"No," Chaewon stepped back, her palm instinctively covering her mouth as soon as the words left Niki’s lips. She had been caught off guard, unable to process what had just happened.
“No?” she repeated, her eyes widening in shock. Niki’s puppy-like eyes and the way his mouth formed a pout made her heart soften, but her confusion was clear.
“W-what... uh, I- no, what I meant was, not yet…” Chaewon fumbled, trying to clear her throat, her words tumbling out in a rush. “Niki, I’m not rejecting you. I… I like you too, but we don’t really know anything about each other yet,” she finished, her fingers nervously fidgeting as she glanced at him. She hoped he wouldn’t think she was rejecting him entirely, but it was all so sudden.
“Okay, we can get to know each other from now on,” Niki replied with a soft, reassuring smile, reaching for her hand and gently intertwining their fingers.
Chaewon’s heart skipped a beat as she shyly nodded, feeling a rush of warmth and the fluttering of butterflies in her stomach.
“Okay,” Niki repeated, smiling. “Let me know when I can be your boyfriend.” His eyes sparkled with a hopeful glint.
Chaewon gave him a shy, yet genuine smile as their gazes locked. A soft laugh escaped them both, and the air around them seemed to lighten, as if their unspoken understanding filled the space between them.
Niki was grateful for this moment, for Chaewon’s patience, because he knew how easily he could have shut everyone out again, including those who cared about him. But for once, things felt different.
"Are we heading to your house?" Chaewon’s voice pulled Niki from his thoughts.
He glanced around, suddenly realizing they were walking in the opposite direction of both their houses.
“No, I live two blocks behind you,” Niki said, his voice filled with slight amusement.
Chaewon stopped in her tracks, turning to face him with a raised eyebrow. “Ow,” Niki groaned as he rubbed his forehead where she had flicked him.
“Idiot, why did we walk so far, then?” Chaewon huffed, her voice tinged with playful frustration.
“Aigoo,” Niki cooed in mock sympathy, squishing her cheeks. “You look so cute when you're mad,” he teased, a smirk tugging at the corners of his lips.
Chaewon gave him one last glare before she suddenly pulled away, running in the opposite direction.
“Yah! You can’t do that to your boyfriend!” Niki called out, running after her. Chaewon turned back with a mischievous grin on her face.
“I’m contemplating right now,” she teased, not outright denying his claim.
Niki chuckled, his heart light as he chased after her.
Later that evening, Niki found himself sitting at the dinner table in Chaewon’s house. Her mother had shown him to a room where he could sleep, suggesting that he share a bed with her older brother, Chaemin, who was due back soon.
"Who’s Chaemin?" Niki asked, pausing as he looked at Chaewon, curious.
“My older brother,” Chaewon explained with a smile, pointing to a picture frame on the wall that featured Chaemin. The photograph brought a small smile to Niki’s face as he realized who had been shouting ‘Jagiya’ earlier.
“He’s the one who called you ‘jagiya’,” Niki muttered under his breath, letting out a sigh of relief.
“What?” Chaewon asked, confused.
Niki shook his head and stood up, deciding to help Chaewon’s parents set the table for dinner. He was glad for the distraction, though his thoughts kept drifting back to the earlier conversation.
“How’s studying going?” Chaewon’s father asked once they had all sat down for dinner.
Chaewon, with a proud smile, answered, “Dad, he’s the top of our grade.” Her comment caused her father’s eyes to light up with approval, and the two of them quickly fell into a conversation about Niki’s future plans.
Before Niki could contribute much to the conversation, the front door creaked open, and a tired voice called out, “I’m back.”
“Chaemin’s home,” Chaewon said, smiling as her brother walked through the door.
“Uh, hello,” Niki greeted, standing and bowing slightly in respect.
Chaemin squinted at Niki, a look of realization crossing his face. He stared at Niki for a moment before commenting, “I’ve seen you somewhere…”
Chaewon pushed her brother playfully, rolling her eyes. “Back off, he’s my friend,” she snapped, causing Chaemin to scoff and roll his eyes before disappearing into his room.
“Don’t mind him,” Chaewon’s mother said with a smile, offering Niki a piece of meat as she and her husband continued their conversation.
Niki smiled gratefully, but his thoughts were still scattered, trying to piece together the small fragments of his day. Despite everything that had happened, being here, with Chaewon and her family, felt like the first sense of normalcy in a long time.
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few more chapters..... it's all just going to be fluff and niki courting chae
