r

"I was thinking, why don't we go out tomorrow to that restaurant you really like? To celebrate and all."

"I'd really like that." You call back, glancing over at your boyfriend who is still busy washing dishes at the kitchen sink. Though he isn't looking directly at you, you can just make out the excited look in his eyes and the toothy grin gracing his lips. He's been like that since you told him about your promotion at work. Honestly, you didn't expect him to make such a fuss over it. It was a relatively small promotion, just a raise and a slightly higher title. But that sunny expression on his face could make someone think you'd hit CEO status.

"I'll make reservations after I finish up here." His words are barely audible over the running water. You're about to thank him when your phone buzzes to life beside you.

Incoming call from Boo Seungkwan.

Seungkwan? You think, narrowing your eyes at the screen. Why on earth could he be calling you and not Hansol?

"Hello?"

"Y/N!" His excited voice comes through the speaker. "You're not busy right?"

"Not really, no. Why, what's up?"

"I— well we all wanted to call and congratulate you on your promotion!" A chorus of voices flood your phone and you take it you're on speaker with the rest of the members.

"That's very sweet of you all, thank you." It's nice, having so many people in your corner cheering you on. "But how'd you know? I only just found out about it a couple hours ago."

"You're joking right?" It sounds like Chan. "Hansol won't shut up about it in the group chat."

"He talks about me?" You ask no one in particular

"Yeah, like an annoying amount." That's definitely Mingyu.

There's a short altercation on the other side of the call, probably Seungkwan trying to wrestle his phone back from various members. But you don't pay much mind, the warm feeling in your chest taking over all other senses. You let your gaze drift back to Hansol, who is now on his laptop, nodding along to whatever song is currently playing in his head.

"Just, give it here—! Sorry about that," Seungkwan's voice jolts you from a daze. "Anyways, we just wanted to give you our compliments. We'll let you get back to your night."

Good, because tears are already welling up at your lashes and you're not sure how much longer you can hold back the stitch in your throat. "I appreciate it, tell everyone I said thank you."

You hang up before Seungkwan can respond and promptly make your way to the kitchen. Hansol's nose is still buried in his laptop, eyes squinted as his fingers peck at the keys. "Okay," He says upon the realization of your presence. He hits the enter key rather dramatically. "Reservations are made and you're . . ." His words teeter off when he looks up, met with your tear-filled gaze.

He takes a beat. Brows furrowed and head cocked to the side. "–You're crying. Shit, wait— why are you crying?" Hansol panics. He rushes to you, taking your face between his warm hands. Holding you the way one would hold fine China. Carefully, his thumb comes to swipe a stray tear from your cheek.

"You tell your members about me?" You sniffle. Hansol's eyes go wide and his mouth opens and closes like a fish before he conjures up an answer. "Was I not supposed to?"

The pure concerned cluelessness in his voice makes you giggle and he seems to relax when he realizes he's not in trouble. "I just didn't know you bragged about me like that, it's sweet."

"I am so proud of you,"  Hansol speaks with unashamed sincerity. "Why wouldn't I brag about your accomplishments?"

you lift your eyes from the carving knife in your hand to see jun sitting across from you at the kitchen table, frowning at his pumpkin. the plastic tablecloth he convinced (begged) you to buy patterned with black cats in pointy witch hats covers the table, protecting it from the stringy orange insides of the jack-o-lanterns you’re currently decorating in preparation for the trick or treating children that’ll be coming to your door this weekend.

“let me see.”

he lifts it up and turns it towards you. it's a cat; or at least, it was meant to be. you can still make out the sharpie outline along the edges of jagged cuts, but the carving in front of you doesn’t even vaguely resemble the intended design. you do your best to stifle your laugh when you see his masterpiece, but unfortunately jun catches it.

“hey!” he pouts.

you giggle and reach out across the table, your hand finding his. his fingers automatically lace with yours, playing with your hand, rocking them back and forth. his fingers are sticky and faintly stained orange from scooping out the pumpkins earlier, but you don't even notice. all you're focused on is him.

"i think it's cute," you say, gazing into his eyes. "it's very... you."

his face lights up, mouth open wide and cheeks scrunching up the way he does when he's happy. you grin, watching with a fond smile, completely enamored by him.

"i think you're cute," he says, then erupts into a fit of giggles.

you give his hand a quick final squeeze before finally letting go, and pick up your knife again.

he gets up and comes around the table, pulling out the chair next to you to sit down.

you look over at him as he scoots closer. "are you done?" you ask, nodding at his adorable, perfect mess of a jack-o-lantern.

"yeah." he laughs. "i want to watch you finish yours."

"you could always, y'know, start cleaning up," you joke, motioning to the scraps littering the table.

"i guess," he shrugs. "but i like waiting for you."

and, really, how can you say no to that? 

"at least go wash your hands first," you laugh.

he stands. "fine," he sighs dramatically, feigning despair as he pushes in his chair. "i'll be back,” he says, then leans down to press a kiss to the top of your hair.

you roll your eyes, but smile at his affection. "you're only going across the kitchen, you know i can still see you, right?"

he laughs and skips over to the sink to wash up. a few seconds later the oven timer dings, calling both of your attention. 

"oh, they're done!" jun says, grabbing a mitt and yanking open the oven door and sliding out the metal tray.

"bring them over here," you call out to him.

"already on it," he chuckles, dumping the pan of toasted pumpkin seeds into a small glass bowl, carrying it back over and setting it on the table in front of you.

he stops behind you, wrapping his arms around your shoulders and reaching across you to grab a pumpkin seed before popping it into his mouth. "this batch is definitely better than last year’s," he says, crunching by your ear.

you wrinkle your nose at his chewing noises and elbow him playfully, making him yelp. "that's because someone didn't forget to add the salt this time!"

he giggles and reaches for another seed, holding it up to your lips in response. with your hands still occupied with the tools, you open your mouth for him to feed it to you. as he begins to pull his hand away, you give his finger a little kiss. instantly his hand freezes for a second, then moves to caress your cheek, gently rubbing his thumb along your jaw. 

you can’t see him, but you feel his smile against the back of your head. having witnessed and, to your amusement, been the cause of this smile many times, you can clearly picture his face: his smile so wide you can see it in the corners of his eyes, a hint of a dimple showing in his cheeks and his eyes sparkling as he watches you with a tender fondness. you quickly focus your attention back on carving your pumpkin, his smile becoming infectious as you feel your own cheeks start to heat up.

hours (and many little kisses) later, you’re finally satisfied with the way your design turned out, and you begin clearing up the table. 

you hold the door open for jun, his arms loaded with pumpkins, and he carries them outside, positioning them at the entryway of the porch steps. the outdoor light flickers on at the motion, illuminating your tiny space from the darkness of the evening. the cool night air sends a chill down your spine, and you shiver, your short pajamas not meant to protect you from the cold. jun notices and wraps his arms around you, pressing you close to his chest and enveloping you in his warmth. gently he pulls you towards the door and back into the warmth of the house, closing the door behind him.

“i think they turned out cute,” you say finally, still wrapped up in his arms, standing together in the doorway.

he giggles. “i still think mine didn’t look right,” he says, rocking you back and forth on your feet.

“trust me, it looks perfect.”

i hope you enjoyed this!! if you did, consider reblogging or leaving a comment or an ask :) it lets me know this is something people want to see more of and it helps a ton with being motivated to write. thanks for reading!!

taglist | @foxdaisy @tinkerbell460 @dokyeomblr @huiranghaes

jeonghan: i wasn't expecting this to go to voicemail, what should i do? i'm a little drunk, baby. but i would've wanted to call even if i weren't. i want to ask you to come over, i want to run my hands through your hair, kiss the dimple beneath your eyes. are you sleeping okay? i'd give anything to see you fall asleep in my shirt again. haven't touched it since you threw it on my bedroom floor. your skin peeking out from in between the hem of my shirt and the blanket you refused to sleep without. do you still sleep with the air conditioner on? are you still listening? i'm sorry there's so much i didn't say.

joshua: do you remember promising to take me to your hometown? i couldn't sleep and ended up thinking about that. the bucketlist i made for us is still tucked away in my bottom drawer. i wanted to tuck us away too. t-u-c-k. protect you from everything, you see. now i catch myself thinking, 'was that too ambitious of me? would something have changed if i hadn't insisted on leaving game night early that friday?' all the moments of you i would've held. infinitely mine. i dream about it, sometimes. how you would've laughed showing me the love letters you received back in high school. if you would've taken me to your favourite waffle shop back home. i heard they're taking it down soon, i can't decide if i should go alone. maybe i will. i have to go now. this is my last message to you before they discontinue your cell service...yeah. i had to call. i love you.

jun: i knew you wouldn't pick up but hearing the beep hurt more than i thought. what do i do? i thought we were okay. that we finally made it through the mess. i almost saw a faint white light at the end of our tunnel. guess i was wrong, huh? i don't know if we'll ever forgive each other for what we've caused. never knew disasters could feel mind numbing and still look beautiful from afar. are you happy? i will never forgive myself for bending over backwards to let you walk over me again, and again, and again, and again, while you bled me dry. i keep replaying the night in my head, the final minutes before my whole world collapsed in on itself. i swear i felt time move backwards. but it's all the same to you, isn't it? i don't know why i called–

soonyoung: hey, it's .. uh, it's me. i saw that you called. i'm painfully aware of the probability of it being an accident, but here i am, hoping that it wasn't. want to be more than an accidental call to you. what does that make me? no, it's pathetic, i know. i just wanted to hear your voice anyway. maybe you'd have been surprised to see my caller id and said my name out loud, you know? did you delete my number? that would be a bummer. i was hoping to catch you brfore passing out, always liked how my name sounded on your tongue. anyway, this went straight to voicemail. it's alright. i'm alright—[beep]

wonwoo: are you okay? i never really knew with you. brought you flowers and left them at your doorstep when i know you needed me, but i couldn't give them to you myself. i should have come in. i should've held your heart in my hands and counted stars with you till we both fell asleep on the fading blue mattress in your balcony. did it rain that night? i remember wondering about the flowers, if you left them there or if they sat safely upon the table top, in that glass vase you bought at the local market. i think i left my heart at the doorstep next to those flowers–[beep]

woozi: hey, you. um, so..i finally got it down. 영원한 사랑이 있다면, 그건 당신이겠죠*. the post chorus was seeming too empty and now i've got it. took a bottle, or two, but hey, we're here. i don't know how i'll feel about this in the morning but i think i'm done with the songs now. i couldn't wait to show you ... hear what you think of them, that's why i'm calling. it's funny, thinking of the time when i hesitated to display even my finished works. haven't i come a long way? i know i always had help along the way but something's changed recently. they haven't listened to this one yet, and..i still have a feeling they will like it. i think it's you who did this to me. no wait, that sounds menacing. i've yet to come up with a title. i promise i will let you listen to this one before it comes out.

i wrote it to you.

During the first year of college, you lived at home, with your brother, Minghao, who also attended the same campus. Your parents thought it'd be easier, and if you were still adamant, you can rent a place closer to campus and away from home.

It was after one of your packed days, where you had a class from morning until the late afternoon, along with a first meeting for the drama club you were planning to join since you took an interest in theatre. Safe to say, you were far from exhausted, and all you wanted to do was get home and enjoy a stick of Melona, your favorite ice cream that you keep stocked in your fridge.

You knew there was the last one waiting for you when you got home, and upon remembering that you still had one stick of the green, sweet dessert, you rushed excitedly to the kitchen, pulling your freezer open and reached for the box that was still there.

However, you touched nothing. There was no cold wrapping within the cardboard box, and when you pulled it out to look closer, it was completely empty.

"Oh, you must be Hao's sister." You jumped, turning around to find Junhui entering the kitchen, and lo and behold, a Melona bar in his hands, which he took a bite out off (first red flag; why would you bite ice cream?), and idly stood there staring at you.

"Where'd you get that?" You didn't care for formalities. You were tired and the last bar of your favorite dessert was being eaten by a complete stranger.

He glanced at the green bar. "Oh, Hao told me I could take it."

"Why would he say that?"

He looked at you confused, brows furrowed. "Because I asked?"

"Why would you ask for it?"

Why were you asking so much question? Jun couldn't help but ask himself, but entertained you. "Because I wanted it."

"Why would you want it without knowing who it belongs to?"

It clicked within his head, that you were upset, and that the melon bar was the reason as to why you looked like you had just been robbed, standing in front of the (still opened) freezer, disheveled.

"It belongs to you?" He asks, pointing the bar towards you, and you nod frantically, the anger bubbling within you. "Oh." He simply states, and sticks into his mouth, uttering, "My bad."

Since that day, you vowed to hate him, and hope you never have to meet him.

Which was difficult. He is your brother's friend, your senior in your major, and he is, unfortunately, the ex-president of the drama club.

Since he is a final year student, he can't join any of the extracurricular activities, but he promised to join one of the last productions before he completely focuses on finishing his degree. You were beyond grateful, knowing that he wasn't going to be too active with the club, and you don't have to run into him.

However, he is still Minghao's friend, and for some reason, wherever there was Minghao, Jun was not far.

"Is it okay if I go home with you today?" You asked Minghao. There was makeup that you needed to bring back to your shared apartment with your best friend, Yunjin. You had approached your older brother outside the campus cafe, knowing he'd be there with his friends from his class. "I'll probably stay a night, but if not, I'll just head back alone with—"

You stopped mid-sentence when you saw someone approaching from behind Minghao. Of course he'd be here. You rolled your eyes as you made eye contact with Jun, before stating, "Never mind, I'll get it some other time."

Jun watched as you walked away, a scowl evident on your face as the corner of his lips pulled upwards. "What happened?" Minghao only shrugged, mumbling that you were being weird as usual before returning to his friends in the cafe.

"Why does Y/N hate you, dude?" Minghao asked Jun, the latter looking back at the younger one in confusion. Minghao rolled his eyes at Jun feigning being oblivious to your obvious distaste towards the older guy. "Every single time you're near, Y/N makes a one-eighty."

Jun only raised his shoulder in a shrug, "Probably because I ate the last Melona bar."

"I can't believe Y/N is holding that against you," Minghao sighed, placing a hand over his forehead. "Even after you bought two boxes."

Granted, you didn't know that Jun had restocked the Melona bars in your fridge, and assumed your parents did.

Jun didn't have a problem with you not realizing what he did, he was slightly grateful that you never found out because it was oddly entertaining to him to see you bend over backwards just to avoid being in the same vicinity as him. It wasn't easy for you, he knew that; you were both in the same major and the same club, with only a two year difference. Despite the age difference, you both ran into each other a lot.

However, he never intended on annoying you too much. Sure, he found joy when irritation etched your face during the brief second of eye contact when you both pass each other on campus, how your lips would be pressed in a tight line, eyes set in glares as he emerges from the shadows besides your brother. You were entertaining to him, he always found you to be quite the character. But, he understood your boundaries, and wouldn't want to cross the line.

Thus, when you appeared during one of the meetings of the drama club, the same time he was asked to attend (it was a sharing session, and as the ex-president, it was obligatory for Jun), he had to hold back the wide grin when he spotted you in the audience.

Interested to know what side you'd reveal to him during your journey in this club, he tried to join every now and then, when there were practice skits, or auditions, just to observe you.

"Who's that?" He asked one of his juniors, nodding his chin towards you who was doing a scene from Grease as a practice activity. He knew who you were already, he just needed to act like he didn't.

"That's Y/N, freshman," Seokmin informed Jun, "Y/N is really good, I think they used to be in the drama club for their high school or middle school, they have experience." Jun only nodded.

"We're thinking of having them auditon for the leading role for the Spring production," he added, and then turned his body to face Jun completely, "and since this is going to be the last production you're allowed to join, we wanted to know if you want to join as the male lead."

Jun was stunned, glancing between Seokmin and you, glad that you were focused on the skit. Seokmin continued, "Please? For the last hurrah?" It wasn't that he didn't want to take the offer, of course he loved performing in front of a crowd, and being a final year student, he'll soon have to let that go. Jun, once again, glanced in your direction, finding you throwing your head back in laughter, your skit already completed and your friend said something funny.

Jun was worried about you. If you were to co-star with him for the production, would you be able to put your dislike of the man aside?

The Spring production was a highly anticipated event, and he's sure you were going to be chosen to take the leading role. He could see your dedication in the arts, but then again, the root of your hatred towards the older one was because he ate your last Melona bar, that one thing resulting to almost two years of you glaring and avoiding him. Sure, you were dedicated and passionate, but you were still childish.

"First thing's first: if we're not going to talk about the production, then we shouldn't talk at all." He was right, you were childish. And petty, very petty. Jun leaned back against his arms that held him up, tilting his head to the side as he watched you fuss about the rules and limitations of how you both should and should not interact while preparing for the Spring production.

You were both to star as the leading couple for your club's production of Romeo and Juliet, a classic, and you were excited as you've done this before during middle school, but it was kept PG because of your age back then. Now, well, what was (then) a kiss on the cheek, would become a kiss on your lips. If it were anyone, literally anyone else on this campus, you wouldn't have a problem, but when Seokmin introduced Junhui to you, as your love interest, you felt your blood drain to the points of your toes.

You were sure you would faint. You were dramatic, just not that dramatic.

"We're only to meet when we have to discuss the production, no random meet-ups outside of that—"

"You're getting a little over your head, Y/N," he finally spoke after realizing you've just rambled on for the past three minutes. "Don't get too ahead of yourself, I have no intentions of meeting you outside of the production, either." You couldn't control the scowl that immediately took over your features. The immediate look of disapproval causing Jun to chuckle, shaking his head before he pushed himself up.

"See you at tomorrow's readthrough." Your eyes followed his broad shoulders as he left the room, still standing by the walls before you leaned your head back, a heavy sigh leaving your lips.

"Hey, Y/N." You looked up, hoping it was Yunjin so you both could walk back to your apartment. Unfortunately, who stood by the frame was not your roommate, and it was your month-long fling from your freshman year. What was his name?

Ah, Jaehoon.

"What are you doing here?" You asked, crossing your arms over your chest as you stood your ground. The guy wasn't a danger to you, just a nuisance, like a parasite. Despite already conveying your disinterest to continue whatever was going on between you both, he was adamant on still being in contact with you, in bothering you.

"Congratulations on your role," he stated, without answering your question. Your brows furrowed, confused as to how he knew. He wasn't in the drama club, nor was there an announcement that the public knows of. "I heard about it, because I've signed up for Stage crew."

Shit.

You didn't say anything, you couldn't. Usually, when guys you've dated try to reach out, wanting another chance, you don't pay them any mind because well, it's easy for you to avoid them.

However, Jaehoon was persistent. Despite already blocking his contacts and social media, he'd find a way to get to you. It was borderline creepy, and even though that chances of him hurting you was low (he wasn't necessarily violent), it was never zero.

Before he could continue, your savior and roommate finally entered the room, sharing a warning glare towards Jaehoon before glancing back at you.

"Am I interrupting something?" Her tone wasn't cautious, but threatening, as if telling Jaehoon to either leave by his own will or be dragged out.

Jaehoon, not getting the message, only shook his head. "I was just congratulating Y/N on her role."

"So, you're done?" Yunjin asked, raising a brow towards him. Jaehoon nodded. "Then leave." Finally getting the message, he let out an awkward chuckle, before leaving out the door. Once he was gone, you reached out and collapsed in Yunjin's arms, you didn't notice how hard your heart was beating during the entire exchange.

"Gosh, I should've come here sooner," she cursed, pulling away and examining your face, your arms, "did he do anything to you?" You only shook your head, resting your forehead back on her shoulder as she rubbed circles on your back.

You thought having to deal with Jun was enough, but now, you have to deal with your creepy, clingy, one-month-relationship ex now.

Every time you had practice, it was the same routine; you run into Jaehoon, turning around and walking the other direction very obviously, hoping he'd get the message (he does not), before an exasperated sigh leaves your lips as you spot your co-star reading through the script. Each time there was a rehearsal, it's as if you could hear your lungs telling each other to prepare for a hard day's at work because of how much they'll be used to repeatedly sigh throughout the days.

There were even some moments where you wanted to sigh, but felt you were getting light headed. You were probably exhaling sighs more than you were breathing in air.

"You know Jaehoon?" You looked up from your phone, finding Jun not looking your way but towards where most of the props were placed. You glanced to find Jaehoon staring at you, but his eyes quickly averted the second you both made eye contact, your eyes rolling to the back of your head in irritation.

"Why does it matter to you?" you grumbled, grabbing your script. Flipping through the pages, you pointed towards the scene where Juliet was supposed to kiss Romeo. "We don't have to kiss, right?"

"You didn't answer my question, Y/N."

"And I asked why does it matter to you," you retaliated with a roll of your eyes. Other than your constant sighing, your eyes were feeling tired from rolling just as much.

"It's not a hard question to answer, either yes or no."

"That will lead to follow up questiions," you added for him, causing him to finally look at you, brows slightly raised, amused.

"That's for me to decide," he responded, and for first time that day, you sighed and rolled your eyes.

"Yeah, I do."

"How?" You glared at him for having a follow up question, and his shoulder rose in a shrug. "I didn't say I won't have any follow up questions."

"Again, why does it matter to you?" You were getting tired from this conversation. Having to see both Jaehoon and Jun at the same time for prolonged hours, combined with your exhaustion from classes and rehearsals, you were just downright beat.

"He's been staring at you since prep for the production has started," Jun stated the obvious, to which you didn't respond immediately. He continued, "And whenever you weren't here yet, or left already, he'd look for you, so I assumed you both know each other."

"Unfortunately," you grumbled.

"So, how do you know him?"

You couldn't help but laugh dryly at his question. "Did you forget?"

"What?"

"We aren't supposed to talk about things outside of the production," you reminded him, and it was his turn to roll his eyes.

"You set up those, by the way," he rebutted, nodding towards you with his chin, before shaking his head gently, "I didn't agree to your terms, Y/N."

"You're so frustrating." With a grunt, you pushed yourself off the floor, wanting to find some fresh air before the break ends. You found yourself outside of the auditorium, leaning your back against the wall beside the door. There was less than two days until the first night of the two-night show, and the stress was finally getting to you.

"Thought I'd find you out here." You leaned your head back, glaring up at the sky and cursing whatever entity had led the dimwit to where you were. You didn't bother to look towards Jaehoon, focused on your phone, as you silently hoped that something will possess him to turn back inside. "Y/N, you can't keep ignoring me."

Again, you didn't pay him any mind.

You had better things to do than giving him your attention, like tapping the screen of your phone to like a TikTok of a funny puppy.

"Hey!" You yelled, when your phone was pulled from your grasp, Jaehoon holding it high and away from your reach.

"I was talking to you."

"I have nothing say to you," you sneered, "give me my fucking phone back."

"Not until you give me a reason why you've ghosted me," he threatens, and you groan, rubbing the space between your eyebrows when it began to throb. "Do you really think you're better than me, Y/N? To act like nothing happened between us?"

"Yeah, actually, I do think I'm better than you," you stated, tilting your head to side with raised eyebrows. "We went out for a week, Jaehoon. You were boring and being unnecessarily bossy over me, so of course, I ended it." You tried to reach for your phone, but he raised his hand higher, ducking his head so he was close to being eye level with you, a threatening glare behind his eyes.

"You really think you can talk to me like that?"

"Yes, she can." Within seconds, your phone was out of Jaehoon's grasp and he was shoved to the side, away from you. Jun appeared, wiping your phone against his shirt before handing it back to you, to which you sent him a tight smile. Jun stood by you, your figure slightly hidden behind his broad frame, arms crossed over his chest as he eyed Jaehoon down. "Don't you have a prop to move?"

"We'll talk another time." This guy might be the dumbest person you've met because how does the fact that you keep avoiding him not register in his head to leave you alone? Once you saw Jaehoon disappear through the doors, you kicked the air, letting out a frustrated yell, Jun watching you from the side with wide, concerned eyes. You practically clawed your face, unsure of how to let the anger be relieved from your body.

"Are… are you okay, Y/N?" He finally stopped you from your… performance. "I'm guessing he's upset because you dumped him?" You didn't bother accusing him of eavesdropping, you were too tired.

Closing your eyes, you nodded weakly.

Jun's brows furrowed deeper, holding onto your shoulder as he noticed how your face seemed paler than usual. "Are you okay, Y/N?"

You weakly shrugged off his hand, mumbling, "I'm fine."

"You don't look fine." You glared at him, finding it annoying that he was worried about you. "Just head home, you've done a great job so far, you deserve the rest."

It didn't register to you what he said; the words of affirmation. It didn't seem natural for you to hear it from Jun, but the words slipped past his lips so naturally, it was as if he has always thought that, just waiting for the moment to voice his thoughts out to you.

You could tell he acted differently around you, or maybe you were just looking too into it, not used to him being aware of your presence, worrying about you, and making sure you weren't tiring yourself out. Yunjin says that you were overanalyzing it, that Jun has always been a caring person and looked for everyone, whether they were the actors in the play or the crew behind the production. You convinced yourself that was true, that your ego was growing too big.

"Yeah, we could do that for scene four if you're comfortable with that," Jun reassured you, a warmth behind his eyes as they glanced at you and back at the script at hand. It was opening night in five hours, and in ten minutes, you were supposed to do final rehearsal. You and Jun were discussing on some last minute adjustments behind the curtains.

As Jun explained about one of the scenes, you listened intently, nodding as you glanced between him and your script, writing down whatever seemed necessary to note down before you stopped, your eyes moving past him and finding Jaehoon staring at you, brows furrowed. You only rolled your eyes before focusing back on your co-star.

"Hey, Jun, I need to talk to you about your costume," Mingyu approached him, pulling him to the side after sending you an apologetic look, to which you only nodded, assuring him it was okay to steal him away. You were focused on the annotations you were making in your script. Looking over to where Mingyu pulled Jun, they seemed to have a brief discussion as Mingyu seemed a bit distracted as well as voices were echoing through his earpiece.

"It's okay, whatever is fine, I'll have Yeji use pins if it's too big," Jun reassured his junior, to which Mingyu sighed in relief and walked away after thanking him.

"All's good?" You mouthed to Jun and he nodded, his lips pressed in a thin smile, a smile you mirrored before it dropped, your eyes finding Jaehoon walking towards you. Quickly, panicking that he would take this moment to harrass you again, you walked in front of Jun, placing your hands on his cheeks, uttering, "Kiss me."

"What?" Your eyes looked past the older one, seeing Jaehoon pause in his steps as he watched the two of you.

"I'm kissing you," you stated lastly, before pulling his lips to yours. Confused and taken back by surprise, Jun froze against you, his eyes opened as he stared at your closed ones before he moved his hands to your waist, letting his eyelids flutter close.

You peeked through one eye, finding the spot where Jaehoon was previously standing at, empty. Your eyes then snapped open, realizing what you did and who you did it with, before you shoved Jun a bit too aggressively. "I'm sorry!"

"Y/N—"

You bowed at a ninety-degree angle. "I'm sorry!" Before you turned on the heels of your feet and ran towards the bathroom. You could hear Jun following right behind you, his long legs carrying himself quicker than you could and before you could disappear and lock yourself in the bathroom stalls, he pulled at your hand, shoving your back against the wall right outside where you were headed.

You stared at him like a deer caught in headlights, watching as he tried to regain his breath, his two hands found on either side of your head, caging you in.

"What was that?"

Cue the rambling. "I'm sorry, I panicked. I saw Jaehoon approaching me when you left for a bit, and I didn't know what else to do because he was obviously not getting the message, and I don't know why I did what I did, but just know that I will never do it again and it was an act just to get that freak to leave me alone."

You inhaled a deep breath right after, watching Jun's face, waiting for a reaction, for him to curse at you for kissing him before you heard him agree to it.

You watched as he blinked repeatedly, eyes darting around your face before his brows knitted together. "It was an act?"

"Y-yeah…?" You answered unsure, confused. "I mean, yeah of course it was, and I think Jaehoon probably thought we were practicing for the scene later today since we never got to kiss during previous rehearsals…"

"Oh." Oh? Just 'oh'?

"I'm sorry for kissing you, Jun, especially since I didn't wait to hear a yes," you apologized again.

"Oh, I don't forgive you," he stated simply, finally placing his arms down and by his side.

"What?" Your brows furrowed together, beginning to feel annoyed. "Why not?"

He only shrugged. You rolled your eyes, sighing, "Then what can I do for you to forgive me?" Again, he shrugged. "You're so annoying."

"I'm kidding, Y/N," he stated, shoving your shoulder gently. "I forgive you, it's just…"

"Just what?"

"I would've much rather had my first kiss with you during a time where we were not acting."