Fan Fiction: The Anatomy Of Forever (“True Beauty” Han SeoJun X Reader AU)

Disclaimer: “True Beauty” is the intellectual property of Yaongyi and tvN. This work is based on the fictional universe of the drama and bears no resemblance to real people, places, or events.

Word Count: 2.3k

Genre: Romance, Fluff.

T/W: None

Author’s Note: I hope this work brings you joy and comfort when you need it the most. 

*Y/N – Your (Reader’s) Name; Reader’s dialogues are in purple; Han SeoJun’s dialogues are in red.

OC (Original Characters): Hyuk, Dal.

Chapter 1: A Tryst At Dawn

“Twenty more minutes, and I promise we’ll all go home!“, you pleaded with your team, motivating them with the promise of clocking out early, at least by your standards. “It’s half-past one in the morning!”, yelled your best friend/co-worker Hyuk, waving around the hundred posters in his hands. “Yes, and you’re the most passionate, incredible, and talented young man I have ever worked with!“, you replied with a strained tone of hope. “Sarcasm isn’t your strongest suit, Team Leader!”, he retorted, leaving you sighing with a pout.

Life as the A&R Lead of an indie music label isn’t as fanciful and dreamy as you thought it would be but it is fulfilling nonetheless. After co-founding the company with your older brother, you took on as many roles as you possibly could before figuring out that discovering talent and helping them shine was what you did best. In professional lingo, that’s what we call A&R – ‘Artists and Repertoire’. 3 years into the business and you’re still as dedicated, thorough, and occasionally stubborn as you were when you first started out. At the moment, you’re in Hongdae, preparing the concert hall for an underground rock band with your team of 5. Having landed the gig at 11 that night, you had to make sure the set design was in place by 6 in the morning, when the band would be coming in for rehearsal and finally performing at 2 in the afternoon. With how difficult it is to find opportunities for public concerts, there was no way you were going to let go of this chance simply because it was too late to organize. It was this determination to make dreams come true that earned you the nickname, “Dream Girl”.

“Amazing work, Team! I’m so proud of you! Long weekends for everyone next week!“, you declared, brimming with grateful adoration for your people. As the clock struck 2, you gathered everyone in a circle and shared thanks before sending them all on their way home.

“You’re not coming?”, asked Hyuk when he noticed you had no intentions of closing down. “Umm, yeah I was just going to double-check some details and put up a couple more flyers down the street. I won’t be long, don’t worry. You go on ahead!“

“You sure?”

“Yes! I live nearby anyway. It’s just a 5-minute walk” (It was not, in fact, a 5-minute walk).

“I’d love to leave but I feel like I should stay”, said Hyuk, suspiciously eyeing the neighborhood.

“Just go~! I’ll be fine. You know me!“

“You see, that’s the problem.”

“The problem is you thinking that was funny. Now, leave!” you said with finality, playfully pushing him out.

“Alright, well, if you need anything, just give me a call!”

“Right. Will do!“

As you saw Hyuk out, you couldn’t help but smile at his silly protectiveness before stifling a yawn and getting back to work. At around 3 AM, you finally convinced yourself that everything was perfect and it was time for you to leave. You locked the gates and stepped out, immediately wincing at the cold air creeping up on your neck. “Jeez, the night does change fast.“, you thought out loud, before counting the flyers in your hands. “6, 7, 8..alright! Let’s get to it!“.

Taking a deep breath, you looked around for areas that had considerable footfall to put up the flyers. Having brought this band together yourself, it was especially near and dear to your heart, and you wanted to do your best for them. It wasn’t a surprise therefore that you were willing to give up a whole night’s sleep to promote this performance.

Tucking a couple of the pamphlets under your arm, you ran up to a wall but you grossly miscalculated the logistics of gluing them down while holding on to two bags. Naturally, therefore, when you attempted to do so, a gush of wind was enough to blow them out of your grasp.

“I guess that’s one way of putting it out into the universe“, you sigh, exasperated at the outcome. Cringing at the thought of littering, you start following their trail to pick them up.

“1..2..3..“, you count under your breath, gathering as many as you can find. As you bow down to pick up the 7th poster, eyes fixed on the ground, you hear a faint bark, coming from the distance. “Oh!“, you exclaimed, looking up to find a puppy, lost and confused. “You ran away, didn’t you?“, you asked, switching to your baby voice, specially curated for tiny animals. Putting the papers in one of your bags, you freed up a hand to pick up the pup and looked around, trying to find an owner. Peering at its collar, you saw the name “Dal”. “Dal-ah, what should we do?” you wondered in genuine apprehension, forgetting about the flyers for a second. “Should I just take you home?“, you proposed rather excitedly, giving the little one a wink. However, before you could make a decision, you felt a tap on your shoulder. Suddenly reminded of the time, you turned back defensively, only to find an intimidatingly well-built man in a mask and black cap. “Oh no, not today“, you muttered quietly, before taking off in the opposite direction.

“No, wait! You have the wrong idea!“, the man shouted out as he ran after you.

“I’ve watched enough dramas to have exactly the right idea“, you said to yourself in response.

“Dal-ah! Dal-ah, it’s Daddy!“

“Is he a stalker too?!“

“That’s my dog! Stop running!“

Pulling the virtual brakes in an instant, you looked back to find the man running towards you with a leash in his hand. Putting two and two together, you audibly gasped as the realization dawned on you.

“Oh my! I’m so sorry!“, you said, handing Dal over to her owner.

“No, no it’s my fault for letting her off the leash this late.”

“No, it’s my fault for watching too many dramas!“

He chuckled, holding Dal and giving her a little peck on the head before continuing, “She hates being on a leash. I was just going to let her roam around a little because we were both feeling stuffy but then a bunch of flyers came in with the wind and before I knew it, she wasn’t around“.

Your eyes widened, seeing how this was probably your fault.

“I’ll apologise once again! It was me.“

“Huh?”

“I was just putting up these posters for a rock concert tomorrow and-“

“A rock concert? Are you in this band?”, he asked, pulling out a folded poster from his pocket.

“Me? Oh no no, not me. I am just organizing things behind the scenes. Nothing too special.“, you said shyly, taking the poster from his hand.

“Were you working until this late?”

You laughed softly at his wonder, “Yes, I was actually.“

“It’s dangerous out here! I could have been a K-Drama villain, you know!”

“I know!“

“Where do you live? Let me walk you home!”

“Oh no no, that’s alright! I live nearby.“

“Great! Me too! I’ll walk you home.”

“I don’t even know your name!“, you said, as if asserting that your refusal was obvious.

“Oh! You’re right! I’m sorry!”, he said, putting Dal down with her leash, before taking off his cap and mask. “I’m SeoJun. Han SeoJun.“

“I’m Y/N“, you said with a smile as you tried to see his face in the chiaroscuro of the moonlight.

“Now that we’re acquaintances and you’ve even met my child, shall I walk you home?“

You agreed, somehow reassured by his banter. “It’s really alright, but if you insist-“.

“Perfect. I would have felt too guilty otherwise.“

“It’s a win-win!“

SeoJun happily nodded before asking you to lead the way. After a bit of small talk, you couldn’t help but feel like you’ve heard his voice before. With just the moon shining down on you, you couldn’t really see much of his face but his resounding baritone was unmistakably unique.

“You know, you have the voice of a star.”

“What do you mean?“, SeoJun said, clearing his throat self-consciously.

“I have never heard such a striking vocal tone before. Actually, that’s not true. I have. I attended this concert a year back, and a new band called Vibe Move had just debuted. I will never forget that day and how their music made me feel. I still believe that’s what falling in love will be like. Right off the bat, they made such an amazing impression on me that I was left speechless. Especially, the vocalist. The depth in his voice was not just physical. It resonated with me emotionally. It’s not easy to create such a brilliant sonic aesthetic you know, let alone at your debut. I mean-“, you stopped yourself, realizing how you had been going on and on in a one-sided conversation. “Ah, sorry“, you smiled nervously. “It’s just that your voice reminded me of how I felt then and I had to tell you.”

As SeoJun walked by your side, he could feel the skyline melting around you as you took center stage in his world. He had never heard someone appreciate his art with such sincerity and quite frankly, it made him feel some type of way after a long, long time. In classic SeoJun style, he put it on the back burner entirely, to process on a rainy day.

“How freaked out would you be if I told you that you had just confessed to your idol?“

“Confessed? Idol? What are you talking about?“, you said, nudging his arm dismissingly.

“One moment“, he said, handing Dal’s leash over to you. You obliged, trying to understand what was going on as you watched him walk away. He tousled his hair ever so slightly, giving himself an effortless hair-do before finally going over to a nearby street lamp.

“Come over here!” he called out excitedly while covering his face.

Before you could move, Dal did, bringing you along. “I’m here!“, you said, standing less than a foot away from SeoJun. In the next moment, he moved his hands, pushed his hair back, and bowed. “Annyeonhaseyo! I’m Vibe Move’s Main Vocal, SeoJun!“.

As if struck by lightning, you took a step back, ready to run from embarrassment. “I did not just-“

“Don’t you run away with my baby again!“

“No way! I would recognize you anywhere!“

“You did recognize my voice. It made my heart flutter a little, not gonna lie.“, he said, teasing you playfully.

“Oh, stop it!“, you responded, your cheeks turning red.

“I was pretty cool just then, wasn’t I? Perhaps even cooler than on stage?“, he said, trying to get you to open up and gush, just like you did earlier.

“Why does my house feel so far?” you said, trying to change the topic nonchalantly while your heart beats out of your chest.

“You probably don’t even want to go home, now that you’ve met your first love,” SeoJun said with an angelic smile that was arguably quite devilish, especially with how he was playing around. The spring in his step was too adorable to ignore but you weren’t just going to let him win! “Should I sing for you? What do you want me to sing? My debut song? Or my latest song? I could write a-“. “We’re here!“, you cried with relief, pointing at your apartment.

“Really?“, SeoJun’s voice softened with disappointment as he looked in the direction you were pointing at. “I bet you’re kidding because you’re flustered. Don’t be like that! Let’s walk and I’ll sing for you!“

You dug into your barely-there pockets to bring out your key that had the name of your apartment complex engraved on it. Dangling it in front of his face, it was your turn to tease him. “Looks like our little rendezvous has come to an end!“, you said, holding back a giggle, even though deep down, you wanted nothing more but to spend more time with him.

Scratching the back of his neck awkwardly, SeoJun tilted his head, wondering how to respond. “Um, uh, okay then! It was your lucky night to have met me!“, he said, although completely lacking conviction. As a matter of fact, he was almost sulking that you had to go.

“The pleasure was all mine!“, you replied, giving him what he wanted but also, revealing your true feelings. Handing Dal’s leash back to him, you stood on your tippy-toes to give his hair a ruffle.

Blood rushed to SeoJun’s cheeks as they turned cherry red, betraying his infatuation. “Go on then. I’ll leave after seeing you go inside.“

“Are we actually in a K-Drama?“, you blurted out with a hearty laugh at his cheesy comment.

“Are you saying I’m as handsome as a drama protagonist? Because I already know I am.“, SeoJun said, puffing out his chest and moving a lock of hair from his forehead.

You rolled your eyes playfully before bursting into a grin, neither confirming nor denying the fact. “Good night, SeoJun! Thanks for walking me home! Goodbye Dal-ah!“.

SeoJun’s chest de-puffed instantly as he blinked in confusion. Hesitantly, he brought his hand up to wave, making it evident that he really did not want to. With a final look, you turned around to go inside, wishing on the stars that you would see him again.

“Um, Y/N?“, he called out, making you turn in a second.

“Yes?“

“Can I see you again?“

You could barely get a word out with how hard you were blushing. “Huh?“

“I’ll see you at the concert tomorrow. Let’s meet under the street lamp!“

Before you could respond, Dal pulled SeoJun away and all you saw were his ethereal eyes, that said, “Please say yes.“

“Yes,” you whispered under your breath, holding your heart. “I will see you again.“

Fan Fiction: The Anatomy Of Forever (“True Beauty” Han SeoJun X Reader AU)
Source: Global Access News