ꕥPosted: 7/25/20
ꕥGenre: College!au, Fluff
ꕥPairing: Fem!reader x Jongho
ꕥWord Count: ~1k
ꕥWarnings: None
ꕥA/N: I know this isn’t a popular series which makes me a little sad but I wanted to finish it anyway. If people end up liking it and it actually gets attention I might(?) make a part 3. It’s most likely gonna end here tho. Read part 1 also if you wouldn’t mind! Things will make a lot more sense if you do. You can do that here
ꕥA/N Cont: So even though I provided translations for some words, there is a phrase that I clarified in the middle of the writing bc I didn’t want to spoil anything
ꕥPhrase Guide:
你= You
加油 = You can do it (encouragement)
Jongho was surprisingly easy to talk to and we got along better than I thought we would. Not that I thought we wouldn’t get along, but I was still surprised.
After we had lunch together we exchanged numbers and began to hang out more, usually every couple days given our busy schedules.
He was so talkative that I found out almost everything about him in no time. He just turned 20, was a music major, and took Chinese because he wanted a challenge. He loved snow but hated the cold. Soccer was his favorite sport but he didn’t play often since he was always either studying or working as a tutor for underclassmen. He was born in Korea but grew up in America. Fluent in Korean but insecure enough about his American accent that he only spoke it with close friends and family. He met Mingi during a soccer camp he went to in middle school and his best friend - the guy with the mullet - was named Hongjoong and apparently much friendlier than he looked.
The more I spent time with Jongho, the more I realized I had feelings for him and the stronger they became. When Marina and I were alone in our dorm, I told her everything I was feeling and the response was exactly what I suspected.
“HA! KNEW IT!” Marina yelled, “I just won myself ten bucks.”
“I’m sorry, YOU WHAT?”
“I may or may not have made a bet with Mingi that you would catch feelings within three months of meeting Jongho. And you’re two days away from three months, girly.” She shrugged but kept the smile on her face.
“Oh my god you did not. Actually speaking of...what’s up with you two? Are you official yet?”
Marina went quiet for a moment then bit her lip, finally speaking up, “Well...not yet, technically, but we’ve seriously considered it. We have another date this weekend. Now all you have to do is get with Jongho and we can go on a double date.”
“Yeah I don’t know about that, M.”
“Y/n he totally likes you, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
“No I know. He’s got a few tells so I know he feels at least a little something. I’m just not sure if I should commit to anything, you know?”
Marina let out a loud laugh before speaking again.
“Pfft no. I dated all throughout high school. If I’m being honest, though, I really think you should give it a chance. People always freak out about possibly ruining a friendship by confessing but honestly if a friendship can’t withstand a little crush then you probably weren’t solid friends in the first place.”
“You know what? You’re right. I’ll tell him tomorrow.”
“Hell yeah girl! Go get him!”
-
The next day arrived way too quickly. Although I told myself I would confess, I was getting anxious. I walked into Chinese class holding hands with Marina for emotional support. We were the first ones there, as always, so I had a bit of time to rant.
“I’ll be honest, M. I’ve never felt butterflies like this before. I’m actually shaking.” I lifted up my hand to show her my slight tremor.
“Oh sweetheart! It’ll be all good! Promise. Just take a few deep breaths.”
I slowly breathed in and out for the next several seconds.
“You’re right. I can do this.”
The trio walked into class several minutes later. Mingi gave a quick kiss to Marina and Jongho gave me a friendly smile. Hongjoong rolled his eyes at the four of us and walked to his usual seat, propping his feet up on the seat in front of him.
The rest of the class filled in and soon our professor arrived.
The professor loudly clapped her hands, speaking up, “Alright class. Today I’m going to have you pair up in groups of two and work together. I don’t care who it’s with, as long as it’s with somebody. We’ve got an even number of students so we should be fine. I’ve got some games for you to play today.”
I turned to Marina but she was already halfway up the stairs to sit next to Mingi. I looked at Jongho but he motioned at Hongjoong, mouthing that he was sorry.
Okay. That’s fine. I thought. I’ll find someone else. Looking up I saw the unfamiliar young man standing in front of me. He blanked for a moment when I looked up at him.
“Hey! Uh...would you maybe want to be partners?”
“Are you sure? With the both of us together we’ll probably beat the whole class by a landslide.”
He laughed and sat down next to me, visibly more confident.
“I’m sure they can manage. I’m Tommy, by the way. You’re y/n, right?”
I nodded and smiled at him as we shook hands. I looked Tommy in the eyes and saw a slight blush on his cheeks. What I didn’t see; however, was the death stare Jongho was giving him.
The professor looked up and let out a laugh, pointing at Tommy and I.
“Yeah no way in hell am I letting that happen. You two are my best students and - no offense everyone - but no one would stand a chance against you two.”
“Ouch.” I heard Mingi say.
Jongho quickly stood up and raised his hand, “I’ll partner up with her!”
“Very good. Get on with it then.”
Tommy looked upset, making me feel bad for leaving him.
“Hey that’s okay, Tommy. Maybe next time?” I gave him a smile that he soon returned.
I walked up to Jongho, sitting next to him as Hongjoong sat down next to Tommy.
Jongho leaned in and whispered, “I’ll be honest, y/n. I’m really glad the teacher separated you two.”
“Yeah, I bet everyone is. We are the best in the class, no offense,” I laughed.
“Actually no I meant-“
“Alright class. I have talked in English for an unusually long time but in my defense, I was up basically all night grading essays so I’m running on two hours of sleep and a cappuccino. Nevertheless, I’ll now switch to Chinese. 加油.”
The first game was simple enough. The teacher wrote beginner to intermediate level phrases for us to translate. If we got it right, we got a point.
My team eventually won, beating Tommy and Hongjoong by a single point. Jongho really surprised me, getting almost as many questions right as I did.
Mingi and Marina ended up last because neither of them were paying attention, instead flirting with each other.
The second and final game was a little more complicated. We had to translate the sentence, as well as pronounce all the characters correctly. Tommy’s team was tied with mine until Jongho answered the last question correctly. I smiled at him and bounced in my seat.
“We won, Jongho!” I exclaimed, pulling him into a hug. He froze at first, but then put his arms around me and pulled me closer.
The professor spoke up once more, “We’re out of time for class today but remember you have a test next week. I expect you all to be studying!”
Our classmates soon left the room along with our teacher. Hongjoong quickly ran out to meet his new boyfriend - Seonghwa I think he said? - and Mingi and Marina were already gone. I assumed they left class sometime during the second game.
“Hey,” Jongho said to me as I was slipping on my backpack, “I was wondering if you could help me out with my writing in Chinese? Sometimes I mess up the stroke order and I could use the practice.”
“Sure! When do you want to study?”
“How about now?”
Jongho grabbed my arm and led me down to the whiteboard at the front of the class. I looked around at the empty classroom and nodded. I didn’t want to disturb anyone. He picked up a marker and began to write.
“I’ll write and you tell me if I make a mistake, okay?”
I laughed, “Sure, Jongho.”
As he started writing I didn’t see any mistakes. When he finished writing, I gasped.
“我喜欢你。你喜欢谁?”
[I like you. Who you you like?]
I smiled and took the marker from his hands, placing it back on the podium. I looked him in the eyes and cupped his face. “你” I said as I kissed him. I pulled back and looked into his eyes. He smiled and kissed me again, this time wrapping his arms around my waist.
We pulled back for air and I whispered, “You know, I was actually planning on telling you today, too. Marina encouraged me to tell you, but I guess I didn’t have to after all.”
“I mean you can still tell me, if you want.”
I gently kissed his cheek, “You already know how I feel.”
“Hmm. Actually I’m not quite sure. Could you clarify for me?” Jongho laughed when I playfully hit his arm.
“You know,” he continued, “when I said I was glad the teacher separated you earlier, I meant that I was glad you were away from Tommy. I’ve seen the way he looks at you and I really didn’t like it. I got so nervous because even though I tease, this is the first time I’ve felt like this. So I guess the question is...will you let me take you on a date?”
“Absolutely!”