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THE THUMPING BELONGS to the rain against her indigo umbrella is nonstop as she fastly steps toward her apartment. Her converses stumble through the occasional puddles as pH-1 sings to her through the earpieces.

Finally, she reaches her painted door and jumps for the golden doorknob to give it a twist. But she remembers to give her umbrella a strong shake before entering her apartment.

The deep sigh Y/N releases drifts through her empty household.

Sliding the sneakers off, she throws them to the side, walking further in.

Y/N tosses her belongings onto her mattress before turning to creak open her closet doors. Quite a simple pick of clothing, considering this is to finally be able to lie her sore body down. She trudges to her bathroom, looking at her boring reflection.

The tired expression glued to her face is unmoving as she sighs loudly. "God, I want to quit," she mutters, taking herself back to the shift she had, which is much longer than usual.

Stepping toward her shower, she turns the handle, letting the water rush through. Dipping her hand through the water, she decides that the temperature is as good as it is going to get. A ping resonates through the busy air. It belongs to the fifth text from her darling younger sister, Chae-young. Ah, yes, the married busybody, coming to ask her older sister for relationship help once again. Earlier, it was to question her if she can come to hang out, knowing Y/N is working per usual.

You see, ever since Chae-young got married to her best friend's ex, she has found herself with a loss of friends. But not to paint her in a bad color, the said friend gave her blessing. But later decided to change her mind and steal Chae-young's friends. So now all she has to bother is her sweet husband, older sister, and the two friends who stuck by her.

Y/N kisses her teeth loudly at the annoying buzz, another text, how lovely. Don't misunderstand her, though; she adores her little social butterfly. It's just with these back-to-back shifts, she is a little too stressed to be social. With a little giggle, Y/N gives in and answers Chae-young's continuous texts before stepping into the warm water.

⏤

The pitter-patter against Y/N'S wooden floors is to be heard throughout the apartment as the steam rises from the pot. She rubs the towel against her wet head, watching her ramen boil. Her foot taps impatiently as she bobs her head to a stuck tune.

Y/N sticks her metal fork through the noodles and stirs them around before heading to grab a bowl. She dips her dinner into the clean bowl before going to grab seasonings and the necessary sauces.

Setting the bowl down with a clunk, Y/N begins to slurp her tasty noodles while texting Chae-young. The younger somehow convinces her sister to make shopping plans along with her husband.

Just what she needs, an afternoon third-wheeling.

Rolling her eyes, Y/N stands to put her bowl away and retreats back to the plushy heaven she dubbed her bed. Tucking herself in, Y/N makes the lamp light bleak as she sets her phone down for her much-needed rest.

Not.

The bright light illuminates her face as her exhausted eyes burrow into her glowy screen. The endless scrolling has gone on for countless nights; this one is no exception. The social media app is so compelling that she can't stop, post after post and like after like.

It has already reached about four in the morning. Past her usual time of staying up with the dark, starry skies. Rubbing her eyes, she sighs as she scrolls through her explore page, double-tapping everything that grabs her fading attention.

Memes, cute girls, and K-pop posts are on repeat until she stumbles upon a boy.

Y/N blinks twice as she swipes through the post. He is quite cute. He seems to be out in a dimly lit restaurant with his friends. That goofy, straight-lipped smile and the dark tattoo on his neck are partially covered by his black hoodie. Tapping her finger twice on the screen, she debates whether exploring his page is a good idea.

Fuck it.

She taps on his profile picture, letting her phone load and lead her to her destination.

Time flies by as she becomes more infatuated with this mystery man of hers. She had lost count of how many double-taps she gave him. She even wrote a comment, a simple two hearts is all she put.

Then her mind begins to wander about what happens when he possibly wakes up to all these notifications. Will she think she is a stalker? Will he block her?

Finally realizing what she has just done, she lays her phone down and rolls around in her deep blue duvet, cursing at herself. She decides it is time to let her baggy eyes close and rest from the lit screen.

Setting her addictive substance on the nightstand beside her, she wraps herself in more fluffy comfort and begins to let sleep take control.

BIDDING SUNG-WOO SAFE travels back to his humble abode, Won-jae closes the studio door with a silent sigh, rubbing his dry eyes. Time to work, but what's the rush?

Won-jae throws himself against his black, plush couch, letting his head lean back. He fishes his phone out of his grey sweatpants pocket.

Unlocking the device, Won-jae searches for an app to help waste time. Ah, one of his favorite games is chosen.

He flips the phone in both palms to play the mobile game. It helps the time pass as Won-jae presses the screen quickly. But the tattooed male glances at his desk with guilt. He shuts his phone off, shuffling himself over to the messy desk.

Turning on his large device, Won-jae plays around with his hands, waiting for it to fully come on.

All the audio files are stored away waiting to be finished or hopefully released to the fans. But are his feelings or words strong enough for the fans? Perhaps this struggle of getting his feelings out the right way with the right melody is the thing making him procrastinate.

Now, is working on beats and composing lyrics at this time of night healthy for Won-jae?

No.

However, this is one of the only good times when his creativity flows and allows him to create the music he wants. This particular song is a collaboration with his friend Harry.

But while his brain fumbles around to try and find the right words and rhymes for the song, he keeps hearing loud pings coming from his phone. It is interrupting his train of thought.

Maybe if he just leaves it alone and tries to focus, it will go away.

Wrong.

His phone rings loudly once again, and he huffs and reaches for the device responsible for all of the noise. He clicks the side button for the screen to fade on and shows him that his Instagram has a lot of notifications from one user.

He opens up the app and taps on the heart to view his notifications. The user has liked a lot of his posts.

Which may have boosted his pride a bit.

He also sees that they left a comment under one of his posts. It is a recent one when he went out with Jay and the rest of the crew.

He is curious as to who the user is and decides to lean into it and view her page. He taps on her profile picture and lets his phone load.

He immediately goes to her most recent post. His eyes widen as his cheeks fade to light baby pink. She is gorgeous. Everything from her beautiful hair and e/c eyes down to her s/c body and that captivating laugh he hears through one of her videos.

Eventually, he sets his phone down and pulls his jet-black beanie back over his forehead, and contemplates contacting the pretty girl.

It's not likely that she will reject him, seeing as she is the start of his lack of focus on his music. But he is feeling that same old feeling bubble up in his chest, anxiety. He breathes slowly, trying to reduce the agonizing feeling.

Knowing he will probably beat himself over missing the chance to speak to her and his friends will probably clown him as well. He decides to message her.

And in a way, she already had stated her feelings, so what is the harm in texting her? The first move is made, and now it's Won-jae's turn.

Clicking the message button on her page, he waits for it to load as he decides what to say to her. What can he possibly say to make her want to keep talking to him? Or to not sound creepy?

The corners of his chapstick-covered lips lift as he types the message and clicks send, awaiting her response.

SINCE THAT LATE midnight for both, quite a while has passed. Around a couple of weeks.

A rapper and a clothing store manager, what an odd pair they are. But that matters not one bit to them, as long as they connect well. Which they do, so all is well.

Well, not right now.

The day Y/N had been dreading, shopping with Chae-young and her husband, Tae-Yong.

As they shop around, Y/N lurks in the back, grabbing things she likes, and texts Won-jae about her unfortunate third-wheeling. She can tell he is enjoying her suffering as he mocks her through their back-to-back texting.

Suddenly, she stops following the duo as the man on her phone asks her location, to which she gives the mall address. Telling him to jokingly come and save her, but to be frank, she is only half-joking. As a matter of fact, they haven't met yet, but she never wants to pressure him or rush things.

She sighs as he leaves her on seen and trudges over to her sister as they head to the next store.

Her feet drag around following the expressive couple. This is the fourth store, aren't they tired? Finally, they walk out, stopping to ponder what to do next.

"Hey, big sis," Chae-young taps Y/N's shoulder, "We're getting hungry, so we are gonna head to the food court. You wanna come with?"

"No, it's fine. You two go eat, and I'll walk around," Y/N bids them goodbye. With a decisive sigh, Y/N slips her earphones in and walks into a random store. Searching through the rack of clothes, a ping is heard from inside her pants pocket. It is Won-jae asking her which store she is currently in.

Odd.

But nonetheless, she quickly replies with her current whereabouts only to be left on seen. She sighs in annoyance, continuing to stack clothing on her arms.

Satisfied with her choices, she heads toward the short line of people waiting to be checked out as well. Pausing her tunes, she fakes a smile for the transaction with the employee.

"Whoa, you're beautiful. Is this all for you today?" The young woman compliments Y/N while ringing up her items.

"Yes, it is, and thank you," Y/N's smile grows more genuine.

"Alright, your total is 27.93!"

Y/N reaches into her purse searching for her wallet, when a hand suddenly appears over her shoulder, handing over their credit card. Y/N stumbles away from the warm body in surprise.

The person is dressed down in black, with a beanie over their hair and a mask to cover their face. Something is awfully familiar about the sight of them.

The employee swipes the card, completing the transaction between the store and Y/N. "Here you go, sir," she hands the man their card back.

"Thank you," he says, stuffing his wallet back in his pants pocket.

She recognizes the voice.

"Here you go, have a good day!" The employee bids them both goodbye. In a rush, Y/N grasps the plastic bag full of fresh clothes and grabs the man's hand to walk out of the store.

She throws her stuff to the side, wrapping her arms around his broad figure, "I can't believe you came!" She buries her head in his chest, feeling a sense of relief wash over her. They stay in the embrace for a few moments before they gently pull away and smile at each other.

"I had to come save you, didn't I?" He chuckles.

She smiles back in reply, giggling while glancing up at the man. "I suppose I should thank you," she whispers, inching closer toward him and tugging down his mask. He shares her smirk as he leans down to embrace her lips.

THE SCANNED ITEMS release a beep reminding the woman that her shift is almost complete. It's about damn time.

Y/N has worked at this particular place for quite a while now. She quite enjoys it, despite the long hours she spends laboring.

"Your total is 35.91, cash or card?" Y/N smiles at the customer.

The woman searches through her wallet for the appropriate amount of cash before handing the bills to Y/N, "Cash." Y/N takes the cash and opens up the register before handing the lady a couple of coins back for her change. The lady thanks her before taking her bags and retreating to the store entrance.

"Have a good day!" Y/N yells after her.

"You too, young lady!" The woman bids her goodbye.

Y/N sighs as she watches the lady disappear outside. It is time to go.

"I hope you got your umbrella, baby," her coworker calls out to her.

"Why?"

"'Cause it's fucking raining," the girl kisses her teeth, "I forgot mine, I need to call a ride."

"Have fun with that," Y/N snickers, pulling her phone out of her jean pocket, sashaying to the back of the store. Of course, it is to check in on her ride, Won-jae. She had asked him to pick her up today so they could spend some time with one another.

As she switches to her previous outfit, throwing her work clothes in the locker, she receives a text from him relaying that he is here. He had decided to smoke his cigarette while waiting for her to be finished. As of now, he is putting it out and outside waiting for her to grace him with her presence.

She tells him she is on the way with a giddy expression before slipping out the door with her bags.

"Tell him I said hi!" Her coworker calls after her, laughing at the fast pace Y/N is rushing.

"Up yours!" She yells back at her before entering the cold atmosphere of the dimming day.

She searches through the bustling strangers, trying to set her eyes on her man.

Aha, she found him.

There he is with his mask covering most of his beautiful face as he is dressed comfortably with a large umbrella in one hand and a cup in the other. He spots her as well, beckoning her over.

With an excited smile, she rushes through the falling water, clinging to the cover of his umbrella.

"Hey, you," she snuggles up to him, gently pressing their lips together.

"Hey, I got you something," he passes her the plastic cup, "that drink you like from your favorite spot."

She thanks him quickly, sipping on the soothing liquid, before looping their arms together to start their stroll.

They talk endlessly, chatting back and forth about the events of each other's day and other interesting topics. The neon lights pass them by as the rain thumps against the sturdy umbrella where their precious time is spent.

And before they know it, they have arrived at her quaint apartment. He tells her he will walk her up the flight upstairs, so in the building they went. He wants to stay in her presence as long as possible, but alas, there the door is.

Won-jae grasps her soft cheeks, pulling her face close as his lips plant a firm kiss on her forehead.

She giggles, bidding him goodbye, pushing the key in, swinging her door open before stopping in her tracks.

"Hey, Won-jae?" She calls out for him, hoping he hasn't left the hallway.

"Hmm?" He answers with a low hum, sauntering back to her.

"Seeing as the walk is a bit far, maybe you should come in, we could eat or something," she smirks, pulling her lip with her teeth. Knowing his shy tendencies, she gently lifts his face, looking for an answer.

Getting the answer she needs, she pulls on his wrist, leading him inside.

Y/N RUSHES ABOUT throwing Won-jae's large hoodie over her chilly figure. She slides her leggings on and jogs toward the door to grab her keys and sandals.

She had just received a phone call that expressed the stress her boyfriend was feeling. This album is taking its toll on him. She convinced him to wait to be picked up and to be free of stress, even just for thirty minutes.

Her car tires skid down the road as she leaves her complex in worry.

It doesn't take her long, as she pulls up to the building, viewing his anxious body outside. She rushes out of the car, engulfing his body with all her weight.

She can feel Won-jae's body shaking and his heart racing as she takes a deep breath in an attempt to calm him down. He looks down at her with a relieved expression, like he can't believe she would come down here for this.

She slowly guides their bodies toward the car and gently releases Won-jae into the passenger seat before getting in herself.

She runs her hands through his hair, gently stroking his scalp until he feels the calmness flowing through him. She whispers soothing words in his ear and reassures him that everything will be alright.

She glances at him to get the okay before driving off and turning the radio on to let soft tunes drift through the space.

Y/N isn't sure if he is ready to speak or not, so she thinks of what always makes her feel better.

Food.

Won-jae's droopy eyes glance around confusedly as they turn into the drive-thru, but Y/N asks him to trust her. He breathes out calmly as he tells her what he wants to eat.

The food is made quickly as they are swift to head to the parking lot to consume the delicious meal.

Once they begin to eat and get more comfortable, Y/N begs for more information.

He relays to her his dread of not producing a good album and how he thinks he is going to mess up. Y/N makes sure to listen intently and reassure him that he is going to do great.

By the time they finish the tasty food, he is no longer jittery. He thanks her for calming him down and for being there for him. She smiles and says it's no problem.

She smiles and gives him a reassuring pat on the back. "See? Everything's going to be alright," she says. He smiles back at her and begins to exit the car. Y/N grabs his sleeve and gives him a sly smooch goodbye, leaving him to resume his work.

HER JEWELRY JINGLES as she rushes through the company label's halls. She doesn't want to be late for this.

Won-jae has finally released his album. The countless hours and nights he spent sitting in the studio working finally paid off.

The gum residing in her mouth swishes around as she passes several of his labelmate's teasing gestures. They have already had their celebration with the man of the hour; it is now Y/N's turn with her boyfriend.

Her fist gently pitter-patters against his assigned room door, which she enters once she hears his gruff voice.

His beanie slouches slightly over his line of vision and turns to face the woman holding celebratory flowers. "Congratulations, baby," she smiles as he jogs to her to squeeze her figure lovingly.

He thanks her before rushing her to take a seat in front of the large screen and messy desk.

"I have a surprise for you," he whispers shyly, dragging the cursor across his screen.

"A surprise?" She cocks her head to the side. What can it be? This day is about him and his precious work being released to his fans and supporters.

"Mhm," is all he mutters in response as he continues to pull whatever he has planned on the bright screen in front of them.

She watches as the album belonging to him is displayed as he starts to play a certain track. It is the one he had decided to put first above all the other songs.

He instructs her to close her eyes and just listen to the specific tune, and so she does just that. Her eyelids flutter close as she lets the music flow through her ears. There is something about this song, though.

"Ah," she beams to herself, remembering.

She recognizes the instrumental as he had constantly asked if it was to her liking, as if it were meant for her.

At last, the instrumental fades, and she opens her eyes to the jittery man. She gets worried as if he possibly thinks that she doesn't like the relaxing melody. "Won-jae, what's wrong?" She gently holds his hand, which immediately relaxes into her own.

"Well, I have something to tell you," he begins, which starts to worry her. She nods, letting him know all her attention is settled on him.

The moment is perfect, and he feels like he is floating in the air. He longs to finally utter the words he has wanted to say for so long. He feels like he can finally express the love he has for her.

The song is his way of expressing those feelings and dedicating them to her. It is his way of telling her that she is special and that his feelings for her are real. He wants her to know that he will always love her and be there for her.

He had never said these three little words before, but when he was making the song, he knew what he had to do. He knew it was time to take the plunge.

With a racing heart and trembling hands, he takes a deep breath and says the words to her, "I love you."