Contract Boyfriend || n.yuta

11

Iseul sat with her knees to her chest at the corner of the old bus stop. Her feet ached terribly and her body trembled in hopes of warming her soaked body. She must have walked at least a mile in the hard rain before she found shelter. 

"Fucking hell." She cursed, teeth chattering. It was the wrong day to wear a tank top and shorts. "Curse severe global warming. Curse Jungwoo. Curse me thinking it wouldn't hurt."

She was scared. Her phone was dead, she didn't have money on her, and the rain seemed to grow heavier. The soft rumbles from the sky were much louder than the sound of the harsh pattering off rain to her. 

"I know you wouldn't ask me to accompany you to buy groceries. You needed to get me alone to say something without exposing yourself."

"You're as smart as ever. A clever excuse I could use is that you're familiar with this town." Jungwoo chuckled. He had one hand on the steering wheel, and the other supporting his head as he rested it on the car door.

"Wasn't smart enough to end up with you." Iseul sassed. "You could have asked Sohye to accompany you. She already hates my guts."

"I'm just using her. Does it make you jealous?" Jungwoo asked with a smile.

"It angers me how you use people as to your twisted liking." She shot down. She was getting extremely uncomfortable, but the lodging was too far for her to walk to. "Sohye sincerely loves you, you asshole."

"Then would you rather see people be used to my 'twisted liking', or would you rather I stop using people under the condition you come back to me?" Jungwoo smiled. "You'll be the only one suffering instead of many others."

"Why are you so obsessed with me? You were the one who wasn't satisfied." Iseul retorted.

"But I was the one who was there for you from the start, Seul. I was there to comfort you, I was your firsts, and I am the reason why you got through the hardest periods of your life. You know I don't like playing the bad guy." 

"Stop the car."

"Why? Are you that shameful-"

"Stop the fucking car or I will jump out the car."  She demanded. Jungwoo's smile faltered as he glanced at her through the corner of his eye. He pulled over and unlocked the car for her to leave. "Oh, and Jungwoo?"

"What?"

"Fuck you and your delusional world."

She hated it. She hated how Jungwoo was right. She hated how he always used it against her. What did she ever do wrong?

"I wish I never met him." She seethed. "If I didn't meet him... would I still be this mess?"

The next hour or so, she was drifting in and out of consciousness. She knew it was dangerous to fall asleep in a place like this, but she couldn't fight the fatigue. 

"I found you again, bambi." 

Her eyes widened at what she saw. She was sure she wasn't dreaming, so why was here? 

"Yuta?" 

He pushed his damp hair back as he closed the umbrella. He tried raising his phone, but it was no use. "There's no signal here." 

"How did you find me? No one really knows about this bus stop." She asked. 

"Because you're an idiot. I looked everywhere for you."  Yuta huffed. He handed her the hand warmer he bought on the way. 

"Did you come alone?" She asked. "What happened to your lip?"

"I couldn't just wait for the others to get ready knowing you were alone in this rain." He answered. He  clicked his tongue in irritation. "Can you wait here? I'll go over the hill and see if I can get a hold of Johnny so he can pick us up."

"I can-" Her heart sunk at the sudden flash that lit up the whole shed. Her hands shot up to cover her ears as she screwed her eyes shut. She flinched at the deafening clap of thunder even if it were muffled. 

"Bambi." He softly called.

"Just go!" 

"Bambi." 

"Hurry up and call him I'll-"

"Min Iseul!" Yuta shouted, pulling her from her daze. He knelt down and placed his hands on her shoulders. "You're definitely not okay. I'm not going anywhere if you need me. I won't leave you here alone." 

Another strike of lightning had the girl rushing into his arms. Yuta caught her and wrapped his coat around her to shield her from the flashes. He had one hand on the side of her head to press her one ear to his chest and cover her other ear and the other going securely around her waist. 

"You're safe with me, bambi."

He's so warm, she thought, his heart is beating too fast. 

"I'm sorry." Iseul apologized. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry. I understand." 

☁

"You saved me again." Iseul started.

"You know, when people are scared they cry." Yuta teased, patting her head.

The lightning and thunder passed and the rain lightened, but Iseul didn't want to move just yet. Not after that adrenaline rush.

"My parents used to fight a lot, and I would always hear them while I pretend to sleep. One night, I heard my dad saying how much he hated my mom crying and how he was going to leave her." Iseul shared. "Ever since then, I decided to stop crying. I'd pinch myself at the thought of it. I just held back so much that now, I can't even cry." 

It was pathetic how she thought she could prevent her father from walking away from the failed marriage. It was pathetic how she thought he would come back to his broken daughter. It was even more pathetic at how desperate it left her.

"That sounds impossible." Yuta mumbled.

"Exactly. I wonder how I survived this long like this." Iseul laughed, nuzzling her face into his chest. "Maybe Jungwoo was right... It's just pathetic."

"Is invalidating your feelings and trauma what he taught you? To gaslight yourself?" Yuta speculated. "He didn't get you through it, he only distracted you. That punk." 

"I think I'm over it honestly. Somehow along the line, I changed my last name from Jung to Min so my mom wouldn't be reminded of my dad." She shrugged. 

"Why did they get divorced if you don't mind me asking?" Yuta pressed further. 

Iseul smiled sadly. "My dad had another woman." 

"I'm sorry." 

"No, it's alright. I expected it since my parents' marriage was arranged." Iseul reassured, looking up.  "I wasn't supposed to happen and boom here I am."

"By the way, how did you know about this old bus stop?" Yuta asked. 

"A year ago when Jungwoo and I broke up, I came here to blow some steam. I met somebody who was having a hard time too and it started snowing. This is where we took shelter when it got too heavy." Iseul answered. "You must have looked pretty hard if you found this." 

"Is that so?" Yuta hummed.

"Why ask?" Iseul followed up. 

"Nothing." Yuta brushed off. "I'm relieved I got to know more about you, bambi."

"You've been calling me bambi from the start, but I have a name you know." Iseul pouted, pointing to herself. "Min. Iseul. It's not even that hard to remember."

A smirk falls on his lips as he placed a finger under her chin. He removed her glasses and leaned close enough for his breath to tickle her cheek. 

"It's because of those innocent doe eyes of yours. If you continue to look at me like that, I don't think I can hold back."

A/N

I wish I had pretty eyes, but all I have is eyebags

hint of how jungwoo and iseul broke up here ouo