lxx.
"Thank you for coming!" The counter lady waved a little too happily for Suna's taste. He rolled his eyes in annoyance before groaning loudly. Winter was supposed to be a jolly season, yet here he was heading out late to buy medicine for his stupid cold.
Jeon Suna loved December. He loved Christmas. He loved winter. He loved the snow. But he hated that he couldn't stay outside for any longer than two hours as he would get extremely sick. It sucked. Suna couldn't stand the cold for shit, it was his weakness. Ever since he was a child he had a weak immune system and would always receive uncountable warnings from his parents, but him being the rebellious kid he was, he ignored them.
It was a yearly routine for him now, buying medicine every December. Suna was glad there was no snow this year, but it didn't make the cold any better. He could already feel his nose getting clogged and itchy, and he knew it would turn red sooner or later. His nose would mirror that of Rudolph's.
Jeon Suna shivered slightly as the cold breeze brushed against his skin. He stuffed his hands inside his coat's pockets that had heat packs inside, allowing him to warm up as he made his way back home, eager to lay down on his bed and watch TV all day. His eyes had begun to sting so he blinked them away.
He accidentally bumped shoulders with someone in the process, but Suna didn't bother looking back, only muttering a half-assed apology. The voice of his crush stopped him in his tracks though. He turned around, coming face to face with— "I-Iseul?"
Han Iseul stood before him looking as beautiful as ever. His mouth parted slightly, eyes scanning her figure dressed in a winter coat. She looks adorable what the fu— A cough interrupted, announcing another's presence. A boy who looked two or three years older was with her. She wasn't alone.
Iseul quickly introduced him, "Oh right, this is my b—"
"Boyfriend. I'm Iseul's boyfriend," The guy cut in, eyes squinting at Suna.
To say Jeon Suna's heart broke would be an understatement. It completely shattered. He froze, staring blankly at the girl he had feelings for before looking back at her claimed boyfriend. Suna was too preoccupied to realize the surprised and disbelieving expression Iseul had on.
The younger boy sniffed. Not because he was upset, but because he was letting the cold consume him.
He should have known it would end this way, but regardless he kept trying. He kept trying to get Iseul to finally stop resisting and fall for him the same way he did, but at the end of the day, Suna would always be the weed surrounded by flowers, waiting to finally be removed from the garden as another matured flower took his place.
Was this his result of not giving up? The amount of rejection he got from the same person was immaculate. And to think he was planning to try again for the last time only to have it backfire...
Suna's hands grasped the heating packs tighter, glad that the couple in front of him couldn't see his clenched fists. His expression remained blank. He sniffed once more before letting out a low hum, "It's nice to meet you, dude..." He stuck his hand out, "My name is Suna. Iseul's..." He trailed off, glancing at her for a millisecond, "...classmate."
To think he thought the relationship between them had turned over a new leaf. For the past month or so, Han Iseul hadn't been too annoyed if he asked to hang out. Instead she agreed with him much more frequently. No more excuses of her 'being busy' or 'having other plans'. They genuinely hung out.
"Suna, huh?" The man hummed.
"Can I talk to her for a minute?" Jeon Suna asked, eyes darting towards the girl who preferred to look anywhere else but him. Suna chuckled quietly, already knowing he had no chance of getting her anymore. All of his efforts went down the gutter. What a waste of his time. "It won't take too long. I swear," He added.
With a strained nod from her boyfriend, Suna wasted no time walking away, not bothering to hold her arm and drag her with him like he always does at school. The smile he always had on converted into a thin line, his expression void. He didn't have to worry about Iseul not following him because he could hear her footsteps behind him.
"I like you," Suna suddenly confessed as soon they were out of hearing range from the guy, earning a nervous gulp from Han Iseul. Unlike the numerous times he had confessed to her, this one felt extremely heavy. Almost as if he was saying goodbye. "And I'm saying this for the last time."
For some reason, Iseul's heart dropped. Would she no longer be experiencing the continuous pestering from him? No more annoying confessions? No more secret glances from him during classes? No more stealing her away from her friend group just to bring her to the courtyard by a large tree to spend their time together? No more surprise 'I like you's?
The older boy who was with her was her brother who returned from college to spend his Christmas break here. Why had he claimed himself as her boyfriend? She didn't know. Maybe it was because she had told him about a classmate of hers who kept disturbing her since the start of the school year. However, Iseul forgot to tell her brother that she didn't mind Suna anymore now.
With these thoughts running inside of her head, Iseul stayed silent. She couldn't say anything. No words would leave her mouth even if she tried. All she could do was listen to his cracked voice as he spoke again, "I'll finally leave you alone from now on. Like you always wanted."
No, that was my past self! She wanted to scream out but was unable to.
Jeon Suna sniffed again before turning his head to her boyfriend who was leaning against a lamp pole in the distance. His arms crossed and eyes glaring straight at Suna's. The latter could only look down at the floor before backing away. He gave Iseul a final glance before turning around, not looking back.
Don't go. Please,
she pleaded, but it was already too late.
-
Yang Jungwon and Jeon Mira pulled away, flustered at the public display of affection they showed mindlessly. The siblings were still standing there, watching the couple in silence. An embarrassed smile was apparent on Daniel's face as he watched the both of them with wide eyes.
The most ideal move was to leave the scene since this was not Daniel's business. He had no right to interfere with their lives as he was only a mere stranger. Besides, the way they were staring at each other was enough to tell him that they were going out. A pretty girl with a handsome boy? What a perfect match.
Jungwon cleared his throat and nodded at the taller yet younger male, giving him a small smile while keeping a hand behind Mira's back. He looked down at her, catching her already looking at him. She averted her eyes to the siblings before smiling softly, "I'll see you two... when I see you again? I suppose. We'll get going now."
As Mira turned around, Jungwon gave them a final head bow before leaving, grabbing hold of her hand and immediately feeling the coldness upon contact. He looked down with a frown, purposely holding it firmer in his hand to warm it up.
"I didn't expect to meet you here," Mira uttered, giving his hand a squeeze. "Why were you outside so late in the evening?"
"I could ask you the same," Jungwon replied, looking up at her eyes before facing front, scanning the crowded view full of people. He hummed shortly before exhaling through his nose and looking back at her, "You cut your hair."
"I did, yeah," The girl stated, touching the top of her head and swiping some of her bangs away. She held the tips of her hair and stared at it, somehow being reminded about how she had a longer length just a week ago. It had been chopped off now. Her scalp never felt any lighter. It felt nice to take a break.
"You look nice," He complimented, smiling and showing off his dimples. His free hand lifted to flip her hair behind her shoulder but it only fell back into its previous location a second later. "It's the same hairstyle I saw on your Instagram," He added.
Mira scoffed but couldn't stop the small smile from escaping her lips. She quirked an eyebrow and slyly looked up at him with a small smirk, "Have you been stalking me, Won? Right after I accepted your friend request?" She taunted, nudging his elbow with hers.
Jungwon rolled his eyes playfully in response, "Wow, you caught me. Is a punishment needed for my actions?" He sarcastically retorted, looking down at her. "Don't tell me you weren't doing the same thing when I accepted yours? You were online too."
"Am I?" She mocked, stopping in her tracks causing him to do the same. She pursed her lips, holding in a grin after observing his I'm-so-done facial expression. Unable to resist any longer, she let out a short laugh before standing on her tiptoes and giving his cheek a quick peck before sprinting away.
Yang Jungwon, caught off guard, stood in the same spot for a minute before coming back to his senses. He watched as her figure got distant so he quickly ran after her, accidentally bumping into a few people along the way. The male was still flabbergasted by her actions, especially when she did that out of the blue— but maybe he could get used to it.
"Do you have any plans for Christmas?" Jeon Mira beamed once he entered her peripheral vision, patiently waiting for his response as she looked up at the bright moon. She kicked a small pebble, it being sent flying into a nearby tree as it reflected and hit a random kid on the head. Mira winced and looked away, pretending as if she didn't do anything.
"With my family," Jungwon chuckled when he saw that. "Why? Do you want me to come over?"
Mira shook her head, "No, I was just asking," She smiled timidly.
The male somehow had a way to make her body feel warm and fuzzy just by being in his presence. It was weird but heartwarming. Some emotions she could recognize the moment she felt them — anger, surprise, embarrassment, happiness, jealousy — and yet she had missed one of life's most wonderful emotions hiding in plain sight.
She had been feeling this way for a long time. And all the times she did, Jungwon would always be nearby whether he was standing close to her or talking to her, helping her out, holding her in his embrace, or kissing her. That warm, fuzzy feeling would only appear when she was with him. Only him.
Her smile grew larger when his hand made its way back to hold hers. Even better when he started swinging them back and forth, releasing his inner child. He could feel like himself when he was with her. Be himself. Not like he couldn't when he was with his group of friends, but it just felt different when he was with Mira. He felt more carefree, not having to worry about his next actions since he knew the girl would accept him the way he was.
Jungwon observed her. The grin she had on her face made him feel bubbly inside. "Mi?"
She let out a hum, looking up at him.
"I- uhm," Jungwon started before biting his lower lip nervously. He stared down at his shoes and took a deep breath before looking back. His lips parted open but the words he wanted to express wouldn't come out. He cursed at himself for delaying it further. "I'll walk you home. Let's go," He let out instead.
Mira raised an eyebrow, looking skeptical as he began pulling her behind him. "Okay?"
-
Standing at the front porch of her bungalow, the couple exchanged smiles and goodbyes. Their hands were still intertwined, seemingly sharing the same thoughts of not letting go. They would have to soon. It was getting a lot later in the night and Jungwon had to go home. Mira insisted on letting him stay the night, but he declined saying he didn't want to trouble her parents by showing up unannounced.
"You know you're always welcomed," Mira informed slowly, tilting her head to the side.
"I know. I just don't want to trouble your parents. Besides, I haven't told my mom yet," Jungwon responded, swaying their hands gently. She nodded and heaved out a defeated sigh, "Okay."
She reluctantly let go of him, finger by finger, until her index was left behind still wrapped around his own. It stayed that way for a few seconds before she finally let go, looking up at him with a warm smile. "Can I at least get a hug?"
Yang Jungwon didn't hesitate to open his arms, allowing Mira to fall into his embrace as he wrapped his arms around her shoulders. Her head rested against his upper chest, breathing in his delicate scent and relaxing under his touch. She could feel him sighing in contentment as he let his cheek rest on her head. They didn't know how much time had passed but both refused to let go, wanting the moment to last a little bit longer.
"Are you gonna let go of me?" Jungwon finally broke the silence, readjusting his position.
"You let go first," She breathed.
"I'm not letting go until you do," He retorted back, tightening his hold around her small frame. He received a short laugh in return. "Looks like we're gonna be hugging for a while."
When they finally pulled away with arms still loosely holding onto each other, Jungwon looked down and trailed his eyes across her face, memorizing every inch of her. The amount of adoration he had for her was uncalculated. He liked being with her. He liked her in general. His hand gently cupped her cheek, moving his thumb back and forth against her soft skin. "Good night, Mi."
Mira nodded in reply, but not moving away from her spot. Her eyes never left him. No matter how many times she saw his eyes often, she would still find herself admiring them, and getting lost in them. They were hypnotizing. It was captivating. So addictive. So beautiful.
Jungwon noticed she wasn't leaving yet. It made him wonder if she was waiting for something. Was there something she want from him? He blinked in confusion, eyes going back to scan her features before they stopped at her lips. Is she...? He quickly averted his eyes back to hers in panic.
His hold on her cheek unknowingly tightened as he swallowed visibly. Catching his nervous behavior, Mira looked down at the ground, slowly releasing herself from his hold and pulling away.
Oh, is she upset with me? Jungwon frowned.
Before she was completely out of his embrace, however, Jungwon pulled her back and held her chin between his fingers, forcing her to look up at him. What is he—? Her thoughts were cut off upon feeling his lips crashing onto her own. It lasted no longer than two seconds as if he was just giving her a short goodbye kiss.
This was new. They never gave each other goodbye kisses, only frequent hugs. Was this gonna be their thing now? Goodbye kisses?
She loved it.
a/n; happy 19th to yang jungwon! <3