사랑해~

“Yeah, sorry, I’m just not really into you anymore.” Sanghyun said as he shrugged his shoulders before running off to meet his boys.

You expected it, of course, you had felt Sanghyun losing interest in you but you kept denying your gut feeling. He had asked you to be his girlfriend after all. Nobody asked you ever, so the fact that said he liked you and gave you all of his attention was a drastic change from any other boy you had liked, you said yes.

It had started out great, he understood that he couldn’t come between you and your best friend. And that nobody could ever make you stop hanging out. And he never seemed to get jealous about it either. He called you to talk before you went to sleep but after gaming, of course. He picked you up at your house and drove the both of you to school. You shared one of your general education classes together and sat next to each other, until he went off to engineering and you went on to the theatre for dance.

He waited for you after your rehearsals and took you home, or took you to dinner and then took you home. It had all become pretty routine for you in the last 6 months. Until he stopped waiting for you after rehearsals. And he stopped calling you before you went to bed. And he stopped picking you up to go to school together.

He said it was because he had so much extra work to do, he was learning how to fix his computer and was behind everyone else in his class. And you believed him, your older brother had taken engineering and he had spent days at school at a time. But you just had that nagging feeling he was cheating on you, your intuition told you, but you denied.

Until the rumors started, Sanghyun was spending a lot of time with Yona. The pretty redhead in the class you shared together, she was cute and hadn’t said much to you all year other than exchanging hellos. He still sat next to you in class but you could see him texting every now and then when he thought you weren’t looking.

You sighed to yourself, of course he lost interest, who were you anyway? No one special, dance was your passion and you liked playing video games with friends in your free time. You put it in effort with some makeup but with how often you had rehearsals, it was easier to wear leggings or sweats than to dress up something cute to classes.

You adjusted the strap on your shoulder and found yourself already arriving to the theater’s back door. You steeled your nerve before heading inside, you didn’t need any of them to be telling you ‘I told you so.’ Several of them had warned you against Sanghyun when he first asked you, saying he was a playboy and that you were just his flavor of the month. The only one who didn’t say anything was him.

“Hello, Your Highness.” He jokingly bowed before you and then threw his arm over your shoulder. He was never gonna let that down when you had been casted as Sleeping Beauty and he had gotten Prince Charming in high school, he started calling you that and had been ever since.

“Hey best friend.” You replied in with as much normal happiness as you could muster but that wouldn’t fool him. It never did. You continued walking towards the dressing rooms so you could put your things down and start warming up.

“Hey hey, none of that. What’s wrong? Something happen with Sanghyun?” He asked you, putting both hands on your shoulders and making you lkkk at him.

“I don’t really wanna talk about it here, Johnny. Can we talk about it after?” You said, your eyes drifting off to the side and at the spot on the floor that looked like old gum. His finger tightened just slightly on your shoulders before he pulled away and let you put your things down. You walked back out of the dressing room and he immediately took your hand, “Fine, tell me on our way home then.”

You kept your mouth shut, and merely nodded. That’s how it used to be, before Sanghyun. Johnny had always walked you home and walked you to school, ever since you were little. He lived just down the road and a block away, and you had met on the playground at the park when you were 6. He stopped a boy from pulling your hair and since then, your parents encouraged your play dates.

You went through rehearsal on auto-pilot but you could feel the gazes of the others. They had probably heard the news already, that or Sanghyun was already dating Yona right after he broke up with you. The whispers didn’t help either, the gossipers were going. Maybe she didn’t put out, maybe she was cheating on him first, maybe maybe maybe.

You soldiered on through rehearsal, Johnny was your partner as usual and kept sneaking glances at you to make sure you were okay. You would always try to give him a small smile of reassurance. But he wouldn’t buy it. Granted, you weren’t too sad per se, you had seen it coming. What really killed you was the idea of no one else ever liking you the same way again.

Nobody approached you ever, you had to do it, you had asked a crush about it once, and he told you he couldn’t because Johnny was your best friend. It took you by surprise at first but nothing would come between you and Johnny. All the girls who asked him out always asked in a way that told him if he dated them, he’d have to ditch you, and he always told them no. And there were a lot of girls asking.

So there was no way you could even think about someone asking you to drop Johnny. Not after everything you guys had been through, failing grades, failed auditions, great plays, pet deaths and not to mention, all of the bullies he kept away from you. No way in hell, he was your best friend, it was a package deal or nothing.

Rehearsal ended and immediately everyone began talking, it had been silence except music and counts but since then the theater rose up in a cacophony of sounds and distorted voices as everyone spoke.

“Are you going to the party tonight?” Jaemi asked you. There was a party every Friday night at one of the fraternities, this week it was Sigma Pi’s turn, the engineering frat. How ironic.

Before you could open your mouth and tell her no, Johnny came over, slinging his arm in his usual spot on your shoulders. “Yes, yes she is. Actually we both are.” He said, smiling at Jaemi.

Jaemi gave you a smile that felt forced, of course it did, she was Yona’s best friend. “Great. I guess I’ll see you guys there then.” She walked away right after.

You turned to Johnny, “I don’t wanna go to the party tonight, it’s Sigma Pi’s party.” You frowned at him. You wanted to do your best to avoid him and Yona at all costs, it would just be another blow to your ego that no one would like you again.

“And that’s why we’re going. Because Sanghyun is going to be there, and you are going to look like the hot little shit I know you can be, and he’s going to regret ever hurting you.” Johnny smirked, as you felt his anger in his words. He hadn’t complained about Sanghyun before but he was probably just mad that Sanghyun had hurt your feelings.

You groaned, knowing that there was no way to fight him on this, once Johnny made up his mind, it was settled. You were doing whatever he decided on, it’s how you both auditioned for Sleeping Beauty to begin with. And it worked out perfectly fine. Your bag in hand, the two of you made your way back to your house. He walked you all the way to the door before stopping you, “Wear that top with the straps that buckle and that pair of high waisted shorts that make your ass pop. Oh and that black heel you always wear out. You know which one.” He told you.

“Yeah, yeah, Charming. I got it, the usual slay outfit for when you wanna chase girls away or we have to kiss ass so the fraternity buys fundraiser tickets.” You nodded, before pushing him away so he could go home and get ready too, the party was gonna be bustling in about an hour and even then you guys were gonna be fashionably late.

“See you soon, Your Highness.” Johnny waved as soon as you were inside the house and ran off. You sighed to yourself, putting your things down. It didn’t sound like mom and dad were home yet, so you hopped in the shower and started to get dressed. Your hair was long enough to braid and blow dry so it fell in waves down your back while you did your usual makeup and pulled the outfit on as instructed.

It always took you by surprise when you saw yourself in clothes like this, dance kept you in shape but you never really got to see it with the leggings and oversized shirts. But now, it was obvious, you could clean up real nice. You filled a small purse with the essentials and swiped a red lip stain on when the doorbell rang. You pulled the strappy heels on and answered without looking knowing it was Johnny.

He wore the biggest smile on his face as he appraised you, “Yes, you. Beautiful and hot as always.” He said, complimenting you as he always said you so rightly deserved. He cleaned up nice himself, button down with a lot of his chest exposed due to lack of buttons on, dark denim jeans and his knockoff timberlands that he didn’t care if alcohol spilled on. Messy bedhead hair that he always had, and his random assortment of rings on his fingers just for show.

“You look good too.” You told him, knowing he deserved a compliment just as much. “Did you break off another button on that shirt?” You asked, noticing the fraying threads.

Johnny smiled sheepishly, before nodding his head, “I threw it in the dryer because I forgot about it and then it ate another button.” He took your hand, before leading you to his car, the Sigma Pi house was on the other side of campus and nowhere near close enough where you could walk in those heels.

“I keep telling you, you can’t dry this shirt. You’ll have to get another one if you ever need to audition in a suit.” You shook your head and rolled your eyes at him but he knew you weren’t too upset with the smile on your face. He opened the door for you and helped you into the car before going around the other side himself. The drive was short as no one else was on the road and he sped there.

There was one last street parking a little way over in front of the house and he quickly paralleled and came over to help you. With your heels, you were still nowhere near as tall as he was. But still, it helped when he offered you his arm. You walked in with your head held high, determined to not let anyone get you down.

Someone offered the two of you unopened beer bottles and you graciously took it. Johnny had an opener on his keys and helped you with yours. You clinked once before the both of you took a sip. It had been a minute since you drank, because you had that audition, but the cold beer felt so good, warming you from the inside out. “Now, where is that jerk.” Johnny said, taking another gulp of his beer, it was already more than half down the bottle.

He walked the two of you around the living room and towards the kitchen where random bits of food was bound to be. Everyone was looking at you, as you made your way through the frat house. It felt so weird to have so many eyes on you, you could feel the gazes and from you could tell it was mostly shock. You kept your eyes down, for the most part until you saw him. He was already cozying up to Yona in the loveseat, with her on his lap and a beer in the other hand. You caught his eye before quickly looking away before he could give any sort of look.

“Hold my hand so he gets jealous.” You murmur softly, but Johnny was close enough that he could hear you. He looked around until he saw Sanghyun and Yona together. You saw his jaw clench before he turned to you with that mischievous smile. He only did that when he was about to do something that you might not be on board with.

“I have a better idea.” He said, before crowding you up against the fridge. The cold stainless steel gave you goosebumps and you could feel your body react to the cold. His arm rested on the wall just above your head, and he leaned in so close, you could feel his breath tickle your neck. You were positive your eyes were bulging out of their sockets and your chest tightened as you held your breath.

“What’re you doing?” You asked him in a tight voice. His breath continued to tickle your skin as he lingered by your neck, his other hand came down to rest on your hip, pulling you close.

You swore you felt his smirk against your skin without him actually touching you. Johnny never did this, even when he was pushing girls away, the only thing he’d ever do was put his arm around you and pull you close. Or he’d let you drink out of his drink, to show that you two were together to deter girls away. Before he could answer, a throat cleared beside you guys.

“What are you doing with my girlfriend?” Sanghyun asked as you realized that he was the one who cleared his throat, your eyes immediately darted over to the loveseat and Yona was now sitting there alone as she watched Sanghyun.

Johnny kept his arm above you but merely moved away from your neck so he could look at Sanghyun as he answered, “Don’t you mean your EX girlfriend, since you broke up with her just before her dance rehearsal?” He said loud and clear for other people in the room to hear.

Of course, in that moment the DJ shut the music off and the audible gasp from everyone could be heard around the room. Sanghyun narrowed his eyes at Johnny before speaking, “I’m not too sure what you mean. Y/N is my girlfriend.” He said, stepping closer to the two of you.

Your mind raced as you couldn’t quite understand why he was doing this, Sanghyun literally just had Yona sitting in his lap. And he broke up with you, like actually said it was over and walked away. Did he think that just because you didn’t tell anyone, that he could just take it back?

Johnny scoffed, not moving away in the slightest, in fact he moved closer to you, pressing his body against yours just slightly but not uncomfortably. It felt as if he was making sure Sanghyun couldn’t try and forcefully pull you away. “That’s funny, pretty sure Y/N is my girlfriend.” Johnny retorted and this time you audibly gasped. You stood there frozen, shock, realization, disbelief flooded your system. Was he lying? Was he making shit up to make Sanghyun jealous? Was he serious?

Sanghyun stepped closer, “Excuse me?” He raised his voice at Johnny. “Did you say girlfriend?”

“What do you not understand about what just I said. Y/N is my girlfriend, you broke up with her this afternoon and I realized it was now or never.”

You gaped, mouth open, mouth closed, mouth open. You couldn’t find the words, what did this mean? Did Johnny like you? Has he always liked you? When did it start? Why didn’t he ask you before ? Granted, you were dating Sanghyun so why would he say anything.

“I knew it, you’ve been cheating on me with him haven’t you? That’s why you didn’t even cry over me, because you were already dating him! I knew it!” Sanghyun said before quickly walking away.

You finally let out the breath you had been holding right after, and Johnny looked to you before smirking. “Did you mean it?” You asked him in a quiet voice, you looked down to avoid his eyes in case he said no.

His hand on your hip moved as he picked up your chin with his two fingers to look at him. “Of course I did.” He said and you continued to gape at him. “I should’ve told you a long time ago, but I just didn’t want to fuck up our friendship. I’ve always liked you Y/N. Always.”

You closed your mouth quickly due to the shock but came to the same realization. You had liked Johnny, you always did, in the back of your mind, but also refused to acknowledge it. You guys were together since elementary, there was no way you were gonna fuck that up. But it did always make you happy when he walked you to school, you always wanted him to walk you home. Even when girls confessed to him after the bell rang in high school, you always waited for him and the two of you would get ice cream after.

You hated seeing him flirt with the sorority girls for them to buy fundraiser tickets but you knew it had to be done. You also hated seeing girls want him for themselves, you used to chalk it up to not wanting to lose your best friend but it was more than that. You didn’t want them to have him because you wanted him for yourself. He was your biggest supporter as well as the one who helped bring you back up when you were down. It was Johnny after all, the Prince Charming to your Sleeping Beauty.

You laughed and shook your head, smiling wide, “You know I think I’ve always liked you too, just didn’t want to lose my best friend.” You told him and you watched as he gave you his biggest smile.

“Good, I’m gonna do what I should’ve done so long ago.” He told you, before leaning down and pressing his lips against yours. The whole world spun, your mind blanked as sparks flew, the room could’ve been on fire for all you knew. He pulled away but not before swiping his tongue along your bottom lip. “Let’s get outta here?” He asked you, pushing off the wall and taking your hand, intertwining your fingers.

“Yes please.” You said, already seeing the room devolve down into a massive orgy dance party that it usually did. He led the way out the door before you guys climbed into his car, he still held the door open for you to get in.

When he got into the driver’s seat, he put his hand on your thigh before starting the car and rested it back on your thigh. The touch was welcome and surprisingly a comfort, just as much as it was a tease. “Oh by the way.” He said casually, “I am the reason no guy’s asked you out. Anytime they ask me for advice on how to ask you out, I quickly shut them down and tell them you’re with me.”

“What? But what about Sanghyun?”

“He never came to me for advice and he kinda just put you on the spot one day after your class together, didn’t he? I didn’t even get a chance to ask you before you could answer.” Johnny said, “but it doesn’t matter now, you’re mine now Sleeping Beauty. And I’m not letting you go.”

50. “I think you look beautiful.”

You ran through the gates, the warning bell ringing just as you got onto campus, you slept through your alarm and now had 2 minutes to make it to class before your teacher got there.

You groaned inwardly, thinking about the two flights of stairs you had to climb to make it to your classroom, 2B, but took a deep breath and ran it anyway.

When you slammed the door open, your classmates all looked at you before telling you to hurry up and sit. Everyone had been there before, just barely on time because of assignments the previous night taking too long.

You noticed Jinyoung roll his eyes, smiling at you, "Took you long enough." He joked, facing the front.

You managed to get all your things in order before your teacher walked into the room. She smiled at everyone, setting her handbag on the table and taking out a few notebooks. "Good morning, class."

"Good morning, Ms. Wang." You said loudly with your classmates. It was then you noticed there was an empty spot in the front of the room. Where was Sana?

She was always on time, more punctual than you even when you knew she worked late hours at her part time job. Not that you spoke to her all that much, she mostly hung out with her friends and you sat in the back row of class with yours.

But any face missing was noticeable with your class only having 12 other kids. Ms. Wang frowned, looking at the same empty seat, "Hmm.. Does anyone know what happened to Sana today?" She asked aloud.

"She's not feeling well and went to the nurse's office before school started." Jihyo answered. "She wasn't sure if she was going to be sent home or not so she took her stuff with her."

Ms. Wang nodded, "Ahh I see, very well. Let's start class then, shall we?" She said, turning around and starting to write the assignment guidelines on the chalkboard.

You took out your notebook and began to copy it when the door slid open again. Everyone turned to the noise and saw Sana standing there with her eyes down, patting her cheeks.

"Ahh, Sana. Are you feeling okay?" Ms. Wang asked as Sana nodded and walked to her seat.

"Yes, Ms. Sunmi said I just needed to drink more water." Sana answered, taking her books out and Jihyo poked her with a wide grin on her face.

It was then you noticed it, Sana kept touching her face and trying to hide it but you could tell. She had gotten a haircut, bangs and she didn't seem to feel entirely comfortable about them. She kept trying to brush it to the side and hide it away but Jihyo and Mina just kept teasing her and giggling.

"Stop." She whispered loudly at them, she caught your eye for a moment and she hid her face again.

"Girls." Ms. Wang said sternly and you faced the front again as they muttered their apologies. She continued writing before turning around and explaining the directions of the assignment.

You tapped your foot rhythmically, trying to figure out what you were going to do, it was the first time she was introducing this concept and you had no idea where to start. A crumpled ball landed on your desk in your daze, causing you to jump and look over, seeing Jackson mouthing to you, to open it.

You rolled your eyes but obeyed and read the note.

Are you gonna tell her yet or what?

You crumpled it back up, not answering, and he groaned quietly, rolling his own eyes. He always wanted to get involved in your feelings, but you knew he meant well. You had been keeping your distance and crush to yourself for a long time now.

Sana was pretty and you knew she did have a lot of admirers, especially from other schools. On Valentine's Day, she had at least 6 roses from boys who didn't even go here.

It helped hide the fact that you had sent her an anonymous pink rose at least, yours being the only pink one among a sea of red. Jackson scooted his back and dropped another ball of paper.

This time, Ms. Wang turned around with a frown as she looked over at you. She sighed, shaking her head, "______ and Sana, you guys need to go outside and hold your hands up. You two keep disrupting class." She said, pointing to the door.

Sana's jaw dropped before she nudged Mina angrily and walked out, still messing with her new fringe. You stuck your hands in your pockets as you quietly followed. As soon as Ms. Wang closed the door, you held your arms up with Sana.

She stood across from you in the hallway, still messing with the bangs.

"Why do you keep doing that?" You asked, curiosity getting the better of you and your filter. It didn't take as much courage as you thought to speak to her, but it might have to do with the fact that you were already alone.

Sana sighed, frowning, "I don't like my bangs, I think they make me look like a child, I had to cut them because I lost a bet." She said, still messing with them. She blew her hair up in a huff.

You walked over as she picked at the strands again and grabbed her wrists gently, holding them up away from her face. "Stop that, I think you look beautiful."

You watched as she flushed red and looked down, avoiding your gaze. She felt so small beneath you, she just reached your shoulder.

"Thanks." She mumbled, still not looking at you.

As soon as Namjoon left, Seungcheol turned to you, "Oh my god, you're okay, you're safe. He didn't hurt you right?" He asked, his hands running up and down your arms as he looked you over. He couldn't smell any blood, so he knew nothing was bleeding. But he wouldn't be able to sense if Namjoon grabbed you too firmly or if he pushed you a little.

He slowed a little when you started nodding your head, you moved to wrap your arms around his torso and buried your face in his chest. He easily moved to stroking your hair calmingly and rubbing your back. "You're safe, baby. I got you." He murmured as your body's instant reaction to the crash of adrenaline was to cry.

You surprised even yourself as you started bawling, Seungcheol held you through it all, giving you time to catch your breath. You were an ugly crier, honestly, your eyes got all puffy and your face all red. When you pulled away, he smiled at you and wiped away your tears.

You hiccuped once and tried to catch your breath enough to ask the question that had been bothering you, "You're not mad at me?"  You hiccuped again at the end of your question, looking away. You were honestly afraid of the answer, what if he was mad but he felt so bad for you so he wasn't going to say anything?

The surprise on his face gave you a bit of relief, "No, of course not, baby! Why would I be?" He asked, hands on your shoulders. He took slow deliberate breaths, unnecessary, but he was trying to calm you into rhythmic breathing to get rid of the hiccups.

"I kept that secret from you, I've known almost my life about it. And you should've heard it from me and not Namjoon." You told him, pulling away from him. You were so disgusted with yourself, Namjoon of all people, told him instead of you. You should've done it, it was your responsibility and he trusted you.

Seungcheol wrapped his arms around you tighter as he felt you pull away, "Baby, I would never be mad at you for something like that. You shouldn't tell just anyone something like that and I understand why you didn't want to tell me." He told you, giving you a reassuring smile.

You frowned, but nodded. He was forgiving you, but you couldn't shake the feeling that something was still wrong. "What did he mean by the way?" You asked just as Seungcheol took your hand to lead you out of the alley. You had taken a few steps when he stopped.

"Hmm?"

He turned to you and you pressed on, "Namjoon. What did he mean by I'm not Marked?" You asked, making Seungcheol sigh.

He opened his mouth once but said nothing, he shook his head and reached out to brush his fingertips over your cheek. He curled your hair behind your ear, his fingers lazily dragging down to your neck. It tickled, but it also felt nice. You willed yourself to not say anything as he opened his mouth to speak again.

"He meant that I haven't drank from you yet, that I haven't made you mine, that you are still a free human who belongs to no one." He said, his hand curling around the back of neck. You didn't dare breathe, watching him take in a deep shaky breath.

"You smell wonderful as always." He said, his eyes glazing over in red. "It shouldn't even matter whether you're Marked or not, you're mine. You always have been and always will." He muttered, you stood there, frozen as he dragged his nose along your jawline. His breath tickled your skin but you couldn't move.

What did that mean? It sounded so much heavier than your four-year relationship, something you didn't know. You both kept so many secrets, but this felt different, you needed to know.

He pulled away from you just as you got your brain to function normally again, "Come on, baby. Let's go home." He said, smiling at you. He took your hand and started leading the way again but you noticed his smile hadn't reached his eyes. It was a sad sort of smile, one you didn't see very often when he looked at you.

But you let him lead you back to the apartment in silence, the one you shared in the co-op. Few vampires were out and about but none of them dared to bother the two of you. He kept you as close to him as possible, while he kept an eye out for any possible ambush.

But nothing. You reached the apartment in peace and he let the both of you in and went straight to your bedroom and grabbed you clothes. That nagging feeling in the back of your mind still bothering you, leaving you in a haze of confusion.

You had to figure it out, what was it? He knew something that you didn't, but what?

You turned the hot water on and stood there, alone with your thoughts of what just happened. Seungcheol had said you were his, always had been. He said that he knew everything about you. He was surprised when Namjoon told him about the compulsion.

But was that what he was surprised about? You replayed it over and over again in your head, their conversation, him on your neck after. You thoroughly showered and sighed, unless it was true.

You had assumed he was lying when he said he knew everything about you, but what if he wasn't? He had already known about the compulsion, that's why he wasn't upset? He made it sound like it was okay that you didn't trust him, which wasn't true.

You trusted him with everything, your life, your blood, everything. And he knew that, there was no way he believed you didn't trust him. You groaned loudly, throwing your face under the water in anger.

He had known, there was no other explanation, he knew about the compulsion immunity before you had even told him anything. He knew.

In an instant, you shut off the water and quickly changed into clothes, rushing out of the bathroom where he was on the phone, his back to you.

"Yes, sir. She's safe." He said in a low voice. "I would never let anything happen to her."

You took a step forward and he visibly jumped the sound of your arrival. He turned, clearing his throat, hanging up the phone quickly.

"You knew." You said simply, looking directly at him. "You knew about the immunity, that's why you weren't surprised when Namjoon told you."

He started shaking his head in denial and glared at him, "Don't lie to me, Seungcheol." You said sternly. "Who were you on the phone with?"

He crossed the room, holding his arms out to try and wrap you up, you moved out of the way just enough to reject him. "Baby, I can explain."

"So you don't deny it then." You frowned, crossing your arms over your chest. You felt too exposed, he had always known more about you than you of him and that hurt more than anything.

Seungcheol sighed, standing right in front of you, looking down at your feet. "I knew about it, yes, but there's a lot of things you don't know, and now isn't the best time to tell you but you should probably find out before anything else happens." He said softly.

You frowned, looking at him as he hung his head low. "What is that supposed to mean." You said, biting back the anger in your voice. He knew this whole time and said nothing? This whole time since that day you met at the carnival?

"Your immunity is because of your bloodline, and I am your Consort."

You sighed as you got out the passenger side door of your friend’s car, and looked up at the apartment building you just parked in front of.

“What’s wrong?” Your friend for as long as you can remember, Nayeon asked as she slung a bag carrying drinks over her shoulder.  You were here for a small party, just a few friends gathering together to eat, drink and shoot the breeze.  You turn to look at her and shook your head.

“Nothing huge.”  You reached into the car and grabbed the stack of tinfoil pans which held different kinds of meat.  “Just don’t leave me alone with him for too long, okay?”  Nayeon held back a giggle, but you could see it plastered across her face. 

“I promise, if I can help it.”  She held out her pinky to you, and you linked it with yours, sealing the promise.   You finished getting some paper goods out of the car and locked up before heading over to the front of the apartment building.  Nayeon buzzed up.

“I’m here~” She attempted the most seductive voice she could manage, and the answer was almost immediate.

“Saw you guys park.  Jinyoung’s coming to get you” was the response.  The voice was of Nayeon’s friend Jaebum, who everyone called JB for short.  Nayeon made a cute noise in response and, about a minute later the door unlocks and Jinyoung leans out to greet you.

“Hey~”  He gave his signature smirk as you walked through the door.  You rolled your eyes.  You never really understood him.  He’d been living with JB for a few years now, and you couldn’t shake this feeling about him.  You really couldn’t pin down exactly what the feeling was.  You found him attractive at times, but sometimes you couldn’t stand him.  It bugged you, and you absolutely refused to be in the same room as him alone.  Nayeon walked up, giving him a side hug as you walk past.

“How are you today, Jinyoung?”  She asked cutely, holding the bags behind her as the three of you walked over to the elevator.

“I’m doing very well actually.  The audition went well, and the director said he wants me to come back for a second.”

“That’s great!  That means we get to see the great debut of actor Park Jinyoung?”  Nayeon asked, almost teasingly.

“That’s the hope.  It’ll be a small role, but it’ll be enough to get my foot through the door.” Jinyoung looked over at you.  “And how are you, _________?”

“I’m fine.” you answered, keeping it as short as possible.

“Ah. That’s good.”  Jinyoung looked up at the elevator location as he pressed the button to call it down.  Nayeon looked over at you, a look of disappointment was written all over.  When the elevator opened, Jinyoung turned to walk away from it.  “I forgot something in the car.   You can go on ahead, Jackson and Mark are already here.

“Okay, see you in a bit~”  Nayeon waved as you got into the elevator and Jinyoung walked out of the building.  She turned her attention back to you.

“At least try to talk to him?”  she crossed her arms, giving a small pout as the elevator started to take you up.

“I’ll try.  You know how I feel about him.”

“Yeah I know.  I don’t really understand it, though...”  You got off at the third floor, and a few doors down from the elevator you came to JB’s and Jinyoung’s apartment.  The door opened, and JB welcomed you, his arms almost instantly wrapped around Nayeon.  You waved as you walked in, began putting things away in the kitchen.  The drinking had already begun, as was evidenced by the array of bottles scattered around the counters and red cups stacked next to the sink.  You quietly mixed something yourself before going into the living room.  Jackson was laughing loudly at JB, who was leading back against the wall, shaking his head, grinning. Nayeon had made herself at home, sitting on the couch hitting up a conversation with Mark’s girlfriend, Tae.  Next to them was Mark, who was quietly drinking.

The night went on, and the drinks slowly started getting to you.  You found yourself laughing and joking with everyone else naturally soon, and you started playing games with them.

“Alright, alright. Truth time!”  Nayeon half yelled as she laughed, holding her cup near her lips.  “_______, who do you think the cutest guy here?”

“Huh? Uh...” You bit your lip as you looked across the table at JB, Jinyoung, Mark and Jackson.  “J-jackson.” You could feel your cheeks glow warmer as you say it, and JB and Mark give an ecstatic “OOOOOH” in response.

“Don’t worry, I know I’m the best looking guy here.” Jackson responded, winking at you and you stifle a laugh as you just took a drink.

“Okay okay.”  Mark cut in, holding his hand out in front of him.  “Let’s change this up a bit.”  He reached down and pulled out an empty vodka bottle.  “Seven Minutes in Heaven?”  His girlfriend slapped his shoulder.  “Ow! Okay, okay, I’m not eligible to play.”  He laughed as he put bottle on the table and looked over at Jinyoung, who was sitting to his right.  “You go first.”  Jinyoung nodded and put his hand on the bottle, looking around at everyone else sitting there before spinning it.

Please don’t be me.  Please don’t be me.  Was the only thought in your head as you watched it spin, and groaned in frustration as it pointed directly at you.  There was some cheering as Jackson stood up in triumph. 

“It’s not me!”  He laughed as he walked into the hallway, looking for a suitable closet.  “Ah! Here.”  He opened the door, and JB, Nayeon and Mark pushed the two of you in, closing it immediately.

“I’m starting the timer!” Nayeon sung as you heard them walk away.

Seconds felt like eternity as you tried to stand as far away from him as possible.  It was a tight fit, as you were standing in the broom closet, and you could hear each other breathe.

“______” He finally said, after a long silence.  “Do you not like me?”  You waited for a few minutes before answering.

“No, it’s not that I don’t like you-”

“Then, why do you so this?”

“Do what?”

“Ignore me.  Roll your eyes when I say something. Sometimes you pay attention to me, most of the time you don’t.”  It was pitch dark, but you could feel his eyes on you, staring right into yours.  “I’ve been trying to figure it out.  Change how I dress. I even tried to change how I acted.  and nothing.”  What felt like a few more eternities passed.  

“Well whatever it is, can you at least decide on how you feel?”  You felt him take a step forward.  “Because I know how I feel about you.”  You could feel it. He was standing right in front of you.  His breath was a bit heavy, and you could smell the alcohol on his breath.  “It’s kinda crazy, but I have.. feelings for you.  I think about you every day, I ask JB for advice.  But nothing works.” 

“I- I haven’t decided how I feel, honestly.”  You tried to look down, away from him.  “I... find you attractive.  But I don’t know how to feel about you.  I realize that I don’t know much about you.  And well, it makes me uncomfortable.”

Jinyoung cupped your chin, pulling it up to look directly at him.  “Are you sure... I can’t help you with that?”  He pulled you a forward a bit more before leaning in, pressing his lips against yours.  You immediately melt into his kiss, holding his shoulders for support as you lean against a shelf.  Jinyoung reached around, wrapping his arms around you as he leans in more, deepening the kiss.

Nayeon opened the door “Ta-da~ your awkward closet time is- oh my-”  She covered her mouth, then quickly closed the door and you both push away from each other, fixing your clothes, embarrassed.

“Can we talk about this-”

“Later? Yes. Please.”  You answer before opening the door to see Nayeon, holding back her laughter.

“You two are so cute~!”

It only took a second, less than a second, for your whole world to be turned upside down. You had been walking home from cram school and it had gotten late, the sun had already set and you knew you should've caught the bus.

But against your better judgment, you decided to walk home. The moon high in the sky as you stayed out on well-lit sidewalks avoiding darkened alleys and that one park close by your house.

You were nearly home when it happened, out of nowhere, some random creep jumped in front of you, wielding a knife, "Well, aren't you pretty?" He said, his eyes wide but a grin on his face as he licked his lips. You gritted your teeth as he swung the knife wildly towards your stomach.

"Come on, let's go." He said, gesturing at you to walk towards the dead end street with the broken street lamp. You looked down at the knife again before moving, for now he had the upper hand. You could do nothing against him, but you slid your hand into the pocket of your skirt and felt the small aerosol can of mace that you kept for times like these.

Your grip on it tightened as he led you closer towards the dumpster behind the tallest apartment building on that block. He kept the knife dull against your back and you could hear him sniffing your hair, which made your skin crawl.

"Stop, turn around." He instructed and you did so, the wall behind you and you took in your surroundings. You had to time it just right, when his guard was down you could spray him and make a run for it. You might not get very far, but anything was worth a shot.

He disgustingly licked his lips again, gesturing at your skirt, "Take it off, pretty thing." He said and you shook your head in defiance.

He glared at you, raising the knife to your neck, you felt the blade nick your skin slightly, drawing blood. "I won't ask you again." He said sternly.

"I would rather be dead." You replied back, but the moment he was about to put more pressure, he vanished from view. You turned to look and saw someone you didn't quite expect.

"What did I tell you about pulling this shit in my neighborhood, Tyrian?" He asked, kicking the knife away and it made a long clanging noise against the concrete.

He shook out his shoulders, his leather jacket smoothing out and he took another step at the man who cowered before him. "Don't make me repeat myself."

"N-Never in your neighborhood." Tyrian managed to say, crawling on his hands and knees, forehead to the ground in reverence. "I didn't mean to, Mark, I swear. She was just alone and I couldn't help it." He groveled.

You watched as Mark kicked him in the ribs and Tyrian tried to keep quiet, "You disgust me. Leave." He said sternly and Tyrian quickly got on his feet and ran off.

You moved off the wall when he turned on you, "And you, what's Miss Goody Two Shoes doing out on the streets so late?" He said, glaring at you.

You froze in place and he continued glaring at you, as you were unable to get your mouth to move. Your brain raced a million miles a minute, he never went to class, how had he even known who you were?

He sighed, running his hands through his hair in frustration, "I thought all you did was go to school and go home, isn't that what Goody Two Shoes do?" He asked you again, this time when he looked at you, his expression softer, less angry.

"I finished cram school late." You said quietly, looking down at the ground, avoiding his gaze, all of a sudden you felt like a child that was being punished.

He scoffed and you looked up to see him shaking his head, "Of course you would go to cram school." He said, and you couldn't tell if that was meant to be an insult or not. But it also seemed like he was scolding himself for not realizing the obvious.

You watched as his expression changed to that of seriousness. "Don't ever walk home alone at night ever again, ______." He told you. "This time you were lucky, I happened to be around, but that won't always be the case." He said.

You immediately nodded, "Yes, Mark, of course." After all, who were you to argue with gang leader of your neighborhood?

"Promise me, _____." He said, looking in your eyes directly and you swore you felt your heart stop.

You nervously took a breath and nodded your head, "I promise." You said, watching him sigh in relief. He just nodded and smiled a little.

"Good, okay. Let's get you home then." Mark said, taking your hand and leading you out of that dead end street. He slowly walked in the direction of your house and you summoned the courage to ask the question that had been bothering you.

"How do you even know who I am?"

He looked at you and merely chuckled, "_____, top of my class, #1 student, aces all the tests and has never had a boyfriend in her life." He stated, as if your entire biography was that simple.

"You don't even go to class." You blurted out, unable to stop yourself. He stopped you in front of your house and you looked at your house and looked back at him, opening your mouth to speak again before he held his hand up.

"This is my neighborhood, _____. I protect everyone in it, so even if Mr. Park likes to make me out as a bad guy because I am a delinquent, I do run a gang and I do get into fights a lot, doesn't mean I don't know what's going on." Mark said, stopping all the questions in your mind in an instant.

You couldn't figure out what to say then, so you decided on, "Thank you for walking me home." You took out your keys from your backpack and he smiled again.

"Of course. Now, go home and get some sleep." He said, "Maybe I'll actually go to class tomorrow."

You nodded and marched right into your house where you were home alone. You sighed softly to yourself and put all your stuff down, reaching into your pocket to take out the mace.

You noticed a folded piece of paper as well, quickly opening it and you stood there in awe.

Here's my number, if you ever need it, just text me.

-Mark

Hi hi~ umm.. so tbh I’ve rewritten this like three times, all different types of Bad Boy!Mark, mostly because I was trying not to be super cliche and make him a gangster but I didn’t really like any of it so then I decided maybe I should just make him a gangster so here we are and yeah... I really hope you like it anon.. as always the inbox is open ^^