Jjeong's pebbles

4. ❥ dating jeonghan feels like.. - @ssentimentals

LEEEEEEEEEETTT ME DATE HIM PLS PLS PLS PLS PLSSS

5. ❥ situationship!jeonghan x reader - @xinganhao

AHHHHHHHHHHH IT HURTSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS AHHHHHHHHH :,( (THAT LAST PIC FROM NANA TOUR NOOOOOO)

6. ❥ keeping company - @studioeisa

A CAT1!?!?!?! FROM JEONGHAN??!?!? NAMED HANNIE?!?!? AHH

7. ❥ so disconnected - @studioeisa

i love love love loveee thisss like the staff to lovers and insta pics and aKJSBGKJS

8. ❥ jeonghan bf texts - @odxrilove

i WHEEZED at the jeongcheol edits and stolen cheol pcs parts

9. ❥ [2:00 am] - @husbandhoshi

the way my heart fluttered at that kiss ONGFJDKGBD

10. ❥ my heart is beating for two part one | part two | part three - @seuonji

THIS IS SOOOOOOO CUTE I LOVE THIS CONCEPTTT

✩ nsfw section ✩

1. ❥ fuck buddy - y.jh - @thebl4ckstday

omfg he'd be the ULTIMATE fuck buddy

2. ❥ choking + thigh riding - @toruro

put your pretty hands on me dude PLS PLSSSSSS

3. ❥ study break - @cheolism-archive

OH HE'S NASTYYYY FOR DOING THAT IN PUBLIC

4. ❥ mirror mirror - @cheolism-archive

thank you to our boi seungcheol for instigating this roleplay kjfbgd

5. ❥ Nerd Jeonghan Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 - @hoshifighting

NERD HANNIE!?! GLASSES?!!? GOOD BOY!?!?!

6. ❥ college fling!jeonghan - @hoshifighting

omfg the push and pull in their dynamic?!?!?!?

7. ❥ the christmas boyfriend - @rubyreduji

the fake dating to lovers never fails to hit and during christmas?!???

8. ❥ sub!jeonghan - @husbandhoshi

jeonghan begging...AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

9. ❥ yoon jeonghan as your perverted bestfriend - @woozivrsefactry

(we don't let ppl do this to us irl!!) but the fucked up fantasy is there :p

10. ❥ meanie! jeonghan - @svtswhorehouse

He blinks, though Seungcheol can’t see it, how could he let the idea that you might’ve gone home slip his mind? “…ugh..I’m so stupid…”

There is no smart comment, but the way his friend sighs on the other side indicates all Jeonghan needs to know—he’s been wasting his time.

“Well, stop lingering around and GO, sheesh.” Seungcheol stays on the line as Jeonghan reverses out of the parking lot, a newfound determination within him pushing him to keep some hope alive. “For someone so smart, you would think of the apartment fir-.”

“-ok gotta go, bye.” He doesn’t offer Seungcheol any space for another comment before hanging up and placing the phone in a cupholder.

Slightly speeding, he weaves in and out of traffic, the path to your apartment he has memorized by heart. Silently wishing and praying you’ll open the door.

-------

Y/N’s POV

Still seated on the floor, the memories of your friendship littered around you as you pull out the last item—a stupid little avocado plushie you had won at the fair.

You feel your tears well up again; you thought you had run all your tears dry from the past few days, but it seemed you couldn’t hold off.

You had been braving all day, but your resolve was now no better than broken shards when you locked eyes with Jeonghan.

You had tried immensely to push your feeling down, trying to convince yourself it was for the best, and you were reading into the signs too much. Friends are supposed to care for you, sometimes they stare in your direction a bit longer because maybe you had something stuck on your face, everything was how it was supposed to go—so why did every moment with him feel beyond friendship, teetering back and forth a line you had already stupidly crossed less than a week ago.

You thought the encounter at the restaurant last spring was one and done, just a lapse in judgment, nothing to ruin your friendship. You two were good, you had so much fun at the carnival and at Jisoo’s later…right?

You could sense his behaviour being off after that, yet it was in such small increments that it didn’t occur to you until he blew you off one too many times to flirt with someone at a summer party. Then there was that person at Seungcheol’s birthday party, you saw him giggling around. That was the beginning of the end, you suppose. You could feel your jealousy bubble up each and every time, but what could you possibly do when you needed to put up a façade of “best friend”?

How bitter those words feel on your tongue, burning in your throat whenever you remind yourself of just where you stood in his life, being his best friend wasn’t bad, which is probably why you spent so long by his side, deluding yourself of being just that.

One-sided love was not for the brave, it became tedious, it felt almost debilitating—almost saying the words but stopping yourself in time—stolen glances and discreet admiration.

-------

The closer he reached your apartment complex, the further up his heart felt to his throat, pounding against his chest at a feverish pace, anticipation of seeing you muddling with the dread of you potentially slamming a door to his face and his feelings.

The elevator takes far too long for a mere four floors, but the familiar ping alerts him to be at the floor, making haste to rush towards your door.

Reaching your apartment door, he takes a breath, allowing himself a few moments to collect himself, calming his pounding heart to no avail. He lifts his hand, ready to face you, finally.

He knocks once, no answer. Twice, no answer, and then a third and fourth time, but no answer. He presses his ear to the doo,r hoping to hear some sort of sound or movement, but it was futile attempt still unsure if you were there or not.

In a desperate attempt, he pats down his pockets for his phone, which just so happened to be in the parked passenger seat of Seungcheol’s car. He curses himself for not grabbing it but he couldn’t leave now. Taking another breath of confidence, he pushes the passcode of your apartment, hoping you didn’t think any less of him using his best-friend privileges at this very crucial moment in time—if you even still considered him a friend.

--------

You try watching a movie, listening to some music, even making yourself a comforting cup of tea, but everything feels useless, your whole body littered in phantom aches, in solidarity with your broken heart.

You eventually find yourself tearing up again, opting to just lie down on your couch, hoping the fatigue of sorrow within you casts a spell of sleep so you could escape these feelings for a little while. You press your face into the cushion as the tears return, eyes closed, letting them gather in little puddles, staining the cushion.

All caught up in your grief and pity party, you ignore the knocks and the first few beeps on the code lock, only realizing someone is trying to come in once the sound of it unlocking captures your attention.

Lifting your head off the cushion as you hear the door open. Turning your head around, you look over your shoulder to find Jeonghan walking into your living room, face painted in concern? Confusion? Anger? Sadness? Your tears made his expression hard to decipher whilst your brain made its own negative conclusions.

You sit up, wiping your tears and nose with your sleeve, attempting to look presentable even in a moment like this. 

His eyes remain on you, his breath held as if he's forgotten how to breathe, stilted, feet planted a few meters away from you like he wanted to say something, but the words couldn’t form properly. 

“...you’re…here,” he breaths out.

You sniffle away your tears, wiping the blurriness to have a better look at him.

His clothes wrinkled, his hair sticking out all over the place, eyes sunken and sad. Your gaze on him makes him fidget, reaching his hand to pat down the mess on his head, but his eyes are unwavering from yours. The room is spared of any voices, simply the buzz of electronics and the breathing of you two, heavy and wavering.

“i-“ He begins but the remaining sentence get stuck in his throat, the familiar feeling of this being some sick and twisted dream where you didn’t confess to him and he was just about to make a fool of himsel—NO, you did have feelings for him and he couldn’t afford to let you slip away thinking he wasn’t madly in love with you. It's all he’s ever wanted you to know, so why was he hesitating again?

You watch him stand there, silent. A part of you wants to go up and shove him out the door, he let 4 days go by, and now he shows his face around? But the loudest part of you wanted to embrace him, soothe the crease of his brows, let yourself forgive him for a crime you weren’t sure he even committed; however, like him, you remain seated on the couch, body tense, unsure of your next move.

“..i’m…sorry…” the words leave him before he can fully comprehend if the choice was most wise.

You feel the sadness burying itself to allow your anger to begin festering.  Sorry? You knew it, this was a rejection, why and what else would he be sorry for? It was what you had dreaded the moment your confession spilled past your lips, but you don’t know why your whole body is starting to seethe with anger…

“Excuse me?”

“i-i-I’m?” 

“Sorry..i heard. So why are you here?

“I.. um, I’m sorry I didn’t say anything, you know, like that night, and also for not calling you and-“

“and?”

“I just want to say, Y/N I really cherish our friendship but-

“Save it.” Your tone is snippy, irritation and hurt guiding your thoughts. “Really?” You let out a bitter laugh. ‘Cherish’ our friendship? If you wanted to reject me after all, you could’ve just texted me, Jeonghan.” You feel your voice crack through a mask of nonchalance.

“Y/N? wait, that’s no- I mean-“

“You should probably go,” you stand up, eyes boring into his. Your hand gestures to the door, “Your stuff is there, take it with you.”

“You’re not even going to give me a chance to explain?”

“WHAT is there to explain? Do you want to tell me how you ‘cherish’ our friendship and think we should take some time to think?  Your voice was rising as you finished your sentence, not in the headspace to rationalize the situation and make amends. “…or are you going to say you ‘value our friendship’ and ‘don’t see me in that way’? If so, you can save it!”

“You have me all wrong, Y/N i-, that’s not what this is about.” He moves closer but keeps his distance, exacerbation etched into his face. Everything going downhill faster than he expected.

You scoff. Rolling your eyes. In hopes of avoiding breaking down in front of him you find it easier to turn off the logical part of your brain, fighting him with fire in hopes he would leave faster before you crumbled further.

“Tell me…” he pauses, taking a big breath. “Are you really in love with me? How can you really send me away without hearing whether I feel the same or not?”

You laugh in shock. “Am I in love with you? Are you actually kidding me?”

“You can’t just confess your love and then expect me to go away,” he vented. He ran a hand through his hair and looked away from you. “You have to say something, I’m not leaving this conversation for another time.”

“What do you want me to say to you?”

“Anything! Can you not see that I won’t run away from you? Why else would I be here?” 

His words struck a nerve; after all, he wasn’t the one running, it’d always been you.

“Do you want me to tell you to stay? You challenge, mere centimeters away from him now. “Do you want me to beg…?”

Silence. He offers you no response, but his silence fuels your anger and passion. You’ve already crossed that line, may as well finish the job bearing the whole unfiltered truth you’ve sat on for so long.

“You know what I want, Jeonghan? I want you to think of me as your first and last thought of the day…I want you to be mine, only mine and for me to be only yours. I can’t stand the idea of us being one step away from soulmates, being so close to you yet so far, because there are boundaries that we cannot cross for the sanctity of friendship. Knowing everything about you but watching and waiting for that inevitable day when someone else sweeps you off your feet, becoming your whole world…I can’t sit around waiting for that.”

You feel the tears slip down your cheeks, and yet you remain strong, clearing your throat of the lump that’s stuck there, it seems almost permanently. You had to free yourself from this burden.

“There is nothing more that I want than to be your best friend, but...” you hesitate because it's true, if you hadn’t confessed, you might’ve just been content as his friend. “..but…I also can’t deny that I see you more than that.”

Everything is out in the open, raw and bare, you’ve showcased the most vulnerability you can possibly conjure, even though you have a gnawing feeling that it might have been for nothing. 

“Say it again.”

“Huh?” You tilt you’re in confusion, your heartbeat pounding in anticipation.

“Tell me that over and over,” because I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of hearing it.

You heard his words, but your heart and brain couldn’t seem to process them. You’re left speechless, this was either the most beautiful dream or a fantasy nightmare about to take a nasty turn.

“Do you think I sleep around?  Sure, I’ve left parties with people, but not a single person has touched me, much less warmed my bed.” He closes any gap between the two of you, a hand reaching up to cup the side of your cheek. “It's you, it's always just been you. I tried to, but I couldn’t get that thought of you out of my mind, much less let you go.”

Once again, a silence envelopes the space, you stare into each other’s eyes, trying to find any lies, any sense of a cruel trick about to be unveiled, but there is only adoration. The longer you look into his eyes, all your anger melts piece by piece, replaced with the same blanket of love and adoration.

“Jeonghan…you can’t….you….why are you telling me this NOW?” You’re angry, you're ecstatic, you want to punch him for putting you through this, but wait, he didn’t do anything. Unfortunately, your anger gets the best of you before you can calm yourself down. “You ’re-you’re just saying that.”

“No, Y/n I-“, he begins again, only to be interrupted by you.

“Leave… leave and just give me space,.” Unsure of how to proceed, you resort to avoiding the entire situation, it was all just a bad dream. “I- I can’t do this right now.”

“You want me to go..?”

Your eyes look anywhere except into his when you nod yes. You even resort to pushing his chest, creating space between the two of you.

With your stubbornness to not even look at him, he turns, dejected, and begins to make his way to the door.

You can feel yourself being difficult, but everything feels like too much, you can’t bear waking up from this dream anytime soon. You found the easiest solution to just push him away, you’ve done it before, what’s one more time?

“Y/N-,” he calls out one more time.

You look up from your downcast gaze to the floor, making the mistake of looking him in the eye.

“After all that, you don’t want me here?” He finds it hard to comprehend how, even after baring his truth to you, you’re sending him away. Was it truly too late?

“mmhmm, even if I beg and plead, don’t come back. We need to…uh… spend time apart i guess and-and then maybe fix whatever is left of this ‘friendship’.” 

Your words don’t match the longing in your eyes. Maybe if you had tried enough, he would’ve believed you. So he decides, this time, he wasn’t going to be a coward; he knew you were scared. 

His feelings and your own were confusing you, but everything was out in the world; he wouldn’t walk away so easily.

“What if I don’t want to be just your friend…” His feet planted, challenging you, his gaze boring into your eyes. “What if I  want us to be mor-“

“-that’s all we can be Jeonghan…it’s, we can’t just ruin everything now.” You interrupt, eyes looking away from his. “I don’t want to risk everything, maybe we can still fix this..”

“Liar”… He takes a step. “Liar” and another. You watch him closely, making his way back to you, as you involuntarily find yourself taking a step back the closer he gets.

“Liar.” He’s within arm's reach. You take a step back. “Liar.” With another step, your legs hit the couch. “Liar.” You attempt to take another step but fall back to the pillowy embrace of your couch, Jeonghan now hovering over you. “Liar.” Hands planted on either side of your head, which is leaning back on the seat. “Liar.” His hand delicately tracing your jaw. “Liar.” He leans forward, your breath hitches, leaving a kiss to your nose. “liar..” Reaching up, he places another on your forehead. “Liar..” reaching down, a soft peck to your cheekbone. Your eyes shut close, letting the feeling of his lips soothe the fire ignited inside you. “Liar.” Another kiss placed on your jaw. With your eyes still closed, you now feel his breath close to your lips, opening your eyelids, your gaze falls into Jeonghan’s, only a centimeter away from your lips, unconsciously, your head nods a yes. “Liar.”  Your eyes flutter shut as Jeonghan’s lips are on yours, it was a moment you had only dreamed of and now you were living it. You feel him pull back, his forehead connected to yours, a stupid grin on his lips, your heart skipping a beat once you open your eyes to see him.

He moves back, allowing you some space, now taking a seat beside you on the couch. Still slightly catching your breath from your kiss. Looking away from one another, there was simply no going back from this.

You pull him by his hoodie for another kiss, feeling him smile and wrap his arms around you. You settle yourself beside him, tucking your head on his shoulder as his embrace remains fastened around you.

“Has anyone ever told you that you’re not a convincing liar?” A teasing snip to his tone, rubbing his cheek to your head. “No more running away Y/N…I don’t think I can handle being just a friend anymore.”

You look up, holding his gaze, looking for any sign of this being a prank but you find nothing but sincerity. “…stay then..please..don’t go.” You whisper, voice low for his ears only.

He tightens his grip around you, pulling you as close as possible. “Never.”

“Guess there’s not uncrossing this line.”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

“I love you, Jeonghan.”

He places a kiss on your forehead. “I love you too…”

TAG LIST: @jjeongddol | @i-luv-stuff

--------

The sun, now long gone, the flashing lights of the city and the bright glow of the moon kept Jeonghan company as he continued aimlessly driving around. A part of him worried his chance to explain himself was already gone.

He couldn’t help but think of all the opportunities, to be honest with you or at least give you some sort of hint that he cared about you so oh so much and he would give anything to be yours, maybe that night you confessed you wouldn’t have assumed he didn’t feel the same way.

Racking his brain, he can’t seem to focus very much on the task at hand, deciding to park at the next convenience store. Long after he had turned off the car, he remained seated, unmoving, thinking. He looked up through the windshield, catching sight of the blinding white shine of the convenience store, soon enough his eyes landed on a familiar ad, it was an ad for a soju bottle the same one you and all your friends had been playing with when he felt his heart sink with the possibility of his love being one-sided.

--------

The weather was much warmer now and all of you decided to take a day off to the local summer festival that was in town this week.

Packed with rides, carnival games and a whole array of all things sweet or deep fried there was no holding you and your friends back. Equipped with cash and a camera it was the time to make some memories—you’re not a young forever.

From the sun at its peak, until it dipped below the horizon, casting its orange glow out into the world, You and Jeonghan were attached at the hip, making up for the lost time you spent avoiding one another. With ride after ride, playing any game till you won a silly little stuffed toy and sharing snacks till you had to take a breather from it almost coming out after the latest spinning joyride. 

Snapping pictures every moment you could wanting to capture each second as it was, not trusting your brain to recall the memories as clearly as they occurred in front of you.

There wasn’t a single ounce of stress, no worry, and most of all it was easy. Easy being near Jeonghan, easy laughing and letting your guard down. Maybe deep down you could pretend that everything was normal, just like before any of your feelings sprouted from the seed of Cupid’s arrow bestowed upon the hearts of you two.

Night-time had come and after taking every single ride, playing all the fair games and eating your fill of fair foods, Jisoo suggested heading over to her home to watch a movie and just hang out—the fair becoming a bit rowdier in the nighttime

Happy to escape the crowds, the car ride to Jisoo’s house, however, wasn’t any less rowdy and chaotic, the sugar and high of the festival still lingering in your veins.

By the time you all arrived at her house, everyone felt a little more tuckered out, excited to just sit and relax after a long day of activities and indulging in all things fried and sugary from the festival.

Due to the majority pick, a random Marvel movie was cast to the TV with bowls and bags of popcorn distributed to the dozen of you. It didn’t take long for everyone to get bored and begin chit-chatting in between movie scenes and just like that the lights were turned back on. From one suggestion to another, bottles of alcohol were brought out and eventually, you all found yourself seated in a haphazard circle-rectangle hybrid playing spin the bottle mixed with truth and dare and “take a shot” if one was unable to complete a truth or dare—your light drinking session causing everyone to be a little freer than before.

Joshua, who had just finished a dare of calling a local fried chicken restaurant trying to order steak, grabs the bottle. “Ok, ok my turn.” Giving the bottle a quick spin, it ends up landing on you. “Y/N!, ok truth or dare…or,”

“-I’ll choose truth thank you very much,” you interject.

He begins to think, trying to conjure up a fun question.

“Alright, you have to describe your most accurate ideal type by naming someone in this room who fits it.”

You were between a rock and a hard place, you did have your ideal type sitting right in this room but to call him out would mean you would have to open the can of worms you had just spent several months trying too hard to nail shut. It was easier to avoid the question altogether.

“Bottom’s up I guess,” you grab the shot glass in front of you, though yours is secretly filled with ginger ale that Jeonghan has switched out, wanting to prevent you from getting tipsy too early into the night. You down the “shot” as several of your friends hoot and holler “boos” at you for avoiding the question but all you do is shrug.

Now your turn, you spin the bottle, and it lands on somebody that Jeonghan wasn’t really paying attention to, his train of thought stuck on the fact that you so easily took the shot without so much as a second to ponder or consider anyone.

Spending the entire day with you watching how you didn’t shy away from him or act standoffish? Was he deluding himself into things that weren’t true? Had he been reading all the signs wrong? Was it only him that couldn’t get the thought of you out of his head? Were you only awkward around him before because he made it weird? Lost in thought, he didn’t realize that the bottle had stopped towards him.

“Jeonghan you good?”

“Huh?”

“Truth or dare man…?”

“Uhhh,” he looked around, suddenly it felt like everyone could read his mind and was judging him.

"Yeah Jeonghan it’s just you”, “You made it weird that day bro”, “Why were you just staring at y/n?” “Your best friend, really?”

He couldn’t handle it so he just stood up. “I’m gonna…go outside for some fresh air…” He walked as fast as he could to escape, he felt like he might be sick if he stayed any longer.

As he stood on the balcony, he sucked in a deep breath trying to calm down and ease the dull ache in his heart. Slowly letting the breath out, he looked up at the sky trying to push the tears lined in his eyes back, if he started he didn’t know if he would be able to stop. 

When he feels like the lump in his throat has slightly subsided he turns and takes a peek back to see you chortle, sound carrying even outside to where he stands. His focus is solely on you and once again everything else in his line of sight ceases to exist. It’s different this time, there is a lingering dread in the pit of his stomach and fear residing in his bones fighting with the yearning to be inside by your side; he wanted nothing more than to be yours but would he be ruining your friendship on potentially one-sided feelings….?

TAG LIST: @jjeongddol | @i-luv-stuff

Coming home from school he can immediately tell that something is off. He saw Seungcheol before he headed out. Seungcheol seemed more moody than normal. Joshua seems lost in his own world working on a song for his music production class.

The moment you walk out of your room dressed in a hoodie and pajama pants Jeonghan knows something is wrong. There is a look of sadness behind your eyes.

His eyes stay focused on you as he watches you walk off into the small kitchen. He drops his book bag by the door and follows you. He stops to lean against the door frame. He clears his throat, capturing your attention.

“Darling?”

Turning to face him, you don’t bother trying to put on a fake smile. His stomach drops at the sight of your watery eyes.

You feel dumb. Why are you sad that sex with Seungcheol did lead to some romantic gestures? You don’t even have that strong of feelings for him.

“Hi, Hannie.” Your voice sounds meek.

“What’s wrong?” He steps closer to you.

“Nothing.” It’s a lie and you both know it.

The closer Jeonghan gets to you he notices something on your skin. He takes a slow deep breath realizing the mark that painting the skin on your delicate neck is a hickey. He knows logically that mark could have only been given to you by two men. One being Mingyu, the frat boy he knows has been pursuing you. Or the second option, the one that will make him mad, it’s from Seungcheol.

“What happened to your neck?” He’s trying to stay calm. He has no right to fully fly off the handle unless you didn’t want them to mark you. You aren’t Jeonghan’s by any means, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t wish you were.

“Jeonghan it’s nothing.” You sigh, reaching up to cover the mark.

“Was it Mingyu?”

Coming home from school he can immediately tell that something is off. He saw Seungcheol before he headed out. Seungcheol seemed more moody than normal. Joshua seems lost in his own world working on a song for his music production class.

The moment you walk out of your room dressed in a hoodie and pajama pants Jeonghan knows something is wrong. There is a look of sadness behind your eyes.

His eyes stay focused on you as he watches you walk off into the small kitchen. He drops his book bag by the door and follows you. He stops to lean against the door frame. He clears his throat, capturing your attention.

“Darling?”

Turning to face him, you don’t bother trying to put on a fake smile. His stomach drops at the sight of your watery eyes.

You feel dumb. Why are you sad that sex with Seungcheol did lead to some romantic gestures? You don’t even have that strong of feelings for him.

“Hi, Hannie.” Your voice sounds meek.

“What’s wrong?” He steps closer to you.

“Nothing.” It’s a lie and you both know it.

The closer Jeonghan gets to you he notices something on your skin. He takes a slow deep breath realizing the mark that painting the skin on your delicate neck is a hickey. He knows logically that mark could have only been given to you by two men. One being Mingyu, the frat boy he knows has been pursuing you. Or the second option, the one that will make him mad, it’s from Seungcheol.

“What happened to your neck?” He’s trying to stay calm. He has no right to fully fly off the handle unless you didn’t want them to mark you. You aren’t Jeonghan’s by any means, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t wish you were.

“Jeonghan it’s nothing.” You sigh, reaching up to cover the mark.

“Was it Mingyu?”

You drove past the last few storefronts, through rows of homes and wide open fields until you reached the guest house. It looked much like the other houses in the neighborhood—simple and unassuming, save for the bright red roof and the wooden signpost by the gate.

The gates were open, so you let yourself in, taking a moment to soak in the quiet surroundings. The house had a traditional Korean setup, with a low table outside, a shed of large clay crocks (probably holding kimchi or fermented soybean paste), an outdoor cooking area, and other signs of daily life scattered around.

Then, the front door swung open, and a petite elderly woman stepped onto the porch, dressed in a floral blouse and loose pants. Her silver hair was neatly pinned back, her sharp eyes scanning you before she broke into a warm smile.

“You must be the city girl,” she said, hands on her hips. “Took you long enough.”

You blinked at her bluntness but caught the teasing glint in her eyes. You smiled apologetically. “I know, I’m sorry. Something came up, so I had to delay for a day. Is the room still available?”

“Of course! We don’t get many guests here. Haven’t had a single one this year until you.” She waved you inside. “Come. I don’t usually take in long-term guests, but I liked the way you spoke on the phone. You seemed polite.”

Inside, the house was warm and lived-in, wooden beams stretching across the ceiling. Something was cooking in the kitchen, filling the space with a savory aroma.

“You must be starving. Lunch is almost ready,” she called from the kitchen.

“Thank you. I’ll just grab my things from the car,” you said, pointing toward the door.

She nodded. “Ah, right. Let me help you with that.”

“No, it’s alright—”

“Hannie!” she called out, ignoring you. “Come out and help our guest with her luggage.”

A moment later, a figure appeared at the doorway. Tall, dark soft-looking hair trimmed just above the shoulders framed her delicate features—a straight nose, lips, and sharp, striking eyes with long lashes that would make anyone jealous.

There was something boyish in the way she moved. Her stride was quick and heavy, her clothes were loose and simple. A plaid button-down over a plain white t-shirt,  and pair of dark sweatpants. Not exactly the dainty look you might’ve expected from someone with a face like that, but it suited her.

“Hannie,” the elderly woman called again, motioning to the car outside.

She only hummed in response before stepping down from the porch and heading straight for your trunk. You followed after her, popping the trunk open just as she reached it.

“Thank you,” you said. “I can get the heavier ones,” you offered, out of habit more than anything.

Hannie barely spared you a glance before hauling out your largest suitcase like it weighed nothing. “It’s fine.”

You blinked. Okay, strong girl.

A small duffel bag dangled from her other hand as she turned back toward the house, moving easily despite the weight. You had to admit, you were a little relieved to know there was another girl your age in the house. You’d expected to spend most of your time with elderly folks—nice as they were, they didn’t quite offer the same kind of connection. But with Hannie here, at least you’d have someone to talk to.

Shutting the trunk, you grabbed the rest of your bags and followed her inside.

The first three days passed uneventfully. You quickly became familiar with the routine in the house: the sounds of cooking from the kitchen, the fluttering of old curtains in the breeze, and the occasional gathering of the elderly ladies just outside the gates of the guest house. You had been expecting peace, but this was something else entirely—a rare kind of mundanity, where time seemed to stretch and slow down. You loved it more than you had anticipated.

Hannie, the granddaughter of the house, was always present in some way but never fully there. She rarely spoke, her gaze slipping past you instead of meeting your eyes, and she was gone for long stretches of the day. You sometimes wondered where she went—perhaps to town, perhaps somewhere even quieter than here—but it wasn’t a question you felt the need to ask. It didn’t seem like she would answer, anyway.

When you did cross paths, the interactions were brief. A polite nod from her, a quick greeting from you. Occasionally, you’d catch her in the kitchen, stirring something at the stove, or stepping onto the porch with a towel slung over her shoulder, hair damp from a shower. Once, when you mumbled a sleepy “good morning” while rubbing the sleep from your eyes, you thought you saw the corner of her mouth twitch upward before she disappeared out the door.

You assumed she was just a little shy. Maybe reserved. That was fine with you. It was oddly nice having another girl around who didn’t expect constant conversation.

The guest house owner—Gram, as she liked to be called—was warm and thoughtful, though she saw your lack of movement as odd. She often encouraged you to explore, to go into town, to at least take a walk.

“Most people get restless after a day or two,” she said one morning, watching you sip your tea at the low table outside. “You, though, you act like you’ve been waiting your whole life to sit still.”

You grinned. “Honestly, Gram? I have.”

She clicked her tongue, unconvinced. “Hannie, why don’t you take her into town today? Show her around. The store won’t burn down without you for a day.”

At the mention of her name, Hannie, who had been quietly peeling fruit by the water pump, finally glanced at you. Her expression was unreadable, but her head tilted ever so slightly, as if sizing you up. Then, just as quickly, she shrugged. “Sure.”

It wasn’t exactly an enthusiastic invitation, and you didn’t want to force anything. “Thanks, Gram, but I promise, I’m fine. I’m enjoying myself.”

Gram sighed, shaking her head. “If you say so. But if you change your mind, just tell Han.”

You nodded, and across the table, Hannie met your gaze again, her lips pressing into something like a faint smile before she went back to peeling.

Still, Gram refused to let you be completely idle. Every day, she gave you a small task—flipping sun-dried herbs at noon, covering them before sunset. It wasn’t much, but it made you feel like a part of the household rather than just a passing guest.

Hannie never commented on your meandering presence in the house. Sometimes, she’d walk past you on the way out, sometimes you’d catch sight of her returning in the late afternoon, looking effortlessly graceful yet somehow boyish in the way she moved. 

As the days passed, little things about Hannie started catching your attention—details that didn’t quite match the soft-spoken, delicate image you’d formed of her at first. Her voice, though quiet, had a low, steady timbre. Occasionally, she’d roll her shoulders or rub the back of her neck in a way that felt oddly... rugged. There was something in the way she leaned against doorframes too, hands stuffed in her pockets, with a relaxed posture. And yet, she still looked as graceful as ever, dark hair soft against her skin, her features almost too pretty. 

The contrast was interesting, but you didn’t think much of it—so what if she was a little rough around the edges? Plenty of girls had tomboyish sides.

Strong, you thought idly one afternoon, watching her haul in a sack of something from outside. Strong for someone so pretty.

But you didn’t dwell on it. More than anything, it was just nice having another girl around. She wasn’t unfriendly, but she wasn’t exactly inviting either. It wasn’t awkward, though. If anything, it suited the peacefulness of the guest house. You weren’t looking for company, and Hannie didn’t seem eager to offer it. But of course, living together would make people grow closer.

One morning, you found yourself at the kitchen table, lazily flipping through a magazine Gram had left lying around. Hannie stood by the sink, rinsing a handful of freshly picked persimmons.

“Do you eat these?” she asked.

You looked up. It was the first time she’d spoken to you without it being a response to something you said first. “I like them, but I never really had them fresh like that,” you admitted.

She grabbed a towel and started drying one. “They taste better chilled.”

“Oh?” You watched as she set a few aside and placed the rest in the fridge. “So you like them cold?”

She shrugged, placing one on the table in front of you. “Try it later.”

After that, you noticed other little things.

When you forgot your slippers outside one evening, you found them neatly placed by the door the next morning. The first time you struggled to lift one of Gram’s large water jugs, Hannie walked past, muttered, “You’ll hurt your back,” and hoisted it up with ease before you could protest.

“Thanks,” you said, surprised.

Gradually, your paths started crossing more. If she was already outside when you went to dry the herbs, she’d sit nearby, scrolling through her phone while you worked. If you ended up in the kitchen at the same time, she’d slide you a cup of whatever she was drinking without a word.

The conversations stretched a little longer, too. One weekend morning, you found her on the porch, sitting quietly under the sun. Without thinking, you sat beside her, stretching your legs out and basking in the sunshine.

“Gram says you haven’t gone to the beach yet,” she said.

You raised an eyebrow. “She’s been trying to get me out of the house since day one.”

Hannie smirked slightly, eyes still on the road. “She’s not used to people who like sitting still.”

You laughed. “Yeah, I’ve noticed.”

You talked about the weather, the best place to buy snacks in town, how the local stray cats had more attitude than city ones. They weren’t deep conversations, but they were comfortable.

Hannie still wasn’t overly talkative, but she started meeting your eyes more, responding with more than just a nod. And sometimes, when she thought you weren’t paying attention, you’d catch a small, amused smile on her lips.

It wasn’t much, but you were getting used to each other.

On a cool Saturday afternoon, you sat cross-legged at the low wooden table outside, with a basket of vegetables sitting between you and Hannie. Gram had roped the both of you into helping with dinner, which, in her words, “would taste better with young hands working on it.”

You didn’t mind. It gave you something to do.

Hannie, across from you, was peeling potatoes efficiently. You, on the other hand, were going slower, carefully stripping the skin from each one with a small knife.

“How long have you been staying here?” you asked.

Hannie didn’t look up from her task. “I live here.”

“Like, since birth?”

“Maybe,” she said, lips twitching.

You gave her a flat look. “That’s not a real answer.”

She considered for a second before finally saying, “I wasn’t born here, but I grew up here. I left a few years ago, but I came back.”

You nodded, filing that away. “Where did you go?”

She flipped a potato in her hand. “Seoul.”

“You lived there?”

“For a bit.”

“You’re very specific,” you said dryly.

She smirked. “You ask a lot of questions.”

“Of course. I have to know who I’m living with.”

“Mm.” She switched to peeling carrots. “Your turn, then. I have to know who I’m living with, too. That’s fair, isn’t it?”

You rolled a potato in your hands. “Depends on the question.”

Hannie shot you an amused glance but didn’t push. “Why’d you come here?”

You shrugged. “I wanted a change of pace.”

She peeled another strip from the carrot. “That’s a vague answer.”

“The specifics are boring,” you said through gritted teeth, unwilling to divulge anything.

She let out a small huff of laughter. “Fair enough.”

For a while, neither of you spoke, just continuing your work. The sun had begun to dip lower in the sky, and you were realizing once again why they called this guest house The Sunset House. The smell of something simmering in the kitchen drifted through the air.

“What do you do all day, anyway?” you asked, breaking the comfortable quiet. “I always see you coming and going, but you never say where you’re headed.”

Hannie hummed. “I go to work at the grocery shop.”

You nodded. “So you’re not just freeloading off your Grandma, then?” you teased.

She snorted. “I have my own money and I know how to work for my meals.”

“Okay, but I have a real question,” you said, squinting at her. “What’s your skincare routine?”

Hannie blinked at you, clearly caught off guard. “My what?”

“You have really nice skin,” you said matter-of-factly. “Like, it’s annoyingly flawless. I need to know what you’re using.”

She chuckled. “I just use whatever’s around.”

You frowned. “Liar.”

“It’s the truth,” she said, looking far too entertained.

“No fancy routine? No expensive products?”

“Nope.”

You narrowed your eyes at her, but she just kept peeling, smug as ever. You huffed. “This is so unfair. Your skin is prettier than mine and I have like, a ten-step skincare routine.”

“Sounds like a you problem.”

You grabbed a potato and chucked it at her arm. She caught it easily, shaking her head with a grin.

The conversation continued, flowing from one topic to another with no real direction—just small questions, half-answers, and the occasional amused remark. It wasn’t deep, but it didn’t need to be.

By the time you finished, the basket of peeled vegetables was full, the sun had lowered into a deep orange, and you had learned just enough about Hannie to know there was still more to figure out.

It was hard to ignore the nagging thought in your head ever since you arrived in town. While you tried to brush it off, convincing yourself that you deserved this break from your turbulent city life, the anxiety that you should be doing something more productive lingered in the back of your mind. 

It was probably because your mind and body were so used to being on high alert all the time, functioning at full capacity every day for the last several years that you start getting anxious when you’re not doing anything and just relaxing. You could feel an odd sense of suspicion, nagging at the back of your mind like, “Shouldn’t you be doing something?”

Watering Gram’s garden plants was enough to push away all these thoughts, though.

As you stood under the gentle heat of the morning sun, you maneuvered the hose expertly, a result of doing the chore every day for the last few weeks. You let out a slow breath, feeling oddly content with the simplicity of it.

“Are you planning to drown my plants?”

You startled slightly as Gram’s voice rang out. Turning, you found her watching you with a hand on her hip. “Come here,” she said, beckoning you over to the low wooden table. “I have a better use for those hands.”

You shut off the water and wandered over, only to be greeted with a rice cake shoved into your hand. “Would you like to come to the beach today?” she asked.

“The beach?”

“There’s a new teacher at the daycare center. Seola, a very lovely lady. She arranged a picnic with the elderly and the children.” Gram gave you a pointed look as she patted your hand. “You should come. You need to socialize with someone your age before you forget how to hold a conversation.”

Before you could respond, Hannie stepped out onto the porch in her usual shirt-over-tee combo and denim jeans, brushing her hair back with her hand, she slung a bag over her shoulder, acknowledging you with a brief nod before passing by.

“Gram, I’m off,” he said.

“Alright, see you later,” Gram replied. She waved him off before giving you another look. “Han will be there too, so you don’t have to worry about being around people you don’t know.”

Not that you needed much convincing. You had already planned to explore town today anyway. You finally had enough of the idle days, and you were now ready to see and experience the quaint charm of this small town.

So at noon, just before lunchtime, you drove to the beachside with Gram, the car packed with the food she had heartily prepared all morning.

The beach was lively with old and young voices, laughter, conversation, and the sound of waves rolling against the shore. You helped Gram set up the food, spreading it out on the picnic blankets as she introduced you to the small group already gathered there—a few elderly folks, some parents, and a handful of kids darting around with beach toys and shells. It felt like stepping into a family reunion, where everyone knew each other and shared years of memories you could only imagine.

Gram introduced you as a temporary resident. “She’ll be here for six months,” she explained, smiling as curious eyes turned your way. “Let’s all be nice to her. She’s from the big city.”

“Ah, so that’s why you look so pale,” an older woman teased, squinting at you. “You need some sun on you, dear.”

“She should eat more, too,” another one chimed in, eyeing you like she was already planning to pile food onto your plate.

“You’ll love it here,” one of the older women assured you. “Life moves slow, but there’s always something to do if you know where to look.”

Another joined in with a chuckle. “A bit of gossip now and then, a trip to the market, a walk by the coast… it doesn’t take much to stay busy here!”

They were warm, welcoming, and funny, and their playful remarks had the same lightheartedness as Gram’s. You found yourself smiling more than expected, caught up in their conversation as they asked about your stay. You also met Seola, the new daycare teacher who moved to town just two months ago. She was the same age as you were, and you felt a sense of kinship with her as someone who came from the big city yourself.

At one point, a little boy ran up to you out of nowhere, his face bright with excitement as he held out a shell. “Look! This is the best one I found today!”

You knelt down, taking the shell from his hands to admire it. “Wow, this is a good one,” you said, humoring his enthusiasm. He beamed, launching into a detailed explanation of why it was superior to all the others. You nodded along, half-listening—until something just past his shoulder caught your eye.

Out by the water, Hannie emerged from the waves, hands pushing through his soaked hair, slicking it back from his face. Droplets clung to his skin, sliding down sharp cheekbones and along the lines of his jaw. You blinked, something about the sight snagging on a thought you couldn’t quite place.

Then she stepped fully onto the shore, reached for the hem of her wet shirt, and pulled it over her head. And your mind went blank.

Time seemed to slow as your eyes registered the defined shoulders, the abs, the arms that clearly belonged to someone used to physical labor. The sunlight played across his skin, highlighting every line and shadow. You couldn’t move. You couldn’t speak. All you could do was stare.

Hannie wasn’t just a little masculine. Hannie wasn’t just oddly strong. Hannie… was a man.

Your breath caught in your throat, and an unexpected heat rose to your cheeks. The boy in front of you was still talking, but you couldn’t hear a word of it anymore.

How could you have missed this? It was as if every little sign from the past several days were suddenly lining up like pieces of a puzzle. The deeper voice, the way he carried himself, the fact that he had never once actually referred to himself as a girl. And then there were the times Gram had mentioned her grandson—the one you thought you’d never met, yet had been living with all along. He had never corrected you. And you? You had been so sure—so certain you knew exactly who you were living with.

As you stood there, still absorbing the shock, two teenage girls approached you excitedly.

“What’s it like living with Jeonghan?” one of them asked, practically bouncing on her toes.

“Who?” The name threw you off entirely.

“Yoon Jeonghan,” the other girl chimed in, as if it were obvious. “You’re staying at Gram’s guest house, right? Isn’t he amazing? He’s like the pride of our town.”

Jeonghan. The name sounded foreign to you, yet as you watched him crouch down to help one of the kids collect shells, it suddenly seemed to fit him perfectly. 

“I thought his name was Hannie?” you asked, though the moment the words left your mouth, you realized how foolish they sounded. Hannie—it wasn’t his name. Just a nickname, something his grandmother must have been affectionately calling him.

The girls giggled, exchanging amused glances. “That’s just what the grandmas call him.”

One of them leaned in, lowering her voice like she was sharing a juicy secret. “He’s kind of famous, you know? We run a fan page for him—it’s almost at 100k followers.”

“He gets a ton of idol trainee offers. Some people even come all the way here just to see him,” the other added. “But he always turned them down. Now, he works at the store downtown. Everyone loves him.”

Jeonghan. Jeonghan. Yoon Jeonghan.

You blinked, still grappling with the idea that the quiet, elusive Hannie was actually Jeonghan, the town’s golden boy. Before you could think of what to say, Gram’s voice called out, interrupting the conversation.

“Lunch is ready! Come here and eat!”

The girls scampered off toward the picnic mat, giggling about something you couldn’t quite catch. You turned to follow, but your thoughts were still spinning.

“Kids! Hannie!” Gram called again, waving him over. “Come on, let’s eat!”

Jeonghan straightened, brushing sand from his hands before jogging up the beach. The sunlight glinted off his skin, drawing your gaze before you could stop yourself. Heat crept up your neck again.

He reached the mat and, without hesitation, plopped down next to you, his damp hair falling casually over his shoulder.

“You’re here too,” he said, smiling at you before grabbing a bottle of water. He seemed completely at ease, oblivious to the turmoil running through your mind.

Lunch was a lively affair, the mat spread under the shade of a large tree, bowls and plates of food passed around as conversations overlapped. The elders were particularly chatty, most of their attention—unsurprisingly—focused on Jeonghan.

“You know, our Hannie here was top of his class in university,” one of the grandmothers boasted, nudging the woman beside her. “Always so clever.”

“And so hardworking,” another added, her tone exaggerated in a way that felt suspiciously rehearsed. “Had all sorts of offers after graduation. He even worked in Seoul for a bit.”

“Really?” Seola, the teacher, perked up with interest, chopsticks pausing midair.

You, however, narrowed your eyes slightly. There was something oddly deliberate about how they were talking about him, as if… as if they were trying to sell him.

Jeonghan, sitting beside you, seemed completely unfazed. He took a sip of water, then casually met your gaze. “What are you thinking so hard about?”

You blinked, realizing that you had been staring. “I was just wondering why they’re talking about you like you’re a prized cow.”

Jeonghan nearly choked on his drink, turning away with a cough. Beside him, one of the elders clapped her hands together, unaware of your remark. “And! He’s very good with children,” she announced, nodding toward the group of kids playing nearby. “They all adore him.”

Seola chuckled. “That’s rare. Most guys aren’t patient enough with kids.”

“Exactly!” The older woman beamed. “That’s why any girl would be lucky to have him.”

Your eyes flickered to Jeonghan, curious as to how he’d react, but he was busy picking the green onions out of his soup. As if this whole matchmaking attempt had nothing to do with him.

You stifled a laugh. “You seem very popular, Jeonghan.”

“Mm,” he hummed in agreement, finally looking at you. “Are you convinced?”

“Of what?”

“That I’m a catch.” He tilted his head, the corner of his lips twitching up just slightly.

Your chopsticks hovered over your plate. The way he said it was so casual, but something about his tone—low, smooth, just teasing enough—made your stomach flutter. 

You masked it with an eye-roll. “I don’t know. You don’t seem that impressive to me.”

Gram clicked her tongue, shaking her head as she picked up a piece of grilled fish and placed it onto your plate. “Clearly, you need to spend more time with him.”

“Gram?” you questioned, genuinely perplexed by the insinuation in her tone.

The lunch continued in the same direction, the elders throwing more praises, Seola responding with polite interest, and Jeonghan humoring them without ever actually engaging. It was almost funny how unfazed he was—until you caught a few of the older women exchanging glances as if they were mentally taking notes on how both you and Seola were responding.

Oh god. They weren’t just selling Jeonghan. They were matchmaking him.

You needed some air.

As the meal wrapped up, you slipped away from the group, stepping onto the shore where the waves lapped at your feet. The realization of the past hour was still in your mind—not just about the elders’ intentions but also the fact that your whole perception of Jeonghan had shattered today.

And, of course, just as you were attempting to collect yourself, he appeared beside you. “Escaping?”

You glanced at him. “You too?”

“Sort of.” Jeonghan walked alongside you, hands in his pockets, letting the wind ruffle his damp hair. “Figured you’d need company.”

You hesitated before blurting, “Why didn’t you tell me you were a guy?”

Jeonghan stopped mid-step. “What?”

“The whole time, I thought you were a girl, maybe a little masculine or a lesbian, but biologically, a girl. I’ve been calling you ‘Hannie,’ but that’s not even your real name. Your name was Jeonghan. You never corrected me.”

His expression shifted from confusion to pure shock. “Wait.” He turned fully to you, blinking rapidly. “You thought I was a girl?!”

You crossed your arms. “You’re really pretty with equally pretty hair. Your grandma calls you Hannie.”

Jeonghan ran a hand down his face, half-laughing, half-exasperated. “Oh my god.”

“I mean, can you blame me?” You gestured vaguely at him. “Look at you.”

His mouth opened, then closed. He looked down at himself as if seeing what you saw. Then he exhaled a laugh, shaking his head. “Unbelievable.”

You smirked. “I think it’s kind of funny.”

Jeonghan shot you a look, smirking. “I bet you do.”

You basked in the comfortable silence as you continued walking. The waves were cool against your feet, and the voices behind you grew distant. Every now and then, you caught Jeonghan glancing at you, as if still processing what you had just confessed.

Finally, he sighed, shaking his head. “A girl.”

You grinned. “I’d say I’m sorry, but…”

“But you’re not.”

“Not even a little bit.”

Jeonghan let out a sharp laugh, the kind that came from deep amusement rather than disbelief this time. You got the feeling he wouldn’t let this go anytime soon.

The next morning, Jeonghan was heading downtown for an errand, and Gram suggested you go with him. “You should get out more,” she said, nudging your arm. “Let Han show you around. It’ll be good for you.”

You didn’t see a reason to refuse. The town was still unfamiliar, and a trip to the market sounded more productive than another slow morning at the guest house. Plus, you figured you might as well start your car after letting it sit idle for so long.

Which was how you found yourself in the passenger seat, watching as Jeonghan adjusted the mirrors before smoothly pulling out onto the road. He drove leisurely, one hand resting on the wheel, his other elbow propped against the window.

By the time you reached the market, the streets were busy. Stalls lined the sidewalks, vendors calling out to passersby, with the scent of fresh produce, grilled food, and sweet treats. Jeonghan was greeted warmly at every turn, engaging small talks with vendors who seemed genuinely happy to see him. He was polite, smiling when an elderly woman at a vegetable stand patted his arm and called him “our handsome Jeonghan.”

Then she turned to you. “And who is this?” she asked with a teasing smile. “Have you finally brought a girlfriend home, Hannie?”

Before you could react, Jeonghan laughed. “She’s not, but she wished she was.”

“No, I don’t!” you exclaimed.

“No need to be shy, dear,” the vendor said, grinning. “If I were a few decades younger, I’d wish I was his girlfriend too.”

You groaned while Jeonghan bit back a laugh, handing over the money before gently steering you away.

“I can’t believe you have fans in every age group,” you scoffed.

“Well, it’s a small town,” he replied, chuckling.

After finishing the errand, Jeonghan led you to a small café tucked between two shops. The place had a cozy charm—wooden tables, hanging plants, and an old vinyl player in the corner playing soft jazz.

A man behind the counter beamed when she saw him. “Jeonghan! It’s been a while.”

“Hi, Joon. I’ll have the usual,” he greeted, then turned to you. “You?”

You looked up at the menu hanging overhead, wondering what to order or if you wanted coffee at all.

Joon’s gaze flicked to you. “This must be the pretty guest Gram was talking about.”

You glanced at him, curious. Jeonghan waved a hand. “Yeah. She doesn’t get out much. I’m showing her around town.”

“You should come more often. We make the best coffee in town,” Joon said proudly. “Not that there are any other coffee shops around,” he added, chuckling. “What can I get you?”

“Uh, I’ll have what he’s having,” you said, smiling politely at him.

“Coming right up!”

Jeonghan led you to a vacant table by the window. “You come here often?” you asked.

“Now and then.” He pulled out a chair and sat across from you, resting his forearm against the table. “The owner, Joon’s mom, used to sneak me free pastries when I was a kid. I feel obligated to keep giving her business.”

Your lips quirked up. “Bribed into loyalty. Classic.”

He just laughed, watching you for a moment before asking, “What do you think of the town so far?”

You thought about it and then shrugged. “It’s charming and peaceful. Everyone seems to know each other. It’s kind of nice.”

He hummed, stirring his drink lazily. “It has its charms.”

“Well, they seem to adore you,” you noted.

He shrugged. “I’m very likeable,” he said smugly, making you laugh.

Minutes later, Joon set two iced drinks on your table before slipping away. You took a sip and raised a brow. “Oh, this is sweet. Vanilla latte?”

Jeonghan nodded. “Decaf. You don’t like sweet?”

“I do,” you admitted. “But I didn’t peg you as the type.”

Jeonghan took a sip of his own drink. “And what type did you peg me as?”

You tilted your head, pretending to analyze him. “Black coffee. No sugar. Maybe a shot of espresso if you’re feeling adventurous.”

He gave you an unimpressed look. “Do I look like I hate myself?”

You laughed. “No, but,” you shrugged, making him smirk.

“I’ll have you know I like nice things. Why would I suffer through bitter coffee when I could enjoy this?” He lifted his drink in emphasis.

You smirked. “So you have a sweet tooth.”

“Does it bother you?”

“Do you care what about I think of you?” you asked back, narrowing your eyes playfully.

Jeonghan just took his drink and looked out of the window, ignoring your question entirely. You didn’t press, enjoying the coffee instead and the nice ambience of the cafe.

Before heading home, Jeonghan made one last stop at the grocery store. It was bigger than you expected, with stocked shelves and a steady flow of customers.

“You work here?” you asked as you followed him inside.

He nodded. “I own it. Well, not really. It was my grandpa’s. After he passed, someone had to take over.”

Something about the way he said it made you pause. “Is that why you came back?”

Jeonghan didn’t answer right away. He picked up a basket, taking his time as he strolled past the produce section. “You could say that,” he said eventually. “I came back because Gram would be lonely by herself. She’s old now, someone has to be here and make sure she’s alright.”

You glanced at him, noting how his expression didn’t change, but something about his voice softened.

“She still works at the pear farm,” he added, shaking his head fondly. “She said she’d go crazy if she had nothing to do, so someone has to be around to make sure she doesn’t overdo it.”

Hearing that made you feel like you understood them both a little more. The quiet life they had here, the small routines that kept them moving forward—it all made sense now. You became more curious about them, but you didn’t want to pry, so instead of asking, you just took what he told you and left it at that.

As you trailed behind him, your gaze landed on the skincare aisle. “Alright, spill. Which one is it?”

Jeonghan followed your line of sight, then let out a dramatic sigh. “Are you still on this?”

“You’re ridiculously pretty,” you said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. “It’s only fair that I find out how.”

He gave you an unimpressed look, then reached out, grabbed a random product, and handed it to you. “Here.”

You examined the label. “This is a body wash.”

“Exactly.”

You narrowed your eyes. “You’re lying.”

He smirked. “You’ll never know.”

“And if I sneak into your bathroom later?”

He stuck his tongue in his cheek, then smirked before saying, “I guess I'll see you there, then. I take really long showers at night, you see.”

You blinked rapidly, surprised at the sudden turn of the conversation. Clearing your throat, you put the bottle back and turned away. “Fine. Keep your secrets.”

The days that followed were more eventful than the previous ones. You still helped Gram around the guesthouse, still found time to sit outside with her in the afternoons, listening to the occasional stories she decided to share. But now, there was something different about your days—Jeonghan.

He wasn’t just around anymore. He was in your space, in your routine, slipping into your life as if he had always been there. Like how he took it upon himself to be your unofficial tour guide, showing up outside the guesthouse just as you were about to head out.

“Where are you going?” he’d ask.

“I’m not sure, but I’m going around town again today,” you’d say, tossing your bag over your shoulder.

His eyes would glint with amusement. “You’ll get lost.”

“No, I won’t.”

But you always did. Turning one too many corners in the winding streets, ending up somewhere you hadn’t planned. And somehow, Jeonghan was always there, lounging by a store or leaning against a wall like he’d been waiting for you the whole time.

“You have a terrible sense of direction,” he’d say, grinning.

“And you have too much free time,” you’d shoot back, but you never minded when he fell into step beside you.

He took you everywhere. To the best lookout point in town, where the cliffs met the endless blue of the sea. To the hills, where wildflowers bloomed in untamed clusters, swaying lazily under the afternoon sun. To the pear farm, where you met Gram’s friends—hardworking women who took one look at you and started teasing.

“She’s the one staying at the guesthouse?” one of them asked Jeonghan, squinting at you. “You’re showing her around, aren’t you?”

“Something like that,” Jeonghan replied, glancing your way with a smirk.

“Ah, what a handsome pair,” the woman sighed dramatically. “You look great together. You’d make the most beautiful babies.”

You choked on your own breath while Jeonghan just laughed, handing you a pear like nothing happened.

There was also the day he dragged you onto a boat. It wasn’t planned. You had only gone to the dock to look around, but Jeonghan had other ideas.

“Ever been boating?” he asked.

You eyed him warily. “No.”

“Great.” That was your only warning before he pulled you toward a small boat, casually untying it from the dock.

“Wait—what if I get seasick?” you protested.

“You won’t.”

“How do you know?”

“We’ll find out when we get there,” he chuckled, offering a hand to help you board the boat.

You hesitated, but you took his hand anyway. He had never done anything to disappoint you so far, so you trusted him. And despite your initial wariness, you had to admit—it was nice. The air was crisp, the water was calm, the reefs below were beautiful, and the silence between you was comforting.

At one point, Jeonghan leaned back against the edge, stretching his arms. “You like it here, don’t you?”

You glanced at him. “I do.”

He smirked. “I’d bet fifty bucks you never leave.”

You scoffed. “Never leaving is a stretch. Maybe I’d never want to, but I will anyway because I have to.”

Jeonghan flashed a mischievous smile as if you had just challenged him. “A hundred, then. You will never want to leave, and you never will.”

You rolled your eyes. “Now you’re making me want to leave just so I can take your money.”

“Are you gonna play or not?”

“No,” you said, shaking your head. “I don’t need it.”

Jeonghan sighed nonchalantly. “Fine. But I know I’m right.”

You weren’t sure when it happened, but somewhere between stolen pears and getting lost in town, between late afternoon coffees and spontaneous boat rides, you had started to enjoy his company. And maybe he had started to enjoy yours, too.

That afternoon, as you and Jeonghan strolled back home, he glanced at you and asked, “You free tonight?”

You arched a brow. “Why?”

“It’s Joon’s birthday,” he said. “He’s having a small party at the café. Just us and some friends. He invited you too.”

You hesitated. “He did?”

Jeonghan smirked. “He mentioned it the other day. You probably forgot.”

You did remember Joon casually saying something about it, but you hadn’t thought much of it at the time. A small celebration at the café didn’t sound bad, and truthfully, you weren’t opposed to seeing other people your age, too. Most of the people you’d seen around were old enough to be your grandparents.

“Alright,” you said. “I’ll come.”

“Good. We can go together.”

Later that evening, you followed Jeonghan to the café, which was livelier than usual. Warm lights glowed from the ceilings, the scent of coffee still permeating the air though none of it was being served now. All you could see on the table were bottles of soju and beer, spicy and fried food, and a cake sitting at the center.

The small space had been rearranged to fit a gathering, with a handful of tables pushed together. A few people were already there, chatting, laughing, clinking glasses. Most of them seemed around your age, and it didn’t take long to notice that many of them were couples.

“Jeonghannie hyung!” Joon’s voice rang out the moment you stepped inside. He grinned, wiping his hands on a towel before pulling him into a quick hug. Then he turned to you. “And look who actually came. Finally.”

You scoffed. “Happy birthday, Joon. And I do go outside, you know.”

“Only because Jeonghan drags you everywhere,” he teased, earning a snicker from Jeonghan himself. “Come in. Let me introduce you.”

You met a few of Jeonghan’s friends. You barely remembered their names, but it didn’t take long to notice that most of them had grown up together—and many had ended up marrying each other. Seola was also there, curled up beside a guy, her arm draped lazily over his.

“You made it,” she said, smiling when she saw you.

“I did.” You nodded toward the guy beside her. “Boyfriend?”

She nodded. “I’m glad you came,” she said. “Joon said he invited you, but I wasn’t sure if you’d actually show.”

You shrugged. “Figured I should experience the town’s nightlife at least once.”

Seola laughed. “This is about as lively as it gets.” She leaned in conspiratorially. “So, you and Jeonghan, huh?”

You rolled your eyes. “Not this again.”

“What? You don’t like him?”

“He’s fine, but he annoys me a lot.”

She laughed. “That’s how you know he likes you.”

Before you could protest, Joon clapped his hands together. “Alright, drinks are on me tonight. Eat, drink, have fun!”

“Happy birthday, Joon!”

The evening unraveled in a blur. There was food, laughter, and lots of conversation. At some point, someone turned on music, and people started to sway along. Jeonghan stuck to your side for most of the night, occasionally teasing you, occasionally offering you bites of his cake as if you didn’t have your own. You didn’t realize how late it had gotten until a few guests started nodding off in their seats, the conversations had grown louder, and the laughter became more unrestrained over the clinking of bottles and half-finished drinks.

Joon was already passed out on the table by the time you and Jeonghan decided to leave. His friends—still rowdy despite the late hour—bid you both a noisy farewell, slurring words and waving exaggeratedly as they walked you out the café doors.

The night air greeted you like a sigh of relief, cool against your warmed skin. You stretched your arms above your head, exhaling contentedly. “It’s nice out.”

Jeonghan hummed in agreement, stuffing his hands into his pockets as the two of you strolled down the quiet village road. “Yeah. I should thank you for coming tonight. Because of you, I wasn’t assigned to take care of Joon. He gets drunk so quickly and I have to clean up after him most of the time.”

You laughed, tilting your head toward him. “You’re welcome? I guess? I thought he could hold his liquor because he kept insisting he could outdrink everyone.”

“Well, he’s also the best liar among all of my friends too, so…” he replied, making you chuckle. The alcohol had settled pleasantly in your system, making it easy to laugh at whatever nonsense he spewed.

“You held your liquor pretty well,” he remarked, side-eyeing you with a smirk.

You grinned. “I have a high tolerance.”

“Almost as high as mine.”

“Almost?” You scoffed. “I was drinking at your pace all night, and I’m still standing. Do you see me stumbling into ditches or tripping over my own feet?”

Jeonghan smirked, challenging. “Well, not yet.”

You gasped, feigning offence. Eager to prove him wrong, you stepped ahead, turning to walk backward easily. Arms spread wide, you gave him a smug grin. “Look at that. Not tripping.”

That made him laugh and shake his head fondly as he beckoned you back to his side. “Alright, fine. You can walk.”

“I’m not even drunk at all,” you said, falling into step beside him.

“Yeah? How’s your balance?” he asked just before bumping his shoulder into yours, playful, teasing.

You almost tripped over yourself, but regained your balance in time. Scoffing, you nudged him back. He nudged harder, almost making you lose your footing again. Huffing, you shoved him, but he didn’t budge. Before you could react, Jeonghan caught you by the shoulders, pulling you flush against him. 

The sudden closeness sent a jolt through you—not from surprise, but from the unmistakable heat of his body against yours.

And you didn’t pull away.

Maybe it was the alcohol making you more uninhibited, or maybe you simply wanted this too. You weren’t sure, but you didn’t want to think about it too much.

Neither of you spoke,as you both continued walking. His hands remained firm on your shoulders, like it wasn’t anything out of the ordinary. And you basked in the warmth of it, not even noticing that you were gradually leaning closer against him.

But then a sharp bark split through the silence, making you flinch and pull away from him. A dog stood behind a fence nearby, watching you both with wary eyes, still growling slightly. You held your breath, staring back at it. Then it barked once more, and you squealed.

“Run,” said Jeonghan, but you were already bolting.

The two of you raced through the empty streets, feet pounding against the road, breathless laughter echoing into the night. He nearly overtook you, but you darted ahead at the last second, reaching the guesthouse gate just before he did.

Panting, you turned to gloat—only to freeze when you realized how close he had stopped. Face-to-face, no, face-to-chest with Jeonghan, who was also catching his breath. You stood there, chest rising and falling, staring at each other in the dim glow of the streetlamp. 

He looked ethereal under the yellow light, his hair slightly tousled from the wind, his lips parted as he exhaled. There was something almost dreamlike about the way he gazed at you, his eyes dark and unreadable, as if he were seeing something in you he hadn’t before.

The cool night air did nothing to ease the heat creeping up your skin. You were still drunk, or maybe just lightheaded from the run, but it was hard to focus on anything except how close he was—how easily he could reach for you if he wanted to.

“You’re staring,” he murmured.

Maybe you were. But you were also a little drunk. And he was very, very handsome.

So you said it. “You’re so handsome.”

This wasn’t the first time you’d told him that, but this time, he didn’t laugh like he usually did. Instead, he stared at you with a soft expression on his face. Then, slowly, his eyes dipped lower, stopping on your lips. You did the same, your eyes landing on his plump lips, so pretty, so inviting.

For the first time, the thought crossed your mind.

What would it feel like to kiss him?

Would he be slow about it, teasing? Would he pull you in lazily, like it wasn’t anything special? Or would it be something else—something that would leave you breathless and light-headed?

“We should get inside,” he said, eyes still fixed on your lips.

You nodded. But neither of you moved. He didn’t touch you, but you felt it anyway—the intensity of his gaze, the way he stared at your lips.

Would he kiss you if you leaned in first? The thought was dangerous. But you couldn’t help it, not when he looked at you like that, like he was thinking the same thing.

Jeonghan exhaled deeply, like he had just come to a decision. He took a slow step toward you to close the distance and your entire body awoke with anticipation. Just as he was about to reach for your face, the gate rattled loudly.

Both of you jumped as it swung open, revealing a very awake, very confused Gram. “What are you two doing standing there?” she asked, peering at you both suspiciously.

Jeonghan, ever the smooth talker, recovered first. “We were just about to go inside, Gram.”

Gram squinted at him before clicking her tongue. “If you’re gonna flirt with our guest, at least do it inside where it’s warm.”

Your face heated instantly. “We weren’t—”

“Mm-hmm,” she cut you off, unimpressed. “Come on in, it’s late.”

She turned, leaving the gate open for you to follow. You swallowed, glancing back at Jeonghan who was watching you with a knowing glint in his eyes. Then, with a slight smirk, he gestured toward the door.

“After you,” he murmured.

You weren’t entirely sure what had just happened between you. But you had a feeling it wasn’t nothing.

You had barely finished setting down Gram’s breakfast tray when she sighed and pressed the back of her hand to her forehead. “I swear, I feel fine,” she insisted, but the slight rasp in her voice and the warm touch of her skin told a different story.

“Gram, you have a fever.”

She waved a dismissive hand. “A slight fever never kills anyone.”

“Should I take you to a clinic?” you asked, but she shook her head.

“No need. I just need some rest,” she said, patting your hand. At that moment, Gram’s friends arrived with hearty chatter and warm smiles.

“How are you feeling?” one of them asked, squinting at Gram sprawled on the couch.

“I’m fine, but I’m worried about Hannie. He’s at the farm handling the inventory today, but it’s too much for one person,” Gram said, sighing almost too dramatically.

“Oh no, the poor boy,” said another who turned to you with a suspicious grin on her lips. “You should go help him.”

Another grandma agreed. “Oh, my. Yes, dear. You should.”

You hesitated. “I don’t wanna leave Gram alone—”

“She won’t be alone. We’re here,” said another, already nudging you out of the way.

“Go on, dear. Fret not.  We’ll take care of her. We’ll make her soup.”

“She’ll be fine. You think we don’t know how to take care of one of our own?”

You hesitated, looking back at Gram, but she only chuckled weakly. “Go on. You’ll be more useful there than fussing over me.”

So you went. Jeonghan looked genuinely surprised when you arrived at the farm. He was sitting on a crate with a clipboard in one hand and a pen on the other. He took one look at you and cocked his head.

“Hi. What are you doing here? How’s Gram?”

“She’s fine her friends came over. She sent me here to help,” you said, brushing past him. “Said you had too much to do alone.”

Jeonghan snorted. “Did she now?” He leaned back, arms crossed. “Was it her or the other women?”

You frowned. “Um, all of them? Why does it matter?”

He smirked. “You’ve been tricked.”

“Tricked?”

“They’ve been trying to marry me off for years. This is exactly the kind of thing they’d do. Trick a poor, unsuspecting woman into spending time alone with me."

“Excuse me?” You blinked, thrown off. “And you just… let them?”

“They mean well. Just desperate to see me settled. Been at it for about four years now. And there’s not much I can do.” He shrugged, tapping the pen against the clipboard. “Besides, it doesn’t happen often. There aren’t that many women around my age who are still single. So when someone new shows up, they start getting ideas. Poor Seola kept getting baited on her first week here.”

That sent a rush of heat up your neck. You looked away, pretending to inspect the baskets of pears stacked nearby. “Well, sorry to disappoint them, but I’m only here to help.”

“Right,” he said, his voice laced with something teasing. “Strictly business.”

You nodded, clearing your throat. “Strictly business.”

“You’re not here thinking about how you almost kissed me a few nights ago.”

“Excuse me?” you gasped, indignant. You pointed a finger at him. “You almost kissed—” then pointed the finger at your chest— “me. Get your facts straight!”

Jeonghan chuckled but didn’t push it further. Instead, he handed you a clipboard and gestured toward the stacks of wooden crates. “If you insist on helping, you can double-check these counts while I finish up the rest.”

You huffed but took the clipboard anyway, moving toward the crates while he returned to his own work. The quiet stretched between you—not uncomfortable, but filled with a hyper-awareness that had been there for days now, ever since that one drunken moment outside the guest house.

You focused on counting and scribbling notes, but every so often, you caught glimpses of Jeonghan moving nearby. He worked with efficiency, sleeves rolled up, hands deftly sorting through the inventory. The sunlight filtering through the trees left patterns over his skin, making him look almost too picturesque for a man just organizing pears.

At one point, you were so absorbed in pretending not to be aware of him that you lost your footing, nearly stumbling over a crate. Jeonghan glanced up from where he was standing, just as you had steadied yourself.

“Careful,” he said, smirking. “Wouldn’t want Gram’s ‘strictly business’ helper to break something.”

You shot him a glare. “I tripped over a crate. Nothing to break here.”

He smirked. “Still, I’d be devastated if you got hurt on my watch. What would the old ladies say? Probably accuse me of mistreating my future wife.”

You groaned. “Can you not bringing that up?”

“Why? Does it bother you?”

Yes. Maybe. A little. You weren’t sure. But instead of answering, you tossed a pear at him. He caught it effortlessly, turning it over in his hand.

“You’re very defensive,” he mused, biting into the pear.

“And you’re very annoying,” you shot back, before returning to your clipboard.

The work continued. He teased you every  now and then and you’d retort but mostly tried to drown him out. By the time you finished your part of the task, you felt the kind of exhaustion that wasn’t just physical.

Jeonghan stretched, rolling out his shoulders. “I think that’s good for today.”

“Great,” you said, setting down your clipboard. “Then I’ll—”

Before you could finish, rain started falling. It was so sudden that you both stood there for a second, blinking up at the sky as the cool droplets hit your skin. Soon, you realized it wasn’t stopping, and Jeonghan nudged your arm.

“Run to the warehouse,” he said, pointing to the warehouse which looked so far away. “Go,” he repeated, and you started running.

You reached it in no time, but not without getting soaked. Inside, the space was dry, the scent of cardboard boxes and ripened pears filling the air. You wrapped your arms around yourself, shaking off the water clinging to your skin. Jeonghan leaned against the doorway, watching the rain with furrowed brows.

He glanced at you a few moments later. “You okay?”

“Yeah,” you replied, rubbing your arms. “The weather was so nice today. I didn’t think it would rain.”

“Well, the weather likes to be unpredictable sometimes,” he said, gaze drifting over you before he reached for something on a nearby shelf—a folded blanket. He tossed it over your shoulders without a word.

You blinked. “Where did that come from?”

“Emergency stash,” he said simply. “Most of the workers here are old women. They prepare for anything and everything.”

“Thanks,” you mumbled, pulling it tighter around yourself.

Jeonghan just hummed, still watching the rain. And for a while, neither of you spoke. The world outside was misty and gray, but in here, it was warm and quiet. The warehouse was fairly large, but the space between you felt small. And it may be because the place was packed with endless crates of pears and shelves of pear products.

You weren’t sure how long you stood like that before he turned toward you fully, head tilting slightly as he studied you.

“You really don’t mind being here, do you?” he mused.

You frowned. “Well, I didn’t but if I had known it would rain, I wouldn’t have come up here at all.”

He chuckled. “No, I meant in this town. At the guesthouse. Helping out on some pear farm.”

You thought about it, about the slow mornings, the sense of peace you’d been trying to chase, the way you’d felt so much more at ease these days.

“I don’t mind,” you admitted, leaning back against the wall. “It’s… nice. No deadlines to chase. No stuck-up superiors breathing down my neck. No endless stack of workload to bury my face in.” You sighed in relief, smiling absentmindedly. “It’s really nice.”

“What happened?” he asked, joining you in your corner. “Back in the city?”

“It’s nothing,” you shrugged. “I’m just taking a break from corporate life.”

“I see,” he replied, unconvinced but knew better than press for answers you weren’t ready to share.

The rain was coming down harder now, drumming against the roof of the warehouse and soaking the ground outside. You could hear the soft trickle of water running off the edges of the roof, pooling into the dirt. The crates of pears sat forgotten outside, and you wondered if they’d be fine, though seeing Jeonghan not worrying about it made you assume they would be.

You noticed how Jeonghan shivered slightly, damp clothes clinging to his skin. “Cold?” you asked.

He shook his head, but you could tell he was lying. You scooted closer to him and draped the blanket over his shoulder, too. It was then that you realized that it was a small blanket, just enough to wrap around you but too small for the two of you.

Jeonghan chuckled. “Thanks, but I don’t think this is helping.”

“Right?” you replied, chuckling.

He shifted slightly, lifting one arm and draping it over your shoulder. You hesitated at first, but you let him pull you closer, letting the warmth of his body seep into yours. He rubbed your arm with his hand, squeezing gently in an attempt to fight the cold against your skin. It worked, though not well enough.

“How long do you think this rain will last?” you asked, slowly leaning against his chest.

Jeonghan hummed, and you felt his chest vibrate. “Not too long, I think. An hour at most. Maybe half.”

“My car is just below the hill. I should have driven it all the way up here,” you sighed, closing your eyes.

“You didn’t know this would happen,” he said, rubbing your shoulder. “Did you see my pickup down there? I didn’t drive up, too.”

You chuckled, pulling away to look at him. You were gonna say something, but the way he was looking at you made you hold your breath.

His gaze was steady, searching, as if something was fascinating about your face. He didn’t move, didn’t say anything. He just looked, and something about it sent a slow, burning heat in your chest. Your gaze drifted lower. His lips were slightly parted, and you knew—just as you had known that night outside the guesthouse—that this was going to happen.

You weren’t sure who moved first. One moment, there was space between you; the next, Jeonghan was leaning in, and your fingers had curled against the fabric of his shirt. His lips met yours. A slow, quick peck. Barely a kiss at all—just a taste. But then you exhaled, and he was kissing you again, properly this time.

Soft and lingering like he was savoring the moment, like he had thought about it and now that it was happening, he didn’t want to rush. His lips were warm, even with the cold outside. You responded without thinking, tilting your head, pressing closer. Your fingers tightened in his shirt. He hummed against your lips, low and pleased, his other hand finding the small of your back and pressing you closer. The blanket slipped from your shoulders, but you barely noticed.

Jeonghan angled his head, his hand sliding up to your jaw, thumb stroking just under your ear. His tongue brushed against yours, coaxing you into parting for him. A quiet sound escaped you, something between a sigh and a gasp, and that was all it took for him to press you back against wall, his body flush against yours.

The heat between you burned hotter than the cold rain. His hands roamed, brushing over the curve of your hips, slipping under the hem of your shirt to find the warmth of your skin. You gasped against his mouth at the sensation, fingers tightening in his shirt.

He took that as encouragement. His lips left yours only to trail lower, to your jaw, and down to your neck. You shivered—not from the cold, but from the way he touched you. Your own hands moved, pushing beneath his damp shirt, palms pressing against his stomach. He let out a quiet, surprised laugh before he kissed you again, deeper, hungrier.

The rain outside blurred into nothing. It was just him. His lips, his hands, the heat of him against you. But then, he stopped, pulling away just enough to look at you. His fingers flexed against your waist, as if holding himself back. 

He pressed his forehead against yours, exhaling sharply as he asked, “Is this okay?”

The words sent a jolt through you, cutting through the haze of heat and desire clouding your thoughts. Your pulse pounded in your ears, and for the first time since kissing him, you could hear the rain again—the steady downpour, the distant rumble of thunder.

Reality came crashing in, making you pull back slightly with a shaky breath. Your hands gripping his shirt loosened. His gaze searched yours, unreadable but patient. He was waiting.

“I…” You swallowed, looking away. “We shouldn’t.”

There was a second of silence, Jeonghan’s hand leaving your waist and reaching up to tuck stray strands of hair behind your ear. Then he planted a soft kiss on your forehead and said, “Okay.”

You weren’t sure if the cold you felt now was from the rain or from something else entirely. But it was gone as soon as he pulled you into a hug.

“But we can do this, right?”

You chuckled lightly, closing your eyes and basking in his warmth. “Yeah,” you replied, wrapping your arms around him too. “Yeah, we can.”

You tossed and turned all night, replaying every moment at the warehouse. The way his lips felt against yours, the way he touched you with veneration, the addicting heat that had consumed you. All of it.

It was just the heat of the moment, you told yourself. Just a fleeting lapse of judgment, nothing more. But the longer you lay there, the more you realized you were lying.

You wanted it. You liked it. And you liked Jeonghan.

It wasn’t just your imagination. You didn’t imagine the way your heart raced when he kissed you. You didn’t imagine the sparks of pleasure dancing on your skin when he touched you. You didn’t imagine the way you melted in his arms when he held you close until the rain stopped.

You were still trying to come to terms with it when you heard faint voices outside. Curious, you pushed yourself up and peered through the window.

Outside, it was the early hours of dawn. In the dim dawn light, Jeonghan stood with Gram by the shed, lifting the lids off large clay crocks. Even though you couldn’t hear them, it wasn’t hard to guess what they were doing—Gram was transferring kimchi into a large container, with Jeonghan helping her.

As if sensing your gaze, he suddenly glanced up and caught you watching. You froze when his gaze met yours. But Jeonghan just smiled and raised a hand in a lazy wave, which you returned sheepishly.

Then he sent kisses your way, gestured that it was still too early, and mouthed that you should go back to sleep. Clearly, he had no idea you hadn’t slept a wink yet.

You huffed but nodded anyway, and just as you pulled back from the window, you heard Gram say something. Jeonghan turned to her, his head tilting in mock innocence, and you could imagine her scolding him for slacking off. Smiling to yourself, you shut your window and crawled back into bed.

As expected, you woke up late the next morning. It was almost noon, but it was the weekend, so you knew Jeonghan and Gram would be home all day. But he was nowhere to be seen.

Gram told you over lunch that he had gone to the city to visit his parents. You only nodded in response, pretending it didn’t affect you. But as the day stretched on, you found yourself missing him.

Which was stupid.

He was just a guy—a good-looking guy, yes, but that didn’t mean anything. Good-looking guys had a way of making you think you liked them when you really didn’t. Besides, liking Jeonghan wasn’t part of the plan. You had come here for peace and quiet—to breathe and to heal, not to get swept up in whatever this was.

So you spent the day distracting yourself—helping Gram in the kitchen, reading in the shade, taking a walk along the shore. Anything to push thoughts of him away. The more you did, the more you convinced yourself that you didn’t like him that much.

You weren’t that attached to him. You didn’t care that he wasn’t around, didn’t notice the way the day felt quieter without him. You weren’t thinking about the way he always leaned too close when he talked or how he made even the dullest moments entertaining.

Would he be back today? Tomorrow? Would he have texted you if you had exchanged numbers?

Stop it. This wasn’t you. You didn’t get flustered over a guy. You didn’t sit around waiting like some lovesick idiot. You were better than this.

You were fine. Your thoughts kept circling back to him, but you were fine. You just needed to reset. Get a good night’s sleep. Tomorrow, you’d be back to normal.

So you sat outside on the porch after dinner, telling yourself you weren’t waiting for him. You were just enjoying the evening air after a hearty meal. You weren’t glancing at the road every few minutes. You weren’t hoping he’d arrive before you ran out of reasons to stay outside.

Then, as if answering an unspoken wish, Jeonghan’s pickup came rolling into view, kicking up dust along the quiet road. The second you saw it, the day seemed brighter, and your heart felt lighter, warmer.

Oh. 

So this was it. This was what it felt like to really like someone.

Jeonghan parked his truck and hopped out, already smiling from ear to ear as he walked over to where you were sitting on the porch. “Waiting for me?” he asked, opening his arms as if he was waiting for you to jump into them.

You scoffed, crossing your arms defensively. “No. I’m just getting some air.”

Jeonghan raised his brows. “You could’ve just lied and said you were. You’re hurting my feelings here.”

“I— what?”

He sighed, pouting. “I’m hurt because you’d been on my mind all day, and I couldn’t wait to come home and see you again.”

You blinked, suddenly feeling too warm despite the cool night air. The way he said it so smoothly, so easily, like it was just a simple fact, left you scrambling for a response. But nothing came.

Neither of you spoke.

Instead, you just stood there, staring at each other in the warm porch light. He didn’t even try to laugh it off or take it back so your heart thudded a little harder, unsure what to make of this.

Then, the front door creaked open, and Gram stepped out. “Hannie, you’re back so soon,” she greeted, eyeing him up and down. “Have you had dinner yet?”

“I did,” he answered, stepping back slightly. “I picked up something to eat on my way here.”

Gram huffed. “You should get some rest, then. You must be tired. Why didn’t you just spend the night at your parents’ house? Driving back and forth like that—” She gave him a knowing look, voice lilting with mischief. “It almost seems like you were excited to come home for some reason.”

You caught the implication immediately. Jeonghan did too, if the way he smirked was any indication.

“You’re right, Gram,” he said without missing a beat. Then, with a glance at you, he added, “Actually, I was wondering if I could take the reason out for a stroll.”

Gram barely spared him a glance as she waved a hand dismissively. “Do whatever you want.” She turned back toward the house, muttering, “Young people these days. So forward. Too liberated.”

And just like that, she was gone. You, however, were still standing there, completely dumbfounded.

You turned to Jeonghan, who was watching you with an all-too-pleased expression. He tilted his head toward the road.

“So? You coming?”

You walked in silence for the first few minutes. You were expecting Jeonghan to start the conversation because, obviously, he should be the one making conversation. There were plenty of things he could start with, like clarifying what he meant when he implied that you were the reason he chose to come home right away despite the long drive.

“Don’t you have anything to say to me?” he finally asked, leaning down slightly to peek at your face.

You turned away. “No. What would I even say to you?”

Jeonghan straightened up, huffing. “I practically spelled it out for you, and you have nothing to say?”

You stopped in your tracks, exhaling sharply as you ran a hand over your nape. “Okay, what the hell is this? How about communicating clearly and more openly like grown adults  instead of whatever this is?”

Jeonghan turned fully to face you. His expression was unreadable, but his voice was light when he said, “I like you.”

For a second, your mind went completely blank. You opened your mouth, then closed it, then let out a breath. “Are you sure?”

His brows furrowed. “What kind of question is that?”

“I mean—” You gestured vaguely. “It’s not just because of yesterday? Maybe it’s a momentary lapse of judgment. We kissed, and there was…” You hesitated to say it. “...a moment, and now you think you like me because of it.”

Jeonghan tilted his head, then asked, “Are you drunk?”

“No.” You shot him a look. “Jeonghan, I’m serious.”

He chuckled, but when he spoke again, he was serious. “No, it’s not just because of yesterday. I don’t pull something like that on just anyone. I’ve liked you for a while now.”

“Why?”

He grimaced, like he couldn’t believe you had to ask. “What do you mean why? Because I do. You’re pretty and nice. You’re smart. You’re good with kids, good with elders.” His voice was steady, without hesitation. “I’m not in love with you or anything. Not yet, at least. I just think you’re… amazing. And honestly, I wasn’t planning to act on it.”

You frowned. “Then why are you?”

“Because,” he said, watching you closely, “I think you like me too.”

Your pulse quickened. “No, I don’t,” you lied, shamelessly.

Jeonghan’s was menacingly confident. “Yes, you do.”

You rolled your eyes and walked ahead, heading straight for the beach. He followed closely behind, undeterred. “Come on, I’m being honest here.”

“Well, what do you want me to do about that?” you asked, not even glancing back.

“Nothing. Just—” He caught up to you and slipped his hand into yours. “At least tell me you heard what I said.”

“I did.”

“So? What do you think?”

You sighed, pulling your hand back. “I haven’t thought about it yet.”

And truly, you hadn’t. You liked him too, yes. But what to do about it? You hadn’t thought that far ahead. Did you want a relationship with him? Were you going to act on your feelings or pretend none of this ever happened? You haven’t decided yet.

That didn’t seem to discourage him, though. If anything, his smile turned triumphant. “So you’re gonna think about it?”

“Even if I do, there’s no guarantee that—”

“It’s alright,” he cut you off, grinning. “I know I can change your mind.”

You raised an eyebrow. “You’re making me want to reject you just to spite you.”

Jeonghan laughed, his head tipping back as he did. “You can try, but you wouldn’t want to.”

That made you laugh, too, though you weren’t sure if it was because it was funny or because he was right. Either way, it didn’t matter. You shook your head, exhaling sharply. “You’re really confident, huh?”

Jeonghan shrugged. “It’s not confidence. I just know I’m right.”

You scoffed, lightly kicking sand at him. He dodged with a laugh, but you caught the way he was still looking at you—like he already knew what you’d decide.

You weren’t sure exactly when Jeonghan decided to start his little mission, but once he did, it became impossible to ignore. Maybe it was when he started showing up more often, always finding excuses to be around you. Maybe it was when he started helping you without being asked—fixing the latch on your door when it got stuck, carrying things before you could, slipping you an extra slice of fruit without a word.

Or maybe it was when he stopped being subtle about it.

“You’re really going all out with this, aren’t you?” you asked him one afternoon when he took the heavy bag of groceries from your hands. One moment, you were struggling with the weight, and the next, he was lifting it effortlessly—like he’d been waiting for the chance.

“This isn’t even half of it.” He flashed you a smile. “Date me for real, and I’ll show you what all-out really means.”

At first, it was playful, something you could brush off. Jeonghan was naturally charming; he knew exactly what to say and how to say it to fluster you.

“If you keep staring at me like that, I might get the wrong idea,” he’d tease whenever you so much as glanced his way.

But then there were moments when the teasing fell away, leaving something else in its place.

One evening, after a long day, you sat on the porch, stretching your legs and watching the sky change from gold to deep blue. Jeonghan appeared beside you, holding two cups of tea. He handed you one without a word, then sat down beside you, close enough that your shoulders brushed.

You took a sip, the warmth spreading through you. “Did you make this?”

“I did,” he said, propping himself on his hands. “Gram told me you liked this kind.”

You turned to look at him, but he was already watching you. The usual mischief in his eyes had softened into something else. You looked away first.

But if his actions weren’t enough, he made sure everyone else knew he liked you, too.

It wasn’t over the top—no grand declarations or dramatic gestures. Jeonghan was smoother than that. He let people assume what they wanted and simply confirmed it with a smile. He wove it so naturally into conversations that it left no room for argument.

“You’re a good boy, Jeonghan,” a man at the market told him one day. “I should introduce you to my niece. She’s a lovely girl—smart, well-mannered—”

Jeonghan barely let him finish before shaking his head. “Ah, that won’t be necessary,” he said, glancing at you. “I already have someone I like.”

The man’s gaze flickered between you both before he let out a knowing laugh. “Oh, I see. You two make a nice couple.”

Before you could open your mouth to correct him, Jeonghan sighed dramatically. “I know, right? But she’s making me work for it.”

“Well, keep at it then.”

You groaned, moving to another stall before he could make it worse. But it didn’t stop there. As you browsed through vegetables, another vendor—a woman in her forties—raised an eyebrow at you. “You two seem close,” she said knowingly. “Are you finally together?”

Jeonghan sighed again, this time heavier, as if burdened. “Not yet. She’s making me suffer.”

You turned to glare at him. “Oh my god, stop saying that.”

The vendor laughed. “Smart girl. Make him work for it, dear.”

You let out an embarrassed chuckle. “That’s what everyone keeps telling me.”

At the market, the vendors chuckled and nodded approvingly when he sighed about how hard he was working to win you over. At the café, the barista raised an eyebrow when Jeonghan ordered your drink before you could even say it.

“He’s already ordering for you,” she mused, sliding the cup across the counter. “Boyfriend privileges?”

Jeonghan took the cup and handed it to you without missing a beat. “Not yet, but I’m working on it.”

You swatted his arm. “Why do you keep telling everyone that?”

“What? It’s true.” He looked at the barista. “She is making me work for it.”

The barista laughed. “Sounds like you’ve got a good shot.”

“Exactly.” He flashed her a grin before steering you toward a table.

Then there were the aunties. The older women in town had a habit of doting on Jeonghan whenever they saw him, always fussing over how handsome he was, how polite. And, naturally, they always tried to set him up with their nieces or granddaughters.

“You’re not seeing anyone, right, Hannie?” one of them asked one afternoon as you both helped carry groceries to her house.

“No, but I’m trying,” Jeonghan replied.

The auntie’s eyes twinkled with amusement. “Well, dear, you should consider it. He’s a catch.”

Jeonghan turned to you, smirking. “Hear that? I’m a catch.”

You rolled your eyes and walked off, pretending not to hear the rest of their conversation.

But despite all his teasing, despite how easy he made it seem, you could tell he meant it. The way he always lingered close, the way he took things from your hands without asking so you wouldn’t have to carry them, the way he looked at you—warm, steady, reassuring. He wasn’t playing around.

Soon, three months had passed and the town’s founding anniversary festival came. The celebration took place at the townhall by the beach, with tables stretched across the clearing. The scent of grilled fish and food blended with the salty breeze, and children ran barefoot across the sand, shrieking as they chased each other. It was the kind of gathering that felt timeless, a tradition that was part of the town itself.

You watched from the shade of a large tree, with a cup of cold barley tea in your hands. The scene before you was lively, familiar now, yet something inside you was restless.

Jeonghan was at the center of it all.

You weren’t sure when you lost track of him, but now, across the clearing, you spotted him with a group of aunties fussing over him. One of them reached up to pinch his cheek, scolding him for not eating enough, and he only laughed, throwing an arm around her shoulder and promising to come by for dinner next week. Not far from them, a group of kids tugged at his sleeves, demanding that he join their game. He let them drag him off with a grin, playfully ruffling a boy’s hair as they ran.

He was so at home here. And a strange feeling twisted in your chest as you took it all in—the way people naturally gravitated toward him, the way he moved through the crowd like he belonged, because he did. He had a place here, something his, something permanent.

And you… you were just passing through. A guest in their steady everyday life.

Strong breeze rustled the trees overhead, and you exhaled, as if trying to shake the thoughts away. It shouldn’t matter. You knew from the start that this was temporary, that eventually, you’d have to leave. Which was why the idea of starting something with him felt so selfish.

Across the clearing, Jeonghan’s gaze caught yours and the smile that tore across his lips made your heart melt. You smiled back as he chased the kids away and started jogging toward you.

“Why do you look like that?” he asked as soon as he was sat next to you.

You blinked. “Like what?”

He carefully grabbed the cup from your hand and took a sip. “Like you’re about to cry.”

You huffed, smiling sheepishly. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Jeonghan crouched beside you, resting his forearms on his knees, watching you carefully. “You’re thinking too hard about something,” he said. “What is it?”

“It’s nothing.” You looked away, but he reached out, gently tucking your hair behind your ear.

“You’re a bad liar.”

You sighed. “It’s just… it’s really nice here,” you admitted, gesturing toward the gathering. “You’re really part of this town, aren’t you?”

Jeonghan tilted his head. “Of course. I grew up here.”

“Exactly.” You let out a small, self-deprecating laugh. “You belong here, Jeonghan. This is your home. And I’m just a guest.”

He studied you for a second, then said, “Is that what this is about?”

You shook your head, but it was unconvincing, even to yourself. Jeonghan exhaled, then reached up, lightly flicking your forehead. 

You winced. “Ow—what was that for?”

“For being stupid.” He rested his chin on his hand. “You think just because I’ve lived here longer, that means I belong here more than you?”

“You do, though,” you muttered.

“Maybe.” His gaze softened. “But that doesn’t mean you don’t.”

You opened your mouth, but no words came. Because wasn’t that the problem? No matter how much you loved this town, it wasn’t yours. And if you started something with him, would it really be fair, knowing you’d have to leave eventually?

Jeonghan must have sensed your hesitation because his lips curved into a small, knowing smile. “You’re thinking too much.”

“I can’t help it,” you chuckled.

“It’s okay.” He reached for your hand, intertwining his fingers with yours. “Just don’t talk yourself out of liking me.”

Shaking your head with a grin, you said, “I’ll try.”

“Good,” he replied, still holding your hand, thumb brushing absentmindedly against your skin.

You were staring at each other when someone called your name. “Enough with the eyes! Come help us with the lanterns,” one of the women called, waving you over to where a group of ladies sat beneath a pavilion.

Jeonghan rose to his feet, patting his knees as he said, “Go on, then.” 

But before you could pull away, he leaned in to press a quick peck to your cheek. Your skin burned as a chorus of delighted gasps and giggles erupted from the women.

“Oh my,” someone cooed.

You turned to glare at Jeonghan but he was already walking away with a satisfied grin. “I’ll see you later,” he said casually, hands in his pockets like he hadn’t just done that in broad daylight, in front of an entire audience.

You inhaled sharply, willing your face to cool before reluctantly stepping toward the pavilion. It didn’t help that all eyes were on you, their smirks making it painfully clear that you were about to be teased the moment you step under that shade.

“Oh, look at her,” one of them teased, nudging another. “Her face is all red.”

“About time, don’t you think?” another woman drawled, folding the paper carefully over the frame. “They’ve been at it for weeks now. It’s a wonder why they’re not dating yet.”

“You’re not?” asked one, turning to you with curious eyes.

You blinked, chuckling awkwardly as you sat down. “No. We’re not.” 

You glanced around at the lanterns in progress, carefully folded and held together with thin wooden frames. “So how does this work?” you asked, steering the conversation elsewhere.

“Ah, you’ve never done this before?” one of them asked, already making space in front of you. “Here. let me show you.”

“Flying lanterns are part of the festival. Every year, we make these, light them up at night and send them out to sea,” another explained, demonstrating how to fasten the frame together. “Most people make wishes on them before letting them go.”

You nodded, watching her hands. “That’s nice.”

“It is,” she agreed. “Some people write their wishes down, but most just send them off and let fate handle the rest.”

The conversation wandered after that. The women shared stories about past festivals, about childhood memories, about their work, their families. Some had left the town for a time but eventually returned. Others had never left at all and found both their purpose and their love in this small town.

“Isn’t it funny how life works?” one of them mused. “Some of us spend years wanting to leave, only to realize later that there’s nowhere else we’d rather be.”

A few nodded in agreement, their expressions wistful. You listened quietly, fingers tracing the smooth paper of your lantern. 

You never thought about staying, not once. This town had been an escape, a peaceful pause in your fast-paced life. But somehow, it kept drawing you in. You used to feel like a visitor passing through, but then there were mornings spent sipping tea with Gram, evenings watching the fishermen return with their catch, and nights when laughter—yours and Jeonghan’s—echoed through the town. Eventually, it got to a point where when you looked up, the sky was no longer unfamiliar. The people here weren’t strangers anymore.

And Jeonghan…

“You know,” another woman started, glancing at you with a knowing smile, “there’s a popular myth about these lanterns.”

That got your attention. “A myth?”

“It’s probably just that, a myth with no truth to it,” she said lightly, her hands expertly tying a knot, “but it’s been passed down longer than anyone can remember. They say that you can make wishes when you send out a lantern, but if you send one with your lover, it’s a wish to stay together forever.”

You smiled, finding it unsurprisingly typical but interesting nonetheless. “That’s… romantic.”

“That’s why couples always do it together,” another woman added, grinning. “It’s tradition.”

The first woman turned to you again. “Has Jeonghan asked you to send one with him yet?”

You blinked, caught off-guard by the question. Then again, you should have expected the conversation to take this turn. Before you could answer, another woman let out a laugh. “Of course he has! He wouldn’t miss the chance.”

You pressed your lips together, knowing there was no way out of this. If you admitted that Jeonghan hadn’t asked, they’d tease him mercilessly. If you denied everything outright, they wouldn’t believe you. So instead, you focused on your lantern, pretending to be engrossed in aligning the edges.

The women continued chatting around you, discussing the upcoming lantern release, while your thoughts drifted.

Jeonghan hadn’t asked you to send one with him. Would he?

And if he did… would you say yes?

You waited for him to ask. Maybe it was foolish, but as the day stretched into the night and festivalgoers started making their way to the beach with lanterns in hand, you kept expecting Jeonghan to turn to you and say something. An invitation, even a playful one—anything that would suggest he wanted to go together.

But he never did. And somehow, you still ended up going with him. Not that you were expecting to go with someone else.

There was a mini talent show by the beach, with townsfolk participating by singing or dancing. Jeonghan had simply taken your hand and led you away from the main stage, settling on a low stone wall far from the noise of the crowd. From where you sat, the music was still within reach but the space around you was quiet.

He left to get food and returned not too long after, making you raise an eyebrow. “That was quick.”

Jeonghan handed you a skewer with a smirk. “Don’t ask, just eat.”

You narrowed your eyes at him, but you still took the food. You talked over the hearty food. He complained about how long the lines were, you accused him of cutting them. He neither confirmed nor denied it, only smiled in that way that said maybe I did, maybe I didn’t.

At some point, his gaze drifted to the lantern resting beside you.

“Did you make that?”

You hummed, nodding. “Where’s yours?”

He stretched his legs out, leaning back on his hands. “I don’t need one.”

You glanced at him. “Why not?” You instinctively pushed the lanter away from him. “You are not taking mine.” 

He frowned. “Are you saying you don’t want to send one together?”

You stared at him, heat creeping up your cheeks. “W–What are you talking about?”

Jeonghan smirked teasingly. “So you already know the myth?”

You blinked but didn’t say anything. He turned his head toward you. “You’re not gonna make me go light one alone, will you?”

You scoffed. “Is this how you’re gonna ask me to light one with you? Surely you can do better.”

“Asking is for people who don’t get what they want.”

You let out an incredulous laugh and rolled your eyes. “Have fun lighting one by yourself then.”

He hummed, seemingly satisfied. For a moment, the conversation paused, the music from a young girl singing a ballad echoing through the cool night air. The warm glow of festival lights flickered over Jeonghan’s features as he watched you eat quietly and watch the show.

Then, in a quieter voice, he said, “What would you wish for?”

That made you glance at him, looking away just as quickly when you saw the fond look in his eyes. You cleared your throat. “I don’t know. Peace, maybe.”

Jeonghan chuckled. “Like world peace? That’s so generic.”

“No. Peace in my own life,” you corrected, scoffing.

He hummed. “That’s not what most people wish for.”

“Yeah? What do most people wish for?”

He leaned back on his hands again, gazing toward the dark sea. “Love, money… fame?” He smirked. “A kiss under the fireworks.”

You chuckled. “That last one sounds oddly specific.”

“Does it?” His tone was light, but his eyes flickered back to you, holding yours for a second too long.

You looked away first, exhaling. “I think peace is a good wish.”

Jeonghan didn’t reply right away. “Is that why you left the city?” he asked eventually.

There it was, the question about your life and choices. Somehow, it didn’t feel as jarring as the previous times he tried to bring it up. Maybe because you wanted to tell him this time.

You pressed your lips together before answering. “I got fired for exposing a senior executive who sexually harassed one of my coworkers. Long story short, the company protected him and I got fired. I sued for wrongful termination but my own lawyer told me to back down, said the fight wasn’t worth it. They were too big and I was too small.”

Jeonghan’s expression hardened slightly. “So you gave up?”

“I didn’t at first,” you murmured. “But they made sure no one else would hire me. There spread rumors about me. That I leak information to rival companies. None of it was true, but in my field, something like leaking information is a big deal. It was enough to ruin me.”

Jeonghan didn’t say anything at first, but his jaw clenched. “That’s bullshit.”

You let out a breath of a laugh. “It was. But I had no choice so I took the settlement and left. I just… wanted to be somewhere far away. I needed a temporary escape.”

“Temporary?” he echoed.

You glanced at him, only to find him still watching you intently.

You hesitated, fingers curling around the wooden frame of the lantern. You thought about the town, about the people who had unknowingly made space for you in their world. About Jeonghan who had secured a place for himself in your heart. And about you who had slowly started to belong here.

“I don’t know,” you admitted. “I think I’m starting to change my mind.”

Jeonghan didn’t speak, just watched you, his gaze steady in the lantern-lit dark. Then he leaned in, slowly. You weren’t sure if you moved too, only that suddenly he was too close, his eyes flickering to your lips. His fingers brushed over yours on the cool concrete, squeezing as he continued leaning closer.

And just when your lips were about to meet, a loud boom echoed the air, and the sky erupted into colors.

You were startled, glancing at the sky as fireworks exploded in bursts of gold and red, reflecting in your eyes. Beside you, Jeonghan chuckled. “You wished for a kiss under the fireworks, didn’t you?”

You burst out laughing. “Shut up.”

He grinned, jumping down the ledge and nodding toward the crowd gathering by the beach. “Let’s go. They’re starting.”

You scrambled to grab your lantern and get down the wall. But Jeonghan was already lifting you by the waist and setting you carefully on your feet. Then with your fingers intertwined, he led you down the sandy path to the beach where people were starting to light their lanterns.

And for the first time since arriving in this town, staying sounded like a really good idea.

The drive up to the pear farm was quiet, but not in a way that felt empty or awkward. Jeonghan’s hand was warm against yours, his thumb absentmindedly tracing the back of your palm as he steered with his other hand.

When the lanterns started floating into the sky, he had leaned down to whisper, “The view is better from up the hill.” 

And before you could even respond, he was already tugging you toward his truck, grinning like he knew you wouldn’t say no. And you didn’t.

Now, sitting on the rooftop of the warehouse, you could see what he meant. From here, the town stretched below, the coastline shimmering with lanterns drifting over the sea like golden fireflies. It was breathtaking.

For a while, neither of you spoke. It was much quieter than the festival down below. Up here, it felt like the rest of the world had fallen away. Jeonghan sat close, one arm over your shoulder as you rested your head against his chest, his heartbeat steady and soothing. You turned your head, wanting to say something, only to find that he was already watching you.

He smiled. “I really, really, like you. You have no idea.”

“Well,” you breathed, smiling back at him. “I really, really, like you too.”

He smirked. “I knew it.”

You rolled your eyes. “Boy, bye,” you muttered, moving to stand up but he stopped you.

“I’m sorry,” he chuckled, looking nowhere near sorry at all. “Don’t go.”

His fingers brushed over your cheek, light at first, as if waiting for you to stop him—but you didn’t. Instead, you nuzzled into the warmth of his hand. The slight furrow of his brows and the affection in his eyes stirred something inside you, igniting some kind of courage that made you reach for his cheek and lean forward to press a soft kiss on his lips.

A quick one. Fleeting but it left a tingling sensation on your lips, itching for more. Something flickered in Jeonghan’s eyes before his lips crashed into yours in a slow, searching kiss. It wasn’t hurried or desperate, just deep, lingering, like neither of you wanted to let go. So you didn’t let go.

Jeonghan kissed you like he had all the time in the world. His lips moved over yours in a way that made your breath hitch, slow and thorough, like he was memorizing you, savoring the shape of your mouth, the way you sighed against his lips.

Your fingers curled into his shirt, clinging onto him as warmth spread through you. He made a quiet sound when you pulled him closer, one hand slipping down to your waist, the other threading through your hair to tip your head back. The angle deepened the kiss and sent a shiver through you when his tongue pushed into your mouth.

You caught your breath when he pulled back slightly, eyes searching yours, his thumb tracing your jaw. Then, just as easily, his lips were back on yours, softer this time but just as insistent.

You didn’t know how long you stayed like that, only that at some point, you found yourself stepping down from the rooftop, hand in hand with him. The warehouse door creaked as he pushed it open, revealing the dim interior where weeks ago, something had almost happened between you. This time though, you weren’t stopping.

Jeonghan glanced at you with an inquiring look in his eyes, as if asking for a confirmation to continue. But you had already made up your mind. You reached for him, and he caught you in his arms with a breathless laugh. Then his lips were on yours again.

His hands slid down your back, pressing you flush against him. The warmth of his body, and the firmness of his touch was intoxicating. His lips trailed along your jaw, down the line of your throat, lingering at the sensitive spot beneath your ear.

“We can still stop if you’re not sure about this,” he murmured against your skin, his breath warm and teasing.

Your fingers tightened around the fabric of his shirt, already half undone from when you’d tugged at it earlier. “Stopping is the last thing in my mind right now.”

That was all the permission he needed.

His lips were on you again, hungrier this time, as if something had snapped inside him. The restraint he had so carefully held onto unraveled with every touch, every kiss. Your back met the cool surface of a stack of crates, but you barely noticed, too caught up in the way his hands slipped under the hem of your dress, the way he pressed into you like he couldn’t get close enough.

His hands slid higher, slipping beneath the tight band of your bra. The heat of his palm cupped your breast, sending a new wave of warmth through you. His lips left yours to trail lower, nipping at the hollow of your throat before pressing open-mouthed kisses along your collarbone. Your back arched into him before you even realized, his hands tightening at your waist in response.

“Jeonghan,” you breathed before you could stop it.

He hummed in response, the sound deep and approving. His fingers brushed along your ribs, teasing the hem of your dress upward, giving you plenty of time to stop him—but you didn’t. Instead, you tugged at his shirt and yanked it from his shoulders.

You could barely see him in the dim light, but you could still make out the smooth lines of his skin, the way his chest rose and fell with each breath, his smooth long hair slightly disheveled from your hands running through it.

Without a word, he lifted you off your feet and kissed you again. Your legs wrapped around his torso, arms around his neck as he walked further into the warehouse and set you down an empty worktable. 

The cold surface of the worktable sent a shiver through you, but Jeonghan’s hands were warm as they slid along your thighs, pushing them apart just enough to step between them. His gaze darkened as he took you in, his fingers trailing on the bare skin beneath your dress before he pulled it over your head, tossing it somewhere behind him. 

“So beautiful,” he murmured, almost absentmindedly, like he was too distracted by you to realize he’d said it aloud. 

He leaned in again, capturing your lips in another slow, lingering kiss as his hands worked the clasp of your bra. The second it slipped from your shoulders, he palmed your breasts, thumbs brushing over your nipples in circles. A whimper escaped you, your back arching into him.

He lowered his head, lips parting just before he wrapped them around your nipple, sucking slowly and deeply. The warmth of his mouth sent a sharp jolt of heat through your nerves, pooling low in your stomach. 

“Jeonghan,” you gasped, thighs tightening around his waist as he switched to the other, his tongue flicking over the sensitive bud before closing his lips around it and sucking again. He groaned, like he was savoring the taste of you, like he couldn’t get enough.

His hands slid down your back, gripping your hips, pressing you firmly against him and there was no mistaking the hard press of his erection through his jeans. The realization sent another wave of heat through you, and you bucked against him without thinking.

He grunted and pulled back just enough to meet your gaze, half-lidded eyes directed at you. “You’re gonna make me lose my mind,” he murmured, voice rough.

You kissed him, messy and eager, before smirking against his lips. “Well, wouldn’t you love it if I did?”

“Oh, fuck you,” he breathed before laying you down the table with urgency.

Your skin prickled with anticipation as you watched him unbuckle his belt. His fingers worked quickly, shoving his jeans and boxers down just enough, freeing himself from the restraints of his clothes.

Your lips parted at the sight of him—hard, flushed, and already leaking at the tip. You felt yourself clench at nothing as he leaned over you again, hands gripping your hips as he pressed himself against the damp fabric between your legs. The friction made you whimper, your thighs trembling around him.

“So sensitive,” he groaned, rolling his hips against yours, dragging himself along your clothed sex. “So soaked too.”

“Please do something about it,” you whispered, tilting your head back as his mouth found your throat, sucking at the supple skin, leaving behind a delightful sting that you knew you’d still see tomorrow.

His hands slipped into the waistband of your underwear, hooking his fingers in the fabric and dragging them down in one swift motion. The cool air against your bare skin made you shiver, but Jeonghan was quick to settle between your legs again, his fingers tracing teasingly up your inner thigh.

He paused, gaze flicking up to yours, searching. You knew what he was asking. pulling him down, capturing his lips in a desperate kiss. “I need you,” you whispered in his ear.

Jeonghan groaned into your mouth, pressing you deeper into the table as his hands roamed your skin. His fingers trailed lower, brushing against your inner thigh before sliding between your legs. A sharp gasp left you at the first stroke of his fingers. You didn’t bother pretending to be shy, not when he was rubbing delightfully against your clit, not when your hips bucked into his touch on instinct.

Then, just when you thought you couldn’t take any more, he pulled back. You were just about ready to protest but your voice disappeared the second he dropped to his knees.

His hands gripped your thighs, dragging you closer to the edge of the table. He looked up at you, eyes dark with something ravenous.

“Oh—” before you could form a word, his mouth was on you.

The first swipe of his tongue sent a full-body shudder through you. “Jeonghan—” His name broke off into a gasp as he sucked your clit.

He hummed, satisfied, as he settled between your thighs like he belonged there, his fingers digging into your hips to keep you still—though that did little to stop the way your legs trembled around him. Then, without warning, he buried his tongue inside you, licking deep, slow, dragging obscene noises from your lips.

Your hands flew to his hair, clutching and pulling when the pleasure became too much, only for him to groan in approval, his grip tightening on you. The sounds—his mouth, your gasps, the heat—filled the empty warehouse, making your tummy coil tighter and tighter with every movement of his tongue.

“Jeonghan,” you whimpered, thighs squeezing around his head. “I’m—”

“I know.” His voice was hoarse, breathless, and he didn’t stop—if anything, he doubled down, sucking harder, fingers replacing his tongue, thrusting deep, curling just right until the knot in your stomach came undone.

Your body arched off the table, waves of pleasure crashing through you, leaving you breathless, dazed, trembling beneath him.

Jeonghan kissed his way back up your body. He lingered at your boobs, then at you collarbone and your neck, his breath warm as he whispered against your skin, “You’re beautiful like this.”

You barely had the voice to respond, still trembling from the way he’d unraveled you so effortlessly. But when his lips met yours again, you tasted yourself on his tongue, and something about that sent a fresh wave of pleasure through you.

You wrapped your arms around his shoulders, pulling him closer, feeling the warmth of his skin against yours. His forehead rested against yours, his lips brushing yours with every breath. 

“Please tell me you want this,” he whispered, his voice low and unsteady. Not because he didn’t know it, but because he needed to hear it.

You cupped his jaw, your thumb brushing over his cheekbone. “I want you, Jeonghan.”

His hand slid down your thigh, lifting it higher against his waist as he positioned himself with you, moving slowly. His lips found yours again, swallowing your gasp as he pushed himself in, filling you inch by inch, stretching you in the most delightful way.

He groaned softly into your mouth, his fingers intertwining with yours beside your head as he pushed deeper, until there was no space left between you. He didn’t move right away, just held you, let you feel him, let you adjust to the feeling of him buried inside you.

“You okay?” he murmured, his thumb brushing over your knuckles.

You nodded, breath shaky, overwhelmed by the way he was looking at you—like you were something to be cherished, something to be loved.

Then he started to move slowly, deeply, like he was practicing the clench, like he never wanted to forget the way you felt around him. He kissed you between every thrust, your lips, your cheek, your jaw, anywhere he could reach—his hands never leaving yours.

“You’re trembling.”

You were. From his hands, his mouth, his manhood and the intoxicating euphoria that clouded your head and left you gasping, arching into him, chasing every movement, every moment.

And when he finally whispered your name like a prayer, you knew you were completely, utterly lost in him.

Neither of you said much on the ride home, still giddy about what had just happened but too shy to talk about it. He kept one hand on the wheel, the other resting on your thigh, as he hummed quietly with the music from the stereo. The cool night air slipped in through the open window, carrying the faint echoes of the festival, but here, in the car, it was just the two of you.

The guest house was dark when you arrived, Gram still out enjoying the festival somewhere. You half expected Jeonghan to go back to his room, but you knew he’d follow you inside yours.

“Wanna shower together?” he asked, hugging your from behind and kissing the side of your head.

You huffed a quiet laugh. “I think I’ll go by myself.”

“Oh, come on. Just say yes,” he whined, burying his face in the crook of your neck. “Please?”

You chuckled, shaking your head. “Fine.” He was quick to tug you down the hall and into the bathroom. 

In the bathroom, steam floated in the air as warm water cascaded over your shoulders. Jeonghan stood behind you, arms wrapped loosely around your waist. He reached for the soap, lathering it between his palms before smoothing it over your shoulders, down your arms, his touch more soothing than teasing. 

His fingers traced along your spine, his lips brushing over the back of your neck before he whispered, “Don’t get turned on. We’re just taking a bath.”

You smacked his chest, laughing as you took the soap from his hand. “Turn around.”

Like an obedient puppy, he did as he was told and you lathered the soap against his back. For a long moment, you just stood there, quietly helping each other wash up.

As you were running your fingers into his hair, Jeonghan said, “You keep touching me like that, and we’re never getting out of here.”

You scoffed. “Take your mind out of the gutter.”

He grabbed your wrists gently, making you pause. “Okay, I hope you know that’s too much to ask when you’re standing here naked with me.”

“Oh my god, you’re the insatiable type, aren’t you?” you asked, shaking your head as you wriggled your hands free from his grip.

Jeonghan only grinned. “Baby, every man with a working penis is insatiable.”

You scoffed, flicking water at him. “That’s so insightful. Thanks,” you said with a deadpan expression.

He smirked. “I like to think I’m a man of wisdom.”

“You’re a menace. That’s what you are.”

“Yeah? And yet, here you are. Naked again. With me.”

You rolled your eyes playfully. “Obviously, I have bad judgment.”

“Mm. Bad judgment is agreeing to shower with me and expecting nothing to happen.” He leaned in, his breath warm against your ear. “Admit it. You wanted to see this again,” he added, gesturing to his body.

You shoved him under the water, laughing as you said. “Yeah, whatever.”

“See?” He slicked his hair back, giving you a triumphant look. “I always knew you liked me too much,” he teased, pressing a kiss to your shoulder before stepping back under the spray.

You rolled your eyes but didn’t pull away when he reached for the loofah, running it down your arm with care. For all his teasing, he took his time with you, washing your skin with gently strokes, like he enjoyed the act itself, not just the excuse to touch you.

At some point, his fingers found yours under the water, linking them together. You looked up to find him watching you. He didn’t say anything—he didn’t need to. The silence, the warmth, the feeling of standing here with him in the warm light of the bathroom, it was enough.

Steam was still in the air as you stood side by side in front of the bathroom mirror, you wrapped in a towel and him shirtless with gray sweatpants. You reached for your moisturizer while Jeonghan lazily brushed his teeth, watching you through the mirror.

“I saw a house for sale near the pear farm the other day,” you said casually, dabbing the product on your skin.

Jeonghan hummed, dipping his head down the sink to rinse his mouth. “Oh yeah?”

You nodded. “It’s nice. Small, but cozy. Has a garden.”

“I know that one. Nice house. The owners moved abroad with their daughter.” He wiped his mouth with a towel. 

“Do you know how much they’re selling it for?”

He capped his toothbrush and turned to face you fully. “It should be affordable. Real estate isn’t too expensive around here. Why? You interested?”

“Maybe,” you replied, shrugging.

He made a thoughtful sound, turning back to the mirror. “I won’t move in with you unless you marry me first.”

You snorted. “Don’t we technically live together already?”

“This is a guest house. That’s different,” he countered. “Buying a house is serious. I like you a lot, but I won’t spend money on a house unless we’re official official.”

Rolling your eyes, you turned to him. “I have my own money, you know?”

“So?”

“So? I’ll buy the house myself.”

Jeonghan nodded. “Yeah, I admire strong and independent women, but no. Not moving in with you unless you put a ring on it,” he said playfully, wiggling his fingers.

You shook your head, packing your skincare products back in your pouch. “I didn’t say I was gonna live there with you.”

“Oh?” he scoffed, crossing his arms. “Well, then if you’re living in that house, I should at least get a key.”

He turned to wash his hands, but halfway through, he froze. The bathroom went quiet except for the steady trickle of water against porcelain. Slowly, he turned back to you, his brows furrowing in realization.

“Wait a minute…”

You didn’t say anything, just shrugged. His eyes widened, and he straightened, covering his mouth in mock shock. “You’re staying?”

“I’m considering it.” You walked out of the bathroom, and as expected, Jeonghan was right behind you. “There’s a few things I can do if I settle down here. I could open a shop or something. Take up teaching or do marketing consults for the pear farm. I don’t see why not.”

You turned to find him still standing there, hand over his mouth like he couldn’t believe what he’d just heard.

“Seriously?” you deadpanned.

He ignored you, blinking a few times before asking again, “You’re staying?”

You chuckled. “Yeah. I’m—”

Before you could say anything else, Jeonghan pulled you into a tight hug. He let out a breathy laugh against your hair, one hand sliding up to the nape of your neck.

You smiled, wrapping your arms around him too. You hadn’t expected it to be such a simple decision. When you first arrived, you told yourself this was just temporary, a place to breathe before figuring out where to go next. But now, the thought of leaving felt impossible. The town had settled into your bones. The people, the warmth, the way the sea stretched endlessly against the sky—it had all become a part of you. And of course, admittedly one of the main reasons of your stay, Jeonghan.

Maybe you’d known for a while. Maybe you’d been staying long before you admitted it to yourself. Maybe your doubts were just the shadows of a past self trying to resist the peace you had found here.

You hugged him a little tighter, pressing your face into his shoulder. Jeonghan pulled back just enough to meet your gaze, his lips lifting into a mischievous smile.

“Let’s get married before you change your mind.”

You scoffed, patting his chest. “Okay, slow down, cowboy.”

And just like that, you were walking into a new phase in your life. Something slower, more mundane but steadier, and uneventful in the best way. It might have seemed too soon to say, but deep down, you knew you’d never regret choosing this life. 

Choosing him.

“cheollie, we can’t wait anymore..” you whine, tugging at jeonghan’s hair as he sucks love bites into your neck.

he sighs, growls almost, taking a second to glance up at you both in the rearview mirror. “you will.”

jeonghan leaves a long, thick stripe of saliva all the way from your collarbone to your jawline, roughly groping your tits over your thin, low-cut dinner dress. you’re starting to regret the decision to wear it without a bra when his fingers pinch at your nipple, sending burning hot electricity between your legs.

he pulls his mouth away from your skin to address seungcheol. “or what?”

“or neither of you are cumming for a week.” he says simply, although if anyone were in the passenger seat, they’d know how much he’d be torturing himself as well.

jeonghan’s smile is cunning as he stares at your boyfriend, simply shrugging before turning to you. “i don’t mind.” that’s a total lie, all three of you know it, but it’s fun to make cheol think his authority doesn’t work, he’s said to you before.

suddenly, compared to the passion before, jeonghan’s movements are slow as he pulls the bottom of your dress over your hips. it didn’t take much, the dress so short it might as well have been a shirt, another reason why his advances couldn’t wait.

his fingers brush over your underwear, rubbing into the fairly large wet spot. “you like this, don’t you angel? being so bad gets you wet, hm?” he teases, biting at the skin on your jawline as your thighs trap his hand in between them.

he pulls your panties to the side, exposing your pussy to the cold air. he coats his fingers in your wetness, dragging them up to rub slow circles against your clit. “i wish i could taste you right now..” he murmurs, breath tickling your ear as his hand dips lower, a finger sliding into your entrance. “cheollie wouldn’t like that, would he? me eating you out in a moving car?” you both take a second to glance up at him, and his gaze is hard as he stares at the road, foot letting off the pedal to avoid speeding in his frustration.

“hannie…” you whine, rolling your hips into his hand, looking up at him with glossy eyes.

he dips his head down to kiss you, short and sweet, a big contrast to your current situation. his clean hand pinches your cheek, “what is it, baby? not enough for you?”

you shake your head, reaching between your legs to grab his wrist, forcing his finger a little deeper. he coos, wordlessly adding another before finally moving with a purpose. typically, he’d make you ask for it, but the landmarks outside the window are getting to be a little more familiar, meaning you both should rush a little before seungcheol can get out of the car and handle you both.

he knows exactly what he’s doing, curling his fingers rather than thrusting, pressing the heel of his palm into your clit. you moan, voice a little wobbly, desperately grinding into his hand. he moans into your ear, and you open your eyes to see his other hand, roughly pressing into his bulge. when he notices that you saw him, he winks, pulling his cock out to jerk himself off while continuing to please you.

every time the car comes to a stop, you see cheol’s free hand reach down to palm his own boner, eyes screwed shut at the feeling. at one point someone behind him had to honk the horn when he got too distracted. seeing him so affected by you two is so fucking hot, so much so that you can already feel yourself nearing your limit.

“gonna- gonna cum, hannie..” you gasp, muscles tightening and hips twitching.

he nods, humming into your skin, pulling away with an extremely flushed look of his own. “go ahead, baby.. it’s okay, cum on my fingers.”

you look at him, and his eyes are heavy as he looks down at you, lips parted as short gasps escape them. looking a little lower, he’s still stroking himself, with a vigor similar to the pace he’s set for you. all it takes is one last glance at your other boyfriend, seeing his red cheeks and evident sexual frustration for you to break.

your back arches impossibly high, loud moans ripping through the silence in the car. not that he had much of a choice, but jeonghan’s fingers still inside of you, your cunt gripping them with everything you have. your thighs are twitching, closing his arm between them as you hump his hand to ride out your high.

jeonghan is right there with you, rambling nonsensically as he fists his cock. you know he’s close, hearing it in the way his voice cracks, so you rip his hand away and take his length in your mouth. he still hasn’t gotten access to his hand, so his other one grips your hair, as he cums, whining as the hot liquid spurts down your throat.

after a few seconds, you pull his hand off the back of your head, sitting up to catch your breath. the car is parked, and that’s when you notice that you’ve finally gotten home.

seungcheol unbuckles his seatbelt and turns to you both. jeonghan laughs at his face, looking both extremely pent up and angry all at once. the older rolls his eyes, pulling his hand from between your legs to clean his fingers off, eyes rolling back in his head at the taste.

he then pulls away, getting out of the car and going to open your door. before you can get up, he bends down to be eye level with the two of you, “if either of you get up and i see a mess on that car seat, i’ll fucking kill you both.”

˚　　　　✦　　　.　　. 　 ˚　.　　　　　 . ✦　　　 　˚　　　　 . ✦　

you didn’t know jeonghan was being serious when he told you that he’d make this last-minute meeting a bit more…professional. his reinforcements? well first there’s joshua, who you haven’t seen since university (which is basically a few days in memory but has been YEARS for future-you); he seems to now be committed to living the corporate nepo baby dream by doing anything he wants (something past/current-you spends a second lamenting on, joshua always seemed to want more than just that for himself).

“…shua!” you say, a bit delayed—after processing he’s actually here. “you’re acting like you’ve seen a ghost, yn,” joshua smirks. naturally you reply, “i mean i haven’t seen you since uni,” “did you seriously forget me being at you’re going away party when you moved overseas. i gave you the LA recs,” joshua gapes.

which catches you off guard. within this whole time travel debacle, you have been able to have a general consciousness of what future-you has experienced [in some inexplicable way]. this was not in your memory. joshua ended in the same part of the timeline where jeonghan had likewise ended.

“i was just testing you,” you try and recover, which joshua laughs at but earns a side eye from jeonghan.

luckily you’re saved by hansol, who is apparently jeonghan’s intern.

“oh yeah, you’re here, nice to finally meet you,” he simply says.

you laugh at that. “finally?”

“i mean, jeonghan hyung has mentioned you before all this,” hansol casually replies as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world—which makes your heart clench. it’s supposed to have been many, many years (and with that) lives lived since your breakup. for some reason, the way vernon brings this up makes you feel finally sane for knowing what it’s like to be dating jeonghan just the other day.

the next thing hansol says, however, sends alarms to your head.

“and weren’t you at that film festival this past year?”

which seems normal enough, aside from the fact that’s never happened. no film festival exists in that memory, and that’s certainly something you wouldn’t forget.

so all you can do is ask, posing as a joke, “and how exactly do you know this?” innocent enough to hopefully gain some answers.

this intern seems to be really straightforward, not really taking it as a joke but rather as something sincere. “oh i mean it’s on your SNS.”

a post you don’t remember suddenly exists on your instagram. after the constant stalking you’ve done on your future self, you know this did post never existed—the past few days you’ve been in this timeline. you so desperately want to freak the fuck out because genuinely what was going on, but you don’t want to risk anymore oddities????

so all you can do is laugh it off in the most convincing way possible. which was virtually impossible, you’ve never been good at acting. hansol is looking terribly confused right now (you could only imagine how far off you are from whatever concoction of you jeonghan has put in his mind).

“you’re acting funny,” jeonghan says with no real emotion at all, something just matter-of-fact. which you dramatically frown at in annoyance and also a bit of fear he’s sensing something is actually off…even though it is a fact.

you could’ve sworn it was there for a second, but the look on his face was like he saw something…saw the real you. the young you. simply just how you were with him. a simple look of fondness, the look you were used to seeing before all this…you saw it for a fleeting minute.

𝟏𝟑 𝐠𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐧 𝟑𝟎 ᯓ★

୨ৎ synopsis: one day you're 19, and the next you wake up as your 29 y/o self. the older version of yourself seems to have it all: the best friends ever, a well-traveled life, and a dream job (@ pledis magazine) with an upcoming interview with a hot-shot director that's set to break the internet. the catch? the interview is with your ex yoon jeonghan (or...your younger self's current boyfriend. this time travel stuff is confusing)! a second life/chance/etc. that's different from your original timeline has now come to you, what will you decide?

୨ৎ a/n: SORRY I'VE BEEN MIA!!!! posted this as my mac got those lines on the display im PRESSED i think i have no storage -_- still grinding out recruiting szn UGH but things are improving a bit :') i hope...anyways pace is picking up like lots of things revealed????!!!! yay! also I APOLOGIZE IF ANY TYPOS THIS WAS RUSHED if i forgot u, pls remind me if ure on the taglist!!!! it's been a min </3 as always pls share ur thoughts. thanks for ur patience loveliessss

✮ author's note: hellooooo! i wanted to post this for joshie's birthday but hehe i am very slow and get distracted easily :(

also, this chapter is filled with smut lol. there is so little plot in here i'm sorry. i love you all ♡︎

› disclaimer: minors dni this post is intended for 18+ readers. please have your age stated in your description and try not to look like a bot please 🙂

part vii

You were awakened by the creaking of the mattress. You had grown accustomed to feeling the warmth of two bodies on either side of you as you slept, so before you opened your eyes, you knew you were alone under the covers.

The faint sunlight was streaming through the thin slits in the curtains, and you knew it was early morning. Then, the second sound was what really pushed you to lucidity and brought you out of your slumber. The dull sound of something akin to pain made you open your eyelids. Pain... and pleasure.

As soon as you opened your eyes, you had to blink a couple of times in the blinding sunlight. But everything became clearer, the half-closed curtains, the unpacked luggage forgotten in a corner of the bedroom... and hands clenching into fists around the sheets at the foot of the bed.

Jeonghan had his eyes closed, his eyelids trembling lightly, and his mouth hanging open. You understood that he had been the one making those sounds, like grunts of pain and pleasure, and you understood why. Joshua was standing behind, his hands on Jeonghan’s hips, holding him steady as he pushed his hips in a slow, but deep motion.

They were both naked. Joshua had his eyes closed too, but his expression was riddled with pleasure, his eyebrows deeply drawn inward, his lips parted. The pleasure in his face was evident, and when he bit his bottom lip, you knew that he was trying not to moan.

What you didn’t know, because you were not there to see was that they had started with playful teasing, and bantering in the living room. They teased each other with kisses, telling each other quippy retorts while trying not to make much noise since they didn’t want to wake you up.

But the playful kisses quickly had turned into something else, something both of them hadn’t been able to stop, they did not want to. It became a game of hushed kisses, and humming noises as both Jeonghan and Joshua became drunk on one another, laughing at themselves when their clothes started hitting the floor of the living room.

“Shh,” Joshua had pulled back slightly, sneaking a quick glance at the bedroom door.

“She won’t hear us,” Jeonghan had said confidently. He ran his fingers through the hair on Joshua’s nape, raking his fingertips on his scalp.

Joshua shuddered so hard he almost choked on his own spit. “God. Don’t do that,” he groaned, pressing his lips on Jeonghan’s.

Jeonghan laughed lightly. “What, this—?” he spread his fingertips on Joshua’s nape, letting his nails slide on Joshua’s scalp.

“Fuck,” Joshua gritted, closing his eyes.

“You’re the one who’s going to wake her up,” Jeonghan chuckled quietly.

Joshua didn’t reply right away. Instead, he pressed his hips down on Jeonghan’s pelvis, knowing that he’d find a growing bulge beneath Jeonghan’s sweats.

It was Jeonghan’s turn to groan, his fingers curling around Joshua’s dark hair, tugging it a little.

“We should do something about these clothes,” Joshua mumbled playfully, there was no smile on his face. He tried to keep his features straight, but there was a slight twinkle in his eyes, showing his eagerness.

“You first,” Jeonghan replied, sticking his hands beneath Joshua’s t-shirt before there was any protest.

Jeonghan slid his hands up Joshua’s back, raking his skin with his fingertips just slightly. The white t-shirt was hiked up Joshua’s torso, as Jeonghan enjoyed the low grunts that the raking of his fingertips created.

And so, they started losing their clothes, each item joining the other on the floor until it was littered with their t-shirts, sweats, and underwear. The living room was quiet, as the morning light kept creeping in between the parted curtains.

Jeonghan’s heartbeat was so loud that he believed you would hear it all the way to your bedroom. His breathing became ragged as he kept kissing Joshua’s lips, each kiss more addictive than the last.

“Do you think she’ll wake up soon?” Jeonghan asked as Joshua planted another kiss.

Joshua brought a hand to cup Jeonghan’s chin. “What, are you regretting this already?” he asked playfully.

“No, I mean—” he gasped dramatically as Joshua’s hand left his chin, and trailed down both their bodies, “I wonder what her face would be if she finds us like this.”

“Go wake her up, then,” Joshua suggested, tucking his hand in the space between their bodies, finding Jeonghan’s hard dick and circling his fingers around it.

“No, no… not yet,” Jeonghan mumbled faintly, closing his eyes as Joshua rolled his hand, jerking Jeonghan off.

A game of sorts had started then—how far could they get before you woke up? And Joshua took the challenge all too wilfully, doing things to bring out more sounds from Jeonghan.

Joshua started by leaving hot kisses on Jeonghan’s neck, greedily sucking up spots on his skin as Jeonghan tried the best he could to keep himself quiet. But he was being driven deliriously mad, he must be living a dream, he kept thinking. His heart was still beating frantically against his chest as Joshua marked up a spot on top of his heart.

Jeonghan’s mind spun, his hand leaving Joshua’s nape as the trail of kisses inched further down his body. Joshua sucked up another red spot on Jeonghan’s lower tummy, bringing out a strangled sound out of him.

“Fuck,” Jeonghan whispered, glancing down at his body. Joshua wrapped his lips around Jeonghan’s swollen cockhead, tasting the precum leaking in his slit.

Joshua had never done something like this before. But he retraced every single thing he liked when he was at the receiving end. So he pulled out his tongue, licking up and down Jeonghan’s length a few times before closing his mouth around the cockhead again and sinking down slowly.

If the loud beating of Jeonghan’s heart won’t wake you up, then the sound of his moans would. His mouth parted, hands flying to clutch at the cushions of the couch. He had to be dreaming, Jeonghan thought. Joshua slid his mouth up and down Jeonghan’s cock, the movements were slow and hesitant, like getting used to it before daring to pick up the pace.

Jeonghan closed his eyes, bringing a hand to the back of Joshua’s head, following the movements of it. Jeonghan exhaled deeply, enjoying the warmth of Joshua’s mouth, the tentative, but steady movement of his tongue every time he pulled his head back, swirling around the cockhead.

“Joshua,” he called in a moan. “Fuck, stop, stop,” he urged with a whisper.

Joshua pulled his head back, a string of saliva connecting his mouth to Jeonghan’s pink cockhead. “Am I doing it wrong?” he asked innocently.

“No, I just…” Jeonghan trailed off, letting his head fall back on the cushions. “Don’t wanna cum just yet.”

It seemed almost crazy to Jeonghan that some nights ago, he felt so far away from the version of himself that was head over heels for Joshua. But now he knew—that version of him never really went away.

He still was crazy for Joshua.

Joshua crawled back on top, using his arms to frame Jeonghan’s head. “Okay,” he replied gently, planting a kiss on Jeonghan’s lips. “Tell me what you want me to do.”

Jeonghan felt like he had just been pushed into a cliff, and he was free-falling. “I…” he croaked, his eyes shifting from Joshua’s dark eyes to his plump and soft lips. “I don’t know what I want.”

Joshua giggled softly. “I’ll take it slowly. Tell me what’s off the table.”

Jeonghan thought about it for a second. He wanted Joshua; he wanted him so badly that it was starting to become annoying and painful. “Kiss me,” he whispered, feeling like it was a good way to retake what they were doing.

Joshua had kissed Jeonghan slowly, but passionately. Their lips fit together so well that the kisses quickly progressed into another make-out session. One thing led to another, and soon Jeonghan would let himself be dragged to your bedroom, where Joshua could get a condom and a bottle of lube.

The scene was brutally alluring to you. Catching them before anyone noticed that you were watching silently as they tried to not wake you up. It quickly got your skin heating up, the way Jeonghan bit down his bottom lip making your thighs press tightly.

But you kept your face covered snugly beneath the bed sheets, watching them without being too obvious about it. You wanted to know how much you could get from the moment without them noticing you. You kept watching the moment unravel before your eyes, wondering what had happened moments before you woke up.

Joshua slid a hand on Jeonghan’s lower back, sliding it down his milky white skin. Both looked like they were dying to voice their pleasure. Joshua kept swallowing his moans while Jeonghan bit harder at his bottom lip.

You dared to uncover your face slightly, just so you could get more from the view in front of you. Jeonghan’s hands were holding onto the bedcovers, you could see his pretty cock, hard, the tip swollen and leaking pre-cum. But he kept himself steady, in place and bending over for Joshua.

A quiet exhale escaped you before you could stop it. Joshua pulled back his hips and then pushed his cock back inside Jeonghan, the motion of his hips deep and calculated. You could tell that it was taking everything in Joshua to keep himself in control—a vein in his neck had started to pop out, and his breathing was turning fitful.

And you ached to join—to share the pleasure that they had so jealously kept to themselves. A tingling sensation made your pussy flutter, noticing that you had started to wet your panties.

Jeonghan opened his eyes, blinking a few times to find you looking at them. His lips curved in a knowing smile, and he had to bite his bottom lip as Joshua kept rutting into Jeonghan’s ass. “Come here, baby,” Jeonghan mumbled, palming the bedspread with one hand.

You realized after some moments that he was talking to you. Being so dazed by the image in front of you, that you slowly drew the bed sheets and covers down, uncovering your body as he palmed the bedspread again.

“Oh, thank fuck,” Joshua sighed upon spotting you—wide awake, and aware of what your boyfriends were up to.

Joshua pulled his hips back, rutting into Jeonghan harder—deeper, eliciting a raw moan from Jeonghan. “Go slowly,” Jeonghan said with a low tone, as though he had already given that instruction a couple of times before. A reminder.

“Yeah, yeah,” Joshua replied shakily, swallowing so hard his throat bobbed.

You crawled to where Jeonghan was motioning you to. “Lay here, princess,” he instructed with a gentle tone, but with a hard edge to it. The expression on his face was taut in pleasure, he was blinking repeatedly, as though his vision were blurry.

You laid back on the bedspread, your eyes flitting from Jeonghan’s to Joshua’s. “Good morning you two,” you mumbled, smiling softly.

They both smiled, as though they had just accomplished an unspoken mission. “Good morning princess,” Joshua exhaled, giving you a lazy smile.

Jeonghan hooked his fingers beneath the band of your panties, pulling and letting it snap your skin, bringing a yelp out of you. “Get these off now,” he instructed with urgency.

You took your panties off, wondering what Jeonghan wanted to do next. His hand slipped between your thighs, motioning you to spread them for him. Both Joshua and Jeonghan watched as you opened your thighs, unapologetically showing them how wet you had gotten.

“Mmn, look how wet she is,” Jeonghan cooed mockingly, pulling his body back so he could turn his head to Joshua.

Joshua smiled softly, meeting Jeonghan’s lips with his own in a swift, open kiss. “You should eat her out,” he mumbled, giving Jeonghan another kiss.

Jeonghan hummed into the kiss, making you feel jealous for an instant. But you didn’t know which kiss you desired more—Jeonghan or Joshua’s.

Joshua pulled out gently, panting softly as Jeonghan positioned one knee on the foot of the bed for support before bending down so his head met your pussy. And without saying anything else, he licked a broad stripe on your pussy, parting your folds with his fingers.

You pushed your knees back, feet dangling off the bedspread as Jeonghan started eating your pussy out, drinking you in. “Fuck, Hannie,” you mewled, bringing a hand to stroke his hair. 

Jeonghan hummed against your pussy, his fingertips parting your lips trailing down to find your entrance, pushing his middle and pointer finger inside you. His tongue made a circular motion around your swollen clit.

You pushed the upper half of your body on your elbow, keeping your other hand on the back of his head. You saw Joshua realigning himself to Jeonghan’s ass, biting his bottom lip as he pushed his cock inside Jeonghan.

“So tight,” Joshua sighed, rutting his hips against Jeonghan’s ass in a steady motion.

Jeonghan moaned on your pussy, the tip of his nose nudging against you right before wrapping his lips around your swollen clit, sucking at it lightly.

“Hannie,” you cried out, your voice pathetic as your body started to ease into pleasure. “Yes, yes, please, just like that.”

Joshua kept fucking Jeonghan’s ass with deep strokes, opening his eyes to find your face. Your features showed the pleasure you were getting from Jeonghan—your eyebrows were drawn inward, your glossy lips parted as you let out the sweetest moans.

You stroke Jeonghan’s head as he ate you out. He hummed with you every time you moaned. He pressed his tongue against your throbbing clit, flicking it from side to side swiftly, expertly. Your eyes glazed over, your mind going blank as you inched closer to the edge.

“Fuck,” Joshua gritted, his thrusts turning sloppy as your moans just pushed him closer to his release. “I’m gonna cum,” he mumbled.

Jeonghan pulled his fingers out of you, taking his hard cock and he started rolling his hand over his cockhead. A muffled and urgent moan came out of him, but he kept eating your pussy out, tugging your clit with his lips as his tongue flicked from side to side, pushing you closer to the edge.

As soon as Joshua saw Jeonghan start stroking himself, he allowed himself to go slightly faster, still fucking him with deep thrusts. Joshua moaned, tilting his head back, trying to keep going despite the growing need to cum.

“Fuck, Hannie, Hannie…” you mewled, mouth opening wide as you sucked in air, and released it with long, sweet moans. You came hard, limbs trembling pathetically as the waves of your orgasm washed over you.

Jeonghan moaned too, the motion of his hand speeding up slightly right before it went sloppy, and slowed down as spurts of cum dripped from his slit, and landed on his fingers.

Joshua came last, his hips buckling slightly before pushing them slowly, deeply. His whole body went taut with pleasure, filling the condom up with tired and raw moans. “Fuck,” he said breathlessly.

Jeonghan pulled his head up from your pussy, he was breathing hard too. He raised his gaze at you, his wet lips stretching in a lazy smile as he sighed. “Good morning, baby.”

Joshua was panting, but that didn’t stop him from smiling broadly. “Sorry for waking you up,” he said.

You rubbed the back of your finger beneath your eye, gathering a tear. “I don’t mind you waking me up like this,” you replied sweetly, sighing a smile too.

“See,” Jeonghan said. “I told you.”

Joshua rolled his eyes, brushing off the confused expression on your face with a motion of his head. “No, you didn’t.”

Jeonghan glanced back at Joshua, exchanging a look before Jeonghan nodded wordlessly. Joshua pulled his hips back, and Jeonghan grunted slightly at the loss.

“I’ll take a shower,” Joshua said tiredly.

“Yeah, you do that,” Jeonghan mumbled, finding a tissue to clean his hand. He looked at you, crawling on the bed to slump down next to you.

“Coming, bunny?” Joshua asked you.

“I think I’ll stay with Hannie for a bit,” you replied, giving him a small smile. Joshua matched your expression, nodding before heading to the bathroom.

You eased back on the bed, turning over on your side to prop your head on your elbow. “How are you, babe?”

Jeonghan was lying face down on the bed, but he rose slightly upon hearing your question. “Tired,” he muttered.

You brought a hand to stroke his back. “Don’t you wanna clean up before resting?”

“I think—” he began, but quickly faded, pressing his face onto the bed in defeat. “I can’t.”

You frowned. “Why?”

“I can’t feel my legs,” he muttered, turning his head slightly so you saw more from the half of his face. And then, with a sigh, he said: “Your boyfriend’s cock is massive.”

“Don’t you mean your boyfriend?” you teased, giggling.

Jeonghan gave you a lazy smile, sighing as he continued hiding the side of his face on the bedcover. “Our boyfriend.”

Your heart fluttered. You leaned in, touching his lips with your own. “Come on, baby,” you whispered sweetly. “Let’s go get cleaned up.”

“No,” Jeonghan hummed, pushing the tip of his nose against yours before pressing a kiss on your lips. “I don’t wanna. Especially if you talk to me that way.”

You chuckled, but eased into his embrace, sighing blissfully as his arms encircled you. Jeonghan kissed you lazily, debating whether he wanted to fall asleep like this. But he eventually gave in. He groaned, his pout easing into a smile when he wasn’t able to keep his act. “Okay. Let’s go clean up, princess,” he replied just as sweetly.  

You pushed yourself up from the bed, Jeonghan following you with a lazy gait as you made it to the bathroom. Joshua was standing beneath the shower stream, water running down his naked body as he pushed his wet hair back.

“Isn’t the space too tight for the three of us?” Jeonghan muttered as you grabbed his hand, pulling him to stand in the shower.

“No, it’s not,” you said.

Joshua giggled, the sound making you lift your gaze to him. His smile was full of joy, his eyes turning into half moons. “We’ll have to look for a place with a bigger shower,” he said with ease, adding a shrug before turning around and exiting the shower.

“Oh, about that,” Jeonghan muttered, his gaze flitting to the end of the bathroom where Joshua was wrapping a towel around his waist.

You glanced at him, confused. “What?” Then your gaze flickered to Joshua, who was suddenly very busy combing his hair with his fingers—despite it being wet.

Joshua cleared his throat. “Can we talk about this over breakfast?” Joshua suggested knowingly. His eyebrows knitted together in that annoyingly cute way that made you almost forget that he wanted to change the subject. “I’m starving.”

“Talk about what?” You narrowed your eyes. “You two really need to stop keeping me out of your conversations.”

Jeonghan giggled at your expression. “You were asleep, dummy,” he teased, yelping when you swatted his shoulder lightly.

Joshua smiled, leaning against the sink. “Should we go to that place you like, baby?” he asked you, clearly wanting to change the subject.

You grinned. “Sure,” you said, drawing out the word, then narrowed your eyes at both of them. “But I will find out what you were talking about.”

“Over breakfast!” Joshua shot back, grinning before he turned away, and walked out of the bathroom.

Jeonghan laughed, but it was off. As you rinsed your hair, you looked at him. There was something in the way he avoided looking at you.

Your amusement faded. “Hey,” you whispered.

“Yes?”

“You’re okay, babe?” you asked, stepping out of the stream so he could finish washing.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” he blinked away, dismissively. “Let’s talk about it over breakfast, yeah?”

“Fine,” you nodded. Breakfast.

The warm sunlight stretched over the terrace tables, the crisp morning air nipping at the back of your neck. The scent of fresh coffee and banana pancakes drifted around you, weaving through the space between you and your boyfriends.

It wasn’t the first time you, Joshua, and Jeonghan had sat here.

You cut a piece of your pancake, lifting it with your fork before taking a bite. The familiar taste melted on your tongue, just as good as always.

“Is it good?” Joshua asked, sipping from his coffee mug, watching you with a knowing smirk.

You nodded, already cutting another piece to offer him. He accepted it without hesitation, humming in approval as he chewed.

Jeonghan was pushing the food on his plate absentmindedly, his eyes flicking between you and Joshua, before finally letting out a sigh.

“So…” Jeonghan started, his eyes shifty. “About the apartment thing.”

Joshua leaned back on the chair, arms crossed. “Yes. The apartment thing,” his smirk softened, tilting his head to one side. “Have you made up your mind about it?”

Jeonghan looked hesitant—just as he did the last time you brought the subject up. His fingers tightened around the ear of his coffee mug.

You reached out for his hand, commanding his sweet brown eyes to you. “Talk to me.”

He sighed. “It’s not that I don’t want to move in together,” he said carefully. “I do. I really do.”

Joshua frowned. “Then what’s the problem?”

Jeonghan shot him a look. “It’s just… isn’t it a little soon?” His tone was soft. “What if it messes things up?”

The confusion on Joshua’s face flickered into something more understanding.

“Jeonghan,” you said gently, your hand tightening around his. “You want this.”

“I do,” he admitted with a frustrated sigh. “But what if we rush it and—”

“Things are changing for the better,” you said. “That doesn’t mean they will fall apart.”

“Look,” Joshua exhaled. “We don’t have to sign a lease today. But we should at least look.” 

Jeonghan hesitated, looking at you and then at Joshua. The tension of his shoulders eased. “Okay,” he said. “We look.”

The elevator ride was quiet, save for the soft hum of the mechanical pull. You glanced at Joshua, and then Jeonghan, your fingers wrapping tightly around the strap of your bag. Out of nervousness, you dropped your gaze to your phone screen, looking at the options you had from the realtor.

Joshua stood beside you, practically buzzing with excitement, his hands shoved into the pockets of his black denim jeans. “I have a good feeling about this one,” he murmured, leaning over you.

You knew why he told you that. Jeonghan was quiet, his eyes fixed on the numbers above the elevator doors. He hadn’t said much since breakfast, only nervously exchanging some words as you arrived.

The doors slid open, revealing a bright, airy apartment with floor-to-ceiling windows. Sunlight spilled across the marble floors, making the space feel impossibly open.

“Oh,” you breathed as you stepped inside first. “I love this.”

Joshua let out a hum as he followed you. “Okay, yeah,” he mumbled. “I see why you like this,” he agreed, turning to Jeonghan. “What do you think?”

Jeonghan was the one to step in last, his gaze sweeping over the empty space. His hands were buried into the pocket of his hoodie, shoulder stiff as he gave you and Joshua a shrug. “It’s nice,” he said carefully.

Your ears perked at the hesitation. “But…?”

He blinked slowly at you. “Let’s look around, okay?”

You nodded, trying to ignore his reluctance and just let him be. You walked around the place, the living room had high ceilings, and faux marble floors that gleamed under the sunlight pouring in from the windows.

The space felt wide, and you started imagining where to put the furniture that you were thinking of buying, the furniture that you also owned. The kitchen was sleek, and functional with sandy brown and marble countertops. A wide island sat in the center, perfect for the mornings or late-night conversations.

Joshua leaned on the wide countertop, looking around with awe. “I like this place,” he mumbled, nodding in approval.

Jeonghan was standing by the window quietly, his gaze fixed on the city beyond.

You moved past them, eager to see the bedrooms. The first was smaller, probably meant for guests, but you imagined it to be your new office. There was a second room, which you imagined could fit a bed in it, maybe your bed, since Jeonghan’s mattress was even larger than yours.

Then came the master bedroom, spacious, with a balcony that overlooked the quiet streets below. It had an en-suite bathroom, which was ad hoc for your plans. A deep soaking tub sat beneath another large window, and a glass-enclosed rainfall shower took up one side of the space. A dual sink vanity that made the space remind you of a hotel room.

“This is perfect,” you murmured, turning to see Joshua leaning against the doorframe, watching you with a knowing smile.

But when you glanced past him at Jeonghan, he wasn’t smiling, he wasn’t seeing the twinkle in your eye. He stood near the hallway, chewing at his bottom lip.

“Hannie, hey,” you approached him, his gaze found yours, as though snapping him from a train of thoughts. “What’s wrong?”

“It’s just happening too fast,” he whispered. “We haven’t even been us for that long.”

Joshua scoffed, shrugging as he crossed his arms over his chest. “This isn’t a marriage proposal, Jeonghan. It’s just an apartment.”

You rolled your eyes, shooting him a look but before you could say anything, Jeonghan replied. “But it’s not just an apartment, is it?” His voice was gentle, but you could see the confusion in his eyes. “It’s a home—for all three of us.”

Your heart stammered. “Do you want that?” you asked gently.

Jeonghan hesitated, then sighed. “Of course I do. I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t.” He looked around the space again, his eyes lingering on the sunlight pouring in through the windows. “I just don’t want to screw this up.”

Joshua’s gaze softened. “We won’t, Hannie,” he said.

You reached out to take his hand. “And if something happens, we’ll figure it out, yes?”

Jeonghan huffed a quiet laugh, rolling his eyes. “Yes. We will.”

Joshua smiled, throwing an arm around Jeonghan’s shoulders as he dragged him across the master bedroom, rambling about taking a look at the balcony where he would be able to smoke freely.

You watched them with a smile, trailing behind and already picturing the whole apartment as something more than just a place to live. Home.

Some days later, you had to start packing. It was especially hard since you were also in the middle of finishing the draft of your book. Juggling both felt nearly impossible—though it became slightly more manageable with Joshua’s help. He had eagerly offered to start packing, but you knew all too well that his definition of packing wasn’t exactly something you could trust.

Cardboard boxes were stacked in piles, pushed against the empty wall of your studio office. You stood still for a moment, letting your gaze sweep over the space that had been your fortress through long days and even longer nights of hard work. A lump formed in your throat as you remembered when this place had been nothing more than a desk, a chair, and your computer.

It had grown with you, evolved alongside you. And now, you were taking a leap into something new.

From the next room, the soft murmur of a familiar voice blended with the lazy strumming of an acoustic guitar. If you listened closely, you could hear Joshua singing—his voice dipping into quiet repetition whenever he fumbled a chord. But to you, even his mistakes sounded perfect. You didn’t even realize you had moved until you found yourself pulled toward the sound, drifting from the studio into the bedroom.

Joshua sat at the foot of the bed, one leg curled beside him, the guitar propped against his thigh. His head tilted downward, strands of hair slipping over his eyes, concealing his face as he concentrated on his fingers. The light caught on the smooth wood of the guitar as his hands worked through the chords again, more sure this time, more fluid.

A small smile tugged at his lips, unseen by you, as he focused on the music.

Leaning against the doorframe, you watched, letting the warmth of the moment settle in your chest. There was something so grounding about having him here, about the way his presence softened the edges of your world.

The guitar’s strings vibrated beneath his fingertips as he hummed through the final words of the verse he had crafted, his voice settling into the quiet. A flicker of realization crossed his face when he landed on the right chord, and his lips parted slightly as if he were savoring the sound.

And then, finally, he lifted his gaze to you. His eyes held that glint you loved—the one that made something deep inside you feel light and steady all at once.

“Hi handsome,” you mumbled, even though you lived together, you felt like you had not spoken to him in some hours while you packed the stuff from the studio.

“Hey beautiful,” he pressed his lips into a sweet smile, one that turned his beautiful eyes into half moons.

“I thought you were packing the kitchen stuff,” you said, moving from the doorframe.

“I finished ages ago,” he emphasized with a light chuckle, leaving the guitar aside as you approached him. “You were too preoccupied in there, so I didn’t interrupt you,” he took your hand when you were within reach.

You smiled in response, looking at the soft features of his face. “What were you doing?” you mumbled as he pressed his lips to your knuckles.

“I was composing something, I think it came out alright,” he replied, turning briefly to hit the stop record button on the screen of his phone.

“I liked the sound of that,” you complimented, liking that his hands found you as soon as you came closer to him.

“Yeah?” he smirked slowly. “Wanna give it a try?”

You matched his smile, but yours had a tint of shyness. “Sure.”

“Come here,” he pulled you to his lap, smoothly turning you over before you sat on the bed, right on the space between his thighs. “I’ll teach you.”

“This is an improper way to teach, Professor Hong,” you giggled, pressing your back against his chest.

“What can I say, you really have a knack for getting the most improper side out of me, Ms. Hong,” he frowned with faux chide, but looked cute at the same time; his eyebrows drawn inward, his mouth pressed into a line.

“Really, because I could say exactly the same of you,” you giggled, tapping the tip of his nose with your finger.

He blinked into a smile that took over his entire face. “Oh that’s not true,” he replied with a light giggle as well. “You were already very indecent when I met you,” he joked, knowing the reaction his comment would bring out of you.

“Indecent?!” you huffed, widening your eyes in indignation.

He laughed, tilting his head back as the sweet sound bubbled out of his mouth. “Yes, very,” he emphasized, pressing his large hands on your tummy to bring you even closer to him. “You are a very naughty girl.”

You rolled your eyes, trying to mask the smile that eventually broke in the features of your face. “Get to work, Professor Hong.”

“Right away, Ms. Hong,” he mumbled happily, grabbing the guitar and placing it on your thigh.

Keeping one hand on the body of the guitar, he guided your hand on the neck. “Place your index finger here,” he commanded with a soft tone, and you followed, pressing your finger down on the first fret, just where he instructed.

You would have paid more attention to his following instructions if it were not for the closeness of his mouth to your ear. When he spoke, his sweet voice made you want to melt into it.

“Now, again, you move your middle finger here,” he continued, simultaneously instructing you to strum the strings as you move your fingers on each fret, slowly piecing the song he composed.

“Like this?” you mumbled faintly, sneaking a swift look at his face.

“Just like that,” he nodded, not really noticing that you were now caught up in him, the features of his face, his beautiful hands guiding you through his song, and the warmth of his body sitting closely behind you.

“Sorry,” you smiled meekly when you accidentally missed one note.

“No, it’s alright,” he quickly put in. “You’re doing great, baby.”

But in fact, you were not doing great. You were clumsy, distracted; and you feared it showed in the movement of your fingers. “I’m terrible at this,” you said.

“No one is good at the first time,” he replied sweetly. “Let’s try one more time, alright?”

“Yeah, okay,” you nodded, biting your lip in concentration to get every note he had taught you. It was merely a ten-second bit from the song you had heard him practice, but difficult enough for you.

“Slowly, that’s right, baby,” he mumbled, and you knew from his tone alone that he was smiling. “See? I told you, you’re great!”

“I think I got it,” you said, pausing to look at him.

“You sure do,” he replied in praise, his eyes glinting again with that emotion you had noticed when you walked into the room.

You could no longer resist it, you closed the space between your mouth and his, pressing a quick kiss and backed away meekly.

“Kissing your professor is quite indecent on your part, miss,” he smirked.

“Sorry, I couldn’t help it,” you sighed.

“Mmm, you just started something that you won’t be able to finish,” he mumbled, bringing a hand to cup your cheek. “Kiss me,” he instructed with the same soft tone, but the firmness of his command was different, it ignited a part deep within you.

You hummed as his lips locked with yours, kissing you hungrily. His tongue outlined your bottom lip as his hand slid from your cheek to your nape, his fingers curling around your hair. “I love you,” he mumbled, breaking the kiss briefly.

“I love you,” you replied, feeling the moment slow down.

Joshua rested his forehead on yours, letting out a soft sigh that caressed your lips. “I think our practice session is over,” he said, grinning as he moved the guitar from your lap and placed it on the floor.

“What are you planning to do?” you grinned as well, knowing that look on his face.

“I don’t know,” he mumbled in between kisses, his tone aloof and his kiss sloppy. “How about we just make out and improvise from there?”

“Yeah, that sounds great,” you replied, equally aloof.

Then, he lay down on the bed, his arms securing you by the waist pulling you on top.  A sigh from his part was muffled in your mouth when he felt your chest pressed to his, he could feel that you wore nothing beneath that zipper hoodie, and that just added to the anticipation building up inside him.

You brought a hand to his cheek, cupping it as you started dominating the kiss. Joshua remained with his eyes closed through it, letting you capture his lips with your own with gentle, but messy movements. The sounds were mixed with his sighs and yours, the wet sounds of your lips in his, and a few tiny moans from you as you deepened the kiss.

His hands roved on your back, trailing down to the small of your back, where they rested momentarily. Another small moan from your part was muffled in his mouth, and that was the only confirmation he needed. He travelled further down, his hands fitting perfectly on your round ass to give it a gentle squeeze.

You moved your knees to each side of his hips, your hands travelling from his face to his broad shoulders, feeling his lean body over his white t-shirt. He swallowed back a tiny moan when you touched his bulging pecs in small motions, up and down while his hands moved from your ass to touch your thighs over your sweats.

Slowly, both your clothes and his became an obstacle between you, since you needed to feel his skin on yours, to see his beautiful body, to explore it inch by inch without his clothes on. But you continued kissing him fervently, sloppily moving your lips on his, enjoying his faint moans muffled by your mouth.

You paused for air, and he also breathed shakily as the tip of your nose bumped with his, drawing a lazy smile from him. Ignoring how flustered you were already, and how hot your face had grown, you reached out for his hands, which were parked on your hips and inching away from his face to look into his eyes, you placed them on your chest. You batted your eyelashes at him sheepishly, moaning sweetly when his hands cupped your tits over your hoodie, his thumbs effortlessly finding your pebbled nipples.

Instinctively, you pressed your crotch against his, grinding your hips with slow motions to relieve the tingling sensation bothering you. A sweet sound came out of you, sparking something in his eyes, as he kneaded your tits, pressing your nipples with his thumbs.

His gaze focused on your hand when you fumbled with the zipper of your hoodie, following it as it came apart, and slowly displayed your naked chest to him. You sat back on him, enjoying the way his big eyes darkened when you slid the hoodie off your shoulders and put it aside.

You leaned forward again, pressing your bare chest on him, making him release a sigh upon feeling your breasts, even if it were over his t-shirt. You grabbed his face, closing the space between his lips and yours with a tender kiss, slow at first, feeling your pulse quicken.

He tensed when you slipped your hands under the white t-shirt he wore, trying to get rid of it. “No, stop,” he murmured, his voice faint but it brought you to a halt in a split-second.

You froze, looking at the features of his face to understand why he was stopping you from undressing. “You want to do it?” you asked, your tone giving away that you were confused.

“Slow down, baby,” he said, showing you a small smile. “There’s no need to rush. Enjoy this.”

“But I want to make you feel good,” you mumbled, stammering over your words as your face burned with shame.

“I know, and I love that about you,” he said, his smile growing into a more reassuring one. “But let me be in charge, alright?”

“Alright,” you conceded, matching his sweet smile.

Then, he smoothly rolled over, taking your body with him, and placing your back against the mattress. You encircled his broad shoulders with your arms, just as he leaned over to kiss your face, pressing his lips on the apple of your cheek with a soft sigh on his part. He made a trail of kisses from there to the shell of your ear, bringing a tiny laugh out of you when his breath fanned over a sensitive area on your skin.

“I love you,” he murmured against your ear, smiling when your body tensed and your skin prickled.

“And I love you, Josh,” you replied sweetly, your eyes glinting with joy and adoration for him when he pulled back to see the tiny bumps in your skin.

“You’re so sensitive,” he said, bending to kiss you on the plain of your chest, his wet lips only making it worse for you because each kiss had you squirming under him.

Before you could even agree with him, his lips reached one of your pebbled nipples, pressing soft kisses that slowly evolved into grazing of teeth, bringing a small moan out of you. You held onto him, one hand on his nape, the other around his bicep, fingers digging into the hard muscle.

Discovering how responsive you were being, he slid the tip of his tongue on your areola, barely caressing it but getting your skin to prickle again. You released a short gasp as your thighs tensed up, and as he switched to do the same on your other nipple, your core was already fluttering, arousal sticking to your panties.

You swallowed hard, trying to keep the sounds to yourself. But then he started suckling on your sensitive nipple, the sounds he was making loud and wet, drool trickling on your skin. You gasped, the tension building up between your legs was irritating. “Joshua,” you called.

“Mm?” he replied, not bothering to lift his head or to stop kissing your tits.

“I need more,” you sighed, sneaking your hands beneath his t-shirt again, but not in an attempt to undress him, this time you just wanted to feel his skin, to give him but a slight taste of what you felt.

Joshua shuddered upon your fingernails grazing his back. “More?” he egged you on, but he made no motion to follow your requests, he just simply moved his kisses to the curve of your neck, where he placed another wet kiss on your sensitive skin.

“Uh-huh,” you mewled, closing your eyes to savor the euphoric feeling of his lips worshiping you. You slid your hands on his back, dragging the white t-shirt along. “Ne-need you.”

He let out a sigh, backing away slightly so you could peel the t-shirt off his torso. His hair got ruffled in the process which you brushed back with both hands as he leaned over you again. Joshua took your hands, lacing your fingers with his and placing them above your head.

“Easy, baby,” he whispered, pressing soft kisses on your bottom lip.

You sighed shakily. He is in charge, you reminded yourself. “Sorry,” you said meekly, letting him retake control, letting him do whatever he wanted to you.

“It’s okay,” he drawled, pressing his chest against yours, smiling when you let out a mewling sound again when your sensitive nipples brushed against his skin. “There’s nothing wrong with being a little needy, right?”

Your eyebrows pinched.

“I’ll take care of you tonight, bunny, don’t worry,” he murmured, his tone sweet but falling into the sultry one he always used in the bedroom. 

“Okay,” you replied, swallowing hard when he showed you a slight smirk.

Then Joshua lowered his hips between your parted legs, pressing your hands down the pillows as he supported himself with his elbows too. He dove for another kiss, his lips locking in yours hungrily, letting out a moan in your mouth and reminding you how much he loved kissing you.

It became asphyxiating: to be under the full weight of his body, the grip of his hands on you, kissing you relentlessly. But you loved every second of it, the taste of his kiss, the smell of the cologne impregnated on his clothes, his skin. You loved everything about him, it drove you crazy.

Thoughtlessly, you pushed your hips up despite the cage he had made with his body. The friction you got from rubbing yourself on the crotch of his jeans was delicious, so you did it again, grinding your hips with small motions.

“Brat,” he whispered reproachfully, but enjoyment flashed on the features of his face as you drew your eyebrows in, mouth parting to let out a whiny moan.

“God, Josh,” you gasped, closing your eyes, delighting over the much-desired friction you got from rubbing yourself on his crotch, slowly feeling his cock stir beneath his jeans.

“Are you gonna come like this, bunny?” he cooed, and you understood from his tone that he was teasing you.

“Uh-huh,” you parted your mouth, letting out a series of moans as pleasure bloomed inside you, finding a pace to roll your hips beneath him to reach your climax. You found his hard cock with your crotch, mewling as you rubbed yourself on him, desperation rising inside you as you rolled your hips harder.

You heard a light chuckle coming from him, and then he did something unexpected. He started grinding his cock on your pussy, rolling his hips expertly against yours in the same motion he always did when he was inside you.

“Fuck, Joshua, yes, yes,” you mewled pathetically, taking in one deep breath before you came undone beneath his hard body.

Just by your moans alone, he could tell that you had reached your release. The sounds coming out of you were sweet and airy, the most angelic moans he had ever heard from anyone, they drove him insane. He swore that the sounds alone were so arousing that he could get hard just from hearing you.

Joshua stared at your face riddled by pleasure as you came down from your high, smiling softly at him when you opened your eyes. “Felt good?” he asked, feeling his own arousal begin to bother him, his cock stirring beneath the hard fabric of his jeans hindering him.

“Yeah,” you let out an airy laugh, thinking of how pathetic you may have sounded, or looked. “I’m sorry?” you raised your eyebrows innocently.  

“Are you going to behave now?” he asked with a sweet tone, releasing his grip from your hands to brush some rebellious strands of hair away from your face.

“Yes,” you replied, nodding your head obediently, but concealing a smile by biting your lower lip.

“Good,” he whispered, leaning to press a kiss on the tip of your nose. He sat back on his haunches, his fingers swiftly releasing the belt buckle and with one motion he pulled the belt from all the loops of his jeans, setting it aside on the bed, next to you. “I’ll use that on you if you don’t.”

A lazy smirk appeared on his face when he saw a fascination flash in your eyes. “I’ll behave,” you cooed sweetly. But you could not help but plan to retaliate somehow.

You jolted slightly when your phone started buzzing on the bedside table, the loud noise from it making you snap your hand to grab it. “Sorry,” you told Joshua, sneaking a look at his face and then at the screen, which was displaying Jeonghan’s name on it.

It was on instinct, almost, you swiped your finger on the green button, pressing the phone to your cheek. “Hi, babe,” you replied, the words flying out of your mouth before you even processed that Joshua was looking at you.

“Hey, princess,” Jeonghan’s voice was loud, you could swear that Joshua heard it too. “Are you busy? I’m on my way to yours, maybe we could-,”

“We’re in the middle of something here,” Joshua’s voice cut through Jeonghan’s and from his tone, you could hear the playfulness in it, but also a slight hint of annoyance.

You saw his hand reaching out to grab the phone and you passed it to him, thinking that he was going to say something else, but instead, he pressed the red button, hanging Jeonghan up and tossed the phone aside, heedlessly.

“So much for behaving,” he said darkly.

“I’m sorry,” you replied shamefully, but giggling when he just gave you a playful eye roll. “I just answered the phone without thinking!”

“Yeah, and now you’re going to pay for it,” the corner of his lips curved slightly.

You watched him sit back on his haunches one more time, but this time it was to get rid of his dark denim jeans. You fought the urge to undress him yourself, but noticing the glint in your eye, his playful smirk grew broader on his face. He climbed down from the bed, getting rid of all his clothes quite unceremoniously, robbing you of the pleasure of both taking his clothes off and enjoying the view of him peeling them item by item.

“Stay there,” he instructed when you made a motion to follow him by sitting up on the bed.

“But I want–,” you sighed in frustration before you could tell him that you wanted to please him. “Fine,” you huffed.

Joshua smiled at your mini tantrum, pressing one knee and then the other on the bed to climb on it. Your eyes followed him, every movement of his body made his toned muscles shift, his strong thighs calling your attention, quite nearly robbing it completely. Your gaze trailed to his legs, then up his body, glorious in his nakedness. And yours completely.

“Like what you see?” he asked playfully, following your gaze down his body. He was growing stronger, and it showed in the bulk of his biceps, his chest bulging. The muscles of his abdomen were soft but well-defined, the same as the ones of his quads.

“Yeah, I do. A lot,” you replied, feeling as you did the first time you saw him naked. Your eyes locked with his, and your heart gave a leap when you saw the endearment showing in his eyes.

He showed you a smirk in response, biting back some playful quip as he grabbed the belt from your side. You had forgotten about it, confusion forming on the features of your face when he took the belt by both ends, straightening it out in front of you.

“Give me your wrists,” he commanded, motioning to your hands resting between your legs.

Before you decided on putting up a fight and making it more difficult for him to dom you, a sigh came out of you—thrilled over the fact that he was giving you something you did not know you missed. You lifted your hands, extending your arms out to him.

“Good girl,” he said, but grabbing your wrists with one large hand. He looped his belt around your wrists, once, twice, coiling the leather until it was firmly binding your hands together. “Lie down.”

You lay down, keeping your eyes on him as he crawled on top of you, taking your bound hands by his belt and forcing them above your head. Joshua slotted his hips between your parted thighs, making you whine slightly when you could not feel him freely because you still had your sweats on.

“You’re going to be good for me now, baby?” he asked, his tone honeyed but he knew just how enticing it was to you. 

“Yeah,” you replied, not hiding the excitement in your demeanor, looking at him with wide eyes, flushing as he smirked at you once again.

Joshua pressed his lips against yours, kissing you tenderly. “We have until Jeonghan gets here to have fun,” he said.

“He’s going to be mad that we’re doing this without him,” you murmured against his lips, squirming slightly when his hand moved to cup your chin, his fingers squeezing your cheeks.

“I don’t care,” he replied, giving you another kiss, this one was harder, hungrier. “Let him be mad all he wants when he gets here. You’re mine for now.”

You emitted a short giggle, the sound sweet and shaky with anticipation. “What are you going to do?”

He looked lost for a second. “I thought of improvising but,” he gasped, moving back so he could take a look at the watch neatly sitting around his wrist. “We have at least some good twenty minutes until Jeonghan gets here.”

“Seems like you know his routine well,” you pointed impishly.

“Just like I know yours, baby,” he shrugged with ease, leaning over you once more, placing his hands above your shoulders. “What’s your point?” he mumbled, sealing his lips with yours with sweet kisses.

“No points, I just think it’s cute,” you replied in kind, laughing then his kisses became more repetitive, quick. He trailed down from your lips to your jawline, making your skin prickle again when he reached your neck.

“Cute, huh?” he breathed, kissing the dent between your collarbones.

“I think you two are cute,” you added, closing your eyes as his lips reached your chest.

Joshua took a moment to let your words sink in. The thing in his heart had settled deeply, making its home there. It was obvious to you that both Jeonghan and Joshua had unspoken feelings for each other. You could see it in their eyes when they looked at each other—when they talked about each other.

The room fell silent. The only noises Joshua could hear were the sweet noises you made when you sighed, and the noises he made when he planted a new kiss on your skin. For a moment, it felt to Joshua that this could be his forever—being with you, loving you and Jeonghan. The idea sent a rush to his brain, making him sigh against your tummy.

Before he could take his time torturing you with kisses, he went crazy, grabbing the waistband of your sweats to pull them down your legs. Loving the way you always looked flustered whenever he undressed you. No matter how many times he’s done it in the past, you always got that look on your face.

The moment seemed to slow down, as he glanced at your eyes and then at your body, smiling because he couldn’t keep the emotions to himself. He was happy and in love.

There was no need to talk—he felt like all he could do was stare lovingly at your body, as he wondered what on earth he did to get you. He leaned over you, placing a kiss on your forehead, then the tip of your nose, making you laugh sweetly. He rushed and kissed your smile too, before he continued with his trail of kisses down your body.

He hooked his fingers around the waistband of the blue boyshorts you were wearing—he loved these ones, how they looked on you. He felt like the more comfortable you were, the cuter you looked. His lips curved in a smile, and you mirrored it knowingly.

“You know I like these,” he mumbled, pulling the boyshorts down your legs.

You nodded wordlessly, pushing your hips up slightly so he could finish taking your clothes off. “Can I keep my socks on?” you asked with a tiny tone, seeing his hand circle your ankle.

Joshua looked back to your face—his heart dropping the moment he saw you looking up innocently at him. He felt like he could melt right there and then. “Of course, baby,” he replied, returning back to the trail of kisses he was marking down your body.

“Josh,” you sighed, hands struggling to grab his head as he kissed your lower tummy.

He smiled against your skin, kissing the spot below your belly button, enjoying the way your skin prickled. You moaned softly as he sucked a lovebite into your skin, tensing up under his body but letting him do more anyway. His lips trailed down, reaching your mound and sucking another red spot there.

Your mouth parted, mind torn between wanting to get more hickeys sucked into your body and also wanting him to just eat you out already. You let out a silent moan, glancing down your body as he sucked your inner thighs, parting them for him with his hands.

“Fuck,” you whispered, closing your eyes again. You moved your bound hands, trying to reach him and hold him there—between your legs.

But Joshua raised his dark eyes, finding out what you were about to do. “Uh-huh,” he mumbled softly, arching his studded eyebrow. “Hands where I left them, princess.”

You swallowed, nodding as you left your hands above your head. You tried to ignore the way that name sounded on his lips, reminding you that Jeonghan was on his way to your apartment.

Joshua leaned down, pressing a kiss on your pussy lips without looking away from your eyes. “Be good,” he whispered, his eyes gathering every detail of your expression.

Then he pulled out his tongue, letting it hang from his lower lip lightly before sliding it against your clit. You tensed up under him, looking at him as his tongue slid on your swollen clit from side to side, slowly rousing every nerve ending.

Joshua stopped, pulling back his head from your pussy and pushing himself on his arms. You whined instantly at the loss of his tongue, pleasuring you, and making him giggle. “Wait a second,” he said with a soft tone.

He reached out to grab the pillow beside yours. Your tummy fluttered, knowing exactly what he would do with the pillow—you raised your knees from the bed, leaving only the soles of your feet planted on the covers.

“Good girl,” he praised as he placed the pillow right below your butt, putting some support for his head. And that’s how you knew, Joshua wanted to take his time eating your pussy out.

Placing his elbows on the pillow, he grabbed your thighs, keeping them parted for him as he bowed his head over your pussy. You watched him pull out his tongue again, dragging it against your parted folds slowly.

The feeling drew out a moan from you, making you close your eyes at the sweet pleasure you got from his tongue swirling around your swollen clit in slow, lazy motions. His eyes raised, finding yours.

Joshua felt a special kind of rush whenever he made eye contact as he ate you out. You looked trapped in a daze like you wanted to speak but never could. Only sweet, gentle moans came out of you, signaling him to keep going. Your body went rigid, as though focusing on not feeling anything else but the motions of his tongue on your pussy.

You could feel the tension coiling, but it happened slowly. Joshua kept his tongue relaxed, only moving it in slow, light motions on your clit—he did this knowing that it would drive you crazy.

“Joshua,” you called out, closing your eyes as the tension grew. “Faster, please.”

He didn’t reply, in fact, you knew that there would be nothing you could say to him that would make him stop licking your clit. He just kept going, his tongue moving without applying real pleasure on your clit, only moving it gently.

You whined, gasping for air as the pleasure only built more and more, but it never got you there. “Please, Joshua, give me more,” you said, your breathing so unsteady already that you thought you sounded pathetic.

Joshua was amused, in fact, when you opened your eyes, you could see a ghost of a smile on his face. But he gave you what you wanted—more. The movement of his tongue switched, licking your clit up and down, applying more pressure to it but not enough to make you cum.

You complained again, hips buckling slightly as you moved your knees up. Joshua groaned, using his hands to circle your thighs to keep you steady for him. Then he did something you didn’t expect, he gave you more.

It was as though your bad attitude was rewarded instantly. That never meant anything good. But he slipped two fingers inside you, curling them gently against your walls as he continued licking your pussy up and down.

You moaned lewdly, wanting to melt into the bed. The pleasure was so great that you couldn’t even register that Joshua had smiled, the breath from his sigh caressing your skin lightly. You were too lost—anticipating your release, and loving the way his tongue felt on you.

But it wasn’t enough. You whined again, this time it sounded even more pathetic. “Josh, please,” you said, your breathing so ragged now that it almost sounded like you were sobbing. “Please, make me cum.”

But he didn’t give in, not this time. The massaging of his fingers only made it worse, contributing to the anticipation but not taking you higher.

“Stop edging me, please,” you sobbed now, your hands struggling against their bond. “Please, please, Josh, let me cum.”

Then, he removed his fingers, pulling back from your pussy completely, hands and mouth. You let out a pathetic cry, watching him wipe his chin with the back of his mouth, looking at you as though he had just accomplished a mission.

Riled up, you buckled your hips at him. “Please, Josh,” you said but made no move to free your wrists from his belt.

Joshua laughed, loving the way your face looked as you begged—eyebrows drawn inward, pouty lips and everything. He sat back on his knees, and taking another good look at you, he smiled. “Turn over for me,” he said, patting the pillow below your but. “And put your tummy here,” he indicated.

You did what he said, feeling a rush of warmth invade you, knowing what was about to come. Using your elbows as support, you placed your lower tummy on the pillow, thus leaving your hips lifted.

You wanted to turn to see him, to see what he was about to do. But he was quick, grabbing your hips with his hands, placing you perfectly on the pillow before raising a hand to give you a firm spank. You yelped against the bedcovers and then moaned, relishing the sweet sting of his hand on you.

Then you felt the bed shift, the bed creaking and dipping as Joshua placed each of his knees at your sides. You fought the urge to turn and look at him, but then you were planting your elbows on the bed, giving yourself some support to turn your head over your shoulder.

Joshua had that look in his eyes. A desperate hunger burned in his dark eyes, heavy with lust as his gaze lingered on your body—as though debating what to do with you first.

The hand that was on your waist circled back to grab the side of your butt, while his other hand rolled over his cock as he aligned it with your entrance. You bit your lip and arched your back, using the pillow below you for support.

Joshua smiled lightly, sighing out in delight as the tip of his cock touched your sopping pussy. “That’s it,” he whispered, pushing his hips slowly so his cock slipped inside you. “That’s my good slut.”

You moaned, the sound coming out whiny as Joshua sunk inside your walls so deep your eyes started to water. Pushing your face against the mattress, you muffled out your moans as he dragged his cock out of you, then pushed it back in with full, deep thrusts.

Joshua sighed, the view of his cock disappearing inside you drove him crazy. Letting his head drop back, he started thrusting at a steady pace, trying to keep his self-control. But another look at your body made him moan deeply—the way your ass looked as he pushed inside you, the line of your beautiful back stretching before him.

And those moans. It was all just too much. He leaned over, placing his elbows at your sides and continued fucking you, slowly rolling his hips, pushing his cock inside your throbbing pussy.

“Josh,” you whimpered. The feeling you got from his cock massaging your walls was so good that you had to suppress your cries on your bed covers.

“Like that?” Joshua mumbled, smiling when all you could do was give him small nods. He bowed his head to kiss your shoulder, drawing another muffled cry from you.

Joshua kissed your cheek before his thrusts picked up the pace, fucking you deeply. Turning his head, he spotted Jeonghan standing in the doorway, leaning on one side as he crossed his arms. Joshua showed him a tired smile, triumphant that his plan had worked—and that you had completely forgotten about it.

Your moans became airy until you couldn’t voice out the pleasure consuming you. “God, Joshua…” you called out, still pressing your face on the bedcovers. “It feels so good…”

“Yeah?” he sighed, pushing his cock inside you a little faster. He planted another kiss on your shoulder, deciding to ignore Jeonghan for a little while. “I imagine that this is how I get you pregnant.”

A mewling sound slipped past your lips, buckling your hips up for him. “God, yes, Josh,” you cried. “Please, please…”

“Yeah, you want that?” he gasped, the sound of your cries driving him a little crazy. “Are you cumming for me, baby?”

“No,” you mumbled, struggling against the belt restraining your hands. “Please—not yet,” you whined. 

Joshua noticed, using one hand to undo the belt around your wrists, freeing you. “You can cum, baby. I’m not stopping,” he mumbled sweetly.

You practically obeyed, pleasure blooming inside you in waves, spreading to your every limb, and dancing beneath your skin.

“Just like that,” Joshua muttered, fitful breaths coming out of him as he felt your walls clamping down around his cock. But he kept pushing inside you, reaching so deep that you felt like you could cum again.

“Fuck, you’re so wet, baby,” Joshua sighed, hearing the noises coming out of your dripping pussy. He gritted his teeth, sighing on your neck as his vision blurred. 

Then he slipped a hand beneath your neck, circling it to pull your head up. You gasped and opened your eyes—only to find Jeonghan watching you, his eyes trained on both you and Joshua.

A broken whimper spilled out of you, a rush sizzling on your cheeks as the act of being watched just added more to your pleasure. Jeonghan traced with his eyes every detail, as though he wanted to touch, to feel you and Joshua but settled for just watching. He took in a deep breath, leaning the side of his head on the doorway, but you could tell—he ached to join you and Joshua.

“You’re being such a good girl for me,” Joshua whispered, his breathing becoming more ragged as he felt closer to his release. He glanced at Jeonghan. “Do you want Jeonghan to make you a mommy too?”

A broken squeal came out of you. “Yes, god, yes,” you sighed, closing your eyes as you felt your orgasm subsiding, leaving you with gentle waves. “P-please.”

“Don’t worry, baby,” he planted a kiss on your cheek, his thrusts becoming sloppy as ropes of cum spilled out of him. A half groan escaped him as he closed his eyes, delirious with the idea of getting you pregnant. “We’ll make you a mommy.”

Joshua pushed his hips against your ass with lazy thrusts, finishing inside you with a blissful sigh. Sneaking a glance up at Jeonghan, he smiled upon finding his lust-filled eyes. Joshua kissed the side of your head, panting slightly as you seemed to be dissolved into pure pleasure.

“Are you ready for Hannie, baby?” he asked, watching your face, outlining every feature of it.

“Yeah,” you sighed tiredly but still wanted more.

Joshua smiled at you, placing a ghostly kiss on one corner of your mouth before pulling back. He rolled over on the bed, slumping his body next to you on the mattress just as Jeonghan approached the foot of the bed.

You turned over carefully, discarding the pillow beneath you and watching Jeonghan as he got rid of his long-sleeved t-shirt with one motion, letting it fall onto the floor. “Hi, baby,” he said to you, as though he hadn’t just talked to you over the phone half an hour ago.

“Hi, babe,” you sighed tiredly, stretching your arms out to him.

He giggled. “Wait,” he whispered shyly, throwing a glance at Joshua who was also watching as pieces of clothing hit the floor. “Hi, you.”

Joshua showed him a light smile, his heart fluttering nervously. “Hey,” he whispered, swallowing hard as he watched his best friend—his boyfriend, climbing up the bed, fully naked and ready for you. His pretty cock standing fully hard, and leaking precum.

“Mmn, you kept these on,” Jeonghan pointed, running a finger around the hem of one of your socks.

You smiled, skin prickling as his finger traced a shapeless pattern on your leg. The sight made Jeonghan smile. “Look at you,” he sighed, sending you an endearing look. “So responsive. As if you hadn’t just been fucked.”

You gave him a fucked out smile, which only puzzled Jeonghan because you looked so sweet to him. His fingertips made a trail from your ankle to your knee, before patting it lightly. You knew what he meant by that, and you obliged, parting your legs for him.

“Good girl,” he whispered, pushing his dark hair back with one hand. That was when you noticed that he was wearing one of your scrunchies around his wrist—and nothing else. You sighed embarrassingly loud, looking at his beautiful body, wholly naked in between your thighs.

He stood on his knees before you, looking at you with so much love that your heart felt squeezed. Jeonghan placed his hands on each side of your shoulders, bending over to place a swift kiss on your lips. “Want more, baby?” he cooed, touching the tip of your nose with his. “Hm?”

“Yeah,” you replied breathily, wrapping your arms around his shoulders. “I want you now.”

Jeonghan gave you a sweet smile. “I’ll give you more, baby,” he whispered, pushing his lips against yours in a slow, passionate kiss.

You gasped into his lips, feeling him slot his hips between your parted legs, his thighs touching the back of yours as the tip of his cock nudged your entrance, pushing inside you without any kind of foreplay from his part.

But you loved it. It sent a shudder down your spine to know that you were being shared, used by them—taking turns trying to get you pregnant.

He gave you a couple of sloppy thrusts, groaning slightly when he felt your warmth, and Joshua’s cum dripping out of it. But Jeonghan raised his sweet brown eyes at you, his hand moving to cup your cheek. “You’re so beautiful,” he whispered dreamily.

You would have replied to his compliment, but your heart stammered, making you choke back a whimper. “H-hannie,” you mumbled, caressing his nape with your fingers.

“Yeah?” he panted, his hot breath touching your chin.

Jeonghan smiled when your gaze flitted to his lips, then back to his eyes. Your heart thumping so hard inside your chest that you could only return the smile shyly. “I love you,” you breathed.

He giggled shyly, pressing a kiss on your lips. “And I love you,” he replied, looking at you with so much endearment you forgot where you were.

But then he pulled his body back, grabbing your hips with his hands as he started thrusting his cock inside you at a steady pace. He sent a glance where your bodies joined—only for a moan to spill from his lips upon the sight of his cock disappearing inside you, Joshua’s cum spilling out of you.

The change in position made you moan. Jeonghan’s cock massaged a certain spot inside you that made you a little crazy. You closed your eyes briefly, enjoying the rush of pleasure invading your body again.

“Fuck,” Jeonghan sighed, tilting his head back slightly. “You… you are a dream, princess. You feel so good, I swear.”

Joshua watched you and Jeonghan silently, getting aroused by the sounds, the sweet way you moaned every time Jeonghan pushed his cock inside you. Not only that, but the enjoyment and the pleasure showing on Jeonghan’s face were also so alluring that Joshua felt his mouth parting.

Jeonghan clutched your hips, fingers digging into your skin to keep you steady for his incessant thrusts. Each drag of his cock inside you was so deep and so deliriously good you felt his whole length, filling you up inch by inch.

You moaned, closing your eyes to enjoy the feeling of his cock massaging your walls. “God, Hannie…” you mewled pathetically.

The sound only egged him on. Jeonghan smirked, swallowing hard at the image of you. Your legs spread your fucked out eyes—always so eager for more. “You’re always so good, princess,” he whispered.

Joshua nodded, pushing himself to lay on his side to cup your cheek with his large hand. “Such a good slut, aren’t you baby?”

“Uh-huh,” you mewled, nodding your head with small motions.

Joshua’s lips curved in a tiny smile, leaning to press a long kiss on your lips. Then, he glanced at your eyes before dipping his head down your chest, where he planted small wet kisses around your nipple before teasing it softly with his tongue.

You cried out, unable to remove your gaze from Jeonghan’s face as he watched Joshua tease your nipple, popping it into his mouth with a low hum. Joshua started to suck your nipple with his lips, his tongue pressing on the pebbled bud gently, bringing out more moans from you.

“Fuck, I’m gonna—,” you gasped, your fingers curling around the bedcovers. “I’m gonna—,” You pushed your head back on the soft pillows, mouth dropping open as you let out a mewling cry.

Jeonghan watched you cum, a tired smile appearing on his face as tears spilled from your eyes. The sweet sounds coming from you made his head spin—you calling out his name between moans and fitful breaths, pushed him closer to his release.

But then you did something he wasn’t ready for. “Hannie—,” you mewled, panting with the aftershocks of your release. “Hannie, fill me up, please.”

His pink lips parted, a grunt spilling out of them, his hips buckled, but he kept himself in control. “You want my cum, pretty?” he asked, enjoying the crazed look in your eyes.

“Yes, yes, please,” you gasped, clutching harder at the bedsheets as Joshua pulled his mouth from your tits, laying on his side to resort to playing with them with one hand. He smirked at you, at the needy side of you that he loved so much.

Jeonghan released a tired breath, his thrusts slowing down as his hand returned to your lower tummy, deciding to play your game. “You’ll look even prettier when you’re pregnant,” he drawled, swallowing hard before his thrusts became sloppy, fucking his cum deep inside you.

Joshua sat up, so now he was face to face with Jeonghan. Bringing a hand to cup Jeonghan’s chin, Joshua planted a long kiss on Jeonghan’s lips, and you watched as they both moaned into each other’s mouths, their tongues touching slowly, passionately.

Jeonghan smiled, removing the hand that was parked on your lower tummy to push Joshua’s shoulder. “You idiot,” he chuckled. “We had a dinner reservation an hour ago,” he said, but there was no bite in his words.

“And I’m an idiot because…” Joshua frowned, turning over his phone that he had forgotten on his nightstand. 

“I was on my way to pick you both up,” he sighed tiredly. “But you two decided to have fun without me… again.”

Joshua laughed at the slightly annoyed look on Jeonghan’s face. “We still have time,” he said, but his tone was off. “I think…”

You had no strength to chime into the conversation you felt like you were too gone in your post-sex bliss that you didn’t want to chime in. Jeonghan rolled his eyes when Joshua laughed, and in perfect sync, they looked back at you.

“Come on, princess. Let’s get you cleaned up,” Joshua said after noticing that you were inches away from drifting off to sleep.

“No,” you whined, trying to turn your face onto the pillow.

“No complaints, bunny,” Jeonghan sighed, pulling out of you gently and making you whimper.

“So, where exactly did you say you wanted to go?” you asked Jeonghan curiously, watching him as he looked on the floor for his black t-shirt, his hair dripping wet.

He whisked the t-shirt from the floor, turning it over to put it on, one arm after the other. “I wanted us to get dinner at a steakhouse, then I thought maybe… you could use some fun and relaxation, so I thought of going to a karaoke, us three.”

Joshua snorted loudly as he was putting on a pair of clean grey boxers. “Karaoke?” he glanced at Jeonghan. “It’s been ages since we’ve gone to one.”

You looked at them from where you sat at the foot of your bed, wrapped up in a bathrobe as you towel-dried your hair. You were eager to spend time away from moving boxes and thinking about work. And more eager still, to have fun with Jeonghan and Joshua. “I want to go,” you said meekly.

Jeonghan stopped in his tracks. “We can still go, princess,” he said gently, looking at Joshua. “We could have something quick to eat and then go.”

Joshua placed his hands on his hips, nodding in agreement. “Yeah, that would be fun,” he said, smiling at you. “Let’s go.”

“Okay,” you squealed, jumping to your feet. You removed the bathrobe and started to look for something cute to wear.

Joshua and Jeonghan stood in silent awe at you for one second as you paced in front of them wholly naked. “Maybe we should get her pregnant,” Jeonghan joked, giggling at the flustered look you shot at him.

“Yeah, maybe when we get back,” Joshua followed, also smiling at the way you responded to that.

They both dressed in what you could only describe as a perfect depiction of their personalities. Jeonghan wore a pair of wide-leg khakis that were sprayed with a faux paint pattern, a black t-shirt, and a black leather bomber jacket. While Joshua wore a pair of deep blue jeans, a white t-shirt, and a gray denim jacket.

You decided to wear a casual outfit too, but one that made you feel confident. You had enough just by noticing the stolen glances you got from Jeonghan and Joshua—who were waiting for you in the living room.

“Ready,” you smiled, spreading your hands at your sides.

The karaoke lounge was tucked away in a very lively side of the street, neon signs reflecting on the sides of the buildings as you strolled down an alleyway, with Jeonghan’s hand linked with your own, Joshua walking at your other side, hands deep in his pockets.

Jeonghan led you to a door, which looked ominous from the outside. But inside, the place was buzzing with energy, groups of drunken people laughing, muffled singing seeping through the walls and doors of private rooms, and the faint scent of tobacco filtering in the air.

It was the first time the three of you were visiting there. But for Jeonghan and Joshua, it was certainly not the first, and things had been… different. The lines between their friendship and something more were something that Jeonghan only questioned back then, because the tension was there, but unspoken.

The hostess led you down a dimly lit hallway, stopping in front of a sleek black door. The second you stepped inside, warmth wrapped around you, the glow of the LED lights running along the ceiling, a red U-shaped couch outlining the walls, and a massive screen displaying a song selection menu.

Jeonghan flopped onto the couch, grabbing the remote control. “I call the first song.”

“You always go first,” Joshua said, dropping into the seat beside him and patting the small space between them.

You followed suit, sitting in between them.

“That’s because I have the voice of an angel,” he shot back, chuckling impishly.

“Sure, let’s go with that,” Joshua snorted.

Jeonghan ignored that, letting out a mysterious chuckle when he found a song he was looking for. Then he looked at you, then with a knowing smile looked at Jeonghan before pressing play.

An intro of a cheesy love song filled the room. Joshua was the first to groan. “Oh my god, really?”

Jeonghan grinned mischievously. “I said I picked the song!”

Joshua laughed but grabbed another mic anyway. Jeonghan started singing, completely into the song, belting out every note dramatically while you laughed. Joshua stood from the couch, matching Jeonghan’s dramatic way of singing as he twirled around the small space, fully committed to his performance.

Jeonghan smiled triumphantly. By the second chorus, he chucked another mic in your hand, offering you to sing along, and you did—laughing, off-key, blushing but not caring. When the song ended, Joshua collapsed onto the couch, smiling and panting like he’d just run a marathon.

Jeonghan, who was sipping his drink, raised an eyebrow. “And I’m the smoker, jeez,” he chuckled.

Joshua laughed. “Shut up.”

You nudged at Jeonghan with your elbow. “Sing one song, Hannie,” you said gently.

Jeonghan blinked slowly, a small smile forming on his lips before he sighed dramatically. “Alright,” he muttered, taking the mic again and scrolling through the song list. “I’ll do one. But you’re next, princess.”

You giggled. “Sure.”

The opening notes of a ballad started playing through the speakers. Unlike the prior performance, this song was softer. And Jeonghan’s voice fit perfectly. His voice carried through the space and filled your chest like a warm cup of milk.

Jeonghan stood up, eyes on the screen to avoid feeling nervous. But you couldn’t help yourself, keeping your gaze on him as his voice unravelled through the notes of the song.

Joshua rested his head on your shoulder, noticing the love in your eyes as you watched Jeonghan. “He’s showing off,” Joshua whispered.

You nodded in agreement, watching as Jeonghan danced gently in front of you, fully immersed in the song now. There was something about it, the purple neon lights painting his face as he closed his eyes, extending a hand in front of him as though dedicating the song to you, and Joshua.

But by the time the last note faded, your heart faltered. And Joshua could see it in the way your gaze softened, and he felt a heaviness coil around his own heart.

Jeonghan turned around, a meek smile on his face as he sat down beside you. “Told you I could sing,” he muttered to you.

“Remind me why you’re not a rockstar?” you teased, smiling when Joshua slapped your thigh lightly.

But it was obvious—Jeonghan didn’t need a stage. Even at his job, he remained behind the scenes. He never needed a stage, just the right audience.

Joshua nudged your arm. “Alright, your turn, baby.” 

You exhaled nervously, shaking off the way your heartbeat rushed all the way to your tummy. “Fine,” you said, grabbing the mic.

And the night went on like that, singing, dancing, drinking, and laughing. And by the time you were ready to head out of the karaoke room, you intertwined hands with Jeonghan again, warmth filling your chest when Joshua threw an arm around Jeonghan’s shoulders.

You giggled uncontrollably as you stumbled out of the elevator, slightly—very—tipsy.

Jeonghan snorted, catching your arm before you could sway too far. “Careful, princess.”

Joshua let out a soft sigh, steadying you with a firm hand on your waist. “Alright, let’s get you to bed, baby,” he murmured, his voice laced with fond amusement.

Jeonghan pushed the apartment door open, holding it for Joshua—who, without hesitation, scooped you up effortlessly in his arms. You squealed, your head spinning as he carried you bridal style into the bedroom.

“You can’t hold your liquor, bunny,” Joshua said, easing your body on the mattress.

He took your heels off, one by one and let them drop on the floor. Jeonghan was entering the bedroom, a glass of water in hand and a bottle of ibuprofen in the other, which he left on your nightstand.

Then, Jeonghan started removing his bomber jacket, and leaving it on the armchair in one corner of the bedroom, just as Joshua looked for your set of sleepwear in your drawer.

“I got it,” you sighed, sitting up as you noticed that Joshua was about to help you undress.

You got ready for bed, putting on your pajama shorts and shirt, to then head over to the bathroom to remove your makeup and brush your teeth. As you were coming back, you paused for a second in the doorframe, looking at your boyfriends as they each took a side of your large bed.

Jeonghan was holding his phone, propping it on his tummy with one hand as the other was safely tucked beneath his head. And Joshua was also looking at his phone, except that he was sitting back against the headboard of the bed.

Joshua lowered his phone, noticing you first. “What’s wrong?” he asked gently.

“Nothing,” you replied softly. You approached the bed, climbing up on it to slump down between them, face-first against your pillow. “I’m so happy,” you hummed.

Joshua and Jeonghan exchanged a look, both putting their phones away so they could join you. They snuggled up to your body as you slowly turned over, taking a deep breath.

“We’re glad, baby,” Jeonghan murmured.

You cupped Jeonghan’s cheek, turning to him to place a soft kiss on his lips. He returned the kiss, just as sweetly, his lips lingering on yours for a second before pressing them on yours again. Then, you turned to Joshua, your hand flat on his chest as Joshua met you halfway in a tender kiss.

“Thank you for tonight,” you told them both, blinking sleepily.

“Sleep well, baby,” Jeonghan said as you turned on your side, in the usual position you took, to be cuddled by both of them.

As you slept, Jeonghan placed a light hand on your waist, hearing the soft hum you let out as you nestled blissfully in the warmth, and coziness of being surrounded by them. Joshua smiled at the sight before him, you and Jeonghan.

“I’ve been thinking,” Jeonghan whispered, careful so he wouldn’t break your peace.

“Yes?” Joshua breathed.

Jeonghan was looking at your face, so his gaze was hidden away from Joshua, impossible to read. But everything was in the calm and quiet demeanor he kept, as he gathered his words. “I’ll move in with you.”

Joshua stopped breathing for a second. “Why the sudden change?” he asked curiously, not hiding the rush of excitement he felt.

“I want this—to be with you both,” Jeonghan raised his eyes, locking them with Joshua’s. “I’m just afraid I’ll…”

There was a long moment of silence. Joshua felt his heart pulsating in his ears, making it hard for him to concentrate. He knew that look in Jeonghan’s eye, whenever he struggled with his words it was because he had something important to say. Something very close to his heart.

Jeonghan inhaled deeply, letting his breath through his nose. “I don’t want this to end too soon, and not because we took it too fast,” he said with an air of sadness in it.

“I get it,” Joshua replied. “It’s okay to be scared, I feel it too,” he said quietly. “But if you want this as much as we do, then there is nothing to fear. We’ll work it out. We’ll take it day by day.”

Jeonghan stared at Joshua’s eyes. Finding his answer, he nodded. “That sounds reasonable,” he admitted shyly.

Joshua smiled lightly. His hand found your hip and thus met Jeonghan’s hand on your waist. Jeonghan looked down at his hand parked next to Joshua’s. Slowly, Jeonghan lifted a pinky finger, and Joshua did the same, linking it with Jeonghan’s. As they met each other’s eyes, Jeonghan knew.

This was home. 

✮ author's note: hello everyone!

sorry for taking so long to post this, and thank you to everyone who waited!! this chapter was so fun to write, and i loved every second of it. i'll come back with chapter eight, because this story is far from over. i love my boys so much

anyway,

✧ STAY TUNED FOR PART EIGHT !! ✧

toodles!

PREVIOUS CHAPTERS | BUY ME A COFFEE? (●'◡'●)

✧ author's note: i cannot for the life of me not insert myself into my fics. some of the story beats in this one are too close to my heart. might be the most personal one so far so pardon the angst ? this chapter is an emotional roller coaster if i do say so myself

✧ author's note pt. 2: this chapter is told in a non-linear way. so it has a lot of time skips. you're warned. bye ✌🏻

✧ disclaimer: minors DO NOT INTERACT. this post is intended for 18+ readers ONLY. please have your age stated in your blog description and try not to look like a bot please 🙂

part v

Two years ago 

Plans do not always come to fruition. That was one of the hardest truths that Seungcheol had to come to grips with. No matter how much effort or heart he put into something, sometimes it still wouldn’t be enough. 

But what he could never reconcile, was that he had lost you. 

Even though, deep down, he knew that he wasn’t entirely to blame for the breakup, the thought haunted him. He could’ve done more. He should’ve fought harder. He had always feared he would lose you someday, as if something so good was never meant to belong to him.  

Still, the day you left felt wrong. He replayed it in his mind ten times, twenty, a hundred. Every word you said, every change on your face, everything leading up to the end. He should’ve done this, he thought, his stomach twisted painfully. He should’ve said that. He fell into an endless spiral of what ifs, mourning the version of his life where you were still in it. 

He missed you.

Turning over in bed, he wrapped an arm around a pillow and sighed. He couldn’t even cry anymore.  

It was four in the morning. He knew before he even checked his phone. He had become an expert in tracking the time spent in silence, in ignoring the missing calls, and unread texts from friends trying to reach him. None of it mattered. 

His eyelids felt heavy, but sleep was no escape. In his dreams, he always found you. Flashes of secret glances across the library tables, the way you’d lift your head just to peek at him—smiling shyly because he always caught you looking. Other times, the dreams turned into nightmares, reliving the abrupt ending of what you had together, the last moments before you walked away. 

The pad of his finger hovered over the shared folder on his phone. He swallowed hard, the familiar knot twisting in his stomach. 

Apparently, you had forgotten about the folder. The folder where your photos were automatically backed up. Seungcheol never moved a single thing, as though keeping it untouched might preserve his last connection to you just a little longer. Before you noticed and end that too. 

One week after the breakup, you erased all the photos of you together. Every trace you had together was erased on social media. But somehow, you had forgotten about the shared folder. Or maybe you missed him too. Maybe you wanted to hold on a little longer.  

At first, he avoided his phone entirely, pretending his phone didn’t exist. But then—something happened. 

One night, the folder updated.

Seungcheol felt a pain so sharp, he was sure it would kill him. Seeing your name on his screen made the pain in his chest tighter. He stopped dead in his tracks, bringing a finger to press on your name, he held his breath.

Updated a minute ago

His heart had pounded in his ears. He braced himself to see you to be wrecked all over by the sight of your face. 

But no. The photos weren’t of you. They were of the sky. A sunset, painted in soft pinks and burning oranges.

That was the first night of his downward spiral.

He almost felt embarrassed by what came next. He didn’t fall to his knees. He didn’t scream or break down sobbing. 

Instead, he checked the folder every single night. Waiting. Hoping. Not for the sky. Not for another sunset or sunrise. 

For you. 

It soon became his addiction, this quiet, but self-inflicted torment. The nights without an update were the worst. Just like this one. The thought of you realizing he still had access to the folder made him sick to his stomach. Maybe you had figured it out, maybe that’s why the updates had stopped. 

Seungcheol locked his phone and tossed it somewhere in the tangled sheets. 

Were you as lonely as he was?

Staring at the ceiling, he let the memories play again in his head. It was a dangerous game, replaying his own heartbreak like a song stuck on repeat. 

Why did he like hurting so much?

If he could only hear your voice again. But he made a promise to himself: no matter how bad it got, no matter how much it tore him apart, he wouldn’t reach out to you. He wouldn’t do that to you. 

His hand groped blindly for the whisky bottle on his nightstand, but he met nothing but the empty glass. 

The phone buzzed somewhere in the sheets. He went rigid. The vibrations drummed against his ear. He ignored it at first. 

But what if it was you?

The knot in his stomach tightened unbearably as he reached for his phone, his heart slamming against his ribs. His fingers fumbled through the sheets, desperate searching. 

The aching feeling inside him was soothed at the moment he saw your name on the screen. Relief flooded his chest—you were still there. He even felt rewarded, in some twisted way. You always updated him around this time. 

But the relief was fleeting. 

The pain returned a thousand times worse. 

He shot up too fast, dizziness crashing over him, not just from the alcohol, but from the sheer force of you. Blood rushed to his head, leaving him unsteady. 

There you were. Your eyes. 

He could read it in them instantly—you were sad. That was undeniable. But there was something else too, something softer. A glint. Catching in the pale morning light that bathed your face. Maybe it was hope. 

Seeing your face for the first time in what felt like a lifetime was brutal. The image blurred. His vision swam. The phone slipped from his fingers, landing somewhere on the bed as he pressed his hands to his face. Don’t cry, don’t cry, he repeated, a strangled sound muffled against his palms. 

He should have stopped you from leaving.

It was seven in the morning when he finally surfaced from the spiral. 

Sunlight leaked through the cracks in the curtains, stabbing at his tired eyes. The bedsheets were tangled around him. Clothes were scattered across the floor—abandoned, forgotten. The whole room was a mess, but none of it compared to the mess inside his heart, his head. 

Still, he sat there. A near catatonic state. Eyes open but seeing nothing. 

He could not keep living like this. 

His chest felt heavy as he reached for his phone. Seungcheol scrolled through a hundred and fifty-seven texts from Jeonghan before typing two words. 

I’m fine.

His fingers hovered over the screen. Switching tabs to see your face one more time. And with a pause of hesitation, he opened his phone settings, hitting the hard reset button. 

He had to let you go. 

It was nine in the morning when he heard an urgent knock at the front door. He had gotten good at ignoring that too. But this time, he went to get it. He already knew it would be. 

The door creaked open. “Hi,” Seungcheol croaked, realizing he had not spoken to a living being in days.

Jeonghan’s head snapped up from where he had been staring at the ground. He didn’t speak. He didn’t have to. The way his shoulders tensed, the caution in his every movement, it told Seungcheol everything. 

Jeonghan entered the apartment, gaze flitting over the place—the place Seungcheol once shared with you. Your things were packed into moving boxes, stacked in the corner, waiting to be sent back to your parents’ house. 

His stuff was in moving boxes too.

Because there wasn’t a single corner of this place that wasn’t haunted by you. So, he had to let go of that, too. 

Seungcheol had to take life’s lessons the hard way. Plans do not always come to fruition, yes. But that could also mean that he had the chance to make new plans. Or at least, that is what the therapist told him.

Breakups are hard. 

After moving to a different neighbourhood, Seungcheol quit his office job. Then, in what everyone around him thought it was a fit of madness, he purged his entire life of you. He got new clothes. He died his hair, he let it grow. He re-did the piercings in his earlobes. He got a new phone. 

If burying his past self meant forgetting you, he’d dig that grave himself.

“Are you sure about this?” 

Changkyun leaned against the counter, arms crossed, eyes flicking to the money stacked neatly between them. 

“I’m sure,” Seungcheol replied, tone flat.

Changkyun clicked his tongue, tilting his head. “It’s a big investment.” 

“One I’m willing to make.”

The money had been purposed for something else once. Something permanent. Something that, at one point, had been his future. 

It was the money he had saved to start a life with you. Now, it lay before him in neat stacks, repurposed for something else entirely.  

“I’ll tell my guy,” Changkyun shrugged, unconvinced. Then, a pause, a frown. “What exactly are you planning to do with the place?” 

Seungcheol knew it was a gamble. This plan might fail. This plan might succeed. He did not know for certain. But he wanted to say that at least say he tried it. 

With every fiber of his being, he wanted this.

“I’m turning it into a bar.”

Starting a new chapter in his life felt odd sometimes. Even if he had made it forbidden to think of you, he would wonder if you felt the same too.

Breakups are odd.

This new chapter of his life had him rewriting bits of himself that once included you in some way. It was seeing things with brand new eyes.

As the plan of opening a bar was in the works, new opportunities were falling to his lap. Jeonghan decided to take the offer of co-owning the bar, thus absorbing part of the investments too and making it a little bit easier to open it sooner.

Also, it was gaining some traction. People would stop and ask what the old pizza place would turn into.

“I have a friend that might be a good addition to your bar. He’s clever, and made for this, he’s kind of a night owl,” Changkyun mentioned one night in passing, looking around the place with an impressed look on his face.

“Bring him in,” Seungcheol nodded. He had been thinking of putting up hiring ads somewhere, but he kept pushing the task out of procrastination.

However, Changkyun’s friend was a true blessing in disguise. The guy turned up the following day as Seungcheol was putting up the shelves where he meant to display bottles of whisky and rum.

Crossing the doorway with a curious look on his face, he knocked on the countertop to draw Seungcheol’s attention over the loud hammering.

Upon looking at him, he knew it was Changkyun’s friend.

“You are?” Seungcheol pushed his eyebrows up.

The guy was about to utter something, but after hearing Seungcheol’s dry words, he just stammered: “Jeon Wonwoo.”

Seungcheol made no follow-up comment whatsoever, the moment dragged on silently, he arched his eyebrows higher this time.

“I-I’m here for the job offer. I’m a friend of Changkyun’s,” he explained, pushing the rim of his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

“Have you ever managed a bar before?”

Jeon Wonwoo nodded his head once. “Yes.”

“Right. Come here tomorrow at five. We can cover all of the details then.”

Seungcheol felt glad he took that leap of faith. Most nights, he would walk around his bar feeling proud to have come this far and have a successful business all by his own. 

He felt glad that the pain in his heart was starting to heal. 

Breakups are funny. Because sometimes—though not often—he would wonder what you would think of him now. And when he did, he surprised himself. The thought of you didn’t hurt anymore. Seungcheol had nearly forgotten the sound of your voice, the way you used to say his name. 

Two years had passed since that night. Two years of nothing but himself. The bar had become his whole world—the buzzing sounds of conversations over loud music, clinking noises, people laughing filling the silence where your voice used to be. The people he met now became small anchors to keep himself afloat and not think of the ghost of you. 

He had built something from the ground up, he found something that was entirely for his own. 

Even if he dared to think of you, it no longer felt like a punch to the gut. The weight of missing you, the constant need to look for you everywhere he looked was no more. The pain had grown dull, the memory of you something distant. Seungcheol had, at last, moved on. 

Or he thought he had. 

The busier he kept, the better. That had been his mindset for the past two years, and time had passed in a blur. And if he let himself be honest, he’d have to admit that he was content with his life. 

Seungcheol sank into the lounge chair in the living room, a heavy sigh slipping past his lips as he reclined against the soft leather. A glass of whiskey rested on his thigh, his fingers loosely curled around it.

Silence reigned in his apartment, a stark contrast to the loud buzzing noise from the bar, it almost left him feeling overwhelmed. It was three in the morning—the usual time he got home after another long night at the bar. By now, it was routine. Second nature. 

He licked his lips, shutting his eyes for a moment. It was one of those rare nights when his mind drifted where he didn’t want it to, wandering down a path that always led to you. Were you alright? If so, were you loved?

In the darkness behind his closed eyelids, he saw you. He saw you sitting across the uni library, smiling because he caught you looking at him. His grip tightened around the cold glass, a flicker of something sharp twisting in his chest. 

Seungcheol exhaled slowly, opening his eyes to take one generous gulp from his glass. The whiskey burned deeply, it was sharp and smoky, lingering in the back of his throat. He looked at the bottom of his glass, thinking of pouring another to quiet down his thoughts before going to bed. 

After all this time, he shouldn’t be thinking about you. 

But it was impossible to stop now. He tilted the glass on his fingers very slightly, his gaze unfocused. He remembered the way your fingers used to trace shapeless patterns on his skin, the quiet hum of your voice in the mornings, the way you would giggle in between morning kisses. Seungcheol wondered if you still did that, if someone else was on the receiving end now. 

His chest tightened, the pain so hard that he had to take another large gulp of whiskey, deciding to pour another one. He had convinced himself he’d moved on. But nights like this, when the world seemed to stop and his thoughts were so loud they buzzed in his ears, he wasn’t so sure. 

Because even after all this time, even after building himself a life in opulence and arduous work, he still thought of you. 

He leaned over the coffee table, pouring more whiskey into the glass and the half-melted ice spheres. The apartment was too quiet, too still, so much so that he felt a prisoner to it. Like somehow the stillness was to blame that he was thinking of you. 

Seungcheol tilted his head back against the chair, swallowing hard to try to dissolve the feeling coiling around his throat. Staring at the ceiling, the grip around the glass of whiskey loosened, right before he allowed himself to remember. 

It was a late night. You were curled up on his couch back at his old, tiny apartment. You were currently fighting sleep while waiting for him to finish looking over something. Seungcheol was working late, going over some accounts from his old office job. He didn’t remember what had him so busy, but it didn’t matter now. What he remembered about that night was that you refused to go to bed without him. 

You were staying over at his apartment, he doesn’t remember the reason why. But you were slightly irritated that you were staying over, and he was working on some accounts. 

“Just a few more minutes,” he had told you, glancing over the stack of papers. 

You had hummed something in response, your eyes already slipping shut. 

When he finally had set the papers down, you were already deeply asleep on the couch. Seungcheol sat down beside you, and you had barely stirred, except that some seconds later, you had leaned into him, your body instinctively seeking out for him even in sleep. 

Seungcheol had smiled to himself, welcoming you in a careful, but loving embrace. The seconds passed, but he made no move to carry you to bed yet, he enjoyed the peace and quiet moment with you. 

It was nothing special. It was just a regular night. And yet somehow, it was everything he ever wanted. 

And now, he was sitting alone and in silence. 

Seungcheol let out a quiet scoff in amusement, and regret. 

Funny, the things you miss.  

The next morning, he woke with a sharp inhale. His neck felt stiff from the awkward angle against the headrest of the couch. A deep groan left him as he blinked lazily, the morning light spilling through the window made him grimace a bit. 

Running a hand down his face, he groan, his brain feeling sluggish and struggling to catch up with the fact that he had fallen asleep thinking about you. 

Seungcheol hated falling asleep on the couch. It always left him feeling unrested, and disorientated, like he’d lost track of something. 

The now empty whiskey glass sat in front of him on the coffee table. He wanted to lay the blame on the alcohol, but deep down he knew that he had just gone through a moment of weakness. 

The memory of you still clung to him, like an echo refusing to leave his mind. Even out of his life and far away from him, you were still stubborn. Still refusing to leave, branding a mark within him deeply. Irritation flared beneath his skin, making his blood boil. He didn’t have time for this, not today, not ever again. 

He pushed himself up, his steps taking him straight to the bathroom to have a shower. Even as the scalding hot water hit his back, the weight in his body refused to leave.  

It didn’t matter. He had a job, he had a bar to run. And if there was one thing that he’d learned in the past two years since that, it was that staying busy kept the ghosts at bay. 

For now. 

The bar was barely active with the first tasks of the day. The kitchen was getting ready, the noise from the staff moving around, the clatter of glassware carried all the way to the front of the bar.

The tables were vacant, everything was tidied and ready for the day ahead. Wonwoo, who was sitting on one of the booths was already active and sorting out what tasks needed to be done before the first costumers showed up. 

The bar had a unique smell every morning before opening hours. The low humming noises from the staff gearing up for the day, everything around him felt like home to Seungcheol. Work, it was what grounded him. At least it usually did. 

But today, the weight of the restless night clung to him, the ghost of you still following him wherever he turned to. 

“Rough morning?” 

Seungcheol glanced to the booth that was pushed all the way back. “Didn’t sleep well,” he replied to Wonwoo. 

“Yeah, well,” Wonwoo sucked in a breath slowly. “That makes two of us,” he exhaled. 

Seungcheol sat down on the booth too, crossing his arms on the table. He rolled his shoulders before sitting back on the seat, brush those thoughts away, he told himself. 

“What do we have today?” Seungcheol nodded to the notes sitting beneath Wonwoo’s hands. 

“Let’s see,” Wonwoo began, skimming through his notes. “We have suppliers coming in two hours. I have a newbie to show the ropes to. And we haven’t paid the Haze boys yet,” he mentioned aloofly.

“I already did last night,” Seungcheol replied quickly. 

“Got it,” Wonwoo said as he checked the reminder off. He lifted his head, looking at Seungcheol, but then something else caught his attention. “Oh, the newbie is here.”

“Hi,” a tiny voice replied in the background.

He should have listened to the alarm bells in the back of his head, the ones screaming at him to pay attention to that voice. But Wonwoo was already moving, an eager smile on his face, Seungcheol, and he should’ve noticed that too.

Seungcheol may have forgotten the sound of your voice. But he would never, never forget your face.

And in that moment, he wished he was seeing a stranger. 

Because the way your expression froze, the way the light in your eyes dimmed, told him everything he needed to know.

He was seeing a ghost. 

It couldn’t be you. You were on the other side of the planet. This had to be a joke. A dream. A nightmare.

The shock hit him so hard, it left an echoing pain in his chest, so deep he nearly dropped to his knees. His breath turned shallow. The floor beneath him suddenly felt unsteady, he almost began to think that the entire place around him had turned against him, showing him a mirage of you. 

The following moments were a blur. He made up some dumb excuse—he didn’t even remember what he had said—and ran away from the bar, barely registering Wonwoo’s confused look as Seungcheol made his exit to the nearest bathroom. 

There, leaning face-first against the door, his hands braced against the cool surface, he had to make a choice.

He could pretend to not know you at all. Accept you in his bar, his safe haven and keep his distance like a stranger. 

Or he could refuse. Tell you to look for a job elsewhere. 

The first choice meant keeping you close while never going near you. 

The second meant losing you all over again. 

It was another gamble.

But there was one thought he couldn’t shake, no matter how hard he tried. Why on earth were you looking for a job? His mind reeled uncontrollably, he lost track of his surroundings, his body. Months before you broke up with him, you had taken on a part-time job—but that was different. That had been your choice, something temporary. 

This? This felt like something else entirely. 

Seungcheol had cut off all contact with you, so he had no idea about your family either. He never imagined that you had been cut off, this time completely. 

Even after years of not seeing your face, he could still read you perfectly. One glimpse, and he noticed the dark circles under your eyes, the slight off-color on your cheeks and lips. You were tired. Worried.

When he finally mustered the strength to move, he went back to the bar. And there you were—sitting in the same spot he had occupied moments before. 

Something happened. Something baffling. 

He felt his heart and mind split between the person he used to be and the person he was now. 

For a moment, it was as if time had folded in on itself, pulling him back to the first time he saw you sitting in the library all those years ago. He remembered the way he felt then—the quiet pull of intrigue and fascination, the way he used to watch you from a distance before he ever worked up the nerve to ask you out. 

You were the prettiest girl he had ever laid eyes on. 

And God, he had missed you.

Every cell in his body screamed at him to move, to go near you. His fingers twitched with the impulse to reach out, to touch you, to prove that you were real and indeed not a ghost. It was almost funny—how the world stopped the moment he saw you, yet in his mind, everything was happening at light speed. 

He felt angry at you for showing up in his life like nothing happened. He felt angry that with one look at you, his life came apart. 

And then, realization settled deep in his chest. 

If he let you walk away now, he would wonder about you every day. Again. And he refused to go through that a second time. 

So he took another leap of faith.

Present time 

“So?” 

“So, what?” you asked slowly as you tied the apron behind your back. 

Jeon Wonwoo was leaning on the countertop, elbows planted, phone in hand. “You spent weeks playing me for a fool,” he said with a sheepish smile—one that he didn’t quite hide all the way as he stood upright, rubbing the tip of his nose with his knuckle.

“Listen,” you begun with a light chuckle, eyes flickering around the room in case Seungcheol was nearby. “I was just curious, and-,” 

“I get why you did it,” he said, lifting a palm and shaking it dismissively. 

“Oh. Then why—”

“I think I am owed an apology,” Wonwoo muttered, crossing his arms over his chest, a sly grin tugging at his lips.

“I am sorry,” you said dumbly. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you the truth. And that I… took advantage of that and snooped a bit.”

Wonwoo tilted his head back slightly, the grin growing on his face. “I don’t want a verbal apology.” 

You gaped at him. “Why do I feel like I’m not going to like where this is going?” 

He pursed his lips—the same look he always had when he was toying with a cheeky idea. “One day I’m going to ask a favor from you. And that is how you’ll repent.” 

“That’s blackmail,” you pointed, narrowing your eyes at him. 

“No different from you playing dumb and ask me questions about your ex for weeks,” he rolled his eyes. “So?” 

“Are you being serious, Wonwoo?” 

“Dead serious.” 

You sighed, looking around one more time. The bar was already in open hours, but it was still early to have a lot of customers, to the exception of the ones who regularly showed up within the hour of opening. 

“Fine,” you gritted. 

Wonwoo let out a soft chuckle, returning to his task behind the bar. “I do forgive you,” he said. “But I will ask a favor from you. Soon.”

“Gee, thanks,” you muttered, throwing your arms in the air. “I’m at your disposal, I guess.”

“It’s just something I need help with, no big deal,” he shrugged.

“Is it about… work?” You grabbed a dishcloth, pretending to clean the nearest cup.

Wonwoo tilted his head, considering his words. “Yes and no.” He chuckled lightly, but his gaze lingered a beat too long.

“I hate the suspense,” you said, trying to keep your voice flat.

“And I hate being lied to,” he shot back, though his smile was small, almost amused. “I’m keeping the suspense until I claim that favor.”

“Sure.” You rolled your eyes, knowing full well you were pressing his buttons.

“So you’re not even going to deny it?” Wonwoo’s smirk stretched as he crossed his arms over his chest.

“Would it make a difference?” You sighed, already regretting every choice that had led to this moment.

“Not really,” he admitted, tilting his head. “But I figured I’d give you a chance to redeem yourself.”

You groaned, rubbing your temples. “Is it going to be like this now?”

“Blackmail is suddenly very acceptable now that I found you out,” he said sweetly, but the glint in his eyes told you he was enjoying this way too much.

“Wonwoo.” You shot him a warning look.

“Fine, fine.” He laughed, raising his hands in surrender. “But you have to admit, this is a fascinating situation. The two of you, playing strangers while making eyes at each other when you think no one’s looking—”

“We are not making eyes at each other,” you snapped, a little too fast.

“Oh?” His grin widened. “Must I remind you how I found you two out?”

Your stomach twisted. You sent a quick glance around, making sure no one was close enough to overhear. “Look, you wouldn’t understand—”

“Exactly why wouldn’t I understand?” His smirk faded, his voice quieter now.

You hesitated, your gaze dropping to the checkered floor. The real reason felt too raw to say aloud. You had spent weeks toeing around Seungcheol’s life without stepping directly into it, and Wonwoo—whether he realized it or not—had been your connection to the pieces of him you hadn’t been brave enough to face. You needed to know how broken he had been before you could allow yourself to be closer again.

“Because I hurt him too much,” you admitted, your voice barely above a whisper. “And I was scared to come back into his life. I was ashamed.”

Wonwoo studied you for a long moment before exhaling, his teasing demeanor softening. “Why did you come back?” he asked, like he was peeling away the last layer of the truth.

Your throat tightened. The answer had always been simple, but saying it out loud made it feel so much heavier. You lifted your gaze to meet his. “I never wanted to leave.”

His expression shifted completely, the guarded amusement replaced by something much quieter. “I get it,” he murmured, stepping closer. His hand landed on your shoulder in a reassuring squeeze. “Hey. Don’t worry,” he said, shrugging like it wasn’t a big deal. “This doesn’t make me think badly of you.”

You let out a slow breath, nodding. “Thank you,” you muttered, offering a small smile.

Wonwoo winked before stepping away, getting back to his task before opening hours. But something in the way he left made you uneasy. He wasn’t entirely done with this conversation.

And worse—something told you that whatever Wonwoo was holding back also had to do with Seungcheol. 

It was a slow day that day, only a handful of customers walked through the door, and the hours dragged on. But with the end of your shift approaching, you found yourself more relaxed than eager to leave. 

For once, the guys had behaved. No teasing, no snooping, almost like some rule had been put in place to avoid the subject. You suspected that Seungcheol had something to do with that.

Not that he had much time to show for it. He’d been busy—placing orders, making phone calls, handling payments, coordinating deliveries for the kitchen, and making sure the bar was stocked with everything it needed. And, most importantly, he had taken on the task of training the new hire, Chan.

Chan was in his first week. He was younger than you, bubbly, and had a good attitude. But he’d made one mistake on his very first day. Wonwoo, as a way to get his payback, had decided that Chan would shadow you in some of the complicated tasks, like how to operate the system, or the terminals. 

Having him as a shadow was fine. Except for one thing. 

“You’ll be shadowing her,” Wonwoo motioned to your direction. 

“Hi, there,” you said, offering a quick wave. Then you turned around, resuming to tending your tables. 

Chan barely hesitated before muttering under his breath, “Jesus. She’s fucking hot.” 

Wonwoo tensed up, coughing lightly. “Shut up,” he muttered, throwing a look over his shoulder. 

You thought of turning around and just shut the guy down. But unaware of the silent warning, Chan remained completely oblivious. Especially to the fact that his new boss, Seungcheol, was standing right behind him. 

Seungcheol’s jaw was tightly clasped, deciding to say nothing and looking away instead. Chan unfortunately, remained oblivious and exceptionally bad at hiding his attraction to you. 

And this shift was no different. Chan remained completely unbeknownst to the fact that he had walked straight into dangerous territory, and even more surprising still, he didn’t realize that Seungcheol had him in his sight.

The moment Chan started following you around the bar, Seungcheol just happened to stick around more. At first it wasn’t as evident, since he was normally in the bar doing inventory, paperwork, making calls, he practically lived here. But today, he was suddenly very hands-on. 

“Here, let me show you,” Seungcheol said, stepping in just as Chan was having a hard time learning how to use the shaker. Seungcheol took the shaker from his hands with a practiced ease, his presence instantly noticeable. “Watch carefully. You want to get the grip right, or you’ll make a mess.”

Chan nodded eagerly, completely missing the way Seungcheol’s gaze flickered toward you for a fraction of a second. You did not miss it.

Your stomach tightened, breath hitching slightly. You were sure you saw Wonwoo’s lips curve slightly, what solidified your shame was the gentle nudging of his elbow as you passed beside him. 

This battle continued throughout the shift. Whenever you were nearby, Seungcheol was there too—adjusting bottles, correcting a pour, explaining to Chan how things were done. At one point, you reached for a glass at the same time as Seungcheol, your fingers barely brushing his. A brief, fleeting contact, but enough for you to catch the smug look on his face. He didn’t smile, but there was something flashing across his features. Like he knew exactly what he was doing.

You narrowed your eyes at him. He just raised a brow in silent amusement, using his tongue to brush the smile that was beginning to form on his lips. 

And Chan? Completely unaware. It was almost as though he felt proud that it was the boss who was showing him the ropes. 

However the most perplexing thing was that Seungcheol made no obvious move to show Chan that you were his girlfriend. Years ago, he wouldn’t have hesitated to use a hand on your waist, pulling you in for a kiss. Or he wouldn’t have hesitated to call you love or angel in front of everyone.

Seungcheol loved claiming what was his. So the fact that he was not doing so openly made you feel obfuscated. 

“He’s making a point,” Wonwoo said as he walked past you at the bar, muttering just loud enough for you to hear. 

You raised your gaze to meet his. “A point?” you asked dumbly. 

Wonwoo grinned, motioning with the tip of his nose at situation happening across the bar—Seungcheol was talking with Chan. The conversation happening so far away that it was very difficult for you to hear. 

“Oh, this is nothing,” you said, sighing heavily. 

Seungcheol spent the rest of the shift hovering. And it became almost funny to you. It wasn’t that obvious, but every time Chan made a move to get close to you, somehow Seungcheol found a way to intervene. 

Whenever you bent over to pull out something from the fridges, Seungcheol intercepted Chan’s line of sight smoothly. Or whenever you stood on your tiptoes to grab a bottle from the shelf, Seungcheol would call for Chan, asking a dumb favor like passing him a lime, or changing the song playing on the speakers. 

You were turning toward the liquor shelf, reaching for a bottle on the top rack when—

“Careful.” 

Seungcheol’s voice came from just behind you, making you freeze instantly in place. His arm was already extending past you, fingers curling around the bottle with ease. His chest pressed against your back and as he retrieved it, you swallowed hard, heart racing at the way his warmth wrapped around you. 

“I had it,” you muttered, turning around on your feet. 

Seungcheol had a smirk planted on his face. “Sure you did,” he said smoothly, his eyebrow quirking up slightly. “Just wanted to help.”

You rolled your eyes, biting your bottom lip to keep you from smiling at him. “Uh-huh.”

Seungcheol leaned towards you, and you instantly sucked in a breath. “What, you don’t believe me?” 

“Is that what you’re doing with Chan?” you countered, unable to step away, his whole frame was caging you in. 

Seungcheol tilted his head, arching his eyebrow. “I’m doing my job.” 

You had nothing to reply to that. Despite Seungcheol engaging in a petty rivalry against Chan, he was doing his job. 

Seungcheol noticed, a sly grin appearing on his face as he sent a glance across the bar. Chan was looking your way, dropping his gaze as soon as you locked eyes with him. “This guy,” Seungcheol hissed. 

Your face started to heat up. “Seungcheol,” you muttered as he motioned towards Chan. 

He turned back, an innocent look on his face. “What?” 

“Don’t.”

“Don’t what?” he asked, blinking innocently at you. 

You rolled your eyes. “Whatever you’re thinking, just don’t.”

He grinned, slow and knowing. “I’m just implementing a strict focus during training,” he shrugged with ease. “Can’t have the new hire looking at my girlfriend on his first few days when he should be learning the ropes, right?” 

You groaned, dragging a hand down your face. “Seungcheol.”

“Relax,” he chuckled, pushing off the counter. Then, with an absolutely infuriating wink, he added, “Just having some fun, baby,” he said quietly. And just like that, he strolled off, leaving you to wrestle with the fact that he was definitely enjoying this. 

And worse? So were you.

The usual end-of-shift routine was unfolding. Seungcheol had actually finished his tasks more than an hour ago, and he could’ve gone home already—if he wasn’t your boyfriend. And your ride home.

Somehow, nobody had thought to tell Chan that you were with the boss. And it was too embarrassing for you to just come out and say it. Besides, a small part of you enjoyed the primal reaction Seungcheol had every time Chan so much as looked your way.

So, instead of leaving, Seungcheol kept himself entertained at the pool table, practicing his shots while sipping a beer. Every now and then, he sent glances around the bar. Casual glances, but noticeable—making sure Chan was keeping his comments about you to himself and his eyes on the task at hand.

You were rinsing out a glass when Wonwoo returned from taking out the trash. “Alright, boss,” Wonwoo called. “We’re clocking out!”

Seungcheol was bent over the pool table, eyes locked on the white cue ball just ahead of his stick. He nodded once before executing a smooth shot. “Alright. See you tomorrow, guys. Thanks.”

The door swung shut behind them, leaving just the two of you in the bar. You set down the last piece of glassware to dry on the rack. Washing your hands, you sneaked a glance at Seungcheol, who was biting his bottom lip as he lined up another shot.

“What?” he asked, sensing your scrutiny.

“Nothing,” you huffed, smirking as he looked far too smug about it.

Seungcheol laughed under breath. “You always do that.”

“Do what?”

“Pretend you’re busy when you don’t want to answer me.”

You exhaled, rolling your eyes before walking around the bar and grabbing a cue stick from the rack on the wall.

Seungcheol arched an eyebrow. “Are you mad at me?” he asked, gathering the pool balls inside the triangle again.

“No,” you replied simply. “But why didn’t you tell Chan about us?”

Seungcheol shrugged. “The topic never came up.”

“You could’ve told him instead of stalking him like he was about to steal your food,” you teased, cackling at your own description.

“It was better this way,” he said easily. “Doesn’t mess with the workflow, and he keeps his cheerful attitude.” He paused, his gaze narrowing just a little. “He didn’t make you uncomfortable, did he?”

You rolled your eyes at him. “Please. He barely even spoke two words to me. He’s harmless. While you on the other hand?” you huffed, leaning over the table to line up the first shot. “You glared at him all night.” 

Seungcheol smirked, leaning against his cue stick. “I don’t glare.” 

You made your shot, sinking a striped ball into the corner pocket. “Oh, you definitely do.” 

He hummed, pursing his lips. Then he step closer as you moved to take your next shot. “I was just making sure my bartender didn’t get distracted.” 

You narrowed your eyes at him. “By what?”

“By some new guy staring at her.” 

You rolled your eyes, shaking your head. “That is a non-issue,” you pointed, refocusing on your shot. “I could’ve told him I’m with someone, call it a day.” 

Seungcheol didn’t respond immediately. Instead, he reached out, he ran his fingers down the line of your back just as you were bending down, and placed his palm firmly on the small of your back. 

You hit the cue ball a little too hard, sending it bouncing off the rails without hitting anything else. 

Seungcheol chuckled. “Someone?” he inquired, arching one perfect eyebrow. “Not me?” 

You deadpanned at him. “You know what I mean,” you huffed. 

He tilted his head, feigning innocence. “And what do you mean?” he pursed his lips. “Would you have told Chan that you’re with someone instead of just telling him you’re with me?”

Your brows furrowed, straightening up. “What kind of question is that?” 

“A valid one,” he smirked, taking his shot, sinking two balls in quick succession. “You know what, maybe telling him your boyfriend is also his boss would destroy that confidence he has.”

You laughed at him with reluctance. “You’re being kind of a prick.”

Seungcheol didn’t deny it, laughing with you. “Maybe.” He circled the table, standing just behind you now. His voice dipped lower, teasing. “But I think you like it.”

You exhaled, tilting your head back slightly to look at him. “Like what?”

He leaned in just a fraction, enough for his breath to brush your ear. “That you drive me crazy.”

Your throat went dry, breath hitching almost audibly. 

Seungcheol pulled back, his smirk lazy and triumphant. “Your turn.”

You exhaled, gripping your cue stick a little tighter. “Take it back. You’re being a huge prick.”

Seungcheol smirked, stepping back just enough to let you focus, but you could still feel his presence lingering close. Dangerously close. “You haven’t denied it.” 

Rolling your eyes, you lined up your shot, determined not to let him win. You hit the cue ball, this time sinking a solid with a satisfying thump. You straightened and turned to him smugly. “The answer is no. I don’t like that my boyfriend gets all jealous and possessive as soon as he sees other men glance my way.” 

Seungcheol hummed, nodding slowly. “Maybe I should try a little harder, then.” 

You shot him a look. “You should try harder… at the actual game.”

He laughed under his breath. “Alright. Let’s make it interesting, then.”

You arched an eyebrow. “Interesting how?”

“A bet.” He leaned on his cue stick, watching you closely. “If I win, you owe me something.”

You scoffed, crossing your arms. “I don’t even know what that means, but it sounds like trouble.”

Seungcheol grinned, his heart palpitating with eagerness. “Absolutely.”

You considered for a moment. Winning against Seungcheol was always satisfying, but the path to losing against him… well, that was dangerous territory. “Fine,” you conceded. “But if I win, you owe me something.”

Seungcheol’s eyes glinted with interest. “Deal. What do you want?”

You pretended to think. “An entire week without you messing with me at work.”

He gaped at you for a second. “A whole week?” he huffed, running a hand through his blond hair. “That’s nearly impossible.”

“Take it or leave it.”

Seungcheol sighed, shaking his head. “Alright, alright. And if I win…” He took a step closer, lowering his voice just enough to send a shiver down your spine. “You have to go on a real date with me.”

You blinked, thrown off. “A… real date?” you asked dumbly. 

He shrugged. “You know. Something other than stolen moments between shifts or late-night car rides home.”

“That’s...” you arched one eyebrow. 

Seungcheol smirked. “What? Afraid you’ll lose to me?” he challenged. 

You huffed. “No. Afraid you’ll cheat.”

“I would never,” he said, eyes twinkling with mischief. 

“Babe, we live together,” you emphasized. 

“And? We haven’t gone out on a date in…” he lifted his gaze to the ceiling. “Two years and a half,” he said.  

Your heart clenched, realizing he was right. “Fine. Let’s play.”

Seungcheol stepped aside, motioning toward the table. “Ladies first.”

You lined up your shot, focusing harder than before. If you were going to beat Seungcheol, you needed to be unstoppable. 

But just as you were about to strike, Seungcheol muttered, “You know, I really should’ve told Chan.”

You hesitated, glancing up. “And what exactly would you have told him?” 

“That you’re already spoken for.”

Your grip on the cue stick tightened. “Spoken for? That’s one way to put it.”

He nodded, looking way too pleased with himself. “Now I’m beginning to think it would’ve saved us all a lot of trouble.”

You rolled your eyes, returning your attention to your shot. “You’re ridiculous.”

“And yet, here you are. With me. Playing pool. After hours.”

You ignored the way your stomach flipped at his words and finally took the shot. The ball sank into the pocket, and you straightened, feigning confidence. “And?” 

Seungcheol chuckled, moving to take his turn. “Oh, baby.” He leaned over the table, eyes locking onto yours just before he took his shot. “You’re terrible at hiding your emotions from your face.”

“I’m not,” you rolled your eyes, again.

“You have a tell,” he said smugly. “You always have.”

You hated that he was right. 

And you really hated that you were probably about to lose this game. And not because of a lack of skill, but because Seungcheol was too distracting for you. 

The way his sleek black T-shirt clung to his body, the posture he adopted as he leaned on his cue, the way his dark jeans hugged his ass. Not only that, but his fucking attitude was driving you crazy. 

“So what?” You placed a hand on the table before leaning over. “It’s not like we’re playing poker.” 

“If you’re keeping us a secret, you might want to work on that poker face,” he mused, tone smug. It was then when you should’ve realized his game. 

You scoffed. “I’m not hiding anything, Seungcheol,” you said, not fully thinking through how that might sound. Your tone resounded across the table, high and swollen in condescension. 

Seungcheol’s smirk deepened, just as you took your shot, only to miss horribly. “Not just bad at hiding your emotions, but bad at pool too.” 

He didn’t even give you time to recover. Seungcheol stepped up, leaning over the table to take the final shot, sinking the last ball into the bag. Game over. 

Seungcheol straightened, casually planting the cue stick in front of him, both hands gripping the top as he leaned on it slightly. You tossed the cue stick on the table while he just cocked his head to one side, then he smirked. 

“Prick,” you gritted, trying not to smile as his smirk widened on his perfect face. You crossed your arms over your chest, going around the table to meet up with him. “You know I wouldn’t hide our relationship.”

Seungcheol turned around, putting the cue stick away back on the rack. “What made you hesitate, then?” 

You gaped at him, having nothing to say. You thought about what you told Wonwoo. About feeling ashamed, where did that shame extend to? Did it go so far as to make you feel unworthy of Seungcheol’s forgiveness? 

“Mmn?” he hummed, taking one slow step towards you, effectively eliminating the space between you. 

“Cheol,” you breathed, bringing a hand on his chest to stop him from pinning your body back against the table behind you. 

“What’s happening, baby?” he cooed softly. 

You blinked. He wasn’t smirking anymore—just watching you carefully, waiting. “I don’t know,” you admitted. “I didn’t think telling Chan about us would matter. So I didn’t do it.” 

Seungcheol’s lips twitched into something small and satisfied as he wrapped his arms around you and lifted you, helping you sit on the rim of the pool table. You were now face to face with him, his eyes scanning the features of your face. 

“I think you enjoy it,” he muttered, his voice low and raspy. 

“Enjoy what?” you asked meekly, feeling small as his body practically still towered over yours. 

Seungcheol dipped his head to meet your lips, except that he didn’t kiss you right away. “Seeing me get jealous,” he whispered, his lips brushing yours in the process. 

“Yeah. A little,” you replied in the same manner, a light smirk spreading across your lips. 

“You know, that’s a dangerous thing to admit.”

Your smirk deepened. “Why? Gonna punish me for it?”

He smiled, finally pressing his lips against your own. The kiss was quiet, quick, but you could feel the immediate need for more. You hummed into the kiss, slipping a hand on his nape to pull him closer—to feel the warmth radiating from him, the mixture of his jealousy and the playfulness of it all. 

The world outside was quiet. And something about this moment felt different, but also so familiar. It was as though you both were young again—sharing rushed kisses in the quiet of the library, or making out in secret places. 

But the difference was that you didn’t have the need to hide anymore, at least not entirely. Despite you and him being back together fully, there was no fear of you getting caught or not. 

Seungcheol pulled back, but just slightly. His breath fanned gently over your lips as he smiled. “You didn’t tell Chan we’re together because you knew it would make me jealous?” he asked, the tone sounded genuine, but tiny. 

You made a motion to shake your head. “I don’t know,” you replied, your tone low, almost like a breath. “I just didn’t.” 

“Mmn,” he nodded, pressing his lips to yours. Then with a triumphant air, he whispered. “I win.”

You had forgotten that you were playing pool—that you were playing a game at all. You succumbed to the delicious taste of his kisses, pressing his lips to yours lightly at first. Then his full lips slowly locked with yours, creating a wet smacking sound as he pulled back. 

“You might’ve won, but I—” you touched the tip of his nose with your fingertip. “—never lose,” you cooed, smiling sweetly at him.

Seungcheol pulled back, biting his lip as he looked at you like he wanted to say some quippy retort. But instead, he switched his hands from your waist to your thighs, pushing them apart and grabbing them so he could scoot you closer to the edge of the pool table.

“You know what?” he sighed with a smile, an eyebrow quirking up. “Maybe you do need a little punishment.”

You smiled, humming in delight. Seungcheol slipped his fingers beneath your chin, holding you gently before giving you a featherlight kiss. “But I really want to fuck you right now.”

Your skin came alight with excitement, making you shudder slightly. A sigh slipped past your lips involuntarily. “What’s stopping you?” you whispered, almost afraid you would break the quiet ambience of the bar—the low humming of the fridges, the buzzing of the neon lights that you’d said you would turn off, but forgot.

His hand left your chin, moving to thread your hair through his fingers. “You tell me, angel,” he replied in kind, an amused grin on his face, he enjoyed toying with you.

He softly pulled on your hair, leaning your head back as his lips trailed down your jawline. Your mouth parted, silently moaning as his lips touched the spot below your earlobe. “Cheol,” you muttered.

“Mmn?” he hummed at the sound of his name leaving your lips. “Do you want it, baby?” he asked, his low and raspy tone pouring into your ears.

You wanted to answer, but words just ceased to exist. All you wanted—all you needed—was his hands on you. And Seungcheol knew it all too well.

His hands travelled from your parted thighs to your butt, squeezing lightly as he sighed through his nose. As he did this, his lips kept trailing down your neck with light kisses, each one more delicious than the last. You felt his smile as he reached the dip of your clavicle, knowing that it would elicit a louder moan from you.

“Here?” you squeaked. You grabbed onto his shirt, arms wrapped around his shoulders as he started to push you back onto the table.

“Yes, here,” he answered, the upper half of his body hovering over you as you lay back on the table. Seungcheol smiled, “Unless you want to wait until we get home.”

“Uuuh,” you closed your eyes. Seungcheol slipped a hand beneath your white tank-top, his touch warm and confident as he hiked the fabric up your tummy. His fingers grazed the line of your bra, making you swallow hard.

“Maybe I should make you wait,” he whispered, close to your lips so you felt his breath on you. “That’s the punishment you deserve.”

“No, please,” you whined, linking your arms around his shoulders. Pulling him closer, he crashed his lips with your own, kissing you harder, fervently. Seungcheol chuckled into the kiss, sending a shiver that nearly vibrated in your bones.

“I need to hear it, baby,” he murmured, creating smacking noises with each ardent kiss he propped on your lips.

His hand moved from the center of your belly to the underside of your torso, and slid under your back to command it to arch for him. You deepened the kiss, outlining his bottom lip with the tip of your tongue before pulling back. “Take me here,” you whispered sultrily, a rush of adrenaline going through you.

Seungcheol paused for a brief moment, making you think that he would follow his plan of punishing you, to make you wait. But he pulled back, a sweet grin painting his beautiful face as he looked at you. Then it hit you—all of the moments shared in the past with him, moments like this, moments that felt like breaking the rules, crossing the line.

But you felt safe, all the times he touched you, or kissed you, you felt like it just made sense.

“Are you ready?” he asked playfully, the corner of his lip curving up slightly when all you could muster was a nod. After getting your silent permission, his hand inched upwards on your back, unclasping your bra with efficiency.

The next moments happened hurriedly. Seungcheol started discarding the pieces of your clothing one by one, kissing your lips like a hungry man, barely stopping for air. You mumbled out some incoherencies about wanting him right then and there, but you were too caught up to actually make sense of your own words.

Seungcheol giggled into your lips, the sound only making your blood dance beneath your skin. He was getting rid of your bra, after he had gotten your tank-top out of the way. The bite of the cool surface beneath you made your skin prickle.

But he just sighed at the sight of you, dipping his head to kiss your collarbones again. His wet lips made a trail of light kisses, from the nook of your collarbones down your chest. He kissed your breasts gently, getting soft moans out of you as each kiss felt even sweeter.

You grabbed his blond hair with one hand, keeping your other hand flatly on his lean back. “Cheol,” you sighed.

Your eyes fell out of focus. The sight directly in front of you was stark compared to the stars and colors you saw every time you closed your eyes. Hanging from the ceiling was a lamp, forming a warm yellow pool around you. It hurt to stare at, but Seungcheol was a far better sight.

He pulled back, standing up right. A sigh escaped him as he started taking your sneakers off without looking away from you. You were half naked, torso bare, your hair forming a halo around your head.

Your sneakers fell on the floor, one after the other and you got ready to push your hips up for him just as his hands approached the waistband of your jeans. “Hurry up,” you mumbled, a playful giggle bubbling in your mouth.

Seungcheol clicked his tongue, slapping a hand down your hip before continuing to undo the button and zipper of your jeans. “Patience, baby.”

Then painfully slow, he hooked his fingers on the waistband of your jeans, grabbing your panties too and then started pulling them both down. You planted your feet on the edge of the table just to push your hips up for him to slide down your jeans and panties altogether, letting them drop to the white and black checkered floor.

You sat up on the table, going to grab for the black t-shirt he wore to tear it off him. But Seungcheol caught both of your hands linking his fingers with yours to keep you from undressing him.

You whined pathetically, to which Seungcheol only replied with a joyful giggle. He closed the gap between his lips and yours, kissing you swiftly.

“Behave.” He said, the word coming out of him raspy. “Behave or this ends now.”

A whiny exhale escaped your lips—a complaint that you couldn’t form properly in time. You knew that Seungcheol was a man that loved doting on you, but you also knew that he could keep his word, specially if it meant to punish you.

He loved it—seeing you all whiny, pouty, and pathetic for him. He loved knowing everything that made you subdue to him, every caress, every kiss, and where to place them.

Without any other word, Seungcheol sank down to his knees, his hands leaving yours to grope around the inside of your thighs, pushing them gently. You leaned back on your hands, parting your legs for him.

Your heart palpitated frantically at the sight of him, his hands keeping your thighs spread for him to bury his face between them. He started slowly, making his way with gentle kisses that he littered all over your inner thighs.

“Easy,” he reminded you, a twinge of playfulness in his eyes as he blinked up to your face. His eyebrow twitched up slightly before he dipped his head to run his tongue on your skin.

The feeling of his tongue so close to your pussy sent you in a frenzy, quickly making you forget where you were. You moaned loudly—lewdly, gearing up for the sweet pleasure that would ensue.

You heard a soft gasp—a smile that painted his lips, right before he licked a fat stripe between your folds. The moment you felt his tongue slide on your wet pussy, you instantly dissolved into pleasure. He started teasing you, licking you up and down, drinking you in, lapping at your wetness eagerly.

Slipping a hand on the back of his head, you tangled your fingers around the soft strands of his blond hair. His tongue reached the top of your mound, stopping before trapping your clit between his soft lips. You moaned louder, indicating to him to continue, but soon the bar filled with the sound of your moans.

Seungcheol sucked lightly at your clit, pressing his tongue on the swollen bud before he started moving it from side to side, very softly, gently, as though he were fearful he might overstim you quickly. But it only made your pleasure higher, making the rest of your body go numb, leaving your mind blank.

You nearly froze in place—sitting down at the edge of the pool table, one hand steading you, the other holding his hair. You tried to hold the angle of your hips for him, for his mouth pleasuring your pussy. His tongue kept the side to side motion on your clit, only picking up the pace but slowly, taking his time with you.

Your moans were soft, airy, and he responded in low hums as though telling you how much he loved your taste, the way you sounded. You imagined then how the scene would look from afar—Seungcheol on his knees, pleasuring you as you sat wholly naked on the pool table of his bar.

“Fuck,” you gritted, closing your eyes as you tilted your head back in utter, sweet pleasure. “Cheol, don’t stop. Please, daddy,” you mewled, not caring how pathetic you sounded—because you were close.

And he knew, he knew that you were toying on the line of your release. But he didn’t switch the pace of his tongue, he didn’t stop sucking lightly at your clit. He only kept going, and going, and going.

It was the steadiness of his tongue on you that finally pushed you to the edge. Your orgasm was sweet, like gentle waves washing over you. And your moans were just as sweet, crying out his name as you came apart on the table, taking deep breaths as your climax reached higher, and you couldn’t breathe anymore.

You relished the waves of pleasure consuming you, the way they gently subsided, leaving your body languid. You thread back his blond hair with your fingers, just as he gave your pussy a couple of kisses, giggling playfully as you twitched at the feeling.

The next moments happened in silence, fluidly. Seungcheol slipped a finger beneath your chin, tilting your head back to plant a kiss on your lips. You parted your mouth for him, just as he deepened the kiss, moving on your lips expertly. He hummed as your fingers searched at his belt blindly, unfastening with one swift move.

Just as you were undoing his pants, Seungcheol broke the kiss, crossing his arms down his belly to grab at the hem of his t-shirt, taking it off in one motion. He kissed you again, as if he would die if one more second passed without his lips on yours.

His breath hitched audibly when your hand reached beneath his boxers, your fingers circling around his girthy cock. You shuddered in anticipation when you felt how hard he was for you, humming into his lips as your hand rolled over the tip of his cock, feeling the wetness of the precum gathering in his slit.

“Hurry,” he echoed, making you giggle lightly.

 You pushed his boxers down, getting his cock out. Seungcheol leaned forward, his forehead bumping with yours lightly as you started rolling your hand on his hard cock. He swallowed hard, grunting a little as you scooted closer to him, guiding him to your pussy.

“Baby,” he whispered, a twinge of desperation echoing in his voice.

You whimpered slightly at the feeling of his cockhead nudging in your entrance as you pushed him with your fingers, every inch stretching your walls deliciously. “Seungcheol,” you mewled.

He placed his hands on your ass, holding you in place as he sank inside your walls, exhaling deeply. “I love you,” he mumbled. It sounded as though he’d been dying to tell you those words, as though he’d been dying to feel your warmth.

“I love you,” you replied, your tone merely above a whisper. You closed your eyes, enjoying the feeling of having him inside you, stuffing you full. 

His hand found your cheek, the pad of his thumb slipping beneath your jawline to steal a kiss from your lips. Seungcheol started moving his hips with shallow thrusts, as though he wanted to pair his thrusts with the slow movement of his lips on yours.

But then it soon changed—with a raspy groan, the pacing of his hips took a greedy speed. His hand left your cheek, quickly returning to your ass, where he held you as his hips started snapping against you faster.

You gasped, a hand found his shoulder while the other was flatly planted behind you on the table. You parted your legs more for him, leaning back slightly so he could take all of you—take whatever he wanted. You loved seeing him like this—the carnal desire overpowering him, making him nearly feral.

His jaw was tightly clasped, his eyes fluttering shut as he tilted his head back slightly. “Fuck,” he gritted.

You knew something had shifted in the air. What was once flooded with just your moans alone was now accompanied by the sound of skin slapping skin, low quiet groans from Seungcheol, and the squelching sounds of your dripping pussy.

The calculated rutting of his hips quickly took over you, and for a moment, you wanted to get lost in him. Seungcheol was utterly glorious, covered in a sheen layer of sweat from his forehead to his collarbones, a lazy smile spreading on his lips as he noticed the glazed look in your eyes.

You slowly lay back on the table, until your back was pressed on the cold surface. Seungcheol quickly grabbed your thighs, hooking them over his shoulders without slowing down the careless rutting of his hips.

The feeling became addictive, Seungcheol knew exactly what to do to bring you closer to the edge. He placed his hands on the table, at the height of your waist, pressing your thighs to your chest as he bent over. The rutting of his hips became deeper, making you feel the length of his cock, the tip hitting one spot that made you crazy. Quickly your moans became airy, until they were mere gasps.

“Fuck,” he gasped. “I need you to come, baby,” he urged with a low tone.

“I’m there,” you sighed. “Fuck, daddy. Please come with me,” you said with an embarrassingly honeyed tone.

Seungcheol gritted his teeth, a low grunt coming from him that told you just how close he was too. “Want me to cum inside you, baby?” he asked with fitful breaths.

You let out a whiny sound through your lips. “Yes, yes, please,” you gasped, succumbing to another sweet wave of pleasure. And then, before you could even think your words through— “Put a baby in me, Cheol.”

He gasped, his gaze snapping to your face. “You want that?” he asked breathlessly, his hips buckling against you. “Want me to make you a mommy?” 

The pleasure was so overwhelming, so sweet that you could barely talk. You nodded, blinking the tears away from your eyes to see his face.

His mouth parted, a silent moan escaping before the thrusts of his hips went languid. “God, angel,” he groaned helplessly. “I'm cumming,” he whispered, right before the features of his face relaxed, his eyelids fluttered shut, a vein on his forehead popping out as he came with you.  

Seungcheol groaned loudly, and you could tell by the depth of his thrust that he was cumming a lot inside you, filling you up. The thought drove you crazy, it nearly made you ask him to go again—to stop only when you were indeed pregnant. A shudder invaded you, making you whimper slightly.

He gave you a couple of sloppy thrusts, easing your legs gently from his shoulders to let you rest. You were both breathing hard, your ears buzzing as you tried to steady yourself. But the realization of what you said started sinking in. Seungcheol sighed, an eyebrow twitching up as he gave you an inquisitive look.

“What?” you whispered innocently, biting your bottom lip to avoid smiling.

“You’re cruel,” he pouted, standing up right so he could pull out of you, placing a hand on your belly as he pulled his hips from yours.

You shuddered at the loss. “Why?” you blinked up at him.

“Because—,” he giggled meekly, avoiding your eyes. “—you know what saying that does to me.”

You responded with a giggle of your own. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” you said, sitting up on the table as he handed you your panties. 

But then—a loud, metallic snap. The shutting of the back door resounded from the back to where you and Seungcheol were. You winced in alarm, a hand quickly going to grab your tank-top.

Seungcheol quickly backed away, his hands steading you before you could make another move. “Stay there,” he cautioned, tucking himself back in his pants. His demeanor was so final that you had no choice but to ground yourself there.

He hurried to the hall that led to the back door, not bothering to put his t-shirt on. You sat on the edge of the table, with nothing to hear but the loud drumming of your heart. But he came back just as quickly, hand ruffling his hair, and a confused look on his face.

“It was Chan. Apparently he forgot his keys,” Seungcheol explained, walking up to where you sat still.

“Oh,” you uttered, frowning in confusion. “Did he…”

“Hear us? See us?” Seungcheol sighed, placing his hands on his hips. “Probably,” he cocked his head to one side then the other. “Most definitely.”

Your gaze fell out of focus. “How long had he been here?” You asked dumbly, but then, realization hit. You narrowed your eyes at him. “You knew he was here.”

Seungcheol’s gaze met yours. “I didn’t know for sure,” he shrugged, hands still parked on his hips. “I heard noises. Only a few of us have the key to get in and I know Wonwoo closed the door on his way out.”

Your mouth fell open. “So he never left?”

He nodded, blinking slowly. “I’ll talk to him tomorrow,” he said, placing himself between your legs again, hands finding the border of the table.

You gave him an incredulous look. “You wanted him to watch,” you said, wanting to muster up the slightest bit of annoyance at him. But his grin made it difficult for you to make any more accusatory remarks at him.

“I didn’t expect him to stay for so long,” he said, starting to chuckle at your expression in utter disbelief. “I thought he would just walk out but eventually I forgot,” he said, his eyes turning into half moons as he continued laughing.

You pushed one of his shoulders. “You forgot?!” you exclaimed, aghast.

“Baby, I don’t think you know,” he said, his tone rising as though he had discovered something.

You rolled your eyes. “Know what, exactly?”

He inched closer to you, taking advantage of your perplexion to grab your face with his hands. “You don’t know what you do to me,” he muttered, his tone gruff and low. “You don’t know how good you sound, how good you feel,” he sighed, his eyes coasting over the features of your face. “All I could focus on was you.”

“So you’re telling me that you just forgot that Chan was just down the hall?” you asked in utter confusion.

“Eh—,” he laughed airily, “kinda?”

You rolled your eyes. “You’re unbelievable, Choi Seungcheol,” you accused.

Seungcheol smiled at you giddily, bringing a hand to the back of your head to prop a light kiss on your lips. He let out a light sigh, giving you another small kiss. “Let’s go home.”

Your heart fluttered at the sound of those words, a swarm of butterflies dancing crazily inside your stomach. “Okay,” you whispered.

Instead of moving, Seungcheol stayed there, with his forehead pressed against yours. “You owe me a date,” he muttered.

“I do,” you replied in kind, pressing your lips slowly against his.

“How about tomorrow morning?” he asked, laughing lightly at his own urgency.

“You got it, boss,” you said, pulling back to see that smile painting his face. 

And for a moment, it was as though you had never left. Or at least that was how that fleeting moment felt.

The next day, morning light filtered through the curtains, painting soft, pale lines across the floor. The faint scent of Seungcheol’s deodorant lingered in the air, mixing with the scent of your shared bedroom. He had just finished showering after a workout at the gym downstairs, just as he always did every morning.

You were getting ready for your date—a quiet breakfast at a place of his choosing. He’d assured you that you’d like it. There was still some time before you had to leave, so you busied yourself with organizing your stuff—the small collection of your belongings you had brought into his apartment.

Right now, you were meant to be figuring out where to put your socks. You’d forgotten about them, still tucked away in your suitcase. After a moment of procrastination, you picked one of the drawers and started placing them inside, separated from Seungcheol’s.

“Baby,” he called from down the hallway. “We’re leaving in ten minutes.”

“Mm, yeah. Okay,” you agreed shortly.

It was impossible to ignore the looming feeling that it was odd to be living with Seungcheol. After so many times of wishing to go back to him, you were finally cementing something together.

You opened the first drawer, making space to transfer the clothes from your assigned drawer, carefully arranging his in the process. 

That was until your knuckles brushed against—a velvet, square box buried beneath a apile of socks and underwear. At first, you thought to move it aside, to tuck it into a more secure corner of the drawer. But as your fingers curled around the soft fabric, you didn’t really think about what you were holding. Instinctively, you lifted the box, intending to open it. 

Then, realization hit. 

A sharp breath lodged into your throat, and your hand snapped away from the lid, flying instead to your mouth to stifle an abrupt, overwhelming rush of emotion. A cold shudder ran through your body, weakening your knees, forcing you to stumble back and drop on the edge of the bed. 

“Baby?” Seungcheol’s voice drifted down the hall. “What’s wro–,”

But he stopped. Standing in the doorway, his eyes locked onto the small box in your hand. His expression didn’t shift, but the air in the bedroom grew thick and impossibly heavy. 

Without a word, he took three steps forward, sinking to his knees in front of you. 

“What’s this?” you asked, swallowing your fear, forcing yourself to meet his face.

Seungcheol didn’t answer immediately. Instead, his eyes flickered between your face and the box, reading every emotion weighing down across your features. His voice, when he finally spoke, was barely above a whisper. 

“Did you open it?” 

You shook your head. But the weight of the moment pressed down on you, crushing, suffocating. His reaction alone told you everything you needed to know. You knew this box. It resembled the ones he had given you before on anniversary dates or on your birthday. This one was slightly different. The ones before were small, elegant, wrapped in significance. This one was more deliberate. More final. 

“Baby, look at me,” he murmured. A warm hand cupped your face, and you choked on a sob at both the tenderness of his touch and the slow, painful realization of what lay inside that box. 

For the first time, Seungcheol seemed at a loss for words. You could see the war harboring inside him, the regret, the hesitation, the fear. But his first instinct wasn’t to come up with explanations. His thumb brushed softly against your cheek, his hands cupping your face again to ground you, steadying you. 

You sucked in a shaky breath. “Seungcheol, what’s inside it?” 

Seungcheol’s expression softened, his head tilting to one side when he saw your eyes begin to brim with big tears. “I need you to know something first,” he murmured, his voice thick with emotion. “When I bought this… I never imagined we wouldn’t be together.”

His fingers curled around the box, as though he could somehow protect you both from the truth inside it. As though he wanted to protect you from the pain he went through. 

“What is inside it?” you pressed again, unable to bring your voice any higher. 

He exhaled sharply, resigned. He locked his gaze to yours, and you slowly got to see how in your eyes he found strength, his breath steadying. His lips parted, but he didn’t need to speak. The answer was already hanging in the air between you. 

“Is it a ring?” Your body trembled as a sob tore through you, pain uncoiling in your chest, sharp and almost unbearable. “Please, Seungcheol, if it’s a ring—,”

“Yes,” he replied with a gentle tone, but you could feel the weight of the grief that he tried to keep away. “It’s a ring,” he admitted, watching you, reading every flinch, every breath. He took in all the pain that you showed. “It was meant to be yours.”

Your throat tightened painfully. “When?” the question left your lips before you could stop it, as though knowing the exact moment would somehow soften the burden. 

Seungcheol let out a tiny, soft breath through his nose, as though composing himself too before facing the shock that his next words would bring you: “For your twenty fourth birthday.”

Your face twisted as you brought a hand to cover your mouth again, a painful sob tearing through you, ripping through the quiet grief looming in the room. Just days before your twenty-fourth birthday, you had left him. That night, you spent your birthday in a different country, alone.  

“Baby, please, listen to me,” he muttered in a raw voice. Tears brimmed in his eyes as he reached to grab your hands. “Everything happened the way it did for a reason. It took me a long time to accept that.”

You could barely hear him over the ringing in your ears. The ache in your chest spread through your entire body, making your head pulse. Tears burned as they slipped down your cheeks. 

“But we’re here now,” he continued, his voice steadying even as his hand left yours and found your cheek again. “And we’re moving on. I wish things had been different for us, but we weren’t ready.”

“Why didn’t you say anything?” you asked in a tiny tone. You couldn’t bring yourself to look at him, you knew that if you did, the expression on his face would only shatter you completely. 

His breath hitched as he suppressed a sob. “Because I couldn’t let that be the reason you stayed. I couldn’t do that to you,” his tone was shaky, and by the sound of it you knew that he was crying.

His words landed like a punch to the gut. You turned to him then, and the sight nearly broke you. His dark eyes were glassy, fearful. But even through his own pain, his first instinct was to comfort you—to hold you together. That was Seungcheol. Always looking out for everybody else before tending to his own wounds. 

“All the time we lost….” You whispered, your throat tightening. “I could’ve stayed. We could’ve—,”

The words caught, breaking apart before you could even finish. Your mind spun, flashing through every possibility. Every what if. If he had proposed, you would’ve said yes. No hesitation. No doubt. Right now, you would be married. Living a different life. No sleepless nights. No endless aching. No running away, no trying—and failing—to forget him. 

His fingers curled around yours and the velvet box, gripping it like it was the last piece of a life you had both left behind. 

“But we weren’t ready,” he said, his voice was quiet, but firm, steady even as his own emotions still warred inside him. “I didn’t want to keep you here. I wanted you to keep going. To chase your dreams.”

“And what about what I wanted?” Your voice cracked as the question left you. Your mind was fogged under the pain you were carrying for years. It reverted you back to all of the times you said this to him, but now—now it felt like the first time you truly wanted an answer from him. 

His jaw clenched, his lips pressing together in a hard line. He was hurting, too. You could see it in the way he kept his breathing controlled, but deep, like that would dissolve the pain you were also feeling inside your chest. 

“Baby,” he whispered, the word soft in his lips, pleading. “We can’t keep letting this be a problem.” 

He was right. You knew he was right. But you were stubborn.

“I can’t be here right now–,” you mumbled, wiping your tears with the back of your hand quite harshly. You pushed yourself up from the bed, making him stand abruptly too, his eyes widening. You knew that look. “I need to think. I need some fresh air.”

His stomach twisted painfully when you motioned to the door. “Wait–,”

“I’ll be back, I just...” Your lip quivered, and your tone thickened as the tears kept coming: “This is too much for me. I just need to be alone for a moment.”

Seungcheol stood rigid, watching as you hurried out. The sound of the front door snapping shut sent a shudder through him. And then—everything came flooding back. The feeling that had wrecked him when you left years ago. The pain. The abandonment. The heartbreak. He had sworn he would never feel that again. 

But there he was. Breathing hard because the pain made him incapable of doing anything else.

You walked out. You left again.

“Wait,” he muttered, his instincts taking over. In a second, he was making his way towards the front door, and then the elevator, pulse hammering in his ears as he hit the button once, then twice— 

“Come on,” he gritted through his teeth. “Come on!” His palm slammed against the button until the doors finally parted to him. 

The moment he stepped outside of the building, his world spun wildly. The air felt think, suffocating. His heart stuttering like crazy, he felt dizzy. 

Where did you go?

His hand snapped to his pockets, no phone. His stomach dropping when he realized that you hadn’t taken yours either. “Fuck. Fuck!” the words escaped him in a frantic breath as he shoved his hands through his hair. Think, Seungcheol. Calm down.

You could’ve gone to the park, he reasoned. Without another thought, he hurried off, crossing the street without a care. His feet pounded against the pavement as he sprinted in direction to the park, cutting through the people strolling down the sidewalk. His chest burned, his mind raced. 

Frantically, he scanned the park, weaving through the crowd, searching through the sea of faces. 

And then, his heart clenched. A weight lifted from his heart so abruptly it almost made his mind spin again. 

There you were. 

Sitting on a swing, head leaned to the side, staring at the ground. Your fingers brushed under your eyes, wiping away your tears swiftly. The slight sway of the swing, the way your shoulders curled inward—it was all so painfully familiar. 

For years, Seungcheol had believed that he had taken the hardest blow. He was the one who stayed. He had to rebuild on the ashes of what he had lost when you left him. While you—you walked away. He had convinced himself that you had suffered less. 

But now, he saw it. 

The weight of your dreams slipping through your fingers. You raised your gaze when a small child ran across the sandbox, releasing a cry of joy as his mom chased after him. You let your gaze fall to your lap again. 

Guilt churned inside him. 

Slowly, Seungcheol approached, each step forcing him to steady his heart. When your eyes finally found him, they softened at the sight of him as he finished approaching you and sat on the swing next to yours.

“I’m sorry,” Seungcheol muttered, swallowing a lump of anxiety in his throat. “I know you said you just needed air but... I had to make sure.”

You nodded, sniffing. “I get it,” you whispered shakily. “That’s okay, I was heading back anyways.” You shrugged, it was a small gesture. A tell.

And Seungcheol caught that. “Do you need more time?” he asked, releasing a sigh, as if the weight of all his past fears had made a fool of him again. “I can go back inside. I’ll be waiting for you there.”

“Okay,” you murmured, rubbing the back of your hand to wipe your tears, still looking at your shoes. “I’ll be there in a moment.” 

“Okay,” he echoed softly, slowly rising from the swing. But just as his fingers slipped from the cold metal chain, yours caught his hand—your soft smaller fingers curling around his, stopping him in his tracks. 

He turned back, encountering the sight of your teary eyes again. His gut twisted. 

“Wait,” you whispered. “Stay. Please?” Your gaze dropped for a moment. “I’m sorry. I panicked,” you released a shaky breath, searching for words. “Can we… talk about this?” 

The knot in his throat loosened, relief rushing through him. “Of course.”

You were still sitting on the swing, so he knelt in the sand before you, leveling himself with your gaze. His heart clenched at the sight of you—rosy cheeks, swollen lips, dark lashes clumped together from the tears you have shed. 

Seungcheol didn’t know where to start. This was a mess, and deep down, he had known something like this would happen the moment you walked back into his life. 

“Seungcheol,” you finally started, your voice quiet, but fragile, “why didn’t you tell me you had a ring?” 

The question was one that you had asked before. But it still made his chest tighten. 

“When I broke up with you, you could’ve told me,” you took in a big breath, trying to steady yourself.

Your hand was still gripping his, so he simply shifted, threading his fingers with yours. “I didn’t want to hold you back,” he admitted. “If I had told you I had was planning to propose, you would’ve stayed. And your plans, your dreams… I wanted you to have the chance to fulfill them.”

Your face crumpled. Eyebrows knitted, lower lip trembling. “I was miserable, Seungcheol,” you whispered, your eyes brimming with sorrowful tears. “I had to give you up to go after those dreams. But what I wanted—what I really wanted—was to start a life with you. I wanted kids, I wanted… everything.” 

“I’m sorry,” he choked out, lowering his gaze, feeling ashamed. “I wasn’t ready. You were right about that. I let myself get caught up in dumb things—I thought I wouldn’t be enough for you. That I couldn’t give you the life you deserved.” 

Seungcheol used to think that his mistakes were what led him to losing you. Slowly those mistakes turned into regrets. But when he looked at you now, he didn’t see mistakes. 

He saw the love of his life. The girl who had stolen his heart upon first sight. The one who made him feel alive, who made him feel like he was himself again. 

Reaching into the pocket of his sweats, he pulled out the small velvet box. His fingers trembled as he placed it in your hands again, wrapping your fingers around it. 

“You have always been the one I wanted,” he whispered, voice shaking, tears slipping freely now. “From the moment we met, I knew it was you. It’s always been you.”

You curled your fingers around the small box he placed in your hands, you looked at it for a second before lifting your gaze to meet his. 

He held on tighter, his eyes wide—fear flickering in them. “This is how sure I am,” he whispered. But if you decided to open that box right now, he wouldn’t hesitate. He was ready now.  

You raised the box in your hand, outlining the sides of the lid with the tip of your trembling fingers. The knot in your stomach tightened. “Not like this,” you whispered, lowering the box to your lap. “I don’t want you to propose to me like this,” you could barely bring yourself to mutter those words. 

The summer night breeze brushed the nape of your neck, cool against your heated skin. A slight shiver ran through you. And Seungcheol noticed. He always noticed. He looked at you longingly, as though seeing you in the back of his head too, a distant memory reverting him back to those uni days. It felt like a lifetime ago, yet somehow, his love for you hadn’t faded. 

Slowly, you reached out, cupping his cheek. Your cold thumb brushed away the tear that had slipped down his face. His breath hitched slightly at your touch, but he welcomed it. 

“I love you, Seungcheol,” you said, your voice barely holding back emotion. “But I want us to do it right. We still need to rebuild some things in our relationship before we take the next steps. Maybe… maybe we should wait a little.”

Seungcheol caught your wrist, pressing a long kiss to the center of your palm. “I want that too, baby.” He murmured, pressing another kiss there. “I want us to be stronger than we were before. Let’s wait, then.” 

“But only a little,” you added with a sweet, tearful giggle.  

His chest swelled at the sound. “You’re the boss,” he smiled, and it was that smile, soft at the corners, making his dark eyes gleam. It reminded you of every reason you had ever loved him. 

“Come on,” he said, standing up and slipping the box back into his pocket. “Let’s go home.” 

Home. 

For so long after you left him, that word had lost its meaning. You thought that you’d never get that feeling again with anyone else—the safety, the familiarity. There is no one you trusted more than him.

But you did now, you felt it again. 

You took his outstretched hand, rising to your feet too. Walking side by side through the park with him toward the apartment where you were building something new with him. Something stronger. 

You were home again. 

✧ author's note: life is funny because i started this draft on nov 9 2023 and so much has happened ever since. i thought i'd never understand what going through a painful breakup would feel like. but now i do. and i also know what moving on feels like. funny, huh?

this chapter was shorter than i initially planned though, i hope you guys enjoyed it (?) haha idk, it was really heavy on the angst and i let this draft sit for months and months i feel guilty about that

also, an addendum: in the previous chapter, jeonghan makes a reference to the fic city lights chapter 9 and lights out chapter 1 for those that may not know. for those who do know, i kind of skipped the timeline by a looooong mile haha. but idc, i just wanted the angst and to torture hannie w some heartache

anyway,

✧ STAY TUNED FOR PART SIX !! ✧

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