Kathy_Leen

“Sure, you helped me a lot in class before so this is the least I can do.” You smiled at the girl, reaching to grab the box she’s holding in her hands. You didn’t expect it to be heavy but thankfully you manage to not drop it.

“Thank you so much Y/n. I gotta go now, see you later!” She bids goodbye, running away to her practice. You sighed lightly, shaking your head at the girl. It takes you a while before you realized something.

“Wait who am I giving this to again?”

****

You forgot to ask her about who’s the box for, so you make your own assumption and go straight to the auditorium, where the performance will be held. You opened the door, expecting to see someone but just to your luck, no one is there. You step inside, hoping to catch someone inside, not realizing that there’s actually someone behind you as you’re looking around the auditorium.

“Woah there!”

You bumped into someone and almost dropped the box. You managed to catch it just in time, and the other person with you also reached out to catch the box, your hands brushing against each other. You flinch slightly, feeling the electric touch before looking up at the person. You almost gasped at how handsome he looks. You can’t believe there’s someone this good looking and you’ve never met him before. You snapped out of it when you hear him chuckle.

“I’m so sorry, I didn’t see where I was going.” You apologized. He laughed while shaking his head. God he’s cute.

“No no I shouldn’t have stood right behind you anyways. It’s also my fault.” He said. Now that you look at him more closely , he has a tall body and he gives off a very comfortable aura. “May I ask who you are and what you’re doing here?” He asked, breaking your inner analysis of him. You looked down, too nervous to look at him.

“Uh-someone told me to give this box to someone. I don’t know who should receive this but she said this is a box of equipments?” You explained. His eyes lit up and he beamed at you, making a hand gesture that he knows what you mean.

“Ah, I think you’re looking for me. See, I asked someone to bring the equipments for the lighting.” He then took the box from your hands, putting it on the floor and opened it. Sure enough, it is filled with lighting equipments.

“Oh, well I didn’t expect to find you so easily.” You sheepishly admitted. “So you’re in charge of the lightings for the performance then?” You asked, making sure you’re on the right track. He nodded his head, explaining that he’s actually the lighting director. He then grabbed the box again and lift it up, looking at you.

“Well I gotta go deal with the lightings now. You don’t have to stay here any longer. Not like there’s anything to do here.” Just as he’s about to walk away, without thinking you blurted out, “Can I stay here with you? I wanna see how you do it.”

You groaned internally, feeling embarrassed. What were you thinking?! You’re just going to slow down his progress if you stay with him. Not wanting to bother the boy, you immediately take your words back.

“On second thought I don’t wanna bother you. You’re probably busy as it is and I’m just going to be in your way so I’m gonna go now-“

“I don’t mind.” He replied, stopping you from leaving. You look at him, unsure whether he means it or not. He noticed, and gave you a reassuring look that honestly could make you melt right there and then if possible. “I’ll be alone anyways so you can keep me company. Maybe I can show you how things work too if you want.” He suggested. Feeling like you couldn’t miss out this opportunity, you agreed to stay.

He took you upstairs and started putting away the equipments from the box. He showed you how to put the lights, how to adjust it, and you listened to him. You sometimes asked him about something and he gladly answered you. You don’t know this, but he feels happy that you’re actually listening and not just half-heartedly. You paid attention to what he’s saying, even helped him adjust the other lights.

“You know, I still haven’t gotten your name.” He suddenly said, making you stopped what you’re doing.

“Ah I haven’t told you?” You awkwardly laughed, and he finds it endearing for some reason. “My name is Y/n. What about you?”

“I’m Youngjae. It’s nice to meet you Y/n.” The way he said your name has got your brain to short circuit. “Well I think we’re done for today. We’ve checked the lights so it should be good already.” You heard him say, and you can’t help but feel a bit disappointed that you have to say goodbye to him.

You’re reluctant to leave as he’s busy gathering his belongings. You don’t want to seem like you’re trying to stick close to him (even though you really want to befriend him) so you decided that leaving now is for the best.

“Hey, I’m just gonna go to my class. I left my bag there so I should go grab it and go home.” You said to him. He glanced at you, pausing for a bit.

“Oh do you want to go together? I can walk you home too if you want. It’s getting late already and I don’t feel comfortable with the idea of you walking alone.” He offered, his eyes look genuine. You feel flustered, too nervous to reply so you opted to nod your head instead. He grins at you and sped up his movements. Once he’s done, you both walk towards your classroom.

“Hey, you’re classroom is actually right next to mine.” He commented. Your eyes widen, suprised at the fact that he’s been near you this entire time.

You quickly went inside your classroom and packed your bag. Once you’re done, you turned to Youngjae, who’s waiting for you while leaning against the doorframe.

“Should we go now?”

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The walk to your house is a bit awkward, none of you are talking. You desperately try to think of a topic to talk to him.

“So…why were you alone? I thought there would be others who should help you?” You asked, glancing at him. He looked at you, slightly surprised that the silence is broken.

“Ah, well some of them are either busy with their homeworks or straight up just go home immediately after school ends.” He answered, feeling annoyed that he almost had to do everything himself because none of them were willing to help him. “That’s why I’m thankful that you helped me earlier. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t be getting it done this fast.”

You could feel your ears turning red, feeling giddy that he found you helpful.

“I don’t mind helping you again if you want.” You offered.

“Eh? You don’t have to, it’s fine really.” He insisted, he doesn’t want you to feel like you have to help him.

“No no, really I want to help you. Doing it alone would’ve been exhausting so it’s better to have more people, am I right?” You grin at him, satisfied at your answer. He sighed playfully, before accepting your offer.

“Actually, I wanna ask you something.”

You look at him, curious at what he has to say.

“Do you know Kim Chaerin? If I’m not mistaken she’s in the same class as you.”

You feel your heart drop, processing his words. Ah, of course he knows Chaerin. She was the one who asked you to give the box to Youngjae, she was the reason why you can meet Youngjae.

‘Of course…she’s very pretty and kind after all. It’s no wonder that he’s interested in her.’ You thought sadly. Wait, why are you thinking like this? He’s free to like anyone, and it’s none of your business since you’re not even close with him.

“Oh yeah I know her. Actually she was the one who asked me to deliver the box to you.” You can see his eyes lit up and he smiles wider. So you’re right, he does have a crush on her.

“Really? I didn’t know that. She must be busy with her practice huh? She should have taken it easy. Are you close with her?” He asked, wanting to know more about Chaerin.

“I wouldn’t say I’m close with her, but I do know some things about her.”

“Then can you please tell me about her preferences? I’m thinking of taking her somewhere to help her relax. She’s been stressed lately so I wanted to cool her down for a bit.” He rambles, while you listen and nod your head from time to time. You tell him what you know about her as he mentally keeps notes about the informations.

Eventually you reached your home, halting your conversation with Youngjae. You cleared your throat, and face him.

“Well this is my home. Thank you for walking with me Youngjae.” You thanked him, giving him a smile.

“No problem. Rest up, don’t stay up too late ok? See you tomorrow Y/n” he waved goodbye before walking away from your house. You stayed there until you can’t see him anymore. You sigh, dropping your bag on the floor and plop on your bed.

‘Why am I so sad at the fact that he likes Chaerin? Isn’t it a good thing that he likes someone so perfect as her?’ You asked yourself, groaning as the answer didn’t pop out in your head. You decided to not think about it any longer and take a shower.

****

You run towards the auditorium, almost bumping into another student. You yelped out a quick apology and continue to run.

‘How did I forget that I promised to help Youngjae?’

You keep running until you finally arrive. You take a minute to calm your breath before entering. There, you could see Youngjae already there.

“You’re actually here again. Are you ok? You look tired.” He went up to you, worried. You blinked, then let out a laugh sheepishly.

“I’m fine, I just ran here…”

“Why did you run? You could always take your time, there’s no need to rush.” He said slightly scolding you, grabbing a water bottle and giving it to you. “Here, have some water.”

You looked at him, then at the water bottle, then him again. Is he offering his drink? To you? Can this boy be any more of a gentleman than this???

“T-thank you…” you accepted his drink. You nervously drink the water and he smiles at you.

You then help Youngjae with his tasks. While helping him, you mindlessly started humming your favorite song quietly.

“Is that (song name)?”

You jumped, not expecting him to hear you.

“Yeah, it’s one of my favorite songs.” He gasped, his demeanor changing into excitement.

“No way, I also like this song! What other songs do you listen to?” Turns out, you have a lot in common with him. You both like the same songs, favorite artists, movies, that you both just instantly clicked with each other and conversations are pouring naturally. You both laugh over each other jokes and it went on until Youngjae declared today’s task is complete.

Now, you find yourself walking with Youngjae to your house. But instead of an awkward walk, you both manage to continue your conversation from earlier.

“Haha, he actually said that?” You asked while laughing.

“Yes! It was so funny I almost couldn’t keep myself from standing.” You laughed harder at that comment. Everything feels right at the moment and you’re content with this.

“Do you want to exchange numbers? You’re really fun to talk to and I consider you as my friend.” He asked you. You locked eyes with him, heart beating a little faster knowing that he wants to exchange numbers with you.

“Sure, why not? I see you as my friend too.”

Ever since then, both start to fall into a routine, after school is over, you go to help Youngjae, and after you’re done he walks you home. You start to see him often in school too, greeting whenever you pass each other, eating lunch together with him whenever the canteen is crowded. Because of that, you get to meet his close friends too, Dohoon and Jihoon. There’s never a dull moment with those two, you and Youngjae often laugh together at their antics.

It’s mostly fun, but there are times where you find yourself staring at Youngjae more often and how you notice a lot of little details about him. How he likes to clean up his messes immediately when he spills something, how he likes to cover his mouth whenever he laughs, how he makes hand gestures to make him look more animated when he talks. You find him endearing and cute, but you can’t help but ask yourself, since when have you been paying attention to these kind of things about him?

It certainly doesn’t help when he asks for your help in order to get close to Chaerin. You often feel a pang in your heart every time he talks about her. You also notice how he sounds so lively when he talks about her. You feel jealous of her, wanting to be the one who he talks about. You always brush this thoughts off, and willing to help him with her.

****

One day, as you are walking towards the auditorium, you hear noises inside. Curious, you tried to listen, bringing your ear closer to the door. The longer you listen, the more you realize that it’s the sound of someone’s sniffling quietly, as if trying to keep it down to not be noticed by anyone. You quietly open the door, and look for the source of the sound.

You froze when you find yourself looking at Youngjae, who is sitting on the floor. Worried, you slowly walk towards him.

“Youngjae?”

His breath hitched, quickly rubbing his eyes to wipe his tears away before looking at you. He tried to smile at you, but seeing your worried expression made him falter, eyes watery again.

“Ah…Y/n…you’re a bit early than usual.” He said lowly, trying to not make it sound like he just cried. Of course you saw right through him, deciding to sit next to him.

“Youngjae…are you ok?” Those three words are the last straw as he let out a sob. You pulled him into a hug, rubbing his back in circle, letting him cry for a little longer. You feel him slowly hugging you back, head hiding in shoulder as he cries. You both stayed that way until he finally calms down. He pulled away gently from you, eyes slightly red.

“Do you want to talk about it?” You asked in a low voice. He hesitated, but opened his mouth anyways.

“I-it’s just…it’s been a bad day. I woke up late today, and then I was scolded by the teacher in front of the class. After that, I realized that I left my book in my house and I was scolded again. I also forgot to bring my wallet so I couldn’t buy lunch, I couldn’t find Dohoon and Jihoon too… and after classes ended I went to talk to the ones who are supposed to help me but they refused to listen to me…” he explained.

He usually never lets something like this bothers him, but with the amount of wrong things happening today, he feels drained and stressed. You understand him, knowing that he had it rough.

“I know it’s silly to let these things affect me like this…” you cut him off, not wanting him to feel bad for something he couldn’t possibly have control over.

“Youngjae, it’s perfectly fine to feel that way. You must’ve been stressed from today and your duties but you still managed to overcome it. You’re really strong, but it’s ok to let yourself cry. It’s better to let it all out, and look…” you try to make him look at you. “You’ve cried and talked it out with me. Doesn’t it make you feel lighter now?” You said, comforting him.

He looked at you, and you’re right. He feels a lot better now that he lets it go, no longer bottling up his feelings. He laughs weakly, eyes looking at yours. Have your eyes always shined so brightly?

“Yeah…thank you for listening to me.” He thanked you, his voice filled with gratitude towards you.

“No problem, what are friends for?” You replied back. His chest suddenly feels tighten after that comment, feeling discomfort over it. He shakes it off, brushing it as an after effect from crying earlier.

“Now come on, follow me.” You said, grabbing his hand and pulled him with you. He’s surprised, but luckily managed to balance himself.

“Where are we going?” He asked, raised an eyebrow at you. You turned slightly to look at him and gave him a grin. “You said you didn’t eat lunch, so I’m buying you food now.”

His eyes widen, you’re offering to buy him lunch?

“You don’t have to! Really, I’ll be fine.” He tried to convince you otherwise, but you’re being stubborn and refuse to listen to him.

You then forced him to pick anything he wants, waiting for him to pick something. Reluctantly, he chose something and you paid for his food. He couldn’t stop thanking you, saying how he’ll pay you back tomorrow but you refused and instead told him to eat.

“You know…I’m really thankful for you.” He said after shallowing his food. You sighed jokingly.

“Aish, you don’t need to keep thanking me, it’s just lunch-“he cut you off.

“No, not that. Well yes that too, but thank you for earlier…for lending me your ears and shoulder…” he said, hiding his face with his hands as he felt his face getting warmer. You smiled at him, and he couldn’t help but stare at you for a moment.

“Your welcome. Like I said, that’s what friends are for.”

****

“You like him don’t you?”

You snapped your head towards Dohoon, who’s already looking at you. You, Dohoon and Jihoon are sitting together while looking at Youngjae talking to Chaerin.

“What are you talking about? I don’t like him.” Jihoon let out a laugh, but quickly stop when he realizes you were serious.

“Wait seriously? You’re actually serious?” You rolled your eyes, giving an unimpressed look.

“Why do you think I like him? I only think of him as a friend. Besides..” you glance at Youngjae, who seemingly made a joke based on Chaerin’s reaction who’s laughing. “…he’s interested in someone else. Which is good because I’m sure Chaerin is a good person and they look good together.” It sounded forced from the way you said it.

“She may be nice, but is she really the one for him?” Dohoon questioned. He knew from the way you look at Youngjae and the way you act around him. Even though you don’t realize it, he knows that you care deeply for Youngjae, and he can’t help but wanting to support you. Jihoon also realized this, as he once saw you buying watermelons for Youngjae when he was feeling down.

“You know you have a chance right? He might be interested in her, but his feelings can change.” Jihoon helped Dohoon make a point. They both want to see you happy, they don’t want you to give on your feelings.

“Seriously guys, I don’t like him that way. We’re just friends, nothing more.” You still denied, refusing to acknowledge the reason why your heart aches when you only mentioned him as a friend.

The two boys could only sigh and let you be. They decided to change the topic into something lighter. Your eyes still drawn towards Youngjae from time to time, but look away when he slightly leans towards Chaerin to pat her head.

You don’t know why they keep saying that, your relationship with Youngjae is purely platonic. And you’re also helping him to get closer with Chaerin. Still, it confuses you that sometimes your heart feels like it wants something more.

It is only after this one day that you can’t ignore your feelings anymore, finally realizing why you’ve been feeling drawn to Youngjae and hurt whenever he talks about Chaerin.

“Hey Y/n, wait for me!”

You stopped walking, waiting for Youngjae to catch up.

“Please tell me you’re free tomorrow.” You raised an eyebrow at this, confused at his words. Since tomorrow is Saturday and you’ve done your homework, you have nothing to do.

“Yeah I am. Why?” You asked.

He looked around, making sure no one would be able to hear him before leaning towards you, which made your heart skipped a beat.

“Do you want to come with me to a cafe I’ve found out recently?” He whispered, and you blushed, not expecting him to ask you out-

“I want to know whether it’ll be a perfect place to come with Chaerin, and I really need your opinion about this.” Hearing this broke your heart, and also embarrassed that you assumed unnecessary things. Why would he ask you out? Heck, why would you even assume that in the first place?

“Oh uh…sure, why not.” You said weakly, though it seems like he didn’t notice, too busy with his little celebration.

****

“Woah, this place looks cute.” You commented, looking around in awe. The cafe that Youngjae mentioned has pastel colors, and the atmosphere feels warm. “How did you find this place?” You asked, turning to look at him.

He’s wearing a white shirt with a blue top, his sleeve rolled up to his elbows. He even styled his hair to look even nicer than usual, which honestly makes you fangirling inside over how attractive he looks.

“I was just scrolling on instagram when I stumbled upon a video about this place.” He shrugged, also looking around.

“I think I’m going to come to you for places recommendations from now on. You have great taste.” You giggled. You both found a place to sit and a waitress came to your table to give out the menu.

“Here’s the menu. And we have a special menu for couples if you’re interested.” You blushed at her words. Do you guys look like a couple in their eyes?

“Oh no, we’re actually just friends.” He explained, and your flustered demeanor shifted into disappointment. The waitress, embarrassed, apologizes for assuming. You and Youngjae then placed your orders and the waitress went away.

“When I was looking at the menu, I had a really hard time choosing. Everything looks so good here.” You said, trying to forget the incident.

“Same here, I really want to try everything here.” He said, laughing that you both have the same dilemma. You both continued to talk and joke around until the waitress is back with your orders.

You looked at your food and drinks, mouth open at how aesthetic it looks and definitely instagram-able. You take out your phone and click a quick photo of your order. You hear him chuckle, looking up from from your phone.

“What? This looks so good I almost feel bad for eating it.” You pouted at him. He shook his head and you both dig in. You’re enjoying your food so much, you didn’t realize that some of it is stuck in the corner of your mouth. Youngjae noticed though, and grabbed a tissue.

“Y/n, look here for a second.” You looked at him, and then stiffen up when he leaned forward to clean your face. You’re hoping that your blush isn’t too visible, and it seems like Youngjae snapped out of it, immediately pulled away.

“S-sorry, there was some food on your face…” he explained. You nodded your head, thanking him and went back to finishing your food. Your heart is still beating a little faster after that.

After you’re both done, you went to the cashier to pay. You were about to offer to split the bill, but Youngjae beat you to it, paying for the both of you.

“Eh? Youngjae, you don’t have to pay for me, we could’ve split the bill.” You said, feeling guilty that he paid for you. He just gave you a reassuring look.

“It’s ok, it’s my treat. Consider it as a thank you for coming with me today. I asked for your help after all.”

Oh. Right…the reason why he asked you to come is because he wants to check out the place to come with Chaerin…

“So what do you think? Do you think she’ll like it?”

You snapped out of your thoughts, quickly nodding your head.

“Y-yeah, she’ll definitely like this place. It’s a nice place, and the food is delicious. Not to mention, the service is good too.” You explained, giving your opinion to him. He nodded his head, happy to find a nice place.

“Do you mind staying with me for a little longer? I also want to bring her somewhere around this area.” You agreed, and you find yourself walking with him in a crowded street. You didn’t know that this place is so popular, and you almost trip while bumping into someone.

Youngjae noticed your struggle, and without thinking, he put his arm around you, pulling you closer to him and shielding you from people around you. You’re getting shy at the contact, but couldn’t help but feel safe in his arm. He guided you both to a store nearby and enter the place.

“Sorry, I didn’t think it would be so crowded.” He sheepishly scratched the back of his neck. You then noticed that you’re in a store full of cute items.

“Hey, I think you can bring her to this store. It’s full of cute stuff, and you can buy her something from here.” You suggested. His mouth made an ‘o’ shape, approving your suggestion. You both decided to check out the items. You occasionally showed Youngjae some of the characters you both know, and playfully wear silly glasses to make him laugh.

While putting away some silly accessories, your eyes caught a really cute bracelet on display. You wanted to buy it, but deciding that maybe it’ll be a waste of money to spend it on a bracelet. You stared at the bracelet for a little longer before you hear Youngjae calls for you.

“Y/n! Look here, isn’t this your favorite character?” You hurriedly come to his side to see what he’s showing you, smiling widely when he remembers it right.

You went around the area, occasionally went inside the stores that seemed interesting until the sky was getting darker.

“I’m sorry for keeping you this late. I guess time flies when you’re enjoying your time.” He said.

“It’s alright, we both had fun today and that’s all that matters.” You replied. “So are you planning to actually bring Chaerin here then?” You asked. He nods his head, smiling softly. You feel like you can stare at his face for eternity, but for some reason, you feel something out of place, like something is hurting.

“….so why do you Chaerin?” You covered your mouth after that, not expecting yourself to blurt of that question.

“Hmm? Well, she’s just so nice and kind to everyone around her. She doesn’t have to, but still she makes an effort to make everyone around her happy and I really admire that trait of her.” The way he talks about her is so sweet, and he had this fond look on his face.

“Did you know that I actually met her through Dohoon? Apparently she’s friends with him and then he introduced her to me and Jihoon. It’s almost like a ‘love at first sight’ moment you know?” Your heart ached even more the more you listen to him.

“I want to be able to help her, to be by her side whenever she needs it. She’s nice to everyone but I think she needs someone to be nice to her too. Too be someone to rely on.” That’s how you feel around Youngjae too…

“I want to dedicate my time to her, to show her that she means a lot to me.” Ah…you don’t think you can go back to be clueless about your feelings anymore.

“I really like her.”

‘And I really like you.’

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“Dohoon…” you sobbed through the phone. You had just gotten back from your hang out with Youngjae, and after entering your room, you immediately broke down. You didn’t know who else to talk to about this and ultimately decided to call Dohoon.

“Y/n? What’s wrong? Are you ok?” He asked, worried after hearing you cry. He typed a quick text to Jihoon, telling him about the situation. “Do you want me and Jihoon to come over? Can you please tell us your address?”

It didn’t take them too long to arrive at your house, and immediately comforted you. You couldn’t stop yourself from crying, Dohoon and Jihoon both are by your side, letting you cry.

“Y-you guys were right…” they look confused, wondering what you’re talking about. “I really like him…” ah, so you finally acknowledge it.

“How did you…realize your feelings for him?” Jihoon asked softly. You sniffled, before answering him.

“Youngjae asked me to come with him to a place he recently found…he wanted my opinion if that’ll be a good place to bring Chaerin…” Jihoon looks at Dohoon, knowing where this was going.

“A-and we went other places too…and when he was talking about her…I realized that I feel the same way he feels towards her…” your eyes watered again, looking at them both.

“I like him…but I can’t…he likes someone else.” Both of the boys hugged you, and you pulled them closer.

“Of course you can like him. I know it must be hard, but his feelings can still change.” Dohoon said, but you shook your head.

“I’ve seen how he looks whenever he’s talking about her. He looks so fond of her and it’s like she’s the one who makes things brighter for him. I don’t want to ruin that for him.” Your voice wavered, but stopped yourself from crying again.

“I don’t think…I can face him after this.” Both of them look at you bewildered. “If I see his face I won’t be able to move on from this feeling. I think I need space…” while the two boys wanted to deny that, that you didn’t need to go that far, they know that it’s your decision and they respected it. They offered to stay with you for a little longer and use their time there to cheer you up. You’re thankful to have such wonderful friends.

****

Youngjae is confused. School has already ended, but there are no signs of you. He waited for a little longer, but you never showed up. Reluctantly he started to do his tasks alone. While he’s rearranging the lights position, he heard the door open. Thinking that it’s you, he darted towards the door, about to ask why you’re late before stopping abruptly. In front of him is not you, but Jihoon and Chaerin.

“Hellooo, we’re asked to help you by Y/n so here we are~” Jihoon said, and Yongjae furrowed his eyebrows. Where are you? Why aren’t you here? Are you sick?

“Oh? Aren’t you both supposed to be practicing the choreography?” Youngjae asked, still confused.

“Nah, practice went well today so we decided to end it early. Look, Chaerin is here to help you too.” Jihoon said, but his voice had a hint of something that he couldn’t quite decipher.

“Well…thank you for coming here…do you know where Y/n is though? I haven’t seen her at all today.” He saw Jihoon tensed up, and he quickly grew suspicious.

“She said she’s busy with her homework so she can’t help you today.” He replied, looking away. He then asked Youngjae about what to do and Youngjae eventually continued his tasks with their help. Chaerin approached Youngjae, who was just finished with the lights.

“I didn’t know you were close with Y/n. So she’s been helping you this whole time?” She asked, tilting her head. He looked at her who’s smiling at him. Normally he would grow flustered that she’s talking to him, but he couldn’t shake off the feeling that something is wrong.

“Yeah, no one was willing to help me so she offered instead.” He replied, looking away from her.

“Well I hope that she’s doing fine. I don’t know why but she looks a little down today.” That gained his attention, you’re not feeling well? Why didn’t you tell him?

“Really? I didn’t know that..” he muttered to himself. Time passed by and his thoughts from earlier got pushed back, focusing on his tasks and also the girl who’s diligently helping him. He sneaked glances at her, clearing his throat out of nervousness.

“So…are you free this Saturday?” He asked nervously but hides it well with his nonchalant act. She thought for a moment, before nodding her head.

“Do you want to go to a cafe? I don’t know if you’ve been there or not, but regardless it’s a nice place.” Interested, she immediately agreed, expressing her excitement about their plans. Jihoon was looking at the scene unfold from afar, feeling conflicted. He noticed that Youngjae looked a bit absent, even when talking to Chaerin. He didn’t know how Youngjae feels, but whatever’s the outcome, he promised himself that he’ll support Youngjae’s decision and if he ultimately doesn’t have feelings for you, then he’ll comfort and help you until you’ll get over it.

‘I just hope for both of them to be happy.’

****

Days have passed and still Youngjae hasn’t been able to see you. It’s like you’re avoiding him for some reason. He wondered if he’s done something wrong, but he couldn’t think of anything. He tried asking Dohoon and Jihoon, but they refused to tell him.

It has been making him feel uneasy, eyes constantly looking around hoping to spot you, even for a glimpse but never found you. Originally he wanted to give you space, but you haven’t said anything to him, texts are also ignored by you. He overthinks it a lot to the point where he’s having a hard time sleeping, so he decided to try to come to your class.

He approached your classroom, only to be disappointed that you’re nowhere to be found. Did you have lunch already? With who? Why didn’t you come looking for him?

Lost in thought, he didn’t notice Chaerin approaching him.

“Hey Youngjae. It’s unusual for you to be here. Are you looking for someone?” She asked him, startling him. Now that he thinks about it, he’s never gone to this classroom before. He never thought to approach this classroom even to search for Chaerin, so why so suddenly?

It is because he wants to know how you’re doing? It has been a while since you last talk with each other…yeah it’s because he’s worried about you.

“Chaerin…have you seen Y/n? It’s been a few days and I’m getting worried about her..” she gave him a worried look.

“Sorry I only saw her dashing off somewhere as soon as lunch break came. I can try talking to her later? I’ll tell her that you want to talk to her.” She offered, and he thanked her for her concern.

“By the way, we’re still going to meet up on Saturday right?” She said, changing the topic when she noticed the gloomy air around Youngjae. That seemed to make him perked up slightly, nodding his head.

“Yeah, unless you changed your mind?” She shook her head, telling him that she’s still excited to be able to hang out with him. He laughed and continue the conversation, though there’s still something out of place in his heart. Why isn’t he as excited as he thought he’ll be?

From then on, the feeling of uneasiness continues to plague his heart, unable to shake it off. Chaerin approached him again, but she only said that Y/n was feeling down the weather and wasn’t in the mood to talk to anyone.

He understands, and he tries to give her space, but he can’t help but misses you. It’s been a while since you joke with him, tell him stories about your day, about the new drama you’re recently start watching. He still have his friends by his side, but there’s this loneliness that seeps through his heart.

After school ends he hoped that today you’ll show up, hoped that you’ll finally tell him your problems and let him help you. Isn’t he your friend? Why aren’t you letting him help you?

Of course each time he is met with silence, no one to accompany him in the auditorium.

He noticed how you’re slipping away from him. He thought he’s being dramatic, it hasn’t even been a week since he last saw you, but the feeling of loneliness, the feeling of frustration for not being able to help you, fear of slowly loosing you were getting unbearable.

Which is why now he’s running around the school, desperate to find you. He’s out of breath, legs wanting to give up but he refused to let that stop him, not until he’s found you. As if his persistence has been acknowledged, he finally found you walking upstairs towards the rooftop. Without warning, he grabbed your hand, surprising you, and pulled you to the rooftop. Once you both arrive, he took quick breaths before looking at you.

“Are you ok? Did I do something wrong? Why are you avoiding me?” He asked, voice desperate to know the reason for your behavior. He finally found you, he should be relieved, but the sight of you trying to avoid his gaze is enough to break his heart.

“Ah…Youngjae…sorry I’m a bit busy right now.” You said, trying to leave but he held your hand tighter, not enough to hurt you but enough to make you stay.

“Why…Y/n you know you can talk to me right? If I did something wrong tell me. I’ll stop whatever’s making you uncomfortable. Just please don’t avoid me.” He begged. He misses you so bad, he’s willing to do anything to make you stay.

“Youngjae please let me go…” you said.

“Y/n please…”

“LET ME GO!” He let your hand go in an instant, not expecting you to shout. It is only now that he realized that you’re crying.

“Y/n why are you crying? Did-did I hurt you? I’m so sorry, here let me-“

“Youngjae.”

He stopped, hand reaching out to you but eventually let it drop to his side.

“Why can’t you just leave me alone? Don’t you know it’s been hard for me to see you?” Your voice trembling, and he wanted nothing more but to comfort you.

“Why are so so persistent? You already have Chaerin, why can’t you let me get over my feelings?”

“What? What’s this has to do with Chaerin? What feelings? What are you talking about?” He asked, not getting what you’re trying to say. You slapped your hand over your mouth, as if you’ve said something you shouldn’t.

“N-no it’s nothing. I was just saying random things….I gotta go..” you hurriedly run back downstairs, leaving him alone once again. He’s standing there, replaying what just happened in his head.

‘What about Chaerin? Why are you sad? I don’t understand…’

****

Saturday arrived way faster than he thought, and before he knew it, he’s already sitting down with Chaerin with menus in their hands.

“Wow there’s so many food here. Everything looks delicious, I can’t decide.” Chaerin said, eyes scanning the menu.

“I know right? Y/n also said the same thing. If you like sweets you can try-“

“Oh? You’ve been here with Y/n before?” He stopped flipping the menu. He looked at Chaerin who’s looking at him curiously.

‘Why did I suddenly mention her? This is supposed to be about me and Chaerin…’

“Oh, yeah we went together here last week…” he admitted. She made an ‘aah’ sound, and proceeded to give their orders to the waitress. She animatedly talked about something but his mind was somewhere else. He couldn’t focus on what she’s saying, but still forced himself to listen to her.

Not long after, the waitress came back with their orders. Youngjae noticed something similar and then chuckled.

“Haha, you know this you actually ordered the same dish as Y/n last time we came here.” He shared, remembering the time.

“Then it’s must be good then. Come on, let’s eat!” Chaerin clapped her hand, and they both ate their food while keeping small talks. After they’re done, Youngjae paid for the both of them and walked away from the cafe.

“Do you want to go to that store? I think you’ll fine something you’d like there.” Youngjae said, pointing at the familiar store. She nodded her head and walked together.

“Look Youngjae! Isn’t this cute?” Chaerin exclaimed, pointing to one of the keychains. Youngjae looked at what she’s pointing, and chuckled.

“It is. I wonder if I should buy it for Y/n, she really likes this character after all.” He quietly mumbled to himself, but Chaerin heard him.

“You should buy it for her then! Give it to her as a gift! After all, you like her don’t you?” He froze, eyes widening in shock as he looked at her.

“What…?”

“What’s wrong? Am I wrong…? Sorry, I’ve always assumed that you have feelings for her because you always search for her and talk about her.” She said, feeling embarrassed thinking she’s been seeing the signs wrong.

But Youngjae didn’t respond to her, still processing what she just said. Him? Always talking about Y/n? That’s not right…he always talks about Chaerin, it’s her that he likes. So why…

‘Why do I keep mentioning Y/n, thinking about her when I’m alone with Chaerin?’

Chaerin noticed his silent behavior, and gently grabbed his attention. He flinched, and looked at her slightly confused and in distress. She gave him a knowing smile.

“Why don’t we talk about this somewhere else?”

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“This is for you.” Youngjae held out a drink for her to take. She thanked him as he quietly sat beside her. They opened their drinks and drink in silence. Eventually Chaerin decided to break the silence by asking a question.

“What do you think about Y/n?”

Still feeling unsure, he hesitantly replies, “She’s…a great person…she’s kind, willing to help others even when she doesn’t have to….and also a good listener…but she can be sensitive too….”

Chaerin them asked him another question. “And how do you feel about her?”

Another question that made his heart beat a little faster, like it’s trying to tell him something. He took a deep breath, closing his eyes as he thinks carefully.

What he thinks about you? You’re a good friend, always lend your ears to listen to him. Help him when he’s in a pickle, comfort him when he needs it. You’re always bright, manages to make his day better just by looking at you. Being by your side, is always the highlight of his day. Ever since you help him with his lighting director duties, he can’t help but keep looking forward to spend time with you, to get to know you better. He feels…

“I feel…comfortable with her. I feel like she’s always making my days brighter than before, I feel validated, safe, happy, curious…I feel a lot of emotions towards her. I want to know more about her, how she feels, what she likes, her little habits, everything.” He paused, looking for the words to explain his feelings.

“She always helps me, she listens to me…she makes an effort to make sure that I’m doing well…but lately…I don’t think I’ve been a good friend to her.” He paused again, and when he continues, his voice cracks a little.

“I don’t know why…but she’s been avoiding me. I tried to talk to her, but I made her cry instead.” He could feel his eyes starts to water.

“It feels frustrating, not knowing why she doesn’t want to see me. It’s suffocating when I realized she’s avoiding me. I want to help her, really! I can’t stand seeing her sad, I want to take her pain away, I want to shoulder it with her, but-“ he chokes, tears finally running down his face as he cries, can’t bottle the overwhelming emotions anymore. He hid his face with his hands, too embarrassed to show his face.

“I just want her to be happy. I want her to keep smiling, I want to brighten up her days just as she always does to me. I want her to trust me, I want to be able to comfort her when she needs it, I want to hold her close, I-“ he gasped, suddenly sitting up straight, looking ahead in a daze as tears still falling.

“…I like her…I really really like Y/n…”

How could he be so clueless? How did he not realize this sooner? The signs were right in front of him, how he always finds you cute when you laughs, finding you endearing when you talk about your favorite book, how he subconsciously looks for you when he’s walking in the hallway, how his heart always skipped a beat when you’re looking at him with your bright eyes.

Chaerin pat his shoulder in attempt to comfort him. So she thought right, Youngjae does like you. She wondered why he had asked her to hang out with him, and now she knew the answer, and she wanted to help him realize his feelings.

“I know feelings can be complicated, but you’ll understand them and you’ll learn how to embrace them. But now that you finally understand them, what are you going to do now?”

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Youngjae had walked Chaerin back to her house. She thanked him for inviting her and went separate ways. Now, he’s lying on his bed, staring at the ceiling. His hand holding onto a bracelet he bought last week. The same bracelet that you had eyes on.

“Can you wait here for a sec? I think I left something inside.”

“Hm? Sure, just be quick or I’ll leave you alone to explore the rest of the stores.” You threatened playfully, giving him a smile.

He rushed back inside and looked for the thing that you’re interested in. He noticed how you looked at the bracelet, and since you didn’t want to buy it even though you clearly liked it, he might as well buy if for you. He found the bracelet and reached out to grab it. He took it to the cashier, looking up in confusion when he heard the cashier giggling.

“Are you buying this as a surprise for your girlfriend?” He slightly blushed, shaking his head.

“No no we’re just friends. We’re just…hanging out today.” The cashier hummed, not trusting him. After he’s done paying, he hid the bracelet in his pocket.

‘Why did I have the urge to buy this for her? It’s not like I’m dating her…this is just a friendly gift…’ he thought to himself, walking up to you with the bracelet still in his pocket.

Now that he thinks about it, he feels even more stupid. He should’ve realized his feelings sooner. Maybe if he did, you wouldn’t have to feel hurt. If he had done something about his feeling, maybe you’d be more open to him.

He was so infatuated about Chaerin, that he denied feeling strong emotions towards you. He ignored it, refusing to acknowledge it, afraid that it might ruin your friendship. Little did he know, by doing this he let you slip away.

He looks at the bracelet, dangling from his hand. He wanted to approach you, but he wouldn’t be able to do that because you’re dead set on avoiding him. He sighed, closing his eyes as he brought the bracelet close to him.

He needed help with this.

****

It’s the day of the festival. Everyone is gathering in the auditorium to see the performance. You’re also in the crowd, surrounded by students who are excitedly waiting for it to begin. Your eyes wandered to where the lights are.

After this, you don’t need to help Youngjae anymore. Not like you’ve been helping him lately, but you’re a bit sad that you could no longer spend some time with him alone.

You shook your head at the thought, trying to forget it. You’re trying to forget your feelings for him. It’s better to not see him for a while, but you couldn’t help but notice that Youngjae has been trying to talk to you. Whenever he attempted to approach you, you ran away. Sometimes when you felt someone was staring at you, you looked around only to see Youngjae, who immediately looked away after he met your eyes.

You also noticed how he’s not as close to Chaerin nowadays. It’s not like they’re fighting, you’re sure of that because you could still see them talk normally sometimes, just not as often as before. This mase you wonder if something went wrong with their date.

Before you could dwell more on that, the lights were out, indicating that the performance is about to start. You forced yourself to focus on the performance, not wanting to miss it.

You hope that this performance can make you forget about your problem, even if it’s just for a little while.

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You walked away with the other students, leaving the auditorium with a smile. It felt like it’s been a while since you enjoyed something. You saw Dohoon’s performance as he got the lead role. Although, he had to act with Chaerin, who’s the female lead. You wonder if Youngjae didn’t mind that fact. But then again, they’re friends, so they should trust each other.

You went to your class, only to find it completely empty. The rest of the students must have either gone home or explored the school after the performance ended. You sighed, sitting on your chair. You laid your head down on your table, with your arms act as a pillow, feeling tired. You figured that a few minutes of sleep wouldn’t hurt.

After a while, you’re suddenly woken up by someone. You rubbed your eyes sleepily, looking over to whoever woke you, which turned out to be Dohoon.

“Hey Y/n, I’ve been looking all over the school for you.” He said. You gave him a confused look, wondering why he’s looking for you. He must’ve noticed, and opened his mouth to explain. “Sorry, but I met someone after the performance ended, and they wanted to see you in the auditorium.”

Now this caught your attention. You straighten up your posture, turning your body to him.

“Who is it? And why do they want to see me?” He shrugged, not giving you an answer. You looked at him suspiciously, in which he responded back by raising his hands up in a surrender gesture.

“Look, just meet them there, I can assure you that they don’t mean any harm, and you won’t regret it.”

Seeing as he wouldn’t give away this mysterious person’s identity away, you might as well just see it for yourself. After all, Dohoon already made sure that nothing bad will happen, and you trust him.

“Fine, I’ll meet them there…wait do I go now?”

“Oh yeah, you should go now. Don’t make them wait for too long!”

You’re not sure what to expect, but you trust Dohoon so you stood up and made your way to the auditorium.

Standing in front of the door, you pushed the door open, revealing the messy auditorium from the performance earlier. You looked around, trying to see if there’s someone inside but it’s hard considering the dark surrounding.

Suddenly, a light was shined towards you. You covered your eyes for a moment, giving yourself some time to adjust. Finally, you looked up to where the light is shining from, and your eyes widen once you see the figure controlling it.

“Youngjae?”

You tensed up, not expecting to see him. Your feelings started to bubble up to the point where you have the urge to leave immediately. You turned around, about to step away from the light until you heard his desperate pleas.

“Wait! Please stay for a while.”

You froze, wondering if you should listen to him. On one hand, you don’t want to face him after realizing your own feelings for him. You don’t want to hurt yourself more, and you want to move on. On the other hand, you miss him dearly. You’ve been feeling lonely ever since you started to avoid Youngjae. The latter outweighs the first choice, you took a deep breath and turned to see Youngjae.

He stared at you, scared that you’ll disappear again. He’s lucky that Dohoon and Jihoon wanted to help him. He had Dohoon to call for you while Jihoon helped him with the lighting.

He rushed down to talk to you face to face, almost tripping as he ran down. He stood in front of you, forcing himself to look at your eyes.

“Y/n…I know why you’ve been avoiding me.”

He saw you flinch, but he still continues.

“And I can’t blame you for that. I’ve been blind this whole time. I thought that my feelings towards Chaerin was adoration that I hopelessly chased after. I was so focused on chasing after her that I failed to realize that I’ve experienced an even more complex feelings.”

He took a step closer, trying to see if you’ll back away. Seeing you not moving away from him made him feel more confident.

“You showed up, and I started to experience something that feels so complicated. I thought nothing of it, I was scared that whatever I was feeling would break our friendship.”

He takes another step forward, his face showing sincerity and also vulnerability.

“But I was wrong. By ignoring that feeling I just pushed you away, I hurt you…I don’t want to think about that complex feeling because it was too much…”

His voice starts to waver, but he keeps going.

“It was ultimately my fault for being too scared to figure it out. I’m so sorry for hurting you, for realizing my feelings too late.”

You hold your breath, heart racing in anticipation. Although you tried to not get your hopes up, but the way he arranged this whole situation made you think otherwise.

“Y/n, I really like you. From the moment we met, I’ve always adored you. I’m really thankful for the ones who were supposed to help me didn’t show up because it was because of them that I got to know you. It was the first step, and before I realized it, everything feels brighter with you around. You are my light, and without you everything feels incomplete….I’m in love you Y/n.”

You looked at him in disbelief, not believing what you just heard. You saw his face is full of sincerity and you can’t help but feel your tears are about to burst.

“What took you so long? Don’t you know how hurt I was when you had your eyes on Chaerin?” You said softly, trying not to cry.

“You can’t believe how happy I am right now, this is all real right?”

“It’s real. It’s very real. Can I hug you?” He asked for permission, and you can’t help but find him adorable.

You nodded your head, and he slowly wrapped you in his arms, pulling you closer to him. You feel his heartbeat beating fast, proving that everything he said was true.

Tears suddenly rolled down your face as you sobbed. You’re so relieved that everything just came crashing down. Youngjae kept holding you close, arms tighten slightly to comfort you.

“I-I love you too.” You replied. You hear him gasps softly, but said nothing.

You both stay that way for a while, light still shining under you both. It really feels like the world has disappeared and it’s only you two existing.

You both are too deep in the moment to notice two heads poking from the door.

“Yah, is Y/n crying? Youngjae you bastard what the heck did you say to her?”

“Calm down hyung, I think everything is going smoothly. They wouldn’t hug each other if they’re rejected.”

“You’re right…I still won’t let this slide.”

****

“Congratulations you two. You guys are so cute as a couple I can’t believe you only just started to be in a relationship.” Chaerin said, making both you and Youngjae blushed.

“It’s because Youngjae hyung was blind. I still can’t forgive you for making Y/n cry.” Dohoon grumbled, glaring at Youngjae.

“Did you know that I was the one who knocked some senses to him? You can say I played as cupid in this.”

“Hey me and Dohoon hyung also helped, we’re also cupids here.”

“Are you guys seriously discussing this in front of us?” Youngjae asked, clearly embarrassed.

“Let them be, this is your punishment for taking too long to confess.” You giggled, teasing him.

He whined, trapping you in his arms as he hid his head on your shoulder.

You laughed at him, reaching out to pat his head.

He’s still pouting as he went to play with your bracelet, the one that he gifted to you. You couldn’t believe he went to buy the bracelet that you were eyeing. He gave it to you after you both confessed to each other, and that made you cry again to which he had to calm you down.

This may have been a roller coaster ride for both you and Youngjae, but in the end all that matters is the fact that you both managed to understand your feelings for each other and be honest about it.

Suddenly you felt Youngjae gave a peck on your cheek. Startled, you look at him flustered, only to see him already looking at you, smiling softly.

“I love you, you really are my light.”

You smiled, turning to him and cupped his face, giving him a peck on his nose. Now it’s his turn to be flustered.

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“I know that you care about the hybrids but I definitely didn’t expect you to bring a tiger to your house.” He said after laying the tiger hybrid on the bed in your guest room.

You have called one of your closest friends and when he showed up, he looked so shock to see you with an injured hybrid. He was a bit skeptical of letting an unknown stranger into your house, even insisting that at least let him stay in his house, but you were stubborn and argued that your house is closer and he needed to be treated soon. He eventually gave in and helped you carry him to your house.

“I mean what did you expect? Me turning a blind eye and leaving him alone in the streets where people won’t even glance at him or maybe even do something worse to him? Yeah that’s not happening.” You rolled your eye’s sarcastically. You have just finished treating his wounds and now waiting for him to wake up. Seungcheol sighed, and went to sit on your couch.

“Well do you want me to stay here until he wakes up then? Hybrid or not, he’s still a stranger and we don’t know whether he’s dangerous or not.” He asked, worrying about you being left alone with the hybrid. You shrug your shoulders, plopping down to sit next to him.

“It’s your choice whether you want to stay or not. I don’t really mind being alone with him.” You tried to ease his worries. Obviously he chose to stay, turning on the TV as you guys search for something interesting to watch.

Hours have passed and you could hear some noise which is definitely not caused by you, Seungcheol, or the TV. He glanced at you, also hearing the noise. You both then turned to look at the door which the hybrid is currently resting. You went to turn off the TV while Seungcheol is slowly walking to the door. You catch up to him as he grabs he doorknob.

“Wait shouldn’t we knock first?” You asked, grabbing his shoulder. He gave you a deadpanned look.

“This is your house. Why would you need to knock in your own house?”

“But-“ he proceeds to open the door, and you find the hybrid is now awake, sitting on the bed. He jolted as he looks at you and Seungcheol, not expecting to see strangers and in a unfamiliar place. His ears are twitching and his tail is curled up, you think that’s a sign that he’s scared.

“Wh-who are you? And where am I? Why am I here?” The hybrid asked, voice trembling but he tried to hide it. You gave him a reassuring smile as you answer him.

“I’m Y/n and this is my friend Seungcheol. You’re in my house because you were injured so we took you here to be treated.” He seems to relax at that, but still on guard. You don’t blame him because humans are cruel to hybrids. And in his eyes, you might be one of them.

“Listen, you’re hurt. I’m willing to let you stay here until you’re healed unless you don’t want to.” The hybrid and Seungcheol both snapped their heads at you, not expecting you to say that. You almost laughed at them moving in sync.

“Wait wait wait you’re not serious are you? I know he’s hurt but are you really going to let a stranger stay with you alone?” Seungcheol asked, clearly not happy with your decision. The hybrid seems hesitant too, either feeling guilty or uncomfortable you’re not sure. You know it’s dangerous to let a stranger in your house, but for some reason you feel like he won’t do anything bad.

“Seungcheol, he’s injured. Would you leave him alone outside if you were in my shoes?” You asked him. The room was filled with silence until he let out a sigh.

“Fine. I have to go now but never hesitate to call me if anything happens ok?” You let out a cheer as you thanked him. You turned to look at the hybrid who was looking at your interaction with Seungcheol. He flinched when his eyes met yours and quickly looked away. You gestured to him to wait for a moment to say goodbye to Seungcheol.

After seeing him out, you went back to the room only to see the hybrid curled up on the bed. His ears twitched as he hears your footsteps coming closer, hugging himself tighter. You don’t approach him any closer, afraid to make him uncomfortable.

“I know you probably want to leave, but I really think it’s best if you stay here until you’re better.” You started. When you don’t see him make any signs of objection, you continued. “Of course, if you really don’t want to, you’re free to leave. I won’t force you to stay.”

You want to reassure him that either way you’re fine with his choice. You left the room to give him some space and instead going to the kitchen instead. You searched for the ingredients to make dinner, and noticed that some of it is in a higher shelf.

“Seungcheol you jerk. You just have to move them to the higher shelf.” You grumbled, trying to reach them. Obviously you can’t, and you huffed in annoyance.

Suddenly you feel your back being pressed by someone as a hand went to grab the ingredient you were looking for. Surprised, you turned around, seeing the hybrid looking at you with a curious face.

“Is this the one you were trying to grab?” He asked, handing you the ingredient. Still not believing that the hybrid is now in front of you in such a close proximity, you nodded your head.

“Y-yeah…have you decided on whether you’d like to stay or not?” He gave you a little nod and looked at the floor.

“Yeah…I decided to stay for a bit…unless you changed your mind.” He said quietly. You smiled at him, showing him that you haven’t changed your mind.

“So, do you want dinner? I’m making kimchi for tonight’s dinner.” He tilted his head.

“What’s that?” You let out a gasp.

“You’ve never tried kimchi??? No this won’t do. You’re trying kimchi tonight.” He looks confused but decided to be silent about it and watch you cook.

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“Soooo how is it?” You asked, watching him practically inhaling the food.

“Tif is so gud. Wut is it called again?” He asked, still chewing. You chuckled at his response, happy that he enjoyed your food.

“It’s called kimchi. I can’t believe you’ve never tried it before.” He gulped down the remaining food.

“Well my previous owner never really gave me anything but leftovers so I wouldn’t know how other food tastes like.” He answered nonchalantly, as if it’s a normal thing. You gripped your spoon tightly, not believing that his previous owner wouldn’t take responsibility over him.

“Well now you can eat whatever you want. I don’t think I have much food left though so I need to go buy some more. You can go with me and choose whatever you like there.” He looked up from his food, surprised that he’s allowed to pick what he wants. Heck, his previous owner didn’t even let him step foot outside unless they’re in a good mood.

“By the way, I never got your name.” He snapped out of his thoughts after hearing you talk.

“Oh…my name is Soonyoung.” He replied.

“Nice to meet you Soonyoung. We’re gonna go grocery shopping tomorrow so you can rest for now. Ah, that’s right you don’t have any clothes…I can lend you some in the meantime cause I have a few oversized clothes but we’ll need to shop for your clothes then-“

“Wait!” Soonyoung cuts you off. “You don’t have to go that far. I’m probably going to be here for a short while so please don’t burden yourself about me.” He said. He’s worried that if you feel tired of taking care of him you’ll throw him out sooner.

“It’s not a burden at all. I want to do this for you.” You said. After the talk, you help him explore your house to make himself comfortable and even ushered him to take a bath. Once he’s done, he steps out of the bathroom and noticed you yawning.

“It’s getting late, I should go to sleep now. Feel free to stay awake if you’d like but don’t stay up too late. Good night Soonyoung.” You get up from the sofa and walk towards your room, but then you feel him tugged on your sleeve.

“Um-can I…” he hesitates, while you’re waiting patiently for him. “Can I…sleep with you? I-I can sleep on the floor don’t worry it’s just that…I don’t want to be alone…”you smiled at him and grabbed his hand, leading him to your room.

“You can sleep on the bed, it’s big enough for the two of us anyways.” You assured him, plopping yourself on your bed as you drifted away to sleep almost immediately. He slowly climbs on the bed next to you, grabbing the blanket on your bed to cover you to keep you warm. He cautiously looked at your face as you peacefully sleep and noticed a few strands of hair fell on your face so he moved your hair that was covering your face, and he catches himself admiring you.

“I know we just met…but thank you for saving me.” He whispered, even though he knows you can’t hear him.

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“So this is a grocery store.” Soonyoung mumbled in astonishment. You are now very concerned about how he used to lived if he didn’t even know what grocery stores look like. You decided to introduce him to various things in this world until he decides to leave.

“Yep, but it’ll be better if you stick with me. We could get separated and it’ll take a while to find each other.” He gasps after hearing your explanation, immediately leaching to you to prevent any of you from getting separated. You couldn’t help but giggle at his behavior. For a tiger, he sure reminds you of a hamster instead.

You and Soonyoung walk around the aisle, occasionally grabbing things that you need to buy and suggesting snacks that you think he’d like. Soonyoung looks overwhelmed but but he manages to pick some snacks himself. You asked him if he has any favorite food but he replied that your kimchi is the best. It also pushed you to introduce him to every food you could think of.

After you’re done, you wait in line at the cashier. You noticed that a lot of people are giving weird looks to Soonyoung, and you know that he noticed them too from the way his tail is curled and hugging himself in an attempt to make himself smaller. Something inside you snapped, you suddenly feel protective towards him. You put an arm around his shoulders, glaring at anyone that was looking at you and Soonyoung. They got the message and continued with what they’re doing. You hurriedly went to pay and take him outside of the store.

“Hey, I’m sorry that you have to experience that. I know people can be…unsettling sometimes. But I promise I won’t let anything happen to you.” He smiled, thankful for your words. He then grabbed most of the groceries that you’re carrying and helps you put them away in your car. This action makes your heart feels warm, but you shrug it off.

“Hmm…we still have time to go clothes shopping. What do you think? Do you still want to go or do you want to go some other time?” You asked, not wanting to make him uncomfortable after what happened earlier.

Soonyoung can’t help but feel safe around you. Even though he just met you yesterday you still treat him with care. Even now you’re asking about his opinion! He has never given the chance to do that before. It really makes him warm.

“We can go now if you’re not tired. But I don’t have any money on me-“

“That’s fine, consider it a gift from me.” You said. He halted, and make a ‘x’ sign with his arms.

“No no no you’ve done so much for me already I can’t-“ he tried to denied but you insisted.

“Soonyoung. I want to do this for you.”

Knowing that you meant it and won’t back down, he relented. After a few minutes of driving, you’ve arrived at a mall. Soonyoung looked around in awe, he thought the grocery store was big but this place is huge.

You couldn’t help but laughed at his cute behavior, making him blushed slightly. You guided him through the mall, tell him to look around and go to the store that caught his eyes. Eventually he tugged on your sleeve and pointed to a clothing store. You encouraged him to take a look around the store and help him decide which clothes to buy.

After deciding and trying out the clothes, you finally paid for it and went out of the mall with Soonyoung’s new clothes.

Soonyoung looks at the shopping bags feeling excited and guilty at the same time. He’s really happy that he got something unlike before where he doesn’t get anything at all, but he also feels bad that he made you spend money on him. In his eyes, you have proven to be a kind person and he decides to put his trust in you. He doesn’t want to use you for his own benefit and he has no idea how to repay you back.

“Soonyoung?”

He snapped back to reality, blinking a few times before looking at you who is looking at him worriedly. Apparently he was thinking to deeply because suddenly the both of you are already back at your house.

“Are you ok? You were deep in thought so I was wondering if something is up.” You explained. He feels even more guilty for worrying you over nothing.

“Ah..sorry. I was just thinking about something.” He mumbled, looking down to avoid your eyes. You nodded your head, starting to put away the groceries. Soonyoung noticed and immediately began to rush to you, wanting to help. You laughed at his eagerness, telling him that you got this and instead suggesting to put away his new clothes. He contemplated for a second and decided to listen to you.

He went to his room, and starts to take out the clothes from the shopping bags. He grabs one of them and looks at it carefully. It wasn’t just a random shirt that was bought carelessly, but you really spent the time looking for the ones he likes and feels comfortable with. He can feel his tears starting to gather in his eyes and wipes it before it can spill out.

He feels overwhelmed with gratitude towards you. You don’t know anything about him, heck you just met yesterday, but you have done so much to him and treated him better than his previous owner. Now, he is determined to pay you back no matter what. He would do everything you asked him to and protect you from anything bad.

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It has been months since you found Soonyoung on the streets. You decided to adopt him after talking it through with him. With you adopting him, it would mean that he is under your care and no one will be able to treat him carelessly whenever he’s out. Although adopting him means he is required to wear a collar whenever he goes outside, Soonyoung insisted that it’s fine and he’s more than willing to wear one.

He also gets along with Seungcheol really well. At first he’s a bit weary of Soonyoung, but he has grown fond of him and sometimes invites him to hang out with his other friends. Now Soonyoung has a lot of friends, especially their hybrid friends. For example, Soonyoung really enjoys teasing the dog hybrid, Mingyu. You can’t help but feel proud that he is finally starting to trust humans and found his happiness.

Besides having a lot of friends, he also has a job now. He insisted on getting a job to help you. You’ve told him that he didn’t need to but he was determined, telling you that it’s not fair for you to do everything while he does nothing while living in your house. You could only sigh in defeat and let him do what he wants. He now works in a cafe which is just a few blocks away from your house. You visit him sometimes to check up on him, and he’s always excited whenever you came. Once in a while, he gave your usual drink for free even though you tried to decline. He only grins at you playfully before going to attend another customer.

After his shift ends, he always tells you about his day, whether it’s about a new drink he made or angry customers who were only embarrassing themselves. His stories always made you laugh, and he also never forgets to ask about your day in return. Whenever you tell him about your day, he always listens intently, nodding from time to time and makes a comment to indicate that he’s listening.

You’ve also introduced him to many foods, and yet he still says that your kimchi is the best. You went to many places together and Soonyoung is always grateful to you. He never knew that the world is so big and wonderful, and there are a lot of things that he discovered. He stays true to his word, often helping you with chores, attempting to cook for you…which resulted in him banned from the kitchen as he almost burned your kitchen.

After spending time with him, you begin to notice that the feeling you had from the beginning grows stronger. At first you wanted to make sure that he’s comfortable around you, wanting to let him see the world that he’s been missing out, wanting to give him a chance to heal from the things he experienced before he met you, but then you noticed how your heart skips a beat whenever he does some act of services for you. How he always offered to help you, how he always make sure you don’t overwork yourself, and how he made sure to let you know that you can depend on him. Your heart beats faster around him lately, you always melts at the way he smiles at you, you can’t help but spoil him a lot just to his excited face.

It’s no different from Soonyoung too. At first he’s only around because he felt guilty and felt the need to repay your kindness, but now he’s starting to do all those things because he wanted to. He genuinely wants to be around you, always wanted to be there for you, and his face always feels hot whenever you’re near him. He wants you to depend on him, to trust him to take care of you the same way you take care of him. Even though he’s a tiger, he’s always gentle whenever he’s around you. You joked that he might actually be a hamster instead, to which he sulked about it for a few days.

It was such a happy moment for the both of you. None of you expect for the happy moment to be interrupted.

One day, as you were deciding on dinner, someone knocks on your door. You were confused because you didn’t order anything and Soonyoung has an extra key with him. You opened the door to investigate only to see a man who you’re sure never met in your entire life.

“Hey. I heard you have a tiger hybrid with you?” He asked, you couldn’t help but feel nervous about him. How did he know about Soonyoung? And why did he come to your house?

“Listen, I don’t know who you are but you need to leave.” You said, attempting to close the door but he blocked the door with his foot. You feel scared now, the unknown man forcefully open the door again.

“I know that hybrid is here. I need him back. That piece of trash belongs to me and he needs to go back.” He steps into your house now, looking at you in an agitated manner. He looks around to see if he could catch a glimpse of the tiger hybrid, but you gathered enough courage to shove him back a little.

“Whether I have a tiger hybrid with me or not is none of your business. Now you better go or else I’m calling the police.” You threatened him, although it only made him chuckle darkly as he noticed you trembling in fear. He grabbed your shoulder and pushed you harshly onto the floor. You hissed in pain, attempting to grab your phone but he steps on your hand with force, making you cry in pain.

He grabbed your face, forcing you to look at him. You tried to stay calm as to not make the situation worse, but you feel yourself panicking even more.

“You’re going to tell me where that little shit is and I don’t care if I have to do this the hard way. It’d be a shame if I had to put a scar on your pretty face, but maybe I can have some fun with you first.” He started to lift your shirt. You trashed in his grasp, trying to get away but he’s much stronger than you.

You feel your tears fall, you are incredibly scared right now and you can’t do anything to stop him. You tried kicking him off you, but that only tightens his grip on you as he use his free hand to run forcefully over your chest. You cried, begging him to stop even though you know he won’t listen but you still hoped that he’d stop.

“This wouldn’t have happened if you had just tell me where that damn hybrid is. Besides, you can’t lie to me you’re enjoying this aren’t you? What a who-“

Before he could finish his sentence, he was yanked off of you and was punched straight to his face. He stumbled backwards, groaning in pain. You’re still paralyzed, not able to move as you’re still in shock of what happened. You almost couldn’t hear anything but you managed to take a deep breath and look at your surroundings. It was then that you noticed a very aggressive looking Soonyoung standing protectively in front of you, growling at the intruder who assaulted you.

“You’re fucking dead you sorry excuse of a human! Touch her again and I’ll rip you out from limp to limp you hear me.” The man was visibly scared, but let out a chuckle at the sight in front of him.

“There you are. You know you belong to me, this wouldn’t have happened to her if you stayed in the goddamn house.” Soonyoung has his claws out, ready to pounce on his previous owner. He broke into your house. He threatened you. He fucking touched you-

That was enough for him to attack. He throws punches and scratches on him to the point where the man started to beg him to stop, but that only makes Soonyoung even angrier.

“You want me to stop? Did you stopped when she begged you to stop? Did you listen to her? You didn’t- she fucking begged you but you still did it. What makes you think I’ll stop just because you’re begging it-“

“SOONYOUNG THAT’S ENOUGH!”

He snapped out of his anger, looking at his prey who is now full of bruises and scars and then looks at Seungcheol who is now standing inside, phone in his hand probably just finished calling the police. He’s breathing heavily, trying to calm down before dropping his prey to the floor. He then gasped, turning to look at you who are still crying and trying to calm down. He rushed to your side, gently grabbing your hands and rubs circle in hope to help you come to your senses.

He sees Seungcheol grabbing the man forcefully from the corner of his eyes, clearly furious at what he did but still holds himself back from giving more injuries to him. He forced him outside, probably to get him arrested to the police. But that’s the least of his concerns, now his priority is you.

Your body is still shaking, you’re still crying which makes Soonyoung panic. He doesn’t know what to do, he never deals with this kind of situation before. He hesitantly moves closer to you, looking at you carefully to see if you’re ok with it. Once he’s sure that you won’t push him away, he wrapped his arms around you, giving you a comforting hug as he rubs circle on your back, whispering things to help you calm down. Finally you take a shaky breath and return his hug. You hug him tightly but he doesn’t mind.

“H-he was loo-looking for you. A-and I refused to-tell him…and then he pushed me-and starts to threaten-and-and…”

“Sshh..it’s okay now. Everything is okay. It’s over, I’m here. I’m here to protect you, the bad man is gone.” He assures you. You stay like that for a few more minutes, enjoying the warmth and comfort he’s giving you.

“So he….he was you previous owner..wasn’t he?” You asked in a low voice. He hums in return, conforming your thoughts.

“I’m sorry for everything you’ve been through. You must have been suffering so badly this whole time. You don’t deserve the kind of treatments he was giving you.” You may not know what exactly he has been through, but you know it’s probably worse than what you had just experienced.

“Don’t apologize. You had nothing to do with it. Yes I suffered a lot, I couldn’t trust others easily but then I met you.” He pulled away from the hug to look at you in the eyes.

“It was hell back then, but after meeting you, suddenly I can see the colors of the world again. I learn how to trust, I met wonderful people and have seen many things in this world. I tasted the best food I have ever tasted in my entire life and all that is thanks to you.” You feel yourself crying again from his speech, you can feel him wiping off your tears gently with his thumbs.

“You are the best thing that has ever happened to me. You have shown me how it feels to be cared, to be respected, to be loved…you also taught me how to love.” Your eyes widen at his last statement. Were you hearing things?

“Y/n, I know this is a horrible time to confess…but I have grown to love you for the last few months. I adore everything you do, you are kind, and I just can’t help myself but to fall for you.” He then smiled sadly, looking down to avoid your eyes.

“You probably don’t feel the same way, I mean…a human and a hybrid? That never happened before and you’re probably weirded out by my confession-“ he starts rambling but you feel joy enveloping your heart. You thought he wouldn’t feel the same but turns out he does.

You put your hand under his chin, lifting his face up to look at him. You give him a smile before replying, “Soonyoung, I love you too. I love how you’re always there by my side, how you always make that smiley face whenever something good happens, how determined you look when you’re set on doing something, how can I not fall for you too?” He gasped, not believing what he just heard. You giggled, finding his reaction cute that you can’t help but kiss his cheek.

He pulled away from you, hand touching the spot that you just kissed him. You laughed, seeing his blushing face. He seems to snapped out of it quickly before throwing himself onto you, making you both fall to the floor. He then goes to give pecks on your face, grumbling about how unfair and cute you are.

“Ok I’m back-what the fuck are you guys doing?” Whoops, you guys definitely forgot about Seungcheol, seeing him standing in front of you with a (jokingly) disgusted face.

“I was gone for a few minutes and you guys suddenly become a couple? Yeah ok I’m cool with this. Soonyoung if you hurt her I’m gonna beat your ass, mark my words.” He threatened him. Soonyoung gulps, promising to treat you as the way you deserve. You roll your eyes at them, but at the same time really glad for their support.

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“DUDE STOP SUSPECTING ME?? WHY ARE YOU ALWAYS TARGETING ME?” Mingyu whined, as Soonyoung claims him to be the mafia again.

“It’s not my fault you’re always acting suspicious.” He put his tongue out, successfully annoying Mingyu.

“Y/n~Soonyoung is being mean to me.”

“AM NOT? DON’T BRING HER INTO THIS!”

Seungkwan sighed before looking at you.

“So you guys are actually dating? Him? Soonyoung? With you?” Soonyoung gasped after hearing that, abandoning the mafia game, making his way towards you before caging you in his arms.

“What’s that supposed to mean? I’m a great boyfriend, right Y/n?” He grins at you, resulting in you patting his head softly.

“The best I could ever asked for.” Seungkwan fake gagged before leaving you alone to complain how you guys are acting like a disgusting lovey dovey couple around them.

Soonyoung looks at you expectantly, arms still warped around you as his tail wags happily. You sighed, lifting your hand up and make a tiger sign.

“Horanghae Soonyoung.”

“Horanghae Y/n~”

“SEE? THEY’RE DISGUSTING. WHAT EVEN IS HORANGHAE?”

“Seungkwan horanghae~”

*****

“YOU BUMPED INTO WHO?” Your friend yelled, making you kicked her leg lightly and shushed her.

“Keep it down will you?! I didn’t even realize that he was there. It’s not like I bumped into him on purpose.” You explained yourself. Your friend laughed and calmed down.

“But seriously, that’s so unexpected. What are the chances that you’d bump into him of all people? If you ask me I think this is fate.” She said. You raised an eyebrow, not understanding wha she’s trying to say. “Aish, I mean he could be your potential boyfriend.”

Your eyes widen, face heating up as you try to deny her statement. “What are you talking about? Many people bump into someone, are you saying that they’ll end up together?” She laughed again, clearly enjoying teasing you.

“I’m kidding. Sigh I really want that to happen to me too y’know? I want to bump into handsome people too. Maybe someone like Youngjae? He seems so mature and charming.” F/n sighed dreamily. You can’t help but rolled your eyes at your friend while laughing.

Youngjae is also from the same group as Shinyu. Their group consist of six people, Shinyu as the reliable one, Dohoon as the playful one, Youngjae as the responsible one, Hanjin known as the nicest boy, Jihoon being the social butterfly of the group, and Kyungmin who is very energetic.

“Ok stop daydreaming now, the teacher is here already.” You snapped her out of her daydream as the teacher walk inside the classroom to start the lesson.

*****

“Finally it’s break time. I’m starving.” F/n said, stretching her arms.

“Yeah let’s hurry before the line gets too long.” You then run to the canteen and buy lunch. You walk toward an empty table and start eating while talking to each other. All of a sudden, everyone around starts to look at the same direction and whispering to each other. You and F/n also got curious and try to look at what everyone is looking at.

There you can see Shinyu and his friends walking to the canteen. Their effects are no joke, even their mere presence can make people stop and admire them. Your friend shot you a teasing look, with you just shaking your head and continue eating. You heard footsteps coming towards your direction but you shrug it off, thinking someone is just passing by, until you hear someone clear their throat.

“Ahem…excuse me. There’s no empty table left so can we sit with you guys?” Someone asked. You and your friend look at the newcomers, suprised to see Shinyu and the others in front of you. F/n stutters for a bit before she managed to say yes. Now, you’re sitting between Shinyu and Hanjin with F/n in front of you between Youngjae and Jihoon. Kyungmin sits next to Shinyu while Dohoon sits next to Youngjae.

“Thank you for letting us sit here. Otherwise, we might have to sit on the floor instead. Jihoon joked, looking at you and F/n. You laughed, saying it’s no problem. As you guys eat, you can’t help but notice how Shinyu sometimes looks at you. You hope it’s not because of earlier.

“Hey aren’t you the girl from earlier?”

Well shit.

“Wait this is the girl that bumped into you earlier? Waahh hyung no wonder you can’t stop talking about h-“ Shinyu immediately covers Kyungmin’s mouth, desperately trying to keep him from continuing his line. Luckily you didn’t quite catch what he just said, but your friend sure did, giving you a mischievous look.

“Don’t listen to what he’s saying. Anyways I’m sorry again for earlier.” He said, seemingly still thinking about what happened. You shake your head while giving him a reassuring smile.

“It’s fine. It was just an accident, I also wasn’t looking where I was going.” You said. “And here I was thinking you’d forget about it by now.” You joked. He hides his face from you, maybe still embarrassed about it? You’re not sure.

“Hahaha hyung, your ears are red. Relax, it happens to anyone don’t let it bother you that much.” Dohoon said. They then eat and make a joke every now and then, and they sometimes include you and F/n too. It seems that they are already comfortable with you guys.

Youngjae, as responsible as ever, looks at his phone and reminded you all, “It’s almost time for the next class. We need to go now if we don’t want to be late.” You all cleaned the table and about to go to your separate ways to your own classroom. Unfortunately, F/n suddenly feels sick and has to go to the infirmary. You offered to accompany her but she insisted that she can go alone. Youngjae offered to go to the infirmary with her although she refused at first, he also insisted and ended up going together.

Shinyu walked up to you hesitantly, looking anywhere but you. “Uh…do you want me to walk you to your class? You know, since your friend seems to be sick and won’t be able to come to class with you.” He offered. You wanted to refused at first, really don’t want to bother him, but Hanjin suddenly popped out.

“Just let him walk you to class, otherwise he’s going to be sulking for the rest of the day.” Shinyu turned to Hanjin and playfully hit him. You can’t help but find the situation cute. You decided to take his offer and now you’re walking together to your class. It was a little awkward because none of you were talking so you were about to open a conversation when he once again beats you to it.

“I just realized that I never got your name. May I know your name please?” He asked. You looked at him, realizing that you know him but he obviously doesn’t know you since you’re not as well known as him.

“Oh my name is Y/n.” You introduced yourself. He nodded and proceeds to ask more questions about you, with you answering and also asking something about him in return. It doesn’t take long for you guys to reach your classroom. You turned to him to let him know that this is your class.

“Alright, I’ll see you around then.” He started to walk away but stopped abruptly. You looked at him confused when he turned to you again. He walked up to you again and he looks nervous.

“Um…Can I…can I have your number? It’s fine if you don’t because we technically just got to know each other today and-“ before he can continue to ramble you held out your hand to him. He looks at your hand and then at you in confusion until it clicked and he hurriedly went to grab his phone from his pocket. He gave you his phone and you put your number in his contacts. You returned his phone to him and he looks at his screen.

“Thank you. I’ll add you to our group chat later. Oh and you can give me your friend’s phone number too so I can also add her to the group chat. Anyways I think I should go now. I’ll see you later, bye.” He then ran off to his class.

*****

You look at F/n worriedly.

“Are you sure you’re ok now?” You asked, wanted to make sure she’s really ok.

“Yes I’m fine now. But you know I actually feel thankful that I felt sick because I get to walk with Youngjae together. Oh and he stayed in the infirmary until he absolutely sure I’ll be fine, isn’t that sweet?” She gushed, clearly not over her little interaction with Youngjae. Though you can’t blame her, anyone who’s in the same shoes as her would feel flustered at least.

A ‘ding’ comes from your phone. You checked to see that someone added to you a group chat.

???

Hyung who did you add just now?

???

It’s Y/n

???

Was that the girl that you walked to her classroom?

???

Yeah that’s her

You

Is this Shinyu’s group chat??

???

Yepp

Helloo I’m Kyungmin

???

This is Youngjae

???

Hanjin here

???

I’m Jihoon!!

???

And I’m Shinyu

Wait where’s Dohoon?

???

Sorry, I was still talking with someone

Wait let me scroll up for a sec

“Oh right F/n do you mind if I give your number to-“. you were cut off by another ‘ding’ to find that Youngjae added her to the group chat.

“Waahh he actually added me. Why are you looking at me like that?” She asked you.

“You also gave your number to him?” You asked. F/n laughed sheepishly as she nodded.

“But hey you also gave Shinyu your number too right? I’m not the only one.” She said. You looked back at your screen, reading the chats after adding all of their numbers.

Dohoon

Alright I’m done reading

Y/n and F/n, welcome to our group chat

Hanjin

Warning, we’re very active in this group chat

Kyungmin

But at least we’re fun :D

You

Lol it’s fine

Me and F/n always text each other too

F/n

I can vouch for that

Jihoon

Nicee

Anyways guys, can anyone help me with my homework?

Hanjin

We have homework?

Kyungmin

If it’s math I can help😊

But you have to treat me lunch in exchange😏

Youngjae

Our maknae is actually bargaining

He’s growing up so fast

Dohoon

Ikr🥲

Kyungmin

What

Jihoon

Deal!!

Just help me please🥺

Hanjin

I also need help!!

Let’s do it together

“Wow they’re actually really fun.” F/n said. You can’t help but agree with her. After texting with the boys and laughing at some of their responses, you and F/n grabbed your bags and leave the classroom as school is over already. F/n left first since she needed to go somewhere after school with her family while you need to put your stuff in your locker first. You were just done putting away your stuff when someone tapped your shoulder. You looked to see Shinyu, who is now smiling at you shyly.

“Hi, is your friend not with you?” He asked, looking around to see if he can spot F/n.

“No she left already. I needed to put my stuff in the locker first before leaving.” You answered him, closing the locker.

“I see…um…” he tries to say something but seems hesitant. You wait patiently for him, wondering what he wants to talk about. After taking a deep breath, he looks at you again with a slightly red face.

“Can I walk you home?”

You blinked, processing what he just said. After it clicked, you replied, “Huh? I mean I don’t want to bother you. You must be tired after school so-“

He cuts you off, “It’s fine. I’m fine with it, I don’t mind. I want to walk you home, you’re not bothering me. You know, I’ll be worried if you’re walking home alone. But you don’t have to say yes-I’m not forcing you to let me walk you home. I understand-“ this time you’re the one who cut him off.

“Haha alright. You can walk me home, thank you.” You accepted his request. He seems giddy, though he tries to hide it by suppressing his smile.

While you’re on the way to your house, you noticed how he subtly moved you to the safer side of the road and slowed down his steps to match yours. This makes you feel warm, appreciating his efforts to make you comfortable. As you walk, you continued your conversation from earlier and get to know each other better. For example, you now know that he has siblings and he’s the youngest, his hobby is drawing, etc. Eventually you reach your house, not even aware that you’ve walked so far already.

“This is my house. Thank you for walking me home Shinyu.” You thanked him again. “Be sure to text me once you’re home ok? Be safe.”

“I will. I’ll get going then. See you tomorrow Y/n.” He said, giving you a little wave before walking to his house. You waited a little bit until you can’t see him anymore before going inside your house. When you stepped inside, you find your mother looking at you with a teasing smile.

“So…who’s the boy?” She asked. You give her a deadpanned look.

“What? I can tell that he’s a nice boy, not to mention cute too. Is he your boyfriend?”

“Mom. Please don’t start with this.” You whined.

After you take a shower and changed into a more comfortable clothes, you noticed a notification popped out on your screen. You checked to see it’s from Shinyu, texting you that he’s home already. You smiled, texting him back and told him to rest. You texted each other for a long time until it’s time for you to sleep.

You

I have to sleep soon

Shinyu

Alright, it’s getting late anyways

Don’t stay up too late and get enough sleep

You don’t want to be sleepy for school tomorrow

You

Yes sir🫡

I’ll be off then

Goodnight Shinyu :)

Shinyu

Goodnight :)

Sleep well

You giggled, looking back at his texts. You really enjoy talking with Shinyu. Even though you only started talking to him today, you already feel comfortable around him.

*****

Ever since that day, you always talk to Shinyu and the others. You and F/n often secure seats at your table for them to join you guys in the canteen. You feel like you’re getting closer to them day by day and start to hang out with them even outside of school. Just a week ago, you and F/n were invited to go to the arcade by the boys. You played many games and be competitive with them, constantly challenging each other. It was really fun, but that day you have a certain moment that keeps replaying in your head.

*flashback*

You were waiting for F/n and Dohoon to finish their match in a basketball game when your eyes caught sight of a cute keychain in a claw machine.

“Do you want the keychain?” A voice suddenly said, startling you. Shinyu was beside you, looking at you and the keychain.

“Well it’s cute, but I’m not good at claw machines. Besides, usually these kind of games are rigged right?” You said. He hummed, and then proceeds to enter a coin to the machine.

“Wha-you don’t have to-“ you stopped whatever you wanted to say as you watch him play and successfully grabbed the keychain with the claw. It dropped the keychain to the hole and he grabs it, giving it to you.

“This is the one that you wanted right?” He asked, worried that he got the wrong one. It doesn’t really matter to him, he can just play it again until he gets what you wanted. You look at him in disbelief before laughing.

“Yeah that’s the one. Thank you for getting this for me.” You thanked him.

“No problem. Oh I think they’re done already. Want to go over there now?”

“HAHA I WIN!”

“WAIT I DEMAND A REMATCH!!”

*flashback ended*

You giggled, feeling your heart flutter at the fond memory. You’ve realized that you have feelings for Shinyu for a while now. You don’t know when you started to like him, maybe it’s when he helped you with your studies in the library with him patiently explaining the lessons to you. Or when he invited you to see them dance as they’re in a dance club and you could see the passion in him when he danced. Or maybe that one time when he asked your opinion about his self written rap. After months of getting to know him, you’ve known him not as a popular boy in school but as a shy but reliable guy who can be really competitive in games, as someone who really enjoys dancing, singing and rapping, and as someone who also has a playful and clumsy side. He’s caring towards those who he feels close to, always making sure they’re ok.

But of course, because he’s popular, many people are jealous of your interactions with him.

*****

You were minding your own business when suddenly someone grabbed your hair and slammed you into the wall. You winced in pain, looking at the girls in front of you.

“You bitch. How dare you hang around Shinyu?” One of them sneered and hit you.

“Who even are you? You’re a nobody, and he’s the most popular boy in this school. Do you really think that you’re worth even be in the same place as him?” Another girl said, laughing at you.

You looked around to see students gathering around, but no one bothers to help you. Either they’re too scared or they also agree with the girls. You screamed in pain when one of them kicked you.

“HEY WE’RE OVER HERE! ARE YOU REALLY THAT STUPID TO UNDERSTAND US?” She yelled.

“Don’t ever come near him again or else-“

“WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING?!” A loud voice yelled, making everyone freeze and look towards the source of the voice. You were suprised to see Shinyu, even more so when you noticed how angry he looks right now as he makes his way towards you and the girls.

“S-Shinyu. We were just-“ one of them tried to say something when he cuts her off.

“Do you think I’m blind? Clearly you’re bullying her and for what? For being friends with me? I can decide who I want to be friends with and you can’t change that. Now if you don’t apologize to her right now I’m going to report you to the teachers.” He threatened, glaring at the girls. You have to admit he looks intimidating right now. He then kneels down to you to check for any injuries, glaring at the girls when he hears no apology. They flinched, immediately said sorry and ran away. He then proceeds to give every student who gathers around them a disappointed look.

“You all are no better. Why are you just watching when someone is being hurt? I hope you all are disappointed in yourselves. Shame on you all for allowing this kind of behavior to happen.” They all look guilty as they start to walk away. After that, he gives you his attention again.

“Are you ok? I’m sorry for not being here earlier. Let’s get you to the infirmary.” He said softly, suddenly lifting you up bridal style. You yelped in surprised, arms immediately warped around his neck.

“S-Shinyu-I can walk by my own-“ you tried to get him to put you down but he refused. After arriving at the infirmary, the nurse was nowhere to be seen, so he puts you on the infirmary bed gently and takes it upon himself to help with your injuries.

None of you are saying anything as he treats your wounds until you decided to speak.

“I’m sorry for troubling you. I didn’t expect-“

“Don’t apologize.” He suddenly said. You looked at him. His eyebrows are furrowed and he looks troubled.

“Don’t ever apologize for this. This is not your fault. You don’t need to feel guilty about this.” He takes a deep breath before continuing.

“If anything, I’m sorry for letting this happen to you. I didn’t realize that by being close with you would mean that a lot of people would dislike you to the point of hurting you. If I had known I would’ve-“

“Shinyu.” He stopped himself after hearing you talk.

“You said that this is not my fault, then this is not your fault either. You wouldn’t have known something like this would happen. So what? Does that mean you regret befriending me? Are you regretting the fact that we’ve become so close now?”

“Of course not!” He denied. “I would never regret being friends with you. I would never regret letting myself be close with you. In fact, I’m really thankful for the day you bumped into me.” Now this makes your eyes widen. He then continued, “If it weren’t for that, I wouldn’t have ever met you. I wouldn’t be talking with you, hanging out with you, I wouldn’t-“. he stopped talking, debating whether he should continue or not.

“I wouldn’t be able to fall inlove with you.”

You gasped, clearly didn’t expect him to confess. This whole time you thought he only saw you as a friend but thinking back at it now, there are times where he acts like someone who doesn't just think of you as a friend.

“Shinyu…” you started, hands finding their way to his and hold them.

“I’m also inlove with you.” You confessed. He shots his head up to look at you. A minute has passed, and then two, then he starts blushing to the point where he almost looks like a tomato.

“W-what? Wait..you like me back? I- hang on I need to process this.” He pulled his hands from your hands to hide his face. You laughed at his reaction, trying to pry his hands away from his face.

“Shinyu don’t get shy on me now. You look really cute right now.” His face gets even more red as he tries to say something but failed.

“So…you really like me back?” He asked, finally mustered up the courage to look at you. You give him a smile as you nodded.

“Does that mean…we’re dating then? Are you my girlfriend now? Do you want to be my girlfriend? Can I be your boyfriend?” You hold yourself back from squishing his cheeks.

“Yes I’ll be your girlfriend as long as you’ll be my boyfriend.”

“YES! I’ll be your boyfriend!” He said, grabbing one of your hand and kissed it, making you blush in return.

“Woah weren’t you shy just a few seconds ago? How are you acting so bold now?”

“I mean…I am your boyfriend now right?” He said, smirking at your reaction.

*****

“So…you guys are together now?” F/n asked, looking at you and Shinyu who are holding hands.

“Yeah we’re in a relationship now.” You said. F/n and the rest of the boys gaped at the both of you. After that, they started cheering.

“YEESSS I KNEW THEY WOULD END UP TOGETHER!”

“Y/N YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT WE HAVE TO GO THROUGH! NO OFFENSE WE LIKE YOU AND ALL BUT HE WON’T STOP TALKING ABOUT YOU-“

“HEY WHY ARE YOU BRINGING THAT UP?”

Shinyu went towards the boys and playfully banter with them. Meanwhile, you walk over to F/n.

“So…when are you going to confess to Youngjae?” You asked her.

“Ssshhh. You don’t get to say that after months of pining for each other. How did you not notice how he practically gave you heart eyes?”

You rolled your eyes at her, smacking her shoulder lightly. Shinyu then make his way to you after F/n walks over to the boys to discuss probably more list of him being a simp towards you and hugged you.

“Hmm?? Why the sudden hug?” You asked, returning the hug, not complaining and instead enjoying the warmth he gives off. He then tightens the hug, not wanting to let go.

“Mm, I just really like you.”