"Did it come out good?" Hyunjae asked Kunhang seriously.
"Yes! It looks really pretty. But did you really stay up to do this on your own?" He asked looking at her hair.
She nodded, "Yeah! I thought it was only fair since he did it to me first."
Kunhang laughed. Despite the two dating their rivalries never stopped. It was funny at times, ok it was funny most of the time.
"Why red though?" Kunhang asked as she combed through her hair surprised that his fingers actually ran through her hair.
"Cause I like red. I feel like I rarely dye my hair red," She replied, "Should I cut the bangs a bit more?"
"You look fine Jae!" Kunhang reassured her, "It looks really pretty. Very much you."
Hyunjae had an idea to spontaneously dye and cut her hair last night. She ended up dying a few of her under layers red and cut some of it creating a hime haircut. (Yes oh bitna hair debut). She wasn't sure how it was gonna turn out but nonetheless she ended up satisfied.
She smiled at the compliment, "Thanks. I'm super nervous for today."
He raised his brow. Hyunjae wasn't the type to get nervous for dates. She always thought of them as just hangouts but for some reason this time it felt different.
"Come on this is Yuta we're talking about. Why are you nervous?" He asked plopping down onto her bed.
"I don't know," she answered falling back onto her desk chair as she put her scissors down, "It just feels weird but like a good weird."
"It's cause you loveeeeee him," Kunhang singsonged.
Hyunjae narrowed her eyes and threw her beauty blender at him, "We don't know that."
"You don't know that, I however have eyes and know for a fact that you do," he said catching the beauty blender with a witty smile.
"Anyway I have no clue what I'm gonna wear. I don't even know where we're going," she sighed changing the subject.
"Ask for some hints," Kunhang suggested as he tossed the beauty blender up and down.
Hyunjae chose to ignore whatever he was doing with it and decided that he was right. She would ask for some hints.
Jae <3
Heyyy
Where are we going
Or at least give me some info
So I can plan my outfit accordingly
Nayu <3
Man I wasn't gonna give any hints
But since you asked I will 🤩
It's inside and outside
And it requires quite some walking
Lots of food options too
Do what you will with that info
Jae <3
Why does it sound like you're taking me to a mall 😭
Nayu <3
What if I am 👀
Jae <3
I'll still enjoy it duhhh
Haha I honestly wouldn't mind
Nayu <3
I'm kidding
I wouldn't take you to the mall pretty girl
I do have standards
Jae <3
Heyyy
Dates don't always have to be something big and fancy
I'll enjoy them regardless
So is it fancy or???
Nayu <3
It's not a sit down dinner type of thing
It's more casual tbh
So like jeans are okay
Skirts are good too though
Jae <3
This has made me more confused 😵💫
Nayu <3
Don't over think it
You're a genius when it comes to outfits
Oh and it might get cold at night
But yeah don't over think
It's nothing over the top or like a five star restaurant
Jae <3
Ok that does kinda help
Thanks hehehe
Ill see you later 🤩
Nayu <3
See you Jae !
"Ok I got some info now help me decide!" She said to Kunhang as she tossed her phone to him.
He nodded as she began to pick clothes from her closet. Hyunjae's brain was working at lightning speed. She had a couple outfits in mind but she wasn't sure if they would look the way she wanted. After much back and fourth she narrowed it down to three outfits.
"Okay so we have three options, each one is interchangeable with a skirt if needed. But tell me what you think," she smiled hanging up the combinations.
Kunhang looked at them all. Of course they all looked good but there was one that definitely stood out amongst the rest of them.
"Definitely the middle one," he said giving her a thumbs up.
"Really you think so? I was leaning towards this one too but I wasn't sure if I should go with the pants or a skirt," She said putting back the two other outfits back into her closet.
"Definitely pants. It completes the look in my opinion."
Hyunjae smiled agreeing, "Thank you my fashion advisor."
He laughed at the sudden new title, "I should be calling you that. Speaking of which how's your little shop doing?"
"Good. I'm starting to make clothes for other people. Commissions if you will. I had someone ask me to make her a custom birthday dress so we'll see how it goes," She smiled happily.
Hyunjae's shop was doing immensely well. Not only that but now she was doing custom pieces for people and even small side jobs at school. Like designing the theatre department's set for one of their plays. She loved every bit of it.
"Next step biggest fashion designer in the world right?" He asked with a smile.
She sighed, "If only it were that easy. I've applied for a few internships. Nothing yet though."
"I thought you wanted to be your own boss," he asked confused.
"Well yeah but I gotta start somewhere," She pointed out while checking the time on her phone, "You know meet some people, make connections, and then dip and start my own fashion brand."
"Cunning, I like it," he nodded agreeing.
It wasn't cunning to her, unfortunately it was how most industries worked. If she wanted to become her own boss she'd have to climb her way up by any means necessary. Another way to do so was to be discovered by another artist or get celebrities to wear her clothes and promote her. But she felt that it was too easy that way plus some influencers and celebrities just wanted free stuff. She'd rather not take chances that way.
"I'm gonna head out. Sicheng and I are gonna go to a party," Kunhang said standing up to stretch.
"Ohhh a party? Where?" She asked intrigued.
They both hadn't been to a party in a while.
"Sicheng said that Lucas told him it was at a frat house on campus. Something about the party of the century I don't know."
"Sounds fun! You ready to mingle?" She asked teasingly.
He shrugged, "Not really interested. But I mean If I see someone intriguing why not."
"Nice," she smiled giving him a thumbs up, "You know who to call if you need any fashion advice."
He nodded, "will do!"
Hyunjae still had some time before she needed to get ready. So like most people she thought about getting some work done, but instead she ended up scrolling through tiktok a lot longer then intended. Her alarm went off causing her to scare herself.
'Well that was fast' she mumbled to herself.
She got up to go shower and do her usual routine. She wasn't sure how she wanted to do her hair. Pigtails? Was that too childish? Ponytail? Too much Ariana? Maybe just down? Too basic? Now she was overthinking again. Gosh why did this always happen? She stared at herself in the mirror attempting all the hair styles one by one. In the end she left it down but carried a couple extra hair ties just incase she wanted to tie it up later. Finally she got dressed in her outfit and put on some accessories like her necklace and a few rings. But she looked at her outfit unsure of how it looked.
Jae
Hey
I'm sorry to bug you
But I need reassurance
Does it still look okay?
Jae
Jae
I'm rethinking
Hendery
Jae stop
It looks good!
Why are you overthinking?
Jae
Idk 😭
Just nerves I guess
Hendery
Don't be :(
It's just like any other date
It's just a surprise date this time
Jae
You're right
Thanks Kunhang 🥺
Sorry for bugging you
Hendery
You're not bugging me jae :(
You know that
Plus I'm not even at the party yet
I just finished getting ready lol
But try not to overthink
And have fun Okay?
Jae
Gotcha!
Thanks Kunhang ❤️
You better have fun too
Hendery
I will 🤩
Nayu <3
Hey pretty girl
Are you ready?
Jae <3
Yup I'm ready if you are :]
Nayu <3
Cool meet up at the usual spot in ten :D
Jae <3
Alright see you 🤩
Hyunjae's nerves skyrocketed as she sent the text. Time was flying by, but she still didn't understand why she was so nervous. It was just a date, they had plenty. She was overthinking, that had to be it. That was the only explanation she had.
She grabbed her bag and slipped on her shoes before making her way down towards the fountain where they always met up. Yuta was already waiting there and as always he looked as great as always. She got butterflies as are approached him.
"Ready for this date?" She asked as approached him.
Yuta turned to look at Hyunjae. He recognized her voice of course but her hair not so much. His eyes widened at the realization that this wasn't a stranger. Hyunjae had just changed up her hair.
"Is this revenge because I always dye my hair without telling you?" He asked her as faced her.
"Kinda. I wanted to change it up a bit. I haven't dyed my hair in a while. Thoughts? Comments? Concerns?" She asked with a laugh.
"It's pretty. It suits you so well," he smiled gently touching a few strands of her hair. He loved it. It was a more daring haircut that most wouldn't dare try, but Hyunjae was never scared of a challenge, "But of course my opinion hardly matters, as long as you like it that's all that matters."
She blushed at his words and actions. Any amount of skinship from him made her blush.
"How are you real?" She laughed.
"I question that all the time. Now let's go I don't wanna miss our train," He smiled putting an arm around her.
"Lead the way, I'm so excited," she nodded as they walked towards the station, "But can you tell me where we're going?"
"No that'll ruin the surprise," Yuta laughed.
"Lameee."
——————-
"Do you think they're gonna show up later?" Sicheng asked as they walked out of his dorm room.
"I doubt it. I don't know what Yuta had planned but I doubt he'll wanna come back to a frat party," Sicheng laughed.
He knew Yuta well enough to know he wouldn't trade being alone with Hyunjae on a date for a a date with Hyunjae in a crowded houseparty.
"So you don't know where he's taking her?" Kunhang asked intrigued.
Sicheng shook his head, "Not a clue. He wouldn't tell me anything cause he was afraid I'd tell Hyunjae just to spite him."
Kunhang laughed at his words, he'd do the same thing if he was in Yuta's place.
"Understandable she's good at tricking people. It's one of her many talents," He spoke up as they arrived to the party location.
The house appeared brand new on the outside. It was freshly coated in white and was decked out on top with some Greek letters that neither of them understood. But they knew the inside would be a completely different story. Once they stepped inside the room was full of loud music, shinning lights, empty red cups, streamers and other unidentifiable objects. It was already pretty crowded in there and it reeked of alcohol. Which was normal for any frat party of course. They mazed their way through the dancing bodies to go get some drinks to get rid of the nerves. However they got a bit of a surprise when they arrived to the alcohol table.
"Sicheng!" Jaehyun waved as he saw him approaching the table.
He was there with Taeyong. They were both getting themselves some drinks as the party was starting.
"Did you guys just arrive?" Sicheng asked as they got closer to be able to communicate due to the loud music.
They both nodded enthusiastically.
"Is it just you two?" Taeyong asked curiously, "Jae's not here?"
Kunhang shook his head raising his brow slightly, "Nope she had plans already."
Taeyong nodded slowly, "Ah I see."
The air definitely changed around the two. It was like whenever Hyunjae was brought up the atmosphere changed around Taeyong. Weird.
"Yeah."
In all honesty Taeyong wanted to ask more but instead her just nodded and grabbed a drink.
———————
"Are we almost there?" She asked curiously.
"I'm not giving you any hints," Yuta laughed as Hyunjae continued to try to get clues from him, "You can probably already guess though."
They were in the train for a good ten minutes. Yuta said it would take fifteen minutes at most.
"I literally have no idea," She admitted.
"Then you'll have to wait," he smiled cheekily.
"Ah so lame," she pouted.
He laughed tucking her hair behind her ear gently, "Come on we're already here."
"Fine," She smiled as the subway stopped.
The two stood up along with a couple other people to exit the train. As they exited they were met with a loud atmosphere. Plenty of people talking and laughing, lots of teens and young adults walking around trying to get from one place to another. They exited the station and that's when Hyunjae was met with their date location.
"Lotte world?" Hyunjae asked surprised.
She had never been there ever. She's seen it in dramas and all over the media but she had never seen it in person. It was huge and honestly it looked pretty. She watched as couples, families, and friends all headed inside happily.
"Are you afraid of rollercoasters?" He asked genuinely concerned.
"Oh no! Sorry I was just taken back it's so much prettier in real life. I've never been," she chuckled taking it all in.
"Well where do you wanna start?" He asked as they got their tickets scanned to enter the park.
"No idea. There's so much to see and do. You choose."
Hyunjae was at a loss for words and thoughts. Her brain was still trying to process everything. Yuta planned a date at the infamous lotte world.
He nodded, "ok let's start inside."
"Oh my god wait we have to get the headbands," she smiled pulling him over to a headband stand right at the entrance.
There was literally tons of options to choose from. Various colors, styles, themes and of course animals. It was kind of a tradition to get headbands when at lotte world.
"So you pick for me and I'll pick for you. Sound good?" Yuta asked.
Hyunjae nodded, "Deal."
She looked around the racks of headbands trying to find the perfect one. After a while she was torn between two a lion one or a white tiger one. Truthfully she thought the white tiger one suited him best, but the lion one would also look really cute on him. What to do what to do? She finally chose the white tiger one after much internal debate with herself. They both made their way to each other holding the headbands behind their hands.
"Ready? On the count of three. One two three!"
They both showed their choices at the same time. Hyunjae looked over at the one Yuta picked out for her.
"Are those bear ears?" She laughed as he handed them over.
"Yup. I think they suit you."
"Not a bad choice at all but why do you think they suit me?" She asked curious.
"Because people probably think you look mean and scary but you're actually super cute and cuddly but you're also not afraid to smack a bitch," He responded seriously.
Hyunjae looked at him before giggling, " That's one way to say that I have a resting bitch face, but you're absolutely right."
Of course she was just teasing him as she usually did. He playfully sighed letting her have her moment.
"Ok well I chose a white striped tiger cause it just suits you. I feel like you have the personality of a Tiger when you play soccer," She admitted. "Plus the white hair is a nice bonus."
When he was on the field he was fast. Not only that but he pranced at the ball whenever he got the chance, Not to mention he looked intimidating too. She'd be scared if she was his opponent.
"Wow that's pretty accurate. I'll take it," he smiled as she handed it over.
They both put on the headbands laughing at how cute they looked. Of course Hyunjae had to snap a few pictures before they moved on.
"Cute," she chuckled as she looked over the pictures
"I bet. So what do you wanna do first?" He asked.
What did she wanna do first? Honestly there was a lot to do she wasn't sure how to narrow it down. At least until she smelled the sweet smell of cinnamon. Churros.
"I could go for a churro," she admitted.
She was kind of hungry and the smell of the churros nearby wasn't helping her, but she can't say that she hated it.
"Ok sounds like a plan," he smiled holding her hand as they walked towards the stand.
There was a family in front of them in the line a mom, dad, and then their three children, two girls and one boy. They all looked happy and excited to get a churro from the stand. They reminded Hyunjae of her own family. Even though her mother is insane, she can't say she didn't have good moments. She vaguely remembers being excited about being able to get a sweet treat from a food stall because they had all just finished a school recital. Granted they were like in elementary but it was one of, if not the only, happy memory she had of all of them.
"You okay?" Yuta asked as the line moved up.
"Huh yeah sorry," she said shaking her head slightly, "Just reminiscing on something. Don't mind me."
"Okay. Let me know if you wanna leave okay?" He said with a smile as their turn came up.
She smiled. She was beyond thankful for Yuta being so understanding. He never pressured her to talk about anything if she didn't want to and respected boundaries. What a man.
Yuta ended up buying the churro for her even though Hyunjae insisted that it was her idea so she should pay but he wasn't budging. He was pretty stubborn when he wanted to be.
"Today was my idea so I'll pay," he said handing over the money.
"That's not fair, you already paid for the headbands," she pouted.
"It is fair," he smiled brightly and handed over the churro.
She sighed not being able to see him unhappy. Though she promised that she would pay for the next thing, whatever that may be. She held the churro and took a bite as they walked towards the inside. It was warm and soft and it tasted like cinnamon of course, but it really hit the spot. It's been so long since she's had a churro.
"It's really good, try some. And I won't take no for an answer," she said seriously.
Yuta raised his hands in defense with a laugh, "okay okay."
Hyunjae held the churro towards him as he took a small bite.
"That's it?" She narrowed her eyes at him.
She assumed he was being stingy just so she could eat most of it, which wasn't gonna happen on her watch.
"I swear I'm fine," he chuckled, "I'm not that hungry."
"Did you eat before we got here?" She asked him genuinely wondering.
He paused, "Well. No."
She narrowed her eyes again and shoved the churro towards him, "you need to eat something. Come on nayu don't be stingy, you paid for this."
She felt bad that he was trying to hold back despite him paying for it and the trip itself. She didn't want this relationship to be the typical guy buys everything for girl.
"Fine. Only cause you're worried about me," he smiled brightly taking another bite just to satisfy her.
"Nice," she smiled patting his cheek.
Since lotte world was pretty big there were two separate sections. One on the outside with the bigger coasters and then one inside with the themed rides and even an ice skating rink. Of course there were plenty of rides in both sections and just as many food stalls.
"We have to go on the swinging Viking ship. It's a must!" He suggested as they entered the loud area.
It was crowded as expected for a weekend. The place was loud with talking, screaming, and even some performances and music. But it felt very normal to Hyunjae, she'd expect this type of vibe from an amusement park.
"Let's do that one first then," she agreed with him as she finished the churro. Hopefully she wouldn't be getting sick on the rides.
They walked hand in hand towards the line for the ride. It wasn't too crowded so the line went by fast. They sat in the middle of the ride which wasn't bad thankfully but Hyunjae hadn't been on a rollercoaster in so long she was slightly nervous. Though the various little kids on the ride put her a bit at ease.
As soon as the ride started her nerves went away immediately. The adrenaline was pumping through her veins. The ride was nothing more than swinging back and fourth but it would go somewhat higher with each swing. It was over in about a minute but it was so fun. It wasn't near as intense as some of the other rides but she still enjoyed it. A good ride to start the evening.
"Oh my god that was fun," she laughed carefully getting off the ride with Yuta at her side. The ride made her legs feel like jelly from the swinging.
"I know right. You choose next," he said with a smile.
"Okay," she agreed.
She thought about it for a moment and looked around at some of the rides. In the end she ended up choosing the spinning teacups. As expected they both got off the ride super dizzy. But Hyunjae could only blame herself because she bet Yuta he wouldn't be able to spin the teacup faster than everyone, unfortunately for her, he was able to. They headed over to a bench to recover from the ride. The pair were basically seeing stars.
"Looks like you owe me a stuffed animal," he smiled as they sat on a bench.
"I guess I do huh. I kinda regret making that bet I thought i was gonna barf at one point," she admitted with a laugh.
She would never underestimate Yuta's strength after this. She still felt like she was spinning despite being off the ride for a good five minutes. But she still enjoyed it!
" you should have told me!" He said concerned, "I would have stopped."
She shook her head, "nah it's okay! It was really fun! Okay let's go pick out that stuffed animal."
She lead the way towards one of the various shops in the park. It was super bright inside compared to the atmosphere outside the store that was full of darker lights.
"Ok nayu the store is your oyster," She smiled letting go of his hand so he could go take a look around.
She also looked around the store eyeing the plushies herself. There was definitely a lot to choose from but it was mainly Sanrio characters. Not that she minded at all, she loved all the Sanrio characters. There were some other teens and some kids looking around the store too, many of them trying to decide which plushie was worth the money. It was always a hard decision for Hyunjae when she was younger too. Plushies are not something to take lightly. She was kind of tempted to by herself a plushie but decided against it at the end because honestly it would be a hassle to carry around two stuffed animals.
"Found it! I want this one," Yuta smiled coming up to Hyunjae with a small pompompurin plushie.
She had to admit it was super cute. It was just slightly bigger than his head. She couldn't help but laugh.
"Cute," she smiled looking at the plushie in his hands, "I didn't think pompompurin was your favorite Sanrio character."
"I like all sanrio characters equally," He said matter-o-factly, "I just think he looks super cute holding this heart. Are you judging me?"
She playfully rolled her eyes, "And what if I was?"
"If you're a pompompurin hater I cant be with you," he said dramatically holding the plushie tighter.
Hyunjae chuckled at his dramatics, "Quite the opposite actually. He's my favorite character. I was gonna judge you because you wannabe me so bad."
"Nuh-uh," he shook his head, "I was born first so you wannabe me so bad."
She laughed seeing him act this way, "whatever. Anyway let's go pay. We have a lot to do!" She said taking his hand to go towards the register.
He put the plushie on the counter as the cashier rang it up. Hyunjae paid as she bagged it up and handed it over to Yuta.
"Happy?" She asked as they walked out of the store
"Immensely but what about you? What do you want?" He asked her seriously.
"I'm okay right now to be honest with you," She admitted.
She wasn't in a rush to buy any plushies or souvenirs or anything like that. Honestly she just wanted to enjoy the time with him.
"There has to be something you want. Be real with me."
"I really don't want anything. I just like spending time with you I guess," she shrugged.
Typical Hyunjae behavior. She won't outright admit that she liked being with him. Tsundere all the way.
"You guess?" Yuta teased.
"Mhm," she smiled nodding, "I guess."
"One day I'll get you to admit that you like me without saying I guess. Tsundere," he laughed pulling her along to go get something to eat before heading outside to the big rides.
They ate at one of the restaurants inside, they decided to get burgers at loteria. Yuta admitted to her that they were one of the best burgers he's ever had. Hyunjae had never been there despite there being like franchises everywhere, but she did have some pretty good burgers in her life thus far. She wanted to see how these burgers would hold up to her expectations. They say at a table and chatted while waiting for the food. Mostly Yuta trying to get Hyunjae to admit that she liked hanging out with him without being a tsundere about it, but she wasn't easy. Whether she would admit it or not she was shy about her feelings sometimes, hence why she doesn't like the word love, or admitting that she likes someone, it's kind of hard for her to get used to the idea of someone not deflecting her feelings. She blames her mother for that.
"Jaeeeeee come on," he pouted getting all up in her face.
She shook her head poking his forehead so he'd move back a bit, "no way nayu. It'll happen when it happens."
"But-"
"Order number 26 youre order is ready."
Hyunjae smiled, "do you want to go or do I go?"
"I'll go," he sighed in defeat.
Hyunjae let out a breathe of relief as he left. It really was hard keeping up a front in front of him. He almost got her with his pout to be honest, but she was (barely) strong enough. She just kept thinking about Kunhang's words about love. He said she'll know when it happens but how does one even know? Is it a feeling? Butterflies? What if it was the other day when he kissed her forehead and she didn't even know?
"Okay pretty girl. Here you go," he smiled setting the tray in front of her, "If you don't like it let me know. We can go somewhere else."
"I'm good. Thanks pretty boy," she smiled patting his cheek gently.
They ate peacefully and to Hyunjae's surprise they were actually really good. Like there was just something about this burger that really hit the spot. The fries were just as good, crispy but not hard or burnt. Plus they had this seasoning that you add to the bag of fries then you shake them to coat them. It was fun to do she felt like a kid playing with her food.
"Ok they slap," she agreed as they finished the meal.
"I know," he winked, "You really enjoyed shaking the fries huh."
She chuckled getting flustered, "Yeah! It's a new experience for me."
"It's cute," he smiled sipping his drink.
"Is it really?" She asked intrigued.
He nodded, "its interesting to see how the little things make you light up."
She felt her cheeks heat up due to his words. He was always so damn flirty but she didn't hate it obviously.
"Let's go before I get a heart attack," she joked.
He agreed as they stood up to throw their trash away and head out. They walked around to let the food go down before going on the bigger rides. They played a few arcade games while waiting, lots of racing games and crane games (but sadly no luck there). They even took pictures in front of the infamous carousel that appeared in the dramas and various kpop mvs. They even watched a few performances that were happening. Many of them either upcoming kpop groups or dance crews. All of them we're amazing of course, it kind of made Hyunjae reminiscence of her very short time as a trainee. She wondered where she would be if she actually stayed and became an idol. But she pushed the thoughts away as they finally walked towards the outside area. They did a few more small rollercoasters before walking towards the big rides.
"Can we please do that couple thing where we take pictures in a photo booth?" He asked as a row of photo booths came into view.
"I thought you'd never ask," she said excitedly.
Personally she always loved photobooths. Especially with her friends, they always did the funniest shit. One time Hyunjae and Irene almost cut Johnny's hair in one, Good times. They picked a random one and entered. The bright lights blinded them as they looked at the directions. It would print two strips with three pictures in each.
"Okay ready?"
Yuta nodded. Hyunjae clicked start and the five second countdown began. For the first pose they both did peace signs. The second one Yuta did bunny ears in Hyunjae as she poked yuta's cheek. For the last one Yuta did half a heart with his hand and Hyunjae completed it but at the last second she turned to him and kissed his cheek. Yuta's smile widened and she swore his cheeks began to redden.
"That's for the other day," She teased as the pictures printed out.
Hyunjae felt the need to one up him after that little stunt he pulled. Only cause she really couldn't stop thinking about it. She thought of it as healthy competition.
"Dude you could have told me, I'm gonna look so dumb in the last picture," he pouted.
She shook her head, "where's the fun in that?" She looked at the pictures as they stepped out, "oh my god you look so cute."
"Lemme see!" Yuta gleamed looking over her shoulder. She showed them to him before handing him his own strip.
"Okay maybe I do look cute," he agreed nodding.
"Just a little," she teased him.
The pictures came out adorable. Since they were able to add stuff to them like hearts, flowers, writing and more, it felt really personal and cute.
"Not a little you said I look SO cute," he said mimicking her happily putting an arm over her.
"Yes you are sooooo cute," she said taking his photostrip to put it in her bag so they wouldn't get ugly or lost, "Now let's go!"
Yuta smiled that she admitted that he was soooo cute. Yes he knew that already but it sounded better coming from Hyunjae. They rode a few big rollercoasters, in which Hyunjae held onto Yuta because of the drops, before heading to the final ride.
The final ride of the night was one Hyunjae was actually kind of scared of. It was called the gyro drop and it literally just dropped from a high height. She loved rollercoasters but this was on another level. Personally she wouldn't consider it a rollercoaster but that was just her.
"You nervous?" Yuta asked as they waited in line.
She leaned against the railing looking up at the ride, "Maybe a little bit."
"It's not too bad, look," he said motioning over to some of the other people in line.
She looked over and noticed some kids in line, they couldn't be older that 13. They were with their parents but they were ecstatic to be in line. The girl kept pointing up at the ride as the mother laughed nodding.
"Wow a little kid is braver than me," she chuckled, "Now I have to go on."
She was surprised that a younger kid wasn't even the least bit scared. It amazed her.
"Plus you can just hold my hand or something," he said using her own words.
"Nice," she chuckled as the line moved along.
They would most likely get on the next round. There was about ten people in front of them so it wasn't too bad.
"So what did you think about the game yesterday?" He asked intrigued.
"I already told you, you kicked ass as usual," she chuckled, "you did really good. But you probably knew that already huh."
He nodded enjoying the praise.
"I saw that one guy in a suit go up to talk to you. What was that about?" She asked as she recalled seeing a man give Yuta his card.
"Oh! He's the manager for a soccer team in Japan. This is the third offer I've gotten from scouts. One from America, one from japan and one from here actually."
Hyunjae nodded in awe. Yuta was super talented it made sense that he had been getting offers to join nations teams.
"Do you know if you wanna go to any of those teams yet?" She asked him curiously.
He shook his head, "Nah I still have plenty of time to weigh my options."
Yuta wasn't sure if he really wanted to take on soccer as his full time career. There were a lot of thing that could end his career, but he figured it was like that for most careers too. He wasn't sure what he wanted to do.
"Good. Do what's best for you," she encouraged him with a smile.
"I will. But what about you?" He asked.
Hyunjae shrugged, "I don't know. If I wanna be a designer I wanna start my own brand. I don't wanna be a ghost designer for some corporate company to get all the credit for my work."
The one thing she promised herself from the beginning is that she wanted to be in charge of whatever she did. There would be nobody giving her order or stealing her ideas. She would have full control of her future.
"Strong independent woman," Yuta agreed giving her a thumbs up.
"Girl boss," she agreed, "you know what I just realized?"
Yuta raised his brow intrigued, "What?"
"If you get famous you're gonna have groupies!" She laughed thinking about how many women and men drool over famous athletes.
"You have too much faith in me. I don't even know if I wanna pursue soccer for sure."
Hyunjae nodded, "That's true but imagine seeing your face on the cover of a sports magazine. That's so crazy."
She liked to think about the future a lot. Even if it was uncertain she would imagine her life if she made it as a big name designer. She lived far away from her mother and nobody ever brought up her past. She often imagined herself on the cover of a fashion magazine as well or even headlining New York fashion week, any fashion week actually.
"That would be insane," he agreed putting an arm around her, "but I think if anyone was to get on the cover of a magazine it would be you miss fashion designer."
"Hopefully," she sighed laying her head on his shoulder.
The day she gets on the cover of a magazine and owns a clothing line is the day she can finally say she made it. Everything that followed after would be a plus. The line moved again, this time it was time for them to board the ride.
"You ready?" Yuta asked as they sat down and strapped themselves in.
Hyunjae shook her head, "Not even close but it's too late now."
The employees went around to check everyone's restraints before letting the ride begin.
"Just don't look down," Yuta chuckled.
She playfully rolled her eyes, "Easy for you to say! I can literally only look down or ahead and I don't know which is worse."
It was either look down at the park or look ahead at the rest of Seoul. Both equally terrifying. He laughed at her outburst and held her hand gently. He knew that it wouldn't help very much but it would hopefully keep her distracted until they made it all the way up. She immediately held onto his hand. It put her at ease a bit, what also helped was that the other couple next to her were both freaking out. The screams from everyone on the ride increased as they finally made it to the top. Hyunjae couldn't deny that the sight of Seoul lit up was beautiful from this height but that quickly changed as the ride made a noise. Yup they were gonna drop any second now.
"Dude what the fuck?" Hyunjae asked gripping yuta's hand a bit tighter.
"Any second now," he told her with a laugh.
A choruses of hurry up and just drop already surrounded them from every direction. Hyunjae was also being one of those people but she was mostly talking to Yuta not shouting.
"If I die you can have my paints," she said seriously.
"You're not gonna die. I wouldn't bring my future girlfriend to a death trap," he laughed.
Future girlfriend?
"Wait what?!" But before she could push further the ride dropped.
Everyone screamed as the ride dropped making it feel like they were gonna fly out of their seats. The screams died down as the ride was close to the bottom. Wait that was it? Yuta was laughing at Hyunjae's reaction to the literal ten second drop.
"That's it?!" She asked him dumbfounded as the ride slowly came to a stop.
He nodded laughing, "I told you it wasn't that bad. Honestly the ride up is scarier than the drop."
The employees released their restraints and everyone began to walk off the ride. Hyunjae and Yuta followed the crowd through the exit.
"Dude what did you mean by what you said up there?" She asked as they walked towards the castle to take some final pictures.
"What I said a lot of things?" He asked unsure.
She wasn't sure if he was playing dumb, but little did she know that he was. It only felt right to tease her.
"Before we dropped you said you wouldn't bring me onto a death trap," she said.
"Well yeah why would I do that? I like you," he laughed noticing she purposely left out the fact that he called her his future girlfriend.
She pouted, "nevermind."
She assumed that he didn't even realize that he called her his girlfriend. Maybe it was because he was slightly scared of the drop too. People often tend to say nonsense when they're scared.
"Ready for the final stop?" He asked her.
She nodded, she wanted to see the castle all lit up. It would look cute in their pictures. Of course plenty of other people had the same idea so it was crowded. They walked around the lit up castle trying to find a decent spot away from the other couples and families. Hyunjae spotted a couple leaving from the literal center.
"Yuta! Over here," she quickly grabbed his hand to pull him towards the spot.
"Nice catch," he chuckled seeing the spot.
She looked up at the castle amazed, to think she had only seen it in dramas and movies. It was way bigger and brighter in real life. Not to mention it was beautiful with all the lights lit up. It really felt like a fairytale just standing by it.
Yuta asked another couple waiting if they could take a few pictures for them. He also mentioned that he would return the favor for them. He handed over his phone as they stood in front of the castle. The first one was just a casual friend pose as they stood next to each other. The second one Yuta put his arm around her and she snuggled up to him holding up a peace sign. Finally for the third one like in the photo booth they made a heart together but this time Yuta was one to kiss her cheek. Hyunjae laughed in between the pictures. They thanked the couple before Yuta went to take their pictures. Hyunjae stood aside watching the couple in front. She could tell they had been dating for at least a year. They were very close and shared lots of skinship. It was almost like they were talking telepathically. They just gave each other a look and then they would laugh. They were really cute, they were even matching but not in an obvious way. They were both wearing the exact same pair of shoes but the laces were different colored. She liked that. Not to mention their color scheme was pink and white, they made it look really cute.
Yuta handed back the phone to the couple and thanked them before walking away. He gave Hyunjae the biggest smile as he walked towards her. His smile was so pretty and bright, it just exuded happiness. It always made Hyunjae smile even when he was teasing her, she really liked his smile. Of course due to the bright lights his piercings literally sparkled as he walked towards her. That's probably one of her favorite non-generic features about him. She imagined herself counting them and asking for all the stories behind them. Don't even get her started on his personality. Probably the funniest guy alive and caring at that, super down to earth what's not to like. She could go on for hours about how much she liked everything about him. Yuta made his way towards her and wrapped his arms around her in a hug. It took Hyunjae by surprise but her body reacted immediately. She just melted in his arms as she hugged him back. This was nice. She always liked hugs but yuta's hugs were different. She heard him chuckle as he just held her. She looked up at him as he looked down at her. Yup just as handsome as always. Her heart was doing a whole gymnastics routine again. They looked at each other and just laughed with each other for no reason. It's like they just knew. Her heart was racing at an ungodly rate and she couldn't help it. She began to think back to all the times they had spent together in these three almost four months. It felt like more if she was being honest but it's because she enjoyed every moment of it. From their weekly painting nights to going to his games, she enjoyed all of it. At this proximity she could smell his cologne, he always wore it on dates or after soccer practice. It was Tom Ford, she knew that because he told her it was his favorite scent. She grew to like the smell a lot. She grew to like Yuta a lot more than anticipated. Little did she know Yuta was doing the same.
He was taking it all in. Today really made him realize that he liked Hyunjae a lot more than he thought. There was just something about seeing her smile that made him get butterflies. Or when she patted his cheek gently he loved that skinship. He admired how she didn't back down from him or anyone for that matter, she definitely knows what she wants. He could go on and on about her, truthfully he was strung, he'd even admit that he's simping for her. She was his pretty girl, he wanted to make it known.
"You okay? You kinda froze," he laughed lightly speaking up.
"Mhm just thinking," she admitted unsure of what caused her to just think about him out of the blue.
"Oh that reminds me. I need to ask you something," he said with a smile gently letting go of her.
"Yes?" She asked tilting her head slightly.
That phrase really freaked Hyunjae out. It could be good or bad and that made her anxious. Her brain immediately thought of the worst case scenario. What if he just brought her here to break up with her?
"Be my girlfriend?"
"PAUSE WHAT?!" She asked pinching herself.
She must be hearing things right? Yes that was definitely it. Yuta laughed seeing her pinch herself. He held both of her hands gently to ask again.
"Do you want to be my girlfriend and do you want me to be your boyfriend?" He asked once more.
"You don't even have to ask! Yes of course!" she exclaimed hugging him tightly.
Was she a bit disappointed that he beat her to the punch, yes but she couldn't contain her happiness. Holy shit that was her boyfriend now? Wait. There was one thing on her mind that she couldn't let go.
"Wait does that mean you did call me your future girlfriend on the ride?" She asked letting go of him.
"Yup," he nodded smiling.
"Lame!" She replied laughing.
"But it charmed you didn't it?" He asked proud of himself.
"Yeah yeah."
Yuta felt a weight lift off of his shoulders. Honestly he wasn't planning on asking today but it felt right at this moment. He felt like there wouldn't be a better opportunity and he really didn't want to risk losing her. So he bit the bullet and thankfully it worked out well.
"Let's head home yeah?" He asked putting an arm around her.
"Yeah," she agreed snuggling up to him.
All the way home was just full of laughter and jokes and teasing of course. They arrived on campus but decided to hang outside at the park for a while. It mostly consisted of a lot of hugging and more teasing. Mostly from Hyunjae. They stood near a tree just talking and enjoying the night. At one point she became his personal photographer since he said he wanted a new profile picture. As she finished she decided what better time to tease him than now.
"Hey Yuta, ohhhh you wanna kiss me so bad," she teased as he leaned against the tree.
"I think you wanna kiss me so bad." He smirked holding her hand.
"Yeah I do," she shrugged being way too nonchalant about it.
"I hope you know that you could have kissed me whenever you wanted to," he said seriously.
He wasn't joking. Hyunjae could have kissed him at any moment and he wouldn't complain at all. There were times where he wanted to but he second guessed himself a lot.
"You could have too to be honest. The whole consent thing was really sweet though," she smiled thinking back to that time when Sicheng accidentally cockblocked.
Before he could respond she wrapped her arms around his neck to pull him close and close the gap between them. Yuta froze for a second before kissing back. He gently pulled her closer. It was better than he thought it would be, yes he had thought about it, sue him. Hyunjae's lips were soft and he could taste her cherry chapstick. It went well with his mint chapstick, but he wouldn't say it out loud because he knew Hyunjae didn't like mint. Though it didn't seem to bother her at the moment. He'd probably hear her complain about it later. Hyunjae on the other hand was melting into the kiss. The kiss was slow but it was a hungry one at that. They could both tell that the other had wanted this for quite some time now. They both pulled apart to breathe for a second. They looked at each other before letting out a few laughs. It was definitely worth the wait.
"Man you did wanna kiss me," Yuta spoke breaking the silence with a laugh.
Hyunjae playfully punched him, "I think it's the other way around. You wanted to kiss me."
He smiled innocently before stealing another quick kiss. "Maybe you're right pretty girl." He winked, "Wait wanna go get high?"
"Is this your excuse to shotgun again?" She asked with a smirk.
"Yes and no."
She patted his cheek gently, "I'm down pretty boy."
He smiled stealing another kiss from her before they went to go look for spot to sit down and chill. After a bit of smoking, they did shotgun again and yes they did actually kiss this time, they sat next to each other looking up at the stars.
"Look I'm telling you that if you connect those stars it's a whale," Yuta laughed pointing out the stars to Hyunjae.
"Babe, no," she laughed, "That's literally just a circle."
Yuta got flustered at the use of the pet name. They had never used any pet names aside from like pretty girl and pretty boy. He was liking this new development for them. Hyunjae wasn't sure where it came from either, it felt natural to her though.
He looked up again, "Are you positive? I see a whale."
Hyunjae laughed looking at the supposed whale, "You're so cute."
"No you are."
"No we are not gonna be one of those couples," she teased, "But you're cuter. Dude it's so weird to say you're my boyfriend. Like I cant get used to saying it. Boyfriend," she said slowly as of she was trying to spell it out.
"I know right. You're my girlfriend," He spoke holding her hand gently.
She looked up at him with a smile, "Maybe dating Isn't so bad."
"It's not so bad if it's with the right person," Yuta admitted, "I think I might have found my person."
"Stop I'm gonna cry," she pouted.
She wasn't expecting him to get all sappy. It was really cute but she knew that if he continued she'd probably cry. Finding genuine affection was hard for her. She felt like she didn't deserve it.
"Okay okay sorry," he chuckled changing the subject, "Wanna get McDonald's?"
"Yeah! But I'll buy," she said standing up as she held her hand out for him.
He took her hand and stood up, "Only if you really want to."
"I got it pretty boy just go with it," she smiled letting go of his hand to walk away.
Yuta stood there starstruck, yeah this is his girlfriend now. He was one lucky dude.
"Wait up! How do you walk so fast!"
"I'm not! You're just slow!"
He ran up to her catching up easily. He picked her up and threw her over his shoulders laughing.
"No fair you're a soccer player you're basically trained to run fast!" She exclaimed laughing as they got various looks from the people walking around. But they both ignored them anyway.
"Should have thought about that before you ran away," he laughed as she basically just hung on.
Nayutas
Liked by loselose, notkunhang and 833 others
Nayutas ♥️
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Loselose I WANT IT GIMME
notkunhang I want him too!
Loselose I'll fight you for him rn!
Nayutas no ♥️
Wendyson so cute wtf :(
Valentineboy so cute!
Hyunjaes
Liked by baeirene, notkunhang, and 733 others
Hyunjaes the gyro drop was very much scary but the castle was breathtaking 🤍
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Notkunhang YOU WENT TO LOTTE WORLD
Hyunjaes yeah I was just as shocked as you
Baeirene it's so pretty omg
Iamyeri let's go on a date there jae 😔
Hyunjaes I'm down 🤩
Notkunhang ME TOO
Heresjohnny me three!
Hendery
JAE HE TOOK YOU TO LOTTE WORLD
Jae z
Yeah 😧
Hendery
Dude !
That's so fucking cute
Did you have fun???
Jae z
Yeah but aren't you at a party 🤨
Hendery
Yeah but like this is way more interesting
Plus I'm not drunk so it's fine!
Jae z
Uh huh
Where's win?
Hendery
Probably throwing up in the bathroom
Jae z
You're a terrible friend 😭
Go find him 😭
Hendery
Omg I was joking
He's talking to Jaehyun
He went to get some more drinks but yeah
He got caught up lol
Jae z
Oh Jaehyun's with you guys?
Hendery
Nah he came with yong
But enough about this lame party
HOW WAS YOUR DATE
Jae z
Haha it was great
Amazing
Spectacular if you will
Hendery
Yeah?
Did you do a lot ?
Jae z
Yeah
We went on a good amount of rides
Ate some food
Played arcade games and guess what
Hendery
What?
Jae z
That baby finally my boyfriend 😮💨
(A/n that's my favorite tiktok sound LMAOO)
Hendery
BITCH
Are you FR?????
Jae z
Hahah yeah :D
He beat me to it and asked me
And I said yeah
Hendery
IM SO HAPPY FOR YOU WTF
Are you freaking out???
Jae z
I was but I'm home now and
I'm trying to process it 😭
Hendery
Tbh I knew it would happen
I just didn't know when
Jae z
I wanted to ask him first 😔
But either way I'm very happy
Hendery
I'm glad :')
Jae z
Hehe now go mingle or whatever
I'm exhausted so I'm going to bed !
Hendery
Fine but I want all the details tomorrow
Jae z
You got it!
- a/n
I think I took slow burn a lil too slow, but things will be moving much faster since I'm trying to make these chapters longer lol.
Also if you don't know what tiktok trend I'm talking about it's the one I just posted on my message board. :D thank you for reading!