????????. | enhypen imagines

(a/n: full-length story available in my account "Dating 101.")

-

It was a perfectly normal Friday afternoon.

The sun was shining. The birds were chirping. And Jungwon was seconds away from throwing Heeseung into a trash can.

"Wait, wait-" Heeseung wheezed between laughs as Jungwon grabbed him by the collar. "Let me explain-"

"You told her what?!" Jungwon hissed, eyes wide with panic. "Are you insane?!"

"I didn't mean to!" Heeseung yelped. "It just... slipped out! I was trying to be supportive!"

"Supportive?! SUPPORTIVE?! You told Haemin that I've had a crush on her since she joined the school?!"

Heeseung blinked. "Well... yeah?"

"Hyung!" Jungwon groaned, slamming his forehead against the nearest locker. "I was saving that story for, like, our wedding toast!"

"Okay, dramatic much?" Sunghoon appeared with an iced coffee in one hand, utterly unbothered. "You should be thanking us. She looked flattered."

"Flattered? Or freaked out? There's a very thin line-"

"She smiled," Jake added, strolling up. "Like full-teeth, dimples-out smile. Not the polite kind either. The I-like-this-smile. You're good."

Jungwon turned around slowly, still not convinced. "And how exactly did the conversation even come up?"

"Oh," Sunoo said brightly as he arrived. "We were talking about how scary your crush was back then."

"SCARY?!"

"Yeah, you were literally so obsessed it was concerning," Ni-ki chimed in, deadpan as usual. "You knew her entire class schedule before she even memorized it herself."

"I WAS BEING ATTENTIVE!"

-

Haemin had been waiting for Jungwon by the snack counter, just sipping her drink and scrolling through her messages when she heard them.

"Yah, remember when Jungwon memorized Haemin's timetable?"

Her head jerked up.

The voice? Heeseung.

"He even sat near the second-floor stairs just to catch a glimpse of her between classes," Jay added.

"Oh my god," Sunghoon laughed. "I thought he was just trying to be cool and broody, like one of those mysterious anime dudes."

Jake laughed. "Nah. He was dying inside. Remember when she accidentally said hi and he didn't talk for the rest of the day?"

"HE FROZE!" Sunoo cackled. "Like literally froze. Ni-ki had to poke him in the back with a pencil to restart him."

"And then he bought three strawberry milks the next morning like she could read his aura."

"Respectfully," Ni-ki said, "he has been whipped for ages."

Haemin was still standing there.

Frozen.

Red.

Heart pounding.

She didn't know whether to hide behind the vending machine or run away entirely. Instead, she just-

Laughed.

Out loud.

All six boys turned toward her slowly, expressions shifting from smug to guilty to horrified.

"Uh-oh," Jake muttered.

"She heard all of that," Sunghoon whispered.

"Abort. ABORT," Heeseung panicked.

Jungwon wasn't even there.

Which made it worse.

-

"So let me get this straight," Jungwon muttered. "Not only did you guys reveal my crush history like it was a Netflix recap... you did it without me even being there to explain myself?!"

"Hey, it's not like we lied," Sunoo shrugged, plopping down on the grass.

"Honestly," Jake said, "you should've seen the look on her face. It wasn't embarrassment. It was more like... 'oh my god, he's actually liked me for that long?'"

"Trust me," Sunghoon added, sipping his drink, "you've just earned like 500 boyfriend points."

Jungwon sighed dramatically, covering his face with his hands. "This is a nightmare."

"It's a dream," Ni-ki corrected. "For her. Because now she knows you're actually the golden retriever boyfriend of the decade."

"She even giggled!" Sunoo beamed. "GIGGLED, Jungwon. Do you know how rare that is for her?"

Jungwon lifted his head, expression torn between mortified and flustered.

"...She giggled?"

-

Haemin didn't bring it up right away.

They walked side by side, shoulder to shoulder, arms brushing slightly with every step. He was quieter than usual. Not in a cold way. Just... fidgety.

She decided to let him suffer.

For exactly five more minutes.

"I heard what your friends said," she said softly.

Jungwon stumbled.

"Y-you did?"

She nodded, trying to keep her voice even. "The thing about you liking me before we even talked."

"...Haemin, I swear I wasn't stalking you or anything-"

"I think it's sweet."

He blinked. "You do?"

She smiled. "You remembered my class schedule?"

He groaned into his hands. "I'm gonna die."

"You froze when I said hi to you?"

"Digging. My. Grave."

"You bought three strawberry milks and hoped I'd read your aura?"

"I WAS FIFTEEN, OKAY?!"

She laughed. Actually laughed. And tugged on the sleeve of his shirt.

"It's okay, Jungwon."

He peeked through his fingers.

"Really?"

"Really."

"...So you're not going to break up with me?"

"No."

"Or report me for being emotionally constipated?"

She giggled again.

And maybe it was worth all the humiliation in the world to hear that.

-

Jungwon flopped onto his bed with a groan.

His phone buzzed.

Haemin:
Hey
I like knowing how long you've liked me
Makes me feel special :)

He stared at the screen, heart doing somersaults.

Jungwon:
You are special
And I liked you since Day 1
Even if I was weird about it lol

She replied almost instantly.

Haemin:
Weird is my favorite kind
Especially when it's you

He grinned into his pillow, cheeks red.

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