#itsasilentreader

You weren’t looking for someone to share your life with at the time. You were doing just fine. 

After a lot of first and failed dates, you realized you liked being on your own for now.

That was until you got introduced to Mingi. Mingi came into your life like a quiet storm, with no warning. He rearranged everything you thought was stable with full force, yet he was soft enough to slip through the cracks of the defenses you built around yourself. 

It started with meeting each other at different frat parties and nights out with your girlfriends. The conversations start flowing so easily, just like the alcohol in your red cups. After meeting you so many times without having any way of contacting you outside the parties, Mingi asked for your number. 

“It’s easier to talk to each other without all that background noise,” he said before giving you a smile you couldn’t resist.

That’s where it started to get a little bit more complicated. After Mingi asked for your number, you started texting all the time. It started with normal, boring get-to-know-each-other questions. 

What’s your favorite color? Are you a morning or a night person? What do you do in your free time? What’s your favorite food?

Then, he asked to hang out sometime—just testing the waters. So off you went, hanging out at his place with his roommates, whom you’ve gotten to know over time. At other times, it would just be the two of you at your place when your roommate would be out all day.

After hanging out a few times and getting to know each other better, the texts started to become more flirty. Mingi called you princess once, and that’s how your contact name changed from just Y/N to princess. 

The ‘good morning princess’ texts, the ‘I saw this and thought about you’ texts, and the ‘I missed your face today, let's FaceTime' texts became more and more frequent. 

He started to take you out on little dates, like getting coffee together to start the day in your favorite, cozy café. Or taking you out for lunch at that new spot he found through social media.

One day, he suggested going out for lunch, giving you the perfect excuse to get all dolled up and try that new makeup you’d just bought. But the plans fell apart fast when your period showed up that afternoon.

You texted him, letting him know you weren’t feeling well and asking if you could reschedule. He read the message but didn’t reply, which instantly made your stomach twist a little. Not even ten minutes later, his name flashed across your screen.

He was already at the store, grabbing drinks, snacks, and anything else you might need to feel better. After you gave him a few options, he told you he’d be at your place in twenty minutes with everything.

And he was. Twenty minutes later, he showed up in his loungewear, holding your favorite food, just so you wouldn’t have to spend the day feeling miserable on your own.

And of course, there were the fancy dinners he took you on, picking you up with flowers in hand and dropping you off at your place later that night. Lingering at your front door, not ready yet to let you go inside and end the night. 

Until one night, after tiptoeing the line of friends-or-more-than-friends, you decided to invite him in to continue the night at your place. You had asked him if he wanted to come in, since your roommate was out for the evening. 

After stepping into your apartment and closing the door, Mingi pressed you against it, and his lips found yours in an instant. You felt all the longing after dancing around each other being released in this moment.

The transition of friends to something more than friends came gradually. The lines slowly became a little more blurry with every text and call, and the quiet and soft kisses became hungrier and deeper.

But with all the new feelings and new attachments, insecurities came looking around the corner as well. 

It was no secret on campus that Mingi collected hearts everywhere he went, with no intention of keeping any of them. And it scared you how easily he wove himself into your life, slipping into your routines like he’d always belonged there.

You never felt as pretty as the girls hanging around Mingi and his friends. They just walked differently and talked differently, and they carried themselves with a confidence you just couldn’t grasp. They carried themselves like they owned every room they stepped into. You kept telling yourself you didn’t have to be like them, that you didn’t want to be like them. But the honest truth was that deep down, a part of you wished you could be like them. 

You wanted that confidence, craved it even. You wanted to feel that kind of confidence of feeling excited in your short skirt, instead of risky. The kind of confidence that lets you go out with your friends without needing alcohol to take the edge off. To be confident in the way you speak, act, and look, and in how you carry yourself.

But something in you sank every time you saw those pretty and effortlessly bold girls hanging around him. You hated to admit it, but it made you feel small in some kind of way.

It wasn’t about fitting in, not really. You knew that. 

But you had seen the way he looked at other girls before—the kind of girls who were nothing like you in any way. And pretending it didn’t bother you started to feel more and more impossible. 

However, over the months you’ve known Mingi, he never made you feel like you were less. If anything, it was the opposite. He made you feel pretty in a way you didn’t know you could feel. Even on days when you doubted yourself, he had this way of making the world feel smaller, like it existed just for the two of you.

Then, after a few months of seeing each other, the cracks started to show. It started small. The texting had become a little less frequent, but there was always an excuse. While you still received the good morning and sleep well texts, they felt hollow and monotonous. 

After you had noticed his small texting and behavior changes, Mingi started to ditch the little dates he would take you on. His excuse was always that he was ‘too tired,’ had ‘too much schoolwork,’ or ‘got a lot going on right now.’ 

Until there was radio silence for a week. No texts, no calls, nothing. 

You still saw his friends around campus and even ran into Yunho at the campus café. You didn’t catch the small furrow in his brow when you casually asked him if Mingi was okay, since he hadn’t replied to you.

The conversation stuck with Yunho longer than it should have, mostly because he didn’t understand why you were asking. As far as he knew, Mingi was fine.

His best friend was always on his phone whenever they were in the shared living room, practically glued to it. Sometimes Mingi even had this stupid grin on his face, but the second Yunho mentioned your name, it vanished. Mingi would lock his phone or shove it into his pocket, and on some days he’d put it face down on the table like he didn’t want to look at it at all. 

And Yunho had noticed he hadn’t seen the two of you together in weeks. But it wasn’t his relationship, and it wasn’t his place to say anything. If something was wrong, Mingi would talk to him. He always did.

This brings you to today. After being ignored by Mingi for so long, the only time you heard from him was when he wanted something—whether it was a ride somewhere or sex. All you wanted was clarity.

You had a gut feeling. Call it a revelation, call it common sense, or whatever you wanted to call it, it hit you hard and made you realize just how one-sided things had become.

Can we talk? You read your text over and over again before finally pressing send. You watched as the delivered sign turned to read and waited anxiously. 

His name flashed on your screen, and before it could even ring a second time, your thumb had already pressed the green button. “Hi,” you said tentatively into your phone. 

“Hi,” you heard him breathe out on the other line. You adjusted the phone in your hand as you sat on your bed and put it on speaker. “So, what did you want to talk about?” he asked you as you leaned against your headboard. 

“Well, us.” Silence. 

“Us?” You sighed; a tremble in your hands gave away your anxiety, but he couldn’t see it. “Yes, us Mingi.” 

You paused to see if he would say anything or if he would let you speak without being interrupted. After no reaction from him, you continued.

“I—it’s been a while since we’ve seen each other, and I was just wondering…” you started to say, feeling your anxiety creeping into your voice. “What are we, Mingi?” 

“What do you want me to say, Y/N?” You heard him let out a sigh, as if he was tired. Tired of having this conversation or tired of you, you couldn’t tell. “I just want to know what I can call you since we’ve been seeing each other for a while now. Are we exclusive or not? What are we?” 

“Listen,” he started, but you already felt the shift in his voice, as if he was trying to figure out how he could say this as gently as possible. 

“I just don’t see it working out for us. Don’t get me wrong, we had our fun, and I really felt a connection with you, but you know…” a pause. 

“I have to be honest with you, Y/N, you’re not really my type. At least not like that,” he started, while you felt your heart drop at his words. “It’s not you, though. It’s me. I’m just more into girls who are… how can I say this? Uh—” 

There was an uncomfortable silence that fell over the two of you when Mingi tried to find the right words. “I just like it when girls are more spontaneous. You’re just… too boring… sometimes,” he said. 

Your phone slipped from your hand and fell onto the thick duvet covering your now trembling body. He couldn’t hear it, at least not over the phone, but you were certain you just listened to your heart break into pieces. 

Not because you were losing Mingi, or losing whatever part of Mingi you had. No, your heart broke into so many pieces because he struck exactly that vulnerable spot you had been trying to hide. The part that was gnawing at you for a while. Something you were trying to drown out every night you would lie awake, staring at the ceiling with your head running on overdrive.

“Are you still there?” his voice made you snap out of your own thoughts. 

“Yeah…” Your voice was soft and small; it almost didn’t reach your own ears. The beating of your heart felt harder than the sound of your voice at this moment. 

“I don’t mean to hurt you, but you know, it felt a little suffocating,” he spoke up after hearing your reply. “What felt suffocating? Being with me?” 

“I mean… Yeah. The constant need for validation,” You felt your chest tighten at his words. “I’ve never asked that of you, Mingi.” There was a pause on the other end of the phone.

“Maybe not directly, but in a way, you always needed validation from me.” 

“What? Then why would you still kiss me and fuck me if it felt so suffocating all this time? Why would you do all this if you didn’t even like me that way?” There was a crack in your voice, resembling the self-confidence that is slowly shattering within. But you pushed on, refusing to let him hear you cry.

“Do you really need to like someone that way if you just want to fuck?” 

His words were met with a heavy silence, letting it settle in between the two of you. But before he could speak again, a bitter laugh escaped you. “Oh wow, okay. Real nice, Mingi.” 

“Don’t get mad at me for being honest—”

“Sorry for feeling upset when I hear that the guy I’ve been seeing for months now only wants me for sex and thinks I’m fucking boring.” Your fingers tighten around your phone, gripping it tighter. 

“That’s what you wanted, right, honesty? I’m being honest with you right now.” The flatness in his tone made your stomach sink.

“Would you even have told me this if I didn’t text you before?” There was a pause again, and with every breath you felt your throat tighten a little more. The anxiety and anger were settling in from within. 

“I don’t know, Y/N. Look, you’re a nice girl. You’re pretty, really, you are, just—you’re not the type I’m looking for. I’m not looking for any other sort of relationship with you. I’m not in love with you.” Everything in you screamed to yell, letting out the anger that was bubbling up, but you forced yourself to be calm. 

“I’m not in love with you either, Mingi—” you spoke up. “It sounds like you are with the way you’re acting right now.”

“Oh my god,” You rolled your eyes, muttering under your breath.

“We’ve been seeing each other for a while and talking a lot. You took me out on dates and did the whole thing with me. So yes, I did get feelings for you. We were practically a couple, seeing each other all the time and going on dates. So excuse me for feeling upset right now.”

Your voice trembled, even as you tried to keep it steady. 

“I don’t want to force you to have feelings for me, but the way you’ve been going at this is so fucking wrong. If you had told me you just wanted to be fuck buddies, or friends with benefits, or whatever the hell you’d call this, that would have been fine. Then I’d know what I was dealing with. But stringing me along like this was so fucking wrong and hurtful.”

Silence stretched between you two. You waited for a response, anything, but only heard the faintest static on the line.

“I hope you had your fun, Mingi. Thanks for nothing.” You hung up, letting the phone slip from your fingers.

Silence filled the room after abruptly hanging up the phone. You sank onto the bed, phone still warm now resting on the duvet of your bed, and let yourself breathe for a moment. Your breathing became heavier, a mix of anger and hurt settling in. 

It wasn’t the heartbreak that cut the deepest; it was the way he had used your insecurities to bring you down and thrown them in your face like they were reasons to discard you. You knew he wasn’t responsible for your doubts, but hearing him talk so casually, as if tearing down your self-esteem would somehow boost his own, cut deeper than you expected.

You just wanted a simple answer to your question, "What are we?" but instead you were met with a sharp reminder that you deserved better than someone who treated you like an option.

It would be okay. You knew that. And one thing was crystal clear, louder than any sting or cut he had left behind: your worth would not be defined by a man.

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Summer was finally here, and the planned festival trip made it out of the group chat

It was one of the hottest summers, and here you were, packing for a long trip away with your friends

You had gone shopping with some of the girls in the group, so you had your outfits for the festival ready

After you had to literally sit on your suitcase for it to close, you were all done packing

Mingi would pick you up the next day to drive you both to the airport, where you’d meet the rest of the group

You couldn’t wait for this trip, having fun, dancing, drinking, and just leaving all your stress and problems at home for two weeks

And spending it with your close friends? Amazing

And, of course, with Mingi

Your best friend

Your best friend, who you were in love with 

What? Who said that?

Anyway

The next morning, Mingi let himself into your apartment with the spare key you gave him

You both had a spare key from each other's apartment

Just like your girlfriends got one

But Mingi didn’t tell you; he only gave you a spare key to his apartment

He didn’t even give Yunho one, and they are basically inseparable 

After you and Mingi, of course

Anyways, Mingi knew you’d be late 

So he told you he would pick you up at 10 am

And he was right; it was 10:32 am, and you were still running around, getting the last things in your luggage

“I’m sorry, sorry!” 

Mingi just laughed and shrugged

“Knew you’d be late. We actually have to leave at 11:15.” 

This stopped you in your tracks

What the hell?

Mingi gave you an innocent smile and took out his phone before telling you to get your stuff ready

With a lot of rolling of your eyes and a few trips up and down to his car, you made it at exactly 11:15 am

And you were on your way

The villa the guys picked out was gorgeous, to your surprise

Everyone had chosen a roommate, so the next task was to unpack

You actually wanted to room with Mingi

I mean, you had weekly sleepovers, and sharing a bed wasn’t something new

But like, would it be weird if you ditch the girls to room with Mingi?

The whole group knew you were practically attached by the hip

But still, the girls were also with you

But you wanted to take every opportunity to be close with him

Scared to admit you might like him more as just your best friend, you took what you could get of the (physical) attention he gave you

Except, like, everyone knew you two loved each other because you both have that stupid lovey-dovey look in your eyes when you look at each other

Dumbasses

You’re not being slick at all 

But hey, they want you both to figure it out yourselves and not intervene 

Before you could ask him if he’d want to room with you, he got snatched away

Literally

Yunho almost bodyslammed Mingi, dragging him up the stairs to their room

Mingi turned his head to look at you apologetically before disappearing upstairs

No worries, you thought

It sucks because now Yunho took the opportunity to be with Mingi 

And Mina wanted to room with you

You had settled in and started to unpack your suitcases with the girls

After you had unpacked most of your stuff, you noticed that you had forgotten your glasses

It’s not that you really needed your glasses, but sometimes you’d put them on in the evening after your eyes started burning after a long day

You could live without them for the most part, as your eyesight was ‘fine’ overall

But still, the option to put them on would be nice 

You made a mental note to check in the store if they might have some glasses you could use on this trip

After putting all your stuff away, the girls and you decided to sit outside with the rest and some drinks before going to bed

Walking towards the patio of the villa you stay in, you see Mingi in the kitchen getting some drinks

The boys had the same idea as the girls, apparently  

“I forgot my glasses,” you reached out to help him with the bottles in his hand

“I have a pair for you in my bag. I’ll get them for you later.” Mingi responded before nodding his head towards the back door.

“C’mon, they’re waiting, and I can hear Wooyoung getting impatient.” 

It wasn’t odd that Mingi packed an extra pair of glasses, but you didn’t think he would think about it on this trip

But that was something Mingi always did

He always thought of you, and he always packed extra things if you would go on a trip together

At this point, it was just a routine thing for him

He always kept an extra pair of glasses at his apartment for you because he knew you would always forget them when you really needed them

Just like how he had an extra toothbrush and some other products you always needed, like pads or tampons, claw clips you liked, the specific makeup remover you always used because it was the only one that didn’t irritate your eyes, and your favorite body wash and shampoo for if you slept over

He also bought you a pajama for at his place—if you wouldn’t wear one of his shirts

Oh, and matching headbands for if you wanted to do skincare together

But no, the guy wasn’t in love with you or something (cue Yeosang’s side eye).

Just like how you had some extra stuff in your bathroom for him, only you didn't realize that you actually got this for Mingi

Yes, you also did this for boyfriends or flings you had

But when it was over, you always threw the things out immediately, not wanting to be reminded of them, so getting rid of everything was your way to go

But with Mingi, it was different

He was your friend

Your best friend

And you love him

But you didn’t want to admit it because admitting it would mean you could risk losing him, and you wanted to have him in your life even if you couldn’t have him the way you wanted to

So denial it is; well, good luck with that

And because you were being dumb about your feelings, Mingi didn’t know you felt the same

And you know his boba eyes

He looked at you as if you hung the moon and the stars in the sky

But no, your dumbass couldn’t see he was so utterly and madly in love with you 

But the rest of them did 

Sometimes the girls wanted to slap you across the face while yelling how obvious it is that you and Mingi are practically made for each other

Of course they didn’t do this literally

But they thought maybe this trip could help you two lovebirds finally confess and get together already

Maybe this trip would slap you across the face and make you face your feelings for your best friend 

And so the fun had begun

Days are filled with lots of activities

Of course, going to the festival but also shopping a little bit, going to the beach, or doing another activity the guys planned out for the whole group

Luckily there were also days you could lounge by the pool of the villa 

That ended up in full-on water fights between the guys while you and the other girls just tried to tan or read a book with some drinks

And it was not lost on anyone how Mingi and you stole glances from each other while the other was not looking

You couldn’t focus on your book while Mingi was in the pool with the others, looking so incredibly hot

But Mingi lost all the games he was playing because he got distracted by you

Just lying there in the sun, looking as beautiful as ever

With a bikini that didn’t leave a lot to the imagination but enough to keep him on his toes

The only progress you two made was when Mingi got out of the water

Coming over to you, all the droplets of dripping water dripping onto your body and towel as he stood before you and blocking the sun

“What are you reading?” 

He sat down on the end of your sunbed, drying himself with his towel before leaning against your legs

The skin-on-skin contact made your skin feel hot—and not because you were lying in the sun

You were so fixated on where his skin met yours that you forgot to answer

It didn’t go unnoticed by Mingi, the corners of his lips curling up

Meanwhile, you were having an internal crisis because why are you freaking out so much?

It was not like you didn’t have any skinship with Mingi before

You never shied away from his touch, leaning into his touch without the both of you even noticing it

And now, it felt different

Maybe it was the setting? The trip? The weather?

And the fact that you tried so hard to keep your feelings down and hidden, but they came up bubbling to the surface

You finally got to see some of your favorite artists live at the music festival 

And some DJs you’d frequently listen to 

So when the group was deciding on where to go next, you checked the schedule of the festival

Jongho, Hongjoong, and San wanted to go to a different stage because of some artists they wanted to see

Seongwha, Yeosang, and Seoyeon wanted to get some drinks and go to the bathroom 

Meanwhile, you wanted to stay here 

So as you were dancing and drinking, the group split up to go to different stages

Mingi, however, decided he wanted to keep an eye on you as you were throwing your drinks back as if they were water, so he stayed with you

Such a good best friend, right?

So together with Mingi, Wooyoung, Yunho, Mina, and Nari, you had stayed at the main stage

The weather was perfect, and it was so much fun to be here with your friends

As you were dancing with the girls, you felt someone bumping into you from behind

Thinking nothing of it, you just kept dancing and ignored it

Occasionally, trying to get Mingi to dance with you

But he was just waving you off, letting you have fun with the girls and holding your drink when you would take out your phone to record or when you were jumping around

After a few songs, you felt someone bumping into you again

But you know how it is; it’s busy, and everyone is standing close to each other, so you wrote it off as someone trying to pass by with not much space

But it kept happening, and after a few times, you even felt a hand on your lower back 

Turning around, you saw a guy dancing behind you

Mingi watched you as you stared at the guy standing behind you, stiffening in his place 

He did not like the way the guy was standing behind you

And he especially did not like the way he was trying to lean in and talk to you while you so obviously pulled back 

“Could you not do that?” Mingi heard you tell the guy

That’s good. It means you weren’t interested in the guy, right?

He saw the guy say something to you before you rolled your eyes and turned around to dance with your friends again

Mingi stepped closer and started to dance along with you—finally. 

You heard one of your favorite songs come on, and Mingi thought your excitement was so cute

You loudly (and maybe a tad annoyingly for bystanders) sang along with the music

The next moment, you felt a hand on your waist, and someone pressed up behind you

Looking over your shoulder, you saw the guy from before

He didn’t get the hint

“Fucking stop that,” you smacked his hand away and turned around to face him

“I don’t want to dance with you, and I don’t want to talk to you. Just leave me alone.” 

The guy just laughed in your face

“C’mon babe, just one dance.” 

You felt yourself getting angry, but before you could answer, Mingi stepped between you and the guy

“You heard her. Leave her alone.” 

Your heart skipped a beat when you saw how Mingi was towering over the guy 

He could be quite intimidating, but most of the time, you saw him as this tall softie with a secret soft spot for watching reality shows with you 

The guy didn’t appreciate the tone Mingi was using 

And the fact that Mingi stepped in between you two

“I wasn’t talking to you now, was I?” The guy tried to stare down Mingi

But Mingi wasn’t having it because you said no. Multiple times

“I think it’s for the best if you just leave her alone, buddy.” 

But the guy just laughed and shook his head

This got Mingi riled up because he was not having this guy’s attitude towards you 

You said no and this guy needs to respect that

Mingi stood there, between you and the guy with crossed arms

And the way he was standing up for you, practically shoving you behind him 

Mingi had helped you out before, during nights out

But he never had to step in like this—it made you feel things 

Your heart was beating a little bit faster 

The guy kept staring at Mingi

But eventually gave up and mumbled something under his breath about you not being worth it

You couldn’t hear this, but Mingi definitely heard—and it pissed him off

But for your sake, he didn’t make a scene

You were relieved the guy left you alone 

So when Mingi turned around and asked you if you were okay, you could only nod

Your thoughts were running wild 

It was something so simple, yet it awakened something in you 

Seeing him being so protective over you 

Mingi kept looking at you to make sure you were okay 

And you kept telling him it was fine

Nothing you couldn’t handle

But it felt nice to see Mingi so protective over you 

So you took a big gulp of your drink and took his hand

“Dance with me,” 

How could Mingi say no when you looked up to him like that with your beautiful eyes?

He almost melted right then and there on the spot

So you danced together until dusk, and the bright festival lights appeared 

Slowly he gained more confidence to actually have skin-to-skin contact with you

First he held your hand, made you do a little twirl, and kept holding your hand

The girls got more drinks for you, so eventually you became a little looser

Dancing more freely with Mingi

And boy, did Mingi have a hard time containing himself

“You’re finally getting into it, huh?” You tease, breathless from all the dancing together

He smiled at you, pulling you closer to him, just testing the waters

And to his surprise, you leaned into his touch

And he was a goner when you smiled up at him so sweetly, the lights dancing in your eyes

But your eyes didn’t partially light up because of the lights, but because of your handsome best friend in front of you—finally being close with him again

Mingi felt this was the moment he was waiting for, and he couldn’t let it slip through his fingers

“Actually,” he hesitated, nervous as hell

“There is something I wanted to tell you,” 

His heart was pounding so loud he was sure you could hear it over the loud music and the crowd

But so did your heart because what did he possibly have to say right now, in this moment?

You did feel nervous at his words, but also a small part of you was hopefull

“What is it?”

Okay, it was now or never

He takes a deep breath. “I like you. A lot. I think I have for a while, no—I know I have felt this way for a long while. Scratch that—I love you. And I didn’t want to ruin our friendship because you’re so important to me, you know?” 

The festival blurs around you—just neon colors and distant sound—but all you can focus on is him

Did you just hear that right? Mingi loves you?

“But after the time we spend here, I thought maybe you feel the same way, and I should confess to you. You’re the most beautiful person I have ever laid my eyes on, and getting to know you over the years as your friend makes me feel so privileged.”

Mingi continued talking, and you couldn’t do anything else but stare at him and take in his words.

“If this—if I have crossed a line and read this whole situation wrong, we can forget about this, and we’ll pretend this never happened. It would take me a minute, but I’ll get over it,” he breathed out

“But I couldn’t keep these feelings to myself anymore…”

When you didn’t reply, Mingi began panicking

Oh shit—maybe he had actually read the situation wrong?

He thought that—maybe—you’d feel the same

Especially since he noticed the slight changes in your behavior during this trip

And not to mention the disappointed look on your face when Yunho whisked him away from you when it was time to choose the roommates and rooms

And the way you kept staring at him when he sat down on your sunbed the other day

And now—you didn’t reply to his confession, and it made him nervous

He couldn’t lose you 

Maybe this was a mistake

Why didn’t you respond to him?

Meanwhile, Mingi was spiraling because of your lack of response; you were having an internal crisis as well

Because what do you mean your best friend, who you’ve been in love with for God knows how long (yes, thank you for finally admitting it), just told you he loves you?

Are you dreaming?

Is this a hallucination? Or a sick prank?

So you opened your mouth, but nothing came out, and you stood there looking like a fish

Mingi sighed and bit his lip before nodding

Okay, so you don’t respond, so that means you don’t return his feelings. Cool, cool, cool.

You felt his grip loosen on your waist before his hands fell to his side

But before he could turn around to put some space between you two, your hand slipped in his and softly pulled him towards you

A look of confusion crossed his face before the confusion turned into hope, and his hopeful eyes searched yours 

It was indeed now or never, so you decided to finally be bold

You leaned in

Giving him a quick peck to test the waters, you pulled back to see his reaction

But before you could even properly look at his face, Mingi pulled you back in

Your lips finally melting into each other

And man, did it feel good—amazing even.

Your arms came up to rest on his shoulders, playing with the hair on the base of his neck

While he held your waist with one arm, the other one came up to cup your cheek

Pulling back from his lips, you rested your forehead against his

“So, does this mean you love me too?” He grinned

You playfully rolled your eyes before nodding

“I thought kissing you like that would answer that question.”

“Hmm, I don’t know, I’m not convinced yet.” Mingi jokes 

“I think you should kiss me some more to fully convince me.”

This earned him a slap on his shoulder and a roll of your eyes, but of course you would happily kiss him 

“To confirm with you, yes, I love you too. Very much so, and I have felt this way for a long time now as well.”

You gave him a small peck on his lips

“You, Song Mingi, are the most beautiful person I know, inside and out. I don’t know what I would do without you.” 

Grinning at you, his hands came up to cup your face

With soft smiles and lovestruck eyes, you kept gazing at each other before he pulled you in for another kiss

“Seems like the two idiots finally did something about it,” Yunho was the first to speak up after the group was silently watching your conversation

Nari was the first one to reply to Yunho, side-eyeing him 

“This could have happened way earlier if someone didn’t snatch Mingi away when she tried to bunk up with him.” 

This resulted in a banter between your friends, who didn’t realize that you and Mingi decided to go back to the villa to make up for lost time

After all, they wouldn’t come back to the villa for a long time, especially after the others came back to join the rest at the main stage and noticed that you and Mingi had disappeared 

And you had definitely switched rooms with Yunho

It took a while for you and Mingi to confess, but you wouldn’t have it any other way

Because you already built a good relationship with him, before involving romantic feelings 

And now you could have him in every way you want ;)

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When Hyunjin opened the door to your shared apartment, the smell of different spices hit him first. A little bit confused, he took off his shoes and put down his stuff before walking further into the apartment. He could hear your daily Spotify playlist playing over the speakers in the living room. His feet carried him through the apartment in search of you.

Hyunjin had a long day at work and couldn’t wait to feel your arms wrap around him while he took you into his embrace. He had to stay in the studio a few hours longer than expected because the songs they were working on were not really coming along as they had hoped. Chan tried his best to get it done as fast as possible, but he’s no superhero with superpowers. Sometimes it takes a little bit more work and time to get things done.

Normally, Hyunjin didn’t mind working a few hours longer than planned. That was before he met you, though. Before he met you, he often felt lonely. Sometimes it wasn’t a bad feeling, knowing he could be home as late as he wanted without having to consider anyone else with whom he shared his private life. At other times, he longed for the touch of a partner. He longed for intimate touches but also quick, fleeting ones—kissing his partner goodbye before leaving for work, coming home to cuddle in the late hours of the night, moonlight peeking through the bedroom window.

He found all of that when he met you, and he couldn’t be more grateful for it.

The tension and stress of the long workday began to settle in the muscles of his shoulders and neck. He could use a massage, preferably from you while you left soft kisses on his skin in between, he thought.

As he approached the kitchen, he could hear you humming along with the music. A soft smile graced his face as he stopped to just listen to you. You hadn’t heard him come in yet and were still focused on preparing Hyunjin’s favorite home-cooked meal. Cutting up the ingredients, you added them to the pan on the stove before seasoning everything just right.

Hyunjin watched you work for a few minutes before making himself known. Hearing his footsteps approaching, you let out a small yelp, placing a hand over your heart. “Oh my god, you scared me for a second, Hyune.” His face showed amusement at your reaction. “I didn’t hear you come in. I’m making your favorite meal, though.” You set down the cutlery and wiped your hands with a kitchen towel.

“I figured, but I didn’t want to disturb you. I love to watch you cook.” He took you in his embrace, and you wrapped your arms around him. By the way he leaned into you, you could feel how tired he was. “Long day?”

You felt him nod against you, still holding you close. “So busy, it’s stressful.” You peeked at his face and saw tiredness etched across his features. Giving him a soft peck on the lips, you stepped out of his arms and turned your attention back to the food on the stove, stirring it. Hyunjin came up behind you and wrapped his arms around your frame again, resting his head on your shoulder to watch as you cooked. You hummed along to the music once more, and Hyunjin soaked in the moment. Coming home to you cooking his favorite meal and taking care of him after such a long day was one of the best things in his life.

He absolutely loved his idol life, his career, and all the opportunities he’d had since debuting, but nothing beat this feeling with you—coming home to you, holding you, loving you, and being loved by you. He thanked the gods for the day when he bumped into you after you walked out of the coffee shop. Your drink had spilled all over you, and you were ready to get angry at the person who’d caused the mess. When you looked up, it felt like time stood still for a moment. He was the most beautiful man you’d ever laid eyes on, and you almost wanted to apologize for him bumping into you.

Hyunjin felt the same spark when your eyes met, and his breath caught in his throat. Even with your drink spilled all over your white shirt —which was totally his fault— you still looked gorgeous. Eventually, he made it up to you by buying you a new drink. You two started talking and haven’t stopped to this day.

“Go sit down, baby. I’ll pour you a glass of wine and finish up cooking.” Hyunjin let out a soft sigh as you turned around to get him a glass. He smiled to himself and headed to the bedroom to change. After returning to the living room, he saw a glass of red wine on the coffee table and noticed his favorite movie was already starting on the TV.

“What would I do without them,” he whispered to himself. He settled down on the couch, in his favorite spot, and took a sip of the wine. Finally relaxing, he thought, turning his attention to the TV. After a few minutes, he felt your hands on his shoulders. Softly, you began to massage his tense muscles, and he let his head fall back, closing his eyes. Your hands felt like heaven.

You continued the massage in silence, with the sounds of the TV and your playlist in the background. “Do you want to talk about your day?” you asked after a minute. A sigh left his lips, and he opened his eyes to look up at you. “Nothing special, we just needed to finish this song. It was just a long day.” You nodded and gave him a quick kiss on the forehead. “I’ll get two plates, and we can eat in front of the TV. Don’t move, mister.” Hyunjin chuckled, already missing your touch as you went back into the kitchen.

He heard you rummaging around, and after a few minutes, you reappeared with two plates. Sitting down next to him, you handed him his. You ate in comfortable silence, watching the movie you’d put on for him. After dinner, you quickly cleaned the plates and loaded the dishwasher. Hyunjin tried to help, but you motioned for him to stay seated and relax.

“You’re the best, you know that?” he said as you came back with more wine. You sat down and poured him another glass. “You work so hard. I thought I’d surprise you with your favorite meal. It’s the least I could do.”

You smiled softly at him and tucked a strand of hair behind his ear. His hand came up to hold yours, and he left a small kiss on the back of your hand. Even though the gesture was small, it still gave you butterflies. Setting down your glass, you turned to him. “Are you fully relaxed now?” He nodded. “I think so. Thank you for taking care of me, baby.”

“Always.” You leaned closer and gave him a soft kiss. “I thought about running you a hot bath, and maybe I can join you?” Hyunjin hummed in agreement and kissed you again. “I think that’s a great idea. Afterward, I can properly thank you for taking care of me.” He pulled back with a smirk on his lips. You saw his gaze darken slightly and nodded, your hands running up his chest before resting at the nape of his neck. Leaning in for another kiss, you whispered seductively, “I think I love that proposal.”

. ܁₊ ⊹ . ܁˖ . ܁. ܁₊ ⊹ . ܁˖ . ܁. ܁₊ ⊹ . ܁˖ . ܁. ܁₊ ⊹ . ܁˖ . ܁