★ | #33 | ice cream parlor
"surprise me."

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no other heart • mac demarco
"is it true? you've been feeling sort of low these days."

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TRUDGING down the stairs on a Sunday morning, the house was quiet, nothing but the faint sound of the faucet running and dishes clinking together.

Her footsteps were light, socked feet padding against the flooring as she carried herself in the kitchen, where she discovered her father at the dining table, reading the newspaper.

And, her mother, washing a used mug she had drank hot coffee out of only an hour prior.

"Morning." Haewon muttered, as Mrs. Seong glanced up, both surprised to see her up so early and downstairs, well aware of her father's presence.

As usually, Haewon would hide away in her bedroom upon his presence in the home. That, or she'd sneak away, leaving the house to escape the tension that lingered, wrapping around each of them.

"Good morning, Haewon." Mrs. Seong gave the teen a gentle smile, a nod of both approval and acknowledgement sent her way.

The girl hummed softly in return, eyes flickering to her father, who seemed unbothered as he didn't utter a word, focused on the newspaper held in his hands as he sipped at his coffee.

"Can I get you anything to eat?" Her mother asked, turning the kitchen faucet off as she dried her hands on a small hand towel as Haewon shook her head.

"No thanks, I'm not hungry right now." The girl replied, a tight lipped smile settled onto her face.

"Alright, hon. Just let me know if I can do anything for you." The woman added, patting the younger on the shoulder as she brushed past her.

Haewon nodded, acknowledging her mother's words as she leaned back against the counter, arms crossed over her chest as her lips remained tucked into a thin line.

"Is Heeseung still coming over for dinner tonight?" Mrs. Seong called out, as she stood by the coffee table in the living room, tidying up a bit.

"Yes. His parents said it was alright." Haewon let out after a small breath was inhaled, as she watched from the corner of her eye as her father's head lifted.

The newspaper he carried was lowered in his hold before colliding against the tabletop, laying across it in front of him.

"Somebody's coming over tonight?" Mr. Seong spoke, a deep voice filling the silence as Mrs. Seong walked back into the room, nodding her head.

"Yes. Lee Heeseung is. I told you this last night." The woman recalled, her lips tucked securely into a frown.

Mr. Seong didn't respond, his gaze only shifting down in thought. Haewon could see it on his face.

Guilt settled into his features, etched into the crease on his forehead, caused by the light furrow of his eyebrows.

Though, some would assume he felt guilty for not paying attention to conversations held between him and his wife, the guilt stemmed from himself; upset he let his pride be shattered so easily.

The teen sighed quietly, shaking her head slowly before turning her attention towards her mother, perking up slightly.

"Is it alright if I go out to the ice cream parlor? I think he's working right now." Haewon asked with pursed lips, as her mother raised a brow.

After a moment, Mrs. Seong nodded her head in approval. "Yes, dear, that's fine. Just be careful."

"I will. Thank you." The girl gave the older woman a vague smile. Her gaze drifted over her father, who avoided her gaze like none other.

So, she left wordlessly. Wandering upstairs to grab her tote bag before going back downstairs, where she slipped her shoes on at the front door and left the house, walking the route to the ice cream parlor.

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The bell chimed above her as she stepped inside, vibrant colors entering her vision as the ice cream parlor was decorated in all sorts of blue and red, a checkered black and white pattern on the floor.

Wiping down counters, Lee Heeseung turned his head towards the glass door, sharpened gaze softening as he let a smile subconsciously curve at the corners of his lips.

The boy scoffed as he finished cleaning up the table before walking up to her with a scoff, a brow raised. "What are you doing here?"

"This is what happens when you give me your work schedule." The girl snickered, shrugging lightly.

"Stalker."

"Heeseung, once again, you gave me your schedule. You dug your own grave." Haewon said, rolling her eyes.

"Plus, you're always the one complaining that I don't come in during your shift. So, here I am. No complaints." The girl added shortly.

Heeseung chuckled, humming in response as he nodded. His eyes wandered around, tilting his head before averting his attention back to her.

"Not very many people come in the morning like this. So, I think it'll be okay to sit down with you for a bit." He spoke, hand resting on the small of her back as he guided her to a table.

"And I'll finally be able to use my free ice cream thingy on you. One of the perks of being an employee here." The boy smiled cheekily.

"Ah, finally." Haewon clicked her tongue, sighing in relief as she pressed her hand flat against her chest dramatically, earning a scoff.

"Shut up. Don't act as if I haven't invited you over here plenty of times to have ice cream." Heeseung grumbled, rolling his eyes.

"You always ask at the wrong times." Haewon snickered, as the boy huffed.

"That's not true at all!"

"One time you called me to have ice cream. I was sick."

"How was I supposed to know that? I don't have telepathy, Haewon." Heeseung said, raising his hand to ruffle the hair on the top of her head.

"That's a problem you should fix." She joked, muttered a string of complaints as she pushed his hand away.

Heeseung rolled his eyes, shaking his head off to the side as he watched as she slid into a vacant booth, a small sigh falling from his lips.

"What flavor do you want?"

"Surprise me." The girl requested, shrugging as she leaned comfortably back in her seat.

"As you wish." Heeseung hummed, holding back a small smile. "I'll be right back."

The girl nodded, flashing a grateful smile. Only a few minutes later, he returned with two small cups of ice cream, setting one in front of her before sliding into the cushioned, leather seats across from her.

"Thank you." Haewon uttered, fingers wrapped around the small red spoon stuck into the scoop of ice cream. Heeseung hummed in response, giving her a small nod. "You're welcome."

"What time should I come over later?" He added on, raising a brow as he peered over at her expectedly.

"Uhh," Haewon began, scooping up some ice cream into her spoon as her narrowed eyes shifted to meet his. "I think around six is fine. I mean, when does your shift even end?"

"My shift ends at five. If business is slow before then, I get to go home earlier, though." Heeseung replied, a hum sounding from his throat.

"Yikes. Are you sure you wanna come over tonight?" The girl narrowed her eyes, lips tucked into a thin line as he let out a breathy chuckle.

"Yes, Haewon, I'm sure." The boy nodded wordlessly, a sign of assurance. "Six is fine."

"Okay. Your call." Haewon shrugged it off, slightly shaking her head as she scooped up ice cream in her spoon yet again.

"Even if I wanted to back out now, I'd feel too guilty to do so. I mean, your parents are aware I'm coming over tonight, yes?" Heeseung expressed, raising a brow.

The girl nodded wordlessly in response, leaning forward to rest her chin in the palm of her hand. "Yeah. I reminded them this morning. My mom already knew, but my dad had no clue."

"Exactly. So, they're both expecting me now. I wouldn't want to be rude." He reasoned, as the girl shrugged it off lazily.

"Eh. To be honest, I don't think they'd care much. I mean, our families have known each other for god knows how long, I think my parents know you're not rude like that." Haewon retorted, as the boy sighed and pursed his lips.

"Maybe. But, still." He mumbled, raising his shoulders up and down in a shrug.

"Is this you second guessing your choices?" Haewon questioned, narrowing her eyes as she snickered.

"No." Heeseung scoffed, rolling his eyes playfully as he shook his head.

"Yeah, sure." The girl chimed in teasingly, her voice laced with that of pure sarcasm. "Whatever you say."

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★﹐authors corner ．﹗﹑ 1.4k words.
brooo i have been so unmotivated to write these past few weeks like? i was slacking off so much because i had so many chapters to publish so it wasn't necessary for me to write but i've finally caught up to myself so 💔💔

like i literally love writing for this story so much and i have everything pieced together but writing it all out is stressing me out sm like 😭

especially because soccer preseason just began so i'm now occupied with daily training and don't have as much energy to even be on this account very much skjskssj

i'm gonna try my best to lock in and start a writing spree for this fic again bc all i need to do is write out the rest of the plot and then i'm done !!

okokok it's midnight as i'm currently writing this so i should sleep now haha

byeeee love you all so so much <3
june 5th, 2024 — 12:29am.
not proofread.