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whatsk-poppinhomies · 2 years

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𝐂𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐎'𝐂𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐤 𝐏𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 : 𝐒𝐮𝐧𝐨𝐨 𝐱 𝐅!𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞 : 𝐅𝐥𝐮𝐟𝐟 𝐓𝐖 : 𝐟𝐥𝐮𝐟𝐟 ; 𝐬𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐬𝐭 ; 𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐟𝐥𝐮𝐟𝐟𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭 : 𝟏𝟒.𝟗𝐤

Coffee, that’s all you were going to get was a coffee. Work had been hectic, you had a bunch of paperwork to go over once you got back home, and the only thing that would keep you even slightly alert in the process of finishing your work was an espresso with a double shot.

Sadly, the nearest coffee shop to you was shut down to be renovated, the only other cafe in the vicinity was nearly two miles away and the last thing you wanted to do was walk all the way there. You ended up coming to the conclusion that the only thing you could do was to go home and just make the coffee yourself. It would be weak, and it wouldn’t taste nearly half as good as it did when your favorite barista made it, but it was the only option. You really didn’t want to have to walk the two miles, especially not with the bag that was slung over your shoulder that was carrying another three or four pounds of paperwork and binders.

As you walked down the street you were stopped by people who looked like they were a camera crew, clipboards in their hands that held waivers and a pen sticking out of the hole in the top. “Would you like to be in one of our shows that we’re filming? Your face will be blurred out, but we're doing a little coffee shop skit and we need customers to come in.” It almost seemed as though your entire thought process for the last ten minutes had been broadcasted to everyone within a three block radius. There was no way that this happened coincidentally, right? It was just too crazy…

Usually the thought of being on television, even if your face was blurred, would have you shaking your head and turning away, but your need for coffee had you agreeing and quickly signing the waiver that you hadn’t even read over. Following these people over to the “cafe”, you immediately starting second guessing your decision. You didn’t know these people, you didn’t know if they were lying, there was the possibility that there wasn’t even a coffee shop. Your need for that double shot espresso could be the death of you, but at the time… It really felt like it was worth it.

The people that had come up to you stood outside the door, a simple Open/Closed sign hung on the outside, but there was a window to the side where you could see inside. A group of guys were working behind the counter, and for some reason it looked like they didn’t have an inkling of an idea of what they were doing. Just another reason to second guess your choice, but it didn’t seem sketchy in any way, if anything, it was comical, and at least you’d get some sort of coffee inside, although you weren’t sure it would be exactly what you were asking for.

As you pulled open the door and walked in, a chime rang above your head making you jump a little. Other than yourself and the group of guys that were working, you were the only one in the cafe. There was nothing wrong with that though, the whole atmosphere of the cafe was calming and tranquil and you knew that if you wanted to, you’d be able to get some work done there while you drank your coffee. “Hello!” One of the men called out, and you realized that you had been looking around the cafe for so long that you hadn’t even said hello to any of them.

“Hi, how are you?” You said as you sheepishly walked up to the counter, keeping your head down and trying not to make direct eye contact with any of them, hoping that the menu that was hanging on the front would work as an excuse for just how shy you were. “Can I get a double shot espresso, please?” You asked, still skimming over the menu although you weren’t really looking for anything else to order, only waiting for the register to finish beeping so you could swipe your card and find a seat to sit in while you waited for your drink to be finished. He repeated your order to himself as he entered it into the screen, and when you glanced up at him through your eyelashes, you could see that even though it didn’t look like he really knew what he was doing, he was still wearing a smile on his face. “Is that all?” He asked, looking at you over the top of the register and causing you to quickly avert your eyes and nod your head. “Alright, and that’ll be 5,000₩.” You could still hear the smile in his voice when he said it, and you were sure that you had never met someone that seemed as happy as he sounded, especially not someone who was working as a barista. Quickly pulling your card out of your wallet, you swiped it and waited for your receipt before retreating to one of the empty tables, laying down your bag that was beginning to put a strain on your shoulder and pulling out some of the papers.

“A double shot?” Jake asked as he, Sunghoon, and Heeseung looked at the tiny slip of paper that Sunoo had slid across the counter to them. “Is that really all she’s getting?” He looked to Sunoo who was now leaning against the counter, but his shoulders shrugged in response. “Alright, stop staring though. People can feel that you know.” Jake called out the younger member, causing the others to laugh at him as he quickly straightened up, trying to nonchalantly walk away, but everyone could see just how bright his cheeks were burning.

Just as Sunoo was getting ready to walk away from the guys, trying to stay away from their lighthearted teasing that had him far more flustered than he should be, Jay whistled to him and called him over to the croffle area where he and Jungwon had already begun preparing for whoever might come in and order one. “A person shouldn’t drink that much caffeine on an empty stomach. Take her one of these, on the house… Plus you won’t stop looking at her, so it’ll make it less creepy if you bring her a croffle.” Jungwon snorted quietly in response to Jays teasing, but Sunoo wasn’t too amused, although he wasn’t going to say no to the idea of being able to go over and potentially talk to you.

He wasn’t sure why his hands were shaking as he grabbed the plate, but as he moved to step out from around the counter Sunghoon stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. “Maybe you should write your number on the napkin too.” Although Sunghoon sounded serious, the rest of the guys started snickering which had Sunoo on edge, not only because he knew that the guys were going to be watching his every move, but because you were now looking up at them, your head tilted and your eyes arched with suspicion, undoubtedly waiting for your espresso.

“Can you just finish her drink before she walks out?” Sunoo huffed, gripping the plate tighter as he slid past the guys and made his way over to you, making sure to put on a smile before he reached your table. “I apologize for the wait… Do you like croffles? It’s on the house.” You hummed a soft thank you, and he could tell that you were feeling just as shy as he was feeling so he quickly retreated. “I’ll have your coffee out in a couple seconds, it should be done.” With a murmured thank you from you he turned on his heel and walked as fast as he could back to the counter where the guys were just placing your coffee down. “This better be the best espresso in the universe with how long it took.” Sunoo grumbled as he snatched it off the counter, overhearing Heeseungs whispered “Oh it will be” as he walked away and then the sound of the other guys stifled laughter.

When he came back over to your table, your head was bowed into the paperwork that you had pulled out from your bag, absentmindedly poking your fork at the croffle on the plate, but he was happy to see that you had taken a couple bites from it at least. “Is it alright if I stay here to work a little longer? I don’t want to take up a table…” You said, glancing up from your paperwork to look at him and his heart froze, your eyes looking right into his as you awaited his response, but it was like he was starstruck by you. The only response he could muster was a simple nod, his throat drying up quickly had him gulping loudly to try to moisten it, but the sound was so loud he ended up humiliated, turning around as quick as he could and walking away without another word.

“You alright man?” Jake asked as Sunoo came rushing back behind the counter, taking his place in front of the register and leaning over it as he tried to catch his breath. “You look like you either just saw a ghost or you really need to use the bathroom. I’m sure someone can take over the register if it’s the second thing though and-” Sunoo held his hand up to stop Jake from talking, looking over at him with eyes that looked totally done, although Jake was unsure of why or with what his dongsaeng was done with.

Sunoo only shook his head before dropping it back down on his hands, not wanting to answer the question that Jake was asking him with his eyes. All he really wanted to do was hide in the back of the cafe, and while he was pretty sure you hadn’t noticed his initial reaction, you were probably put off by the way he dashed away from the table. He had ruined any chance he might have had before he was even sure he had one. “I don’t even think she knows who I am… Who we are… That could have been my shot, right?” He asked, but the other guys weren’t able to respond before the bell above the door rang out again causing his eyes to quickly look around the cafe to make sure you hadn’t left. Thankfully you were still there, but now there were more people coming in, but he couldn’t help but notice the puzzling way you were looking between him and the cup that was in your hand, but he didn’t even have time to worry about it before the customers were standing in front of him at the counter.

In the span of the hour that you had been there, you had finished half of one of your papers, not due to lack of trying though. The feeling of eyes on you the entire time had you feeling more nervous than anything, and the soft murmurings of the guys behind the counter only made you more on edge. It wasn’t just that though, it was the coffee cup that hadn’t seemed suspicious at first… How could a cup of coffee even seem suspicious? There were a lot of ways, but the way that you had experienced wasn’t quite what you were expecting.

The phone number was written in just the right spot so that it would show up when you grabbed the cup and the sleeve slipped down. If you hadn’t been looking at your cup as you placed it back on the table you probably wouldn’t have noticed it, but it was put there for a reason, although you weren’t quite sure of what that reason was. The name underneath the number was one that you were sure you had heard before, but you had heard a lot of names while you were interning at the company that you had come all the way to Korea for. Sunoo… You said the name over and over in your head, but you couldn’t quite place it on anyone that you had ever met before. Whoever he was, whoever all of them were, they must have been famous by some standards, that was the only reason to explain the camera crew that seemed to hover around not only them, but around the rest of the cafe as well. Not only that, but they were handsome, all of them were, they looked a lot like some of the idols that you’d catch on the television screen while you sat at home trying to finish your work… And that in itself made it even more difficult for you to believe that one of them had given you their number.

“Goodbye…” You murmured quietly to the camera crew and the men behind the counter, keeping your head lowered so you didn’t have to look at anyone as you walked out the door. Stepping outside was like a breath of fresh air, the feeling of being watched was immediately gone as soon as you were out of the cafe, but that didn’t mean that your confusion surrounding the situation had washed away, and you were sure that it wouldn’t any time soon.

With the cup of coffee still in your hand, you began walking back to your apartment, one sole question in your mind was what to do with the number that had been purposefully given to you by someone that was standing behind the counter. Nothing of these sorts had ever happened to you before, it felt like your mind was reeling. You didn’t know who any of those guys were, you weren’t going to just text some random number, you knew better than that. Plus, you weren’t even from Korea, you were only there on an internship. Even if you wanted to text that number, there was no reason to start a friendship with anyone in the country because you’d be going back home soon anyway.

There was work to do and that work didn’t involve getting involved with anyone. At the end of the day, at the end of your internship it would always be just you and yourself, there was no need to try to change that. It’s not that you didn’t want friends though, there was always a lingering feeling of loneliness that hung over you like a storm cloud when you were sitting in your apartment, the deafening silence that couldn’t be filled by the background noise of the television, it was all there and it would always be there, but you also couldn’t just foolishly find someone just to fill that silence only to lose them when you had to leave anyway. It wouldn’t just be a loss on your end, but there would be another person involved and you couldn’t do that to someone so selfishly. All you had to do was get through the internship and get back home, it wouldn’t be that hard, and it wouldn’t be that long either.

Dropping your bag onto the couch in your apartment, you placed the cup on the kitchen counter as you made your way into the bedroom. The one thing that you hated about your internship at the office job was the clothes that you had to wear. They were extremely uncomfortable, and as soon as you’d get into the office building you’d begin counting down the time to when you’d be able to go back home and change into something more comfortable. “Ah… Mooshi, come here.” You tsked your tongue to your cat that sauntered out from underneath your bed, he was the only source of companionship you had the entire time you had been in Korea, and while he filled a small amount of the void you felt, he couldn’t talk back to you, science just hasn’t developed that much yet.

He meowed quietly, rubbing against your leg as you pulled on your sweatpants. “Today was strange for me too, Moosh…” You responded, building up a fake conversation with your cat to fill the silence that surrounded you. “Some… guy… gave me his phone number when I went to go get coffee. Can you believe that?” You asked as if he would actually answer you, and while it would have sounded foolish to anyone else, it had become the norm for you, and it’s not as though he didn’t respond to you… He just did it in his own way. “Should I text the number? Maybe I can just tell whoever it is that I’m not interested in anything? I don’t want to leave whoever it is hanging… That would be rude of me, right?”

Mooshi meowed quietly, and you weren’t sure if he sounded annoyed or disinterested, but you were banking on him just not finding any interest in what you were saying. Of course he didn’t find it interesting, he didn’t even know what you were saying. The only words he knew were breakfast, lunch, or dinner time, and then at night, he knew that it was bedtime when you called for him. He understood what you were saying, but only if it worked out in his favor. “Maybe I’ll just get some work done first… Then I’ll text it…” You said, although Mooshi had already walked away, you were talking to yourself now which felt both pathetic and upsetting. A couple more months and you’d be back home… Although not much would really change… Would it?

“Why do you all keep hovering? Back uppp~~.” Sunoo whined when all of the guys flopped down onto the couch beside him, their necks craning to see his phone screen. “I know I’m cute but jeez, you don’t need to hang onto me like that.” His smile reached his eyes as he said it, but the rest of the guys just groaned and quickly pushed themselves up, rolling their eyes at Sunoos sassiness. “But seriously…” He continued, turning off his phone and placing it down on the couch beside him before looking up at the guys who were now trying to avoid eye contact. “Why are you all hovering? It better not be because of that girl at the cafe, seriously, you all embarrassed me enough.”

Sunghoon snorted quietly, shaking his head as he pursed his lips, hoping that Sunoo didn’t hear him. “What girl at the cafe?” Niki asked, slowly walking out of his room with a blanket wrapped around his shoulders. He was starting to feel better, but he still couldn’t make it to the shoot at the cafe so he was none the wiser to what was going on or what the guys were talking about. “Did you guys get to tease Sunoo-hyung without me?” He joked, but Sunoo scoffed at the maknaes words, his eyes narrowing as he looked at the door where Niki was standing. “Joking, I’m joking. Really though, what happened?”

Sunoo huffed loudly, pushing himself up off the couch and walking past all of the guys and into the bedroom, shutting the door behind him and climbing into his bed. “Don’t come in here unless you want to talk about literally anything else!” He shouted, knowing that the other members would be listening to him, but all he heard in response was the laughter of the guys, as if they weren’t even trying to hold it in or hide the fact that they were finding some sort of entertainment in his misfortune. It wouldn’t do any good to get annoyed about it, not anymore annoyed than he already was at least, they’d only find more humor in it.

The shoot was exhausting, and while he was used to being on his feet to dance and perform, there was something so tiresome about working at the cafe. The best thing that he could do was take a nap, it would give him time to forget about what the members had said, to forget about what happened during the shoot, and it would give the guys time to get bored with their teasing. Hopefully they’d find something else to hold their interest, and he was really hoping that they wouldn’t bring anything back up when he wakes back up.

“Wait… You actually wrote his number on the cup? On the cup?! And you gave it to her?! Do you know what could happen if she gives that out?” Niki had finally been filled in on what had actually happened and the reason behind the guys teasing, but he was pretty shocked that they’d go that far to pull a prank on one of their own members. It probably seemed hypocritical coming from someone like him who loved to prank the guys, but even this seemed like a little bit too much.

Jay snorted softly, flipping Sunoos phone in his fingertips as he shook his head. “I don’t think she knew who we were and judging by the way she reacted whenever Sunoo came over, I don’t think she’s going to text him either. The cup is probably in the trash somewhere, so we don’t have anything to worry about.” He let the phone fall into his lap before folding his arms behind his head and leaning back into the couch cushion. “Really… She didn’t seem interested at all.” He reassured the youngest member of the group,

Just then, Sunoos phone vibrated in Jays lap and everyone’s eyes widened. “It’s probably just… his mom… right?” Jake asked, looking between Jay and the phone, hoping that what Jay had said was true. It had just been a joke, no one had expected anyone to actually text the phone, and even though Sunoo seemed to be interested in the girl, they had all assumed that she wasn’t interested in him at all. “I mean, it’s not that late. She’s probably just making sure that he ate dinner… right? Right?” He was starting to panic just a little, but he was trying to keep calm because the last thing he wanted was for Niki to start panicking as well, so he took a couple deep breaths, but stared even harder at Jay while waiting for him to answer.

“It says unknown… Maybe… Just… Someone take the phone to Sunoo. He’ll figure it out!” Jay said, practically tossing the phone to Jake who quickly handed it off to Sunghoon, the phone had become the object in a spur of the moment game of hot potato fueled by their nervousness and confusion. “Sunghoon can take it since he’s the one who brought up the whole phone number thing.” Jay said, pointing at Sunghoon who seemed almost insulted from being called out like that, his hands flying up in the air in defeat after snatching the phone from Jakes hand.

“It’s probably nothing!” Sunghoon called out as he walked over to the bedroom door, not even bothering to knock before walking in and going straight to Sunoos bed. “You left your phone out in the living room.” He said, slightly shaking Sunoo to try to wake him up, but he got an incoherent mumble in response, Sunoos face being buried in the pillow made his words unrecognizable, and it didn’t seem like the younger member was going to wake up any time soon. If it was any other time, Sunghoon would have just walked out and let him continue sleeping, but now he and the rest of the members were on edge and they all wanted to know who the text was from. “I think your mom texted you.” Sunghoon said, shaking Sunoo even more to try to stir him awake, hoping that his efforts would be fruitful, and luckily for him and the other members, Sunoo slowly lifted his head, a disgruntled look on his face as he grumbled something that was most likely better left unrepeated. “I’ll leave you to it then.” Sunghoon said quickly as soon as Sunoo picked up his phone, ushering himself out of the room and accidentally slamming the door behind him in his hurry to leave. “So this is probably going to work out really well or we’re never going to hear the end of this from him.”

His eyes had barely adjusted to the light of the room, the light that Sunghoon had forgotten to turn off on his way out of the room. The brightness on his phone was turned completely up and he could barely see the screen with how blurry his eyes were, but he could slightly make out the text notification. He didn’t know the number at all, it wasn’t his mom or anyone else that he would have known. His first thought was to ignore it and just go back to bed, but his curiosity got the best of him.

With one hand rubbing the remaining sleep from his eyes and the other hand unlocking his phone, he sat up in his bed and began the process of figuring out who it was that had texted him. “Hi, this is Y/N…” The text read, but he was sure that he had never heard the name before. He mulled the name over in his mind, not wanting to be rude and just blow off the text just in case his sleep hazed mind just hadn’t remembered yet, but as much as he tried to think about it, the more it just came up blank.

“I’m sorry, I don’t think I know you… You might have the wrong number.” He typed it out politely, slightly thankful for quickly realizing that it had just been an accident on someone else’s part and now that it was all figured out he could happily go back to sleep. As soon as he saw that his text had been read and there didn’t seem to be another set of bubbles showing up, he took it as a sign that whoever it was that had texted him wasn’t going to write anymore, so he turned off his phone and slid it under his pillow.

With the blanket pulled over his head and his eyes squeezed tightly shut, he tried to let himself fall back asleep. The light that was streaming in not only through the fabric of the blanket, but also through his eyelids was making it difficult, not only that, but his phone vibrated again underneath his pillow. He was sure that this time it was one of the guys asking him what the text was about, although he was confused as to why they were so curious about it, and their curiosity only piqued his interest. He pulled his phone out once more, letting out a loud huff as he unlocked it, about to text whichever member it was to question them about why they were bothering him so much, but then he saw that the text was from the person who had the wrong number, at least that’s what he had assumed.

“Maybe… This is the number that you wrote on the coffee cup though… right? I was the double shot espresso and… the free croffle… I’m sorry… Nevermind.” Your text read and he felt like his heart had both sunk into his stomach but also began to beat entirely too fast to be anywhere near normal. He didn’t know what to say, he didn’t know what to do, that feeling of being starstruck hit him once more as he read over the words that you had typed out and sent to him. He didn’t even know whether to be mad at the other members or not, knowing that they had been the ones to set this type of thing up. On one hand, he was elated that you were actually texting him, but on the other hand, you probably didn’t even know who he was, which one of the guys he was. You might have an image of Jay or Sunghoon in your head while you’re typing out your messages not even knowing that it was him.

His fingers moved quickly across his screen to try to come up with something to say all while he was inching his way out of his bed, prepared to talk to the members after sending the text to you. “Ahhh, no… I didn’t write it… But that’s okay. I remember you… I just didn’t think I’d be hearing from you after the shoot is all.” He wrote, and that much was the truth. He was sure that he’d never even see you again, but now thanks to the members' handiwork, they had opened the opportunity for him.

As soon as the text was sent, he slipped his phone back into his pocket and rushed out of the room, throwing the door open and staring at the guys who all seemed to be anxiously awaiting this moment, all of their faces turned towards him as soon as he walked out of the room. “You wrote my number on the coffee cup!” He exclaimed, eyes wide as he looked between all of them. “Do you know how crazy that is?! Do you know what could have happened if it had gotten into the wrong hands?!” It was a big worry, but he knew that it wasn’t something that he actually had to worry about now. He knew that you had gotten the number and you had kept it with you, but still, the guys had no right to do something like that.

“You don’t seem very bothered by it though.” Jake pointed out, noticing Sunoos flushed complexion and the way his lips were still turned up in the corners as if he were fighting back a smile. “Plus, we all saw the way that you looked at her. We were trying to help you out.” He added on as if that would actually help the situation.

Sunoos arms crossed over his chest, glaring daggers into Jake as he shook his head. “I didn’t need any help. If I wanted to give her my number, I would have.” Which was a total lie, he would have never been able to actually give you his number himself, so he wasn’t even sure why he was getting so agitated other than the fact that what Jake had said made him feel like he couldn’t do things like that. “Plus…” He mocked Jakes tone as he said it, quickly making his way into the living area where they were all sitting and dropping down onto the couch beside Niki. “She probably doesn’t even know which one of us I am. Did you even write on the cup that I was the one working at the cash register?”

Their expressions soon turned questionable, as if they were unsure of how to answer his question, or maybe they were just unsure of whether they had actually written who he was or not. “Oh… you know what… I don’t think we did. You might have to send her a picture of yourself to jog her memory.” Jungwon joked, and he was the next one to earn the death glare from Sunoo. “Come on… You like her, you couldn’t keep your eyes off of her in the cafe… This is definitely fate or destiny or something. We just helped you out a little bit.”

He rolled his eyes, quickly pushing himself up off the couch as he incomprehensibly mocked Jungwon on his way back into the bedroom. He’d have to send you a picture of who he was, and then he’d have to wait to see if he was the one you were hoping to text. He wasn’t sure if he’d be able to handle the potential outcome of you not thinking he was cute, or let alone, you not wanting to talk to him anymore because he wasn’t the one that you actually wanted. There was no use in hiding behind a name that had been written on the cup though, he’d have to be open with you at some point, and it was better to be open with you now rather than later when he had led you on with the possible false hope that he was someone else.

The door clicked shut and he quickly posed to snap a photo of himself to send to you. It wasn’t his best, but he wouldn’t say that it was his worst because he knew he didn’t ever take bad photos. “I’m Sunoo by the way, just in case the guys forgot to write on the cup who I was.” He typed beneath the image, crossing his fingers on one hand as he hit the send button, waiting for the message to come up as read.

As soon as it did, a small bubble began bouncing on your side and it felt like his heart was going to explode out of his chest. He knew that it wasn’t really taking as long as it felt, but god, it seemed like it had taken eons for you to finally respond, but he knew that it was just his nerves getting the best of him. “Oh, I was kind of…. Hoping that it was you…” The new message had him letting out a sigh of relief all while his stomach began doing excited flips. You had been hoping for him, and he wasn’t really sure what that meant, but he was hoping that it was a good thing. “Not that I was… I wasn’t like… Hoping hoping… You know… It’s just because like… You were the nicest one… So… Yeah…” The next text came in a couple seconds after the first and had Sunoo chuckling softly, his face burning up as he thought about the way you possibly looked while typing out the message.

You were so shy, he could pick up on it in the coffee shop, it was radiating off of you the entire time, and he could really see it now as he read over your text again. “No, no, I get it… So uhm… Hi?” He laughed lightly at his own text, pressing his finger to the send button and watching as his message popped up on the screen. There was a sense of shyness, of nervousness that he felt himself as he texted you, the messages between the both of you exuding awkwardness that the other members would most likely laugh hysterically about if they were to see them. It wasn’t like he was on edge, it was quite the opposite actually. There was a sense of relaxation that came along with talking to you, mainly because he knew that the opportunity to actually talk to you and get to know you hadn’t slipped him by, but his nerves were high because he didn’t want to make a fool of himself.

“Hi… so… this is really awkward… uhm… I don’t really know what to say. Uhm… how are you?” The next text came in and a sudden sense of dread overwhelmed him as his eyes scanned the words on his screen. The texts were already awkward for you and the two of you hadn’t even talked for more than five minutes. He felt like you’d stop talking to him if things didn’t turn around, so he thought hard about what to do. He could facetime you, it was so much easier for him to talk like that and he’d be able to really relax, letting the conversation just flow instead of overthinking every single word that he was supposed to type, but he didn’t know if you’d find it even more weird for him to call you.

He had never been in a situation like this before, he had never been faced with this kind of thing in his life, and now that he was an idol it felt like there was more pressure being put against him, and the worst part was that you probably didn’t even know about his idol life yet. “I’m good, I just woke up from a nap and I’m about to eat dinner. How about you?” He wrote, choosing the honest route, as honest as he could be at least. He wanted to keep the conversation normal, completely eradicate any sense of awkwardness that you felt before. He felt the strange need to try to hold onto this, to hold onto you, fearing that at any moment the texts could stop and you’d disappear from his life before you had even made your place in it.

Weeks passed, and texting you had become a part of his daily habits, even trying to fit it in during work although he had never been fully honest with you to tell you what he did for work. The members had gone from teasing him about how shy he’d get when he texted you to telling him to let you know that they had all said hello, something that he almost always skipped over unless they were standing right behind him to watch him type out the message.

“So, when are you going to go out and see her? Are you guys even going to hang out or are you sticking to texting each other?” Heeseung asked, sitting beside Sunoo after dance practice. His phone was already in his hand, a smile gracing his features as he typed out another message in response to your own, so focused on the task at hand that he didn’t even catch what the oldest member had said. “Sunoo, hey man…” Heeseung said, stifling back a chuckle as he grabbed the phone from Sunoos hands after he had sent the message.

He looked up at Heeseung with a face of shock, his hands feebly grabbing for his phone, his cheeks flushed at the thought that his hyung might see what he was texting. It’s not that there was anything strange in the messages, and it’s not like there was anything that went along the line of friendship in his words, but the thought of someone else reading his messages had him embarrassed. “What… What? Can I have it back? What were you saying?” He asked in a flurry, finally grabbing the phone and quickly slipping it back into his pocket to protect it from Heeseungs swiping fingers.

His hyung shook his head, finally letting out his chuckle as he folding his hands on his lap. “I was wondering if you’re going to actually see her? All of us are wondering actually, I mean… how long have you been texting each other? Hasn’t she asked to meet up or anything?” Sunoo shrugged in response, letting his head fall back against the wall behind him, his mind filling with images of what it would be like to finally see you again.

It’s not like he hasn’t thought about seeing you, meeting up with you somewhere. It was a constant thought in his mind, something that he wondered about every time his fingers tapped along his keyboard to send out another text to you. There were many times where he was about to ask if you wanted to meet up, but his nerves would get the better of him, backtracking and completely erasing the message before even a second thought. “I don’t want to rush into something like that, I mean… we’ve only been texting for like, three weeks. Almost a month, but still… I don’t know… I just don’t want to rush her into meeting me. It’s not like at the cafe…” He said, coming up with a slur of excuses when the real reason was just that he was scared. There was the public, the potential reporters that would catch him out with you. You still hadn’t questioned why there were so many cameras at the cafe when you had first met him, and maybe it was just that you forgot about it or maybe you just thought it was for some type of reality show. Whatever it was, it was clear that you hadn’t caught on to who he really was.

“Ahhh…” Heeseung whispered, pursing his lips as he nodded his head, deep in thought about what Sunoo had said. “She doesn’t know who you really are yet. You still haven’t told her.” He caught on immediately, and Sunoo worried what his hyung would think about him hiding such an important facet about his life. “Do you think she’d never catch on, that she’d never find out? Maybe you should meet up with her… Maybe that’s the best time to tell her.” Heeseung murmured, watching for Sunoos reaction to his recommendation.

His bottom lip was sucked between his teeth as he thought about the potential outcomes of actually telling you, but nothing could possibly be worse than you finding out on your own and getting upset with him for lying about it. “You’re right… You’re right…” Sunoo said, already scripting it out in his head how he’d bring it up to you, where he’d do it, how he’d say it. “I’ll ask her if she wants to hang out this weekend.”

The weekend came and you found yourself more anxious than excited as you looked at the two outfit options that you had set out on your bed. “What am I gonna wear?” You asked Mooshi, earning yourself a disinterested meow in response before he sauntered out of the room. “You’re no help…” You called after him, watching as he disappeared around the corner into the kitchen before turning your attention back to your bed.

Him asking if you wanted to hang out had come unexpectedly, you didn’t really think that you’d actually meet up with him, you hadn’t even talked to him on the phone yet, your mind left to try to remember what his voice sounded like as you read his text messages. As much as you wanted to see him, you were terrified as well. There was something about him that just made you feel like he was more than he said he was. Whenever you talked about work he was always so vague, saying that work was tiring or that the other guys at work were nagging him a bunch. You never pried him about it though, not wanting to make him uncomfortable or put him in a weird predicament, so you’d nod to yourself as you tried to piece the little clues that he gave you together.

The more you thought about it though, a new sense of fear pitted itself in your stomach. Fear of the unknown, fear of what you could potentially be walking into. You didn’t know him from a fly on the wall, you didn’t know his full name, you didn’t know what he did or even what part of the city he lived in. Everything about him almost seemed mysterious, and now your shyness about meeting him had turned into full blown panic. Your heart hammered in your chest like thunder as you quickly fumbled for your phone on the nightstand, ready to blow off the whole thing, your fight or flight instinct kicking in and all you wanted to do was run.

You read over the texts once more, just to make sure you weren’t jumping the gun or overreacting, but as you read them back to yourself, you couldn’t help the thick lump that built in your throat at the images that filled your head when you saw the words written on the screen. He said that it would be better to meet in a place where no one was, where no one would be able to see him or you together, he said that he had something that he needed to tell you and get off his chest and the red flags started flying up immediately. It felt foolish that you hadn’t picked up on the strangeness the first time you had seen the texts, but you were thankful for your second guessing, a mind frame that could potentially save your life.

Now that you looked back on it, the whole thing seemed kind of strange, everything about him, all of the circumstances that surrounded him and everything that led up to this moment. From the strange camera crew and the practically empty cafe, now it was all starting to come together in your head just exactly what this all was. Sunoo, or at least the Sunoo that you had seen at the coffee shop and in the pictures that he had sent you wasn’t the Sunoo that you’d be going to meet at all. It was all just a ploy, and you were thankful that you had caught onto it when you did.

“Hey, uhm… I don’t think I’m going to be able to make it today… Sorry about it… Talk to you later.” You typed out the message and sent it quickly, finally letting out a breath of relief knowing that all of that was done and over with before things could get really bad for you. Luckily you had never given him your address, you had never even told him exactly where you worked, only what you did.

It felt like you had completely dodged a bullet, and while the initial fear had worn off, you couldn’t help but feel the same sense of dread that had been lingering since coming to this conclusion as your mind filled with scenarios of what could have happened had you not thought so hard about everything. “Mooshi… I’m staying home tonight.” You called out to your cat who was most likely laying on the couch by now, getting up from the edge of your bed and collecting the two outfits that you had pulled out only to place them back in their rightful spots in your closet and dresser.

As you were putting everything back, your phone vibrated on your pillow where you had carelessly tossed it after sending the text, a vibration that had your heart freezing and the oxygen hitching in your throat just as you were about to exhale. A part of you was curious as to what the text was and if it was him, and if so, what kind of excuse would he come up with to try to get you out there with him. Another part of you was screaming to ignore it, to let your phone continue to vibrate until the messages finally stopped coming in and then you’d be able to block the number and never have to worry about it again.

Like the old saying goes though, curiosity killed the cat, and as if this person was in your house right now and you were trying to be as silent as possible, you tiptoed over to the edge of the bed and grabbed your phone, your body tensed up as you prepared to read the message on your screen. “Is something wrong? Did I do something or say something?” The first message read, and then a couple seconds later another message had come in. “I know that the way that I’m coming off is strange and… If that’s the problem, I promise, I’m not some weirdo or freak… okay?” That message had only been sent a matter of milliseconds before the next text came in. “That’s what a weirdo or a freak would say… Isn’t it? Seriously though… I really want to meet you. I need to tell you something, and my friend said that it would be much better to tell you in person.” That message had been the last one he sent, and all you could do was stare at the chain of texts on your screen, wanting to respond, but knowing that it would be a bad idea if you did. It would be better to just block the number, to forget about this and forget about the prospect of even making friends to try to fill the void in your life, this entire situation making you trash the idea completely.

Your finger had just tapped his contact name, ready to block his number when, as if on cue, another message popped up at the top of your screen. “If you don’t want to go out and meet me, that’s fine… But can I at least call you… I’ll even video call you if that makes you more comfortable… Please?” You weren’t sure why he was so desperate, but if he was what you thought he was, you were sure he would have given up by now, surely there were other people besides yourself that had been duped into a situation like this… right?

Back at the dorms, Sunoo sat on the couch, already having been completely ready for this meeting, what he would have liked to think of as a first date, his phone being grasped in two shaky hands as he stared at the text screen, watching as each of his messages came up as read without a single response in return. “I blew it… I knew I would!” He groaned loudly, dropping his head and squeezing his eyes shut with frustration at himself.

“I mean… The way you planned out that meeting was pretty shady… I’m not going to lie about that.” Jay said, flopping down on the couch beside Sunoo with a bottle of water in his hand to pass to his friend. “If I had a daughter and I saw some guy sending her stuff like that, I’d immediately tell her to forget about it and I’m sure you would too.” And Sunoo knew he was right about that, because he would do the exact same thing. The only problem was that he wasn’t a creep, he just had a bad way with words and on top of all that, he couldn’t really meet you in a public place because of who he was. “Did you send her anything else?” Jay asked, trying to comfort Sunoo now that he had been told that what he said was basically beyond the creepy level.

Sunoo nodded slowly, handing Jay his phone, not even embarrassed at this point of his hyung reading the messages. “You don’t have to say anything either, I know that I sound even weirder with how hard I’m trying.” Jay hummed in agreement, his tongue tsking as he read over the multitude of texts that Sunoo had sent to you. “Did she even respond to one of them?” Sunoo whispered, his fingers crossed as he kept his head lowered, not even wanting to look at the screen just in case you hadn’t.

Jay made a quiet sound which sounded sort of like an agreement, but not entirely. “It looks like she’s typing… But the bubble keeps going away.” He said, sliding the phone back into Sunoos view. At Jays words, Sunoos hands snatched the phone away, his head whipping up and his breath held as he waited for whatever text it was that you were sending. “Hey man, I love you, you’re my brother, so I’m saying this because I don’t want you to get hurt… So don’t get your hopes up. Whatever she’s typing is either really long, or you’re not going to get anything at all.”

The words should have been a buzzkill, they should have sent Sunoo back down his path of rejection, but his hopes were up and they were high. He wanted to be able to have the chance to explain to you what was going on, and he was hoping that you’d give him the opportunity to do that. “I just need to talk to her…” He murmured, his phone awkwardly held between his thumb and ring finger, his pointer and middle finger on both hands crossed, hoping for one simple text from you, just a simple yes as an okay to push the call button. “Five minutes…” The text read, and while it wasn’t the yes he had been hoping for, those two words held the same meaning.

Without a goodbye to Jay, he jumped off the couch and ran into the makeup room, the only room that was empty and quiet enough for him to be able to talk to you without the fear of being interrupted. His thumb was already pressed against the video call button before the door to the makeup room had shut, propping his phone against the vanity mirror before pulling out the stool and sitting on it, waiting for the call to connect.

It was the first call he had ever made to you, it was the first time he’d actually see your face since the cafe, and these weren’t the circumstances he wanted this moment to be under. He sat and watched his face nervously in the top corner of the screen, waiting for the call to go through, waiting to see your face come up on his screen as well, and then as if his hopes had been heard, the sound of the call finally connecting sounded through the earbuds that were in his ears. “Hi…” Your voice came through, and it was like hearing you speak for the first time all over again, his eyes blinking rapidly as all coherent thoughts flew out the window.

“H-Hi… I… I’m sorry I seemed weird.” He blurted out, immediately wanting to smack himself for saying something so foolish. Open mouth, insert foot syndrome was what Jake usually called it when one of the other members said something stupid, but now he was the one who really felt like he had it. You pursed your lips, nodding your head slowly, your eyes completely avoiding the screen on your phone that you were holding in your hands, like you didn’t want to look at him. “It’s just hard… to plan things… for public places because of what I do. I should have told you before… I just didn’t know how you’d react…” He said, gnawing on his bottom lip as he watched the confused expression flash across your face.

“Well… I told you what I did… I’m sure it’s not as bad as that.” You said, and even though it seemed like you were trying to state it matter-of-factly, your voice wavered with the shyness that you couldn’t seem to shake. “A-And telling me that you basically wanted to meet somewhere secluded is really… really nerve wracking. So… what do you do?” This wasn’t how it was supposed to go, this wasn’t how he had planned it at all, but this was now the only way to go about it. His plans were shattering around him, and it felt like he had to come up with an entirely new script on the spot, or moreso, everything had to be improvised right then and there in hopes that what he’d tell you would make you stay.

With nervous, jittery hands running through his black hair, he took a deep breath, mustering the strength it took to tell you the truth. “I’m an idol… In the group Enhypen. The whole cafe thing… It was an episode for my group's variety show… EnO’clock and I’m sorry if I scared you. It’s just hard to-” The view of your face had gone away, the video feed having been paused, but he could hear the sound of your fingers tapping along your screen in his silence. “Are you… Looking me up?”

The sound of agreement came from your end, and then a soft sigh filled his ears as your camera came back on and now you were looking directly at your screen, as if you were trying to make sure that he was really the person that you had just searched up. “Well why wouldn’t you just tell me that?” It was a rightful question to ask, a question that he wasn’t even sure he had the answer to right now because not even he was sure why he didn’t just tell you right off the bat. “So… that means you do like… tours and stuff… right?” He nodded in agreement, finally feeling like he could relax now that the questions had become more simple for him to answer, and although he hadn’t done any world tours yet, he was sure that the time would come when he and the guys would be able to. “That means I’ll be able to catch your shows back at home when my internship is over.”

Now it was your words that had caught him off guard, not remembering having read any mention of an internship or the fact that you wouldn’t be in Korea long. “Wait… so… you don’t live here? You’re just here for work?” He asked, his voice rising in pitch with every word that left his mouth, and the way you said a simple mmhm, as if what he was questioning right now should have been obvious had him both annoyed and upset. “And you didn’t think that something like that was important enough to tell me while you were talking about your job?”

Your eyes were darting around the room on your screen, once again avoiding looking at him, something that he now realized was what you did when you got too nervous or put on the spot. If he wasn’t so irritated right now, he would have been able to admit to himself that it was cute, but all he could think about right now was how betrayed he felt. “Well… no….?” You blinked a few times, your face scrunched up in thought as you thought about how to continue. “I… I mean… It’s not that important because… well… A-And now that I know what you really do… it’s not like me moving back to my own country would really have any effect on… well… anything.”

For some reason, your words hurt him, they hurt him way more than they would have if they had come from anyone else. Had you not begun to feel the same way for him that he had come to feel for you after all those days spent talking, literally every single day, and not a single feeling had been gained in that time frame? He was confused, he was angry, he was upset, and he didn’t even know whether to direct those feelings towards you or himself at this point. “Yeah… Yeah I guess it wouldn’t.” He snapped, quickly ending the call and letting his phone fall face down on the vanity table, the sudden urge to cry overcoming him, and he succumbed to that urge, letting the tears flow from his eyes freely as he mumbled to himself about how much of a fool he had been to believe that anything would come of something so sporadic anyway.

A month had passed since the phone call and on both sides of the line there had been nothing but silence. He was too set in his ways, still angry about the sudden bomb that had been dropped on him and then your seemingly complete disregard to the way he really felt, both of those issues making him ignore you. You on the other hand were just confused, still wondering why he had hung up so abruptly, why he seemed so angry with you in the first place. It’s not like you had ever given him the false impression that there was ever going to be anything between the two of you, and while you enjoyed the talks that you both had over text, there had never been a hint given between either of you that there would ever be anything more than the friendship that had been built through the texts. You had been trying so hard to protect both him and yourself from something like this, yet it still happened, it was unavoidable, and you couldn’t really do much to change the way things had panned out.

“So you’re just going to let her go like that? Just… nothing? Doesn’t that seem kind of foolish?” Sunghoon asked over breakfast, watching as Sunoo absentmindedly stirred his coffee in the cup, not even listening to what his hyung had said. “Come on… We can all see that you’re still upset over her, and you’re still pining too. We literally catch you reading over old texts all the time, you miss her, so just talk to her.” Sunoo huffed loudly through his nose, mumbling out a quiet stalker in response to what Sunghoon had said. “Fine…” He grumbled, pushing away from the table hard enough to shake the contents that were lined along it. “Give me her number, I’ll text her for you.”

“What? No!”

“Why?”

The cup that Sunoo had been firmly holding in his hand was now slammed down on the table, the coffee spilling over the sides of it from the force, his eyes like daggers in the direction of his hyung. “Because you’re not allowed to talk to her!” The sudden anger that exuded from Sunoo had Sunghoons eyebrows rising in shock as he took a step back from the table. “Plus, it’s pointless. She’s leaving anyway. I’m not going to allow myself to fall in love with someone who isn’t going to be here. I’m not an idiot.”

Sunghoon shrugged, now leaning against the counter as he looked at Sunoo, the younger member dropping his head once more to stare into his coffee cup as if the answers to all of his unspoken questions would be found in the liquid contents inside. “I mean you kind of are…” Sunghoon said, crossing his arms over his chest, awaiting a reaction from Sunoo that never came, so he continued. “I mean… You’re missing out on the chance to have a few short months with her just because you’re angry that she’s going to leave at some point. Plus… who knows… she might not have fallen for you the way you did for her over text, but maybe meeting in person will be the thing that makes her love you.”

Sunoo rolled his eyes, unable to drown out Sunghoons voice as much as he wanted to, and while he wanted to just tell the older member to shut up, he couldn’t. “It wouldn’t change the fact that she’d have to leave. Why would I put myself and her through that?” Sunoo mumbled, glancing up at Sunghoon, hoping that he’d just walk away at this point.

“Because she doesn’t have to be here for you to love her and for her to love you. I mean, just think about it… Long distance relationships are hard, but they’re rewarding too.” It looked as though Sunghoon thought he was getting somewhere, but Sunoo was no closer to understanding what he was getting at than he was before his hyung had started talking. “Oh my god… Just… Listen. You guys can talk or text on the phone like you’ve been doing anyway, and then… When we go on tour, you’ll be able to see her when we pass through where she lives, and who knows, maybe she’ll move back here to be with you. Try to be a little more optimistic.”

Optimism, it was something that Sunoo usually had when it came to most anything that was thrown at him in life, but it just didn’t seem to be something that he had right now. “What if she doesn’t want to see me? She hasn’t reached out to me either…” He said, his voice rid of all anger that had once been there, now only sounding disheartened as he thought about what he could have had and what he had lost.

“Obviously. You hung up on her… Why should she be the one texting you? And now you’ve been leaving her hanging for a month, she’s probably pretty upset. I would be.” Sunghoon spoke the truth, it was more like Sunoo had been hit in the face with it, and while he hadn’t wanted to hear it at first, he knew that he needed to hear it, it was the swift kick that he needed to push him into motion. Now he was left with the hopes and worries that it wasn’t too late.

Donned in all black, with sunglasses and a facemask to cover his features, he walked into the airport. No one seemed to notice him, no one even knew he was coming, an outcome that he had been planning for, yet not really expecting. It was nice to be able to walk through the front doors and not be met with an onslaught of flashing lights and reporters like the senior groups had to deal with, and luckily, it seemed like he had done a good enough job of concealing himself that no one would find out that it was him that they were standing next to.

“Excuse me…” His voice was soft as he walked up to the counter, standing beside the girl who’s back had been faced to him the entire time, completely unaware of his presence until he had made his voice heard. The girl, the one that had caught his eye as soon as he had walked into the building, the one that he would have been able to recognize and pinpoint even in the biggest crowd was the girl that he had fallen in love with once over, the girl was you. “It looked like you dropped something back there, I just wanted to make sure that you got it before you got on your plane.” He said, pulling a small fox plushie out from behind his back and holding it out to you.

The small gasp that left your lips as the realization set in had him giggling softly, but sadly his smile and his eyes were hidden behind the mask and the sunglasses that he was wearing. “You scared me…” You murmured, carefully grabbing the plushie from his hands and holding it against your chest. “I didn’t know it was you… I.. I didn’t think you’d be here.” You added, glancing down at the fox and then back up at Sunoo. The lady behind the counter had just finished checking your bags in, and now you were left to wait a couple hours before boarding your flight, having decided to get there early just to make sure you wouldn’t miss it.

“Why wouldn’t I be here?” He teasingly asked, although you both already knew the answer. “I just wanted to make sure you got through safely… And… Saying goodbye over the phone just didn’t seem like the right way to do it.” The teasing tone had immediately dropped, and even behind the disguise that he was wearing, you could tell that he was getting choked up. “Mooshi already made himself at home in the dorms… I left your pillow that you gave me at the top of my bed so he can sleep on it… And he does.” He continued, but the more he spoke, the more upset he seemed to get, his words getting choked off with silent sobs.

“Well, now you have a reason to video call me… Mooshi will probably miss me…” The thought of leaving your cat behind with the guys was one that had torn at you in the weeks leading up to you going back home, but Sunoo had promised that him and the guys would take care of your cat, plus you didn’t want him to have to go through the multiple flights and layovers that came with traveling across the ocean.

“He’s not the only reason I’ll call you… You’re my girlfriend…” It didn’t matter how many times he had said it, hearing the words always made you flustered, and you quickly dropped your head to hide your reaction from him, something that he found adorable. “I’m gonna miss you… You know that, right?”

You hummed out a soft mmhm, nodding your head as your own tears began to form, clinging tighter onto the stuffed fox that he had given you. “I know… I really wish I didn’t have to leave…” You swallowed back the lump in your throat, trying not to let your emotions completely overcome you, hoping that you’d be able to at least hold it all in until you got on the plane. “But I’ll call you or text you as soon as my plane lands…”

He nodded slowly, the sound of sniffles only being muffled slightly by the fabric that was covering his nose. “Please do, I want to make sure that you landed safely. You can call me at all your layovers too, I want you to.” It sounded so bittersweet, and while you knew that the two of you weren’t saying goodbye forever, he made it seem that way the more he spoke. “And then… when you land back at home… call me again and… and I want to make sure you get home safely…. So call me as much as you can… I don’t care what time it is, I’ll answer.” His breath hitched in his throat, his chest rising and falling quickly as he started almost hyperventilating.

Your arms quickly wrapped around him and your forehead rested against his shoulder, trying to control your own emotions that he was bringing out in you, but the tears that were one by one dripping from your eyes were slowly soaking through his shirt. “You’re gonna have me bawling on the plane…” You murmured against the fabric of his tee, your giggle sounding more like sobbing than anything. You didn’t want this moment to be as sad as it was, you didn’t even know that this moment would be happening in the first place, but now here he was making you cry in the middle of the airport waiting area. “I promise, I’ll call you when I can…” You whispered, letting out a shaky sigh as you took a step back, your hands falling to your sides as you looked at him. “I have to go now though… It’ll take forever to get through the gates…”

His adams apple bobbed as he swallowed thickly, hugging himself tightly as if trying to hold himself together. “Text me when you get on the plane… And right before you take off… I’m…” A small squeak left his throat, his words getting cut off once more. “I’m gonna miss you so much… I don’t want you to miss your flight though… So… Go ahead…” The tone of his voice went against the words that he was saying though, and even though he was telling you to go, it sounded more like he was begging you to stay, something that you wish you could do for him but knew that you couldn’t.

“I’ll see you soon… I promise.” You reassured him, giving him one more hug and a quick kiss on the cheek before backing away, gripping tightly onto the fox plushie with one hand and your other hand pulling your luggage behind you. As much as you wanted to turn back and look at him one more time, you knew that if you did it would just hurt even more than it already did. He’d be okay, and so would you, you knew that you would, and those are the thoughts that you held onto as you made your way through the gates to stand in line at the TSA, leaving Sunoo behind you.

The strangest thing about dating Sunoo was the fact that it wasn’t supposed to happen in the first place, and even five months into the relationship, you found yourself questioning how it had even happened. Your promise that you had made to yourself when you had first texted him had flown out the window and you weren’t even sure how it had come to it, but you didn’t regret it in the slightest.

Being with Sunoo was like waking up to the sun on a spring day every single day, he was the personification of sunshine and you never really realized how much you needed something, someone like that in your life until you had it. He sent you a good morning text every single day, even though you knew that where he was it was nowhere close to morning, and he sent you a goodnight text even though it was mid-morning for him. He did his best to make the relationship seem as normal as possible, as if there wasn’t a double digit time difference between the two of you, as if you weren’t on completely opposite sides of the world.

You never would have thought that you’d end up with someone like him, someone with his status in that kind of job, but he acted no differently than anyone else would to make you feel comfortable. The shyness that you felt with him was something that you still felt, although it dwindled a little bit with how long you’ve been together, but you couldn’t get over the way you felt whenever his face would show up on your screen during a video call or when you’d hear his voice through your headphone speakers. He was sweet, beyond sweet honestly, and even from thousands of miles away, he made sure to make you feel loved as if he were really there with you.

There were constant letters and gifts sent to your apartment from him, things that held more meaning than flowers or necklaces pre-packaged in black velvet boxes that he ordered from somewhere. Every single gift that he sent held special meaning, and you made sure that every single gift you sent back would hold the same importance to him. He’d package up his own homemade “care-packages” with some of your favorite snacks that you had shared with him while you were still in Korea and polaroid photos of your cat Mooshi laying beside him on the pillow that you had left him. Some of your favorite items were the hoodies or t-shirts that still smelled like him, and little pieces of jewelry that he’d attach little notes to. “This is my favorite necklace but I want you to have it… Please wear it, it’ll be like having a little piece of me with you wherever you go. I love you!” The note was attached to the Gucci key necklace that you had seen him wear so many times, and although you noticed that he hadn’t been wearing it recently on the video calls, you had never thought that he’d send it to you. You put it on immediately, keeping it tucked inside your shirt to keep it as close to your heart as possible.

You missed him though, and even with all the items of clothing and the jewelry and photos and calls, none of it was the same as having him with you or being there with him. That’s why you were planning to go back there, planning on surprising him with a visit, something that you had been planning on for a while, taking two full weeks off work and booking the plane tickets. Your stomach was already turning with excitement as you thought about it, and the closer it got to the day of your departure, the harder it was becoming for you to hide your excitement from him. You couldn’t wait to finally be there with him, and as weeks turned into days, the smile became harder to hide, something that he started to question more and more with each passing day.

“I’m gonna be spending the week on the lake with my family, so the reception probably won’t be good.” You lied over the video call to Sunoo, noticing that he was eyeing the bags that had been lined up behind you, but your words had him pouting slightly, although he seemed quite happy that you’d be able to get a break from work and spend some time with your family. Little did he know that the reception would only be down just long enough for you to get to Korea to finally be with him again. “I’ll try to text you whenever I can, I promise.” And you would, whenever you landed for a layover you’d text him, letting him know that you only have a couple bars and you weren’t able to make an actual call. You felt bad lying to him like this, but the surprise would be totally worth it, and the thought of his face when he finally saw you had you smiling even wider.

“Don’t worry about it, sweetie… I want you to enjoy your time with your family. I know that work has been stressing you.” He said, his smile more genuine now that he saw how wide your smile was, although he assumed that it was because you were going on a small vacation with your family, none the wiser to what was really going on. “Make sure you take a bunch of pictures though and send them to me when you get Internet.” You hummed in agreement, nodding your head as you grabbed your suitcase handle and pulled the bag out of your bedroom to leave it near the door.

“I’ll miss you…” You murmured, laying it on thick to make it more believable, and you saw the small pout turning down the corner of his lips as he watched you through his phone screen. “I’ll be back soon though… And I’ll text you and call you nonstop to make up for the time that I’m missing.” You reassured him, and the stars that twinkled in his eyes at your words showed his excitement at just that tiny statement, and you couldn’t wait to see how bright his eyes got when he saw you in Korea. “I have to go though, the cars waiting out front for me.” You said, seeing the notification on the top of your screen that the Uber had pulled up.

He sighed softly, the lights in his eyes slowly fading at what he thought would be goodbye for a week. “Get there safely… I love you… Remember, lots of pictures, okay?” He reminded, and you nodded quickly, blowing him a kiss before ending the call, finally being able to let out a squeal of excitement as you ran out the door, the wheels of your luggage clicking behind you as you rushed to the elevator, more than ready to begin your trip.

He had never gone this long without texting you or calling you or seeing your face, and while he knew that you were enjoying time with your family, he wished that he could at least get a picture to hold him over. Sure, you had texted him once to tell him that you made it to the cabin and that you were just hanging out for a bit and you missed him, but there apparently wasn’t enough service out where you were to have a full conversation. It was only day one and he was already becoming impatient, a timer set on his phone to the end of the week when you were supposedly going back to your own apartment where he’d be able to talk to you again.

Even still, he tried to be happy for you, he tried to not be so selfish because he knew that you had been looking forward to this trip, you had been talking about it for weeks. He loved seeing how excited you got whenever you did, and as much as he missed you, he adored your happiness and that was the most important thing to him. “They must be way out in the forest if she’s not getting any reception.” Jake commented, watching as Sunoo stared at his phone, a picture of you smiling shyly during one of your video calls, he had screenshot it immediately because of how cute you looked, and it had been his lock screen ever since that night.

“Yeah, but… I can’t wait to see all the pictures she’s probably taking out there. I told her to take a bunch…” Sunoo said, fiending a smile as he set his phone down to the side to look at Jake. “And I told her not to worry about texting me, she should be focusing on spending time with her family. You should have seen how happy she was when she was telling me about it.” A bittersweet smile graced his features when he thought back on it, leaning into the couch cushion and letting out a quiet sigh. “I bet she’s having a blast too… Maybe… Maybe one day when I go see her… I can go on a family vacation with her and her family too… Do you think they’d like me?”

Jake chuckled loudly, patting Sunoos shoulder. “Of course! How could they not?” Sunoo snorted, his cheeks blushing a light pink. “Plus… There’s still a long time before something like that happens. Try not to overthink it.” The words were meant to give Sunoo a little bit of hope, but the mention of time and how long it would be seemed to pop the bubble of bliss that surrounded Sunoo and his thoughts of being with you in your own home. “Let’s try to get some sleep, yeah? It’s almost 11 o’clock, you’ve been sitting up and staring at your phone for hours. I’m sure she’ll text you when she gets some bars.”

Sunoo took a deep breath, smiling softly to his hyung as he nodded, pushing himself up off the couch to go into the bedroom. Sleep would be good, and the more he slept the less time it would feel like he’s without you, that was one of the perks of sleeping. In his subconscious mind he could relive all the moments that he shared with you before you hopped on that flight, leaving him behind but taking a piece of his heart along with you. He didn’t have to miss you so much when he still had you in his thoughts.

There were still no texts from you when he woke up in the morning, and as much as it hurt to see, or moreso, not see, he tried his best to be mindful that you had no reception and the time zones were different. As he got into the studio, he tried to keep his mind busy with practice, focusing on Nikis dancing more than he ever had before, trying his best to get all the moves down. The more he focused on literally anything else, the less it hurt that he hadn’t heard from you in hours.

“Should we all go get some coffee?” Jay offered, everyone's bodies folded over as they tried to catch their breath, their foreheads glistening with sweat from the difficult routine they just finished. “We can get some lunch too.” Everyone’s heads nodded in unison, a chorus of groans escaping them as they straightened up to head out of the practice room and down to the cafeteria.

Sunoos phone vibrated in his back pocket as he walked, the feeling of it sent what felt like a surge of electricity through him, his excitement skyrocketing as he paused in the middle of the hallway to pull his phone out. It was a text from you, something that he had pessimistically assumed he wouldn’t see for the next six days, but the sight of your name on his screen had his heart swelling and his hands shaking as he unlocked his phone. “Hey!” The text read, and while it was short, it was enough to have Sunoo jumping in place with excitement. “Can I call you?” The next text had been unexpected, but he nodded to the screen as if you could see him before his finger smashed against the call button.

You immediately answered, turning on your video as well, and when he saw you it felt like he was going to cry. To him it felt like it had been weeks since he had seen you last, and now that you were on his screen once more, you were the only thing he was looking at. “Sorry it took so long, it was so hard to get service.” You said, and he nodded understandingly, looking over your features and noticing the necklace, his necklace, that you were wearing over one of his shirts that he had sent you, the sight of it had his heart hammering. “Do you think you could uh… Come pick me up?”

The question had him giggling softly, shaking his head at your humor. “I wish I could, but I’d rather stay in the cabin with you… Why though? Is something wrong?” The joking had immediately turned into worry at the fact that you’d ask him of all people to come get you. Were you hurt? Had someone upset you? His own questions had his anger boiling.

You snorted softly, shaking your head in response as a wide smile spread across your face. “Nothings wrong… At least I don’t think there is.” You murmured, and that’s when you turned your camera, showing him exactly where you were and it felt like all of the air had been sucked from his lungs, his eyes immediately tearing up. “So… Do you think… Do you think you can get me?” You asked once more when he said nothing, finally turning the camera back around to face yourself.

His mouth was hung open in shock, his eyes blinking rapidly as he looked at you. “You… You came all the way here?” He whispered, the question meant to make sure that he wasn’t daydreaming or just seeing things, but your nod of agreement had him letting out a loud squeak. “I can’t believe… Ah!... Okay, let me… I have to tell the guys… I’ll get the car… I’ll… I’m coming!” He stumbled over his own words as he finally started moving, running down the hall to catch up with the guys who were already sitting at the table in the cafeteria, their eyes looking to him as soon as he ran through the doors. “She’s here!” He shouted to them, your laughter following immediately after at how excited he was. It was unexpected, it was a dream, and he couldn’t contain his emotions as he ran out of the cafeteria once more, his eyes welling up with tears and his smile unwavering.

The car hadn’t even come to a complete stop before he was throwing open the door, jumping out and running through the crowd of people who all stopped to look at him. He didn’t bother to wear a disguise, he didn’t care who saw him as he ran into the building, all he wanted to do was reach you and wrap you in his embrace.

Cameras were flashing in his direction as he sprinted through the airport, cheers of his name alerting everyone in the vicinity who was there, most likely letting you know that he was coming as well, but luckily no crowd actually formed around him, giving him an easy through to where you were standing near the escalators. The sight of you almost brought him to his knees, swallowing thickly as he slowed down his steps to walk over to you, as if you weren’t even real, he needed to look at you just a little longer to make sure you were really there. “Y/N…” He whispered your name, but the sounds in the airport were so loud that you couldn’t hear him, instead grabbing your bag and running over to him. “Y/N.” He repeated your name, his arms wrapping around your waist as your wound around his neck.

“Are you surprised?” You asked as you leaned back just enough to look at him, and all he could do was nod as he pulled you back to him, smothering the top of your head in kisses as he squeezed you tighter. “I think everyone is looking at us…” You whispered, peaking over his shoulder to look at all the eyes that were on both you and Sunoo.

“I know…” He chuckled softly, his cheeks turning a bright red as he pulled away, wrapping his arm around you as he led you out of the airport. “I’m just… I’m so happy that you’re here… I…” He was at a loss for words, leading you to the car that had been waiting out front of the airport for him and you. “How did you… When did you plan all this out? Did anyone else know?” As asked as you both climbed in, his arm draped over your shoulder and pulling you close to him once more once you both were comfortable. He had so many questions, he didn’t know where to start.

“Three weeks, it’s been planned for three weeks. No one else knew though, I felt like the guys would slip up and tell you if they knew.” You replied softly, finally feeling like you could fully relax now that you were with him again. “I’m sorry I lied though, it was the only way to get through the flights and everything without you getting worried that I wasn’t texting you.”

He shook his head, letting out a soft chuckle as he squeezed your shoulder. “No, don’t… You don’t have to be sorry…” He said between his laughter, sighing loudly. “I mean, it’s a really good surprise… The best actually.” He brought his other hand over to slip under your chin, tilting your head back to look at him as he leaned a little closer. “I’m just so happy you’re here…” He murmured, leaning in to press his lips against yours, and it was like his first kiss with you all over again, feeling your lips turn up against his own. “So… Do you want to go get coffee?”

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whatsk-poppinhomies · 2 years

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𝐈𝐜𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐏𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 : 𝐒𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐧 𝐱 𝐅!𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞 : 𝐀𝐧𝐠𝐬𝐭/𝐅𝐥𝐮𝐟𝐟 𝐓𝐖 : 𝐒𝐰𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 ; 𝐌𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐝 (𝐧𝐨𝐧-𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞) ; 𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐬𝐭 ; 𝐟𝐥𝐮𝐟𝐟 ; 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭 : 𝟓.𝟐𝐤

The smell of ice, the chill against your skin from the cold that encapsulated you and your friends as they raced laps around the rink. It was your first time being on the ice, that little bit of information having been kept from the rest of them beforehand, but it was quickly realized once you had waddled your way out onto the ice, immediately gripping onto the railing that encased the rink. None of your friends had waited for you before they took off, something that you didn’t mind much. You didn’t want to keep them from having fun, but you were silently cursing yourself for foolishly agreeing to come along with them tonight.

“You won’t learn if you don’t let go of the railing.” Your friend chimed lightheartedly as she passed you by once again, flawlessly turning in your direction, skating backwards to give you two thumbs up before speeding off to catch up with the rest of your friends once again. She was right… But your knees were already shaking as you inched your way around the rink, trying to ignore the sounds of laughter and skates scraping against the icy floor beneath you. It was probably the worst day for you to wear a skirt and thigh highs, your knees bare and exposed to the risk of falling.

If you didn’t let go you wouldn’t learn… Her words repeated in your head over and over, and with a deep breath, you finally let go of the railing, your arms flying out to your sides to catch your balance as you wobbled slightly. The only problem was that you were slowly moving further and further away from the railing, as if gravity was pulling you back instead of down as it should have been. “Shit…” You mumbled, your feet shimmying as you tried to push yourself forward, your tongue pushing out of the corner of your mouth, concentrating deeply on trying to get back to the bar of safety that would keep you from falling.

Other skaters raced past you, their figures a blur in comparison to the turtle like movements of your own legs, and a strong, yet ridiculous feeling that you needed to prove yourself washed over you, especially when your friends blurred by, cheering for you loudly when they saw that you were away from the railing now. Learning to walk was the hardest, but it didn’t take you long to get the hang of it, your hands balled up into fists as you focused all of your attention on your feet and distributing your weight properly so you wouldn’t fall forward or backward.

Soon enough you were skating, mentally patting yourself on the back as you began to speed up, the smile growing on your face as you finally caught up with your friends, their own compliments seeming to give you more power as you pushed past them, hearing them clap and cheer for you as you moved around the edge of the rink with the rest of the skaters. Everything was going great, but then your friends started to slow down, making their way to the exit of the rink, and that’s when you realized that you didn’t know how to stop. You didn’t even know how to slow down. The thought of grabbing onto the railing had completely slipped your mind, panicking instead as you tried to plant the blades of your skates into the ice, the action sending your body forward.

Freezing cold ice that had been cut up and chiseled by the blades of the other skaters roughly scraped against your knees. A light trail of blood painted the blood behind you as you slipped forward, the gasps of the other skaters were barely heard over the sound of your heart beating loudly in your ears. The stinging in your eyes from the tears that were forming was nothing compared to the sting that you felt on your knees, and you silently cursed yourself for your choice of clothing. “Hey, are you okay?” The voice above you didn’t belong to any of your friends which only had you more embarrassed to look up at whoever it was. Not only did you not look up at them, but you didn’t even respond, hoping that your lack of response would make them go away. “Don’t worry… It happens to everyone. You should really get your knees checked out though… I’ll help you over there.”

A hand appeared in front of your face, an offer of help, and it didn’t seem like the person would take silence as an answer, so you hesitantly lifted your eyes to look up at him. That was when you really wanted to shrivel up and disappear, you wanted a hole to break in the ice big enough to swallow you up so that you wouldn’t be seen again. His dark eyes looked into yours, squinting slightly as he smiled down at you, but there was a hint of worry gracing his features. You were about 97% sure that he wouldn’t believe you if you said that you were okay, and even if he did, you knew that you wouldn’t be able to make it to the exit by yourself, so you reluctantly grabbed his hand, letting him pull you up onto your wobbly feet, his arm wrapping around your waist to keep you steady as he helped you to the exit, moving at your pace so that you wouldn’t fall again. “Thank you…” You mumbled, your body heated enough that it felt like you’d be able to melt the ice yourself if you were still on it. The close contact that you had with him along with the ever growing embarrassment from everyone's eyes being on you made it feel like you would melt any second now.

“I can’t believe you fell like that!” Your friend called out, running over to you now that her own skates were off, prying you away from the man's arms and trying to pull you close to her own side, the movement causing you to stumble once more, but the man quickly grabbed your waist, keeping your steady as he looked at your friend, his eyes narrowing and a stern look crossing his features. She scoffed in disbelief, trying to pull you back towards her, putting more strength behind her pulls. “I’ve got her now. She’ll be fine.” She sassed the man, and you immediately felt bad considering the fact that he was just trying to help you, especially since she and none of your other friends had been there to help pull you up.

“I’m sure she will. But I’d feel better if she had her knees looked at before she left, and I know where the first aid is.” He said it calmly, but you could see the agitation spreading across his features as he looked at your friend. She hesitantly let you go, but she was staring at you with her own look of worry as he lead you over to the bench, helping you to pull off your skates, completely ignoring her as she followed behind him, your other friends soon joining her to hover over you and the man that was helping you. “I don’t mind an audience, I’m used to it. But if you assume that I’m going to do anything, you’re wrong.” He glanced up at your friends, a tight lipped smile forming on his lips. “It would be bad for my image.”

Your eyes widened at them, shaking your head, trying to tell them without saying anything for them to not scare away the beautiful man who had helped you when no one else would. “I’ll be fine… Really. Don’t worry.” You reassured them, giving them the look of please don’t ruin this for me, although you were pretty sure that your skating slip up had ruined it enough, there still seemed to be a chance. “Wait for me at the car, I’m sure this won’t take long.”

He watched as your friends walked away, their heads turning back every couple of seconds to look at you, but soon enough they were out of view and he was looking at you again, his eyes turning softer as he did. “They’re pretty protective of you, yeah?” He joked, and you shyly nibbled your bottom lip as you nodded in agreement. “I’ll get you back to them as soon as possible. I’m Park Sunghoon, by the way. I guess you’ll feel better if you had a name to go with the face.” You nodded once more, unable to find words as you continued to look at the beautiful man kneeling in front of you. “You’d be a beautiful skater, I can see it. If you need a teacher, I’m sure I can find time in my schedule to teach you. You have potential.”

Months of training had you not only becoming a better skater, but you actually enjoyed it. You were steady on your feet, and not only had you taught you the basics, but he had taught you a couple tricks as well. You could clearly see why he was called the Ice Prince, he was absolutely amazing when he was in his element. Skating wasn’t the only thing he was amazing at though, and as time went by, you only found out more about him. He’d sing as he skated past you on the ice, moving so effortlessly around you that you could only stop and stare, in complete awe at how flawless he truly was.

“If I get any better, I might just take your title and become ice princess.” You teased as you skated past him, the long span of months that you had trained with him had not only made you better, but it had also brought the two of you closer. He’d take you out for lunch or dinner, depending on how late your training lasted, and the two of you would talk as you ate, the conversation continuing even after your plates and cups had been emptied. His sense of humor was great, and he was beyond sweet, and as crazy as it sounded, you were thankful that you had fallen on the ice so many months ago, opening the opportunity for you to get to know him.

“Oh?” He retorted from across the rink, eyeing you mischievously as a playfully wicked smile spread across his face. In a second he was across the rink, coming to an abrupt stop in front of you, snow textured fragments of ice sprinkled rained down between both of your bodies. “I don’t think you’d be taking my title in that case…” His voice had become huskier, and you felt your heart thrumming relentlessly in your chest as he moved closer, his face mere inches from yours. “I’d still be the ice prince and you’d be my ice princess.” He emphasized the word, his eyes boring into your own as he waited for your response, for any sort of reaction from you, but you were stunned into silence, your heart going from what felt like a thousand beats per second to freezing altogether.

“Yeah? Well… Okay.” You couldn’t think of any way to retort what he had said, not that you’d want to anyway. Although you had never actually thought about it up until now, you hadn’t actually realized it until now, but you had the biggest crush on him. If it were anyone else, you wouldn’t have held out as long as you had to learn how to skate, but you were doing it for him, so you could spend more time with him, so you could get closer to him.

He laughed loudly, the sound echoing off the walls of the empty rink that you were in, his hands moving to your hips to pull you closer to him, your chests pressed together now and your body temperature rising drastically from the proximity. “You’re cute…” He murmured, leaning in and pressing a swift kiss to your lips, it had been so unexpected that you didn’t even have the time to close your eyes, so when he pulled back, your eyes were wide as you stared at him, your mouth falling open in shock. He snorted quietly, slipping his hand under your chin to close your mouth, his eyes gleaming with adoration. “You can’t get any better though… Someone might see you and then you’ll be paired with some other guy and I don’t want to watch you do this with anyone else. It’s our thing…”

A year later, an entire year you had been with him, and it had been the most amazing year you’ve ever had. You couldn’t imagine yourself being happier than you were when you were with him, and he always made sure to keep you happy, just another thing that he was beyond amazing at doing.

It wasn’t exactly your anniversary yet, and even if it was, the both of you had decided that celebrating anniversaries was kind of foolish considering being together was something that the two of you should celebrate every single day. When his schedule wasn’t busy, he’d come over to your place and he’d always bring something with him, whether it be a bouquet of flowers to replace the ones that had just begun to wilt, or one of your favorite candies. Some nights he’d come over after working all day, a new movie in his hand and a box of microwavable popcorn, a spur of the moment movie night where he’d pass out mid movie, peacefully sleeping on your shoulder.

It wasn’t your anniversary, but you wanted to do something with him tonight, and you knew that going to the ice rink always made him happy, and it was something that the two of you enjoyed doing together. It brought back memories of the lead up and beginning of your relationship, memories that were fondly relived whenever the two of you went there. Spur of the moment dates like these were something that the two of you loved to do the most, it was fun, and the spontaneity of it made it exciting.

You sat on the couch, your legs excitedly kicking as you held your phone up to your ear, waiting for the ringing to end and his voice to come through the speaker. “Mm… Hey…” He mumbled, it wasn’t the usual way he’d respond, but he didn’t exactly sound tired, so you wrote it off as him possibly being annoyed with one of the other members.

“I was wondering if you were coming over tonight?” You always got nervous whenever you asked, the two of you didn’t live together, but you’d might as well considering he spent most of his nights at your apartment. He hummed in agreement, and you let out a little sigh of relief, your excitement only building at the thought of being on the ice with him again. “I was thinking that we could go skating tonight.”

He groaned at the cheerful tone of your voice, something that you weren’t used to at all. “You can go skating tonight. You don’t have to always go with me.” He muttered, and for a second you thought he was joking. You let out a slightly anxious giggle, watching the seconds tick by on the clock that hung on your wall, waiting for him to tell you that he was messing with you, but it never came. “Seriously. My schedule is packed.”

You swallowed thickly, plucking at the little pills that clung to your sweater from the drier. He had never talked to you like this, and hearing him like that had you feeling like you were going to throw up, your anxiety only building as the silence dragged on from his end. “I just thought-” You began, but he immediately cut you off.

“You just thought of yourself.” He snapped, the tone of his voice had you sinking down into the cushions. “You’re so annoying sometimes, and so damn clingy. You ever think that maybe I want to relax? I just want to sleep.”

You swallowed thickly, gnawing on your bottom lip as the tears began to fall from your eyes, streaming down your cheeks and clinging to your chin. “You’re the one who comes to my place after work…” You whispered, moving your phone away from your face so that he wouldn’t hear your quiet sniffles. “I never said you had to…”

He scoffed loudly, clicking his tongue against the roof of his mouth. “If I didn’t come over you’d just blow my phone up with texts and calls. It drives me nuts. The only time I can actually get some damn peace is when I’m at work.” You nodded slowly even though he couldn’t see it, his words were like ice, but they hurt far more than the ice ever could.

The meaning of his nickname, the ice prince, had obtained a new meaning to you. He was cold as ice, and right now it seemed like his heart was made of ice. How could he be so angry when all you wanted to do was be with him? He never got like this before, he had never brought this up to you before… Why was he so mad now? The questions that you were asking yourself only paved the way for more questions that quickly turned to assumptions that made you feel even more sick. “Well you don’t have to worry about that anymore. You don’t have to come over. I’ll leave you alone.” You mumbled dejectedly, hanging up the phone before he could respond. You didn’t want to hear whatever else he had to say, you were sure that whatever it was wouldn’t be any different from what he had already said.

It wouldn’t be a date, but you didn’t want to be at home right now. You wanted to take your anger out somewhere else, somewhere that you could turn all of your emotions into something productive, something beautiful. Skating made you happy for more reasons than just him being a part of it, it was something that helped you keep your mind off of everything, and right now you needed to clear your mind, you needed to think of anything but him.

As soon as your end of the line went quiet he was hit with guilt, regretting every single word that he had said as they replayed in his mind over and over again. He wasn’t even mad at you, he had no reason to be mad at you, practice had just been long and exhausting and he had taken his aggravations out on you which wasn’t fair. He slumped against the mirrored wall of the practice room, sliding down it until he landed on the floor, running his hands through his hair and trying to think of any way to make it up to you, to apologize to you.

“You’re still here?” Jay asked, walking back into the practice room to grab his bag that he had accidentally left behind. “Do you need a ride home? You can ride with me.” Sunghoon sighed loudly, shaking his head before dropping it down against his knees. “Trouble in paradise?” Jay teased, but Sunghoon grunted in agreement. “Wait… really? What happened?”

The last thing he wanted to do was tell his members how much of an ass he had been, but he wasn’t going to put the blame on you either. “I’m an idiot… that’s what happened.” He didn’t want to get into the details of just how much of an idiot he had truly been, but the way Jay was looking at him was a sure sign that he was pressing for more information. Jay wasn’t going to let him leave without knowing exactly what had happened, and that much was proven to be true when he sat on the floor across from Sunghoon, his elbows resting on his knees and his chin resting on his loosely clenched fists. “She called… she always calls. I don’t have a problem with it, I really don’t, I love hearing from her after work. I was just so tired and… I didn’t even tell her that at first, I just jumped right into yelling at her and calling her annoying and clingy. She just wanted to go skating…” He sighed heavily, rubbing his hands over his face as if he could wipe away the shame that he knew he was wearing. “I said things to her that I shouldn’t have, they weren’t true… but she believed them… and I think… I think she broke up with me. I deserve it… but I don’t want that.” He finally looked at Jay, having been so scared to see the look of disappointment on his other members face that he had kept his eyes down the entire time, but the only expression on Jay's face was one of concern. “What do I do? You’re smart… You know what to do…”

Jay shook his head quickly, holding his hands out as if to deflect the assumption that Sunghoon had made. “I don’t know what to do with this… I can only give you a suggestion.” He took a deep breath, pursing his lips and looking around the room as if something in there would give him the answer that Sunghoon was looking for. “The most I can suggest is going to talk to her. I mean, I’m not saying it’ll work, she might tell you to leave her alone and never talk to her again…” Sunghoons face distorted into one of pain at just the thought of you reacting that way. “But it wouldn’t hurt to try… Well it would hurt you, but at least she’d know that you’re sorry anyway.” That wasn’t the answer that Sunghoon was looking for, but it was the only one that Jay could give, the only one that was reasonable. “Just try it. Maybe she’s waiting for you…” Jay shrugged his arms before pushing himself up off the floor, patting Sunghoons knee before standing straight and heading to the door. “So do you want a ride, or no?”

Sunghoon shook his head, grabbing his jacket off the floor and swinging it over his shoulder before getting up and following Jay out the door. “I have to stop by the store first…” He mumbled, the fear building in his chest over what you’d say to him, if anything at all. Truthfully, he’d much rather you yell at him than to ignore him. That was what he was most afraid of, but that was what he deserved most from you after what he had said. He was hoping that you’d forgive him, that you’d understand. It’s not like he had ever spoken to you that way before, and he would never dream of speaking to you that way again. His heart hurt thinking of how you felt, what you would have looked like in that moment, but he couldn’t get the image out of his mind. He just wanted to make you smile, to make you laugh, to keep you happy.

Ring after ring, but you never picked up your phone. The only good thing about the amount of rings he had endured trying to get ahold of you was that your phone was still on, and that usually meant that your location was on as well. It usually paranoid him that you constantly had it on, but right now he was beyond thankful.

Following the sound of blades moving across freshly surfaced ice, the bouquet of roses held tightly in shaking hands, the giant stuffed animal tucked underneath his arm pressed against his chest. He stood in the back row of empty seats, watching as you glided across the ice, your expression a mix of anger and sadness which had his heart breaking on the spot knowing that he was the cause of that look on your face. The fresh streaks that ran down your cheeks reflected the light, further clarifying to him just how much he had hurt you. He wanted to run down to the ice right then and there, but he was frozen where he stood, his feet planted to the floor beneath his feet.

The music that had been playing from your phone came to an end as did your performance, a performance that was only seen by him although you didn’t know yet, and he stopped himself from dropping everything he was holding just so he could clap for you. Your chest was rising and falling heavily, and he couldn’t help but question how long you had been going. You looked just as exhausted as he had felt earlier.

You stood in the center of the rink and time seemed to stretch on, it felt like he was looking at a still frame, but before he could even think of taking a step forward, you fell forward, your knees crashing against the ice and a quiet yelp escaping you. “Wh-... Y/N!” He called out your name, but you didn’t move in response to his voice. He ran out to you, his shoes barely even gripping the ice, and more than once his feet threatened to give out beneath him, but he pushed himself forward until he was in front of you, dropping down to his knees in front of you to check you over. “Are you okay?” He whispered, but you still didn’t look up at him. It felt like the first time he had seen you all over again, but this time there was so much more on the line. It was an entire year, an entire relationship that he had built with you, and he felt like he was standing on the edge of a cliff, on the verge of losing you, and it scared the hell out of him.

“Why are you here?” Your voice was choked off, your head dropped still, your hands trembling as they gripped onto your knees that he just realized were already stained with dried blood and dark bruises that had obviously just been made today. How many times had you fallen? How many times had he not been there to catch you before you did? He had spent so long contemplating what to do and how to face you that he wasn’t there for you when you needed him.

A long, cold finger slipped under your chin, tilting your head up so you’d look at him, and only then, now that he was so close to you, did he notice just how red and puffy your eyes were. “Because I want to be with you… Because I’m a dumb shit that said some dumb shit that I didn’t mean at all, and I… I’m sorry, and I want you to know that everything I said was just… stupid. I’m stupid, but I love you, and I can’t be without you…” He took a deep, shaky breath, on the verge of crying himself, the feeling that he was losing you only becoming stronger the longer you stayed silent. “I’m scared of losing you…”

Your eyes closed in response, your lips drawn into a thin line, you refused to even look at him, and now you were moving away from him, pushing yourself up off the ice and steadying yourself on the blades. He looked up at you with wide eyes that were glossing over, his breath hitched in his throat. He didn’t know what to do, he didn’t know what to say. Jay had told him that there was the chance that this would happen, but he had been hoping that it wouldn’t, that things would be okay. “If you didn’t want to hang out today, all you had to do was say that you were tired. You didn’t have to insult me, you didn’t have to belittle me… Maybe I just love you too much.” You murmured as you started to skate away, and his heart that had already been split in two just from seeing you hurt felt like it had been stomped on and shattered into a million pieces.

Stumbling to push himself up, he raced across the ice to catch up with you, wrapping his arms around you from behind, stopping you from moving any further. “Don’t stop loving me… Please.” His words were laced with an urgency, like his life depended on the love that you gave him, and in some strange way, it felt that way to him. He had been with you for so long that he almost forgot what life without you was like, and he liked it better that way. He didn’t want to remember what his life looked like without you because you were one of the key elements in his life. “There’s never a day that I don’t want to be with you… I had a bad day, and… I was stupid enough to take that out on you… the only person who can make my days better…” You slowly turned around, his hands dropping to grip your hips, his adams apple bobbing as he swallowed thickly.

“You’re being kind of clingy…” You said, and that was when he truly felt that he had already lost you. You were using his own words against him, and it was the worst feeling, it felt like the shattered pieces of his heart were being plucked from his chest. “Breathe, Sunghoonie… I’m not leaving.” You whispered, a faint smile tugging at your lips before you rested your forehead against his chest. “But you should really put some skates on or get off the ice. I’d think the ice prince would know better.” You teased, and he quickly pulled back, scoffing as he shook his head in disbelief.

“I wasn’t really thinking of changing into my skates when you fell. I just wanted to make sure you were okay.” You rolled your eyes at him, grabbing his hand from your hip and leading him off the ice, quickly dropping down onto one of the benches beside the little door. “Speaking of that… Your knees are a mess. Take a break. I don’t think my heart could handle seeing you get hurt anymore today.” He shook his head as he got a better look at your bloodied and bruised knees that were already beginning to swell up. “On the off chance that I do something stupid again… Wear knee pads, please?”

You stuck your tongue out at him, crossing your arms across your chest. “Well next time your heart freezes over, don’t answer your phone.” You retorted, and he quietly mocked you before leaning in, silencing you with a kiss before you had the chance to speak. Your hands moved up to tangle in his hair, holding him close to you, relishing in the feeling of his lips against yours.

“Mm…” He hummed as he pulled back, his cheeks flushed a bright red. “Let me get the first aid kit for your knees… I’ll be right back. Don’t move.” He murmured, his hand running through his hair, but he continued to stand there, looking down at you, his breaths coming out quickly as he stared at you, his head tilted to the side. Your eyebrows raised slightly, silently questioning him, but he simply shook his head, leaning over once more to kiss you. “I was just taking a moment to realize what I could have lost. I really am stupid…” His thumb brushed against your cheek lightly before he took a step back, biting his bottom lip and shaking his head at himself as he turned around and started walking, mentally vowing to himself to never do anything that would risk him losing you ever again.

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