You have a reputation as the 'bad' type. It was weird to you, but you didn't really fight it. You were polite to everyone, maybe you were just scary? You weren't sure. You sat at the same lunch table everyday, alone, but it didn't matter. You could listen to music and do homework that was due in about thirty minutes in peace.
Jongho also has a... reputation. There were many jokes about it, your favorite being about how he was cheating on apples if he ate like one banana. What could he say? He liked breaking apples and they were a good fruit as well.
It's not a big deal.
Ever since you were looking for him that one time, only to find an apple where Jongho was, you kind of talk to him a lot. He's confused. He's not used to the attention, much less from someone like you.
He does soon realize that you're nowhere near as scary as people makes you out to be. He remembers when you pretended to talk to an apple like it was him just to be amusing once.
He finds it... oddly charming?
He's confused at his own feelings. All he knows is that the cute girl from one of his classes is pretending to talk to an apple and he thinks it's cute.
It's even better when he finally decides to approach you one day at lunch.
"Oh! Hi, apple!" You responded He's so confused and bewildered at the development of this running gag you've being doing, probably just to amuse yourself.
"Hi, Y/N." You sigh at his lack of enthusiasm, but it's only because he's nervous. His ears are slightly red and he's trying his best to stay composed. You smile at him to try to relieve some of the tension.
"Did you need something? Or do you just want to hang out?", he tries to act cool, but he isn't, and he knows he isn't.
"I just wanted to sit with you," He knew that this was your table. It was like an unspoken rule that nobody sat at your table, but he did. And he continued to every day from then.
Some weeks later, Jongho's walking out of math class to go to break, when he hears your voice.
"Apple!" you call out, and he wants to cringe that it's gotten so bad that he can recognize that you're calling out for him when he hears the word apple.
"Yeah?" he turns around to see you, excitedly pushing through the crowd to be face to face with him.
"I have an idea! let's hang out today!"
"What if i'm busy today?" you deflate a bit, pouting.
"Oh, then I guess we can do it another time-"
"I'm teasing, Y/N, what do you wanna do?"
"Hey! That was mean!" you punch his arm lightly, making him hold his arm in fake pain.
"Anyways, do you know where the supermarket is?"
"Yeah?"
"Well, there's a bunch of little shops around there, and I was thinking we could go and buy a bunch of little snacks and sweets," you suggest. His throat goes dry, suddenly unable to speak.
Did you just suggest a date?
Was that even a date or did you just want to hang out with a friend?
He didn't want to assume but he also really wanted it to be a date.
He opts to just go with whatever you want it to be.
"Okay, yeah, let's go. Meet me at the library after classes."
"Okay! You better be there quickly or I'll leave without you!" You call out as you leave him there in the hall, like he'd ever not take a chance to go on a date with you.
He sits through his final classes hearing the ticking of the clock louder than anything the teacher says. He tries to not watch it the whole time, but he does. Still another hour until meeting up with Y/N.
Jongho chooses to doodle on the margins of the notes he was supposed to be taking, but wasn't. He somewhat zones out, and when he's back in, he sees all his doodles relate to you. His friend, mingi, sees him doodle. He then proceeds to make fun of Jongho all class period.
Somehow, he makes it to the end of class, and he walks over to the library, but definitely not without mingi shouting out to him to hype him up.
Jongho sees you sitting on the bench outside the library entrance, and he wants to smile at how endearing he finds this moment.
You're listening to something, he can tell by your earbuds, and you're doing that thing where's you're kinda dancing but not really because you don't wanna attract attention to yourself.
Yongho snaps out of his gaze and walks over to you, "what are you listening to?"
You look up and smile at him when you recognize him.
"Oh, apple! Hi! Do you wanna listen to it while we walk?" He nods and you hand one of the earbuds to him.
The song's dancy, he doesn't recognize it but he doesn't really need to. He zones out somewhere while you walk, listening intently to any song you choose to play for him.
You both walk in a comfortable silence until you reach the market area. You force him into the grocery store for some reason. Maybe you just dragged him along for some menial errands or something.
You buy some snacks and place them all in your bag, "Ahh, see the fact that I don't keep a lot in my backpack is helping us right now!"
"You're telling me that I should be glad that you don't bring textbooks because now you can fit another bag of hot cheetos in your bag?"
"Yeah!! Hot cheetos are amazing and they're worth sacrificing my education," You declare, and Jongho only shakes his head at you.
"Wait! I wanna show you something! Follow me!"
Jongho took your hand without a second thought and you pulled him out of the grocery store and into a smaller shop a little bit away from the grocery store. It had a bunch of sweets and you looked like a kid in a candy store... maybe because you were a kid and this might as well be a candy store.
"Ah! I want a sprinkled cookie! Those are the best! Especially when they're warm and soft and sweet, oh my god-" you trail off, but seeing you go on about all the different sweets you wanted to get was oddly endearing for Jongho.
"Ooh! I know what you should get!"
"What should I get?" he asked, but you smiled mischievously at him.
"You'll have to find out, now go sit, give me a minute to order!" he wanted to argue, but settled to just give in and sit down at the small table inside.
He stays waiting for you until you come back a minute later with two small bags, "Alright! I got myself some cookies, but look and see what I got you!"
Jongho takes the bag suspiciously, but looks in it to see what you got him. He takes a second to think about how anyone was scared or weirder out by you.
You're literally the biggest dork in the best way possible. This is really the person everyone's afraid of? This loser? Who calls him apple and acts like a child??
You got him a caramel apple.
It was covered in chocolate as well, you explained, and Jongho wanted to laugh at your ridiculous stunt,
"Did you take me here just to get me a caramel apple?"
"Maybe?" you said like it was a question. Jongho sighs, but he has that adorable gummy smile on his face, and shakes his head at the weirdness of the situation.
"Thank you, Y/N." you smile at him, before sitting down to munch with him.
