Off Script (JoongDunk)

Chapter 15: The first date

Dunk woke up to an unusually quiet house, checking his phone to see that it was already late morning. As he made his way downstairs, he noticed that Pond and Joong had already left. The house looked spotless—no leftover clutter from last night in the living room, and the guest room tidied up. The absence left Dunk feeling an odd mix of disappointment and nervousness. Why had they left without waking him up to say goodbye? Did they fight? Did Pond find out something? Dunk wondered.

Starving, Dunk went to the kitchen to make coffee and find something to eat. Just as he was about to open the fridge, his phone buzzed. It was a message from Joong: "Are you awake?"

Dunk's heart fluttered seeing Joong's name pop up, though he was a little disappointed at how bland the message was.

"I am," he replied, waiting for Joong to write something else. A minute passed, then another, but his phone remained silent. Dunk's initial excitement began to dim.

Finally, his phone buzzed again: "I'll wait for you at 7 p.m. at my place. It's a date."

Dunk stared at his phone, his heart pounding so hard he could hear it in his ears. Was this real? Joong was his boyfriend now? The butterflies in his stomach almost made him feel sick. Placing his phone on the counter, Dunk opened the fridge and stared blankly into it for a few moments before closing it again. Unable to focus, he picked up his phone once more. His hands trembled slightly as he reopened his chat with Joong, biting his thumbnail as he thought about how to respond. No clever reply came to mind, so he simply typed: "Ok."

Another message buzzed through: "I guess you haven't seen it yet."

"Seen what?" Dunk replied, his curiosity piqued.

"The note I left. Check in your room."

Dunk rushed upstairs, nearly tripping over his own feet. He scanned the room until a yellow sticky note caught his eye, attached to one of his monitors. Stepping closer, he peeled it off and read:

"Even my goodbye kiss couldn't wake you up. Missing you already."

Dunk's lips curved into a smile as warmth spread through his chest. The butterflies in his stomach returned, but this time, he felt a bit calmer. He grabbed his phone and typed: "I miss you too. See you at 7. 😘"

A reply came almost instantly: "This is better! ☺️"

Joong's response made Dunk smile so widely his facial muscles started to ache. Shaking his head, he headed back downstairs to finally eat something. While eating, he couldn't stop thinking about what to wear and how the evening might unfold. Memories of last night flooded back, making him choke on his coffee.

What was I thinking? Right, I wasn't! Joong's going to think I want to do it! Dunk debated with himself. But isn't it normal if we do it? A calmer, more reasonable voice in his head countered. Deciding to push the thoughts aside, he finished his now-cold breakfast.

Dunk decided to spend the day preparing for his date. He started with some time on the treadmill, listening to his favorite music, letting the rhythm distract him from his thoughts. Afterward, he did a light home workout, wanting to look and feel his best without exhausting himself. After a quick shower, he began his skincare routine, carefully massaging products into his skin as he stole glances at his reflection. His thoughts wandered back to Joong, and a blush crept up his cheeks as he remembered the way Joong touched him the night before.

Was it too soon to take things further with Joong? Would it change our relationship? Dunk weighed the thought carefully, yet the more he considered holding back, the stronger his curiosity grew. He wanted to experience what it would truly feel like to be loved by Joong without hesitation or restraint.