Hyunjae paced back and forth hoping Aeri would answer. Kunhang on the other hand was looking for a bag or duffel bag to help her start packing.
"Jae?" Aeri answered confused, "Dude wait im so sorry about last night! I swear I thought they knew." She started to ramble catching Hyunjae off guard.
"Hey Aeri it's okay. I know you meant well, that's actually the least of my problems right now. By any chance do you still have that place on the outskirts of Seoul?"
Aeri paused thinking, "Yeah I think so why?"
"I need a place to stay away from the city. My mom happened," She sighed.
"Are you serious?" Aeri responded shocked, "Okay well let me just double check with my mom. I'll send you the details through text. Sound good?"
"Yeah I really appreciate it," Hyunjae admitted.
"No worries. Again I'm sorry about the boyfriend thing," She apologized.
"Don't worry I know you meant well," Hyunjae chuckled as they both hung up.
Hyunjae packed her clothes and looked at the articles that leaked. God she couldn't believe it.
Breaking news. An anonymous source has sent photos and text evidence that Hwang Yeojin, who was once on Sixteen, was spotted recently after trying to escape the media for her scandals during sixteen. Sources say that she is trying to live a normal life as she is attending Seoul National University. The girl tried hard to leave her life behind so she changed her name. It is said that she now goes by Hwang Hyunjae but there is very little information known about what she does and what she is majoring in. Fans are livid as she never gave an apology to her fellow sister or the twice members she disrespected. Many are trending hashtags to get her to apologize to everyone affected. Below attached are pictures of what she looks like now
She thought that was bad but then she read the comments and she regretted it immensely.
Wah who does she think she is? Trying to turn her life around while carrying this burden
She must have some nerve to think people will let her lay low after this. someone doxx her
I will camp out at SNU until I find her, she must apologize to momo and Yeji!!!!
Sad that she didn't kill herself like we all thought 🥱
Momo may forgive but I don't 🔪
Someone's gonna find her and beat her up 😭 pls record when it happens!
Hyunjae sighed exiting the article, what could she say? She expected this type of reaction and those weren't even the worst comments.
"Stop reading Jae," Kunhang said as he put some of her stuff in a bag.
"It's addicting," She admitted.
"Come on you gotta pack. Take your favorite items and once you get settled I'll be able to take more stuff to your place," He said looking around.
"Aeri said she had plenty of clothes and shoes so I don't have to take much," She sighed.
Kunhang picked up a hoodie raising his brow, "Whose is this?"
She turned to look at the hoodie as she stood up, "Taeyong's you can give it to him."
"I'd rather throw it away but okay," He rolled his eyes throwing it on the floor to start a pile.
"Oh pass me that shirt," She said pointing to the black shirt on the far right.
Kunhang picked it out from the closet handing it to her, "Definitely taking this."
"Let me guess it's Yuta's," He chuckled.
She nodded as she folded it and put it in her bag along with only her favorite clothing pieces. It kind of surprised her that she had a few pieces of yuta's clothing. Often times when they'd go out he'd lend her his jacket or hoodie, even though she insisted she wasn't cold. Choosing only her favorite clothes to take was hard considering she loved all her clothing. But she had to be quick so she threw a bunch of stuff in hoping for the best.
"Okay I'm set," she smiled packing a beanie and then some accessories.
They were on a time crunch but considering there weren't many articles out yet it shouldn't be too bad. But as soon as the big blogs dropped their articles it would be over.
Kunhang's phone began vibrating at a rapid rate as he unlocked it.
"Okay we gotta move faster," Kunhang sighed, "More articles are coming out Jae. People are getting more aggressive."
"Fuck," she sighed knowing time was ticking faster.
This is just what she needed, first she gets into the fight of a lifetime with her friends and now her new identity was leaked by her own mother. Wasn't life great? The only plus side to this was her dad had already begun working on something for this exact scenario. He claimed that he knew her mother had something like this up her sleeve. For that she was eternally grateful.
"Alright I think I'm done for real," she admitted, "I just need to make one stop."
——————
Yuta woke up happily as he stretched on his way to the bathroom. After freshening up and eating some breakfast he grabbed his phone to see his group chat blowing up with gossip. He opened the chat his eyes widening about what they were talking aboit.
Dejun
Yo I heard some shit went down
And I heard nayuta's crush is a psycho
Win
Dude what?
Dejun
Do you guys wanna know what happened
Japan boy
Dude I promise you she's not a psycho
Idk what they're saying but
She's literally normal
Win
Yeah she's really nice
There's no way she's a psycho
Dejun
Oh FR?
From what I heard it was unprovoked
Like she went psycho on her friend because he was dating someone after he rejected her
I heard she punched him and her two other friends
Or at least that's what everyone is saying
Yuta sighed, he knew rumors would stir because of what happened. He wondered if her friends were the ones who started the rumors.
Jae
He's a liar
It was provoked
Very provoked
He provoked her and
tried blaming her
Japan boy
Jae...
Are you okay?
Jae
Taeyong is a piece of shit
Hyunjae was just standing up for her friend and herself and even for me
Dejun
But why
Jae
It started cause Taeyong found out she had a boyfriend
He thought she was just using said boyfriend to get back at him for rejecting her
And I guess the guy they thought she was dating had history with her and the group
Taeyong wasn't a fan of him
He started saying some nasty stuff
and guilt tripping her
All she did was a throw a drink at his face
She didn't punch him or slap him
those are all rumors
All she did was defend herself
Win
Holy shit
If I was her I would have done worse
Dejun
Tell me about it
Jae
And it gets worse
This morning an article leaked
Apparently she was a kpop trainee
She went by the name hwang Yeojin
Which is her real name
Idk if it's true but apparently she said some nasty things about the other contestants
including her own sister
so she got death threats, hate, and
eventually was kicked off the show
So now everyone is looking for her since they know where she is
Japan boy
.....
Are you serious ?
Dejun
Dude wtf
Jae
I feel like I owe her a huge apology
And to thank her for standing up for me
Yuta...
Do you have any idea where your girlfriend is???
Dejun
HUH
Win
Wait pause how do you know
Dejun
WIN YOU KNEW?
Win
I'm his best friend so yes
But how do YOU know jae
Jae
I put two and two together
Yuta isn't as subtle as he thinks
Taeyong would always complain how Hyunjae was rarely ever at her dorm and that she always went out
(I should have seen that red flag from the beginning)
Oddly enough they were the same places Yuta was at or went to
It was easy to tell since I follow both of you lol and
Oh and I also saw her wearing the jacket you had supposedly lost too
Yuta
......
Wow ok
Jaehyun
Plus you used to talk about your fat crush on her all the time and then suddenly you just stopped
And when you stopped you were happier than I had ever seen
I could go on but I won't lol
So I just guessed haha
Dejun
Why didn't either of you say anything???
Jae
Not my business
Japan boy
She wasn't ready to tell her friends
And for good reason it seems
Also I have no idea where she is
I'll be right back
Yuta was slightly worried considering he hadn't heard a word from her despite the chaos. Maybe she was still asleep? Oh god. He felt his nerves skyrocket as he sent the messages.
Wannabe <3
Jae
Are you okay??
Where are you???
Please just tell me you're okay
A sign anything I'm really worried right now
Hendery
She's fine.
For now at least
She has to leave for a while
Until this dies down
She's packing
she can't have her phone hence why I texted
Yuta
Kunhang thank god
Where's she staying?
Hendery
I cant tell you... I'm sorry
I cant risk it being leaked
I promise you she'll be okay tho
She won't be alone
Yuta
How long?
Hendery
I wish I could answer that
But idk
Idk if this is gonna die down quick or not
Id just stay away from any articles if I were you
The media was never nice to jae
Yuta
Is she gone already?
Hendery
She's about to leave.
She'll be there to say goodbye
Sorry man.
I told you her mother was crazy tho
Yuta
Sheesh you don't say
But thanks.
Japan boy
So she's busy
She's not gonna be around for a while
Jae
I'm sorry Yuta :/
Dejun
I'm sure this'll blow over soon dude!
It had to be fake right?
Japan boy
We can only hope
Yuta didn't care about what other people were saying he wanted to hear what Hyunjae had to say. God he couldn't imagine how she felt right now, not only did she just have the fight of the century with her friends but now this too? He worries for her mental health right now.
There was a knock on yuta's door. He immediately got up from the couch, opened it and pulled Hyunjae in shutting the door behind her. He didn't want any chances of anyone finding her.
"Jae," He said relieved to see her.
In all honesty she looked stressed out, but he couldn't blame her given the circumstances. He cupped her cheeks rubbing circular motions gently. She immediately smiled at the skinship. She noticed that he looked a bit stressed too. Oh god what if he was doubting her?
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you about my past! I was gonna tell you after I introduced you to my friends. I didn't tell you sooner because I was scared you weren't gonna believe me either, but I swear I never said anything like that, it was all edited to make me Look bad. I'm sorry you had to hear it from the media first and -"
She was caught off guard when he pecked her lips. He needed her to calm down and breathe. She had to take this one step of a time.
"I'm always gonna believe you before I believe anyone else. Okay? Relax and start slow," he chuckled wrapping his arms around her gently.
She felt her eyes well up and she hugged him back just as tightly. Finally someone who wanted to listen to her and her side only. So she told him the truth about everything. She told him her real name was in fact Yeojin and why she changed it and the whole sixteen scandal. Every little detail she told him and every time she let tears fall he would wipe them off or he'd kiss them to help her calm down. It was hard to hear about everything she had gone through and is still going through to this day. Not to mention the whole friend ordeal still being a fresh wound for her. It was a lot to deal with.
"What happens now?" He asked her as they sat down on the couch. She had finished crying and was much calmer now.
It put Yuta slightly at ease that she let her emotions all out again. The last thing he wanted was for her to bottle it all up.
"I'm gonna leave for a while. I don't know how long it's gonna take but my dad is gonna probably hire a lawyer and god who knows what else he's gonna do. I don't know what else is gonna happen now," she sighed wiping her eyes, "I thought that by changing my name and relocating everything would be fine but it's not and I don't know what'll happen if people find me." She panicked thinking of all the possibilities and worst case scenarios.
"Okay breathe. They're not gonna find you." He said calming her down by petting her head softly.
"That articles were getting so specific Yuta it's only a matter of time! You should see what people were commenting." She said sadly, "I'm just waiting for Kunhang to finish up some stuff and then I'm gone before it's too late."
When the scandal first came out it created noise because she had talked badly about trainees and her own sister. Now those same people she had supposedly talked crap about were more famous than ever which meant even more people and new fans would know about the drama. Meaning more people would hate her.
"Okay but it'll take them a while, plus it's not like they know your dorm and even if they did you could just stay at Kunhang's or mine."
"But they'll camp here until they find me. These people are crazy Yuta. Trust me I've dealt with them before, especially the news outlets." She shivered thinking back to it.
She remembered when it first happened she couldn't even leave her home because people were just waiting for her. They'd pretend to leave and as soon as she'd step outside they'd chase her until she locked herself back in her house. It was so bad to the point where her dad couldn't even go out hence the move to Busan. She was so thankful they never saw Hyunjin or his life would be drastically different.
Yuta nodded. That's right, she had gone through this before. She knew how these people's minds worked and the lengths they'd go to just to get the inside scoop.
"Right sorry," he apologized.
Hyunjae shook her head, "you don't have to apologize. I just get stressed," she reassured him as she held his hand.
"I can't know where you're going huh?" He said sadly.
She shook her head, "Don't get me wrong I trust you more than anyone. But I can't risk you getting involved. Especially not when you might be a public figure in the future."
"Look at you worrying about me at a time like this," He chuckled ruffling her hair.
"I have a soft spot for you what can I say." She laughed, "I might be able to convince Kunhang to buy me a shitty prepaid phone to talk to you every now and then."
"Are you sure it won't jeopardize anything?"
She shook her head, "it shouldn't but it might only be like a text or two per day, if I'm lucky."
He nodded listening intently. This sounded a lot scarier the more she talked about it.
"So will Kunhang know where you'll be?" He asked.
"Not exactly. There's gonna be a middle man," she said, "it's Aeri. Kunhang will be communicating with her and she'll be communicating back on my behalf."
He nodded, "Okay but will you know for sure you'll be safe?"
She nodded patting his cheek, "Yeah I'll be borrowing her place, I've been there a couple times. Don't worry. I know this is all so confusing and I'm so sorry you have to go through this, you didn't sign up for this."
"That's where you're wrong," he shook his head, "I did sign up for this when we started dating, through thick and thin baby."
She smiled thinking about how lucky she got. Yuta was truly always by her side in more ways than one. She couldn't thank him enough, even just having him with her took some stress off of her shoulders.
"How about we just cuddle until Kunhang comes. Cool?" He asked.
She nodded liking the way he was thinking, "Cool."
The pair cuddled on the couch for what felt like ages, but in reality it wasn't more than a few minutes.
"So question. Were you really gonna be a kpop idol?" He asked enjoying the skinship between them.
She laughed lightly, "If my mother got her way then yeah. Now you know why I was a decent rapper that night at the club."
"Not gonna lie i probably would have become a fan of you if you actually debuted." He said running a hand through her hair.
"Seriously?!" She asked surprised.
He nodded, "Hearing you at the club I knew you had something special."
She began blushing, "Wow Uh thanks. Unfortunately that shipped had sailed. I'm just plain old me."
While it sounded like she was downgrading she actually liked where she was at and who she was. She couldn't imagine herself as an idol ever.
"There's literally nothing plain about you," Yuta reassured her with a laugh.
"Hm maybe you're right," she replied blushing even more.
Hyunjae was falling asleep listening to Yuta's heart beating as he combed through her hair. It was his favorite way of calming her down. It really felt like heaven to them. Just peace and quiet.
"I wanna stay like this forever," She mumbled sadly.
She'd kill to stay like this even just for a few hours because time was scarce right now.
"When you come back we can do this and more." He reassured her with a laugh.
"Does everything lead to sex with you?" She asked raising a brow trying not to laugh.
"Hey your mind is in the gutter not mine! I was referring to kisses and dates not sex," he said defending himself with a laugh.
She gave him a look before playfully rolling her eyes, "Sureeeee babe."
She knew yuta a little too well to know he wasn't as innocent as he tried to play off. He laughed placing a kiss on her head.
A knock on the door caused Hyunjae to groan, it meant it was time for her to go.
"Do you think he'll leave if we don't open," she asked with a laugh.
"He'll kill me if I don't open it," Yuta said holding in a laugh, "He might even break down the door."
Reluctantly Hyunjae moved off of him so he could get up to answer the door.
"Took you long enough," Kunhang mumbled entering.
"I didn't wanna get up," Hyunjae answered in response to his mumbles.
"I know but this is serious Jae. We don't have much time," Kunhang said going into parent mode.
She sighed. He was right. There wasn't much time so she had to move fast whether she liked it or not. God how she wished things would be different. She stood up sighing loudly. It was hard to think that she was actually leaving soon.
Yuta didn't say anything instead he just held his arms open for her. She didn't hesitate to squeeze herself into his grip taking it all in, especially his cologne. Yuta swayed her around laughing as he hugged her. He didn't want this to feel like a goodbye because it wasn't and he knew that. He knew they'd see each other again no matter what happened. They'd be okay.
Hyunjae laughed as he swayed her around. "I'm sorry I have to go. I'd take you with me if I could," She chuckled lightly.
"It's okay. It's what you have to do," he reassured her as he stopped, "I'll be here when you comeback. Maybe not in this specific room but you know what I mean."
She laughed lightly at him trying to lighten the mood. It was working though. He was making this a lot easier for her, but of course her emotions were gonna get the best off her.
"I'm sorry," She whispered trying to hold in her tears.
"This isn't your fault jae. Don't blame yourself." He said rubbing her back, "Just focus on yourself okay?
He didn't know what he'd do if she started crying. Seeing her cry yesterday hurt him a lot, if she were to cry he'd probably start crying too.
She nodded, "Ok. Please don't look at me differently. I'm swear I was always being genuine. I just changed my name I promise."
He chuckled a bit, "I know that. You may be a wannabe, but I knew you were always genuine with me. You changing your name doesn't mean you changed your whole personality."
Yuta never doubted Hyunjae one but. He could tell she was always being herself around him.
She groaned a bit hearing the word wannabe. It was their thing and she never got tired of it despite acting like it bugged her.
"I'm going to fight you I swear. When I comeback though."
"I look forward to it and more," he winked.
Kunhang let out a fake barf to which Hyunjae glared at him for ruining the moment.
"Oh! Before you go there's something I want to give you," he let go of her and ran to his room to not waste anytime.
"I'm gonna wait outside," Kunhang sighed feeling like they were gonna need some privacy.
"I'll be right out," Hyunjae reassured him.
Yuta returned catching his breath as he didn't want to make her wait long. He didn't want to waste any more of her time.
"Okay I was saving this for when we hit a year but I don't know how long you're gonna be gone so I might as well give it to you now," he smiled opening the blue velvet bag, "I know we have a matching ring and necklace set but I figured matching promise rings might be better. To keep them in theme with our first couple items I got us these."
He opened the box showing her two rings. They were themed the same as her necklace and his ring from before. Except this time they were two rings instead of the necklace ring combo. Hers was a simple silver band with a butterfly while Yuta's was a thicker band with the butterfly cut out. As expected the butterfly on her ring would fit the cutout in his ring.
"Yutaaaaa," she gleamed as he took her hand and slipped the ring on finger.
"Ta-da," He chuckled as he slipped his own on.
The pair compared them side by side in awe. Simple statement pieces like this were her favorite. It seemed that this would be another one of their things.
"It's perfect. Seriously," she nodded hugging him once more, "I love you so much."
"I love you too. I also have a playlist for you that I'm gonna add to weekly or daily. I'll share it with you and it'll be a private playlist." he said with a smile.
He had been working on this playlist for a long time and he would continue to work on it for as long as he could.
"Thank you, I can't wait to hear it and think of you," she smiled but paused, "Can you promise me something?"
This was gonna be the hard part for her.
"Anything," he nodded.
He'd do anything for her there was no doubt about it.
"I love you and you know that but if you get tired of waiting promise me you'll move on." Her words got caught in her throat towards the end.
She didn't want him to move on but it would be unfair for him to wait and wait and wait. What if she had to leave and never comeback? What if she had to start all over again in a whole new place? Her dad said he would try to get her out of this so she wouldn't have to change her name and disappear again, but who knew.
"Babe slow down you're thinking worst case scenario," he said surprised.
"Exactly. In a worst case scenario please remember that you are allowed to move on," She said sadly.
Yuta was stuck between a rock and a hard place. He didn't want anyone but her, moving on was the last thing on his mind. Though he agreed just to keep her mind at peace.
Yuta sighed, "okay I promise but I love you and only you. I'm not gonna move on unless you're still gone by the time I'm eighty okay?"
She chuckled a bit as he lightened the mood again, "Okay."
The couple shared one last hug and kiss before Kunhang banged on the door. It caused them to pull apart. He walked her to the door as Kunhang dragged her away from the apartment. God what the fuck was he gonna do now? He looked down at the ring with a sigh.
—————-
Kunhang waved as Hyunjae left in a taxi to go meet with Aeri. He felt terrible, he couldn't imagine how she felt going through this again.
He sighed he knew she'd be okay but it was gonna be a lot harder for her to keep herself calm and collected. Who knew how long this could take to be over. He watched as a couple of news vans began arriving to campus. Wow she really left just in time.
Thankfully as soon as he got the news he locked his Instagram and deleted any pictures with Hyunjae and their friends. He'd probably delete his whole account later but now he had to contact Johnny.
Hendery
Hey
You might want to private your account
And delete any pics with Hyunjae
Or delete your account as a whole
John
Already one step ahead of you
Is Jae okay?
Hendery
Well i can't say she's happy
But she's alright
Can you pass the message to those three
John
Will do
I still can't believe they acted that way
Hendery
Well I guess Taeyong always liked Jae
And he was always threatened by San
Cause ya know She and San really liked each other
for a while
Ya know despite the end and Hyunjae fucking up
John
True the beginning of their relationship was pretty wholesome
So is Jae genuinely happy with the soccer guy?
Hendery
Oh definitely!
Wait
How do you know???
John
My boyfriend is literally on the soccer team
But Ten didn't tell me lol
He asked me to take pictures for one of their games
And I saw you guys lol
Hyunjae and him seemed very close LMAOO
Hendery
That's crazy
How did we not see you
John
I'm a photographer
It's my job to hide in plain sight
But I'm glad she's happy
Did he take it okay?
Hendery
Yeah I don't think it set in yet
For either of them
But yuta has a lot on his plate So he might be distracted can't say the same for Jae
John
So that's his name huh
I'm sure Jae can make it
She's stronger than she looks
Hendery
Yeah but the circumstances are
totally different this time
I just hope it ends quickly
John
Same
well I'll pass the message
I don't suppose youve heard from them huh
Hendery
As if LMAOO
They'll probably try to contact San if anything
John
I don't think this'll be fixed
Hendery
Yeah absolutely not
Even if Taeyong was drunk
It wouldn't change the way he felt
I don't think she'd forgive any of them
John
Do you think Taeyong would still freak
if he knew it wasn't San
Hendery
Definitely
He kinda grilled Hyunjae with questions after we all went to the club
He started asking her a lot of questions about Yuta cause he noticed Yuta looking at her a lot
and he got really defensive about her answers
So I don't think it really mattered
He just used San as a way to get angry
John
Harsh
Well keep me updated please
Hendery
Will do man
It was crazy to him that he really wasn't going to see Hyunjae for a while. He wondered how much it would impact his days, he knew adjusting to it wouldn't be easy for him. There were a few things he had to do for Hyunjae, one of those things was to deliver her completed sketches and outfits to Doyoung. She promised to be finished in a couple days, a week at most. Aeri would be bringing the outfits to him and he'd give them to Doyoung. For the time being she'd be working on her shop and side projects.
He headed back to his dorm room that had a few of Hyunjaes most important possessions that she couldn't take. Though most of her clothes were still in her actual dorm.
Aeri
The eagle has landed in the nest 🫡
Kunhang
LMAOO
Thanks Aeri
Is she ok
Aeri
Well she seemed fine when she entered
But once she set her stuff down and started decorating a bit she started crying
It was probably pictures of you guys
Kunhang
Yeah I knew it'd be hard for her :/
I feel so bad
Aeri
Don't worry
I'll do my best to make her feel at home
While I'm here at least
Kunhang
I hope it all gets solved before you leave for classes
Aeri
I'm sure it will
I can feel it
"Jae I ordered food for us," Aeri called as she knocked on the door gently.
It had been an hour since Hyunjae settled in, but she hadn't left the room. Aeri assumed that she was still going through it, she couldn't blame her though. If there's anything Aeri learned it's that Hyunjae hated crying in front of people. It was understandable that she locked herself in the room to cry it out.
"Give me a sec," she spoke.
Well at least it sounded like she stopped crying so that was good. The door slowly opened as Hyunjae exited the room. Aeri let out a breath of relief as she saw her. She ordered ramen and tteokboki in hopes that it would bring Jae some comfort, plus you could never go wrong with ramen. She knew her house was vastly different than her dorm room so it won't feel like home, but she wanted Jae to try and feel some comfort.
Hyunjae made her way to the table surprised that Aeri set up the food for both of them. She assumed Aeri would want to eat in her own room.
"So I was gonna ask how are you doing but I don't think you wanna talk about it," she chuckled opening the plates of food.
"Yeah my eyes hurt from crying," she chuckled slightly trying to not think about it, "Don't get me wrong I'm grateful to be here but damn."
Aeri shrugged it off, "Don't worry Jae, I get it. I really do. It's scary isn't it? Plus leaving all your friends behind that sucks."
She nodded opening the food, "I thought last time would be the last but I should know better."
"It's not your fault Jae. Your mom is just a fucking psycho," She said as she mixed the ramen and rice cakes together with a frown.
Aeri also knew first hand what it was like to have a psycho mom, unfortunately for her she also had a psycho older sister too. Hence why she moved out on her own pretty early.
"I know but I feel like its partially my fault. If I just left and disappeared from her then she wouldn't be able to blackmail me and shit," she sighed mirroring Aeri's actions.
"I highly doubt that," Aeri admitted, "Plus think of all the things that wouldn't have happened if you left. You'd never get closure with us, you wouldn't have pursued fashion, you wouldn't have become a freaking costume designer for a musical, you would have left Kunhang, and oh yeah you wouldn't have met your smoking hot boyfriend who I found out is also Japanese?!"
Hyunjae let out a loud laugh towards the end of Aeri's monologue. While she made various good points, the point about Yuta really made her laugh.
"How'd you find that out?" She asked taking a bite out of a rice cake.
"Kunhang told me his name," she chuckled, "Yuta doesn't seem like a very Korean name, so I asked."
"Well you're right about that, he's from Japan, more specifically from Osaka," she smiled taking another bite of the food.
Whenever she talked about Yuta she couldn't help but smile proudly. Like yes that is her smoking hot boyfriend.
"No wonder we got along well," She said taking a bite with a laugh.
Hyunjae shook her head trying not to laugh because they literally only talked to each other for a few minutes. Aeri always was an interesting person.
"In reality though how are you feeling?" She asked taking a sip of her drink.
"Well it sucks but I'm trying to be positive. It could be worse right? I could be all alone," she said honestly.
Aeri nodded, "That's true."
"And I have plenty to keep me occupied even when you go out and do your own thing."
"Trust me I only go out at night you probably won't even notice I'm gone. How close are you to finishing up your costumes?" She asked curiously.
Now that Hyunjae had no distractions she wondered if it would make her work faster.
"Probably a couple days, I think maybe like a week at most. Now that I have all the time in the world it'll be easy to stay focused."
Hyunjae did her best to look for some positivity in this situation. But she was prone to being negative.
Aeri pouted slightly, "while I'm glad you're gonna out all your focus into this I think you should also try picking up new hobbies. What if you get bored?"
Hyunjae smiled lightly taking another bite. She was thankful that Aeri genuinely cared about her, "Don't worry I'll find stuff to keep me occupied. Oh my god that reminds me I need you to pass on a message to Kunhang for me please!"
——-
Yuta was on the field stretching when his phone kept vibrating in his bag distracting him. It sounded urgent so he fished the phone out of his bag to check the messages just in case.
Hendery
So Jae asked Aeri to ask me to ask you
For a super long list of anime recommendations
For when she gets bored.
Yuta smiled at the message. She was already thinking about him. God this was gonna be harder than he thought.
Yuta
Anything for my girl
Will send a whole list tonight 🫡
Kunhang
🤮 gross
But thanks for like everything btw
Yuta
What do you mean??
Kunhang
For like taking the situation so well
Idk I think others would have just broke it off
It's a lot to deal with
I know she won't tell you
but it definitely means a lot to her
Yuta
Dude don't make me get all sappy before practice
Of course I'm gonna stay by her side
I didn't say I love you to her just because she did
Hendery
Simp much
Lol I'm kidding but I'll stop there
Good luck practicing
Yuta
Thanks !
Yuta put his phone back in his bag as he sent the message. Today wasn't an official practice but the team wanted to get together and practice. Gotta stay in shape. Yuta was thankful that nobody was asking him any questions. Well at least yuto and Yanan. They were the only ones who knew that Hyunjae was his girlfriend, the others knew he was dating but they didn't know who he was dating.
"You still got that tattoo appointment later today?" Yuto asked him curiously as if it were any other day.
Yuta nodded, "Yup I'll probably drag Sicheng with me to go eat something afterwards."
He was sad that he wasn't able to bring Hyunjae along anymore. He really wanted her to see the tattoo but sadly that wouldn't happen today.
"I wanna see what it looks like," Yanan added as he stretched next to Yuta.
"I'll send pics but it's probably not gonna look good right away," He chuckled, "It has to heal."
He nodded, "Good point."
"Alright well let's get started," Yuta said standing up.
After two hours of practice Yuta headed back to his dorm. As he walked back he noticed a lot of random people with news reporters and camera crews, they must be newscasters. God she wasn't joking when she said these people would actually wait for her. He also noticed Hyunjae's two roommates looking confused and even lost as one of them approached them. He wondered if they would spill any information for a quick buck. He wouldn't doubt it after what happened.
As he arrived in his dorm he headed off to shower and then start a list of his recommendations for Hyunjae. He was killing some time as he waited for Sicheng so they could go to his tattoo appointment.
Yuta
[list attachment]
The ones with stars are my favorites
Tell her to text again If she needs more
Hendery
Thanks bro 🫡
Yuta scrolled through his camera roll reminiscing some of his pictures and videos with Hyunjae. It had only been a few hours since the girl's departure but it was slowly hitting him. He went on Instagram and typed in her username. Of course as expected it was gone. It was like there was no trace of her. Her friends' accounts had also gone private, Kunhang had removed all his pictures with her and said he would delete his whole account soon.
Nayutas
Liked by loselose jungjaehyun Sakura and 600 others
Nayutas call me if you get lost 🦋
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Loselose I'm actually jealous sometimes. You find the coolest items for real and the caption SIMP
Sakura so when will we meet the gf???
Nayutas um well not for a while... long distance 😩
Wendyson yuta doing long distance?? I never thought I'd see the day
Nayutas honestly me neither but she's a keeper so 😳
Jungjaehyun cute 🥹
Win
Hey I'm on my way
You good though?
Yuta
Yeah I'm ok
It's slowly setting in but I'm ok for now
I was looking through our folder lol
Reminiscing honestly helps
Win
I worry about the days to come
If you're like this on the first day
It's gonna be a long journey my friend
Yuta
Well I have you right
You're stuck with Me :p
Win
Yeah you got lucky
You better buy me a delicious meal after this
Yuta
Whatever you want friend 😩
As Sicheng arrived they headed over to the tattoo parlor. It was coincidentally close to the place Sicheng wanted to eat at so that was a bonus.
They entered the shop and Yuta immediately went to check in. The receptionist got all of Yuta's info as well as payment. She showed him to his room and now he waited for his tattoo artist.
Sicheng ended up waiting outside as he didn't want to be a nuisance even though Yuta reassured him he wasn't gonna be one.
"Hey Yuta right? I'm hyojung," the tattoo artist introduced himself.
His bright orange hair really stood out against the walls of the room.
"Yup that's me," Yuta nodded.
"Alright so i got your image, where did you want it placed again?"
"Right here," Yuta smiled pointing to the exact spot where he wanted.
"Cool. I'm gonna go print out a few stencils and we'll work on the exact placement," He said getting up to go make the stencil.
Yuta looked around the studio at the various art work on the walls. Tattoo shops were always so cool to him. If it wasn't for him being indecisive he probably would have gotten a tattoo when he was eighteen.
Hyojung returned with a few stencils excited to start the tattoo.
"This is such a cool tattoo," he smiled as he prepped the tattoo stencil, "Did you design it?"
"Thanks, yeah I designed it with some help from my girlfriend," Yuta chuckled.
"You've both got killer talent," He said with a nod, "People would kill for a tattoo drawings like this. You both could do like commissions or something like that."
"Sadly girlfriend's a fashion designer," Yuta admitted with a chuckle.
"How bout you though?" Hyojung asked as he began putting on his gloves to get started.
"Never thought about it," Yuta admitted, "I've been told I'm good at drawing but enough for people to want it tattooed? I don't know that sounds crazy."
"Or you could be the tattoo artist," he suggested as he laid the stencil flat where Yuta wanted it.
"Don't have any experience in that either," he admitted.
"It's never too late to learn anything. So is this good?" He let Yuta stand up to go check the tattoo in the full length mirror across from him.
He looked himself up and down a couple times. The placement was spot on and it looked really good. Yeah this was perfect.
"Looks great," Yuta nodded laying back down on the chair.
"Alright let's get started."
Yuta swore he could fall asleep while getting tattooed, it felt like nothing to him. Hyojung had to check up on him a couple times to make sure he wasn't passed out. The only thing keeping him up was the machine buzzing and the prickling feeling on his skin. Time was flying by and Yuta didn't even realize it. They had a few conversations in between the session but most of the time Yuta was just daydreaming.
"You're probably the calmest client I've ever had," Hyojung said as he put the machine down.
"I'll take that as a compliment," Yuta chuckled trying not to move too much so he could clean the tattoo.
"The only other person who has been this still is my fiancée," he admitted getting a few items to carefully clean the tattoo.
"Does she have a lot of tattoos?" Yuta asked curiously.
"Yup twenty five and counting. Most of them are small though," he chuckled.
Yuta's eyes widened in surprise. He wondered if he'd ever get that many. What he and Sicheng got a matching one at some point. Or what if even Hyunjae got one? That was a long shot though considering her fear of needles.
"Go ahead and take a look," He suggested to Yuta.
Hyojung didn't want to toot his own horn but he did a pretty kick ass job. He hoped Yuta would like it just as much if not more. Every time he finished a tattoo he would always get nervous that the client wouldn't like it.
Yuta stood up and looked into the full length mirror in awe. Damn did he look good. It looked perfect, he got every little detail not to mention his line work was perfect.
"Holy shit this looks sick," Yuta said admiring the tattoo in the mirror, "Dude thanks."
"No problem, now let's talk tattoo care," he chuckled as Yuta followed.
After getting a rundown of how to keep the tattoo clean, what not to do, how to wrap it and more. He exited the room reassuring Hyojung that he'd be back for another tattoo sometime in the future. Hyojung thanked him and said he looked forward to it.
"Hey how'd it go?" Sicheng asked him with a smile.
Sicheng had gone exploring while Yuta got his tattoo done, thankfully it wasn't more than like two hours. He got a lot done in that time and he even brought Yuta a coffee.
"It went great! I cant wait for you to see it," he smiled taking the coffee from Sicheng.
"It's gonna look sick. I have a quick question. I know you might not be in the mood but Jaehyun said someone is throwing a huge party Saturday. Wanna go?" He asked cautiously.
Yuta thought about it. Honestly since school was starting he couldn't probably use the pick me up after a long first week. And he'd love to get his mind off things.
"Hm no promises but I think I'm down," he nodded as they walked along the street, "Sounds fun but how did Jaehyun find out?"
Sicheng chuckled, "One of the actors in the musical let him know. He's making more friends, crazy huh."
"Interesting," Yuta laughed lightly, "Where's the place you want to eat at?"
Sicheng led Yuta down a couple streets to a soba noodle restaurant. The two talked and talked while eating as much as they could, to get their moneys worth of course. The topics started off very light hearted and chill like usual. Just bro things if you will, but there was a question lingering in yuta's mind.
"Did you sleep in your dorm last night?" Yuta asked dipping his noodles in the broth.
He was curious to know if anything went down in his dorm due to last nights discrepancies.
"I did, I'm thankful that I have my own room because I know damn well that would have been awkward," He replied taking a sip of his drink. He chose his next words carefully. He didn't really want to bring up Hyunjae right now because the wound was still super fresh. It'd be better to keep yuta's mind occupied with other stuff, "Speaking of which I'm actually moving soon. I'm getting an apartment off campus. Random roommates are not for me, I need to avoid drama at all costs."
Yuta put his utensils down surprised by the news, "Seriously?!"
He nodded laughing, "Yeah. You interested in being roommates again?"
Moving off campus sounded great to Yuta. Since his roommate was gone anyway he basically had the apartment to himself, but if he was being honest he was lonely. Yes Sicheng usually came over to play games anyway, but when he would leave it would get boring and lonely.
"The question is are you okay with being my roommate again?" Yuta asked playfully.
Sicheng dipped his noodles and slurped them before answering his best friend. They joked around a lot that Sicheng hated being roommates with Yuta in high school, but he wasn't serious (most of the time).
"Yeah we'll have our own rooms this time unlike high school. Plus a sweet patio to look out into the city, there's a community pool, it's pretty sick. The best part is it's relatively cheap too so the scholarship should cover most of it."
"Are you serious? Show me pictures," Yuta said excitedly.
Sicheng nodded pulling his phone out to show him pictures of the place. He handed the phone over to Yuta so he could scroll through all the pictures while Sicheng continued eating.
By the looks of it this place looked super high end, how Sicheng got it for a decent price he won't ask but he was thankful for it. He was already thinking of ways to decorate the room despite not even knowing which one was his.
"I'm in," he said excitedly handing the phone back to Sicheng.
"I figured," he replied with a smile, "Can't wait to be roommates again."
"Same here. How bout some coffee after this?"
"More coffee?" Sicheng laughed as they finished eating.
Loselose
Liked by jungjaehyun wendysohn and 838 others
Loselose Yuta paid for my coffee and took this picture thanks bro 🤝🏽
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Jungjaehyun Yuta treat me next pls
Sakura I want in on that
Xiaojun looking good dude
Nayutas that's my best friend 😩
Nayutas
Liked by Loselose jungjaehyun wongkh and 882 others
Nayutas Sicheng took a picture of me before getting tatted 😘
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Loselose you're welcome 🫡
Sakura first a belly piercing now a tattoo??? Yutas hot boy summer coming soon???
Nayutas as if 🥱
Wendyson ahh that's right yuta's not single
Jungjaehyun but the questions is when will we see the tattoo?
Nayutas only time will tell ;)
—————-
Waking up on the first day back from break was a pain. Yuta really regretted having an 8 am class. Not only that but Hyunjae was supposed to be in this class too, He had found out through kunhang who was also supposed to be here. However Kunhang ended up dropping it because he knew he wouldn't wake up in time for it.
Yuta trudged halfway across campus from his dorm. God he should have gotten some coffee before class. As per usual he sat towards the back of the class not expecting anyone to sit next to him. That was until a few minutes before class started.
"Hey this is intro to writing right?"
Yuta's eyes widened as he looked up at the person talking to him. It was none other than Hyunjae's own friend, er well ex friend. If he remembered correctly her name was Irene.
"Yeah," he nodded grabbing his notebook.
"Cool. Wait a minute I knew you looked familiar. You're one of jaehyun's friends right?" She asked as she sat down.
Yuta nodded slowly, "Yeah. You're one of Taeyong's friends right?"
Yuta wasn't very good at playing dumb but he definitely had to try.
"Guilty," she admitted taking her stuff out as well, "Do you know if he uh happened to change his number? Taeyong's been trying to contact him."
Yuta raised his brow was she going to sit here? Not only that but did she seriously just ask him that? Considering what Taeyong did he found it stupid that she was even asking him. He really wanted to go off but it's way too early to start some drama. Plus his anger needed to be directed at Taeyong.
"Sorry that's Jaehyun's business not mine. I'm not gonna meddle," he shrugged.
She nodded, "Right sorry. Anyway I'm Irene. Nice to meet you."
She held out her hand for him to shake. Not to be rude but he wasn't too keen on being friendly to them after what happened, but he would exchange formalities.
"Yuta," He said shaking her hand.
Thankfully the professor entered as they let go. No more having to talk. Thank fuck.
Class went by smoothly, although at some point Yuta felt like he was about to knock out. The syllabus was easy to read and the class itself didn't look hard, the only hard part would be waking up, but at least he could go for jogs after class.
As class ended he packed his stuff up as he received a text.
Win
If you're free after class lmk
We can go see the apartment
yuta
Down!!
Meet at the usual spot?
Win
Yup!
See you in a few!
"Hey I know this is random and what not but by any chance are you going to that party this weekend?" Irene asked as he locked his phone and put it away.
"I'm not sure yet," he admitted standing up.
"Well if you do find me there. I'm the life of the party," she smiled as she made her way up and out of the class.
Yuta blinked confused. Hold on. Was she hitting on him? This had to be some fucked up plot twist was this?
"Fuck," he mumbled under his breath slightly annoyed.
He knew he was good looking but to attract one of Hyunjae's back stabbing friends? Yikes. He didn't even get a chance to tell her he's taken.
———————
"Taeyong you have to go!" Yeri pleaded the now blue haired boy.
He rolled his eyes, "I'm not in the mood yeri."
"It's a party you're always in the mood for one," she retorted, "Stop being a downer."
He sat up on the couch with a sigh, "I technically went through two break ups."
"Which you also caused," She replied with an unamused expression.
Taeyong shrugged, "Doesn't mean I can't be going through it."
She sighed plopping down on the other couch. Their new hangout spot happened to be Taeyong's dorm. Since it was basically empty. Sicheng was avoiding him whether intentionally or unintentionally he wasn't sure and Johnny was already planning on moving out for his own place.
"Not to be annoying but it's literally been a day," Yeri spoke, "Why don't you try and make amends?"
"Hello Hyunjae literally disappeared off the face of the earth." He sassed.
"You seriously don't think she has her phone?"
Taeyong looked at her. Maybe she did have a point there. Hyunjae would need a way to contact Kunhang so it would only make sense that she needed her phone.
Taeyong
Jae
Where are you?
I wanna talk
The number you are contacting has been disconnected.
"Ouch," Taeyong mumbled as he received the message before showing it to Yeri.
"Hm think she blocked us?" Yeri asked him as she tossed the phone back to him, "I know who might know how to contact her."
"Yeah I'm not talking to Kunhang," Taeyong shook his head.
Taeyong knows damn well that Kunhang would tell him to fuck off. He still couldn't believe last night happened, he swore she didn't mean to come off as angry as he did but damn. It was all his fault he should have just been honest with her and with jaehyun but it was too late. Though at the same time he didn't exactly regret it. He'd been keeping that in for a while.
"So who do you think Hyunjae was actually dating?" Yeri asked intrigued to hear what he had to say.
"Isn't it obvious?" He asked tilting his head, "I still think it's San."
"Even though Johnny said it wasn't?"
"I don't think he knows either. I think he was just trying to stop the tension," he admitted.
"The timing though first we all fight and then her mom drops an article? That's insane," Yeri admitted.
They looked at one another unsure of what to think of the situation. It sucked but they honestly knew it was coming at some point. The door opened to Taeyong's dorm opened. Irene appeared with a wide smile.
"Dudes guess what?"
"What?" The two asked in unison.
"I found one of Jaehyun's friends in my class today," she said dropping her bag near the door.
"Which one?" Taeyong asked intrigued since jaehyun had been ignoring his texts and calls.
"His name's Yuta. He's kinda cute," Irene chuckled.
Taeyong raised a brow, "You interested?"
Oh he remembered Yuta from the club, he noticed the way he looked at Hyunjae like he liked her. He wondered if he forgot about her or if he read the articles. He knew these things would make a guy run away in a second.
"Kinda I asked him if he was going to the party. He said he might, but that's not the point. I tried to get some jaehyun info from him but nothing," She said sadly.
Taeyong groaned, "Thanks for the effort."
"Great now help me convince Taeyong to go to this party," Yeri said standing up from the couch.
"I mean there's a possibility of jaehyun being there right?" Irene asked raising a brow.
Taeyong narrowed his eyes debating with himself. He still wasn't really in the mood.
"Come on yong! Forget about Hyunjae! She's dealing with her own shit. Party it up and forget about her. You were already doing better with jaehyun. Plus she lied to us and hid her relationship."
"And Johnny did tell us to delete any pictures with her and lock down our accounts. It's basically like she's a ghost," Irene added, "We should all move on, she did kind of betray us by just leaving without a word."
Taeyong groaned knowing the girls were right. He needed to go out and at least try to make amends with jaehyun or at least apologize. Did he still like him? Yes but he knew it would take a lot to even get him to listen. God he can't believe Hyunjae clouded his mind that day, but he assumed it would happen one day. Whether he admitted it or not he always did like her, but he felt different when he was with jaehyun. It was all so confusing, all these mixed emotions were not good for him.
"Fine but you have to help me pick out an outfit. Cool?"
The girls squealed agreeing. Finally something to lift their moods.
"Now if you'll excuse me I got class in an hour."
————
A couple days went by as it was finally Friday. Yuta had just gotten out from practice. He hadn't heard from Kunhang the whole week. Kunhang must have been working double time trying to get Hyunjae settled and her life back together. After his shower he checked his phone to see a message from Kunhang.
Kunhang
Hey this probably isn't the message you want
But are you busy?
I could use some help getting some costumes to doyoung
Sicheng is making final arrangements with his realtor 😩
Yuta
Are we talking costumes made by my lover
Kunhang
Do you even have to ask 🙄
Ofc I wouldn't do this for anyone else
Yuta
Good point
Yeah I'm down
Where are we meeting?
Kunhang
My dorm please
I can't carry these 😩
Yuta
On my way
Yuta didn't mind at all considering he didn't have any plans later today. He headed to kunhang's dorm with his headphones in ear. Avoiding people was his goal, but he still couldn't believe that Irene had flirted with him. She was flirting with him right? Either way it was weird for him. He genuinely couldn't stop thinking about it. How much weirder could this get? Anyway, he shook those thoughts out of his head as he arrived.
He knocked on the door as Kunhang opened it with a smile.
"Hey nakamoto you're punctual as fuck," he chuckled letting him enter the dorm.
"I try to be. So Hyunjae finished the costumes?" Yuta said impressed.
"A few of them. She was almost done with them she just needed to add a few final touches, but I do know she still has more to work on," Kunhang said going to his room to bring them out, "Check them out."
He laid them on the couch and unzipped a few as Yuta looked amazed at the outfits.
"Holy shit. It still baffles me that she does this," He said touching the faux fur on the cloak.
He always admired her work, he knew it wasn't easy in any way. It took a lot of blood, sweat, tears, and even sleepless nights. Hyunjae was seriously a god in his eyes. He finished admiring the costumes as they had to leave.
"Yeah she's truly amazing huh," Kunhang smiled zipping them back up, "if you can take those three I'll take the other three."
Yuta nodded, "You got it."
They picked up the costumes and to Yuta's surprise they were a lot heavier than he expected. No wonder Kunhang needed help, he thought it was just an excuse to hang out, if it was he wouldn't mind.
"have you talked to her recently?" Yuta asked as they exited the room.
Kunhang shook his head, "Nope. Aeri's telling me that she basically works on the costumes most of the day. She says sometimes she hears her watching shows, so I'm assuming she started that anime list you sent."
Yuta smiled, "I'm glad to hear it but I wish I could check up on her while she's working. She still has that terrible habit of not taking breaks or eating while working."
"You've noticed her habits?" Kunhang asked surprised.
Since her friends were often scared of her when she was working they never noticed. But it made sense why she was always on edge whenever they tried to help her, it's because she would never take breaks or eat something.
"Yeah hence why I used to bring her food," he replied as they walked across the campus heading to the theatre.
"Dude you're a good boyfriend. I'll pass the message to Aeri." Kunhang said amazed.
Yuta really paid attention to Hyunjae a lot more than he realized. It was sweet to know that he really took care of her when he could. He was seriously perfect.
"I try to be," he chuckled as Kunhang knocked on the door of the theatre.
Which was true, Yuta always tried to paid attention to the smallest details and would care for her when needed. He didn't mind it at all, if anything he liked it. He got out of his thoughts as doyoung opened the door.
"Hey," he smiled at Kunhang but then his eyes widened as he saw Yuta, "Oh Hey! I wasn't expecting to see you. How've you been?"
"I'm..." Yuta paused, "I'm alright. You?"
"Same," He smiled letting them in.
He led the way into the theatre and then backstage. Yuta and Kunhang trailed behind him.
"Does doyoung know?" Yuta asked him quietly.
He remembered that doyoung knew that he's dating Hyunjae and he spent a lot of time with her considering the play so did he say anything?
"Yeah he knows, but he promised not to say anything. He said his older brother went through a few fake scandals of his own, so he knows how it can affect someone," Kunhang responded, "Hence why he also doesn't mind that we're helping out."
"He'd be crazy to let Hyunjae go and I'm not even being biased," Yuta chuckled.
"Yeah you're right," Kunhang agreed.
They entered backstage through the actual stage and it felt like a total different world. People were running back and forth with scripts in hand or with props, Some of them were even talking through headsets to those who were working with the sound and lights. It was very lively to say the least.
"Okay you can just put them on this clothing rack," he smiled pulling a rack towards the two.
"It's so hectic back here," Kunhang said putting the clothes on the rack as Yuta followed.
"Yeah we're prepping all the lights and sounds, plus dress rehearsals start soon. It's hectic," doyoung agreed.
"Yuta?" Jaehyun asked with a smile as he got backstage.
"Hey! I forgot you actually tried out for the musical?" Yuta chuckled, "Do you like it so far?"
He nodded excitedly, "I don't think I've been this excited about something in a while."
Doyoung paused looking between the three friends, "You know Jaehyun?"
Jaehyun nodded, "Yup. We're super close, besties if you will."
They laughed at his wording, but he wasn't wrong of course. He knew Jaehyun didn't say that they're best friends because Sicheng owns that spot.
"What a small world," doyoung laughed, "We should all hang out sometime," he paused to check the time on his phone, "Except now. Gotta run and check out the music. See you guys!"
The waved to him as he disappeared into the crowd of people.
"What about you? Don't you have to go?" Yuta asked Jaehyun.
"Nah I got some time. I actually needed to ask Doyoung about a few lines I have," he said, "But I kinda forgot to mention it right now. I'll probably ask him after rehearsals."
Both boys nodded understanding. Since doyoung didn't need anything else the two headed out. Yuta had a few more questions for Kunhang as they walked back.
"So Um I know this is random but any news on Hyunjae getting a burner phone?" Yuta asked cautiously.
"Well contrary to belief it's not up to me," he chuckled, "It's up to Hyunjae's dad. Though I have been trying to convince him. He wants to hold off on that until he gets a lawyer and opens up the case. It could be a while before that happens."
Yuta nodded understanding he forgets that this situation blew up and out of proportion. It freaks him out that people still wait by the school to look for her. Some have gone as far as to knocking on random dorm rooms to ask questions. Yuta was thankful that nobody has said anything aside from her being in a few classes. It seemed like nobody knew who she was really friends with.
"Do you know if she's able to use any type of like social media or even just call from Aeri's phone?" He asked
Kunhang paused. If he was being honest he didn't know the answer himself. In retrospect she probably could but he wasn't sure how Aeri would feel and if she would even have time. Aeri also had a life outside of "babysitting" Hyunjae so it could get complicated
"I'm actually not too sure about that. I can talk to Aeri about it but don't get your hopes up," he chuckled patting his shoulder.
"Gotcha. Sorry if I'm being annoying," he apologized.
He realized that he asked about Hyunjae a lot. It wasn't fair to Kunhang he probably wanted to stray away from the topic of Hyunjae for now. It must suck to have to hear about your best friend time and time again, plus he must miss her.
"You're not annoying. I get it, you miss her and are worried. You gotta remember she's been through this before so she'll get through it. By the way how did it feel when she asked you to move on if you get tired of waiting?"
He sighed kicking a pebble in the way, "It took me for a loop. I can't say it was a great feeling but I get why she did it. She tends to think of the worst case scenarios."
It did kind of hurt Yuta when she asked him to promise her that, but he understands her point of view. Hyunjae's brain made her always think negatively and no matter how much she tried to have a positive outlook it didn't always work. Either way Yuta wasn't leaving her anytime soon.
"She's improving though," Kunhang smiled, "Or well trying."
Yuta nodded, "I can tell. She'll get there soon."
"Yeah. Oh that reminds me Sicheng invited me to that one party. Are you gonna go?"
Yuta nodded, "Yeah I could use a night out. Plus how can I say no to free booze?"
"That's the spirit!" Kunhang laughed.
—————-
"Does this look okay?" Sicheng asked Yuta as he showed him the outfit he picked out.
Yuta looked up from his couch nodding. His dorm room was pretty empty now that most of his stuff was in their new apartment but he still had a few more boxes left. Hence why he was still in his current dorm, as soon as he moved those boxes though he'd be a free man living off campus.
"Are you serious or are you just saying that?"
"Sicheng why would I lie to you?" Yuta chuckled lightly, "I get the impression that you're trying to impress someone."
Sicheng immediately shook his head shutting Yuta down.
"Nope I just like looking good for myself. Sunglasses or no sunglasses?"
Yuta looked at him nodding, "If you don't want people to approach you then definitely sunglasses."
Sicheng rolled his eyes but decided to keep them on anyway. He looked good and if people thought he looked like a douche for wearing glasses inside then that was their problem.
"Is that what you're wearing?" He asked Yuta.
Yuta shrugged unsure. He didn't think about choosing an outfit so he didn't know what he wanted to wear. He was gonna go for something casual side he was feeling lazy.
"Come on dude you can literally make anything look good. You're hot."
Yuta laughed at his words, "Well I know that but it's just a party ya know. It's not a big deal to me, I just want free booze."
"Ok valid point."
"Alright let's head out. We gotta find Kunhang too."
They headed out of the dorm to meet with Kunhang at his dorm. He was more excited than the other two but for the same reason Yuta was, free booze. As they arrived to the party it was as loud and hot as one would expect. The flashing lights weren't helping as they made Yuta's eyes hurt. They walked through and were immediately met with jaehyun and doyoung who handed the three some drinks. Jaehyun had spotted them as soon as they entered, they stood out a lot.
"Doyoung? I didn't know this was your type of scene," Kunhang said taking the cup from him.
"Are you kidding? Doyoung is the one who told me about the party. One of the designer's, jinyoung, his friend is the one hosting the party. What's his name again?" Jaehyun asked turning to doyoung.
"Jackson," Doyoung responded, "And you're kinda right I'm not a big party person, but jinyoung forced me to come. He said I need to get out more."
They all chuckled at the boy's honesty. They headed further into the house moving along to the music. As expected the music was loud but it was really good and made them want to dance. Yuta took a sip of his drink ready to get buzzed.
"You gonna babysit me if I get drunk?" Yuta teased Sicheng as he refilled his drink some more.
"As long as you don't cry I got you," he nodded looking for something to snack on.
There was rarely food at these type of parties but they usually had snacks hidden so Sicheng would make do with what he could find.
"Cool."
Kunhang came towards the group with a round of shots with alcohol from overseas. Apparently Jackson traveled a lot and had a crazy stash of alcohol. All of them, including Doyoung clinked their glasses and downed the shot. They cheered and chuckled at doyoung who made a face, maybe he wasn't a huge fan of alcohol.
"Another round please," Jaehyun suggested.
They forgot that Jaehyun was also trying to drown his sorrows, but of course they would make sure to keep him in check. As he wanted they got another round and downed them immediately. Restore the delicious alcohol it was really crowded in the house and Yuta wasn't feeling it. Even after a few more shots he was still slightly bummed and even more bored. He wasn't in the mood to dance but he didn't want to be a buzzkill. What could he do? He took another sip of his drink and then a lightbulb when off.
"Is there beer pong?" Yuta asked, he was feeling competitive.
Jaehyun nodded as he had scoped out the house earlier, "Backyard. There's a lot of people playing at a bunch of tables. You gonna show off?"
Yuta smirked sipping his drink, "Always. Sicheng let's go."
Sicheng sighed following in his friend's footsteps. Jaehyun called for Doyoung to join them. Kunhang separated himself from the group to go find a few friends of his own. He promised to meet up later. They made their way outside where there was nice fresh air. Yuta looked around for a table though they were mostly full.
"Hey you I didn't think you were gonna make it!"
Yuta mentally face palmed himself as he knew exactly who it was speaking to him.
"Isn't that-"
"Yes it is just play along and don't ask any questions," he mumbled quietly to them, "Jaehyun you're more than welcome to leave." He added as they approached the table.
At the table was Irene with Taeyong and Yeri and a couple other people he didn't recognize. Yuta felt a knot in his stomach as he noticed Irene wearing one of Hyunjae's jackets. He knew it was hers because she had showed it to him and told him the backstory.
"I paint a lot of my jackets," she chuckled picking a few of them out to show him as he sat on her bed.
He had asked for a tour of closet due to wanting to see her work and hear the various stories about all the pieces.
His eyes were immediately drawn to the black denim jacket with red spider Lillies painted on the back.
"That one is sick," he admitted in awe, "Those flowers are pretty but their meaning is scary."
Hyunjae nodded agreeing, "Yeah I did a lot of research into a ton of red flowers and these stood out to me."
"Pretty but deadly."
"Sounds like you," she replied with a chuckle, "Especially on the field."
Yuta shot her a wink agreeing with her, "Now get over here I want cuddles."
She laughed putting the jacket back, "You know I never took you for the needy type."
"I thought it was obvious," he laughed holding his hand out for her.
She took his hands as he pulled her gently into his arms.
"Oh hi," Yuta waved awkwardly coming back to reality.
It made him feel icky that she was wearing Hyunjae's clothes. They were probably wearing more of her clothes but he wouldn't know that since he didn't know every single piece she made.
Taeyong immediately looked up to meet yuta's gaze and then Jaehyun's. Jaehyun simply rolled his eyes and walked back into the house. Sicheng was about to follow but doyoung intervened.
"You might need to stay with Yuta. I'll make sure jaehyun doesn't overdo it," He spoke.
Sicheng thanked him as he wasn't sure he didn't want to leave a buzzed Yuta alone either. Taeyong looked like he was having a mental debate whether to chase after him or stay put.
"You look good," Irene mentioned, "Care for a game of beer pong? One on one?"
"Sure, I'll take you up on the game offer but just so you know I have a girlfriend," he said seriously, "I don't want to give you the wrong idea."
She raised a brow as Yeri set up the cups for both of them. Taeyong was oddly quiet like he was just observing Yuta now that jaehyun left.
"Well I don't see a girlfriend," She replied with a sly smile, "Who starts?"
"Long distance," Yuta responded, "Ladies first."
Sicheng watched closely and carefully. Yuta was very competitive at games like this and since he was buzzed he would be more competitive.
"I feel like we have to make a wager," She spoke innocently as she grabbed one of the ping pong balls.
Yuta raised his brow unsure of where she was going with this, "Like?"
She tapped her nail against her chin thinking as she had a few ideas in mind.
"If I win you let me take you out on a date and if you win you can decide what tour want to do but that's after you win," she smiled.
Yuta raised his brow confused, she was being serious. He literally just told her he has a girlfriend.
"Dude you're really making this bet knowing I'm not single?" He asked dumbfounded.
"I like to think I'm better than your long distance girlfriend wherever she may be, ya know if she even is real," She said narrowing her eyes.
Sicheng grabbed Yuta's arm trying to convince him not to take the bet. Sure he was amazing at beer pong but something just didn't sit right with him about the situation. Yuta however was confident.
"You got a deal but I want your friends out of the way," he said seriously, "Not to be rude but I don't trust any of you."
Sicheng slowly let go of his arm surprised. What could he be thinking in his brain?
"The fuck is that supposed to mean?" Taeyong asked offended.
"It means literally exactly what I said," Yuta shrugged not backing down.
Irene nodded, "Chill out Yong. Ok deal but that means your friend leaves too."
"Cool."
Sicheng sighed, "Good luck Yuta. Seriously don't fucking lose. Please."
Yuta nodded confidently, "I got you."
All of them walked away leaving the two alone. Irene didn't waste any time as she threw the first ball and of course it landed in Yuta's cup. He grabbed the cup and chugged it. She threw another one and it landed again.
"You're about to regret making a bet with me," she smiled innocently as he chugged the second cup.
"You're super confident. Are you normally a homewrecker?" Yuta asked tossing the ball and making it in as usual.
She chugged the drink a bit offended at his comment, but at the same time he wasn't wrong. When she wanted someone she'd go out of her way to get them. He tossed the second ball making it in again.
"How do I know you actually have a girlfriend and you're not just trying to push me away?" She asked chugging them drink and then getting ready for her turn.
"Because if I was actually single I'd just flat out reject you," He laughed as she threw the ball missing the cup by a centimeter.
It seemed his comments were getting to her and it wasn't even good intention.
"Seriously?" She asked with a groan, "What's her name?"
"None of you business," he said making his shot and the next one, "Privacy is key in a relationship."
"Is it though? It sounds like you're trying to hide your relationship." She mumbled noticing he only needed one more cup to win.
She's threw the ball once more making it in, but on her second shot she missed again. What had happened to her luck? Usually she was great at beer pong but Yuta was making her nervous.
"Nope. There's a difference between privacy and hiding. We never purposely hid our relationship, we just wanted to be private." he said making his winning shot.
Yuta cheered for himself happily. Yeah he still had it.
Irene sighed putting her hands on her hips, "So now that you've won what do you want?"
Yuta smiled what he wanted was simple, "I want your jacket."
Her eyes widened in surprise. She was fucked now. If Hyunjae came back and noticed that her favorite jacket was missing all hell would break loose.
"But why? It won't fit you," She said slightly concerned as to make him change his mind.
"It'll look good on my girlfriend," He smiled, "I think it'll fit her perfectly. A bet's a bet, unless you're a sore loser."
She sighed taking the jacket off reluctantly handing it to him, "Your girlfriend better be special."
"Oh She is," he smiled taking the jacket back. He'd have to ask Kunhang to take it to her somehow.
"So am I gonna get a chance or not?" She asked hopeful.
He seriously couldn't believe her even after his spiel about his girlfriend she still wanted a chance?
"No way. No offense to you but also I don't care if you get offended but what part of I have a girlfriend isn't sticking? It's such a bitch move to hit on a guy knowing he has a girlfriend, especially if she's not here. Would you keep pursuing me if she was here?" He asked curious.
Irene was taken back by his comment. There was so much to unpack from his words.
"If she was here id still hit on you. I'm confident in myself," she shrugged.
He wondered if she'd eat her words if she knew that Hyunjae was his girlfriend. Just to mess with her some more he got closer to her and smiled.
"That's funny considering you know my girlfriend," He spoke.
With that he finished the rest of the beer in the cups and walked away leaving Irene confused. Taeyong narrowed his eyes at Yuta as he made his way towards Irene. Yuta simply rolled his eyes back at him. Yeri trailed behind taeyong as she noticed a distressed Irene.
"Hey what happened? Did you get his number?" Yeri asked.
"He has a girlfriend," she said bitter, "And He won and took Jae's jacket from me."
"Why did he want jae's jacket?" Taeyong asked annoyed.
"For his girlfriend," she sighed annoyed, "Jae's gonna kill me."
The last thing she wanted was for another fight right when she came back. Not only that but Irene was used to getting what or who she wanted. To top it all off she knew Yuta's girlfriend or so he said.
"If she comes back," Yeri interrupted, "She probably won't even remember. It's no big deal rene."
She nodded listening to the younger, "Yeah but I'm kinda bummed he wasn't interested."
"His loss," Taeyong smiled putting an arm around her, "Let's go get you a drink."
Yuta met up with his friends and to his surprise Kunhang was there too. They had regrouped in the front yard where there was we barely any people and it wasn't loud.
"Hey you're back," Jaehyun smiled seeing Yuta approaching them.
His ears were redder than usual which meant that he was definitely tipsy if not drunk.
"Hey," He kept the jacket behind his back until he was close to Kunhang.
"You look suspicious," Kunhang laughed.
"This is for you," his eyes widened as Yuta handed him the jacket.
"Hey why do you have this?" He asked taking it with care.
He was shocked. Hyunjae hadn't taken this jacket with her, so why did Yuta have it? Did he sneak into her room?
"One of Hyunjae's friends had it," He replied.
His eyes widened as he felt a slight ping of anger. Why did they take Hyunjae's clothes? Did they have no shame?
"So then how did you get it?" Kunhang asked more intrigued.
Yuta slung an arm around him as they all began to head back, "It's a long story, I'll tell you if you promise to get it back to her."
"Deal," Kunhang laughed.
Loselose
Liked by jungjaehyun, kimdoyoung, and 667 others
Loselose nothing like boba to cure tomorrows hangover
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Jungjaehyun shout out to doyoung for buying 🥹
Kimdoyoung yeah yeah you're welcome
Nayutas doyoung is officially the group's sugar daddy
Kimdoyoung ??! For Jaehyun maybe but idk about all of you 🤔
Jungjaehyun 🥹❤️
Nayutas
Liked by jungjaehyun wongkh and 674 others
Nayutas who knew I could be so inspired while being drunk at the same time 🤪
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Wongkh sounds like a case of SIMP to me
Nayutas .... No comment
Jungjaehyun paint me like one of your French girls 😙
Loselose my god someone get jaehyun to bed
A/N
once again as always thank you all so much for reading and keeping up with my terribly timed updates 😭
But I do have some questions for you that may or may not play a part in the story. So do you guys want Yuta and Hyunjae to be able to call each other or text eachother (very limited tho) while she's gone or would you prefer more angst and she literally can't talk or text anyone? Hehe I'd like to see your opinions.
Also I might make a Spotify playlist of the playlist that yuta "made" for Hyunjae, so let me know if that'd be of interest as well! Thanks again for reading 🥹❤️