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Love Potion

Summary:

When witch Jaeyun receives a request for a love potion, which ironically breaks her heart, her crush Sunghoon is in love with someone else.

Notes:

Well, hello.
This isn't my first fanfic, but I still feel insecure about my writing, especially since English isn't my first language.
The fic is ready, I'll try to update one chapter a day, but I can't guarantee it, please be patient!
Please enjoy reading, and tell me your opinions on what you thought.

Chapter Text

Jaeyun tapped his fingers against the desk rhythmically. Across from him sat Yang Jungwon, one of his favorite dongsaeng, an insider who befriended the whole campus since day one. Though Jaeyun loved the younger to death, Jungwon made some of the most unreasonable request at times. Perhaps, this was a testament to how close their friendship is.

"Love potion," Jaeyun repeated.

"Love potion," Jungwon affirmed.

The last tap of his finger is particularly louder, faltering Jungwon's smile.

"Yang Jungwon, you... what are you planning this time?"

The accused raised his hand defensively. "Hyung, hyung. Listen to me first. I know how it works. The feeling will be temporary and fake. I know you can't get anyone really fall in love with that."

Love potions are considered borderline illegal and highly dangerous. It causes the drinker to romantically obsess over the person who gave them the potion. However, true love cannot be produced through artificial means, and thus the feeling love potions created is more like obsession than affection. Most importantly, the effect is only temporary and would wear off over time, lasting merely 24 hours.

"If you know, then why?"

Jungwon visibly wilted, shrinking into the sofa of Jaeyun's apartment. "I... I just need a reassurance, hyung. There's someone I really like, but I'm sure he just sees me as a friend. Trust me, I have done everything."

Except for confessing your feelings directly, Jaeyun commented internally.

"We've been good friends for a while, so I don't want to mess this up. I don't want to confess blindly without any reassurance. I don’t want to destroy our relationship without making sure first."

Jaeyun sighed, crossing his arms. "Jungwon, you do know the receiver will remember, right? They might not realize they're drugged by a love potion, but after the effect wears off, they'll be wondering why they're obsessed with you yesterday."

Jungwon nodded ferociously. "That's exactly what I'm aiming for. I want to force him to think of me in a romantic way. Of course, he'll be confused, but then he'll definitely see me in a different light. It's a start, hyung. I want him to be interested in me."

If kneeling works, Jungwon would be licking Jaeyun's feet already.

Jaeyun's eyebrows were still scrunched together, showing clear displease at the crazy idea. The effort in creating the love potion was nothing as compared to the repercussion Jungwon or the receiver might get. Jaeyun was more afraid of Jungwon screwing this up and regretting it more than anything else.

"I'm just this desperate, hyung. Please,” Jungwon pleaded.

His eyes travelled to the assortment of items currently placed on the coffee table, offerings from Jungwon. Jaeyun's favorite bubble milk tea, Jaeyun's favorite bottle of wine, Jaeyun's favorite taco, Jaeyun's favorite pudding, and least but not last, obsidian brier and griffin ichor.

"From where did you get those?"

Jungwon winked. "I have my ways and connections, hyung. Just take it."

Yes, Jungwon was this desperate.

Unlike his friends within the same circle, Jaeyun wasn't fond of bad ideas. He wasn’t much of a daredevil and would rather keep it civil. Once again, his gaze captured Jungwon's pleading eyes.

"Fine."

Before Jungwon could jump at him, Jaeyun stopped him.

"Before that. I want to make sure you know any side effects or repercussions that can come out of this. Not the potion, but your action. If this person finds out, they won't take this lightly. It's a crime, Jungwon."

The part siren nodded solemnly. "I come here asking for your favor knowing full well, Jaeyun-hyung. I'm prepared."

Okay. Okay.

Jaeyun took a deep breath. "Give me four, no, five weeks to prepare the ingredients. I want you to think it through again and again for these five weeks. If you're still up to it, bring me a few strands of your hair and their hair. After that, I'll start the brewing for one week. So, in total, six weeks. Five weeks for you to reconsider things."

"Okay. Trust me, I won't change my mind."

"Alright, but I’m still giving you time. Just take it and think about it."

Jungwon scooted closer, giving Jaeyun a look of extreme adoration and respect. "I'm taking it graciously, Jaeyun-hyung. Tell me if you need anything. I'll help you."

"Don’t worry. I must check the quality of the ingredients myself. Had to be extra careful for my friend's future partner, right?"

"Hyung."

"What?"

"Have I told you I love you so much and that you're the best hyung ever?"

Jaeyun winced, edging away from the sofa. "You can stop buttering up to me."

"But I'm not," the younger whined in his shrill voice, perhaps considering it to be a cute gesture. It was not. "Hyung, I really love you, really really love you so much!"

"Nope, nope, wait—"

Before Jaeyun could evade, Jungwon tackled him off the sofa.

 

 

"Hee, do you know anyone close to Jungwon recently?"

Heeseung glanced up momentarily from his phone. "Close? Jungwon is friends with everyone. Be more specific."

Jaeyun nudged at the part werewolf in disappointment. “As in they're not that close with Jungwon before, but now they are hanging out more. Just someone who is much, much closer with Jungwon recently. Just give me any names that come into your mind.”

Giving time for Heeseung to think, Jaeyun watched the falling leaves adorning the sight around them, and the sound they made whenever he stepped on them, the crunchiness was somewhat satisfying. The weather felt right, not too sunny and not too cloudy, making the campus’ vibes much cozier.

Eventually, Heeseung gave a vague answer to him. "Honestly, he has a lot of friends so I don’t know who exactly you’re asking for. Maybe Riki? But they have been close for a while too. Jungwoo, maybe? Oh, wait.” A lightbulb lit up on Heeseung’s head. “It's Sunghoon. He's recently close with Sunghoon."

Jaeyun froze, not expecting that name at all. "Sunghoon?"

"Yeah. The theatre club is preparing for a play, so they've been together around campus recently."

"Oh… I never knew that."

"Well, I’m not surprised since you and Sunoo locked yourself in the lab basically 24/7,” Heeseung teased him, grinning playfully.

Sometimes, Jaeyun was thankful Heeseung was somewhat oblivious because he didn’t catch how Jaeyun’s expression fell back then. Jaeyun returned his grin. "At least I'm not spending 24/7 gaming like you do."

"Hey!"

Jaeyun laughed at Heeseung’s pouty expression. Heeseung tried to get back at him by bumping into Jaeyun’s shoulder with his werewolf strength, literally pushing Jaeyun away with such a great force that he almost stumbled into the ground. Jaeyun stared at Heeseung in shock. This man had no awareness of his muscle strength at all.

"You gorilla!" Jaeyun snapped at him accusingly.

“That’s why don’t play with me or I can accidentally send you flying, Yunnie-yah,” Heeseung chuckled, tugging Jaeyun back to walk next to him. He reached out to take off a stray leaf stuck on Jaeyun’s black locks. “So, why are you asking that weird question? Anything wrong with Jungwon and Sunghoon?”

"No, I’m just wondering..."

Of course, Jungwon's request of making a love potion was a secret from anyone. Jaeyun wouldn’t tell Heeseung the entire truth behind his question.

At that time, the unsettling feeling in Jaeyun’s stomach was too faint and weak that he brushed it off as nothing. It should've been the first sign, but Jaeyun failed to notice it.

 

 

Jaeyun turned the timer to fifteen minutes and set it down on the laboratory table.

The Third Potions Laboratory was empty aside from him. Currently, he was the only student brewing there, the bubbling cauldron and voices from the hallway outside filling the silence of the room. As he waited for the cauldron to do their own magic, Jaeyun took his phone out and scrolled through his notification.

Once he had nothing else to do to kill time, naturally, his mind reverted to the conversation he had with Heeseung this morning.

It wasn’t confirmed yet, but the target of Jungwon's love potion was probably Sunghoon.

Park Sunghoon, an undergraduate student in the same batch with him and Heeseung.

He was definitely famous around the campus, not only because of how unfairly good-looking he is, that people were confused whether to call him handsome or beautiful, but also because of how charming his personality is. There is this special charm of his that captivated the eyes of the people around him. He is smart and not only just by his grade, but he’s capable of doing anything efficiently and looking effortlessly good at that. He is friendly, kind, outgoing, sometimes playful and teasing, just the kind of person that would attract people towards him. Everyone is drawn to him, everyone wants to know him—including Jaeyun.

Jaeyun set his phone down, gnawing on his lips without realizing it. Undeniably, he had a little crush on Sunghoon. Who wouldn't have a crush on such a charming person as him?

Some people blamed Sunghoon’s vampire blood for this. Vampires are naturally gifted with their otherworldly look and they sometimes exude this superior, dominating aura that attracted the people around them, be it on purpose or not. Jaeyun knew this wasn’t the case with Sunghoon.

He had interacted with the vampire a few times because of a mutual friend, and although Jaeyun was flustered around him at first, interacting with Sunghoon himself dispelled any crooked first impression. Yes, Sunghoon is good-looking, but he is more than that. Jaeyun enjoyed talking to him, finding his laughs enjoyable and his jokes ridiculous, and he is much more playful and wittier than Jaeyun first expected. His personality is way more charming than his appearance.

No, no, no. Jaeyun wiped the thoughts away quickly.

The more he contemplated it, the more he would embarrassingly admit he had more than just a little crush on Sunghoon.

But Jungwon...

If Jungwon really liked Sunghoon, to the point of resorting to an underhanded tactic, practically begging and groveling at Jaeyun's feet for a love potion... how could Jaeyun refuse him?

Jaeyun had no objection. He was barely friends with Sunghoon anyway, merely acquaintances, a friend of a friend he casually talked to once in a while. Compared to how desperate Jungwon is, what Jaeyun had is a simple, fleeting crush.

This feelings would go away once the timer rang and the potion was done brewing.

Or so, he believed.


Jungwon: Hyung

Jungwon: I'm sure

Jungwon: 100%

 

Ever since Jaeyun told Jungwon to reconsider his request, Jungwon started messaging him every day without fail, reaffirming his decision. It had been three days in a row now. Jaeyun wondered if Jungwon would remain consistent in sending the message at the end of the fifth week. He highly doubted so.

His fingers paused, hovering above the screen.

In a spur of the moment, Jaeyun typed and sent, "so who is it that you like?"

The respond came straight away, his phone buzzing at every message he received from Jungwon.

 

Jungwon: Hyung...

Jungwon: Seriously?

Jungwon: If you’re watching me properly, then you can definitely tell

Jungwon: Everyone knows

Jungwon: I’m disappointed in you

Jungwon: Do you really have no interest in me, hyung?

 

Jaeyun scowled, narrowing his eyes.

Oh wow, what an amazing response to someone you have asked the greatest favor ever. If this wasn’t Jaeyun but Heeseung, Jungwon would be roasted to death.

"Jaeyun, hey!"

A voice interrupted Jaeyun’s thought—and it was such an unexpected voice that Jaeyun’s heartbeat spiked almost immediately and he fumbled, locking his phone and tucking it away as fast as possible. The owner of the voice came into view, matching his pace once he caught up with Jaeyun.

Sunghoon smiled brightly at him—almost bewitching Jaeyun. "Going to class?"

"Yeah. You too?" Jaeyun hoped his tone sounded natural.

"Yep. Haven't seen you with Christopher recently. Too busy?"

There was a time where Jaeyun would spend time with Christopher, helping out with his band stuff and other projects, and Sunghoon would be there too. Christopher was their mutual junior who needed a lot of help because of how clumsy and careless he was sometimes. It was a total of three times. Jaeyun actually counted each one of them carefully.

"Yeah, a little. You know, projects and stuffs,” Jaeyun laughed awkwardly. He paused once he remembered something important, and he started rummaging through his bag. "Oh, you're going to class with Heeseung later, right? Can you pass this to him?" He handed Sunghoon two glass vials.

"Potions?" Sunghoon observed them curiously. "What is this for?"

“It's a request from Hee. One to resist sleep and the other to extend breathing underwater.”

“Whoa. What is he going to do?”

Jaeyun shrugged. “I think you would know it better. He says it's a bet for the soccer club.”

“Oh, right. I told him that if I scored more than him in our next match, I would throw his expensive waterproof watch into the pool. It was a joke, of course, but Lee Heeseung took our competition way too seriously,” Sunghoon chuckled, and Jaeyun was surprised that such a simple noise alone sounded so pleasant, making him feel giddy in his stomach.

They arrived at the point where they would separate ways since The Faculty of Magic’s building and the Faculty of Law, Social, and Political Sciences’ building were on two different side of the campus.

Jaeyun chastised the bubbling disappointment in his chest. Stupid him and his crush. This was nothing but a simple, friendly, coincidental walk before class. Nothing more, nothing special.

He began, "Well then, I’ll see you later—"

"Wait, Jaeyun," Sunghoon stopped him and Jaeyun was never this eager to turn around. "Can I ask you to brew a potion?"

Jaeyun paused momentarily. "Sure?"

"You sound unsure."

"I have to know what kind of potion first."

Sunghoon smiled at him, and Jaeyun felt weak again. "Nothing weird, I promise."

The waiting intensified Jaeyun's nerves tenfold. Sunghoon, the crush he was vehemently trying to cast away, was asking him for a favor. His next words thoroughly knocked out Jaeyun.

"Can you make me a love potion?"

 

 

"Jaeyun-hyung. Are you astral projecting?"

Jaeyun’s only response to his sharp-tongued roommate was a long, exaggerated, exhale.

Sunoo leaned over to see the pages Jaeyun was reading, as well as the notes sprawled all over the coffee table. He gave a baffled expression laced with disbelief. “Love potion? In this day and age? Jaeyun-hyung, what the hell are you making? Who asked for this?”

Jaeyun mumbled incoherently, burying his face deeper into the couch.

"Hey, hurry and tell me," Sunoo pressed.

"Yang Jungwon."

Sunoo was an exception. Sooner or later, he would hex the answer out of Jaeyun if he was hiding a secret as obvious as this.

Now it was Sunoo's turn to sigh. "Why are you always brewing potions for him?"

This wasn’t the first time Jungwon asked him for a potion. Potion to see in the dark, potion to resist sleep, potion to make voice louder, potion to ease someone’s nerves, potion to help focus—the list went on and on. However, this was the first time Jungwon requested for a potion in such a serious manner, without any hint of playfulness behind it. The way Jaeyun yielded to his request spoke volumes on how kind the older was.

“So, who’s going to drink that potion?”

Jaeyun felt a lump in his throat. “I don't know… maybe someone he’s close with recently. Probably Sunghoon."

"Huh? Sunghoon? How so?" Sunoo blinked, staring ridiculously at Jaeyun's messy hair.

"Heeseung says they're close recently."

"Did Jungwon say it himself?"

"Jungwon didn't tell me. He said it's obvious and I should've known it simply by watching him."

"They you should do so."

Jaeyun lifted his head up, finally meeting the younger wizard’s gaze. "Huh?"

"Because I'm pretty sure it's not Sunghoon. It's someone else," Sunoo stated firmly as he crossed his arms, gaze as sharp and straightforward as always.

"But..."

The truth was, Jaeyun knew Sunoo was right. It was probably not Sunghoon. Jaeyun had no evidence apart from that one thing Heeseung said. But now the whole situation had escalated further because Sunghoon himself requested a love potion.

The shocking declaration left Jaeyun speechless.

"We'll talk about this later, okay? I'll chat with you," Sunghoon said earlier that day, before they separated ways because of class.

Just thirty minutes ago, he received a chat from Sunghoon.

 

Sunghoon: So, about the love potion

Sunghoon: Are you free tomorrow?

Jaeyun: Yes, I’m free

Jaeyun: I have class until 3

Sunghoon: I have theatre practice until 5

Sunghoon: Is 5 okay?

Jaeyun: Sure ^^

Sunghoon: Alright

Sunghoon: Let’s meet up at 5 in Orange Blood

Sunghoon: It will be my treat

Jaeyun: Alright, see you there

Sunghoon: Oh wait, you can come over and watch too

Sunghoon: If you’re free, come and watch our practice

Sunghoon: Won and Seong will be there

Sunghoon: Sunoo and Riki too

Sunghoon: It’ll be fun!

 

This was where Jaeyun stopped responding and started debating on whether to come or not.

There were two questions haunting his mind right now. One, who is Jungwon's love potion intended for and two, who is Sunghoon's love potion intended for? Love potion this and love potion that. The main source of his concern was an inanimate object that had yet to be created by his own two hands.

Sunoo's statement made up his mind.

By coming to their theatre practice and watching it directly, Jaeyun would have the answer to the first question. By meeting up with Sunghoon in the evening, Jaeyun would have the answer to the second question. By the end of the day, he would know the answer to both questions.

Jaeyun: Sure, I'll come

Jaeyun: See you tomorrow

Sunghoon: See you ^^

Sunghoon: Don't sleep too late

Jaeyun: You too ^^

 

Jaeyun's heart was leaping out of his chest. The power of a single message from your crush was really scary. He clutched his chest helplessly, hoping to calm himself down, and he set the phone down without overreacting or anything.

Just bear with it, Shim Jaeyun.

He would have his answers by tomorrow.

 

 

 

Jaeyun peeked through the entrance of the auditorium. There were a few members of the theater club bunched together near the stage, and Jaeyun was hesitant to interrupt them. Although Jungwon did tell him to walk in comfortably, it was easier said than done. Jaeyun was a second away towards bailing out when someone caught him first.

Thankfully, it wasn’t a stranger but only Riki. “Yun, so you really did come.”

The moment Jaeyun stepped in with Riki, Jungwon noticed him and piped up energetically, quickly approaching Jaeyun with his lively hops. “Hyung! Is that my americano? And have I told you I love you very much?”

“Did you just make Jaeyun your errand boy?” Riki frowned, chastising the part siren.

“No, of course not! Jaeyun-hyung is the one who offered to buy it.” Jungwon made a beeline towards his drink, pausing when he noticed the other plastic bag on Jaeyun’s hold. “Hyung, did you buy drinks for everyone?”

The witch nodded, giving a sheepish smile. “Just colas and sprites, though. The americano is because you specifically requested it. Here, share it with everyone.” Jaeyun handed them over and Jungwon accepted them gratefully.

“You can sit anywhere and watch us, hyung. Thank you for this! I’ll make sure to give it to the others and make them thank you!”

Before Jaeyun could even say that Jungwon didn’t have to do that, the siren was already running back to his group. Jaeyun was only doing this to be polite, so it would be embarrassing if they started thanking him.

When Jungwon presented the small gifts to the theatre members, some of them looked at Jaeyun in acknowledgement, offering a friendly wave or a nod. There were a few familiar faces Jaeyun recognized, including Sunghoon, who flashed him an unfairly charming smile and making the weird feeling in his stomach return.

“I’ll be working over there, so feel free to drop by if you’re bored by their rehearsal. Maybe you can give us a hand or two,” Riki said, pointing towards the side entrance of the auditorium, where the logistic teams were busy making props and painting backgrounds.

Eventually, Jaeyun awkwardly settled on the third-row seat near the edge. There were a few people sitting in the very first front row, and Jaeyun figured out that they must be the theatre directors and writers, instructing the cast to start their practice run.

He didn’t hold any interest in theatre or plays, but it was fascinating to see a group of people being immersed in their practice. They were collectively investing their time and effort in this and it was clearly shown through their team dynamic.

Sunoo was as Sunoo as ever and Jungwon was as Jungwon as ever. Whenever the self-proclaimed tiger missed his lines for being too excited, Jungwon reprimanded him. On the other hand, when it was Jungwon’s turn to make a mistake, he overreacted, apologizing profusely for destroying the play. Both of them were more or less in the same breed of being too dramatic.

Then there was Sunghoon, the stable ground of the cast. He didn’t need to be as bold as Sunoo or as expressive as Jungwon to make his presence known. During the run, he was attentive towards the whole cast, occasionally helping by signaling them when it wasa their turn. If he made a mistake, he would laugh sheepishly, offering a sweet apology to the team before moving on.

Jaeyun noticed Jungwon had been falling into the same mistake again and again. Even from far away, the souring of his mood was quite detectable. Jungwon looked guilty for wasting their time until Sunghoon finally stepped in, placing a comforting hand on the younger’s shoulder, encouraging him. The change happened in an instant. Jungwon visibly relaxed, and even though the guilt was still clear in his conflicted eyes, they managed to continue and finished the run adequately.

The chemistry between them was unquestionable. Sunghoon was supporting Jungwon attentively, while Jungwon drew out the playful side of Sunghoon, both exchanging what seemed to be a joke between their breaks. The exchange of gaze, smile, and laugh between them was too familiar—too comfortable.

If this wasn’t a confirmation, Jaeyun didn’t know what was.

The pang on his chest was too noticeable to be ignored. Jaeyun exhaled, letting go of his clenched fist. He didn’t need to be reminded of the question he was haunted with and the situation he was trapped in. He should go somewhere, at least not here, not staying any longer and basically confirming his jealousy towards Sunghoon. With a heavy, throbbing heart, Jaeyun swallowed the lump on his throat and moved towards the side of the auditorium, finding Jongseong and Riki working on a stage prop together.

“Hi, Yunnie,” Jongseong greeted him, waving with his large paint brush.

Jaeyun blinked, taken aback when he processed Jongseong’s light brown hair. It was a completely unexpected change. Jongseong, who used to have his dark brown hair for ages, now had it in a lighter brown shade, giving him a fluffier and younger look.

“Seongie, your hair looks so good,” Jaeyun breathed in amazement.

Jongseong held a strand of his hair, rubbing it together between his fingers. “It’s so dry, though. I had it blonde yesterday, but it didn’t look good since the bleach damaged it too much. That’s why I decided to go with this color.”

“Did you take a photo of it? It must have looked good.” Jaeyun crouched next to Jongseong, leaning to see his hair closer. “Did you dye it yourself? You did a great job with it. Everything looks clean and neat.”

“No, Jungwon helped me do it, both with the bleach and the dye. He said he can’t trust me doing it on my own.”

Jaeyun chuckled. Of course, Jungwon had been babying Jongseong since forever, much to the latter’s occasional displease.

“You should try dyeing your hair too, Jaeyun,” Riki commented.

“Me? You know I can temporarily change my hair color with a potion, right?”

“You and your obsession with potions…”

The older laughed at the cute, exasperated reaction from Riki. “Anyways, I’m quite bored here. Anything I can help with?”

What started with a simple question derived from half courtesy and half boredom resulted in Jaeyun helping them for more than an hour. He helped Jongseong with taping and shaping carton boxes, as well as collaborating with Riki on painting the sky for their background.

The team was completely task-focused, barely noticing that the practice had ended.

"Whoa, why are you helping, hyung? Hey, Riki, why are you troubling Jaeyun-hyung!" Jungwon nagged as soon as he arrived.

Riki shot him a look. “Says the one who made him buy an americano. Plus, Jaeyun-hyung offered first.”

“Jaeyun-hyung also offered to buy my americano.”

Jaeyun was about to comment on their bickering, but he caught sight of Sunghoon walking towards him and he immediately panicked. Sunghoon’s smile was dangerous for Jaeyun’s poor heart and he wasn’t ready for it.

The vampire sat cross-legged next to Jaeyun and he looked somewhat apologetic. “You know I didn’t invite you to come just to make you work, right?”

“Don’t worry, I’m free. Plus, Riki does seems like he need help.”

It was quite known that Jaeyun had a soft spot for Riki, both sharing the same fate of foreigners studying abroad. Scratch that, Jaeyun had a soft spot for everyone, especially his friends who are younger than him. He was just this kind.

Sunghoon noticed something, suddenly bringing his face closer to Jaeyun’s, leaving merely a few inches between them. Jaeyun had never seen Sunghoon’s face this close, and he held his breath as Sunghoon lifted up his hand, his palm cupping Jaeyun’s cheek and his thumb swiping something off Jaeyun’s face. 

Jaeyun felt himself melting from the simple touch alone.

“There’s paint on your cheek, but they’re dry already.” Sunghoon’s voice was so close to his ears and Jaeyun’s mind spun. “Wait here, I’ll get you a tissue.”

Jaeyun took his sweet time comprehending what had happened, hopefully gathering himself before Sunghoon returned. He failed his task successfully, still a flustering mess as Sunghoon came back with a pack of wet tissue. Instead of offering the wet tissue to Jaeyun, Sunghoon once again invaded Jaeyun’s personal space, not that Jaeyun was complaining, holding a sheet of wet tissue up against Jaeyun’s cheek. Sunghoon’s other free hand sneaked behind Jaeyun’s neck to hold him still.

Everywhere Sunghoon touched him tingles. As much as he would like to, Jaeyun tried not to close his eyes. It would be painfully obvious and awkward if he did. Their current situation was quite conflicting, honestly. Jaeyun wanted this intimate moment to be over and not over at the same time. He prayed the blush painted on his cheek wasn’t that obvious.

“And we’re done,” Sunghoon pulled away, satisfied with his work.

The thundering in his heartbeat was too loud, causing a delay in Jaeyun’s response. “T—thank you.”

"It's five now. So, should we go?"

“Huh? But Jungwon says you have a meeting after this.”

"It’s okay it’s just a short briefing, like a wrap up for the day, so I can skip it. And I made a promise with you, so that’s more important than this," Sunghoon told him, standing up and straightening himself, before offering a hand for Jaeyun to take.

"Are you sure it’s okay?"

"Don't worry, come on.”

The encouraging smile gracing Sunghoon’s lips was too captivating to be refused.

So, Jaeyun took Sunghoon’s hand and let himself be pulled.