⇾ gifts:

he’d love to give you random little gifts just because. made it through a tough week? he’d get you you flowers and something you’d been eyeing for a while. got a big promotion? he’d take you on a little weekend vacation and in the future you’d go somewhere you’d both been hoping to visit

one of his favorite gifts to give you would be gifts in the form of food and beverages. since you’d always bring him and the rest of ptg food and drinks, he wouldn’t mind returning the favor and would get you your favorite dessert or drink

if there’s a hobby that you’d be really passionate about, he’d get you things that would make you enjoy it a little bit more. into baking? he’d get you oven mittens that reminded him of you

playing piano or guitar for you and you’d be so in awe of how talented he is and it’d be considered a gift to you that you would be able to witness moments like that

⇾ words of affirmation:

even though we’ve all seen him be pretty goofy, i get the feeling that he’s really good with his words. like, maybe you wouldn’t be feeling the best and he’d assure that you’re doing great and that would make you feel better

he’d always compliment you about your cooking, your smile etc. because he’d know that there would be a some things that you’d be a little insecure about and he’d want to help boost your confidence

shinwon would always thank you whenever you’d support him and the boys because he’d know that his career is very time-consuming and that being away from him would be pretty difficult for you. so, he’d always thank you for putting up with him

And this - stealing your friends. You knew in a few moments he would leave, and you would hear it all again.

You breathed a sigh as Shinwon passed you by before leaving, flashing you a mischievous smirk. It was as if he were wordlessly telling you, “what are you going to do about it? Your friends love me.”

As your friends fawned over him now that he was gone, you tried to tune it out, but chunks of it bled through.

“He’s so different to the other guys, so much softer and funnier.”

“And he’s so handsome, too.”

And you simply could not comprehend it. Of course, it was not as if Shinwon was unattractive…but that was not the first thought that came to your mind when you looked at him.

“I’m gonna go to the bathroom,” you mumbled, going both unheard and unnoticed as you slipped away to ease the irritation tight in your chest. You had barely taken a few paces through the university hallways before you were interrupted.

“I piss you off, don’t I?”

Shinwon was trailing behind you, once more wearing that wide grin and running his hands through his curls of chocolate hair, both actions that made you endlessly hot with emotion.

“Yes,” you answered honestly, “you do.”

“That annoyed expression you make is so cute, though. I can’t help it,” Shinwon teased.

Your cheeks flushed with a combination of anger and embarrassment, and you retorted with a rush of adrenaline, “well, don’t look at me then. Stick to flirting with all my closest friends.”

Shinwon took a lengthy stride with his impossibly long legs, blocking your path.

“You annoy me too, you know,” he began, ducking his head slightly to force you to meet him in the eyes, “would you like to know why?”

A small, genuine smile graced his lips, one that made your heart flutter, much to your mingled confusion and annoyance.

“I would not,” you huffed curtly, stepping around him.

“You’ll find out eventually!” He called as you stalked away from him, heading directly to the bathroom because now you really did need some space, your steps long and hurried.

Upon reaching the bathroom, you stared back at your flushed, pink face. You splashed cold water against your skin, taking slow breaths to soothe your racing heart. Shinwon always made you like this, irrational and flustered.

Why did he continue to pursue you like this, even as you had made your dislike of him evident?

Why was he so persistent for you and you only?

That evening after your classes concluded for the day, you found yourself waiting for your friends in a McDonald’s. Their classes finished half an hour after yours, and so you chose a booth and ordered a drink in waiting.

As you sat alone, contentedly sipping on an iced coffee Frappe, someone joined you, sliding a tray of food across the table.

You looked up to see Shinwon.

“Oh, fuck,” you muttered under your breath, asking bitterly, “why are you here?”

“Your friends invited me, but I guess it’s just you and I for a bit.”

You huffed, taking a long sip of your cold drink and tasting a hint of whipped cream. Shinwon simply observed you, leaning on his palm and watching you. You tried to avoid his interest for as long as possible until it became uncomfortable.

“You’re not going to leave?” He asked, finally breaking the elongated silence that stretched between you both.

“No,” you answered, “they’re my friends. Which one of them invited you?”

“Does it matter?”

No, it did not matter, really. You would not be surprised if all of them invited him.

“Want some?”

You looked up upon hearing his inquiry to find him offering you his fries, a smile on his features. You stared back at him dubiously, raising an eyebrow.

Shinwon beamed at you, “come on! Have some.”

Your skin burned beneath his abrupt kindness. You stole a few fries, expecting something, a retaliation of sorts. For him to tease you or tell you that you owed him, but instead, he just wordlessly left the bright red container filled with chips angled towards you.

Shinwon only gave you brief attention as you neatly licked the remnants of salt and oil off of your fingers, your core twinging in excitement as he watched you closely with those dark, pretty eyes of his.

But then he returned his interest to his phone, leaving you in silence for the remainder of the half-hour. It was a strangely relaxed silence, free of tension. You refused to admit the obvious fact that you were enjoying his presence.

Eventually, your group of friends joined you. Chorong sat beside Shinwon closely, her shoulder brushing against his.

Throughout the hangout, you could not keep your interest off of Chorong and Shinwon. She consistently flirted with him, laughing and smiling and making skin contact with him at every opportunity.

You could feel fury bubbling up in the pit of your chest. It rose from your neck, warming your ears, and yet it was not just anger; it was another emotion that you could not place. Something new and uneasy.

And yet the entire time, Shinwon kept his gaze trained on you, even when it became noticeable from outside perspectives. The combination of those two things made you feel messy and dizzied from your heat.

“I-I’m gonna go,” you announced abruptly, standing and gathering attention. You were tired of feeling ostracised from your own friend group. To be blunt, fucking tired of watching your friends flirt with Ko Shinwon.

“Ah, wait, (F/n)!”

You turned on your heel as you had begun to leave, your brows furrowed in disbelief to see Shinwon was standing as well.

Why was he acting so strangely tonight?

“Let me walk you home, at least,” Shinwon offered kindly, a genuine smile on his lips.

“It’s fine,” you mumbled, feeling suddenly shy, “it’s not far.” But despite your protests, Shinwon pushed past Chorong and followed you.

You could not say much as you both walked beneath the navy blue night sky, with him close at your heels. You felt a lump form in your throat as you recounted his unsubtle gesture from moments ago. Finally, you had to ask him.

“Why are you being so nice to me all of a sudden?”

“Because you looked so upset that you were on the brink of crying,” he responded, his voice so soft that it barely travelled to your ears. You were taken aback - you had hardly noticed it yourself.

“And also, you looked lonely.”

This comment resonated throughout your body, triggering the tears that you had been trying to hold back. You quickly wiped them away, hoping that Shinwon had not seen them. Unfortunately for you, he had been staring pointedly at you for the entire walk.

He reached over, and you flinched as he brushed his fingers through your hair, an attempt to comfort you. You blushed and pouted, and he smiled.

“Besides, I was getting tired of Chorong flirting with me,” Shinwon laughed, and you laughed as well, relieved to hear that he was just as sick of it as you were.

You continued to walk, now side by side, layered by a comfortable silence. Eventually, with a twinge of disappointment in your gut, you arrived at your car.

Shinwon bid you goodbye and waved you off. As you drove away and watched him disappear into the darkness, you realised that pleasant feelings of fondness were beginning to wash over you.

The following day, as once again your friends buzzed around Shinwon, you no longer watched with disdain. Rather, you watched him with growing curiosity.

You began to understand him better, now that your hatred had dissipated and your head was clearer. It was not due to some malicious intent of his that all of your friends gravitated towards him.

It was they who approached him, after all, and the moment he talked to them as himself, they fell for him - just as you eventually had as well.

You felt guilty for judging him so harshly, observing him from a distance and chewing your lip anxiously.

Later that evening, as you finished your late class and the university campus began to clear of people, you searched for him with dimmed hope. As you traversed the scattered buildings, you became distracted by the sound of a piano.

It was muffled and barely audible, but you could hear it well enough to follow it. It led you to a closed door with a frosted window.

You peered inside, seeing the barely visible figure of someone sitting at what you could assume was a large black grand piano. As you squinted and pushed yourself further against the door, those thick waves of dark brown hair became vaguely familiar.

“Shinwon?” You gasped softly.

Suddenly, the figure stopped playing and approached the door, cracking it open to reveal Shinwon’s cheeky smile. You stumbled backwards, your cheeks blushing a rosy tint in embarrassment.

“I knew it was you, (F/n),” he laughed, “are you spying on me?”

“I-I didn’t mean to. I just followed the music,” you stammered, pouting beneath his mischievous smirk.

“Do you want to listen?”

You opened and closed your mouth as you studied his invitation, considering it for a moment with growing weakness in your knees.

“Alright…if that’s okay with you,” you finally answered, feeling strangely shy about it.

Shinwon’s smile was warm as he clasped your hand by your hip and interlaced his fingers with yours, and he briefly sunk his teeth into his bottom lip. You were in a silly daze as he led you inside the music room, closing the door behind you.

He stopped in the middle of the room and turned you to face him, and you looked up at him with a baffled expression.

And then you felt it. That electric tension that hung in the air and settled on your skin. You inhaled quietly as Shinwon’s gaze grew serious.

“Shinwon, what is it?” You asked, his hand in your searing all of a sudden.

“Do you know why you irritate me so much, (F/n)?” He inquired softly.

You shrugged, “I wasn’t very polite to you.”

Shinwon laughed in a relaxed manner, but the hot, thick tension in the room was still present.

“Well, I did mess with you a few times, so I deserved it. No, it’s because you’re so pretty.”

You furrowed your brows at him, “how does that make sense, Shinwon-ah? Aren’t you teasing me?”

“I’m serious,” Shinwon mumbled, his gaze dropping to his shoes out of sincerity, “it frustrated me that you wouldn’t even look at me. You smile and laugh for anyone but me, and you’re so beautiful when you do that. It pissed me off.”

On pure impulse, you leaned on the tips of your toes and kissed him.

Shinwon flinched, his free hand instinctively hovering over the small of your back. You pulled away, parting from him with a soft pop, and for a moment, you stared at each other, expressions unmasked and lit up with emotions.

He swallowed, taking a few steady breaths and then cupping the back of your head and kissing you once more, far deeper this time.

Soon you were kissing each other desperately, pent up fervour pouring out into the heated embrace. By the time you stopped, you were both breathless, your lips swollen and glossy.

Shinwon’s hands ran down to your hips and then to the flesh of your ass, squeezing lightly. You gasped, “Sh-Shinwon, not here!”

“We can lock the door,” he hummed, gradually trailing kisses down your cheek, your jaw, nibbling at your earlobe, and you groaned lowly in response.

“Fine,” you relented, and he laughed softly, releasing you and returning to the door to click the lock.

And then Shinwon was back to his previous ministrations, showering your bare neck with butterfly kisses. Next, he slid his palms over your breasts, your hips, back to your ass, gradually pushing you backwards till the grand piano behind you stopped you.

Shinwon reached around and closed the top, lifting you to sit atop it and wrapping your legs around his waist.

You inhaled sharply upon feeling his boner, straining against his jeans and meeting the softness of your inner thigh, “are you…?”

Shinwon’s grin was sheepish, “I couldn’t help it, baby. You were making such cute noises earlier when I was kissing you.”

You hummed, grabbing a fistful of his fluffy hair from the back of his head and drawing his face closer to yours, basking beneath his happily surprised face.

“Well, why don’t you relieve yourself?”

Shinwon growled and kissed you deeply, his tongue tangling with your own, his sweet saliva mingling yours. His hips rolled against you slowly, and you groaned. It was a roughly pleasurable experience, the harsh fabric of his jeans digging into your soft cotton shorts.

“Fuck,” he cursed, rutting against you at an increasingly faster pace until the varnished wooden surface beneath you began to creak.

“Shinwon,” you puffed, applying pressure in return, “I’m gonna cum if you keep doing that.”

“Oh yeah?” Shinwon replied, his breathing laboured, “me too, baby.”

The room was filled with the sound of heavy panting, the sound of you both desperately grinding up against each other, creating a flurry of clothing.

And then his cock forcefully pushed against your clit through layers of clothes, and your orgasm abruptly welled up and burst, wrenched from your possession. You exclaimed uncontrollably, hanging your head back and sobbing out of pleasure.

“Shush,” Shinwon hushed, clasping his large hand over your mouth. Your vision was blurred as you looked up at him, your eyes half-lidded. His irises seemed to darken upon meeting your dazed gaze. Abruptly he squared his jaw, and then released a long, drawn-out groan, rather obviously cumming in his pants.

After your shared orgasms, you stared at each other, affection bleeding onto each of your expressions.

“Shit,” Shinwon cursed, his head dropping to stare at his crotch, chewing his bottom lip, “I made a mess. It’s a good thing I do my own laundry.”

You laughed, turned on simply by the sight of him biting his lip and his long eyelashes hooding his dark eyes, and then by the image that formed in your head of him cleaning his cum-stained boxers.

“I can help you with that,” you drawled, and Shinwon smiled at you crookedly.

“Oh, is that right? Let’s go, then.”

With that, you intertwined your fingers with his and began a slow walk back to his car.

You shared a comfortable, relaxed silence between you as you strolled.

I was dancing in the outside ballroom located five feet away from the castle. His checkered brown jacket and brown wavy hair immediately catch my eyes. We danced on our respective sides but with us both on the farthest outreaches of the circle. So, we could watch the other, and overhead someone announces, “Okay, go find a partner!” And I immediately lose him to the crowd, and I go over to see his section to try and find him. Unknowing of the fact he had already passed me. When I feel someone's arm lock with mine. And I look over, and it’s him. He smiles at me. “You dance well, beautiful.” I grin and tell him, “You do too. What’s your name, charming?” He smiles and leans into whispers in my ear, “Shinwon, and yours?” I whisper his name to myself and feel butterflies rupture in my stomach. I lean in and whisper to him, “(Y/n).” He does the same with my name, and we’re off following the crowd to the ice-skating rink. 

Even as we tie on our skates, he never leaves my side. And I can’t help but feel enamored by him. When we both have them tied up, he helps me up and pulls me into the ice rink, “Can you skate?” I nod, “Not well, but enough not to fall.” He grins, “then that just means I’ll have to hold your arm the whole time to make sure you don’t.” My cheeks blush bright red, but I hope it’s not noticeable due to the temperature of the skating rink. We link arms, and I tell him, “I guess you just have to then.” We laugh and skate around the rink together, arm in arm. “What do you think of the castle?” I look back at it, “It’s quite pretty. The people there take care of us pretty well. Beauty comes from within.” He smiles, “I think so too, but I have to say you are the most beautiful person in the whole kingdom.” I blush red, “Even compared to the crown princess?” He laughs, “Of course.” I look over at him with a smile, “I think you’re more handsome than our prince.” He laughs, “I’m glad you think so.” He tells me before he pulls us into a spin. And it was then I noticed that the crowd of people had moved so we could spin around in the middle. I don’t think of much of it. But just like his name is familiar, I can’t seem to place the feeling. 

I shrug off the feeling and hold his hands as we spin around on the ice. He holds my hand before he spins me out, and with a firm tug, he spins me back in. I feel free yet, completely safe as he holds me in his arms. He looks down into my eyes and just like when we were dancing. I fall deeply into his chocolate brown eyes and never wish to come back up for air. He asks, “May I kiss you?” I feel my heart get caught in my throat as I whisper out, please. He places a finger under my chin and brings my lips up to his. And as I kiss him back, I hear gasps and cheers, but I ignore them. Because not only is he a brilliant dancer, a skilled ice skater, and gorgeous, but he’s also a great kisser. Whoever his parents are, I'm going to have to thank them for making him. When we finally break away from each other. We lean our foreheads together, and he smiles, “Wow.” I grin, “Wow, indeed.” He places a gentle kiss on my nose before guiding us back to the outer ring of the rink and following the crowd. In its clockwise pattern, true to his word, he keeps his arm interlocked in mine the whole time. 

We share little details about our lives as we continue around. And I can’t help but feel completely infatuated with him. The crowd starts to thin, and as we near the exit of the rink. He goes, “I have to go, but I will find you, okay?” I nod and tell him I have to use the restroom. He smiles, and he helps me out of the rink. Once we return our skates, we go our separate ways. My heart sinks to my stomach. He probably won’t be able to find me. I think to myself as I head to the bathroom to freshen up. I sit down in the stall when a crowd of people comes in. “Did you see who was skating with the prince?” I hear a collective groan, “Yeah, it should have been me!” As they continue talking, it finally clicks why he was so familiar. But he doesn’t match his painting at all. Because in the painting his hair is slicked back. There he’s wearing a decorated military jacket and a very straight face. In person, he was all long hair and waves, with a beautiful grin spreading from ear to ear. He didn’t match the description at all. But alas, he is the prince, Go Shinwon. And I think I’ve fallen for him, a commoner, falling for a man like him. And I even kissed him, oh gosh, what was I thinking? I wait for the crowd to exit before I do. 

I go over to my mother’s stand and wave to her, “Did you have fun, sweetie?” I smile, “Yeah, I did.” She tilts her head at me, “But you don’t sound happy. What’s wrong?” I let out a small groan, “I think I ruined it all.” She shakes her head, “If you had fun, how could you have ruined it?” I shake my head, “It’s hard to explain.” She pats my head, “Well, whatever it is. You’ll pull through. Tell me when you can.” With a nod, I head away from her stand and find a clear bench and sit on it. Contemplating what to do if he finds out I’m nothing but a commoner,... I’m doomed. I sigh and stretch out before sliding down from the bench and sitting down on the gravel in front of the bench. He was the epitome of everything I ever dreamed of finding. Of course, he had to be the crown prince. And now, I’ll never see him again. As I wallow, I hear, “I was talking to your mother, and she said she made these cookies. And I saw you looked quite sad, so I brought one over to you.” A chocolate chip cookie appears in front of my line of sight. And with it, the checkered brown sleeve appears, and I realize he found me. And he knows who my mother is, oh no, I take the cookie nonetheless, knowing her cookies always cheer me up. I take a bite and watch as he sits down next to me. My eyes grow wide in surprise, “Oh! You shouldn’t be sitting in the gravel! It’ll dirty up your princely clothes.” He looks over at me with a small smile as he rubs his hand behind his neck, “You found out, didn’t you?” I nod, “You found out too, huh?” He nods, and we both look down at our shoes. I ask, “What do we do now?” He leans his head against the bench seat before looking over at me, “Well, there are a few things. But first, I want you to know that I’m absolutely infatuated with you.” I let out a heavy sigh, “Well, that’s one weight off my shoulders. Because I’m heavily infatuated with you too.” He lifts his head off the bench, “You are?” I grin, “Who wouldn’t be? You’re a magnificent dancer, a skilled ice skater, true to your word. And well, a great kisser, too.” He turns bright red, “Not just because I’m the prince?” I shake my head, “No, even if you were the crown jester, I’d still feel the same.” He grins and reaches out to hold my hand, “I’m glad, even if you were royalty from another kingdom, I would still feel the same.” He pulls my hand up to his lips and places a kiss on it. 

“Well, your grace, what are we going to do?” He shakes his head, “Shinwon, is perfectly fine.” I shake the smile that starts to crawl up my face, “Well, Mr. Shinwon, what are we going to do?” He gets up from the gravel, takes the cookie from my hand that I had several bites out of, and eats the rest. “I was gonna finish that!” He laughs, “Too slow!” I laugh, and he pulls me to my feet, “What about another dance, my dear?” I shake my head, “(Y/n), is just fine,” He grins, “What about another dance, my (Y/n)?” I smile, “Sounds perfect.” 

He watched you fondly as you pulled up a chair so you could talk to him, and talking to him was surprisingly easy. He never let the conversation run dry, always had something to say but never overdid the talking. He made sure you were also talking a fair amount. It wasn't calculated, though, it was extremely natural.

Maybe your feelings towards Shinwon had already started then? You're not sure... but Shinwon definitely knew it then: you wouldn't be an easy person to let go of, if he ever had to.

The two of you became inseparable, spending every moment together and never getting sick of one another. You, having always sat beside Shinwon in class, began mimicking his actions, staring out the window whenever he would, doodling whenever he would.

"[y/n], you know... people might make fun of you if you keep hanging out with me. Although I absolutely don't want you to ever leave my side," Shinwon confided in you one day as the two of you sat over a ledge outside, swinging your legs while eating.

"As if that matters to me!" you scoffed, taking a big bite.

"Plus, no one makes fun of me. And they don't make fun of you, either!" you explained.

Shinwon nodded along, looking up at the blue sky. A few clouds coated its surface, reminding him of the way you were taking over his heart. The blue sky in his own heart was being swallowed by your clouds, but he couldn't be happier. He couldn't wait for the rain..

The two of you finished high school together and stepped into high school still side by side, trying to keep your grades up while also having fun. Lucky for you, the subjects you hated were what Shinwon loved and thrived in, and vice versa for him, so you tutored each other when you could, spending time in libraries, cafés or at each other's homes. People had started to suspect that you were dating, but you shrugged off their comments, mostly because you thought Shinwon found it burdensome... he didn't, but thought that you find it burdensome.

By this point, you could say you really liked Shinwon. Each time he shuffled closer to you in his seat to lean over and point to something in your notes, explaining its importance or where you went wrong, the way his scent wafted over to you and his curly hair tickled your face mades your heart burst. You found yourself reaching out to push the locks behind his ears, but he was one step ahead of you, pushing his own hair out of his eyes and reminding you that you were in an unrequited love... or so you thought.

Shinwon found it hard to breathe whenever he was in your presence. Your smile, tiny wave and little, excited steps as you ran towards him whenever you saw him made him want to fall to the ground and cry tears of joy. God, he loved you. Yeah, truly he loved you already, at the tender age of 16.

The way you gently held onto his arm to grab his attention, the way you called out his name quietly with a smile... everything about you drove him insane. Yet he couldn't do a single thing, because he was set on the fact that you didn't have any feelings for him. Gosh, how wrong you both were...

Now, by the time you've graduated high school and are attending the same college, but different programs, you've found yourself a boyfriend. Yep, a boyfriend that isn't Shinwon.

Hui is kind-hearted and has good intentions, but really you're just dating him to get over Shinwon, 'cause it's been getting hard to remain as just his friend. He used to be weird and silly in high school, yet you loved him, and now that he's become so mature and pretty much your ideal s/o, you're truly in love.

But Hui is not entirely a cover-up, either. You like him! He's a music major, always tired yet never missing a chance to make time for you, buy gifts for you, and text you. Your heart skips a beat when he hugs you and holds your hand, and you get butterflies each time he kisses you. Yet you can't help but think of and miss Shinwon after spending some time with Hui...

How does Shinwon feel about all this? Well, he tries his best to be a good friend and support your relationship, but he badmouths Hui every chance he can get, only when you're not there, of course. His favourite way of doing this is while aggressively eating ice cream, watching dramas and fighting back tears... poor Shinwon :(

He tries to put some distance between you both so he won't be so two-faced, not realizing that it's hurting you. You keep feeling broken-hearted each time you check your phone and don't see a text from Shinwon.

"Are you waiting for some sort of news?" Hui asks you, gingerly rubbing your thigh to get your attention.

You sigh, shaking your head, no.

"What's wrong then, love?" he asks you, taking his hands off the steering wheel of his car.

"A lot of things..." you mumble.

With your friendship with Shinwon falling apart and Hui being hurt by the way you're seemingly hiding a lot of things from him, nothing seems to be going well for you, and it just gets worse when Hui calls you to meet you one Friday evening.

"What is it, Hui?" you ask in a high tone, trying to sound as energetic as possible.

"Well... how do I say this, [y/n]?" Hui starts, swaying from side to side and fidgeting.

"I think... we need to end things. I get the feeling you're not as... in love with me as you were before, and-"

"Hui!"

"-I think it's best that we just part ways. But I'll always be here for you as a friend, whenever you need me," Hui finishes, a sad smile on his face.

You feel at a loss for words and all you can do is give him one last hug before he leaves you standing in the cold of winter by yourself.

The first thing that comes to mind is: Shinwon. You need to hear his voice and feel his arms around you...

"Shinwon! Shinwon..." you call out when he answers your call.

"W-where have you been?" you ask him.

"Waiting for you to call," he jokes, his voice sounding raspy.

"Shinwon..."

"I'm sorry, [y/n]... I'm sorry, I-are you okay? Why does your voice sound-"

You burst into sobs before Shinwon can even finish, and all he asks is where you are. Once you tell him, it only takes five minutes for him to get there.

"[y/n], what happened? Come here," he calls out, opening his arms.

You run into his embrace and bury your face in his chest, warm and soft just like you remember it.

"H-Hui... b-broke up... with m-me," you stutter, having a hard time speaking while crying.

"W-what? Why?" Shinwon asks, mentally beating himself up for being glad that you're single now.

"He said he thought I wasn't in love with him anymore," you explain.

"It's okay, [y/n], it's okay... let's go somewhere warm for now."

-

Back in Shinwon's apartment, he covers you in blankets and offers you some comfy clothes to wear.

"I can't let you go back to your own place, [y/n]. Not like this.... I'm worried," he says.

"I need... hugs," you mumble, reaching up for Shinwon from where you sit on the couch.

He smiles, crouching down to tightly hug you.

Somehow, he ends up laying beside you on the couch, and somehow you end up falling asleep in his arms. He smiles, stroking your hair and fighting the urge to press a kiss to your forehead.

"God, [y/n]... how have I been holding back for all these years?"

-

Shinwon makes sure you eat breakfast the next day before he sends you off to attend your classes. He doesn't let you spend a second alone outside of your classes, though, and you're reminded of your high school days as he follows you around and studies with you, eats with you and even spends nights at your place.

Your heart is faltering more intensely yet again after spending more time with him, and it's hard to control yourself. You're not alone, though, as Shinwon feels the same.

Sipping on the orange juice that Shinwon brought you one morning, claiming vitamin c would help you battle the flu (it was summer, though and you weren't even sick), you held back laughter as Shinwon said, "orange you glad we met?"

"I sure am glad, but you owe me an appleogy for doing nothing but hurting my heart since the day we met," you say.

Shinwon widens his eyes and raises his eyebrows, giving you a questioning look.

You look down with a sigh, asking yourself if you're really gonna do this.

"Shinwon... I've had feelings for you for the longest time, and still do. I know you don't feel the same, so it's been hard on me... you don't have to say anything cause God I don't want things to get awkward between us so..."

Shinwon puts down his orange juice, trying his best to hide his smile.

"You... like me?" he asks you, pointing to himself.

You nod, your heart racing in his chest. What will he do? Make fun of you? Walk away? Stay quiet?

"What if I told you I feel the same?"

Your head shoots up at his response, eyes wide at his answer.

"Huh?"

"I like you, [y/n], and I'm sorry I hurt you so much for not telling you sooner..."

You force back a smile but end up laughing loudly. Shinwon smiles, taking hold of your hands.

"Are we now a campus couple?" you ask, breathlessly.

"If you want us to be," Shinwon says, sweetly.

L ⇴ LAUGHTER

For all his hot-headed moments, Shinwon is also a huge prankster, forever winding you up by setting things up around the apartment that can make you jump or cause a mess that somehow you have to clean up. You’re very good at getting your own back on Shinwon though, he’s easily scared, which you love to use to your advantage, often hiding around the house and jumping out on him when he least expects it. Prank wars is very much a thing between the two of you, forever trying to outdo each other with who can scare the other one the most and who can end up creating the most mess as well.  

M ⇴ MISSING

Shinwon has a tendency to shrug off missing you whenever anyone ever asks how he’s feeling, especially when it comes to missing you. It’s hard on him, especially at meet and greets when so many of the fans want to compliment your relationship and tell him how sweet the two of you are. It’s then, when he misses the sweet moments with you, being able to hug you and tell you about his day without having to worry what time it is and whether you’ll be awake or tucked up in bed, not wanting to be disturbed. It’s hard on him, but he’ll always do his best to smile through the pain for the sake of everyone else.

N ⇴ NICKNAMES

You love to tease Shinwon by calling him a ‘diva.’ He hates it, and you really can get under his skin with the nickname, but even he can’t deny how apt it is sometimes, and how much of a diva he really can be.

O ⇴ OBSESSION

He’s obsessed with your body, he often finds himself just staring at you in awe, but most of all he loves to hold you and find new sweet spots against your skin.

P ⇴ PDA

Whenever you’re in public, he’s always cautious of not making too big of a deal, but also not wanting there to be any distance between the two of you. Whilst he’s happy to make it known that the two of you are together, he’s not someone that will go too over the top, preferring to relax things and keep gestures subtle.

Q ⇴ QUESTIONS

He’ll often ask for your opinion on various things, especially when it comes to outfits and things that he should take on tour or for shoots. Although he knows he looks good, he loves to hear it come from you as well.

R ⇴ RANDOM FACTS

Shinwon will always make sure to wear the bracelet that you bought for him in amongst all of his other ones whenever he’s away from home, and you. You can always spot it during any broadcast or fan cam, and although to everyone else that’s watching him it just seems as if it’s another bracelet, to you, you know the importance of it, and just how much it means to you to see him wearing it, thinking of you.

S ⇴ SEX

The mood is often a great determiner in how intimacy goes for the two of you, sometimes Shinwon will love to dominate and prove to you that he’s the man, other times he’ll be happy to let you be the dominate one, especially if he’s had a rough day. The two of you often find yourselves in the bedroom after an argument as well, Shinwon’s temper definitely calms itself down that way, and leaves you happy too.

T ⇴ TEXTS

You’ll often receive texts when he’s out and about, tending to be pictures of things that he’s spotted that he wants your opinion on. A new shirt, or perhaps a menu for dinner, he’ll always send it to you immediately.

U ⇴ UNIVERSE

At times, he could be a bit of a complex person, and yet you understood exactly who he was with ease. Whilst others were often confused by him, you got it, each and every time, you knew exactly who Shinwon was.

V ⇴ VACATION

When the time came for the two of you to go away, Shinwon made sure to spoil you like you never had been before. Not only did he want to treat you to a holiday somewhere special, but he also wanted to use the time to say thank you to you for being there for him through so much and understanding how busy he was too.

W ⇴ WHINING

There were definitely times when Shinwon would be known to whine for your attention, if he was feeling needy, then he’d definitely let you know about it.

X ⇴ XXXXX

He loved to tease you the most when it came to kisses, winding you up and often leaving you wanting more, only to see him walking away. He couldn’t help but be playful when it came to kisses, pulling against your lip, or sucking gently against the nape of your neck, when he heard little hums come from your lip, Shinwon knew it was time to pull away, knowing that it wouldn’t take long before you’d chase him down.

Y ⇴ YOU

You were his reason to smile, he was just so unbelievably happy around you.

Z ⇴ ZZZ

Shinwon tended to sleep with his shirt off, which was something about him which you were silently a big fan of. He could tell though, by the way you fell asleep blushing most nights, that you enjoyed being able to touch.

---

“Changgu…?” You muttered under your breath, eliciting a hum of interest from Shinwon.

And sure enough, there was Changgu, dressed in a tux — which was a mix of cream and white that suited him well — rushing towards you with a wide grin. Behind him was his father, walking leisurely to eventually join you guys as well (though he stopped for a moment to grab a glass of wine). Without even giving you a chance to register the situation, Changgu engulfed you in a big hug, almost tipping you over with all the energy.

“Y/n! I’ve missed you so much! How have you been doing?” He exclaimed after he pulled away to scan your face, eyeing every single detail.

“I’ve been doing great!” You smiled back. “How about yourself?”

“Oh, you know, same old, same old.” He rolled his eyes and returned to his bright smile. “But let’s not talk about me — it’s your party after all, and we don’t need that small talk. Anything special happen while we’ve been apart?” He then lowered his voice and added not so subtly, wiggling his eyebrows. “You didn’t run off and find a special someone, did you? You can’t do that to me.”

It took you a moment to find a response. You swore you sent him a message about your engagement months ago, but from the way he was acting right now, it didn’t seem like he had any knowledge of it at all. In the corner of your eye, you could see Shinwon cast a confused glance in your direction. 

Before you could respond, his father passed by to join in on the conversation. “It’s been so long since you guys got to meet, if you plan on marrying each other then we’ve got to plan more dinners like this. Though of course, a little more intimate where we don’t invite all the kingdoms over.” He joked with a hearty laugh. 

Oh. So they didn’t know about your engagement.

You chuckled along awkwardly as you watched him leave the conversation to go talk to another guest.

“He’s right, it’s been so long since we last met, we should do something together again! Like those ballroom classes, remember how we did that when we were little? We should take another class so that we can see each other often again. I love dancing with you.” Changgu rambled on excitedly and took your hands into his. His touchy antics typically weren’t unusual at all to you, having been best friends for as long as you could remember, you weren’t bothered by his love for physical contact. But today, your hands felt like they were on fire as he held them tightly, and it was probably because you could feel a certain someone staring at the two of you.

Shinwon spoke before you could. “Actually,” He put a tight grip on your shoulder and pulled you closer to his side, making Changgu step away from you a little. “Y/n already has a fiancé and the wedding will be happening this summer.” He declared boldly.

You saw the first sign of jealousy when his other hand clenched into a fist.  Now, Shinwon would never get physical, nor would he ever hurt a fly, but you could tell that he was doing so to relieve his anger. He had to do something to calm himself down.

“Ah…” Changgu stared at the two of you, mouth slightly parted as he slowly connected the dots. Then, that confusion morphed into a smile and he playfully nudged you. “You didn’t tell me you had something going on.”

“Did… did you not receive the letter we sent out?” You managed to stammer out.

“Hm? There was a letter?”

“Yes we sent one out a long time ago, it may have gotten lost I guess.” You weakly concluded. The Yeo family didn’t interact much with the other kingdoms — they hadn’t even gone to Shinwon’s party, and instead spent most of their time in the peaceful solace of the forests.

“Ah, oh well, it would’ve come to me as a surprise either way. So,” He shrugged it off and turned to look at Changgu. “You’re the man? What’s your name?” He held out his hand to shake.

“... Ko Shinwon.” He replied flatly, and firmly took his hand and squeezed it.

“My name is Yeo Changgu!” He responded back, seemingly unfazed by his cold attitude. “Me and y/n have been friends ever since we were little.”

It was a harmless comment, maybe a little unnecessary, and from the look on Changgu’s face, you weren’t sure why he found the need to say it, but his eyes still twinkled with friendliness. Shinwon, on the other hand, didn’t seem to take his statement the same way you did, and he tightened his grip on your shoulder.

-----

Shinwon seemed to lighten up a little bit when you busied yourself with talking to other guests and he kept a loose hand in yours, gently playing with it. Though wasn’t long before Changgu approached you again, now with a rose in his pocket and you silently wondered who he got it from.

“Would you care for a dance, my princess?” He joked but held his hand out in all seriousness for you to take. You hesitated, trying to peer into his mind before looking to your right to check on Shinwon, only to realize that your fiancé had already struck up a conversation with one of his friends. No matter how much you stared, he didn’t look your way. 

You huffed at his pettiness and gratefully took your friend’s hand. “Why I’m definitely up for a dance.”

The two of you swayed to the beat and you tried to get your mind off of Shinwon. You could tell he was starting to sulk a little bit and couldn’t stop the feeling of concern bubbling within you. But at the same time, his stubborn attitude unwillingly irked you a little and you wanted to push aside his unnecessary jealousy. No matter how much you tried though, the setting still reminded you of when you first danced with Shinwon. How he was the only one to understand you that day, how stunning he looked even with the mask on, how nice it felt to kiss him for the first time— 

“Ah—!”

Pulled out of your thoughts, you brought your focus back to Changgu and followed his shocked gaze to see your foot stepping fully onto his. That must’ve been a little painful.

“I’m so sorry, I got distracted.” You quickly apologized and fumbled a little as you tried to get back into the rhythm of the dance.

Your best friend lightly chuckled, though there was a slight hint of discomfort in his smile. “You haven’t changed a bit, have you?” He reminisced. “Always getting distracted during dances and stepping on people’s toes.”

He was right, ever since the beginning of your lessons, you found it hard to not get lost in your thoughts and had always ended up misplacing your steps or bumping into those beside you. As your go-to dance partner during those times, Changgu had always experienced that clumsiness first-hand, and recently, Shinwon was also starting to realize that for himself. Clearly, you only harboured so much love for dancing.

The music picked up its tempo, signalling the time to switch partners and Changgu bid you off with a happy wave. Spinning around, you almost bumped into someone else and looked up to see the one and only Shinwon who seemed just as shocked as you were.

You quirked an eyebrow. “Well, not going to invite your own fiancée for a dance?” You tried to create some sort of amendment with him through your joking tone but his eyes averted from your gaze as he licked his lips.

That was the second clue to his jealousy. He always played with his lips and looked away when he was distracted and thinking about something else. After an awkward beat, he brought his hands into position and pulled you onto the floor for a dance without a word.

In the midst of the music, your little dance was silent and disappointing to say the least. Usually, they were filled with stories and laughter — that aspect came naturally to the both of you. Though you still shared this quiet sense of heartfelt affirmations, there were still so many things missing. Like his smile. 

You wanted to draw out a smile from him so badly to ease your heart, but none of your efforts seemed to work and his posture remained rigid, strictly following the music like he was worried about others criticizing his skills. The dance continued like that until you heard your father calling the two of you to take your places at the dining table.

You gave Shinwon a quick peck on the lips before making your way to your seat where many other notable guests were already gathering. When you sat down, you spotted Jinho in the spot in front of you and gave him a small nod of acknowledgement. As the son of the neighbouring kingdom, he was a familiar face at your palace. He leaned onto the table and smiled sweetly. “Y/n, you’re looking beautiful as usual.”

As you returned the compliment with a polite reply, you flinched a little when Shinwon set down the glass he was holding a little too forcefully and he muttered a small “sorry.”  When he chose to talk to the guest beside him instead of returning your stare, you turned back to Jinho who sent you a sympathetic smile.

The night wasn’t supposed to turn out like this.

Earlier, a small part of you admittedly had the intent of playing his own game by ignoring his hints of jealousy, but now, as you watched him sulk to himself, your heart melted and you sucked up your own pride. Your dignity was the last of your worries now — your new goal was to cheer up and remind him that yes, you still loved him and that there’s no reason for him to get jealous over a childhood friend. Even if that friend was a little too overbearing.

You spent a good chunk of that dinner glancing around the table, from one end to the other, trying to see if anyone else noticed Shinwon’s sour demeanour, or if there were any opportunities to cheer him up. However, everyone was focusing on either the food in front of them or the other guests they were conversing with, and there still wasn’t an outing for you to be able to take Shinwon outside. When you looked to your right, your eyes locked with Hui’s, just like they did the last time you saw him, and he stared back at you, slowly chewing the steak in his mouth. You couldn’t tell what he was trying to convey in his expression (and you silently scowled at his ambiguousness), but one thing was sure — there was no ounce of friendliness in his eyes, and you wondered why he wouldn’t leave you alone. You just needed an excuse to be alone...

“Gifts!”

All the attention was diverted to you when you suddenly stood up and blurted out the random word. Brushing off the crumbs that had fallen on your outfit, you let out a small sigh in relief when you noticed that they didn’t leave a stain and cleared your throat, trying to compose yourself.

“I mean,” You awkwardly looked at your father. “I’ve prepared some gifts for the guest and need some time to prepare them before the dancing starts again, so may I be excused to go do that right now? I’m done eating.”

You really weren’t done eating, but that was fine. At least you weren’t lying when you said you had gifts prepared.

“I’m going to need Shinwon to help me though.”

You felt the attention shift towards him now and took a peek at Changgu, who busied himself with his drink, paying no attention to the situation. Shinwon also didn’t look at you. He almost did, but caught himself before his eyes could wander to you and opted to cast a lost expression in the other direction.

Your stomach felt queasy when you sensed his hesitation. You caught onto the idea that he was still holding onto his pride and wanted to get back at you by staying at the table out of spite, but he simply let out a small sigh and then stood straight up, giving you a moody look.

Smiling at his cuteness, you acted like everything was fine for the sake of the guests, and grabbed his hand to lead him to your bedroom.

When you arrived, you gestured at the bows and ribbons that needed to be attached to the gifts and gave him some instructions: tie the gifts up, make sure they’re secured, double check that they looked presentable — pretty straightforward. You then headed towards your closet and pulled out the first boxes full of gifts to slide them over to where Shinwon was standing, ribbons ready in hand. You caught Changgu’s name on one of the gift tags after Shinwon received the box from you and grimaced at the unlucky coincidence.

“Thanks for leaving your food to help me,” You started, trying to prevent him from reading the names in the box. “I promise I’ll get the chefs to make your favourite dessert later.”

“Sure thing, y/n.” He brushed off your thanks with a nod and you stopped pulling the gifts out of the boxes to look at him.

That was the last indicator — he said your name. 

Shinwon hardly said your name when he was talking to you directly, it was always love or princess, or some other cheesy term of endearment. But just now, he had looked at you straight in the eyes and said “y/n” like it was a challenge.

Placing the box in your hands onto a nearby table, you faced him fully and rested your hands on your hips with a sigh. “Alright, what’s going on Shinwon?” 

You played the game back by saying his name, but approached the topic gently.

“Nothing’s going on, I don’t know what you’re getting at.” He muttered with a small pout, trying to avoid the conversation by going back to sorting the gifts, but you pulled him away to the other side of the room and leaned on one of the dressers.

“Nothing’s going on? So the past how-many-hours have been the usual Shinwon I know and love? Or is there a good explanation for it?”

When he didn’t answer, you cut to the chase. “Are you jealous?”

He was pouting even more now, finally giving up on any attempt to act indifferent to your confrontation, and you almost couldn’t take him seriously anymore. “Is it because of Changgu?” You pressed.

That got him to answer. 

“When you said you were good friends before, I didn’t think you were that close.” He hesitated and then continued. “He was being too touchy, you’re my fiancée and I don’t think he got that memo. It’s either that, or he’s taking advantage of you, and it kind of hurts to just watch you know?” 

You gently took one of his hands and traced your thumb along the back of it. “I know what you’re getting at, we’ve always been pretty close, and he’s always been a naturally affectionate person… but he might’ve stepped over some boundaries earlier. I just want you to know that those advancements don’t mean anything to me though, alright?”

Standing straight up, you went in to place a soft kiss on his lips, lingering for a while as the tips of your nose brushed against each other lovingly. 

“I love you the most, and I have no plans on leaving you.” You added.

Shinwon’s smile was a little fuller this time, and he whispered back an “I love you too” before pulling you into a warm hug, hair tickling your face as he leaned into you.

“Now let’s get these gifts all packed up, shall we? Everyone’s waiting for us.” You offered, patting his back a couple times to get him out of the sappy mood.

He didn’t miss a beat. “Will I get a dance with you later in return?”

“No, you’ll never get to dance with me ever again.” You replied sarcastically while pulling away and laughed when he went back to pouting again.