Stolen ID (Yunho)



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Your eyes flickered to the other side of the room where Yunho sat, sprawled across the armchair with his eyes focused on the movie playing on the TV. You were sitting at the end of the couch with your best friend San squished up against your right side because none of the members were willing to give up their space on the couch. All of the members were focused on the action movie, but you were too preoccupied to care about what was happening, glancing over at Yunho. Though the room was dark, the light of the TV was illuminating him like he was an angel and you hated it.

When San first introduced you to the other members of ATEEZ, you had no intention of falling for any of them despite them all being kind and attractive. It would be weird to fall for your best friend's groupmate, yet here you were, crushing on the happy virus of the group. It was honestly frustrating and you wished you could just smack yourself in the face for letting yourself make such a stupid decision. Though it wasn't exactly your decision - your heart had made that one for you without even consulting you.

You wanted to know when his birthday was for two reasons; the first was because you wanted to use this as an excuse to try and get his attention even if it's only just for a few moments and the second was because you wanted to thank him for looking after San all of these years. Sure, you could probably just ask San when the guy's birthday is and he would tell you, but he also might realize why you're asking, and then he'd want to play matchmaker. You definitely didn't want that to happen. You could probably just ask Yunho himself, but that might bring up questions, too, since you rarely sought out the members unless you were asking them about San. For the most part, you stuck to yourself and your best friend so suddenly approaching Yunho and asking him such a question would most definitely get the attention of the others. Again, you didn't want that.

So, what was the brilliant plan you came up with to solve this problem? You were going to steal his ID card so you could learn this information on your own. How were you going to do it, though? Surely you couldn't just reach your hand into his pocket and take his wallet. That would certainly raise some questions. You had to plan this carefully, watching him like a hawk for any chance you were given. A couple scenarios popped into your head. The first was the most obvious - take it while he's sleeping and honestly, it wasn't a bad plan but it made you feel like a sasaeng. On the other hand, you could wait for the boys to start roughhousing, which they did quite often, and you could join in and slip it from his pocket without his knowledge like a damn cat burglar.

It seemed simple enough. You just had to be patient.

The problem is that you have no patience.

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You sat in the practice room as the boys worked on the choreography for their comeback, a book held up in front of you so you could pretend to read while peering over the book at Yunho. You should have been grabbing his ID from the bag sitting beside you, but the mirrors made that impossible. Plus, he had grabbed your attention the moment he started dancing and you couldn't bring yourself to look away. Despite being so lanky, he was a damn good dancer and he seemed so graceful to you, as if he were moving through water.

You hated it. But you also loved it.

The song came to an end and you quickly lowered your gaze to the book when San and Wooyoung came over to you, breathing heavily and covered in sweat. Despite this, they didn't hesitate to sit on either side of you, squishing you between their bodies. Your nose wrinkled as their sweaty skin rubbed against yours, the heat of their bodies overwhelming.

"Can you not?" you scowled, pushing San away from you.

He huffed at you, slinging his arm around your shoulders and trying to rub his sweaty face against yours, but you held the book up to block him, pushing him away again. "You're so mean to me, Y/N~" he pouted.

"Says the man trying to rub his sweaty self against me. Who's the mean one?"

Wooyoung snickered, nudging your shoulder. "Do you know how many fans would kill to be in your position right now?"

"Great, I can sell my spot to someone else, then." Your lips twitched up at his offended look and you pried yourself away from them, standing up and stretching. "Man, I'm hungry."

"Me too~" Wooyoung complained, leaning on his knees. "Y/N, go get us some food."

"Do I look like your manager?"

"No, you're way prettier," he smirked, wiggling his eyebrows.

You sent him a look, unaffected by his flirty nature. "Have you seen your manager? He's cute enough to be an idol himself."

"Yah, do you have a crush on managernim?" San questioned, his eyes wide.

"Oh my god, you do!" Wooyoung stomped his feet, a grin on his lips.

You sighed heavily, pinching the bridge of your nose. "I do not."

"Do too!"

"Are you five?"

"No, I'm four."

"I'm out." You waved your hand at him, turning to leave the practice room when you spotted Yunho in front of you, a bright smile on his lips.

"We're going out for ice cream, you don't wanna join us?" he questioned, his voice full of energy despite the long practice he had just completed. "I'm buying!"

Ice cream had already grabbed your attention, but if he's paying that means he'll be pulling out his wallet. Was this the universe giving you a chance? How could you possibly say no? "Sounds fun, thank you."

"Of course!"

You had never been fond of the sun. Coming from a place that felt like summer all year 'round, you had grown to dislike the sun and the heat. You preferred cloudy days and you hated being under the sunshine and yet... Yunho was like the sun himself, shining so brightly on everyone he met. He was a happy virus, spreading positivity and happiness to everyone around him whether they wanted it or not, but it wasn't annoying. He was such a bright person and you were sure you'd hate him when San first described him to you, but you never disliked Yunho. If anything, you found yourself drawn to him like a moth to a flame. You wanted to protect him, to make sure his light never faded.

At this point, you were sure that you'd do anything just to keep that smile on his face.

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While the other members made themselves comfortable at a table in the corner of the ice cream shop, you followed Yunho up to the counter so you could help him. He sent you a grateful smile before ordering, pulling his wallet from his pocket so he could pull out his card to pay. Your eyes fell to the brown leather as if pulled by a magnet. How would he react if you just took it and ran? Could you play it off as a joke?

After paying, he didn't return his wallet to his pocket like you expected, keeping it in his hand as he conversed with the teenage boy behind the counter. You weren't paying attention to what they were talking about, but you assumed the boy was a fan or knew someone that was a fan. The cups of ice cream were placed on two small, red trays which Yunho picked up without hesitation, but with his fingers clutching the wallet, he was struggling with the first tray.

Chance!

"Want me to hold your wallet so you don't drop anything?" you questioned calmly despite your heart racing within your chest. You were a master of appearing calm on the outside despite your world basically imploding on the inside.

"Please," he smiled at you without hesitation, not the least bit concerned that he was handing over his wallet and all of his personal information to you. He trusted you, which made you feel a pang of guilt as you slid the wallet from his fingers. It felt heavy in your hand and you briefly wondered if you were doing something bad.

It's not like you were stealing from him. Just a quick peek at his ID was all you needed. You glanced over your shoulder as he approached the table and you quickly flipped the wallet open, but his ID wasn't in the clear window where it should be. You quickly went through the various cards he had in his wallet, trying to find the desired card and you had just found it when you heard him calling out to you, wondering why you were just standing there. You glanced up, surprised to see him approaching you, a curious look on his face.

You panicked, pulling the ID from the wallet before slapping it shut and whirling around to face him, slipping it into your back pocket so he wouldn't see it. Your heart was slamming against your ribs as if trying to call you out for being such an idiot. You had just stolen from Yunho, the man you wanted to protect above all else.

"Everything okay?" Yunho inquired softly, a frown tugging at his lips. "You've gone pale."

"Fine," you replied calmly, your fingers trembling around his wallet as you held it out to him. You realized your mistake too late. 'Fuck, why did I give it back?! I could have slipped the ID back in before giving it back, idiot!'

"Thank you," his fingers brushed against yours when he reclaimed his wallet and you briefly wondered if he would notice the difference with one card missing. "Come on, before the ice cream melts."

You swallowed hard, following him almost robotically. It felt like the ID was burning a hole in your back pocket, screaming for its owner's attention. It was safe to say that you spent the rest of that day lost in your own world, trying to get over the fact that you had just stolen from the human version of the sun.

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When you returned to your apartment, you couldn't remember a single thing that had taken place from the moment you took the ID card. You couldn't even remember how you got home. A groan passed your lips as you slid down the door, banging your head against the wood until it hurt. This is definitely not how this was supposed to turn out. Had he noticed yet? You had been so anxious throughout the day, waiting for him to notice and accuse you. You couldn't get away from them fast enough despite San complaining because you had promised to spend the night with him.

You shifted so you could pull the ID from your pocket, running your thumb over the smooth plastic. Even in his ID picture, he was smiling so brightly that it almost hurt your eyes. You scanned the information listed there before finding his birthdate. 'March 23rd... what's today again?' You tugged your phone from your pocket, tapping the screen. It was just a few hours shy of the 23rd. 'Are you kidding me? What could I possibly give him as a gift this late? Everything is closed.' Time restraint aside, what would he even want for his birthday? You had no idea so you did what you always did when you didn't know something.

You looked it up online.

Upon doing so, you came across a fanmade profile for all of the ATEEZ boys, and then you realized something very important. "I could have fucking looked it up this whole time!" you cried out, slamming your head back against the door. You winced in pain, reaching up to clutch at your head, feeling like a total idiot. How could you have forgotten that Yunho was an idol? Even the most unpopular of idols have fan pages with their basic information, and Yunho was far from unpopular. 'Calm down, Y/N. This is no issue at all. You just have to slip the ID back into his bag tomorrow and he'll just think it fell out. That's perfect!'

With a fool-proof plan in place, you continued to scroll through the information listed.

'Oh, he likes Harry Potter. I wonder...' You pulled yourself up, heading to your bedroom and flicking the light on. Sitting on the bookshelf to the left was a Niffler plush that you had made when you were younger. Considering you had no interest in crochet, it had turned out quite well and it was one of the few things you felt proud of that you had created with your own two hands. You picked it up, smiling fondly at it as you slowly turned it over, inspecting the tiny creature.

Niffler was an official creature of the Harry Potter universe, but he wasn't part of the main franchise. You couldn't recall him even being mentioned, so he might not be interested in it. Plus, you hadn't made it specifically for him... if he found out, he'd probably be offended by it. You frowned, sitting on the end of your bed as you held the plush in both hands.

Your phone vibrated as a new message came through. To your surprise, it was from Yunho.

[Yunbear🐻: Hi, Y/N~ I just wanted to check on you, you seemed really out of it today :( Everything okay? ]

You had to wonder how much his attitude would change if he knew you had taken his ID, even if it had technically been an accident. You hesitated a moment, wondering what you should say. Short and sweet, that's what you went with: I'm fine, thanks. And then you sent a gif of Niffler to see his reaction. He replied quickly.

[Yunbear🐻: So cute! You like Niffler, too? He was the best part of Magical Creatures but it's hard to find merch for him since the movie isn't as popular here. ]

You glanced at the plush again, making up your mind. As soon as the sun rose, you would go on a Niffler adventure to find the perfect gift for him.

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You gave yourself too much credit.

By the time you finally managed to crawl out of bed, it was nearly 11:30. At first, this meant nothing to you and then you remembered your mission. All at once, your body went into overdrive and you hurriedly got changed, running out of the apartment like a crackhead without their fix. There were quite a few stores nearby that you knew sold Harry Potter merchandise so you checked them first. Their stock was quite low and there wasn't a single piece of Niffler merch anywhere.

Clicking your tongue, you decided to broaden your search and you found a store that focused solely on American and European goods. If the large display of Harry Potter merch in the front window was anything to go by, you knew you would strike gold here. Or at least silver. Maybe copper. You flung yourself through the door, earning a dirty look from a mother who was just about to leave the store, her arm around her small daughter.

"Excuse me," you bowed apologetically, holding the door open for her. The second they cleared the doorway you darted to the back of the store where the Harry Potter merch sat, your eyes scanning the wall for any sign of Niffler, but there was none. "Oh, come on."

"Can I help you find something?"

You glanced at the kind-looking young woman wearing the store's uniform. "Uh, yes, actually. Do you have any Niffler-themed merchandise?"

"Niffler?" She hummed thoughtfully, tapping her chin.

You showed her the picture you had sent to Yunho and her eyes lit up with recognition.

"Oh, yes, we do."

"Great. Where is it?"

"We just sold the last one."

"What?" you stared at her in disbelief, hoping this was her version of a joke. Then an image flashed through your brain, something you hadn't noticed in your haste. 'That little girl... she was holding a Niffler plush!' You groaned, falling to your knees dramatically.

"Um... are you okay?"

You didn't reply. How could you? You didn't know of any other stores that offered you hope except for those too far away for you to make it there and back before the day ended. What were you going to do?

"Oh! I found something."

Your head shot up and you scrambled to your feet, turning the corner where the woman had gone off to.

She held up a card with Niffler on the cover, holding a birthday cake. "See?"

You held back the curse that threatened to escape your lips, instead choosing to give her a forced smile as you took the card, following her to the counter so you could purchase it. It was clearly a card meant for a child, could you really give this to him?

"Thank you, come again!"

You breathed heavily through your nose at her cheerful tone, stepping outside to get into your car, and for several minutes, you just sat there, staring at the bag as if it had offended your very being. Which, in a way, it had. Your phone buzzed.

[Sanhoe 🦊: Where are you? Today is Yunho's birthday, get your butt over to KQ or else! &gt;( ]

You clicked your tongue, reaching into your bag to look for a pen but you found the Niffler plush instead. Why was that there? You were sure you had returned it to the shelf.

[Wooyoungie 🦁: Are you ignoring San? He says you're ignoring him. You can't miss Yunho's birthday so hurry over here~ He'll be sad if you do. Do you want to make him sad on his birthday? ]

You rolled your eyes at the guilt trip, setting the plush back down so you could grab a pen, resting the card on the steering wheel so you could write in it. What should you say, though? Do you write something generic and overused? Do you pour your heart out to him? You bit your lip, unsure.

[Sanhoe 🦊: Yah, I know you're reading this! Just you wait, I'm gonna delete your Mario Kart save file! ]

'That's just messed up.' You shook your head, knowing he was being serious. Finally, you pressed the pen to the card, writing out what you wanted to say before setting it in your bag and pulling out of the store's parking space.

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San was waiting for you when you stepped into KQ, grabbing your arm and practically dragging you toward the elevator. "It's about time. You almost missed the surprise! Where were you?"

No way in hell were you going to tell your best friend that you had slept in and then frantically driven all over town trying to find a gift for his groupmate. You just shrugged one shoulder. "I was tired."

He sent you an exasperated look as the elevator dinged. He tugged you toward the practice room but then paused, getting an idea. He tugged your bag off your shoulder despite your protests, pointing down the hall. "His cake is waiting in there with our managernim. You can bring it in, okay?"

"Hah?" you stared at him in confusion. "Why me?"

He grinned. "So Yunho doesn't think you forgot! He asked where you were earlier and this is the perfect excuse."

'He asked about me? What?' Your brain couldn't comprehend those words in that sequence so you let him shove you toward the break room before disappearing into the practice room. When you peeked around the doorway, you saw their manager sitting at the table, scrolling through the feed on his phone. A round cake sat on the table within a white box, Yunho's name written in beautiful lettering against the frosting.

Managernim smiled when he noticed you, standing up. "San ah told me that you're going to be carrying the cake. Ready to go?"

No, you very much weren't ready but you nodded anyway, watching as he carefully undid the box so you could pick up the cake. He lit the candles before leading you down the hall, opening the door and flicking the light off. The second the room was plunged into darkness, the group started to sing loudly and purposefully off-key. The light of the candles danced on Yunho's face, his eyes glassy with happiness and warmth. His eyes flickered to yours and he smiled at you before blowing out the candles, angling himself so the smoke didn't go into your face.

A round of applause erupted throughout the room and the lights were turned back on.

"Happy birthday!" the group chorused loudly, hugging him or clapping him on the back. His laughter went straight to your heart, so full of joy and innocence.

"Thank you so much!" He bowed to the staff and his members before turning to you. For a moment, the two of you just looked at one another and you wanted to look away so badly, but his eyes were like whirlpools, pulling you in and refusing to let go. Finally, his lips parted and his voice was soft as if he only wanted you to hear what he had to say. "I'm glad you showed up."

"Of course," you replied softly. "I wouldn't miss it for the world."

His smile grew wider and he reached out to take the cake from you when San's voice made him pause.

"Aw, look what Y/N got you!"

Your head snapped over to your best friend and your eyes widened, mouth hanging open. San had gone into your bag, grabbing the card and the Niffler plush. You were so tempted to yeet the cake at him, but Yunho got in the way, intercepting the gift before you could kill your best friend.

"It's so cute," Yunho cried as he held the plush, looking it over. "Is this handmade?"

San nodded proudly. "Yeah! Y/N made it a few years ago. Took them ages to complete it."

'San, you idiot! Why would you tell him that? He probably thinks it's some secondhand gift now...'

"That's incredible." Yunho's eyes snapped to you again as he held it to his chest. "You did such a good job on it, thank you so much! I promise to take good care of him."

"Y-Yeah..." You blinked, taken off guard by his response. He genuinely looked happy to receive it, but why? You hadn't made it for him and you hadn't gone out of your way to get him something for his special day. It made no sense to you.

"Don't forget the card," San commented, giving it a shake. "It sounds like there's something inside. Maybe a gift card?"

The color drained from your face. No way... it couldn't be... could it? No, that was impossible. There was no way that damned ID card found its way into that card. Impossible.

It wasn't impossible.

Yunho took a moment to admire the cute cartoon Niffler on the front before he opened it, tilting his head in confusion.

"What is it?" Wooyoung pressed, leaning on San's shoulder.

Yunho lifted the ID card and it felt as if he had just presented the final piece of evidence that would see you locked away for life. Your heart was screaming at your legs to carry you far away, but your brain was telling you to suffer for what you've done, refusing to give those orders to your legs. So you remained there, frozen to the spot as an internal war raged within you.

"Why do you have Yunho's ID card, Y/N?" Hongjoong quirked a brow at you.

'Say you found it, say you found it, say you -' "I stole it." 'Dumbass!'

"You stole it?" Seonghwa repeated in disbelief and confusion. "Why would you do that?"

San frowned at you. "Yah, you better start explaining, Y/N."

Yunho's eyes flickered across the message you had left on the card before he closed it, handing it over to Seonghwa before approaching you and gently taking the cake from your hands. You assumed he was going to kick you out, but he handed the cake to his manager before stopping in front of you, a gentle smile on his face. He wasn't angry. Why wasn't he angry? "Will you tell me why you took it?"

'Don't look at his eyes, don't look at his eyes, don't look -' You glanced at his face and then found you couldn't look away. It was like he cast a truth spell on you because before you could even think about it, the words came tumbling from your mouth. "IwantedtoknowwhenyourbirthdaywasbutIdidn'twanttoasksoIlookedatyourIDtofindyourbirthdateIdidn'tmeantostealitI'msosorry!"

Wooyoung blinked at you before looking at San. "What language was that?"

San just shrugged.

Yunho tilted his head to the side, his brain processing the words until they made sense. A soft smile came to his lips. "Why didn't you want to ask?"

Wooyoung smacked San. "He could understand that but you couldn't? I thought Y/N was your best friend."

Realization hit San like a brick and he cried out, gaining the attention of the room. "Y/N likes Yunho!"

Your face burned with embarrassment which you hide behind a scowl. "Choi San, I'm going to murder you!"

"Oh shi -" San barely managed to dodge when you ran at him, a high-pitched squeal passing his lips as he ran in circles, using the other members as shields to block your rage. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Don't kill me!"

"I'm going to kill you!"

"At least leave my face intact! It's my selling point!"

"Your face will be the first to go!"

Yunho laughed as he watched the two of you, his eyes dancing with amusement and happiness. He took the card back from Seonghwa, his eyes scanning the message written inside once more. The words brought a flood of warmth to his chest.

I'm really happy you exist, Jeong Yunho. Thank you for making my life brighter. Happy birthday!