Chapter Text
“I can’t believe we’re back already.”
“Seriously! It feels like summer just started.” Hanbin leans on the edge of her suitcase as she listens to her friends engage in casual conversation. While she is sad to see summer go, she’s always harbored a secret love for university life; she was attending JBU, only South Korea’s most prestigious university, and she was attending on a scholarship, so she doesn’t have to pay a penny. The cherry on top was the fact that she’s able to do it all with her friends she stands with today.
They managed to snag the last triple right before the semester started (Hanbin doesn’t call that luck, though. Taerae had lost all her self respect and cried on her knees when the dorm faculty originally denied their request), so here they are on moving-in day, fully prepared to take on whatever this semester may bring.
“I still can’t believe Gyuvin is dorming with that girl. What if she realizes she doesn’t like her and it just gets awkward?” Taerae says, voice full of concern as she grabs the last of her boxes off the sidewalk.
Hanbin sees Matty with her things in hand, so she assumes they’re done. “Have you seen those two together? They’re in a relationship and they don’t even know.” Throwing her duffle bag over her shoulder, she nods her head over to the entrance of the building. “Are we ready? I’m starving.”
Matty seems to perk up at that. “Oh! I heard they opened a new 7/11 a few blocks down!” she says from behind Hanbin, and oh how she’s missed absolutely devouring a pack of ramen with her friends under the cool ambient lighting of a corner store. It’s the little things that bring Hanbin joy, and she can’t wait to indulge in-
Not even five steps into the lobby is her life threatened, almost falling face first after tripping on a suitcase left in the middle of the entryway.
“What do you mean the single suite isn’t under my name?” A voice says ahead of her, and while Hanbin lifts her head to match it with a face, her eyes rake along the corner of the lobby, which is outlandishly taken over by a mountain of pink and brown luggages. She can’t imagine what student would need so many things, let alone with such little space they have?
Hanbin got a bit sidetracked with the whole suitcase thing, so she doesn’t notice the conversation progressing until the voice begins to raise in volume.
“But what? How many times do I have to say it before you understand?” The person was getting loud now, and it was almost impossible not to stare. Hanbin follows the voice, and it leads her to the lobby’s counter, where from here, she’s able to see the clerk, while the perpetrator’s back is to her. The only thing Hanbin notices about her is that she’s wearing one of those tweed skirts in pink, the ones she’s heard are extremely expensive, along with a white top, with pink heels and a purse to match. Her hair was long and full, adorned by a pink headband— and she was kind of mean.
“I’m really sorry, Ms. Zhang. I wish there was more I could do.” The poor lady says, apologeticness practically written all over her face. Hanbin can’t help but feel bad for her- she doesn’t know the circumstances, but she’s clearly trying her best!
It seems as though the girl in pink— Ms. Zhang— couldn’t care less, though, as she now leans forward, arms crossed and head tilted for good measure. “You’re sorry?” she questions in a hushed tone (which is scarier than the screaming, somehow?), and then she’s laughing. It’s a short one, a chortle, really, and in a second, her smile is wiped off her face as she reaches into her pocket to take out her phone with a curt nod. “Just wait ‘til my dad hears about this.”
And like on queue, a second employee spawns from the door behind the counter, concern written all over his face before he’s masking it with a customer service smile. “Ms. Zhang! There seems to be a misunderstanding,” He rushes out, lifting his hand to reveal a keycard Hanbin presumes to be Ms. Zhang’s. “The suite is yours. Please, make yourself at home.”
What the fuck. Again, Hanbin doesn’t know the circumstances, but she’s pretty sure the clerk said that Ms. Zhang’s name was clearly not listed under the suite, so to see her get her problem resolved in under a millisecond is beyond perplexing for her.
For a few seconds, Ms. Zhang just stares at the second employee, and Hanbin knows that this is none of her business, but was she gonna take the key or not?! She gets an answer only a second later, watching with astonishment as Ms. Zhang practically snatches the key out of his hands.
Hanbin fully thinks that’s the end of it, watching as Ms. Zhang walks towards the elevator doors with grace, presses the button and crosses her arms, but then she turns her head the slightest bit so that only her side profile is in view. “Is someone going to help me with my bags? Or do I have to hold your hands through that, too?” She spits out.
“O-of course, Ms. Zhang!” The employee scrambles, calling out for others behind the door before reaching for a few bags himself.
“Be careful, it’s Prada.” It’s the last thing she says before the elevator doors are closing, and Hanbin thinks she speaks for everyone when she feels as if she's finally able to let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding.
When the bag that almost took her life is removed from the ground, Hanbin and her friends move off to the side, meeting each other’s gazes for the first time since the whole incident unfolded. She watches in real time as Matty scrunches her face up. “Be careful, it’s Prada.” She says in a mocking tone, rolling her eyes and earning a laugh from Taerae, “What a bitch.”
“Tell me about it! I thought people were lying.” Taerae adds, and Hanbin feels terribly out of the loop. She wishes she could say this is the first time.
“Am I supposed to know who that is?” She admits to ignorance, and is immediately attacked by double judgemental glares thrown by her friends, her own friends!
“You seriously don’t know who that is? Zhang Hao? Lee Jong Suk and Zhao Liying’s daughter?” Matty questions, and Hanbin knows she’s trying to help her piece the puzzle together, but naming more people isn’t doing what she thinks it is.
Hanbin shrugs her shoulders. “I have no idea who any of those people are.”
Taerae sighs as she adjusts her hold on the boxes in her hands, “Can we explain while we walk? Let’s take the stairs, they’re never gonna be finished in time.” And considering the fact that they’ve been standing in the lobby for over five minutes, they all agree that it’s the best course of action.
“And dude, did you guys see how easy that was for her? I literally had to beg on my knees for our shit!”
“Literally no one asked you to do that.”
So while they unpack, Hanbin is given the full rundown of Ms. Zhang— or just Zhang Hao. She’s the daughter of a well known orchestra singer and a famous actress. Despite only being in her early twenties, she has everything going well for her; modeling gigs left and right, a successful youtube channel, pervious MC positions on various award shows, and she was drop dead gorgeous. Now that they mention it, Hanbin’s pretty sure she’s seen a couple of Zhang Hao’s advertisements around before.
She was also apparently crazy good at singing and playing the violin, landing her a scholarship at JBU. Taerae talks about how everyone speculates that her parents obviously got her in, and Hanbin finds the whole ordeal intriguing. A nepo baby was going to be attending their school— let alone be sharing the same living space as them, and she’s apparently a walking nightmare.
Hanbin really hopes she doesn’t let Zhang Hao’s looks get the best of her.
(Later that night, Hanbin shamelessly takes a gander at her youtube channel. Most of her videos are vlogs about luxurious trips she’s been on, or high-end fashion hauls, and Hanbin almost cries because she’s so pretty. Why did she have to be so cruel earlier?)
It’s only been a couple of days, but it seems as if everyone’s caught wind of Zhang Hao’s presence— Hanbin swears she’s heard her name come up in conversations she hears whenever she walks by people— but Hanbin could care less about all that right now, the only thing on her mind is how hot it is despite being in late August. She doesn’t want to leave the comfort of her room, but she might pass out if she doesn’t get something to drink right now (the three still haven’t gone grocery shopping yet, so their fridge looks a bit sad at the moment). After throwing on a tank top and some shorts, Hanbin practically has to force Taerae to come along with her, in which she claims is torture that’s punishable by expulsion. She joins her anyway.
“This is the worst. They should have vending machines on every floor!” Taerae whines into Hanbin’s side as they exit the stairwell, walking towards the middle of the hallway where the lounge space stood.
“Seriously. You think if enough people signed a petition, they'd make it happen?” she questions, finally making it to the empty lounge. “You can go first.”
Hanbin stands by Taerae who lets out a small ‘thank you!’, placing a finger on her chin as she browses through the options the vending machine has to offer. They’re so invested in the new Snapple flavors that they don’t notice the figure lingering in the hallway.
Zhang Hao has to admit it: she wasn’t listening to a word the tour guide was saying the first time she showed up to the university. So, she decides to take matters into her own hands and give herself a tour of her own. If she’s going to be living here for the year, she supposes she might as well get to know the place.
The lounge room seemed nice enough— a few couches, desks, vending machines and microwaves— she expected less. What she didn’t expect was to come across possibly the most beautiful woman she’s ever seen in her whole life. She wasn’t wearing anything extravagant, but who cares when the simple tank and shorts hug her figure so perfectly? Her hair was pushed to one side, presumably because of the heat, and it gave Hao the perfect view of her flawless side profile. The girl next to her must’ve said something funny, because she was now laughing, smiling from ear to ear, and Hao swears she sees whiskers appear from it.
Hao wants her. Badly.
She’s never approached anyone like this before, it’s usually the other way around, but that’s not why she hesitates- what if she simply doesn’t like girls? It’s a thought that goes through Hao’s mind for a split second, but then she’s giving the girl another once over— and as much as Hao doesn't condone assuming someone’s sexuality, that girl had a terrible case of gay face.
Hao thinks it’s settled, then. She’s going to be the one to bite the bullet this time around, the pretty girl will say yes (because duh. Who wouldn’t?), and they’ll live happily ever after in the Poconos, or Dubai. She hasn’t decided yet.
Taerae finally decides on a flavor, watching as the bottle drops into the dispenser. After she grabs her drink, Hanbin moves to choose for herself, when the opening of the lounge door can be heard. The smell of milk baobab fills the room, and Hanbin can’t help but wonder who walked in, following the scent.
She wishes she stayed curious.
Because the last person she expects is Zhang Hao, clad in a white cropped cami and a short denim skirt. Her hair is held up by a claw clip with a few strands being left in the front that frame her face almost too perfectly, and as simple as it was, God did she look good.
“Hi,” She says, all sweet and honey-like, nothing like how she presented herself in the lobby a few days ago, “What’s your name?”
She’s staring right into Hanbin’s soul, so she knows she’s talking to her, but Hanbin checks the room for anybody else anyway, pointing a finger to herself with a puzzled look on her face when she finds no one. “Who, me?” She knows it looks stupid, but she sort of can’t believe Zhang Hao is talking to her right now. Now that she’s aware of how big a deal she is, it kind of feels weird even occupying the same space as her. It could also be the simple fact that Hanbin has been avidly crushing on her for the past 72 hours.
Zhang Hao tilts her head in amusement, she wasn’t just hot, she was agonizingly cute. “Yes you, silly~” She teases, watching as the girl’s face practically gets ten shades darker.
“Hanbin.” she answers, watching as Zhang Hao’s grin grows at the reveal.
She loves it, thinks it suits her well. “Hanbin,” she repeats, as if she’s testing the name on her tongue, “You’re cute. Wanna go on a date sometime?”
Hanbin feels as though she got punched in the gut, was hit by a train, and had a brain fart all in one go, because what the fuck. Zhang Hao— beautiful, wealthy, talented Zhang Hao— was asking her on a date. Hanbin doesn’t know if she’s more surprised at that, or at the fact that Zhang Hao was the one doing the asking, because again, what the fuck?!
She truly has no words for what she’s feeling right now. Happiness. Astonishment. Horniness. Confusion. It hits her all at once, and the fact that Zhang Hao is still staring at her, awaiting an answer, doesn’t help either.
She almost says yes, immediately yes, because who wouldn’t say yes to a face like that? Yet she takes it back before the syllable can even form on her tongue, remembering that the pretty girl in front of her was also the one in the lobby a few days ago, threatening an employee’s livelihood and rudely ordering others to carry her things.
Hanbin almost doesn’t believe the words that leave her mouth next.
“No thank you.”
Hanbin can hear Taerae stop breathing beside her. She watches as Zhang Hao’s face scrunches up in confusion. Fuck, why is she being cute? This isn’t making it any easier!
“No? You don’t like girls?” Zhang Hao asks, because that has to be it! As much as that’d suck for her, it seems like the only valid reason.
“I do.” She answers, successfully destroying Zhang Hao’s conclusion using only two words, and she doesn’t know whether to be relieved or confused, because if she does like girls, then why did she say no?
Zang Hao shifts her weight to lean on her left foot, crossing her arms as she pouts. “Then what do you mean ‘no’? Why not?”
Hanbin decides the vending machine is more interesting in the moment when Zhang Hao’s pout deepens. Don’t fold don’t fold don’t fold don’t-
Picking literally the most random selection ever, Hanbin puts her phone up to pay, focusing on the way the machine picks up her drink and wishes she could move it faster with her mind. “I don’t think I need a reason,” she executes it calmly, yet internally she was fighting against saying that or, ‘I was just kidding hahaha yes a million times yes!!’
The drink finally drops to the bottom, and Hanbin wastes no time retrieving it from the dispenser, turning once again to meet Zhang Hao in the eye. “Bye!”
They walk past her, leaving her in the dust as they enter the hallway, and both girls sigh in relief when they’re finally in the confines of the stairwell once again.
“Hanbin.” Taerae gapes at her, “That was so badass! Did you see her face?”
She’s laughing, but Hanbin doesn’t find any of this even remotely funny. She just turned down an opportunity of a lifetime; going on a date with a renowned model and her newfound crush, who approached Hanbin herself. Were her morals that important to her?
She’s starting to feel sick. She reaches for the staircase rail to lean on. “I think I’m gonna throw up.”
Maybe Zhang Hao wasn’t an asshole! Perhaps she just had a bad day. The way she presents herself online is much softer than what she showed in the lobby a few days ago, anyway. Then again, there was no other way to interpret the events that unfolded that day- Hanbin can still recall the pure venom in Zhang Hao’s voice while she ordered the workers around. She hates that she wouldn’t mind being told off by Zhang Hao herself.
Even if that was the case, the damage has been done. Hanbin has already said no, Zhang Hao will forever remember her as presumably the only girl to ever reject her, and she is going to be lonely forever. She really does feel like she’s going to puke this time.
All the while, Taerae is practically jumping for joy, tangling an arm with Hanbin’s as she drags both of them up the stairs. “Did you see the look on her face? I bet that’s the first time she’s ever heard the word, ‘no’.”
Face stone cold, Hanbin is like a hollow shell as she lets her friend haul her about. “That was the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my entire life. She’s so fucking pretty.”
“Yeah no you’re definitely stronger than me. I would’ve folded,” Taerae admits, and doesn’t that just make Hanbin feel better? “But it had to be done! She’s such a bitch. Gave her a taste of her own medicine.”
Hanbin does suppose that last bit made her feel better, because while Zhang Hao was Hanbin’s type in each and every way imaginable, she’s also, from what she’s heard and witnessed: rude, ill-mannered, and spoiled. Hanbin doesn’t think she could get along with someone like that. So for now, she can only hope by some miracle that Zhang Hao changes her ways for the better.
Meanwhile, Hao is still standing in the confines of the lounge, frozen in place because she cannot believe what just happened. She’s not too sure, but she thinks she just got, ‘rejected’? Auditions, shows, interviews; she’s never experienced rejection, never had to, really, so to have it happen to her so easily was beyond astonishing.
And the fact that Hao was the one to do the asking out. How humiliating! She’s grateful there wasn’t anyone else but her friend around, that would’ve done terrible damage to her image. And her ego.
What really shocks Hao, is how she doesn’t feel sad. She doesn’t feel impending rage, or gloom, or anything of the sort. Her emotions are only taken over by want. More want than what Hao had even started with. She obviously couldn’t force Hanbin to go out with her, she wasn’t a villain. Instead, she thinks that if she can somehow get to the bottom of why Hanbin said no in the first place, she can understand her more, and calculate her next steps accordingly.
She’s never had the desire to win someone over before, but there was something about Hanbin that has Hao wanting to understand her on a deeper level— besides her soft features and perfect build, what was she really like? Hao wanted to dissect her, examine and get to know everything there was to know about her. Hao wanted Hanbin, badly, so bad she thinks she just might not survive this semester without her.
She supposes she’d better get to work.
Zhang Hao’s underestimated just how hard it’d be to see Hanbin again.
She supposes it’s partially her fault— jumping to conclusions, she’d only asked for Hanbin’s name, assuming she’d get to know her better after they went on a date. Fast forward two weeks after the whole ordeal, and she’s bumped into Hanbin not once. They live in the same building, Hao expects to see her at least a minute out of her day! If she didn’t know any better, she’d say Hanbin was avoiding her.
Whatever. She couldn’t be bothered by ‘what-if’s’, not when she’s currently craving a smoothie from the campus’ infamous juice bar. If she can help it, she tries to stay away from the cafeteria as a whole—if it wasn’t the staring, people were taking photos of her in plain sight, as if she couldn’t see what they were doing—, but Hao thinks she just might die if she doesn’t get a Pink Pitaya right now.
She’s more than grateful that the cafe is relatively empty at the moment. After she retrieves her smoothie, she’s making her way to the exit, yet comes to a stop when she spots a familiar face sitting in one of the various booths.
Hao immediately recognizes her as Hanbin’s friend, the one who was with her that day. There’s another girl, one with longer hair, but Hao couldn’t care less. She knows she has a class to get to, but this was far more important— when was she going to get another chance like this?
She wastes no time walking up to the booth, presumably catching the girls off guard as one stops whatever she was saying to stare up at Hao.
“Hey, you’re Hanbin’s friend, right?” she questions. She doesn’t see any need for idle talk when they could just get straight to the point.
The girl looks up at Hao with big round eyes, cheeks stuffed with watermelon. She looks over to her friend, swallowing a bit of her fruit, and turns back to Hao. “Um, yea-”
“Where is she?”
“At wor-”
“Why did she say no to me the other day?”
She’s nearly getting to her point when the other girl interjects, holding a hand up to stop Hao. “Hey, can you stop interrupting her? How would she know that anyway?” She lashed out, and Hao couldn’t hold back her eye roll even if she tried.
“Can you mind your business?” It’s more of an order rather than a question, and the look of offense that takes over the girl’s face tells Hao’s she’s registered that much.
“Fuck off, you’re the one who approached us!”
And at that, Hao has to laugh. “I approached her,” she starts, pointing a finger at the girl she was originally talking to, all while looking at the other with the meanest glare she can muster, “I had no intentions speaking with the likes of you.”
That seems to have done it for her as she’s now rising from her seat to stand in front of Hao, getting all up in her face with her head held high and a daunting glare. “Rich bitch thinks she can talk to anyone however she wants, huh?”
Hao doesn’t dare take a step back, only crossing her arms in a challenge, head tilted and a teasing smile plastered on her face. “ ‘Rich bitch’ knows she can.”
The other girl seems to have had enough, finally getting up from her seat to stand in between the two. “Oh my God. Can we calm down? Look, Zhang Hao,” she says, holding a hand up to emphasize she’d rather not be interrupted again, “We know Hanbin pretty well, so we know the type of person she likes. We’d be more than willing to help you,” she continues, even when her friend mumbles a, ‘speak for yourself’, “But if you’re just gonna treat us like shit, then you’re on your own.”
Arms still crossed, Hao shrugs her shoulders. “Okay, fine.” She says, and she thinks that's about it, but the two are now just staring at her dumbly, as if they’re waiting for her to continue. “What?”
“…Aren’t you forgetting something?” One of them says, and Hao just stays silent, because no, she isn’t.
At least she thinks she isn’t, not until the girl with longer hair was mustering a dry laugh, rolling her eyes. “The word ‘sorry’ isn’t even registered into her vocabulary. Let’s go, Taerae.”
Hao hates to admit it, but an apology is kind of due, considering she wasn’t being the nicest literally seconds ago. “Wait!” She yells before they can grab their things, letting out a small huff, “I’m sorry. Now help me!”
They look like they aren’t going anywhere, but they’re still giving her that look that says ‘go on’ again.
“…Please.”
“There you go!” The girl— Taerae chirps, and ushers herself back into the booth, patting the space beside her for Hao to sit, and she accepts without a fight.
Before they can even get down to business, the girl across from her is opening her mouth to speak again. “Wait. We want something out of this too.”
“We do?” Taerae questions, sharing a look with her friend before her eyes are lighting up, nodding in agreement. “Oh, Yeah! We do!”
She can’t complain, so Hao finds herself simply nodding. “Okay, fine. But can we discuss all that later? I’m on a time crunch.”
They agree, and to her surprise, Taerae’s friend is the one to speak first. “Okay, you want the truth? You can be kind of a bitch.”
Zhang Hao fights the urge to roll her eyes once again. “Yeah, I think we’ve already covered that.”
“Just making sure it really gets through to your head.” She says, throwing on the most patronizing smile she can muster.
“Matty.” Taerae murmured, sending a disapproving glare her way. So that was her name. “What she means is that Hanbin likes people who are nice and helpful, someone who’s considerate about others and their feelings. Y’know, not you.”
Zhang Hao looks off to the side for a split second. “So you want me to be a suck up?”
“…You mean a decent person?”
“If that’s how you see it.”
“Then yes. Be nice for once.” Matty concludes, and she says it like it’s the easiest thing ever.
“But I was being nice to her!” Hao pouts, stomping her heel against the porcelain tiles.
“So? You think she’s going to want to be with someone who’s an asshole to everyone but her?” Matty challenges, “Be nice to everyone.”
That last sentence practically echoes through Hao’s head. Be nice to everyone. It even just sounds draining. Despite it being something she’s nowhere near used to, surely not everyone deserved to be treated nicely— there were so many assholes and people up to no good, was Hao expected to play nice with them? Just even thinking about it takes some years off of her life.
Hao’s pout deepens. “What’s the point if she’s not there to see?”
At this, Taerae perks up in her seat, finger pointed up like she just had the best idea ever. “Oh! How about you pretend that she’s everywhere? That way, you won't be caught slipping, and by no time, it’ll become second nature.”
Hao looks off to the side in thought. While she actually does like Taerae’s initial idea, it gives her one of her own. “Or, I don’t have to pretend. When is she going to be back at her dorm?”
Taerae squints her eyes in suspicion, slowly lowering her finger. “Around six o’clock. Why?” She asks.
Hao nods her head as she goes over her plan. The one she just made up two seconds ago. She’s amazed at her own genius, how could she ever expect less, really? “I’m going to be nice in front of her. Today. I can’t wait any longer.”
Matty lets her head fall against the tabletop and Taerae deadpans at her. “You are truly missing my whole point.”
“So let me get this straight. You want me to pretend to struggle with my bags, so that you can ‘offer me help’, in hopes of your crush seeing and being impressed?” Ricky reiterates.
“Yes, exactly!” Hao exclaims. She’s so happy Ricky understands, a part of her knew she would.
“You’re really smart, but this is the dumbest idea you’ve ever had.”
Or maybe not, on second thought.
“Fuck you, it is not!” Hao says defensively.
“It is. It’s terrible.” She deadpans, adjusting herself on the soft cushions of Hao’s couch. They’ve been friends for years now, so Ricky wasn’t afraid to speak her mind. They met at a fashion event in Fujian, both commending the other for their previous work. Working in the industry, Hao found it hard making any true meaningful friendships, but Ricky made it so easy. She wasn’t stuck up, or trying to leech off of Hao for fame or money (which many have tried in the past), she was extremely down to earth, and they understood each other like no problem. Ricky had already been attending JBU since last year, so she was ecstatic when she heard that Hao would be joining her.
Hao is starting to rethink her leap for joy as her friend shoots down her plan. “You’re so mean to me.” She pouts, crossing her arms as she turns her body to face the wall in front of her instead.
Ricky knows she isn’t serious, so she chuckles. Turning her body to fully face Hao, she lifts her arm to sit it on the couch cushion, raising it to rest her head in her hand. Hao still isn’t looking at her, but she can see from the corner of her eye, and it looks like Ricky is sporting a strained smile, the one she does when she’s about to bring up a potentially sensitive topic. “I heard about what happened two weeks ago. In the lobby.”
Ah, so that’s what this is about. Hao slightly readjusts herself in her seat, still refusing to look away from the wall. “Didn’t realize people saw that.”
“It was only a few. Gyuvin heard from a friend and told me.” She says, “But people see everything, and that's the thing. You have got to try and control your emotions better, babe.”
“You don't think I try?” She spits, turning to face Ricky with a furrow in her brows, but when she sees nothing but concern written over her friend's face, her features soften, and she immediately feels regretful. “I’m sorry. I’ve been really stressed lately.”
When Ricky doesn’t say anything, she takes that as a green light to continue. “On that day, in the lobby, my mom just wouldn’t leave me alone.” She says, and Hao wishes she could say she was exaggerating. Her mom was always on her case, but she was even worse on move-in day. Having just got off a ten hour flight from Australia, being bombarded by fans and cameras in the airport, Hao didn’t have a single moment to herself before it was time to move in. She wasn’t even settled in her car when she got a call from her mother, claiming that her appearance was sloppy, and insisting that she’d lose all her sponsorships if she didn’t keep up with her already heavy workload.
She didn’t have a real reason to call— she never does— Hao knows she just wanted something to complain about. She’s pretty sure it’s because her mom didn’t support her decision to attend JBU in the first place, her dad being the main reason why she went through with it at all. He’d always been more supportive of her decisions, and attending school for the art she loves wasn’t any different.
“So she was being a bitch, as per usual?” Ricky jokes, and it successfully gets a laugh out of Hao. “I understand, I really do. But not everyone knows what you’re going through behind closed doors, so when you act like that in public, it isn’t a good look.” She explains, and Hao sighs.
“I know. I’m trying.”
“I know you are, Hao-baby.” She says, pinching her cheeks softly. “I’m going to help you.”
Hao perks up against the couch cushions, but before she can get even more excited, Ricky is holding a finger up. “But this girl isn’t going to be head over heels for you after one good deed. You have to constantly-”
“‘Constantly put in the effort’, I know.” Hao groans, having heard the phrase over a hundred times now. She’s then reaching over to wrap Ricky in a warm embrace, squeezing her tightly. “Thank you, Ricky! It’s going to work, trust me.”
“It better. I refuse to be embarrassed with you.”
Hanbin sighs as the elevator door opens. She thinks she pretty much nailed her interview, but the hiring manager was kind of a bitch. Nevertheless, she’s sure she got the job, it was just a bit hard walking on eggshells to make sure she didn’t say the wrong thing and accidentally piss her off.
She reaches for her bag to retrieve her keychain, rounding the corner to walk to her door. When she finally gets there, she’s still feeling for her keys, a confused look taking over her face when she doesn’t feel them.
While she’s rummaging through her bag, face practically stuffed inside it as she mumbles a ‘where the fuck..?’, a girl, one she swears she’s seen before, rounds the corner Hanbin just came from, an obscene amount of bags in her hand.
She was obviously having a hard time, struggling to walk even a few doors down, and even though Hanbin had her own problem to deal with, she couldn’t let her struggle on her own.
Right when Hanbin was going to abandon the search for her keys, someone walks out of the staircase and into the hallway. That someone being the one and only Zhang Hao— Zhang Hao, who was adorned in a dress covered in pink floral print, her hair left down and framed her face perfectly. Zhang Hao, who looked absolutely beautiful, like any other day. Zhang Hao, who does not live on this floor.
For a second, Hanbin thinks Zhang Hao somehow figured out where she dorms, and was planning on asking her out again (Hanbin really hopes so. She’s crossing her fingers as we speak). But Zhang Hao doesn’t even seem to notice Hanbin standing a few doors down. Matter of fact, it seemed as though Zhang Hao was walking towards the girl, her features all soft as she sports a charming smile at her.
“Do you need help?” She asks sweetly, not even waiting for an answer to reach for some of the bags herself.
“Ah, thank you!” The girl says, her distressed features melting away immediately.
Hanbin’s eyes went wide the minute Zhang Hao set foot on this floor, but they got impossibly bigger when she saw her offering help. She knows it’s the bare minimum, but Hanbin’s always been a sucker for the simple things, and the fact that Zhang Hao was able to relieve the poor girl’s stress with a simple helping hand is enough to warm her heart to the brim.
It even gives her hope. Her prayers have been answered: Zhang Hao was changing for the better, she’s becoming a better person, and they can finally be together! Hanbin thinks eloping doesn’t sound too bad, it’s convenient for their studies, and-
“Zhang Hao? Hey!” A voice calls out. In the middle of her admiration of Zhang Hao’s nobalty, Hanbin didn’t notice the unlocking of the door that the girls were in front of, not until it was opened by somebody inside. Now that Hanbin mentions it, she definitely remembers seeing that girl somewhere.
She also notes how familiar that voice from inside sounds, so familiar that it’d be almost impossible to misplace. Looking over to the silver number plaque on the wall adjacent to the door confirms all her suspicions; it reads the numbers ‘401’— Gyuvin’s room.
Ricky! That’s why Hanbin remembers her; she and Gyuvin were practically joint at the hip last year after meeting on Halloween, and Hanbin would’ve held a grudge against her for stealing Gyuvin as a roommate if she weren’t so cool. And pretty.
Though it all seemed to work out for Hanbin in the end, as it helped her understand that Ricky wasn’t some helpless damsel in distress; she was just Zhang Hao’s friend.
The two obviously didn’t expect anyone to be home, not only considering that Ricky was reaching for her keys before Gyuvin had answered, but also that Zhang Hao was looking back at Gyuvin with a defeated smile, the bags in her hands making noise as she physically deflates.
“Hello, Gyuvin.” She sighs, nudging Ricky when she lets out a giggle.
Gyuvin continues to chat them up as she lets them in, and Hanbin can’t help but quietly laugh. Hao was painfully cute. Hanbin then remembers her own dilemma, and thinks about how she didn’t think to check her pants pockets. She lets out a big sigh when she reaches her hand into the right pocket and feels her keychain. Every time.
“See you later, Hao!”
“Bye Gyuvin, bye Ricky.” She says, stepping into the hallway before closing the door behind her. Hao hadn’t expected Gyuvin to hold her for a whole thirty minutes, yet they haven’t really seen each other besides Hao making guest appearances in Ricky’s FaceTime calls, so she guesses a proper meet up was long overdue.
She liked Gyuvin, she really did, but she also really wanted to see Hanbin. It was hard enough as it was, pretending that she wasn’t there when Hao had appeared earlier! That plan sucked, she never wanted to do it again.
Anyway, Hao touches up her hair as she walks towards Hanbin’s door, wasting no time in knocking on it when she gets there. She contemplates knocking again when she doesn’t get an answer for about thirty seconds, but then the door is opening, and it takes everything in her not to pounce on Hanbin right then and there.
Standing before her was Hanbin, sporting a scooped bralette with simple joggers, her hair still wet and her face all dewy. Just when Hao thought she couldn’t get any prettier, she sweeps in to prove her wrong.
“Oh, hi Hao-unnie.”
Huh? Unnie? It’s not that Hao hates it— she loves it actually, more than she probably should. It just caught her off guard, and Hanbin’s current appearance wasn’t making it any easier on her. She also wonders how Hanbin knew she was older than her, but she’ll pester her about that another time.
It seems as though Hao had stayed quiet for too long, seeing as Hanbin was now looking away sheepishly, scratching the nape of her neck as she lets out a dry laugh. “Oh, I’m sorry. Is it okay if I call you that?” She asks, and Hao is quick to reassure her.
“It’s fine!” She says, a little too loud, and then again with less volume, “It’s fine. Did you see me back there?”
”I did.”
Perfect. Hao leans against the door frame, hands crossed with a smug smile on her face. “Was pretty nice of me, huh?” She asks, and for a second Hanbin looks off to the side in thought before bringing her attention back to Hao.
“Ah, so you’re only nice to people you know?” She asks, and fuck, Hao had forgotten about that part. Ricky never mentioned Gyuvin being home when she first proposed the plan to her, so it kind of ruined the purpose of the whole scheme.
Hao won’t lie, Hanbin had caught her off guard with that, so there was no stopping the blush spreading all throughout her face, scrambling to stand up straight before she lost her footing. “N-no! Of course not! I-”
Before she can even defend herself, Hanbin is laughing. Why is she laughing? But then she’s smiling at Hao sweetly, so sweet that Hao’s starting to think it’ll be bad for her health. “I’m messing with you. I guess it was a little nice.”
Hao assumed that as soon as Hanbin reassured her that she was only joking, her raging blush would go away, yet it was still present. Hao could practically feel her cheeks burning at this rate. She had always run cold, and right now, under the soft and warm gaze of Sung Hanbin, did she find that she was finally at her melting point.
“Okay, bye.” she says, and before she even knows what she’s doing, Hao is walking away from Hanbin’s door, leaving her confused and addled as she makes her way back to the stairwell she came from. What the fuck, what the fuck!! Why did she just walk away like that? As she walks up the stairs, Hao recalls how she started off so confident, walking up to Hanbin’s door talking all suave and shit, only to end up flaking out in the end. There’s no way Hanbin doesn’t think she’s a loser now.
(Hanbin does not think Zhang Hao is a loser. After she had practically ran away, Hanbin closed her door to lean against the wood as she squeals in her hands. Too cute! Hao was too fucking cute. Staged or not, she attempted to do a nice thing and hoped Hanbin would see— hell, she even had to come up to her door to make sure she did—, and Hanbin can’t stop smiling as she realizes that there is hope for Hao.)
Zhang Hao’s week has been shit.
Ever since the events that conspired on Hanbin’s floor a few days ago, Hao had decided to actually follow Taerae’s advice and treat everyone nicely, as if Hanbin was always there, and fuck was it exhausting.
She thought putting on a fake smile wouldn’t be too hard, seeing as she does it for her work time and time again, yet it was like people were testing her patience even more than usual now that she was actually putting in the effort. Is this what she gets in return for being kind? More aggravation and incompetence?
And just when she thinks things are starting to turn around, smiling as she retrieves her matcha from the barista with a small ‘thank you’, she takes a sip and her smile falters in an instant.
This drink is shit.
If she wasn’t so put off by the taste of it, she’d laugh at how this could even be qualified as matcha. What the fuck were they doing behind the counter? Was somebody trying to assassinate her? Has she finally made it?
Somehow managing to keep a straight face, not wanting to ruin her nice-streak (as Taerae calls it. She’s been keeping track for Hao and texts her whenever the day is over. She also forced Hao to take her number.), Hao walks back to the counter, grabbing the attention of an employee with a timid smile on her face. “Who made this drink?” She asks, in a way that doesn't indicate she’s pissed to hell and back.
“Oh, I’ll get her for you! One second, please.” He says, disappearing behind the doors. Surprisingly, Hao doesn’t end up waiting too long, for a second employee is making her way through the doors and into Hao’s direction, and she nearly drops her drink as she makes out who it is.
Hanbin, adorned in a yellow cap and apron with her hair tied back, is staring back at Hao with a wide smile. “Oh, hey Hao-unnie!” She says, “Is there something wrong with your drink? I’m sorry, it’s only my second day.”
Hao immediately takes back everything she just said. This is the best matcha she’s ever had. She’d drink it all, right in front of Hanbin, right this second. “N-no, not at all! Perfect, actually.”
At that, Hanbin’s smile grows. “Oh cool! so you called for me?”
Hao nods. “Yeah, just wanted to say hi. Haven’t seen you in a while, so.”
“Really? I feel like I see you around all the time?” Hanbin questioned, and Hao furrowed her eyebrows. She never sees Hanbin on campus, even when she isn’t looking for her. She then has a mini revelation; does this mean she’s seen that she’s changed?
Never mind that, Hanbin’s been seeing her around, and never thought to come up to her! “What? Why don’t you come say hi?” She pouts.
A blush overtakes Hanbin’s cheeks and she looks away, laughing nervously as she scratches her neck. “Ah, I’m sorry. You always look so busy. Either that, or I just don't want to disturb you.”
Hao leans forward, forcing eye contact so Hanbin knows she’s dead serious. “You’re too cute, you could never disturb me.”
“Is that so?” She asks, meeting Hao’s gaze with a challenging one of her own, “Okay. Next time, I’ll approach you.”
Hao wants to know the science behind how Hanbin can go from a blushing mess to taking charge of the situation in the span of two seconds. She guesses it's for the same reasons as to how Hao is able to do the exact opposite.
Hanbin looks back at the clock behind Hao, pouting at the sight. “I have to get back to work before my boss comes out. She’s such a bitch.” She whispers that last part, and it makes Hao laugh. “Bye, Hao-unnie!”
Hao is bidding Hanbin goodbye before she disappears behind the metal doors, and she still has that stupid smile on her face. She also still has that terrible drink in her hand. She doesn’t even bother with ordering another; seeing Hanbin was enough to fuel her with energy.
To Hanbin’s surprise, it doesn’t take long for her to see Zhang Hao again.
She and her friends finally find an empty booth to eat their lunch in, but before Taerae sits down, she spots a familiar face on the other side of the cafeteria. “Hey, is that Zhang Hao?”
Hanbin peeks her head out to look, and lo and behold, through the sea of students sat Hao. Given that the weather was finally getting colder, she was wearing a cream cardigan with simple jeans, and her hair was braided into two low pigtails. While she undoubtedly looked good, the most notable thing was that she’s sitting alone.
“Wow. that’s depressing as shit.” Taerae notes.
“Right? Why do I actually feel bad for her?” Matthew adds.
Hanbin more than agrees, the sight is heartbreaking. This isn’t the first time she’s seen Hao sitting alone, either. Passing by, she’d catch glimpses of her sitting in the cafeteria, and if she wasn’t with Ricky, she’d be by herself, eyes either glued to the wall or her phone.
Hanbin wasn’t going to let that happen today.
“I’ll be right back.” She says, shuffling out of her seat and making her way across the cafeteria before she can change her mind. She did say she’d approach her next time, and Hanbin was a woman of her word.
She reaches Hao in no time, and like always, she surprises herself with what comes out of her mouth next. “Why are you always sitting by yourself?”
Hao is undoubtedly caught off guard, looking up at Hanbin through her bangs with wide eyes before she regains her footing, a furrow settling into her brows. “I don’t always sit alone.”
“Besides with Ricky.”
And at that, Hao huffs, looking down at her food as she picks at it. “I don’t have any other friends here.”
“Why not?” Asks Hanbin. There wasn’t any ill intent behind the question, she was genuinely curious— it was odd for someone with Hao’s popularity to seemingly have no friends.
Though it appears that Hao took the question differently, as the furrow in her brows is notably deeper when she looks up at Hanbin again.
“I don’t know, are you done interrogating me?” she snaps, but in a second her features soften, a look of regret masking her face before she’s looking away. “I'm sorry. I didn’t mean to get defensive.”
“It’s okay, I shouldn’t have asked.” Hanbin says, smiling understandingly at her. “Do you want to come sit with us?”
Hao follows Hanbin’s gaze, to which she finds Taerae and Matty already staring back. Matty begins to wave while Taerae beckons her over with her hand. “Okay.” She says.
Hanbin thinks that’s the end of it, seeing as Hao has already gotten out of her seat to follow her, but then she’s opening her mouth to speak again. “Wait!” she starts, successfully grabbing Hanbin’s attention. “Can I sit next to you? I’m not scared of your friends or anything, I just...”
She sounds hardly convincing when she’s looking off to the side as she says it, and Hanbin can’t help but smile even wider. “You don’t have to explain yourself, unnie. Yes, we can sit together.” She says, but she couldn’t just leave it at that. Ever since Hao had showed up at her door, Hanbin found that she loved to tease her, and would cease any chance to do it again. As they walk across the cafeteria, Hanbin steals a glance at her. “Wanna hold hands under the table too?”
A playful pout sets on Zhang Hao’s lips. “Are you fucking with me? Cause I’m going to say yes.”
As promised, Hao and Hanbin sit on one side of the booth, while Taerae and Matty occupy the other. “Hao-unnie, this is Taerae and Matty.”
“I know.” Hao says, waving at the two, and before Hanbin can question her on the matter, she opens her mouth again. “Oh yeah, how’d you know I was older than you?”
Hanbin can feel her cheeks setting ablaze in real time. “… I looked you up.” She admits shamefully, and all the while, Hao coos next to her.
“Aww, Hanbin-ah was thinking of me?”
“Unnie stop, you’re embarrassing me!”
The two are ripped from their brief little world when a barf sound comes from the other side of the table. Hao presumes it came from Taerae, if the look of disgust and hand covering her mouth were anything to go by.
Hao picks up a fry and points it at the girl sitting across from her. “Don’t be jealous, Taerae-ah. You have a pretty face, I’d look you up too.”
It’s Taerae’s turn to blush now, removing the hand covering her lips to deadpan at Hao. “Hey. You really shouldn’t just say things like that.”
Hanbin watches as Zhang Hao laughs, popping the fry into her mouth, and she can’t help but notice the lack of variety on Hao’s plate. “You’re only having fries?”
“Nothing else looked appetizing.” Hao shrugs, and Hanbin can’t help but take offense to it.
“Unnie, have you seen the japchae?” She says, gaping dramatically. “You have to try some. Here,” Hanbin gathers a small amount on her chopsticks and puts her hand under them as she leads it to Zhang Hao.
It’s the last thing she expects, but Hao opens her mouth nonetheless, wrapping her lips around Hanbin’s utensils without a second thought. When she finally starts chewing, her eyes widen in surprise as the flavors melt on her tongue, nodding her head feverishly. “Wow! It really is good!”
Hanbin nods along. “I told you! Have some more.” She says, gathering more to give her. She continues to stuff Hao’s mouth full of japchae, smiling contentedly every time she takes Hanbin’s offering with no hesitation. Hao eventually returns the favor, picking up fries from her own plate to feed Hanbin. They continue on like this for a while, and they’re so into it that they kind of forget Taerae and Matty sitting across from them.
Hanbin lets Hao feed her one more fry before she sadly holds her hand up in protest for more. “I’m going to go use the bathroom. I’ll be right back!” She says, sliding out of the booth with ease.
As soon as Hanbin is out of ears reach, Taerae leans forward in her seat, elbows on the table and all. “Have you tried asking her out again?” She questions.
“No. I think she just wants to be friends for now.” Hao admits, and she’s fine with that. After a brief talk with Ricky and a little reflecting done herself, Hao’s acknowledged that she came off too strong, and the last thing she’d want to do is rush Hanbin into something she isn’t interested in pursuing. She wouldn’t mind taking it slow with her either— it’d just mean she’d have even more time to spend with her.
“Dude. You guys were flirting like crazy just now.” Matty says matter-of-factly.
“Matty, it was a wholesome moment!” Taerae exclaims in disbelief.
“They were practically eye-fucking while feeding each other! Feeding each other?! How were they not flirting?”
Taerae rolls her eyes before centering her attention onto Zhang Hao once again. “Anyway, she obviously likes you. Trust me, we’d know.”
They’d know? “What do you mean, ‘you’d know’?” she asks.
“Can’t say any more. Girl code or whatever.” Taerae says, “But I think you should go for it again! You don’t suck as much as you did a few weeks ago. No offense.”
“None taken.” Hao says, and she means it— she’s aware that the ways in which she reacts in certain situations aren’t the best, or that she can be a little mean when she’s cranky, but she’s constantly working on bettering herself not just for Hanbin, but more importantly for herself. It was hard at first, but having a support system like Ricky, Taerae, and even Matty was making it ten times easier rather than when she was alone, traveling from country to country for work. Overall, she seems happier and healthier than the Hao she knew a few weeks ago.
“Thanks for helping me, by the way.” She says, just because it feels like the right thing to do at the moment. Taerae and Matty had no reason to help her so easily the way that they did, but they went along and did it anyway. “You can ask for whatever it is you wanted out of this now.”
Matty bits the inside of her cheek, running a finger alongside the edge of her bowl. “We don’t want anything.”
A confused sound makes its way through Zhang Hao’s throat. “What? But you-”
“I know what I said,” She starts, “I only said that because I didn’t like you, and I wanted something to hold over your head.” She says, and Hao can’t help but gawk at the confession. She raises both hands to cover her mouth that was now open in shock, a teasing smile taking over in seconds.
“Aww Matty, you like me?” She coos, and Matty rolls her eyes.
“Not anymore.”
Taerae joins Hao in her teasing, and it’s then that Hanbin returns, sliding herself right back into her spot next to Hao. “I’m back! Did you guys miss me?”
“Yes. Save me.” Matty pleads, reaching a hand out for good measure.
Hanbin laughs for a second, and then perks up. “Oh! Speaking of saving,” She starts, pulling out her phone, “Unnie, I was thinking we should exchange numbers.”
Hao hopes her surprise doesn’t show on her face. Or her blush. She briefly looks over to Taerae from across the table, and Hao isn’t surprised when she’s already staring back. She rightfully returns her attention back to Hanbin, trying her best to sound as nonchalant as possible. “Good idea, let’s.”
As soon as Hanbin is finished saving her contact in Hao’s phone, she hands it back to her, and Hao gets a message from Taerae.
Taerae ^-^
- she definitely wants to fuckkk😭😭😉✂️
So much for hiding her blush. Seriously, what was Taerae’s problem?! Hao’s sure she pretty much looks like a tomato right now considering the fact that her cheeks were on fire. Oh, and that Matty and Taerae were full on belly laughing from across the table.
Hanbin, clueless as ever, was too busy smiling at her phone to notice her friends’ abnormal behavior. She successfully got Hao’s number. She was a contact in the Zhang Hao’s phone. She could already envision them talking all night long. They’d obviously start with texting, but then they’d evolve into phone calls, and then video calls. Hanbin wonders what she looks like barefaced— how soft she must look as she’s lying in bed, getting ready to sleep. She wonders if she’d ever do anything else before bed, something that’d aid her in falling asleep. She’d imagine that Hao would think of her in that moment, remember her contact in her phone and call her, asking for her help. Hanbin would be at her door in under 2 milliseconds, putting her hands right where she needed her the most.
Taerae and Matty double over in laughter when they notice Hanbin behind her phone turn ten shades darker than Hao.
To Hao’s pleasant surprise, she and Hanbin have been texting pretty often.
It all started when Hao, on a whim, sent a picture of a cat that scarily resembles Hanbin, and told her as much. It earned Hao three laughing emojis from her, along with a picture of a red panda that presumably looked like Hao. It’s only been a week, but they’re talking more than comfortably, as if they’ve known each other for years. They’ve even got matching kaomojis, something Hanbin suggested considering she’d already saved her name in Hao’s phone with one. It’s gotten to a point where Zhang Hao dreads having to pull away from her phone to study or work, knowing she’d never get anything done if she didn’t discipline herself.
Finished with all of her school work for the day, Zhang Hao doesn’t waste any time flopping down onto her bed. It’s rare that she finds any time to relax before 8 o’clock, but attending school has weirdly given her more time to herself, most likely given that she wasn’t under the watchful eye of her mother 24/7.
She’s in the middle of scrolling through her feed when she gets a text from Hanbin, in which she wastes no time opening.
hanbinnie ˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶
- they’re so tight ㅠㅠ
- im def gonna get dress coded
- Attachment: 2 images
Zhang Hao was reasonably caught off guard by the photos sent.
They weren’t anything overly explicit— Hanbin was standing in front of a full body mirror, her phone covering her face. Hao didn’t have time to mourn the misfortune though, as she was too busy trying to catch her breath from the sight before her. She had on a sports bra, and the tightest shorts Zhang Hao thinks she’s ever seen. It didn’t help that they were short too, barely passing her upper thigh. And talk about her thighs. They were nice and thick, and complimented her perfectly. Her whole body was beautiful, toned and sound from her craft and all the hard work she put into herself.
The second pic was almost identical, only that her body was now half turned, displaying some of her toned back and plump ass. Zhang Hao responds before she can say anything vulgar.
hao-unnie (´｡•◡•｡`)♡
- they look fine to me?
hanbinnie ˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶
- OH MY GOD
- i’m so sorry i meant to send this to matty
- don’t look
- im so embarrassed
hao-unnie (´｡•◡•｡`)♡
- ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
hanbinnie ˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶
- why are you laughing at me.
hao-unnie (´｡•◡•｡`)♡
- because you’re so cute
- don’t be embarrassed
- are those for track?
hanbinnie ˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶
- yes but i put them in the dryer and now they can barely fittt
- and i won't have time to get more before practice tomorrow
hao-unnie (´｡•◡•｡`)♡
- aww my poor binnie
- you get them at the strip mall a few blocks down, right?
- i'm not doing anything important tomorrow, i can drop them off for you
hanbinnie ˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶
- no
- i couldn’t possibly ask you to do that
hao-unnie (´｡•◡•｡`)♡
- well good thing you don't have to
- because i'm going to do it anyway
hanbinnie ˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶
- omg
- unnieeeeee ㅠㅠ
- thank you so much
- thank you thank you thank you thank you
hao-unnie (´｡•◡•｡`)♡
- anything for you ♡
Hao was originally going to leave it at that, but a little voice in her head was egging her on, telling her to go for it. She wasn’t going to say anything too risky anyway, so why not?
hao-unnie (´｡•◡•｡`)♡
- your thighs look great by the way
It notably takes Hanbin a little longer to respond than usual, considering the fact that they were just texting each other only seconds ago. Zhang Hao half thinks her comment scared her off, but then her phone buzzes again.
hanbinnie ˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶
- thank you!! it’s all the running ^•^
- made them all nice and firm too
hao-unnie (´｡•◡•｡`)♡
- really?
- i guess i’ll have to see for myself
hanbinnie ˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶
- ????
hao-unnie (´｡•◡•｡`)♡
- tomorrow
- when i give you your shorts
- i'll just pinch them or something lol
Hao wanted to do more than just pinch.
hanbinnie ˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶
- ohhh lololol
- goodnight unnie
hao-unnie (´｡•◡•｡`)♡
- ? it’s 6 pm
- and you’re in lecture
hanbinnie ˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶
- goodnight.
Just as promised, Zhang Hao makes a stop to the mall about an hour before Hanbin’s practice time, knowing that she’d be slowed down by lingering fansites. The school is huge, so it does take her some time to find the track field, but when she finally does, she realizes that she and Hanbin didn’t discuss where to meet up prior.
She decides to sit on the last row of the bleachers, closest to the athletes who were already stretching themselves out on the field. She’s caught no sight of Hanbin yet, but she was sure to join them soon, so it seemed like the most reasonable spot.
In the middle of the sea of athletes does Hao spot three familiar faces. From here she can see Matty in a butterfly stretch, and right next to her is Taerae, lying on the ground as she gets her leg stretched out with the help of Gyuvin. She takes a quick picture of them, sends it to Taerae with no context, and laughs when she picks up her phone from beside her, looking up frantically until her eyes land on Hao.
It catches the attention of the other two girls who briefly stop their warm ups to wave at Hao from their positions, and she returns her attention back to her phone when she gets a notification from Taerae. ‘You’re such a creep. I hit my head on the floor ㅠㅠ’ it read, which made Hao laugh again, sending back a half-hearted apology. When she looks up again, she can't help but be a bit startled when she finds that there are now multiple eyes on her. She guesses the waving drew some attention.
It was a bit weird, but she was used to staring at this point, so she just glued her eyes onto her phone again, patiently awaiting Hanbin’s arrival.
It only takes a few minutes after that for Hanbin to show up, seemingly popping up out of nowhere, and she takes Hao by surprise when she doesn’t say a word as she pulls her up from her seat, leading her to the back of a building Hao presumes are the locker rooms.
“Hi to you too, Binnie.” She jokes, but she’s not sure the joke lands when the flat look on Hanbin’s face doesn't falter. When they’re finally secluded, Hao’s back to the brick wall and Hanbin adjacent to her, it’s then that the ladder speaks.
“You shouldn’t have waited there, unnie.” She says, the dissapproval in her voice clear as day.
“What? Where did you want me to wait?” Hao asks, and Hanbin’s frown only deepens.
“I don’t know, not there.” She says, not even looking at Zhang Hao as she does so. Something wasn’t right, Hanbin was obviously bothered by something, and Zhang Hao wouldn’t rest until she figured out just what was making her Hanbin so restless. She grabs a soft hold on Hanbin’s arm as she chases her fleeing gaze.
“Hey, what’s wrong?” She asks, watching as Hanbin bites at the corner of her lip nervously.
“It’s stupid.” She mumbles.
“Nonsense. Talk to me.” She says firmly, leaving no room for Hanbin to doubt her willingness to listen. It seems to have paid off, since Hanbin was finally meeting her gaze, toying with the hem of her shirt. She hasn’t even said anything, yet her face betrays her with the speed in which it reddens.
“It’s just that… everyone was staring at you, unnie.” She admits, and Hao almost can’t believe what she’s hearing. The speed in which Hanbin had pulled her away from the crowd, the scowl on her face as she did so, her overall demeanor as of right fucking now: Hanbin was jealous. Hao had never pinned her as the envious type, but she wasn’t going to start complaining. It’s like Hanbin can see the cogs working in Hao’s head, quickly scrambling in an attempt to save face. “I-I mean, doesn’t it bother you?”
She was too cute. Hao decides to not tease her, rather playing along instead. She was already flustered enough as it is. “Aw, my sweet Binnie. I’m pretty used to people staring at me. Don’t worry for me too much, okay?”
Hao watches as the worried features melt off her face, morphing into something gentler, a small smile making its way onto her face. “Yeah, okay.” She nods, then slightly perks up as if she just remembered something. “Oh yeah, do you have the shorts?”
“Oh right! Here you go.” she says, and not even two seconds after handing them over is she engulfed in a tight hug from Hanbin.
“Thank you thank you thank you! I seriously don’t know what’d I do without you.” she says, earning her a laugh from Hao.
“Of course, anything for you, Binnie.” she says. Realizing that what she came to do was accomplished, she starts slowly retreating from the premises, sporting a half smile Hanbin’s way. “Well, I guess I'll leave you to it then.”
Hao’s proud to say that she’s kind of mastered Hanbin’s mannerisms by now, and could tell hat Hanbin was going to say something before she could leave.
“Wait!” She says, even though Hao isn’t going anywhere, her attention all Hanbin’s. “If you’re not busy, would you like to stay? Practice shouldn’t be too long today.”
Hao’s trying her best to suppress her smile right now. She was hoping Hanbin would invite her to stay. There was nothing waiting for her at her dorm but boredom, and she’d desperately wanted to hang out with Hanbin this whole week, never getting the chance to— until now. She was going to say yes, but then Hanbin is opening her mouth to speak again before she can accept.
“But if not I totally understand! Was just throwing the idea out there, since you mentioned wanting to see me run a few days ago. Don't feel pressured to-”
“Hanbin. I’d love to stay.” she says. As if she’d ever say no.
“Oh! Okay, cool!” Hanbin bubbled, bouncing on the balls of her feet in excitement. “You can have a seat on the bleachers. But a little farther than where you were sitting before.”
“Okay, let’s go.” Said Hao, and with that, they make their way back, Hanbin joining her teammates on the field and Hao settling down onto the bleachers.”
Practice was interesting, to say the least.
As soon as the girls finished warming up, they ran through a set of various drills that Zhang Hao’s sure would knock the wind out of her within seconds. Nonetheless, none of the girls had faltered, only pushing through no matter how intense it got.
She’s never doubted Hanbin’s talent for a second, but seeing it in person was something else entirely. She was easily one of the fastest on the team, and her stamina was seemingly never ending— Zhang Hao thinks she could watch her run for hours on end.
When they’re finally done, the girls make their way to the locker rooms (Gyuvin and Matty race there. Matty won.), leaving Zhang Hao alone for a while. She occupies herself with her phone, but the chilling breeze that picks up gets harder to ignore as the seconds pass.
Zhang Hao’s on her fourth email when the doors of the building are swung open, the track team egressing in no orderly manner, laughing and speaking amongst one another as if they hadn’t just worked their asses off. As the group of girls exit the field, a familiar three detach themselves from the group and make their way to Hao. As they get closer, she can’t help but notice the lack of Hanbin around.
After some catching up and a heated debate on who won the race to the locker rooms (Gyuvin swears she was the first to touch the wall, but Zhang Hao has eyes), Hao asks about Hanbin’s whereabouts.
“Oh right! She said you can join her inside. Said it’s too cold out.” Taerae explains, a little too calmly for Zhang Hao’s liking, considering the implications of what ‘join her inside’ holds. She hopes she doesn’t look as flustered as she feels.
“What?” she questions, and it earns her an eye roll from Taerae.
“Calm down, she’s done showering. She just has a super long face routine.”
“..I am calm.”
“And I like men. Bye, Zhang Hao!” she says, and then all three girls are bidding her goodbye before walking off. Hao guesses that just leaves her. To go meet Hanbin in the locker rooms. Alone.
Fuck this, Zhang Hao can do this! She wasn’t a little girl, she is an adult, and can handle herself just fine. Raising from her seat, she takes long and confident strides towards and into the building, following the signs that sooner or later lead her to the locker rooms.
Her confidence begins to dwindle the closer she gets to the humming in the middle of the room, presuming it to be Hanbin. She’s proven to be right only seconds later, peeking from the corner to reveal Hanbin straddling a bench, pulling out a product from her shower caddy. Her hair was still wet, cascading down her tank top, and she just had to have those shorts on. Zhang Hao doesn’t even have to present herself, Hanbin seemingly sensing her presence before she had the chance to.
“Hey! Sorry to have you in here like this, I didn’t want you getting cold outside.” she explains.
“It’s okay. Am I allowed to be in here?” Questions Hao, looking around the space for any other lingering bodies.
“You’re fine. We’re usually the last ones in here since we have practice last, so it’s just me and you.” she says, and it’s enough to calm Hao’s nerves. For the most part.
“Alright. Hey, what products are you using?” Hao asks, walking closer to her.
“Mostly Inisfree and Beauty of Joseon. They work really well, unnie.”
“Cleary, your face is fucking perfect. So dewy all the time.” she says, and it successfully gets Hanbin to blush, letting out a bashful ‘thank you’. Seeing all of the products laid out in the caddy brings back fond memories of times she and Ricky would do each others’ night routines at sleepovers, and it gives her an idea. “Can I help?” she asks, and is more than happy to see Hanbin perk up at the offer.
“Sure! It beats just watching.” she says, and hands her a cotton pad with a tiny bottle. “Here, you can apply the toner.”
Considering the fact that Hanbin was almost sitting at the end of the bench, Zhang Hao opts out to sort of looming over her, leaning her weight onto the edge of the bench as she lets the toner pad soak into Hanbin’s skin. It isn’t the most comfortable position, but Hanbin looked far too angelic for her to bother with looking away.
Hanbin seems to have caught onto Hao’s discomfort by the time Zhang Hao gets to applying the serum. “Sit down, unnie.” she suggests.
“Sit down where, silly.” Hao teases, giggling as she finishes up with the toner.
Eyes still closed as she relishes Zhang Hao’s delicate touches, Hanbin, serious as ever, pats the expanse of her thigh.
Zhang Hao cuts her giggling short.
Because nothing was funny anymore. Zhang Hao knew what she said yesterday, about ‘seeing for herself’, but she didn’t anticipate it happening so soon! She at least needed time to mentally prepare herself, yet here she was, with the opportunity sitting right in the palm of her hand.
Hao will admit, she is a bit nervous, but she wasn’t planning on letting Hanbin know that. She had to be strong, stand up for herself or whatever. Briefly stopping her touches on Hanbin’s face, Hao sits herself onto Hanbin’s right thigh, and in that moment realizes that no picture could even come close to the real thing. “Yeah, this is better.” she says, and she absolutely eats up the huge smirk that makes its way onto Hanbin’s face from doing so.
“Told you.” Hanbin says smugly.
They were impossibly closer like this, Hao practically being able to feel Hanbin’s breath on her wrist, and fuck did Hanbin look good. Her eyes were still closed, and Zhang Hao ceased the opportunity to ogle at her. From her long lashes to the plush of her lips, Hanbin was utterly perfect. There was no other way to put it. Zhang Hao has seen hundreds of models in her lifetime, yet she’s a thousand perfect sure they have nothing on Hanbin. And how lucky Zhang Hao was to be sitting in her lap. Right, she had forgotten about that part. Yet when her gaze somehow falls to Hanbin’s breasts, it’s suddenly the only thing on her mind, and the throb in her cunt gets harder and harder to ignore.
She just wanted a little release, so that she could better focus on the task at hand. Hanbin wouldn’t notice, right? It’d just be brushed off as Hao readjusting herself, getting comfortable. It wouldn’t be far off from the truth. As subtle as she can, Zhang Hao shuffles a bit to the left before repositioning herself at the center of Hanbin’s thigh again, and it offers her just enough friction to help her settle down. She pays close attention to Hanbin’s facial features, fearful that she may have caught on, but she seems none the wiser, eyes shut and face still as she savors the touch of Hao’s fingers on her skin.
For the next few minutes, the only sounds that filled the room were their tranquil breathing, and the silence allowed for Zhang Hao’s thoughts to wander, always leading back to some obscene scene that always starred Hanbin. Hao copes by repeating the movement she originally obtained relief with, and she can’t help the sigh that leaves her lips when the inner seam of her jeans rub right against her clit. She does this a couple of more times, under the guise of getting comfortable, and her hands start to falter as she tries to focus on finishing up the last step of Hanbin’s routine.
She’s so lost in the pleasure that she doesn’t see Hanbin’s hands moving to grab at her waist, stopping her dead in her tracks and successfully startling her.
“Do you think I’m stupid?” she asks casually, finally opening her eyes to fix a salacious gaze on the girl sitting above her. With their position, Hanbin was forced to look up at Hao, and with her wet hair and dewy skin, paired with the sudden dominance, she looked like the embodiment of sex. Zhang Hao was bound to be caught off guard.
“I- what?” Hao scrambled, far too startled to think up anything else.
“So you do think I’m stupid.” Hanbin says, tightening her grip on Hao’s waist. "If you really wanted it, you could've just asked, y'know."
Hao was about to claim ignorance, say she has no idea what Hanbin is talking about, but then she’s opening her mouth once again. “Instead of beating around the bush. Did you find that funny yesterday?”
And oh my God, Zhang Hao didn’t think she’d be held accountable for her silly little remark. Funny— the comment she made yesterday that was meant to taunt Hanbin was now being used against her. She can’t think about it any longer though, not when Hanbin’s hands were on the move again.
"Had me thinking about you, just like this.” she sighs out dreamily, smoothing her palms over the curve of her ass. “While I was in lecture, and you knew I was. I was so sore, and I couldn't even do anything about it." She whines, which Hao thinks isn’t fair, considering she’s the one who’s preventing Hao from getting off. Yet all of Hao’s thoughts cease to exist when Hanbin looks up at her with a pout on her lips and a furrow in her brows, never ceasing the circular motion of her hands against her ass. "You're so mean, jiejie."
At that moment, Hao comes to the conclusion that Sung Hanbin is fucking insane.
Insane for looking so lewd with her hair all wet and her boobs practically spilling out of her tank top, insane for giving her those puppy eyes despite their current predicament, insane for making her sit on her lap and have her nearly come untouched in a fucking locker room, of all places. She couldn’t contain the moan that escaped her mouth even if she tried.
She doesn’t even have time to be embarrassed by the volume of it, not when Hanbin is pressing their lips together, swallowing the sound in a second. Hao takes her hands and holds Hanbin’s face for stability, nearly falling over from trying to get impossibly closer to her.
Hanbin seems to sense her eagerness, selfishly backing up from the kiss to laugh. “Are you trying to fall?” she asks, but Hao barely registers it, the only thing on her mind being how Hanbin’s hands have found their way back to her waist and she wasn’t doing anything.
In a poor attempt to get some friction, Hao tries to rock her hips forward, but she’s no match for Hanbin’s iron grip. She moves her hands to Hanbin’s shoulders and squeezes with a pout. “Hanbin, move.”
Regrettably for her, Hanbin doesn’t move an inch, instead fixing her with a stern gaze that held no fire behind it. “Look at you, so used to getting whatever you want. Where are your manners?” she says, and Hao’s never apologized faster in her life.
“Sorry, m’sorry.” she pants, right as Hanbin moves to nip at her neck, clearly paying her apology no mind.
“Mm. Are you really?”
“Hanbin!” she pouts, and she has no idea why Hanbin is laughing because none of this was funny.
“Okay, okay. Sorry, you’re too easy to mess with. Who would’ve thought?” She says, finally easing up on her grip. The slither of freedom allows for Hao to move her hips again, eyes fluttering shut when Hanbin helps her grind against the toned muscle. “You’re usually so put together, but right now? You’re falling apart, jiejie.”
“ It’s your fault- haah,” Zhang Hao can barely defend herself when Hanbin’s lips latch onto her neck again, sucking at different spots harshly, not long enough to leave any marks.
“Oh really? Even though you’re the one who couldn’t control yourself, just had to ride my thigh, huh?” she says defensively. Even so, she doesn’t halt her hands on Hao’s hips, guiding them in a slow circular motion as she watches her face contort in pure bliss. Hanbin was wet beneath her own briefs, yet she was in no rush to do anything about it. She’s much more interested in the way Zhang Hao was using her to get off, hands on her shoulders for stability as she grinded against Hanbin’s thigh. As she rolled her head back and to the side, her long hair moved with a life of its own, biting her bottom lip in hopes of softening the moans that fell from them.
Hao doesn’t even feel like bickering anymore, too focused on chasing her pleasure to win against Hanbin. She instead decides to kiss her again, deeming it too long since their lips have touched. Grabbing her face in her hands again, Hao mashes their mouths together, and relishes the sound that comes from Hanbin as she does so. This kiss— if you can even call it that— is messier than the first. In theory, they’re just seeing who can manage to swallow the other’s tongue first. Hao briefly pauses, panting against Hanbin’s jaw as her hips falter. “S’rry, felt so good,”
Oh how Hanbin wishes they were in the comfort of her own dorm. “Yeah? Are you close?” She asks against her lips, and Hao nods rapidly, whining into the heat of her mouth. It’s obvious that she was getting tired, so Hanbin flexes her thigh, grinding Hao’s cunt back and forth for her when she finally goes lax, earning an appreciative moan from her as soon as she does. “Just wait til I get you on my fingers. Will you let me one day, jiejie?”
The inner seam of Zhang Hao’s pants gets caught in between her folds again, and she lets out a high pitched moan that reverberates over the whole locker room. “Yes! Please, please fuck me, please-”
Her words make Hanbin stutter in her actions before she regains her footing, grinding Hao impossibly harder onto her flexed muscle. “So dirty. Imagine what people would say if they saw you like this?”
And that serves to be the final straw for Hao, nails digging so deep into Hanbin’s shoulders that she actually winces, her eyes rolled back and lips parted as she lets out a silent moan, finally coming undone. Hanbin coos in her ear as she helps her all throughout, slowing down Hao’s hips until she twitches from the overstimulation.
Hanbin thinks her beauty is practically fatal at this moment, and she tells her that much. She laughs when Zhang Hao finally comes back to her senses, burying her face in the crook of Hanbin’s neck in a poor attempt to hide the flush on her cheeks.
“Stop it.” She mumbles.
“Why’re you getting all shy now, huh?” Hanbin teases, nudging at her cheek. Hao gives in and raises her head, meeting Hanbin’s eyes with a blissful gaze.
“I didn’t anticipate this. Like, at all.”
“Me either. Did you like it?” She asks, eyes wide and hopeful.
Zhang Hao smiles fondly at her as she cups her face into her palms. “I did.” She says, diving down to meet their lips in a tender kiss, taking her time to study every feature and aspect of Hanbin’s mouth before she pulls away. “And I really like you, Hanbinnie.”
Hanbin’s cheeks move under Zhang Hao’s hold as her smile widens, and Hao swears she sees sparkles in her eyes. “I really like you more.”
Zhang Hao thinks back to what Taerae and Matty said, and thinks there’s no better time than now to pop the question again. “So does this mean you’ll let me take you out on a date now? Please?”
Hanbin giggles at her cuteness— as if she’d say no after what just transpired. “Yes, Hao. Let’s go on a date.”