#and the second is just after sungjae tried to kill jane after she made him crash his car

[yibyeol]

“ if you die it’ll be like my villain origin story so. don’t die. ” jane & wei

made two versions that got a little too long because i lack self control so

"If you die it'll be like my villain origin story. So don't die."

Wei draws in a sharp breath, and he almost winces at the pain that follows immediately after. He has woken up minutes ago, the realization that he's half naked almost sends him into a fight or flight state, but Jane's hand on his does the trick of calming him down. He smells like blood and fresh bandage, yet none of that matters because all he can think about is what she just said. The silence that falls around them feels suffocating somehow, and it's ironic because silence is something that Wei almost never gets. But what she said must have caused an impact, strong enough that the ghosts fall silent too. Wei could feel their gazes on him, and he knows they're well aware of the rapid thumps of his once still heart. He knows they have questions, probably mirroring his own but he holds his breath when he stares at her, eyes searching hers. For some sort of answer, that could maybe answer all his questions, silent his fears and doubts that fill his head and heart. Does she know what she just said? Does she have any idea what it does to him? Did she mean it? Would she really?

But he wouldn't let her. Deep down he knows he wouldn't, couldn't let that happen, despite the warm feeling spreading across his chest upon hearing those words. He knows what it's like, to be called a villain. The families of those scumbags that he mercilessly killed, would never hesitate to call him one. He has his reasons for doing what he does and sometimes Wei thinks he has to become one, because it's the only way he knows how to make peace. Having been labelled as the villain in many tragedies, Wei isn't sure how to react when someone—not just someone, but Jane—is willing to be the big bad guy. Because of him.

"Wow," he says at last, exhaling slowly. The ghosts are still quiet, and Wei suddenly finds himself desperately wishing the more nasty ones aren't nearby. "Good thing I don't die huh."

That was mostly to reassure her, and maybe himself too. He watches Jane's eyes drop to his stomach, decorated by various markings, the bandage slapped across it that is starting to get stained with blood again. Neither of them comment on it, and Wei wonders where the fuck his parabatai is because Sungjae has managed to cause enough harm that Wei ends up passed out for a little too long during their training session that once again turned too heated. No one else has ever managed to do enough damage to Wei. Not like this.

A dangerous little idea plants its root in the back of his mind, and he could sense the ghosts stirring and catching on but he speaks again quickly, a lopsided grin starting to spread across his pale face. "It's such a shame though, I just saved the world by not dying and thus, preventing you from being a villain but no one in the world would ever know how I just single-handedly saved all their asses." he glances at Jane, shifting to a more comfortable position and hoping he sounds just as relaxed.

"Even if you'd look pretty hot and badass as a villain, I'd rather you not become one." Wei continues, and he has to look away from her because he can't let himself entertain anymore the idea of what she said. Of course she could be joking--and he wishes she was--but just the mere idea of it pleases him, worries him just as much, more than he would ever admit. "It's not worth it."

an alternate version of wei saying that because why wouldn't he

"Are you alright?" Wei's eyebrows are knotted together, and he doesn't even know when or how but his hands are already touching Jane's face, her shoulders, and running along her arms before returning to her face again, eyes rapidly searching for any signs of injury. He is careful to avoid her neck, tugging her hair behind her ears and when his gaze lands on the red marks, now blossoming into purple blue bruises on her slender and pale neck, something ugly in him stirs again. So do the ghosts around him, and their bloodlust doesn't feel all that different to the rage in him.

One of them leans closer to whisper something in his ear. A sweet, tempting idea that would no doubt ease the anger, but this isn't about him. Part of him is both suspicious and glad that they even tagged along, because last he checked they were cozying up to Sungjae, which was the first of the many wrong things to happen. But now he'd rather the ghosts come back to him, because he knows how to handle them, most of the times. Wei doesn't need his parabatai losing control again and lay another finger on Jane, ever again.

A muscle in Wei's jaw ticks as he lets out a harsh breath, dropping his hands and putting some distance between him and the girl. "I know he's an asshole and we all know he probably deserves worse, but you shouldn't do that again." Wei says in a low voice, trying to keep the words from rushing out of him, "You could end up dead." Sungjae isn't the only one to blame here, and Jane isn't the only one bearing injuries. But Wei has decided his parabatai can suffer for some time longer.

Jane starts to argue, and he wants to tell her to stop talking because she shouldn't talk and strain her throat more, so he cuts her off instead. "If you die it'll be like my villain origin story. So don't die."

It's meant to be a joke, something to hopefully catch her by surprise and get her to stop talking, or maybe a few amused laughs out of her. Yet he surprises himself with how dead serious he sounds. Wei is used to being called a monster--even before he is one--when he stares into the eyes of dying men, his hands wet with their blood as life slowly seeps out of them. It isn't some glorious purpose or anything of the sort, but he does what he has to. He's always told himself it's to prevent more tragedies, like what happened to him. It's not until now that he stares into Jane's eyes that seem to always tell so many things that left unsaid and hidden because she has to, not until he sees the bruises blooming on her neck and remembers the look on Sungjae's face when dark shadows surrounded them, all sharp edges filled with promises of hurt and pain, that he realizes he would gladly bring forth more tragedies and make it his only purpose. If it meant he could keep her safe.

The lack of remorse on his part should concern him, but it doesn't and the ghost from earlier seems to have caught on, and it whispers something to Wei again, excitement and encouragement evident in its tone. He ignores it too this time, still eyeing her for a reaction before he clears his throat, extending a hand to her. "Come on. I know something that can help with the pain."

#these are so long omfg im cry #but the first one is basically based on the idea that sungjae could kill wei but neither of them knows it yet #and the second is just after sungjae tried to kill jane after she made him crash his car #if u're wondering what the ghosts are telling wei - it's just something alone the lines of 'kill him kill him don't u want to kill him' #and 'we will help u kill him kill him' #ye these are the evil ones klsjdfdsf #im so sorry sungjae #once again i cant tell if i like these but at least i finished writing skljdfs #i did not deliver the hurt that i thought i would :pensive: #ok that's enough rambling in the tags #p: wei #otp: alone together

[minah-delacroix]

At any price (Part IV)

Universe: Dynasty AU

Characters: Minah, Sungjae, Tyler, Tara, Ashleigh, Daniel, Lucas

Word count: 4,3 k

The blind spot

“The Lee Corp gift strategists are on their way, should I set them up in the study room?” Lucas, Tyler’s very handsome mentee, said as the two of them walked into the golden room on the second floor of the Lee Manor. It was just another morning at the Lee’s, and Lucas ever so helpful was running through Tyler’s day’s schedule. Coming from one of the richest families in town, Lucas Zhang was surely one of a kind. He possessed the killing looks of a pop star —or at least that was how Jane described him to anyone willing to listen—, the good manners of the only son of a very traditional, old money Asian family and the ability to memorize Tyler’s schedule by heart and put up with his oftentimes ridiculous demands.

“Please, do,” Tyler said, practically snatching the cup of coffee one of the maids was about to serve to Lucas before sitting at the head of the curved glass table where Tara usually hosted her reading club soirées, but that had been set up for yet another majestic breakfast that morning.

Living with the Lee siblings was quite an experience and despite having spent nearly a month under the same roof, Minah was not used to their extravagant way of living yet. Even for someone like her who’d grown up surrounded by otherworldly luxury and wealth, some of Tyler’s habits seemed over the top at the very least. Minah had uselessly tried to convince herself that having her clothes washed and ironed with lavender water imported exclusively from Provence for that purpose or having breakfast at different sections of the house every day were just little quirks, but some of the house’s codes made her frankly uncomfortable. Having Tyler’s maids following her around and offering to perform even the most common and simplest of the tasks was one of them. She still recalled the time one of the housemaids offered to undress her and brush her hair before taking a bath. According to Tara, it was just the royal pampering they had been trained to give, but Minah still found it odd. Royal court training or not, she didn’t want any woman touching her intimately.

Then there was the excessive food and the grand buffets each meal turned into. Minah herself was not too much of a foodie, so she considered the exaggerated amount of fine cuisine a waste of resources. That morning was no particularly different and a spread of breakfast classics laid out on the table: exotic fineries like British tea mixes Minah had never heard of before, macarons from Tyler’s personal patissier, small cakes with the Lee family’s coat of arms —two dragons intertwined by a cross flory over a per saltire field—, silver dollar pancakes with red fruits, toasted English muffins, four different types of yogurt, you name it.

“Good morning, Miss Delacroix”  Minah couldn’t help but smile that little satisfied grin of hers she reserved for men of his kind when Lucas sat across the table, bowing at her the slightest bit. Breakfast had suddenly become ten times more fulfilling with a man as beautiful around.

“Did you sleep well, darling?” Tyler cleared his throat, directing a fleeting, charming smile at Minah, who sat to his right dressed in a luxurious champagne peignoir that hugged every curve of her body. Then he eyed Lucas, pointing at the iPad with a very detailed schedule glowing on its screen.

“After the meeting with the-“ Whatever Lucas was planning to say, it was disrupted by his phone loudly ringing in the pocket of his Anderson & Sheppard jacket. He picked the call and almost immediately mouthed a “they’re here” to Tyler. Lucas pushed the chair back and stood up excusing himself with Minah with another bow before disappearing through the arched entrance.

“Is Mr. Choi up yet?” Tyler ignored the little pout Minah’s lip stuck out in and asked to no one in particular, though if Minah had to guess, he was talking to Mrs. Chu, his elderly Singaporean nanny.

“I’m afraid not” She replied, barely looking up from her phone. She was lounging on a chaise long, focused on her favorite mobile game. “He said he needed to catch up on his sleep,” She said before muttering to herself “As though he didn’t sleep enough already”.

“Well, please let him know I’ll be in the study room with the gift strategists in case he needs anything” Tyler reached to grab a pitcher of orange juice, but one of the maids standing nearby pounced forward to serve him.

“Gift strategists?” Minah asked, blowing softly on the surface of her cup of pine nut and apricot tea.

“Gifts for our clients” Tyler replied naturally “I mean, my family company’s” he corrected himself as the maid placed a bowl of fruit and greek yogurt in front of him “We are sponsoring The Royal Exchange's annual tree lighting ceremony this year. I thought we’d hand the gifts there-” He trailed off, a slightly concerned expression of disbelief crossed his face  “Don’t tell me, you forgot the year-end business presents for our company”

Minah shook her head fervently although Tyler was not mistaken. With the stress of dealing with her family and her mind occupied by thoughts of Sungjae, she’d completely forgot about the business presents she was supposed to prepare. “What do you take me for?” She chuckled “Of course Maison Envoûté has something in the works."  

“Do I get one of these gifts too?” Daniel Choi swept into the impromptu breakfast room and sat down across from Minah, admiring the food waiting for him.

“No, your life has been one big Christmas morning since you arrived” Minah faked a sweet smile at Tyler’s friend, who was meant to be visiting from New York for a week, but who’d already prolonged his stay a couple of times. Minah thought she had reasons to worry about him and how much of a distraction he’d represented since he set foot at the Manor. Tyler would often forget appointments because Daniel was around doing God knows what to keep him off his duties.

“You two behave, I’ll be in the study room,” Tyler said trying not to giggle at the way his business partner and his best friend looked at each other —as though they were planning each other’s funeral. “See you at the office, Min” Tyler gave Minah a quick soft kiss on the forehead before exiting the room, causing Daniel to fake retching noises.

“So what are you gonna do?” Daniel asked once Tyler was gone. Minah looked  over at him with a serious and inquiring face, so he added “About the client gifts you don’t have?” With an eye roll.

“Like I said it’s in the works” Minah glared at Daniel so forcefully she was surprised he didn’t retreat then.

“Tyler might’ve bought your act, but he’s nice and he gives people more credit than they deserve” He sneered as one of the maids offered him a basket of pastries. He picked a croissant. “I’ve been here two weeks and I already know you have a blind spot when it comes to thinking about other people” He looked like he was going to add something else but he thought better and simply forced himself to smile at Minah

“I have no blind spots. I see all spots.” Minah picked a strawberry and took a bite “Just like I see you eating your croissants while you may be desperately trying to claim a seat at this table” Minah watched satisfied the way Daniel’s face tensed up  “But you need to know that unless you’re a Lee or make business with a Lee, no one cares what you think” Minah popped the rest of the strawberry into her mouth, chewing slowly, her mouth twisting into a smirk as she stood to leave “Especially not me”

Daniel’s eyes followed Minah when she walked out of the room, a strange smile gleaming across his face as he piled mini croissants onto his platter.

Boundaries

“Hey, I need a shopping partner or an assistant whichever you’re in the mood to be” Minah called, walking into Sungjae’s house

Somewhere in between the charity football game and the present day Minah and Sungjae had a conversation that allowed them to get some things off their chest and agree to try and be friendly to each other. After all, they’d known each other for a long time, and ignoring each other’s existence was as uncomfortable as it was inconvenient, considering Minah still helped Aurelie with some of her family’s minor companies. That’s why Minah thought there would be no problem if she paid a quick visit to her new “friend”.

“A ride at the very least” she suggested, fixing the chain of her shoulder bag. Just as she reached his room, the door opened and Ashleigh walked through it. She didn’t seem surprised to see Minah, instead, she was fastening her belt with a hundred-watt grin crossing her lipstick smudged lips.

“Oh, I see someone already got one” Minah scoffed, trying to look unfazed and unaffected by the fact Ashleigh never seemed to leave Sungjae’s side.

“Have you ever heard of knocking?” Ashleigh asked,  walking out of Sungjae’s room and picking her bag from the console table in the hall.

A jab of jealousy nailed Minah in the gut. She could remember personally picking that table for Sungjae in one of the many home decor shopping sprees they went on when he first moved into the Delacroix property.

Suddenly the awful realization that it never was just sex swept over Minah. Sungjae meant a lot more to her than she ever admitted.

Obviously, now it was too late.  

“Oh, you mean I can’t just walk in like I own the place?” Minah questioned with a thinly veiled smirk. “Because newsflash, I do”

Ashleigh purposely ignored Minah’s words and reached to pick her coat.

“So how is the job going? Heard Mr. Rausing wasn’t too pleased after finding out you rejected our contract. Now he’s been chasing after us, desperately trying to get us to sign with him, offering us a bargain price for your textiles” Suddenly feeling vindictive, Minah said despitefully. "I guess I should thank you after all"

“The only job I want to talk about is the faux job you pretended to give my boyfriend” Ashleigh frowned. It was the first time the two of them met face to face after Envoûté’s launch party, so Minah wasn’t exactly shocked to find out Sungjae’s girlfriend was still furious at her. After all, she’d made her cry and leave the party early.

“Faux job?” Nevertheless, Minah feigned obliviousness “Wow that’s pretty classy, Ash” Ashleigh cast an exasperated glare at Minah, so she gave in “You know you could argue that me pretending to blow Sungjae was a good thing, you two came out stronger than ever-”

“Are you high on something?” Ashleigh forced a laugh. As if on cue, Sungjae step into the hall.

“What is going on?”

Minah shrugged innocently and Ashleigh, though still fuming, only turned to face her boyfriend, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him on the mouth.

Minah looked away, feeling an unpleasant twinge of jealousy.

“I was about to leave” Ashleigh put on her coat as Sungjae looked over at Minah questioningly “Maybe you should change your locks” The blonde woman gave Sungjae a peck on the cheek before walking out of his home.

There was a brief silent moment where Sungjae continued to look at Minah as if asking for explanations, but she had already started to walk toward the kitchen.

“Minah“ Sungjae called with a weary sigh, making her turn on her heel and look at him with those large Bambi eyes of hers that apparently had long ago lost their effect on him. Sungjae stood looking at her with his arms crossed over the chest, eyes hard as he regarded her with a raised brow.

“I would say she isn’t getting enough of you-know-what, but knowing you-“ Minah was interrupted by Sungjae’s severe sounding voice.

“Minah you can’t just barge in here without respect for boundaries,” Sungjae said, his lips twisted in disapproval.

“Boundaries?” Minah asked, eyelashes fluttering “I thought you agreed to be my friend”

“Yes, but Ashleigh doesn’t want to be your friend” Sungjae’s voice softened “Nor she wants to be reminded we were friends”

“I think you’re using friends as a euphemism, but I mean actual friends” Minah pursed her lips and then stared at Sungjae with something that resembled to pleading eyes, for a brief moment. But of course, Minah was a Delacroix, so her expression shifted automatically, turning a tad reproaching.

“Minah, you can’t expect Ashleigh to be cool after all you put her through”

Minah rolled eyes at that. What about what Ashleigh had put her through?

“You need to give us some space” Sungjae didn’t look amused, nor he’d sounded so serious ever before.

Minah took it as a cue for her to leave.

Sungjae’s Christmas present

“What is all of this?” Tara asked following Tyler into his office. The room smelled like an odd mix of cigars, fine chocolate, and scotch so she regarded Minah, who was sitting at her desk with an arrangement of colorfully wrapped gifts, with wariness.

“It’s the season to show our clients how much we appreciate them” Minah handed a list to Tara and Tyler as they sat across from her on a recently shipped Grand Model Sofa from Le Corbusier. “And to show our competitor’s clients what they’re missing out” she smiled proudly.

“Are we hosting another party?” Tyler asked confused, without even sparing a glance at the list.

“People forget parties as soon as their hangover fades” Minah was probably speaking from her own experience at the launch party but Tara nodded in agreement. “If we can butter up my family’s clients with a memorable present, maybe some of them will be willing to meet with us”

Tyler and Tara shared skeptical looks, but Minah was too busy sorting through the gifts on her desk to notice.

“Now, if you look through the list you can see some of the options-”

“Tara will help,” Tyler said giving a quick glance and losing interest the moment he noticed there were like 20 items on it “Choosing presents is exhausting, I can only deal with it once a year”

“Fine” Minah shrugged, concealing the disappointment in her voice quite well. She’d been under the impression Tyler wanted to pick the gifts for their clients himself, but she figured out the meeting with the gift strategists that morning hadn’t gone quite as planned. “Anyway, my family usually hands the gifts at their Tree Lighting Ceremony, so I guess we could send ours next week at the latest” she added, discarding all the items she’d been planning to show Tyler and putting them back in their respective bags.

“So you’re going to the Lighting Ceremony?” Tyler stood up and asked “casually”, which earned him an eye roll from his sister.

“Of course I am, I’m a Delacroix after all” Minah said distractedly.

“Wanna go together?” Tyler’s invitation made Minah and Tara stop on their tracks and slowly turn to look at him with matching looks of disbelief.

“Well…” Minah started, clearly flustered “I usually go with Sungjae” Tyler’s obvious reaction was to roll eyes while Tara’s face morphed into a grimace that looked like a charade clue for the WTF expletive. “But I figured out his girlfriend wouldn’t like that” Minah went on, picking her bag from the ottoman next to her desk as a new realization hit in. “You know what? I got the best idea for Sungjae’s Christmas present this year” She jumped to her feet enthusiastically.

“Space?” Tara asked, giving Minah a slightly cold judgmental look.

“No” Minah shook her head “I am going to make a new friend”

“Who?” Tyler blinked confused.

“Please don’t say-“ Tara started.

“Ashleigh,” Minah and Tara said in unison, their voices differing in tone.

—

It took Minah an hour to navigate through London’s traffic and make it to Ashleigh’s office on the 30th floor of some North London tower that once upon a time had been considered one of the ugliest architectural pieces in the city, but it had been revamped with vertical gardens that made an important ecological statement as much as they helped it to save face.

Minah had to take a deep breath before walking through the doors of IN-Eco Corp and remind herself that she was only there to show Sungjae how much she actually cared about him and that she was willing to do anything to keep him in her life. She would go as far as to call a truce with Ashleigh. Even if that implicitly conveyed a sign of weakness.

When Minah stepped into Ashleigh’s office she was on the phone complaining about a sponsor drawing back from a contract and how it would affect the company’s organic cotton farming project in Peru, but she was quick to finish the call as soon as she saw Minah.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt” Minah apologized insincerely. Actually, she’d meant to and she was glad Ashleigh picked the hint. “But, I brought you an invitation to the Annual Delacroix Tree Lighting Ceremony” Minah flipped her hair over her shoulder with one hand and pulled a red envelope from her clutch with her other.

“The Tree Lighting might be hosted by your family, but Sungjae is an employee and I’m going as his date, why would I need your invitation?” Ashleigh said, getting up from her desk. “Why are you really here, Minah?” Minah didn’t miss the way Ashleigh pronounced her name —the way someone would pronounce some offensive word.

“Sungjae is my friend and you’re his girlfriend” Minah started, trying not to react at the way Ashleigh moved her hands as if encouraging her to go on and stop repeating the obvious. “So it stands to reason that you and I are gonna run into each other a lot-”

“Is that a threat?” The blonde cut Minah off.

“No” Minah heaved a sigh, thinking about the lengths she’d go to make Sungjae happy with a strange sense of concern and mortification. “I'm just saying we all should be friends for all of our sakes”    

“So in other words, you want me to make it more convenient for you to spend time with my man?” Ashleigh raised her brows incredulous. Minah almost let out a chuckle at the fact Ashleigh referred to Sungjae as “her man”, but she had the sense to stop herself.

“Ashleigh, listen, this is not just about Sungjae” Minah offered her a fleeting smile “I would be the first one to admit that I could use a girl friend” Ashleigh laughed as though she couldn’t believe her ears. “Come on, Ashleigh, you’re making things more complicated than they need to be” Minah went on “It’s not like Sungjae and I were even in love” Ashleigh expression hardened upon registering those words “It was just office sex and booty calls”

“Tell that to him” Ashleigh glared at Minah

“Wait, what? Did he say it was more than sex?” Minah attempted to sound casual but was quick to realize Ashleigh wasn't fooled by her cool exterior and was picking up on her lingering excitement.

“And that is exactly why we can’t be friends” Ashleigh fumed, opening the glass door for Minah to leave.

Trying to move on

“Why are you still bothering that poor girl?” Tara inquired sternly, looking at Minah through her pair of frameless Chopard glasses. For someone as lenient as her, Tara seemed quite exasperated

“Well…“ Minah, sitting on the Pierre Frey rug, supported her left elbow on the sofa and placed her hand upon the chin. The two girls had been sitting in one of the lounge rooms on the second floor, supposedly working, but of course, they’d lost their track after Minah decided to share her visit to Northern London with Tara. “I thought that if I tried to be friends with her-“ Minah looked up from the list in her hands, sincerity radiating from her big hazel eyes, something Tara would’ve given Minah credit for if she had not been too busy frowning at her.

“Let-it-go, Min” Tyler’s sister clicked her tongue as though Minah had not spoken. “Close the door and let’s focus on this before Tyler gets back here. We’ll talk about this later when I have Jane backing me up”

Minah rolled her eyes. Tara was really not fun at all ever since she started hanging out with that Mark Yang boy.

“Well, Envoûté is supposed to be super innovative and eco-friendly” Tara started

“Well, if we go with tech it has to be cutting edge, something everybody wants” Minah meditated, her eyes straying briefly to the strong fire blazing in the fireplace

“So why don’t we give them that headphone-headband hybrid, but we make it couture?” Tara suggested.

“Here’s a tip, you can never go wrong with rum,” Daniel said entering the room, a glass with something that looked like a Negroni in his hands.

“Tell that to your parents, Daniel” Minah scoffed. “Look, this is a work zone, for people with jobs”

“Jobs where you can wear pajamas all day?” Daniel said, eyeing Minah up and down and looking at her silk set with reproving eyes. “Sign me up”

“Charlotte Casiraghi wore this last week!” Minah explained to Tara, almost scandalized Daniel was suggesting she was wearing pajamas. “You’ve clearly picked Americans’ bad taste, assuming you ever had it, of course,” Minah spat angrily.

“Whatever, I didn’t come here to comment on your clothes” Daniel started, eyes narrowing to slits “Though I would absolutely change before meeting the cutie that’s waiting for you downstairs” He shrugged before turning around ready to leave.

“Wait! Who is it?” Tara asked curiously.

“I think his name is Seojun” Daniel didn’t deign to look back at the girls before walking away.

“Sungjae?” Minah and Tara exchanged incredulous looks.

____

Ten minutes later Minah walked down the marble staircase into the entrance hall of Tyler’s home. It was a given that Minah Delacroix was always beautiful without even trying, but she looked almost ethereal dressed in white ruffled silk shorts and a bodice with thin straps that barely held the piece of fabric in place and showed more cleavage than her family would deem appropriate for someone of her status. Then there was the fact her hair gleamed against her clothes, spilling down her shoulders in loose waves.

Sungjae had to gulp and look away when she stood in front of him, eyes boring into his.

“What are you doing here?” She questioned, still feeling bitter about their last meeting.

“Well, you don’t seem to understand boundaries, so why should I?” Sungjae’s voice was tense as if he were keeping himself contained within his body. “Why did you go see Ashleigh?” His jaw clenched.

Minah snorted. “I was adulting. All I did was inviting her to the Tree Lighting Ceremony and she kicked me out of her office” She said, giving slow steps, trying to draw closer to Sungjae.

“I told you to give us space and you tried to sabotage my date?” Sungjae shook his head, tongue in cheek as if he couldn’t believe Minah was as tone-deaf.

“What?” Minah’s snort was equal parts confused and offended, she stared at Sungjae, eyes widening and mouth pressed into a fine line. “Wait, you’re taking her to the Tree Lighting?” Her voice was accusing and momentarily she allowed herself to look hurt. “But that’s our thing. I mean-” Of course Minah briefly forgot there was no such a thing as “we” —as in Minah and Sungjae— any more and by extension, there were no traditions for them to keep either, but the thought was so painful that she still went on. She needed a clear response “We always go together-” she trailed off.

“Minah, these boundaries aren’t just for Ashleigh” Sungjae said gravely, “They’re for me” He took a few steps forward, the heels of his dress shoes slightly clicked against the marble floor and before he noticed, he was standing face to face with Minah, so close she could even count his lashes. “I can’t keep doing this every day” Minah recognized the same tone he used the morning after he slept with Ashleigh. “I think about you when I shouldn’t and I need to get you out of my head before we fall back into what we had”

The tension between them was so thick Minah almost felt she couldn't pull air into her lungs. Sungjae’s words echoed through the ample hall and its almost 30-foot ceilings, causing Minah to shudder ever so slightly.

When she finally gathered the courage to speak, Minah felt like facepalming herself. Her breath shook as she parted her lips. “Would- would that be so wrong?” she asked, her hand moving to hold Sungjae’s before her brain could even process what she was doing.

“Yes” Sungjae watched their hands and briefly squeezed Minah’s in something that was probably meant to be a comforting and warm touch, but that only made Minah’s heart tremble in ache. “I’m trying to move on”

And with that Sungjae stormed out of the Lee Manor.

Meanwhile, Minah remained in the same spot, her stomach twisting in pain as she swallowed once, trying to keep the tears at bay.

“You startled me” Just when she was about to indulge in tears, the doors of the manor flung open and Tyler strolled in, clearly surprised to find Minah there, all dolled up. His eyes automatically settled on the curves of her breasts and the glowy skin of her cleavage.

“I- I was-“ Minah heard herself stammer “I was waiting for you to come home” she blatantly lied.

“Why?” Tyler licked his lips almost unconsciously

“I figured out I never gave you an answer” Minah smiled at him fondly, but he looked a bit confused, so she clarified “Do you still want to go to that Tree Lighting together?”

Tyler raised a brow for a fraction of a second, but then he threw a furtive appreciative glance at Minah and smirked, nodding his head.

Why would she ask such obvious questions was beyond him.

...

#oc #story #minah #sungjae #tyler #tara #daniel #lucas #ashleigh #dynasty au

[ofwizardsandmen]

And she picked herself...

One shot 

Pairing: Mark x Tara, mentions of Jane x Jaehyun 

Word count: 2,6 k

Genre: angst 

The first time Tara met Mindy Park, Mark introduced the cat-eyed, innocent-looking girl as his classmate in that new school he attended in Seoul, and whose name Tara had initially retained as ’SOUP’.

After a summer spent in ‘Las Canarias’ sunbathing on the shores and mingling with the Spanish locals, Tara could barely discriminate between ‘la sopa’ (soup) and the School of Performing Arts (SOPA) of Seoul. So, for all intents and purposes, Mindy became the “Soup Girl”.

At the very beginning, that nickname held no mockery or backhanded contempt. However, over time Tara had learned to be wary of Mindy’s motivations and the fact nothing good had ever resulted from the many times Mark or his bandmates had brought the Soup Girl into any of their conversations.

After their awkward first meeting, Tara heard of Mindy again in the summer of 2017 when Doyoung let it slip that Mark and Donghyuck had gotten into a petty fight that had almost ended up ruining their friendship… Almost, he’d said, had not been for Mindy’s opportune intervention and continuous emotional support. Because in the words of a naive Doyoung “she was a loyal friend” and had stood by Mark’s side all along, urging him to forgive Donghyuck and be the better person. A role Tara could’ve easily played if Mark had shared his concerns or if she had not been stuck in London, trying to knock some sense into Minah and Sungjae.

A few months later Mark called Tara to deliver the good news of him landing a fixed position in a new variety show. It was something he had been aiming for months, so he sounded ecstatic as he explained how he would get to travel around Asia, showing the best travel spots to Korean viewers. Oh! And that wasn’t all, Mindy was joining him too because after debuting as an actress, her popularity was rocketing. Everybody was sure the show would become a hit, Mark had pointed out with a wide smile Tara wasn’t happy to see for the first time in her life.  

On his birthday, Mark received a surprise from Mindy that made it to the headlines of every Korean tabloid and earned them a nomination as the Best Couple in a variety show, at a national award show. They didn’t get the award, but they became every teenager’s favorite couple. And that was just as bad. If not worse.

During the winter of 2018 and coincidentally on Tara’s birthday, Mark and Mindy graduated from high school. Tara liked to think that the fact she had received a selfie from Mindy (where she was hugging Mark’s waist) was nothing but an honest mistake. Yet, a few months later Mindy and Mark were giving an interview when the girl “accidentally” undisclosed his relationship with Tara. Mark had, of course, tried to justify his friend’s bona fide error, but the fact Mindy referred to Tara as Mark’s British girl  —she said “girl” the way someone might say “child molester”—, didn’t exactly help her cause.

Most recently, while NCT spent a well-deserved vacation in England, muggle and Wizarding tabloids had reported that Mark and Mindy had been spotted hanging out at the Han River, late at night, prior to Mark’s trip to London. They had highlighted how Mark had an arm around Mindy’s shoulder all the time, in a very protective attitude and Mindy seemed to be sulking —according to Gossip Witch, anyhow— about Mark’s upcoming departure.

Yeah, definitely nothing good ever came when Mindy Park was involved.

That’s why Tara let out a deep breath when Jaehyun pronounced the dreaded ‘M’ word over dinner at the Durand sisters' residence, that evening.

The young witch had to make an inhuman effort to stop herself from rolling eyes, but given the circumstances, no one could really blame her. In fact, her reaction almost appeared poised and collected. Or at least so Jane thought with a growing sense of pride filling her chest.  She knew Tara had spent most of her day arguing with her dumb brother —trying to convince him that the scandal involving Mark and Mindy was nothing but an unfounded rumor— and receiving sympathetic looks and little smiles wherever she went, hearing people murmur as soon as she passed by. And yet, Tara held her head high with the grace and serenity proper of the granddaughter of Madame Amelia Wu and the carrier of two of the most renowned Wizarding names of all times.

Jane wasn’t quite sure she could’ve managed to behave so gracefully if Jaehyun had been caught going out at night with a girl that evidently had unresolved feelings for him. She couldn’t help but admire how mature and in control Tara had proven to be.

Johnny and Jaehyun, though, seemed to think otherwise judging by the way they exchanged concerned looks.

“About Mindy….” Jaehyun cut his gaze to the right and tried to ignore the way Jane set down her fork and squinted at him. “I know you probably don’t want to talk about it, but just so you know… errr… uh…” Jaehyun glanced at Johnny, and the guy gave him a knowing nod “Just so you know, Mark has been coming to the dorm early every day for the past month. He’s my roommate. I would’ve noticed if something were off. We’re always together and whenever he stayed out he would-“

“Be in the practice room?” Tara asked calmly, setting the silverware on the edges of her plate and clearing up her throat “I know that.” She stated.

“We’re just-“ Johnny piped up, but had the good sense to stop as soon as his eyes met Tara’s.

“I trust Mark. That’s all that matters” She said as if supposing otherwise would have been an insult to her good judgment. “I trust him. I really do.” However, as she repeated the same phrase for the nth time that day, Tara realized she probably didn’t trust Mark as nearly as much as she believed. All-day she had struggled, trying to brainwash others and herself into believing that Mark would never do anything to hurt her, but what if he had? What if the rumor about him cheating was not a mere rumor?

For a second Tara was transported back to the summer of NCT’s debut. Tara had felt so lost, realizing for the first time that no matter how much they loved each other, she couldn’t possibly jeopardize something Mark had worked so hard for. She had been determined to break up with him for weeks. After all, they were only sixteen, a broken heart wouldn’t kill any of them. But whenever she gathered enough courage, Mark would be there looking at her as though she was the most precious being on the face of Earth. And she couldn’t even contemplate the idea of causing him so much pain.

Why would he?

Tara blinked, suddenly back in the dim light of Jane’s and Chloe’s salon. She unthinkingly had picked up the silverware.

“Well, if you trust him that much, I guess we had no reason to be this worried” Johnny said, suddenly flaunting that blinding smile Tara liked so much.

“Exactly. There’s no reason to worry. I know Mark and he would never cheat on me” After so many years of knowing each other, Tara sometimes thought Johnny could read her mind. She worried he could see beyond her forced smile and insincere statement, but when she looked across the table, he was only smiling, oblivious to her discomfort.

Tara found amazing what kind of lies people could tell if they wanted to.

Later that night, Tara and Jane found themselves drinking too much rosé at a bar overlooking the Thames. When they finished a bottle, another appeared, and then another. All free because Jane had that effect on people. The hours went on in a blur of silly conversations with guys who stopped by to meet the French girl. But whenever she looked around, Tara felt as though someone was watching her.

It was just probably the gazes of people eyeing her pitifully. After the reports of Mark frequenting Mindy Park behind her back, Tara had become the Scorned Woman of the Year. An impressive title if you considered the number of scandals that had unfolded that year.

The mere thought gave Tara a headache. She grabbed her glass and quickly drank the pink liquid. “This one is lovely,” she said as she set the empty glass on the table, feeling a lot lighter.

“Long day?” Jane smiled sympathetically. It was the recurrent reaction of the day.

“Sometimes I feel it’s been a long few years,” Tara said, surprising herself. She had never been much of an angsty or emotional person, so she wondered how much of that statement was honest.

“I’m really sorry about this whole thing. I should’ve handled the situation better” There it was. Tara felt a knot inside her chest unfurl.

“It’s ok. I-“

“I know, I know… you trust Mark” Jane said, throwing her hands up in surrender.  “I’ve already lost count of how many times you’ve repeated that today,” she said slightly irked. It was kinda disappointing to find out how little Tara trusted her. “As much as you trust him, I should’ve done my job better and avoid all those headlines.”

“Twenty three” Tara shrugged. It made Jane’s increasing irritation melt into confusion.

“What?”

Tara sighed “I’ve told that lie twenty-three times today.”

Jane was blinking rapidly, as though her vision had suddenly gone blurred and she was expecting for the world to right itself soon. But it didn’t. Instead, Tara went on.

“And yet I haven’t managed to convince myself. Maybe it’s time I start being honest with my feelings.”

“Oh, sweetie… I didn’t-“ Jane’s hand touched her knee supportively as if she was telling her everything would be ok. But Tara had already realized the magnitude of the problem and she knew, as a matter of fact, that nothing would be ok from then on.

“I think it’s time I let it go…” Tara trailed off. Then she looked at her lap, fearing the expression on Jane’s face. “I don’t want to be with him anymore”

Jane swallowed hard. “Tara, forgive me for saying this, but hasn’t occurred to you that you’re overreacting? Mark said nothing happened between him and Min-“

“Don’t pronounce that name” Tara tried to take a breath, but it still felt like a pile of bricks had stacked on her chest. “And no, I’m not overreacting. I don’t even doubt Mark.” This time, Tara really meant it “I just can't stand this feeling anymore…”

It probably was the alcohol, but saying those words out loud, made Tara felt a mental clarity she hadn’t experience in a long time. She suddenly knew what she wanted and she wasn’t afraid of it anymore

Tara returned to the apartment she shared with Tyler with her nerves jumping and her hair messy from all the times she slipped a hand through it nervously. She knew Mark would be waiting for her there because Tyler had left for Scotland earlier and she had been avoiding his calls all day.

When Tara walked in, Mark was sitting on the leather sofa, phone in hands. He looked like he had been sleep-deprived for weeks, but he still smiled at her as though she hadn’t been avoiding him at all cost.

“I have good news,” he said, “The articles were taken down. There’s still that Gossip Witch thing going around, but I reckon it’s better if Jane takes charge of it” Mark smiled at Tara, opening his arms for her to dive into them.  Yet she only looked away.

“Isn’t that great?” Mark had probably been expecting Tara to cuddle against his chest like she did every time they made up after an argument, but she remained in the same spot.

“Actually…” Tara stared at the huge bouquet of perfectly arranged flowers resting on the coffee table. It was probably part of Mark’s apology statement. It gave her a brief twinge of guilt but then she hardened

And then, she just said it. “I want to break up”

Mark’s eyes widened, looking childlike in his surprise. It was an expression Tara had seen countless of times before and it never failed to make her laugh. Except this time.

This time, she went silent as she fiddled with the chain of her purse. Then her words seemed to down on Mark. He rose to his feet and walked over to her.

“Tara, I swear I didn’t… I mean, you know me! I would never…” He blinked twice and let out a deep sigh, running his fingers through his hair in frustration.

“I know that, but this is not about the rumors, Mark. I just-“ Tara paused, feeling an unfamiliar hot sting behind her eyes.  “I don’t want to be with you anymore” Mark opened his mouth to complain, but she kept going “And it’s not that I don’t love you, because I do. Trust me, Mark. I’ve always loved you… Since the moment I met you.”

“But?” Mark laughed. It was not a nice laugh. It was a laugh that meant he was maintaining his composure when what he would’ve really liked was to scream and tell her she was being selfish.

“But I hate myself when I’m with you and I can’t stand that feeling. I don’t want to feel that way anymore.”

“Hate yourself?” Mark repeated in a tight voice Tara had never heard before. “That’s nonsense!”  

“No. It’s not, Mark” Tara replied calmly, pulling the purse off her shoulder and plopping on the nearest couch “I’m paranoid all the time and I’m constantly doubting myself.” She looked down to her hands for a second, as though she was ashamed of what she was about to say “Am I good enough for Mark? Doesn't he deserve better? Shouldn’t he be with someone who can be by his side all the time? Someone his fans accept? I keep asking myself those questions-”

“Oh, come on, T!” Mark cut her off, his brow furrowed in frustration. “When have you ever cared about any of those things?”

“Exactly my point, Mark. That’s not like me.” She looked across him and out of the window, as if gathering her next words before facing him again. “I feel insecure and pathetic and I can’t recognize myself anymore. I am losing myself in this relationship and that’s not fair.” Tara took a deep breath “I deserve better.”

Mark could only stare at her, his brain suddenly unable to process what she had just said.

“Are you pulling a it’s-not-you-it’s-me routine on me?” He finally blurted out, although he didn’t stop to think whether he could actually deal with her answer.

“No, Mark. It’s not just about me”

“Oh, I’m sorry to break it out to you, but it sounds otherwise to me. You’re only considering your feelings” He said, his voice not quite steady. “What about mine? Did you even stop to think about me?”

“Of course I did, Mark. And you too, deserve better…” Her sentence faded off.

Mark sat next to Tara, putting his head in his hands “Are you sure you’re not going to regret this, T?”

“I don’t think I will”

Tara almost felt like taking her words back the moment Mark walked out of her door, but the next morning when she woke up feeling like she didn’t have to worry about her self worth anymore, she knew she had made the right choice. If she was given the chance, she would pick herself again. Anytime.

#story #mark #tara #otp #jane #jaehyun #johnny #oc