lamouremporte

if this was the night hanbin would get murdered by a crazed woman holding a cat…well…there wasn’t much he could do about it at this point. maybe it was just his time to go. he watches with a slight wince as the cat wriggles about in her arms, eyes widening just a tad wider as she sets it down. the cat wastes no time in zooming around the room looking for a place to hide. it squeezes itself under hanbin’s tattered couch with ease. a warning meow is all that can be heard. how ominous. 

❝ s’not like i really have much to rob, honestly. maybe my switch..? but please don’t take that, i finally got a three star island on animal crossing. ❞ his gaze finally flicks back towards the woman before him. as asinine as her excuse did sound, hanbin found himself believing it. the accompaniment of the cat scratching at the underside of his couch helped with the cause too.   

❝ keep my window closed. got it. ❞ hanbin finally lowers his arm, and his keys fall into the bowl on the dresser with a soft clank. he takes a moment to shuck off his shoes as well, leaving them in the doorway before finally stepping fully inside. ❝ you’re the first neighbor i’ve met, i guess. ❞ a small smile is given, one that’s a little hesitant but still welcoming. ❝ i’m hanbin. nice to meet you. and your… ❞ his head tilts slightly to see if he can spot a glimpse of fur under the couch. ❝ cat. ❞      

   She let out a loud sigh as she watched her cat disappear under the couch. “Asshole.” She murmured under her breath, kneeling beside the couch as she tried to coax Geumbi out with little kissy noises.

   Soojin laughed, taking her attention away from the cat to look around the boys apartment. “If I were to rob you it would probably only be whatever snacks you might have hiding so I can put off doing my grocery shopping for a little while longer.” She grinned crookedly at him for a moment before turning her attention back to the cat.

   “Sometimes I think he can open windows by himself with how often he goes missing.” Soojin grumbled, pulling her hand out from under the couch. She sat back, letting out an exasperated sigh as it was evident that Geumbi did not want to be leaving his hiding spot under the couch anytime soon. “Well, it’s a pleasure to meet you, Hanbin. Sorry about breaking into your apartment, thanks for not completely freaking out about it?” She looked up at him from where she was seated in front of his couch. “I promise I’ll try to make it up to you.” 

she could tell her was flustered, but couldn’t head to turn her head fully to face him. there was no need for him to share his personal life if he had no desire to, of course, bom tried not to meddle in people’s lives. but he looked rather sad and she couldn’t hold herself back from caring. it happened even with strangers, moreso with her employee. “i’ve come for a drink after work. are you alright?”

   He let out an awkward laugh, looking over the woman sitting beside him. Seeing his boss outside of work wasn’t something that Minkyu was yet to have happen and he couldn’t decide how much friendly conversation he thought would be appropriate with her in such a place. "I'm fine." He gave her a small smile, reaching for the new drink that had been placed in front of him. "I just like to come here to think." 

(   🌺   )               sophie   is   strangely   quiet,   too   deep   in   her   thoughts   to   say   anything   until   she   finally   gathers   herself.   ❛   i   think   we   need   to   rewind.   we   just   watched   the   entire   movie,   &   i   don’t   understand   anything.   ❜

   Younghee let out a quiet laugh, uncurling herself from her spot on the sofa. “Honestly, I’ve been beyond lost since pretty much the beginning.” She grabbed her glass off of the coffee table, downing the remainder of its contents. “I don’t know if rewinding would do us any good at this point.”

@lamouremporte​​ - SUNGMIN - NOTHING  L I K E  US

his heart thuds, loud and all too powerful inside his ribcage. it’s been 10 years since high school ended along with the entirety of what used to be his entire world. minjae looks at the entrance and is assaulted by a rush of nostalgia. he remembers that first kiss that happened in this exact corridor when neither of them was supposed to be still here. sungmin’s face had been softened by sunlight spilling inside through the windows above them and his eyes were so, so bright, minjae had wondered if perhaps he was looking at a star.

then life happened. their paths bifurcated into two separate lines that stretched before them in parallel. sometimes, minjae heard sungmin’s name being whispered between old acquaintances when he came back from japan. but time continued to pass and even the frequency in these mentions faded from existence. ten years had gone like that and yet, even now, all those memories rushing back to his head still hold the same power over him as they did in the first days of real separation.

they had been together for a year and a half. but when minjae left to start pursuing his dream, all it took was a misunderstanding for them to be over. for the longest time, minjae carried bitterness laced together with a bone-aching longing. he felt deceived, wondered all too often if all they had lived, all the promises they made to each other between kisses, had been no more than a fleeting infatuation. sungmin had gotten over him too soon and that had hurt.

but life went on and eventually, minjae found someone new. yet he still looked back, still wondered what may have come of his former flame, if he still liked the same snacks during long afternoons, if he still liked those kinds of movies minjae cringed about, if he ever thought about him too.

❝ you got too cute, ❞ seohyun, one of the girls he used to be friends with comments as she pinches his cheek. he laughs, embarrassed and looking away in an attempt to evade her antics.

round eyes fall on a familiar face and it cuts the air short. he gasps, the sound almost nonexistent as he catches his heart in his throat. sungmin is there, the angle of his face a telltale of his age, of his maturity. seohyun turns to look in the same direction too and she smiles a bit, waving at the elder male.

❝ sungmin-oppa! ❞ she greets him.

minjae pales.

   Sungmin hadn’t planned on attending the reunion. So many thing had changed in the ten years since he had last set foot in the halls of the school, and he would rather have forgotten about the majority of the memories that the building held for him. However, his wife, or rather ex-wife, was spending the day packing her belongings in the apartment that they had once shared. Sungmin found himself desperate for anything to distract him from the woman who was packing away life as he had known it for the past nine years.

   He came to a sudden stop, staring at the entrance of the building that stood before him as he tried to gain the courage to enter. Sungmin felt himself instantly overwhelmed with memories of what had been so many years ago. Specifically memories of him. Every good memory that Sungmin had from his high school years involved Minjae. He used to occupy Sungmin’s thoughts constantly, especially in the months following their parting. As years passed he slowly found the boy slipping from his memory but, in that moment, he couldn't help but to think of what could have been, if only he had done things differently.

   He knew that he had moved on too fast. The women currently packing in his apartment was proof of that. Sungmin had nobody to blame for that other than himself. He had gotten jealous and acted too rashly and then moved on in an attempt to speed up the process of forgetting about Minjae, even though he wanted to do everything but. Sungmin had convinced himself that he was happy and Minjae was nothing but a part of his past. And he had believed it. 

   He took a deep breath, pushing the memories of skipped classes and stolen kisses aside as he entered the building, plastering a smile across his face as he greeted old friends that he hadn’t seen in a number of years. He could only hope that Minjae had other plans and he wasn’t going to be amongst the crowd of people who were gathered in his old school.

   The conversation he was having with several acquaintances was interrupted by a voice that was still all-too-familiar to Sungmin, even after all of the years that has passed. 

   “Seohyun!” He exclaimed, turning to face the girl with whom he used to spend so much time. “You haven’t changed a bit!” Sungmin opened his arms for a hug from her, happy to be reunited with his old friend.   

   The smile on his face instantly fades as he notices the man over Seohyun’s shoulder. Albeit aged, there was no denying who stood before him. Sungmin had spent many hours memorising every inch of Minjae’s face and he would never be able to erase it from his mind.

   He found himself staring at the floor, unable to meet his eyes. “Minjae.” He murmured, under his breath. 

@lamouremporte​ ❤️’d for a starter ( based off the second bullet on a wishlist! )

hanbin wishes he could say this was the craziest thing he’s seen. he really, really wishes he could. but since working at the absolute wild ride that is the noraebong from hell, he’s ( sadly ) learned how to quickly desensitize himself to certain situations. 

this definitely should not be one of those situations to be calm in—considering he just walked into his apartment to see a stranger holding a cat in the middle of his small living space. he doesn’t even own a cat. who’s cat is that? and why is it getting kidnapped from his living room?

❝ uhm.. ❞ he starts, but soon finds himself having to clear his throat. he must look like an idiot right now, doe eyes wide behind the frames of his glasses, hand held into the air where he hasn’t quite dropped his keys onto the entry way dresser. his brain is still trying to find the words his mouth is opening to say. ❝ maybe…don’t do that? sorry, who are you? ❞

   Breaking into her neighbours apartment is the last thing that Soojin wanted to be doing, especially considering she hadn’t even had the chance to meet them yet. However she didn’t think that she had much of her choice when Geumbi, her cat from hell broke outside into the neighbour’s house. Soojin was scared of the wreckage that he would have left if she had waited for the neighbour to come home. 

   She was in the midst of scolding Geumbi when she noticed the stranger standing in front of her. Her face turned bright red as she started to mumble a spew of excuses, trying to explain exactly why she was in his apartment holding a cat.

   “I’m so sorry. I promise I’m not here to rob you or something.” She groaned quietly, letting go of the cat who did not want to be held. “How am I supposed to explain this without sounding crazy. That little bastard-” she pointed at her cat, “broke out of my apartment and your window was open and I know for a fact he would destroy the place if I just left him here and...” She trailed off, finally looking up at him properly. “Sorry.” She mumbled, under her breath. “I’m Soojin.” She pointed at the wall to their left. “I live there.” 

he laughs “oh yeah that would definitely be the perfect time for you to come over so then you can have some peace and quiet.” he smiled with a nod. “i mean snacks to share just seals the deal for me really. i don’t see how i’m losing.” he shrugs his shoulders “mama always taught me to be a polite guest and not demand things or bring something up without it having been offered.” he laughs. “ah maybe, i would have but i wanted to be respectful.”

   She nodded quickly, grinning wide. “Free snacks and getting to see my beautiful face? That sounds like you’re hitting the jackpot.” Hyunjin understood what he was saying, it may have seemed rude of him to make himself so at home in her apartment. “Well, your mother did a good job raising you. But you’re always welcome to help yourself here. Pretend that this is your second home, I promise that we really don’t mind.” She reached over, ruffling his hair gently. “But I promise that food should be here very soon.”

she can’t help but to laugh nodding her head in agreement. “that is very true.” she nods patting his arm gently. “ah and your the perfect example of my not lame best friend minjun.” she giggles leaning into him a bit a sigh of content leaving her lips. “you’ll have it up and running in no time i’m sure of it.” she winks at him with a laugh shaking his head. times like this with minjun were some of her favorite, she felt grounded and down to earth like she used to. “ah perfect because we both know what a great cook i am.” she teased him and laughs. “maybe we should make something easy and manageable for us yeah?”

   He laughed, rubbing her shoulder gently. “I promise that you’ll have the best fan club to ever exist. Only the best for you.” Though he was only joking around, part of Minjun was serious. He wanted to ensure that Stella was getting everything that she deserved after all of her hard work. “You may not be a good cook, but at least you’re a step up from me!” He exclaimed, scrunching his face as he thought of the last time he tried cooking by himself. “The only time I don’t eat takeout is when Minji is home to cook.” He nodded in agreement. “Yes, something easy that even the pair of us is sure to be able to make properly.”

sojun can’t help but to smile at his words, they were heart warming. “that would be nice, i’d love to hear you play again.” sharing music with someone like taehyun she felt was rare, and the was he appreciated it like her meant a lot.

she nods her head when he said he didn’t mind the hotel. “that’d good – i used to like hotels. they always felt like a vacation.” she laughs a little smiling to him. she keeps guiding them to her complex. “it’s not much further – the day after is perfect for me.”

   “Maybe we’ll magically find a piano on our adventure. I’d love to get the chance to hear you play again, too.” Taehyun laughed to himself at the chance of it actually happening. But, he could hope. He would have loved to get the chance to hear her play again. 

   “Yeah, I get that. Sometimes it’s nice to be able to get away from home, even If I’m still working. What changed?” He asked, tilting his head a little as he examined her. He grinned and nodded quickly. “Okay, perfect. The day after it is. I can meet you at your place? It doesn’t seem to be too far.” 

hearing daniel explain how his parents are she nods her head softly. they really have more in common then she would have thought. “ah yeah, they don’t even tell me that.” she laughs a little. “they don’t really care what i do, their business are their children.” she shrugs sipping her drink. “i spent most of my time with my grandfather growing up. he was a really humble man and taught me mostly everything i know.” she nods her head with a small smile. “i guess we really do.” she nods her head looking to him as he leans against the counter. “maybe we would have gotten along sooner had we known.” she teases.

   He nodded, listening as Devyn explained her family life to him. “It sounds like your parents are the kind of people who would get along great with mine.” Daniel laughed quietly to himself, trying to imagine his parents taking time away from work to have friends. “As soon as summer break came around and there wasn’t school to keep me busy my parents had me shipped to Korea to stay with my grandparents. I think that’s why I tend to fall in with the wrong crowd. It’s a way to get their attention and live my own life.” He grinned faintly at her. “We probably would have, but I’ve always been told that I’m stubborn. I blame that.”

it wasn’t often that she indulged in a drink, but after a long day at the shop, she thought it would be fair to get a beer before heading home. she had been there for about two minutes when her employee arrived, and she frowned softly, almost pouting. “minkyu?”

   He looked up quickly, startled by hearing the familiar voice that did not belong in his favourite bar. Minkyu frowned as he found himself facing his boss. “Bom? What are you doing here?” He felt his face burning red as he quickly looked away from her gaze. As much of a mess as Minkyu’s personal life was, he tried his best to keep his problems away from work.