#rklnaeun

naeun‌.

everything happened rather fast, one moment she was in her own world on her way to the nearest florist to buy flowers ( one of her friends were celebrating their birthday and she thought it would be a nice gesture ), then the next moment she feels her arm getting tugged as she is moved out of the way of something happening to her, she wasn’t entirely sure. 

another thing she wasn’t sure of was why she found herself in this position, leaned against a strangers chest and for a couple of seconds her heart skips a beat, it felt nice though a small faint peach color graces her checks, his voice was calming, there was something familiar about it though and she couldn’t put her finger on it– until she looks up and the previous butterflies were gone in the blink of an eye.

“…,” her brows furrow together, clearly displeased to see the oh too familiar face, he wasn’t someone she wanted to see, not now and not in a million years.

“you think i’d be walking this street if i knew you’d be here?” when his arms drop she quickly moves away from him, frustrated with herself that she had actually thought the feeling was nice, that his voice was comfortable, “ahhh,” she exclaims ruffling her hair out of frustration, ‘what a waste of a pretty face,’ she thinks to herself, turning her head to glare at the boy.

it’s one of the nth times he’s met this girl. her name is a bit of a toss up  –  he had never been good with them, but he recognizes her face in an instant. and it’s starting to make him feel delirious. things like this didn’t happen in real life did they? it felt like one of those dramas his aunt was obsessed with. girl meets boy once, boy runs into girl a dozen of times after and then falls in love with her because of the constant occurrence. or at least that’s what jaemin took from them.

and then the confusion hits.

the displeasure in his voice hits him like a punch to the gut – did he do something? hadn’t he just saved her from getting drenched in plant water? wasn’t she supposed to thank him politely? the good ol’ knight in shining armor thing? not that that was why jaemin did this, but wasn’t this how this was supposed to go?

“i’m sorry?” he blinks, hand immediately dropping from the other’s waist – rising upwards in surrender, as if burned.

jaemin blinks again, now dumbfounded by the way she was acting. had he offended her in some way? if anything, isn’t this the part in the story where it was supposed to be a laughable moment? so why was she acting like he had been the one who had poured the water all over her?

“uh …” he pauses, “you okay?” he steps back, “did i do something to you?” jaemin tries to rack his head over anything that could have been the reason for this but he comes up blank. 

naeun‌.

out of all of the scenarios naeun had imagined, this was not one of them– why you might wonder? well first, she didn’t like group dates and this time her friends had tricked her into joining one, it was tiresome being the bait they used to trick boys to these things because naeun knew that was her role, the bait– she was allowed to leave whenever she just had to show up but this time was different, the boys that had joined were new faces and naeun could feel their gazes her… all of the gazes except one.

when she had entered the room almost an hour ago, she had immediately noticed him– the boy that had rejected her over two years ago. when she was a pure-hearted high school girl, at she had first laid her eyes on him and one thing lead to another… she was rejected by the very same boy that now was sitting across from her and naeun couldn’t help but glare at him from time to time.

meanwhile, the males on his side were eager to get her contact information or her instagram handle, he was sitting there smug as ever– smiling at girls. nothing frustrated naeun more, he didn’t even seem to recognize her and that had hurt her pride just a little.

“naeun ah~,” one of the older males wanted her attention and she stopped glaring at the male ( she didn’t even know his name to be frank, never learned it– she had never gotten that far before he rejected her ), an awkward smile was directed at the male as he attempted to pour her another drink but she covered the top of her glass with her hand, “no thank you.”

fingers tap against the glass, listening idly to the conversations going at his side. there wasn’t much to contribute and he wasn’t much of the talker-type when it came to these situations. if he gave too much, jaemin could only imagine the consequence and as somehow who very much did not like coming to these types of events, he did not want to enter any type of difficulty. not when he was this close to leaving. he was beyond ready to go home and just relax.

having girls in front of him, vying for his attention, while flattering – was also uncomfortable. especially when he was attracted nor was willing to find any personal connection between them. he didn’t want to lead them on – he didn’t want to be that guy. if anything, he was just there to pass the time. 

“are you dating anyone, jaemin-ah?”  he can hear the over-familiarity in the girl’s voice – was it hyesung? hyejung? her name was suddenly lost on him – and it wasn’t one that he could deny. it was just one girl, by tomorrow, she’d be long forgotten and this night something he wouldn’t remember, probably. 

he shakes his head, a small smile rises politely. “no, i’m not dating anyone right now.” and he leaves it at that. the smile that he receives after his answer is one he was expecting – but it was also one he did not feel comfortable entertaining. 

and while most of the time was supposed to be peaceful, just wading time until it was time for him to leave – he didn’t think he’d feel any animosity. especially not in a place like this that was just begging for love and connection. but the sight of the girl across from him – glaring at him has him confused. enough that it ripples through his face, head tilting to the side at her expression. 

when she had covered her glass with her hand, jaemin couldn’t help but snicker at his friend. it was a low blow – especially when it had been kyungwon who had arranged this whole thing in hope of finally nabbing a girl. but of course, being kyungwon – it was obvious he wasn’t about to let one rejection get him down.

“ah, c’mon naeun-ah. just one more drink. it’s the weekend!” 

naeun‌.

in the middle of summer, approaching the bushes– naeun was keeping a secret from her family. a secret she had managed to keep since the first time she visited the apple tree garden, it was big– from the end, she could barely see her house but that was the best thing the only thing she had her eyes on was the bushes and what she knew was on the other side.

it was with an excited smile she pushed the pushes aside and stepped inside– this was theirspot, it had become their spot since their first meeting. it was a difficult feeling to describe for her– but this was by far the highlight of her summer and as she sat there, waiting for the male she remembered the first time they had met. a rustle in the bushes had caught her attention, then she had looked inside and there was a face staring back at her. a face she had never seen and she had gotten startled and tripped ( yes she had fallen into the bush ), she had made a yelp which had caught the attention of her father who was nearby but once inside. one thing had lead to another, the male, whose name shed later name was jaemin– had a finger covering his mouth as if he didn’t want her to make a sound.

from that moment everything had changed, the way they had sat so close, listening to her father’s footsteps outside the bushes and naeun holding her breath so she wouldn’t be heard and eyes glimpsing up at the male, her heart thumping against her chest. 

naeun remembered that feeling, now that she was sitting there waiting for him– this was no accident. now her heart was beating with excitement as she waited for him to arrive. the boy that had caught her attention and had made her breathless and continued to excite her with each meeting.

what was this feeling?

                                starter for  ━  ꕤ ┊ @jaerk  *:･.

summer was always a busy time at the estate  –  workers were a dime a plenty, plus the added on help, it seemed like the number of heads that frequented the homes was endless ; the more people, more of their produce was groomed for sale, too. it meant that the bustle of work was far more energetic than it is on the off months. the more people on the estate also meant it was easier to slip past his father’s eagle eye defenses when it came to meeting naeun for their daily venture around the area. she wasn’t from here and while jaemin usually never went out of his way to do so  –  something about showing her where he grew up and all the little things to love about it made him want her to love it, too.

( after all, she was only here for the summer )

it’s easier to ignore the dull aching he feels when he watches the days go by – as july becomes august far too quickly but jaemin does what he does best and he ignores it for the greater good. because what good would it do to dull on the what ifs when reality was just a few feet away. it’s what pushes him into the bushes like all those weeks ago  –  ignoring the infrequent branches and leaves that brush against his arms as he makes his way through the hedge . navigating through them has become easier as the days go by, their meeting spot never once changing, always being smack dab in the middle of their properties ; jaemin isn’t the least bit surprised when he catches her by the wrist and pulls her from one side of the brush to his own ; indefinitely defying the property lines that divided their two homes. 

he doesn’t say much, saving all the more with a smile as he tugs her from the bushes and quickly makes his escape with her through the back of his yard. weaving through the gardens and the rows of apple trees that lined the end of their property line. “come on! i have something to show you,”

because like every other day, with haste, it seemed jaemin always had something new to show her. ( or something, he hoped, would keep her here longer)

naeun‌.

courage that was what naeun had mustered up– ever since she had seen him at the school festival a couple weeks previously she hadn’t been able to get him out of her mind. her friends found her silly. she couldn't explain it properly but there was something about the way he had stood on stage and performed, he looked so cool.

that was why naeun was now standing outside the same high school she knew he went to– nervously holding a letter between her fingers, it might be old fashioned but she had thought about it and this felt more genuine.

she knew he probably didn’t know who she was ( although they had brushed shoulders at the school festival that day ), he was most likely popular and naeun… well she wasn’t unpopular, she just didn’t care much about but– one thing she did know was that she was pretty, it was a compliment she heard all the time, from school– family friends and mother ( who said naeun needed to work harder because people expect less from her since she’s beautiful ). 

naeun herself didn’t like to think of herself as an above-average pretty person– but she couldn’t help but feel confident in her situation, at least she had her looks.

                                                                                                 starter for  ━  ꕤ ┊ @jaerk  *:･.

it’s a normal day for him. slacking off in class; half-assed homework handed in before the bell rings; dragged to his feet by his no-shit friends. it was all like clockwork. nothing out of the normal, nothing that would taint his seemingly normal day. with his neck current wrung by his friend’s arm; he trudges alongside the group with a lopsided smirk, chuckling along to the stupid joke that had amused them since third period calculus. 

it was still funny, he thinks as they finally make it past the gate of their school ; ready to trudge up the hill towards the arcade to knock off some time before he had to go home to his aunt but the sight of a girl by the corner of their school’s entrance stops his friends in their tracks. a notion that jaemin could only roll his eyes at ; hand immediately pulling his friends arm off of him so he could move on ahead of them.

whenever they got hypnotized by some girl, it was always best to leave them to their infatuations. last time he stayed, he got chewed out for somehow ‘ stealing ’ their crushes when … quite bluntly, jaemin had the opposite of alternatives. he hoped this situation wouldn’t be like the last  –  but then he hears his friend’s words in his ear ‘hey isn’t that girl pretty? should i talk to her?’ and jaemin already knows this situation was anything but normal.ah, shit. 

poor bastard was just going to be shot down.