SYNOPSIS.after spending months suffering from amnesia in the hospital due to an “accident,” you return back to your normal school life where your close friends who you remember stick by your side 24/7. Unexpectedly, you cross paths with ex-student council president yang jungwon, who you failed to remember but feel oddly drawn to. however, after the meeting things start to get odd and you slowly begin piecing together the mystery behind your accident.
a/n: please lmk how your thoughts my ask box is literally in drought season. 7 more chapters!
PRECIS. lee heeseung is the handsome yet good for nothing mysterious boy living a floor below you, who dropped out of college and is living quite a lavish life. when you get fired from your job, ending up struggling to make your ends meet and failing to pay the rent, heeseung offers you rather an eccentric proposal : pay the rent or be his girlfriend.
NOTE. lmao this chapter alone made me make this smau skskks
warnings. mentions of cheating, drinking, yn has gone crazy ( 1.64k )
“Do I look okay?"
Heeseung sighs, locking his car before setting his eyes on you. "This is the fourth time you’re asking me that."
"Sorry, I need constant reassurance.” You snicker, rolling your eyes as you make your way to the lift, pressing the buttons for the first floor. There are times when you think parking lots constructed on several lays into the ground are useless. You’ve barely seen anyone use any of them except the one on Basement-One, besides Heeseung. That man just drove down to the third basement.
Silence follows the two of you wherever you go, though comfortable, fortunately. After the thirty-minute-long car ride, you conclude that he’s not half bad. At least, not as much as he pretends to be over text, reminding you about your due rent every other day. Perhaps, it’s just a cover for today since he’s your ‘boyfriend’ and is already into the role. Either way, you’d love to enjoy the elite treatment from him.
The ’ding’ goes off, remarking your arrival at the destined floor. Heeseung slides his hands inside his pocket before noticing you fix your dress obsessively.
“You look beautiful,” He compliments with an irritated sigh. “Stop overthinking.” He puts your hand around his arm, entering the wedding hall, as if you’re the one getting married, instead of your cousin.
Five minutes in, and you already want to leave. You aren’t the most socially active member of your family, and witnessing around a hundred people gathered together is giving you a headache. Your gaze follows along the garlands adorned on the chairs and tables, content with the choice of flowers. At least, there’s one thing good about today.
“Oh my god, yn, is that you?!” That’s your aunt, probably the only person you actually enjoy talking to in your family. However, watching her approach you with a glass of champagne irks your ends. “It has been so long since we last talked."
"Right,” You respond with an awkward laugh, feeling a bit guilty about not being able to reciprocate her enthusiasm. You wonder what has gotten you exhausted all of a sudden. “By the way, this is my boyfriend, Heeseung."
He shoots her his best smile. One that makes you feel like he’s flirting with her. "Nice to meet you,” That’s the modest you’ve seen him to date, yet exaggerated.
“You’ve earned yourself a handsome boyfriend,” She sends you a teasing glare, making you smile consequentially. Meanwhile, you miss the way the corner of Heeseung’s lips curls up. “You should go meet your mom. She’d loved to see you."
You nod, holding back your laugh. Your aunt isn’t wrong. Your mom would love to see you. However, not because she’s meeting her daughter after months, but because she’s delighted to see you attending family functions and snatching everyone’s chances to comment on your incompetence.
That’s how things have always been. The compliments were never about getting a perfect score but rather about how you must keep it up and stay a step ahead of all your cousins. Though, it simply doesn’t matter now. You’ve moved out. You live separately and no longer have to follow your mom’s instructions. Not like she cares. You’re doing well in college, and it turns out that she’s content with that.
"You came.” Lost amidst your thoughts, you don’t realize that your mother is already standing before you. “With your boyfriend, of course."
"Lee Heeseung,” He greets her, his gaze fluttering between your mom and your saddened face. Unknowingly, a sour wave passes over him as he tries to come up with something to lighten the atmosphere, only for you to beat him to it.
“Can we leave now?” It’s an odd question. Well, strange enough for Heeseung. You’re indifferent as always, and the expression on your mom’s face doesn’t seem to faze either. “You wanted me to attend the wedding and introduce you to him. We’re done here, I suppose."
Heeseung doesn’t know why, but he hopes your mom will stop you. It’s funny because he doesn’t expect it from his mom either. However, his hopes end up trashed as he notices your expression stiffen.
Your mom smile at a guest behind you, paying you no mind. "Suit yourself,” And you scoff at yourself for thinking she’d ever tell you to stay.
You should be used to this by now; you are, yet it hurts more this time. Maybe because you are with Heeseung and you wanted your mom to at least pretend to be a good mother in front of your boyfriend? Whatever. You close the chapter, stamping it as a moment of weakness.
“Looks like you’re not on good terms with her,” Heeseung mumbles, smiling at your aunt, who waves at you both from a distance. He anticipates a sarcastic comeback, only for you to laugh as if he just told a joke.
“Man, I hoped she’d try to be decent in front of my boyfriend,” You sigh, downing another glass of wine.
Heeseung throws his arms around your shoulders, catching you by surprise as he leans down to your ears. “Don’t worry. I won’t break up with you just because your mom is a bitch."
He wonders if he’s allowed to use that term, only to smile in relief when you chuckle at his flirtatious comment. Heeseung doesn’t remember the last time he cared about making someone smile. No, he’s not mean; neither is he a cold and distant person who only knows how to make someone’s life a living hell. He simply doesn’t care about that. Heeseung believes in the art of giving and receiving. While he’s giving you a reason to smile, he’s not sure about the him on the receiving end when it comes to you.
"You can leave.” You say, catching him off guard.
“That’s all?” He checks the time before tending to you once again. “Just forty-five minutes? I thought you said one day."
You smirk. "Why, do you enjoy being my boyfriend?” Heeseung doesn’t reply, excusing your question with a chuckle and escorting you out of the venue. “Shall we go back?"
"You can go back. I’ll go to the bar.” He doesn’t ask more questions, walking out as you proceed towards the bar opposite to the wedding hall on the same floor.
Thinking about it now, your day with Heeseung wasn’t half bad. Well, just forty-five minutes or maybe an hour, but you enjoyed it, surprisingly. Besides, he’s good at pretending. You really didn’t expect someone like him to be so good at playing roles. After all, all Heeseung ever does is sit at home and play Mario Kart, with ocassional outings because of 'work.'
Usually, you don’t drink past two shots. Today happens to be an exception. You’ve already had two glasses of wine at the wedding, and it doesn’t help you. So you sit by the counter, ordering almost everything on the list because, after all, everything’s on your cousin’s new family today, and you might as well enjoy the riches after living like a ragged bitch for months now.
However, despite drinking like you’ll never see alcohol again in your life, you know damn well that you’re not hallucinating. You recognize the man sitting at a distance as your ex-boyfriend and, if your eyes aren’t deceiving you, he’s with a girl.
Now, you don’t know that concerns you. He dumped you exactly a week ago. However, you spent nights crying and trying your shots at moving on while he’s in the bar, enjoying his life to the fullest. And you’re not the one to hold grudges but, sometimes, it is the answer.
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” A scoff escapes your lips as you approach him, earning all sorts of stares from the woman. “Is she your new chick-fling? Are you going to dump her after in months too?"
He stands up, letting an annoyed sigh fall of his lips as the girl with him rolls her eyes. "Yn, you’re dr—”
“Yeah, I’m drunk.” You cut him off mid-sentence. “But I’m sober enough to see that you’re here with her when we broke up barely a week ago."
Junhwan snickers, running his fingers through his hairs as if he’s about to fight for his laugh. "And what about it? We’ve broken up. I can do whatever I want."
He’s not half wrong, but where’s the compassion? Seeing him like this, you wonder how many of those 'I love yous’ shared with him were genuine. You hate yourself for getting mad over your ex, who clearly didn’t deserve you in the first place. It’s alcohol, you conclude.
"Looks like I was the only one wasting my time being sad over an asshole like you. I should have fun too, right?” At this point, you’re barely processing your words. You feel your vision turn hazy, head feeling dizzy. However, revenge sounds much fruitful now. “Okay, how about this; I’ll sleep with the first man I bump. Sounds pretty fun, isn’t it?"
He grabs your arms, preventing you from falling as you stumble because of your heels. "You’ve lost your mind."
"I don’t see how that concerns since we’ve broken up.” You think that’s a marvelous comeback because of alcohol. Maybe it actually is. It’s highly likely that you’ll regret your decision tomorrow but right now, it’s about your dignity. ( Again, sleeping with the first man you bump into isn’t going to improve your dignity but reminders : you’re under influence )
Collecting your pride, you turn around, proceeding to walk out of the bar before you bump into someone. Upon a closer look, you learn that it’s a man and, after a much, much closer look, you realize that it’s Heeseung. It’s good, very good. Heeseung is better than that douche canoe.
You smirk, putting you hand on his shoulder as his hand involuntarily snaked around your waist. “Do you want to sleep with me?” And rest all is history.
PRECIS. lee heeseung is the handsome yet good for nothing mysterious boy living a floor below you, who dropped out of college and is living quite a lavish life. when you get fired from your job, ending up struggling to make your ends meet and failing to pay the rent, heeseung offers you rather an eccentric proposal : pay the rent or be his girlfriend.
NOTE. yn stop creating problems for yourself challenge ??? guys pls dont drink and talk esp to ur ex just fucking go to bed or smn
no— he believes. it’s an odd thought for ten in the morning, in middle of chemistry lesson, but heeseung doesn’t mind. and just like an important presentation, he has all the reasonings jotted down on the back of his notebook, doodles with vines and hearts.
heeseung has known you for four years. not you, heeseung; he has known you for four years. he isn’t the type to stand out amongst the crowd, for he seemingly dissolves into it like fine particles, almost too invisible to be sedimented. he doesn’t enjoy attention. heeseung likes to be the to sit in middle of a row with ear phones and math occupying most of his day.
coming back to the point, four years, they have been terriblefor him. the day you transferred to his middle school, his life turned upside down. you had taken the last bench, near the window, and still managed to have everyone in the class look at you as if you were the subject to their queries. you were the type to throw paper balls in the middle of the class. you made snarky comments, disturbed the momentum, ruined the decorum, destroy his peace of mind, made it hard for him to focus— there are so many reasons why you flipped his life style.
you don’t know heeseung, you never triedto, until highschool. you knew there’s a boy in your class, too quiet to mingle, too loud in his mind to speak anything.
you knew there was a lee heeseung in your class, that’s it. that was your story.
now, in highschool first year, you know there’s a lee heeseung in your class. the same lee heeseung who was your classmate in middle school. the one who keeps listening to that one tchaikovsky piece over and over again while solving math. the one who always caught your attention, but never mystic enough for you to reach him out.
you’ve known him for three months now, and that’s how heeseung’s story began.
there are so many reason as for why you and heeseung should be more than just friends. he has known you for four years, that’s a lot more than any other friend you have in the school. he’s the only one you seek at 2 am for late night escapades. his notes are the only reliable source of study material you refer to two weeks before exams. his number is the only one you’ve saved with a ’<3’ on your phone, and many more.
heeseung doesn’t remember taking a liking to you at all. he remembers calling you annoying in front of everyone in middle school. he remembers cursing out at you when his team lost relay because you tripped. he remembers all the moments he hurt you. heeseung also remembers spending first three months of highschool sitting next to you, but he doesn’t remember falling for you.
he doesn’t remember doodling your name on the corner of his text books. he doesn’t remember doing those silly compatibility tests with you on the palm of his hands. he doesn’t remember losing his breath when you hugged him instinctively after you won your first relay in highschool. heeseung doesn’t remember the important details.
once upon a time, there was you, that’s it. that’s his story. that’s his beginning and his end, all from you.
heeseung doesn’t remember falling for you but he realises that with every passing day, he falls even deeper. it’s like going down even after hitting rock bottom. heeseung recalls when you held his hand for a group picture with your middle school friend and his heart exploded into a million butterflies. it’s really nothing, just the way your hand fits in his; it’s literally five plus five, and yet your touch had him orbiting and ripping his hair out strand by strand when that sensation slipped inside his head every night.
hereallybelieves that you should be more than friends. heeseung believes you should be lovers instead.
but, then again it’s all inside his head; and you’re too busy being in love with jay to even notice his lovelorn eyes.
