#parlay

synopsis; you worked a part-time job in retail. It wasn’t the most enjoyable job, but it was manageable—at least until a new hire showed up and threw your routine into a huge mess.

006. PARLAY

half written

monday morning came faster than you wanted it to.

you woke up feeling like your body had been carved from exhaustion and regret. every time you shut your eyes, you could still feel keonho’s arms around you — steady, warm, real. and that was the problem. it was real.

it had already been a week since the incident, for god’s sake.

you groaned into your pillow. maybe if you didn’t think about it, it would stop replaying in your head. maybe if you just ignored him for a few more days, the memory would fade.

easier said than done.

by the time you got to school, you already spotted him leaning against the lockers outside your first-period class, headphones around his neck, grinning at something juhoons said. the sight made your chest tighten.

you instantly turned the other way.

you’d made it a solid three minutes into pretending he didn’t exist when you heard your name.

“yn!”

you froze. his voice was way too close.

“oh, hey,” you said without looking up, feigning nonchalance while you shoved your books into your locker.

he tilted his head, trying to catch your eye. “me and james were just talking about the fair on saturday — you going?”

“oh. uh, i don’t know,” you mumbled, keeping your tone clipped.

he frowned, stepping a little closer. “are you okay? you left pretty quick on sunday. i wanted to walk you, but—”

“I’m fine,” you interrupted, a bit too fast. “really. it was just a long day.”

the awkward silence that followed made you want to crawl into the locker and live there forever. you could feel him studying you, the way your voice wavered, how your hands fidgeted with your lock.

“you sure?” he asked softly.

“100%”

you didn’t wait for him to respond. you grabbed your stuff and slipped into class right as the bell rang.

tuesday

you thought you could avoid him easier at work. you were wrong.

he showed up fifteen minutes early for his shift, just as you were folding clothes.

“hey,” he greeted, tone cautious — like he was approaching a stray cat that might bolt.

you didn’t look up. “hey.”

“uh, did you get the new shipment list? i think manager lee wanted us to—”

“already did it,” you interrupted, forcing your voice to sound busy. “shelves are stocked too.”

“oh. right.”

silence.

“you, uh… need help with—”

“nope.”

you kept moving, cleaning the same spot twice just to avoid turning around. when you finally glanced over your shoulder, he was still standing there, watching you with that frustrated, helpless expression that made your chest ache.

wednesday

“are you going to avoid him forever?” iroha asked, resting her chin in her hand as she watched you sip your matcha.

“i’m not avoiding him,” you said sternly — but both she and wonhee raised their brows.

“you know he’s not stupid,” iroha said. “he definitely knows you are avoiding him.”

“i still don’t understand why you’re doing that,” wonhee added, turning to look at you. “you know he didn’t mean any harm.”

you groaned, hiding your face in your hands. “i know he didn’t! i just—” your voice dropped, “i just feel too embarrassed.”

“stop being such a dummy and talk to him.” iroha smacked your shoulder and sat beside you.

“yeah, i don’t wanna keep seeing him all sad,” wonhee added with a smile. “it’s starting to make me feel bad.”

you peeked up at them and sighed, defeated. “fine, i’ll talk to him. soon.”

“great,” iroha said, snatching your matcha. “now stop abusing my discount, this is your fifth time this week!”

“hey!” you whined as she took a sip, while wonhee laughed.

thursday

the day of the quiz. you’d been dreading it, not because of math, but because you sat with keonho. quiz days always felt like eternity.

he didn’t say much this time, just offered you a small smile when you sat down. you forced one back, but it didn’t reach your eyes.

he didn’t talk to you at all during class. no jokes, no dumb doodles in the margins of your notes, no quiet laughter under his breath.

maybe wonhee was right. maybe he was upset — maybe he’d finally given up trying.

and that realization stung more than you expected.

you knew you’d messed up.

saturday

manager lee waved at you. “i’m going to the café, want anything?”

you shook your head. “i’m good.”

“okay!” his footsteps faded, and silence filled the shop.

you focused on wiping tables, pretending the sound of the rag against the wood was so interesting. keonho, meanwhile, was rearranging clothes, for ten minutes straight.

finally, he sighed. “are we gonna keep doing this forever?”

you froze. “doing what?”

“this.” he gestured between you. “you avoiding me like i have the plague.”

“you didn’t do anything,” you said automatically.

“then why won’t you talk to me?” his voice cracked a little. “you won’t look at me, you won’t answer my texts, you act like i’m some kind of stranger.”

you clenched your jaw, setting the rag down. “i just need space, okay?”

“space from what?”

you opened your mouth — then shut it.

he took a slow step closer, eyes searching your face. “yn, if it’s about that night—”

“it is,” you snapped. “you shouldn’t have seen me like that.”

the words tumbled out before you could stop them.

“i don’t… i don’t like people seeing me like that, okay? crying, shaking — it’s pathetic. i hate it. and you—” you laughed weakly, “—you were there. you saw all of it.”

he looked stunned for a second, then said gently, “yn, you weren’t pathetic. you were scared. that’s normal.”

“not for me,” you muttered.

“then maybe it should be,” he said quietly. “you don’t always have to hold it together, you know? you can be scared, or upset, or whatever — and i’ll still be here.”

you finally looked up, eyes glassy. “why?”

he blinked, then smiled faintly. “because i care about you.”

the words hung there, soft and raw.

you exhaled shakily, forcing a small laugh.

“so… are we okay now?”

you nodded.

he smiled, stepping closer until you could see the warmth flickering in his eyes. “are you okay?”

you hesitated — then nodded. “yeah. i’m okay.”

his shoulders sagged in relief. “thank god. i was starting to go crazy.”

you bit your lip, laughing softly. “sorry for being such an asshole over something so small.”

“yeah, you kinda were,” he teased.

you punched his arm lightly. “hey!”

he laughed, rubbing the spot dramatically. “kidding! …sort of.”

you rolled your eyes but couldn’t help smiling.

his voice softened. “it wasn’t something small though. it was a vulnerable moment. i get it.”

you looked down, unsure what to say. “thank you,” you whispered.

he smiled.

a beat passed. then—

“now,” he said, crossing his arms, “reply to all the tiktoks i sent you.”

“you sent, like, a billion!” you groaned.

“don’t care.”

you laughed, the tension finally breaking, and for the first time all week, it felt easy again.

and maybe that was enough for now — the quiet ease of knowing you were both still here.

masterlist | prev | next

a/n; lol ik i said i was going to post this yesterday but i fell asleep after school and woke up at 4 am! anyhow, not fixing any errors cs im lazy asfff, hope u enjoyed lmk!