you get out onto the street, walking along towards campus where you work as a nurse. you greet the security guard on your way in, along with your colleagues as you enter the clinic and take your seat at your station. everything is just as you left it— clipboard on your right, pens on the left, record book square in the middle. except, you notice a crisp white envelope, your name scribbled over the top in a handwriting you only know belongs to jaeyeong, tucked away in the pages of the notebook.
❝ so. kim jaeyeong, huh? ❞
you look up and see yubin, one of your fellow nurses, who just so happened to be in charge of the football team, grinning at you with a knowing smile. your cheeks flushed with embarrassment over being caught red handed. what did she mean? what about jaeyeong? were they found out? nurses weren't permitted to date students after all. you think of a story to save you both the trouble— he was dropping off a letter from their coach regarding the team check ups. maybe the team needed more supplies for the first aid kit. something. anything. or. you could tell the truth.
you decide to:
before you could even get a word in, yubin breaks into a soft laugh, immediately wrapping her arms around your shoulders, squealing softly.
❝ you guys are cute together! ❞
you stare, confused, before giving the other girl a warm smile, giggling along. you make her promise to keep it a secret but you ask what tipped her off. to which she shakes her head and places her finger on top of the white envelope still sitting at her desk.
❝ it looks like jaeyeong prepared a lot for this one, so— i'm not spoiling your surprise.❞
she departs, with another round of giggles, leaving you alone, fiddling with the flap of the paper container.
⊲⠀⠀for nam junyeol.⠀⠀⊳
『 hide and seek? 』
hi, lovebug. i know you must be confused but i asked yubin-ssi for a favor with the promise of dinner on me for her and minjun. she's covering the rest of your afternoon shift for today because i have a little game prepared for you. at 1:43 PM KST, you'll get your first clue. that's all you get to know for now. heh.
hope to see you later, lovebug. but for now, have a good day at work!
↺
you can't help the smile that crosses your face at jaeyeong's antics, tucking the letter back into the envelope, curiosity piqued by his instruction but there was work to be done and patients to take care of.
1:30 PM KST.
you watch the clock ticking. you've finished checking the inventory for the morning shift, filed all the request forms, and patched up every patient who walked through the doors. you steal glances at your phone that sits on your table and towards the door, not knowing exactly what to expect— was jaeyeong going to visit himself? or maybe it was just a text. or maybe he had something else planned entirely.
1:43 PM KST.
you blink when you see a paper bag dropped off onto your table. too distracted, you didn't even notice jaeyeong's closest friend and teammate, minjun, walking into the clinic. he gives you a grin that resembles a cheshire cat.
❝ hi, noona. jae hyung asked me to drop this off for you.❞
you peer into the bag and find a set of clothes, fresh off the rack and hand picked for you to change into. a grey knitted sweater and some black jeans, matched with pair of white shoes.
your phone lights up with a notification as soon as the clock strikes noon.
✉ ⠀you have (1) unread message/s from silly old man ♡!
a pile of words;
jackets of hordes;
take a quick look;
in the place of the book.
← back
at this point, you're absolutely perplexed. you part your lips to ask minjun for a hint, maybe even yubin but you peep them side by side giggling their tails off in the corner and decide they're likely not any help anyway. you gawk at the letter from earlier, searching for any hints in his words and notice the header at the very top that says:
『 hide and seek? 』
and it's only then that it clicks.
you take the bag of clothes and get changed in the bathroom in the clinic, walking out quickly to avoid the teasing smiles on some of the other nurses' faces. you ponder on the riddle, wondering where jaeyeong was leading you, and after some contemplation, you decide to head to the:
you head towards the bookshop on campus, the one not too far away. it has to be it, right? pile of words? place of a book? and as you arrive, 'lo and behold, the store owner seems to recognize you, passes on a spirited smile, and hands you another envelope, along with a bouquet of baby's-breaths.
ha, easy as cake.
⊲⠀⠀for nam junyeol.⠀⠀⊳
『 error 404. 』
you're close but you might have to guess again, sweetheart!
hint: it's quiet here.
↺
you purse your lips into a pout— okay, maybe not so easy— and quietly thank the shopkeeper for her time before making an exit. if it wasn't in the bookstore, the only other place that came to mind was the library. you head back in the direction of school campus, thinking of how extra and over the top jaeyeong must truly be to have already scouted the possible place you might think of visiting.
2:24 PM KST.
in no time at all, you arrive at the library, standing awkwardly at the doorways, waiting for the next possible clue. jaeyeong didn't exactly mention what you'd be doing there. but your concerns are put to a screeching halt as yet another envelope is presented. you follow the hand to meet a charming smile on a rugged face belonging to who you recognize as another one of jaeyeong's teammates. he might be the team's keeper?
❝ i believe this is for you, nurse jung. good luck! ❞
⊲⠀⠀for nam junyeol.⠀⠀⊳
『 clue #2. 』
your weekend rendezvous.
↺
you remember a time when jaeyeong asked you about this— and you had told him "somewhere quiet" was the answer. the park? a cafe? home? maybe? but then again, you usually spent your weekends at the pool too. you give it some thought and choose to go to the:
you find your way back home to the shared apartment you have with jaeyeong, feeling good about your choice. it was always a running joke that the pair of you were homebodies anyway. so, going back made sense?
— maybe?
you check into the building and immediately head up using the lift to your floor. it barely takes a minute and you're strolling down the hallway to your doorstep, excited to receive the next hint. there's a white paper bag with a jar of kisses inside along with the envelope with your name on it.
⊲⠀⠀for nam junyeol.⠀⠀⊳
『 error 404. 』
as much as i know you like sleeping in, i had another place in mind. try again?
hint: ❝ must be something in the water. ❞
↺
❛ kisses from a distance. ❜
well, you might've been wrong but you get a jar of chocolate kisses as a consolation prize so it can't be too bad. after sneaking one of the sweet treats to yourself, you take the paper bag and set out for the swimming pool on campus.
as you arrive, you notice these printed out arrows on cards scattered along the path, leading you towards the poolside. each card held a cheesy little messages just the way you know jaeyeong would write them up. the arrows point you in the direction of one of the lockers. it's unlocked and you swing it wide open to behold another one of his envelopes.
⊲⠀⠀for nam junyeol.⠀⠀⊳
❛ i must be a snowflake because i fell for you. ❜
❛ you make my ***** soft and my **** hard. ❜
❛ i like you a latte. ❜
❛ P ZQAE TQR.❜
❛ i must be in a museum because you are a work of art. ❜
❛ are you a doughnut? 'cause you are a-dough-rable. ❜
❛ you make me want to dance in the rain. ❜
『 clue #3. 』
where the grass is green and the lights are the brightest.
#99.
↺
green grass? jaeyeong's number? it's probably the most straightforward hint yet. without a second thought, you depart for the:
5:20 PM KST.
you walk along towards the pitch, eyes trained upwards to the sky, noticing it turn alluring shades of orange and pink. the sun was setting. had you been running around for that long? and didn't jaeeyong normally have training at this hour? where was the rest of the team? you make it past the stands and wander directly onto the grassy field, eyes growing wide with each step you take. standing just a few feet from you was your fiancé, holding a dozen cupcakes in one hand and a dark blue box in the other, a sneaky grin across his face.
❝ i guess you found me? ❞
( tweet 'game day' to @hazardford if you get this ending. )
