oneshots • nctdream x aespa

when the snow stops pt.2 🐰⭐️

Jaemin knows Minjeong doesn't know he likes her, and he's glad. Their friendship has always been a comfortable one, and he has been careful not to upset the balance.

No extra touches. No dropping hints. No extra texts beyond their usual day-to-day chats. He's careful. He doesn't want to lose the friendship he and Minjeong has, especially since she definitely doesn't like him. Sure, Minjeong never mentioned liking anyone, but he is pretty sure she has someone that she secretly like.

Jaemin tries to forget his feeling as it feels wrong to like the girl as it's in his head when he gets to the park, sitting on the swing alone, waiting for her to show up.

When she does, Jaemin barely notices her. "Jaemin," Minjeong says, startling him. Brown hazel eyes stare into his own. "What's wrong?"

He can't say it. It's wrong. He picks at the skin next to his nails and bites his lip, suddenly feeling like crying. Minjeong is what's wrong. But then, Jaemin knows that isn't true.

Her eyes never leave his. The long period of silence is broken when Minjeong forgoes the swing and instead steps into his space to put her arms around him. Her scarf covers Jaemin's face, Minjeong's scent surrounding him. Sweet and comforting. Jaemin feels the tears prick his eyes.

"It'll be okay," Minjeong promises, even though she doesn't know what's wrong, even though she'll never know what's wrong. Jaemin sniffles, and she stays there, and he doesn't want her to leave.

"Next year," He says. Minjeong pulls away to hear him. "Next year, I'll be a senior, and then I'll be gone."

Of course, Minjeong's eyes reveal nothing. "You're not leaving far. Just for college."

"But I'll be gone." Jaemin doesn't know why it's so important to him that Minjeong acknowledges this.

"We'll see each other. We'll text, too. And you'll visit."

"Will you miss me?"

Minjeong steps back, sits in her swing. "Are you stupid? Of course I'll miss you."

Jaemin stares at her but all Minjeong does is look ahead and swing.

•

Jaemin comes late to the park; his mom was yelling at him, again. When he gets to their place, Minjeong looks up and blinks snowflakes from her eyelashes. "I thought you weren't coming."

"I would have texted you if I wasn't, genius."

"Well, still." Minjeong moves forward and back, feet never leaving the ground. "What happened?"

"Nothing." Jaemin holds the cold metal of the chains that keep his seat up, then shivers. "I kind of..."

"What?"

Jaemin shakes his head. After a moment of thought, Minjeong stands up and unravels her scarf, carefully wrapping it around Jaemin. Her mittens touch his cheek as she finishes up, sliding her hands away. When she sits back down she tells him, "You'll get sick like that."

"I've never gotten sick going out here, ever."

She frowns. "Then give me back my scarf."

"No. It's warm."

Minjeong laughs, a sound that surprises Jaemin, even though it isn't an unfamiliar sound to him. He stares at her, whose nose and ears are red. He has this overwhelming urge to tell Minjeong.

"I'll just buy you a scarf for Christmas," she says, interrupting his thoughts.

Jaemin snuggles into the fabric, smiling. "Better yet, just give me one of yours."

"Wouldn't you rather a new one?"

"I'd rather yours." And he gulps. It's an innocent comment, maybe. But it's not careful. The delicate balance tips.

"Then," Minjeong carefully says. "You can keep that one."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"I like you."

He doesn't look at Minjeong. He doesn't look anywhere but at the moon, and at the snowflakes that fall from the sky.

"I like you, too."

He could leave it there. He could keep the balance. Tit for tat, a gift for a gift, an "I like you" for an "I like you." But he's greedy. He tips the scale.

"I like you more than that. I like your voice. It's quiet and nice. I like your hair. It's always really orderly and neat, and simple. You never colored it like I do but it's still really nice, and soft. I like how you're a little bit shorter than me. I like when you smile. My favorite thing about you are your eyes, because they're really big and shining, but they're always so sure." He should stop. He should stop, but it's too late, and he thinks that if he'll die here or lose everything here, he might as well give everything, too. "I like you because it's you, and I didn't want to because we're best friends and we'll always be just friends."

"But," He continues, "It's been killing me. I have to tell you. I'm leaving for college, so if you don't want to talk anymore, it's okay."

Minjeong stares at him. Her face is red from the cold, red on her cheeks, on her nose, on her ears. Jaemin finally has the courage to look at her and waits. Finally, she says, "we'll always be friends."

The disappointment feels like a weight in his stomach, and Jaemin nods, numb. "Right."

"Jaemin." Minjeong leans the swing to the left, closing the gap between them. She reaches out, and the fluff from her mittens meets his cheeks, gentle. "I like you."

And Jaemin understands. Tit for tat, Minjeong's breath fanning across his face, warmth as her lips meet his, soft and sweet and everything that Minjeong is and more. When he moves his lips against hers, she closes her eyes, their faces so close that Jaemin can see the snowflakes settling in her eyelashes. Minjeong drops her hands to clasp behind Jaemin's neck, never moving them even when they finally pull apart, breath white against the cold air.

He's trying to catch his breath while Minjeong looks at him. There's a stir in his stomach somewhere when his eyes lower to her lips, red and puffy from the kiss. He did that. He made Minjeong's eyes close, made her lips rosy. She is flushed, gaze a little hazy, and Jaemin leans in the short distance, kissing her on the nose.

"Your glasses are all fogged up now," Jaemin laughs, and Minjeong blinks. They separate. Jaemin reaches out and takes off her glasses gently, wiping them with his sweatshirt.

"Jaemin," Minjeong breathes. Jaemin knows she can't see him clearly, and the sight of her coming closer, breathless, just to see him better, warms him.

The nickname comes without warning. "Yeah, Gem?"

"Um." Minjeong blinks, surprised, and Jaemin didn't know her cheeks could get any redder. Finally, she gives up and makes a small sound in the back of her throat, hiding her face against his shoulder.

Jaemin can't help the smile that reaches his lips. "What? Is that nickname a no?"

"I like it..."

"Hm?"

"Shut up." Minjeong smacks him and gets her glasses, putting them on with a huff. Jaemin laughs, the adoration overwhelming him.

"I love you," he says. "I love you I love you I love you."

"Jaemin..."

"Fine, don't say it back." He fakes being upset, standing to walk away, then smiles when she grabs his hand.

Her voice is quiet, embarrassed. "...I love you, too."

Around them, it's stopped snowing. The ground is covered in white, and the moon reflects off the surface. It's cold, but Jaemin's hand is warm surrounded by Minjeong's mittens.

"Merry Christmas, Gem."

And it is.

•a/n last month was a hectic month for me as my uni has made it a must to go to the campus and we're starting to learning f2f. my first week at campus has end yesterday but i'm still adapting so everyday was still tiring. okay enough for my rant, thankyou for 3k!!🤍