#verivery fluff

It's just you and him vacationing for a whole week together, which is what you like best about it. You've always wanted to take a trip with just him. In your three years together, this is the first opportunity you've had. So, in many ways, you've been waiting for this just as long as Yongseung has, even if you're not the one who has been planning a proposal for months in secret.

"I don't! I haven't found the right one yet," Yongseung swears yet again. It's a bold-faced lie, and he has to keep himself from smiling nervously at the way you're looking at him. The ring is still safely stowed away in his backpack, hidden very carefully amidst his things that he knows you would never look for. There's no way you found it, right…?

You cross your arms and lean back in your chair, staring at your boyfriend like you're trying to decipher some secret code. After a moment, you lean forward again, voice quiet and slow as if you're trying to make sure no one else hears.

"Did you order it while that store was having their Winter discount? Because I swear if you spent more than you had to on my engagement ring I might just say no."

Yongseung tries not to choke, because yes, he did order it during that perfectly timed Winter sale. He knows you would have chewed him out for spending too much on you, and while he's the first to oppose that mindset, he respects your need for frugality. He doesn't have the budget to drop five figures on a ring, anyway, much as he thinks you definitely deserve it.

By some miracle, Yongseung manages to keep his expression calm. At least, he hope he does. You've always been too good at reading him, and he's starting to think that it might be easier to just admit that this whole trip is exactly what you're suspecting. But no. He has to keep holding out. He has everything planned to ask you tonight. He can last just 10 more hours easily.

You're still looking at him like you know he's lying—like you can read everything he's trying to hide beneath the surface. He's not sure why he thought it would even be possible to hide his proposal plans from you, let alone easy. You're probably the most attentive and noticing person when it comes to him, and while that is one of the many reasons he loves you (and wants to marry you), it certainly doesn't work in his favour today.

You made sure to commend your fiancé for his efforts in keeping the proposal a surprise for you later that night, but you and Yongseung both know that you were counting down the hours to it the entire time, completely aware of his whole scheme. He may not have been able to keep the proposal a secret from your discerning eye, but you did say yes to him, so on that account, it was a success.

© slytherinshua ── do not repost translate or copy　⸝⸝⸝　join my taglist!

@fantasia-films @k-records

You had taken your time fixing the creases and lines through your foundation, and watery mascara that had started to run. You didn’t want your family to notice your upset state. It had nothing to do with them. It, honestly, had nothing to do with anyone.

You were just upset without a specific reason. And you could already hear your husband's words saying that, it was okay to not be okay sometimes. He would always tell you that you were allowed to cry and feel all the feelings if that’s what you needed.

He’d be there for you, he vowed to.

You could also hear quiet laughter, your husband and daughter obviously playing somewhere—probably the living room—as you removed your shoes. The noise was comforting in your own familiar way.

The foyer was clean, the hallway the same. There was a sweet aroma wafting into your nose too and you wondered what it was. You hadn’t really eaten much in an upset state but you could feel the claws of hunger grasping your stomach.

Just as you were hanging up your coat a familiar voice (if not the most familiar voice) greeted you. “Hey baby,” he said, wrapping an arm around your waist and pushing his head into the crook of your neck. You didn’t look, in fear of him being able to read you like a picture book. You also thought you might start crying again, being overwhelmed by being overwhelmed.

He kissed your skin briefly. “How was work?”

Oh, he knew.

If there was one thing about your husband, it’s that he always figures you out.

“Fine,” you kept it short. “Had lots to do.”

He hummed, taking the coat from your hand and finishing the job you ceased to do.

“Yeah?” he spun you around by your hips, finally face-to-face. “And, are you okay?”

You bit the inside of your cheek, weakly nodding. He eyed you suspiciously, not saying what you were both hearing inside your head: you don’t have to lie.

And, you don’t know why you did. Maybe it was to make it seem less real, like it was all just inside your head. If you denied it enough, maybe that would become the truth.

“Actually…no.”

Through a soft tune leaving his mouth, he smiled. “I figured, you usually call on your way. You don’t like taking the subway alone, remember? I do.”

And remember every little thing about you, he did; Like the twenty-four hours in a day. Like the sun against his skin. Like simple multiplication, and exponents before parentheses. He remembered all the things that you’d do because that’s why he fell in love with you, and continues to fall as hard as the first time he realized he couldn’t live without you.

“Mommy!” Your daughter's voice rang out, the pattern of bare feet against hardwood following it down the hall. You’ve never pulled yourself together faster, straightening your spine in his embrace, and smacking a smile onto your face. “Mommy, you’re home!” She jumped into your arms, reuniting your little three-piece of a family.

You kissed her temple, adjusting her to sit against your hip better as Gyehyeon ruffled her hair, causing the girl to giggle.

It’s like a weight was lifted off your shoulder, and you felt ten times lighter than when you walked through the door alone.

If your husband was your safety-net, then your daughter must’ve been Arcadia.

“You can play with us now!”

Your husband put a gentle hand on your kid's cheek. “Princess, your mom had a tough day at work, how about we let her rest?”

She pouted a moment, seemingly also pondering up something in her imaginative child-brain, then nodded conclusively.

She pushed from your arms, and you took the hint to put her down. Then her feet stomped, one planting in front of her and one behind her as she struck a mighty (cute) pose, arm flying out into the air like she had a sword clutched within her grasp.

“Then I’ll save you from the giant…frog!”

Your face contorted in amusement. “Frog?” you reiterated, and she motioned to the man beside you—she meant your husband, her father, was the frog you needed saving from. You couldn’t help but laugh, releasing just a little bit more of the tension you’d been holding.

“Am I a princess then?” you asked, playing along. She hummed aloud, still eyeing the villain of the story like he’d pounce at any moment. And knowing how playful he could become with her, you think he morphed into the role quickly, ready to spring into action. “Or are you the princess?”

“You’re the princess, mommy! Get back! I’m a princess-knight, I’ll save you!”

You gave Gyehyeon one last look before quickly cowering in mock-fear behind the small girl, crouching down, and lightly holding her shoulders.

“Save me princess-knight, I’m so scared of the frog, he’s so…” your voice died out for a second as you thought of an adjective. “frog-like?”

Very creative. How do you come up with this stuff?

She started shouting things that she’d seen in movies or read in books, as your husband took it upon himself to act like a monster instead of a frog. You choked back giggles, remaining serious during this very dire situation. It was life or death for the princess (you) afterall.

Finally, he attacked the princess-knight, grabbing her and slinging her over his shoulder—using his special skill (which he announced first, obviously): tickle attack.

Your daughter shrieked, laughing hysterically and flinging herself in his arms.

“Oh no!” you yelped. “My savior, you caught her! What ever will I do now?”

He attempted an evil laugh, though it made you snort instead.

“Do you think if I kissed the frog—as a princess—he’d become a knight or a prince?”

You’d try anything to save your noble princess-knight.

He stopped moving at the insinuation, puckering his lips immediately. You continued to laugh, exaggerating a peck against his awaiting lips. Your daughter gagged, spewing out disgusted words at her parents' PDA.

“Did it work?” you asked as she looked up from her position on his shoulder; Head closest to your side. “Is he still a frog?”

She gave him a look as best she could before stating: “Yeah, still frog-like.” And stabbing him with her imaginary sword. He mocked it hurting him with a groan, putting the girl down safely and falling to his knees until he died a very, very dramatic death; Mimicking looking to the white-light before sprawling onto the floor, limbs in every direction.

Your daughter brushed off her knees like it was all in a days work. You were almost in awe. “Great job princess-mommy, you distracted him.”

But little did she know that the distraction was completely her doing, and she saved you from the metaphorical villain.

Who knew the story of The Princess-Knight and The Giant Frog had a happy ending? But, you’re glad it did.

𝐑𝐄𝐐𝐔𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐒:

𝐢 𝐝𝐨 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐬, 𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐚𝐬𝐤 𝐢𝐧𝐛𝐨𝐱! 𝐢𝐟 𝐢 𝐚𝐦 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐬𝐤, 𝐢 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐢𝐭. 𝐢 𝐝𝐨 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐬𝐦𝐮𝐭 :)

𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓:

persona 5

imagining the phantom thieves in genshin impact! (kits, headcannons and teams because i'm a nerd)

genshin impact - yoimiya, baby you’re a firework! - haikaveh, summertime sadness  - haikaveh, born to die - haikaveh greek god headcanons - (wip) alhaitham, mirage of whispering petals

optional bias!

- cupcakes, high school!au - privacy, married couple!au - privacy (2) married couple!au - now or never, enemies!au - cherry, highschool/enemies!au

golden child! - now or never, kim jibeom

verivery! - you, clouds, rain, jo gyehyeon - rest, bae hoyoung - melancholy tears of sadness, lee dongheon 

requested!

- bling bling, the boyz, hyunjae

gyehyeon huffs, folding his arms across his chest and leaning back into your headboard. you’ve been busy reading for the past hour, already halfway done with your new book you picked up from the book shop you worked at. it was a release you had been waiting on for a bit, and when you woke up in the middle of the thunderstorm occurring outside the bedroom window you thought today would be the perfect opportunity to cuddle into your warm blankets and enjoy warm cups of hot cocoa throughout the day. that was until your next door neighbor started throwing rocks at your window with pleas to let him in because he was bored out of his mind.

you’ve been friends with gyehyeon ever since he moved in three doors down from you five years ago. he always seemed so quiet around everyone but with you it was different. he would constantly joke around with you, his cheeks red from laughter and smiling from ear to ear with joy. the sight confused people as to why he was only that way with you but reserved around everyone else. you encouraged him to make other friends besides you and your other neighbor, minchan, but he just never seemed to make those people stick like the two of you did. and he didn’t mind it because truth be told, the two of you were all he needed in life at his current state; he wouldn’t want it any other way.

it wasn’t up until three months ago when he started to become flirtatious with you, making small little comments in a teasing tone with the goofiest smile plastered across his face. despite your heart thumping with each small remark, you downplayed his actions and words to just him becoming more playful and comfortable around you. you didn’t want your silly little crush on him to allow you to overthink every little thing he said or did, so you just ignored his comments and always ended up changing the subject. but what you didn’t know is that he was finally deciding to make small moves towards you, just in a teasing manner so if you ever rejected him he could play it off as a joke instead of displaying his feelings of hurt. it was after another long night talk with minchan that he asked him for advice on how confess to you that he suggested to start making his move, but gyehyeon was new to the feeling of having a crush so he wasn’t exactly sure how to go about it.

the combination of thunder rumbling and law and order playing in the background, along with occasional gasps of shock from your neighbor, made your day feel perfect. you had your crush’s head in your lap and your hands clutching onto your book with anticipation, with your favorite weather booming outside the comfort of your house. the smell of hot cocoa filled the room as well, making a small smile appear across your lips. gyehyeon noticed this, smiling to himself at the beauty you provided him with. you failed to notice at first until you felt his eyes burning into you, making you let out a soft sigh as your cheeks burned in embarrassment.

“may i help you?” you questioned, adverting your eyes from the word filled pages and over to stare into his eyes.

his eyes widened in surprise that you actually gave him attention, clearing his throat and smiling innocently at you as his heart beat faster in his chest, hoping you couldn’t hear it. “i like you.”

you rolled your eyes, assuming he was joking around. “funny gye, now go back to gawking over olivia benson.”

“why would i when i have you in front of me?”

you placed your book on the nightstand beside you, shifting in your spot as he sat up next to you. “you can’t keep making flirtatious jokes like that, dude.”

he sat up on his knees, making him appear taller than you in the moment. “who said i was joking?”

you swallowed hard, subconsciously twiddling with your thumbs as you just stared at one another. it wasn’t until he inches closer to you, cupping your cheek in his hand till you realized you had been holding in your breath for so long. with your lips being mere inches apart, eyes staring into one another’s, it was just seconds before you could feel his lips being placed on yours ever so gently. the way your lips cemented on his, moving together like the waves of the ocean, it brought butterflies in your stomach and made his heart skip multiple beats. you brought your hand up to place on top of his, intertwining your fingers with his the best you could as your other hand gripped your bed sheets.

you pulled away with a shriek as the rather loud strike of thunder brought you back to reality, causing you to jump in your spot and gyehyeon to follow suit due to your sudden movement. but as quickly as the moment came, it faded back into small fits of laughter. staring into his eyes made you realize how full of love he was, and just how true his small little comments to you were.

“does this mean we’re dating now?” gyehyeon asked, moving his hand from your face and holding it properly in his before placing a small kiss on the back of it.

Sometimes, you wish for nothing more than to just lie down, close your eyes and rest for about a few days before any duty calls you ever again. Obviously, you can’t do that when you’re in finals week, and you’re also in the last stage of the university party preparation that you - alongside the other student council members - would want to make as enjoyable as possible.

Thankfully, the head of the student council - Lee Dongheon - is as prompt as always, and as the Leadership and Management master student as he is, he manages the preparation to the best of his ability. That doesn’t mean that everything goes as smoothly as you’ve wanted to, starting from the fact that you had to go buy half of the decorations in person a day before because the party props company can’t deliver in time due to high demand, not to mention the DJ you’ve invited falling ill and having to find someone to take his place a few days ago and some other, mild mishaps along the way.

After a poll that you’ve sent out to all students, it was decided that the student council would organise a prom-themed party, so it would be a more formal event which students can dress up for, come together with their significant order or just enjoy themselves with their friends as their requested song is being played by the DJ.

Though for that to happen, you really need to be done with the decorations as fast as possible, so you should probably stop overcatastrophising everything and finally put on that garland that you’ve been holding in your hand for the past few minutes.

“Hey! Need some help with that?” As expected, Dongheon is right there in a second with a small ladder in one hand, pointing at the decoration in your hand.

“Oh, thanks. I think I’ll manage. I was just waiting for you to finish with that side, so that I could have the ladder.”

“Oh yeah, sure. Don’t want a petite girl to suffer without a ladder,” Dongheon teases like the jokester he is, but you can’t be mad at him even if you hold your hand up as if you were about to hit him in the shoulder.

“Not everyone is as much of a giant as you are,” you counter-attack, a light laugh escaping your lips as you two exchange a glance before Dongheon sets up the ladder, putting it close to the wall, so that you would have an easier time assembling the decoration.

“So, do you already have your plus one for the prom?” The head of the student council asks casually as he’s holding the ladder, so that it would stay secure while you’re standing on it.

“No. I don’t have a boyfriend,” you answer nonchalantly as you attach a set of garlands to the wall. You turn back to look at him, motioning to him to hold up another set of garlands for you, but he’s too busy whining.

“Oh, come on! You’ve really organised this whole party just for others to enjoy?”

“I’ll go with my friends, that’s fine,” you reassure him firmly because you really don’t mind not having a plus one even though Yerin would go with Minchan and Hari would probably leave your side 5 seconds into arrival because she’s on a lookout for hot single guys on campus. That’s fine though; you’ve organised this whole prom-themed party with couples and singles in mind, so you can just sip on your punch by the corner and monitor if everything’s going fine.

“Now, the garlands,” you emphasise, and Dongheon lets out a semi-exaggerated sigh before reaching into the nearby box and giving you another set of garlands while you’re moving with the ladder alongside the wall.

You - very wrongly - assume that he will just let it slide, but about a paper lantern and a star-shaped decoration later, he suddenly speaks up.

“I’ll get you a plus one. You’re in your second year, right?” He asks even though Dongheon knows such information about everyone in the student council like the back of his hand. He even knows your birthdays which is pretty nice of him because he always gets something small for everyone. On the flipside, when he’s upset or dissatisfied with something, no one dares to speak to him because he’s like a ticking time bomb. Though he’s nice most of the time, so it’s not that big of a deal (and he’s definitely not as scary as rumours make him out to be).

“Yeah.”

“Good. I have a friend in second year who probably doesn’t have a date either. He’s always too busy taking care of others instead of himself,” he chatters with a reprimanding edge to his tone as if it was something horrendous.

“Sounds a lot like you.”

“Hey! You don’t want to see the currently dying plants in my room, okay?” Dongheon replies in a semi-serious state, but you both find yourself smiling afterwards. You turn back to the wall to attach a paper heart and as you do so, you blurt out:

“You don’t have to do that though. I’m fine without a guy.”

“Weeell, but I’ve really wanted to set him up for some time, and he’s a great guy, I promise,” he mentions, and it’s like he’s justifying himself already, and he’s so dramatic about it - all puppy eyes and pouts and a disheartened tone - as if his life depended on it. Knowing him, he probably does have sleepless nights over not being able to set up one of his friends with anyone.

“Fiiiine,” you say and let out a long sigh, getting off the leader in the meantime. As you reach the ground, you turn to face the now-grinning Dongheon. “But only if he wants to do it himself.”

“He’s dying to come, I can confirm.”

And so that’s a deal. Two days before the actual prom, Dongheon gives you the guy’s number, so that you could message each other and find each other on the day of the party, but little do you know, that night turns out way more different than you would have imagined.

When the results of the poll came back, and it turned out that most students voted for a prom-themed uni party at the end of the spring semester, you didn’t think much of it. Yet, as you’re looking down at your plain dress and your flat-heeled shoes because there’s no way you would spend hours in high heels, you feel a bit out of place. This party doesn’t seem like somewhere you belong, and you start to get extra anxious as you’re waiting for your plus one by the noticeboard in the hallway (a convenient place to meet up because probably nobody waits here other than you).

Dongheon has told you that his friend - Bae Hoyoung - is a really nice guy, he’s kind and considerate and very loving towards his younger friends, so he thinks you couldn’t have ended up with a better plus one. You don’t know how much of it is exaggeration when he claims that Hoyoung is a real gentleman and a handsome one on top of that because Dongheon likes to exaggerate, but you let him be.

No matter how cool his friend is based on the texts you exchange before the party, you start to question why you’ve decided to give in even though your friends were so happy to hear that you were about to meet a boy. Though the chances were very low that you would end up keeping in touch with your plus one after the event because you’ve never been lucky with boys, so why would he be an exception?

No wonder you find yourself nibbling on your lower lip as you’re waiting for Hoyoung, both anxious and restless, but when he walks up to you in a gorgeous suit and casual Converse sneakers (they at least match the black and white colour of his pants and shirt), you become a bit speechless. Surely, you have seen his profile picture on Kakaotalk, but that doesn’t do justice to how tall he is in real life, and you certainly didn’t notice the cute moles dotting his face on that picture as opposed to now. Even his smile is light like a feather, and the way the wrinkles around his eyes deepen when he’s smiling makes your heart take a silly little turn.

“Hey!” He greets you in a friendly manner, coming to a halt beside you. He’s towering above you a bit, but it’s not in an intimidating way, so you don’t feel uncomfortable.

“Hi!” You greet him back, feeling a bit silly over checking him out from head to toe a moment ago. What can you do though? His profile picture isn’t a full-body one. In fact, half of the picture isn’t even him but a white furball, probably his dog, so you could only see his face in the photo.

“Sorry about the shoes. I forgot that I don’t have dress shoes with me in the dorms,” he apologises immediately as he’s looking down at his pair of Converse.

“Oh, it’s totally fine. Don’t worry about it! It’s not like I dressed up as if I came to a real prom.”

“You look pretty,” he blurts out casually, but your lips part in bewilderment because you didn’t see such a comment coming so soon, and you need to remind yourself to function properly. You end up mumbling something akin to a thanks, and prompt you two to step inside the gym hall where the party takes place.

It turns out that the gym hall is packed with people, so much that you feel like you step on someone’s shoes every second as you’re trying to get closer to the centre of it with Hoyoung by your side. Which is great because it means you didn’t work for nothing, but it also means that you have a hard time finding any spot where you can dance without worrying about bumping into someone’s back or chest, and even when you do, it’s almost impossible to keep up a conversation because the music is so loud.

You dance for a bit though without saying a word, but it gets a bit awkward just smiling at each other and trying to move left and right without smacking someone, and you can feel that Hoyoung is thinking the same. You didn’t really come here just to dance, you aren’t even that good at it, but it’s impossible to do anything else because of the loud music.

“Don’t you want to-” You start saying, leaning closer to him, so that he could hear what you say, and he’s doing the same, so your faces are only inches apart. You blink rapidly, gulping down the nervous knot in your throat, trying not to pay too much attention to his beautiful, warm orbs that remind you of fall: of colourful leaves creating a carpet under your feet, of a cup of warm tea on a chilly night, of the smell of summer parting and a new season coming up and the bittersweet feeling of the cycle of nature moving forwards.

Your breath hitches in your throat for a moment because he does have beautiful eyes, and it’s hard to look away because they are like a magnet, but you’re saved by the boy’s question, his hot breath fanning over your neck as he’s leaning towards your ear.

“Should we go outside?” He asks with a raised voice, trying to speak over the volume of the currently blasted song.

You nod immediately, then turn around to leave the dance floor. As you’re doing so, you check back from time to time to see if Hoyoung’s still following you and you haven’t lost him in the meantime, and the third time you do so, you end up colliding with someone. You and the stranger both apologise, so you can move on, but you feel Hoyoung’s fingers over your wrist, giving it a slight pressure, his eyes asking if you’re okay when you look at him.

You try to reassure him with a bob of your head and a friendly smile, and thankfully, there are no further mishaps as you’re making your way outside of the hall. You just get to the corridor when you catch sight of Dongheon checking something on his phone while walking towards the doors of the gym hall. He only looks up when Hoyoung says hi, but when he does, boy, he’s grinning.

“Hey, you two! Is everything alright?”

“Apart from the music causing us ear damage?” Hoyoung replies immediately, his tone semi-playful. Dongheon’s smile falters a bit but only a tiny bit.

“Oh no! I’ve told the dude to keep the volume at a decent level,” he shakes his head in disapproval, and you can already foresee the master student’s first to-do when he gets inside the gym hall. “Anyways, where are you going?” He quirks an eyebrow, curious, and it’s you this time who answers him.

“Just somewhere where we can talk, I guess?” You say, a bit uncertain, sending a side-glance in Hoyoung’s direction who reassuringly smiles back at you. You immediately find yourself mirroring his action, and it may be because of this or the fact that you two are leaving the main party to have a conversation, but the head of the student council is more than delighted either way.

“Ooooh, you’re talking now!” He wiggles his eyebrows at you as if it could mean anything. “That’s great! Well, have fun!” He wishes with a wide grin, and as he’s walking past you two, he pats Hoyoung’s shoulder. You furrow your eyebrows, look at the boy beside you, and giggle when you see his reaction.

“He’s just weird,” he mentions as if that could explain anything, but even his lips curl upwards. Considering how Dongheon has said that he has wanted to set up his friend with someone for a long time now, you can guess why he might be like an excited parent who sends his kids off to school, realising how much they’ve grown up, but you try to tell yourself that it’s nothing like that. You would just merely prefer talking somewhere quiet instead of being smacked every second by someone around you and completely not hearing the other because the DJ is too loud.

“Soooo… should we walk in the park beside campus or…” Your voice trails off by the end, and you expectantly look at the pitch-black haired boy beside you, hoping that he might help you out.

“Yeah, that’s a good idea.” He nods, smiling, and it’s really adorable how his eyes become little crescents when he does so, his dimples deepening. You’ve always had a thing for dimples, and you can’t help but smile widely at him when his dimples literally pop out. You need to remind yourself not to stare too much at him, so you focus on your steps instead, looking ahead of you as you’re making your way to the nearby park.

The park which you’ve agreed on is only a few-minute walk from the main building of your campus, and given the later hour and the fact that the students who want to be at school right now are in the gym hall, not a lot of people roam around in the park. While it’s not prohibited for non-students to enter it, the majority of people are still students. No wonder why because it’s such a picturesque sight with the little lake in the middle of it with some ducks, the colourfully painted benches and the vividly green grass where groups can have lovely picnics in the shade of the magnificent oak trees.

“I love coming here, especially during exam season. It seems like such a different world from campus even though it’s so close. It’s good to clear your mind sometimes like this,” Hoyoung muses out loud, and you don’t even think twice before you say:

“Exactly! I totally feel the same way,” you mention enthusiastically, and you immediately feel so silly for sounding so pumped up even though the boy beside you is nothing but kind. He might look intimidating to others with his elegantly parted, pitch-black hair, the sharpness of his jawline and his mature features, but when he smiles, his whole face lights up, and his voice is full of life when he speaks.

“So Dongheon has said that you two work together in the student council.”

“Oh yeah. We know each other from there,” you bob your head, remembering back to the first time you met him, and how he has helped you with a lot of academic-stuff, especially when you just joined the council in your first year. “I’ve thought that he’s a really strict and stern guy, but it couldn’t have been further from the truth,” you admit with a little giggle that the boy simply mirrors.

“I can see why. Even when he has his neutral face, he looks a bit intimidating, but really, he’s just a big baby. Sometimes I feel like I’m the older one out of the two of us,” Hoyoung laughs a joyous laughter, and you join him, letting the early summer night carry the sound of your laughter around the park.

You let silence cover you for some time, but it’s not embarrassing or awkward. It’s more than comforting, actually. Yet, now that you’ve brought up Dongheon who has actually set you two up, you can’t help but ask:

“Why is he so obsessed with setting you up?”

“That’s a good question.” Hoyoung chuckles. “He’s just like ‘oh, Hoyoung, dude, you deserve a girl, I’ll get you one’ because he thinks I spend too much time helping others when in fact I think I just do things because they are the bare minimum?” He mimics Dongheon’s tone and it’s so hilarious, you laugh out loud. Then, he goes on to explain that it might be because he’s learned how to help others because he has 5 siblings, so he knows the importance of assisting others without being directly asked to. It makes sense, but at the same time, you’re truly in awe, and you’re sure that he’s a great brother himself.

However, as you talk about your families and non-existent love life that Dongheon likes to point out, you have a question on your mind, and you decide to blurt it out in the end:

“Do you feel like you need someone in your life?”

“Well, that’s a complex question,” the boy starts with a tilt of his head, contemplating.

“Says the Sociology major, I see,” you mention, and gosh, when have you turned playful? Hoyoung doesn’t mind though, in fact, he gives you a dimpled smile before his features smoothen out and his tone becomes more serious.

“I don’t really feel like there’s this void that needs to be filled with someone’s presence, you know?” He looks at you for confirmation, and you nod. “I believe that a romantic relationship should be about having someone to rely on, having someone you can take care of and feeling safe and comfortable beside them instead of feeling like they are your whole world, so when they may leave, your whole world shatters. It may sound egoistic but I feel this way, and for that reason, I don’t feel like I’m missing someone from my life, but it’s not that I would object if I fell in love.”

His words are mature and articulate, and you don’t know why, but you get surprised by how aware he is of his own feelings. You know how in today’s society, you’re almost being looked down on if you don’t have a significant other because it might indicate that you aren’t good enough, and a lot of people actively look for love because of that. There’s nothing wrong with looking for love, but just like the boy has said, you aren’t of the same opinion as others.

“No, no, that’s something I can relate to. I mean…” You decide to put in your two cents whilst you’re at it, but you need a few more seconds to put together your reasoning. “I’ve had crushes in the past, but my crushes never liked me back, and if I had let the rejections get to me, I would have felt really unlovable and probably would still do so. So I also think that preserving your autonomy while still being open to let someone in is what’s probably the healthiest option for me.”

You believe in love, you really do, but your experience has proven to you that you’re good the way you are, and you shouldn’t let others’ lack of romantic feelings towards you change anything about your self-worth. Especially because you can’t force feelings onto someone, you know that all too well.

“It’s not your fault that they didn’t like you back. The right one will do so,” Hoyoung adds gently, and you feel your heart thaw at his words. When you look him in the eyes, you can see the small version of the moon reflecting in his deep, dark orbs, and you think it’s beautiful; how he shines like sunshine with the moon in his eyes.

“It got deep pretty quickly, didn’t it?” The boy chuckles, breaking the precious moment, but you don’t even mind because you’re sure your feelings are written all over your face, so you’re glad when you can talk about topics other than love.

As you continue your stroll, accompanied by the slight buzz of the party and the sounds of the city that never sleeps, you end up talking about why you have joined the student council and stories regarding Dongheon and his student council duties, Hoyoung calling his friend out, saying that Dongheon usually calls him to vent to him when something goes wrong. Then, you also talk about your majors, why you’ve chosen them, whether you like them or not and what your favourite classes are this semester, and it’s lovely listening to someone who’s so curious and intellectual and able to share his opinion without putting down the other’s.

When you reach the lake, you stop for a while and sit down on a bench, and your heart yet again skips a beat when Hoyoung covers your legs with his suit jacket. Gosh, Dongheon was actually right about him being a real gentleman and taking extra care of others! Still, the gesture makes you blush really hard, so you’re glad that the nearby lamp posts radiate only dim lights because you wouldn’t want the boy to see your burgundy face.

Yet, getting away from the party means getting away from the food and drinks, so since you’ve already walked further from the gym hall, you don’t go back for that, you opt for a café on campus instead. While waiting for your sandwiches and drinks and while eating, you continue talking about common topics, but with him, even those seem special because he’s actually interested in your answer, and ready to share his opinion. It’s not a forced small talk you’re so terrible at, it’s actually an active conversation, and you have a hard time believing that you can feel this way around someone even if you’ve met him for the first time.

No wonder you feel the need to express your gratitude towards the boy when you finish your dinner and head to the dorms together.

“Well, I’ve really enjoyed today. I think our kind of prom was better than the actual one.”

“I promise I won’t tell Dongheon that you’ve said this,” Hoyoung jokes, making you laugh, and it’s such a lovely way to end this lovely night. You don’t have high hopes or anything of the sort for whatever that is between you and the boy, but your smile is genuine when later on, you wave him goodbye as you’re heading towards your room, and you know well that you wouldn’t have traded your kind of prom for anything else.

Dongheon might not have heard what you’ve said about the prom, but he has sure heard that you had a good time with his friend (from both Hoyoung and you), so he casually sends some so-called boyfriend material photos of his friend over to you one day without any explanation, and when you ask him why, he merely sends a shrugging emoji. You guess that he hasn’t been subtle to his friend either because Hoyoung ends up messaging you a few hours later, telling you not to take Dongheon seriously no matter what he says about him or what he sends.

“He just sent me some ‘boyfriend material’ photos of you. Wanna see them?”

“I’m going to strangle him one day, but sure.”

So you send him those pictures, mainly of him sipping on something at a café while looking out of the window dreamily, walking down the street in a puffy coat and a scarf, wearing an oversized hoodie with the hood over his head and holding a painting in his hands as if he was trying to show it off. Along the way, he ends up telling you stories that are related to the pictures, you even get to know that he painted that landscape in his hands, it was actually a painting workshop with an instructor during last semester, and when Dongheon asked what he did over the weekend, and he told the older boy about it, he was very keen on seeing the final product, so he sent the pic over to him.

“I didn’t think that he would keep them. :(”

“Now you know. Better be careful from now on.”

You type and send him an emoji where one of the Kakaotalk characters pat the other on the back, and you get a hugging emoji in return, and you’re so shocked that for a moment, you completely freeze.

“Oh, my bad, that was by accident. I’ve wanted to send this one.”

He replies a few seconds later with an emoji that’s bowing and thank you is written over its head. You tell him that he shouldn’t worry, but you need some serious amount of time to calm down your nerves.

It’s fun though, things fall back into normal afterwards, and actually, it’s not even that weird talking to the boy yet again. It almost seems natural, and since you two are both busy university students finishing finals, it’s not like you’re bombarding each other with messages. Yet, you can’t deny that you get an instant serotonin boost whenever you see that he has messaged you, and soon enough, your friends start teasing you about it. Yerin is being her kindest self as always, telling you just how much you would deserve a guy who likes you back while Hari starts moping that Dongheon should set her up with someone if he has so many single friends because he needs a boyfriend ASAP.

You tell them that it’s not like that, you’re just getting to know each other, but it seems awfully like a crush yet again, especially when summer break comes, and you two keep messaging each other. When the fall semester comes, you can’t wait to see him face-to-face, so when you manage to bump into him in the hallway or he lands Dongheon something in the student council office and you’re there, you feel like a silly high school student yet again, fanning over her first crush.

Then, he asks if you could take part in a project he’s doing for one of his classes and he needs to have interviews with students on how their childhood experiences shaped the way they feel towards socialising as they grow older, and in return, he treats you to a thank you lunch a few days later. After that, you lose track of the times you meet up, let it be for a quick lunch break between classes, studying together in the library or just randomly bumping into him in the hallway.

While getting to know each other through messages, random meet-ups and sometimes Dongheon’s intervening, you feel yourself falling for him more and more. You can’t help it, but this time, instead of falling head first, it seems like you’re falling gradually, and you don’t know which one is scarier. So you just let it be, enjoying your time beside the boy until you’re sure of his feelings towards you, and as time goes by, you’re less and less scared of falling.

With you two staying in contact over the weeks and all throughout the fall semester, it’s no surprise that Hoyoung knows when you take your exams, but you wish he didn’t remember so well when you feel under the weather after taking one of your exams, sitting on the top of the service stairs that not so many people frequent. That’s exactly what you need right now, and even when he messages you, asking about the exam and you tell him that you might have failed it, you don’t expect him to actually show up when he asks where you are.

There he is though, standing in front of you, eyes shining with worry as he’s looking back at you. You look down at your shoes instead, not ready to mope or vent to him. You see from the corner of your eyes when he moves towards you and sits down beside you, letting out a long sigh.

“What do you do when you want to cheer yourself up?”

“I watch funny videos sometimes,” you mumble under your breath, but you don’t feel like doing so now. You feel the need to cry, but no tears come out. Maybe it’s because you’re also partly angry, not just disappointed.

“Well…” He grits through his teeth as he’s thinking. “I’ll show you something better,” he announces, determined, as he reaches into the pocket of his hoodie, taking his phone out. You turn your head to look at him, slightly curious despite your state, and when he glances sideways and catches your eyes on him, his lips curl up a bit.

He turns back to his phone though and taps a few times on the screen before sitting closer to you and placing his phone in between you two, so that you could see what it is about. You immediately feel your features softening up when you catch sight of the fluffball on the screen.

“My sister said that she was trying to teach Deulle a trick, but it didn’t quite work out,” Hoyoung explains, smiling, as the video shows his sister’s dog going in circles around a small object that it’s supposed to jump over. The female voice in the video practically begs the dog to just jump, but instead, Deulle stops, staring at its owner, blinking frequently as if it doesn’t understand what’s going on. It’s going on for a few more times with the dog almost jumping over the object once, but in the end, it just decides to lie down on the grass, completely exhausted.

By the end of the video, there’s an evident smile in the corner of your lips, and seeing that, Hoyoung’s shoulders drop in ease.

“You’re too nice,” you blurt out, touched by the way he came over to cheer you up despite him having an exam a bit later. “You’re too good for me,” you admit, letting the words slip without thinking twice. It’s true though; ever since you’ve met him, you feel like you don’t deserve him, and in moments like this, you feel it even more intensively.

“Don’t say that,” the boy objects immediately, turning towards you with his whole body. Since he has scooted closer to you, so that you could look at his phone from up close, you two are pretty close to each other, but instead of intimidating, his closeness makes you feel comforted. To know that he’s just an arm length away. “You’ve also been there for me every time I was down in the past few months. It’s what people do when they care about each other,” he explains as if it was something so easy to say out loud, but he seems sincere nevertheless.

You don’t say anything, your heart is too burdened for that, so you just keep looking at him. He scoots a bit closer to you, slowly and gently, leaning closer to look you in the eyes. You feel bashful under his stare, but you don’t dare to look away.

“What is it about?” Hoyoung asks gently, his words barely a whisper. With no one around you since you’re sitting on the staircase leading up to the staff room, you feel like this moment is yours only. Something so precious yet so fragile, something that could easily break into tiny little pieces in a matter of seconds. “Do you feel this way because you might have failed your test, and you think you could appear less of a good person to me because of that?”

“I-” You start to protest, but you can’t find the right words to say. You look away, frustrated over not being able to put your feelings into words, but when you look back at him, he’s looking at you as patient as ever. “I think I just feel like… you know, there must have been something wrong with me, some flaws why people I liked in the past didn’t like me back, and I guess, I don’t know… It just crossed my mind that maybe one day you would see that too because I do that. When one thing goes wrong, I overcatastrophise and feel that everything could go wrong and I just… Gosh, that’s why I like being alone at times like this,” you rumble on and on, and by the end, you feel yourself tearing up, and you feel so pathetic, it’s not how you’ve expected this day to go.

You sniffle as you look away from him, not being able to bear his ever so warm eyes. You hate being vulnerable beside others, and it’s not like failing a test is a really big thing. Sure, it might be your first time failing an exam, but there are people out there with bigger problems, and you feel like a fraud mopping over your life in comparison to that. Plus, just as you’ve said, when this happens, suddenly you feel like a failure, someone who can’t do anything, who’s not worth anything, and a lot of times, a good cry helps to soothe your nerves, but you don’t want to cry in front of him. You don’t want to appear silly and overly emotional.

“I could bring up some theories and tell you how what you’re feeling is completely fine because I guess that’s what a Sociology major should do,” he interrupts your guilt tripping train of thoughts, and it works, you’re so surprised by his words that you find yourself completely frozen, the tears not coming out. He really has a way to shift the mood with his words, and you’re both in awe and in shock. “Let me tell you instead that if someone doesn’t like you because you’re flawed just as we all are, then you’re better off without them. It won’t stop me from liking you though.”

Now you’re even more surprised than before, and your eyes must be super wide when you turn your head towards him because his facial expression turns from stern to gentle instead. He looks away for a bit, scratching the back of his neck a bit sheepishly before looking back at you, ruffling his hair afterwards. You’ve noticed that he tends to do something with his hands when he gets nervous, and he’s trying to busy his hands today too, and you wonder just how much it must have taken him to say those words out loud. This time, it’s not the moon you see in his eyes but your own tiny reflection, and you also wonder how he really sees you.

“I’m being sincere,” he adds quietly yet confidently. He gulps once before he continues, and you can literally feel the same kind of nervousness he does, your heart threatening to jump out of your rib cage, so expectant and so giddy. “I like you, and I was trying to tell you for some time, but I guess I’ve waited for the right time, and this is definitely not the right time, not even the right place,” he points out sheepishly as he looks around once, and it’s so true, you find a small giggle bubbling up in your throat. He follows, and gosh, it’s so awkward yet it’s so right. You wouldn’t have had it another way.

“Thank you,” you say as you crush him into a hug, feeling bold and confident and all that. You aren’t even sure that it’s you anymore, but he has just confessed that he likes you! He actually likes you. “Thank you for liking me back,” you mumble into his neck as you’re hugging him, and you can feel his arms coming up to your back, closing his arms around you, tight and safe, comforting and warm as if he was trying to whisper it’s all okay, he’s right there with you.

Even though you could only hope that he would be right when he said that the right one would like you back, now you know that he wasn’t lying. Let you be silly or overly emotional, he doesn’t seem to care. If anything, his love towards you just grows even more.

Because he’s the right one for you. Now you know.

A/N: I hope you all enjoyed this rather fluffy and comforting story as much as I’ve enjoyed writing it! *-*

I’m actually hosting a VERIVERY writing collab, so if you’re interested in joining, click HERE for the announcement. Feel free to spread the word, so it might be able to reach more people! ❤️