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The harsh winter breeze sliced your cheeks as you walked. Your coat was tightly clenched around your shoulders, but no matter how hard you clenched your arms, the cold air still managed to pierce your skin. Red and green lights lit up the sidewalk, and Christmas music played softly from almost every store speaker you walked by. You had just moved to a new city for a job opportunity as a colorist for a small animation company. You weren't used to city life, as you grew up in a sparsely populated suburb, and adjusting to the big crowds everywhere you went was harder than you thought. So, naturally, when you walked past a small, unpopulated coffee shop on your exploratory walk, you decided that this would be a nice place to sit and work on your art for a while.
The bell above the door chimed when you entered, and the warm jolt of air from inside instantly made your cheeks flush. You brushed a few snowflakes off the shoulders of your coat and made your way to the front counter. As you were approaching, a man came out from the back of the store. His hair was black and parted in the middle. He had a black long sleeve shirt on, tucked beneath his brown apron with the coffee shop's logo embroidered on the chest. His lips were full and pink, and his eyes were sharp. You weren't gonna lie to yourself, he was extremely handsome.
As soon as you and the employee made eye contact, a small smile spread across his lips. He put both of his hands on the counter and shifted his body weight onto his hands, leaning on the wooden surface.
"What can I get for you, love?" Suddenly, you were glad your cheeks were already flushed from the weather.
"Um..." You looked past him and up at the menu. There were way too many choices. "Actually, I just moved here, so I've never been here before. Do you have a recommendation?" You smiled at him, moving closer to the counter.
"Actually, yeah. I'll make you something special, off-menu. Hot or iced?"
"Hot."
"Alright. It's on the house." His eyes broke away from yours, looking down to your lips, and back up to meet your eyes. With a slight smirk, the boy turned away and began to make your coffee. Trying to break out of your trance, you coughed lightly.
"Thank you." You turned around and sat at a table, turned away from the wall so you could see outside the front windows, but you could also see the boy working at the counter. Once you were settled in with your coat on the chair next to you, you began to unpack your supplies. You couldn't help but steal glances at him as he was making your coffee. For the millionth time, your eyes flicked up from your oil paints, landing on him. He was looking down at your cup, pouring creamer into it. Your eyes dissected the boy, looking him up and down and trying to absorb every detail. You just couldn't believe he was real. As your eyes returned back to his face, his eyes met yours. All you saw was his smirk before you panicked and raced your view back to the table in front of you, pretending to be concentrated once more.
A few minutes later, the cup was lightly placed in your line of vision. You looked up at the boy, who had another cup in his other hand.
"Try it." He said.
"Thank you." You grabbed the cup, taking it to your lips. Pure joy escaped the cups and flowed down your throat. "Wow, that's amazing!"
"I know right, thank you." He smiled, and looked down at the chair across from you.
"May I?" He motioned toward the chair.
"Oh! Yeah, of course, go ahead." You frantically tried to condense the space your papers and supplies were taking up on the table. "Sorry about the mess."
"It's okay, you can leave it. That's really beautiful by the way." You looked at him, and down to the oil painting in front of you. It was a girl's face, made up of hundreds of blended colors. You sighed slightly.
"Thanks." You smiled at him. "What's your name?"
"It's Hyunjin." He set his coffee down onto the table and extended his hand out.
"Y/N." You met his hand with yours, shaking it. When your hands pulled away, your eyes caught a glimpse of a large smear of blue oil paint on Hyunjin's hand.
"Oh my gosh, I got- oh no, hold on." You quickly pulled out napkins from your supplies bag. As Hyunjin was just beginning to inspect and interpret the stain on his hand, you softly pulled it towards you. You began to try and scrub the oils off of his skin with little success.
"It's okay, Y/N," He said with a chuckle, "I can wash it off later. Really, it's no big deal." You looked up at him, seeing his face closer than ever before, and picking up on some of the small details of his skin.
"Okay. Sorry." You both held your position, eyes locked, for a few seconds. When you processed that you were still holding his hand, you quickly put your arms down. Now, your cheeks were red again, but not from the cold. Hyunjin was looking you directly in the eyes, like he could see directly past you, which probably wasn't hard, but it was nonetheless intimidating. You awkwardly picked up your cup and took another sip. Hyunjin relaxed, leaning back in his chair.
"So, you said you just moved here?" Eventually, the awkwardness and tension left the atmosphere. You and the new-found acquaintance talked for what felt like forever, about your pasts, your interests, favorite kinds of coffee. You actually really enjoyed his company. As the edge of the cup reached your lips once more, no liquid came out. Disappointed, you set it back down.
"So, if I were to, I don't know, come back and get one of these again, what do I have to order?" You asked him.
"Hm... well..." He thought for a moment. "The Prince's Brew."
"The Prince's Brew?"
"Yep. I just named it."
"Who's the Prince?" He looked at you with a blank stare.
"Me. Obviously." He closed his eyes, tilting his chin up to the sky, and ran his fingers through his hair, as if to strike a model pose. Even though you secretly found this insanely attractive, you couldn't help but let out a laugh.
"Hey!" Hyunjin pretended to be offended. "Do I not look like a Prince to you?" He puckered his lips and raised an eyebrow. This made you giggle even harder.
"I mean, I guess."
"You GUESS?"
"Yeah, well, you're attractive, but-"
"But what, Y/N, but WHAT."
"You're... You're in an apron. You're more like Cinderella before she got her magical fashion makeover." Hyunjin scoffed playfully.
"Well, I guess I'll just have to show you how I clean up then." Hyunjin leaned back in his chair, pleased with how he directed the conversation.
"We'll see." you responded with a smile. Just then, the doorbell chimed, followed by a customer.
"Talk to you later, Y/N." Hyunjin smiled, and went back to the counter.
So your first day in a new city wasn't as bad as you thought it would be. It actually went quite well. Hopefully today would be good as well, because you had plans to visit some old childhood friends. After high school, Mark Lee and Johnny Suh moved away for college, to the city you were in now. You kind of lost touch with them, but now you lived in the same city and were itching to see them again. You were putting on your shoes as you spoke to Mark on the phone.
"Don't forget to send me the address."
"Oh! Right."
"Did you forget?"
Mark paused. "...No." You let a small chuckle leave your lips.
"Okay, Mark. I'm leaving right now, so i'mma need that."
"Okay. See you soon!"
The roads were covered in snow, so it took you longer than you thought to get there. When you arrived, you went up the elevator to the fifth floor, and wandered around the halls trying to find Johnny and Mark's apartment. Finally, you found it, and knocked loudly on the door. The door opened to reveal the one and only Johnny Suh. Without a second of hesitation, you jumped into a hug.
"Johnny, I missed youuuu!"
"Y/N! You're, like, a full-grown adult! Mark!" At Johnny's words, Mark popped his head around the corner of a wall.
"Y/N!" You walked past Johnny and into their apartment, meeting Mark in the middle of the room for a hug.
"God, you don't know how much I missed you guys." You sighed.
"Y/N! Y/N! Guess whattttt?" Johnny taunted you with his question. "I have a-" Johnny's voice fell into a whisper. "-girlfriend- now."
Your face fell into shock, your mouth making a perfect 'O' shape.
"Johnny Suh, the player!" You punched him playfully on the shoulder. At that moment, you heard a third voice from the doorway behind you.
"Did one of you just say Y/N-" You turn around to lock eyes with none other than Hyunjin, and his sentence cuts off in the middle of your name. An awkward hush falls over the room. "You know Mark and Johnny?" He asked.
"YOU know Mark and Johnny?" You said back.
"You guys know each other?" Mark chimed in.
"I'm their roommate..." Hyunjin said.
"I met Hyunjin yesterday... and we've been friends since like... the 2nd grade." You turned to Johnny, this time laying a heavier punch into his shoulder.
"Did you not mention me once?" Johnny winced in pain.
"Ow! Uhm, I don't know, uh, maybe?" You shook your head playfully as an awkward silence regained its dominance over the room.
"Soooo, um... Soju?" Mark suggested, followed by a collective nod of everyone in the room.
An hour and two bottles of Soju later, someone decided it was a good idea to turn on the karaoke machine. So while Hyunjin and Johnny sang a passionate rendition of Say My Name by Destiny's Child, you and Mark sat on the couch, laughing your asses off.
"Guys, i'm doing a solo next!" You exclaimed. When Hyunjin and Johnny were finished, you and Mark erupted in applause.
"Thank you, thank you, what can I say, I'm a natural." Hyunjin mumbled, followed by a harsh plop onto the couch. You grabbed the mic from his hand and chose your song. The guys sat on the couch, Johnny on the edge of his seat, cheering you on, Mark sitting tensely with his hands in between his knees and a cute smile, and Hyunjin, leaning back and relaxing with his arm laying on the back of the couch, looking at you with an expression you couldn't quite pinpoint with the Soju in your system. You turned to the TV, and began to sing. Eventually, you got into it and started to milk it. You imagined you were a famous singer on a stage, with these three knuckleheads as your audience. You started to sway your hips. Johnny continued to cheer you on, Mark stopped giggling and was slightly flushed. Hyunjin, on the other hand, was sitting in the same position as before, somehow looking down at you from the bridge of his nose, his jaw lightly clenched.
You continued to milk the performance and have a great time, and were greeted by an eruption of applause when you were finished. You bowed, handing the mic off to Johnny once more.
A little while later, the alcohol was starting to wear off, but luckily Hyunjin had some vodka. You collectively agreed that the best way to drink it would be with a game of Truth or Dare. Answer the question, complete the dare, or drink. Mark downloaded an app on his phone so you wouldn't have to come up with the dares yourselves. The app logo was a woman's silhouette, so you prepared yourself for the worst.
A few rounds in, everyone was significantly drunker. The dares were ridiculous and the truths were extremely personal, so each of you drank almost every turn. Now, it was your turn once more. You were all sitting on the floor in a circle, Hyunjin on your left, Johnny on your right, and Mark across from you.
"Okay, well... Since I did truth last time, Dare." Mark clicked the screen of his phone on the floor, which spun an animated wheel. When it stopped, you all moved your heads in closer to read it.
"Kiss the person to your right." Everyone was silent, and you looked at Johnny.
"You have a girlfriend, don't you?"
"Yeah. I'm not about to cheat. Just skip me." He motioned to his right, pointing at Mark. Mark looked like he just saw someone die. Really, he looked scared. You didn't really know why, it was just a simple kiss.
"Y/N, you don't have to, like really, if you're not-" Mark's words made you chuckle, and being that if another ounce of vodka entered your body, you'd most definitely be hurling it up five seconds later. Positioning yourself onto your knees in the middle of the circle, you held your hand out to pull Mark up from his seat. He joined you in a kneeling position, only inches away from your face. Mark looked over at Johnny, almost as if to ask for help, and you used that moment to steal a glance of Hyunjin. He was sitting criss-cross leaning back on his hands, looking up at you and Mark with a clenched jaw.
You don't know why, but seeing Hyunjin looking jealous was fun. You'd only known him two days, but you bet that you were going to take any opportunity to make this man thirst for you. You put your hands on the side of Mark's face, turned his head towards you, and pulled his lips onto yours. As your lips caressed each other, Mark's hands brushed lightly against your waist.
You pulled away, and could practically hear Mark's heart beating. His cheeks were as red as a tomato. You sat back down in your original position. Johnny's mouth was a perfect circle, accompanied by his wide eyes. Hyunjin was still clenching his jaw, looking into your eyes. Mark slowly sat down, and was staring in disbelief at the carpet.
"Maybe it's time for a different game." Mark said quietly. He got up and returned no more than 10 seconds later with an old, beaten up deck of cards.
The mood was seemingly fixed by the card game. Johnny and Mark got out in the first couple rounds, and you and Hyunjin have been neck-and-neck for at least fifteen minutes. Apparently both of you had a competitive side, which resulted in a seemingly infinite stand-off. You were wrapped in a fuzzy blanket, as the winter winds managed to creep into the apartment.
As you were playing your game, you looked over to notice that Mark and Johnny had both fallen asleep on the ground.
You tapped Hyunjin slightly on the shoulder, motioning to the two unconscious boys next to you. You looked at each other, and burst out into quiet laughter. You continued playing your card game.
Hyunjin smacked down his hand of cards in frustration. "NO! Fuck! Ahhhhh!" You threw your hands in the air, letting the cards rain down on you, triumphant.
"Ha Ha! I won, you lost!" You said in a sing-song tone, teasing him like a child. Hyunjin's eyes suddenly got big, and his bottom lip stuck out. He crossed his arms over his chest.
"Hmph."
"Aw, don't get mad now, babe." You said, mocking his expression. You teased him, but truthfully, that pouting expression almost made you tear up from cuteness. Hyunjin's eyes drifted from yours to a spot just to the side of them, and his pout broke.
"You have something in your hair." You suddenly felt very insecure.
"Oh, uh..." You brushed your fingers through your hair, trying to get whatever it was Hyunjin spotted. A giggle escaped his lips.
"Here, I'll get it." Hyunjin leaned over, getting significantly closer to you. His hand went up to the side of your face, brushing your skin. His focus was on the speck in your hair, but yours was on him. He soon stopped looking at your hair and met your eyes. The tension rose quickly, leaving you breathless from just being close to his lips.
A moment later, Hyunjin broke the stare, holding up a small white fuzz from the blanket you were wrapped in.
"Blanket fuzz." Hyunjin said, chuckling awkwardly.
"Yeah." You looked at the ground, cheeks red in embarrassment.
"I should probably head home." As you said this, you stood up quickly, wobbling a bit from the alcohol still coursing through you.
"No, you've been drinking. You can just stay here tonight."
"Oh, are you sure? I don't want to be a bother-"
"No seriously. I'd rather have you stay here than try and drive."
"Okay."
"I'll give you a t-shirt, you can sleep in my bed."
"In your bed?!" You said, shocked.
"I'll sleep on the couch."
"No, I'll take the couch, I'm the guest."
"Exactly, you're the guest. Take my bed, it's way more comfortable."
"If it's more comfortable, then YOU should sleep in it."
"Y/N, this isn't debatable." He spoke as he tried to drag Johnny out of the room, presumably to his own bed. "You're sleeping in my room. Now help me so I can get you some pajamas." You silently agreed, picking up Johnny's lifeless feet and dragging them down the hallway.
Once you got the boys into their own beds, you followed Hyunjin to his room. Back to you, he sorted through his closet, tossing a black t-shirt back towards you.
"PJs."
"No pants?"
"What do you want? My boxers?"
"Okay, fine. Geez." Then, Hyunjin pulled his shirt off.
"Woah!" You covered your eyes, instinctually peeking through your fingers. "What are you doing?"
"Changing?" He grabbed a different t-shirt and threw it over his head. "Aren't you going to?"
"In here? With you?"
Hyunjin let out a heavy sigh. "I won't look!"
You sighed, and turned around. First, you slipped off your jeans, then you pulled your shirt over your head and lightly placed it onto Hyunjin's bed. You turned over your shoulder to see Hyunjin shamelessly looking at you.
"Hey! Turn around?!"
"Sorry!"
"Perv..." You muttered. You continued to change by unclipping your bra, throwing it on the bed, and as quickly as possible throwing on Hyunjin's tee. You pulled the tee down over your butt, hoping that you weren't exposing too much.
"Okay. You can turn around now." Hyunjin turned around, and started to walk out to the living room.
"Hey!" You called after him. He turned to look at you. "Thank you."
"Night, Y/N. By the way I have bed bugs."
"Shut up!" He shut the door behind him. You crawled into Hyunjin's bed, and wrapped yourself in the thick covers.
The next thing you remember is the light hitting your face. For some reason, Hyunjin didn't have blinds or curtains over his windows, so the sun reflected off the morning snow and directly into your eyes. The second sensation you experienced that morning was the unbearable pain that coursed through your head. Wincing, you sat up, combed your fingers through your hair, and made your way outside.
Hyunjin was curled up on the couch with the fuzzy blanket you'd had last night, hugging a pillow. His cheeks were relaxed and puffy, and his hair went in every direction. You couldn't help but smile at his cute appearance. The pain returned to your head in a stinging wave, and you remembered why you got up. After searching through the bathroom and kitchen cabinets, you finally found a bottle of ibuprofen on the ground by the TV.
"Boys..." You muttered to yourself. You took the pills, and proceeded to make yourself some breakfast.
As you poured the milk onto your Coco Pebbles, you heard shuffling from the couch. Hyunjin was sitting up, ruffling his hair, and squinting at the light coming from the bright, uncovered windows.
"Morning, sunshine."
Hyunjin jumped slightly at your peppy greeting.
"Hey." His voice was hoarse and deep from grogginess. You grabbed some medicine and a glass of water you'd prepared, and made your way over to him.
"Here. you're gonna need this." He took the glass of water in one hand and the pills in the other, and you went back to the kitchen to grab your cereal. You returned to the couch and sat next to Hyunjin, followed by a confused expression from the boy.
"What?" Hyunjin responded by just letting out a small, shrug-like grunt, throwing the pills back with the water. As you watched him do this, you noticed that there were hundreds of little fuzz balls on his clothes, hair, and couch. You giggled softly at the sight, catching his attention. You held your cereal bowl in one hand, and with the other, began to pick the fuzzes off his hair.
"What are you doing?"
"You have fuzz!" You could feel Hyunjin's eyes on yours while you sorted through his hair. You saw that his ears quickly started to turn red, and suddenly you had an idea. What better time to tease him than when he's just woken up with a massive hangover?
Breaking the light pattern your hand had from picking out the fuzz, you ran your fingers lightly through his hair, causing his head to slightly tilt upwards.
"Wow, your hair is so soft."
He stayed silent, and you kept picking out fuzz, making sure it didn't fall into your bowl. At that moment, Johnny walked into the room. He first saw Hyunjin on the couch, clearly groggy. Then, he saw your hand in his hair, practically playing with it. Then, he saw you in Hyunjin's t-shirt, barely covering up your lack of pants.
"Oh my god!" He shouted loudly. It scared you so much that when you jumped, some milk fell onto your lap.
"DID YOU GUYS FUCK?"
The room descended into chaos. Hyunjin was now fully awake, both of you were profusely denying the claim, and somehow you were now several feet apart. Mark entered the room, groggy and confused. Johnny was shouting who knows what, and any attempt you made to save yourself seemed to just dissolve into thin air.
"Huh?" Mark groaned. "What's happening? Who did what? Ow-" In between Mark's words, Johnny was spiraling.
"This is unbelievable. I can't believe it. Oh my god, what!!?? They- oh my god."
On top of their chaos, you and Hyunjin were both yelling on top of each other.
"No! Seriously, it's not like that, please stop freaking out I swear, he didn't have any pajama pants!"
"I just gave her my t-shirt to sleep in! We didn't even sleep in the same room! You have to believe me man I swear!"
Suddenly, a shout louder than all the noise combined came from Mark.
"HEY!!" A hush fell over the three of you. "Tell me what's going on!"
"I think... I think they fucked!"
You chimed in, "No! No we didn't. I don't know where he's getting that."
"Seriously. Oh my god guys. She couldn't drive home so I lent her some pajamas and she slept here."
You, Mark, and Johnny were all silent. A moment passed by.
"Even if we did, why-"
"HYUNJIN!" You shouted at him, smacking him on the shoulder. This caused Johnny and Mark to erupt in laughter. Naturally, having the most contagious laughs in the world, you and Hyunjin joined in.
As a thank you to the boys for letting you stay the night, you made them all bowls of cereal.
"Y/N, come on, if you're gonna make us breakfast can't you at least make pancakes or something?" Mark said.
You sent him a glare across the kitchen, grabbing his bowl of cereal and holding it over the sink.
"AAAhhahhh yoiiii i'm just messing with you, thank you, I appreciate it! Cereal sounds fantastic!" You smiled at Mark's cute recovery, and brought all the bowls to the table. You and the boys reminisced about the memories only half of you could remember from the night before, laughing through mouthfuls of Cocoa Pebbles.
"-that's when you said, 'yeah, that's not even the same bucket!'" Everyone at the table erupted in laughter at Hyunjin's words, remembering the joke from the night before.
You said goodbye to all the boys, and Mark offered to walk you back to your car. Your feet sludged through several inches of snow.
"Y/N, I'm glad you came over." Mark said.
"Yeah, I am too." You smiled at him, satisfied with the rekindled connection with your old friends. The thought crossed your mind that maybe living in this new city wouldn't be too lonely after all.
"Could we, could I, maybe, take you to coffee sometime? I'd like to catch up a little bit more, if you want to." Mark stuttered.
"Absolutely! You know, Hyunjin made me this amazing drink the other day at the coffee place he works at, we should go there. You have to try it." Mark looked down at his feet, and smiled a bit.
"Yeah, yeah sure, we can do that."
You felt the familiar warm blast of air sweep over your face. Mark held the door open for you as you both entered the coffee shop you'd previously visited. There were a few people there, mostly other university students studying with each other or sitting on their computers. Hyunjin was helping a customer at the counter, in his brown apron and navy flannel.
"Hello, welcome to the Java Joint, how can I-" He looked up. "Oh hey guys!" His eyes glanced between you and Mark, and you could see the thought cross his mind that you and Mark may be on a date.
"What are you guys... uh, doing here?"
"We are just catching up." Mark answered, with a slightly hostile tone. You looked between them, confused by the weird tension there seemed to be.
"Hyunjin," you said. "You remember that drink you made me the other day?"
"Yeah of course."
"Could we get two?" You shot him a smile. You watched him as he rang up the order. His hair was getting long, a strand tucked behind his ear. His fingers pressed lightly on the screen, delicately selecting the ingredients that he would soon brew. His lips sat together beautifully, smooth regardless of the dry winter air that was causing every one else's to get chapped.
"That'll be $14.82." Hyunjin looked at you, seeming to convey a thousand words simply with eye contact. Even though you just met him, you felt something when he looked at you. Mark pulled out his wallet, paying for your drinks.
Once you got your drinks, you sat at the only two-person table open, which happened to be fairly far from the counter. You and Mark got to talking, reminiscing on your past and informing each other about the last few years of your lives.
"No okay, I wasn't THAT embarrassed."
"Mark, you literally didn't come to school for three days. You missed field day!"
"Okay, okay, maybe I was. It was a horrible experience." You laughed as he blushed.
"Hey, so-" Mark looked into your eyes, his eyes glittering like the stars. He took a deep breath, looked down, and sighed. He reformed a slight smile on his face, looking back up at you and taking a sip of his coffee.
"This coffee is pretty good. Hyunjin is a true prodigy." His voice was tender and sad, as if he was trying to soothe a crying baby.
"Yeah, he is." You let out a chuckle, but Mark's behavior worried you. You glanced over at Hyunjin, who was wiping down the countertops. You couldn't help but stare for a moment, admiring him. When you looked back at Mark, your eyes met. He was sad. You knew Mark, and you didn't need him to say what was wrong for you to know. You asked anyway, in hopes that you were wrong.
"Mark." Your voice was lower now, soft. "Are you okay?" Mark's eyes broke from yours, darting around the table in desperate search of something else to put his attention on.
"Yeah, um..." He sighed. "No." He ran his hand through his hair, and you awaited his explanation.
"Y/N, I have to be honest with you. I... I brought you here to see if you'd be interested in me. I've liked you since we met Y/N, since we were kids. I didn't know if you felt the same then, but that kiss the other night made me think you might like me back. I don't know. You're obviously interested in Hyunjin. I just... it's okay. I don't want to sacrifice our friendship, and I want you to be happy."
"Mark..."
"No, it's okay. He likes you too. Seriously. I... I want you to be happy more than anything else. And if that means being with Hyunjin, then that's what I want you to do."
You didn't have any words. You couldn't even form a full thought. No one had ever confessed to you before, and your childhood best friend laying all this on you at once made you feel sad, happy, angry, guilty, lonely, overwhelmed, everything at once. You couldn't meet his eyes, and you felt your mouth lay slightly open out of shock.
"Mark, I... I don't know what to say." You paused. "I'm sorry." Mark was silent.
"Hey." You said a bit firmer, grabbing his hand that was fiddling with a napkin on the table. "I love you. You know that right?" Mark looked up. "This doesn't change anything between us. And I shouldn't have kissed you like that the other night before checking to see if you were okay with it."
Mark nodded, a clear, non-verbal 'thank you' that you were relieved to see. He blinked away water that had barely started to collect in his eyes. He cleared his throat.
"Okayyy! So, we got that out of the way." You laughed at his attempt to lighten the mood.
"But seriously Y/N, I forgot how fun you are to be around. You should come to our New Year's Eve party, it's gonna be at my Aunt's lake-house. It's even an opportunity to..." His eye brows hopped up and down, his eyes darting back and forth between you and the barista. "You know!"
"Hey!" You immediately blushed and gave him a good punch to the shoulder, though there seemed to still be a twinge of sadness behind his friendly gaze.
The holidays passed, which you spent by traveling back to your hometown to visit your family. It was New Year's Eve today, which meant Mark's party was tonight. Yesterday Mark had called you and informed you that you needed to dress fancy.
"Yeah, I kind of forgot to tell you..."
You spent most of the day going from shop to shop, trying to find the perfect outfit. You wanted something sexy, but still left something to the imagination. You knew Hyunjin would be at this party, and you wanted to impress him. You weren't the kind of person to dress up for boys, but you figured that a New Years party with a handsome guy that you may or may not have a fat crush on would be a fine exception.
You thought over the shopping extravaganza that took place the day before as you looked yourself over in the mirror. You decided on a silver dress stitched with diamonds, accompanied with diamond heels. The dress had a slit in the leg, with strings of small diamonds connecting the two pieces. Surprisingly, you found the dress at a department store for fairly cheap. Your hair was lightly curled, enough to give it some volume, and you had sharp, thin eyeliner tracing your sparkling eyes. You weren't going to lie, you looked sexy.
You drove for about 45 minutes in heels to Mark's lake house. You planned to stay the night since you wanted to drink but also needed to drive yourself there. As you walked up the stone pathway to the house, you took in the sight. This wasn't even a lake house. Yeah, it's on the edge of a lake, but this thing was a mansion. Stone pillars towered above you, holding sturdy. The old brick walls were enchanting, and the marble porch railings seemed to glimmer in the moonlight. A harsh breeze pushed against you, making you stumble a bit, throwing off the rhythm of your heels hitting the pavement. You pulled your sweater tighter against your arms.
As you arrived at the large door, you could see the light spilling out from underneath and hear music pumping through the walls. You knocked, and through all the noise from in the house, it released an ominous echo only an old manor could emanate. Haunting, almost. The door was cracked open slightly, and slowly swung open when your fist hit the wood. Hundreds of people were already at the house, scattered through the front room, the kitchen, the upstairs landing, and the large, curved staircase. As you closed the door behind you, you felt the warm rush of air from all the bodies envelop you. Looking around, you found a spot to throw your $2 jacket that you bought specifically for this party, since you knew you'd lose it and never see it again.
You wandered your way through the house, making your way from the living room to the upstairs rooms, back downstairs, until you finally ended up in the kitchen. The back of a familiar head of hair catches your eye, pouring punch for three other people all in a conversation. Mark is the first one to see you. His eyes flutter up and down your figure, taking in your constructed outfit. This is the first time you'd seen each other in a few weeks because of the holidays. The meeting you had at the coffee shop flashed through your memory, Mark's pained expression when you rejected him, the regret and longing in his voice when he told you he was happy for you. Those looks, that pain, you didn't see that anymore. Maybe it was the alcohol, maybe it was the time apart, but Mark looked genuinely happy.
"Yoooo!!!!" Mark leaped over to you, practically putting you in a headlock.
"Hi, Mark." You giggled in his hold, and he cutely tried to fix your hair. Johnny turned around and his eyes lit up.
"Y/N!!!" The drink wobbled in his hand. The girl next to him grabbed it out of his hands to keep it from spilling.
"I think you can drink some water for a little bit, babe." The girl turns to you and hands you the drink Johnny had just poured for himself.
"Hi, I'm Mia. I've heard a lot about you." She gives you a warm smile, and you realize she is Johnny's girlfriend.
"Hi! It's so nice to finally meet you." The other girl standing in between Mia and Mark was shorter, with big, kind eyes.
"I'm Jamie, Mia's roommate."
"Hi Jamie, I'm (Y/N)." You all started to engage in conversation, sharing embarrassing and funny stories about each other and laughing your asses off. All of them (especially Johnny) are already pretty wasted, so you try your best to catch up. Through your tipsy-ness, you start to notice Jamie's glances toward Mark and her nervous finger tapping. He seems to be leaning towards her, and casually whispering things into her ear every few minutes, always followed by a shy giggle.
After a while of getting acquainted, you start to look around for Hyunjin. Hundreds of people crowd into the living room, jumping and singing along to the loud music. As soon as you get immersed in looking for him over the heads of others, you feel a bump on your arm.
"He told me he'd be on the top floor balcony." Mark whispered.
"Thank you." You mouthed. Louder, you announced to the group, "I'm gonna go mingle, but it was really good to meet you guys." You gave a smile to Johnny, Mia, and Jamie, and a subtle wink to Mark, who now had his hand on the counter behind Jamie.
Making your way up the stairs, you began to worry. What if Hyunjin just wanted to be friends, and you've been misreading the whole situation? No, you didn't have the time to worry about this. You took one more swig of your drink and continued up the stairs.
The music and voices started to fade as you looked for the balcony. Wandering around the nearly empty halls, couples passed by you opening doors to find empty rooms, and stragglers clung to walls to stay upright. You turned the corner, following a hallway, and you finally spotted it. Through two glass doors, you could just make out Hyunjin's silhouette leaning on the railing. You took a deep breath, and made your way toward him.
The cold air actually felt kind of nice, since the inside was so hot with body heat and the alcohol started to rise to your face. Hyunjin turned around.
"I was starting to think you weren't gonna show. It's 11:50." He had a sweet tone to his voice.
"Why wouldn't I show?" You playfully asked. Hyunjin stood still, overlooking the lake. Silence surrounded you for a few moments.
"I spent last year's New Years party up here, by myself." You didn't know how to respond, so you let him finish. "It's the best spot to watch the fireworks."
"Well I'm excited to see them." You and Hyunjin stayed comfortably on the quiet balcony for a good two minutes. You began to examine Hyunjin for the first time that night. He was wearing black slacks, a gray turtleneck, and a suede black blazer. His hair was pushed back, exposing his forehead. The several rings hugged his fingers, which were wrapped loosely around his drink.
"You do look like a prince, by the way." You said to Hyunjin, who looked slightly jolted out of a deep thought when you spoke.
At that moment a breeze hit you, which reminded you that you were only in a dress. You grasped your arms to try and hug some warmth into your skin. Hyunjin smoothly removed his jacket, holding it out for you to wear.
"Thank you." You slipped your arms through the blazer.
"You know, this isn't the first time you've worn my clothes." He smirked.
"Probably not the last." A tense eye contact began, his eyes glittering with the reflection of the dark lake. They looked eerily similar to the stars. They broke contact with yours, inspecting your lips for a second before meeting your eyes again. Butterflies started to gather in your stomach, as you realized this fantasy you had of Hyunjin may actually become a reality. Faintly, you began to hear people chant from downstairs.
"Nine!-- Eight!-- Seven!--" Hyunjin's hand brushed through your hair above your ear, a familiar sensation, yet foreign to you now. Your heartbeat got faster, and you wondered if he could hear it as your eyes darted from his eyes to his lips and back again. His hand landed on the side of your face, gently brushing his thumb along your rosy cheek.
"You're beautiful, (Y/N)." He said delicately, in almost a whisper.
"Three!-- Two!-- One!" A loud boom echoed between you, and a large red firework reflected itself on top of the lake. "Happy New Year!"
You and Hyunjin shared a second more of thoughtful silence, before leaning into each other. Your lips brushed against his, and all the butterflies that had been gathering in your stomach were released. His lips were soft, like the first rain of Spring, like falling asleep in the sun on a warm day. It was effortless and unique, it was written in the stars just as they reflected on the water so naturally. You moved against each other, sharing this beautiful moment under the bright light of the fireworks. Time seemed to move twice as slow.
You pulled away, smiling against his lips. Your hands, which had been lightly resting on his hips, grabbed his cheeks. Looking into each other's eyes, you didn't need to say anything. The stars seemed to align in that moment, colorful flashes of light reflecting off his skin. With a small, reassuring smile, you pulled his face back toward yours. As your lips connected once more, Hyunjin's lips were stretched into a smile.
You held each other for a moment, processing what had just happened. Turning away from you, Hyunjin put his arm around your shoulders, pulling you into his warm torso. Overlooking the lake, you watched the fireworks together, entering a new year and a new phase of both of your lives.