Summary:

It's valentine's day, and Jinri does something she never thought she can ever do.

Notes:

okay, so this chapter took a really long time. a lot of things came up, sorry.
already working on the next chapter, i'll try to finish it quickly.
since the timeline of this story is already in february, i decided to make a 
valentine's day chapter lol
i met wanna one heeeeh daniel in specs got me so shook
if you want to read my fanmeet thread, here it is: my fanmeet experience
thank you for the comments and the upvotes, i really appreciate it! 
sorry i haven't been replying to the comments, i'll start as soon as i post
the next chapter
xoxo

February 14^th— one of the most dreaded days for single people. To most, it’s considered the day where you get showered with love and affection, whether it is from your special someone or from a bunch of people who admires you. But for single people like Jinri, going out on Valentine’s day alone felt like torture: seeing couples here and there, different heart-shaped decorations at each corner of town, and just endless repetitions of the phrase ‘why the hell are you still single something must be wrong with you’ inside the head.

Jinri was the epitome of the meme which sprayed bug sprays on hearts— if only she could pop all the heart shaped balloons she’ll come across, she might have done it. There’s no use to denying the fact that she’s a little bitter— well, who isn’t? It seemed like that specific day in the calendar reminds her that while others are enjoying their time in a couple, there’s a probability that she might just die alone.

“Come on, be a little more positive, Jin.” Chungha continuously nudged Jinri on the side gently as the two walked out of the lecture hall together. She was all smiles as she tried to cheer her sleep-deprived friend up. “It’s Valentine’s day, be happy!”

Jinri wasn’t really in the mood to be ‘happy’ that day. She spent the night before working on the script of the short film they were supposed to work on next week since it still needs editing and approval from her groupmates and the professor. She looked at Chungha with a grimace, raising her eyebrow afterwards. “Were you finally able to sneak in a bottle of soju in class?”

Chungha shook her head, chuckling softly as she hooked her arm with. “No! I don’t go to class drunk, excuse me.”

“Let me guess,” Jinri tapped her chin with her free hand. “You have a date today?”

Chungha shook her head quickly, a small smile escaping her lips. “My parents are arriving today. They’re staying here for two weeks.”

“Oh my gosh, that’s good news!” Jinri gave her friend a tight hug, patting her on the back gently. It’s been long since Chungha visited her parents in the US, and Jinri knew how much Chungha misses them. The girl may seem bright and tough on the outside, but she’s been doing everything to fight the urge to just give in to her homesickness and go back to the States where her family is.

“I know! Oh, and they want to meet you guys too. So tell me when you’re free, I’ll ask Minhyun and Jaehwan as well so I could schedule it.” Chungha said with a smile as she took her phone out of her pocket. “I’m g—”

“Who the hell gave you the right to leave me there while I was talking to the professor?” Jaehwan suddenly appeared out behind them, squeezing himself in between the two girls. He placed an arm around on both, glancing at Jinri then at Chungha with a smile. “It’s valentine’s day, do you guys have something for me?”

Jinri and Chungha both shook their heads. “Nope.” They said in chorus, making Jaehwan purse his lips, nodding slowly.

“Alright, you didn’t have to be that mean.” Jaehwan ruffled Chungha’s hair while he pulled on Jinri’s cheek hard with his other hand. With this, Jaehwan earned a groan and an exclusive meeting with Jinri’s palm. As usual, Jaehwan’s reactions were a little exaggerated, a series of ‘ew your hand tastes like ’ and ‘how dare you touch me with those dirty hand of yours’ filled their short walk towards the university’s parking lot, where they were supposed to meet Minhyun.

During specific events in their university, the Society of the Visual Arts members are given the permission to draw on the parking lot using colorful chalks. It has already been a tradition by the organization and every year, they fill the university with colorful artworks which serves as stress relivers for the students who spend a lot of stime studying. Minhyun, being the EIC of the campus newspaper, headed there first to cover the event and take pictures which can be used as fillers for the first newspaper of the semester.

“I didn’t expect you to write it this way,” Jaehwan nodded slowly, browsing through the hard copy of the script Jinri made the night before. It took her a lot of time to brainstorm since writing a script for a short film in the a genre is a little hard, since it has to be artsy and not ty. Jinri had to admit that it was one of the hardest scripts to write, especially for someone like her who has only experienced kisses and nothing else.

While they were walking, Jaehwan asked for the copy of the script so that he could browse through it and check whether he can help in any way. Besides, he was the one in charge of editing the video— he needed to have an idea of what it is about so he could think of ways on how to put the clips they would gather together. “This is subtle and sensual. Good.”

“I don’t want it to be explicitly . That would be , not a.” Jinri nodded slowly, crossing her arms as they made their way towards the crowd forming in the parking lot. Minhyun was probably near the art majors since he needed to document the activity, and Chungha had to leave and head straight to the airport to pick her parents up.

“Good job though. I didn’t think of it this way.” Jaehwan handed the script back to Jinri before looking around. The art majors were too busy with their artwork, and the crowd was too busy taking pictures and probably uploading them to different social networking sites.

It was not really a surprise to see Seongwu there. He was in the middle of the parking lot, holding a pink piece of chalk, working on the big portrait of a woman with pink hair. Every year, he participated in this specific activity and Jinri liked watching him draw. He was all smiles, and he looked like he was genuinely having fun even though his hand is filled with colorful chalk dust.

“Jin! Jaehwan!” Minhyun called from across the parking lot. He waved at the two with his free hand, holding his camera with the other.

Jinri waved at the guy back before gesturing for him to come closer. Jaehwan was too busy adjusting his guitar strap to even wave back at Minhyun, but gave him a nod instead.

Upon hearing Minhyun’s voice, Seongwu looked up as well and started looking around. He smiled as soon as he spotted Jaehwan and Jinri, waving at the two before getting back to his work.

Jinri was able to smile slightly, waving at Seongwu before placing her hand back inside her pocket.

Being this close to Seongwu was something she never expected to happen. Jinri from last year would have never imagined being the person who waves back at Seongwu, getting a little friendly with the guy who makes her feel butterflies in her stomach. Not that she was trying her best to keep her distance (who is she kidding though), but she just had things that are so much more important than falling in love on her plate. Whether it was the work of Jaehwan, or Dongho or the universe, she was somehow thankful. At the moment, Seongwu is more than just a pretty face— from being a pretty 2D character in her head, he was slowly turning into a 3D version of his self, due to the different sides of his she was able to see.

She glanced at Jaehwan, who was busy texting, before taking out a small chocolate bar from her pocket. She tapped Jaehwan on the arm with the chocolate bar as she cleared . “Here.”

Jaehwan looked at her then at the chocolate bar she was holding before letting out a big smile— the kind of smile Jinri knew came before endless teasings. “Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwww.”

“Don’t make it a big deal, you . I also have one for Minhyun as well.” Jinri gave Jaehwan the chocolate bar before punching him on the arm. “Don’t act so surprised, I do this every year!”

“And I love teasing you every year for doing it.” Jaehwan grinned and pinched Jinri’s cheek, pulling on it as tightly as he could. Jinri whined and punched Jaehwan on the stomach instead, but her punch was not that powerful so it only made the boy take a step back while laughing.

“What’s up?” Minhyun said with a smile as soon as he reached the two. He looked at Jinri who was busy glaring at Jaehwan, and the latter laughing loudly while holding his bar of chocolate. “Where’s mine?”

“See? Minhyun takes it like a normal person. Can’t you do the same?” Jinri’s cheeks were a little red out of embarrassment, which she tried to hide with the help of her hoodie. She held the sides of the hood together to cover her cheeks while she took out the other bar from her pocket to give it to Minhyun.

“Oh, right.” Jaehwan said as he unwrapped the chocolate bar, glancing at Jinri. “Are you planning on giving him one this year?” He then looked at Seongwu before looking back at the girl.

Jinri shook her head, crossing her arms across her chest. “Nope.”

“Why not?” Minhyun asked before taking a bite of his chocolate bar.

She shrugged slightly. “I don’t know. I think it would be weird.”

In the past years, she used to give Seongwu chocolates (Jaehwan was her messenger), but now that she knew the boy personally, it was a little different. Before, she was just a faceless stranger who doesn’t come close and just gives him chocolates on valentine’s day and peppero boxes on peppero day. At the moment, she was that person who made Seongwu uncomfortable due to her reckless actions in the past. Giving him chocolates would make the situation so much worse than it already is.

Jaehwan nodded slowly, eating the last bite of the chocolate before placing the wrapper inside his pocket. “Well, if you’re not planning on giving him a chocolate today, let’s get going because I’m going to be late.”

Jinri has never imagined herself to be out for dinner with four guys on Valentine’s day. For others, it might be a dream, or a fantasy, but to her, it was an uncomfortable dinner she would want to get out of as soon as possible.

“I thought we’re the only ones going?” Jinri was close to punching Jaehwan on the gut for not telling her that both Daniel and Seongwu were coming along to the ddeokbeokki place with them.

After fetching Minhyun from the parking lot, the three then headed to the mall a few blocks away from their university since Jaehwan and Sewoon planned to go busking that day. Daniel and Seongwu came to to watch, and kind of ended up coming along to the ddeokbeokki place Jaehwan, Jinri and Minhyun always goes to across the university. Sewoon went home as soon as they were done busking, saying that he needed to work on a paper due the next day (but Jaehwan kept on insisting that the boy was going to a date).

After the art exhibit, Jinri found it hard to talk to Seongwu normally. Waving to Seongwu from afar was okay, but then having to eat dinner with him isn’t. It’s such a close proximity that Jinri was not prepared of. If before her only problem was how to talk to Seongwu like an actual human being, at the moment she worries about talking to Seongwu in general after what happened. She keeps on thinking of different ways on how to apologize to the boy for the unnecessary drama he got caught into without knowing, but all of them would only result to more awkwardness. She was planning to talk to Jaehwan and Minhyun about it that day, but then it seems like that talk would be saved for another day.

“Seongwu said he wanted to come when I told him we were going to eat ramen and ddeokbeokki. As for Daniel, he usually just goes wherever Seongwu goes.” Jaehwan said with a shrug, taking out a few bills from his wallet to pay for their order. “Even though they just met this semester, they really click and are always together. I feel like their third wheel sometimes. That’s why I brought you and Minhyun with me, so that I won’t feel as lonely.”

“I have some things to talk about with you two privately though.” Jinri let out a soft sigh, handing Jaehwan her share for the payment.

“Tell me now.” Jaehwan nodded, looking at her.

“Do our occasional serious talks last for five minutes?” Jinri raised a brow, crossing her arms as she looked at the boy who looked at her innocently.

“Eh, sorry.” Jaehwan nudged her gently. “You should’ve told me then.”

“How am I supposed to tell you when Daniel and Seongwu are right there beside you? We really are friends, we don’t really use our brains when necessary.” Jinri shook her head, heading towards the table where the chopsticks and glasses were. She took one for each of them, holding them carefully with a piece of tissue (if it was only her, Minhyun and Jaehwan she wouldn’t even bother using a tissue).

Jaehwan walked towards her, holding the tray of ddeokbeokki carefully while gesturing for Jinri to to get some spoons as well.

Minhyun was seated comfortably on the seat at the left side of the table, leaving the seats beside Daniel and Seongwu empty. Jinri sat beside Daniel, leaving the seat next to Seongwu for Jaehwan.

“Do you know what’s the solution to your problem?” Daniel said, holding Seongwu’s phone with his left hand. Seongwu looked defeated, rubbing his face with his hands.

“Why?” Jaehwan placed the tray of food on the table as he sat on the table. Jinri then placed the bowls on the table while Jaehwan distributed the utensils. “What’s his problem?”

“Ki Heehyun.” Minhyun said with a slight chuckle as he stood up, heading towards where the bottles of water were. He came back a few minutes later, holding a cold pitcher of water and a stack of silver cups.

“Still?” Jaehwan looked at Seongwu, a little amused. “Thought you ended it with her already?”

“I did. Last December.” Seongwu ran a hand through his hair out of frustration.

“And she’s still bothering you?” Jaehwan handed each cup to Jinri, the girl filling each cup with water carefully before placing it near evehryone’s bowl. She was just listening quietly to the  conversation since she’s not directly a part of it.

“Just buy a new phone and change your number.” Daniel placed Seongwu’s phone on the table, nodding slowly.

“I can’t. I don’t have enough money. I still need to buy the materials I need for my midterms project.” Seongwu took his chopsticks and started eating his ramen. “To be honest, I’m getting really tired of it.”

“You’re getting tired of it yet you keep on answering her calls?” Daniel said, shaking his head in amusement as he ate a piece of ddeobeokki. “I don’t understand you, hyung.”

“What if she’s in trouble? I can’t just leave her like that.”

“But she’s not, so stop answering her calls, alright?” Daniel said in a matter-of-factly tone, using his chopsticks to point at Seongwu. “You’re the one who’s getting in trouble because of her.”

“Just block her already.” Jaehwan said, chewing slowly on the noodles.

Daniel nodded. “I told you. Just block her. She’s bothering you and it’s not healthy anymore, hyung. I saw how she tried to corner you and talk last Saturday, and she’s scary.” Daniel shuddered at the thought of Heehyun, gently rubbing his arm before drinking some water. He glanced at Jinri before looking at his drink.

Jinri raised a brow, glancing at Daniel. So something was really up that Saturday, it wasn’t just a hunch.

“Why did you guys even break up in the first place?” Jaehwan glanced at Seongwu, trying to steal some of Jinri’s cheese ddeokbeokki. Jinri glared at Jaehwan, blocking his chopsticks with hers. Even after the bickering, she ended up letting Jaehwan eat some of the ddeokbeokki since there’s no stopping this guy.

“It’s complicated.” Seongwu let out a soft sigh as he placed his chopsticks on his bowl. “To keep the story short, she cheated on me two or three times? I’m not really sure, I got tired of keeping track.” He held his cup of water, taking a few sips before eating once again.

“Why did you even date her?” Daniel asked curiously, offering some of his ddeokbeokki to Seongwu.

“Just because people are messed up in ways we don’t understand doesn’t mean they’re not worthy of being loved, Niel.” Seongwu scrunched his nose, taking a piece of ddeokbeokki.

Daniel nodded slowly, his lips forming a small o-shape as he nodded. “Then how did you meet her? Her building’s far away, meeting her in campus seems so unlikely.”

Jaehwan looked at Jinri, mouthing the words ‘see, I told you I feel like the third wheel’. Jinri shook her head in amusement. If he felt like the third wheel, then why does he keep on joining them at times like this? To her, it didn’t seem like Jaehwan was the third wheel. If someone has to feel like a third wheel at the moment, then it’s her.

“Met her at a party.” Seongwu answered, chewing his food slowly.

“And people say you don’t date people you meet at parties and clubs and bars.” Jaehwan said, nudging Seongwu gently on the arm.

“Eh, not all people you meet at parties are bad. Am I right, Jinri?” Daniel looked at Jinri with a wide smile, nudging her gently on the arm.

Jinri looked at Daniel, a little amused at how brightly the boy was smiling at her. Finally, she was part of the conversation. She nodded then patted his head gently. “Mm. You’re right.”

Daniel scrunched his nose. “You’re back to treating me like a puppy again.”

“You’re like a big puppy though.” Seongwu glanced at Jinri then looked at Daniel, smiling as he held his bowl of ramen to drink some soup.

“But seriously, block her hyung.” Daniel said with a nod. “Right, Jinri? If it was you, what would you do?”

All pairs of eyes were suddenly on her, and it felt like she was in a hot seat. At that moment, she felt like she wanted to kick Daniel on the sheen for asking her that question, but the boy looked like he meant no harm. He was looking at Jinri with such innocent eyes, you won’t even be able to think that he did this intentionally. He just wanted to hear someone else’s side, and probably persuade Seongwu with it if they had the same sentiments.

She cleared as she tried to come up with the most sensible answer she could at the moment. It was a little nerve-wracking, probably made her more anxious than the time she was interviewed for her thesis proposal.

“People break up for a reason,” she started, almost regretting what she said. How could you state the freaking obvious, Jinri? “If you’re the one who decided to end things, you need to stand by it. You won’t just say ‘let’s break up’ just because you feel like saying it, right? You probably got tired of the same old thing happening over and over again. But why are you still letting her run you over like this? If you really want to move on, live your life without that person, then you must cut whatever ties you have with them. It’s the only way.”

Seongwu looked at her in the eyes, making her feel a little uncomfortable. His expression looked more serious than before. “Should I really end it this way?”

Jinri blinked, feeling a little flustered at the way Seongwu looked at her (in addition to the three pairs of eyes looking at her ever since Daniel decided to give her the spotlight). “Well, if you think you love her enough to get through all her s in life, then don’t. But then there’s no guarantee that she’s going to change for you. We all have our own baggage, and if you’re sure you two can make it work, then good. We can only hope for the best. But then, if you’re too tired of it all, there’s nothing wrong with letting go. It’s not bad to think of yourself first every once in a while.”

After a few seconds of complete and somehow awkward silence, Seongwu pressed his lips together and nodded slowly. “Mm. I’ll think about it.”

“See? We all think the same.” Daniel nodded, chewing slowly.

Minhyun shook his head slowly, looking at Jinri then at Seongwu. “Well, not really. She actually gave him a choice.”

Jinri shrugged slightly, poking her food with the chopsticks gently. “It’s not something that you, or me or anyone else in the world can make him do. It’s a decision that he has to make.” She then looked at Daniel, who’s tapping his chopsticks on the cup he was holding. He looked like an innocent five-year-old trying to process what his mom just told him.

From the looks of it, this was what Jinri was able to conclude: Seongwu has a problematic ex-girlfriend who keeps on bothering him (probably asking him to get back together but he doesn’t want to), however, she still had a soft spot within him that’s why he can’t just drop her like that. Daniel seems to look at the situation in a single point of view— the end means the end. It just showed her how innocent Daniel is, he probably hasn’t experienced much bitterness in love and life to have that kind of view, and Jaehwan, among the three, was the most carefree and just usually goes with the flow. Minhyun and her were like the audience of a show being asked for feedback every once in a while.

“Eh~” Jaehwan let out a soft chuckle, patting Seongwu on the arm gently as he stood up from his seat. “Why are we getting serious all of a sudden? Alright, alright. I’m getting some cola, do you guys want some?”

“I’m coming with you. I still feel a little hungry.” Minhyun stood up, taking out a few bills from his wallet before placing it back inside his backpack.

“Coffee for me.” Jinri took out her wallet from her bag, but before she could get a few bills from it, Jaehwan hit her on the head with his wallet. She glared at him as she continuously rubbed her forehead, getting ready to hit him back with her wallet. “What the hell is that for?”

Daniel and Seongwu ended up laughing as they watched the two bicker in front of them. Seongwu has only heard of this kind of interaction from Dongho so seeing it in actuality kind of entertained him. Daniel, on the other hand, was laughing while clapping his hands like a seal. Minhyun sees it almost on a daily basis, so his only reaction was to shake his head in amusement.

“You and your caffeine addiction. You already had coffee this morning! If you drink one more cup your chest’s going to hurt again.” Jaehwan hit her on the head with his wallet once again, before heading to the counter with Minhyun to buy some drinks other than water. Daniel stood up as well, excusing himself before heading to the restroom.

Now that Seongwu and Jinri were left alone in the table, it felt awkward (that’s what Jinri feels at the moment, she wasn’t sure about Seongwu). Seongwu was quietly finishing up his ramen while Jinri ate some of the soup from Jaehwan’s bowl of ramen.

Jinri suddenly thought of her need to apologize to Seongwu. Maybe now was the perfect timing. This is it, let’s get this over with.

“Uhm.. Seongwu.” Jinri looked at Seongwu, her hands getting a little sweaty out of nervousness. Her knees were shaking a little, and if it touched the table, she was sure that even the table would shake as well.

Seongwu looked at her, placing his bowl on the table before holding his cup of water. “Yes?”

“About what happened during the art exhibit.”

“Mm? What about it?”

Jinri closed her eyes for a few seconds, taking in a huge breath before looking at Seongwu once again. This is it, there’s no turning back now. “I just want to apologize for every discomfort I have caused you that night.”

Seongwu blinked before pursing his lips. He then nodded slowly, but didn’t say anything. It looked like Seongwu understood which events she was referring to.

Jinri took this as a sign to continue. “I didn’t mean any of it to happen. Whether it was caused by my actions or just a result of whatever happened in my past, I really am sorry. I didn’t mean to drag you into all the drama I caused and I just want you to know that I am really sorry.”

“One question though.” Seongwu said, looking at her straight in the eyes as he placed his chopsticks on top of his glass of water. “Am I really the reason behind your breakup?”

There was that question again, she thought to herself. It was finally time to put an end to this kind of speculation. “No. I didn’t break up with him because of you. I was the problem. I was the reason why our relationship didn’t work out.”

Seongwu nodded slowly, clasping his hands together as he looked away. “Mm, I see. I have been wondering whether I wrecked a relationship without knowing.”

There. Daniel was right. It was the confirmation that Jinri needed— Seongwu knows about her little crush. There’s no use in denying it anymore after everything that happened.

“Well then, since it’s pretty obvious that you know,” Jinri tapped her fingers on the table repeatedly. She didn’t know where she was able to get the courage to say that, but she did. She wasn’t able to think before she said those words, but since it’s already out, there’s no going back. “I just want to assure you that you have nothing to worry about.”

Seongwu turned to look at her, his eyebrow raised. “What do you mean?”

“It’s just a little crush, nothing deep. It would pass.” Jinri tried her best to avoid his curious gaze, trying to calm her heart at the same time as well. Seongwu’s gaze felt like it was boring holes on her head, and it made her heart skip a beat. “I don’t plan on doing anything about it, or to even act on it that would result to anything that would make you uncomfortable. Well, intentionally.”

The boy blinked, looking a little dumbfounded with what he just heard. He then let out a soft chuckle, rubbing his nape gently. “Did you just confess to me?”

Jinri blinked, trying to process what he just said. Did I confess? Never in a million years did she think that she would be able to confess her attraction towards Seongwu, but she did. And to top all of that, she did it on a very special day— Valentine’s day. Way to go, Jinri.

Instead of answering his question, the only thing that Jinri was able to do was to give herself a facepalm. She shut her eyes close, trying to take in all the humiliation headed towards her way. Go ahead, Jinri. Embarrass yourself even more in front of Ong Seongwu. “.” She mumbled to herself, still covering her face with her palm.

Upon hearing her curse, Seongwu chuckled softly. He was watching Jinri the whole time she was trying to hide behind her palm, and to him, it looked amusing.

“I’m ed.” Jinri shook her head slowly before opening her eyes. The sight of Seongwu smiling was the first one she saw, and she felt all the blood come rushing to her face.

“Did you know,” Seongwu started, tapping his fingers on the table as he wiggled raised his brows, smiling. “That this is the weirdest, the most unique and the most memorable confession I have ever heard in the twenty three years of my existence?”

“I’m embarrassing, stop looking at me.” Jinri bit her lower lip, looking outside the window instead as she held her cup of water. How long does it take to order some drinks? How long does it take to go to the comfort room and come back? When will either of the three come back? It would be better if they came back any minute now because she couldn’t take any more of the embarrassment she’s experiencing at the moment. She kept on drinking the water in her cup slowly, but it seems like the water she’s drinking at the moment quickly comes out of her body through her sweat glands. She was that nervous.

“You really are something, Jinri.” Seongwu said with a smile, taking a sip of his water as well as he looked at his empty bowl. He then took his chopsticks and ate some of the rice cakes from Daniel’s plate. “Oh, before I forget. Thank you for all the chocolates and the pepperos boxes you gave me before. Almond was my favorite, and you got them right one time.” He let out a soft chuckle, glancing at Jinri with a small smile.

Jinri coughed, choking on the water she was drinking. She gently hit her chest with her fist, coughing as softly as her body would allow because let’s face it— this day already reached the quota for the embarrassment and humiliation in front of Seongwu.

“H-hey, are you okay?” Seongwu’s expression suddenly turned into a concerned one, quickly offering her some of the tissue from the tissue dispenser beside him.

Jinri shook her head, still coughing. She was too ashamed to even get the tissue from Seongwu.

“Hey, you okay?” Daniel said, walking closer towards their table, looking all worried as he watched Jinri cough. He took out his handkerchief from his pocket and gave it to her. “Eh, be careful while drinking your water next time.”

Thank you, universe. Really.