Wannabe // NCT College AU

54

A/n quick update I know Lucas was a part of this story but I figured I'd just change his part (since it's not a big part anyway) to Xiaojun :D since he did awkward brothers with Yuta ha ha

Nervous was an understatement for Hyunjae. Taking Yuta to an illegal race was one thing but having him interact with her old friends was another thing and she wasn't sure which was worse. They were both intimidating and made her super nervous just thinking at about them. It's not that their opinions really mattered to her but it was more like they would try to influence Yuta if they got the chance. Not that she would let it happen of course. She'd be taking plenty of precautions.

"Again are you sure this is a good idea?" Kunhang asked as he attempted to fix his gaming setup.

Hyunjae was laying on the bed in his room just staring up at the ceiling thinking about later today.

"Honestly, I don't know," She admitted, "I mean what's the worst that could happen? I'm sure we've all grown and matured since then right?"

Kunhang snorted, "Oh yeah definitely. You don't think they'll still hold a grudge because you left without saying bye?"

She pouted. He wasn't fully wrong but it's not like she did it on purpose. It kind of just happened. They didn't all end on bad terms, but she couldn't say they ended on good terms either. Neutral was the best way to describe it.

"I mean I did say I was gonna leave I just didn't say when," She added, "Plus it all happened so fast it's not like I planned it."

"What about him?" He asked as he adjusted his second monitor.

"You should be asking what about them. They're basically a clique. I don't know dude," she groaned, "I wish everyone would forgive and forget but I don't think it'll be like that."

She hated the fact that despite everyone making mistakes it felt like she would never live her own down. The more she tells people that she's changed the more they don't believe her.

Kunhang plopped down on to his gaming chair and spun around to face her, "Look I'm not saying don't go, but I'm saying be careful. Things can get pretty ugly in that scene and you know it. If they start to get a little rowdy or start messing with you just leave."

She raised her hand up and gave him a thumbs up, "Don't worry I will. Don't want things to get ugly especially with Yuta around."

"It still hasn't dawned on me that you guys are actually dating. It's crazy," he chuckled.

"Honestly same. To me it feels like I'm just spending time with a close friend," She admitted, "But like not in a bad way."

Hyunjae really liked her relationship with Yuta. The fact that they could spend days with each other and not get bored or annoyed of one another was something that really surprised her. Of course they weren't together 24/7 but when they were together it was always fun.

"Yeah friends who make out," Kunhang laughed watching Hyunjae's cheeks turn red.

She rolled her eyes giving him the finger, "Anyway-"

"Wait did you get your ear pierced?" He asked pausing as he noticed the new piercing adorned on her ear.

"Huh? Oh! Yeah I did, kinda forgot I did that. I thought it was a fever dream," She admitted with a laugh touching her ear lightly.

It still felt weird that she managed to get another piercing.

"How? I thought you were scared of needles?" He said in amazement.

"Oh I'm absolutely still scared of them," she replied with a laugh, "I just made a spontaneous decisions with Yuta I guess."

"Mhm," he said understanding the situation now, "Gotcha. You wanted to be brave in front of your boyfriend."

She scoffed, "So not true! I did it for myself plus I embarrassed myself. I almost chickened out."

She cringed thinking about it. It was so embarrassing but Yuta was there every step of the way reassuring her that she didn't have to do it.

"Aw are you for real?" Kunhang asked getting ready to console her.

She nodded checking the time, "But as you can see I didn't, so all is well."

Kunhang shook his head, he wondered how she could be so enthusiastic sometimes.

"So you're not worried that you'll run into them?" He asked raising a brow.

"Psh I know I'm gonna run into them I got the info from a friend of a friend, but what am I gonna do?" She asked shrugging, "I like to think we're all still friends."

Kunhang didn't believe her for one second, she was being too nonchalant about it. He knew his best friend more than she did sometimes so he was waiting for her to crack and say something. Hyunjae noticed the look he was giving her and sighed. Yeah she was far from nonchalant.

"Ok look I don't wanna face them but if I'm being realistically here, what's the worst that can happen?" She replied to him trying to convince herself in the process,

"I could come up with a lengthy list," he said seriously, "but I have faith in you so you got this." He put his hand up for a high five.

Hyunjae smiled high fiving him. If she could count on anyone it was usually Kunhang. Not only was he (usually) the best listener of the group, but he also gave some good pep talks, and was an even better hypeman.

"I just realized I'm gonna see edgy Hyunjae make a comeback!" He gleamed.

She raised her brow, "I was not edgy!"

"You were. As your boyfriend says you were a wannabe E-kid," he chuckled knowing he was getting under her skin.

She narrowed her eyes at him flicking his forehead, "Don't push it."

"Right sorry that's a boyfriend thing right? Only he can call you that." He said teasing her even more.

"You're on a roll today," She chuckled, "Sheesh."

"I know," he chuckled standing up, "Well I'm gonna go. You should probably start getting ready huh. Are you gonna stay at his place?"

She pouted slightly realizing that time was going by fast, "Yeah I know and I'm actually not sure."

He headed to the door with a smile, "Ok well Have fun! You know I'm just a phone call or text away! If I don't get an I'm home text from you I'm gonna assume you stayed over at his."

"Sounds good," she smiled shutting the door as he left.

Since he left she decided it would be best to go get ready. Today she wasn't stressing over an outfit because not only was it cold but this would be more casual. While she wasn't stressed over an outfit there was someone who was.

Yuta opened his closet scanning his clothes, "What does one even wear to this type of event? Do I wanna look discrete? Or maybe like someone that could kick your ass? Or maybe something that says-"

Sicheng sighed putting a hand on Yuta's shoulder, "Just go as Yuta."

He sighed turning to Sicheng, "That doesn't really help."

"What do you mean you have a great sense of style," he encouraged as Yuta sat down on the edge of his bed.

"True but what if that's not right for this?"

Sicheng scanned through his friend's clothing finding some pieces to get the ball rolling. Yuta had lots of clothes so it shouldn't be hard to choose something.

"Definitely this jacket," Sicheng murmured to himself as he grabbed a jacket and set it on the desk chair, "Hmm I think a sleeveless shirt would look sick."

But Yuta was in his own little world. He usually wasn't this indecisive so he wasn't too sure why he was bugging out today. It was just like any other date right? Well. Maybe not.

"I don't know dude," he sighed watching Sicheng hold up two different shirts.

"Fine. Here's a thought," Sicheng said grabbing Yuta's phone from his desk tossing it in his direction, "Ask your girlfriend for advice."

"Sicheng you genius!"

"It's... common sense."

Nayu <3
Heyyyy hj
You busy??

Jae <3
Nope
Why 👀👀👀

Nayu <3
Uhhh
I need help
This is gonna sound lame but
Nvm I'll just tell you when you get here

Jae <3
You're asking me for help :o

Nayu <3
Yeah 😭
I'll explain when you get here

Jae <3
Say no more
I'm on my way!

Nayu <3
Sounds good
You know the code to get in

Hyunjae headed over at the speed of sound while the two boys (read mostly Sicheng) continued to find a nice outfit. As much as Sicheng loved Yuta he could be dramatic when he wanted to. He hoped Hyunjae would helps ease his stress and dramatic antics.

The two talked back and forth as Hyunjae slowly opened the door to Yuta's room peeking in. They both turned as they heard the door creak slightly.

"Am I interrupting?" She asked with a laugh.

"Please interrupt," Sicheng pleaded as she entered closing the door behind her.

"Hi babeeee, we need help," Yuta smiled waving.

"Not we, he," Sicheng corrected matter of factly.

He wanted to make sure he had no part in this but with his luck he would be roped into it.

"Help with what?" She asked going to sit next to him like always but Yuta pulled her hand gently guiding her to sit on his lap.

Hyunjae didn't even bat an eyes as she sat down as Yuta smiled widely wrapping his arms around her waist.

"What exactly is the dilemma?" Hyunjae asked looking around.

"Just Yuta being dramatic," Sicheng laughed going to sit at Yuta's desk to mess around with the stuff he had on there.

"Yuta being dramatic? No," Hyunjae gasped sarcastically.

She knew Yuta and she knew well enough that he does tend to be dramatic about the silliest things, but she quite liked that about him. It kept things interesting.

"Haha," He replied sarcastically, "But it is a serious matter."

She turned to him with a smile, "Okay so what's up?"

"I don't know what to wear," He admitted confidently as if it was the biggest problem in the world.

Her eyes widened in surprise, that's not what she expected. She didn't think he could get any cuter but this made her heart swell. Yeah he was dramatic but she didn't care.

"And he won't take any of my advice," Sicheng mumbled.

Hyunjae let out a chuckle, yeah they were definitely best friends.

"You're actually so cute," she said pinching his cheek gently as Yuta began to blush at the sudden skinship, "But it's really not a big deal Yuta. You can literally wear whatever you want. Though I think it's better not to stand out."

Yuta scoffed lightly as he laid his head on her shoulder, "what if I want to be the hottest guy there?"

"Oh my god," Sicheng laughed turning away to hide his face from his friend's ridiculous comment.

Hyunjae raised a brow, "Seriously? You already will be the hottest guy there. An outfit won't change that. Why are you worried about the outfit?"

He sighed. It was a bit embarrassing to say but the reason Yuta wanted to improve his wardrobe was because of her. Because she stands out a lot and he didn't want to be next to her dragging her down. Not that he possibly could drag her down.

"You're my girlfriend, you're a literal fashionista I need to step my game up. I don't want to make you look like trash by comparison or standing next to you in a lame outfit."

"Yutaaaaa," she chuckled hugging him tighter, "Don't say that! You dress good! Plus you've seen how I dress most of the time, I literally just wear sweats and a t-shirt," she explained trying to make him feel better, "Look at my outfit today, just something causal. You can never, and I mean never, look bad."

He smiled a bit at her words of affirmation. It reassured him of himself and his wardrobe. Not only that but it reassured him that Hyunjae really didn't care about what other people thought, she cared about him the most.

"I've been trying to tell him that," Sicheng said as the two stared at him. They forgot he was still there.

"Right. So what did you pick out Sicheng?" She asked intrigued on what he was choosing for Yuta.

"I'll show you," he stood up making his way over to the closet.

Yuta turned to Hyunjae with a smile, nuzzling up closer to her. She looked at him holding in a laugh, he really did act like a cat sometimes. Cute. Very cute. As Sicheng rummaged through the closet again looking for the outfits he had shown earlier Yuta leaned over to kiss her cheek. She chuckled as her cheeks turned pink, he always had this effect on her.

The two always made sure to not go overboard with pda. Sicheng and Kunhang don't really care about the pda, if anything they expect to see it but never do.

"This is what I chose," Sicheng smiled turning to them as he held the clothes up.

"Ohhh okay," Hyunjae nodded seeing what he chose, "I actually really like it. You'll definitely turn heads." She teased him.

Sicheng picked out some black jeans, a white graphic t shirt with some words and the showstopper was the black leather jacket with faux fur accents on the cuffs and neck. 

She stood up getting out of his grip to go over to his closet, "You're gonna give me a run for my money Sicheng."

"As if," he replied.

"Why didn't you like it Yuta?" She asked wondering why he wouldn't listen to Sicheng's suggestion.

"I don't know it felt too casual to me," He admitted.

"Yu it's not the met gala," she chuckled, "Try it on at least. I'll even add accessories and do your hair to get the full vision. If you hate it we can scrap it and try something else."

"Ok I'll try it on," he nodded sitting up to grab the garments from her and Sicheng, "Want me to change in here?" He asked her with a wink.

She playfully rolled her eyes, "Do what you gotta do."

He nodded taking off his shirt, and tossed it to her with a laugh before running into the bathroom. She stood there starstruck looking down at the shirt in her hands not even being able to react.

"What a man," Sicheng teased her as he plopped down onto the bed.

"You've got that right," she chuckled sitting at the edge of the bed as she folded the shirt up.

She never knew what to expect from him. It took a few minutes before Yuta finally returned from the bathroom. The two friends looked up to see him exit the bathroom and despite it being a simple outfit, he looked good.

"Dude you're hot," Hyunjae laughed hyping him up.

"Agreed," Sicheng nodded, "Hair and accessories next. Work your magic Hyunjae."

"Yessir," She chuckled getting up to fix Yuta's hair.

"You got food?" Sicheng asked getting up, "I need a snack."

"Mhm," Yuta nodded, "You know where they're at."

"Cool," he smiled exiting the room.

Hyunjae raised a brow but didn't think much of it, "Alright pretty boy I'm thinking either hair slicked back or just parted."

She grabbed his hair brush and some hair gel as he leaned down a bit. Firstly she just parted his hair and let a few strands hang. To her it looked perfect. He didn't need much to look good.

"Your hair is getting long," she chuckled fixing some final touches, "It looks so different than when we first met."

"Time flies huh," He smiled as she stepped back a bit.

"Only when you're having fun," she patted his cheek, "Where's your jewelry?"

"In the first drawer in a blue box. It's not organized or anything. Also you have to include the star ring," He winked at her.

Since she was wearing her necklace he wanted to wear the ring to match.

"Of course. Gotta let everyone know you're my boyfriend," She nodded going over to find the jewelry box.

Yuta wasn't kidding when he said it wasn't organized. All his necklaces, rings, and earrings were just thrown in the box it reminded her of the way her sister would store her stuff. She rummaged through the box picking out a few pieces that she thought would look best.

"Here you go babe," she said satisfied as she handed over the jewelry.

"Thanks baby," He took them and began putting them on carefully, "Looks good!"

"Told you an outfit won't make a difference. You're just handsome," she chuckled wrapping her arms around him from behind, "Cute."

"I thought I was being all lovey-dovey, but you have me beat," he chuckled kissing her cheek.

"I need to tell you something" She said with a smile snuggling up to him.

For some reason Yuta felt his heart drop. It made him nervous to hear her say that despite her smiling at him. He put a hand over hers and nodded.

"Yeah lay it on me."

"How would you feel if I said I wanted to tell my friends about us? Like soon?" She asked him.

It had taken her a long time to even think about telling her friends because of past relationships, but now she was positive she wanted to tell them. She wanted to be able to go on group dates with the rest of her friends, she wanted to post cute Instagram pictures, but most of all she wanted them to meet him and get along.

Hyunjae saw as his eyes widened. He froze slightly not expecting to hear that from her. She panicked and let go of him as he turned around to face her.

"Wait for real?" He asked.

"Yeah, but like if you're not down it's cool! I can wait or like we can talk more about it. I totally understand if you don't want anyone to know or if like-"

Yuta engulfed her into his arms peppering her face with kisses. Hyunjae laughed as her panic and word vomit went away in a second.

"Of course I don't mind! I've been hoping you would say that," he gleamed, "But when? Or where?"

"Every year the day before we go back to classes we all get together to get brunch or lunch to catch up with one another. I'm thinking then," she smiled excitedly.

"Wow you're doing a big reveal. I was just gonna text them," he laughed cupping her cheeks.

"No no that's fine! I just want to tell my friends face to face because feel like we're all growing apart a bit. We all rarely hang out together so this might be one of the last times we'll all be able to be together," she paused, "wow that sounds sad, but I mean it cause life is taking us in all directions."

Hyunjae knows the group's bond is strong but it's not as strong as it was before, everyone was doing their own thing now, they had their own significant others, their own friends, and jobs. Their schedules conflicted a lot so this would probably the best time to all get together sober and for her to tell them face to face.

"I get it baby, do what you gotta do," he smiled, "I'll tell my friend a day or two after you so you can have your big moment."

She laughed nodding, "That's fair."

It made him really happy to hear that she was ready to tell her friends, it made his mood light up. Yuta being as playful as he is went for Hyunjae's weakness. Tickles. He knew she was ticklish, especially on her side.

"Hey babe."

"What?" She asked.

He smirked letting go and poked her side causing her to let out a laugh. It caught her off guard as she covered her mouth with her hand.

"Hey don't-"

He did it again causing her to laugh again. Before she could respond he full on attacked her with tickles. Her laughter echoed in his room as she tried to stop him but had no strength because of her laughter.

"Yuta!" She yelled in between laughs as he stopped.

He laughed as she fell back onto the bed trying to stop her laughs and control her breathing.

"I forgot how ticklish you are," He chuckled sitting on the edge of the bed, "You okay?"

She nodded fanning her face as her laughter died down, "Yeah, I was worried I might accidentally hit you though."

"Don't worry about that. You could never hurt me," he said Honestly, "I love seeing you laugh."

"I don't know I've been told I get aggressive when I'm being tickled or so my brother claims," She chuckled, "But that was honestly kind of refreshing. Even though I could barely breathe at one point."

"I might have gone overboard," He replied rubbing the back of his neck slightly.

She sat up, "You think? Anyway so do you like the fit or should we keep looking?"

"I like it you convinced me," he chuckled.

"It was MY idea!" Sicheng yelled from the kitchen.

The two looked at each other forgetting that he was still here again, but they laughed at his words. Honestly from the very beginning Yuta liked the outfit he just was overthinking it.

"Should we go eat before we head out?"

"I like that idea," Hyunjae smiled pressing a kiss to his lips.

Yuta smiled into the kiss slowly pulling away, "Wait let me take a picture before we leave."

"Seriously babe?"

"Yup come on I need some with both of us," he said holding his hand out for her.

Nayutas

Liked by loselose, jungjaehyun, and 823 others
Nayutas I be that pretty mf
View all comments
Loselose you're welcome for picking out the outfit by the way
Jungjaehyun omg are you going on a date???
Nayutas what makes you think that?? 👀
Jungjaehyun you had Sicheng pick out an outfit, you only do that for like first dates 👀
Sakura omg Jae knows you so well
Wendyson is it a date???
Nayutas I guess you can say that 🤩 don't ask for details tho
Jungjaehyun why do you tease me like this
Xiaojun have fun dude!

After a couple of pictures Sicheng was the first to leave. He said something about going to take a nap. Yuta and Hyunjae followed him out the door as they headed out to go grab a quick bite.

As time got closer Hyunjae continued to be nervous for the actual event. Yuta noticed it while they were eating. She would just move around her food with her chopsticks and take a bite every now and then.

"Hey Hyunjae are you okay?" He asked from across the table.

"Huh sorry I'm just a bit nervous about- wait. Did you call me Hyunjae?" She asked almost offended.

She reacted that way because he rarely called her Hyunjae. It was usually Jae, pretty girl, hj, babe, etc etc, never just Hyunjae.

Yuta laughed at the fact that she actually noticed that he didn't call her by a pet name like usual, "Nice to see you weren't completely out of it. Seriously though are you okay?"

"Well you don't usually call me Hyunjae. Anyway it's just nerves I guess. I'll be good though don't worry," she reassured him with a smile, "I'm good."

"Only if you're sure. We don't have to go if it gives you anxiety, we can choose to do something else," he reached over the table to hold her hand gently, "I mean it."

"I'll be okay I swear," she chuckled, "Promise."

"Ok good," He smiled, "Let's finish eating."

Yuta did his best to distract her by cracking jokes and telling her random stories. She enjoyed listening to him talk and laugh, it put her at ease, plus she got to learn a little more about his life. After finishing up they headed to the subway to make their way to itaewon.

"So is there anything I should know ahead of time?" He asked as they found a spot to sit on the train.

"You have no idea," she chuckled, "So make sure to stay close, don't tell anyone your name and don't take anything given to you. Also avoid eye contact for a long time, Cool?"

"Wow that's not at all what I was expecting," He spoke a slight hint of nervousness in his voice.

"As long as you're with me I won't let anyone near you," she smiled, "Trust me nobody is looking for trouble, they can just be very obnoxious at times."

"Shouldn't I be saying that to you?" Yuta chuckled at the random gender role swap.

He didn't care about gender roles cause they're soooo outdated and stupid but he found it funny how she was comforting and protecting him. So cute.

"It goes both ways baby," She winked making him laugh as he put an arm around her.

As the train stopped signaling that they were in itaewon it felt like another weight had been put on Hyunjae's shoulders. She really didn't have to be this nervous so she did her best to calm down and keep a straight face.

"It's a bit of a walk," She mentioned as they got off the train together.

"It's cool you know I'm an athlete," He said proud of himself.

"Of course how does one forget," she chuckled, "So did you end up figuring out if soccer is truly something you love?"

"Well, yes and no," he answered, "I do love playing soccer but I'm still unsure if that's what I wanna do for like ever. I've gotten offers from like three different countries but I still have a few months before I have to give a definite answer."

Hyunjae nodded understanding, "It's tough. What's your backup?"

"God I have no idea," he laughed, "Which is why I'm thinking of playing soccer cause I don't think I have anything else."

"No way there's plenty of stuff you can learn or do," she encouraged him, "Become a writer or painter, actor. You could do anything."

"I wish being your boyfriend was a job," He said Almost too convincingly.

She turned to him with a laugh, "I mean if you want a sugar mommy you could just ask, though I'm not rich.... Yet."

They let out some more laughs as they walked towards the outskirts of itaewon. Itaewon is known for partying and it's wild nightlife, there's a whole other side of itaewon that most don't know of or have even seen. The outskirts are full of supposedly abandoned warehouses and empty streets that go on for miles. It's a really shady place and it's not somewhere you wanna go if you don't know anyone, so tourists and even locals avoid it.

"You scared?" She teased linking her arm with his.

"As long as you're not trying to murder me i think I'm good."

"No promises!"

Hyunjae looked around for a specific warehouse as they passed a few on both sides. If she remembered correctly it would be the one right next to the empty road cause that's usually where they raced. That's when she noticed someone go in, yup it was still the same one. Before they went on she wanted to just give Yuta a rerun of everything.

"Ok so before we go in just a few things again. Please please do not leave my side," She said emphasizing that to him.

"You seem worried about me."

She stepped in front of him so they could stop walking. She wanted to reassure him that it wasn't about him at all.

"It's not you I'm worried about. It's my so called "friends"" she said using air quotes.

"Are you sure you're not embarrassed of me?" He teased.

Hyunjae's jaw dropped as he mentioned that. Why would she ever be embarrassed of  him.

"No way! It's just that you're a new face and a handsome face at that," she sighed, "When they see a pretty face they'll want to take you in for other stuff ya know. I don't want you to be influenced. Plus you'll be with me and we're not exactly on good terms."

"Don't worry babe I get it," he reassured her as he put his hands on her shoulders, "I'll stick close and I promise I won't run off okay?"

His words put her at ease some more. She would always trust Yuta, it's just other people that she wouldn't trust. Maybe she was just being negative, she was friends with them at one point. Again, she always thought about the worst case scenario.

He rubbed her shoulders gently easing the tension, he could see that she was thinking deeply about it, "I've got this okay?"

She nodded , "Okay."

His eyes lit up as she agreed with him. To him it looked like a weight fell off her shoulders just by fully putting her trust in him.

She smiled getting closer to plant a kiss on his lips. It caught him off guard causing him to get flustered and to let go of her. Hyunjae loved seeing him flustered it was a nice change since she tends to be the flustered one.

"nice," he gleamed.

"Alright chill out," she chuckled fixing the collar of his jacket, "Let's go."

She took his hand into hers as she pushed the door open to enter the warehouse. Of course this is just where they stored all the cars and where people meet up before the race actually starts outside. It was intimidating to say the least. Most people mind their own business and stay with their own cliques until the race starts, so she hoped she'd be able to avoid her old friends or at least keep her distance. Though life rarely seems to go her way.

As soon as they stepped through the doors it was like a whole new world. There was loud chatter and the sound of car engines running ready to hit the track as soon as the giant warehouses doors opened. There were cars of all colors and styles, some old, some new, small and big, and everything in between.

"Whoa," Yuta gleamed eyeing the cars at the end near the exit.

"Pretty cool huh," she chuckled seeing how he looked at the cars.

They kept to themselves in an almost empty corner as they waited for an official race to start. Hyunjae checked her phone for the time she hoped it wouldn't take to long. If everything was still the same it would start soon.

"It should start soon," she reassured him.

"It's cool, im still in awe," he chuckled still mesmerized by all the foreign and tweaked out cars.

Yuta didn't mind how long it took, he was just excited to be here. He was even more excited to  be there with her. Cars were never something he was really into but he had always heard stories of underground races from various places not just Japan. The stories intrigued him making him wonder what they were like and now he knows, well kind of.

"No way," a voice spoke up near them.

Hyunjae turned around sighing already knowing the voice all too well. She wondered how the hell she recognized her from behind cause Hyunjae looked very different from the last time she was here. The first one was the shortest among the three but her presence stood out the most. Her finger hair was put in two messy space buns. She wore a black dress with ripped tights, her neck was adorned with chain necklaces and her boots added some height but she was still the shortest among them. The second was the tallest among the three, she wore a pink camo top with white jeans, her brown hair was adorned with pink streaks and she wore two different colored contacts. Finally the one who spoke up. She wore a black t-shirt cut at her shoulder and a pair of black cargo pants that were cut near her thighs revealing safety shorts, she finished the Look with black combat boots and blue eyeliner. The most popular girl trio here was right in front of her once again. Yuta was taken back surprised by the sudden trio's interference.

"I didn't think you'd comeback Hyunjae."

Yuta turned to her surprised that these three girls knew Hyunjae. These must be her so called friends from back then.

"Well I didn't intend to," Hyunjae replied honestly, "I just came to-"

She paused to look at the raven haired girl who was staring at Yuta, Yuta hadn't noticed because he was watching Hyunjae, but it still bothered her. Hyunjae snapped her fingers in her face immediately grabbing the girl's attention.

"Hey eyes over here," she said pointing to her own eyes, "Really Aeri really?"

Yuta held in a laugh surprised by Hyunjae's gesture. He had never seen her like that. It was like her whole aura changed as soon as she stepped in to this place. Jealous Hyunjae was a sight to see and he kinda liked it.

"Damn she bought out the real name? Nice to meet you, I'm Ningning." Ningning spoke up laughing lightly introducing herself to Yuta.

"Hi I'm Karina." Karina commented looking over from Hyunjae to the girl named aeri.

"Come on new guys are always so interesting. Plus good eye candy too," Aeri, better known as Giselle, said with a sly grin.

Hyunjae's hand tightened a bit around Yuta's. She didn't like the sound of that at all. This is exactly what she was worried about, they'd be on him all night if she didn't cut it now. Yuta squeezed her hand back reassuring her that everything was okay.

"But who are you?" Karina asked Yuta amused.

"He's with me don't worry about it. He just wanted to check out a race nothing more," Hyunjae spoke up, "He's not into anything else."

Hyunjae didn't think she would become territorial about Yuta but could you blame her?

Giselle pouted, "Come on let the dude have some fun jae. You've gotten so uptight since you left."

"Fun with you is never just fun Giselle," Hyunjae replied with a sigh, "He's not interested in any of that I mean it."

The girls laughed knowing Hyunjae was technically right about Giselle, thought she had changed since the last time Hyunjae was here. The three girls were honestly just intrigued about Yuta. They hadn't seen a new face in quite sometime and they wanted the whole story about Yuta and how he was with Hyunjae right now. He didn't look like the type of guy Hyunjae used to date.

"Hey I've changed a lot too jae! I bet she never talked about us huh," she said starting a conversation with Yuta.

Yuta shook his head slightly unsure if he should be honest or not. Giselle nodded already assuming that Hyunjae would skip out on telling him about them.

"Quick intro," Ningning intervened putting her hands on aeri's shoulders from behind, "We all used to be besties! Karina, aeri, Jae and I would hang out here almost daily."

"We literally knew everything about one another," Karina added, "Like sisters!"

Yuta looked at Hyunjae seeing her emotions change. He could tell that she was reminiscing the times they shared. It made her a bit sad on how things ended but it was something she needed to do.

"And then one day poof! She just disappeared," Giselle added bitterly, "Not even a goodbye and now you're suddenly back and with a boyfriend at that."

Hyunjae frowned, "I didn't do it on purpose. It's just that after what went down I just... couldn't face anyone."

Hyunjae hated revisiting the past with a burning passion. She wished she could change certain aspects but life didn't work that way and it never would.

"You know we don't hold grudges, even if we look like we do," Karina said Honestly trying to see it from her perspective.

"Yeah but it wasn't you I hurt," Hyunjae said feeling terrible, "And I felt like since you were close friends with him it just made me feel worse."

Giselle sighed, "Do you know how scared I got? I thought the worst case scenario when you disappeared. All of us did especially San. You should have just contacted us instead of blocking everyone and running away!"

Yuta's ears perked up at the name drop. San, the guy from the Polaroid? One of Hyunjae's exes? Was he here? If so, was that the reason she didn't want to come here. A million thoughts were running through his head. Maybe it wasn't the best idea to ask her to bring him here.

The girls watched as Hyunjae's eyes widened at the sudden outburst. She didn't realize her disappearing would make a huge impact on there lives. She expected them to forget her and move on.

"Ok Giselle Chill. Everyone has their reasons," Ningning spoke coming to Hyunjae's defense. She tried to be rational and think about it from Hyunjae's point of view.

"Can you let me explain myself after a race or two? I promise I'll explain everything," She said seriously.

Hyunjae watched as the three looked between each other. If they didn't want to hear it Hyunjae wouldn't budge, she'd respect their decision, but she wanted to explain why she left.

"Fine but if you're so set on a race you can talk to San," Giselle spoke calmly.

Hyunjae mentally facepalmed herself, he would still be here. Yuta's ears perked up again at the mention of that name again.

"Okay."

The three girls walked away leaving the couple alone. She'd be lying if she said she wasn't shaken by the three girls. It came out of nowhere, she wished she thought about how her leaving would affect them. But before she could go see the race and talk to San she had to explain everything to Yuta.

"That was something," He admitted with a slightly awkward chuckle.

"It's only gonna get more awkward. Let's talk over here."

They got closer to the wall away from everyone. She didn't think she would have to tell Yuta about her ex in detail. That kind of sucked and made her super anxious.

"Ok so let's see how fast I can do this. So what they all said was true. They were the friends I was worried about seeing here today along with another friend San. Now San is my ex and you're probably wondering which one huh."

"Oh you have no idea," he chuckled since she didn't know that he'd been wondering about this since he had seen the Polaroid and Hendery told him that he was her ex.

"He's the one I used to get back at another ex," she sighed. She cringed every time she had to remember her past mistakes.

"Ouch," Yuta replied unsure if he should be relieved or not. It was a tough situation.

"I need to talk to him because as far as he knows I disappeared just like my friends. When I talk to him he's probably gonna say some stuff," she paused, "And he'll probably try to make you see me in a different light and he's allowed to feel that way because of what I did so it's definitely gonna be awkward."

Yuta nodded, "Gotcha. Do you want me to go? I can wait here if it's easier for you."

"We have to pass by him if we want to go see the race," she chuckled, "There's no way out of it."

"Well then I'll just take his words with a grain of salt," he reassured her.

"Okay let's go find him," she sighed.

They walked around as Hyunjae looked for San. She spotted a head of red and black hair near the exit where people were getting ready to go out and see the race. Since most of them were regulars they just passed by San without a word. He didn't mind as he was just scrolling away on his phone.

Yuta trailed behind her as close as possible. He felt nervous despite this being about Hyunjae and her ex. Just seeing Hyunjae nervous made him nervous, mostly because this was a big step for her and it was an uncomfortable step.

Hyunjae was a few feet away when she saw him look up to meet her eyes. His eyes widened in shock but immediately narrowed at her unsure how to react. Finally they stood face to face for the first time in years.

"You've got some nerve," he said bitterly.

"I know," she sighed, "I have a lot to say but I know you still don't want to hear it, but we came to see a race nothing more, no drama."

"We?" He asked finally noticing that she wasn't alone, "ohhh you got a new boy toy. Is it legit this time or are you just using him too?"

"It's legit. I told you I'd never make that mistake again and I meant if. I've grown and I still feel terrible about what I did but I really have changed," She explained calmly.

He turned to Yuta, "Do you know about what happened?"

"San-"

"Yeah I know," Yuta shrugged, "Shit happens and it sucks but people change. Can you confidently say that you've never done something you regret?"

Hyunjae turned to Yuta surprised at his response. That's not at all what she was expecting, in fact she was expecting him not to say anything. But he proved her wrong, he always did.

"Of course I've made mistakes, I'm human, but what makes you think she has changed? Someone can say something and still lie about it."

"Because she told me," he said honestly, "If she hasn't changed why would she tell me about it?"

San raised a brow intrigued by his response.

"Hm fair point," he nodded turning to Hyunjae, "Are you gonna race?"

Her eyes widened in surprise looking over at him, "Um... No, I don't think so, just watching."

"Ok. Go ahead. Also we're still not friends, acquaintances maybe," He replied to her calmly, "If you change your mind about the race you know where to find me."

She couldn't blame him for not wanting to be friends. Acquaintances wouldn't be so bad, baby steps. All the stress from earlier left her body after the conversation. Finally she was making amends not only with her friends but with her past.

"Thank you for that. You didn't have to say all that," she smiled at Yuta as they walked towards the outside.

He put an arm around her, "Of course I had to. People make mistakes it shouldn't follow you around if you genuinely changed."

"Dude you're so wise," She admitted to him with a laugh, "Now let's go find a spot."

It was pretty easy to find a spot. The viewers lined up against a railing on either side of the so called track. One side had a few sm jack bleachers to sit but rarely anyone sat there. Everyone wanted to be close to the action. Plenty of cars lined the four lane street, old new, plain, colorful, they were sure there was at least one car of every color of the rainbow.

"So what did that guy mean when he asked if you were gonna race?" Yuta asked intrigued.

While he knew a lot about Hyunjae he didn't know much about her earlier life. Maybe it's cause he never asked, but at times he did want to know a bit more about her when she was a younger teen.

"Oh that? Yeah I used to like racing, I wasn't good or anything, I just liked the adrenaline rush," She admitted to him as people began to linger near the railing, "At times I do miss it, can't really find an adrenaline rush like that any where else."

"No way you actually raced?" He turned to get surprised, "Like deadass?"

"Deadass and she was pretty good," Ninging smiled approaching to stand next to Hyunjae.

The three girls squished in moving the people that were originally next to Hyunjae and Yuta. Hyunjae felt a slight sense of deja vu.

"That was crazy Jae! How did you slide past San at the last moment?" Giselle asked?

The three girls had ran up to Hyunjae as she finished the race. Hyunjae smiled brightly at her friends as she leaned against the wall exhausted. The adrenaline rush was going down which meant her exhaustion was going up.

"No idea," she said in between breaths, "I feel like I blacked out."

Karina handed her a water bottle, "Not a scratch on the car that's fucking impressive!"

"Definitely impressive," San laughed approaching them. He patted Hyunjae's head, "You won't beat me next time Hyunjae."

"Battle between the blue headed bestie," Ninging laughed as they both had blue hair at the time.

"Rematch?"

Before she could answer her phone vibrated a message from other friend group

Yong
Karaoke tonight???
Irene already booked a spot
So you can't say no :P

"Next week?" Hyunjae asked with a sympathetic smile.

"You're on!"

"Shut up are you serious?" Yuta asked Giselle as she told a story about one of hyunjae's races.

She wasn't sure which one they were talking about since she zoned out, but he was impressed.

"I wish I had videos," she said sadly.

Before they could continue there conversation the crowd began cheering as the racers headed to their cars.

This was all friendly competition between the club members. Sometimes there would be a prize involved but not today. A few of them greeted each other with a bro hug or a handshake. There was a couple girls, more than when Hyunjae raced, it was usually just her and sometimes Jennie would join in but that was it.

Yuta on the other hand was still trying to picture Hyunjae driving one of those cars out there. It was crazy to think that she once did. It added a whole new side of her and honestly he wanted to know more. He had so many questions like what kind of car she had or if she knew how to fix up a car.

The sound of the engines made his questions go away as the race was starting. The cars took off fast, as fast as the speed of light. The people in the crowd cheered for the person they wanted to win. As expected the three friends were cheering for San. Yuta watched as they did some crazy drifting as they arrived to the turn. It was a long road but the cars got there and back in minutes.

"So is this the only track?" Yuta asked Hyunjae.

She shook her head, "Nah on the other side is the circle track. That one gets hectic."

He nodded liking this, he could tell why people did this. Not only did it look fun but to be able to race and just drive with your friends seemed like a vibe to him. The first car back was a black Nissan skyline. It was driven by a taller black haired guy. The back of his shirt read Wang, he had quite a few groupies as they cheered when he passed the finish line.

(Lol you know I had to include Jackson in this somehow.)

"That was fast," Yuta said in awe.

"Trust me when I say you haven't seen anything yet," Hyunjae chuckled as more cars trickled passed the finish line.

A couple more races would be taking place after this one. There was always multiple races, it just depended on the day.

"Idea!" Giselle smiled turning to Hyunjae, "Why don't you take him for a drive?"

"Huh?" Hyunjae panicked as Yuta gleamed at the idea.

"Really?!" Yuta asked, "Is that allowed?"

Being in an actual race sounded like a dream to him. Forget just watching, this would be fucking epic. She watched as his eyes lit up at the mention of the idea, but it wasn't that easy.

"Pause pause," Hyunjae said trying to not break his spirit because there was a slight problem that they didn't think about, "i think you guys are forgetting that I don't have a car anymore? I'm pretty sure you guys scrapped it or sold it off when I left."

Karina shook her head, "Not exactly. Your car is still here but it's San's now. Ninging was gonna take it but she got a different model instead."

Hyunjae mentally facepalmed, all her answers somewhat lead back to San. She turned to Yuta who was still gleaming at her.

"Do you want to? It's kinda scary at first," She said honesty, "But if you want to I'll go ask San about the car and hope he says yes."

Yuta looked at her but she didn't look stressed or anxious like when they first arrived. He swore he saw a slight gleam in her eyes too.

"I'm down but only if you want to too," he said raising his pinky towards her, "Promise me that you want to and not just because I want to."

Hyunjae blinked a couple times thinking about it. She could do this, she missed racing every once in a while. She locked her pinky with his, "Alright let's see if I can convince him. Uh But please remember what I said earlier. I'm gonna leave your here for a few minutes-"

"I got it babe." He smiled as they unlinked their fingers, "My lips are shut and I'll stay right here."

The last thing he wanted was for her to get more worried than she already was, but Yuta was a man of his words.

The trio of girls were amused by the couple. There was something so fascinating about the couple to them, but they couldn't quite put their finger on it.

"Ok cool I'll make it quick!" She smiled running off to the entrance.

Yuta was a bit anxious being left alone but another thing that was nipping at the back of his mind was San. He trusted Hyunjae with his life but he had to remember that he was her ex and he didn't know anything about him.

"So how'd you meet Hyunjae?" Giselle asked getting him out of his trance.

"Class," Yuta said giving her the watered-down version. He wasn't sure if he should even be talking to them.

He didn't know anything about these girls and that made him anxious.

"Nice. She's pretty cool huh? I hope you don't take her for granted because she could be gone in a second," Gisselle said sadly, "Unfortunately Hyunjae has a habit of running away from her problems."

Now, what did she mean by that?

Hyunjae found San at the same spot where he was earlier. He looked up at her with a smirk, he knew she'd be back. It was typical Hyunae if he was being honest, she couldn't resist a race.

"Let me guess you want in?" San asked as she approached him.

She nodded, "Yeah. I know you took my car after I left or at least that's what the girls said so can I? Just once?"

"Yeah dude it's fine," he chuckled reaching into his pocket for the set of keys, "Here you go."

She looked at the keys in surprise, they still had all the same keychains she put on them. They looked untouched.

"Just cause your keys are the same doesn't mean the car is," he admitted, "I wrapped it and changed some of the interior. But the mechanics are obviously still the same."

She nodded, "Thanks again, not just for this but for being forgiving about literally everything. It really wasn't my intention to hurt you but I was young and granted I'm still stupid but I'm trying not to be."

Hyunjae let the words vomit out of her mouth. She felt so bad she needed to say sorry again and again and again. No matter how many times she'd say it she would still be sorry.

"I get it Hyunjae. I forgive you I really do, it still hurts but I know you were a really different person back then. And if we're being honest I wasn't a totally great boyfriend either," he admitted.

San didn't want to admit that he played a part in their relationship falling apart but the more he thought about it the more clear it became. He was kind of a shitty boyfriend at times even if he wasn't trying to be one. As stupid as it sounded he had been thinking about it since Yuta gave him that little speech of his.

"I made mistakes too and I'm also trying to improve. What your boyfriend said earlier kinda stuck with me," he admitted holding his hand out towards her, "I'm willing to put it behind us if you are too. Friends?"

Her eyes widened in surprise she never thought she'd see the day when they would actually reconnect as friends because of what he said earlier. She looked down at his hand before reaching out and shaking it.

"Friends."

"I hope your boyfriend isn't the jealous type," he chuckled, "Is he riding with you?"

"He's pretty chill," she smiled thinking about Yuta, "Yeah he is, he's the reason I even came to ask."

He nodded, "See you on the track then, try not to scare your boyfriend with your driving."

Hyunjae's jaw dropped, he really teased her just like that? Seems like they really were friends again or well getting there at least. Things were looking good on this end. At the rate her luck was going she would probably be on good terms with her mother soon. She laughed to herself at the thought, yeah right as if that will ever happen.

Hyunjae made her way back through the crowd to where she had left Yuta and the girls. Her eyes widened when she didn't see him. You've got to be fucking kidding. She paused to step back and breathe, the girls were gone too, not a good sign. There were too many people nearby, it'd be easy to get away but why would he do that? Unless the girls had something to do with this or worse someone else.

Hyunjae jumped as she felt a pair of hands on her shoulders. Her fight or flight instinct was about to kick off.

"Dude you're so jumpy."

She let out a sigh of relief, "Well you're not exactly in the same spot."

She turned around narrowing her eyes at Yuta who let go of her and gave her a sympathetic smile.

"Sorry I needed to use the bathroom," he laughed.

"Oh. Sorry," She apologized not expecting that, "I just got worried. I tend to overthink."

Yuta nodded, "I've noticed. We're gonna work on that though." He reassured her.

Something about the way he said that they're gonna work on it made her heart skip a beat. Not just her, no, they. Wait. Where did her friends go?

"Where's Aeri And them?" She asked him confused.

"Oh they showed me the bathrooms and then said and I quote, we're gonna go fuck someone up." He replied thinking of how blunt and random that was, but hey good for them.

Hyunjae nodded already knowing what was going on. Though the three could be nice when they wanted but they could also be cruel and ruthless especially against strangers. They are probably on there way to jump someone into the group. Hyunjae shuddered at the thought. Been there done that.

"Right. Anyway I got the keys," She smiled dangling them, "And San kinda forgave me because of what you said."

His eyes widened, "For real? Oh wow I should be a spokesperson at this rate."

She chuckled at his joke but it really did mean a lot to her.

"Thanks, anyway let's go check this car out."

He followed her lead as they headed to the storage. If she remembered correctly the car was a Nissan s15 but she didn't know too much about cars so she could be wrong. Aeri was the one who told her what kind of car it was, she knew a lot more about cars. She clicked the unlock button on the keys to see which car it was and to their surprise it was the red one in front of them.

"He wasn't joking when he said he changed it," She mumbled as the car used to be black when she first had it.

Yuta stared in awe as he looked around the car. It was cooler up close.

"You're so cute?" She chuckled as his eyes lit up like a Christmas tree, "You can go in. I gotta check the wheels and shit."

She hated this part, but for safety reasons she wanted to make that everything was in working order. Yuta on the other hand immediately entered the passenger seat looking at everything inside.

Hyunjae looked around making sure all was well as she took a closer look at the car. The back had a lot of decals from his racing crew ateez and others she didn't recognize. Despite the car looking totally different it still gave her a sense of familiarity. She was getting a lot of nostalgia lately.

After triple checking everything she headed to the driver's side entering with ease.

"This car is so cool! I cant believe it used to be yours!" Yuta gleamed as she shut the door and inserted the key.

She chuckled, "It was technically never really mine. Just borrowed it, but I do agree it's cool."

She turned on the car fixing the mirrors and adjusting her seat to a comfortable position. You could definitely tell that San used the car because of the plushies sitting in the backseat and the fuzzy dice hanging from the mirror. She pressed the gas hearing the engine roar. Yup, still very powerful, nice.

She turned to Yuta who turned to her with a smile, "This is so sick! God I love the sound of the engine."

"You and me both, now I should warn you that I am kind of a crazy driver and it gets pretty intense on the track, so if you get scared or you want to stop at any time just let me know."

"Thanks babe but I think I can handle it," he nodded reassuring her.

"You say that now," she laughed, "Okay let's take this bad boy to the track."

She put the car into reverse and backed out of the warehouse to head over to the track. It didn't take long, literally a minute or two. The track was filled with tons of other cars, there were more than the previous race.

Yuta looked out the window still in awe of it all. Everything looked so cool, the cars, people, even the scenery looked like something out of fast and furious. Hyunjae put the car in park as they waited for the rest of the racers to arrive. One thing was for sure she was not planning on winning, this was just to show Yuta what a race is like.

"Nervous?" Yuta asked noticing that she was zoning out.

"More like contemplating," she chuckled patting his head, "you?"

"Enjoying the view," he winked holding her hand.

She turned to him with a laugh, "You never miss do you?"

"Never," he laughed.

A knock on the window caused Hyunjae to jump due to her surprise. Now what? She turned relieved to just see San there.

"You're kinda jumpy," He spoke crouching down as she rolled the window down.

"That's what I said," Yuta agreed nodding as San chuckled.

"Well excuse me for not expecting you," she sighed.

It was kind of funny to see her current boyfriend somewhat getting along with her ex. But she also never in a million years expected them to even meet.

"I was just gonna check to make sure you got my baby under control and to let you know there's no prize today," He spoke honestly.

She was gonna make a joke about how this isn't his baby but it technically was now that she left it.

"I'm sure I can handle it, this was my car and I figured there wouldn't be a prize since there was no fee."

Usually if there was prize money at the end of a race they would usually pay a small fee that would go into the prize. At least that's how she remembered it.

"Nice well good luck," he looked over at Yuta before speaking again, "You're gonna need the luck too, Jae can't drive for shit."

While Yuta normally wouldn't believe anything any of ex of her would say the statement did make him anxious. He had never seen Hyunjae drive let alone on a freaking racetrack. Maybe he bit off more than he could chew.

Hyunjae's jaw dropped once again. She was fine with calling herself a crazy driver, but she wasn't a shitty driver and safe most definitely can drive.

"I'm a great driver! I've even improved since back then!" She said defending her honor.

"If you say so," he waved heading back to talk to some other people.

She slumped down in the seat, she knew exactly what he was doing, he was just trying to rile her up. When she gets riled up she drives like a fucking maniac which was not the goal.

"Don't listen to him, he's just trying to give me a hard time. I promise I'm a decent driver," she tried to reassure Yuta but he didn't look very convinced, "We can back out if you're not up for it. No pressure."

He was debating with himself because Aeri said Hyunjae was good and even talked about a couple of her races. He had nothing to worry about right? He looked over at her as she gave him a sympathetic smile. Yeah he'd be okay.

"I'm good," he reassured her, "I trust you. Let's do this."

Her smile lit up at his words, "Alright pretty boy buckle up."

The cars began to move closer to the starting line, Hyunjae did the same slowly moving behind another red car. She could feel the adrenaline building up in her body. This felt so familiar to her yet it felt foreign since it had been so long.

"Dude this is so crazy," Yuta gasped despite the fact that they barely started moving.

He too was getting an adrenaline rush, all his fear had flown out the window. It was so cute how he was excited. Hyunjae gleamed at him.

"And its only gonna get crazier, hold on tight," She said gripping the wheel tightly.

Her eyes focused back on the road ahead, her doc martens were eager to hit the gas pedal. Yuta didn't know what to hold onto so he just got ready for the worst. The flag girl got to the front and for a few moments it was silent and still. Everyone watched as she slowly raised the flag. As soon as she waved the flag the sound of engines roaring erupted. She hit the gas taking off right behind the other red car.

Yuta watched in awe as they passed car after car after car. He looked over at the speedometer seeing their speed rising to ninety miles per hour. He looked ahead as a turn was coming up he wasn't sure how she was gonna make that turn.

Hyunjae's hand immediately twisted the shift gear as she came towards the first turn. Her feet hit the brakes to cause the car to drift. This was nothing for her, turns we're easy it was just when cars got in the way that they became complicated. Yuta was in awe as he watched Hyunjae. She was a total different person now. There was no way this was the same girl who had a collection of plushies on her bed. Her whole aura had changed. She looked like a real racer by how focused she was and how easy she made it look. It amazed him that despite not having shown up to this place for years yet she knew the car and the track like the back of her hand.

They were currently in fourth place or so, but he really wasn't paying attention to that. He was just focused on taking it all in. If he felt like this in the passengers seat he couldn't imagine how she felt in the drivers seat. He looked behind seeing a bunch of other cars trying to pass one another. How they were in fourth he didn't know, oh wait yeah he did, it was because of Hyunjae of course.

Another turn came up and she did the same technique as before. It's been so long she wasn't expecting to win but she had a feeling that this red car in front of her had to be San so she was gonna give him a run for his money. Payback for earlier if you will. They were neck and neck she could see San through the window. He gave his world famous wink and smirk duo to the pair.

"Oh we are so beating him!" Hyunjae exclaimed as she stepped on the gas pedal harder.

Yuta quite liked this competitive side of her, he wished he could see it more often. Maybe he would, only time would tell.

"Let's do this baby!" Yuta exclaimed as the car began to hit over 130 miles per hour.

Feeling the car speed up was becoming exhilarating to him. The sound of tires screeching and the wind rushing past the car was a different type of vibe. Yuta could get used to this. He watched as they began to close in on San once again. It was getting intense for both divers. Another turn caused Hyunjae to hit the breaks and swoop in between the inner turn. The race was coming to an end soon, she had to pass San here or else he'd beat her.

The track returned to a straight street as Hyunjae pushed down harder on the pedal, if that was even possible. Yuta looked out the window as they got right next to San. He waved to San as they zoomed past him leaving him starstruck by the couple. They were in no way gonna get first place but it was enough for Hyunjae to beat San. She needed the bragging rights.

The finish line was a few feet away so doing the impossible Hyunjae sped up to make the last few feet count. People cheered for their friends as each car passed. She couldn't believe she just did this. What a rush.

"You beat him!" Yuta cheered as they slowed down to pull into the parking lot next to the track.

Most the cars pulled there to chill out a bit or fix up their car if needed. Hyunjae parked away from the other cars trying to put herself together. Holy crap she did that.

"Barely beat him. That was a rush!" Hyunjae cheered for herself as she stopped the car.

She was out of breathe despite not doing any physical activity it was all the adrenaline making her tired. Yuta on the other hand was still in a trance, the adrenaline was still pumping through his veins like a drug. He didn't want it to end here. He didn't know if it was because of the adrenaline or just because it felt like the right moment. He turned to her without saying a word. She raised a brow turning as she felt him starring. That's when she noticed it. He wasn't just looking at her, he was looking at her lips. She let out a chuckle.

"Ohhh you wanna kiss me so bad," she teased him.

"Sure do but I think you wanna kiss me even more," He replied to her not letting her get the upper hand.

"Guess we'll have to find out huh," she smiled not giving in.

If there was one thing about these two, it's that when they're together they're both equally stubborn with one another. It made things more interesting that way.

He unbuckled his seat belt, leaned over, and cupped her face before going in. Hyunjae didn't even try to pull away as she was enjoying seeing Yuta like this. What started as small soft kisses quickly turned into something more heated and fast paced. Yuta smirked into the kiss as he felt Hyunjae grab his shirt to pull him closer. He gently bit her bottom lip taking her by surprise. Yeah he wasn't gonna let her one up him.

He let go before pulling away slowly. Hyunjae sat back on her seat in awe and disbelief. She looked over at him before smiling like an idiot.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" He asked holding her hand with a smile.

She just smiled before kissing him once more and pulling away with a laugh. Yeah, Nakamoto Yuta was something else.

"The lip bite was a nice touch," She commented.

"Oh yeah? Want me to do it again?" He asked playfully getting close to her again.

"Sure.... Just not here," she said recalling where they still were.

"Oh yeah...." he blinked looking around suddenly getting shy.

There wasn't any cars near them but this isn't exactly a comfortable or private place.

She drove the car back into the garage. She had to find San and then the girls before saying goodbye. The last thing she wanted to do was at least give an explanation of what happened.

"So you're gonna mend your friendships?" Yuta asked as they walked hand in hand to look for them.

"That's the goal," she chuckled, "Hopefully it'll work out."

"It will, they can't hate you forever," He reassured her, "Plus it seems that they're all still fond of you, especially Giselle."

"Thanks," she smiled, "i just hope you're right. I hope this didn't kill the vibe."

He laughed seeing her worry, "Don't worry about it. We could literally make out whenever, but getting your friends back not so much."

Yuta always had a funny way of looking at things, "I guess that's true."

They walked around finding all four of them near the entrance laughing and smoking. She approached them with Yuta behind her for moral support.

"You wanted an explanation right?" She asked them as they turned to her, "Also im a great driver!" She said to San.

He laughed at her sudden outburst, "Alright you win this one but the next one won't be so easy. Also I don't need an explanation," San chuckled, "I think we're good."

"Ok Jae. Let's hear what you have to say," Aeri nodded walking as Karina and Ningning followed, "Let's go for a walk."

"Um ok," she turned to Yuta unsure of what to do, "Do you wanna wait here? Or come with?"

"Don't worry about your boyfriend Jae, we can hang here while you guys do your girl talk or whatever," San suggested, "I'm gonna go get snacks."

San ran off to his car to bring some snacks for the munchies that were about to hit him. Hyunjae raised her brow. Seriously? What kind of scenario was this? She didn't want to leave Yuta at all that night but this was the second time and this time she was leaving him with San? God the world was fucking weird.

"I'll stay, I'll be good I promise," Yuta chuckled.

"Ok but call if anything gets weird," she said seriously.

He nodded planting a peck on her lips, "You too."

"Come on Jae!" Aeri called, "Your boyfriend will be here when we come back."

Hyunjae sighed she couldn't believe she just kept breaking the rules she set, "I'll make it quick."

She took off following the three girls leaving Yuta to himself. He wondered how he ended up in this situation. The things he did for his girlfriend and vice versa of course. Hyunjae did a lot of things for him and today was a huge example of that.

"Hey dude I don't know what kind of chips you like but I got shrimp chips and honey butter chips," San motioned as he came back with the two bags in hand, "I usually have more choices but my friend Yunho took some."

"It's cool, I'm not picky," Yuta chuckled sitting on the curb as San joined him.

San had a lot of questions for Yuta and he bet that Yuta had a lot of questions for him. San passed him a bag of chips as they sat in silence for a few minutes.

"So how'd you start dating Jae?" They both asked in unison.

They looked at each other wide eyed before letting out a few laughs. That was unexpected.

"I thought she would have told you how we started dating," San said honestly.

"Well I kind of got the gist of it," Yuta admitted opening the bag of chips, "But it was also just her side."

San raised a brow intrigued at the fact that Yuta wanted to hear his side of the story. Not many boyfriends world give a shit about the ex boyfriend's story.

"Well it's gonna be a long story."

So San told Yuta his side of the story, even the parts that weren't so pretty but it was the truth. He and Hyunjae started off as friends that met through Aeri. They were close but would only hang out outside of school because San just got a bad vibe from her other friends. It felt like they didn't like him even though they didn't know him so he stayed away. Her friends were part of their relationships downfall but he knew that she didn't know that and honestly he didn't want to tell her.

Aeri tried setting them up time and time but neither of them would budge for a long time. Until Hyunjae had her ulterior motive, but he won't go into those details. She did end up introducing him to her friends after they started dating but that's when things got rocky. It seemed that one of her friends tried convincing her that he wasn't good enough for her, but it was the meddling that made San mad.

Then one of her friends told him the truth about her real motive for dating him. That was something San never told Hyunjae, she always wondered how he found out but it was her own friend that told him. He had told her that he just had a feeling that she was seeing someone else or trying to. He wasn't sure what the motive for telling him the truth was, but it seemed that her friend just wanted him out of the picture and it worked.

They broke up and Hyunjae told him the truth and how terrible she felt about it. After the break up they didn't stay friends, it hurt him too much. That left a wound in hyunjae because she loved their friendship. It really sucked but she ended up leaving which made it easier to heal over time.

"Don't get me wrong I did love her but our relationship just wasn't gonna work out," He said with a sigh, "I'd just be careful around her friends. Some of them are not so nice."

Yuta raised a brow, the one time he vaguely met them they all seemed chill. Then it hit him Hyunjae mentioned that her past relationships went downhill after they met her friends. Was there some sort of correlation there? He was learning a lot of information for one day.

"Ok but what about you? How'd you get together?"

"I teased her," Yuta laughed, "Well kinda. It's kinda confusing if I really think about it."

While they had their bonding moments the girls were also having their own little bonding moments.

"I really can't blame you for leaving," Aeri sighed after hearing Hyunjae's reason for basically disappearing from them.

They were sitting on some bleachers outside as Hyunjae explained everything from beginning to end. She was thankful that she was able to explain it without crying. No matter how long ago it was if made her feel shitty.

"I just didn't want your friendship with San to be affected by us breaking up. In my head it was easier to just take myself out of the equation," Hyunjae admitted, "But as you can tell I didn't think everything through."

"Clearly," Ningning chuckled, "You've changed a lot Jae, in a good way, but you still tend to runaway from your problem huh."

She nodded, "Yeah some things don't change."

"You know we could never hate you right? Yeah we were sad and angry at some points but we would never stoop so low as to bad mouth you or reveal your secret," Karina explained.

Hyunjae let out a breath of relief. All this time she was worried about them hating her or seeking revenge but it was all in her head. She regretted just leaving without saying goodbye and making up these scenarios that they hated her.

"That means a lot for real. I'm sorry I just engraved into my brain that you guys hated me and would never be my friends again," She admitted.

At that time she felt vulnerable and she felt that the whole world was against her just like before.

"Of course! You know we'll always have your back!" Ningning smiled hugging her.

"And now I've got your back," she replied feeling the love.

They all chuckled enjoying the time with one another. Even if it was short she had hope that this wouldn't be the last time they would see each other. She would promise herself to visit at the very least once every two months. Of course that depended on her schedule cause she was going to get busy soon with the play Doyoung is putting on.

"So you gonna unblock us on Instagram?" Karina asked raising a brow teasing her.

Hyunjae nodded, "Yeah! It's the least I could do."

She took out her phone as they each gave her their handle and she unblocked them and San too.

"Looks like I will find out your boyfriend's name," Aeri teased with a laugh.

She always thought it was funny seeing Hyunjae get jealous and possessive. Mostly because she never got like that before, but it seemed she was serious about him. Aeri couldn't lie they looked really cute together too. She hoped they would make it far.

"Jokes on you aeri we don't even post about each other," She admitted playfully sticking her tongue out, "And his account is private."

"Lowkey huh, nice," Ningning nodded, "Relationships are usually better that way. No people meddling."

Speaking of people meddling, there was something that Aeri needed to know.

"Did San mention anything to you? About the break up?" Aeri asked cautiously.

Hyunjae shook her head, "Nah he avoided it. I don't blame him though."

"Gotcha Alright then, let's head back. I really hope they're not killing each other right now."

When the four of them headed back the last thing they expected to see was San and Yuta laughing it up together, but that's exactly what they were looking at. The two were acting as if they had been friends their whole life, Hyunjae even wondered if they were just putting up an act. They were watching something on San's phone, knowing him it had to be something about Hyunjae.

"How cute," Karina laughed getting their attention.

"Oh hey babe that was fast," Yuta commented as San locked his phone to not get in trouble.

He was showing Yuta a clip of Hyunjae putting on the karaoke performance of a life time. By that she was singing horribly off tune in purpose and botching the choreography of a song. He'd send it to him later since they exchanged phone numbers.

"Never would I have imagined this," Hyunjae chuckled.

"At this rate I think you'll be coming back soon," Aeri chuckled.

And she might be right, Hyunjae missed her friends and she missed the vibes as well. The race was a nice bonus too. Maybe Yuta could even try driving the car some time.

"But make sure it's just you two and maybe Kunhang," Aeri said seriously.

Yuta caught Aeri's bitter tone that completely flew over Hyunjae's head. It looked like she wasn't a fan of the rest of Hyunjae's friends either. There had to be something else going on here. It was starting to worry him a bit.

"Will do," Hyunjae chuckled.

They all said their goodbyes and she thanked them for listening to her and being by her side. And of course Aeri being Aeri had to tease Hyunjae once more.

"If you ever break up you know where to find me dude!" Aeri yelled at Yuta.

"Aeri!?!?" Hyunjae exclaimed before giving her the finger.

They all laughed as Yuta put his arm around Hyunjae to pull her close, "Dont count on it!" He replied to her as she laughed.

As the couple walked off the four friends watched in awe at everything that happened today.

"He was cute," Karina chuckled, "But he didn't seem like jae's type."

"Oh he is," San mentioned with a laugh, "After talking to him I see it. He's confident in himself, funny too, his looks are a bonus, and he teases Hyunjae a lot!"

"You sound interested," Giselle teased him as she sat next to him.

"Nah there's no way, he's smitten over her," He replied, "You can tell by the look on his face when he talks about her. Like a literal love sick puppy."

"I worry though," Ningning spoke up as she sat down next to Giselle, "Do you think he knows about her past or do you think she'll tell him?"

"She might have to," Karina said pacing back and fourth, "Or else things could get rough in the future, if they make it far."

"I'm rooting for them," Giselle nodded, "They make a cute couple plus Hyunjae is absolutely head over heels for him. You can tell just by how she is around with him."

"But you can't forget about jealous people," Ningning said seriously, "I hope history doesn't repeat itself."

"It won't," San reassured them causing Karina to stop pacing.

"How can you be so sure?" She asked tilting her head slightly.

"Cause she won't let them cloud her mind this time. Last time she was running with the pack and was scared that they would leave her to be alone if she didn't keep up. However, she seems more content now, her happiness doesn't revolve around them."

"I think you're looking too much into this," Giselle admitted putting a hand on his shoulder, "But I do agree that things will be different this time."

The other two girls nodded. They all hoped for the best for her not just in her relationship but in life in general.

"I wish I had what they had," Ningning pouted as she hadn't dated anyone.

"You just gotta get out there ning," Karina reassured her with a smile, "It takes time."

"Yeah. There's tons of trial and error," San laughed thinking about his own relationships, "But we'll all get there sometime."

"So did you get Hyunjae's boyfriend's name?" Giselle asked with a pout, "She wouldn't budge when I tried getting it out of her."

San shook his head, "Nope not a clue."

They all looked at each other before laughing. They were way too invested in their friend's life, but truth is that they missed her. They hoped that she would come back with Yuta too of course. Who knew what the future would bring for all of them.

"Ok let's go grab some food!" Karina suggested, "Also find yunho cause he owes me twenty bucks."

After today Hyunjae felt like she exaggerated when speaking about her friends. She made them out to be ruthless people but they were never like that to her. It was the fear and anxiety that made her think that way. Hyunjae spoke up as they exited the train together.

"Told you my friends were something else," she chuckled but honestly she was so glad that they were able to mend things.

"They were nice. Plus you know I won't leave you right?" He asked reassuring her about Aeri's joke as they walked through mostly empty streets. The way back to the dorms was usually empty or crowded there was no in between.

"I like to think you won't but things happen you know," she said seriously, "Life is unpredictable."

That was unfortunately how Hyunjae often thought. She was very realistic when she thought about the future. Even if she sometimes day dreamed about becoming a famous designer she would remind herself that life never worked that easily. She had to work hard for her dreams.

"While that's true I'm not leaving anytime soon," he said stopping, "You know that right? Especially not for another girl."

She smiled hesitant, "Yeah I know."

There it was, her Thinking about the worst case scenario.

He wrapped his arms around her to pull her close. It was just a hug but he hoped it would get his point across, actions often speak louder than words. Hyunjae chuckled returning the hug. It did put her at ease a bit and she enjoyed being in his arms. She was dating Yuta not anybody else, just her. He knew she wasn't good with words but she showed her affection in other ways, whether it was hugs, compliments, or bringing him a snack in between his breaks, or even making flags to support him at his game. She did a lot to show her love even if she didn't notice it, he did.

"You're something else pretty girl," he said happily tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear, "You're the only one I want."

There was something in the way he said it that made her heart swoon. Scratch that, everything about him made her heart swoon. He looked even more ethereal under the moonlight, Yuta was something special, he was perfect in every way to her. For some reason all their dates and hangouts came back to her. All their laughs, inside jokes, even their moments of weakness all replayed in her head. She wouldn't change anything, she wanted to be right here in this moment with him. Nobody else, just him. It was at this moment that the final puzzle piece fell into place. Yeah there was no more contemplating. She knew her answer.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" He asked with a smile.

"Can I tell you something?" She asked with a laugh getting nervous.

"Anything," He reassured her with a smile.

"I love you Yuta," she said wholeheartedly looking him in the eyes with a smile that shined brighter than the moon to him, "I love you so much."

It even took her by surprise, she didn't expect it to just come out like that, but it was true. God she was in love with him, she had been in love with him for a long time, but today just solidified it for her. She wanted to shout to the world about how much she loved him.

She was nervous for his reaction. Yuta immediately cupped her face and kissed her being overwhelmed by the sudden confession. The kiss was slow but it was the most passionate one thus far. He couldn't believe his ears, she actually said it first. She smiled into the kiss before he pulled away slowly. His heart felt like it was about to burst from happiness and joy. This was the moment he had been waiting for.

"You don't know how long I've been dying to hear those words. I've been wanting to say I love you for as long as I can remember but I didn't wanna scare you off, but oh my god. Hyunjae I love you so much," he exclaimed before going in for another kiss.

Now this isn't how either of them imagined their first I love yous to happen. It wasn't the most romantic and there was no dramatic gesture or fireworks in the background like in the movies, but it was perfect to them.

Hyunjae giggled as they pulled apart. They looked into each other's eyes before laughing some more. The simple moments like this are the ones they would never forget. She wished she could freeze time to just stay in this moment.

"Can you say it again?" Yuta asked still not believing that this was happening.

"Yuta, I'm in love with you," She replied pressing a hand to his cheek.

"I never thought you'd say it first," He chuckled enjoying her touch.

"Me neither but it just came out. Hey, I know I just said I love you and it might ruin the moment but um do you wanna make out now?" She asked him trying not to laugh.

Yuta looked at her dumbfounded, "Is that even a question? It definitely does not ruin the moment. In fact I'd be shocked if you didn't ask."

"Your dorm?" She asked already knowing the answer.

"Oh yeah. Last one there has to cook breakfast!" He said running ahead of her.

"Hey! How do you even know I'm gonna stay the night?" She yelled chasing after him with a laugh.

"You basically told me by asking me if I wanna make out!" He laughed, "Good luck catching up!"

"God you fucking soccer players!"

* somewhat suggestive content below nothing crazy tho. i don't think it even needs a warning but I wanted to add it just in case *

As soon as they arrived to his dorm their so called make out session escalated quickly. There was a lot of pent up tension between the both of them.What started as small kisses turned into faster and longer kisses. They hadn't even fully entered the dorm, but there was no time to waste in their eyes. Yuta messily shut the door behind them trying not to fall or knock anything down. Both of them smiling and laughing in between each kiss taking it all in. Without a second thought Yuta picked her up taking her to his room before gently dropping her onto his bed. She was taken back by his actions but she wasn't mad about it, she was more surprised.

"Wait shit I don't know why I did that," he said honestly.

He didn't want her to think that all he was after was to get laid, especially just right after she said I love you. He didn't want her to get that impression at all.

"I see your true intentions nakamoto," she teased him as she laid on his bed, "but I'm down."

Now he was taken back, she was so nonchalant about it. But he didn't want to pressure her, it was just like something came over him during the make out session. Did he want this or was it just his body thinking? He sat on the edge of the bed, "You know we don't have to right? Only if you really want to."

"Do you?" She asked seriously as she sat up.

Okay, yeah no, he really did want to do this, it wasn't just his body speaking. He wanted this just as much as her. All of the emotions from today overwhelmed him causing him to act before thinking.

"I mean yeah, but it's not just about me."

"I know but," she sat up before planting a kiss on his lips and pulling away, "I said I'm down right? If I say something I mean it."

Hyunjae wouldn't have said it if she wasn't ready, just like how she didn't say I love you until she knew this was different.

"I just didn't wanna pressure you into anything you weren't ready for or didn't want to do." He said cupping her face gently, "But I'm ready if you're ready."

She gently pushed him back onto the bed with a genuine smile, "i love you."

"No I love you more," he laughed as he wrapped his arms around her enjoying the moment.

"we are not gonna be one of those couples," she replied with a laugh thinking of how cringey they sounded.

Truth be told she didn't mind the cringey stuff when it was just between the two of them, but she wouldn't admit that to him or anyone else for that matter.

"Yeah yeah," he sat up before pulling her towards him. He planted a kiss on her lips smiling in between, "You're still cooking in the morning."

Was he serious right? She scoffed thinking he would forget about that little bet he made, plus he cheated.

"Lame!" She groaned tackling him back onto the bed as he laughed some more. She laid on top of him happily peppering kisses all over his face and lips of course, "fine but I hope you have food in your fridge and I hope you know what you're doing cause I have no clue."

Yuta paused for a second. Wait did she mean that?

"Wait Jae, I'm your first?" He asked surprised suddenly taken back.

She nodded, blushing a bit nervously at the sudden question, "uh- y-yeah. I thought i told you. I dated guys but it never went farther than a make out session."

Shit he did forget that she said that a while ago. With this information Yuta had to change his whole game plan. He kind of felt bad, he was her first but not the other way around. It made him feel guilty even though he know he shouldn't feel that way.

"Are you rethinking?" She asked tilting her head, slightly sitting up to give him some space.

Hyunjae watched him carefully looking for any sign of discomfort.

"Yeah, but not about you," he reassured her smiling, "Just thinking of a whole new game plan."

She let out a laugh as he finished his sentence, "What is this a soccer game?"

"Ok truth is I feel bad," he admitted.

"About?"

So he explained to her what was wrong and oddly enough it made her heart swell. He was always thinking of her instead of himself. At times she wished he would think of himself first, but they could work on that. Together of course, just like he said earlier

"Yuta it's okay!" She smiled placing a hand on his cheek, "it doesn't affect me in anyway knowing I'm not your first. You're a couple of months older plus I know I'm not gonna be your first everything. Seriously it's fine." She did her best to reassure him. The fact that she wasn't his first didn't really intimidate her, even if she would have slept with her exes she knew that she wouldn't be their first either. If anything she kind of expected it, it seemed like everyone was way more experienced than her.

He nuzzled into her touch a bit more enjoying the contact, "Really?"

"Really, but no pressure," she smiled kissing him gently and pulling away to let him think, "Whatever happens I'll be content. Don't overthink."

"Ok then I hope you're ready for the time of your life babe," He winked.

"Yeah we're gonna have to work on that," she laughed as he pulled her close again to plant a kiss on her lips.

He pulled away needing to tell her one more thing, "Wait last thing I swear. You have to promise me that if you want to stop or if you get uncomfortable you'll tell me. Please promise me that."

"I will I swear, but that goes for you too! This isn't just about me Yuta," she said seriously, "You have to think about yourself too. Promise?"

God how did he get so lucky to date Hyunjae? His previous partners had never told him anything like that, it really showed that she was different. This really was a relationship where they both looked out for one another. He was so fucking in love and he wanted to show her in every way possible.

"I promise pretty girl," he smiled pressing a kiss to her lips before slowly making his way down to her neck, "I'll make sure everyone knows you're mine."

- A/N
Wahhh it's been a while so sorry for the super fucking long chapter but I felt that this all had to be one chapter lol. Did you guys like learning about Hyunjae's past with San and 3/4ths of aespa?

And what's up with San beefing with her friends? Any thoughts? 👀

I also tried to add more perspective from Yuta too, it wasn't much but it's a start.

Also I know I include a lot of characters and idols and their ages might be confusing so I'm here to also break that down lol. This is how I'm interpreting their ages since a lot of my faves' age ranges are like all over the place lol

Characters that are 21
Yuta, Taeyong, Sicheng, Irene, Johnny, Doyoung,, Jaehyun

Characters that are 20 ongoing 21
Hyunjae, Kunhang, Xiaojun, Yeri, Aeri, Jungwoo, Hyunjin, mark, Karina, San

Characters that are 19 ongoing 20
Ningning, sungchan, Shotaro, Yeji

Hehe these are all the important characters I believe . I'll clarify Any ages if any characters get added :D thank you for reading! Finally, happy pride month everyone!!!! 🥳