that darn dating app
Yunho/Jaejoong
Fluff/Crack(ish?); PG
Oneshot - 1,909 words
For kingheechul, although I don't think it turned out exactly as what we were talking about before. I'm sorry >.< I fail T~T
Swipe right if you like him. Giggle & panic if you love him.
It was just curiosity.
Jaejoong told himself that. Simple human curiosity was what drove him that one fine afternoon to go to the app store and download it.
He has read dozens of articles about it: how some people hilariously misbehave in that app, how other people simply just do stupid things in that app and, of course, how some couples ended up marrying each other after meeting on that app.
Yes, he was just simply and dangerously curious about how Tinder can make such a fuss between people just by a swipe to the left or to the right. Of course, he also wanted a little ego boost, to know just how many matches he can make in a day or two. But he would never ever say this reason out loud, not that he’d easily tell people he was actually using that app.
Swipe left. Swipe right. Right. Right. Right. Left.
He didn’t know how many minutes (or was it hours?) had passed since he huddled up in a corner of his room and started to stare at the many faces that Tinder presented to him. It was simple enough. Swipe right if you like the person. Swipe left if you don’t. Jaejoong mostly swiped right anyway and he can admit to himself that it was fun. Definitely a better way to make friends with people than it is in real life.
Always the shy and quiet one, Kim Jaejoong was the bespectacled nerdy yet adorable boy in his class. Or at least, he thought of himself as adorable. He only spoke to a few people in his school, literally just a handful of them and half were his professors. He did, however, have one friend in the whole university and it was the equally goofy and quiet Park Yoochun, who was mostly quiet because of his favourite habit of sleeping in class.
Conversations were the bane of his existence. He’d rather run 3 marathons all in one day than to start one. Tinder made it easier to talk to people. He managed to make a couple of matches with other guys after a few minutes. Some initiated a conversation that were filled with satisfyingly mundane his, hellos and what’s up. This Jaejoong could handle, especially since they could only see a photo of him and not to actually talk to him in person. And at least, he thought, he was not required to respond, not like in face to face conversations wherein people would tend to give him an annoyed look when he manages to say nothing in response, or worse, say something utterly inappropriate.
At least on the internet and on apps like these, you can’t go wrong, right? He tells himself as he smiles and pushes his glasses back in place. Nothing can go wrong.
Then it appeared.
The photo of the gorgeous man that always made his heart a-flutter appeared on his phone. Jaejoong froze for a second and stared, just to make sure. Those sparkling brown eyes, cute almost button nose (as Jaejoong liked to call it), pink lips… and even the mole on his upper lip. Jaejoong almost fell off his bed.
His gorgeous professor Jung Yunho, the man of his dreams was on Tinder. His heart leapt up and he quickly felt as giddy as a school girl. Without thinking much, he swiped right. He just had to. Of course, he liked him (loved him even, if anyone asks when he was so very drunk). And anyway, it was all for fun. Nothing can go wrong. Absolutely nothing.
“It’s a match! You and Yunho have liked each other.”
Jaejoong stared at his phone’s screen, mouth agape.
No. No. No. No. No. Nooooo.
If he gets a notification, so will Professor Jung. Professor Jung will know he liked him. Sure, Professor Jung liked him too (he did like him first) but it was still so very embarrassing. So many emotions were running through Jaejoong at that moment. A part of him wanted to scream, shout and sing at the top of his lungs because, at least online, the gorgeous man of his dreams and wet dreams thinks he was adorable. But the rest of him wanted to buy a plane ticket to the most isolated island in the world and hide there for the rest of his life. There was no way, no way he could face his professor tomorrow after knowing they’ve been matched and on Tinder. He just couldn’t.
Jaejoong shakily put his phone down. “That’s enough Tinder for now.” He said to himself as he smiled then frowned and then inwardly panicked.
This just didn’t happen. It just didn’t. Jaejoong muttered inside his head. He stood up and paced. He had to prepare for his classes tomorrow. He had to try to act coolly. He had to practice. Otherwise, he’d be a blundering pile of awkward mess if he would ever face his professor, especially since he was Professor Jung’s teaching assistant.
+
Yoochun clutched his stomach and laughed a laugh befitting a crazed lunatic rather than a 20 year old civilized young man.
“You and Jung sonsaengnim! On Tinder!” Yoochun said it like he was vomiting the words out.
Jaejoong looked around the university courtyard and shushed him, hoping to high heavens no one among the crowd was hearing this conversation. “Shut up, will you!” He said in a panicked voice.
“I can’t!” Yoochun said, trying to regain his breath as he laughed. “It’s just too funny! And why are you even using an app like that! You and him?” Yoochun broke out into laughter again.
Jaejoong rolled his eyes. “You’ve been laughing for 10 minutes straight. Are you done yet?”
“Nope.” His friend said proudly, still chuckling in between breaths. He took a minute or two to laugh some more then calmed down. “Okay, I’m done.”
Jaejoong just sat beside him looking nervous and panicked as hell.
“Why Tinder?” Asked Yoochun out of curiosity. “I thought you tried out that Grindr app a week or two ago.”
Jaejoong looks at him incredulously. His app choices were the last thing on his mind, but he answers his friend anyway. “I did, last week. But since that app was exclusively for gay guys, most of them were looking for hook ups. I’ve deleted my account and uninstalled it from my phone after a few hours. I received at least 5 unsolicited dick pics. At least Tinder, more people were trying to just play with it.”
Yoochun smirked. “So, did you uninstall it because of the unsolicited dick pics or because the dicks they showed you weren’t that enough?”
The older man looked at him, appalled. “I can’t believe you’re asking me that.”
“Well?”
Jaejoong made a face and looked down. “They weren’t enough.” He mumbled, then shook his head. “BUT,” He stresses. “That is not my point. My point is that the class under Professor Jung will start in 10 minutes and I’m here still a nervous wreck because of what happened on Tinder!”
“One minute, actually.” Yoochun said nonchalantly.
The older guy’s eyes widened. “What?”
Just then, the bell rang.
+
To say that Jaejoong was nervous was utterly an understatement. He trembled when Professor Jung spoke. He was clumsy and jumpy and awkward all throughout class. He was definitely not giving assistance where it was needed, and it was his job. Jaejoong could see from the corner of his eyes Yoochun laughing in his seat. But he dared not to glare at his friend. He was already doing enough screw ups and he knew that glaring at Yoochun would ruin his composure, or at least what’s left of it.
Jaejoong’s plan was that after class, he would dash right out of the classroom as fast as his feet could carry him. He eyed the door when there was only 5 minutes left. Excuses like an upset stomach or a sudden death of a donkey pet ran through his mind, just in case his professor chases him after class, which he knew would be true considering he was earning extra credit for this.
But when the bell rang, the professor was quick to block Jaejoong’s way.
“Kim Jaejoong.” The professor says, taking off his glasses and revealing his deep and luscious chocolate brown eyes. His voice was velvet in Jaejoong’s ears, and so he froze and gulped in nervousness.
Just play it cool, Jae. Just play it cool, He told himself. Jaejoong tried his best not to stare at the tall, tanned and handsome man in front of him, but it was hard not to. Jung Yunho was just the epitome of sophistication and perfection, and early on he realized it was hard for him not to ogle at this Adonis.
Professor Jung waited until all the students left the room (Yoochun tried to stay behind but he was both too tired and too scared of the professor to do so). He turned to his student when they were finally alone and asked, “Are you feeling okay?”
Jaejoong blinked. “E-Eh?”
“You were stumbling all over the place earlier. Is everything alright? Are you feeling alright?” He leans against his desk and Jaejoong couldn’t help but notice every inch of his as he did so.
“Y-Yeah, I am… I-I mean, n-no. My d-donkey has, er, an upset stomach and stuff.” He stuttered and shakily pushed the bridge of his glasses. “I-I mean I have an upset stomach! And… and my donkey died.” Jaejoong wanted to disappear right then and there.
His professor just stared at him. They stayed quiet for a minute before, to Jaejoong’s embarrassment, Professor Jung laughed. Out. Loud.
Heat crept up his cheeks as Jaejoong watched the love of his life laugh his heart out. But then the professor said something that made Jaejoong’s heart jump out of his chest.
“You’re so cute, you know that?” He said, still chuckling. “Alright, go home and get some rest, Jaejoong-ah, okay?”
Professor Jung grabbed his books and slung his bag behind him. “I’ll see you tomorrow then, but make sure you’re feeling better so that you can properly help me in my class.”
Jaejoong stared at him, dumbfounded. He nodded his head slowly as he grabbed his own bag. “W-wait.” He muttered without thinking. The minute he did so, Jaejoong wished he didn’t do that. He bowed slightly and shook his head. “Ah. M-Mianhe, sonsaengnim. It… It’s nothing.” Jaejoong could feel himself blush bright red.
Professor Jung stayed in front of the door for a second then walked back towards his student. “Are you, by chance, thinking about that match on Tinder?”
Jaejoong gulped and searched for any sign of any emotion on his professor’s face. He only saw amusement and a wide smile playing on those pinkish red lips.
“That was certainly interesting, wasn’t it?” The older man asked, still smiling. “Maybe we can talk about it over coffee some time. How about this Saturday?”
Jaejoong’s mouth fell open but he nodded anyway.
“Great! I’ll see you then.” Professor Jung walked towards the door but turned again to face Jaejoong. “Oh, and I’d like that meeting to be just us. No need for formalities, so better practice calling me as ‘Yunho’, okay?” He winked handsomely at Jaejoong before setting off for his next class.
His student just stood there in the empty classroom, too surprised to even breathe properly.
Fluff/Crack(ish?); PG
Oneshot - 1,909 words
For kingheechul, although I don't think it turned out exactly as what we were talking about before. I'm sorry >.< I fail T~T
Swipe right if you like him. Giggle & panic if you love him.
It was just curiosity.
Jaejoong told himself that. Simple human curiosity was what drove him that one fine afternoon to go to the app store and download it.
He has read dozens of articles about it: how some people hilariously misbehave in that app, how other people simply just do stupid things in that app and, of course, how some couples ended up marrying each other after meeting on that app.
Yes, he was just simply and dangerously curious about how Tinder can make such a fuss between people just by a swipe to the left or to the right. Of course, he also wanted a little ego boost, to know just how many matches he can make in a day or two. But he would never ever say this reason out loud, not that he’d easily tell people he was actually using that app.
Swipe left. Swipe right. Right. Right. Right. Left.
He didn’t know how many minutes (or was it hours?) had passed since he huddled up in a corner of his room and started to stare at the many faces that Tinder presented to him. It was simple enough. Swipe right if you like the person. Swipe left if you don’t. Jaejoong mostly swiped right anyway and he can admit to himself that it was fun. Definitely a better way to make friends with people than it is in real life.
Always the shy and quiet one, Kim Jaejoong was the bespectacled nerdy yet adorable boy in his class. Or at least, he thought of himself as adorable. He only spoke to a few people in his school, literally just a handful of them and half were his professors. He did, however, have one friend in the whole university and it was the equally goofy and quiet Park Yoochun, who was mostly quiet because of his favourite habit of sleeping in class.
Conversations were the bane of his existence. He’d rather run 3 marathons all in one day than to start one. Tinder made it easier to talk to people. He managed to make a couple of matches with other guys after a few minutes. Some initiated a conversation that were filled with satisfyingly mundane his, hellos and what’s up. This Jaejoong could handle, especially since they could only see a photo of him and not to actually talk to him in person. And at least, he thought, he was not required to respond, not like in face to face conversations wherein people would tend to give him an annoyed look when he manages to say nothing in response, or worse, say something utterly inappropriate.
At least on the internet and on apps like these, you can’t go wrong, right? He tells himself as he smiles and pushes his glasses back in place. Nothing can go wrong.
Then it appeared.
The photo of the gorgeous man that always made his heart a-flutter appeared on his phone. Jaejoong froze for a second and stared, just to make sure. Those sparkling brown eyes, cute almost button nose (as Jaejoong liked to call it), pink lips… and even the mole on his upper lip. Jaejoong almost fell off his bed.
His gorgeous professor Jung Yunho, the man of his dreams was on Tinder. His heart leapt up and he quickly felt as giddy as a school girl. Without thinking much, he swiped right. He just had to. Of course, he liked him (loved him even, if anyone asks when he was so very drunk). And anyway, it was all for fun. Nothing can go wrong. Absolutely nothing.
“It’s a match! You and Yunho have liked each other.”
Jaejoong stared at his phone’s screen, mouth agape.
No. No. No. No. No. Nooooo.
If he gets a notification, so will Professor Jung. Professor Jung will know he liked him. Sure, Professor Jung liked him too (he did like him first) but it was still so very embarrassing. So many emotions were running through Jaejoong at that moment. A part of him wanted to scream, shout and sing at the top of his lungs because, at least online, the gorgeous man of his dreams and wet dreams thinks he was adorable. But the rest of him wanted to buy a plane ticket to the most isolated island in the world and hide there for the rest of his life. There was no way, no way he could face his professor tomorrow after knowing they’ve been matched and on Tinder. He just couldn’t.
Jaejoong shakily put his phone down. “That’s enough Tinder for now.” He said to himself as he smiled then frowned and then inwardly panicked.
This just didn’t happen. It just didn’t. Jaejoong muttered inside his head. He stood up and paced. He had to prepare for his classes tomorrow. He had to try to act coolly. He had to practice. Otherwise, he’d be a blundering pile of awkward mess if he would ever face his professor, especially since he was Professor Jung’s teaching assistant.
+
Yoochun clutched his stomach and laughed a laugh befitting a crazed lunatic rather than a 20 year old civilized young man.
“You and Jung sonsaengnim! On Tinder!” Yoochun said it like he was vomiting the words out.
Jaejoong looked around the university courtyard and shushed him, hoping to high heavens no one among the crowd was hearing this conversation. “Shut up, will you!” He said in a panicked voice.
“I can’t!” Yoochun said, trying to regain his breath as he laughed. “It’s just too funny! And why are you even using an app like that! You and him?” Yoochun broke out into laughter again.
Jaejoong rolled his eyes. “You’ve been laughing for 10 minutes straight. Are you done yet?”
“Nope.” His friend said proudly, still chuckling in between breaths. He took a minute or two to laugh some more then calmed down. “Okay, I’m done.”
Jaejoong just sat beside him looking nervous and panicked as hell.
“Why Tinder?” Asked Yoochun out of curiosity. “I thought you tried out that Grindr app a week or two ago.”
Jaejoong looks at him incredulously. His app choices were the last thing on his mind, but he answers his friend anyway. “I did, last week. But since that app was exclusively for gay guys, most of them were looking for hook ups. I’ve deleted my account and uninstalled it from my phone after a few hours. I received at least 5 unsolicited dick pics. At least Tinder, more people were trying to just play with it.”
Yoochun smirked. “So, did you uninstall it because of the unsolicited dick pics or because the dicks they showed you weren’t that enough?”
The older man looked at him, appalled. “I can’t believe you’re asking me that.”
“Well?”
Jaejoong made a face and looked down. “They weren’t enough.” He mumbled, then shook his head. “BUT,” He stresses. “That is not my point. My point is that the class under Professor Jung will start in 10 minutes and I’m here still a nervous wreck because of what happened on Tinder!”
“One minute, actually.” Yoochun said nonchalantly.
The older guy’s eyes widened. “What?”
Just then, the bell rang.
+
To say that Jaejoong was nervous was utterly an understatement. He trembled when Professor Jung spoke. He was clumsy and jumpy and awkward all throughout class. He was definitely not giving assistance where it was needed, and it was his job. Jaejoong could see from the corner of his eyes Yoochun laughing in his seat. But he dared not to glare at his friend. He was already doing enough screw ups and he knew that glaring at Yoochun would ruin his composure, or at least what’s left of it.
Jaejoong’s plan was that after class, he would dash right out of the classroom as fast as his feet could carry him. He eyed the door when there was only 5 minutes left. Excuses like an upset stomach or a sudden death of a donkey pet ran through his mind, just in case his professor chases him after class, which he knew would be true considering he was earning extra credit for this.
But when the bell rang, the professor was quick to block Jaejoong’s way.
“Kim Jaejoong.” The professor says, taking off his glasses and revealing his deep and luscious chocolate brown eyes. His voice was velvet in Jaejoong’s ears, and so he froze and gulped in nervousness.
Just play it cool, Jae. Just play it cool, He told himself. Jaejoong tried his best not to stare at the tall, tanned and handsome man in front of him, but it was hard not to. Jung Yunho was just the epitome of sophistication and perfection, and early on he realized it was hard for him not to ogle at this Adonis.
Professor Jung waited until all the students left the room (Yoochun tried to stay behind but he was both too tired and too scared of the professor to do so). He turned to his student when they were finally alone and asked, “Are you feeling okay?”
Jaejoong blinked. “E-Eh?”
“You were stumbling all over the place earlier. Is everything alright? Are you feeling alright?” He leans against his desk and Jaejoong couldn’t help but notice every inch of his as he did so.
“Y-Yeah, I am… I-I mean, n-no. My d-donkey has, er, an upset stomach and stuff.” He stuttered and shakily pushed the bridge of his glasses. “I-I mean I have an upset stomach! And… and my donkey died.” Jaejoong wanted to disappear right then and there.
His professor just stared at him. They stayed quiet for a minute before, to Jaejoong’s embarrassment, Professor Jung laughed. Out. Loud.
Heat crept up his cheeks as Jaejoong watched the love of his life laugh his heart out. But then the professor said something that made Jaejoong’s heart jump out of his chest.
“You’re so cute, you know that?” He said, still chuckling. “Alright, go home and get some rest, Jaejoong-ah, okay?”
Professor Jung grabbed his books and slung his bag behind him. “I’ll see you tomorrow then, but make sure you’re feeling better so that you can properly help me in my class.”
Jaejoong stared at him, dumbfounded. He nodded his head slowly as he grabbed his own bag. “W-wait.” He muttered without thinking. The minute he did so, Jaejoong wished he didn’t do that. He bowed slightly and shook his head. “Ah. M-Mianhe, sonsaengnim. It… It’s nothing.” Jaejoong could feel himself blush bright red.
Professor Jung stayed in front of the door for a second then walked back towards his student. “Are you, by chance, thinking about that match on Tinder?”
Jaejoong gulped and searched for any sign of any emotion on his professor’s face. He only saw amusement and a wide smile playing on those pinkish red lips.
“That was certainly interesting, wasn’t it?” The older man asked, still smiling. “Maybe we can talk about it over coffee some time. How about this Saturday?”
Jaejoong’s mouth fell open but he nodded anyway.
“Great! I’ll see you then.” Professor Jung walked towards the door but turned again to face Jaejoong. “Oh, and I’d like that meeting to be just us. No need for formalities, so better practice calling me as ‘Yunho’, okay?” He winked handsomely at Jaejoong before setting off for his next class.
His student just stood there in the empty classroom, too surprised to even breathe properly.