001

YOU NATURALLY SMILED AS YOU SAW YOUR BOYFRIEND APPEAR ON STAGE.

Kim Jongin, star football player and long-time performer, seemed nervous and fidgety as he took his spot on the lit stage and waited for the music to cue. You shot him a small, shy wave, letting him know that you were there to support him fully, and he gave you a grin back, his tense body seemed to have relaxed after noticing your presence. 

As soon as the music started and Jongin immersed himself in it, you raised your camera to your eyes and clicked the shutter button, trying to capture as many of his best angles as possible. You tried not to cringe whenever one of Jongin’s fangirls bumped into you along with their camera. You had nothing against them, you befriended some of them and bonded over which picture you guys liked best. In all honesty, you didn’t like being so much at the front. Not only you thought that place was reserved for Jongin’s fans exclusively, but it was also a spot where Jongin could see you clearly and send you flirty looks that made you heat up.

Staying at the back was a much safer option (for both you and your sanity). 

However, your “job” at the university’s newspaper club was to take pictures for the newspaper, and the annual fundraising dance show (hosted by the school’s dance club) was one of the most popular events of the school year. Hence, why you were stuck at the front, taking pictures of your boyfriend not because you wanted to but because you had to. Not that you hated watching him perform—it was one of your favourite things to do—but you didn’t decide to take up photography to take mundane pictures to post on social media. You took pictures because you wanted to make a change in the world, you wanted to make people aware of the social problems in the world.

You wanted to be like the photographers who exhibited their pictures at the World Press Photo exhibition.

That was your ultimate goal.

But, on some days, you didn’t really mind because Jongin looked so good.

Kind of like tonight.

For his performance, Jongin wore a simple white chemise (can you even call it a chemise when it was revealing his whole chest?) that honestly looked like something a pirate—a good-looking one, if you may add—might wear, along with a pair of black trousers and a silver spade necklace that emphasized his collarbone and tan skin. He even went as far as wearing makeup and colour lenses.

At that right exact moment when he ran his left hand through his hair, you took a picture. You didn’t even need to go back to it to know that it was going to be the picture featured in the entertainment section of the newspapers. 

Jongin then shot a smirk over in your direction and you shook your head exasperatedly. His performance was over and you decided to head to the dancers’ dressing room to see him. You said hi to the performers who were going on and to other people who were part of the crew as well before finally arriving at the room. You knocked three times and allowed yourself in.

“Knock, knock,” you said as you poked your head in.

Jongin was sitting on the chair and swivelled around at the sound of your arrival. His eyes lit up at your appearance and he opened his arms for you. You almost rolled your eyes and was about to refuse his demand for a hug when he gave you the puppy-eyes look. You groaned out loud and hugged him as his arms wrapped around your waist. 

“Stop acting like a baby when five minutes ago, you were the complete opposite,” you mumbled as you gave a kiss on the top of his head. “You did good, though.”

“I did, didn’t I?” he replied cheekily. He then nudged your waist with his chin. “Were you able to take nice pictures?”

You hummed in response as you played with your boyfriend’s hair—it was really soft despite the hair products used. “I’ll have to see on my laptop.”

“Oi.” You then heard a voice interrupt your conversation. Turns out it was Jongin’s friend, Ravi, who was in the same dance crew and football team as him. “You guys are not the only ones in the room, you know?”

“Way to ruin a moment,” Taemin, one of your boyfriend’s best friends, commented with a small snort. “By the way, we’re going out to eat later on, are you guys coming?”

You blinked. “Why are you asking me?”

Ravi shrugged. “Jongin said that he’ll come if you are.”

You glanced over at Jongin who pretended to be distracted by some lint on his clothes. You gave his friends an easygoing smile. “Sure, sounds like fun.”

While his friends celebrated your confirmation, you felt Jongin’s fingers tapping on your waist urgently, and you looked down, almost forgetting that he still had his arms tightly wrapped around you. 

“Are you sure?” Jongin asked in a low voice, not wanting his friends to overhear your conversation. You tilted your head in confusion. “Don’t you have a club meeting tomorrow early in the morning?”

You pecked his pouty lips because of how considerate he was. “Don’t worry too much about it. And besides, your friends want you to go. Why did you say that you’ll go only if I’m going? I don’t mind heading back early.”

Jongin shook his head furiously and tightened his hold around you even more as he hid his head in the crook between your body and forearm. “No, I wanted to spend more time with you.”

“Aren’t we spending time together, right now?”

“I meant, alone,” he replied, almost sulkily. “You should have refused their request.”

“Yah, Kim Jongin, how could you say that?” Ravi then intervened with an offended tone.

Fifteen minutes later, the show was over and all of you headed to the restaurant. You actually drove to the performance. Jongin insisted to be the one driving because he wasn’t able to drive today (he carpooled with Taemin), and you let him be.

While he had his eyes on the road, you went back to the pictures you took throughout the performance. You went through them rather quickly, not dwelling too long on every picture in fear that you would get too critical of the photos you took.

“Why are you frowning?” Jongin then said, and you raised a brow because he wasn’t even looking at you. “Do you not like the pictures?”

“I wasn’t frowning?” you replied.

At the red light, Jongin stopped and turned to you. He then poked that space between your brows and clicked his tongue at you. “Why are you lying? You are frowning.” He then started poking that empty space repeatedly, though gently. “Stop it.”

You frowned even more. “You stop it!” you then exclaimed and grabbed his hand before giving it a playful bite.

“Yah, yah! Let’s keep that stuff inside the bedroom, please. You’re making me blush.”

You gasped incredulously at his words and started punching his arm as he drove off at the green light. You knew it didn’t hurt because while although he kept saying “ow” at every punch, Jongin still had the audacity to giggle in-between.

“Are you having fun teasing me like this?”

He nodded without any hesitation. “So much. It’s so rare seeing you this expressive. I kind of like it. Should I start saying more of this stuff?”

You scrunched up your nose at his response. “You’re embarrassing.”

He chuckled at your reply and didn’t say another word as he held your hand tightly on your lap, sometimes drawing comforting circles, sometimes bringing it to his lips for a small kiss.

It was true that you were not much of an expressive person, your emotions mostly always kept at bay, no matter the situation. Only Jongin would be able to bring out your playful side in public. But even then, that would be rare. You usually expressed your emotions through your photographs—it was your favourite art medium.

And when you thought about it, it was also through your photography that you and Jongin were able to meet. Under complicated circumstances, but that was a story to be told at another time.

You two finally arrived at the restaurant after everyone else. They jeered at your appearance, and you hid behind Jongin’s back, not really liking having all the attention on you (blame your introverted self). Jongin was the same—he was someone rather low-key as well, but still handled the attention better than you did.

You and Jongin have been dating for a year now, though you had known each other for more than that. Going out in public with him was still something you would have to get used to. Your boyfriend rolled his eyes at the jeers, though you didn’t miss the small blush on his cheeks, and quickly ushered you to your seats.

“What do you feel like eating?” he asked you as he perused the menu with shining eyes.

“Whatever you want,” you replied with a small shrug. “We’re at a bbq place. Might as well order some meat.”

Jongin nodded enthusiastically. “Yeah, meat is… meat is… meat… Hehe.”

You shook your head at how adorable he was being because of his love for meat, which came second to chicken. The waiter came back with all of the meat ordered and some drinks. You scrunched up your nose at the smell of alcohol, not really one to drink on a school night, but the dance club probably wanted to celebrate a show well done. You were just there to make sure that Jongin didn’t drink too much.

At first, it was fine. The dancers didn’t drink too much alcohol and much of the time was spent catching up with each other. You didn’t know the dancers well, except for a few such as Ravi, Taemin and Seulgi, so they were the only ones you spoke to. You didn’t know how it happened, but you guys suddenly started playing drinking games.

But every time it was your turn to drink because you got randomly picked or you lost a round, Jongin acted like your dark knight and would always drink your shot of soju, no matter how drunk he was. You were getting worried because his tolerance wasn’t that high either, and he had his own shots to drink, as well.

“We’ll get going,” you then announced to the whole table to which everyone responded negatively. But Jongin was already beyond tipsy, and any more than what he already had, you were scared that you wouldn’t be able to bring him back home.

You were able to get Jongin into the passenger seat with Ravi’s help, and you thanked him before driving back to your flat. Jongin seemed to have sobered up a little during the silent ride and tried to snuggle into you.

“Sweetheart, are you mad?” Jongin mumbled, slurring a little.

“No,” you replied. “Why would I be mad?”

“I dunno…” he continued with a small pout. “You looked like you didn’t enjoy the evening.”

“I think that’s the alcohol speaking,” you said. “Are you feeling okay? Do you need water? There’s some next to you if you’re thirsty, okay?”

You didn’t hear a response and you glanced over at your boyfriend, who was seemed to have fallen into a deep slumber. You smiled at the sight and drove back home in another peaceful silence.

JONGIN WAS STILL SLEEPING BY THE TIME YOU LEFT FOR SCHOOL.

You had an early meeting with the school’s newspaper club, and you had to submit the picture you had taken of Jongin for the next issue too. 

“Alright,” Minseok, the club’s President and editor-in-chief, said with a small clap of his hands. “Your new assignments have been given. If you have any questions, just let me know.”

With that in mind, you headed over to his desk. “Minseok sunbae, here are the pictures for the entertainment section,” you said as you handed him over the USB key (you had to hastily transfer the pictures files this morning). 

“Awesome,” he replied. “I’ll give it over to the other editors.”

“Cool,” you said as you were about to leave.

“Oh, wait a second,” he then said. You turned around with a raised brow. “Didn’t you say that you minored in journalism?”

You nodded. You only took journalism as a back-up plan, but you had no intention of giving up your future in photography. But you still took up journalism because it was related to your field of subject.

“Are you up for a writing assignment?” Minseok then asked you with a small smile. You hesitated for a while. You joined the club mostly for fun and to discover more about school life, but the assignments you had received were not too stimulating either. 

“If I were to accept, what would be my writing assignment?”

“Well, since it is your first assignment, just write about whatever you feel like writing,” he said. “You’re still relatively new to this, so I can’t say for sure that your article will make the cut, either.”

You nodded. There was no pressure and you could write about whatever you wanted. You didn't think you had anything to lose. “Okay.”

You then left the newspaper club room when you abruptly received a call from your boyfriend. “Hey,” you said with a smile on your face. “Did you just wake up?”

“No…” he replied and then whined, “Why were you not next to me when I woke up?”

“Because I had a meeting, remember?” you said, almost in a chiding way. “You were even worried about me yesterday because of it.”

“Right…” he continued. “By the way, where are you, right now? Are you done with your meeting?”

“Yup, I just left the clubroom and I’m about to head–” You didn’t even finish your sentence because you accidentally bumped into someone. You let out a small “ow” and rubbed the tip of your nose. You were about to apologize when you realize who was the person you bumped into. “Jongin?! What are you doing here?”

You hugged him tight, liking it better when he was completely sober rather than drunk, and kissed him on the lips. Jongin gave another kiss to your temple before grabbing your hand.

“Good morning to you too,” he said. “Did you eat, yet?”

“Uh…” Your eyes darted from left to right, not knowing what you should answer because you knew Jongin was going to be disappointed if you told him the truth. “Does coffee count as breakfast?”

He glared at you. “You didn’t eat anything?” But his glare quickly turned into a childish grin. “Perfect, that’s what I thought, anyway. Let’s go eat breakfast together.”

You almost punched him. “What do you mean, that’s what you expected? I frequently eat breakfast, okay?”

“Granola bars and a cup of coffee don’t exactly count as breakfast, sweetheart,” he replied (though, you begged to differ). “Come on, I saw this cool place on Instagram that I wanted to bring you.”

The place Jongin brought you was a small breakfast place, hidden under a stairway, in a random alley. At first, you were skeptical of the location (how did Jongin even find this place on Instagram?), but you realized that it was kind of like a diamond in the rough. Although the place seemed to be in a hole, the atmosphere provided some sort of comfort that made you think that it was going to be a place you were going to very much enjoy coming occasionally or even weekly. 

The restaurant was so cozy and warm, a feeling that you normally associated with Jongin, that you began to take pictures after asking permission from the manager. It was just these little thoughtful things that Jongin did that you appreciated. You loved it whenever Jongin saw something and would mention that it made him think of you. 

While you two were perusing the menu, you stayed silent (even though you didn’t usually eat breakfast, picking something from the menu was an important decision that could affect your mood) whereas Jongin was humming along to the soft jazz music that was playing through the speakers. It distracted you a little from your decision-making (not that you were complaining), but you’d always loved it whenever you see your boyfriend so immersed in music and would not only hum but also dance and bounce a little along to the song. You found it endearing.

Like, as of this moment.

The jazz music was a smooth, relaxing one; with a saxophone and piano playing instrumental music. Jongin would roll his shoulders or bob his head slowly to the occasional cymbals appearing throughout the track. Noticing your stare, he would lift his head up with a questioning gaze, and then suddenly act all shy when he realized that you were gazing at him, before going back to the menu and stop moving along to the music. But, that would only last a few minutes, and Jongin would subtly dance along to the new song playing once again. 

You enjoyed these calm and relaxing dates with Jongin because it was the complete opposite of your usual daily routines. Your boyfriend would be busy with not only classes but also football and dance practices. And you were also busy with your own classes and extracurricular activities. Both of you were required to live an active and bustling student lifestyle. It didn’t really allow you two to spend that much time together alone. But at the same time, it allowed you to appreciate these moments even more with your boyfriend because it was the complete opposite of what you guys would go through on a daily basis.

What you loved the most were the talks that you two would have.

Not just deep conversations. Sometimes, it would be deep. Sometimes, you two would spend hours in a café talking about conspiracy theories or contemplating the existence of aliens. Not that you two actually believed in those things (though, you two would give some benefit of the doubt), it was just nice to talk about those things and get overly excited even though you two had no proof of whether the theories were true or untrue. It was during these times that his innocence also shined through. 

Other times, you two would just enjoy each other’s presence with a warm cup of coffee. Either taking in each other’s presence or studying side-by-side in peace. Sometimes, you would also whip out your camera and take candid pictures of your boyfriend. Although you didn’t usually like taking out your expensive camera for these mundane moments for your social media, it was exactly because it was mundane that you somehow had a deeper appreciation for these private moments between you and Jongin. 

Your boyfriend would always complain and ask why you didn’t like taking pictures of him on stage as much as you liked taking pictures of him daily. You would usually shrug, avoiding the question with expert ease. But you were also too shy to admit that the “him” on-stage was everyone’s Jongin—or Kai since that was his stage name—and he didn’t solely belong to you. But whenever you took pictures of him during your dates, whether he knew or not, that Jongin was one that only you knew. It was also a side that he would show to you only. And these daily pictures weren't ones that you'd post on social media, either. 

Except for a few shots.

One of your favourites would be one of his sharp jawline (his left side, specifically). You even had a special folder on your phone called “Jonginnie’s Jawline” with just random pictures of your boyfriend’s jawline. As a matter of fact, that actually started off your relationship with each other.

“What are you thinking?” he asked in-between mouthfuls of his scrambled eggs. 

You took a sip of your coffee. “Just thinking about how we first met.”

At that, Jongin’s cheeks and ears turned bright red. “Why…?”

You almost wanted to coo at how adorable he was. “Isn’t it a bit too late to act all shy?”

“Stop, I’m going to die from embarrassment.”

You rolled your eyes. The duality was real. But that was one of the things you loved about him.

“So, how was the meeting?” he then asked. “Did Minseok hyung like the pictures that you took?”

“He’s not the one deciding, but he did assign me a writing assignment though,” you replied.

His eyes bulged out at the news. “Hey, that’s great, right? You’ve always said that taking pictures for the club wasn’t challenging enough.”

“I guess? I wrote a few articles for my journalism classes but I don’t know if they’re at the same level as the official writers.”

“Well, I believe that you will do a good job regardless.”

“Thanks, sweetie.” You smiled. “What about you? Anything new?”

Jongin began to talk to you about the dancing club’s future plans and what they were going to use the funds collected for. You nodded along with his words and intercepted once in a while to give your own comments and opinions. You would then occasionally sip your coffee and sigh at the peacefulness that you enjoyed so much.

Sighed at the perfection that was your boyfriend.

[author's note]

A shorter chapter than what I would usually write, but most of my first few chapters are shorter and would gradually get longer as I figure out the couple's dynamics and relationship. Maybe not as cute-fluffy like Sehun's, but I'm kind of liking this serenity-warm-feeling-fluff that OC has with Jongin's? It's a nice contrast. But I promise that eventually, there will be some disgusting-rainbow-puking-fluff (just give me a few chapters to discover and figure out how I want to write this new couple haha).

Omg, how do you guys think Jongin and OC met? I gave a few hints, but I'm curious about your own theories! 

Oh, and I was wondering whether you guys wanted Sehun to be the same Sehun from his version (i.e. Sehun would appear in the story with his girlfriend/OC from What a Man in this story) or do you guys want this story to be a completely new story in which Sehun isn't the same character/best friend that Jongin had in What a Man? (Did this even make sense??) Let me know!

Oooh, and please comment to let me know your thoughts on the first chapter!! And upvote if you like the story so far hehe (or upvote because of Jongin's nice HQ picture in which he looked GORGEOUS LIKE HELLO 90'S HEARTTHROB JONGIN??)
See you at the next update xoxo

P-S: Sorry for the long a/n but CHECK OUT MY ONE-SHOT WITH JUNMYEON by clicking HERE