Desire - ATEEZ Mingi

8

Yeeun's POV:

The next day at school, I steered clear of Mingi completely. He usually waits for me by my locker in the morning, so I skipped going there and went straight to class instead, despite needing some supplies from my locker. But a notebook and pencil weren't worth having to face Mingi after what happened yesterday.

The rest of my day consisted of turning around whenever I saw Mingi or his friends, skipping lunch, and avoiding my locker as much as possible. I managed to stay away from Mingi the entire day. At the end of the day, I escaped through the back door of the school, knowing Mingi would be waiting for me by the main doors like he usually is. I hopped into my car and drove straight home.

Of course, I was worried that Mingi would be mad at me for avoiding him all day. But I couldn't bring myself to face him. I was still shaken up from yesterday.

As soon as I got home, I grabbed a snack from the kitchen before going upstairs to my room to get started on my homework, so I could get it done and have plenty of time to relax tonight. But just as I reached into my backpack, the doorbell rang downstairs. Huffing out a sigh, I got up and jogged back down the stairs to answer the door.

Swinging it open, I froze fearfully when I saw Mingi standing there with his hands stuffed into his front pockets. I could feel my eyes widening. My palms grew clammy and my heart started to pick up its pace.

"Hey," Mingi said, giving me a soft smile. I said nothing. I could tell that he wasn't angry, which I was grateful for. While I was avoiding him all day, I kept worrying that he would be mad about it.

"Can we talk, sweetheart?" He asked. Plead was visible in his eyes. I dropped my eyes to the ground, staying quiet. "Please, Yeeun," he begged, taking a step towards me, but staying in the doorway. I sighed softly, muttering, "Fine."

Mingi stepped inside and I closed the door behind him. "Do you want to go upstairs?" He asked. Quickly, I shook my head. The last time I went upstairs with him, I got thrown down the staircase. Saying nothing, I turned and walked into the living room. Mingi followed closely behind.

I took a seat on the couch and I expected Mingi to sit next to me, but instead, he took a seat on the coffee table directly across from me. He sighed, resting his elbows on his knees and clasping his hands together. I could feel his eyes on me, but I stared down at my hands instead of returning his gaze.

"Why were you avoiding me all day?" He asked. His voice was low and gentle. I crossed my arms over my chest and slumped back against the couch. "You know why, Mingi." I said quietly. I heard him sigh. "Yeah, I do." He muttered.

Then he reached out and touched the spot just above my knee, running him thumb over the denim on my jeans. "Are you okay? You didn't get hurt too badly, did you?" He asked. I took a glance at him, seeing the concern in his eyes. "No, I'm just a little sore," I told him honestly. He sighed again, but this one was softer. "Thank God. I never would have forgiven myself if something happened to you."

His comment shocked me. Was he forgetting all the times he's hit me or thrown me around? He never seemed to care when he hurt me all those times. I held back a glare.

"Look, I don't blame you one bit for being upset with me. But I want to make it up to you," he said, sliding his hand to my upper thigh. My heart beat sped up, but I took a quiet, deep breath to slow it down to a normal pace. I wasn't going to let him make me nervous.

"How?" I asked him. My voice remained low and quiet. He smiled a softly. "Will you go on a date with me?" He asked. I looked up at him with widened eyes. I couldn't remember the last time he'd taken me out on a date.

"A date?" I repeated in shock. He nodded, biting his lower lip. I blinked a couple times, trying to get out of my small state of shock. "Yeah. Just you and me. We can go out to dinner or go see a movie, or we can just go for a walk. It's totally up to you." He explained.

For the first time in almost two days, I smiled. "I'd like that," I said. Mingi grinned before leaning towards me. I met him halfway and he placed his lips on mine. He put his hand on the base of my neck to hold me in place. I laid both of my hands on his broad shoulders.

Maybe I was giving in to him too easily, but a date with Mingi was a rare occasion. I wasn't going to say no.

"I love you so much," he whispered against my lips before pecking them again. "I love you, too." I returned, pulling away and wrapping my arms around his neck to hug him. He wrapped both of his arms around my waist and pulled me closer to him.

"I'm really sorry about yesterday," he mumbled into my neck, his lips pressing themselves against my skin a couple times. A shiver ran up my spine. "It's okay." I assured him, pulling away from our hug. He exhaled, running him thumb over my cheek repeatedly.

We sat there and stared into each others eyes for a few seconds before we heard the front door open and close. "Yeeun, I'm home!" I heard my mom's familiar voice call. My eyebrows furrowed. She wasn't usually home so early.

"In the living room, Mom!" I replied, standing up. Mingi stood up too just as my mom walked in. She smiled. "Hey there, you two," she said, embracing us both in tight hugs. "Hi," I returned. "Hi, Ms. Kim." Mingi said.

"You're home early," I pointed out as Mingi wrapped his arms around my waist from behind me. "Yeah, my boss let me off a little early today," she explained, setting down her purse. Then she paused. "I didn't interrupt anything, did I?" She asked, glancing at the two of us. "No, not at all," Mingi answered. "We were just talking about going on a date tonight."

"Oh, good. Take her out to dinner so I don't have to cook tonight, Mingi." my mom replied. I rolled my eyes playfully and Mingi chuckled. My mom grinned cheekily before walking out. I turned around in Mingi's arms so that I was facing him.

"So, I guess we're going out for dinner," he said. I nodded. "Anything else you want to do?" He asked. I bit my lip. "Well, a walk sounds nice," I told him. He grinned. "Alright. I'm going to go home to do my homework and I'll pick you up around 6:30."

"Okay," I said. He pecked my lips and walked out of the living room. Suddenly, a thought occurred to me and I quickly followed him.

"Wait, Mingi ," I stopped him. He turned around to face me. "Didn't you have practice today?" I asked curiously. He smirked. "Yeah, but I ditched." I raised my eyebrows at him.

He chuckled, stepping towards me. "Believe me, you're much more important, baby." He said flirtatiously with a wink. He pecked my lips once more before walking out.

I huffed out a sigh, deciding to get back to my homework before Mingi returned to pick me up for our date tonight. I was excited.