♫ : attention - newjeans

Wednesday morning greeted you with an annoyingly bright sun and a text notification from Heeseung.

Lee Heeseung: [Let's get lunch]
Lee Heeseung: [You owe me]

You blinked, still tired and half-asleep from your 8 AM class. Owe him? You didn't remember owing Heeseung anything, except maybe an apology for letting him drag you into whatever weird matchmaking side quest he's on.

[I owe you NOTHING.]

Heeseung: [You owe me your company]
Heeseung: [My treat]
Heeseung: [Consider it an early Valentine's gift]

[Valentine's gifts are for people who are dating..]

Heeseung: [Are you saying we're not???]

[😑]

Heeseung: [Don't be late~]

Twelve o'clock arrived faster than you'd expected and somehow, you found yourself sitting across from Heeseung in a cozy little restaurant just off-campus.

He was in his usual put-together state, with messy dark hair that somehow still looked perfect despite the monstrous wind outside and silver rings glinting against his fingers as he stirred the ice cubes in his glass of Americano.

His gaze flickered to you and he smirked like he had been waiting for you to say something first.

"You're staring," he remarked without looking up.

You scoffed. "You wish."

Heeseung grinned, leaning forward on his elbows. "I don't wish. I know."

You rolled your eyes but found yourself smiling anyway. This is just how he is. Always teasing, always smug, but never in a way that makes you mad or actually want to leave.

When the food arrived, Heeseung reached for a fry off your plate without hesitation. You smacked his hand away but he just laughed. "Sharing is caring."

"You have your own food."

"But yours tastes better," he argued, successfully stealing a fry anyway. You didn't even bother fighting it anymore.

After lunch, you sighed happily. "That was good."

Heeseung hummed in agreement as he glanced at you, hands shoved in his coat pockets. "You want dessert?"

"A little early for desserts, don't you think?"

"Not if it's ice cream."

Your eyes lit up and Heeseung grinned knowingly. "I knew it. You're a sucker for ice cream."

"And?"

He snorted. "And it's February."

"Your point?"

He shook his head, a flicker of amusement in his gaze. "Alright alright, let's get ice cream then."

There was just one tiny problem. All the ice cream parlors were closed. Because, you know, IT'S FEBRUARY.

"You're kidding." You stared at the locked door of yet another shop. "How does an entire city decide ice cream isn't a winter food?"

Heeseung, who looked far too entertained by your distress, sighed dramatically. "Tragic. Absolutely tragic. What will you ever do?"

"Go to a convenience store," you deadpanned.

And that was exactly what you did.

The two of you ended up in a small shop, browsing through their freezer section like it was a five-star restaurant menu. You opted for classic vanilla while Heeseung picked out some unnecessarily fancy chocolate sundae cup.

"Pretty people like you always pick the prettiest things," he commented, watching as you peeled back the wrappers.

You paused, heat creeping up your neck. "It's literally just vanilla."

Heeseung grinned. "Still applies."

You tried to ignore the way your heart stumbled over itself.

Fifteen minutes later, the two of you were perched on a bench outside, plastic spoons in hand as you dug into your convenience store ice cream.

It's surprisingly good, or maybe anything tastes good when you're sitting next to Heeseung under a winter sky, listening to him blabber about the horrors of group projects.

The late afternoon sun casted long, golden shadows as you both stepped back on campus. The walk was quiet at the start, just the soft sound of your footsteps against the sidewalk. Then Heeseung bumped his shoulder into yours.

"So," he drawled, "what's your Valentine's Day plan?"

You snorted. "Do I look like someone who has Valentine's Day plans?"

Heeseung tilted his head, pretending to think about your question. "No, but you do look like someone who should have plans."

"You joining me in the volunteer stuff?"

His grin widened. "Maybe."

Before you could react, something glimmered in the corner of your eye. You turned your head slightly, catching the faintest shimmer of gold, like wings, flickering behind Heeseung's back.

You blinked, and it's gone.

Weird.

Heeseung raised an eyebrow at your expression. "What?"

"Nothing," you murmured, frowning. "I thought I saw something."

His lips twitched. "You've had too much sugar today."

"Maybe," you muttered, but your mind lingered on the vision. On the impossible. On Heeseung, who had always been a little too lucky, a little too good at making things fall into place.

"You're really bad at playing Cupid," you said suddenly, not entirely sure where the thought comes from. "But for some reason, that makes you perfect at stealing hearts."

Heeseung chuckled, eyes twinkling. "Whose heart did I steal, exactly?"

You rolled your eyes and took another bite of your ice cream, refusing to answer.

But Heeseung just grinned, taking a slow bite of his own, as if he already knew.