A/N: This bit was written for comedy lol when the story was first posted, Jeonghan’s grandmother was a bit of a ert who just really wanted to get some grandchildren before it’s too late and I thought to keep it that way XD so we can have some comedy relief here and there~!

---

 “Happy Birthday, my dear Hannie~!” The elder woman said excitedly as she handed her beloved grandson a medium boxed that was designed to look like it was wrapped since she couldn’t do so herself.

 

“Thanks, halmoni.” He gave a cute smile before giving her a side hug since he was seated on the couch next to her. Soo Min was sitting in the reclining chair next to the couch watching the interaction going on. She thought it was so adorable that she pulled out her camera to start filming so they could look back on it later in life. Because his grandmother was getting pretty old now, there was no guarantee she’d be around for his 50th birthday years from now, naturally.

 

“I hope you’ll both like it!” The elder cooed.

 

“What are you talking about?” Jeonghan paused and looked at his grandmother with curious eyes.

 

“Halmoni, it’s Jeonghan’s birthday, not mine!” Soo Min giggled behind the camera. Jeonghan looked at the camera with a nervous look before opening up the present to see what it was. He removed the tissue paper and was met with *********. (Basically mature stuff haha)

 

“Halmoni~!” Jeonghan complained and shut the box immediately.

 

“What? What?” The elder asked innocently. “You don’t like it?!” She frowned and he started to feel bad.

 

“No, it’s not that it’s just…” he stuttered before looking to Soo Min. “Turn that off!” He said and made a cutting motion with his hand. His face had turned red, too!

 

“What is it?!” Soo Min obeyed and put her camera down. He looked so flustered!

 

“How did you even get these?” He asked after opening the box to look inside again. There were other items in there, but the first item is what had gotten him riled up. It was a black two piece lingerie set. It looked really revealing and of course his mind went wild just imagining what it would look like on his not so girly girlfriend. They say apples don’t fall very far from the tree sometimes. (LOL OMG It’s just for comedy~!)

 

“Oh my…” Soo Min barely said when she got up to come look at what Jeonghan was gawking at. She took it out of the box and Jeonghan’s stare followed it. “Yeah, I don’t think this is going to fit him.” She joked and Jeonghan pouted while his grandmother couldn’t stop laughing.

 

“You two are just adorable!” She exclaimed. She never saw a couple like them before in her life time and really admired their relationship.

 

“What else is in the box?” She asked before Jeonghan put the lid back on to stop her.

 

“Nothing, don’t worry about it!” He said with a nervous laugh. It was probably other stuff to spice up their life. “Is this all you got me?!” He turned to his grandmother with another pout.

 

“Of course not!” She laughed and handed him a small envelope.

 

“I’m scared to open it. What’s inside?” He said while holding the envelope like it was something that would bite him if he wasn’t careful.

 

“A card and money, like always.” The elder snickered.

 

“Thanks, halmoni.” He said in defeat. While most people would like money as a gift, Jeonghan was always conflicted about it. It was nice, but at the same time, he felt guilty. “I think we’re going to go now.” Jeonghan said while putting the envelope and lingerie set back into the box before he got up.

 

“Right, don’t let me keep you from the magical ride you’re about to go on!” The elder said happily, she had no shame at all and it was clear!

 

“Thank you, halmoni.” Soo Min thought her enthusiasm was adorable at least. “We’ll visit again real soon.”

 

“Be sure to let me know how it was, okay?” She said quietly so Jeonghan wouldn’t hear and winked.

 

“Of course.” Soo Min winked back. She just thought to play along with her, she really didn’t want to rain on her parade! But Jeonghan on the other hand wanted to! He didn’t say anything though, he just knew his grandmother was trying to help… as if they needed any, but it was cute in a way.

 

“She’s so embarrassing…” Jeonghan muttered after they left the elders home. He hadn’t expected the visit to go like that, it normally didn’t go like that, but he supposed things changed after hitting that three year mark on his relationship with Soo Min.

 

“She’s cute.” Soo Min chuckled. “She’s the polar opposite of mine, it’s kind of amusing.”

 

“It is.” He chuckled at that. “There’s no way yours would gift me such inappropriate things.” He sighed.

 

“Well, don’t think about it so much. It’s nice that yours is rooting for our relationship while mine isn’t.” Even though that sounded bad, her grandmother wasn’t very supportive when it came to stuff like that. It was probably because of all the rocky situations they’ve been through that the elder just wasn’t that willing to support them fully. Though she may act like she adores Jeonghan at times, other times she despises him. It was sort of like a love/hate relationship with them, but in the end, her grandmother still cared about Jeonghan because she understood where he came from.

 

“One day she will.” He said positively.

 

“Yeah, one day…” She repeated and gave him a cute smile. “But I still don’t think those are going to fit you.” She chuckled and pointed at the box. He knew what she was getting at and he playfully rolled his eyes.

 

“I’ll just have to try to make it fit.” He joked before he let out a small sigh. “I’m just going to stuff this in the back of my closet when I get home.” He knew it would be too good to be true if she actually tried it on when they got there, not today and probably not for a long time… probably never.

 

“At least let me try it on before you do that...” She muttered quietly, like she didn’t want to be heard but he heard her. “I’m just curious, okay.”

 

“Nothing wrong with that.” He gave a weak smile. “I bet it’s going to look great on you.” Of course he had to say that.

“I’ll only try it on if you try it on after me!” She tried to say with a serious face but it didn’t work because he totally agreed and it made her laugh. “You’re going to ruin it.”

 

“That’s fine, we don’t need it anyway.” He pointed out. “We really don’t need any of this to be honest.” He looked down at the box.

 

“But it’s always good to try new things, right? In general, I mean.”

 

“Right.” He smiled down at her. “Another time.” He could tell she seemed nervous and decided maybe she was just trying to cheer him up, but he didn’t want her to sacrifice her comfort for him. Her expression faltered, but she looked glad that he said that. “Should we go for ice cream and pizza now?” She nodded her head eagerly and was excited. “You’re paying, though.” That eagerness still stayed and it was bittersweet. She really didn’t mind and of course she wouldn’t mind buying him food, she never minded.

 

But… he always wanted to be that boyfriend who spoiled his girlfriend yet, he doesn’t get to do it often. Instead, it’s usually Soo Min who was spoiling him. It was his birthday today, so it was normal for his friends to spoil him rotten, but sometimes he can’t help but feel bad that he doesn’t get to do the same for them when it’s their birthday.

 

All he could do for her birthday this year was just spend time with her and order her her own tray of takeout while he lied saying he wasn’t hungry when he didn’t buy one for himself, he wasn’t able to really get her a present other than give her his attention and food. Even when she came to apologize to him about their fight, he bought them pizza, food, but he made sure she ate enough before he even dared take a bite. Seungcheol always had his back when it came to making sure he had food and the things he needed ever since he moved in with him, but again… Jeonghan wanted to be able to return the favor!

 

Ever since he quit his jobs to attend college, it’s been tough on him. Sometimes he thinks he should quit college and go back to his jobs, they all seemed to miss him and told him he was always welcomed to come work for them again. He worked so hard to get enough money so he could further his education but he had no idea it was going to be like this. He wondered if it was even worth it? He hadn’t talked to anyone about it yet because he felt like it was stupid that he was stressing over something like this, when it really wasn’t stupid at all, it was serious.

 

“Jeonghan?” Soo Min’s voice snapped him out of it and he noticed they were already in the restaurant waiting for their order to arrive at the table. “What’s wrong?”

 

“Oh, it’s nothing.” He assured her and managed a weak smile.

 

“Okay.” She nodded and reached for his hand to hold since she was sitting next to him in the booth. She gave his hand a small squeeze and smiled at him. It was like she was telling him it was okay with her gesture and he felt happy to have her by his side. Their food arrived moments later. “I got you the breadsticks anyway.” She chuckled when she saw him staring at the small basket.

 

“But…” he had said no when she offered to buy them because he was staring at them for so long while they were deciding on what to order. He wanted them, but he didn’t want to ask for too much so he kept it to a minimum.

 

“Enjoy, Birthday Boy~!” She said happily while taking one and put it up to his partly open mouth, he was startled and she laughed.

 

...  

 

Eating out with Won Woo was short, but it felt like a long time in the moment. They talked about the pending trip to L.A once again and Mingyu was really excited to go because Won Woo promised to take him to a few of his favorite restaurants while they’re there. Mingyu offered to pay, but Won Woo told him not to worry about it. “I don’t want to make you go broke!”

 

“I’ll be fine.” Won Woo just chuckled back.

 

“I’ve been saving my paychecks, so at least let me pay for some of the meals!”

 

“Fine, if you must insist.” Won Woo gave him a cute smile that time and Mingyu’s heart just wouldn’t stop racing since then. “Are you okay?”

 

“No.” Mingyu admitted and watched Won Woo’s expression falter.

 

“What’s wrong?”

 

“Ah, it’s nothing!” He just realized what he answered and regretted it. “Just forget it, I’m fine!” So much for keeping it cool!

 

“You don’t sound fine.” Won Woo was worried now.

 

“... I’m sorry.” The younger apologized, he supposed there was no way he could talk his way out of this. It was clear Won Woo could tell when he wasn’t telling the truth, so it was pointless to lie about it. “I just really like you, Won Woo. I have a difficult time when you smile at me like that.” He confessed with a small pout and whimper. His words had the older go silent because he was surprised and kind of flustered now. “I probably shouldn’t have said that…” He added with a sheepish smile before he averted his eyes elsewhere. Their table was silent, and this time it wasn’t a comfortable silence… it was a tense silence and almost an awkward silence.

 

“That’s okay.” Won Woo managed to break the silence a moment later and Mingyu looked over at him. “That happens to me, too.” He shyly admitted and his eyes panned down to the table. “So maybe we shouldn’t smile like that anymore…”

 

“But I like your smile!” Mingyu pouted. He hadn’t expected it to go down like this.

 

“I like yours too, but if it’s causing a problem-”

 

“I don’t have a problem with it!” Mingyu quickly said and cut him off with a small laugh. “Damn, you’re being so adorable right now!” He just had to say it. There was no sense in keeping that to himself, he thought Won Woo should know it.

 

“Tch, adorable?” The older snickered at that comment and it only made Mingyu’s smile grow wider. “I…” his heart was beating so fast in his chest right about now he felt like he could faint at any second. “I…”

 

“What?” Mingyu’s expression changed and he looked very curious on what Won Woo was trying to say. His own heart started to race again.

 

“I… think we should go.” Won Woo stuttered out and got up from his seat. His cheeks were a light shade of pink and he looked so embarrassed. Well, Mingyu didn’t really expect a lot just now but it was cute seeing him get flustered like that. You definitely like me. He thought with a small smile. I just wish you were more open about it. He knew in time things would fall into place between them.

 

Won Woo took Mingyu home after they left the restaurant. The drive home was quiet and Mingyu understood why, he didn’t have a problem but Won Woo did. He felt awkward and didn’t know what to say when they arrived to Mingyu’s shared apartment. Luckily, Mingyu knew what to say.

“See you at school.” He said with a cute smile. “Night~!”

 

Won Woo could barely say anything before the door shut and he felt bad. He watched Mingyu head up to his apartment and entered without looking back at the lot not once. Did I upset him again? Won Woo was worried now. He thought to text him… but like Mingyu said, he’ll see him at school tomorrow. Do I even want to go to school tomorrow?

 

…

 

“It’s a bit tight.” Soo Min complained while adjusting the top piece of the lingerie set Jeonghan’s grandmother gifted them. She actually tried it on.

 

“Tch, is it because you put it on over your clothes?!” Jeonghan snickered in reply. “You know, that’s not how they’re used!”

 

“Really?” She played dumb before laughing at his expression. “You want to try it on now?”

 

“No.”
 

“But you said you would if I tried it on!” She pouted.

 

“I can’t take it back to the store if I rip it.” He said while grabbing the small hanger it came with and gestured for her to take it off. She took a step back and gently hugged herself while shaking her head. “What?” She wrapped her arms around herself tighter until there was a ripping noise and she gasped before wincing. “What did you do?!” He scolded and got up to look at the damage.

 

“Ow, my shoulder!” She laughed. “That hurt!”

 

“Idiot!” He scolded again but he couldn’t help but laugh as well. “Now it’s useless.”

 

“It’ll probably fit you now!” She grinned and proceeded to take it off and helped put it on her boyfriend. “Perfect!” She clapped her hands together as Jeonghan stood there looking unamused. He was a 21 year old man standing there with a ripped piece of lingerie hanging off of his shoulders while his girlfriend was cooing at how good it looked on him. This was his life.

 

 

“You can’t be serious.” He muttered.

 

“Awh, lighten up!” She chuckled and knocked on his chest. “If you were worried about it being expensive, it wasn’t. I remember seeing that exact one while I was shopping a while ago.”

 

“What were you doing in that section?” Jeonghan was a bit surprised to hear that she was shopping. She never shops, unless it’s for necessities or food.

 

“I was just curious.” She said with a sheepish smile. “Did you know they have lingerie for men, too?” She suddenly whispered.

 

“I never knew that.” He shook his head. “Now I’m curious.”

 

“Well go look at it together some day.” She gave a cute smile and he smiled back at her. “For now, all we have is this to work with.” She tugged on the ripped material.

 

“You really shouldn’t have destroyed it.” He pouted after he took it off to examine it closely.

 

“I didn’t think it would rip so easily!” She defended. “It really must not be the right size!” She added.

 

“Because you put it on over your hundred layers of clothing!” He complained. “How many shirts are you wearing today, ten?!”

 

“No! Only four!” She corrected. She had on a camisole, a tank top, a black and white striped sleeve shirt and a black tee with one of her favorite foreign band’s name on it: PARAMORE.    

 

“Anything to make stripping you down more difficult, right?” He laughed when she backed away and hugged herself. “I bet you’re wearing shorts under your pants, too! Don’t you ever get hot under all those layers?”

 

“No.” She shook her head. “I’m fine!” She added.

 

“Unbelievable.” He snickered. “Well, you might want to consider ditching some of those layers when we go to L.A or you’re really going to feel the heat.” He warned her and she collapsed onto the floor with a defeated sigh. She never did well in warm weather.

 

“It’s going to be so hot.” She muttered.

 

“It shouldn’t be so bad at night, but don’t worry, I’ll be there to keep you warm!” He pulled her up into his arms and held her tight with a cute laugh. She returned his hug with a small laugh of her own before she stopped. “Are you sure you’re not hot now?” He asked while pulling up the back of her black tee shirt like he was going to take it off.

 

“No, but I’m sure you are.” She did the same to him.

 

“At least give me a head start, you have layers on!” He said while actually taking her tee shirt off. One layer down, three to go.

 

…

 

“Mingyu, what's wrong?” Seungkwan asked when he entered their shared room. The older had went straight to their room the moment he got home. He told his roommates that he had already ate dinner before coming home and not to bother him.

 

Seungkwan didn't get an answer. “C'mon, talk to me.” He pouted.

 

“I'm so frustrated.” Mingyu finally spoke and sat up while hugging one of his pillows to his chest. “I feel like I'm going crazy when I'm around him…”

 

“Him, as in… Won Woo, right?”

 

“Who else?!” Mingyu frowned.

 

“Just clarifying! Sheesh!” the younger snickered before telling him to go on.

 

“I think he's still not ready to get into a relationship and I start to feel like maybe he never will be ready.”

 

“It must seem that way, but if you give up now, you'll regret it.”

 

“It know…” Mingyu sighed. He remembered what his father told him the last time he visited him. “Maybe it's because he has other stuff going on that he's busy with…”

 

“Exactly. I know he probably won't open up about it that much with you but as long as you're understanding, he might come around sooner than you think?”

 

“Possibly.” Mingyu nodded before sighing. “I suppose I'm just not used to waiting for a relationship to happen. I'm usually dating a person by at least a week or two once I know they're interested. Won Woo has been a real challenge, that's for sure.”

 

“But it's part of the fun, right? What if he's actually playing hard to get?!” Seungkwan gasped because it seemed like it wouldn't be in Won Woo’s character. But Mingyu also seemed shocked.

 

“Maybe! Earlier I went back to help clean up after the party because Won Woo asked.... but once I got there he had us ditch and we had dinner together. And then-” Mingyu suddenly stopped talking now that he replayed the scene in his mind.

---

“... I’m sorry.” The younger apologized, he supposed there was no way he could talk his way out of this. It was clear Won Woo could tell when he wasn’t telling the truth, so it was pointless to lie about it. “I just really like you, Won Woo. I have a difficult time when you smile at me like that.” He added with a small pout and whimper. His words had the older go silent because he was surprised and kind of flustered now. “I probably shouldn’t have said that…” He added with a sheepish smile before he averted his eyes elsewhere. Their table was silent, and this time it wasn’t a comfortable silence… it was a tense silence and almost an awkward silence.

 

“That’s okay.” Won Woo managed to break the silence a moment later and Mingyu looked over at him. “That happens to me, too.” He shyly admitted and his eyes panned down to the table. “So maybe we shouldn’t smile like that anymore…”

 

“But I like your smile!” Mingyu pouted. He hadn’t expected it to go down like this.

 

“I like yours too, but if it’s causing a problem-”

 

“I don’t have a problem with it!” Mingyu quickly said and cut him off with a small laugh. “Damn, you’re being so adorable right now!” He just had to say it. There was no sense in keeping that to himself, he thought Won Woo should know it.

 

“Tch, adorable?” The older snickered at that comment and it only made Mingyu’s smile grow wider. “I…” his heart was beating so fast in his chest right about now he felt like he could faint at any second. “I…” 

---

“What, what, what?” Seungkwan snapped him out of it. “What is it?!”

 

“I think he just needs a little more time after all.” Mingyu said with a soft smile. “Maybe I'm rushing too much, I need to slow down.”

 

“I think if it's someone who has no experience, you really should slow down!”

 

“Right, I know. I understand!” Mingyu pouted when Seungkwan smacked him with his other pillow. “Thanks for talking with me.”

 

“Sure, anytime!” Seungkwan smiled. “Talk to us often, don't let it bottle up inside. We worried a lot about you!”

 

“I'm sorry, I'll be sure to come to you guys next time.”

 

“Come to us every time!” Seungkwan snickered and nudged him. “So, what did you eat?”

 

“Cheeseburgers.” Mingyu replied with a goofy smile. “It’s his favorite food.”

 

“Is it also your favorite food now, too?” Seungkwan laughed.

 

“Maybe… I still like meat more though.” Mingyu loved food in general, he couldn’t really pick a favorite anyway.

 

…

 

“I’m back~!” Soo Min sing songed when she walked into her shared apartment. She hung up her jacket and took off her shoes before walking over to sit on the couch next to Won Woo who was watching something on the TV.

 

“I almost thought you weren’t coming home tonight.” Won Woo said, his gazed still locked on the TV. When a commercial came on, he turned to face her. “... where did your striped sleeves go?” He asked with a raised brow. He could’ve sworn she was wearing them earlier before she left with Jeonghan.

 

“Oh.” She looked at her bare arms and gave a sheepish laugh.

 

“I guess you had fun.” Won Woo snickered and looked towards the TV once more. “You should be careful, soon all of your clothes are going to be at his place.” He added.

 

“I think that’s his plan.” She sighed. “He scolded me for wearing so many layers today. I guess he’s going to keep them each time so I won’t have anything to layer with.”

 

“Really?” Won Woo scoffed. It sounded ridiculous.

 

“No, I’m just really forgetful!” She laughed. “I’ll get them back next time I’m over there.”

 

“Or just buy more clothes.” He sighed and grabbed the TV remote to change the channel.

 

“Hm? What's wrong?” She asked when she noticed that sigh sounded like a bothered sigh.

 

“Nothing. Just wish the night was already over.” He shrugged.

 

“Rude!” She pouted. “You don't have to be so open about your hate for my boyfriend, sheesh!” He only laughed. “I'm serious!”

 

“I don't hate him, knock it off. It's just been a long day, that's all!” He defended.

 

“Ah, did you hang out with Mingyu after the party?” He nodded. “Ahh, do you miss him already?!”

 

“Go get ready for bed. We have school tomorrow.” He snickered and turned the TV off before getting up to leave to his room.

 

“Fine.” She happily got up and sprinted off to her room to gather some clothes for a shower.

 

“I'm not straightening your hair.” He blurted out when he saw her pass by his room.

 

“B-Bu-”

 

“No.” He shut his door so they couldn’t talk about it any further. She sighed and proceeded to the bathroom to take her shower.

 

Did something happen between him and Mingyu? She thought while turning on the water. He seemed bothered… and not by me. Because she knew he’d get annoyed, but in a playful way. Maybe I’ll ask him after school tomorrow? Even if he said he was figuring it all out on his own, she was worried about him. “Ah~! It’s so hot!” She yelped when she held her hand out to test the water. She turned the knob to balance the temperature. “Now it’s too cold!” Taking a shower was a true struggle for this girl.

 

…

 

Won Woo lied in bed for several hours, wide awake. He heard Soo Min finish her shower and headed off to her room. She was awake for an hour or two judging by her moving in her desk chair a couple of time, it was probably last minute homework she was getting done and he really wanted to scold her, but he remained where he was. He knew he should focus on going to sleep, but he couldn’t!

 

All he could think about was how Mingyu parted from him earlier. He left up to his apartment and never looked back at him, any other day he’d keep looking over his shoulder with that cute smile and would even wave from his front door. usually he would say, “Good night, Won Woo”, but all he got this time was a simple “Night!” Something was definitely up when they parted. He’s probably just really disappointed. He thought with a long sigh. He probably expected more from me when we were out together. He probably wanted me to say more when we were talking… he probably wanted me to do more when we were together. He started to feel frustrated. Why is liking someone so difficult? Why can’t it be easier?

 

He really did want to confess to Mingyu, but a part of him was afraid because he never confessed to someone before. It was clear that the feelings were mutual but the thought was still scary. Once he confesses, he was sure Mingyu would want to do more than just hang out, and he wasn’t sure if he was ready for that just yet. Even if he liked holding his hand those few times, he knew that would become a frequent thing and he just… had a difficult time when it came to skinship, no matter who it was. He just didn’t like it. He could tolerate hugs from his friends and and family, but from a lover? It just seemed like something foreign to him. He wasn’t sure if it was going to be easy to get used to it, but there was that saying, you don’t know until you try. Maybe it was just all in his head? Maybe he was just overthinking it? Maybe he wasn’t giving it a chance…

 

But I like him so much…

 

He was worried if his lack of experience would really disappoint Mingyu if they really did get together. Maybe he wouldn't really be worth the wait and dump him after the first week. And he felt like he was already going to fail, like he didn’t want to let it happen because he knew how it’d turn out. It was that part of him that was being negative about it. He just couldn’t help it after so many things never went his way, it was like life didn’t want him to be happy, like fate didn’t like him and destiny was against him. But then… why did Mingyu come into my life? He wondered.

 

The younger was always going on about how fate was doing its thing whenever they’d bump into each other or special encounters would happen. Unless fate was trying to be cruel? No, no, no… don’t think of it like that. By now, it was nearly 4am. I need to get some sleep! Fatigue was finally kicking in, but it wasn’t enough and hours past like minutes. The last time he read the time, it was 8am.

 

...

 

When Won Woo woke an hour later, he let out a deep sigh and stared at the ceiling. He really wasn’t sure about today at all. The alarm he set to wake up hadn’t gone off yet and he turned it off before it could. Today doesn’t feel like a good day. He thought while turning onto his side away from his alarm o’clock and charged phone. His thoughts started to fill with Mingyu again and then he started to think about the pending trip to L.A, he had invited Mingyu and bought the tickets already… the trip was near he was feeling a range of emotions now.

 

He was excited and nervous… scared and worried. He just wanted things to go smoothly. Visiting his parents was always nerve wracking for him because of the relationship they had after they moved. It wasn’t a close relationship and at times was awkward because he made it awkward himself. He’s always wanted to know why his parents suddenly left without him, but he never had the guts to ask about it. He felt like he’d never know and that he’d always believe it was because of him. It was always a conflicting feeling when it came to his parents.

 

Having Mingyu going with him made Won Woo feel a little less nervous, but now that things were different from when he first invited him, he was worried that the trip wouldn’t go that great if there was awkwardness between them while they’re there. Won Woo let out another sigh before he closed his eyes and started to feel sleep take over again, because he was up late with his restless thoughts about everything, and mostly about Mingyu. I can see him later tonight and fix things, right? He thought before he fell asleep.

 

...

 

Since Won Woo usually left the apartment before Soo Min would wake up, the girl didn’t even bother to check why his door was shut this morning. It usually wasn’t shut when he wasn’t home but because she wasn’t a morning person, she couldn’t be bothered thinking about it and needed to quickly brush her out of whack hair before heading to the campus. She didn’t even notice that her car was still in the lot when she left, which probably would have helped her since she started complaining about walking to school almost instantly. A few moments later, she passed by a parked car and noticed her wild hair in the reflection of the window and frowned.

 

“Damn… it’s out of control.” She pouted while pulling at her curly bangs. If she didn’t know better, she’d have thought she just walked out of the hair salon and was ready to go to prom or something! “But I’m a college student.” She snickered before going back to her task at hand. Going to school. She could tell today was going to be a long day, Mondays were always like that.

 

“Good morning, Miss Soo Min!” Baekho greeted when Soo Min showed up to the cafe area on campus after arriving 10 minutes later. She usually goes there before she leaves for her noon class so she could meet with her friends. She might have gotten there a little bit early since her friends weren’t around yet. It wasn’t even 11am yet. Man, I must’ve slept well? “Wow, your hair looks so pretty today, Miss GaGa!”

 

“Oh!” She froze when she realized who was talking to her. “Uh, thanks.” She stuttered out and got embarrassed from the compliment. I just woke up and came here!

 

“Why don't you join us?” Baekho gestured to the seat near him. That's when she noticed the other familiar faces at the table. There was Minhyun and Aron. They waved in greeting to her and she greeted them back before taking a seat. There were two other empty seats near Minhyun and she looked to the front counter to see Ren was waiting in line with another friend to order something.

 

“It’s nice to see you again.” Minhyun greeted and she gave him a smile in reply while nodding.

 

“Have you used up all those pencils I bought you, yet?” Aron chuckled and she shook her head with a small laugh of her own.

 

“Did you do your hair yourself?” Minhyun asked with that kind smile of his. “It really is pretty today.”

 

“Uh… to be honest, I just woke up and brushed it a bit before coming here.” She finally spoke and gave a sheepish smile. “I didn't wake up early enough to straighten it.” Her head dropped. Well, she did, but didn’t realize it until now!

 

“But it looks so nice!” Aron seemed shocked. “A natural beauty, just like Ren!”

 

The table got quiet before Baekho finally said something. “Sorry, it's a compliment!”

 

“I know!” She chuckled. She thought it was funny how everyone kept getting the idea that she was hurt or offended when it came to comments that would involve comparing her to Ren. “I'm not bothered by that at all. Most of my friends are guys and my father always joked that I was supposed to be his son but something changed during the pregnancy.” The table became silent again. “Uh… did I say something weird?” She frowned.

 

“No, don't worry about it.” Minhyun assured her just as Ren and JR returned to the table with drinks.

 

“Oh…” Ren said while staring at Soo Min. “I'm sorry, had I known you were here I would have gotten you something as well.”

 

“It's okay!” She assured him with a nervous smile. “I have class soon and they don't like us bringing in food or snacks around the computers.”

 

“What's your major?” Aron asked curiously. They remembered she was in a computer lab, but that lab was used for different classes.

 

“Graphic Design.” She answered and they all seemed shocked.

 

“That's so cool!” Both Baekho and Aron seemed excited for some reason and she noticed Ren smiling like he was happy to hear that.

 

“So, you design logos and business cards, right?” JR asked and pouted when Ren elbowed him in the side. He wasn't sure why?

 

“Yes, though it's only my second semester. There's still more I have to learn.”

 

“Good luck, I'm sure you'll be a great designer in the end.” Ren said positively. For some reason those words meant a lot to Soo Min and she smiled brightly.

 

“Thank you!” Maybe it was because she didn't get praised a lot and to hear Ren and his friends say those things made her happy.

 

While Won Woo and Jihoon praised her for her skills and encouraged her, not many others did. Even Jeonghan. That must sound terrible but there was a reason for that. He was worried about her. He was worried about her because she always got anxiety and stress when it came to presentations in class, how would she do presenting her ideas to a company or a client? She always doubted her ideas and sometimes isn't confident in her art skills. And there would be a lot of competition since they live in a big city.

 

How much work would she get in the end? He just wanted the best for her, and as someone who struggled a lot trying to support himself on three part time jobs, he just wanted her to have a promising career so she'd never have to work herself to the point of collapsing just to survive. He wanted her to have a stable career that'd keep her from failing at life. So did her parents. But she doesn't want to be a doctor. She doesn't want to be a nurse. She doesn't want to be a lawyer. She doesn't want to be a scientist or any of those well paid professions. She wanted to do art. She wanted to be creative…

 

“Soo Min?” She suddenly snapped out of it and she realized it was just her and Ren at the table. “The others left for class, but didn't you say you have class at noon?” He asked and checked the time on his phone. “Oh no, it's already 12:07pm.”

 

“Wow, I must’ve really zoned out, didn’t I?!” She laughed and looked around. Still no sign of her friends. Midterms are coming up, they’re probably preparing. “Don't worry about it.” She assured Ren with a small smile. “I don't really feel like going anymore.”

 

“Are you not feeling well?” He frowned.

 

“More like, I don't want to go with this crazy hair!” She pulled on it as if that would make it go straight. Ren laughed at that.

 

“But it looks nice!”

 

“I don't like it!” She complained and wrapped it around her face to hide her misery.

 

“You’re funny.” He chuckled and that made her smile. The table grew silent for a few minutes before Soo Min decided to break the silence.

 

“So, what is your favorite Lady GaGa song?” She had a huge smile on her lips and all of Ren’s nerves and worries vanished. He had been conflicted about approaching her since the talk he had with his adoptive mother. He just had this intense feeling that Soo Min was the daughter she was talking about when she mentioned his biological father. But he couldn’t be so sure… he was having Aron look into it now that they knew her last name, Chae. They needed to find out Won Woo’s surname next.

 

“Paparazzi.” He answered.

 

“How ironic since you have paparazzi following you around!” She giggled.

 

“Right.” He had to agree. “I’m sorry about the paparazzi following you around last week. I didn’t think they would be so easily mistaken like that.”

 

“It’s fine. I got my 15 minutes of fame. Can check that off my bucket list.” She joked. “So, do you always have to worry about them following you around?” She leaned forward and whispered her question while looking around suspiciously.

 

“No.” He laughed. “I’m not that famous.” He explained. “They usually follow me when they don’t have anything else better to do.”

 

“How annoying.” She snickered at that.

 

“If they follow you again, just hideout somewhere or call Baekho.” He said before pulling out a piece of paper to write down his friend’s number. “Or Aron… or Minhyun… or JR.” He added while writing their numbers down too. “They’ll help you.”

 

“Wow, thanks.” She gave a small smile. “I feel like a princess with security now.”

 

“Pretty much.” He chuckled at her comment. “There’s no doubt you’ll be mistaken as me again…”

 

“True.” She nodded and pulled out her phone to enter in her new security friends. “Don’t worry, I won’t do anything to tarnish your image.”

 

“You already did by being short.” He pouted.

 

“That’s not my fault!” She looked up at him in shock before she also pouted.

 

“Start wearing heels or something!” He suggested in a bossy tone.

 

“No way!” She protested. “I’ll break my ankle~!”

 

“It’s called practice!”

 

“There’s also platforms!”

 

“As long as you’re not short anymore!”

 

“I’m gonna break my ankle!”

 

“I’ll be sure to visit you in the hospital, then.” They looked at each other before breaking out into laughter. They seemed to be getting along quite well already! “What kind of food should I bring you?”

 

“Choco Pies.” She gave him a thumbs up like it was a plan now!

---

Chapter thirty~!

 

Not a lot of Meanie in this chapter…

But more development about Ren’s connection to the WooMin duo.

I actually wanted to make something big happen with Meanie in this chapter so it’d be the same like last time at CH 30, but it’ll just have to wait till the next chapter~! Sorry! Usually when things happen with Meanie, I want the whole chapter or most of the chapter to be about them without other things getting in the way XD

So just wait a little bit longer, the confession is getting CLOSER

OOOOOH THAT WAS DEFINITELY SMOOTH AF JK