New year and comeback season always meant new looks and fresh things. However, this was not expected.

You were at home, as always. Christmas was a busy day for Hyunjin, away at SBS Gayo Daejeon performing and looking pretty for the cameras. It was routine, but you always enjoyed tuning in and seeing the talent from him and his group as they performed.

There was a red carpet to unveil looks, but you were preparing some food for dinner that night. Things were getting hectic in the kitchen and time passed you by.

But your phone started to buzz. And buzz. And buzz.

Unable to ignore the repeating notification noises, you stopped what you were doing to figure out what had your phone blowing up. Notifications from posts and texts from friends... what was happening?

Everyone was talking about Hyunjin. As normal as it was for him to get the world's attention, the sheer amount of notifications was concerning. Something was obviously going on.

So, you opened your feed. It didn't take more than a single scroll for the picture to hit your timeline. On the red carpet, looking sharp and stunning, was Hyunjin. Beautiful outfit, many piercings, eyebrow slit fresh.

Oh, and his head was completely shaved and dyed blonde.

You stared at your phone in shock for what felt like forever. The two second clip of him looking stunning for the cameras replayed over and over as your brain tried to pick up the pieces.

You knew he wouldn't have his phone on him and able to look at it for a bit, but that did not stop you from blowing up his texts. Nothing outrageous or upset, but a lot of spammed questions and confusion got the message across pretty well. It was the least you could do.

Reeling from the overwhelming knowledge of your boyfriend's look, you decided to put your phone down and get back to cooking. You had to take your mind off of it or you might go insane.

The whole time, all you could think about was him. How drastic it was, how hot he looked, the whole bit. Hwang Hyunjin was taking up your entire mind.

Any task that you tried to do seemed impossible to entirely focus on. Every moment had you wanting to grab your phone and scroll, finding every possible photo of him. Hyunjin being a world-famous idol did not make this any easier.

Giving in, you resigned to doom scrolling. If you weren't able to focus, you wouldn't get anything done. Might as well just drool over how good he looks, you thought.

When he finally got done with the show, he was able to text you back briefly. He returned your texts with spam of his own, a bunch of apologies and letting you know when he'd be back.

Waiting for him to come home seemed impossible. The performance that the group gave was phenomenal as always. However, nothing could prepare you for seeing the look in person. Time passed dreadfully slow.

As you had finished up dinner, you heard the door swing open. You turned around to see Hyunjin out of breath. He waved to you, a shy smile on his face as he hung up his coat and took off his shoes. He approached slowly, looking uncertain.

"Do you... like it?" He finally asked, his voice shaky and small.

Staring at him for a few seconds, you smiled and nodded. "Of course I do, but why didn't you tell me?"

"It was supposed to be a surprise! A Christmas gift, you know?" Hyunjin tried to explain, breathing still heavy from running, "I thought it was a really big change, and I was worried you'd say no."

You looked at him incredulously. "Why would I say no to you wanting to try something new?"

"I... don't know." Hyunjin climbed into a chair, tilting his head back and closing his eyes as he fully caught his breath.

You watched him for a few moments, quietly observing his new look for yourself. He looked stunning, his sharp features accentuated by the new hair and the piercings grabbing your eye.

Although, you had something on your mind. "Oh, your poor hair," You lamented jokingly, "If you had warned me, I would've cherished it more if I knew it was the last time I'd see it."

"Aish, you'll see it again," Hyunjin groaned, standing up and looking at you, "Just not for a while."

"You better grow it back out," You retorted, walking over and running your fingers through his soft, short hair.

Hyunjin grinned and shrugged his shoulders. "We'll see."

"Hwang Hyunjin."

"Okay, okay, sorry."

As you plated your dinner with him, you looked over and snickered. "God, you really do look like a chestnut. Changbin was right."

"What did he call me?" Hyunjin scoffed, "I'm not a chestnut."

"Chestnut, dumpling, flour boy. You're becoming the real grocery list."

His phone slipped from his hands as he let out a quiet, almost shaky laugh, his gaze dropping to the floor. “I don’t know… You know, I don’t always feel like I’m enough,” he admitted, his voice low.

Your heart clenched, and you sat up a little to take his hand, lacing your fingers with his. “Chris, stop,” you said firmly. “You’re more than enough. You’ve raised my standards so high I couldn’t even imagine anyone else. That’s why I said it – you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”  

He lifted his eyes to meet yours, wide and searching, and for a moment, he looked like he didn’t quite believe you. Then he gave a small, disbelieving laugh, a soft smile tugging at his lips. 

“Ruined you, huh?” he finally said, his tone teasing, but the slight break in his voice betrayed how deeply your words affected him. He reached out, cupping your face gently, his thumb brushing over your cheekbone. “You think I’d ever let that happen? There’s no ‘breaking up,’ alright? You’re stuck with me.”

You couldn’t help but smile at his response, but he wasn’t done. His voice softened, taking on a vulnerable edge as he added, “But… hearing you say that? It means everything to me. I just – I try so hard to be good for you, you know? To make sure you know how much I love you. So… thank you. For saying that.”

You reached up, placing your hand over his. “You don’t have to try. You just… are.”

He stared at you for a long moment, then leaned in and kissed you, slow and lingering, as if to say all the things words couldn’t. When he pulled back, his forehead rested against yours, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

It started like any other day. Jeongin had practice with the group, and you had work at your demanding job. He was stressed, but he’d kissed you goodbye that morning, promising to call you when he was free. You went to work feeling warm from the gesture, but as the hours passed, everything began to fall apart.

Your boss had been in a particularly bad mood, snapping at you over trivial mistakes. The girls in the office, who you knew were jealous of your relationship with Jeongin, whispered cruel things behind your back, loud enough for you to hear. By the time the day was over, you were emotionally drained and on the verge of tears.

You wanted nothing more than to call Jeongin. But you hesitated, not wanting to interrupt him at practice. You’d been told you were clingy before; you didn’t want him to think the same.

Jeongin, on the other hand, was having a nightmare of a day. Practice was grueling, and tensions were high among the members. Everyone was snippy, tired, and frustrated. Jeongin was trying to hold it together, but his patience was wearing thin.

His phone buzzed in his bag, but he ignored it, too overwhelmed to deal with anything else.

Your bad day turned worse when you stopped to pick up some groceries on the way home. That’s when a stranger approached you, his intentions anything but friendly.

“Hey there, gorgeous,” he said, stepping into your personal space.

You tried to brush him off politely, but he persisted. “Come on, don’t be like that. Just one drink.”

“I’m not interested,” you said firmly, but your voice wavered. He didn’t seem to care, following you down the street as panic bubbled in your chest.

You grabbed your phone and texted Jeongin.

“Innie, there’s a guy following me.”

“Innie, please answer. I’m scared.”

When he didn’t reply, you called him. Once. Twice. Ten times. Each time the call went unanswered, your panic grew. Finally, on the tenth call, he picked up.

“Innie!” you cried, your voice trembling. “Please, I—”

“What do you want?!” Jeongin’s voice was sharp, laced with irritation. “Y/N, I’m busy! Can’t you leave me alone for five minutes? He was right… You’re so clingy!”

The word cut through you like a knife.

“Innie,” you whispered, your voice breaking. “I… I’m sorry.”

He hung up before you could explain.

The tears you’d been holding back spilled over as you ducked into a nearby alley, your body shaking with sobs. You felt completely alone. Desperate, you called your best friend, who immediately came to pick you up.

Jeongin didn’t look at his phone again until hours later, when practice was finally over. He trudged home, exhaustion heavy in his limbs, and sank onto the couch, grabbing his phone to check his notifications.

When he saw your texts, his heart stopped.

“Innie, please answer. I need you.”

“Innie, there’s a guy following me.”

“I’m hiding. Please, Jeongin, help me.”

His stomach dropped. He immediately tried calling you, but your phone went straight to voicemail.

“Y/N, please,” he texted. “I’m so sorry. Please let me know you’re safe.”

Minutes later, his phone buzzed. But it wasn’t you.

“She’s safe,” your best friend texted. “But she doesn’t want to talk to you right now.”

Jeongin sank to the floor, guilt washing over him in waves. You had needed him—really needed him—and he had let you down. Worse, he had been cruel.

For days, Jeongin tried everything to make it up to you. He sent flowers to your best friend’s house, along with your favorite snacks and handwritten notes. But you didn’t respond. The silence was unbearable.

Then, finally, a text came through.

“I’m coming home. We need to talk.”

Jeongin paced the living room anxiously, his heart racing when he heard the door unlock. You stepped inside, your expression guarded, your eyes swollen from crying. He froze, guilt hitting him all over again.

“Y/N,” he said softly, his voice shaking. “I’m so sorry.”

You set your bag down but didn’t move closer. “You called me clingy. I… trusted you...”

His throat tightened. “I didn’t mean it. I was stressed, and I… I took it out on you. I was wrong. I should have answered. I should have been there for you.” His voice cracked. “I’m so sorry, Y/N. I’ll never forgive myself for letting you down.”

“You weren’t just not there,” you said, your voice trembling. “You hurt me, Jeongin. You said the one thing I was most afraid of hearing. Do you know how hard it was for me to reach out? And you…” Tears spilled down your cheeks. “You made me feel like I was too much. Again.”

“You’re not too much,” he said quickly, stepping closer but stopping when he saw you flinch. “You’re everything to me, Y/N. You’re the best thing in my life, and I ruined it. I’ll do anything to fix this. —whatever you need, I’ll do it. Just don’t leave me.”

You looked at him, torn between your love for him and the fear of being hurt again. “I don’t know if I can trust you not to do it again.”

Tears were streaming down his face. “I’ll prove it to you. I’ll spend the rest of my life proving it to you if that’s what it takes.” He reached for your hands but didn’t hold them, waiting for your permission. “Please, Y/N. Don’t give up on me.”

After a long moment, you let him take your hands. “I need time, Jeongin. I’m not ready to forgive you yet.”

“I’ll wait,” he whispered. “I’ll wait as long as it takes.”

In the weeks that followed, Jeongin kept his word. He communicated openly about his feelings, and never missed an opportunity to remind you how much you meant to him.

When you finally felt ready to come home, he held you in his arms like you were his entire world. Because to him, you were.

It wasn’t easy, but together, you rebuilt what had been broken—proving that love, when nurtured with care and effort, could overcome even the deepest wounds.