real life

THE sun sat high in the sky as Yuri began her journey over to the ENHYPEN dorm. Yuri remembers the first time she was heading to the ENHYPEN dorm, the entire way there, she felt butterflies in her stomach and worst-case scenarios were flying through her mind like a tornado which wrecks everything in it's path. She had begged the big guy in the sky to push Yuri into the path of an oncoming car so she didn't have to face Jungwon and his band members — but that never happened and Yuri ended up with a slight crush on Jungwon at the end of that day. Now, Yuri was eager to get over to the dorm, to greet her newfound friends and her boyfriend.

       Thankfully, this time, Yuri isn't hit by an oncoming car as she dashes across the street without looking. Now, she's standing outside the dorm, waiting for someone to open the door after knocking. Her palms aren't sweaty and instead, there's a massive grin covering her face as she rocks back and forth on her heels. The door finally opens and Yuri's smile is wider beneath the stare of Lee Heeseung. He's still taller than Yuri who is still five foot four.

       "Heeseung!" Yuri exclaims, throwing herself into his arms.

       Heeseung hugs Yuri warmly and leads her futher into their dorm, their voices mingling warmly. Though, reaching the living room, Yuri disappears from Heeseung and flies over to the one person she's missed the most — beneath Jungwon. Sunghoon lets out an "oof!" as he falls against the back of the couch as Yuri lies ontop of him after throwing herself at him. "You're so heavy," Sunghoon complains, his voice muffled by Yuri's hair.

      Yuri frowns and climbs off Sunghoon, whacking his shoulder. "We haven't seen each other for a week and that's the first thing you say to me? What the hell?"

      Sunghoon rolls his eyes, "you're so dramatic."

       "For a good reason, Hoonie," pouts Yuri, but still, she wraps herself back around Sunghoon who was holding his arms out, waiting for Yuri to fall back into his embrace. Yuri happily greets the other members lying on the couch after being given a days rest. Heeseung had resumed his Mario Kart race with Ni-ki who was shouting loudly, and Jake was eagerly cheering on the youngest while Sunoo squints at his phone, earphones in — Yuri's pretty sure he's watching a K-Drama. Jay was fast asleep on the end of the couch.

       "How's your summer break been so far?" Sunghoon asks Yuri, who had manuevered herself around on the couch, so her legs flopped over Sunghoon's lap.

       "The worst," complains Yuri, running a hand over her face. "Ji-Woo's on a fucking holiday which leaves me with Seo-Jun, and I hate going over to his house because all his parents ask about is Jungwon. Ha-Yoon's gone on holiday as well and Seo-Yun's working through most of the summer which leaves me all alone with my siblings which is absolute hell. I hate being the oldest, don't you agree, Hoonie?"

       "I don't mind it," Sunghoon says casually, picking at Yuri's pink socks. "I like being the oldest."

       "That's because you only have one other sibling. I have three." Yuri makes a face, "that's why I like coming over here, for once, I'm the youngest."

      Sunghoon laughs and the door to the room Sunghoon shares with Sunoo, Jungwon, and Ni-ki opens, revealing Yuri's boyfriend, Jungwon. They share a happy grin with each other. Yuri doesn't think she's ever felt this happy, she's finally surrounded by the people she wants to be surrounded by, there's no way trying to push their way into her life; into her heart, forcing her to move people around to make some room in her heart for a person undeserving. Yuri has all the right people in her life and it's going to stay this way for years to come.

       "Are you guys going to the arcade today?" Sunghoon asks Yuri who draws her eyes away from Jungwon who wanders down the hallway.

       "Yeah," grins Yuri, "I'm excited."

       "Jungwon's excited too," Ni-ki pipes up from his end of the couch where he had just ruthlessly beat Heeseung in Mario Kart, "he wouldn't shut up about it last night. Yuri this and Yuri that — I want to room with Heeseung now." Yuri giggles and Ni-kis eyes flick away from Yuri, "we were just talking about how annoying you are, Jungwon. If I knew you getting a girlfriend would lead to you never shutting up about it, I would've hated Yuri more at the start."

       Yuri hears Jungwon laugh and her heart speeds up. "Whatever, Ni-ki, we all know you love Yuri."

      Sunghoon pushes Yuri's legs off his lap. "Have fun and stay safe. Don't be late home either."

      Yuri and Jungwon both roll their eyes, "whatever you say, dad." Sunghoon scowls and Jake, Ni-ki, and Heeseung laugh loudly. Jungwon grabs Yuri's hand pulls her away from the laughter. A nice silence settles over the pair as they pull on their shoes and other accessories needed. Jungwon takes Yuris' hand again and they're out the door.

      "You look pretty, Yuri," Jungwon says.

       Yuri grins bashfully and squeezes Jungwon's hand, "you don't look half-bad either."

       Jungwon rolls his eyes but kisses Yuri's cheek, laughing at her red cheeks. They climb into the car driven by Jungwon's manager, knees touching and hands linked as they drive through Seoul, Yuri talking Jungwon's ear off. Yuri was excited for their first date, she was excited to spend time with Jungwon alone. She was excited to stay beside Jungwon for the rest of the day and bask in the attention she'll be receiving from Jungwon.

       The arcade was massive. Yuri bounces on her feet as she stands beside Jungwon, staring at the bright lights flashing throughout the entire arcade. Yuri feels satisfied with dying in a place like this. Jungwon's hand is holding Yuri's once more and she's dragged to the first game of many. "Kitty, I suck at basketball," frowns Yuri, staring at the game where she had to shoot basketballs into the hoop.

      Jungwon smiles, "you're not that bad. Have some faith in yourself, Yuri."

      Yuri was that bad. While her score was three, Jungwon's was. . . Well, not three and as hard as the boy tried to stifle his laugh, he ended up bent over, his hand on his knees as he tried to control his giggles. Yuri was glaring at the boy, but a whisper of a smile was attached to her lips. "Here, I'll teach you," Jungwon says, grabbing one of the basketballs that hadn't been trapped and thrusting it into Yuri's hands.

       Jungwon stands behind Yuri, his hands overtop of Yuri's as he teachers her the motions of how to properly shoot a basketball hoop — all Yuri could think about was Jungwon's body pressed against hers. All she could think about was his hands overtop of hers and how they fit together perfectly. Even his voice sounded perfectly as he spoke lowly in Yuri's ear.

       "Do you understand, Yuri?" Jungwon asks, the warmth of his hands gone.

       "Uh. ." Yuri was too distracted to listen to Jungwon, "you only did this to fluster me, didn't you," Yuri's flushed cheeks was a sign of how flustered she grew by the proximity of Jungwon. Her boyfriend laughs and leans into kiss her cheek, Yuri growing even more flustered.

        "Maybe I did, maybe I didn't. Wanna play again?"

        They play again and Jungwon wins. But, Yuri finally got five through the hoop! "I'm choosing the next game," Yuri informs Jungwon as she grabs his pinky with her own. Her eyes scour the brightly lit arcade, and she spots a zombie shooting game not far from where they stood. Yuri drags Jungwon over, "winner gets a kiss," she informs him, her eyes sparkling.

        Jungwon smirks, "I guess I'm winning — again."

        Yuri kicks Jungwon's ankle, "watch your words, Kitty, I might accidentally push you over and you might sprain your ankle from that fall, which would be awful for you, considering your job."

         Jungwon rolls his eyes, "sure, Yuri," he doesn't really believe someone like Yuri would injure him on purpose.

       The game begins and Yuri transforms into a different person, her competitive side coming out as she shouts at the screen in front of them that displays hoardes of zombies attempting to kill both Player 1 and Player 2. "Die! Fuck you!" Yuri curses, pressing down on the trigger relentlessly, forgetting to breathe while Jungwon stares at the girl from the corner of his eye, a grin climbing higher on his face.

       Yuri whoops loudly, her hands in the air as she gets the most amount of kills, she turns to Jungwon and proudly declares herself the winner, not noticing the fond look on Jungwon's face that probably could melt icebergs. "I won! Ha, you suck!"

        "I lost for you, Yuri," Jungwon responds.

       "Shut the fuck up," Yuri whacks him across the chest, "no you didn't. Now, it's time for a kiss, pucker up Kitty!" And there, beneath the bright arcade lights and in front of a screen full of hungry and disgusting zombies which make equally disgusting noises, Yuri kisses Jungwon deeply, her hand curled around his t-shirt as she holds Jungwon against her.

        "Your turn to pick," Yuri mutters with their foreheads touching.

        Jungwon's still smiling. He has been ever since he became Yuri's boyfriend. "I think I'd like to stay here, in this moment, with you." Yuri thinks Jungwon's turn into a freak with all the cheesy shit he's been spouting lately.

        Yuri scowls and pulls away, "what are you? The lead love interest of a RomCom?"

       Jungwon attempts to wink, "only for you."

       Yuri cackles and shoves Jungwon, "is there something stuck in your eye?"

       Jungwon frowns deeply and purposefully steps on Yuri's foot, which sends her hopping on the spot as she cradles her foot. "Karma's a bitch, pumpkin."

       "I told you to never call me that, Kitty, it's a fucking gross term of endearment."

       Jungwon shrugs, "maybe I'll use it from here on out, I love seeing you all riled up."

       Yuri's finally back on two feet. "I fucking hate you."

       "No you don't," Jungwon's smile was brighter than the sun. "Let's play again. Loser pays for lunch."

       (Yuri wins again).

       Soon, after playing numerous games, with Jungwon winning most of them and laughing Yuri's face, they find themselves seated in a photobooth, both holding stuffed animals they collected from those claw games. Yuri won one for Jungwon and in turn, he won one for her. Yuri was half on Jungwon's lap, trying to give herself more space. "It's small in here," frowns Yuri, "how does more than one person fit in here?"

       Jungwon shrugs, his arm that wasn't holding the stuffed toy was wrapped comfortably around Yuri's waist, "I'm not complaining."

      "Bitch," Yuri mumbles hating the way her cheeks heat up.

       "How many poses do we have to make?" Jungwon asks, leaning forward and trying to figure out to work this photobooth. Yuri giggles to herself, finding the way Jungwon was squinting funny. He looks like Yuri's dad trying to read the newspaper without glasses, or an email Yuri's teacher sent him about her awesome behaviour in class.

       "Four," Yuri responds, "we should pull the finger in one, then cut that one out and give it to Sunghoon. I think he'll like it."

       Jungwon shrugs and presses the start button, both of them weating wide smiles for the first photo taken. The next was a goofy photo, Yuri pinching Jungwon's cheeks and him pulling on her hair — she smacks him after, but was giggling happily as she did it. Then, suddenly, his face was closer to Yuri's as the third photo is taken, then, they're kissing for the fourth photo and immediately, Yuri leans into the intimatcy of the kiss.

       Jungwon's smiling proudly as he pulls away, fixing Yuri's hair for her as she stares at the boy in a daze. "Kitty," breathes Yuri, grabbing his attention. "I love you so much." And she pulls him back in for another kiss while their photos print.

◾◾◾◾

Yuri collapses into the seat they're given at the restaurant next to the arcade. Jungwon takes the seat across from her and Yuri frowns, "why are you sitting across from me?" She doesn't like having Jungwon far away from her — yeah she's turned into a fucking clingly bitch, but who wouldn't when you have someone like Yang Jungwon as your boyfriend?

       "Isn't this how you sit on dates?" Jungwon asks, looking through the menu.

        Yuri pouts and reaches across the table, grabbing Jungwon's hand and tugging on it, "come sit next to me, please?"

       "Fine," sighs Jungwon, coming to sit beside Yuri instead of next to her, "what do you want for a late lunch? Everything looks good. This is such a dilemma, if only Jay or Heeseung were here, they usually help me decide what to get."

        Yuri hums in agreement, her head resting against Jungwon's as they both read his menu. "My mom usually helps me pick."

       They fall into a comfortable silence. "Why don't we get everything," Yuri says suddenly, "you're paying after all, and I have to use my rich boyfriend privileges."

        Jungwon huffs and attempts to pointedly stare at the girl resting on his shoulder, "I'm not ri—"

       "We're getting everything on the menu! Flag down a waitress, Kitty!"

      Jungwon knew it was no use fighting Yuri when it came to food, so he orders everything on the menu and then reverts to glaring at his girlfriend who pointedly avoids his stare and scrolls through Instagram on her phone. After Jungwon inecessantly poking her thigh, Yuri finally pays attention to him. "What is it, Kitty?"

        "You just burned a hole through my wallet," Jungwon says, pretending to feel angry.

        Yuri shrugs, "sucks. Imagine being that whipped for a girl."

        Jungwon almost strangles Yuri.

       Their food slowly came out one by one, Yuri trying each dish one, before turning to feed Jungwon who happily took whatever Yuri gave him. Soon, there was hardly any room on their table and Yuri was beginning to regret her decision as she watches Jungwon eat some of the Samgyeopsal they ordered. "How are we supposed to eat all of this," pouts Yuri, noting how many dishes she has yet to touch.

         Jungwon glares at his girlfriend, "I tried telling you this, Yuri! But no! Kitty's always wrong around me! Well, look at what happened, huh? This is all —"

         Yuri shoves some Kimchi into Jungwon's mouth, effectively shutting him up. "Eat up, bitch."

        In retaliation, Jungwon picks up his own chopsticks and stuffs hot beef into Yuri's mouth. He laughs as she shrieks and fans her mouth, swallowing down the hot beef with some water before turning to Jungwon with a deathly look in her eyes. "Treat people the way you want to be treated, Yuri," Jungwon responds with a casual shrug and picking up some more Samgyeopsal.

        "Let's just take the rest home. I'm sure the others could use some protein and shit, and Jay probably needs a day off from slaving around in the kitchen," Yuri mutters, a while later with some plates empty and others still preening with foot. Yuri was slumped in her chair, her head leaning against Jungwon's shoulder once more and her hands folded over her full stomach.

       Jungwon reaches out and tucks a strand of hair behind Yuri's hair, his fingertips gently treading across her cheek. Yuri instantly leans into his touch, her eyes shutting gently. Yuri's never felt this comfortable and safe with someone before. Yuri felt like she could take on the world with Jungwon beside her, anything that was deemed impossible before, was now possible with Jungwon. Yuri's conquered all of her fears and doubts with Jungwon, he's brought out the better side of Yuri even if he didn't know it. Yuri knew Jungwon treasured her heart like it was the world's last diamond. He'd protect it till forever falls apart.

      "You never fail to surprise me, Yuri," Jungwon tells her gently, his fingers still treading hesitantly across her face. It was soft and smooth, like snowflakes falling from the sky to create the most beautiful creations the earth's ever seen.

      "Hmm?"

      "I didn't know you were that competitive, bear."

      Yuri's eyes are still closed when she speaks, "bear? Where did that come from?"

      "I overheard Sunghoon call Lauren that. Do you like it?"

      "I don't mind it," Yuri responds, her heart whole again.

      There's the comfortable silence Yuri loves. She inches closer to Jungwon, their thighs touching along with their knees. Jungwon's hand caresses Yuri's face. "You keep me on my toes, bear, and that's what I love about you most. It's like every day I learn something new about you — I don't think I've ever been this curious about someone this much before."

      "I'm glad," Yuri responds smoothly, her mouth curving upwards. "You're a predictable person."

      Jungwon huffs, but doesn't give into Yuri's quip. "I used to like being a predictable person. I was well aware of what my comfort zone looked like, but when I met you, it's like my world tilted. Before you, I was in control, and now, the world is spiralling out of control and tilting around me and I couldn't care less because you're by my side, Yuri."

      Yuri opens her eyes and looks up at Jungwon, finally noticing the fond look in his cat-like eyes. She melts into a thousand suns, burning brightly with her love and admiration for Jungwon. "Really?" Yuri felt breathless again. She's always felt breathless around Jungwon. He does things to her heart which should be considered illegal.

      Jungwon nods his head. "I thought I knew everything about the universe, but with you, I feel like I know nothing."

      "And that's a good thing?"

      Jungwon's hands curl around Yuri's face, his fingers flowing gently across her lips, her jawline, her cheekbones like a stream flowing softly over the rock-bed. "Yuri, everything with you is good. I love falling into the unknown with you, because discovering things with you will be a million times better than doing it alone." 

      Yuri's eyes are wide and her lips are shaped into an 'O' as she stares at Jungwon, struck with every urge to cradle him gently in her palm and stuff him into her pocket. She doesn't ever want to let go of Jungwon. He's everything good in the world and better — no, he's every good in the universe and better. He's the glow-in-the-dark stars on Yuri's ceiling as she sleeps, he's the cats that slink after Yuri as she walks to school, purring beneath her touch and nuzzling into her palm as she gently scratches them. He's the moon, bright and intimidating, but calming and gentle, always there even if Yuri can't see it, and she's the beach tides, allowing the moon to pull them to and from the shore.

      "I'll never regret falling for you, Yuri." Jungwon's smile is crafted so carefully, Yuri wants to carry it in the palms of her hands and press it into her chest, allowing itself to create a home within her — already full to the brim with love — heart.

      Yuri closes the gap between them, feeling Jungwon's smile against her lips as they kiss. Her toes curl in her shoes and goosebumps flood her skin as she leans further into Jungwon's sweet kiss, his hands still cradling her face like she was something he'll break if he lets go of her. Pulling away, Yuri still feels breathless. Jungwon kisses her forehead and then the tip of her nose.

      "I love you, bear," Jungwon whispers, their foreheads bumping together.

      "I love you more, Kitty, to infinity and beyond," Yuri replies, hooking their pinkies together.

      Later, they find themselves pressed together on the car ride back to Jungwon's dorm. "Do you wanna watch a movie?" Jungwon asks Yuri gently, pulling apart his failed attempt of a braid in Yuri's hair.

      "Will it be Toy Story again?" Yuri responds, stifiling her yawn. (Toy Story was their favorite movie to watch together).

      "Duh," Jungwon responds, "what else would we watch? Maybe we could convince Ni-ki and Sunoo to watch it with us this time."

      "Okay, let's do it," Yuri gives in — then again, anything Jungwon asks of her, she would do. "We're going ice skating," Yuri pipes up, "for our next date. I want to see you struggle on the ice."

      "You're so nice to me," Jungwon says sardonically. "But of course, I'll do anything you want." He kisses the top of her head, knowing the words he spoke were the truth; he'd do anything Yuri asks of him.