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erospandemos · 3 months

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Some things never change

NewJeans Danielle x Reader

Where Danielle tries everything in her power to make you understand her feelings

Beta-reader: @leafostuff

You had known Danielle Marsh all your life, from when she was just a little kid to now that she's a fully grown adult, although her height kind of stopped halfway. You met her in the first days of elementary school. She must have looked weak to the other kids with her two missing teeth, thin legs, and pale complex, so a group of rascals started messing with her.

They would call her all sorts of names with their limited word knowledge, mocking her with gestures and weird sounds. They'd also push her around or make her trip and fall. Even though their mind was still limited, they already had a knack for bullying.

You happened to be around her when you witnessed one of those scenes. All it took was a slap and a threat and the kids fled away. It was just a normal thing for you, as fights were very common at that age but for Danielle, you were her saviour.

"Are you okay?" you asked her worryingly.

Amidst her sniffling, Danielle managed to reply, "Those bullies were teasing me. But you made them go away, so thank you."

You felt a bit bad about her. Her eyes were so red from crying and she kept rubbing her eyelids to dry those endless tears. "Don't worry Danielle. They will never tease you again. I'll always be here for you," you reassured her, not knowing what kind of promise you were making.

What followed were days, weeks, and months of annoyance. Danielle followed you everywhere you went, pestering you from the morning to the afternoon—always talking, always joking, always asking.

"Thank you for helping me!" she told you. "Jinyoung hasn't been mean to me anymore! I love you!"

You were annoyed. You let her talk and kept walking, "He was just being an ass. It's nothing special."

She began to be your shadow, a silent companion seeking solace. A girl looking for a friend, or at least that is what you and she thought. There was already something present in her heart but you just didn't know it yet. But kids learned quickly.

It was a random day in April when she made her first move.

"My parents taught me that I should hug the ones I love. Can I hug you?" Danielle asked you, her eyes earnest and pleading.

You were caught off guard but still nodded hesitantly. You opened your arms and she stopped closer, embracing you tightly. She found comfort in your warmth and kept you there close to her. You didn't know why she did that but you liked it too.

Then a couple of months later, you were invited to her house. You and her parents got to know each other and figured it would be a good occasion for you two to bond together. At her house, there was a very nice illustrated book for children. The kind to have small but enormous sentences. Her eyes were sparkling with excitement when she brought it out from her desk to show it to you.

"It's a story about a prince who married the princess he saved. Don't you think that it's so... cool?" She said, her eyes wondering between dreams and fantasies.

"Yeah, I guess," you replied. You didn't fully grasp the implication of the tale. You just liked the drawings.

"You saved me from the bullies, just like the prince. Maybe... maybe we could get married someday?" Danielle confessed, blushing.

You chuckled nervously, still oblivious and clueless.

Things also got more complicated when she caught you talking with a girl from your class.

"Who's she?" Danielle asked, laced with jealousy.

"Oh, this is my friend from the class, Seo-yeon," you introduced her, unaware of her stern demeanor.

"Well, she better not try to steal you away from me!" she declared, pouting and crossing her arms.

You laughed nervously again, not understanding what she was trying to say, and apologized the poor Seo-yeon who was receiving the possessive gave from Danielle.

That was more than ten years ago. But now that you were both grown up, things didn't change at all.

You're reading the book you've been saving up for weeks, finally free from the exam season of college. It's been a relaxing day, as it's been the first full break you could take and you decided to just replenish your energy by doing nothing all day. The day was good outside but you didn't feel like going out at all.

But you did not know that the outside would visit you instead.

A too-familiar figure barged into your room, with a familiar voice and force. "Hey! Your mom said I could come in. Hope you don't mind," Danielle exclaims.

You look up, surprised. You have to bid goodbye to your book because there was no way she would've left the house now.

"Uh, hey. No, not at all," you say, recollecting yourself. Looking around, you could see the mess the room was left in but after all the times your friend had seen, it wasn't much of a problem. You just left it as it was.

Danielle approaches, her grin widening as she eyes the book in your hands. She lowers her head and reads your title, not because she is interested, but because it could be a potential reason to tease you.

"What fascinating world are you escaping to today?" Danielle asks you.

Before you can respond, Danielle snatches the book away, dramatically flipping through the pages, not a word passing through her eyes.

"It's a great book, you know," you say before she can judge you. But that wasn't her intention. Danielle tosses the book aside and, with a sly grin, moves closer to you.

"Boys, your age don't really stay in their house all day, shouldn't you go outside?"

You raise your eyebrow. "What are you trying to say?

She clears her throat, "Well, you know, all boys go around picking girls, shouldn't you be interested in girls too? Especially me..."

"Books are interesting enough," you say, annoyed.

Danielle sighs heavily and slaps your shoulder. "You really don't get it do you...? Whatever," she says, "But do you know what's even more interesting than books?"

Without waiting for an answer, Danielle wraps her arm around you, pulling him into an unexpected side hug. You, visibly annoyed and embarrassed, squirm from the surprise and try to claw out of her grasp. But it just gets tighter. "Danielle, seriously, what are you doing?" you stutter.

Danielle chuckles, enjoying your annoyed remarks, and lets her other arm get you too.

"Just playing with you."

You try to pull away, but Danielle persists.

"Can we not do this right now?" you say. Danielle rolls her eyes and sighs before releasing you.

"Oh, come on. Just having a bit of fun," she says, pouting.

She playfully pokes your cheek and laughs.

"This is ridiculous."

Danielle seizes the opportunity and leans closer, circling your thighs. "You know, a little embarrassment never hurt anyone," she says and eyes you up and down, locking her eyes with yours. "Besides, you're kinda cute when you're flustered."

You groan, covering your face with your hands. "Why are you doing this???"

She laughs, finally satisfied, and lets herself fall on the couch. "You know," she speaks truthfully, "there's something about you that's just too irresistible."

"Yeah, you aren't the only one."

Suddenly, you feel Danielle's intense gaze on you. "Who else is teasing you? Girls?"

"Sometimes?"

"Oh, that's not good. They have to know you're taken."

You raise an eyebrow. You don't sense anything good coming. "What are you talking about now?"

"I was thinking, maybe I should leave my scent on you. You know, like marking my territory. That way, other girls will know you're taken."

You blink repeatedly, utterly bewildered.

"Leave your scent? Danielle, we're not animals."

Danielle chuckles.

"Just imagine it – you walk into a room, and everyone's like, –Oh, they smell like Danielle. They're off the market!–"

"You've been watching too many nature documentaries."

"Shut up and come here."

Danielle snuggles closer, her energy warming the room and your body. You feel her arms quickly wrapping around your body and her legs tangling into yours and before you knew it, she was already spooning you. After all these years of doing so, she has gotten quite good at it. "You know, you really should loosen up. It's just a cuddle between old friends."

You shift uncomfortably, a bit against her although her lively insistence was stronger than your will. "Danielle, seriously, we're not kids anymore. We can't just... cuddle like this."

She tilts her head, studying you with a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Come on! Don't be such a grown-up. We used to do this all the time when we were kids. It's nostalgic!"

You sigh, giving in a bit. "Yeah, but things are different now."

Danielle was a slim girl, petite. She felt small although you were the one under her grasp, and her limbs were delicate and fragile. She felt small but soft as well. She was an adult now, and her touch made your heart beat faster, in a way it never did.

Danielle grins, unphased. "Different doesn't have to mean worse."

"But seriously," Danielle says with curiosity, "you used to be the one initiating these cuddle sessions. What happened to that fearless little kid?"

You blush, a rare occurrence for the reserved you. "Well, things change. People change."

Danielle's eyes soften, and she nudges you gently. You can smell her perfume and it calms you. "Change isn't always bad, you know."

You can't help but smile at her infectious enthusiasm. Danielle, her head still nestled against your shoulder, can't resist the opportunity to tease you. "You know, I always thought you were the bravest little knight in our little adventures when we were young."

You raise an eyebrow, a hint of a smile playing on your lips. "A knight, huh? I'm not sure I see the resemblance."

Danielle chuckles, tracing imaginary patterns on your arm. A soft red starts to appear on your cheek. "Oh, please! You were my protector, always ready to face imaginary dragons and monsters. What happened to that fearless warrior?"

"Well, maybe I outgrew the knight phase."

Danielle leans back, looking at you with a sly grin. "Outgrew, or maybe you're just afraid to admit that deep down, you still have a bit of that brave knight in you."

You roll your eyes, but a small smile lingers on your face.

"Did you remember when I told you I'd be your princess? I still mean it you know?" she says, as if it was nothing.

You realize the meaning of her words and can't fathom any response, and Danielle can't help but enjoy the gentle blush that colors your cheeks. She teases you further, "You're blushing, Mr. Grown-up. Who would've thought the mighty knight would be so easily flustered?"

You mumble something incoherent, avoiding her gaze.

That was typical of you and your friend: constant teasing and joking. But you knew you wanted something more from her and you were just running around, trying to avoid it. One day, however, it finally came to you, knocking at your door, and you had to face it head-on.

You hear a loud frantic knocking on your door. The sudden noise surprises you and you get slowly, weary of who might be on the other end. The knocking doesn't stop and you look into the peephole. To your surprise, it wasn't a killer coming for you but it was your friend, Danielle, and from the looks of it, with her disheveled hair and tired eyes, she wasn't looking so good. You open the door and she bursts inside your apartment, drenched from head to toe, dripping water everywhere.

"Whoa, Danielle! What happened to you?" you exclaim.

She shakes herself like a wet dog, sending droplets flying, and brushes her wet strands away from her forehead to look at you in the eyes. "Caught in a sudden downpour. I practically swam here!"

You chuckle and walk to the bathroom. "Don't move!" you tell her as you go grab some towels. You don't want her wetting the whole house as well. "Well, you certainly look like you went for a swim."

Danielle takes the towel, but instead of immediately drying off, she shoots you a mischievous grin. "You look quite excited about seeing me, don't you?"

You raise an eyebrow and look at her, confused. "What do you mean?"

Danielle pretends to inspect her soaked clothes with exaggerated concern, scanning her shirt, and her skirt. She opens her arms and invites you to look at her clothes. "Oh, no. I think these clothes might be see-through now. But I'm sure you already noticed. I can feel you glued on me."

You immediately understand what she's trying to say. You roll your eyes and grow. "Danielle, come on. Don't be ridiculous."

She smirks, wringing out her hair over the towel. "Ridiculous? Or am I just giving you a little peek? You know it's fine. I didn't tell you not to look."

You blush, trying to play it cool. "You're impossible. I'm lucky it's just the two of us. Otherwise, I might get in trouble." You hate to agree with Danielle, but it was impossible for you not to notice her figure, perfectly feminine, perfectly grown, and perfectly beautiful. You gulp loudly and stare at the wall.

Danielle giggles, sauntering over to me with a playful twirl of her wet hair. "Well, I can't let you miss out on the view, can I?" She laughs again as you shoot a quick sideeye at her. "Oh, did I catch you looking again?"

"Come on! No, I didn't."

Danielle comes closer, she's having fun, too much fun. She sways her hips, brushing your chest, leaving wet handprints on your shirt and looks at you with such a teasing smile that you couldn't do anything but blush and back intot he wall. "Oh, don't look away, baby."

"Danielle, cut it out," you stammer, my cheeks turning a deeper shade of red.

She leans in, her voice dropping to a sultrier tone. "What's the matter? Don't tell me you're not enjoying this."

You try to look away, but Danielle continues to playfully tease you. Then she laughs, finally satisfied.

"Okay, okay, I'm just messing with you!" she confesses, wiping away a tear of laughter. "I couldn't resist seeing you squirm."

You sigh in relief, but your embarrassment lingers. "You're unbelievable, Danielle."

She giggles while running away.

You go to your room to pick up some clothes for her, unfortunately you got nothing else to give her but your own clothes. You try the smallest size possible, so at least she wouldn't have to swim in them. You smell them first, to make sure, she won't be annoyed by an unwanted smell, then think if she'd feel cold or not—the house was quite warm on the inside. You knew she always liked to wear shorts, so you get a pair and a shirt and sweater to match.

You hand her the clothes, "Here, these should be more comfortable than wet clothes."

Danielle, takes them and smiles brightly. "Oh, I didn't know you were such a considerate boyfriend," she says. You start blushing but this time she's blushing too between her creased cheeks. You chuckle nervously, dismissing the comment.

"It's nothing," you say and then point the bathroom. "You've already been here before. Go change there or take a shower if you want."

"I'll just change, thank you. Don't peek at me though, okay?"

"What are you saying? Of course I won't," you reply.

She grins and runs into the bathroom to put on your outfit. It doesn't take her a while before she emerges wearing your oversized hoodie and shorts, her hair slightly toused. You have to admit, she looked adorable. The way the hoodie was way too big for her, and how the shorts let you peek at her legs, it was amazing.

It almost looked like she was your girlfriend, and she knew it too.

"Look at me, wearing your clothes," she says, raising her arms. "It's like we're in some romantic drama."

"It's just because your clothes are wet. Don't read too much into it."

Danielle continues, batting her eyelashes dramatically. She looks at you with wide eyes. "You've never offered me your clothes before. Are you sure you're not secretly seeing me as your girlfriend?"

"Don't be ridiculous. It's just clothes," you say, but her words can't leave your mind. You almost agreed.

"But these clothes smell like you," she says, taking a sniff at it. You blush brightly. "Am I stealing your scent now?"

The situation looks absurd and you're getting more and more flustered but still, you had to keep your cool. "Don't overthink it."

She bursts into laughing and jumps into the couch. "You're so cute when you deny things. Maybe I should keep wearing your clothes more often."

Trying to hide his embarrassment, you manage a weak smile. "Sure, Dani, make yourself at home."

You and Danielle keep joking around until something starts to bother your friend. She looks at the sky, more precisely at the rain, as it runs down the window, and her smile starts to fade.

Danielle turns to you and her face drops into a malinconic gaze, her eyes are half there, they're thinking about something else, but you feel the weight on you. "You know, I'm starting to feel like a fool," she says with a sigh.

You blink, taken aback by the sudden intensity in her tone. "What do you mean?"

Danielle paces the room, her agitation pouring out with every step. "You've known for ages how I feel about you. I've dropped hints, practically spelled it out, and yet you never do anything."

Bewildered, you look at her. You couldn't lie to her, you wish you could say you never realized it, but you did. You did know she was flirting with you and you did hear what she told you, clearly and explicitly. But you didn't want to accept it, you didn't want to believe it. "I... I don't realize you feel that way. I think we're just really good friends," you say and truly, you didn't think a girl like her would have any serious intentions behind her smile.

She halts, turning to face you, frustration etched on her features. "Really good friends? You and I spend hours together, we share our deepest thoughts, and I've been giving you every possible sign that I like you. How do you miss it?"

You stammer, attempting to find the right words. "I don't think... I mean, I think you're just being friendly. I never imagined you feel something more. I thought you were just messing with me."

Danielle sighs."That's the problem. You never imagine. You never consider the possibility that my feelings might extend beyond friendship. I've been dropping hints, practically shouting them, and you remain oblivious. Did it ever go through your mind?"

You run a hand through your hair, frustration mirrored in your eyes. "I never mean to hurt you, Danielle. I just... I didn't see it."

Her eyes narrow, the pent-up frustration reaching its peak. "That's precisely it. You don't see it. You never see me. It's like I've been invisible, and no matter how much I hint, you never make a move."

Danielle's words knock the air out of your lungs. You've never seen Danielle this riled up and it hurt you to know you were the cause. You take a moment to trace back your words. Have you ever imagined a life with her? Have you ever wanted to have her to yourself? Have you ever desired her?

The answer was yes. You think deeply if it was fair for you to say that only after she basically begged you to acknowledge her, but it was true, you did like her and you didn't know you were allowed to.

Danielle takes another deep breath, attempting to compose herself, but the frustration continues to spill out. "I've liked you for so long. I think you might feel the same way, but you never make a move. I've been stuck in this limbo, unsure if you even see me as more than a friend. It's driving me insane."

Your eyes soften, a mix of regret and realization settling in. "I didn't mean to make you feel invisible, Danielle. I've just been clueless, and I'm sorry if I hurt you."

She shakes her head, her frustration giving way to a sense of vulnerability. "It's not just about now. It's about all those moments before, the missed opportunities. I can't keep waiting for something that might never happen."

As Danielle's words linger in the air, a heavy silence envelops the room, punctuated only by the sound of rain tapping against the window.

"I never wanted to hurt you, Danielle," you begin. "I've been so focused on convincing myself that you couldn't possibly feel that way about me, that I never stopped to consider how you might be feeling. I'm sorry for not seeing what was right in front of me."

Danielle's gaze softens, a mix of frustration and hurt still lingering. "You're not off the hook that easily. You can't just apologize and expect me to believe you."

You nod. "You're right. I messed up, and I can't change that. But I can be honest with you now. The truth is, I've been afraid. Afraid of ruining our friendship, afraid of facing my own feelings. It's not an excuse, just an explanation."

Danielle raises an eyebrow and folds her arms. "Afraid? You?"

You chuckle wryly. "Fear doesn't always make sense. And I guess I've been scared of admitting that I like you too."

Her eyes widen, she's surprised "You do?"

You nod, your vulnerability laid bare. You hope you didn't make a mistake but you couldn't hold it in, it was now or never. "Yes, Danielle. I do. I've liked you for a while, but I never thought you could feel the same way. I convinced myself it was just a dream."

She tilts her head, a small smile playing on her lips. "So, Mr. Fearless finally admits he's not invincible."

You grin, the tension between you starting to dissipate.

Danielle steps closer, a playful glint in her eyes. As the rain outside continues its rhythmic dance, Danielle takes your hand. "No more hiding, okay? Let's figure this out together."

And for the first time, you hug her first. Your hand gently pulls her and she lets herself go, straight into your arms. You hug her softly, but with passion, with happiness. Danielle does the same, for the first time, not to tease you and not to try to make you fall in love because for once, she knows in her heart you truly love her.

THE END

Written, 16 February - 22 February 2024

#Kpop #Kpop fluff #newjeans hanni #Newjeans #Danielle #newjeans danielle #Danielle fluff

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nyuoqi · 9 months

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— EXES ALERT ౨ৎ KTR

✸ SYNOPSIS ! : in which you and taerae went all the way back to the last year of middle school where the two of you were painfully in love with each other yet refused to put on any label because you guys thought this was more fun, and it went on all the way to the second year of high school. well that was until you ghosted him

or in which your situationship from four years ago happens to be your partner for a romance drama

PAIRING 𐙚 actor! kim taerae x idol! fem!reader

GENRE ⊹ socmed + written chapters, celeb! au, kinda exes to lovers, fluff, humour, maybe angst, they have communication issues

FEATURING ⋆ zb1! jiwoong + hanbin + mathew + yujin + hao, cix! jinyoung, aespa! all, leeserafim! chaewon, the boyz! changmin, stayc! seeun, tiot! junhyeon p1h! intak

STATUS 𖦹 completed !

🎞️ devils in misery . actors nation . why are we screaming

001 1 like for taerae

002 cute nerd boy from finance

003 #employmentera

004 jinyoung hate club

005 what the fuck 🔥🔥

006 nurse hes out again

007 bad idea (smau + written 1.04k wc)

008 gay dog

009 jazz music stops

010 kiss my ass

011 i aint reading all that

012 shit 🏃‍♂️💨💨

013 watch ur back

014 yntaeraejunhyeonhanbin

015 dinner at cheonanz (smau + written 1.2k wc)

016 crazy bitch smiling

017 mustard head

018 passenger princess jinyoung

019 jinyoung on the loo

020 taeraenator

021 #DittoSzn (smau + written 914 wc)

022 plan b

023 confession (on-hold) (smau + written 1.5k wc)

024 giselle's not single....?

025 😭cong😭ra😭tu😭la😭tions😭

026 #jinrina

027 a BOYFRIEND

028 nyc (not the city)

029 hitting on her

030 adopting yujin (fin!)

TAGLIST (CLOSED) : @sukirene @lluvjjun @jwielle @francinethings23 @alwayswook @222brainrot @planethyuka @xinxinyy @rikimylove @ilovewonyo @haohyo @euphoriashimkongz @ilovechanhee @wtfhyuck @xxpr3ttyk173rxx @wccycc @replayenthusiast @shotaroswifeyily @stryroses @cosmic-marauder @woncoree @haowonbins @avocarua @147file @i-yeseo @cyberpunksunwoo @chaerybae @wonyoungsvirus @minfolio @07yujin @imsodazed @marshwatz @v-sh

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constantinerkives · 11 months

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PAIRING: Yoo Jimin x Fem Reader _________________ WARNING: Mafia AU, gang AU, organized crime, dark Karina, age gap: Karina is in her early thirties while you are in your mid-twenties. Separation of parents, power struggle, corruption, home invasion, blackmail, E2L, TENSION, I made Karina half-Russian so-*gunshot*, but please, let me know what you think of half-Russian Karina - it's for research purposes, usage of Russian endearment, betrayal (not from Karina), Karina is slightly obsessed with OC, OC is reckless but dangerous, suggestive at the end. _________________ SYNOPSIS:

I hate you," You breathe into her mouth, your thoughts are muddled by nothing but her. Her scent, her abysmal eyes, her beautiful black hair, her devastatingly gorgeous face - all of her.

"I hate you so much that I can't think of anything else but you."

Karina chuckles and softly pecks the skin of your neck, sending shivers down your spine as her hands caress your body.

"If that's the case," She rasps against your skin, and you softly gasp as she squeezes your hips.

"Then give me one night to convince you otherwise, my love."

_________________ WORDCOUNT: 10, 214 _________________

A/N: Sorry for making you all wait this long, my exams were in the last week of May and due to the uncooperative weather - were moved to the second week of June.

Thank you for waiting. Enjoy reading!

And also because:

You asked, I shall deliver

Russian-translated words are here.

Dynasties are a succession of people from the same family who play a prominent role in business, politics, or another field.

And like all dynasties - they fall. Either by sickness or by each others' hands.

In your family's case, however. It's the latter.

Greed and ambition can make a man overlook crucial things, such as researching land in Tuscany before seizing its valuables and burning the farm. And as for the valuables in that mansion, most of them were sold, some were kept, and the rest were disregarded. For months, your family made a fortune out of it.

It was only when masked, tall men broke into your family's vacation home, killed all the guards, and forced you to kneel beneath the barrels of their guns.

Your watch from the back of your parents as your assailants part to make way for a woman, her face covered by the shadows, but you see her eyes. Black and devoid of warmth.

"Who are you?" Demanded your father, "And how dare you attack my family in my home?"

Silence permeates the air. The woman spoke: "Hae Jinwon," Her voice was alluring yet sharp. There was a noticeable rough accent in her tone. "Capomandamento of the Haewon Clan." She mused. "Who the fuck are you?" Your brother spat beside you. The woman moves her gaze from your father to your older brother, Hae Jinyoung. "It was you, who led your father's men to my property in Tuscany, am I correct?"

"Yeah?" He challenged, "And what about it?"

"Ublijudok," She sneers and points the gun at him.

Your eyes widened as your parents spat out cries of panic while Jinyoung visibly pales at the sight of the latter's gun. "Fools," She jeers as she redirects her aim and pulls the trigger. Your ears ring at the sound of her bullet wheezing past you and hitting one of your mother's vases, shattering it; pieces of ceramic fall on the floorboards. Your skin prickles at the sound as the woman points her gun at your father.

"Do all of you have any idea how many enemies came into my home at this hour and threatened my family?" She snarled and walked forward, allowing you to see her face - beautiful and twisted with wrath and contempt. She wore an all-black attire, an overcoat, a turtleneck, trousers, and boots. Your eyes trailed to her gloved hand where she was holding a gun. "For months, we were hunted like animals." She grimaced, "And when they had their fill, they left us to rot. But I refused my family to succumb to that state and found the fuckers behind it."

She circles your family like a lioness examining her prey before killing it.

"It's insulting," She scoffs, "To have everything I built destroyed by a minor family and reaped our benefits." She stops behind your father and digs the muzzle against the back of his skull. "I should kill all of you right here, right now." The perpetrator growls and applies pressure against the trigger.

Your ears couldn't register the cacophony of your family's panicked cries. Only you remained silent, watching with wide eyes as they struggled against their bindings while they plead for their lives. And she cackled - the perpetrator cackled. "That's right," She mused sickly, "Beg for it - your lives until no one understands what you all are saying." She moves in front of Jinyoung and crouches to meet his gaze.

"You're the oldest, right?"

His lips quivered. The woman was losing her patience and glowers at him. "Answer me, svin'ja."

Jinyoung gulped, "Yes,"

"Then that means you'll take over once your father is out of commission, yes?"

"Yes?" He answers tentatively.

The latter hums, "Do you know who I am, Hae Jinyoung?"

He opened his mouth, but nothing came out. The woman clicked her tongue, "Answer me immediately, boy." She pointed the gun at you, and you flinched. "Or else your sister's brain will be riddled with bullets."

"No!" He exclaimed, "No, I don't have a fucking clue who the fuck you are-"

She hits him with the butt of her gun, silencing him as your father exclaims. "Jinyoung!" He roared, "You bitch-"

"We're done here," She declared, and her men vacated the house one by one - except for her. "Why spare us?" Your mother questions. The woman didn't say anything at first as she moved her gaze toward you and answered:

"Because it'll be too easy. You took away my family's foundation - so I shall take away yours." A cold smile settles on her lips, "And finally, we're even. What's the fun of ending it quickly when you can leave them alive so they can suffer for it?"

None of you made a sound, and she took it for her cue to leave.

She didn't return after that.

But true to her word, your family did suffer for it.

Enemies came left and right. They robbed your family of its treasures, stole opportunities from the Haewon Clan, and even turned your people away from you. It got to the point that your parents separated. Your father kept your brother. He was the heir: while your mother took you. You never saw your father or your brother ever since. You thought that you'd turned over a new leaf, forgetting that humiliation that left you seething with anger and resentment for your father's stupid choices and for allowing his greed to put you and your mother into that position.

But no, it remained.

Evidence of that showed when your grandfather - your father's side of the family visited you at your university when you were nineteen.

"Excuse me," You blinked at the older man, "You want me to go where?"

"Come back to us, Y/N." Your grandfather coaxed. You scoffed at him, "And do what?" You demanded, "Is my older brother not good enough to lead this god-forsaken family?"

A wry smile graced his thin lips, "Yes,"

You paused, "What?"

A sigh left his lips, "After returning from Italy to fix the mistakes my son and your brother made. I've concluded that neither is fit to lead the Haewon Clan."

You knew where this conversation was going. Yo arched a brow, "And you think I can?"

"An old man can hope." Another scoff of disbelief leaves your lips. "Take your hopes with you and leave, grandfather." You sneered, "My mother and I want none of them." Without another word, you walk past the latter with a dark expression.

"Don't you want to settle the score?" He called out. You stopped.

"Don't you want to get even with the family who did this?" He added, and you ground your jaw so hard that you thought it was going to break. You balled your hand into fists and peered over your shoulder, "What makes you think I'd be interested?"

You didn't move as he made his way to you, "Your eyes say it all, granddaughter. I don't have to explain it, do I?"

You turn to him. Your expression was unreadable, but your eyes burned with vindication.

"Under two conditions."

His eyes light up. "And what's that?"

"Allow me to finish college, and in the meantime - teach me what I need to know." He furrowed his brows, "Wouldn't that distract you from your studies?"

"I'll manage it," You snapped, and he nodded. "Alright, what's the other one?"

"I won't take your name." You tell him firmly, "I refuse to be associated with the name: Haewon. Instead, I'll take my mother's last name, Han."

"Very well," He gives in, "Y/N Han."

And for years, you rebuilt what your family had lost: money, security, fame. While you repair your foundation, you bid your time into researching the family that destroyed you and retaliated. It was small at first until you began stealing their clients, information - all of it. One by one, you stole from them.

It's only a matter of time before the new capomandamento takes matters into her own hands and captures you for your deeds against her family.

Upon further research, the family you're holding a vendetta against is a Russian-Korean family named the Zakharov Clan.

And their two children - Ilina and Karina Zakharov.

Ilina, the woman who broke into your home, died three years ago after one of their men turned against her in an attempt to start a coup by shooting a bullet to her head. But he was swiftly killed by her sister - Karina, earning her Ilina's status and authority as the new capomandamento of the Zakharov Family a week after her sister's burial in Moscow.

Karina is fifth-generation old money. Her family is a mix of Russian kingmakers that made a fortune importing illegal goods during The Great Depression in 1929 and later established a globe-spanning empire in organized crime. A family long since retreated from public view, but their dominance endures to this day.

"The only gap we have in that family is that we don't know anything about the Zakharov's new capo." Your consigliere admits with a sigh, "No photos, records of any kind. Just the name."

You put the dossier down and locked eyes with the latter, "That's good enough for me, Kazuha. Send out the invitations."

She looked apprehensive, "Are you sure?"

"Yes," You tell her with finality. "I've made my move. I will await hers."

Kazuha didn't say anything as she took the dossier, "Before I forget, someone sent you a package." You arched a brow, "A package? What sort?" She shook her head sideways, "I didn't open it."

A hum reverberates from your throat, "Where is it now?"

"I sent it to your room, and before you can ask, it didn't have a return address. I suggest that I open it while you watch." You guffaw, "And I thought you were just a consigliere, not my guard."

"You are my employer and my friend, Y/N." She insists, "And I've made a promise-"

"To my mother, I know." You finish for her as you stand up. She follows your example as you gesture a hand toward your door. "Lead the way, Miss Nakamura."

"It's a dress," You mused as you stood beside her, your eyes lingering on the top cover. "From Givenchy. Is it from Jaehyun?"

The younger woman furrows her brows, "That man can't pick a dress for you to save a life, Y/N." She closes it, "Perhaps he asked a stylist to pick it for you." You hum and gently take the box from her and open it to see the dress. It was a black one-shoulder draped dress in crepe with a fluid skirt and a long slit in the front. "There's also a jewelry set," Your consigliere mused. Your eyes moved to the jewelry box nestled within.

"Jaehyun must've paid extra for these," You remarked as you carefully put the dress down and opened the jewelry box. It contained a necklace with golden-finish metal links and a bracelet in golden-finish metal with Swarovski crystals.

"Return this to him." You put the dress and accessories inside the box and turned away from the gift.

"I already have a dress in mind for next week's gathering." You tell the younger woman as you walk past her.

The first time you met her, she played you at your game.

Music plays through the speakers, accompanied by cheerful yells and self-indulging conversations as you watch all of these play beneath you from the elevated interior balcony of the venue with a glass of champagne in your hand and your consigliere standing to your left, her eyes sharply examining the attendees of the event. For tonight's event, you wore a black deconstructed cape cocktail dress featuring slashes, lapel detailing, and two flap pockets on the sides, finished with a single-button fastening and heels.

While Kazuha wore a navy blue monogram shirt dress and boots.

She leans close and whispers through the blaring music, "How would you know if she's here?"

You take a swig before replying: "People talk big about themselves in events like these, Kazuha. One of them is bound to slip."

The younger woman blinks at you, "You don't know?"

You flash her a grin before descending the stairs. Kazuha follows your figure with disbelief etched in her graceful features. "Y/N, this is dangerous-"

"Jaehyun!" You call out as you see a familiar towering figure donning a two-piece suit and black hair conversing with a group of benefactors. The man turns to you and grins, "Y/N," He then looks at his audience and excuses himself before coming to you with open arms, his double-breasted blazer wrinkled. "My - you look delectable!"

Once you're at arm's reach, he takes your hand and kisses the back of your palm. "To what do I owe the pleasure of having your attention tonight?" He queries as soon as you retract your hand. "How are the acquisitions for the farmland in Tuscany?"

Jeong Jaehyun, a family friend and your business partner since your return, is your man when it comes to international profits and investments. He was also the one who helped Kazuha in finding information about the Zakharov Clan, albeit it had gaps.

"The owners are still deciding on it, Y/N." He says as he walks beside you with Kazuha trailing behind, "But I guarantee they'll sign the papers."

"Good," You peer over your shoulder. "Leaves us, Kazuha. You have the luxury of mingling with our guests." The younger woman doesn't protest and bows before leaving.

You crane your neck to study your attendees. Jaehyun follows your gaze and chuckles. "Looking for Miss Zakharov?"

"I don't even know who I'm supposed to look at," You comment, and Jaehyun frowns, "You're endangering yourself, my friend."

"It's a long shot," A grin graces your lips, "But worth a try." Before he can reply, you cut him off. "By the way, that dress you sent me a week ago was nice." His frown deepen as you continue, "It's a shame that I already have a dress for tonight's event."

He stops, and so did you. "Y/N, what are you talking about?"

You mirror his frown, "You didn't send me a dress?"

Your business partner grasps your arm. "Y/N, I stopped sending you dresses the moment you said my taste for women's clothing was questionable." Your face blanks at the revelation, "So you're not the one who sent me a dress from Givenchy?"

"No," He hisses, "It wasn't me-"

"Jaehyun!" Another voice interjects. You both snap your heads toward a younger gentleman, and he flushes. "What is it, Mark?"

"Mingyu wants to talk to you."

"Alright," Jaehyun sighs before looking at you. "Be careful, Y/N. We'll talk later."

"We will," You tell him, and you steel your composure.

"Now go." The man obeys as the music changes to a livelier beat - on cue, your guests gather to dance with a partner next to them. You watch with a slight smile gracing your lips as you take another swig of your glass before placing it atop a random countertop.

You felt a presence beside you, and with careful eyes, you regard the stranger - a woman with tall stature and pale skin. She wore a black wrap-over top with a plunging neckline, allowing you to see her carved collarbones and pale skin, flared tuxedo pants, a buckle-thin belt, and leather zipped boots. Her hair is black and luscious, cascading down to her waist with her slender fingers securing the stem of her champagne glass.

"You didn't wear the dress I sent for you." She tells you with a distinct accent - Slavic.

You arch a brow; she sent you the dress?

"And who might you be?" You are bemused, and the woman finally looks at you.

Beautiful is an understatement. The woman standing beside you couldn't be older than thirty-three, small-shaped face, a v-shaped jaw, a sharp upturned nose, red lips, and abysmal, obsidian-hued eyes. Beautiful, but there's something amiss.

A smile made its way to her lips as she timely placed her half-finished drink atop the tray of the waiter and gestured an open palm toward your direction.

"How about I answer that with a dance?"

A wry smile made its way to your lips. "What makes you think I'd want to dance with you?"

The latter smirks, "You'll regret it if you don't." You frown at her response.

She turns to you, allowing you to see her perfect proportions. Her attire compliments her lean figure as she places a hand atop her right breast and bows. She lifts her head to look at you expectantly. "So what will it be?" She holds out her hand toward you.

You narrow your gaze at her, "I'm in no position to refuse, am I?"

The woman grins, "Da,"

Without another word, you take her hand, and she swiftly sweeps you off your feet as she leads the dance. Her left grasps your hips while the other intertwines with your right. Your left-hand hooks onto her broad shoulder.

"Your photos don't do you justice, dorogoj," She tells you with a smile, "You look prettier in person."

"Who are you?"

The enigmatic stranger doesn't reply and gracefully spins you, pressing her front against your back, eliciting a sharp gasp from you as she traps you against her body. "Y/N Han, formerly known as a Hae, daughter of Hae Jinwon."

"That information is given." You tell her as you turn around, returning to your first position. "Who. Are. You."

Her lips curl upwards, "Do you know 'The Red Shoes,' written by Christian Andersen?"

"And what does that have to do with who you are?" You retorted, patience waning as she coaxed your body to turn. "Oh, pretty girl." She purred, "It has something to do with your relationship with me."

Your brows furrow, "What do you mean?"

Instead of directly answering that question, she replies with a different narrative:

"The little girl wore her red shoes everywhere she went, even to a God-fearing church. Once you wear those shoes, your feet start dancing on their own. And you can never stop dancing or take off those shoes. But even so, the little girl never gave up on those shoes. In the end, the executioner had to cut off her feet."

Her expression changes to a cold, harsh one as she continues: "But those two feet that got cut off continue to dance in those red shoes."

A blood-curdling smile curls on the woman's lips as you stop dancing. Her hand snakes around your hips, flushing you against her while the other cups your cheek. You stood frozen still as you try to comprehend what she just said.

"You see, dovol'no devushka," She sneers as she caresses your cheek. "You stole from my family - it was small at first, but I began to notice it." You ground your jaw as the atmosphere becomes heavy and foreboding. "I see that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree."

You sneer at her, and your hands finally move by digging your blunt nails against her shoulder - her pupils dilated with twisted excitement as you lean close, finally smelling her scent; top notes of mulberry and black peony followed by middle notes of jasmine and tuberose with hints of black musk and vetiver base notes.

The scent suits her; sultry, dark, and alluring.

"Karina Zakharov," You rasped, and she grins, "Pravil'no,"

Before you can react, she effortlessly manipulates your body to a dip, just as violins soar higher. Your nails shamelessly claw her attire, and the woman visibly lights up with twisted delight as the shadows mask her face.

"Your obsession with finding me has come to fruition, Y/N." Karina husks as she lifts you back up, "You wanted my attention - fine." She leans close - and you let her. Her cold breath fans the left outer shell of your ear, and you muffle a gasp.

"I shall share your fixation. I'll hold you captive beneath me while I take what you most treasure on this earth."

She growls as she tightens her hold around you.

Karina's other hand goes up to the back of your neck, reaching to your roots and purchasing a handful of your hair, and pulls it back. You muffle a groan as you glare at her while she looks down on you condescendingly with contempt.

"Oh," Her chest rumbles as she chuckles, "Don't look at me like that, moya ljubov. You brought this upon yourself." She leans close, lips almost touching yours as she speaks in full Russian:

"Ty pozhnaesh' to, chto seesh." Karina jeers, "You reap what you sow."

And before you know it, you feel something pierce the side of your neck. You look at her, appalled as the dancers surround you and Zakharov's capomandamento. Your body feels heavy, and your eyelids heavier. You stagger in her grip, "What did you..." You trailed off as your speech slurs. You peer over her shoulder and spot Kazuha and Jaehyun marching toward you with alarmed expressions, your guards following behind them.

Karina chuckles as she brushes a stray strand of your hair behind your ear.

“Your obsession is noble and beautiful, Y/N.”

“What did you do to me,” You stammer as you feel your grip on consciousness slipping.

“And I’ve finally found my red shoes.”

With that, your body shuts down.

The sound of metal scraping the floor jerks you awake, your fight or flight response activates, and blood rushes all over your body - forcing you into consciousness.

Pain follows second.

A groan leaves your lips as your head throbs and your legs feel sore. Your arms were bound behind your back, clasped together by chains that rattle with every move. Flashes of last night's events replay in your memory like a broken record - your face burns at the memory. But rather than throwing a tantrum in your new-found cell, you held your breath before exhaling slowly and examining your surroundings.

Your senses heightened.

Cement walls surround you, four walls devoid of warmth. The lighting is poor, only consisting of a bulb hanging over your head. The atmosphere is damp and cold. You look down at your dress; no doubt it was wrinkled and tattered by the people who dragged you here. You move your head upwards and spot a CCTV camera focused on you.

You hear a set of footfalls approaching from behind. Questions flooded your thoughts - how could you have missed that? This god-forsaken place is dark. You should have heard a sound - anything.

"You're awake," Your skin prickles at the familiar accent. Your expression darkens as Karina approaches you from the shadows. Her features are poised and relaxed in contrast to yours.

"How long have I been unconscious?"

A wry smile graces her lips, "Seven hours - I was beginning to think I overdosed you, dorogoj."

You sit on the back of your legs and shamelessly run your eyes down her body. Unlike her attire last night: Karina's wearing a white, buttoned-dow shirt, black tapered pants, and loafers.

"Eyes up here, velikolepnyy." She mused, "Otherwise people might get the wrong idea of our dynamic."

A scoff leaves your lips. "I'm not interested."

She lets out a dark chuckle as she stalks toward you, the glint in her eyes changing to a menacing gleam as she bends and grabs your jaw, forcing you to look at her - the distance between your faces is only inches apart, and the atmosphere thickens. You held your breath at her proximity as her eyes trailed your features, from your eyes down to your lips.

"I could tempt you," She rasps against your lips, and a wolfish grin creeps on her lips. "But I don't fraternize with thieves."

You mirror her grin, although mockingly. "Oh?"

"$10,000,00.00 Y/N." She bemused, and her eyes shapen with contempt. "That's a large sum of our income." She tightens her grip on your jaw, but Karina doesn't dig her nails against your skin.

"If that's the case, then I'm sorry." You jeer as you dig your nails against your palms.

There's a pregnant pause, and silence permeates the air so heavily that you were tempted to break it, but she beats you to it.

"Don't be," Her tone changes, and those black, abysmal eyes swim with twisted mirth. "If anything - I'm impressed." The older woman lets go of your jaw and turns around. You use this opportunity to stretch your jaw and clamp it shut when she turns to you and folds her hands behind her back.

"Does that mean you're letting me off the hook, Zakharov?"

She guffaws and grabs you by the collar, startling you as she bares her teeth. Your chains rattle at her sudden action.

"Nyet,"

"I'm assuming that's a no," You hiss as she violently lets you go. "You're correct," She fixes her shirt. Before you can choose your words wisely, you blurt out:

"Are you going to kill me for it, then?"

She stares at you, her expression unreadable, before replying in a monotonous tone: "No, but my sister would." She inclines her head to the side, "But I am not Ilina." She leans down. "I am worse, Y/N." Karina chortles, "Why did you have to come back to this kind of life?" She steps back.

"You had your chance to live an ordinary life, dorogoj. You chose this, and now you deal with me."

There's something in her eyes that unnerved you.

"What are you going to do?" You inquired, but your voice sounded distant.

She didn't answer and turned around, "Behave yourself, Y/N. My capo bastone will send you your food. Don't do anything stupid if you want your family to stay alive."

Your face burned at her statement. "Don't you dare-"

"I've told you, pretty girl." She sneers, "You made your move, and I will make mine. You are in no position to threaten me."

Your blood boils as she continues: "Especially when you're the one who is in chains."

Then she walks away from you. You dig your nails against your palms so hard you thought they'd bleed in an attempt to soothe your urge to bash someone's head in anger.

"Don't you dare touch them," You whisper as she leaves you in the dark.

Winter Kim is Karina's capo bastone, the underboss. Short-haired, pale, and brunette - socially inept too, given that Winter's impervious to conversations, only saying yes, no, or I can neither confirm nor deny that.

She's the one bringing you food and water for the past four days.

But you refuse to eat what's being handed to you, even if they loosen your binds so you can eat better. That did nothing. You'd rather starve than be poisoned by your captor.

One day, Winter and a couple of guards enter your holding cell. She stands in front of you while her guards release you from your binds. "What's going on?" You question as they grab you by the arms and force you to stand up, your legs wobbling from sitting and kneeling for the past few days.

"Don't do anything stupid," She replies, "We're taking you to her."

"That's probably the longest sentence I've heard from you." You jeer. The brunette ignores it and gestures a hand toward the shadows. "Take her out."

They obeyed and escorted you outside. The brightness hurts your eyes, and your ears buzz with the sound of nature as they drag you out of your detainment. You look over your shoulder to see the structure of your 'dungeon,' it is a modest-sized house with no second floor.

A few paces later and they take you to an elaborate garden surrounded by gardeners trimming bushes and wiping statues.

In the center seats a figure eating her food with gusto. Your eyes narrow, and you ball your hands to distract your hunger as the figure looks up. "Ah, there she is," Karina puts down her utensils, wipes her mouth with a napkin, and gestured a hand at a vacant seat across from her. "Be seated, Y/N."

The men drag you to the seat, but you stop them with a glare.

"I can do sit by myself - let me go." They look at her for permission, and she permits it with a nod. The guards let go of your arm. You can feel Winter's gaze following your movements as you sit across the older, raven-haired beauty.

The latter gestures a hand towards your plate: "Reverse sear steak," She tells you as you look down at your food. You ground your jaw as your nose catches the whiff of the dish - your stomach growls. "I had my finest chef cook it for you."

You look at her dead in the eye, "I'm not hungry,"

A scoff leaves her lips as the older woman crosses her arms. "That's a lie, dorogoj. You haven't eaten."

Her statement elicits an arched brow from you, "Aw - you're worried."

Karina's lips curl upwards, "I don't have any use of you if you're dead, Y/N." Her gaze sharpens, "Eat,"

"And how do I know the meals you have been sending me aren't poisoned?" You countered. She blinks at you, bemused. "Poison is a coward's weapon, Y/N."

You incline your head to the side, "I need a guarantee, Zakharov, not assurance." The latter hums and uses her fork, wipe it with a napkin, stabs one of your steak cuts, and brings it to her mouth. Her eyes never left yours as she caught the meat between her teeth and ate it.

"See?" She spreads her arms, "Now will you eat?"

Without saying a word, you take your utensils and eat under her watchful eye. "A meal like this instigates negotiation." You put down your fork, "What do you want, Zakharov?"

Karina chuckles, "You're quick. I like that."

A wry smile decorates your lips, "We don't become heads of our families' business for nothing."

"I agree," She knots her fingers together. "Leave us,"

The gardeners and her guards obey, except Winter. Karina looks over your shoulder. You assume that's where Winter is - behind you.

"That includes you, Winter Kim."

You didn't look back, but you heard receding footfalls. "Now that we're alone. I need you to act civil with me."

You cock your brow upwards, "What makes you think I'm interested in being civil with you?"

A chuckle reverberates from her chest, and her hawk-like eyes study your face before speaking: "Because your stunt in stealing my fortune and assets earned us both enemies."

You frowned, "We earn new enemies every day, Karina. What's new about that?" A vicious smile graces her lips as if she knew a terrible secret. Your skin prickles and your gut churns uncomfortably as she drops her voice an octave lower.

"I heard that your grandfather is withdrawing his support after I abducted you, dorogoj. And he's cutting ties with you and stole almost all of your assets-"

"That's ridiculous-"

"Oh," She scoffs, "It's true, and I have the evidence to prove it, Y/N." On cue, she takes out a ledger and opens it. "These are your grandfather's offshore accounts. See the amount? It doubled."

"Impossible," You clench your hands into fists, "My grandfather would never-"

"But he did," She jeers and shuts the ledger close. "And now, he's leaving you with me. Truth be told he is smart for a man going senile, taking your assets assuming that I've killed you, and leaving the Han clan out in the open for everyone to target."

You scowl at her, "My men-"

"Has already defected, dorogoj." She finishes for you, "Even your consigliere and your money man - Jaehyun, was it?"

Your chest heaved as you try to calm your nerves, "Where did it all go wrong? You might ask?" She grins dubiously, "It all started when you planned that event, Y/N." Karina guffaws, "I'm appalled that your grandfather would sell you out. He must've thought that he'd lose like last time."

She returns her focus to your shaking figure, eyes wide and lips formed to a thin line, dark and unreadable.

"Now, don't be sad. Y/N." She cooes, "You have me."

You didn't reply, and her phone rang. The latter takes it while never taking her eyes off you. You sit there and blocked out your surroundings as you feel the heavy weight of your actions taking a toll on your focus as Karina ends the call.

"You know," She sighs and puts her phone on top of the table. "You should count yourself lucky that I've decided to kidnap you. Your warehouses were ransacked by your old enemies-"

"Shut up," You tell her with a shaky breath, "Shut up."

Her face shifts to a faux show of sympathy and concern. "I'm merely telling the truth, Y/N."

"What do you want from me?"

Karina plays with her steak knife. "Your cooperation."

"And if I don't want to cooperate?"

"Oh darling," She purrs, "You are in no position to refuse - this concerns you, after all." Your tongue pokes your inner left cheek, "Give me time to-"

"No," The older woman cuts you off, "It's either you agree or rot while I clean our fifth." There's a dangerous edge to her voice. You give her a dirty look while she shoots you with a challenging glare. "So, what will it be, dorogoj?"

"Fine," You say through gritted teeth.

Karina purrs in satisfaction. "Clever girl, you got promoted from prisoner - to my guest. You will have one of my guestrooms. The rules still apply: do anything stupid, and I will deal with you. Do you understand this, Y/N?"

You felt like a child underneath her gaze, your eyes burned with silent wrath as you answer with a curt:

"Yes,"

"Yes - what, pretty girl?"

"Yes," You hiss, "Karina Zakharov."

"Very good," On cue Karina's guards and Winter return to the garden. She stands up. You follow her example, unblinking as her guards seize you by the arms. You recoil at their touch as if they burned you.

"Be gentle," She instructs them, "She is now my guest."

They acknowledge her command with a bow before carrying on with what they are bid to do.

"I'll cooperate," You tell her, "Under one condition, a simple condition."

Karina clicks her tongue, "Let's hear it, then."

"That you'll protect my mother." The latter pauses, "Very well, your mother will be under my care." She turns to look at the short-haired brunette. "Winter, escort her to her new room. The rest of you, return to your stations."

You allow the second in command to lead you to your new room.

Karina's manor is of neoclassical design. Neat and spacious. You follow Winter through the labyrinthine halls until she stops before an intricately carved white double door with guards standing on both sides.

"This will be your room," She tells you blankly while one of the guards opens the door to reveal a spacious, clean room. "If you need anything, just call for the guards."

Without saying anything, you enter the room and study your surroundings. The door closes behind you - the room contains your typical setting for a bedroom. But still, you inspect the place making sure that there are no hidden cameras.

There was none.

You sink into your knees and let out a shaky breath to calm your nerves. Your body feels numb and lightweight as you try to think clearly, but your mind is riddled - racing with thoughts more than your brain can take.

And you pass out.

For the next 72 hours, you observed the guards standing on the opposite side of your room.

They change shifts, and the time lag is five minutes due to the long halls of Karina's manor.

Darkness has befallen, the white halls dimmed to the color of the wall lamps, and your guards just left their posts.

Five minutes

Your head peeked through your doors, eyeing both halls before slipping out, careful to avoid Karina's men. Your heart hammers against your ribs, and you can feel your pulse pounding against your head as you maneuver silently.

While sneaking out, your eyes caught a huge family portrait hanging near the marble staircase.

It's also been taken recently due to you spotting a familiar face. Karina was seated next to her older sister. The youngest Zakharov wore a black, sleeveless high-neck dress. Her hair was styled to a fishtail bun with her bangs resting on the sides of her face, while Ilina wore a black cut-out midi dress, and her hair was styled to a half ponytail.

You move your gaze to the parents you hailed them.

Karina took her mother's features, while Ilina had their father's. But both sisters exude power and grace, a beautiful, powerful family.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Her voice cuts through the silence, and you swiftly turn to her with wide eyes.

There she stood from behind. Karina Zakharov is wearing a black buttoned-down shirt, straight-cut jeans, and sandals. Her hair was let down.

"It's a decent photo," You stiffly tell her, "No," She scoffs, "Don't I look great in that photo?"

You roll your eyes in reply while she chuckles and stands beside you. Your posture bristles and stiffens as she folds her hands behind her back.

"It was the last photo we've taken before one of her men shot her." She tells you, "I'm sure you're relieved to hear that, am I right, dorogoj?"

The air suddenly becomes heavy and stifling as you feel her move her line of sight toward your unwilling figure. You avert your gaze elsewhere. You don't know how to respond to that. You held your breath as you try to think of a reply but you blurt out:

"My condolences," You say to her monotonously.

She tears away her gaze from you, looks at the picture, and hums a tune that holds no consequence. "I don't need your condolences; she died a long time ago."

Silence hangs between you before she speaks again, "And relax, Y/N." You shift your gaze to her with furrowed brows. "You're free to roam my halls so long as you stay out of our private rooms." A smirk coils on her lips, "And don't do-"

"Anything stupid," You finish for her through gritted teeth, "If that's the case, may I go to the garden?"

The older woman regards you for a moment before nodding. "I'll take you there."

You arched a brow. Karina catches on. "As you can see, Y/N, I'm the only one present in this room - and if I call my men or Winter I'd have to waste my breath and call for them." She pauses, "I think it's perfect that I'll take you there just in case you decide to run away." Her smirk returns, "But if you did, I'll be the one to capture you - I like to give chase."

An exasperated sigh leaves your lips, "Shut up and take me to the garden."

She guffaws, "Follow me, dorogoj."

What's with the Russian words? You didn't ask her and followed the raven-haired capo. "By the way," She adds, "My clothes look good on you."

Your eyes subtly widen as you look down at your borrowed clothing. "Your clothes?!" That came out as a squeak. The older woman shoots you a wolfish grin before leading the way.

"It's either that or you walk around my property naked, pretty girl." She teases, and you hold every fiber of your body not to hit her head. "No wonder why they felt big on me." You cringe as your footsteps echo through the dimly lit halls. It didn't take a minute for you to spot a familiar short-haired girl coming toward the two of you.

"Winter," Karina acknowledges while the younger woman bows her head, "We received Giselle's report on the import at Port Elizabeth, New York."

Giselle? As in Uchinaga Giselle? The New York mobster?

"Very well, did you send a copy to my consigliere?"

The shorter woman nods, "Yeji has it. She's heading on her way as we speak." There's a pause. You feel out of place in their conversation and avert your gaze elsewhere. "If that's the case, then you'll entertain our guest here." You snap your head to the two. Winter pursed her lips before bowing her head, "Of course. Where shall I take her?"

"To my garden," She answers before looking at you with a small, distant smile. "Be a good girl, and don't give Winter a hard time, yeah?"

Without saying another word, Karina turns to the opposite hallway while Winter leads the way to the garden. You follow the brunette, but you look over your shoulder, your eyes locked on the disappearing figure of Karina. True to her word, Winter took you to the garden. You sigh as you revel in the cold breeze lightly nipping your skin and the ivory glow of the moon. A refreshing sight from the usual four walls of your room.

A wry smile creeps on your lips at the realization. Despite being moved to a much more hospitable accommodation-

"A golden prison is still a prison." You tell yourself while Winter stands behind you. Her sharp gaze never leaves your figure as you bask in the beautiful glow of the moonlight.

Meters away from the second floor of the manor, there stood Karina on her balcony with her slender, well-manicured fingers holding the stem of her wine glass. Despite Yeji discussing the keys of Giselle's report, Karina's eyes were glued to your figure, before disappearing inside her study.

"Y/N," Winter regards as you get out of your room.

"What are you doing here?" You inquire the younger woman unkindly as you walk past her. The younger woman follows you, "And why are you following me around?"

"Haven't you heard?" You feel Winter's gaze move to your striding figure. "Miss Zakharov has assigned me as your guard." You stop in your tracks to look at her, "She assigned you to be my what?"

"Your guard," She tells you.

You open your mouth but you shut it close and continue to walk. "Where are you going this time, Miss Han? To the gardens again?"

Turns out, you are being held captive in Italy. The northern Italian province of Lombardy is home to Milan and other fashion hubs.

"Where else?" You grumble, "But I'm getting tired of it. Can't a prisoner have something to entertain herself?"

Winter balks, "You're no prisoner."

"A golden cage is still a cage, Winter." You bemused. This is the first time the short-haired brunette initiated a conversation with you.

"Do books interest you?" You scoff at her, "What? I can't use the TV?"

"We don't have that," She tells you honestly, and you gawk at her. "What kind of founding family has all the money and resources in the world but has no TV?"

The latter coughs, "Karina is too busy with her work to watch."

"You make it sound as though I am a lazy capo." You snark before the realization dawns on you. You're not a capo anymore. "Anyways," You quickly regain your composure, "She has a library?"

"Yes, follow me." Without waiting, she turns around, leaving you to follow her.

After minutes of wandering through the halls, she stops before two tall doors and gestures a hand. "Inside, Miss Han."

You regard her for a moment before pushing the door open. Karina Zakharov's library is spacious and shelves rich with books. How could she possess such a magnitude of books?

As if sensing your question, Winter speaks up: "This library was the congressman of Italy's gift for her."

"I see," You mutter as you brush the pads of your fingers against the spines of the books. Winter watches you closely as you turn to the bookshelf and grab two books, one of Slavic folktale and the other a Russian-to-English dictionary.

Winter regards your choice of books, "I'll be outside if you need anything."

You didn't answer and instead take a seat on the nearest couch before burying your head in between the pages, getting lost in a paradise of words to pass the time. You hear the door close.

"You didn't eat the fruits I sent you." An amused voice cuts through the silence, forcing you to tear your eyes from the page and then look up at the owner of the voice.

Karina stood a few meters away from your seated figure with her arms crossed against her chest. Her tall figure leans against one of the bookshelves as her eyes watch you.

Your eyes fall to a tray of cut fruits beside you. One of her men, or Winter must've placed it beside you, you just didn't notice.

"Ah," Is all you can say while the older woman chuckles and strides toward you, and gracefully picks up an apple. You watch her with intent, she holds your gaze as she takes a bite, and hunger suddenly pangs against your stomach, but your lips traverse to her lips as she licks them clean. You clear your throat softly and avert your gaze, you didn't see the smirk playing on her lips.

"What are you doing, Zakharov?"

"Just showing you that it's not poisoned, dorogoj."

Your face flushes at the pet name. You bared your teeth as you snap your gaze toward her. "You do realize that you've been calling me 'darling', right?"

Karina laughs, and your gut churns. "Ah, old habits."

"You call your prisoners that?"

A teasing smile plays on her lips, and you want to smack it out of her. "No, just you." Your cheeks change to a shade of light pink, and you once again look away from the half-Russian capo.

She moves her line of sight to your books, "I see that you've taken an interest in my language and culture. That's adorable."

"Shut up," You snap at her, "I'm reading."

The latter curls her lips upward, "That one's boring, dovol'no devushka." There she is again. The capo of the Zakharov family takes a book near her and approaches you and hands you the book. "Read this instead."

You give her a sideward glance. "What I read is hardly any of your business, Zakharov." She scoffs at your snark, "Just read this, printsessa."

"Don't you have your responsibilities to take care of?" You retort, and Karina rolls her eyes. Her Slavic tongue dominates her English accent. "I have my consigliere stepping in. I gave instructions - they will execute." She waves the book at you, "Now read."

"Fine," You huff as put the book down and snatch the book from her hand. "What is it about, anyway?"

"Why don't you read and find out, dorogoj?"

You scowl at her before opening the first page. "And by the way," You sigh and look at the older woman. "What?"

"The Uchinagas are hosting an event."

"Okay, and?"

"Your grandfather will be there," Your eyes sharpened as she continues, "And so will your father and older brother."

You thread your words carefully. "And what does this have to do with me?"

A sly smirk graces her plump lips, "This is your opportunity to get even." A pause, "You're coming with me to New York as my plus one."

Your brow raises, "Is that your way of asking me on a date?"

The raven-haired beauty chuckles, "No, I'm not asking you, Y/N. I'm taking you." You gawk at her as she walks away. "Our flight's in three days. Prepare your valuables." You scoff. You don't have any as you scheme through the pages while Karina peers over her shoulder and exits the room.

While browsing the pages, your eyes stumble at a sketch. It was a side view of a woman, no older than twenty-five holding a flute champagne, the dress looks familiar, as if you wore it during-

Your eyes subtly widen as you study the details of the sketch - it was you. The night before you were captured.

"What the," You mutter as you snap your head towards the direction where Karina left with your hand gripping the sketch tightly with thoughts racing in your head, and one stands out:

Why would she sketch you?

For the next four days, you observed Karina Zakharov - especially when she interacts with you.

Whenever you throw a jab or a snark at her, she smirks and continues the conversation as if you didn't irritate her. It made the acids in your stomach boil.

You tested her patience, and she merely chuckled or smirked. She'd walk beside you with a small smile creeping on her lips as if she didn't abduct you. It irked you. Because why would she have time to check on you when Winter or one of her guards can do that?

You are merely a capo left with nothing - if it was any capo, they won't even give you a second glance, but why does she-

Why would she give her time to go to you?

Why

Why?

You have nothing to offer, you have nothing left in your name - you are her prisoner. You were just given the privilege of roaming free and reading whatever's in her library.

What is she getting at? What was she trying to accomplish?

What does she want from you?

"Ah, and who is this fine woman you're with, Karina?" You broke from your reverie as a smooth baritone voice fills your ears. You turn to the gentleman wearing a black suit. His hair is styled to a perm. He's handsome, almond-shaped eyes, light brown-hued eyes, an upturned hose, and slightly thin lips. Classical music plays faintly in the speakers, accompanied by the clinking of champagne glasses as the underworld's elite gather to attend the Uchinagas' event - it's to celebrate a successful partnership with the Sicilians.

"Taehyung," Karina regards the gentleman as her hands land on the small area of your back. You held a gasp. Despite the fabric acting as a barrier between your skin and her fingertips, you can feel her cold touch - and it sends shivers throughout your body. "This is my date, Y/N Han."

"Han?" He muses as he looks at you while you regard him with a bow. "My, you're gorgeous!" You reply with a chuckle as Karina looks at you with a well-practiced smile, "Says you, Mr. Kim. You look dashing."

The man shifts his weight to his other foot. "An interesting pair, you two. Have you come to good terms?"

Karina responds this time, "Yes, we've decided that a pointless grudge is a waste of energy and time." You cocked a brow as she continues: "So we've agreed to a truce."

Taehyung hums, "I'll drink to that, have a nice night."

Once he's out of earshot you turn to look at the older woman who hasn't removed her hand from your back but you chose to ignore it.

"Was that a personal attack?"

She snorts, "A - what?"

"Nevermind," You roll your eyes at her as you look around to spot the thieving trio that stole from you. You can feel Karina's gaze and decide to tease her: "Take a photo, it might last longer."

She scoffs, "Why would I do that when I can draw you with perfect accuracy?"

You glance at her, face unreadable. "Yes, no doubt."

She cocked a brow, "Oh - I don't like that tone."

You hid a smirk and grasped her arm, "Let's divide and conquer -or you know what? Leave me to my devices. I'll hunt those three down."

"Alone?" She muses, "I doubt it."

"You wound me, Zakharov." You mocked, "How could you doubt my skills with a knife?" Where's the lie? There's a knife strapped to your thigh - concealed by the dress Karina bought for you, and it is easily accessible via the long slit of your dress.

Her face was unreadable, but you could see the turmoil in her eyes. It made your eye twitch with irritation.

Don't look at me that way. I am capable just as you are.

"Very well," She concedes, "Winter is around to help you if you can't do it."

You scowl at her. Since when did she care?

"Alright," You answer harshly, "Do enjoy the party."

Without waiting for a reply, you walk away from her.

You weave through the crowd like black smoke, your eyes sharp and senses heightened as the event continues. And just when you thought you'd never seen another familiar face, Kazuha shows up. Your eyes widen as you come face to face with the former consigliere of the Han Clan. Kazuha mirrors your shock and her hand covers her mouth.

"Zuha?" You squeak, "Y/N," The younger woman gasps as she grasps both your arms, "How did you-" She sputters, "Oh my god, Y/N I am so sorry, enemies flanked us left and right we had to escape, I'm sorry-"

"Kazuha," You tell her gently, "I understand. You don't have to apologize."

"But-"

"It's fine," You sternly reassured her. "You're better off alive than trying to defend what was left of our business." A bittersweet smile graces your lips, "You look gorgeous tonight. Did you get a new job as someone else's consigliere?"

"Yes," She answers shakily, "As Giselle's consigliere. How did you escape her? Karina - I mean." Before you can explain, you see Kazuha's eyes visibly sharpening, and her resplendent countenance twists to a scowl.

"Karina," She growls as a figure approaches you from behind. Your skin tingles at the familiar touch; the older woman's hand drapes around your waist as she regards Kazuha with a polite smile. "Miss Nakamura," She greets, "A pleasure to meet you tonight."

She eyes her hand around your waist, "I wish I could say the same, Miss Zakharov." Karina's lips curl upward as your former consigliere continues:

"What is she doing being this close to you, Y/N?"

"Relax," Karina jeers, "She's with me as my date."

The younger woman's eyes slightly widen as she looks at you, "Is this true?"

Karina cuts you off, "Yes, it's true - even if you wring it out of Y/N, she'll agree with me." Kazuha glares at her while Karina's beautiful features twist to a challenging look while her hand pulls you closer to her. Your gut churns and goosebumps arise - her touch has you in a trance, tantalizing and blissful.

"Easy ladies," You hissed as you quickly removed Karina's hand from your waist. She looks at you, aghast, but says nothing. "I'll explain everything if we meet again, but for now, I need to find my grandfather and his son and grandson."

"I saw your grandfather in one of the private booths on the second floor."

Excitement drums in your veins, and you thank the consigliere before she begrudgingly leaves you and the youngest Zakharov. You move away from Karina, eyes set on your goal now that Kazuha informed you about your grandfather's whereabouts as you make your way to the marble stairs, your hand is itching to grasp the dagger while weaving through the guests, no longer caring if your brushing or bumping past them.

"Now," You grumble as your eyes study the closed rooms. "Where are you?"

"I don't think charging there with a dagger is intelligent, Y/N." Your face contorts to a scowl at the familiar voice. You snap your head toward her, "This does not concern you, Zakharov." You snark at her with toxicity lacing your voice. "This is between me and my grandfather. Stay out of it." Her face remains calm, and it irked you - so you turn away from her, only for Karina to seize you by the wrist and pull you towards her. Karina Zakharov's face was only inches from yours as her cold breath fanned against your dainty countenance.

"And I'm telling you, Y/N, it's dangerous for you to go there alone."

You bared your teeth at her, "Why do you care?"

She doesn't answer, and your patience thinned. "Let. Me. Go, Zakharov."

The latter ignores this and tightens her grip around your wrist, keeping you in place. You curse at her and snap your head towards the private booths, one opens, revealing a familiar figure that scorned you. Your other hand twitches, you can throw the knife from here. It is thin after all. He's open, and so is your window of opportunity before he surrounds himself with potential collateral damage.

"Karina," You warned without looking back at her, "Let me go."

"What's the use of killing him now," The raven-haired beauty coaxes. "When you can let him live to suffer for it, Y/N?"

You grit your teeth. Those words are familiar to you. "I don't fucking care," You hissed.

"Let me go, Karina Zakharov." You turn to her almost pleadingly, and Karina's face glows with resolve.

"No, Y/N." She tells you, her voice a whisper. "I won't."

And your window of opportunity closes.

You've lost your chance, and you look at your grandfather helplessly, but it quickly dissipates as wrath seeps into your body faster than poison. And without thinking, you swiftly turn to the woman and harshly remove your wrist from her pale hand and use the side of your arm to press it against her throat, startling her, but you don't allow her to think as you quickly push her inside a vacant lounging room and shut it by swiftly pushing the older woman against the door and grab your knife, pressing it against her throat.

Karina's eyes widen with macabre delight and doesn't make a move. Those black abysmal eyes of hers gleam with curiosity...and something else that you couldn't decipher.

No, that isn't the reaction you want from her. She was supposed to look threatened, not curious. She is supposed to beg for you to keep the knife away from her face - to beg for her life.

But she doesn't, and it makes your blood boil and your gut twinges uncomfortably. You ground your jaw so hard you thought your teeth would break.

"I hate you," You spat at her while your eyes burned, "I hate you so fucking much."

A cruel, soft smile graces her lips as she reaches out a hand and wipes-

Your tears?

You gape at her, surprised at the tender gesture as she cups your face. Her skin feels warm against your tear-stained cheek.

"I hate you," You tell her again but this time, your voice sounds distant and meek.

Distracted, the older woman hastily, but retains her grace as she pins you against the door and disarms the knife from your hands, and pins your wrist on both sides as she flushes her body against yours.

You let out a shaky breath while Karina's eyes are glazed and hooded, her breath ragged as she leans her face closer to yours. Her scent invades your sense of smell, intoxicating you. She leans close to the outer shell of your right ear. Karina drops her voice an octave lower.

"Say it to me again," Her Russian accent is hot and rough against the skin of your face.

"What?" You breathe against her as you try to pry her hands off your wrist but to no avail.

"That you hate me, dorogoj." Her voice hoarse, "Say it to me again, moya ljubov'."

"I hate you," You say, but the words come out like a caress. A litany. An enchantment. A ward against what you feel. "I hate you. I hate you. I hate you-"

And she cuts you off with a searing kiss, catching you off guard. The older woman tilts her head to deepen it, and it didn't take a while for you to respond by matching her fervor that her lipstick smudges against yours.

She pulls away with a batted breath. Her eyes are dark and ravaging as her grip on your wrist loosens, and you shake it away from her grasp, only to grab her by the lapels of her suit and pull her for another one. She kisses you harder.

Karina's right-hand grasps you by the back of your head while the other rests against the small area of your back, her nails dig against your skin, eliciting a gasp from you, and she uses her opportunity by slipping her tongue, swallowing you whole before pulling away.

"I hate you," You breathe into her mouth, your thoughts are muddled by nothing but her. Her scent, her abysmal eyes, her beautiful black hair, her devastatingly gorgeous face - all of her.

"I hate you so much that I can't think of anything else but you."

Karina chuckles and softly pecks the skin of your neck, sending shivers down your spine as her hands caress your body.

"If that's the case," She rasps against your skin, and you softly gasp as she squeezes your hips.

"Then give me one night to convince you otherwise, my love."

Fin.

#karina x reader #constantinewrites #aespa x reader #kpop oneshots #kpop imagines #female reader #aespa #yoo jimin x reader #yoo jimin #one for my enemy

575 notes · View notes

mingsolo · 6 months

Text

HELLA GOOD.

jinyoung x reader (f) / g: smut, jackson wang party au :kek:, angst, exes? to lovers, romance / wc: 4k / warnings: jaelousy mentions, jinyoung trying to sabotage yn's date, alcohol mentions, some swearing / r: 18+

done for the Project X collab! track the #projectx tag to read more. especially @flurrys-creativity entries to find some easter eggs from this story as well some for her own on this one ✸

Jinyoung exhales as he finally finds himself in front of the three level mansion.

A few people arriving at the party pass beside him through the stone path leading towards the main entrance. Well hidden between a few miles of pine and oak trees, the house is shining from all the lights being on inside it. The moon makes the lake surrounding it shine, the air is fresh and clean, and Jinyoung is hopeful for a moment that whatever he wishes to find at this party happens.

Standing in front of the house, he was hit with loud and chaotic energy. He could spot people whenever his eyes landed. The chatter of hundreds of conversations resonated even over the loud music.

He took out his phone and dialed your number. Straight to voicemail. You had blocked his number since two weeks ago, when you decided that what was going between you two was over. He opened instagram to see your recent stories, to remind himself of the reason he came to this party.

That fucking dress.

You were getting into his nerves. He could only imagine how good you would look once he had you in front of him.

Once he entered the house, he could almost get drunk by how much the whole place smelled like liquor and sweetness. He glances at the main hall, people crowded against the wall, drinking, laughing, making out. Same thing as he glances at the kitchen. Beer-pong, body shots, more making out in plain sight.

As he pushed himself between people towards the living room, he spotted a drunk Soonyoung dancing with a violent move of his hips, one hand on the back of his head, holding a bottle of vodka on the other. He was body rolling to the song playing, eyes closed, ear to ear smile as people cheered for him.

As he watched the spectacle, a few people bumped into him muttering weaker “sorry”. He looks away from Soonyoung’s magic mike show and looks out for you with no luck. A bunch of people kissing on the expensive looking leather couches in the living room. Jinyoung is relieved that you are in none of them.

He continues his way to the enormous living room towards the kitchen, when someone else bumps into him with rather force. “Sorry… hey” he finds his friend Hyungwon looking rather distraught. “Jinyoung, have you seen…” He cuts himself and sprints away without saying anything else.

“What’s wrong with everybody-” Jinyoung’s about to grunt when he is pushed again now by the familiar voice of his friend and party host, Jackson.

“Heeeeeeeey!” The raspy and already wasted voice of Jackson greets him right against his ear and Jinyoung swears he just left him deaf. “Brother! You're finally here!” Jackson hugs him tightly. The smell of vodka, tequila, cognac and every other type of liquor embraces Jinyoung as his friend greets him.

“Hey, you good?” Jinyoung's tone is concerned by his friend's consciousness.

“Better than ever baby, come on drink!” Jackson then tries to pour a drink from the vodka bottle he is holding into his mouth but Jinyoung pushes him back. “Come on, you won’t leave me hanging, are you?.”

“At least get a glass shot?.”

“No time for that, driiiiiiink!”

“I said no, I’m looking for someone.” He tries to distract the party host from pouring the whole bottle all over him.

“Maaan, I told you earlier when you asked, that she’s coming with someone.” Jackson whispers as he greets and smiles at the people waving and shouting at him as they pass by. “The tall foreign from economics or something.”

Jinyoung scowls. So you did come with that guy.

“Man, that dress she is wearing…” Jinyoung gives Jackson the stink eye and he throws his hands in the air mimicking being caught. “Listen man, I’m not blind.”

Jinyoung rolls his eyes at him, annoyed. “How’s Ice Princess treating you anyways?.”

Jackson blows raspberries, taking a shot from the vodka bottle. “If not for the alcohol, I would-” Just as Jackson begins rambling, Jinyoung hears the unmistakable tone of your laughter, even above the loud music.

“See you later.” he cuts Jackson off and begins walking to the center of the party. He sees you walk in, a 6ft blonde walking statue by your side, and he’s making you giggle.

Jinyoung feels his heart sink and the heat of his body rising. You couldn’t possibly like that guy, he looks nothing like your type. “And who is my type, you?” he imagined you mocking him, as you often did when he acted smug. He rolls his eyes at his own thoughts. What right did he have to think like this? It was him who wanted you to be his sex relief machine only. Wasn't it?

Entering the house looking for more drinks, you laugh politely to whatever Adam was telling you about Sweden. Your eyes mechanically search for a familiar face, one you hoped you wouldn’t find. You look back at your date to show that you are listening, even if you aren’t. Adam has been sweet all night and accepted coming to the party on short notice. You knew he liked you, he wasn’t really subtle about it, but even then, his vibe wasn’t clicking with you the way you thought it would.

Just as you were about to ask him to go get more drinks, the corner of your eye catched the figure of Jinyoung approaching you. Stupid Jinyoung, with his perfect hair, perfect shoulders, perfect face. You took a short but deep breath. As he gets closer, you notice he’s too shameless to hide the smirk on his face, or how his eyes roam through your body. He even had the nerve to rub his thumb over his bottom lip, knowing how much you hate/love when he does that.

“Y/n, wasn’t sure I would find you here.” he taunted, clicking his tongue out of reproach. “Thought you would stay home working on that project you told me about the other night.”

You scoffed, not willing to give him the satisfaction. “How could I miss the last party of the infamous Jackson Wang?, and I found some really good company to dare to miss it.” you smiled, linking your arm with Adam’s.

“Hi, how is it going?” Adam offered Jinyoung a handshake not really catching the tone of the conversation happening. Jinyoung arched his eyebrows and smiled before taking Adam’s hand, smiling at you mockingly. “Are you Y/n’s friend?”

“Yes.””No.”

Adam wiggles his eyebrows at the both of you, finding the whole scene amusing. You clear your throat, if your gaze could kill you were sure Jinyoung would be pulverized right there down to ashes.

“Anyway, we were just looking for something to drink, my throat is getting dry all of a sudden.” you dismissed Jinyoung but as you were about to step out Adam laughed and pointed out towards the kitchen across your point of view.

“Look at that!” He shouted, the three of you turned to see a wasted Hongjoong pouring tequila shots into a girls mouth, crashing his lips against hers to share it. Adam clapped and cheered something in Swedish that you couldn’t make up too.

“What are you doing coming with this clown?” Jinyoung taunts in korean. You look for something to defend your date with but the way he’s now whistling and cheering to the mess in the kitchen is not helping his case.

Jinyoung scoffs. “Has he even told you how hot you look right now?.”

“I…,” you don’t know how to reply to that, having Jinyoung come closer to you as he continues to eye you head to toe. You suddenly can’t breathe or think. Having him so close was always dangerous for you.

“What, cat got your tongue?.”

“Shut up, Jinyoung.” you push him away, taking all in you not to throw yourself at him by how good he smells and how hot he looks when he gazes up at you like that.

“So, babe, want something to drink?.” Adam’s voice made you finally stop glaring at Jinyoung and slowly turn over to your date.

“Babe?.” Both you and Jinyoung read each other's minds.

“By the way, are you with someone?.” He suddenly asks Jinyoung.

Jinyoung scowled, backing a step. “They are getting drinks.” he quickly lied. You looked at him not believing it for a second but couldn’t help feeling hurt.

Before either man could add anything more, you burst out of spite. “Well, hope you and whoever you are with have fun, now if you excuse us, we are going to get some drinks and probably make out.” You take Adam’s hand and practically drag him out of the living room, pushing your way between the sea of people as a remix of make it rain plays in the background.

“Gosh!” you grunted, now pushed back in a corner of the second floor living room. The moment you were out of Jinyoung’s sight. “I need to drink. A lot.”

“What was that about making out?.” Adam gets closer to you, his eyes shine with intent and you awkwardly smile. “Oh, about that I just…,”

“You still need a drink right?” He steps back and begins eyeing the space looking for alcohol. “I’m going downstairs and get us something, alright?.”

“Alright, meet you back… here.” Before you could finish he’s sprinting downstairs, leaving you puzzled. “He is so strange.” you mumble to yourself, before quickly looking over your shoulder, looking for signs of Jinyoung anywhere close.

You shook your head. The point is to forget that he is here, not to be on the lookout for him. You suddenly needed air. Pushing your way between people dancing, you made your way towards the outdoor patio. It was crowded there as well but at least it was open and you could ease the heat of the people cramped inside and the smell of alcohol mixed with perfume.

Jinyoung didn’t take long to find you outside on the outdoor patio. You were leaning over watching something amusedly. He saw how Adam from Economics sprinted to the kitchen, getting lost between the sea of bodies pushing against each other with loud cheering and chanting. It was his chance to just go up to you and make you leave the party with him.

Just before he was about to enter, he stopped. He admired your form, how pretty and beautiful you were and it pained him not being able to call you his.

Even if it's all on him.

Sex was a relief for Jinyoung. With you he had found someone who he could be comfortable enough with, and also someone who drove him crazy. But the moment you offered that he could stay the night, to share breakfast together, to go on dates… he remembered that person who he trusted, gave his heart and then betrayed him, breaking himself into a million pieces.

The moment he felt he was falling for you, he had to be an asshole. He had to make you feel like he wasn't falling in love with you, or he would end up in pain again.

It wasn't fair for you, that he knew. But what could he do if he was drawn to you like bees to honey?. He couldn't let you go entirely, he needed you to keep going. But it had to be like this, just little bits, just a glimpse of what a life with you could be.

Jinyoung remembered your face everytime you were excited to do something else with him, when you approached him after classes or caught up with him in the middle of campus. Your eyes lose light every time he said no to you, but you were addicted to him as much as he was to you. This new passion he found with you, it was burning him inside, making him remember how bad it was when he got let down by feeling things so intensely in the past.

Jinyoung knew that you wanted him to be yours, but something on him refused to give in. That’s what you have decided to shut him off, put distance between you, and there he was, making things difficult for you.

He toyed with the idea of just leaving and letting you be, it was for the best, but his feet refused to move. He spotted a mop of blonde hair coming up from the stairs. Adam walked outside where you were, and offered you a drink. He then got really close to you, and you backed up.

Jinyoung frowned. He will leave, but just after being sure the Swedish guy wasn’t making you uncomfortable.

The stars were so bright against the night sky, and for a moment you were hopeful that everything was going to be alright. You would just have a few drinks to ease the nerves of having Jinyoung around. Saying you would make out with Adam to get back at Jinyoung was stupid but you would be sure not to let him get any more ideas.

You leaned to the balcony after texting Adam that you would be waiting for him there, when a noise made you turn over. There was a girl in jeans running towards the lake, you squint to see if you could make out who it was but she had her back at you. Right after her, you spotted Minhyuk, the one in Communications, sprinting after her. She jumped on a boat and you couldn’t believe your eyes when Minhyuk threw himself at the lake chasing after her.

“Woah, that's some romcom shit right there…” you giggled, “I need some of whatever those two are on.”

“Hi there!”.

The grin disappeared off your face instantly as Adam shouted right behind you. “Oh my god, you scared me!”.

“Sorry…” he smiled, offering you a red plastic cup filled with tequila and sprite. “I also got this.” He showed a half emptied tequila bottle, and you smiled relieved.

“Th-thanks.” you took the cup and finished the drink in one go. You promptly pour another shot on your cup and finish it as well. Adam arching his brows at you.

“Believe me, I need this.”

“So, about us, back what you said there…” he started, getting closer to you. You backed up a little, not wanting to be embraced by him. “Yeah, about that…” you began, when the sound of the glass door opening up, Jinyoung stepping out.

“You won’t believe who’s down there!” Jinyoung shouted excitedly, coming closer to you. “The youtube guy… the one from Sweden!”

“PewDiePie??!” Adam shouted energetically. “No way!”

“Yes way, he’s down there right now giving shots to everybody.”

Adam smiled at you wiggling his tail like an overly excited dog. You looked at him not believing he was about to go downstairs and see if it was true.

“I have to see this!” He sprinted inside, shouting that PewDiePie was there, making people whisper and some of them even followed him out of curiosity.

“PewDiePie?,” You glared at Jinyoung.

“He’s that stupid, huh?.”

“I can’t believe you.” tears started gathering up. “What do you want, Jinyoung, why are you even here?”.

Jinyoung frowned. “Y/n, I saw you back up, you don’t want to be around this guy.”

“Is not your place to do something about it, we are nothing, remember?.”

“I- That’s not…”

“Just tell me, what do you want?.” you were tired of pretending Jinyoung’s rejection didn't hurt you. You were so blind believing you two could actually be together. Jinyoung lowered his head in silence.“You are so cruel.”

You stepped out of the patio, making your way between people with force. You wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of seeing you cry anymore.

Jinyoung felt his heart shrink by seeing you almost crying. He shouted after you but you didn’t stop. You were supposed to be in his arms, not running away from them. If he just opened up to you, you of all people would never hurt him… right?. He felt awful, thinking he was doing the same thing to you now, that dreadful feeling he so wanted to avoid getting ever again.

“Y/n!” he shouted, getting closer to you. He grabbed your arm, pulling you against him. “I’m sorry, please talk to me.” He softly put his hands in the back of your head and you couldn’t hold it any more. Tears begin to fall against his chest and having him wrapped around you makes you cry louder. It was because of him that you were crying, yet you felt comfort in no other.

Jinyoung felt awful. He had broken you first, and now he had to gather all the pieces. He had to make it right for you. “Come on,” He guided you back to the second floor towards a closed marble door. Jinyoung pushed it firmly a couple of times until it was open.

It was an office or studio, lots of books and neatly arranged office stationary placed on the desk and shelves. You walked in, surprised there was no one already inside either fucking or making out. Jinyoung closed the door behind him, leaning against it.

“Can’t believe I’m fucking crying at a Wang party, was told these were a blast.”

“Y/n…”

Jinyoung got closer to you, but you pushed him away. You studied him for a moment. There were those eyes, those bright eyes, genuine eyes. He loved you, that you knew, yet he wouldn’t dare to say it. “What are you so afraid of?.”

Jinyoung lowered his eyes, muttering a weak, “I'm sorry.” but it wasn’t enough. You got closer, and wrapped your arms under his until both were wrapped around his back. “You know I love you, but you need to let me go if you don’t want the same.”

You two stayed like that for a moment. He embraced you too as well. He let himself be enveloped by your essence and you pressed yourself against him wanting to remember what it felt to be so close. As you were about to break the hug, he pulled you up, not letting you.

“Jinyoung…”

He pulled apart a little, only to get a good look at you. He saw the shine in your eyes, the heat on your face and how you still have your arms wrapped around him tightly. He loved you so much, how much of an idiot he had to be to not trust you wouldn’t hurt him.

Outside the room, the boisterous sound of laughter and cheering exploded out more intensely, but even then, you hear Jinyoung clearly when he spoke. “I love you.” his eyes clouded over your lips, as he leaned forward and kissed you hurriedly.

It was mere seconds and you got your tongue down his throat, his face grabbing your face as you pressed yourself against him tightly. You slipped your hands on his sides, wanting to feel the burning of his skin. The sounds you made made Jinyoung hiss over your lips. He grabbed you, making you hug him with both arms and legs.Your mind was telling you to stop, you weren't even sure he had locked the door, but it didn’t matter. You wanted him right there, right now.

Jinyoung placed you at the center of the desk, pushing the stuff over it out of the way. You laughed breathily. Jinyoung gave you a smirk and dragged your legs until his hips were around your waist, his crotch pressed against your middle.

He kissed you feverishly and hurriedly, as if it was going to be his last time with you. Pushing your dress upwards he got a good sight of your lace underwear and groaned. He threw out his jacket and you leaned forward to unbutton his neatly ironed white shirt. Once you removed it you kissed his neck, earning small and controlled moans.

Soon enough both your moans echoed in the room, only the two of you could hear them. The noise coming from outside seemed like another reality. Jinyoung got shivers all over at the sight of you beneath him, your nails digging on his back, marking him. He was happy to oblige when you begged him to make you see stars.

He seated you in the desk, opening your legs wide before him. He gave you a dark look before burying himself between your thighs. He devoured you with his tongue, made you whimper and ran out of breath with the touch of his fingers.

Just as you were about to come down on his tongue, you could hear the loud buzzing of your phone from where you threw your bag on the couch next to him. Jinyoung stopped, making you whine. “Leave it…” you complained, when he quickly got your bag, taking out your cell phone.

“Answer it.”

“What?.” You looked at the screen, an unsaved number with the country code +46 on screen. “Jinyoung…”

“It’s him, answer it.” He ordered and you pressed the green button.

“Hell… oh” you moaned into the phone when Jinyoung slipped two fingers inside of you, he pumped them in and out slowly as you answered. “Fuck, uhm yes?.”

“Put it on speaker.”

You glared at him but he was fastening his pace, neglecting you the chance to be reasonable. You pressed the speaker button.

“Y/n? I’m back outside… I could… not… find… Pew…” The noise from where he was and your own moans made it difficult to understand anything he was saying.

“I.., uhm” you whimpered when Jinyoung spread your legs even more, quickly unbuttoning his pants. He dragged his fingers on your pussy, coating them with your arousal and stroked himself before you. “Fuckkk.”

“Huh? Where are you?.”

“I’m… ah, fuck.”

Jinyoung pushed himself into you with a single motion. You drop the phone from your hand and dig your nails on Jinyoung’s shoulders as he pounds inside of you back and forth. He groaned and pressed his head on the crook of your neck, breathing heavily against your ear. You were so tight and it took all of him not to load into you at that moment.

“Y/n?, Y/n?”.

Your fingers pressed again on his back, red lines showing on his shoulders. You moaned his name, he moaned yours. His arms held your legs across his waist, the desk resonating with each thrust of his hips. His lips brushed your ear as he whispered. “God, you’re tight.”

You smiled against the skin of his shoulders, your breathing matching with his. There you were, letting yourself be consumed by him as you swore you never would again. “Jinyoung…” you repeated long forgetting that the phone was still on call, that outside there was a guy looking out for you, listening to you moaning and crying Jinyoung’s name.

Jinyoung grabbed your legs and without removing himself from you, lifted you over, as he sat on the leather couch behind him. You kissed him again, adjusting yourself to the new position. “Ride me like you own me.” He ordered.

Fuck. You were done for. You rocked your hips on top of him until he cried your name over and over. You came not minding the mess you would leave behind. Once Jinyoung saw you bouncing on top of him, tears in your eyes, he was doomed.

He would do anything for you, anything you wished for, he will make it true.

He finally blew his load on you, until there was none left. You fell down, feeling like a ragged doll on his arms, energy drained out. He hugged you, wrapping his hands around your waist, kissing your shoulders.

“You’re mine.” he whispered, and you opened your eyes, moving your head to face him. “I love you, and I want to be with you.”

You wanted to say no to him, as he many times did, tell him that it was too late. But you knew it was bullshit. You wanted to hear those words more than anything, and finally hearing them made you incredibly happy. It wasn’t late at all. You still loved him, you still wanted him.

“I love you Jinyoung, I want to make you happy.” you kissed him softly.

“I do not deserve you, so I’ll work hard for you to feel like I'm worth having.”

You hugged him again, pressing yourself against him to feel his skin burning against yours. Then the sound of your phone buzzing broke your thoughts. “Jeez, do you think he realized what was happening?.” you laughed.

“No, he’s an idiot.” Jinyoung rolled his eyes and laughed too. The lines on the side of his eyes when he laughed genuinely showing up. You kissed them, and soothed his disheveled hair once more, right before continuing.

#jinyoung x reader #kvanity #got7writerscollective #got7 jinyoung x reader #jinyoung smut #jinyoung fic #got7 x reader #got7 smut #oneshots #my fic #fic tag #projectx

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horangboosadan · 6 months

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ROCK WITH YOU [3/10]

episode three: won't let them break your heart

masterlist

previous | next

pairing: idol!lee chan x gender neutral!actor!reader

genre: established relationship, fluff, angst, best friend!jun, actor au, smau, on screen lovers off screen besties

synopsis: after the release of your most recent drama, the world decides that you and your co-star/best friend would be the perfect couple. the influx of positive reactions are great for your career, his career, and the drama. however, it tears at you to lie to your fans and appear dishonest towards your boyfriend. being a k-pop idol, revealing your relationship can come with unforeseen consequences. how do you tackle the onslaught of people who want the inside scoop of you and your co-star, and your boyfriend in denial about his jealousy without compromising either relationship?

boo talks

we're getting more into the meat of the story. just an fyi that minyeong and doyeon are both ocs, theyre kinda just names but i couldn't come up with anyone past jinyoung that i felt comfortable including. please look away from all the spelling mistakes, i know there's a lot... thank you all for reading! happy Halloween!

fill out this form to be added to the taglist

#caratlibrary #caratsland #svt smau #dino smau #seventeen x reader #dino x reader #seventeen #svt #chan x reader #lee chan #dino

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sscarletvenus · 7 months

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LOOKISM CHAPTER 471 SPOILERS

okay for starters the first affiliate's number 1 is in his way to allied and friends, as can be observed by the deafening sound of his footsteps

big daniel has vague recollection of the events that ocurred prior to his drugging by park jinyoung

warren informs big daniel that park jinyoung took him down, which triggers his memory of jay getting beaten up without putting up any resistance...

daniel desperately tries to wake jay up, and the latter finally does.

my body took a screenshot like THIS is why Jay x Daniel is THE lookism ship pf all time like i was crying and throwing up they're so???

also honest jerry and warren reaction to the above :

what do y'all know about besties?

these bitches forgot about rescuing hudson and the kwak brothers... cruel world!

jake taking random naps, vasco being not the brightest in the box... we're soooo fucking back!!!

not these dudes having the same hairstyle

just a very unserious group of people

WARREN FINALLY REMEMBERED TO ASK ABOUT ELI'S WHEREABOUTS

awful timing actually because now they're surrounded by first affiliate's forces and baek hangyeol is here

when i'm in a being a silly goose competition and my opponent is Daniel Park and his friends

baek hangyeol went to the Samuel Seo school of unhinged facial expressions and graduated with top honors

alexander hwang being the first victim of first affiliate's no.1 after being one-shotted by samuel AND jinyoung... lmao this man has suffered more than jesus

the basement hulk reminding warren of tom lee, zack of monk gongseob ji, Vasco of brekdak, jihan of jichang... i know this sounds crazy but i think the first affiliate's no.1 may actually be Jerry's dad - KWON BAEKHO, GAPRYONG'S bodyguard.

JOHAN IS BACK TO HIS SHIT-TALKING WAYS LET'S GOOO

ELI IS BACK LIKE DADDY'S TRULY HOME

the crewheads(and samuel) teaming up to take down No.1... PTJ's writing may be ass but I GOT THE SHIVERS

MY ROMAN EMPIRE

IN CONCLUSION : 10/10 chapter. Best one I've read in months. Truly MY LOOKISM.

Where the fuck is Vin?

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emojellyace08 · 6 months

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HI! I really like your writing style! It's my first time requesting so if it's okay, can I request a Lookism x reader where the reader and the boys (maybe girls too) are in high school. Like what would their typical school day look like? Maybe their mornings or when they do their homework together. I'm mostly interested how the 0th and 1st generation would do. Thank you!!!

Lookism Men (Gen 0 and 1) x Gender Neutral Reader! (Highschool AU)

Hi! I'm really sorry for the late reply (been recharging my energy lately). I'll focus more on the Gen. zero and First Generation! I'll probably make a second part for the Second Generation. Warnings: slight cursing and mentions of perverted parts (not too explicit, y'know typical teenagers?)

𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐙𝐞𝐫𝐨 (𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐫𝐬) "𝐆𝐚𝐩𝐫𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐊𝐢𝐦'𝐬 𝐅𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐆𝐚𝐧𝐠"

⤷𝐆𝐚𝐩𝐫𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐊𝐢𝐦 & 𝐉𝐢𝐧𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐠 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐤

They're the really popular guys in your academy. They have the looks. That charismatic face, that fierce yet soft eyes, that slick and soft hair, their eye-catching fashion sense, literally everything.

Gapryong Kim is mostly popular with the popular and sassy girls. The other students thought that he's too intimidating for them. And the shy and soft girls are mostly crushing on Jinyoung. See the difference?

And there's a bit of a difference on their personalities too and how they treat women. Gapryong is a flirty type of guy, mostly confident about his popularity on his classmates (he's the type to pin you on your locker if he knows that you like him 💀✋). But Gapryong wouldn't push someone's limits though, if the girl feels uncomfortable about it then he'll genuinely stop. Gapryong may be sometimes competitive when it comes to playing sports since he's an athlete, but he has not only the physical feats but also the leadership skills which makes his fellow teammates look up to him.

Jinyoung on the other hand is a different type of book to read. Not only he is like a prince who popped out on a fairy tale but he's also super sweet and generously helpful to not only his female classmates but also to the men who gets a bit jealous on him too. He's also a fellow athlete and he mostly helps Gapryong in taking the lead to win the games. He's like the second leader and action taker if that makes sense.

But there's one attribute that they always share though. Despite their differences, they are willing to help others who are in need whether it's about the homeworks and lessons that they can't catch up with or whether it's about personal reasons. You may think that you're out of their league but trust me, they're actually nice and fun to hang out with. So take your chance 😉. Studying, eating on food stalls, playing athletic games, karaoke bars, literally anything is fun with them (imagine having a love triangle with them lol HLAK:DL:K).

⤷𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐂𝐡𝐨𝐢 (𝐄𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐞)

Oh, do I even need to start 💀✋.

He's literally the teacher's pet. And don't mess with him because he's crazy smart too (he may even compete with Einstein no shit 😭🗿).

Probably the top-notcher in the class (competing with Gapryong and Jinyoung). If you asked me, he'll be super focused on his academics and he wouldn't really care about his love life. He's fine with unpopularity with the girls, even enjoying it since he can focus on his studies without being disturbed on his study sessions. He'll be SUPER COMPETITIVE about it too, taking it to the next level. Whether it's recitations, performance tasks, the daily and quarter exams, homeworks, seat works, projects, he'll make sure he's number one and no one else would be able to take his place (even his friends which can be a turn off for them). He'll also be the type to cancel plans just for his academics making his gang of friends disappointed at times... But he thinks that having bit of fun at times is no problem so there will be times where he will hang out in food stalls with the group. Though he prefers hanging out in his place or in school.

Most of the students are super intimidated by him. He'll be the type to argue with the teacher when he notices his classmates score higher than him on essays... (The man won't catch a break 🙄). So the moment the teacher gave the exam papers all of his classmates would hide their test papers on their backpacks to avoid HIS confrontation like "What's your score? Let me see." (except for Gapryong, Jinyoung and Tom though lol).

Play mind or board games with him like chess, Uno cards, Poker, or Rubik's cubes. He'll probably have a fun time with you 🤷 (he's so hard to approach omfg).

⤷𝐓𝐨𝐦 𝐋𝐞𝐞

Many students are also afraid of him, but he's actually SUPER FUN to hang out with (just don't piss him off or he's literally going to shit on your face 💀).

Kind of known as the class clown. He's going to prank every student there and he's the reason why Jinyoung and Elite, who's known for their quietness go to their "lmao" phase. He'll also sniff the chalk dust when he's bored (trust me, I saw the guys on my class do this lol). He's also the type to cuss a lot and raise his middle finger (especially to Gapryong, cussing Tom back) when there's no teacher in the class for fun but when there's a lesson he'll go from 👺😈🖕 → 😊🌸✨ (It's kind of funny to watch tbh). He'll also be the type to appear "dumb" to the other students but he's decently smart (along with his stock knowledge, remember he doesn't really study in the quarterly exams 🤷). He just don't want to be overly involved in academics as much as Charles since he doesn't want to pressure himself. Also the type to laugh at exams with Gapryong (even with Jinyoung and Charles when they make eye contact) because he knows he's going to fail for the first try and take a remedial test 😭🗿.

Him and Gapryong are also very close to each other (because they can be the dumbasses of the group). He's also the type to pass shitty projects to the teacher since he mostly doesn't care about his studies. If it weren't for his friends he'll be absent the whole year 💀✋.

Also the type to ask you out (as homies) every time but also depends on you to pay for the food 💀✋ (good luck to the people who's trying to save money). He's also the type to ask random people for coins for his snacks even though he has ton shit of money 😭🗿💀✋. He may appear as a fake ass friend but he'll try to share the bills, promise.

Goofy (speaking of Goo) af. But remember everybody has a dark side so just don't piss him off and you're in good terms with him (Tom is not the type to be easily offended but don't be a snitch or he'll expose your darkest secrets). He'll also beat someone's ass along with his friends if they tried to mess with you (respect). Karaoke nights and sleepovers with him is so chaotic lmao. He's a menace.

𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 (𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐝 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐒𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬)

⤷𝐉𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐋𝐞𝐞 (𝐃𝐆)

The one man circle himself. *Sigh* where do I start.

Also like Charles. He's the valedictorian of the class. Whether it's Mathematics, English, Music & Arts, Korean, Physical Education, or literally any subject he'll be stealing awards and medals like it's the First Gen. Kings' body parts 😭💀✋ oops I think I went too far there.

Probably a snitch like Charles. Don't even try to befriend him and tell your secrets since the moment a beef between the two of you happens he'll be blackmailing you girl 😭. (They might be secretly besties. Who knows he's a mysterious mf).

Also doesn't care about his love life. But if he finds a girl or anybody interesting he may ask him out or flirt with them. But in terms of forming a mature relationship with him I don't think it's going to work (sorry fan girls).

Very popular with women. Do I even need to explain? (Also talk about games, music or arts with him he might appreciate the conversation and actually approach you first after 😉).

⤷𝐓𝐚𝐞𝐬𝐨𝐨 𝐌𝐚, 𝐉𝐢𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠 𝐊𝐰𝐚𝐤, & 𝐒𝐞𝐨𝐤𝐝𝐮 𝐖𝐚𝐧𝐠

The quiet kids in the class 💀.

The type of guys to gather on the back of the class to smoke weed at first but they're actually really nice. They're just really disciplined students.

They're also probably one of the smartest and brightest students in your class. They might not be in James' level, but that doesn't mean they're less. They're willing to help you out in your studies and homeworks if you're in trouble like solving mathematic algebraic expressions. Also a really good listener and actually gives helpful advices when you're down 🖤✨🥀🙏 .

Hanging out with them are also, really unexpectedly fun? Which is kind of shocking for the others since they are mostly known as introverts. But trust me, the moment they warm up to you they are actually dumbasses at times 😭. Studying, going on the mall, sleepovers, mind or board games, and talking about philosophic topics is fun for them.

Not really the type of guys to start a fight first, but the moment someone pisses them off they would fight back. Especially when someone tries to make you upset (in an intentional way).

⤷𝐆𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐬𝐞𝐨𝐛 𝐉𝐢

The annoying loud kid in class with a mixture of a class clown. Trust me he'll be the type to remind the teacher that there's a homework just to piss of everybody 💀✋ .

Perverted mf who often says d and p words 💀✋.

He thought he's popular with women but is actually pissing them off at times 💀✋ (he's not like a total creep though, he knows boundaries).

Not that smart but is actually a hard working student that's why he's included in the honors list. You may learn from him by being goal-oriented 🖤✨. Studying with him won't be too serious though since he's going to laugh at your face for no reasons 😭🙏.

Karaoke nights with him will be a disaster since he's out of tune when he's drunk. And also the type to start street fights so better be careful when you're with him at times 🙏. (He's still a green flag at times like listening to your problems when you're down and helping you out even when he's also stressed though, he's an 8.5/10 for me).

"Feedbacks would be appreciated!"

Gen 1.5 to Gen 2 would be for part 2 I'm pretty tired rn sorry for the inconvenience.

#lookism x reader #lookism x y/n #lookism x you #james lee x reader #dg x reader #kwak jichang

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pantoneyoongi · 11 months

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the sun & the stars | 01 | kth

title ; the sun & the stars pairing ; taehyung x you

word count ; 5.4k

description ;

taehyung’s known you almost his whole life - his sister’s best friend, the girl who invades his home and his life on the daily. you’re the one who gave his sister the nickname ‘sky’ to begin with - and also the one who relented when he whined about it at age five and said okay, you can be the stars, then.

it’s funny, because to him, you’re just the petty, mischievous neighbor from across the street with a penchant for stealing his snacks. but over the years, you’ve somehow landed yourself a reputation that stretches beyond the 1.5 year age gap he has with you - for someone who generally likes to keep things low key, you sure have a way of drawing attention.

sky’s friendly, teasing best friend is known for being cold, impassive, and immovable. which is weird, because when he’s around you, all he sees are unabashed grins and terrible jokes. until he realizes maybe he doesn’t know you like he thought he did. maybe they’re right - it just so happens that the walls you throw up around him look a little different from the walls you throw up around everyone else.

tracklist ; willow - taylor swift, give me your forever - zack tabudlo ft. billkin, limbo - keshi

notes ;

ok so i don’t have a masterlist for this yet but this is going to be part of a universe called the sun & the sky universe, about two besties and their love lives and friendship and originally it was supposed to be a one-shot for each character but i have spiraled wildly out of control and now this character (sun) has a mini-series, oops.

anyway this is the first installation in the sun & the sky universe and eventually i will get around to making a masterpost. thank u for reading !!

tags ; college!au, best friend’s little brother!au, childhood friends to lovers, you have a cold/ice princess reputation, angst, fluff, mentions of absent parents and financial instability, you’re referred to as ‘sun’, taehyung’s sister referred to as ‘sky’, mentions of some dude being kinda pushy at the beginning, some business major slander (sorry) (sort of), there will be pov switches later, there will also be seokjin slander (he’ll deserve it unfortunately i’m so sorry), slow burn?? i think??, brief mentions of infidelity at some point later too, honestly this whole fic is probably more about friendships than it is about romance but anyways, yes this is the fic that i wrote 10k for and then randomly decided to rewrite the entire thing bc i have no control over my life thank u very much, anyway here it is i hope u like it

to be very clear: you don’t like freshmen.

irritation crawls up your spine, and you spare just enough time to glance both ways before crossing the street to reach your friend, who looks increasingly uncomfortable. she’s already backed up enough that she’s only centimeters from the wall behind her, which, in case the relief on her face at the sight of you didn’t already spell it out, tells you plenty enough that this one’s persistent and unwelcome.

“hey.” you don’t raise your voice when you reach them. you generally make it a point not to expend more energy than absolutely necessary, but particularly when it comes to men, and especially when they’re harassing your best friend. you hardly look his way, instead speaking to your friend with a tilt of your head towards the campus dining hall. “let’s go.”

jinyoung calls you blunt and a little rude (affectionate), but you prefer the terms ‘concise’ and ‘clear’. as in, you are concisely and clearly indicating the freshman should leave. you know, something about a-b conversations and how he should c his way out.

your shoulders raise ever so slightly when, predictably, the freshman opens his mouth to argue. that’s the thing about freshmen. and transfers. and men who don’t know what’s good for them: they don’t know you, and they don’t know your reputation, and that causes more problems than you care to deal with.

lucky for him, he happens to know someone who’s been out of the womb for longer than the ten seconds this kid appears to have been. in your peripheral, you watch the freshman get yanked back by a junior you think might’ve been in one of your roman history lectures last semester. “what the fuck is wrong with you,” he hisses to his friend, eyes darting nervously between the boy and you. his voice raises to normal speaking levels. “i’m so sorry. he’s so sorry for bothering you,” and then he’s dragging the kid away with hushed, frantic whispers. you watch them cross the street and head down and away, before turning back to your friend.

“you good, sky?”

she gives you a half-smile. “i’d be better with food in me.”

your lips twitch, and you sling an arm over her shoulders, tugging her through the dining hall doors. “good thing that’s what we’re here for.”

your reputation is more tall tale than fact, but you let it carry you through the four years of high school and now clean through your four years of college, too. for a group of students who are so rarely capable of meeting your eyes, they speak fairly condescendingly about you. it probably has a lot to do with the ‘sun’ nickname, seeing as it just seems laughable to associate the most well-known star in the galaxy with you.

you’re not warm. you don’t light up a room. none of the good cliches line up with you, and to most people, the nickname is more irony than anything else. but you didn’t get the nickname from them, you got it from sky, shortly after you gave her hers when you were seven.

(seven year old you was a lot friendlier.)

your eyes slide closed, chin propped against your palm as you wait at the lunch table. sky is grabbing food while you save the table, waiting for her brother and his partner in crime to show up.

the four of you grew up on the same street - sky and taehyung in the house across from you, and jimin a couple doors down. jimin and taehyung are technically the same age, the way you and sky are too, but taehyung’s birthday is so late in the year that he’s two grades below you instead of just one. they say you and sky have been inseparable since day one, but taehyung and jimin must be conjoined at the hip - you don’t find one without seeing the other.

you feel someone brush past you, a hand hovering by your head, but before it can nudge you, you say with closed eyes, “watch it, kid.”

your eyes flutter open, finding jimin pouting in front of you, hand returning to his side. “how’d you know it was me?”

“who else would dare?” you arch an eyebrow, and he sucks his teeth, dropping into the seat diagonal from you. taehyung takes the seat to your left, nodding his head in greeting towards you.

your lips quirk to the side. “do i not deserve the honor of your voice today, taetae?” you give him doe eyes, just to watch him scowl at you.

growing up with taehyung and sky right across the street from you meant watching taehyung turn from an adorable toddler, to a mildly annoying child, into a definitely annoying teenager. this also included a two year stint in which taehyung refused to speak to you (or in general, really), only making vague grunting noises and giving you curt nods in an attempt to come off as stoic and brooding.

(as a shock to no one: it was ineffective as far as ‘stoic’ and ‘brooding’ go.)

ever since he decided to grace you with his voice again, you take any chance to remind him of it. you grin wickedly as he lolls his head back with a groan. “i was shy,” he protests, bordering on a whine.

you scoff. “i’ve known you since you were three, fuck outta here,” you cuff him lightly upside the head, taehyung’s lower lip jutting out at the action. “you were just an angsty teenager.”

sky makes her appearance at that moment, setting her tray down. “can confirm,” she agrees with zero proper context. “you were just an angsty teenager.”

taehyung huffs. you poke your tongue against your cheek, amusement lighting your eyes. he tries to glare but taehyung’s always been a little soft on you, even if he won’t admit it. he marks defeat with a switch in subject. “you look tired.”

you sputter out a laugh. “i’m a college student,” you smack his shoulder lightly. “i always look tired.” you redirect your attention back to jimin and sky, joining the conversation they’d started, but taehyung stays quiet, studying you. eventually he gets up to grab food, jimin following after him, but you opt to just lay your head against your forearm, letting sky pat your head sympathetically.

you raise your head only when the boys return, eyes widening slightly in surprise when taehyung comes back with two trays, sliding one in front of you wordlessly. “you raised him well,” jimin sighs dramatically to sky. “treats his elders with respect.”

“that makes one of you,” you quip, just as sky goes, “are you calling me an elder?”

the two of you burst into laughter at the look on jimin’s face, halfway between being offended by you and defensive against sky, and while you’re busy teasing jimin, you don’t notice taehyung watching you, wondering how anyone can see you as cold and standoffish, not when he sees you like this, voice loud and eyes crinkled in the corners, always the brightest whenever you make the people you love and care about laugh. they say you’re cruel and unforgiving, but he’s known you for years and he doesn’t really feel like you’ve changed much - still wildly dramatic and bitingly sarcastic - and also apparently still endlessly prone to stealing food from him and sky, he thinks dryly, as he throws you a dirty look for snagging a french fry off his plate despite having your own.

you smile pretty at him. “sharing is caring, taetae.”

he can’t retort when you blink your eyes at him like that because there’s just no winning when it comes to you. all he can do is let out a deep sigh and fight the smile making its way onto his face when your laughter chimes in his ear.

“what if,” you start, just for jinyoung to cut you off.

“no.”

you throw the towel down onto the table, affronted. “you didn’t let me finish.”

he stares flatly at you, then makes a jerky, ‘go-ahead’ gesture with his hand.

“what if,” you start again, pointing your finger at him. “i drop out of school-”

“what if,” jinyoung smiles like he’s got knives for teeth. “i get you fired?”

you scrunch your nose. “then i’d be young, dumb, and broke.”

“just like all the cool kids,” jinyoung sighs, clearly not giving a fuck. “hurry up, we got company.”

the bell above the restaurant door rings as probably an entire fraternity funnels in, forty-five minutes before your shift ends. “perfect,” you mutter, picking up your towel again, scrubbing the table clean while jinyoung puts on a (notably knifeless) smile for your customers. the closing shift can never end quietly, always some group coming in last minute to interrupt your peaceful night. you always know jinyoung happens to like you because he sidles up to the group with his full charm and a notepad, ready to take orders, letting you slink off to the back to finish cleaning up so the two of you can get out of here as quickly as possible as soon as the sign flips to ‘closed.’

jinyoung returns to the back to rattle off orders five minutes later, then leans with his back to the counter as you rinse dishes to put into the industrial dishwasher. “you should stop taking extra shifts. your eyebags have eyebags,” he informs you, as gently as he can. you glance at him, wondering if it’s worth it to flick him with water. but you know he’s just trying to be nice, so you opt against it.

you suck in a breath, setting another dish down onto the rack. “i can’t,” you shrug. “i am, in fact, young, dumb, and broke.”

he presses his lips together in a non-smile. like you, jinyoung is here on scholarship and part of the pity-party program your school has for kids who meet the criteria of “too poor to afford higher education.” you met him in said program over the summer, when you were all forced to come in for summer classes, just in case you came from a district without sufficient resources to teach you calculus.

he runs a tired hand through his hair, offering you a small smile before heading out with an array of dishes balanced impressively on his arm. the frat has approximately twenty minutes to shovel it all down before the restaurant officially calls it lights out. you have no doubts they’ll make it with time to spare.

you flip the settings for the dishwasher and let it run, tugging off your gloves and wandering towards the front. absently, you stare out the glass that makes up the storefront, eyes nearly glazing over until you spot them - your head lifting slowly as you lean forward a little to squint.

she’s a little too far out, but the person heading down the street looks an awful lot like sky, flanked by someone who looks half a foot taller than her, which is saying something, considering sky is half a foot taller than you. your head tilts, curious, but by the time you’ve blinked enough times to get your vision back in focus, they’re out of sight.

shaking it off, you check the clock to see that you’re ten minutes to closing, confirmed by the way you hear the frat boys noisily filing back out just the way they came in. jinyoung’s eyes meet yours and you give a tired nod, the two of you working in tandem to clear the remaining dishes to finish cleaning up and close up shop.

jinyoung bids you goodbye outside the restaurant with a pat on the shoulder, parting ways. it’s late, little ways past ten at night, and you slump your shoulders as you trudge down the street back to your apartment.

you take a half step back when taehyung’s face suddenly appears in front of yours, familiar dark eyes peering at you. he’s got his hands in his pockets and he’s bent over slightly to meet your height, and you frown at him. “what are you doing here?”

“jimin dragged me out,” he explains, straightening back up. “but now they’re getting drunk, so.”

of the four of you, jimin’s always been the only one with anything close to a social life. he parties, he drinks, he gets hungover, and then he gets straight a’s. go figure.

you hum, the two of you falling into step together. the silence is comfortable, padded with the general ruckus of the downtown, cars speeding past and drunk students being rowdy. you make your way back to the main streets on campus, taehyung slowing his steps to match your snail pace.

“sun,” he breaks the quiet between you. you look at him.

he opens his mouth to speak, but there’s only empty air, the words dying on his tongue when he sees how dull your eyes look after a long shift. your eyes have always sparkled, glinting with trouble and quick wit, so it sort of stings to see the light fade out with how weary you are.

“never mind,” he smiles, tilting his chin towards your building’s front door. “we’re here.”

you look confused but don’t press the matter, patting him on the arm with a warm smile. “get back safe. thanks for walking me home, tae.” you tip-toe to ruffle his hair, like you always have, despite the near foot of height he now towers over you with, then disappear into your building without a second glance back.

taehyung sighs, hand absently pressed to the spot where you’d touched his arm. he knows your smile better than anyone else’s, that dazzling grin of yours that you reserve only for your closest friends. even when taehyung went through his brooding phase, you always offered it out to him with a friendly wave.

the campus might not understand the nickname ‘sun,’ but taehyung knows it suits you perfectly.

“am i still allowed to live in your basement if i fail out of college?”

you punctuate the end of your question by dropping the bag of take-out you brought with you onto the table, though the end of your sentence sort of peeters off a little when you realize there’s someone else departing the table, a low voice murmuring a goodbye to your friend. you don’t catch his face before his tall frame walks away, but your brows furrow, puzzled. you don’t recognize him.

“i think you’d live in my basement regardless of what i say,” sky responds, seemingly unaware of your perplexion. “but unfortunately you’re not allowed to fail out of college.”

your eyes are still on the man who’d just left, even as you pull out the take-out and hand it over to sky. you’re tempted to ask, but when you glance back at her, she has an unnervingly neutral expression on her face, and you falter, deciding to drop it.

sky likes to keep her circle small. most of the time it’s just you, jimin, and taehyung, though both of you do still keep in touch with yoongi and hoseok from high school, and there is that one girl from her major, soojung. but for the most part, sky prefers keeping to herself, so much so that on occasion she’ll just drop off the grid without any warning. you suppose you’re like her in that way, though her version of dropping off the grid is usually more accidental (read: a new video game came out and she forgot she has to remind people she’s alive) whereas yours tends to be very intentional (read: you’re overwhelmed and so much as seeing or interacting with another person could equate to a new, special kind of torture, built explicitly for you).

you slide on a smile for her, settling down into your seat. “eat,” you gesture. “need at least one of us to make it past graduation if i’m gonna live in your basement.”

as sky tucks in, absently scrolling through her phone, your mind wanders. it’s not that you need to know every last detail of sky’s life, but she’s your best friend, and it just tends to happen, anyway. sky’s life is so heavily interwoven with yours, since you were five and moved into the house across the street from hers, and she let you into her home like you’d always belonged there.

then again, that was a boy you’d seen walking away. your eyes shift back to sky, who isn’t paying you much mind, and you look away again. the truth is, the tightly bound friendship you hold with sky feels as fragile as it does indestructible, and you have no one to blame but yourself.

food is your love language. giving it, receiving it, whatever the case is - it’s love. it might also be your sole motivator for doing just about anything, but that’s besides the point.

you use food as a means of taking care of the people around you. it’s not exactly a flashy show of affection, but you don’t have a particularly heartwarming vocabulary, or the disposition to shower people in your affection, so this is what you do. most people seem to take the hint. you figure that’s why taehyung puts up with you on at minimum a weekly basis, grabbing a meal together whenever he’s free.

today, he’s seated at your kitchen counter, glancing around your apartment like he hasn’t been here a million times before. you set your ever-gourmet pot of instant noodles down on top of a pot holder. “ta-da,” you beam at him, waving your hands dramatically. “my specialty.”

“you treat me so well,” he says dryly, but his eyes are affectionate and he’s still picking up his chopsticks almost immediately, tongue poking out at the corner of his lips in anticipation. you press your lips together to hide a smile, watching him gather noodles, messily sucking them into his mouth, flicking soup everywhere.

you click your tongue a little but don’t nag, though the look you give him makes him settle down a little, chewing slower and acting at least somewhat more like a civilized human being. he looks properly chastised, and the corner of your lips lift in a small smirk of amusement.

the two of you eat quietly, taehyung because he’s always been quiet and you because you’re lost in thought, enough so that you forget to entertain taehyung the way you usually do (read: complain about almost every class you’re in and lament your age, as if you’re anything more than a year and a half older than taehyung, max). your eyes are distant, chopsticks absently picking up noodles to eat, on autopilot.

you glance back to taehyung, who doesn’t seem to mind your quiet. he’s used to your noise, but you suppose at some point he also grew used to your quiet, too. maybe that’s just what decade-long friendships are like. you learn the usuals, the unusuals, and all of the in between.

teeth gnawing at your lower lip, you wonder if he knows about the guy who’s been hovering around sky. this guy who sky doesn’t want to introduce to you, not yet, which means he’s important enough to her that she cares whether you meet him or not. whether because your opinion matters or because of something else, you haven’t figured out yet.

taehyung’s eyes rise to meet yours, chopsticks halfway to his mouth when he sees the way you gaze at him thoughtfully, head tilted to the side. your brows are drawing in, and he wants to press his fingers to the crease in the middle, undo the tension, but instead he just asks, “something up?”

you hesitate. for just a fraction of a second, but he catches it. because that’s what decade-long friendships are like. but you’re too quick for him to push it, too easily pull on a smile and reach over to tug on his ear like he’s still a child, nagging at him. “i’m fine,” you admonish. “don’t you worry about me, kid.”

he grumbles something incoherent and swats at your hand, grumbles bordering on whines when you don’t let up, until he catches you grinning at him, mischievous as ever. you retract your hand, satisfied by the grumpy look on his face, though your smile falters a little when you see that it’s not enough to wipe the worry in his eyes.

you focus on your food instead, just so you can avoid that look. but you can still feel him staring at you, like he’s waiting for you to give in to him, so you lift your head back up with a beam and start rattling off, extensively, until he loses that look in his eyes. until he’s back to just regular taehyung, sky’s little brother taehyung, neighbor from across the street taehyung, and not grown-up taehyung, walks you home taehyung, eats with you weekly because he doesn’t want you to be lonely taehyung.

you’re not ready to admit it. taehyung’s only gotten more handsome and charming in his own right over the years. it makes it so that you can’t stand the way that he looks at you sometimes, like he can see right through you.

he’s not supposed to. he’s taehyung. he’s part of your safe, little bubble; the one you built, where the sun can only shine.

waking up is such a miserable experience, you muse.

it’s ass o’clock in the morning. honestly, any time you need to wake up before noon is ass o’clock, but you have to study for your exams and you have a help desk shift later too, so unfortunately, 7am it is.

you force yourself to roll out of bed, look vaguely human-shaped (aka: wear respectable enough clothes), and lug yourself to the library. you could study in your room but you’re a weak bitch and the bed being two feet away is too strong a temptation. therefore: library.

you find a corner to hide away in, scribbling away in your notebook in hopes of retaining an ounce of the information you’ve written down. the hours pass like that, and by some miracle, you don’t develop a stress-induced headache by the time you need to leave for your shift.

you toss your belongings into your backpack, tugging it onto your back, a quite physical reminder of the weight on your shoulders.

you don’t necessarily think that life is unkind to you. you just think everyone gets dealt their deck of cards, and yours happens to be slightly shittier. but hey, if you’re broke enough, you get free housing at the nicest set of apartments on campus, so you win some, you lose some, right?

the losing part right now is the multi-set of jobs running you into the ground. between the restaurant, your help desk job, and the work-study program, it’s a miracle you haven’t failed any of your courses.

you heave a sigh, letting yourself feel bad about it for a minute. you deserve at least that, in the quiet of the library this early in the morning, while most of campus is happily sleeping in on a saturday.

‘most’ is the key word here. you should’ve known your best friend has the integrity of a monk, seeing as she’s at the library at nearly 10am on a weekend.

you slink your way over to her, sneaking up behind her and slinging an arm over her shoulder, mouth already open to whisper-shout her name - that is, up until you spot the man standing before her.

the smile slides off your face immediately. for someone at his towering size, he’d been pretty well hidden behind the shelves. he looks suspiciously close in height to the person you’d seen that night at the restaurant, and the other day when you’d brought sky lunch.

he smiles politely at you, dimples denting in his cheeks. your frown deepens. you’re certain now, that you don’t recognize him in your catalog of sky’s acquaintances, and she seems comfortable around him, much more than she is around any of her classmates.

“hi, sun,” sky greets, gentle smile rising to her lips, though you’re too busy sizing up this guy she’s talking to. he’s sort of huge. he has kind eyes, though, hair swept off to the side, white tee tucked loosely into light colored jeans. but you still stand wary, too familiar with boys who have sweet dispositions and not enough good intentions.

see, the first thing anyone notices about sky is that she’s nice.

well, okay. the first thing most people notice about sky is that she’s pretty. elegant, like she was a princess in some past life, between her perpetual good posture (what college student do you know that isn’t hunched over like a gremlin at least 73% of the time?) and perfectly set hair, not a strand out of place. she’s pretty, in a way that carries into her personality, patient and open. she’s always listened to whatever blown-out-of-proportion story you have for her, letting you drag her into any and all of your bad ideas, no matter the consequences.

the point is that sky holds the sort of kindness that knows no boundaries. she’s content to go with the flow, and despite all the times she’s been let down by passing acquaintances who you’ve ensured can no longer call her a friend, she’s still willing to help. she gives out second, third, fourth chances, doesn’t let the hurt get in the way of her ability to care.

her walls don’t go up as high as yours do. so you make every effort to make sure that the people who take advantage of that never get a chance to hurt her.

“who’s this?”

sky blinks, looking between you and him. christ, he is massive. his biceps are probably the size of your head.

you mostly keep your eyes on him, but turn to glance at sky when she takes a minute longer than usual to answer. she looks a bit startled, like she’s just now realizing you’re actually here; moreover, that you don’t know who her new friend is.

“oh,” she says, lips turning downwards a little, conflicted. something inside you flinches. but then her expression clears and she smiles. “this is namjoon. we have class together.”

namjoon lifts a hand to wave even while you’re narrowing your eyes at him. but still, your hands return to your pockets and you take a step back, forcing your stiff shoulders to lower.

you’re intruding, you realize. sky is having a moment with this tall, handsome person who could probably twist you into a pretzel if he wanted to, and you’re intruding.

a weight sits on your chest at the realization, but you force a smile to your face for sky. you and your reputation and your trust issues need to step out of this.

“i.. i gotta get to work,” you say, anxious hands tugging at your backpack straps just for something to hold onto. “i just popped by ‘cause i saw you.” you glance towards namjoon, trying your best to maintain the smile you generally reserve only for close friends, but it turns too quickly into a grimace so you settle for a curt nod of acknowledgement, before lifting a hand to sky. “see you ‘round.”

you pretend not to notice how sky’s expression falters, heading out without turning around once. the discomfort rolls over in you, pulling at your heart, keeping your shoulders tense.

the way sky looks at namjoon is different. you can tell. two minutes in the same space, and you know sky isn’t just being polite like she was raised to be. she’s content to be around him, their eyes darting to meet each other in quick glances, like it’s difficult to let their gazes stray for too long.

namjoon doesn’t give you any immediate warning signs, and sky’s gotten a lot better at picking her friends. you don’t have to protect her, she’s perfectly capable of it herself. but you still feel wary, still worry that dimpled, unassuming namjoon will fuck her over like any number of people have in the past.

including you, your brain reminds you. you’re the worst one.

your heart tightens in your chest and you shoulder your way out the doors of the library, like barreling into something will shake off the memory any easier.

high school is hard for anyone. emotions are at all time highs; everything feels like it’s high stakes. grades, friendships, romances. everything is always, constantly, on the line.

sky always says it’s not your fault. kim seokjin was not your fault. you were teenagers - kids, really - but no matter how she spins it, you know you’re the one who messed up. even if sky doesn’t blame you, you still do.

how are you supposed to trust your instincts, when the last time you let your guard down for a boy with a disarming smile, he hurt not only you, but your best friend?

sky’s your most important person. her family was there when no one else was, and they didn’t ask questions, either. you don’t think you’ll forgive yourself for letting her down once, and you know you can’t afford to let it happen again. no matter how many times sky says you’ve never had anything to apologize for.

you’re so lost in your own head that you almost bump into someone, so wound up that you nearly fire off immediately before realizing it’s taehyung standing in front of you, looking equal parts amused and concerned. “i think i know what they mean now when they say, ‘blaze a path,’” he muses, and you scoff at him, shoving him to the side without any real force.

“walking with purpose is not what that metaphor means, tae,” you keep marching forward, not bothering to check if he’s matching pace. he’s got long legs, he’ll be fine. “‘blazing a path’ means-”

“sun,” taehyung interrupts, voice low enough that you actually stop lecturing him. his voice softens a little. “you alright? you look like-”

you don’t let him finish, nor give him the courtesy of even a glance his way. “i’m dandy, taetae. just going to my nine to five.”

“you don’t have a nine to five. you’re a student.”

“good job, einstein. wanna tell me how the sky is blue, too?”

“sun.”

you know you’re being curt. you’re lashing out at the wrong person and you stop in your steps to breathe in deeply, exhaling slowly.

“i’m just tired,” you finally spare him a look. you sigh. “i’m sorry. but i really do have to go to work, and if i don’t haul ass, i’m gonna be late.”

he looks at you like he doesn’t believe you, but you both know he’s going to drop it. “you should sleep more,” he settles on. you know he’s about to lecture you with a series of hard facts. “people need eight hours-”

you smirk at him, “you know damn well there’s not a single college student out there getting eight hours of sleep.”

he shrugs. “maybe the business majors?”

you snort. “no. they’re out partying.”

he snaps his fingers. “right. forgot about those.”

“you can forget about parties when your best friend is jimin?” you ask in mock amazement. he scoffs out a laugh in return.

“shut up, sun. i’m serious, you need more sleep. you look like death.”

“oooh,” you tease. “you really know how to make a girl feel pretty.”

taehyung turns his gaze skyward, and you know he’s asking some higher being for the patience to put up with you. you snicker, patting him on the arm. “you’ll get it when you’re older,” you blink forlorn eyes at him, smile overly sympathetic. he scowls back. you make a vague attempt at hiding your amusement, but otherwise continue towards the office, taehyung keeping you company. he doesn’t say anything else, just walks with you. you don’t ask where he was supposed to be headed before you bumped into him, and he doesn’t tell you, either.

it’s when you’re almost at the door that you break your silence, that nagging feeling pulling and pulling at you until you crack. “hey,” you spin towards him, stopping in your tracks right in front of the building. “do you know a namjoon?”

he tilts his head, surprised. “namjoon? yeah, he’s like uhh,” taehyung pauses to think. “i think he was sky’s project partner or something, and now they’re pretty good friends. they have class together. why?”

you make a noncommittal noise. “nothing. just saw them together earlier. sky’s never brought him up before.”

you try not to think too hard at the way taehyung’s eyebrows shoot up. it’s a sign that you’re not overthinking this, that it is weird that sky never mentioned him, because sky tells you everything.

but she didn’t tell you about namjoon.

#taehyung x you #taehyung x reader #taehyung x yn #taehyung #taehyung x y/n #series: tsns #series: kths

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bobaandasiandramas · 11 months

Text

Find Rest for Your Soul

Y/n is found unconscious by Hoseok and rescue owner, Sejin. Y/n is a mysterious Omega with no real memories and is trying to understand the warnings in her head. What or who is after her?

Alpha, Beta, Omega x F. Reader

Pairing: OT7 X F.Reader

Rating: M+

Trigger warning : hints of abuse

Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6

The remainder of the week stayed about the same. The female omega had bouts of sanity in which she still talked in slight riddles, like she knew what she wanted to say but had a hard time recalling exact details. Then there were other times where she repeated her chants of numbers or she would mumble phrases that Namjoon came to realize where things they, his pack, had said to her. Some things that apparently stuck with her and she threw them into her loop.

There was a notepad found under her pillow when the sheets were being changed. It was one of his and she also wrote these messages down. He let her keep the booklet, he didn't see any harm in it. Maybe one day it would help her sort her thoughts out in a way he could completely understand. Namjoon also figured out that she would quote books if it felt appropriate during whatever scenario was happening and so he found two books from home and left them in his office.

His office. Where he wasn't, not completely by choice. Jin wanted him home. Needed him to be as he missed most of the week with them all. While he enjoyed being with his pack and getting an overflowing amount of attention, he still felt anxious about not being in the clinic. The doctor let out a great sigh while he looked at his phone again, still waiting for Dr. Wang to let him know how the omega was doing.

Meanwhile at the clinic, Dr. Wang was reluctant to help with the case considering the female had attacked him upon waking last time. However, Jinyoung had talked to his Alpha and explained how Dr. Kim had been at the medical unit for several days without going home. Being an alpha himself, Dr. Wang knew how being away from the pack can affect everyone's mental and physical health.

Dr. Wang looked down at the message on his phone, he had read it several times and was purposely ignoring the text from Dr. Kim. His colleague needed to separate work and home and just pay attention to his pack. The last thing the clinic needed was for Namjoon to get burned out because he didn’t know when to stop and take care of his own needs. Jackson looked over to the omega studying her with his ever watchful eyes. If he had to be honest, besides her unstable mind she would be fit to leave the clinic. Her injuries were healing and she started to put on a very small amount of weight - but the trending upward numbers were better than a downward spiral. Maybe he could start mentioning mental health clinics so they could get her out of there.

Jackson called her name, watching her head snap up away from the book she was reading. He knew she was wary around him, knowing that he wasn’t very fond of her. He praised her for having the common sense to put that together. He actually had not talked to her until the morning after her attack on him, she had given a soft, teary apology. He did appreciate that but also informed her that he wasn’t trusting of her and to try to stay away from him.

He stared her in the eyes for a few seconds, the day so far had been good - she wasn’t chanting or rocking her entire body. In fact she had been so still and quiet he had almost forgotten she was there. Since she was having a good mental day, then maybe he could find out more of her background and what exactly happened to her. "Come chat for a few minutes." He instructed her.

The omega blinked at him twice before she registered his request. She moved quickly, doing much better on her feet now that she was properly being taken care of. She came to a short stop right in front of him. "Yes, Dr. Wang?" Her voice was soft and sweet, if he didn’t know any better he would have dropped his guard and had her sit on his knee. A small, alphaless omega who needed to be protected - but she wasn’t. She could have an entire pack looking for her. It was logical that they helped her get better faster so she could return home.

"I want you to try and think for me. I know Dr. Kim has tried to get you to remember stuff without much success but I think today is a good day to try again."

She bit her bottom lip and nodded her head. "Okay, I'll try."

"We can start easy. Where are you right now?"

"The medical unit of Sejin’s Rescue."

"Good. What's your name?"

She responded, answering all his questions - sometimes pausing to try and think harder about some of his questions - but with much dismay there had been no new answers or changes to her old ones. She didn't know how she got into the woods. She didn’t know why she was in such poor condition. She didn’t know if she had a pack or an alpha. Each time she said she didn’t know the doctor grew more and more frustrated, he didn’t know why. He had amnesia patients during his residency and didn’t have issues when they couldn’t answer his questions. He wasn’t sure why she got him so heated by not knowing anything that was of true value.

“The two omegas that were found after you, do you know their names? One was male and the other was female. Surely you knew them - you wore the same bracelet as them.” He watched her eyes become unfocused and her hands raised into her hair, gripping onto the roots as her breathing increased.

“I - I don’t know. I don’t know.” Her brain was going into a tizzy, the sour smell of her panic started to fill the air. "One. Eight. Nine. I counted them. One eight nine, one eight nine…"

"For love of…!" Jackson raised his voice in annoyance as he punched the table next to him slightly but hard enough to make noise. It caused the female to drop to the floor and curl in on herself as she kept at her manta. "Snap out of it, Omega." He rose to his feet as he tried to use his Alpha voice to reach her, but since she wasn’t his pack she didn’t have to listen and so her body didn’t. Instead he took a deep breath and tried to stay calm before attempting to talk to her again. Kneeling down in front of her, he was about to speak her words changed in her chant.

"If you stay quiet, they will leave you alone. They will leave you alone, they will leave you alone, they will leave you alone."

That was new, at least Jackson never heard of it. He took a chance and decided to try and run with what she was talking about. He stayed crouched down to her eyes level but kept a reasonable distance from her. "What happens if you make noise?"

"... leave you-" Her eyes snapped to him as she cut off her new manta. "Shh." She held a finger to her lips to silence him as she looked frightened.

He tried again. "What do they do if you make noise?" He whispered, trying to get into her headset, pretending that there could be someone who could be listening in.

"If I make noise? I have to make noise - I have to protect the others. If you stay quiet, they will leave you alone. Protect the others. Protect them." She whispered in a small whine, almost as if she was encouraging herself. "One eight seven - no wait, one eight nine. Yes, one eight nine. No more. No more! No more!!" The omega let out a sobbed scream as she started to thrash around, knocking things off the table as she shuffled back on her bum and bumped into it. "No more! Just me! Just me!" She began to hit her head with her fists. “Please! Please, just me!!”

Dr. Wang was quick, grabbing onto her arms to keep herself from getting hurt more or hurting him. "Jinyoung, grab a sedative!" He called out to his packmate, who was off doing inventory in the office.

“Please,” She looked him in the eyes pleading something that he wouldn’t know. “Just me, not the others. Please.” She sobbed, gripping onto his forearms that were still holding her shoulders.

Jinyoung rushed out of the office, grabbed a pre-set syringe from a tray, and pressed it into the omegas thigh. She struggled for another moment, giving Dr, Wang a look of betrayal as she slumped into his arms, whimpering out a pleading ‘please’. The look she gave made a chill go down his spine - he wondered for a moment if she was seeing him or someone she once knew.

"Alpha, are you okay?" The male omega questioned, looking over his alpha for any injuries.

"Yeah, she just lost grip on reality. I'll have to call Namjoon about this. Let's get her into bed."

Once the female was back in her bed, strapped down, just in case she woke up in the wrong mindset, Jackson pulled his cell phone out and found the saved contact he was looking for. He felt bad for this but he knew that this was something that needed to be told to Namjoon now and not something that would be sat on. The phone rang once before a concerned voice answered. Jackson sighed into the receiver. “Hey Joon, she had another episode as I was trying to question her. I think you might need to come back when she wakes back up.”

Namjoon looked over to Jin, who was sitting next to him on the couch. The Beta was obviously eavesdropping and had an unhappy expression on his face. “I’ll see what I can do. I might just stop in with Jin so I don’t stay the whole night.” He noted his Beta perk up at that. “Yes, just let me know when she’s awake again and I’ll head over.”

He hung the phone up and looked at the rest of the pack who all took the day off to bed with him. “Jackson tried to ask her questions again and apparently it led her into another episode. He told me they needed to sedate her - so I should at least check in on her. I won’t stay long - I won’t do that to you all. I’ll take Jin with me to make sure. I just want to check on her.”

“Joon, you’re a great doctor - but so is Dr. Wang. Can’t he just take care of it for today? You’ll be back there tomorrow." Taehyung asked from his spot on the floor next to Namjoon’s leg. The omega rested his chin on his alpha’s knee, looking terribly sad at the thought of his alpha leaving them.

Namjoon sat forward, coming closer to the Omega before reaching out and cupping the omega’s chin. “I understand Tae. This patient… She’s a little different than most. In fact, I haven’t had someone this broken before. The last extremely hard case I had was Yoongi - and compared to her, he wasn’t even this bad.”

“I want to help fix her. She’s broken Tae. She has no pack that we know of. No one has been looking for her-”

“And she’s straight out of her mind. You said it yourself, she’s seen horrible things and had horrible things done to her. I love you Joon, but seriously think about this case - it’s more of a bite than you can chew.” Yoongi snapped.

Jungkook whined at his alpha’s words, curling into Yoongi’s chest to try and calm him.

“Yoongi -”

“No Joon, if you’re gonna compare her to when you had to deal with me then let’s look at the facts. For me, I wasn’t trusting of others, my pack abandoned me. They all left to go with another alpha. It fucked my brain up. I wouldn’t eat, sleep, or take care of myself. That was my choice - I didn't want to. I didn’t want to live. I wanted to die so badly, but then Hoseok had to be the hero and found my sorry ass at my lowest low.” There was a fire in Yoongi’s eyes. “Do you know what it was like to have two alphas taking care of me? At the time I was so embarrassed and I wished you both had just let me go and do my own thing. But then Hoseok found Jungkook. I saw him, I saw how skittish he was and I had this overwhelming desire to help him. I needed to and that’s when I started to build myself back up. It was my choice - I wanted that.”

Jungkook chirped quietly as he wrapped his arms around the man and pressed small kisses to his throat. “Please Yoongi, please calm down.”

Yoongi took a deep breath and wrapped his arms around the youngest, nuzzling into his hair. “She’s not like me Joon. She didn’t choose this. I was emotionally broken but she’s… she’s all jacked in the head. You do realize you won’t be able to fix her alone?”

The room fell quiet but the tension was thick. “I’m sorry Yoongi. I shouldn’t have compared her to you. I didn’t mean it in that sense. I just meant you were difficult when you came in. One of the hardest cases because you didn’t want the help at first. I knew you were embarrassed as an Alpha to have two other Alpha’s taking care of you. I know you had to build yourself up and choose to get better. I'm sorry, I won't make the comparison again."

"What if she had more than one Alpha taking care of her?" Hoseok questioned suddenly.

“She does.” Namjoon answered, slightly confused. Dr. Wang technically was the second alpha even if he wasn’t fully on her case.

“No, like what if we helped?”

Yoongi snapped his eyes over to his fellow alpha, he was already annoyed about what Namjoon said and now Hoseok was suggesting crazy ideas.

“Oh, I would love to help hyung.” Jimin spoke up. “I have enjoyed my visits with her so far.” It wasn’t a shock to anyone. Jimin had sent as much time as he could with the female omega, coming home after each visit like a lovestruck pup. He said there was something about being near here that made him feel a calming bliss that he craved.

Namjoon was sure that she was Jimin’s soulmate. He didn’t bring it up to the rest of the pack but I think they all had an idea that similar thoughts ran through their heads. The way Jimin acted around her was very similar to how Hoseok acted with Taehyung and Yoongi acted with Jungkook.

The room started to fill with hopeful energy. Taehyung sat up on his knees and nodded his head to Namjoon, if they took care of her together then maybe Namjoon would be around more often. He just wanted his whole pack home all the time. Jin seemed to be considering this as a positive suggestion as well. While Jungkook shifted in Yoongi’s lap, getting happy with the excited energy.

“I won’t do it.” Yoongi growled sharply. The room froze, all voices cut to a stop while they all turned to look at him. “I can’t agree to put our entire pack in danger everyday for this omega. We should be trying to find her pack, a safe house or a mental health facility.”

“Yoongi -”

“No, Jimin! Can you promise me that she’s not a threat? Can you guarantee that there isn’t some crazed, abusive Alpha who isn’t trying to find her? I don’t even want Joon to be near her, it’s bad enough he has to go to work everyday. I know you enjoy being near her and you have small chats with her during her cleared state of mind, but she’s not always like that. Joon has been working tirelessly with her issues. She needs total professional help.”

There was a pause between the two alphas before a sigh rang out. “If Yoongi is uncomfortable with the pack being near her then we won’t have anyone near her. That means no more visits at work. I’m her doctor - I can’t abandon her and I won’t discharge her until I feel she is at the right stage in her treatments and healing.” Namjoon could feel the disappointment within the pack after this decision was made, however, since Yoongi was uncomfortable with the idea then he couldn’t let it fly.The decisions of the pack must always be unanimous among the alphas at least, but also the rest of the pack as well.

“Does that mean I have to stay here when you run to the clinic?” Jin asked, sounding a little upset.

“No, you may come with me this time Jin. I think that would be fair, you can make sure I don’t stay too long as we already decided before our conversation.”

***

Namjoon arrived to find the omega tied down to the bed, she was awake and looking at the ceiling. No words passed her lips, she didn’t even move to look at them when they walked in. “I’m going to speak with Dr. Wang.” He stated as he left Jin behind at the doors and headed toward the office room.

Jin looked over to the omega and took slow steps toward her. He noted how she didn’t move, other than the rhythmic moving of her chest up and down as she breathed. “Unnie?” He whispered to her, but she didn’t respond - she just kept staring at the ceiling. He tried again, just a little bit louder. “Unnie?”

“ ‘ But you are crazy.’ “ The omega spoke softly but not in her regular voice, almost as if she was doing a character voice and it threw Jin off for a moment. “I know.” Her voice changed again, almost as if a different character was talking now. “Do you know how I know? Because the palace walls have been bleeding for years, and no one else sees it?” She turned her eyes to look at Jin and continued in the same voice. “No one believes me, but in some corridors, the blood has gotten so thick there’s nowhere safe to step. When I have to pass through those places, I leave a trail of bloody footprints for the rest of the day, and then I worry that the queen’s soldiers will follow the scent and eat me up while I’m sleeping. Some nights I don’t sleep very well. But if the blood was real, the servants would clean it up. Don’t you think?”

“What are you-” Jin was utterly confused, questioning her before she cut him off.

“They think I’m crazy, and maybe I might be. But why am I so scared all the time Jin?” She asked him, this time in her regular voice.

He paused at her question, his mind was reeling. She talked of bloodied corridors and now she is asking him why she’s scared. Why was she talking like this? It took him a moment but then he remembered that Namjoon stated to him that she liked to talk in quotes from books. “I don’t know why you’re always scared. I wish you weren’t though.”

“Hm. Me too.” She turned her head back to look at the ceiling again.

Jin pulled out his phone and started to type what he remembered her saying. A novel came up called Cress and it had the quote that she recited to him. “Did you enjoy that book series? The Lunar Chronicles?”

“Yes, though I can’t remember all of it. I wish I could.” She frowned. “Did you like it?”

Jin froze. “No, I haven’t read it.”

“It’s a good one. You should read it.” She was quiet for a moment again. “It’s better when you or any of your pack members are here. The silence is a killer.”

“I’m sorry about that.” Jin gave her a soft smile and noticed Namjoon was coming out of the office.

The doctor reached the side of her bed and gave a soft, unsteady smile. From what he heard from Dr. Wang made him wary of her past. “Hey, how are you feeling?”

She blinked slowly and turned her attention to him. “Tired. Scared. It happened again, didn’t it?”

“Yes, Dr. Wang said it started when he was asking you some questions.”

She nodded her head. “Hm. I can’t think of it right now. I must be too tired.” She closed her eyes to rest. “Thank you for coming to visit me. I’m happy.” She opened her eyes again and sent him a smile.

“Of course, let me check your vitals while I’m here. I’m going to undo your restraints, are you okay with that?” He asked.

“Yes, doctor.” Once the bindings were off her, she sat up slowly and turned to dangle her legs off the side of the bed, she shifted so she was right in front of Namjoon. She sent a smile at Jin ‘Unnie, are you really okay alone?’ the Beta’s first words to her rang in circles around her head.

He checked her eyes, making sure her eyes dilated normally, he then checked her reflexes, happy to see everything was normal. His hands cradled her face for a moment before his hands slid to both sides of her neck, feeling her lymph nodes on each side.

She would never admit it but she enjoyed when his hands touched her skin. Unlike most doctors, his hands were warm, soft and most importantly safe. She wished she could curl into his arms and feel safe forever. Her happy thoughts were disrupted as he pulled back and smiled at her.

“All good.” He sighed in relief. “We have to head out now.”

She didn’t even try to hide her disappointment. “Oh, okay…”

“I’ll be back in the morning for my regular shift.”

“Okay…”

Namjoon looked over at Jin, both unsure what to say to the omega. Both of them wanted to stay now, but they knew the pack was waiting at home and Namjoon couldn’t go against his word. “Try to have a good night, darlin’.”

She nodded her head but her eyes didn’t leave her hands that were in her lap. The way she was reacting to them leaving was ripping into Namjoon’s heart and he knew that wasn’t good. He shook his head and stepped back slowly.

It wasn’t until the two males started to walk away that she talked again. “Hey doctor?” She was glad they stopped in their steps. “Do you think Jimin will come to visit again soon? I miss talking with him.”

“I’ll see when he is free to come again.” Lies. They just talked about the pack staying away from her, but he couldn’t break her heart - not when she was already sad. Namjoon forced a smile at her as he gripped Jin’s hand, pouring his sadness into the squeeze he gave his Beta.

She smiled at him again. “Thank you.” She then turned her attention to grab the book she was reading earlier, fluffing her blanket around her in a half circle around her, almost like she was trying to form a small nest around herself.

Namjoon and Jin walked out of the clinic and Namjoon let his emotions show on his face.. “I feel bad about lying to her about Jimin. I know she enjoys the company when I’m busy.”

“She told me that it's better when our pack members are near her. She said the silence is a killer. Does Jackson not talk to her?”

The words that came from Jin’s mouth hurt Namjoon’s heart. “No. He doesn’t want to interact with her more than he needs to - especially now, since he triggered one of her episodes today. Apparently she started chanting new things, words that indicated that she might have taken beatings or some form of punishment for others instead. Jackson feels bad for triggering something like that for her. Meanwhile, I feel guilty. I know she’s lost. I know she craves the company, the pack… I shouldn’t be as upset as I am. She’s not our pack - so why do I feel bad that she misses Jimin?”

Jin hugs his alpha, hoping to take some of the anxiety and stress from his shoulders. “I know Joon. I know. She’s been through a lot and you have a golden heart. I think you’re aware of how well her and Jimin get along - hell the whole pack knows. You feel bad that you’re keeping them away from each other.” Jin felt Namjoon tense in his arms. “I don’t mean it in a bad way. What did Jackson say?”

“He basically is in agreement with Yoongi, she shouldn’t be here. Jackson thinks she should go to a mental health facility. She’s really messed up.” He went into full detail in what Jackson had told him and as he explained what happened between Dr. Wang and herself, Namjoon could feel Jin get more and more sad.

Jin frowned. “Joon, I hate this. No one should deal with what she’s gone through. It seems like Jackson and yourself are on the boat with Yoongi. I don’t like the mental facilities or trust them recently. I’ve seen too many articles about so many organizations that have been investigated only to find out that they’re abusing or killing our kind. I know Yoongi won’t allow others to help you take care of her but I refuse to let her go to some random facility. I won’t allow it unless you find one that will guarantee her safely 100 percent. You should make it so that you have visiting rights to keep up with her physical health.”

Namjoon pulled his Beta into a hug, hoping that they could help each other feel better. “I’ll do some research if we go that route. Until then, I’ll just have to stay with her.”

****

It took all of a week of intense research before Namjoon found a facility that he even considered transferring the female omega to. During that week, she had been doing so well. She was mostly quiet, thankfully not losing herself as much and was looking healthier. She thrived in the moments that he was near her, lighting up like the sun. Her scent of happiness poured in tidal waves whenever he was around. He understood that he was a safe spot for her, as a doctor should be. She still couldn’t remember much but Namjoon was happy with her physical progress.

He was playing a memory game with her, flipping over cards that matched - testing how well she would do in hopes it would help her recall other things for herself. It was at this time when he decided to talk with her about her care. “Darlin’, I’ve been so proud of you this week.” His heart skipped a beat when she gave him a huge grin, pleased with his praise. “You’ve been doing so well with your recovery and I think we should advance to the next step in your care.”

"Okay, what's that?" She asked as she matched another set of tile cards.

He looked her up and down, not sure if what he was going to say would upset her or not. She was already slightly curled in on herself, something that he realized she did a lot. It was almost like she wasn't comfortable in the environment but she always seemed comfortable enough with him.

The delay in his response made her look at him warily. "What is it?" She whispered, worry dripping from her throat, her scent starting to turn a little sour.

"The next step is transferring you to a mental health facility. I researched a bunch of places, and I found one that I deem would be a best-"

The sound of heavy breathing cut him off. Her eyes were wide, her chest heaving in big gasps and she curled herself tighter. The sour scent wafted out in buckets where he started to feel nauseous immediately from it. He instantly regretted bringing it up like this..

"I'm sorry!" She choked out.

His heart shattered, she sounded so broken. "What are you sorry for darling?" He asked as he moved closer to console her but she backed away at his movements. He froze, she hadn’t done that since the first day he met her. He knew she always found a sense of comfort in him, he could tell when her scent always changed into something warm and welcoming.

"I'll be good. I'm sorry. Please don't send me away. I'll be good, I promise. I promise. I promise…" She began to say it over and over again as tears poured down her cheeks.

Whenever he tried to get closer she would shift away, folding into herself, knees to chest. "You've done nothing wrong, dear."

She didn't hear his words over her own. She did something wrong to upset him and she wasn't sure how to fix that except to promise to be good. She tried to think about the past week, where she could have gone wrong, what upset him so much. Why did he want to send her away? Was it because of her episode with Dr. Wang? It must have been. She hasn’t seen any of his pack since then and he didn’t stay as late anymore. She felt the ground shift and she was spiraling. “Little Alice fell d o w n the hOle, bumped her head and bruised her soul.” She muttered before she apologized over and over and over again.

Namjoon whined and pinched the bridge of his nose. Dr. Wang was out of the office, bringing his mates out on vacation and so Namjoon did the only thing he could do at a time like this. He grabbed his cell phone and dialed home. He didn’t want to sedate her with drugs anymore, he didn’t like how she was after, cold and stale, almost lifeless. The phone rang three times before Yoongi picked up. Namjoon winced, he wished it wasn’t Yoongi, he knew how the alpha felt about the omega, but then was he going to call someone else and hide this request behind Yoongi’s back? No, no he wouldn’t. “Hey babe - listen I need a favor and I don’t care which alpha does it - but I need help with my patient.”

“What do you mean Joon?” Yoongi asked, already feeling his mood change for the worse.

“She’s having another episode and this one was my fault.”

“It probably wasn’t your fault Joon, she’s jacked in -”

“I talked about the mental health facility with her and she just started apologizing. I don’t think she was ready to talk about it.”

Yoongi was silent for a moment, he could hear the devastation in his alpha’s voice. He pressed the phone closer to his ear and he could hear her chanting over and over. He made him sad for her, but he needed to be strong for his pack and protect his pack. He let out a sigh. “Joon, it’s not your fault. You’re doing what you need to as a doctor. Whether she likes it or not, she needs mental help. What favor do you need?”

“I need another alpha here to help me with her. Help me calm her down.”

“Joon…” Yoongi grumbled. “We made a deal about the pack being near her.”

“I know, I know. I intended for it to stay how you wanted it - but Jackson is out for the week and I could use the help. She won’t let me near her.”

Yoongi rolled his eyes in annoyance. “I really am against this - I don’t support the special treatment, but if you're requesting help then I won’t deny it. I won’t be volunteering. Hoseok is at work or I’m sure he would be running over there. I’ll see if Jimin will come.”

Namjoon looked over at the omega, she was still curled into a ball, tears were running down her face and the way her eyes were unfocused he knew she was lost in her head. He wished he could hear her thoughts, to know exactly what self torture she was putting herself through.

“Jimin said he will be there soon.” Yoongi spoke as he returned to the phone.

“Thank you Yoongi, I mean it.”

“Don’t thank me, thank Jimin.”

“Still, I appreciate you and how much you care and protect our pack.”

Yoongi gently sighed, not out of annoyance but just to let everything go. “I know. I love you. I’ll see you when you get home.”

“Love you too.”

***

When Jimin arrived she had fallen asleep, curled into a ball on the ground. He could see the tear stains on her cheeks and the discomfort on her face. “You just left her on the floor?” Jimin asked.

“I tried to move her once but she woke up startled and freaked out again.” The doctor sounded defeated as he sat on the floor, resting against the wall across from her. “I shouldn’t have brought it up - I should have just transferred her to the facility and let them take care of her. I really messed up. I don’t know if she will trust me again.”

“Ah, Joon. Don’t do that to yourself.” The smaller alpha walked over to the doctor and squatted down in front of him. “Come on, let's stand up.” He offered his hands, which the doctor took and helped him to his feet. Once they were facing each other, Jimin wrapped his arms around his alpha and pressed his nose into the other’s neck, nuzzling into his skin and pressing gentle kisses on his collar bone.

Namjoon closed his eyes and returned the hug, allowing the other alpha to help melt his troubled thoughts away. “Thank you for coming Jimin.”

“Of course. Thank you for reaching out for help. You normally try to take it all on by yourself. I’m proud of you Joonie.” Jimin pulled back and looked over to the omega. “I’ll take care of her, and you can relax for a little bit in your office.”

The doctor was a little hesitant but after a few moments of staring at each other he nodded his head and disappeared into the other room.

Jimin approached the female on the floor, moving slowly so as to not startle her. He placed a hand on her shoulder and she shot up, pushing him away from her as she tried to scramble away. He noticed her rapid breathing as she curled into a ball, trying to melt into the wall behind her. “Hey, hey - it’s just me, Jimin.” He kept his voice soft as he spoke to her. It took about a minute or two but her breathing calmed down as he kept telling her that she was okay.

Finally, she tilted her head as if she was just starting to hear him. “Jimin?” She questioned.

“That’s right, it’s me. You’re okay now, Angel.” He offered a hand to her, which she took as she slowly curled her body.

“I’ve missed you.” She whispered, allowing him to pull her close.

“Me too, Angel.” He held both of her hands and looked down to her. She still kept her body language small, body curled slightly to protect herself. “Why are you so sad?”

She flinched. “I made Dr. Kim angry at me.” She whispered.

“Why do you say that?”

“He wants to send me away. I don’t want to be sent away. I’m sorry Jimin, I’m so sorry. I’ll be good. I promise I’ll-”

He felt her anxiety rising as her breathing quickened. “Sweetheart, he’s not mad at you.” He cupped her face, making her look up at him. He could see the sadness and confusion. “You’ve been doing so well here, he just thought that maybe you’d do even better at a different facility. You didn’t make him mad - he cares for you very much. He just wants what is best for you.”

“I don’t want to leave.” She whispered as her lip trembled.

“Okay, Angel. We can talk to him about it all.” He started to lead her back to her bed. “Do you want me to get him for you?”

“No!” She replied quickly before her eyes widened at her loudness. “Sorry,” She lowered her voice again. “Not yet please. Just stay with me? Please.”

***

He was kind. So very kind to me. We sat in silence as I played with his hands. They were warm, soft and safe. I thought back to when he touched my face, he was so gentle. Just like Dr. Kim. I frowned at the thought. I would glance up at Jimin often and every time I did - he was looking at me with a smile. I wanted to wrap myself in him and feel safe like this forever. Instead I slowly pulled away and walked over to the window, peeking outside.

The sun was settling, painting the sky in pretty purples, oranges and pinks. “I don’t know who I am. I don’t know the things I like or dislike. I just know when I try to remember it hurts, my brain is on fire and it doesn’t want me to put the pieces together.” I turned to look at Jimin, who was giving me his undivided attention. “I don’t think I’m bad - I don’t feel the urge to be. If I’m good, do you think Namjoon will let me stay?” I turned away from him before he could respond. “The sky is so pretty, and it looks so nice outside - but the creatures are out there, hiding and waiting for me.”

I could hear him shift behind me. “Angel, can you tell me about the creatures?”

I shook my head. “They just come as shadows. They came here one time and I haven’t seen them since. They must be scared of Dr. Kim.” I moved back to the bed and sat with my legs crossed while playing with my fingers. “You’ll have to go soon, won’t you?”

“I’ll stay as long as I can.”

“Is me being here bad?” I asked.

“No, darling.” Dr. Kim’s voice spoke from behind Jimin, it startled me slightly as I felt my body jump.

I looked up at him and frowned. “Then why can’t I stay here?”

“You can, until you’re ready. I shouldn’t have tried to do anything without talking to you first. I should have approached the talk differently and asked if you thought you were ready and I’m sorry for that.”

“It’s okay.” I replied.

“It’s not, I truly am sorry.”

I could feel his sadness and so I wanted to change the topic. “Did you eat dinner?” I questioned both alphas as they shook their heads. “Can we all eat together?”

I could see Dr. Kim lost in thought for a moment and I thought he was going to protest but to my surprise he nodded his head. "I think that would be good. I'd like to get you out of this part of the building and let you explore a little."

I was shocked. Leave the room? My eyes shifted to the double doors that everyone else always walked through. "I-I'm…" I felt a hand land on mine. I snapped my eyes down and followed the hand to see Jimin. He gave me a gentle smile and squeezed my hand.

"I think it will be good for you, Angel. Joonie and I will be there to keep you safe." His smile widened and his eyes turned into crescent moons.

My heart started to beat faster as I felt myself start to smile as well. His happiness was contagious. "Okay, I'll try."

Dr. Kim gave me a smile after I agreed. I thought back to how I reacted to him and I frowned which caused his smile to falter. "Dr. Kim, I'm really sorry for how I reacted."

"No, no, no, sweetheart - please don't apologize. Again it's my fault for not approaching things differently. Also, please feel free to call me Namjoon - I’ve been meaning to tell you that for a while now."

I nodded my head, wanting to test the name on my tongue but held off for now. I looked down to see him offering his hand to help lead me out of the room.. I reached out and grabbed his hand, happy with the warmth of his skin on my own." Okay, let's go eat."

***

Jimin watched her closely as she moved the food around her plate at first. She was wary and he didn’t understand why. Namjoon and himself grabbed the same food as her and she saw them eating. “Angel, what’s wrong?”

“What if there is something in it?” She questioned.

“Here,” Namjoon scooped a bit of her food from her plate and onto his fork. He had the bite in his mouth as she started to protest - worried that he just poisoned himself. “See, nothing bad.” He added after he swallowed down the food.

She stared at him with wide eyes, nervous and waiting for something to happen to him. After a moment, when nothing happened she sighed in relief and took a bite herself. Namjoon had let her put a few pieces of chicken on her plate tonight - ready to move her into some different food as she was getting her strength back to what he deemed would be normal. She ate slowly - savoring the flavors of her food.

“I was thinking that maybe we can go for a walk in the garden.” Namjoon spoke, noticing the omega pause. Due to her reaction he could tell she was excited but also nervous. “Jimin, would you like to join us and then after you and I can head home?”

“That sounds wonderful, would it be okay if I join you both?” He turned his attention to the omega.

“Oh, of course. Please. I would love it if you came with us.”

They finished their dinner shortly after that, the omega basically bouncing on her heels in happiness. It was dark by the time they got outside. She walked between them, holding each of their hands and they quietly moved through the gardens. She smiled as the scent of flowers invaded her senses. She had been smelling the scent of hospital for weeks with the break of something sweet or spicy when Namjoon or his pack members showed up.

They entered a small area that was boxed in by sticky bushes but decorated with the most beautiful assortment of flowers. She found herself slipping her hands away from both males as she approached the purple irises growing nearby. She was happy. Bliss soaked into her body and for once she hadn’t felt a single thread of fear. Her bones filled with warmth and delight. She moved her hands as if they should be holding open a book for herself. Her fingers itched to feel the paper but the words came to her mind quite easily even without the ink being in front of her.

“Sometimes since I've been in the garden I've looked up through the trees at the sky and I have had a strange feeling of being happy as if something was pushing and drawing in my chest and making me breathe fast. Magic is always pushing and drawing and making things out of nothing. Everything is made out of magic, leaves and trees, flowers and birds, badgers and foxes and squirrels and people. So it must be all around us. In this garden - in all the places.”

Namjoon smiled, he knew the quote well, it was in the book he let her borrow. “I see you’re enjoying The Secret Garden.”

She gave him a knowing smile and nodded her head before putting the hands together, as if closing her book, before turning her attention back to all of the flowers. She looked at the world around her as if it were the most beautiful thing she had ever seen.

Namjoon watches Jimin looking at her as if she was the most beautiful thing he has ever seen. “She’s strong. Whatever they do to her, whomever they are, they messed up her mind real bad. But she’s trying to find a way to let us know how she feels when she can’t explain it right. She keeps going and thriving to get better. She wakes up thinking that life is worth living, she finds beauty in it. I’m proud of her.”

Jimin nodded his head. “Me too, Joon.”

“She’s really not half bad.”

“Just a little mad. But that’s okay, right?”

Before Namjoon could respond she whipped around to look at them. “Can we watch the stars for a little bit?”

Namjoon and Jimin smiled at her. “Sure sweetheart.” Namjoon replied.

***

When Jimin and Namjoon returned home Yoongi met them at the couch. “ How is she?”

“Doing better. Thank you again Yoongi.” Namjoon walked over to him and hugged him tightly.

Yoongi hugged him just as tight before pulling back with a sigh. He grabbed a small bag that was on the coffee table and handed it to Namjoon.

“What’s this?” He asked as he started to open the bag.

“While you were both gone, the pack and I talked a lot, in great detail about many things.”

Namjoon pulled a soft short sleeved dress from the bag and he could see other clothes were inside.

“As much as I don’t completely like the idea, I’m willing to give this a shot. So tomorrow after you're done with your shift, bring the omega home.”

“Really?” Jimin asked in a breathy whisper.

Yoongi nodded his head. “Yes, we can go over more details about what is allowed and what behavior draws the line, but for now she can come to our home.”

“Thank you Yoongi. I know this must have been a hard decision for you. Who can I tell her the clothes are from?”

Yoongi looked down, looking a little nervous. “I picked them out and bought them. I tried to pick things that felt nice to start her with.”

Namjoon was shocked to say the least. “Thank you Yoongi.”

He nodded. “I just hope I don’t regret this. Jungkook, Jin and Taehyung all set up the guest room for her. Hoseok also went out and bought some more food for her to be able to eat. I’m off to bed, see you both in the nest.”

#Bts #OT7 X F.Reader #namjoon x reader #jin x reader #taehyung x reader #yoongi x reader #jimin x reader #hoseok x reader #jungkook x reader #find rest for your soul

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hyunpic · 7 months

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Hiii Vilma ✨ I’m sorry I don’t want to be a bother but would you mind listing some books that Hyunjin recommended at some point please? If you have some time?

I know some threads are very easily findable online so I don’t want you to think that I’m using you bc I know Google exists but the thing is that those threads are only visible by people who have Twitter / X and I don’t have an account so I can’t see it :( (with all not-due respect, fuck Elon Musk) Really feeling like the beggar ant meme lmao I’m so sorry

Thank you so much 💕

i got u!!!! don’t worry about about using me or anything 🫡💘💘 i put down some synopsis of the books too. i hope u can find something to read from there 🥹 also this probably isn’t a full list but i tried to include as much as possible!!

fire salamander by han kang: a collection of seven short stories tied to one keyword "recovery". the author shows the issues of a human's suffering and loss, as well as a human's will to lead a life without giving up despite the pain and frustration.

i want to die but i want to eat tteokboki by baek sehee: a successful young social media director at a publishing house begins seeing a psychiatrist about her depression. it is a book to keep close and to reach for in times of darkness. it will appeal to anyone who has ever felt alone or unjustified in their everyday despair.

temperature of language by lee kijoo: the author of this book claims that language has temperature. he encourages us to use words that can comfort others with warmth instead of cold words that hurt them.

the setting sun by osamu dazai: the setting sun deals with the decline of japan’s aristocracy in the wake of world war II, and portrays characters adrift in a world that no longer feels familiar.

no longer human by osamu dazai: the poignant and fascinating story of a young man who is caught between the breakup of the traditions of a northern japanese aristocratic family and the impact of western ideas.

almond by son wonpyeong: it tells the story of yunjae, a young boy born with a difference. yunjae has a brain condition called alexithymia that makes it hard for him to feel emotions like fear, anger, and empathy.

contradictions by yang guija: contradictions is a coming-of-age tale that explores the paradoxes and contradictions of the human condition and delves into the meaning of personal happiness

proof of gu by choi jinyoung: a heart-moving novel written with beautiful sentences, which questions the meaning of life or the meaning of death through the death of a lover and the subsequent feelings of loss and condolences.

the old man and the sea by ernest hemingway: through his struggle, santiago demonstrates the ability of the human spirit to endure hardship and suffering in order to win. it is also his deep love and knowledge of the sea, in its impassive cruelty and beneficence, that allows him to prevail

someone harmless to me by eun young choi: the novel collection portrays various relationships, especially relationships of women including a love story of a lesbian couple, a story of two girls who grew up in oppressive patriarchal atmosphere and a story of two sisters who spent their childhood persistently fighting but sometimes understanding each other.

the preciousness of everyday words by kim eana: through the use of everyday words, lyricist kim eana finds solutions to the complex emotions and frustrations in relationships encountered in life. (<- this was recommended to him by stay but he ordered it so i included it here too )

#anons #hyunjin book recommendations #he seems to read deep and meaningful stories that put u to deep thought and u can learn about stuff.. 🙇🏼‍♀️#it’s precious to me..

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ecoamerica · 1 month

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youtube

Watch the American Climate Leadership Awards 2024 now: https://youtu.be/bWiW4Rp8vF0?feature=shared

The American Climate Leadership Awards 2024 broadcast recording is now available on ecoAmerica's YouTube channel for viewers to be inspired by active climate leaders. Watch to find out which finalist received the $50,000 grand prize! Hosted by Vanessa Hauc and featuring Bill McKibben and Katharine Hayhoe!

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restlessmaknae · 1 year

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never forever [jinyoung]

Just as much as you would have liked to delude yourself into thinking that you could have anything together with prince Jinyoung, it would be simply impossible as long as you were a servant and he was a prince. Which meant that you could never do so.

➳ Characters: prince!Jinyoung x female court lady!reader/you

➳ Genre: romance, angst, fantasy, magical realism, kingdom au

➳ Words: 11.8k

➳ Warning: mentions of minor character deaths, poison, political tension, attacks

➳ A/N: This story had the most votes in my poll, so I hope it lives up to your expectations. 🥰 It can be read on its own or with Seunghun's story that took place before this one. ❤️

➳ CIX taglist: @wccycc, @dat-town

When you had been younger, your favourite word had been ‘forever’. Warmth had always invaded your heart when you thought of this particular word, and how your parents had promised each other that they would love each other forever. Your mother had told you multiple times too that her love was not only infinite towards your father but you as well. Forever was like a precious friend to you, a little gem that you would try to keep safe as much as you could, holding it close to your heart, holding it dear.

Then, forever had turned to never when your mother had died. When you had realised that you would never see her again, your world had shattered, the little gem slipping through your fingers, falling to the ground and breaking into tiny pieces. Even though your father had reassured you that your mother would love you even from the spirit realm, you hadn’t been convinced because forever had seemed so far away. You had decided that it was stupid to have a word that didn’t make sense. After all, forever didn’t exist.

You had been 6 at that time. Your mother had been a lady-in-waiting to the Queen at the royal palace, so you hadn’t seen her during the week, only on the weekend. You had spent your days at home reading books and practising writing while your father had been teaching his pupils in a different room. He had been a great scholar, teaching those at your home who could not afford the institutions he had taught at most of the time. For some time, you had resented the royal family for keeping your mother away from you when you had known all too well that your mother had been deeply grateful for the royal court for providing her with a high status job and a very decent pay that allowed her to shower you in gifts.

On the other hand, when your mother had died, and the court had organised your mother a funeral, more glorious (thus more heart-wrenching) than you could have ever imagined, your feelings had completely changed. When the Queen had come up to you afterwards and lowered herself down to be at eye-level with you (disregarding the gasps from the court ladies around her, warning her of her dress potentially becoming smudged because of the muddy ground), your tears had fallen even more fervently. You had wanted nothing more than to hide during the ceremony, so to be seen and acknowledged by the Queen herself brought on a handful of different emotions.

“When I was around your age, I also lost my mother. I thought of it as a great shame on top of being a great loss. A young girl growing up without a mother? I thought people wouldn’t take me seriously, they wouldn’t look at me for who I am, they would always see the girl without a mother,” she had shared, and you had watched her with tears streaming down your face, your mouth slightly agape. You hadn’t heard of the Queen losing her mother at such a young age, but you had been young, and your parents hadn’t told you stories about the royal family back then.

“And they did?” You had asked between little sobs that reverberated through your body.

The Queen had given you a gentle smile, and you had wondered if all mothers smiled the same - so lovingly, so forgivingly, so reassuringly. Her smile hadn’t been exactly like your mother’s, but you could feel the genuine affectionate behind the delicate curve of her lips, something that mirrored your own mother’s. The kind of smile that parents gave you when you admitted that you did something wrong, but all that mattered to them was that you were safe and sound.

“No,” she had shaken her head. “I proved them wrong, and I showed them what I can do regardless of what happened. You can do, too,” she had added so confidently that your little heart had welcomed the undeniable hope that her words had brought along, newfound warmth spreading through your veins until you had realised that…

“But… I am not a royal.”

“Where you come from doesn’t matter, whether you have a positive impact on just one person or a whole nation doesn’t matter either. You are valuable as you are,” the Queen had pointed out, her words like a wise scholar’s. You had just blinked at her, wide-eyed and amazed, and you hadn’t even realised that you had stopped crying in the meantime, you had been so focused on what she had been saying.

You had been so awestruck that you couldn’t have spoken up, and you didn’t remember whether it had been what had prompted the Queen to bid her goodbye or she had been told by her court ladies to presume her duties for the day, but you remembered one thing very clearly.

That day, you had decided that you would have a positive impact on the Queen’s life, and you would try to be there for her just as much as she had been there for you at that time. So when a year later, the royal court had announced that they would hold their annual recruitment day for new servants, you had applied.

You had read every book on royal etiquette, you had learned embroidery, sewing and all sorts of activities that might be tested during the recruitment process in that year, determined on making the cut. You hadn’t even been the youngest candidate, there had been girls as young as 5 trying to secure a future for themselves (or more like pressured by their families), but you had been dedicated for a different reason: to serve the royal family and to repay them for all they had done for your family including sending your mother on her last journey so graciously.

Even though you hadn’t succeeded on the first try, you had done so a year later. Since then, you had been trying to live up to your mother’s memory, hoping that she would be proud of how you were serving the royal family, living to make their lives as comfortable as possible, living for them.

Little did you know, one day, that would be the exact same reason you would feel so torn to fall in love.

The first few years at the palace, you spent learning. Then, you applied what you learned. Then, you practised everything over and over again until you wouldn’t make a mistake. Finally, as years went by, your service to the palace became a valuable treasure, an important part of the operations. Your loyalty and diligence meant that you were keen on doing the best you could, and your perseverance didn’t waver even in hard times.

However, no matter the many lessons and learnings during those years, the greatest teacher and the dearest compliment you could get for your hard work was when you could upgrade your rank. After 15 years of service and being over the age of 20 meant that you could rightfully start serving one of the royal family members directly or one of those who stayed at the palace. For instance, a few girls who were at the congratulatory ceremony beside you would assist the royalty that were visiting the palace from time to time, and two of those now stayed beside a princess who came from a kingdom further up north, who was currently spending her time in exile at your court. Due to the trade agreements and favourable business partnerships, it wasn’t uncommon to provide a shelter or a hiding place for those who came from different kingdoms, but couldn’t stay in their own residence for whatever reason.

You, on the other hand, were assigned to the Queen herself, and even though you would never brag about your conversation with the Queen at your mother’s funeral ceremony, you knew that the smile she gave you when she handed you your new gown and your matching hairpin - engraved with a lotus symbol for prosperity and a dragon mimicking the ones that guarded the palace for safety - was telling tales about her positive feelings towards your future services.

After an elderly lady-in-waiting had passed away, two female servants took her place including you. You knew that you were still fairly young compared to the other court ladies, but you had been serving at the palace for so long already, and you excelled at every task they had given you. You knew though that the major reason that you had been assigned to the Queen was because you could read and write well, something that would be needed to discreetly handle the letters the Queen received and sent.

However, following the Queen almost everywhere meant that you had more interactions with the other royal family members and those who were close to them - soldiers in higher up ranks, master magicians and magical creature tamers. In passing by, you caught glimpses of the royal family members while serving them in the past years, but that couldn’t be compared to the experience of being in the same room with them, to see them from up-close.

When you first accompanied the Queen to the practise field where prince Jinyoung was receiving his training, you realised that he still lived in your memories as someone around your height with a cheeky smile when he was running around the court, making his nannies run after him, and you were taken aback by his height and his built now. He was tall and slender, but when he reached his sword out to attack, his muscles clearly showed through the thin fabric he wore. Drops of sweat rolled down his cheeks while he was concentrating, and his features were solemn and hard.

His practice partner was Seunghun - a soldier you saw around the court frequently. Rumour had it that he was courting one of the medics, but you didn’t know whether to believe that because all sorts of gossip were flying around. Besides, others’ love life was none of your business, but since you and Seunghun had joined the court around the same time, you knew him and his way of talking to the ladies - all smooth and flirtatious. He had that cheekiness to him even when he was younger, no wonder he was on good terms with the prince.

The Queen halted by the side of the field, and you did, too, a few steps away from her. The prince and the soldier were so engrossed in their practice battle that they didn’t even take notice of her presence until they finished with their round of sword fight, Seunghun coming out as the winner.

“What is the purpose of today’s practice?” The Queen raised her voice, confident and unwavering, while looking at the boys. Seunghun didn’t fail to bow upon seeing her, but his grin was still a bit cocky when he helped the prince to his feet.

“Just some… friendly duel, Your Majesty,” he answered joyfully, and he patted the prince’s shoulder when prince Jinyoung straightened up. “Even if he were to be seriously hurt, one of our great medics would tend to his wounds,” he added in a friendly manner, but you could hear the Queen’s voice hardening when she spoke up.

“Not so much if he can help it himself.”

“Of course,” the soldier’s smile faded immediately, and he bowed his head apologetically. Prince Jinyoung tensed a bit beside his friend, but his eyes were trained on his mother, not on his friend. You didn’t spend enough time around him to tell what his eyes could show, but you had a feeling that he wasn’t that delighted about the Queen’s words. If your assumption about his power was right, you knew why.

“Well then, keep going,” the Queen made a waving gesture with her hands, indicating that they could move on, and turned on her heels to head back to the palace. You bowed to the prince and soldier alongside the other servants, signalling your departure.

Afterwards, you waited for the older ladies to follow suit as they were the first to follow behind, you were supposed to be the last as you were the youngest one. Even though your rank was the same as theirs, age order was still important.

You took a few steps forward when you felt your hair loosen, and you instinctively reached for the back of your neck, gasping when you couldn’t feel your hairpin. You were about to turn around just at the same time as a figure slid into your vision, and put your lotus and dragon carved hairpin into your hands. It was for the briefest of a second, so was his rough touch, but you felt like you could feel the ghost of it on your skin even after he yanked it away.

Your eyes frantically went to the figure’s face, and you were about to open your mouth to thank him, but he put his index finger on his lips. Why couldn’t you thank prince Jinyoung for helping you out? Why wouldn’t you?

You were so baffled by his indication that words died on the tip of your tongue, and he was out of your reach as quickly as he ran up to you, so there was no way you could go after him. You were already behind the other servants, so you needed to catch up to them.

However, as you were hurrying after them, you looked back at the field, the prince and the soldier already in another round of a fight, no remains of the recent incident, only the ghost of his touch on your hand and the mystery in his pitch-black eyes when he handed you your hairpin.

In a magical kingdom like yours, you were grateful that you could be of help to the royal family even though you didn’t possess magic. The magic in your kingdom lied in healing, hence there were two types of medicine in your kingdom: magical and non-magical medicine. Magical medicine was mostly used on the members of the royal court including the royal family and the royal army, plus magical creatures that lived in the woods or in the mountains - such as fairies, unicorns and such - or serving the kingdom - such as dragons guarding the palace.

Non-magical medicine, on the other hand, was used on humans to treat their wounds, and that was what most medics practised outside of the palace, though it was applicable at the court as well in non-emergency cases and subtle illnesses. Magical medicine was also extremely rare since only magical practitioners could deal with it because they were the ones born with the ability to tame magic, but even they needed thorough practice and extensive training to be able to make use of their abilities to their full potential. Magical medics were also almost exclusively serving at the palace. The royal family was also said to be possessing magic in their veins, though they didn’t have to use it on themselves because the most powerful magicians were already in their court, serving them.

Neither of your ancestors had magic, so it was unlikely that you would, but having a scholar as a father and a royal servant as a mother meant that you knew that you could use other skills and strengths to your advantage, so you never felt any less than those who were born with magic. You were merely in awe at what some people could do, and when you could see for yourself how magical medics worked at the palace, you were mesmerised. Even if the Queen had a headache, not a physical injury, all the medic needed to do was place their hands above her core - the centre of her energy - and she was healed, though advised rest for the night.

For that reason, you could leave the Queen’s chamber earlier than usual after helping her to bed, and while the rest of the ladies were heading to their own rooms in the courtyard, you were staying back to stroll around the garden that separated the palace from the court. A part of the garden was reserved for the royal family only, but the other was accessible by everyone, and you liked walking around the pond dotted with a palette of colours, a different type of fish hiding behind each distinctly shaped creature, water lilies breaking the smooth surface of the water and lanterns lighting up the sideways like little stars on the sky.

When you walked these parts of the palace, you wondered if your mother had been the same. She hadn’t really talked about her time at the palace - what she was doing when she wasn’t on duty, how the place looked like and what was her favourite part of the court -, if she did, she only talked about the Queen and her admiration towards the woman. Ever since being part of the court though, you couldn’t help but imagine your mother walking down the same path, looking at the little bridge connecting the path to a pavilion as you did now, walking the same corridors and feeling the same sense of belonging as you did now.

“I hope you’re proud of me, mother,” you mumbled to the dark sky above you that seemed like a blanket covering the palace grounds, your words carried away by the gentle breeze of this fine spring night. You hoped that she was at peace in the spirit realm, and looked over you fondly. No matter how many years had passed by, there was still a part of you that missed her.

With a resigned sigh, you looked down at the pond in front of you, and decided to leave. However, as you were about to walk back, you crossed paths with prince Jinyoung who seemed to be walking around as well. You were surprised that he was alone, no soldiers guarding him, but maybe he had time to himself at these late hours just like the Queen did after you left her in her chambers.

“Your Highness,” you greeted him immediately, bowing out of respect. When you straightened your back, you looked up at the prince, and he was already looking at you, his deep, dark eyes boring into yours. It seemed that he was about to say something, but he changed his mind, and pressed his lips into a thin line. You blinked up at him, uncertain what to do or what to say for it was scarce that you were alone with a royal family member. In fact, it was the first time that it was just the two of you, and the thought sent a shiver down your spine.

“Are you done for the day?” Prince Jinyoung broke the silence after clearing his throat, and your heart was both heavy and light upon his question. You didn’t know what you had expected him to say or if you had expected anything, but his inquiry still caught you off-guard. In a positive way.

“Yes, Your Highness.”

He bobbed his head, acknowledging your words, and you had a feeling that he wanted to say something but couldn’t this time either. Or maybe it was because he seemed so out of reach usually; the mighty, ethereal prince Jinyoung who was said to be cool-headed and reasonable, a great fighter and a hard-worker in whatever he did. He was said to excel in everything, making him the perfect heir to the throne. From a young age, he had the watching eyes of the people, the weight of the kingdom’s future on his shoulders, and a responsibility that could crush anyone, let alone a boy so young. In passing, he had always seemed so composed, knowing exactly what to do and what to say, and you had heard only good things about him.

On the other hand, he seemed so humane now. A human being searching for the right words to say with secrets in his heart and mysteries in his eyes. Libraries of tales were about him, but when he was standing there in front of you in his white royal attire, he seemed nothing more than a boy around your age. The thought soothed your nerves and scared you at the same time.

You shouldn’t look at him that way, you work for the royal family after all.

“Well then…” You broke the silence that fell upon the two of you, bringing him out of whatever stupor he was under. “Good night, Your Highness!” You bowed yet again, ready to continue your walk to the court.

Nonetheless, before you were out of hearing range, the prince spoke up, though his eyes weren’t trained on you, but on the pond in front of him.

“Your mother would be proud.”

The words made you halt and turn to the prince who was examining the water as if he was pondering how to describe the sight properly. The lanterns lit up the way of the footpath, and amongst them, one was shining directly onto him, and now with you in the shadows of a nearby tree, and him in the light, you wondered how the two of you from two different worlds could be having this conversation now.

“How… How do you know about my mother?” You blinked in confusion. You didn’t believe that he could have heard you before, but maybe he could.

“You are not the only one who likes to go to the pond late at night,” he replied without any shame or any cheekiness in his voice as he turned towards you, and even though you were further away than before, you could see the end of his lips curling upwards. Before you could grasp onto this moment though, the prince turned on his heel and walked towards the pavilion, walking away from you and from the light that was shining onto him.

Afterwards, it happened a few more times that you and prince Jinyoung met in the garden, around the pond. Truthfully, when you hadn’t been serving the Queen, and you had been working in the courtyard instead of the palace, you had come to the pond, but not so late at night. However, it felt good to take a bit of a walk somewhere aside from the walls within the palace, and the garden was truly mesmerising under the moonlight. So you could believe that you hadn’t crossed paths with the prince before because you had been walking around at different times.

On the other hand, despite knowing that you might meet him in the garden these days, you didn’t back away. After all, you weren’t doing anything shameful, and no one else was around, so rumours couldn’t fly around regarding you two. At least, you tried to tell yourself such reasonable words, but you were conflicted just how far this could go. A court lady and a prince talking late at night around the pond? No matter how many times you told yourself that this wasn’t wrong, you felt oddly at unease whenever you heard something crackling or murmurs rippling the night air - even from far away.

Yet, when you were in the act of talking to the prince, you couldn’t feel more at ease. Talking to him felt natural and he didn’t seem so distant while sharing stories with you even though you two came from very different backgrounds. Beside you, he seemed like a boy turning into a young man, knowing the responsibilities of his actions yet letting the childish side in him come to the surface when his duties didn’t call for something else.

Not to mention that it was, in a way, fluttering to be able to talk to him in the first place, let alone get to know him. You realised that he was both very different and not so different from you. He didn’t care about your rank, or that you might tell others about what he was telling you because he trusted you enough, and you trusted him the same. Maybe this was why he was open to talk about the disruptions in the kingdom, and how much the royal family would try to protect peace within its borders.

And maybe this was why he wanted to let you know about the secret you had suspected some time ago.

“The truth is, I don’t have magic,” he blurted out one time after silence had taken over the two of you.

You had been looking at the ripples across the pond, watching the many colours dance under its surface, hiding fish in all shapes and sizes, but your eyes found their way to the prince’s delicate features when he spoke up. He looked ahead of himself, his lips pressed into a thin line, and it wasn’t a different image from his usual self. However, instead of his hands resting in his lap, his hands were balled into fists, clutching a part of his snow-white robe.

“Why… why are you telling me this?”

You tried to keep your voice as gentle as possible because you had a feeling that this was a confession that must have been living in his heart for so long, trying to break out, but it was a caged creature - forced within the bars by his family more than himself. Even though not all of the members of a family had magic if one person possessed it since it wasn’t hereditary, it seemed that the royal family wanted it to be true since the King had magic in his veins, and princess Jinhee was said to possess it, too. However, you had a feeling that prince Jinyoung didn’t do so because you had never heard him use it whereas princess Jinhee was frequently praised for her skills.

What was more heartbreaking than this was the fact that the Queen tried so hard to hide his lack of magic - as you had experienced it on the training field when she had claimed that prince Jinyoung would take care of his wounds if he got hurt -, and maybe it was because she came from a different kingdom and thus didn’t have magic, but you had a feeling that she didn’t know the weight of her actions. She didn’t realise how much she was denying something that the prince didn’t wish to talk about to begin with.

You didn’t act like a fool, that’s why you didn’t ask him if it was true for you had a feeling for some time, and he seemed to notice that, too.

“Because I know you’ve figured it out yourself, and it feels good to tell someone else about it apart from my friends,” he explained as he averted his eyes from the scenery to you, and you gulped when you saw the hurt in his pitch-black orbs. Maybe it was that you mistook his pain for secrecy before, but now instead of a stern, out of reach, almighty prince, all you could see was a boy grieving something that had never been his, feeling guilty for something he had no control over and being vulnerable to someone who shouldn’t have mattered to him.

Yet, since he was willing to share his secret with you, you didn’t want to think about whether it was right or wrong. Instead, you wanted to be there for him, comforting him with words.

“You aren’t any less because you don’t have magic, Your Highness,” you whispered to him, afraid that your words might open up his wound instead of tending to it, but he didn’t seem to take it to heart.

“And you aren’t any less because you’ve grown up without a mother,” he added similarly quietly, and you felt your heart drop. You were about to say something, but then, you closed your mouth, pondering how to word this feeling. “See. It’s difficult to believe it no matter how many times others tell you.”

It was difficult, he was right, but you assumed that no one really knew how much the absence of your mother still impacted you, and the way you thought of yourself. He did, it seemed. He might have been reserved and didn’t like to pry in other’s business, but he was perceptive, even more than you would have thought so.

“How do you… Why does it feel like you know me so well, Your Highness?” You furrowed your eyebrows, not accusing, merely curious. Prince Jinyoung, as if he was waiting for you to confirm, let his lips curl a bit upwards before leaning a bit closer to you, as if he was telling a secret.

“I’ve told you. I’ve heard you talk to yourself at this pond. I just never wanted to interrupt you,” he explained matter-of-factly, but that was not enough for you. You didn’t know what took hold of you, but you were persistent, so you asked:

“So why tell me now?”

Prince Jinyoung looked back at the pond, then shrugged his shoulders. After some silence, you decided to drop the topic, and excused yourself to head to your room instead. Your heart was in mayhem already, you didn’t want to continue this dance that had started between you two because you were afraid that all it took was a few more turns to fall into his arms, to fall into him.

Thankfully, he didn’t hold you back, nor did he come with you, so you could walk to the courtyard, your heart still hammering in your chest. That's how you missed him saying to himself after you had left:

“Because you aren’t that unreachable now.”

The fact that you served the Queen directly meant that you knew more about the kingdom’s business affairs than before as the royal family including the King, the Queen, prince Jinyoung and princess Jinhee often attended business meetings with and without the royal council. It was said that it was, so that they knew exactly what was going on in the kingdom, and it was a merit for the children of the royal couple as well. Trading, business affairs and politics were fields that prince Jinyoung would be involved in as the future heir, and princess Jinhee would be considered a knowledgeable young lady if she knew of such topics, making her an even better wife candidate. When the council had a meeting, you were supposed to wait outside along with the other servants, but when it was just the royal family members, you could stay inside and possibly help the Queen to write letters and contracts for her or to read them for her.

The main issue these days was the unjustifiable attacks on a royal carriage sometime ago and a recent revolt near the borders - both lead to the assumption that rebels from the nearby kingdom were behind the attacks. It wasn’t very concerning for now, but the royal family wanted to be prepared for every scenario, and they tried to put out the fire before it could burn down their reputation. That’s how you found yourself accompanying the Queen and princess Jinhee to visit Naturalia that offered favourable trade in exchange for the princess marrying into the family.

You, a few other servants, soldiers from the royal army and two magic medics - including Byounggon whom you frequently saw around prince Jinyoung - accompanied you, so you ended up going in three different carriages, and the plan was to stay for two days and one night. You tried not to look around too much, but you hadn’t travelled outside of the kingdom before because you had started working at the palace from such a young age, and this particular kingdom boosted the magic of nature, so all kinds of surfaces were covered in colourful plants, vivid trees and rainbow-like herbs. You had read that there were people who regularly went to collect such magical plants, but the trading of their magic was limited to their kingdom only. Unless princess Jinhee would marry prince Jaehyeong.

However, your awe was cut short when upon the introductory tour around the palace, you were invited for some tea, and the servant - Hyeri - who tried the so-called immunity boosting drink to test it before the royal family would do so started gasping for air.

“What is it? What is the problem?” The Queen immediately rose to her feet, but you and another court lady were already there to hold onto the woman whose face turned purple. She looked like she was struggling to breathe, constantly hitting her chest with her balled fists and struggling to keep upright.

Bewildered, you found yourself hyperventilating for a moment, but then, you tried to remember what your father had always said. Do something about a problem first, and panic only if the consequences are not in your favour.

“I’ll call for the medics,” you suggested hastily, almost falling over your feet as you picked up the hem of your robe and ran out of the dining room to call for the two medics who were stationed outside in the hall. You quickly explained the situation, but they didn’t waste time either, they immediately came rushing with you. By that time, the woman was already on the floor, lying seemingly unconscious.

You felt your heart beating wildly against your ribcage, like a wild horse that didn’t know where to go in the unfamiliar woods. You couldn’t help but think of the worst case scenario, and you felt blood rushing to your head, making you dizzy. What if it was a trap? What if this was the plan of Naturalia’s royal family all along? What if your Queen was in danger? What if all of you were in danger?

Despite being wary and conscious of the many reasons behind this incident, prince Jaehyeong’s mother was seemingly shocked as well, trying to come up with different scenarios as to why it could happen - maybe the court lady was allergic to the ingredients in the tea -, but the Queen was suspicious, and didn’t let it slide even when the joined effort of the two medics and princess Jinhee’s magic helped Hyeri to regain consciousness.

“It was too strong of an effect for it to be accidental. If three of us needed to use magic to help my court lady, it was intended to kill one of us. Even if the incident was out of your control, it is not safe for us to stay here,” the Queen concluded rather indignantly, and at least the other royal family members didn’t protest, and reassured her that they would do everything in their power to get to the bottom of this case.

The ride back to the palace was a tense one because it meant that even if the Naturalia royal family didn’t want to kill the Queen or the princess, someone in their royal court would want to do so, someone who had the power to get inside their walls and put some kind of poison in the tea. They should have known that such royalty didn’t just drink or eat before testing it out with their servants, so maybe it was a kind of warning. First the carriage incident, then the rebels, now this… Was it all because the two kingdoms were to be united by the prospectus wedding? Did a group of citizens from the other kingdom have anything against your Queen?

You kept thinking about the what ifs, signs you should have seen, but you still couldn’t rack your head around what had just happened. Upon your arrival back at the palace, the Queen asked you to accompany the startled Hyeri to her room instead of walking her back to her chambers since she had other servants who could help her now. You obeyed her, but your voice was shaky as you responded to her, and your hand trembled when you reached out to hold onto the court lady. It could have been you as well, you could have died that day…

“It’s all okay. You’re safe now,” you mumbled to Hyeri nevertheless, trying to soothe her nerves, but you could still see how frazzled she was. Even when you left her after she had thanked you for your assistance and denied that she needed anything else, you could clearly see how terrified she was. You told her that she shouldn’t hesitate to call for you if she changed her mind and needed anything. Afterwards, you left her behind and started aimlessly walking around the court until your legs didn’t feel wobbly anymore. You needed time and some fresh air to clear your mind.

You were just about to head to the court ladies’ house when you walked into prince Jinyoung who looked just as shaken up as you deemed that you had been some time ago. His usually delicate locks sat on top of his head messily as if he had been running his hand through his hair more often than it was necessary, his jet-black eyes were painted with agony, his facial expression alarmed and his voice shaky when he spoke up.

“Are you… alright?” His words came out raspy, as if he was still trying to catch his breath. Did he come to the court ladies’ area after hearing the news? Why did he seem so uncharacteristically concerned? The usually stern and reserved prince didn’t usually meddle with the servants’ business as you had seen. He was on good terms with his soldier friend, Seunghun, and one of the magical medics, Byounggon, but he usually didn’t worry about the court ladies’ safety. Some said that it was because he didn’t want to be swept up in rumours while you deemed that it was only natural since he was royalty, and of the obedient type.

You bobbed your head, though you were at a loss for words seeing him in this state.

“Are you sure you don’t need more medical assistance?” The prince continued, taking a step closer to you as if to examine if you had visible injuries. However, the way he worded himself sent waves of warmth through your body.

“Oh, it was not me who drank the tea. It was court lady Kim,” you justified to the prince whose lips formed a surprised ‘O’ in return. Other than that, he didn’t seem taken aback, more like a bit coy, but his features softened as if he had been relieved by your answer.

“Oh… is she alright, too?”

“Yes, I helped to accompany her back to her room,” you explained, trying to keep the shaking out of your voice. You had never thought before that being in the court could mean that you were in direct danger because you weren’t a soldier or a bodyguard, but it seemed that there were multiple ways one could weaken a King on the throne.

You heard a door opening and carefree chatter coming out of a house nearby, so instinctively, you grabbed the prince’s robe and pulled him to the wall of the nearest house, into the shadows. You couldn’t really tell what took hold of you, but it felt oddly wrong to be so out in the open with just the prince. It was different in the garden when there were just the two of you. It was like your little hideout, an island of solace, a place of security, however now, you felt like you were stripped bare.

Prince Jinyoung’s eyes widened in surprise at first, but he must have guessed your reason for bringing him with you out of the public eye because he didn’t protest, nor did he ask why you had acted this way. Instead, he peeked out from behind the wall, then back at you.

“And you? Are you alright?” He asked as if he had just continued from where he had left off. “This must have shaken you up.”

The way his words were so gentle, so caring made you feel things that you shouldn’t have. If the prince was the moon that lit the way for the people of the kingdom, the light in the darkness, the hope in the unfamiliar, you would be the sun that shone only during daytime, shining bright until night came, and the moon took its place. You two weren’t supposed to encounter each other, let alone seek out time to see each other.

He shouldn’t have cared about you, and you shouldn’t have let him, but still… You couldn’t lie straight to his face.

“I am… I just…” You wanted to say so much, yet the words died on the tip of your tongue. Your heart was way heavy, the flashbacks of the scene in the dining room even heavier, and you felt a drop of tear sliding down your cheeks as you were trying to pull yourself together. You had to stay strong, you couldn’t show him vulnerability. He couldn’t care about your vulnerability. “I am sorry, Your Highness. I do not want to bother you anymore. Please, go on your way,” you said instead, keeping your eyes down as you bowed.

You wanted him to go away, to stop caring, to stop looking at you, but he didn’t budge, and it was a rule that you could straighten up only when a royalty took the first step. However, he didn’t do so, instead, he tapped your shoulder, and helped you straighten up.

“You don’t bother me at all,” he mumbled like a secret, a feeble attempt at diminishing the gap between you two that should have always mattered, but he crossed it as if he didn’t see it at all.

And you, you weren’t strong enough to push him away. Not that day, not in the comforting shadows under the faint moonlight, not out of the public eye when he looked at you as if he was ready to give you the world. The hand that had rested on your shoulder before now slid to your back as he embraced you, holding you strong, holding you steady

The walls crumbled down, the shield of your heart taken away, your rational thoughts tossed aside. Now, there was only his comforting touch that put out even the tiniest flicker of resistance within you, and for a moment, you believed that this could be your reality, your present and future, and your forever.

After the incident, the palace was in uproar. They couldn’t let it slide as promised, and so the investigation started to get to the bottom of this. The royal family of Naturalia was helpful though, and soon enough, they found a group of rebels who didn’t want your kingdom to be in alliance, let alone in union with their kingdom because of the special magical plants they possessed. They deemed that it was their gift and their gift only. It made sense why the attack on the carriage had happened when a letter had been delivered to Naturalia, then around the borders when news had gotten around that a marriage deal had been proposed to princess Jinhee, then when the Queen and the princess had actually gone to visit the other kingdom.

They didn’t find all of the rebels though, and there was no guarantee that they wouldn’t attack again no matter the fact that peace was in both parties’ favour. So for now, the marriage proposal was put on hold, and instead, your kingdom tried to strengthen its ties with other alliances. After the passing of the King in Elementalia - the land of elemental magic where people could possess the ability to control fire, earth, water and air -, his rather young heir took place, but it meant that marrying one of their princesses off to another kingdom would secure their power with a boy king on the throne.

That’s how you found yourself in the room with the Queen, prince Jinyoung and other servants, listening to their conversation about prince Jinyoung marrying the princess in question.

“They are in a tight spot, and we are in need of securing our safety. Who knows when those rebels would attack us again? It is best if we do not push your sister’s marriage with prince Jaehyeong now, but rather, we reassure them that we will not make moves towards their kingdom. The best way to do that is to shift their attention to our other affairs… such as your possible marriage with the princess from Elementalia,” the Queen concluded confidently, but you could hear the indignation in her voice. Seeing one of her court ladies almost getting poisoned took a toll on her as it did on all of you. One of her court ladies had even resigned, feeling like her safety was threatened.

Needless to say, prince Jinyoung was also aware of the tension in the kingdom, and while you had only met him once since that embrace, he had seemed rather troubled then and now as well.

“And princess Yunkyeong is said to be a very intelligent, obedient young lady. You might not be interested in her now, but at least, give her a chance. Let us arrange a meeting with her, and see how you feel about her being your wife. I will not force you to make any rash decisions, but we-”

“We need this marriage deal now to reassure our people that our kingdom isn’t threatened. I know, Mother,” the prince cut her off, his voice void of any emotions. His face was also void of any emotions, save for the slight wrinkles forming on his forehead.

You wished you could do anything to help this situation, but in cases like this, your hard work didn’t mean anything. These affairs were bigger than you, bigger than anyone in the royal court. Plus, the Queen was right. Despite not talking explicitly about what had happened in both the carriage and the tea incident, word had gotten out, especially with the rebels making a ruckus around the border. The people were confused and scared, questioning what the royal family’s next move might be. It was best to reassure them with such prosperous news rather than talk about any uncertainty.

“I will come back when you feel ready to give me your answer,” the Queen suggested as she rose from her seat, and so the servants lined up behind her. As you got in line, you made the mistake of looking at the prince, and he looked back at you, though you couldn’t exactly say you knew exactly what he was feeling. However, a shadow of sorrow passed through his features, but you didn’t know what it was for. Or rather, you didn’t want to know.

So you kept your eyes on the ground even after straightening your back from bowing at the prince, and didn’t look back.

You purposefully didn’t go to the garden afterwards. You could have said that you didn’t have time or you were too troubled by the recent events, but the truth is, you merely wanted to avoid meeting the prince. If you hadn’t had conscience before, now you would have felt like you had betrayed the Queen and all that she had worked so hard for if you had kept up your encounters with prince Jinyoung, and the people had gotten to know about it. Such news might even prompt princess Yunkyeong and her family to step back from their marriage proposal. After all, a prince and a court lady should never meet under private circumstances, let alone embrace in the shadows.

Now more than ever, you regretted letting prince Jinyoung console you in your state, you should have known that it would lead to nothing good. You should have stayed strong, you should have never shed tears in front of the prince. On the other hand, you knew, you knew very well with prince Jinyoung’s personality that he wouldn’t have felt compelled to embrace you even if you had been crying. He had done it because he had wanted to, but this thought only weighed down on you even more. What were you two doing anyway? Even if you had moments when you could have believed that your feelings would be reciprocated, the question wasn’t whether they would be reciprocated, but just how wrong it would be if they were reciprocated? You couldn’t fall in love with a prince.

Nonetheless, it was too late. You felt that bittersweet tug whenever you walked to your room straight after finishing your duties for the day without wandering around in the garden, you felt a wave of childish thrill go through your body whenever you caught sight of similarly pitch-black locks as the prince had - though you knew that it couldn’t be the prince for the royal family always wore white and the court members always wore burgundy-black -, and you felt your heart yearning for him, like a person coming up for air after being underwater for too long.

No matter how many times you tried to tell yourself that you could only make things worse if you felt everything so deeply, so grandly, your heart was at war with your brain, and it seemed that your brain was at defeat. Despite everything, you longed for what you had, for what you could have and for what you would never have with prince Jinyoung.

It didn’t make things any easier that you were there when the prince gave his answer to the Queen - that he would meet the princess in person -, you were there when they were arranging for the arrival of princess Yunkyeong and the Queen of Elementalia, and you were there when they arrived. You even needed to be the one to notify the prince that they arrived, and you felt a lump forming in your throat as you walked closer and closer to the prince’s chamber. You felt like your legs were made of steel, your limbs numb and your heartbeat as erratic as it could be.

Even though you had never been to the prince’s chamber, you knew where it was for it was the room closest to the Queen’s own chamber. Knocking on its door made you think of scenarios where you could do the same, but you quickly got rid of all of these silly fantasies. After all, they were nothing more than fantasies, irrational wishes and ultimately bullets through your already fragile heart.

When the prince answered, you opened the door to his chamber, and you made your way inside, bowing immediately before letting him know about why you were there. You could see that prince Jinyoung was both surprised and reassured by your presence, but he pursed his lips into a thin line when you explained the reason behind your visit.

“What do you think about this marriage?” The prince asked abruptly, and for a moment, you felt like icy thorns were invading your throat, making it impossible to speak, gulp or even breathe. Why did he have to make this even more difficult?

Deep inside, your rational side managed to break free from all the fantasies, and reminded you that you would only make things worse if you acted as if you were affected by the possibility of prince Jinyoung marrying a princess. As he should have after all. So you pulled yourself together, and tried to word yourself very diplomatically.

“I believe it is a very beneficial one, and princess Yunkyeong is said to be a lovely young lady as well, Your Highness,” you reasoned, keeping your voice steady. You even managed to keep eye-contact with him, and you saw confusion flash across his features. He seemed weary, someone who hadn’t been sleeping well because of his tormenting thoughts, and you wished to soothe the wrinkles on his forehead, to feel the warmth of his touch again, and to hold his hand to reassure him that everything would be alright, but you knew it was all just wishful thinking. It was all just a lie.

The prince took a few steps closer to you and you took a few back because you didn’t know what he was about to do without saying a word. Your back almost touched the door, and in a fraction of fragile seconds, he closed the said door, and turned back to you. This way, no one in the corridor could see you or listen to you two.

“Is that what you honestly think?”

His gaze was piercing, almost burning, and it felt like he could see right through you. His usually warm orbs reflected sadness, sorrow and bitterness - something that you saw reflected in your own ones recently. Seeing him in this state made you feel even worse for lying to him, but you had to. Words were your only defence now.

“Yes, Your Highness. I wish nothing but the best for you.”

“Do you believe it would be the best for me if you kept this up, and I would lose you in the meantime?” He kept going on strong, almost demanding, but you could detect the thorn in his words, you could detect his fear. Even though he wasn’t as close to you as he had been when he had embraced you in the shadows, you still felt like he was about to break down your walls. You couldn’t let that happen. Not this time.

“I do not believe that my presence should matter that much, and besides, we should hurry to-” You tried to direct the conversation back to the way it had started, but the prince cut you off, and the sincerity, the pain and the same longing you felt laced his words, and you were rendered speechless.

“It does matter that much even if you might not think so. So just once, can’t you be honest with me? Can’t you tell me what you really feel?”

Amongst many, there was one thing about prince Jinyoung that made him a likely successful heir to the throne: no matter what he said, he could make others believe it, no room for doubts. His voice was always confident, no cracks or wavers, but now, his voice shook. It shook like a man’s during prayers, during struggle and during darkness. As if he was desperate.

You physically ached to give him the answer he wanted, but you were already hurting so much, so you made a promise to yourself that no matter how and when you would meet him again, you wouldn’t let it continue the same way as it had done before. The sooner you could put an end to it, the less it would hurt.

Or so you assumed.

“I do not understand what you intend to say with it, Your Highness, but my duties lie with the Queen, and I always, always put her commands first,” you emphasised sternly, masking your tone in a coldness that you had never found within you before. “So if you could follow me now, that would make my job easier,” you added, strictly drawing the line between you two, and before waiting for his answer like you should have according to the etiquette, you walked around him, opened the door and walked out.

You expected him to follow you, and he did, but you were thankful that he didn’t walk beside you because you had to bite your cheek to keep your tears from flowing. It hurt for you to be so rigid to him, but that was the only way you could put a distance between you two.

So why did it hurt so much? Why did it pain you more to lie to him than if you had just been honest with him? If this was love, why did it hurt so bloody much?

It turned out that princess Yunkyeong was indeed a lovely young lady, and seeing her interact with the prince made you feel undeniably bitter because she was so bright, so considerate and so patient, you wished you could have turned back time to never make him feel anything because you knew why he was so distant. Even though he was trying not to appear stern, you could see the way his facial expressions changed in a fraction of a second when he turned away from her. You knew that the reason was you.

Nonetheless, you hoped that he wouldn’t cling onto the foolish hope of you two ever having your own happy ending because just as much as you would have liked to delude yourself into thinking that you could have anything together, it would be simply impossible as long as you were a servant and he was a prince. Which meant that you could never do so.

So when you heard after the princess’ visit that the prince had given in to the marriage, you should have felt relieved, yet you would be lying if you said that you were. After all, it would mean that you would see the princess around all the time because she would move into the palace after the wedding, and though the pain might numb after a while, her presence would always remind you of what you could have had if it had been for different circumstances.

You tried not to think about it, you really tried, but there was a pang in your chest whenever you and prince Jinyoung were in the same room when he met up with the Queen, and despite not catching each other’s eyes, your heart couldn’t sit still. The same went when you walked by him in the corridor, just one look at him and the fact that you could never be close again almost felt like the consequences of getting burnt. You were too close to the fire, but you were tempted, so you touched the flames, and now you were hurt, yet still yearning to do it again. Now you understood the expression that you would walk through fire for someone, you really did.

You were almost glad that the Festival of Day and Light happened a few days before the wedding because you could get time off to visit back home, to visit the festival because the Queen was preoccupied with the wedding arrangements, and hence, she would stay inside her chamber for most of the day.

It was the usual yearly festival for the fall equinox, and when you had been younger, you had been ecstatic to spend this day with your mother, to commemorate the gift of light, and to light a candle for all your loved ones, wishing them a bright year. There were all kinds of games for kids, stalls of delicacies lining up on the main market square, people lighting candles and placing them on the riverside that crossed the capital of the kingdom, and white or yellow decorations in the shape of stars, the Sun and the Moon.

Despite the usual joyous atmosphere of the celebration, ever since your mother had died, you hadn’t gone out to celebrate it as your father wasn’t the kind to believe in such things. So this year as well, you went home for the day, had a meal together with your father, helped him around the house, talked about everything that came to mind, then headed back to the palace later at night. Yet, there was no way you would be able to go around the celebrations on the main market square, so you mindlessly walked through it.

To be precise, you wanted to, but an elderly woman with an impossibly wide smile shoved a candle into your hand, and looking down at it, you didn’t have the heart to not light it up. So you walked to the edge of the river, a less crowded part of it, and crouched down to touch your candle to the wick of another one, watching as the flame moved from one candle to the other.

Then, you placed yours on the ground, closed your eyes and wished for your father’s health, your mother’s comfort in the spirit realm, the court ladies’ perseverance, the Queen’s well-being and even for prince Jinyoung’s happiness. You really wished nothing but the best for him even if you weren’t a part of it.

When you opened your eyes to the world around you and straightened up, you didn’t expect to find a familiar pair of jet-black eyes staring back at you. Your heart and mind didn’t even have time to protest, the words already rolled off your tongue.

“Your Highness,” you greeted him with your mouth slightly agape, then pulled yourself together for a proper bow. He placed his index finger on his lips - just like the time he had picked up the hairpin for you -, and the déjavu of the whole situation sent a chill down your spine.

He indeed looked like he didn’t want to be seen as he didn’t wear his trademark white robe, but a burgundy-black one with a hood that now covered most of his face, but you could never mistake his orbs for anyone else’s. You had stared into them, you had gazed at them and you had daydreamed about them enough times to be able to recognise them anywhere.

“What are you doing here?” You inquired quietly. It wasn’t unheard of that the royal family members went out for such celebrations, but then they walked into the sea of people in their usual clothes with bodyguards around them. This time, the prince seemed to be alone, and you expected him the least out of anyone since his wedding was just around the corner.

“I’ve never had the opportunity to light a candle. I’ve gotten Seunghun’s clothes, so that I could come here in peace, and then I saw you here…” He trailed off by the end as if he wasn’t sure that he should have said so much, but you could understand him. Especially after how you had lied to him last time.

“Should you be here so close to your wedding?”

Your question might have been assumed to be laced with malice, but you didn’t ask about it out of spite. You were concerned about him, that’s all. You knew how fussy the Queen was about the whole wedding, and it took a toll on prince Jinyoung (or was it that he still didn’t let go of you?). The last thing you had expected from him these days was to see him at the festival.

“Probably not,” he replied, and despite the tense question, the corner of his lips curled upwards, a bit childish and a bit bashful. Not the expression you had expected to see on him given his general state nowadays.

However, the prince didn’t seem guilty now, but there was definitely melancholy in his features. His lips couldn’t bloom into a full smile, his eyes weren’t twinkling, and his limbs were all tensed up as if he was ready to bolt anytime. Maybe he really was, seeing how he covered himself up.

Your heart ached for him, for all the possibilities that were crushed by the sole difference between your ranks, and for all those endless fantasies he had been a part of, ones that popped into your mind whenever you let your mind wander off, whenever you caught sight of him at the palace, and whenever you walked by the pond in the garden. Even though the latter had become a place of solitude, a safe haven for you, now it was just another thing that reminded you of your pain. The wound was there, and it was still open, it was still bleeding, no wonder it was difficult to wait out the time it would start to heal.

And in a way, something in your gut told you that he was the same. His following words proved it, too.

“But I’ve wanted to wish for someone’s bright future even if I won’t be a part of it,” prince Jinyoung suddenly broke the silence, his voice coming out raspy. He crouched down to light his own candle as he continued, but you were glad that he couldn’t see your face because his words struck you to your very core. “I felt like I wasn’t supposed to tell her after what we’ve been through and that she wouldn’t let me tell her how I wish the best for her, so I came here instead. I was hoping that my wish would somehow be carried forward.”

The more he talked, the more certain you were that he was talking about you, and instinctively, tears began to spill. You tried to hold them back, but they found their way to the surface, and all you could do was to sob silently, hoping that prince Jinyoung would look at his candle for a long enough time, long enough for your heart to prepare itself for a response, for your heart to prepare itself for a possible goodbye.

You reached to wipe the tears off your face, but as the prince straightened his back, that’s exactly what he caught you doing, so there was no turning back. You let your sobs reverberate through your body, your words following the rhythm of your tears like raindrops on a windowsill.

“I’m sorry,” you mumbled through tears, not being able to look him in the eye. So you just stared at your shoes instead while your tears dropped to the ground one after another. Drip… drop… drip… drop… “I thought that being harsh would be the only way I could make it hurt less, but it still hurts so much.”

“I know. I don’t blame you,” came the answer almost immediately, and when you looked at prince Jinyoung through the waterfall of your tears, you saw the same kind of longing that you dressed your features in these days. If anything, that just made you feel worse. Why couldn’t you be as heartless as last time?

You sobbed quietly, hoping not to attract unnecessary attention, but this part of the riverside was pretty quiet, and the stillness of it all magnified the loudness of your beating heart. You felt like it would break through your ribcage to find the prince’s own heart because it was what it sought after. Too bad that you couldn’t listen to your heart now…

“I’m sorry, too,” prince Jinyoung added, his voice cracking by the end.

You knew what was to come even before it happened, but as opposed to last time, you didn’t feel warmth, you didn’t feel comfort. When the prince embraced you, there was pain; because when you share the same kind of pain with someone, your pain is amplified by the other’s pain. It was a gawking, raw, soul crashing kind of ache, one that you felt in your bones, in your veins and in your heart. You couldn’t even do anything about it, your arms just hung idly by the prince’s body, your tears spilling endlessly, words abandoning you and sobs scratching your throat instead.

You couldn’t tell how much time had passed by when the prince let go of you, but you had a feeling that it was for good. When he squeezed your hand gently, you could feel the hesitation only for a short moment, and then, he slowly slipped through your fingers, all of your remaining hope leaving with him.

The walls that he had broken down now laid at your feet, lifeless and in multiple, messy pieces.

You somehow pushed through the wedding, but afterwards, you kept coming down with something, and even Byounggon’s healing and the medics’ tips couldn’t help because it just kept coming back, so the Queen granted you indefinite leave to go back home and to recharge yourself.

The truth is, once you were off the palace grounds, you got better, and you had a feeling why. On top of that, your father was also feeling poorly, so you were glad that you could be at home during this time. The truth is, ever since you had left for the palace 16 years ago, you hadn’t spent more than a week straight at home, so now that you were there, you realised just how much time had passed by, just how lonely your father must have been, how worn out your old shoes had been, and how loaded all your bookshelves were.

You made yourself busy in and around the house, cleaning up, buying new pillows for yourself and new clothes for your father (it seemed that he didn’t like spending money on himself, rather on books), picking up some herbs for your father from the nearby medics - from two young men, Hyunsuk and Yonghee, who were said to be good friends -, cooking, sewing clothes that were torn, reading the books you had not yet read from the shelves, and daydreaming about how you would take prince Jinyoung to your home, how you would lead him around the house and how you would introduce him to your father… if the circumstances had been different, and he hadn’t been a prince married to a princess.

The news of the royal family reached your neighbourhood as well, so you knew that the prince was on a trip to Elementalia with his wife, and maybe that’s what prompted you to go back to the palace then to formally hand in your written resignation.

The Queen didn’t seem taken aback by your decision, in fact, she rose from her usual sitting position, put her hand on your trembling ones, and gave you an almost motherly smile.

“Thank you so much for your service in the past 16 years. Your mother would be exceptionally proud of you. I wish nothing but the best for you and your father,” she said as she sent you on your way, and when you walked out of her chamber and passed by prince Jinyoung’s own chamber, you knew that it was for the best. Maybe some would say that you ran away from him, but you knew that you couldn’t have run away from the pain even if you had tried. So you had tried to give yourself space and time to decide what would be the best for you, and both your body and your heart thanked you for this decision.

You couldn’t help a teardrop roll down your cheeks though as you stepped through the gates - probably for the very last time -, flashbacks washed into a wheel of events; so much laughter, so much learning, so much love and so much pain. Like the different colours of a rainbow, all of these were needed to make you who you were today, and even though you didn’t believe in forever anymore, you would always, truly, deeply wish for nothing but the best for prince Jinyoung. He had given you so much care and affection, and this was the only way you could repay him.

A/N: I managed to finish writing and proofreading this story in time for the comeback, but I didn't think that it would top all the pain that the comeback might cause. Sorry for that, but I hope that you enjoyed the angst of it!

How do you like the comeback, the MV and the album? Do you have a favourite song? I love suffering, and I love emotional MVs, but the MV and the whole album were on another level in the best way possible. I think the boys outdid themselves again, and I'm super proud of them!

All in all, I hope you enjoyed the story! Thank you so much for reading it! ❤️

If you want to read more stories of mine, let it be for CIX or for other bands, consider signing up for my taglist here.

On top of that, keep your eyes out for the other boys' stories set in this universe! 😉

#cix #jinyoung #cix imagines #cix scenarios #cix x reader #cix x you #jinyoung scenarios #jinyoung imagines #jinyoung x reader #jinyoung x you #bae jinyoung scenarios #bae jinyoung imagines #bae jinyoung x reader #bae jinyoung x you

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blackbat05 · 1 year

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We’re a Duo

Jake Kim/Kim Gimyeong x Reader

Summary: The stubborn Number 1 of Big Deal has went AWOL again. Only this time, he wasn’t going to be alone.

Genre: PG-13

A/N: PTJ must have heard me and gave Jake crumbs!

“What do you mean?” You almost dropped your phone. “Jason, what do you mean Jake left for the first affiliate?”

A long stretch of silence passes and you hear the third in command sigh.

“The first affiliate seems to be the final piece that Jake needs. If he finds Jinyoung…”

“He’s one step closer to finding out the real reason behind his father’s death.” You finished the sentence, a sinking feeling in your gut.

You were no stranger. You knew Jake openly despised his father for the womanizer he was. Yet, his death was so unjust. Even if Jake hated to admit it, he was too much like his father. He couldn’t tolerate injustice.

And then, there was Sinu. The sacrifices that the former leader of Big Deal made. The time that couldn’t be earned back. If Jake had it his way, he would have burned down Workers if he could. He would kill Charles Choi himself.

All he wanted was to find answers and to end it once and for all. But he couldn’t bring you into this. Not when he had burdened you with so much already.

“Damn it… I told him not to go alone…” Jason lets out a noise of frustration. “He’s going to get himself killed.”

An odd wave of calm washes over you. Walking to your room, you opened your cupboard, staring at the contents with resolve.

“No he’s not. I’m not letting him die on my watch.”

***

Jake adjusts his cap, before slipping into the back door. For a first affiliate, this was too easy. He couldn’t let his guard down yet.

The smell of disinfectant pervades his nose, tickling his throat. Jake moves down the hallway, attempting not to attract any attention to himself.

He can’t help but to let his mind linger, the image of today morning deeply etched in his mind. The image of your soft snores as he left. How you must hate him now.

As he reaches the end of the first corridor, a hand reaches out to grab him, pulling Jake into the spare room. Raising his fists, he prepares to go into defense, only to smell a familiar scent of hand lotion.

Jake manages to adjust his vision to the darkness and he finds himself inches away from your face that was a mixture of disapproval and worry.

“I know you’re the boss of Big Deal, but news flash - there’s only so much you can do on your own. You don’t even know what you were walking into!” You hissed.

“Babe, you can’t-”

You cut him off, “Did you not hear what I just said? If you’re going, I’m going. So what’s the plan?”

Despite the unfavorable location the two of you are in, he can’t help but to admire your spitfire personality.

“We need to get the doctor alone. But he’s always with his… bodyguard. I would like to take them on but…”

You nod. “Injury. I get it. You get the doctor, I’ll distract the guard.”

He blinks, trying to process what you just said. Maybe it’s because you didn’t see the guard, for he was three times the size of you. Not that Jake doubted your capabilities or anything but-

“You guys think it’s all about the fists,” you wagged your finger in the dark, as if you read his mind. “Just watch and learn.”

Before Jake could say anything, you slip out of the room quietly, putting your plan into action. With bated breath, Jake watches you through the tiny gap of the door.

You pretend to look lost, walking in the direction of the hulking figure. Bumping into him, you see what Jake had meant. The guard had almost gave you a concussion.

“Oops! Sorry about that. I was trying to find the reception. Do you know where it might be?”

You had to hand it to the guard as he didn’t flinch at your sweet attempts or batting of eyelashes. However, he did raise his eyebrow and the edge of his mouth formed a thick straight line.

Yeah, maybe you should have came up with a better excuse seeing that this was a restricted area.

Whipping out the bottle, you didn’t give him a chance to react as you sprayed the liquid on his face.

“What the-” He tries to clean the green substance off his face without much success. You catch Jake’s vision and signaled that the coast was clear. Despite his cap, you could see that he was fighting to keep his rage in.

Towering over the man that has now slumped onto the floor, Jake grabs his collar.

“I’m only going to ask this once. Baek Hangyeoul. Where is he?”

Even in his dazed state, realization flashes across the man’s face. “You must be Jake, Joongoo told me all about you… you stand no chance… when they know I’m gone… they’ll find you and kill you.”

You couldn’t stand the greasy look that he was giving you and the attitude that he was showing to Jake. You sprayed more of the substance before kicking the daylights of him.

“I doubt they will even know you’re gone you worthless piece of trash.” You stand to full height to see Jake looking at you with amazement.

“What?”

“You never told me you were this badass.”

You snorted at his choice of words. “You never asked. I spent my time perfecting the chemicals while you were looking for Sinu.” You referred to the bottle of liquid in your hand.

Jake knew you didn’t mean it but a pant of guilt hit him once more.

You turned, finger gently caressing his scared nose. “You did what you had to do. But now, you don’t have to do it alone alright?”

He holds your hand in his, enjoying the intimate moment. A flurry of movement could be heard further down, breaking the moment. You pry yourself away reluctantly from Jake, preparing for combat.

“Now, let’s go get that son of a bitch.”

#jake kim x reader #kim gimyeong x reader #kim gimyung x reader #lookism x reader

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knightyoomyoui · 9 months

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The Tale Of The Bloodline | TWICE MiSaMo (Mina, Sana & Momo) x Male Reader- CHAPTER 8: “Authorized For Responsibility”

Previously on TTOTB: CHAPTER 7- [Double Coronation]... "I guess, welcome to the family."

As Sana reads the words again and realized that Yuta himself gave that scarf to her, that only confirms one thing.

She finally did it. She is now an official honorary member, an Honorary Muse for The Bloodline.

Sana became delighted and jumps in glee. She excitedly wears the scarf around her head and neck then raised her arms in glory. Yuta just amusingly watched Sana being very happy with the gift.

Sana quickly high fives and hugs Mina and Momo who couldn't contain their happiness for their new co-member and friend. For YN though who is uncomfortable and humiliated, Sana mocks him closer to his face before facing Yuta.

"Anything you wanna say?" Yuta smirked.

"Yes. As a matter of fact, I do. I ACKNOWLEDGE YOU, EMPIRE CHIEF!"

Sana stepped forward to approach Yuta, circling her arms to embrace him thankfully which made him unaware of.

Yuta felt Sana shake through her sniffs as she finally cried on his shoulders. To comfort and be guilty of the prank that he planned to do to make her mistakenly believe that she's going to be kicked out and declined to be part of his family, he made his apology with a simple caress and pats on her back while repeatedly telling her to slow down her cries.

The show ended with The Bloodline: Mina, Jinyoung, and Momo celebrates while YN is on the corner, watching Yuta and Sana hugging together with a frown and mixed feelings disturbing him inside, not with disappointment anymore... but because of something confusing that he couldn't yet exactly identify the reason why.

Later that night, The Myouis are scheduled to defend their tag team titles against one of the top teams in Knockdown roster known as BLACKPINK, composed of trio led by Lisa Manoban and her friends Kim Jisoo and Park Chaeyoung or Rosé as her alias.

With the newly crowned 'Honorary Muse' Minatozaki Sana earlier from her previous segment with Yuta Nakamoto alongside 'The Enforcer of The Bloodline, Hirai Momo, they guided The Myouis as they made their champion entrance through the ring.

Next was BLACKPINK, as Lisa watched on the ringside as her two friends attempted to compete and take the tag titles away from the cold-hearted duo.

The match has started, and as of now, it's been more than 10 minutes that it's still continuing. Rosé tags on Jisoo, who climbed and stood on the middle turnbuckle facing her partner, holding the arm of the beaten YN.

Rosé spread the arm and prepared it for Jisoo before it lunged and stomped at the poor arm, making YN kneel and groan in pain.

Mina was about to distract the referee when Jisoo quickly charged at her and delivered a speeding elbow to her face, stumbling the opponent.

The other half of Myouis was about to drop from the apron and out of the ring when both Jisoo and Rosé caught her shoulders and brought her back up as they moved her to the middle of the outside rope. They spread both her arms and hooked them around on the top rope; they stood on her sides.

The fans started to increase their volume of cheers when they recognized this signature move by the duo and dedicated it to their leader and friend, who originally owned the move. Both Jisoo and Rosé began slamming their wrists on Mina's chest alternately until they both hit 10 counts.

Jisoo then ran fast through the ropes and flung herself with a heavy elbow to the back of Mina's neck, who got yeeted away from the ring.

A few moments later, Mina got back in the ring. She was about to run towards Jisoo, but she pulled the ropes downward, launching her outside. However, she didn't notice that YN had made a tag.

The referee counted it; YN was about to attack, but Jisoo quickly got it with a side kick to the face. Both twins are now out of the ring. Jisoo saw Mina closer at her, so she delivered a moonsault at her and hyped up the crowd more, who applauded her assault.

Jisoo enters the ring but YN joins her as he ran only to be dodged, he bumped into the ropes and Jisoo gave him a suplex. The right hand man of the Bloodline is on all fours, Jisoo jumps and stomps both of his hands before executing a kick to the back of the neck.

Jisoo covers YN for a pin. "1...2..." but the latter kicks out. Sana on the ringside became nervous that the defending champs nearly lost there.

Jisoo grabs YN's hand and grips four of his fingers, dividing them in two. The crowd and even the commentators ooh-ed in pity as they knew exactly what the victim of this move will suffer through.

"Oh no, she may break YN Myoui's fingers!" Jisoo kept on splitting his fingers until she eventually snapped them before tagging at Rosé.

The aching YN allowed Rosé to slowly carry Hin from behind, turning him upside down on her back for a slam, but YN wiggled his body to prevent her from doing it perfectly, leading both of them closer to Mina, who tags at YN.

Mina went to the corner and booted the face of Rosé. YN flipped her underneath for a cover, only to break it when the twins found another idea. They both stood at each other and were about to deliver double superkicks at Rosé, but instead they got tackled so badly by the strength of BLACKPINK.

Rosé tags on Jisoo, and the crowd begins to cheer loudly as they feel like the end is getting nearer. Rosé carried Mina, and Jisoo kicked her head before Rosé slammed her down.

"Double team! Are we gonna witness new tag team champions tonight?!" commentator Knight Yoo asked as the referee began counting Rosé's cover.

"1....2..."

"Ohhhh that was close! YN Myoui breaking things up!" It was saved as YN rushes back in the ring and shoves Rosé away from Mina.

With all the fighters down in the ring, Sana, on the other hand, found a way to help. She grabbed some steel chairs underneath the ring and aims to give them secretly to Mina, who is near the corner, while Momo is distracting the referee.

However, Lisa caught her and snatched the chair from her. Lisa and Sana got into an altercation until Momo joined Sana's side, and they both badmouthed the leader until...

"Wait a minute! Yeri and Wendy! Red Velvet are here, attacking Lisa!" Knight exclaimed at the call as suddenly the rivals of BLACKPINK surprisingly appeared during the match as two of its members tackled Lisa while it was being distracted by Momo and Sana.

Lisa was successful in getting rid of them, though, but she got blindsided with a big boot when the leader of Red Velvet and the current Southeast Asia Champion, Bae Irene,

Irene pulls Yeri and Wendy back to retreat. They were caught by Jisoo and Rosé, who went outside and confronted them, only to be greeted by superkicks from YN and Mina.

"And The Myouis, looking to take advantage!" Knight said as they rolled back Jisoo in the ring. YN tags Mina to make her a legal competitor and for them to set up their finisher, The One And Done.

YN throws Jisoo to the ropes to bounce her back at him, carrying her body and allowing Mina to catch her head and pull it down as she crashes to the mat.

"One and Done! The Myouis' streak continues."

"Here is your winner, and STILLLLL the Japan Combat Federation Champion, YN and Mina... The Myouis!" ring announcer Song Jihyo declares the win for the defending champs.

Sana and Momo went to the ring as they celebrate their blood's victory. Sana hugged Mina for comfort as she noticed it holding her back painfully.

The referee handed the belts at the champs for them to raise and show to the disappointed crowd that they still rule the roster.

The show ended with The Myouis retaining as the Japan Combat Federation Tag Team Champions.

SEPTEMBER 30, 2023 | ONE WEEK LATER

"She's still obnoxious and unbearable." the fighter Jeong Yunho said to his friend Woozi as he pointed at Sana.

"Yeah, that's right."

"But yeah, now it's really bad." the two were agreeing on each other, not minding Sana who is now getting offended at their words, crossing her arms and frowning at the two.

"It's a whole new level and I get it, that's what happens when you take your head and let it being dragged along by Yuta Nakamoto."

"Listen to me very carefully, okay?" Sana had enough, now it's her turn to say something against these two fighters who acts tough but only ends up acknowledging the greatness of The Bloodline in the end whether they like it or not.

"You can disrespect me anytime you want, that's fine. Just understand something, when you disrepect me. It doesn't just mean to me..."

Sana tugged her scarf, showing the imprinted The Honorary Muse title at Woozi and Yunho.

"You are also disrespecting the entire Bloodline. Understand?"

"Look, Sana. You might consider yourself an Honorary Muse right now, when in reality here is that everbody here knows that you're nothing but a certified-"

"WAAAGHHH!!!" Woozi didn't get to finish his words when Momo charged at them, getting the two bumped at each other so badly.

"What do you say?! CERTIFIED WHAT?!" Momo pulls Woozi's hair and slams him repeatedly over the rolling shutters.

She proceeded to aggressively punch Yunho's head until Sana tried to stop and break her up from him.

"Say something! Say something!"

"They get it now, they understand. They understand, don't they?" Sana mocks at the two beaten bashers. "You're dealing with the Bloodline now!"

Sana and Momo watched them groan in pain on the floor before leaving and returning back in their locker room.

--------------------------

Because of the assault Momo did earlier on, that didn't make Woozi and Yunho let it pass easily. They visited General Manager Bang Sihyuk and requested that he make a match for them along with Minatozaki Sana and Hirai Momo of The Bloodline tonight to get their payback.

Fortunately, they were granted, and the match is now scheduled to happen. Momo and Sana got informed too, and that was no problem for them to beat up those two again as a lesson.

Momo and Woozi both tagged their respective partners. Yunho and Sana went to each other; he just pushed Sana hard twice as she landed on her back.

Throwing the Honorary Muse to the ropes, he carried her horizontally to perform a fallaway slam, adding more pain to Sana's spine.

"And now, Woozi is just teeing off Sana in the corner," commentator Lee Kwangsoo called as Woozi repeatedly pounded Sana's head until it lowered her body and made her look more helpless in his aggressive attacks.

"A full-headed steam, burying his shoulder on Sana's midsection." Knight described Woozi sprinting back and forth from one corner to another for him to catapult a shoulder block at Sana before doing it again.

He sensed Momo entering the ring, Yunho runs through the ropes, dodging Momo's attempted punch and shoulder tackles her out of the ring. Momo stood there, looking pissed off, as Woozi let out a pumped-up scream, releasing the stress he felt from the attack earlier.

Yunho continued to mock Momo until it finally got irritated, tempting Momo to grab a steel chair. She was about to enter with it to smash him, but the referee didn't allow her to do so as the weapons were illegal in the match.

Woozi appeared and held Momo's feet to intercept. Momo kicks Woozi away, only to get distracted by Yunho charging at her and plowing her out again from the ring.

Sana then surprises Yunho by rolling him from behind. The referee began counting at the cover, "1...2..." but Yunho kicked out at two.

Yunho gets up and was about to hook Sana, but he dodges and sets him up for a Purple Thunderbomb signature move. Sana pins Yunho, but it also kicks out at two.

Sana climbs through the turnbuckle, waiting for Yunho to slowly get up. As it did, she prepared herself to launch from the crossbody, but Yunho just flipped themselves up, and now he's carrying Sana horizontally again and reversing it with a jackhammer slam.

Yunho pins Sana, but Momo hurriedly breaks the count by shoving off Yunho. Momo gave him a couple of knuckles, but Woozi went for the rescue, now brawling against the enforcer of The Bloodline.

Momo pushes Woozi through the ropes; he dodges her attack and counters it with a knee to the face, sending Momo to the ringside area.

Woozi was about to take flight by catapulting himself through Momo, but Sana gripped his feet underneath the ropes, causing him to flip a little. She remained in the hold as Woozi tried to escape, but thankfully Yunho attacked Sana and threw her at the ring barriers.

Woozi, who is now free, tried to finally do it, but instead he got received by a midair defense when Momo used the folded chair to throw at Woozi as he nearly flew through him. The referee didn't see her doing it because he was checking up on Sana.

"Hirai Momo, launching a fastball of a chair into the face of Woozi, and now she's beating the hell out of him, Knight Yoo stated as Momo drove Woozi through the ring post and threw him out on the timekeepers area.

"The Street Champ is wrecking havoc here!"

"Now back in the ring, Yunho now giving shoulder blocks at Sana on the corner." Knight narrates. When Yunhi turned his body around to attack for the third time, Momo slowly backs up on the ring and tags at Sana.

"I don't believe Yunho realizes it. OH! A spinning kick from Momo!"

"Look at the intensity on the face of Momo!" Kwangsoo said as Momo lets out her battlecry.

She grabbed Yunho and stood him up, hooking his arm and execute her finisher, the Ultra Urinagi. The referee counts Momo's pin "1....2....3!" and the bell rang, a secured win for the Bloodline courtesy of Sana and Momo's tandem.

"Here are your winners, the team of Minatozaki Sana and Hirai Momo!!!"

The match ended with the referee raising both arms of Sana and Momo to present the winners.

---------------------------

After a match just ended for tonight's episode of Friday Night Knockdown, the camera shows backstage as Sana and Momo are walking together while the Honorary Muse is talking at her.

They're about to enter the Bloodline locker room, but Sana noticed that the handle didn't go unlocked at the first press until she did it again, and surprisingly, it opened and YN appeared in front of them.

"YN? W-what are you doing here?", Sana asked.

"You asking me what I'm doing here? Just came here to make sure my little cousin here is good, that's all." YN answered as he patted Momo's head who smiled at the contact.

"Uhh, I'd say that she's good I mean... do you saw what just happened earlier?"

"Yeah, I did. You guys won."

"Alright."

Momo excused herself to enter first and rest. Sana was about to follow her when YN paused her, watching over at Momo inside before closing the door.

"Wait a minute.", he said. Sana was a bit puzzled why she was stopped not until YN stared at her closer again, that familiar look of doubt.

"I see right through you, Sana. You got everybody out here getting fooled including my family and... I see right. through. you, Minatozaki Sana." YN points at her.

"This is your only shot, if you ever think about putting my family in jeopardy, I will get you. You hear me?"

"Alright." Sana smiled. "You know, maybe... maybe you should take it up with Yuta." She said as she tugged her scarf again and present the Honorary Muse title.

"Now, if you don't mind. I would like to get in on OUR locker room." Sana directs her hands on the door before she patted YN on the shoulder to step side and give her way inside. She enters and closes the door, leaving YN grunting in annoyance.

OCTOBER 7, 2023 | ONE WEEK LATER

After watching Momo win against her opponent in her match, the attention shifted on The Bloodline in their locker room, all seated in the couch.

"No joke, sis. She has been unbelievable." Sana commented on Momo's performance in her first month of being in the main roster. "It's such a great addition to The Bloodline. The Fighting Machine, right? I feel like I kinda have a good thing going on with her. I'm sort of taking them under my wing lately and it's really-"

"What do you mean 'taking them under your wing'?" YN interrupts, looking confused at Sana beside him. "You ain't down since day one, muse. She earned this over. That's my cousin, that's our family, muse."

"Hey, god calm down."

"What are you talking about?"

"Yeah alright, alright don't be such a hothead jeez."

"Hey, hey! Sana, call me a hothead one more time and I'm gonna get-"

"You're a hothead."

Sana and YN looked aside at Yuta who is massaging his head at the miscommunication between these two bitter individuals again.

"You are. You have always been a hothead."

"No, I didn't mean a-" Sana was about to explain but Yuta halts her to make sure it's fine.

"No, no wait. He's a hothead. We dealt with this through our whole lives." Yuta said. "The fact that you keep on doing this, that's a problem, and it's been our problem our whole lives."

"I don't want it to be my problem, so it's not gonna be my problem." Yuta glances over YN who felt guilt before switching at Sana.

"It's your problem now, Sana."

Yuta tilted his head and caressed his chin slowly, thinking about other things. The locker room was awkward silent. Mina, Sana, YN, and Jinyoung just don't know how to respond to that to avoid putting more stress on the Empire Chief.

Jinyoung and Yuta then looked at Sana, with Mina encouraging her to say something regarding that while YN, on the other hand, was glaring in disgust.

Sana who has been in shock in awe, slowly nodded her head and looked at every members before focusing on Yuta.

"O-okay."

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OCTOBER 3, 2023 | FOUR DAYS LATER

It's the season premiere of another episode of Monday Night War, and The Bloodline arrives in attendance for today's show except for The Empire Chief and the current Undisputed Japan Combat Federation Champion Yuta Nakamoto, along with his Special Adviser Park Jinyoung.

Sana and Mina were laughing together while Momo tried her best to stiffle herself as Sana narrated a funny story to them while doing her hilarious reenactment of what happened. The vibes were ruined, although YN showed up and made all three of them quiet.

"Oh, hey, YN, Sana greets him while she tries to ease herself down with heavy breaths but fails to do so as the thought of the story still makes her laugh, which easily caused Mina to join her too.

"What's so funny?" YN asked them seriously.

"It's not even important, so don't worry." Sana waves it off.

"Yeah you're right, but here you are having a good time yet we're suppose to out here handling our business tonight."

"Hey, relax brother. Chill, it's just a joke." Mina calms down his brother's naughtiness.

"He's actually right. We're out here for business." Sana agreed on YN.

"Yeah, we're here because we're about to everybody know that the Empire Chief is pulling up on Monday."

"In fact, let the Honorary Muse do some example of this. Let's make these fools put up on notice. Am I right?"

"Yeah!" Mina answered.

"Then let's do it."

All four of them started to walk at the backstage but suddenly they crossed paths with the duo TXT, Huening Kai and Choi Beomgyu.

"Well well well look at these suckers." Sana insulted the two immediately who are just doing nothing wrong but conversing at each other.

"Gentlemen." Sana tried to drew their attention. Kai and Beomgyu looked at them. "Hey, this message is for you and the entire War locker room. Next week is the season premiere, The Bloodline will be in the house including your Empire Chief Yuta Nakamoto so be prepared to acknowledge him."

Kai pointed at Sana with shaky finger. "Dude! Look who it is! It's the Honorary Muse and the hype woman of the century, Minatozaki Sana!" he enthusiastically told his partner.

"Along with The Bloodline, walking around here in War thinking like they own the entire arena." Kai twirls his finger up. "You don't own the arena, Sana. As a matter of fact, there is one thing- no, TWO things the Bloodline needs to acknowledge~ And that's de-"

"Woah woah woah don't do em like that, fam." Beomgyu prevents his friend.

"Hey, let him finish! This what huh!" Mina complained.

"Yeah, this what? Huh! If you say something disrespectful to the Empire Chief, imma give you two matching boots, Kai." YN said, mentioning Kai's injured feet which is sealed up with a brace.

"Oh you talk with a lot of aggression in your voice, huh." Beomgyu defends Kai as he talks back against YN. "How about I break my boots up on your ass?"

YN and Beomgyu went into a fierce stare at one another before Momo steps in between, replacing the focus of Beomgyu at her. She traced him from head to toe with angst.

"I'd like to see you try that on me." Momo challenged.

"Say less, fam. Let's see each other out there." Beomgyu smirked and accepted Momo's invitation.

-----------------------

Beomgyu runs at the ropes and tries to shoulder tackle Momo, but the fighter just barely moves from her position.

He tried again; now Momo got pushed through the ropes and took the turn to charge, but Beomgyu avoided it with a high leap.

Momo pushed Beomgyu on his back, back at the ropes. She formed herself and prepared to carry Beomgyu, but the warrior just did a cartwheel to skip her.

"What an incredible display of agility from Choi Beomgyu!" the commentator Kim Jongkook complimented him.

Beomgyu then proceeded to give Momo a powerful dropkick with pinpoint accuracy. Momo rolled out of the ring, where Sana escorted her and checked up on her.

Beomgyu mocked the pissed-off Momo, prompting her to return to the ring only to give her a crunchy slap when she was about to climb on the apron.

Out of control, Momo grabbed a steel chair, but Sana blocked her from doing so because it would cause a disqualification for her and grant Beomgyu the win instead.

"No, Momo not like that, okay?" Sana tries to plead at Momo.

"Hey, stop. I got her. That's my cousin." YN insisted. Sana just lets her do so and watches them talk.

Afterwards, the two are now fighting again in the ring. Momo sent Beomgyu on the ropes but again skipped her to perform a flying back elbow.

The lit-up Beomgyu went to the corner and charged at Momo, who was trying to take a little break at the opposite corner. He did a spinning splash and then a kick to the side of the head as a combo to add more damage to Momo.

Dazed and confused, it gave an opportunity for Beomgyu to lock Momo's arms for an underhook suplex. He covered Momo, and the referee counts "1...2..." but the baddest kicked out.

Sana tried to complain to the referee, climbing on the ring. YN joined her and instead of cooperating with her, she got a scolding rather from him.

"Hey, get down right now muse and let cousin handle it on her own!"

It only led both of them to argue with each other, with Mina just watching them problematically. With the referee and Beomgyu distracted by the conflict, Momo went for a superkick at him.

She pinned Beomgyu, but then again, the argument between YN and Sana is still not over. The referee just noticed it late and counted, but the time Beomgyu spent laying down on the ring was enough for him to recover and kick out at two.

Momo slowly gets up Beomgyu and tries to clothesline him, but Beomgyu avoids it and tackles Momo, yeeting her off the ring.

Sana went closer on the collpased and exhasuted Momo. "Hey, you got this. It's your match, cmon you have to win for The Bloodline."

But then again, YN approaches her and removes her off near Momo. "Leave her be and let her rest for a while."

"What's your problem again?!"

"I'mma get her myself. Just stay there."

YN took the turn to check upon Momo. However, the amount of disrespect and offense made by YN was too much for Sana already to contain.

She tugged YN's arm and had a deep staredown at him. "Look, what the hell is wrong with you? I wasn't doing anything at you but then you'll just make every thing a big deal to you!"

"Was I suppose to trust you when you're not even one of us, huh! I tell you stay put, then comply if you want to prove yourself right!"

"You're just making excuses as always, why couldn't you just admit and lessen down that-"

"Look out!!!" Mina warned them but their late reaction didn't helped them so. All three of them received Beomgyu's dive from the ring, effectively laying down them at once.

Beomgyu rolled Momo back in the ring as Kai cheers him for it. Sana who was the one that took the less bump, stands up and confronts Beomgyu.

"Do you understand that these are my buddies, my family-"

Beomgyu was too impatient to hear more nonsensical things, he slapped Sana straight to her cheek and returns to the ring. Kai teased Sana who is holding her face painfully.

He didn't realized that Momo countered Beomgyu with a spinning kick just as he arrived back in the ring. Momo did her battlecry and finished Beomgyu with Ultra Urinagi.

"1...2...3!"

"Here is your winner, Hirai Momo!!!" the ring announcer said with the referee raising her arm in victory.

OCTOBER 14, 2023 | ONE WEEK LATER

As Sana waits for her opponent's entrance, belonging to Kim Yongsun, or Solar as her nickname, who is one half of the popular tag teams and one of the longest tag champs in the history of the company group known as MAMAMOO, she talks with Momo, who will be accompanying her tonight on the match.

"You know, Momo. I really appreciate that you'll be here with me tonight. That's what I like about you; you're so reliable, unlike..."

Sana stopped speaking when they saw YN step beside her and eye them intently while furrowing his eyebrows.

"Oh, great. Perfect timing." Sana said, gesturing her hands at YN. "W-what are you doing here? Where's Mina?"

"Mina is currently handling some business. You know, it's a family thing." YN replied

"Well, I think if that was a family thing, she would've told me about it."

YN stared at Sana puzzledly, pursing his lips. "Real family." he enlightened.

Sana chuckled, bowing her head. "Okay, you know what. We don't have any more time for this." She looked at Momo standing behind her, crossing her arms. "Momo, you can hang back, you have a really big match here tonight. Just focus on what's important, okay?" she instructed.

"And YN, you're out there with me tonight, okay?" YN glared at her. "Let me make things clear around here, alright? I don't want to reapet on what happened last Monday, okay?"

"Yeah, I agreed. I agreed because you said you had it, so I let you get it, Honorary Muse."

"I know, I know."

They continued arguing with each other until, suddenly, they were cut off by the sound of a ringtone coming from Sana's phone.

She grabbed it and looked at the screen. "Oh, it's from the Empire Chief", YN scoffed.

Sana answered the call, putting the phone near her ear. "Yuta, hey. Yeah, no, actually I was about to go out there and I talked to him about it." She glanced at YN.

She looked away from him and rather at Momo to make him hear less about what she was going to say to Yuta. "Personally, I think he could've done something. I feel like he chose to do nothing. Yeah, no, I'm with him right now. I'm looking right after him." Sana stared at YN, who returned with a higher intensity of gaze at her.

She lowered the phone and handed it to YN. "He wants to talk to you."

Agitated, he snatches the phone from Sana's hand and pressed it on his ear. "Sup, man. Yeah, I know what you told me about Monday. You said I have to make her get the W but this fool said she had it now. Let me just-" YN paused from talking and showed some wincing expressions on his face.

"Y-you're the Empire Chief. I got you."

He aggressively returned the phone back at Sana, bumping her hand before looking away to control his temper.

Sana listened to whatever Yuta is telling her until Momo and YN were taken aback when Sana burst out a laughter.

"W-what he's saying?" YN pokes Sana using the back of his hand.

"It's just an inside joke, don't worry about it."

YN just looked away again, he sulked as he felt offended that Sana didn't bothered not to share it to him and kept it as a secret.

"Wait, Yuta my music is about to hit soon. We'll talk later, okay?"

Right on the spot, the producers played her theme in the arena. They all heard it and probably Yuta behind the call too.

"Gotta go, Empire Chief. Bye bye!"

She dropped her phone to the table and tapped both Momo and YN as she rushes out of the curtain while YN followed the Honorary Muse from behind after high-fiving at Momo and leaving her cousin for a while.

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