Monday came too quickly.
The group outing felt like a fever dream—bright lights, loud laughter, blurry memories captured in printed photos now stuck to Jungwon’s locker door (courtesy of Sunoo).
But in the quiet lull of lunch break, as students scattered around the cafeteria, Jungwon leaned back in his seat and watched Jiwon laugh at something Sunghoon said across the table.
There was something different now. Not in the way she looked—still effortlessly pretty in her loose cardigan and messy half-up hair—but in the way she looked at him.
And every time her eyes met his, they didn’t dart away like before. They stayed. Soft. Sure.
Heeseung nudged his side. “You’re smiling like you just won the lottery.”
“I feel like I did,” Jungwon muttered.
“Gross,” Jay grinned. “But cute. I guess.”
Jiwon returned to her seat beside Jungwon, setting her tray down. “You okay?”
“Perfect,” he said.
She paused, biting her lip shyly. “You’re being suspiciously charming today.”
“Maybe I’m just happy.”
Sunoo leaned across the table. “It’s the post-first-kiss glow. Don’t worry, we get it.”
Jiwon flushed instantly while Jungwon groaned. “Sunoo!”
“What?” he said innocently. “You think we didn’t see you two wandering off together under the love lights?”
“Love lights?” Ni-ki laughed. “You’re such a romantic.”
Sunghoon just shook his head and continued eating, but his smirk betrayed his amusement.
Jiwon covered her face, laughing through her fingers. “You guys are the worst.”
But even through the teasing, there was something grounding about this—being accepted not just by Jungwon, but by all of them. It felt like being pulled into a new kind of family. Messy, loud, full of jokes—but warm.
Later that afternoon, Jungwon walked her home. They didn’t hold hands right away. They just walked. Quiet, comfortable.
“You looked pretty today,” he said.
She glanced at him. “I had cereal for breakfast and was late to class. But thanks.”
“I mean it.” He looked down, smiling. “You’re kind of my favorite sight lately.”
Jiwon’s heart thudded. “You’re saying things like that again.”
“I’m allowed to now,” he teased.
They stopped in front of her gate.
Jiwon hesitated. “Do you… wanna come in for a bit? My brother’s not home. I made cookies.”
Jungwon blinked. “You bake?”
“Not well,” she admitted. “But they’re not poisoned.”
“Well then. Lead the way.”
Inside, the living room was warm and smelled faintly of vanilla. Jiwon disappeared into the kitchen while Jungwon sat on the couch, glancing around.
Family photos lined the shelves. A framed drawing on the wall—probably hers. It felt like her space.
When she returned with a small plate of chocolate chip cookies, he grinned. “Did you make these with love?”
“I made them with stress,” she deadpanned. “But same energy.”
They sat shoulder to shoulder on the couch, sharing the cookies, brushing crumbs off each other. Jungwon rested his arm on the back of the seat, fingers occasionally playing with the ends of her hair.
And then, softly, he said, “This feels nice.”
Jiwon leaned into him. “It does.”
No loud declarations. No fireworks.
Just quiet, simple things—a couch, a cookie, and the boy she liked sitting beside her like he was always meant to be there.
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✓ 𝗜'𝗠 𝗖𝗨𝗧𝗘𝗥. yang jungwon
Fanfiction( 𝗜'𝗠 𝗖𝗨𝗧𝗘𝗥 ) "One dare, one text, and a whole lot of feelings." --- It all began with a simple dare-one that led to an unexpected connection. Jiwon Park, a quiet transfer student, received a random text that read, "I'm cute." Thinking it was...
