This is a collection of one-shots and short stories based on the writing prompts I received from fellow authors and readers for my birthday this 2022.
Will be updated sporadically, as prompts are fulfilled and stories are finished.
"No!" Joongki choked out, panicking at the sight of her distressed face. Frantically, he patted his pockets for his handkerchief, handing it to her seconds later. "Don't worry about it. We're not a strict org. Actually, even if you were late...you could always just catch up."
More words threatened to spill out of him, a confession he was certain he'd regret blurting out out of the blue.
"Jinah-ssi."
Forgive me.
"Please don't cry."
I honestly thought it would be such a shame...
"My friends might think I bullied you into coming to the orphanage today."
...if I didn't get to see you today.
And then, she laughed. Joongki thought he'd heard wrong, but Jinah was giggling behind his handkerchief when he looked at her.
"You don't seem the type to bully anyone into doing anything, Joongki-ssi," she said, wiping the tears from her eyes.
Well...she's not wrong.
Joongki had been a chubby, awkward kid and often the subject of ridicule when he was younger. It got so bad he refused to go to school for an entire week until his parents drew the real reason out of him. The bullies got reprimanded, but it didn't stop them from making his life miserable.
He would gladly eat paper than bully anyone, but he also wondered what type of person Jinah thought he was.
Too bad he wasn't brave enough to ask.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
JINAH
Her body was still screaming for sleep, but she couldn't afford to slack off—not when her outreach partner was program rep-in-charge Song Joongki. Save for the fact that she needed to be in her best behavior so he'd sign off on her community service accomplishment sheet when her 100 hours are done, Jinah also wanted to keep up with him.
Okay, maybe she didn't want that overeager new volunteer to overshadow her, too.
"Oppa! I've already distributed the sandwiches to the kids. Do you need help with anything else?"
Jinah watched as the bubbly junior looked at Joongki with eyes that sparkled with admi—anticipation. Clara, her name tag read. She must have come from overseas, Jinah thought while absentmindedly sorting crayons by color.
"No, Clara-ssi. Everything's good for now. You should take a break."
"What about you, Joongki oppa? Aren't you taking a break too?"
She caught Joongki looking over his shoulder at her, and Jinah immediately turned her attention to the crayons. Did he catch me looking?
"I will, when we're done here."
"Oh!" Clara's voice rose an octave higher. "I can help!"
We've got this sorted, thanks, Jinah wanted to say, disbelief quickly filling her chest. Why the heck was she feeling protective over crayon sorting duty?
"It's fine, Clara-ssi. We can manage here, thanks," Joongki said and pulled a chair so he could sit beside her. Jinah felt the hairs on her arm stand at attention when the sleeve of his shirt brushed against her skin.
Fucking unbelievable.
"But..."
"Joohwan-ah!" Joongki cut Clara off and waved at one of the volunteers. "Could you get Clara-ssi some refreshments, please?"
Jinah didn't look up, but she imagined Clara's disappointed face as she was led to the refreshment table against her will.
. . . . .
"Where do all these stuff come from?" she asked Joongki when they were done sorting crayons. He'd just returned from the refreshment table and stuck a straw on a box of strawberry milk before handing it to her. Easily the sweetest mundane gesture she's ever received from a guy.
"Part of the funds come from the school. The rest come from the students' families. The more affluent ones," he replied and stuck a straw on his box of strawberry milk.
She saw his full lips pucker around the straw and felt compelled to sip on her drink as well.
"Do you donate too?"
"Only my time," he said, turning his head and flashing a huge smile straight at her. Holy shit, the sun.
And only then did Jinah realize how Joongki often wore shirts almost twice his size, how his trusty baseball cap had badly frayed edges. "Well...time is precious too," she said softly and stared at their stretched-out legs in front of them, their feet, her pristine white sneakers and his well-worn red ones.
"I think so too."
"We shouldn't waste it."
"Hm? Oh...yeah," he agreed and leaned back, his palms against the bench they shared. "But it's nice to stay still for a little while sometimes, don't you think?"
Jinah couldn't answer on account of Joongki's hand resting so close to hers. If she only very slightly moved her pinky finger, she'd be touching him.
We shouldn't waste time.
It's nice to stay still for a while sometimes.
Lifting her hand—she'd always taken big swings, after all—Jinah slowly let it descend over his...
"Joongki-ssi! We need help over here!"
When Joongki got up abruptly and crushed the empty box of strawberry milk in his hand, Jinah felt her racing heart shrivel. Cheerleader training kicked in when she managed a perfect smile at him—"Just gotta take a look at what's happening over there...I'll be back."—before he rushed to wherever it was he was needed.
