forbidden ☆ seungkwan

[3.1] matching sweaters

1 month later

It was an especially cold October morning, you felt goosebumps prickling your arms as you pulled a thick brown sweater over your tank top. You almost smiled at your own reflection in the mirror as you admired the cute little bears embroidered on the top right corner of the sweater. Finally I've got the perfect chance to wear this, you reflected. If you were completely honest it had been hanging in your wardrobe since last March after it caught your eye in the clearance section of a clothing store.

After grabbing your beige tote bag, you made your way out of the bedroom you shared with Nao, one of your band mates. She was the only non-Korean member, and since you knew a little more Japanese than the others you were the one who took her under your wing and helped her gain confidence in the early days of your career. Not that she needed it that much though, despite the initial language barrier she was a fast Korean learner and combined with her bubbly personality, it didn't take long for her to flourish. You admired her for her assertiveness but at the same time you still felt the need to protect her like the little sister you never had.

"Nao, you ready to go?" You shouted from the living room. She was in the bathroom with the door shut.

"Ahh, I'm sorry Hana!" She replied in an exasperated croak. Concerned, you hurried to the bathroom door.

"What's wrong? Are you sick?" Your question was almost immediately answered as Nao responded with harsh retching noises. "Nao?"

You frowned as she coughed lethargically. "Yeah, I don't think I can go. You go without me, I'll be fine!"

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, Chunseo will make sure I'm looked after, you know what she's like!" She coughed again.

"Alright, well, feel better soon okay?" You smiled empathetically as you leant against the door. You felt bad for her, but Nao was a fighter. She'd be just fine.

Before you left you knocked on Chunseo and Mina's bedroom door, letting them know that Nao wasn't feeling too good. And with that, you were out. A trip to a pumpkin patch all on your own... what a random thing to do, you thought. But you shook it off, reminding yourself that you were a grown 20 year old, and stepped on the bus.

—

Arriving at the pumpkin patch, you were pleasantly surprised at the selection. They had all kinds of different sizes, shapes and colours. And all were perfectly ripe, being the end of October. Your heart grew warm as you pictured yourself carving some with the other members. Or maybe other people too... you felt your mind drift to Seungkwan. You were sat with him on the terrace out the back of your dorm, laughing as he carved a stupid face on a huge pumpkin, juice spilling everywhere. Yes... it was so clear, almost as if you were looking straight at Seungkwan in real life. So real... in fact, scarily real.

Oh sh*t.

"Hana?"

As sudden as a slap around the face, you realised you weren't imagining Seungkwan's face. He was literally standing directly in front of you at the pumpkin patch.

"Heyy, Sunbaenim." You smiled, trying not to die.

"Oh my god... we're matching." He gestured at your bear sweater. You looked down at yourself, then back up at his torso. So you were. You had the same brown bear sweater as Seungkwan...? "I didn't know you shopped at COEX?"

You couldn't help but laugh at the utter coincidence that was occurring. "I didn't know you did either."

Seungkwan grinned, his eyes catching yours for a moment as you finished laughing. "So I'm guessing you're here to get a pumpkin, right?"

"Yeah, are you?"

"Yep." He gazed at you with bright eyes as you struggled to think of what to say. You didn't have to struggle for long as he stepped closer to you, knocking the breath right out of you as any coherent thoughts forming in your brain scattered instantly. He wasn't exactly standing close to you but you were closer than you'd ever been before. You didn't know how to act, and you had no idea why. "Since we're here at the same time, do you want to choose our pumpkins together?" The purity and gentleness of his smile caused your heart to almost burst out of your chest. Chill out, what the hell are you doing Hana? You scolded yourself, embarrassed to be feeling so flustered. He's only asking to choose pumpkins with you.

"Oh yeah, sure!" You brushed it off, trying your best to act relaxed. And before you knew it, you were meandering around a pumpkin patch with Boo Seungkwan, your senior, and Korea's number one vocalist.

"Any cool colour you want? Or just an orange one?"

"Ummm... I kind of just like the orange ones. They're traditional, you know? You?"

Seungkwan squinted, scanning over all the pumpkins. "I like the look of the little white ones. I've never had a white one before."

A comfortable silence passed as you both observed the selection. "Ah ha!" Seungkwan caught you by surprise as he took your hand quicker than you could think. He started to run, dragging you with him. You had no idea where he was going, and it all happened so fast, but his handle held yours so gently, and it was somehow so warm despite it being such a cold day. You ran behind him, feeling the rush of the crisp air graze your cheeks, your breath dancing in front of you. You couldn't help but smile as you spotted Seungkwan's in front of you. The picture of his perfect, round cheeks framed by misty autumn breath as the world around started to get dark felt like watching a beloved memory in real time. You came back to your senses after he stopped in front of the cutest little white pumpkin you'd ever seen. It was perfectly round and ripe, perfect for carving. "Get it." You panted as Seungkwan grinned, admiring the perfect pumpkin.

"It's mine." He said triumphantly, picking it up. "Now we just need to find one for you."

"Oh it's alright, I don't need mine to be perfect. We can just grab anyone on the way back since it's getting dark now."

Seungkwan's comedically adverse reaction told it all. So without arguing, you allowed him to take your hand and guide you around the patch, pointing out orange ones he thought you might like. It didn't take long for you to find one that stood out to you, and you began to make your way to the exit to pay as Seungkwan gently slid your arm through the crook of his. He was so smooth at those things you hardly noticed he did it until you were staring at your arm in wonder. When he noticed you staring, he laughed bashfully. Despite his actions always being confident and extroverted, you were beginning to find out more and more how shy he actually was. And honestly, it made you like him even more.