member: song mingi
main character: moon kyungmin
setting: seoul city, university, mingi + kyungmin's apartments
trope: mingi picks up all of kyungmin's pieces

a/n: i didn't proof read, so let me know if there are any mistakes <3

___

"how could you do this to me? pick another woman over me?" you cried as your ex-boyfriend stared you down. "i did everything to make this work and you never saw a future for us? you strung me along this entire time? you left me for the girl who strung you along four months ago?"

you sighed heavily as your eyes fluttered open, wide-awake at the reoccurring dream you had of you and your scum human of an ex-boyfriend. he really ruined you, no matter how cool you played it. and every time you saw a woman who looked like the girl he left you for, your stomach dropped to your toes. they ruined you. they deserved each other.

you shoved the blankets off, slipped your slippers on, and walked into the kitchen to make your usual morning smoothie. your ex used to make fun of you for not drinking coffee and staring your day off 'right.' hindsight is 20/20 but he really wasn't a great guy. he showed you that you could be thrown to the side like a piece of trash, no matter how much you love or try for someone.

you made your pineapple-mango smoothie and took it back to your room to get ready for the day. today was the first day of classes as a senior in university and you couldn't be happier to be on the final stretch. the only thing that bothered you? you went to the same university as the girl your ex left you for graduated from. so it left a little bit of a bad taste in your mouth and you really hated that.

you did your usual morning routine - brush teeth, wash face, sunscreen, no makeup, tousle your hair. it was hot out, so you threw on a baggy pair of shorts and a crop top, then paired it with long socks and your favorite sneakers. you packed your crossbody with everything you'd need for the day, then you were on your way to your first class.

you were excited to finally have something to think about other than the break up that happened a month ago. you were completely over the man but you weren't over the situation. the situation was totally fucked and it was hard for you to get over.

you put your sunglasses on with a sigh as you stepped into the heat of the day. campus was bustling, per usual, and you hated seeing so many people that reminded you of them.

you needed time to run its course a little faster.

one more class to go and it was your big senior research class for education majors. this is the class you would do your senior thesis for and you would work on it all semester.

you found a good seat toward the front because if there's something you absolutely were, it was an attentive student. you got comfortable in your seat and got yourself ready for class, and in the meantime, a tall man sat beside you silently and prepared himself for class as well.

he had dark black hair and pretty lips, and his eyes were dark and piercing behind the black framed glasses he was wearing. he was wearing a beige t-shirt with black cargo pants and he was wearing the same sneakers as you.

"nice shoes."

you looked up at him just as he looked from your shoes to your eyes and you smiled. "you too. they go well with that outfit."

"i'm mingi, by the way."

"kyungmin. it's nice to meet you."

"so obviously, you're an education major if you're in this class," he pointed out. "what do you want to do with your degree?"

you chuckled a little bit, the small talk amusing. "i want to be a kindergarten teacher."

"no way!" he beamed. "i wanna be a third grade teacher."

"third grade, you're a trooper."

mingi chuckled. "you are a trooper, kyungmin. kindergarten is a handful."

you nodded in agreement. "it's worth it though, for sure."

mingi hummed in agreement and when you looked away and to the front of the room, he observed you. the way your hair fell perfectly to frame your face, your perfectly unkept eyebrows that fit your face perfectly, your eyelashes that curled beautifully even without makeup, the way your nose upturned in such a fitting way for your face, and your lips that were so captivating to look at.

he physically jumped when the professor called for everyone's attention. when did the professor even walk in?

"welcome to your senior thesis class," she greeted. "i'm dr. swan and i'll be looking over your research for the semester. i will let you know now, research will be conducted in pairs for comparison purposes. you will pair up, conduct independent research, then come together to put your research together to create a new thesis. pick your partners now and let me know who you'll be working with at the end of class."

shyly, you looked over at mingi to find him already smiling at you. "partners?"

"yes," you chuckled. "i'm super anal about getting things done on time though."

"me too, so this is perfect."

you nodded and he held his hand out, so you interlocked yours with his for a small handshake of sorts. after class, you packed your things up and threw your crossbody on just as mingi stood up.

"would you maybe want to grab some coffee and talk about our expectations for our research?"

you smiled, because you loved when people wanted to talk about expectations. it set you up for success. "i would love to."

so you and mingi walked out of the lecture hall together, deciding which coffee shop to go to. he was much taller than you, you realized as you walked beside him. he walked with a confidence you haven't seen in a while.

when you got to the coffee shop, mingi opened the door for you and it threw you off a bit. maybe because you weren't used to a man opening the door for you, but you were grateful at the small gesture regardless.

"what looks good to you?" he asked when you got to the front.

"i really like iced chai," you told him. "what about you?"

"me too," he smiled. "that and regular lattes."

"we'll order whatever you want and i'll pay."

"are you kidding?" he asked. "i'm paying. i'm the one who asked you to come out."

you shook your head. "you opened the door for me."

"as i should," he told you. "you are not paying, kyungmin."

once again, he was kind of blowing you out of the water. you weren't used to the small gestures of kindness like this. you were used to owing men everything for showing you the bare minimum.

"okay," you nodded. "thank you so much."

"it's not a problem at all."

he put a gentle hand on your back to get you to the front to order, and the touch sent butterflies through your stomach. no, you thought, i can't do it again. you tried not to overthink the sensation and blamed it on the fact that he was so sweet instead.

"so," mingi began as the two of you waited for your coffee. "tell me about yourself. where you're from, what you do right now, anything you want to tell me."

"well i was actually born in australia, so i grew up speaking english and korean," you told him. "i'm currently a daycare teacher. what about you?"

"i was born here, so maybe you can give me english lessons," he smiled. "i currently work as a waiter at the best korean barbecue place in town."

you made a sound of approval and nodded slowly. "i'll need to go for sure."

"another question," he shifted on his feet and you saw the way his cheeks got pink. "do you have a significant other?"

"i don't," you replied. "we broke up about a month ago."

mingi let out a small 'ah' and shifted on his feet again. "i'm sorry to hear that."

"i'm over him, it's just the situation i'm not over," you told him. "it was super messed up."

"do you wanna talk about it?"

"for mingi!"

the barista set your drinks on the counter and you grabbed them, then found a table to sit at. "i haven't really had the chance to talk about it so it would be nice."

"i am all ears." mingi smiled.

so you told mingi the story, from how you met the man, to how it ended with him going on a date with the girl the same day you told him you wanted to stop talking. mingi's jaw was slacked and his eyebrows were furrowed angrily.

"well i can confidently say you dodged a bullet," mingi sighed. "and you didn't deserve that. i'm sorry you put your all into a man that didn't deserve you."

"me too," you nodded. "but time heals and every day, it gets a little easier."

"but take your time. as much time as you need."

you smiled. "thanks, mingi. what about you? anyone special?"

"nope," he shook his head. "not yet at least."

you didn't let the comment go unnoticed but you didn't dwell on it either. everyone has someone, he's bound to like someone at some point.

"but seriously, kyungmin, you did everything you could to make that relationship work and he's not worth the tears if he couldn't see that you were such a catch."

you involuntarily jutted your bottom lip out, taken aback at his comment. "i appreciate that. luckily, we're young, so i know i'll experience better one day."

mingi nodded in agreement and took a sip of his drink. "okay, so how do you think we should go about this project?"

"i think we should discuss what we want to research individually so we can decide how the two work together, then once we get our individual research done, we'll put them together and make our thesis for that."

"should we work in the same space while we do our individual research?" mingi asked.

you hummed. "that's not a bad idea. having you around will keep me motivated to keep working."

"same," mingi replied. "when should we start?"

"let's get through this first week of classes, then we start?" you suggested.

"sounds perfect."

you smiled and took a sip of your chai, sighing contently. "thank you for this."

"my pleasure, kyungmin, seriously," mingi smiled. "oh! can i get your number?"

"absolutely."

you handed him your phone and you exchanged numbers with him. shortly after, the two of you were grabbing your bags and heading out.

"can i walk you home?" mingi asked.

"you don't have to!" you told him. "you've done enough for me today."

he tilted his head at you and watched you for a moment. "it's okay to let people do things for you, kyungmin. let me walk you home so i know you get back safely."

you flattened your lips because he caught you and he called you out on it. you had trouble letting people do things for you because no one ever did. no one meaning your ex boyfriend. he always expected but never gave.

"i would like if you walked me home."

the first week of classes went well, but you were really struggling with letting what happened to you go. it kept you up at night, it ruined your appetite, it made your chest hurt, and ultimately affected the way you went about your classes.

luckily, a sweet boy named mingi was there to cheer you up. except he wasn't in class today and you were really hoping to see him. you reminded yourself to text him when you got out.

you were feeling weird all throughout class. beating heart, racing thoughts, sweaty palms. you were anxious. when class finally let out, you basically ran out of the lecture hall to get some fresh air.

something felt weird. something felt off. you had no reason to suddenly be anxious but you were incredibly anxious about something.

you pulled your phone out and texted mingi: hey, missed you in class. everything okay?

not even a minute later, he texted back: all good, just a migraine but it's gone now. i was wondering if you wanted to stop by here so we can work a little?

you smiled because you remembered that you both agreed to start working next week, but you really wanted to see him and it seemed he wanted to see you too.

i'll be there, you texted back, and he promptly sent his address.

it was only a ten minute walk from your lecture hall and a five minute walk from your apartment, which you thought was nice. so you put your headphones on and made the walk all the way to mingi's apartment. you reminded yourself to share the small amount of notes from class today as you texted him that you were there.

when he came down to get you, he was wearing a black t-shirt and baggy jeans, and you noticed the shiny silver hoops in his ears.

"hey," he smiled. "i have to be honest, i have no energy to work but i did just want to see you."

you chuckled. "that's okay. i wanted to see you too."

he guided you inside and showed you the way to his apartment unit. he held the door open for you again and you took your shoes off at the door, gazing at everything in his apartment. it wasn't huge but it was slightly bigger than yours. there was a loft bedroom, an almost full-sized kitchen, and a perfect living room. he had it well decorated and he had made it feel like a home.

"are you hungry?" he asked. "i was making kimchi before you came over."

"i'm starving," you told him as you set your stuff down on the couch. "your place is really nice."

"thank you!" he beamed. "i worked really hard to make it feel like a real person lived here."

you laughed and looked over at him as he glanced at his watch. "i'm getting a call, give me one second."

he took the call and you tuned him out, not wanting to eavesdrop. moments later, he was off the phone and putting his slippers back on.

"i have to go grab something from the office. i'll be right back."

you nodded. "okay."

while he was gone, you explored but didn't touch. he had a wall of pictures with his friends, he had a wall with certificates and awards - all academic and very impressive, and he had a wall for art. his apartment was well organized, smelled like sea salt and sandalwood, and the lighting was very comfortable - not too bright but not too dark. it was perfect.

when he came back, you were still looking at his certificates, but you turned around when you heard him shuffle down the hallway.

"oh wow," you cooed at the large bouquet of flowers in his hands. "look at you! someone got you flowers."

"these are for you, kyungmin."

your eyebrows jumped and you couldn't help but laugh. "no they're not, mingi."

"i got them for you," he smiled, setting them down and grabbing the card out of the middle of the flowers. "my treat."

he handed you the card and you hesitantly opened it, scared to what was written inside. it read: to someone i hope to have in my life for a long time. let's make a lot of memories.

and you couldn't help but start crying. your hands started shaking and you looked at mingi sadly. "no one has ever gotten me flowers but you managed to guess my favorite kind too."

well, he didn't guess. he figured they were your favorite because they were your lock screen.

"mingi, he never got me flowers," you sobbed. "he never thought to get me anything i liked and you did it with no issues. how do you do that?"

"because it's easy to show appreciation for you, kyungmin," mingi stepped forward and opened his arms, inviting you into them. "the very least you deserve is your favorite flowers."

you walked into his arms and wrapped your arms around his neck. he was genuinely so sweet, the sweetest man you had met in a long time, and you've only known him for barely a week.

you cried into his shoulder until your body calmed down, and you backed away from him with a shy smile. "sorry."

"don't be sorry," he smiled. "it's okay to be emotional."

and god, you had only been told that you were overly emotional for the last six months. overly affectionate. overly emotional. overly invested. overly sensitive.

you should have known from the beginning what kind of man you were dating, but you overlooked the red flags because you thought you had a future with him and he never thought that. he knew there was no future, he just led you on.

"where's your head at?" mingi asked as he sat on his couch.

you sighed and sat beside him, stealing a glance at the flowers on the counter. "the pain comes in waves. sometimes i think i'm over it and other times i'm really hurt by it."

"i hate to say what everyone else has probably already told you, but time heals," mingi reassured you. "time and talking about it."

"you're the only person i've told," you confessed. "i lost a bunch of my friends because he isolated me, and now they don't want anything to do with me. i didn't tell my parents because they wanted me to marry him - they don't even know we're broken up."

"kyungmin," mingi said sadly. "i can hook you up with my therapist? she's really amazing."

and that didn't sound too bad but you were more curious about other things. "you're in therapy?"

mingi nodded but didn't elaborate, so you didn't push but apologized for asking instead. he tilted his head at you with narrowed eyes and you hummed in question at him.

"don't apologize for being curious. how will we get to know each other if we don't ask questions," he nudged your shoulder. "some stuff with my family went down that really sent me on a bad path, so i've been in therapy for about four years now."

"wow," you nodded in understanding. "i'm proud of you for knowing when you needed it."

"me too," he smiled, proud of himself. "what are your parents like? still together, divorced?"

"um," you murmured. "my dad is in prison and my mom is in rehab. dad was dealing drugs and mom was taking them, but i was young when it happened, maybe four. so i've lived with my aunt and uncle who raised me well, i think."

"that's good," mingi told you. "my dad is also in prison for beating my mom. he almost killed her. but then she met my step-dad and he loves her right, so that's all i can ask for."

you frowned. "i bet your mom is one of the strongest people you know."

"she is, undoubtedly."

you smiled and checked your watch. "i should probably get going soon. i have work in the morning."

"your daycare has work on saturdays?" mingi asked.

"we extend the service for parents who don't have a typical monday through friday job," you told him. "i'm the only teacher there on weekends."

"oh wow, that must be a lot."

you nodded. "it is, but it pays my bills so i can't complain."

"well text me if you need anything or just want to hang out," mingi got up, seeing that you were standing up. "i'm free all day tomorrow so i'll be available to you."

available to you. mingi was so precise and careful with his words.

"we should do dinner together tomorrow."

"definitely," he walked over to your flowers and held them out for you as you approached him. "can't forget these."

"trust me, i wasn't going to."

you smiled and took them from his grasp, holding them tight to your chest. mingi graciously walked you all the way out of his apartment complex, even offering to walk you home too.

"i'll text you when i get home, promise."

"since you promised."

he waved to you with a smile and watched you walk away. your mind was cloudy with what just happened. mingi, a man you hadn't even known for a week, bought your favorite flowers and had them delivered just for you. there was nothing more you wanted than surprise flowers from your ex and he failed to seize every opportunity there was. but not mingi. no, mingi saw the opportunity and he grabbed at it like he'd never get it again.

and for that, you were so grateful.

you got to your apartment and basically skipped to your unit, where you immediately found the perfect spot in your bedroom for the flowers that mingi got you.

you pulled out your phone and told mingi that you got home safely, and he hearted the message and replied with: good! i can't wait to see you tomorrow.

you felt your face flush and you panicked. you couldn't possibly be ready to like someone again, right? not after the pain you've gone through. were you ready? did you deserve it? did you even like mingi like that or were you overwhelmed by the kind gestures?

you took a deep breath, counted to ten, and texted back: me too!

everything sucked. the kids were hard to handle today. they weren't listening. they were calling you names. they weren't behaving. half of them didn't eat at lunch and didn't nap during nap time. you tried to play with them during outside playtime but they all ignored you.

and they were just children. they didn't know that you were sensitive to everything and got overwhelmed easily but god were you incredibly overwhelmed.

and then you finally got a moment of peace when you sent the last child home, only for it to be ruined by one text from no other than your ex.

it was a photo of a sign that said 'welcome to seoul!' and his text read: partying at your university this weekend lol, maybe we'll see you.

oh, this motherfucker.

you left him on read because he wasn't worth your time but he had successfully buried himself into your skin and you couldn't shake him. the fact that he would even tell you that he was in town was shaking you up. he had no reason to do that other than to piss you off and catch you off guard.

and after the day you had and him texting you, you broke down. you put your head on your desk and couldn't help but cry into your arms because everything was so overwhelming, stupid, and ridiculous. you would have been better off not being with such a man, but you had to remember that you learned something from him.

and that was when to walk away.

still crying, you cleaned up the classroom, did all of your closing duties, then closed for the day. in your car, you put on your comfort song and basically sped home, wanting to be in the comfort of your home.

the smell of lilies was the first thing that greeted you when you got home, and you were glad to find that the scent calmed your nerves, but you were still crying. maybe you weren't as over it as you thought, or maybe it was just a really bad day.

you changed out of your work clothes and into a comfortable sweater and some shorts. it was chilly in your apartment for some reason, but maybe you were just lacking warmth in your chest.

or so you thought until mingi called you.

"hello?"

he was quiet for a moment. "are you crying?"

"how'd you know?" you laughed, because you knew the sniffling gave it away. "i'm okay."

"you don't have to be okay if you're not okay," he reassured you. "dinner still or would you rather be alone?"

"i would love to still do dinner," you told him. "can we do it here, maybe?"

"of course, whatever you want. do you want me to bring stuff or do you want to use what you have at your place?"

"honestly, i was thinking we order something," you sniffled again. "i'm too tired to cook but i want to see you."

you could almost hear him smile from the other side of the phone. "okay. i'll text you when i'm at your complex."

while you waited for mingi, you cleaned up a bit and made sure it looked presentable for him. minutes later, you brought him back up to your apartment and his eyes lit up.

"it is beautiful in here."

"thank you," you chuckled. "i tried to make it look like a real person lives here." you repeated his own words.

he smiled and tilted his head at you. "you wanna talk about it?"

you sighed heavily and sat on the arm of your couch. "i had a really overwhelming day at work, then my ex texted me that he was in seoul and might see me with his new girlfriend, so."

mingi hummed, his eyes narrowing. "what a shitty thing to do."

"yeah," you agreed. "so hopefully i don't see him, but i might since he'll be on campus for parties."

"we can spend the rest of the weekend together if you'd like, that way if you see them, you're not alone."

you smiled. "i'd like that, actually."

but luckily, you got to spend the whole weekend with mingi without seeing one bit of your ex and his new girlfriend.

about a month later, you and mingi had gotten much closer. you enrolled in therapy with his therapist and were seeing some progress, even with just a few sessions.

you had realized that, yes, you did like mingi. a lot. he was kind without you having to beg for it. he was attentive. he was emotionally intelligent. and he cared for you. he was everything you deserved and more.

and you wanted to tell him that.

so as he sat on your couch, hyper-focused on the movie you were both watching: "mingi," you muttered, and when he didn't respond, you gently nudged his arm. "mingi."

"yes?" he smiled when he looked at you.

"i really like you," you confessed quickly. "and you've done so much good for me lately."

mingi almost lit up at the fire in his chest when you confessed to him. he broke out into a smile, his teeth on display and his eyes turning into crescent moons.

"i really like you too, kyungmin," he replied. "and i want to keep doing good things for you."

you smiled and turned your body toward him. "should we plan a date?"

"a picnic tomorrow?"

you grabbed his hand. "sounds perfect."

___
a/n: SUPER lazy ending for a cute fic, but maybe i'll come back to it. i just wanted to get something published again!