#han river

Read for Part One

Read for Part Three Warnings: mentions of ableism in flashbacks, swearing silently, bullying A/N: I was not expecting to get so many likes overnight and a few comments about a part two. Due to popular demand, this fic will be three or four parts long. I appreciate any feedback, comments, or reposts. Thank you!

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Juhoon texts Y/N all night until she falls asleep about everything and anything that is not related to her friendship with James. He makes sure she has plenty of food to eat, a subway card, and a safe place to stay for the night. In addition to these simple acts of kindness, he sends her the members' names in case she ever runs into them.

He listens to her cry in a voice note about James, about how he once stepped in when girls on their swim team mocked her hearing aids and treated her like she was less than they were. She talks through tears about how they made her feel singled out, as if she didn’t belong just because she needed things repeated or extra time during lessons and exams.

She remembers James telling her she wasn’t “broken,” that her hearing didn’t make her lesser than anyone else—just different—and that he was the only one who seemed to understand that without turning it into something cruel. Juhoon is still on the phone listening with his AirPods in. 

Her voice cracks as she recalls the first time she felt truly shut out by someone she trusted: a boy who took her on a date to a movie with no captions, even though he had seen her hearing aids every day at school. He knew she needed accommodations, knew she wouldn’t catch everything without them, and still never thought to ask the movie theatre staff about captions. She thought he was her friend.

The following morning after her arrival, he calls her, and she picks up after putting in her hearing aids and connecting them via Bluetooth.

“Y/N, do you want to join me for breakfast?” Juhoon asks softly. “The others are still asleep, and I could really use some convenience store comfort food. Does 7-Eleven sound good?”

He keeps his voice low as he stands just outside the CORTIS dorm, careful not to wake anyone inside. The early morning air is quiet, with only the occasional passing car breaking the silence.

Martin is already at the studio, buried in work before sunrise. Juhoon, on the other hand, barely sleeps. Every time he closes his eyes, he keeps thinking about how hurt Y/N looked the night before. The guilt sits heavily in his chest, refusing to let him rest. By morning, he decides that sitting around feeling bad won't fix anything. The least he can do is make sure she eats breakfast and knows that someone notices how she's feeling

“Yeah, that sounds great. I don’t want to pay for hotel breakfast,” Y/N says, smiling wider than she did the other day.

“Breakfast is on me. Don’t worry about paying me back,” Juhoon says softly. He hesitates because he wants to stay on the call, but he knows he has to get ready.

“I’m going to figure out how this shower works. It’s different from the university dorm showers. Give me an hour,” Y/N mumbles, and she hears Juhoon chuckle.

“I’ll send you basic directions. See you at the 7-Eleven near the Han River in an hour, ’kay?” Juhoon replies quickly as he hears Martin’s heavy footsteps coming down the hall, as if he forgot something.

Y/N silently nods and hangs up first since it takes her longer to get ready. She smiles to herself a second time, knowing that she won’t be alone for the day. 

-

While waiting for Juhoon to arrive at the 7-Eleven, Y/N can't stop checking her phone, hoping James finally sends a text, or a sign he’s still alive. Every time the screen lights up, her heart skips for a second before sinking again. She isn't waiting for an idol to call her. She's waiting for her James. The boy who used to sit beside her in class and happily shares his notes whenever she misses something because of her hearing loss. The boy who steps between her and the kids who tease her for asking people to repeat themselves or for accidentally bumping into someone in the crowded hallways. The boy who hooks his pinky around hers and promises he'll always be there because he knows her parents are emotionally immature and leave her to figure out life on her own. She just wants to know if James is still there.

She remembers how James used to do everything with her. They raced their bicycles, watched anime together, spent evenings listening to live music in the park, and started ridiculous food fights late at night. He called her Y/N/N too during these fun moments, and it's the only nickname anyone ever gives her.

“You okay, Y/N? I’m a good listener if you want to talk about it?” You look up from the phone and see Juhoon wearing a graphic tee and comfy, sagged jeans. 

“Hmmm.” You say, knowing that you don’t have an answer for him. 

Juhoon doesn’t bother to say anything more and grabs a basket from the entrance of the convenience store. He knows what’s on your mind or who is on your mind. But he also knows that the wound is still there from yesterday, so he decides not to push it. 

He grabs two of everything he likes and lets Y/N wander around the store like a curious puppy.

“Let’s go sit by the Han River. The weather is nice. I know a spot away from people. It's almost sunrise so we can hopefully be there alone together,” He says to break the silence between them while she watches him pay, even though you so desperately want to pay him back for his kindness. 

You watch a bird fly by as you sit down on a bench that Juhoon points to. It is a nice, tiny space away from the people jogging by the river. There is a singular flower growing by the handle of the bench. It is delicate and beautiful like you.

Juhoon can sense Y/N’s quietness, so he doesn’t say anything at all; instead, he hands you half of a triangle kimbap and a tiny carton of banana milk.

The silence is noticeable but not for long since it’s early in the morning, a time when birds start chirping and people start biking or jogging to places. Juhoon sits about 5 inches away from you and shares half his egg sandwich with you. 

You bite into your egg sandwich and hesitate for a moment before a thought comes to your mind: “James taught me how to make eggs when we were 14 years old. I still remember being so aggravated because I couldn’t crack an egg with one hand as he did. I cried that day because James taught me something that my mom should have taught me.” 

“Does he cook for the members?” You bite your lip, trying not to cry about the memory.

You aren’t sure if you're mad at James for the way he acted the other day or happy that he has a place to call home with his brothers. A place without you and your hearing aids. 

Juhoon can sense the bitterness and hurt in your voice. He doesn’t want to reply, but he does because he feels like he has to. “Maybe once a month, nothing special like eggs. It’s mostly ramen and microwaveable food to be safe in the dorms.”

The silence begins again. It’s not that you don’t have anything to say; it’s the fact that all you have to say are memories of you and James. That was barely two years ago; it feels like a few months ago to you. 

No one says anything for a good 10 minutes until Juhoon unwraps a strawberry breakfast cake and hands you the slice. He isn’t sure if you like sweets. It’s worth a try since he’s never been in a situation like this before. 

You nibble at it and eventually wrap the rest up for later. Inadvertently, you lean your head on his shoulder since you didn’t get much sleep yesterday. Not from jet lag, but from the pain of knowing that your best friend didn’t care for you anymore. 

-

Keonho is in the studio writing or scribbling what he thinks are song lyrics for a song that will be the track following “YCC”. He doesn't even know what he’s writing yet. Martin is on his laptop with his headphones on, listening to a few potential tracks. The CORTIS studio is full of concentration until James bursts into the room, interrupting the peace. 

“Jju didn’t show up to dance practice for “YCC”. Do any of you know where he is?” James exclaims with a serious expression, which means business. 

“I thought he rode in the car with you and Sean this morning?” Koenho says from the couch where he’s still trying to come up with a song lyric.

“Sean said he wasn’t in his bed, though. Our manager said Juhoon was out this morning. Do any of you know where he is? I have a new idea for choreography,” James stayed by the studio door, demanding and eager to start practice. 

To be honest, the only thing that was on his mind was the second album’s due date. He had totally forgotten to treat his bestie, who was hearing impaired, to dinner last night. All that was on his mind was success and creativity. 

“I dunno. Why don't you text him, hyung?” Martin said while going back to the track he was listening to in his headphones. 

“I did. Sean did too. He’s not picking up his phone. You know the dorm rules. No going out without telling another person…” James says, about to get even more serious, when all of a sudden Juhoon runs into the studio out of breath, almost falling onto Martin’s desk and knocking him over. 

“I… am…here, hyung. Sorry, I am late. What are we working on?,” Juhoon says out of breath while holding onto Martin’s chair for stability.

“What are we working on? We’re working on the second album. Didn’t you hear the manager say that it got moved from June to May yesterday? Are you deaf or something?” James bursts out all of a sudden.

Keonho and Martin stop what they are doing. They are speechless and also worried that someone on this floor of HYBE will hear them.

“It’s not funny to joke about hearing loss or deafness, hyung,” Juhoon says, voice tight with something sharper than usual restraint. “You of all people should know that.”

His hands curl into fists at his sides as he keeps going, words spilling out before he can stop them.

“For your information, I heard what the manager said yesterday. About the deadline being moved. I didn’t spiral. I didn’t act like a jerk like you did.” His jaw tenses. “I stayed calm.”

He lets out a short, bitter breath.

“And if you really want to know where I was this morning, since you were too busy assuming the worst—I was with your best friend. The one you completely shut out yesterday. The one you acted like you didn’t even want to hear about after her awful flight from Taiwan.”

His eyes finally lift, anger no longer hidden.

“I’m going to the practice room. I’m working on choreography. Again. I’m sorry I was late because I was with her….because I had to leave in a rush to get back to work that actually matters to me.”

A beat.

“To people I actually care about,” he adds, quieter now, but it hits harder than the shouting.

“Clock it,” Keonho said while giggling at his team members who were acting like they were in puberty and in a fight about a girl. Well, they kinda were. 

James swore under his breath after realizing his mistake or mistakes. He had been a prick to his best friend, the person who encouraged him to stay at HYBE and train until he debuted. The person who would bring him food during their study sessions after school. The person who heard him and saw how passionate he was about music before anyone else did. The person who wore hearing aids so that she could hear him yell during roller hockey when he scored a goal, even though the loud noise bothered her ears at his competitions. The person who was proud of him when he moved to Korea to live out his dreams. 

The person he is in love with and never gets the chance to tell, since his life speeds up so fast while she stays in school moving at her own pace, at her own hearing level, with her hearing aids.

-

Everywhere you walk, there is a reminder of James. That time you ate ramen from Lawson’s together after you failed a hearing test, and he paid because your hearing aids weren’t ready for a fitting yet and you couldn’t afford a special treat. And that time when you two went thrifting together so you could take funny selfies without making a purchase. Or that time when you were left out of a girl’s mall trip with friends because they thought it was too loud in the mall for you, so instead James tagged along to help you pick out makeup, jewelry, and perfume when your mom was at work. You were too young to know it at the time, but James had saved up his chore money to buy that perfume for you, since he knew you relied more on your other senses besides hearing. You were only 16 at the time and could only afford a cheap, small perfume bottle.

You see his photos on billboards or at the mall, and it opens up a wound in your heart. He is everywhere. CORTIS was everywhere. You even spot a CORTIS ball and buy it and name it James, just as a little keepsake of your time in Korea, you say to yourself. 

While still thinking about James, you walk into a store and bump straight into a young woman wearing a pastel shirt with Korean words you don’t recognize on it: “Hi, can I help you find anything?” with a strong Korean dialect. 

“Sorry, I didn’t catch that. I have hearing aids. What did you say?” You blush, feeling embarrassed, and step back so that you can try your best to read their lips, even though reading lips was not your best skill. 

“Can I help you find anything?” The young lady happily repeated. 

For a moment, you pause to think about what you wanted to get as a souvenir from Korea. Your mind had been focused on how James had practically ignored you the other day, making you forget about everything else.

“Do you have any journals with pandas on them? I’m majoring in Creative Writing,” You reply, even though you're specifically looking for a red panda journal. 

One of James’ favorite animals. 

After purchasing a journal that has a red panda on the cover and gold embellishments, you sit down inside a very pink and pastel decorated Hello Kitty cafe to write in your new notebook. On instinct, you play CORTIS' first EP through your Bluetooth hearing aids. And as a special treat to yourself, you order a Kuromi character cupcake because it reminds you of James, and get an Americano just because. Once you take a bite of the overly sweetened cupcake, you open the journal and start writing. 

Dear Past Self,  -When you get older, you’ll find the people who care about you. Just not as quick as James did :(  -When you get older, you won’t have a best friend. 

-When you get older, feelings become even more complicated to understand.  -When you get older, you don’t have to tell people you have hearing loss unless you feel that you need to. -When you get older, you will be lonelier. -When you get older, you might never find love, and that’s okay. Love yourself first. -When you get older, James might not be your friend anymore. Sincerely, Future Me 

Close up

https://www.instagram.com/p/DZ9y5iXiJsM/?igsh=MWlzMnllY2NiemluNg==

This photo was taken at the Han River -  

pairing: yeonjun x gn!reader

genre: pure fluff, friends to lovers, summer romance

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Hot July afternoons by the Han River are usually reserved for strawberry ice cream. But a chance encounter with Yeonjun changes everything, proving that some summer days are destined to be unforgettable. a/n: just a soft, summery little fic because I can't get this scenario out of my head. I hope this brings a little warmth to your dashboard! Likes and reblogs are deeply appreciated. ✨

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Summer had always been my favourite season.

Not because of the heat—I could complain about that for hours—but because everything else seemed to come alive. The streets of Seoul buzzed with laughter, cafés filled their terraces with people enjoying the sunshine, music drifted through open shop doors, and the Han River sparkled beneath the afternoon sun.

There was something about summer that made every ordinary day feel like it could become unforgettable.

And if there was one thing I couldn't resist during the hottest months of the year... It was strawberry ice cream. No matter where I went, I always ended up buying one.

Maybe that was why, on one of the hottest afternoons of July, I found myself standing in front of my favourite little ice cream stand near the Han River.

"One strawberry cone, please."

As I reached into my bag for my wallet, another hand landed on the counter before mine.

"I'll pay."

Confused, I looked up.

"...Yeonjun?"

He lowered the sunglasses resting on his nose and flashed me a mischievous grin.

"I knew it."

I blinked.

"...Knew what?"

"You'd order strawberry."

I frowned.

"And how exactly did you know that?"

"You've ordered strawberry every single time we've gone out with our friends."

"I have not."

"You have."

"I would've remembered."

He laughed.

"I've been paying attention."

For some reason...

That made my cheeks feel warmer than the summer sun.

The vendor handed us our ice creams, and before I could protest again, Yeonjun had already paid for both.

"You didn't have to."

"I know."

"Then why?"

He shrugged casually.

"I wanted to."

Simple. Natural. As if buying me an ice cream wasn't a big deal at all.

"...Thank you."

"You're welcome."

For a few seconds, neither of us moved.

"So..." he said. "What now?"

I looked around. "I don't really have any plans."

His smile grew. "Perfect. Because neither do I. Want to spend the day together?"

My heart skipped. Just the two of us?

"...Sure. Lead the way."

His smile somehow became even brighter.

***

We walked along the riverside with no destination in mind.

The warm breeze carried the scent of flowers and fresh food from nearby street vendors. Children ran through the fountains, couples rode bicycles together, and street musicians played cheerful songs beneath the shade of the trees.

It felt peaceful. Comfortable. Almost as if we'd done this a hundred times before.

"So..." Yeonjun suddenly said. "Why strawberry?"

"What?"

"Your ice cream."

"It's sweet. It's pink. It reminds me of summer."

He nodded thoughtfully. "I figured."

"What about yours?"

He proudly lifted his mint chocolate cone. "The greatest flavor ever invented."

I stared at him. "...No."

"What do you mean 'no'?"

"It tastes like toothpaste."

He looked genuinely offended. "I cannot believe you'd insult mint chocolate."

"I cannot believe people actually enjoy eating toothpaste."

He placed a dramatic hand over his chest. "I don't think this friendship can recover."

"Oh, friendship? So that's all we are?"

The words slipped out before I had time to think. His expression froze. Mine probably did too.

"...I mean—"

"I was kidding!" I blurted.

He scratched the back of his neck. "...Yeah. Me too."

The silence afterward wasn't awkward... Just different. Like both of us suddenly realized there were words we hadn't been saying.

***

A little farther ahead, we spotted an arcade. Yeonjun's eyes lit up immediately.

"Oh. No."

"I know that look."

"What look?"

"The one that says you're about to drag me somewhere."

He grinned. "Come on."

"It's too hot outside."

"The arcade has air conditioning."

"...That's your excuse?"

"It works, doesn't it?"

Five minutes later... I was losing terribly at basketball.

"You cheated."

"I absolutely did not."

"You distracted me."

"I merely existed."

"You smiled!"

"Is smiling illegal now?"

"It should be."

He laughed so hard he nearly dropped the basketball.

After a few more games, we stopped in front of a claw machine. Inside sat dozens of fluffy animal plushies. One tiny white bunny immediately caught my attention.

"It's cute..."

Yeonjun noticed where I was looking. "You want it."

"I never said that."

"You don't have to. I can tell."

He exchanged a few coins before I could stop him.

"You don't have to waste your money."

"It's not wasting it. It's a mission."

His first attempt failed.

"So confident."

"Be quiet."

His second attempt failed too. I crossed my arms.

"The machine doesn't like you."

"The machine is rigged."

"The machine has standards."

"Oh? You think you're funny?"

"I know I am."

Determined, he tried again. And again. And again. Nearly ten attempts later... the little bunny finally dropped into the prize slot.

"I DID IT!"

People nearby actually clapped. Laughing, he picked up the plushie and held it out to me.

"For you."

My smile slowly faded into something softer. "...You really didn't have to."

"I know." He tilted his head. "But I wanted to."

The exact same words he'd used earlier. Without thinking, I hugged the little bunny against my chest.

"It's adorable."

"I think its owner is even cuter."

I looked up so quickly I almost dropped it. "...What?"

He blinked. "...The bunny. You thought I meant you?"

His teasing grin gave him away. "...You're impossible."

"I've been told."

***

By late afternoon, the summer heat had become almost unbearable. We bought two cold lemonades before sitting beneath a large tree overlooking the Han River.

Neither of us spoke for a while. The silence felt nice. Peaceful. I watched families playing in the distance while absentmindedly hugging the bunny plushie.

"You really like it."

"I do."

"I'm glad."

Another breeze swept past us, blowing a few loose strands of hair across my face. Without thinking... Yeonjun reached over. His fingers gently brushed my hair behind my ear.

Everything stopped. The sounds. The breeze. Even my heartbeat... Or maybe it was beating too loudly to hear anything else.

He seemed just as surprised as I was.

"...Sorry. You had hair in your face."

"...Right."

Neither of us moved away. For a moment... we simply looked at each other. Then, somewhere nearby, a child shouted. The spell was broken. We both laughed awkwardly.

***

As evening approached, the blazing sky slowly turned shades of gold, orange, and pink. The river reflected every color like a painting.

"It's beautiful," I whispered.

"It is."

But when I turned toward him... Yeonjun wasn't looking at the sunset. He was looking at me.

"You've been staring a lot today."

"...Have I?"

"Yes." He sighed quietly before smiling. "I guess there's no point denying it anymore."

My heart raced.

"I've spent the whole summer hoping I'd run into you."

"...Really?"

"I even came to this ice cream stand more often than I'd like to admit."

I laughed. "Seriously?"

"I knew you'd eventually show up."

"You really paid that much attention to me?"

"I always do." His smile softened. "I notice when you laugh. When you're pretending to be mad. When you get excited over tiny things. When you play with your sleeves because you're nervous. I notice all of it."

I couldn't find the words to answer. He took a slow breath.

"I like you. I don't know exactly when it happened. But somewhere between all those conversations at school... and every little smile you gave me... I fell in love with you."

The world suddenly felt very quiet.

"...You're an idiot."

He blinked. "...Excuse me?"

I laughed through the tears gathering in my eyes. "I've been waiting for you to say that."

"You..."

"I like you too. I have for a long time."

Relief washed across his face so quickly that I couldn't help smiling.

"So..." He stepped closer. "Can I kiss you?"

Instead of answering... I gently took his hand. Our fingers intertwined naturally.

He smiled. "I'll take that as a yes."

His lips met mine gently. Warm. Soft. Sweet... Almost sweeter than strawberry ice cream. When we finally pulled apart, we couldn't stop smiling.

"You know," he whispered, "I think buying you that ice cream was the best decision I've ever made."

I laughed. "I think saying yes was mine."

As the last rays of sunlight disappeared behind the city skyline, we continued walking hand in hand along the Han River.