seeing jeno in real life versus watching him in videos were two very different things, yoonmi realized.
for starters, jeno was a lot taller than anticipated. yoonmi, who typically stood at 5'5, was shocked to find herself looking up at the dark haired boy.
secondly, jeno's pictures might have been attractive but they couldn't prepare her for seeing his face off of a screen. he was nothing short of ethereal, with a handsome nose and pretty lips. underneath his eye, there was a mole that accentuated his beauty even further.
how nice would it be, she thought, to kiss him right there.
"yoonmi," he said, surveying her with wide eyes.
"jeno," she responded with a smile.
yoonmi put great effort into her outfit today. she was clad in a salmon pink dress and cropped cardigan. she'd done her makeup a bit more carefully than usual and even gone to the length of straightening her hair.
he cleared his throat and looked away, focusing his eyes on her apartment complex and the surrounding buildings. "you live in a nice area." he pointed out, avoiding eye contact.
"thanks. so shall we?" she gestured to his car.
"oh yeah," he said, as if he just remembered what he'd come here for. he opened the passenger side door before going around and sitting in the driver's seat.
yoonmi blushed at his gesture, choosing to ignore the fact that he wouldn't look her in the eye, and entered the car.
"so, where are we going first!"
"seatbelt, please."
yoonmi rolled her eyes, putting on her seatbelt before facing jeno again. "so, where are we going first?" she repeated.
jeno hummed in thought. "the mall is closest, right? and if we have to go to two places in there, might as well head there first."
yoonmi clapped her hands together. "ya, jeno. you are a genius."
jeno rolled his eyes this time, starting his car and pulling out of the driveway.
__
"plush, check. jacket, check. shoes, check. all that's left is..."
jeno raised his eyebrows. "there's more gifts to get?"
yoonmi shook her head with a mischievous smile. "no, not a gift."
"well, what is it? we still have a few more stores to go to."
"buy me that please." she asked cutely, pointing at a small sweet shop. a huge sign advertised mini cinnamon rolls with cream cheese frosting.
"you want dessert?"
she nodded, holding her hands together in a pleading gesture.
jeno seemed to think about it for a moment, pausing before grabbing her by the wrist. "follow me," he said, leaving her without a choice as he dragged her past the bakery and towards a table with two seats.
"sit down. i'll be right back."
yoonmi nodded in confusion, watching as he ran off and disappeared inside the throng of shoppers. she played with her phone awkwardly, wondering where exactly he'd gone.
"here," jeno said, breathing heavily as he put two bags down in front of her.
he wiped at his forehead and yoonmi narrowed her eyes in suspicion. "jeno, did you run?"
"no."
"hm, okay." yoonmi opened up the first bag to find a to-go container with soba noodles and sushi. "jeno, you-,"
"you shouldn't eat sweets before eating a meal," he stated, taking the seat in front of her. "i bought you the cinnamon rolls too, so eat your noodles and then have the dessert."
yoonmi felt her cheeks grow pink, and her face split into a coy smile. "jeno, do you want to marry me?"
"shut up and eat." he mumbled, running a hand through his hair.
yoonmi laughed, taking out the chopsticks and breaking them apart. "how'd you know i liked soba?" she asked, taking her first bite.
"choa."
"choa really just tells everyone everything, doesn't she?"
jeno nodded. "it's a bit concerning how ready she is to tell me all your personal information."
"hey, jeno. where's your food?"
"oh, i'm not hungry."
"come here," she sighed, gesturing for him to move his chair closer to hers.
"yoonmi, i'm really not-," he began to protest before being cut off by yoonmi shoveling a bite into his mouth.
despite more protesting, they shared the soba with yoonmi feeding him every other bite. she shared the cinnamon roll with him too, and was a bit surprised when she noticed strangers walking past and pointing to them, whispering about how cute of a couple they were and how good they looked together.
jeno seemed oblivious, mindfully chewing at whatever yoonmi fed him. yoonmi, on the other hand, beamed with every implication that she and jeno were together.
"yoon," jeno said, dodging her forkful of food, "i'm full."
"shh, just one more bite."
__
after they were done with the last store, yoonmi was surprised to find that it'd become dark out. time seemed to have been moving at a faster pace than usual, which annoyed her in a way.
"where are we going next," she asked, putting on her seatbelt.
"i'm taking you home," jeno answered, starting the car.
"already?" yoonmi pouted, before kicking off her heels.
"are you taking off your shoes?"
"yes, they're new and now my feet hurt."
"you should have told me, i could have bought you slippers."
yoonmi leaned over to pinch his cheek. "please marry me."
jeno pushed her hand away, rolling his eyes. "stop, i'm driving."
"i'm kind of tired," yoonmi yawned, stretching her limbs as she watched all the buildings they drove past.
jeno turned on the radio and the car was suddenly filled with soft instrumentals. yoonmi leaned her head against the window, before she knew it she'd fallen asleep.
"yoon."
"mimi."
"yoonmi?"
"hm?" yoonmi stirred awake at the sound of a soft voice calling her name, she opened her eyes to see jeno hovering over her face.
"we're here." he said simply, as if unaware of their close proximity.
yoonmi's heart skipped a beat as she registered how close he was, the sleepiness in her system being replaced by a fluttering in her stomach.
his eyes flickered to her mouth, and for a split second, yoonmi could swear he was thinking about kissing her. she leaned up in an attempt to close the space between them.
their mouths were now mere centimeters away, and jeno's eyelashes had fluttered shut, prompting yoonmi to shut her own in anticipation as he cupped her cheek.
before their mouths could meet, the startling sound of a phone ringing flooded throughout the car, bringing them to their senses.
jeno flew back into his seat, clearing his throat as yoonmi checked her phone.
"it's kura." she said, scratching at her neck.
"go ahead," jeno gestured for her to take the phone call.
"i'll just call her when i get inside," she mumbled awkwardly, pressing decline. "goodnight jeno," she said, refusing to meet his eye as she stumbled out of the car with her shoes in hand.
__
question for readers: are u guys team jaemin or team jeno?
i'm curious