aurora

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“i’m sorry. i’m choosing myself this time and you should do the same too.” those were the last words you said to jay before you left him alone in his bedroom.

he wanted to stop you, cage you in his arms that you once called your comfort place. he was your home... yet he also knew how to let go when needed. he couldn’t force you to stay for his own selfishness, because he also had things that only he himself can fix.

you didn’t want your relationship to be just the two of you being each others’ broken pieces. that wasn’t fair, that’s not what love was. you wanted to love jay freely, when you can finally break free from the shackles of pain that was holding you back from doing so.

that’s why you let go. so that the two of you can work on yourselves and maybe... just maybe, you guys would find each other once again, fate doing its work, and love once more. this time, with no restrictions and just the two of you being madly in love.

“i’ll wait.” you heard him say making you stop on your tracks. “i’ll wait, for as long as it takes, even if you take all the time in the world to fix yourself, i’ll always be here waiting. for you. because i love you, y/n. so much it hurts. and that’s why i’m not going to stop you, okay? you know yourself better than anyone, my strong girl.”

you nodded, his words convincing you but a part of you was telling you that there was a possibility he wouldn’t be there for you anymore once you’re healed and you weren’t going to be shocked if that happened. he’ll end up being exhausted waiting for you. even if that’s the case, you couldn’t blame him. you really did just make everyone around you grow tired of you, so you weren’t going to be surprised if jay ended up feeling that way too.

yet you hoped that wouldn’t happen, because really, you loved him too. and leaving him for yourself was a selfish move, but you had to.

soon, it’ll be the two of us... but for now, i have to be selfish. you thought before finally walking away, the sound of your ex boyfriend holding his sobs bringing a pang to your heart.

࿐ ࿔*:･ﾟ

five years. that’s how long you were away.

time flew quick, like the wind that had you growing goosebumps on your skin. you looked up to see the sky starting to turn dark, clouds covering the once blue sky, the sun wasn’t shining anymore.

you forgot to bring an umbrella and you were sure it was going to rain any moment. sighing, you continued walking over to your house, clutching your jacket close to you.

you managed to seek for help all these years. even though you were so broken, you finally felt okay, more than okay. though there were times memories from the past still haunted you, it wasn’t as worse as before and you were now capable of controlling your thoughts and how you felt. when you were sure you were ready to go back home, you did.

it had been almost a week ago when you got back to your hometown, you didn’t plan on seeing anyone just yet. your sudden departure years ago probably scared your friends, you wondered if they had been looking for you all these years, not knowing how many times they tried to contact you because you changed the number on your phone. except for sunoo, he was the only friend you kept in contact with all along.

still one person stays on your mind and heart even though how many years had passed.

jay.

was he still waiting? was he praying to the gods above that you’d come back to him when you were finally stable? was he able to put himself first too and fix himself? was he... doing alright?

flashbacks of when you were together played in your mind and you found yourself smiling, you were ready to love jay again. with all your wounds healed, you weren’t scared anymore. you felt free, for the first time in your life, you were so sure about what you were feeling.

“y/n.”

that voice. you stopped walking, holding onto your jacket tighter than before. you were too occupied with your thoughts to notice that the rain started to pour, that voice snapping you back to reality. thankfully, it was just a little drizzle.

looking up, your eyes caught onto the figure that stood a few steps away from you. your breath hitched, seeing jay stand in front of you. it had been so long, so long since you’ve seen him.

he looked way different from when you’d seen him last. he looked more mature-looking, more handsome too, not the same jay in your youth that you were hopelessly in love with, that didn’t stop you from still loving him today though. this was the jay you wanted to spend the rest of your lifetime with, all healed and capable of loving again, like you.

“jay...” his name coming out of your lips was a bittersweet feeling, it felt nostalgic. oh you missed him so much, you wanted to run to him and hug him as tight as you could, letting him know that you were here now, you were okay.

but something stopped you from doing so, the way he was looking at you, you couldn’t pinpoint what was wrong.

jay smiled, “you’re back after so long. have you been doing okay?” he walked a few steps towards you, your heart beating faster than before.

“better than okay, actually.” you replied, smiling back at him, “all these years, i finally got the peace and happiness that i’ve always desired. it feels refreshing.”

he nodded, jay was about to say something more but he stopped himself, releasing a deep breath instead. you cocked your head to the side in confusion, wanting to ask him what else he wanted to say but you decided to keep quiet.

“sunoo told me you were back, you arrived just in time.” jay started and you smiled at his enthusiasm, “i... wanted to give you something. since you’re back and i wouldn’t want you to miss it for the world, we are friends after all.”

your mouth went agape at his words and it felt like the world around you stopped for a moment. friends? what on earth was he talking about? did something happen?

maybe he doesn’t want things to be weird between us, we basically just met after all these years. you thought, ignoring the pang in your heart that was telling you what you didn’t want to hear right now.

jay still loves you. of course he does, he said he’d wait, right?

“right..” you managed to reply, nodding a bit too fast at his statement. “so what did you want to give me, then?”

jay took out a fancy folded envelope from his pocket, handing it over to you. you look up at him, he gestures for you to take it in which you did. your hands fumble with it for a while, admiring how pretty it looked.

you opened the envelope carefully, with jay watching your every move. you felt conscious all of a sudden, quickly brushing how you nervous you felt under his stare and reading the text printed on the piece of paper.

you are invited to jay and aelin’s wedding!

it took you a minute to process the words you just read. you suddenly had the urge to run, far away from him. but you couldn’t, your feet stayed glued to the ground and your eyes stared at the paper, you didn’t want to believe it.

“you’re... getting m-married?” you mentally cursed at yourself for stuttering. not having the courage to look him straight in the eyes, you continued to blankly stare at the invitation. you feared that if you looked at him, he’d see right through you.

he hummed in reply, and for a second you thought that he was holding himself back from explaining everything to you. what happened all these years? you believed he waited for you, that he was going to wait for you no matter how long it takes, yet the invitation you were holding right now was telling you otherwise.

“y/n, i want you to be there.” jay stated, you could hear how serious he was judging by his tone.

you wanted to be mad, you wanted to scream at him, but you couldn’t. how could you be? you should’ve seen this coming, you took too long, he wasn’t going to wait for someone that left him first, someone who left him to put herself first before anything else.

looking up at him, you noticed jay’s eyes widen in shock when he sees how glassy your eyes are. “y/n, are you-“

“did you wait for me?” you asked him, “please jay, answer me and be honest. were you waiting for me?”

jay quickly understood what he meant, fixing his posture before answering, “i did. i waited for as long as i could, until i couldn’t anymore.”

“how long was it until you decided not to anymore?” his answer was going to hurt you more than you know, you still wanted to know anyway. wanting to understand why things didn’t end up the way you wanted to for the both of you.

“y/n...”

“jay answer me, i just want to understand why.” you begged, his face softening when he hears how desperate you were. he couldn’t blame you, he did say he was going to wait.

“three years.”

two years before you decided to go back. if you had gone home two years earlier, would everything turn out different? would jay welcome you back with open arms? but you still weren’t mentally stable two years ago.

time was so cruel.

the rain started to pour more heavily and you knew that was your cue to leave. you couldn’t take it anymore, you had to go.

you nodded, looking over at the invitation once more before neatly folding it back, “i’m sorry. i can’t do this, jay. i can’t go, but congratulations on the engagement. i wish you the best.”

pushing the invitation to his chest, you were about to run pass him when he suddenly grabbed you by your hand, grasping it tightly. you gasped at the contact, his hand was still as soft as it was when you held it back then. you refused to look at his face behind you.

“i’m sorry.” jay apologized, his voice cracked a bit and you suddenly felt like bursting into tears. bile started to rise up in your throat but you tried to swallow it, not wanting to look vulnerable in front of him just because he didn’t love you anymore.

“i know i said that i’ll wait for you no matter how long it takes, even if you take all the time in the world, even if time decides to take me earlier before you could come back to me, but things changed. i.. wasn’t expecting to fall in love with someone other than you.” he explained, and you listened, still not looking at him.

“aelin came. i met her three years after i decided to wait for you, it was hard for her. because she was loving someone who wasn’t done loving someone else, she was praying for me to love her back. y/n, she wasn’t being selfish, she just wanted me to break free from whatever was holding me back, because the love you gave me wasn’t freeing. i held onto my feelings for you for as long as i could until i decided to fully let go, because i was only hurting myself.” tears start to fall when you let his words process in your head.

you hear jay sniff before continuing, “she was able to do it. i thought i was going to love you forever but i was wrong, aelin proved that i can love again, love her. she did everything, y/n, everything for me to return her feelings because she hated seeing me miserable because of you.”

“and it worked, huh?” you asked, wiping the tears that stained your cheeks. “she helped you realize that i wasn’t a match for you, that i was just someone you had to be with so you could meet the one for you. and there she is.”

“are you mad? i’m sorry... i’m sorry i didn’t wait long enough, i’m sorry.” jay continuously apologized, grabbing you by the waist to pull you closer to him. your back hit his chest and you feel him wrap his arms around you, the sound of thunder echoed in your surroundings.

you let the tears fall freely from your eyes, looking down as jay hugged you tighter. “don’t apologize... you have nothing to be sorry for, jay. i understand. i’m glad you were able to love again, even if it isn’t me, i’m beyond happy for you.”

i guess i was broken beyond repair. i may be okay now but it hurts that i come back home to see him happy with someone else. when the reason why i came back was for him. there’s no reason for me to be here now. you thought.

“i’m happy that you decided to choose yourself.” jay said, “because now you’re here, all fixed and not broken like you were once before when you were with me.”

“if it weren’t for my choice, you wouldn’t have met aelin.” you smiled sadly, pulling away from his hug and turning to face him. “love her better than you did with me. i know you love her, and you’ll love her even more spending the rest of your life with her.”

“i’ll give her all the love in the world, the love that i’m more than capable of giving back to her because she gave me so much of it.”

your heart stings, so bad. you chose to ignore the pain, nodding at his words, thankful that it was raining so he couldn’t see that you were crying.

jay looks at you and you looked back, he didn’t have that same look in his eyes like before, when the two of you were so in love. all you could see was the love he was capable of giving to someone else, someone who wasn’t broken as you were.

he deserved better and you knew it. still, that didn’t change the fact that it hurt you.

he hands you the invitation again and you sighed, “jay-“

“please, y/n. i want you there, i want all of my friends there, it’s not going to be the same without you.”

“jay, it’s going to hurt me even more seeing you look at a girl walk down the aisle that isn’t me.” you confessed, quickly looking down to not see his reaction on what you said. “i’m sorry, i want to... move on. you’re the reason why i decided to come back, there’s no reason for me to stay here now.”

you hear jay sigh at your words. still, he holds one of your hands and places the invitation on your palm. “if that’s going to help you forget me, then do so. i don’t want to see you hurt. but if your means of closure means going to the wedding, then i’d be more than delighted to welcome you there, okay?”

“aelin wouldn’t want to see her fiance’s ex at her wedding.” you mumbled out, “but i’ll think about it, okay? at least tell me if i do, she’ll be alright with it?”

jay nodded, “i already told her. she’s okay with it, she actually wants to meet the girl that i was once in love with. you’re welcome anytime, y/n.”

once in love with.

and then, you found yourself walking away. jay wanted to take you home but you refused, you didn’t want to mistake his act of kindness for something you desperately hoped it was. his love for you.

you were completely drenched from the rain, shivering and holding onto your jacket but nothing hurt more than the pain you were feeling right now. the pain of only being a chapter of jay’s book. only being his prologue and not his epilogue.

you were only his once upon a time, not his happily ever after. and you just had no choice but to accept that.

and you found yourself crying in your bedroom.

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People may not see you hanging out together at school, but when he feels the need to talk to someone serious, he meets up with you among the library shelves and sits on the floor with random books in hand; talking about plans after high school and just life in all its glory.

You couldn’t help but slide in some questions of yours, like is he really a fuckboy as the campus claims him to be? But of course, being the completely honest guy that he is whenever he’s with you, he immediately gave you a shake of disapproval.

You believe him because you’ve never seen him do it. And because you trust him, like always, you know he’s a really nice and warm person despite having a lot of past relationships that never lasted long.

You wouldn’t say you two are the best of friends, yet you know too much of each other that you feel obliged to acknowledge each other’s existence. The two of you have been keeping each other’s secrets for yearsㅡ secrets that no one else knows. You trust him too much. Maybe that’s the problem with you.

It’s the itchy thought that scares you the most whenever you’re with him. The label might be real, he’s too good to be true, and you’re just one of his sitting ducks.

After all, somehow, somewhere deep inside you, you know, Jay’s always two steps ahead of you.

Tonight, Jay drunk-calls you. It’s nothing new. He always does that whenever he’s drunk, but tonight’s call made you worry more than you usually would.

You rush to the address that Heeseung texted you right after Jay’s call. You’re not a stranger to his gang, but they only know you as Jay’s seatmate and his “in case of emergency” contact. That’s all and nothing more.

They never bothered to ask him why you were his go-to contact, simply because they never cared about your presence. You’re not up to their level, they thought, and Jay never talked to them about you. He feels he has an image to maintain, and you’re just out of his league. It kinda pisses you off, but despite it, you’re somewhat friends so he needs to be very discreet about it.

As soon as you got there, his friends helped him inside your car since he’s been acting differently and they couldn’t handle his state. After making sure he was settled in, you left the house together.

The drive is silent.

Both of your windows are open, but for two good reasons. One, because you love the night breeze, and two… well, in case he throws up.

You’re driving without any sense of direction, but who cares? It has to be done to help calm the drunk boy beside you. Suddenly, Jay tugs on your sweater sleeve.

As you slow down and turn to him, you see Jay now leaning his head comfortably on the seat while looking at you. “You okay?” You ask.

“Can we go to your place?” He softly responds and for a while, it makes you nervous. You’re not used to having a boy in your house, let alone a drunk one. Who knows what he could do? But yet again, since your trust in him is always unshakable, you give him a nod and drive straight to your place.

When you arrive at your place, you help him upstairs to your bedroom since it’s the only room you have with a bed for him to sleep on. Fortunately, he’s calmed down ever since he got inside your car from the party. The sudden change made you wonder.

“Hey, are you really drunk? You don’t smell like it.” Jay lets out a chuckle as he sits down at the edge of your bed. He brushes his luscious locks with his fingers and looks up to you, standing in front of him with arms crossed. Jay shrugs his head and gives you a smile where his eyes lit up with delight.

“I just had to put on a show to get away from them.”

“And why do you need to get away from your friends?”

“Pfft,” he rolls his eyes at the mention of the word ‘friends’. Jay lazily drops his entire body on the bed as he heaves a sigh. “They suck.”

Eyes widening at his sudden retort, you playfully slap his leg and climb up your bed. Jay followed afterward.

“Do you wanna talk about it?” You whisper.

“Nah. It’s nothing serious. I just don’t want to be with them tonight.”

“What happened?”

“I mean, I can’t just keep on looking at them getting drunk with random girls as some loud ass song plays and everyone’s looking like they’re fucking high.” Even though he was rambling out of his hot temper, you managed to give him a little chuckle.

“Hmmm… as if you don’t like the whole vibe.”

“Come on, Y/n, you know those aren’t my thing.” For a moment, Jay Park actually sounds pissed, but you shrug it off with a chuckle. You decide not to ask him why he went to the party in the first place as you’re too sleepy to keep the conversation going. He called you up at two in the morning, after all.

“Have you ever wondered why the idea of kissing frogs is cursed?” he mutters under his breath, his question making you smile, even though your eyes are closed.

“It’s either a blessing or a curse, Jay. Funny how something that scares you, keeps you up tonight,” you mumble, and Jay turns to your sleeping figure with a lingering thought in mind.

But you were busy dreaming to knock yourself out.

Jay let out a deep sigh. “Yeah, you’re right. It’s funny,” he whispers again, eyes never leaving you. He positions himself and now he’s leaning to his side, carefully looking at your features. Jay places a hand on your cheeks and softly caresses your lips with his thumb. You quickly open your eyes, but he doesn’t stop.

“Have you ever wondered what it would be like if I kissed you?” You don’t answer. He takes it as an opportunity to continue. “Because I really want to know right now.”

You look straight into his eyes to seek any hint of sincerity, but your unwavering trust in him was too impatient to wait.

“Why don’t we try it now to know the answer?” You say oh-so suddenly, only to question yourself of what had gotten into you to make you impulsively blurt that out barely a second later.

The answer comes as an unspoken gut feeling because after all, deep down, you knew you wanted it too.

You don’t stop him from leaning closer, and before you know it, Jay finds his lips locked on yours.

What you thought would be a two-second kiss between two curious friends turned out to be one filled with rather suppressed emotions that lasted more than what you intended it to.

After a few moments, Jay slowly pulls away and rests his gaze on your lips. Your eyes, all glossed out, gave away how you were too lost with what had just happened; so many thoughts running through your mind that you felt like you needed someone to pull you back to reality.

For a moment, the two of you just lay down, staring at each other, feeling each other’s breaths on the other’s skin until he finally lays back, eyes fixed on the ceiling.

“I thought you just wanted to know the answer. Why did it feel like you wanted to know more?” You mumble softly. Jay shifts from his spot and pulls the thick blanket over his body, turning his back on you.

He’s known himself for being honest with you, but tonight has made him a liar to himself.

The next morning, you wake up without any sight of Jay’s figure. The spot beside you is cold and empty, and so is the entirety of your home.

You arrive at school earlier than usual today as your mind’s preoccupied with thoughts that you shouldn’t be thinking. You keep replaying the kiss in your head and how Jay’s grasp at the back of your neck made the kiss deeper; how his lips moved in sync with yours, and how his kisses were gentle yet so passionate like you’re more than a question he needed to answer.

Because he knows that you are. He only realized that when he was lying on your bed that night. You’re the truth he couldn’t be honest about, and he intends to keep it that way.

Lunch comes by when he walks past you in the hallways as you wave your hand at him. He notices, but he never bats an eye and continues his way to the cafeteria with his boys.

You text him to meet you at the library among the usual shelves, but he left you on read and had you waiting for him the entire day without any plans of showing up.

His snubs went on for days until you finally interrogated him in the men’s locker room during your P.E. break.

“What’s wrong with you?” You cut to the chase.

“What’s wrong with you? Period week?” he rudely rolled his eyes and turned his bare back on you.

“You haven’t returned my calls or even responded to my messages. You don’t even wave back anymore when we pass by each other!”

“Okay? Am I obligated to do those?” Jay raised a brow with his arms crossed making you scoff at him in return.

“You’re not my girlfriend, so stop whining like I’m supposed to do all the things you’ve mentioned.” He put on his shirt and was ready to leave you there until he heard you sniff.

“I thought we’re friends,” You muttered.

“Y/n, as a friend, I’m being honest right now and I’m telling you that you should stop making a fuss because you’re not my girlfriend and-”

“Fuck you.” You cut him off. Your eyes were heating up and at that moment, you were ready to let your tears fall. But instead, you held them in, afraid to show him how vulnerable you are when it comes to him.

Jay heaved a deep sigh and scratched his head. He doesn’t know how to say it to you without sounding like a complete asshole even though he already is. “Let’s stop being friends. I’m not asking for your approval. Let’s cut this off. This friendship isn’t doing us any good.”

He was walking towards the exit until you spoke up, making him turn to you lazily. “Was it the kiss? Because, hell, you initiated it, Jay! You can’t just do that and suddenly ignore me like I’m nothing to you. Like I was nothing to you last night.” He doesn’t answer. “You said you wanted to know, and I let you.”

But Jay only gave you one last, sincere look before leaving you there, defeated.

You finally confirmed your fear, the itchy thought that scares you the most whenever you’re with him. You’ve fallen into his trap and he finally made you one of his collections of broken hearts. At least, that’s what you thought.

But Jay, on the other hand, was the one who lost and has finally lied to you for the first time.

Because you were the truth he couldn’t be honest about, and as what he intended, he’ll make sure it stays that way. ㅡ

*send me an ask or a message if you want to be added on this series' taglist!

profiles

soft boy club

y/n and her antis

masterlist

one: what the heck is he so annoyed for?

two: when he blocked you so you show up to his workplace

three: what didn't you give her?

four: at this rate, I'll sell my shop

five: and y/n

six: suck it up

seven: the cat was a one-time thing

eight: that's enough customer servicing for you

nine: has Jungwon ever made food for you before?

ten: spoilt fish stew

eleven: he smelt like trash

twelve: at least they care about each other

thirteen: how it really is (written)

fourteen: Google play obsessed by Addison Rae

fifteen: dumb, dumber and dumbest

sixteen: does that mean it's a date?

seventeen: love is not my todo list

eighteen: can we hug now?

nineteen: very much attracted to money and myself

twenty: thanks for the offer but we won't be considering it

"candy, my laptop broke down again!" you hear jake shout from his room just as you're preparing to get ready for shower, choosing one shower gel out of the four you have and grabbing your towel before tying up your usually let down hair into a messy bun. sighing you walk out your room, keeping what all you held in your hand on the kitchen counter and entering his room through the half open door. he's sitting on his bed, a sheepish smile on his face, you turn to look at his desk to see his laptop closed, "maybe if you used your school laptop to study instead of playing games on it, it would stay healthy. but I assume you tricked me into coming here, it's not gonna work everytime yun," you click your tongue in feigned annoyance making him grin wider,"well it does work everytime though,"

"what is it?", asking in a sing song tone, you plop down on his desk chair, spinning in rounds with your legs slightly extended out swinging them subtly, hands gripping on the arms of the chair while looking up at the phosphorescent glow-in-the-dark stickers you forcefully put up on the ceiling of his room. "actually eunsang, she-" he starts hesitantly but you cut him off, knowing what he's about to say, "I told- no warned you not to get involved with her for a second time, didn't I?"

"yes but it happened and now she's after me all the time, she even showed up to my soccer practice yesterday! please just this one time, please help me get rid of her constant pestering," clamping together his hands he pouts, giving you his puppy eyes for a few seconds and when you don't show a reaction of any sort he resorts to bribery,"I'll buy you tons of watermelon lollipops! from your favorite brand that too!" his eyes sparkle with hope, expecting you to fall for it, like you do every single time but alas patterns break and so did your greed for sweets; or perhaps you suppressed it.

"no, i'm on a diet. I gave up on sweets, what if I get diabetes? will you," you point at him dramatically,"take responsibility?" to which his stance morphs into a stunned one for a moment before he's regaining the part of him which knows how you are like, "yes of course I'll help you take your meds and-" he raps quickly in a hurried note aware that you'll not let him answer if he's not fast enough but you still beat him to it, speaking over his voice, loudly so that his words are drowned out even though you hear them very clearly,"will you? NO you will not! so let me just shower peacefully before I develop the urge to lock you in the bathroom when you're in there later," with that you rush out the room swiftly incase he decides to use his strength against you to get you to accept his beseech; it doesn't help that he's training to become an athlete, a buff center forward in comparison to you who barely puts effort into doing even a little bit of yoga once a month. it's obvious he'll have you give in if he wants but he's too sweet to force you.

its comes as a shock to you when the next day, the first thing you see waking up in the morning and walking into the living room, is eunsang standing by the open kitchen's counter, clad in one of jake's dress shirt that you recognize from doing his laundry occasionally, pouring herself a glass of water. when she notices you, she's gives you a small, friendly smile which you know is fake, she's doing it just so to look good and polite in jake's eyes. but sad to say it's of no use, because she's not even there in his eyes to begin with, the moment the boy comes out of his room, his field of vision doesn't even find her, passing by her very visible figure like she's a microscopic bug to ruffle your hair in a dotting manner, morning voice coming out in an adoring essence,"good morning, candy," he smiles and scrunches up his nose when he notices the baby cat you both adopted last month, curled up in the corner of the couch,"and mei,"

wishing him morning in response you give him a look which silently delivers your question of what is going on, surely you heard them last night, but you didn't know it was her, you weren't even expecting her to be the one, she was like the last person you would have assumed. in return he sends you a flying look that he'll explain everything later.

"yunie~," your ears perk up at her voice, eyes narrowing in a deadly stare at the nickname you call him with leaving her mouth, it's certain now, like jake you have blossomed a definite possession over a nickname.

jake's eyes shift to look at you for a second and then he's running a hand through his hair, dropping his sweet conduct to get back into his usual cold fuckboy self, "you're still here? better if you leave soon, candy doesn't like all this," then walks around her to the other side of the counter, into the kitchen, opening the upper cabinets,"what do you want for breakfast candy? should I make you some toast? or do you want your usual dose of sweet?" he asks resting his palms on the granite surface and leaning against it slightly while turning to fix his gaze on you; completely ignoring the dumbfounded girl beside you, who clenching her jaw, gives you a weird stare before dashing into his room.

"my watermelon slush please," pouting your lips at him, you walk over to sit up on the kitchen counter, your dangling legs giving his lower thighs a light kick every two seconds. watching him prepare your drink first, you whisper in a low voice,"did you like make a friends with benefit kind of arrangement or something?" the thought of it disturbs you for some reason, it's not new for you to see random girls in your apartment, or to hear them while they're at it, but it still sort of gives you an uneasy feeling, something you don't like feeling.

"it was a last time kind of deal actually," he pauses to give you a quilty smile, finishing your slushy just as eunsang hastily steps out, wearing what you assume her clothes from the previous night, holding whatever she brought along. she observes as jake hands you the cup watching you take a sip,"is it good?" he asks in a tone way different than the one she's acquainted to him using with her and it makes her mad and sad, driving her to hurry out of the apartment.

your eyes follow her figure, flinching silently when she bangs the door close harshly,"aggressive," you comment, your hooded orbs as you drink from your favorite mug shifting back to him. "from what I've seen, you're way more aggressive," jake laughs softly, index finger coming to poke at your cheek tenderly.

you're about to talk back on his words when he cuts you off before you've even drank the liquid still cheeks full in your mouth,"we need to get the groceries this week, I have soccer practice tomorrow and the day after, so I think it'll be best to go today," he shuffles around, making himself some toast.

you give a nod of approval as if he's asking for permission but you know if you say no, then he's not gonna drag you with him,"I'm gonna go take a shower first then," hopping down, you place your empty mug in the sink, and skip to your room to take your bath supplies. "let's shower together," he says as you step out the threshold of your bedroom door, a playful mischievousness in his voice and expression. it's clearly a joke but you can't help feeling flustered internally, you've been keeping up with his flirty and touchy antics for the past year yet never found yourself getting used to it, he's too attractive to get used to; at least that's what excuse your brain gives you.

"and if we get locked in there, who's gonna get us out? you know the door lock has problems," you complain in a soft groan making you appear adorable in his eyes.

at that he stands straighter, a fleeting look of flabbergast clouding his face before he's breaking out in a teasing smile and brazenly narrowed eyes,"so does that mean if the lock was fine you'd actually shower together with me," he purposely stops all he's doing to stare at you, moving his eyebrows cheekily, provoking your sarcasm to come to the surface,"I never said that," sticking your tongue out at him, you close the bathroom door.

two hours later you're both strolling through the isles of shelving, bright florescent lighting, end displays of popular products, sale signs, banners with store mottoes, isle signs stating product location, rows and rows of household products. he's pushing the cart as you look around for items to cross out one by one the ones in your checklist. the way you both discuss and bicker over what to keep in the cart and what not to, anyone who sees you both would assume it to be a couple grocery trip, it feels as such too, how he insists on taking what you like while you argue that you're on a diet and need to cut down on the consumption and desires of your sweet tooth, it feels sweet, he feels sweet.

"i'm taking the pop tarts!" he shouts from two isles away and even though it's not a question your brain processes it as one as you answer shouting back,"...okay fine!" capturing the attention of an old couple who glance at you and say something you don't understand but you assume it's probably about how annoying you both are, shouting at the mart.

in the end jake convinces you to continue your diet later over the summer break saying that he'll help you and grabs a bunch of packets of your favorite snacks, your favorite brand's watermelon lollipops and not to forget the fruit itself. after the billing, he carries all the bags except the small one that held your lollipops, which he asked the cashier to pack separately, in case you'll want to eat one instantly.

on your way back, you both take the subway. you have a store near your apartment complex but because of the lack of fruits there jake had you come to the big supermarket miles away. due to the busy hour of a weekday when you board the train there's only one seat left, jake urges you to sit but you feel it to be unfair and demand that whoever wins in a of game rock, paper, scissors will occupy the space. he wins and as a result you stand in front of him, holding onto the metal pole with both of your hands, the bags resting at his foot.

it's just one stop through when jake suddenly pulls you on to his lap, adjusting you comfortably on his thighs and placing his hands on your legs in a possessive kind of manner. you turn your head to look at him, wanting to ask what on earth happened for him to do this out of the blue, and as your lips part, he whispers in your ear,"that creep right there kept staring you up and down," pointing with a discreet move of his eyes that'll only you're capable of understanding while he drills holes through his stern gaze fixed on the said guy. on the other hand when you find the cad, your mind grows hot with irritation, an abrupt and sharp impulse of anger growing in you.

"I'll show him what the fuck he was staring at,"you mutter out, teeth gritted, and hands almost forming into fists while looking calm as ever. jake seems to catch on to what you're about to do and before you can get up from lap, his hold on you gets tighter,"okay, I know you hate this candy, but I don't want you getting hurt in any way, if he does anything I'll make sure to set him right, for now I think he got it that he's not gonna stare at you however he wants," his hand grabs yours and he caresses the expanse of your arm delicately like a soothing rub.

for the rest of the ride he manages to pacify you and when your stop comes he intertwines your fingers as you walk out the compartment, just in case you decide to give the dude a slap before leaving, you do wish to do that but instead just throw an aversive and loathful glare at him.

"I'm gonna roll on you all I want today," you declare like an important announcement as you roll from on top of his body to the the floor then back from the floor to the top of his body and then to the other side like the fur remover roller you have for mei as he lies on the fluffy rug typing away on his laptop an essay deadlined for tomorrow. a lighthearted laugh leaves his lips, feeling the weight of your body on and off,"you do this all the time, why are you behaving like it's the first," reaching behind to hold you still on his back he asks,"why are you sulking?" knowing all too well you do this either when you're over the top bathing in happiness or drowning in sorrow.

"I'm gonna gain weight now because of you, I'll see all the snacks and sweets in the pantry and not be able to desist myself from binge eating them," forming a fist you lightly punch the curve of his shoulders in consistent hits. he turns around in a swift motion and grabs you into a hug,"I love your belly anyhow, whether it's visible or not," giggling near your ear, he gives the plump flesh of your stomach a zephyr-like pinch, having you wince and recoil before you hug him back,"yeah whatever," his words make you feel butterflies, a turmoil of frenzy and fuzzy feelings, cheeks growing warm, and the warmth spreading all over your face.

you both stay like that for a while breathing in relaxation, and taking in the comfort of a hug, the room saturated with a restful and serene silence. you're the first to pull away,"you should finish that essay, I'll go do some studying for my test next week," getting up you leave him in the living room to spend the rest of your evening buried in books and your school laptop.

after all the studying for the following two days till the weekend, the first thing in the morning you do is put on despicable me on the tv, and switching on the ac, wrap yourself in a thin lilac charmeuse blanket to start your stress relieving movie marathon.

"yunie, can you pass me the watermelon in the fridge? the one from yesterday," you spare a quick glance towards the half naked boy wearing only a pair of sweatpants, black hair all dishevelled looking even more messier due to the perm he got last week, walking out of his room, headset resting around his neck, before your eyes return to focus on the movie playing on the tv screen. "yeah sure," he mumbles out softly in his raspy morning voice sounding probably like he stayed up all night again.

taking the half a piece of watermelon out and grabbing a spoon jake scoops out a small little portion, and going up to your slouched figure on the couch, extends out his hand which held the spoon of fruit towards your mouth,"here you go, candy," as a motion of feeding you, something he does quite often. after you've eaten it, he gives you the half cut ball of sweetness and sits beside you to see what you're watching.

not even a minute after, he's fidgeting about, pulling up to sit cross-legged,"do you want to go buy a new sofa at ikea tomorrow? this one's pretty small," he turns to look at you, raising his brows subtly,"well first of all I didn't plan to have a roommate and secon- I swear if it's for your carnal escapades I'm kicking you out!" it comes out in a yell, voice raising with every syllable before you throw a seed at him, which due to your bad aiming skills instead of landing on his face, falls and sticks to the skin of his chest.

keeping away the watermelon, you pick up mei and settle her on your lap, pulling back your blanket which had slipped off,"this is public space have some decency before you have such thoughts!" you laugh.

"stop making me appear like a horndog!" he laughs along, whinning at your fictitious accusations in giggles and a look of faux disbelief.

"well that is exactly what you are but I'll stop if you make me some sweet soy-glazed potatoes," trying to strike a deal as if it's a bid you wiggle your brows at him, like an invitation to a challenge but in reality it's just jake having to prepare today's lunch which he does so often, that it's like you coming into the kitchen to cook is almost similar to a little kid coming to help their parent. "at least cut the potatoes? a little help as such will be appreciated and remembered," he puts his palm against his chest and bows, stifling a small laugh when you return the bow with a 'yes your majesty'

getting up from the couch you're about to head towards the kitchen when the doorbell rings, "yun can you get the potatoes out, I'll see who it is," you regret opening the door the moment you see the figure standing outside. not wanting to reveal the presence to jake, you close the door behind you, and the boy thinks of it as nothing because you've done it lot many times when your friends show up, simply because you don't want them to become his prey.

you look up amd down at eunsang as she stands all tall, hands folded, fully dressed fancy with a cocky expression, "I'm here to see jake," she states tilting her head to point over at the closed door, all the sugary honeyed act she keeps up around him no where to be seen. "and he doesn't want to see you, didn't he tell you it was the last time," as a counterattack you fold your hands as well, raising your head gazing at her tauntingly, the look in your round orbs carrying boredom. "are you jake? I said I want to talk to jake not you," scoffing, she rolls her eyes at you and clicks her heels as a sign of impatience. poking your tongue on the inside of your cheek, you close your eyes for a moment trying to calm the annoyance in you before it turns into anger, "and are you deaf? I said he does not want to talk to you," but what the girl says next makes it impossible for you to just stay still.

jake, the matter of subject on the other hand is busy washing and peeling the potatoes inside when he hears your loud voice, in a second one shout turning into many more followed by screamings which has him falling into a frantic mind. he quickly drops the potatoes and knifes in his hand and rushes out the door to see you and eunsang grabbing and pulling onto each other's hair which you shout way more loudly than eunsang's screams. his hands flail as he contemplates on what to do, how to stop this before he finds himself behind you, gripping eunsang's hands and removing them from your head to which her head snaps to look at him in shock. in another moment his fingers grasp the dip of your waist and he throws you over his shoulder and takes you back inside, your fisting hands hitting the expanse of his back as protest,"fucking let go of me! I'm gonna give her a good piece of my mind!"

putting your body down he holds the side of your arms and forces you to look into his eyes,"stop fighting all the time, stay here I'll talk to her, okay?" he speaks slowly as an attempt to placate you. when you trying escaping his arms, he asks again, this time moving to cup your face,"okay?" you sigh loudly before giving him a nod and with that he walks out to confront eunsang about why she suddenly decided to show up.

truth to be told, this was how he first met you, or maybe saw you. it was the day he was supposed to move in, he had packed all that was necessary for the rest of the week in his suitcase while keeping in mind to get all his other stuff later. the apartment being on the seventh floor, jake was waiting for the elevator to reach the ground floor and when it did, never in a million years did he ever expect to witness such a first encounter with his college roommate, that too a girl he supposedly thought of setting up a friends with benefit type of arrangement. the doors of the elevator had slid open to see you cornering a middle aged man, jake watched with his mouth hanging open, eyes bulging out, face still like stone and heart beat on pause from the shock of the scene- it's probably an exaggeration but this is how he remembers he felt when he saw you slap the man hard mumbling out in a fake laugh,"fun?", a smirk visible from your side profile as you futher kicked the man in the crotch,"this' fun?" asking with an expression of feigned innocence like you did not just do what you just did.

he was fascinated and at the same time horrified knowing you were going to be his roommate, he thought you were someone who beat up people just because they felt like it but turned out the man had apparently tried to or maybe actually did touch you inappropriately behind the closed doors. he had never before seen you in the campus, neither did he know your name until then and never was it his intention to treat you so good, like a little sister, calling you candy, it just somehow happened after he found your love for sweets and how you're so very different than what he had beheld the first time, contrastingly a kind of babiness that came out when he treated you almost like one.

but for the note of it, it's safe to say he got attracted to you since the very first rencounter. he liked the aggressiveness that you held, not looking like it but having it very staunchly.

it takes him a few minutes to return, a small smile on his face as he closes the door behind him, like he just confessed or something, it grows even wider when his eyes find you,"stop cutting the potatoes so aggressively, they're gonna get smashed," he chuckles walking over to the kitchen and getting other things out. "she called me a slut for living with a guy like you and I was in the midst of giving her a lecture on actually how good of a person you are-" you place the knife on the counter with a thud and turn around to face him,"and you dragged me in!" whinning you pout your lips at him, brows furrowing.

watching you with amused eyes, he stops to give you a regaling smile, pursed lips stretching across his cheeks,"my darling candy, I'm only good to you," you glare at him wanting to supress the bubbles of jitteriness in your stomach rising through your chest but anyhow you still break into a smile which fortunate for you he doesn't see because you turn back as soon as you feel your lips twitching.

a month passes by in the blink of an eye, your routines and relationship staying the same as always, classes, his soccer practice and your weekly cleaning day; what's changed is his routine of bringing over girls, the number seeming to get less day by day, and what you haven't noticed- his display of affection towards you growing more and more. yet you think nothing special of it, assuming that perhaps now he got a grip, and has decided to better his ways, no longer wanting to be branded as a fuckboy. unknown to you it's not that but you.

after an all nighter the previous day, coming back from your classes you go straight to bed, changing you clothes and getting tucked under the blanket at around eight in the evening. jake returning from his soccer practice has plans to have a night out at the bar with his friends, unaware that you're already asleep he opens you room door, speaking in a voice way too loud for you to not wake up.

"candy, I'm gonna go out with jay and sunghoon! make sure to have your dinne- oh you were sleeping? I didn't know I'm so sorry candy," he mumbles out in a soft whisper towards the end, supressing a smile watching your sleepy form under the covers trying to rub out the drowsiness from your eyes followed by heavy blinking and a small pout,"it's okay no need to get up, go back to sleep, I'll be back in the morning," approaching the bed as you lay back down, he pats your head in a 'sleep well' before leaving; you hear the front door close just as you drift back into the blank canvas.

you don't know what time it is, but surely it's past midnight judging from dead silence you wake up to, that is except the constant ringing of calls, fumbling around for your phone you check to see a dozen calls from an unknown number and a bunch of messages from the same. opening the chat you find it to be jake's friend jay, whose apparently asking you to come get jake from the car downstairs, stating that the said boy being drunk is refusing to go back home with anyone but you, chanting your name, or asking where you are more specifically as jay has sent you quoted 'where is my candy?', whining for your presence and making it hard for his two friends.

sighing you put on a random jacket from your closet over your pajamas and go out to get jake, leaving the main door open because for sure there's no way you'll be able to open it while continuing to support his body weight, helping him stand stable. it takes you about twenty minutes to get him to the elevator and then through the door, all the while keeping him from falling all over you, as he giggles in joy hugging you from the side. you've seen him drunk a ton of times, more than you can remember but everytime it looks like he's not drunk even when he is, therefore it comes to you as surprise seeing this behavior of his. for all you know he's drank a lot today, more than he usually does as his friends told you after confirming that you're his roommate never having seen you before.

dragging him into his room you have him sit on his bed, going to his closet and getting him a pair of sweatpants from the many he has and the first shirt you find which happens to be the oversized one he bought very recently, you hand him the clothes. wetting a towel, you sit beside him to first wipe the sweat from his face and neck before asking him to change and sleep, wanting to leave to go back your room and sleep the leftover hours of the night. just as you turn away, his hand grabs your wrist and he stops you with his puppy eyes.

in the morning around noon jake is the first one to wake up and having no memory of the previous night besides the fact that he was drunk, he sits on his desk chair, hands in his hair, watching you sleep on the other side of his bed in his shirt. it's like he feels everything to be done from here, he did what he swore never to do, this was the very first thing he pinned on his mind as an important note: not using you even if he has very obvious feelings for you. he tugs on his hair in frustration, angry at himself for not staying in his lane when drunk and the moment he sees you stirring, waking up in seconds, looking around for a while before settling on his figure hunched in anguish. "yun? are you okay? is the hangover severe? should I make you something for it?" you ask in worry making him feel even more guiltier than he already has been.

"you don't even know any hangover recipes," he mumbles in an almost inaudible voice,"I can just search on the internet and try my best, it's not like I'll give you anything inedible," you joke trying to lighten the heavy atmosphere you feel in the air.

you sit up and are fixing your messed up hair when he speaks again, once more sounding as miserable as he has never before,"candy I'm," he pauses gulping to control the lump in his throat,"I'm sorry, I really didn't mean to, I don't why I," he stops again making you confused as to what he is wanting to say,"what are you saying? what apology?" it is when his eyes shift to stare at what you're clad in and staying there for a hard minute when you understand what he means, your cheeks grow hot at the realization but then his words dawn over you. even if it didn't happen the fact that he wouldn't mean it, want it, regret it has something in you twisting in pain, are you so bad? or that he actually really thinks of you as his little sister? that you read his affections wrong, assumed his feelings differently?

"why? because I'm not like the others you have been with? because I'm not like eunsang? or because I'm not her? the one you were smiling so hard after talking to? are you dating he-" eversince you've known him, it's the first time you hear him shout, never having heard him raise his voice at you, it has you flinch and listen attentively,"that's the problem! you're not like her! you're not like any of the others! you're special and I'm afraid I'll lose you, things will change and just I'll have to get over you without even getting a chance,"

you sit in silence for a while processing everything, and by that: jake likes you. when the fact settles in your consciousness, you supress the urge to laugh, understanding the situation in a bigger picture now. you slowly get up from your place and walk over to sit on his lap and taking in a breath of courage, cup his cheeks to give him a long peck, then mumble against his lips brushing yours against the softness of his,"nothing happened, but if you want I can give you a chance to date me, it's going to be hard though tolerating me, think wisely," it has him wide-eyed and mum in a trance, you can even feel the rapid beating of his heart through where you are pressed together.

"your lips taste like watermelon," he mutters out lowly, eyes locking with yours in an intense pull. this is definitely out of the box of outcomes of the situation he had made up in his mind.

"I had some in the morning before you woke up, anyhow yours taste like alcohol and your breath is horrible, go and freshen up," giving his shoulder a light push, you get up and leave the room to make something, probably as you said a recipe searched up on the web.

when he comes out later, he's back to the jake you know, the one who has his hair slightly messy and almost never in a shirt. "why were- are you wearing my shirt then?" he questions in genuine curiosity,"you practically begged me to last night while sobbing for I don't know what reason," you shrug, laughing as you see him make a flustered, surprised pikachu face.

a week later, around four in the afternoon an hour before he has to leave for his soccer practice, you approach his figure on the couch re-watching an episode of vincenzo. over the last few days you've sat down to talk things out, and put a label on your newfound relationship, and on his insistence made it official between you two that you're dating, which he soon reveals to his friends, and as a matter of fact they don't have a fuck to give, they barely knew you, he never even let you all meet and now that he's dating you, they could do nothing but be 'okay dude, we get it you changed'

"do you wanna play that pocky game?" sitting beside him you show him a banana flavored pocky stick, before you are able to have a taste of it, he snatches it out of your fingers and passing a comment,"if you wanted a kiss, you could have just said so," attaches his lips to yours, moving to hold the back of your neck. at first it starts out slow but then you end up making out for a good fifteen minutes.

he has you on his lap, back facing his chest as you rest you weight on him, while the both of absent-mindedly watch the scenes playing on the tv. his fingers play the strands of your hair, occasionally moving to trace random letters on the back of your shoulder. "my parents want to meet you," now his fingers come to poke at your cheeks, treating it like jelly,"as my roommate, they don't know we are dating, haven't told them yet. maybe we can when you meet them?"

"so suddenly though?" you think back to all whatever you have ever done to him for them to want to see you. perhaps they think of you as a snobby girl whose exacerbating their son's already unpleasant habits. when you find innumerous such happenings, you resort to look at mei laying on the rug in a peaceful sleep, mind wandering off to remind yourself to water the plants in the balcony and the few on the shelves inside to distract from the discouragement you feel creeping in.

"they've actually been wanting to meet you for the past three months, I was putting it off but now summer break is starting next week and I have no more excuses to give," hugging you, he rests his head on the curve of your neck, breathing in the smell of watermelon that surrounds you after you had basically half of a whole at lunch. "if you don't want to then you don't have to, I'll talk to them," he assures, not wanting you to feel obligated to agree, or force yourself despite being uncomfortable.

"no it's okay, we can go on tuesday. how long will the drive be?" you shift to face him sideways sliding to sit on the comfort of the couch with your legs hanging over his. "probably two hours or so? we can go and return on the same day," nodding, you start playing with his fingers, touch like knuckles and wondering why they look kinds red.

"I'll go prepare for my soccer practice now?" he doesn't mean to but it comes out like a question, not wanting to just brush you off. "we're never together in the campus, it makes me sad," you complain, moving away to let him leave to pack his duffle bag and change his clothes. "that's because we have completely different majors, it's not possible. besides you're not in any club either to stay after classes," it makes you ponder on whether you should try out for any club, after all these years doing something else besides studying but you have no idea what you should consider, having no knowledge on which clubs you could be eligible to join.

the entirety of jake's practice, you sit idle writing down options and cutting off ones you deem are not for you, but then you wish to come out of the shell of nerd you've created. all of it has you exasperated leaving you with the thought that you'll think of it later, no doubt discuss it with jake, yet by the time he comes back it has already slipped your mind and you've forgotten it much to your convenience until your visit to his family house.

it feels weird and exhilarating how his parents and his older brother welcome you, treating you so well even though they recognize you as nothing more than just his college apartment roommate who helps fix his laptop and tolerates the boy knowing the kind of womanizer he is; kind of feels like a successful meeting of in-laws when it's far from it.

they try their best to make you feel at home, during the lunch as jake had told them beforehand, his mother had a few sweet dishes prepared for you, and when you are done with the food in your plate they urge you to eat more, asking if you don't like it when you refuse politely. they talk to you about casual things such as your likes and dislikes, what major you are, whether jake treats you well, if you have any complaints regarding his behavior. it doesn't feel like you're meeting them for the first time, they make you feel so comfortable that you forget you're supposed to act poised, something you decided on the previous night.

in the beginning of your roommate journey, his accent, his voice was the first thing to attract you but slowly as you explored his personality you came to like him for more than just what attracted you to him. now you as you spend time with people closest to him, you understand where he got that from, the sweet person he is which you never expected a fuckboy to be, you didn't even have an ounce of hope that he'll acknowledge your presence in the apartment when you got to know about his playing around conduct, yet he turned out to be the sweetest boy you've ever come around in your life.

when you are sitting alone with his brother, while jake is away downstairs to bring you something sugary to eat, his brother takes it as a chance to disclose his thoughts,"you know until I heard him call you candy a while ago, I was under the impression that 'candy'," he quotes it specially with a movement of his index and middle finger,"is supposedly a cheerleader fling of his after I saw the contact name when he got a call the last time he was here," making an amused face, he smirks subtly watching jake walk up the stairs behind you, a plate of fruits in his hand and whispers so that it doesn't reach his younger brother's ears,"turns out it's you, I never knew he is the type to give such sweet, unique petnames,"

before you leave in the evening jake makes sure to tell them you're dating and that he's not playing around, it's an actual relationship that he's willing to give effort into and change his usual ways of living, to be better for himself and as well as for you. on your way here you had thought of a lot things, had a lot of assumptions and expectations even prepared yourself to hear things that'll stick to your mind but what stays in your mind now is completely unexpected and opposite of what the inner you had you composed for. it's all you can think of in the car and after you're back in the comfort of your familiar apartment.

"ah, you must be y/n," a man with narrow-framed glasses and a long blond ponytail says from the top of a staircase to your left. despite the dorky glasses and unconventional hairstyle, the man exudes an extraordinary amount of class and grace. "i'm headmaster cross. it’s lovely to meet you."

"lovely to meet you too, sir," you say with a polite smile and bow of your head.

"please follow me to my office, y/n. i, unfortunately, have an urgent matter to attend to but i've arranged for another student to show you around." the headmaster sees the uncertain look you direct at your luggage. "feel free to leave that here for now. you'll be back down soon.”

you nod and follow him up the stairs and down a hallway to his office. the largely cream-coloured space plays host to an imposing and intricately carved desk, seats for the headmaster and two guests, and multiple bookshelves. there are two large windows behind the headmaster's desk through which you can see the rest of the school in the distance.

occupying one of the plush chairs in front of the desk is a boy who stands and turns at your entry.

"ah, good! he's here already," headmaster cross exclaims. "y/n, this is lee heeseung, one of our best and brightest."

heeseung shifts his gaze to you and your heart threatens to burst out from your chest. jet black hair parted slightly to the right, a prominent upturned nose and doe-like yet fierce eyes that could slice cleanly through your soul. he's gorgeous, you think, awestruck once again.

"hello, y/n," heeseung says, flashing you an almost blinding smile.

oh god...

"hello," you reply, your voice coming out a lot quieter than you intended.

"well, i hate to have to dismiss you so quickly, but i have business to attend to," the headmaster says, seeming genuinely saddened. "i hope you'll enjoy your time here, y/n, and that we can meet again soon." he turns to heeseung. "in the meantime, heeseung, please look after her."

"i will, headmaster."

“so, y/n, which class are you in?” heeseung asks you as you exit the entrance building. outside there is more lush broadleaf forest separated by a long limestone path. the trees stand back from the path to allow the sun to warm your skin as you walk.

“three-a,” is your answer to heeseung. “you?”

“three-a? you must be very intelligent. i’m in four-a. so just one year above.”

you pray that the burning blush in your cheeks isn’t too noticeable. it wasn’t every day a boy as good looking as heeseung complimented you.

“if it’s okay, may i ask why you’ve come to cross academy so late in your schooling?”

“it’s fine,” you say. “my mother got promoted at her work and we had to move.”

“ahh, so where were you before?”

before you answer, the two of you reach a fork in the path. which way?

“right,” heeseung says.

“okay. uh, originally we lived in namyangju.”

heeseung stops. “really? that’s where i’m from too.”

“really? what a coincidence.”

smiling cutely with his eyes, heeseung holds his hand out to you. “it’s a pleasure to meet you, my fellow namyangju-an.”

“indeed.” you giggle.

as you continue the walk to your dorm, heeseung and you chat about your early years in namyangju. the two of you lived at opposite ends of the city but still share so many similar experiences. talking to heeseung feels like reconnecting with a long-lost childhood friend. you get lost in the conversation, and you almost jump when a cold, dark shadow falls over you. you look up to see a building almost identical to the entrance building.

“here is your dorm,” heeseung says. “do you know which room is yours?”

“yes, it was in an email.”

“okay. i should get going then. i’ve got a super important basketball game to attend in the gymnasium.”

the look he gives you at the word important makes you laugh. “okay. have fun.”

“i hope we see each other again soon,” heeseung says, completely unaware of the effect his words are having on your poor heart.

“y-yeah. me too.”

you wake up the next day after spending the afternoon unpacking and decorating your side of your shared dorm room and daydreaming of heeseung.

"here, let me," your roommate, saebi, says with a laugh, seeing you struggle to tie the red bow on the bust of your uniform.

the uniform is simple but still sophisticated: white button-up shirt under a black blazer with white detailing and matching pleated skirt, black knee-high socks, black or brown shoes of choice and a red tie or bow pinned to the centre of the blazer.

"all done! let's go."

to your relief, saebi shares most of her classes with you and ensures you don't get lost throughout the day. during lunch breaks, saebi takes you through some of the magical gardens scattered around the school. some are simple with flower bushes and bird baths, others have grandiose fountains and fruits trees. saebi tells you about the hedge maze between the gymnasium and the dorm building where the two of you stay. at the end of the day when the bell rings, saebi squeals with excitement, almost bouncing out of her seat.

"you dislike school that much?" you tease, collecting your things.

"no, silly," saebi says. "the end of the day for us means the start of the day for the night class."

"night class?" you ask, brows pulling together. this is the first you've heard of any night class. there was no mention of it during the scholarship application process. perhaps it was not on offer for sponsored students.

"mhmm. we're mostly separated from them but between the three-thirty and four-thirty bells, we're allowed to mingle. weekends too."

"i didn't know there was a night class," you confess.

"well now you do!" saebi grins and scoops her books into her arms. "come on, i'll introduce you to one of my night class friends."

"oh, no, it's okay," you say. "i need to go to the library. there are a few things i need to catch up on."

"but it's the first day of term..." saebi pouts at you.

"i know but everybody here is so smart and advanced and i want to make sure i don't fall behind."

saebi huffs. "okay. do you want me to show you to the library?"

"no, i think i can find my way."

"okay, just make sure you leave when the bell rings at four-thirty. day class can't be out past then."

the bells rings. you look up from your textbooks to check the clock. 4:30. saebi's words float around your head. but i’m just studying, you think. nothing else. being a conscientious student isn't a crime, is it? surely you would be forgiven if a teacher caught you.

mind made up, you dive back into your textbook, the still and silence of the library easily lulling you back into your study.

by the time you finish the chapter questions, it's almost 6 pm and the sun has completely set. the only source of light now coming from the desk lamp you vaguely remember switching on at some point. your eyes ache and your stomach is begging for food, so you figure it's best to head back to your dorm. pencil case packed and notebooks stacked, you gather the two borrowed textbooks and weave through the labyrinth of bookcases to return them. you find the correct shelf, slip the textbooks into place then return to your things.

"now what do we have here?"

gasping at the abrupt break in the silence, you flip around to find a square-jawed boy has snuck up on you. as he slinks out of the shadows towards you, you notice his uniform is similar to yours, the main difference being the black and white elements of the clothing are switched like an inverted filter.

"a day student out past bedtime," he says, his deep voice sultry and teasing. "that's against the rules."

"i-i'm just studying," you stutter, heart rate still elevated.

"still against the rules," the boy says, stepping towards you. "don't you know it's dangerous at night."

"this is a library. how could it be dangerous?" you try to be confident but the shiver in your words betrays you.

the boy chuckles lowly, one side of his mouth pulling up into a devious smirk. his expression only becomes cockier as your eyes widen, catching on his elongated incisors.

"something wrong, sweetheart?" he asks with mock concern.

"no," you say, your feet sliding back anyhow. you're a smart girl, jumping to conclusions is not your thing. you can chalk the inhuman length and point of his teeth up to this boy simply having a vaguely psychotic sense of style. but, paired with the almost predatory glint in his eyes, it doesn't make the sight of razor-sharp teeth less frightening.

he counters your steps backwards with his own forward movement until you hit the table, knocking your pile of books over.

“don’t worry, sweetheart,” he says, reaching his hand towards you. “i don’t bite… oh wait...” he pauses, head hanging as he lets out a dark chuckle. his head snaps up, piercing red eyes locking onto you. “i do.”

before you can even consider screaming, a sudden gust of wind blows over you and to your bewilderment heeseung appears beside you, ripping the other boy's hand away from you.

"cut it out, jay," heeseung says coldly. "you're scaring her."

the newly identified jay groans, throwing his head back. "jeez, heeseung. way to ruin the fun."

"your version of fun needs to be re-evaluated," heeseung snaps back, tossing jay's hand away. "get back to class."

rolling his eyes, jay turns on his heel, mumbling, “whatever.” he disappears between the shadows of the bookshelves but your fear is far from gone.

with an expression mirroring someone who’s seen a ghost, you mumble to the floor, “what the fuck?” then louder to heeseung, “what the fuck?!”

“y/n, wait—”

“what the fuck, heeseung?” you cry. “what the fuck was that? he had glowing eyes! and fangs!”

“i can explain.”

“please do!”

“okay,” heeseung sighs. the stern attitude he spoke to jay with dissolved the moment it was just him and you. “i was supposed to tell you this yesterday but i was distracted and forgot. cross academy isn’t an ordinary school. yes, having a day and night class is a bit strange but the reasoning behind it is even stranger.”

“go on…” you prompt.

cautiously, he says, “the reason we have two separate student bodies is because the night class are… vampires.”

the room falls deathly quiet, heeseung waiting for your reaction and you waiting for your brain to reboot, the ability to form coherent sentences lost from your mind.

vampires? really? vampires? it can’t be true. vampires are myths, fairytales, old folklore created from misunderstandings about the world and people in it. there’s no way. but… that boy… jay… his teeth were so abnormally long and appeared razor sharp. and his eyes, they were blood-red… could it be true that the night class are actually vampires? but then that would mean…

arms crossingvover your queasy stomach, you step back to take in heeseung's uniform, one which matches the other boy's. slowly, you raise your gaze to meet heeseung’s. “does that mean… are-are you…?”

he nods. “yes.”

“prove it.”

heeseung sighs, shoulders sinking as he reaches his hand out to yours. “may i?”

your brows pull together in confusion but you allow him to take your hand in his. gently, as though handling glass, heeseung turns your hand palm up and pushes back your sleeves. your enquiry to his actions gets trapped in your throat as heeseung lowers his face to your exposed wrist. his hair falls over his face, obscuring your view of his eyes fluttering shut as he inhales through his nose. his lips brush against your skin, igniting your body the way the box ignites the match. a soft gasp floats past your slips as heeseung’s grip on your wrist tightens ever so slightly before he pulls back, running a quivering hand through his hair.

stunned, you stare at your wrist with wide eyes. it looks just as it always does and yet your whole body feels a million degrees—like lava is now circulating through your veins. your heart pounds loudly in your chest.

“god,” heeseung groans airly. “i can’t even remember the last time i was this close to human blood.”

his words are a slap in the face reminder of why heeseung did what he did. to prove to you that not only are vampires real but that he is one too. you look up at him just in time to see his eyes open, revealing the same blood-red glow in his irises that jay had. you watch his tongue run under his top teeth, highlighting the incisors which, like jay, are longer and sharper than naturally possible in any human. you’re not sure whether or not to be frightened by it all.

“don’t be frightened,” heeseung says.

your heart seizes. “wha—?”

“i can read minds,” heeseung says with a gentle smile.

your jaw almost crashes through the floor. “vampires can read minds?”

“no. i can read minds. every vampire has some sort of extra ability outside of strength, speed and accelerated healing. the most common ones involve the elements.”

“whoa. i… this is all so…” your eyes drift from heeseung, mind reeling from the events of the night. half an hour ago, vampires were nothing but a myth to you. and now… your brain feels fragmented: cracked and snapped and torn to shreds by the complete destruction of reality.

eyes downcast, heeseung takes your hand again, pulling your sleeves back down. “i know this is a lot for you to take in. it always is.” he tries to comfort you by gently rubbing his thumb over the back of your hand. “but you’re doing really well considering. usually there would be screaming and a lot more cussing.”

you focus back on heeseung, somewhat relieved to find his eyes have returned to a warm brown. “usually? you mean this happens often?”

he nods. “yes. most if not all day students are aware of the night classes vampirism. it’s kind of the point of cross academy; to show that vampires and humans can coexist.”

“wait. is headmaster cross…?”

“a vampire? no. i believe he used to be a hunter actually.”

your eyes widen for the umpteenth time. “people hunt vampires? li-like animals?”

“yes, but some are beginning to change their ways. like headmaster cross. his goal is for us all to exist peacefully with each other, without fear or distrust.”

you swallow thickly. the melancholic expression that had formed on heeseung’s face makes you wonder…

“you want to know if i’ve ever been hunted,” heeseung states, proving again that he can see into your mind. taking a chance on this ability, he threads his fingers through yours. as expected, your mind nor your body show any sign of protest to his action. “i have. my whole family has. we used to live further north but we were attacked and fled here.”

“i’m so sorry. that must have been so traumatic for you.”

he laughs lightly. “perhaps, but it was a long time ago. right now, you’re the one going through a traumatic experience.”

“i don’t know if i’d call this traumatic. just… a lot to take in.”

“in any case, you should head back to your dorm. your friends are probably worried about you.”

“yeah, all one of them,” you joke.

“am i not your friend?” heeseung replies, tilting his head to be in line with your sight.

“ah—well—i mean—of course, i just—”

heeseung laughs at your flustered response. “i’m only teasing. either way, it’s only your first day. i’m sure you’ll make some more friends tomorrow.”

huffing playfully, you gather the books you knocked over earlier.

“would you like me to accompany you back to your dorm?” heeseung asks, picking up your pencil case. “most of us night class students aren’t like jay and we have guardians who patrol the grounds, but, you know, just in case.”

“yes please,” you say quickly before he can recant his offer.

giving you another gentle, comforting smile, heeseung offers you his hand. “shall we then?”

hands entwined throughout, the walk back to your dorm is relatively silent; you taking some time to fully process everything that has happened and heeseung giving you the mental space to do so. when you reach the door of the dorm, heeseung kisses your hand and bids you goodnight.

“wait!” you say before he can walk away. “i have a question.”

“what is it?” he asks, turning back to you.

“if you’re a vampire, that means you drink blood, right?”

“yes.”

“human blood?”

“no,” heeseung says with a tightlipped smile. “not while we’re at school anyway.”

“but how do you survive then?”

“we use these.” he reaches into his blazer pocket and pulls out a sheet of red capsule pills. “the school provides them to all night class students. they’re blood pills that contain a small concentrated amount of animal blood. we can swallow them like this or break them open into some water and drink that.”

“oh, wow,” you say. “that’s incredible.”

heeseung hums. “shame they don’t taste like it.”

“o-oh.” you gulp, bringing your hair over your shoulders, to cover your neck a bit more.

heeseung can’t help but smile at your cuteness. “there’s no need to worry,” he assures you, tucking your hair behind your ears. “the pills are enough to keep us satiated. and besides, most of us have sworn off human blood. there’s only a few like jay who haven’t quite adjusted yet.”

“if you say so,” you mumble, slightly unconvinced. earlier tonight, jay didn’t seem to hesitate or have any sort of remorse when he approached you to no doubt use you as a blood juice box.

“trust me,” heeseung says. “but if something like tonight ever happens again, i’ll be there to protect you.”

“you will?”

“of course. now get inside before you miss dinner.”

“okay,” you say. “well, thank you for coming to my rescue tonight, heeseung.”

“it was no trouble. there was no way i was going to let jay take advantage of the girl i like.”

“you what?”

but with a wink and burst of speed, heeseung is gone, leaving you alone and dumbstruck. did he just say what i think he said?

“y/n! oh my god! i’ve been so worried!”

“hi, saebi,” you say, eyes still wide and dazed as you turn to her.

“where were you? are you okay?”