hyunjin carried you into your bedroom before sitting down onto the bed, you in his lap. he kissed your lips passionately but slow. your hands were gripping his shirt tightly, desperately wanting it to be off.
yethyunjin continued devouring your lips in a hot kiss but eventually started to roam his hands around your body, taking extra care of your butt by squeezing it softly. the teasing action making you pull away from the kiss while heavily breathing in and out. you stared into his dark eyes, them holding so much care and love whilst your faces were inches away from another.
“you’re so beautiful.”, he whispered, dipping back into your now swollen lips, kissing them more gentle this time.
you slowly pushed him back a little so his one hand needed to support his weight on the bed while the other one was tangled in your silky hair. you tilted your head to the side to deepen the steamy kiss.
both of you ran out of breath. hyunjin broke the kiss but nevertheless carried on spreading kisses and hickeys on your neck and jaw.
intimate moments like these were your favourite. where it’s just you and him. where no one is able to bother you in any way. moments you only shared when you were missing each other. when you wanted to show love to one another. everything about this was so romantic, you wish it would never end.
“stop giving me so much hickeys, you know i can’t cover all of them.”, you chuckled at him, looking back into the now lust tinted eyes.
“come on, i know you love them.”, hyunjin answered breathlessly.
“yeah, i do a lot. but you’re not the only one who’s going to see me. we’ll meet my parents in a few days.”, you smiled and massaged the back of his neck between your fingers, your other hand was trailing down his chest.
“it’s winter, you can wear a scarf.”, he smirked at you.
you laughed at him before thinking about the way your mom would react seeing all those dark red marks sprawled around your cleavage and neck.
/
“you know i love you, right?.”, hyunjin whispered into the silence.
“i love you too, baby.”, you grinned and dived back in to kiss his lips once more. and there you were, back at making out again. by now you were laying underneath his slim body, touching and pulling and the strands of his black hair.
“your body is so perfect, shit.”, he said as he discarded your hoodie, only to be greeted by your glowing skin.
“so is yours.”, you replied.
“but i think it’s my time now to give you some hickeys.”, you pushed him down and straddled his hips like you were doing earlier. and immediately you were sucking purple marks everywhere possible:)
————————————————————-
oooooo, tumblr blocked this wtf HAHAHAHA but now it’s up again ig?
hyunjin’s hands roamed your entire body while he kissed your lips. your unsteady breathing filled the air, while you started to sprawl delicate kisses around his neck and jaw.
your hands attached to the back of his head, pulling at the short, soft strands of his black hair. hyunjin placed one of his hands on your waist, pushing you more to his hot body. the other one rubbed your upper thigh in small and smooth circles.
“h-hyunjin.”, you breathed heavily and he hummed in response.
“i missed you.”
“so much.”, you whispered against his lips.
he chuckled.
“i missed you too.”, he mumbled back.
both of you got carried away pretty fast. and in one swift motion, hyunjin started to glide his tongue over your bottom lip, not minding on exploring your mouth. and sometimes he would pull at your lips to spice things up.
hyunjin placed his hands around your neck while tilting your head the way he wanted in order to spread hickeys and love bites everywhere possible. you moaned at the stinging feeling.
both of you got lost in each others actions before the night turned into a pretty heated one.
it was finals season again and you learned day and night. and your boyfriend hyunjin knew it.
how many times you came home with a result which didn’t show the effort you actually put in it. hyunjin knew you had a lot of struggles in school, a lot of topics were difficult to you and it needed a lot of time for you to understand it.
so you started to learn even more. what are meals? never heard of her. your sleep condition got more worse than ever before, your eye bags got darker each day and your skin colour went from a rosy alive colour to a more paler shade.
hyunjin often told you to just put your study stuff aside and rest or take a bath, but you ignored him completely.
/
“baby, don’t you think-”
“no, there is this one important exam tomorrow.”, you sighed and ruffled your hair.
“you’re staring at this for like three hours now, tell me how much you remembered of it.”, he spoke as he snapped your book away from you to look for questions. he sat on the edge of the bed whilst he analyzed the pages.
“okay, tell me what that is.”, he pointed at a picture in your biology book.
“i-i don’t know”, your head hung low.
“see, you can’t remember anything because you’re looking at it for too long.”, hyunjin put the book down and took your hand.
he made you stood up and guided you into his direction. you sat down on his lap and stared into his tired face.
“just please rest a bit. for me.”, he caressed your cheek and pecked your lips.
/
hyunjin then cupped the back of your head with his warm hand and laid your forehead against the crook of his neck.
“you’re doing so well already baby, you don’t need to spend your whole day studying.”, he whispered.
you closed your eyes and after a few seconds you fell asleep.
hyunjin leaned back onto the pillows and twirled your hair strands around his fingers.
“good night baby.”, he kissed your head and spooned your body.
_________________________________________________
haven’t proofread this (again), but i’m tired. i won’t post the next days, because i’ll be on a trip! and also, i’ll try to post more suggestive and angsty themes soon!
Summary: Hoping to find a lover whom he could trust and share mutual respect with, Hwang Hyunjin got his fingers burnt. Now, with a great dose of courage and the utter support from his friends, he learns how to accept himself for whom he truly is, not who society wants him to be. In the meantime, he also discovers that perhaps everything he needed was in front of his nose all along.
You don’t remember how you ended up here but you weren’t going to complain. The breeze caressed your bare legs, eyes falling closed as you listened to the rustling of the leaves and the distant chirps of the birds that had occupied the small park in search for food.
The tears had stopped awhile ago, however the sharp sting of them was still ever so present. You pulled your knees to your chest, hugging them close to you in search of some form of comfort as your wrapped your arms around your shoulders.
The events from today hadn’t stopped plaguing your mind. You were hurt, lost and confused to say the least. Hyunjin’s actions in the pool had contrasted with the concerned look your were met with before running away.
Maybe you had looked into it a little too much.
Your insecurities always did seem to get the better of you. But right now, all you could picture was the way his smile had dropped when he looked at you. You shook your head, willing the tears away as you didn’t want to cry anymore, head still thumping from your previous outburst.
“Y/n!”
The sudden shout of your name had you startling out of your thoughts, eyes widening as you turned to the source.
Hyunjin practically collapsed next to you on the bench, heaving as he hunched over to catch his breath. You stared wide eyed at his form, confused as to why he was even looking for you in the first place.
“Do—Do you have any idea how worried I’ve been,” he forced out in-between breaths.
You just looked at him. The words had caught in your throat, unknowing of what to say to him. You watched as he closed his eyes, taking a deep final breath before turning to you.
“You were looking for me?”
He looked taken back as he scooted his body towards you, “Of course I was looking for you! You’ve had me worried sick. Why wouldn’t I look for you?”
“You seemed like you didn’t want me around before—” you trailed off, cursing as you felt the tears cloud your vision once more.
“Why would you think that? Of course I wanted you around. I always want you to be with me.”
“Hyun you couldn’t even l-look at me.”
His eyes widened as your voice broke, watching silently as the tears began to fall from your eyes.
“I-I know I embarrassed you and I’m sorry—.”
“Embarrassed? What—Y/n you’ve never embarrassed me.”
“Please don’t lie to me.”
Hyunjin looked just as heartbroken as he met your gaze, his own eyes filling with tears as he released a shaky breath.
“I know I-I’m not attractive but Hyunjin the minute I got in the pool—I don’t know I just felt like your were disgusted seeing me like that.”
His eyes widened as he watched you wipe your tears before trying to move yourself away from him. However, he caught your arm before you could.
“God no that’s not it at all! I’m sorry I just— this is going to be embarrassing for me to admit,” he blinked the tears out of his eyes before turning his gaze back towards you.
“I’m sorry that I made you feel less about yourself. That was never my intention and I want you to know that I’ve never been, nor will I ever be embarrassed of you.”
You noticed that he hesitated, eyes flickering around the two of you before turning his attention back on you.
“This is going to sound like such a perve thing to say but Y/n you have no idea the power you hold over me with your clothes on and seeing you in that swimsuit it took everything in me not to take you right then and there in front of everyone.”
Your eyes widened at the sudden confession.
“W-What,” you sputtered, earning a small groan from Hyunjin.
“I know and I’m sorry but you have no idea how good you looked and it took everything in me not to touch you. That’s why I couldn’t look at you because I knew if I did I would embarrass myself,” he whined as his face fell into his hands.
You let out a soft laugh at his muffled ‘but admitting that is embarrassing too idiot,’ before reaching up to run your fingers gently through his hair.
Hyunjin dropped his hands from his face at your touch, gently grasping your wrist as he pulled you closer to him, smiling at you before leaning forward to rest his forehead against yours.
“I’m sorry I was such an ass. I never wanted to hurt you or make you feel insecure. God you have no idea what you do to me angel. I love every part of you.”
You hummed, eyes fluttering open as you pulled back to fix him with a playful glare.
“But you haven’t seen all of me yet though,” you teased.
Hyunjin smirked, biting his lip as he pulled you closer to him by your waist, “We can fix that.”
omg so jinie wasn’t actually embarrassed ^-^ im happy that he cleared up the issue and the mc felt better at the end
nope it was all just a misunderstanding!! ☺️ thank you for reading and sharing your thoughts with me! <3
You don’t remember how you ended up here but you weren’t going to complain. The breeze caressed your bare legs, eyes falling closed as you listened to the rustling of the leaves and the distant chirps of the birds that had occupied the small park in search for food.
The tears had stopped awhile ago, however the sharp sting of them was still ever so present. You pulled your knees to your chest, hugging them close to you in search of some form of comfort as your wrapped your arms around your shoulders.
The events from today hadn’t stopped plaguing your mind. You were hurt, lost and confused to say the least. Hyunjin’s actions in the pool had contrasted with the concerned look your were met with before running away.
Maybe you had looked into it a little too much.
Your insecurities always did seem to get the better of you. But right now, all you could picture was the way his smile had dropped when he looked at you. You shook your head, willing the tears away as you didn’t want to cry anymore, head still thumping from your previous outburst.
“Y/n!”
The sudden shout of your name had you startling out of your thoughts, eyes widening as you turned to the source.
Hyunjin practically collapsed next to you on the bench, heaving as he hunched over to catch his breath. You stared wide eyed at his form, confused as to why he was even looking for you in the first place.
“Do—Do you have any idea how worried I’ve been,” he forced out in-between breaths.
You just looked at him. The words had caught in your throat, unknowing of what to say to him. You watched as he closed his eyes, taking a deep final breath before turning to you.
“You were looking for me?”
He looked taken back as he scooted his body towards you, “Of course I was looking for you! You’ve had me worried sick. Why wouldn’t I look for you?”
“You seemed like you didn’t want me around before—” you trailed off, cursing as you felt the tears cloud your vision once more.
“Why would you think that? Of course I wanted you around. I always want you to be with me.”
“Hyun you couldn’t even l-look at me.”
His eyes widened as your voice broke, watching silently as the tears began to fall from your eyes.
“I-I know I embarrassed you and I’m sorry—.”
“Embarrassed? What—Y/n you’ve never embarrassed me.”
“Please don’t lie to me.”
Hyunjin looked just as heartbroken as he met your gaze, his own eyes filling with tears as he released a shaky breath.
“I know I-I’m not attractive but Hyunjin the minute I got in the pool—I don’t know I just felt like your were disgusted seeing me like that.”
His eyes widened as he watched you wipe your tears before trying to move yourself away from him. However, he caught your arm before you could.
“God no that’s not it at all! I’m sorry I just— this is going to be embarrassing for me to admit,” he blinked the tears out of his eyes before turning his gaze back towards you.
“I’m sorry that I made you feel less about yourself. That was never my intention and I want you to know that I’ve never been, nor will I ever be embarrassed of you.”
You noticed that he hesitated, eyes flickering around the two of you before turning his attention back on you.
“This is going to sound like such a perve thing to say but Y/n you have no idea the power you hold over me with your clothes on and seeing you in that swimsuit it took everything in me not to take you right then and there in front of everyone.”
Your eyes widened at the sudden confession.
“W-What,” you sputtered, earning a small groan from Hyunjin.
“I know and I’m sorry but you have no idea how good you looked and it took everything in me not to touch you. That’s why I couldn’t look at you because I knew if I did I would embarrass myself,” he whined as his face fell into his hands.
You let out a soft laugh at his muffled ‘but admitting that is embarrassing too idiot,’ before reaching up to run your fingers gently through his hair.
Hyunjin dropped his hands from his face at your touch, gently grasping your wrist as he pulled you closer to him, smiling at you before leaning forward to rest his forehead against yours.
“I’m sorry I was such an ass. I never wanted to hurt you or make you feel insecure. God you have no idea what you do to me angel. I love every part of you.”
You hummed, eyes fluttering open as you pulled back to fix him with a playful glare.
“But you haven’t seen all of me yet though,” you teased.
Hyunjin smirked, biting his lip as he pulled you closer to him by your waist, “We can fix that.”
“Why don’t you just ask her out,” Changbin had suggested after you had went downstairs to grab the food.
Hyunjin shrugged, “I don’t feel a need to.”
Changbin fixed him with a funny look.
“Don’t you have feelings for her?”
“Of course I do.”
“Then why not make things official?”
To Hyunjin things already felt that way. You knew he loved you and you loved him in turn, but the two of you were happy with the way things were now. There was no need to label anything between the two of you.
To anyone that didn’t know them, they would think you were dating. The two of you were always attached at the hip. If Hyunjin felt lonely he’d call you, if he needed a companion on one of his spontaneous late night trips you were there. Soon the two of you realized that the friendship between you had grown into something more.
You had both confessed to one another but nothing had gone further than that. Your romance was slow paced sure, but it was a pace that both you and Hyunjin were comfortable with. You had shared soft pecks often but nothing had gone further than an innocent press of lips from time to time.
You and Hyunjin loved one another in your own special way and you were content with that.
title track:i’ll make those insecurities disappear
i. hyunjin x thicker reader
ii. mentions of past fwb, talks of insecurities, mentions of sex, very suggestive so minors dni
iii.if you like this please leave a comment or reblog to show your support <3
“Do you have any insecurities when it comes to sex?”
You felt your body freeze as Hyunjin placed the card onto the discard pile. Your eyes flickered between the deck and your drink, seriously,seriously, considering just drinking the liquid in your glass and not answering. But this was Hyunjin, your closest friend—your best friend even, and you knew he wouldn’t judge you. However, at the same time, you weren’t sure you should even be having this discussion with him, game or not.
‘That’s what it was, just a game. A stupid game but still a game nonetheless.’
i truly relate to this but in hyunjin’s perspective.
i have a friend who is thick and she’s super pretty, but she doesn’t see herself as that. it breaks my heart whenever she expresses how her body is her biggest insecurity and i always ask myself if i ever made her feel that way about her body, what’s even worse is that i may have a crush on her but i can’t tell her because im a closeted bi and she’s super straight.
i always compliment her body with every chance i get because it’s really beautiful and i genuinely love it, especially when she wears skirts because they really compliment her legs like ahshrjejekdje. okay lemme keep quiet now.
but yeah, i totally related to this fiction ^-^.
no stop this is genuinely so cute what the heck thank you so much for sharing this with me!! I’m sure you make her feel worlds better when you compliment her and that it means so much to her and makes her feel so beautiful and seen <3 you are such a sweetheart thank you for sharing your perspective on this bc I’ve seen a lot of people relating to mc but it’s nice hearing that someone relates to the fic from Hyunjin’s perspective as well if that makes sense sbsjdk I’m really glad you liked the story!!
title track:i’ll make those insecurities disappear
i. hyunjin x thicker reader
ii. mentions of past fwb, talks of insecurities, mentions of sex, very suggestive so minors dni
iii.if you like this please leave a comment or reblog to show your support <3
“Do you have any insecurities when it comes to sex?”
You felt your body freeze as Hyunjin placed the card onto the discard pile. Your eyes flickered between the deck and your drink, seriously,seriously, considering just drinking the liquid in your glass and not answering. But this was Hyunjin, your closest friend—your best friend even, and you knew he wouldn’t judge you. However, at the same time, you weren’t sure you should even be having this discussion with him, game or not.
‘That’s what it was, just a game. A stupid game but still a game nonetheless.’
You were a klutz, that wasn’t news. But maybe your clumsiness finally did you some good when you accidentally poured your banana smoothie all over Hwang Hyunjin. Hey, at least it got him to acknowledge you, right?@hyuwujin
There are a few rules to follow when you’re drunk, sleep deficit, or dangerously bored: never create fake social media accounts, never use those accounts to incite general chaos and mischief, and never ever lie about your identity, especially if it’s to the prettiest girl you’ve ever seen. Unfortunately for him, Hyunjin’s broken all three. @nakyngs
You expected this semester at jyp academy to be like any other but when you cross paths with the resident “bad boy”, Hwang Hyunjin, your life gets a bit more complicated. @starrytxt
College is a matter of working hard and playing hard. It’s an opportunity to start fresh, to grow as an individual and to blossom with those you befriend. People come and people go, leaving their mark on your life and showing you all the parts of becoming an adult. Some, however, do more than leave their mark. Some take just as much as they give. Things become complicated once they take the entirety of your love because you outright offered it to them. @wonderlustlucas
Y/n’s a huge fan of Hyunjin, a famous model. What happens when she gets herself tangled up in his life after an incident at the airport and now the media thinks she’s his girlfriend? @hyunjizns
The weirdest thing about switching bodies with an athlete isn’t when you wake up sore and bruised. Or when you go to sleep after a day of being in Hyunjin’s body after practice feeling like shit, but waking up in your own, all traces of pain dissipating. That isn’t even the worst part of it, though. The worst part is that you’re slowly falling in love with the second life you’re living. That you’re slowly falling in love with a boy you haven’t even met. @bangprint
The summer of 2012, I fell for you. We were only young, but my love for you did not last long. But now you’re back, and I am confused to say the least. @serenhyunjinity
College is supposed to be the best few years of your life, but it hardly feels like that for Hyunjin. He should be thrilled to be on the school’s elite dance team, and yet he’s more concerned about his best friend falling in love with another member. He only cares so much because he wants the best for her though, right? @panickedmarklee
the prince of the sea ; hyunjin | series masterlist
word count: 5.2k
warnings: angst, fluff, fantasy au, themes of horror (no gore, just general feeling of unease), lowkey stockholm syndrome, hyunjin is uncomfortably very full on, implied sex, maybe don’t read if you have thalassophobia
a/n: this ended up much longer than i anticipated but it’s finally done!!! i hope you guys enjoy it as much as i enjoyed writing it ;___;
The red sails above tremble under the whistling wind, a stark contrast to the gloomy grey skies. Undecided rain threatens to fall at any moment as the ship creaks and groans in distaste for the salty waters it safeguards you from. Truthfully, you had only agreed to venture on this expedition under the guise that it would be short and three weeks into it, you’re no closer to your destination. The captain had made sure that you were accommodated of course, you have your own private quarters adorned with silken sheets and gorgeous shining silverware; so not all is bad. Still, you’re what the locals dub “a landwalker” and for good reason; you would much prefer solid ground to the volatile waters.
Now the heavens pour open, a bad omen, rain begins to lash against your skin like tiny knives and you’re painfully aware of the entire crew’s eyes boring into your skull. You’d heard them protest as you boarded, some even spat at the ground as you passed but you held your head high and made your way to the captain, maps in hand and ready to assist whenever needed.
“Bad luck to have a woman on board,” it’s the first time a crew member dared speak to you, or rather, about you in this case. You raise an eyebrow as he stares, arms crossed tightly over his chest. “‘Specially in these waters.”
“And why is that?” you quiz, mimicking his stance, “Blatant sexism or just plain stupidity?”
Your remark earns some jeers from onlooking crewmen, one even pats you on the back. The first man shakes his head with a grimace.
“Come on lass, you’re telling me you haven’t heard the tales?”
Of course you are aware of the stories, you remember your Father reading you fables of the Prince of the Sea, an eternally woeful being whose spilled tears crafted the very ocean you sail upon. It’s said that he mourns the death of his beloved and is in search of anew. That his elegy of sorrow enchants whomever’s ears it happens to fall upon, luring them to their untimely demise. As a child you felt sorry for the Prince, losing his betrothed and while mourning being pestered by unwanted ships in his realm. Now as an adult, you see the tales for exactly what they are, propaganda to prevent women from sailing the seas
“You need not concern me with your stories,” you reply with a scoff, “Especially not old wives tales crafted to fuel your sexist agenda.”
“Made up stories, eh?” he says through gritted teeth, “Ships go missin’ with women on ‘em far too much to be coincidence.”
“Then I suggest you keep your eyes open for trouble instead of wasting my time.”
You’re thankful when he retreats, mumbling what you can only imagine to be curses under his breath. It need not concern you, all that matters to you at this moment is tracking your whereabouts and leading the crew to their destination. Rain continues to fall, your hair begins to drip at the ends as you wipe the drops from your compass. The dial spins for a moment before comfortably setting on the east.
It’s unusually welcoming when night falls, the crew’s boisterous clamouring quietens and the final shanty has been sung. The deluge had finally subsided too, replaced by a vista of stars; you divine them, tracing the shapes of latent constellations. The ship sways with the tide, rocking the crew to a gentle sleep and leaving you almost completely alone, save for a few nocturnal sailors who chug rum like it’s water. They’d fall into an alcohol induced slumber soon enough. You watch the waves as they languidly ebb and flow against the hull and suddenly you’re homesick; longing to see your friends and family again. It has been longer than anticipated and will be longer still; you begin to wonder if they’re worried. The thoughts consume you and for a brief lapse in judgement, you consider joining the drunken sea dogs who are now passed out on deck. You shake your head and chuckle at their misfortune, unbeknownst to your own.
Fog begins to rapidly roll in seemingly from nowhere and at once your vision deteriorates. Through the thick clouds, you call out to someone — anyone, yet no one heeds your call. Instead, a haunting melody echoes around you, an otherworldly eerie requiem of sorrow that lurches your heart. You can’t control your sobbing, the tears flood from your eyes like waterfalls and your gut wrenches as the song grows closer and louder. Now, you can see the crew — some crashing into each other, some gasping for air, some crying uncontrollably and some screaming. They wail, they beg for the reaper to take them. And still you’re crying, weeping as you navigate through the mist to find the Captain. It’s futile, the density of the fog proving to be too much. Below you, the ship screams in agony; wood snapping and metal clanging and you feel the hull you peacefully watched not long ago be torn apart. There’s nothing you can do; you are at the mercy of the sea now and you simply pray. Pray that somehow you might survive and return to your family and friends unscatched.
The darkness steals that dream.
*************
You aren’t sure how long you’ve been out. A minute? A day? Time eludes you. You blink your eyes, squinting to adjust to your new surroundings and you’re taken aback. The room is extravagant, home to a four poster bed that almost takes up the entire space. On the walls are antiquated paintings, fitted with threads of golden embellishments that glint and sparkle. Below them, lies an immaculately tidy, pure white vanity table — adorned with opulent gems and jewels and a full oval mirror. Wherever you were, the host did not spare the details of your accommodation.
You decide to investigate, rummaging through drawers and cabinets to find someclue to your whereabouts. As you approach the door to the room, the faint smell of dew tickles your nose and it reminds you that your clothes are damp. Or, they’re supposed to be. When you look down, you’re surprised to find your attire to be drastically different; a long, pearl nightdress drapes over your figure. Now you’re panic stricken, knowing someone had changed your clothing coupled with the ignorance of your whereabouts proving too much for you.
Right as you’re about to beseech for aid, you hear it; the same chilling verses from the ship, echoing throughout the halls of wherever you are. Curiosity gets the better of you, your fingers twist the golden doorknob and you venture outside the confines of the room; warily following the music to its source. Through winding corridors and narrow passages until finally you find it.
In the centre of the room sits a grand piano but your eyes merely gloss over it. Instead, they focus on the massive window that touches both the ceiling and the floors; however, it’s the view that truly catches your attention. Through the glass lies a forest inundated by the sea, the sunlight above struggles to penetrate through the dense grouping of kelp trapped in the muted expanse. It’s astonishing, it’s magical and it confirms your location in an instant. Your eyes slowly return to the piano and you finally see the fabled Prince of the Sea, fingers ghosting over the keys in his haunting composition.
Your first reaction is to panic, your eyes dart around the room in search of somewhere to run, somewhere to hideas your face turns a chalky white, drained of all life. Your eyes blur as tears begin to gush from them and fear tugs at your soul. You’re too young to die, there’s so much you haven’t done. The faces of your friends, of your family flash in spectacular colours in your mind as your legs give way beneath you and you fall to your knees in anguish.
“Please, do not be afraid.” A voice, so soft and gentle it rips you from the maddened terror momentarily. Of course, it could only belong to him; such a melodic tone from such a frightening being; it doesn’t make sense in your head. “You’re safe.”
“Safe?” You repeat, wiping the tears from your eyes and finally meeting his gaze; glacial blue eyes that peer into the darkest reaches of your soul yet the warmest smile you’d ever laid eyes upon. His golden hair is flattened against his cheeks, wet as though fresh from the rain. “You’re not going to hurt me?”
“Hurt you?” His brow furrows and he genuinely sounds offended, enough so to manifest some guilt within yourself. “You have given me no reason to.”
The guilt dissipates and fear creeps back up your throat. “Ah,” is all you can choke out,afraid that you mayjust give him a reason. Still, he is ever smiling and even offers a hand to help you up from the ground. Warily, you accept the gesture.
“Hyunjin,” he says as he helps you up, “And you are?”
“Y/n,” you reply, dusting off your knees. “But you’renotjustHyunjin, are you?”
To this, Hyunjin chuckles darkly; striding back over to the great piano and perching himself neatly on the seat. When you don’t move, he beckons you by patting the empty space next to him. Again, you are cautious yet you move swiftly to avoid conflict. “Only those who know me call me by my name,” he says, beginning to coax yet another melody from the instrument, “Others know me as—”
“Prince of the Sea,” you finish his sentence, eyes never wavering from the piano keys. “My Father used to tell tales of you when I was young.”
“And you’re not afraid?” Hyunjin asks with faux curiosity, “How very brave. Or terribly foolish.”
You dare not answer, opting instead to listen to the music that Hyunjin plays so eloquently. For a moment, you both bask in the sombre song; sharing an odd kinship. Hyunjin plays from his soul, the chords reaching deep down into his core and manifesting in an elegy of desperation; of sweet sadness. It feels strangely humbling to hear.
“You are a good listener,” he says when your eyes gently close and you begin humming to the melody, “A trait to be desired.”
Perhaps he’s correct. Or perhaps civility is a mask for fear.
********
Time seems to stand still in the palace; since sunlight cannot breach the murky waters, you aren’t sure how many days it’s been since you first arrived in Hyunjin’s domain. For the few hours after your first meeting, you wandered the empty corridors through twists and turns, leaving no stone unturned in this abyssal abode. One particular dark room, stowed deep in the sub reaches intrigued you so, however a lock kept it safe from prying eyes. In the meantime, Hyunjin has been perfectly pleasant towards you, making sure you are eating and drinking well and presenting you with many gifts — knick knacks of sorts, clothing and jewels that even a Queen would envy. You’re acutely aware, of course, just whyhe’s being so kind to you — the stories say as much. You have no intention of staying, your primary goal is to free yourself from his shackles and get back to your friends and family.
It’s one particular day (or at least you thinkit’s day) where Hyunjin requests you wear a very specific dress; one of scarlet velvet and trimmed with obsidian lace. Of course, you comply — fear holds its grip on you tightly and you worry that failure to do so would result in your early expiration. You meet him in an ample room with similar floor to ceiling windows as the great hall, only this room is littered with various sheets, splattered with a rainbow of colours and containers filled to the brim with glossy paint. In the centre of the room, Hyunjin sits patiently across from a black chaise; a worn apron protecting his attire.
“Wow,” he says, head leaning on a hand as he watches you approach, “You look absolutely beautiful.”
It takes you aback and you’re unsure how to respond; losing your composure for just a moment, your cheeks burning almost as bright as your gown. “Thanks,” you say simply with a small bow just in case before setting yourself atop the cushions. “You’re an artist?”
Hyunjin hums an affirmation, busying himself with architecting his easel and perching a pure white canvas atop it, nodding at a small collection of brushes at his side. “You could say that.”
“And your subject?” You ask warily.
“Sits before me,” he smiles, studying you with the eye of a true virtuoso. “Relax, Y/n. It takes time, you don’t want to be uncomfortable, do you?”
No, you do not.
So you sit there, still and quiet while Hyunjin’s keen eye captures your essence; his brushstrokes are as graceful and delicate as he is — they bewitch you into a trance. Your eyes gently close and you slip slowly into slumber only to be awoken by a gentle glissando. When your eyes flutter open and are met with a hydrous lyre floating gingerly in the air next to Hyunjin, you gasp.
“My apologies,” he says, eyes sternly focusing on the painting, “I did not mean to wake you, only to amuse myself with some music.”
“No, it’s alright,” you reply, now very aware of the silence between you. There’s part of you that wants to get to know him, to know this mythical being that stories were passed down from generation to generation. Someone of that calibre must have lived a riveting life. Though to ask such questions out of the blue would be morbidly rude. “You’re a very capable man,” you hope to ignite some conversation, “A painter, a conjurer, a songster and a musician.”
“And yet, my social skills are severely lacking.”
You laugh, truly, and it shocks you. “A comedian too?”
Hyunjin joins you in laughter, chuckling as he continues darting his eyes between you and the canvas. “Truthfully though, I simply have a lot of time on my hands to learn new crafts,” he says once the laughter quietens, “Art, music, languages, literature; trivial pastimes to distract the mind.”
“How profound.”
“So it is true that if you brand yourself an artist people will naturally attach more meaning to the things you say.”
You shake your head as he jests, “Your words dohave meaning, the stories and songs tell of your loneliness.”
To this, Hyunjin gives a poignant smile.
“I’ve learned every instrument, read every book in my library and speak every language that piques my interest and still, there is a vast emptiness inside me.”
Intense, but you’re glad to finally be addressing the elephant in the room. A sense of sadness falls about Hyunjin, one you hadn’t seen since arriving. He shifts uncomfortably in his chair.
“I understand,” you begin, edging to the end of the chair and clasping your hands neatly in your lap, “Loneliness can be all consuming, especially when it’s born from losing a loved one.”
Hyunjin regards your comment with yet another pitiful smile. “True indeed, sometimes it feels as though my memories are more alive than I.”
The open honesty tugs at the strings of your heart; your compassion is immense and you have the impulse to lunge forward and cradle him in your arms. Hearing stories of his loss, details lost in transference, is one thing; to look him in the eye as his heart pours open for you is another. You’re at a loss for words, solemnly watching as Hyunjin continues his painting.
“Forgive me, I’ve made you uncomfortable.”
“No, not at all.” He can tell you’re lying.
The conversation comes to a natural stop as you assume the original position for the portrait. Hyunjin quietly hums along to the music as he works, occasionally flipping his blonde locks from his eyes. Briefly, you forget the circumstances of your arrangement; right now you are simply two beings sharing an unspoken moment.
“Are you excited to see the finished work?” He asks, eyeing you over the canvas, “It’s almost finished.”
“Yes, of course,” you reply, “Although, I’m not entirely sure if I have the look for it.”
This stops him dead in his tracks, his head lops to the side and he eyes you curiously. “What do you mean?”
“Just that paintings are for the rich and the beautiful,” yousay and Hyunjin scoffs.
“My dear, beautyis in the eye of the beholder.”
You blink, unsure of what to say.
“Come, see for yourself how others see you.”
And so you do, moving swiftly behind Hyunjin and peering over his shoulder to admire his work. Before you, there is someone who resembles you, yet the features you are most self conscious about seem to harmonise. It’s mind boggling and you look down to Hyunjin in disbelief.
“This…doesn’t feel like me.”
“Because your perception is warped. You see only what is reflected in glass or water.”
Now, Hyunjin turns to face you and you’re eminently aware of just how close the two of you are. It’s the first time that you’ve been so intimate with him and you curse your heart for pounding so much in your chest.
“You do not see yourself mid laughter or when you have your nose buried in a book,” he continues; eyes locking with yours as he raises his hand, cupping your cheek gently. “Those moments are where true beauty lies.”
How you are so captivated by your captor bewilders you, yet his words penetrate your soul; every inch of your body feels as though it’s set aflame. When you are ever silent, he laughs and retreats his hand.
“Forgive me again if I’ve made you uncomfortable.”
“No, not at all.”
And you truly meant it this time.
*****************
The next week or so, Hyunjin’s gift giving becomes more frequent; every day you awaken to some form of gift at the edge of your bed, delivered by your own nautical magpie. Never have you been gifted so heavily, you begin to think your thank you’s are losing their meaning. Not only have you been bombarded with gifts, but each time you pass each other by as you explore or as he seats you at the dinner table; there is a veil of passion between you. Neither party acknowledges the faint tinge of desire but both feel it coursing through their veins. You do not yet understand it but you feel drawn to him like a sailor to the open sea.
Hyunjin had been leaving you alone most of the time, to your surprising dismay; allowing you freedom to spend time in the multitude of recreational rooms that filled the halls. Your most favourite of all being the library where Hyunjin’s vast collection of tomes rivals even the most learned academics in the city.
“You can read anything here, provided you speak the language.” Hyunjin had told you with a wink.
“And if I don’t, perhaps you wouldn’t mind teaching me.” You had replied.
And so he did. Huddled around a cramped desk, stacked to the heavens with literature and poems in romantic languages some of which you hadn’t even heard of. When you make a mistake, he laughs hard and it’s so therapeutic to hear. When you’re correct, he beams with pride and gently squeezes your hand. Another fleeting moment passes in which you are simply two people; two strangers becoming acquainted.
Once dinner time approaches, he leads you to the dining room and seats you directly next to him; this was new to you. Previously you’d been across from him and nothing more — your heart begins to pound in your chest.
“You know,” you say as you sit, “I’ve never seen a single person other than us here, who is cooking the food?”
Hyunjin chuckles, taking his own seat after tucking yours in, “You only thought to ask this now?” When you nod he shrugs, “I have an imp pet who takes care of it.”
You have no idea if he’s joking or not but the time to question him passes as he begins to eat; encouraging you to do the same. You would love to eat, really, but your heart is lodged in your throat and the feeling only worsens as Hyunjin takes your hand in his.
“Having you here has been wonderful,” he says, out of the blue and you can’t help but blush, “it’s been a long time since i’ve been this happy.”
“I’m glad I can help,” you reply, truthfully you don’t really know what to say.
The two of you finish your food, hands tied together the entire time and once your fork is placed neatly beside the plate, Hyunjin pulls you to your feet.
“Where are we going?”
“You’ll see.”
Soon enough, you’re met with the familiar view of the closed off room you found the first day you arrived and you look at Hyunjin with curiosity. From his shirt pocket he pulls a tiny key before twisting it into the lock and springing the door open; what you find inside is unlike anything you’ve ever seen.
Glass replaces the concrete walls of the room, it’s like stepping into the open ocean yet breathing air. Sunlight pours in brilliant beams, illuminating the multi coloured coral reef that borders the underwater palace. Marine life is rife here, various schools of fish swirl in perfect synchrony, leaving a glimmering trail in their wake. You gape at Hyunjin before running off to get a better view.
“This is incredible,” you marvel, hands pressed against the glass, “It’s beautiful.”
“Yes, it is.”
Hyunjin joins you, wrapping a hand around your waist; it catches you off guard and you spin to face him. Now, you can see him so clearly; bathed in the light of the sun, his eyes shine and his flaxen hair frames his features so perfectly. Briefly, you blink absently.
“Y/n,” he speaks low, maintaining eye contact and when you try to avert your gaze, his hand cups your cheek and reels you right back in. There’s a serene silence between you as he brushes the stray hairs from your face, taking in all of you. It’s when his lips press against your own that you lose all inhibitions, letting his tongue explore your mouth as his hands pull you closer by the waist. You cannot escape this primal need to be closer to him, to let your arms sling around his neck and allow yourself to be held; to melt into him.
One kiss is all it takes for you to tumble into bed with him. Hyunjin takes it slow with you, though you are unsure whether it’s so he can greedily savour every second or to provide you with comfort. Not that it matters when he’s making you feel so good. You lose yourself, submitting fully to him; letting yourself reach highs you never thought existed. When you’re spent, lying flush against him and panting, he cradles you in his arms and smothers the top of your head in tiny kisses.
“It might come as a shock to you,” Hyunjin muses aloud, eyes looking anywhere but you, “but I think I may have found my missing piece.”
To this, you glance up at him and laugh at the sight of his usually pale face burning beetroot, “What do you mean?”
“It means you complete me and I believe I am in love with you.”
Whoa.
Before you even begin to formulate a reply, Hyunjin butts in.
“Don’t worry, you don’t have to reciprocate it just yet,” he says, now looking down at you, “I just wanted you to know.”
You truly are at a loss for words, it feels far too soon for your liking for him to be devoting himself to you yet you are blinded by the rose tinted glasses. Without answering, you nuzzle in the crook of his arm and allow yourself to be coaxed into slumber by Hyunjin absently playing with your hair as you drift into a rest filled with fantastical dreams of what could be.
Reality can never really compare with dreams.
The next morning you return to the glass room and gaze upon the bustling ocean life with childlike wonder, feeling fortunate that you get to view the sea life in a way no other mortal had. You follow the fish, counting every species you see and recognise. It’s not long until Hyunjin finds you and sits neatly on the floor by your side.
“You seem to like this place a lot.” he observes, leaning back on two hands to get a better view of you.
“It’s like a different world down here.” You reply, watching with awe as the fish scatter when what looks like a transparent shark passes through the reef. Strange. It’s only upon closer inspection that you realise it’s not a shark but the aquatic outline of a…person?
“Hyunjin,” you grab his attention by pulling on his sleeve and pointing at the figure, “What isthat?”
Hyunjin barely gives a glance before answering.
“They are but wisps in the ocean, nothing to concern yourself with.”
You are unconvinced by his answer but dare not pry more. Instead, you lift yourself up and get as close to the glass as you possibly can to get a better view of the ghostly figure. As you approach the glass, a muted chorus of song can be heard as the figure drifts in and out of view.
“Hyunjin.” you say again, only this time much more stern. When a second figure joins the first and loops in the water, it almost crashes into the glass and your eyes widen in horror. “Is that a woman?”
Hyunjin remains ever silent as your eyes follow the ghostly woman as she sings, her song sending familiar chills down your spine. You turn to him, eyes filled with fear. “What…what is this?”
Hyunjin sighs.
“Sirens,” he says simply as though it were obvious. “They’re Sirens.”
Everything begins to fall into place, the jewels and gems gifted to you, the dresses that were so beautiful…
“Y/n,” Hyunjin is standing now, towering over you with his eyebrows furrowed. “Let me explain.”
You gape at him, words slip from your mind as you try to comprehend the gravity of what he has done.
“You did this?” You can’t hide the disbelief, it encompasses you.
Hyunjin hangs his head in shame, too afraid to look you in the eyes.
“Tell me the truth,” you squeak, beginning to back away slowly.
“They ran from me,” he begins through gritted teeth, “As though I was their worst nightmare incarnate. So I…tore their undeserving beauty from them.”
You cannot believe what you are hearing. “You cursed them?”
He gives a solemn nod.
“They will live a life of eternal yearning; an unquenchable thirst for lust that no one man can ever satisfy. That is what they deserve.”
“Is this the fate that awaits me?” You ask, a lump forming in your throat, “A siren lost to the tides?”
Hyunjin ponders the thought for a moment too long before shaking his head. “You were the first not to run. You are the first I’ve truly felt for.”
Although his plea sounds truthful, you cannot bear to look at him. “You could have let them go,” you say in barely a whisper. “Why didn’t you let them go?”
Hyunjin does not answer, for he cannot.
“I…I would like to leave.”
The silence is deafening. Every minute that passes where Hyunjin does not speak is a minute closer to your demise: you truly fear for your life.
“Then, you may go.”
What?
You almost break your neck to look at him; his eyes are reddened with tears.
“You…you’re serious?” you ask in disbelief.
“If you love someone, you let them go. I cannot keep you here against your will.”
You can feel the pain in his voice, like his heart had been ripped from his chest.
“Then, let me go.”
Briefly, he pauses and you fear that he has reconsidered but the fear is washed away with the tide as he beckons you to follow him. He dares not reach for your hand as he usually would.
The walk to the great hall feels like an eternity, with Hyunjin’s despondency bearing a heavy weight on your soul. Once you arrive, he stands firmly in place and gnaws on his bottom lip.
“I can take you home,” he finally says, “That is what you want, yes?”
The glimmer of hope that you will change your mind still faintly burns so when you nod your head, it crushes him. With a heaving sigh, he reaches around his neck and fiddles with a necklace of some sort before taking your hand in his own and passing it to you.
“Take this. If you ever change your mind, open it and I will find you.”
“A locket?” You say upon closer inspection, the brassy heart is adorned with threads of gold. “But this is precious to you.”
He bows his head, “Look after my heart, won’t you?”
Then, darkness consumes you.
*********
When you awaken, you find yourself somewhere in the sea on a rickety old ship just as before; except this time you’re bed ridden. You have no idea whose ship you’re on or how long you’ve been there, so you arise and make an attempt to seek out someone to explain your situation. As soon as you stand up, a splitting migraine assaults your mind — it’s piercing and you fall back onto the bed. With a hiss of pain, you throw your head back onto the pillow.
Had it been a dream? Surely not.
With haste you reach for the locket Hyunjin had gave you to find it missing. No…it simply couldn’t have been a fever dream — you refuse to believe it.
The sky screams in anguish as rain lashes down on the upper decks and you try to speak to any of the crewmen who are busying themselves with attending to the ship. Not one of them acknowledges you — typical. It’s by chance that you see one of the men dangling a chain from his hand, boasting to a friend that he’d won it in a card game only the day before.
“Excuse me, sir,” your attempt at being courteous is pathetic as your patience wanes, “That necklace belongs to me.“
“Says who?” He snarls, looking you up and down.
“Says me,” you reply haughtily, snatching the necklace from his grubby hands.
As soon as the brass touches your skin, your body is set aflame; memories of Hyunjin wash over you like a tsunami — his touch, his taste, his smell. You’re flooded with emotion, drowning in the sweet sadness that fills your heart and you mourn the spark in the ocean, doused as it ignites.
“Bloody bad luck to have a woman on board,” the thief sailor spits as you loop the locket around your neck, twirling the golden heart in your fingers.
Inspired by Kingdom dance from the Tangled Movie ! Do listen to it while you read <3
This was all your fault.
Having no sense of time permanence and the need to get every detail perfect had driven you to shut yourself up in one of the many dance studios in the Arts building, huffing and puffing and cursing at yourself for being a lazy perfectionist.
It was almost 2 a.m, but here you were, fixing the light skirt around your leotard and leggings as you took the short break your knees were begging you for.
This project was one you had begged your department’s Dean for- the opportunity to choreograph and lead the annual showcase. You needed it to be perfect, exquisite, unforgettable.
So you would suck up the pain and sleeplessness, you would bug that gorgeous senior Yunho into giving you tutorials on how to choreograph for groups, you would spend all your time thinking and visualizing and planning and dancing and perfecting until it was just right-
“Oh. Hey.”
Your train of thought sputtered to a stop when you heard the sound, turning to see Hyunjin standing at the door, dark hair and dark clothes.
“What are you doing here?”
The question ( albeit slightly rude) escaped your mouth before you could control it.
“I didn’t know where else to go.”
That’s when you noticed the dark bags under your best friend’s eyes, his jet-black hair limp and falling gracelessly around his face. His shoulders were slumped under his hoodie, his normally graceful frame suddenly looking small, almost like he was folding into himself.
It was a bad night.
The kind of night Hyunjin liked to slip into an empty studio and dance his anxiety away, letting the precision of his movements carry his pains away.
The sight nearly made you tear up.
How had you not noticed how tired Hyunjin had been looking lately?
Were you seriously that focused on one of your own projects that you forgot about the people that mattered the most to you?
Nothing was more important to you than Hyunjin- your childhood best friend, your soulmate, your partner from the beginning till forever. He was the reason you even found your love for dance- and here you were, disregarding him for god knows how long, all because you were trash at managing your time.
What kind of a best friend were you?
Suddenly, the annual showcase didn’t matter. All you wanted was to see your best friend’s lovely smile stretch over his lips,see his eyes scrunch in that endearing way they always did, see his dramatic reenactments and faux cringe away from him.
The studio had settled into silence as Hyunjin slid to the floor next to a corner of the walls and mirror, presumably setting up his own playlist or stretching.
Your feet moved to the bluetooth stereo system before your mind could catch up. Whether you realized it or not, you knew exactly what to do. The opening strains of the music instantly warmed your body- you didn’t realize you felt cold and empty until the melody filled the void in you with warm, buttery sunlight.
Your limbs sang with the need to jump into an easy dance as you made your way to Hyunjin, who was yet to notice you or the music building around the studio.
“Dance with me!” You grinned, reaching a hand out to Hyunjin where he sat on the wood floor, fixing his shoelace.You had missed this piece, you realized, letting yourself listen to the familiar music. You and Hyunjin had spent late studio nights like this twirling each other around the hardwood floor until you were out of breath but irrevocably exhilarated. Hyunjin looked down at your outstretched hand, then at you, his head cocked as he listened to the music, feeling the energy, the familiarity-
And you had grabbed his hand and hauled him to his feet, sweeping him into a messy hop-twirl-waltz around the studio. An incredulous laugh escaped Hyunjin as he caught his footing, barely able to keep up with you- but the only sound that escaped you was one of pure joy.
The music swelled and wrapped around the both of you as Hyunjin twined an arm around your waist to stabilize the both of you, a grin finally breaking out across his face. The music was like joy trapped in a sound, the building, soaring rhythm and beats needing no effort to follow- it was like the tune urged the both of you to move to the music, pushing you to truly feel the glorious thrill in the notes.
“TWIRL!” You yelled, but Hyunjin only laughed at you before releasing his grip on your waist to let you twirl out and away from him. A gleeful laugh escaped you as your skirt flew up around your body, the sheer ease and flow of every movement suddenly feeling so normal, so familiar to you.
Not seconds later, you were twirled back to Hyunjin , but this time he was the one leading the messy waltz as the music reached its peak, the air light and bright with your joint laughter and the delightful harmony.
And for those glorious seconds, all was good with the world- it was just you and Hyunjin in each other’s arms, dancing the night away and everything felt like it was perfectly as it should be.
As the music began, so it must end- and it did, with the both of you collapsing onto each other in a fit of giddy laughter, clinging to each other as you slid to the floor.
As the giggles trailed off, you swatted at Hyunjin’s chest.
“I’m sorry I spent the last few days disregarding you.”
Hyunjin’s smile was like the sunrise after a dreary night, much like the music that the both of you had come to love.
“Hey, we have forever together, what’s a few days?”
Requests are open for this collection (For Stray Kids and Ateez), so do check out the Masterlist for the prompts and rules! Love, Elliana.
Synopsis: All is fair in love, war, and business. When the bakery and café across from Candy Pop starts selling custom candy heart cakes two weeks before Valentine’s Day, you are livid. Bakery/Café AU, Candy Shop AU.
Warning: offhanded mention/jokes about alcohol and drugs, romanticization of how small businesses actually function
Word Count:15k
Pairing: fem!reader x Hyunjin; enemies-to-lovers
Happy (Early) Valentine’s Day!
“Have you seen this?” you ask, dangling the bright pink flyer in front of your boss’s face. After seeing them taped to just about every surface at the outdoor mall for the past couple days, you finally decided to take a look at one. A big mistake on your part because it’s only 6 AM and you are pissed. “‘Candy Heart Cakes, for your Valentine’s Day sweetheart who doesn’t like chalk. Custom messages available.’ Are they serious?”
Jihyo merely glances at it before turning back to the first batch of candy for the day, salted caramel lollipops. “Yeah. One of their employees asked if I would be alright with it a few weeks back. And I said yes.”
“But custom candy hearts are Candy Pop’s thing! Why?”
“Cakes and candy are different,” she says, like it’s the most obvious thing in the world. Well, it sort of is, but you are still perplexed by how nonchalant she is about the bakery across the way possibly undercutting her business. “Most of our Valentine’s Day profits are from chocolates and strawberry bouquets anyway. Why are you so worked up about this? I’m the owner.”
She makes a good point. However, as the person who came up with the plan of selling custom candy hearts at the shop, you can’t help but feel miffed. This was originally your idea, for goodness’ sakes! You spent weeks devising a recipe of candy hearts that would not taste like chalk and spent days wheedling Jihyo about selling them. After promising that you would take responsibility for all the orders did she finally agree.
Granted, this endeavor is not particularly profitable, but still!
“‘Cause it was my idea to begin with!” you tell her in disbelief.
There’s a moment of silence before Jihyo whispers, “Oh, goodness. I forgot about that.” When she looks up at you, there is guilt written plainly across her face. “I’m so sorry. Alright, I’m gonna talk to them later and see if I can change their minds. I should have checked with you first. Y/N, I’m so sorry. I don’t know how it slipped my mind.”
You scrunch up the flyer into a neat little ball and toss it into the trash can. “No, I’ll do it. I’ve been meaning to give them a piece of my mind anyway. Leaving this stupid flyers everywhere and taking up wall space.”
“It’s my fault, so I’ll take care of it.” Jihyo pours the last bits of salted caramel onto a paper stick and softly swears when she notices that the lollipop is smaller than the others. “Are you mad at me?” she quietly asks.
To be truthful, you are a little bit. However, you can’t completely blame her for forgetting about the candy hearts since she’s always swamped with paperwork and other custom orders during the holidays.
“I’m mad at them,” you reply, mostly dodging the question. “I’m gonna go now and stop it before they start receiving orders.”
“I think it might be too late for that considering Valentine’s Day is in two weeks. And Y/N, I swear I’ll talk to them later. By the end of today at the latest.”
“This is important! We have to do it now.” When she doesn’t budge, you sigh. You really don’t want to play the ‘you owe me this at least’ card, but you say the line anyway. “And what if I buy breakfast while I’m there?”
After a few seconds of deliberation — you can see her visibly weighing the pros and cons of your bargain — she finally waves you off. “Please don’t cause any trouble.”
“No promises.”
You leave Candy Pop and walk straight across to Yellow Wood Bakery & Café, your current bane of existence. As much as you wish you could say that it is a substandard establishment with overbaked desserts and horrible staff, it is the complete opposite. You have been there a few times when you were too busy to eat a proper dinner, and everything there is impeccable and deserving of their five-star rating, you begrudgingly admit.
“Welcome! You’re our first customer of the day, so you get a free scone!”
You smile politely at the employee who greeted you, and he returns it with nearly twice the energy. His early morning chipperness makes you more irritated.
You stalk towards the counter, Jihyo’s warning to not make trouble forgotten. You gesticulate wildly at the giant glossy poster advertising their candy heart cakes. “Is this real? Are you serious?” is all you can get out amidst your rage.
The employee, whose name tag reads Felix, stares at you like a scared deer. His eyes dart back and forth between the kitchen doors and you. “Yes? Did you… did you want to order one?”
“No! I work at Candy Pop. You know, the store across from here that sells custom candy hearts every year? The original place? Who even decided upon this?”
He gives you a terse smile. “Just a moment, please.” Then he dashes into the kitchen, frantically calling for someone named Hyunjin.
While waiting for this ‘Hyunjin’ character to show up, you scan their display cases and their menu. You did promise to get breakfast after all. Your stomach grumbles as you take in all the flaky pastries and the meticulously decorated slices of cake. Yellow Wood might be an idea thief, but everything they make looks delicious.
Felix returns back behind the counter with a fellow who is presumably Hyunjin. He has flour all over his apron and some on his black shirt.
“You’re from Candy Pop?” he says. “And you’re here because of… something with our candy heart cakes?”
The audacity of him pretending not to know! “You guys stole my idea! Custom candy hearts is something Candy Pop has done for a few years now, so imagine my surprise when I learned that the bakery across from us suddenly has a custom candy heart promotion! On Valentine’s Day nonetheless! The same time of the year we do ours!”
“Are you even listening to yourself? Do you know how insane you sound right now?” he says, the contempt clear in his voice. His earlier facade of calm is completely gone. “Your so-called idea isn’t original! Custom candy hearts have been around for ages. It’s a Valentine’s Day staple. Are you even sober right now?”
“I could ask you the same question! You don’t think this looks suspicious?” you retort. “You guys have never done anything for Valentine’s Day.”
Hyunjin glares right back at you. “Is it a crime to cater the holidays now? What do you have to say about all the other shops that do this? Are you—”
You are momentarily confused as to why he stopped in the middle of the sentence, but when you hear the door of the bakery swing open, you understand. Hyunjin plasters on a brittle smile and asks you to repeat your order.
You can’t risk destroying Candy Pop’s reputation, so you tamp down all your anger and with an overly peppy voice, you say, “Sure. Two Americanos and two breakfast croissant sandwiches, to go.”
Hyunjin, in the same tone as you, reads aloud the price and asks Felix to get you your food. When you insert your credit card into the chip reader, he asks, “Are you interested in our latest promotion? We’ve turned the signature Valentine’s Day candy into something more palatable.”
You grit your teeth. You would bet your life that he was one who came up with that snide tagline. “No, thank you. I hear the candy shop across from here has custom candy, so I’m probably gonna go there instead. But I’ll think about your suggestion.”
Before another argument can begin, Felix intervenes. “Here are your croissants and your free scone,” he announces stiffly, placing a brown paper bag on the counter. “Fresh out of the oven. And your coffee should be ready soon.”
“Thank you.”
You take the bag and sit at a nearby table as you wait. Hyunjin helps the next customer with noticeably less venom, but he still injects subtle digs at you while making conversation. You simmer and stew in your seat, unable to do anything but glare. Once Felix sets down your coffee, you snatch them up and storm back to Candy Pop.
Jihyo is refilling the baskets by the cash register with heart-shaped lollipops and mini bags of gumdrops when you enter the shop. She looks at you and sighs.
“I thought I said not to cause trouble. I take it that it didn’t go well with them?”
“That’s putting it mildly,” you scowl. “He pretty much called me a lunatic, and we kind of got into a fight. Anyway, I got breakfast.”
Jihyo pauses and studies you carefully. “What did you exactly say? And who did you talk to because Felix doesn’t seem like the type to say that.”
“It was some guy named Hyunjin,” you answer as you unwrap your croissant. Ham, cheddar cheese, and scrambled eggs never smelled so good. “He’s a real piece of work.”
“What did you say to him?”
“Nothing bad, I swear! I just let him know that he stole my idea, and then he got all huffy and defensive. Honestly, can you believe him?”
Jihyo lets out the most exasperated sigh you have ever heard. “Tell me everything from start to finish please.”
As you recount the story, not leaving out a single detail from the pretty desserts in the case to Hyunjin’s biting snark, it slowly dawns upon you that you did kind of sound like a lunatic from Yellow Wood’s perspective. By the time you have finished your croissant, Jihyo is giving you a “I told you so” sort of look, and you are mortified.
She dusts off any excess crumbs into her paper wrapper. “You were just supposed to ask them if they would be open to changing their minds about their cakes. You need to apologize.”
“I can’t go back there after the stunt I pulled! That’s humiliating!” you splutter. “Also, that guy was a real jerk, so he doesn’t deserve one.”
“You still need to apologize. And soon as well. You don’t exactly have any moral high ground either after the way you yelled at him.”
You nurse your coffee, hoping that Jihyo will magically change her mind in the meantime. She clasps her hands together on the countertop and stares back at you as more guilt starts building inside you. You bite the lip of your cup lid in anguish.
After a solid minute, you groan. “Fine, I’ll apologize by the end of today, okay? But I get to eat the scone.”
“Good girl.”
However, Jihyo did not specify how you were to apologize. As such, you decide to return back to Yellow Wood in the mid-afternoon with a small bag of candy hearts in your coat pocket.
“Out to lunch?” Jihyo remarks as she spots you on your way out.
“Yeah. Do you want anything?”
“Anything salty. I’ve spent all morning working on a new batch of strawberry milk candy, and I’m so sick of it.”
“Got it. See you later.”
Felix is still working the cash register, and you can see the panic flickering across his face as you walk in. No one else is in the bakery, which would give you and Hyunjin the perfect opportunity to continue your earlier argument.
“Welcome,” he says with significantly less enthusiasm compared to this morning.
“Is Hyunjin here?” you ask. At his apprehension, you reassure him, “I’m not here to pick a fight. I’m here to apologize.”
He visibly relaxes and motions at the double kitchen doors. “I’ll get him for you. Give me a minute.”
Felix comes back with Hyunjin, who has a self-satisfied smirk on his face. Any sense of humiliation you feel is immediately replaced with annoyance, and it takes more effort than you would like to admit to not roll your eyes at his haughty attitude.
“Well, guess who’s back?” he greets. “How can I help you?”
“I’m sorry for yelling at you this morning,” you say. “I shouldn’t have been that… inflammatory towards you, and I was wrong to accuse you of stealing my idea when my idea wasn’t really mine to begin with. So, are we good now?”
He drums his fingers across the countertop, glancing upwards at the ceiling. He’s enjoying this moment far too much. “I’ll think about it,” he replies with a saccharine smile.
“Maybe this will help.” You pull out the bag of candy you spent a large portion of the morning making. Inside are dozens of pastel candy hearts that have ‘SORRY’ written across the top. “I promise they don’t taste like chalk.”
While Felix and Hyunjin gape at the gift — Hyunjin looks particularly irked — you say goodbye and head to the sandwich shop five doors down. You better splurge on a beef sandwich for Jihyo since you can only imagine how exasperated she will be once she learns of what you did.
She says nothing about your bribe hidden in plain sight, and you don’t mention anything about visiting Yellow Wood. While you help customers place Valentine’s Day orders and keep an eye out for kids who treat any unsupervised candy as free samples, Jihyo is preoccupied with her latest recipe. The day soon draws to a close. As you clean the kitchen, Jihyo finally mentions your promise to apologize.
“I already did during lunch.” You hope she won’t put the two and two together. “He said he would think about it, which I guess is fair.”
“Are you still upset?”
You spray down the giant metal countertop with disinfectant and wipe the surface. “A little bit. I mean, he wasn’t wrong about the whole candy heart thing, and I shouldn’t have acted like that, but I was just so angry. Though I didn’t have caffeine then, so maybe that’s why I was so irrationally pissed off.”
“I’m really sorry about not checking with you first,” she softly says. “I really am.”
You drop the rag and reach over to hug her. Sure, she’s technically your boss and what you’re doing is probably not work-appropriate, but Jihyo is your friend first. “Forget about it. I forgive you as long as you promise not to fire me over what I did today.”
“Deal.”
After the kitchen is sparkling clean, the two of you sit in the front room of the shop and indulge in some of the rejected strawberry milk candy batches.
“Hey, we should give some to Yellow Wood,” she suddenly suggests. “It’ll be like an apology gift and maybe that will convince what’s-his-name to forgive you.”
Nonono. You pretend to sort through the candies as you try to hide your panic. “Is anyone even still there? Don’t they close kind of early on the weekdays? It’s after 10 now. I doubt they’re open.”
Fortunately, Jihyo mistakes your evasion as shame and not that you want to avoid her finding out how you exactly apologized. “C’mon. You did the hard part already. Besides, they have to clean up for the night as well.”
“I don’t know. They probably don’t want me to come back. I’m sure they banned me already.”
“Don’t be so dramatic. Let’s go.”
In that time of conversation, she filled a small bag with the milk candies and another one with leftover salted caramel lollipops. She starts heading for the door, but you stay put where you are.
Jihyo waves her keys in the air. “I’m gonna lock up for the night, so you have to leave anyway.”
You sigh and reluctantly follow her to Yellow Wood because maybe, just maybe, you might be able to do some damage control. Jihyo cheerfully knocks on the door and waves to the employee sweeping the floor. You don’t recognize him, but he seems to know Jihyo. He unlocks the door for her.
“Hey. Did you need something? Is everything alright?”
“Hey, Changbin. Everything’s fine. Is” — she turns to you — “what’s his name again?”
Quietly, you say, “Hyunjin.” What you would give to have the ground swallow you up right now.
“Yeah, is Hyunjin here? My friend wants to give him something. Right, Y/N?”
You don’t dignify it with a response, choosing to glower at Jihyo instead. She shoots one back akin to “I’m doing this for your own good.”
Changbin’s gaze switches between you and the candy Jihyo holds. It’s not like that, you want to tell him. It’s far from what you’re thinking. “Come in,” he says with a grin.
Jihyo enters the bakery, and you trail behind her like a meek shadow. Meanwhile, Changbin props his broom against the wall and shouts, “Hyunjin! Someone’s here for you.”
Jihyo pushes the bags into your hands as the kitchen door swings open. Hyunjin’s eyes land on you first and then the candy you hold. You grip the bags tighter and feel one of the lollipops cracking apart in your grasp.
He saunters in front of you, and you can’t tell if he’s amused or annoyed. “It’s you again.”
“This is for you,” you say in a monotonous voice. “Again, I’m sorry about what happened this morning.”
He takes them from you and seeing the fractured bits of candy, flashes you that same saccharine smile from before. “Thanks. You know, I have something for you too. Give me a minute, and I’ll bring it out.”
You had a feeling he was going to retaliate; he seems to be just as petty as you are. A small part of you wants to see what he did. However, considering that Jihyo is here and that you are not keen on being exposed, you step back and grab Jihyo’s arm.
“It’s fine. It’s getting late, so we should really get going.”
“No, it will be quick. Jihyo, I think you’ll especially like it. Just stay here.” He disappears into the kitchen, and dread settles into your stomach.
He knows what you’re trying to hide, and soon everyone will know. At least you had Jihyo promise that she wouldn’t fire you for what you did today. Thank goodness you said ‘today’ and not ‘this morning.’ Good word choice might save you here.
Unfortunately for you, Jihyo is starting to catch on. “What did you do?”
You elect to pretend to not hear it and redirect your gaze to the menu above the cash register. “So, what kind of breakfast do you want tomorrow? I’ll buy something for you.”
“Oh, goodness.”
At that moment, Hyunjin reappears, this time with a white pastry box. He presents it to you with a flourish. “For you. I was planning to give it to you tomorrow, but since you’re here, I thought this would be perfect. Open it.”
“What is it?”
You don’t miss the smirk that briefly flashes across his face before he recomposes himself. “Open it and see.”
Jihyo hovers behind you, and even Changbin has stepped closer to see what Hyunjin has given you. You shake your head, and Hyunjin raises an eyebrow.
“I don’t think I could accept a gift from you after what I did this morning,” you say. You slowly tiptoe backwards, trying to take a firmly-stood Jihyo with you. “It wouldn’t feel right.”
“Oh, so now you have a moral compass?” he scoffs, clearly tired of your sidestepping. You can’t blame him; you would be too if you were in his position. “C’mon. Just admit that you’re scared of the consequences.”
Over your shoulder, Jihyo mutters, “That better not be a head in there, Y/N.”
Changbin is also providing useless commentary on the situation, your personal favorite being “Oh, so she’s not actually into you” because anyone with common sense could see that you and Hyunjin clearly do not like each other. Everyone’s expectant stares combined with Hyunjin’s challenging grin finally set you off.
“Fine,” you bite out.
The golden logo of Yellow Wood shines underneath the lights as you lift up the lid to reveal a pastel pink heart-shaped cake with the words ‘APOLOGY ACCEPTED’ piped on in white frosting. It wouldn’t be all that horrific if it were not for the border made of candy hearts that all read ‘SORRY.’ Worst of all, the cake actually looks quite good.
While you fume, Jihyo and Changbin take this opportunity to see Hyunjin’s creation, and he proudly shows it off. Changbin laughs and asks if you made the candy hearts, to which you nod. Jihyo, who you suppose expected something of this nature, only sighs and halfheartedly scolds you for doing such a thing. She does seem impressed that you managed to make that many without her knowing, so she’s not too upset.
“At least it’s not a head, right?” you try to joke. When she looks back at you blankly, you announce, “Alright, I’m going home. Good night.”
Before you can turn around though, Hyunjin says, “Take the cake at least. I spent a lot of time and energy on it.”
“Then take back the candy hearts. I also spent a lot of time and energy on them.”
To your surprise, he actually begins picking them off. The cake now has little divots where the candy hearts used to be, and while it doesn’t look as pretty as before, it sure makes you feel a lot less angry.
“You better eat it,” he says as he shuts the lid. “You’re not allergic to the taste of defeat, are you?”
“You’re a real piece of work, Hyunjin,” you growl as you snatch the box from him. It has a bit of a weight to it. “Well, thank you for such a delightful gift. I hope you enjoy mine as well. Good. Night.”
You storm out the bakery with your brand new cake, the Yellow Wood logo of the pastry box taunting you the entire time. When you arrive home, somehow managing to not road rage when some idiot cuts you off, your phone has several messages from your boss, one of them asking you to not incite Yellow Wood anymore because business, and two of them agreeing that Hyunjin is a bit of a jerk and yeah, she understands why you did it.
You wish you could say you slept a little easier that night, but you didn’t have a shred of remorse inside you anyway.
You really don’t want to admit it, but the cake is really good, like “one small slice before actual breakfast turns into three, and oh no, now I’m late for work now because I spent too much time savoring this cake” good. It’s infuriating.
When you arrive at Candy Pop just a few minutes later after your shift begins — you may have rolled a few stop signs on your way — you tell Jihyo that you overslept.
“It’s fine,” she says distractedly. She downs her coffee and pushes a piece of paper towards you while you tie on your apron. “Did you eat yet? Please tell me you did. A customer called and changed their pickup time, so we’ve got to make two strawberry bouquets before 10 today.”
Strawberry bouquets are the most popular order by far, so you and Jihyo have plenty of experience with it. The two of you fall into the usual rhythm, you washing and drying the fruit while she begins tempering the chocolate. You notice that both you and Jihyo are eating the smaller, less likely to be used strawberries.
Once the chocolate-covered strawberries are left in the fridge to harden, there is nothing to do but wait. As such, you offer to buy breakfast since that is what you said you would do last night.
“Coffee, and get those croissants from yesterday! Those were good.”
Because you feel bad for being late, you don’t put up a fight. Jihyo reminds you not to cause trouble, and you respond with the same answer as yesterday: “No promises.”
“I’m serious. I love you and all, but business is business. I really don’t wanna fire you, so please don’t do anything rash.”
She won’t fire you because that’s what friendship is for, but you also don’t want to test her limits when the most stressful holiday of the year is approaching. “Okay, okay. I’ll be good,” you sigh. You hold up your pinky finger as a promise and shrug on your coat. “See you.”
Most of the morning rush has subsided, so there are only a few stragglers inside Yellow Wood. You politely smile as strangers give you curious looks and then realize that you are still wearing your red and white apron. You quickly wrap your coat around yourself, suddenly self-conscious. When you approach the counter, Felix greets you with some forced cheer.
“Good morning. Two iced Americanos and two breakfast croissants, please.”
“We’re out of croissants right now. Do you mind waiting a few minutes? We should have a fresh batch soon.”
You have all the time until 10 AM. “I don’t mind.”
While he prepares your coffee, you wait by the drop-off counter. You didn’t mean to scare him with your outburst yesterday, but it’s only reasonable that he is apprehensive towards you. With a coworker as acerbic as Hyunjin though, it’s a bit of a surprise. Maybe you should make Felix some candy hearts. Your apology to him will be a lot more genuine though.
When he sets down your Americanos on the counter, you stop him before he can scurry back to the register even though there are no more waiting customers.
“Hey,” you start, “I want to apologize to you about yesterday. I was really upset about the candy hearts and then Hyunjin, and I’m sorry that some of that anger spilled onto you. I shouldn’t have yelled at you, and I’m sorry if I scared you.”
He slowly nods. “Thanks. And it’s alright. Hyunjin and Jisung used to fight a lot.”
You have no idea who this Jisung guy is, but he sounds like he’s just as fiery as you. Serves Hyunjin right.
“Felix, croissants are ready.” Hyunjin, coming out of the kitchen with a tray of said croissants, glances around to find his coworker. He addresses you first. “Back so soon? Did you enjoy defeat that much?”
You hold your tongue. “Good morning, Hyunjin. Nice to see that my breakfast is going to be nice and hot.”
“Felix, I’ll handle her order,” he says as he sets the tray down. “Two croissants again? Should I prepare another cake for you and your candy hearts?”
Felix looks back and forth between the two of you, wondering if he should intervene before the situation turns hostile. You assure him that it’s fine and tell Hyunjin that yes, you want two croissants. Felix tentatively takes the rest of the tray to the display case while Hyunjin hovers around.
“No passive aggressive messages today?” he asks, a sickly sweet grin intact.
You roll your eyes, which is definitely not passive aggressive at all. “Look, can we call a truce? I’m not too keen on getting fired over this, especially since I don’t have any other marketable job skills.”
“There’s no way she’s going to fire you two weeks before Valentine’s Day.”
“We have other employees, and I don’t want to waste more time and blood pressure on you either. So, truce?” You hold out your hand for him to shake. When he just stares at it, you sigh heavily. “Are you serious? C’mon. Do you actually like fighting this much?”
“I’ll shake if you apologize again. Really apologize.”
You repeat your apology from yesterday, putting extra emphasis on how not right your actions were and how sorry you are. When you are done, you extend your hand again. After a few seconds of deliberation, he shakes it.
“Are you actually allergic to anything?” he asks. Astonishingly, he does appear mildly concerned. “That cake wasn’t gluten-free or egg-free or anything else.”
“Well, I’m still alive, aren’t I? Thank you so much for your consideration after I could have died. Anyway, I should go before Jihyo thinks I killed you.” After a second, you add a curt “Bye.”
He replies with one of his own.
You take your food and head back to Candy Pop. You’re not entirely sure if your boss is being overdramatic or not when she sees that the red you wear is merely your apron and not blood. She whisks the paper bag and coffee out of your hands. Since the shop doesn’t open for another hour, the two of you eat around the shop counter.
“What took you so long? I was about to go over.”
You sip on your coffee, the cold chilling your teeth. “I had to wait for the croissants, and you’ll be happy to hear that Hyunjin and I called a truce. We’re good now.”
“Thank goodness. Now that that’s out of the way, we need to start decorating this place soon. We keep putting it off.”
The conversation turns into Jihyo’s plans for sprucing up Candy Pop for Valentine’s Day, and you listen as you polish off your breakfast. Yellow Wood has some great food, both to your delight and dismay.
At 9, the shop officially opens, and Jihyo cleans off the counter while you flip around the sign in the window. The store doesn’t get much traffic in the morning, but there’s bound to be a few people who work at the mall who want a snack on their break. In the time that no one is around though, you set to work on another batch of candy hearts for Felix. It’s the same design as Hyunjin’s, but they look decidedly better since you are not making them in a spite-induced frenzy.
During lunch, you head back to Yellow Wood to give them to Felix, who seems to be pleased to receive it.
“Thanks! I had been actually thinking of buying some from you guys,” he says as he turns the bag over and over in his hands. He chuckles when he reads the ‘SORRY’ printed on each one.
“You don’t have to pity-buy them, but thanks anyway.”
“No, it’s not. You know, Hyunjin said they were kind of good, and since he was mad at you, then they really had to be.”
“You really don’t have to try to convince me. It’s fine.” As much as you appreciate the offer, you don’t want or need pity-buys. Well, maybe your ego does, but it cheapens the thrill for you. You hear the door open as a customer walks in, so you step away from the counter since you aren’t planning to buy anything for lunch. “I should go. Sorry again. Bye.”
“It’s true though, and I am going to buy some soon. Have a nice day.”
You wander through the rest of the outdoor mall, not feeling hungry at all. There were still strawberry milk candies from yesterday, and you swiped some from the free sample bowl when no one was watching. Jihyo is still making some minor adjustments to her recipe, and you don’t want to head back early and be forced to taste test. The strawberry from the candy and the bouquets would be permanently stuck to your taste buds if you had any more strawberry flavors.
As you walk along the wide path between storefronts, you note that Yellow Wood’s tacky pink flyers are still plastered everywhere. It’s a near miracle how no one has gone blind from the assault of color. When a breeze sends a hastily taped paper flying in your direction, you snatch from midair and stick it into a nearby recycling bin. The stupid tagline — “for your Valentine’s Day sweetheart who doesn’t like chalk” — irks you. It’s just a cheeky jab at candy hearts in general, but it feels like a personal attack after the hell you went through in developing the recipe.
A truce is a truce, but what you would give to tear down all those inflammatory papers.
You end up circling back to Candy Pop, right across the way from Yellow Wood with its Valentine’s Day specials poster in the display window. The graphic of candy hearts is small but definitely visible from the bakery. You suck in a shaky breath.
It means nothing.
Yet it does not stop you from avoiding Yellow Wood and all of its employees. You told Jihyo you and Hyunjin were good now, but that apparently is a lie. Seeing the pink flyers everywhere makes your blood boil, and the lack of orders of candy hearts makes it worse. There are less than last year. Yes, you painstakingly looked through last year’s orders and tallied them to make sure.
You are still bothered by this days later as you rehang the fairy lights behind the counter. You strung them up and all the other decorations in the shop with Chaeyoung yesterday, and the two of you did a less-than-stellar job judging by the rate of falling decor. To be fair, as Valentine’s Day approaches, the candy shop grows busier with the influx of business. Just not the specific business you wish for.
“How are we out of chocolate roses already?” Chaeyoung, the other employee, mumbles. The glass jar where they are normally held is completely empty. “It’s only 5 PM. The evening crowd hasn’t even come yet.”
Once the lights are back on the wall, you turn back to the gumdrop bags. “A bunch of high schoolers came by earlier. I think they cleared out all of our chocolate.” Contrary to popular belief, they were actually quite nice and polite. Two of them even ordered candy hearts, so high school boys are officially your favorite customers. “Aren’t you supposed to be helping Jihyo?”
“She’s doing paperwork right now, so my current job is to ‘fix the shabby decorations.’”
You suppress a laugh as you cut another piece of ribbon to tie off the gumdrop bags with. “Get a stepstool, shorty.”
“I’m not that short!” she calls as she walks to the maintenance closet to get the ladder.
You hum something in acknowledgement and watch as she precariously balances on the fourth step to retape one of the paper heart garlands. More customers stop by for sweets, pointedly avoiding Chaeyoung on the ladder. You ring up the customers and enter their Valentine’s Day orders in the system. Unsurprisingly, strawberry bouquets are the most requested item. Following them are not custom candy hearts but chocolate boxes. Your disappointment is palpable.
However, you can only politely smile at the gentleman who orders a chocolate box: all dark chocolate, no nuts, no caramel, no cream fillings. He heads on his merry way after, and you swipe a licorice stick from the free sample bowl to cheer yourself up. Chaeyoung, who is now sitting hunched over on the fourth step because her arms are tired, sends you a sympathetic smile.
“You’ve got another week,” she reminds.
“Yellow Wood and their stupid candy heart cakes stealing our customers,” you bite out. You tear the licorice with more force than necessary and chew the candy like it’s day-old gum. “I knew this would happen.”
As if on cue, two employees from Yellow Wood walk in, wide grins on their face like they came by to gloat. Well, maybe not Felix but definitely Hyunjin. He glances around at the shop, almost appraising everything out on display.
“Welcome,” Chaeyoung calls from her perch.
“Speak of the devil,” you mutter. At a more audible level, you say, “Welcome to Candy Pop.”
While Felix wanders around and badgers Chaeyoung about something or the other, Hyunjin saunters over to you.
“Have you come to tell me how successful your cakes are? Because I’m really not interested.”
“Someone sounds bitter.”
“Definitely more bitter than sweet right now. I think I’m allowed to be upset.” You snap the scissors shut and push away the spool of ribbon. “So, why are you guys here then if not to brag?”
“Felix wanted some of your candy hearts.” Hyunjin leans against the counter and conspiratorially leans towards you. “I think he’s gone a little crazy. Or did you put drugs in them?”
“If I did, there would be a line out the door,” you snort. Maybe Yellow Wood has some illegal affairs happening in their kitchen. They’re even busier than usual, and you saw how many people walked out of there with a cake box. “Is that what you guys do?”
“Our cakes are actually good. No one likes chalk, you know.”
“Funny you say that because Felix said you liked my candy hearts. So they’re definitely not chalk.”
You expect him to deny it, to say that Felix was lying, to ask if you are even sober but instead he turns a shade of pink that matches perfectly with strawberry milk candy. You don’t even bother trying to conceal the smirk on your face.
“Ah, so it is true!” you crow. “Aww, Hyunjin. How sweet of you to tell me.”
He brushes off the embarrassment easily and smiles innocently at you. “Then what did you think of my cake? And be honest.”
That beautiful cake and its delicious layers. You wolfed it down on the second day, and if it weren’t for your pride, you might have ordered one. When you hesitate a bit, his smirk starts to mirror yours from five seconds ago. You huff to yourself, and as you duck under the counter to put away your supplies, say, “It was up to standard. What I expected from Yellow Wood, five star cooking and all.”
“Aww, Y/N. You did like it.”
You think he means to sound derisive, but it comes off as genuine. You start placing the gumdrop bags into the baskets. When you glance at him from the corner of your eye, there’s a hint of a smile on his face. “We can’t fault each other for having good taste,” you concede.
“So why haven’t you been back to Yellow Wood then? Jisung doesn’t believe that you actually exist, and I need you to prove me right.”
“No thanks. The world is much better when you’re wrong,” you say, tactfully avoiding his question. Fortunately, Felix has made his way to the counter with some other treats in hand. You spot some salted caramel lollipops and a bag of gummy bears. “Are you ready to check out?”
“Yeah. Do I order custom candy hearts here?”
You brightly nod and rattle off the list of colors and flavors available. He selects the option with all of them and informs you that he wants his name on them. He shoots a look at Hyunjin, who pretends not to see it.
“Sure,” you say, confused because no one has ever asked for their own name before. “They’ll be ready in a few hours, so do you want to pick them up then or tomorrow?”
“Tomorrow morning.”
While Felix pays, you say, “Why do you want your name on them, if you don’t mind me asking?”
“So Hyunjin doesn’t eat them all.”
You smile along with him and happily watch Hyunjin blush again. He does nothing to defend himself, but he does elbow Felix in the arm. Knowing that Hyunjin has admitted defeat only makes the grin on you and Felix’s faces grow. You push the free sample bowl outward, motioning for your new favorite Yellow Wood employee to take some.
“See you tomorrow,” Felix says as he gathers his purchases. He takes one from the bowl and heads out the door.
Hyunjin, licorice stick dangling from his mouth, nods goodbye and makes a sour face at you. You are unsure if it’s a diss at you or the candy.
You can’t ponder over it though since the evening crowd begins swarming soon after. You hope he meant you though. Goodness knows what you will do if another one of your recipes gets insulted by Hyunjin, especially since the two of you are just starting to be a little less abrasive to each other.
Like he said, Felix swings by in the morning to pick up his candy hearts. You make sure to put a bright pink sticky note on the top that reads, “None for Hyunjin,” in big letters. There’s a little extra bounce in his steps as he leaves, and you cheerfully begin on a new batch of candy hearts. Chaeyoung has taken over cash register duty, so you spend most of the day tackling orders.
Somewhere during your seventh batch of dark chocolate, Chaeyoung pokes her head into the kitchen and says that someone is here to see you.
“Who is it?” you ask, peeling off your gloves and throwing them on top of the work surface. “Is it delivery stuff? I think only Jihyo can sign off on it.”
You follow her out, fully expecting a delivery man with a clipboard and a pen, only to find Hyunjin with a familiar white pastry box. Chaeyoung makes an excuse about needing to organize the toffee bars.
“Good morning,” you say, trying not to look at the box. Please, please, please let it be a free cake for you. You have done nothing to deserve such a thing, but maybe Hyunjin wants to apologize for nearly breaking the truce yesterday. “How may I help you?”
“I just wanted to drop off something for you,” he says as he sets it down. He slides it towards you with ease. “Open it.”
You eagerly reach out to do so, but when your fingers reach to lift up the lid, you can already tell something is off. Whatever is inside is too light to be a thick, layered cake. You glance at Hyunjin who has an all too innocent expression on his face.
When you finally see the contents inside, you understand why. There is no cake or any sort of food for that matter, just a highlighter yellow sticky note with the words “None for Y/N.”
“How original,” you say as you rip off the note. You crumple it and stick it inside your apron pocket before shoving the now empty box at Hyunjin. “Keep the box. No point in wasting it.”
He ignores it and leans against the counter, propping one arm on top. “That was clearly a response to your attack on me. Don’t you have anything else to do other than bother me?”
“That was a joke! If anything, you’re the one with too much free time, specifically coming over here to hand-deliver your extremely witty reply.”
Halfway through your last sentence, Jihyo comes out of the kitchen with a tray of lollipops. “No fighting, remember? What happened to the truce? And good morning, by the way, Hyunjin.”
“We’re not fighting,” you say. “This is… gentle ribbing.”
Both of your coworkers look skeptical, but Hyunjin nods in agreement. “Yeah. She’s disappointed that I didn’t give her a cake, so I’m teasing her about it.”
“And he’s just disappointed that he wasn’t allowed to eat the candy hearts I made especially not for him, so I’m teasing him about it. It’s really nothing.”
Jihyo shakes her head and starts setting out the lollipops into a basket. “Alright then. Just don’t start another war.”
Hyunjin flashes her an easy smile. “No problem. And for the record” — he turns back to you — “I didn’t come here just to bother you.”
“Oh, so you admit that you were trying to antagonize me?” You rest your chin on the palm of your hand and tilt your head at Jihyo, who is massaging her temples like she has a brewing headache. “Way to break the truce right in front of my boss.”
“Since you very clearly don’t want me here,” he says, lowering himself to meet you at eye level, “how about I go buy candy from somewhere else?”
“We’re the only candy store in this entire mall. You don’t really have any other options.”
“I don’t know. Those vending machines look pretty good.”
“Yeah, if you like cheap, sugary chocolate and stale gummy bears. C’mon, Hyunjin. I think your taste is a little better than that.” When he sighs and concedes after a couple seconds, you clap your hands together and grin. “Well, go on. Pick out something.”
He rolls his eyes at you before walking around the shop. He scans all the displays, occasionally making astonished faces at whatever item he has discovered. Over the years, you and Jihyo have created some strange pieces of candy. Chaeyoung answers some of his questions, and you rearrange the lollipops in the basket after Jihyo leaves to finish up your neglected batch of chocolate.
Hyunjin soon returns with a bag of sweet and sour watermelon gummies. He hands it to you for weighing, and you read the price aloud to him.
“You have to buy something from the bakery now,” he says as he pushes his credit card into the chip reader. “It’s only fair that you do.”
“Do all my croissants and coffee not count? Because I’ve spent more than you already.”
“Nah, doesn’t count. Those were before our truce.”
“Yeah, and financial records really care about our verbal agreement. I think they should count.” You nudge the pastry box towards him. “Don’t forget about this. Thanks for stopping by Candy Pop. Have a good day.”
He tucks his gummies into his hoodie pocket and takes the box. “Please? Jisung still doesn’t think you exist, and he’s offered to help with cleaning the kitchen if you show up by tomorrow.”
“Bye, Hyunjin.”
“What if I make you a cake?”
Over by the toffee bars, Chaeyoung is doing her best to stifle her laughter at your amazement. Your mouth has dropped open into a little ‘o’ and your eyes are wide with disbelief. Animosity forgotten, you delightfully ask, “When should I come over?”
Hyunjin looks just as thrilled as you. “Whenever you want. Just make sure it’s before closing time.”
Your dinner break can’t come soon enough.
Around dinner time and after the evening rush, you head to Yellow Wood. While you are mostly over the candy heart copycat incident, it still feels like betraying yourself. But that cake was really good, and you’re not paying for it, so there’s less guilt there.
The bakery and café is packed with customers, some who are there for a quick pick-me-up after work and some who are there for a meal. Hyunjin is nowhere in sight, and it would be rude to walk up to the unknown employee at the register to ask. Is he the mysterious Jisung? Or is the busboy wiping down a window seat him? Either way, it would be strange to introduce yourself without Hyunjin around. With no other plan in mind, you wait in line with everyone else and try to not be disappointed when you hear the two people in front of you order a candy heart cake.
The line shuffles forward. Your stomach growls as you take in the display cases filled with food: cheesecake slices with stripes of raspberry drizzle, shiny fruit tarts glazed with jam, golden brown cream horns topped with powdered sugar. You may have to buy something for dinner after all. A cup of water isn’t going to cut it. Who knows if Hyunjin has even finished your cake yet with this much business.
“Welcome to Yellow Wood Bakery & Café! How can I help you?”
His name tag reads “Jeongin,” so not the guy needed for your cake. “Hi. Can I get a fruit tart and a ham and cheese sandwich? To-go?”
He taps at the screen for a few seconds before smiling at you. “Anything else I can get you? A drink maybe?”
“Is Hyunjin around? I’m a… friend of his, and he asked me to meet him here.”
“Ah, everyone’s favorite tall glass of water,” interjects a stranger. The busboy, now finished with his table and off to exchange his rag, walks behind Jeongin. You try to read his name tag to see if he’s the mystery man who will earn you a cake, but he’s already heading into the kitchen.
Jeongin looks embarrassed by his coworker’s sudden exchange. “Sorry about him. I think Hyunjin’s busy right now, but I’ll tell him you stopped by. Is there anything else I can help you with?”
“No, that’s all. Thank you.”
While he reads you the final cost, you fumble around your pockets for your wallet. This cursed bakery is going to bleed you dry of money at this rate. Who knew fruit tarts were so expensive? Well, you did since you saw the price written on the placard, but your hunger won out in the end.
You take your receipt from Jeongin, fold it into a neat rectangle, and wait by the pick-up counter with the other customers. An employee dashes back and forth between the coffee maker and the counter, calling out orders and setting down paper bags of food. You aren’t able to read his name tag though. Hyunjin has still not made his appearance even though this was his idea to begin with. He better hurry.
Your wishes are answered when Hyunjin comes out of the kitchen with a dusting of flour on his apron and the busboy at his heels. He motions for you to meet him at the side, and you oblige. The busboy scrutinizes you up and down. You finally see his name and realize this is the Jisung Hyunjin talked about.
“So you’re the crazy candy heart lady,” he says like he doesn’t believe that you are real despite standing in front of him. “Wow. I thought he was lying.”
“Nope, that’s me, Candy Pop’s resident troublemaker.” Now that you’re here, you’re not sure if you want to relive the memory. You did some awful things that day. To Hyunjin, you ask, “How’s the cake going?”
Jisung glances at the two of you with suspicion. “Wait, is this really her, or did you just bribe someone to be her?”
“I had to bribe her to come back,” Hyunjin explains. “We can talk about the pots I’m making you scrub later. There’s a table waiting for you.”
Jisung makes a vague complaint about Hyunjin telling him what to do, but nonetheless, he heads back into the main section of the café. He waves goodbye with his new rag, and you wave back with your free hand.
“The cake?” you remind him. You are salivating just thinking of the rich chocolate sponge and the thick layers of vanilla buttercream between the layers. “Is it done yet?”
He looks a little apologetic. “Do you want to wait until tomorrow or after closing? We’ve been busy.”
You expected this, but the disappointment doesn’t sting less. What’s a few more hours though, right? “After closing. You guys close at 10, right?”
“Yeah. Do you want the same flavor, or should I make something different?”
The question makes you pause, and you scan the menu overhead to see if their cake flavors are listed there. They are not. The giant poster advertising their candy heart cakes is on the other side of the room, and you can’t make out the words from where you are.
“Surprise me,” you finally decide. “Just don’t poison me or anything like that. Jihyo will come for your head if she finds out I’m dead before Valentine’s Day.”
“So I’m free to poison you after Valentine’s Day?”
“Like you could manage that without getting caught.”
Surprisingly, the words aren’t barbed, and you are a bit shocked when you see that Hyunjin has an amused smile on his face, even more so when you realize that you, too, are not completely irritated by this exchange. You brush it off as lingering cake happiness.
“I’ll see you then. I think there’s some bread waiting to be baked,” you say, parroting his words to Jisung. You see the other employee picking out a fruit tart from the display case, so your order must be next.
“Brownies, but nice try. See you.”
When he turns around, you notice that he has a splotch of flour on the back of his shirt. You laugh to yourself at the sight before heading back to the pick-up counter. Like you predicted, there is a sandwich and a tart waiting for you. You take your spoils back to Candy Pop to eat. Jisung thanks you for coming to Yellow Wood as you pass him by, and you politely smile in return.
After scarfing down your dinner — five star food as per usual, so not a difficult task — you help Jihyo with some Valentine’s Day boxes until closing time. Cleanup today consists of many dirty trays and cooling racks, and you hope that whatever Hyunjin makes doesn’t have chocolate. The smell of chocolate, hot water, and soap is not appealing to say the least.
A quick snack of cherry licorice later, you slip on your coat and make your way back to Yellow Wood. You press your nose against the glass door, looking inside for someone. The Changbin fellow from last week is sweeping the floor again, and he opens the door for you when you knock.
“Hey,” he greets, stepping aside for you. “Hyunjin said he’s still working on it and to wait a little. Come in.”
“Thanks.”
You pull out a chair near the register and slouch against the back. You’ve been hunched over a work surface most of the day, so this feels nice. It’s not even a particularly comfortable chair.
Jisung comes out of a maintenance closet with a broom in hand and does a double-take when he sees you’re here during closing hours. You mention the cake you were promised, and his eyes light in understanding. While you catch up on your messages on your phone, Changbin and Jisung continue sweeping and on occasion, sword fight with their brooms. They don’t talk much, most likely because you are here.
Around twenty minutes later, Hyunjin comes out with a pastry box. You immediately hop out of your seat and head over to him.
“Sorry I took so long,” he says, forgoing a greeting. “The buttercream was being uncooperative.”
“No poison, right?” you ask as you take the box from his hands. It has a heft to it, so there’s definitely a cake in there unlike this morning. “I was not kidding about Jihyo, and Chaeyoung might come after you too.”
“None this time.”
“So, I should never come back here after this then? Fine with me.” It rings false to your own ears, but maybe your bravado will cover it up.
Unfortunately, while Hyunjin may not be smart enough to get away with a poisoning attempt, he sees through your facade easily. “Liar. You’re gonna come crawling back after a taste of the cake.”
“What, did you put drugs in here? Is that the secret ingredient?”
“Does love count as a drug?”
“It’s got the same effects,” you hum, “but no.”
On the other side of the room, Jisung shouts, “Can you guys stop flirting, so we can lock up and go home?”
Simultaneously, you and Hyunjin shout back, “We’re not flirting!”
You feel yourself grow hot, whether it’s from embarrassment or indignation, possibly both. You remember Felix’s words that Jisung and Hyunjin used to fight a lot, and you find yourself understanding why. Combined with his interruption earlier today, it seems that Jisung is a constant instigator.
Not unlike yourself, Jihyo would say, but that is besides the point.
“I’m leaving now,” you announce, more for show than purpose. You nestle the box safely into your arms and start for the door. “Good night.”
Changbin and Jisung share a glance, a sly, knowing one complete with identical smirks, when you pass by them. You keep your eyes ahead and ignore them.
You are partially outside, the cold night air settling on your face and the inviting heat of the bakery on your back, when Hyunjin calls, “Good night.”
You wave through the window and don’t miss the strawberry milk candy blush on his face. He smiles apologetically, nodding at his coworkers. You shrug and return with a half-smile as a response before wandering through the mall to the parking lot. Your fingers itch to open the box to see what sort of delicious cake Hyunjin has made for you, but you decide that it is probably better to do so at home where you have forks. Goodness knows how eager you will be once you see it.
After a drive that feels longer than usual, you set it on the kitchen table and carefully peel back the lid.
It’s the same pastel pink as the first one, but instead of ‘APOLOGY ACCEPTED,’ it has ‘THANK YOU’ piped across the top. There’s no candy heart border this time, just one made of simple buttercream dots. No passive aggressive messages, and you find yourself feeling a little disappointed. The whole cake is strangely less charming.
Nevertheless, you cut yourself a small slice and laugh when you see what the flavor and filling Hyunjin has chosen: a dense double chocolate cake, right after you hoped for no chocolate.
You have to applaud him; he still manages to get under your skin no matter what. However, that doesn’t stop you from eating your slice and scraping your plate clean of leftover frosting and crumbs.
The days leading up to Valentine’s Day are always hectic with the amount of customers flocking to Candy Pop. Yellow Wood is just as busy, and whenever you stop by to grab a meal, the poor employee at the register, whether it’s Felix or Jeongin, looks frazzled. Despite the chaos, Hyunjin always seems to know when you’re around and comes out to trade biting remarks with you.
“I knew you would come back!” “Jihyo wanted croissants today, so don’t flatter yourself.”
“You look like a disaster.” “You’re not one to talk. You’ve got flour all over yourself.”
“Leftover salted caramel lollipops for the saltiest person I know.” “Leftover black coffee for the bitterest person I know.”
The fact that these interactions are becoming the highlight of your day only shows how draining work has gotten. You can’t say you hate more work because more business is hardly ever a bad thing. However, despite the numerous varieties of candy available at the store, people only seem to want chocolate. That is what you detest. You are sick of the taste, the smell, the feel, but no, chocolates are the only acceptable form of sweets. Never mind that candy hearts are the quintessential Valentine’s Day candy.
Hyunjin is not wrong about you being bitter.
When you lament about this to Chaeyoung and Dahyun, who is solely hired during the holidays, they only shrug. Well, they sympathize with the little candy heart orders you have received. They watched you turn the kitchen upside down while working on the recipe. As for their chocolate complaints though, dealing with insentient food is probably a lot more enjoyable than the high-strung customer who does not understand that strawberries are liable to spoiling even when dipped in chocolate.
And Valentine’s Day is still only two days away.
After being forced to handle that particular customer and getting “fired” for being rude, Jihyo lets you go on dinner break early. Of course, you head to Yellow Wood where it is also swamped. At least you have lots of time to decide what you want to eat.
Felix is still on shift, and he greets you with a little more cheer. While he taps at his screen, he says, “I’ll let you Hyunjin know you’re here. Here’s your receipt.”
You’re halfway through telling him not to bother with Hyunjin, but Felix is already calling out, “Next!” to the person behind you. As such, you stop and wriggle through the crowd towards the side counter where you and Hyunjin usually chat. Or banter. Or argue. It depends on what kind of day it is. It might be an arguing day; you’re still riled up after that encounter, and goodness knows how temperamental you are.
As anticipated, Hyunjin comes out to meet you a few short minutes later, no flour on himself this time. No apron either, for that matter.
“Missed me so much that you came early today,” he remarks.
“Not even close.” You recount today’s incident, your annoyance spiking as you’re reminded of the customer’s complete lunacy and idiocy. “How stupid do you have to be not to know that fruit goes bad? Like a millimeter of chocolate is going to help. These customers are insane.”
“You’re one to talk,” Hyunjin mumbles so quietly that you barely make it over the din.
You slap your hand on top of the counter, sending a tingling shock up your arm, but that hardly affects you. Even if it hurts and makes you regret striking a hard slab of granite, it punctuates your anger. “If this is about my candy hearts, I was being reasonable!”
“Please,” he scoffs as he crosses his arms. The golden logo of Yellow Wood Bakery & Café on his shirt folds in on itself. “Crazy customers are crazy. Don’t exclude yourself from this universal rule.”
“Those two things are different! I had reasonable doubt to believe that you were plagiarizing my idea.” You forcefully point to your shop where a colorful advertisement hangs. From across the walkway and through two windows, the graphic of pastel pink candy hearts winks in the sun. “How can you expect me to not believe that Candy Pop didn’t at least inspire your decision to start your cakes?”
“We’ve been over this, but since you have the memory of goldfish, I’ll say it again: We didn’t copy you. Get over yourself.” While you grip the edge of the countertop with a shaking hand, Hyunjin glances back at the register and sighs. “Do you seriously want to fight about something so trivial?”
“Yes!”
“Well, we can’t since your order’s done.”
Your head snaps to the pick-up area where an employee you don’t know, has just started calling out your name. He sets down a tall paper bag with the others and scurries off to fulfill the rest of the incoming orders.
“How’d you know?” you ask, now more amazed about Hyunjin’s foresight rather than his lack of combativeness. Maybe Jihyo was right about your rage always being derived from your hunger.
He smirks. “You’re buying Candy Pop dinner, right? Jihyo’s the only one who wants that much black pepper on her pasta, and you always get spaghetti when you’re pissed about work, which has been every single day now.”
“You’re lucky I’m starving,” you tell him. Hyunjin being right is infuriating; you’ve been overly upset by all of the recent customer demands and the dearth of custom candy heart orders.
“I hear an ‘or else’ in there.”
“Telling you would violate the rules of our truce, but do know that it’s really homicidal. There’s a reason why I chose the red pasta. Anyway, Jihyo’s supposed to rehire me for the evening shift, so I should get going before she changes her mind. Thanks for…” You don’t know why you’re trying to thank him. Instead of finishing your sentence, you mutter something incoherent, grab your dinner, and leave.
You finally figure out the reason while helping close Candy Pop. Jihyo and Chaeyoung have been tasked with cleanup, so you’re fixing the displays of the store, idly looking around for anything you could give to the staff of Yellow Wood. How does one say “Thanks for making me less mad with your delicious food” with gifts? What does one even give to a business rival other than business cards?
Free candy, of course, but what kind?
You’re half-tempted to bring them candy hearts, but th
