ʳᵉᵠᵘᵉˢᵗᵉᵈ ᵇʸ Yangjeongins_crumbz
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slight angst. fluff / 2132
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ⁱ ᵈⁱᵈⁿ'ᵗ ᵏⁿᵒʷ ʷʰᵃᵗ 'ˢᵘʳᵖʳⁱˢᵉ' ᵗᵒ ᵈᵒ ˢᵒ ⁱᵗ'ˢ ʲᵉᵒⁿᵍⁱⁿ'ˢ ᵇⁱʳᵗʰᵈᵃʸ
jeongin had been in an uncharacteristically good mood earlier that day.
it was his birthday.
after wrapping up his schedule earlier than expected, he decided to surprise you by swinging by your favorite café and grab a drink for you before going home.
he thought of how your face would light up when you saw him and the way your laugh would bubble over when he teased you about how predictable your coffee order was.
as he approached the café, the sight through the glass window made him freeze.
there you were, sitting at a corner table, your face glowing with happiness. but it wasn’t because of him. sitting across from you was a guy jeongin didn’t recognize - a tall, good-looking stranger with an easy smile.
you leaned forward, talking animatedly, and jeongin couldn’t help but notice the way the stranger’s eyes sparkled as he watched you.
jeongin’s chest tightened.
you laughed, the sound muffled by the glass but familiar enough to send a pang through his heart. and then, as if to make it worse, the stranger reached out, his hand grazing yours as he pushed a small notebook across the table toward you. you didn’t pull back. instead, you nodded, your expression warm and sincere, as if you were sharing a secret meant only for the two of you.
jeongin felt a lump rise in his throat. he didn’t storm inside. he didn’t confront you. he just stood there, frozen, his mind racing with a thousand possibilities.
who was this guy? why hadn’t you mentioned him before? was this why you’d been distant lately?
the answers didn’t matter at that moment. the only thing jeongin could feel was the sharp sting of betrayal. he turned on his heel and walked away, his steps heavy, his heart even heavier.
∞∞∞
the sound of jeongin’s front door creaking open was uncharacteristically loud in the quiet apartment. normally, you would hear his soft humming or the shuffle of his sneakers as he walked inside, but tonight, there was an unusual stillness.
you stood frozen in the kitchen, hands stilling over the frosting of the cake you had been meticulously decorating for weeks in preparation for his birthday surprise, a party that was supposed to start in a few hours.
you didn’t have time to react before his voice broke the silence.
it wasn’t the warm, playful tone you were used to when he was saying your name. no teasing edge or sweetness. just one word, sharp and heavy, laced with something you couldn’t quite place. it made your stomach churn.
you turned to look at him, your heart skipping when you saw the storm cloud brewing in his dark eyes. his lips were pressed into a thin line, his jaw tense.
“innie?” your voice was soft, hesitant.
“don’t,” he said, holding up a hand. “don’t call me that right now.”
you flinched at the iciness in his voice. “what’s wrong? did something happen?”
jeongin stepped closer, dropping his bag by the door with more force than necessary. “yeah, something happened. I saw you today.”
