The next morning at school, Jungwon couldn’t help but feel lighter. Everything from last night—the quiet stargazing, Jiwon’s smile, the way she seemed to get him—was still buzzing in his chest. But as usual, the guys had something else in mind.
It all started when he entered the cafeteria and took a seat next to Sunghoon, who immediately shot him a knowing look.
“Jungwon,” Sunghoon said, his voice too casual. “How’d your ‘non-date’ go?”
Jungwon froze, his hands gripping his tray. “What?”
“Yeah, we heard all about it.” Sunghoon leaned back, throwing a quick glance at Heeseung, who was already giving Jungwon a mischievous grin. “Jiwon, huh? Sounds like she’s been keeping you up at night.”
Jungwon’s face turned red as he grabbed his drink, trying to hide behind it. “You guys are ridiculous.”
Jay, who had been quietly listening from the other end of the table, suddenly chimed in with a loud “Oooh!” “I knew it! You’re whipped.”
Jungwon felt his face burn even hotter. “I’m not whipped! Why do you guys always say that?”
Jake leaned in, looking at Jungwon with a knowing smile. “Because, my guy, it’s obvious. The moment you came into school this morning, you looked like a different person. You’ve been smiling non-stop for the past three days.”
“Yeah,” Ni-ki added from beside Jake, grinning. “You’ve got that ‘I-just-got-texted-by-my-crush’ glow. You’re like a walking rom-com lead.”
Jungwon slumped forward, burying his face in his hands. “I can’t believe this. I’m going to die from embarrassment.”
“That’s what happens when you act all soft around her,” Heeseung teased, his eyes twinkling with mischief. “We warned you. You’re so obvious.”
“I am not obvious,” Jungwon muttered, his face still hidden in his hands. He could practically feel the smugness radiating from them.
“Oh, you’re obvious,” Sunghoon said, leaning back with his arms crossed. “You’re so into her. We can practically see the hearts floating around your head.”
“You guys are terrible,” Jungwon groaned, sitting up and rubbing his temples.
“Aw, come on,” Sunghoon said with a grin. “We just want to know how far it’s gone. Are you guys, like, official yet or—”
Before Jungwon could stop him, Heeseung jumped in with a dramatic sigh, placing a hand on his heart. “Jungwon, please tell me you’re not one of those guys who takes months to confess. Are you really going to make us all wait for your ‘big moment’?”
“Do you know how much I’d love to see that?” Jake laughed. “I mean, imagine Jungwon trying to pull off a confession. I can’t.”
“Shut up,” Jungwon muttered, looking around to see who was watching. He could feel his face burning, but the more they teased him, the more he couldn’t help but laugh along with them.
“Okay, okay, so, we’re just friends for now,” he said, a bit too defensively. “But it’s not like I’m going to tell you guys every detail of my life.”
“Lies,” Ni-ki chimed in, the youngest of the group. “I can already tell you’re a sucker for her. And I’m telling you, when it gets serious, we’re going to be hearing about every date and every moment. You’ll be so whipped you’ll be bragging about it.”
Jungwon’s face contorted. “I am not whipped.”
“Oh, you’re definitely whipped,” Sunghoon added with a smirk. “And if you deny it, I’ll make you send us your favorite ‘soft boy’ playlist.”
Jungwon groaned, his hands covering his face. “I’ll make you guys regret this.”
“Well, in the meantime,” Heeseung said, “we’ll just sit back and enjoy watching Jungwon, the soft boy, fall harder. He’s totally falling.”
Jungwon slumped further in his seat, trying to hide his smile despite himself. There was no escaping them. They were relentless.
But deep down, he couldn’t help but appreciate how much they cared. Even if they were teasing him, it was in the way friends did—because they wanted to see him happy. Even if it meant poking fun at him.
Finally, he sighed, looking up at them with a defeated expression. “Fine. I admit it. I like her. I really like her, okay?”
The table went silent for a moment. Then, as if on cue, the entire group burst into laughter.
“Told you!” Heeseung said triumphantly.
“Finally!” Jake clapped his hands together. “I’m proud of you, bro.”
Jungwon glared at them, but there was a small grin tugging at his lips despite himself. “You guys are so annoying.”
“Only because we love you,” Sunghoon said, throwing an arm around his shoulders. “Now go text her, soft boy.”
Jungwon smirked, feeling like he could finally relax. “Okay, okay. But if you guys tease me again, I swear—”
“Don’t worry, Jungwon,” Jay said, with a playful wink. “We’ll be here for all the soft boy updates.”
With a roll of his eyes, Jungwon pulled out his phone, half-heartedly typing a message to Jiwon. As he did, he glanced up at his friends, who were still laughing and exchanging knowing looks.
But the truth was, he didn’t mind the teasing. Because every time he thought about Jiwon, a warm smile crept onto his face. Even if his friends noticed.
She was worth it.
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✓ 𝗜'𝗠 𝗖𝗨𝗧𝗘𝗥. yang jungwon
Fanfiction( 𝗜'𝗠 𝗖𝗨𝗧𝗘𝗥 ) "One dare, one text, and a whole lot of feelings." --- It all began with a simple dare-one that led to an unexpected connection. Jiwon Park, a quiet transfer student, received a random text that read, "I'm cute." Thinking it was...
