"..Married, heh." Gathering all of the papers you just handed your mom, a sly smile plastered on your face.

"Your daughter's gone crazy. Finally gone crazy," Your mom exasperatingly sighs, throwing her hands in the air as she faces your dad.

"I don't think so, she's just in love," Your dad winks at you and teasingly raises his brows, making your mom shudder in disbelief. As your father leaves your mom on the sofa to sit beside you, making your mother scoff and drink the water you gave prior to the announcement. "So, who's the unlucky guy?"

You gasp exaggeratedly, eyes almost popping out of their sockets. "Dad.. I trusted you," A chuckle leaves your lips after he breaks into laughter, urging you to answer. "Ah, it's Kim Sunwoo, I think you might kno—," You were interrupted with a splash of water, but not that it was in purpose.

Your mom, now with water dripping from her mouth as a result of unintentionally making a fountain around the living room, had her jaw hanging open.

"Kim Sun—what?!"

"...Kim Sunwoo.. I already thought you'd know him of Kim Finance so," You turn to your dad, "..Why are you both so surprised?"

"y/n, do you hear yourself?" Your dad mumbles, patting your shoulders. "Daughter, I wish you luck on your future endeavors,"

With a confused face, you let them immerse in their own thoughts because they apparently had no intentions of giving you context.

"You're both what?!"

"Exactly what my mom said," You mumble, making Sunwoo chuckle.

"Here," Sunwoo hands Younghoon the papers, and he just gawks at it.

"y/n.. When I asked 'you're going right?' and 'what do you plan on doing?' I didn't mean this!" He hands the papers back, eyeing you and completely ignoring Sunwoo.

"Well, regrets can come later. For now, at least Sunwoo's mom won't push a marriage with him," You smiled at Younghoon, taking Sunwoo's hand to hold.

Younghoon, just like your mother, gapes at you as he watches you walk out the door with Sunwoo, with eyes so much in love with the man.

"Sure, regrets can come later," Younghoon mumbles before he finally shakes his head, returning to his work.

"When should we drop the news to your mom?" You ask, craning your neck as you both strode on the sidewalk.

"I.. bet she already knows," He sighs, giving you a small smile. "I just missed the biggest event she prepared for me. I'm sure she dug some connections to find out what I did."

"How come she hasn't called you in yet, then?" The question makes Sunwoo stop, along with you, so you crane your neck at him worriedly, slouching down to meet his eye level as he was looking down. "Woo?"

"y/n, whatever happens, I got it all under control. You trust me right?" The grip on your hands tightened, asking for assurance as he looks at your eyes with so much honesty and sincerity. You felt safe under his gaze. "Even if it's you and me against the world,"

"Of course," Giving the same force back, you smiled at him and rubbed his hand with your other. "But also, whatever happens, I want you to share the burden. We're in this together now, okay?"

With a nod, you sigh in relief as you tugged his hand to start walking once again, to wherever your feet would take you.

After spending the day together, you agreed to watch as the sun falls right beside the bay, enjoying each other's presence and warmth.

"I shouldn't have jinxed it," You mumble, peeking at Sunwoo's phone that rang.

"You shouldn't have jinxed it," Sunwoo teases, mocking you. "This'll take a second." Sunwoo caresses your hair before kissing your temple, taking a step away to talk to his mother.

You look away to give him his privacy, munching on your fish cake as you watch the sun setting slowly.

"Hey.. I uh," You feel Sunwoo snaking a hand on your waist, taking your attention away from the sun. "I kinda need to go," He sighs, wanting to spend more time with you— but with his mother's stern voice? He needs to get his ass at home right that second.

"Yeah? Sure," You nod carelessly, eating the lasts of your food to start walking away without even letting the moon show up. "You should go, I can call a taxi,"

"No, no, I can go with you home first," He insists, tugging on your arm with a whine.

"Sunwoo, you either get your ass whipped or not. I'd rather not hear you whine the whole week about it," You chuckle, not feeling any grudge against the man.

Well, not until he really didn't whine about it the whole week.

"Hey, did something happen?" You finally approach him after a few days of getting something near of silent treatment. "Maybe it's just me overthinking— I don't know, but," You sigh, worriedly looking over at Sunwoo who did nothing but stare into nothing while you walk together to the park, like you usually do on Saturdays.

"Huh?" He perks, breaking out of his daze to look back at you, "Nothing, y/n," He smiles at you, letting go of his breath as if he was all the time holding it in.

"Woo," You inhale, worry not fading a second from your insides, but didn't want to push him further, "Remember that one thing I told you? That we're in this together now. We should share the burden. You remember that right?" You desperately gripped his hand, eyes asking him to say whatever hat was on his mind.

"Love, of course," He frowns at your tone, not wanting to worry you. "I remember every single second I spend with you," Sunwoo sighs as he rubs your neck with his thumb, pulling you in to land a peck on your forehead. "I would've told you by now if there's anything. But so far.. It's only my thesis paper in my head,"

You think it was the breakthrough of a small misunderstanding.

It continued for a month— and you've fallen scared that Sunwoo might think you're pushing him too much out of his comfort zone.

"Younghoon, I just can't think of anything— anything that I might've done, or what he might have done for fuck's sake, that lead us to this," You groan frustratingly, throwing your head back.

"Whatever was the last time you talked to each other fine?" He asks, though not batting you an eye, and was focused on his paperwork.

"I don't know— we had a walk around the city the day we told you, we ended the day in smiles! He told me he needed to go home, so we kinda had an exchange and I told him he didn't need to take me home! He insisted and I told him..." You trail out, finally having an idea of what Sunwoo's distress might be.

"Then?" Younghoon awaits, showing interest in your conversation for the first time.

"I need to go," You gather your things, ignoring Younghoon's confused calls for you to continue.

Well, if Sunwoo wasn't going to talk, you knew someone who would.

"Good day, how may I help you?" The receptionist welcomes you, a big smile on his face.

"Hi, I'm here for Director Kim?" You say, returning the smile while his fades.

"Did you perhaps book an appointment?"

"This person doesn't need an appointment," You hear a very elegant voice behind you, and the receptionist immediately bows at the sight of a title-holder.

You finally turn around to greet her with the most effortless fake smile, seeing that she had company— probably more people with titles. After whispering something to them, a smile as fake as yours makes its way to her face.

"Come," With a slight whip of her head, she signals you to follow her to the elevator, then to her office. "What brings you here, daughter-in-law?" Her elegant voice laced with sarcasm made you chuckle, letting it go to not waste time.

"Guess you found out already," You audibly mumbled, looking around her office. "Last Saturday.. I just want to know what you talked about with Sunwoo," As she makes you a cup of tea you didn't even ask for, asking you to take a seat.

"Oh," She chuckles lightly, sliding the tea through the table as she takes the seat on the head of the coffee table. "Honey, I'm not going to beat around the bush. You really have no idea?" A light laugh leaves her lips once more, the tip of the mug right at her lips. "Of course, I asked him to divorce you,"

As if it was the most obvious and normal thing in the world.

"And what? You think— I don't know. It's gonna end up like that?" You chuckle confidently, leaning back on the sofa.

"Honey, you trust on Sunwoo too much," She challenges, now leaning over to you. "He didn't give me an answer, so I gave him two months. From what I know, we have one more left. But don't fret, I knew you'd come so I'm here prepared."

You watch her make her way to her table, taking a piece of paper from one of her drawers. You immediately huffed at the sight.

Cliche rich mother wanting her son that was going to be the heir of the company to be married off with someone in the industry, giving a check to her son's girlfriend— wife, to scare them off in the typical, full of family pictures office.

It just made you chuckle.

"Name your price," Just like how he slid the mug on the table, she did with the paper. The check already had her sign, but no amount.

You took it to your hands, examining it with a smile on your face, before swiftly ripping it to pieces.

"I appreciate it, really." You nod as if mocking her as she looks at you in disbelief. "But no thanks. I am amazed, though," Promptly putting the torn papers beside the now cold cup of tea. "If not having a price to buy your son to... You're willing to make someone name the price for him. That's awful, coming from a mother."

"You do not tell me how to be a mother." Her gaze turns stern, but you don't back up a bit.

"Oh, I'm not," You shake your head, standing up. "I can't even make up the words how much I love your son. But his mother is willing to buy her son's rights and freedom? God, that's.. Anyway— I'm not. I'm just giving you an idea how to become one, though."

You don't even know if that made sense. You just hope you did as you turn the knob of her office, leaving the big doors with a sigh of relief. You feel your knees wobble, feeling everything sucked out of you— confidence, energy, everything.

Now you just need to talk to one more person.

"Hey, Woo.. Do you have time to drop by my flat after your classes?" You ask through the line, fiddling with your fingers.

"Yeah, sure. I can't stay long, though," He sighs, probably thinking of all the odds of his mother keeping an eye on him to your flat.

The call lasts nowhere near a minute, ending it after that. So you had no other choice but to anxiously wait, fiddling with your fingers as you sat on the sofa, legs continuously bouncing.

"I'm here," You hear the knob unlocking and Sunwoo fiddling with his shoes, so you welcome him with open arms.

He stops for a second to smile at you, melting in your arms the moment it wrapped on his frail body.

"Sunwoo, you really don't have something to tell me?" You sigh between the crook of his neck, tightening your hug on his waist. It takes a second, or two, before Sunwoo releases the hug, rubbing your arms.

"Hey, y/n, look at me." He lifts your chin to make you meet his eyes, smiling encouragingly at you. "Nothing. Nothing more than I love you, I guess?" He chuckles, and tugs you once more for another hug.

Though you chuckle too and the atmosphere was light, you can't stop the tears forming in your eyes and your heart wilting in a way you never want it to be.

The bell rings and you stretch your hands up, cracking a few bones back to their place as your friend, Eric, did the same.

"You in a rush or something?" You chuckle, seeing Eric gather his things in a rush.

"Got a date," He sing-sang, winking at you. "You got no schedule tomorrow, you going out with Sunwoo too? You know, we should go on a double date sometime," Only the mere mention of his name makes your smile fall slightly, remembering how Sunwoo still hasn't come back to his old self. "You fought?" Eric must've seen your smile fall, worriedly looking at you as his hands slowed down.

"No, nothing like that.. But I don't even know also," You shrug, scrunching your nose at him. "You should go. Knowing you, you take ages to dress up," You pat his arm, starting to gather your things also.

"If you want someone to talk to, I'm here. 'Kay?" Eric caresses your hair before you watch him walk away, an excited smile on his face.

You sigh, once again that you lost count, stepping outside the gates of your university. Before you could even take another step, a black car stops in front of you.

As the window rolls down from the backseat, a side profile that doesn't even glance at you appears. It goes unsaid that you are to ride with them, the butler already opening the car door on the other side for you.

"What am I here for?" You try starting the conversation, but nothing but a smug smirk is what you receive until you've reached their company, and in front of her office.

"You trust Sunwoo so much, huh?" She asks, staring at the big doors of her office.

"I thought we were through this," You mumble, turning your back to leave, but then the big doors open and successfully gains your attention, naturally turning your head to look inside.

Sunwoo was there where you last sat, pen in his hand as he was just about to close it. His lifeless eyes went from his mom to yours, slowly widening— but your eyes weren't on him, it was on those papers in front of him.

"y/n.." Was the only thing he mumbles, before you come running inside the office, getting the papers out of Sunwoo's hands to look, or rather confirm it.

"Looks like your sign is the only thing left needed," His mom peeks from behind you, lingering around and to her table. You couldn't care less of what she had proved to you or not, or whether she had won or not.

Sunwoo just broke you.

"y/n, look.." He mumbles, and it was the first time you meet his eyes, but you can't see whether he was feeling as broken as you, your sight blurry with the tears that just keep on forming and escaping, once and continuously.

Shoving the papers back to his hands, turning your back against them, and starting to leave without a word.

"y/n, y/n, baby— I had no choice!" Sunwoo follows after you, trying to stop you from leaving. "It was your future, your dreams at stake, y/n!" Holding your arms in front of you, you feel something shuffling beside you so you glanced at it, the papers still in his hands.

"I am not going to sign that, Kim Sunwoo," You say under gritted teeth, and with most of what you can do, you glared at him.

"y/n, hear me out. My mom was going to blacklist you in every industry there is, I can't do that! It's your future—,"

"The only future I want, Kim Sunwoo," You cut him off, wiping the tears on your eyes messily to see him better, but it was of no use as it was replaced with new tears. "The only future I want is with you in it.. I don't want it otherwise. That is why I suggested marrying in the first place. That is why I asked hundreds of times if you were sure of it because I was."

"y/n.." He mumbles, trying to wipe your tears away but you gave him no time to do so as you back away.

"I was sure of you, Kim Sunwoo. You asked me to trust in you, I did." As if at that one last sentence, your world crumbled so did your voice. "I trusted you— with my life, and with everything I can."

Sunwoo just sighs and you could fathom a sob from him, looking down as you feel his hands drop from your arms.

"y/n.. We were just.. We're young. We're spontaneous, we don't think too much of our actions, we make mistakes—," Sunwoo stops himself from saying something more when he finally hears you let out a sob, feeling devastated by his choice of words.

"You.. You think this was a mistake." Something near to a whimper leaves your lips and it makes Sunwoo's insides crumble, shake. The last thing he wanted was to let you know that he regretted doing what he did with you, regretted being with you.

But he also wanted you safe and nothing less of worthy of what you deserve.

Even if it means he had to let go of you— the one who dragged him out of his shell, the only one that believed in him, the only one that leaned on him, the only one that trusted him until the last second.

That last second being now.

Your lips trembled, swallowing the lump on your throat along with your pride. You reach for something in your bag, despite your hand shaking too.

"You want those papers signed? Okay," Your voice, as soft as how a river flows, going through his ears. With a small smile on your face— one that has long given up, you reach for the papers in his hands, tugging on it slightly as he unconsciously gripped on it, not wanting to let you, this, end. "Even if it's you and me against the world, bullshit."

Sunwoo remembers it as clear as day when he asked you if you trusted him, when he said he had it under control, when he agreed to share the burden, when he said it was you and him against the world.

"I'm sorry that the world somehow won," He mumbles, seeing you sign the papers between his teary eyes. You scoff, gripping on your pen.

"No, Sunwoo," You mumble, seeing both signs on a paper you never thought you'd see soon, nor ever. "You just let the world win,"

You hand him the papers back, leaving the building, leaving him.

Your last words.. it broke Sunwoo even further if it was possible. It broke him because he knew you were right. He wanted to stop you, he wanted to rip the papers apart.

So he just doesn't look.

He doesn't look because he knew.

He knew that the moment he turns around to look at you one last time, he'd run to you, give you nothing but continuous mumbles of apologies and hugs, rip the papers right in front of you, but along with your future too.

He knew he had to let go and stop fighting.

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“Sangyeon!” Wriggling out of his grasp, the pillow slides out of your face and Sangyeon takes it to his advantage, spraying some on your face. “Stop, you shit!” You throw him out of the bed, earning a groan from him. “I’m good, I’m awake!” You scramble out of your blankets, running your palm all over your face. “Sangyeon,” Sangyeon still doesn’t get up and stops groaning, worrying you a little if you threw him too hard. “Shit,”

You hop out of bed when you see him passed out in the corner of the bed, hand still in his head with his eyebrows furrowed.

“Sang,” Tapping his cheek continuously, your heartbeat quickened every time his name came out from your lips, evoking no response from him. “Fucking—,” Mumbling incoherent curses, you reach for your phone on your bedside table to call an ambulance.

“Worried?” Before you could even press dial, Sangyeon wholeheartedly chuckles as he looks at your morning-worried face, reaching for your furrowed brows to straighten it.

“You’re an ass,” Pushing him out of your lap, you finally stood up to leave him in your room, washing your face before devouring the breakfast Sangyeon prepared for the both of you. As you meet your own eyes through the mirror, you saw once again how Sangyeon’s eyes beamed at you.

It wasn’t the first time.

It wasn’t the first time Sangyeon lingered in your mind and made your heart leap.

Shaking your head to reality, you hear Sangyeon shuffling out of your room to the dining, calling you once again.

“What’d you up so early for?” You started to make conversation, taking a bite of the egg sandwich in front of you while he did the same.

“Got to practice reports with a groupmate, maybe head for some coffee after because.. uh,” He stutters, thinking of another way to tell you than he was asked out.

“A date,” You finished the sentence for him, nonchalantly taking another bite. “Okay, enjoy,” Basically forcing the half of the sandwich all at once in your mouth, you stand up to avoid having more of the conversation. “And I’ll go breakdown in chem class in the morning,” You sigh, shaking your head as you stand up.

“You’re done?” Sangyeon looks at you worriedly— those eyes again.

“Uh.. yeah?” You nod, pouting at your plate. “Thanks for the food, I’m going to wash up now!” You sprint to the bathroom with your things, leaving Sangyeon to his thoughts and disappointment of hoping more of you rambling about how he shouldn’t go and that he was stuck with you for life— like how you did that one time when his mom that could pass as your mother too, told him that he had a blind date ready at a sleepover night.

He chuckles at the memory, then it slowly fades when he realizes something.

“Hey! I’m on schedule to be the first one to wash up today!”

“Eric. Skip class with me.” You whisper, nudging his side as you keep your eyes on your professor.

“What? Why?” Eric glances at you with pure confusion on his face, then back to the professor when he turns around to face his students. “You never do that. That’s my line,” He furrows his eyebrows once more, taking notes.

“I just— go! Go, go, go!” You push him out of his seat to duck, then crawl out of the room while the professor wasn’t looking.

“What’s gotten into you?” Eric looks at you suspiciously, walking along the hallways freely anyway. “That class was chem— if you weren’t zoning out.”

“I know, dumbo,” You roll your eyes. “I just wasn’t feeling it.”

“You never not feel any class!” He shrieks, racking out his brain for any possible reason you suddenly weren’t feeling chem. “Is there something wrong? Are you sick? Are you hungry?”

“No, Eric.”

“Ah, so you just want to spend time with me?” He coos, poking your side. “You could’ve just said it. I mean, it’s not that har— wait, you like Sangyeon! What does that have to do with me?!”

“Shut your mouth you big baby,” Covering his mouth in a rush, you glared at him to make him shut up. But nothing ever will so you just decided to tell him why. “Sangyeon’s going on a date,”

“Oh, shit!” He gasps, a teasing smile on his face. He bugs you for another five minutes to tell you what happened— how you knew he was. “I have an idea, y/n.”

“I don’t want to hear it, Eric.” You already knew what he was thinking of, and even though there was an urge of doing it, you weren’t going to lose to it.

“Come on, it’s going to be epic! I’m sure we’ll be sneak-sneaky!” He tries to mimic Swiper from Dora. “I know you want to do it too,” Continuously poking your side, Eric squeals when you finally let yourself get dragged eight feet away from the cafe, where Sangyeon and his groupmate were actively having a conversation.

“We should probably go, Eric.” You sigh, turning your back. Eric stops from peeking behind a tree, looking at you with a frown. “Look, I don’t even know why we’re here. If he wants to go on a date, he can. We’re nothing but friends, and I don’t think we’ll ever be more, soon.”

“Not if you confess, duh?” Eric sasses, rolling his eyes. “Gonna drag you there if I have to,” Grabbing your arm, dragging you out of the shadows of the tree while he waved his other hand around

“Eric, no!” Digging your heel on the ground, you try to shove Eric away from you, but the energetic Eric was nothing to be compared to. “I swear to god, Eric, damn— shit! Shit, shit, shit,” You mumble, tapping Eric’s hand repeatedly because you swear that you met Sangyeon’s confused eyes from afar, inside the cafe.”Shit, Eric! I need to go home!” As soon as Eric lets go of your hand, you sprint away from him without bothering to say goodbye.

“Shit, shit, shit,” You hopped out of your school clothes to your casual pjs, remembering to look as homey as possible as you remove everything that hinted that you just stepped foot inside the flat. “Eric Sohn, I will never forgive you for this,”

“Hey,” Sangyeon’s voice resonates the whole flat, making you squeal internally and jump on the couch, getting anything you could put your hands on nearby.

“Oh, hey,” You breathlessly welcome, a rather big smile on your face. “How was your date?” You just had to ask. Covering your face with the book, you shake your head at yourself as you groaned.

“My date?” Sangyeon asks and you only hum, still pretending to read.

“Huh? I think I said your day— how was your day, not date, psh,” You snort, waving him off.

“Mmhm,” Sangyeon, with an amused smile, leans on the counter just beside the couch, facing you. “So.. A recipe book?” He crosses his arms over his chest, keeping the smile to himself.

You just had to pick up the most unnatural book in your flat. Why the hell do you even have a recipe book for? Cursing at yourself for the nth time that day, you heave another smile.

“Yeah, you know.” You shrug, flexing the book. “Gotta learn how to cook now. Can’t always have you cooking for me,” You smile, “...not when you get yourself a partner,” You whisper under your breath, sighing.

“Huh?” Sangyeon hears it, but an instinctive confused expression leaves his lips. When he sees the top of your head shaking once again, he’s finally had it. “You know, you know that your book is upside-down, right?” You perk up at the question, digging your brain for an excuse as you finally flip the book.

“Of course,” You chuckle awkwardly, “Just.. looking at the pictures from a new perspective.”

“Where were you after your class?”

“I was.. Here? Reading this?” You shake the book, looking over at him for a second.

“What were you wearing?”

“Flowery stuff. Dress.” Completely the opposite of what you wore.

“Oh yeah?” He asks, then raises a black shirt— the one you wore earlier that was just around the floor.

“Shit,” You mumble, yanking the shirt out of his hands and hiding it behind you. You walk back to the couch, string of curses still keeps getting out of your mouth.

“y/n, stop it.” Sangyeon takes a seat beside you, holding the book down. “Please stop,”

“Stop what?” Your voice comes out as soft, as soft as Sangyeon’s eyes that met yours. You feel his hand engulf your hand, but you just can’t look away from the eyes that beamed at you.

“Hiding from me.”

“I wasn’t— what? When?” You try shrugging him off again, but he cups your cheeks to stop you from looking elsewhere apart from his eyes.

“I like you. Do you like me back?” Sangyeon asks, thumb caressing your cheek lovingly.

It takes you a minute of being mesmerized in his eyes before finally answering, the burden in your chest melting away.

“I do.”

“Then stop hiding from me. Stop avoiding me.” You could see the way Sangyeon’s eyes shifted from worried to relieved, pulling you in to land a soft peck on your forehead.

You finally chuckle, succumbing to his warmth as you snaked your arms around his waist.

“How about your date?”

“Rejected politely.” He caresses your hair, dropping small kisses around your head. “I’ve liked you ever since I can remember. I can’t see me liking somebody else that isn’t you, for the love of god.” He throws his head back in a fit, a big smile on his face as you admire him.

“How were you so confident that I liked you?” You furrow your eyebrows softly, smiling teasingly at him.

“I’ve known you since we were kids. Today was the most unusual you’ve been— I guess that’s where my confidence and courage came from.” His hand comes back to your face, thumb trailing your jaw to your lips.

“Oh please, just kiss me already.”

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“Oh, you’re here,” His cheery voice almost makes your annoyance dissipate, turning your back to look at the groggy Changmin making his way to the refrigerator. “Sorry. I was drunk last night so I couldn’t really..” His eyes trail to the living room, making you sigh at the sight of more.. mess. “...clean.”

“Changmin, that’s what you said the day before yesterday,” You sigh, anger turning into worry. “Do you have drinking problems or what?”

“That’s because I also drank that day,” He chuckles, pouring himself a glass of water.

“I get it, you despise me because of our first fucking meeting— which lead me to have the laundry and cleaning chores, but please, for the love of god, I am going to be in and out of the apartment for a month. A month, Ji Changmin. Either let this apartment rot or clean up. Jesus,” You sigh, picking up all the cans of beers he had used last night.

“Don’t you think you should wash up first?” Changmin asks as he leans on the counter, looking at you from the kitchen.

You scoff, turning at him with a disbelief expression.

“Don’t you think you should wash up first? Because wow,” You look at him from head to toe, “I would definitely let you, for the first time,” You mock, giving him a forced smile.

Changmin shrugs as he makes his way to his room and to the bathroom to wash up, and for you to continue cleaning. Every can you pick up every plastic you shoot to the garbage can, your annoyance level goes higher.

“I only—,” One used plastic fork to the garbage, “..ever wanted to have a good impression.” You hiss, fists clenching at the sudden urge to vomit at the sight of a dirty sink. “It wasn’t my fucking fault..” You mumble, inhaling behind you then holding your breath to drag all the dirty wares into the garbage. “That he was standing behind the door— in his fucking weekly white outfit, while I bring him his favorite fucking snack— which had to be spicy fucking rice cakes.” You exhale, and you could feel your veins popping in your neck.

You start washing the dishes and the sink directly, mumbling more incoherent words that only bad-mouthed Changmin.

“Doesn’t help that he’s pretty. Man, if we had been on good fucking terms I would’ve really liked him more. Fuck that dimple that shows even if he’s mad. Only makes me swoon.” A huff leaves your lips as the scene of Changmin whining in tiny, yet terrifyingly, as he looks at his white trainers, stained with red sauce and back to you, who helplessly looked back at him.

“Oh?!” You think it was baby-talk and you almost mocked him for it, almost forgetting about what you just did. “What the hell?” It wasn’t for you— but for the settlement of himself, the food in his hand getting cold but he still took a bite.

The same food you had just gotten for him.

“I am immensely sorry,” You say, growing helpless as you can’t wipe his shirt and touch him in your first meeting. Your shaking hands hand him a fistful of tissues, and he only stops himself from screaming.

“You think.. That would help?” He sighs, a small smile of surrender growing in his lips. It was the first time he smiles, in the first five minutes you’ve met— and you knew it.

The moment his dimple showed up, it made your knees weak.

“I mean, how could someone be so cruel and give almost all chores to me just because of that? How could he be so cruel of not even raising his voice one time? I feel like I’m always the fucking bad guy.” You scoff, shaking your head. “And how the fuck can someone even drink that much?” You unconsciously say out loud, throwing your hands up.

“Well, it’s also, technically, not my fault that you have the emotional capacity of a brick.” You hear Changmin from behind, making you squeal and turn around.

He was leaning close to you, and you almost meet his lips if it weren’t for your fast reflexes. You smell his soap from this distance, not that you couldn’t from afar, but more now. His hair was still damp, some strands still dropping drops of water.

“Excuse me, me?” You gasp, your hand making its way to your chest. “You have a nerve saying that to me, Changmin.”

“Well, I drank because you were away,” He chuckles, watching you skedaddle your way away from him to avoid his gaze.

“Yeah, that explains a lot,” If both of you had something in common, it was how both of you loved sarcasm.

“Because I was jealous.”

“What?” You turn again, giving him the most confused face you have ever made. “Jealous of what?” Your voice raised, along with the corner of his lips.

“Aren’t you in and out because of someone? Yeah, I’m jealous of that. Damn, I thought you knew I liked you.” He shakes his head, a disapproving look on his face.

“You’re telling me.. You’re jealous.. Of my job?!” You finally let out, giving the most exasperated sigh you could ever gather. “Wow, oh my fucking god,”

“Wait a sec..” Changmin gathers his thoughts, “You weren’t meeting someone?”

“I am a fucking intern! Does it look like I have time?!” You shout, head pounding but your heart was definitely beating louder. “I wasted three months of badmouthing you because you made do everything in the apartment and now you’re telling me you like me back. How nice,”

“I thought you knew! I never once raised my voice at you— especially when you spilled that sauce on my white trainers! This is my first time even raising an octave, y/n!”

“Then what do we do now?!”

“I don’t know, we kiss?!”

“No, you shit. We split the chores equally, stupid.” You hiss once more, but it doesn’t even take a second for you to smile, along with Changmin as he mumbles a small okay, letting you boop his dimple that had always been your dream when you met him.

Just another thing you both had in common but had under control was your full-headedness— though it still made you fall in love with each other.

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“When they said we had to build this tent together, I didn’t think they’d have us sleep in it as well,” you mutter as you pull up the zipper to the entrance.

“I saw it coming,” he sighs, his legs already inside the sleeping bag he brought. He sits with a book in his hands, glasses on the bridge of his nose, and a lantern right by his side. He doesn’t spare you an ounce of his attention as he flips the page, eyes roaming through the sentences.

“I just can’t believe they assigned the pairs. I thought we’d have the freedom to choose who we’d partner up with.” You scoot over onto your sleeping bag, cringing at the lack of space given. You’re close enough to feel Eric’s shoulder brush against yours, and you hate how it feels like you’re both sharing a bed despite being in two separate bags. You hug your knees close to your chest, eyeing the book he brought (and who brings a book to a camping trip?).

“Well that’s Ju Haknyeon for you. You know how that little shit is as class pres.” He hums, and then slams his book shut, scaring you. He scrunches his nose and sets the book next to the lantern, placing his glasses on top. You watch as he lies down, preparing to sleep.

“You can’t be serious,” you deadpan with eyes that bore into his.

“What? I’m pissed about this arrangement too, but complaining about it will get us nowhere. It’s already past midnight, and I’m sure it’s too late to change tents, so we might as well sleep and get it over with. Night,” he grumbles, dissatisfaction emitting from every struggle to find a comfortable position. When settled, Eric turns his back to you, falling dead silent which in return leaves you with your own thoughts.

You can only scoff at his response before mimicking his actions, lying down properly. Though, you don’t want to bother tucking yourself in, leg tossed over the other as you stare upwards.

After a long day of having to deal with an uptight student, you should feel exhausted. Well, you do, but your eyes believe otherwise considering they refuse to remain shut. You can’t help but think about how you’re mere centimeters away from the kid you’ve grown to despise in the past twenty-four hours, and you know well enough that this night will be the reason why you’ll be in a piss-shit mood for the rest of the week. As vice president, you expected better treatment than to be placed with Eric Sohn—treasurer for the senior year grade.

“It’s so bright,” you say randomly, referring to the light Eric has supposedly left on.

He shoots up, hair scuffed, as he glares straight at you. Impulsively, he grabs the lantern and tosses it into your lap, lying back down immediately after.

“Turn it off then, stupid.”

You stare at his backside, gaping at his remark.

“Stupid? You’re one to call stup-”

“For god’s sake, Y/N, please shut up,” he snaps rather loudly, making you wonder if the other tents could hear him. His elbows prop himself up as he redirects his gaze towards you. “Fuck you think I’m going to do in the middle of the night? Eat your bagels? Give me a break. Just close your eyes and sleep. Good. Night.” He drops his body back onto the ground, having you meet his oh so familiar back once again.

With a pout, you finally decide to listen to him for the first time that day. You switch the light to the artificial candle within the lantern off, setting it aside before pulling the cover over your torso. You allow your eyelids to fall shut after curling up on your side.

But eventually seconds turn into minutes, and minutes turn into hours, and yet you’re still unable to sleep. You can’t decide whether to blame insomnia or the man sleeping right next to you, so in spite of curiosity, you turn in your spot.

You fully expect to feel infuriated at the sight of him sleeping soundly, but instead you’re met with him on his back as his fingers tap against his abdomen. He stares off into the distance as the moonlight graces his features, detailing them for you to see. It’s the only reason how you can see he’s awake, the light reflecting from the glossy eyes that lie wide.

He glances your way, a tad bit startled to see you awake as well.

“Can’t sleep?” he asks, turning his head back upwards to stare at the nothingness.

You purse your lips, hesitant to respond because truthfully, you feel embarrassed about not being able to sleep. You then shake your head, realizing that you’re not alone.

“You?”

“Not at all,” he chuckles, moving his arms under his head. The way he looks at the blank material of the tent makes you feel like he’s looking at stars, admiring them with just the simple gaze.

“Why not?” you carelessly blurt, cheeks heating up instantly at your own stupidity for asking such a question.

“I could ask you the same thing,” he automatically responds. A smile lingers on his lips, and it stays glued there when he shifts to look at you.

The last thing you expected that night was for him to convince you to leave the tent with him. You were sure you’d get in immense trouble if you got caught, but Eric makes sure you both don’t stray too far from the designated area. Sneaking past all the tents of the chaperones and students, he leads you to a nearby trail and sits down on the gravel with you by his side.

Eric has you sharing stories you never thought to tell while being overly expressive with his hands as he explains his funny memories. He’s the reason why you can’t help but smile whenever you look at him, admiring the way he looks while describing something he loves. He would shush you by bringing a hand over your mouth whenever you laughed too hard at one of his gestures, but it would only send you both into further bursts of giggles. Through it all, he kept you close by his side, pointing out the stars that stood out to you both most as your head finds refuge on his shoulder.

And perhaps you both got in trouble for sleeping past the time when everyone needed to be awake, but you’d give anything to experience that night with Eric again.

Not a single word is spoken after hearing the information Sunwoo had dropped.

Your roommate’s fingers slip out of your grasp the moment your actions have stilled as your wavering gaze hesitates to meet his. You see how his stern gaze is firmly locked onto the men in front of you two while also keeping an arm locked around you to secure you close by his side.

Racks of clothes confine the four of you into an uncomfortable environment, not one single person daring to say a word.

Sunwoo has his head cocked merely to the side, a sly smirk waltzing onto his lips after spilling the biggest lie he’s ever told.

But he doesn’t care—not when Juyeon has his jaw to the ground with eyes that continuously flicker between both of your figures. It seems he wants to say something based on his mouth opening and closing repeatedly, but he remains quiet, only relying on the rest of you to continue the conversation.

Hyunjae, on the other hand, stands with an unreadable expression painted over his features, words fighting to leave his throat as he stares not at Sunwoo, but at you.

“Boyfriend,” he says, voice slicing through the silence. “You have a boyfriend.”

The title paints a foreign taste in his mouth as he attempts to feign confusion. He’s acting like he’s questioning the true reality of things when he already knows that it’s all a lie. He tosses an arm over his abdomen and lets out a throaty laugh, throwing you off while the smirk on Sunwoo’s lips falter.

“You guys can’t be serious. You think I’ll believe that? Especially after what happened a few days ago?” he snickers, dragging his eyes over to you. He looks you up and down, detailing you. Hyunjae then leans to the side, grabbing onto one of the poles belonging to the racks in order to use it as support. He falls into a relaxed composure as he sighs and clicks his tongue in disapproval. “Damn, you guys are way more pathetic than I thought.”

“I’m sorry? Pathetic?” you blurt, voice raising. You look at Juyeon, and although he hasn’t backed you up before, you’re hoping that he stands up for you now. But to your dismay, he just stands there, allowing his friend to badmouth you.

“What is he talking about?” Sunwoo asks through a whisper, turning to face you. “What happened a few days ago?”

His mind begins to spin as he tries to remember, recalling the specific day where you had been broken on the ground. All he did was hold and comfort you until the end of time, but he would’ve never assumed that this man right beside Juyeon would be the cause of it.

His eyebrows bunches up as he struggles to put two and two together.

“Was he the reason why you were crying?” Sunwoo finally asks, albeit quietly, yet his words are still heard by the other two.

Juyeon’s eyes widen at the newfound information, mouthing the word ‘crying’ with utter disbelief. He glues his eyes to the floor as he realizes that all of this has led to your broken state, heart clenching at the thought of someone else comforting you.

Before you could respond to Sunwoo, the voice you dreaded to hear speaks up once again.

“Oh, I’m sorry, did I miss something? Did I make you cry?” He doesn’t even try to sympathize with you, completely ignoring how Juyeon was acting just to continue to torment you.

Irritation burns through Sunwoo faster than an inferno, but Juyeon catches Sunwoo’s clenched fist before it could be driven into Hyunjae’s skull.

“Don’t,” Juyeon warns through a mumble, already knowing it was a battle he’ll lose. Sunwoo looks at him dumbfounded, questioning how Juyeon could protect someone like Hyunjae.

“Shame. I was looking towards it.” He smacks his lips, yet his eyes still stay on you. He watches your every reaction, and his eyes even manage to linger down to the pendant that sits on your chest. The corners of his lips raise when you don’t speak up, already knowing that he’s won whatever was going on. He prays on your downfall because that’s all he ever does.

“Get out of here,” Sunwoo mutters. He’s tempted to lunge forward and throw a few punches, but with how Juyeon stands in front of him, the action seems impossible. Juyeon has his fingers wrapped tightly around his wrist, preventing him from pulling anything stupid. He threatens his friend by digging his nails into his skin, knowing that it isn’t smart to start a fight inside a clothing store. All Sunwoo can question is how Juyeon can defend his friend, yet not you—someone he’s kept close to his heart for years.

Hyunjae taps his fingers against the clothes next to him, suddenly finding interest in the rack full of female’s jeans as he hums.

“You’re right,” he responds. His fingers freeze. “I shouldn’t be here. I was actually invited to help a friend look for his soulmate jewel.”

Sunwoo yanks his arm away from Juyeon, shooting daggers into his eyes.

“You invited him??”

“Oh no, he didn’t invite me. You got the wrong guy,” Hyunjae says, answering the question that wasn’t meant for him. The corner of his lips quirk up into a condescending smirk as he spins to face the three of you once again, ready to spew more truth. “Changmin was actually the one who invited me, so I recommend you direct your anger towards the birthday boy. I just happened to find out that Juyeon was also here, and Changmin just told me he was in one of the neighboring stores, so here I am.”

He stops when he sees the shock on both of your faces, and Juyeon just stares at the ground in defeat, unable to face you after knowing that he blatantly kept so many secrets from you those days before.

Hyunjae gets the hint, realizing that you knew none of this.

And it made things even more enjoyable.

“What? Is there something wrong with visiting an old friend of mine?” He raises his brows. “Well, I hate to break it to you two, but Juyeon, Changmin, and I have all attended a swimming academy back in high school, right buddy?”

He goes to drape an arm over Juyeon’s shoulders, ruffling up his hair with his free hand. “I missed having my favorite boys around.”

It’s hard holding back the tears from pooling up in your eyes, blurring your vision as you feel so betrayed. Your stomach twists in the most sickening ways, and you feel dizzy with the amount of information this stranger is pouring on you. To have Juyeon hold all of this makes you want to throw up, and luckily you have Sunwoo by your side, refusing to let go of you.

Hyunjae disregards how you’re feeling, looking past you to check the clock that has been plastered on one of the store's walls.

“I should get going,” he says, letting go of Juyeon. “I only planned on stopping by to give Changmin my wishes. It was…nice to properly meet you two.” He steps forward, standing a centimeter away in front of you as he tilts your chin up with his index finger. He smiles, lips hovering over yours as he whispers. “Especially you, captain.”

His eyes roam through yours, and you’re too afraid to pull back. So you continue to stand your ground, refusing to let the tears fall from your eyes as you stare straight back at him. It feels like decades as you wait for the moment to end, and Sunwoo is about to do something before Hyunjae speaks once again.

“I’m sorry,” he suddenly apologizes, dropping his hand. You’re led to believe that he’s truly genuine before realizing that this was the man that has been tormenting you for the past few minutes. He smiles, and for once he isn’t looking at you. “I guess that title has expired for you, hasn’t it?”

“Expired?” you repeat, hiding the crack in your voice. You have no clue how he manages to break you further and further, chest barely being able to catch a breath as you whisper. “Who are you?”

Sunwoo watches with extreme attentiveness while Juyeon just purses his lips.

“I’m afraid we’ve already had this conversation, but—if I must.”

He leans in, lips ghosting the shell of your earlobe.

“I’m the newly assigned captain of your little swim team,” he murmurs, just for you to hear, and you could feel his smirk brushing against your skin, even after he’s pulled away. The mist of his warm breath remains in your ear, leaving you disgusted with yourself as he leaves the store with Juyeon tailing behind him.

“What the fuck was that?” Sunwoo grumbles. “What-...what just happened?”

You laugh, weakly, and shake your head. You’re mad at him for claiming that he was your boyfriend; you know he meant nothing ill by it, but it all led to you and your downfall and you blame him. You blame the one person that stands by your side because you wouldn’t have been this humiliated otherwise.

Sunwoo can easily read your mind and his heart drops. He watches as you face your back towards him, wiping your tears with your sleeve.

“L-look, I thought he would back off. I really didn’t know he’d-”

“Forget it, Sunwoo. I’ve been humiliated enough,” you mutter.

And with that, you exited the store- and the mall overall.

THREE | SUFFOCATING M.LIST | FIVE

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Huang Renjun is the definition of perfect, but even that seems to be an understatement for someone like him.

He’s perfection that dwells in hell, and he enjoys every second of it. A wicked grin is capable of forming on his gentle features—yet, despite your intuition, Renjun does manage to hold up his angel act pretty well.

Not one swear word has ever left those plump cherry lips of his, and he would always innocently bat his eyelashes when he hears spurts of profanities leave the mouths of people around him.

Basically, the overall gist is that he’s a devil in disguise.

Ever since the beginning of the school year, you’ve grown accustomed to seeing the back of his head, whether in be stilled, hunched over, or bobbling after nodding rapidly to doing an extra assignment. You ignore him on most occasions, but there have been times when he does make you look up from your phone. It would either be thanks to something he’s whispered to his seatmate or how he responded to a question asked by the teacher, making you scoff every time considering you no longer question how sincere the smile he shoots is.

While half of the class focuses on how daring he looks with just a plain white hoodie that hugs the uniform he wears underneath, the other half would be ogling in utter disbelief at the perfect marks littering every exam that’s returned to him.

So overall, your suspicions of his façade come true on this very day when the door to the art room yanks wide open.

A figure storms inside, shutting it behind him loudly for the entire school faculty to hear, but he doesn’t care.

“Fucking cunts.”

“Y/N?”

Although his arm is firmly looped around your torso, Changmin’s eyes remain entranced by the lights shimmering in the sky. The glitter from the stars reflect through the depths of his pupils, but you don’t even notice the sight considering you currently have your nose buried into the crook of his neck with heavy eyelids.

Sitting on the ground of the parking lot in the middle of the night surely has its flaws, especially considering the cold breeze that would generously hit your skin every other second, but they could never compare to the beauty the starry night provides.

When you sleepily respond to him with a hum and a tug on his shirt, he pulls you closer under his arm and makes sure the blanket is snug over your shoulders. After the action, he continues to stay silent for a few minutes while looking heavenwards. You don’t question it due to your lack of consciousness, but the reappearance of his voice makes you stir.

“Y/N?” he whispers rather sheepishly due to repeating himself. Changmin tears his gaze away from the sight to look at you, and somehow the light in his eyes refuses to disperse.

He nudges your cheek with his index finger in an attempt to pry you out of your impending slumber, and your half-assed hum returns. You shove his hand out of your face, and your chin instinctively finds refuge on his shoulder while you rub your eyes awake. He waits for you to have your eyes fully opened before leaning in to plant a kiss on your nose.

“I have a question,” he murmurs.

“Well I would assume so after you said my name twice, dummy,” you huff. You shift to sit up and give him a playful shove, distancing him from you. “You always do this.”

Changmin whines at the unexpected attack and more so loss of contact, resulting in him outstretching his arms like a toddler.

“Do what?” he questions while feigning confusion.

“Say my name multiple times before actually telling me what you want to say.” You fake resentment by crossing your arms only to fall for his puppy-like pout immediately after. You move back into his embrace, and Changmin, satisfied, wraps his arms firmly around you once more.

Concern slowly becomes etched upon your features when you begin to overthink, wondering if he wasn’t feeling okay. You reach up to cup one of his cheeks while analyzing his gaze, a frown making its way onto your face.

“Is everything alright?”

He doesn’t respond, and instead he begins to brush strands of hair out of your face. He tucks them behind your ear, and the warm smile on his lips leaves you reassured.

Changmin reaches for your blanket and brings it back over your shoulders to keep you warm, making sure it covers you properly. You fight against it, though, and grab a part of the blanket yourself to bring over his shoulders as well, having you both shielded from the cold.

He flushes at what you’re doing, keeping his head down. When you finish with adjusting the blanket, you give his lips a quick kiss. He returns it with another of his own and presses one against your forehead as well, resting his head on yours right after. The comfortable atmosphere returns, leaving you at ease despite the silence you’re receiving from Changmin, so you focus on listening to the rhythmic beating of his heart.

“Y/N?” he tries again, and this time his voice is even softer, lighter, if possible.

Like earlier, you reply with a hum and shift to have your eyes connected with his. Despite the darkness, the stars in the sky continue to provide all the light you need to see the face you’ve fallen for. The sight leaves you breathless, in all honesty, and you’re able to detail the glossiness of his eyes and the curves of his cheeks.

“Do you…do you believe in soulmates?” he asks while sounding quite strained. There’s a slight stutter in his voice to show his hesitance, but you reach to hold one of his hands to keep him at ease.

“I guess…? I don’t really know, Jichang.” You pause, and he watches you with curious eyes. “I never thought about it, but…after meeting you, it’s hard to say no to that question.”

His gaze falls down to your hand as he tries to hide the wide smile growing on his face, fidgeting with your fingers while you laugh. You don’t know it, but the sound makes his heart flutter, only leaving him more flustered. He blames the topic of conversation, but you don’t mind the randomness at all. You mirror him in every way possible with your head hanging low as you can’t even bear to look at him unless you want a bunch of butterflies to burst in your stomach.

“Why? Do you believe in soulmates?” you ask, wiggling your fingers while he brushes the pads of his fingers over your knuckles.

He nods and then speaks again.

“Do you believe in having multiple soulmates, then?”

Your brow arches at the follow up question. “Multiple soulmates?”

“Yeah.”

With a sigh, you lean backwards a bit to process his words. You halt your thought process to admire how Changmin currently looks. He’s always been a bright person, especially in the daycare, so it’s rare to see him in a vulnerable, lighthearted state. Frankly enough, you consider him to be Sunwoo’s and Eric’s long-lost triplet, but seeing him right now has you convinced he’s letting out his thoughts; something he’s been working on ever since the very day he returned.

“Well, since a soulmate can be anyone, whether it be a lover, friend or family, then yeah, I do believe in having multiple soulmates,” you properly respond.

The gentleness in his features, his actions, his gaze, has you melting, and he allows your fingers to rest by setting them in his lap.

“That makes me really glad to hear,” he whispers.

You laugh lightheartedly at his response. “Why?”

“I mean, if you think about it, we’d be soulmates, right?” He looks up at you for confirmation, and when you nod, he brings your hand to his lips, pressing a kiss against your fingers before continuing. “I’ve been thinking about this for a long time, and don’t get me wrong, I love having you as my one and only, but it doesn’t feel right ro say that you’re my only soulmate.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” you tease, poking his chest repeatedly. “Are you saying you have other soulmates? How many other soulmates would you say you have?”

The shake of your head makes him grin without control, and he grabs your hand to interlace your fingers with his.

“Excluding you? Ten. Ten soulmates.”

His gaze darts back up to the sky, reminding you of the stars that accompany your little date. There aren’t many from what he sees, but it’s enough.

Ten children at one daycare may be considered a small amount, but it will forever be enough to both you and him.

No matter what, they always seem to be by your sides—even if they are in the form of stars.

-

The next few days you tried to get to know Eric from a distance, paying attention more to the things he would say in the break room and during closing. You only had a week to find him a gift but you were drawing blanks. You couldn't even get him a gift card because you didn't know what he liked. You knew nothing about him besides your perception of him and his personality.

Coming in to open the store one morning, you saw that you had been paired with Eric according to the schedule, making your shoulders sag with dread. “Ugh, him again.”

“Wow, am I really that bad, y/n?” Eric walked over to the cash register to get ready for the day. He was on time, leaving you stunned by the unusual change.

“I’m sorry. That was such a rude thing to say.” You bowed your head, feeling guilty for what you said.

“It's alright.” Eric patted you on the arm before walking over to unlock the door at the front of the store.

You went to lean against one of the mannequin displays by the entrance as you waited for customers. It was always dead in the morning which was why you preferred opening versus closing. One day you plan to ask your manager if you could just open the store by yourself, it wasn’t necessary for someone to be there to help you. No one wants to shop for a shirt at 10 in the morning.

Eric popped up behind you, starling you out of your train of thought. “Pretty boring this morning, right?” He sat on a table next to you, pushing aside the clothes on top of it so not to ruin the folded stack.

“Mmmhm.” You wanted to enjoy the quiet this morning, not in the mood to talk to Eric at all.

“So, are you excited for Secret Santa? Did you get someone good?” Eric wore a smile on his easy face as he tried to make small talk with you. You did find him a little endearing, especially since he’s not bouncing off the walls like usual.

“I have no idea what to get the person that I picked.” You shifted your body so that you were facing Eric. “What about you? Happy with who you picked?”

Eric blushed, looking out the large glass window panes at the entrance of the store, “Yeah, I got someone that I really wanted.”

“Lucky you”, you muttered under your breath before hopping off of the display and walking away from Eric to go organize some boxes in the back.

-

Over the weekend you searched the mall looking for a gift that would be good for Eric. You thought about giving up and getting him a book, but you were sure that would be a lame gift. So here you were, walking aimlessly through the mall waiting for something to jump out at you.

You were looking at a bracelet through a shop window when you felt a tap on your shoulder.

“Hey, y/n! I knew that it was you I saw walk past me earlier.” Eric waved at you with a friendly smile on his face. “Christmas shopping too, huh?”

“Uh, yeah… I still have a few gifts to get.” You were surprised to see him outside of work, you didn’t know he lived in the area.

“Want to walk around together?”

You stared at Eric for a while, he seemed genuinely interested in hanging out with you. Figuring this would be the perfect opportunity to get to know Eric so that you could finally get him a gift that he would like, you nodded your head. “Sure, sounds fun.”

-

You walked into your job on your day off, a wrapped present in hand. Your manager planned for everyone to come in an hour before the store was set to open to exchange gifts. Normally you’d be irritated in having to come to work on your day off but your manager was closing the store for a while and giving everyone the week off for the holidays, so you didn’t mind today.

Standing next to your friend, you both waited with your other co-workers for your manager to call everyone together.

As you were chatting with your friend and another co-worker you heard the sound of jingle bells and looked over to see your manager waiting for everyone to pay attention to her.

“Okay guys! I have all of the gifts here behind me, thank you all for participating. You all work very hard and I appreciate everything that we do as a team. Look for the gift with your name on it first and then try to find the person who gave it to you.” She stepped away from the table, there were gifts lined in a row, all with the same wrapping paper so to not give away who brought what gift.

You walked up to the table looking for a gift with your name one it, eyes scanning across the table until you saw a tag that read, “y/n”, on it. You picked up the slender rectangular box, shaking it with curiosity. Walking over to the hide behind a rack of clothes, you opened your gift in private.

Tearing open the paper, you uncovered a small black box and took off the lid revealing the bracelet that you were eyeing for a few days ago. You gasped, looking around to see if anyone saw you. You opened the box again, pulling the bracelet out to admire it. A smile spread across your face as you realized who might have been your Secret Santa.

“Did Eric get me this?”

You turned around to find Eric, bumping into him the second you moved your foot.

“Oops— I’m sorry.” You looked down at your feet, suddenly feeling nervous in Eric’s presence. You held out the bracelet, making eye contact with him one more time. “Were you my Secret Santa this entire time?”

He grinned, “Yeah, I had to switch two times until I finally got you. I hope you like your gift, I saw you looking at it the other day.” He touched your arm tenderly, making you blush.

“Y-yeah. I really liked this bracelet. I can’t believe you got it for me. Why did you switch to get me, Eric?” You looked at him in the eyes, gnawing on the inside of your cheek anxiously as you waited for his response. You didn’t know when the butterflies started to show up but you felt them in your stomach now, fluttering as you stared into Eric’s eyes and down to his lips as he talked.

“I— I just really wanted to get you a gift.” He scratched the back of his neck, looking down to conceal the light flush that was appearing on his cheeks.

You smiled brightly, finding his shyness cute. “I got you too, you know. I’m glad I did too because it made me realize how sweet and fun you are. I’m really sorry that I’ve been so cold to you the entire time we’ve worked together.”

Eric laughed, “No way, you got me that video game?” You nodded, “I had no idea what to get you, I heard you mention this game when we were at the mall. You don’t have it already, right?”

Eric hugged you, wrapping his arms around you in a warm embrace. “No, I don’t. Thanks for getting it for me.” He let you go, leaving you feeling overwhelmed by how shy you felt around him. Who would have thought that you would have developed a crush on Eric Sohn?

You held out your bracelet placing it in his hand and holding out your wrist. “Can you help me with this?”

Eric nodded his head, quickly fiddling with the clasp of the bracelet and wrapping it around your wrist, and fastening it into place. As he tried to pull his hand away from yours you caught his fingers, intertwining them with yours. You tilted your head to the side as you asked, “Are you working today?” You watched as a smile spread across Eric’s features.

“No, why?”

You pulled him towards the front door, “I need to make up for lost time. We’re hanging out, it’s our day off.”