THE THIRD WHEEL ββ§Β°π²ΦΌ
synopsis : y/nβs been the third wheel on countless dates. sheβs celebrated everyone elseβs love stories, and quietly accepted that romance just isnβt in the cards for her. But when another coffee run introduces her to someone new, what was supposed to be just another outing slowly becomes the first time someone sees her as more than the extra person.
genre: rom-com, fluff, slow burn, friends to lovers, smau
pairing: seonghyeon x !female!reader
warnings: none notes: ss + written (w.c: 541)
00 01 02
Coffee with Iroha and Keonho wasn't anything new. At this point, it had become one of those routines that happened so often Y/N could probably write the entire day from memory. If someone asked her how it would go before they even left the house, she'd probably get every detail right.
Keonho would insist he wasn't hungry, only to somehow end up leaving with a pastry anyway after claiming he was "just holding it." Iroha would steal sips from both Y/N's drink and Keonho's without asking. Keonho would complain dramatically for all of thirty seconds while secretly finding it funny. Iroha would laugh, Y/N would roll her eyes, and, as always, she'd end up being the designated photographer.
She took pictures of everything.
Their drinks before anyone touched them. The pastries they'd all end up picking at. Blurry candids of Iroha laughing so hard she had to lean against Keonho. Random photos of them bickering over something completely insignificant before forgetting about it two minutes later.
Her gallery was practically filled with them.
Hundreds of photos of Iroha and Keonho, laughing, teasing each other, stealing bites of food, smiling without realizing she was pointing a camera at them. Anyone scrolling through her camera roll would probably think she was documenting someone else's relationship.
Not that she minded.
Well... most of the time.
It was predictable. Comfortably predictable.
The kind of routine you never realized you'd grown attached to until you imagined it disappearing.
The only thing making today any different... was Keonho's friend.
Seonghyeon.
Y/N knew the name, and that was about it.
Every now and then Keonho would mention him in passing, usually something random like, "I was with Seonghyeon yesterday," or, "Seonghyeon sent me the funniest video." Nothing that ever led to a real conversation. Just enough for Y/N to know he existed.
She'd never met him. Never seen a picture of him. If he walked past her on campus, she wouldn't have recognized him.
It wasn't like she was going to say no. Besides, it was just one more person grabbing coffee.
So that was that.
Just... Keonho's friend was coming.
Knowing Keonho, that could mean absolutely anything.
The cafΓ© door chimed as Y/N stepped inside. Iroha spotted her immediately, waving so enthusiastically she nearly knocked over her iced latte.
βOver here!β iroha called out to her. Y/N laughed as she walked over, βOne day youβre actually gonna spill that.β iroha shook her head, βI have excellent hand-eye coordination.β
βYou almost proved yourself wrong.β By the time she reached the table, Keonho finally looked up from his phone. ββ¦oh youβre here.β Keonho sighed dramatically, putting his phone down. Y/N scoffed, βdonβt sound too excitedβ
βI was enjoying the lack of y/n-ness.β he said making a face at y/n. Y/n laughed at him dramatically βboy you say that knowing you ask iroha if iβm coming every time yall go outβ
βbros lying on my name, iβd actually rather shit in my hands and clapβ he laughs, y/n scrunches up her face at the thought. βkeonho one day iβm gonna actually beat your assβ She pulled out the empty chair with an exaggerated sigh. βyouβre so annoyingβ he tells her pouting like a little kid. βyou know you love meβ she says finally sitting down.
Only then did she notice someone sitting beside him. βOh.β
Keonho glanced between the two of them like heβd just remembered.
βRight.β He nodded toward the guy beside him. βThis is Seonghyeon.β The guy looked up from his drink, offering a small smile.
βHey.β
βHey.β
That was it. No dramatic music. No instant sparks. Just another person at the table.
Ten minutes in, everything was going exactly as predicted. βCan I try your drink?β Iroha asked, to no one in particular. βNo.β Y/n answered without missing a beat. Iroha rolled her eyes laughing, βYou donβt even know who I was asking.β
βIt was my drink.β y/n answered without hesitation.
ββ¦Yeah.β
Y/N snorted into her straw while Iroha pouted dramatically across the table. Even Seonghyeon laughed at that, not loudly, just a quiet laugh under his breath. Still, it was enough for Y/N to notice. When their drinks were called, Y/N stood without thinking. She grabbed the tray and started passing everything out from memory.
βThatβs yours,β she said, sliding a drink toward Iroha. βAnd yours.β Keonho took his without looking up from his phone. βThe oat milk oneβ¦β Y/N paused. There was one cup left. βOh.β
She looked over at Seonghyeon. ββ¦Is this yours?β He blinked before nodding. ββ¦Yeah.β
She handed it to him with a small, embarrassed smile. βSorry.β He shook his head at her with a small smile, βNo, youβre good.β He glanced at the rest of the table before looking back at her. βYou remembered everybody elseβs.β Y/N shrugged. βI always do.β
For a second, he just looked at her. Then he smiled to himself and took a sip of his drink without another word.
A little later, Iroha looked around the table. βCan someone take a picture?β Like clockwork, everyoneβs eyes landed on Y/N. She laughed. βOh, right.β She reached for Irohaβs phone, but before her fingers could touch itβ¦
βI got it.β The voice came from beside her. Y/N looked over. Seonghyeon was already standing. βIβll take it.β The table went quiet for exactly one second before Keonho tossed him the phone. βcool.β
No one thought twice about it.
Y/N did.
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