valhalla

[addictingkdrama]

#what a look

[brbogum]

hyekyungbr:

she returns to being the teenager she once ago was. the possession of her young self was thriving within her. exhilaration runs against her fingertips, dances with interest and excitement altogether. her brother was surely an entertainer. but this was a event that hyekyung had to give him applause for. the mysterious attributes to it, something she finds herself living for.

as she steps onto the floor, the hwang excuses herself from the guests that approach. to be honest, she was not prepared for the hour less conversations with strangers. ones she was not even sure would bring her favors and benefits. pointless, if so. her time was precious, evidently. and as brown orbs, covered by her mask for the night, scans the fairly crowded place, she ponders. bogum, sweetheart. you better be here tonight. the words runs in her mind, but said as if she could connect with her husband and perhaps they can. 

with the love she has for him, maybe it’ll reach.

her attention gets stolen in the next second. a gentle touch to her shoulder brings hyekyung to faces with a couple of folks. on cue, she draws a smile. of course. she was unable to focus on searching for her dashing man in peace. “good evening,” the woman begins. it was then her kids popped into mind. hopefully those ones were having fun. “hope your night is going well. i know hyunmin wishes for everyone to have a memorable time here.” her hands cross, fingers intertwine as she presses them against her dress. lord. babe. save me quick.

w. @brbogum 

even from outside here, a safe distance away, the warehouse is obnoxiously loud. for a (very long) moment, bogum is tempted to turn on his heels and leave. this scene? it’s not his style. it never has been; he prefers sophisticated over – he risks a look at some of the other guests, most of them scantily clad – trashy. a stark contrast from what the one hosting this event tonight is like, obviously. unfortunately, he’d made a promise to his wife. she’s always had a knack for making him relent, as he loves to see her smile and she knows how to exploit that. clearly her brother means a lot to her, so he knows it’d also mean a lot to her if he attends.

so he goes on inside. it’s crowded and full of masks, and – to his annoyance – bogum realizes it might take a while to even find the one he’s looking for. he’s scanning the crowd, looking for something significant, something to let him know how to recognize her. ah. there she is. it doesn’t take him too long. there’s no doubt in his mind that that’s his wife; the way she’s carrying herself is unmistakably her. he’s always been able to recognize her aura. elegant, beautiful. (he’s truly as smitten with her now as he was back when they first met).

he walks over with purpose. “excuse us,” it’s said politely to the person who’d ensnared hyekyung into conversation, with a smile that does not reach his eyes. none of them ever do, unless they’re directed at her. the one now on his arm, the one and only reason he’d even set foot inside. though he’s already whisked her off towards the midst of the dance floor with clear intent, he still has to ask, offering her his hand. “may i have this dance?”

[brbogum]

hyekyungbr:

behind familiar walls, even hwangs and ims dropped their facade. hyun becomes the little brother, happy to play the jester in the presence of maybe the only woman who could scold him and get away with it. hyekyung, a picture perfect martiarch, adorning herself with confidence and power, becomes the big sister who turns tiny in the embrace of a bear hug like hyun gave them. he gladly ignored her callout for his clothes and her lipstick, not bothered by the occurrence of a stain. one more tiny squeeze and he grants her freedom from his arms. an answer to her questions is yet delayed, hyun is eager to enjoy the presence of the head of hwangs to drop his announcement. he is light on his feet, nearly skipping inside when hyekyung calls for her husband. hyunmin couldn’t quite recall the last time the two men had been alone. maybe it was sometime before hyekyung’s marriage into the hwang clan, they surely had a talk or two about families, traditions - all that stuff hyun couldn’t care less for. ever since then, hyekyung had been gracing their encounters with her presence, maybe to keep a careful eye on the two men who couldn’t be more different from each other. it left space for silence and a lack of understanding for the other party but also the opportunity for friction and disagreements. maybe they did need a babysitter after all. “hyung! great to see you! you look sharp”, hyun complimented bogum, placing his hand on the other’s back with a firm slap but nothing that would knock him off of the ground. “i had no idea i was coming either. the stars aligned, like so many times.” hyun’s eyes fall onto the carefully arranged fruit basket on the couch table, probably meant for decoration instead of consumption, yet he snatches a perfect red apple from the top and invites himself to drop onto the couch, spreading himself like he owns the place. “fantastic news, you guys. you won’t believe it. i’ll be staying for a couple of months at least. imagine all the family dinners we will have!” a smile added on top of his bright expression before he takes a hearty bite of the apple, resting his arms on the back rest of the couch like he always did.

the exchanges between her husband and her brother was — to put it rather blunt: entertainment for her. the two conformed to an alpha status that the other dared to poke at. children that fought over the spotlight; kids that wanted to seem stronger, braver to their audience. hyekyung found it cute. although, perhaps a thought she would keep behind sealed lips. patience seeks in the seconds the two interact and subconsciously, she moves forward to fill in the gap between her and bogum. like a puzzle piece. she fits perfectly. her husband’s arm comfort around her as she tolerantly watches her brother. theres a faint peep, her mouth opens as hyunmin reaches for the basket. one that she was meant to gift a woman of the council before her lips tighten. “those were not for you.” she states with a ‘tsk’. regardless of her words, she knows the younger would complain about being too late with the warning. 

as the announcement draws from hyun, hyekyung feels surprised. her brother, the man that was always on his feet and never committed to a spot, was going to stay. and this was longer than his usual two days, one-week visits. hyekyung is pleased. having hyunmin in town meant she could keep a better eye on him. and therefore, he would hopefully get into less trouble. moreover though, he would be close to her. safe and in her presence. “that’s actually lovely.” she informs. a smile sketches her lips as she looks briefly at her husband. hopefully bogum would not be too upset about the news. “will you be staying with us?” 

the slap on his back doesn’t sting, but it has bogum closing his eyes for a split second, inhaling sharply through his nose in an attempt calm down and to soothe the oncoming headache he can already feel forming. don't kill him. don't kill him. don't kill him. the stars aligned? he’d push them out of orbit with their own bare hands if he had to; he had no desire to be in hyunmin’s company for longer than—wait. what? “you’re staying,“ he’s repeating, rather lifeless. it’s clear he doesn’t share his wife’s enthusiasm. so much for a bit of peace and quiet; his entire daily routine would be disturbed if he had to deal with this man for longer than one (1) hour.

but there’s something odd about this. for about as long as he’d known hyunmin, his brother in law refused to settle in one place for a long time. it didn’t make sense for him to suddenly decide to stay for a few months. “why?” he’s blunt about his wariness, clearly not trusting what seems to be a random decision but – knowing hyunmin – must be a calculated one. perhaps something had happened and his business had imploded, or worse, he’s looking to extend it.

at his wife’s last inquiry, he squeezes her waist a bit tighter, as if to signal her that she’s overstepping a boundary that she should be aware of: don’t fucking invite your brother to live with us. this woman will surely be the death of him, of this he's been aware of since the day he met her. “nonsense, my love,” he answers for hyunmin, quick to step in. “i’m sure your brother has a place to go home to, somewhere he’d rather be than here.” a place that’s not here, with them, because hyun would surely drive him out of his damn mind.

[brbogum]

brjinri:

gentle steps sound on the dark, polished floor as jinri follows the permission to step into the sacred office of hwang bogum. maybe the fondest memory of this room was when she had badly fallen from her bicycle as minwoo was teaching her the art of riding it ( poor boy, the guilt on his shoulders was heavy for days ) and bogum had carried the crying girl upstairs, pigtails messed up from the fall. the warm comfort of sitting on his lap eased her sorrow as he had sat down on his leather chair, pretended to mumble a magic spell and snapped his fingers right next to the bloody wound. whether it was actual magic or placebo, it did help and a band-aid carefully placed by him was the final cherry on top to make it all seem like a bad dream. now, jinri is too old to sit on her father’s lap. instead, she takes up the seat in front of his impressive desk, loaded with documents, files and notes. but never a chaos. she cannot recall ever seen this room in a messed up state and feels slight embarrassment when thinking of her own chaotic room just a couple of steps away. maybe today was the day she would finally tidy up. maybe. the leather felt cool against her skin. she gently started swaying in the swivel chair, catching herself with her foot when she was about to drift around too much and lightly pushed herself into the other direction. she nearly started the conversation with dad, you love me, right? but the fear of hearing a genuine, truthful answer started creeping up on her before she could say the words. “dad, you remember ara, right?” that was almost redundant. every hwang living in the house was more than acqauinted with the middle song sister, yet she didn’t have the heart to immediately spit out what was laying heavy on her heart.

looking at his daughter now, she looks small. almost frightful. he ponders, for a second, if she’s scared of him, or if she’s scared of the answer he’ll give the question she most likely wants to ask him. what other reason would she have for entering his office, if she doesn’t have something to say? it’s so different from when she and her brother were children, when she’d come up to him with bright eyes and an even brighter smile. does he miss it? that’s difficult to say. yes, he would like for his children to admire him, to look up to him; but most of all, he’d like for them to fall into place and fulfill their potential, carry on his name and continue to seize power with theirs, and that can’t quite happen unless he rules with an iron fist.

still, he supposes a part of him does miss the way her face used to light up whenever he arrived home.

but no matter. he’s a busy man, and her question is a silly one. he decides to entertain it, even if his patience is waning. “of course i remember her.” he remembers ara, the child with those determined eyes, who’d once upon a time told him – never quite asking – that she was to be the wife of his son. she’d been a dedicated one, up until she’d left and returned anew. instead of the positive influence she’d been on his son, she’d become the negative force in his daughter’s life. taking her out, distracting her from her studies, behaving like a tart. jinri’s behavior had already been on the verge of unstable, but song ara is the reason for her crossing that line. his smile is tight, tinted with disapproval. “why do you ask?

[brbogum]

brminwoo:

      events at keuroseu were occasions to remember without exceptions. they celebrated graduation ceremonies just as lavishly. the end of congratulatory speeches was the signal for all the bachelors left to reunite with family and friends. camera shutters went off, flower bouquets were delivered, and embraces turned into the most common gesture.

on the way out of the venue, the generation’s valedictorian was quickly approached by one of the night class professors. she offered her respective words of praise for his achievement, which minwoo accepted with enthusiasm. however, the rest of the conversation did not exactly go in the way the instructor expected.

guilty of delusion or innocence, she questioned him in regards to sending his application to law school. for the bar exam, after another three years of studies, would result in a piece of cake to him. minwoo replied with a simple no, i don’t think so, to soften the jab, to stop an attempt at convincing. once, he did consider that option too.

while many great minds stepped on the grounds of the sky universities, his obligation was to assume the role as heir apparent. it was the position assigned at birth and it usually involved sacrifice. some kind of self-promised greatness expected him in the darkness of the vampire council. he assured her that he had already contacted a member from snu’s moot court team just in case. he excused himself after spotting someone important in the crowd.

❝dad, finally! where are mom and jinri? did you lose them?❞ minwoo asked when he noticed bogum was there by himself.

@brbogum

impatiently, bogum tapped his foot. he’d been waiting to speak to his son for quite a while now, yet at every turn there’s a distraction waiting to happen. first, it’d been jinri somehow disappearing from sight, not even letting them know when she’d be back. now, it’s the woman he barely remembered as one of the instructors, ensnaring his son into useless conversation.

“was that your professor?” he’s asking in the same moment his son acknowledges him. the raise of his brow implies that he’d overheard the conversation, questioning. he’d never heard a peep from his son about any wishes to go to law school, promises of him becoming the next head of council who had no need of such things already on the tip of his tongue if there was need to remind him.

“i believe your sister has run off to congratulate your… mutual friend,” there’s a pause, as if saying the name ‘song ara’ would summon the devil itself. it might as well. “your mother has gone to retrieve her.” he’d offered to do it, but his wife had insisted. possibly because she wanted him to be there to greet minwoo, give him his congratulations. as if he craved validation.

well. he doesn’t want to disappoint. “you have done well, son.” and it’s true; when he’d been sitting in the crowd of parents who had to settle for their mediocre children and their barely passing grades, he’d watched minwoo receive his diploma, feeling a sense of pride knowing his son had outdone himself. his hand reaches for minwoo's shoulder, squeezing. “congratulations.”

[brbogum]

brjinho:

brjinri:

excited giggles accompanied jinri as she pulled the oldest cha through the crowd. poor him. he had gotten himself into yet another troublesome night when he probably only carried the purest intentions. jinri had taken off her mask for a mere second, feeling her makeup becoming runny under the fabric and the hot party lights dangling from the ceiling as she danced the night away. she had only odd looks for the tall figure that tapped her shoulder, not recognizing who was standing before her under the extravagant outfit. when the stranger granted her a glance under the mask, excitement was tough to contain. jinho, exactly the person she had been looking for. without another word she had gotten ahold of him. with their last encounter at a social event in mind, jinho probably knew what was about to happen. the naked brick walls of the warehouse backyard gifted them the perfect protection from curious eyes. quickly rummaging around in her clutch, jinri pulled out the usual desired suspect of the night, this time already perfectly rolled and ready to use. “cannot withstand the thrill, hm?” she said playfully, putting the cigarette between her lips and inhaling to support the lighter’s ignition. “i don’t blame you. promise.” she filled her lungs with a salvaging deep inhale, fully embracing the blend of previously ingested alcohol and now the hit of the drug. “aren’t those parties the absolutely sickest thing? how does he do it everytime?” jinri said, admiring her uncle’s endless skill of throwing together such events before handing jinho the cigarette. / / @brjinho & @brbogum

jinho had been amazed at a transformation the warehouse had gone under to accommodate such an over the top party. although he had always heard from other vampires just how extravagant and out of control the ceo’s parties could be. he had spent some time wandering through the warehouse taking drinks as they passed on trays sipping a couple glasses, and downing a couple. he had been invited to a party before but hadn’t attended in the past. now he realizes maybe he should have sooner. 

when he spots the younger hwang sibling his eyes light up, he knows it goes against the etiquette to lift his mask to reveal his identity to party goers but seeing her he had wanted to spend some time with jinri. ara had always spoken so highly of her, and after they spent some time at the last even together he was happy to be back in her company, he follows her laughing easily. “what can i say i am really surprised at just how outrageous this event is.” jinho nods once they are near the walls of the warehouse away from curious eyes, although he had noticed other vampires and possibly humans doing far worse in comparison to them.

he takes the cigarette from jinri taking a hit a bit easier this time around, coughing a bit but not as terribly as his first time. “i had only heard about these parties, i never thought i would come to one but you know… ara wouldn’t let me say no so here i am.” he confesses holding the cigarette between his fingers before extending his hand to hand it back to jinri. 

how repulsive. there’s a gooey substance underneath his shoe, white of nature but the origins unknown. bogum doesn’t have a handkerchief to remove it, and it’s been bothering him for at least five minutes and thirty-six seconds. he’d almost called his wife over to let her know he’d be taking his leave, not wishing to be in this sticky situation any longer, but she’d gone off to entertain a few of the other guests. it’s at times like these that he’d wish she didn’t have the hold over him that she does; but he hates to disappoint her, her smile one of the few things that brightens his mood. when the invitation had arrived, his answer had been a swift no, not even bothering to look up from his papers. there's no reason for the head of the council to dress up. but she’d convinced him, as only hyekyung knew how to do, and here he was: most likely standing in bird shit, because this warehouse is disgusting.

distractedly, he witnesses someone in a rather familiar outfit pull along someone who’s apparently lost their shirt. it doesn’t take him to long to realize that the dress looks familiar because he’d seen it earlier that day. on his daughter. what is this…? a frown marring his features, he follows the pair out of mild curiosity. though he knows of his daughter and her troublesome ways, he’d expected her to set a good example at her (ugh) uncle’s event to preserve the hwang name, so when he sees the cigarette being passed between the pair, and who the fellow without his shirt is, bogum’s irritation grows irate. she’s smoking with the cha heir— “hwang jinri,” he calls her by her full name in a tone that implies he’d rather she not have it at all. the look he shoots towards her companion is even dirtier. “what’s the meaning of this?”

[brbogum]

hyekyungbr:

brhyunmin:

seoul time meant family time, always. every so often it was an annoyance. he just wanted to get his work done and spend as much time with ahin as possible, relish the short period they had together. then again, he enjoyed riling up hyekyung and her husband way too much. no matter how much in advance he announced his arrival, they were never ready for his extravagant personality. the hwang manor was massive and yet there was no space for yet another big ego under the roof, in fact hyun believed that bogum’s was taking it all up. this time around hyun didn’t even bother to warn them of his comeback to town. and on top of that, the ceo was going to proudly declare that he was going to stay for a few months instead of a hot week or two. maybe it would be all too much for bogum and give the old man a yet undiscovered sort of vampire heart attack and take him out right here and there. if only hyunmin was so lucky. after he comfortably parked his mercedes in the hwang manor driveway he let the doorbell sound with a push of the button. if he could, he would kick in the door and yell daddy’s home!, pack jinri in a bag and drive off to the beach. maybe another day. instead, he patiently waited for his radiant sister to open the door, happy about the fact that it was her who answered and not bogum. before she could even fully process who was standing in front of her, he dynamically embraced her, wrapping both arms around petite frame. “yes, it is indeed me, your fantastic little brother!” he announced himself loudly, squeezing her tightly without any care for her perfectly dolled up exterior. / / @hyekyungbr @brbogum​

she pockets the matchbox and focuses on centering the candle. the warm scent of hydrangea lingers and she draws a satisfied hum. for once, the house was quiet. peaceful, almost. ( a warning sign to perhaps look for the rest of her family ) but hyekyung manages to hold onto the seconds of silence. she needs it. although, even that comes to a disastrous end when the sound of their door rings. theres no one shes expecting. no face to put on the person behind her doors and arches a brow. at the confusion, hyekyung notices a maid moving towards the entrance but stops her in her tracks. “its fine. ill handle it.” she speaks. upon the departure, the hwang makes way towards the front. theres no caution needed as she pulls open the doors. to her surprise ( not really, she was never surprised with her brother’s dramatic ass ), her stare falls onto hyunmin. 

“brother- ” her words die when shes trapped within his hold.

theres a grumble. the younger far too affectionate for her liking. but arms wraps back. she misses him. and shes appreciative. despite being all over the place and never truly in one spot, hyunmin always had the seconds to come visit his sister. “my lipstick will be all over your shirt, dipshit.” she replies. the words of honey something she does not need to use with the other. as the hug tightens and hyun’s unique greeting reaches her ears, hyekyung removes herself from the hold. “how long are you staying this time? or are you just here to spite my husband for 5 minutes before leaving again?” she questions. moving aside to allow hyun a proper entrance inside, hyekyung closes the door behind him before moving towards the living room. “bogum.” she calls out. “sweetheart. my brother is here.”

it’s been a quite while since it’s been this silent in the house. perhaps it’s the lack of children – and their associates – bustling around their home, or perhaps it’s simply the calming aroma of the scented candles his wife loves so much that’s cause for this serenity. despite it all, bogum cannot seem to relax. he has a feeling, somewhere in his gut, that this is very similar to the calm before the storm. he’s perfectly aware that sooner or later it’ll be disrupted. and, when the doorbell rings despite them not expecting any guests, it's clear to him that 'sooner' has arrived. he’s prepared for the worst – as he always is, considering he's not a very trusting man – but, unfortunately, as he overhears a very distinctive, loud voice, he realizes that this is something he wouldn’t have been able to be prepare for even if they’d had a heads up.

folding the newspaper in his hands, bogum puts his reading on hold for today. it appears the storm’s arrived. im hyunmin is not his least favorite person on this world, but it’s close. he’s already arisen from the sofa by the time his wife leads their guest to him, his mouth upturned in what could be considered a tight smile. of sorts. “brother-in-law,” it’s not quite a hello. he refers him by his title rather than name, as a self-reminder of his status to bogum. yes, this is your brother-in-law, and that means you cannot harm him. much. his arm finds its way around hyekyung’s waist. “we had no idea you were coming.” unfortunately. he’d have to have words with the one he’d hired to track hyunmin’s movements. “how long will you be staying?” how long until you’re leaving?

[brbogum]

brjinri:

an usual quiet was layering itself over the hwang manor. like a blanket of comfort hyekyung had lit several candles throughout the house, gentle piano music was seemingly coming out of every corner and time was standing still. jinri was feeling sleepy, heavy shadows bothered her mind, all sorts of pretending and light dreaming. maybe today was the day. the day to admit this city was an anthology of loneliness and jinri had to leave to prove her point. that she could flourish on her own, bloom when not being suppressed by her mother, feel tall when the matriarch wasn’t making her small. that she could be alone. well, not entirely. ara was her rock and anyone with even one ounce of empathy could see that. jinri had serious doubts that her parents did actually carry that ounce but she had faith. sometimes that was all a fool had. so she carefully crafted that faith into courage as she left her room, quiet footsteps on the stairs as she headed upstairs to her father’s office. the unspoken rule to not bother the head of the hwangs in his office had been established ever since jinri could think but perhaps the mellow atmosphere that was found in every crack and corner of the house also found a place in bogum’s mind. knuckles lightly hit the wooden door three times. there was no apparent response, no call for entrance, but her father never asked to come in anyway. maybe he just hoped the intruder would leave. her hand wrapped around the golden door handle, pushing it down, opening the door ajar and ever so slightly. “dad?” she asked with a soft voice, words only meant to be heard by him. “are you busy? can i come in?”

/ / @brbogum​

more often than not, preparations for the next council meeting were done in a timely fashion, as they didn’t require much effort. bogum would take a few hours to read through all documents, putting his signature under the papers that required it, and be done with it. this afternoon, however, he’d stumbled upon quite a few odd requests. the one he’s staring at right now is four pages, front and back, strangely requesting they add cake to the meetings in a rather long-winded manner. it's the promise of ‘i’m never going to give you up, i’m never going to let you down, never going to run around and desert you’ that finally makes him look for the name of who’d sent it. im hyunmin, it says at the bottom. ah. he neatly folds the paper in two – then rips it apart to be discarded in the bin beside his desk.

quietly, the door opens, like a welcomed distraction. “yes,” he doesn’t specify which question he’s answering, because yes, he’s busy, but yes, she can come in. “close the door behind you.” he dots the final i’s on the next document before looking up above the glasses perched atop his nose, wondering what tale jinri has to tell this time. though he doesn’t particularly mind it today, she – along with the rest of his family – knows that he doesn’t like to be disturbed when in his office. usually, this is respected, so her coming in must mean there’s something on her mind.

his daughter’s peeking around the corner as though she’s hesitant to come in; she’s always questioning her every step, too indecisive in comparison to the rest of those who shared his blood. while her brother followed diligently, she was never satisfied to simply fall in line. a part of him admired this trait in her; her will is strong and would no doubt make a good asset – but not if she didn’t stand behind him. this is why jinri required a more delicate touch: if he pulled too hard, the branch would snap and fall too far from the tree. removing his glasses, bogum puts them aside to indicate his attention is now solely on her. “what’s on your mind, little one?”

[brbogum]

[dazzlingkai]