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As exams wrapped up, the students gathered in small groups, rapidly talking of their plans for the upcoming holiday break. The holiday parties, however, were a consistent conversation topic. The group that Yona found herself joining was no different.
“It was so nice of Jae Ha to invite us to your party!” Ayame, Yona’s classmate and Hak’s childhood friend, beamed. Immediately, several of the other girls began to ask rapid-fire questions.
“Are you taking a date?”
“Or are you going after one of the boys there?”
“What does it matter? She could have anyone she wanted.”
“I’ve already asked Saki to come,” Ayame answered, crossing her arms across her chest, followed by a chorus of groans. “What about you, Yona?” Before she could answer for herself-- no, she wasn’t planning on asking anyone to be her date-- one of the others answered in her place, mockery weighing her words down.
“Pfft. Yona doesn’t have a boyfriend.”
Perhaps if Yona was more level-headed than she was, she could have avoided this situation. However, as she stood there, temper boiling over, she found the words slipping out against her will.
“I have a boyfriend!” she protested, having absolutely zero evidence to back up her claim. The classroom seemed to freeze at her proclamation, all eyes landing on her. All conversations came to a stop, 30 sets of eyes on her as she fought her battle of pride.
“Oh?” Ayame asked, blinking innocently at Yona’s outburst. “I didn’t know that.”
“Yeah. He’s super cute, super smart,
and
has a great personality.” Somewhere along the line, this conversation had become a personal attack, and her responses made that crystal clear to all of her other classmates.
“What?”
“Who is it?”
“Yeah, who?”
“I’m not
telling
you,” Yona sneered, turning her nose up at the other girls. “You’re just going to have to meet my amazing, wonderful boyfriend at the party.”
“And that’s what happened,” she finished, her voice trailing off as she explained her circumstances to Soo Won.
Gaping at her, silent, he tried his best to form words, but failed. Yona’s story was fantastical, to say the least, but she was obviously distraught about it.
“I can’t take Hak because everyone
knows
Hak, and once he heard about it, he laughed at me for five minutes straight,” she huffed. “Told me that I got myself in this mess, I’d have to get myself out of it.” With a pitiful look, she met his gaze, her cheeks rosy. “So… I thought I’d ask you.”
It was a fine mess that she had gotten herself into, indeed. If it had been anyone else, he probably wouldn’t have believed them, but it was
Yona
. She had more
me and my big mouth
moments than anyone else he knew.
At times, it was charming, or cute.
This was not one of those times.
“I don’t know, Yona,” he trailed off, avoiding her puppy dog eyes as much as he could.
“
Please
, Soo Won?” she pleaded, approaching him so he couldn’t avoid eye contact with her. “You know that if I ask Jae Ha to be my fake boyfriend he’ll never let it go, if I ask Kija, he’ll faint, I
can’t
ask Zeno, it’d just be weird with Yoon, and Shin Ah would spontaneously combust, Tae Jun would--”
“Okay, okay, okay,” he sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “I’ll help you.” Before he could properly prepare himself, Yona threw her arms around his neck, hugging him so tightly, he thought he’d lose consciousness.
“Thank you thank you thank you!!!” she squealed. “You’re the best!”
Well, as long as she thought that, it would make it all worth it. Hesitantly wrapping his arms around her, he tried to ignore the rapid beating of his heart. However, even while in her embrace, the thought bubbled to the surface of his mind:
what have I gotten myself into?
“And then she just--! Asked me to be her fake date! To the party!” Soo Won explained, sounding more exasperated with each passing second. His face was mimicking a stoplight, with how red he was. “I can’t do this.”
“Yes, you can,” Hak replied without looking up from his phone, lounging on the ground in Soo Won’s room.
“I… I really can’t,” Soo Won insisted.
“You really can,” Hak replied, still typing away on his phone. He had received an influx of messages a few hours prior, and decided to kill two birds with one stone.
Yona: HAK HELP SOO WON IS GONNA BE MY FAKE DATE WHAT DO I DOHak: idk lmaoYona: H A KYona: I CAN’T DO THISYona: WHAT IF HE FINDS OUT I HAVE A CRUSH ON HIM?! I CAN NEVER SHOW MY FACE IN PUBLIC AGAIN
“What if she finds out I have a crush on her?” Soo Won piped up, sounding more panicked than before. Sinking into his desk chair, he held his head in his hands. “I would never be able to face her again.”
Hak: youll be fine
“You’ll be
fine
,” Hak droned, a small smile pulling at his lips. “You’re thinking too much.”
“That’s--! That’s what I
do
! I
think
!” Taking off his glasses, he laid his head against the desk, staring listlessly at Hak. “This is a disaster.” At that moment, Hak’s phone buzzed.
Yona: I really don’t think I’ll be fine.Yona: Has he said anything to you?
“Maybe you should just take the opportunity.” Locking his phone, he finally met the other’s pitiful gaze. “She must’ve asked you for a reason, right?”
“Well, yes, and she
gave
me her reasons, but--”
“Then what’s the problem? Just go to the party with her, hold hands, and let her win her petty victory.” Soo Won only groaned in response. “Would you relax? It’s a party, not a marriage proposal.”
“M-M-M-Marriage?!”
“Slow down there, Casanova. Neither one of you are gettin’ married.” However, Hak’s reasoning fell on deaf ears, as Soo Won was already vividly imagining Yona in her wedding dress, and it was written all over his beet-red face. “Oh boy,” he grumbled, turning back to his phone.
Hak: noHak: maybe you should finally tell him how you feel on the night of the party tho
After sending that message, he went ahead and turned on the Do Not Disturb feature on his phone, knowing that Yona was going to blow up his phone otherwise. She can send her 49 messages of various key-smashing, but he’s not going to deal with the notifications.
“Listen,” Hak sighed, straightening up into a regular sitting position. “Maybe you should just tell her how you feel, if it’s tearin’ you up this badly.” Soo Won’s face reddened, but he didn’t shoot the idea down, which was half the battle. With a supportive-- if not cheeky-- smile, he continued, “You never know, she might feel the same way.”
“But…” Soo Won sighed, replacing his glasses.
“
Or
you could just never tell her, and let
yet another
opportunity go by without doing anything about it.” His tone came across as much more exasperated as he meant it to be, which he could only attribute to dealing with this nonsense for several years. It was a perfect chance for both of them to work it out, and if neither one of them were going to take it, Hak was going to call in The Big Guns.
‘The Big Guns’ being Lili, of course.
A moment passed. Then two. Soo Won still didn’t answer.
Hak picked up his phone again, blatantly ignoring the 75 messages from Yona-- all of which (as he guessed they would be) were key-smashing-- and messaged Lili.
Hak: heyHak: the two idiots are going to the party together
“I suppose I could… if the mood was right…” Soo Won mumbled, his voice growing meeker with each passing second. He continued to mutter to himself, but Hak couldn’t catch what he was saying. Glancing down at his phone (which was still on Do Not Disturb), he realized Lili had messaged back:
Lili: which idiots
Go figure.
Hak: yona and swLili: seriously??? lol
Lili:
is swon going to man up and tell her how he feels or nah
Hak: idk
Hak:
i said he should lmao
Lili:
so what is he crying? Lol
Hak had to respect Lili’s intuition in matters such as this. While Soo Won was not shedding tears externally, Hak was sure he was screaming internally. After all, making an emotional decision was not his strong suit.
While Soo Won continued to mutter all the pros and cons of confessing to Yona under his breath, Hak explained the situation to Lili, and formulated a plan. Hak would take care of helping Soo Won, giving him the push he needed, and Lili would take care of Yona.
For the sake of the sanity of all parties involved, the two of them had to confess at the party, or risk another year of roundabout interactions with one another.
Lili told Hak that she was going over to Yona’s house, and that she would convince her to confess, one way or another. That was his cue to follow suit.
“Just go for it,” he groaned. “The worst thing that will happen is that she says no.”
“Y-Yes, but--!”
“No buts!” Another whine from Soo Won, but at least he stopped fighting him on it. A few moments passed, then a few more, and finally, Soo Won released an exasperated sigh.
“Okay… I’ll do it.” Sitting up and facing Hak, he had a certain determination written into his features. “I’ll go to the party… and
if things feel right
,” he emphasized, narrowing his eyes at Hak, “then-- and only then-- will I tell her how I feel.”
“Aight. Good plan.”
The night of the party arrived faster than either Soo Won or Yona were prepared for. Soo Won showed up at Yona’s house promptly at 7:30 PM, prepared to escort her to Jae Ha’s.
Throughout the week, they had coordinated their plan for the night of the party. The two of them would show up together, act vaguely lovey-dovey (nothing too crazy, they both agreed), and leave together. Nothing to it.
The problem
was
, Soo Won had no idea that Lili had her grubby hands all over this plan. He
also
had no idea that she had goaded Yona into confessing her feelings to him that very evening, nor did he know that Lili had coordinated a-- as she called it-- “Knock Swon’s Socks Off” outfit for Yona to wear.
If he had known, he would
never
tell her that it
worked
.
When Yona answered the door, she was wearing a long knitted sweater, leggings, and boots, with her hair styled into soft curls, and just the right amount of makeup. On anyone else, it would have been nothing special, but somehow, on Yona, it made her dazzling.
“Hi, Soo Won,” she greeted, staring at her boots, and tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. Locking her door, she stepped out to join him, finally meeting his gaze. “Thanks for doing this for me tonight.”
“You’re welcome,” he managed, sounding much more cool than he felt. “Anything for you.”
WAIT, NO, I DIDN’T MEAN TO--
“You’re the best, seriously,” she smiled, linking arms with him. His heart rate jumped at the contact, his regret fading away almost instantaneously.
What he didn’t know, however, was that that was
also
part of Lili’s foolproof plan.
“Be bold! Be flirty!” she had commanded Yona a week prior. “I swear, Yona, he’s already head over heels for you, but if he’s not, he’s
gonna be
!”
“But Lili! I don’t know how to be flirty!”
“Like hell you don’t!” she protested, pointing an accusatory finger at her best friend. “Coo over him, bat your eyelashes, do whatever the hell you gotta do, but you are
not
leaving that party without either making a move on him, or telling him how you feel about him.”
“But--”
“No
buts
!” Standing on Yona’s desk chair-- something that Yona
wouldn’t
recommend, considering its structural integrity-- she pointed at Yona, giving off a tyrannical air. “You are my best friend, and you’re beautiful, and smart, and if he doesn’t feel the same way, then he’s more of an idiot than I thought!”
Despite the harsh words, Yona knew that was her way of supporting her. Besides, it had worked. There she was, arm-in-arm with Soo Won, on the way to a party that was, one way or another, the turning point of their relationship.
They chatted easily on their way to the party, their linked arms keeping each other warm. The atmosphere between them was just as casual as always, with no indication that the stakes were so high between them.
They both knew it, but neither one of them wanted to admit it.
As soon as they arrived, that peaceful atmosphere was shattered. Jae Ha opened the door, smiling cheerfully at the two of them.
“Hey, you two, Merry Christmas.”
“Merry Christmas!” they chimed back in unison. However, that wasn’t the problem.
The two problems were standing behind Jae Ha, leaning against two separate walls, their triumphant grins stretching across their faces. They already won, and all four of them knew it.
“Merry Christmas, Hak, Lili,” Soo Won greeted, forcing his usual cheery disposition. However, the peace didn’t last.
“Oh, hey!” Lili yelled, turning her head towards the other room, where the others were. “It’s Yona and her
boyfriend
!!”
I should have known,
Soo Won thought, suddenly feeling tense. However, once Yona placed a gentle hand on his arm, and gave him a small smile, the tension flooded away.
They had barely made it inside when the girls from Yona’s class nearly stampeded the two of them in their excitement.
“What?! Yona?! You’re dating
Soo Won
?!”
“I
totally
called it!!”
“Hey! You did
not
!”
“You’re
sooooo
cute together!”
“How long have you two been dating?”
“How did you confess?”
“Does he take you out on cute dates all the time?”
“Oh, he
totally
would! He’s so cute, and such a little bookworm, I bet they go on dates to the
library
!”
“That’s so
cute
!!”
The gaggle of girls nearly suffocated the two of them, bombarding them with question after question about their relationship. Yet, they were genuinely kind and curious in all of their inquiries.
After some time, Soo Won removed their arms from their link, so he could put his arm around her, pulling her closer. Of course, in response to this, all the girls squealed, making comments about how much the two of them were blushing, and how cute they were, and so on.
“Look, he’s a natural,” Lili smirked, eyeing her partner in crime.
“‘Bout time,” Hak grumbled, although he was smiling.
“No kidding,” she scoffed. Her eyes rested on the fake couple, and a fond smile pulled at her lips. “They look happy.”
Although Hak didn’t answer, he was thinking the same thing.
“So, Hak, listen,” she started, meeting his gaze with the most mischievous grin he had ever seen from her. “I have a failsafe.”
The party continued, with Soo Won acting the part of the perfect boyfriend: getting Yona snacks, getting her something to drink, never straying too far from her side, and occasionally holding her hand, or putting an arm around her waist. They both looked so natural with one another, no one suspected that they were faking it.
Probably because they
weren’t
.
They both believed the other was faking it on their behalf, but they weren’t. Every shy smile, every brush of the shoulders, all of it was considered to be part of the act. Yet, both of them were taking every opportunity to be closer to one another, to use their time together wisely.
After tonight, if the other didn’t feel the same way, it would all end with this.
Neither of them
wanted
it to end.
“Hey, Yona!” Lili called from the other end of the room, beckoning her over.
“Be right there!” she called back, giving Soo Won an apologetic smile. “I’ll be right back.” Hesitantly, the two of them drifted apart as she trotted over to Lili. Releasing a content sigh, he stood back, and watched her go.
“Wow, the two of you are doing great.”
Soo Won jumped when he heard Hak’s voice, seemingly appearing out of nowhere.
“Hak! You surprised me…”
“You tell her how you feel about her yet?” Hak asked, not really one to beat around the bush.
“No… not yet,” Soo Won mumbled, avoiding his gaze. Grabbing his ear between two fingers, Hak pulled. “
OWW
…!”
“C’mon. The mood has been right between you two since you walked in,” he grumbled, rolling his eyes, but letting him go.
“Oh… has it? I hadn’t noticed,” Soo Won laughed nervously, rubbing his ear gently.
“Ugh, c’mon, Soo Won. You
can’t
miss out on this.” Hak clapped him on the back, loud enough to make several people turn around, interested in knowing who had just gotten slapped.
However, little did he know that this was all part of the
failsafe
that Lili had planned, down to the last minute detail. Hak stuck around for a few minutes, idly chatting with Soo Won about the party, when Lili wandered over, by herself.
“Where’s Yona?” Soo Won asked.
“Oh, I think she went to the kitchen to get some snacks.” Pointing in the vague direction of the kitchen, Lili shrugged. “She said something about wanting to talk to you? I dunno.”
The dreaded phrase
want to talk
weighed on him, twisting his stomach. The way Lili had said it, she made it sound like Yona was unhappy about something or other, and was going to chew Soo Won out. Or, maybe something had happened? Either way, he found his feet moving on their own accord, making their way towards Yona.
Spotting the familiar red hair across the room, he saw her leaning against a doorframe, arms crossed across her chest. True, she looked a little pensive, but it didn’t seem like anything major had happened. Maybe Lili was just being dramatic?
“Yona,” he called softly, catching her attention. “Are you alright?”
“Yeah, I’m fine,” she assured him. Just by the confusion written into her features, he could tell she wasn’t lying. She always
had
been an open book for him. Relief washed over him, and an easy smile found its way onto his face.
“Oh, good.”
“Why did you think something was wrong?”
“... Lili, mostly,” he grumbled, casting a glance towards where Hak and Lili were standing. The two of them were grinning ear to ear, looking too smug for his liking.
“Leave it to Lili,” Yona sighed, locking eyes with her best friend. Discreetly, Hak and Lili both raised a single finger upwards, instructing them to look up. Slowly, and with no lack of confusion, Soo Won and Yona raised their eyes to the ceiling.
Both of their hearts stopped for
at least
half a second. Probably more.
Hanging above both of their heads was a single, undeniable sprig of mistletoe. The horror was written into their features, mouths gaping, eyes wide and glazed over.
This was it. This was the moment they were both anticipating and fearing.
“O-Oh…” Soo Won choked, his face heating up until he was sure he was glowing a bright red. Eyes flashing towards Yona, who was (no doubt) as red as he was, he swallowed hard. Taking a step back, he averted his gaze. “I’m sorry… I didn’t realize…”
“No, it’s fine, neither did I…” she trailed off, looking down an tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. Yona could barely take a step back before an unholy screech broke through the din of the party.
“
AWW, HOW CUUUUTE!
” Lili yelled. “YONA AND SOO WON ARE UNDER THE MISTLETOE!!”
All eyes were on them in a nanosecond, broad smiles breaking across the faces of all the partygoers. The fake couple was in the spotlight, with everyone eagerly cheering them on.
Breath catching in her throat, Yona met Soo Won’s gaze, the cheers and goads of all the others fading away. Swallowing her pride, she took a step towards him, closing the distance between the two of them.
Knowing full well that it wasn’t going to end until she did something about it, she raised her hand, cupping his cheek, her thumb grazing against his cheekbone. A small, reassuring smile pulled at her lips, which he mirrored with his own.
Leaning onto her tip-toes, she leaned closer, hooking her arms behind his neck. To her surprise, he met her halfway, leaning down until their noses brushed. Eyes fluttering closed, his hand found its way into her hair as their lips pressed together.
The cheers that erupted throughout the house-- Hak and Lili included-- were nothing more than muffled background noise to the two of them. Soo Won could feel the smile forming on her lips, an irresistibly charming motion.
Breaking the kiss apart, however hesitantly, the two of them pulled back, faces aflame, cheeks glowing pink. Releasing a nervous giggle, Yona hugged herself closer to him, leaning her mouth closer to his ear.
“Soo Won, I really like you,” she whispered, her warm breath hitting his ear, sending his heartbeat into overdrive. Her words, coupled with the exhilaration of their first kiss, sent a wave of relief over him. Wrapping his arms around her waist, he leaned closer to her ear, and whispered in return.
“I really like you, too.” Yona squeezed him tighter, burying her face into his shoulder. “I wanted to tell you that all night long.”
“Same here,” she mumbled into his sweater. Leaning away slightly, he hooked a finger under her chin, and gave her a shy smile.
Despite their audience, neither one of them felt too shy about stealing another kiss from each other.