“Are you seriously using that much butter? Or are you trying to give yourself a heart attack before you hit twenty?” you muttered, narrowing your eyes at him.

Keonho looked over his shoulder, blinking at you before the corners of his mouth twitched. "Good morning to you too."

Then he went right back to buttering his toast. That somehow annoyed you even more.

Later, when you asked him what he wanted for lunch and he got distracted scrolling through his phone, you huffed. “Forget it, I’ll just starve,” you muttered, rolling your eyes as you stood and walked off, fully expecting him to tease you or pull you back.

But he didn’t. And that was the problem.

Normally, Keonho would grin, say something cheeky, maybe wrap an arm around your waist and pull you back into him, but today he just watched you go, quiet, observant. Like he was figuring something out instead of reacting.

It irritated you more than if he’d argued back.

By the time night fell, you were curled up on the sofa in one of his oversized hoodies, sleeves swallowing your hands, scrolling aimlessly on your phone.

The apartment was quiet, and you didn’t even notice the front door opening until you heard his shoes by the entryway.

“Where’d you go?” you asked flatly, not looking up at first.

“Out for a bit,” His voice floated down the hallway before he appeared a second later, slipping off his shoes.

You frowned, finally glancing over at him. He had a small bag in his hand.

“Out where?” you pressed.

“Pharmacy.”

That made your brows knit. “Do we even need anything from the pharmacy?”

He didn’t answer straight away. Instead, he walked over, the couch dipping under his weight as he sat beside you. Then, gently, he placed the bag in your lap.

You looked at him suspiciously before peeking inside. Your entire expression softened.

Tampons. Your favourite chocolate. A bottle of painkillers. Even your favourite strawberry yogurt drink.

You looked back at him.

“Keonho… what’s this?”

He rubbed the back of his neck, suddenly looking a little shy. "I thought... maybe your period was coming."

You stared at him.

"You've been…" He searched for the right word. "…a little grumpy."

Your mouth opened, then closed. “That’s—” you started, half offended, half caught. “I wasn’t even that bad.”

Keonho let out a quiet laugh, leaning closer until his shoulder nudged yours. "You threatened me over toast this morning.”

"I figured it was either your period..." he said. "Or I'd done something without realising."

That made your chest ache a little. "You thought it was your fault?"

He shrugged. "I was trying to think if I upset you."

The guilt hit instantly. You looked back into the bag before quietly closing it again. "I'm sorry."

He frowned almost immediately. "For what?"

"For being... kind of awful today."

"You weren't awful."

"I definitely was."

"You were just having a day." His answer came so easily it made your eyes sting.

You scooted across the couch until you were tucked against his side, resting your head on his shoulder.

His arm wrapped around you before you'd even settled properly, holding you close like it was instinct.

"I really don't deserve you," you mumbled into his hoodie.

Keonho smiled to himself. "I know."

You pulled back just enough to glare at him. He laughed before ducking his head, pressing a kiss against your forehead.

"I mean..." he corrected with another grin, "you do."

You couldn't help smiling.

He reached into the bag, pulled out the chocolate and held it up. "Peace offering?"

You nodded. "Open it for me."

"I had a feeling you'd say that."

He unwrapped it without complaint before breaking off the first piece and holding it out for you.

You took a bite, letting yourself melt back against him. "Thank you."

His fingers slipped into your hair, absentmindedly smoothing it back from your face. "You don't have to thank me."

You grabbed one of your members, told your manager you’d be a little late meeting everyone, and walked straight into a piercing studio before you could change your mind.

You spent the whole appointment squeezing your member’s hand, and a few minutes later, you walked back out with a tiny silver jewel sitting just above the waistband of your jeans.

It was a little sore, but you couldn’t stop smiling every time you caught a glimpse of it.

The only problem? You completely forgot to tell your boyfriend.

~

A few days later, you finally had an evening off. The dorm was quiet when you arrived. His shoes were kicked off by the front door, his hoodie tossed over the arm of the couch, and soft music played somewhere from the speaker in the kitchen.

“Seonghyeon?” you called.

“In here.”

You walked into the living room, dropping your bag beside the couch. Seonghyeon looked up from his phone.

His hair was messy from practice, still slightly damp from the shower he’d obviously taken not long ago.

He was slouched comfortably against the couch cushions in grey sweats and a black shirt, looking about as relaxed as he’d been all week.

But the second his eyes landed on you, he completely stopped.

“What?” You looked at him, confused by the way he was staring.

It was fixed somewhere around your stomach, and it took you a second before you looked down at yourself.

“Oh.”

You’d completely forgotten. The oversized zip-up hoodie you’d worn on the drive over had come off the moment you stepped inside because his apartment was always way too warm.

And now, standing there in your cropped top, the little silver piercing you’d gotten a few days ago was suddenly very obvious.

Underneath was one of your favourite black cropped tanks. Just enough fabric to show the small silver piercing catching the light.

When you looked back up, he was still staring. His eyes finally met yours, and the second they did, the corner of his mouth lifted slightly.

“Come here.”

You laughed, raising an eyebrow. “What?”

“I said come here.”

There was something about the way he said it that made you smile. It wasn’t demanding or serious.

He just sounded curious, like he was trying to figure out when exactly you’d decided to do something like that without telling him.

You walked over until you were standing right in front of him.

Before you could even say anything, his hands found your hips like it was the most natural thing in the world. He gently pulled you closer, guiding you between his knees while his thumbs rested against your waist.

He leaned forward slightly, looking down at the little piece of silver catching the light. “You got your belly button pierced.”

You smiled a little. “I did.”

“When?”

“Last week.”

His eyebrows immediately lifted. “Last week?”

You already knew where this was going.

“I… forgot to tell you.”

“You forgot?”

He looked up at you with the most offended expression imaginable.

He shook his head, almost like he couldn’t believe you’d kept something like that from him, before looking back down again. His grip on your hips relaxed, his thumbs brushing lightly against your sides.

“You must’ve been nervous.”

“I was.”

“Did it hurt?”

“A little.”

“A little?”

You nodded. “It was over really fast.”

“Really? That’s good.”

His thumb absentmindedly rubbed against your hip through your jeans. He leaned in a little closer, clearly wanting to get a better look.

For someone who was acting so offended that you hadn’t told him, he looked way too interested

“It suits you.”

You smiled, looking down at him. “You think?”

“Yeah.” A small smile tugged at his lips. “You look hot.”

You laughed, shaking your head.

“More than you already are,” he added, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

That only made you laugh harder. He looked back down at the piercing, studying it with way more focus than you expected.

“I still can’t believe you didn’t tell me.”

“It just slipped my mind.”

Seonghyeon raised an eyebrow, clearly not buying it. His hands tightened slightly around your hips, just enough to make you look back at him.

“It’s distracting.”

You smiled. “Oh?”

“Mm-hm.”

The way he said it made it obvious he wasn’t talking about the piercing itself anymore.

His eyes dropped for a second before meeting yours again. “You’ve got me trying to remember what you were saying when you walked in.”

You laughed. “I said hi.”

“I genuinely don’t remember.”

You rolled your eyes, but you were smiling. He let out a quiet sigh before resting his forehead against your stomach for a moment, his arms still wrapped around your hips.

“You always do this.”

You looked down at him. “Do what?”

“Become even prettier.”

You laughed softly. “I don’t think those things are connected.”

“They are to me.”

And the way he said it was so serious that you couldn’t even argue.

You looked down at him, your fingers naturally finding his hair. Freshly washed. Still ridiculously soft. “You’ve had a long day.”

“Mhm.”

“Tired?”

“So tired.”

He finally looked back up at you, chin tilted slightly.

“You promise it doesn’t hurt much anymore?”

“It only hurts if I bump it.”

His face immediately became serious. “So… don’t hug you?”

“You can hug me.”

“Are you sure?”

“Seonghyeon.”

“What?”

“I don’t know the rules.”

“There aren’t rules.”

“There have to be rules.”

You giggled. “No headbutting my stomach.”

“I wasn’t planning on it.”

“No wrestling.”

“There goes my evening.”

You rolled your eyes, laughing when you caught the grin on his face. “So…”

“What?”

“You really like it?”

“I really do.”

His thumbs traced small circles against your hips before he stood up from the couch, closing the tiny height difference between you.

He leaned down, pressing a gentle kiss to your forehead. “It looks like you.”

“What does that even mean?”

“I don’t know.”

He smiled against your forehead. “It just does.”

You laughed quietly. “That’s the worst explanation you’ve ever given.”

“I’ve been at practice for ten hours.”

“So your brain’s gone?”

“Gone.”

“And yet you still managed to compliment me.”

“I’ll always have enough brain left for that.”

Your smile softened. “You flirt even when you’re exhausted.”

“It’s not flirting.”

“No?”

He wrapped his arms carefully around your waist, making sure not to press anywhere near the new piercing. “It’s just the truth.”

You tucked your face into his shoulder, smiling to yourself.

“Still can’t believe you forgot to tell me.”

“I know,” you mumbled. “I’m sorry.”

“You owe me.”

You pulled back just enough to look at him. “Owe you what?”

He thought for a moment before smiling. “Extra cuddles and kisses.”

You laughed into his shoulder. “I should’ve known that was coming.”

“I’ve had a very hard week.”

He pulled you a tiny bit closer, still making a point of avoiding your piercing, and buried his face in your hair.

“Still worth the surprise.”

the pause is immediate.

slowly, he lifts his head, eyes narrowing in the exact way that tells you that he’s already decided he doesn’t trust you.

“that sentence is never followed by something normal,” he says carefully, setting his phone down like he’s preparing for impact.

you try not to smile, but obviously you fail.

“it’s not bad,” you insist, shifting closer to him on the couch until your shoulder bumps his. “it’s actually very simple. you just have to… participate.”

“i don’t like how confident you sound right now,” he replies, voice flat but amused. and you can already tell he’s fighting a smile.

“oh c’mon, you’re being dramatic,” you say reaching for his hand just to distract him, and he lets you take it without thinking about it, which is always dangerous because it makes you forget what you were even arguing about for a second.

“i’m being realistic,” he corrects, turning your hand in his like he’s inspecting it for evidence. “last time you said ‘it’s just a trend,’ i ended up doing something embarrassing in public.”

“that was one time.”

“it was three times.” he says immediately, and now he’s definitely smiling.

you ignore that because you’re committed now.

“this one’s harmless,” you continue, shifting your tone into something softer, more convincing, leaning your head slightly closer to his shoulder as if proximity alone could win him over. “it’s just a guessing game.”

seonghyeon finally looks at you properly at that, and the way his expression changes tells you he’s trying to figure out where the catch is.

“a guessing game…” he repeats slowly, like he’s testing the phrase for traps.

you nod way too quickly.

“about what.”

you hesitate for half a second too long, which is exactly enough time for him to look even more suspicious.

“chapstick,” you say finally, as casually as possible, and immediately regret how convincing that sounds out loud.

his eyebrows rise.

there’s a beat of silence where he just stares at you, and you can practically feel him trying to decide whether you’re serious or not.

“of course it’s chapstick,” he mutters, leaning back against the couch like he’s accepted fate. “why would it ever be something normal like a quiz or a movie recommendation.”

seonghyeon looks at the chapstick like it personally offended him.

“and if i refuse?”

“then i’ll be very disappointed,” you say, widening your eyes slightly, because you know exactly what it does to him.

he holds your gaze for a long while, clearly trying to resist whatever instinct is telling him to give in.

it lasts maybe three seconds.

“fine,” he says finally, snatching the chapstick from your hand like he’s doing it reluctantly for legal reasons. “but if this is weird, i’m blaming you.”

“it’s not weird.”

“it’s always weird with you.”

you ignore him again, because he’s already uncapping it, and you’re trying very hard not to look too excited about that fact that this is actually working.

he applies it slowly, deliberately, like he’s suspicious the entire time, and you watch him with way too much satisfaction, propping your chin in your hand as you wait.

when he’s done, he caps it and tosses it back to you.

“okay,” you say, leaning forward, your knee brushing his. “guess.”

he leans in closer just slightly, studying your face in a way that makes your brain briefly forget what you were doing, which it unfair because you’re supposed to be in control of this situation.

“cherry,” he guesses first.

“no,” you say, shaking your head.

“strawberry,” he tries next, a little less confident.

you shake your head again, and you can see him starting to get annoyed now.

“watermelon,” he says, squinting.

you chuckle at that one because he says it like he already knows he’s wrong.

“no,” you confirm again.

he leans back, groaning under his breath like this is a much bigger problem than it needs to be.

“yeah, this is rigged.” he decides.

“it’s not rigged, seonghyeon,” you say, smiling.

“you’re enjoying this way too much,” he accused, pointing at you like that’s proof of something.

he shifts closer again, this time with purpose, his knee pressing more firmly against yours, and you realize way too late that he has changed strategies.

“come here,” he mutters, almost a whisper.

you immediately narrow your eyes. “why.”

“because i need another try.”

“that sounds like cheating to me.”

“it’s called data collection,” he replies, already leaning in. “i need to know what i’m working with.”

you should stop him.

you absolutely do not stop him.

the first kiss is soft enough that it barely feels like a decision, more like something that happens between conversations without permission, his hand resting against your wrist like he’s grounding himself there. when he pulls back, it’s only far enough to look at you properly, like he’s actually thinking now.

he blinks once, then slightly tilts his head.

“peach,” he says confidently, all smiley.

you immediately laugh, because it’s wrong in the exact way you expected.

“that’s not how this works,” you reply, still smiling.

“it tasted like peach,” he insists, completely serious.

“you’re just saying that because you like kissing me,” you accuse, and you regret it the second it leaves your mouth because his expression changes in a way that makes your face warm instantly.

“i do like kissing you,” he admits, like it’s obvious, and then he leans in again before you can respond.

the second kiss lasts longer, slower, like he’s testing again on purpose, and by the time he pulls back you’ve completely forgotten the point of the game, which is exactly the problem.

he looks far too pleased with himself.

“still peach,” he repeats.

“it’s not peach.”

“then it’s broken.”

“it’s not broken, you’re just really bad at guessing.”

he gasps dramatically, leaning back against the couch like you’ve insulted his entire identity.

“bad… bad at guessing,” he repeats, clearly offended, and you can’t help but laugh harder because he looks genuinely betrayed by the accusation.

“try again,” you say, pointing at him.

“…okay,” he says eventually. then he kisses you again.

this one is different, not faster or slower exactly, but more certain, like he’s decided this is the correct method and he’s sticking to it. when he pulls back this time, he doesn’t guess right away, he just looks at you longer than necessary.

“strawberry?” he tries again, but there’s no confidence in it now.

you shake your head very slowly.

he exhales, lean in his forehead against yours, he’s thinking about too hard about something that’s objectively not that serious.

“you’re distracting,” he mutters.

“you started it.” you remind him.

by the time you’ve lost track of how many guesses he’s made, the chapstick flavor has become completely irrelevant to both of you in a way neither of you are willing to admit. he keeps getting closer every time he tries again, like the game is an excuse now, and you’ve stopped pretending you’re not leaning into it too.

when he finally pauses, still close enough that you feel his breath against your skin, he looks at you like he’s considering something far more important than guessing.

“watermelon,” he says quietly.

you freeze for half a second, then immediately shake your head. “no.”

“oh, really?” he asks.

you hesitate, looking at his face you know he’s sure of his answer.

“…maybe,” you admit.

his smile widens instantly, like that was all the confirmation he needed.

“i knew it,” he says, far too satisfied, and you groan, realizing too late that he absolutely did not need more than one kiss to win this game.

and when he leans in again, and you don’t stop him, because at this point losing neither of you remembers why you ever wanted to.

the game is long forgotten.

pensieri this was originally written for keonho, but then after i finished revamping it, i thought it’d suit seonghyeon ! plus i haven’t written for seonghyeon in a while so ( > < )

playlist: soon here…

part 1: soon here…

part 2: soon here…

⚓︎ DISCLAIMER! English is NOT my first language, it takes a lot of effort and Google.

Every lingering glance felt obvious. Every accidental touch lasted a little too long. Every time he smiled at you, someone would tease him, and the two of you would awkwardly laugh it off.

You’d both agreed to tell the others soon. Just not yet.

Now you’re here, sitting on his couch, knees tucked under you, rambling about something stupid your siblings did, and Seonghyeon is barely hearing you because your laugh keeps pulling his attention back to your mouth.

“You’re not even listening,” you accuse, nudging his thigh with your foot.

He exhales a laugh. “I am. Mostly.”

You roll your eyes but smile anyway, and that smile? That’s what tips him over.

You lean closer, maybe to steal a fry off the plate between you, maybe just because you’re comfortable like that, and suddenly your faces are inches apart.

Neither of you moves away.

“You know,” you murmur, voice quieter now, “we’re really bad at pretending nothing’s changed.”

His heart kicks hard. “Yeah,” he admits softly. “We are.”

Before either of you could overthink it, you leaned in and kissed him. It was gentle at first, making both of you pause for a second before melting back into it.

But the second your lips settle against his, something clicks, like this is exactly where you’re supposed to be. Seonghyeon’s hand comes up instinctively, fingers curling into the back of your hoodie, pulling you closer.

You make a quiet sound against his mouth, and that’s it. That’s the end of restraint.

You shift, knees sliding over his thighs as you straddle him, palms bracing against his chest.

He let out a quiet groan against your lips, his hands settling on your hips as he pulled you a little closer.

The kiss lingered, slow and unhurried, making it impossible to remember what the two of you had even been talking about a minute ago.

Your weight settles fully into his lap, warmth everywhere, and Seonghyeon tilts his head back against the couch as you kiss him harder.

He’s smiling into it, dazed, hands roaming just enough to make your breath hitch without crossing any lines.

It made your heart race, and judging by the smile tugging at his lips, he knew exactly what he was doing.

Neither of you was paying attention to anything except each other. Which was exactly why neither of you heard the others come in.

“What the—”

Your head whipped around so fast you nearly lost your balance, while Seonghyeon froze underneath you.

The four of them were standing there like they’d walked into the wrong apartment.

James looked completely speechless. Juhoon was frozen in place, staring at the two of you. Keonho blinked. Blinked again.

Martin slowly pulled one side of his headphones off, looking between you and Seonghyeon before saying, “Am I seeing things or were you two making out?”

It took about half a second for the embarrassment to hit. You were still sitting in Seonghyeon’s lap. One of his hands was resting on your waist, the other absentmindedly holding onto your hoodie.

His hair was a mess, and judging by the way he refused to look at anyone, he was just as embarrassed as you were. Your face burned.

“Oh,” Juhoon finally said, breaking the silence. “That explains a lot.”

Seonghyeon let out a long sigh, dropping his head back against the couch. “This is not how I wanted you guys to find out.”

You slide off him—reluctantly—and stand there, cheeks burning, smoothing your hoodie like that’ll fix anything.

“We were going to tell you,” you said a little too quickly. “Just… preferably not like this.”

James pointed between the two of you. “Right. Start talking.”

You glanced at Seonghyeon. He let out a quiet laugh before scratching the back of his neck. “We’ve been dating.”

“For?” James asked immediately.

“A few weeks.”

“And none of us knew?” Keonho asked, looking genuinely offended.

Martin stared at the two of you for another few seconds before finally shaking his head.

“I knew it,” he said, pointing at you both. “I knew there was no way you two were just best friends.”

You immediately looked away, trying not to smile. Juhoon just nodded like everything suddenly made sense.

“Honestly… yeah. That explains a lot.”

The room quickly went from awkward silence to everyone teasing the two of you, and you found yourself laughing along.

Seonghyeon reached for your hand under all the chaos, squeezing it gently.

You looked at him, and the little smile on his face made your heart soften.

The secret was out. Maybe not in the way you planned, but you couldn’t really complain.

The privacy divider was up anyway. As far as he was concerned, whatever happened in the back seat wasn’t his business.

Keonho lounged comfortably against the leather seat, his blazer hanging open and his tie already loosened despite the day barely beginning.

You were curled up beside him with your legs stretched lazily across his lap, your heels discarded beside you.

One of his hands moved absent-mindedly over your calf, his thumb drawing slow circles through your stockings while the other rested securely around your waist, keeping you tucked against his side like he’d decided you weren’t allowed to move.

You tilted your head to look at him, the corner of your mouth tugging into a smile.

“You know…”

“Hm?” His eyes barely opened, already knowing that tone meant you were about to tease him.

“I think you’re becoming clingier.”

A lazy grin spread across his face almost instantly. “Are you complaining?”

“I haven’t decided yet.”

“You won’t.”

Before you could answer, he leaned in again, closing the tiny gap between you with practiced ease. His lips found yours so naturally it almost felt automatic, like kissing you had become second nature.

It probably had.

You smiled into it, one hand drifting up to cup his jaw while his thumb never stopped tracing slow circles over your leg.

“You’ve got training after class,” you mumbled against his lips.

“I know.”

“And economics.”

Another distracted hum answered you, except this time his lips had wandered away from yours. Gentle kisses were being pressed along your jaw instead, each one making it just a little harder to remember what you were trying to say.

“And…” you sighed as his mouth found the spot beneath your ear, “…a meeting with your father.”

“Uh-huh.”

You couldn’t help laughing. “So why are you acting like we’ve got all morning?”

He finally pulled back just enough to meet your eyes. There was that stupidly handsome smile again, the one that usually got him whatever he wanted.

“Because,” he murmured before stealing one more quick kiss, “I’d rather be here.”

You stared at him for a second before rolling your eyes. “You’re such a flirt.”

“I try.”

“You’ve definitely used that before.”

“Only on you.”

“Liar.”

His laugh was soft, warm enough that it made you smile too, even though you were trying not to. He kissed you again, slower this time, until the gentle chime of the intercom echoed through the car.

“We’ve arrived,” the chauffeur announced calmly.

The two of you froze.

“No,” you groaned dramatically, letting your forehead fall against Keonho’s shoulder. He laughed quietly, his hand rubbing soothingly up and down your back.

“I don’t want to go.”

“I know.”

“Can’t we tell them we’re sick?”

“You’ve already used all your sick days this month.”

You lifted your head just enough to look at him. “Right.” A dramatic sigh escaped you as the car rolled to a complete stop.

The rear door swung open and cool morning air drifted inside. You climbed out first, smoothing down your skirt before slinging your designer bag over one shoulder.

By the time Keonho stepped out behind you, adjusting the cuff of his blazer, you turned to look at him, and immediately burst into laughter.

He frowned. “What?”

“You.”

“What about me?”

You pointed towards his mouth, struggling not to laugh even harder. “You’ve got lipstick everywhere.”

His eyebrows pinched together.“Seriously?”

“Mhm.”

Students were already streaming through the front gates, a few glancing over as they walked past. Before anyone could get too curious, you stepped closer, gently catching his chin between your fingers.

“Come here.”

He obediently leaned down. You carefully brushed your thumb across the corner of his mouth, wiping away the faint stain of your lipstick before smoothing over his bottom lip one last time.

“There.”

He didn’t move. Didn’t even blink. He just stood there watching you with that soft look that always appeared whenever you fussed over him.

“Done?” he asked quietly.

“Yeah.”

Instead of stepping back, a slow, impossibly smug smile spread across his face.

“What?”

“I like when you fuss over me.”

You snorted. “I was saving you from embarrassing yourself.”

“Same thing.”

~

By lunchtime, the school aquatic centre was filled with sounds of splashing water, whistles echoing off the high ceilings and coaches calling instructions across the pool.

You’d long since accepted that Keonho genuinely enjoyed spending hours swimming laps.

You sat cross-legged on the spectator seats overlooking the lanes, an iced coffee balanced on the step beside you.

Keonho’s blazer was folded neatly next to your designer bag, your sunglasses resting on top after he’d insisted you’d be more comfortable if you didn’t have to carry everything around campus.

Jenna, a girl in from your class wandered over before taking the empty seat beside you. “You seriously watch every training?”

You glanced over at her before nodding. “Yeah.”

She looked down towards the pool where the swim team was halfway through another set.

“Isn’t it boring?”

Your eyes instinctively found Keonho amongst the swimmers. Even with everyone wearing the same cap and goggles, you could pick him out almost immediately.

He reached the end of his lane, pushed his damp hair back as he adjusted his goggles, barely pausing before diving straight back into the water.

A small smile tugged at your lips. “Not really.”

She followed your gaze before letting out a quiet laugh. “Oh.”

“What?”

“I get it now.”

You laughed, shaking your head. “I wasn’t even looking at him.”

“Mhm.”

“I wasn’t.”

“You don’t have to defend yourself.”

“I’m serious .”

She only smiled knowingly. “You’ve been watching the same lane for the last twenty minutes.”

“Have I?”

“You absolutely have.”

You looked back towards the pool, trying not to smile. “Maybe.”

“That’s what I thought.”

About twenty minutes later, training finally wrapped up. One by one the swimmers climbed out of the pool, grabbing towels and making their way towards the change rooms while the coaches called out reminders for the next session.

Keonho had barely slung his towel over one shoulder before his eyes found you in the stands. His entire expression softened.

Without a second thought, he changed direction and headed straight towards you instead of following the rest of the team.

You stood as he approached, already noticing the trail of water dripping from his hair onto the tiled floor.

The second he reached you, he opened his arms expectantly. You placed a flat hand against his chest before he could get any closer.

“No.”

He blinked. “What?”

“I am not getting wet.”

“I’m barely wet.”

You looked him up and down in disbelief.

Water was literally dripping from the ends of his hair, running down his neck and soaking through the collar of his training shirt before splashing onto the floor.

“Keonho.”

“What?”

“Look at yourself.”

He glanced down at his shirt before looking back up again. “I guess I’m a little wet.”

“A little?” You couldn’t help laughing. “You just swam for an hour.”

He frowned dramatically. “I wanted a hug.”

“And a kiss,” he added a second later, as though that somehow strengthened his argument.

You looked at him completely unimpressed. “So?”

“So.” He looked at you hopefully.

You reached over and poked the centre of his chest with one finger. “So go get a towel.”

His shoulders slumped. “I’ve never felt so unloved.”

“You’ll survive.”

“I don’t know if I will.”

Rolling his eyes with an exaggerated sigh, he finally turned and wandered back towards the benches where the team’s bags had been left.

You watched him rummage through his things before pulling out a towel, immediately rubbing it through his hair until it stuck up in every direction.

A minute later he wandered back over, the towel now draped around his shoulders. “There.”

You gave him an overly critical once-over, pretending to inspect him. “Hm…”

He waited patiently.

“Acceptable.”

A grin spread across his face. “Thank you.”

Only then did you step closer.

He didn’t waste the opportunity, leaning down just enough to brush a quick kiss against your lips. It only lasted a second, but he still smiled against your mouth before pulling away.

You rolled your eyes, though you were smiling anyway. You sighed dramatically. “I really should stop rewarding your behaviour.”

“But you won’t.”

“Probably not.”