Things He Never Throws Away
pairing: bf! soobin x f!reader
genre: FLUFFFF, established relationship, slice of life
word count: 712
sum. you discovered that Soobin secretly keeps small, seemingly meaningless items...
The first time you realized Soobin kept things, it was by accident.
You werenât supposed to see it.
Heâd left his notebook open on the desk while he went to grab something, and you, being youâleaned over out of boredom more than curiosity.
It wasnât notes. It was⊠random. A receipt. A dried leaf. A candy wrapper.
You frowned slightly, flipping the page.
A movie ticket stub.
Another pageâthere was a tiny pressed flower, carefully taped down. And then...
Your handwriting.
You froze.
It was just a scrap of paper. Torn, slightly crumpled, with a messy âdonât forget to eat!!!â written in your rushed handwriting, complete with three aggressively drawn exclamation marks.
You remembered writing it. Youâd shoved it into his hand weeks ago when he skipped lunch again.
ââŠwhat are you doing?â
You nearly jumped.
Soobin was standing in the doorway, staring at you. Not angryâjust⊠caught.
âI...uhââ You gestured helplessly at the notebook. âYou collect trash?â
His ears turned red almost instantly. âItâs not trash.â
âItâs literally a candy wrapper.â
âIt was from that place you like,â he muttered, walking over quickly and closing the notebook.
You blinked. ââŠyou kept it because of that?â
He didnât answer. Which, honestly, was an answer.
You leaned against the desk, crossing your arms. âOkay, but the leaf?â
ââŠyou said it looked like a heart.â
You triedâreally triedânot to smile.
âAnd the receipt?â âYou were complaining about the price for ten minutes.â âI still stand by that,â you said immediately. âIt was overpriced.â
A pause.
Then, softer, you added, âSo you kept it?â
He shrugged, avoiding your eyes. âI just⊠keep things.â
âThings,â you repeated slowly. âYeah.â âThat remind you of me?â
Silence.
He scratched the back of his neck, clearly debating whether to deny it or not.
ââŠmaybe.â
That did it.
You laughed, not in a teasing way, but something warmerâsomething that made him glance at you, slightly confused.
âThatâs kind of cute, Soobin.â
âItâs not supposed to be cute,â he mumbled.
âToo late.â
He looked like he wanted to argue, but didnât. Instead, he sat down, pulling the notebook closer to him like you might steal it.
You leaned down slightly, peeking at the edge. âWhat else is in there?â
âNothing.â âLiar.â âItâs just random stuff.â âShow me.â âNo.â
âShow me,â you insisted, nudging his arm.
He held firm for a secondâthen sighed, like he knew he wasnât going to win anyway.
âFine. But donât laugh.â âI wonât.â
You absolutely would.
He opened it slowly this time, flipping through the pages himself. There was more than you expected.
A bus ticket. A photo booth stripâyour faces slightly blurry because you wouldnât stop moving. A sticky note with a badly drawn star (yours again).
And thenâ
You pointed. âWait, thatâs fromââ
âYeah,â he said quietly.
It was from a day you barely remembered mentioning. Something small, insignificant to you.
But he had it. Saved. Pressed between pages like it mattered.
ââŠyouâre really serious about this, huh?â you said, softer now.
He didnât look embarrassed anymore. Just honest.
âI forget things easily,â he admitted. âSo I keep stuff instead.â
You tilted your head. âBut these are all⊠me.â ââŠyeah.â
There was no hesitation that time.
Something in your chest shifted.
Carefully, you reached out, touching the edge of the page where your messy note was taped down.
âYou know,â you said, voice quieter than before, âyou donât have to keep pieces of paper to remember me.â
He looked at you then, really looked.
âI know,â he said.
A small pause. ââŠbut I want to.â
That landed heavier than anything else heâd said. You didnât tease him this time. Didnât laugh. Instead, you tore a small piece from your own notebook, quickly scribbling something before placing it in front of him.
He blinked. âWhatâs this?â
âAdd it to your collection,â you said.
Suspicious, he picked it up. âyouâre cute too (but donât get used to it)â
His lips pressed together, like he was trying not to smile.
Failed.
ââŠthis oneâs staying,â he said. âObviously.â
He carefully tucked it into the notebook, smoothing it out like it was something fragile.
And for the first time, you noticedâ
He wasnât just keeping things. He was keeping moments. And somehow, without you realizing...
Heâd been keeping you, too.
---- m.list













