Work Text:
The airport was bursting with life, which made sense for a Sunday afternoon. Even then, the airport was still abnormally cold, as airports usually were.
Jungwon shivered to himself, hugging himself tighter as he only had a simple t-shirt and a pair of sweats. Japan was known for being extremely hot during summer, so he obviously didn’t think to pack a jacket or something.
He sighed in relief as he found his gate, grateful to finally relax and take a seat. He examined his two bags to make sure everything was intact, specifically making sure his photocard of his favorite K-Pop idol was still attached to his bag.
Jungwon was a huge fan of the 4-member k-pop group, Enhypen. He had been attached to the group since their pre-debut, and was proud to call himself a day 1 Jake stan—his ult bias.
His two best friends, Sunoo and Riki, were also major fans. Sunoo and Jungwon grew up together in the same neighborhood, while Jungwon had met Riki in university, a foreign exchange student from Japan, and introduced the two. From then on, the trio became inseparable, and especially bonded over Enhypen.
Jungwon, primarily, was one of the more lowkey fans on the outside. He wore subtle merch, and would occasionally bring a photocard and hang it on his bag as a keychain. When he was with his friends, he would carefully splurge on his favorite groups’ newest comebacks, but was yet to attend a concert due to the lack of time and money. With his friends, and only with his friends, was he not afraid of expressing his love for his favorite idols.
pathetic losers + sunoo
sunoo! (10:09)
Sent a post by enhypen
GUYS look at enhas fits for their newest comeback!!!
Ughh Jay looks SO good
and Sunghoon’s ARMS 🤤
big rik (10:09)
WOAHHHH
hello heeseung 😏
wonie (10:10)
ARF ARF ARFFF
JAKEEEE
OMG
IM CREAMINH
sunoo! (10:10)
😭
big rik (10:10)
woah there
lets keep it in ur pants buddy
wonie (10:10)
im literally abt to crack jake until layla gets a sibling
sunoo! (10:10)
STOPPP
THATS WILD
big rik (10:10)
if this chat gets leaked ur COOKED
wonie (10:10)
that’s literally why i could never meet them irl
bc all i can think about is how i constantly talk abt wanting to get jake pregnant
all i need is a signed pc and im SET
sunoo! (10:11)
Not even a fancall??
wonie (10:11)
u can’t disappoint a picture
sunoo! (10:11)
BYE IM SICKKKK
big rik (10:11)
looks like jake isn’t getting pregnant any time soon
On top of being a fanboy on the low, he was also a fourth-year student at Seoul National University on scholarship, and had spent the summer taking a study abroad course in Osaka, Japan.
His family had praised him for his efforts, for taking big strides towards advancing his academic career. His friends, Sunoo and Riki, had been extremely supportive as well, but often teased him for his busy schedule.
To his surprise, around the same time that Jungwon had been accepted into the study abroad program, Enhypen had also announced that the Japan leg of their newest tour would occur during the same time that Jungwon was studying in Osaka.
Unfortunately, money was fairly tight for Jungwon, so a concert of his ult group was way out of budget.
Now, here he was. Freezing his ass off in the middle of the Osaka airport as he gets the most insane “fomo” from watching all the clips of the Japan Enhypen concert.
Them spraying each other with water was the best decision ever. Jungwon could only hope that it was him watching Jake get drenched. All he could do was dream.
“Now boarding, Flight #429 for South Korea.”
Jungwon sighed to himself, shutting off his phone and shoving it into his pocket.
He didn’t want to hear any more about missing his chance to see Enhypen.
*
Jungwon’s flight was practically full, and he was one of the last people to board.
He scoured the plane for an empty seat next to someone who looked like he could stand for 2 hours or so. Not like they’d ever see each other again.
He stumbled upon an empty aisle seat, score!
At the window seat was a presumably young man in a dark hoodie, the hood pulled up and covering most of his face.
“Excuse me?” asked Jungwon, timidly.
The man looked up, visibly startled. He donned a cap that covered the upper half of his face, meaning Jungwon could only see the man’s lips, which was uncomfortably familiar.
“Sorry to startle you, is anyone sitting here?”
The stranger merely stared back at Jungwon, gaping like a fish. He tilted his head up, to the point where Jungwon could barely see his eyes, which were wide. It was almost like he was stunned, unsure of what to do next.
Jungwon was ready to turn around and find a new seat next to someone perhaps less weird, when the man tilted his cap back down over his eyes, bringing a hand to his mouth to cough awkwardly.
“Mhm, go ahead,” he said in an abnormally deep voice, it seemed fake.
Jungwon was too tired to find a new seat next to someone less weird than this guy, and instead mumbled a quick “thanks” and placed his luggage overhead.
Minutes rolled by before the plane had finally ascended, allowing Jungwon to whip out his phone again.
After connecting to the plane’s internet, Jungwon noticed the string of messages by his group chat.
@nikikijackson sent a reel by honieily
He clicked the message and saw the thumbnail of an insanely hot concert picture of Jake. Based on Sunoo and Riki’s messages, it was probably a damn good edit.
Jungwon paused before clicking on the video. Would it be weird to watch edits on the plane while shoulder to shoulder with a complete stranger? Would the man think he’s a freak?
He peeked to the side, just for the sake of his pride, and found the stranger coincidentally gazing out the window. So, guess he’s in the clear.
pathetic losers + sunoo
big rik (13:03)
Sent a reel by honieily
@wonandonly
just for u
sunoo! (13:03)
HES ACTUALLY SO FINE
Stop making me cheat on Jay 💔
wonie (13:17)
why was this the most toe curling edit ever
jake is TEWWWW FINEEE
like
i NEED him
and i need him at my doorstep
and he’s not leaving until he’s pregnant
big rik (13:17)
LMAOOOO
sunoo! (13:17)
HELLO aren’t you literally on a plane rn
wonie (13:17)
very much so
sunoo! (13:18)
😭😭
big rik (13:18)
r u not ashamed of writing that out
in public
wonie (13:18)
#yolo
i need jake sim pregnant
and i need him to do INEXPLICABLE things to me
sunoo! (13:18)
IM CRYING
big rik (13:19)
wait didn’t enha js perform in japan
wonie (13:19)
…
don’t remind me
big rik (13:19)
no no i mean like
they’re prob leaving today
so imagine…
if they were on ur plane…
sunoo! (13:19)
Nightmare fuel
wonie (13:19)
oh HELL no
do NOT manifest that energy for me
Jungwon quickly shut off Instagram, placing his phone face up on his thigh.
He subtly turned his head to glance at the stranger. He found the man typing profusely into his phone, but no sign that he caught Jungwon watching the nastiest edit of Jake known to man. Hopefully.
Suddenly, his phone lit up with a message from Sunoo, also revealing his huge Jake lockscreen on his phone at full brightness. Jungwon scrambled to unlock his phone, praying the stranger hadn’t seen it.
sunoo! (13:21)
Sent a reel by aus.jakes
Is this not the airport you flew out of??
big rik (13:21)
HYUNG WHAT IF THEURR OM TJE SAME FLIGJY
sunoo! (13:21)
Wtf did you just say
wonie (13:21)
IM NOT GONNA LOOK FOR THEM
sunoo! (13:22)
Can you at least just look at the video and seeeeee
Jungwon finally clicked on the video, immediately noting that all four of the members looked like they were each dressed for four separate occasions. When he went to look further, he found that he recognized one of the outfits in particular.
A dark hoodie over a black cap? With light blue baggy denim jeans?
Oh God.
To make matters worse, it was Jake.
Lord have mercy.
sunoo! (13:24)
Jungwonie???
big rik (13:24)
hyung???
where tf did u go
did u bust
*combust
lol
sunoo! (13:24)
😐
big rik (13:24)
hyunggggg
…
jungwon!!! 😝
big rik (13:25)
erm so did he actually die or what
cuz i thought that would work
wonie (13:26)
i think im actually cooked guys
big rik (13:26)
WHAT
DID U SEE HEESEUNG
SNAP A PIC PLSPLSPLS
sunoo! (13:26)
Ew Ni-ki stop being such a creep
…can you get me one of Jay
big rik (13:26)
BOO YOU HYPOCRITEEEEE
For the rest of the 2 hour flight, Jungwon sat in complete silence. He turned his phone off and took off his earphones, refusing to even listen to Enhypen music in case “Jake” could magically hear the music through the earphones. He stared straight ahead at the seat in front of him, refusing to look at either side of him.
“Welcome to Seoul, Korea! We hope you enjoyed flying with us. Please remain buckled until instructed.”
When the “buckle” sign flashed, Jungwon didn't hesitate to spring up from his seat, already itching to leave.
Once it was his turn, Jungwon quickly moved into the aisle, attempting to pull his suitcase out of the overhead bin. Much to his dismay, his luggage got stuck. Great, how embarrassing.
He fumbled with the bag some more until it slipped out of the bin, getting ready to crash onto Jungwon’s head. At that point, he just accepted his fate. This was his karma for shamelessly watching filthy Jake edits while sitting right next to the man himself.
Jungwon simply stood there to let his suitcase kill him, like how the dinosaurs watched the meteor fly by to wipe them all out of existence, like losers. Then, a figure stepped up next to him and placed his hands underneath the luggage, preventing it from plummeting onto his face.
He turned to the side and saw that it was the stranger sitting next to him—”Jake”.
He smiled at Jungwon sweetly, before carefully placing the bag at Jungwon’s feet.
“There. You alright?” There it was, those big, shiny, puppy dog eyes that Jungwon was so used to only seeing as pixels on a screen, now a mere few inches in front of him. This can’t be real.
Jungwon turned away, the eye contact too intense. “Mhm, thanks,” he muttered quickly, before dashing off. Not even bothering to think too much about the feeling of eyes burning holes into the back of his head.
He ran into the closest restroom, barricading himself into an empty stall for shelter. Jungwon allowed himself to finally breathe and process everything that just happened. He reached towards his backpack to grab his phone when he saw something off about his suitcase.
Rolling it towards himself, he noticed that his keychain was missing; now just the metal clasp and rings, but no photocard.
Jungwon began to silently freak out.
He understands the insanity behind panicking over a small piece of paper. But, when said piece of paper was worth a shit ton of money due to it being a POB Lucky Draw Photocard of Jake, he had the right to be freaking out.
Somehow, the photocard got ripped off of the keychain, meaning it was now lost somewhere forever. And Jungwon didn’t have the patience to look. Well, only the strongest survive, and one of those is not Lucky Draw Jake.
Jungwon sighed resignedly to himself. He might as well grab a cab to get home as soon as possible so he can cry himself to sleep in the comfort of his own bed instead of an airport bathroom.
He lugged his bags all the way to the car drop-off and pick-up. He waved a hand in the air, signaling for a cab.
Once he caught the attention of one, he approached the vehicle.
“Where to?”
“Seoul National University.”
“Oh, you’re a student there?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Good school. Long drive, though.”
The driver revealed the price, and Jungwon just about died on the spot.
He fished his pockets for some excess cash, even having to resort to checking his savings account for the money. Which he did not have.
Jungwon quickly bowed and apologized to the man before doing the walk of shame to a nearby bench.
Tears started to well up in his eyes, and Jungwon was too exhausted to fight them off. It’s not like his day could get any worse, so having a meltdown in public wouldn’t be the worst thing ever, unfortunately. So, he lets the tears fall, letting out quiet sobs.
All of a sudden, someone lightly taps his shoulder. Jungwon has an inkling that if he turns around, it’ll be the end of him. Somehow, he turned around anyway.
“Hey, you’re the guy in the plane from earlier, right?” asked the very man that started his awful day, the man who hours ago was just pixels on a screen that Jungwon was proudly typing about impregnating, and was now right in front of him. Jungwon was just about ready to die. Where was that dinosaur-killing meteor when he needed it.
When Jungwon didn’t respond, the man continued. “Well, um, you dropped this,” he held out his hand, revealing the POB Lucky Draw Jake photocard, still in its photocard holder stating ‘I Love My BF.’ “It came off of your bag on the plane, so I’ve been running around looking for you.” He awkwardly laughed, while Jungwon stared at him blankly.
After a beat, Jungwon snatched the photocard from “Jake’s” hand, his neck growing hot from embarrassment. “Thanks,” he muttered, turning away shamefully.
Yet, Jake didn’t move. “Is ‘thanks’ the only thing you say?” he laughed. “Because, that’s the only thing you’ve said to me in the whole 3 hours of us being in the vicinity of each other. I thought we’d be more chill than that,” he joked.
Jungwon whipped around to finally face Jake. “No, I can—I can say more,” he sniffled, tears still streaming down. “I just— there wasn’t— you didn’t say much either…!” he said, hiccuping.
Jake had probably realized he was crying, as he noticed Jungwon’s blotchy face, puffy eyes, and tear-lined rosy cheeks. Jungwon probably looked like a baby, but he was too annoyed to care.
Jake’s face then turned into genuine concern. “Wait, um, are you okay?” he said softly, as he sat down on the bench next to Jungwon, making sure there was a decent amount of space between them.
Jungwon almost bursts into tears, his voice shaky. “Um, yeah—no, I mean no. I just—I don’t have enough money for a cab right now. I have an apartment near my university, and I was considering calling my friend to come pick me up but we’re pretty far from here, so it might take awhile. Plus, I don’t really wanna bother them too much—”
“What’s your name?” Jake cut in.
“Um, Jungwon.”
“Jungwon,” he repeated, Jungwon’s stomach fluttered. “Nice to meet you. I’m Ja—Jaeyun.” Ah, so he doesn’t know that Jungwon knows. “I can help you pay for a cab.”
Jungwon’s face lit up, he looked like a kid on Christmas morning. “Really? You would do that?” Then, his face dropped again. “But, I couldn’t possibly take your money.”
Jake shrugged, “It’s okay, it’s nothing.” Jungwon believed him. Being an idol with money, a cab was probably actually nothing.
Jungwon bit the inside of his cheek to think. He didn’t want to extort the man of his money, especially when Jake didn’t even know that Jungwon knew he was Jake, a literal k-pop idol.
When he finally looked up at Jake, he found the man already looking at him, a soft expression on his face. “Um, yeah, that’s— thank you,” Jungwon barely stuttered out.
Jake hummed in response, smiling, “I’ll go call that cab for you.”
Jungwon sat patiently on the bench, watching Jake readjust his cap and start waving wildly at the cars. He giggled quietly, just to himself. It was honestly a treasure getting to see an idol like him be carefree and himself, even if it was a little pathetic. Not many people would probably have the opportunity to witness something like this, ever. Jungwon held that close to his heart.
“Jungwon!” He looked up to see Jake waving to him, a cab right next to him.
Jake had fortunately communicated to the driver that he would be paying for Jungwon’s cab, even if it potentially struck a few questions out of the driver, and if he did, he never asked.
As Jungwon approached the car, Jake swiftly gathered Jungwon's suitcase and backpack in his hands, making his way to the back of the car.
“Hey, wait, Ja—Jaeyun! You don’t have to do that.”
He stood by as Jake lifted up the trunk, carefully stuffing both bags into the trunk of the cab. Jungwon sighed, a small smile stretched across his lips. He worked his way to the back seat of the cab when Jake ran to Jungwon’s side.
Politely, Jake opened the door for Jungwon, making a whole show out of it as he stretched a hand out.
Jungwon let out a breathy laugh, “I just needed the money for a cab, I don’t need a whole assistant.”
“It’s the least I could do,” said Jake, cooly, patiently waiting for Jungwon to grab his hand. Ultimately, Jungwon decided to entertain the idea, placing his hand in Jake’s palm, letting him guide him into the car.
Once Jungwon settled in, he realized Jake was still standing there, leaning against the door and looking down at him. Jungwon had to admit, Jake looked a little too good leaning against the door, with the sunlight shining down on him, giving him that golden hour glow.
Jake stared at him for a few seconds, and Jungwon noticed that he looked almost nervous. “Um, are you sure you don’t want company or anything? Just to make sure you get back alright?”
Jungwon’s first thought is yes. But, he reminded himself that this was Jake. K-pop idol, global superstar from the group Enhypen Jake. It would feel wrong taking advantage of Jake’s time because he was an idol. He probably appreciated not being recognized for awhile, which is likely why he’d been so nice.
“No, no, it’s okay! I’ve already been enough of a bother. You probably have places to be anyway.” He smiled up at Jake, who almost looked disappointed. “Also, how can I pay you back? Could I Venmo you somehow—”
“Go on a date with me?”
Jungwon blinked a few times. “I’m sorry—what?”
Jake’s whole face goes scarlet, a petrified look on his face. “Sorry, sorry— I can’t— that was super forward. I just— I thought you— I think you’re really sweet and cute and— I don’t know. I would honestly just really like to see you again, and get to know you more, but it’s totally fine you don’t have to because I literally just sprang that on you—”
He grabbed Jake’s hand. “No! I mean yes—wait,” he swallowed. “I would love to go on a date with you.”
Jake flashes that bright, toothy grin, “Could I perhaps get your number?” He fished out a pen from his pants pocket—when did he get that? He then rolled up the sleeve of his hoodie, squatting down for Jungwon to reach. Jungwon rolled his eyes affectionately, of course Jake was the type of guy to ask for someone’s number in the nerdiest way imaginable.
He quickly scribbled his number on Jake’s arm, suddenly remembering they were in the drop-off line of an airport.
Jungwon signed off his number with a heart, handing the pen back to Jake. “I’m looking forward to our date. Thanks again, Jaeyun.” He watched as Jake stared at his forearm arm, smiling down at it.
He rolled his sleeve back up and looked up at Jungwon. “I’ll remember to call.” He then leaned in close, until they were mere inches apart, his strong cologne invading his senses. “You can call me Jake,” he whispered, before standing up and carefully closing the cab door, waving after him and walking off.
Jungwon sat there stunned, mouth agape, the scent of Jake still lingering.
“Wow,” said a gruff voice from the front seat. Right, he was literally in a cab. “The chemistry between you two is off the charts! I can’t wait to tell my wife, she is gonna eat this up.”
That reminded him, he should probably tell Sunoo and Riki. He whipped out his phone and pulled up their group chat.
pathetic losers + sunoo
wonie (16:18)
guess who has a date
sunoo! (16:19)
WHAT
HELLO
Literally what happened in the past 3 hours
big rik (16:19)
omg hyung ur not gonna die alone
wonie (16:19)
what the hell
sunoo! (16:19)
Who’s the poor unfortunate soul?
wonie (16:20)
dont pmo rn
this is why i dont tell u guys shit
sunoo! (16:20)
DAMN I’m kidding 😭
big rik (16:20)
bro just tell usssss
wonie (16:20)
ok so
ur not gonna believe this
*
Hours later, the trio were reunited in their shared apartment. While Sunoo wasn’t in university with them due to graduating the year prior, his new job was near their apartment and was a convenient commute.
They sat in a circle on the floor in the living room surrounded by individual snack piles and a random k-drama in the background as noise, with Jungwon’s phone being placed face up in the center.
Jungwon had his dog, Maeumi, cuddled up in his arms. He repeatedly pet her in his arms, more for his comfort than hers.
“So you’re telling us,” Sunoo started, taking a bite of his ice cream, “that you actively typed out that you wanted to get Jake pregnant—”
“Want,” Riki corrected, “he still does.” Jungwon groaned.
Sunoo gave Riki a pointed look, then back at Jungwon. “You actively typed out that you want to get Jake pregnant, with your phone on full brightness, while Jake himself was sitting right next to you?”
Jungwon chose not to respond. It really did sound bad.
“How did you manage to pull Jake with an insane fumble like that, hyung?”
He paused petting Maeumi. “I don’t think he even read it!” He said exasperatedly, throwing his arms in the air.
“Okay, and how do you know that?” Sunoo spat.
“Because, I saw him! He was looking out the window!”
“Or, he was pretending to so you wouldn’t know he was looking,” said Riki.
“That’s a good point.”
“Ugh, you guys suck,” Jungwon pouted, petting Maeumi once more. “But, look, if he did read it he probably wouldn’t have helped me pay for a cab. Why would you pay a cab for a weirdo that texts people he wants to get you pregnant?”
Sunoo shrugged, “I mean, I guess. But, he could just be really nice.”
“And he asked me out on a date, he asked me for my number!”
“Allegedly,” said Riki, mouth full of chips.
“Right, allegedly,” Sunoo agreed, taking another bite of his ice cream.
“What do you mean ‘allegedly’? You guys don’t believe me?”
Sunoo placed his now empty bowl of ice cream down, folding his hands in his lap. “I mean, I want to believe you. Because this sounds cool and entertaining. Plus, the facts match up. But, until he calls, it's just speculation.”
“What Sunoo hyung said!” replied Riki.
Jungwon grows quiet for a minute, Maeumi squirmed in his lap until he loosened his grip. Maeumi climbs out of his lap and runs off somewhere else. “What if this was just a fluke? What if he doesn’t call?” he says in a quiet voice. “I mean, I knew this was too good to be true.”
Sunoo crawled over to Jungwon, wrapping his arms around him in a comforting hug.
“It’s not like I want to go on a date with him just because he’s my favorite idol, he was also just so sweet and comfortable to talk to.”
Sunoo rubbed his shoulder reassuringly. “Maybe he will. But, if he doesn’t, that’s his loss.”
“I hope he calls too, because I don’t really believe you either.”
Sunoo hissed, “Riki—”
Jungwon’s phone suddenly lit up, a loud ding erupts from the phone. The trio spring up from their spots on the floor. Jungwon scrambles to his phone, the other two huddle around him.
A text illuminated the screen.
‘hey it’s jake! this is jungwon right? 😁’
“Oh my God, he texted me.” He just stared at the text, like it was something fragile and untouchable. “What do I do?”
“Respond!” Riki and Sunoo shouted in unison.
“Damn, okay! Sorry!”
He furiously typed into his phone, constantly deleting and typing words to craft the perfect message.
Suddenly, Sunoo groaned. “It looks fine, just send it!” he whined impatiently.
‘hi! yes! i’m glad u messaged :)’
With an annoyed huff, Jungwon sent his message, before immediately chucking his phone across the room.
“Way to be calm,” said Riki. Jungwon glared at him.
“The smiley face was a nice touch.”
“Will you two—”
The phone dinged again. Sunoo and Riki turned to Jungwon, who showed no sign of retrieving his phone.
Riki crawled over to the phone, bringing it back to the other two. They huddled around the small device once more, as Riki held down on the message on the screen.
‘sorry if this is weird or anything, but would u wanna call?’
Jungwon, Sunoo, and Riki all screamed, scaring Maeumi into running for shelter in another room.
“Oh my God, you have to call him!” squealed Sunoo. Jungwon nodded, immediately typing into his phone.
‘sure let’s do it!’
Not even a second after pressing send, Jungwon’s phone lights up with Jake’s name. He sits there and stares at it in awe.
“Answer, stupid!” Riki yelled. “And put it on speaker,” he said as an afterthought.
Jungwon’s finger hovered over the button, composing himself. Before he could do any more thinking, Sunoo lightly shoved him, forcing him to press the call button.
“You little—“
“Jungwon?”
Jungwon carefully placed his phone on the ground between the three of them, taking a deep breath before responding. “Hey!”
“Nice to hear from you again.” Jungwon can almost hear the smile through the phone. “I’m guessing this means you made it back safe?” Jungwon can’t help but smile at the genuineness. He almost forgot that he was not alone when Riki nudged him, also reminding him that he had to respond.
“I did! Thank you so much, again.”
“Any time. So, I hope you know that I was being completely serious back in the cab. I would love to see you again. Hopefully as a date?”
Jungwon’s grin widened. “I would love that, too.”
“Awesome! Well, I’m not sure what kind of food you like, but there's this hole in the wall Thai place that I love, and it has the most delicious mango sticky rice,” he rambled on. “Could I take you there?”
Around him, Sunoo and Riki stared at Jungwon in dead silence, waiting for his own response. Jungwon shrugged at them confused, Riki rolled his eyes at Sunoo nodded aggressively, gesturing for him to continue.
“That sounds amazing, let’s do it!”
“Great! Is tomorrow around 7 good? I can pick you up.”
“Sounds perfect. I’ll send you my address.”
“Thanks! I do have to go, so I can’t talk very long, as much as I’d really like to keep talking to you,” he awkwardly laughed. “But I can’t wait to see you soon, Jungwon.”
He blushed, Riki lightly elbowed him, teasingly. “I’m excited to see you again, too, Jake.”
As soon as Jake ended the call, hell broke loose between the trio.
Both Riki and Sunoo start shaking Jungwon back and forth. “Hello?! He’s so madly in love with you!” Sunoo squealed.
“If everything goes well tomorrow, can you get Jake to set me up with Heeseung? Or even Sunghoon, because those biceps are everything.”
Sunoo stopped to slap Riki’s shoulder, evoking a yelp out of him. “Get a grip, Riki! You have no chance.”
He gasped dramatically, letting go of Jungwon, too. “What?! Jungwon hyung literally has a date with the motherfucker Jake himself! A boy can dream, damn.”
“I mean, it’s a miracle that Jake likes men at all,” responded Sunoo.
“To be fair, have you seen the guy?” Riki started. “That’s a boykisser if I’ve ever seen one.”
“Fair,” Sunoo shrugged. “I wonder if he’s also into mpreg.” Sunoo and Riki stared at Jungwon.
“Okay, so, why don’t you two just go ahead and kill your—”
*
A light knock could be heard from Jungwon’s front door. Jungwon is only half-dressed, so he erupts in a small panic. He grabbed his phone from his nightstand, reading that the time was only 6:34.
He hears the door open, Jake’s soft spoken voice can be heard all the way from the living room. In muffled voices, he can hear both Riki and Sunoo making hyper conversations with the man, worrying Jungwon. He finished getting dressed as quickly as possible, rushing into the living room.
Jungwon runs in, to see Jake slightly more dressed than he was at the airport. He’s wearing a nice pair of dark-washed denim jeans, and a thin flannel top. He’s also wearing another dark-colored baseball cap, likely to partially cover his face.
Riki and Sunoo are both fairly taller than Jake, moreso Riki, making it harder for him to find Jungwon at first.
It’s almost like Jake senses Jungwon’s presence, because almost as soon as Jungwon walked into the room, Jake peeked his head out from behind Riki and Sunoo, grinning from ear to ear. Riki and Sunoo stepped aside for Jungwon when they saw Jake’s goofy grin.
Jungwon suddenly felt embarrassed with the attention, trying to make himself feel smaller in his plain long sleeved gray polo, and dark jeans.
“Are you ready to go?” said Jake cheerfully.
“For sure!”
He led Jake out the front door, pausing to wave goodbye to his feral roommates.
“Bye, you freaks.”
“Have fun, honey!” said Riki, in a high-pitched sing-song voice. Jungwon gave him a disgusted look. “But, not too much fun,” he said, punctuated with a wink. Jungwon flipped him off.
“Remember, he has a curfew. He better be back here before then or I’m hunting you guys down.”
“Hyung!” Jungwon yelled.
“There’s a curfew?” Jake said, confused.
Jungwon grabbed his hand, pulling him away from the door. “Don’t listen to them, Jake.” He turned towards his friends. “They’re just really messed up in the head!” he shouted, slamming the door behind them, even though the laughter of his two friends were loud enough to be heard through the walls.
Jungwon was still holding Jake’s hand as he led them out of the building, only stopping and finally dropping Jake’s hand when he realized he didn’t know where they were going.
“I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to grab you and drag around!” he said frantically.
Jake just laughed, stuffing his hands into his pockets. “It’s fine. Your roommates are funny.”
Jungwon rolled his eyes. “They’re nuisances is what they are,” he cleared his throat, clearly preparing a whole spiel. “Riki’s the youngest since he was born in 2005, and Sunoo hyung is the oldest of us; 2003. I was born in 2004, so I’m basically the middle child. Which means I’m the butt of every joke.”
Jake exhaled. “I get that. In my…friend group, I’m kind of like the middle child. Three out of four of us were born in ‘02, but our eldest friend is ‘01. I’m the second youngest of our group, so the second oldest and I are mostly the on and off targets of everyone’s teasing.” Jungwon smiled at that, he knew he was talking about the other members of Enhypen. It was nice to hear that they were just as close in their private life as they are on camera.
“So, what did they say to our little outing today?” Jungwon tilted his head, smirking slightly, quirking up an eyebrow.
Jake let out a breath, rubbing a hand on the back of neck. “They teased me a bunch, which is to be expected since this is the first time I’ve been on a date,” he trailed off.
“It is?” Jungwon asked, a little too surprised.
“In a while at least, not since high school. Before I moved out here.”
Jungwon hummed, trying not to act too giddy at the thought of being the first person to go on a date with Jake in years. He hated to admit it, but he was the jealous type.
“Well, enough about my past love life. The Thai restaurant is actually walking distance from here, I’ll lead the way,” he winked.
*
Throughout their date, Jungwon could tell Jake was growing more comfortable around him, unafraid to open up about a lot of things. He, obviously, avoided mentioning his idol life, but their time together practically made Jungwon almost forget all about it.
Almost is the key word.
Jake had brought Jungwon to a small ice cream parlor around the corner, another hole-in-the-wall place. They sat down at a table outside in the back, probably where no one was likely to spot Jake. For that reason, Jake took his cap off and ran a hand through his hair, revealing his perfectly unstyled, natural hair, reminding Jungwon that this was real, he was on a date with an idol.
That stomach turning feeling of self-loathing felt like hot acid in his stomach. The feeling of not being able to live up to the high standards of idols gutted him. Jake could date one of the most gorgeous female idols ever, like Wonyoung. Or if he wanted a guy, the k-pop industry was filled with some of the prettiest men that ever existed. Jake walked among those people practically every day, and Jungwon was just trying to make ends meet.
They make the walk back to Jungwon’s place, filled with small talk between the two. The pair made it to Jungwon’s door, where he stood staring at the door, key in hand. Jake lingered at the entrance as if he didn’t want to leave, which made Jungwon not want this night to end. Ever. With Jake being an idol, and not even being able to openly tell Jungwon about it, who knows when they’d ever be able to see each other again. If at all.
Jungwon whipped around, slightly scaring Jake.
He hesitated, trying to find the right words. In the end, Jungwon blurted out, “I know who you are.”
Jake looked perplexed, yet amused. “Is this a Twilight reference? What is it…’say it,’ then you go ‘vampire!’”
Jungwon laughed out, “What? No! You watch Twilight?” He shook his head to focus. “Sorry, I mean, I know that you’re an idol. As in you’re Jake from Enhypen.” He mentally facepalmed, obviously he knew that.
Jake shrugged, moving to lean against the wall using his shoulder, facing Jungwon. “Yeah, I figured.”
“What?” he managed to sputter out. “But, then why would you wanna go out with me? I mean, I’m obviously flattered because you’re an insanely cute guy, so I would never expect you to want to go out with someone like me. I also just love talking to you; I feel very comfortable talking to you. But, I’m also just one of your fans, aren’t you worried that I would be a sasaeng, or take advantage of you?”
He smiled, clearly very amused. “Are you a creepy sasaeng?”
“Definitely not! I’m just saying—“
“Then you’re already perfect,” he said in a soft voice, Jungwon couldn’t help his rosy cheeks from heating up. “But, I don’t know. You’re just so easy to talk to, I’m not afraid to be vulnerable with you. Plus, you didn’t even make a big deal out of recognizing me, which I appreciate a ton. I barely would’ve known you were a fan!”
Jake stepped forward, towards Jungwon. He gently grabbed Jungwon’s hands shyly. Being this close together made Jungwon realize Jake was slightly shorter than him, good to know. “So, I don’t know what else to say except that this just…feels right.” He glanced up at Jungwon through his lashes. “And, I hope this isn’t just a one time thing?”
Jungwon bites the inside of his cheek, which was slowly growing into a habit around Jake, to prevent himself from smiling too hard. Obviously, it doesn’t work.
“I’d really like that, too.”
He looked back at Jake, gazing into his dark brown eyes. Shamefully, Jungwon glanced down at Jake’s lips and back into his eyes.
Jake quirked an eyebrow up, silently asking. Jungwon responded by humming quietly.
They both dive forward at the same time.
The kiss ends fairly too quickly, merely just a peck.
Jake is the first to lean back, as Jungwon stands there in a daze. His eyes slowly blink open. When his body catches up to his brain, Jungwon finally realizes that they just shared a kiss, additionally on a first date, and immediately gets shy.
He attempts to back away, but Jake has a firm grip on him, even though Jungwon doesn’t really want Jake to let him go. “Well…um—“
“You’re a lot less confident when put into the actual situation,” Jake laughed.
He froze. “...What do you mean by that?”
“I’m at your doorstep, aren’t I?”
Uh oh. Jungwon’s stomach starts to churn, as his face heats up once more.
“I thought you weren’t gonna let me leave until I was preg—“
Jungwon reached up, covering Jake’s mouth with both hands. “Shut up! Do NOT finish that sentence.” Jake reached up, gently grabbing onto Jungwon’s wrists to lower them. His muffled laughter becomes more audible as he moves away Jungwon’s hands.
Jungwon comes to the realization that his real laugh is beautiful. It’s raw and carefree, nothing like the videos scattered across the internet, but better.
“How did you even find out about that? Did Sunoo and Riki tell you?”
Jake shook his head, his laughter dying down. “On the plane. Your screen was at max brightness. And, come on, that edit of me was insane, how could I not pay attention?”
Jungwon groaned, dropping his head dramatically. Jake giggled this time, like really giggled, and brushed Jungwon’s hair away from his eyes.
“Hey, I still asked you out even after seeing that. So, I don’t think you’re a total weirdo. I just never expected you to be so…tame.”
Jungwon huffed, blowing away a stray strand of hair from his face. “Whatever.” Even as he looked away, he still couldn’t help but smile.
*
Both Riki and Sunoo were coincidentally not at the apartment when Jungwon and Jake had finally parted ways for the night.
Jungwon had an idea of why, but he didn’t want to ask out of the fear of being right.
But, he still wanted to update them.
pathetic losers + sunoo
sunoo! (22:30)
Sooo
How was it???
big rik (22:30)
shhhh hyung
they have the apt to themselves rn
;)
sunoo! (22:30)
OOOH
You’re so right
wonie (22:32)
would u two chill
this is the FIRST date
sunoo! (22:32)
Ok and
big rik (22:32)
^^
wonie (22:32)
kys
anyway
he knew abt my mpreg messages…
big rik (22:33)
NO WAY LMFAOOO
sunoo! (22:33)
Yet he still asked you out???
He’s probably into that
wonie (22:33)
BLOCKED.
I HATE BOTH OF U