soft
you look at him before looking back at his mother who's smiling at you fondly. you are deeply touched by her act. you caress the jade pendant before reaching out for her hands this time around
"thank you, mrs. zhong" you say kindly
mrs. zhong smiles so wide her cheeks are starting to hurt. she tightens her grip on your hands before she reluctantly lets go. mr. zhong wraps an arm around her shoulders as he smiles at you warmly once more
chenle takes this time to step in right next to you. he gives his parents a look before bowing
"谢谢今天，爸爸妈妈。(thanks for today, mom and dad)" chenle says sincerely
after a couple more bidding farewell, hugs and even food souvenirs from his mom, you and chenle finally begin walking down the driveway to the uber his dad had ordered for the two of you
as you all reached the final steps, you both turn back to his family. you bow sincerely, thanking them for today and their hospitality. his mom wraps her arms around you again. wishing you a safe trip back and that to take care
chenle couldn't help but shake his head that you had his mom wrapped around your finger. he catches the gaze of his dad. even if he didn't say anything, he just knows what he means by his stare
chenle's brother pats his shoulder before leaning close to his ear so only chenle could hear
"如果你放了她，那你就是一个没有未来的绝对白痴。(if you let her go, you would be an absolute idiot with no future.)"
chenle shoots him a look but doesn't argue nor push further. not when he can see his nephew glaring daggers at him like it was his fault that you had to go home with him
the uber had finally arrived and it was time to go. chenle bids farewell one last time to his family before guiding you to the car first
"照顾好她，乐乐！(take care of her, lele!)" he hears his sister in law shout. he gives her a wink before getting inside the car
"i will" chenle mutters to himself but you caught it. you look at him with a look of confusion on your face but chenle simply shakes his head. saying it was nothing but you know better because the way he immediately wraps an arm around you tells you otherwise
you two were now back at the hotel after a long day with his family
the pillow wall that you had initially set up from day 1 is no longer in sight. its like you and chenle had come to a mutual agreement to just not put the wall back up especially after today's event
and for some reason you don't have the reason to build it up again
but despite not having the pillow wall up anymore, you two still kept some distance since you two haven't talked about where whatever this thing between the two of you are going from this point out
you two are already in bed. being with his family the whole day did its thing on you and you were beyond exhausted but its the fulfilling type of exhaustion
it was silent in the room. not the uncomfortable kind but the silence where there's clearly words to say but unsure on how to get it across
you were already in and out of consciousness when you hear chenle speak
"have you enjoyed your stay here in shanghai?" he asks softly, turning around so he could face you
you blink up as his face comes into full view. there wasn't a pillow between the two of you after all. you can tell he was also exhausted. instead of saying anything you just nod your head yes before unconsciously scooting closer to the middle
chenle turns to look up at the ceiling. his heart hammering against his chest again. he's more than happy to know that you've been enjoying your time here since it's coming to an end tomorrow
"then i've enjoyed our trip too" chenle murmurs into the darkness. the feeling of warmth surges through his body. if you're happy then he's happy too
he then turns to his side again and he's met with your face just inches apart from his but you were already sleeping
chenle brushes the loose hair away from your face, tucking them behind the shell of your ear
maybe one forehead kiss wouldn't hurt?
he waits for a moment just in case you stir awake but when you're just still, breath even, he takes his chance
chenle softly presses a kiss on the top of your head
he can feel himself blushing despite the darkness. he just knows his face is beet red right now because he just kissed you
all of a sudden, you stir. chenle's soul almost leaves his body. were you somehow awake this whole time and you just felt him steal a kiss while your eyes were closed?
but its just you scooting even more closer to him. like your body was unconsciously seeking for his warmth
chenle doesn't hesitate to wrap his arm around you again. this time it was a conscious decision unlike last night where you two just entangled your limbs together in your sleep
chenle pulls you snug against him and you immediately wrap your arms around his torso as you get lulled into a deeper slumber. for some reason your body relaxes more under his hold
chenle tosses his phone to the side before wrapping his free arm around your torso. now you're wrapped in his embrace
he sighs in absolute delight before falling asleep
BUSINESS PROPOSAL ᝰ.ᐟ . . . I WILL
✎ . . . things aren't going as planned the way you thought it was going to be. especially the part where you find yourself falling in love with your own boss– which was definitely not part of the agreed proposal.
[ PREV / NEXT ]
✎ AUTHORS NOTE . . . my first published work as a student pilot JOKESSS WERE JOKING LMFAO hai... long time no see... i got a bit busy with my new life and only had the time today to sit down and write my ass off lmfao... this is 6k words i believe..... guys i cant believe china arc is coming to an end </3 we're like 20k words deep oH MY GAWDD hopefully this was the worth the wait <333 chenyn my cocaine are bacj in BIZZZZ
You had finally reached the day when you gathered the courage to start going to the gym. You had postponed this decision too many times, but after your doctor gave you a firm warning, there you were—standing at the front desk, trying to look confident. The registration was done and a friendly receptionist led you through the place, saying that a trainer would help you with your first workouts.
On the other side of the gym, Jaemin—a regular and close friend of one of the trainers, Jeno—was already paying attention. He immediately noticed your new face.
Over the next few days, you slowly started to feel more comfortable, even though you still relied heavily on your trainer. You felt insecure most of the time, especially with unfamiliar machines. Jaemin watched from afar, secretly finding it adorable how you searched for your trainer with your eyes—like looking for a hero. One day, he almost approached you when he saw you clearly confused, but just then, your trainer returned from the bathroom and stepped in.
Jeno, who wasn’t a fool, had already picked up on Jaemin’s interest. He even offered to “help” bring you two closer, but Jaemin always brushed it off.
The next morning was back and biceps day—one of your favorites. When you arrived, the receptionist let you know your trainer wouldn’t be coming due to personal reasons. Instead of going home, you decided to be brave and try it alone. You remembered the lat pulldown and headed there, only to find someone already using it.
Hesitating a little, you gently tapped the guy’s shoulder. He turned around, pulling out one of his earbuds—and that’s when you recognized him. That really good-looking guy you’d seen before. But up close? He was even more striking.
"Hi?" he said, calm and smiling.
"Are you almost done?"
"Just one more set. Wanna alternate?"
You nodded and waited off to the side, watching him with curiosity. The way he moved was so natural. Strong arms, soft features. Had he always looked this good and you just didn’t notice?
Once Jaemin finished, he stepped aside, and you thanked him shyly before taking your place. But something felt off—your grip, your posture, your trembling arms. And of course, he was still nearby.
“Uh… want some help?” he asked, already approaching.
“Yes, please. I think you know way more about this than I do.” You chuckled awkwardly.
“Well, since it’s a back workout, try holding the bar closer to the ends. And don’t lean your torso back too much.”
You followed his advice, and he gave you a small nod of approval. You ended up taking turns using the machine, and between sets, exchanged a few glances and smiles. Whenever you got a move right, he’d give a thumbs up or even wink at you—making you giggle every time. The connection was starting to grow.
Later, during the rope biceps curls, you felt unsure again. Before you could even ask, Jaemin was by your side. He showed you the proper form, then gently stood behind you to adjust your posture. Your heart sped up at his closeness. And his heart? Nearly jumping out of his chest.
“Are you sure you're not a personal trainer?” you teased, trying to hide your flustered smile.
He laughed, stepping back. “Nope. Just like helping.”
“Well, prepare yourself. I’m gonna be calling for help all the time now.”
After that day, you two got closer. Even when you didn’t ask, Jaemin was always around, giving you tips or just making you laugh. You talked more, joked more, trained more.
“Lovebirds, this is a gym, not a coffee shop!” Jeno teased as he passed by.
“We can’t even rest in peace anymore?” you shot back, laughing. “Jaemin’s just helping me.”
“Too helpful, if you ask me,” Jeno grinned. “Bet he wants to help with other things too…”
Jaemin nearly choked.
The comment stuck with you. Was Jaemin actually interested or was Jeno just messing around?
Jaemin, for his part, thought about it constantly. He wanted to ask you out, but he didn’t want to rush things. He preferred to wait until you felt comfortable—until you trusted him.
Another day arrived and Jaemin was working out as usual—or at least trying. You hadn’t shown up yet, and he kept glancing toward the entrance. He was just about to leave when he saw you rushing in, out of breath.
“You’re leaving already?” you asked, catching your breath.
“Yeah. Thought you weren’t coming. Something happened?”
“I completely overslept! I ran here just to see if I could still catch you.”
“You ran… to see me?” he asked, flashing that teasing smile.
“No! I mean… yes. Oh, Jaemin, stop laughing!”
“I can’t help it. You’re so cute when you’re embarrassed.” He kept laughing while you blushed so hard.
“Do you want me to stay and help you? Though I think you’re a pro now.”
“Of course I'm a pro! I’ve got the best gym bro guiding me. Look at those biceps!” You playfully flexed your arm, and both of you burst out laughing. “Thanks, but you don’t need to stay.”
As you were about to enter the gym, he called out, “Hey… I was wondering. Would you like to go to eat something sometime?”
“Like… a date?” He just nodded. “It’d be an honor, my favorite gym bro.”
-
After the first date, everything shifted. Well, almost everything. You both still claimed to be "just friends," but your connection was impossible to miss.
“You’re really gonna keep pretending?” Jeno asked Jaemin during a back workout.
“Pretending what?”
“You know.”
“I just don’t want to rush anything. I want her to feel safe with me.”
“But you’re dying to kiss her.”
Jaemin only smiled. He really was. Since day one.
You two flirted constantly—Jaemin sent gym selfies, always teasing, and you pretended not to fall for it (but secretly loved every one). He treated you with so much care it made your heart melt. Even after the workout, he insisted on walking you home.
Then came the dreaded day: leg day. You arrived early, did your warm-up, already a bit sweaty and out of breath. As you tried to remove a 10kg plate from the leg press, it slipped and landed right on your foot.
The loud bang made everyone turn. Jaemin, who had just arrived, saw you on the ground holding your foot in pain and sprinted to your side.
“Are you okay? Does it hurt? Don’t move! Should I call an ambulance? I’ll drive you! What should I do, baby?”
He didn’t even realize what he said.
“Calm down, Jaem. Just take me to the ER. It hurts a lot.”
With Jeno’s help, he carried you to the car and went straight to the hospital.
Thankfully, the injury wasn’t serious—just pain, ice, and two weeks of rest. Jeno left, but Jaemin insisted on staying at your apartment. Now lying on your bed surrounded by pillows, you smiled.
“Need anything else?” Jaemin asked, full of worries.
“Don’t need to worry, I'm way better. Just sit here for a second.” You patted the space beside you.
“Everything okay?”
“Yeah. First of all: thank you. Really.” He smiled.
“No need to thank me. I’d do anything for you.”
You blushed. He noticed.
“Second… what was that about baby?”
He scratched the back of his neck, suddenly shy. “I was panicking… it just slipped out. Sorry, I—”
You cut him off with a quick kiss. Short, but full of meaning.
“You talk too much,” you said, brushing his cheek. “And you know what? I loved being called baby by you. You can say it whenever you want.”
Jaemin beamed like a kid and started planting kisses all over your face, whispering baby between each one.
“I’ve been waiting for that kiss for so long…”
“Oh yeah? Then you better enjoy it—because now you’re taking care of me.”
He leaned in with that mischievous smile, brushing your nose with his. “Deal. I’ll take care of my princess… but first, let me give you the kiss you really deserve.”
And just like that, your favorite gym bro became your everything.
PAIRING: non-idol!jaemin x fem!reader
GENRE: fluff
WARNINGS: none
SYNOPSIS: you go on a blind date with the man you're sure your friend set you up with
WORD COUNT: 3.4k
"Have you still not considered the date?" Your friend Yeji whines as she drops onto your bed behind you. For the past few days, she's been incessantly asking you to go on a blind date with one of her friends.
"I don't think I have the time to go on dates right now." You say, turning your body towards her from your desk chair. Your job is ruthless during this time of year, and you don't want to think about the awkward first parts of dating right now.
"Come on, Y/N, I wouldn't suggest it if I didn't think he's worth your time. Just set aside a few hours for this date, and then you can just forget about it if he's not the one for you. I'm not asking for much, please?" She pouts as she sits up to face you.
Yeji perks up as she watches you mull over the idea. When she put it that way, it couldn't hurt, right?
"Fine." You respond as you squint at her, but she doesn't notice as she jumps to hug you.
"Oh, thank you! I promise you, I'll stop bugging you after this!" Yeji says once she pulls away from the hug. You smile at her enthusiasm. "I'll tell him to arrange a date for tomorrow, and I'll text you the details soon."
Yeji: He said to meet him at Namsan Park at noon. Just wait in the parking lot.
You look at the text as you get out of your Uber. You debated texting Yeji if she could at least tell you what your date was wearing.
"Excuse me?" You hear a slightly deep voice from behind. You turn to see a boy with sharp features and an inviting, tight-lipped smile. His brown hair was parted on the side, and he wore a black denim jacket over his white shirt, with lightly washed jeans. You notice a camera in his hand.
"Yes, can I help you?" You ask, putting your phone on Do Not Disturb before turning it off. He must be a photographer. Shame, if only he were my date.
"Are you..." He scratches his neck as he looks down, "uh, my blind date?" He says, bringing his eyes back to yours. Your breath hitches. Why didn't Yeji say she knew such a beautiful guy before?
"Oh, yes! I was told to meet you here." You respond excitedly to calm his nerves. He brings his arm back down and smiles lightly.
"I'm Jaemin." He introduces. His name is sweet and fits him, you think.
"I'm Y/N. It's nice to meet you." You smile. He looks down at the camera he's holding and brings it up for you to see.
"I hope you don't mind me bringing my camera. I like photography." He says, gesturing for you to walk with him down the trail.
"Oh no, I don't mind. Have you been doing it for a while?" You ask, turning to look into his big eyes. This surprises Jaemin, who thought you would judge him for his hobby.
"I've been doing it for a year or so. I find it's been a good way for me to relieve stress." He looks up at the bright sky as he responds, feeling himself blush.
"That's nice. I haven't found something to keep my stress in check, so I'm happy you could." Your kind words make Jaemin smile at himself. Why didn't Giselle say she knew such a beautiful and sweet girl before?
"I hope you're hungry enough to eat?" Jaemin asks. You hadn't realized that the two of you were walking towards a café with a lovely patio. You just nod in response. You skipped breakfast as your nerves were going crazy this morning, but now that they have subsided, you can feel the hunger you'd been ignoring.
Jaemin asks the waitress if you two could occupy a table in the patio, which she allows, and hands the menus to him. He rushes towards the chair you walk up to so that he can pull it out for you, causing you to giggle and mutter a thanks. He just bows slightly, giggling along as he settles in his seat.
"My roommate says the fried chicken sandwich is really good here. What better opportunity to eat here than with a pretty girl?" Jaemin smirks playfully. He seemed to be the teasing, playful type.
"Yet you didn't even know how I would look like. Would you have used that line if I wasn't how you would have liked me?" You ask as you playfully roll your eyes at him.
"No, I wouldn't have said you were a pretty girl. I'm lucky you are." He winks at you, and you feel flustered. He seems so sweet, but this side of him excites you.
The waiter comes to take your orders, and once she leaves, Jaemin asks you about your job. When you say your company's name, his jaw drops.
"You're kidding, right? I work in the building right across from it!" He exclaims, and you gasp in response. "I can't believe I've never seen you during rush hour or lunch hour."
After your coffees arrive, Jaemin asks to take a picture of them, which you agree to. You watch as he moves the cups and looks through his viewfinder to find the correct angle.
He utters a slight hum of satisfaction as he clicks his camera, the photo deemed good enough. He raises his head with a slightly hesitant look.
"Can I take a picture of you? Maybe I can impress you." He smiles, and you giggle as you agree. You hold your cup and lean forward, turning your head to the side at Jaemin's instructions. "If you like these photos, you'll have no choice but ask for more photoshoot dates." He jokes, causing you to lose composure and laugh, which he also snaps.
He looks through the photos and shows you what they look like. The digital camera quality elevates the photos' cute look. Your pose wasn't awkward, and the background of the bright sun on the trees made you look angel-like to him.
"Oh, they look so good! You're a serious photographer, huh? Maybe I should call you for my next posts." You say as you jokingly stroke your chin. "Delete the ones where I laugh though, I don't like how I look in those."
"What? Why? I think you look adorable." Jaemin pouts as he brings his camera towards him, looking at your photos. You blush as he smiles lightly while looking at the pictures.
Just then, the waitress brings your food. Jaemin asks to take photos of the food, and you nod fervently. You pull out your phone to take a picture of the food, too.
As you finish taking photos of the food, you notice how focused Jaemin is on his own images. You take a picture of him looking through his camera to keep for yourself. He looks up once he's done.
"Let me take a photo of you now." You smile, hoping he didn't see that you already took one of his. He poses seriously, resting his shoulder on the tables and leaning in it. After a few clicks of your phone's camera, he lifts the sandwich and takes a bite, looking at you to take a photo, which you do while laughing.
You put your phone down to eat, and the two of you talk about your personal lives and interests. Jaemin asks about your life before you started working, from childhood to graduation. You learn he can dance and play piano as well. He's a whole package.
The waitress comes to take your empty glasses and plates, and Jaemin stops her before she can, fumbling with his pocket.
"Could you pack an Americano to go, and would you like anything?" He asks you, to which you shake your head. You remembered his coffee addiction that he mentioned. He pulls out some cash to hand to the waitress, who goes to get the change.
"I didn't even notice that was what you were doing. You shouldn't have paid for me." You say, bringing your arms to your chest. He just laughs and waves it off. "I'll buy the next thing we do." You remark. Jaemin takes note not to let you pay for anything else on this date, so you can repay him by going on another date where he'll pay for everything again.
The waitress comes back with Jaemin's coffee in a to-go cup and his change, which he leaves a few notes. The two of you get up as she cleans your table, and he gestures for you to walk first again.
"I hope walking through the botanical garden doesn't bore you." Jaemin says, turning his neck to you to keep eye contact. You shake your head and smile back at the one growing on his face.
The short walk is relatively quiet, other than the slight laughs exchanged when little kids run past you, screaming out of excitement. The two of you walk close to each other at times, blushing when your hands would brush, but not moving away immediately.
In the garden, your conversations revolve around nature. Jaemin learns about your favourite flowers, while you learn about his parents' garden.
Jaemin felt butterflies in his stomach when you found a certain flowerbed or scene pretty and asked him to take a picture, moving to stand beside him. When he finished, he would tell you to move into frame and instruct you on how to pose, snapping photos. You didn't want to feel like the only one taking photos, so you made him pose and take pictures with his camera.
Usually, Jaemin doesn't let anyone use his camera, especially his guy friends. However, he used the opportunity to stand close to you, showing you how to use it, and put his hands over yours to help you take a good picture.
As the two of you walk back to the entrance, Jaemin has a solemn look on his face. This is where the date is supposed to end, but he doesn't want it to, despite his initial refusal to go on the date.
"You guys have to go, I think we picked out really good girls for you!" Giselle exclaims, sitting on the couch across from Jaemin and Jeno. For the past hour, she and Karina have been begging the boys to go on blind dates with their friends.
"No offence, but I don't trust the girls you'd pick for us. You don't even know what we're looking for." Jaemin responds, quickly looking at Jeno's stern face. Jeno had recently gotten out of a relationship that only Jaemin knew about, and he hadn't healed yet.
"Do you even know what you're looking for? Just trust us, we wouldn't pick someone bad for you." Karina responds.
"I have a hectic schedule right now, but I think you should go, bro." Jeno says to Jaemin. Jaemin looks incredulously at Jeno, but can tell that he's telling the truth. "It can't be that bad."
"I actually had a lot of fun, Y/N, and to be honest, I didn't think I would." Jaemin turns to you once you've reached the parking lot again, putting his hands in his pockets.
"Me too, Jaemin. My job has been stressing me out, and I didn't want to date, but now that I've met you, I really want to see you again." You admit, tucking a hair behind your ear.
"Well, I can't ask for another date without your number, right?" He smiles, pulling his phone out. You give him your phone, and the two of you add your numbers. "Do you have a car, or could I drop you off?" You feel your heart skip a beat.
"Well, I came by Uber, but I don't wanna inconvenience you." You respond, but Jaemin looks at you with an annoyed face, tilting his head.
"There is no way you just said that. Just follow me." He says, walking away, causing you to follow him. You blush, happy to spend more time with the cute boy.
In the car, Jaemin lets you connect your phone to the speaker, and you feel pressure to put on songs you like that you think he'd enjoy. It works, with Jaemin bobbing his head and tapping the steering wheel as the two of you sing along.
As his car approaches your apartment's entrance, you feel sadness. You look at Jaemin, who looks at you with the same reluctance you're sure your eyes show.
"I'll text you when I get home, okay? I think I live just 10 minutes away." He smiles at you, and you nod. You start getting out of the car, and Jaemin rolls down the window as you look at him from outside.
"This might be too soon, but do you wanna meet up for lunch tomorrow?" You ask. It's a work day tomorrow and you know you'll just be thinking about the fact that Jaemin is near you, feeling horrible if you didn't see him.
"Of course. Let me take you to my favourite sushi spot near our offices." Jaemin smiles, and you nod, muttering a goodbye before hesitantly leaving.
You look back as you approach your door, seeing him still watching you, an endearing smile on his face. He waves again, and you wave with a smile before going inside.
You think about him in the elevator and as you walk up to your door. As you enter and wait for Jaemin's text, you call Yeji. The line rings for a bit before she picks up.
"Did you just come back from your date? Oh, how was it!" Yeji asks excitedly. She hopes she made a good decision.
"Oh my god, Yeji, you should have set me up with him sooner! He's the cutest." You gush, and you hear her laugh on the other side.
"To be honest, I didn't think you'd like him that much, but I'm glad you did! I'll have to ask him how it went after this." Yeji says, before you hear a voice call for her from her side.
"Is that Chaeryeong? I'll leave you alone now. I'm gonna get ready for bed. You should too. Good night, and tell Chaeryeong I say good night to her as well." You say after you let out a yawn.
"Alright, good night, Y/N. Let me know anything else that happens." You hear Yeji's smirk and roll your eyes when she ends the call. Before you change your clothes, you text her.
Y/N: Why didn't you tell me he works in front of my office?
Afterwards, you hear your phone start to vibrate. You look at it and see Jaemin calling you, which makes you smile.
"Missing me already?" You smirk as you pick the phone up with uncharacteristic confidence. You hear Jaemin laugh slightly.
"Perhaps. Sorry, I know you're on Do Not Disturb, but I just sent you all the pictures of you and me from today." You hear his voice from the other side. Despite his deep voice, he had a soft, happy tone.
"Oh, really! Let me see them." You say, putting the call on speaker and clicking on his notification. Having already seen the photos from the café, you look at the ones from the botanical garden. Your jaw slightly drops in admiration at how good Jaemin's photography skills are, and you like how the camera makes you look. The photos of Jaemin are also lovely, and you can't help but save everything he sent.
"Oh my god, Jaemin, you might be the best photographer." You say, and he laughs. He had already picked a favourite picture of you to use as your profile picture. He didn't know you were doing the same. "I may need to post these on Instagram tomorrow."
You lie in bed as Jaemin starts to ask for your social media. The two of you are so engrossed in your conversation that you haven't noticed you have no mutuals.
"Yo, why are you still awake? We got work tomorrow." You hear a voice come from Jaemin's side. You assume it's his roommate, Jeno. You didn't realize you had been on call for over an hour, just talking and secretly stalking each other's profiles.
"Sorry, bro. Alright, good night Y/N, I'll wait for you outside your office at lunch time tomorrow." Jaemin starts to whisper, and you smile to yourself, happy to see him again.
"Good night, Jaemin. I can't wait." You whisper back, despite being alone in your apartment. You end the call and charge your phone, smiling as you fall asleep instantly.
Jaemin falls asleep with a smile on his face, too, trying to drown out Jeno's teasing.
In the morning, you're chipper to get ready, wanting to look suitable for your next date with Jaemin, despite your stressful job. You get your fully-charged phone, grab your keys, and sling your bag over your shoulder.
After you lock your door, you turn off Do Not Disturb on your phone. First, you look at your messages and see notifications from Jaemin and Yeji.
Jaemin: Good morning :)
Jaemin: I'm excited to see you today!
You smile at the texts he sends you. How is he so happy so early?
Y/N: Good morning, me too!
As you exit the elevator and get into your car, you click on your messages with Yeji.
Yeji: ???
Yeji: What are you talking about? He works in my office
Yeji: Oh my god...
Attached is a screenshot of Yeji's messages with someone named Han.
Yeji: How was your date lol
Han: She didn't even show up
Yeji: What are you talking about
Yeji: She said she had a fun time with her blind date
Han: Well, it wasn't me
You feel your heart sink. Jaemin wasn't Yeji's friend? Did you accidentally pick each other up?
Yeji: Who did you meet, Y/N??
Y/N: Oh my god, what the heck
Y/N: Let me send you his Instagram
You quickly opened Instagram and, since his account was public, you sent it to Yeji before driving to work. Your mind was clouded as you drove, feeling a bit shocked by the mishap.
You quickly get out of your car once you've parked, heading to your desk quickly as you pull your phone back out.
Yeji: Oh, he's cute
Yeji: Wait, he's friends with my friends Giselle and Karina, so you don't have to worry
Yeji: Was he set up on a blind date, too? Why are Giselle, Karina, and I on the same wavelength
Y/N: I never worried, you did
You remember him asking if you were his blind date, so you're sure he was set up by somebody. You put your phone down, trying to clear your head so you could work before meeting Jaemin in a few hours.
Having only finished a couple of documents, you hear your coworkers start to get up, and you quickly turn off your computer before grabbing your bag and heading down to the lobby.
As you step out of the elevator, you glance outside the windows by the door, and you see Jaemin waiting for you in a white dress shirt. Wow, he looks good. You walk out the door and turn towards him, who looks at you in surprise, before smirking.
"Hello, stranger." He jokes, causing you to look at him in shock before giggling.
"Have your friends been crashing out, too?" You ask, and he giggles before nodding, gesturing you to follow him as he walks you to the restaurant.
"Giselle and Karina texted our group chat asking how my date went with someone named Yunjin. I had no idea who they were talking about, so I sent them your Instagram. They said they knew of you from their friend Yeji." He answers, looking ahead as you walk.
"Yeah, Yeji got paranoid when some guy named Han said I didn't go on a date with him, but after seeing your Instagram, she said I didn't need to worry because you were Giselle and Karina's friend." You say, looking into his eyes.
"That's actually crazy. How did we end up stealing each other's dates?" Jaemin says, and the two of you burst out laughing.
"I don't know, but I'm actually happy about it. No offence to the people we were supposed to be with, but I don't think I would've agreed to see anyone else but you. You working and living near me suddenly gives me time for you." You say as the two of you stop outside the sushi restaurant.
Jaemin doesn't say anything, but has a warm smile as he grabs your hand, squeezing it before using his other hand to open the restaurant's door for you.
first, he notices jeno — his best friend since they were kids. jeno never misses a match, always showing up no matter how sketchy the venue. then he notices the guy jeno's arguing with near the betting table, a regular who thinks he knows everything about fighting. and then he sees you, standing beside jeno in a pink floral maxi dress that flows when you move, sleeveless and delicate, covered in flowers that seem too bright for this place.
you look terrified in this basement gym where the air smells like sweat and rust and decades of bad decisions. the concrete floors are stained, the fluorescent lights flicker and buzz overhead, and here you are looking like you walked out of a fairytale.
you're holding a cherry red shoulder bag covered in keychains — so many keychains that jaemin can hear them jingle even from across the room every time you shift your weight. he can't make out what most of them are from this distance, just sees beads catching the flickering light, little shapes dangling from the strap. they probably make so much sense on you, he thinks. of course a girl who wears a dress like that would have a bag covered in trinkets.
your eyes are wide and uncertain, darting around the crowd like you're waiting for something bad to happen. someone near the ring shouts something and you flinch, immediately pressing closer to jeno. your hand reaches out and grips his sleeve, holding on tight. jeno notices and says something to you, probably trying to be reassuring, and you nod but don't let go. your other hand clutches your bag against your stomach and all those keychains jingle softly with the movement.
jaemin wraps tape around his knuckles, weaving it between his fingers slowly. he's done this a thousand times but he keeps messing up because he keeps looking over at you. you're chewing on your bottom lip now, eyes fixed on your phone like you're trying to disappear into it. your shoulders are hunched, making yourself smaller.
you don't belong here. girls who wear dresses covered in flowers and carry bags with beaded keychains shouldn't be in places like this, watching guys break each other apart for money that barely covers rent.
he wins his match in the second round, quickly and efficiently.
his opponent hits the mat hard and doesn't get up right away. the crowd roars and jaemin spits blood into the bucket his corner guy holds out. his lip is split and his knuckles are already bruising under the tape but this is what he's good at. this is all he's good at.
jeno screams his name, jumping up with his fist in the air. you clap beside him but jaemin sees how your smile doesn't reach your eyes. how you're still tense, holding your bag tight, looking anywhere but at the blood on the mat.
when his opponent finally gets up and stumbles to his corner, you let out a breath like you've been holding it this whole time.
jaemin doesn't know why that bothers him but it does.
he showers in the locker room where the water barely gets hot and the tiles are cracked. changes into black jeans and a white tank top, throws his leather jacket over it. his knuckles are swelling and his lip stings where it split but he's used to it.
he grabs his duffel and heads back out to see you and jeno sitting on a bench near the back wall, and you're completely different now.
you're laughing at something jeno said, head tilted back and shoulders shaking. you're sitting close to him, thighs pressed together, knees bumping every time either of you moves.
your bag is on the bench beside you but the strap is still looped around your wrist, and you're fidgeting with one of your keychains, spinning it between your fingers while jeno talks with his hands about something.
jaemin walks over and jeno spots him first, face breaking into a wide grin as he stands up. "there he is! dude, you absolutely destroyed him tonight. second round!"
you follow jeno's actions and look up, and jaemin gets a proper look at you for the first time. delicate features, warm eyes, lips covered in something glossy that catches the overhead lights. the keychain is still spinning between your fingers and he can see now it's made of pink and white beads. up close your bag is chaos, keychains everywhere in different colors, little bells mixed in with beads, tiny charms he can't identify all tangled together.
"you were really good," you say, your voice is sweet and genuine. "i've never seen anything like that."
"first time at a fight?" jaemin asks.
you laugh, tucking hair behind your ear with your free hand. the keychain still spinning between your fingers. "is it that obvious? jeno's been begging me to come for months. i finally caved tonight."
jaemin watches the way you lean slightly into jeno when you talk, how comfortable you are with each other. he looks around the gym — drunk guys still arguing near the ring, voices getting louder as money changes hands. the stained floors that probably haven't been cleaned in years and the flickering lights that barely illuminate anything.
everything about this place screams danger and bad decisions.
"a pretty girl like you shouldn't be in a place like this," he concludes.
your cheeks flush immediately, darker than your dress. the keychain stops spinning between your fingers and you duck your head, smiling. beside you, jeno's grin gets wider, clearly entertained.
"i'm okay," you say softly, glancing up at jaemin through your lashes. "jeno's here."
jaemin looks at jeno, then back at you, and something about the way you're standing there in your pink dress with your cream bag and all those jingling keychains makes him want to get you out of this place.
somewhere cleaner, quieter, somewhere that doesn't reek of violence and desperation. somewhere that actually suits you.
"still," he says, nodding toward the exit. "want to get some air? it's quieter outside."
relief washes over your face immediately. "yes, please."
jeno just grins and reaches over to ruffle your hair, messing it up. you make a sound of protest and swat at his hand, but you're smiling, already adjusting your bag on your shoulder. all those keychains jingle with the movement, a soft but equally chaotic symphony of bells and beads clinking together.
the three of you head toward the exit, and jaemin notices how you walk between them, your dress flowing with each step, the fabric catching and swaying around your legs. your keychains create this constant gentle tinkling sound that follows you, somehow audible even over the noise of the gym slowly emptying out behind you.
outside, the night air hits cool and clean, such a stark difference from the stuffiness inside. there's a streetlight flickering weakly above, casting everything in hazy orange. you take a deep breath immediately, your whole body relaxing, shoulders dropping like you've been holding tension you didn't even realize was there. you step away slightly to stretch your arms above your head and your dress flows around you, all those keychains jingling softly as you move.
"better?" jaemin asks.
"so much better," you say, smiling at him. "i genuinely thought i was going to pass out in there. how do you deal with that smell?"
"you get used to it," jaemin says, pulling a pack of cigarettes and a lighter from his pockets. he taps one out for himself, then holds the pack out to both of you in offering.
you shake your head politely, a small smile on your face. jeno takes one without hesitation, and jaemin flicks his lighter for him first, then lights his own. the flame casts a brief warm glow across all three of you before jaemin pockets the lighter again.
a breeze picks up then, sudden and cold, cutting through the humid night air. you shiver immediately, arms wrapping around yourself, and your dress ripples with the wind, fabric pressing against your legs before billowing out. your keychains jingle softly as you shift, trying to make yourself smaller against the cold.
"shit, when did it get so cold?" jeno mutters, quickly bringing his cigarette to his fingers as the breeze hits. smoke curls from his mouth as he speaks, already turning toward the parking lot. "wait here, let me grab my jacket from the car—"
but jaemin's already bringing his own cigarette to his lips and shrugging off his leather jacket in one smooth motion. he holds it out to you, then reaches for your bag with his free hand. "here."
you blink at him, surprised, but let him take your bag from your shoulder. the weight transfers to his hand and all those keychains create this loud, satisfying jingle—bells and beads and charms all clinking together in a chaotic melody. he holds it carefully while you slip your arms into his jacket, the cigarette still between his lips.
the jacket swallows you completely. sleeves hang way past your hands and the hem falls to mid-thigh over your dress. the contrast is striking — his black worn leather over your soft pink florals. you adjust it, pulling it tight around yourself, and look up at him with a soft, grateful smile.
jaemin hands your bag back and the keychains jingle again as you loop it over your shoulder, settling it against the jacket. he takes the cigarette from his lips and exhales the smoke away from you, off to the side.
"thank you," you say quietly, pushing the sleeves up so your hands are free. "you're really sweet."
jaemin's ears feel warm despite the cold air. the contrast of his worn black leather jacket against your soft pink dress is perfect in a way he can't quite explain—two completely different worlds somehow fitting together. you're fidgeting with the zipper now, that same nervous energy, and your keychains jingle softly every time you move. jeno's phone buzzes and he glances at it, muttering something about needing to get going, and you nod in agreement. there's something reluctant in the way you adjust the jacket one more time, pulling it tighter around yourself like you don't want to leave yet.
"we should probably head out," jeno says, stubbing out his cigarette. "early morning and all that." he and jaemin dab each other up, jeno grinning wide. "good fight tonight, man. seriously." you step forward then, shy but genuine, and wrap your arms around jaemin in a quick hug. your keychains jingle loudly and you smell like vanilla and roses, and jaemin freezes for half a second before carefully hugging back. when you pull away, you're blushing, smiling up at him. "thank you again. for the jacket. and for—just, thank you. you were incredible tonight."
jaemin watches you and jeno walk toward the parking lot, watches how you look back over your shoulder once to wave with your sleeve-covered hand, all those keychains catching the streetlight. your dress flows around your legs and you're drowning in his jacket and somehow it all looks right. he stands there in just his tank top until the taillights disappear around the corner, already thinking about when he'll see you again, when he'll hear those keychains jingle and watch your dress flow and see you smile at him like that.
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even if he's distracting you from what you're doing... you don't mind when seungcheol takes one of your hands between his own in an attempt to warm it back up. he kisses your fingertips, and blows warm air in this little space between his hands and yours, peering over at your laptop screen while your game is paused for the moment. it's sweet. he's sweet. his lips press against your temple for a moment, eyes fluttering shut as the two of you just enjoy this moment together. you just lean against him, content.
today has been rough to the point where you nearly cried out of frustration earlier. but it's easier now, with seungcheol by your side, to forget about all of it. maybe you'll set the game aside for a bit and cuddle with him, your own personal space heater (as he once called himself upon learning just how often you get cold). for now, you'll just listen to him mutter about finding you something warm to drink or snack on to see if maybe that will help you more as he goes to search.
you just look forward to him returning to you, so that you can drape your legs over his lap and listen to him recount an old college story, or how his weekend with his friends went, or even what he ate for breakfast since he ended up grabbing something on the way to work today. it doesn't matter what he talks about: you think he could read off a grocery list and you'd be enraptured with the sound of your lover. he's your favorite distraction (and your his as well).
Hi there! I've seen some really good request combos but I can't recall seeing an angst x second chance one so i wanted to request it hehe :) The prompts i loved together are angst 43 and second chance 40 :3 with Mingyu, and with a happy/hopeful ending please!
thank you for requesting this!!! <3
full prompt list!
check out my masterlist! // gyu's m.list
angst prompt #43: ''how could you think i didn't care?'' +
second chance prompt #40: ''i never wanted anyone else—it was always you.''
you hadn’t meant to ice him out. not really. but it felt like mingyu’s warmth, his charm, his effortless way of making everyone feel special, had started to stretch thin when it came to you. the two of you weren’t even dating; just caught in that awkward, exhilarating, terrifying talking stage where every word and action felt magnified. and lately, it felt like mingyu was pulling away.
the texts had slowed. the late-night calls dwindled. and at the last group hangout, he’d barely sat near you, too busy making everyone laugh from the other end of the table. maybe it was nothing. or maybe it was everything. either way, you’d convinced yourself that whatever spark had been there before, it was gone now.
so you pulled back, giving him the space he seemed to need. if he wanted to talk, he could. if he didn’t—well, you were already bracing yourself for that.
what you hadn’t braced yourself for was mingyu showing up at your apartment unannounced, looking like he hadn’t slept in days. he stood in your doorway, his broad frame taking up the entire space, his usual confidence replaced by an anxious energy that made your stomach twist.
“are you avoiding me?” he asked, his voice quieter than usual, like he was almost afraid of the answer.
you blinked, caught off guard. “what are you doing here?”
“answer me,” he insisted, stepping closer, his brows furrowed. “why have you been ignoring me?”
you opened your mouth, then shut it again, unsure what to say. his sudden appearance had completely thrown you off. “i haven’t been ignoring you,” you said finally, your arms crossing defensively. “i’ve just... been busy.”
“busy?” he repeated, his tone disbelieving. “you didn’t even look at me at the restaurant last weekend. your replies have been one-word answers for days. what’s going on? did i do something wrong?”
his words sent a pang through you, but you couldn’t tell if it was guilt or frustration. “it’s not that you did something wrong, mingyu,” you said, your voice quieter now. “it’s just... it doesn’t matter. forget it.”
“don’t do that,” he said, stepping further into your space, his voice suddenly firmer. “don’t tell me to forget it. just tell me what’s going on.”
you hesitated, the words sticking in your throat. how were you supposed to tell him? that you’d started to believe you’d imagined everything between you—the long talks, the lingering glances, the way his hand would hover near yours like he wanted to reach out but wasn’t sure if he could.
it wasn’t like you were in a relationship. you weren’t even sure if he wanted to be in one. and lately, it had started to feel like he didn’t.
“i just thought maybe... maybe you were losing interest,” you finally admitted, your voice barely audible.
mingyu froze, like your words had physically stopped him in his tracks. “losing interest?” he repeated, his voice tinged with disbelief. “you think i’ve lost interest in you?”
you avoided his gaze, your arms tightening around yourself. “you don’t really talk to me the way you used to, mingyu. you’re always busy with other people. and i get it, okay? we’re not... anything. not really. you don’t owe me anything.”
his expression crumbled, the confusion on his face giving way to something raw and vulnerable. when he spoke again, his voice was unsteady, like he was struggling to keep his emotions in check. “how could you think i didn’t care?”
“because you don’t show it,” you said, the frustration spilling out before you could stop it. “you don’t text as much. you don’t call. and at the restaurant, you barely looked at me. how was i supposed to know that you still...” you trailed off, shaking your head. “never mind.”
“no, not never mind,” he said firmly, his voice rising slightly. “don’t do that. don’t act like what you’re feeling doesn’t matter. it does.”
you looked at him then, really looked at him, and saw the worry etched into his face, the way his shoulders were tense like he was carrying the weight of something he couldn’t name.
“i thought you didn’t want this anymore,” you said quietly, your voice breaking. “i thought you realized you didn’t need me.”
mingyu inhaled sharply, like your words had knocked the wind out of him. “realized i didn’t need you?” he repeated, shaking his head. “how could you even think that?”
“because it’s not like we’re together,” you said, your frustration bubbling to the surface again. “we’re just... whatever this is. and it felt like you were pulling away. so yeah, i thought maybe you didn’t care anymore.”
he stared at you for a long moment, his expression softening, and then he took a step closer, closing the distance between you. “i never wanted anyone else,” he said, his voice steady and sure. “it was always you. i thought you knew that.”
your heart caught in your throat at his words, the vulnerability in his tone leaving you speechless. “mingyu...”
“i didn’t realize i made you feel like this,” he said, guilt flashing in his eyes. “but i don’t want to confuse you anymore.”
you stared at him, holding your breath as he hesitated, then finally spoke again. “let me take you out. for real this time. not just a group hangout or a quick coffee. an actual date, just the two of us.”
your eyes widened at his words, your pulse racing. “a date?”
“yeah,” he said, a small, hopeful smile breaking through his nerves. “we’ve been stuck in this... ‘talking’ thing for too long, and it’s my fault for not being clearer. so let me fix it. let me show you how serious i am.”
you blinked back the tears threatening to well up, your lips tugging into a soft smile. “okay,” you said, your voice barely above a whisper. “yes.”
his entire face lit up at your response, his smile widening into that familiar, dazzling grin. but then his expression softened again, and he took another step closer, his voice dropping to something quieter, more intimate.
“tomorrow,” he said, gently brushing his fingers against yours. “i’ll plan something perfect for us tomorrow. but for now...” his voice wavered, the vulnerability returning. “can we cuddle? i missed you.”
“cuddle?” you echoed, tilting your head in confusion.
he nodded, a sheepish laugh slipping out. “yeah. i’ve been going crazy thinking you didn’t want to talk to me anymore. i just... need to hold you for a bit. please?”
your heart melted at the rawness in his tone, and you stepped back to let him in, his arms wrapping around you the moment the door clicked shut. his hold was firm but gentle, like he was afraid you might slip away if he let go even a little.
“tomorrow,” he whispered into your hair. “i’ll take you on the best date you’ve ever had. but tonight, can we just... stay like this?”
you nodded against his chest, your earlier doubts melting away as his warmth surrounded you. “tonight’s yours, mingyu,” you murmured.
and as his hold tightened just slightly, you knew you were his, too.
