[Y/n’s POV]

Sitting in the studio, I stretched my arms out as I reached to touch the tips of my toes. I shivered as my hand grazed the cold hardwood floor, causing me to bring my knees up to my chest and hug them as I looked for warmth. 

Shay was currently messing with the radio as she was trying to connect it to Bluetooth. We were trying to work on getting the finishing touches of our dance down, but anybody could tell that we were beyond exhausted. This was the hardest routine out of all of our other ones and unfortunately, we just couldn’t get the moves quite right. This, of course, led to late practices and sleepless nights. 

I heard someone clap as they signaled it was time for us to get back to practice. I let out a short sigh as I hoisted myself up off the ground. Getting into our positions, we went over the routine once again. Judging from the less than satisfactory glances that our choreographer was giving us, we could tell that we hadn’t done well. He soon called it a night as we all packed our bags and headed out. 

My feet ached as I padded across the cold floor of my room. Usually late at night one would be able to hear the distant sound of the tv buzzing in the background as all of us talked amongst ourselves. Tonight however was different. You could probably hear the sound of a pin drop. The exhaustion that was spread among us was obvious as I could tell that it had hit all of us hard. 

The next morning didn’t change my mind that it would be any different from the rest. Luckily, we were allowed an extra hour of sleep as we didn’t have to be at the studio just yet. Even with the extra hour given, we still arose just as groggy. The morning had a slow start to it as everyone seemed to move their feet as slow as they could in hope that we would be able to rest a little longer.

Arriving at the studio, I set my bag down before I let out a tired yawn. Our choreographer was the complete opposite of how we looked. He was stretching slightly as he was gleefully talking away with the other staff members. On the other hand, you had us who were trying to collect ourselves and not seem like we had just woken up.

As practice drug on throughout the day, our instructor called it quits as he looked happy with the work that we had been putting in. We began to see minor improvements in our routine which ended up uplifting our moods quite a bit. Currently we were all sitting down as we gossiped and chatted about to one another. I lifted my head as I heard the practice room door open only to reveal a familiar group of guys come in. I checked my phone to see what the time was as I started to wonder if we had stayed too late.

Ji-a called for all of us to pack our stuff as she apologized to the group for us staying so late as we didn’t want to be in their way. Zipping up my bag, I turned my head to steal glances from the group once again. I felt my cheeks heat up as I realized that I had made eye contact with Jisung. My face burned as I packed up my duffel bag, trying hard not to make eye contact with him once more. We had met a few times on separate occasions, him always being polite and inviting towards me. 

No matter how little we had interacted with each other, I still found myself to be quite attracted to him. I found his supposed ‘shy’ persona to be quite charming, which didn’t help my schoolgirl crush at all. When he was around me, he was actually quite talkative and made me feel accepted and at ease. Mark waved us off saying that they didn’t mind sharing the studio at all. However shy I was, and however awkward Mark was, we actually grew to be close friends. Usually he was the one who would talk and put in the effort in our conversations, but I honestly didn’t mind. In fact, I was glad that he took the time to talk to me and help me get out of my comfort zone. 

He waved at me as I was finished packing up, signaling for me to come over to the corner where he and Jaemin stood. Jaemin was another person that I had grown to be friends with since he was always outgoing. He often reminded me of my brother, which made me feel more at home whenever I was around him. As I made my way over to them, much to my dismay, Jaemin tousled my hair as he greeted me with a warm embrace. 

“Hey!” I squirmed out of his arms as I let out a chuckle. “I’m already sweaty, and now you’re messing up my hair too?”

Jaemin didn’t answer me though, instead I was met with his laughter that signaled his satisfaction. I couldn’t help but let out a small smile as I looked at the two of them. Even though we would see each other in passing, our groups different schedules would often collide with each other. Unfortunately, because NCT is as large of a group as they are, it only makes their schedule that much more hectic. 

“How come you haven’t been around lately?” Mark questioned. Before I had time to answer, Jaemin cut him off, “-yeah, we were playing Uno last night and you didn’t even show up.” He looked at me accusingly.

“First off, I didn’t even know that you knew how to play Uno because it’s such a strategic game.” I mocked him, making sure to put emphasis on the ‘such’. “And secondly, I’m sure you guys don’t have time to hang out with me anymore.”

Jaemin scoffed while Mark put a hand over his heart.

“Ouch, Y/n. You know that’s not true.”

“I’m just messing with you guys. I know that you guys are always super packed with your schedules.” I readjusted the strap of the duffle bag as I shifted it onto my other shoulder. “Besides, I didn’t even get an invite.”

“Yes, you did.” Mark stated. “Jisung was supposed to invite you.”

“Oh?” I felt my stomach bundle up with nerves at the mention of his name. I tried to rack my brain of why I hadn’t received an invite. On the outside, I did my best to keep a poker face in hopes that they wouldn’t notice the slight tinge of pink to my cheeks. “Well, that’s alright. I guess it just didn’t come through.” 

I noticed that Ji-a was summoning me towards the exit, hinting that it was time to take our leave. I nodded at her and turned my head back towards the boys. They had a disoriented look on their faces, ones that seemed to go unnoticed by me. I told them my goodbyes as they wished me and my members lots of rest for our upcoming performances.

-

[3rd Person POV]

“How come you didn’t send her a message?” Mark hovered over Jisung as he looked at him with interrogating eyes. It was quite a humorous situation, really. Mark stood up straight as to try and match Jisung’s lean height. However, Jisung failed to notice Mark’s tactic.

“I was going too, I guess I just forgot.” Jisung said as he scratched the nape of his neck. Jisung had been listening to their conversation with Y/n, but refrained from making conversation in hopes that she wouldn’t question him.

Jaemin squinted his eyes at Jisung as he tried to figure out if there was any ulterior motive to his words. Mark and Jisung eventually turned back to the rest of the group as Jaemin continued thinking to himself. There was certainly a possibility that Jisung had forgotten to text her. After all, he is quite clumsy at times. However, he didn’t have time to think about it any longer as Mark declared that practice was starting. He shook it off, registering that he was most likely overthinking the whole situation.

-

Jisung begrudgingly got up to shut the window as a cool breeze sent a shiver up his spine. He shuddered as he finished latching it, making sure to seal out any cool air that may come in. He slowly walked towards the wall outlet to check his phone’s battery percentage. In the middle of the room, Jaemin made his way over as he had a sly look placed upon his face. 

“Hm. Seems like your phone works just fine.” Jaemin look at him mischievously, squatting down next to him so that they were on the same level. Jisung looked confused as he racked his brain to think back to earlier conversations that they had about his phone. Jaemin chuckled quietly, as he could tell that he had left him slightly confused.

 “I just thought I ought to point that out to you since you didn’t send a text to Y/n.” 

“I never said my phone didn’t work, I just said that I forgot.” Jisung spoke a little too softly. Jaemin took this as his sign to continue teasing the younger member.

“I know what you said. I’m just a little confused. You see, I weighed the options about if you were telling the truth or not about texting her and I have come to a conclusion.” Jaemin had a cocky smirk planted upon his face as he was trying to get a rise out of his friend. 

“Which is?” At this point, Jisung’s palms were beginning to perspire. He looked up at Jaemin, trying to act unfazed at his peculiar antics. 

“You have a thing for Y/n.” Jaemin said confidently. 

Jisung’s forehead creased in shock. How did he know? Was it that obvious? As far as Jisung was concerned, Chenle was the only one who knew about his feelings towards her. 

“How did you know?” Jisung admitted defeatedly. He looked at him with curious eyes as he waited in anticipation.

“Oh, I just guessed.” Jaemin let out a boisterous laugh as he swiftly patted Jisung on the back. “You were quiet for a second, so I suppose it had to be true.”

“That’s not fair! You tricked me!” Jisung shouted at him as he pointed his finger threateningly. This only made Jaemin laugh harder as he held his stomach, tears beginning to spill from his eyes. By now, all of the Dream members were watching the scene unfold, confused as to what was going on. 

“What are you laughing about?” Haechan asked, making his way towards the duo. He sipped from a water bottle as he looked at Jaemin with a funny look on his face, secretly wanting to be in on the joke as well.

“Jisung has-” Jaemin didn’t get to finish his sentence when he was suddenly tackled from behind by Jisung. However, he didn’t seem to mind the younger one’s advances to stop him. He seemed to be too focused on laughing at the whole situation. 

Eventually, Jaemin stopped squirming and Jisung hesitantly let him go, making sure to watch his every movement. Jaemin gave Jisung one last wide grin as he pulled him in for a whisper, “Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone.”

With a sigh of relief, he felt like he could breathe again. Jaemin sprung up from his spot on the floor and met Haechan halfway, who was still curious about the commotion. There was a pit in Jisung’s stomach as Jaemin threw his arm around Haechan and guided him towards another direction. Surely, he would keep his word? Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad if everyone knew. Jisung weighed his options for a moment more. On one hand, he wouldn’t be ready to face the teasing that came from his members. On the other hand, he could get to know Y/n better. 

He sighed in distress of his current situation. After all, Jaemin was correct. He had been lying about forgetting to text Y/n. He let his nerves get to him, which resulted in him not texting her at all. He was annoyed at himself that he let his emotions get in the way of seeing her. He longed to see her once again, to admire her beautiful smile. He smiled to himself as he thought about their brief interactions that they had had in the past. He sighed in annoyance once again that he had been to afraid to speak more to her. 

From the corner of his eye, Jisung saw a shadow move towards his direction to which Chenle promptly sat beside him. This time, Jisung sighed internally as he seemed to be having a silent argument with himself.

“What were y’all arguing about?” Chenle said with a laugh.

“Y/n.” 

“Oh, did you tell him?” He asked.

“No, he guessed.” 

“Yeah, if you look close then it’s pretty obvious.” He said without hesitation. Jisung almost choked on air at his friend’s nonchalant answer. Chenle continued to watch his phone, unaware of his friend’s jumbled state. 

“It is? How?” Jisung looked at him in bewilderment. He thought back to all the times the members had brought her up. Was it in his favor? Were they trying to get a rise out of him? Surely not.

“You always try to find a way to talk to her or be by her when she’s around. You’re usually quiet and awkward.” Chenle said, not skipping a beat. “That’s not a bad thing. It’s quite funny to watch really.”

Jisung looked like a deer in headlights. The more he thought about it, the more he realized how obvious his infatuation with her was. He looked down at his hands in embarrassment, his cheeks revealing a pink hue. He wanted to tell Y/n his feelings towards her, truly he did, but the fear rejection kept him from doing so.

“So, what should I do?” Jisung voiced aloud. A tiny voice in his head told him to keep the subject at bay, but if he didn’t act on it right now, how would Y/n ever know that he had feelings towards her. 

“Well, for starters you could invite her to one of our game nights.” Chenle smacked Jisung on his back as he let out a hearty laugh. In all truth, Chenle wanted to see Jisung and Y/n together more than anybody. As soon as Jisung had told him about his small crush on the girl, he instantly understood the connection. 

It was often said that opposites attract, but seemingly so, that wasn’t the case for these two. Jisung, on one hand, was shy and awkward towards new people. Though, every once in a while he would show people his bold and rather comedic personality.  Y/n, on the other hand, was also shy but less awkward. She tended to stay quiet out of courtesy in order to let her other members speak. 

-

[Y/n’s POV]

I jumped as the door opened swiftly, as if expecting my arrival, which they were. I was soon faced by Jaemin who was grinning from head to toe. He ruffled my hair as he pushed me into their dorm. As soon as I stepped foot into the entrance, my nose was hit with the delicious smell of pizza. Frankly, I didn’t care what I ate at the moment. All I knew was that I was hungry.

As I walked in, Jeno was the first one to greet me with yet another hair ruffle. He graciously offered me a slice of pizza, to which I gratefully accepted. I made my way to the table to fix myself a plate, but was stopped shortly after by a hand tapping on my shoulder. I turned around with a slight frown, upset that I had been interrupted from getting food. However, I was soon face-to-face with Jisung - or should I say face-to-chest. 

I swallowed hard as he looked at me with wide eyes. I couldn’t help but admire his features, the same exact features that drew me towards him. He was wearing his grey hoodie, one that he would often wear when he went to practice, I noticed. He made the hoodie look so comfortable, or perhaps it was he himself who was comfy. 

“Y/n?” I snapped back to reality as I heard him call my name. I hadn’t even realized I was zoning out until he said something. 

“Sorry! What were you saying?” I ducked my head down as I was slightly embarrassed that I hadn’t been paying attention. The ends of his lips curled up into a small smile as he cleared his throat to speak again. I tried to hold a chuckle in as I saw that he had a pizza stain on his hoodie. It was small, but still noticeable.

“I was wondering if we could talk for a moment?” He pointed away from him, signaling he wanted to go away from prying eyes.

I nodded enthusiastically as he led the way to what I can only imagine was his bedroom. I laughed to myself as I looked around his room. You could tell that an effort had been made to clean the room. Unfortunately, the ‘effort’ consisted of clothes being thrown under the bed, a makeshift bed, and an overfilled trashcan that was barely noticeable as it hid in the corner of the room. Nevertheless, I appreciated the effort.

Jisung rubbed the back of his neck as he gestured to his room. His eyes barely met mine as he began to stumble over his words avidly trying to apologize for the state of his room. I laughed softly at him. 

“It’s okay, I don’t mind.” I tucked a stray piece of hair behind my ear. He looked at me hesitantly, almost like he was trying to see if I was telling the truth or not. “I promise.”

I gave him a small smile as I stood awkwardly in the middle of the room. He must have sensed my discomfort because he quickly pulled his desk chair out for me to sit in. I gladly took it as I tried to make myself as comfortable as possible. He sat himself on the bed seeing as there wasn’t any more chairs in the room. He looked to be in deep thought because I could see a few crease lines upon his forehead as he situated himself to get more comfortable. 

“I just wanted to say that I was sorry for not sending you an invite last time.” His eyes failed to meet mine as he seemed rather intrigued on his fingernails. I looked up at him confused at his demeanor. 

“Oh, that’s all? I thought you were gonna tell me a deep dark secret or something.” I looked over at him as I laughed about the whole situation. Was that really all that he wanted to talk about? It could have been a big deal to him, but he shouldn’t feel bad about it. 

“No, no dark secret here.” He laughed awkwardly as his eyes finally met mine. A small smile played on his lips as looked visibly more comfortable. “I was just nervous that was all. Sorry, I called you in here.” 

He briskly got up as I followed right behind him to the door. What a silly conversation. Yet, my heart still swooned a little at the thought that he had wanted to talk to me and apologize in person. I thought that it was a kind gesture to do over something so small. Even so, a thought popped into my head about our conversation just now that made me stop in my tracks.

“Wait, what?” I looked at him curiously. He stopped at the door frame and turned back to me, confused about what I was asking. I continued, “Why were you nervous?”

He looked like I had asked him a hard question. His face seemed to glaze over as you could tell that he was deep in thought. I let him ponder for a bit more as I smiled awkwardly to myself, unsure if I should snap him from his trance or not. I decided to go with it as I quietly called his name. His head snapped up and he spoke as if he was at a loss for words. 

“I said that? Okay. I just- I was- I was” He stuttered along. I could tell that he was getting himself worked up. I squinted my eyes at him as I nodded along with him, acting as if I knew what he was gonna say. To be fair, it was a little comical. 

“Jisung.” I offered him a warm smile. He took a breath before looking at me. His eyes felt like they were piercing through mine. I felt breathless while I was looking at him. He could make my heart flutter without even doing anything. 

“I was nervous” He ended the eye contact that we had. He became interested in his hands once more, struggling to get his words out. “because I have feelings for you.”

His eyes widened as he realized what he had blurted out. I could practically feel the metaphorical sweat dripping down his face. I had my mouth slightly ajar from his confession. 

“I don’t know why Y/n. I know we haven’t talked a lot but there’s just something about you that makes me feel like a better version of myself. To be honest, I didn’t even know if I should tell you because I was nervous about how you would react.” He paused his rant to look at my face, seeing that my mouth was still opened slightly. He continued, “I know you probably don’t feel the same way but I was talking to Jaemin and he said that it’s better to put my feelings out in the open rather than keeping them in. And I-”

“Jisung!” I cut off his rambling. “Did you ever stop to think that maybe I have feelings for you too?”

Now this, I could tell, sent him into shock. He suddenly yanked his head up as his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. I could physically see the cogs in his brain working overtime as I looked at him. I didn’t even have time to be embarrassed by my feelings, I was too overjoyed to care. I felt like I was on top of the world. How could he have ever thought that I would reject him? 

“You do?” He said once he finally pulled himself together. Slowly but surely a smile crept up onto his face. 

“You do?” A voice shouted from around the corner. 

Jisung and I whipped our heads around the corner of his room only to be met with the praying eyes of Jaemin. He looked sheepish as he stood up from his crouched position. I stifled a laugh at the situation that had just unfolded. Only this time, my cheeks burned as I realized he had most likely been listening in on our conversation. 

“What? I don’t get a thank you?” He folded his arms looking at us pointedly. He straightened out his back as he practically skipped back down the hallway. I subconsciously rolled my eyes as I let out a chuckle. Jisung scoffed, looking annoyed that we had been spied on.

“Thanks, Jaemin.” I called out, his back disappearing from our sight. I could still hear his feet padding along the hardwood floor in the other room. There was no doubt about it that he was going to tell the rest of the members. I guess Jisung and I would just have to deal with that later. 

"Uh-huh.” Jaemin yelled back. 

Jisung couldn’t help but laugh as he looked back at me, and then towards the ground. “Yeah. Thanks, Jaemin.” He looked back up at me as a playful smile played along his lips. 

“Well, shall we?” He gestured back to the kitchen.

My eyes creased as I gave him a smile.

I could have sworn that my heart skipped a beat when I heard the bell ring from the entrance of the shop. I couldn’t bare to meet my eyes with his, too mixed up in my own thoughts to even comprehend what I was about to do. I was tired of sitting around and not knowing what would come next, so I decided to do something about it. Hence, me sitting here looking like the human form of a mental breakdown. 

The clearing of a throat grabbed my attention as I looked up, my eyes finally connecting with his. I hadn’t realized that I was staring at him until I saw that he mumbled something towards me. He held a curious gaze in my direction as he shifted to get comfortable in his seat.

“I’m sorry?” I asked.

“I asked if you were alright? You look awfully shaken up.” His eyes held concern as he asked his question.

“I’m fine, I just had a rough day.” I mentally gave myself a facepalm as I knew I had spilled my words out too fast. He knew me too well to know that I was in fact not fine. I tried to reassure him by offering him a warm smile. “I promise.”

“I ordered you some coffee since I arrived early. I hope you don’t mind.” I quickly tried to change the subject as I gestured to the mug that sat on the side of the table. He gladly thanked me as we delved into a multitude of talking points. I soon found myself becoming free from my worries and stress. I even relaxed to the point where I began laughing along with him as he engaged with me in conversation. 

His eyes lit up as he told me about his day, which made me chuckle because it reminded me of an excited child. The only time that he would pause his story would be to take another sip of his drink. As time went on, I soon found myself growing anxious without knowing it. I had a feeling that Juyeon could sense it as well because every once in a while he would shoot me empathetic looks as if he could that something was wrong. 

Was this really the right idea?

“Before we both forget, what was it that you wanted to talk to me about?” He slid a hand through his hair as he shot me yet another concerned look.

This was it - the moment I had been dreading since I had planned this whole meetup. I promised myself that I wouldn’t back down this time. My hands shuffled nervously in my lap as I shifted my weight on my chair preparing to confess to him. I let out an awkward chuckle as I cleared my throat. Everything in my mind was telling me to not go through with it but then again, I’m sure he would find out eventually. I’m almost positive that it’s completely obvious just by the way I act whenever I am around him.

“I actually wanted to meet you here to tell you-” My voice got caught in my throat. I looked up at him just for a split second in order to gage his response. He looked at me with a small smile as he waited in anticipation for what I was going to say next. “I wanted to tell you that I have feelings for you. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner, I just didn’t want to risk our friendship because you know how much you mean to me. I hope that I haven’t made this awkward.”

His eyebrows raised slightly as he looked at me with parted lips. I stayed silent as I waited for his response, twitching in my seat as the silence became more and more heavy. I began to panic as I tried to think of a way out of this. My cheeks felt hot to the touch as I swiftly gathered up my things. 

“I’m sorry, please just forget about all of this. I’m so so sorry.” I stuttered over my words as I began to quickly walk towards to exit, tears threatening to spill out over my cheeks. I heard my name being called from afar, but I was already set on heading home. 

It had been two hours since the so called incident. Since then, I had promptly cried my eyes out as a random rom-com played in the background. I felt embarrassed beyond belief. I couldn’t believe that I had just confessed to one of my best friends of three years and he couldn’t even say anything. Could it be that he was repulsed by even the thought of having feelings for me? I had a million and one thoughts floating around in my head before a knock on my door shook me out of my trance.

I groaned slightly as I grabbed another tissue, attempting to clear away stray tears and convince whoever it was that was behind the door that I had most certainly not been crying. Though, I’m sure my puffy cheeks were going to give it away almost immediately. I lazily walked over to the door as I cracked it open slightly, only to reveal none other than Juyeon himself. 

“What are you doing here?” I asked as I attempted to not let my voice crack.

“I think we should talk.” He was leaned in close to the door as he had one hand resting on the side of the frame, positioning himself so that he could try and see me better. I looked down as I mentally sighed feeling the tears pool in my eyes once again. 

“There’s nothing to talk about Juyeon. I like you and you don’t feel the same way. Now if you don’t mind, I’m really tired and I would like to get some sleep.” I tried to close the door but he beat me to the punch as he already had one foot in the door. 

“I never said that I don’t feel the same way.” 

“Actually, you didn’t say anything at all.” My voice cracked as I looked up at him. He was now standing fully in the doorway inching closer as he realized how hurt I actually was by the situation. “Which is actually much worse.” “I know.” He paused as he looked down at me. If you looked hard enough then you could see the thoughts swirling around in his mind, almost as if he was trying to piece together what to say next. “I’m sorry, I should have said something. But don’t for one second think that my silence was taken for not having feelings towards you.”

I looked up at him, my heart pounding faster in my chest, only this time it was for a different reason. He took my face in his hand as he looked down upon me with pure adoration. 

“Somewhere in the midst of us being friends, I fell for you. I honestly don’t know how it happened, but I’m glad it did because then we wouldn’t be in the situation that we’re in right now. I absolutely have feelings for you, Y/n.” He laughed as he made eye contact with me. He leaned in slowly as he kissed me softly on the lips. If you listened hard enough, then I’m sure there were fireworks going off somewhere. We stayed like that for a moment more before pulling away, small smiles on each of our faces.

“Well, I guess come on in unless you’re just going to stand in my doorway all day.” I sat on the couch as I shot him a playful grin, patting the seat beside me as he gave me a large smile. I could feel him staring at me as he joined me on the couch. I turned towards him with an expectant look.

“You look cute with puffy cheeks.” He said as he leaned over to pinch them. 

“Cash, come on buddy.” I tugged firmly on his harness as I led him into my workplace. I decided to bring him around to meet some of my co-workers, as I’m sure they couldn’t wait to meet him from all of the pictures that I had shown them. Cash was my childhood dog, but after I landed this job I had to move into an apartment, thus having to leave him behind. Knowing that my apartment was pet-friendly, I decided to take him in, seeing as I had the time and the money. 

Stepping out of the elevator, we walked down the corridor until we arrived at the office. As soon as we walked in, a few heads peeked our way looking at Cash. 

 “Y/n, he’s so precious” Lily said as bent down to pet him. 

“You know Y/n, the two of you kind of look alike.” Chen said as he also squatted down to give Cash some attention. He was soon met with a slap to the arm from Lily. 

“I didn’t mean for it to be rude!” Chen retaliated. “They just both have the same pattern over their eyes. Cash has a patch over his left eye, and Y/n has her soulmate mark covering her left eye as well. Geez!” 

“Oh, you’re fine! When I was little, my parents actually adopted Cash because they thought that he and I looked similar.” I smiled at them as I began scratching behind Cash’s ear, making him shake his leg. 

“You’re lucky she didn’t think you were being rude, Chennie.” Lily said as she smiled slyly at Chen, situating herself so that she could stand back up.

“Lily, you know how much I hate that name. It makes me feel like I'm still a child.” He retorted. He stood up as he crossed his arms. 

Though Chen was much taller than Lily, he was still a child at heart. He was always the funny one of the group, and always made us feel better whenever we were down. Lily and him had known each other growing up, hence the constant teasing from both of them.

“Alright, I’m gonna go set up in the studio. See you guys in a minute?” I asked as they nodded their heads in unison. As Cash and I were walking out of the door, I heard them start up their bickering again as I silently chuckled to myself. 

Once we made our way into the studio, I laid out a makeshift bed for cash to sleep on so that he wouldn’t be in anyone’s way. I gave him a pat before beginning to set up for the photoshoot. Since I was an only child when I was growing up, my parents would take me with them on lots of vacations and job retreats so that I wouldn’t be lonely or have to be stuck with a babysitter. I also knew that they wanted me to experience different cultures and be able to see the world with my own eyes, and I really appreciate them for that. 

When I would go with them on their trips, sometimes I would have to stay cooped up in the room while they were in meetings. Other times, I would walk around trying to find things to occupy my time. Of course I made friends along the way, but I also picked up a few hobbies. Photography was pretty much the only hobby that stuck with me. 

Setting up the final touches, I went to grab some coffee from the common area as I glanced over the schedule for today. I silently noted that I would have to save time for myself tonight in order to relax as today looked to be very busy. I poured my coffee into my mug and headed back into the studio. I saw that Chen had already finished setting up as Lily hung in the back talking to the manager of the group that had just walked in. 

I grabbed a chair and situated it beside Cash as we all waited for the group to get dressed. As soon as Lily ended her conversation with one of the managers, she walked over towards me as she pulled up a chair. 

“Those are the guys I was talking about Y/n.” Lily said as she nodded her head in the group’s direction. As I looked past Lily’s face, I noticed that this was the first time that I had really gotten a chance to look at the group that had walked in. I thought that they were all quite handsome as I looked at their features. I looked down as I tried to rack my brain in order to think of what the groups name was that Lily had told me.

"Seventeen.” Fortunately, Lily noticed that I hadn’t said anything as she turned her head back towards me. “Ash was telling me all about them the other day. She just kept going on and on. I felt like she knew them better than she knew me - and we’ve been dating for 2 years!” She exclaimed as she shook her head.

I covered my mouth as I tried to suppress my laughter. However much I thought Chen and Lily bickered, her and Ashley were much more. Behind the bickering and endless play-fights, you could tell how much they really cared for each other and that warmed my heart.

“Alright, showtime.” Lily said as she stood up from her chair. I gave Cash one last pat on his head before I grabbed my camera and waited for the first subject.

Before I knew it, an hour or so had passed and yet we were still only done with a few members. I smiled to myself as I looked over at Cash to see that he was sound asleep. Thankfully, Chen had noticed that I was busy and had been generous enough to take him outside to use the restroom. We called for a 10 minute break as we had to change the set and some of the group members had to change their outfits as well.

Seeing as Lily and Chen were busy discussing some details with the other staff members, I took this as my chance to sit down for a minute. Not wanting to disturb Cash, I took out my phone and began scrolling through Instagram. Fortunately, I wore comfortable shoes today so my feet weren’t aching as much as they usually would be. I stopped scrolling as I overheard some people not too far behind me begin to talk about Cash. 

I put down my phone as I noticed a shadow hovering beside me. I bowed slightly to the tall figure as he returned the gesture.

“Hi, I’m sorry to bother you. I just saw your dog and I was wondering if I could pet it?” The stranger said to me. I couldn’t help but smile up at the stranger seeing as he had his hands folded in a polite manner and a small smile on his face.

“Of course! His name’s Cash.” Cash woke up at the sound of scuffling near him. Once he hesitantly sniffed the stranger’s hand, he promptly rolled on his side hoping for the chance of a belly rub. The stranger let out a small chuckle as he gave in to Cash’s charms and soon began scratching away. He noticed that I was watching the scene unfold and began clearing his throat.

“I’m sorry that I didn’t introduce myself. My name is DK.” The man said as he offered me a small smile.

“My name is Y/n.” I returned the smile, “And that’s okay, I didn’t give you mine either.” I let out a breathless chuckle as I leaned down to scratch behind Cash’s ear. 

I noticed that more of what I thought to be DK’s group members were coming our way. They politely introduced themselves as S.Coups, Hoshi and Seungkwan. They began cooing over Cash, as I’m sure he was very much enjoying this extra attention.

“One moment, I’ll be right back. Feel free to keep petting him.” I said as I gave them a small smile, hoping that they wouldn’t think that I was being rude.

Feeling a bit nervous at the sudden interactions, I turned my body the other way in order to not kick Cash or the boys when I got up. As soon as I stuck my foot out to raise myself up, someone hit it with their own as they stumbled forward. Looking for some stability, the person stuck out his arm backwards in order to find something to grab onto. Unfortunately for me, the first thing within his reach just so happened to be my face. Realizing he was touching a face, he let go as quick as he could, letting his hands and knees catch his fall. 

I let out a gasp as I realized the scene that I had just caused. I quickly stood up and bent over slightly to see if he had any injuries on him. “Are you alright? I’m so sorry, I had no idea that you were behind me.” My cheeks burned as I was flooded with guilt and embarrassment.

“Here, let me help y-” Trying to grab the stranger’s arm, a sudden shock was sent all throughout my body leaving me with a tingly sensation. I looked at him with furrowed eyebrows. As he picked himself up with ease, he then turned his slender body towards me. I felt a lump in my throat begin to form as I looked up at him, making eye contact as he pushed his hair out of his face.

I’ve never seen him around here before. Was he one of Seventeen?

His eyes widened as he glanced at the mark that was spread upon my face, realization setting in. We stared at each other for a few moments more before I felt my breath hitch in my throat noticing his hand coming up to trace the spot. Taking in a sharp breath, I noticed how cold his fingertips felt against my cheeks. I boldly brought my left hand up to hold his hand against my face, sending him a small smile.

Noticing what he was doing, he began apologizing profusely to me for touching my face, not only for when he was falling but also for tracing my mark. I shook my head at him as I quietly whispered an apology as well, almost as if I wasn’t sure if my voice was working. He smiled down at me as he noticed I was speaking. 

 “Hi, I’m Y/n.” His cheeks had a pink tint to them as he looked down at me. To say that he took my breath away was an understatement.

“Hi, I’m Jun.” I gave him a wide smile before glancing around to see if anyone was still watching the scene unfold. Mostly everyone had gone back to their original positions, acting as if nothing had happened. However, some of Jun’s members were talking amongst themselves as they glanced in our direction. Just as I was about to apologize once again for making him stumble, my boss called for me, as our break had just ended. I whispered a quick sorry in Jun’s direction, shooting him a smile as I swiftly maneuvered past him and back to my equipment. 

As Lily came up behind me, she bumped her shoulder with mine, sending me a look in the process. I rolled my eyes playfully in response, glancing down at the clipboard that she held in her hands. I let out a deep breath as I got back to work, trying hard to shove away the feeling that a certain pair of eyes were on me. 

The next hour was going to be grueling to say the least seeing as we had to move onto our final task of taking group photos. I tried to remain as professional as possible but every time I would make eye contact with a certain someone, I would feel my cheeks heat up as I wasn’t used to the attention. As we finished setting up for the final touches, Chen had the task of telling everyone where to stand and how to pose. I couldn’t help my eyes as they scanned the room in search of Jun’s.

As soon as he realized that my eyes were on him, he looked a little flustered to have someone’s attention on him. I turned my face away hastily as I felt my cheeks begin to heat up. Trying to make the butterflies in my stomach go away, I cleared my throat and began talking with Lily about the various camera positions we would be taking.

Luckily this part of the photoshoot didn’t take as long as the others. All throughout the shoot, I kept feeling his eyes on me as I tried my best to focus on the work at hand. I couldn’t help but feel nervous, especially with all of my thoughts running through my head.

I knew that everyone had a soulmate mark, it’s just that I never really thought that much about it. It was a strange feeling knowing that you had a person that was basically your other half. I mean, how could you know that this person was really made for you when you don’t even know each other? I guess I’m biased since my parents aren’t each others soulmates.

When I was a child, Mom had told me that she lost her soulmate mark when she was a teenager, meaning that they had passed away. It hurt me knowing that she would have to grow up believing that there was no one in the world for her. However, Dad had the same thing happen to him too when he was in college. Shortly after Dad’s mark disappeared, he met mom at the same college he went to and they began bonding over their hardships. They changed my view on my mark, and opened my eyes to different kinds of love stories.

As we finished cleaning up the set, we had about an hour to kill before our next clients would be coming in. I decided I would take this time to make sure Cash was taken care of. I took a dog travel bowl out of my bag and began filling it up with water for him. I made sure to grab a rawhide bone that I had packed with me in order to keep him preoccupied. Sitting beside him, it wasn’t too long before I felt a presence behind me. I looked up at the tall figure, smiling gently at him as he looked down at me, the familiar sensation of tingles once again hitting my senses. 

I got up as I craned my neck to look at him. He was utterly gorgeous, and I don’t think it was the soulmate pull speaking. His hair was styled up and out of his face, his skin had a beautiful golden tinge to it as it seemed so natural. I let out a giggle from being so nervous at our close proximity. His lips turned upwards as he smiled at me.

“If you don’t mind, I would like to get to know you better.” I could tell he was also nervous by the way he shifted his weight from leg-to-leg. I smiled at him as I waited in anticipation for him to finish his sentence. “Would you like to go on a date?” 

The butterflies in my stomach flew around freely as he spoke to me. How could someone I just met make me feel so giddy? Soulmate mark or not, there was something about him that tells me that he’s special. 

“Is Cash allowed to come?” I asked, a playful yet small smile growing on my face. He let out a loud chuckle as he covered his hand with his mouth. I found myself unconsciously smiling at his actions as I found them to be quite endearing. 

A lot of times I’d sit in my bed at night just looking out my window as I’d take in the view of the night lights. Night time is my favorite time of the day because I’d have the chance to collect my thoughts and myself. For as long as I can remember, I’ve always looked out my window before going to bed. Looking to the outside world helped me relax and gain a fresh perspective.

Here I sat, alone in the dark, as my head laid against the cold window pane, soft music from the radio playing in the background. I shivered as I tugged my throw blanket closer to my body. I smiled to myself as I heard the faint laughter of the boys in the other room. To be quite honest, I loved them more than anything in the world. They always made me feel as if I had a place in this world and that I was worth something. Sometimes I felt as if they knew me better than I knew myself. 

I felt a stray tear run down my face as I quickly wiped it away, trying not to let my emotions get to me. Even though they all tried their very best to do whatever they could to help me out and to make me feel better, it was hard for me to not feel alone at times. I would always try to stay positive, and if not for me, then for the boys. Taking on my upbeat and cheery disposition is not as easy as it would seem at times. I take on that persona because I want to be strong for our fans and for the group. 

I genuinely don’t have an answer as to why I’ll sit in my room for hours doing nothing but staring at the ceiling or listening to music. Sometimes it feels like I can’t function properly and it makes me feel awful about myself. It makes me feel like everybody around me is moving forward and achieving what they want and I’m just here. Recently the zoning out had gotten worse, anybody could see it. Just recently we were doing an interview and Jisung nudged me as he could tell that I wasn’t in my right mind.

I went home that night and bawled my eyes out. I wasn’t even sad. It wasn’t really a big deal but I couldn’t help it, I was embarrassed that I had let myself zone out like that in an interview. Matter of fact, I have a habit of keeping everything in before I let it all spill out into the open. I guess that night, maybe everything had just become a little too much for me. I sighed as I glanced at my phone, looking at a few unread messages from the group chat.

Chan and Seungmin had ordered pizza for everyone earlier, which I’m sure was gone by now if they hadn’t saved me a slice. I sighed as I slid my blanket off, stretching my legs as I tried to collect myself. I gradually made my way out of my room, the noise of the members becoming much clearer as I heard them playing games amongst themselves. Hyunjin smiled at me as he noticed me emerging from my room.

He gathered me in a side hug as he led me towards the floor, where the boys were all currently arguing about a game they were playing. He shoved a piece of pizza in my face as he began to join in with the boys rioting. I let out a chuckle as I allowed myself to relax and enjoy the company that I was with. Looking all around me, I grinned to myself as I took in the scene around me. This was my home, there was no doubt about that. 

Hyunjin rested his arm around my shoulders as he pulled me into his side. Suddenly feeling like the weight of the world was on my shoulders, I dropped my head to rest on him. His grip on me tightened as I knew he was silently asking me if I was okay. 

“I’m fine, I just needed some time to think.” I craned my head up to look at him as I gave him a polite smile. Hyunjin was always very understanding when it came to my feelings, which I was very grateful for. Though he looked glad that I was feeling better, his eyes told me that he was still doubtful. 

“Do you want to talk about it?” He asked. I think that if I talked about my feelings right now, then I would probably burst out in tears. I shook my head no as I tried to focus on the game going on in front of us. He rested his head atop mine as he let out a deep sigh. 

“You know...” He paused for a moment, almost as if he was trying to find the right words to say. “I’d say you’re very forgetful, you know that?” 

I looked up at him confused, racking my brain as to see if I had possibly forgotten something, not that I could remember what it was. Seeing my confused face, he gave me a wide grin as he cleared his throat to begin talking again.

“Yes, forgetful. I’m not going crazy.” He lets out a laugh as he nudges me slightly. “You forget how much you mean to all of us. You forget that you are just as important as the rest of us. You even told me yourself, that you think that we would be better off without you. That’s not true, and deep down I think you know that. You forget that we are a family and that we will always stick with you. So, I’m asking that you please don’t forget.” 

I didn’t even have time to stop somewhere to grab some coffee for my day ahead. Thankfully the meeting that was scheduled today isn’t that important, but I always tried to be a people pleaser by showing up early each morning. I groaned in annoyance as I saw that the sidewalk had become even more packed with people. Fixing the bag that was on my shoulder, I pulled up my hood as I felt a few water droplets hit my face. 

Turning the corner, I picked up my pace as I could see my workplace in my field of view. I bumped my elbow on someone as I passed another crowd. However, I stopped myself as my head suddenly became fuzzy. Blinking rapidly, I held my head in my hands as I tried to get the headache to go away. 

Perfect. Just what I needed.

I was less than five minutes away, if I could sprint then I would make it just in time. But no, my body thought it would be a good idea to have a headache. I let out a sigh that I hadn’t even realized I had been holding. I opened my eyes as I checked my phone to see the time. Shocked, I almost dropped my phone as an endless variation of colors surrounded me. My mouth agape, I looked around me at this new world. I laughed as I looked at the cars go by with their different shades. My eyes caught on to the outfits of the people around me. Most of them were wearing dark colors, but I couldn’t help but smile.

Then it hit me. I inhaled a sharp breath as I realized how I was able to see these tones. I quickly looked all around me, trying to find anyone who may have seemed as shaken up as I was. I panicked when I couldn’t find someone similar to my state. The traffic of the crowd around me certainly did not help with my situation. I then tried to retrace my steps, thinking as the other person was going the opposite direction. I began walking as I looked, my head snapping in all directions.

I tried to enjoy the colors that were all around me, but what good were the colors if you didn’t have someone else to enjoy them with? I didn’t even know what the stranger looked like, so how would I know where to find them? I felt a tap on my shoulder as I turned around. A tall man stood there awkwardly as he pointed to someone from his presumed group.

“I think you’re looking for him.” He gave me a polite smile as he stuffed his hands in his pockets. I looked over towards his group as I saw one of the boys with his hands on his knees. I nodded in confirmation as I was sure that that was who I had touched, I could feel it in my bones. 

I slowly made my way over towards the group as I was beginning to feel the nerves bubble in my chest. I hoped that this would be him and not some random stranger who had had the same incident as me. As my shadow drew near, he looked up at me as a large grin grew on his face. As soon as I saw his face, I felt a sense of calmness wash over me as I knew that he was mine. It was clear as day that he was ecstatic about our bond. 

He giggled nervously as he seemed hesitant to come closer to me, almost as if he wasn’t sure if I were real or not. I let out a small laugh as I tucked my hair behind my ear, not sure of what to make of the situation. 

“Hi, I’m Soonyoung.” He said giddily as I realized he hadn’t wiped his gummy smile off of his face yet. His friends had backed away from us as they gave us room to talk to ourselves, though they were still watching from a distance.

“I’m Y/n.” I looked up at him, and I couldn’t help but smile. His aura that he gave out was friendly and it made me feel weak at the knees from the way he was staring at me. To put it quite plainly, he was gorgeous. 

We exchanged numbers, promising each other that we would meet up as soon as we could. My heart felt heavy seeing him walk the opposite direction of me, yearning to learn more about him and go on an adventure together. My footsteps were unhurried as I walked down the street. I stopped short as I looked at my workplace which rested not even a block away. I decided against going to work, I guess I didn’t need to be much of a people pleaser today. 

Vernon came over and stood in front of me as he held a bowl filled with lollipops in his hands. He looked really handsome today, but I could never tell him that for the teasing would be endless. Plus, I may have been trying to act hard to get just for the sake of poking fun at him.

“The stylists did a really good job with designing the new outfits.” I said as I pointed specifically to Jeonghan and Seungkwan who sat together in the corner. All of the boys looked good, but those two in particular caught my eye since they were the only ones who were a little more blinged out than the others. 

“Well what about mine?” He said with a slight pout. Past the puppy dog eyes, I could see his teasing look. 

 “You want me to give you a compliment?” 

He nodded in response as I looked away shyly. I couldn’t stare into his eyes for too long or I knew that I would blush. Unfortunately, it was pretty obvious to everyone that I had a crush on him. I couldn’t help it, every time I was around him he would make my heart race and make me stutter over my words. He wasn’t stupid, of course he knew that I had a crush on him so that’s why he resorts to the endless teasing. If I didn’t know any better than I would think that he liked me back, but I guess we’ll just have to play the waiting game. 

I shook my head at him. There was no way that I’d give into his little antics, no matter how cute he was. I shot him a playful grin as I raised my eyebrow at him, anticipating his next move. He cleared his throat before looking around at everyone in the room, before he collided his eyes straight with mine once again.

He then proceeded to step up onto the platform I was on, causing me to scoot back in order to be able to get a better look at him. He was much taller than I had originally thought. Of course, he was much more handsome, especially since our faces were just inches away. Our eyes looked deep into each others almost as if we were trying to track down the others next move. My cheeks reddened as I noticed that I was staring.

“You’re tall.” I commented. I took a step back as I put my head down, trying not to let him notice how much the close proximity between us had affected me. 

“I’ll take that as a compliment.” He said slyly as he raised up a glass bowl filled with lollipops. I scoffed in response at his deception.

“Do you want one?” The smirk that he held on his face gave me mixed feelings. On one hand, I wanted to hit him because of how foolish I was to fall for his tricks. On the other hand, I really wanted to kiss him on his stupid pink lips. 

I laughed as I smiled up at him, digging my hand around in the bowl as I asked him which flavor was his favorite.

“Red”

“Green” I said, simultaneously. “Tsk. Dang, for a minute there I almost thought that we could have been soulmates.” I turned away from him with a playful grin as I tapped him on the shoulder with my lollipop. Not before long, I felt a tugging at my wrist as he turned me around to face him.

I was pulled quickly into his chest as I could smell his cologne stronger than before. My breath quivered as I craned my neck to look up at him. His hair, though slightly ruffled, laid perfectly styled. I could see the tips of his mouth start to form into a small grin.

“Whatever happened to opposites attract?” We made eye contact for a few moments more before I was sure that my heart could no longer bare the pounding in my chest. I felt my cheeks get even hotter. I wasn’t prepared for him to say that. Nonetheless, I wasn’t prepared for him to say something that made me feel something for him even more. 

I pondered for a moment before deciding to enter the cozy shop. As soon as I stepped beyond the entrance, I was hit with the wonderful aromas of numerous pastries and coffees. I got in line as I eyed the pastry section, almost as if I was testing myself to see if I would cave. As I was glancing around and admiring the various artwork that they had spread about the cafe, I stumbled into a figure that stood beside me. 

Regaining my footing, I apologized profusely as I heard the stranger apologize as well. I looked up at him, blushing immediately as I found myself entranced by his handsome features. He handed me back my clutch that I didn’t even realize I had dropped during my clumsy mishap.

“My name’s Josh.” His eyes creased as he gave me a warm smile, handing me back my clutch which I gladly took. 

“I’m Y/n. I’m sorry I bumped into you, I’m a little clumsy sometimes.” I said as I let out an awkward chuckle, trying to cover up my embarrassment. 

“Oh no, it’s fine. Trust me, I’m clumsy at times too.” His cheerful personality helped me feel more at ease at we walked further up the line together. “Do you come here often?”

“I do. I actually live right around the corner so I come here a lot with my roommate. What about you?” He adjusted his hat as he turned his body so that I could hear him better.

“I work a few minutes away from here and I see this place sometimes when we’re driving around, so I decided I’d finally see if it was any good.” He shrugged his shoulders slightly as he finished his sentence. “Any recommendations?” 

“No, I’d feel so bad if I suggested something and then you ended up not liking it.” I shook my head as he looked down at me. “But, I suppose their macarons are pretty good.”

I let out a shy smile as I peeked up at him, waiting anxiously for his response. He let out a short laugh as he shook his head slightly. I felt my heart race at this small interaction that was happening between us. I clasped my hands together as I could feel them becoming clammy from anticipation. 

“Well then, I think I’ll be sure to snag one before they’re all taken.” He sent me a wink as he realized that he was next in line to order. My heart skipped a beat as he glanced back at me and shot me a small smile. I began ordering as one of the workers called for the next in line. I gave a small smile to the worker as I went to find a place to wait for my order. 

Josh caught my eye as he waved at me from a small table in the corner. As if my heart wasn’t already bursting from our interactions before, Josh pulled out a chair for me to sit in which I warmly took. As he got situated in his chair, I started fumbling with my hands as I felt the nerves finally take over.

Fortunately, before I had time to embarrass myself, Josh excused himself as he got a call from someone. A few minutes passed by before I heard my order being called out. I took my coffee and my pastry bag as I turned back to see if Josh had made his way back to the table. I was suddenly tapped on my shoulder as I looked up to see him towering over me as he held his coffee and pastry in his hands. 

“Hey, I actually have to go right now, but it was nice meeting you. Is there anyway we could do this again?” 

Surely he could see the impact of his words, seeing as I’m sure he could tell how flustered my face was. I quickly tried to regain my composure as a few seconds had passed.

“Of course. I could give you my phone number?” I asked him, still unsure if he actually wanted to meet up with me again. He nodded his head as he whipped out his phone for me to type in my number.

Once I was done adding myself as a contact, I gave his phone back as I smiled widely up at him. He returned the smile as he apologized for having to leave so abruptly. We made our separate ways as we each had somewhere to be. I soon felt my phone buzz in my pocket as I took it out. 

It was nice meeting you again. Thanks for the macarons suggestion, you were right, they are good. I hope yours are good too! - Josh