Beginning of November, Junior Year of College

Two days after Ahyoung joined the dating app, things weren’t going the way she expected.

How so? Easy, guys were actually talking to her first.

When entering the app, she never wanted to start any conversations with guys, since she wasn’t really searching for anyone to date. With this mindset, she decided to just look and not talk.

That was until guys began to pop up into her notifications.

Of course, not wanting to be rude, she decided to talk to them here and there, making absolutely sure she wasn’t giving any false hopes towards any of the guys. Doing so brought her to have some nice conversations with guys, as she got to talk about school and hobbies with them.

Maybe it was good to mention how she loved to eat good food and play videos games in her biography. Then again, guys generally like gamer girls who have a good appetite, right?

But with the many guys she talked to, there was one that quickly caught her attention.

His name was Jaebum Im, a senior at a university only a bus ride away.

There were some general similarities between the two, such as food and video games. They shared a passionate love for cats and dancing, which was something that perked up her interest more. Of course, he was really attractive to her, with a bonus of a shirtless image of him on his profile making her swoon slightly. However, she wasn’t shallow at all, and she truly enjoyed talking to him.

At least for the first day, the next day was when it got a little too interesting for her.

It was right after her classes when she heard the familiar message tone, letting her know someone on Ablaze messaged her. Though there were multiple guys she was talking to, and a majority of them planning to meet her, she hoped it was Jaebum who messaged her.

And to answer her dreams, yes it was him. However, not with the kind of message she expected.

As she was walking down the stairs of her last class’s building, she pulled out her phone to check the message. Pressing a few buttons to unlock her phone and seeing his name bolded on her screen, she opened his message with a smile.

Hey, why’d you join Ablaze? Searching for something?

Once she was on flat ground, she moved to the side to answer his message. She had a habit of answering quickly, as she didn’t want to keep anyone who contacted her waiting.

Well, it’s a long story… Buuuut I’m just talking to guys, going with the flow if I ever meet anyone, you know? I’m not really looking for anything, and I don’t wanna do those hookup things.

Something felt off to her when he did ask that kind of question. She didn’t expect to be asked that on a dating app, however it was nice that they could be straightforward at that very moment.

She began her walk to her apartment building, taking it slow to enjoy the sunny day during this fall season. The weather was nice for once, giving her a good reason to dress up. It was a cute outfit, of a gray sweater with dark denim jeans, along with some black booties. Of hair curled and make up done, she got a few people glancing at her.

Ding! Another message came by and she could easily read it while walking.

Oh, okay. That’s cool.

Her brows knitted together at this short reply, and then another message came through.

Can I get your number by the way? I prefer texting, I sometimes miss messages on Ablaze.

Easily she nodded her head to herself and messaged him her number. Few steps forward she heard the normal message tone, and she saw an unfamiliar number.

Hey it’s Jaebum. This is Ahyoung, right?

A smile easily grew on her lips as she quickly confirmed it was her, carefully taking steps forward as she was messaging him. She didn’t wait to add him to her contacts, putting a specific message tone to know it was him.  

Hellllo~ Yes this is Ahyoung!

She continued to walk towards her apartment, her steps increasingly getting slower as she hoped to continue a conversation with him. Her heart slightly fluttered as she waited for his assigned message tone to ring. For a girl who didn’t want to find a guy on the app, she sure did enjoy talking to this guy.

Cool. What’s up?

She looked around to see if she could at least sit down somewhere, as she didn’t want to be in her apartment right now. Consider it this way, would the person who claimed she didn’t want to find a guy on this app want to be seen by her roommates when she’s continuously talking to one guy?

Absolutely not.

She did find that the big and wide staircase, that at the top would lead to the main road towards her apartment eventually if followed, would be a good spot to sit at for the moment. Plus, it was a spot directly underneath the sun.

Nothing much, just enjoying the sun. How’s classes?

She took a seat on the bottom stair, stretching her legs out and resting her side against the barrier of the stairs. Good thing it was laundry day for her.

Alright. Boring, I guess.

Ahhhh, I get that. Hmm, may I ask you something?

She puckered her lips, forming an adorable duck lips expression as that was her usual “face” when it came to thinking.

Sure, ask away.

Well, why did you join Ablaze? As you know, you sorta asked me that before? So thought it’d be fair if we both knew our intentions here.

Her heart was racing, in hopes he would say something that was similar to her intentions. Or maybe, something more than just friends.

Ding! Quickly her fingers moved to see what he said, and quickly her heart dropped.

Honestly for hook ups, not looking for anything serious atm.

A slight pout formed on her lips, as she was slightly disappointed by his words. However, another message came along which caught her attention.

It’s good you’re honest with what you want. I don’t want my desires to mess up a good friendship. And you sound like a good person to get along with.

She gathered herself before getting up, turning to begin her trek up the stairs.

Yeah, I like being honest at first, you know? It’s better to let both sides know what you want rather than play along to get hurt.

Her fingers pressed the proper buttons to put her phone on silent, slipping the device into her pocket as she focused on heading back to her apartment. Her thoughts were rather negative as she walked back, scolding to herself for expecting something great from this Jaebum guy.

However, there was something in her that wanted to explore him and his intentions.

“Goodness no, Ahyoung!”

She let out a loud groan once she was at the front door of her building, sliding her school ID (as this apartment specifically was run by her university) and walking in to go straight towards the elevator. Her hands were itching to pull her phone out, as she wanted to see if he messaged her.

However the moment she reached for her phone, the elevator door opened. It was good though, as she wouldn’t let herself indulge into that weird curiosity and desire she had for him. So quickly she walked in and pressed the number eight button, letting the elevator take her to her floor.

Once the doors opened again, Ahyoung quickly headed towards her apartment. She pulled her keys out from her pocket, slipping the proper one in the hole before turning it, and soon the handle to open the door unlocked.

Instantly, she was hit by the smell of perfume when she opened the door. A soft chuckle escaped her lips as she pulled out her key, eyes rolling at the heavy scent of flowers.

“Minah, I know you’re home! You know Sojin is gonna kill you the moment she gets back from work.”

A soft squeal escaped the younger’s lips, steps being rushed to greet Ahyoung by the door. As she was getting her shoes off and putting slippers on, Minah was right in front of her.

“I know, I know! But I cleaned and it smelled like too many chemicals, so I thought flowers would mask the smell! I know it’s really bad, but I’ve opened all the windows. Maybe baking will help?! I don’t know, make some sweets! She’ll like the smell of chocolate instead of flowers.”

Ahyoung shook her head, a soft chuckle escaping her lips before she agreed. Minah cheered before rushing towards the kitchen to pull out the ingredients for one of the most classic sweets anyone could make, chocolate chip cookies.

As the younger was doing that, Ahyoung checked her phone to see a few messages from Jaebum.

Yeah, I agree with you Ahyoung.

Oh, so then are you cool with anything besides doing more? Or do you just want to hang out?

Down for cuddles, cartoons/anime, and conversations? We don’t have to do anything you’re uncomfortable with.

A chuckle escaped her lips when she read his messages, finding it sweet enough that he was considering how she didn’t want to participate in the actions much further than the ones he suggested.

Sure, I’m down, just tell me when you’re free and we can plan something. I’ll be studying for the rest of the evening, so message me tomorrow when you’re free! Have a goooodnight~!

Placing her phone down on the counter, she began to do her work for cookies. Her heart felt a little lighter, even if her mind felt a little heavier. She decided to ignore those weird feelings and go with the flow, as she quite enjoyed the feeling of gaining this kind of attention from an attractive guy.

The evening passed by fast with dinner and dessert shared by the roommates, along with playing video games all night long and ignoring their responsibilities for the night. They went to their respective rooms and fell asleep quickly, and as the new day started, Ahyoung’s phone was buzzing with new messages.

However, being the studious student she was, she focused on her classes rather than anything else. And once she was done, as she was finished with the day pretty early, she finally checked her phone. Of course, most messages were from guys on Ablaze.

And luckily, two messages were from Jaebum.

Hey, how’s class?

I’m free tomorrow after class and it’ll be a Friday afternoon, so can I come over? Promise it’ll go however you want.

A small smile grew on her lips, excitement growing as she sent a confirmation that he can come over. Throughout the rest of the day, she simply got her room ready and made sure no one would be around when he would arrive (without telling any of her roommates about Jaebum) and planned where they would meet prior to going to her apartment.

Excitement raced in her heart, waiting for noon for them to meet by the closest school building near her apartment.

Time flew by fast, and it was already eleven thirty in the morning. Ahyoung’s professor released them and she quickly dashed out of the classroom with her things. For the fact that their meeting place was across campus, it was a mix of good and bad for walking there. She didn’t need to rush, but she needed to walk faster than usual.

Though it , as she wore her favorite booties to tie in her outfit of the day (of a white off shoulder sweater and dark denim jeans) and they made it difficult for her to rush ahead. Her feet were aching and she had a lot of stuff in her sling bag, as Friday was her busiest day of the week.

However, it was all worth it. For once she arrived there ten minutes before noon, she saw the handsome male waiting right by the front door of the building.

He perfectly matched the pictures on his profile, and he was practically perfection as he just had a red sweatshirt and blue jeans on, with sporty shoes to add to the simplicity of his attire. He was also wearing a black lid and glasses on, which made her heart hurt a little as she was a er for guys who could work that look.

All in all, he had fit the ideal look for Ahyoung.

She walked towards the steps of the building, staying down while looking up at him.

“Jaebum Im?”

The male looked around before meeting eyes with her, and the corner of his lips curved to present a killer smile. Yes, a killer smile, as Ahyoung was dying on the inside.

“Well, it’s finally nice to meet the cutie who’s been stealing all my attention.”

Jaebum walked down the steps, soon standing beside her while embracing her in a friendly hug. Ahyoung returned the hug, and his smile only grew as he felt the girl’s body closer to his.

“Lead the way, and tell me more about yourself.”

And that’s exactly what Ahyoung did. As they were walking towards the direction of her apartment, they took turns sharing more details about their basic information. From majors in college to hobbies, they talked about just those things.

There was a slight dullness to the conversation, which she found surprising in regards to Jaebum. For someone so excited to meet up with her, he didn’t really show it.

Once they were in Ahyoung’s apartment, Jaebum simply asked which one was her bedroom and headed straight for it. Her brows furrowed, finding it rather unflattering for him to just go to wherever he wanted, as if he actually lived there.

Soon enough she joined him in her bedroom, closing the door behind her and watched Jaebum. His eyes were wandering around the room, his feet walking around to take in the girlish room he was in.

“The room describes you a lot.”

Her eyes naturally squinted, finding his comment stupid as it was her bedroom.  Regardless she nodded in silence, slowly walking towards him as she soon opened her laptop.

“You said you just wanted to watch shows and cuddle right?”

Quickly he nodded and went straight for her bed, patting the spot right next to him. He was waiting for her with his killer smile, easily making her swoon regardless of the negative feeling she got from him. Though she shrugged it off in a blink of an eye as she went towards him with her laptop, sitting next to him and placing the device on the bed.

“Oh wait, did you lock your door?”

His question took her by surprise, and as she was typing to search for her favorite video browser, she parted her lips to answer.

“Uh no, why? It’s not like anyone is coming in.”

“But you know, just for privacy?”

Ahyoung raised her brow, finding it rather odd that he wanted some sort of security that they will be alone with no interruptions. Regardless, she shrugged and kept quiet.

“Well… If you don’t really care, I’m just gonna lock it.”

Again she shrugged, not really caring what he wanted as she knew no one would walk in. And soon she could feel the shift of weight on the bed and hear the click of the door locking.

“Much better.”

For some reason, she found his small remark funny to the point where she let out a casual chuckle. Glancing over at him, she gave him her own killer smile as she was more comfortable with him. Seeing that smile made him smile, and quickly he went back to his place of sitting next to her.

As they found something to watch, she put her laptop at the foot of her bed. She was soon laying on her bed and on her side, body curled up and her head resting against his thigh. She assumed it was perfectly fine to do, that this was a type of cuddling.

Of course, she got the confirmation from him for the fact that he pressed his hand on her side. He slowly caressed her side, having a slight grip on her body. A soft sigh of contentment escaped his lips, which surprised her a bit.

“Hey Ahyoung?”

His voice hushed slightly, a deeper tone woven in as he called for her attention. He said her voice in a whisper, making her heart beat wildly.

Slowly she turned her head to look up at him, finding his face closer to hers than before (obvious as she could see him leaning down in the corner of her eyes) and his breath much warmer.

It was minty, and it drew her in more.

“Yes, Jaebum?”

Their eyes locked as the moment grew more intimate than she expected. Though they weren’t doing much at this moment, she was still as flustered as she could be if they were actually doing any sort of intimate act.

“Can I move my hand higher?”

 

Current Time, Café

“Whoa whoa whoa, wait!”

Jihae put her hands up, an expression of slight discomfort growing on her face.

“Did something actually happen?”

Ahyoung couldn’t help but laugh out loudly, her infamous laugh filling the café and catching everyone’s attention. She soon put one hand up and one on her chest when she knew no one would be listening in to their conversation.

“I swear and promise you this, Jihae. I have not lost my ity and have not had .”

When Ahyoung pressed her hands back on the table, Jihae raised her brow and squinted her eyes.

“You didn’t say no to my question though. So did you- wait, you know what don’t entertain me about what happened during that time. What happened afterwards?”

“Well basically Jaebum and I gathered our things, I walked him to his bus stop, and I walked back to my bus stop.”

Jihae had disbelief written on her face, eyes fluttering as she flailed her hands to express her shocked state.

“That’s it? Nothing else? So this was a hook up?”

Ahyoung’s playful smile grew on her lips before she shrugged her shoulders.

“I don’t know, you tell me. Because he did text me later that afternoon about everything and when we should meet up again.”

Jihae’s brow raised once more before shaking her head, not liking how vague Ahyoung was. She was about to cross Jaebum off the list, but hearing that minor detail kept him as a potential candidate for the identity of Ahyoung’s husband.

“Alright, fine. Is this the end of the story about him?”

Ahyoung nodded, which made Jihae sigh and take in a breath before relaxing back against her seat.

“Alright, tell me about the next guy.”

Ahyoung hummed softly, fingers tapping against the surface of the table as she was remembering the second guy she met with.

“Well he and I actually met the day right after, and we were actually going out on that real first date to get to know each other..."

 

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hello! so sorry for such a late update! i said i'd put this chapter up a few days ago, but so many things kept popping up as i'm on school break. i hope to go back to my original schedule once i'm back at school again. eeps. i'm so sorry if there are any mistakes in this chapter, but i do hope you guys enjoy regardless. thank  you so much for your patience and understanding, loves! i truly appreciate it. and yes, i do hope you guys have a wonderful day/evening! 

- marie ❤