Archive of Our Own ^beta

It's been 2 years since So Mun turned 18 which means that he is no longer a highschool student, meanwhile Hana has turned 22.  And that folks, could only mean one thing, So Mun is finally an adult and Hana can't pull the "he's a highschool student" card anymore. As he matured as a person, his appearance did too, and oh boy, it distracted Hana a lot.

As time passed by, little did Mun know, he is not alone with his feelings anymore. Hana always had a soft spot for the boy even when he was just relatively a new member of the team but a year after that, she started to have this certain feeling, her view of him as a dongsaeng that she needs to take care of is seemingly changing into a man, a potential lover, admiring him for the person that he is and for the maturing young man that he is turning to be, and honestly? Hana and feelings in one sentence doesn't go well, considering her past and all, and that, scares her. No matter how hard she tried though, she can't lie to herself anymore. The person you like being with you every single day? The way you keep falling harder each time they unknowingly prove how amazing of a person they are? Yes, Hana is doomed.

She has grown to love So Mun day by day, his compassion, resilience, fortitude, his pure and kind heart, not mention his pretty face, she would love to stare at it for hours only if she was allowed to do so. Although Hana had been finally and completely honest to herself, she couldn't bear to think of even confessing to him but So Mun? He never stopped admiring Hana ever since the moment he saw her come out of the noodle shop 2 years ago, the way she glanced at him with those beautiful dark brown eyes, her short curly black hair complimenting her facial features that was even highlighted by the plain white shirt that she wore that day. To Mun, it was like love at first sight.

That is half-true only though, because at first it really was just a little crush, until it grew into something more, until he wanted more. It was no longer just admiration or happy crush for shits and giggles, Mun was starting to get serious with his feelings that it keeps him tossing and turning in his bed every night. It seems like that "love of first sight" phrase has been true all along because for Mun, that encounter gave him a glimpse of a future that he could have with her, he just didn't know it that time but it was the pull from the universe that told him to hold on.

But it has been 2 years and nothing changed between them or more so nothing has happened, unfortunately. Yes, Hana and Mun got closer, they hang out, train together, run some errands together and she doesn't seem to mind when they accidentally touch, sometimes they even give each other comforting and reassuring pats on an awful day. Aside from that, Hana has found a friend in Mun's two besties, Ungmin and Juyeon who happens to be dating, secretly, those rascals hid it from her which earned them an earful but all in all, that was it. There was no progress from friendship to actual romantic relationship as the other is scared and hesitant while the other is patiently waiting. Just until when can they let this go on? Should we wait until we are ready or should we just say "fuck it, life is too short to not take risks"? We don't really know until that peace is finally shaken by a threat.

You see, Mun has finally entered College and of course, collaborative works wouldn't be something you can escape because teachers believe that in a workplace, you must value teamwork which Mun could totally understand since he knows how significant it is in his duty as a Counter, and so him being a sweet and polite person that he is, it was a piece of cake to have several acquaintances and new potential friends.

Lucky for him, his groupmates for a project were Jihoon and Nari, good acquaintances that he made in Art Class. They have decided to just meet at the noodle shop so that it would be convenient for the three of them for the first meeting of assigning parts and making the draft,  not to mention the fact that they were lowkey excited to eat the legendary noodles again.

Unfortunately, on the day of the meeting set in the afternoon, Mun and Nari have received a message from Jihoon that he wouldn't make it due to a family emergency. That meant Nari would be alone with Mun as of the moment since Chairman Jangmul took Ms. Chu outside for a breather (read: date), Motak has been working on a case at the police station while Hana was out to buy some groceries.

As they were no strangers, it was easy for the two share their ideas and create the flow regarding the time and process, having small talks in between, sharing jokes here and there as well. The thing is Nari, has always had that kind of interest in Mun so she's actually lowkey grateful that Jihoon is not present right now as she can have an alone time with her crush.

Mun may have been oblivious for the past hour, but the girl has managed to sneak in some subtle touches on his hand or forearm when she finds something funny about what he says. In short, she is flirting and she is doing it...on purpose. which has been going on until Hana entered the shop with 3 bags in her hands full of groceries.

"Noona, you're back! I'll help you." Mun's eyes lit up as he greets her, immediately standing up to help her carry the bags despite knowing that Hana can easily handle that weight.

"It's fine, just go back to what you were doing." Hana said with a tone so firm that the young man can't even insist and just gave her a hesitant nod.

She was in a good mood when she left, and yet when she came back, she's practically scowling at me. Did something happen? Did I do something wrong? Mun started to overthink but his thoughts were interrupted when Nari spoke.

"Oppa, who is she?" She asked trying to give off a cute & curious expression. (Read: I am disgusted.)

"Oh, that is Hana noona, she also works here. Two years older than us, so she's your Eonni."

"Ah, right. So, can I order noodles now? Eonni, 2 noodles please!!!" She asked in a bit of a demanding tone which Somun seemed to notice and so he quickly proceeded to the kitchen to help. There is no way he's going to let Hana do it by herself and let alone serve him after she had an exhausting afternoon of running errands.

"What do you want me to do, Noona? Should I just cut these or boil water?" Mun eagerly asked her, trying to lift the mood by making her do less. He just wanted her to rest.

"Nothing, don't worry, this would be quick. Go back and entertain your visitor." She said with a tight smile.

"But-I help here all the time." Mun tried to push his luck with those puppy eyes. You know, he may be mature and 20 now but he still got that silly and childish part of him that he shows when he wants to (read: when he needs to win favors).

"Just drop it, okay? I appreciate it, really. But I can do this alone." Hana exclaimed, trying her best to hide her irritation. She's mad but it's difficult for her to resist him especially when he's acting like that and it's adding to her dilemma, knowing that this man is her weakness as much as he is her strength.

"Okay, if you say so." Somun sighed, clearly defeated as he went back to where he was seating earlier, mind preoccupied.

"Oppa, hokshi (by any chance), do you have a girlfriend?" Nari suddenly asked which caused him to snap his head so fast,  pulling him from his thoughts.

"N-No, I don't. Atleast, not yet."  So Mun stuttered as he got caught off-guard by the question, uttering the last words under his breath.

"But do you have a crush?" Nari seems determined to pry more to assess her potential rival.

"Well, Iㅡ" He was interrupted when the said not-yet-girlfriend emerged from the kitchen, carrying a tray of two bowls of steaming hot noodles.

"Thank you, Noona." He gave her a small smile while Hana tried her best to do the same.

"Thank you, Eonni~" Nari exclaimed, extending the syllables of her words with a fake smile while Hana just looked at her in the eyes, giving the death stare before turning around and going back to the kitchen to clean up and wash the dishes.

"Oppa, I've noticed that Eonni was glaring at me just now. Did I do something wrong?" She asked while pouting trying to act cutely.

(A/N: Idk how Mun can tolerate this annoying woman, maybe he's just a really really nice person. CAN'T BE ME LOL)

"I don't think so. I think she's just a bit under the weather today, so please understand."

"Arasseo (Got it), oppa. Hope she feels better soon."

Nari goes on with her small talk and laughter continues to echo around the room, but the thing is, the place where the customers dine in, which exactly where they are, isn't far from the kitchen at all, you don't need to have superhearing to hear what they are talking about for the past hour. Hana getting more irritated minute by minute, cleaning up as fast as possible so that she can go downstairs and train (read: punch the shit out of the punching bag) and vent out her feelings.

After the schoolmates finished their work for the day, Mun decided to follow Hana at the training room to raise his concern.

"Noona, I know there's something bothering you. Do you want to talk about it?" So Mun asked in a soft voice, showing that he has no intentions on forcing her to talk if she doesn't want to.

"Why did you leave Nari there? You were clearly having fun. Just go back." Hana responded, obviously avoiding the question as she put the gloves down but remained standing.

"And why are you pretending that you didn't hear her leave?" Mun threw his words, getting slightly irritated.

Hana went silent as she got caught off-guard by the question. Huh. Busted.

"Look, just leave me alone. Hang out with your friends or Nari. I know she likes you. It's obvious by the way she flirts with you." Hana tried to say nonchalantly but the bitterness is obvious in her voice.

Now Mun didn't expect that, starting to get a little confused at what she just blurted out, he just frowned cutely and tilted his head a little.

"What flirting? Wait a minute, that was flirting?! I-I thought she was just being nice and friendly."

"Tss. She even calls you "oppa" when you're just older by 2 weeks... but you seem to like that." Hana cringed at the thought, remembering how that girl calls Mun with that annoying tone she does every time she sees him.

"Wait-wait. How do you know THAT? Seolma (No way), don't make me think you're being jealous right now?" Mun was trying to brush off the hopeful thoughts on his mind, he just couldn't and wouldn't believe it. Not when he probably knew he would have another sleepless night again overthinking about him and Hana, and feelings that wouldn't just fade, no matter how many "how to move on from your long-term crush" articles he searched up on the net, it just doesn't change.

"Don't blame me, she touched my hand when I served the noodles. That was uncomfortable but I had to hold back, she's your friend after all." Hana replied as if she didn't hear the last thing he said.

"You didn't answer the second question..."

"What question?"

"Are you jealous, Noona?" Somun asked, looking directly in her eyes, hopefulness and slight hint of cockiness evident in his tone.
(A/N: Only Mun can have this charm, seriously.)

"Me? Jealous? Why? Why would I be? Never. It's not like, you're my type. Jealous, my ass." Hana, in a heartbeat,  immediately and consecutively blurted out the words in defense.

"Okay, I got it, I got it. You didn't have to rub it in. Just when I thought...a small part of you finally likes me back. I guess not." He kept the last words to himself, though.

He was about to walk away when she suddenly spoke, stopping him in his tracks.

"You could've said "not yet" but you didn't..."

"W-what are youㅡ?" Somun interrupting her but wasn't able to complete the question as she just continued to unmask what she truly feels.

"She asked you if you have a girlfriend and you said "no", you didn't even hesitate..."

"It's the truth--Ah. So this is what it is about? You just said you're not jealous?" Mun having figured it out was trying to supress his smile, adding the fact that Hana is just frowning at him (cutely, atleast in his eyes, may I add), and that, made him give in to let himself hope a little.

"I am just saying, you're not a man of your word. Back then, you even said you'll never lose your feelings for me, but look, I was right." Hana finally said, revealing the exact reason of her foul mood.

(A/N: Hana's way of saying she's jealous without saying she's jealous lmao)

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[flashback: 2 years ago]

Mun and Hana were cleaning up the table after they had their dinner with the other counters. It was supposed to be a normal night until Motak did something that made the youngest counter almost drop a plate on the floor.

"Hana-ya, Mun has something to tell you." Motak called for her while sending a wink to Mun's direction. The senior counter keeps signaling to the boy to trust him but the latter, almost ruining Ms. Chu's precious glassware, just froze in shock with his eyes widened. When he was able to process what was actually happening, he was just basically pleading for his life, shaking his head frantically with his hands clasped, but not too obvious for Hana to notice.

Mun realizes that Motak has no plans on stopping so he decided to finally intervene.

"W-what? Ahjussi!!! No, please don't!" The counter ran to his direction and tried to cover Motak's mouth but as his senior is taller, it was easy for him to dodge Mun's attempts.

"You see, this kid...has aㅡAAahh-Somun-ah...you just slapped your senior?" Motak was interrupted as Mun accidentally slapped his cheek in his desperate attempts to stop his secret from being revealed this soon.

"I'm sorry, Ahjussi but please..."

"Somunhasacrushonyou!!!" Motak blurted out so fast, Hana frowned, trying to make out the words he said.

"Ahjussi!!!"

"Somun. has. a. crush. on. you." Motak slowly repeated, Mun giving up, just lowered in head in embarrassment, praying that someone should just bury him 6 feet under.

"Ya. Somun-ah, is that true?" Hana nonchalantly asked, as if it's not a big deal to her.

Well, there's no point in denying it after that 5-minute "war" with Motak, so he just accepts his fate.

"Y-yes, it is true, I-I like you, Noona." Mun hesitantly admitted, not meeting Hana's eyes.

"Gwaenchana. (It's okay)" Mun suddenly snapped his head up, shocked that Hana is seemingly fine with his confession.

"You'll be fine. You'll get over it." Did you hear that? Something about to crack completely? Yeah, Mun's heart.

But our boy, you know how he is, he is passionate and doesn't easily give up so, instead of letting Hana walk away, he gathered the courage and spoke.

"No, noona. I don't think I will. I will wait for you until I'm older, until you finally feel the same. I'll continue to take care of you like how you do to me." Mun said with so much conviction, his innocent eyes reflecting so much sincerity that Hana just stood there, completely silent. Meanwhile, Motak lost his teasing smile and was just too stunned realizing how his boy has grown so much.

"You don't have to say anything, Noona. Just let me be, please. I'll just go ahead and bring the food that Ms. Chu made for my grandparents." Mun said with a stiff smile, before exiting the noodle shop.

ㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡ

"Have you forgotten what I said after that? I said I will wait for you until the timing is right. I haven't gave up just yet, but do you want me to?" Mun asked as he walks closer to where Hana is standing.

Instead of answering with words, Hana grabbed the collar of Mun's hoodie and gave him a soft kiss. However, the latter doesn't seem to process what's happening just yet so he just stood there with widened eyes, and before he can even respond, Hana has pulled away.

"Ah, mian (sorry), was that too much? Too fast?" Hana nervously asked with a tone of disappointment.

"N-not at all! You just shocked me. But hey, that was a peck, not a kiss! A kiss is long overdue, though." Mun quickly said, wearing that cheeky smile again that he always uses when he tries to win some favors.

Before Hana could protest about the peck being also considered as a kiss, Mun grabbed her right arm while he put his right hand on her cheek and reconnected their lips. He slowly walks causing Hana to walk backwards, finally letting him pin her against a wall, but before he can continue, she wrapped her arms around his neck and grabbed his left arm that was initially holding her arm and positioned it to wrap around her waist instead,  and with that, she took the initiative to deepen the kiss. The way they held onto each other felt like their life depended on that kiss, like they're each other's lifeline. Nothing can ever beat the euphoria of kissing the love your life, you feel ecstatic, you desire for more until ㅡ

"Ah so that's why it's quiet down here." Motak suddenly said, teasing with a knowing look.

Mun just went frozen while Hana was so startled that her lover came flying across the room as she instinctively pushed him as a response.

"Aigoo, can you believe this? My babies are all grown up! Ya, I am about to tear up, this makes me remember the time when Suho got married..." Ms. Chu exclaimed happily, hitting Motak's arm out of joy.

Meanwhile, Hana was just blushing red while Mun is still laying in the ground, whimpering and whining about the pain (read: acting like he is in pain, it didn't hurt that much).

"Apa...apa..(It hurts.)" Mun continues in his act to call for Hana's attention.

"Hana-ya, tend to your boyfriend. He seems to be in a pain, aigoo, you dont kiss and push in this household!" Ms. Chu slightly(?) scolded Hana but it's literally just her being a wingman for So Mun. Hana (happily) granted her "order" because she obviously thought of doing the same, she was just recovering for a moment. It's not like everyday you get caught kissing by your seniors who know you hate physical touch.

(A/N: Chu Mae Ok, the Vice President of the Club, y'all!)

"Boyfriend???" Mun suddenly stopped his acting when he heard THE word.

"What? You kiss like that and you're not a couple??" Ms. Chu questioned, eyebrows raised and crossed arms, ready to smack them any minute.

"Of course, we are. You know he's just dramatic." Hana calmly said with a small smile.

"We are???!" Mun, on the other hand, keeps asking in disbelief, as if he was just about to have an heart attack at any given moment. Hana just rolled her eyes and smacked his head.

The young man nevertheless continued to "complain" but Hana just decided to indulge him, tending to whichever body part is "in pain" and softly caressing it, even though she knew that he is just faking it.

"Aw, that hurts! A-ah my back... my shoulder...my head...my cheek...my lips.. my lips hurt.. I need a.. (kiss)" Mun whined each time but then puckered his lips at the last "aching" body  part.

Hana just shook her head but was about to do it anyway when the two suddenly spoke, again.

"Y'all forgot we're still here? Anyway, I'm gonna head out, I'm not going to let my eyes see that again."  Motak just had to interrupt the moment, didn't he? He finally left, sending two thumbs to Mun and a wink before he did.

"Congratulations, kids! Finally! You know we tried to bet on you but we had the same hunch and that just means we were right all along! l'll cook some noodles to celebrate." Ms. Chu giddily exclaimed before following Motak upstairs.

The couple just thanked her after complaining how the counters, including Chairman Jang, have been betting on them and then proceeded to continue where they left off.

"Noona, you didn't give me the cure! I am still hurting right now." Mun and his dumb silly tactics, really, but Hana is secretly loving it.

"Fine, you big baby." Hana proceeded to give him a peck and Mun was enjoying the time of his life.

"Noona, are you jealous that you can't call me "Oppa"? You can call me that inㅡ" Mun teasingly asked.

"Ya! Shut it! If you don't stop, I will punch you!" Hana turned red as a tomato, when certain images flashed in her mind. She proceeds to keep hitting Mun with slaps (that don't hurt at all) as she complains how he just says it casually while the latter was just dodging and blocking them with his own hands.

"Saranghae, Noona." He blurted out after catching Hana's hands.

"Ya...you just...I uh.." Hana suddenly stopped, at a loss for words. As her blushing intesifies, Mun took advantage of the situation to tease her.

"So The Do Hana who hates physical touch is now blushing? Just with my words?"

"If you don't stop..." Hana warned.

"I do mean it, Noona. I have been in love with you for years now and everyone knew but you. I just love everything about you, your beautiful face, your mind, your compassion, your grumpy attitude but I know you cry when watching your favorite sad movies, your soft side, and of course, your charisma, everything, you name it, it's just you and your heart, really. Do you know I got a crush on you the moment my eyes landed on you when you walked out this noodle shop two years ago? That's not an exaggeration at all, you know. That's why I am grateful that you finally gave me a chance, and I won't waste it. Never. You don't have to say it back right now though, I just wanted to express what I've been holding back for so long." Mun looked into her eyes as he expressed his love seriously.

Hana was just starting to get teary-eyed with how touching his words are and so Mun hugged her and started to hush and calm her down.

"You do know when I said you can call me "Oppa", I meant in private, and only if you want to. It's mostly said as a joke but your mind went out of the gutter...Noona, I didn't know you're like that." Well, that earned him another smack, but at least, his mission was accomplished. He made her laugh with the signature eye-roll she does when she's so done with his antics.

"You're lucky, I love you." Hana said, interrupting the comforting silence they had as they embrace each other.

"Right becauseㅡWhat??! Noona, I swear you want me to be hospitalized! Say that again, please!" Mun buffered for a moment before realizing what she just said, he broke the hug and just stared at her, blinking a lot to make sure it's real, even pinching himself.

"Aish, this idiot.." Hana mumbled to herself. She then kissed his cheek and whispered, "Somun-ah, saranghae," before running away to go upstairs, leaving Mun flustered once again.

"Noona, wait for me! You can't just say that!" Mun exclaimed as he practically ran and followed her.

Bonus:

When they were watching a movie that night in Hana's room, Mun decided to pause the movie and used his aegyo to request for that one thing.

"Noona, you said "I love you" without looking at my eyes. That's cheating! Please say it again, in front of me." Mun pleaded.

"Ya! You keep pushing your luck today, huh?" Hana tried to act annoyed but she is feeling giddy deep inside, obviously. It's the love of her life, after all.

"Fine, but you'll bring me on a date tomorroㅡ."

"My pleasure, mi lady." Mun responded before she can even finish her sentence.

"Move, lay your head on my lap." Hana patted her thighs and the younger was more than happy to oblige.

Mun was focusing to the now, resumed movie when Hana calls his name which caused him to look up from the TV and gave her his full attention.

"Somun-ah... Saranghae. I have loved you for about a year now. Thank you for not giving up on me." Hana sincerely expressed as she looks into his eyes.

"O-kay, it's about time to turn this TV off, Noona." Mun, not expecting for his request to be granted this soon, responded with a playful smile.

Let's just say, they talked all night about their feelings, their worries, their experience together as counters, as friends to lovers, and yes, Hana did say everything she loved about her man but it's just for him to hear.

(A/N: She doesn't want us know the cheesy stuff but we already knew it though. Oh and yes, they made out a lot. A LOT THAT THEY SLEPT SO LATE THEY ALMOST MISSED THE ALARM FOR THEIR MORNING JOG TOGETHER <3)