𑣲 jani ⋆. ♱

“ok. everyone ready?”

nods around the circle finally cumulated to the next round of the game being played.

opposite to you sat sungho, the quiet one—talkative only around his friends, otherwise rarely opening his mouth. he’s an observer, and he’s the one who’s been chosen to be your 7 minutes in heaven. well, as soon as the bottle lands on you both.

you’ve been eagerly waiting for it, the alcohol in your system simply begging to ooze out in some way, shape, or form. and with this man across you? you really couldn’t wait any longer.

the bottle spun on and on for what felt like eternity, and then finally landed… on jaehyun.

a-fucking-gain.

“nope, this has to be rigged. i can’t wait seven minutes again just so he can get another chance to get his dick wet.” the words that spilled out of your mouth felt brutal to the chosen one, but you couldn’t stop yourself. your usually soft spoken nature was overtaken by a complete beast every time you got drunk at the parties the very person you were cursing out at invited you to, to the point that you’ve gotten to know his friend circle pretty well.

“y/n come on, it’s just a silly game,” he laughs, but all you can think about is the wet patch in your panties since you entered the party house. sungho, in his tank top and a jacket tied around his waist, loose jeans on with running shoes. he’s a sight to be seen, a sight that’s eagerly sought after by the entire crowd who look at him while he’s simply too engrossed in what his friends talk about.

you take the bottle and place it to point right at you, the flat bottom subsequently pointing at the man you’ve been aching for. then you get up, grabbing his arm in the process to take him with you to the obviously tight yet empty closet, the designated ‘heaven‘.

the rest of the circle simply watched, some astonished, some bored because it’s not them going into the small room that barely fits 2. despite anyone who almost sat at your spot before the game began, his spot was decided once you got situated. he wanted to sit across you, hence why he’s also not yet has his own turn because of the rules of the game that he didn’t agree upon anyways. he always thought that the pointed side meant the person it was pointing towards could choose who to f—make out with. but alas, taesan’s house, taesan’s game rules. he had to adapt to it.

so here you both are, the tight space getting occupied by two horny bodies.

yes. two.

sungho’s not any less needy for you as you’ve been needy for him. his stares at you throughout the game made you feel weak, and you knew that it was him basically saying, “i’m going to ruin you.” his usually sweet demeanor is nothing if not a hoax when it comes to getting what he needs. and right now, that'd be your body warming his.

outside the door, you could clearly hear taesan call out the time, saying, “seven minutes alright? and then you have to come out right away, no matter what.” but you could barely focus on that.

sungho already began.

his lips found their way on your jaw, pulling at your shirt’s neckline to make some space to mark your shoulder underneath. it’s become a ritual at this point to mark you before he begins to do anything more, ensuring that you know that you’re his at this very moment, that you should only pay attention to him.

you breathe heavily as you palm him, trying to get him hard as quickly as possible so that he could fuck you as soon as possible. that’s what you've been aiming for—the big prize of being sungho’s so called ‘sneaky link’.

1 minute.

his mouth sucked a sweetly pink spot on your skin, finally moving onto the next part. you had to be quick, and you know that you could cum soon, but sungho still takes his time with you. whatever time there is at least.

“relax,” he mutters at you, looking straight into your eyes before locking lips and deepening the kiss into a proper make out.

his fingers reached down to your skirt, bunching it up at your waist before rubbing slow circles at where your clit would be. he knew you wore the short skirt on purpose, the way you sat in the circle prior being a clear provocation as your thighs were bare for him, and everyone, to take a look at. “should mark your thighs next time so you cover those up when you’re out.” he didn’t like that others could see what was his.

“you like it though,” lips against his, you talk back, smiling before he leaned in again.

2 minutes.

the darkness in the cramped room further stimulated the rest of your senses. vision was low, the only light from the outside seeping in through the cracks between the door and the floor. you could barely make out the color of his shoes—white—as they walked you towards the wall. he has you trapped, right in place as he pushed aside the fabric, drenched in your wetness, and simply said, “hold it.”

you obey. of course you do.

sungho unzips his jeans, his jacket missing for a while now (you last recall taesan wearing it), pushing down his bottoms with his boxers. his dick springs out instantly, as if finally being freed from their shackles, aching and throbbing for your pussy.

“sungho please,” you whine out, but before anyone from outside could hear it, he quickly shut your mouth with his palm. if you both could hear the outside noise, then they surely could also hear in. he didn’t want to take any chances, especially not when no one knows you both have much more experience with each other than just simple conversations about either work, studying, or one of the other boys.

a couple pumps, and he’s aligning himself against you, pushing in inch by painfully excruciatingly slow inch. you knew he could be much faster.

3 minutes.

he fully pops into you, your walls hugging him tight as your arms went to wrap around his neck for some stability. he still had one of his on your mouth, the other going around your waist.

his fingers pierced into your side, tightly squeezing you in place as he pulled out and then slammed right back in. the entire time, he kept his gaze down, feeling how you sucked his length so effortlessly. your pussy’s gotten so perfect for him over the past couple months… he’s really trained you so well.

short breathy curses leave his lips while your own muffled whines get caught behind his palm. you felt too good, the best you’ve felt all night, and it’s all thanks to you being fed up at jaehyun. sorry jae…

“4 minutes in!”

sungho sped up as he got told what was basically the halfway point. fuck, 7 minutes really is short.

“if i don't cum, i’ll take you home with me tonight ok?” he whispered.

his words made it seem like the darkness was residing, and you were getting used to the lack of light. you simply nodded your head as your eyes held his unseen gaze, able to imagine a small smile unfold. he would’ve taken you anyways; this is just his way of saying he wants more.

you could feel how he pulsated through your entire body, teeth biting into the palm of his hand. it felt so much more intimate at the same time too—like you have to hold onto each other so that you can find your way out of this unlit path of whatever you could be. it’s romantic in a sense, but that was the last thing either of you wanted from each other. but you do wonder, what if?

now’s not the time for wondering though. your eyes roll back as you feel a particularly rough slam into you. your hips twitch in his hold, broken short moans simply trying to reach his ears.

“such a sweet girl… i know how much you wanna let out these pretty sounds for me… yeah i know, you feel so good,” sungho leaned closer to whisper into your ears as he kept thrusting in and out, mechanically the same exact speed and need. it felt too much like a fuck machine, truth be told, but with a real warm dick. “you’ll be able to let them all out later on. just wait for me alright?”

he’s decided this wasn’t enough.

5 minutes.

sungho panicked now. he wasn’t really that close, despite having edged himself at the sight of you since you entered the room. he thought that he would've cum by now, at the very second he entered you, but instead, he let his prior actions define how long it takes for him to cum. he subconsciously held back from fully letting go.

you, on the other hand, are simply enjoying the moment, feeling how he fucks you, although irregularly now. you smiled as your eyes closed, lips biting as your head fell back and you simply took what he gave. you could feel how his hands tightened by your side, and he kept a pace so sporadic that you had to bite your lips even harder just to not make a peep.

if you listened hard enough, you even think that you can hear how you both make the most melodic sounds, skin slapping and wet slick mixing together. you felt like gold melting into liquid, getting molded into being the perfect ring to fit him just right. you wanted to tell him so, to say sungho you feel so good, but with the audience right outside the door, you refrained.

he told you to keep quiet after all.

“1 minute left!”

damn it!

taesan’s voice couldn’t have come through at a worse timing.

immediately upon hearing his voice, sungho pulled out, breathing heavily as he watched his still hard dick glisten under the shadows of the room. well, he could feel it—feel how you coated every inch and crevice of his skin, his body on fire from how needy he got by simply fucking you for a couple minutes.

“you good?” he whispered, his hand coming up to cup your cheek.

“mhm,” you nod, your own coming up to put your own over his. standing on your tiptoes, you lean in to give him a soft kiss, just because you wanted to. “let’s continue this later yeah?”

smiling against your lips, sungho joined foreheads with you as his thumb stroked your cheek.

quickly, you both wrapped up. with how the group outside had been the whole night, you were sure that they’d open the door right as the timer hits 0 secs. well, jaehyun would make sure of that at least, given that you stole his 4th turn.

despite sungho’s boner being pretty evident, it only felt right to leave him like that; just a little more time, and you’d help him sort it out all throughout the night. the group started to also countdown backwards from ten, just enough time to kiss him again.

“you got me all night.”

“not gonna let you go.”

sungho’s smile lit up as the door opened up, the both of you looking rather put together for what just went down in the 7 minutes behind the closet doors. but no one else needs to know what’s up between you both.

some secrets are better left unsaid.

      𝓷ᴏᴛᴇ: tysm for reading! make sure to like + reblog if you enjoyed (˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶) feedback and comments are always appreciated!   &   𝓀ᴀᴛɪ ꜱᴀʏꜱ ... hi guys!! i hope you guys enjoyed this <3 haven't written a oneshot in a while so im a bit rusty but lmk what u guys think of it pleaseeeeee also i miss my star anon sm where r u come back to me augh + also thank u to my zynnie for proof reading mwah @zynz0 (insert cheesing dog gif) , anyways anyways take care guys !!

      𝓭ɪᴠꜱ ʙʏ: lace fade & ribbon by @cursed-carmine, animated lines by @chrisssiren, mdni by @mikeykuns, banner by me!  &  𝓽ᴀɢꜱ: @ericlvr @hehebeanis @fayepz @j-jellyous @taesanpop @heartsbyminnie @chwrrydolly @ruuroom @merakicafee @s0shroe

JAMES

JUHOON

SEONGHYEON

KEONHO

There are exactly thirteen steps between the camping table set up for the submarine game and the bathroom. You know because you counted. You might have hesitated a bit between six and seven, giggling to yourself, but you did count thirteen by the time you reached the entrance hall through the corridor lit by fairy lights.

Okay, maybe give or take a few. You were a bit distracted by the music, the lights and trying not to stumble. There’s still a sway in your step when the bathroom door opens suddenly in front of you and you backtrack, the house slipper Jaehyun made everybody wear catching on the edge of a rug. Then the Earth turns on its axis and you feel your balance give out. But before you could spread out like a starfish on the ground and stare at the ceiling (which doesn’t sound half bad right now), a hand catches your elbow and pulls you back.

You blink slowly as the dizziness settles and look up at your savior only to come face-to-face with an angel.

“Are you okay?” She asks with a worried yelp while you’re busy staring. Even the shitty dim lighting of the bathroom that Haewon complained about earlier looks like a halo around her, framing her shoulder-length wavy blonde hair like it was her personal ring lamp. God really has some favourites, huh?

“Wow, you are really pretty!” You blurt out, your brain-to-mouth filter lost sometime after the second somaek you had to drink because you were hopelessly losing against Intak and Junghwan. Really, it’s just your luck that you managed to sink the soju glass twice in a row.

“Thanks?” Blondie shyly giggles and oh gosh, it’s so cute. That’s it, you will die in Jaehyun’s flat, right in the middle of the hall, staining it like a crime scene, all because of a pretty girl. “Uhm… were you about to…”

She trails off, pointing over her shoulders towards the bathroom and momentarily you’re distracted by the collarbone peeking out from under the wide neck tee. Yeah, maybe you did actually fall and hit your head because it feels a bit like heaven.

“Yeah, right,” you shake your head trying to recall why you came to the bathroom in the first place. Then you remember the amount of beer and soju you drank and the dryness of your lips. So you both do a little wiggle wiggle while sharing semi-awkward chuckles with the gorgeous blonde girl to switch places in the narrow space between the bathroom door and the coat hanger spilling over with jackets.

After a total 180 degrees turn, you’re still staring at the white flowers the fairy lights paint on the girl’s face until you realize it might be creepy and mutter thanks before turning towards the mirror. Squinting at the blinking silver glow that comes from the LED rod above the sink, you realize that Haewon was right about the shitty lighting. You try to switch on the ceiling lamp instead but then remember Jaehyun said that the bulb died like a week ago and he was so busy making sure there’s enough food and booze for the party that he forgot to change it. Typical guy behaviour.

“Actually…” You spin around, ignoring the dizziness that comes with it, in favour of catching your savior before she could actually leave. When she looks back in a mix of confusion and curiosity, you also notice that her top is cropped above her jeans. And that her shoulder-to-waist ratio is insane. You need to hold onto the sink behind you. Seriously, where was this hot girl hiding all this time?

“Can you help me?” You wave your purse between you as an indicator but she still looks a bit baffled when she eventually steps back into the bathroom. The door closes behind her with a soft click, leaving the two of you in semi-darkness. A hint of her perfume hits you then, a subtle woody scent, and suddenly you find it harder to breathe. It’s ironic that you have a bunch of guy friends who are popular on campus because of their looks but the only time you malfunction is near pretty girls.

After some struggle fishing it out, somehow you manage to give Blondie your phone with the torch function on and she directs the light towards the mirror wordlessly while you’re busy pulling out your lip products. It’s her who breaks the silence of the small space.

“So how do you know Jaehyun?” She asks, soft-spoken but there’s a lower huskiness in her voice that you find really attractive.

“He is in one of my classes, English Lit. You?” You answer after fixing up the edges with your lip liner.

“We used to live together,” the girl behind you replies matter-of-factly but it piques your interest more than it probably should. You glance at her figure half in the shadows through the mirror.

“Oh. Did you date?” You inquire as you switch to the balm. You hope it sounds like a casual follow-up question despite how sour it tastes in your mouth. Ridiculous. Who cares if they used to date?

“What? No! I… I like girls,” Blondie exclaims, her voice higher now, almost like she can’t believe you even came to that assumption. On the other hand, you’re quite pleased with the new bit of information. Especially because being openly queer is still not easy and her boldness encourages you to do the same.

“That’s cool! Me too! But I like guys too,” you tell her casually because it’s not even the wildest fact you have ever (over)shared in a bathroom. You tend to do that even without the influence of alcohol.

“What do you think?” You ask once you add the finishing touch with the lip gloss and smack your lips together, turning back around.

“It’s pretty,” Blondie says slowly, her cat-like eyes trained on your mouth and satisfaction pools in your stomach.

“Wanna try?” You offer boldly even though you can see the faint traces of something sparkling on her lips too already.

She blinks rapidly and makes a confused noise in the back of her throat but before she could actually articulate an answer, you stand on your tiptoes to match her height and briefly press your lips against her. It’s barely a peck but your lips tingle afterwards, begging for more.

“There,” you smile widely and tilt your head towards the door. “Dance with me?”

The girl seems speechless for a moment but then giggles again and follows you to a corner of the living room where most of the people mingle and do a very poor imitation of dancing to some 2010s throwback Jaehyun’s speakers play, so it’s a win. Faintly you hear Hanbin scolding somebody for smoking on the balcony and some cheers over a wild round of the APT game but none of that matters, not when you have the prettiest girl with you.

Under the flashing crimson and blue lights Blondie’s eyes shine. Or it might just be from her glittery eyeshadow. Either way you are mesmerized. When you sway closer, you could blame it on the alcohol but it wouldn’t be completely true nor would be claiming that resting a hand on her side is only for balance.

There’s a content smile on your lips when she shudders under your touch as your thumb caresses the sliver of bare skin not covered by her tee. When she calls your name, almost revered, as her own hands slide to the small of your back to hold you, you’re too tipsy and too affected to question when you told her what’s your name. You just hook your free hand’s index finger into the long necklace she’s wearing and give it a little tug to pull her closer. Your breath hitches when your lips graze after she stumbles and you bump into the couch behind you.

“Are you sure you’re sober enough?” She asks, her warm breath fanning over your mouth and her voice dropping lower. So sexy.

“Yes. Please,” you whisper, no hesitation, and sigh when your lips finally mold together. She tastes like cherries and you press closer like you’re trying to figure out whether it’s from her gloss or flavoured soju.

You get lost in it. Her earthy scent, the sweet taste of her lips, the way she kisses you like she means it. You have a hand on her nape, playing with the strands of her short blonde hair while she holds you like you are something precious. Time slows down and everything else dulls: the music, the lights, the alcohol in your veins.

“Get a room,” somebody yells at some point, breaking the spell as Blondie pulls back too much for your liking. You need a few long seconds to ground yourself, blinking up at the gorgeous girl in front of you. The gloss is smeared on her reddened lips and you’re sure you’re no better. You feel hot all over.

“Do you… do you wanna come over to mine?” You mutter, breathless, your fingers skimming down on her flat stomach from her ribcage all the way to the hem of her high waist jeans, implications clear and it has her suck in a breath.

Then suddenly, with the worst timing ever, nausea hits. All those soju shots are finally catching up to you.

“Wait… Fuck, I think I will throw up,” you barely get the words out before running back to the bathroom.

The rest of the night is a blur. You remember the cold of the bathroom floor tiles, somebody patting your back, glimpses of a taxi ride but the faces and events are smudged like ink under water. Somehow you manage to wake you up in your own bed, in changed clothes, alone.

“Had fun?” Kazuha teases when you crawl out of the room after noon to do something about your growling stomach. The curry she’s eating smells so good you would otherwise steal from that but right now you can’t even fathom swallowing something proper like that.

“Don’t even start. I made out with the hottest girl, then threw up in front of her and I don’t even know her name,” you whine with a pout, spreading cream cheese over your bread only to remember halfway through a glide that you forgot to toast it. It makes you ridiculously sad.

“That’s a pity. Though the guy who brought you back and asked me to make sure you’re good was cute too,” your flatmate says between two bites and it has you furrowing your brows.

“Who was it?”

“How would I know? I don’t know Myung Jaehyun’s friends. Only Sanghyuk and it wasn’t him,” Zuha shrugs and goes back to her lunch.

Her answer doesn’t really narrow down the list. Jaehyun is friends with like half the campus, so ruling out dance majors doesn’t get you anywhere. Maybe it was Hanbin or Euijoo, they are usually the most sober at these parties.

You take a bite from your soft bread as you sit down and open your unread notifications. You text back everybody who wonders whether you’re alive and like a few photos on social media. You totally don’t do it in hopes of catching sight of a certain blonde girl, so you’re totally not disappointed when you don’t see anyone like that tagged. You only have one new follow request from some guy with a pumpkin username. He’s wearing a football jersey in his profile picture, so you delete it without thinking. Jocks are not your type.

Alas life goes on and on Monday, you’re facing your next challenge: trying to not get rained on while carrying books that didn’t fit into your totebag next to your lunchbox and laptop. Or the even bigger challenge: opening one of those heavy glass doors while your hands are full to get into the Humanities building without getting rained on.

“Hey, Y/N! Let me…” Comes a voice from behind you and the umbrella that has been precariously balancing on your shoulder is now secured properly over your head. It gives you a free hand to push at the handle.

“Wow, you're a lifesaver, thanks!” You let out a relieved sigh as the door swings open.

“No worries,” says the guy who follows you inside and hands you your umbrella back. He has a grey hoodie over his head, drenched a little at the sleeves where his own umbrella didn’t cover him. A few strands of dyed hair peeks out from under the hood and his thin framed glasses are a bit fogged up now from the warmer temperature indoors. “How is your head?”

The question leaves you dumbfounded a bit but then you remember he even called your name, so now you’re racking your brain from where he could know you. He does seem vaguely familiar but you’re pretty sure there’s no guy like him in your classes but one can never be 100% certain. You’re not the most observant person anyways, you get distracted way too easily.

“Could be worse. Uhm you are…”

“Sungho. From the party?” The guy pushes the glasses back on his nose bridge, Thankfully he doesn’t look offended that you didn’t recognize him, rather just… shy?

“Sorry, things about the party are a bit… blurry. I shouldn’t have drunk so much,” you admit with an audible wince because that’s the issue, isn’t it? At the end of the day, it’s your fault that his name doesn’t ring a bell.

“No worries,” Sungho waves off your apology with a slightly awkward smile and points at the stack of  books under your arm. “Need help with those?”

“I’ll manage. Thanks though,” you smile and wish him a nice day before sprinting off towards the elevator. You really can’t wrap your head around why he seems familiar when you don’t remember anything about him.

It’s been five days and no signs of Blondie. You start to think that she was just the creation of your drunk mind. So it leaves you no choice: you have to go to the single source of truth, the only person you know who knows her.

“Jaehyun, hey!” You catch up to the boy before he could leave after your class together on Friday morning. “I need your help.”

“Sure, go on,” he turns to you, slipping his phone back into the pocket of his baggy jeans. He probably thinks you need help with the material or at least something academic-related, so you spare both of you the time by not keeping him guessing.

“At your housewarming party I kissed someone,” you tell him straightforwardly and you can see his neutral expression morph into a grin. The social butterfly he is, you're pretty sure matchmaking his friends is one of his favourite pastime activities.

“Not just anyone. The prettiest blonde girl ever,” you clarify because you need him to understand the gravity of the situation.

“Ah… huh?” Jaehyun blinks in confusion, probably because he doesn't understand what you need his help with. Or maybe he didn’t know you swing both ways? Anyways…

“Yeah. She said she used to live together with you. Could you maybe get me her contact?” You plead, even put your hands together to mimic praying and try your best puppy eyes.

“She?” The guy questions like he’s trying to make sure he heard that part right.

“Yes, she! She’s like this tall, has short blonde hair with bangs and she has really cute cat-like eyes,” you describe the girl of your dreams to him. But why are you over-explaning it? He couldn’t have had that many roommates to begin with. “How many girls have you lived with?”

“Not many,” Jaehyun laughs. “I will ask Yeppi first, okay?”

“Yeppi?”

“It’s a nickname,” he explains and you can't help but smile. It fits because she is pretty. Should you maybe call her that too instead of Blondie?

“Okay, yeah, of course, you should ask her first,” you nod, eagerly, giddy already because you’re one step closer to finding her.

Sungho’s day has been just peachy. He almost burned himself with the milk foam machine and has been yelled at for not using oat milk for a customer who did not even ask for it. Let’s not even talk about the fact that it’s day five of his crush ignoring him. Then Jaehyun waltzes through the café’s door like the world’s happiest labrador running up to its owner.

“Dude, you won’t believe it!” He yells over the chill lofi music and Sungho bows in apology towards the exactly three university students studying or at least pretending in front of their open laptops.

“Keep your voice down,” he hisses at his friend. It comes out a bit harsher than intended but he has been a bit moodier lately.

Lately as in ever since that run-in he had with you on campus when it became clear that you didn’t even remember kissing him. But it’s all good, he gets it, you were drunk but still… 

“So you don’t want to hear what I talked about with Y/N?” Jaehyun leans onto his elbows over the counter and Sungho can’t help but feel a little jab in the ribs at the mention of your name. Then he remembers how you touched him right there, lightly and playfully from one rib to another and he needs to suppress a shiver while he starts the espresso machine as nonchalantly as he can. It doesn’t deter Jaehyun from continuing in the kind of voice he uses when he excitedly describes movie plots he liked. “She just asked for my help to contact the prettiest blonde girl she has met. The one she made out with at my party.”

It’s like one ear in, one ear out. Sungho needs two business days to process what he heard because he understands the words and yet, they don’t make any sense. Were you kissing somebody else at the party? A girl no less? Not that he has any problem with that, you told him you like girls too and he’s a firm believer of love is love but… Did it mean that he wasn’t special at all? Were you just going around calling everybody pretty and kissing them?

“What?” He eventually gapes at Jaehyun who’s still grinning at him widely like it’s the best news ever. Argh, he really should have told Euijoo about his troubles instead, the older guy wouldn’t have made fun of him at least.

“She thinks you’re a girl, Sungho,” Jaehyun pokes him in the chest with a cheshire smile. “The girl you have a crush on has a crush on the girl version of you. Oh my god. This is golden.”

“Oh,” Sungho blinks, slowly, because if it’s true, if Jaehyun is right to be so sure that the girl in question is actually him, maybe the situation is not that dire. Sure, he is not a girl but you have also told him that you like guys too, so that shouldn’t be a problem… right? “Then I should just tell her it was me.”

It’s that simple, isn’t it? Sure, it might be a bit awkward, it might require him to dig out pictures Jaehyun took of him in makeup but if it makes you kiss him like that again, it would be worth it.

“I have a better idea,” his friend interjects, way too excited compared to the problem at hand.

“I don’t like your ideas,” Sungho frowns but still slides an iced americano in front of Jaehyun as a peace offering.

“My idea to put you in make up got Y/N kissing you,” Jaehyun raises a brow in challenge then takes a long slurping sip from the coffee before making the dramatic announcement. “Let’s make an instagram account for Sunghee.”

Now Sungho is utterly confused.

“Who?”

“Your girl version, come on, Sungho, keep up!” Jaehyun is snapping his fingers impatiently, then leans closer to lay out his plan. “You said she didn’t accept your follow request and kind of avoided you at uni, so if you suddenly approached her claiming you kissed her at the party she barely has any recollections of because of how drunk she was, she would think you’re a creep. I think you should start talking online and see if there’s anything beyond the initial sparks.”

“You want me to pretend to be a girl just to talk with my crush,” Sungho deadpans.

He can’t believe he’s actually considering this. Not after the last time he listened to Jaehyun, he lost a bet and ended up being styled against his own will. He really should have stopped doing that. Both listening to Jaehyun and making bets with him.

“Okay, maybe we can keep the gender thing ambiguous,” his best friend sighs almost like he’s the one giving in. “I have been telling you for years that you’re pretty like a girl. I wonder though, how she didn’t notice you’re as flat as a board."

Sungho feels himself flush but he isn’t sure it’s from embarrassment or exasperation.

“Of course I’m flat-chested, I’m a guy!”

“Maybe she likes her girls like that too,” Jaehyun has the audacity to grin while saying that. It only makes Sungho want to throw him out.

“Can we not talk about Y/N with other girls?” He groans and puts on his customer service smile when a mildly scared-looking girl approaches the counter.

Sungho remembers the first time he saw you clear as day. It happened in the coffee shop where he works part-time. Rain was pouring then too, relentlessly. (It’s a bit ironic that you only seem to go there when the weather’s shitty and you can’t be bothered to go to your favourite off campus café.) You probably don’t remember because he’s just one barista of the many you’ve encountered. You should have been just one customer of the many too. He usually has a hard time remembering even regulars, but something shifted inside of him that day.

And funnily enough, if anything, it was irritation at first sight.

You entered the coffee shop, your umbrella dripping rainwater all over the polished floors he had just mopped, and he had to close his eyes to stop himself from quitting right there. There was clearly an umbrella holder by the door outside, but he couldn’t even kindly point that out to you because instead of making your way to the counter, you walked up straight to a couple sitting by the window and slapped the guy right across the face. Sungho was too shocked to react. He just stood there with mouth agapé as you lectured that guy about cheating on your friend. It was like something out of a weekday soap opera, the unrealistic kind people get hooked on without meaning to and he was no better. He only remembered to act like a professional when you eventually did walk up to the counter to order a coffee for takeaway like nothing happened. He totally forgot about scolding you over the umbrella thing.

He has built some sort of quiet admiration after his co-worker Gaeul told him that the guy you slapped was an infamous player on campus, so it was well-deserved. Still, he thought you were a bit scary. (Which according to Jaehyun translated to him finding you hot.) Then the next time you visited the café during his shift you gave your umbrella to a stranger just because the girl had to go to a job interview while it was pouring outside. Right after, you complimented his latte art.

Needless to say, he has been falling steadily.

And then came the party and its aftermath.

He really can’t even make himself to blame you for not recognizing him. Every barista wears brand colored masks, aprons and baseball caps according to company policy and because Sungho hates it when his hair is in his eyes while working, he always neatly tucks them under the hat. Then there are the glasses he wears when the chances that somebody drunkenly knocks them off are low. So he gets it, the confusion, but… a girl? Really?

It's raining again when you walk in. He straightens his back when he notices and smoothes the wrinkles out on the front of his apron. He can immediately tell something is off though. There’s something sluggish in your movements and your eyes lack their usual spark and fire. You order a latte, hot like always on rainy days, and he rings your order up with all the usual textbook questions but he can’t help sneaking glances at you.

“Rough day?” He prompts gently as he hands you the buzzer. When you lift your gaze to him and your fingers touch, he swears his heart skips a beat.

“You could say that,” you sigh and start rambling about your pain in the ass of a landlord and your thesis consultant’s not too helpful comments on your drafted proposal while he’s starting on your coffee. It’s a slow day, so he doesn’t mind listening to you. He never does, but your company now feels especially good. When you add to your list of problems that you’re starting to think you’re unlucky when it comes to your crushes, he almost messes up the latte art. “Sorry, that was a long rant.”

“It’s okay. Just remember to take care of yourself,” he tells you and draws a little smiley onto your paper cup before handing it over. This time, when you take it, your fingers linger longer.

“Thanks… Sungho, right?” you smile at him sweetly, eyes crinkling and he feels his heart stutter in his chest.

You put the not even used buzzer down on the counter between you but don’t leave right away. You look at him intently, like you’re trying to figure out something and he can do nothing but stare back, his breath caught in his throat.

“Sorry, it might sound weird but…” You tilt your head and squint at him. “Your eyes are really familiar. Do you perhaps have a sister?”

Sungho exhales with a chuckle because you’re so close to getting it, to recognize him and yet, here you are face-to-face, searching for logical-sounding excuses for the familiarity. Now is his chance. He should just rip off the bandaid and spare you both the time and this awkward dance you’re doing because of a simple misunderstanding. He just didn’t imagine it happening at his workplace but better there than never.

“Uhm, no, no sister. Actually–”

The sound of your phone ringing echoes in the quiet space of the café. You fish it out and Sungho bites into his lip.

“Shit, sorry, I have to go,” you look back up with apologetic eyes and then you’re already running off with your coffee in your hand, leaving him standing there like a fool. Again.

So here it comes: desperate times, desperate measures.

Still, Sungho refuses to create fake accounts and such just to talk to you. Instead he changes his default KakaoTalk name to his initials and sets his profile picture to a photo of his family’s cat.

Then he takes a deep breath and looks up the ID Jaehyun has sent him earlier, preceded by a bunch of smirking emojis. He types out a message, keeping it simple and straightforward. His fingers shake a bit when he presses Send.

psh: hi! jaehyun told me you’re looking for me

The answer is almost immediate. As if you have been waiting. He tries to not feel too hopeful and fails.

ynie: omg yeppi? psh: please don’t call me that ynie: why? you’re pretty

And that’s it, he’s already blushing.

ynie: but you can always tell me your name psh: nice try but you know my name actually ynie: i do? ynie: i’m sorry i don’t remember TT ynie: i hope i didn’t scare you off at the party! and that i didn’t come off as too strong! i usually don’t invite people over so fast psh: don’t worry about it. it’s probably better we didn’t go further though

He only means it because of how drunk you were and because of the gender confusion thing but only when there’s a pause between messages does he realize that it came out wrong.

psh: not that i didn’t want to! it’s just that i would prefer to go slow. if that’s okay?

How do you tell someone you have been crushing on for a while that you would like them at least to know you’re a guy before you go anywhere near a bed, a crash course by Park Sungho. Argh, he would like to scream into his pillow like those dramatic characters in dramas but he has more dignity than that. At least he would like to think he does. That’s why he thinks it’s important to clarify he didn’t text to hook up. His heart wasn’t built for one night stands.

ynie: of course. i would like to get to know you anyways

So that’s how it starts, the texting, the twenty and more questions, and somehow his name or gender are forgotten. Like they are not even important. At least not as important as the cat in his profile picture or your thesis topic, his favourite movies and songs, your guilty pleasure dessert and how you’ve been wanting to dye your hair for a while but never got around to do it.

Some days it’s like this:

ynie: wait did you just get on a metro near campus? psh: yeah why? ynie: i think i saw you! from across the platform before the metro pulled up ynie: omg i can’t believe it. we were so close ynie: big fan of your androgynous style btw

Well, that’s one way to put it. It’s just a white tank top with an overshirt paired with jeans.

psh: i can’t believe you recognized me from afar

That’s what he types and what he means is: I can’t believe you don’t recognize me when I’m in front of you.

ynie: well your hair stands out and your shoulder-waist ratio has driven me crazy that night, so…

Now, Sungho is the one going insane.

Another day he gets two notifications at the same time. One from you with a bunch of exclamation marks and an ominous one from Jaehyun.

menace: don’t kill me psh: what did you do now? menace: i might have sent a picture of you to y/n menace: the one with the braided pigtails wig

Sungho takes three deep breaths, blocks his best friend and throws his phone onto the bed. By the time he picks it up again (barely 5 minutes later because he lacks self-control when it comes to you), your chat is filled with reaction pictures and uppercase messages.

ynie: you look pretty with long dark hair too!!

He kind of wants to dig himself a hole.

These days you come to his workplace even on sunny days. You make small talk by the counter while you wait for your drink. One day, you slide a flyer about a book club onto the counter and invite him. Most days, you study by the window and he gets away with staring more than he should. Gaeul clicks her tongue disapprovingly whenever she notices but doesn’t say anything. When you send him pictures of the art on your coffee via KakaoTalk not knowing it was his own work, his heart somersaults in his chest.

Then it happens. It doesn’t necessarily come as a surprise. There has been a build up. You have been talking for a while, things are good, Sungho’s crush is bigger than ever and it has been slow enough. It’s no surprise that you have had enough of waiting around.

ynie: want to study together this weekend? we can meet at the campus library psh: i would love to psh: but i need you to know that i don’t usually look the way i do at the party ynie: duh i didn’t expect you to wear glitters to the library psh: not just that psh: just promise me you won’t freak out? ynie: pinky swear. it’s a date then!

You’re spinning a pen around your fingers and occasionally tap it against the open but empty notebook you have in front of you. Your laptop has long gone to sleep mode since you sat down in a quiet section of the library. Every few seconds you glance down at the row of bookshelves, then check the time only to realize again that you’re being way too early. Who is to blame you though?

Somehow you still manage to miss when somebody walks up to your desk and stops by its corner. You drop the pen when you look up, smiling at the familiar face with a little wave.

“Hi, Sungho!”

He’s wearing the same hoodie he did when you met the week after the party and there’s some unease in his soft eyes behind his glasses as he puts his bag down next to the chair across from you. He glances as you like he’s expecting you to tell him he can’t.

“Hi. So uhm…” He clears his throat, now clearly anxious, then he just starts undressing in the middle of the library.

Okay, maybe undressing is not the right word but he hooks the black mask off his ears, so it doesn’t cover his features. Then takes off his glasses too, putting them down on the table carefully before grabbing the hem of his hoodie and pulls it over his head. The movement messes up his blonde hair and he reaches up to brush his usually parted fringe into proper bangs. Some strands fall into his eyes that seem darker now without the reflection of the glasses on them. He nibbles on his lower lip absentmindedly and only then do you notice the shiny gloss covering them. He’s also wearing the same white crop top from the party.

It has you gasping audibly.

“It’s you. Really,” you whisper, trying to take it all in. His broad shoulders filling out the tee. The bright white overhead lighting highlighting his biceps you have failed to notice before despite how securely he held you. The way his Adam’s apple moves with a nervous gulp.

“You promised not to freak out,” he reminds you almost pleadingly and there’s something tense in his voice that has you look straight into his eyes, dark and almost feline, filled with something warm, something like hope.

“I’m not. It’s just…” You trail off, glancing once again at the bare skin peeking out from under the top and the way a pout sits on his pink lips, blonde strands of hair framing his face gracefully despite being ruffled up. It’s almost unfair. “Gender envy is real.”

You don’t even try to keep awe out of your voice and Sungho looks so, so confused.

“Are you not… angry?”

“Why would I be?” You tilt your head, matching his confusion with furrowed brows.

“I’m not a girl,” he says very seriously and very quietly like it’s some grave confession and the corner of your mouth twitches.

“Yes, I can see that. You’re still very pretty though,” you say with a smile that’s both amused and coy and if his widened eyes are anything to go by, that’s when he realizes.

“You knew!” He raises his voice like it’s an accusation and it has you giggle. 

“Yeah, for a while. But it’s sweet that you put on gloss and a crop top for me today,” you smile wider.

In all honesty, it was a pretty embarrassing realization to come to in the middle of a busy metro station but better late than never. You don’t really care if he’s a girl or a guy, so you guess the whole ordeal stressed out Sungho more than you.

“So… is the date still on?” He asks tentatively as he lowers himself onto the chair.

“Yes, of course,” you beam at him even though you aren’t sure you will be able to focus on the study material when there’s something much more interesting in front of you.

You can’t be blamed for not at least trying but eventually you give up after an hour and suggest getting coffee. Sungho agrees easily and while you walk, you talk a bit about how the entire misunderstanding unfolded. He tells you how he wouldn’t have known you thought he was a girl if it wasn’t for Jaehyun’s big mouth and shares his friend’s crazy idea about ‘Sunghee’. You tell him how invested Jaehyun was whenever he has asked for updates and in the middle of semi-embarrassed laughter the topic turns into something lighter. When you stop to let a group of freshmen through, you slide your hand against Sungho’s palm. At first, he seems surprised, looking down at your fingers pressing against his like he can’t quite believe it but then he’s the one intertwining them. This time, you don’t even try to hide your smile.

Coffee turns into a much longer affair because both of you are pretty reluctant to leave. But midterm exams are coming up, you actually need to study, so it’s the sensible thing to do to call it a day when the sky starts darkening outside. When Sungho offers to walk you home, it makes you giddy but you spend the entire metro ride and 5-minute walk turning the same question over in your head. It slips out the moment you reach your apartment door.

“So… just to be on the same page, you’re my boyfriend now, right?”

It’s not the most romantic way to address the matter but you don’t care much about being romanced. Sungho seems a bit taken aback by the sudden question though and you wonder how long it will take for him to figure you out so well to not get startled by your directness. You hope it will be a very long time. Especially because he doesn’t seem to mind it.

“I’m whatever you want me to be,” he says eventually and you would call him out on being so cheesy if it wasn’t such a swoonworthy line.

“Good,” you smile and peck him on his lips, smearing the remnants of gloss on his mouth. It’s a bit like deja vu, repeating the past. Sungho blinks slowly under the corridor’s dim lighting. Your heart rate picks up when he leans back in, almost dazed, but you stop him with a hand over his chest.

“How slow do you want to go?” You ask, partly to be a tease about his earlier request and partly to be considerate. Sungho is not having it though, not this time.

He’s caressing your cheek with one hand and puts the other onto yours as he diminishes the remaining distance between you. You feel the door’s keypad dig into your back but still smile against his lips as he kisses you properly. It’s more coordinated now that you aren’t drunk but there’s something endearingly awkward in it as your nose bumps into his glasses. It’s just perfect.

Until the door opens behind your back.

You’re a bit too preoccupied and fail to recognize the familiar buzzing of the electric door lock in time. The only reason why you don’t fall is Sungho’s hand on the small of your back keeping you in place.

“Oh my god, can you not do that in public places?” Kazuha sighs and you scramble to stand properly beside your newly acquired pretty boyfriend, ready to introduce them. Your roommate however waves in his direction like it’s not their first time meeting.

You furrow your brows and glance from one of them to the other. “You two know each other?”

“He’s the guy who brought you back that night, after the party,” your flatmate explains.

“He’s the hot girl I made out with,” you counter, which leaves her wide-eyed and dumbfounded.

“What?”

“Long story.”

You’re in the middle of class assignment discussion after your English Literature class when you phone pings with a new message. You stand up right away when you see the contact name.

“Sorry, I’ve gotta go, my girlfriend’s waiting.”

“Wait, what?!” Jaehyun lets out a way too loud shriek in pure shock. “Are you and Sungho in an open relationship or something?”

You snort. 

“God, no,” you shake your head. You honestly don't think you could share Sungho with anybody and no matter how corny it sounds, he really is all you need. “It’s just… when I asked him to be my boyfriend, he said he would be my anything, so once in a while I like to change things up."

It's good that Sungho is secure enough in his identity that such things don’t bother him. He knows you know (now) that he’s a guy and you love him regardless of gender. But that past misunderstanding is like an inner joke between you, like a funny anecdote you like to revisit. You once jokingly called him unnie just to see how he reacts. He tripped over his own feet and laughed in that part shy, part shocked way he usually reacts to being called yeppi too.

Dating Sungho is really the best thing that happened to you. He’s sweet and silly, he doesn’t care that you can be brash sometimes. He joins the book club and takes you out on coffee dates, movie dates, gallery dates. You do skincare together when you stay over, he helps you maintain your hair when you bleach it and he lets you put gloss on him when you go out to parties. But at the end of the day, he’s such a guy.

He leaves the toilet seat up, plays video games and forgets to eat while at it, manhandles you during play fighting just because he can and once a week he plays football with his friends which leaves him all sweaty and tired. You’re still not a big fan of the sport because it bores you but if it’s him playing you turn into the best cheerleader the world has ever seen. You practically run up to him when you see him waiting for you at your usual place near his workplace.

“Hi, baby. Good session?” You press a kiss over his shoulder that’s bared by the black tank top he has on and snuggle to his side. Now that you’re allowed, you can’t seem to keep your hands off him.

“Yeah, I’m starving though,” he says with a little whine in his voice which always makes you a little feral with cuteness aggression.

You start listing off options as you start walking hand in hand, the spring breeze sweetening the air around you. You’re just like any other campus couple but when people ask about your love story, you have a favourite version to tell:

“It all started because I kissed a girl…”

END NOTES. the blond sungho effect is real

of course  jaehyun had to be the enabler

the braided long hair is a reference to this one

header pic from this IG post for Sungho's cover

☆ BOYNEXTDOOR masterlist

💌 askbox

COURT FILE ONE : P. SUNGHO

witnesses : senior partner!sungho x newbie associate!reader evidence presented : mentor/mentee , lawyer!au , slow burn , reader tries to be angsty but sungho shuts it down court report summary : you’re a sharp first-year associate trying to keep your head down—until park sungho, the firm’s youngest partner and brutal courtroom closer, starts pushing you harder than anyone else. at first, it’s just strategy meetings and late nights on the case he had placed you as lead. but something shifts—small glances, quiet confessions, a closeness that starts to feel less like mentorship and more like something neither of you can name. just as the line between professional and personal begins to blur, an anonymous note lands on your desk: end it, or face the consequences. with your short-lived career hanging in the balance, both of you are forced to decide what’s worth protecting more—the job both of you learned to love, or the connection that could cost you everything.

📋 read the court report here !

COURT FILE TWO : L. SANGHYEOK

witnesses : hidden genius!riwoo x associate!reader evidence presented : coworkers to lovers , lawyer!au , mutual pining , angst court report summary : sanghyeok’s a quiet, awkward paralegal in the office — always shuffling paperwork, eating alone, and dodging eye contact. but one late night, you catch him smoothly delivering legal advice that could win a multi-million-dollar case. turns out, he’s been silently shaping the firm’s biggest wins behind the scenes—and now, yours too. his brilliance was hidden behind file folders and sticky notes, in red-inked margins and late-night whispers. but as your connection deepens and the firm starts watching, you're forced to wonder: how much of your success is really yours—and how far are you willing to go for someone who was never supposed to step into the spotlight?

📋 read the court report here !

COURT FILE THREE : M. JAEHYUN

witnesses : ex/rival partner!jaehyun x partner!reader evidence presented : lawyer!au , exes to lovers , rivals to lovers , angst , fluff court report summary : you and jaehyun were law school’s golden couple—until your third year, when he took a mysterious internship offer and ghosted you. years later, you’re both junior partners and jaehyun’s now opposing counsel on the biggest case of your career. jaehyun is smooth, confident, and infuriatingly handsome, all with a teasing glint in his eye that says he hasn’t forgotten a thing. the courtroom becomes your battlefield, but outside of court? you can’t escape each other. you’re stuck in settlement meetings, run into him at the law library, and—worst of all—get assigned the same speaking panel on ethics in law. but off the record, the truths regarding your shared past start leaking out. about why he left. about why he never stopped writing. about the ring he still keeps in his drawer.

📋 read the court report here !

COURT FILE FOUR : H. DONGMIN

witnesses : judge's son!dongmin x clerk!reader evidence presented : golden retriever x black cat , lawyer!au , slow burn , fluff court report summary : as a law clerk working under a famous strict federal judge, your career rides on your ability to stay focused, silent, and out of trouble. and there’s dongmin—bright-eyed, full of charm, and always around the courthouse. you assume he’s another intern. he brings you snacks, cracks bad jokes, and waits for you after work. you fall for him in the quiet moments: eating gimbap on courthouse steps, exchanging doodles and inside jokes during long hearings. but when you’re called to a private chamber meeting with the judge, everything shatters: dongmin is his only son—and the case you’re to work on next is a complex one. a corruption trial that threatens powerful names, including dongmin's family. and you’re trapped in the middle.

📋 read the court report here !

COURT FILE FIVE : K. DONGHYUN

witnesses : civilian auto mechanic!donghyun x partner!reader evidence presented : golden retriever x black cat , lawyer!au , fluff court report summary : donghyun is your newest client—a gentle auto mechanic who’s being framed in an industrial sabotage case involving a powerful auto parts corporation. your firm takes on his case pro bono, and you’re assigned to his defense. donghyun’s soft-spoken, warm, and completely overwhelmed. he doesn’t know to “act” like a client. he brings you lunch from his shop. he smiles even when scared. you’re used to working with slick CEOs and emotionless millionaires—not men who fix your coffee machine because “the rattling sound bugged me.” but when he testifies, something clicks—he’s composed, persuasive, and observant. together, you begin piecing together the truth but your investigation drags you into dangerous territory that puts donghyun in real risk. and you’re going to do whatever it takes to defend him.

📋 read the court report here !

COURT FILE SIX : K. WOONHAK

witnesses : intern!woonhak x intern!reader evidence presented : sunshine x grumpy , fake dating!au , lawyer!au , idiots in love court report summary : when a high-profile immigration client threatens to pull funding, the firm launches a PR stunt: interns are paired into “mock” families to build empathy. you think it’s ridiculous—a hollow attempt at compassion. and you’re paired with woonhak, the annoying, bubbly and chatty intern who never stops singing in the copy room and somehow knows everyone’s coffee order. he’s everything you’re not—loud, warm, chaotic—but you reluctantly agree to play along. no feelings, no risks. but when he shows up with flowers on your fake anniversary, sends 3 am texts about “our song”, and kisses you in front of the press at the firm’s gala (wait, what?), you start to let your guard down. the engagement may be fake—but the way your hand fit in his… that was most certainly starting to feel dangerously real.

📋 read the court report here !

ᰋ liked this ? consider liking, reblogging, or providing feedback !

ᰋ want more ? send in an ask to be added to my permanent taglist / series taglist !

permanent taglist. @taylorluvation @mimimimiaa @nineooooo