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You weren’t sure when you became this clingy. Maybe it was just the way you loved loudly, fully, with your whole heart. Or maybe it was because Jay made you feel like it was okay to be that way. He never once pushed you away. In fact, he’d pull you in closer.
You were his girlfriend. The clingy one. And he was yours- the patient, calm, quietly affectionate one. The one who always seemed to enjoy your affection, who welcomed your hugs even when he was sweaty from practice or half-asleep after a schedule.
So, when your work trip came up, you didn’t think twice about surprising him before your flight. You were only going to be gone a few days, but it felt like forever. You had texted him that morning, pretending you were already heading to the airport.
Instead, you’d asked the cab to wait outside HYBE for just ten minutes,just enough time to run upstairs, find him, hug him once, and whisper a proper goodbye.
The hallways of HYBE felt oddly quiet for late afternoon. You took the elevator to the practice floor and tiptoed toward the familiar training room. You peeked through the glass to find Jay inside with the rest of Enhypen. They were laughing, all sprawled across the floor, drenched in sweat, clearly taking a break.
You reached for the door handle but paused.
Jay was speaking.
“My girlfriend is so clingy,” he said, laughing, voice light and teasing.
“I swear, she’d probably come here just to say bye before her flight or something.”
Your heart stilled.
Another voice, probably Sunghoon’s, chimed in, “She would, wouldn’t she?”
Jay laughed again. “She would. It’s so annoying sometimes. I don’t get a moment of peace, man.”
The others laughed, but you couldn’t hear them anymore.
Your fingers trembled on the door handle. You let go.
You stumbled back, trying not to draw attention, your eyes already stinging. A sob pressed against your chest, but you bit it back. Not here. Not now.
You turned and rushed toward the washroom down the hall. Inside, you locked the door and leaned over the sink, gripping the edges like they were the only thing holding you up. Your reflection in the mirror was pale, eyes wide, lips trembling.
Annoying.
He said I’m annoying.
The word echoed again and again, ringing louder than his laughter.
You had always known you were clingy. You texted him too much, hugged him too tight, asked to see him even during his busiest days. But Jay never once made you feel like it was too much. He let you love him the way you did. He said he liked it.
Maybe he lied.
Maybe he never wanted to hurt you, so he smiled through it but deep down, it was suffocating him.
You covered your mouth to stop the sob that finally escaped. Your cab was still waiting.
You didn’t even check your face before leaving the bathroom. You just walked straight out of the building, got into the cab, and texted Jay once you were seated.
[Y/N 🐰]: on the way to the airport now. have a good day at practice 💛
The reply came quickly.
[Jay 🐯]: thanks babe!! have a safe flight. text me when you land 😘
That was it.
He didn’t know you were just a few feet away moments ago, standing outside the room, hearing the words that sliced right through you.
The flight passed in a haze.
You barely remembered getting on board or the hotel you checked into when you arrived. But your brain kept looping those words. So annoying. Don’t get a moment of peace.
It wasn’t just what he said, it was the laughter. The way he brushed you off like a joke. The way no one disagreed.
Was that really how he saw you?
The first few days of the trip, you made yourself hold back.
You texted him daily, like always but your messages were short. Polite. Emotionless.
No cute photos, no voice notes, no “I miss you so much I could die”s. Just:
[Y/N 🐰]: morning. hope you slept well.
[Y/N 🐰]: heading to my meeting now. ttyl.
[Y/N 🐰]: landed back in the hotel. was a long day.
Jay didn’t seem to notice at first. He replied sweetly, called you whenever he could, and even sent food delivery to your hotel once. You picked up his calls when he rang but didn’t initiate any yourself.
When he teased you gently one night over FaceTime with a “Where’s my clingy girlfriend gone?” you just smiled and said, “Maybe I’m just tired.”
He didn’t press it.
And you were thankful.
Because if he knew the truth that you had been spiraling ever since overhearing him he might have just reassured you out of guilt.
You didn’t want pity. You just wanted to understand.
Were you too much?
Maybe distance was good. For both of you.
When you landed back home, HYBE had given Jay the day off. You didn’t even have to ask. He was already at your apartment, waiting with open arms and a stupidly excited smile on his face.
Normally, you would’ve jumped into his arms, wrapped yourself around him like a koala, kissed him breathless.
This time, you stepped into his hug and held him tightly… but quietly.
“I missed you,” you murmured into his chest, feeling tears threaten again.
“I missed you more,” he whispered, kissing your hair.
“I’m really tired. I think I’ll shower and lie down for a bit.”
You felt him hesitate, but he nodded. “Okay, babe. Want me to order in dinner?”
“Yeah,” you said softly, already walking away.
You didn’t see the confused crease forming between his brows.
In the days that followed, you pulled away even more.
You still kissed him good morning. Still cuddled on the couch. Still replied to his texts.
But your affection had changed.
It was measured. Careful. Held back. Almost as if you were scared to overdo it.
And Jay noticed.
Jay had been trying to convince himself that nothing was wrong.
At first, he chalked it up to jet lag. Then maybe work stress. You had just come back from a full-on business trip, after all. And still, you were warm, affectionate, kind. Still you.
Just… less.
You didn’t linger with your hugs. You didn’t sneak into his lap when he was watching TV or ask to hold hands while walking down the street. You still responded to his “I love you”s but always with a soft smile or a quiet “You too.”
And what unsettled Jay most was that you didn’t seem upset.
You weren’t cold or angry or ignoring him. You were… normal. Just a little too quiet. A little too reserved. Like someone walking across thin ice, afraid that one wrong move would make it crack.
And Jay didn’t know why.
“Everything okay with you two?”
Heeseung’s voice pulled Jay out of his thoughts one afternoon as they cooled off outside the dance studio.
Jay blinked. “Huh?”
“You’ve been spacing out for the past hour, man.”
Sunghoon looked up from his water bottle. “Did you two fight?”
“No,” Jay said automatically.
Because you didn’t fight. You never fought. You were the clingiest person he knew—but never demanding or dramatic. Just soft and sweet and maybe too gentle for someone like him.
He ran a hand through his damp hair.
“No fight. She’s just… different lately.”
“Different how?” Heeseung asked.
Jay hesitated. “I don’t know. She’s quiet. She doesn’t… I don’t know. Cling.”
Sunghoon laughed. “You miss her being stuck to you like Velcro?”
Jay smiled faintly. “Yeah. I do.”
It got worse in the next few days.
Not by much but enough that he noticed.
Your hugs lasted only a few seconds. You stopped cuddling into him at night unless he pulled you in himself. You smiled a lot but it didn’t always reach your eyes.
Jay caught himself staring at you more often than not. Trying to read your face. Trying to understand what changed.
You were always good at hiding when you were hurting. But he knew you well enough to sense something was off.
So, one night, when you were brushing your hair after a shower, he finally asked.
“Are we okay?”
Your hand paused mid-stroke. “Yeah. Of course.”
“You sure?”
You turned slightly to look at him. “Why are you asking that?”
Jay moved to sit on the edge of the bed. “I don’t know. Just feels like… something’s different.”
You smiled. And it hurt him how convincing it was.
“We’re both busy lately,” you said. “Maybe it’s just that.”
Jay nodded slowly. “Okay.”
But his gut told him that wasn’t it.
A few days later, Jay’s manager stopped by the practice room to drop off some documents. They exchanged a few casual words, laughing about scheduling and performance outfits.
Then, as the manager turned to leave, he paused.
“Oh! By the way, I think I saw your girlfriend here last week.”
Jay blinked. “Wait, what?”
“Yeah, sometime last week? You guys were on break. I was heading up to a meeting and thought I saw her in the hallway. Looked like she was crying, actually. But I figured I must’ve been wrong. Thought she was out of the country, wasn’t she?”
Jay’s blood ran cold.
“What day?”
The manager scratched his head. “Uh… maybe Tuesday? Or Wednesday? Not sure. Why?”
Jay’s chest tightened.
Tuesday.
That was the day of your flight.
That was the day he had been joking around with the guys in the practice room. The day he’d laughed about how clingy you were. The day he’d said—
“She’d probably come here just to say bye before her flight or something.”
“It’s so annoying sometimes. I don’t get a moment of peace, man.”
His breath caught.
You had come.
You heard him.
Oh God.
Jay stood up so suddenly his water bottle toppled over. The other members looked at him in surprise.
“I have to go,” he muttered, already grabbing his phone.
You were curled up on the couch when the door opened.
Jay didn’t knock. He never did. But this time, the energy he brought into your apartment was different.
Urgent. Heavy.
You turned around, confused. “Jay?”
He looked like he’d just sprinted through a storm. His hair messy, shirt slightly damp from sweat, chest rising and falling like he hadn’t stopped moving since the studio.
He didn’t speak at first.
Just stared at you like his heart was breaking right there at the door.
“What’s wrong?” you asked, standing up slowly.
“You came to HYBE before your flight.”
The air thickened. You didn’t respond.
“You were outside the practice room,” he said, voice low. “You heard me, didn’t you?”
Still, you didn’t speak.
Jay crossed the room in three long steps and stopped in front of you. “Y/N… why didn’t you tell me?”
You looked away. Your throat burned.
“I wasn’t supposed to hear it,” you said quietly. “You didn’t mean for me to.”
“But I still said it,” Jay whispered. “And I’m so sorry.”
You clenched your jaw, blinking fast. “Did you mean it?”
“No.” His voice cracked. “I mean—I said it. And maybe there was some truth in the joke. But not the way you think.”
You finally looked up at him, eyes shimmering.
“Then explain.”
Jay exhaled slowly.
“I was tired that day. We were joking around. And yeah, I said you were clingy. But it was dumb. Stupid. I didn’t mean it to sound like a complaint. I didn’t mean it like you were a burden.”
You didn’t say anything.
Jay stepped closer. “Do you know how empty it feels without you clinging to me all the time?”
That surprised you.
He continued, “I miss you barging into my day with twenty texts. I miss you hanging off my arm. I miss you falling asleep on my shoulder even when I told you I was too sweaty.”
A shaky laugh escaped you.
“I’ve been walking around like an idiot wondering why my own girlfriend suddenly feels… distant,” he said. “And it’s because I hurt you. Without even knowing it.”
You swallowed hard.
“I didn’t want to be too much,” you whispered. “I thought maybe you were just too nice to tell me to back off. And then I heard that, and I… I couldn’t un-hear it.”
Jay pulled you into his arms.
“Y/N,” he said softly, “you are not too much. And if I ever feel overwhelmed, I swear I’ll talk to you about it like an adult. Not laugh about it behind your back like a coward.”
You buried your face into his shoulder.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered. “Please don’t stop loving me the way you do. I like it. I love it. It’s one of my favorite things about you.”
You were crying now. Silently, but openly. Your fists clutched the back of his shirt.
“I missed you,” you mumbled.
“I missed you,” he whispered. “The real you.”
Jay stayed the night. He held you until you fell asleep. And when you woke up, he was still there, watching you with a look so full of guilt and affection, it made your chest ache.
But even after his apology, something still lingered.
You tried. You smiled more. Hugged him longer.
But you were hesitant. Still afraid of slipping into being “too much” again.
Jay noticed.
So he did the only thing he could.
He doubled down.
Jay hadn’t stopped trying since that night.
You could feel it in every small gesture, every extra text, every meal he cooked for you (even if it was just ramen), every time he pulled you closer in bed when he thought you were asleep.
He never outright said, “Please go back to being clingy,” but it was in the way he lingered after hugs, the way he sent little updates about his day hoping you’d reply with your usual excited rambles. It was in the way he’d pause before hanging up a call, waiting, just waiting, for you to say “Wait, don’t hang up yet.”
But you didn’t.
Not yet.
You couldn’t help it. Even though you believed him, believed the apology, believed that he loved your affection, it was hard to silence that voice in the back of your head.
What if he just said that to make you feel better?
What if he only missed it because it was gone?
You didn’t want to return to being your old self if it meant smothering him. And you didn’t want to askfor reassurance constantly either. That would make you even more clingy, wouldn’t it?
So you stayed somewhere in the middle.
You loved him quietly. Carefully.
And Jay, slowly but surely, began to unravel that quiet.
It started with the small things.
He sent you selfies, not just the polished, fan-facing ones, but blurry shots of him mid-bite at lunch, or with half of his face smushed into a couch pillow.
[Jay 🐯]: rate this hair from 1 to “should I just shave my head”
Or—
[Jay 🐯]: me thinking about you. also about cake. mostly you tho
Sometimes you replied. Sometimes you left him on read. But he didn’t stop.
Then he brought home your favorite pastries one evening.
You smiled, a little surprised. “What’s the occasion?”
“Just missed your smile when you see these.”
You felt your heart crack a little. You hadn’t lit up the way you used to. Not since that day.
Then came the soft ambushes.
You were brushing your teeth when he wrapped his arms around you from behind and rested his chin on your shoulder.
“Miss this,” he mumbled through his reflection.
You tried to laugh, mouth full of foam.
When you rinsed and turned to face him, he was still there, looking at you like you hung the moon.
“You don’t have to hold back,” he said softly.
You looked down. “I’m trying not to… smother you again.”
Jay sighed. He lifted your chin gently with one finger so you’d meet his gaze.
“You never smothered me,” he said. “You just… made my days brighter. And warmer.”
A long silence passed.
You looked at him, then reached forward and poked his cheek. “You’re really not mad I used to cling to you all the time?”
Jay smiled. “I loved it. I was just being an idiot around the guys. Trying to sound funny and cool.”
“You’re terrible at that.”
He laughed. “I know.”
And then you hugged him.
Properly. Tightly.
Like the old you would’ve.
He melted into it immediately, arms wrapped around you like he never wanted to let go.
“I missed this,” he whispered into your hair.
You pressed your face into his neck. “Me too.”
But it wasn’t all better overnight.
There were still moments when you’d pause before reaching for his hand. Still moments where your fingers hovered over the “call” button on your phone, wondering if you were doing too much again.
Jay never stopped noticing.
So he made it his mission to rebuild what had cracked.
One evening, you were curled up on the couch reading, and Jay sat beside you holding his phone. A few minutes later, your phone buzzed.
[Jay 🐯]: miss you.
You glanced at him. He was right beside you.
He grinned and sent another.
[Jay 🐯]: miss my clingy koala too
You blinked at the screen, heart stuttering.
Then he reached out and pulled your legs onto his lap.
“I’m giving you a chance to cling again,” he said casually, flipping through Netflix.
You stared at him.
“You’re ridiculous,” you muttered but your voice was warm, your chest lighter than it had been in weeks.
He looked over and smiled. “But you love me.”
You rolled your eyes.
And climbed into his lap.
A week later, Jay had a short out-of-town schedule. You went to drop him off at HYBE.
You hesitated outside the building, remembering that day. Your chest tightened a little.
But Jay was waiting at the entrance this time. As soon as he saw you, he ran over and threw his arms around you.
“I knew you’d come say bye.”
You smiled against his shirt. “Do you want me to?”
Jay leaned back just enough to meet your eyes. “Yes. Every time.”
You pressed a kiss to his cheek.
“I’ll be waiting when you get back.”
He kissed your forehead. “And I’ll be starving for affection.”
Later that night, Jay sent you a voice note from his hotel bed.
“Babe. You left a hoodie here. It smells like you and now I’m lying in bed like a loser sniffing your sleeves. Hope you’re happy. Also, I miss you. And I hope when I get back, you’ll jump on me like the clingy little koala you are. I need that. Seriously.”
You laughed to yourself, cheeks heating.
You recorded a reply:
“That’s what you get for saying I’m annoying behind my back. 😤 But yes. Prepare to be clung to.”
He replied in a heartbeat.
[Jay 🐯]: that’s my girl 🥹
Jay’s trip only lasted three days, but you found yourself counting the hours until he returned.
Maybe it was the way he kept checking in, texting you the dumbest memes, or updating you about every little thing he ate. Or maybe it was because, for the first time since everything happened, you felt like your old selves again, playful, chaotic, and full of love.
You'd been cautious for so long, trying not to step over some invisible line.
But Jay had erased it completely.
When you picked him up from HYBE that evening, Jay didn't even wait for you to unbuckle your seatbelt before dragging you out of the car and into a tight embrace.
You squeaked in surprise. “Jay!”
“I told you I’d be starving for affection,” he mumbled, lips brushing your ear. “And I meant it.”
You laughed, heart warm and full. “Did you miss me that much?”
He pulled back and cupped your face in both hands. “I missed you so much that I used your voice notes as lullabies and told Jake I was suffering from cuddling withdrawals.”
“Poor Jake.”
Jay smirked. “Poor me.”
Then you kissed him.
And maybe it was just a kiss to the world, but to you, it felt like a reset. Like everything between you had settled again. No more walking on eggshells. No more holding back.
You were home again. In him.
In the days that followed, the shift between you two was impossible to miss.
The subtle distance you had placed between your hearts was gone. You clung again—softly, playfully, and sometimes even more than before.
Jay didn’t just welcome it. He mirrored it.
He reached for your hand more often. Held you longer in the mornings before you got out of bed. He surprised you with coffee deliveries, forehead kisses, and random “I love you” texts at 3AM.
One afternoon, while he was cooking, you wrapped your arms around his waist from behind and rested your cheek on his back.
“Koala mode again?” he teased.
“Mm-hmm,” you hummed. “You said I’m allowed.”
“You’re encouraged,” he corrected.
You peeked up at him. “So I’m not annoying?”
He turned off the stove, dried his hands, and spun around to face you.
“No,” he said seriously. “But even if you were, you’d be my annoying.”
You grinned.
Then, just to mess with him, you whispered, “I might text you thirty times tomorrow while you’re at practice.”
“I’ll reply to all thirty.”
“And I might kiss you in front of your members next time.”
“Good. Then they’ll stop calling you fake for being ‘less clingy.’” He gave you a look. “Yeah, they noticed too.”
You gasped. “No way.”
Jay nodded solemnly. “Jake said he almost cried when you left a room without hugging me once.”
You laughed, burying your face in his chest.
Jay held you closer.
“I’m sorry again,” he murmured. “For hurting you.”
“I know,” you whispered. “And thank you. For making me feel safe again.”
He kissed the top of your head. “You never lost that place. You just forgot where it was for a while.”
A few weeks later, you surprised him at HYBE again. This time with coffee for the whole group and a massive bear hug for Jay the moment he stepped out of the practice room.
Sunghoon whooped dramatically. “She’s BACK!”
Heeseung pumped his fist. “Balance has been restored!”
Jay just wrapped both arms around you like it was the most natural thing in the world and said, “My girlfriend came to say hi. Be jealous.”
Jake fake gagged. “Gross. But also… finally.”
You smiled into Jay’s shoulder.
It felt good to be back.
That night, after dinner, Jay curled up beside you on the couch and tapped your nose.
“I never told you this,” he said softly, “but when I first met you, I knew you were going to love hard. I could feel it.”
You looked at him. “Is that a good thing?”
Jay nodded. “The best.”
He ran a finger along your jaw gently.
“You make me feel loved all the time. Even when you're annoying.”
You glared. “Jay.”
He laughed. “I mean in a good way.”
You crossed your arms. “There’s no such thing as good annoying.”
He leaned in, kissing the side of your neck. “Sure there is. It’s the kind that keeps me warm. Keeps me grounded. Reminds me that someone wants to be around me, even when I’m tired or grumpy.”
You softened.
“I used to think I’d need a lot of space to feel okay in a relationship,” he continued. “But then you happened. And I realized I don’t want space. I want you. Every weird, clingy, dramatic bit of you.”
Your eyes shimmered.
“You’re going to make me cry again,” you murmured.
He smirked. “Then cry on me. I like when you do that too.”
You shoved him playfully, and he dragged you into his lap, tickling you until you were breathless and smiling through tears.
And later, when the apartment was quiet and you were lying tangled in each other under the sheets, Jay whispered, “Thanks for not giving up on us.”
You kissed his chest where your head rested.
“I never could.”
One rainy morning, Jay was rushing around getting ready for another early schedule when he noticed you sleepily padding after him, wrapped in his oversized hoodie.
He turned just as you flopped face-first onto the couch.
“Do you want me to cancel and stay home?” he joked.
You made a noise that sounded suspiciously like yes.
He chuckled and walked over, crouching down in front of you.
“Clingy again?” he asked, brushing your hair out of your face.
You yawned. “Always.”
Jay leaned in and kissed your nose.
“Good.”
Then, with a grin, he added, “You’re lucky I love it.”
You pulled him down into one more hug.
And when he left, he did so with your warmth still clinging to his clothes and your love still blooming quietly in his heart.