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It’s two weeks until Halloween— not that Jaehyun cares.
He’s probably spending majority of that weekend cooped up in his room playing rounds of Kart Rider or losing to ARAM matches on League instead of going out of his way to don elaborate costumes only to get absolutely knackered on hard seltzers and dollar-store chocolates at some guy’s frat house.
That is, until Mark popped his bubble of illusion and informed him about this huge Halloween party happening right on the 31st, and that he desperately needs to dress up as Spiderman this year or he’ll just continue to disappoint his childhood self time and time again.
Jaehyun can’t help but chuckle at Mark’s expression, eyes pleading for him to come with and hunt down the perfect costume that calls his name. He knows Mark has an affinity for the superhero in all of his glory, but he didn’t think it was this serious.
“Why do I have to come again?” Jaehyun reiterates, sinking back into the couch where Mark had found him after barging into the apartment unannounced.
Bad timing, too, as Jaehyun was getting ready to choose a series to binge watch on Netflix.
He hasn’t had the time to even watch an episode the past week due to a hectic class schedule, but now that all of his reflection papers have been written and plates re-drawn and submitted, Jaehyun deemed himself worthy to literally just sit back and relax for the weekend.
“Because Johnny or Yuta hyung aren’t here and I don’t want to go to the mall alone…” Mark admits shyly, hand coming up to massage the back of his neck and a warm blush coloring his cheeks.
Jaehyun shakes his head, amused at the sophomore’s easy tell-tale sign of embarrassment and he isn’t even one to talk— Jaehyun’s ears have done him more bad than good in his lifetime.
After a few seconds of contemplation, Jaehyun eventually sighs and gets up from the sofa. Mark gasps louder than he probably wanted to, excitement lighting up his face.
“For real, you’ll come with?” He asks, already bouncing off his heels.
Jaehyun hums vaguely, grabbing his car keys from his room and putting on a simple jean jacket over a white shirt. Mark’s eyes widen, not expecting for the older to offer to drive them there either.
“Oh, dude. We can just take the bus. I have a city pass,” Mark suggests, scrambling to take his wallet out and show proof but Jaehyun dismisses him off.
He pats Mark’s back encouragingly, shooing them both to the door as he says, “We’re only going for one thing: your costume. I’ll drive so we are in and out of there, is that a deal?”
“Two things, hyung,” Mark counters.
Jaehyun gives him a look as Mark grins back.
“We’re going for two things: my costume and yours!”
“Nope,” Jaehyun says quickly, popping the sound off his mouth. He locks the door and briskly walks past Mark towards the parking lot.
The younger skips his steps to follow suit and pouts at how uneager Jaehyun is about the whole ordeal. He didn’t want to test his luck any further, however, since he got this far into getting Jaehyun out of the apartment.
Mark accepts defeat, and Jaehyun is grateful that a silent agreement is held between them.
Or so he thought.
“Maybe you can think about it soon, but if you need suggestions—” Mark starts, sliding into the passenger seat.
The car turns on with a click and Jaehyun blasts cool air from the dashboard. Mark flinches at the sudden change in temperature, and Jaehyun finally speaks up: “I’m not getting a Halloween costume, Mark. Halloween isn’t in two weeks.”
“So you’re saying you’ll get one next week?”
“Where’s the mall again?”
Mark pouts, realizing this conversation isn’t going where he wanted it to go. They pull out of the apartment complex and he searches for the exact directions on his phone.
He decides to drop the subject for now, content with hanging out with his hyung— at the very least, he was able to accomplish that.
Meanwhile, Jaehyun is already regretting being at the mall.
Jaehyun realizes he’d much rather be surrounded by enemy minions in Wild Rift as they kill off his champion to death than find himself lost in the sea of families with their five children, high schoolers on awkward first dates or fellow college students thinking they own the stinking place.
“Wow,” he mumbles.
Jaehyun never went costume shopping last year for Halloween, or the year before that, so this is a novel sight to him. He halts at the entrance, overwhelmed by the many sightings of witch hats, skull masks, and fake blood vials decorating the front of the store.
“Are you coming in, hyung?” Mark reels him out of his reverie.
“I think I’ll stay here, man. I’m not getting anything,” Jaehyun tells him after a same-aged looking guy leaves the store with what looks to be a Friday the 13th killer mask in his tote bag.
“I won’t be long then. You wanna think of a place to eat afterwards? My treat since you drove us here,” Mark says and Jaehyun nods in acknowledgement.
He watches as Mark dissolves into the aisles of spider web decorations and creepy dolls you set up on your front lawn to scare off children in exchange for treating them with candy.
He passes over a couple clothing shops until he reaches a long segment of an arcade station, its appearance a high contrast from the rest of his surroundings.
Jaehyun walks closer, slowly being engulfed in the darkened walls of the arcade station yet neon lights provide a sort of high tension atmosphere. Not to mention the muted yet bass-heavy music drumming against the floorboards, and Jaehyun’s nostalgic senses are tingling even stronger.
There was a time in his life when arcade stations were the shit. When his parents could only afford a token bag filled to the brim to use at the local arcade for his birthday rather than gifting him a gaming laptop as per his wish for his high school graduation.
But now that he’s older, a bit wiser, and has his gaming devices at the comfort of his own room— there was no need for Jaehyun to seek out a big ole Tekken machine (half of the buttons don’t even work properly) for that feeling of victory.
Jaehyun mulls over his memories, his feet taking him further into the arcade which is apparently named Neozone— yep, this wasn’t the same as his childhood one.
Neozone was bigger, brighter, and more intimidating (and probably expensive per game, too) which shatters a bit of Jaehyun’s reminiscent thoughts.
Jaehyun catches sight of two kids running towards the prize redemption area where they proudly show off the rolls of tickets they won for the day. The employee manning the prize station has his back turned, the back of his hair colored a perfect silver white that Jaehyun stares at impressively.
He also looked tall, had a lean body and good posture that made him seem like a college student as well.
The two kids seem too hesitant asking for his attention and Jaehyun’s heart melts at the sight— sometimes, children can be cute when they don’t intentionally act like it.
Completing his one (two? Is taking Mark here considered that?) good deed of the day, he clears his throat to say something until the employee finally turns around.
“Hi! What can I help you kiddos with?” He chirps, hair bouncing at the movement and eyes crinkling in delight with tiny whiskers framing his face.
Jaehyun feels a gust of wind knock out his breath all of a sudden.
He composes himself quickly, loosening his collar and readjusting his jacket sleeves.
His eyes land suspiciously on the employee’s name tag. Jaehyun squints hard enough it hurts just to read what was written on it.
Jungwoo.
“Mister— um, Jungwoo-ssi, we’d like to get a prize, please,” the small boy proudly requests, bunching up the tickets in his hand as the little girl next to him mirrors his actions.
Jaehyun somehow feels glued to his spot, close enough to hear their conversation but subtle in his glances so no one assumes his act of eavesdropping.
He really didn’t mean to, hell, Mark is probably done shopping for spidey fashion and is panicking whether or not Jaehyun had abandoned him here.
Jaehyun snickers at the thought. His Spiderman senses might be tingling right now, he jokes to himself.
Then he hears Jungwoo laugh.
He panics, thinking he said that corny shit out loud but remembers the two little kids who were talking to Jungwoo in the first place. Jaehyun’s sweat trickles down his neck even though it was chilly the moment they entered the mall.
“Ya— I’m not that old!” Jungwoo reprimands them playfully, warmth never leaving his face. “You can’t get your prize until your tickets get counted! C’mon, I’ll show you where to do that.”
The little munchkins squeal between themselves, obviously excited for what’s to come. Jungwoo leaves his station not before calling someone on the walkie-talkie attached on his belt for back-up for his stall, presumably.
Jaehyun watches the entire interaction with Jungwoo bending down to the children’s height, and helping them put the first ticket into the slot.
Jungwoo seems genuinely happy, his airy chuckle bubbling up every time the kids cheered as each roll of ticket got eaten up by the machine.
At one point, Jaehyun questioned what Jungwoo was doing with his face for the children to crack up laughing, pointing fingers at him. It wasn’t until they imitated the same, silly expression, and Jaehyun stifled his own sound of amusement.
Jungwoo stands up straight after what seemed like minutes to Jaehyun, but it was a mere few seconds until Jungwoo pulled the receipt with the counted tickets.
“How much did we win, Jungwoo oppa?” The little girl asks quietly, tippy-toeing in a futile attempt to look over at Jungwoo’s level.
“I hate to break it to you, friends,” Jungwoo starts off with a worried voice, eyebrows scrunching in thought. Even Jaehyun is as invested as to what he’s going to say, but the kids look just about to burst into tears.
Jungwoo smiles, a devious chuckle leaving his pretty pink lips before spilling the truth, and the kids had to shake him lightly right above his thighs as they whined at the anticipation.
Jaehyun’s heart continues to pool all over his chest, something he hasn’t really felt before.
“You have so many tickets that you can get the biggest stuffed toy up there. See?” Jungwoo points to the display, and points to all of the smaller items on the shelves too.
“You can have almost anything you desire. You wanna tell me what you want, then?”
As the trio move over to the prizes, Jaehyun couldn’t quite catch a glimpse of them anymore and he sports a frown. For some reason, he also feels somehow guilty for listening into that whole interaction like a total weirdo— but what can he say?
Jungwoo had that presence that pulled him instantly, his smile was brighter than any of the lights blinding him in the arcade, and his demeanor was so easy to fall into that Jaehyun didn’t even mind getting lost in a daze for those few minutes.
But still, he thinks he should come up there (once the lil kiddos were gone with their chosen prizes) and, not apologize but kind of… say hi? Make known his presence? Get to hear Jungwoo speak to him, face to face?
“Hyung! I was looking everywhere for you!”
Jaehyun, once again, hears himself sighing because of a Mark Lee invading his own thought bubble. He quickly suppresses the urge to ignore Mark and go for gold— or silver, in this case, but the younger was already standing next to him, large halloween bag in hand.
“Did you find what you were looking for?” Jaehyun asks despite seeing the triumphant grin on Mark’s face.
Anything to redirect the focus on him since he still felt his eyes held the stars for an employee at Neozone and he isn’t trying to get caught by someone his junior.
“I did! And get this— it was the last in stock that was in my size! Can you believe that? I’m so glad we went today. Thank you again, Jaehyun hyung, like seriously. I swear, you’re the best,” Mark rambled on.
“That’s good to hear. Are you happy now?”
“Happier if you get your own costume and come with us to the party?” Mark tries. Again.
Jaehyun purses his lips in a thin line, ruffles Mark’s hair in reply instead. The younger sags his shoulders, already expecting the rejection but remembers he asked him where they should eat.
Jaehyun relays he isn’t hungry yet, and the nostalgia of food court meals have long since passed his appetite so he suggests they can just head back home.
Mark looks at him incredulously. “You’re kidding, right hyung? If we’re not eating, then let’s go play! We’re already standing inside Neozone. I didn’t even know you liked arcades.”
Jaehyun shoots him an offended look. “What? No, I don’t. What makes you think that?”
“Why did I find you here looking at the games with dreamy eyes?”
“Funny, Mark Lee. Let’s go now, please,” Jaehyun firmly insists, leading the way outside.
Mark huffs, clutching his most prized possession in hand as he follows from behind.
“We’ll be back here in a week, anyway. I doubt you’d have said no to Yuta hyung,” Mark comments off-handedly, and Jaehyun slows down his tracks.
What is Mark talking about? He racks his brain for any recollection of Yuta saying something about hanging out at Neozone without bringing it up 3 to 5 business days before. Then again, Yuta is the kind of guy who doesn’t plan ahead even with his own agendas in life.
“It’s his birthday on the 26th.”
Ah.
Jaehyun needs to learn how to plan ahead too, it seems.
Or at least be a better friend and remember to worry about his friend’s birthday instead of stupid, Halloween.
🎃
“Fuck you, Jaehyun. I’m not greeting you shit on your birthday next year.”
Yuta hiccups loudly following his bold statement, and everyone around the table laughs in drunken response.
Jaehyun doesn’t find it as funny as the others, especially Mark banging the table at the hilarity of the situation. Worst of all, it’s his fault Jaehyun is in the hot seat right now.
Still, he chuckles at his own forgetfulness, not wanting to ruin a good birthday dinner mood so far. It’s also the first time since the semester started that everyone in the group is present at the same time, and these are the only people that Jaehyun can tolerate being with for longer than an hour.
The festivities die down as Yuta clears his throat and grips Jaehyun on the shoulder, hard. Jaehyun braces himself for what’s to come next, surely not another insult or threat to their friendship for a small, silly mistake on his end.
“Kidding! Thanks for the beanie, dude. I appreciate it. You get my style,” Yuta slurs instead, leaning into Jaehyun’s side closer as he attempts to say each word accurately.
Jaehyun leans the opposite way, balancing his very drunk housemate and roommate in his seat, and making sure he doesn’t fall all over his half-eaten plate of okonomiyaki.
It’s half past eight in the evening of the 26th, and Jaehyun is reminded of the fact that they’re all only getting older and he still doesn’t have a Halloween costume— not that he was actively looking for one, don't catch him slipping.
“Y’all ready for Halloween, though?” Johnny from across the table changes topics, even if it’s one that Jaehyun isn’t fond of. He checks up on Yuta a second time, just to be sure the birthday boy is still awake.
“Good?”
“Never— hiccup— better, bro.”
“You know I have my costume ready, dude! I’ve been ready,” Mark interrupts them excitedly. Jaehyun tries to zone out of the conversation, but his tipsy demeanor is doing the opposite for him.
His focus was in and out, hearing words of getting a doll’s dress fitted for Johnny’s height or a matching Spongebob and Patrick outfits but no one wants to be naked from the waist up on Halloween night (or dye their entire bodies yellow and pink, it’s… not that serious).
It was still a Tuesday night, and they were all comfortable enough to get a few drinks in their system because of their afternoon classes tomorrow. Jaehyun had the earliest afternoon class at 11, though, so he took it upon himself to be responsible and limit his alcohol consumption to one beer.
Leave it to Yuta for choosing to order the strongest tasting beer with the highest alcohol content they can offer him, of course.
Even Johnny was blushing just from two empty cans, and that’s usually an appetizer for him on a normal occasion.
“Hyung, are you eating that?” Mark nudges Jaehyun’s foot, purses his lips at the last piece of karaage on the plate.
Jaehyun shakes his head. “All yours, buddy.”
“Yuta hyung, are you sure you’re okay?” Doyoung nags softly before calling for the check at the waiter who passed them by.
"I think the birthday boy is gone for, guys.”
Yuta springs back to consciousness and vehemently disagrees. “Don’t ruin the fun, Doyoung! I’m— it’s— we haven’t even played yet!”
That catches Jaehyun’s attention.
“Play what?”
In that moment, Yuta glances over to his side and offers a lopsided smile, cheeks turning up hinting a blush of rose due to his inebriated state. Jaehyun feels fondness for his friend in that split second until he opens his lips to speak, in slurred phrases.
“No go zone, that— that place that Mark suggested! Knees on— what? What’s it called? Neotown Pets— fuck, the arcade station.”
“Neo. Zone,” Jaehyun enunciates for him, partial to his own feelings about the mention of an already familiar place to him.
All of a sudden, he remembers where they are— at the mall, but on the lower floor where all the fancy restaurants are located, away from greasy food court burgers and fries. He swears it was on his mind when they were first seated at the table that they were in the same mall he and Mark went to, and where he met— sort of— Jungwoo, the Neozone employee.
But throughout the birthday greetings, delicious, steaming hot Japanese dishes, and drunken stupor he and his friends shared for the past two and a half hours, Jaehyun had it slip from his mind like a cool breeze.
And now it’s hitting him once more with a hope so big, so unrecognizable to him, that in the pit of his stomach are nervous tingles fluttering about. And no, he isn’t allergic to raw salmon or tuna so it’s definitely not the food but something even worse.
He was looking forward to seeing Jungwoo again.
Someone who surely doesn’t know Jaehyun’s name, let alone his existence. Someone Jaehyun decided to eavesdrop on because there was no way in hell he was gonna tear away his gaze from a pretty, mysterious sight like him. Someone Jaehyun definitely shouldn’t have been thinking about at least ten times the past week.
After dropping each of their contributed tips on the platter, and exiting in a single file line just so nobody gets lost on their way to Neozone, Jaehyun’s stomach won’t let up from that fluttering sensation.
He had to see Jungwoo again.
🎃
Jaehyun can’t find Jungwoo.
Even on a Tuesday night, the arcade itself was more crowded than Jaehyun anticipated. However, this time around, there were more college-looking patrons than the scenery of children he saw the last time he was here.
As they stumble in another dimension separate from the mall and into a chaos of lights, music, and game over sound effects, Jaehyun’s eyes are trained for one target only.
One he hasn’t seen, even when they’ve reached the ticket station.
“I haven’t been to an arcade in ages, bro,” Johnny quips, holding Yuta by his shoulders. Mark starts listing off the games they can play together and against each other while Doyoung handles the money matters up front.
It’s not Jungwoo behind the counter which loses Jaehyun’s interest entirely.
“Alright, as my third birthday gift for Yuta, I got us two cards to use tonight,” Doyoung huddles the group together.
Yuta clings onto Doyoung’s arm, almost making him drop the game cards.
He proceeds to place his pursed lips on Doyoung’s neck haphazardly as a form of thank you for another present for his birthday.
“Don’t be so greedy, hyung. We can’t all be that rich with the gift giving,” Mark whines but takes a card anyway. He turns to Jaehyun.
“Jaehyun hyung, let’s play some hoops?”
Knowing he can’t escape despite inner disappointment in his stomach due to a certain employee's absence, Jaehyun relents and follows Mark further down the aisle into the arcade.
Johnny, Yuta and Doyoung call dibs on Mario Kart with the other card, and all agree to meet up at some point in the night.
There was more to the arcade than Jaehyun thought, in awe of the line of skee ball machines and punching bag games that display impressive high scores from previous players. Jaehyun scoffs, surely he can beat those numbers in a few tries.
“Hyung, I was thinking…”
“Hm?”
“If I win a game of basketball, you get yourself a costume and we’ll enjoy Halloween night with the gang.”
Jaehyun, Sapporo beer still coursing through his consciousness, nods his head in an attempt for Mark to please stop talking about Halloween.
“If I win, you won’t bother me for one weekend unless I ask to hang out first,” Jaehyun counters. It’s a tall order, even Mark gulps at his end of the deal but Jaehyun is that confident he’ll get this in the bag.
Jaehyun sees the hoops further, but what speeds up his pace is a silver-haired employee begrudgingly crouched down while he picks up semi-inflated basketballs scattered on the floor.
“What the—” Mark reacts, but Jaehyun has sprinted towards Jungwoo, bending down in front of him.
Jaehyun takes the basketball inches between them as Jungwoo’s fingertips touch his for a split second. They both pull away, the ball bouncing off to the side. Jaehyun’s heart races, but he reasons it out from the sudden sprint he did.
He looks up and sees Jungwoo’s name tag in closer inspection, written in a legible yet swirly way plus an innocent smiley face to complete it. Jaehyun dares turn his chin up more, leveling his gaze with Jungwoo’s eyes dipped in cool hazelnut, glinting alll over. It complements his well-defined face, and his silver hair showing a soft gloss against the light.
“Oh— hi,” Jungwoo mumbles, voice small and unsure but expression welcoming nonetheless.
Jaehyun is about to burst in the seams, failing terribly at hiding a nervous smile in response. He feels all the blood travel to his ears so he musters up the courage to talk like a normal person for a change.
“Hi,” he breathes out, deciding he’s been exposed enough by Jungwoo’s staring so he focuses on the task at hand.
If he can’t talk, then he’ll just… do.
Momentarily forgetting Mark in the background, Jaehyun picks up two balls at once and tosses them one by one onto the machine. He doesn’t miss.
“Oh ho~ that was cool,” Jungwoo says, an impressed smile playing on his lips. Jaehyun swallows a lump in his throat.
Jungwoo called him cool.
He stills into place when Jungwoo faces him again, now with wonder in his eyes and a slight tilt of his head.
“Sorry, were you gonna use the hoop game?”
“Yeah—”
“Sorry sorry— about this,” Jungwoo exhales, gesturing to the remaining four balls on the floor. “Some people don’t have manners and thought this was an okay thing to do.”
“You’re fine. Don’t be sorry,” Jaehyun reassures him, reaching over to get a basketball. “Some people are just assholes. Plain and simple,” he adds under his breath.
Jungwoo giggles at the term, and Jaehyun is once again entranced at the sound he makes.
“I would have totally said the same verbiage if I wasn’t on the clock right now,” Jungwoo admits, preparing to stand back up. He offers a hand towards Jaehyun, and his mind glitches in that crucial moment when Mark Lee shows up in the midst of their conversation with a ball in hand.
“Got the other one! It started rolling over to the claw machines,” Mark announces, gingerly placing it back on the machine.
Jungwoo retreats his hand back, clears his throat and dusts off his shirt.
“You alright, Jaehyun hyung?”
“Just peachy,” he mutters, standing back up by himself lazily.
Now it’s awkward again, and it doesn’t help that Mark doesn’t have a clue what’s going on in Jaehyun’s head nor Jungwoo’s. He stands in front of his chosen hoop and looks at Jaehyun expectantly.
“Well, hyung? Deal’s a deal,” Mark reminds him.
From his side, Jungwoo’s eyebrows raise in curiosity at what he heard but as the respectful employee he is, steps away from the area.
He gives Jaehyun another one of his kind smiles, and from this distance his eyes continue to shine in that mellow, comforting way.
Jaehyun wasn’t done talking to him. He wants to smack Mark with the ball and beg him to stop intruding in moments Jaehyun doesn’t want him to.
Biting his cheek, Jaehyun’s conscience can’t ever do that to a friend even if he was as gullible and oblivious like Mark. When Jaehyun looks over his shoulder, Jungwoo had already traversed down the aisle they had gone through, so he’s left with a very determined Mark and a two minute game of basketball.
“Don’t go easy on me, okay?” Mark tells him seriously.
Jaehyun smirks, positioning himself in front of the hoop, angling his shoulder and arms in the way he knows how to play.
“Won’t even dare to do such a thing,” he states simply, wanting a fair yet competitive game between two friends.
The card has been swiped, and the timer starts running.
As expected, Jaehyun wins by a landslide and Mark demands a rematch. Like a blink of an eye, Jaehyun smashes the second game with 15 points ahead of a sulking Mark.
He declares cheating, a miscalculation on his hoops, hell he even complains about the height difference but at that point he’s just whining to get a reaction from Jaehyun.
Of course, he laughs, his initial frustration with the younger dissipating already. Jaehyun teases a third round, meaning if he wins again make it three weekends of not interrupting Jaehyun’s free time unless asked first by the older himself.
Mark surrenders his hands, sad that he needs to hit the gymnasium more often or at least tag team with Yuta when competing against Jaehyun.
Speaking of, they finish up by actually putting the balls in the right machines and make their way to the others. Jaehyun feels more sober, more awake now but he doesn’t know about the others who drank more than him.
Mark is still loopy, laughing at the smallest thing he sees happening in front of him.
What matters is he’s having fun, Jaehyun thinks, holding onto Mark’s shoulders to sort of guide him through the crowd.
Mark giggles uncontrollably again, and this time Jaehyun pinpoints the cause. They’ve reached the area of the claw machines, all lit up by white fluorescent bulbs and stuffed toys of different species and variants stuffed in the glass box.
“Look at their faces! Hahaha, Doyoung hyung looks constipated as fuck,” Mark chortles and a few people react at his language sharply. Jaehyun flinches at the sudden unwanted audience, bowing his head as a form of apology but also pinching Mark on the back where it hurts.
“Ow! What? What'd I do? What the hell, hyung!”
“Shut it, Mark or we’ll get kicked out,” Jaehyun scolds him lightly, for the sake of his own sanity.
They walk towards the three idiots with Yuta’s face pushed against the glass, his nose looks flattened out while Johnny encourages Doyoung on the side, whispering nonsensical directions in his ear.
Doyoung hisses, slapping Johnny’s face away lightly from his personal space. The older feigns pain but Doyoung is too concentrated at the claw moving like a pendulum in front of him.
“How long have you guys been going at this?” Jaehyun asks no one in particular, not knowing who’s aware enough to answer him.
“At least ten minutes. I really— really really want the Calcifer stuffed toy but my hands feel like jelly and everything looks like it got edited with Gaussian blur,” Yuta says slowly, and Jaehyun feels bad for him. He’s supposed to be the liveliest out of them all considering it’s his birthday, but right now Yuta needs to be taken
home and tucked in his bed.
“I’m so bad at claw games, dude,” Mark comments, swiping a hand over his face to sober him up a little.
Jaehyun shares a quick handshake with Johnny, the only one who seems to be in the same level of sobriety as him in the group— aside from Doyoung who won’t acknowledge anyone’s presence at all.
“We should probably leave after this— if Doyoung actually gets it,” Johnny whispers the last bit.
“I will get it, just watch,” Doyoung gripes. “I saw the employee teaching someone else the sweet spot. I just need more time.”
“Maybe each machine is rigged differently?” Johnny quips. “They were playing for smaller items in the other one. This Calficer stuffed toy is twice as big.”
Jaehyun can’t believe they’re all huddled around one specific claw machine and discussing its rigged system like it was for a class recitation. His friends are funny like that, but alas he couldn’t offer any other advice himself since he’s long forgotten the ways to counterplay the claw.
“Maybe we can ask another employee for a hint?” Yuta says, looking around with his hazy eyes for a victim to his request.
“Oh! Yohoo~ Kaneki, over here!”
“Yuta, shut the fuck up,” Johnny blurts out in a ridiculous laugh. If Mark was embarrassing before, Jaehyun doesn’t want to acknowledge Yuta as someone he knew at this moment.
“Me?”
Jaehyun’s ears pick up that voice as clear as the night sky outside and turn to see Jungwoo approaching their little area. They meet gazes, and Jungwoo is quick to pair it with a smile that tickles Jaehyun’s stomach repeatedly.
“I almost got it, I have it—” Doyoung groans, the tiniest movement of the analog stick just to veer the claw more to the left and the timer ends. The claw is dragged down, and from an angle it seems like it had a tuft of flame from Calcifer’s “head,” and everyone held their breath.
“It’s way too far—” Jungwoo slips as soon as the claw does just that.
Doyoung laughs sardonically, throwing his hands up in the air.
“Haha. I hate this. This is my thirteenth reason. I can’t.”
He makes a dramatic turn away from the machine, looking Jaehyun dead straight in the eye with a smile that holds something more malicious than joy.
“Your turn. One more try and I miss, someone has to pay for damages.”
“I’ll give it a go—”
“Mark, shh.”
Yuta clasps Jaehyun’s back in a supportive gesture. “I’ll love you forever, man. But know I already love you as you are, yeah?”
Jaehyun laughs at Yuta’s extremely laid back attitude which he is savoring for the time being. His friends are all rooting for him now, except for a pouty Mark whose arms are crossed tightly.
Jaehyun was still in a slightly competitive mood, the leftover adrenaline rush in his veins needing an outlet before the night ended.
Jungwoo knocks on the glass gently enough to get his attention. He still looks the same, Jaehyun admires, even if they were only apart from a few minutes at the most.
This has to mean something, right? Out of all the employees that could help them, Jungwoo appeared right before him again.
If he was in the arcade every time, Jaehyun wouldn't mind spending money on him— it, the arcade. The arcade.
“Do you want me to tell you a trick to it?” Jungwoo asks politely. “I won’t say unless you want me to.”
Jaehyun gazes at the Calcifer stuffed toy, half of its body hanging off the edge of the dropbox but there was another stuffed toy that looked like bacon putting its weight on top of it, preventing it from falling easily.
He wants to look impressive to Jungwoo, but then again it’s harder to hide from the shame if he manages to miss— not after him calling his shot at the hoop game cool, and he didn’t even watch the actual match between him and Mark!
Jaehyun can’t risk his chances, also wanting to talk to Jungwoo a little more despite an audience of four.
“Show me the trick?” He finally relents, and Jungwoo is happy to be of service.
“May I?” Jungwoo opens his palm, asking for the card so he can swipe it. Doyoung gives it to him, and soon after the claw starts rocking sideways. This is what Jaehyun hates about these prize games, the claws move on their own regardless of where you drag them towards, so really it’s all about timing and a big scoop of luck on your end.
Jaehyun grips his fingers around the analog stick when Jungwoo does the same.
Jungwoo’s fingers clasp around Jaehyun’s and hold it tight. He stands next to Jaehyun’s figure, shoulders brushing slightly as Jungwoo primarily moves the stick as the timer ticks.
Even his hand feels as smooth and soft as Jungwoo looks up close, like, really up close. Jaehyun snaps back in reality, forcing his head looking straight at the glass.
He can’t be weird, not right now.
“You have to do it fast or else— you’ll miss your chance, you know?” Jungwoo whispers, his voice lower than what Jaehyun had heard from before. It’s like he’s only talking to him in this instance, and wants him to listen to his voice and nothing else.
“Is.. is this the perfect angle?” Jaehyun asks in the same low register as soon as Jungwoo stops nudging the stick yet keeps his hand around his.
Jungwoo nods, eyes concentrating on the claw slowing down its swaying.
“Now we just wait.”
Even with an audience of four, Jaehyun feels like it’s just him and Jungwoo and this bright ass claw machine taking away every penny they owned, and the ounce of dignity Jaehyun has left.
The 10-second countdown begins, and Jaehyun hears muffled encouragement on either side of him but he tunes it down and listens to Jungwoo’s breathing only.
It grounds him, for a moment, and Jaehyun allows himself to smile and let Jungwoo take care of his feelings, for right now.
“And release!”
The claw descends, moving slower than Doyoung’s previous attempts, and it catches onto a loose cotton from the stuffed toy. Yuta flinches outwardly from the side, thinking it as another failure but Mark’s holler begs to differ.
The claw successfully grabs onto its whole body and drops it down with a soft thud.
Jungwoo takes it out from the machine, offers it to Jaehyun with that sparkle in his pretty, almond-shaped eyes.
Jaehyun’s lips part, in awe of the sight before him until Yuta snatches it away, kissing the stuffed toy right on Calcifer’s eyes. Doyoung emits a disgusted sound, reprimanding Yuta’s unhygienic choices while Johnny whips out his film camera to capture the moment, albeit blurry and disorganized.
“You guys are a fun bunch,” Jungwoo comments. “As tipsy as your friends are, I appreciate you guys not making a mess or causing any trouble at the arcade. Thanks for making my job easy,” he laughs at the end.
“You get worse people than these guys?” Jaehyun chides, making his case in point as Yuta poses with Calcifer on his head and Mark pretending he’s being burned at the touch. Doyoung is directing their facial expressions on the sideline.
Jungwoo watches the scene, a delightful crinkle around his eyes and another soft, airy giggle escaping his lips.
Jaehyun feels drunker than before.
“This is tame. Just last night, I had to threaten to call mall security because there was a group of frat boys trying to squeeze themselves inside the claw machine as a dare,” Jungwoo recalls, visibly getting goosebumps from the memory.
“One of them got stuck in a place that shouldn’t be at all stuck, and it was not a pretty sight.”
“Yikes.”
“We had to close off the arcade for at least forty minutes until he got out… with minor injuries,” Jungwoo continues, shaking his head in disappointment. Jaehyun’s lips curl upward, watching Jungwoo’s facial expressions change so animatedly was a treat in itself, even if what he was sharing wasn't the best of experiences.
“You do good work here, then,” Jaehyun tries to compliment him, and he cringes at the vague choice of words.
“I mean— you get to witness different age groups play the same games, must be interesting.”
“It is. That’s why I love it here despite the occasional mishaps,” Jungwoo chirps back. “The kiddos lighting up like a Christmas tree after winning lots of tickets makes my day. It’s also cool to tell people how to win at certain games, knowing how things function here and all,” he adds with a wink.
Jaehyun chokes on his own spit, not expecting that potentially flirtatious remark.
Jungwoo doesn’t realize, or pretends not to as he continues talking, “I take it you and your friends go to NCIT? One of you is wearing a hoodie.” He points at Mark.
Jaehyun nods. “We all do. Do… you?”
“Mhm! I’m studying Secondary Education with an emphasis on Physical Education.”
“That’s neat. I’m in the Architecture Department.”
“Wow! I would have never guessed,” Jungwoo admits, pressing a hand over his mouth immediately after. Jaehyun chuckles, having received such an observation more times than he’d like, but since it’s Jungwoo… he’ll let it slide.
“What does he look like?”
Johnny butts in, putting his camera back in his messenger bag and sporting a sly smile.
“Him?”
“Yeah, does he look like… instead of building things, he actually… breaks hearts?” Johnny surmises.
Jaehyun adds Johnny to the list of people he needs to smack with a basketball.
“That’s so greasy, man, miss me with that shit,” Mark cackles, and Johnny is back to tormenting the younger’s life by putting him in a headlock. Jaehyun is rendered speechless because what the hell do you say to that?
Jungwoo snickers from his spot which Jaehyun can’t comprehend if it was a good thing or not.
“I told you they’re pretty bad,” Jaehyun exasperates, confidence stooping to a new low. He’s kept Jungwoo for long from his shift anyway, he didn’t want him to be in trouble. Also, Yuta is basically back hugging Doyoung for dear life now and Jaehyun feels responsible for bringing his intoxicated friends safely home sooner than later.
“If anything, I don’t think of you that way,” Jungwoo consoles him. “I actually think architecture suits you, um, for some reason. Don’t ask me why.”
Jaehyun, for the first time since he enrolled in college, suddenly feels proud of pursuing a five-year architectural degree. He puffs up his chest comically and Jungwoo laughs alongside him.
This feels nice.
“Are you guys going to any Halloween parties on the 31st?” Jungwoo brings up.
He can’t really escape this discussion, can he? Jaehyun bites the inside of his cheek, torn from telling the truth that he’s a slob and can’t be bothered to dress up or risk telling him that he is, in fact, going to a party, while Mark and company bear witness to this declaration.
He isn’t actually gonna go through it if he decides to mask the truth, but if Jungwoo is implying he’s going to one as well…
“If you aren’t, you’re free to come back here and spend Halloween night playing some games! We’re hosting a no-minors allowed kind of event where we’re serving some light alcohol, and raffling goodie bags for people who dress up for Halloween. That part’s totally optional, but Neozone usually hosts great themed-events, and Halloween is one of the best ones.”
Jaehyun wonders if Mark had let Jungwoo in on his get-Jaehyun-to-enjoy-Halloween agenda, but his friends have long since forgotten their existence and is currently watching a different group of people beast it on DDR.
“Will you be there?” Jaehyun asks.
Jungwoo smiles, an almost knowing glint flashing through his eyes.
“I will be. Will I see you there, then?”
“I’ll see you there.”
Mark becomes the happiest man in the group once they all get in the rideshare, after hearing Jaehyun’s declaration of attending an actual Halloween gathering, and inviting his friends to come along with.
“Which party were you even taking us to originally, Mark?” Johnny asks from the passenger seat.
Mark shrugs innocently, head leaning against the window. “Any party that would take us in.”
Jaehyun reacts accusingly, “You weren’t even sure we were gonna get into a party? Seriously?”
“Someone was bound to take us in! See, like that crush of yours from the arcade!”
“I swear, Mark— wait, what? You’re drunk,” Jaehyun backtracks from the other side of the passenger seat, Yuta’s sleeping figure weighing down on him. Doyoung is fast asleep too, but keeps to himself with his arms loosely crossed.
They still had a long night ahead of them, but Jaehyun is glad they weren’t awake for this scandalous conversation.
“What was his name? Jungwoo-ssi? You had the hots for him, hyung, don’t play.”
“Jaehyun having the hots for a real person? I see it,” Johnny hums in the front. Jaehyun hopes that the driver has tuned them out the moment they barged into his SUV.
“Help me find a costume in five days, Mark, and I’ll forget you said that,” Jaehyun deadpans.
“You’re dressing up too?! Damn, best day of my life!”
“Language, bro,” Johnny hisses.
“Sorry,” Mark quips, holding up a peace sign.
Jaehyun doesn’t say anything else, lets the hum of the radio fill in the silence as Mark decides to close his eyes for the duration of the ride. This was a turn of events that Jaehyun couldn’t have predicted in a million years, but it was something he was willing to take a chance on.
Jungwoo, as cute and polite he looked, was still a good mystery that Jaehyun wanted to figure out for himself— he was quirky but reserved, laughed almost as loud as Mark but had that sexy concentrating aura to him when he held onto Jaehyun’s fingers like a lifeline for the claw game.
And he brought up the Halloween event almost out of the blue, almost as if… he wanted someone in particular to show up.
Jaehyun gulps, nerves racking his bones trying to think of a costume that wouldn’t render him pathetic on the 31st.
If he needs to pretend to like Halloween for a cute employee at Neozone, then smear fake blood on him and chisel his fangs because he will do it— just as long as he sees Jungwoo again.
🎃
Jaehyun stares at his reflection in the mirror. Blasting music from his on repeat playlist at almost max volume, he’s unsure whether his two roommates have been ready to go or already left without him. Unlike Mark, Johnny or Yuta usually knocks before coming in and if he recalls correctly, they were supposed to have been on the way ten minutes ago.
He continues to examine his outfit, one that Jaehyun had to string together at the very last minute. He debated on soaring far and wide for a really good costume, but options are limited when you only begin looking for one a week before Halloween.
It’s almost like Mark makes a good point of planning it altogether weeks before, but then again Jaehyun didn’t think he’d be going just to see someone he’s potentially attracted to, and do something about these weird feelings for the guy.
Jaehyun runs his hand through gelled up hair, somehow parted to the side. He tried for a beanie at first, but he didn’t want Jungwoo thinking he doesn’t wash his hair so it had to go. He was gonna meticulously blow dry his hair to form a semi-perm for the night, but Jaehyun didn’t want to look like he was trying too hard.
He didn’t know what Jungwoo liked— didn’t know a lot about him in the first place and vice versa. Before parting ways on the night of Yuta’s birthday, Jungwoo briefly asked for Jaehyun’s name which he was able to scramble out of his throat awkwardly.
Jungwoo had waved him and his friends goodbye, saying Jaehyun’s name with that clear, honeyed tone of his and jogged back to his work duties. Jaehyun wasn’t able to say goodbye himself since his friends were basically pleading for him to take them home.
At least names were finally exchanged, and Jaehyun is assured his presence is wanted at this event. He wishes there was a way to contact him beforehand, though, missing the chance to ask for Jungwoo’s number even though in hindsight, he wouldn’t have had the guts to initiate that in front of the others.
Finally, someone knocks twice on his door. “The Lyft is gonna be here in five, are you ready?” Johnny informs him.
Jaehyun exhales deeply, unsatisfied with his costume but it’s better than going as himself. He adjusts the safety pin that locked his makeshift identification card on the fabric of his green tracksuit, He hurriedly wrote 214 in black Sharpie as the main point of his outfit.
He gives his Squid Game player look one last once-over, and head out the apartment with his friends.
🎃
“Legit— like no lie, I feel amazing in this,” Mark says, stretching out his limbs and flexing the Spiderman details on his costume. He truly embodied the superhero, shooting pretend spiderwebs when the others arrived at the rendezvous, and doing low-level parkour tricks at the parking lot going to the mall.
“I hope I don’t get too hot with all of this on,” Doyoung states in concern, donned in a white frilly shirt with long, velvet pants and formal pointed shoes. Attached to the back of his collar is a black and red thick cape which frames his vampiric appearance. He even bothered to put on fake fangs on his teeth, completing the classic ensemble.
Jaehyun had this in mind when brainstorming for possible costumes for himself, but upon hearing that Doyoung had called dibs on it way before, he didn’t want to contest him.
Yuta, on the other hand, is wearing similar top and bottoms but portrayed as Howl instead, his blonde hair making it the perfect role for him. “We can exchange capes if yours feel too stuffy,” he beams at his vampire friend, plopping Calcifer on top of his head as they walk towards the mall.
Lastly, Johnny and Jaehyun are the ones who technically match, only because the younger was really grasping at anything he can pull off for the night.
Two days before Halloween, Jaehyun was finally finishing up his binge watch list on Netflix, and Johnny had found him in the living room on the last episode of Squid Game.
He mentioned losing a dare with one of his photography classmates, and had to dress up as the doll from the Red Light Green Light episode. Jaehyun’s lightbulb lit up, deciding to wear something referencing the same show but a little less flashy than crossdressing. Johnny has worn weirder costumes before, so this wasn’t a hard feat for him to accomplish.
The guy rarely gets embarrassed, anyway, but it’s gonna take a few shots of whatever they’re serving at the event to get his friends comfortable seeing Johnny in a dainty, yellow dress and a decent brown wig to match.
That wasn’t Jaehyun’s concern, for the most part. Tonight, he doesn’t want to get shitfaced drunk but the prospect of feeling buzzed before looking for Jungwoo might help his confidence stay afloat even for a little bit. The mall itself is preparing to close for the night, save for Neozone whose neon lights appear extra shimmery with an emphasis on Halloween-themed colors.
Jaehyun notices the decorations strung along the walls, and the spooky background music amidst the loud and exhilirating chatter of young adults populating the arcade. Most of them were decked out in plain or creatively executed costumes. Jaehyun already spots another person in the same green tracksuit as his, so he assumes those goodie bags given to the best dressed people wouldn’t fall in his hands tonight.
It doesn’t matter, it’s not what he came here for.
“Where did they say the drinks were?”
“I believe over there,” Doyoung spots a designated section squared off for a mini-bar situation. The group gets their first drink of the night with Jaehyun sipping on his soju cocktail. He tastes more of the Sprite than the actual vodka but it’s what he expected.
“This place is lit!” Mark exclaims, putting an arm around Jaehyun. He gives him a cheeky grin to which Jaehyun scrunches his nose.
“Having fun yet, hyung?”
“We just got here,” Jaehyun states obviously before wiggling out of Mark’s overzealous touches. Neozone is definitely reaching its max occupant limit with every corner that they turn, Jaehyun bumps into someone with a Chewbacca mask on or get someone’s fairy wings caught up.
It has started to feel warmer inside with so many bodies mingling about. Jaehyun wants to find Jungwoo soon before he becomes a sweaty mess. His eyes linger everywhere, finding it more difficult to spot a silver-haired boy now that people have wigs on and other extra accessories on their heads. He wonders if Jungwoo remembered he was coming, too, and if they’re both trying to look for each other in the sea of people.
“We could have found you a giraffe costume on Amazon and get expedited shipping or something,” Johnny comments on the side, having drank the last sip of his pale ale. Jaehyun quirks an eyebrow at his odd statement, and Johnny explains: “You keep craning your neck like the damn animal. Haven’t seen that cute Neozone employee yet?”
Realizing that there’s no use to denying it, Jaehyun huffs. “I don’t know what he’s dressed as.”
“Maybe he’s working a shift tonight?”
Jaehyun didn’t consider the possibility, but it makes more sense now if Jungwoo was ultimately promoting his workplace’s event rather than wanting to see each other specifically…
Jaehyun feigns nonchalance at the slight churn gurgling in his stomach at the thought. He doesn’t speak, only tailing behind them with Mark leading the way. He doesn’t know where they’re going, the hope that motivated him to even get up today slipping from his grasp being replaced by the kind of shame you feel when you expected too much only to end up getting not even a scrap in return.
From what he heard, Mark apparently wanted to play air hockey against everyone and that he would “sacrifice” playing in two teams due to their odd number. Jaehyun was just about to tell Mark it’s not necessary since he had lost the energy to be here until his name get called out from the side.
“Number 214! Right here!”
Jaehyun whips his head to the sound immediately, watching Jungwoo walk closer to where he was. There’s too many people gathered that Jaehyun couldn’t tell if he was with someone prior to calling him but he definitely didn’t look like he was working.
Jaehyun stands there, not realizing his friends had kept going without him. Suddenly, he feels the need to open up his jacket, warmth hugging his skin too close for comfort.
In contrast, Jungwoo looks… cool. He’s literally made of snow, winter blue hoodie speckled with silver glitter and pants that reached his ankles put together with clean sneakers.
Jungwoo pauses within an arm’s length, landing a wooden staff a couple inches shorter than his height right beside him. He smiles in that way with his lips tainted of the lightest red hue, hair mussed up in the right places. He’s gorgeous, a refreshing sight to see in the middle of dark and ominous costumes. Jaehyun’s heart feels caged in his chest in a strickening way, making it hard for him to breathe.
He blames it on the sugary soju cocktail, but Jungwoo appearing before him like this is a close second.
“You came! I was worried you won’t,” Jungwoo pouts, and not even a second in their conversation he is already driving Jaehyun insane. He’s way too fucking adorable as Jack Frost, his bouncy demeanor influencing Jaehyun to feel at ease despite his prior concerns.
It was safe to assume that Jungwoo was indeed expecting him to be here. Jaehyun wasn’t delusional.
“My friends like to be fashionably late,” Jaehyun excuses ironically considering what he’s wearing looks like he just got out of unwanted gym class in high school.
“You look… perfect,” his mouth was talking but his mind was malfunctioning. Jaehyun was supposed to keep that in his head!
“Perfect for your costume, I mean,” he tries to laugh it off, avoiding eye contact with Jungwoo even though he can clearly see the amused glint in the man’s eyes. He keeps his cool. “You look like him,” he adds lamely as Jungwoo lets out a surprised chuckle of his own.
“Thanks, that’s what I was going for,” Jungwoo says, not at all fazed. “I would have cosplayed as Howl if I didn’t cut my hair recently,” he continues, patting the top of his white locks. “But this isn’t so bad! You knew who I am!”
Jaehyun can’t stop the proud smile on his face. “Of course, I loved the movie as a kid, played the game too. That was mostly what my childhood consisted of, movies and video games.”
“Oh?” Jungwoo pipes up questioningly. It took Jaehyun a few seconds to realize what he said, an out of the blue factoid about himself that Jungwoo wasn’t asking for. And top it all of, he basically implied that the kinds of hobbies he pursues are those of the more introverted nature.
“We would have been the most interesting friends if we met back then,” Jungwoo says. “I rarely stayed in the house because my older sister would have her friends come over all the time. I wanted to join in their fun but she never let me, so I had no choice but to play outside with the neighborhood kids.”
“Hey, I played outside too,” Jaehyun defends himself lightly. “I just spent a lot of time by myself too since I’m an only child.” It doesn’t seem as harrowing to blurt out random details of his life anymore now that Jungwoo has shared a piece of his childhood with him.
Jungwoo hums. “My sister was an only child for three years, and she said it was the best years of her life thus far.” The look on Jungwoo’s face sends Jaehyun chuckling hard, unable to keep his composure at his delivery. Jungwoo remains unaffected at his own humor, tilting his head in pure wonder.
“She’s just pulling your leg, I’m sure.”
“I know. And if anything, I was the one who literally pulled her legs off the pool end while she was fully clothed during her sixteenth birthday. I got out of the pool with two concussions and an earful from my mom,” Jungwoo confesses and Jaehyun laughs again but this time, Jungwoo joins him.
They’ve been standing in the walkway for a good few minutes by now, just sharing related childhood memories that came to mind until a group of Stormtroopers storm they way into the arcade, shouting out unintelligible words that have got to be some sort of frat chant for sure.
“Shit, I think I lost my friends,” Jaehyun mutterrs after moving out of the way and into a corner. “They probably thought I dipped since they haven’t come back.”
“Ah— sorry about that! I didn’t notice either, I was just eager to see you I guess,” Jungwoo slips out sheepishly. “Should we go look for them? I feel bad taking you away like this.”
Jaehyun shakes his head. “I’m good if you’re good. I doubt they’re looking for me, they get distracted really easily.”
“I get that. I’m trying to teach kids as a career,” Jungwoo agrees.
Jaehyun wants to learn more about that, more about what else Jungwoo wants to do in the future or what he’s planning— who he’s seeing in the present moment.
Jaehyun’s phone hasn’t vibrated since he got separated, so he’s sure his friends aren’t worried yet. Johnny might have connected the dots and relayed it to the others, so Jaehyun doesn’t bother texting them at the moment. All he wanted was to see Jungwoo and talk to him without judging eyes from his friends, and he’s been doing just that for the past couple of minutes and he doesn’t want to stop so soon.
“So, Jaehyun—” Jungwoo says which startles Jaehyun momentarily. It’s the second time he heard Jungwoo say his name, and it sounds so new and exciting to his ears that he wants to put it on loop.
“Wait— is it hyung?”
“I’m in my last year,” Jaehyun quips. “Oh, me too! I’m a senior,” Jungwoo replies.
“Ah.. it’s my fifth year…” Jaehyun trails off as Jungwoo’s mouth forms an o-shape.
“My bad!” Jungwoo says sincerely, and what comes after is an endearing attack on Jaehyun’s caged up heart.
“Jaehyunie hyung then,” Jungwoo says confidently. “Is that okay? To call you that?”
“W-whatever’s fine with me.”
“Oh. Okay,” Jungwoo clears his throat, pretends to be thinking out loud before stating, “Number 214, are you ready to play a game?”
Jaehyun takes a second to comprehend the quick 180 from endearment to utter confusion, and then he gets it. Jungwoo already had his hand cupped to his mouth disguising his teasing laugh. He’s too fast on his feet, always catching Jaehyun off-guard and unable to compose himself fully.
It’s different talking to Jungwoo— nothing in their words feel forced and despite missing half of his jokes in realtime, Jaehyun eases into the comfort of Jungwoo’s presence. He may be dressed up as a symbol of ice and the cold, Jungwoo exudes something much more brighter and warmer than that and Jaehyun is taking it all in with no question.
🎃
Since they were attending an arcade event, much to his inner turmoil, Jaehyun wanted to see Jungwoo enjoy his time as a guest at his place of work rather than an overworked, overachieving employee that he is.
“Just keep going straight, and don’t look back, Jungwoo,” Jaehyun reprimands him softly as Jungwoo witnessed a few freshmen (they had to be young) banging on the claw machines thinking it would help or even the ones cheating their victory at mini bowling by having another person knock out the pins up close just to get those extra ten tickets.
Jaehyun can see how it gnaws at Jungwoo’s good-natured soul to leave the employees working this shift to deal with a bigger mess than usual. He’s biting down on his lips so much that it’s tainting it cherry red. Jaehyun gulps at the observation, turning away from Jungwoo’s face so he doesn’t ogle even further.
He leads them away from the general crowded area and spots a few horror-themed games available to play. Jaehyun still had the card they used a week ago, and it only felt appropriate to pay homage to the spirit of the night by playing Silent Hill on a large platinum screen, the player booth shrouded in black curtains.
Jaehyun has played the game on his console before, having been desentisized to the eerie in-game atmosphere and jump scares that come up. He looks at Jungwoo to ask if he was down for one try.
“No one’s playing Silent Hill right now. Do you wanna go play for a bit? I have some credits left in the card,” Jaehyun suggests.
Jungwoo’s face is unreadable, but his reply assures Jaehyun enough that he’s not trying to make an excuse not to be with him.
“Okay, as long as we’re playing together.”
They sit down the booth as the curtains fall through, limiting their view from the outside. Jaehyun feels a little claustrophobic but he shakes it off, knowing it’s just the game immersion getting to him. The screen was a static background of a deserted place so nothing majorly scary yet. Jaehyun swipes the card to start off, gauging Jungwoo’s reaction.
He was obviously staring at the patched up paint job on the dashboard of where the guns were. Jaehyun’s concern shoots up, turning his body towards Jungwoo a little more as if to protect him from the screen.
“Hey, Jungwoo— you okay?”
Jungwoo quickly makes eye contact. His gaze is strong-willed but soft around the corners and Jaehyun melts into them, just like how he did the first time they caught each other’s eyes like this.
“I’m g-good! Really, hyung,” Jungwoo doesn’t sound convinced himself, so Jaehyun pries cautiously, “We don’t have to if it’s a little too scary—”
“It’s not scary! I had to play through every game here at least once when I got hired. I’m good!” He continues to reassure both of them, and Jaehyun finds it cute how Jungwoo is determined to look unaffected by this.
Jaehyun doesn’t think Jungwoo’s lying about having played Silent Hill once, in fact he would pay to see that in video now seeing how worked up he is just by being inside of the game booth.
“If you say so, Jungwoo. Just tap my shoulder or something if you wanna dip,” Jaehyun says in consolation. The younger nods hastily, gripping his own gun console as Jaehyun swipes the remaining credits for the second player.
The entire screen fades to black, music stopping momentarily before switching to something more sinister and nerve-wracking. Jaehyun is still human, so he still felt that chill in his spine the first time he attempted a run-through of Silent Hill— or any other horror games he’s tried. He gets used to it after a few minutes, but after glancing at Jungwoo he isn’t so sure he shares the same feelings.
Their shoulders almost touching at the lack of space in the booth, Jungwoo tries hard to keep his body from shaking to a minimum, but all of that energy just trickles down to his leg. It bounces repeatedly, Jaehyun notices but he doesn’t want to belittle Jungwoo’s determination in playing so he focuses on the game.
A few minutes in, and they’re still exploring the foggy expanse of the forest. Jungwoo’s breathing is as thick as the mist on screen. His leg was still bouncing up and down from anxiety, so Jaehyun does the one thing he thinks can either help Jungwoo relax or report him for inappropriate touching at a Silent Hill game booth.
Jaehyun places his hand on Jungwoo’s thigh, softly at first, not wanting to scare him. He then says slowly, “You’re okay, Jungwoo. There’s no reason for us to play right now, we can leave.”
“Yes, there is. You spent your credits on this game,” Jungwoo exhales with no indication that he’s uncomfortable by Jaehyun’s touch. He even gives him a small, thankful smile and Jaehyun is pulled right into his warmth yet again.
“And I don’t want to embarrass myself in front of you, so.”
Jaehyun chuckles, patting Jungwoo’s thigh as the bouncing calms down and he feels relieved. He retracts his grip around the gun once more, ready to tell Jungwoo that a jump scare is potentially coming up from what he remembers.
A second too late, a zombie flashes its deranged eyes dabsmack on the center and Jaehyun shoots with no warning. However, his arm gets pulled in by Jungwoo as he drops his console on the floor, buries his snow-like hair against Jaehyun’s side.
His scream is muffled against Jaehyun’s green tracksuit, and Jaehyun is debating whether to smile fondly at Jungwoo’s failed attempt at appearing unfazed or keep a straight face as he salvages both of their lives for the first round of the game.
“I hate horror games I hate horror games I hate horror games I hate them so much oh my god whatisthatsound I can’t look I can’t I can’t Jaehyun hyung what’s going on—” Jungwoo doesn’t stop to breath from a string of run-on sentences and the occasional whimper as a result of Jaehyun shooting yet another ten walking dead zombies.
He’s definitely laughing now, not at Jungwoo but at their predicament in general. He couldn’t let go of the gun in his right hand while his character was getting attacked but his left arm is trapped around Jungwoo’s tight grasp wish no escape.
“Is it done? Am I dead? Are you dead?”
“It’s not done. You’ve been dead the first ten seconds, I have one life left.”
“I regret coming into this booth for the second time,” Jungwoo squeezes Jaehyun’s side. He glances over at the pressurising touch and sees Jungwoo’s eyes closed shut. His lips in a pout, Jungwoo waits for Jaehyun to answer him.
When he doesn’t, he opens up one eye slowly, whispering, “Is it done? Did we win?”
Jaehyun, not paying attention to the cutscene following the next mission, puts down his fake gun and pats Jungwoo’s head, his laughter still bubbling up in his throat.
He’s never had so much fun playing a horror game before— who knew the secret to making it less scary as possible was to find a Jungwoo in his life that will convince himself he can get play normally only to end up using you as a shield from the zombies clawing at the screen?
Jaehyun feels more like a superhero than Mark claims to be with his Spiderman suit.
Jaehyun wastes no time tugging at Jungwoo’s hand, gesturing towards the black curtains to indicate that they’re done playing, he doesn’t care about the next round. He holds onto Jungwoo’s staff prop as they leave the booth, hand-in-hand. Jungwoo lets out a sigh of relief and gratefulness all the same.
“One time was enough.”
“You said you were fine,” Jaehyun coudn’t help but tease him. Jungwoo tugs at his hand, sticking his tongue out as he reiterates, “I don’t recall getting a jump scare that early! Or maybe I repressed the memory the first time I attempted to play it…”
“You did well, Jungwoo. You didn’t scream my ear off, that’s a plus,” Jaehyun compliments him. A blush spreads across Jungwoo’s face, puffing his cheeks to hide his embarrassment— even though it only makes Jaehyun’s heart flutter more.
“Sorry for taking your arm hostage like that, Jaehyun hyung.”
“Anything to have been of service,” Jaehyun bounces back which seemed to satisfy both of their bickering. It doesn’t take long until they reach the entrance of the arcade and spots a place for them to take a breather from the crowd.
His friends still haven’t contacted him yet and neither did Jungwoo showed signs of needing to be somewhere else.
Granted, they’ve only been gone for about an hour, Jaehyun still feels like his time with Jungwoo was running out and they’re bound to separate ways again.
But there’s a catch this time, they’ve formed a short but promising connection, Jaehyun knows about Jungwoo’s sibling rivalry and he’s shared more only child frustrations towards Jungwoo than any of his friends, for that matter.
Jaehyun believes that’s enough friendship ground to stand on, and it wouldn’t be weird to ask for his number as final agreement that they don’t mind seeing each other again after tonight. (And maybe more times after that.)
As he looks down to where his phone is in his pocket, Jaehyun notices their hands still intertwined. They’ve been catching their breaths and fanning some cool air by the vent for at least fifteen seconds now but neither of them are letting go.
Jungwoo even readjusts the way he fits his fingers through the slots of Jaehyun’s hand. He loosens for a little bit but Jaehyun locks him back in gently. His face heats up from the absurd confidence he’s blossomed throughout the night but he’s not complaining— nor is Jungwoo, it seems.
“So much for inviting you to spend Halloween here, huh? I personally only like the dressing up part, not so much the horror part,” Jungwoo starts shyly.
“I should have asked if you were into horror games first before practically luring you into your doom. Sorry about it again, Jungwoo,” Jaehyun mentions.
Jungwoo dismisses him with his free hand, swaying the other one in a slow rhythm. It wasn’t awkward at all, in fact it helped ground Jaehyun to reality as much as he feels like he’s dreaming right now.
“I’m not a Halloween guy myself. I never planned on going out tonight until, well, you asked.”
“Really? You seem like the type to know where the good parties are at, though.”
“Only by association of my roommate, Johnny. I have to know where he is every week just in case he fucks himself up real bad. Hasn’t happened yet, thank god,” Jaehyun says.
Jungwoo smiles suggestively. “So what you’re saying is I should be honored you decided to come by your own free will? Due to my invitation?”
“I’m not saying you shouldn’t,” Jaehyun counters back this time and they share a laugh, already forming little inside jokes between themselves and Jaehyun is undeniably still sober.
“Jaehyun hyung, what does the number stand for?” Jungwoo suddenly asks, pointing at the rectangular card still pinned to Jaehyun’s jacket.
In a heartbeat he responds, “My birthday.”
“February 14? No way?”
“Yes way. I’ve heard all of the valentine jokes before, so have at it,” Jaehyun says sarcastically.
“I bet,” Jungwoo laughs. “No, but our birthdays are close! Mine’s on the 19th.”
Jaehyun mentally writes that down.
It isn’t until four months from now, and he’s not looking forward ot aging himself but it’s a nice to wonder if they’re still talking by then, have grown into good friends and celebrate their birthdays together.
“Did you do anything fun last year? “ Jungwoo inquires further.
Hands still swaying in motion, Jaehyun hums in thought. “By fun you mean finishing up a diorama of Seoul for an Urban Studies class while my friends went out on dates? Then yeah, I had the time of my life.”
Jaehyun never bothered to celebrate his birthday like a personal holiday when his friends have always been busy sending chocolate hearts and planning out romantic nights with the person they were going out with at the time.
Jaehyun has had his fair share of prospective partners throughout his college career, it just never got serious or long enough to last until Valentine’s Day that is also his birthday.
“How about you? What did you do for your birthday?” Jaehyun turns the question back, and he feels Jungwoo relaxing his grasp from their connected fingers.
He hesitates until Jungwoo completely slips his fingers away.
“I.. went on a date,” Jungwoo says after a beat, fiddling with his fingers to keep busy. Jaehyun is slightly taken aback, a pang in his chest insinuating that Jungwoo is open to seeing people, but the question remains: Is he dating anyone now?
“... and it was horrible,” Jungwoo adds in contempt.
“Wait, what happened?”
“We went to see a horror movie, if you can believe that… He tricked me, saying we were watching an independent action film but apparently he forgot to buy tickets before it sold out, so he decided the next best thing to watch was the one scary movie that came out in February.”
“Did he not know you weren’t a fan or horror?”
“He did,” Jungwoo groans. “I told him I can stomach horror when I’m with friends at a sleepover or whatever but not in a movie theater with strangers around me that I can’t see. He clearly didn’t care because he admitted the truth once the movie started playing.”
“That’s a dick move,” Jaehyun comments.
“The smallest dick move ever! He was reassuring me how he’ll protect me and all this crap until he started feeling me up throughout the movie. I was so mad, Jaehyun hyung, but I was also so scared for my life at what kind of jump scare was going to pop out.”
Jaehyun feels a twinge of anger boiling in his chest at Jungwoo’s recollection. Whoever that asshole was had no respect for boundaries, let alone worthy to take Jungwoo out on a date with malintentions like that.
He hopes Jungwoo never encounters another bad experience, then there’s that part of Jaehyun wanting to be at Jungwoo’s side to ensure no one does him wrong again.
“Anyway, terrible viewing experience. He stopped with his hands when I stomped on his foot without a word, not even ten minutes in I walked out of the theater thinking why the heck was I even there to begin with? Just to prove a point that I can be reckless for once, I guess, but look how it backfired in my face.”
“Did he chase after you?”
“Yes because get this— he didn’t want to be left alone watching a scary movie, and asked me to pay him back for the ticket!” Jungwoo stresses. “You know what I did? What I gave him when he kept demanding me for financial damages?”
“Tell me you stepped on his foot again.”
“I kneed him where it hurts.”
“Oh— well, even better,” Jaehyun corrects himself, impressed at Jungwoo’s resolve even though as he was sharing the details of his worst birthday ever, his expression contorts to that of feeling guilty. It’s just so him to do that.
Jaehyun watches fondly as Jungwoo harps on about not letting his friend, Donghyuck, set him up on blind dates since then.
“That sounds like a good idea,” Jaehyun agrees, wanting to ask… “Have you found yourself a date since then, though?”
“A few here and there,” Jungwoo responds honestly which Jaehyun wasn’t expecting his words to actually come out of his tongue.
“I didn’t click with anyone, and getting a part time job took most of my availability after school. Dating stupid boys doesn’t pay the bills, unfortunately,” Jungwoo claims in jest. But for some reason, Jaehyun is comforted by that fact.
He is just now left with the ultimate, million dollar question he’s been hoping to ask before they part. Jaehyun wants to take Jungwoo’s hand in his again for that encouraging warmth, but he couldn’t even move a muscle being stuck in place.
Jungwoo waits with an inquisitive look as Jaehyun fishes for the right words in his brain.
“Jungwoo…”
“Yeah, hyung?”
Jaehyun inhales deeply, considering his words as seconds pass by. “I can’t pay your bills—” he starts, cringing at himself already but Jungwoo doesn’t show a hint of his own reaction just yet.
“I can’t pay your bills, but I can promise you I won’t trick you to seeing a scary film. I’ll let you pick what to do if you…”
Jaehyun has asked out a handful of people in his young adult life, but none of those moment can’t compete with the nervousness of his heart beating right now, and the inevitable expression he’ll see on Jungwoo’s pretty, angelic face.
It was a dangerous gamble in the beginning, knowing how nice Jungwoo can be he might feel obligated to accept Jaehyun’s subtle confession with a good reaction. Jaehyun doesn’t want that.
He’d rather Jungwoo tell him off right now or even slap him on the face for insinuating he’d go beyond spending time with him at a Halloween event at Neozone. Jaehyun can’t decide how to brace himself for what outcome is about to occur, so he dives right in and sees Jungwoo eye to eye.
Jungwoo was smiling with his ears redder than the stain on his lips, and his irises shining brighter than before. If that was even possible. Jaehyun doesn’t hesitate to look back this time.
“Are you asking me on a date, hyung?”
“it depends on your answer,” Jaehyun says quietly, hands to his side. He endures a few seconds of silence on Jungwoo’s end whether intentional or not he’s bound to figure it out. Suddenly, he feels light tap on the back of his hand. Jaehyun exhales nervously at the ghostly touch, wondering if it’s an indication towards something good and hopeful as an answer.
Jungwoo lets out a soft chuckle. His eyes crinkle in delight again which Jaehyun finds to be one of his cutest expressions followed by Jungwoo’s interesting smile. The one where one corner of his lips turn up more than the other and Jaehyun just now notices the subtle dimples showing up.
Jaehyun thinks it was so adorable, restraining himself from the very real urge of leaning forward and placing a chaste kiss on the side of Jungwoo’s lips. It’s too early for that— he hasn’t even answered him yet.
“It depends when you’re taking me… do I have to wait until February?” Jungwoo asks innocently.
Jaehyun feels his chest burn, a fire that he can’t put out but rather let it soar through his body. His deep set dimples appear as he smiles back. “I was thinking a little earlier than that, say, tomorrow?”
Jungwoo’s expression falters slightly, “I work until 7.”
“That’s okay,” Jaehyun urges. “I can wait for you. We can have dinner at my place, I’ll cook.”
“You cook?”
“A little, when I feel like it…” Jaehyun hasn’t made an elaborate meal to serve since Mark’s birthday in August, but it doesn’t hurt to bring out his skills for another special person.
“Then it’s settled. Tomorrow, your place,” Jungwoo confirms. “We should get each other’s numbers…?”
“Yoooo, Jaehyun! Loverboy, yohoo!” With Jaehyun’s luck, of course his friends are going to ruin the moment. But he won’t let them, not this time. Jungwoo looks around for those familiar voices, but Jaehyun takes his hand in his and intertwines them like before.
He takes the lead, tugs at Jungwoo to start walking away from Yuta and the others. They briskwalk past couples taking shots in their hands and friends hyping each other up at Guitar Hero. They stop somewhere in the middle, no sight of anyone with a Spiderman mask or a six foot tall giant in a flowy dress.
Jaehyun breathes out in relief, wiping the sweat away from his face with the hand that held Jungwoo. He realizes midway, Jungwoo stifling his laughter and Jaehyun feeling flushed. He attempts to release their grasp, but Jungwoo had other plans. He stands in front of Jaehyun, pulls his sweater paw up to the older’s forehead and dabs on it softly.
“Aigo, hyung. Don’t tire yourself out,” Jungwoo reprimands him. “They probably think I’m keeping you against your will.”
“Nonsense. I’d rather be with you than take care of their drunk asses for the second time,” Jaehyun complains, then he remembers the date he set up with Jungwoo yesterday. He needs to find a way to keep Johnny and Yuta out of the apartment for the duration of the night without seeming suspicious, but what he did just now by escaping them might ruin his chance of having Jungwoo to himself altogether.
“I do have to meet up with them sometime tonight. I don’t trust they’ll get home in one piece by themselves,” Jaehyun regretfully tells Jungwoo. The younger nods in understanding and quips, “I’m on DD duties today too. Look at us, a responsible duo!”
“Do you need to leave right now?”
Jungwoo shakes his head, swaying their hands naturally. Jaehyun likes the way Jungwoo clings to him so naturally. “They can handle themselves for a little bit more, I think,” Jungwoo says.
“Great,” Jaehyun replies. “I think we can play one more game before my friends find me soon enough.” He looks through the array of arcade machines at their disposal, making sure none of them were the horror kind so Jungwoo has options.
Jungwoo looks through their immediate vicinity, eyes pointed at a particular booth with a couple just leaving right after. He pulls Jaehyun inside without so much as a protest, and are both laughing as they squeeze themselves in the tiny box of the photobooth.
Jaehyun doesn’t complain as Jungwoo procures a couple of coins from his pocket and inserts in on the slot. They were too busy making fun of each other’s facial expressions before the shutter clicks and Jaehyun thinks that tonight, he may not have won any goodie bags for Halloween but he’s definitely a winner sitting right next to Jungwoo.
There was no other care in the world, just the two of them making goofy poses and intertwining fingers every now and then. Jaehyun attempts to put devil horns in the form of a peace sign behind Jungwoo’s head. In retaliation, Jungwoo looks at the camera dead in the eye and forms a nonchalant expression that did not suit him at all. The shutter clicks as Jaehyun’s dimples dig deep in his enjoyment.
They don’t leave the booth even when their pictures have been printed nor when they finished exchanging numbers. Neither of them wanted to get up despite the stuffiness inside with all the lights hanging above them.
“You have really deep dimples, hyung. It’s impressive!”
“Your hair is so white. Is your scalp okay?”
Jaehyun doesn’t want the night to end, having Jungwoo by his side who’s reenacting the day his students from the elementary school he volunteers at started playing with his hair with much interest. They refused to believe Jungwoo had “old man’s hair,” to which he reacted in faux offense.
It’s so easy to listen to him talk like they’ve known each other for a long time, and they’re just now catching up with everything they’ve missed. Jaehyun tries hard to take in every word Jungwoo says without losing concentration from how close they are sitting.
As if to save space, their hands sit on Jaehyun’s lap. He rubs against Jungwoo’s palm soothingly while the younger reciprocates every now and then. Even with such innocent gestures, Jaehyun feels so scandalous hogging the photobooth with a boy he is attracted to so much.
But all good things come to an end somehow, at least for the night. They couldn’t escape their friends any longer, but it’s a good thing they decided to get out of the photobooth before getting caught by any of their nosy asses.
Jungwoo spots Donghyuck by the drink station boldly flirting with a co-worker he knew was taken. Jungwoo knew he had to step in before things got out of hand. They only part hands when Jungwoo says goodbye, and that he’ll text him tomorrow for their date.
“I had a lot of fun tonight, hyung,” Jungwoo says. “You made Halloween less of a miserable experience for me this year.”
“Same here,” Jaehyun agrees. “You made it memorable for me for the first time in a while.”
“Text you tomorrow?”
“Text me tonight. When you get home,” Jaehyun corrects him.
Jungwoo nods once, waving goodbye as he takes a step back. Jaehyun hesitates to grab his hand again, but ultimately he knows he can’t be so greedy. He’s about to turn around and go locate his own drunk friends when Jungwoo says his name in a rush.
“Jaehyun hyung, I—”
“Yeah?” He spins in his place. Jungwoo takes two steps forward and leans in, pursing his lips onto Jaehyun’s cheek. A gentle press on the skin that lasted merely a second, but Jaehyun thinks the world suddenly stopped to let him savor the sensation.
Jungwoo is dressed as Jack Frost, but the skin in which he kissed Jaehyun was on fire.
“Been wanting to do that since we were basically stuck together in the photobooth,” Jungwoo admits, a cheeky grin plastered on those cherry tainted lips of his. Jaehyun’s cheeks burn, and they numb, then he puts a hand on the affected area.
“There’s more where that came from,” Jungwoo winks.
“I—” Jaehyun’s voice ceases to exist, only thoughts about Jungwoo making the first move and him being a flushed mess because of it.
“Look forward to it, hyung! I’ll text you!”
Jungwoo leaves, skipping in his tracks with the staff in his hand and his silver hair bouncing in his step. Jaehyun composes himself. just enough to get him through the night. His friends find him not long after, and even in their drunken state they notice the dazed look in Jaehyun’s eyes. He lets them assume, lets them talk among themselves because they probably won’t remember in the morning. He brings them home earlier than intended as Yuta, once again, couldn’t walk in a straight line and is using Calcifer as a pillow to lay his head on.
He makes it a point to be the responsible person Jungwoo complimented him as, requesting for a rideshare and getting everyone in the car without their costumes tangled up in the door.
“Where were you, man? You disappeared on us! Like a ghost, are you actually a ghost?” Yuta slurs from his middle seat.
“Yo, you know Johnny won best dressed and not me? Like, foul play, man. I know he’s pretty as a girl and all, but c’mon— Spiderman is the best,” Mark whines.
“I told you you can have the chocolates, I really don’t mind,” Johnny urges, his wig long gone and a jacket over his body now that the novelty of his costume has worn off. Jaehyun checks up on Doyoung whose snores can be heard lightly.
He pokes his head from the passenger seat and asks, “Doyoung hyung? Alright?”
“I thought vampires didn’t sleep,” Mark teases.
“Wine is his weakness, I guess,” Johnny chuckles. “He had too much and competed way too hard at those rhythm games.”
“Glad you guys had fun, though,” Jaehyun tells them genuinely.
“Did you? Where were you the whole time, hyung?”
“You know, just… everywhere.”
“He was at the photobooth when we saw him, right?” Mark turns to Johnny. “You think he made out with the employee he liked?”
“I’m right here, Mark.”
“Turned that place to a kissing booth real quick, huh, loverboy?”
“Shut up,” Jaehyun protests even if him and Jungwoo didn’t do anything of the sort— he’s still enamored, somersaults in his stomach just thinking about how he could have used that opportunity to kiss him.
Even still, he doesn’t regret anything. He’s done so much things he wouldn’t have in a span of a few hours, let alone ask someone on a date the next day. That was still on the table, he was going to see Jungwoo so soon.
He couldn’t wait to get home and let the rest of the night pass. He still had a full day of classes to breeze through tomorrow morning, but Jaehyun was looking forward to— wait for it— visit the arcade for the first time in a while. It’s worth the trouble— Jungwoo is worth changing up his routine, making him enjoy life in different ways.
🎃
After the car had dropped off Mark and Doyoung, and Jaehyun successfully tucked Yuta and Johnny in their rooms— Jaehyun sinks in his beloved bed to turn in for the night. Then a buzz interrupts the quiet of his room. Jaehyun brings his phone to his face, unlocking it to find a new message.
Jungwoo Frost [12:11 am]
Home. :) You??
Me [12:11 am]
In bed lol. Glad you’re home safe.
Rest up well :)
Jungwoo Frost [12:12 am]
Will do after I wash up!
Are your friends ok??
Did they say anything
Me [12:13 am]
Nothing really lol they were being stupid and
teasing me but they’re not gonna remember
[12:13 am]
And yours?
Jungwoo Frost [12: 14 am]
Nope! Didn’t even realize I was gone HAHA
Wish we could’ve hung out more~ :(
[12:15 am]
But I don’t want u getting tired of me already!!
I hope I didn’t step on any boundaries a while ago ;0;
Me [12:16 am]
You’re cute haha
You didn’t. I wish I’d have done more.
I had a lot of fun, Jungwoo :)
Jungwoo Frost [12:16 am]
Me too me too~ i can’t wait for tomorrow!!
and i’ll let you do what you were thinking of doing
IF!! your food tastes good hahahaha
Me [12:17 am]
Is that a challenge? lol haha
Jungwoo Frost [12:17 am]
One I know you can handle :)
Let’s go to sleep, hyung~
Me [12:18am]
Roger that, Jungwoo Frost. Haha
Sweetest dreams :)
Jungwoo Frost [12:18 am]
Will do, since you’re gonna be in it~ oop
nightnight<214
Jaehyun picks up on the subtle reference, feeling his cheek heat up despite the cool temperature of his room. He’s something else, Jungwoo that is, and Jaehyun sleeps his deepest slumber that night dreaming of him.
He definitely treated himself to a good Halloween this year with no tricks in his sleeve. Just his heart that is more willing, and more vulnerable to open up just for Jungwoo.