James was dying. He would die happy but he was dying.
When Sirius mentioned his brother was going to join them at the bar James had been happy. Sirius never said it but James knew he missed his little brother terribly. So when he found out that his little Reggie had finally escaped the house Sirius was ecstatic, naturally James was ecstatic with him.
However right now James was ecstatic for a completely different reason.
The last time he had seen Regulus, the boy had been eleven years old with a baby face and a scowl which just looked adorable.
Ten years later ‘adorable’ would not exactly be the best word to describe Regulus. James would prefer something more like, lets say, fucking sexy.
He had grown taller, almost the same height as James. Definitely taller than Sirus. His curls were styled gracefully and looked like silk from afar. He was wearing a black tight t shirt which stuck to his figure and James finally understood what Lily meant when she called people ‘snatched’
But the one thing that made James’s breath hitch was his neck.
Regulus’s neck was calling James to sink his teeth in it. Long and slender with his Adam’s apple prominent, it was pale without a single mark on it. Obviously that meant James’s brain decided he somehow had to find a way to mark it up.
The worst thing?
He was wearing a choker.
‘James you good mate?’ James snapped out of his daze at Sirius’s voice, his friend was looking at him with a concerned face. He saw Regulus in the corner of the eye harbouring a smirk.
‘Yeah, uh sorry.’ He turned to Regulus, ‘Hey its-um good to see you again, yo-you’ve changed, I’m James potter by the way,’ James cringed at how shaky his voice sounded .
‘I know who you are James Potter, I’m Regulus black,’
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@2wolf2star - Prompts: Library, Chocolate bar, Full moon, Resolutions, Plushies - 500 words
"Go talk to him", James, Sirius’ best friend since two weeks ago, urged.
"Huh?" Sirius tore his eyes from Remus, their reserved classmate who now sat slumped at the bottom of the stairs.
Sirius had secretly found him strangely endearing since the first day. After yesterday night, when he newer showed up in the dorm, he was intrigued.
"You've been looking at him the whole day", James said.
"Doesn't he look... a little worse for wear?"
James shrugged. "Maybe he sneaked up last night to watch the full moon? Go ask him!"
With a hesitant look back at James, Sirius walked closer to the indeed exhausted-looking Remus. But he was not the only one. Before his unsure steps had taken him all the way across the courtyard, that Slytherin creep Snape cut in front of him, stopping right in front of Remus.
He had already proved he could smell weakness like a shark smelled blood, and Remus sagging posture wasn’t exactly subtle.
“What’s the matter with you? Never been away from mommy and daddy before?”
Sirius held his breath and fitted his hands, waiting for Remus to say something, but he just sighed tiredly.
“I bet you even carry a plushie with you.”
Why didn’t Remus defend himself? Sirius felt his blood quickly starting to boil on his behalf.
“What else is that pretentious bag of yours for?” Snape nudged Remus old leather messenger bag with his foot. “I’m sure you have a teddy in there.”
Remus looked at the ground with flushing cheeks. With a sudden need to protect him, Sirius sprung forward.
"He does not!"
“How do you know?” Snape curled his lips in a mean smirk.
Sirius furiously snatched the bag off the ground and opened it, showing the inside.
Among several books, a pen case and scraps of paper sat indeed a well-worn brown teddy bear. Sirius froze in confusion, realising his mistake immediately.
Snape laughed so much he was folding himself double. Sirius closed the bag and smacked him on the head with it.
Remus was gone.
Even though he got away with a rather quick schooling about not using violence from Professor McGonagall, and even though he had the help of James and Peter, it took several hours to find him.
He sat curled up under a table in the innermost corner of the library.
“Hi”, Sirius said with relief.
He crawled in under ta table himself, even more relieved when Remus didn’t flee. He carefully put the bag on the floor beside Remus and held out a piece of chocolate as a peace offering.
“I’m so so sorry.”
Remus didn’t move. He stared at Sirius with big eyes like a scared animal and Sirius made a resolution in his heart to never hurt him again.
“I just wanted to be your friend. But I screw up big time, didn’t I?” Sirius opened the wrapper on the chocolate bar and held it out again.
Remus gave him the smallest of smiles and took it.
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An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Transformers - All Media Types
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Jazz/Prowl (Transformers)
Characters: Jazz (Transformers), Prowl (Transformers)
Additional Tags: First Meetings, Drabble, Alternate Universe, Songfic, Implications of Crime, Murder, Angst, melencholy, not graphic, Mentions of Death, Again Not Graphic, AU-Pre War, Implications of Senate Corruption, What's the opposite of a meet cute?, Two people meeting on a really no good very bad day?, Internal Conflict, Internal Monologue, OC character - Freeform, OC death, Minor Character Death, Again, Moot said it was a Meet Ugly, So that's what we are going with
Summary:
One rainy dark-cycle a Praxian enforcer meets a stranger playing a song. With nothing else to do, he sits and listens.
Pairing: Bang Chan (Stray Kids) x OC/Reader (Story is written in 2nd person, OC is called Eun-ji)
Genre: light angst, strangers to lovers to exes (to lovers?)
Word Count: 8.8k
Warnings: swearing, non-explicit mentions of mature themes
Summary:
You have been invited to participate in a show titled ‘Interview with my Ex’ together with Bang Chan. Will you go and confront him for breaking up with you one year ago, or will you miss out on this opportunity?
This is just a story that doesn’t describe Bang Chan or other mentioned Stray Kids’ members true characters in any way. It’s just a product of my imagination and should be treated as such.
This story is also on Wattpad (click here) and AO3 (click here)
---
A/N: As any other writer out there, I would appreciate reblogs and your comments on this story. Please let me know if you enjoyed it, and most importantly, have fun!
Your eyes are stuck on the screen, unable to believe the E-mail you’ve just received.
---
“PROPOSAL to Mrs. Eun-ji Park
You have been invited to participate in our show titled ‘Interview with my Ex’ together with Bang Christopher Chan.
The show is scheduled to be filmed on XX.XX.XXXX. You will be able to talk openly to your ex about your relationship and your break-up through a series of questions we’ve prepared.
Please let us know if you are interested in this proposal and if you are available.
Thank you,
The ‘Truth Behind The Scenes’ Team”
---
Reading through the lines, your eyes widen in shock.
You look up the E-mail address the message came from and find that not only is it legit, but they have a YouTube channel with millions of subscribers, which would explain why your ex – Chan – would be invited to it and would want to participate.
Although you haven’t kept up with what he’s been doing, you know that he is preparing to release an album to launch his solo career, and he’d probably want to promote it as much as possible.
But still, isn’t it a bit cruel to invite you to something like this? Would he really promote this album at your expense, after knowing how much he’s hurt you?
It’s been more than a year since you’ve broken up, but still, your heart still hurts whenever you read his name. You don’t think you’d be able to face him without feeling pain creeping in from every crevice of your body.
You miss him terribly, and ever since he left, you weren’t able to fill the hole he left behind. Once in a while, you wonder if he’s ever tried reaching out and you almost unblock his number, but quickly change your mind because the possibility of talking to him again scares you.
You are scared of your heart swelling up with hope in your chest again, you are scared of confessing that he was the best thing that’s ever happened to you, and you are scared he most likely doesn’t feel the same.
Still, you are curious. Maybe it wouldn’t be a bad idea to participate in this show – to talk to him more or less openly about the whys and the hows, so you eventually decide to reply to the message, and you clear up your work schedule for that day.
~
As the day approaches, you get more and more anxious about having to see him. Initially, you decide to dress to the nines, to show him what he’s been missing out on, but the more dresses you try on, the more uncomfortable you feel.
Why should you try to be someone you’re not just to try and impress a man who’s left you?
You shouldn’t.
You don’t care to impress him anymore. You should just be you, and you should wear something you’re feeling good in, even if that’s just a plain black shirt and some matching black jeans and shoes.
You decide to do your make-up as you’d usually do for work – a soft glam paired with a glossy lip balm, and glancing once more in the mirror, you sigh to yourself and get out of your apartment, taking the bus until you reach the address you’ve received in the last message the Truth Behind the Scenes team sent you.
As you reach the filming studio, someone takes you inside a room with a table and two chairs, and Chan is already there with his back turned to you, speaking with someone you don’t recognise.
Your heart skips a beat at the sight of him, and you hesitate for a little while, but eventually decide to approach the table with a soft smile.
“Hey.” You say, and seeing you, Chan immediately stands up and smiles brightly.
“Hey! I wasn’t sure you’d show up.” He chuckles, taking you into a hug, and oh, how much you missed his embrace, even if it’s short.
“Yeah, I wasn’t sure either.” You reply honestly. “But here I am. So, how does this work?”
“Well, I thought we would have a conversation of some sort, but apparently there’s some questions on those cards each of us has to draw from those two boxes-” he points towards the table, “and the other has to reply.”
“I see.” You nod and sit down, and he follows soon after.
The team instructs you to draw the first card, and as you do, you begin reading:
“How did we meet?”
“Oh, alright. Well…”
---
Rubbing his tired eyes, Chan looked in the corner of his computer screen and cursed out loud when he noticed how late it already was.
3:52 AM.
“Shit.” He leaned back and closed his eyes tightly, and when he opened them again, they started stinging.
He rubbed them again while contemplating if he should go back to the dorms or just sleep on the sofa in the studio. Although uncomfortable, it would do until tomorrow at 10 when he’d have to be back to the building.
After some more minutes and deep breaths used to try and calm him down, he eventually decided against sleeping on the sofa and getting God knows how many neck cramps in the morning when he’d wake up.
He got up and shut down his computer and his laptop, of course after making sure a million times that he’s saved the progress made on the track in the past few hours of the night. He had a good feeling about this new song, even though it would probably not see the light of day in a few years.
Still, it’s better to work in advance and be prepared, especially in an industry as competitive as the one he works in.
Walking into the hallway, he eventually reached the elevators and called one of them. He glanced one more time left and right, and made his way inside, thinking of how peaceful the company is so late into the night. This was probably the only thing he enjoyed about staying up late cramped in his studio: the quietness, the emptiness, the fact that he can take the elevator all the way down uninterrupted-
“Oh.” A woman’s voice pulled him out of his trance, as he stood bewildered looking at the elevator’s doors that opened on the 6th floor. “Wasn’t expecting someone else to be up and about at this time.” The woman continued, and Chan smiled out of courtesy.
You got in and pressed the button to close the doors, and the elevator started moving again, until it suddenly came to a halt.
The lights followed, leaving you in complete darkness.
“What the fuck…” Chan mumbled, taking his phone out of his pocket.
What a great day to have 2%.
He turned the flashlight on, nonetheless.
“Is this a blackout?” You contemplated out loud. “Ouch.”
“Oh, I’m sorry!” Chan apologised, putting the flashlight down. He unintentionally blinded the poor woman. “Yeah, I think so.”
“Great.”
“Tell me about it… What do we do?”
“Is there anyone you could call to tell them we’re here? I forgot my phone on my desk. Shit.”
“Yeah, let me try and call my manager. He’ll probably kill me tomorrow morning for interrupting his precious sleep, but he’s our only hope.”
“Okay.”
Chan searched up his manager’s name and dialled his number, but before the call could connect, the phone shut down.
“No more battery.”
“No way. Are you fucking kidding me?” You asked, but despite the harsh words, there was no annoyance in your tone. Instead, Chan was able to hear slight amusement.
“I always charge it.” He mumbled once more under his breath.
“Do you think the power went out in the whole building, or is it just the elevator?”
“Hmm. Not sure. Probably the whole building.”
“So, we’re stuck.” You concluded, and Chris started hearing a slight shuffle. “Might as well be comfortable. I’m down here.”
“On the floor?”
“No, dummy. On the ceiling.” You laughed.
“Okay, okay. It’s 4 AM, be a bit more lenient on me for the stupid questions.” Chan laughed as well and sat down, hoping he wouldn’t accidentally sit on you.
“I’m Eun-ji, by the way.”
“Chris.”
“Nice to meet you, Chris.”
“What are you doing here so late?”
“Same as you, probably. Working.”
“Damn, what department are you in?” He asked, trying to keep the conversation going.
“Financing.” You shrugged, although you knew he wasn’t able to see you.
“I see. I’m from Stray Kids.”
“Yeah, I know.” You chuckled at the absurdity of the situation. Of course you knew, since you were up so late because of this guy and his team’s never-ending resources for their million albums, merch and tours.
“Really? How so?” He asked, as if taken aback.
“Uhm, I mean… you’re one of the stars of the company I work for. It would be kind of weird to not know, don’t you think?” You asked plainly.
“I guess so, yeah…”
“So, do you think we’d be here for long?”
“God, I hope not. I’m so tired I could sleep right here.”
“Do it, then.” You shrugged again. “Do you want to put your head in my lap to be more comfortable?”
“What?”
“I asked, do you want to put your head-”
“No, I heard what you asked.” Chris chuckled. “I was just taken aback.”
“Well, you don’t have to. It was just a solution to the problem.”
“Then, you should be the one to do it and get some sleep, I bet you’re as tired as me.” He countered.
“No, I’m fine. Sure, I’m tired, but I have a day off tomorrow, so I can sleep in once I get home.”
“Oh… do you live far away?”
“Just a couple blocks over.”
“I see.”
“You?”
“Same…”
You hummed and nodded, and the two of you stayed silent for a few moments, until Chris started speaking again.
“So… do you like your job?”
“What?” You chuckled. “That was so random.”
“I’m trying to make conversation!” He retorted.
“I can’t say I dislike it, but I also can’t say I like it. It’s just a means to a way, I guess.”
“Mhm.”
“What about you, Chris? Do you like your job?”
“Yeah, a whole lot.” He smiled, and although you couldn’t see it, you heard it from the tone of his voice.
“Isn’t it stressful, though?”
“It is, but it’s also very rewarding. I wouldn’t pick anything else for the world.” He continued with the same excitement.
“That’s incredible. I wish my job and I had the same relationship honestly.”
“Hey, does your offer still stand?”
“Sorry?” You asked confused, and then realised what he was referring to. “Oh, yeah, of course. Come here.”
You found his shoulder in the dark and raised your hand until you found his nape, guiding his head towards your lap.
“There you go, are you comfortable?”
“Yeah, I am. Sorry about this, I’m just very tired and feel like I might pass out.”
“Don’t worry.”
You placed your other hand on his head and figured out he had a cap on, which you haven’t noticed earlier when you could see him.
“Mind if I take this off?”
“Why?” He asked immediately.
“Just figured I’d massage your scalp to help you sleep better?”
“Oh, no. I haven’t washed my hair.”
“So what?” You chuckled. “You’re such a kid.”
“I’m not a kid! Okay, fine, whatever. Take it off.”
“Good. Now, don’t get worked up and focus on sleeping.” You chuckled again and took off his cap, starting to scratch his head softly, and not even a few minutes later, you heard his steady breathing, signalling that he must’ve fallen asleep.
You wondered how long this power outage was going to last, and time seemed to pass by extremely slowly, and you eventually ended up dozing off as well. The next thing you remember is waking up blinded by the strong white lights inside the elevator, with Chris still sleeping peacefully in your lap.
“Hey.” You nudged him awake, and as he sat up, he looked more confused than ever.
“What’s up? Is the power back on?”
“Apparently.” You smiled softly, yawning.
“Thank you for being my pillow.” He said and stood up, putting his cap back on, then gave you a hand to help you up as well.
“No issues.” You chuckled and accepted his help.
“Need me to drop you off?”
“No, don’t worry about me. I live really close by. Besides, I still need to go back upstairs and grab my phone, so you get going and get some more rest.”
“Alright. Good night, Eun-ji.”
“Night!” You waved as he exited the elevator, unable to believe the interaction you just had, but still way too tired to think too much about it.
---
“That was one of the best sleeps I’ve ever had, believe it or not.”Chris says with a laugh as he recalls the memory.
“Yeah, you mentioned about it a whole lot and always made me scratch your head before sleep whenever you’d come over.” You laughed as well with a shake of your head and watched as he grabbed another card from the deck.
“When was our first kiss?” He asks, and you tilt your head to the side.
“You mean, the date and time?”
“I think it’s more like… if you remember how it happened?” He replies, quite confused as well.
“Ah, I see. Of course I remember.”
“During our first date?”
“No.” You chuckled again. “I told you before that you don’t remember that one time!”
“Ohhhh!” He exclaims. “Yeah, sorry, I think I was drunk out of my mind when that kiss happened.”
“You make it sound like I took advantage of a poor drunk man.” You joke, and Chris laughs as well.
“No, no, nothing like that. But come on, tell the story.”
“Fine.” You playfully roll your eyes.
---
“I can’t believe we’ve been invited to this party!” Your co-worker exclaimed happily as she applied and reapplied her lipstick, making you laugh at her antics.
“Why? It’s literally just a Christmas dinner, babe.”
“No, Eun-ji. It’s not just a dinner, everyone will be there. Everyone.”
“No clue what this means, but whatever.” You chuckled again.
“It means, even the idols! I told you I met Yeji last week and she was such a sweetheart! I wonder if she remembers me!”
“I doubt it, with how much foundation you’ve put on, babe.”
“What, am I not beautiful?” She pouted.
“You are extremely beautiful, but you look very different compared to your day-to-day look. Wait, your lipstick smudged a bit. Here, let me wipe it off.” You grabbed a napkin and carefully worked around your coworker’s lips, making sure the lipstick looked cleanly applied.
“Thank you so much! You’re dressed so plainly, though. You should always dress to impress, Eun-ji! Let’s get you in a dress!” She exclaimed, but you were quick to shake your head.
“No, thank you. I’d much rather feel comfortable. Besides, it’s just a dumb dinner. It’s not like I’ll meet the love of my life or anything like that. I don’t care to impress anyone either.”
“You’re literally impossible. Fine, wear your lame-ass black shirt and jeans, then!” She stuck her tongue out, and you replied in the same manner, before you two ended up making your way towards the elevators.
A few floors up, the elevator stopped, and the doors opened, revealing two men.
One of them, you knew.
“Oh, hello! Eun-ji, right?” Chris spoke, and you smiled slightly.
“Hi.”
“Are you girls going to the last floor too?” He asked, noticing the striking discrepancy between how you and your co-worker were dressed.
“Yeah, we are.” You replied, trying to ignore how hard your co-worker was gripping your arm. You were sure she was freaking out and in dire need of help, since she couldn’t seem to keep her cool in front of these two.
“This is Felix, by the way.” Chris introduced him.
“Hello!” The other man replied in a low tone with a nod and a sweet smile, and you acknowledged him with a short nod.
Of course, you also knew who Felix was, but it was never a big deal to you that they were famous or whatever. They were still people, just like you and your co-worker, who didn’t seem to think the same way, however.
The elevator ride was short, and you got to the last floor in no time, waving goodbye to Felix and Chris and heading towards your assigned table.
“You didn’t tell me you knew freaking Bang Chan!” Your co-worker scream-whispered in your ear, still gripping your arm.
“Because I don’t.” You retorted with a shrug.
“Yeah, you do! He even knew your name! How did that happen?”
“We just happened to meet in an elevator and got stuck for about two hours or so.” You shrugged again.
“What? When?”
“A few months ago, maybe?”
“How could you not tell me? I thought we were friends!”
“Because there was nothing to say!” You replied slightly annoyed, and she rolled her eyes, just as you reached the table.
~
The air was so stuffy in the large room, you could barely breathe. There were too many people – most likely almost everyone in the company, be it idols or mere workers.
It was so hard to hear your thoughts over the loud music, that you decided to simply make a run for it and disappear. It was getting late anyway, and you were tired, and quite honestly sick of the noise.
As you got back to the elevator and reached over to press the button and call it to your floor, your hand collided with someone else’s.
“It appears we meet again.” Chris chuckled.
“Yeah, what’s with us and this damn elevator? I don’t get it.” You laughed as well as you both stepped inside, and you pressed on the ground floor.
Chris also reached out to the buttons and pressed on another floor, but you didn’t pay it any mind.
The doors opened and he got out with a little smile and a “Goodbye!”, but then, just before the doors closed again, he placed his hand in-between them, making them reopen.
“Yes?” You asked in surprise.
“Do you, uhm… do you wanna come see my studio?”
“Why?”
“Might be cool to see.” He shrugged. “I have a bomb song idea and, you know, the creative process and all is quite interesting.”
“The creative process.” You chuckled. “Alright. Why not? As long as it’s quiet.”
“It is, it’s the best room in the building, trust me.” He smiled excitedly and turned around, so you followed him out of the elevator and into the studio.
“It’s so cramped!” You exclaimed the moment you saw it.
“Yeah, but it’s cosy, and it’s mine.” He smiled and offered you a seat on his sofa, which you were quick to accept.
Chris initially sat down at the desk, but after a little while of him pressing buttons and you admiring every corner of the room in silence, he decided to stand back up and come sit on the sofa next to you.
“No more working?”
“No more working.” He shook his head. “I can’t focus.”
“Oh, is it because I’m here?” You replied, slightly embarrassed. Maybe you shouldn’t have come.
“No, of course not! It’s because I’m drunk as fuck and nothing on my screen makes any sense.” He replied quickly with a warm laugh.
“Oh. It’d be best to head home and sleep, then.”
“Eun-ji, I’ll be blunt. Your lips look so incredible right now…”
“Wh- what? My lips?” You immediately put your fingers on top of them. “Must be this new lipbalm I’m using. It’s called-”
“No, it’s not that.” Chris chuckled. “I just wanna…” He grabbed your hand softly and dragged it away, his body coming closer to you, until your lips collided.
For a few seconds, you were taken aback by what was happening, but as the kiss deepened, your hands found the back of his head and you brought him closer.
His tongue was hot on yours, and in no time, you found yourself sitting in his lap, still making out like you were thirsty and his mouth had the only water left on Earth.
One of his hands travelled under your shirt on your naked back, and the other went down to your bum, squeezing it softly, and you let out a moan muffled by his mouth on yours.
---
“Yeah, thinking about it, it was you who initiated that kiss, so you can’t blame me for your drunken mistakes.” You chuckle.
“That was anything but a mistake, Eun-ji.” He replies with a smile that you couldn’t quite read, however, there is a slight longing in his eyes, which makes your heart skip a beat. “And it was quite funny, really. I literally couldn’t remember that we made out, but the next thing I know, I’m looking at my phone and see that we have a date planned in the next few days.”
You chuckle again at the memory, remembering how confused he was when you messaged him to confirm the details about the date.
“Alright, it’s my turn.” You say, deciding to stop pondering on your first moments as a couple and ignore his expression, as you aren’t sure you’d be able to keep a straight face for much longer if he keeps looking at you that way.
He looks at you as if he’s still in love, which makes no sense to you whatsoever. It’s been a year, and even though you are probably still very much in love with him, he is, after all, the one that got away.
You draw a card and read out loud.
“What’s your most treasured memory with us?”
“Oh, tough one.” He replies quickly, his brows furrowing.
“Why? You can’t think of any of them?” You ask, slightly dejected.
“No, it’s not that, Eun-ji. It’s just that… I treasure all of our memories.”
“All of them?” You counter back.
“Yes.”
“Even the fights?”
“Even those.”
As he replies, you don’t know what to say any further. You want to ask some more about it, but before you get the chance to formulate a proper question in your head, he begins talking again.
“If I were to pick only one, however… I think I’d go with that one time you surprised me by coming to our concert in Europe.”
---
“Thank you! You were great tonight, and we can’t wait to come again!” Chris shouted in his microphone before heading off-stage, completely sweaty but still high on the adrenaline from being on stage in front of such a large crowd.
No matter how many times he’s done it, he could never get used to it.
“Good job, boys.” He complimented his team members with a large smile plastered on his face. “Are you ready to party for the rest of the night?”
“Oh, Chris. The manager just informed me that you have to go back to the hotel. There’s apparently something wrong with your room.” Felix frowned slightly as he approached Chris, but was unable to contain his excitement for long, so he made sure to turn around just in time for him not to notice the large smile on his face.
“An issue with my room…?” Chris contemplated with a shake of his head but decided to take the driver anyway and go back to the hotel.
After all, he could always meet up with the boys and the staff later and party, after he fixed whatever was wrong with the room and saw what the emergency was about.
He inquired about the issue at the reception, but they only informed him to head upstairs, and so, he followed suit and went to his room.
As he opened it, however, he noticed that there wasn’t anything wrong. In fact, it was the exact opposite.
There you were, in his room, sitting leisurely on the bed and smiling gleefully at him.
“You’re finally back!” You exclaimed getting off the bed, and Chris just stood silent in the doorway, as if unable to believe his eyes.
“Eun-ji?!” He asked, confusion plastered across his face. “But… how? You told me you couldn’t get off work!”
“Yeah, well, surprise! My co-worker finally agreed to switch shifts with me, so I’ll be here until you leave to the next city!”
“That’s, oh my God, I’m freaking out!” He exclaimed, immediately running towards you and hugging you tightly against his chest, peppering your face with kisses.
“Eww, you’re so sweaty!” You joked and pushed him away.
“Let’s take a shower together! How does that sound?”
“Don’t be lame, Chris. I already filled the tub, let’s have a bubble bath instead!”
“Damn, you’re the freaking best.”
“Damn right.”
You two made your way towards the bathroom, slowly undressing each other in-between kisses, and when you were completely naked, you went into the tub and washed Chan’s back, kissing his neck slowly and hugging him from behind.
“By the way, Chris, you were amazing on stage.”
“Don’t tell me you’ve also seen the concert!” He exclaimed surprised.
“Of course I did! Well, some of it, anyway. But you know what? I’m quite pissed at you. I should be the only one who gets to see these.” As you replied, you moved your hand lower until it reached his abs.
“You’re the only one who gets to touch them, baby.”
“That’s not even true. Your make-up staff touches them all the time.” You pouted, and Chris started laughing at your antics.
Although he couldn’t see you, as you were still hugging him from behind, he knew you well enough to know the face you were making.
“I missed you.” You whispered.
“Me too, baby.” He replied and turned around, making sure to splash a ton of water on the floor in the process, and kissed you again. “Wanna get out so I can show you how much I’ve missed you?”
“Hell yeah.”
---
“That’s a good memory, yeah.” You chuckle, your cheeks growing slightly red remembering the steaming night you two shared, and the morning sex afterwards.
You couldn’t deny that Chris was the best you’ve ever had in every way, and your body already got hot at the thought of him touching you like that.
“So, I guess that makes it my turn.” Chris says with a clear of his throat, and you wonder if he is thinking about the same things as you.
“Go ahead.” You smile and point him towards the cards on his deck.
“Have you slept with anyone else since we’ve broken up?” Chris reads out loud, but before taking his eyes away from the card, he continues by saying: “Wait, you don’t have to respond to this. Can we skip this question?”
He looks at the staff members and places the card down, but you don’t have anything to hide. It wouldn’t have mattered anyway if you slept or didn’t sleep with anyone else. It’s not like it’s any of his business to care and get affected by your reply.
“I didn’t.” You say quietly and reach towards a new card but decide to ask as well. “Have you?”
“Eun-ji…” He frowns.
“Sorry for asking.” You shrug and then turn your card up. “The next questions reads-”
“I haven’t.” He cuts you off and averts his gaze, moment when you look at him confused.
“What?”
“I haven’t… slept with anyone else.” Chris confesses, leaving you utterly speechless.
“Oh. Alright… uhm… the next question says… what was the worst part about our relationship?” You tuck your hair behind your ear, a habit you have whenever you get nervous.
“Oh, that’s an easy one.” He chuckles. “It was definitely me.”
“What?” You frown. “Chris, you know that’s not true.”
“But it is… the fact that I was never there when you needed me…”
---
“So, I went shopping today. What are you wearing on Saturday? If you wear a tie, we need to get one in the same colour as my dress.” You spoke in a breath, kissing Chan's cheek.
“Saturday? What’s on Saturday?” He asked, genuinely confused.
“What?” You chuckled in disbelief. “My childhood friend invited us to her wedding, remember?”
“Oh, right!” He exclaimed. “Wait, let me check the date real quick.”
He stood up from the bed and ran to the living room, picking up his phone and opening his calendar.
“Shit. Babe…?” He smiled sheepishly.
“Don’t tell me you have other plans.” You frowned.
“I talked to our producer, and we are supposed to record some parts from that new song I told you about on Saturday… but it’s okay! I’ll make sure to finish in time so we can still go to the wedding! Don’t worry!” He immediately responded and apologised.
“Chris, the wedding is 3 hours away by car. I promised her we’d be there at 2 for the ceremony as well, not just for the party afterwards.” Your frown only deepened.
“Do we really need to go to the ceremony, though? Aren’t they… I don’t know… boring?”
“Are you being serious right now?” You sat up, annoyance plastered in your tone. “Chris, she’s my best friend. Of course we have to go to the ceremony too!”
“Eun-ji…” He started, and you got even more annoyed. It was like he wouldn’t take accountability for anything.
“I told you six months ago, Chris. How much time ahead do I have to tell you to make sure you’d clear up your schedule?”
“I’m so sorry, baby, but you know that our release schedule is really tight…”
“Why can’t I be a priority at least once, hm?! At least for a weekend!” You felt your eyes watering up. You knew his job was the most important, however, you were getting tired of always being put in second place by your boyfriend.
Hell, you were so disappointed right now. You asked him to clear up one single weekend, and he couldn’t even remember to do that.
“You know what? You’re right. I’m going to call up the producer right now and reschedule for next week, okay?” He pleaded with you, but you were already beyond disappointed with this situation.
He’s already made sure not to prioritize you, so you decided to just stop bothering him about it altogether.
“You know what? Don’t worry about it. I’ll just go on my own.”
“Eun-ji-”
“Besides, you don’t know anyone there, anyway, whereas I’ll just catch up with all my friends from school, so don’t worry. Go record your song.”
You got out of bed and made your way to the bathroom, turning on the water and hopping into the shower, trying to wash all the tears away.
---
“That was certainly… one of the lowest points in our relationship.” You reply, remembering the event with bitterness.
You ended up going alone to the wedding, and despite having fun and catching up with your old friends, having to go there on your own and having people ask you about where your boyfriend was truly hurt you.
“Mhm… I agree. I was such a dick. I’m so sorry, Eun-ji. If I were to turn back time, I would’ve never done those stupid mistakes.” He smiles apologetically.
“It’s fine… it’s all in the past anyway.” You return the same pained expression as he draws another card from the pile.
“Why did you accept to come here today?”
“Is that the question?”
“Yeah.”
“Hmm, I guess I was just… I don’t know, even though we’ve broken up on relatively good terms, if you could say that... I guess I just wanted to talk to you again?” You smile briefly and draw another card. “Do you think I was a jealous partner?”
“You?” Chris chuckles. “God, no. If anything, I was the jealous one.”
“You were?” You laugh as well.
“Yeah… You, however, were never jealous, no matter how many people I’d interact with. Even though it was never inappropriate, I really appreciated that you trusted me, no matter what.”
“Of course I trusted you.” You smile. “You never made me doubt you, not even once.”
Which was true. You knew that he truly loved you during the brief two years of your relationship, and he’s never put himself in any compromising position with anyone else to make you jealous.
“Anyway… the next card reads: Why didn’t we work out?” You read out loud and wait a few seconds for Chris’ reply.
“I think the first time I started to doubt if our relationship was fair to you was when you got fired from the company because… because you were dating me. That’s when I knew that something was fundamentally wrong with us being together, because instead of me giving you anything positive, I just ended up causing you pain.” Chris speaks slowly, letting out a long exhale at the end.
“It was… a really tough time for me. Although my job was not ideal, it was something I worked very hard for, and once our relationship became public and suddenly everyone knew about us…” You shake your head.
It was a very difficult time for you to put yourself out there and find another job when the whole country was aware of your relationship with Chris.
“However… no matter how hard it was, I could get through it only because you were there with me.” You frowned. “I never blamed you for my job, or anything like that… ever.”
“I know… But still, how could I not blame myself? I felt so guilty… Heck, even now, a year after we broke up, I’m still sending you money to help you out with rent, even though I know you have a new job and all.” He chuckles.
“And I always send it back.” You smile.
“Wait, you do?” He frowns. “Really?”
“Mhm.” You nod, and he pulls out his phone and opens his bank app, and his expression only becomes more downcast.
“Eun-ji, why?”
“It’s alright, Chris. I really don’t need it. You’d better spend it for something else.”
“But I-”
“Really, stop it. Read the next card.” You blow him off, dismissing his words, and he lets out a sigh.
“What was our worst fight?”
“Hmm… I think the most soul crushing one was when I got that new job…”
“Right, I was also thinking of that one. See? I told you I was the more jealous one in our relationship.” Chris chuckles with a shake of his head.
---
“Thank you for dropping me off.” You smiled sweetly at one of your new co-workers, who offered you a ride home in his car since you were on his way.
Ever since you got fired from JYPE, you were struggling to find a new job, but thankfully, an opportunity came your way, and you didn’t think twice to accept it.
However, the new job was quite far away, and the hours were longer. You missed your short commute home, but you were simply unable to find anything else in the area.
You got out of his car and waved him goodbye, and when you turned around, there was Chris, with an angry expression on his face.
“Who was that?” He asked immediately.
“Is this how we say hi to each other now?” You tilted your head, unable to understand why he seemed so pissed at you.
“Eun-ji, answer the question, please. Who the hell was that, and why is he dropping you off so late? Where were you?”
“At work. I started a new job, remember?” You frowned, not understand what he was trying to accuse you of, or why.
“It’s almost 9 PM, and I see a random man dropping you off home. Do you think I’m stupid or something?” He fired back, angrier than before.
“Excuse me? What are you insinuating?” You retorted.
“I’m not insinuating anything. I’m just asking you a damn question, Eun-ji.”
“And I’m answering!” You almost started shouting but decided to take a deep breath in and ask Chris to talk inside.
He followed you upstairs, but his demeanour was cold, which gave away the fact that the fight was far from over.
“Alright, we’re inside. Care to explain now?”
“There’s nothing to explain, Chris. That was just my co-worker.”
“Just your co-worker. Okay, sure. And why the hell was he giving you a ride home?” He continued to ask in an accusatory tone, which pissed you off to no end.
“I don’t know, Chris. Maybe it’s because my boyfriend is way too busy to make the time to come pick me up or at least send me a damn cab!”
You found it hard to keep your composure any longer, so the way you replied came out a bit too loud, and so began a screaming match between you two, and by far the worst fight you’ve ever had, which ended in Chris leaving your apartment and you crying your eyes out until 5AM.
---
“I am not proud at all of how I acted that night…” Chris closes his eyes and breaths in, and you can almost hear the pain in his voice.
“I can’t say I handled it too well either.” You sigh. “I mean, I always gave you my unconditional trust, and there you were, doubting me because I decided to accept a ride from my co-worker. It was really shitty of you to do that…”
“I know… I’m sorry.” He apologises, and you draw a new card.
“Who broke up with who?”
“It was me... I knew how much I was hurting you, and I just… I guess I decided that breaking up would be better for the both of us.”
---
“Are you mad at me again?” You frowned, hearing the 10th sigh getting out of Chan’s lips in the past 5 minutes.
“No, I’m not mad at you.”
“That’s what it looks like.”
“I’m just so incredibly stressed, Eun-ji. Can’t you understand that?”
“No, Chris, I’m just a child, I need you to spell it out for me.”
“Now you’re just mocking me again.”
“What the hell is wrong with you? It’s like the only thing we do lately is fight.”
“You’re right.” He let out another sigh. “I wish we wouldn’t fight anymore.”
He stood up and cupped your cheeks, pressing a firm kiss against your lips.
“Me neither. I love you, Chris. I really do.”
“I love you too, Eun-ji.”
You continued kissing slowly, your hands exploring the other’s body, and your clothes started disappearing one by one, your naked bodies collapsing on the bed on top of one another.
You made love and kissed each other again and again, until there was no space on your bodies that the other’s lips haven’t touched.
Then, you laid your head on Chan’s shoulder and closed your eyes, almost falling asleep before the sounds of a whimper stirred you awake.
“Hey, you okay?” You asked, concern plastered across your face.
“Eun-ji… I’m so sorry baby.”
“What for?” You frowned.
“I think…” Chris started, his voice immediately cut off by a cry as he separated himself from you and sat up on the bed, not even looking at you.
“What’s wrong?” You sat up as well and placed your hand on his naked back, caressing it softly.
“I think we should break up, Eun-ji.”
As he said this, it felt like your whole world collapsed around you. His words took your breath away, and as he stood up and got dressed, you began shaking your head repeatedly and trying to talk some sense into him.
“Chris… no. No, no, we can’t. What do you mean, break up? No…” You stood up and followed him out of the room and into the hallway, watching helplessly as he began putting on his shoes.
“I’m so, so sorry. But it’d be better for us to break up. All we do is fight, and I… I ruined everything…” Chris cried, and so did you, as you hanged onto him for dear life, hugging his back and trying to stop him for going through that door.
“Please, no. Please stay.” You begged. “We don’t have to break up. We can make it work, hm?”
“No… No, we can’t. We’ve been trying for so long, and yet… I put you through so much… you’d definitely be better off without me, Eun-ji.”
“You’re so fucking selfish!” You shouted, crying your heart out. “I love you so much, and yet…”
“I’ve never loved anyone as much as I love you, Eun-ji. But…” As he said this, he chocked on a sob, coughing slightly and wiping his tears away rapidly. “I just think it’d be best to stop this before I end up hurting you more, hm?”
"I'm the one who should decide if you're hurting me, Chris, not you!" You countered back, but he wouldn't hear any of it.
He turned around and hugged you tight, and the only thing you could do was beg him not to go.
He didn’t listen to you, and he left, and the house felt unbearably cold, and your bed was so empty, you loathed looking at it, knowing that just hours prior, you’ve made love on top of those sheets, and he loved you, and you loved him.
You tried calling him numerous times for the next week, but his calls would instantly get redirected to voice mail. At first, you left messaged for him, raging from disappointed, to sad, and even angry as the days passed and he wouldn’t return any of your calls, and after two weeks of no news from him, you understood that his decision was final, so you decided to finally block his number, and you haven’t looked back since.
---
“You were so incredibly cruel about that.” You reply, feeling tears well up in your eyes. However, you swallowed back the lump in your throat and didn’t allow yourself to cry in front of him again.
“I don’t know what I was thinking… To be honest, I’ve been considering breaking up for a while, but… the way I did it was indeed way too cruel, and that’s something I still regret. I just ended up hurting both of us in the process…”
You let out a bitter smile at his confession. You wanted to tell him how much it still hurt, how the break-up was still fresh in your mind even a year later, and how much you wish it never happened, but you couldn’t say anything.
You point him towards the cards, and he draws one and reads:
“Who do you think had the harder time after we broke up?”
“Honestly?” You chuckle. “I’ll selfishly say it was me. Did you have a hard time at all?”
“God, you have no idea.” He chuckles as well.
“Really?” Your eyes grow large. “But you didn’t even return my calls.”
“And when I did, I found out you blocked my number, so…” He scratches his nape.
“Oh.”
“Yeah…”
You don’t know how to react to this new information. You’ve been wondering all this time if he’s ever reached out, and now that you found he did, you heart broke.
Maybe coming to this show was really a mistake, because your heart doesn’t seem to heal at all – it’s quite the opposite. It’s weighing heavier in your chest, and it hurts so much, and it doesn't seem like you'll get any closure.
You draw another card, but the question gets cold on your tongue, and you barely find the strength to ask it.
“Did you… uhm… did you ever see yourself marrying me?” You clear your throat and look at Chris, who’s showing you the most compassionate expression, so full of love, like you haven’t broken up a year ago.
“Yes.” He replies plainly, and this finally breaks you.
You avert your gaze as you feel your eyes swelling up with tears.
“I’m sorry, can I please have a moment? I need a break.”
You take in a few deep breaths and refuse to look at Chris anymore, because you can’t help the growing feelings in your chest and the pain ever-present in your heart.
“Alright… when?” You ask after a little while, trying to wipe away any tears that might’ve fallen on your cheeks.
“I fell in love with you quickly, but… I think I knew for sure that I wanted us to… uhm… to be more than just a couple… when you first met my family.”
---
“I’m so anxious! What if they won’t like me? What if they’d think I’m not good enough for you? Oh my God, Chris, where are the presents I bought??? Did you forget to pack them? I explicitly said-”
“God, Eun-ji, calm down.” Chris chuckled. “It’s just my parents. And I put the presents right there in the bag, just as you’ve asked me to.”
“I’m so anxious, I can’t help it!” You pouted. “Where exactly?”
“Here, let me look for them.” He offered, and you plopped on the bed in Chan’s old room, almost on the verge of crying.
You were thankful that his parents were away for a few hours to some sort of event, which gave you a little time to settle in their house and mentally prepare yourself for the impending meeting.
“What?” Chris asked puzzled.
“What?” You immediately sat back up, watching as Chris looked confused.
“I’m sure I packed them. Is this the wrong bag?” He tilted his head to the right, and you just about died.
“This can’t be true!” You exclaimed as Chris closed the bag and examined it.
“Shit, I thought you said I should put them in the blue one.”
“Chris!” You grabbed a pillow and threw it at him, and he started chuckling.
“It’ll be okay, babe, don’t worry.”
“No, it won’t! I came empty handed and they’re going to hate me, and-” You sniffed and buried your face in your palms, but Chris grabbed them gently and pushed them away, grabbing your face with his hands.
“They won’t hate you. They will see how much I love you, and they will love you too.”
“I put so much thought into those presents, though.” You pouted, thinking of the matching jewellery set you got for Chan’s folks that took you ages to decide on.
Before Chris got the chance to say anything else, you heard the front door open, and your heart stood still in your chest.
“Looks like they’re here. Come on, let’s meet them.” He dragged you up from the bed and you reluctantly followed him, and there they were, in the doorway, with large smiles on their faces at the sight of their son.
Chris introduced you and they immediately made you feel welcomed by taking you into a large hug, and then you had lunch together, when you talked and told them lots of funny stories from work and from your childhood.
Chan’s mother was more than happy to hear these stories and shared some of her son’s growing up as well, with a large smile spread across her face, and you had such a pleasant time together, hours ended up passing by, and day turned to night in no time.
By the time you were back in bed next to Chris, you wondered why you worried in the first place. These people were as lovely as him, and they apparently adored you too.
---
“My mom still asks me about you.” Chris chuckles.
“I also think about them often. How are they doing?” You ask with a soft smile, remembering the good times.
There were a lot of downs in your relationship, but more than anything – bigger than the pointless fights and sleepless nights –, you had some amazing moments together that you’d do anything to relive.
It truly doesn’t feel like a whole year went by with Chris not being in your life.
“They are doing well. Like usual.” He smiles back. “I believe we have two more questions to ask.”
“Yeah, it appears so.” You reply, unable to believe that a whole hour has passed already.
“My question reads: what have you been up to ever since we’ve broken up?”
“Hmm… you know me, just hustling here and there. I’ve found a new job that’s closer to home, I started going to the gym more or less regularly, I made some new friends and tried out some hobbies – which I ended up being too bad at to pursue.” You chuckle.
“Really? Like what?” Chan’s eyes sparkle with excitement as he’s placing his elbows on the table and his head steadily on his palms, showing you that you have his undivided attention, and it feels like no time has passed at all.
If you weren’t totally sure of your feelings until now, if you had the smallest doubt in your mind that you still loved him, watching him look at you like this made it clear.
You are very much still in love with Chris, and despite everything that went down, you wish things would be different between you.
You dread the hour being over and going back home to your life, devoid of his presence.
“Uhm, don’t laugh at me please.” You start, and Chris already lets out a chuckle. “I tried dancing, painting, boxing-”
“Wait, dancing?” Chris immediately erupts into laughter. “Eun-ji, you can’t be serious!”
“And why not?” You frown jokingly.
“I mean, you were always so bad at it whenever I’d try to show you any moves!” He continues laughing.
“Well, that’s your own fault for having hard ass choreos, not mine!” You retort, laughing along. “Besides, you promised me you wouldn’t laugh!”
“I didn’t promise anything!” He raises his hands in front of him in fake defence, a large smile adorning his face.
“Oh, fuck off!” You exclaim with a chuckle, drawing the last card from your pile. “Why did you invite me here today?”
“Oh.” Chris immediately turns serious and scratches his nape in slight embarrassment. “Uhm, you might know that I have a new album coming out… a solo one?”
“Yeah, I’ve heard something about it.” You nod.
So, after all, you were right, and he only invited you here to promote it.
“I don’t know what that has to do with me, though.” You continue, feeling your heart grow heavy.
“The album is about you, that’s why.” He smiles softly. “Would you maybe like to… listen to one of the songs in it?”
“Sure.” You nod again, your heart beating harder.
“It’s called Eun-ji.”
As he says this, he pulls out his phone and presses play on the song, and the calm beats begin surrounding you two, and soon enough, Chan’s pained voice.
It’s a sad song about a missed love, about regret and pain, about every unspoken feeling Chris had ever since you’ve broken up, and you found yourself tearing up and needing a few napkins to go through the whole thing.
Chris also begins crying, wiping his tears away repeatedly until the song is over, and when it is, he clears his throat and places his phone back in his pocket.
“Eun-ji, I… I’m still in love with you. Do you think that maybe... you would ever see us getting back together? Do you think you could ever give me another chance to fix my mistakes, to fix us?”
As he confesses this, you cry even louder and decide against replying. Instead, you stand up and go directly towards him, plopping yourself in his lap and hugging him tightly, and he immediately welcomes you, his arms circling your frame and pulling you tighter against him.
“I love you too, so, so much, Chris.” You whisper as you draw back, and his hands find your cheeks as he wipes away all the tears that are falling.
“My love, I was so, so wrong and selfish.” He frowns.
You shake your head, not wanting to think about it anymore, and press your lips against his.
Your first kiss after a whole year apart is long and sweet, and he hugs you even closer, and oh, how much you’ve missed him and everything about him. How much you longed to have him again…
“I missed you so much.” You confess, and he buries his head against your chest and sobs quietly in your arms for a few moments.
“Do you… uhm… do you want to get out of here and have some lunch? And maybe dinner, too?” He asks looking right in your eyes, and you nod, so he helps you up and grabs your hand, and without a word more, you two exit the studio together with the silent understanding that you’re back together, willing to work on your mistakes and to make it work this time around.
