not to be dramatic // junseo
Not to be dramatic... but you were convinced that Kim Junseo was the most perfect guy ever, and you developed a big fat crush on him the moment you met him.
➳ Characters: brainy!Junseo x athlete!female reader/you
➳ Genre: university au, fluff, romance, opposites attract
➳ Words: 4.5k
➳ Warning: mentions of food, drinks, injury, period and period blood, reader overthinks a lot
➳ A/N: This story was very much inspired by 'not to be dramatic' by Zoe Clark.
The first thing that popped into your mind when you saw him walking into the gym hall was that he was so damn pretty.
Which, considering the fact that he was supporting Jihye who was using crutches after her injury, was probably not what you should have thought about, but you just couldn’t help it. He looked like he had just stepped out of a manhwa with his proportions and that face that ancient painters would have made multiple portraits about. He was tall with broad shoulders but his features were soft, his eyes shining gently when he looked at Jihye and he was ready to help her with anything when she got to the bench and was ready to sit down.
Alarmed, it crossed your mind that he might have been her boyfriend (even if you didn’t know whether she had one), and you were horrified that you ever dared to have such thoughts about someone else’s boyfriend.
Then, Jihye dissolved your worry when she introduced the boy to you all.
“Girls, this is my twin brother, Junseo. Junseo, these are the girls on the dance team.”
Oh… so he was her twin brother. The Junseo you had barely heard about and had never even seen at parties because he was the smart one out of the two of them while Jihye was the athletic one. Though seeing the boy’s muscles, you were sure that he was hitting the gym pretty frequently between study sessions because damn…
Junseo caught your eyes in that moment, and you felt like you got caught red-handed even though you knew very well that he couldn’t have read your mind.
Still, you averted your eyes, ashamed of staring at him and his muscles so much.
Get it together, girl!
“Let me know when you finish with practice and I’ll come back,” Junseo turned to his sister after his introduction, and the girl nodded at his words. He seemed gentle and considerate, no hint of malice in his voice and it shocked you because you weren’t even this close to your sibling and you had a sister, not a brother. Your sister was such a drama queen though, but at least dance practices kept you occupied enough to not have to spend too much time with her.
Just like that, he walked away without as much as looking back whereas your heart was going crazy at the brief interaction. Gosh, this was the first time a boy had such an effect on you, and it could only mean one thing: you had a big fat crush on Kim Junseo.
You were usually casual, flirty even, with guys. You weren’t afraid to initiate a conversation at a party, or test the waters because what was there to lose?
However, even just the idea of seeing Junseo again made you feel oddly nervous, and you weren’t sure how to function around him even though most of the time he merely helped Jihye into the gym hall and then picked her up in the parking lot because Jihye left with one of her best friends.
You and Jihye weren’t super close either way. You talked here and there, but when one was a part of a dance team, it was impossible to be best friends with everyone because there were just so many of you. Not to mention the fact that you weren’t on the same course in the same year with anyone from the team, so you didn’t see each other outside of dance practices, except for parties.
On the other hand, on this particular Friday, Junseo was sitting on the bench beside his sister during the last 10 minutes of practice, and you were uncharacteristically edgy. You didn’t have the best day to begin with, and seeing him there just made everything feel ten times more nerve-wrecking. It’s not like you had to prove anything to him, but you still wanted to leave a good impression. Deep down, you knew that it was silly, you were practically strangers, but you couldn’t help feeling this way.
So you were super focused on the choreography, afraid to mess anything up, but it also meant that your usual confidence didn’t shine through the steps. Which just made you feel worse, and you couldn’t help but finish practice with nothing but regrets. Gosh, you just wanted this day to end as soon as possible…
You walked up to the bench to grab your water bottle from your bag, only to realise that Junseo was sitting beside it. You glanced quickly in Jihye’s direction as if you should ask for her permission to talk to her brother, but she was talking to Ryujin, so she didn’t pay much attention to the boy who seemed quite awkward sitting by himself.
“Sorry. Would you mind…?” You asked as you pointed at your bag. He probably didn’t realise that he was literally sitting beside your half-open bag, your water bottle touching his thigh, because he turned on full on apologetic mode once he caught sight of it.
“Oh, I’m so sorry,” he replied, his eyes wide in shock, and he helped put your water bottle back into your bag before he handed it to you and let you take a seat, widening the distance between you two.
“It’s okay,” you just shook your head, trying with a friendly smile, but you weren’t sure that your smile was convincing because he furrowed his eyebrows and asked:
“Are you okay?”
This wasn’t the question that you wanted to hear from him, but you were sure that you didn’t look that appealing with a few locks stuck to your forehead and drops of sweat rolling down your back as you were speaking.
“Yeah, sure,” you blurted out feebly, and tried to take care of the locks sticking to your forehead, but you just felt more pathetic by doing so, so you felt like adding an explanation. “Just didn’t have the best day, that’s all. It was one of those days when nothing worked out, you know.”
Oh my god, why were you oversharing to your crush? This was the first proper conversation you two had, so why were you pouring your heart out to him? Not like you expected him to empathise with you or anything, but still…
Damn those beautiful eyes of his that looked like little galaxies, sucking you into their endless depth. His features literally softened when you admitted that you actually weren’t fine, but instead of feeling happy about it, you were nervous. What if he thought that you were a drama queen, and he would never want to speak to you again?
“I’m sorry to hear that,” he remarked gently, and despite being practically strangers, he said it so convincingly that you wouldn’t have thought that he just said it out of politeness. Or did you just want to believe in it? “It’ll get better, so hwaiting!” He cheered you on as he balled his hands into fists and lifted them up, smiling.
You blinked at him for a few seconds, totally frozen on the spot. Did Kim Junseo try to cheer you up? Were you not dreaming? What was going on?
You were so shocked by his antics that you couldn’t mutter a single word, and the boy might have misunderstood it because he let out a semi-awkward giggle before retreating his hands.
“Thanks. I appreciate it, I just… didn’t think that anyone would notice that I wasn’t doing fine, and that they would try to cheer me up,” you blurted it out in one go, afraid that he would misunderstand you.
Now it was your turn to let out an awkward giggle because what were you doing, trying to explain yourself like that?
You just looked at each other for a few seconds, both your and his cheeks red from embarrassment. Then, you finally remembered that you were there for your water bottle and took a few sips of it. Junseo looked away as if he was trying to give you space, and though you appreciated it, you were also awfully aware of the fact that he was still there.
Feeling like you just had to say something, you broke the silence by offering that any of you could help Jihye into the gym hall and walk her to the parking lot if it was of any assistance. The boy thanked you for the offer, but reasoned that he was on campus either way, studying in the library, so it was no bother.
“What’s your major?” You inquired because you didn’t remember Jihye mentioning what he was actually studying, just that he was super good at it.
“Sociology. Yours?”
“Business management.”
You couldn’t have been more different, it seemed, and yet… the fact that he was studying sociology and with the way he was so perceptive, you weren’t exactly taken aback. Yet, that just made him more attractive in your eyes, and you weren’t sure you could fall for him further, but here you were…
Thankfully, you were saved by Jihye patting him on the shoulder to gain his attention, and as they started conversing, you slowly packed up and left the gym hall, your face scarlet red not just because of the dance practice, but also because of the interaction you had with him.
Junseo was the last person you would have expected to see at Beomgyu’s party. According to Jihye, the boy spent most of his time studying at home, studying in the library or studying at a café.
As usual, you attended the party with the girls from the dance team, and since Jihye didn’t come because of her injury (and because she didn’t want to maneuver around people with her crutches in a crowded place), it didn’t even cross your mind that Junseo, out of all people, would come.
However, there he was in the corner of the kitchen, talking to a boy who was even taller than he was, and once you noticed him, you couldn’t tear your gaze away. It looked like he was trying to give a pep talk to the other guy who looked quite fidgety, and you swore that he ran his hands through his hair like every five seconds. Junseo then patted him on the back and gently shoved him, prompting him to move.
Your eyes followed the person the guy walked towards which just so happened to be a girl you actually knew. Byeol from the Leadership and Management course was kind of well-known in the business department because she had made history for being the only first-year female student who had created a club, a debate club on top of that. You had shared a class with her last year, and though she seemed really cool and determined, sometimes she seemed pretty intimidating, too. No wonder the tall guy was nervous to approach her.
As you averted your eyes back to Junseo, you caught him already staring at you. You had no idea what to do with yourself, so you ended up giving him a little wave with your hand which just made you feel even worse.
For gods’ sake, what were you doing?
“I’ll be right back,” you turned towards Chaeryeong and Remi who were deep in conversation about the latest Kdrama they were watching, so they (thankfully) didn’t notice your awkward little wave.
Then, you made your way towards Junseo who still stood there by himself in the corner, seemingly not knowing what to do with himself. Though from your point of view, he just looked extra precious looking like a lost puppy.
“Hey!”
“Hi!”
“I didn’t expect to see you here,” you noted with a smile, trying to speak over the loud music that was blasting from at least three different speakers on this level.
Junseo scratched the back of his neck sheepishly, and god damnit, you felt like your insides were melting. How could anyone look this pretty and handsome, and be so gentle and attentive as he was? Not to be dramatic, but he was literally like an angel, you could almost see the halo around his head.
“Oh yeah. I just accompanied Hyunsuk because he didn’t want to come alone, but we came because he wanted to talk to Byeol. Byeol is the-”
“Head of the debate club,” you finished his sentence, and he nodded with a smile in return. “Yep, I know. We had a class together last year.”
“Oh right. You’re both business students,” he connected the dots with an airy laugh.
You ended up telling him that you also felt like Byeol was a bit intimidating but she was also pretty nice once you got to know her. It turned out that Hyunsuk actually joined the debate club because of her (because he had a crush on her), but he felt like things had not turned out the way he wanted it to between the two of them, so he was trying to make a move.
It was kind of cute of Junseo to accompany his friend to a party to help him out, but of course, you didn’t phrase yourself like that. Instead, you said that it was nice of him to do so.
After a while, when you got tired of shouting over the music, you decided on continuing the conversation outside on the patio where only Heeseung and Sungchan from the basketball team were around. Junseo (as the gentleman he was) held the door for you and let you go first, so you decided on the opposite corner of the patio where the two athletes were. Not that you were afraid that they would gossip about you and Junseo because they were pretty introverted, but still… You didn’t want them to hear any of your nervous rambling or anything of the sort.
“Y/N…” Junseo called out your name so gently that you felt like you were the main character in a movie and you were about to hear his confession when you knew very well that would not happen. Still, when you turned towards him. your heart was beating against your ribcage so wildly that you thought that it would malfunction in the next second.
What followed was the furthest thing from a confession though…
“Don’t be scared, but…” He started quietly, and despite the fact that he told you not to be scared, your heart was beating erratically for a different reason now. “You have a red stain on the back of your dress. I’m guessing it’s your… you know,” Junseo continued, and though his face was as understanding as ever, you wanted the ground to swallow you up whole instead of seeing his big doe eyes and bittersweet smile as he was telling you that you had most probably leaked through your pad.
Great.
Absolutely fantastic.
You had never ever been happier before.
“Oh my gosh, no…” You whimpered frantically, mentally calculating with every possible way to just evaporate right then and there. You closed your eyes for a few seconds, too embarrassed to face anyone, much less the boy you were having a big fat crush on. This couldn’t be happening right when you were about to have a lovely conversation with him on this lovely patio under the dim lights.
The thought that others might have seen it too (or worse: will continue to see it) made you open your eyes instantly, but then again, you wore a light dress with nothing to cover up your bum because it was late April and there was no need for extra layers.
“Here…” Junseo’s voice brought you back to reality, and as if he read your mind, he shrugged off his flannel shirt, revealing a simple white tee underneath, and held the shirt out for you.
You blinked down at the piece of clothing, feeling like you could burst into tears any moment because bless him and his caring soul for being so willing to help you out even though most boys would probably freak out over seeing period blood on a girl’s dress. Then again, he had a twin sister, so he was probably used to the period talk at home.
“You sure?”
“Yes, absolutely,” he nodded fervently, and there was a smile in the corner of his lips when he added. “Hey, it’s okay. It’s nothing to be embarrassed about.”
Why did Kim Junseo have to be the best boy on Earth?
“Thank you so so much. This is literally a lifesaver!” You exclaimed gratefully as he handed over his shirt and you used it to cover up your embarrassing little spot. Or maybe it wasn’t even little, it crossed your mind, but you hoped that it wasn’t too bad. You had to get home somehow because you were 100% sure that you wouldn’t stay any longer after such an accident even though you wanted nothing more than to talk with Junseo.
“You girls deal with the tough stuff, I’m just glad if I could help out at times like this,” he shrugged casually as if he did this every single day, and you swore you could kiss him right and there. If you weren’t so horrified about the actual circumstances of your conversation, that is…
“Thank you, really. I’ll give it back to you as soon as I can, but I think it might be best if I went home now,” you announced, awkwardly gesturing towards your back body even though you knew that he would get what you meant.
You were about to bid your goodbye when he asked:
“Do you want me to give you a ride? I’ve parked just right around the corner.”
Oh. My. Gosh. This guy just couldn’t get any more perfect. After handling the situation so well, he was willing to give you a lift? Seriously, what did you do in your past life to deserve him?
“Are you sure? Don’t you need to wait for Hyunsuk?”
“I think he’ll be fine,” he replied, boasting a boyish smile. Under different circumstances, that smile would have made you feel all giddy and warm, but this time, it just reminded you of another thing you would miss out on because you had to cut the night short due to your messy period.
After making sure that it was 100% okay with Junseo to give you a ride back home, you followed him to his car and got in (he held the door for you, of course). You were usually fidgety when you were nervous, but you were so aware of wearing his flannel shirt in his own car’s seat on your period that you dared not to move at all. Why did today have to be the day your emergency pad wasn’t enough because you bled through it, so now you had to leave the party that just got interesting because Junseo was there?
At least, Junseo still didn’t seem weirded out by the whole situation. In fact, he started talking about how he had saved up for this car and when he had learned how to drive, and soon enough, your nerves settled, and you were ready to engage in the conversation instead of worrying about your stain.
Yet again, you realised just how sweet and precious Junseo was, and even though you had met him because of Jihye, you hadn’t talked about her up until this point when Junseo remarked that he had gotten his driving license just in time to help Jihye out. Instead of admitting if it had inconvenienced him to drive her everywhere, he remarked how devastated Jihye had been when she had learned that it would take her 2-3 months to recover and even more to regain her full strength and mobility to go back to dancing like before. That’s why she insisted on attending dance practices, so that she wouldn’t miss out on the routines during her recovery. He talked about his sister in such a caring way, you were sure that he was a great brother even though he spent a lot of time studying.
Time flew by in his company, and by the time he dropped you off in front of your house, you almost forgot about the whole fiasco with your dress. Almost.
“Can we exchange numbers? So that I could let you know when I can give your shirt back. Washed and dried, of course,” you promised earnestly, actually not making an excuse to get his number, but you could get it either way which was just crazy.
The boy didn’t even protest, so you exchanged contacts, and after thanking him a couple more times, you wished each other good night. Despite the fact that you could have imagined walking back to your front door with his shirt on, with his number in your phone after being dropped off by him under very different circumstances, he managed to turn this night around, and you would forever be grateful for him for that.
After you gave Junseo’s shirt back as promised, you weren’t sure when you would see him again because technically, it wasn’t guaranteed that you would be in the same place again.
However, he continued to drop by occasionally to see the last few minutes of the dance practices before picking up his sister, and you even managed to bump into him in the library a few times as exam season rolled by. He was always eager to hear about your days, and after a while, you developed the habit of getting late night snacks from the 24/7 convenience store on campus together when you needed a bit of a pick-me-up during study sessions. Nothing was planned, nothing was re-arranged, but you couldn’t deny that you were spending way more time studying on campus this semester than you ever did before.
If anything, your feelings for him just grew stronger and stronger as days went by, but how could you have not fallen for him when he was such a green flag? He was kind, caring, perceptive, and he had that adorable shy laugh that you wished to remember forever, tucked into your memory as one of your favourite sounds.
He was also very pretty, like a real-life prince, and you had to force yourself not to stare at him too much when the sun was shining on his features while studying or the way his muscles were on display while he was driving. He insisted on driving you back when you finished studying late at night, and you just couldn’t say no to him.
However, when you submitted your last assignment for the semester, you knew that it also meant that you wouldn’t need to come to campus every day because of summer break, only for dance practices. You kind of dreaded this day because it would mean not having your study sessions together with Junseo, something that you had grown fond of over the last few weeks. Not to mention the fact that Jihye could now walk without crutches, so she didn’t need her brother’s assistance.
That night, when you packed up your stuff and headed outside of the library together, you were uncharacteristically quiet. You submitted your assignment around 6pm, so it wasn’t even dark, but you stalled in front of the building, not knowing whether he would offer to drive you back or not, and you were too embarrassed to bring up the question.
Instead, you found yourself asking:
“Do you want to grab dinner together? You know, to celebrate my last assignment for the semester,” you suggested casually, and the smile he gave you in return turned your legs into jelly.
“Sure. What do you have in mind?”
Truthfully, you had nothing in mind, you just wanted to spend more time with him, but you suggested a place anyway. While waiting for your orders, you inquired if Junseo had any plans for summer, and he said that he had a summer class that would involve working on a research project. The project would also help him prepare for his final thesis next year, so he didn’t mind spending more time doing it. When he asked about your side, you shared that you had a dance bootcamp lined up and a competition later on, so you were preparing for that.
Your answers made it very clear that you would not see each other during summer, but you tried not to show that you were affected by it. However, that also meant that you were rambling on and on, afraid to put an end to this conversation, to say goodbye to him for the next few weeks. You knew very well that you were being dramatic, but you just couldn’t help it.
After dinner, Junseo offered to give you a ride back home, but the closer you got, the more disheartened you were. When he stopped in front of your house, you looked ahead of yourself for a few seconds before turning towards him.
“I guess it’s time to say goodbye then. Good luck for your summer class, Junseo!”
You put on a friendly, cheery smile when inside you felt like crawling a hole for yourself and not getting out of it until the first week of the next semester rolled by.
Junseo looked at you, perplexed, as if you said something confusing.
“W-wait, you don’t want to see me during summer?”
Now it was your turn to be confused. What was he talking about?
“What do you mean?” You asked, furrowing your eyebrows in question. Of course you wanted to see him, but you weren’t going to. Right?
“Just because Jihye doesn’t use her crutches anymore, I can still come by your dance practices. I’ll be on campus either way,” he broke it down to you, and you felt like facepalming yourself because why had you not thought about it before? “But if you’re uncomfortable with me there, I don’t-”
“No! I would love for you to come. Anytime, really. Please, come by!” You cut him off instantly.
Junseo gave you a coy little giggle hearing your eager words, but the damage had already been done, so you had to bear the consequences of your actions. He still had the chance to back away if he found your antics annoying or awkward or-
“Besides, I would love to take you out on a date someday if you wouldn’t mind.”
Wait, what?
You almost got whiplash when you decided to turn towards him in a swift motion because you weren’t sure that you had heard it right. Did Kim Junseo just ask you out? Did your crush just ask you out? Oh my gosh, it was really happening. You weren’t dreaming!
“No! I wouldn’t mind. Not at all. I would love to. I would be more than happy, actually,” you blurted out in one go, and you saw the boy’s shoulders drop in relief.
Now it was your turn to let out a chuckle because gosh… you were majorly overreacting, weren’t you?
He didn’t seem to mind though, so that was good.
You were all good.
It would be just fine.
More than fine, actually.
A/N: Hope you enjoyed this story of mine. Let me know what you think. I'm always happy to hear your feedback. 😊
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