secret for the mad - lee hoon x fem! reader

chapter nine - i'm sorry

--YOUR POV--

When Hyun-ki's fist met your face, everything went black for a second.

You stumbled back and fell onto your knees, feeling a warm, dripping sensation in your nose. It was bleeding.

When you looked over at Hooni, he was looking right back at you, terrified. Then, the two of you looked over at Hyun-ki, who was just as shocked as well.

"What the HELL?! WHY DID YOU DO THAT?!"

"You're insane." You were staring him down.

"What?"

"I said... You're insane. Does it look like I want to date you? No. I don't care if you're rich and smart. I don't want to date an asshole. So leave. Never talk to me again." At this point, you were fuming.

"...Fine. But don't come crawling back to me when you're poor and living on the streets!" He flipped both of you off and stormed out of the building.

You looked over at Hooni again, and saw he was digging through his bag. He pulled out one of those small packs of tissues. This one was unopened. He quickly scooted over to you and handed you the tissues, which you quietly cleaned your nose with.

"...He really showed his true colors, didn't he, Hooni?..." You said, softly.

"...I-I'm sorry... I'm sorry... I'm so, so sorry..." He had a quiver in his voice, the same quiver he had when he was on the verge of tears.

"No, it's okay... I-.... I should thank you." You looked over at him, making eye contact.

"...Huh?... But... But I didn't even... do anything. He probably would've ignored me... a-and... hurt you..."

"...But that didn't happen."

"Y-Yes it did!... You're hurt right now..."

"Hooni, I'm okay. It could've been worse, really."

Despite your words, he still seemed to look guilty. You tried to get back onto your feet and Hooni helped you up. You didn't need it, but Hooni kept his hand on your back the whole walk home. (You disposed of the tissues in a nearby trash can, so don't worry about walking around with those!)

Hooni's apartment was closer, so you insisted on bringing him home first.

It felt familiar, walking with him in slightly uncomfortable silence down to where his room was. You noticed how his hand still hadn't left your back. You didn't mind, of course. You thought it was sweet. Actually, everything he'd just done for you these last thirty minutes was incredibly sweet and brave of him.

There was no way you weren't going to thank him for it, no matter how embarrassed you might feel or how much your shy instincts told you not to. Actually, forget that last part. With all of these events happening at once, you noticed how much you've come out of your shell and didn't even realize you had.

After mumbling a quiet little "goodbye" to you, he opened his door to scurry back into his room. Of course, you reached your hand out and stopped him. He turned back around and looked at you curiously.

"...Thank you, Hooni. I know I said it once already, but... I just really want you to know how much I appreciate it--"

Hooni suddenly reached forward and hugged you, wrapping his arms around you in a rather tight hold.

--HOONI'S POV--

Oh god. This was a bad idea.

Hooni's heart pounded in his chest. He had no idea where that burst of confidence came from, but it had caused him to make a terrible mistake. Who hugs people so randomly out of the blue? He knew he was holding on so tightly, but he was also starting to panic and just could not move.

Stupid... stupid... st-

He felt your arms hug him in return.

Your hands gently pat his back a few times, and your body heat warmed him up immediately. Hooni stood silently for a moment, shocked at your reaction. After a few seconds, he seemed to relax, and closed his eyes.

This was the first time that he'd ever hugged you properly. It felt wonderful. A long forgotten wave of comfort washed over him like the shore of an ocean. He didn't know how to describe how he felt-- peaceful? At ease?

Well, all that really mattered is that it just felt great.  So, so great...

"...Hooni?"

"...H-huh?..."

"...A-Are you... crying?"

"..."

After hearing what you said, he blinked his eyes a few times to discover that tears had formed and dripped from them. He watched as your hand rose up and quietly wiped the tears away with your thumb.

"...T-they're happy tears... I promise..."

"...Okay... I believe you."

The two of you hugged for a few minutes longer, not saying anything. It was quiet other than Hooni's breathing. Although he was generally relaxed, he was still quite excited that you were hugging him.

However, the sun was about to set, and it was time for you to go home. You tried to let go once, but he didn't notice until you tugged his sleeve. Immediately he was hit by misery, knowing he would have to let you go, but he had no choice...

He watched you as you walked to the end of the hallway and opened the door to leave... But as you opened the door, you turned around and waved goodbye to him with a smile on your face.

And yeah, he could see the blush on your cheeks as well.

--

Later that night, Hooni sat hunched over a few pieces of paper, scribbling down word after word with the pencil you had given him.

Tomorrow, he thought, was going to be the day. Everything with you had been going so well so far, and though he was worried that his pathetic amount of good luck may soon run out, he knew that now was the chance.

...He needed to tell you, and he would.

A/N: yes, the updates have been inconsistent, i know. i'm sorry, i've been grieving these last few days, making the update longer than anticipated. sorry. i hope that everyone enjoys this chapter.