Chained by Expectations | Park Sunghoon

Seventeen

The next day, Haneul and Jake found themselves at the fundraiser, lending a hand to the culinary department by setting up pastries at multiple booths for people to buy. As they arranged the delectable treats, Haneul couldn't help but express her excitement.

"These all look so yummy!" she exclaimed, making Jake chuckle.

"Maybe they'll compensate us for helping with some of them," Jake suggested with a mischievous grin.

"I hope so," Haneul murmured, her focus shifting back to the task at hand. They continued to lay out the pastries, creating an enticing display for the attendees.

As the courtyard of their university began to fill with families and students, the atmosphere buzzed with lively chatter. The aroma of freshly baked goods wafted through the air, drawing people to the culinary department's booth. Haneul and Jake worked diligently, trying to keep up with replacing the sold items.

In the midst of the bustling activity, Jake accidentally knocked a few cakes off the table they were selling. "Oh no!" he exclaimed, desperately trying to save them from hitting the floor. In the process, he ended up losing his balance and fell over, getting cake all over himself.

Haneul couldn't help but burst into laughter, and a small crowd gathered, "Are you okay?" She asked as she knelt down helping Jake wipe off the cake that got on him with a napkin.

"Yes, just a little embarrassed," He said as he looked around at the slight crowd that had gathered around them. As he scanned the people who were looking at him there was one familiar face that stood out. "Sunghoon came?" He asked.

"Hmm? oh no, he said we was gonna be busy in the office today so he can't make it." She said as she now picked up the remaining cake off the floor and threw it in the near by trash can.

"Oh, that guy sure does look like him then." Jake said laughing causing Haneul to look over in the direction he was looking in.

Sunghoon stood amidst the small crowd that had gathered at the fundraiser, a playful smile tugging at his lips. Haneul's shock at seeing him turned into a beaming smile, and she wasted no time in running over to him, enveloping him in a big hug that caught him off guard. He chuckled at her adorable reaction.

"You came?!" she exclaimed, breaking the hug.

"Yeah," he replied, gently wiping some frosting off her cheek. "And I'm glad I did because you look really pretty," he added, his eyes admiring her in a flowy white dress.

Haneul laughed, playfully pushing him. "Have you looked around? All the pastries look so yummy. Should we take something home for dessert?" she asked eagerly, her eyes scanning the booths.

Sunghoon admired her features, finding her enthusiasm cute. "I can go look around, but I think you should go back and help Jake. He seems a little... busy," he said, gesturing to the long line at the booth she had just come from.

"Okay, I better go help him with that. Let me know what you get!" she said, running back to the booth. However, she only made it halfway before turning back to Sunghoon. "Can you try and make it chocolate?" she asked, causing Sunghoon to chuckle and nod his head in agreement to her sweet request.

Time Skip:

As the fundraiser wound down, Jake and Haneul finished their volunteering duties. Haneul bid farewell to Jake, expressing her gratitude for the day's efforts. "okay well, Jake this was fun, I'll see you on Monday" she said, giving him a warm smile.

With the event coming to a close, Haneul began searching for Sunghoon, assuming he'd let her know if he decided to leave earlier. She roamed the area, picking up a few small pastries to take home. Turning the corner of one of the booths, she finally spotted Sunghoon a short distance away. A smile lit up her face as she approached him, eager to share the rest of the evening together.