ARTICLE TITLE: Wear Your Fucking Helmet
DRAFTED TEXT: Did you know that in South Korea, there are about twenty thousand motorcycle accidents a year? And did you know there are some people out there who cause them just because they're little bitches and can't fight their own battles nor figure out their priorities? (fucking bum seok fuckfuckfcukfcukffifkf)
On Jo and Eun Hye were talking about a new show they'd started watching, trying their best to convince Y/n to join in with them before all the episodes are out. ''I don't have time for that,'' Y/n groaned, letting her head fall back. She definitely did have time, but she simply couldn't be bothered.
''Look, I have this really good edit, I'm sure it'll convince you.'' Eun Hye took her phone out, opening her gallery; must be serious if she has it downloaded, Y/n thought.
However, Y/n's focus quickly shifted away from the edit and towards Bum Seok, who loudly picked up all of his books from his desk and moved to sit in the back with Tae Hoon and Jung Chan. Si Eun followed his actions as well, then turned towards Y/n, the two making eye contact.
''Y/n! You weren't even watching!'' Eun Hye's loud voice made her jump and look back at her friends.
''Sorry.'' There was no playfulness in Y/n's voice like earlier, but she tried her best to give her friends a smile. ''Can you play it again? I got distracted.''
Y/n noticed the look Eun Hye and On Jo shared, but she was glad they didn't ask any questions. Truthfully, they didn't really know anything about the fight with Bum Seok, or any other disputes going on in her other friend group. She never felt the need to share it with them, not really.
Too preoccupied with On Jo and Eun Hye, Y/n hadn't realized when Si Eun and Soo Ho had left the classroom. Once she did notice neither her friend or boyfriend were there, though, she quickly stood up. Did those losers ditch me? I thought we were eating lunch together!
She found them on the way to the cafeteria, the two of them quiet as Soo Ho walked with his hands in his pockets. It was odd, seeing Soo Ho this quiet. Speeding up, Y/n pushed her way between the two, wrapping her arms around each of theirs. ''Why're you two so gloomy?'' She looked at Soo Ho, then Si Eun, then Soo Ho again. ''Did I miss anything?''
''Nothing important, cutie,'' Soo Ho said, cracking a small smile on his lips, one that didn't really reach his eyes. Y/n frowned, but didn't press further. I'm sure he'll tell me later.
The cafeteria was bursting with students, the line stretching out beyond the doors. The three lined up, Y/n talking about how fun Soo Ho's birthday was going to be while Soo Ho complained about still not wanting to celebrate. The line moved gradually and they finally made it inside. Y/n had stopped talking by then, having felt the sudden tension taking over the group.
Soo Ho looked away as he spoke, his words directed to Si Eun. ''Stop worrying about Bum Seok.''
''What?'' Si Eun asked.
''You have done enough,'' Soo Ho said. The three were slowly walking ahead as the line moved.
''I think Bum Seok is behaving that way because he's lonely,'' Si Eun said. ''I don't know for sure, but that's my hunch.''
Y/n's eyes fell down to her shoes for a moment, remembering how Bum Seok told them he was bullied relentlessly. There must've been no one to protect him, no one to care — but they were here now, and Bum Seok decided to throw their friendship away. What does he really want? Y/n'd didn't understand him.
''What?''
''What are we having for lunch?'' Tae Hoon was loud as he and the bullies entered the cafeteria, Bum Seok in tow, cutting straight to the front.
Y/n noticed Soo Ho biting the inside of his cheek and quickly put a hand on his shoulder, making him look back at her. Their eyes met and Y/n could see just how tired and annoyed Soo Ho was right now. ''Don't be reckless,'' she said, giving his shoulder a squeeze. ''Please.''
Soo Ho sighed, putting a hand over hers and taking it, their fingers interlacing. She felt a squeeze, watching as he looked at the bullies. ''Hey,'' he spoke nonetheless, but they ignored him. ''Hey!'' The whole group turned now and Y/n hadn't realized just how many there were. Can we take them on if it comes down to it? ''What are you guys doing? There's a line.''
Soo Ho's fingers slackened as he let go of Y/n's hand to walk ahead. Y/n's hand hung by her side as she looked at Si Eun, neither of them sure how this was going to go down.
Grabbing Jung Chan by the shoulder, Soo Ho threw him to the side, making him slide on the floor. Si Eun quickly pulled Y/n away, both of them watching in shock. Damn, Soo Ho really is strong.
''Get in line,'' Soo Ho told the rest. Neither protested, all of them scrambling to move away from Soo Ho. All but Bum Seok. Soo Ho moved closer to him, then looked back at Si Eun and Y/n. Y/n could tell Soo Ho didn't really want to do this, but he also couldn't back out. She watched as Soo Ho looked back at Bum Seok and sighed. ''I don't get this,'' his voice was low, but she could just barely hear him from where she stood. ''Get in line, Bum Seok.''
''I don't want to,'' Bum Seok said.
Y/n let out a sigh, watching as Soo Ho grabbed Bum Seok by the shoulder and pushed him back, making Bum Seok hit a bunch of chairs. Y/n moved over to Soo Ho, grabbing his shoulder so he wouldn't advance on Bum Seok again.
''Stop it,'' Si Eun said, though Soo Ho didn't look at either of his friends.
The three watched as Bum Seok stood up; Si Eun grabbed Soo Ho's other arm to stop him from moving, but Soo Ho shook him off. Y/n's hand was still wrapped around Soo Ho's arm; he didn't throw her off, meaning he wasn't really looking for a fight.
Bum Seok faced the three of them. He looked so different now, his glasses gone, his cardigan darker. He felt like a different person, not like the Bum Seok who wanted to save Si Eun and organize so many hang-outs. What happened?
They made eye contact for a moment, Y/n and Bum Seok. He looked tired, he looked like he wanted something from her, but she didn't know what. He didn't verbalize it either — instead, he walked past the three, going to his new friends.
Y/n pursed her lips as she watched him go. There was nothing to tell Bum Seok, not when he wasn't willing to listen.
Instead, Y/n moved over to Soo Ho, whose gaze was also stuck on Bum Seok and his little gang of bullies. She put a gentle hand on his biceps, making him look at her, his muscles relaxing under her touch.
"Let's go back in line," Y/n said, earning a simple nod. The two walked back to stand next to Si Eun. Silence dominated the space between them.
They didn't talk about the situation for the rest of the day; granted, Si Eun just barely spoke in general, but Soo Ho and Y/n hadn't mentioned it at all.
"I'll call you once I'm done with work," Soo Ho said as Y/n got off from the back of his mopped, taking off her pink helmet to hand it back to him.
"Alright." Y/n leaned in and pressed a quick kiss to his lips. When she pulled back, she was met with his grin — she couldn't help but return it. "Drive safe, okay?"
"Okay, cutie."
She received a call at about nine that night. Her eyebrows furrowed as she picked up her phone, seeing Soo Ho's contact. Did he get let out earlier?
"Soo Ho?" She put her pen down, pulling her legs up on her chair.
"Y/n."
The hairs on the back of her neck stood straight as her name was followed by a wince. "Soo Ho?"
"Are you free right now?"
"Yes, what's wrong?" She had stood up at that point, taking out a bag and starting to put her essentials inside.
"There was an accident." Y/n's blood ran cold at his words, her movements halting. "I'm mostly okay, but I need some help, my grandma—"
"Soo Ho, it's okay, I'm on my way." She went to pick up her backpack, then going over to her closet for clothes. "Send me the address, alright? I'll be there as quick as possible."
"Thank you." He sounded exhausted. What the fuck happened?
Once she had everything she needed for the night in her bag, she exited her room; her step-father was there, shuffling about in the kitchen.
"I'm going to sleep over at On Jo's," Y/n explained as she moved to put on her shoes, not even glancing at him.
"It's a school night," she heard her step-father say, making her finally turn.
"It's for a school project," she said the first thing that came to mind. Why was he trying to parent her right now?
There was a moment of silence from him. His eyes pierced hers and for a moment she thought he would deny her sudden plans. He looked down at the sandwich he was making and said, "Alright. Good night."
For once in her life she was thankful her parents were so nonchalant.
She took a taxi to the location — her breath caught in her throat when she saw it led to a hospital — unbothered by the fact all her pocket money will be going for this one ride. It took about twenty minutes for her to arrive and she was in Soo Ho's room at about ten minutes before ten.
She panted as she opened the door, one of her backpack's straps falling off her shoulder. She ran a hand through her hair, trying to get it out of her face as her eyes fell on Soo Ho.
He was sat on the hospital bed, his feet dangling off. One of them was wrapped in a brace that covered the majority of his leg, but she couldn't see anything else wrong with him.
"Soo Ho." Relief flooded through her the moment they made eye contact. She dropped her backpack and moved to his non-injured side, wrapping her arms around him. "You idiot," she said as she pulled away for a moment to inspect his face, but there were no scratches or bruises, thankfully. She pulled him closer again. "Do you know how scared I was? What the hell happened?"
Soo Ho's hand found its way to the back of her head, pressing her closer to his shoulder. His lips grazed her ear, causing her to shudder as he spoke. "I'll explain everything once we're home."
So it wasn't just any accident. Something had happened and she had a feeling Bum Seok was somehow involved. She knew Soo Ho never wanted to make his grandmother worry, so she obliged. Having finally calmed down, Y/n finally managed to greet the old woman. She'd been looking at the two the whole time and despite her tired eyes, she had a small smile on her face. Y/n wasn't sure why.
Y/n's attention moved back to Soo Ho, specifically his leg. "How bad is it?"
"Not that bad. I'll be fine in a few days," Soo Ho said as he gave her a grin and ruffled her hair. "Come on now, help me up and let's go home."
It took about another hour until Soo Ho was checked out and they made it back to the Ahn household.
Y/n had never been to Soo Ho's house before. She's seen bits and pieces on video calls with Soo Ho and Young Yi, but the first time she ever walked through the door was to help Soo Ho limp inside, his grandmother closing the door behind them. She helped Soo Ho to his room where she let him sit on his bed, his leg stretched out as he took a deep breath.
Y/n looked at Soo Ho's grandmother, who had followed them all the way to Soo Ho's room. "It's okay, Mrs. Ahn, I'll take care of him. You should go get some rest."
"Thank you so much, dear. Please, make yourself at home," Soo Ho's grandmother said before she gave Y/n one last grin, then she walked away.
Y/n ran a hand through her hair and finally looked around Soo Ho's room. There wasn't much around — a double bed, a desk pushed under a window, a quite empty bookshelf, his wardrobe and a few MMA posters on the walls. It was very much Soo Ho.
"You're staying over, right?" Soo Ho's voice broke her out of her trance. She felt his hands grab hers and she looked down at him. His eyes were squinted as he smiled at her, looking almost pleading.
"If that's okay," Y/n said, letting go of one of his hands and running her fingers through his soft hair. "What really happened?"
"My breaks wouldn't work. I'm not sure why, this has never happened before. I take care of my mopped, you know?" Soo Ho sighed, his eyes closing as his eyebrows scrunched. "I don't even wanna think how much repairs are going to cost."
"It's okay, at least you're still here," Y/n said, patting his cheek. "Come on now, you need rest. Change into something comfortable, I'll go to the bathroom."
Once she was done, Y/n returned to Soo Ho's room to find him in a pair of joggers and a T-Shirt — something he would wear to school — trying to put his brace on again.
"Let me," Y/n said as she dropped her backpack and crouched in front of him, quickly tying his brace the way the nurse at the hospital had instructed her to. Once done, she stood up and took a decorative pillow from his bed. "Come on, lay down."
He must've been exhausted and in pain because he obliged immediately. Y/n put the pillow under his knee to elevate it just a little.
Soo Ho face the ceiling as he let out a sigh. "I hate sleeping on my back."
"Don't whine," Y/n said as she moved around the room, covering Soo Ho with his blanket before putting both their phones to charge on his nightstand. Then she turned off the lamp and tried to navigate her way to the bed.
As she walked, her little toe collided with something solid, most likely the bed, causing her to yelp and raise up her foot, clutching her toe in pain.
"Y/n? What happened?" There was shuffling before Soo Ho's phone flashlight turned on, making her squint her eyes. She heard him chuckle. "Did you hit your toe on the bed?"
"Don't laugh at my misery," Y/n groaned as she sat on the bed, still clutching her toe. "Fuck, this was the last thing I needed right now. Shit."
"It's alright. Come here."
The pain subdued and Y/n finally let herself laid down next to Soo Ho, who quickly covered her with the blanket as well. He turned off the light and wrapped one arm around her as she snuggled to his side — the side with the good leg.
There was a moment of blissful silence before Soo Ho spoke. "Did you set an alarm for school?"
"School?" Y/n asked, not moving from her comfortable position on his chest. "We're not going to school. You can barely walk."
"We can't skip. I can't be absent!"
"Soo Ho."
"Y/n."
"Dumbass."
"Cutie."
Y/n sighed at the exchange. "Fine, we'll go, since you're so eager to learn. I better not catch you sleeping."
"No promises." She felt his lips on the top of her head. There was another short pause before he spoke. "Thank you for coming tonight."
"I'll always come when you call, Soo Ho. No need to thank me," Y/n spoke in the darkness, though she wished there was light so she could look at his face, his lips, his eyes.
"Me too, cutie. I'll always be there for you." Soo Ho's words were soft, followed by a yawn. "Let's sleep before this gets too sappy, eh?"
Y/n chuckled, leaning up just a little to press a kiss — she wasn't sure if it was on his cheek, jaw or neck, but any would do. "Good night, dumbass."
"Good night, cutie."
And a good night it was until Young Yi woke the two up in shock, wondering why they were in the same bed and didn't tell her about the sleepover.
———
A/N: Soo Ho and Y/n are so 'You came.' 'You called' coded idc.