#seventeen request

Xu Minghao. 

Your fingers tighten around the edge of your desk as Jihyo leans over your shoulder. "No way," she whispers. "It’s him? The artist you've been trying to track down is him?"

It almost doesn’t feel real. The elusive, secretive artist whose work has been making waves in the industry—the one you’ve been assigned to collaborate with for the upcoming exhibit—is none other than the person you once thought might be your forever. 

The one who slipped away from you like a dream fading in the morning light.And now, after years of silence, you have a meeting scheduled with him.

You exhale slowly, trying to push down the sudden wave of emotions threatening to rise. It's been years. Maybe he’s changed. Maybe you have. But there’s no denying that the name on your screen still has the power to shake you.

Jihyo nudges your shoulder. “Are you okay?”

You nod, though you’re not entirely sure if it’s true.

“I mean, what are the odds?” she says, still staring at the screen like it might change if she blinks enough times. “Are you gonna go?”

You give her a look. “Of course, I have to. It’s my job.”

“Yeah, but—” she pauses, studying you. “It’s him. You never really told me what happened between you two.”

You swallow, memories flashing through your mind—late-night conversations, whispered laughter, the way he used to look at you like you were the only person in the room. And then, the goodbye that came too soon.

“I don’t know,” you admit. “We just… lost each other.”

Jihyo hums, clearly not satisfied with that answer but choosing not to push. Instead, she gestures toward your laptop. “Well, whatever happened, you’re about to see him again. Are you ready for that?”

You glance at the email again, at the date and time of the meeting.

Ready or not, it’s happening.

The café you picked for the meeting is quiet, tucked away from the usual crowd. You arrived early, nerves buzzing under your skin, but you kept your posture composed. Professional. This is just work.

When Minghao walks in, the air seems to shift. He’s just as you remember—tall, effortlessly graceful, his presence commanding without trying. His dark eyes scan the space before they land on you.

“Hey,” he says simply, sliding into the seat across from you like this is the most casual thing in the world.

Like nothing ever happened.

Your grip tightens around your coffee cup. “Thanks for coming.”

He nods, leaning back slightly. “You were persistent.” There’s a ghost of amusement in his tone, but nothing more. No flicker of recognition beyond what’s expected. No acknowledgment of the past you once shared.

Jihyo, sitting beside you, clears her throat. “So, you two know each other?”

You hesitate. Minghao beats you to it.

“We used to.” His voice is light, indifferent. “It’s been a long time.”

That’s it. No warmth, no curiosity. Just a fact, stated and discarded.

Jihyo shoots you a glance, one eyebrow raised, but you can’t meet her eyes. Instead, you straighten your shoulders and force a professional tone. “Let’s talk about the exhibit.”

You pull out your tablet, tapping the screen to bring up the exhibit’s concept proposal. Your fingers are steady, your voice even as you start outlining the details, but you can feel Jihyo’s gaze flickering toward you every so often. She’s noticed. Of course, she has.

“This exhibit is designed to focus on themes of anonymity and identity,” you explain, keeping your tone neutral, professional. “Your work fits seamlessly with that concept. The way you obscure figures, distort reality—it makes the viewer question what’s real and what’s hidden beneath the surface.”

Minghao listens, his face unreadable. He nods slightly but doesn’t interrupt.

You glance up, trying to gauge his reaction, but his expression gives away nothing. This version of him—cool, detached—feels foreign to you. The Minghao you knew was quiet but warm, his words sparse but meaningful. You remember the way his gaze used to linger, the way his laughter felt like a secret just for you.

But this man in front of you? He might as well be a stranger.

Still, you push through, keeping your voice steady. 

“We’ll be dedicating an entire section to your work. Since you prefer anonymity, we can arrange for all communication to go through me directly—unless you’d like to be more involved in the curation process?”

Minghao tilts his head slightly, considering. “I trust your judgment.”

Something about the way he says it, so detached, makes something tighten in your chest.

“Then we’ll handle the layout and let you approve before finalizing. I’d also like to discuss any specific pieces you have in mind.”

Minghao hums, fingers lightly tapping against the table. “I’ll send over a selection tonight.”

And just like that, it’s all business. No hesitation, no awkwardness on his part. It’s like the years apart never happened. Like you never meant anything more than a fleeting acquaintance.

Jihyo clears her throat, leaning forward slightly. “So, Mr. Xu,” she says, feigning casual interest

“Minghao is fine”

“Right, sorry. Minghao, I heard you go way back, huh?”

You shoot her a sharp glance, but she ignores it.

Minghao, to your frustration, remains utterly unbothered. He gives a slight nod. “Yeah. We knew each other a long time ago.”

That’s it. No elaboration. No emotion.

“Minghao, we’d also like to arrange a preview event before the full opening—”

Jihyo leans back in her chair, clearly unimpressed with your deflection, but she lets it slide. For now.

The meeting continues, all smooth efficiency and professional formality. You and Minghao exchange words, but none of them are personal. Nothing slips through. Still, you can feel it. That undercurrent of something unresolved.

The office is quiet except for the rhythmic clicking of your keyboard as you work on the proposal layout. You’re determined to focus, to push past whatever lingering tension is still curling in your chest from the meeting. Minghao is just another artist, and this is just another exhibit. That’s all.

At least, that’s what you keep telling yourself.

Then, from the corner of your eye, you see Jihyo.

She doesn’t say anything at first. Just slowly rolls her chair over to your desk. The wheels squeak slightly against the floor, making her approach all the more dramatic. You pretend not to notice.

She stops right beside you, hands folded in her lap. Waits.

You continue typing, expression neutral.

Jihyo exhales. “So…”

You keep typing.

She leans in. “Who was Minghao to you?”

You knew this was coming. You let out a slow breath, still focused on the screen. “An artist I’m working with.”

Jihyo makes a noise—a mix between a scoff and a laugh. “Oh, please.” She swivels her chair so she’s directly facing you. “I may not have known you when you two were a thing, but I know you now, and you were not normal back there.”

You sigh, finally looking at her. “Jihyo—”

She lifts a finger. “No. Don’t ‘Jihyo’ me. The tension at that table? I could taste it. And I don’t even know what flavor it was. Bitterness? Regret? Unresolved yearning?”

You groan, letting your head drop onto your desk. “Can we not?”

Jihyo pats your shoulder. “Oh, we absolutely can.” Then, after a pause, she adds, “But we won’t.”

You lift your head just enough to glare at her. “It was a long time ago.”

Jihyo tilts her head. “And yet, here we are.”

You open your mouth to argue, but nothing comes out. Because she’s right. You did react. You did feel something. And the fact that Minghao acted like nothing ever happened? That stung more than you’d like to admit.

Jihyo smirks, clearly seeing the conflict on your face. “Look, I’m just saying… If this were a movie, this would be the part where you two have a dramatic, emotionally charged confrontation in the rain.”

You deadpan. “We’re curating an art exhibit, not starring in a K-drama.”

Jihyo grins. “Yet.”

The exhibit venue is quiet when you arrive. Sunlight filters through the tall windows, casting long shadows on the polished floors. You exhale, taking in the open space, already visualizing how the pieces will be arranged.

You came alone on purpose.

After the meeting with Minghao, you needed a moment to clear your head. No distractions, no lingering stares, no best friend dramatically rolling her chair toward you demanding answers. 

Just you and the work.

You move toward the center of the room, pulling out your tablet to review the layout. The space is perfect—high ceilings, just the right balance of natural and artificial light. The way the walls curve will complement Minghao’s pieces beautifully. You can already imagine the way his art will breathe life into the room.

You’re so focused that you don’t notice someone else entering. Minghao stands near the entrance, hands in the pockets of his coat, eyes scanning the space before they land on you.

Your fingers tighten around your tablet. “I didn’t know you’d be here.”

He shrugs slightly. “I wanted to see the space for myself.” His voice is calm, casual like running into each other is just another normal occurrence. Like you didn’t sit across from each other yesterday, pretending you were just two professionals who had never been anything else.

You nod, forcing yourself to mirror his indifference. “It’s a good venue. Your pieces will stand out here.”

Minghao steps further inside, gaze flickering over the walls, the lighting, the empty space waiting to be filled. “It suits the theme.”

There’s a beat of silence. You shift your weight slightly, debating whether to say something more, but Minghao speaks first.

“You always wanted to do this, didn’t you?”

You blink, caught off guard. “What?”

“This.” He gestures loosely around the venue. “Curating. Putting together exhibits. I remember you talking about it.”

You stare at him for a moment, something unreadable in his expression. He remembers?

You shake it off, nodding. “Yeah. I worked for it.”

Minghao hums in acknowledgment, stepping closer. “You’re good at it.”

It’s a simple statement, but something about it makes your breath hitch. You tell yourself it’s just the surprise of hearing him say it, not the warmth curling at the edges of your chest.

You clear your throat, shifting the conversation back. “We’ll need to finalize the layout soon. If you have any specific requirements for how your pieces should be displayed, now’s the time to bring them up.”

Minghao looks at you, something unreadable flickering in his gaze. “I trust your judgment.”

It’s the second time he’s said that, and yet, it still feels different coming from him.

For a moment, the weight of the past lingers in the space between you. But then, Minghao turns, walking further into the venue, and just like that, the moment is gone.

You pull up the digital floor plan on your tablet, stepping to the center of the space as Minghao watches. “The main area will have the larger installations,” you begin, voice steady, professional. “We want visitors to be drawn in immediately, so we’re positioning the most visually striking pieces here.”

Minghao nods slightly, his gaze sweeping across the room, already visualizing it. “This section will be more intimate. It’s meant to slow people down, to make them pause and really engage with the work rather than just passing through.”

You continue walking, feeling yourself getting more absorbed in the details. You’re in your element now curating, shaping the experience, making sure every piece has a purpose.

Then, you stop in front of a particular section of the room.

There’s something about this space. The way the light falls, the way it feels slightly tucked away yet still open. You can see it. something important should go here. Something that holds weight. But for some reason, the words to explain it won’t come out the way you want them to.

You frown slightly, trying to find the right phrasing. “This part—there’s just something about it,” you say, gesturing vaguely. “It’s like… I don’t know, it feels different from the rest of the space, like it—”

You cut yourself off, frustrated, but before you can try again, Minghao speaks.

“I can see that.”

You turn to him. He’s looking at the space, his expression soft, thoughtful. Then, he smiles—small, barely there, but real.

“You’re right,” he says simply.

And just like that, you know he understands. Exactly what you meant, even when you couldn’t find the words.

After walking through the space, you decide to stop by the small café tucked inside the venue. You were planning on going alone just a quick coffee before heading back to finalize more details but Minghao follows.

You don’t say anything as you both order, and he doesn’t make a move to leave once you find a quiet corner to sit. It’s not awkward, exactly. 

Just… unexpected.

Then, as you stir your drink absentmindedly, he asks,

“How have you been?”

You blink, looking up at him. There’s no bitterness in his tone, no underlying anger or resentment. Just a simple question, asked like it’s the most natural thing in the world.

You hesitate for a moment before answering honestly. “I’ve been better.”

Minghao nods slightly, as if he expected that. He doesn’t push, doesn’t ask for details. Just lets your words settle between you. For some reason, that makes it harder to breathe.

Minghao watches you for a moment, fingers curled loosely around his cup. Then, in that quiet, thoughtful way of his, he says,

“You look good. More at peace.”

You freeze. Not because of the words themselves, but because of what he means.

He’s not just saying you look good. He’s talking about then. About the person you were when you left him. The version of you who didn’t know what to say, who let silence build walls between you both until there was no way back.

The wrong person at the right time.

You swallow, gripping your cup a little tighter. “I guess time does that.”

Minghao hums in response, gaze still steady, like he’s seeing through you rather than just looking. But he doesn’t say anything more.

You take a sip of your drink, staring down at the foam swirling in your cup. The air between you and Minghao isn’t heavy, but it isn’t entirely light either. It’s balanced on the edge of something unspoken. Something that neither of you seem willing to reach for.

Still, if he can acknowledge you, then you can do the same for him.

“You’ve done well for yourself,” you say, setting your cup down. “Your work is everywhere now. People are obsessed with figuring out the artist behind it all.”

Minghao exhales a small laugh, tilting his head slightly. “That wasn’t really the goal.”

You nod, because you know that. He never cared for fame, only the art itself. “Still. Congratulations.”

His eyes flicker to yours, and for a second, there’s something unreadable in his gaze. “Thanks.”

You lean back in your seat, studying him in a way you hadn’t let yourself before. He’s still him—still thoughtful, still composed—but there’s something different now. A certain ease in his presence.

“I always thought you’d make it,” you admit quietly. “Even back then.”

Minghao watches you, his expression unreadable. “Yeah?”

You nod, a small smile tugging at your lips. “Of course. You were never meant to be small. It was just a matter of time before people realized how good you are.”

There’s a flicker of something in his eyes—something like surprise, something softer. He looks down at his cup, fingers tracing the rim. “You were the first person who ever said that to me.”

Your heart stumbles over itself for a moment. “I was?”

Minghao nods, gaze still on his drink. “Yeah.”

You sit with that for a moment, the weight of it settling between you. Back then, you were the one who saw it—the potential, the brilliance in him before the rest of the world did. You wonder if he remembers the late nights spent in quiet corners, sketchbooks spread out between you, his voice low as he talked about what he wanted to create.

You wonder if he remembers how much you believed in him.

Minghao lifts his head again, his gaze steady. “And you?” he asks. “Are you where you thought you’d be?”

The question catches you off guard.

You let out a slow breath, considering it. “I don’t know,” you say honestly. “I worked for this, and I love what I do. But… I don’t think I ever imagined it exactly like this.”

Minghao nods like he understands. Maybe he does. Then silence settles again, but this time, it doesn’t feel so sharp.

Maybe, after all these years, you’re both learning how to sit with unfinished conversations.

You don’t expect the call.

It’s late in the afternoon when your phone buzzes, Minghao’s name flashing across the screen. For a second, you just stare at it, debating whether to answer. But curiosity wins over hesitation, and you press the call button.

“I need to show you something,” he says, skipping the pleasantries.

You blink. “What?”

“My studio,” he says simply. “Come by if you can.”

And just like that, you’re standing outside his studio a few hours later, staring at the discreet entrance of a space you never expected to see. Minghao lets you in without a word, leading you through a warmly lit, open space that’s somehow both chaotic and meticulous. Canvases lean against the walls, paintbrushes sit in jars, and sketchbooks are stacked on nearly every surface.

It smells like paint, ink, and something distinctly him.

You take your time looking around, scanning the pieces scattered throughout the room. Some are finished, others half-done, waiting for something only Minghao knows. His style has evolved—bolder, more refined—but you can still see the traces of the artist you once knew.

Then your eyes land on something unexpected.

A random piece of paper, slightly worn at the edges, tucked between a few sketchbooks. And on it—

You.

A sketch, delicate and detailed, as if he had drawn it absentmindedly but with careful intent. The lines are softer than his usual work, more personal.

It looks like he made it a long time ago.

Your breath catches for just a second. You carefully pick up the paper, running your fingers over the edges. “This is…”

Minghao glances over, his expression unreadable. He doesn’t look surprised that you found it.

You look at him. “You kept this?”

He holds your gaze for a moment before shrugging. “It was never meant to be thrown away.”

There’s something in his voice—something quiet, something real—that makes your chest feel too tight. Minghao doesn’t acknowledge the sketch any further. No explanation, no lingering stares, no sentimental comments. Just a simple, indifferent shift in attention—like it was nothing at all. Like it wasn’t a quiet echo of something neither of you had spoken about in years.

Instead, he steps past you, gesturing toward a set of canvases against the wall. “These are the pieces I’m considering for the exhibit.” His tone is smooth, professional. As if the last few minutes never happened.

You exhale, steadying yourself before setting the sketch down carefully. If he wants to act like it wasn’t there, like it didn’t just pull you backward in time, then fine. Business as usual.

“I want this one in the main space,” Minghao says, tapping a particular canvas. It’s bold—strong lines, movement that commands attention. It’s exactly the kind of piece that pulls people in.

You nod. “It’ll work well as a centerpiece. We can adjust the lighting to enhance the depth here.” You gesture toward a section of the painting. “It should be the first thing people see when they enter.”

Minghao hums in agreement, moving on to the next one. He explains the intention behind each piece, his voice calm, collected. You listen, taking notes, asking the necessary questions. You keep your posture straight, your tone even. Like you’re just a curator working with an artist.

Like you didn’t just see a version of yourself from years ago, sketched on a piece of paper he never threw away.

You sit in the small office area of his studio, notebook open, pen moving as you jot down notes. Minghao sits across from you, leaning slightly against the desk, his arms folded as he explains his vision for the exhibit.

“This one should be near the entrance,” he says, tapping a photo of a piece. “It sets the tone.”

You nod, writing it down. “And the smaller installations?”

“Scattered,” he replies. “I want people to explore, not just walk through.”

You hum in understanding, scribbling another note. Your focus stays on the page, on the structure, on making sure everything is recorded properly.

Then—silence.

You don’t notice it at first, too absorbed in organizing his ideas into something tangible. But after a few beats, the quiet lingers, stretching between you like something waiting to be acknowledged.

You pause. Slowly, you look up.

Minghao is watching you.

His expression isn’t unreadable, nor is it piercing. It’s just… thoughtful. His dark eyes steady, observant, like he’s studying something beyond the notes you’re taking.

You hold his gaze, but he doesn’t speak.

It’s the way he used to look at you—when you weren’t paying attention, when you were lost in thought. Back then, you had pretended not to notice. You wonder if you should do the same now.

Instead, you blink, shifting slightly in your seat. “…What?”

Minghao’s lips curve just slightly, something almost amused flickering across his face. Then, as if nothing happened, he looks back at the notes.

“Nothing,” he says smoothly.

And just like that, he continues as if he hadn’t just looked at you like that.

Jihyo orders the second round before you even finish your first. She gives you a knowing look over the rim of her glass, waiting, letting the weight of the night settle around you. The bar is loud enough that no one else is paying attention to your conversation, but not so loud that you have an excuse to avoid it.

You sigh, pressing your fingertips against your temple. “I don’t even know where to start.”

Jihyo leans forward, eyes glinting under the dim lights. “How about the part where you and the mysterious, elusive Minghao actually have history? Because I’m still recovering from that revelation.”

You exhale a quiet laugh, shaking your head. “We met in university.”

“Uh-huh.”

“We were… close.”

Jihyo raises a brow.

You roll your eyes. “Fine. We were together. Sort of.” You take a sip of your drink, letting the warmth settle in your chest before continuing. “It wasn’t like some grand, dramatic thing. One day, it was just… us. And it made sense.”

Jihyo watches you carefully, sipping her own drink. “And then?”

You grip your glass a little tighter. “And then one day, I left.”

She stills, waiting.

You swallow, staring at the ice cubes clinking softly against the glass. “It wasn’t planned. Or maybe it was, but not in a way I let myself admit. One day, I was fine, we were fine. And then the next, I told myself it was too much. Too fast.” Your fingers trace the rim of your glass absently. “I convinced myself I needed space. That if I stepped away, I’d figure things out. And when I was ready, he’d still be there.”

Jihyo doesn’t say anything, just watching you carefully.

You let out a quiet laugh, but it’s hollow. “That was just me being selfish.”

There. You finally said it.

“I came back,” you continue, voice quieter now. “I thought—maybe I’d say something, maybe I’d fix it. But by then, he was gone. Really gone. And I couldn’t blame him for that.”

Jihyo exhales slowly. “Damn.”

You huff out a weak laugh. “Yeah.”

She tilts her head, eyes searching yours. “And now?”

Now.

Now, you’re a curator, standing across from him in a professional setting, acting like none of it ever happened. Now, he’s a well-known artist, more self-assured, more composed, as if the years that passed had only refined him.

Now, you sit here, trying to be happy for him. And you are.

But there are moments—like when he looked at you in his studio, like when he spoke about his art the way he always used to—when you wish you met now.

When you wish he met this version of you.

You shake your head, forcing a small smile. “It doesn’t matter. He’s doing well. I’m happy for him.”

Jihyo gives you a long look, then sighs, taking another sip of her drink. “You can be happy for someone and still wish things were different.”

You close your eyes briefly, exhaling. “Yeah.”

Neither of you say anything for a while, just letting the weight of old memories and unfinished stories settle between you.

Then Jihyo knocks back the rest of her drink and slaps a hand on the table. “Okay, I love you, but that was depressing as hell. We need another round.”

You let out a real laugh this time, shaking your head. “Fine. One more.”

Jihyo grins. “Atta girl.”

And for now, that’s enough.

A few days later you go back to check the venue. With the event fast approaching you wanted to make sure everything is perfect.

The venue is quiet, save for the occasional shuffling of canvases and the soft hum of the overhead lights. It’s late—too late for the rest of the team to still be here—but you stayed behind, double-checking the placements, making sure everything looked just right.

Your footsteps echo lightly as you walk through the space, stopping in front of one particular painting.

It’s larger than you remember.

You know this piece. Or rather, you know the first version of it, the one that used to sit in Minghao’s dorm back in university. He had painted it late one night, the room dimly lit, colors swirling on the canvas as he worked in quiet concentration. You remembered watching him, sitting on the floor with your back against his bed, knees pulled to your chest.

A voice breaks through the stillness.

“I didn’t think you’d still remember that.”

You turn to see Minghao a few steps away, hands tucked into his pockets. He isn’t surprised to see you here. Maybe he expected it.

Your lips curve slightly. “Of course I remember.” You glance back at the painting. “It’s right here.”

Minghao steps closer, stopping beside you. His gaze lingers on the canvas, something unreadable in his expression.

“This was the first piece I ever made public,” he says after a moment.

You blink, turning to him. “Really?”

He nods. “After you left, I thought about getting rid of it.” He exhales, tilting his head slightly. “But I couldn’t. So instead, I made it bigger. And when the time came to submit something for my first exhibit, I chose this.”

Something tightens in your chest.

You look up at him. His expression isn’t unreadable, nor is it particularly wistful. He’s just… there. Present. Real.

And maybe that’s enough. Maybe some stories don’t need rewriting. Maybe some things aren’t meant to be undone, only understood.

You look back at the painting, taking in every stroke, every layer of color. It’s the same, but it’s different. Like you. Like him. Like everything that’s changed between you.

You swallow, voice quieter now. “So this was it. The start.”

Minghao nods, his voice just as soft. “Yeah.”

You don’t know what else to say.

The painting stretches before you, a silent testament to the history you share—one that neither of you ever really put into words. You keep your gaze on the painting, the familiar swirls of color pulling you back to a time when things were simpler—when you didn’t question what you meant to each other, when you just were.

Your voice is quiet when you ask, “Why this?”

Minghao doesn’t answer right away. He stands beside you, hands still tucked in his pockets, his head tilted slightly as he looks at the painting.

Then, after a long pause, he says, “Because I thought even if we parted ways we were still under the same stars.”

Your breath catches.

His voice is steady, like he isn’t saying something that shakes you. Like it’s just a simple truth. “And maybe,” he continues, softer now, “somewhere, on rare days… you think of me too.”

You blink, staring at the painting but not really seeing it anymore.

Because the thing is...

he’s right.

There were days, rare but sharp, when your mind drifted to him. When a passing song or a quiet night sky would remind you of a version of yourself you hadn’t spoken to in years. A version that had loved him, once. A version that had left.

You exhale slowly. “I did.” A pause. “I do.”

Minghao doesn’t react right away. But then, almost imperceptibly, his lips curve—just slightly, just enough for you to notice.

Neither of you say anything for a while. You just stand there, in the quiet of the venue, looking at a piece of art that holds more history than either of you are willing to say out loud.

Then, finally, Minghao shifts. “Come on,” he murmurs, glancing toward the exit. “You shouldn’t stay here this late. I’ll walk you out.”

You hesitate, just for a second. Then you nod.

But as you follow him out, you glance back one last time—at the painting, at the stars you once saw in it.

And you wonder how many times you’ve looked up at the same sky, thinking of him without realizing he was doing the same.

The event is a success.

People linger in front of Minghao’s pieces, murmuring their admiration, pointing out the details, the emotions woven into every brushstroke. Critics and collectors alike speak highly of his work, and you hear words like breathtaking and transcendent float through the air as you move through the crowd.

And yet, he’s not here.

You knew he wouldn’t be. Minghao had always been private, letting his work speak for him rather than stepping into the spotlight himself. But still, as the evening progresses and the venue slowly empties, you find yourself glancing at the entrance, wondering.

When the crowd finally dies down and most of the guests have gone, you take a quiet moment to breathe.

Then the door opens.

You turn

And there he is.

Minghao walks in without ceremony, effortlessly slipping into the space that had been dedicated to him all night. He looks around briefly, taking it all in, before his gaze finds you.

And in his hands a bouquet of flowers.

You blink, caught off guard. “You bought me flowers?”

His lips curve into something close to a smile. “It seemed fitting.”

You accept them hesitantly, fingers brushing over the petals. They’re simple, elegant not overly extravagant, but thoughtful. Like him.

He exhales, looking around at his own work before settling his gaze back on you. “It turned out even better than I imagined.”

You nod. “People loved it.”

Minghao hums, glancing at one of the paintings. Then, after a beat, he says, “Thank you.”

You look up at him, tilting your head. “For what?”

His expression softens. “Because you were the first person who ever believed in me.”

Something catches in your throat.

You think back to university, to late nights spent watching him paint, to the way you had always known—even back then—that he had something special. That the world would recognize it one day.

“I just saw what was already there,” you say quietly.

Minghao holds your gaze for a moment before letting out a small breath. “Still.”

You don’t say anything else. You just stand there, surrounded by his art, by his success, by the quiet weight of everything that has led to this moment. And this time, there’s no regret. Just something warmer, something steady. Something that feels a little like peace.

You glance down at the flowers in your hands, fingers brushing over the petals. The colors are soft, warm—not unlike the way this moment feels. When you look back up at Minghao, he’s already watching you. Not expectantly, not searching. 

Just seeing you. The way he always has.

“I’m glad we met again,” you say, voice quieter now.

Minghao’s gaze doesn’t waver. He doesn’t ask what you mean, doesn’t press for something deeper. Maybe because he already knows. You’re content to meet this version of him. And you’re happy he got to see this version of you too.

Minghao exhales softly, something unreadable flickering in his eyes. Then he nods, just once. “Me too.”

Minghao reaches into his coat pocket and pulls out a folded piece of paper. He hesitates for just a second before extending it toward you. You take it carefully, unfolding it with steady hands.

And there it is—the original sketch of his first painting. The one you used to watch him work on in that tiny university dorm, the one that reminded you of the stars. The one that started everything.

You trace the faded lines with your fingertips, feeling the weight of time in every stroke.

Minghao exhales, tilting his head slightly. “It’s fitting that you have it.”

You look up at him, surprised. “Are you sure?”

He nods. “You were the first person who saw something in it. In me.” A small pause, then, softer—“It should be yours.”

Something in your chest tightens—not with regret, not with longing, but with something steadier, something like understanding.

You fold the paper carefully, holding it close. “Thank you.”

Minghao doesn’t say anything else. He just gives you a small, knowing smile before turning back to look at his own paintings. The pieces of himself that the world finally sees.

And as you stand there, with the past in your hands and the present settling around you, you realize—this is closure.

You just wanted his first time to be special, and now you were afraid it was all ruined. 

“No, why are you apologizing? You’re doing great.”

He was laid out beneath you, already all sweaty and glowy from the heavy makeout session that had prompted the current situation. A large hand gently came in touch with one of the thighs straddling his torso, silently saying it’s okay, we’re okay. And his pupils were all blown out, and the room was dimly lit and humid. It was beautiful and perfect. He was perfect, and you were ruining it. 

It all felt completely upside down to you. That he was giving the reassuring words and the calming touches when he was supposed to be the nervous one. He didn’t look nervous at all. He sported that confident smile, the inquiring tilt of his head and he was shirtless underneath your bare thighs. 

“I just feel like I've let you down. Like I made you expect all these things for tonight, that I was supposed to be all dominating, and sexy and what not-”

“Babe, you’re literally so fucking sexy.” 

“Oh yeah, suddenly having a mental breakdown in the middle of your boyfriend's first time. So sexy of me.”

Without replying he grabbed you by the hips, giving them a gentle squeeze and locking eyes with you for permission. Your ‘yes’ was barely a whisper. Slowly, he shuffled you further down his body, so you were positioned over his cock. His hard cock. Really hard and also, really big. Not that you were surprised. 

“You feel that?” 

None of you were even moving, not even the slightest, and yet sparks of pleasure were rushing through you. He could probably feel the wetness soaking through your panties and onto the fabric covering his hard dick, but for the first time that night, you didn’t care. You didn’t care that you were nervous, you didn’t feel like you had a single expectation to live up to or promise to fulfill. He was hard, and you had barely done anything, which made you both incredibly relieved and wet. 

“M-mhm…”

When he noticed how your shoulders suddenly dropped and your jaw unclenched, he too felt all his muscles loosen up and a held back sigh escaped him. 

“You did that baby, made me so hard. Because you’re so sexy, and beautiful and hot-”

“Okay okay, I get it.” Your attempt at shutting him up was to lean down for a kiss, but he just continued to ramble and mumble onto your lips, and you realized you shouldn’t keep him waiting much longer. 

“Can I take these off?” You asked, your voice quiet as it spilled onto his lips while your fingers hooked onto the waistband of his boxers. 

“Yes, f-fuck, please.”

Before you could even have the chance though, he was ripping them off himself, so you instead took the opportunity to take your panties off, leaving you both fully naked.

“How- How do you want me?”

His question barely registered with you as his dick entered your line of sight. You had seen each other naked a few times, sure, but only for short moments while changing clothes or walking in on the other showering. Now his dick was so up close you could see every vein, every drop of precum leaking down his shaft, and you hadn’t even noticed you were practically laying on your stomach, crosseyed and nearly drooling at the sight. 

“Don’t look at it like that.” 

His voice snapped you out of your cockdrunk trance and you somehow managed to tear your eyes away from his cock. 

“I’m just admiring it.”

“Yeah, I can tell, but please don’t look at it like that for much longer, or I’ll actually cum untouched.”

You giggled lowly before crawling further up his body again. Your noses were touching and his heavy breaths tickled your lips as your hand dragged over his nipples, down his abs until it reached his cock. 

“That’d be so hot”, you whispered. Your boyfriend let out a breathy whimper in return, one you so badly wanted to hear again, so you wrapped your fingers tightly around his cock, squeezing until he was throbbing so hard you could have been convinced it was his heartbeat going straight into his dick. 

“You like the sound of that? I could touch myself in front of you, have you tied to the bed so you can’t touch me yourself, see how long you’ll last…”

He was already close. Embarrassingly close, but what was he supposed to do? For weeks before you asked him out he would simply think of something gross, like Vernons three week old laundry or the floor in the subway, whenever he accidentally popped a boner around you. But now, that was actually impossible. He couldn’t think, couldn’t see, couldn’t feel anything but you everywhere, in every corner of his mind. 

“Please, I’m so close…” The way your hand alternated between squeezing him at the base and going up and down in a fast motion, was making him dizzy. 

“I know, I know. You’ll get what you want”, your hand let go of his cock, as you resumed your position from a few moments ago, straddling him, but now with no layers of fabric between you. Your pussy radiated actual heat, and occasionally a drop of your wetness would fall onto his abs and trickle down towards his v-line, and if he didn’t get your pussy around him now he would probably faint. 

“Remind me what it is you want again?” 

This wasn’t your usual teasing. Even though your words were bratty as always, they were now laced with something different, something loving. You were smiling adoringly and your eyes were sparkling, and even though you were being so cruel, you were still so doting. 

“I Want…Want your pussy. Need it.”

You rewarded his answer with a quick kiss, before lining your entrance up with his cock and sinking down slowly. Seungkwans facial expression twisted into one of pleasure and he was muttering profanities into the air. 

“Feel okay?”

He felt more than okay. He had never felt better, but if you began to move even a single inch, he would cum, and he didn’t wanna be that guy. 

“Yeah- Yeah I’m fine just, fuck, give me a second…”

“Hm? But I thought this was what you wanted?”

Seungkwan knew you weren’t actually denying his request. You weren’t moving, and you wouldn’t unless he wanted you to. You were testing him. You had a goal, and once you went for something, there was no way Seungkwan could convince you otherwise. 

“I do! I do, I just don’t wanna-”

“But I do.” 

Your hips began to swivel back and forth on top of him. The subtle movement would have been barely noticeable had he not been so sensitive. 

“You can cum Seungkwan, it’s okay. I want it.”

When he didn’t argue further, when he looked at you with pleading eyes, you kept going, escalating the speed of your hips more and more, until your boyfriend was a wonderful mess underneath you, writhing and moaning desperately. 

“Cum for me, Seungkwan.”

Your words were the last tug pulling at the knot in his stomach. He was releasing inside of you, coating your walls in white and tensing every muscle in his body. It was only after the fact he got to see it, his eyes struggling to open from how tight they were shut, and once they landed on his cum dripping down your plush thighs onto his stomach it was as if the high just kept running through him. 

“Should I- Can I try to eat you out? Can you show me how?”

You hadn’t had expectations of cumming tonight. This was about him. That being said, you were hardly surprised that he wanted to return the favor, selfless as always.  

Your mind wandered to just a few moments ago, when you were so worried about ruining this moment. About making him uncomfortable, or doing something wrong, or not living up to his expectations. Now you were realizing that this hadn’t been about expectations at all. It had been about trust. Seungkwan trusted you enough to be his first. To show him how. 

You hid in your room for the rest of the day, not wanting another run in with Wonwoo. You figured if you could just make it until he went to bed… everything would be fine… right?

Around 10pm you slowly made your way into the kitchen, stomach protesting to the unintentional hunger strike you had taken. Walking into the kitchen you jumped when you saw him sitting down at the island reading over an article. He looked up when you walked in, surprise written on his features.

You set your jaw and ignored him, walking to the fridge to pull out a few items that didn’t need to be prepared so you could just go eat in your room.

“I’m sorry” he said gently, setting down his papers as he watched you move about the kitchen. “I went too far this morning; I didn’t mean what I said… you know that” he explained further.

You knew he didn’t mean it and yet you still wanted to punish him for saying it. Just because he didn’t mean it, doesn’t mean that it didn’t hurt. You remained silent, refusing to answer his apology. You also knew that if you opened your mouth you would end up saying something that you would regret later on.

“Are you seriously giving me the silent treatment?” he asked, his voice almost amused at your child-like response to the fight. You huffed, grabbing the food items in your arms and moving back towards your room.

You spent the night stubbornly eating cold pasta in your room, wishing that you could just go make up with your stupid best friend and put an end to all of this.

»»————-　♡　————-««

You heard the soft rumblings of thunder around 4am, the sound rousing you from sleep and causing all the hairs on your body to raise. Ever since you were little you absolutely hated the thunder and lightning. It was a fear that you carried into your adult years. When it started to grow louder you whimpered and quickly went to the one place you felt safe.

You slowly opened up Wonwoo’s door and padded over to his bed. You slid into his bed, hearing soft mumbles coming from him as he woke up.

“y/n? what’s wrong?” he asked, rubbing his eyes groggily as he looked at you. You bit down on your bottom lip, you had a choice to make here. You didn’t really want him to know you were still scared of thunder and lightning, it was such a childish fear for you to hold onto.

“I-I felt bad about earlier, and I wanted to reconcile with you by…” you desperately tried to think of a reason for being in his room at 4am. “B-by cuddling” you blurted, mentally hitting yourself for saying something so stupid. Just to prove your point, however, you threw your arms around him.

“You snuck into my room, at 4am…to cuddle?” he asked, obviously not convinced by your obvious lie. It was then that another crack of thunder sounded outside, the loudest one yet. It sent you scrambling into him, heart racing at the unexpected noise.

“Ah….” he said, rubbing your back soothingly, everything starting to make sense. “Gonna make fun of me for still being scared?” you grumbled, preparing yourself for the off-hand comments.

“You know I would never make fun of you for something like that” he whispered, pulling the blankets up so the two of you were underneath them. “Everyone is afraid of something y/n” he further explained, slowly petting your hair.

“I’ll always be here to protect you from the scary stuff” he said with a lopsided smile. He started to hum softly to drown out the intrusive noises, doing his best to distract you by talking about everything and nothing at all.

S.Coups/ Seungcheol (Caring and Observant ,The Dominating Rapper )

When S.Coups asked you to the back of the school, you agreed fairly easily. And when S.Coups confessed that he liked you, you also had the same passive expression on your face.

“Woozi told me what happened the other day.”

S.Coups laughed awkwardly. “R-right. I called him out to turn him down.” “S.Coups… How am I supposed to believe you really feel that way about me?”

S.Coups looked at you in surprise. “What do you mean…?” You sighed and looked at him.

“Ever since you started getting those letters, you were super excited and trying to figure out who it was. It was honestly nice to see at first because I felt like you were getting excited about finding who it was-- finding me. But after a while I started to see that you didn’t even care about who was sending the letters. You only cared that you were getting letters; you only cared that somebody was in love with you. And I get it, it’s nice to be liked. But how am I supposed to believe a word of what you say when you tell me you’ve always liked me?”

You felt confused and hurt to say the least. Yes, you had liked S.Coups for a long time now and you really wanted something more, but the way it was happening only left a sour taste in your mouth. You felt like he was only confessing his feelings for you because he knew you were the one sending the letters; like it didn’t matter whether it was you or the person sitting next to you. It just came off as insincere.

S.Coups was silent and he seemed deep in thought. 

After a moment of silence, S.Coups took a deep breath and looked at you.

“You’re right. I wasn’t even considering how my actions may have made you feel. I liked you even before I got those letters, and I guess the idea that someone close by may have feelings for me made me go a little crazy. I needed to see it to believe it. What’s more, talking to you about trying to figure out who it was started to just become an excuse to talk to you. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t care about finding the sender anymore, but I had more fun actually goofing off with you.”

S.Coups walked up to you and held out his hand.

“I’m not asking you to respond and I’m not asking you to go out with me. You’ve already had to be the brave one for weeks on end, and now I want to be brave too. I really do like you. And I know you may not believe me, but I’m going to start showing you with my actions how much I like you. I’ll prove it so well, you won’t have a single doubt in your mind of my feelings for you. I just wanted to tell you that today. That’s all.”

S.Coups would reach for your hand and kiss the back of it. And true to his word, from then on he would make it a point to be upfront with his feelings. He made sure to tell you everyday that he liked you and to do nice things he felt you deserved or just because he wanted to. S.Coups would continue to treat you this way even after you two had been dating. Leaving not one doubt in your mind of how he felt.

Jeonghan (Cheating Mischief Maker, the Angelic Voice )

Jeonghan would catch you before you left school a few days later. He’d ask if you would talk to him and to his surprise you said yes. Ever since he had caught you leaving the letter, you had avoided talking to him, let alone being within 12 feet of him. He walked with you outside and stopped in a more private setting for your conversation (you know like by a big old tree that exists in every anime school ever).

“So, are we going to talk about the letters at all?”

You broke into this big smile. “Look, I’m really sorry about that!”

Before Jeonghan could ask why you apologized, you speedily continued to talk.

“You see, that letter is actually from my friend. They have a major crush on you and they needed someone to leave them. They were just too nervous.”

Jeonghan stared at you as you still bore the same large smile.

“Is that what you’re going with?”

“I don’t know what you mean.”

“Fine. Then please call that friend here because I need to set something straight.”

Your smile faltered off your face and you asked him why he needed to see them. 

“Can I see your phone to call them? When you receive a sincere confession, isn’t it proper to respond to them?”

You refused to give him your phone and made the excuse that your friend wanted to stay hidden.

“Then fine. Since you decided to be the sender, send them this message. I’m sorry but I can’t go out with them because I have somebody I like.”

Your heart dropped as you nodded. “Oh… I see…”

“Yeah. I like the idiot in front of me.”

You looked up at Jeonghan with surprise. He looked away from you with a pout on his face.

“Do you think your friend will be mad?”

“No… I think they’ll be fine. They aren’t real anyway.”

Jeonghan laughed at your quip and officially asked you out. And of course, you said yes.

Joshua/ Jisoo (Joking Gentleman, The Peaceful Voice )

Joshua would ask you out to the back of the school (you get the idea now) and he would take a moment before he spoke to you.

“I wanted to tell you that I really like you and I’m really sorry.”

At first, you felt happiness to hear your crush say you like him. But then your heart sank when you heard the words ‘sorry’. Was he rejecting you? Joshua saw your face and quickly shook his head and waved his hands.

“No no, I’m not rejecting you! That’s not why I’m apologizing.”

Joshua pulled out the letters and you felt so embarrassed in that moment.

“I’m sorry because if you hadn’t sent me these letters, who knows how long till I would’ve gotten the courage to tell you how I feel?”

You looked at Joshua and he smiled fondly at you then the letters. You wanted to ask him how he knew it was you, but you didn’t have the strength to ask it.

“It must have been scary to write and send this, yeah?”

You nodded and were surprised to find tears slipping past your eyes. Joshua would laugh and hold your hand.

“Thank you for doing it. I’ll write you a response for every one of them. Even though I’ll sound like a broken record just saying over and over how much I like you.”

You shook your head and laughed through the tears. “I’d still want to hear you say it.”

Joshua smiled and leaned down to meet your eyes.

“I like you a lot.”

You smiled. “I like you a lot too, Joshua.”

“If it’s alright with you, would you be willing to go out with me? Can we be a couple?”

You would nod and before you knew it, Joshua was hugging you. Needless to say (but Imma say it anyway), you two were a couple as of that day.

Jun/ Junhui (Charismatic Blunt Sir, The Breathtaking Dancer )

“So when are you gonna tell me that you like me?”

You nearly choked on your drink. You were presently having lunch with just Jun, and nearly keeled over from that opening statement.

“What makes you think I like you?” You try to sound as nonchalant as possible, despite that previous near choking experience.

“Oh… I don’t know. Maybe the fact that you have been acting weird ever since the letters started coming and whenever I come back with a letter you are always taking glances at me in class. Maybe it’s my imagination, but it just reeks of suspicion. Nobody else is acting so weird. Only you.” Jun smirked at you and continued to eat his lunch. You played with your food as you tried to find a way out.

“I don’t know what you mean. I’m your friend so of course I’m curious about the letters you’ve been getting. I’m just as curious as you are as to whom it might be.”

Jun rolled his eyes at your excuse and you avoided eye contact at all cost. That’s when Jun fiddled in his bag and pulled out the letters and began to READ one of them out loud. You cringed internally until you could no longer help yourself and snatched the letter from him.

“Someone who was curious would have made a comment, not snatched the letter from my hand out of what seems to be embarrassment! I personally find it endearing.”

“Well I find it embarrassing. Do you feel good putting me on blast and making fun of me?”

You held the letter close to your chest, saddened. Jun sighed and put his food aside.

“No. I’m tired of waiting and pretending like I don’t know. The person I like likes me back. The person I like is eating lunch with me right now. And I would like to go back to class after lunch knowing we’re a couple.”

You stared at him blankly, and for the first time ever you saw what appeared to be a bashful Jun. A certain red tone consuming his ears.

“What I’m trying to say is… I like you too so let’s go out.”

“Is that any way to ask someone out Jun?” You boldly inquired. Jun gathered his pride and courage.

“Will you go out with me?” Jun said, finally looking at you. You hummed amused at the whole display seeming to think about it. You then smiled at him and agreed. Needless to say, you went into lunch as friends and left lunch as an official couple.

Hoshi/ Soonyoung (Comedy Trio ⅓, The Show Stopping Dancer )

Hoshi would ask you if he could talk to you for a second after school had ended that day. You agreed but walked several feet ahead of him, and you had such aggression in your walk that Hoshi only trailed meekly behind. Once you were outside and somewhere private, you snapped at him and asked him what he wanted.

Despite how angry you seemed, you were just scared and using anger as a means to hide how scared and sad you were.

“Well. I wanted to talk to you about the letters? Did you really mean what you wrote in them?”

You felt the angry facade dropping slightly.

“You really didn’t notice how I felt at all did you?”

Hoshi thought for a moment, before dejectedly shaking his head no. It made you sigh.

“Well, to be fair, I never took the time to put in words before the letters. And even then I couldn’t put my name on it.”

“But at you least you said it. I’m glad I got to read it.” Hoshi smiled at you, and you felt the embarrassment creep back in.

“Well, is it alright if I tell you my response?”

You felt your hand tighten into a fist for support before you nodded.

“I like you too. Is it alright if you go out with me?”

You looked at him in surprise and felt yourself nod.

Hoshi took a step closer to you. “Really? You sure you’re okay with me?”

You nodded again. “Even if I’m this dense?”

“Yes, even if you’re this dense. It’s growing on me a little.”

And thus you were a couple. Wooo~

Wonwoo (Literary Soul, The Emotion Filled Rapper )

He would be sitting across from you in the library one afternoon. You would be busy taking notes and wouldn’t really notice him too much. He was honestly glad to have the chance to stare at you unnoticed. Were you really the one who was leaving the letters?

“Why are you staring at me Wonwoo?”

He would come back to reality and you would laugh a bit. “Just daydreaming.” He would say.

“What about?” You would turn your eyes back to the pages and back to your notes, and Wonwoo would be a bit disappointed to lose your attention. So focused on that, he was almost completely unaware of the words that came tumbling out.

“You’re the one who leaves me letters, aren’t you?”

Your pencil would come to a halt on the page, and you would slowly raise your head to look at Wonwoo. He would reach inside of his bag and pull out a letter, placing it delicately next to your note page and pointing to the words.

“That’s your handwriting isn’t it?”

Wonwoo looked at you to see your reaction, and it looked like you were searching for an answer.

“I wrote it for a friend--” 

“Can you please just tell me the truth?”

You would smile weakly and look at your letter.

“I was scared. I thought if I told you how I feel, you may not want to be my friend anymore. As more time passed, I just wanted to tell you more and more. So, I wrote the letters. I figured I would do it for a little while and get it all out of my system. I just wanted to tell you in some way that I like you.”

You looked away from Wonwoo, and he sighed. “I’m sorry.”

You nodded your head. Of course he would reject you. Or so you thought.

“I’m sorry that you had to be the brave one and make the first move.”

You voiced your confusion as Wonwoo took the letter back off the table. 

“I liked the letters, and knowing they came from you makes me love them even more. I like you too. I hope you haven’t gotten liking me out of your system yet.”

“To be honest, writing the letters only made me like you more. Knowing you kept them makes me really like you more. Stop doing things that make me like you more…”

You were still dazed by the impact of confessing and what you were hearing. Wonwoo smiled shyly before asking you to go out with him. And of course you said yes.

Woozi/ Jihoon (Brilliant Creator, The Tranquil Vocal )

Woozi would pace outside the classroom waiting for you to come out. When you finally did, he was met with a vacant stare. He gathered up the courage to ask if you could speak to him for a bit outside. You agreed, but appeared to have something on your mind. I mean, your crush who you’ve been sending letters to accused you of playing a joke on him and now he wanted to talk. It was a lot to take in.

Once outside at your secondary location, there was this awkward silence. Eventually, when you both decided to talk it just so happened to be at the same time.

“I’m sorry.” You both said.

Woozi asked you to continue first, and you explained that you were sorry for leaving him letters instead of just talking to him in person.

“Did you happen to read any of them?”

Woozi sighed. “At first, I didn’t read them. I thought it was someone playing a joke on me and I didn’t want to give it the time of day. But when I found out it was you and after what happened yesterday, I decided to read them… Did you really… Do you really like me as more than a friend? This isn’t some cruel joke?”

You shook your head vigorously. “I wouldn’t joke about that. Besides, I liked you for quite a while. The only reason I wrote another was because I thought maybe you weren’t seeing them. So I’m sorry that I wrote… so many.”

Woozi laughed. “It’s okay. They’re something dear to me now, and we can hopefully look back a long time from now as a couple and I can show it off to everyone.”

You laughed and asked him what he meant when you realized what he said. 

“As a couple…?”

Woozi scratched the back of his head. “I was hoping you’d want to be one. With me of course. You may not have noticed but I kind of like you too. Course I didn’t have the guts to tell you or even leave a letter. Until now.”

Woozi held out a letter to you, and you smiled at the gesture.

“So if you want to be a couple, please accept my letter. And if you don’t, it’s okay.”

With little hesitation, you walked forward and accepted Woozi’s letter. Henceforth, the both of you became a couple.

DK/ Dokyeom (Comedy Trio ⅓, The Killer Smile and Soul Vocal )

DK would stand in front of your desk once school ended. You would glare at him and gather your things trying to leave as quickly as possible. But he would start talking to you.

“Please, just tell me if you are the one who’s been leaving me letters--”

You silenced him and tried to avoid the several curious glances thrown your way. You grabbed your things and DK’s hand as you left the classroom and found a more secluded place to talk.

“You don’t have to announce it to everyone in the class.” You mumbled.

“I’m sorry about that… I didn’t mean to do that. But can you please stop avoiding me? Ever since the other day, you’ve been avoiding me. I can’t read your mind so I don’t know what is making you so upset unless you tell me right out.”

You laughed bitterly. You reached a hand up in the air, seeming to try and grasp the right words.  You made a fist and let it go before speaking again.

“Isn’t that what the letters were for? I didn’t want to tell you in person because I didn’t know how you’d react. And of course when you did find out it was me, it was the funniest thing and you laughed.”

DK shook his head. “That wasn’t me laughing at you.”

“Then what was that? How else am I supposed to react when you have a big grin on your face like always and it’s when you find out I’m the one who’s been leaving you letters? Sounds like you found it funny.” You looked away from DK and tried to hold back your tears.

“Or maybe I was really happy because the person I like likes me back?”

You looked up at DK in surprise.

“...You’re lying. You’re just saying that to make me feel better.”

“Again, why would I laugh and make fun of the person I like? I’m not that sort of person. Do you think I’m that way?”

You took a deep breath in and let it out. “No. I know you're not that way. I just… I don’t know…”

DK gently brought you into a warm embrace. “I’ll tell you right now. I’m not gonna ever make fun of you or laugh at you when it’s over these things. Even if I only saw you as a friend, I wouldn’t do that. I smile because I’m happy and the one I like likes me back. I’m just so happy that I can’t help but smile.”

DK pulled away and wiped away the tears that escaped you.

“And if you decide to go out with me, I’ll do the best I can to help you smile too. Because I really like your smile best of all.”

You smiled at that. You agreed to going out and you even told DK that you liked his smile too.

Mingyu (“The Tallest~”, The Dynamic Rapper )

Mingyu would confess to you and he would call back to your conversation the other day. He would tell you that you had already been doing something scary and taking a risk by even writing how you feel, and now maybe it was time for him to take a risk too.

You stood with Mingyu outside the school in a secluded area. You were worried about what he wanted to talk about. Mingyu had been surprisingly quiet and seemed completely in a daze for the past few days and sometimes you would find him staring at you. Maybe he somehow found out about the letters.

“Do you remember... when I asked you a couple days ago, about telling your crush how you felt?” Mingyu suddenly broke the silence.

“O-oh. Um yeah… Why do you ask?”

“You’re the one who has been sending me letters… Aren’t you?”

You tried to laugh it off and think of what to say next, but when you looked into Mingyu’s eyes you knew he was dead serious. 

“Who told you?”

“I didn’t need to be told. It just clicked out of nowhere. I just knew it was you and I can’t even explain why. But even so, can you tell me this? Why didn’t you say it to me in person? Nothing would have changed between us.”

You laughed and glared at Mingyu. “What are you talking about? Everything would have changed. I know this is one sided and everything, but I just wanted a chance to say how I felt. Writing you those letters was the only way to keep things the same.”

Mingyu stepped up to you. “And how did that work out for you?”

You slowly lower your gaze from Mingyu. This wasn’t how you wanted things to be.

“Well, I’m glad that you did it anyway. Now I know the person I’m in love with feels the same.”

Before you could meet his gaze, he leaned forward to kiss you. When you both pulled apart, he whispered to you.

“Don’t go assuming how I feel. I’m sorry that it took me so long to finally admit how I felt and thank you for being the brave one. If you’re alright with me, then I’d love to be more than just friends with you.”

You smiled at him and nodded softly. 

Thus you were a couple.

The8/ Minghao (Multiple Aspect Photographer, The Agile Dancer )

The8 would actually put the conversation more on you. He wanted you to be more confident in yourself and to actually come forward and tell him how you felt in person. He would ask you how you feel and would constantly assure you that he wasn't going to make fun of you or treat you any less like a friend after it (which when you think about it all makes you sound like he is going to reject you). Once you tell him, he would smile and ask you if he can tell you how he feels; then telling you he likes you.

The8 would stand in front of you, seemingly lost in his thoughts. You wondered what in the world he could be thinking, calling you out after school like this. 

“I’m sorry to put you on the spot like this… But is there something you need to tell me?”

You felt tension build in your stomach as butterflies erupted, and you shook your head a little too fervently. You felt like you were sucker punched when The8 held out the letters to you. 

“I’m not going to ask you why you did it this way, all I’m asking you to do is say it here and now in front of me.”

Your eyes widened as you looked at the letters in his hand. The entire reason why you wrote the letter was so you didn’t have to say it in person. You didn’t want to have to see his face of confusion and pity when he rejected you like you knew he would. Facing the person you had feelings for was hard.

“Look, I get this is hard. And it’s scary to not know how things will turn out.”

The8 lowered his hand with the letters to look at them.

“You found some way to say how you felt and I couldn’t even do that. I get this is scary because I’m scared too.”

You looked at The8 confused and he took a deep breath before holding the letter up again.

“But you are one of the best friends I have and you are one of the most amazing people I know. So be confident and say how you feel to my face. No matter what happens, I won’t make fun of you and I won’t ever treat you as any less of a friend. No matter what is said here, we’ll still be friends at the end of it all.”

You felt tears form in your eyes and you wanted to run away in that moment. Yet you remained standing there and you took the letters from The8. Something about him made you feel twice as strong as you were when you were alone.

“The8, I really like you a lot. I want to be something more with you. Will you go out with me?”

You kept the eye contact because in your heart you wanted to remember this moment. Because in that moment, you were facing your fear itself. 

“Yes, I will.”

You felt like time passed a little slow for a moment there. You blinked to remind yourself that this was reality and met The8’s eyes. He smiled at you.

“Thank you for telling me how you felt in person. I really like you too.”

And thus you were a couple.

(Ehhhh….)

Seungkwan (Comedy Trio ⅓, The MC Power Vocal )

Seungkwan would seem mad at you. He would wonder why you sat by and did nothing the entire time he was debating who it could be. This would come down to a boiling point after about a week and he would ask you in the most sad and anxious voice, “Do you really like me? Do you even like me half as much as you say you do in the letters?”

Seungkwan would be frustrated by the revelation. He had found out a few days ago and he had just been seething in his own anger. You had been sending him letters this entire time and you were acting as if everything was normal. 

Where was the shy secret admirer he thought that he had? The one who he thought was earnestly leaving letters to express their love? The only person he saw seemed completely fine joking around and messing with him.

It had been five days since he found out the truth when he received another letter. He read it right then and there and in that letter he could feel the same love as always. Yet he felt much more bitter about it. He was walking home with you and was still holding the letter in his hand. His head slowly lifted when he felt you calling to him.

“What’s wrong with you? Why are you so out of it today?”

You glanced at the letter in his head before turning back around to keep walking.

“Is it because of that secret admirer I heard about? Guess it is pretty weird for these days.”

Seungkwan looked from you back to the letter before biting his lip and dropping his hands.

“Do you really like me?”

You stopped walking and turned to look at Seungkwan. He seemed upset and his eyes started to glisten with tears.

“Do you even like me half as much as you say you do in the letters? Because it feels like you don’t even know I exist lately. The person in these letters is shy and can’t even muster the courage to tell me how they feel in person, and yet here you are having a casual conversation about it. I should have never believed Hoshi when he told me it was you. Of course the person I like wouldn’t wind up liking me. Life doesn’t work out that way.”

Seungkwan would look away from you and shove the letter back into his bag before trying to walk past you. You would grab onto his shoulder and let out the meekest of “wait”’s.

“Sorry, I’m just frustrated from trying to figure out who is sending me the letters. It's got nothing to do with you.”

“It kind of has everything to do with me… I am the one who has been sending them, after all.”

Seungkwan turned to the side and glanced at you. “What?”

All of the sudden, Seungkwan noticed how nervous you really looked. “Really?”

You sighed and recited a line from the letter you sent today, and Seungkwan’s eyes widened. He hadn’t shown it to anybody.

“I haven’t been ignoring you and although I don’t look it, I’m super nervous and have been since I sent the first letter. When I saw you getting all… into things, I thought I was safe until just now. I didn’t think Hoshi would blab about it and I didn’t think you would get this upset about it. I didn’t even think you liked me…”

Seungkwan would rush over to you and shake his head. “Of course I do. You’re one of the coolest people I know and you always support my… antics.”

You both went silent and you sighed. “Will you go out with me?”

“I think the question is, ‘will you go out with ME’?”

You giggled and nodded your head. “Yes, Seungkwan I will go out with you.”

Vernon/ Hansol (Calm and Collected, The Fly Rapper )

Vernon would be hanging out with you after school with a group of your mutual friends. You two wound up lagging behind and that’s when you would bring it up to him.

“So whatever happened to those letters you were getting?”

You cringed once the words left your mouth. You cursed yourself in your head. Vernon would shrug his shoulders after a moment of thought. 

“I don’t get any letters anymore. I don’t know… Probably got tired of me and realized I’m not that great.”

“I don’t know… Isn’t it kind of weird to send more than one letter when you confess to someone? You don’t think that person is weird?”

You wanted to beat yourself up for pushing these questions so hard. But a small part of you felt like if you knew the answers to them, you could finally put your feelings to rest.

“Maybe. But I liked getting them. It was nice. I think they just had a lot to say about their feelings, and writing that many letters was their way of telling me about it.”

You sighed at his answer. He was making it harder and harder for you to give up on him. You felt like you were annoying him with the number of letters you were sending him. A part of you thinking that he was just too good of a person to complain and say so.

“Oh please. You probably felt annoyed by it and are just too nice to say so. Anyone would be annoyed by someone so persistent.”

“I like that you’re persistent.” You stopped walking altogether, both of you now far behind your friends. Vernon stopped too, and turned to look at you.

“Maybe other people will be annoyed by it, but I happened to like the letters. I treasure them. But… I didn’t say anything or ever respond to them because I wanted whoever was sending them to tell me in person. None of the letters ever made it feel like they wanted an answer and they were always anonymous. So I figured they wanted to stay that way.”

“...Why are you telling me all of this?” You whispered. Vernon walked closer to you and looked you in your eyes.

“Because I’m desperately holding onto the hope that you still like me. Because I like you too and I just want to hear you actually tell me you like me.”

You felt so many emotions in that moment, both good and bad. But you pulled through them all to the truth and you found the strength to say it.

“I like you, Vernon. Will you go out with me?”

“I’d love to.”

Vernon would smile at you and you would smile right back at him, feeling tears brim your eyes. He would pull you into a hug and chuckle as he comforted you.

Dino/ Chan (Michael Jackson Fan, The Smooth Dancer )

Dino would be deep within his own thoughts all throughout class the following day. Even once the class had been dismissed he remained in his seat lost in thought. Despite all better judgement, you got the nerve to talk to him.

“Dino, can I talk to you about yesterday?”

Dino would look at you and seem to snap back to reality for only a moment. He would then nod his head and avoid your gaze.

“You can just pretend that didn’t happen. Just forget about it and the letters please.”

He would snap his head up at you and shake his head.

“I can’t forget. And I won’t forget.”

You laughed bitterly and glared at him. “Look, I’m trying not to make things awkward. I don’t want you to overthink every single thing and I just want you to just have fun and work hard like you always have. Okay?”

“But I’m doing that now. I’m working really hard right now.”

You looked at Dino in confusion. 

“I’m trying to understand how you might have felt having to hide your feelings all this time. How much did you think about them to consider and actually leave me a letter? And how much more courage did it take to leave the letter again and again after? I’m just trying to understand how someone could do something so brave and be so cool.”

You looked away from him, not knowing what to say.

“I wish I had the courage to do something like that sooner. But I guess you’ll have to settle for me putting you on the spot.”

Dino would stand up and face you.

“I really like you too. I’m sorry for letting you walk away yesterday. I didn’t think and was just surprised that you were the one leaving me letters. And the more I thought about it, the more I was just extremely happy about it. If you are okay with it, I want to start dating you. Is that okay?”

You would be taken back and without being aware of it, you felt a grin spread across your face. You started to nod fervently and before you knew it, you found yourself in Dino’s embrace.

Disclaimer: An important thing to note in regards to these reactions/scenarios is that none of them are based on how the members are in real life and are merely a depiction that fits the fiction (as I don’t know the members personally). These are meant to be lighthearted (aside from the angst that continues to rise on this blog) and I hope they are not being taken as pure fact or reality.

“y/n are you bringing a date to the wedding?” your mom curiously asks while you observe the dress you had on in the mirror in front of you. the question makes you turn around to face her.

“um no?” you hesitate and your response makes her look up at you.

“bring your boyfriend sweetheart.” she smiles diverting her attention to the dress you had on. “that joshua kid, he’s your boyfriend right?”

“yeah! o-of course” you stammer on your words hoping your mom would take no notice and turn around on your heals swiftly facing the mirror watching your reflection panic.

you and joshua were not dating in fact you doubted he would have any feelings for you whatsoever seeing as you were best friends, however he was a regular plus one to the family events because of them constantly getting on your case about dating and it would be embarrassing for them if their only daughter kept attending these events alone after all they boasted about your social life. so joshua continuously offered to attend alongside you and pretend to be your lover which was a role he played successfully to your luck.

you walked out of the dress store shortly parting ways with your mother to go back to your home with the new dress for the upcoming occasion.

you walk in to your humble abode dropping all your bags down beside the sofa and letting yourself fall onto the soft seat. truthfully you dreaded asking joshua to go to this wedding with you as your date mainly due to the fact you had some unrequited feelings you’d recently develo=ped towards the other but you knew it would be even more awkward asking someone else from your friendship circle so he was the only answer at the end of the day.

picking up your phone you dial joshua’s number startling once you hear his soft voice come through. 

“hey y/n whats up?” joshua asks cheerfully making you close your eyes tightly at the tone of voice that always gave you butterflies.

“nothing much, i was just wondering if you were free this weekend?” you ask him as confidently as you can.

“are you asking me on a date?” at this point you knew he was smirking as he asked that.

“no but i do need someone to go with me to my cousins wedding this saturday. you’re being weird though maybe i’ll ask jeonghan instead” you somewhat tease knowing the boy will object.

“you better not, of course i will be there as your date” he emphasises on the date and you can feel a blush creeping up to your cheeks

“yes you will. my dress is light blue” you state nonchalantly notifying the boy.

“bet you’ll look great, i’ll find a tie to match.”

his sudden compliment catches you completely off guard and its evident as you barely manage to let out a small ‘okay’ a few seconds late causing joshua to chuckle over on his end knowing he had this effect on you.

“bye y/n” he exclaimed before abruptly hanging up. 

you groan into a pillow frustrated wondering how you would get through the weekend, the answer should be like all the other times but you felt nervous nevertheless.

joshua eyed you intently watching you walk over to him with your dress flowing all princess like around you and every little detail such as the colour and the fitting of the stunning material complementing all your features.

“hi” you both breathed out at the same time making eachother giggle in unison.

“you look amazing” joshua smiles opening the door to his car on the passenger side, a gentlemanly courtesy from the one and only gentleman. you blush getting into the car ready to return a compliment to him as he gets in to the driver seat to drive you both to the venue, however nothing leaves your mouth. perhaps it was the nerves.

the drive is filled with joshua talking about his week with you commenting here and there whilst trying to avoid glancing over at him, nodding your head to the music playing quietly from the radio.

thankfully the journey wasn’t longer than twenty minute, at the hall you step out of the car only to be greeted with joshua offering you his arm which you shyly accepted either way as you walked in and began greeting your family with joshua beside you attracting stares left and right.

“y/n sweetheart!” your mother rushes up to you giving you a hug which made you untwine your arm from joshua’s to return it.

“i see you brought your handsome boyfriend” she winks causing joshua to widen his eyes and laugh at the suddenness of her compliment. you glanced up to him to see his cheeks flushed which you found endearing to say the least.

“you guys are sitting over there” she points over to a table a few steps away. “whenever you’re ready come join us” the last words are spoken and soon enough your mother is gone to deal with other business.

joshua turns to you, instinctively you turn around to face him.

“should we go sit down now?” he speaks out watching your gaze soften as you listened to him speak.

you nod so he reaches to hold your hand and leads the way to the table, the sudden action shocked you so you stopped at a halt making joshua stop with you.

“is something wrong?” he asks eyes showing worry.

“no... just- you’ve never done that before” you mutter looking down at your intertwined hands.

“sure i have, but i’m especially your date for tonight so i think i have the privilege to hold your hand even more.” he winks before continuing the way to the table and even pulling out your chair for you to sit making the adults at the table coo at his gentlemanliness.

the entire night joshua spent talking to you, making you laugh here and there at the little jokes he would throw in, hearts doing backflips unknown to one and other but you couldn’t help enjoy the company.

he left momentarily for the bathroom leaving you alone until another figure approached you tapping your shoulder to gain your attention you respond by turning around to see your childhood friend who you immediately stood up to greet the individual.

“seungcheol? it’s been a while!” you exclaim, eyes widening trying to adjust to the new appearance of your long time friend before pulling him into a hug.

“yeah we’ve both changed a bit clearly.” he chuckles looking down at his own suit once pulled away.

“sit, im sure my parents would love to see you again!” you speak out pointing towards the nearest chair as you sit down on your own.

joshua returned to see you in deep conversation with the boy unknown to him the pang of jealousy hit hard causing him to frown at the male at the center of your attention making you laugh like he was earlier. silently he approached taking a seat in the next vacant chair as his previous one was now occupied by the stranger.

it wasn’t long before you to noticed joshua’s presence and you wasted no time introducing the two to each other.

“joshua this is seungcheol, we grew up together and seungcheol this is my date joshua” you introduce the two boys to each other both of them passing on friendly smiles before turning their attention back to you.

“oh are you guys dating?” seungcheol asks genuinely curious.

you stutter unable to answer the sudden question however joshua speaks up anyways. “yeah we are” he reaches to hold your hand repeating the action that turned you into a flustered mess but you nod anyways going along with him.

“im happy for you y/n! i hope you both last a long time” 

seungcheol’s words had more of an effect on you two than expected and it was the same for joshua who you felt squeeze your hand gently.

“anyways, i’m going now but i’ll see you around?” seungcheol gives you both a little wave and you nod in return before watching him walk off. you turn around to joshua straight away only for the boy to let go of your hand and more immersed in a glass of wine.

“you’re gone red” you poke at his cheek snickering ever so slightly making joshua put down his treasured glass to look at you with a blank expression before turning away again. you huff getting up hoping for a slight change of expression from the boy but to your dismay - nothing.

a slow tune started playing and you glanced around to see guests getting up to join the slow dance at the centre of the hall. you sit back down only for joshua to get up this time and hold out his hand to you. puzzled, you give him a questioning look.

“dance with me” he mumbles and you dont waste anymore time giving into dancing with him despite your heart racing like crazy.

to be honest you could barely concentrate on dancing with joshuas hands resting on your waist with yours around his neck. his touch felt like fire and you couldn’t help but feel warm inside despite your nerves now skyrocketing.

“you haven’t given me much attention tonight” joshua spoke with a low tone down into your ear as you both swayed to the gentle music.

“w-what do you mean” you pull back slightly to see his face better but regret it almost immediately realising how close in proximity your faces were.

“i thought it was obvious.” he chuckled and you could feel your heart racing at a dangerous number of miles per minute. sure you were a little bit oblivious but you were scared of misunderstanding his words so you stayed silent not breaking eye contact waiting for him to continue which he did.

“i like you y/n” he muttered once again into your ear, you felt his breath fan your neck sending shivers down your spine and your cheeks burning. the fact that your feelings were not so unrequited brought a lot of shock to you but you couldn’t help the smile now taking over your expression out of happiness.

joshua examines your face searching for an kind of indication you were okay with his confession before setting his gaze onto your rosy lips. you dont hesitate before reaching up to connect your lips that went together perfectly.

the both of you pull away first aware of your surroundings and it wasnt long till both of you were betrayed by the visible blush forming.

the song finally came to a halt and joshua led you outside where it was quieter.

“so what do you say? we should date for real now right?” he’s close to you again and hoping you cant hear the pace of his heart.

“not how i expected to be asked out at someone elses wedding but yes dummy we should” you laugh out lifting up your hand to push back his hair messing it up as joshua’s arms find their way around your waist again pulling you closer to him.