#daysense collab

“Well if we can get all the way through the second-half of our set cleanly, then you should still have time to change before your date,” Brian said, trying to help Sungjin out. 

“What’s wrong with my outfit?” Jae questioned, pulling on his shirt and hat.

“You mean you can see colors now and you still chose that?” Dowoon piped up, looking genuinely concerned.

“Guys! Can we please focus and agree to pick out Jae’s clothes later?” Sungjin snapped, trying to take a deep breath.

“Again, what’s wrong with my - “

Dowoon thankfully started the beat, cutting Jae off and setting them all in motion.

Despite the rough start, Sungjin was pretty happy with how well they did in rehearsal. He had promised a friend of his that they would play at the university’s “Halloween Bash" this weekend. It was their first time playing live since they had lost...wait...been third runner up at Battle of the Bands and they were all a little on edge.

Well, except for Jae. He was the happiest he had ever been - his vlog JaeSix was a hit, he could see in color, and most importantly, according to him, his girlfriend could speak in Vines although Sungjin wasn’t quite sure what that meant.

But Sungjin was sure they were ready, and it was his job to reassure everyone. And when he needed a little reassurance, he just went to the school’s cafeteria for a pick-me-up.

It wasn’t as strange as it sounded. All his bandmates just assumed it was because he loved food. Which he did! But it was more than that. 

Something strange had happened since the school year had started back up in the Fall. He hadn’t quite figured it out, but sometimes his food choices were just downright amazing! When Brian asked if he could try the quesadilla he had gone back for seconds on once, Sungjin couldn’t help but block off his fork.

He’d become downright possessive during some of his meals. The problem was, the foods he loved kept changing. So Sungjin had gotten used to getting a little bit of food from every station each time he went to the cafeteria, trying to figure out the pattern.

No luck yet. 

He hadn’t told anyone he fell in love with a different taste each day. Because that sounded strange right? So he just settled with continuously trying new things.

It wasn’t that much of a hardship.

Walking to the cafeteria though, Sungjin didn’t realize just how late they’d been practicing until he saw people turning the lights off inside. He must’ve looked really disappointed, or hungry, or both, because he caught a girl’s eyes and she held up one finger, telling him to wait. 

She reached behind the counter for a bit, then popped up and walked toward him at the entrance with a bag.

“Is this for me?” Sungjin asked, mentally berating himself for asking the obvious.

The girl blushed and passed it over to him, their hands briefly touching.

“You’re one of our regulars, and we had some leftovers.”

“Thank you! My band practice went a bit longer than I had expected.” Sungjin said, lifting the bag so he could peak inside. “Wait, I even get dessert?”

“I was experimenting with some treats for the Halloween Bash, so consider yourself lucky.”

“The Bash? That’s what my band is playing at!”

“Well then you’ll have to tell me what you think of the dessert when I see you there.”

“Y/N! You ready to go?” someone yelled at her from back inside the cafeteria.

“I’m coming!” she yelled back. “It was nice meeting you. I’ve got to go, but my name is Y/N. If you don’t see me at the party, just ask.” she finished, with a soft smile.

Her smile and overall attitude was infectious, bringing a smile to Sungjin’s face even though he was exhausted and hungry (although thanks to her one of those was about to be solved).

“I’m Sungjin. Thanks again, and I guess I’ll see you this weekend!” he said, backing away and waving.

The girl locked up and Sungjin left the way he’d come, heading to his car so he could go home. He couldn’t stop thinking about the dessert.

After he sat in the driver’s seat, he set the bag in the passenger’s seat and pulled the few pumpkin shaped cookies out.

“A little dessert first won’t ruin my appetite,” he muttered to himself.

And after the first bite, he was glad he’d caved.

It was that taste. The one he’d been chasing all over the cafeteria. Come to think of it, he almost always tasted it when he would pick up desserts. 

He scarfed down the first cookie and went to grab the second one when he paused, thinking.

He turned the cookie around, handling it gently while inspecting it before coming to a conclusion.

“I have got to ask her what her secret ingredient is!”

//

DaySense Series:  Jae | Sungjin | Brian | Wonpil | Dowoon

When he’d gotten back home after his run-in with the girl at the cafeteria, he’d had to fight off Brian when he tried to steal his cookie.

They were delicious for sure, but just like those other times with food, there was something more. And something was telling him it was more than just a secret ingredient.

Although he’d bet she totally used one.

He didn’t eat his cookie that night. Or the next. Sometimes he would be tempted to eat it, but then wonder why. Other times he would scrutinize it, as if it could tell him the answer.

But he always kept it safely sealed in a plastic bag while his mind mulled it all over - and that was just how Jae caught him the morning of the Halloween Bash.

“Sungjin! Can you help me load up the - what exactly are you doing?”

“I’ve got questions.”

“That you’re asking a cookie?” 

Stepping into the room, Jae swiped the cookie from him and opened the bag to check it out.

“Why haven’t you eaten this yet? It looks good!”

“Give that back! I’m not ready!”

Jae held the cookie behind his back and gave Sungjin a strange look until he finally caved and explained.

“I love the taste of that cookie okay. And some other things in the cafeteria.”

“So you like food. We all knew that - it’s not a big deal.”

Running his hands down his face, Sungjin took a deep breath.

“No no no. It’s not that I like the food. It’s that at random times there’s just something about the food that I absolutely love.”

“Oooookayyy..”

“And before you call me weird, this cookie has that same taste so I was trying to figure out if there’s a secret ingredient or something.”

“But how could a cookie have the same ingredients as the stuff we eat in the cafeteria? I mean we eat everything there.”

‘I know it doesn’t make any sense, I’m just telling you how I feel.”

Jae stopped talking and took a look at the cookie, brows knit as he turned it over in his hands.

“Do you know the baker?”

“Yeah, I met her the other night and she’s baking more for the Bash.”

"Well perfect! You can ask her for the recipe tonight then!”

“I guess,” Sungjin grumbled, mind churning again.

“This must be one special baker if she’s won over your stomach.”

Still not paying attention, Sungjin answered “Yeah, she must be special” when something finally clicked.

He grabbed the cookie, scarfed it down, then grabbed his jacket to leave.

“Whoa! Where are you going? We have to get ready for tonight!”

“Get Dowoon to help - I need to run to the store to get some things!”

Following him down to the front, Jae asked “What could possibly be so important? Sungjin!”

Sungjin was out the door and into his car in no time flat, muttering to himself a recipe that he hadn’t made in a while.

//

When Sungjin stepped into the venue that night, his eyes were scanning. Jae just assumed he was looking for some of those sweet treats to snack on, but Sungjin set his eyes on something, or rather someone, else.

“Can you guys manage set up by yourselves? I’ve got to go find someone.”

“Yeah, but where are you running off to? Shouldn’t we be focusing on our performance?” Brian asked, noticing Sungjin’s eyes were darting all over the place and he was gripping a little paper bag tight.

“I’ll be able to focus a lot better once I handle this.”

“He’s probably just looking for more of those cookies,” Jae piped in. “He really loved those.”

“Yes! Exactly!” Sungjin answered, without stopping his search. “Has anyone seen the dessert table? Or a baker?”

“How should we be able to tell they’re a baker? What if it’s their halloween costume?” Wonpil asked, looking genuinely concerned. 

“You mean to tell me you can’t tell a costumed baker from a real one? How embarassing,” Jae teased.

Sungjin would’ve scolded him...if he didn’t spot exactly what he was looking for - you carrying a tray of sweets.

Without another word he headed over, leaving his bandmates to bicker and set up the stage themselves.

“Y/N!” he shouted when he was a few feet away.

And then he kicked himself for it because he’d startled you.

Trying to correct his mistake, Sungjin rushed the last few steps and caught you, and the tray of cookies, before you all could fall.

Stunned, you just blinked a few times, white-knuckle grip on the tray and red blush blooming across your cheeks.

Righting you, Sungjin moved to help you set up the sweets on the table.

“Sorry, I was just excited I found you.”

“Me? You were excited to see me?”

“Well, yeah. I had something I wanted to give you,” he said, rubbing at the back of his neck and making the mistake of averting his eyes to a corner of the room where he found Jae giving him two thumbs up. 

Taking the bag, you slowly opened it up to find some chocolate heart pops inside?

“Did...did you make me candy?”

“I wanted to say thank you for the other night. I’m not the best cook, but I have a feeling you’re going to really like these.”

“This is so sweet,” you said, taking a pop out of the bag, “and cute!”

Carefully unwrapping it, you took a bite.

And your eyes immediately landed on Sungjin’s hopeful ones.

“Sungjin, this is amazing! What kind of chocolate did you use? Please tell me it wasn’t an expensive one!” you said, unable to stop yourself from taking another bite.

“Nope! Just your average grocery store chocolate.”

He was starting to smile now, but you were even more confused.

“How could this taste be from regular grocery store chocolate? It’s like it’s decadent but not overbearing. It’s just simply perfect!”

You scarfed down the pop as you saw Sungjin pick up one of your cookies and take a bite.

“Your sweets are the definition of perfect to me.”

At that you blushed uncontrollably, making Sungjin laugh a little, so you took out another pop to distract yourself.

“So when you’re done setting up, do you want to come hang out with us backstage?”

And now he’d made you almost choke. Either that or the plasticy tasting chocolate pop you’d just had.

“Me?! Why? Also did you make two different batches? This one tastes a little...different from the last one.”

With an even bigger grin on his face, Sungjin clicked his cookie against your pop like a toast.

“I made the first one with the red stick. My friend Wonpil made the one you’re eating now. Same recipe though.”

“Wait but if it’s the same how did - oh. Oh!” you started gasping, something in your mind.

Your parents had constantly told and retold the story of how they met. Your dad always bragged that opening a restaurant was the best thing he’d ever done, because it gave your mom a chance to try his food. You’d just never thought you’d have the same connection.

“I don’t think I’ve told you anything about me but my name,” Sungjin said on a smile, finishing off his cookie. “I’m Sungjin, and I think I’m your soulmate.”

A grin split all the way across your face as you reached your hand to shake his outstretched one, your palm feeling warm. 

“Nice to finally find you, soulmate.”

And just when you thought the moment couldn’t get any crazier, one of Sungjin’s bandmates, who had walked over dressed in a jumpsuit, shouted “the baker is your what now?!”

//

DaySense Series:  Jae | Sungjin | Brian | Wonpil | Dowoon