When Sophia shows up at your apartment a couple of days later, she makes it very clear that the two of you are going to spend the day shopping together. There are no ifs, ands, or buts about it. She grabs your purse by the front door, throws a very quick "hi" and "bye" to an amused Sunwoo on the couch, and barely lets you put your shoes on before she's pulling you out the door.
You trip over your own feet as she drags you to her vehicle and grab onto her arm to keep yourself from face planting into the dirt. "Jesus, Soph, what's the rush?"
She slows down when she sees that you can barely keep up with her and turns to you. "Apparently, I've had to take drastic actions because you've decided to ditch me for your new roommate."
"I have not ditched you," you immediately argue as you come to a stop outside of her car. "There's just a lot going on."
She raises her brows as she waits for you to elaborate, and you sigh.
"Where do I even start? Minjee being a bitch from hell, the fact that I might have a developing crush on Sunwoo, or Jay randomly showing up a few days ago and bursting into my apartment?"
Sophia throws her hands up in a wait gesture and shakes her head with furrowed brows. She opens her mouth to say something before she closes it and shakes her head again. You know you threw a lot at her at once and it's gonna take a minute for her to process it all.
She blinks at the ground for a moment before she points to her car. "In."
Without another word, you both climb into the vehicle. You silently wait for her to say something, examining her face while you wait and noting the disbelief and anger mixing on it. A moment later, she turns to you with narrowed eyes.
"You're just now telling me all of this?"
Leaning back into the seat, you stare out the front window. Any other time, you would've told Sophia everything the minute it happened, but these instances were slightly different. Minjee's always a bitch, so that's nothing new, and when it comes to your possible crush… well, you're just now admitting to yourself that it's even there. You haven't given yourself the chance to think about it or process it. Then, when it comes to Jay… you have Sunwoo. You've been talking about it all with him.
"It's been a long week," you finally answer.
"Should I wait to drive until after you tell me about Jay? I really don't want to total my car."
You let out a soft laugh before you tell her everything that went down the day Jay showed up at your house. Her eyes grow angrier and wider the longer you speak. You watch as your dear, sweet Sophia turns into the human equivalent of a hellhound in the driver’s seat. It's a good thing she waited to drive because she is a ball of anger nearly ready to explode.
"I'll kill him."
"You haven't even heard the entire story yet."
"There's more?" She asks incredulously.
Nodding, you say, "Sunwoo punched him in the face."
Her entire body comes off the seat as she looks at you with wide eyes. Her voice rises a couple of levels as she loudly asks, "He did what?!"
All you do is nod, and she slowly turns to face the steering wheel again, sinking into her seat as she whispers, "This is insane."
"Don't I know it."
She's quiet for a little bit before she turns to face you, eyes still wide as before. "Sunwoo punched him?" Nod. "In the face?" You tap your nose in response, and she goes. "Eric's gonna lose his shit."
Another thought hits her a moment later, and she side-eyes you. "Sunwoo defended your honor, huh?"
"If that's what you want to call it. Yes."
"Uh-huh," she slowly says, a growing smirk on her face. "Is that all we're gonna call it?"
"He was just being a good friend," you nonchalantly respond.
She stares at you unamused before saying, "You do remember like five minutes ago when you admitted to having a crush on him, right?"
"I said I might be developing a crush on him."
Sophia attempts to hide her smile as she finally puts the car in reverse and pulls out of her parking spot. You know she can see right through you. She probably knows how you're feeling before you do, or maybe you're just not fully ready to accept the truth yet.
Admittedly, there are moments when you find something that Sunwoo says or does to be extremely attractive. It's obvious to you why the female and some of the male population fall all over themselves for Sunwoo. Add that to the way he willingly stepped in to help you with your ex and those stupid phone calls you're sure were from Jay, and you can see yourself falling for him. Hard. The thought scares you, but… a little less than it initially had.
"Is there something going on between the two of you?" Sophia asks after letting you stew in silence for a few minutes.
"We're just friends," you answer, but notice Sophia giving you a sly look that tells you she thinks otherwise. "Sunwoo has never shown interest in me like that, so quit."
As the words are coming out of your mouth, your mind is repeating the word "liar" over and over. His small flirty comments, his smirk when he makes you nervous, and the looks he gives you when saying something flirtatious all immediately come to the forefront of your mind, but he's like that with all the girls, isn't he? That's his method of operation. He's a fuckboy.
Or… he was a fuckboy? Your brows furrow as you try to remember the last time he brought a random girl over or the last time you overheard him and Minjee banging his headboard against the wall… It's been quite a while… You didn't think he was going to their places anymore, either, because he spent a lot of nights home now…
Could he… Your heart starts fluttering for a second, but you quickly stomp it down. No… no. You highly doubt you're the reasoning behind any of it. Maybe he's tired of that life, or maybe he hasn't found anyone interesting enough yet. Hell, maybe he's finally facing his past instead of searching for answers he'll never get.
"You're so oblivious," Sophia says, breaking through your thoughts and causing you to turn to her.
"Excuse me?"
She lifts her chin up. "You heard me. Sunwoo's never shown interest in you? Yeah, okay."
"What are you talking about?"
You raise your brows as Sophia breathes out a laugh and shakes her head. "I guess you really never did notice."
"Notice what?"
She glances at you before focusing back on the road. "The way Sunwoo watches you when you talk."
Her words catch you by surprise, and you're not entirely sure what to make of them. "What?"
She sighs. "I always thought you knew but just didn't want to entertain him…"
You stay silent as you wait for her to explain whatever the heck she's talking about.
"Whenever we were with the group hanging out, Sunwoo always stared at you when you talked like he admired you or found you intriguing. He's also always watched your interactions with Eric and Kevin a little closer than anyone else. I've seen him attempt to join them, but you barely paid him any attention. He's even tried to drag you into conversations, but you never took the bait." She tells you while her eyes are trained carefully on the road. "I always thought he was interested in you and was going to try to hook up with you at the very least, but you never gave him the opportunity to."
You lean back in your seat and digest the information. You try to decide if Sophia is just reading into things, but with the way you've closed yourself off from anyone that wasn't close to you, she may be right.
"He probably just wanted to add me to his list."
She's silent before saying, "You don't really believe that, do you?"
No, you didn't. You wanted to believe she was right, but a part of you couldn't be sure. Maybe Sunwoo wanted to shoot his shot, but you certainly didn't think he had a hit list of who to sleep with. Could Sophia be right? Has he been interested in you, and you just never realized it? Was there more to his comments and actions than just harmless flirting?
"I think he likes you," she confidently says, causing your heart to flutter.
"He doesn't like me," you deny. It's so much safer to act like it's not true, to not allow yourself to fall into that breathless feeling of falling for someone, but your heart flutters anyway.
"Oh, he likes you," a teasing smile grows on her face, and you know she's not gonna stop anytime soon.
It feels like your stomach is filling with butterflies, and no matter how much you try to get rid of them, more seem to take their place. A smile reluctantly grows on your face as Sophia continues to tease you, and when she finally pulls into a parking spot at the mall, you throw open the car door to escape and take a deep breath of fresh air. You need to get a hold of yourself. You're being ridiculous.
Multiple hours later, you're walking through your apartment door with enough shopping bags that you're positive you'll regret it later. Sunwoo comes out of his room to greet you, but when his eyes see the bags, they widen.
"Did you leave anything behind for anyone else?"
"I can't even begin to tell you how unfunny you are," you reply as you subtly turn your arm to hide one of the bags you're carrying.
You move past him to go to your room and drop off the bags, all while praying to anyone that'll listen to you that Sunwoo doesn't see the pink bag at your side. Cursing Sophia up and down as you remember her nearly pushing you into the lingerie store and then refusing to let you leave until you at least looked at everything, you breathe a sigh of relief as you pass the threshold.
There's absolutely no reason you needed to buy something sexy, but you had to admit, just owning the item makes you feel like you hold a certain power now. She teased you as she pointed out multiple things that she thought Sunwoo would like. While you told her you weren't buying anything for Sunwoo, certain fantasies decided to play through your head anyways. What if he just happens to stumble across you wearing something sexy? Would he take the bait? Did you want him to?
Sunwoo comes into your field of vision and leans against your doorframe with his arm crossed. His eyes fall back to the bags for a moment before they find yours.
"Want to finish our show tonight?"
"Sure," you quickly respond, hoping he'll turn around and quit glancing at the bags on your bed. To make sure he moves, you walk toward him and nearly shepherd him out of your room.
"Did you get anything for me while you were shopping until you dropped?" He casually asks.
Your heart begins pounding in your chest, but you try to play it cool. He saw the bag, didn't he? He knows you bought something from the lingerie store.
"Why? Should I have?"
He smirks and shrugs his shoulders. "Just wondering if you thought about me."
If you thought about him while buying lingerie? Is that what he's asking you? Ignoring his words, you veer off into the kitchen to grab your usual snacks while Sunwoo loads up your show. You take a couple of calming breaths to pull yourself together. It'll be obvious you're avoiding something if you act like a spaz, but it doesn't help that all of Sophia's teasing words keep repeating in your head.
You head out of the kitchen and towards the couch like normal. Sunwoo watches you as you approach, and you search his face for the so-called admiration or intrigue that Sophia was talking about. His eyes twinkle like they always do, and a soft smile rests on his face. He looks like normal Sunwoo, but maybe what's normal for you isn't normal for everyone else.
The moment you sit down next to Sunwoo, he plays the show. You try to focus on it since it's your favorite show, but your mind can only concentrate on Sunwoo. His delicious cologne permeates the air, and though the two of you aren't touching, you can feel the warmth radiating from his body. He always seems so warm and cuddly, and the thought of snuggling up to him crosses your mind before you scold yourself and try to focus back on the TV.
Sunwoo shifts in his seat, drawing your attention back to him, and you can't help but keep it there. You admire the side profile of his face. Your eyes catch on his jawline, the shape of his nose, his long eyelashes… God, he is nice to look at. The luscious lips that you were so close to kissing only days ago…
Actually, this is the first time the two of you have been back on the couch together since. You wonder what would've happened if you hadn't been interrupted that day. How far would you have gone? Where would you be now? You find that you're sad the kiss never happened and that you weren't able to find out what would've happened next. Then again, a part of you is terrified about what would happen if you did go any further.
Would things change if you slept together? Would Sunwoo move on from you like he moves on from all those other girls? You didn't know if you'd be able to take it if Sunwoo changed how he acted towards you. The Sunwoo before you now… Well, you adored him more than you ever realized.
It's like a sudden burst of clarity hits you.
Somewhere along the way, you've developed a massive crush on the boy next to you.
He makes you feel things you haven't felt in a long time. He pushes you out of your comfort zone and makes you try things you never would by choice. He makes you want to experience life again, and not this monotonous day-to-day routine you've crafted yourself. He notices the little quirks you have and pays attention to the small things you like. He's treated you better as a roommate than most men in your life ever have, and he's genuinely a good person.
You're falling for Kim Sunwoo.
"We're gonna have to rewatch this episode."
"Huh?" You ask once his words finally make sense in your brain.
He turns to face you with a mischievous smirk. "I'm pretty sure you've been staring at me this entire time."
"I have not," you immediately deny.
His brows raise. "No? Then I'm guessing you saw the two leads finally kiss?"
Your eyes bulge, and your head snaps toward the TV. "They did?!"
"Nope."
You turn back to face him and see a giant grin on his face. He knows he caught you, and now there's no way of getting out of it.
"Admit it." He brings his fingertips up to his face and traces his jawline. "You were staring at how stunningly handsome I am."
Blinking a couple times, you say, "No. I was staring because you apparently have a ginormous head."
His face falls flat as he looks at you. "You wound me."
You roll your eyes before indicating the TV in front of you. "Pay attention to the show."
"Why? So you can stare at me some more?"
Shaking your head, you sigh, "You're insufferable."
"You apparently love it."
His words cause you to fall silent, and you do your best to keep your focus on the TV because he's right. You do like it. You like him. The thought makes you want to groan, but you keep it in. What the heck are you supposed to do now? Let everything play out? Tell him? Absolutely not.
Sunwoo finally turns back to the TV and starts watching the show. Once the episode is over, Sunwoo asks if you want to watch anything else, but all you want to do is get some space from him. His scent - his presence - is overwhelming your senses, and you just need time to think. Time to digest the revelation you've finally accepted, so you tell him you're tired and make a beeline for your bedroom.
Shutting the door behind you, you take a deep breath and stare at the bags you threw on your bed earlier. You push them off to the side until they all clatter on the floor and drop down in the spot they just vacated. The pink bag once again catches your eye. Sighing, you lean down and pick it up. You pull the black lace fabric out of the bag and run your fingers over it.
It's a beautiful piece. One you'd be happy to own regardless if it gets used or not. However, you did have a certain dark-haired boy on your mind when you bought it. You just didn't know if you had the guts to put it on and parade around your apartment in it. You sit there and debate for a moment if you should try it on and finally decide to just do it.
Ripping off the tags, you quickly get undressed and slide the baby doll lingerie onto your body. It fits well, is snug in all the right places, and accentuates your features. It falls just to the top of your thighs and, thankfully, isn't itchy in the slightest. You move over to your body-length mirror, and your eyes widen once they see your reflection. You looked… hot. Sexy, even.
Gathering up your hair, you play with it to see what would look best with the outfit. What you think Sunwoo would like most if he ever saw you in it. Your heart stutters as you imagine Sunwoo seeing you like this. The way his eyes would widen… The heat and hunger you hope you'd see in his gaze.
Shaking your head to get your thoughts to settle down, you sigh. You have no idea what to do about Sunwoo. You also have no idea if he'd even be interested in doing anything with you, let alone having something more. He told Minjee he didn't want a relationship, so why did you think there'd be a glimmer of hope for you?
Sighing, you move to sit on the bed, eyes watching the lace trail against your thigh as you sit. For a moment, you let your mind imagine its Sunwoo's fingers before you snap out of it. You have got to get a grip. You either need to work yourself over and get it - him - out of your system or let him do it for you. Since you know you're not ready for the latter option, you decide to just do it yourself.
With a shaky breath, you crawl towards the top of your bed, move your pillow to lean against the headboard, and flip over and lay against it. You close your eyes, letting thoughts and images of Sunwoo float through your brain. The way his voice deepens when he's tired, his eyebrows that constantly move on his forehead when he talks or focuses on something, the lips that he always licks or bites at… The images caress your thoughts one after the other. His smirk… The "baby girl" he let out… It all causes your heart to race, and you bite your lip.
Slowly, you let your hands trail up your stomach towards your chest. You squeeze your breasts a little, letting your thumbs rub over your nipples and feeling them start to harden. A tingle between your legs begins to turn into a light throbbing, and you abandon your chest for that sweet spot further south.
You rub yourself over the panties of the outfit, almost whimpering at the delicious feeling before you decide you need to take them off. Now. You fling them somewhere off to the side and part your legs, your fingers immediately finding your wetness. You stifle a moan as you insert a finger and pump it in a couple of times before you slowly pull it out and rub it in between your slickening folds.
Your breathing becomes a little ragged as you imagine it's Sunwoo's fingers touching you, his fingers expertly dragging against your walls. Inserting a second finger, you bring your other hand down to play with your clit. You lightly touch it, teasing yourself much like you know Sunwoo would do before you begin rubbing circles around the little nub. The sensation is amazing, and your hips buck up to match the pace your hand is pumping into you.
Becoming breathless as you chase your high, Sunwoo's voice, his stare, his smirk is at the forefront of your mind, and you have to stop yourself from moaning his name. These walls are paper-thin, and you would rather die than know that Sunwoo found out you're masturbating to thoughts of him.
Pants leave your mouth, and you're so lost in the delicious feeling that you barely have it in your mind to stay quiet. You're so close. So close to finishing that you only can focus on that at the moment. Whimpers leave your mouth as you feel that knot in your abdomen coil so tightly, and then pure bliss lights up your body. You jerk as you cum on your hand, but you continue your ministrations, determined to ride out your high.
Moans leave your mouth, and they sound so loud to your ears that it'd be a miracle if Sunwoo doesn't hear. A part of your brain panics as Sunwoo's name falls from your lips, but the orgasmic bliss hushes it, and you can't bring yourself to care much. You feel like you're floating as you come down from your high, breaths loudly filling the space as you try to bring yourself back to earth.
When your thoughts are still solely on Sunwoo, you almost swear. Turns out working him out of your system is not going to work.