Work Text:
A part of Jeno’s daily routine that he developed recently was listening to his favorite radio show while driving on his way home. He usually gets off work during rush hour and this became part of his routine as he braves through the weekdays Seoul traffic inside his car.
He discovered Night Night Radio almost a year ago and he liked the DJs and their music tastes so he made them his daily companion now on his transit from the office to his apartment.
His drive usually takes 45 to 50 minutes. His boss, Doyoung, tells him he’d be home sooner if he took the subway but rush hour is even more terrible in trains for him. Besides, he likes driving and the alone time he gets while on the road. Jeno treats it as time to unwind and flush out the pressure from work so the traffic doesn’t really bother him that much.
“Tonight, Night Night is starting a new segment. Right, John-D?”
Jeno’s attention perks up at the mention of a new segment. Aside from the good music, he enjoys the stories he hears from the radio .
“That’s right Jae-D. This new segment was actually inspired by a handwritten letter our producers and writers received last week.”
“A handwritten letter?” Jeno murmurs to himself. That is quite unusual.
One of the radio DJs echoes his thoughts.
“Handwritten letters are not usual anymore. SBS radio shows have only been receiving stories through our webpage, our email and our social media accounts now. So the letter took everyone by surprise, especially since the radio program it was meant for wasn’t specified when it was sent.”
“Oh? So the higher ups just decided to give it to us?”
“After checking the content, our creative writers thought this would be a good segment for Night Night.”
“Jae-D is right. So our new segment is called the Confession Box -- send in your letters of confession, it can be of admiration, of gratefulness, of apology. Any confession that you deem can be read to the public. You can keep the recipient and your name anonymous, if you are not waiting for a reply like our letter sender tonight. And we will be playing songs that match your confession.”
“And to kick off this segment, let me know read our first letter…”
Jeno stops at a red light right before the DJ starts reading the letter. And it was really a good thing because the next part took him by surprise that he might’ve swerved if his car was moving.
“I am writing this letter to tell you, Yonsei University’s College of Engineering Lee Jeno, that I have been in love with you for years now.”
“Our letter sender is very straight to the point, Jae-D.”
“I was surprised too, John-D. This person is very brave.”
There might be other Jeno Lees from Yonsei University who also took up Engineering, Jeno thinks. It’s quite unlikely, because he knows his name is a unique one. But it’s a mystery why those are the descriptions used if it’s really him because it’s been almost four years since he graduated from university.
When the light turns green, Jeno decides to move to the side of the road and find a safe place to park as he listens to the letter being read.
“A few nights ago, during the school festival, you were forced to play the guitar and sing a song on stage because they lacked performers.”
Jeno frowns. This… can’t be him? Yes he plays the guitar and yes he performed once for a school festival forcibly but that was still in his third year in college. Maybe it’s all a coincidence, he thinks.
“Even when we tell you that you are good, you always shy away. It was endearing but seeing you up on stage, your deep voice crooning to the tunes of your guitar, I fell even harder for you. We are somewhat friends, often hanging out in each other’s apartments to watch movies or play games together. Sometimes we’d even eat meals together or have study dates with our common friends. And yet, I don’t think we are close enough that I can easily tell you how amazing you looked on stage and how beautiful your existence is to me.”
“Oh… seems like an unrequited crush, Jae-D.”
“I’m afraid that might be it too, John-D. Let’s continue.”
“Yes please,” Jeno says out loud to himself, wanting to hear more from the letter. He looks at the time on his phone and it’s past 8 p.m. already. If he didn’t park, he should’ve been close to home already by now.
“It’s going to be Christmas soon…”
“Christmas?” Jeno and one of the DJs simultaneously say.
“Yes, it’s what is written here,” the dj reading the letter says.
“Okay, maybe this letter wasn’t sent recently,” the other replies. “Maybe it got lost in the mail and we only received it now.”
“Since it’s a brave confession without wanting for any reply, I think it’s okay to continue reading it.”
“Let’s continue now.”
“It’s going to be Christmas soon and next year will be our last year in college. I wish I could tell you even once that I like you. That I welcome every chance we get to meet and talk. I remember our first conversation, when our coffees got accidentally swapped by our favorite barista. It was like fate.”
This made Jeno bolt up from the driver’s seat. If, taking into consideration the biggest IF possible, this story is really about him… then there is only one person he met because of someone accidentally swapping their coffees. It was a very memorable moment for Jeno too.
“I will try my best to tell you this in person soon, if I ever manage to be brave. But for now, this letter sent out to the world that you will never read or hear will have to do. I hope the kind DJ who reads this letter will play Nothing by Bruno Major, a song that always reminds me of you, my good friend and my unrequited love.”
Forgetting the radio show, Jeno fumbles to get this phone and dials a number he almost memorizes by now.
“Hello?” the other line answers.
“Hi! Where are you now? Can we meet?”
“Right now? I just finished dinner with my boss and colleagues at Grand Hyatt. Where are you?”
Jeno looks outside to check where he is and smiles.
“Perfect. I’m driving now and I can meet you there in 15 to 20 minutes. Will you wait for me?”
“Uh… Sure, I guess. I’ll meet you at the entrance when you arrive. Is there any problem, Jen?”
“No, no, everything is great Renjun. I just really need to see you right now.”
“Okay. See you. Drive safely.”
The song is still playing when Jeno ends the call. He continues listening to the radio show but doesn’t properly hear anything after.
Almost twenty minutes later, he arrives at the entrance of the hotel. He texts Renjun and the other boy immediately meets him.
“Hey! What’s the sudden call? We just saw each other last weekend and we didn’t have plans tonight.”
Instead of answering, Jeno leans in to give his boyfriend a deep kiss, which shocked Renjun but he reciprocated fast.
After a few minutes of kissing, Jeno smiles and moves away. He drives them away from the hotel with one destination in mind.
“You’ve been in love with me for a long time,” he says.
Renjun laughs. “Uh yes… we’ve been dating for two years now. Did you just realize it?”
“No… I mean… you’ve been in love with me since college. You confessed to me.”
“Yes, Jen. I told you when I said yes to you that I’ve liked you since we were in Yonsei. I don’t understand why you are bringing it up now.”
Jeno laughs, not really sure how to tell Renjun of what transpired earlier.
“Why are you laughing? And where are we going?”
“I’ll just drive you home. Let me crash your place tonight, love.”
“Okay, that’s fine. I don’t have to be at work early tomorrow anyway. But can you please explain to me what happened to you?”
The radio in Jeno’s car is just playing music now as the Night Night DJs have signed off already.
“I was listening to my favorite radio show tonight on my way home,” Jeno begins. “And they received a letter that arrived a bit too late. The DJs thought it was just a few months late but I know it was years late.”
Jeno looks at Renjun briefly and his boyfriend has a confused look on his face. It looks endearing.
“The letter sender was confessing to Yonsei University’s College of Engineering’s Lee Jeno,” he continues.
“Oh my god,” Renjun interrupts.
“I listened more carefully to the story because there is a chance that it was me even if it’s been years since I graduated.”
“Was it.. it was my letter? But I sent it years ago. And I remember I didn’t sign that with my name!” Renjun says.
“I didn’t hear anymore what you signed it with because I immediately called you when I became sure that was me mentioned in the letter and there is only you who shared that same story in my life.”
“Oh my god. Is it really possible for a letter to get delayed like that?”
“I don’t know but I appreciate it so much. My heart fluttered, Renjunnie.”
Renjun laughs and hides his face on his palms, a tiny bit embarrassed that his boyfriend heard his confession when he was still 20 years old.
Jeno parks right outside of Renjun’s apartment but didn’t immediately open the car door.
“There’s just one thing I don’t understand. You confessed to me in our third year through that letter and yet never confessed to me in real life,” Jeno says.
“I didn’t find the courage to do so back then,” Renjun admits.
“But… when I confessed to you during our graduation day, you rejected me,” Jeno says, slightly pouting. “You liked me in our third year and just saw me as a friend already by the time we finished our last year?”
Renjun smiles and reaches out to touch his boyfriend’s face.
“There was never a time I wasn’t in love with you, Jen.”
“Then why?”
“Well, you were leaving for the US then. You had an important job offer and I didn’t want to tie you down here. I didn’t want it to affect our friendship if we drifted as lovers because of the long distance.”
“It was just one year.”
“A lot could happen in one year. I just accepted the fact that fate was against us that time and you realized a bit late that you liked me.”
“But I came back for you…”
“You did. And I really wasn’t expecting that. In fact I wasn’t expecting that we’d still be talking almost everyday when you were in the US. But I was very happy when you came home and told me you were still in love with me. I’m glad I didn’t completely fuck up and lost my chance to be with you.”
“I’d always planned to come home to you. I really liked you for a long time too. I was never your unrequited love,” Jeno says.
“Oh god I did write that,” Renjun exclaims, blushing so hard and hiding his face again.
Jeno laughs and slowly peeled away Renjun’s hands from his face to kiss him again.
Jeno is entirely grateful for fate’s little plot twist. They could’ve started dating sooner but regardless of when the letter might have been read, Jeno knows he and Renjun will still end up together.