tara

Now, you sit at your desk, trying to at least get one physics problem right. You had put your phone dnd and everyone was out of the house, leaving you alone to enjoy your solitude. Well.. try to enjoy your solitude. While you were on the verge of throwing your textbook against a wall, you heard your doorbell ring. Great, they’re back already. You get up from your desk and walk through the living room and open the door only to reveal your boyfriend with a bag of snacks from the convenience store in his hand. 

“Seonghyeon…?  What are you doing here?

“I’m here to see you. I bought your favourite snacks.”

“You could’ve given me a heads up… My room is a mess- oh, forget it, just come in.”

You let him inside and you both walk to your room, the door clicking shut behind you. You go back to your desk, leaning back on your chair while he sits on your bed.

“Y/n… Are you okay? You’ve been kinda off lately.”

“Me? I’m perfectly fine. Totally fine.”

“Liar.”

“I’m not lying!”

Suddenly, he stands up, taking your hand in his, drawing circles on the back of your hand with his thumb. 

 “Look, y/n, I know what you’re feeling. You’ve been drowning in schoolwork, you’re always irritated but most importantly, you've been avoiding me. You can tell me anything, I won’t judge you. I don’t care if it's about what you had for lunch or what your stupid aunt said. Just… tell me.” 

That was all it took to fall apart in his arms. 

“H-Hyeon… I’m sorry,  I’m so sorry.. It’s just that everything is so overwhelming, I can't keep up with school, my family’s been on my back-  I just… Oh god, I missed you so much, I'll never ever avoid you again…”  you sob into his t-shirt, tears staining the fabric. 

Seonghyeon rubs your back, trying to calm you down. 

“Shhh… it's alright, I know, I know. You’ll be alright, y/n. It’s okay, I’m here for you.” 

“Bro… What did I do to deserve you?” 

“I love you but don’t ‘bro’ me right now. I’m your boyfriend…”

“My bad… Did you bring ice cream?”

“Yeah, Belgian chocolate is your favourite, right?”

You embrace him tightly, wrapping your arms around his waist, placing a peck on his jaw.

“This is why you’re my boyfriend. I’ve trained you well.”

“Oh, really now?” He laughed, kissing the top of your head. 

15 minutes later…. 

“And I texted “shut up” in the gc and they both got so mad… I mean, someone had to do it right? I’m telling you I just said what everyone was thinking.” You said, eating another spoon of ice cream. 

“Valid, they’re both annoying as fuck. Y’know something? I think he's two-timing her… Keonho told me he’s been texting this other girl on insta.”

“WHAT?? No way… You’re joking.”

“I have screenshots.”

Juhoon inspects the paper strip with your number in his hand. He had pulled it off the flyer on the notice board. 

He’s had a crush on you since the start of the year when he saw you in his physics class, effortlessly answering all the questions and solving integral calculus problems like it's a cakewalk. He wanted to talk to you but there’s a problem. Whenever he tries to approach you, something or the other happens. For instance, you were sitting alone in the cafeteria, reading a book when he approached you. He enquired about the book and you both started talking, everything was going well, your conversation was flowing smoothly, he was cracking jokes until Martin decided to third wheel you both because he saw the Alice in Chains sticker on the back of your phone case and started geeking. Way to help a guy out, Martin.

Juhoon enters your number into his contacts, taking a deep breath before typing out a simple “hello”. Wait- that sounds a bit too formal. He deletes it quickly and types out “yo, it's juhoon from physics” and deletes as fast as he typed it. 

After 5 failed attempts of trying to sound somewhat cool and nonchalant, he just sends you a simple “hey”. He enquired about your tutoring classes and you both agreed to meet at a fixed time.

You’re waiting for Juhoon at the library, you made sure to come here a few minutes early to pick out a nice table in the corner, next to a window. Two coffees sit next to your pencil case as you go through the material. After a couple of minutes, you move your attention towards the door and see Juhoon walking in. You give him a small wave, calling him towards your table. He waves back, walking towards you, he pulls out a chair to sit down, taking out his books and stationary from his bag, setting it down on the table. 

“Hey, I got you some coffee, we’re gonna be here for a while. Well… I hope you drink coffee, if you don't next time I'll get you some tea instead-”

“No, it's fine, y/n, I like coffee.” He grabs the cup next to yours, taking a sip before setting it down. 

“Really? Thank god… I was debating if I should get you something or not because I was gonna get coffee anyways but it seemed a bit rude to not get you something too- Sorry… I'm just a bit nervous. I teach really well though, I swear!”

“It's alright. You're good.”

“Anyways… let's begin. Here's a test for you, I prepared it myself. It only has 15 questions, ranging from basic to advanced. Don't worry too much about it, it's just to see your level of understanding so I know how to proceed further. You have 25 minutes.” 

Juhoon stares at the test paper before him, the questions are mostly moderate, nothing too hard for him. He could solve it easily but…. He's just gonna mess up a bit on purpose to make some space for him in your routine.

After finishing the test, he hands you the paper. You go through his answers before slipping the paper between your notebook. 

“Looks like you did alright, I'll correct it later today. In our next class, I'll tell you how we're going to start. Trust me, by next month, I'll have you solving integral problems in your sleep!.” 

“Thanks for your help. I think we're going to have a lot of lessons in the future.”

“No problem!”

It's been 2 months since you have been tutoring Juhoon. He’s insanely good now. He picks things up really quickly, he was easily able to recall the formulas by your third lesson with him. You think he doesn't need your help anymore, hell, he's probably even better than you now. ( not like he was already good before, right? )

You’ve also started to develop a crush on him. Losing track of your words when he looks up at you, knees brushing under the table, the lingering glances… it all makes your heart race and butterflies flutter in your stomach. You recall the time when you were at a cafe in one of your sessions. You both were revising dimensional analysis and suddenly, he leaned in closer, pointing at a question he didn't understand and all you could think about was how he smelled like dior sauvage and coffee. You were lovesick and Juhoon couldn't be more unaware about your feelings. 

“We can't play Wonderwall, Keonho! It's a bit too cliche. Anyone with basic guitar knowledge can play Wonderwall. We gotta do something big. Something harder. Something Iconic!” Martin said as he leaned back on his chair, headphones hanging around his neck.

“Ugh, you just don't know ball!” replied Keonho.

“Actually, I kinda agree with him on this one.” said Seonghyeon.

The boys have been on the edge ever since they got this gig to perform at this house party. They have a set of songs ready but aren’t able to decide the final song to close. With the party only in a week, they’re in a serious time crunch. Suddenly, it's like a bulb lights up next to Seonghyeon’s head, he gets up from his seat, grabs a paper and pen and writes in big blocky letters: “PROJECT SERENADE”

“Okay… hear me out. What if for our last song… we make juhoon serenade yn? It’s gonna create some huge buzz and he’ll bag yn!”

“Wait… That’s kinda genius.” replied Martin.

“Dude! I don't think she likes me. I can’t publicly confess to her!” said Juhoon.

“Oh, trust me, she likes you. Iroha said so,” said Martin.

“C’mon! Do it for at least for the band! Even if she does end up rejecting you, imagine what an amazing story we’ll have to narrate at interviews once we’re famous.” said Keonho.

“You- You know what? Fine. Let’s do this. I know you’re gonna annoy me about this till the gig anyway,  might as well do it now.” sighed Juhoon.

“Okay… What song should we play?” asked Martin. 

“Hey, Why not ask James? I know he's at University, but I'm sure he could help us pick a song.” suggested Juhoon.

“Yeah! We should call him right now.” replied Martin.

He pulls out his phone, scrolling through his contacts before clicking on James’s number. The call goes through, his voice clear on the other end.

“Hey Martin, wassup?”

“Hey, so we need you to tell us a good love song to perform to serenade Juhoon’s crush.”

“JUHOON HAS A CRUSH??????” shouted James from the other end.

“Oh… we forgot to tell you ever since you went to uni… whoops.” replied Keonho.

“I see how it is… Y'all only remember me when you need something for me. I'm being used and cast aside...” James said dramatically.

“Just tell us a song, unc,” said Keonho.

“Ouch.. Fine, whatever. What about… ‘Friday, I'm in love’ by The Cure?”

“Okay… What else have you got?”

“Buddy Holly by Weezer?”

“No.”

“But it’s-”

 “NO.”

“She looks so perfect by 5SOS?”

“It's not 2014.” 

“To the Moon & Back by Savage Garden?”

“It’s nice but it's not … Juhoon.”

“You guys are picky af, bro… Fine, how about ‘And I Love Her’ by The Beatles?”

“That’s… That’s perfect.” said Juhoon.

“WE DID IT GUYS!! JUHOONS GONNA GET HIS GIRL!!” shouted Martin, slinging an arm around Juhoon’s shoulder.

“Our future fans would love this… This won’t top the kebab incident though..” 

“I ordered kebabs once. ONCE FOR CHRIST’S SAKE!”

Soon enough, the day of the party rolled around. The guys were on the makeshift stage in the backyard, tuning their instruments.

“Dude, I'm so nervous…” said Martin.

“We’re gonna be fine. We rehearsed like crazy.” replied Seonghyeon.

“The one who should be nervous is Juhoon, it's his big night! You're gonna bag that bro.” said Keonho, patting Juhoon’s back.

“Yeah, we'll be fine guys,” said Juhoon.

The party had an insane turn out, at least half the school was in Jeong Woojin’s house tonight. Martin had pulled a few strings ( bribed Iroha ) to drag you to this party. It didnt take alot of time to convince you since you were alreading planning your outfit at the mention of Juhoon’s name. You and Iroha had found a place in the front that was close to the stage. While you waited for the band to perform, Iroha started cooking up crazy scenarios in her head. You should’ve never watched those romcoms together…

“Imagine if he performs a song to declare his undying love for you in front of the whole school….”

“Yeah sure, Iroha. And I'm going to read him a poem in front of the English class titled ‘10 things I hate about you’.” 

“He doesn't really strike me as a Heath Ledger type of guy though.”

“Dude… you need to stop watching so many romcoms.” 

“What? I'm just stating the obvious. He's more of a Joseph Gorden Levitt in ‘10 things about you’ than Heath Ledger. Besides, you love him! Both Joseph and Juhoon.”

“Shhh….the show’s about to start..” 

“Wow. You only care about the show because Juhoon’s playing.”

Soon enough, you hear the familiar “woo-hoo!” of Song 2 by blur. You wonder how they managed to convince Keonho to play a blur song.

The songs they chose to perform were a huge success. The crowd was cheering, dancing and singing along with them. They even performed an original song called  “What You Want”. Their performance was electrifying! As it reached the end of their set, Martin took the mic from the stand, stepping closer towards the crowd.

“We had so much fun performing for you all tonight. Now, we’re gonna close with a special song for a special someone.” He said before urging Juhoon towards the mic.

“This song is called ‘And I love her’ by The Beatles…. y/n l/n… this song is for you.” 

You stand there in the crowd, eyes widened in shock. Everyone looks at you and whispers to themselves. Before you could even process the entire situation, the intro of the song had already started. The music flowed in from your ears straight to your heart. You looked up at Juhoon on stage, you admired the way his hair looked a bit messy, some strands stuck to his forehead, the way he held the mic like he was using it to ground himself. His voice sounded so sweet, so full of love and admiration for you. His eyes locked with yours as he sang to you. 

“A love like ours

Could never die

As long as I

Have you near me

Bright are the stars that shine

Dark is the sky

I know this love of mine

Will never die

And I love her”

When the song came to an end, the crowd erupted in praises and applause. Juhoon set his guitar down, rushing down the stage towards you. He stands in front of you, pulling out a crinkled rose from his pocket, holding it towards you as the crowd watches you both in anticipation.

“Y/n…. I’ve liked you for months now. I even signed up for your classes because I wanted to get to know you. Now that I know you, this love of mine won't die so easily. I like you, y/n. Will you go out with me?”

Tears welled in your eyes as you stood in awe at his confession. You look at him, his eyes searching yours for an answer. You take the crinkled rose from his hand, stepping forward to capture him in your embrace. 

“I.. I like you too, Juhoon. We can definitely go out.”

The crowd bursts into cheers, people clapping seeing the scene unfold in front of them. Iroha has her hand clasped over her mouth, Keonho’s jaw is on the floor, Seonghyeon’s in shock, and James is on the verge of crying on video call. 

“THATS MY BOYYY!! JUHOON YOU BAGGED THAT!!!!!” screams Martin across the stage.

Meanwhile in a corner somewhere….

“Dude, pay upppp!” said Louis.

“How the hell did I lose a bet against YOU… you're like 5 minutes old.” scoffed Woojin.

“I'm 16. Anyways, buy me robux. I told you he’d pull.” 

“Whatever man...."