Prettiest 🌺

MISSION: WANNA LINK? (NRK) | 나랑 사귈래? (西村 力)

KOREAN TITLE: 나랑 사귈래? (meaning: wanna go out with me?)

SYNOPSIS: Just as you were about to end your shift for the day, a tall boy suddenly approached you with a silly mission in mind that almost got him a restraining order.

GENRE: humour/crack, fluff, strangers to enemies (for a few minutes) to lovers

PAIRING: nishimura riki x fem!reader (who works at an ice cream stall hehe)

WORD COUNT: 1.7K+ words

WARNINGS: one terrible attempt at flirting (riki why 💔), sarcasm, gen z humour, mentions of playful slander directed at sunghoon (sunghoon stans, don't come for me please 😔✋ /j), mentions of murder (in a light-hearted way!), and riki being a simp.

KEYWORDS: (H/L) is Hair Length, (H/C) is Hair Colour. Words written in italics are thoughts and words written in bold are normal words but with dramatic effects (lmao)!

AUTHOR'S NOTE: this is a terrible attempt at making a humour/crack! i've never written this genre before but i'm trying my best to expand!! if you have any tips or constructive criticisms for me, my inbox is always open! 🌹AND with that aside, i will now put on my clown costume i promise i'll be back 🤡😔‼️ /hj

[5:37 PM] Such sunny weather. You could’ve been anywhere in the world, done something that would've filled your heart with joy — but here you were, scooting over to the shaded corner under the roof of your ice cream stall where the direct sunlight wouldn’t burn your skin. Your uniform was uncomfy against your skin and your apron was making it even worse, no matter how much you tried to loosen it.

Yet, in order to earn valuable pieces of paper or the utmost tool of capitalism more famously known as 'money', you had to stand in the heat just a bit longer until the end of your shift. Although, the roof above your head could even barely be considered a proper roof. The roof was doing little to no efficiency in covering you from the blazing sunlight. Such was the life of a struggling worker at an ice cream stall.

"Thank you, miss!"

But seeing the smiles on children's faces as you gave them their orders always managed to make it a bit better. Although as soon as their cheery presences were gone, the scorching heat made itself known once again as the reason you regretted choosing this job. You watched the kids skitter towards their parents, cones of ice cream in their hands and a pep in their steps. Were they the last customers? You spared a glance at the watch on your wrist, 5:37 PM.

Alright, time to close up the shop— "Ahem." Just as you were about to let out the biggest sigh of relief, a gentle screech across the counter alerted you. You would be lying if you said you weren’t prepared for fight or flight. Finally, the scooper on the counter would have other uses — until you looked to see a boy you had never seen before leaning over the side of the counter, wearing a smirk way too smug for your own liking. “Hey there.”

Nope.

No.

Dear God, take the wheel. You did not get paid enough for this. Absolutely not.

Hearing his questionable words and deep voice, you were expecting a man in his thirties with dark sunglasses and a Hawaiian shirt who was looking for a sugar baby. Your scrutinizing pupils scanned his figure up and down repeatedly, you almost thought you were seeing things — since this boy looked like a whole giant fetus, insert slash, manchild.

Painfully oblivious to your derogatory impression of him and the dumbfounded look on your face, the said male cracked an even wider grin. “Wanna link?” Was this karma for pretending to fall asleep when your landlord came knocking on the door yesterday?

You knew what he meant, yet you literally had to resist the urge to play dumb and just say if he was trying to ask for your Google account. Despite your momentary existential crisis, you still managed to slip out a dry response. “...Let's not. I am literally burning under the sun right now.”

He blinked.

Again.

And again.

And again.

That was the end for him.

Aight, Sunghoon-hyung is gonna pay for this. Yet, it was partially Riki’s fault for even thinking this was a good idea. Now, he just felt as if he wanted to dig his own grave right in front of the girl he had a crush on for a few months. Normalize not trusting your friends for dating advice.

The blank look swept over the smirk he had earlier, now the tall boy just looked like he was zoning out and regretting his entire existence in those few seconds. Meanwhile, you were looking with a raised eyebrow at his sudden quietness, the previous confident expression on his face fading into a… dead one.

Does he want some free eye drops or— The stranger let out a cough, albeit an awkward one that caused your eyes to thin suspiciously. "Fair point. Anyways, a cone of mint choco, please."

"...You literally tried to flirt with me a few seconds ago."

"Yeah, and I want ice cream."

Rude, the word was left hanging at the edge of your tongue. It took you all the self-control you had not to sprinkle some of the eye drops in your bag into his mint choco cone. But you'd rather not go to prison for poisoning a customer, although you would've gladly brought up his little 'wanna link?' stunt to court (not really). You mused silently your thoughts as your hands nimbly prepared his order, already well acquainted with your long experience working at an ice cream stall — yet when making it for this giant boy at the other side of the counter, you were particularly salty about it.

You kept your thoughts to yourself however, the concentrated frown on your forehead being the only sign of expression from you. All the while, you were oblivious to the adoration adorning your reflection in the boy’s eyes. Riki couldn’t help but stare at you, slightly taken aback by your (H/L) (H/C) and your adorable frown (at least, he thought it was adorable even though you looked like you were mentally strangling a person). All the while, he was oblivious to the murder plots you were secretly planning in your head (that you weren’t actually planning to commit but this stranger really had a way with getting on your nerves).

"Hey.” Too distracted (not so discreetly) admiring your features, he didn’t even notice that you were done with his order. “Here you go.” Yet, your tone was as cold as the ice cream you were handing to him. Riki almost flinched at your tense gaze. He really messed this up, didn’t he? This wasn’t the way Riki imagined his confession to go through; he was expecting you to laugh and find him hilarious, not look at him as if he just stole your unborn child and claimed it was his.

Suddenly, Sunghoon-hyung’s shiny figure skates would look very pretty in the trash.

The smile on Riki’s face wasn’t as assertive as the smirk that he first wore a few minutes ago. It was as if there was a dust of pink sprinkled across his cheeks, his attitude now more sheepish than before. “O-oh, yeah, thanks.” The ice cream he ordered was already in his possession, yet he seemed to linger a bit longer. Just a bit longer. You tilted your head slightly, scanning him again in wonder. Was this the same person you just planned to throw off a bridge just now?

You didn’t know whether it was the shy smile on his face, or the way his eyes drifted towards the ground. For some reason, there was an ounce of sincerity radiating from him. "...On second thought, it’s free. My treat.” The tall stranger immediately picked his gaze up and looked at you with eyes as wide as the cheap saucers you saw at IKEA once.

“W-what, h-huh?” Jumbles of words mixed with confusion escaped his mouth, you felt slightly amused. The corners of your lips curled up into a playful smile, “Well, shouldn’t you be on your merry way now? I’m about to close the shop.” The look of sheer panic that flashed across his face almost pulled a giggle out of you as he stuttered, his hand that was holding the ice cream subtly shaking.

“W-wait! Uh, before I go…”

You let out a hum, a sign for him to continue. The boy let out a small sigh, yet not the kind of sigh that sounded feigned, more of the regretful kind. "I just wanna say sorry... What I did earlier was stupid."

"—Extremely so."

Shoot! That was definitely your mouth slipping. Just as you were about to justify yourself from possibly an upcoming restraining order (no matter how cute he is, who knows if this guy has a mafia CEO as his dad, right?), you heard a sarcastic snicker.

"Yeah, my hyung told me to say that.” It surprised you for a second, but you quickly recovered by letting out a little ‘pfft’. You already learnt not to trust your friends for dating advice, but it seemed he was a victim. “Really? To be honest, it was kinda funny but the smirk just wasn’t cutting it for me, personally.” Hearing your remark, he let out a groan of remorse. “Ugh, I knew it! He told me to do that too.”

“Your hyung is really questionable.” You commented with a snort, and he only shrugged his shoulders with a grin. “Well, can’t disagree with that.” Huh, he definitely wasn’t as bad as you thought at first.

You held out your hand over the counter towards him, eliciting a ‘huh?’ from the tall boy. All this time, you had only been dubbing him as the ‘tall giant fetus manchild’ in your head, maybe learning his name wouldn’t be so bad. "The name's (Y/N), by the way." Although secretly, he had already known your name, but it didn’t stop him from feeling giddy all the same. The way his eyes seemed to light up in realization tickled your heart into a flutter, he placed his hand in yours, shaking it a little too estastically. "Riki, Nishimura Riki."

“Nice to meet you, Riki.” With a grin on your face, you retracted your hand back to untie your apron. You took a look at your watch once more. “But I think it’s finally time for me to close the shop.” The glint in his irises swiftly dimmed into one of disappointment but it immediately disappeared as he allowed his hand to fall back to his side. “O-oh, right… Yeah, it was nice meeting you too… Thanks for the ice cream.” He was about to turn around (albeit he really wished he could stay longer), but the sorrow in his voice caught your attention. "Actually, hold on—.” It was an impulsive decision to call out to him, but you went on anyway. “I know this is my second answer and very hypocritical of me…” The grin on your lips stretched wider as you spoke, “But sure, let's link."

It’d be an understatement to say that Riki almost dropped his ice cream on the ground. Did he hear you right? He almost thought he was hallucinating, but the way you chuckled at his astonished expression affirmed him that he really did, he did hear you right.

When Riki went back home that night, he didn’t know whether to threaten or thank Sunghoon — but that didn’t matter because he was too busy screaming into his pillow; ‘Mission: Let’s Link’ accomplished!

thank you so much for reading.

© meraniki. all rights reserved. do not repost, plagiarize and translate. likes and reblogs are extremely appreciated!

BEOMGYU / KBS GAYO DAECHUKJE — ‘ MIROTIC ’ (211217)

Happy Birthday Gojou! 💙 *:･ﾟ✧

YOUNG-LUV.COM

— watanabe haruto

PAIRING ▸ Snowboarder!Haruto x Fem!Reader

GENRE ▸ fluff, lowkey crack, enemies to lovers

SUMMARY ▸ When your best friends—Riki and Shota—bribe you into going on a snowboarding trip with them in exchange for a video game item you’ve had your eye on for a while, you agree to tag along. But when they leave you at the top of the mountain, you start regretting your decision.

WORDCOUNT ▸ 2.70K

DISCLAIMERS ▸ strong language, haruto says some pretty mean things to y/n (i.e i didnt think you were that weak) but it’s out of love dw, y/n is a little rude and overly competitive (she’s a hot-tempered Valorant player, what do you expect?), non-snowboarders will probably not understand the terminology or the movements that are described but that’s okay seeing as it hold no value to the story itself

TAGS ▸ @soobin-chois

a/n: big thanks to the wonderful @strwbrymlkes for proofreading and helping me come up with a title, muah ily nari bae <3

"Wait guys don't just leave me here-!"

You don't even get to finish your sentence before your so-called best friends, Riki and Shota, turn their backs to you and glide down the mountain on their snowboards.

Oh fuck I'm fucking screwed.

Your body goes rigid when you realize that the boys just left you here, on top of a mountain, with a snowboard and no knowledge of how to use it. The worst part? You don't know how the hell you're going to get down. Yup, definitely screwed.

Now, how on earth did you even end up here?

Well, you have those two idiots to blame. It started this morning when both of them had spammed your phone with calls and messages, begging you to come join them on a snowboarding trip. You, who hates the cold and doing anything that demands physical labor, said no. The boys knew that much, but the trick up their sleeves was something that you couldn't resist.

"We'll buy you the reaver vandal in any color you want."

When you'd arrived at the ski resort, your friends had failed to teach you the basics of snowboarding before forcing you on a chairlift. They'd explained that there was a slope further away that was beginner-friendly so you didn't think anything of it. That is until you realized that to get to said slope, you had to take a black diamond track aka one of the hardest tracks at the resort that started with a very steep descent.

You weren't dumb, so obviously you refused to go down there seeing as you hadn't yet learned to even move with a snowboard strapped to your feet, let alone turn and most importantly, stop. Riki and Shota eventually gave up, ultimately deciding that your stubbornness was something they were never going to beat and instead went off without you.

And that's how you ended up at the top of a mountain at a ski resort with a heavy snowboard in your hands, and your dignity at stake. All because of your stupid obsession with Valorant.

Curse you, Riki! Shota!

You plop down on the white snow, undoing the bindings that glued your foot and the board together. You didn't know what to do. Tears were threatening to blur your vision and at this point, you were so thankful you had your goggles on so that no one could see how much of a mess you are at the moment. Seconds turn into minutes as you watch skiers and snowboarders alike get off the chairlift and race down different trails, joyous cheers coming from them when they start sliding down the mountain.

You fidget with your board, doing and undoing the bindings as to not look clueless to passerbys who, despite your efforts, pitied you for looking so lonely and miserable. You stop once both your feet are strapped in, a long sigh slipping through your lips.

"Well well well, fancy seeing you here." Your head snaps up at the familiar voice. Your breath hitches when your gaze meets the one person you despise the most; Watanabe Haruto.

"What the hell are you doing here?" You spit, the hopelessness you felt earlier turning into annoyance as a cocky grin tugs at his lips.

"I should be asking you that. Besides, you're not the one who's known as YG High's best snowboarder." At his remark, you roll your eyes and for the first time since this morning, you wish you didn't have your goggles on so Haruto could see that his arrogance is nowhere near flamboyance. "So?"

"So what?"

"You didn't answer my question. Why are you, L/n Y/n, of all people here snowboarding?"

At this point, you feel like a gazelle trapped between a pride of starved lions. You stop to think about your next words, grunting when every excuse you'd made up in your head didn't sound one bit convincing. So for a moment, you let your pride slip through your fingers like sand and force the words out of your mouth. "I was promised something I've been wanting for a while if I came here but now my friends abandoned me and I don't know anything about snowboarding."

Your gaze is trained on the powdery snow beneath your feet until laughter resonates from the boy who's standing in front of you, looking down at you as he has the time of his life seeing the one person he enjoys teasing the most in a situation where your pride can't save you. The weight of the death glare that's pointed at him finally settles when Haruto stops giggling like a madman. He almost gasps, wondering when the hell did you take your goggles off.

"Very funny, Watanabe. Now if you're going to continue then I suggest you do so when I'm not around, I'm so not in the mood right now."

He straightens, arms crossing as he lifts a brow. "Are you really going to let a little mishap like this get the better of you? Seriously, Y/n? I didn't think you were that weak."

His words make you livid. The competitive spirit in you makes it hard for you to stay calm as you send daggers at him, fists clenching so hard you're almost sure your palms are stripped of any blood flowing. Haruto knows how to make your blood boil and you despise him for that. He knows that provoking you by questioning your skills and your pride makes you pissed like no other. Your voice comes out like venom when you wipe melted snow off your face using the back of your gloved hand. "Shut up. I’m nowhere near weak.”

Haruto smirks in contempt. "Atta girl." Only one of his feet is attached to his snowboard. He didn't have time to strap them both in for the sight of your figure sitting in the snow next to the trail map had seized his attention. So the boy places his free foot on your board, in between the bindings, arm outstretched.

You hesitate for a moment before accepting it, wondering if this was a ploy to further make fun of you. In the end, you take his hand and in one swift motion, you're up on your feet. Not exactly gracefully, seeing as you almost face plant forward though luckily, Haruto is there to catch you. You can literally hear him smirk in satisfaction seeing you already struggle, but you decide to play it off.

Without a word, Haruto drags you to the edge where the surface starts to angle down. For a second, you panic, seeing how steep the slope actually is, and Haruto can tell when your grip on his hands tightens. "Don't wuss out on me now, Y/n."

"The hell makes you say that? I'm everything but a wuss." You hiss, but you know he thinks otherwise. Still, the boy simply shrugs and moves directly in front, facing you as his board slides down perpendicularly to the mountain.

"Turn your board like mine is."

Okay, that's easy. Done.

"Put most of your weight on your heels— Stop leaning your torso back that's why you're falling," Haruto says as he helps you up. Something in the back of your mind tells you that this isn't the only time you're going to be falling today.

"Bend your knees and control your weight." You do as he says, groaning when the board slowly turns parallel, and opting to drop on your bottom to stop yourself.

Haruto lets go of you to slip his goggles back down, then doing the same with your own before helping you back up. He can tell you're already discouraged. As he tries to find something to say that will bring your determination back, a kid—around seven years old—comes speeding down the hill, skillfully switching between his toe and heel edges.

"See that, Y/n?" He jerks his head to the little kid, making your eyes follow in that direction. "A tiny ass kid is better than you. Why don't you go ask him for some help, huh?"

That's all it takes for you to get back up on your feet, this time paying a lot more attention to how much pressure you put on each heel. You find that leaning more towards one foot turns your board completely straight against the slope, so to counteract that you dig your weight into your opposite foot.

You look up at Haruto with a satisfied smirk only to meet one of his own as he slowly slips his fingers away from yours. He slides down to a flat part of the trail, watching with crossed arms as you slowly join him. Okay, this isn't so bad, just balance out your weight and don't lean back.

When you get to the boy, he only nods in acknowledgment before clapping his hands together. "Right so you seem to be getting the hang of this quite easily— I don't know how the hell you did that cause it took me a good two days to master heel edge." You have trouble deciphering what he mumbled at the second half but you just decide to brush it off with a shrug.

"What's next?" You're getting impatient now, wanting to get down as fast as possible and redo the trail without anyone's help in typical Y/n fashion. Stubborn and in denial that you sometimes need it.

"Now try ridding down with your board parallel to the slope."

Your eyes widen, and you fight back a gasp. "Are you crazy? That's way too fast!"

"You'll be fine as long as you're able to switch to your heel edge when you need to slow down."

"But-"

"That kid from earlier was doing it, so I don't see why you can't, Y/n. Unless you're a wimp, hm?"

Alright, that's it Watanabe fucking Haruto. I'd like to see you get your ass kicked by me in a Valorant duel after this.

A sharp breath leaves your lips as you start going down at a pace that's a little too fast for your liking, so in a semi-panicked state, you whirl your board around to that you're on your heel edge. Unfortunately, you must've done it too quickly because you end up on the ground, tumbling down the hill a few times before gathering the strength to stop yourself with your arms. Now you're laying on your back and you can hear Haruto approach from the distance.

What you didn't expect, however, is him coming to an abrupt stop, thus spraying you with snow.

"Oh, you're going to pay for that Watanabe!" You yell, sitting up and grabbing a handful of snow that you throw at him, but sadly miss.

The boy is laughing and that makes you want to whack him with your snowboard right here and now. Your anger blurs the fact that he's making his way down the mountain, and you only realize when he yells from a distance.

"Then come catch up to me! I bet you won't even be able to!" And just like that, Haruto turns a corner and disappears from your sight.

Oh, fucking hell he just left me here. Traitor.

That's when you decide to get revenge on Haruto for your not-very-pleasant snow shower. You get up on your feet and ease into the right position, leaning towards your front foot until you reach the turning point and try your best to stay calm. You start by pulling your back foot forward slowly to get on your heel edge, internally celebrating when you manage to stay steady.

And so with adrenaline and blood pumping in your veins, you adjust your goggles before continuing on with your quest to absolutely destroy Watanabe Haruto.

In the meantime, Haruto arrives at the bottom where he meets up with two blond boys. They share a quick side hug before the taller of the blonds speak up. "How's Y/n doing up there?"

Haruto smirks, "She's a surprisingly fast learner."

"Are you sure you didn't just bully her into being good?"

"Aye, Riki you know I'm not like that."

"Yeah right." The other boy, Shota, mocks the older.

"Fine, maybe I did. But hey, you weren't kidding when you said she's one hell of a competitive person. I compared a seven-year-old to her and it felt like she was gonna kill me." Haruto shivers at the thought of your deadly glare from earlier.

Shota laughs, patting the elder's shoulder. "She's a Valorant player man, what do you expect? And by the way..." The boy leans his weight on Haruto who groans, knowing exactly what he was going to say. "That PS5 you promised us for getting Y/n to come here, we're still waiting for it."

"Yeah! We didn't go through all that trouble for nothing!" Riki chimes in and he and Shota share a look.

"It's on its way to my house. Come get it tomorrow, kids." At that, the younger two jump around in excitement, hugging each other as they yell words of victory for attaining their game console.

Haruto chuckles happily. Just then, he hears a voice—your voice—shouting from the distance to "Watch out!". He turns around, but unfortunately isn't quick enough to move out of the way. Everything feels like it's moving in slow motion when you fail to break. You crash into Haruto's chest, sending you both toppling over. You don't even notice the boy instinctively wrapping his arms around you until you land atop of him, who lands on his back.

"Woah— Y/n? Are you okay?" Haruto asks. When he doesn't get and answer he starts knocking on your helmet. He relaxes when you respond by groaning and tapping on his arm to stop. Normally, you would've already been back up on your feet, pushing away the boy who somehow ended up being your savior today. Except your body doesn’t cooperate. Your arms don’t have any more strength in them, legs shaking from being in a squatting position the whole time. You are such a mess but that only makes Haruto’s heart flutter even more than it already is.

Your eyes close automatically as your body goes limp against Haruto. It feels nice just laying there. The sensation is as satisfying as reading a book on a rainy day or getting an Ace in Valorant. You let yourself just stay there and you almost doze off, wanting to reclaim the energy you spent getting down the mountain.

Haruto doesn’t know how to react. Who would when your crush is literally laying on top of you? His stomach tingles with what he can only assume are butterflies. He just lays there, internally panicking. After a few moments, though, he relaxes. Okay, this isn’t so bad… Yeah, this feels nice actually.

“I’m so tired.” You mumble into his neck and in return earn a chuckle, his hands rubbing up and down your back.

“Make sure to have a bottle of painkillers on hand, tomorrow you won’t be able to move properly.” His voice resonates right into your ear as you listen, half-asleep.

“I owe you one, Watanabe. Even though I hate to admit it, I really do. Name anything and it’s yours.”

“Then how about a date?”

You’re about to answer when you hear a pair of hushed voices a little further. “Quick Shota take a picture of them and post it on the school website! Y/n’s gonna try to bribe us to take it down and we can ask for Fifa 22 in exchange!”

Suddenly, you don’t feel tired anymore. In fact, your energy level only goes up when you spring up to your feet. You look down at Haruto, “If it’s a date you want then fine. But first…” You snap your gaze over to your two best friends. Their faces are drained of mischievousness when you kick off your bindings and start running after them.

“You traitors! How dare you abandon me at the top like that! GET BACK HERE!”

everglow - pirate

the umbrella academy | s3 + tumblr text posts

Park Solomon as Lee Soo Hyuk ALL OF US ARE DEAD (2022)

#number one anime dad

Hsdsaamnjjss juliettt nourrr don’t cry babiee😭 u are so precioussss

not Chan calling her a mouse that was so random ✋ but yessss chanliet is hereeee

our first snow

juliet’s masterlist

set in early january, 2021

note: the mediocre gif is mine

warning(s): intrusive thoughts, allusions to stalking (aka dispatch), some weather inaccuracies probably ;-;

summary: more confessions are made during the first snowfall of 2021.

a/n: juliet’s finally getting her man ayyyyy 🤪

— taglist: @ateez-elena @shinyddeonghwa @skzfairies @nayuyeons @bat-shark-repellant @nctdream-minji @wayvisionz @atinymonster @mythicalamphitrite @slytherinthedms @atzaria @yunascular @ggukkiedae (send an ask to be on/off the taglist <3)

[ heavily rewritten; reposting from @/starlightjoong ]

Seoul during the winter is beautiful.

Even though she’s been living in Korea for six, almost seven years, Juliet thinks she can never get tired of seeing snow. Something about it is just so utterly magical and charming, transporting you into a winter wonderland you’d only see on Christmas cards. Sure, it’s freezing and the snow sticks to everything—her hair, parka, boots, even her lashes, but it’s still one of her favourite things about living in Seoul.

Juliet still remembers the first snowfall she experienced in Korea. She remembers how Yeri, her close friend and the first one she made at her former company, immediately dragged her out to the sidewalk so they could admire the way snow elegantly floated down from the sky, eventually enveloping the city in a pristine white blanket.

Though, she supposes that at the moment they’re experiencing more of a snowstorm than a snowfall. Purely bad luck—okay, maybe there was some negligence in which she forgot to check the weather forecast—on her part. By the time she gets back home, her parka, socks, and shoes will surely be soaked.

She also briefly wonders what the boys are doing, if they’re also enjoying the snow or staying inside to shield themselves from the biting cold. Even now, she can already hear Seonghwa’s gentle nagging about her not wearing more layers or having the wrong kind of boots on.

A particularly strong gust of wind blows the hood of Juliet’s parka off her head, causing snow to immediately start landing on her newly-dyed purple hair. A gloved hand that doesn’t belong to her instantly pulls the hood up so it sits snuggly on her head once more.

“Thanks, Channie.”

She watches his eyes curve into crescents, an indication that he’s also grinning behind his mask.

“C’mon,” he says, nudging her softly, “the snow’s getting heavier, let’s get you home before we’re both stranded out here.”

Secretly, she thinks that she wouldn’t mind, even if it meant turning into a human popsicle. Not that she’d admit it out loud, though, or she’d never see the end of his teasing.

Despite the late hour, Juliet doesn’t want to go home. At least, not now, even though she knows she probably should. Both of their schedules for the next few months are absolutely packed, from award shows to comebacks and miscellaneous projects. God knows they need the sleep, yet here they are.

Strangely enough, she wouldn’t have it any other way. Perhaps it’s the unspoken knowledge that this is the only time of the day they have to themselves—just themselves—that makes her want to stay out longer to retain a sense of normalcy. Over the years, she’s learnt to cherish the short-lived moments away from the cameras and prying eyes. Right now, she wants to be Baek Minyoung, not Juliet of ATEEZ, who also happens to be spending time with a certain someone named Lee Chan instead of Dino from SEVENTEEN.

Ah, yes, the glorious double life. Very Hannah Montana of her.

“You’re being very uncharacteristically quiet.”

Juliet huffs out a laugh, her breath condensing into a small misty cloud. “I was quiet until I met you. Then suddenly all my decorum went out the window.”

“Pretty sure you lost all your decorum way before you met me,” Chan grumbles at her teasing, “don’t think I haven’t watched compilations of you doing… uh… questionable stuff.”

“Oh my gosh, a fan! You want an autograph?”

He lightly shoves at her shoulder. “You’re so annoying, God.”

“Think you meant ‘charming’ instead, or maybe ‘captivating’, or ‘a delight to be around’,” Juliet corrects, her delivery exaggerated and almost theatrical.

“First two I can maybe get behind, but a delight to be around…” his voice trails off as he pretends to think, “needs a little more observation.”

“Aw, Channie,” Juliet coos, “if you wanted to spend more time with me, you could’ve just said so.”

It’s funny. She’s never been one to open up to people quickly, preferring to keep her walls up until she’s certain they can be trusted with the most vulnerable parts of her; pieces of her that she tucks far, far away as a form of self-preservation.

By some stroke of luck—and perhaps fate as well—Lee Chan not only came into her life, he also somehow managed to effortlessly weave himself deep into the seams of her heart in the blink of an eye. Juliet thought they’d just be friends, she really did; but it didn’t take long for her to start falling for the spirited boy with a heart of gold and a passion for what he does that burned stronger than any flame.

And before either of them knew it, the line between friendship and romance blurred little by little, day after day, like winter melting away in a gentle transition to spring. Sometimes, Juliet wonders if they’ve been subconsciously pushing the limits of said line, taking it as far as they can until it threatens to disappear entirely like sand slipping in between fingers. Then apprehension struck; neither of them dared address this shift in dynamic until that one night months ago by the Han River.

“I don’t… I don’t think I’m worth the wait.”

Chan’s voice drops to barely above a whisper. “Says who?”

“I don’t know… myself mainly, I guess…”

His touch is featherlight as he carefully brushes a small lock of hair away from her face to tuck it behind her ear. “You’ll always be worth it.”

There are days when Juliet questions everything, one of them being if Chan truly meant those words. But then she remembers the unequivocal sincerity shining in his eyes, the way he looks at her like she put all the stars in the sky despite her never having done anything remotely special… They ease her doubt and calm the choppy waves crashing in her head.

She wanted to say yes that night so badly, and as sickeningly cheesy as it sounds, she wants to be his. But like she told Seungkwan the month prior, she’s scared and there are things holding her back from doing so, like heavy weights around her ankle.

“—say about the first snow?”

Confusion is written all over Chan’s face at her lack of response. Juliet blinks blankly at him. “What?”

He groans loudly in mock exasperation. “Were you seriously not listening to anything I was saying?” he whines.

“Sorry, I spaced out!”

“I’m not going to be friends with you if you keep ignoring me like this!”

Before the boy has time to react, Juliet grabs a small handful of snow from the ground and flicks it at his face, giggling when he splutters while brushing off the frozen flakes from his mask. But her glee doesn’t last long when he reaches for a larger handful of snow.

Juliet shrieks and jogs away from him, which she immediately realises is not as easy as she thought it’d be due to the slippery ground. “Wait! Wait! Stop! I’m sorry, I’m sorry!”

“You have to keep it down,” Chan laughs, tossing the snow back onto the ground, “we can’t be out here screaming and drawing Dispatch’s attention.” His tone may be light, but they both know there’s definitely weight behind it, and the mention of the gossip outlet makes her wrinkle her nose in distaste.

Though she can’t help but find it funny that if someone from Dispatch is actually following them right now—she prays they’re not—all they’d get would be footage of them throwing snow at each other. Imagine seeing that on the front cover.

“You’re right,” Juliet agrees as they continue walking, “let’s not give them more business. What were you saying earlier, by the way?”

“I asked if you know what people here say about the first snow.”

“No, not really. Enlighten me?”

Something in his gaze shifts, leaving her wondering if he saw through her lie. He continues regardless. “People—well, some of them, anyways—say that if you confess to someone during the first snow, you’ll… stay together for a long time.”

“Is this—”

“Yes,” Chan blurts out before she can finish her sentence, eyes erratically darting from one point to another, “I, uh… I-I want you to be mine. Officially.”

Perhaps she would’ve giggled at his nervous fumbling under other circumstances, but it’s the stunned silence that renders Juliet unable to speak, and she can only stand shell-shocked while all the words she’s been longing to say die at the tip of her tongue.

Understandably, he takes her speechlessness as a sign of rejection. Soft curses leave his lips, though they appear to be directed more so at himself than her. “I’m sorry,” he murmurs, features wounded and voice sincere, and it only makes that sinking feeling in her gut intensify. Why can’t she speak? “I-I know we talked about this before… hell, I was the one who said we should wait. I didn’t mean to rush you, I’m sorry—”

It’s the small crack in Chan’s voice at the end that wakes Juliet from her daze, and one of her hands darts out to take hold of his wrist. “No!” she squeaks, the high-pitched yelp shattering the hushed atmosphere enveloping them. She sticks her other hand into the pocket of her coat, though she suspects its trembling has less to do with the biting cold, and more to do with the nervous tension in her body that makes her feel like a string pulled taut.

The falling snow grows heavier and swirls around them in a flurry of icy pellets, but he waits patiently for her to gather her thoughts.

“I—there’s so much I want to say,” Juliet finally chokes out, chest constricting achingly as more and more of her worries are now brought to the forefront. “And I don’t know how else to explain it other than… I’m afraid. I’m so scared…”

Something is wet on her cheeks, and she realises, much to her horror, that they’re hot tears when her fingers reach up to feel her face. Immediately, she ducks her head from humiliation to shield herself from him. How pathetic to always be the first one crying. How can she be strong for people if she so callously wears her heart on her sleeve like this—

A soft murmur of her name pulls her away from the intrusive thoughts. It sounds distant, but it reaches her ears nonetheless.

“Minnie, look at me.” Gloved hands reach up to cup both sides of her cheek, gently tilting her head up so she has no choice but look right into his eyes.

A part of her brain is screaming at her to keep walking. The longer they stay stationary, the easier it is for prying eyes to spot them, it’s like they’re inviting a scandal to happen. But a soft brush of the pads of his fingers against her jaw pulls her back to him, sending waves of fleeting tranquility to wash over her.

“Talk to me,” Chan urges tenderly, “tell me what’s on your mind. Everything. I want to listen to it all.”

An odd sense of security bubbles within, and suddenly she feels like she can tell him all that she’s been too afraid to. It’s a nice feeling, when someone’s presence is so comforting that you feel not a sliver of fear even if you’re laying your heart bare.

“I don’t want to mess anything up,” she whispers, subconsciously leaning into his touch, “for us, for our members, for our groups. I’m just… so scared that one wrong move could turn everything to dust. What if we get exposed and create difficulties for our groups? What if we end things horribly and make things awkward between our members? What if it doesn’t work out and I lose you, even as a friend? Maybe it’s because I’m a greedy person, but I don’t want to lose any of this. Idol relationships… they’re more prone to being short-lived, I guess…”

Interfering companies, invasions of privacy, the slew of hateful comments that most idol couple aren’t lucky enough to be spared from… it’s hard to fathom how something so private can have seemingly the whole world go against it. There were many nights where Juliet stayed up late thinking if it was easier to just stay friends than to take the next step.

‘Easy’, yet everything about this is far from that.

The sound of Chan exhaling heavily brings her back to the present, his hands still caressing the sides of her face, perhaps an attempt to soothe the swelling emotions within both of them.

“I can’t guarantee things will turn out the way we want to,” he breathes out regretfully, “if it were up to us, I’m sure we’d save ourselves all the doubt and worry we’ve experienced these past months. But… I want to try… and while I can’t promise everything will be perfect, I can promise that I’ll try my hardest to show you how much I’ve wanted this.”

Her chest blooms with something akin to unadulterated happiness, and her eyes turn misty at the sight of the ardency in his own.

The warmth of his touch is favoured over the shelter of her coat pockets, and her hands come up to rest over his on both sides of her face. “What is it that they say?” Juliet muses quietly. “Better to have love and lost—”

“—Than to never have loved at all,” Chan finishes.

A gust of frigid wind whips past them, and before either of them know it, a high-pitched sneeze escapes her. They blink at each other in surprise at the sudden interruption before dissolving into laughter.

“Sorry, I think I ruined the moment,” Juliet gasps in between giggles, “I can’t believe that happened.”

Chan grins. “No, no, that was cute. It sounded like a tiny mouse squeak.”

“Here we go again with the mouse comparisons…”

“It’s because you’re cute!” he defends before taking her hand, “now c’mon, let’s get you home before you catch a cold.”

“Don’t you wanna hear my answer, though?”

A rosy pink tints the tips of his ears at the reminder that she, in fact, has yet to give him an official answer. “Right, of course…” he murmurs shyly, eyes cast down on the snowy ground instead of at her.

Juliet takes his moment of distraction as an opportunity to intertwine their fingers, smiling to herself when he looks up at their securely-joined hands in surprise.

“Yes,” she says softly, “my answer is yes.”

B O N U S

“You know…” Juliet begins thoughtfully, earning an acknowledging hum from Chan, “I think the couples thingy only counts if it happens during the first snowfall of the season, not the year. So technically, today’s not the first snow.”

Her words merely earn a light chuckle from him, and she feels him adjust his firm yet gentle grip on her hand in the pocket of his coat.

“Shhh. No one has to know.”

a/n: hgghghgh i’m not gonna lie…the older version of this on starlightjoong made me cringe when i reread it 💀 so moving blogs was a great opportunity to rewrite this aghshw ;;; and tbh i’m really happy with how this turned out :’) as always feedback is highly appreciated!! 💗