lea .ᐟ ☆

there wasn’t much reason behind why you hated each other, other than the fact that he had an uncalled hatred for you. 

you hadn’t done anything to him, but he acted as if you had ruined his whole future. he did anything he could just to mess up your day. they were just small things, but big enough to irritate you – hiding stuff you desperately needed, purposely stepping on your shoelaces so they’d untie, walking around with his water bottle unnecessarily full and wide open so it’d spill on you – what did you do to him in your past life for him to treat you like this? 

with that, you made sure to avoid him at all times. 

but recently, taesan had made sure that it was quite literally impossible. it just so happened that everywhere you went, you saw him. and he probably found pleasure from it, knowing that it did nothing but make you mad. 

whatever length you went, he found a way to get under your skin. 

you were sitting at a cafe, complaining about taesan to jaehyun when the boy himself came through the door, ringing the bell attached to the top of the door. 

“hey, taesan’s here.” jaehyun looked at you with a shocked expression. “it’s like you summoned him here.” he chuckled at the coincidence. 

everyone, including jaehyun, knew that you and taesan didn’t like one another, but even knowing that, jaehyun still wanted to invite him to the table. 

“oh please? i’ll be here if he tries to do anything.” he scrambled to justify his actions, but you knew that he likely just enjoyed seeing you two bicker. either way, there was no point in telling him no: taesan was already on the way. 

instead of sitting beside jaehyun, which would’ve been much easier, he decided to slide next to you, sitting on the sofa. 

“ooh, taesan!” jaehyun cooed, grinning from ear to ear at the sight. “do you like y/n?” he covered his face with his hand, giggling like a maniac. “or… are you guys dating?” promptly dropping his hand. 

sometimes it just seemed like jaehyun wanted you and taesan together, he always talked about how you and taesan were secretly in love and were hiding it from the rest. “you’re seriously delusional, jaehyun.” were you not just grumbling about how annoying he is? you picked up your drink and took a big sip, hoping that'd take away from the fact that your biggest enemy was sitting right beside you. 

RULE TWO: DON’T TALK TO HIM 

well… you’ve broken this rule many times, but it was with reason. i mean, you couldn’t just listen as taesan threw snarky remarks at you, could you? of course you’d have to send some his way too. 

except this time. this time it was different. oddly enough, your conversation with each other was civil, the complete opposite of your usual ones that tended to end up with your friends taking you both your own ways before you started throwing punches at the other. 

you were solo-shopping in a mall when taesan spotted you. 

“hey, i saw my friend.” he was hanging out with some old friends he hadn’t met in a while and frankly, he wanted to get away from them, end the hangout early, but they just seemed to tail him wherever he went. 

taesan tapped you on the shoulder, slightly startling you as he did. “oh, hi.” you said in an unsure tone. he never really approached you, and if he did, he’d be with shared friends. 

“this is your friend?” one of the unrecognizable men who stood next to taesan asked. his tone was terribly rude, even if that wasn’t what he was trying to convey. “i mean, she's pretty but she’s clearly got no other friends.” he scoffed, the other unknown friend joining in. “right? It’s a weekend and you’re walking alone in a mall? what a joke.” the two laughed uncontrollably, leaving you standing there, completely humiliated. 

“you don’t know what you’re talking about.” taesan said in a voice that wasn’t angry, wasn’t loud either, just… calm. “stop talking about her as if you know anything.” and with that, he took your wrist and walked away with you. 

“sorry about them, i didn’t know they’d say that.” he softly apologized, still holding your wrist. “i don’t like them, they basically forced me to hang out with them.” 

you couldn’t find the right words to say. too many feelings were flowing in your mind. for one, you were upset. you were upset that taesan walked up to you and his friend immediately started insulting you. but then again, he was the one who defended you. and third, why was he still holding your wrist?

“i’m surprised you didn’t join them.” you resorted to keeping the conversation light. “but thank you, anyway.” 

“you know i wouldn’t say anything like that.” you could feel him getting angrier the more he thought about it. “i’d annoy you, for sure, but not hurt you.” 

for once, there was no bite. from taesan, at least. 

RULE THREE: KEEP YOUR DISTANCE 

you and your friend group, which sadly included taesan, decided to go out on a small glamping trip. and that meant a long drive was coming. 

jaehyun was driving, riwoo called shotgun, and what a coincidence, you were sat next to taesan. the back seats were tightly packed, everyone's shoulders and knees were pressing against one anothers. 

the seven of you had been on the way since five in the morning, and everyone was slowly falling asleep (minus jaehyun of course) 

hours pass. the sun sets. the music turns low, and your eyes slowly flickered shut. 

but when you wake up? your head’s leaning on his shoulder. taesan’s shoulder. and he’s letting it happen. not jerking his shoulder so your head would fall, not trying to push your head off, just letting you rest. 

you lift your head up, trying to sleep without the contact of his shoulder, but he pulls your head back down. 

“it’s fine.” he holds the side of your head, letting your head lay on his shoulder. and to make things worse, he fixed a small piece of your hair. 

it wasn’t right to feel this way, to feel your heart beat this quickly because of taesan. 

RULE FOUR: DON'T START TO CARE 

you’re all watching a movie at sungho’s place, everyone’s enjoying the movie except taesan. you couldn’t help but notice the way he played with the strings of his hoodie and how his eyes weren’t even focused on the tv. 

the others had checked up on him previously, but the way he snapped away too quickly when they said his name? you knew something wasn’t right. he’d dismiss it as tiredness, and maybe it was, but you knew it was the kind of “tired” that went deeper than sleep. 

you quietly got out of your seat to take the one next to taesan. 

it’s only a small thing. unspoken, quiet. you don’t even ask him what's wrong, you just stayed close. 

and the way taesan’s looking at you – he knows what you’re doing, but he’s not saying anything. he’s slightly leaning into you, thanking you without words. 

the both of you stayed in that position for the remainder of the movie, even falling asleep with your heads slumped against each other. 

you knew it was over when you realized how much you enjoyed his presence, even if you weren’t talking to each other. 

RULE FIVE: DO NOT FALL FOR HIM 

you’re frustrated. frustrated, mad, and sad, if you’re being honest. you were supposed to go out on a date with a guy tonight, but it just so happened that he cancelled. you wouldn’t have been mad if he just cancelled, but you found out he went out with someone else, a different girl. 

maybe it was time to take the sign that taesan was the one for you, because why were you telling him everything, and why was he listening? the old taesan wouldn’t have even sat down with you, and now he was listening as you ranted. 

“and now i’m dressed up for nothing.” other than the fact that your date cancelled on you, you were upset that you got ready for nothing. 

but the response was something you didn’t expect. 

“we can go out together, if you want.” your jaw fell. the han taesan was asking you out on a date? the same guy who used to hate you? “y/n?” you hadn’t noticed how you fell completely silent after he asked you out. 

“you want to go out… with me?” saying you were shocked was an understatement. 

taesan’s confidence didn’t falter, he seemed sure of his idea. “mhm. i have time, and you’re already dressed up for it anyway.” there was no hesitation in his eyes, just quiet certainty. “you look pretty, by the way.” he smiled softly, and at this moment, everything felt unreal. 

it was safe to say you liked him. 

the realization tasted a little like relief and a little like panic. you weren’t supposed to like him, but it felt good to finally accept that you did. taesan nudged your shoulder, half‑teasing, half‑checking if you were okay. 

you’d spent so long hating him, but maybe letting yourself feel something other than hate was a better idea than you thought.

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