Work Text:
From the 365 (or sometimes even 366) days that existed, other than the festivities in each country and city, there would always be one highly anticipated day on the calendar– other than Christmas, that is.
It’s a day where every expensive restaurant in the streets of Gangnam was fully booked for a reservation dinner. A day where flower shops, and even the candy shops, produce extra stocks for that day as they predict to have their peak hours, selling every last piece of flowers and chocolates they have. A day where you see couples holding hands and sometimes shamelessly making out on the streets being proud that they actually have someone in their life. It’s a day where being with someone and having plans became a must.
Ah yes, Valentine's day.
Perhaps some people were too excited for that day to come. The moment February starts, a lot of people already planned something for that day. Usually, couples go out on dates and do something extra special like go on a trip far away from home. Sometimes people take this day as a chance to confess to the person they like. (Very high school, if you think about it)
But to Kihyun, Valentine’s Day was a day of profiting from shy people and playing cupid for a day.
It started when he was a freshman in college. The seniors in his university would always keep an eye out for the juniors that seem to be interesting, eyeing them like prey and easy targets for whatever they intend to do on Valentine’s Day. Usually, it’s just to have someone with them for the day. Taking someone out for a date so that they won’t be alone. It was no question that everyone was already informed about the scheme and sometimes the juniors would like the idea.
Kihyun had a fair share of seniors asking him out on Valentine's Day. Though people would expect him to say yes and actually go out with them like every freshmen would, with Kihyun it was different. Since he was in high school, he would rather stay at home with his roommate and best friend, Minhyuk, and have a movie marathon, all warmed up by thick blankets and hot chocolate on that said spring day.
And people actually respected that. He didn’t need to make up an excuse like: you’re a great guy but I’m already going out with someone kind of reason. His innocent charm easily made its way to people’s hearts. He was a nice student after all. Greeting everyone he sees, helping a professor whenever he sees them struggling on the university grounds, participating and helping in every university event there was.
Kihyun was known to be very helpful, since saying no was kind of hard for him in some terms.
"I really like him, Ki." Minhyuk whined to his best friend. "I've been trying so hard to drop subtle hints but he just won't understand!"
"How about you ask him out on Valentine's day and get this over with?" Kihyun casually shrugged off turning the page of his book report.
Minhyuk scoffed, "Easy for you to say just because you don’t like anyone."
"What do you want me to do? Pass your message and tell Jooheon you like him?" He sarcastically suggested, not really fond of the idea of losing his valentine’s buddy.
But Minhyuk thought it was a great idea and perhaps that was how he ended up outside the music hall with sunflowers and chocolates in hand. It wasn't even Valentine's day. It was two days before that cursed day and Minhyuk suggested Kihyun to go to Jooheon personally to ask him out on a date, as per Minhyuk, so they can go out on a date exactly on Valentine’s Day.
He hasn't even stepped foot on the music hall yet he already saw a couple of eyes looking at him as he approached Jooheon.
"Hey Joo." He shyly spoke as the younger looked up from his phone with a bright smile. Kihyun saw the way his expressions changed immediately when he noticed the flowers. "I-Uhm, It's not what you think?" He started too quickly, handing the items to the older.
"Please enlighten me." Jooheon chuckled, taking the flowers and chocolates from Kihyun’s hands.
"I-It's not from me!" He stammered nervously as if it was him confessing, there were a few sighs of relief in the room making him look around the area.
Kihyun knew people were looking at them. It’s pretty obvious a lot of people admire Jooheon in this room as they were staring at them like a hawk. "Minhyuk is too shy to ask you if you want to go out on Valentine's day, so I did my friend a favour." He quickly said with an awkward smile.
Jooheon’s eyes lit up at the mention of Minhyuk’s name. He brought the flowers closer to him inhaling the scent of the sunflower, "He's such a kid."
"You like him too, don't you?" Kihyun asked quietly as Jooheon nodded, blushing. "Then go out with him."
And that was how everything started. In fact, Jooheon and Minhyuk got together because of Kihyun’s lead in sending a message.
A lot of people found out what he did for his friend that day ( because of the nosy music majors) . They thought it was a good idea and a few people asked Kihyun the next day if he could send a message to the people they like too since Kihyun is very nice and likeable, there must be a high chance of getting those people to like them.
It’s funny that people thought that Minhyuk and Jooheon got together because of him, when in fact Kihyun could confirm it was all on the pair.
But then again, if he was going to do people a favour by becoming a mailman for a day, why not do it at a cost of 1000 KRW per message? and maybe 5000 KRW with flowers too?
Normally, people would rather do it themselves but he did not expect a lot of people to be shy about what they feel about a person. Sometimes he forgets that he is in college because this favour he does is very high school or even middle school if you consider it.
But thinking about it, they live in an age where everything is just a click away. Papers were suddenly overrated that people would rather text a person asking them out than a small personalised note made with love. So it warmed his heart thinking that maybe nothing is too overrated with love.
The first time he did it, there were already a lot of people. Around twenty people asked him to send a message to a person they like. Out of those twenty, you could say that ten of them actually got together because the feelings were mutual and they found the method sweet. The rest didn't end that well because of a few misunderstandings. ( "Hey," Kihyun smiled, "I'm here to pass a message from someone, he wants to tell you that you look beautiful today." He said handing the small written note of the person.
"Really? No need to be shy, Kihyun. I know it's you.")
Or maybe life is just unpredictable sometimes and doesn't go the way he wanted them to.
For this year, tons of messages were already sent before the month even started. They were so keen on sending them because Kihyun wasn't able to do much last year because of his personal schedule as it timed with his presentation for his major course.
But this year, his last year of doing it, everything was much more organised and he was more than ready to play cupid with the help of his friends.
Half of the messages were scheduled a few days before valentines. Most of them give out information of their date, or people giving personal letters just to make their loved one smile. But today is already valentine's day and most of them were confession messages.
"Do we still accept notes sent in today?" Jooheon asked organising the set of notes and flowers he needed to give out for today. “Hyungwon sent in something today.”
Kihyun counted the notes he had for today realising another one wouldn’t hurt, "I'll take them. I’m going to the dance hall anyway." He said taking the note from Jooheon. “It’s not for Hyungwon, it’s for someone at the music hall?” Jooheon cleared the assumptions.
“Hyungwon likes someone from the music major?” Kihyun mentally took note to tease his friend today if he has the chance.
Jooheon shrugged unsure of the information, “Something like that.”
Sticking a heart on his the upper part of his cheeks, accentuating his cheekbones whenever he smiles, and with his newly dyed red hair, he wore a simple white button up shirt with his usual denim pants, messily tucking them in his jeans as a style.
As expected, the station near the university had a lot of cheap flowers and chocolates. Even handmade cards people were giving away with an origami rose for free. The train itself was full of heart shaped paper pasted onto the glass windows. There is no way you wouldn’t be able to tell that today was really Valentine's Day.
Ah, yes. A day of capitalism.
Regularly, Kihyun doesn't really have a class every Friday but since Valentine's Day is on a Friday this year and he was paid to send love notes, he stepped foot on the campus grounds ( even if he doesn’t want to) . Though he had been passing notes since Monday, today always had a different feel to it.
He looked at the list of messages to be sent seeing that the first one wasn’t that far from the gate. It said that the person might be around the field at this time– 10:00am .
"Broad shoulders with plump lips." Kihyun chuckled. What a great description— he sarcastically thought.
But surprisingly, it was actually enough for Kihyun to sight a person that fit that description. Looking at the mirror once more checking if he looked decent, he walked towards a man supposedly named Hyunwoo.
"Son Hyunwoo?" Kihyun spoke from behind causing the other to jump in surprise.
"What the fuck, you surprised me!" Hyunwoo said, shaky hands on top of his heaving chest. "You could've just tapped me first!"
Kihyun just laughed at the senior handing him the note a guy named Hoseok sent. “A note from someone.”
Hyunwoo hesitantly took the small note at hand before realising who Kihyun was, “You’re that guy that gives notes on Valentine’s right?”
“I am.” Kihyun smiled tapping on the heart sticker on his cheek, “Have a great day!”
“Wait!” Hyunwoo stopped him, rushing to his bag to get a piece of paper and pen. “Wait for me.”
Kihyun watched him quickly write something on the paper, folding it and handing it to him. “Can you send this for me? Lee Hoseok, Music Hall.”
“You know people pay for this.” Kihyun retorted showing him the entire list of people he still needed to deliver a note for.
“I will pay.” Hyunwoo rolled his eyes handing him 2000 KRW . “Is that enough?”
“Too much but I accept the tip.” Kihyun grinned, turning his back to go to the music hall. “You’re lucky I’m going there next. Happy Valentine’s day!” He greeted one last time.
Passing through the buildings, a lot of people greeted him with a Happy Valentine’s. Random people from the university giving away chocolates and flowers that he gladly received before he neared the music hall.
He checked the mini folder he had that separated each note from each building. There were a total of five notes for the music hall and one of them had a flower– “Lee Jooheon?” his eyes squinted at the list before realising that Minhyuk managed to slip in a note for free for his boyfriend.
Kihyun already knew where Jooheon’s room was so he decided to just get it over with going inside the studio he managed to rent every friday. Without any warning, he opened the door nagging at his friend. “You know I don’t do this for free, right?”
Surprised, Jooheon jumped from his seat, hands clutched to his chest, “Do you not know how to knock?!” He exclaimed, trying to catch his breath from the surprise.
“Your boyfriend gave you a note.” Kihyun said rolling his eyes at the pair, “You’re both not free until 6pm. You still need to help me. It’s our deal.”
“I’m doing my job, don’t worry.”
“Uhhhh, Hello?” A voice from the booth said. It was when Kihyun realised that Jooheon wasn’t alone and that he was with–
“Oh! Hoseokie hyung!” Kihyun was the one who exclaimed this time, fetching the note Hyunwoo managed to add to the notes he needed to send. “Hyunwoo hyung gave something back.”
Hoseok snickered getting out of the booth before taking the note from Kihyun. “He’s such a child.”
“Same thing Jooheon said about Minhyuk three years ago.” Kihyun recalled.
“Do you still have notes to pass in this hall?” Jooheon asked.
“Five more.”
“Who?”
Kihyun checked the names one by one from his folder, “Lee Jooheon, Lee Hoseok, Kim Namjoon, Min Yoongi and…” He trailed off looking for the last one, “Im Changkyun?”
“Oh?” Hoseok glanced at the note, “Someone gave your crush a note?”
Kihyun gave him an annoyed glance reminding him that he likes someone. “Who received this note?” asked Kihyun seriously at a confused Jooheon.
“Someone who likes the same person as you?” was the only thing Jooheon could reply.
For the past three years he had been sending notes, last year was perhaps the most memorable one. It was when someone was sending his hyung, Hoseok, notes. Up until today, they weren’t able to figure out which person it was (but it doesn’t really matter now because Hoseok has Hyunwoo now) .
At that time, he wasn’t friends with Hoseok yet but his secret admirer managed to prepare a week full of notes for Hoseok and in that week of meeting Hoseok, he wasn’t the only person he met.
Memories came to him as if he could foresee the same thing happening today. Too clear and vivid to the point that he’s afraid of walking inside a door without knocking anymore. (Jooheon and Minhyuk’s room as an exception because he’d seen worse)
The thing was, Kihyun already knew Hoseok’s studio in the building after two days of sending him a note. Hoseok’s voice saying “You can just go in tomorrow” lingered in his brain that third day he went to their building.
So he did.
“Hey Hoseok hyung, I’m back again today.” said Kihyun closing the door behind him. But instead of Hoseok he was welcomed by someone else, “Y-You’re not Hoseok hyung?” He pointed out, embarrassed by his sudden entrance. He bowed too quickly to apologise, “S-Sorry.”
The other just chuckled, a deep chuckle to be exact . Before Kihyun was able to compose himself. It was only then when he was able to look at the person’s face.
The dimly lit studio was enough for Kihyun to see his beautiful features. A shadow accentuating his perfect lined jaw and sharp nose. Lidded eyes looking at him with a deep dimple peeking through his small smile after chuckling.
“Hoseok hyung’s time in the studio just ended. He left a few minutes ago.” The person explained.
Kihyun, still mesmerised by the man in front of him, just nodded, mumbling a small thank you before he left the room.
Since then he couldn’t get the other out of his head. At first, Kihyun didn’t want to think about it so much since he wasn’t the type of person to fall for someone just because of his looks. But by the end of the week full of notes for Hoseok, without forgetting to knock the door to the studio anymore, he was able to catch both Hoseok and him in the same room.
“Oh! Last note?” said Hoseok smiling at Kihyun as he nodded in response, “I might meet them soon then.
“Not so sure about that.” Kihyun replied knowing what was written.
“ Hyung?” A familiar voice filled the studio as Kihyun saw the person he met a few days ago inside the booth. “It’s you again.” The person acknowledged.
Kihyun shyly waved at him, not noticing the smirk plastered on Hoseok’s face.
“His name is Changkyun.” Hoseok whispered, even though the named person couldn’t hear them from the booth. “And you’re blushing.”
“It’s the blush.” He reasoned out, feeling his now burning face before pushing the other in annoyance. “I’m leaving.” Kihyun announced waving at two, not giving Changkyun a chance to talk to him.
Though Kihyun thought that was the end, after developing a friendship with Hoseok and finding out that Hoseok was also friends with Jooheon, he ended up spending a lot of time with the older. To which it led to more teasing of the day he met Changkyun, and a few encounters with the person but from a distance.
Every time Hoseok would invite him and his friends to a presentation, there was an unsettling feeling for Kihyun because he knew he would see Changkyun as well. And the more Hoseok invited him, the more he went to the presentation for Changkyun and not his friend. Basically, Kihyun learned what kind of person Changkyun was through the eyes of Hoseok and it wasn’t a good experience for him.
All in all, Changkyun was a cute younger friend to Hoseok who is very affectionate and cares a lot for other people. He is the type to observe people so that he would know what kind of approach he would go for with that person. He is sensitive, but the good kind of sensitive who knows their limits. His love for music couldn’t be described by any words when he found out that he books the studio in the music hall for an entire 12 hours. According to Hoseok he is very cheeky and god Kihyun wants to be friends with him.
But just like every other person he profits from, he is shy . He never had the guts to even attempt a conversation with him. Sure they’re in the same party and event but you could never get Kihyun to talk to Changkyun– or does Changkyun even have any interest in Kihyun.
It’s ironic to think that every year in the past three years, all Kihyun does was help other people during Valentine’s Day but Kihyun couldn’t even help himself.
And for some reason, his job is giving him a chance to talk to him.
“I’m gonna go crazy.” Kihyun deadpanned, “Joo, do this for me.”
“No.”
“I said take this.”
“I said no.”
“Jooheon!” Kihyun whined, “I’ve managed to not talk to him for a year now let’s keep it that way.”
Hoseok took the note from Kihyun but instead of being the one giving it to Changkyun, he puts it back where it belonged– Kihyun’s folder, “It’s not like you’re the one asking Changkyun out. So stop whining and do your job. It’s your last chance for this and you’re graduating in months anyway.”
Kihyun paused.
He thought hard.
He let out an exasperated sigh before announcing that he’s leaving.
There weren’t enough notes for the music hall to lengthen the time he has before he knocks the studio for the mentally announced last note for this building. Kihyun walked as slow as he could, not considering that Namjoon or Yoongi might be gone in their own studios but it didn’t really matter as he was able to give the notes successfully.
Now, on his way and basically dragging himself towards the final studio, his head feels heavy trying to compose himself. He probably stood in front of the door for at most five minutes before he had gathered all the courage to knock on the door.
Hearing the door unlock added to the height of his nerves before a raven haired man peeked through the door. “Oh! Hoseokie hyung is not here.” He said fully opening the door, revealing him in a cute red hoodie.
“Ah, I’m not looking for Hoseok. I’m looking for you.” said Kihyun through his not so obvious shaky breath.
“Really? Come in then.” Changkyun welcomed him, sitting back at the chair he probably sat on before opening the door for Kihyun. Kihyun tried to drag himself in, close enough to calming his nerves down as he was already inside the studio and there was no more backing out.
“I do this thing every Valentine’s day where I hand out notes from people to another.” Kihyun explains showing the bag of notes and the heart on his cheek to explain further, “Someone sent you a note.”
“That’s nice of you to do.”
“They pay me.”
“Makes sense.” He acknowledged taking the note from Kihyun’s hand, “That’s it?”
“Usually, yeah.”
Kihyun watched Changkyun open the small note, quietly reading it for his eyes only. He saw how the younger’s lips curved to a small smile, perhaps liking what was written. “Everything alright?”
“Do you know who this is from?” Changkyun quietly asked, eyes finally meeting his.
Kihyun checked his list, no information written about the note. “Not really. I didn’t receive this request of note. Probably Jooheon or Minhyuk knows who.”
“Yoo Kihyun?”
Kihyun blanched. “H-Huh?”
“It says here it’s from Yoo Kihyun.” Changkyun whispered, rubbing the nape of his head. “Do you know him?”
Surprised, he took the note from his hands reading it for himself.
Hi Changkyun,
Happy Valentine’s Day! I just want to tell you that I like you probably for a long time now but I don’t know how to tell you. Now you know, I guess?
I also wanted to know if you would like to go out on a date with me?
Hope you have a great day.
– Yoo Kihyun.
He took a sharp inhale, “I don’t know a Yoo Kihyun.” said by the named one, biting his lip nervously because of the unexpected trap he fell for. Fucking Minhyuk and Jooheon and probably Hoseok too.
“You’re a Yoo Kihyun, right?” said Changkyun, smiling.
“I’m a what?”
“You like me?”
“Huh?”
“Is Yoo Kihyun a common name?”
“Maybe.”
This is bad.
Kihyun’s hand trembled, unable to dodge the situation he is in right now. His entire body felt heavier like he couldn’t drag himself anywhere but to stay here and face it.
“I didn’t write that.” Kihyun cleared up, mentally exhausted from the stress. “I meant it when I said there was no information other than that note.”
“I know.” said Changkyun, scanning the note. “I know Hyungwon’s writing and I can tell he wrote this.”
Kihyun cocked his head to the side, confused with what he just heard. Remembering that Hyungwon asked Jooheon to slip in a note earlier. A note that Kihyun didn’t even notice was for Changkyun.
“Why did you even ask if you already knew Hyungwon wrote it?” Kihyun didn’t mean to but it came out as a rude question and it was way too late to take it back, “Why would Hyungwon even write something like that claiming to be me?”
It was Changkyun’s turn to let out a loud sigh, perhaps realising that he took the bait of the note as well. Knowing that there’s no way out of this studio.
“Maybe because it’s what I would want to happen.”
The dimly lit studio suddenly became a little brighter but the walls opposed as he felt the studio to be smaller. Like everything around him was enclosing the two of them. He tried to regain composure that he never had the moment he stepped in the room but there was nothing to distract the answer he had just heard. A whole breath coming up to his head, waiting to be let out as words but Kihyun couldn’t find the words to say.
Instead, Kihyun mumbled a quiet “What?”
“Because I just want to tell you that I like you, probably for a long time now but I don’t know how to tell you.” Changkyun mouthed the words as if it was meant to be heard, “Now you know, I guess?”
“Would you also want to know if I would like to go out on a date with you?” asked Kihyun, knowing that the words uttered were exactly the ones in the note.
“Yes.”
“Yeah, I would.” said Kihyun, cheeks probably redder than his hair.
“I’ll pick you up tonight at 6?”
“Do you even know where I live?”
“Being friends with Hoseok was like being friends with you. You’re all he ever talked about.” Changkyun groaned, “For a moment I thought you two were dating. Until I found out he was dating Hyunwoo hyung.”
“Pick me up then.” Kihyun grinned. “I have to go now. I need to deliver more letters.”
“No more for me?” Changkyun pouted– exactly the way Hoseok described.
“I’ll see you at 6.” He just repeated before leaving the studio with a lighter feeling.
The thing is, Kihyun did not expect to see himself preparing for a date on a Valentine’s night. The past few years had been nothing but him and Minhyuk in bed with hot chocolate until Jooheon came and then it was just him and his duvet.
But now, he wasn’t expecting to be folding the duvet neatly on his bed. Not a single hot chocolate was prepared. And he was standing in front of a mirror, dressed up in his favourite designer sweater with a faint red eyeshadow to match his hair.
From the 365 (or sometimes even 366) days that existed, other than the festivities in each country and city, there would always be one highly anticipated day on the calendar– other than Christmas, that is.
It’s a day where Yoo Kihyun spends his week sending letters to different people just for that person to know that someone likes them. A day where he passes by the flower shops to pick up an order that the person made in addition to the note, or even by the candy shop to pick up a customised chocolate with the words i like you imprinted on it. A day where Yoo Kihyun spends the night at home with sappy movies, covered up in his fluffy blanket with hot chocolate at hand.
But today, plans changed when he finally heard the anticipated knock on his door.
Glancing at the mirror one last time, he opened the door to see the black haired man he saw not too long ago with flowers at hand. “Yoo Kihyun?”
“Yes?”
“Someone sent you a note.” said Changkyun, handing him a small paper and the flowers.
Kihyun blushed taking the note and the flower from the other.
Hi Kihyun,
Happy Valentine’s Day!
By now you already know that I like you so much and would want to get to know you more.
Are you ready for our date?
– Im Changkyun
P.S: I’m asking in advance but would you like to go out tomorrow as well?
Looking up, Changkyun offered his hand to which Kihyun gladly took.
It was a spontaneous date for both of them, but being spontaneous made everything better than a planned one.
Changkyun through Kihyun’s eyes was similar but way better than the Changkyun through Hoseok’s eyes.
Kihyun learned that Changkyun loves to cuddle and to kiss the mole on Kihyun’s forehead. He loves annoying Kihyun because an annoyed Kihyun gives him more chances to cling on to him. He loves it when Kihyun wears his hoodie.
Oh, and Kihyun can confirm that Changkyun is really cheeky– in so many ways.
And of course they didn’t forget to thank Hyungwon for writing that awfully written confession but hey, Kihyun and Changkyun are now full of handwritten notes and kisses.