Home With You ⸺ y.jw

O1O.⠀A Date?

It was a crisp autumn afternoon, and Yoorin was heading to the café near campus, clutching her books tightly to her chest. She had planned to spend a quiet afternoon studying, but her mind kept drifting back to the late-night conversation she had with Jungwon a few nights ago. His words still echoed in her head—"You're not someone I could easily ignore."

The café's familiar warmth greeted her as she pushed open the door. She found a table by the window and settled in, trying to refocus on her notes. But no matter how hard she tried, the distraction was always there—him.

Her phone buzzed, interrupting her thoughts. She glanced at the screen to see a message from Jungwon.

Jungwon: What are you up to right now?

Yoorin stared at the message for a second before replying.

Yoorin: Just studying. Why?

His reply came almost instantly.

Jungwon: Wanna grab something to eat later?

Yoorin felt her heart skip a beat. She had grabbed food with Jungwon plenty of times before, but something about this felt... different. Her fingers hovered over the keyboard as she debated how to respond.

Yoorin: Sure. Where?

Jungwon: I was thinking about that new ramen place near campus. Heard it's good.

Yoorin smiled. She had been wanting to try that place ever since it opened. She quickly texted back.

Yoorin: Sounds good.
I'll meet you there at 6?

Jungwon: Perfect. See you then :)

Yoorin put her phone down and tried to ignore the butterflies fluttering in her stomach. It was just ramen—just two friends getting food together. But for some reason, it felt like more than that.

---

Later that evening, Yoorin stood outside the ramen shop, waiting for Jungwon. She had changed into a simple sweater and jeans, but she found herself nervously adjusting her clothes, wondering why she suddenly cared so much about how she looked.

It's just Jungwon, she reminded herself.

"Hey, Yoorin!" Jungwon's voice called out, snapping her out of her thoughts.

She turned around to see him walking toward her, a smile on his face and his hands casually tucked into his jacket pockets. He looked effortlessly handsome, and for a moment, Yoorin forgot how to breathe.

"Ready to eat?" he asked, his grin widening.

"Yeah, I'm starving," Yoorin replied, hoping her voice didn't sound as nervous as she felt.

They stepped inside the shop, the warm scent of ramen filling the air. It was cozy, with small tables and soft lighting, the perfect place to escape the chilly autumn evening. Jungwon led them to a table near the back, and they sat down, quickly scanning the menu.

"Everything looks so good," Yoorin said, trying to focus on the food instead of her racing thoughts.

"I know, right?" Jungwon agreed, glancing over the options. "I think I'm going to try the spicy miso."

Yoorin nodded, choosing a simple tonkotsu ramen. When the waitress came by to take their order, the two of them settled into a comfortable silence, the hum of the restaurant filling the space between them.

As they waited for their food, Jungwon leaned forward slightly, resting his chin on his hand. "So, how's your studying going? Still stressing about finals?"

Yoorin groaned. "Don't even remind me. I feel like I'm buried in work."

Jungwon chuckled. "You'll do fine. You're like, the most responsible person I know."

Yoorin raised an eyebrow. "You calling me responsible? That's rich coming from you, Mr. 'I'll catch up later.'"

He grinned. "Hey, I'm responsible when I need to be."

"You mean when you have no choice?"

"Exactly," Jungwon said, laughing.

Yoorin smiled, feeling some of her nervousness melt away. There was something so easy about being around him, even when she didn't quite understand the strange tension that had been building between them lately.

Their food arrived, and they both dug in, the rich flavors of the ramen filling the air. For a while, they just enjoyed their meal, exchanging the occasional comment about how good the food was.

But as the meal went on, Yoorin noticed that Jungwon seemed... quieter than usual. He kept glancing at her, almost like he wanted to say something but wasn't sure how.

Finally, after they finished eating, Jungwon set his chopsticks down and looked at her seriously. "Yoorin, there's something I've been wanting to ask you."

Yoorin's heart skipped a beat. "What is it?"

He hesitated for a moment before speaking. "Do you ever think about... I don't know, what things are between us?"

Yoorin blinked, completely caught off guard. "What do you mean?"

Jungwon leaned back in his chair, running a hand through his hair. "I mean, we've been spending a lot of time together. And I feel like... I don't know. Things have changed between us, haven't they?"

Yoorin felt her face heat up. She had been thinking the same thing, but she hadn't expected him to bring it up so directly.

"I guess... yeah," she admitted, her voice soft. "Things do feel different."

Jungwon looked at her, his expression unreadable for a moment. Then, he smiled—a softer, more genuine smile than she was used to seeing from him. "I'm glad you think so too."

Yoorin's heart was pounding in her chest. She wasn't sure where this conversation was going, but it felt like something important was happening—something that could change everything between them.

Before she could say anything more, Jungwon stood up and stretched. "Come on, let's walk around a bit. It's nice outside."

Yoorin followed him out of the ramen shop, her mind still reeling from what had just happened. They walked side by side through the quiet streets, the cool autumn air making Yoorin shiver slightly.

Jungwon noticed and, without a word, draped his jacket over her shoulders. Yoorin glanced at him, her heart skipping another beat.

"Thanks," she mumbled, feeling warmth spread through her that had nothing to do with the jacket.

Jungwon just smiled, his eyes soft as they continued walking together under the streetlights.