Chapter Text
It was another usual weekend in their shared apartment, with Jay in the kitchen making dinner for both of them, while Sunghoon naps on the couch, with a random TV show playing idly in the background. The doorbell rang, alerting Jay and waking Sunghoon up from his nap. Sunghoon quickly got up from the couch, rubbing his tired eyes.
“I'll go get it.” He said, and Jay resumed cooking as he walked to the door to look into the peephole. It's Shuhua, their senior and also a good friend they've made in college. He opened the door to let the older one in, and she almost leapt at Sunghoon as soon as the door opened.
“Sunghoon, Jay, I need your help!” She said in a panic as she ran into the living room, and Sunghoon followed behind her in confusion. Jay turned off the stove before turning around to face their noona.
“What's wrong?” Jay asked, observing the girl’s anxious expression.
“Valentine's day is coming up, and I need a plan to woo Soojin, ASAP.” Shuhua got straight to the point, making herself comfortable on the couch. Rather than getting questions from both of her friends, she was met with radio silence and confused glances from both of them, if the TV show in the background is negligible.
“Oh come on, say something!” Shuhua nagged them, and Sunghoon cleared his dry throat before answering.
“You could've asked literally anyone else with better relationship experiences than us.” Sunghoon said incredulously, remembering his first relationship with a girl that fucked up his brain chemistry permanently. As for Jay, it was especially difficult for him to find a single guy that doesn't see him as a replacement for some random chick.
“But I don’t trust them enough for something so important like this! Jay, Sunghoon, please help me out here!” Shuhua begged, as this is really her last resort. Although they felt flattered for their noona insisting for their help, they can’t help but wonder how horrible of a job they would do date-planning. Even worse when it's for Valentine's day.
“Noona..are you sure?” Jay had to ask again, still in disbelief that Shuhua had asked them out of all the people she knew. Shuhua nods, sighing exasperatedly.
“I'm not making you two write out the confession script for me! Just help me think of which gifts I should buy without burning a hole in my wallet!” Sunghoon and Jay let out a sigh in relief hearing Shuhua's response. Once Jay had finally finished cooking, he joined Shuhua and Sunghoon on the couch.
“So, I've been thinking of booking a reservation in a restaurant for our date.” Shuhua said, showing both of them a picture of the restaurant on her phone. Jay hummed in thought, and Sunghoon stared at the picture in a daze.
“Wouldn't it be embarrassing if she rejects you publicl-” Sunghoon's loud thought was cut off by Jay hitting his shoulder, and Shuhua turned her head to look at Sunghoon, flabbergasted.
“Very encouraging of you, Hoon, wow.” Shuhua remarked sarcastically, already starting to feel regret seeping in, before moving on to Jay.
“What do you think I should get her?” She asked, and Jay hummed in thought. Though he and Sunghoon aren't particularly close to Shuhua's friend, Soojin, he had a conversation or two with her. Soojin’s a sophisticated person, her cold, reserved and sharp appearance contrasts her warm, caring side, that is only seen when she's near Shuhua. If Jay were in any position to comment further, he'd tell his noona not to worry at all - because both he and Sunghoon can easily tell that Soojin's just as into Shuhua as the latter is.
“Well, what does she like?” Jay asked, trying to come up with a gift that’d encapsulate Soojin's character. Just like that, Shuhua started listing out everything about Soojin from A to Z, and Jay struggled to keep up with the amount of information he had to take in. Sunghoon snickered as he watched his friend struggle, now that Shuhua's focus is on Jay. Eventually, they decided on a cherry scented perfume, along with the classic bouquet of red roses.
“Now, Sunghoon, help me pick out a place for our date.” Shuhua turned to Sunghoon, the latter blinked at her in confusion.
“I thought you wanted to book a reservation for the restaurant.” Sunghoon said.
“I did, but you know what, it would be embarrassing if I was rejected in front of everyone in the restaurant.” Shuhua admitted shyly, and Sunghoon gave Jay a ‘see?’ look.
“Besides, I want it to feel more cozy and personal, you know.” Shuhua added, and Sunghoon nodded in response.
“What about a picnic, somewhere in the park in the evening, near sunset?” Shuhua gasped at Sunghoon's idea, slapping the latter’s shoulder excitedly.
“Oh my god, you're a genius Sunghoon! That way, I can make her favorite dishes as well!” Shuhua squealed, typing it into her notes. Sunghoon wore a smug expression as he looked back at Jay, who stared at him in disbelief, mouth wide open.
“That, I can help with, noona.” Jay doesn't know why he felt competitive over planning someone else's date, but he just wants to wipe the damned smug expression off of Sunghoon's face. Shuhua, who didn't notice any of this, got up from her seat.
“Alright! I’ll discuss more of this with you guys later, I gotta go now!” Shuhua said, making her way out of their shared apartment. Sunghoon and Jay waved her goodbye, before closing the door.
“Dude, we're gonna fuck this up so bad.” Jay said after realizing what they had just got themselves into. Who in their right minds asked probably the most bitchless people ever in college on how to plan a date?