#tws fluff

A week had passed since the confession. And somehow they really had stayed friends.

There were no awkward greetings. No avoiding each other in the hallways. No pretending the conversation beneath the zelkova tree had never happened. Y/N still waited by the vending machine after class. Kyungmin still bought two drinks without asking. She still called him "annoyingly nice." He still apologized too much.

On the surface, nothing had changed. Only the tiny pauses between their conversations betrayed that something had.

One afternoon, as they walked toward the school gate together, Kyungmin suddenly stopped. "...Y/N."

"Hm?"

He hesitated. "...Do you have plans this Saturday?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Our group's performing at a university festival."

"...Congratulations?"

He laughed. "No, I mean..."

He scratched the back of his neck. "I have guest passes."

She blinked. "...You're inviting me?"

"If you want to."

"You don't have to come. I just..." He looked away, suddenly shy. "...thought it'd be nice."

Y/N stared at him for a second before smiling. "Sure."

"I've never watched a university festival before." His shoulders visibly relaxed. "...Really?"

"Mhm."

"Then I'll show you one."

Saturday arrived quicker than either of them expected. The university campus buzzed with life. Students carried department jackets over their shoulders. Clubs handed out flyers. Music echoed from every corner.

The smell of food trucks drifted through the air. Y/N slowly looked around. "...Whoa."

Kyungmin smiled. "First time?"

"This is..."

She watched a group of engineering students laughing over a broken robot. Another group sat on the grass painting banners. Nearby, seniors were taking graduation photos with bouquets.

"...Lively."

"Right?"

She nodded. "I kind of get why everyone says university is fun."

Backstage was far more chaotic. Staff hurried between dressing rooms. Microphones were checked. In-ear monitors were adjusted. Managers called everyone's names. The members immediately noticed Y/N.

Dohoon grinned. "So this is Y/N."

Kyungmin's ears turned pink. "...Hyung."

Shinyu smiled warmly. "It's nice to finally meet you."

Y/N bowed politely. "Thank you for inviting me."

Youngjae nudged Kyungmin with his elbow when she wasn't looking. "She's exactly how you described."

Kyungmin pretended not to hear him.

The performance began. The crowd exploded. Thousands of university students screamed as TWS appeared on stage. Y/N had seen performances online before. It was different in person. Kyungmin looked happy. Confident. Like the stage had always belonged to him. She found herself smiling. He's really good.

After nearly an hour, the show ended. The members waved goodbye. Confetti drifted through the air. The audience slowly dispersed across campus. Y/N waited backstage like she'd been told. "...He's taking a while."

A staff member passed by. "Oh."

"Kyungmin?"

"I think he went downstairs."

"Downstairs?"

"He said he needed some air."

Meanwhile, Kyungmin wandered aimlessly through one of the quieter academic buildings connected to the venue. His performance clothes still clung to him. His breathing had become strangely shallow. He stopped near a staircase. Above him, voices echoed. University students.

"...Our midterm was impossible."

"I still have two reports due."

"What are you doing after graduation?"

"I'm applying for an exchange program."

"I got accepted into the internship!"

Their laughter bounced through the concrete stairwell. Kyungmin slowly sat down beneath the stairs. Hidden from view. He stared blankly at the floor. "Next year..."

Next year, he would've graduated from Hanlim. Maybe, he would've walked through a campus just like this. Complained about assignments. Pulled all-nighters before exams. Joined a club. Made friends outside the industry. He would've just… been another student. Instead, he'd spent his teenage years memorizing choreography, filming, traveling, practicing until dawn, smiling in front of cameras.

He loved being an idol.

He really did.

So, why did it suddenly hurt?

His breathing became quicker, too quick. He pressed a hand against his chest. "Why can't I breathe?" His fingers trembled. "No. Not now."

He curled forward. The noise upstairs felt louder. Closer. His vision blurred. "What's wrong with me?"

A shaky breath escaped him. Then another. "...I'm..."

His voice cracked. "...I'm fine..."

"Kyungmin?" Footsteps echoed through the stairwell. "...Kyungmin?"

Y/N.

She rounded the corner and froze. He sat on the floor beneath the stairs, shoulders shaking. One arm wrapped around himself. The other covered his face. "...Kyungmin."

She hurried over, kneeling beside him. His breathing was uneven. His eyes were red. The moment he noticed her pink bow hair clip he gave before— everything he'd been holding back spilled over.

"...I'm sorry." His voice broke. "I'm sorry."

"...Hey."

"I'm sorry." His hands shook harder. "I don't know why this is happening. I'm sorry."

"I..." He couldn't finish the sentence.

Y/N had never seen him like this. Not the cheerful classmate. Not the confident idol. Just an eighteen-year-old boy trying desperately to hold himself together. She wasn't good with comforting people. She never had been. So she did the only thing she knew. She stayed, quietly.

Until his breathing slowed enough for him to hear her. "...Kyungmin."

He looked up weakly. "...Not everyone's perfect."

"..."

"Just like me."

He gave a tiny, confused laugh through his tears. "...What?"

She shrugged. "Sorry–I don't know how to comfort people, so I'm just saying what I think."

He sniffled. "...Okay."

She leaned back against the wall beside him. "I think, everyone's carrying something. You just don't always see it."

She glanced toward the ceiling. "You looked at those university students, didn't you?"

His eyes widened. "...How did you know?"

"You have that face."

"What face?"

"The one where you're comparing yourself to everyone else."

He lowered his head. "...I kept thinking, that could've been me."

She nodded. "I know."

"I love being an idol. I really do. But today, I wondered what I missed."

His voice cracked again. “Does that make me ungrateful?"

Y/N answered immediately. "No. It makes you human."

Silence settled between them. For the first time since sitting beneath those stairs, Kyungmin's breathing became steadier.

After a while, Y/N spoke again. "...Do you remember asking me why I rejected you?"

He looked over. "...Yeah."

"I never answered."

"You didn't have to."

"I want to now." She stared at the floor. "My first relationship..."

She smiled, but it wasn't a happy one. "...Started with my best friend."

Kyungmin stayed quiet. "We were inseparable. We liked each other. So we dated. For a while...It was nice." Her fingers absentmindedly traced invisible circles on the concrete. "But when we broke up, he just ignored me. No calls. No texts. No 'how are you?’ after passing by each other in the hallway. Nothing."

She swallowed. "I didn't just lose someone I liked. I lost my best friend. The person I told everything to." Her voice became quieter. "And that… hurts more than the breakup."

Kyungmin listened without interrupting.

"So when you confessed..." She laughed softly.

"...All I could think was 'What if it happens again?'"

She finally looked at him. "I'd rather have you as my friend, than risk losing you completely."

The words hung in the air. Kyungmin felt something in his chest loosen. He understood now. It had never been because she thought he wasn't enough. It had been because he mattered too much. Without thinking, he reached for her hand. She let him.

"I won't do that."

She looked at him.

"No matter what happens. If you never like me back, if you do someday, if we stay friends forever..." He squeezed her hand gently. "...I'm not disappearing. I don't want a world where you're suddenly a stranger."

His voice was still rough from crying. "So...I promise. I'll never let that happen."

Y/N stared at him for a long moment. She searched his face, as if trying to convince herself that he truly meant every word.

Her eyes slowly softened. Before Kyungmin could say anything else— She took a small step closer. "...Y/N?"

Without giving herself time to overthink it, she lean closer. A soft, fleeting warmth brushed against his lips. Just a peck. Gone almost as quickly as it happened.

Kyungmin froze. His eyes widened.

"..."

"..."

Y/N stepped back immediately, her own eyes just as wide, as though she couldn't believe what she'd done. "...I..."

For once, the girl who always had something to say couldn't find a single word. Kyungmin instinctively touched his lips. "...You..."

She looked away, ears burning. "That wasn’t me–" Her voice came out much quieter than usual. "...I acted before I thought." A nervous laugh escaped her. "...Which is... embarrassing."

Kyungmin couldn't stop staring at her. Then, slowly… A smile spread across his face. Not because of the kiss itself. But because, for the first time since he'd confessed beneath the zelkova tree. That tiny, impulsive kiss said more than any confession ever could.

Y/N stared at him for a long moment. Then, without warning, she leaned forward. Her forehead rested lightly against his shoulder. Very carefully. Almost as if she was afraid he'd move away. Kyungmin hesitated only for a second before wrapping his arms around her. The hug was quiet. No dramatic declarations. No racing heartbeat. Just warmth. The kind that said, "I'm here."

For a long moment, neither of them spoke. Outside, the muffled sounds of the university festival continued—students laughing, music playing, life carrying on. Beneath the quiet stairwell, however, the world felt impossibly still.

Kyungmin rested his cheek lightly against the top of her head. His own eyes stung again, though this time the tears came for a different reason.

“I hate myself,” She mumbles in his shoulder. “But I lo– no like– you.”

He caressed her hair with his free hand as she continued. “What should I do

He smiled through them. "...Then..." His voice was gentle enough to match the moment. "...We'll figure it out together."

Y/N didn't answer.

She simply held onto him a little tighter.

And for the first time since the day they met in a crowded school hallway neither of them felt quite so alone.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There was a saying that floated around the dorm. “When Kyungmin starts thinking too much, he'll either write lyrics in his notes app... or make a life-changing decision."

Unfortunately this time...

It was the second one.

For nearly two weeks after that conversation about love, Kyungmin couldn't stop replaying it.

"Love doesn't happen at first sight. It grows. One day you realize you've fallen."

Every time he heard Y/N laugh. Every time she teased him for apologizing too much. Every time she handed him half of her drink because she'd accidentally bought the wrong flavor.

His feelings only became clearer.

Maybe she was right. Maybe it wasn't love at first sight. Maybe it had started with admiration, curiosity. A desire to know the brave girl who had yelled at an entire hallway without blinking.

But now,

Now he knew her.

He knew she hated mushrooms. He knew she always bought peach juice when she was in a good mood and iced americano whenever she had exams. He knew she drummed her fingers whenever she was impatient. He knew she'd rather receive practical gifts than flowers because, according to her, "Flowers die. Give me snacks instead."

He knew she never sugarcoated her opinions. He knew she always returned lost pens because, "Someone probably misses this."

He knew she pretended not to care whenever she was tired, but the dark circles beneath her eyes betrayed her. He knew her. And he loved her.

"So?" Dohoon leaned over the dining table. "When are you confessing?"

Kyungmin nearly choked on his cereal. "...What?"

"You've been staring into space for three mornings."

Youngjae nodded. "I think the cereal box knows your feelings before she does."

Hanjin laughed. Jihoon looked up from his phone. "You've already decided."

It wasn't even a question. 

Shinyu smiled knowingly from the kitchen. "You have."

Kyungmin looked around the dorm. "...Is it that obvious?"

"Yes." Six answers came at once.

He sighed. "...I think it really is today."

Dohoon clapped dramatically. "FINALLY!"

The members, naturally, became far more invested than Kyungmin would've liked."What kind of confession?"

"Romantic. Not too dramatic, not too boring."

"Handwritten letter?"

"No."

"Flowers?"

"She literally said she doesn't like flowers."

"Oh."

"Candy bouquet?"

"...Maybe."

By the end of breakfast, everyone had accidentally become his planning committee. Kyungmin decided on something simple. Not flashy, or overwhelming. Just things that reminded him of her.

Monday. 

He arrived at school earlier than usual. Standing in front of Y/N's locker, he hesitated.

Is this weird?

Probably.

Too late now.

He carefully taped tiny colorful sticky notes across the locker door. Each one carried only a few words.

Don't skip breakfast today.

Good luck with your presentation.

Don't bully the vending machine.

Have a good day :)

He smiled to himself. Then carefully hung a tiny plush keychain she'd once pointed at in a convenience store. "Cute. Too expensive though."

When Y/N arrived twenty minutes later "...What." She stared at her locker.

Students nearby immediately noticed. "Who did this? It's adorable!"

Y/N carefully peeled one sticky note off. "...Don't bully the vending machine?"

She laughed despite herself. "...Idiot." She already knew.

That afternoon, Kyungmin casually walked beside her.

"So...Nice locker?"

Y/N looked at him sideways. "You wrote like forty sticky notes."

"Only twenty-three."

"You counted?"

"I wrote them."

"...Fair point." She smiled. "...Thank you."

His heart nearly stopped.

Tuesday.

He quietly filled one pocket of her backpack while she was talking to her teacher. A peach juice, her favorite chocolate, gummy bears, a tiny packet of almonds because she'd once complained she always forgot to eat between classes. 

When she reached into her bag later— "...Huh?"

One snack, then another, then another. She looked around. "...Lee Kyungmin."

He immediately looked away. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"...Really?"

"...No."

She laughed. "...Thank you."

Again. That smile. It was becoming dangerous.

Wednesday.

Their homeroom teachers both happened to assign stacks of worksheets. Y/N carried nearly half of Class 3-A's papers by herself. "...Why do teachers hate trees?"

Kyungmin blinked. "What?"

"They keep murdering them."

Before she could protest, he took half the stack from her arms. "Hey!"

"You'll drop them." He said

"I won't."

"I know."

"So give them back."

"No."

"...Kyungmin."

"I'm helping."

She sighed dramatically. "...You're annoyingly nice."

"I've been told."

"...Mostly by me."

"I know."

They walked together through the hallway. Students openly stared. The famous TWS maknae carrying worksheets behind a girl from another class.

Y/N noticed.

"...Are people staring for another reason."

"So?"

She shrugged. "Let them."

Just like always. She genuinely didn't care.

Thursday.

The rumors had spread.

"They're dating."

"No way."

"Maybe they're just friends?"

"He's always around her."

One girl asked Y/N directly. "Are you and Kyungmin...?"

Y/N answered without hesitation. "We're friends." Simple. Confident. Without embarrassment. Kyungmin heard it from across the hallway, he smiled, friends, for now. He finally made up his mind.

Friday.

School ended beneath a sky painted in warm shades of orange. Students poured out through the gates in noisy groups. Y/N adjusted her backpack. "I'm going home."

Kyungmin swallowed. "...Wait."

She turned. "Hm?"

"...Can we talk?"

She noticed how unusually serious he looked. "...Sure."

He led her away from the busy entrance. Past the gymnasium. Past the practice building. To the oldest part of campus.

There stood a giant zelkova tree. Its branches stretched across nearly half the courtyard, casting cool shadows over the benches beneath. It was quiet there. Only the rustling leaves filled the silence.

Y/N looked around. "...Why does this feel suspicious?"

Kyungmin laughed nervously. "...Does it?"

"A little." She leaned against the trunk. "So? What happened?"

He suddenly forgot every sentence he'd rehearsed. Every speech. Every carefully chosen word. Gone. His hands felt cold. His heart pounded so loudly he wondered if she could hear it.

"...Y/N."

"Hm?"

"Do you remember...the hallway?"

She smiled softly. "When we met?"

"...Yeah."

"You looked terrified."

"I was."

"I could tell."

He laughed quietly. "Ever since then… I've been really grateful to have met you. But..."

He looked down. "It stopped being just gratitude a long time ago."

Silence. The leaves above them swayed gently, passed through her hair with kiwi hair clips

"I like talking to you. I like walking to class with you. I like hearing your opinions even when you completely destroy mine."

She let out a tiny laugh.

"I like how honest you are. I like that you don't treat me differently because I'm an idol. I like that you're brave. You make me want to become braver too."

His voice trembled.

"Somewhere along the way...I fell for you."

Y/N's smile slowly faded. She had expected many things. Not this.

"I know you said you don't believe in love at first sight."

"..."

"I don't know when mine started anymore. Maybe that hallway. Maybe the vending machine. Maybe somewhere in between."

"But..." He took a shaky breath. "I know how I feel now. I like you. I really do."

He put his hand out as he uncurls his fingers revealing a pink bow hairclip

"Would you...give me a chance?"

Silence. Long and heavy.

Y/N lowered her head. "...Kyungmin."

He immediately noticed. She wasn't smiling anymore. She wasn't meeting his eyes. "I'm sorry."

His heart sank before she'd even continued. "...You're... one of my favorite people. And I care about you. A lot. But..."

She closed her eyes. "I can't say yes."

The words landed gently. But somehow they hurt even more because of it. Kyungmin forced himself to smile. "...Can I ask why?"

She stood there quietly, now fumbling with her fingers while continuing to look at her shoes. She was uncomfortable. And Kyungmin noticed this. He understood.

Y/N took one hesitant step closer. "I don't want to lose you. I know that's selfish. But– I really hope– we can still be friends."

She looked at him with glossy eyes full of sincerity. No pity, no discomfort. Just genuine regret. Kyungmin stayed silent for several seconds. The breeze carried a few leaves between them.

Finally, he smiled, small, a little shaky.

"...You know, You really are honest."

She looked down. "You should’ve known I always am."

He laughed through the ache in his chest. "Yeah. I know."

He took a slow breath before offering a hand. "...Friends?"

Y/N stared at it. Relief slowly filled her expression. She accepted it. "...Friends."

Their hands shook once. Briefly, before letting go.

The walk back to the school gate was quieter than any conversation they'd ever had. They still talked. About homework. About an upcoming exam. About how the vending machine still owed Y/N another drink. 

As if nothing had changed.

But everything had. At the intersection where their routes home separated, Y/N stopped. "...Get home safely."

"You too."

She gave him one last small smile before walking away. Kyungmin watched until she disappeared around the corner. Only then did he let out the breath he'd been holding. His chest ached. His vision started to blurry. He knelt down holding his knees as he lets out a little sigh. Not because she'd been cruel.

She hadn't.

Not because she'd looked down on his feelings.

She hadn't.

It hurt because she'd respected them enough to answer honestly. He looked up at the orange sky. A bittersweet smile tugged at his lips. "...Maybe you were right."

Love did grow.

Unfortunately,

Sometimes it grows in only one heart.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The vending machine had somehow become their place. Not officially. No one said it aloud. But if Kyungmin had a break after class, he'd find himself wandering there. More often than not, Y/N was already there.

Sometimes drinking peach juice. Sometimes coffee. Sometimes just leaning against the wall because she had no intention of going home early. Particularly today though, she was wearing a strawberry hair clip.

"Question." Y/N suddenly spoke.

Kyungmin looked up from the can he had just bought. "Hm?"

"Do you believe in love at first sight?"

He nearly dropped his drink. "...What?"

"I said—"

"I heard you."

She frowned. "Why are you reacting like I proposed?"

"I just..." He cleared his throat. "It came out of nowhere."

"I was watching a drama yesterday."

"Oh."

"They fell in love after looking at each other for five seconds." She looked unconvinced. "I don't buy it."

Kyungmin tried to sound casual. "...Really?"

"Mhm."

"You don't think it exists?"

"No." She answered without even thinking. "I think people mistake curiosity for love. You can think someone's pretty, or interesting, or cool. But love?"

She shook her head. "You don't know anything about them."

Kyungmin quietly listened. She continued,

"I think love grows. It doesn't suddenly appear. You meet someone, you get to know them, you learn how they laugh, how they get angry, what they're scared of, the little habits no one else notices."

She smiled faintly. "Then one day...you realize somewhere along the way you've fallen. Now THAT’S love." She looked over at him. "Not one glance. That's just attraction."

Kyungmin stared at the vending machine. "...I see."

"What about you?"

"Hm?"

"You haven't answered."

"..."

He opened his can. "I...don't know."

Y/N grinned. "That's the most diplomatic answer ever."

"I'll take that as a compliment."

But on the walk home...

He couldn't stop thinking about it. "You don't know anything about them. Love grows. Not one glance.

Later that evening. In the TWS' dorm. The living room was unusually lively. Shinyu sat on the couch reading through tomorrow's schedule. Dohoon was sprawled across the floor with one earbud in, absentmindedly tossing a plushie into the air. 

Youngjae had somehow convinced Hanjin to help him assemble a tiny bookshelf they'd bought online. "...This screw is wrong."

"It's not."

"It is."

"It isn't."

Jihoon walked past carrying a bowl of cut fruit. "You've been arguing over that one screw for ten minutes."

Meanwhile Kyungmin sat quietly at the dining table with his headphones on. Staring, not at anything. Just...

...thinking.

Dohoon caught it first. "...Guys." Everyone looked over. "Our maknae is buffering."

Jihoon followed Dohoon's gaze. "...You're right. He hasn't moved."

Youngjae waved a hand in front of Kyungmin's face. "Hello? Earth to Kyungmin?"

Nothing. Hanjin tilted his head. "Did school assign impossible homework?"

That finally got Kyungmin's attention. "...Huh?" he pulled down his headphones.

"There he is." Shinyu smiled. "You've been awfully happy these past few weeks."

"You come home smiling."

"You even hum while taking your shoes off." Dohoon gasped dramatically. "Which is terrifying."

Kyungmin blinked. "...I do?"

"You do," Jihoon nodded.

"And today..." Youngjae pointed. "...you look like someone canceled your birthday."

Kyungmin sighed. "...It's nothing."

Six pairs of eyes stared at him. Dohoon folded his arms. "It's school. It's definitely school."

Hanjin nodded. "Maybe someone confessed."

Jihoon looked intrigued. "...Or maybe he confessed."

Kyungmin immediately sat up. "I didn't!"

The room erupted. "Aha!"

"We got him!"

"So there is someone!"

His ears turned bright red. "You guys—"

Shinyu chuckled, his calm demeanor making the teasing feel gentler. "Tell us. If you want to."

Kyungmin looked around.

The excitement on their faces slowly softened into genuine curiosity. After a long pause "...There's someone."

Dohoon slapped the floor dramatically. "I KNEW IT!"

Youngjae laughed. "I knew those random smiles meant something."

Hanjin leaned forward. "Is she pretty?"

Jihoon added, "Does she know you're an idol?"

Kyungmin rubbed the back of his neck. "Yes....And yes."

"What's she like?"

He thought for a moment. "Confident. Very confident. We met when she shouted at some of my classmates for crowding me. She says whatever she's thinking. Doesn't really care what people think of her. She could shout at people when things get out of hand. And she’s gorgeous like– a firework!"

Youngjae smiled. "Sounds cool."

"She is." The words escaped so naturally that everyone noticed.

Dohoon slowly grinned. "...You like her."

Kyungmin looked down. "...Yeah."

No one teased him this time. His answer had been too sincere. Shinyu smiled knowingly. "So what's wrong?"

Kyungmin hesitated. "...We were talking today."

"About?"

"...Love at first sight."

Jihoon raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"She said she doesn't believe in it."

Youngjae tilted his head. "And?"

Kyungmin laughed quietly to himself. "I think… I did."

The room fell silent.

"I think… the first time I saw her… I liked her."

He remembered that hallway. Her voice cutting through dozens of students. "If he's saying he needs to leave, then let him leave. You're all his classmates. So act like classmates."

She hadn't looked impressed. She hadn't looked nervous. She'd simply seen someone struggling and stepped in. Kyungmin smiled to himself. "...I think I fell for her right there. And now..." 

He looked at his hands. "I'm wondering if I'm wrong. Because she says that's impossible."

For a moment, no one spoke. Then Shinyu, who had been listening quietly the whole time, set his schedule down. "I don't think either of you is wrong."

Kyungmin looked up.

Shinyu continued, his voice as steady as ever. "Maybe what happened that day wasn't love yet. Maybe it was the moment your heart decided– I want to know this person.'"

Youngjae nodded in agreement. "You didn't fall in love with everything about her in one second. You couldn't. But you did become interested enough to keep thinking about her."

Jihoon smiled. “And then every conversation after that gave your feelings somewhere to grow."

Hanjin laughed softly. "So maybe, it started at first sight. But became stronger little by little."

Kyungmin sat quietly. That actually made sense.

Dohoon, who had been suspiciously quiet, suddenly leaned forward with a mischievous grin.

"So..." Kyungmin looked up warily.

"...When are we meeting her?" 

Kyungmin buried his face in his hands. "...Hyung."

"What?"

"I don't even know if she likes me."

The room erupted into laughter. Even Kyungmin couldn't help laughing along. For the first time all evening, the heavy thoughts in his chest eased. Maybe Y/N was right. Maybe love didn't happen in a single glance. Or maybe it was in multiple glance, but it started from that first glance, like it was simply the page where his story with her had quietly begun.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The hallway had finally settled into its usual afternoon rhythm. Teachers were finishing classes. Students lingered in groups before club activities. Kyungmin had gotten used to unconsciously scanning the hallways now. Not in a desperate way. Just–

Maybe I'll see her again.

The one whose face he'd only seen for a few seconds before she'd sprinted away.

He still didn't know her name.

"...I'm thirsty." One of his friends pointed toward the vending machines near the practice studios. "Wanna grab something?"

Kyungmin nodded. "Sure."

The pair walked down the quieter hallway, relieved to be away from the crowded main corridors. Before they even reached the vending machines—

Thunk.

Thunk. Thunk.

"...Seriously?"

Kyungmin looked up. Standing in front of the vending machine was the very girl he'd been wondering about. She had one hand on her hip. The other repeatedly smacked the side of the machine. She’s wearing a green crochet seedling hairclip today. Inside a peach juice bottle hung halfway over the spiral, refusing to fall.

She stared at it. The bottle stared back.

"...You paid for that." He tried to talk to her

"...Yes." She stared it down. "It won't come down."

Another shove. Thunk.

Still nothing. She sighed dramatically.

"I respect your determination." Kyungmin’s friend tried to lighten.

" I paid 1,500 won." Y/n muttered, Another shove. "If you're going to scam me, at least do it properly."

Kyungmin couldn't stop himself. He laughed. It escaped before he could hide it. 

The girl turned. "Oh."

Recognition flashed across both their faces at the same time.

"Hallway?"

"...Hi," Kyungmin said.

"...Hi."

She looked back at the bottle. "I'm currently losing a battle."

"I can see that."

"It's winning." Kyungmin chuckled before stepping closer. "Can I?"

She moved aside dramatically. "Be my guest."

He gave the machine a careful shake. Nothing.

She folded her arms. "Told you."

"...Maybe..." He crouched slightly before giving the lower corner a firmer kick with the side of his shoe.

Clunk.

The bottle finally dropped.

Y/N immediately raised both hands. "YES!" She grabbed the drink like she'd won the lottery. "I knew violence would solve this."

"...I don't think that's the lesson." his friend whispered.

"It worked."

She opened the bottle and looked at Kyungmin once again "...Thanks."

"No problem." Kyungmin shrugged off.

There was an awkward pause.

Kyungmin rubbed the back of his neck. "I never got to thank you."

"Hm?"

"The other day."

"Oh." She shrugged. "It wasn't a big deal."

"It was to me."

She blinked. "...You're welcome then."

Another silence.

Then, "I'm Kyungmin."

"I know."

"...Right."

She smiled a little. "It's kind of hard not to."

He laughed. "...True."

She took another sip. "I'm Y/N, Nice to see you again"

There it was. Finally. A name.

His friend, sensing an actual conversation happening, quietly excused himself. "I'll head to the convenience store."

Kyungmin blinked. "Oh—"

But his friend was already halfway down the hallway, grinning to himself.

You're on your own.

"So..." Kyungmin asked. "You really didn't know who I was?"

Y/N tilted her head. "I knew you were Kyungmin from TWS."

"...That's all?"

"...Should there be more?"

He looked genuinely surprised. Most conversations started with,

"I've been a fan since predebut!"

"Can we take a picture?"

"Can you sign this?"

Instead...

Y/N simply asked, "So..."

"Did you end up making it to class?"

"...Eventually."

"Good."

"...That's your concern?"

"Well..." She shrugged. "If I yelled at everyone and you still ended up late, that would've been embarrassing."

Kyungmin laughed again. "...You're funny."

"I've been told I'm weird."

"I think funny fits better."

They began walking without realizing it. Neither really had anywhere urgent to be.

"So you're in 3-A?" he asked.

"Mhm."

"You?"

"3-B."

"I guessed."

"...You know?"

"Our classrooms are almost opposite."

Kyungmin blinked. "They are?"

"You really don't notice your surroundings."

"..."

"You walk while looking at the floor?"

"..."

She nodded confidently. "I’ts alright, I sometimes do that too. I’m sure you have your own quirky reasoning, I’ll just need to look on it more."

"You make me sound like a nature documentary."

"'Observe the rare idol in his natural habitat...'" She lowered her voice dramatically. "'Notice how he avoids eye contact to prevent another hallway ambush.'"

Kyungmin nearly doubled over laughing.

As they continued talking, Kyungmin realized something. Y/N wasn't trying to impress him. She interrupted him without hesitation. Teased him like they'd known each other for years. If she disagreed, she'd simply say so.

"You overthink."

"...I do?"

"Very much."

"You've known me for twenty minutes."

"I've decided."

"...That's unfair."

"It's accurate."

At one point, a group of junior girls walked past. They immediately recognized Kyungmin.

"Oh my gosh."

"It's him."

One nudged another. "Should we ask for a photo?"

Before Kyungmin could even tense, Y/N looked over. "If you ask nicely and not become a nuisance he'll probably say yes."

The girls blinked. "...Really?"

Kyungmin smiled. "Sure."

They politely asked, took one quick picture, thanked him, and left. Y/N continued drinking her peach juice. "...See?"

"...See what?"

"People usually copy the energy you give them. If you're calm...They're calmer."

Kyungmin thought about it. "...I've never looked at it that way."

She shrugged. "Maybe. Or maybe I'm just making things up."

"You sound pretty confident for someone making things up."

"I usually am."

By now, Kyungmin had noticed something else about her.

She was unpredictable.

One moment she'd be joking about losing a fight to a vending machine. The next she'd bluntly point out something he'd never realized about himself. She never seemed worried about sounding rude. If something crossed her mind, she simply said it.

"You care too much about what people expect." She said it so casually that he almost missed it.

"...What?"

"You apologize a lot."

"...I guess."

"You don't need to."

He looked at her. "What if people think I'm rude?"

Y/N looked genuinely confused. "...Then let them. I can't spend my whole life making sure strangers approve of me."

She took another sip of her drink. "If I know I wasn't trying to be mean, then that's enough for me."

She glanced at him with a small grin. "You, on the other hand..."

"...Hmm?"

"...Need to stop saying sorry every five minutes."

Kyungmin blinked. Then laughed sheepishly. "...Sorry."

Y/N stared at him for two seconds before letting out an exaggerated sigh. "...You're hopeless."

"I just proved your point, didn't I?"

"You absolutely did."

For the first time in a long while, Kyungmin found himself talking to someone who saw him not as TWS' Kyungmin, but simply as Kyungmin.

And strangely enough it was refreshing.

From that afternoon on, it wasn't unusual to see the idol and the outspoken girl from Class 3-A standing by the vending machines after school—one always holding a peach juice, the other laughing because she'd somehow turned an ordinary conversation into an unexpected debate.

The more they talked, the more Kyungmin realized something.

Y/N's moods shifted like the weather. Some days she was bright and endlessly chatty, other days she answered with one-word replies while staring out the window. Yet whether she was playful or quiet, one thing never changed.

She never pretended to be anyone else.

And for someone who spent so much of his life adapting to the expectations of others, that honesty was quietly becoming one of his favorite things about her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The lunch bell had barely finished ringing before the hallways of Hanlim Multi Art School filled with voices. It happened almost every day. The moment Kyungmin stepped out of his classroom, whispers spread faster than the bell itself.

"Kyungmin's outside."

"Let's ask for a picture."

"I just want one selfie!"

His classmates weren't strangers, they saw him every weekday, but being classmates didn't stop many of them from being fans first.

"Kyungmin!"

"Can you sign my notebook?"

"Just one picture!"

The hallway narrowed almost instantly. His own friends sighed. "Guys, move," one of them said, trying to make space. "Seriously, he has to get to class."

Nobody listened. Another student squeezed in with her phone already raised. Someone else tugged lightly at Kyungmin's blazer sleeve. "Oppa, look here!"

Kyungmin smiled politely out of habit. "Sorry... I really have to go."

He bowed once. Twice. The crowd only shuffled closer. His smile slowly became more strained. His friends tried forming a wall around him, but there were simply too many students.

"Can everyone back up a little?"

"Please."

No one moved.

At the other end of the hallway, a girl from Class 3-A hugged a stack of worksheets against her chest while speed-walking. I'm already two minutes late…

She turned the corner and nearly ran into the crowd. "...What's going on?"

She peeked between shoulders.

In the middle stood a boy she vaguely recognized. Oh. TWS, Kyungmin. She'd seen him during assemblies. Their classes shared the same floor. She also saw something else. He wasn't smiling as usual. But he looked scared.

One of his friends kept saying, "Please let him through."

Another laughed awkwardly. "Guys, enough."

Still nothing.

Y/N frowned. "...Seriously?"

She looked at the classroom clock through the window beside her. Three minutes late now. She sighed. "...Whatever."

Without thinking twice, she squeezed into the crowd. "Excuse me."

Nobody reacted. "Excuse me."

Still nothing.

"Can you all MOVE?" Her voice rang through the hallway. It wasn't screaming. It was the kind of voice teachers used when a class got too loud. Everyone froze. "If he's saying he needs to leave, then let him leave."

Silence.

She looked around at the students surrounding him.

"Unlike you guys, there are OTHER PEOPLE who have places to be!."

Another pause.

"And for god sakes! He’s a student! So act like classmates."

One student awkwardly lowered her phone. Another stepped back. Y/N continued before anyone could argue.

"If someone surrounded you during every passing period, would you like it?"

"..."

"He came here to study too."

The hallway became so quiet that even Kyungmin blinked. She pointed toward the open space behind everyone. "Make a path."

Almost automatically people shuffled aside.

Kyungmin's friends exchanged stunned looks. "Let's go."

They gently guided him through the opening before the crowd had time to reform. As Kyungmin passed their eyes met. Only for a second. She wasn't smiling. She wasn't starstruck. She only mouthed, "...You okay?"

He nodded automatically. "...Yeah."

"Good."

That was all. She glanced toward the clock again. "...Ah. My class."

She adjusted the worksheets in her arms. Then took off running. "Oh no, Mrs. Choi is going to kill me!"

Her footsteps echoed down the hallway before anyone could stop her.

Kyungmin turned instinctively. "Wait—"

But she'd already disappeared around the corner.

His friend looked at him. "...Do you know her?"

Kyungmin stared toward the empty hallway. "...No."

"Never seen her before?" "I don't think so."

He frowned slightly. "...She wasn't even from our class."

One of the students nearby muttered,

"I think she's from 3-A."

"Really?"

"I've seen her walking with students from class 3-A."

"...What's her name?"

Everyone looked at each other. "...I don't know."

Meanwhile—

Y/N skidded to a stop outside the teacher’s office. She straightened her uniform in three frantic seconds before knocking. "I'm sorry I'm late!"

The teacher looked over her glasses. "...Reason?"

Y/N caught her breath. "...Traffic."

"...Inside the school?"

"..."

"..."

"...Human traffic?"

Some of the teacher burst into laughter. Mrs. Choi pinched the bridge of her nose before waving her in. "Sit down."

"Thank you!"

She hurried to sit in front of her as if nothing unusual had happened. 

By the next lesson...

She had already forgotten about the hallway incident.

Kyungmin hadn't. That afternoon, as he packed his bag, he found himself glancing toward the corridor outside. His friends noticed. "You looking for someone?"

"...No." A pause. "...Maybe."

"The girl?"

Kyungmin quietly zipped up his backpack. "I didn't even get to thank her."

"And you don't know her name."

He looked once more toward the classrooms of the neighboring wing. Somewhere in Class 3-A, there was a girl who had stepped into a crowd without hesitation, spoken up for someone she'd never met, and then vanished before he could even ask who she was.

All he knew was that she'd been carrying a stack of worksheets, wore the same Hanlim uniform as everyone else with a grape clip on her hair, and had run away muttering about being late to class.

For the first time since entering Hanlim, Kyungmin found himself hoping he'd bump into a stranger again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The title of the livestream read:

🐻 Shin Family Weekend Live! 🩵

Within seconds, the comments exploded.

"SINWOO IS HERE???" "AREUM TOO?? 😭" "THIS IS THE BEST DAY EVER."

The camera settled in the living room. Shinyu sat on the sofa with tiny Areum sleeping peacefully in a baby carrier strapped against his chest.

He smiled and waved. "Hello."

Beside him, y/n gave a lazy wave from the floor. "Hi everyone..."

She looked sleepy. Hair loosely tied back. An oversized hoodie. No makeup. No attempt to hide the fact she'd only slept a few hours.

The comments immediately noticed.

"Y/N LOOKS TIRED 😭" "MOM LIFE." "ARE YOU OKAY?"

Y/n laughed. "I'm okay."

She rubbed one eye. "I just looked in the mirror before we started and realized..."

She dramatically sighed. "...Maybe I should've worn makeup."

Shinyu immediately turned toward her. "You look pretty."

She looked at him. "I literally just woke up."

"I know."

"You can probably see my dark circles."

"I know."

"And?"

He smiled. "...Still pretty."

The comments immediately filled with:

"SHINYU 😭😭😭" "HE SAID IT SO CASUALLY."

Y/n rolled her eyes with a smile. "You're biased."

"Obviously."

Before either of them could continue, tiny footsteps thundered across the room. "Appaaaa!!"

Sinwoo came running into frame wearing dinosaur pajamas despite it being afternoon.

In one hand was his beloved green dinosaur plushie. The other held...a toy spoon.

Nobody questioned it.

He stopped in front of the camera. "Hello!"

The comments went wild.

"SINWOO GREW SO MUCH." "HE'S SO CUTE."

Sinwoo bowed politely. Then immediately forgot the camera existed. He started dancing. Not to any music. Just...

Dancing.

Little hops. Tiny spins. Random arm movements. Shinyu couldn't help laughing. "What are you dancing to?"

"My song!"

"What song?"

"The dinosaur song!"

"There isn't any music."

Sinwoo gasped. "There is."

"...In my head."

A minute later, y/n played his song on speaker and he immediately sprinted toward y/n. "Mama!"

"Hm?"

"Come play!"

Y/n groaned dramatically. "My knees..."

"No!"

"My back..."

"No!"

"My soul..."

Sinwoo giggled before grabbing both her hands anyway. "You dance."

"I don't know..."

"Please?"

Shinyu smiled knowingly. "He already won."

"I know."

The next ten minutes became complete chaos. Sinwoo danced. Y/n copied him dramatically. Sometimes she'd pretend to be a dinosaur. Sometimes she'd purposely dance terribly just to make him laugh.

Whenever Sinwoo laughed so hard he stumbled she'd immediately catch him. "There you go."

Then she'd ruffle his hair. "My handsome boy."

He giggled before throwing himself into another hug.

The comments couldn't stop pointing it out.

"SHE'S SO NATURAL WITH HIM." "SHE'S SUCH A MOM 😭." "LOOK HOW SAFE SINWOO FEELS."

Even while laughing herself, Y/n never stopped keeping an eye on him. Every time he ran too close to the coffee table, she gently redirected him. "Careful."

Every time he got too excited "Slow feet."

Without even realizing it, every instinct she had was that of a mother.

Meanwhile…

Shinyu had become an expert at multitasking. Areum slept peacefully against his chest. One hand gently supported her tiny back. The other somehow still managed to high-five Sinwoo every time he ran past.

"Again!"

High five.

"Again!"

High five.

"Again!"

High five.

Y/n laughed. "Your arm must be tired."

"It's training."

"For what?"

"Being Sinwoo's playground."

About halfway through the livestream, a comment caught Shinyu's attention.

"Y/N!! DO A DANCE FROM YOUR LAST VIDEO!!"

The comments immediately agreed.

"PLEASE!!" "JUST ONCE!"

Y/n's eyes widened. "...No."

Shinyu looked at her. "No?"

She immediately shook her head left right. "No no no. I'm embarrassed. I look awful."

The comments started teasing her lovingly.

"PLEASEEEE." "JUST ONE DANCE."

She laughed, continuing to shake her head. "Nope. No. No."

Sinwoo had been quietly watching the entire exchange. He looked at his mom. Then tilted his head.

"...Oh." Everyone watched him curiously.

Suddenly, he planted his feet firmly on the floor. Then enthusiastically copied y/n. Left, right, left, right. Shaking his head with complete confidence. "No No No."

He was convinced that was the dance. The room fell silent for exactly one second. Then, Shinyu burst into laughter so hard he had to hold Areum carefully with both hands.

"Oh no!"

Y/n covered her face. "SINWOO!"

"What?"

"That's not the dance!"

He blinked. "...It isn't?"

"No!"

"You do this!" He proudly demonstrated the head shake again. Left, right, left, right.

The comments exploded.

"HE THOUGHT SHE WAS DANCING 😭😭😭" "I'M CRYING." "PLEASE TELL HIM THAT'S THE CHOREOGRAPHY."

Y/n was laughing so hard she had tears in her eyes. "Oh no. My baby..."

Sinwoo looked confused. "...Was I good?"

She immediately opened her arms. "You were amazing."

He happily ran over. She scooped him into a hug. "My cutest dancer."

Seeing the two of them together, Shinyu smiled to himself. Sinwoo curled comfortably into y/n's side, still clutching his dinosaur plushie. Areum remained peacefully asleep against his chest.

He looked around the room. His son. His daughter. His wife, still laughing over the misunderstanding. His heart felt impossibly full.

A comment appeared just then:

"SHINYU, WHY ARE YOU SMILING LIKE THAT?"

He glanced at the camera before looking back at his family. Then answered honestly. "...Because..."

He watched Sinwoo proudly teach y/n his new "dance" while she dramatically copied every head shake to make him laugh. "...I think this is my favorite view."

Y/n looked over. "What?"

He smiled. "You three."

She couldn't help but smile back. “...You're cheesy."

"I know."

"But I'm also right."

Without another word, she leaned over and rested her head briefly against his shoulder, careful not to wake Areum.

Sinwoo looked up at them. Then grinned. "I hug too!"

He squeezed himself between his parents, wrapping his little arms around both of them as best as he could.

The camera captured the slightly squished family hug, with Areum still sleeping peacefully through all of it.

The comments flooded by so fast they were impossible to read, but one message managed to catch y/n's eye:

"This doesn't even feel like we're watching celebrities anymore."

She smiled softly. "It isn't."

She gently kissed the top of Sinwoo's head. "It's just us being a family."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~’Shinyu

Shinyu had insisted he wouldn't cry. "I'll be fine."

"You haven't even seen the dress yet," y/n laughed.

"I'm just saying."

He waited patiently while the stylist finished adjusting the train. Then—

"Ready?"

The curtain opened. For a moment...

Nothing. Shinyu simply stared. His lips parted slightly. His eyes slowly traveled from the veil to the lace sleeves, then finally to her face.

"...Wow." That was all he managed.

The stylist smiled knowingly.

Y/n giggled. "That's it?"

He walked closer, almost in a daze. "No..."

He shook his head. "I..."

He stopped right in front of her. "You look..."

His voice cracked. "...Like you're already walking toward me."

His eyes had begun to water. "I suddenly don't want to wait until the wedding."

She laughed before gently wiping a tear from his cheek. "You cried."

"I did."

"I told you."

"...Don't tell the members."

~’Dohoon

Dohoon had been confidently flipping through wedding magazines while waiting. "I'll definitely know which one suits you."

"You say that now."

"I do."

The curtain opened. He looked up. The magazine slowly slipped from his hands onto the floor.

He didn't even notice. His mouth opened. Closed. Opened again. "...You..."

Y/n tilted her head. "Well?"

He stood up. Walked closer. Very slowly. "...You're so beautiful."

She smiled shyly. "You like it?"

He laughed in disbelief. "'Like'?"

He looked at the stylist. "Is this legal?"

Everyone laughed.

He looked back at y/n. "I think if you walk down the aisle wearing that..."

He scratched the back of his neck. "...I'm going to embarrass myself by crying before the ceremony even starts."

~’Youngjae

Youngjae was excited. Almost too excited. Every few minutes he asked, "Can I see now?"

"No."

"What about now?"

"No."

"Now?"

The stylist laughed. "Be patient."

Finally the curtain opened.

Youngjae's smile disappeared. Not because he didn't like it. Because he forgot how to smile altogether. He simply stared.

His eyes became glossy almost immediately. "...Baby."

Y/n smiled nervously. "What?"

He slowly walked over. "I've imagined this."

He laughed quietly. "So many times. But..."

He shook his head. "It wasn't even close."

She blinked. "You look so much prettier than I imagined." His voice became softer. I've never wanted to marry you more than I do right now."

The stylist discreetly handed him a tissue.

He accepted it without looking away from y/n. "I'm not crying."

Y/n laughed. "You're literally holding a tissue."

"...Preventative measures."

~’Hanjin

Hanjin had been surprisingly calm. The consultants whispered, "He's so composed."

Y/n agreed. "He usually is."

Then the curtain opened. For several long seconds, he said absolutely nothing. Yet you can tell the utter shock in his face and how his eyes never left her.

Y/n became nervous. "...Is it too much?"

He blinked. "Hm?"

"The dress..."

"Oh." He smiled softly. "I forgot I was supposed to answer."

She laughed. "So?"

He walked over until he was standing only a step away. His eyes were full of quiet admiration. "I've spent years memorizing your face."

He gently reached out, stopping just before touching the fabric. "I know every smile. Every expression. And somehow..."

He looked at her as if it were the first time he'd ever seen her. "...You still surprised me."

She felt her cheeks warm.

"You look..." He exhaled softly. "...Like every prayer I've ever had decided to stand in front of me."

The room fell completely silent. Even the consultants exchanged glances. Y/n's eyes immediately filled with tears. "Hanjin..."

He smiled. "I don't think it's the dress."

"What do you mean?"

"I think..." He tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "...I'd probably look at you like this even if you were wearing a hoodie."

She laughed through her tears. "So dramatic."

"No." He shook his head gently. "Just very, very in love."

~’Jihoon

The stylist warned him. "Don't react too loudly."

"I won't."

"You promise?"

"I promise."

The curtain opened. "...WHOA."

The entire boutique turned to look at him. Jihoon immediately covered his mouth. "...Sorry."

Y/n burst into laughter.

He walked over, eyes sparkling. "Can I say something?"

"Mhm."

"I knew you were pretty."

She laughed. "Thank you?"

"But this..." He gestured toward the dress. "...This feels unfair."

"Unfair?"

"How am I supposed to survive the actual wedding day?"

She giggled. "You'll be fine."

"No. I genuinely think I'm going to faint."

Then he just spun around you in awe, gets excited seeing the complete outfit with a tiara and veil, and couldnt help kissing you as consultants and other guests cheer.

~’Kyungmin

Kyungmin was the quietest. He patiently waited while y/n changed. His hands rested neatly in his lap.

The consultants smiled. "You're very calm."

He smiled back. "I’m exploding inside."

Then the curtain opened. He froze. His eyes widened ever so slightly. The corners of his lips lifted into the softest smile. He stood without saying anything. Walked over. Then stopped in front of her.

"...Can I?" He pointed toward her hand.

She nodded.

He gently took it and spun her around, looking at her from head to toe once more. "...You're beautiful." His voice was barely above a whisper.

She smiled. "You've said that before."

"I know. But..." He squeezed her hand. "This feels different."

"How?"

He smiled shyly. "This is the first time I can actually picture the moment."

"What moment?"

"You marrying me."

He laughed quietly. "I don't think I've ever been this excited for anything."

She leaned forward, resting her forehead against his. "You know..."

"What?"

"I think you're making me more emotional than the dress."

Kyungmin smiled. "Good."

"Why?"

"So when the wedding comes..." He kissed her forehead. "...You'll already know how much I love seeing you in it."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~