seonghyeon thinks that you might have forgotten about him, when all you do is waiting, every single day. until that one time, your path crosses again.
› idol! seonghyeon x college student! reader
› angst, yearning, age gap
› playlist : newjeans – ditto . enhypen – moonstruck
› a/n : mia's here! i came back for another seonghyeon on this hehe ;) thank you so much for the hype and support on the previous one. rly got inspired by ditto and moonstruck but only for the vibes && do bear in mind that this is pure fictional so nothing personal implied to any characters. pls pls enjoy, reblog and like! <333
The dance routines for Cortis 2nd comeback has successfully wrapped up and the whole practice room is loud with the members’ cheers and claps. Back in the corner of the practice room, Seonghyeon takes out his phone from his back pocket, eager to find out if you might send him a text.
He sighs deeply as he shoves his phone back to its place. The last time he texted you was before his flight to LA for a songcamp on their latest comeback and that made it almost two months ago. The conversation was short but reassuring, at least to him.
Having to deal with hectic schedules, he assumes that you are also as busy as him with your studies. So the frequent textings have turned rarely and cold.
Ever since the last meet up, Seonghyeon feels like he has lost something in his life. Slacking during practices for quite few times, urging Martin to raise his concerns to the rest of the group about him.
Sometimes, Seonghyeon will plop on the couch and doomscroll his photo gallery searching for pictures of both of you, just to have his own staring contest with the phone screen.
Some other times, Seonghyeon seems to zone out near the corner of the practice room, reminiscing everything that he can. Down to his memory lane— the first fansign, the thrift shop encounters, the new year wish, the icecream and cafe dates, the little sneak outs near your college, the birthday wish and surprise dinner, the last goodbye at the cafe. He can never forget all that.
To be honest, he can never forget about you.
“Please Nayla, can you just let me use your ipad for like a second?”
You beg your friend as yours are already dead in the middle of the lecture.
“Girl, you are supposed to bring along the charger or a powerbank though. What's gotten into you lately, huh?”
Your friend nags at your goldfish memory for not charging the ipad before coming to class. Of course when she nags, she blasts like how moms always do.
“Chill maam, I'll treat you an icecream at the usual vendor. You in?”
“Make it two. Take it or leave it.” She negotiates.
“Wow, but okay!” You beam.
“I hate you for always have something to trade.”
She finally gives in, pushing her ipad to you. The class is going too slow that your eyes are already on the verge of dozing off. You love literature but the lecture is just not in your favor for today.
“Hey, do you want to go to the festival this weekend?”
“Girl, seriously? You forgot almost on everything these days.” She squints her eyes at your direction.
As your friend lets out a groan, you can only sigh for not paying attention to anything that happens in and out of your college life anymore.
She would always notice you daydreaming while looking at your phone, buried in your own thoughts. She thinks that you are not being yourself, the one who is always in high spirit and carefree.
“Uh yeah, I'll let you know.” You offer her a small smile.
Your friend is right because you are not you anymore.
You nearly forgot on the submission dates of your projects and essays. Not to mention that you turn down on her offers to hangout for quite many times too.
It really feels like you are burning out thinking of what you probably have with Seonghyeon right now. You know that it is vague, even nowhere to be found to be honest. It is as if there is a string that holds something between you and him.
“You okay?” Martin asks Seonghyeon out of worried.
“Yeah, guess so. Just tired, maybe.”
Seonghyeon slouches on the couch while Martin taking out two energy drinks from the fridge near him and hands Seonghyeon a can of it. Both of them are in their studio, waiting for the manager to cue a live on weverse that evening.
“Still waiting for her to text first, huh?”
“Sort of. I miss her. Like I’m dying.”
“Why don’t you take the lead? I bet she’ll reply in no time. Trust!” Martin clicks his tongue and winks at Seonghyeon.
With a low chuckle, Seonghyeon clicks the yellow icon and open the chat room of you and him.
You are on your way back to the dorm after a short run, alone at the nearest park when a notification rings through the quiet cold night making you jumped at the sound.
Your heart clenches seeing the name on the text bubble. As you click on the app, your eyes are already warm with hot tears.
It breaks your heart for not being able to contact him casually just like before. You know you cannot just simply text him, barging into his personal daily life like he is your partner. But seeing his name pops on your lockscreen tonight makes it feels surreal enough to believe.
“See! I told you, right?”
Martin wiggles his brows at Seonghyeon making the latter one blushes at the leader.
The door clicks open with the presence of their manager stepping inside the studio and passing them the company’s phone for the weverse live.
“Oh shoot. It's manager hyung.”
Seonghyeon whispers to himself but Martin can hear it clearly through the humming of the humidifier. Seonghyeon puts his phone upside down near the monitor, afraid that their manager can catch a glimpse of what he is up to.
Just like that, your reply is forgotten by Seonghyeon as he continues with the live and song recording, right after the live ends.
Full rehearsals and preparation for the annual festival coming this weekend are getting busier than ever. White walls down the hallway through the locker rooms are already filled with flyers of few artists who will be performing as the highlights of the festival.
While you are walking through it, you take a glance at the familiar faces on a thin paper pasted to the wall. Faces that some you call friends, the coolest ones.
You swear to God that you do not have any ideas about this event at all. How can you be so densed with all that happens around you?
Your eyes linger on that one particular face for quite too long. You stare at his facial features on the paper fondly making the time stops ticking for a while.
“I know you kinda miss him, so why don't you join me on the bleachers watching him and also your cool friends?”
You literally have no idea on where does your friend come from when she nudges your side, invitingly. She knows how you feel these days.
Oh. She definitely knows, and she always does when it comes to things that you don’t.
“Why don’t you tell me that he’s coming?”
“Duh! So now it’s my fault for not telling you any of these? Oh don’t let me start.” She rolls her eyes in annoyance and slings one of her hands to her waist just like how moms do.
Uh uh. Mother is mothering right now.
“Oh..kay yeah sorry. It’s just that why am I so out of touch for not knowing all this?”
You facepalm and sigh. Idiot.
Seonghyeon, on the other side feels the same too. He is not just missing you, but also yearns for your presence next to him.
He still has not replied since your last chat in the studio. He really wants to continue the conversation asking for your life updates but schedules get him stuck for doing so.
The news on performing at your college as a comeback promotion has revived his motivation to practice at his best. Juhoon being the observant one is the first to see the change.
“Someone is practicing hard right now. I see that.” He beams at Seonghyeon with his signature crescent eyes.
Seonghyeon grins at Juhoon’s tease.
“Eww! Being in love is so cheesy man.” Keonho groans.
“Okay, bro. The performance is only two days away.”
When James' older brother mode is on, the practice room is blasted with REDRED once again with him leading the dance routines.
Seonghyeon has finally found his momentum back, excited to see you in flesh after the harsh breakdown he has been through along your absence.
You rush down to the dorm's lobby while donning a white blouse, paired with a red cardigan and jeans. Walking hand in hand with your friend through the hallway, your heart beats with rapid pumps. Your palms start to form lines of sweat from the sudden rushed feelings.
“Looks like we're a bit early so yeah. To the barricade we go!”
The bleachers are still not fully occupied yet but your friend does not want to waste any chances being in front of the stage. You two stride over the packed space just to get through to the barricade.
A howl from your friend rings to your ears right after securing a standing spot, making it easier for you to have a clear view to all performances. The situation gradually gets vibrant with loud musics from the performances and people’s screaming.
You hold on tight to the steel, worried to get pushed with people being excited while enjoying the performance. The stage darkens once again, signaling another performance is coming up next.
When the electric guitar in Fashion starts to blare, the crowds go frantic together with Martin's loudest screams.
“Hey! That's him.” Nayla beams at you.
Your friend pokes you and juts her lips to make you glance to the left side. There he is, bopping his head to the rhythm of the intro in a sleeveless red jersey with your college's name on it. He looks way too good tonight.
During Martin’s part, Keonho notices you so he walks down to the moshpit and goes straight to your spot. That is when Seonghyeon trails his sight to you, with longing eyes. The ones that despair for you and your warmth.
He does not follow Keonho down to your area, afraid that he cannot control himself and make the situation even harder for them. So he just stays on the stage and continues to perform with high energy. A sense of relief unveils knowing that he has finally found you in the crowds.
When Martin is talking about their comeback song, Seonghyeon takes a chance to look straight at you and curve a smile. You definitely know that smile, that damn smile. As a reply, you try to put on a sweetest smile back at him while suppressing your tears. He pouts and tilts his head slightly to the side after seeing your reactions. The whole interaction between you and Seonghyeon had James tapping lightly on Seonghyeon's mid back as a sign that he is pleasured to have noticed you from the crowds too.
The subtle gesture of Seonghyeon raises his thumb asking whether you are fine while pretending to hold his mic up makes you nod gently with a thumb up mirroring his action. His eyes never leave you like he is starstrucked by your overall features tonight.
“I feel bad looking at both of you communicate like this. Like somekind of talking, but actually not”. Your friend whispers to your side after watching how you and Seonghyeon interact with eyes and hands only.
Once again, she spits facts. It does feel sad, and pathetic.
“I don't know. I just want to cry at this moment. The distance is not that far, but I feel like we are much too far apart.”
Your eyes feel hot and unfortunately with few blinks, drop of tears start to stream down your blushed cheeks. In reflex, Nayla gives you a piece of tissue and soothes you in a low hush. Meanwhile up on the stage, Seonghyeon gets to witness the whole thing that happens between you and your friend down at the moshpit.
Right after the festival ends, both of you leave the scene in rush to the ladies and freshen up a bit before deciding to have some food at the nearest diner. Settles back in Cortis's dorm, Seonghyeon grabs his phone with an intention to text you for a while. He feels like the short moments of staring and smiling just now has brought him to miss you even more.
u look stunning, as always <3
i hope u girls had fun tonight
miss u, it hurts me everyday
Your phone lights up at your side while you are in the middle of a late night dinner with Nayla. Seonghyeon's name once again appears on the lockscreen making your heart thumps rapidly.
miss u, and the others too
even if it was just for a moment we saw each other :(
we did enjoy the stage so much
youngkeukeu and redred were so lit!!
sorry for not being able to check up on u like usual
i do hope we can have more times alone
no, please don’t be sorry
don’t apologize for something that’s out of ur control
Seonghyeon is already on his bed, waiting for your reply but his eyes have other plans when it slowly shut close to the warmth of the mattress. Just like that, your reply is left on read for another day.
Few minutes pass with no signs of response from him, a low huff escapes your lips as you cram the phone back into your pouch and continue to finish whatever is left on the dining table. Nayla stiffens while glancing at your actions, knowing that the situation has thickened between you and Seonghyeon.
“I don’t want to do this anymore. Having to act tough everyday while dying inside waiting on him for no reason, it definitely eats me up.”
She holds your hand and gives it a squeeze for some sort of support. She knows that you are strong, but people do have limits too.
“Hey, that’s okay. You know I’m always here for you. We can talk this out later at the dorm, okay?”
You nod slowly with a burning throat.
The next day, Seonghyeon wakes up to Keonho’s loud voice yelling at only God knows what it is while he plays with his phone. Seonghyeon stretches out his hand to search for his phone like it is a reflex action. He gets panic when he sees your texts are left opened all night long and groans to himself just because his sleepy eyes cannot wait on you.
hey, sorry for last night
i hope we can meet at the fansign again
just like our first time :(
Your Sunday morning routine of cleaning up the study desk stops at the sound of several notifications from Seonghyeon. The deep conversation with your friend last night has come to a decision of you letting go everything that you have with Seonghyeon for the sake of him and the group. A reality check suddenly kicks in after what has happened last night. You were only that one person blended in among the crowds, while he was the man of the show. Obviously, it was a huge difference to think of.
about the fansign, i can’t do that again
what’s wrong? u sound different
i know it’s still early but i’m sorry
we cannot do this anymore
i mean by this, the whole thing
it feels wrong, totally wrong
yknow i’m older and that makes all this even weird
don’t play the age card with me ever again
i’ve said to u for so many times i don’t care about it at all and you know about that already.
even martin hyung gives us the green light to continue whatever we have now
After collecting a pile of freshly washed shirts and pants from the laundry room, you take a seat at the edge of the bed to stable yourself. A low huff leaves your lips while staring at Seonghyeon’s replies knowing that he may have turned sour from the way he words his thoughts. With a lump on your throat and tears on the brims of your swollen eyes from yesterday’s event, you type in your next reply with shaky hands.
what do we have now hyeon? because idk what is it
is it the green light from martin only?
or the subtle conversation that we had during the festival last night? yknow that we came from two different worlds
Your chest burns after pouring your thoughts into the reply, demanding a clear vision on the things that Seonghyeon has expressed just now.
Meanwhile, Seonghyeon starts to feel agitated at the idea of you taking all this into a halt. He can never imagine himself to be in another slump like before. The loss of direction, the slacking in practices, the times of having to reminisce every single moment that you both had in his mind.
No, he cannot do that again.
i thought we’ve agreed to stay close for a long time
even if it’s meant being hidden like this
u said that u were fine though
The loud voice from Martin shrieking to Lngshot’s Never Let Go breaks through the solemn air in the shared bedroom. Oh great! The situation has now condensed with the leader’s choice of song making Seonghyeon growls and throws his plushie to him.
“You okay bro? Is it her on the phone?” Martin asks in concern as he stumbles back while catching the plushie. He strides over to the edge of Seonghyeon’s bed and plops on his mattress.
“Yeah. She wants to stop, on us.” Seonghyeon shoves his phone towards Martin, making him startles at the sudden action. He reads through the conversation and starts to ponder on everything.
“Oh she sends a reply. You read first.” Martin gives back the phone to Seonghyeon but slowly ducks his head trailing the phone’s direction to see what you send.
this is all too much for me to handle
u can always find someone better, and younger
we can’t stay as friends either, hyeon
after all the things that we’ve been through
friends don’t do that yknow?
i’m just a fan among those millions that u have
You let everything out on what you have intended to say to end all this. It hurts, it does hurt. To you, and obviously to him too.
After reading your reply, Seonghyeon cannot contains his disbelief and rakes his hair aggressively. Martin mums his lips not knowing on how to act seeing his friend’s reactions.
“I think maybe that’s for the best. You cannot always leave her hanging after sending random texts, on random days, at random times though. She needs assurance for you to commit, and I know we cannot let you do that even if I have voted for you to go after her. We definitely live in two different worlds.”
Martin blurts some factual opinions that Seonghyeon keeps on denying. He shakes his head, still in denial because he knows he will be back to his old self just like before.
“But I like her, hyung. She’s different and I clicked with her like we’re made for each other.” Seonghyeon tugs at Martin’s arm while he is still in dilemma.
Hearing the plea, Martin taps lightly on his friend’s shoulder with a soft look on his face knowing that the younger one is hurting right now.
“We’re idols, global stars in the making. Will you ever want to jeopardize everything now? I’m not forcing you either, but think of your dream and others too. You have your own path and she has hers. Let her go so she can fly too.”
After few contemplations, Seonghyeon carefully types in his reply with a heavy, damaged heart. His chest aches so much that he needs to inhale and exhale for quite few times.
i don’t rly like the idea of us being apart
but i know i can’t keep doing this to u too
maybe it’s better for us to cross each other’s paths without us knowing, right?
thanks for your times when i need u the most
please stay healthy and take care <3
Seonghyeon then hides your conversation into archives and tucks his phone under the pillow hoping that he can forget all that happens today. He already feels like the world is going to end for him. He thinks that maybe God forbids for teenage boys like him to feel loved at this point.
“I know it will be tough for you, but we’ll get through this together.” Martin shows his support to his friend and Seonghyeon can only sigh with a faint smile flashes through his morning face.
You lay flat on the mattress and sob into your teddy bear with the loudest cry ever in time. There is no intention to reply to him after his last firm dot because you know him so well. You know that was his last straw to pull everything off. You do acknowledge that it takes two to tango. Both of you should have not crossed the lines only for it to end like this and it’s hopeless to even revive.
Cortis is already on their peak these days, having to juggle between practices, photoshoots, events and upcoming tours. You cannot keep him under your sleeve forever just to feed your personal interests. He has dreams to fulfill and you have your own endeavours too.
To that thought, you press a long click deleting the whole conversation with shaky hands and tears rolling down your cheeks. You can only hope that Seonghyeon will live his life to the fullest making memories along his journey.
The festival— with all the silent signals were indeed, the last encounters for both of you.
As you continue your Sunday routines, your first signed album peeks through the bookshelf making you push it back deeper away from your sight. You have been into this situation before so you let your feelings slowly drift into the thin air as time goes by and live your life with your own version of fun.
do not plagiarize | heymaaaartin © 2026
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