i write fics not tragedies

You weren’t thinking of much when you headed to Seungcheol’s room and burst through the closed door.

His good morning text had been one telling you that you could come over after work and that had been, quite literally, the only thing that had gotten you through the rest of the day. The sole thoughts floating around your mind were of the food you’d brought over and how much you wanted to grab the boy in question so you could eat it together.

“Seungcheol, beloved, light of my life, world’s best boyfriend, I have– what?”

Seungcheol stared at you like a deer in headlights from his position sitting cross legged on his bed. His eyes flickered to the phone he had propped up against a couple of pillows, then to you; confused, you followed his gaze back to the phone. There was a beat of silence, then you slapped your hand over your mouth as your heart dropped very dramatically into your stomach.

“Oh no.”

Seungcheol looked like he was somewhere between wanting to swear and wanting to burst out laughing and couldn’t quite decide which direction to take.

“Oh no,” you repeated, slowly taking several steps backward, even though you weren’t visible on screen from this angle.  “Live?” He nodded, confirming what you were already certain of. Whatever poor soul was monitoring his live was probably having a complete breakdown; you just groaned. “Ah.” Over three years of sneaking around down the drain. You’d known this day would come eventually - it was inevitable - but you hadn’t exactly expected it’d be today when you woke up this morning.

From his spot on the bed, Seungcheol weighed his options. One quick glance at the screen showed comments coming in so fast they were nothing more than a blur. Even if they didn’t upload the replay, he knew there would be clips saved and some three hundred and seventy thousand people had just heard the exchange live – there wasn’t exactly a way to talk yourselves out of this one. And, honestly, he didn’t really want to.

So he looked at you.

He tilted his head in the direction of his phone. Wanna join?

You raised an eyebrow. Is that allowed?

A shrug. I don’t care.

A hesitant step forward. I dunno. You sure?

And he opened his arms, a smile finally blossoming over his face. “C’mere.”

You paused for a second longer until he wrinkled up his nose ever-so-slightly and wiggled his shoulders; you caved immediately, plopping down on the edge of his bed, just barely visible at the edge of his phone screen.

“Baaaaabe,” he whined and grabbed your arm, tugging on it until you obliged him and scooted closer; he wrapped his arms around you fully and rested his chin on your shoulder before smiling at his phone.

“Say hi.”

When you finally looked at your images on the screen, you started to pout. “No fair, you look way better than I do.”

“No I don’t!” 

“Cheol, I ran over here after my workout, I look like a trainwreck. I accidentally crashed your live and I look like a disaster, this is the worst possible first impression I could make.”

Seungcheol laughed, your favorite giggly ‘ha ha ha’ laugh, the one that filled you up and made you feel warm, and he squished his cheek against your shoulder. One hand slipped around to rest against the small of your back, drawing slow, deliberate circles there in reassurance.

“I think you’re the prettiest in the world.”

That’s all it took for your face to begin heating up, turning a splotchy red for all four hundred and eighty thousand viewers to see (when did so many more people show up?). 

“Carats, this is my partner.” There was an unmistakable note of pride in his voice that only made the red spilled over your cheeks darken. You hadn’t thought it possible, but the comments looked like they were coming in even faster than before and you went cross eyed trying to catch any words at all.

“We’ve been together for…a little over three years?”

You nodded in confirmation. “Yep!” You glanced back at the screen for a second. “I know you guys already know this, but he’s the best.” You watched a delightedly smug little smirk appear on his face and rolled your eyes. “But you have to stop telling him that or his ego’s just gonna explode and he’s gonna be totally insufferable.”

“Hey!” He whacked your arm playfully, the smirk replaced with a pout, and this time it was your turn to laugh.

“I'm teasing, you know I love you."

That’s all it took for his pout to be replaced with the widest grin and he gave your waist a gentle squeeze. “Love you most.”

“Ugh, gross, publicly declaring your love like five minutes after we tell people we’re dating.”

And he was laughing again, his smile so bright it was blinding, crumpling into you as he dissolved into giggles, which only made you laugh with him. There, in his arms, laughing until your sides hurt – that was home.

It took a minute or two for you both to settle down, but Seungcheol began to play with a strand of your hair once he did. “Babe, what’d you come in for in the first place?”

“Ah!” You sat up a little straighter, suddenly remembering the purpose of your mission, and turned your head, lowering your voice so it wasn’t picked up on the stream. “I brought your favorite for dinner because Shua told me you haven’t eaten yet. He wanted to do a movie night? You wanna?”

He nodded. “Mmm. Sounds good.”

You grinned. “I’ll go tell Shua and Jeonghan. Take your time!” You slid off the bed, rolling your eyes when Seungcheol grabbed your arm and tugged you back in to leave a quick kiss on your cheek. You stuck your tongue out at him playfully before disappearing into the hallway, pulling his door shut behind you.

Seungcheol waited until he was sure you were out of earshot before he turned his attention back to his phone. “Carats,” he started, his tone carrying just a hint of warning, “be nice to them.”

The comments hadn’t slowed down since you walked in the room, but he caught a lot of heart emojis, “so cute!!”s, and general statements of affirmation.

“They mean a lot to me, so you have to be nice, okay?” He waited a minute, pushing his hair up and out of his face, only for it to fall right back into place. “I know you will be, but I just wanted to say it anyway. I’m gonna go eat dinner now. Everyone have a good night, sleep well.” He brought his hand up in front of his face to wave at the camera. “Bye bye!” And he ended the live, leaving his phone there, propped up against the pillows, as he ambled off to find you.

—

Later that night, he posted one picture on weverse; him smiling at the camera with you pressed up against his shoulder, fast asleep, face obscured by shadows. His fingers hovered over the screen for a second before he edited the post, adding a caption.

He holds up his phone. “Mrs. Kim called my cell. She can’t look after Yeona today due to personal reasons,” he says. Mrs. Kim, the babysitter. She is usually the image of reliability, which is what got her hired to herald Yeona from school and watch her until her father got home from work. Today was the first day she canceled since she was hired two years ago.

“Can you call another babysitter?” Your boss asks.

“Jaehyun,” you say looking at your watch. “Yeona’s school lets out in forty-five minutes. There’s no way I can arrange for any other babysitter to come now.” 

Surprise paints Jaehyun’s expression when he looks at his watch as well. “You’re right,” he says, sighing. He blows raspberries, running a hand through his hair. He shakes his head. “Then it seems that I’ll have to take care of Yeona tonight. I think you’ll have to cancel whatever else I have today.”

Your eyes widen. “But that meeting with Huang Shipping Co.!” You say. “The Huangs are notoriously busy, I had to fight tooth and nail to get this meeting,” you say drolly. 

“Then what do you suggest?” He asks. 

“Um,” you say, tapping your fingers against your desk. You’ve had many problems, especially problems that appear last minute in your line of work, but this was certainly out of your wheelhouse. But eventually, your eyes light up with an idea. 

“Why don’t I watch Yeona?” You ask. 

Jaehyun raises an eyebrow. “Are you sure?” He asks. “That’s not exactly a part of your job description.” 

“Well,” you shrug your shoulders. “My job description is to make your life easier. Watching Yeona today will give you peace of mind so that you’re focused,” you say. 

Jaehyun still looks a little wary of this idea. 

“Besides,” you continue. “What other choice do we have? If I start driving now then I can pick her up from school on time.”  

“Alright,” he says finally. 

“Your schedule for the rest of today and tomorrow is already printed out and is here,” you point to a collection of papers stacked on your desk. “Do you think you’ll need me for the rest of the day? My phone will be on.” You add at the end. 

“No. I think I can manage.” He says. “I think that’s because I have the best secretary in the world.” You smile at the flattery. Jaehyun inhales deeply. “But in all seriousness, thank you for doing this Y/N.” 

“I’m just doing my job.” You smile.

-

The last time you babysat was in high school. Considering your years of corporate experience along with attending college, that was a long time ago. And you used to babysit for the neighborhood kids who knew and respected you pretty well. You’ve never actually met Yeona before, only seeing a photo of her and Jaehyun together on his desk when you would hand him his schedules. You couldn’t believe it, but you were actually scared of meeting a six-year-old. Six-year-olds can either be one of two ways: adorable and cuddly or rowdy and not listening to anything you say. 

The one word you could use to describe Yeona’s school was grand. Of course Yeona would be going to a very nice private school given her father’s status as CEO of Jung Industries. She would be surrounded by others who are like her, whose parents have equally important jobs. The children of doctors, lawyers, judges, and all the like would be attending this school. 

Taking a deep breath, you enter the building. As your shoes meet the marbled floors, they make an echoing sound that makes you feel… sort of small. Your elementary school did not look like this. Heading to the main office of the school, you knock on the door, and a woman waves for you to come in. 

You show her your ID and a note from Jaehyun himself that would allow you to pick up his daughter from school today, and the administration seems satisfied enough with this. Since you recognize how Yeona looks from all the times you’ve been behind Jaehyun’s desk, you’re able to spot her in the waiting room, most likely waiting for Mrs. Kim. 

“Hi Yeona,” you say in a friendly tone, in your best voice suited for talking to a child.

The girl looks at you in question. “Who are you? Where’s Mrs. Kim?” She asks, her words strung together quickly. 

“I’m Y/N, and I work for your daddy. Mrs. Kim had to cancel today, so I’ll be babysitting you.” 

Yeona stares for a few moments at you, her grip on the handle of her lunch box tightening. The explanation seems to make sense to her after she processed it, so she smiles. 

“Okay. When we get home, can I show you my dolls?” 

“Absolutely,” you say, smiling. 

-

Your worries about what type of six-year-old you were going to deal with were unfounded; Yeona turned out to be the adorable and cuddly type. Once you got home together, she practically dragged you into the playroom that was filled with all sorts of dolls and toys. If you thought the school was grand, so was the Jungs’ residence. Your little apartment downtown could fit into this penthouse at least three times. 

After entertaining you with her dolls and toys, Yeona showed you her legos, and you put some together to make a lego castle. Eventually, she got hungry, so you grabbed something from the pantry, and you both watched her favorite TV shows together. Yeona would narrate what was going on, describing the characters in her own words, which ones were “good,” which ones were “mean.” You listened carefully, enjoying the ecstatic look on her face and asking further questions to keep her engaged. 

As the sun sank lower in the sky, so did Yeona’s energy, and she fell asleep on the couch around thirty minutes before Jaehyun came back home.

“Where’s Yeona,” he asks, briefcase in hand once he enters his home to meet you near the elevator. 

“Sleeping on the couch.” Leading him to the spot, Jaehyun bends down, hoisting his daughter up, and Yeona’s head finds its place in the crook of Jaehyun’s neck. 

“Daddy?” She asks drowsily. She brings her little arms to wrap around Jaehyun’s manly frame.

“Yeah?” Jaehyun responds in a soft voice. 

“Can you read me a bedtime story?” 

Jaehyun smiles, pressing a kiss on the crown of her head. 

“Of course I can. Let’s start off where we left off last night.” 

-

You come to work again the next day, and you already find a cup of coffee sitting on your desk. You smile. It was in one of those cups with a large plastic dome on the top, filled with whipped cream and chocked-full of sugar. 

You turn around and look into Jaehyun’s office surrounded by glass doors. He’s looking at you too, a ninety-watt grin starting to emerge on his face as you sip your drink. 

Walking in, you point at the drink. 

“Was this your doing?” You ask, your lips forming a small smile. 

“Maybe,” he says, shrugging his shoulders with mock nonchalance. You continue to stare at him, with your brow raised.

“Alright,” Jaehyun sighs. “So it was me.” He shrugs his shoulders, sighing. “I don’t understand why you like those coffees with skim milk when there’s sugar and whipped cream anyway.”

“Hey,” you say, cocking your head. “I’m able to have whipped cream and sugar because there’s skim milk.” You make sure to emphasize the ‘because.’

Jaehyun only snorts, but slowly, his expression becomes more serious. 

“I wanted to thank you for being with Yeona yesterday.” 

You chuckle. “Jaehyun, you’ve thanked me a million times. I told you that it’s my job to help you. Like right now, for instance,” You step closer, placing your hands on his tie, which was crooked. Yesterday was a long day for Jaehyun, so you aren’t so surprised that his tie looked off. He lifts his chin up as he lets you fix his tie. 

“Thanks,” he says, the light in his eye dancing.

Grinning, you put a hand to your hip. “We can’t have your tie looking bad when you have important clients to take care of today.” 

“You went above and beyond,” he says, “with Yeona I mean. And she really likes you. More than she likes dolls.” You both laugh. 

-

This year, Jung Industries wanted to start its first take-your-kid-to-work day. It’s considered a field trip for children, and the whole point would be to give the youth a glimpse of the workplace and its culture. The only requirements for a parent would be that their child or children had to be of school age (this wasn’t daycare) and they had to be well-behaved. 

As expected, the office today is swarming with children; those who are in elementary and middle school are adorned in little suits and dresses as they follow their parents around and listen with wide and star-struck eyes to what their parents do all day, from listening in on phone calls to watching their parents participate or conduct meetings. The teenagers, though, were in more casual clothes, most likely of the sentiment that this is a free day off of school. 

“Daddy, your job is so cool! You get to tell people what to do and they listen!” You hear a few footsteps away. Prying your eyes away from your desktop, you see Yeona, dressed in a striped frock as she stands with her father, looking at him with amazed eyes. 

Jaehyun leans down, getting on face level with her. Ever the doting dad he is, he smiles, putting a hand to her cheek.

“That’s only just the beginning. Being the boss has a lot of other jobs too.” Yeona only continues to stare, excitement in her eyes. 

“Sir?” You see two other guys stand by Jaehyun and Yeona. They both look young and seem nervous; from the looks of it, this is probably their first time dealing with the CEO himself. When Jaehyun turns his attention to them from where he’s kneeling, one of them clears his throat. 

“Sir, we need your urgent attention at marketing. Alone,” he adds. 

“Alright,” Jaehyun sighs. “Sweetie,” he turns his attention to Yeona. “Why don’t you go and see Y/N right now?” Yeona’s gaze shifts to you sitting at your desk, and she smiles, running to you. 

“Y/N!” She says. Jaehyun and the two other guys walk off into a hallway. 

“Hi Yeona,” you reply. 

“I miss you,” she pouts. “Are you going to come over to babysit again? I had a lot of fun with you when you last came.” 

You click your tongue. “It’s been pretty hectic at the office recently, so I haven’t been able to come. I’ll try to find time for you in the future.” She nods slowly. “How has your day been?” You continue.

“It’s been great!” She says with a big smile on her face. “Daddy took me to a meeting and he looked so cool talking to everyone!” Her excitement is contagious because now you feel a little happier just looking at her happiness. 

“I’m glad it’s going great,” you say. 

“I showed Daddy my report card yesterday, and he says that I’m going to be something big like him one day!” She chirps with joy. 

“I agree,” you say. “You’re growing up fast.” 

Yeona nods surely. “Yeah. I am. I’m almost seven.” She straightens her back when she says this, making herself seem as ‘grown-up’ as possible. 

“Wow,” you say with awe. “When are you gonna be seven?” 

“Two weeks,” she replies. “I’m a big girl,” she states proudly. “When I went shopping with Daddy for a new dress to wear today, I told him that polka-dots are babyish, so he got me stripes.” Yeona twirls around, showing off her new dress. 

“I think you look like a big girl,” you say. 

“Big girls drink coffee, don’t they?” She asks. Her eyes wander to your mug sitting at your table, a curious look on her face.

“They do,” you say smiling, knowing what she’s going to ask next. 

“Can I try it?” She asks. 

“I drank most of it. Let’s get you some fresh coffee,” you say, extending your hand so that you don’t lose her among the teenagers and adults grabbing a sip of coffee before heading back to work.

Yeona cheers, grabbing your hand. “I want it just like Daddy has it.” 

Following you out from your desk into the break room, you both stand in front of the coffee machine, where you turn it on, grabbing a disposable cup and watching the coffee drain from the machine into the cup. You only take a very small quantity; you don’t want Yeona to be wired for the rest of the day. Jaehyun only has his coffee black with a little sugar, so you mimic what you make for him, being sure that the concoction in the disposable cup is proportionate to what you usually make for Jaehyun.

“Make sure you blow on it more so you don’t burn your tongue.” Yeona nods, blowing on her coffee a few more times before taking a sip. She grimaces. 

“Yuck!” She whines. “That’s gross.” She puts the cup on the counter, sticking her tongue out with disgust. You go into the fridge where there is some water, and she drinks it willingly. 

“How does Daddy even drink that every morning?” She asks.

“As you get older, you’ll like the taste.” 

“I’ll never like it!” She exclaims.

You laugh. You probably shouldn’t hang around in the break room for too long since you still have a lot of work to complete today, so you grab Yeona a snack from a cupboard before migrating back to your desk. You grab another chair for Yeona and sit down by your desk while you type vigorously.

Munching on her food while silence hangs between both of you, Yeona looks at your computer screen curiously. 

“What do you do for my Daddy?” She asks. 

“Well,” you start off, “I arrange what he does for the week, answer phone calls for him, make reports, and organize meetings,” you say. 

“That sounds like a lot,” she says. 

“Yeah, it is,” you say. 

“Do you ever get to relax?” She asks. 

“Sometimes.” Silence ensues between the two of you. Yeona takes her index finger and places it on her chin thoughtfully. You watch from the corner of your eyes when you stop typing, picking up the phone on the desk. 

“Jung Jaehyun’s office, how may I help you.” As you grab the details of the caller and respond back (Forbes, who wants to interview Jaehyun as one of the youngest CEOs to be on the top 50), you notice a big smile appearing on Yeona’s face.

Putting down the phone, Yeona starts talking again. 

“You should come to my birthday party,” she says, thrilled. “There’s going to be cake and ice cream and ponies and princesses. Daddy is hosting it, and it’s going to be lots of fun.” The look on her face is bright as she waits for your response. 

Her excitement is childish and endearing, warming your heart. What else could you say?

“Of course I’ll come,” you respond, grinning. 

-

Despite Jaehyun’s multiple assurances that he wouldn’t fire you if you really didn’t want to come to his daughter’s birthday party or had some other weekend plans, you only brushed him off. He would probably need you around as emotional support anyway; a few hours of boisterous six to seven-year-old girls would probably take a toll on anyone.

So you come to the venue for Yeona’s birthday party, stepping out and locking your car. It’s a very large private park with lush green grass and beautiful flowers that felt like they could go on forever. As the timid rays of the sun kiss your skin, you can hear children shrieking in excitement as they go inside the bouncy house, jumping energetically. 

There’s a sunshade standing at a corner of the park and a table under it where there are presents stacked high, and you add your gift as well. Most of the girls attending Yeona’s birthday party are far richer than you can ever imagine being, so your gift, just a cute princess doll you found at the mall the other day, probably seems small compared to what everyone else brought for Yeona.

“You didn’t have to bring a gift. Trust me, Yeona already has enough toys,” a voice says from behind. In an instant you know it’s Jaehyun, so you turn around. He’s dressed casually, just in some jeans and a t-shirt, and he has a hand on his hips. 

“I know but,” you shrug your shoulders. “It feels strange coming to a party without a present.” You smile. 

“You’re finally here!” Yeona says. Dressed in a blue frock, she runs to you, wrapping her little arms around you for a hug. 

“Did you really think I was going to miss this?” Delightedly, Yeona pulls away, grabbing your arm and dragging you to where the other girls are playing in the bouncy house. 

“Everyone,” she says. Their attention turns to Yeona, the birthday girl. “This is Y/N. She’s really fun,” she says proudly.

-

Jaehyun really outdid himself with this party. There was ice cream, cake, carnival games, princesses… 

And ponies. 

When Jaehyun announced that the ponies were here, all the girls practically sprung from their seats like jack-in-the-boxes, running to the eight instructors handling the ponies. As soon as all the girls are settled down, either riding a pony or waiting for an instructor to assign one, you and Jaehyun stand together, watching. 

“Look, Daddy, I’m doing it!” Yeona yells from her horse as an instructor keeps pace with her. 

“Good job!” Jaehyun responds back loudly, a big grin on his face. 

“You seriously have the softest spot for Yeona,” you chuckle, crossing your arms as you look from the girls talking with excitement to Jaehyun. 

“I do.” He says in agreement. Jung Jaehyun, the man who is able to prioritize his family and work, the same man who wears the bracelet his daughter made in art class last year, the same man that asks you to schedule meetings and events around Yeona’s dance recitals. 

In your gaze is a bit of admiration…

Maybe even a bit of adoration. 

“Hey!” You and Jaehyun’s heads move in unity to identify the source of the voice. It’s one of the instructors jogging up to you. He smiles at you both before he starts speaking. 

“We have a couple of extra ponies here. Do any of you want to take a spin?” He asks. 

“I’m good,” you respond. “I prefer watching.” After noting your answer, the instructor looks at Jaehyun curiously. 

“Sure, why not?” He replies. You quirk an eyebrow at this response. 

“Good. I’ll set up the pony and bring it to you?” He asks. Jaehyun nods. 

As the boy runs back to where the extra ponies are, you stare at Jaehyun curiously. He seems to be entertained by your look.  

“I used to ride in high school. I was a part of the equestrian team.”

From the time that you know Jung Jaehyun, you didn’t know about this. All you knew was that he was relatively wealthy growing up, taking a huge grant from his parents to start Jung Industries. 

Jaehyun is amused by your surprise. “Did you think that I always just sat in a room full of other rich people all day?” 

You raise a brow. “That’s pretty much what I organize for you.” At your sarcasm, Jaehyun snorts a little. 

By now, the guy is back, holding a pony by the rein. 

“Need any help?” He asks. 

“No, I think I’ll be fine.” The guy acknowledges, running back to check on the girls.

You watch Jaehyun as he puts a foot in the foothold, gripping the rein of the pony as he leaps on. Watching you at ground level, Jaehyun smiles. 

“Do you want to get on?” He asks. You look a little nervous. “Come on, just try it! It’ll be fun!” Jaehyun continues in an attempt to convince you. 

Sighing, you look up at him. “Fine. But you better not kill me.” 

“I’ll be extra careful.” Holding out his hand, you take it, placing your foot on the foothold. You look hesitant.

“Just spring up and get on,” he says in a calming voice, further instructing you. Doing as he says, you swing your other foot around the horse.   

“There you go,” he says. “Now, hold onto me tight.” Shaking the reins, the pony starts. You gasp at the sudden movement, holding onto Jaehyun for your dear life. Your nose burrowed into his back, you think he smells kind of nice. 

-

After opening all of Yeona’s gifts, it was time for everyone to go home. This four-hour birthday bash was finally over, leaving you and Jaehyun very exhausted. As the hired help loads Yeona’s presents into the car, you and Yeona stand in the park, where the setting sun dips in the sky. 

Yeona smiles at you. “Thank you for coming Y/N,” she says. 

“No problem. I had a great time.” As odd as it sounds, you think you had more fun at this party than you expected. 

“Sweetie, why don’t you get in the car?” Jaehyun asks after talking with the help. 

“Okay.” Yeona waves at you before heading into the Porsche, in the backseat. Now, it’s just you and Jaehyun together. 

“We should do this again sometime,” Jaehyun starts off. 

“Yeah. I had a lot of fun, surprisingly,” you say. 

Silence ensues between you both. Out of curiosity, you turn your head to look at Jaehyun standing by your side, thinking deeply about something.

“What could you be thinking that deeply about on a Saturday?” You ask jokingly. He looks at you, his previous expression wiped off.

“Just thinking about a nice restaurant to take you some time.” 

“By ourselves?” You ask a little dumbly. He nods. 

You gape. “Jung Jaehyun, are you asking me out on a date?” 

“Yeah,” he smiles. “I’ve been thinking about it for a while. Ever since I’ve seen how great you’re with Yeona…” He trails, a little smile on his face. “Maybe next Saturday?” He continues.