Summary: You're a wide known producer named, Producer X. When you started out at KQ entertainment as one of their Producers, you worked with Edenery, the Head producer of Ateez and Xikers and Kim Hongjoong, the Leader of the most well known boy band- ATEEZ. But things take a turn when Yunho, the golden boy of the band starts developing a bond with you.
General warnings: Smut ahead, 21+ content, MDNI; DO NOT INTERACT,non con, slight dub con which leans towards non con, kidnapping, possessiveness,dead dove; do not eat, obsessiveness, Ateez being Ateez, Wooyoung being Wooyoung, p in v, unprotected sex (wrap it up), if there's anything I've missed, lemme know.
Genre: Yandere,Slight slow burn, Idol AU,dark fic
Notice: I'm not responsible for the content you consume and credits to the owners of the pictures. Do not copy my work.
~âĄ~~
The sun shines along the pristine glass panels of the tall building of KQ entertainment.
It's another day.
Another day of gruelling practice sessions and the awaiting recording session of their newest album.
A new season of comeback for one of the most successful Kpop Boygroups of the industry- ATEEZ
The fans online are already buzzing with anticipation at the release of their new album. Meanwhile, Whispers go around the building of KQ about the arrival of the supposed 'New Producer' who'll introduce a rebrand to the artists of KQ along with the Head Producer, Eden.
A Rebrand to Ateez and Xikers,that'll surely boost their music and reach wider audiences, as per netizens theory.
"It's not like we need a concept change, we're good, actually we're more than good, We're working our asses off- so why now, all of a sudden do we need a New Producer?"
The said producer is said to have worked with numerous successful artists and led them to change their concepts in an aspiring way.
â~~
Mingi grumbles to no one in particular, while walking along side the rest of the members of Ateez currently on their way to the Head production studio which is also Edenery's main studio.
"We don't have any information on this new producer, other than the fact they're known as "Producer X" and for 'rebranding and making the pertains artist's music reach better and wider audiences all while tailoring custom styles and highlighting the artist's music'" Seonghwa reads off info from his phone,with a frown creasing between his brows.
"Since when did Google stop having real answers?" He mutters still scrolling on the thousands of articles under the heading of 'Producer X', but none with the person's real name or identity.
"Producer X huh?. Interesting" Wooyoung walks ahead with a wide grin on his face. "Whoever that is, I bet on my 3 million dollar net worth that they're super good looking" His grin never falter as he wiggles his eyebrows suggestively.
"We are very aware of your 3 million dollar networth. Infact this is the third time you're bringing it up in a conversation today and it's 10 a.m" Yeosang deadpans with a blank look in his face, looking straight ahead.
"What makes you so sure of the fact that the producer will be good looking?" San adds, confused as to how Wooyoung came to that conclusion.
Wooyoung's grin stretches as he loops his arms around San's shoulders.
"Look" Wooyoung signals to Yeosang, which earns him a confused expression from both Yeosang and San.
"What?" San blinks,more confused.
"See this handsome guy who's been my friend of 10 years?" Wooyoung says to San pointing at Yeosang.
"He was handsome,even in high school but you'd never think that he's the one dancing in street dance battles with a mask on his face, his identity concealed to near perfection. He only got caught by me and I've kept his secret during all of high school because his father was opposed to the idea of him being in the entertainment industry. So in conclusion and by Jung Wooyoung's life experience, Pretty people wear masks"
Wooyoung concludes dramtically,with his hands outstretched towards Yeosang like he's presenting him as some sort of rare artifact.
The silence that stretches after Wooyoung finishes his sentence is long.
Hongjoong shakes his head, disappointed but not surprised because He's- Jung Wooyoung.
"That's your theory?" Yunho adds with an amused smile, joining in on the conversation for the first time in ever since it started.
"Theory?! It's the truth! The truth which was witnessed and lived through by me! Kang Yeosang is walking Evidence!" Wooyoung says in complete disbelief, his arms frozen along his sides and his jaws slack comically, at the unamused expression of his band mates.
At the still not so believing expression on their faces, his shoulders square up and his lips form a thin line.
"You know what? Fine!. If you don't believe me, you'll believe it when you see it. And please excuse me, while I touch up my hair and apply my favourite cologne" Wooyoung sasses while he takes out a small pocket cologne from his pockets and fixes his hair, looking at himself in the reflection of his phone.
Jongho sighs, resigned, as the 8 of them continue walking towards their destination, now with a Spicy black kitty like Wooyoung who's fixing his own hair obsessively, not glancing in any of their directions.
KNOCK
â~~
KNOCK
"Come in" A voice says from the inside, which they recognize to be Edenery's.
All of them enter slowly one by one, expecting to see the Most Enigmatic "Producer X".
What awaits them makes them stop dead in their tracks.
They were absolutely ready for anything.
They were ready to be met with anything, ranging from excitement,praise,nervousness, criticism and even hostility.
What they were met with?
That's how it always was with any of the new Producers they met as Ateez.
The typical reaction of Producers when they meet artists like Ateez.
Artists like Ateez who've won several awards,praised and recognized everywhere and even performed at Coachella as the first kpop boy group to do so.
But with you, it's different.
When they all enter,
Indifference.
Polite indifference.
Not from just anyone, but from a striking woman with dark eyes sitting besides Edenery with short black hair, which flows until your shoulders in waves.
They are frozen at the doorway, gawking at her.
Then, "Nice to meet you! You must be Producer X! I'm Jung Wooyoung of Ateez!" Wooyoung interjects excitedly, breaking the silence as he bows politely to you, but his eyes hold a gleam when his gaze rakes over your form in appreciation.
You stand up from you seat and walk towards him until you're standing infront of him and bow politely in reciprocation.
"Hello Wooyoung-ssi, I'm Producer X. You can call me X or Y/N afterall, I'm the same age as your maknae, Jongho-ssi" You say with a small smile on your face as he beams in return.
"Oh! Wow! You're very successful at a young age then. And very pretty too" He mumbles the last part as he extends his hands towards you and you shake it firmly.
"Ah. I apologize on their behalf, they're just a little surprised. I warned them in the hallways, they wouldn't listen and look at them now, frozen and being awkward in front of you" He intejects with a lopsided grin as you look at the rest of Ateez while blinking confusedly.
Wooyoung's sentence makes the other 7 sober up as they awkwardly clear their throats and Hongjoong steps forward and you both bow to each other politely.
And then each and every single one of them step forward and pleasantries are exchanged as introductions followed.
"Let's get to work, there's plenty of time to get to know each other" You say,taking your place again next to Edenery's chair
You shiver slightly as awareness creeps up on you as you feel eyes boring on your back, intense and smoldering.
"Straight to the point. Oof. Sexy" Wooyoung fans himself dramatically, while plopping down on the couch between Yunho and Jongho.
Time passes and all of a sudden,
You swivel in the chair and glance at Wooyoung who's chattering to Jongho, talking the latter's ears off.
Not him, then.
Your gaze travels along all of them before coming back to Wooyoung and your mouth goes dry as you see Yunho, sitting just right to Wooyoung, his eyes fixed on you, unblinking.
He doesn't flinch or looks away, instead he holds your gaze.
Your gaze is filled with a confounded expression as you raise one of your brows in a silent question and his with dark fascination as hints of a smirk graces his face.
"So what do you think of this rearranged verse, X?" Edenery's voice pulls you out of your stare off with the tallest member of Ateez.
"Huh? Oh. Let me see, Producer Eden" You say turning your attention back to the chords that needs to be rearranged for a mixtape, you're supposedly releasing with Ateez.
Hongjoong comes to sit beside Eden with Mingi just behind him and the official production session starts.
The session continues with Wooyoung interrupting Hongjoong with something silly which earns him a disapproving glare from Hongjoong and a chuckle or two from both Mingi and Eden.
As for you, you cannot shake off the feeling of a pair of eyes from behind, tracking every single twitch and movement in your body.
You grit your teeth in annoyance but pay no heed to it and continue giving your inputs to the rearrangement of the track.
Time seems to stretch and atlast the session comes to an end and you stretch your neck from side to side and stand up along side Eden, Hongjoong and Mingi.
The rest of Ateez follows.
"We expect you boys to be here tomorrow, same time, we have tons of work pending and we need the mixtape done and dusted preferably by the end of this week" Eden says with a straight face, the tone brooding no counter arguments, as the boys grimly nod at the aspect of yet another addition in their already hectic comeback preparation week.
Eden follows Hongjoong out, as the former gives him some go points as to what to expect for the upcoming week.
The rest of Ateez are too engrossed in whatever they're talking about in the studio couch, which now seems a little far away when you're standing next to the door.
You were about to Retreat to your chair when a hand grips yours like a vice.
Your head snaps up towards the person gripping you, to see none other than- Jeong Yunho.
His grip was firm and unyielding but his stare was what unnerved you- unblinking and searing.
Unease creeps up on you as you shrug your hands off from his grip forcefully. You let your hands fall to your sides, still unsettled because you both know, if he wanted to, he would have chosen not to let go of your hands but he didn't.
Yet.
Not now atleast.
The air is charged with something dangerous and it makes goosebumps prickle at your skin, but you meet his gaze head on. If he thought you would be a little dame getting scared by a him, he can go fuck himself.
"You know, what you did right now could be ruled as sexual assault and assault charges could take a toll on an idol's career or end it, but something tells me that you're totally aware of it. You just don't care" You say flexing your wrists and with a glare on your face.
Then like a switch flipping, his gaze, predatory and sharp until seconds ago, melted into wide,innocent eyes- like that of a puppy scolded for being caught misbehaving.
His eyes drop to your wrists as he lets his hands hover- like he's unsure if he's allowed to touch you or not and let's his hands fall to his sides as he scratches the back of his neck awkwardly.
"I'm so sorry if I came off as an asshole, I wasn't thinking straight. I was looking at your necklace and I lost myself in my head and was moving on auto pilot" Yunho says with his nose scrunched- like he's scolding himself for behaving like that.
"My necklace? What about it?" You say still not convinced by his hard-to-believe excuse, skepticism bleeding into your tone.
He sees the skepticism in your stance and the defensive way your shoulders are squared up and his eyes soften and he unzips his hoodie a little and pulls out the necklace he's wearing- his necklace with the same kind of pendant you're wearing.
"My grandma gave it to me, it was her's. She gave it to me on her death bed and said that if I were to get married in the future, I should pass it on to my wife" He reminiscence with a soft smile on his face.
Realization dawns on you as you wince internally for reacting how you did. But hey, you didn't know.
"Ouch. I apologize for reacting too harshly. I just- um I just thought-"
"That i'm a creep?" He says with an amused smile on his face at your stuttering.
"Hey! It wasnât my fault! You try to go grab someone without reason and keep on staring at them for an hour straight. Let me see how that turns out for you!" You huff, with your brows furrowed at him in challenge.
Yunho raises his hands in surrender.
"That part. I apologize. When I saw the necklace I kinda zoned out.I got too into my own head and I may or may not have zoned out completely, staring dead at you. Yeah, that's creepy. I'm so sorry" Yunho cringes to himself as he imagines what he said in action.
You chuckle at his expression of grimace and the lost look in his face as he realizes how uncomfortable he made you feel on your first day.
"It's okay. Happens to the most cheerful of 'em. But, you look really scary when you're serious and that's coming from someone who has the most bitchiest bitchy resting face" You state amusedly.
His fingers fidgeted with the sleeves of his hoodie as a nervous laugh slips out.
"I tend to do that sometimes when I'm focused, the fans love it when I get mad during stages and also love it when Wooyoung and San annoy me and get me mad. Something about me looking hot while being mad or something" He states with a sigh, but there's a hint of fondness beneath it as his words carry no actual heat.
Conversation flows easily as you continue talking with him and before long the rest of the Ateez finally sensing the absence of their golden retriever member, join in on the conversation too.
Minutes go by caught in the flow of conversation and wrapped up in easy laughter and jokes.
Hongjoong finally comes back and takes in the scene before him and blinks, taken aback slightly by the ease that lingers in the air as his band mates still oblivious to his presence converse freely with you,their newest producer.
He clears his throat loudly to get their attention and all heads snap to his direction.
"We've got an early schedule tomorrow. We have to catch up on much needed sleep. Let's go boys. And, We'll see you tomorrow, Producer X" Hongjoong says with a curt nod, bowing slightly which you reciprocate with a polite smile.
"See you tomorrow Y/N! I'll bring you something delicious to eat!" Wooyoung comes towards you with his arms extended hoping for a hug.
"Personal space, kitty" You interject with a smirk while stepping back and effectively dodging him.
His lips jut out in an exaggerated pout as he stomps his feet like a spolit child, unmoving.
"Wooyoung. Don't be such a brat. Let's go" San says with an apologetic smile on his face trying and failing to move Wooyoung who's standing unmoved in his spot and with that pout on his face, which seems to deepen by the minute.
"She said she's not comfortable. Move" Yunho's voice which seemed to have dropped a timbre voices out behind you. You donât turn around, too distracted by San and Yeosang who are nudging each other playfully. You didnât turn to look at Yunho, if you did you'd have seen the way Yunho's eyes are narrowed like knives staring daggers at Wooyoung with an unnerving stare that sends a shiver down the latter's spine and he steps back involuntarily.
When you turn to look at Yunho, he's back to being his cheerful self and your brow quirks up questioningly at Wooyoung's sudden frozen stance.
"You look as if you've seen a ghost. You okay there?" You say jokingly, expecting Wooyoung to laugh alongside with you, when he didn't, your laughter falters and you're left blinking confused between Yunho and Wooyoung.
Yunho smiles and slips his arms around your shoulders taking liberties with your distracted state.
"He'll be fine Y/N-ah. He must be tired, aren't you woo?" Yunho asks with his typical warm smile- one that of a very caring and concerned teammate.
Wooyoung before he could get a word out of his mouth, is dragged out the door by an overzealous Yunho.
"I'll see you tomorrow, Y/N-ah,I take it you'll be moving to your new studio, right?" Yunho states which makes you even more confused at the fact of how he already knew of your new studio, even though you've just been informed today but you nod nonethless and wave them both goodbye.
That was One year ago.
â~~
It's been a whole year of working with Ateez now.
One year of Chaos,laughter,hectic schedules,concerts and comebacks.
One gruelsome Year for Jeong Yunho who has to watch all his members playfully flirt and banter with you. So comfortably.
Like they're doing nothing wrong.
Like they're not touching you.
When Yunho saw you for the first time, a year ago, he told himself it was just a coincidence that you're wearing the same pendant as him, but as time passed by, it proved him wrong.
With all the time he spent with you, he can't help but notice certain things about you.
Small Details everyone else overlooks. The subtle twitch in your jaw when you're composing a track, the way you tie your hair up in a messy bun because it's annoying and distracting during your the time of you producing, the way you always seem to order a double chocolate mocha when you're on your menstrual cycle and the list goes on.
He shouldn't be this keen on keeping track of your habits.
He shouldn't be that bothered when you lost your hair tie one time and since, he's been carrying extras.
He shouldn't be this affected by you.
But he is.
And lately, its getting too overwhelming for him to keep his feelings hidden. He's getting fed up with playing cool and his fingers subconsciously twitches when someone, especially Wooyoung whispers something in your ear, leaning in a little bit too close, giggling and joking around with you. And, He has to practically mask his jealousy with a tight smile, at the fact that Hongjoong and Mingi practically spends the most time with you while producing.
Lucky bastards.
The last straw?
Was when, even Yeosang and Jongho, the most reserved members seem to enjoy your presence and energy.
A bit too much for his liking.
Actually, There's nothing wrong with it.
There's absolutely nothing wrong with anyone. He can't blame anyone. He can't blame you. He can't blame his members.
It's him.
He knows himself, that he's being irrational and too emotional.
Too posessive.
Too obsessive.
But, it's something that's slipped past his control. It's already too late to redeem himself right now. He's already in too deep at this point. And the worst part? He finds himself not feeling guilty anymore.
The last time he felt guilty was 6 months ago, when you fell asleep in your chair, looking oh so peaceful- like nothing exists in your orbit of peace and he, who came to your studio to just say 'Hi' before going off to his practise session, found himself freezing at the sight of you slumped against the production chair, your head lolling back slightly in the head rest.
He slipped inside, his shoes removed and his socks clad feet moving stealthy against the floor, soundless.
He knelt by your chair admiring your peaceful form and brushing a soft stray strand of hair away, that managed to slip past your messy bun away from your face. He leaned in unconsciously and buried his nose in your hair and then, jerked back suddenly, realizing the extent of his transgressions.
He was torn between burying his face into your hair again, this time willingly and taking lungfulls of your scent and being a normal and respecful Individual, maintain professional boundaries.
Who was he kidding? There was no professional boundary. Maybe it existed to you. But not to Yunho.
Before he could decide, his leader seemed to have taken the decision for him as his phone vibrates with the caller ID blinking brightly saying, "Hongjoong Hyung"
He took one last look at your face and left.
That's the last day he felt guilty, as he outright realized that if Hongjoong didn't call him when he did, he would have taken advantage of your slumbering form.
See, Yunho has a very strong sense of self and a hell lot of self awareness.
What he's doing isn't healthy or morally acceptable and he's very painfully aware of his own obsessive tendencies which goes past beyond the level of a Normal human's morality range.
But fuck Morals.
It's comeback season again.
He's realized he's not grey but black in that area. The area of 'Morality'. The moral compass does not exist anymore to Yunho. Not after you.
â~~
And Ateez are overworked to the bones.
They're exhausted but pushing through solely relying on pure adrenaline from the back to back stages and caffeine.
You enter their practice room and give Hongjoong, the lead sheet for Yeosang's Solo song.
"Legacy (Yeosang's solo song) is actually a success. Yeosang will like it very much. It suits him very well, don't you think, Y/N?" Hongjoong says while flipping through the sheets.
"Of course. It's his solo. We wrote it with him in mind. And hey, I'd be actually offended if someone told me they donât like it, like, okay Karen. I'm sorry you have bad taste in music" You chuckle while rolling your eyes.
Hongjoong Bursts out in laughter, his eyes wrinkling at the sides as he pats your head, then proceeds to ruffle your hair. You scowl at him, then proceed to mess with his hair, ruffling and making a mess of it. You both laugh at each other's tangled messes of hair and you gently smooth his out and with your hair tie, you do pig tails on his hair. He makes a face, but let's you finish it and looks at himself on his phone and his lips press together in a mock frown and his head tilted with a 'really?' expression.
You laugh looking at him and his adorable head tilt.
"You're the big scary captain of Ateez?" Your grin stretches amusedly at the unconsious pout on his lips. He looks like a chipmunk.
"Stay still, Captain"
You click a photo of him with your hands squishing his cheeks and the faux annoyed expression on his face and the pig tails, and send it to Wooyoung.
Oops.
Wooyoung being Wooyoung posted it on Ateez's official instagram story.
In mateer of minutes, The internet is in shambles, as screenshot circulate and atiny crying and having cuteness aggression in the comments over Hongjoong.
But someone else was glowering behind screen, gritting their teeth so hard, that it may Crack under pressure.
Yunho is sitting in a corner of their practise room, his shoulders tense, chest rising and falling as if breathing suddenly became hard.
His Adams apple bobs, swallowing down a growl that threatens to slip out as his eyes fix on Hongjoong at the other end of the room with Seonghwa and Mingi, the duo unaware of Yunho's eyes on them continue bickering and teasing Hongjoong for the "Cuteness overload" picture by their beloved producer.
He looks down at his phone again, a tick in his jaw and his stare lingers too long on his phone, at the picture- like he's drilling holes into the place where your fingers meet Hongjoong's cheeks, squishing it.
A stillness settles over him- the dangerous kind.
He's had enough.
Enough of trying to cling to his threading sanity. A maniacal grin stretches on his face as he gets up wordlessly, slinging his bag over his shoulders and walks out.
The last bit of sanity leaves his body as he walks out of the building, his destination already set in his mind.
You're his.
And he's going to make sure you believe it too.
No matter what.
He will make sure, by the time he's done with you. You will surely believe it.
Your watch read 9:54 p.m when you opened the front door of your apartment and slipped your shoes off, with an exhausted sigh and lock your door.
â~~
You turn the lights on and a scream nearly clawed out from your mouth, before you stumble back, eyes wide and your breathing staggered at the figure sitting on your couch.
"What the fuck?!. Who the fuc- Yunho?!" Your eyes are wide with disbelief as anger starts rising in your chest.
"JEONG YUNHO, WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK ARE YOU DOING IN MY HOUSE?!" You walk towards him, rage and confusion filling your veins, but stop dead in your tracks at his unblinking expression on his face.
Your stance falters.
"You really do work too much" He starts with an unsettling grin on his face that doesnât quite reach his eyes as he stands up, his towering frame looming over you, eventhough he's standing a little away.
"I- What?" You say raising your eyebrows in utter confusion.
"If you'd just let me take care of you, you'd be well rested and well taken care of. You wouldn't need to work this hard and this late" He takes a step forward which involuntarily makes you step back, but he doesn't seem too pleased with that so he grabs your arms and yanks you forward.
You start thrashing in his hold, trying to shrug yourself free off his grip but to no avail. Fear unlike no other creeps up on you. He's too strong and you're alone with him. You must get out of here.
"What kinda nonsense are you spewing?" You harshly tug your arms from him and a cry of pain escapes your lips as he tugs on your arms harder and pulls you forward more forcefully making you crash into his chest.
"Don't you see Y/N?. I'm madly in love with you. I love you so much it hurts. It hurts to see you laughing with my members, when it should've been me. It hurts to stay away from you. It hurts to not see you. I lose my mind when I cannot find you in my line of vision. I'm filled with rage whenever I imagine someone else being with you. I'll kill anyone. I'll ruin anyone, if it means you'll be mine. I'll ruin you for anyone else. I'll ruin you enough to make your legs useless, so you can'trun away from me. If I can't have you no one can" Yunho's pupils are dilated and blown wide and he looks unhinged,as he wraps his arms around you softly and weaves his long fingers through your dark locks lovingly, a stark contrast to his dark promises.
"You're kind of scaring me, Yunho" a shudder passes through your body as it finally registers to you, he's completely serious and looks unhinged.
Laughter. He's laughing. And then he's looking down at you and stroking your cheeks tenderly.
"Good. Maybe then, You'll finally understand- You're mine. Only mine. My sweet little producer"
"Yunh- LET ME DOWN!" He throws you over his shoulders like a sack of potatoes and walks towards your room. Panic grips your chest.
You talk as if you're a saint yourself, a voice says in your head but you shut it down.
"Y-yunho. W-what are you doing?" You hate the quiver in your voice. You've always been the woman who spoke up in meetings. Looked men dead in the eye and gave a counter response to their propositions like a slap to thwir faces. You hate it. You hate how despite hating the situation, a shiver runs down your spine at his effortless strength, but you quickly shut it down. This is wrong.
What he's doing is wrong.
It's totally fucked up.
You take off your hair pin and stab it in his back, surprising him and his grip loosens on you as he grunts partly in surprise and partly in pain. Utilising that, you push yourself away from him and sprint towards your front door.
It's locked. Shit. Your keys.
The sound of keys jingling makes your head snap back towards Yunho who's standing with your keys in his hands and a mocking smirk on his face.
"Looking for these, Producer-nim?" He says with a glint in his eyes, and throws your keys to a far away corner of your living room and he lazily plops himself onto the couch.
"Go get it then. If you can do it within ten seconds, then I'll get out and leave you alone. Deal?" He manspreads with a grin on his face.
You grit your teeth. You're torn between believing him and sprinting to your keys and warily staying away. Your best shot at getting out here is those keys. But you can't trust him. Time's running out, so your body moves completely on survival mode and you sprint to the keys, making sure he's still in the same spot, you sprint back to the door. But before you could unlock it,
"Time's up. Ding Ding. Ding" He scoops you up and throws you over his shoulders again but this time runs to your room before you could even process it.
He throws you on your bed and you land with a small thud and he's caging your head between his arms and unbuckles his belt and ties your hands together and fastens it tightly.
Your heart stops and your breathing comes out ragged. No. No. No.
This is not happening. Try to think. Try to-
The sound of tearing fabric seems to pull you out of your own reverie.
Yunho stands with his toned chest on display as he tears off the remaining shreds of his now ruined shirt off his body and throws it away. His eyes gleaming with a feral glint under the moonlight.
He leans forward and captures your lips in a bruising kiss. You bite his bottom lip hard, but he smiles into the kiss as he continues ravaging your mouth with a trinket of blood oozing out from his lips,down his jaw.
His hands find purchase in your waist and he makes quick work of shredding your top and bra in one go.
The wet sounds of his mouth Licking,biting and sucking at your skin fill the room along with the fresh stream of tears streaming down your face at your own helplessness.
The cool air of the room hits your bare skin and goosebumps break out all over your body. He pulls away to look down at your bare chest and his eyes darken with lust and desire as he runs his fingers over your bare skin savouring it,before his fingers finds your breasts and he rolls one your nipples between them until it pebbles.
He traps your legs under his body weight and latches his lips onto one of your nipples and moans. The sound so needy and depraved- like he's a man in the desert coming upon an oasis at the verge of his demise.
He looks up and coos gently and licks at the salt of your cheeks, with a sadistic gleam in his eyes.
"It's okay, princess. When I start fucking this tight little cunt, you'll forget about everything else" Yunho traces the waistband of your pants with his fingers before slipping them in and pads his palm directly over your clothed crotch. He tuts and then in one swoop he slides your pants off your body and throws them away to another end of your room.
His breath catches in his throat at the sight of you laid bare beneath him, tears glistening and cheeks flushed.
Fuck.
You look so damn delectable. He could eat you up whole.
He wastes no more time unbuttoning his pants, his cock springing free and slapping against his stomach, thick,long and veiny.
He slides his fingers in and out continuously until your slick starts coating his hands and then he adds another finger and then another.
You gulp as you look at his size. If you were struggling before, you're full on thrashing against his hold now. Yunho huffs out a chuckle at your reaction and wordlessly halts your thrashing by plunging a finger into your cunt.
Your back arches off the bed.
You try shutting your mouth, refusing to let him have the satisfaction of hearing the sounds slipping past your mouth. But it makes him more determined as he flicks your clit and scissors his fingers in and out of your hole. Your moans slip past your lips as your head is thrown back. Your legs start shaking as a familiar tightening in your stomach starts to coil and before long you're cumming hard on his fingers.
He slips his hands out of your pussy and brings it to his lips and sucks his fingers off clean, lewdly, looking over at your panting form sprawled out beneath him.
What a sight to behold, for Yunho.
He wishes he could take a picture.
That's why he pulls out his camera and snaps several pictures of your disheveled form,your pussy dripping with your own release, your already fucked out face and your sweat clad body.
He perches his phone near your bed side table, angling it perfectly to capture your positions in the bed.
Then, He buries his face between your legs, biting and making out with your bud. He flicks his tongue on your clit and with your response of a particularly loud whimper, he thrusts his tongue inside your pussy, fucking you with his tongue. Your legs start closing in unable to handle the overstimulation and he pries them open and pins your legs to either side of the bed with his arms.
Before long the coil in your lower stomach tightens again and you're releasing all over his face, as your face contorts to a silent scream. He laps at each and every single drop of your cum and looks up from his position between your thighs with a dazed expression like he's lost in another orbit.
He snaps out of it as he gazes at your shaking and overstimulated form with a predatory gleam- like that of a hungry wolf, still insatiable as ever, as he positions himself above you, his cock lined up directly infront of your pussy.
"I love you so fucking much. I'll never let you go" and then,He thrusts himself in one go, all the way to the hilt, into your pussy as a scream tears out of your mouth.
Your hands starts tugging at the leather belt, your nails digging into it as he fucks into your hole with an animalistic pace.
Whatever remaining fight you had in you vanishes as his thick cock stretches your walls past it's limits.
Soon, pleasure starts replacing the pain from the stretch of his cock and your eyes go glassy as you start losing yourself to the blinding pleasure of his cock dragging through your inner walls.
A creamy white ring starts forming at the base of Yunho's cock as more of your slick is released from your pussy and he fastens his pace even more at the sight of your rolled eyes and the sounds of pleasure unconsciously slipping past your lips.
He tries holding out as much as he can, but with your inner walls gripping his cock like a vice and flutttering around him ,you cum again, and the sight of your face scrunched up in unbridled pleasure, Pleasure he's giving you, makes him spill his hot seed deep into your womb with a guttural groan.
And, The last thing you see before you black out is the triumphant smile on Yunho's face and his hushed whispers of comfort and praise.
He leaves several kisses all along your body and face, before scooping up some of your mixed release that managed to slip out of your hole and inserting it back into your pussy with his taut fingers.
Your vision starts blurring as exhaustion creeps up on you.
Something heavy on your stomach and the urge to pee wakes you up from your deep slumber as you open your eyes to be hit with the sight of an unfamiliar ceiling and the sound of T.V somewhere.
â~~
You look down, to see, Yunho's head on top of your stomach as he clutches on to your body even in his sleep.
Very carefully, you slip away from him, replacing a pillow to be in your postion under his head.
You had to bite back a groan at the unmistakable soreness of your body. It hurts as if you were beaten to death.
You make your way to the door and before you can twist the handle, the sound of your name from the News reporter makes your head snap to the T.V at the far end.
You limp away slowly and take in your unfamiliar surroundings. It's a penthouse of sorts and the large windows showcase the sea shore beautifully which stretches as far as you can see outside.
Where the hell am I?
The News reporter starts,
"In, Seoul cityâ Authorities are searching for Ms. Lee Y/N, 23 years old, who was last seen on the day before yeasterday near a convenience store located in the central block.
According to police, Y/N was wearing her work clothes at the time of disappearance.
Investigators have asked anyone with information about Y/Nâs whereabouts to contact the Seoul City Police Department immediately.
âWe are doing everything we can to locate them and are urging the public to come forward if they saw anything unusual in the area,â said Police Spokesperson.
"This case remains under active investigation".
You're frozen at your spot as arms wrap around your waist from behind.
"Tch. Investigation?. Like they can get past me. They can try all They want. Aren't They just ridiculous, sweetheart?" Yunho looks down at you, his eyes glinting with something at your frozen expression.
"Where are we?" Your voice shakes a little at the end, you're very put off by his confident tone. If he's so damn confident about the police not finding you-
"Don't worry your pretty little head about that. No one will leave this island. Not you. Definitely not me. Likewise, No one can enter" He says with a grin as he runs his hands up and down your arms. Meant to reassure you. But it's having quite the opposite reaction, as your breathing stutters and realization dawns.
"Welcome Home, sweetheart. No one will ever take you away from me, ever again" He scoops you up in his arms and takes you back to bed.
You can only watch in silent resignation as the door of the bedroom closes, sealing your fate with him.
summary: mysterious envelopes start appearing on your doorstep
word count: 1.7k
genre: thriller, future smut
warnings: SMUT, MINORS DNI 18+, dark!Yunho, stalker!Yunho, stalking, unconsensual photography, implied somnophilia, more warnings in future parts
nets: @newworldnet
A/N: @bananayuyu made me do it
Yunho who is popular at college, soccer player, social butterfly, always nice to people
he probably doesn't know you exist
why would he? You barely have anything in common except for a few classes
Yunho who has never interacted with you except for the occasional polite smile and nod
Yunho who everyone says could never be mean to anyone, he's just genuinely a kind person
Yunho who has the walls of his closet plastered with pictures of you
of course you would never know
just like you would never know you are the reason he went to this college
he remembered the first time he ever saw you. it was the same day he had taken the first picture of you
of course, back then it was actually legit
it was your highschool graduation and he had been hired as an amateur photographer, taking any and all jobs to pay for his degree
he had been taking pictures of all the students and their parents and that's when his lens found you
your head thrown back as you laughed at a joke one of your friends must've made
he knew it was wrong but he couldn't help himself
when it was your turn to go on stage and receive your highschool diploma he listened for your name and saved it into his phone
it was way too easy to find your information
you didn't even private your social media and of course, you posted where you would go to college
he was a goner since that day
you never notice him in the shadows with his camera
one day you find an envelope on your doorstep
there is no address on it, no name, nothing
curiosity killed the cat, they say, but the temptation was too strong
inside your apartment, you opened the envelope and about a dozen pictures fell out
all of you
you on your way to class, you in the library, you grocery shopping
they were all taken outside
frantically, you searched the envelope but besides the pictures it was empty
no note or threat or blackmail and no indication who took these and why
you could barely breathe as you buried the pictures deep in the back of your dresser
you tried to forget it, maybe it was a harmless prank
there was no new envelope for two weeks and you had begun to relax again
until the next envelope showed up but this time there was something written on it
"my little flightless bird"
you knew what it would contain, knew you should call the police
but curiosity killed the cat
this time, the pictures were more specific
they were all of your face, different expressions captured, zoomed in so you couldn't tell when and where these were taken
you hid the pictures along with the others in your dresser
the next day, you were distracted and bumped into someone on your way to class
"careful there. wouldn't wanna hurt yourself"
you looked up. the voice was familiar
jeong yunho
oh no, not the guy you had been crushing on since the first semester
you mustered a weak smile
"sorry, just tired"
he gave you a friendly smile
"you okay? you seem.. shaken up"
his voice sounded like he genuinely cared
you nodded and tried to suppress a blush, quickly walking to your seat
no envelope for a week
but you still looked over your shoulder everywhere you went, but you could never see anyone suspicious
you were feeling increasingly paranoid
who was it? and what did they want from you? just to scare you? it was working
the next envelope terrified you
it contained pictures of you again but this time they were taken from right outside your window
you, sitting at your desk, you cooking, you changing
you dropped the pictures and closed all of your curtains, your hands were shaking
when you dropped the envelope, a note fell out
they had never written to you before
"you looked upset. did I scare you, little birdie? I should feel sorry but your eyes look mesmerizing when scared. all wide and frantic. fret not, flightless bird, I don't plan on hurting you. but I don't think I need to warn you to not show anyone these pictures."
it wasn't handwritten, probably completely clean of any evidence or fingerprints
this went on for a few weeks, more pictures of you, sometimes a note
you had gotten used to it, except for the pictures and the occasional note, they hadn't done anything. maybe you weren't in danger
you still kept your curtains closed
but the next envelope showed you how pointless that was
pictures. again. but this time they were taken from inside
there were cameras in your apartment
you couldn't pretend that this wasn't dangerous anymore. they had broken in, planted cameras
terrified, you ripped up the pictures and threw them in the trash before searching your apartment for the cameras
but you couldn't find them
either, they had already taken them out again, which would mean they had broken in more than once, or they were hidden too well
you didn't know which was worse
you slept over at friend's house for 4 days with the excuse of renovations in your building
you didn't know why you didn't tell anyone about the pictures
maybe if no one knew, you could still pretend this was someone playing a prank on you, that you weren't in danger
you couldn't escape your apartment forever so with your stomach in knots you went back
only to find a package on your doorstep
you dreaded whatever was in the package
had you made them mad by ripping up the pictures and fleeing your apartment? did they send you a dead animal? body parts? a bomb?
maybe you were overreacting but at this point you had no idea what they were capable of
you looked over your shoulder before picking up the package
your hands were shaking so much that if it was a bomb it would have gone off by now
you opened it, fully expecting it to find bloody body parts
but all you found was a velvet rectangular box with a necklace inside
it was a simple chain with a silver charm in the form of a feather hanging from it
jewellery? they were giving you jewellery now?
you had half a mind to throw it away but you were scared what they would do if you rejected a gift so blatantly
so you out it into your jewellery case, hoping they would be happy with that, but you had no intention of wearing it
you went to your classes as usual, trying to see if anyone looked at you just a second too long but nothing
you were so distracted that you jumped when the professor came in and promptly dropped your pen
before you could pick it up, a hand reached for it and handed it to you
you looked up and saw yunho
right, he was in this class with you
usually you would notice him when he came into class, his tall frame was hard to miss and it didn't help that he was handsome
"thanks" you mumbled distractedly, so distracted that you missed his gaze flickering to your neck, searching for a sign you were wearing the necklace
his eyes darkened for a second as he noticed you weren't before he gave you a warm smile
"no problem"
when you got home that night after a long study session in the library you stopped
you could have sworn you put the necklace in your jewellery box
so why was it laying on your pillow now
next to it was a note
"wear it"
handwritten this time
you searched your apartment but you couldn't find anything else amiss
scared by the threat you wore the necklace the next day
you were in the library, trying to find a table in the back
being around people somehow made you more paranoid than being alone
it could be anyone
as you turned a corner you bumped into someone but before you could stumble, strong hands steadied you
"making it a habit, huh?" yunho chuckled, his gaze going to the necklace
"that's pretty, someone got it for you?" he remarked, his voice innocent
you mustered up a smile, not wanting to admit who got it for you. yunho was just being nice after all. he's nice to everyone
"yeah, it was a gift"
"looks good on you" he had to restrain himself from reaching out and grazing his finger along your neck
he gave you a polite smile and walked past you
it had been two weeks since you got any envelopes or god forbid more gifts
maybe they were satisfied now that you wore the necklace
you should have known that whenever you start to relax and let your guard down, they struck
another package
you opened it with a sigh
no jewellery but instead a CD
you frowned and searched the package for a note but nothing
you should bring this to the police
you should call someone
but instead you put the CD into your laptop
a video opened up
no
it was your bedroom, you were sleeping, the camera pointed to your bed
your heart dropped to your stomach when a hooded figure appeared on screen, tall, definitely male and masked
he approached your bed, slowly, measured
you watched as he reached out and grabbed your blanket, pulling it off your body
oh god, why did you only sleep in a shirt?
and why weren't you waking up?
he nudged your legs apart, you couldn't help but anticipate what he would do
gloved hands reached for your panties
the screen cuts to black
no
that couldn't be everything
did he not want you to see? was it amusing for him to keep you in the dark? why didn't you wake up?
yunho chuckled as he watched you through the camera, he could see the frustration on your face, your eyes wide with fear in the familiar way that made his pants feel tighter
don't worry, little birdie. I'll show you some day
âHe was just another criminal on your list â cold, untouchable, dangerous. But the moment you walked into that room, Jungkook forgot every crime he ever committed and started planning a new one: making you his.â
part two
ââââââ đ±âââââââ
He wasnât just a rumor on the streets â he was the kind of name whispered in locker rooms and back alleys, in morgues and in the untraceable lines of cartel accounts. No fingerprints. No face. Just stories. Gruesome ones. A man who could vanish in the blink of an eye and reappear in the form of another dead informant. Another burned-out safehouse. Another officer âgone rogue.â
Jeon Jungkook.
Your first case as lead investigator was small â an arms deal gone wrong in Busan, two bodies in a warehouse, both shot through the heart. What caught your attention was the precision. Two shots, one for each man. Bullet casings wiped clean. No signs of forced entry. The cameras had been cut thirty seconds before it happened.
The only trace left behind was a single white playing card on the floor, bleeding into the pooling crimson beneath the bodies.
The Ace of Hearts.
Thereâs a moment in every detectiveâs life where things stop being about justice â and start being about survival.
Your moment came in the form of a manila folder, dropped onto your desk with a thud and a muttered, âGood luck.â
You didnât look up right away. Just stared at the stamped name across the top like it might bite.
No face. No verified voice. Just a trail of shattered lives and dead witnesses. His file was thick. Thicker than any youâd seen. Most of it redacted. Every page screamed warning, even the pages that said nothing at all.
Drug trafficking. High-tech weapons. Political blackmail. A hundred aliases. But one signature â left behind like a calling card, stained in red.
Some said he was born into the criminal world, son of a now-erased syndicate boss. Others believed he carved his empire himself, a ghost who learned how to hack his name out of the shadows. Either way, no one had ever seen him. Not clearly. The only known image was blurry, snapped through shattered glass mid-explosion.
He looked young. Too young to be behind so much blood. But something about the tilt of his head, the laziness of his posture, the way he stared directly into the lens â it made your skin crawl. Like he knew he was being watched. Like he wanted to be.
You were officially assigned his case as lead profiler. The youngest ever brought onto the division. You didnât ask why they gave it to you. Maybe they thought you were expendable. Maybe they thought heâd underestimate you.
ââââââ-
They brought him in at 3:17 a.m.
You were already waiting â coffee long cold in your hand, eyes glued to the monitor as grainy footage played on a loop. A blacked-out car. A familiar walk. Heâd exited the vehicle like he didnât have a care in the world, shoulders relaxed, hands in the pockets of his long dark coat. Even with a team swarming him, Jungkook didnât flinch. Didnât fight.
He smiled.
The bastard smiled like he was right on time.
âAre you sure you want to be the one to interrogate him?â your commanding officer asked as he handed over the file. âHeâs not like the others.â
âI know.â You didnât say the rest: Thatâs exactly why I have to.
Youâd been tailing him for six months. Always one step behind. Surveillance footage here, wiretap audio there. The pieces never quite added up. No matter how many hours you poured into his case, the deeper you dug, the more he vanished â like smoke curling just out of reach. He wasnât a man. He was a myth.
Until now.
You took a deep breath before stepping into the room, heart hammering with anticipation and a dread you didnât want to name.
And there he was.
The second interrogation started before you stepped into the room.
You could see him through the mirror.
Jeon Jungkook â uncuffed, seated loosely in the chair, one leg stretched out like he owned the ground beneath it. He wasnât doing anything. Just staring at the empty seat across from him. Like he knew youâd be there soon. Like heâd been waiting.
When the door opened, he didnât turn.
But when you walked in â when your heels clicked on the concrete and the air shifted around your scent â he moved.
His head turned slow, then his eyes lifted.
And they devoured you.
Not with awe. Not with admiration. With hunger. Sharp, unrepentant, and barely contained.
The cuffs had been reattached at your request â short chain, anchored to the table.
You sat down without flinching.
But your hands tensed on the file.
He didnât say anything. Just kept watching.
His gaze flicked over your eyes, your lips, your throat. A slow drag. Calculating. Carnal. Every inch of your body felt cataloged, peeled back layer by layer â and not in a scientific way. No, this wasnât a profilerâs stare.
âSo itâs you,â he said, voice low, thick like honey laced with poison. âThe little shadow.â
Your spine straightened. âExcuse me?â
Jungkook chuckled, leaning in like you were sharing a secret. âYouâve been on my trail for half a year, detective. I knew someone was watching me. But I never expected you.â
His gaze dropped â slow, deliberate â tracing your form, lingering where it shouldnât.
And then he smiled like something divine had clicked into place.
âGod,â he murmured, âyouâre beautiful. They didnât put that in your file.â
It was the kind of look men wore before they ruined something soft.
âJeon Jungkook,â you said calmly, forcing your voice steady. âDo you know why youâre here?â
His tongue slid slowly across his bottom lip.
You looked down. You had to. Even one more second of eye contact and you mightâve flushed.
âWe have a forged ID. You were in the passenger seat of a car linked to last monthâs arms deal. The driver was seen leaving a drop site in Gangseo. Youâre being held while we investigate further.â
No response.
You tried again. âDo you deny knowing the driver?â
His mouth twitched at the corner. Not a smile. Something more base.
You knew, without looking up, that he was still watching your mouth.
âYou understand this is serious?â you continued.
Still no words. But you could hear his breathing. Controlled. Deep.
He wasnât ignoring you.
He was soaking you in.
You glanced up again, only for a second â and there it was. The glint. The flicker of movement, the jerk of his fingers against the cuffs. He wanted to reach for you.
The way his gaze had locked between your lips and your collarbone⊠it was like instinct was fighting him with every breath.
The cuffs were the only thing stopping him from moving.
He shifted slightly, and the chain strained.
The sound was loud in the silence.
âYouâre not going to say anything?â you asked, voice sharp now, snapping to protect your own pulse.
His throat worked once.
And then, finally â âYou were just a name on a screen until five minutes ago. Now that Iâve met you I feel like Iâd burn down the world to keep you looking at me like that.â
Your heart stilled.
He didnât say it with fondness. He said it like a man crawling through a desert, finally reaching water.
You didnât respond. You didnât dare.
Jungkook leaned forward until the cuffs yanked him back with a quiet metallic click. His smile curled slow â dark, knowing, primal.
You wanted to move. You shouldâve moved.
But you didnât.
Not even when he said, softer now, âWhat perfume is that?â
You opened your mouth to answer, then stopped yourself. You were not here to play. You were not here to entertain fantasies.
But something told you this man had already started building them.
The rest of the interrogation went nowhere.
He answered nothing. Said little. But his eyes never left you. Not even once.
You left feeling like your body had been touched without ever being reached. Like your bones would remember this encounter long after the bruises of his gaze faded.
You needed a break. A shower. Silence.
You got none of those.
Instead, five hours later, you were summoned to the deputy chiefâs office.
âHeâs being released,â they said flatly.
Your mouth dropped open. âWhat?! On whose orders?â
âEverything we had is gone. Witnesses walked. Evidence scrubbed. Whoeverâs backing him has reach. Judge signed off five minutes ago.â
You were still arguing when the elevator doors opened downstairs.
And there he was.
Jeon Jungkook, fresh clothes, no cuffs. Walking out as casually as if heâd just finished a spa day.
But when he saw you â he paused.
Paused like the sight of you had just punched the air from his lungs.
Then he smiled. Not politely. Not smug.
Like was about to devour you.
You didnât speak.
Neither did he.
But he crossed the distance slowly, calculated, until he stood just close enough that your shoulders nearly brushed. The same way a man might pass someone at a crowded bar â only this wasnât crowded. And it wasnât by accident.
His eyes dragged across your face. No shame. No mask. Just heat.
Then, as he passed, his voice ghosted behind you:
âNext time⊠you wonât have a table between us.â
And he was gone.
_____________
You told yourself it was over. That heâd disappeared back into whatever empire he ruled from the shadows. That he had more important things to do than fixate on the woman who couldnât even get him charged with a forged ID.
But logic didnât help when you looked over your shoulder too often in grocery stores.
Didnât help when you kept locking your door twice, even though youâd never forgotten once in your life.
Didnât help when you kept waking up in the middle of the night with your heart racing â from nothing.
From something.
From whatever was now living in the silence.
Because the truth sat deep in your gut, heavier than you could admit even to yourself.
Jungkook had looked at you like you were already his.
And men like that didnât forget.
You went back through every note in his case file. Every surveillance photo. Every redacted line of intel. You looked for signs that heâd ever taken an interest in one of his investigators before â any woman, any name, any pattern.
But there was nothing.
Nothing but the way he had looked at you across that interrogation table. Like he hadnât just noticed you. Like he recognized you. Like the universe had finally handed him a shape heâd been waiting to see â and it just happened to be yours.
Attention from a man like Jeon Jungkook felt like heat under your skin. Like a fuse had been lit somewhere deep in the walls of your life, and now you were just waiting for the spark to reach the core.
He wasnât making a move.
And thatâs how you knew he was serious.
You started carrying a weapon off-duty. You started varying your commute. You memorized exits. Not because anything had happened.
But because you felt it.
Like breath on the back of your neck in an empty room. Like the echo of footsteps one beat behind yours on a quiet night. Like an eye watching through a scope you couldnât see.
And now he knew exactly what you looked like when you werenât behind a badge.
_______________
You didnât want to go.
But your friends insisted.
âYouâve been working nonstop,â Hari said, looping her arm through yours. âYouâre barely sleeping. Youâre paranoid.â
I have reason to be, you wanted to say. But you bit your tongue.
âJust one night,â Minji added. âWeâll dress up, drink too much, dance a little. No cops. No crime scenes. Just fun.â
So you gave in.
The club was new. Lavish. Private. The kind of place where you didnât walk in unless your name was on a list or your dress cost more than your rent. You didnât ask how your friend got the hookup â some cousin-of-a-cousin situation, she claimed â and you didnât push. You were too tired.
Too worn thin.
The second you stepped through the velvet-draped doors, it hit you: the money. The power. The heat.
It wasnât a place people came to unwind.
It was a place people came to be seen.
Crystal chandeliers dripped from the ceiling. Music pulsed low and dark, more bass than lyrics. Everything gleamed â marble floors, glass staircases, sharp-dressed men and women with too much perfume and too few inhibitions.
You felt out of place immediately.
Still, your friends pulled you to the bar.
âSomething expensive,â Minji told the bartender, grinning. âSheâs a cop. She needs it.â
You didnât correct her. Not anymore. You werenât sure what you were now.
You took the drink. Sipped. Smiled when they cheered.
And for one moment â one brief, suspended moment â you let yourself relax.
Until you noticed something.
A man. In the far corner. Near the VIP mezzanine.
Watching.
You looked away. You looked back.
He was gone.
You told yourself it was nothing.
Just nerves. Shadows. The trick of a crowded room.
But the unease grew. You scanned the layout â exits, guards, mirrors angled too carefully.
And then it hit you. All at once. The subtle perfection. The impossible security. The air of controlled chaos, polished to an art. The Ace of Hearts on every wall.
Youâd studied this style before. In reports. In background intel.
And then you knew.
This place wasnât just owned by someone like Jungkook.
It was his.
You stood so suddenly your barstool scraped back.
Your friends blinked. âWhoaâhey, are you okay?â
You were already walking.
The hall toward the private wing was guarded, but no one stopped you. Not one hand lifted. Not one voice called out.
Like you were expected.
The hallway grew darker. Quieter.
You turned the corner too fast â heart pounding, fists clenched â and slammed into someone.
Hard.
You stumbled back. Hands reached out.
Caught you.
You looked upâ
âand froze.
Jungkook.
He wasnât dressed like he was last time. No cuffs. No chains. A white dress shirt unbuttoned at the top covered by a black suit blazer with the matching trousers, expensive watch glinting, a ring on one finger youâd never seen before.
But his eyes?
Exactly the same.
Still dark. Still quiet. Still piercing into yours like they knew something that could end the world.
He didnât speak.
He just looked at you.
And for the first time, you couldnât look away.
Not because of fear. But because you saw something worse. Satisfaction.
Like this moment â you here, alone, in his domain â had already happened in his mind.
Like heâd imagined this exact scene a hundred times.
âDid you follow me here?â you breathed.
His head tilted slowly. âNo,â he murmured. âYou came to me.â
You stepped back. âI didnât knowââ
He didnât move.
Didnât have to.
The hallway seemed to shrink around him.
âYouâve been waiting for this,â you whispered, pulse racing.
And then came the smallest smile.
âNot waiting,â Jungkook said softly.
âPlanning.â
You didnât move at first.
When Jungkook said planning, you froze. Not because of the word â but because of the way he said it. Calm. Measured. Like this wasnât a surprise to him. Like tonight, this hallway, this very breath between you, had all gone exactly the way he knew it would.
âIâm not here for you,â you said, but your voice cracked halfway through.
He raised an eyebrow. âArenât you?â
Your fingers clenched at your sides. âLet me go back to my friends.â
âI didnât stop you.â He leaned casually against the doorframe, one hand in his pocket. âYou came this far.â
You swallowed. âWe shouldnât have come here.â
But even as you turned to leave, his voice stopped you. Quiet. Controlled.
âI wouldnât go back that way.â
You turned slowly. âWhat do you mean?â
He tilted his head, eyes dark and steady. âDo you know who the man is sitting two tables behind your friend with the ponytail?â
Your stomach dropped.
âYouâve been watching us?â
âI always watch whatâs mine.â He took a step forward â not fast, not loud. Just close enough that you felt it. âAnd what I want.â
You tried to swallow the panic in your throat. âYou wouldnât hurt them.â
âNo,â he said simply. âI wouldnât.â
And then his voice dropped.
âBut other people might. People who owe me things. People whoâd do anything to earn back my trust.â
You stared.
Jungkook didnât look away.
He wasnât gloating. He wasnât bluffing.
He was warning you.
âI donât want to see your friends in a tabloid headline,â he said softly. âNot when you can stop it.â
You didnât speak.
Didnât breathe.
He stepped back then â gave you space â and nodded toward the stairs at the end of the hallway.
âI just want to talk. Upstairs. Just us.â A pause. âTen minutes.â
He let that linger.
Then: âUnless youâd rather go back and roll the dice.â
You hesitated.
And that hesitation was all it took.
You followed.
The club blurred behind you. The bass dropped away. You heard nothing but your own heartbeat echoing in your ears as you followed him up the glass staircase and down a private corridor lined with black marble and gold trim.
He opened a door. Waited.
And you stepped inside.
The second it shut behind you, he moved. Fast.
You didnât even have time to turn before his hands slammed against the door on either side of your head â caging you, pinning you, his body pressed full against yours.
The click of the lock was the last sound you heard before you felt him.
Breath hot against your neck.
Hands skimming your waist, possessive but slow
His lips found your throat before you could reply â warm, wet, desperate. Kisses turned to nips, his teeth grazing sensitive skin like he couldnât decide if he wanted to kiss you or mark you.
And God, you hated the way it lit your nerves on fire.
He kissed just beneath your ear. Down the side of your throat. The curve of your shoulder. His grip tightened on your hip.
âIâve thought about this,â Jungkook murmured against your pulse. âEvery night. Every time I closed my eyes, it was this. You. Right here.â
You sucked in a breath â not from fear, not from resistance.
From the heat.
The terrifying, suffocating heat of being wanted like this. Devoured like this.
âYou should hate me,â he whispered. âI know you do.â
His hand slid higher, curling against the side of your neck, not squeezing â holding. Like you were something delicate. Like you were already his.
âBut you came,â he said. âThatâs all that matters.â
He kissed you again â harder now, teeth dragging.
And you knew this wasnât about seduction anymore.
It was about claiming.
And he wasnât going to stop until every inch of you remembered who you belonged to. Your body was frozen.
Not by choice.
Not entirely.
You werenât sure if it was fear or instinct or the terrifying awareness of how close you were to destruction â but you couldnât move.
Not with him that close. Not when you could feel how real his hunger was.
His voice ghosted over your skin.
âYou donât know what you do to me,â he said, quiet and rough. âI havenât been able to think about anything else since that room.â
You flinched, but he smiled like it was affection.
âYouâre shaking,â he whispered. âAre you scared of me?â
You didnât answer. He didnât wait.
Suddenly, his hands found your thighs, gripped tight, and he lifted you â clean off the floor, like you weighed nothing. Your arms flew around his shoulders on instinct, legs locking around his waist, and thenâ
Then you were on the bed. Still wrapped around him.
His mouth crashed to your shoulder as he pressed you down into the mattress, still clothed, but pressed so tightly you could feel every twitch of his body.
He was unraveling. Coming apart at the seams from the fantasy heâd waited too long to touch.
And thatâs when you knew you had one shot.
You forced your body to relax. Gave a soft, breathy hum near his ear. Let your fingers smooth along the back of his neck.
âJungkook,â you whispered sweetly. âLet me take care of you.â
That made him still.
You shifted your hips gently beneath him, fingers brushing his jaw. And when his head lifted just enough, you leaned in and gave him the softest kiss on the lips. Barely there. Just a taste.
He melted.
Eyes fluttering shut, mouth parting slightly as if he didnât know how to handle that kind of softness.
You smiled.
âGood boy,â you purred, brushing your lips across his. âLet me worship you a little.â
Another kiss, teasing, light, just enough to keep him drunk on you. Then down his throat. His collarbone. His chest.
His hips jerked slightly.
You smirked.
âSensitive,â you teased. âDidnât expect that.â
He growled under his breath, but you slid your fingers down his chest slowly, tenderly, like you were tracing a masterpiece.
You kept your voice honey-sweet, just enough to stroke his ego. âYouâve been patient with me, havenât you, Jungkook?â
He nodded, breath shaky.
âAll that time watching. Waiting.â You dragged your nails over his shoulders. âIt mustâve been so hard.â
âEvery fucking day,â he rasped.
You kissed him again â etting your lips barely part against his, teasing the tension. He moaned into your mouth, hips pressing harder, arms trembling as he held himself above you.
When you pulled back, his lips chased yours instinctively. And that was when you knew you had him.
âYou dont understand what itâs been like,â he murmured, voice low, thick. âKnowing your name. Your face. Having to wait.â
He kissed the corner of your mouth â soft, reverent â and your hands curled into fists, not from fear, but from restraint.
Because if you wanted to survive this, you couldnât play defense.
You had to seduce the devil.
So you tilted your head slightly, lips brushing his jaw. âThen why wait?â you whispered. âYouâre the one who locked the door.â
That made him pause.
His eyes darkened, pupils expanding, lips parting just a little. You brought your hands up slowly, grazing the sides of his chest, kissing down his neck and unbuttoning his dress shirt, then trailing them down, down, until your fingers curled into the belt at his waist.
âTell me,â you said softly, âis this how you imagined it?â
He swallowed.
âI bet it was filthier in your head,â you teased, nails dragging just slightly. âHarder. I bet I was already begging. I bet you thought about me choking on that big, big cock.â
âDonât,â he warned, voice shaky.
âDonât what?â You leaned in, lips brushing the shell of his ear. âSay what you want me to say?â
He hissed under his breath. His whole body leaned forward slightly, chasing the heat of you, and you knew then: you had him.
Of course you did.
Because in his mind, this was always inevitable.
His eyes devoured you like he didnât know where to look â your mouth, your thighs, your hands as they slowly found his shoulders. His shirt was completely unbuttoned now, revealing the toned hard skin of his chest, and his abs.
His eyes were now fluttering shut, mouth parting slightly as if he didnât know how to handle that kind of softness.
And while he was distractedâyou moved.
Quick, fluid, practiced.
You rolled your hips, shifted your weight, and in one smooth twist, flipped the both of you.
Now you were on top, straddling him.
He blinked in dazed surprise, chest rising and falling, letting you guide him like a man under spell.
You pushed him to lay all the way down, and he groaned, head falling back, and you took that opportunity to press soft kisses along his throat. Each one slow, teasing, calculated. You dragged your lips along his jawline, whispering between them.
âThought about this too, didnât you? When I walked into that interrogation room? I bet you touched yourself to it.â
His breath hitched.
âYou didnât want to hurt me. Not really,â you lied, sweet and syrupy. âYou just wanted to know what I taste like.â
He nodded, barely breathing.
And then your hand slid down between you â slowly, confidently â and palmed him through his pants.
The sound he made was broken. Half-groan, half-whimper, head falling forward to your shoulder as his hips arched into your touch. His hands found your waist â not gripping, just holding. Like he thought he finally had you. Like this was real.
âThatâs it,â you whispered against his throat. âYou like being touched, donât you? Bet youâd let me do anything right now.â
âYes baby, donât stopâ,â he gasped. You smiled against his skin.
And then you pulled back.
Your hand moved fast â a sharp, sudden strike straight to his groin, the heel of your palm hitting hard through the expensive fabric.
He choked out a grunt, body curling forward in reflex.
Before he could recover, you shoved him back onto the bed.
A ragged, wounded sound tore from his throat as his body curled toward the pain.
And you ran.
You bolted from the bed, flung the door open, and didnât stop to look back. His cursing rang in your ears, low and strangled, full of disbelief and pain and fury. The sound of it shouldâve satisfied you.
But it only fueled the adrenaline in your blood.
You barreled down the stairs, through the corridor, chest heaving. The music from the club below pounded like a heartbeat.
Your friends were still at the bar.
âMOVE!â you shouted, breathless, just as the guards began turning your way.
You slammed into a standing table, sending bottles, glasses, and bodies flying.
A blur of chaos.
It gave you seconds.
Just enough.
You grabbed your friends, who were still too stunned to scream, and dragged them toward the side exit as shouting broke out behind you.
And when you burst into the alleyway and sprinted into the streetâ
You knew one thing.
You escaped tonight.
But the look on Jungkookâs face as you left him breathless and in pain?
He wasnât going to forget it.
And he sure as hell wasnât going to forgive it.
So you kept running.
Ignoring the part of you that wanted to finish what you started back in that room.
You stood outside of your door with your bags in hand, flabbergasted by the thing that just happened. Tonight you came home to all of your things packed up in bags, and a note from your roommate.
Leave or Iâll kill you.
Any other night you wouldâve called her and cussed her out, but you couldnât do this anymore. Maybe it was a great idea to move out after all, leave this shitty roommate and your miserable living conditions behind.
You werenât even shocked when you found the note, this was just like her. She was simply a mean girl, straight out of the story. You had only lived here for two months, and the first month was great. Your roommate was nice, always asking before bringing people over, respecting you and your boundaries. But after the first month, something about her changed.
She started practically bullying you, not letting you live a second in peace, and always making sure to ruin your day in some way. She made fun of you, made fun of your boyfriend, and the only thing that made you stay was the fact that you couldnât afford anything else.
You sometimes wondered what made her change. She seemed so unsure of her own words when she first changed. She always paused before delivering a mean comment, but as time passed, she grew more confident. By now, it was as if it went against her nature to not treat you like total garbage.
âDarling? Whatâs up?â you heard Wooyoungâs voice in your ear. You sat down on the bench at the bus stop, sighing deeply into the phone. âI got kicked outâŠâ you said. âWhat!?â he gasped. You just hummed a yes. You were so ashamed to ask Wooyoung to stay at his place, but you didnât have a choice. Wooyoung lived with his roommate Mingi in a small flat, and you just hated to take up space in their home.
âOh my god, baby,â Wooyoung gasped into the phone. âCome to my place!â he said with excitement. You smiled with confusion and took a deep breath. âWooyoung, Iâm so sorry for intruding, you know I hateââ, âBaby no!â he interrupted. âI love it when you come over, even if youâll stay longer than usual.â
You bit your lip in thought. âWhat about Mingi? Are you sure heâll be okay with it?â you asked nervously. âOf course he will!â Wooyoung almost laughed into the phone. âCan you ask him?â you suggested before hearing footsteps.
âMingi?â you heard him yell. âY/n can stay here for a while, right?â you heard Mingiâs faint voice in the background, but you couldnât make out what he said. You held your breath. âSee, I knew he would agree!â
You sighed. âDid you really give him a chance to say no? Maybe he didnât feel like he had a choice?â you stressed, hearing Wooyoungâs airy laugh in your ear. âStop worrying okay? I swear heâs fine with it, hell, if I know him heâll probably love having you over!â
You answered with a quiet âmmâ before standing up to get on the bus. âMy bus is here, I gotta go.â, âAlright! See you soon baby!â
ââââ
âPromise me youâll behave now that sheâs going to live here, kay?â Wooyoung smiled, looking up at Mingiâs smug grin. It was safe to say that your boyfriendâs roommate was more than happy when you called Wooyoung. âIâll be good, you should probably be asking her that question, yâknow?â Mingi teased. Wooyoungâs eyebrows furrowed in question. âWeâll see how well your little baby will be able to control herself around me.â
Wooyoung laughed a hearty laugh and was about to respond with a cocky remark when the doorbell rang. âIâll go get that,â Mingi sang, his long legs moving towards the door, not letting your boyfriend catch up.
You watched the door open, and when you saw the tall man, your jaw dropped ever so slightly, but just enough for Mingi to notice it. âHey, Y/n,â he said melodically before wrapping his arms around you in a tight hug. You gasped at his unusual closeness, but smiled when you heard your boyfriendâs sweet voice.
âThatâs enough,â he patted Mingiâs shoulder, making him laugh before letting you go. âThereâs my baby,â Wooyoung said with a pout before you ran into his arms. You almost started like tearing up when you felt his hands roaming your body lovingly. âWelcome home,â he giggled, making you laugh. You let go of him, turning around to speak to Mingi.
âIâm so sorry for intruding you guysâ place like this Iâ I swear Iâll start looking for a new place immediately andââ
âHush now, sweetheart,â Mingi smirked, interrupting your rambling. You had always found his vocabulary with you odd. The way he spoke to you as if you had known each other for much longer than you actually had, almost as if you were dating. âYou can stay here for as long as you need.â
âč àŁȘ Ë
You had only stayed at Wooyoungâs place for about a week when you started noticing his and Mingiâs odd behavior. The exchanged looks, the sentences you couldnât help but question mentally and of course, Mingiâs eyes. His eyes always seemed to be on you, no matter the situation. Hid gaze so piercing, his eyes seeming to follow you as you walked around, always dripping with what you would guess to be lust.
âY/n? Love?â Wooyoung said, snapping his fingers to regain your attention. You snapped out of your thoughts, smiling at him. âI asked what you wanted to get? Weâre planning on eating takeout tonight!â Wooyoung winked. You smiled and thought. âIâll just have the same as last time, I donât remember the nameââ, âGot it!â Mingi said from across the room, writing it down on his phone. You blinked.
Yet another thing that was odd about Mingi. He seemed to remember every small detail about you. Every little thing you said, all of your habits, what food you liked, even how long you used to shower.
âLonger than usual today,â he said as you exited the bathroom. âExcuse me?â you smiled in confusion. âYou showered for thirty minutes today, thatâs longer than usual,â Mingi stated. You didnât know how to answer him. âJust saying!â he put his hands in the air at your lack of an answer. âO-okay,â you meekly answered.
âAnd baby,â Wooyoung said, regaining your attention once again. âWeâve got beer, shots, wine, whatever you want!â You smiled. âItâs been so long since we got really drunk together! I miss those nights we used to spend together, drinking until we could barely walk straight!â Wooyoung said, reminiscing about old memories.
The day went by smoothly, and suddenly, it was dinner time. You always loved nights like these with your boyfriend, ordering takeout and drinking. Only now would you be accompanied by his roommate. While you did enjoy Mingiâs company, you couldnât ignore his creepy behavior.
Your smiled when you heard a whistle from the corridor as you tried on your long dress for the night. You turned around to greet your boyfriend, but your smile dropped when you saw the man standing in the doorway. Mingi.
âWhy the long face, darling? Just because Iâm not your boyfriend doesnât mean I canât find you hot,â he smirked. You blinked, putting on a small smile despite your discomfort. Darling. Thatâs what he had called you. The only person you were comfortable with calling you that was Wooyoung, your boyfriend, not his creepy (but hot) roommate.
âFoodâs here by the way,â Mingi stated before leaving the room. You took a deep breath, trying to compose yourself. You werenât comfortable with this, so why were your cheeks turning red? Why did you feel butterflies in your stomach when you saw Mingi in that tight shirt, showing his toned body?
âBaby!â Wooyoung entered the room, snaking his hands around your waist from behind. âYou look so cute,â he said into your neck, placing a small kiss where your shoulder met your neck.
âHey Wooyoung,â you sighed, gathering the courage to say what you were about to say. âI feel a little⊠I donât know uncomfortable?â you started, making his eyebrows furrow in worry. âWith what? The dress?â he asked. Your lips pressed into a thin line. You got ready to speak again, when a knock interrupted you. âItâs dinner time, lovebirds,â Mingi said. Your head turned to meet his gaze, and you didnât miss the way his eyes only looked at you. Not at Wooyoung, just at you.
âAlright,â Wooyoung smiled, turning you around to walk out of the room. âLooks like youâll have to save what you were going to say for later.â You swallowed, hesitantly letting Wooyounglead you to the table, mentally preparing for the night you were about to spend with your lovely boyfriend and his roommate that you just couldnât seem to read.
You gasped in excitement at the food plated out on the table. âYum!â you let out squeezing Wooyoungâs hand. He smiled at your reaction, pulling out a chair before sitting down on the one next to it. Your smile dropped slightly when Mingi sat down by the small and round table, feeling his knee brush against yours for a split second.
âLetâs eat!â Wooyoung clapped, keeping his wide smile on his lips. He always succeeded to cheer you up when you felt a little down. Mingi started playing some music in the loud speakers as you and Wooyoung started eating the delicious food.
Before you knew it, the three of you had had perhaps just a little too much to drink, starting to slur your words and loudly sing along to the music in the speakers. Wooyoung was clinging to you like never before, his mouth attached to your neck and hands roaming your body. âWoo, stop it,â you whined with a grin on your face. You both knew you didnât mean it, your arms thrown around his neck, pulling him closer.
You had almost forgotten that Mingi was there, watching everything unfold. But getting drunk was exactly what you needed. You didnât think about Mingiâs stares, his lingering touches or the fact that your body reacted to him in a way that you couldnât admit to yourself.
âWanna move to the couch?â Mingi said, catching your and Wooyoungâs attention. âYes please!â Wooyoung sang, standing up to walk over there. You happened to sit in a corner, so it took you a minute to get out of your seat, the moment Mingi had been waiting for.
âThink I havenât noticed?â Mingi whispered, suddenly standing right in front of you. In your drunken state, you didnât fear him, you didnât feel as intimidated. âNoticed what?â you challenged, looking him right in the eye, drawing out a wide-eyed smirk from him.
âThe way you feel about me,â he said, his hand meeting the back of your waist. You gasped when he pulled you towards him. âI can see the way you react,â he whispered. âThe way your body reacts.â
You blinked, wondering if these words were really coming out of his mouth. âI bet youâre really turned on right now, arenât you?â he smirked, and thatâs when you decided that you had had enough of this. You pushed him away from you and stormed off to the living room, where Wooyoung lay sprawled out on the couch, clearly about to fall asleep.
You sat him up and immediately took a seat next to him, basically gluing your body to his. âBaby, I missed you,â he whined, body inching even closer to yours. You watched as Mingi entered the room, his gaze plastered on you. You shrunk slightly at the attention.
âSorry, your girlfriend had some trouble getting out of her seat,â Mingi lied. You swallowed, wondering if you should speak up or not. âThank you for helping her,â Wooyoung smiled. You rolled your eyes, and before you could have a say in the matter, Mingi sunk down by your other side, maybe even sitting closer than Wooyoung was.
You held your breath, feeling Mingiâs warm skin press against yours as Wooyoung buried his face in your neck. You couldnât stop a small whimper from escaping your lips when Wooyoung bit you lightly on your neck, and right as he did so, Mingiâs big hand landed on your thigh, giving it a firm squeeze.
You looked at Wooyoung, but your boyfriendâs eyes were closed. What would he think if he opened his eyes to see Mingiâs hands on you? If he found out that that whimper wasnât just because of him, but also because of his roommate?
You glared at Mingi, who just smiled innocently. His hand travelled further up your thigh as he held eye contact with you, and you put your hand over his in a weak attempt to stop him, but you barely even tried. Because deep inside, you knew you were attracted to him, and he seemed to know it as well.
You hated this feeling, because you truly loved your boyfriend. He was your everything, your best friend and your one true love. And the fact that Mingi could see right through you, was enough to make you fear him.
His hand rested incredibly close to where you ached it to be, but begged for it to not be. âYou like this baby?â Mingi whispered into your ear. Your eyes widened, your head turning towards Wooyoung immediately, but he didnât react. He mustâve not heard it. âI know you doâ Mingiâs lips touched your ear, making you squirm.
âMingi?â Wooyoung said suddenly, making you freeze in anticipation. âYeah?â said man answered, tone very cool considering what he was currently doing with his friendâs girlfriend. âCan you pass me my phone?â
You were so confused. How on earth didnât he notice anything? Sure, he was drunk, but still!?
âI wanna go to bed honey,â Wooyoung finally said, making you sigh in relief. As Wooyoung stood up, Mingiâs hand immediately left your thigh. Your boyfriend went over to him, to give him a hug. âGoodnight Mingi,â he said. âSleep tight,â said man replied, looking at you.
âč àŁȘ Ë
âBaby, right there please,â Wooyoung moaned out as your lips closed around his length. It seemed he didnât actually mean going to sleep when he wanted to âgo to bedâ, but you werenât complaining. âWait no,â he whimpered, grabbing your head to stop you. âDonât wanna come yet, baby,â he smiled, hands patting your head gently.
You raised your head from between his legs, meeting his lustful eyes. âCan I fuck you? Please Iâm soââ, âYes you can,â you nodded before he could finish his sentence. He almost ripped off your dress when he heard those words, oozing with excitement.
âI wanna taste you first though,â he smirked, not preparing you further before shoving his face between your legs. You moaned loudly when you felt his skillful tongue on you. Everything felt so good when you were drunk. You were both dripping with pleasure, not being able to hold yourselves back. âSo wet, baby,â he hummed. âHow did you manage to get like this, hm?â Wooyoung asked before continuing to pleasure you.
Your eyes widened at the question. Mingi had been right. You were turned on by him, and it made you hate yourself. You wanted to cry from how bad you felt, and decided to just hum as an answer. You felt your orgasm approaching you, but Wooyoung soon stopped, biting his lips and getting ready to fuck you.
âReady baby?â he almost breathed out, making you nod enthusiastically. When he finally entered you, you felt as if you could come right away. You moaned his name as he thrusted into you at a rapid pace.
âShit, I might come already, Iâm sorry,â Wooyoung rambled while letting his hips slow down slightly. âItâs okay baby, I will too,â you assured him, wrapping your arms around his neck. He fastened his pace at those words, making the two of you approach your orgasms quickly.
Wooyoungâs loud moans filled the room, and so did yours as he finally finished inside of you. You were both breathless, sweaty and absolutely exhausted. The alcohol only made you more tired.
âI might fall asleep,â he informed, making you let out a tired giggle. âMe too, donât worry.â
Just as you were about to close your eyes, you spotted a tall figure standing in the doorway. You rubbed your eyes, not wanting to believe what you had just seen, and when you looked again, there was no one there. Had you really begun hallucinating now too? You wanted to barf at the thought of how much power Mingi had over you. He knew your innermost desires, didnât hesitate before breaking boundaries and made you question yourself like never before.
You fell asleep, and that night, you dreamt of Mingi. You dreamt of him touching you, him having his way with you, and even though your mind was so against the idea, your body seemed to crave it.
âč àŁȘ Ë
You used Wooyoungâs soft shirt to wipe your tears away as you sniffled into his shoulder. He looked down at you sympathetically before looking at the TV once again. âI canât believe he just left her like that!â you cried, watching the end credits roll after the fourth movie of the night.
Somehow, both you, Wooyoung and Mingi had all ended up with the flu. The three of you had spent the last few days cuddled up on the couch, binge-watching movies and TV-shows while coughing and sniffling.
You hadnât spoken to Mingi about that night yet, because honestly, you didnât know what to say. For these few days, he had actually been nice for the most part. He had kept his distance, and reminded you why you used to enjoy his company so much.
His funny and charming demeanor was back, and everything felt just right, well, except for one little thing.
Your things were disappearing. It started with your favorite skirt. You basically turned Wooyoungâs room upside down when looking for it. You ran out of the room, hurriedly asking if any of the guys had seen it, to which they both shrugged their shoulders.
Then, it was your underwear, then your hairbrush. You searched Wooyoungâs face to see any signs of a lie, but he really looked clueless when you asked about your favorite black pair of panties. He loved to play pranks on you, but why on earth would he do this?
Aside from that little detail, everything was going great. Maybe he had stopped doing it, or maybe you had just started to get used to Mingiâs piercing gaze, you honestly didnât know.
âItâs getting late,â Mingi stated, getting up from the couch. âHey,â you stopped him from leaving. âCan I just borrow your phone for a second? I need to look up one of the actors,â you asked, reaching out your hand.
You couldnât read Mingiâs face, and you couldnât understand why he looked at Wooyoung in such a panicked matter. âHello?â you asked, keeping your hand outstretched.
âDonât you have your own?â Mingi smirked, continuing to walk away from you. âDonât be a dick, itâs not here,â you yelled as he walked away. âJust let me search it up!â you whined.
Mingi came back a second later, you phone in hand. âHere you go, princess,â he smiled making you roll your eyes at the nickname. âI didnât ask you to get it,â you muttered before opening up your phone.
Later that night, when you lay in bed next to Wooyoung, you thought about that moment. Why couldnât he just give you his phone? Was he just really private? Or was he just this secretive with you? You had seen Wooyoung use Mingiâs phone, so why was it different with you?
A few days later, you showed Wooyoung the apartments that you were thinking about moving into. You had a few alternatives, each one having their own strengths and weaknesses. âThis oneâs in good condition, but itâs a bit priceyâŠâ you said with a slight pout, furrowing your eyebrows.
âAnd this oneâs really small, but it looks cute, right?â you looked over at Wooyoung, who looked deep in thought. âWhat?â you asked, seeing his small frown.
âDo you really think that this is necessary?â he asked, making you pause. âWhat do you mean?â you questioned.
âWell, you could just stay hereâŠâ he said quietly, eyes glued the floor. You tried to find words, but didnât really know what to reply. His hands held yours, caressing them slowly. âI feel like I love you more and more for every moment we spend together andââ Wooyoungâs voice was almost shaky, filled with emotion. âI want you to stay with me here, okay?â he proposed.
You pressed your lips into a line, meeting Tenâs gaze as he lifted it from the floor. âIâI donât,â you tried to find your words. âListen, I would love to move in with you too,â you said, making Wooyoungâs eyes light up, a smile already starting to coat his lips. âBâBut, it feels different like this. Yâknow, with Mingi and everythingââ
âOh donât worry about him, he really wonât mind!â he tried to reassure you. You avoided his gaze. âBut what ifââ you stammered. âWhat if I mind?â
There was a pause, a loud silence that filled the air between you. âWhat I mean is justââ, âYou donât like him? Did he do anything to upset you? Did he hurt you baby?â Wooyoung stressed, worry lacing his tone. âNo, itâs just that he.. well we,â you sighed. âIt just feels weird for me to keep staying here, and whether you agree with me or not, I still feel like Iâm intruding,â you said. Maybe that wasnât the only reason, but there was no need for Wooyoung to know that.
He was about to protest, but you spoke first. âI really want to find a new place, and Iâll gladly have you move with me if thatâs what you want, but I know you love living here with Mingi.â
You watched his expression slowly contort into a large frown, his bottom lip starting to loll out. He took a shaky breath before finally giving you a reply. âI get it baby,â Wooyoung sighed. âBut can you just think about it for a moment? You can pause your apartment hunting for now, and just consider staying, right?â
His eyes were glimmering with hope, making you feel like a villain for even thinking about denying him. ââŠOkay,â you finally said, to which Wooyoung squealed in excitement, squeezing your hands tightly in his. âI knew I would be able to change your mind!â he smiled. You smiled, but when he wrapped his arms around you, your smile completely dropped.
âč àŁȘ Ë
When you had finally managed to get rid of the flu that had haunted you for two miserable weeks, you decided that you wanted to celebrate it by going out with some of your friends.
It had been way too long since you went to the club, even since you met your friend group. Your best friend squeaked in excitement when you called her and asked if she was up for a night out.
You hummed happily while applying your makeup, finally feeling really pretty again after being sick for such a long time. You heard the sound of Wooyoung and Mingiâs voices as they entered the apartment, having gone shopping for the last few hours.
With how much money Mingi seemed to have, you never really understood why he chose to live in this small flat with your boyfriend. Wooyoung always told you about how Mingi always payed for their food, how he suggested going on luxurious trips, and how the man seemed to have an unlimited supply of money.
Maybe their years-long friendship is what kept them together, even in such a small place.
âBaby? What are you doing?â Wooyoung asked with a smile on his face, but a hint of worry in his tone. âIâm getting ready! Iâm going out with the girls tonight!â you said in excitement, going up to give him a hug.
âOh, okay,â he replied, voice void of emotion. You backed away from him, eyebrows furrowed. âWhy? Whatâs up?â you asked. âNo, itâs just..â he avoided your gaze. âCanât you stay here tonight? We were thinking of having dinner together,â he pouted. Your mouth opened slightly.
âIâm sorry, but Iâve already made plans with them,â you said, your hand meeting the back of his head. âYou know itâs been a while since i hung out with them.â
Wooyoung almost looked angry, his gaze still refusing to meet yours. âHave I done something to upset you or something?â he asked. You almost laughed at the absurdity of the question. âWhat? No, why would you think that?â
He cleared his throat. âItâs like you donât want to spend time with me anymore,â he spat. âFirst the apartment now thisâŠâ
You huffed at his words. âIâve basically been with you every second of every day for this past month?â you said, letting go of him. For the first time, he looked at you, and you couldnât help but feel bad.
âYou love me, right?â he asked, hands raising to meet your shoulders. You blinked, not understanding hid thought process at all. âOf course I do, but that doesnât mean I canât spend time with my friends as well,â you stated.
Wooyoung came closer to you, holding you in a tight embrace. âIâm sorry baby,â he sniffled. âI just donât want to lose you, thatâs all.â
You swallowed, feeling his arms almost crush you. âOf course you wonât,â you reassured. You wouldâve probably understood his motives more if you saw the satisfied smirk on his face as you uttered those words.
âThank you baby,â he said, leaving a small kiss on your neck before letting you go. âIâll go help Mingi with the groceries,â he said before leaving the room, and also leaving you almsot speechless. What on earth was that?
Thirty minutes later, you found yourself in such a stressful state, trying to find the dress that you had mentally picked out for tonight. You stood on chairs to look where you couldnât reach, searched every single corner of the room, got on all fours to search under all of the furniture, and of course, thatâs how Mingi found you.
âOh,â he said when he found you, digging under the bed to find it. You turned around in shame, immediately standing up. A thing to take into consideration, was that you were only in your underwear. âI donât have time for this,â you sighed before closing the door in his face.
You quickly put on a robe to cover yourself before opening the door, meeting Mingi again, who was stuck in the same spot you found him in. âWhat?â you said, seeing the teasing look in his eye.
âNothing,â he said, starting to walk away. âItâs just not everyday that you find a prudish girl like you in such a state,â he said in the distance, making you run after him.
âShut up, you! At least Iâm not a slut like you!â you pointed at him, making him raise his eyebrows in amusement. âYou know what, youâre probably the one responsible for all of these disappearing clothes!â you said, darting towards his room. You missed the way his smile dropped before his long legs followed you.
You threw the door open, entering the dark and messy room. You had never seen Mingiâs room before. You always followed the âDO NOT ENTERâ sign on it, but today was a different day.
You turned on the light, scanning the room for any of your things, but only saw his own huge supply of clothes coating the floor. âY/n,â Mingi warned when you walked towards his closet.
His legs scrambled towards you in a matter of seconds, his voice yelling your name again, but this time, in such an alarming way that you actually believed something was seriously wrong.
But it seemed he was just a second too late, because when he stood behind you, you had already opened the closet door to see what was inside.
You stared into it in silence, your jaw having dropped ever so slightly.
There they were. All of your lost things, maybe even more than you knew you had lost. Underwear, trash you threw away, makeup products, and the thing that made you feel instantly sick: pictures.
A pile of pictures, either printed or polaroids, and they were all of you. Pictures of you in your old apartment, pictures of you when you were younger, pictures of you and Wooyoung, pictures of you when you were asleep.
You flinched when Mingi harshly slammed the door closed from behind you. His arm caged you in between him and the door, and you didnât dare to turn around. You heard his heavy breathing, you felt his hot breath against your neck, and worst of all, you could feel him against you. His erection against your body, as he inched closer. You felt your instincts take over.
âWooyoung!ââ, âShut up,â Mingi put his big hand over your mouth, making you squirm even more in the tight space between him and the closet door. âStop squirming,â Mingi warned, making you hold your breath.
His hand slowly left your mouth, causing a small whimper of fear to be heard from your now parted lips. Mingi turned you around, making you face him. He leaned down until you could feel his breath fan your face. He still wore that same smirk that he more almost all the time, but his eyes had this newfound glow, this unknown width and fire. It made you fear him even more.
âPlease, I promise I wonât tell Wooyoung if you justââ you started, before Mingi hushed you, his eyes closing shut. You gasped when he crouched down, positioning himself to pick you up. âNo, pleaseââ, âI said shut up.â
Your breathing quickened when he walked over to the bedroom door, still with you in his arms. You watched as he shut the door carefully, twisting the lock before walking over to his bed.
He dropped you down rather harshly, positioning himself right on top of you. As if trying to make yourself small, your body scrunched up, arms caging themselves around your form.
âDonât hide from me baby,â Mingi said in a giggle, his strong hands pinning yours above your head. âIâve already seen everything.â
You shivered, eyes avoiding his. You could feel yourself starting to tear up, to which Mingiâs fingers wiped your eyes. âI mightâve even seen more than your precious Wooyoung,â he smiled menacingly. âAnd youâve had no idea this whole time.â
You clenched your eyes shut, not even wanting to adress that the situation was actually happening. âHeâll never forgive you,â you spat, finally looking into his eyes. âAww, you think so, huh?â he said with faux concern. Your wide eyes following his head as he leaned down, growing wider for every inch closer he came towards you.
You squealed when his lips met your neck, your hands meeting his shoulders, slightly pushing him away. âMingiââ, âDonât lie,â he interrupted once again, making you blink in confusion.
âDonât act like you donât enjoy this,â he smiled, his kisses traveling further and further down your neck. His hand moved your silk robe to the side, revealing your shoulders. âI know you do.â You gasped when his teeth sunk into the flesh of your now exposed shoulder.
âIâd bet youâre so turned on right now,â he whispered. You squirmed, a newfound energy making you fight back finally. You pushed him off, sitting up to get away from him. It wasnât long until he wrapped his arms around you again, pulling you back down into the bed with him.
âPlease, just let me go out with my friends tonight, I wonât tell himââ you stopped yourself this time, realizing how weak you sounded. How utterly pitiful and pathetic your tone rang in your ears. âYou really donât understand, do you?â Mingi said in amusement.
He stood up, unlocking and opening the door. You watched as he pointed towards the open door with his hand. âWhy donât you go ahead and tell Wooyoung, hm?â Mingi said, waiting for you do dart towards the door, which you did a second later.
You ran to the kitchen, looking back at Mingi, who slowly exited his room, his arms crossed and a look in his eye that you could only describe as evil.
You found Wooyoung in the kitchen, preparing dinner for him and Mingi. âHey babeâwoah,â his eyes widened when he saw your panicked and disheveled state, the thin robe almost falling off of your body.
âWhatâs going on?â he asked with urgency. âItâs Mingi, heâ heââ your breath caught in your throat, the panic catching up to you. You looked back, seeing Mingi enter the kitchen with slow steps, looking deep into not your eyes, but Wooyoungâs. You looked back at Wooyoung, wrapping your arms around him as if it would keep you safe from the man behind you. Wooyoung smirked without you seeing it, his eyes still stuck on Mingiâs.
âWhatâs wrong baby?â he asked, rubbing your back soothingly. You sniffled into his shoulder, and finally felt your shoulders starting to relax at Wooyoungâs next words. âMingi, why donât you leave us for a minute?â
You heard the tall manâs footsteps slowly fade away, making your fear dial down just a tiny bit. Wooyoung sat you down by the table, his warm hands slowly leaving your shoulders. âIâll get you a glass of water,â he stated. âTell me what happened.â
You took a deep breath. âI was just looking for my dress for tonight, oh shootâ I almost forgot that Iâm going out,â you looked around, searching for a clock somewhere. Finally finding one, you realized that you were going to be late. âShit, I have toââ, âNo, shh baby,â Wooyoung came back with your water. âIâm sure theyâll be fine with you being a little late,â he reassured you, pulling out a chair to sit down next to you.
You sighed, taking a big sip of water. âAnyway I entered Mingiâs room, and wellâ In his closet,â your voice was shaky, brimming with fear. Wooyoung pushed the glass towards you, to which you took another big sip. âWoo, I found my things, andâ and I found pictures andââ, âShh, shh,â he hushed you, inching closer to you and placing his warm hand on the backside of your neck, rubbing soothing circles into it.
âLetâs just calm down,â Wooyoung said. Your looked at him, blinking in confusion. âYouâre really worked up right now, andââ, âOf course Iâm worked up! Do you have any idea of how scared I wasââ
âCalm down, please.â Wooyoung interrupted, his grip on your neck tightening ever so slightly. âHave some more water, and then we can talk about this.â
You were about to question him, but finally obeyed his wish, finishing the glass. âDo you want to go to my room instead?â Wooyoung asked and you immediately nodded, following him into the room with hurried steps, but as soon as you were on your feet, you felt an odd sensation. Your vision was slightly blurry, but you figured it was nothing.
When you were finally positioned on Wooyoungâs bed, you noticed how the moments you experienced seemed to blur together. You blinked, trying to gather your senses.
âBaby? You alright?â he asked, wrapping his arms around you once again. You felt your eyelids starting to close together, small whines escaping your lips in confusion. âLetâs lie down,â you heard Wooyoungâs voice, but as if in the distance. The last thing you saw before you finally lost consciousness was the sight of Mingi standing in the doorway, just like you imagined that night you had prayed to forget.
âč àŁȘ Ë
âI canât believe youâre such an idiot,â Wooyoung laughed, resting his head in Mingiâs lap. Mingiâs fingers slowly ran through your boyfriendâs dark locks. âOh come on, we were going to do this sooner or later,â Mingi argued, eyes lingering on Wooyoungâs.
You heard the twoâs voices, but it was as if you couldnât grasp reality. You couldnât fully reach your senses quite yet, you could just hear and feel slight sensations, but not enough to know if you were truly awake.
âImagine her cute little face when she sees that youâre responsible for this,â Mingi said, interrupted by his own giggles. âTurns out her sweet little boyfriend wasnât so sweet after all.â
Right after Mingi uttered those words, Wooyoung seemed to pick up on something, his head twisting around towards you. He slowly crawled towards where you lay on the floor. âBaby?â he smiled, hand meeting your cold cheek.
Your eyes slowly opened up, laying themselves on Wooyoungâs wide smile, his anticipating eyes. As your senses came back, you noticed something rough against your skin, slithered around your legs and arms.
You let out a small involuntary moan of discomfort, eyes searching the room. You saw the thick rope around your body, and you felt as if your heart stopped.
âShe awake?â a voice said from behind Wooyoung - who was carefully examined your face. âMm-hmm, but still a little confused,â Wooyoung said, his smile creeping back onto his face. âHow are you feeling baby?â he said, both thumbs stroking your cheeks.
You tried to speak, but couldnât utter a single word. âHmm, not quite aware yet,â he frowned, backing away from you. Who now entered your field of view made your eyes go wide instantly.
You grew more confused by the second, but also more aware. The slow realization that was happening inside your brain made your heartbeat quicken, as you started struggling in your restraints.
âNone of that,â Mingi said, making your head snap towards him.
âWhatâs going on?â you finally managed to say, now that you were almost completely aware. The two men looked at each other for a second, before Mingi nodded towards your boyfriend.
âDonât be scared baby, everythingâs just fine, okay?â Wooyoung said, coming closer to you again. âWe just thought that you might need some safety precautions,â he said, as if that would clear anything up for you. âWhy am I tied up!?â
Wooyoung took a deep breath. âWe didnât want you to get scared and try to run off, okay?â he said, trying to grab your face again, to which you immediately flinched from his touch.
âBaby, just listen okay?â you heard Mingi. You almost gasped at his familiarity, when you started to remember the events that occurred before this.
âYou creep!â you spat out at Mingi, seeing that annoyingly amused face on him. âHow dare you? What about my poor feelings?â Mingi made fun of you, a childish pout on his lips.
âYouâre a stalker!â you said, âand you!â you directed towards Wooyoung, tears starting to seep out of your eyes. âYou donât even care?â your volume lowered for every word you said. You couldnât even keep his eyes opened any more, not wanting to look either of them in the face.
âListen babyââ Wooyoung tried, but you immediately shut him down. âLet me go.â
The silence that followed gave you the answer you had been expecting. âYou donât have to pretend anymore, baby,â Wooyoung said lowly. âI know youâve been into Mingi for a while now,â you opened your mouth in disbelief.
âOh, come on,â Wooyoung rolled his eyes playfully. âIâve seen the way you look at him,â he inched closer. âThe way you react when he looks at you.â
âThatâs not trueââ you said, voice cracking as tears continued to flow down your face. Wooyoungâs fingers wiped them away as he hummed. âThen why havenât you told me about how heâs been acting?â
Your eyes shot open again. âWhy havenât you told me about that night when he touched you like that? When he looked at you like that?â Wooyoungâs breath fanned your face, his lips almost touching yours as he spoke. As much as you tried to inch away from him, his strong hand holding your head in place made it impossible.
âItâs okay to be attracted to him,â he smiled. âBut pretending that you donât, is not.â
You gasped when Wooyoungâs lips crashed against yours, his tongue exploring your mouth without your consent. When he finally disconnected from you, his face wore an unreadable expression.
âWhatâs the point of lying anymore, hm? Why donât we all share our little secrets?â Mingi proposed, standing up, making Wooyoung turn his head before also raising to stand.
You watched as Wooyoungâs arms snaked around Mingiâs waist from behind him. âYou think itâs a coincidence that you had to move? Have you ever really thought about why your roommate started acting like that out of the blue?â Mingi asked. Wooyoung laughed into Mingiâs shoulder.
You took your eyes off of the two, slowly shaking your head as you started to realize what he was implying. âThatâs right,â Wooyoung sang. âThink it was just a coincidence that you just had to move out so suddenly?â Mingi mocked. âIf it werenât for Mingi and his incredible blackmailing abilities, you wouldnât be here in the first place,â Wooyoung informed.
You felt yourself starting to hyperventilate, the information crashing down on you. âNo,â you sobbed.
âOh yes,â Mingi said, crouching down to look you in the eyes. âWe both love you, and we would never let anything get in the way of that.â
âLet me go!â you thrashed around in the rope, feeling them burn and tighten against your skin, but you didnât care. âPlease,â you begged, feeling Mingi come closer and closer to you until he was eventually on top of you on all fours.
âNow youâre all ours baby,â Mingi said with satisfaction, tilting his head to the side before leaning in and whispering. âAnd weâll never let you go.â
a/n: IâVE HEARD YOUR PRAYERS! And yes this was originally a Ten and Johnny x reader fic, but I hope you enjoy this instead!!! Tell me if you want a part two, and thank you all for your support!! I always appreciate your asks/comments!
Warnings: not biblically accurate AT ALL, obsessive behavior, somnophilia, yandere themes, rape, bondage, oral (f recieving), purely fiction, body worship, he is fucked in the head, read at your own risk!!! minors dni
He had always thought of them as lesser creatures, even as his brethren thought of them as cute and clueless, Yeosang knew what they were truly capable of.
Being a guardian angel to a monster disguised as a human was hard, and having to watch that monster hurt innocent people, was enough to convince Yeosang to never trust a human again.
âForgive me father,â Yeosang spoke. The cathedral was empty at this time of day, so he found himself here, begging for forgiveness in such a pathetic human place. He wouldâve returned to his own realm, if it werenât for the sin he had committed.
Surely theyâll never forgive him for killing a human. Itâs the one rule Angels can never break, no matter what. They were sent to help the poor humans, so committing such a crime could never be forgiven.
As much as Yeosang wanted to feel bad, he just couldnât. Seeing the human he was assigned to protect rape innocent women was enough to make Yeosang snap.
âThese filthy humansâŠâ he spoke lowly before standing up to leave the cathedral once again. His majestic wings shimmered in the moonlight shining through the windows as he finally decided to make his way back to his realm. If it was one thing he had learned from his brethren, it was to never avoid the inevitable.
Yeosangâs anguished scream was probably heard by all creatures of the realm, as he was harshly whipped. When yet another whipping sound was heard, it was soon followed by another sound of pure terror.
The blonde angel had to admit that he had it coming. He knew what he did when he decided to personally murder that disgusting man, and even as he felt the harsh whip crack the skin of his chest open once again, he didnât feel an ounce of regret.
As he felt himself slowly lose consciousness after the hours of torture, he was sure this was the end. Angels were known to be immortal in the human realm, but they could die in the hands of another supernatural being.
As he finally felt the deep and dark slumber wash over him, a wave of relief did so as well. Finally, his suffering was going to end, and he wouldnât have to endure the miserable life of an angel anymore.
It was a rainy evening, the dark clouds occasionally being illuminated by the bright lightning. You heard the rumble of thunder as you drove home from work on the empty driveway.
Suddenly, your attention was snatched by something odd laying on the side of the rode. You squinted, trying to see the oddly shaped thing. As you came closer and closer, your eyes only widened further.
Wings.
Big, white and graceful wings were wrapped around the creature. You wondered if it was some kind of bird, but you had never seen such big wings before.
As you came closer to the odd thing, you pulled over and rushed out of the car to examine it.
You started looking at it from different angles, but when you finally saw the full form of the creature, you froze.
It was a human. With wings.
You blinked.
Without even processing those unimaginable thoughts for longer, you stepped closer to him. He looked young, and his chest and stomach was filled with wounds, bleeding out. The only clothes he seemed to wear was a type of cloth around his hips, covering up his private parts. You crouched down, trying to get a better look at him.
He was lying on his side, his right wing wrapped protectively around him like a shield. His body weight was pressed over the other, and even though you still couldnât comprehend this being, you could tell he needed help.
His eyes were closed, and even after just getting a brief look at his face, you gasped in awe at his beauty.
An angel?
You thought back to your mother, who told you tales about the angels. Those who protect us every single day, without us knowing a thing.
You had always thought of those stories as fairytales, but right now, you had no choice but to believe them.
You grabbed his wounded shoulders, trying your best to avoid any cuts, and tried shaking him awake.
âHello?â your voice called for him, laced with panic and urgency. Your breath only picked up more when he showed no signs of consciousness, lying there like a lifeless doll on the ground.
Yeosang contemplated whether he was dead or not. It was unknown to him what would happen if an angel died. Would he be eternally punished for his sins?
That voice.
He heard it again.
It wasnât the voice of some cruel demon wanting to hurt him, it was one laced with concern and care.
He didnât want to believe what his suspicions told him.
A human woman.
Yeosang felt his body being shaken. Two hands were wrapped around his forearms, too gently to hurt, but too firm to go unnoticed in the state he found himself in.
Somewhere in between life and death. This voice, these hands, they were desperately trying to pull him towards life.
He found himself growing more and more aware, and suddenly, you were there. You were right in front of him.
Surely, this creature couldnât be human.
Such a warm gaze, such a gentle tone, even when in distress. Such beauty, what could he had possibly done to deserve such a deityâs tender attention.
Your eyes roamed his wounded body, and occasionally met his half opened eyes, admiring you.
âHere, please let me help you,â he heard your voice sound out. His wings flapped in discomfort, and just then, he realized the position he was in. A groan of pain escaped his lips as his body weight pressed down on his injured wing.
You tried to pull him upwards, and his surprisingly light body came crashing down in your embrace. You still tried your best not to hurt his already wounded body.
Yeosangâs head snapped up, meeting your gaze. He examined your face with caution. She looked human. He knew there were kind humans out there, but a part of him didnât want to believe it.
âDo you think you could walk with me to my car?â you asked. The intense worry in your voice shocked the angel. Why would you care so much for someone you had never encountered before?
As you helped him stand up, he hissed in pain when you accidentally brushed up against his injured wing. You apologized immediately, slowly leading him to your car.
The quiet rumble of the engine soothed the injured angel in your backseat. In order to fit his large wings in your small car, he had to almost lay down. You werenât happy with his position, but made sure to try and drive as safely as possible, not wanting to cause an accident.
He couldnât keep his eyes off of you as you focused on driving. He noticed the way you purposely avoided all the road bumps, clearly not wanting him to get further injured.
He had never been this mesmerized with a mere human before. Having seen them every day for years, this was the first time someone managed to catch his attention in this way.
He ended up silently admiring you the entire car ride home, not wanting to tear his eyes away from you for a reason he couldnât understand. What about you was so special? Why did he feel the need to protect you? Sure, as a guardian angel, it was his job to protect his assigned human, but he had never felt such an obligation to do so until as of right now.
You eyed the curious angel in your backseat through the rear-view window, still not quite believing your own eyes. As you stopped the car, you had to gather all your sanity to talk to him again. Had you gone crazy? Was this some weird hallucination who you spoke to?
It had felt so real, helping him to your car, touching his blemished skin.
When you finally appeared at the small cottage you had learned to call home, you noticed that the rain had stopped. You smiled slightly when you stepped out of the car, only being able to smell the previous downpour.
âHere, let me help you out,â you suggested to the man in your backseat, reaching out your hand for him to grab. His eyes were wide with interest, as he slowly put his hand in yours. He blinked at the sudden touch.
As you gently led him into your house, sitting him down on a chair in the kitchen, Yeosangâs eyes never left your face. You didnât know what to think of it. You honestly didnât know what to think of any of this.
âOkay, Iâll go get some things to clean your wounds with, so you just stay put,â you said, sounding unsure of yourself. Yeosang only nodded, knowing that your human medicine might not work on him, but not minding having you try and take care of him.
As you rushed to the bathroom, you felt a wave of panic wash over you. There was a random man, if you could even call him that, in your house. Where did he come from? Why was he lying on the street covered in wounds? What is he?
You gathered tour thoughts, and decided to just focus on what you could do right now, which was just helping him patch up.
As you anxiously stepped into your small kitchen again, you noticed that he had stood up, currently examining a painting on your wall.
âO- Oh no, please sit down,â you begged, slowly walking up to him. âYouâre hurt.â
He looked at you, and immediately went back to the position you left him in, sitting obediently on the chair. You sighed as you picked up an antibacterial liquid, coating a cotton swab with it.
âThis might sting,â you said apologetically, slowly cleaning one of the wounds on his stomach. You eyed his reaction, but barely found a response, he just kept his eyes plastered on your face in interest.
As you continued treating his wounds, Yeosang felt an odd feeling in his stomach. Even when his wings were aching like never before, the pain of literally falling out of the sky haunting him, he could only focus on one thing right now.
You.
You were such a sweet little human. As much as it was endearing, it was also confusing. Humans were vile creatures, only causing trouble on earth, so why were you an exception? It almost frustrated the angel. It was as if his beliefs got crushed, proving him wrong about the humans.
Oh, but you were so cute. Helping him with his wounds, treating them with such care and weariness.
Yeosang thought that, maybe this was a sign from the gods. Maybe, his sins would only be forgiven if he succeeded at his new task.
For the first few days, Yeosang assumed you were just a kind hearted human, who was willing to take care of him when he needed it most. But when he gazed upon your worried expression as you tenderly cleaned his legs, making sure not to brush up against his not yet fully healed injuries, another thought came to him.
You werenât just a mere human, no. You were something else. Perhaps, some unknown force granted him a new opportunity to prove himself, by giving him a new chance.
A goddess.
A new person for him to devote himself to, only this time, in human form.
Surely it couldnât have been a coincidence, meeting you that day, when he was in such desperate need for care.
âYeosang, are you listening to me?â you smiled, looking up at the manâs dazed eyes. He blinked, before looking away in shame. âSorry, what were you saying?â Yeosang said quietly, his gaze meeting yours.
âDo your wounds still hurt? Do you want me to get some medicine?â you repeated, causing Yeosang to immediately shake his head. âNo, no, thereâs⊠No need for that,â he replied, hands finding the towel laying in his lap.
For the past few days, you had been taking care of Yeosang like one would take care of a child, in need of constant care. You made him meals, bathed him and made sure he got enough sleep every night. When he explained to you what his life had been like before you found him, you couldnât even believe what you were hearing.
If anyone else wouldâve told you these obscure stories about angels, you wouldâve never believed a single word, but as you woke up every morning with the winged man still in your house, you had no choice but to believe him.
And at this point, you didnât know what to do with him. He didnât have anywhere else to go, but honestly, you couldnât afford taking care of him for however long he needed it.
Yeosang didnât seem the least bit worried about his future though. He just kept a small smile plastered on his lips as you tended to his needs.
You watched as he politely wiped his lips after finishing the breakfast you had provided him.
âThank you so much, Y/n,â he said, looking deep into your eyes.
âYeah, I have to get to work now,â you spoke, getting up to put your outerwear on, but a hand around your wrist halted you in your movements. Your head snapped back to Yeosang, who had stood up from his seat, an almost frightened look on his face.
âN-no donâtâŠâ he started, fingers grazing your wrist carefully.
âIâll be back in a few hours, and thereâs lunch for you to heat up when Iâm gone,â you comforted, awkwardly trying to shake his grip on you.
He pouted and let out a whine in disagreement, like a child throwing a tantrum. Yeosang knew that if his brethren saw him like this, they wouldnât be able to stifle their laughter. His utter disgust with the human race was such a contrast to his behavior right now, feeling such sadness at the thought of you leaving.
Just as you were about to wave Yeosang goodbye, he pulled your body towards his in a long hug, his almost fully healed wings wrapping around the two of you as he buried his face in the crook of your neck. You felt flustered at his sudden display of affection, but just assumed he felt scared to be alone. He hadnât spent a single moment alone as a fallen angel, without you by his side, aiding to his needs constantly.
Yeosang watched as your car drove further and further away from your small house, the sound of the engine slowly fading away. He felt so useless, not being able to watch over you in your daily life. Who knew what type of humans would encounter you today? Who knew what they would to do you?
Yeosang took a few deep breaths. He had to keep himself calm, and presentable for you, his goddess. You were never to see him in such a state, lacking self control. He needed to prove himself as your devoted follower.
âY/n! Youâre home!â Yeosang cheered as he practically flew up from the couch, running up to you as you stepped inside. You felt a comfortable warmth when he took your hands in his, yours being cold from the october weather outside. He rubbed the back of your hands with his thumbs, continuing to warm them.
A look of distress covered his features before he wrapped his arms around you. You never expected him to be so touchy, but honestly, couldnât complain.
You hadnât received this type of affection from someone in years, and knowing someone was anticipating your return from work felt⊠good.
You didnât want to admit it, thinking back to the fact that this man was a complete stranger, and a fallen angel at that.
âYouâre freezing,â he pouted, his arms rubbing your shoulders. âYou have to dress more appropriately,â he scolded, but you only giggled at his attempt at sounding tough.
âIâm fine,â you playfully rolled your eyes before detangling yourself from his arms. His eyes kept following your figure as you took off your shoes and coat, never once leaving your form, even as you started becoming visibly uncomfortable with his stare.
You were just so, enchanting. Something about you was so graceful and beautiful. The way you swiftly took off your coat, or just the way your hair curved when you tucked it behind your ears. Yeosang couldnât tell if he wanted you to dote on him for the rest of your life, or if he wanted to be the one to take care of you. He didnât want to disturb you with his needs and wants, but oh, how wonderful it felt to have someone like you look after him. He could easily make himself seem more helpless than he actually is, just to observe you when you take care of him.
After dinner, it didnât take long until you were passed out on the couch. The meaningless program on the TV, paired with the exhaustion from your long shift, made your eyelids heavy in a matter of seconds. Yeosang watched closely as your chest rose and fell in your deep slumber.
A small gasp escaped his lips. How could someone be so beautiful, even when fast asleep? You looked so peaceful and calm, contrasting your somewhat stressed demeanor that you always seemed to have during the day.
Yeosang wanted to make every day for you free of stress and anxiety. You deserved to be loved, cherished and taken care of in a way no other human could even dream of.
You didnât wake up when you were slowly picked up from your position on the couch. The TV turned off, and the sweet humming of Yeosang being the only thing heard in your house.
Yeosang made sure not to move you too quickly when he put you down on the soft bed. When you were at work, he had tried his best to understand everything there was to know about your house, so he had quickly learned where you kept all of your clothes.
Just as he was about to pull out some clothes for you to sleep in, he had a thought.
Did you really need clothes to sleep in?
Angels never wore clothes when sleeping, and after all, you had your blankets to cover your body. He closed your closet and walked up to your sleeping form. Looking down, he could see the way his hands were trembling slightly in excitement. Seeing a goddess like you unclothed would truly be a privilege, but as your devoted follower, he would make sure to make it up to you in any way he possibly could.
When Yeosang slowly pulled your pants down, revealing your bare legs, he felt an odd sensation between his legs. He twitched, and looked down to see his already fully ejected dick, forming a tent in the loose pants youâd provided for him.
Never in his life had he gotten so turned on this quickly. Angels were higher creatures, with more self control, so did becoming a fallen angel mean that he now had the sexual drive of a regular human? Yeosang tried his best to ignore his thoughts, and continued to undress you carefully.
His breath shuddered when he revealed your bare stomach. Unfortunately, you were wearing a bra. Another thing he hated about humans, their need to make the female gender suffer. Why should you need to wear such an uncomfortable thing? He sighed as he unclasped it from the back. He made sure his touch remained featherlight, not wanting to wake you up from your well deserved rest.
Now, the only thing remaining on you were your panties. Yeosang had to admit it felt perverted, to undress you like this when you werenât conscious. He knew that humans felt ashamed to be seen bare, but he really only did this for your own comfort.
His hands gripped the soft fabric of your panties as he slowly pulled them down. He felt his heartbeat pick up in excitement when you were soon completely naked, small goosebumps showing up on your skin as the cold air chilled you.
You truly were divine.
Yeosang was sure he hadnât seen you this beautiful before. You were truly unreal, your body curved to perfection, illuminated with such a gentle glow.
Your covers were gently thrown over your body. Yeosang started to undress himself, not being able to ignore the growing bulge in his pants. He wasnât satisfied with the boxers you had given him. They were too tight, and not breathable enough, but if it made you happy, he would wear anything you asked him to.
As his body slowly sunk under the covers, he almost moaned at the feeling of the soft material against his skin. His wings had a mind of their own, instinctively wrapping around your body. Yeosang felt flustered as your body pushed against his. He inhaled your scent deeply, and couldnât stop his hand from traveling lower on his body.
He had never felt this type of sexual frustration before. It was like he needed a release as quickly as possible. His hips soon started bucking into his soft hands, small moans of pleasure escaping him. He made sure to keep his eyes on you the whole time, making sure you stayed asleep.
His free arm snaked itself around your bare waist, his hand lovingly rubbing your stomach. Yeosang felt his orgasm building inside of him, and had to bite his lips in order to muffle his loud moans as he finally exploded into his hand, trying not to make a mess in your bed.
Even as Yeosangâs eyes started to roll back, he made sure to keep them on you. He couldnât be distracted from your beauty. This was all because of you. As his breathing slowly calmed down again, he couldnât stop himself from leaving a trail of kisses down your neck, the small whimpers you let out in your sleep making him think of something.
It felt so wrong.
Pleasuring himself like this, without even giving you an ounce of the same wonderful feelings of bliss. You deserved to be worshipped, not have someone worthless getting the pleasure of the sight of you without paying you for the privilege.
Yeosangâs hands pulled away from your form as he repositioned himself. He was now on top of you, the sheets pulled off of you to reveal the beauty underneath.
He started leaving open mouthed kisses down your body, his tongue occasionally licking your soft skin to get a taste of the divine. When his head came down to the level of your chest, he couldnât help but attach his mouth to one of your soft breasts.
He started licking your nipples carefully, still making sure not to wake you up. When he noticed that you were still fast asleep, he got so bold as to suck on the hardened nubs, his tongue slowly flicking them. No words could describe the satisfaction he felt when you let out another small whimper. You must like it then, he thought.
He let his mouth keep wandering down, kisses being left all over your stomach, before he finally reached his final destination.
He gently held your thighs in his hands, his fingers softly kneading the flesh. He took a few deep breaths before doing what he couldnât wait any longer to do. He felt a jolt of pleasure wash over him when he finally felt your warm sex on his tongue.
The erection he had worked to get down, was now bigger than ever.
His tongue started lapping you slowly, just drinking in your taste. Yeosang had to stifle a moan when he felt your divine juices coat his lips. Soon, the long laps evolved into fast licks to your clit, making you stir slightly in your sleep. Lewd sounds continued to escape your barely opened lips, your body succumbing to the pleasure of Yeosangâs tongue working wonders.
At this point, keeping you asleep wasnât one of Yeosangâs concerns. He honestly wouldnât mind it if you woke up. You deserved to feel this pleasure, and he could tell your orgasm was starting to build even as you kept sleeping, your hips bucking into his face slightly, in a way that was barely noticeable.
As his mouth started sucking on your clit, your little whimpers became moans instead, and Yeosang noticed the way you slowly regained consciousness.
He kept abusing your clit in a way he knew made you weak in the knees, and now, your eyes were opening. Your moans of pleasure got mixed with confused sounds, your mind not comprehending what was going on.
If Yeosangâs mouth wasnât occupied, he wouldâve told you to just enjoy it, to not worry about anything. But now, his only goal was to make you cum, to let you drown in the pleasure of an orgasm. And that, you did.
You couldnât even think when you felt your thighs clench around his head in desperation, your orgasm washing over you, filling you with bliss. Your eyes rolled back as you felt your legs starting to shake. Yeosangâs skillful tongue was still pleasuring you between your legs as you whined in overstimulation.
You blinked before grabbing Yeosangâs head. He obeyed when you pulled him upward slightly, his head eventually coming up to eye level with you.
âWhat are you doingââ you slurred out, still feeling hazy from just having woken up. âShh,â he hushed, his hands finding your hair. He laid down next to you, humming softly as his hands soothingly rubbed your head.
âIt was just a dreamâŠâ you heard before slowly drifting into unconsciousness once again.
Ever since that night, Yeosang had grown more and more desperate. At this point, one might even call him obsessed.
You had woken up completely clothed, with Yeosang acting completely natural. You felt so disgusted with yourself, having wet dreams of the innocent man who had been nothing but kind to you.
Yeosang smirked when he saw the look on your face that morning, clearly searching his face for any information. You mustâve just thought it was a dream. How cute.
Yeosang knew you felt ashamed, which probably meant you would try to subconsciously âmake it up to himâ in some way. So one day when you came home from work, Yeosang innocently came up to you with a massage oil he found in your bathroom.
âLet me tryâŠâ he said, eyes twinkling with innocence. You couldnât even deny him, that begging look in his eyes combined with your need for a massage making it impossible.
You were soon splayed out on the bed on your stomach, only a towel covering your private parts as Yeosangâs soft hands kneaded your back in just the right way. Yeosang felt his erection grow as you let out low moans of pleasure, mind wandering back to that night.
Thatâs when Yeosang first realized, he needed to have you again. He needed to continue worshipping at the altar that was your body.
You felt conflicted about Yeosangâs presence in your home. As much as you found it odd to have this creature in your own home, you had also grown fond of him, finding him more and more endearing for each day that passed.
But for each day that passed, Yeosang felt himself become more and more possessive over you. You were his goddess. No human could ever even begin to understand your importance on this earth, so hearing you talk on the phone with your coworkers, especially those of the male gender, made Yeosangâs skin crawl in disgust.
You were just watching TV one afternoon when Yeosang plopped himself down on his knees in front of you. You were about to ask him what was wrong, but he answered before you could utter the question.
âPlease Y/n,â he started, his voice laced with utter desperation. His eyes found yours, before he said words you would never expect to exit his mouth. âLet me taste you again.â
Your eyebrows furrowed in confusion, your head tilting. You didnât want to realize what he was actually saying.
âThat night⊠It- It wasnât a dream, Y/n,â he confessed, his eyes continually staring into your wide ones. âI know you enjoyed it,â he continued, his hands starting to explore the length of your legs.
You immediately scooted away from your spot in the couch, breath quickening in panic as you let his words sink in.
âWhat wasnât a dream?â you tested him, still refusing to accept it.
âWhen I tasted you for the first time⊠Oh, it was so beautifulââ
âYou did that to me in my sleep!?â you yelled, scrambling up from the couch and taking a few steps back. Yeosang followed suit, stepping closer to you with a confused expression.
âBut Y/n, you enjoyedââ
âHave you done it multiple times?â you asked, voice cracking slightly in panic.
He paused. âWell, yes, but I just wanted to make you feel goodââ
You interrupted him with a sharp gasp, your head shaking in disbelief.
âYou freak!â you yelled, backing into the wall behind you, feeling disgusted at the manâs previous actions. Yeosangâs eyes widened at your outburst, his eyes already filling with tears. He never wanted it to be this way, he just wanted you to feel goodâ
As you were about to run past the man, you were harshly grabbed by your waist, almost causing you to fall. You were turned around to find Yeosang on his knees in front of you, clasping on to your body, his face pushed against your thighs.
âDonât leave me, please,â he begged, his voice telling you that he was already crying. You didnât know what to make of any of this. You felt intimidated by his steel grip on you, not allowing you to move a centimeter.
âMy goddess please, Iâll do anything,â he sobbed. You looked down at him in confusion. âGoddess?â you echoed.
He only sobbed louder at your response, his arms now working to pull you down to his level. You eventually gave in to his pull, allowing yourself to be sat down in front of him on the floor. His arms wrapped around your form, his wings shielding the two of you.
You were stuck.
Yeosangâs tears blended with your own, as his mouth pressed kisses on your cheeks in some attempt at comforting you.
âStay with me here, forever,â he whispered, hands roaming your body. âMy goddess, Iâll do anything.â
You felt suffocated by the warmth of Yeosangâs body pressed against yours with his wings not letting any air into your little cocoon. The longer you stayed in there, the less conscious you became, your body eventually falling limp into Yeosangâs arms from the lack of air, sending you into a deep sleep that you would never forgive yourself for falling into.
You woke up to the feeling of something wet and warm spreading its juices across your nipples, a whine escaping your throat as your eyes found the man responsible.
You viewed as his head lifted from your breasts, his tear-stained eyes meeting yours in a smile you could only describe as disgusting. His lips shined with his saliva, his teeth grazing them ever so lightly. He remained eye contact with you as his lips found your left nipple again, his tongue swirling against it before he sucked on it, making a pop sound when disconnecting from it.
âGood morning beautiful,â he spoke before switching to your right boob, his hand instead playing with the other. You immediately tried to get up, but noticed something restraining you from doing so.
You looked up to the horror of your hands tied to the headboard of your bed, the rope not budging when you tried to harshly pull your arms away. When trying to move your legs, you noticed that they wouldnât budge either, making you whine in frustration, tears already forming in your eyes.
âNow you can stay here forever,â Yeosang giggled, placing a chaste kiss to your lips, before lowering his head to your chest once again. âMy goddess.â
đ pairing âą cheerleader! (fem) reader x best friend/basketball player! Jongho
đ summary âą youâve called Jongho your best friend all your life. You were attached at the hip for ages, and even as you take on college together. With no other relationship experience other than with him, when you decide to go after a cute classmate, you look to Jongho for some help. Asking him to practice âthingsâ with you seemed like nothingâthat is, until kissing him made you think that you couldnât kiss anyone else.
đ genre/au âą best friends to lovers, college au, smut, fluff
đ warnings/tags âą 18+ MINORS DNI, unprotected sex, oral sex (male recieving), cum shot, Jongho is a virgin, also is a slut for y/n, drinking, mentions of knee injury, best friends to lovers, college love, cheerleader x basketball player
đ word count âą 15.8k (so sorry I just couldnt stop)
When you were kids, Jongho gave you a ringâa ring made out of straw paper he kept after a trip to get milkshakes after school.
With the paper straw ring, he stuck it on your ring finger. The wrong one, but that didn't matter to him, anyway. He declared to you that he would marry you someday. Someday, whatever that meant to a young kid. With the ring already on your finger, you couldn't exactly decline his proposal, so you just shrugged and told him, âWhy not?â
At seventeen, you went to prom together. Not because you liked each other, no. Because it was convenient, it made sense. How could you go with someone else? You wore a beautiful red gown, Jongho matching you with a patterned red tie. You had a great time, went home together, and nearly kissed at your doorstepâyou didn't think too much of it. You blamed it on the atmosphere. So did he.
You sat at your desk in your cramped dorm room, your bed pushed up on the left side of the room and a mess of pillows and blankets covering it.Â
Suddenly, as you were finally getting to the good part in your book, Jongho barged into your room, dropping his basketball bag onto the floor with a groan. He tossed his slides off, not even meeting your gaze before walking like a zombie towards your messy bed, throwing himself on top.
âWell hello to you too,â you blinked, losing your page in your book. âGet out of my damn bed, you're sweaty as fuck.â
He huffed, crossing his muscular arms across his chest, staring up at the glow stars you put on the ceiling. âLeave me be. My roommate is fucking some chick right now. I just need to lay down.â
âSan seems like he gets around a lot,â you scoffed, picking up your book again. You were currently reading a very, very smutty bookâalthough you were supposed to be studying your literature anthology text for the exam you had in the morning. You flipped a page.Â
âOh, he does,â Jongho sniffed. You looked over at him, his cut-off t-shirt revealing a good bit of skin on his side, his sweat gleaming on his body. âI mean, practice just ended. He had to have the damn girl in there even before he got back. Itâs ridiculous.â
He sat up now, putting his back against his headboard. He winced a bit as he moved, his hand going to the brace around his knee.
You paused, completely forgetting the smut you were reading. âWhat is it? Is it hurting again?â
âJust a little, itâs no biggie.â Jongho offered you a smile, but it looked more like a grimace. âDon't give me that look, y/n. I hurt it a while ago. It's normal for it to ache occasionally.â
Back in your senior year, he tore his ACL before the season, causing him to never have his final year of basketball. He was a mess, but at least he had you. He got surgery, had physical therapy, but yet, he still has pain to this day.
You met his eyes for a moment, sighing when that gorgeous smile of his poked through his lips. âFine, fine. Just get outa here when you can. I got someâŠimportant things to do alone tonight.â
He furrowed his brows, confused. âWhat could you possiblyâŠ..oh,â he shut his eyes painfully. âPlease, I don't want to imagine it.â He scooted back down on the bed and tossed your blanket on top of him. âMy eyes, my eyes.â
âOh, shut up, you pussy.â You set your book down, crossing your legs. âA girl gotta live out her fantasies somehow, alright?â
âLa la la,â he repeated, trying his best to ignore the conversation. âI don't wanna hear it.â
You let out a chuckle, stood up from your seat, and tossed yourself onto the bed with him, tackling him as he thrashed from your grip.
âStop it, stop it,â he groaned, wriggling away from your hands as you tickled him. He giggled, childlike. You giggled right along with him, not even caring about the damn sweat that coated his skin, his clothes. You tangled together under the blanket, and after a good couple minutes of a tickle fight, you grabbed your laptop to watch your favorite TV show.
Jongho stayed under the blankets with you, his leg strewn on top of your body, his head in the crook of your neck as you watched the show together. He let out a few snide commentsâearning a slap from you, but he just chuckled and nuzzled closer into you.
And after a few episodes, he fell asleep on you, legs tangled in yours, your arm wrapped around him.
â
âDude, you wouldn't answer your phone last night,â Wooyoung mumbled as he stuffed a couple of chips into his mouth. âDo you literally have a new bitch every night?â
You and your friends were sitting at a table in the dining hall, munching on some lunch before you had class. Wooyoung, San, and Mingi sat across from you and Jongho, all of them in workout gearâthey were going to the gym after lunch.
âListen, last night wasn't even that good,â San hummed dully, taking a sip of his protein shake. âShe was too damn loudââ
âI thought you liked them whiny,â Mingi deadpanned.
Sanâs eyes narrowed on the giant. âYour point? She was loud, not whinyâthereâs a difference.â San looked to Jongho now, a slight smirk on his pretty little lips. âWhereâd you go? You could've joined us.â
Jongho waved his hands sporadically. âNo, no, Iâd rather not, thank you.â
San huffed playfully, eyes dancing to you. They glimmered knowingly. âAh, youâd rather be in her bed, right?â he nodded his head towards you, earning a harsh glare from Jongho.
âSo what if I'm in her bed, itâs not like we do anything.â Jonghoâs eyes went frantic, and his fists balled. âWeâve always slept with each otherâwait, that came out wrongââ
âWhat heâs trying to say is that weâve slept in the same bed since we were little, that nothing is ever gonna happen,â you interjected, crossing your arms across your chest.
San laughed at that. âAh yeah, that nothingâs gonna happen, gotcha,â he said, taking the last sip of his protein shake. Iâm going to the gym if you guys are ready. Jongho, y/n, you coming?â
You shook your head, but stood up with everyone else, anyway. âI have class, but you guys have fun. Iâll walk out with you.â
As you and your friends left the dining hall, the cool, winter air breezed through you, sending chills down your spine. Your winter coat wasn't enough. You shoved your hands into your pockets, walking stiffly next to jongho, who simplyâpossibly even without thinking, tossed his arm around your shoulder, warming you up instantly. Your friends continued to talk and carry on, and you snuggled up into Jonghoâs warm side.
â
Class was a bore. As per usual. The spring semester had just started, and the new classes you had were far from entertaining. Anything to get through school, though.
As you packed up your things, a phone fell from the seat in front of you, landing right by your feet. You picked it up, but when the person was no longer sitting there, you quickly tossed your bag over your shoulder to follow him.
âHey, excuse me!â you huffed, chasing after the guyâdamn, his legs were long. He moved way too fast for you. âYour phoneâŠ.dude!â you finally reached him, tapping him on the shoulder, only for the most gorgeous man to grace the earth to turn around.
You forced yourself to keep your jaw from falling to the floor as you met his dark eyes. His hair was even darker, his lips a soft pink, curling up slightly.Â
âIâm sorry,â you breathed, holding up the phone. âBut you dropped this.â
The pretty guy blinked, smirking. The classroom emptied as you stood staring at each other, oblivious to the professor giving you a side-eye as he left.
âI don't think thatâs mine,â he said blandly, but his eyes glimmered mischievously. He looked a bit olderâdefinitely older than you, at least.
You furrowed your brows, looking at the phone in your hands. âI could've sworn you were the one sitting in front of me,â you wondered, confused. You pushed it forward into his chest. âJust take it I don't have time to find the owner if it's not yours.â
He smiled down at you, his thick eyebrows raising. âI won't take it.â
âWhy the hell not?â your patience was running thinâyou had to get the cheer practice. This stupidly pretty guy was not allowed to make you late. You were not running laps. Not today.Â
You were about to just shove it into his pockets until his mouth opened. âNot without your number.â
You frowned. âIs thatâŠ.is that supposed to be a pickup line?â
He shrugged. âIf you want it to be, then yes.â
God, the smile this damn boy had. You were gonna crumble under his gaze like some schoolgirl, but you kept your cool.
His eyes were so bright, so clear. He was tall, much taller than you, much older. You watched as he looked around, away from you. âIf not, then Iâll just take the phone backââ
âNo, no,â you laughed awkwardly, looking at the phone in your hands. âYou justâŠyouâll just need to unlock it.â
He smiled gorgeously. âI can do that.â
He took the phone, typed in a few numbers, and gave it right back to you. âWhatâs your name?âÂ
ây/n,â you hummed, forcing your blush away. This was the first time you had been asked for your number, the first time a guy other than Jongho or your friends had looked at you. âYou?â
âSeonghwa,â the pretty boy smiled, a name now to the face. You couldn't help but grin at his expressionâand the utter insanity that just happened. It was totally random; a pretty guy asking for your number? Thatâs never happened in all your years. Never.Â
âIf I ask to buy you a coffee,â he started as you fumbled on your phone number. âWould you say yes?â
âDepends,â you shrugged, unable to look up at him. âIf you get me food, too.â
âDeal.â Goddamn, that smile, those teeth. âTomorrow, after class? Before class?â
You bit your lip, handing the phone back to him. âBefore, I have practice after class.â actually, you had practice like, right now. You probably looked crazy, eyes wide as you realized where you needed to be. âI gotta goâspeaking of whichââ
Before you could leave, he called for you. âHey, where should we meet?â
âOutside the library?â you tossed out, hoping he answered hastily.Â
He nodded, giving you that smile once again.Â
âPerfect.â
â
You were in bed after practice, and Jongho was sitting quietly on your desk chair, slowly taking off his knee brace and hissing.Â
âGod, this thing sucks,â he groaned, the velcro tearing as he peeled it off. The brace was like a metal cage, going from his thigh to his lower calf, looking like a deathtrap.
âAnd it stinks,â you mumbled dramatically, staring up at your ceiling, hands folded on your stomach as your mind wandered. You sat up quickly, startling your best friend.Â
âWhat? What is it?â he spat out, running a hand through his sweaty hair. âYou just sat up like a goddamn zombie.â
âIf, letâs just say, hypothetically,â you wondered, looking out into space. âThat I got asked out on a date to a coffee shop, how would I dress?â
You scoffed, looking over at him with a playful sneer. âIs that so hard to believe?â
He laughed, finally taking off his brace and setting it on the side of your desk. âOh yeahây/n, youâve never once gone on a date in all of our years of friendship. It's shocking.â
You blinked at him, gripping a pillow from behind you and tossing it at him. Of course, he caught it.Â
âIâm just sayingââ
âOkay, but for real,â you groaned, shifting to get comfy again. âYouâve been on some dates, how did the girls usually dress for them? Did you ever go on a coffee dateââ
âWhoâs the guy?â he huffed out, completely ignoring your worries.
You flattened your lips. âDoes that matter?â
âUh, yeah. What if the guy is a scumbag?â Jongho leaned back in the chair, stretching out his arms.Â
âHeâs definitely not a scumbag,â you sighed, thinking of how dreamy he looked, missing Jonghoâs worried expression. âAnyway, you didn't answer my question.â
You couldn't figure out the look on your best friendâs face. He knitted his brows, his eyes raising to yours. âJust dress normally,â he spoke softly. âWhenâs your date?â
âTomorrow.â You hopped off your bed and walked towards your closet across from Jongho. He followed you as you moved and hesitated to look as you tore off your top, leaving you standing in your sports bra.
Jongho gulped but rolled his eyes playfully. âWhy do you always undress in front of me?â His eyes naturally dropped to your hips as you slid off your sweatpants. âI am a man, too, you know.â
âPfft, man, my ass,â you turned your back to him as he tried his best not to look. You grabbed a t-shirtâhis t-shirt that you kept from a while agoâand tossed it on. You didn't even bother with pants.
Jongho gave you a look as you turned to face him. âMy shirt? Really?â He groaned, mouth parted as he looked at you. âWhere the hell are your pants?â
âI don't like pants.â
âThen put shorts onââ
âIs it a crime to sleep in my underwear? God, at least I have something on, dammit.â you walked past him and hopped back onto your bed. âI could be completely nakedâthis is my room, remember?â
Jongho didn't change his expressionâhe blinked at you while you sat on the bed, bare-legged, the skin up to the top of your thigh visible. He took in a gulp. âI, uh, I got an assignment due at midnight. Iâm gonna head back to my room.â
You shrugged and shuffled into bed to get comfy. âHave fun with that, babycakes,â you said, giving him a wink, but he ignored it and left your room without another look.
â
Maybe it was a bad idea to wear jeans on a day like today.
A day when you woke up painfully bloated, bleeding, and aching from your period. Out of all the days, you had to get it today.Â
You stood outside the library, your back against the red brick building. You wore a cute pink top with the flared jeans you were struggling with, and you added a cute little bow to hold your hair back.
You saw Seonghwa walk up to you. His lower half was also dawned in wonderfully-fitting jeans. They hugged his thighs, loosening a bit at his knees, and fell over a pair of sparkling clean white sneakers that looked like they were worth more than your car.Â
The white shirt was also slim against his lean frame. You held back any reaction you had like a damn cat in heat. âHey,â he started as he neared. âReady to go? We can go to the coffee shop on campus since we have class coming up.â
You nodded, hoping to god the smile on your face was not grimace-like.Â
âYep, letâs go.â
You sat with your hands in your lap, fiddling with your fingers anxiously as Seonghwa waited for your drinks. You looked over at him, watching his figure lean against the closest wall, how his long, long legs looked in those damn pants, how his fingers tapped against his arm as he waited. You barely knew him, nothing much other than knowing his name and now his coffee order, and you wondered what it would be like to get to know him.Â
When he sat down in front of you, he handed you your coffee, a bright, blinding smile on his face. âI pegged you as the type to like ridiculously flavored seasonal drinksâŠ.â he paused, smirking, as you froze mid-sip on yourâŠ.seasonal drink. Highly, highly sugary seasonal drink. âGuess Iâm a good judge of character.â
You swallowed the party of sugar and cinnamon before giving him a shy smile. âIâm a sucker for them, to be honest.â
You sat quietly for a good while, sipping on your drink, him sipping on his. The feeling wasâŠnice. However, you were a bit anxious as he looked at you, at your lips, as you drank from the straw.Â
âYouâre a cheerleader for the basketball team, right?â He tilted his head slightly, looking at you. âI feel like Iâve seen you somewhereâbesides class, I mean.â
You nodded. âYep, I cheer for the basketball team,â you took another sip of your drink. âDo you play? I think I would've seen you before, though.â
âActually,â he started, offering you a kind smile. âI just transferred in from another university. I start official practice today, but Iâve been to many games already.â
Oh, so heâd seen you and known that you were on the cheer squad even before he approached you?
Cute.Â
âOh, wow,â you smiled, leaning closer without realizing it. âSo, will you be playing in the next game, then?â
âYes,â he looked ecstatic, like he can't wait. âWeâll see how much playing time I actually get, though. Those guys are very goodââ
âOh, I know!â you didn't mean to interrupt him, but you would take any chance to brag about your Jongho. âMy best friend is the point guard.â
âYou know Jongho?â Seonghwa smiled, but it looked a bit weary. âHeâs a great guy.â
âHe really is.â you took a large sip of your coffee, meeting Seonghwaâs gaze as you did it. His gaze fluttered to your lips once more, and he licked his own.Â
He tapped against the wooden table. âWould youâŠ.want to do this again?â
You raised your brows. âThis? You mean, getting coffee?â
âNot exactly,â he blinked, letting out a little chuckle. âAnything, justâŠwe can hang out more, if you're down with that.â
Your heart fluttered a bit. âAh, yeah, I would like that.â
He smiled. âGood,â he looked at the clock on the wall near your seat. âWe gotta get to class.â
âClass, yeah, thatâs right,â you were lost in his gaze, not even realizing how captivating his entire being was. You followed him out of the coffee shop, walking next to each other, until you got to the classroom.
He took the seat next to you this time, and you were beginning to suffocate from the feeling of his body being so close.
â
âI think Iâm doomed.â
Jongho, like always, is in your room when you come back from practice. He sat up from his lazy position on your bed, eyebrows raised.
âWhyâs that?â
You huffed, tossing your cheer bag onto the floor next to your desk. âWhat if he kisses me? Iâve never kissed anyone, fuck, I bet Iâll look like a fish trying to gulp fucking waterââ
âGod, youâve been here for not even a minute, and you're blabbing on like a maniac already.â He blinked, his face deadpanned as he looked at you. âWhy are you so concerned? Did the date go well?â
You groaned dramatically, tossing off your sneakers, and balancing yourself on the back of your desk chair. âHe asked me for another date, but I know damn well what that means, and I can't let him find out that I am a twenty-something-year-old virgin thatâs only ever kissed books and my mother.â
Jongho looked like he was about to burst out laughing at your desperate words, biting the inside of his cheek. He managed to squeak out, âOh, I think youâre a lost cause,â he giggled. Giggled.
âThis is not funny. You're no help,â you groaned, tossing your head back as you walked to your closetâwhen a perfect idea came to you.Â
âWait a damn minuteââ
âWhat is it now?â Jongho sat up on your bed, legs dangling off the side.
You turned around sharply, facing him, eyes wide with mischief. His eyes widened at your expression.
âLend me your lips,â you said, walking up to him, but he leaned back in confusion, his arms holding himself behind him.
âWhat?â He scoffed, unable to meet your gaze. âThe hell do you mean?â
You leaned over him on the bed, him unable to lean any further back without falling. You held yourself up on both sides of him. âOh, come on. Just once. You can help me learn how to kiss. Who else could?â
He furrowed his brows. âYouâre crazy.â
âI know,â you shrugged. âBut Iâd rather die than embarrass myself.â
âYou do know,â He started, letting out a sigh. âThat friends don't kiss each other? Or did you miss that memo?â
âI swear it won't mean anything,â you pleaded, knowing you were acting crazy, immature, whatever.Â
Jongho huffed, leaning forward, but grabbing your shoulders to move you away. âListen,â he sighed, meeting your eyes. âWhy don't you go ask San or Mingi?â
âBecause San scares me,â you shrugged. âHeâd probably eat me. And Mingi isâŠ.MingiâŠ.â
âWhat does that even meanââ
âFor fuckâs sake, Jongie,â you grabbed his shoulders. âIs this asking too much? Weâve been best friends for so long. How would something so trivial as a kiss mess with it?â
Jongho looked like he had something to sayâa lot to say, actually. But he stayed quiet, sighing, as he looked up at you from his seated position on the bed. Â
âOkay, but if I have to kiss someone as filthy as you,â he huffed, crossing his arms. âWhat do I get out of it?â
You hummed. âHmm. well, what do you want?â
He smiled mischievously. âDo my paper for me. For my lit class.â
âEasy, done,â you leaned forward. âNow gimme your lipsââ
âAh ah ah, slow down,â he scoffed. âYou can't just toss yourself into the kiss. You have to lead into it.â
âGot it,â you blinked, looking into his golden brown eyes, noticing howâŠnice they were. âHow do I do that?â
âWell, I bet heâll try to kiss you first,â Jongho ran a hand through his fluffy brown hair, matching his eyes. You took note of it, too. He stood up, causing you to subconsciously step away from him. You both now stood in the middle of your dorm room, the room dimly lit by your desk lamp, the warm hue coloring the tanned skin of his face.
âOkay,â you nodded, almost freaking yourself out for noticing his details, the slight curve of his lips, the way his hair fell across his forehead.Â
Jonghoâs calloused hand slowly, hesitantly, moved towards your face. You watched his eyes as his fingertips brushed your skin, watching them scrunch, watching them focus on his movements. âMaybe heâd hold you like this,â he spoke softly, eyes jumping to yours, his hand twitching slightly.
âBut what do I do?â you weakly jutted out, biting the corner of your bottom lip. âDo IâŠtouch youâtouch him, too?â
He shrugged, swallowing hard. âI mean, you do what comes naturally.â
He was so close. So close. It's not like youâve never been closer to him, because you have, but something was suffocating. Maybe this wasn't a good idea.
Maybe this is just how itâs supposed to feel.
You stared into his eyes, those brown eyes, thoseâŠ.sparkling, pretty eyes. You swallowed as his hand slid down to your chin, tilting it up softly.
There was an unknown emotion dancing in his gaze. You were extremely aware of the spark that was setting off from his touch.Â
He leaned in closer, and as he got closer and closer, you felt your heartbeat flutter in your chest. You heard it in your ears, felt your stomach tighten.Â
âIâm going to kiss you now,â he said hushedly. You noticed that the tips of his ears were flushed red, and a dusting of the color was across his cheeks. When he pressed his lips to yours, you widened your eyes from the feeling, then shut them to savor it.
His mouth moved across yours, you felt the warmth of his lips, the softness of them. His other handâthe one that wasn't holding onto your chin, rested around your hip, his grip tightening.Â
You froze under his lips, unsure of how to do this. You moved your mouth against his, then, trying to move with his movements. You hesitantly wrapped your arms around his neck, unsure of what to do with them if you didn't do that. You felt a small smile in his kiss.
You pressed your body into him as his lips parted against yours. You felt the soft tickle of his shaky breaths against your skinâyou could only imagine what you felt like to him.
He parted from you, only slightly, and took a sharp inhale. You still had your eyes shut tight, lips parted, as you got lost in the feeling.Â
You opened them, meeting his gaze, meeting that heart-shattering look he had. His lips were red like his ears, like his cheeks. His eyes were hazy, his hands still on you. You felt your heart crumbling inside you.Â
Without another word, you leaned back up to him, awkwardly wrapping your hand around his neck, fingers tangling into his hair. He shut his eyes, and let out a pleasured sound, stirring something, awakening something inside.
You kissed him this time, even knowing that you had no idea what you were doing. You just trusted these instincts you were feeling, the emotions that were overtaking your mind. Your body told you to part your lips against his sweet lips, to savor the slightly salty taste against them. To lean into his body. You couldn't help but allow yourself to touch his waist, gliding your hand down his abs, his stomach, feeling his muscles tighten under your touch.Â
He sighed into your mouth, his hands gripping your waist, his fingertips brushing the bare skin under your blouse. His lips felt so good, so soft, so electrifying. This feeling was unlike any other, you were beginning to lose your breath, your senses, your mind.
And when you let out a little moanâwithout intending to, you were shocked back to reality. You pulled away from him quickly, moving your hands to your sides, trying to catch your breath. Jongho was also huffing, begging for oxygen, as he stood in front of you. His lips were bright red now; his eyes were wide.
âAh, um,â you cleared your throat, forcing out a laugh. âSo, did I do a good job?â
Jongho blinked, still looking out of it. âHuh? Oh, uh, yeah.â He swallowed, nodded, and crossed his arms across his chest. âMhm. For your first kiss, you did good.âÂ
Good? Good? God, that felt euphoric. Like you were drugged, high, out in space. You still couldn't get your heartbeat to slow. âGreat.â That was all you managed to squeak out, now that you were suddenly aware of the ability to just kiss him again. You realized that the air was odd now, that something felt different.Â
âYou tasted like sweat,â you playfully added, letting out an awkward laugh as you gave him a shoulder punch. âMaybe I should've kissed San or Mingi instead.â
âI am a great kisser, Iâll have you knowââ Jongho boasted, but you interrupted him.Â
âPfft,â you waved a hand as if you weren't just about to hyperventilate from his kiss, his touch. âYou sucked, youâre a horrible teacherââ
âOh?â he huffed, gripping your arms just below your elbows. âIâll kiss you again, Iâll prove it, Iâll do you one betterââ
âFine! More practice for me, anyway.â
Jongho let out a grumble of incoherent words before grabbing you by the back of the neck and pressing his mouth to yours once more, his lips gliding against yours.Â
You grabbed the fabric of his shirt, tightening your grip as he pushed his tongue through your lips, into your mouth. You let out a sigh as he did it, his fingertips gripping your hair on the back of your head.
After a long few minutes of eating each other, He pulled away this time. He let go of you, his hands falling at his sides. âThere,â he breathed. âNow you know how to handle a kiss like that. You know, just in case.â
You licked your bottom lip, sparks still flying around your body. You tasted him still, the saltiness of his sweat. You smelled the woodsy cologne he used, the minty taste of gum.Â
âThanks,â you smiled, trying your best not to let these thoughts of him overtake you. âFor helping me with this. Youâre such a good best friend.â
âAh, yeah,â he sniffed, forcing a smile. âI should, uh. I should go, I have something to submit before midnight, so,â He gulped, taking a step away from you. âBut happy to help, of course. Now you owe me my paper.â
âAye, aye, captain,â you scoffed, smiling playfully as he walked to the door to put on his shoes.
âIâll see you tomorrow, yeah?â he called out as he opened the door, leaving after you offered him a wave goodbye.
And once the door shut, you nearly lost your breath, falling onto your bed.
âOh god,â you breathed, putting a hand to your mouth. âWhat was that? Iâugh!â you groaned, thrashing your legs around. âWhy the fuck was he so hot? Get a grip, get a grip.â you ran your hands aggressively through your hair and gripping it. âFuck I think my brain lost too much oxygen.â
You couldn't sleep one bitânot at all. Every time you closed your eyes, all you saw was Jongho, and all you felt was him.
â
A few days pass and you barely see your best friend.
It's not that heâs ignoring you or vice versa; it's that he had an away game a good distance away and was off campus for a good few days.Â
While he was gone, you wondered if he was thinking the same way you were, if he felt something, too, or if it was just normal to have feelings during a kiss.Â
Irritated by your stupid mind, you were unsure about the feeling in your chest when you saw Jongho in the library; his baseball hat flipped backwards over his soft brown hair.
You would look odd if you ran away, right? Right.
You strutted over to where he was sitting. He always loved the window seats, mainly to people watch. You sat down in the seat across from him.
âWhenâd you get back?â
He lifted his eyes to yours. âLast night,â he grumbled, flipping a page in the book in front of him.
âWhat are you reading?â you leaned forward on your elbows.
He reacted much worse than you thought, flying backward into his chair, a terrified look on his face.Â
âYo, Iâm not gonna bite you, Jeez,â you raised a brow, moving your gaze to the book. âOh, ew, anatomy. No thanks.â
He scoffed, picking off an invisibleâor maybe an extremely smallâpiece of lint from his black hoodie. He didn't say anything in response, he just continued what he was doing.
âSo,â you tried to continue the conversation with him without it turning to mush. âIâm gonna be going to Seonghwaâs frat tonight. There's a party or something.â
He looked at you with shock. âYouâre going to a party?â
âIs that so hard to believe?â you rolled your eyes, leaning back to cross your arms around your chest. Jonghoâs vision dipped to the movement.
âWell, given that you hate crowded places,â he trailed off, not really having another excuse. âI just can't see you going toââ
ây/n?â a voice softly murmured from your left, and both you and Jongho turned to see Seonghwa walking up to your table, a bag slung across his broad shoulder. His hair was pulled up in a half up half down do, little black strands framing his unfathomable face.
Jongho, in the corner of your eye, looked away from the tall basketball player, opting for the view outside the library.
âSeonghwa?â you smiled, uncrossing your arms to look less like a grumpy bitch. âWhatâs up?â
You didn't even look to see the irritation on Jonghoâs face.
âI was coming in to study but then I saw you in the corner of my eye,â he smiled, beamed, really, adjusting the bag on his shoulder. He then nodded to Jongho, offering him a smile, too. âHey, Jongho.â
Your best friend managed to give him a smile back, although you knew his face all too wellâthat was a damn grimace. âHey.âÂ
You looked between the two boys as seonghwa spoke again. âHey, me and y/n are gonna be at the party tonight. You wanna come? The other guys on the team will be there, too.â
âWell, I can't imagine San missing a function,â Jongho scoffed, cracking his knuckles aggressively. âBut I guess Iâll come, too.â
You nearly dropped your jaw onto the floor.
âReally?â you interjected, shocked. âI can't imagine you going to a partyââ
âAnyway,â Jongho cleared his throat, ignoring you. âWhat time?â
Seonghwa furrowed his brows as he tried to recall. âUh, I think ten? It goes till two, no later,â He looked to you then. âDo you wanna go for some lunch?â
You blushed. Jongho huffed. âOh, yes. That would be nice,â you smiled, to which Jongho rolled his eyes in response. You stood up from your seat and offered your best friend a playful wink. âSee you tonight, jongie.â
When you walked away, seonghwa slugged an arm around your shoulder on the way out. Jongho, still in his seat, tightened his grip on the textbook as he watched you leave.
And then he couldn't even enjoy people-watching when he saw you walk down the sidewalk with that string bean.
â
You didn't hear from jongho the rest of the day, and even when ten oâclock came, he was M.I.A. You shrugged it off, trying too hard to ignore the tug in your chest, the desire to go to his room and kiss him again.Â
You made it to the frat house that sat on the end of the Greek life strip in town. It was a tall, skinny building that looked way too nice to be lived in by a bunch of boys. You made sure to wear your filthy Converse, knowing damn well whether booze, puke, or a plethora of other fluids would end up all over them. Despite not going to many parties in your lifetime, you still had common sense.Â
You walked into the house, getting bombarded with tons of odd smells, some good and some bad. The interior was dark, lit with random colored lights that danced all over the walls, the people.Â
Loud, ungodly music blared through oddly positioned speakers in the wall, and there was a sea of people talking and carrying on. You weren't sure how the fuck they could hear each other over the awful music.
You walked further into the house, making a B-line to where you assumed the alcohol was. There was a bunch of beer cans, and you grabbed one with ease, cracking it open and chugging it like a champ. However, the beer sucked ass, leaving an awful taste in your mouth. You must've made a face.
âIcky?â Seonghwaâs smooth voice envelopes you with comfort.Â
You turn to him, offering him a sincere smile. He looked great, as always, with his hair growing even longer. âVery, but if it gets me drunk, Iâll handle it.â
âSo brave,â he chuckled, standing closer to you by the second. Your mind wanders to the thought of him touching you. Would it feel as good as it did with Jongho? Would his hands be gentle? Would his lips taste as sweet?Â
His hand on the small of your back interrupted your thoughts.
You needed to be drunk. Quick, so you can handle these stupid ideas.
âItâs good to see you here,â he starts, but you can't help but look at his lips. You weren't thinking about themâno, rather, you were thinking of Jonghoâs. Would Seonghwa feel the same?
You took another sip of your drink to get the last drop before grabbing another. âDo they have something else? This shit sucks.â
Seonghwa looked at you for a long moment before nodding in a direction. âThereâs vodka in the cabinet if you want it?â
You let out a sigh of relief, but still, you kept drinking the shitty beer. âYes, god, yes.â
After you got ahold of the vodka, you regretted your choice against the beer.
You must've blacked out for a bitâyou don't remember how you got in the living room, how you got onto Seonghwaâs lap, how his lips were on your neck. You delightfully craned your neck to feel it better, to feel his hot breaths, his hands on your waist. However, when you opened your eyes, you realized that you were imagining someone else under you.
You pulled away from him, but you didn't get off him. You looked into his eyes, seeing the desire drip from them. You were too messed upâblame that on your shitty tolerance, to care what you were doing right now. âCan I try something?â you fluttered your eyelashes, not meaning it in a sultry way, but it came out that way.
âOf course,â Seonghwa mused, a little smile prickling at his lips.
Lips that you wanted to kissânot because you needed to, but because you needed to see something, feel somethingâhave something to compare to that ethereal experience you had with your best friend.
And at his approval, you leaned forward, doing everything that you were taught, and pressed your lips to Seonghwaâs. He responded well, gripping the back of your head as he kissed you back, and you slid your tongue in his mouth, half expecting to feel something, anything.
But there you were, imagining Jongho, his smell, his taste, the way he cautiously touched you and held you. Nothing can compare, not even this.
You pulled away from him, eyebrows raised, mouth agape. He looked confused at your reaction but put on a sloppy smile. âEverything okay?â
You were going to say no. you were going to cry out and say that you were going to die because you kept thinking about Jongho. You couldn't even kiss a hot guy, a guy you wanted to date, without thinking how much better it felt with Jongho. Everything felt better with him. It was comfortable, unnerving, exciting, all at the same time.
You smiled, but with how drunk you were, you could assume that it looked like a grimace. âI uh, yeah, I just gottaâŠ.go do somethingâ-bye,â you huffed out, offering him a little, awkward wave, before you ran out of the spinning room.
You ended up on the back porch, not sure how you got there, but the world was spinning. Your chest was aching. You needed air, anything, you needed to breathe.
The cool air hit you just right, enveloping your lungs, helping you breathe. Your skin was hot, flaming underneath your clothes, and you were sure your cheeks were bright red. After noticing a couple making out in the corner, you grimaced and ran back into the house.
God, what a shitshow.
You avoided seonghwa narrowly, making your way up the creaky, thin staircase to get your own space. You opened the first door you got to, tossed yourself in, and slammed your back against the door with a sigh of relief.
That relief didn't last long.
ây/n, what the hell?â Jongho nearly screeched, turning his body slightly as he stood over the toilet, zipping up his pants in a frenzy. âThe fuck? Don't you know how to knock?â
You didn't say anything. You just took a deep breath, your gaze falling over him.
ây/n?â He repeated, standing a bit awkwardly on the other side of the room, leaning over to flush the toilet. He looked a bit rough around the edges as he washed his hands quickly, looking over at you as he dried them. He walked up to you now, hesitantly, unsure about your expression.
You fiddled with your fingers as the world slowed around you.
âAre you gonna talk?â He scoffed playfully, his eyes raking your body, forcing themselves up to your face. âAre you okay?â
âNo,â you swallowed, shaking your head, the door behind you the only thing holding you up.
He gave you a concerned look, running a damp hand through his silky hair, and you couldn't help but think about how wonderful it would be to rake your hands through it, too. âNo, that you're not okay, or no, that youâre not gonna talk?
You blinked. â....yes.â
He sighed. His eyes looked hazy, not quite to the extent yours probably looked, but still, he was not in his right mind, either. You took a shaky breath, watching those brown irises fall to your lips, to your chest.Â
You clench your fingers together, your body, dying to do something your heart would regret. You swallowed hard, sighing.
âArenât you acting like this because you have something to say?â He asked, his words dripping like honey from his lips.
You shook your head. âNo.â
He looked like he was fighting a smile. âI think you are.â
âNo, Iâm notâIâm not acting like this because I have something to say.â Your mind was already screaming at you, begging you not to do anything. Begging you not to say anything. âBecause I want to do something.â
The air was stuffy. The bathroom was filthy, the window was cracked open, blowing in a slight breeze, gently running up your arms, sending chills down your spine.Â
Jongho tilted his head. âTo do what?â
The vodka in your basically vodka-virgin body was bubbling under your skin, infiltrating your mind, your blood. It was taking control over your every move, every idea, everything. So when he asked you that, when he looked like the most beautiful person in the world as he spoke, with his pretty ass hair and his lips and his flushed cheeks, you knew what you wanted to do.
âTo kiss you,â you didn't stutter. You stayed put against the door despite your words. âI just wanna do it again. Every time I look at you, I want to do it.â
Jonghoâs eyes widened, but he didn't run away like you thought he would. He just stood there, breathlessly, his hands at his sides and his mouth parted. Itâs like he wanted to do it too, with the way his fingers twitched as you spoke, with the way his lips almost curled up completely.Â
You pushed off the door, taking a step towards him. When he didn't back away, you took another step. You were so close to him that you were able to feel the soft, hot breaths he was letting out against your skin. His breath smelled like that disgusting beer, but it didn't matter at allâactually, you wanted to taste it on his lips, on his tongue.
You reached out a hand, the room spinning around you. Your fingertips met his cheek, his hot skin. You felt a surge of electricity run through your body as you touched him, as you looked into his eyes. His gaze was unlike anything else you have ever seen. His eyes were zeroed in on you, shutting slowly as you rubbed your hand against his skin. He let out a soft breath, a content sigh, and his eyes were on yours again.
He took in a breath, eyes on your lips. You were too drunk to think about how the look on his face made no senseâfriends shouldn't look at each other the way he was looking at you.
You leaned forward, and when he didn't flinch away, when he actually leaned forward as well, you smiled to yourself, and pressed your lips to his.
You wrapped your arms around his neck, pulling his body to yours. His hips knocked into yours, his mouth parting, swallowing you whole. He shoved you against the sink, the countertop stabbing the small of your back, but you felt absolutely no pain. You arched your body into his, as if it were instinct, and his hands ravaged your bare skin. He was desperate, trying to catch his breath as best he could while he kissed you.Â
Your hands found the nape of his neck, fingers tightening in his brown hair. He let out a little moan into your mouth, his hands caging you in against the sink. Accidentally, his forehead bumped yours, causing you to bite his lip.Â
You pulled away, but just for a moment, smiling at him, at the redness of his lips from your gloss and your bite. He looked breathtaking in front of you, so human, so perfect. So you leaned in to kiss him again, nose knocking into his, but it didn't matter if you were sloppy. It just mattered that he was the one you were kissing.Â
ây/n,â he breathed against your lips, his hands now on your hips, one curving around your ass. âWe shouldn't be doing thisââ
âShh,â you hissed, slapping his shoulder, keeping your lips against his. âI don't care right now.â
You deepened the kiss, and as he pressed up against you, you felt something hard press into you; you felt a deep rumble from him into your mouth. The pool between your thighs.
Suddenly, the door to the bathroom opened. Mingi stood there, his jaw down to the floor, as he took in the scene in front of him. Jongho must not have heard the door, as his hands were still clawing at you like a goddamn animal, his lips on your neck now. You quickly gripped Jonghoâs shoulders and pushed him away.
âWhat? You just saidââ He took notice of where you were looking, turning his head to see Mingiâs shocked expression. âOh.â
âOh, dear god!â Mingi looked like he couldn't hide the smile peeking through his lips. âI knew it!â
Jongho took a whole century taking his hands off you, finally stepping away, leaving you cold, empty. âItâs not what you thinkââ
Mingi threw his hands up in the air, smirking. âAy, I didn't see anything. Carry on.â
With one last look, Mingi shut the door, leaving you alone with Jongho. The feeling in the room was completely different from a moment ago.
âIâŠ.â he started, then sighed, unable to look at you. âI gotta go.â
âJonghoââ You went to move toward him, but he left the bathroom as quickly as he could, stumbling into the doorframe, and out of sight. You were left to your own devices, standing in the middle of the bathroom, hair a mess, lips bright and painful, and a mark on your neck from your best friend.
If you could call him thatâŠ
â
Itâs as if he disappeared.
You haven't seen Jongho in days. You were even too nervous to go to his room this time, not knowing how to approach him after kissing him like that. After you felt the hardness of his cock against your stomach. The wetness between your thighs. Something you have never felt before.
After a few, empty, lonely nights in your room, you took the initiative to go find him at the late hour of midnightâTo ask if he feels this intense craving for you just like you do for him. But when you arrived at his dorm, San told you he wasn't there.
âHeâs been super sick. I thought he was with you,â He shrugged, confused.
âHeâs sick?â your eyes widened.Â
San nodded, messy hair from sleep. âSorry, maybe heâs with Mingi?â
After your encounter with San, you made your way to Mingiâs dorm. But, once again, Jongho was nowhere to be found.
So you went to the only place you thought to look.
And there he was, under the bright lights, taking a shot at the three-point line on the courts near the rec center. He missed the shot and stood there a moment before going to grab his rebound.
But the ball rolled to where you were, as if it meant to. Jongho stood still as you grabbed the ball.
He stayed silent. You weren't sure whether to move closer or just pass him the ball back.
âAre you going to give me it?â He spoke blandly, sweat dripping down his forehead despite the cold air surrounding him.
You sighed, putting the ball under your arm. âJongho, itâs cold out here.â
He sniffed, his nose red. He didn't look at you. âJust give me the ball, dammit.â
You blinked, watching the cold air show as you exhaled. âWhy are you ignoring me?â
He rolled his eyes, taking in a breath. âDammit, y/nââ
âYouâre doing it on purpose,â you began to dribble the ballâvery sloppily, but it didn't matter. You dribbled past him towards the hoop, tossing the ball up, watching it go through the net. âIgnoring me, I mean.â
âNo, Iâm not,â he huffed, moving to grab the ball from your shot. He made his way back up to the top of the key, away from you.
âYes, you are.â you walked up to him, putting your hand out so he couldn't shoot. âJust be honest!â
With a huff of cold air, jongho tossed the ball away, an aggravated look on his face. âFor fuckâs sake, y/n, Yes. Iâm annoyed.â
You blinked, standing only a few feet away from him. âWhy?â you asked, probably stupidly, given the irritated look on his face.
He sighed, tightening his hands into fists. â...BecauseâŠ.because Iâm a man, too, you know.â he started, running his hands through his hair aggressively, clenching his jaw. â You change in front of me, kiss me, do everything that causes my brain to spin. Iâm sick of acting like I'm okay with it.â
You stood there, frozen. The air felt even colder as winter wrapped its arms around your bare skin.
âDoes that mean you didn't like it?â you wondered out loud, possibly too immature, too inexperienced. You had no idea what you were feeling, why you felt this way. All you knew is that you wanted to spend every moment with him, to kiss him, to lay in bed with him. Things you did normally, but things felt different.Â
âDidn't like what?â He asked, his eyes wide.
âThe kiss,â you looked into his eyes. âThe kisses.â
Jongho stood tensely, unsure of what to do. You watched his eyes flicker up to the sky as little flurries fell, catching themselves in his hair.
ây/n,â he took a sharp breath in. âdon't you get it? I can't kiss you. You can't kiss me. You can'tâŠ.touch me like that, change in front of me, and not expect me to get flustered!â He nearly shouted the last part, and turned to the side away from you, aggravated beyond words.
âIâŠ.Iâm sorry,â you spoke out, taking a step towards him. âIâm sorry that I feel this wayââ
âFeel what?â he scoffed, turning back to you, a pained smirk on his lips. âYou should be sorry for making me feel thisâŠ.for causing me so many headaches, for god sake why the fuck am I out here when itâs fucking snowing, jesus christ you piss me offââ
âJongho,â you interrupted his freakout, his word vomit. He stared at you with those beautiful eyes of his. âWhat are you trying to say?â you spoke in a small voice.
His eyes were frantic, going back and forth from eye to eye. âIâŠ. can't do this.â
âDo what?â you felt the flurries dance against your skin, dance as they fell around you.
âI can't act like your friend anymore.â He bit his lip. âYou have no idea what you do to me. What youâve been doing to me.â
You took a step closer, but he backed away.
âI don't understandââ
âJust go,â He pleaded.Â
âYou do things to me too!â you groaned, finally done with his attitude. âWill you knock it off? Youâre not the only one confused hereââ
âOh, I confuse you?â He looked at you like you had two heads. âIâm sorry, I only kissed you because you were trying to get another guy. I kissed you so you could know how to do it, but you want to know something?â He paused, suddenly right up on you, the space gone between you. âI haven't kissed anyone either. I justâŠyou. Itâs just been you! I didn't know what I was doing, either!â
âIs that so bad?â you pleaded, your eyes bleeding into his. âIs it so bad that you had to kiss me? Should I apologize for wanting to do it again? That I haven't stopped thinking about you since?â you frantically looked into his eyes.Â
âJustâŠâ Jongho sighed, his eyes a bit watery. âLleave me be.âÂ
The look on his face was enough. You took a step back, and then another.Â
âI won't apologize for my feelings, for whatever this feeling is,â you admitted. âBut I am sorry I caused you trouble.â before you left him there, you looked up to him once more, snow falling around you. âGood luck at your game, tomorrow.â
You turned on your heel, not understanding a single thing that just unfolded, that was just said. He made no sense; you made none, either. It was just a bunch of words, unnecessary words, rifting your friendship. But one thing was for certainâyou couldn't repair this without a few missing pieces.Â
Jongho stood as still as a statue as he watched you walk away.
â
You sat on the bench in your cheerleading uniform, your heart beating a mile a minute as you watched the game unfold in front of you.Â
It was approaching halftime. Jongho was sprinting down the sideline, limping slightly as he moved. He passed the ball beautifully to San, who was wide open for the layup.Â
You couldn't focus on anythingâdidn't even cheer when San made the shot. You just sat and stared into space, your eyes following jongho, watching his wince as he backed up down the court.Â
âHeâs hurt,â you muttered under your breath, stomach tightening.Â
Jongho continued playing his heart out, but you knew something was wrong. However, as halftime came, he walked away from the court just fine and into the locker room, not giving you a single passing glance as he walked past you. Seonghwa did, however, but you weren't even paying attention to that.
After a few long moments, the team came back out. You had to cheer, but your heart wasn't in it. Jongho, once again, walked right by you, and when you were about to jump up and ignore everything that was said yesterday to make sure you were okay, the buzzer rang.Â
The game went on, the score going back and forth until the last quarter. Jongho stood at mid-court, calling a play, but the guy guarding him was aggressive. He tried to make a move around him, squeaking his sneakers against the hardwood, but it was no use. The defender followed him with ease, sliding his feet in perfect position.
The gym was in hysterics as Jongho pushed for the bucket, taking a side step into a euro step, but suddenly, oh so suddenly, Jongho crashed to the ground in a thud before getting the shot off.
The gym went silent. Jongho hissed in pain, his eyebrows knit tight. The athletic trainer ran out to see him as the game was put on hold with less than a minute to go. You stood up, not even realizing what you were doing. All you could feel was a pain in your chest as you saw him hurt, the intense feeling to take his pain away. You watched in despair as he was lifted off the floor, as he was carried out of the gym.
You swallowed hard, your ears ringing. Your teammates tried to get you focused, as the game was going to continue, but you jumped up and pushed through, making your way to the locker room desperately.Â
âJongho?â you panted, turning the corner to enter the boy's locker room. You sucked in a breath as you see him in pain, lying down on the bench, a few others around him as he nearly cried in pain.Â
âJongho!â you cried out, rushing to his side. His eyes were frantic, wide, a mess. The trainer took off his knee brace slowly as you approached. âOh my god, are you okay?â
Jongho met your gaze through his watery eyes, every other emotion gone other thanâŠwhatever this was. He almost let out a sigh of relief as he saw you. You knelt down next to him, gripping his hand, and he held yours tighter.Â
ây/n,â he murmured, sucking in a sharp breath as the trainer surveyed his leg. âDid IâŠdid I do it again? Please tell me I didn'tââ
You looked at the man who was assessing his injury. âDid he tear it again?â you panicked, remembering how awful this was for him back then. How traumatizing it was, how horrible it was for him to gain his strength again. You couldn't stand to see him in pain.
âIâŠI don't know,â the man admitted. âItâs too swollen to tell. Youâll need to get this checked outââ
âGoddammit,â Jongho hissed, shutting his eyes tightly, and swallowing hard. That was when you realized that it might not even be the pain from the injuryâno, it was his trauma. The memory of his hard work all down the drain.Â
âIâm here,â you breathed, tucking his hair behind his ear and away from his face. âItâll be okay.â
The buzzer rang, and screams followed. Jongho looked at you, not a care in the world other than that you were there with him, just like before.
âYouâll be alright,â you repeated softly, your heart aching at his pain. âThis will be okay.â
â
âFrom the MRI, it looks like everything is still intact,â the doctor spoke with a tone of arrogance. âYou did weaken your surgical graft, however. Youâll need some PT and rest.â
Jongho stared down at his leg, his hand still gripping yours. He breathed a sigh of relief but didn't say anything else.Â
âIâll write up a referral for that, so just hold on a moment.â
You were left in silence in the middle of the emergency room, Jongho sitting up straight on the bed with a big icepack on top of his knee. He was starting right at it, his lips downturned.
You wanted to ease his troubles. To make him feel better. Nothing felt worse than seeing him like this.
You didn't know what to say. You really couldn't say anything. You were so overwhelmed with the pain you felt as you looked at him as if it were your own. You hated his tears that begged to fall and never did.
âHey,â you mumbled softly, squeezing his hand. It took him a minute to move his gaze to you, and when he did, his eyes spoke a thousand words. âSee? It will be okay.â
He sighed, his face contorting as he fought his tears. âIâŠIâm sorry.â
âFor what?â you weren't thinking of anything else other than what was in front of you. You rubbed your thumb against his knuckles, trying to soothe him.
âFor how I acted.â He looked down at your hands, how yours was touching his, how his fingers were tight around yours. He didn't want to let goâneither did you. âI was just upset.â
âI know,â you nodded, swallowing. âI was, too.â
He looked into your eyes. ây/n, IâŠâ he paused, the beeping of his heart rate speeding up in the background. âI just don't know why I acted like that IâŠI guess I got caught up in how I feel about you, and it confused me.â
You blinked. âHow do you feel about me?â
He let out an uneasy laugh. âIsn't it obvious?â
You shook your head. âI⊠don't really know much of anything. Much of these feelings,â you acknowledged, biting your bottom lip anxiously.Â
He let out a genuine laugh. âMe too.â
âSo, how do you feel?â You tucked a piece of your hair that fell loose from your bow, suddenly aware of how much of a wreck you probably looked like. You were still in your cheer uniform, Jongho in his basketball one, and you were sure you had smeared mascara everywhere. âAbout me, I mean.â
He took in a sharp breath. âThis isn't fair, Iâm like, high from pain meds. I don't know what iâm saying.â
You smiled widely, feeling such immense love for the man in front of you.
Oh shit.
Are youâŠ.in love?
âAll I know is that I haven't stopped thinking about you since I met you,â He chuckled anxiously. âI don't understand why, and it's just increasingly worse after you keep kissing me, it's making my head spin.â
Jongho yawned slightly after his somewhat confession, his eyes fluttering.Â
He was so pretty. So, so pretty. You wanted to sleep with him. Next to him, cuddle with him, kiss his face, his eyelids, his cheeks, his everything. You wanted him to do everything to you that you dreamed of.
Oh fuck, you definitely are in love with him.
âHoly fuckââ you paused, staring at him, wide eyed at your realization.
âWhat?â He furrowed his brows.
You tried to control your overwhelming thoughts. âI just realized somethingâŠâ you met his gaze, holding onto it tightly. âAre weâŠare we in love? I mean, I think at least I might beââ
âHoly shit, we might be,â Jongho gulped, a knowing smile curling at his lips. As if he knew this, at least on his end, for much longer than you have. He looked at you, then at his leg, and back at you. âAre you in love with me?â
âI think so?â you questioned, your chest aching. Jonghoâs heart began to beat faster and faster, as seen on the monitor next to him. You leaned towards him, blushing as his heart rate jumped over one hundred.Â
Jongho let out an anxious laugh. âYou sound super confident.â
You would've kissed him right then and there, prove to him that you loved him, if it wasn't for that awful doctor.Â
You helped jongho hobble out of the hospital, his leg wrapped in ice and his arms wrapped around you. You were hyper aware of the smell of sweat, the light remnant of his woodsy cologne. You heard his breath hitch as your fingertips curled around his arm as you walked toward the street for a cab.
âGod, standing up really messed me up.â he wobbled a bit. âI don't know what they gave me, but fuck, I feel wonderful,â he giggled, nudging his head into the crook of your neck.
There was a mix of comfort and chaos as you got in the cab, his head on your shoulder, his hair a mess. His arm was slung over you, his eyes closed, his lips parted against your collarbone. He felt comforting, yes, but also his damn lips started to move against your skin.
âJongho,â you breathed, trying to keep quiet as the cab driver carried on. âStop itââ
âMmmh,â he groaned into your neck, kissing it again, trailing up towards your jawline.Â
âThe fuck, did they give you viagra?â you nearly choked as his hand that was around your shoulder fell to your waist, tightening on the curve above your hip. His hand moved lower, past your hip, meeting the curve right before he could reach yourâ
âHey,â you whisper yelled, smacking his cheek lightly.Â
He opened his eyes, those brown irises sparkling despite the dark car. âOh, its y/n,â he smiled, meeting your gaze, but you watched it fall to your lips. âYou look pretty.â
You scoffed. âYou don't know what you're talking about right nowââ
âOh, I do,â he smiled lopsidedly, his hand now coming up to cradle your cheek. âI know what iâm doing.â
You smirked. âI think youâre loopy.â
âMaybe a little,â he shrugged, smiling, his eyes curving into smiles too. âBut I know what I want to do.â
You tilted your head, raising your brows. âAnd whatâs that?â
He smiled villianously, teeth barred. âDo you really want to know?â
You held in your laugh, but managed to nod.
He took in a breath, letting it out in an exaggerated sigh. âI want to fuck you so bad,â he huffed, his head falling right back onto your shoulder. âSo, so bad. Iâve always wanted toââ
âJongho,â you blinked. âYouâre high from pain meds, you don't know what you'reââ
âOh, but I do know,â he sat up quickly, eyes dazed, hair a mess on top of his head. He reached out a hand, tucking your hair behind your ears with a boyish smile. He focused on your face, on your eyes, your lips. His expression changed, his smile falling. âI wanted to tell you about how I feel about you.â
You bit your lip. âYou did.âÂ
He waved a hand, flopping it around. âNah, I didn't.â
âYes, don't you remember?â you scoffed playfully. âWe just had this whole talk like twenty minutes agoââ
âAye, stop it, I had something to say but now I forgot!â he groaned, tossing his head back against the headrest. He then turned his head to your direction. âDid I ever tell you how pretty you are?â
âYou just did,â you smiled.
âOh, thatâs right.â he swallowed, looking at your lips. âDid I ever tell you that I want to kiss you? Like, all the time?â
You shook your head, giving up on the fight against his high ass.Â
âWell, I just want to kiss you, over and over again, and then when you started kissing me, I think I went crazy,â he blinked slowly, eyes covering every inch of your face. He leaned forward. âYou really fucked me up, you know?â
You frowned. âDid I?â
âPfft,â he huffed. âAre you kidding? You would change in front of me, lay in bed with me, touch me, everything IâŠ.â he swallowed hard. âHow was I supposed to react to your tits? Your ass? You think iâve never gotten hard from it?â you wanted to shut his nonsense up, but he kept going on. âIâve had to literally leave just to jack off so you didn't find outââ
âWoah, woah,â you rose your eyebvrows. âYouâre a mess right now, youll regret what youâre saying tomorrowââ
âI wont,â he sniffed, eyes meeting yours. âIâm done with acting like I don't think about you nakedââ
âJongho, shut it, weâre not aloneââ
âWe should be alone so I can do everything I want to you,â he pressed a sloppy kiss to your temple. âGod, I want to do everything to you.â
You wanted to push him away. You wanted to tell him noâbutâŠhis lips, his words, his breath felt so good, so intoxicating. He pressed a kiss to your jaw, to the corner of your lips. âCan we fuck now?â
You closed your eyes, taking in a breath. âThe hell is wrong with you? Weâre in a cabââ
He ignored you, his lips continuing to find their way around your face. âWhen we get back?â
You looked down at his knee, how it was wrapped, how much pain it had caused him. âYou just hurt your leg, and youâre not in your right mind.â
âOh, iâm completely in my right mind,â he kissed your ear, letting a little breath of air tickle you. âIâve wanted this forever.â
You sighed, your breath shaking, your chest tight. You had absolutely no experienceâyouâve never had sex, never did anything with a man other than what you were doing now, and the little kiss you gave seonghwa.Â
âIâm a virgin,â you whispered softly, embarrased. However, you felt the most comfortable with jongho. He was your everything.
âSo am I,â he admitted, smiling. âWe can learn together.â
âGod, weâre so lame,â you breathed, smiling.Â
Jongho, however, did not care about any words. He nuzzled into your collarbone, pressing a kiss there, over and over again.Â
âSo, does that mean we can have sex?â
â
You assisted jongho into your building, helping him into the elevator and pressing your floor while he leaned against the wall.Â
The silence was deafening. You were sure he was able to hear your heart beat through your chest.
As the doors closed, you let a sigh out.Â
ây/n,â he breathed. Behind you, his eyes were on you.
âHm?â you hummed, afraid to turn to him, afraid of what you would do, what he would do.Â
âI love you,â he spoke.Â
Youâve both basically said it only an hour before. Only then, it didn't feel real. Now, maybe it was the fact that Jonghoâs eyes have cleared up, his expression was raw. He looked nervous, he looked anxious. This was all new, all foreignâbut Jongho wasn't new, wasn't different. Heâs always been him, been by your side, your rock, your everything.
âIâŠ.love you too, dummy.â
When the elevator reached your floor, it took you a second to move. You helped him down the hall, and when you reached your door, you paused.
âDo youâŠwant toâŠâ you trailed off, unsure if that was only the drugs talking earlier.
When you turned to jongho, he had a sinister smile on his face.Â
âYou mean,â he nodded toward your room. âWhat I think you mean?â
âWell, jeez,â you scoffed, turning around to open your door. âAs if you weren't the one all over me in the cabââ
A second later, you both stood in the entrance of your room, both of your hearts beating like crazy.
He entered the room after you, slowly shutting the door. The room was darkâyou weren't even trying to turn the lights on.
You turned to jongho, watching him stand with his fists at his sides, his fingers gripping the fabric of his basketball shorts.
âHow do weâŠâ you took in a sharp breath, meeting his gaze. His eyes were wide, dripping with love, lust, with so much. You weren't sure if they always looked like that, if they looked at you like that. Those eyesâŠ.
âLetâs just, he winced a bit as he stepped closer. âJust stay where you are.â
When he got close enough, you saw the worry in his expression. The hesitancy, the love. He looked up, and his eyes spoke a thousand unspeakable words. His hand reached out, pausing at the hem of your cheerleading uniform.Â
You let out an anxious laugh at his face, as he looked so conflicted. You didn't say anything though, and after a moment, he tugged your top right over your head, grinning like a goofball at the red lacy bra you had on.
âFor me?â he murmured, his hand subconsciously drifting to run over your skin, his fingertips pressing against the thin fabric of your bra. He met your gaze, his jaw tightening.
You reached for his top now, the loose jersey easily pulling over his headâthe jersey that was hiding the soft curves of muscle. Youâve seen him shirtless many times, an unimaginable amount of timesâbut this time, it was different. You ran a hand down the pane of his chest, across the mounds of muscle, down his soft but muscular frame. He was perfect, absolutely sexy, breathtaking, gorgeous.Â
He shivered under your touch, meeting your gaze. He moved to take his shorts off, but winced. âHold on, iâll take them offââ but you both leaned down at the same time, crashing your heads together, causing a storm of laughter.
âGod, weâre so not good at this,â He chuckled, smiling bright even in the dark room.
âNo, not really,â you grinned, reaching down at his hips, pulling his shorts off, tugging a bit at the erection that bulged out. You held in your pride, the fact that he was already so turned on by just taking your clothes off.
His shorts fell down to his ankles, his underwear with them, leaving him completely naked, completely vulnerable in front of you. He looked at you with those damn eyes, those irises that held every emotion possible for you.
You took a second to take him in, his thickness, his length. You swallowed hard, suddenly aware thatâŠthat would go inside you, and it would probably tear your virgin self to shreds.
He then gripped the waistband of your skirt, tugging you to him. He was slightly taller than you, so when your body hit his, you felt his cock against your lower stomach, feeling a pulsing ache in your body. His fingers glided against the bare skin of your waist as he pulled your skirt over your hips, and when they fell, you were left standing in your mismatched underwear, begging him to take it off of you, too.
However, he just stood there like a deer in headlights, staring at the curves of your body, and the smoothness of your skin. His mouth parted, his eyes grew wide, and his hands twitched to touch you, to ravage you, to swallow you whole as if you were roadkill and he was a vulture.
An anxious vulture.
He reached around you, the heat of his body warming you, and his hands clasped around the clip of your bra. He fiddled with it for a good moment, and as he started getting irritated that he couldn't get it, you laughed. âGoddamn this thing has you locked up like fort knoxââ
âDo you want me to get itââ
âNo, no, iâll be extremely embarassed, let me do it.â he continued to try to get it off you, and finally, it fell off you, onto the ground, and Jongho stood with a proud smile on his lips. âFuck yeah, finally.â
But, right after his words of triumph, his eyes fell to your full breasts. His eyes widened, and he gave into his desires, letting himself grab one, calloused fingers gliding against your nipple.
âOh, fuck y/n,â he breathed, both his hands coming up to cradle your breasts, to feel you up. He took in a breath, eyes unable to leave your body. âYouâre absolutely beautiful.â
He dipped his head, taking in a breast into his mouth, flicking his tongue over your nipple. You felt your stomach tighten, felt your wetness pool at your thighs. He looked up to your eyes as he sucked, and when he saw your ecstatic expression, he quickly pulled away.
He didn't spare an extra second to claw at your underwear, satisfyingly watching them fall to the ground, leaving you both completely naked in the middle of the room. He looked at you, love dripping from his chocolate eyes.
And thats when you gripped the back of his neck. âIâm sorry if I don't do this very well,â you admitted, twirling your fingers in his hair. He didn't seem to even hear what you said as his eyes remained on your lips.
âGod, we cant be friends anymore,â he leaned forward, pressing his forehead against yours, he hesitated, lips hovering over yours, his breath shaky, tangling with yours. âDefinetly not, fuck.â
You tilted your chin forward, lips so close, so so close. His hands found your hips, fingernails leaving marks in your skin.Â
And with one last look into your eyes, jongho sighed, letting go of everything. He pressed his soft lips to yours, taking you in like he hasn't kissed you before. Like heâs always wanted to. He breathed into you, moving his hands to cradle your face, to get as close to you as possible.Â
You arched your body against his, bucking your hips into his, and he grunted in response. You fell backwards onto the bed, him on top of you, but as you fell, he bit your lip so hard you let out a little yelp.
âOh shit,â he gasped, parting from you, eyes wide with worry. âAre you okay? Did that hurt? I didn't mean to do thatâ-â
âShh, shut your face,â you patted him on the cheek, giggling at his reaction.Â
He adjusted himself on top of you. âHere, make sure youâre headâs on your pillow, I want you to be comfortable.â he adjusted you, too, and he looked so sincere and serious it made you laugh. âWhy are you laughing?â he asked, but couldn't help but let out a little chuckle, too. âStop, this is serious.â
You laughed even more. âSorry, sorry, youâre just really cute.â you watched his eyes twinkle as he looked at you. âAnd you look so pretty on top of me.â
He smirked, holding back his giggle. âStop it.â
âIâm just saying,â you reached a hand out to wrap around his neck, tugging his lips right back down to yours, kissing him softly. âMhm. I cant get enough of this.â
He smiled into the kiss. âMe neither, I cant believe youâre under me right now.â
You couldn't help the blush that heated your cheeks. You were suddenly aware of his dick against your thighs, of your skin against his. You looked into his eyes, looked at how they were looking at you, how he held himself over you.Â
And then, after a look of utter love, he smiled and kissed you. This time, he stuck his tongue into your mouth, running over the ridges of the roof of your mouth. You opened your mouth wider, deepening the kiss, knocking your nose against his.Â
His lips parted as he gasped for air, his chest heaved against yours. His hand delicately glided up your ribs, meeting the skin of your breasts. He gripped your breast in his hand, moaning into your mouth, hips bucking into yours. You couldve sworn you felt his heartbeat through his chest as he made out with you, as his hands covered you. He pulled away only to make sure you still wanted this, and when you nodded, he reached down to line himself up with you. The concept of sex always felt so difficult. So worrisome, so new. But with jongho, it felt like you've done this forever.
âIf it hurts, tell me,â he whispered against your lips, kissing you gently. âIâll take care of you.â
You literally couldve came at those words. You swallowed hard, and forced out a nod.
He pecked your lips, smiling, kissing them again. His hands hesitated, not knowing what to touch as his tip pressed into your cunt, his breath shortening, sweat dripping down his forehead.
You reached out, gliding a hand across his cheek, across his lips, smiling up at him.
âIâŠ.â he hesitated before entering you. âAre you wet enough? Should I spit?â
He looked terrified. Absolutely terrified. So you ran a hand soothingly through his hair, watching his eyes shut tight in pleasure, in delight. âDon't worry about anything and just do it.â
âOkay,â he mumbled, letting out a little laugh. âOkay, okay.â
And then, his eyes bled into yours as he tilted his hips, pushing his cock slowly into you, so gently, as if he was terrified of hurting you. You watched his mouth part, watched his expression change to euphoria as he filled you, every inch sparking a new feeling.Â
He snapped his hips, his length fully in you, and you nearly cried out from the feeling. You moaned as he moved slowly, clawing at his shoulders, this feeling unlike anything elseâyour damn vibrator held nothing on Jongho.
He relaxed his expression, his eyes fluttering open, looking right down on you. You met his gaze as he moved in and out of you.
âDoes it hurt, if it hurts, I can stopââ
âShut the hell up and fuck me, jongho,â you grumbled, your hands finding a home on his hips, the feeling of them snapping under your hands sent you spiraling. You moaned as his dick reached a new spot, as you felt your walls tighten around him. You wanted to cry out, rip your hair out, tear at his skin as you felt the intense crave for him. The way he looked down on you fueled the fire in your hips, in your back. You felt an ache in your hips, slamming your head back, fighting the urge to claw the bedsheets.
But then you sae his grimace, and you frowned. âOh my god, youâre knee, youâre in pain.â
He kept moving, but he was definitely in pain. âI-I think the meds wore offââ
Without thinking, you pushed him off you, making him roll over so now he was the one on th bottom. You straddled him, looking at his shocked expression, how his breaths quickened, how his cock twitched for you. To be inside you.Â
You had an unimaginable amount of knowledge from all your smutty books, so you might as well try to use what you know, right?
ây/n, what are youââ
âLet me please you,â you breathed, and with a slow, calculative movement, you sat on his dick, sliding his length into you, once again gaining the extreme pleasure of his expression and the absolute desperation he expressed. He gasped as you moved up and down on his cock, and he watched you, watched him dissapear into you. He slammed his head back into the pillow, his face contorting, moans fluttering through his lips, his eyebrows knitting together in pleasure and a million other things.
âGod, fuck,â his hands gripped your hips as you rode him, his eyes rolling to the back of his head, his breaths shallow. He gasped for air. âYou feel so good, oh my god. So fucking good.â
You tossed your head back, resting your hands on his chest, feeling the warmth of his skin, the smoothness of it. He blinked up at you, a smile on his lips, completely in bliss.
He moved his hands with you, nearly lifting you up as you moved on his cock, moved on his body. You forgot how strong he was.
âYou sure youâve never done this?â he gasped, his eyes shut tight. âBecause fuck, this is better than I ever imagined.â
You smiled down on him, giddy at his words. You moved even faster, causing him to moan, and moan, and moan.
You didn't even know what to sayâyou just enjoyed his little commentary as he took you in, his gaze dripping like honey.
âGodamn,â he hissed, eyes meeting yours. He looked frantic. âFuck, fuck, Iâm gonna cum,â he seethed, hips slamming up into yours. âFuck, youâre so hot, so so hot.â
You felt him twitch inside you, felt your walls collapse. You began to see spots in your vision as he moved his hips, too, just as you were. You felt so much pride as he looked absolutely pathetic underneath you, his gaze hazy, his lips bright red from your kisses.
âI love you, IâŠlove you,â he hissed out. âI love you.â
You reached your climax just from looking at him, crying out in a moan, leaning forward over his body. His hands flooded all over you, sending sparks at every touch, every spot of your body. And when you came, when you felt the rush of cum, the rush of the high finally hit, you continued to move as he did. Then, suddenly, his eyes grew so wide, he lifted you off his cock hastily, gasping for air.
You leaned back on his legs, onto your heels, trying to breathe, trying to see, as his hands grasped his own dick, moving up and down before he came, his cum shooting onto you, over your chest, your boobs, your stomach. You watched him gasp as it happened, his lips curling up in an embarrassed smile.
âOh, oops,â he laughed, looking absolutely delectable with the hair stuck to his forehead and his eyes wide with pleasure. âTotally meant to do thatâŠ.â
Something burned under your skin, something foreign, something you never felt before. Youâve only read about this feeling, this moment. But now, here you were. You just had sex, sex with your best friend, and it was the best thing youâve ever felt before. You needed more, so so much more.
âPlease tell me we can do that again,â you breathed, falling onto him, sticking to him, feeling the beat of his heart as you pressed your ear to his chest.
âOh, fuck yes,â his hand wrapped around you, holding you to him. He pressed a gentle, exasperated his to the top of your head. âYou don't even have to ask that, iâm planning on doing that all night.â
You moved a bit so you could lay against his side, totally forgetting about the cum on you that now got all over the place. âYou seemed like you knew what you were doing for a virgin,â you side eyed him. âYou have to be lying.â
He smirked, a light blush on his cheeks. âUh, well,â he swallowed, eyes looking all over your face. âI mean, I have been thinking about what I would do if I ever got to sleep with you.â
You furrowed your brows. âYouâre so cheesy.â
âWell I didn't get to do exactly what I wanted,â he looked down at your lips, at your body pressed to his. âBecause of my damn knee, but,â he pressed a kiss to your nose. âThat means we have to do this again.â
âOh, baby,â you pinched his cheek. âWeâll be doing this way more than we probably should.â
He smiled, that blush still on his face, across his nose. He looked so beautiful, so so pretty, it actually hurt you to look at him.
You kissed him, kissed his lips, his nose, his flushed cheeks.Â
And you looked at him, at his eyes, the same eyes youâve known forever.Â
âI love you, Jongho.â
â
The next morning, you parted ways with a sleepy jongho, late for your early class. You couldn't stop thinking about him all day, that is, until you ran into Mingi and San in the library cafe.
Mingi grinned like the cheshire cat, an eye smile brighter than the sun. âWell, hello there, you.â
You rolled your eyes as the line for the coffee moved. San and Mingi stood behind you, giggling like little kids.
âSo, Jongho didn't come back last night,â San started, and you quickly cut in.
âSo? He always stays in my room, its not anything oddââ
âOh, sweetie,â Mingi crossed his arms, grinning. âBut it is odd.â
âWhy?â you crossed your arms, too, facing him. San stood by with a little chuckle.
âBecause he came back to the room before his class and his jersey was on inside outââ
âSo? He likes to sleep shirtlessââ
âHis lips were covered in red lipstickââ
âI don't know what you were talking aboutââ
âOh, and he told me that he had sex with youââ
You slammed a hand against Sanâs mouth, giving him a death glare while mingi giggled like a school girl. You grimaced, pulling your hand away. âShut up, or iâll make you.â
âOoh, so scary,â San waved his hands in the air dramatically. âAnyway, are you dating him now? You better date him, heâs been dreaming of that for so long.â
You blinked. âI mean, we said we loved each other, but nothing about datingâŠ.â
Mingi smirked. âWelp, guess you better go figure that out.â
After class, you found yourself in front of Jonghoâs door, a shake in your breath as you knocked. He opened the door, shirtless, a smile on his face the minute he met your gaze.
And then he grabbed you by the waist and planted a big kiss onto your lips, smiling into it, and then pulled away.
âHi,â you smiled.
âHi.â he tilted his head, looking you up and down.
âI heard you told San everything.â
He bit his lip. âWas I supposed to keep it to myself?â
You shook your head, smiling.
âDo you want to come in?â he hesitated, rubbing the back of his neck.
âMhm,â you nodded, following him in.
The minute the door shut, Jongho slammed you up against it, swallowing you whole with his mouth as he kissed you. His hands gripped the side of your head, tugging at your hair, causing you to let out a hiss. He took the opportunity of your open mouth to shove his tongue into you, exploring your mouth with pleasure. He moaned into you, and you couldn't help but moan yourself.
His hands gripped your thighs, lifting you up, slamming your back into the door as he held you to him. He then started to walk towards his bed, but you realized his injury.
âJongho, youâre leg,â you breathed with worry, trying to get him to put you down. âYouâll hurt yourselfââ
âShut up,â he spoke into your mouth, indeed shutting you up immediately. You sighed as he kissed you, as he touched you. He gently set you down onto his bed, and you went under his duvet since he kept his room like an icebox.Â
He followed you suit, crawling on top of you under the covers, but you had a better idea. Once again, you flipped him so he was on his back, and with one quick look at the shock in his gaze, you kissed his collarbone, then his chest, down his sternum, over the soft muscle of his stomach. You slowly pulled his pants down over his cock, his underwear along with them.
You felt his muscles tighten underneath your lips, you heard his breath hitch as you moved lower and lower, until your lips met the soft skin of his hard cock. He gasped his hands searching for you under the covers, his legs moving in pleasure as you licked his tip.
âOh myâŠohâŠâ he arched his back against your kiss, your hands holding onto his hips as you surrounded your mouth around his erection. He thrashed against you, absolutely liquid in your embrace.
But before you could take him fully, the door of his room opened, and in came san blabbing about god knows what.
You quickly moved, trying to lay flat the best you could to hide. Jongho sat up fast, pulling the blanket up and bunching it around his dick, making sure it wasn't so obvious that you were under thereâŠ.and that he was literally throbbing hard.
âI ran into y/n earlier, she admitted to it!â san roared, and you assumed he was taking his shoes off considering the sound. âGood for you buddy, I know how long you wanted to tap thatââ
âAh, yeah,â Jongho awkwardly laughed. You wish you could see the look on his face, the embarrassment. Just how long did he want you?
You couldn't help but stroke your hand against his dick, causing him to gasp.
âYou alright?â San questioned, now making his way to the other side of the room.Â
You continued to rub him. Jongho gripped the blanket tight.
âPeachy,â Jongho grunted.
San didn't speak for a while.
âAre you gonna finally ask her out?â
You paused.
Jongho sighed. âHuh?â he was totally out of it.
âI mean, youâve been in love with y/n for ages, you might as well make if official while you can.â
âAm I?â Jongho swallowed hard. âAm I in love with her?â
âAh shut up, you know it,â San scoffed,and a bed creakedâassumingly his. You decided to continue to suck Jongho off, taking him in your mouth, causing him to jolt.
âI uh, iâll ask her out later,â Jongho took in a breath. âBut, um, do you think you couldâŠ.you know, give me a moment?â
âA moment, whyââSan paused, then gasped. âAre you beating your meat right now? Oh fuck man, my bad!â
You nearly cackled against Jongho at the way they conversed with each other, how normal it seemed. It made you wonder how often this happened, how often Jongho did this to himself, how many times he thought about you while doing itâŠ
That turned you on even more.
The minute you heard the door shut, you tossed the covers over your head, meeting Jonghoâs shocked, mind-boggled expression.
âJeez, y/n, fuck,â he couldn't help but smile as he looked at you, as you sucked him. âYouâre a freak.â
âWell, you should see the things I read,â you chuckled, and then licked up the column of his cock, causing him to take hold of your head.
He shoved you up and down on his dick, his fingers tearing into your scalp, causing you to choke on him. He groaned, moaned, hummed every note possible, and then without warning, he came into your mouth, his body going still, his eyes open wide as he watched you swallow his load.
Oh, he tasted better than you ever imagined.Â
His saltiness still coated your lips as you leaned over to kiss him, his eyes lost in you. He looked so in love, so in lust, in everything.
âAre you gonna ask me out?â you asked in between kisses.
âMhm,â he leaned into your kiss, not wanting to break apart.Â
âAre we dating now?â
Kiss.
He blinked, looking up at you. His smile defined beauty, his lips desire.Â
âIf youâd like.â
âOf course.â
You kissed him once more, wrapping your arms around his neck, rolling around in bed with him. He chuckled, smiled, nuzzled his head into you.Â
âI have practice,â you kissed his cheek, trying to get up, but his arms wrapped around you, holding you to him. âI have to go.â
âOne more minute,â he mumbled into your ear as he nibbled it, then kissed it. âJust a minute.â
You smiled. âOkay, fine, I guess I can spare a minute.â
He held you, breathed in your scent, his scent on your lips. He didn't let go, even after the minute, and you hand to force yourself out of his hold.
âMeet me in my room tonight?â you raised a brow,
He nodded. âOf fucking course.â
You quickly tried to fix your hair up, tucking it behind your ears, before you gave your boyfriend a wink while you walked out.
And, funny enough, when you shut the door behind you and turned around, San stood there, smirking devilishly.
Pairing: SerialKillerGhostface!Mingi x (f)Reader x Boyfriend!Yunho
Rating: 18+ | Dead Dove
Genre: Dark Romance, Horror, Smut, Dead Dove, Angst, Fluff?
WC: 14.6k (unedited)
Happy Halloween, all you ravishing horror lovers. This Halloween special is dedicated to my readers who like to walk a bit on the extreme side. This fic was specially brewed for those deep, dark guilty pleasures that shall remain between you and me. Please read the tags carefully and do not proceed if you're uncomfortable with any of the mentioned content. Enjoy. đ
Warnings Below the Cut...
Warnings/Tags: Please read tags carefully -> explicit language; murder; mentions/references to murder; blood; gore; violence; fear instilling; stalking; major character(s) death; explicit sexual content (detailed below); predator/prey dynamics; morally gray character(s); dark themes; self-inflicted harm; references to inflicting harm on others
Smut Tags: rough sex; unprotected sex; creampie; fear play; voyeurism; exhibitionism; dacryphilia; knife play (including insertion); blood play; LOTS of degradation; LOTS of dirty talk; spanking; hybristophilia; erotophonophilia; sadism; masochism; cuckold (but we're into it)
I pushed the car door with a little more force than I meant to as I stared at the dinky motel in front of me. The vacancy sign flickered as if it were on its last leg, the front office screen door no longer latched and slammed against the side of the building with every semi-strong gust of autumn wind, the paint around every door and window was peeling and in dire need of a facelift. Yeah. This would be the last time I ever let my boyfriend plan an entire getaway. A pair of arms wrapped around me from behind, pulling me into their chest as a chin plopped down on top of my head.
âWhat do you think?â
âI think, I canât believe I let you convince me to go on this trip in the first place.â
âItâs Halloween. Whereâs your spirit?â He chuckled.
âIâm pretty sure this place has enough spirit for the both of us.â I laughed dryly, not even able to read the heavily faded motel sign.
âItâs charming.â
I pulled a face, glancing up at him.
âYunho, this looks like a place youâd get murdered in. I wouldnât exactly call it charming.â
He looked down at me, the same smile that captivated me the day we met curling the corners of his mouth.
âWell, thereâs no other availability in town and the next nearest motel that was taking reservations is about an hour away in the next town over.â
âAnd leaving earlier to make that drive wasnât an option?â I asked, eyebrow raised.
He leaned down a bit more, lips finding my ear.
âThen we would have been stuck with Wooyoung and San the whole time and I kind of wanted to be alone with you before those two got thrown into the mix.â
I had almost forgotten that I would be meeting two of his friends for the first time tonight. Wooyoung, San, and Yunho had known each other for forever. In the time Yunho had been together, Iâd heard more stories about the three of them together than anything. Though I hadnât officially met them, it felt as if Iâd known them just as well as I did Yunho at this point. I bit my lip to hide my grin, wanting to give him shit for a little longer.
âSo, you booked this shitty motel so we could spend more time together? How romantic.â I teased.
âChivalry isnât dead my love.â He teased back, planting a fat kiss on the top of my head. âGo check us in and Iâll grab our bags.â
Before he could peel himself away from me, I grabbed his wrist, dragging him back over.
âHow about you go check us in, and Iâll grab our bags. I donât want to walk into some creepy front office by myself.â
He rolled his eyes, but did as I asked, keeping the momentum as I pushed him towards the office.
âIf this scares you, how do you plan on making it through Fear Fest?â
âThatâs what youâre there for, right?â I shouted after him, giggling as he turned around to blow me a kiss.
I jumped for about the millionth time since arriving at this festival as another random girl let out a terrified shriek when one of the actors wandering the premises jumped out at her. The scream followed by a slew of giggles as her group of friends made fun of her. An arm curled its way around my shoulders, my body stiffening and whirling around to meet Yunhoâs slightly worried gaze.
âYou okay?â
I huffed a laugh, willing my body to release some of the tension it held as I nodded. Despite my efforts, I turned a wary eye to the massive castle in front of us. It was decked out in fake cobwebs and strobing lights. Fog emitting from its entrance thick enough to swirl at our feet even though there was still five or six large groups of people ahead of us in line. My gaze trailed to the huge 50-foot-tall skeletons standing guard in front of the door, cloaked in black hoods dark enough to where only their glowing red holes for eyes lit underneath them. Yunho had assured me that this wasnât a typical haunted house. It was more of a museum of the dead where they displayed various torture devices and methods of execution throughout the years. Even then, I was slightly unsettled.
âYeah.â I responded, tamping down my growing anxiety.
Yunho didnât look convinced, his lips downturned into a slight frown, his body moving to stand in front of me.
âHey.â He murmured gently, waiting for me to meet his gaze. âWe donât have to go in.â
Quickly, I shook my head. âNo, you paid a lot for the tickets to get in here. We should do as much as we possibly can.â
âAre you sure?â
âYes.â I assured him, grateful that I sounded surer this time as I reached for his hand, intertwining his fingers with mine. âJust, promise me that after we finish here we can look around that candle shop we passed by earlier by the entrance.â
He grinned, not at all surprised that I asked to go back there.
âDeal.â He chuckled, giving me a gentle kiss on my forehead before moving back to my side, squeezing my fingers in his.
Though I was still nervous, Yunhoâs presence beside me provided a sense of security I knew I wouldnât have had otherwise. Lucky for me, he didnât scare easily. The line ahead of us shortened, those menacing skeletons appearing even larger the closer we came to them. Yunhoâs phone chimed, my boyfriend checking the incoming message as we moved forward again, now only a single group away from the entrance.
âSan said he and Woo are about thirty minutes away. Should give us plenty of time to get through here and then go check out a couple of booths.â
âNext!â
Yunho took my hand, knowing I would be too chicken to go in first. Hell, I was debating on just hightailing it the other direction anyway. I fought back that urge, dragging my feet behind my overly excited significant other as we stepped through the shroud of fog obscuring the entrance. I was momentarily blinded in its thickness, the sickly-sweet scent of the artificial mist tickling my nose before we were past it. Grey replaced with obnoxiously bright red lights that didnât do shit for illuminating anything except objects two feet away from you. My only saving grace was Yunhoâs hand still firmly grasping mine.
âWhoa, look at this!â He beamed, his voice carrying a little too well in the oddly silent attraction.
He pulled me behind him, finding everything within his vicinity intriguing while I was trying my damnedest to keep my eyes from staring too hard at the fake skulls carved into the fake stone walls.
Creepy.
I turned my attention to Yunho, his face entirely too close to a plaque stationed in front of some kind of metal contraption as he tried to read it.
âIt says itâs a medieval torture device used to crush people.â
Both my eyebrows went up as my eyes slid back towards the thing. Though that sounded awful, there was a semi-morbid curiosity in me about how it worked.
âHow?â
Yunho hummed, reading a bit further.
âThey would make someone crouch underneath it and then use a screw to tighten over a hinge that would crush them down until their ribs broke or their spines cracked.â
I shivered, waving away the thought as the visual made me cringe.
âUgh, forget I asked.â
Yunho gave me an amused grin, throwing his arm around my shoulders as we continued through the exhibit.
âWhat? You donât find this kind of stuff interesting?â
âI find it disturbing. Itâs one thing hearing about this kind of stuff, itâs another seeing it in front of you.â
I scrunched my nose as we passed by another roped off torture device. This one supplied with mannequins to demonstrate how it was used. The lights above us seemed to thin out as we continued. Sections of the pathway pitch black between exhibits that I couldnât help but notice any time Yunho would stop to inspect a certain torture device. At some point my nerves started to get the better of me. We hadnât run into any other people. Not the group that had gone ahead of us, and no one had managed to catch up to us despite it seeming like Yunho was taking his sweet time.
Still, goosebumps plagued my skin with that unmistakable feeling someone was watching us. I crossed my arms as I stood behind my oblivious boyfriend, rubbing away the pebbled flesh as I cast a wary gaze around us. I looked ahead to where the attraction would take us next, noting how dark the corridor was until the faint red light just beyond a corner barely cast its glow around the bend. So faint, in fact, that I almost missed the looming figure half hidden behind the wall. I stared, fear spiking as my brain desperately tried to process whether the large shadow was part of the attraction or a real person. I was even beginning to believe it to be another mannequin until it slinked further behind the wall, almost as if it were beckoning me. I sucked in a sharp breath, fear having me plaster myself to Yunhoâs back as I placed him between me and the sinister shadow.
âWhatâs wrong?â Yunhoâs voice sounded too loud in the silent room, his worried gaze landing on me.
âThere was a person over there.â I half-whispered.
Yunho turned, peering through the darkness to where I pointed. Much to my dismay, the figure was gone.
âI donât see anyone.â
âI swear, Yunho. They moved. I thought you said no one would try to scare us in here?â
âTheyâre not supposed to.â He frowned. âMaybe itâs someone from the group before us.â
âIf it was, then why wouldnât we have heard them?â
He shrugged, taking a step forward. âIâll go see.â
I grabbed his hand before he could take another step, looking up at him as if he were an idiot.
âAnd leave me here by myself?â
âThen come with me.â
âI literally just told you some strange person was standing there. In the dark. Staring at us. Who in their right mind would go look for them?â
âWe have to go that way to get out anyway.â He drawled; acting way too unconcerned for my liking. âBabe, itâs a haunted festival. Scaring the visitors is kinda the point. They wonât actually hurt you.â
Deep down, I knew he was right. That logic was the only reason I reluctantly shuffled after him, keeping a tight grip onto the back of his shirt as he approached the corner. He stopped just far enough away to lean forward and peek around it. I unknowingly held my breath until a small laugh huffed out of him and he stepped out.
âThereâs no one here.â
âWhat?â
I released him, peering around his tall frame to scan the red-lit hall before us. Not a soul in sight. Actually, I could see the exit just at the other end. I sighed heavily, tension leaving me as I let my shoulders drop and my embarrassment seep in. Yunho looked down at me, laying his large palm over the top of my head as a genuine smile lifted his lips.
âItâs okay. I know youâre scared.â
I gave him a half-hearted glare, finding a new bit of confidence in myself under his teasing as I turned my nose up and continued through the dim hallway. He laughed at my actions, taking two long strides to catch up to me and wrap his arms around my waist.
âIâm just kidding, babe. Youâre cute when youâre scared.â
âWhatever. Take me to get candles.â I demanded him, feeling a lot more relieved once we were out of there and I could hear the vivacious sounds of the festival around us again.
âOkay. Iâm buying. How many do you want?â He asked taking my hand.
âAs many as I deem fit for the trauma Iâll endure tonight.â
âYunho!â
I looked up from what was about to be the fifth candle selection of the evening that Yunho had promised me when the call of his name caught my attention. The man himself turned from his own browsing section, face absolutely beaming as he found the culprit. A man much smaller than him in stature flew into him, giving him a hug I could only describe as one would give a dear friend or loved one after not having seen them in months, possibly years. The first thing I noticed apart from the fact that he was practically swallowed by my boyfriend was his hair. It was an interesting shade of black and blonde, the lighter color almost completely covered by the black overtop except for a few strands that framed his face and the few pieces at his nape. The only indication of the blonde apart from that being when bits and pieces of it broke through the dark top shade. A peculiar look, but it suited him. Though Iâd heard many stories of Yunhoâs friends, it never occurred to me to ask what they looked like. I suppose it shouldnât have come as a shock that his friends were just as attractive as he was, that thought further solidified when another, broader gentleman approached the two, much wider than Yunho, though not as tall.
The newcomer took his turn hugging him, the three of them looking ecstatic to see one another. Slowly, I abandoned my shelf, giving a polite smile as Yunhoâs eyes met mine and he waved me over the rest of the way.
âSan, Woo, this is Y/N, my girlfriend. Y/N these are the guys I tell you about all the time. Wooyoung.â He motioned towards the one with the Oreo hairdo. âAnd San.â He finished, pointing out the broad-shouldered male.
San was the first to return greetings, holding out a thick arm for me to take the hand he offered. A couple of loose strands of his bangs brushed across his eyebrows from where they had fallen out of his slicked back style, a devastatingly handsome smile with perfectly straight, white teeth taking over his features.
âItâs nice to finally put a face to the name.â
Awkwardly, I shifted the armful of candles I was carrying to free a hand. Unsuccessfully might I add until Yunho came to put me out of my misery and taking a few of them away from me. I tossed him a silently grateful look before turning back to San.
âLikewise.â I grinned, feeling more at ease with his friendly nature as I took his hand.
The point of contact was quickly redirected as the other male I had yet to officially meet weaseled his way between us. Giving me a charming smile and wink as he shouldered San out of the way.
âJung Wooyoung. Feel free to call me Woo.â
San rolled his eyes, looking as if this wasnât the first, nor would it be the last time heâd witness his friend flirting. Still, he was as friendly as his counterpart, and I was grateful for that as I took his hand.
âAlright, Woo. Sheâs not some random girl you need to lay it on so thick for.â Yunho chuckled, shaking his head.
âIâm just being nice.â He defended himself.
âSure.â Yunho hummed, not seeming to believe him in the slightest.
âBesides, what would you need her for when youâve got me here?â San teased, leaning towards the smaller man with puckered lips.
Wooyoung dodged the physical affection as if he wholly expected it, giving San an unimpressed glare.
âThe only reason I invited you was because the girl I was going to bring canceled on me.â
âAgain?â Yunho inquired, brow raising in question.
âItâs not my fault they seem to have a complex when it comes to how attractive I am.â Wooyoung shrugs as if his looks were simply God-given.
Which, I suppose, they were. People didnât possess the type of beauty he had unless they were born with it. I could see him giving any woman a run for their money.
âYeah, itâs your looks. It couldnât possibly have anything to do with the fact that you pull more men than they do.â San scoffed.
âThe way I see it, if I swing both ways, Iâm doubling my chances.â
I bit my lip to hide my amusement. The two of them were funny. Just as easygoing as Yunho had portrayed them to be and all my previous concerns about whether or not I would like them, or more likely, whether they would like me, faded. A gentle bump against my shoulder pulled my attention away from the bickering duo, my eyes finding the gentle softness of Yunhoâs as he tilted his head towards my candle haul.
âWanna keep looking or should we pay for these?â
âOh, Iâm done.â
âLet me help.â San offered, taking the last of my jars and raising one of them to his nose for a sniff. âThis one smells really good.â
âThank you. I actually made that one.â
âWait. You can make a candle here?â Wooyoung asked, excitement lacing his tone.
âYeah, thereâs a bar filled with different scents over there.â I told him, nodding towards the shelf of empty jars and the nearby table filled with various wax beads.
âAlright. Weâre not leaving until I try this.â Wooyoung announced, grabbing my wrist and leading me over. âShow me what Iâm doing.â
Behind me, I could hear the sigh San let loose, plopping himself down on a nearby bench barely perched outside the front of the small shop.
âMight as well get comfortable.â He mumbled to Yunho, making room for him on the bench. âWeâll be here a while.â
âI think that deserves a snack and a trip to the Deadlands.â San suggested, loading the last box of Wooyoungâs candle haul into the back of their car.
âDeadlands?â I parroted, looking to Yunho.
He smiled sheepishly. âDeadlands is one of their most popular haunted attractions. Itâs separate from the main festival, so you have to take a bus to get there.â
âDesigned specifically for those who want more than PG13 scares.â Wooyoung tacked on in a spooky undertone.
âI was going to talk to you about it. We donât have to go if you donât want to.â Yunho reassured me upon seeing my hesitation.
âN-no.â I quickly backpedaled, returning his sentiment. âI mean, we drove all the way here. You guys should get the full experience.â
Even as I said it, I didnât quite believe myself. San and Wooyoung looked thrilled, and while Yunho looked at me worriedly, I didnât miss the flash of excitement in his own chocolate orbs.
âYou sure?â
âYeah.â I shrugged, attempting to play it off as if the thought of traipsing through a portion of the haunted festival that was supposedly scarier than where we already were didnât bother me. âHow bad could it be?â
Nope. Not bothered in the slightest. Though I was nervous about going to the Deadlands, the way San and Wooyoung started talking about all the creepy stories theyâd heard from friends or seen on social media made me believe that I had made the right choice in not taking their fun away. The two took off ahead of Yunho and I, leaving us to trail behind them a bit slower. Yunhoâs hand found mine, fingers intertwining together as he landed a grateful kiss on my hair.
âI know you hate stuff like this, but I appreciate you willing to put up with it for me.â
âYou can make it up to me by preemptively finding me something delicious to eat.â
For as much as running around a haunted festival sucked, the food was damn good. Something about fried fair food always left me feeling satisfied. The alternating chicken-on-a-stick and fried pickles I was sharing with Yunho was no different while we waited in line to get our tickets for the Deadlands.
âIt shows thereâs a maze that youâll have to navigate to even get into the Deadlands first.â Wooyoung had his nose half buried into a map he had procured while the rest of us waited in line for food earlier. âThen thereâs a haunted trail, haunted house, and a few interactive haunts. Plus, a couple of shows.â
âShows?â I murmured, intrigued even as Yunho pinched off another fried pickle and fed it to me. âThose sound like they might be fun.â
I returned the favor, tearing off another piece of chicken to feed it to him.
âWeâre at least going through one of the interactive haunts. Iâve seen those online and I havenât been able to try one before.â San mumbled around a mouth full of corndog.
âI second that.â Yunho nodded.
âWhatâs the difference between a regular haunted house and an interactive one?â
âAn interactive haunt is kind of like a haunted escape room. You have to solve riddles or puzzles or something to progress.â San explained.
âYeah, itâs more fun than just speed running through a one-way path and having people jump out at you.â
I didnât agree, but I digress. I tuned out the rest of their conversation while I finished my food. Offering the last bit of chicken to Yunho who absentmindedly accepted it while arguing about which interactive theme would be better if they could only do one. I took his trash from him, momentarily ditching the group to throw it away. Somehow, I managed to find a hole to shove our trash into in the overflowing bin, nearly dipping my hand into the ketchup on someone elseâs plate. I cringed, double checking my hand before dropping it again after being certain it was ketchup free. I looked up, surveying the crowd around me only to stop on a particular figure ducking behind the fence surrounding the haunted hayride. Though it was too quick to see any specifics, the way my skin crawled told me he was familiar. Familiar as in, he would have fit the height and build of whoever was spying on Yunho and me in the medieval torture chambers.
That realization sent shivers down my spine. I turned to rejoin the group, barreling into someone. I gasped, heart still racing even as I met Yunhoâs confused gaze.
âHey, you alright?â
âYeah, I justâŠâ My answer came out a bit breathless as I cast another look over my shoulder. âThought I saw someone.â
Yunho scanned the mass of people behind me as Wooyoung and San came up behind him.
âSomeone you know?â
âIt was no one. Did you get the tickets?â
Over his shoulder, San held up a handful of red paper.
âFour passes. Next bus leaves in 15 minutes.â
âLetâs get going then.â I plastered on a smile, taking Yunhoâs hand.
The trek through the park in search of the line for the Deadlands transport bus was longer than I expected it to be. Not only because of how crowded it was, but the festival grounds were spread out with enough room that none of the attractionsâ lines would interfere with one another. Despite that contingency, the number of bodies waiting for the Deadlands threatened to overcome that obstacle anyway. San and Wooyoung jumped in line immediately, leaving Yunho and I to bring up the rear together once again. I peered around the people in front of us, calculating the distance between us and the front of the line.
âWe might be waiting a while.â Yunho mused, able to look over the tops of everyoneâs heads unlike me.
âYeah.â I agreed quietly. âI think I might go to the bathroom before we board.â
âWant me to go with you?â
âNo, Iâll be fine. You guys can hold our places in line.â
Yunho opened his mouth, presumably to tell me that the other two could hold our places in his stead, until Wooyoung interrupted him.
âIâll go with her. I need a bathroom break myself.â
Knowing at least one of them would be going with me seemed to settle Yunho some.
âOkay.â He agreed, reaching into his pocket to grab one of the tickets San had handed him earlier. âTake your ticket just in case we make it on before you get back.â
âWeâll be quick.â I promised him, taking my pass and stretching on my tiptoes to kiss his cheek. âDonât miss me too much.â
He chuckled, planting a swift kiss on my lips.
âYou know I will. Hurry back.â
Wooyoung ducked under the thick rope caging in the Deadlandsâ patrons, holding it up for me to follow. I slipped under it, my need to relieve myself hitting me full force now that my body knew I was looking for a bathroom.
âAny idea where the nearest restroom is?â
âNope.â Wooyoung chuckled. âI know I saw one back the way we came. I figured weâd head for that one.â
âLead the way.â
The subtle vibration in my pockets caught my attention. My eyes scanning the line ahead for the bathroom as I fished it out. I groaned in annoyance, realizing I wouldnât be moving any time soon. Glancing down, I found a text from Yunho telling me they were boarding the bus.
âShit.â
I ducked out of the line, texting Yunho to wait as I scanned the area for Wooyoung. He strolled from around the other side of the building where the menâs rooms were located, giving me an easygoing smile as he approached before glancing between me and the ridiculously long line outside the womenâs room.
âDid you already go?â
âNo. Yunho just texted me saying they already got on the bus.â
He frowned, patting his pockets for his phone before finding it and checking his notifications.
âYeah, San just sent me the same message. No big deal, we can find them later. For now, letâs search for another bathroom.â
I worried my bottom lip, tempted to nix his idea and hold it in favor of getting back to Yunho and San as quickly as possible. Wooyoung gave me a soft smile, clearly trying to ease my worries.
âDonât stress too much, Y/N, weâll catch the next bus and meet up with them.â Wooyoung reassured me.
Trying to shake the bit of anxiety being by myself in a place like this instilled in me, I nodded, giving Wooyoung a half-hearted smile.
âYouâre right.â
âI think there was a map over by the tractor ride. Letâs see if it shows the next nearest restrooms.â
I followed Wooyoung closely, trusting that he had a better sense of direction in the crowded park than I would. It was definitely getting busier in the later hour. The narrow paths from ride to ride and even the little booths selling foods or trinkets having lines of people building outside of them. I startled as a festival worker dressed as a masked chainsaw wielder jumped out at a nearby group of young girls revving his weapon of choice, their shrieks piercing my ears and making my heart lodge in my throat. I exhaled deeply, trying to calm my racing pulse. While I normally wouldnât consider myself easy to scare, something about being in an environment where I knew the goal was to scare me, put me on edge and rather than anticipating every jump scare, I just became paranoid.
It felt like there were eyes on me constantly. My skin prickling with the ominous sensation. I wrapped my arms around myself, quickly scanning the mass of people in front of me for Wooyoung. He was a little difficult to find in the low lighting, relief flooding me as I found the map he had mentioned earlier, and a familiar head of Oreo shaded hair standing in front of it. I took several quick steps his direction, my pace slowly faltering as I noticed the strange figure standing just beyond the board, half hidden between two game booths. He was unusually still for the bustle of activity around him, his face obscured by the Ghostface mask he wore, and though I couldnât see his eyes, I could feel them. It was easier to see him in this lighting. He was tall, easily a whole head overtop the rest of the people around him, a black leather jacket stretched over his wide shoulders and broad chest, leading down to a thin waist and thick thighs clothed with a pair of black jeans.
It was him. The one who was in the torture chambers with Yunho and me. If anyone had asked me to prove it, I couldnât beyond the sickening hole of dread blooming in my gut. He looked every bit like the other actors roaming around the expanse of festival grounds, but the fact that he didnât actively try to scare anyone, and instead just stood there, staring, left me a bit unsettled. I quickly looked away, crossing the bit of remaining distance to Wooyoung just as he turned to look for me.
âHey, so I think this is going to be the nearest set of bathrooms.â He said, pointing to the little sign depicting menâs and womenâs restrooms on the map.
It just so happened to be somewhat removed from everything else. The nearest attraction being the bus we would be needing to catch to meet back up with Yunho and San.
âI think the chances of there being a line is slim too. Iâm not sure how many people will be in that direction, but itâll also be close to the ride for the Deadlands, so we can jump on the bus right after.â
âSounds like itâs our best bet then.â I agreed, glad that our group wouldnât be separated for much longer.
âCool. Letâs go.â
Wooyoung took one last glance at the map, memorizing which way we needed to go before heading out. I made to follow him, my eyes unconsciously looking over to where I had last seen the masked figure watching us only to find him goneâŠ
In a small miracle, the bathroom was mostly empty. It was plenty removed from the bustling rest of the grounds, only a couple of younger women seeming to occupy the dingy restroom when I entered. I gave them a polite smile, skirting my way past them for one of the empty stalls as they stood in front of the mirrors touching up their makeup.
âDid you get tickets for the Deadlands?â One of the girls asked as I closed myself in.
âYeah.â The other girl replied, sighing heavily. âI donât even know why youâre so excited for this. Running around a haunted field where people are allowed to grab you doesnât sound like a good time.â
âLiterally everyone talks about how good it is. Besides, if you donât want anyone to touch you, donât wear your glowstick, simple as that.â I listened silently as they both gathered their stuff. âItâs Halloween. The entire purpose of this holiday is the spooks.â
âI know, but that doesnât mean I want someone to touch me.â
I frowned as they left, the bathroom settling into an eerie silence after they were gone. I reflected on their conversation, not remembering Yunho saying anything about people being able to touch or grab me in the Deadlands. A bit put off, I fished through my pockets for my phone, tapping the screen to open my message thread with Yunho.
Me: Do people really grab you in the Deadlands?
The chime of my phone sounded a lot louder in the small, vacant building.
Yunho: They can, but only if youâre wearing a glowstick. Theyâll give you one when you sign the waiver and board the bus.
Waiver? What kind of haunted trail was this? Just as I was about to reply, the bathroom door swung open heavily, slamming against the concrete wall loudly. I jumped, nearly dropping my phone. Ugh, I had to stop scaring so easily. Letting loose an exasperated sigh, I made to finish my business. Heavy footsteps echoed in the quiet room, crossing the short distance between the door and the stalls. I listened to them get closer until I could see the tips of the boots from under the stall door. They stopped directly in front of the stall I was in, standing there. I stared at them, feeling weirded out the longer they lingered. Suddenly, the door shook against its latch as whoever it was pushed against it. I threw my hand against the door, a minor effort to keep it closed should the lock fail me in some way.
âExcuse me, someoneâs in here!â
The rattling stopped; the room once again plunged into silence except for my slightly elevated breathing. The stranger loitered for another couple of seconds before the pair of boots turned and headed into the stall next to mine. More than a little unsettled, I dropped my hand on the door, quickly pulling up my underwear and shorts. I pocketed my phone and flushed, looking down to button up my bottoms. A soft breeze ruffled my hair, brushing some of it into my face. I reached up, running my hand through the errant strands when I bumped something with my fingers. Confused, I glanced up, a scream lodging itself in my throat upon seeing the hand reaching over the top of the stall, long, shapely fingers tangled in my hair. I threw myself against the opposite wall, the scream finally making its way up my throat in my horror. I fumbled with the lock, my panic increasing ten-fold when the hand ducked back behind the wall. Quickly, I unlatched the door, throwing it open and not sparing another glance behind me as I bolted out of there.
I sprinted around the side of the small building, another scream ripping its way out of me as I collided with another body. My panic-stricken gaze met Wooyoungâs his brows furrowing in concern as he stared down at me.
âWhoa, Y/N, are you okay?â
I grasped onto him, my fearful eyes shifting from him, back behind me as I half expected the creep to come around the corner.
âNo.â I forced out on an exhale. âThere was someone else in the bathroom.â
âOkayâŠ?â
âA man. H-he touched me.â I started hyperventilating, my hand coming up to touch my head where his had been.
âWhat?â Wooyoung frowned, casting a look over my shoulder. âStay here.â
âNo! Donât go in there!â I begged him, grabbing hold of his arm as he made to pass me.
Wooyoung shushed me, as if he were trying to comfort me.
âItâs okay. Iâm just going to take a quick look.â
âWhat if heâs still in there?â
âThen I can get a description and report him to security.â
As much as I wished I was brave enough to go open the door, I wasnât, instead I ducked my head down, scouring the floor for any signs of his boots that I probably wouldnât forget in my nightmares any time soon. Seeing nothing, I straightened again, looking to Wooyoung cautiously as he approached the first stall and shoved the door open.
Empty.
He moved to the second one, glancing at me over his shoulder as if to confirm this was the one heâd been in. I nodded, holding my breath, my body shamelessly tensed to run the second he opened it if I had to. In a quick motion, Wooyoung slammed the second stall open, his shoulders dropping in relief when it was empty. I couldnât blame him. Part of me was also relieved that whoever was in here wasnât anymore, but another part of me was frustrated as Wooyoung turned back to me with a half-hearted chuckle.
âSomeone else was in here. I swear.â
âI believe you.â He reassured me, coming back over to me to lay his hands over my shoulders. âHeâs gone now though. Nothing to worry about.â
I wanted to argue, but I bit my tongue against it. Not like it would really do me any good anyway. Wooyoung didnât doubt that some random dude had snuck in and grabbed me, but I didnât even get a look at whoever it was, and he was gone without a trace now. No one in sight and nothing concrete to report. Taking in a deep breath and releasing it on a slow exhale, I forced myself to calm down.
âRightâŠâ I sighed, voluntarily leaching the tight knot of anxiety coiled within me. âLetâs just get to the Deadlands.â
The transfer of pass to waiver felt tremendously heavy. Even more so as I signed my name and gave it back to the creepy ass grim reaper manning the liability table. He took it, reaching out a grossly decrepit skeletal hand with a glowstick balanced in his palm in trade. I wanted to reject it; tell him I most definitely wouldnât be needing it. But there was probably no merit in it, so I took it, giving him a watery smile as I moved on. Wooyoung stood patiently in front of the bus doors, sweeping an arm for me to board first. My feet were unusually heavy as I climbed the steps, my nose immediately assaulted with the scent of fake blood and heavily spraypainted walls. The seats had seen better days, some of them shredded at the seams, seat stuffing spilling from them. I took the first available seat I could find, grateful to have Wooyoung right behind me to claim the aisle seat. I glanced out the window, only to be disappointed with the black paint coating every inch of it.
Guess there will be no sightseeing on this bus.
The lights above our heads burned white, bright enough to illuminate the surmountable dust swirling in the air as people plopped into their seats. The last of the visitors boarded, two men in football jerseys who took the seat directly in front of Wooyoung and me. After them, another man boarded dressed as some sort of demented butcher with copious amount of blood adorning his apron. He chucked his meat cleaver into one of the seats up front, scanning the crowd with a watchful eye. I could practically feel the excitement seeping from Wooyoung, not even bothering to conceal his grin while I was quite honestly, seconds away from shitting my pants.
âThis is the bus to the Deadlands!â The butcherâs voice shook the walls of the bus to be heard over the chatter of occupants. âLast chance for anyone to get off. Thereâs no turning around once those doors close.â
When no one moved, he took that as his answer. Retrieving his meat cleaver and taking the driverâs seat. The sudden slam of the bus doors made me jump, my poor heart feeling as if it was ready to beat out of my chest. My nails dug into the fraying seat under me as the bus lurched, pulling away from the rest of the Hell Festival and safety.
The ride over was the roughest bus ride Iâd ever been on as we hit another pothole, and I tried to keep myself from being launched into my seatmateâs lap. Wooyoung laughed, enjoying the entire experience as I tried to right myself for the hundredth time.
âDoes he have to hit every fucking pothole?â I grumbled, my fear giving away to frustration.
âItâs probably in his job description.â Wooyoung grinned.
He took out his glowstick, breaking it and giving it a couple of shakes before slipping the necklace over his head. The yellow glow appeared more ominous than usual. Then again, it was probably because of what it signified.
âNeed me to break yours?â
âUh no. Iâm not wearing mine.â
âNo? You scared?â He teased.
âYes. Iâm not some adrenaline junkie who needs to get off on someone nabbing me out there. Iâm perfectly capable of pissing my pants without it.â
Wooyoung tossed his head back, the cackle leaving him making an involuntarily smirk hike one corner of my lips.
âFair enough.â
I threw an arm out to catch myself on the seat in front of us to keep me from being thrown into the floorboard as the driver braked. Hard.
âFinal destination. Everyone off!â He barked, wrenching the doors open.
âHere we go.â Wooyoung whispered, standing in the aisle to block people long enough for me to exit ahead of him.
The first glimpse I got of the maze we would be expected to clear to enter the remainder of the Deadlands made my stomach sink. It was bigger than I expected and dark as shit. Little equipment lights served as the only source of light and there werenât very many of them. Most people didnât even hesitate, some even ran into the maze in their haste to get to the Deadlands. Mentally, I checked them all off as the first people to most likely die in any horror movie. Although anyone who would was willing to go in there in the first place probably deserved to be offed. Me included.
I reminded myself that Yunho was here somewhere. If I were going to find him, Iâd have to go in. With one last look over my shoulder to confirm Wooyoung was with me, I headed for the entrance, but I sure as hell didnât run in. Apart from the lights stationed every so often, the faint glow of peopleâs glowsticks did an okay job of lighting the way. Behind me, Wooyoungâs at least illuminated enough of the dirt path beneath him that he could watch where he was stepping. I considered breaking mine just to have that luxury but quickly decided against it. I paused as we came to a split in the path, Wooyoungâs feet stopping beside mine as we surveyed the two directions.
âAny idea which way we need to be heading?â
âNot a clue.â
âGreat.â I mumbled, swallowing my panic as ear piercing screams ran throughout the cornfield.
Heading in their direction was the last thing I wanted to do, but there was a good chance that going towards them would lead to an exit. Wooyoung remained a couple of steps behind me and, honestly, I was thankful for it. As scary as it was going first, at least I didnât have to worry about someone sneaking up on me. The corn in front of us was getting thicker, I couldnât even see the occasional flash of yellow from other visitors anymore. Frustrated, I fished in my pocket for my phone, unlocking it to turn on my flashlight. The light blinked on at the same time a quiet grunt filled the silence behind me. I turned, thinking Wooyoung had tripped over one of the fallen stalks only to freeze when realizing he was no longer there.
âWooyoung?â
The rustle of cornstalks around me set me on edge, my eyes and flashlight scanning the walls of corn. The rustling moved further away from me, my feet trying to follow it against my better judgement. Before I could take a step out of the path, a bloodcurdling scream rooted me to my spot. My breathing spiked, panicking as another scream ripped through the quiet darkness, one that certainly didnât sound like it was in good fun.
âWooyoung!?â I called for him again, fear tinging my voice.
The returning silence put me on edge as I stood there like a deer locked in headlights. My hand holding my phone trembled, frantically scanning the area around me. Suddenly, the rustling was back, my phone whipping towards the movement. This time, however, it was coming closer, heading right for me. Some of the stalks snapping as who, or whatever, beelined it for me straight through them. Something inside told me this was definitely not Wooyoung. I turned, sprinting in the opposite direction, fear overcoming me as whatever it was chased me. I grunted as I ran past row after row of corn, leaves from the stalks whipping me in the face. I pushed them away blindly, the hairs on the back of my neck tingling with the feeling that whoever was behind me, was seconds away from catching me.
I pushed myself harder, scream lodging in my throat as it burned with every breath I took.
That creeping feeling burned my nape, my mind thinking back on the grotesque fingers of the reaper before we boarded the bus. My imagination driving my feet faster as I envisioned those fingers seconds away from grabbing me. Over my panting breaths, the sounds of the Deadlands were getting louder. I burst into another clearing, the trail splitting off again in multiple directions. The tops of the stalks were lit with the lights from the rest of the grounds. I sprinted for them, not even caring about sticking to the trails anymore as I barreled through row after row of corn, my feet sinking into the soft, tilled earth. I grunted, forcing myself forward, the sounds behind me getting closer as I shoved myself through the last of the walls. I stumbled into the Deadlands, nearly running into a nearby group of people who were passing by.
They startled, looking at me like I was crazy as I panted, whipping around to see if I was still being followed. But the corn was still. I swallowed, my gut churning like I was about to vomit from how hard Iâd been running. My knees were like jello and my hands shook, one of them still gripping my phone like it was my lifeline.
âY/N?â
I jerked my head around, Yunhoâs towering figure bringing me overwhelming relief as he pushed through the crowd of people to get to me. I ran for him, slamming into his chest as I desperately held onto him.
âAre you alright? What happened?â
âS-someone was chasing me.â
I looked back towards the exit of the maze at the same moment the two guys in football jerseys emerged. The two laughing like maniacs. Yunho wrapped his arms around me, squeezing me tightly. San appeared behind Yunho, glancing between me and the maze.
âWhereâs Woo?â
âUm, we got separated. I donât know.â
Frowning, San pulled his phone from his jacket pocket.
âYou okay?â
I looked up at Yunho, willing my heart to beat at a normal rate as the threat of danger dissipated. I took a couple of leveling breaths, slowly nodding.
âI will be. Sorry. I feel so dumb.â
A part of me knew it wasnât those two jocks that were chasing me though. Call it a sixth sense or whatnot, but I was almost positive on that fact.
âDonât apologize. You did nothing wrong.â
âNo, but I did lose Wooyoung.â
âThat isnât your fault.â
âHeâs not answering.â San mumbled, pulling his phone from his ear. âHe probably found some new piece of ass to chase.â
âWant to wait for him to come out?â
âNah, Iâll text him and let him know where weâre going. Itâs not the first time heâs pulled this shit. Weâll be lucky if we see him again tonight.â
San snapped his glowstick, slipping it over his head. I looked at it, remembering that Wooyoung had put his on right before we went into the maze. Maybe someone intentionally dragged him off since he was wearing his. Yunho did say it might happen. My boyfriend retrieved his from his pocket, sliding it on as San gave us both a wide smile.
âHaunted house?â
This line seemed longer than the line to get to the Deadlands to begin with. If that were even possible. It was definitely getting later into the night if the way my eyes were beginning to feel heavy was any indication. Not even the nap I had taken in the car on the way here curbed my exhaustion.
Then again, maybe it was the full-on fucking marathon Iâd done in the corn maze earlier.
I bit back a yawn, hoping it would go unnoticed.
âIâm telling you; the Deadly Dollhouse is where we should go.â Yunho tried convincing San, for probably the twentieth time since weâd gotten in line.
âCarnival Creepers would be so much cooler though. Iâve heard itâs their best interactive haunt ever.â
The two of them were comparing the list of interactive haunted houses the Deadlands offered, and neither of them could come to a decision.
âY/N, which one do you want to try?â
I blinked, coming back to their debate, both their gazes trained on me in the hopes Iâd pick their choice.
âOh, uh⊠thatâs up to you two. Iâm going to sit out the interactive stuff.â
San pouted. âYou sure?â
âYeah. Itâs not really my kind of thing.â
âWell, you can still be the deciding vote.â Yunho grinned, handing me his phone so I could see the options.
I had to give them both credit. Both options were as equally creepy if the pictures posted did the haunt any justice. I scrolled through them, humming as I couldnât decide either.
âSan said he hasnât been through one before, so you two should do that one.â
San gave a silent fist bump while Yunho turned those big brown puppy dog eyes on me.
âStop.â I scolded him, fighting to keep the smile off my lips. âIâm not changing my mind.â
Before he could do anymore damage, the gate in front of us opened, the house worker ushering us through. Maybe âhouseâ wasnât a correct term. It was set up as more of a trail, the haunt itself open to the outside elements where fences and wood panels lining the sides of the path kept you moving in the right direction. San took the lead, leaving me in the middle and Yunho bringing up the rear. Lights flashed around us, the strobes having their intended effect, blinding me with every flash as I tried to sense any oncoming danger. No such luck as one of the actors threw themselves against the fence, wrenching a scream out of me as he thrust a bloody arm towards me.
Yunho laughed, pulling me closer to him and out of his reach. I booked the best I could out of there, Yunho hot on my heels as I tried to keep up with San. The next section opened up into a junkyard of sorts. Old, rusting vehicles scattered all over the place, grass overgrown minus the well-kept trail we were meant to stay on. I could feel that familiar tingling on my nape, my body tensing as I readied myself for another scare.
I was not disappointed.
The obnoxious revving was my first sign before a massive man burst out from behind one of the vehicles, smoke billowing from his chainsaw as he sprinted for us. I screamed, running into San in my haste to get away. San turned, seeing him and hightailed it out of the junkyard. I followed him, stumbling through the creepy ass tunnel of webs to get to the next section. I panted, scanning the area around us, my skin crawling seeing the weird, webbed nests and burrows. I turned around to check on Yunho, but he wasnât there.
âFuck me.â I muttered under my breath as I stalled, waiting for Yunho to pop out of the tunnel. âSan, wai-â
I called for him, but when I looked ahead of me, he was also gone. This time, my cursing went unvocalized. I waited another 30 seconds or so, but no sign of Yunho. I chewed on my lip, not wanting to just leave him behind, but I really didnât want to fucking be in this haunted trail by myself for much longer. Deciding it would be better to wait for him outside rather than in the middle of the damn thing, I continued on, silently hoping Iâd meet up with San again. I picked up my pace through the creepy crawlersâ section, swatting away the fake spiders as they dropped from the trees above me. I powered through another tunnel, pushing through the black tarp at the end and nearly losing the snacks Yunho had bought me earlier.
Youâve got to be fucking kidding me.
Slabs of meat dangled in the path ahead of me. Fake meat. Or, at least, I really hoped so. I let out a disgusted sound, batting the first one out of the way as I carefully maneuvered my way around them. Fog swirled around my feet, giving the illusion of a cold meat locker of some sort. A sudden scream nearly stopped my heart, my head jerking up to survey the trail ahead of me. It was dark, but illuminated enough that I could tell nothing was in front of me for at least another thirty feet or so. Another scream pierced the air, goosebumps erupting across my skin as I desperately tried to pinpoint where it was coming from.
Hesitantly, I leaned towards one of the wooden panels separating this part of the haunt from the woods beyond. A girl fell out of the tree line, no doubt scraping her hands and knees as she scrambled to get up again. She had fallen in direct line of one of the red lights pointed to my section, her silhouette being the most I could make out as she looked behind her towards the trees.
The next person to step out made my breath catch. I recognized the Ghostface mask, the only part of him that the red light caught and bathed in the crimson shade as grabbed one of the girlâs ankles. She screamed as he dragged her back to him, his large figure dropping on top of her to prevent her escape. One gloved hand wrapped around her throat, cutting off her voice and air as she struggled, clawing at his hold. Her struggle didnât last long, he lifted his arm, the red glow glinting off the blade of his knife before he brought it down in one smooth stroke. Right between her ribs. The girl choked, one cough, then two before blood poured from her lips.
My face paled, the sight appearing all too real to me. Why the fuck would they stage a death there anyway? Unless someone was purposely looking like I was, no one would see it. Maybe I was just more freaked out because I recognized the masked male to begin with. It was definitely the same man that had been watching Wooyoung and I back at the main festival. Had he followed us here? The thought was a slightly off-putting one as I peeked back through the slats in the wood paneling. Ghostface ripped his knife from his victim, blood dripping from the end of it as he slowly raised his head from her to my exact location behind the makeshift fence. I backpedaled, right into one of the hanging slabs of meat. The blood coating it wiping across my cheek and hands as I beat it out of the way.
I hardly bothered trying to avoid the rest of them as I ran through the rest of the artificial meat freezer. I was beginning to seriously consider kicking Yunhoâs ass for convincing me to come here. I didnât even bother hanging around the rest of the haunted attraction, I ran through the next three sections, not even flinching as people jumped out at me. My feet carried me out as fast as they could, stopping only when I made it back to the crowded Deadlands. I bent over, that nauseous feeling from earlier coming back as I tried to catch my breath.
âThere she is.â
I looked up at the sound of Yunhoâs voice, my frightened gaze turning to daggers as I laid my sights on him.
âJeong Yunho. Where the hell did you go?â
He looked at me sheepishly, holding his hands up in surrender.
âThey separated me from the two of you. I was forced to go another way.â
Fucking glowsticks.
I straightened, swallowing down the bit of nausea as both he and San walked over to me.
âSorry Y/N, I thought you were right behind me.â San apologized, looking every bit as regretful as Yunho.
âIt wasnât your fault. I stopped to wait on Yunho.â
âSorry babe.â Yunho hummed, pulling me into a hug and kissing my temple.
I debated whether to tell Yunho about what I saw back there, but ultimately decided to keep my mouth shut. Heâd probably tell me what I already assumed. That it was staged, no doubt meant to look real to scare the shit out of people like me.
âIf it wasnât obvious before, Iâm telling you now that Iâm 100% sitting out the next haunted house.â I grumbled, already feeling better having my boyfriend with me.
âYouâve earned it.â Yunho chuckled, wrapping an arm around my shoulders as he pulled me with him to keep up with San.
âI donât know how you guys handle this. I fear my heart canât take much more.â
âI think everyone likes to be scared on some level.â San grinned. âIt makes you feel alive. Gets the blood pumping you know?â
âI can think of a few other activities that can get blood pumping without the fear.â I purred suggestively, slipping one of my hands in the back of Yunhoâs jean pocket.
âWeâll indulge in that too. Later.â He smirked.
âEugh.â San scrunched his nose. âI get enough of that with Wooyoung, I donât need to see it from you too.â
I laughed, moving my hand up to wrap around Yunhoâs waist instead.
âOkay, weâll keep our hands to ourselves when youâre looking.â
I looked ahead of San to where the circus interactive haunt was to take place under an improvised big top. The red and white striped tent painted with bloodied handprints, searchlights lighting up its immediate vicinity. It was creepy, my eyes scanning the crowd lined up out front only to halt as I once again recognized a masked figure Iâd seen too many times for my liking tonight. I tensed realizing he was staring in our direction. Straight at me. Yunho noticed the change in my demeanor, his smile dropping as he followed my gaze to the stranger.
âSomething wrong?â
Upon hearing the concern in Yunhoâs tone, San turned around, glancing at him before his gaze dropped to me. Like Yunho, he tracked my gaze to Ghostface.
âI think that manâs been following me.â
âWhat?â Yunho and San said together, looking back to the large figure.
âI saw him, back at the main festival. I think he was also the one in the torture chambers earlier. And then again in the haunted house.â
âYouâre sure itâs the same guy?â San asked for confirmation.
âIâm pretty sure.â
Before I could get another word out, or stop him, Yunho straightened to his full height, taking a step closer to the masked stranger.
âHey, man, youâre starting to freak my girl out. Leave us alone.â
The figure didnât move a muscle. He stood there, staring. Not even looking phased as San stepped forward this time.
âHey, asshole. Go bother someone else before I kick your ass and then have it fired for harassment.â
âSan!â I gaped, grabbing his arm to pull him back.
Despite the threat, the man didnât move. He simply stared at us as if we were the only people around. It felt like a lifetime before anyone dared move. And upon seeing the knife slide down Ghostfaceâs sleeve into his hand, I had wished he hadnât. My face went pale, flashbacks of that same knife covered in blood flickering across my vision. With one last lingering look, the man took one step back, then another, until the darkness surrounding a nearby haunt swallowed him. I wasnât sure what I preferred, that he was still standing there, in plain sight where I at least knew where he was, or for him to be out of sight out of mind.
As much as a creepy, stalkerish, mask wearing weirdo could be out of sight, out of mind.
âWhat a fucking creepâŠâ San muttered, turning back to us.
âYeah, I donât really feel comfortable leaving you out here by yourself now.â Yunho seconded, stepping a bit closer to me.
His eyes were filled with worry, flicking between me and the spot Ghostface had been standing mere moments ago, unease having him shift his weight from one foot to another. There was a glimmer of tenderness alighting within me that he was willing to stay with me, though it was overpowered by the potential guilt I would feel if he did.
âNo, Iâm okay. You two go ahead.â
Yunho shook his head. âI can stay out here with you, and we can wait for San together.â
âYunho, Iâm fine. I promise. You paid for the tickets; you might as well get your use out of one of them. Iâm going to grab a bottle of water from one of the stands and wait here.â
He wanted to argue. I could see it in his eyes. Eventually, he sighed, casting a quick look toward the tent before coming back to me.
âAre you sure?â
âAbsolutely. Go. Have fun.â I told them both, giving Yunho a gentle push towards the line.
I watched the two of them head for the line together. Yunho turning around to throw me hand heart that I returned before they ducked out of sight. I looked down at my hands, the blood on them making me cringe as I dropped them and scanned the area for either a bathroom or a booth selling water so I could clean up a bit before the boys returned.
I checked my phone for the third time in the past minute. San and Yunho had been in there for a while, and I was currently kicking myself for not checking who was around them in line to see whether theyâd made it out yet or not. I guess the only thing that sucked about not going with them (apart from not being scared shitless) was not knowing how long the interactive haunt would take. Though I suppose it depended on how long it took them to figure it out. I had found a vacant bench near the exit; after cleaning myself up in the bathroom, Iâd grabbed a bottle of water and occupied myself with my phone for the past fifteen minutes.
I could only scroll through social media for so long before becoming bored. At some point, Iâd even started people watching. Actors and visitors alike while also keeping an eye out for Wooyoung who had yet to show up. If I had his number, I would have tried calling him myself. Another round of screams coming from the circus tent caught my attention, my head turning that way as a familiar head of blonde hair cut through the throng of people. I stood, waving so Yunho could find me.
âHey, how was it?â I asked, his wide smile telling me all I needed to know before the words left him.
âAwesome. It took me longer than it probably should have since San and I got separated. Did he come out already?â
âI donât know. If he did, I didnât see him.â
We both scanned the crowd around us, Yunho shrugging.
âHe canât be too far behind me. Letâs wait a few more minutes.â
âHeard anything from Wooyoung?â
Yunho shook his head, taking a seat on the bench I had just been on before inviting me to join him.
âNo, Iâll try calling him again.â
I kept a trained eye on the tent exit, watching for San while Yunho made his call. He dialed Wooyoung, bringing the phone to his ear before lowering it again and redialing a second later. He released a confused hum, lowering his phone again.
âStraight to voicemail.â
âTry San.â I suggested.
Yunho called him next, looking towards the exit as it rang. A frustrated huff left him as he pulled the phone away again.
âAlso to voicemail.â
Just as he went to try calling again, his phone chimed. I leaned over, noticing the message notification before he clicked it open to see it was a text from San.
San: Found Woo. Not feeling well, weâll head back early.
My frown matched Yunhoâs. On one hand, I was relieved San had found Wooyoung, but on another I was worried about them. Yunho sighed, rubbing above his eyebrow as he typed a reply telling them not to worry about it and heâd see them tomorrow.
âI guess weâll call it a night too?â He phrased it as a question, glancing over at me.
âUnless you want to traipse through another haunted house by yourself.â I smiled wryly, bumping his knee with mine.
âI think Iâll pass. Besides, I donât think Iâd mind turning in a bit early if itâs with you.â
I leaned into him, placing my chin on his shoulder as I whispered in his ear.
âThen letâs get out of here.â
âF-fuck YunhoâŠâ I moaned into the sheets, clenching the fabric in my fists as he drilled into me.
âYeah baby?â He panted, groaning at the clench of my walls around his cock. âJust this cock was worth the drive over huh?â
I gasped as his thrusts got harder, his thick length splitting me open, the slight bite of pain driving my desire higher like it always did no matter how many times he fucked me. His hand came down on my ass, the other palm pressing onto the small of my back, applying enough force to shove me harder into the mattress under him.
âGod yes.â I wailed, my eyes rolling back as the tip of his cock pummeled that soft spot inside me.
My hair covered my face, obscuring my vision though it wasnât as if I could focus on anything other than my boyfriendâs cock anyway. Vaguely, I hoped no one was unfortunate enough to find their motel room next to ours as the headboard banged into the wall noisily. The sound getting louder and more frequent as Yunho pounded into me to send me over that precipice of pleasure. My mouth opened on a pitiful gasp, air leaving me on a drawn out, pathetic cry as I came on his dick. Yunho huffed out a pleased chuckle as I fell apart under him, his hand coming down harshly over my rounded flesh again while he fucked me through my orgasm.
âThatâs my slut.â He growled, pushing me to the point of overstimulation as he refused to let up. âLook how fucking filthy you are soaking my cock like this.â
I whined, knowing exactly what he was doing, tears dripping down my face and onto the sheets under me, staining the white material.
âYu-â I choked on his name, my battered pussy tightening around him again as the knot my lower abdomen pulled taut.
âCum again baby.â He grunted, grabbing hold of my hip hard enough to leave bruises, bouncing my prone form back against him while his other hand slipped under me, skillful fingers spreading me open for him to torment my clit. âCum with me.â
I sobbed, the pleasure too much as I squirmed to escape it. Yunho knew me too well though, his body trapping mine beneath him as he swapped to harsher, pointed thrusts, driving himself into me with intent. I released the sheet, blindly reaching for his wrist to hold onto. His hand found mine, pinning it to the small of my back as he released a low groan. My toes curled, my second orgasm rushing through me at breakneck speed as my walls tightened around Yunho again. Soft gasps left him as he tried to fuck me through it, prolonging my orgasm until it triggered his own. He quickly pulled out, his fist wrapping around his cock as his release painted the backs of my thighs and ass.
I slumped into the mattress, trying to catch my breath while Yunho coaxed the last of his cum from his cock, delivering another sharp slap to my ass afterwards that elicited a whimper from me. Gently, he eased me from my position, turning me over so he could pepper kisses all over my cheeks and nose. The complete 180 was something I was used to by now. My sweet boyfriend was a tried-and-true freak in the sheets and gentleman in the streets. And I fucking loved it. I could feel the flush on my cheeks even as I captured his lips with mine, the heat in my body dissipating as I basked in the afterglow.
He returned my kiss with fervor, leaving me just as breathless as he had when he was balls-deep inside me. His blonde hair was a mess, a thin sheen of sweat coated his skin, looking sexy as hell in his âjust-fuckedâ radiance. He rolled onto the bed beside me, swiping the hair out of his face.
âI need a shower. I feel grimy from all the fake blood and nasty Halloween decorations.â
âYeah, you didnât quite get it all out of your hair earlier.â He chuckled, showing me exactly what Iâd missed.
âGross.â
âDonât worry. I was kind of into it.â
I smacked his bare chest playfully. âYou freak.â I laughed, sliding out of bed.
He watched me walk to the bathroom, his laugh filling the room even as I partially shut the door behind me. The bathroom was as dingy as the rest of the place. The white porcelain sink stained yellow, the floor cracking, the mirror speckled with some kind of fluid. Really, I didnât think Iâd feel any cleaner after showering, but I suppose it was better than nothing. I peeled back the grubby shower curtain, wondering when the last time it had been washed was and turned on the water. One second, two, I could hear the water working its way through the pipes, the pressure of it spurting from the showerhead, clogging momentarily before shooting out in a steady stream.
Yeah, this place has certainly seen better days.
At least I didnât have to wait for it to warm up though. I stepped in, pulling the curtain closed. I planned on making this a quick one, not wanting to stand in a filthy tub any longer than necessary. Iâd just rinsed my hair when a loud crash from the front room startled me. I paused, listening for any further noises only to be met with silence. Finding it a bit odd, I peeked around the curtain, looking towards the cracked door.
âYunho?â
The crack didnât let me see much into the other room. Not that it would have anyway if it were fully open. Most of the room laid behind the wall. I closed the curtain again, quickly washing the rest of my body to check on him. It was a half assed job at washing myself, but it would have to do. My hands wiping away the last bit of soap as I lifted my eyes, only to stifle a scream at the silhouette of a person standing on the other side of the shower curtain.
âJesus, Yunho. You scared the shit out of me.â My laugh came out as a breathless exhale as I willed my heartbeat to slow. âYou okay?â
He didnât answer, his shadow remaining still. The only noise between us was the steady pounding of the water against the bathtub.
âDid you come to join me?â I asked softly, a hint of lust evident in my voice.
When he still didnât answer, I began to believe something was wrong.
âYunho?â
I pulled back the curtain, my concern morphing to terror as I the man on the other side wasnât Yunho. My scream cut off as Ghostface shot a hand out, smothering it with one large hand over my mouth. He shoved me back into the wall, making room for himself to step under the spray and pin me where I stood. Fear settled within me, my heart pumping it through my veins with every beat. I stared into the black holes of his mask, the realization that this was no longer a fucking game weighing heavily on me. His thick fingers dug into my cheeks harshly, my teeth biting into the inside of them, my quiet, terrified whimpers barely audible against the palm over my mouth.
His body eclipsed mine, pressing me harder into the shower wall as he brought his other hand up. The knife blade gleamed under the bathroom light, casting reflections across my skin as he dragged it lazily under the length of my jaw. The cold metal turned me rigid, hardly daring to breathe as it traced fragile flesh. It felt like a lifetime before he pulled it away, only to reach for the mask covering his face. He grabbed the edge of it, slipping it over his head before carelessly letting it drop onto the acrylic tub under our feet with a wet splash. His eyes were as black as the mask he had worn, his platinum hair a wild mess over his forehead as his lips twisted into a ruthless smile.
âCaught you.â
He let his hand over my mouth move to my cheek, tracing the swell of it before trailing down my jaw. I met his dark eyes, a wicked smile growing to match his.
âTook you long enough.â
Mingi hummed, his gaze following the path of his hand before wandering lower, taking in my bare body pressed to his fully clothed one.
âMy little Bonnie kept me busy tonight.â
âThree too much to handle baby?â
Mingiâs smile turned vicious as he brought his knife up to tap my bottom lip with the tip of the blade.
âFor you baby? Never. Iâll admit it was a nice challenge.â
âI saw you tack on another one for funsies. What did that poor girl ever do to you?â I purred, wrapping my arms around his neck.
âJust another bitch that got what she deserved.â He shrugged, not deeming her worth more of an explanation than that. âBesides, I thought you might appreciate getting to see at least one of them die tonight. Too bad it wasnât your boy toy.â
I sighed, pretending to be upset about it.
âDid you have to kill him? He was a good one. Nice lay too.â
Mingi chuckled, flinging the bits of water clinging to his hair out of his face as he shook his head.
âOh, Iâm sure. I enjoyed the show you put on for me you little slut. Didnât even bother closing the fucking curtains.â
âWhy would I when I know you get off on watching just as much as I do on other cocks?â
âYouâre right.â Mingi rumbled in agreement, pressing his lower half into me where I could feel how hard he was. âHe fucked you like the whore you are. But Iâll bet he didnât know just how fucked in the head you really are, did he baby?â
I moaned, arching into him. Mingiâs knife pressed to my jaw again, my heart palpitations leaving me breathless for a completely different reason this time as my desire burned within me. I shook my head, peering up at Mingi through my lashes.
âNo. He didnât know that my little Bonnie gets off on her fear almost as much as I do instilling it in her. Bet he didnât know how wet you were the second you saw me spying on the two of you, hmm?â
The question was rhetorical, but I shook my head anyway. Mingiâs eyes practically glowed with his lust, gaze trailing down my naked body again as he pulled away. Soft puffs of breath left my lips as his knife followed the blazing path his eyes did, coursing across my skin lethally before stopping at the meat of my thighs. One of Mingiâs boots kicked my ankle over, spreading my legs for him. He flipped the knife, catching it by the blade before resuming his mission, heading for the junction of my thighs with the hilt.
âNo, he didnât.â He crooned, my breath catching as the hilt of his knife brushed my clit. âBut I sure did.â
The words left him on a low rumble. Almost like a growl as he pushed his knife further back, breaching my cunt with the end of the handle. I let my head fall back, stretching on my toes as he pushed it in further, fucking me ever so gently with the same knife heâd used to commit murder tonight.
âNow let me have a taste.â
He pulled it out, part of me mourning the loss until he shushed me. I watched, enraptured, as he brought the handle to his mouth, his tongue darting out to lick my arousal coating it before wrapping his lips around it entirely. Fuck me. He slid the knife from between his lips, a gravelly moan leaving him that made my pussy clench.
âFucking delicious, baby. Iâve missed you.â
His lips crashed onto mine, parting my lips easily as his tongue delved between them. He fit the knife into my palm, letting me carry it while his hands hooked the backs of my thighs, hauling me up his body to wrap my legs around his waist. Mingi carried me easily out of the bathroom, the rubber soles of his soaked boots squeaking on the tile until he reached the carpet of the motel room. I kept my lips on his, taking in the taste of him for the first time in a while until he ripped his mouth from mine and tossed me on the bed. I bounced a couple of times, knife still in hand as I glanced towards the front door where Yunhoâs body laid unmoving five feet from the door. A small puddle of blood starting to seep out from under him.
I wish I could have said I felt bad, but the truth was, I didnât. I was as fucked up as Mingi said I was. Possibly even as fucked up as Mingi in some ways. Turning my attention back to him, I was happy to see him stripping. His eyes roaming my exposed flesh freely until I caught his eyes with the knife, teasing my pebbled nipples with the end of it. Mingi bit his lip enticingly, fingers working the button and zipper on his jeans while he watched me play with his toy.
âWant me to mark you up baby?â Mingiâs cruel smile was back, the sight of it skyrocketing my arousal.
âWith this?â I waved the knife. âI think I like using it on you more.â
âOne of these days, Iâll carve my name on you like a tattoo, so everyone knows who you belong to.â
His eyes burned as he mapped out my curves, envisioning where exactly he would lay his claim. I licked my lips, gesturing for him to finish ridding himself of his pants.
âIâll let you mark me baby. With your cum.â
âFilthy bitch.â Mingi chuckled, taking the rest of his clothes off, his hard cock slapping the taut skin of his abdomen.
He crawled on top of me, lips finding mine again as he caught my wrist holding his knife. He brought it to his chest, looking down where it lightly dug into his flesh.
âYouâll be mine by the time we finish here. There will be no doubt who you belong to after I fill you with my cum and cover you in my blood.â
He pressed the knife deeper, a small rivulet of blood seeping around the blade and dripping onto me, followed by a few more as he dragged the blade across his skin. Blood blossomed from the fresh wound, dripping down the knife, my fingers, and my arm. Mingi groaned, whether from the pain or the sight or both. He ran his hand down the length of my arm, smearing his blood before reaching for my breasts. He delivered a sharp pinch to my nipple, dyeing it red before painting the rest of my breast the same color as he cupped the full flesh.
âYouâre so damn beautiful.â He sighed softly, dipping his head down to take my other nipple in his mouth.
I mewled, arching into his touch, my grip on the knife slipping as I buried my bloodstained fingers into his platinum hair. His pained moaned only turned me on more as I tugged on his hair, his teeth grazed my nipple, sending a shock down my spine.
âRide me baby. Show me how much you missed this cock.â He muttered huskily, pulling away from my breast with a pop.
He leaned back on the pillows against the headboard, his hand coming around his dick, delivering a few pumps as he watched me crawl over him. I straddled his waist, his hands gripping my hips to settle me over him.
âNext time, we wonât be separated from each other as long as we were this time. I canât fucking handle it.â
âAww, did my psychopath lose a bit of his sanity not being able to fuck his favorite pussy?â
He glared up at me, gritting his teeth as he lined the head of his cock with my center. Without warning, he thrust into me from below, my breath catching as he filled me.
âIâd punish you for your bratty mouth you slut, if I wasnât so damn desperate to feel you around me. I should fucking ruin this cunt for the time you made me wait.â
I moaned, enjoying his threats a little more than he probably intended me to. I laid my hands on his chest, purposely digging my fingers into the cut heâd made earlier as I slid up on his cock before sinking down on it again. Mingi groaned deeply, his eyes rolling back as he guided my hips. I bounced on him recklessly, using him as I rode him towards my release, not that I think he minded. He grunted, lifting his head enough to watch his length disappear inside me every time I came back down. His blood stained my fingertips anew, a vicious smile curling my lips as I ran them down my stomach. If it were even possible, he seemed to grow harder inside me as I trailed lower, fingers finding my clit.
âShit, you were fucking made for me baby.â He chuckled, smacking my ass hard.
The sting was white hot, the burn driving my lust higher as I ground my pelvis against him. Mingiâs breathing stuttered, his big hands clamping down on my thighs as he drove up into me brutally.
âA whore made just for me.â He growled out, nails biting into my flesh hard enough to draw blood as I swirled my fingers over my clit faster.
My head fell back, my thighs clenching around his waist while my cunt milked his cock for everything he couldnât give me in months. Mingiâs hips slammed into mine one more time, the veins in his neck popping as his loud groans shook the walls around us as he emptied himself inside me. His hand gripped the back of my neck, pulling me down to him as his lips caught mine. Some would say that a man like Mingi wouldnât be capable of love. But I could tell that wasnât entirely true in the way he kissed me.
He was capable of love. I knew it because I was. I loved him, and though our love wasnât in a traditional sense, I wouldnât trade it for some run-of-the-mill white picket fence bullshit. Mingiâs lips detached from mine, looking to the alarm clock stationed on the nightstand beside the bed. He lazily dragged his eyes back to mine, the desire in them hardly dimmed.
âWe have another few hours before we need to hit the road. I donât think you have enough of me on you yet. Or in you.â
âAll that killing really worked you up.â I teased, brushing my lips over his.
âYou work me up.â He corrected, flipping us over so he could hover over me. âI get so fucking hard watching you wrap every single man around your finger. Seeing you toy with them. Walking them into their own demise without them having a fucking clue.â
He kissed my nose, doing it again when little giggles poured out of me until he was peppering me with kisses.
âI love you.â He said, pressing his lips to mine in a soft kiss.
âI love you too.â I crooned, wrapping my legs around his hips. âNow fuck me again like you hate me.â
Slowly, I tore my eyes from my book, glancing up at the unfamiliar voice. He was undoubtedly handsome. Sharp, well-proportioned features, flawless skin, and warm brown eyes. He oozed a confidence I didn't see all too often in the men who approached me. A gentle, charismatic kind instead of overbearing. I ran my gaze over him, taking in his figure clad in fine taste, though it was easy to tell he enjoyed modifying styles to fit his tastes. I liked it.
I set my coffee down, smile taking over my face for an entirely different reason this time as I turned towards the stranger, giving him my full attention.
âI have an exam coming up and I focus better around people.â
âAh, you're a student then. So am I.â
âSNU?â
âSNU.â He confirmed, flashing a gorgeous smile. âI'm Hongjoong.â
âY/N.â I introduced myself, offering a hand for him.
âWell, Y/N, I don't know how much help I would be considering I don't know a single thing about criminology, but if you'd like, I wouldn't mind helping you study for your exam.â
With that, Mingi stood, tossing his single cup of coffee into the trash on his way out the door. A mundane action that told me all I needed to know as I looked back at Hongjoong.
âDon't worry, I have a list of questions and answers you can read off of to make it easier for you. Would you like to sit down?â
Bring You to my Hell is an original work written by remedyx. Unauthorized use or reposting of this story on any other platform besides Tumblr or Ao3 not under the username (remedyx or Remedy_X) is plagiarism and will not be tolerated.
Avenging Angel Dystopia // monster!seonghwa x reader x yunho (you cheat on yunho with non-human seonghwa)
In a barren, dictatorship-controlled nation, you lead a simple life with your boyfriend Yunho, a pianist, too oppressed to rebel. As stories of the people in high society being murdered run through the news, you come to find out whoâor whatâis behind these killings.
Tags: JUST SKIP TO THE SMUT IF YOU WANT you monsterfucker, yunho x reader (established, no smut), seonghwa x reader smut, cunnilingus + P in v, unprotected but hes not human
Warnings: politics tw, murder tw, seonghwa is literal man-eating monster tw, religion tw (but no prophets and jesus/god are mentioned, just seonghwa is an angel. There are scenes of praying)
w.c.: 7k
Excerpt: He knew every single thing you were feeling, and if it were something that could be shrouded, youâd cover yourself⊠you feel your mind was naked in front of him, every dirty thought.
Seonghwa grew agitated by your own thoughts of nakedness, dirtiness, your corrupted mindâto distract the both of your from all those thoughts, he rushes to you, catching you in a devouring kiss, so red and hot that it could light up and heat up the dark, gelid apartment.
You taste iron on his tongue, like bars in jail cells, like rusted knives, like blood. As soon as you remember the taste of blood, you pull away. Remembering he isnât human. Remembering what he does, what he has done. His nature.
âI understand if itâs too much for you,â he says. âI understand if you find it hard to be with me this way.â
âYou read my mind, you know thatâs not true, you know I want you.â
A smile ghosted his lips. âGood thing I live in the in-between. Not quite angel, not quite demon, not quite human.â
~
Youâre making sandwiches for Yunho so he can take them to his tutoring job, when your boyfriend bursts through the room, hurriedly, clutching journal paper in his hands. âYunho,â you sighed, more afraid than anything, âthose are contraband.â
âI just had to buy this monthâs issue,â Yunho says as he paged through the detached pages, made with no sense of expertise. âThereâs good news in them, I just had to read about it.â
âYunhoâŠâ you sighed. âIf they catch us with contraband newspapers, theyâll take everything from us. Theyâll take you from meââ
âItâs alright!â He laughs. âTheyâre not about to storm our apartment out of the blue, donât be silly.â
Yunho isn't you, he doesnât know how to be afraid.
Or rather, you weren't Yunho, weren't as tall or as strong, and you had many things to be afraid of. Yunho doesnât know what happened to you three years ago, as soldiers stormed your home, arrested your entire family, accused of being rebelsâthey seized every piece of property you had, every asset, froze every bank account. Yunho wasnât there, except for your barefoot walk to his apartment, where you collapsed in tears, and he promised you that the worst was over now.
You decided to relent; heâs right, soldiers werenât about to storm your apartment any time soon. Plus, things have⊠gotten better, ever since they got more control over the rebels in the city. War is freedom.
You sighed. âSo⊠whatâs the good news?â
âThereâs been reports.â Yunho paged through the contraband pages hurriedly, looking for the one page that started on the whole exposĂš. âA couple of the generalâs friends, and some family membersâbrutally murdered. In their own homes. They say their organs were missing. I thought the newspaper might tell us more.â
You frowned. âThatâs a horrible thing to be so happy aboutâŠâ
âThey deserve it, though.â
Itâs soon sunset, and the powerful stomps of soldiers marching filled the streets, as people rushed to close their windows, shrouding themselves from the patrol. You and Yunho included, draw the blinds in your flat and decided to have dinner.
You made the dinner, although Yunho can cook better than youâyou guessed that you had to do something, just to feel like thereâs still life left for you.
âI actually might play at aââ Yunho stopped midway through the conversation at the table.
You raised an eyebrow. âPlay where?â
âSomewhere⊠grand.â
âLike a hotel ball? Wedding? Big wedding? Am I close?â
Your naive little guesses almost lightened the big man up, only the light in his eyes turned red and anxious the minute his work phone started to ring, very urgently so, almost vibrating itself off the table.Â
Yunho paled, as he grabbed the phone off the dinner table. âWhatââ you start, but he runs out of the apartment to take it, a pair of long legs taking him outside faster than you could finish the sentence.
He doesnât talk about it for a while. You know heâs trying to gain more exposure as a pianist, heâs amazing at playingâand he even composes. The way his fingers work across the ivory keys and the black-pebble flats and sharpsâyou swear youâve never met a more proficient player, never mind that he never finished music collegeâyou didnât either. Yunhoâs income came mostly out of teaching kids how to play and getting random gigs sporadically, at acoustic nights at restaurants and whatnot.
âIâm booked for something next Saturday,â he told you in bed a week after that day. He was spooning you, head nuzzled inside the crook of your neck. The baby hairs on your nape wavering under his words.
âThatâs greatâŠâ
âItâs⊠a strange job. Iâm going to be playing at a party⊠you know who Seo-chee is, right?â
âThe dictatorâs daughter?â
âSheâs throwing a ball.â
âA ball.â Yunho started to explain the concept of balls to you, as if you hadnât watched Cinderella in your lifetime. The audacity that high-society was having a ballâwhen half the nationâs population was starving to deathâwas just pompous, if anyone heard it theyâd be livid with curses. As if the dictatorship wasnât cursed enough alreadyâand your boyfriend was going to aid them at the party, with his music. You canât even imagine it happening.
âYou actually took the job?â you prodded.
âI⊠yeah. As soon as they calledâtheyâre paying thousands. For four hours.â You went quiet. âBaby⊠you know we need the money.â
You turn yourself around on the bed to look at Yunho, who is just trying to appease you. He knows he shouldnât have, what repercussions it hadâhe was just trying to feed the both of you.
So you guessed you couldnât stay mad. But for a long time, you did.
.
.
.
âYunho, I canât go in there, theyâll arrest me.â
âCalm down, youâre not a rebel, and weâre pretending weâre military supporters today.â His tone was quiet, calming, which he always used whenever you started having these panics. âYou look beautiful.â You were wearing some ancient ball-attendee dress youâd fished out of the depths of your closet.
The mansion wasnât just a mansion, it was a palace. There was a long walk towards the steps into the main mansion, the pathway surrounded by a forest of trees. A soldier took you on a cart, sparing you the long walk, once Yunho mentioned he was the entertainment.
The high society was ignorant to the citizens starving in the streets, the appetizers of lobster tails and caviar served on plates as they dug in, every little debutante and their dates in their tailored suits. You didnât take anyâit didnât seen fair to eat when your own neighbors were starving.
To you, the ball was a bore, and Yunho only played classics, and heâs always amazing but thereâs just⊠something that wouldnât let you enjoy it, an uncomfortableness. You wandered out into the lobby, where glass separated the columns outside from the inside, through which you could view the garden perfectly.
You notice something outside of the glass, walking, as if wandering the terrain, like a hunter stalking its prey. You donât even understand what someone would be doing outside, not enjoying the music or appetizers, but the thing⊠fades further into view.
Itâs a man. He had platinum white hair that waved in the wind, although not lightly, as if each strand of hair had resistance to it, and he was wearing these strange⊠robes, that not only seemed inappropriate for the ball, seemed out of date. Like way out of date. Like two millennia out of date.
Once he notices that you had seen him, he erects his head slowly, watching youâa lop-sided stare. Eyes seeming to move every time you did.
And then, he grins. His teeth are inhuman. Sharp, dangerous, a thousand teeth like a leviathan. You scream, but to not make a scene, you cover your mouth with your own hands.
And then the man seemed to fade away from view as quickly as he had appeared.
You rationalize what you had seen, it must have been just a man. To not seem all that crazy, you wander the mansion trying to ask someone if they saw him too. You decided to ask the men eating at a table outside the ballroom.
âUmâŠâ you tap someone on the back, the train of your dress dragging behind you. Unfortunately once the man turns around, so does the rest of the circle at the table, and you realize this is a soldiersâ circleâthey were all armed, perhaps in a way that you could say lightly, with handguns strapped to their belts.
It makes you lose your courage, the fact that they could simply⊠shoot you right then and there.
âWhat is it?â the soldier whose shoulder you tapped asks.
âUm⊠I just⊠I wanted to ask, does anyone know that man, outside?â They all looked confused. âThe man,â you clarify, âwith the white hair, and heâs got this⊠cloak on, and heâs wearing robes under it.â
The soldiers look among themselves. âIâll check it out,â the roughest-looking one of them says. âIf someoneâs breached the grounds it could be dangerousâyou better not be lying about this, though, kid.â He glares at you, but youâre more distracted by how he so readily unholstered his gun, as he steps outside the giant glass gates.
Youâre now left in the midst of the other soldiers, who are unrestful, but they didnât seem to be taking your claims very seriously. They started to talk among them, until other partygoers approached, wanting to know what was going on.
âThis lady,â says a younger soldier, âsays she saw a man outsideâwhite hair, and a cloak. Has anyone seenâŠ?â
The people who approachedâmostly young debutante-aged maidensâshake their heads. âA man?!â
âHe didnâtâŠâ you begin, and regretted having formed that sentence, or that thought, entirely. âHe didnât look human. I mean, he had human features, but something⊠it felt like he had some kind of power, that wasnât human.â
The entire congregation gathered in front of you bursts out laughing. âMiss Y/N⊠youâve had too much to drink.â
âWhy did the pianistâs lover get invited⊠ugh. Commoners are weird.â
âProbably crawled out of her rebel hideout to come hereâŠâ
Sensing you werenât welcome, you step backâyou look over your shoulder, and the soldier had returned, gun finally reholstered. âThereâs nothing,â he says. âNo one.â
âWhatâs wrong?â
You gasp. Thatâs the dictatorâs daughter. Youâve seen her in pictures in stories covering their family, right now you were just surprised she was actually talking to youâand in front of her, she had wheeled her grandmotherâthe dictatorâs motherâa frail old lady, past 90, ancient and barely conscious but still dressed up for the party, heavy scarlet stones weighing heavily from her neck.
âThis⊠lady, says that she saw a man outside,â answered the young soldier. âThereâs nothing there, though, soââ
Everyone turns in alarm as the old grandmotherâs head tilts. Her gaze lands straight at you, and itâs not indifferent like seconds before, there was fearâ âYou see him too,â she speaks, although her voice was weak; it just adds to all the terror of it. âThe demon. He stalks us⊠The harbinger.â
You step backwards as the old woman starts to shake, opening your mouth to say no, I was seeing thingsâbut she continues: âI see him too. A head of white hair⊠His eyesâhis eyesâ!â
The people around you started to murmur, while the daughter attempted to calm her down. âNo one said anything about white hair.â
You turn on your heels before anyone could say anything else, basically sprinting to the ballroom. As soon as you near the gold-encrusted gates, the sounds of Yunhoâs piano calms you down, and your heart starts beating normally again.
You donât approach him, simply watching from the door. His broad shoulders erected firm in posture, the one thing he teaches foremost to his studentsâa small smile started forming on your lips.
Itâll be okay. You can put this night and the ugliness and the soldiers and the guns behind you once you go to bed tonight. You hate this mansion, as grand as it is. The entire place reeked of evil, of bloodshed. So many murderers under one roof.
Yunho raises his eyes to look at the crowd, and his eyes land on you, immediately lighting up. His face was mostly covered by the lid of the grand piano, but you see the crinkle in his eyes. You waved at him, but immediately walk backwards out of the ballroom, not wanting to distract him.
The party would go on for a few more hours, and although youâre afraid of the manâthe thingâyou saw, youâre more afraid of the soldiers and military supporters in the building, so you decided to wander the acres of garden area that the mansion has.
.
Thereâs swarms of mosquitos, gnats, fireflies, all over the garden. You keep walking to keep them from landing on you, but those bugs were persistent⊠suddenly, you see something in the garden. Something glowing.
In folklore, there was a story about a princess, so beautiful with such fair complexion that she could light up an entire palace without candles. You didnât understand what you were seeing until thenâit was just skin. Skin that reflected so much moonlight.
Although you guessed it wasnât skin, it was a guise of skin. A higher being donning makeshift-humanity.
The monster turned around, and it was only a man, although thatâs just what he wanted you to think.
You couldnât speak, so he started.
âIt makes you feel bad for your prayers, doesnât it? Actually being close to a soldier? They murder children in cold blood, but here at the party theyâre offering to top up your champagne glass. It confuses you.â
Heâs⊠human. You push aside your initial foreboding to interact with him well, maybe heâs just an addition to the guest list people forgot. And yet⊠something in you wasnât settled. You knew he couldn't be normal.
âIt doesnât make me feel bad,â he continued. âI like it when you pray, Y/N. âDear God, please destroy their armiesâ... Not an ethical wish, but something Iâm used to, back when tyrants ruled the land.â
You gasp. Was he some sort of⊠religious fanatic? Was heâ âMy nameâŠâ In realization that you never once told him anything about you, you recoil, thinking of the best way to escape him. You couldnât go around the fountain, because heâd catch you immediately. And you didnât have the courage to run deeper into the trees.
âIt shouldnât shock you that I know you,â the man says. âI hear every single one of your prayers. Every night. And your prayers are your deepest desires, are they not? You wish for their deaths, every single dayâŠâ
Thereâs just something so deeply unsettling about his eyes, and the more you look at him you get this uncanny feeling. Like heâs something playing at being human.
âYouâre upset I know your name,â he says. âIâll tell you mine so you can call me by it, thenâIâm Seonghwa.â
You try to calm yourself. See, Y/N? Heâs just human. He has a name. A human name. There are no such things as demonsâ
âYou think Iâm a demon?â
You frown. Did you say that out loud? How did heâ
âIâm far from it,â Seonghwa promises you, with a smile thatâs slowly spreading across his face. Literally.Â
He grins.
His teethâŠ
You could scream. Those are not human teeth. Theyâre so perfectly hidden behind his perfect lips, but heâs got fangs. And not even just fanged canines, itâs⊠every single tooth. White, ivory fangs.
âBe not afraid.â
You could scream.
His voice at times seemed to come from inside you, as if he were a ventriloquist and he had his voice inside of your head. He didnât even seem to be moving his mouth as he spoke, which proved that he was a trick of the light, a being more complex than you could understand.
Okay, maybe he does know your prayers. He does know what the military had done, everything he say is right. And those fangs⊠maybe that was the one lie, a trick of your own madness.
âYou want to know who I am, what my business here is.â You nodded, you did want to know. âYou must have heard about it. The⊠executions?â
You remembered. The things Yunho was so over the moon about. The high society people that seemed to keep dying. âYouâre responsible?â
When he nods, you look away just so the fangs donât nerve you any longer.
âI wasâŠâ he hums, looking up at the darkened sky. Now the entire conversation was merely moon-lit. âI was⊠scoping out my next victim. Youâve compromised me thoughâI donât want you or your boyfriend caught in a crossfire, if I did something and they started suspecting you twoâI guess Iâll just have to wait. I can be patient.â
You believed him. In his eyes, there was nothing but a calm patience, as if he could wait eternity to deal with his victims, almost like a sniper soldier.
âMiss Y/N!â Itâs that young soldier from before, youâre glad itâs him, because between him and this demon and the other soldier, heâs the least intimidating. âWhat are you doing here alone?â
You gawked. Did he just⊠did he see through Seonghwa? Could he not see him, at all?
You stare at Seonghwa, silently begging him for an explanation, but heâs closed his lips entirely, hiding those monstrous fangs.
The soldier walks through Seonghwa, grabbing you harshly by the arm. âYou shouldnât be out here. I know itâs tempting at a boring party, but we have security to worry about.â
You looked over your shoulder as the soldier dragged you away, and Seonghwaâs still standing at the fountain, still smiling, eyes still bright and unhuman. âIâm sorry,â you apologize to the soldier, âI thought a quick walk was okayâumm, hey, young manâŠâ You stop in your tracks, as does the soldier. You turn him towards the fountain, where Seonghwaâs still standing. âDo you⊠see that?â
He frowns. âExcuse me?â
âThe man,â you clarify, âright there. Standing by the fountain. Do you see him?â
âMiss⊠please donât scare me. You know military folk are superstitious.â
âYou really donât seeââ
âPlease! Donât! Youâre freaking me out.â The soldier turns to youth speech from his informal politeness. âPlease, come back to the partyâbefore your boyfriend gets snatched.â
.
âSheâs been talking to him since before I came to get you,â says the young soldier, as he walked you back into the ballroom. âHe had to put a rest to playing Clair de Lune to converse with her⊠oh, well, I suppose she is the most powerful woman in the nationâŠâ
The dictatorâs daughter is bent over the grand piano talking to Yunho. Sheâs giving him awe-inspiring heart-eyed stares, and youâre not even jealous, youâre afraid.
What if she sees you as an enemy, and somehow gets rid of you? The way her father gets rid of rebelsâ
But Yunho sees you from across the room, and smiles. That smile was going to get you killed.
The dictatorâs daughter looks at his smile, almost mesmerized in it, believing it was for her. And then she looks behind her, to see youâthe real receiver of that smile. And her gaze burned.
.
.
The nation rejoices as more of the dictatorâs friendsâ deaths hit the news, one by one falling like dominos. The details are always the same: attacked, ambushed, in their own homes, sometimes even in their own bedrooms. Brutally torn through with organs missing, not one trace of the attacker left behind. Maybe because he had no DNA to leave behind. You knew even the dictator, in his bomb shelter locked away from any danger, had to be afraid.
They were afraid of Seonghwa.
You donât know if heâs realâcorrection, you canât be sure if heâs real. But some part of you knew it was, that you didnât make up this beautiful, pale angelic faceâitâs beyond imagination, he has to be real.
But you just grow more afraid, knowing what you know. Knowing what was responsible. Youâd discussed it with a religious older neighbor, and sheâd just saidââitâs an angel. An angel is delivering comeuppance.â But youâd think Seonghwa was purely⊠a demon.
One night, youâre coming back from the corner store, where youâd rushed to do last-minute grocery shopping after having forgotten through your preoccupation, you dragged a heavy plastic bag of groceries back home.
Suddenly, in the alleyway right next to your flat, someone pushes you, from the dark, shoving you into the alley between two flats. You gasp, but couldnât screamâperhaps for your own good.
âLook, we donâtâwe donât want to do this.â The masked attackers let their leader speak. âJust give us the groceries, and your moneyâplease, some of our kids at home are starvingââ
Youâre shocked and didnât know what to do, so you gape up at them until they take the bag into their own hands, only to stop in their tracks when a shadow approaches.
You donât know what kind of thing scared them, but they dispersed quickly, screaming.
Itâs a luna eclipse night. His skin still glowed, but not with the moonlight anymore.
âItâs not very nice to steal, although they were pushed to this situationâstill, Iâd rather you keep what you paid for.â Seonghwaâs voice rang through your senses like a breeze. So soft, so grand.
Youâre more scared of what he was than youâd ever be afraid of those bandits. You scrunched your eyes shut and started to pray: âLord have mercy. Deliver us from evil, deliverusfromevildeliverusfromââ
âIâm not evil. If anything, those prayers would call me closerâan angel.â
Your eyes shoot open. âYouâre notâŠâ
âI am.â
You look at him, and you could believe it. Heâs that handsome, almost to the point where the only reason was that he was so wonderfully made. You step further back into the alley until your back hits the wall.
âWhy are you here?â
âI see most things that are happening in this countryâit is my duty, after all.â Seonghwa hesitated if he should add his next words. âBut I look after you especially. I am familiar with your life, your suffering.â
âThat doesnât make me feel good,â you protest. âYouâve been watching me?!â
âEveryone is watchedâfrom birth. Let me assure you you are far from a sinnerâyouâre the kind of innocent soul Iâd whisk away from this hell if I could.â
âWhy donât you?â
âIâm a harbinger, not a savior, or even a protector.â
Meaning all he does is kill. You shudder.
âYouâre still shaking, and I can feel the rapidity of your heart from here.â He steps closer towards you, and you almost wish heâd step even closer, just because you feel safer under his light than in the dark.
âLet me calm you down,â Seonghwa says softly. Then, his hand wraps around the back of your head, and he presses a kiss to your warm lips, his smelling and tasting like fresh fruit, refreshing, like heâd come from somewhere green and pleasant, away from this barren landscape.
When you open your eyes, heâs gone, and your heart rate has never been calmer. And the air smelled sweet.
.
âYouâve been⊠distant,â Yunho starts with a sigh, like he didnât want to be talking about this⊠âever since I played at that military partyâare you mad at me that I took the job?â
You didnât reply, not because he was right, but because you didnât know how to start explaining. If you told him about Seonghwaâheâd call you crazy. Heâd think the loneliness and the fear had finally maddened you. âIâm right, arenât I?â Yunho scoffed. âI know I shouldnât be some bootlicker artist, but we needed the money, andâyou know what happens to people that turn them down.â
âIâm glad you took it,â you say, insincerity apparent in how monotone you sounded. âWho knows what they could have done to us if you hadnât?â
He sighed. âBut youâre mad.â
âYouâre mere entertainment to the people who took my family from meâexcuse me if Iâm disappointed.â
âYou said it yourselfâwho knows what they would have done to us?!â
âYunho,â you sighed. âI love you, and Iâm disappointed. At the same time. And you know, you have a new admirer.â
âThe daughter?â Yunho was aghast. âItâs⊠itâs notâŠâ He couldnât come up with a lie nor a reassurance. Everything youâd said was true.
You find out later that she had been calling his work phone, over and over again. And he always took itâwho knows what sheâd do?
.
Seonghwa visits the apartment, on his own willâhe wasnât some unholy beast that had to be invited in. Every border allowed him inside.
He watched you, poised from the window as you washed dishesâit didnât matter if he fell, so you donât utter any complaints.
âWhy are you dressed like that?â you ask. âItâs like⊠havenât you had a wardrobe change since 800BC?â
âNo one can see me,â Seonghwa says, more of an excuse than anything. âItâs comfortable,â he finally answers.
âStuck in your old ways from millenia⊠hmm, not a good look, demon.â
âAngel,â he insisted. âYou know, if you keep calling me demon, Iâm going to think you donât think I'm too pretty.â
But he knew he was.
Sometimes youâd begin to think that maybe you were losing your mind, cooped up in a barren flat in a barren city with your anxious thoughts to accompany you, and Seonghwa was a manifestation of this madness. But the constant news of murder after murder confirmed that Seonghwa was indeed real, and indeed everything he said he was.
He didnât call what he did âmurdersâ. Murders took human, stealing life from another human. He wasnât one. What he did was comeuppance, divine instruction, divine punishment. Heavenâs work was what he was doing.
Yunho isnât tutoring anymore, but he has more money than ever. You know what it is, but didnât have the heart to point it outâyou didnât want to lose him, and you knew the minute you shed light on it, the entire lie would blow up. You had no one to discuss this dishonesty to, because once they find out who heâs been cheating with on you, you both would be nothing but traitors.
.
Storm season is around, as the city had been built around rivers. Rising tides and cyclones kill, but the only deliverance the high society faced is Seonghwaâs doing. Military families die, and new soldiers take their positions, although they were all well-awareâthey were being haunted. Still they insist it was a serial killer, nothing supernaturalâyou guessed they had to think that way, to believe heaven was still on their side.
Tonight, the storm hits your part of the city, and the thunder doesnât stop. As the rainclouds block the sun totally throughout the day, thereâs no solace, no lightâthe electricity cuts off, and Yunho hasnât come home since the previous night.
You can pretend the blackout is just a precaution for the storm, but you know the houses on the hillsâaka the high-society neighborhoodâstay lit with the brightest lights. While you hunted in the dark for flashlights and candles.
âYunhoâŠâ you cursed your boyfriendâs name, you had asked him to buy some candles for the apartment, but he never got around to itâalthough you guess you shouldnât be so mad, he was always preoccupied, trying to earn money, trying to stay alive for youâ
The storm wasnât going to be that bad. You hoped. A cyclone was happening two shores over, and it carried the winds on to your city. You wished that everything was well at the shore settlements, as you went on looking for candles, and flashlights.
âSweetheart,â comes the neighboring ladyâs frail little voice, âI donât mean to be a botherâcould I have a candle, please? I know these things cost an arm and a leg these days, I justââ
âNo, itâs no big deal!â you bellow so she hears you over the thunder. You bring out the little cup with its candle to her, promptly presenting it. âHereâdonât worry about it.â
When she murmurs her thanks and is gone, your sole light source was the flashlight in your hands.
The storm was starting, so you go to close the windows, not wanting dust and rain to get blown through the crevices, and you block the entire outside out, although the lightning flashes shined through the gaps every time they struck.
âMy Y/n.â
You scream, a sound so shrill it cuts through, and you drop the flashlight, which shatters, bulb and the glass protection in the front. Youâre still screaming, grabbing at nothing now that the flashlight had slipped away from you.
You recognize him by his clothes. Robes in the fashion of millennia ago. You finally calm down, remembering that Seonghwa couldnât hurt you.
âShush,â he says with celerity, approaching you and the flashlight on the floor, which still shined a dim, dying light.
You gasp. âOh no, I broke it!â
Seonghwa wordlessly touched it, glass shards and all, and presents it back to your hands.
And itâs fixed. The broken bulb, the glass, everything.
You stare in curiosity, but heâs been so honest with you the whole time. Itâs hard to believe a real living angel is in front of you, but when he shows his powers this wayâŠ
Itâs still pretty damn hard to believe.
You just stare back at him, with wide eyes. Pointing the fixed light at his chest. Is that⊠a fleck of blood⊠on his skin?
âTurn it off, please?â Seonghwa requested. âI donât like it to be so brightly lit.â
âOâof course.â Your hands stutter as you blindly reach for the switch on the flashlight, to turn it off. As soon as itâs off, you take a good look at Seonghwa, who youâve only seen in moonlight, in dim alleys, always hidden in the shadows. Now youâre close enough to him that you can see every little thing youâd missed all the other timesâhow neat his clothes were, not torn at all; his features, too beautiful to be human; his perfect hair, which you still didnât know why it chose to be platinum.
âI need a text from Yunho first,â you tell Seonghwa. âBefore I can rest easy, like you told me to do.â
âHeâs going to sit the storm out at her house. Heâs completely roofed, and safe. You can embrace each other in the morning.â
You frown.
âDonât be ashamed that I know heâs unfaithfulâI couldnât help but know.â
He knew every single thing you were feeling, and if it were something that could be shrouded, youâd cover yourself⊠you feel your mind was naked in front of him, every dirty thought.
Seonghwa grew agitated by your own thoughts of nakedness, dirtiness, your corrupted mindâto distract the both of your from all those thoughts, he rushes to you, catching you in a devouring kiss, so red and hot that it could light up and heat up the dark, gelid apartment.
You taste iron on his tongue, like bars in jail cells, like rusted knives, like blood. As soon as you remember the taste of blood, you pull away. Remembering he isnât human.
Remembering what he does, what he has done. His nature.
âI understand if itâs too much for you,â he says. âI understand if you find it hard to be with me this way.â
âYou read my mind, you know thatâs not true, you know I want you.â
His mouth, fangs and all, sinks into the skin of your neck, although he doesnât so cruelly bite down, so delicately feeling you with his lips, every inch of vulnerability awakening something in him. âYou want me,â he concluded. âYou want me, in that way.â
You nod slowly, you knew it was true. âCan youâŠ?â
âI work very closely to human sin, remember?â the angel speaks. His voice is everywhere around you, itâs like itâs coming from your own head. âI may not⊠know what itâs supposed to feel like, really, but I know how enjoyable it can be, for you.â He reached out, tracing your face, when you frown, concentrating on looking at him, he tenderly caresses the creases between your eyebrows and the pout of your lips, thumb ghosting over every feature. âEvery little nerve working in your body⊠every open mouthed moan⊠every pain in your coreâI know you humans love it.â
And heâs so real. Like a real, warm human body. You almost forget what he really isâŠ
âBut will you feel it?â you ask. âIt⊠it wonât be right if you donât feel the pleasure.â
A smile ghosted his lips. âGood thing I live in the in-between. Not quite angel, not quite demon, not quite human.â He leans in close to you, itâs the closest youâve ever had him to you, you thinkâ âBut I have a cock I can indeed derive pleasure fromâŠâ
You just stared up at him, not even remembering to swallow the saliva in your throat.
âYou donât believe me.â
âDonât read my thoughts,â you beg.
His laugh is musical, and rings in your ears. âAww, I was justâyouâre right, thatâs not fair of me. Itâs just a habit, IâllâŠâ he puts his hands to his ears. âIâll play deaf to all your thoughts, I promise.â
âWhatever I think, you hear it?â Thereâs such a sad helplessness in your words.
âNot from now onâI am at your command.â He kissed your eyes. âEvery command.â
âIf I do this, will you fall?â You step closer to him and kiss him, the way you kiss Yunho on fervent, feverish nights, soft lips battling with the power of corruption, although you didnât know how much you could corruptâŠ
Seonghwa smiles into the kiss, and smiles even bigger when you pull away. âFall, like from heaven?â He tuts at you with a tilted chin. âYou need to try harder than thatâalthough⊠it does make me farther than ever from my goal of getting wings, itâs something I can work for again.â
(The day he revealed himself to you again, and proclaimed he was an angel, youâd asked: âif youâre an angel, where are your wings?â and he answered he was working for them, just didnât have them yet.) You knew he wanted those wings, so why would he step so many steps backwards, just for youâŠ?
âBecause youâre worth it,â he answered. Then he holds his tongue. âOops. Iâm meant to not listen in, arenât I?â
Heâs close to you again, didnât even walk towards youâjust phase-shifted to youââIâm sorry,â he whispers, but his voice echoes in the depths of your mind again, âyour thoughts are just so loud. Youâre so⊠apparentâneedy, aroused, curious... itâs almost innocent, how plain your desires are.â
You swallow air just to not breathe it out.
Seonghwa kisses you again, this time with an unyielding force, his hands go to the straps of your top and just pull them down, revealing your chest, pure skin so soft and yielding to his touch, but he doesnât touch, only stares.
âIf I coveted what was your boyfriendâs, that would make me a hypocrite, huh?â You donât know how heâs done it, but he cuts your pants off you with a swipe of his hands, and youâre naked⊠for him. You reached for his robes, which came off easily with a pull of a string.
His skin is also pale, unbroken, bright, reflecting. Itâs so beautiful you canât help but be aroused, and as the slick gathers around your lips, Seonghwa carries you, only to the couch in your vicinity, big enough to lay down fully.
The fact that youâre letting a monster fuck you on the couch your boyfriend bought wasnât lost to you. But when Seonghwa touches you again, stone-cold skin that burned you, you realize there was so much passion, that you wanted it over your own current life. Seonghwa could fix you.
You feel his tongue against your clit, so easily submitting to you, giving you pleasure, as if he werenât a creature more than anything you ever were.
Seonghwa was aggressive, as if starvedâhe'd never wanted to taste anything human before, and this gave him a new kind of hunger, impossible to comprehend even in his higher brain.
His hands come up to your torso as he buries his face in your needy cunt, and you grab the hands, intertwining it in yours. He seemed to appreciate the closeness, clasping it tighter.
âSeongâHwaâsoâgood!â You hadn't been brought so high, for your moans to be so pornographic, in a long time. Your toes curl up, you throw your head back.
To admit it, you and Yunho had the kind of sex where it couldnât help either of you relax, bodies growing tenser and tenser as you considered your place in the dictator regime, your futures, how far youâd go to protect each other, when the last time you could be together was. Too many worries, too vulnerable like prey animals in the open field, to ever enjoy the sex.
With Seonghwa it was different. He opened you up. His kiss relaxes every nerve in you, lets you think clearly, lets you focus on the pleasure. You loved Yunho, but he was just a man.
Seonghwaâs long fingers roam your body, every part of it, while yours stay embedded in the skin of his shoulders and chest, just holding onto him, until heâs realer and realer with every passing second.
âYourââ you start, gesturing at his cockâso pretty, a pale, brownish beige color, pretty in every aspect. He nods. âYou can feel me with it?â
You donât see his expression anymore, as he buries his head between your head and shoulder, into the couch, as he enters youâall you hear from him is a guttural groan.
The couch drags against the flooring as he thrusts into you, standing up on the side of the couch. You praise him, telling him how good he's doing for his first time since merely watching, and his thrusts turn harder.
âyouâevery part of youâis amazing,â he says, maybe it was his turn to praise you.
He then wordlessly admires how you cum to your high, eyes too hazed over to even recognize him, or Yunho if he had returned.
Seonghwaâs porcelain grin flashes, lit up by the lightning around the flat, heâs looking mischievousâyou reach out for him, and heâs real with his body, so close to you. âPoor baby,â he says. âYouâve never felt pleasure like this before.â
His thumb started to circle around your clit, almost too tender as if you were so precious to him, and then faster, to the point where you move away from him, just because you didnât know how to handle that level of arousal.
Laughing, Seonghwa keeps rubbing your clit, but holds you down by the hips with his other hand. Your only option now is to moan, so loudly, you think you could start screaming. You realize youâd go unheard, through the storm, anyway, but didnât want to risk it.
You look up at him with fluttering eyelashes, almost pleadingly. Youâre exhausted already, just from everything youâve doneâYunho, even in all his stature, had never tired you out this way before.
When youâre tightening around nothingâhe wasnât even generous enough to put his finger in so you could feel somethingâand spasming around his palm, Seonghwa smiles, head disappearing between your legs to lick the rest of the slick off, although he wiped his dirty hands on your bare stomach. Then he faces you again.
âI thinkââ Seonghwa breathed out a laugh, âI think this is depravity, you feel it too, donât you? My corruptionââ
Heâs not even half exhausted, when youâre so fucked out you donât think you can take anything anymore.
âYouâbringââ You gasped, as he, with gritted teeth and tense nerves, enters you again, determined to get you both onto the same kind of high. ââmeâso far⊠from heaven.â
Youâre losing all senses, and when you arch your back, Seonghwaâs hands are there to support you, eyes rolled back and not making sense of the world anymore. Through the window, lightning flashes every two seconds, the outside world too stormy even for the soldiers to patrol.
.
Seonghwa disappears after heâd tended to your sore body, wiping the sweat of your brow and then kissing the very same place. And then he swore that he would come back. And then, he looks back at youâ
âYunho,â he says, âIâm glad he can protect you, but he canât go that far. Right now, heâs not being honestâand you know it, too.â
Yunho doesnât come back in the morning, and you wish on Seonghwa again. Even when he didnât appear, you knew he was looking out for youâno matter how much he swore he wasnât a protector, for you he was.
~~~~~~~~
THE END IDK IF I CAN WRITE A PART TWO
THE RAW IDEA IS THAT, THE DICTATORâS DAUGHTER GETS JEALOUS AND ARRESTS YOU FOR NO REASON. SEONGHWA RESCUES YOU FROM THERE, FINALLY GETTING HIS WINGS, AND HE WHISKS YOU AWAY! Unfortunately that is too much action and yours truly
Avenging Angel Dystopia // monster!seonghwa x reader x yunho (you cheat on yunho with non-human seonghwa)
In a barren, dictatorship-controlled nation, you lead a simple life with your boyfriend Yunho, a pianist, too oppressed to rebel. As stories of the people in high society being murdered run through the news, you come to find out whoâor whatâis behind these killings.
Tags: JUST SKIP TO THE SMUT IF YOU WANT you monsterfucker, yunho x reader (established, no smut), seonghwa x reader smut, cunnilingus + P in v, unprotected but hes not human
Warnings: politics tw, murder tw, seonghwa is literal man-eating monster tw, religion tw (but no prophets and jesus/god are mentioned, just seonghwa is an angel. There are scenes of praying)
w.c.: 7k
Excerpt: He knew every single thing you were feeling, and if it were something that could be shrouded, youâd cover yourself⊠you feel your mind was naked in front of him, every dirty thought.
Seonghwa grew agitated by your own thoughts of nakedness, dirtiness, your corrupted mindâto distract the both of your from all those thoughts, he rushes to you, catching you in a devouring kiss, so red and hot that it could light up and heat up the dark, gelid apartment.
You taste iron on his tongue, like bars in jail cells, like rusted knives, like blood. As soon as you remember the taste of blood, you pull away. Remembering he isnât human. Remembering what he does, what he has done. His nature.
âI understand if itâs too much for you,â he says. âI understand if you find it hard to be with me this way.â
âYou read my mind, you know thatâs not true, you know I want you.â
A smile ghosted his lips. âGood thing I live in the in-between. Not quite angel, not quite demon, not quite human.â
~
Youâre making sandwiches for Yunho so he can take them to his tutoring job, when your boyfriend bursts through the room, hurriedly, clutching journal paper in his hands. âYunho,â you sighed, more afraid than anything, âthose are contraband.â
âI just had to buy this monthâs issue,â Yunho says as he paged through the detached pages, made with no sense of expertise. âThereâs good news in them, I just had to read about it.â
âYunhoâŠâ you sighed. âIf they catch us with contraband newspapers, theyâll take everything from us. Theyâll take you from meââ
âItâs alright!â He laughs. âTheyâre not about to storm our apartment out of the blue, donât be silly.â
Yunho isn't you, he doesnât know how to be afraid.
Or rather, you weren't Yunho, weren't as tall or as strong, and you had many things to be afraid of. Yunho doesnât know what happened to you three years ago, as soldiers stormed your home, arrested your entire family, accused of being rebelsâthey seized every piece of property you had, every asset, froze every bank account. Yunho wasnât there, except for your barefoot walk to his apartment, where you collapsed in tears, and he promised you that the worst was over now.
You decided to relent; heâs right, soldiers werenât about to storm your apartment any time soon. Plus, things have⊠gotten better, ever since they got more control over the rebels in the city. War is freedom.
You sighed. âSo⊠whatâs the good news?â
âThereâs been reports.â Yunho paged through the contraband pages hurriedly, looking for the one page that started on the whole exposĂš. âA couple of the generalâs friends, and some family membersâbrutally murdered. In their own homes. They say their organs were missing. I thought the newspaper might tell us more.â
You frowned. âThatâs a horrible thing to be so happy aboutâŠâ
âThey deserve it, though.â
Itâs soon sunset, and the powerful stomps of soldiers marching filled the streets, as people rushed to close their windows, shrouding themselves from the patrol. You and Yunho included, draw the blinds in your flat and decided to have dinner.
You made the dinner, although Yunho can cook better than youâyou guessed that you had to do something, just to feel like thereâs still life left for you.
âI actually might play at aââ Yunho stopped midway through the conversation at the table.
You raised an eyebrow. âPlay where?â
âSomewhere⊠grand.â
âLike a hotel ball? Wedding? Big wedding? Am I close?â
Your naive little guesses almost lightened the big man up, only the light in his eyes turned red and anxious the minute his work phone started to ring, very urgently so, almost vibrating itself off the table.Â
Yunho paled, as he grabbed the phone off the dinner table. âWhatââ you start, but he runs out of the apartment to take it, a pair of long legs taking him outside faster than you could finish the sentence.
He doesnât talk about it for a while. You know heâs trying to gain more exposure as a pianist, heâs amazing at playingâand he even composes. The way his fingers work across the ivory keys and the black-pebble flats and sharpsâyou swear youâve never met a more proficient player, never mind that he never finished music collegeâyou didnât either. Yunhoâs income came mostly out of teaching kids how to play and getting random gigs sporadically, at acoustic nights at restaurants and whatnot.
âIâm booked for something next Saturday,â he told you in bed a week after that day. He was spooning you, head nuzzled inside the crook of your neck. The baby hairs on your nape wavering under his words.
âThatâs greatâŠâ
âItâs⊠a strange job. Iâm going to be playing at a party⊠you know who Seo-chee is, right?â
âThe dictatorâs daughter?â
âSheâs throwing a ball.â
âA ball.â Yunho started to explain the concept of balls to you, as if you hadnât watched Cinderella in your lifetime. The audacity that high-society was having a ballâwhen half the nationâs population was starving to deathâwas just pompous, if anyone heard it theyâd be livid with curses. As if the dictatorship wasnât cursed enough alreadyâand your boyfriend was going to aid them at the party, with his music. You canât even imagine it happening.
âYou actually took the job?â you prodded.
âI⊠yeah. As soon as they calledâtheyâre paying thousands. For four hours.â You went quiet. âBaby⊠you know we need the money.â
You turn yourself around on the bed to look at Yunho, who is just trying to appease you. He knows he shouldnât have, what repercussions it hadâhe was just trying to feed the both of you.
So you guessed you couldnât stay mad. But for a long time, you did.
.
.
.
âYunho, I canât go in there, theyâll arrest me.â
âCalm down, youâre not a rebel, and weâre pretending weâre military supporters today.â His tone was quiet, calming, which he always used whenever you started having these panics. âYou look beautiful.â You were wearing some ancient ball-attendee dress youâd fished out of the depths of your closet.
The mansion wasnât just a mansion, it was a palace. There was a long walk towards the steps into the main mansion, the pathway surrounded by a forest of trees. A soldier took you on a cart, sparing you the long walk, once Yunho mentioned he was the entertainment.
The high society was ignorant to the citizens starving in the streets, the appetizers of lobster tails and caviar served on plates as they dug in, every little debutante and their dates in their tailored suits. You didnât take anyâit didnât seen fair to eat when your own neighbors were starving.
To you, the ball was a bore, and Yunho only played classics, and heâs always amazing but thereâs just⊠something that wouldnât let you enjoy it, an uncomfortableness. You wandered out into the lobby, where glass separated the columns outside from the inside, through which you could view the garden perfectly.
You notice something outside of the glass, walking, as if wandering the terrain, like a hunter stalking its prey. You donât even understand what someone would be doing outside, not enjoying the music or appetizers, but the thing⊠fades further into view.
Itâs a man. He had platinum white hair that waved in the wind, although not lightly, as if each strand of hair had resistance to it, and he was wearing these strange⊠robes, that not only seemed inappropriate for the ball, seemed out of date. Like way out of date. Like two millennia out of date.
Once he notices that you had seen him, he erects his head slowly, watching youâa lop-sided stare. Eyes seeming to move every time you did.
And then, he grins. His teeth are inhuman. Sharp, dangerous, a thousand teeth like a leviathan. You scream, but to not make a scene, you cover your mouth with your own hands.
And then the man seemed to fade away from view as quickly as he had appeared.
You rationalize what you had seen, it must have been just a man. To not seem all that crazy, you wander the mansion trying to ask someone if they saw him too. You decided to ask the men eating at a table outside the ballroom.
âUmâŠâ you tap someone on the back, the train of your dress dragging behind you. Unfortunately once the man turns around, so does the rest of the circle at the table, and you realize this is a soldiersâ circleâthey were all armed, perhaps in a way that you could say lightly, with handguns strapped to their belts.
It makes you lose your courage, the fact that they could simply⊠shoot you right then and there.
âWhat is it?â the soldier whose shoulder you tapped asks.
âUm⊠I just⊠I wanted to ask, does anyone know that man, outside?â They all looked confused. âThe man,â you clarify, âwith the white hair, and heâs got this⊠cloak on, and heâs wearing robes under it.â
The soldiers look among themselves. âIâll check it out,â the roughest-looking one of them says. âIf someoneâs breached the grounds it could be dangerousâyou better not be lying about this, though, kid.â He glares at you, but youâre more distracted by how he so readily unholstered his gun, as he steps outside the giant glass gates.
Youâre now left in the midst of the other soldiers, who are unrestful, but they didnât seem to be taking your claims very seriously. They started to talk among them, until other partygoers approached, wanting to know what was going on.
âThis lady,â says a younger soldier, âsays she saw a man outsideâwhite hair, and a cloak. Has anyone seenâŠ?â
The people who approachedâmostly young debutante-aged maidensâshake their heads. âA man?!â
âHe didnâtâŠâ you begin, and regretted having formed that sentence, or that thought, entirely. âHe didnât look human. I mean, he had human features, but something⊠it felt like he had some kind of power, that wasnât human.â
The entire congregation gathered in front of you bursts out laughing. âMiss Y/N⊠youâve had too much to drink.â
âWhy did the pianistâs lover get invited⊠ugh. Commoners are weird.â
âProbably crawled out of her rebel hideout to come hereâŠâ
Sensing you werenât welcome, you step backâyou look over your shoulder, and the soldier had returned, gun finally reholstered. âThereâs nothing,â he says. âNo one.â
âWhatâs wrong?â
You gasp. Thatâs the dictatorâs daughter. Youâve seen her in pictures in stories covering their family, right now you were just surprised she was actually talking to youâand in front of her, she had wheeled her grandmotherâthe dictatorâs motherâa frail old lady, past 90, ancient and barely conscious but still dressed up for the party, heavy scarlet stones weighing heavily from her neck.
âThis⊠lady, says that she saw a man outside,â answered the young soldier. âThereâs nothing there, though, soââ
Everyone turns in alarm as the old grandmotherâs head tilts. Her gaze lands straight at you, and itâs not indifferent like seconds before, there was fearâ âYou see him too,â she speaks, although her voice was weak; it just adds to all the terror of it. âThe demon. He stalks us⊠The harbinger.â
You step backwards as the old woman starts to shake, opening your mouth to say no, I was seeing thingsâbut she continues: âI see him too. A head of white hair⊠His eyesâhis eyesâ!â
The people around you started to murmur, while the daughter attempted to calm her down. âNo one said anything about white hair.â
You turn on your heels before anyone could say anything else, basically sprinting to the ballroom. As soon as you near the gold-encrusted gates, the sounds of Yunhoâs piano calms you down, and your heart starts beating normally again.
You donât approach him, simply watching from the door. His broad shoulders erected firm in posture, the one thing he teaches foremost to his studentsâa small smile started forming on your lips.
Itâll be okay. You can put this night and the ugliness and the soldiers and the guns behind you once you go to bed tonight. You hate this mansion, as grand as it is. The entire place reeked of evil, of bloodshed. So many murderers under one roof.
Yunho raises his eyes to look at the crowd, and his eyes land on you, immediately lighting up. His face was mostly covered by the lid of the grand piano, but you see the crinkle in his eyes. You waved at him, but immediately walk backwards out of the ballroom, not wanting to distract him.
The party would go on for a few more hours, and although youâre afraid of the manâthe thingâyou saw, youâre more afraid of the soldiers and military supporters in the building, so you decided to wander the acres of garden area that the mansion has.
.
Thereâs swarms of mosquitos, gnats, fireflies, all over the garden. You keep walking to keep them from landing on you, but those bugs were persistent⊠suddenly, you see something in the garden. Something glowing.
In folklore, there was a story about a princess, so beautiful with such fair complexion that she could light up an entire palace without candles. You didnât understand what you were seeing until thenâit was just skin. Skin that reflected so much moonlight.
Although you guessed it wasnât skin, it was a guise of skin. A higher being donning makeshift-humanity.
The monster turned around, and it was only a man, although thatâs just what he wanted you to think.
You couldnât speak, so he started.
âIt makes you feel bad for your prayers, doesnât it? Actually being close to a soldier? They murder children in cold blood, but here at the party theyâre offering to top up your champagne glass. It confuses you.â
Heâs⊠human. You push aside your initial foreboding to interact with him well, maybe heâs just an addition to the guest list people forgot. And yet⊠something in you wasnât settled. You knew he couldn't be normal.
âIt doesnât make me feel bad,â he continued. âI like it when you pray, Y/N. âDear God, please destroy their armiesâ... Not an ethical wish, but something Iâm used to, back when tyrants ruled the land.â
You gasp. Was he some sort of⊠religious fanatic? Was heâ âMy nameâŠâ In realization that you never once told him anything about you, you recoil, thinking of the best way to escape him. You couldnât go around the fountain, because heâd catch you immediately. And you didnât have the courage to run deeper into the trees.
âIt shouldnât shock you that I know you,â the man says. âI hear every single one of your prayers. Every night. And your prayers are your deepest desires, are they not? You wish for their deaths, every single dayâŠâ
Thereâs just something so deeply unsettling about his eyes, and the more you look at him you get this uncanny feeling. Like heâs something playing at being human.
âYouâre upset I know your name,â he says. âIâll tell you mine so you can call me by it, thenâIâm Seonghwa.â
You try to calm yourself. See, Y/N? Heâs just human. He has a name. A human name. There are no such things as demonsâ
âYou think Iâm a demon?â
You frown. Did you say that out loud? How did heâ
âIâm far from it,â Seonghwa promises you, with a smile thatâs slowly spreading across his face. Literally.Â
He grins.
His teethâŠ
You could scream. Those are not human teeth. Theyâre so perfectly hidden behind his perfect lips, but heâs got fangs. And not even just fanged canines, itâs⊠every single tooth. White, ivory fangs.
âBe not afraid.â
You could scream.
His voice at times seemed to come from inside you, as if he were a ventriloquist and he had his voice inside of your head. He didnât even seem to be moving his mouth as he spoke, which proved that he was a trick of the light, a being more complex than you could understand.
Okay, maybe he does know your prayers. He does know what the military had done, everything he say is right. And those fangs⊠maybe that was the one lie, a trick of your own madness.
âYou want to know who I am, what my business here is.â You nodded, you did want to know. âYou must have heard about it. The⊠executions?â
You remembered. The things Yunho was so over the moon about. The high society people that seemed to keep dying. âYouâre responsible?â
When he nods, you look away just so the fangs donât nerve you any longer.
âI wasâŠâ he hums, looking up at the darkened sky. Now the entire conversation was merely moon-lit. âI was⊠scoping out my next victim. Youâve compromised me thoughâI donât want you or your boyfriend caught in a crossfire, if I did something and they started suspecting you twoâI guess Iâll just have to wait. I can be patient.â
You believed him. In his eyes, there was nothing but a calm patience, as if he could wait eternity to deal with his victims, almost like a sniper soldier.
âMiss Y/N!â Itâs that young soldier from before, youâre glad itâs him, because between him and this demon and the other soldier, heâs the least intimidating. âWhat are you doing here alone?â
You gawked. Did he just⊠did he see through Seonghwa? Could he not see him, at all?
You stare at Seonghwa, silently begging him for an explanation, but heâs closed his lips entirely, hiding those monstrous fangs.
The soldier walks through Seonghwa, grabbing you harshly by the arm. âYou shouldnât be out here. I know itâs tempting at a boring party, but we have security to worry about.â
You looked over your shoulder as the soldier dragged you away, and Seonghwaâs still standing at the fountain, still smiling, eyes still bright and unhuman. âIâm sorry,â you apologize to the soldier, âI thought a quick walk was okayâumm, hey, young manâŠâ You stop in your tracks, as does the soldier. You turn him towards the fountain, where Seonghwaâs still standing. âDo you⊠see that?â
He frowns. âExcuse me?â
âThe man,â you clarify, âright there. Standing by the fountain. Do you see him?â
âMiss⊠please donât scare me. You know military folk are superstitious.â
âYou really donât seeââ
âPlease! Donât! Youâre freaking me out.â The soldier turns to youth speech from his informal politeness. âPlease, come back to the partyâbefore your boyfriend gets snatched.â
.
âSheâs been talking to him since before I came to get you,â says the young soldier, as he walked you back into the ballroom. âHe had to put a rest to playing Clair de Lune to converse with her⊠oh, well, I suppose she is the most powerful woman in the nationâŠâ
The dictatorâs daughter is bent over the grand piano talking to Yunho. Sheâs giving him awe-inspiring heart-eyed stares, and youâre not even jealous, youâre afraid.
What if she sees you as an enemy, and somehow gets rid of you? The way her father gets rid of rebelsâ
But Yunho sees you from across the room, and smiles. That smile was going to get you killed.
The dictatorâs daughter looks at his smile, almost mesmerized in it, believing it was for her. And then she looks behind her, to see youâthe real receiver of that smile. And her gaze burned.
.
.
The nation rejoices as more of the dictatorâs friendsâ deaths hit the news, one by one falling like dominos. The details are always the same: attacked, ambushed, in their own homes, sometimes even in their own bedrooms. Brutally torn through with organs missing, not one trace of the attacker left behind. Maybe because he had no DNA to leave behind. You knew even the dictator, in his bomb shelter locked away from any danger, had to be afraid.
They were afraid of Seonghwa.
You donât know if heâs realâcorrection, you canât be sure if heâs real. But some part of you knew it was, that you didnât make up this beautiful, pale angelic faceâitâs beyond imagination, he has to be real.
But you just grow more afraid, knowing what you know. Knowing what was responsible. Youâd discussed it with a religious older neighbor, and sheâd just saidââitâs an angel. An angel is delivering comeuppance.â But youâd think Seonghwa was purely⊠a demon.
One night, youâre coming back from the corner store, where youâd rushed to do last-minute grocery shopping after having forgotten through your preoccupation, you dragged a heavy plastic bag of groceries back home.
Suddenly, in the alleyway right next to your flat, someone pushes you, from the dark, shoving you into the alley between two flats. You gasp, but couldnât screamâperhaps for your own good.
âLook, we donâtâwe donât want to do this.â The masked attackers let their leader speak. âJust give us the groceries, and your moneyâplease, some of our kids at home are starvingââ
Youâre shocked and didnât know what to do, so you gape up at them until they take the bag into their own hands, only to stop in their tracks when a shadow approaches.
You donât know what kind of thing scared them, but they dispersed quickly, screaming.
Itâs a luna eclipse night. His skin still glowed, but not with the moonlight anymore.
âItâs not very nice to steal, although they were pushed to this situationâstill, Iâd rather you keep what you paid for.â Seonghwaâs voice rang through your senses like a breeze. So soft, so grand.
Youâre more scared of what he was than youâd ever be afraid of those bandits. You scrunched your eyes shut and started to pray: âLord have mercy. Deliver us from evil, deliverusfromevildeliverusfromââ
âIâm not evil. If anything, those prayers would call me closerâan angel.â
Your eyes shoot open. âYouâre notâŠâ
âI am.â
You look at him, and you could believe it. Heâs that handsome, almost to the point where the only reason was that he was so wonderfully made. You step further back into the alley until your back hits the wall.
âWhy are you here?â
âI see most things that are happening in this countryâit is my duty, after all.â Seonghwa hesitated if he should add his next words. âBut I look after you especially. I am familiar with your life, your suffering.â
âThat doesnât make me feel good,â you protest. âYouâve been watching me?!â
âEveryone is watchedâfrom birth. Let me assure you you are far from a sinnerâyouâre the kind of innocent soul Iâd whisk away from this hell if I could.â
âWhy donât you?â
âIâm a harbinger, not a savior, or even a protector.â
Meaning all he does is kill. You shudder.
âYouâre still shaking, and I can feel the rapidity of your heart from here.â He steps closer towards you, and you almost wish heâd step even closer, just because you feel safer under his light than in the dark.
âLet me calm you down,â Seonghwa says softly. Then, his hand wraps around the back of your head, and he presses a kiss to your warm lips, his smelling and tasting like fresh fruit, refreshing, like heâd come from somewhere green and pleasant, away from this barren landscape.
When you open your eyes, heâs gone, and your heart rate has never been calmer. And the air smelled sweet.
.
âYouâve been⊠distant,â Yunho starts with a sigh, like he didnât want to be talking about this⊠âever since I played at that military partyâare you mad at me that I took the job?â
You didnât reply, not because he was right, but because you didnât know how to start explaining. If you told him about Seonghwaâheâd call you crazy. Heâd think the loneliness and the fear had finally maddened you. âIâm right, arenât I?â Yunho scoffed. âI know I shouldnât be some bootlicker artist, but we needed the money, andâyou know what happens to people that turn them down.â
âIâm glad you took it,â you say, insincerity apparent in how monotone you sounded. âWho knows what they could have done to us if you hadnât?â
He sighed. âBut youâre mad.â
âYouâre mere entertainment to the people who took my family from meâexcuse me if Iâm disappointed.â
âYou said it yourselfâwho knows what they would have done to us?!â
âYunho,â you sighed. âI love you, and Iâm disappointed. At the same time. And you know, you have a new admirer.â
âThe daughter?â Yunho was aghast. âItâs⊠itâs notâŠâ He couldnât come up with a lie nor a reassurance. Everything youâd said was true.
You find out later that she had been calling his work phone, over and over again. And he always took itâwho knows what sheâd do?
.
Seonghwa visits the apartment, on his own willâhe wasnât some unholy beast that had to be invited in. Every border allowed him inside.
He watched you, poised from the window as you washed dishesâit didnât matter if he fell, so you donât utter any complaints.
âWhy are you dressed like that?â you ask. âItâs like⊠havenât you had a wardrobe change since 800BC?â
âNo one can see me,â Seonghwa says, more of an excuse than anything. âItâs comfortable,â he finally answers.
âStuck in your old ways from millenia⊠hmm, not a good look, demon.â
âAngel,â he insisted. âYou know, if you keep calling me demon, Iâm going to think you donât think I'm too pretty.â
But he knew he was.
Sometimes youâd begin to think that maybe you were losing your mind, cooped up in a barren flat in a barren city with your anxious thoughts to accompany you, and Seonghwa was a manifestation of this madness. But the constant news of murder after murder confirmed that Seonghwa was indeed real, and indeed everything he said he was.
He didnât call what he did âmurdersâ. Murders took human, stealing life from another human. He wasnât one. What he did was comeuppance, divine instruction, divine punishment. Heavenâs work was what he was doing.
Yunho isnât tutoring anymore, but he has more money than ever. You know what it is, but didnât have the heart to point it outâyou didnât want to lose him, and you knew the minute you shed light on it, the entire lie would blow up. You had no one to discuss this dishonesty to, because once they find out who heâs been cheating with on you, you both would be nothing but traitors.
.
Storm season is around, as the city had been built around rivers. Rising tides and cyclones kill, but the only deliverance the high society faced is Seonghwaâs doing. Military families die, and new soldiers take their positions, although they were all well-awareâthey were being haunted. Still they insist it was a serial killer, nothing supernaturalâyou guessed they had to think that way, to believe heaven was still on their side.
Tonight, the storm hits your part of the city, and the thunder doesnât stop. As the rainclouds block the sun totally throughout the day, thereâs no solace, no lightâthe electricity cuts off, and Yunho hasnât come home since the previous night.
You can pretend the blackout is just a precaution for the storm, but you know the houses on the hillsâaka the high-society neighborhoodâstay lit with the brightest lights. While you hunted in the dark for flashlights and candles.
âYunhoâŠâ you cursed your boyfriendâs name, you had asked him to buy some candles for the apartment, but he never got around to itâalthough you guess you shouldnât be so mad, he was always preoccupied, trying to earn money, trying to stay alive for youâ
The storm wasnât going to be that bad. You hoped. A cyclone was happening two shores over, and it carried the winds on to your city. You wished that everything was well at the shore settlements, as you went on looking for candles, and flashlights.
âSweetheart,â comes the neighboring ladyâs frail little voice, âI donât mean to be a botherâcould I have a candle, please? I know these things cost an arm and a leg these days, I justââ
âNo, itâs no big deal!â you bellow so she hears you over the thunder. You bring out the little cup with its candle to her, promptly presenting it. âHereâdonât worry about it.â
When she murmurs her thanks and is gone, your sole light source was the flashlight in your hands.
The storm was starting, so you go to close the windows, not wanting dust and rain to get blown through the crevices, and you block the entire outside out, although the lightning flashes shined through the gaps every time they struck.
âMy Y/n.â
You scream, a sound so shrill it cuts through, and you drop the flashlight, which shatters, bulb and the glass protection in the front. Youâre still screaming, grabbing at nothing now that the flashlight had slipped away from you.
You recognize him by his clothes. Robes in the fashion of millennia ago. You finally calm down, remembering that Seonghwa couldnât hurt you.
âShush,â he says with celerity, approaching you and the flashlight on the floor, which still shined a dim, dying light.
You gasp. âOh no, I broke it!â
Seonghwa wordlessly touched it, glass shards and all, and presents it back to your hands.
And itâs fixed. The broken bulb, the glass, everything.
You stare in curiosity, but heâs been so honest with you the whole time. Itâs hard to believe a real living angel is in front of you, but when he shows his powers this wayâŠ
Itâs still pretty damn hard to believe.
You just stare back at him, with wide eyes. Pointing the fixed light at his chest. Is that⊠a fleck of blood⊠on his skin?
âTurn it off, please?â Seonghwa requested. âI donât like it to be so brightly lit.â
âOâof course.â Your hands stutter as you blindly reach for the switch on the flashlight, to turn it off. As soon as itâs off, you take a good look at Seonghwa, who youâve only seen in moonlight, in dim alleys, always hidden in the shadows. Now youâre close enough to him that you can see every little thing youâd missed all the other timesâhow neat his clothes were, not torn at all; his features, too beautiful to be human; his perfect hair, which you still didnât know why it chose to be platinum.
âI need a text from Yunho first,â you tell Seonghwa. âBefore I can rest easy, like you told me to do.â
âHeâs going to sit the storm out at her house. Heâs completely roofed, and safe. You can embrace each other in the morning.â
You frown.
âDonât be ashamed that I know heâs unfaithfulâI couldnât help but know.â
He knew every single thing you were feeling, and if it were something that could be shrouded, youâd cover yourself⊠you feel your mind was naked in front of him, every dirty thought.
Seonghwa grew agitated by your own thoughts of nakedness, dirtiness, your corrupted mindâto distract the both of your from all those thoughts, he rushes to you, catching you in a devouring kiss, so red and hot that it could light up and heat up the dark, gelid apartment.
You taste iron on his tongue, like bars in jail cells, like rusted knives, like blood. As soon as you remember the taste of blood, you pull away. Remembering he isnât human.
Remembering what he does, what he has done. His nature.
âI understand if itâs too much for you,â he says. âI understand if you find it hard to be with me this way.â
âYou read my mind, you know thatâs not true, you know I want you.â
His mouth, fangs and all, sinks into the skin of your neck, although he doesnât so cruelly bite down, so delicately feeling you with his lips, every inch of vulnerability awakening something in him. âYou want me,â he concluded. âYou want me, in that way.â
You nod slowly, you knew it was true. âCan youâŠ?â
âI work very closely to human sin, remember?â the angel speaks. His voice is everywhere around you, itâs like itâs coming from your own head. âI may not⊠know what itâs supposed to feel like, really, but I know how enjoyable it can be, for you.â He reached out, tracing your face, when you frown, concentrating on looking at him, he tenderly caresses the creases between your eyebrows and the pout of your lips, thumb ghosting over every feature. âEvery little nerve working in your body⊠every open mouthed moan⊠every pain in your coreâI know you humans love it.â
And heâs so real. Like a real, warm human body. You almost forget what he really isâŠ
âBut will you feel it?â you ask. âIt⊠it wonât be right if you donât feel the pleasure.â
A smile ghosted his lips. âGood thing I live in the in-between. Not quite angel, not quite demon, not quite human.â He leans in close to you, itâs the closest youâve ever had him to you, you thinkâ âBut I have a cock I can indeed derive pleasure fromâŠâ
You just stared up at him, not even remembering to swallow the saliva in your throat.
âYou donât believe me.â
âDonât read my thoughts,â you beg.
His laugh is musical, and rings in your ears. âAww, I was justâyouâre right, thatâs not fair of me. Itâs just a habit, IâllâŠâ he puts his hands to his ears. âIâll play deaf to all your thoughts, I promise.â
âWhatever I think, you hear it?â Thereâs such a sad helplessness in your words.
âNot from now onâI am at your command.â He kissed your eyes. âEvery command.â
âIf I do this, will you fall?â You step closer to him and kiss him, the way you kiss Yunho on fervent, feverish nights, soft lips battling with the power of corruption, although you didnât know how much you could corruptâŠ
Seonghwa smiles into the kiss, and smiles even bigger when you pull away. âFall, like from heaven?â He tuts at you with a tilted chin. âYou need to try harder than thatâalthough⊠it does make me farther than ever from my goal of getting wings, itâs something I can work for again.â
(The day he revealed himself to you again, and proclaimed he was an angel, youâd asked: âif youâre an angel, where are your wings?â and he answered he was working for them, just didnât have them yet.) You knew he wanted those wings, so why would he step so many steps backwards, just for youâŠ?
âBecause youâre worth it,â he answered. Then he holds his tongue. âOops. Iâm meant to not listen in, arenât I?â
Heâs close to you again, didnât even walk towards youâjust phase-shifted to youââIâm sorry,â he whispers, but his voice echoes in the depths of your mind again, âyour thoughts are just so loud. Youâre so⊠apparentâneedy, aroused, curious... itâs almost innocent, how plain your desires are.â
You swallow air just to not breathe it out.
Seonghwa kisses you again, this time with an unyielding force, his hands go to the straps of your top and just pull them down, revealing your chest, pure skin so soft and yielding to his touch, but he doesnât touch, only stares.
âIf I coveted what was your boyfriendâs, that would make me a hypocrite, huh?â You donât know how heâs done it, but he cuts your pants off you with a swipe of his hands, and youâre naked⊠for him. You reached for his robes, which came off easily with a pull of a string.
His skin is also pale, unbroken, bright, reflecting. Itâs so beautiful you canât help but be aroused, and as the slick gathers around your lips, Seonghwa carries you, only to the couch in your vicinity, big enough to lay down fully.
The fact that youâre letting a monster fuck you on the couch your boyfriend bought wasnât lost to you. But when Seonghwa touches you again, stone-cold skin that burned you, you realize there was so much passion, that you wanted it over your own current life. Seonghwa could fix you.
You feel his tongue against your clit, so easily submitting to you, giving you pleasure, as if he werenât a creature more than anything you ever were.
Seonghwa was aggressive, as if starvedâhe'd never wanted to taste anything human before, and this gave him a new kind of hunger, impossible to comprehend even in his higher brain.
His hands come up to your torso as he buries his face in your needy cunt, and you grab the hands, intertwining it in yours. He seemed to appreciate the closeness, clasping it tighter.
âSeongâHwaâsoâgood!â You hadn't been brought so high, for your moans to be so pornographic, in a long time. Your toes curl up, you throw your head back.
To admit it, you and Yunho had the kind of sex where it couldnât help either of you relax, bodies growing tenser and tenser as you considered your place in the dictator regime, your futures, how far youâd go to protect each other, when the last time you could be together was. Too many worries, too vulnerable like prey animals in the open field, to ever enjoy the sex.
With Seonghwa it was different. He opened you up. His kiss relaxes every nerve in you, lets you think clearly, lets you focus on the pleasure. You loved Yunho, but he was just a man.
Seonghwaâs long fingers roam your body, every part of it, while yours stay embedded in the skin of his shoulders and chest, just holding onto him, until heâs realer and realer with every passing second.
âYourââ you start, gesturing at his cockâso pretty, a pale, brownish beige color, pretty in every aspect. He nods. âYou can feel me with it?â
You donât see his expression anymore, as he buries his head between your head and shoulder, into the couch, as he enters youâall you hear from him is a guttural groan.
The couch drags against the flooring as he thrusts into you, standing up on the side of the couch. You praise him, telling him how good he's doing for his first time since merely watching, and his thrusts turn harder.
âyouâevery part of youâis amazing,â he says, maybe it was his turn to praise you.
He then wordlessly admires how you cum to your high, eyes too hazed over to even recognize him, or Yunho if he had returned.
Seonghwaâs porcelain grin flashes, lit up by the lightning around the flat, heâs looking mischievousâyou reach out for him, and heâs real with his body, so close to you. âPoor baby,â he says. âYouâve never felt pleasure like this before.â
His thumb started to circle around your clit, almost too tender as if you were so precious to him, and then faster, to the point where you move away from him, just because you didnât know how to handle that level of arousal.
Laughing, Seonghwa keeps rubbing your clit, but holds you down by the hips with his other hand. Your only option now is to moan, so loudly, you think you could start screaming. You realize youâd go unheard, through the storm, anyway, but didnât want to risk it.
You look up at him with fluttering eyelashes, almost pleadingly. Youâre exhausted already, just from everything youâve doneâYunho, even in all his stature, had never tired you out this way before.
When youâre tightening around nothingâhe wasnât even generous enough to put his finger in so you could feel somethingâand spasming around his palm, Seonghwa smiles, head disappearing between your legs to lick the rest of the slick off, although he wiped his dirty hands on your bare stomach. Then he faces you again.
âI thinkââ Seonghwa breathed out a laugh, âI think this is depravity, you feel it too, donât you? My corruptionââ
Heâs not even half exhausted, when youâre so fucked out you donât think you can take anything anymore.
âYouâbringââ You gasped, as he, with gritted teeth and tense nerves, enters you again, determined to get you both onto the same kind of high. ââmeâso far⊠from heaven.â
Youâre losing all senses, and when you arch your back, Seonghwaâs hands are there to support you, eyes rolled back and not making sense of the world anymore. Through the window, lightning flashes every two seconds, the outside world too stormy even for the soldiers to patrol.
.
Seonghwa disappears after heâd tended to your sore body, wiping the sweat of your brow and then kissing the very same place. And then he swore that he would come back. And then, he looks back at youâ
âYunho,â he says, âIâm glad he can protect you, but he canât go that far. Right now, heâs not being honestâand you know it, too.â
Yunho doesnât come back in the morning, and you wish on Seonghwa again. Even when he didnât appear, you knew he was looking out for youâno matter how much he swore he wasnât a protector, for you he was.
~~~~~~~~
THE END IDK IF I CAN WRITE A PART TWO
THE RAW IDEA IS THAT, THE DICTATORâS DAUGHTER GETS JEALOUS AND ARRESTS YOU FOR NO REASON. SEONGHWA RESCUES YOU FROM THERE, FINALLY GETTING HIS WINGS, AND HE WHISKS YOU AWAY! Unfortunately that is too much action and yours truly
synopsis: your childhood best friend wooyoung decides to move in with you in the middle of your college degree, and now you just have to live with him and hide your very romantic feelings for him in the fear it would ruin your friendship.
The problem with your best friend Wooyoung was that his love language was physical touch.
And as someone who was deeply in love with their best friend, you weren't in quite an optimal situation- especially when that said best friend was going to move into your apartment until he found one for himself.
You found yourself irrationally panicking because of a number of reasons. First of all, your two-bedroom apartment was a mess right now. Secondly, there was only one bed, and having been childhood friends with Wooyoung which involved a lot of sleepovers, you knew he was going to get in your bed and make you sleep with him, so you had to somehow avoid that. And third...
You were positive he would notice you being all jumpy around him, and that couldn't end well.
You paused in the middle of cleaning the kitchen counter, wondering how you landed yourself in this shithole of one-sided feelings that you still didn't dare tell anyone about. You had been friends since elementary school with Wooyoung, your families being friends as well, and it was quite natural for the adults that you two got along so well, having sleepovers and what not.
And you could see why. Wooyoung, being the social butterfly that he was, had everyone wrapped around his fingers. Everyone, including you, adored him, and for good reasons. He was a good soul, and the world really needed more people like Wooyoung.
However... it was senior year of high school when you started realizing the feelings you had for Wooyoung might be crossing the boundaries of 'best friends'. It was the way you loathed the idea of Wooyoung going out with a girl that was not you, not because you had other intentions but because you knew none of those girls were good enough for Wooyoung and they would break his heart, and you did not want the light in Wooyoung's eyes and his smile to dim.
It was the way you yourself couldn't stomach the idea of going out with a boy who wasn't Wooyoung- because it was so comfortable with Wooyoung who knew you inside out, whose touch didn't scare you, whose hugs and kisses you never (okay, sometimes) got tired of. You would flinch when someone else touched you. You found your dates very, very boring. And you would always end up comparing the boys to Wooyoung.
And that had been the moment when you caught yourself comparing everyone with Wooyoung that you realized... and you were kinda glad that high school was over and you might part ways for college- only because you needed some time away from him to clear your head because the last thing you wanted was to ruin your friendship with him.
So when you moved out for college to another city, Wooyoung went to another city too, the two of you apart for the first time, which is when you started regretting being away from him because you missed him so much and two years into college but you still didn't have a friend like Wooyoung.
So it was quite a surprise to you when Wooyoung announced that now that he was done with his two years degree, he was moving to your city to pursue further studies and job and that he was moving with you right away so he wouldn't waste his holidays and find himself an apartment and a job.
Though the two of you called often, the last time you met was four months ago when you both were in your hometown, and you had been positive that you had your romantic feelings for Wooyoung under control. But now that you were going to be seeing him everyday...
You were not so sure anymore.
You prayed he had a girlfriend, or a boyfriend, anyone. You prayed he was taken so you would have a reason to not think about him like that. Though your heart hurt at the thought, you knew it was necessary.
Making sure your house was neat, you went to your room to change, taking a shower and drying your hair, wearing a plain black T shirt with ripped jeans so if the two of you went out for dinner, you'd simply have to don a jacket over it. You did find yourself applying light makeup and fret over your hair because, well, you should appear good to someone who was meeting you after a long time.
He shouldn't have to see you in your usual messy state just yet, though he was the person used to seeing you in that state the most.
You heard your phone ring and immediately picked up when you read Wooyoung's name on it.
"I'm downstairs, what's your apartment number?"
You found yourself at the door, waiting for him to come and ring the bell, then ditched the idea and just went outside, waiting for him because gosh, you missed your best friend so much.
And the ding of the elevator was the best sound you'd heard in a while, your face stretching into a big smile when you saw Wooyoung-
He had changed, a lot.
Wooyoung immediately ran to you, you mirroring his actions as he crashed you in a hug, laughing loudly and patting your back, kissing your temple and breaking the hug to look at you.
"You look different! Did you get a hair cut?"
"I did," you smiled, "And you dyed your hair! Why haven't I seen this, Jung Wooyoung?"
"I wanted to surprise you," he laughed, wriggling his brows, and you scanned him- he suddenly felt so much taller and-
"Have you been working out?!"
Wooyoung smirked, taking two steps back and flaunting his muscles, shrugging off his jacket. You wowed, shaking your head.
"I bet the girls were all over you."
"They were," he grinned, and you smiled, motioning him to come inside, taking his small bag, "The rest of my stuff arrives tomorrow."
"Good," you said, "So. What do you wanna eat?"
------------------
"This is so good," Wooyoung mumbled through his stuffed mouth, and you scoffed, putting another piece of meat in his bowl, "This is the place you love, right?"
"You can see why," you dipped your meat in a sauce, "The smell alone makes my knees weak."
"I can tell," Wooyoung grinned, "So, tell me how life has been these past four months."
You told him it had just been the usual- trying to balance studying and working and finding enough time for yourself too- going out and exploring, often alone, sitting in cafes with a book or your laptop, or if you were lucky, a friend.
"You still don't have a good friend?"
"I blame you for that," you eyed Wooyoung, "I forgot how to make friends because I never needed to. And look at you!"
"Ah, you can't exactly blame me," Wooyoung scoffed, "It's all you. You're scared that no one would be as good as me. My only fault is that I am your standard-"
You shut him when your threw your napkin at his face, making him shake his head, but the both of you noticed that you didn't deny it.
And Wooyoung did feel bad- he sometimes felt as if he really had stopped you from getting more exposure and making more friends, and he had often voiced this concern, but you had adamantly shut him down, saying you were an introvert through and through which meant you didn't like social interactions much and Wooyoung was a blessing to you because you would have been completely alone without him.
"What about you, huh? Did you make too many friends? Starting to forget about who really knows you?"
"Ay, come on. I can never," Wooyoung winked, sighing as he thought about how to word it to you, "I was... in a relationship. Didn't go well."
Your heart sank at his words, your brows furrowing in concern when you saw his face fall, "What went wrong?"
Wooyoung sipped on his water, "Well, the girl... she was my classmate. We were friends in the beginning, and she was a good friend, but then she said she wanted to try being more. And I liked her, so I thought it was a good idea. But..."
You instantly knew Wooyoung was going to hide something from you- he would always play with his earlobe when he wasn't being fully honest.
"She didn't like that I was... friends with everyone, friendly with anyone. So I ended it."
You narrowed your eyes at him, wanting to ask more but stopping because you could do that later. "If she can't accept you for who you are..."
"Exactly," Wooyoung smiled, "I know what I'm worth."
"You might think of yourself a tad bit too highly-"
"Ah, my self love has just increased tenfold ever since I broke up with her!" Wooyoung wriggled his shoulders in a silly dance and you waved your hand at him in dismissal, focusing on finishing the food.
"Are you sure you aren't in love with yourself, Wooyoung?"
"I might be," he grinned, and you couldn't help but laugh at how silly he was being.
Finishing up and paying the bill, you and Wooyoung started walking back to your apartment while you told him about the city, the expenses one normally had if they lived in an apartment like yours, which you had been lucky for, the time it took to get from college to home, from home to the main city, etc.
Entering your apartment, you showed him around- one room being your bedroom where you only slept, while the other was set to be your study/workplace, two desks in the corner.
"Are you okay with this room? I practically live in this room, so I don't mind either way."
"Your bed seems comfortable," Wooyoung pouted, and you rolled your eyes at him.
"Of course it does, take that room. I'll just sleep here-"
"Here? On that thing?"
"That thing, Wooyoung, is a futon where I nap occasionally, so I really don't see the problem."
"Oh come on," Wooyoung put an arm around your shoulder, "Think about the good old times, let's sleep together."
Your heart was jumping wildly in your chest and you were positive Wooyoung could hear it. You cleared your throat, sighing. "I'm a night-owl, so you can just sleep in my room. I'll sleep with you if I have the energy to make it to my room by the time I'm done with work."
"I better find you there," Wooyoung pointed a finger at you as he said it, and you twisted his finger, making him squeal in pain.
"You kick a lot while you sleep so I'm not so sure, Wooyoung."
Wooyoung grinned, saying he was going to take a shower, and as soon as he left the room, you slumped on your futon.
Because how long could you avoid sleeping in the same bed as him?
It wasn't like you both cuddled while sleeping- you were used to sleeping at the very corner and Wooyoung would hug a pillow while he slept. But... if you avoided him now, he would surely notice.
Let's think tomorrow, you thought, sitting on your desk and resuming your work from where you left.
---------------------
"You didn't come all night."
Your heart lurched at his words, making you almost choke on your drink, but you rolled your eyes.
"Stop being so dramatic, Wooyoung," you said, watching him stuff a pancake bite and pout, "I was too tired to even make it to the futon."
"Is that so?" He raised his brow, and you raised it back, because what did he mean by that?
He sighed in dismissal, "My stuff arrives today, I'm giving them your address. Should I just check if there's an apartment in your building available for me?"
Your eyes widened and you clapped, "We could be neighbours. Or wait-"
You both looked at each other, a slow grin spreading on each other's faces, "Should we just live together like we used to imagine?"
You thought about it- you and Wooyoung had always, when little, planned to just move out together and live together to save expenses and whatnot. It wasn't a bad idea- your apartment had two rooms. And yet...
It was Wooyoung.
You dismissed the other feelings, thinking from the perspective of the best friend you've known all your life and how this could work. It wasn't going to be a problem at all- in fact, it would relax you two from worrying about half the stuff you would have worried about if you continued living alone.
"But," you groaned, "You're too loud. And you never let me focus on my work-"
"Hey, is that the reason why you'll kick me out!" Wooyoung ran a hand through his hair, clearly disappointed, but you just shrugged.
"See? Too loud: proved."
"Oh come on," Wooyoung practically cried, "We'll split the bills and all, which means we both won't have to worry about working so much anymore, and- I'll even clean the house! I know you hate cleaning! And... I'll get the groceries!"
"No, I'll get the groceries, I actually like shopping alone. And as far as cleaning is concerned... just don't wreck the house."
"Does that mean it's a yes?" Wooyoung leaned forward, his eyes eager for a positive response, and you pretended to think about it.
"If you say no, what is our friendship even worth?"
"If you act like a fucking parasite, Wooyoung, I'll kick you out."
"Yay!" Wooyoung pumped his fist in the air, almost knocking his plate over, making you put your head in your hands.
"I'll make a list of rules and you have to follow them, or else I'm kicking you out."
"I'll do the same," Wooyoung said, grabbing a pen and paper from the nearest table and you gaped at him.
"I'm still the owner, you can't kick me out."
"As a matter of fact, I can, and you'll see that I can," Wooyoung warned, and you regretted ever saying yes, smiling as he handed you a page, the both of you working on your list. You tried peeking at his, but he just hid it from you, and you started listing your own rules:
1. If you're too loud, you're out.
2. If you are too clingy, you're out.
3. If you ever wear that rose scented men's perfume that I abhor, you're out.
4. If you tease me while I'm working, you're out.
5. If you invite friends over without my permission when I'm home, you're out.
6. If you so much as bring a girl home to have xxx in my bed, you're fucking out of my life.
7. If you're loud while I'm asleep, you're out.
"Hey, why are you being so harsh, putting 'you're out' after every sentence?" Wooyoung glared at you but you just folded your arms as he read the list.
"The last time I wore that perfume was when you told me you'd kill me if I wear it again!"
"Just had to make sure," you said, urging him to read the rest.
"Why would I bring a girl here when there's you?"
"I'm sorry, what?" You raised your brow, and Wooyoung stared at you for a moment before realizing how it sounded.
"I mean," he began, "I would never bring a girl home here, I know my limits."
"Thought so, now let me read yours," you said, and Wooyoung gave you his page, titled 'Wooyoung's Rules To Live By' in bold characters, making you scoff, and you started to read it:
1. You make the breakfast, I'll take care of lunch/dinner.
2. When I want to go out with you, you won't say no unless you have work or you're dying of an illness.
"Hey, what's with rule no. 2? If I don't feel like going out, you can't convince me to."
"I can, and I will," Wooyoung simply announced, making you sigh as you continued.
3. Saturday nights are our time, no meeting other people.
4. Good luck tolerating me :D
You snorted as you finished reading that short but meaningful rule list, agreeing to it.
"Was I too harsh with mine?" You wondered.
"You were!"
----------------
"I'm considering kicking you out, Wooyoung, how come you have so much stuff for a single person?"
"Uhh," Wooyoung scratched the back of his neck as he looked around for a place to step in the living room, finding none, "Let's save up and rent a bigger apartment?"
"Where is that one box that said fragile, let me just jump on it real quick-"
"HEY, I'm sorry, we'll figure it out!"
You glared at Wooyoung- he looked incredibly hot in a simple white shirt with jeans, his streaked hair tied in a ponytail. You hadn't seen him look better your whole life.
It had to be the reason why you gave in real quick, wondering where to start unpacking.
"Okay first of all," you said, "Since I practically live in my study room, shouldn't I just move the rest of my stuff there and let you have the room with the bed?"
"You don't need to move anything, I'm already inconveniencing you enough," Wooyoung said, and you raised an eyebrow as if to say 'glad you know'. "Let me put my clothes and stuff in the study room, and I'll set my pc on the desk next to you."
"Sounds good," you agreed, "Are these all... clothes? 5 boxes? Seriously Wooyoung?"
"And what do you know about fashion," he tsk-ed at you, "I'm gonna upgrade your wardrobe as soon as I go shopping."
"I don't buy on impulse like you, Wooyoung, which is why I'm the smarter one here occupying less space and wasting less money on trivial things."
"Whatevs," Wooyoung said haughtily, "Let's begin with the clothes."
Setting up two clothes rack in the corner of what would now be called 'Wooyoung's room', you started hanging his shirts and jackets, folding all of his trousers in one box and putting it beneath the rack to save space. Meanwhile Wooyoung started lining up his shoes and you wowed at his collection.
"That's too much, I'd throw at least 3 of them out."
"I'd throw you out before I throw my babies," Wooyoung cradled his sneakers and you sneered at him.
"Well, that makes half the stuff," you went out, noting how it was now half the boxes that were gone. "We really need a bigger apartment if we're living together, Wooyoung."
Wooyoung stood beside you, thinking. Your apartment wasn't that big, and you knew it was gonna be tough living like this because even you had no space for clothes and shoes which was why they were usually everywhere.
"Should we start looking for a bigger one when I start working? I mean, we can manage it now."
"I don't know about the living together part... I mean, think about it Wooyoung. How long can we live together?"
"Well," Wooyoung folded his arms, "We're studying for two years, right? So let's find a new apartment for two years. We don't know what the future holds. Who knows? Maybe you'll love living with me and won't want to leave me-"
"You won't want to leave me," you corrected, "I don't particularly care about leaving you behind, in case you didn't notice."
"Oh come on," Wooyoung grinned at you, "You know you love me."
"Do I?" You wondered, and Wooyoung put you in a chokehold, making you slap his arm repeatedly until he let you go.
"Rule no. 7: Chokehold me and you're out?"
Wooyoung waved a hand in dismissal, opening the box of his personal belongings, finding more stuff than he thought he'd have. He looked at you.
"Do you think I can just slide this under the bed?"
-----------------
It took another hour before you were done, deciding that yes, you'll both move to a better apartment because you had savings and wanted to keep living in this area, and Wooyoung would live with you for two years then probably move out, depending on the situation then. Since the two of you were worn out, you both were sitting shoulder to shoulder, half lying on the couch in the living room, the television on but both of you too tired to focus, waiting for food to be delivered.
"I think it's all the talking that gets me tired," you said.
"Are you saying I talk too much?"
"I'm saying you make me talk too much, dumbass," you sighed, "I'm so drained."
"Me too," Wooyoung said, sliding further down and resting his head on your shoulder, making you sigh internally.
You needed to get yourself a boyfriend so you'd stop thinking about Wooyoung.
But you weren't sure that would solve the problem, especially when Wooyoung was sitting like this, casually playing with your hands, "I don't think I said it, but thanks for letting me live with you. I was very lonely the past two years- I don't think I can live alone. I was always inviting someone for sleepovers."
You laughed lightly, patting his cheek because he was so adorable. "You really can't, can you?"
He leaned in to your touch, smiling, "This feels like I'm home. My apartment never felt like home, but this... it feels like home."
"I know what you mean," you said, agreeing because sitting here like this with him reminded you of your hometown, which you really missed.
The bell rang and Wooyoung got up, saying he'll get the food, and you cleared the table so he could place the pizza box there. As you both ate, you filled each other on gossip from your hometown, which went something like this:
"I can't believe Yunho and Mingi are finally dating. It was about fucking time."
"I'm just waiting for Seonghwa and Hongjoong to get married to someone else because if they cross 30 they'll just end up marrying each other."
"I think Yeosang has a girlfriend- there's no way he got that glow up for himself."
"San looks more and more like a playboy as he ages, I'm only okay with that because I know he's literal sunshine."
"Jongho and San's mom hang out more than the two now."
"My mom thinks I'll start going out with San only because that one time he dropped me off home when I met him four months ago."
Wooyoung laughed at that, the idea of you going out with San somehow more hilarious to him than it should have been. You eyed him as he laughed his lungs out.
"What?" You eyed him, "Do I not look like someone who would date San?"
"It's not that," he tried calming himself, "I just can't imagine it. Actually, I can't imagine you with anyone for that matter."
"Why? San is a pretty nice guy," you wondered, "And what do you mean by that, Jung Wooyoung? Am I that unattractive?"
"No, that's not what I mean, you're attractive enough," Wooyoung waved a hand at you, "It's just... I don't know what kind of a guy would make you happy, for that matter. I know you haven't had the best experiences in the past as well."
"Ugh," you pinched your nose bridge, "Do not recall the dark times."
"I literally had to drag you home because you wouldn't stop crying when you thought that guy founded you unattractive! Poor guy told me he just thought you weren't interested in him, and I had to give him a pat because he wasn't wrong."
"And what did I do for him to think I wasn't interested? He was kinda hot... what was his name again?" Wooyoung shrugged, and you continued, "Anyways, he was hotter than me definitely, and he wouldn't stop eyeing the girl that sat near us who was also hotter than me, so of course it hurt me. It was my first blind date and it was that time of the month, so don't blame me for being overly emotional."
"The problem with you, dear, is that you don't know how beautiful you are," Wooyoung said, and you looked at him- who gave him the right to say such things out loud and make your heart flutter? "Anyone who knows you knows that you're beautiful inside and out."
You smiled at him, and Wooyoung grinned, "Maybe more outside than inside, but-"
"HEY!" You slapped his arm, making him laugh out loud and apologize profusely.
"I was kidding! You know I love you and think you're beautiful, don't you?"
"I can't tell if you're joking or not anymore," you said, feeling heat creep up to your cheeks-
"Your blush says otherwise."
You gaped at him, slapping his arm again, muttering that you were going to wash up and go to bed, and once you were alone in the shower, you had to stifle the smile that made way to your face.
Wearing your PJs, you went to your room where Wooyoung had already made himself home in your bed, and you sat in front of your vanity, towel wrapped around your hair as you did your measly skincare routine.
"Tired?"
"Very," you answered, "I'm glad I worked before your stuff arrived."
"Aw, thanks for helping me out. Come on, I'll massage your shoulders as a gift."
"You don't need to," you said, but Wooyoung was already on his way, drying your hair with the towel and then massaging your shoulders, making you moan in satisfaction.
"That feel good?"
"Very," you grinned, "Learned it from my mom, didn't you?"
"Yes," he grinned back, "I can give you a back massage too."
"Nah, I'm good," you managed to say, and Wooyoung laughed, dragging you to bed with him, turning off all the lights except the dim night-light.
"This brings back memories," Wooyoung sighed, "Remember when we used to talk all night during sleepovers?"
"You did the talking, I did the listening," you said lazily, "We should do that again when I'm less sleepy."
"We will," Wooyoung promised, "I have so much to tell you."
"Me too," you smiled, welcoming sleep, feeling Wooyoung pull the covers on you.
----------------------
It was a rather busy first week with Wooyoung as a new resident. You had college in the morning, and though your work was mostly online, you still had to visit the office every once in a while. Apart from that, you were also using all the extra time you had to search for apartments, hoping to find a suitable one.
You had two things in mind you had to consider: An apartment you could afford even if you were living alone, and one feasible enough so two people could live in peace, weather it was Wooyoung or someone else.
You found three suitable ones- your favourite one out of the three was definitely one which was at quite a height, giving you a good view from the balcony. It was also the most expensive one out of the three, but nothing you couldn't afford.
You planned to take Wooyoung with you to finalize your apartment by the weekend. Wooyoung had been quite busy all week too, enrolling in college and finding work. Luckily, he had already contacted his workplace before he had arrived here, his friends already working there, so it had been easier for him.
You hadn't seen much of each other the whole week as well, but you figured it would get better once you were both settled in the new apartment. The only time you had for each other anymore was either during breakfast, where you both were too sleepy to talk much, and night where one of you already passed out somewhere before the other got home.
You were looking forward to the weekend, hoping to go out with Wooyoung, and it was definitely not because you remembered his Saturday-is-us rule. You really wanted a break, but figured Wooyoung must want it more, so you wanted to do something special for Wooyoung.
Which was why when you got home on Friday night, you waited until Wooyoung got home and asked if he had dinner, fixing something quick from the fridge so he could eat while you sat in front of him.
"This was one hell of a week and I want to go back to my hometown and sleep in my mom's lap with my little brother in my arms."
"What about your poor dad?"
"He can sleep on the couch," Wooyoung simply said, making you laugh.
"Gosh, you're such a baby. Anyways, are you free tomorrow? You know I have to show you the apartments, do you remember?"
"I do, and I'm free," Wooyoung was eating rather quickly and you told him to slow down.
"Okay, tomorrow is your day. What do you want to do? Let's do whatever you want."
Wooyoung set down his bowl, staring at you as he thought while you made faces at him to check if he was actually watching you or zoning out while he thought about it.
He was zoning out.
You saw his eyes come back to focus and he smiled, "Well, let's check out the apartments in the morning, lunch is on me, roam around in the evening and... do you wanna go clubbing?"
"Wooyoung! You know I hate clubs!"
"We need to have a drinking session and go to a bar or something!" Wooyoung practically shouted, "I don't understand why you don't drink when you're with me!"
"One of us drunk is enough, Wooyoung, two of us drunk would be a disaster," you shook your head.
"But I'm a good drinker," Wooyoung looked confused, "I can handle my drinks. You can't."
"You're a disaster anyway, drunk or not," you said, Wooyoung scoffing.
"Are you embarrassed because of that one time you couldn't stop crying when drunk-"
"That was one time!"
"That was the only time you drank with me!" Wooyoung looked disappointed and you knew why.
But he didn't need to know that the reason you had been a crying mess when drunk in front of Wooyoung was because you wanted to confess to him but held yourself back by crying because you feared it would ruin your friendship.
You didn't want to risk it again.
"Let's... keep the drinking for later," you said, hoping to delay it... two years if you could, "Let's do something else tomorrow."
"Alright," Wooyoung sighed and you breathed in relief, "We'll think of something then."
Which was how you ended up hiking at the night, trying to find a good spot to sit back and relax. 'Healing', Wooyoung called it, though you told him your feet would need actual healing after all the walking they had done today.
It had been an eventful and fun day. Wooyoung liked your choice of the apartment and you both finalized it, deciding to move in next weekend, taking note of all the things you'd need to buy for your new home. You both were pretty stoked about it, and talked about it throughout lunch- deciding to go for street food, trying different things.
You did buy some things for home when you explored the shops with Wooyoung, and decided to drop the stuff at your apartment first and freshen up before going hiking, which was Wooyoung's big plan.
After about 40 minutes of slow hiking, you reached the spot Wooyoung had showed you in pictures- and you had to admit, it was a good spot. The view was spectacular, especially with the full moon shining down on the lit city. The slow breeze caressed your skin and you stretched, Wooyoung taking out snacks from his bag and handing a chocolate to you.
"You better be carrying me on your back when we go down or give my feet a massage," you joked, Wooyoung smacking your thigh.
"Going down is easier, don't be so dramatic."
"It's a nice spot though," you admitted, "I'd say we could drink here but... I won't make it down."
Wooyoung laughed, "You'd wake the animals with all your crying too-"
"I don't cry every time I drink, Wooyoung, it was only one time!"
"Why did you even cry? You never told me," Wooyoung pouted.
"I don't remember," you lied smoothly, "Probably because I wanted to get rid of you?"
Wooyoung scoffed, "As if you could. I'd be the last person in your life when you get rid of everyone, and you'd be stuck with me."
"True," you grinned, "I don't think you can say the same, you unfaithful brat-"
"I'm not! You know you're my number one."
"Ha. You tell that to me when you get a girlfriend."
"You don't believe me, do you?" Wooyoung looked at you, and you noticed the change in his tone, making you raise your brow in confusion.
"Do you know why I broke up with my ex?"
"Because she thought you were too friendly with everyone?"
"Part of the reason. She mainly had a problem with... you."
Your heart sank, eyes surprised as you pointed a finger at yourself. "Me? What did I do?"
"Nothing," Wooyoung assured, "It's just... she saw how I talked to you. I told her you've been my best friend all your life but... somehow she didn't like the idea that you were more important to me than her."
"But, Wooyoung," you turned to face him, "You do realize that once you're in a relationship, you should, I don't know, prioritize your partner more? I'm not going anywhere-"
"No. You're my best friend, she was my girlfriend. It was two different things, and if she thought I'd talk to you less because I had her now... I can't. I can't replace what I have with you, you know? I don't think I'll find what I have with you in a partner."
You scanned his face, suddenly unreadable. There were too many layers to his words, and you didn't know which one to focus on. Wooyoung noticed your confusion, patting your arm.
"What I'm saying is, if anyone thinks I'll break things up with you for them, they can go to hell."
"Ah," you smiled shamelessly, "Sounds good to hear."
Wooyoung grinned, scooting you closer and wrapping his arm around you.
There it was. His love language.
So you didn't fight back, nibbling on your chocolate as the both of you sat in each other's arms, offering him some and almost crying when he bit the whole thing off.
-------------------
"I'm throwing this, you don't need it-"
"NO! That BBQ owner back home gave this to me, it's a memory!"
"You are too attached to useless stuff, Wooyoung, why did you even bring this lamp here? It doesn't even work!"
Wooyoung paused what he was doing, staring from you at the lamp then back, pondering.
"Come on, Wooyoung, it's not a tough decision-"
"Okay, throw it," he groaned, "Throw everything. Throw me out!"
"Gladly," you pretended to kick him, "Stop being so dramatic, the truck's almost here."
The two of you had been arguing back and forth all day long as you packed, and when the truck arrived, you were glad for the break your ears got. Taking one look at your now empty apartment, you said goodbye to the two very uneventful years you had spent here. It felt bittersweet, and that was good.
Arriving at your new apartment and unloading everything first, you and Wooyoung finally sat on the couch, looking at all the boxes and furniture.
"Where do we start."
You laughed internally at how it came out more as a statement- Wooyoung must finally be tired. "Can we sleep right here?"
"Please," he groaned, immediately lying down with his head on your lap, and you unconsciously started running your hands through his hair, realizing only when he said, "Give me a massage while you're at it."
You slapped his forehead instead- lightly, but not light enough to prevent his loud shout, and before your ears could bleed, you shut his mouth with your hand, and his eyes lit mischievously as he took that opportunity to lick your hand, making you scream and wipe it on his clothes while he laughed, trying to push him off of you.
"Okay, okay, I'm sorry. Just play with my hair, it felt nice."
You gave him a side eye but continued the slow motions through his silky hair and he shut his eyes.
"Don't sleep here, I'll throw you on the floor if you do."
"This is more comfortable than the bed."
"Shut up."
"I'm not lying."
You were glad his eyes were shut because you had to put a hand on your face to calm your wildly beating heart.
"I think we should at least set the bed first," you said, "Let's just deal with the rest later, tomorrow's Sunday anyway."
"Yeah, just two more minutes," Wooyoung fisted your hoodie in his hands as he got comfortable, and you sighed at the sight.
You could get used to this.
"You look like a cat right now," you laughed lightly, caressing his hair at the temples, "Also, you need to eat more. Your cheekbones and jaw are so prominent now."
You weren't sure if Wooyoung was listening or staying silent on purpose, but you found yourself caressing his cheekbone with your thumb, tracing his sharp nose bridge- a very attractive feature on him. You touched the mole beneath his eye like a button, scoffing, then continued playing with the hair, curling it at the nape of his neck-
"You're tickling me now."
You suddenly came out of your trance, taking a second to gather your wits and then slapping his neck, telling him to wake the hell up.
Sleepily, Wooyoung helped you set the bed, making sure everything was right, then set the mattress, and you had to stop him from falling right on top of it, telling him to wait. You went out in the living room, searching for the box labeled 'sheets', quickly tearing it apart and taking the sheets out.
"Good thing we had dinner, you look ready to die, Wooyoung."
"I'm sleepier thanks to you," he said, collapsing unceremoniously on the bed.
"What do you mean?"
"Can you play with my hair again? It felt so good, it will put me to sleep right away."
You audibly exhaled, shaking your head but too tired to argue, getting in bed after turning off the lights, not bothering to change, Wooyoung's eyes lazily watching you the whole time-
He really looked... different, in all the dim lights, on your bed, tired.
Hands on your hips, you were zoned out as you stared at him, wondering what you would do with him. Wooyoung was staring right back, and when he patted the space next to him, you took that place, adjusting yourself so your arm wouldn't fall off as you caressed his head.
He shut his eyes immediately, and you played with his hair, caressing his head until his breathing became regular, which was when you cautiously caressed his face, smiling when he didn't respond.
He must have been really tired to have slept this quickly.
You cupped his face, stroking his cheek with your thumb, overwhelmed by the way your heart ached at the sight.
So near yet so far.
You smiled sadly, suddenly feeling the urge to cry. But you only kissed his forehead lightly, lingering a bit before you drew back.
"I love you so much."
The whisper was lost to the air, and you fell asleep with your hand on his.
You didn't notice his hand caressing yours as you fell asleep.
-----------------
Once again, you were wishing you could throw Wooyoung out of the window.
"You're being... dumb, Wooyoung."
"You don't get my point," Wooyoung was done with you too, "With the both of us having to work from home most of the time, why don't we use one room as an office and one room as a bedroom? Just like in the previous apartment?"
"All this because you can't work alone?"
"Please, I need some company while working or else I'll get bored," he whined, "And you know even if we have separate rooms, I'll end up spending more time in your room anyway, so what's the point?"
"You're sounding very much like the parasite I mentioned will get you kicked out."
"It said nothing about me being a parasite."
"It said 'If you act clingy, you're out."
"But I'm not clingy right now," Wooyoung raised his hands in the air, "I'm a parasite."
"Semantics," you said, biting your lips as you thought about it. "If you're gonna be in my room 24/7 anyway, I guess I shouldn't bother."
"See, that's exactly my point."
You shook your head at the grinning Wooyoung, deciding to share the closet attached to one of the rooms which had ample space, setting the clothes racks Wooyoung had as well, all of your clothes and his now in their rightful place.
"I like this," you stood back and grinned, Wooyoung sharing the grin, "Should I set my vanity here too?"
"Set it in the room, we have enough space there," Wooyoung suggested, and you agreed.
Placing your personal items on the vanity, Wooyoung adding some of his products too, you were finally done with the bedroom, the living room and the kitchen. Only the 'study room/office/get-away-from-wooyoung' room remained.
"Let's place the desks together," Wooyoung suggested.
"You'll never let me work in peace that way."
"That's why I'm doing this in the first place," he grinned, and you groaned, giving in, setting the desks in one corner together, no gap so you could place your stuff without worries, but you made a point to place your chairs as further apart as possible, making Wooyoung laugh.
"The futon goes there," you pointed at the opposite wall, "And all our extra stuff in those boxes, we can pile there."
After you were done, you placed some frames on the desk- a picture of you and Wooyoung on the beach, a picture of you with your family, a picture of Wooyoung with his family. You smiled at the sight, Wooyoung calling you outside for dinner.
Wooyoung had brought two chairs from his apartment that you placed in your balcony, making it your little spot to relax and gossip with Wooyoung. He set the bowls of ramen there, motioning for you to join him, and you did, slurping your noodles.
"We got this apartment set quicker than I expected," Wooyoung checked the time- it was almost midnight, "I thought it would take Monday as well."
"Would have spared more time if you weren't being so petty and you know that."
Wooyoung shrugged, a guilty smile on his face, "I like this. It's really relaxing to sit here like this, feels like home."
"It does," you nodded, gazing at the cloudy night sky.
"I forgot to tell you," Wooyoung began, "San's here visiting his aunt. Should we invite him over?"
"Oh, we should," you cheered up- you had been friends with all of Wooyoung's friends from school, not as close as with Wooyoung of close but enough that you were comfortable.
"I'll tell him to come by when he's free. We can take him out or just relax at home."
"Yeah, whatever we feel like it that day. We should all have a reunion soon, I kinda miss our old school friends."
"Me too," Wooyoung smiled, "Let's go to the reunion this year, we missed last year's."
You nodded- you both had been busy with work at that time so you couldn't make it to your hometown.
"So, San," you began, "If he gets any hotter than the last time I saw him, I'll politely ask him to sleep over-"
Wooyoung threw a pen at you, making you scowl. "You can't do that when I'm here!"
"I'm doing nothing, what's running in your filthy mind, Jung Wooyoung?" You laughed, "I'm only kidding, of course. You know San is not my type."
"What, exactly, is your type?"
You exhaled, looking at Wooyoung.
You.
"Someone who's not as loud, clingy, parasitic as you-"
"Can you stop calling me a parasite, it hurts!" Wooyoung threw his head back, laughing, and you had to wonder how exactly it hurt that he was laughing like this.
"But someone who is as hot as me, if not hotter, right?" Wooyoung wriggled his eyebrows and you pretended to throw up.
"Fine," Wooyoung scoffed, suddenly angry with you, "You'll never find a man, I curse you to never-"
"Oh, come on," you got up, running your fingers under his chin like a cat's- something you did to cheer him up, "I need someone exactly like you. Happy?"
Wooyoung smiled, leaning in to your touch, and you said, "I need someone as loud and clingy as you."
"Again-"
"Listen, dumbass," you slapped his cheek lightly, "I need someone loud and clingy so they can balance me. And I need someone with a heart like yours. Now where would I ever find someone like you?"
"You'll die all alone."
You shook your head, taking Wooyoung's chin in your hand and pulling him up to face you, bringing your own face closer as you said:
"If I can't find someone like you, you'll never find someone as good as me too."
The two of you stared at each other, none of you moving, half grins on your faces as you glared at each other, and when Wooyoung licked his lips (probably unconsciously) you suddenly became aware of the position you were in, dropping your hand and going inside to get water, leaving him staring at you.
Wooyoung sighed-
This wasn't how he had expected things to turn out, but he wasn't complaining.
He hadn't expected to become a wreck inside with you around.
But it felt good.
----------------------
It was the day San was coming over to visit.
You both had decided to invite him to your apartment, relax and catch up, maybe go out for dinner or order something for home if you felt like it. You were both excited- San was one of Wooyoung's closest friends, and naturally yours too.
You were dressed in a navy blue shirt and black denim trousers- simple, but you wanted to look good for a change, which was why you were sitting on your vanity, blow-drying your hair to perfection.
"We should really go out, I'm making all this effort," you muttered to Wooyoung who had been watching you do your hair for the past 10 minutes now, "Also, can you stop looking at me like that?"
"Like what?"
"Like I'm planning the murder of your unborn child," you side-eyed him, "Do I not look good?"
"I just," Wooyoung ran a hand through his messy hair, "Why all the effort? It's only San."
"I'm not doing this for San," you looked at him- was he...
No. He couldn't be.
"I'm doing this for myself, because I want to feel good," you simply said, continuing with your hair, finally done. You applied the little everyday makeup that was your routine for whenever you would go out.
"Come on, I'll do your hair too. I know just how to make it look good."
Wooyoung gladly sat, letting you style his hair-he was getting used to you running your hands through his hair, in fact, he was almost addicted to the feeling because you were always so gentle-
"I can see your eyes roll, are you enjoying this?" You had fisted his hair now, tugging at it a bit harshly, making him laugh.
"And here I was thinking how gentle you were with my hair," Wooyoung let out a disappointed sigh, "This looks good though. Do you think you can be my personal stylist?"
"Only if you pay me," you grinned. You heard the bell ring, and you hurriedly gave the last touches to Wooyoung's hair, running to the door, Wooyoung right behind.
"San!" You gasped- he had changed so much, "What is city life doing to you boys!"
San laughed, hugging you good and long, then handing you a bouquet of white roses which you thanked him for, calling him inside. "How have you been?"
"I'm good," you said, smiling when he spotted Wooyoung and crushed him in a hug, "You both are making it look like you're long lost lovers."
"Shut up," San laughed, dangling a shopping bag in his hands, "I got us drinks."
"Oh no," you took the drinks from him, hiding it from Wooyoung, "We'll keep these for later."
You all settled in the living room, catching up on life, and you had to ask him just what the city life was doing to all the boys- everyone you knew had been working out, no longer looking like boys but looking more like men.
"I love your hair!" you pointed at his ash mullet, "I should do something with my hair too, don't you think? Normal hair is making me look boring now."
"You should, something like mine," San said, "Get ash highlights or something. We could match."
You grinned, but Wooyoung wasn't having any of it.
"Or get some streaks like mine."
"I don't think that would suit me," you pouted.
"Anything would suit you," Wooyoung said casually, offering San some peanuts.
"I'll see," you waved your hand dismissively, "So, San. Is there a special someone back there?"
San laughed at you wriggling your brows at him, putting his hand on his face, "Not yet, not yet."
"Aw," you laughed, he was just so... cute. "What's your plan? Are you gonna settle there or go back home?"
"I don't think I want go back just yet," San said, "I want to experience new things. I want to do so much, and I don't think I can do that in our hometown."
"True," Wooyoung said, "Which was why I moved here. Better opportunities."
"How come you're living together and you," San looked at you, "Are still alive and sane?"
You laughed out loud, "I wonder how."
Wooyoung slapped your arm, "You should ask me how I'm living with her when she's practically a sloth-"
"You're the one who decided to make home here," you interrupted him.
"You're the one who gladly let me!"
"Gladly?" You scoffed, "I would have-"
"Come on, let's not fight," San laughed, pushing you both apart before you were at each other's throats, but he knew it was all jokes. He wasn't unaware of the love you had for each other, "Stop fighting like a married couple. Let's go out."
"As if," you sneered at Wooyoung, who just growled back, making all of you laugh.
You treated San to dinner at the same BBQ place that was basically a second home to Wooyoung now too, and Wooyoung decided to have a drinking session at home, ruining your plan which was to make them forget about the drinks altogether.
"Just call me a taxi before I pass out from drinking too much," San said.
"You can stay here, we have space," you offered.
"Nah, I have to leave for home first thing in the morning," San said, "Maybe some other time."
"Don't let her drink," Wooyoung elbowed San, "She'll start crying-"
"ONE TIME, WOOYOUNG," you pinched your nose bridge.
"She cried?" San narrowed his eyes at you, "That's not how it quite went when she drank with me-"
"When did that happen, excuse me," Wooyoung folded his arms in question.
You sighed, internally cursing San who was grinning, because he was the only person aware of your not-so-platonic feelings for Wooyoung- he wasn't 100% sure, but he had high suspicions and you never denied them.
"You don't need to know," you dismissed him, glaring at San who just tried stifling his own laugh. You brought the drinks and three glasses, "Bottoms up."
Wooyoung was definitely the best drinker in the room, San and you already flushed after one bottle. Wooyoung had an evil grin plastered on his face as he watched you two mirror each other's expressions- head resting on one hand, playing with the glass with the other hand.
"Do you think about how we might not be worth anything to someone?" San began, "I think it's really sad how we might be of zero value to someone."
"I think if someone knows you," you rubbed your eyes, "you value at least a 1 out of 100. That's definitely something."
"Only 1? What am I to you then?"
"Hmm," you thought about it, "A solid... 70?"
"And here I was giving you an 80," San shook his head, "Where did the rest go? Have I done something wrong?"
"No, it's a very good score actually," you said, "The highest is 90, so it's a good score."
"And who's the highest? Your mom?"
"Nope," you faltered, your brain telling you to shut the hell up but your heart not ready.
"Ah.. is it-"
"Of course it's me," Wooyoung patted your back, "You're a 99 to me, don't worry."
"Where it that 1? Do you know how much that 1 matters?"
"And here you told me 1 is something!" San frowned.
Wooyoung laughed at you both, "You're very drunk. San, I'm calling you a taxi, you need to get home."
"Okay," San slumped against you, "Thanks for inviting me."
"Thanks for coming," you slurred lazily, "It was nice to have someone to look at who's not Wooyoung."
Wooyoung shook his head, gathering San's stuff and helping him up, and you lazily got up too, waving your hand at San.
"Text me when you get home," Wooyoung told San and he nodded, leaving you two alone like usual.
"Do you wanna keep drinking or go to bed?"
"Both."
"Come on, let's get you to bed," Wooyoung laughed when you pouted, but you tugged at his sleeves, making him sit with you.
"One more drink, please."
Wooyoung poured the drink for you, filling his own glass as well, and you knew you were going to regret this, but-
"You're a 99 to me too."
Wooyoung smiled- you were too adorable to handle right now. He pinched your cheek, "What's the 1 for?"
"It's because you are not mine," you said, and Wooyoung frowned.
"What do you mean, I am your best friend, of course I am yours-"
"No, you don't understand," you looked at him, "It's because you are not mine."
Wooyoung's heart lurched dangerously in his chest- was he hearing this right?
"You're not mine," you said, "And I feel like I'm gonna cry."
"No, no, don't cry," Wooyoung turned your face to make you look at him, "Don't cry. You know I am yours. Why would you cry?"
A tear escaped your eye and Wooyoung wiped it, hugging you as you muttered the same sentence again, and he knew if you weren't drunk, you'd feel his heart beating so loudly.
Wooyoung made you get in bed with him, pushing your hair out of your face, worried at the look you had in your eyes.
"Do you want me to be yours?"
You weren't sure if you were hearing it right- you were very, very drunk, and you knew that you would have a good reason to cry tomorrow. You were walking on very dangerous lines.
But Wooyoung didn't wait for a verbal answer- he knew now. The look in your eyes was enough. He kissed your forehead, locking eyes with you.
"I'm already yours," he assured you, but you shook your head, and he cupped your face to make you look at him.
"You don't understand. I'm already yours. You just don't know that yet."
You nodded, confused, burying your face in his chest as sleep came like a wave.
-----------------
"Don't touch me."
"It's almost afternoon!" Wooyoung tried snatching the covers from you, "You're wasting our Saturday!"
"Go away!" You practically growled.
There were a number of reasons you didn't want to wake up, and your hangover was the last reason.
You recalled last night perfectly well, and you felt humiliated and confused. And with Wooyoung acting like nothing happened...
You weren't sure what he meant by that:
"You don't understand. I'm already yours. You just don't know that yet."
"I made hangover soup for you," Wooyoung said, sitting beside you, "Come on, don't be a brat and get up."
You sighed- you knew Wooyoung was going to keep pestering you until you were sitting in front of him with the soup in your hands-
Which you now were.
"You're such a light drinker," Wooyoung laughed at you, and you wanted to glare at him but you couldn't meet his eyes right yet, "It's no fun drinking with you guys!"
"I told you it was a bad idea..."
"Ah, it's okay, don't cry again," Wooyoung teased, and now you did glare at him.
"Anyways," Wooyoung waved a hand in dismissal, "What are we doing today?"
So you thought Wooyoung hadn't taken your words seriously, which was how you distracted yourself, planning to do grocery with him and fulfil his wish of going clubbing that night.
"I need to look hot," you said, entering your home with shopping bags in both of your hands, "And so do you. So let's dump this for now and get ready."
You let Wooyoung pick your outfit- a black dress that hugged your figure, paired with heeled boots, and you went that extra measure to wear silver hoops, put on some lipstick and eyeliner, and style your hair-
"Maybe you should change that outfit," Wooyoung said, "You look more hot than should be acceptable."
"Shut up," you said, groaning, because when he casually said these words, it didn't help you. At all.
You styled Wooyoung's hair and he came out after changing, and you scanned him.
"Are you going out like... this?" You asked, pointing at the one too many buttons undone.
"Of course, I have to look sexy," he grinned, and you rolled your eyes, trying not to drool at how well built he was, and you both finally got in the taxi to the club.
"So have you ever been here?"
"Only once with friends," you admitted, "Which is why you won't ditch me until I find a good guy."
"Good luck with that," he said sarcastically, the both of you entering, and you were immediately overwhelmed by all the crowd and loud music, instinctively clinging to Wooyoung's arms.
"It sure is different here," Wooyoung looked around, "What are we doing here again?"
"It was your idea," you glared at him, "So come on. Let's get a drink, then look around, maybe dance, maybe find someone..."
Wooyoung laughed at how your voice became small at the last part, "Don't worry, I'm going home tonight. Unless you don't come home, I'm not going either."
"You don't have to worry about me," you said, though it felt like a stab to your heart, "You can do whatever."
"But I'm yours," Wooyoung whispered in your ear, and you gasped.
He hadn't forgotten, it seemed. And he was going to tease you about it.
"I was drunk," you sneered at him, dragging him to the bar, "You shut up while I get my drink."
"Do you know why you're a 99 to me too?" Wooyoung asked, a devilish smirk on his face, and you put your hands to your ears, having had enough.
He had no idea how you felt, did he?
"It's because you are not mine."
"Jung Wooyoung, you absolute brat-"
You couldn't help but laugh at how he was grinning, your cheeks flushed, "I'm gonna kill you if you mention this again. I was drunk, okay?"
"But what did you mean?"
"What did you mean, huh?" You turned, your eyes full of challenge, and that shut Wooyoung up, "What did you mean, when you said I was already yours but I didn't know it yet?"
"...I-"
"Never mind, I don't want to hear it," you downed another drink, "I'm going to the dance floor. Are you gonna shut up and accompany me?"
"Okay ma'am," Wooyoung shook his head, smiling, "Whatever you say."
"Wait a minute," you said, buttoning one of his one-too-many undone buttons, making him laugh.
"All good."
It wasn't the first time the two of you were dancing with each other in a club- you both would always stick together until someone caught your eye. But this time...
Something was different and none of you could deny it.
It was the way you weren't eyeing other people but absorbed in your own little world, the two of you only looking at each other as you danced, your hands on his shoulders and his at your waist.
"You're quiet today," you finally said.
Wooyoung didn't answer, only continued slowly dancing with you, and you couldn't take it anymore- you couldn't match his strong gaze anymore. You looked around, trying to find someone who was maybe interested in you-
"Let's just dance together," Wooyoung's voice was low, "Let's not meet someone new tonight."
You scanned Wooyoung's face, "Are you feeling alright?"
Wooyoung laughed, "I'm fine. I just don't feel like meeting someone new tonight."
"But it was your idea in the first place-"
"Saturday is all about us, remember?" Wooyoung said, and you shook your head at him.
"As if that would stop you-"
Wooyoung brought you closer, your grip on his shoulder tightening in reflex.
"Just shut up and dance with me tonight," Wooyoung whispered in your ear, and you gulped, not knowing why Wooyoung was suddenly insisting on this, but not complaining either.
You did notice how his eyes never left yours the entire night.
You also noticed how his hands would tighten ever so slightly at your waist.
And when the music changed to something fast, you were relieved that you would no longer be dangerously close to him. Putting your feelings aside, you grinned at Wooyoung as the both of you started to dance along to the beat.
Wooyoung was really good at random dances, and he had always taught you the basics and made you dance with him often, which was why you could match his energy. It was fun to dance freely with him, an occasional twirl, occasional dip, and you really felt light after that.
Making fun of the people who gave up on dancing and watched you both instead, you both finally got home, you immediately ditching your boots and sitting on the couch, rubbing your feet while Wooyoung grabbed water for both of you.
"Fun night," you said, "You didn't have to keep me company the whole time, Wooyoung. I admit I'm bad at instantly connecting with someone, but you wasting your opportunity makes me feel bad."
"If I wanted to, I would have ditched you," Wooyoung simply said, "I really didn't want to. I wanted tonight to be about us."
"If you say so," you drank from your glass, trying not to read too much into whatever he said, getting up to change and telling him you were going to catch up on your work-
Because you really felt overwhelmed by the way Wooyoung had looked at you the whole night, and you needed space.
And Wooyoung knew that too, letting you have some time to clear your head.
-----------------
"That is one hot guy."
Wooyoung immediately slid his chair towards you, peeking at your phone while you zoomed in on the picture your colleague Eunbi had sent, trying to set you up for a blind date.
You really needed a distraction, especially when Wooyoung was this close to you, practically breathing down your neck as he slid one hand to zoom out at the picture and take a look at their face.
"Who's that?"
You slid away from him, pushing his chair back to his desk, "Remember Eunbi? You met her last time? It's her friend, she's been trying to set me up with him for quite a while now. She's always talking about him to me."
"Why doesn't she date him then?" Wooyoung asked casually, shifting his focus back on his screen.
"She's already in a relationship, but she told me he's a great guy. Maybe I should go on a date with him, what do you say?"
"I don't know... maybe just get to know him in a casual sitting- like parties, first, before going alone..."
"It's called a blind date, Woo," you said, "Should I set you up with someone too?"
"Nah, I'm good... for now," he simply said, not taking his eyes off the screen- which, from him, was abnormal behaviour.
"You sure?"
"Yes," he said, and this time you slid your chair closer to him.
"Are you sad that I'll find someone and poor Wooyoung would be all alone-"
"Hey!" Wooyoung cringed back, the two of you laughing, "I don't care, do whatever, just don't tell me the details!"
You shook your head at him, wondering why he was acting so weird at the mention of you going on a date- he was usually making fun of you instead, giving you tips, but this time...
Something had changed.
Should you address it? You wondered as you focused on your work, absently typing, stopping in the middle of it altogether.
You glanced at Wooyoung. He, too, was zoning out.
Quite unlike him.
"Are you okay?" You asked, and Wooyoung came out of his trance, rubbing his face.
"Just tired," he said, and you got up, telling him you'd make some coffee for the both of you.
You came in with the mugs, stopping midway when you saw him slumped back on his chair, rubbing his temples. You pursed your lips, setting the mugs on the table and massaging his temples, his eyes shut.
"I don't like it when you get tired," you said, "You become too quiet. I don't like it when you become quiet."
"Why?"
"I like it better when you're smiling and yapping," you laughed, making him smile as well, "Drink your coffee first, then finish work and get some sleep. Recharge yourself."
"Okay, I will," he promised, and you kissed his forehead, surprising him because you usually weren't the one initiating hugs or kisses. Usually it was Wooyoung randomly surprising you with one.
"I like it though," he said as you sat in your chair, sipping on his coffee, and you looked at him in question.
"I like it when you hug or kiss me first. It recharges me."
"Shut up," you groaned as he smirked, hiding your face because you were positive it was red now.
This side of you- you blushing over something he said or did- it was new to Wooyoung, and he wanted to see more of it.
He really, really did not want you to go on that date.
----------------
"How do I look?"
"Like you're trying too hard."
"Wooyoung, I literally only wore better clothes and combed my hair."
"You're trying too hard."
"Whatever," you shook your head at him, wearing heels, and he raised a brow.
"See? You're wearing heels! You are trying too hard!"
"And why shouldn't I?" You put your hands on your hips, "I'm going on a date, Wooyoung, I have to put some effort."
"Ah, I don't know, just don't make me cringe," he shook his hands in front of you and you ignored him, grabbing your purse.
"See you later."
As you sat in the taxi, you were positive Wooyoung was jealous. And you couldn't help but smile at that- you still weren't sure what he wanted, and you were too afraid to take the first step. So you had to distract yourself.
Because there was still a possibility that Wooyoung was only being himself, that he had no ulterior motive, that his jealousy was simply because he'd be single and you'd rub it in his face- just like he would rub it on your face when he wasn't. It was just how it went between you two.
But... there was a slight chance that Wooyoung was finally looking at you from a new perspective, looking at you as a romantic interest rather than his childhood best friend. And you... just the thought of it made your heart ache and knees go weak, which was why you didn't really want to go there.
So you went on your date and actually had a good time. His name was Yeonjun and you got along with him quite well, just because he was funny and really paid attention when you talked. And he was definitely attractive- not just because of his looks, but because of his personality too.
Which was why Wooyoung was acting quite grumpy as you told him what you talked about, how he treated you (quite a gentleman), how he was hot-
"Can you stop calling him hot every two seconds!"
You laughed out loud- you were, of course, only doing it to rile Wooyoung up.
"Was he as good as I am to you?"
"What?" You looked at Wooyoung.
"If he doesn't treat you like I do, he isn't good enough."
"And by that," you began, "You mean making me pay for your food every chance you get, teasing me 24/7, being a parasite-"
Wooyoung burst out laughing, "I mean... taking care of you. Knowing when you are tired-"
"Do you really know when I'm tired? Because I am quite tired of you-"
"Listen," Wooyoung shifted on the couch, facing you, taking one of your hands and caressing it, "If he doesn't care for you like I do... if he doesn't think you're the most important thing in his life, if he doesn't know you inside out, if he doesn't love you like I do..."
You were holding your breath.
Wooyoung glanced at you- your face was expressionless and Wooyoung, only he knew that it meant that you were confused or nervous.
Was he willing to take the risk now? Was he willing to place bets-
"Why do you need someone else when you have me?"
"Wooyoung," you began, unsure how to respond, "I... I don't understand what you're getting at-"
"Look me in the eyes and tell me you don't know what I'm getting at."
But you couldn't- you were far too overwhelmed. You had never thought there was a possibility that Wooyoung could reciprocate your feelings- you had only imagined, it had only been your wildest dreams. And now-
"I'm gonna get some water," you managed to say, trying to get up but Wooyoung wasn't having it- he didn't release your hand, making you drop back on the couch when you tried getting up, leaning forward and taking your other hand too, making you face him.
"You know. I told you I am yours. I'm only gonna ask this once. Tell me you don't love me the way I do."
"What do you mean?"
Wooyoung leaned in further, making you instinctively pull back, but he let go of your hand only to cup your face, locking your eyes with his.
"Tell me you don't want this."
He was caressing your cheek, all too aware of your wildly beating heart, his eyes falling down to your lips as he licked his, and you were about to fall flat backwards so your hand went to grip his shoulder, and he shifted back so you were half on top of him, tucking stray hair behind.
"You just have to say no, and I'll stop," he whispered, his lips meeting your jaw, planting a seductive kiss and you had to hold back your moan, because-
Was this really happening?
"Tell me you don't like this," he said, his lips trailing down your neck, almost smirking when you shifted to give him a better angle while you tried to think-
But you couldn't think.
You had no control.
"Tell me you're not mine."
You took a deep breath, shutting your eyes close for a second and then almost growling when his nose brushed against yours and you- you took the first step and kissed him.
And it was inexplainable. As soon as your lips met, he was kissing you back, his hands snaking behind your neck, gripping on your hair as he angled you better, your own hands cupping his face, and you had to break apart because you couldn't breathe, not because you were out of breath but because you couldn't believe this was finally, finally happening.
You scanned his face for any sort of surprise but there was none, his eyes were glazed as he tucked your hair behind, holding your face with one hand and bringing you back again.
You were fisting his shirt in your hands as he kissed you, slow and passionate, taking his sweet time and you let him. You let him run his hands down your neck, slide down your arm only to hold your waist and he pushed you back on the couch, now on top of you.
He scanned your face again, for any sign of discomfort, satisfied to see your face flush. "You have no idea how long I've wanted to do this."
And that sentence made you bite your lip and shut your eyes, trying to stifle your smile but failing, ending up laughing because this was unreal.
Wooyoung kissed your forehead, "You have no idea how much I love you."
Before you could respond, he was kissing you again, and you wanted to tell him that you have probably loved him longer, that you were beyond relieved that he felt the same. You hoped your feelings conveyed as you kissed him back, but he broke the kiss, breathing heavily.
"Say something."
You pursed your lips, breaking eye contact as you smiled because all of this was too much and you were basically speechless. And Wooyoung found it quite amusing.
"Shut up."
Wooyoung laughed out loud, "I didn't even say anything!"
"I can hear your smirk."
Wooyoung groaned, kissing your cheek, "Come on, say something, you're making me anxious."
You sighed, figuring now or never as you got up, sitting in front of him, and the way he was smiling was too endearing.
"Jung Wooyoung, you brat," you shook your head, "How long have you felt like this?"
"Long enough."
"That's not the correct answer."
"Probably when we finally parted ways for college and I missed you like hell and none of the girls I was with made me feel anything because all I could think about was you."
You smirked- you felt like you've won in life. "I... I don't have anything to say, except that... I love you, and you know that. You know that already, don't you?"
"I think I did," Wooyoung played with your hair absently, "I was just... scared that I was wrong."
"And I was scared that I'd ruin what we had, and I still am," you admitted, "Because... I can't lose you. Not even because we get into a relationship and things don't work out. I can't lose you, Wooyoung. So what are we gonna do?"
"I can't lose you either, and I promise you if things... if this stuff doesn't work out, we'll break it up on a good note. We'll still stay friends, like we always had. Maybe it will be difficult, but... I just can't sit still and do nothing while you go ahead and date other people-"
"So you were jealous."
"Very," Wooyoung grinned and you wrapped your arms around him, hugging him, burying your nose in the crook of his neck.
Your safe place.
Wooyoung held you tight, kissing your head. "You wanna take this to bed?"
You slapped his arm and he laughed, getting up and practically throwing you on bed, taking off his upper and crawling in, getting on top of you and kissing you like his life depended on it, his hands all over your body, yours going from cupping his face to running through his hair and back, and when he finally did break the kiss, breathless, he whispered in your ear:
"I'm gonna be kissing you all night tonight. Don't even think about sleeping."
You were positive you were going to die the way your heart lurched at his words.
But you let him. You let him kiss you, tangled in each other's arms, tired and slow kisses on your face, on your lips after the long day you've both had. You fell asleep in his arms, the most comfortable you'd felt in a while.
------------------
"Just because we're... a thing, Jung Wooyoung, doesn't mean you get a free pass at being clingy now."
"Oh, come on," Wooyoung whined, dragging you back in his lap as you used your phone to send an important message about work to your colleagues, trying not to let him distract you.
"Just give me a minute," you basically ignored him nibbling at your ear as you typed, hissing at him once to make him stop, feeling his chest shake with laughter.
"Alright, I'm done," you threw your phone away, "What do you want?"
"You," he whispered, and you pretended to throw up.
"Just because we kissed," you began, wriggling away from him, "doesn't mean you can say stuff like that! It's too sudden."
"Not like you haven't been fantasizing about me all this time-"
You grabbed the nearest thing- a cushion, throwing it at him with all your force, making him practically howl with laughter.
"I could say the same!" You shouted, "Not at you practically begging to live with me so you could... do things to me!"
He laughed louder at that, making you mutter that you were going to work, shutting the door and smiling unconsciously.
It had been three days since your new relationship with Wooyoung began. You'd been a bit shy the first day, but Wooyoung made sure not to get too physical- so you could get used to it.
The second day, you'd been too busy all day, having to go to the office and returning tired, collapsing straight on bed, Wooyoung force-feeding you dinner and letting you sleep.
And today... he was back to being normal.
You were glad nothing had changed between you two- he was still the same Wooyoung, except now extra shameless with his display of affections, but you weren't complaining.
You had just finished your work when he burst in, right on cue. "It's Friday night, let's go out for dinner."
"Where do you wanna go? I'm craving chicken."
"Done," he said, "Come on, let's get ready."
You got up, stretching and following him to your room, Wooyoung going in to change while you applied some makeup, wondering what you should do with your hair.
"Let me," Wooyoung said, grabbing a hair tie and combing your hair gently, tying your hair in a half-ponytail, doing the same with his own hair.
"Now we match."
You rolled your eyes, smiling as you went in to change, going that extra mile and wearing a denim skirt paired with a plain black T shirt with knee length boots, finishing the look with denim jacket. As soon as you came out, Wooyoung had his eyes running all over you, nodding.
"You look great."
"Thank you and stop looking at me like I'm your meal," you said, making him laugh and give you a back hug because 'you were too cute to resist'.
However, Wooyoung was soon regretting taking you out to dinner because Yeonjun, of all the people in this world, was in the same restaurant as you both, with his co-workers.
"It's a small world," you smiled, deciding to introduce Wooyoung to him, "This is Wooyoung, my best friend and... boyfriend?"
"What's with the question!" Wooyoung laughed, "Nice to meet you. We're childhood friends, the other part happened like two days ago."
"Ah," Yeonjun gave you a knowing look, "So this is the guy."
"This is him," you smiled shyly. You had, of course, at the end of your date told Yeonjun that you two really hit it off which was surprising, but you were interested in someone else and you couldn't string him along.
Yeonjun, thankfully, understood, saying they could still be friends because he enjoyed your company, no hard feelings.
However, Wooyoung here was not having any of that, especially when food finally arrived and you noticed that instead of focusing on his food or you, Wooyoung was busy glaring holes at Yeonjun, who thankfully had his back towards the two of you.
"Are you gonna eat?"
"I am," he said, nibbling on his chicken leg.
"Can you stop eye-murdering Yeonjun? And don't tell me that's not what you're doing right now."
Wooyoung smiled at that, sighing. "I just... he might like you still."
"So? I like you. Nothing can change that, you know that, right?"
Satisfied, Wooyoung pinched your nose lovingly, resuming eating like normal, and you stifled your smile because jealous Wooyoung was quite a sight.
He looked hot when jealous.
"What's got you trying not to smile?"
"I'll tell you when we get home," you simply said, and Wooyoung smirked because he was sure he was right about this.
And he was.
Because when you got home and told him you thought that jealous Wooyoung was one hot Wooyoung, he picked you up, making you straddle his waist as he kissed you, dropping you on the couch.
"Gosh, stop being so dramatic," you flushed at the way he was looking at you.
"I'm allowed to be dramatic tonight."
"Why?"
"Look at the time," he said, "It's Saturday."
"And?"
"Saturday is all about us."
You bit your lip, because you had quite some ideas for tonight too.
And Wooyoung was quite surprised when you got up and made him come to bed with you, shrugged off your jacket and took off his, kissing him with a pressure that made him lean back and back until you were on top of him, and you broke the kiss, both of you flushed.
You took your time scanning his face, smirking at the sight of him being a little shy because Wooyoung and shy? Never. You ran your hands livingly through his hair, kissing his temple, peppering kisses all over his face, muttering how much you loved the angles of his face, brushing your thumb across his plump lips and kissing him so slowly that he moaned.
And then you were kissing his jaw, his neck, and you took off his shirt, muttering curse words because he was built so well, and you ran your hands over his chiseled body as you kissed his lips, and he had enough.
He took off your shirt, leaving you in your black bra, taking a few seconds to scan your body with a satisfied smirk, pushing you down and getting on top of you and kissing you like a man deprived, and you weren't sure you would be able to stop tonight, especially when he grinded on you and made you moan quite loudly.
"Never thought I'd hear these sounds from your mouth."
"You..." you laughed, shaking your head and smirking, "My turn."
Wooyoung gladly let you top him, open mouthed kisses exchanged as you grinded on him, and you unhooked his belt, sliding it off, and Wooyoung broke the kiss to look at you.
"We can take it slow if you want."
"Now where would the fun in that be?" You grinned, and Wooyoung put his head back as he sighed, because gosh, he could take you right then and there.
"I mean," you ran a finger down his chest, "We sleep in the same bed, Wooyoung, it's gonna happen eventually."
"You're teasing me, right?"
"Am I?" you smirked, and Wooyoung shook his head, his eyes visibly changing as he changed positions, trailing kisses down your neck, sliding your skirt down in the process, running his hands down your thigh excruciatingly slowly.
"Can you stop that," you groaned, an evil smirk plastered on his face.
"We have all night," Wooyoung breathed against your ear, "And I am going to make the most of it. As far as you allow me."
You wrapped your arms around him, muttering to let him hug you for a minute, and he shifted to a sitting position, letting you hug him, skin to skin, your legs wrapped around his waist.
"I love you so much, Wooyoung," you whispered in his ear, making him shiver, his heart suddenly full, "So much that it makes me cry, because it's overwhelming."
Wooyoung unraveled his arms from around you, making you face him, spotting your tear glazed eyes, smiling at the sight.
"What am I gonna do with you?" He laughed, kissing your forehead, "I love you too, more than you could ever imagine."
You smiled, and he whispered in your ear, "I am yours, and you are mine. You had me from the very beginning, dear."
You sighed, "You had me too. I've been yours all along."
"I want to ruin you," Wooyoung whispered in your ear, "So bad. I want you so bad."
You kissed his neck, still wrapped around him, nibbling on his sweet spot, "We have all night."
Which was how Wooyoung ended up on top of you once again, the plans to ruin you evident in his eyes as he kissed every inch of you, had you writhing in seconds when his hand went between your thighs even with the garment, just the look he gave you after taking it a step further to make sure you were okay had you moaning, and by the time dawn approached, he had you, completely.
"Gosh," you muttered lazily, spent from the amount of times he made you reach your high tonight, "How am I gonna live with you if I have to sleep with you everyday?"
"How am I gonna live with you, when you're such a..."
"Say it."
Wooyoung laughed, clearly tired too, "You're such a slut in bed."
You grinned, satisfied because you had surprised him quite a few times tonight, taking him quite well for a first time, and he had never imagined you'd be this good in bed.
"I'm moving out tomorrow," Wooyoung laughed at the evil smirk you had on your face, "You're gonna be the death of me, woman."
"You know you love it," you said, kissing him softly, "I'll be gentle next time."
"That's what I should be saying to you," he laughed, "Let's be gentle next time."
But the look the two of you shared said enough. And you joined your forehead with his, kissing his nose.
"I'm glad you moved in with me."
"Wasn't I a parasite just a few hours ago?"
"I like it," you grinned, and he wrapped his arms around you tighter, telling you to shut up and sleep, smiles plastered on both of your faces.
corrupt!enhypen ot7 x siren!reader
warning(s): those stated in the first chapter, enhypen are all insane, self-harm, betrayal, death and violence, (y/n) treats the boys like puppets on strings, gore(barely), suggestive themes, the boys being literal criminals, spiking drinks, intoxications, they suffer and finally get what they deserve...and more
type: mini series
word count: 17.2k
jungwon and riki are now smitten which means that (y/n)'s plan is near perfection. now, all that's left is to finally bestow upon them the 'reward' that they deserve. a truly picturesque ending is about to befall them... well, at least to (y/n), it is.
đđđĄđŁ 3 (the finale)
đ„ungwon finds himself watching (y/n). It began with curious glances and grew to become mezmerised stares and eventually, lead him to roam with the anticipation of bumping into her. It's so painfully obvious and (y/n), being the little bundle of rainbows and sunshine she is, obviously entertains him.
She of course, doesn't miss throwing in a couple of snarky remarks and pulling off little rebellious acts just to give him a taste of both sweet and spiceâpreserving his interest until it becomes permanent. And like the others, she has succeeded. Being with (y/n), Jungwon seems to forget his social status and truly, it gives him a sense of relief yet at the same time vulnerable but he adores it. He's addicted to these newfound emotions and sensations he's never felt before.
The same goes for Riki whose guarded walls tremble and crumble with each day he uses to tutor (y/n) in dance. Every caress of her hand against his, every shy, longing gaze exchanged and every whisper of her hypnotizing, lulling voice brings goosebumps to wake on his skin. He finds himself shivering and buzzing with want towards herâto be the only one she lays her touches, to be the only one to be graced by her smiles and to be the only one whom she sees.
And Heeseung? A rat caught in a beartrap. His spirit has been through the roof ever since (y/n) confessed to him on how he's so special. Always sneaking bashful yet, hopeful glances at her when others are around and clinging onto her like a homesick pup at every chance they get to be aloneâbabbling and chanting how much he loves her, begging to be praised and reciprocated.
Others are no different. Each and every one pathetic, overgrown manbabies who don't see past their their own noses.
"(y/n)!" Sunoo calls for the girl and she exits her thoughts to lay her focus onto the other who's out in the sun while she stays shielded under the veranda. She smiles when she sees him fisting a number of small pink flowers with the widest, brightest grin on his face that rivals the sun. "Your favourite colour!"
(y/n) titters and nods and he returns to crouching on the radiant green grass.
There are others...and then there is Sunoo.
She's noticed how different he's become compared to how he was the first time they met. He's changed, but it isn't simply a facade or a temporary shift in character but he's truly changed.
With or without (y/n) in the picture, he acts the same. She's seen it plenty of times before. Whenever he and his six other friends would lounge, he'd stay quiet during the times when they would speak of scandalous topics or belittle those around themâpresent and yet, absent. When he would face a little mishap such as the servants accidentally spilling tea on his clothes, or when his aide would try to advise him, he listened. He did not immediately punish them nor does he harshly send them away but he stayed and listenedâletting the servants apologise and letting his aide speak before sharing his won thoughts which more often than not are understanding and mindful.
Certainly, he does grow irritated every once in a while and it is clear that at times, his patience is forced and smile strained however, he's tolerant. More sensible and more...attentive to those around. A better him than he ever was before.
(y/n) looks up at Sunoo who's now standing upon her and she feels something light and ticklish resting on her crown. Bringing her hand up, her lips stretch to form a grin at the soft feel of dewy petals and she realises that Sunoo's made her a little flower tiara.
"You're beautiful," he compliments quietly, still shy despite the time they've spent together, and his cheeks glow in a shade skin to the petals on her head.
"How honoured I am to be called such by someone of your stature," she teases but the frown that places itself on his face displays his distaste for her statement.
Sunoo sighs before slowly bringing himself down to his knees to instead rest his cheek against her knees. "I've told you before not to mention about that..."
His sulky tone elicits a soft chuckle of amusement from her and she runs her fingers through his dark locks.
"How can I not? Living in this mansion, wearing fancy attires and feasting on gourmet mealsâeverything reminds me of it, of how I came from nothing. You can't deny it, Sunoo. We're both of different worlds," (y/n) emphasizes once more and it deepens his sour mien.
She halts her movements when he abruptly raises his head up to glare at her but it turns gentle immediately as a face of defeat appears.
"I know but...I will make it work. I'm certain I can. The moment father returns, I will explain to him. I cherish you, (y/n), and I want to live my life with you," Sunoo softly yet adamantly states as his hands clasp hersâdrawing circles on their backs with his thumbs.
Hearing those words from him...aches her. An odd feeling.
(y/n) exhales deeply with a small shake of her head. "It will never work. I know my place and it is nowhere near you. Even if you were to tell your father, he will never accept me and I will never be granted your family name. It is more feasible that he will choose another to receive that honour."
Sunoo almost scoffs at her words. They are nothing but truth and that is exactly why he finds it more incredulous. Just as she said, he is a man of power, his family reigns over many, they are authority and yet, he is still confined to this rule that prevents him from having (y/n) to be his betrothedâto be united in holy matrimony until death do them apart.
Still, he is unable to break free from this ridiculous law and tradition. What use is power and name if he can't share them with (y/n)? What use is anything if (y/n) cannot remain by his side?
"Don't be too disheartened, Sunoo."
Her voice lures him out of his head and he lifts his head up to her before she cups his jaw with her hand. She smiles. "We do not need to be wed to stay together. I can still be with you... Perhaps, as a concubine of some sort."
Sunoo's lips fall open, in disbelief that she would even suggest such a thing. Does she truly believe that Sunoo will willingly let himself vow to be with another woman when he only has her in his eyes? And her expressionâ
His gaze flickers on her visages, not overlooking the subtle melancholia swirling in her orbs, or the stiffness of her smile and the soft knit of her brows.
How can he ever be able to let her suffer? So, he shakes his head. "No. I refuse it."
"What do you mean?" She almost gasps, interpreting his words as a rejection but he shakes his head once more.
Rising to sit on his heels, he then holds her face in his warm hands before staring at her with a look so determined and convicted that she falls quiet.
"We flee," he breathlessly says, as if he's been holding those words for the longest of times. "We run from this wretched place, away from this accursed fate and start anew. We'll follow our own rules without caring of what others may think. We'll live in our own place and we'll spend our lives happy with one another without the need to conform to all this...this absurdity that have been internalized within society."
(y/n)'s eyes widen and she shakes her head vigorously. "Sunoo, have you gone mad? Youâve lived like this for so long, what makes you think you can survive out there?â
âYou.â
His answer is immediate, concise and assured. He spared not a single second nor breath to reply and his hand moves to tenderly tuck her hair behind her ear. A soft, loving smile forevermore on his lovestruck mien whenever he gazes at her.
âYou, (y/n). Because of you, I am sure I will be able to survive for I cannot live without you. Yes, I am aware of the risk but I too, cannot ignore the undeniable so I have been considering to escape for some time,â Sunoo confesses and he brings his face closer to hersâtips of their noses touching.
âI will have everything prepared within 3 days and we will forever leave this place behind.â
âPerfect,â the girl thinks but externally, she continues to protest as she pulls away. âBut Sunoo, this place is your home. You grew up hereâcreated many beautiful, priceless memories and have many cherished belongings. You really want to leave all this behind? Will you not grow to yearn and mourn for it?â
The noble goes quiet at this, seemingly pondering over the fact or maybe even just realizing it. But then his eyes upturn once more into crescents and plush, rosy lips pull to a wide grin as he shakes his head side to side with his hair bouncing.
âMy heart have already resided with you, my love,â Sunoo claims, voice wispy and enchanting. He leans forward once more, letting his lips graze the skin of her cheek before placing a kissâthen on the other side before on her forehead, eyes, her nose, jaw and finally her lips.
He savours the kissâmelting in the warm softness of her touch and relishing in her saccharine taste.
Sunooâs hand that holds her travel upwards to gently run through his hair while the other gently guides her to tilt her head, wanting to deepen the kiss.
But before he can, (y/n) turns her face away slightly to speak.
âIfâŠIf we truly are about to leave then, can I make one request?â (y/n) asks and Sunoo nods, attention all on her. âWould it be alright to have a little outing? There is this place that I know of, that I often frequent before I came here. It was always tranquil with a view so picturesque that I wish to visit it just once more.â
The subtle bobs of his head urge her to continue.
âIâm more than ready to leave once the time comes, but I too know that it means that I will never be able to visit that place again. Your fatherâŠI donât reckon he will simply let you go without sending his soldiers to a search party,â she lets out an airy chuckle, bittersweet, and Sunoo knows that sheâs referring to the constant hunt they will be apart ofânot until they finally go as far as they possibly can from here.
It aches him, to know that the reason why they have to be like this, that she has to suffer this fate is because of him. Despite choosing to flee, it was actually his last resort as he knows that by doing so, they will be in a constant chase of cat and mice.
As if fugitives, and yet the only âcrimeâ theyâve ever committed is fall in love.
âThen, we shall go to this place tomorrow morning. I will tell the servants to prepare what we need,â Sunoo offers and the girl nods but then rests her hand on his arm lightly.
âCan we bring the others?â
âWhat?â Sunooâs voice raises in pitch from surprise, not expecting her to want to include his friends. And truthfully, as inappropriate timing as it is, he feels jealous. âWhyâI mean, they might not want to join.â
Never in a million years and more will they refuse and Sunoo knows that. Which is exactly why heâd prefer them not intruding.
But at the dispirited mien she wears, he immediately goes back on his words.
âBut, of course! They have not ventured for a holiday as of late which means they would love to attend,â he brushes off his previous statement with a light chuckle and the girlâs spirit returns.
(y/n) practically buzzes as she beams and her pecks on his cheeks make them glow bright pink. âSplendid! Itâs just that, I figured itâd be nice to have a final farewell. Youâve been friends for the longest of times, itâs only proper.â
Her attentiveness towards him makes him feel afloat, so light and giddy. To think that her proposition is for him makes him feel so touched.
So, so loved and wanted that heâs unaware of the wickedness and maliciousness that drips from her âharmlessâ words.
âFinal farewell, indeed,â she thinks as Sunoo fixes the flower crown to sit prettily on her head.
â
âSo, a sudden excursion?â Jaeyun asks as he slips into (y/n)âs dwelling that afternoon. The girl looks up from her book and smiles at himânot making a single attempt whatsoever to move because a moment later, Jaeyunâs head rests on her outstretched lap while he lays perpendicular on her bed. âWhat prompted it?â
The girl hums as he plays with her hand that hovers his faceâmassaging her palm and folding her fingers. âJust needed a breath of fresh air.â
âThen, I reckon it has nothing to do with Sunooâs father returning from his business trip. For example perhaps-â His eyes shift to stares into hers. âA little getaway for goodbye?â
His intellect surprises her considering how he is akin to a clingy puppy at most times.
She doesnât reply and he sits up, now facing her after he turns his body.
âIt is??â He asks in disbelief, eyes popping and mouth gaping. Sorrow flashes across her face and thatâs enough to answer himâlarge hands clasping both of hers instantly as he mirrors her expression. âThat canât be. You canât leave me!â
She sighs, feigning despair. âI have to, Jaeyun. Sunooâs father will not take me kindly as you all have.â
âYou have the choice to come with me. All you have to do is choose me," Jaeyun offers desperately, his grip tightening at every emphasis and (y/n) is once again taken aback by the pure genuineness from his pleading gaze.
However, (y/n) has grown bored of entertaining these entitled men. So instead, she just turns away. "You know where I stand, Jaeyun."
Her firm refusal has him breaking, shattering, and he's confident he has never felt agony as excruciating as this. It drives him mad.
Tears well in his eyes and (y/n) feels his grip tremble violently around her encased hands before cold air suddenly caresses her skin. She furrows, not expecting for him to simply let go but she is instantly corrected at the sound of objects clattering.
Her eyes widen when she sees him holding a candelabra to the skin of his arm, sleeve messily rolled as the cold item shakes in his quivering hold. The candles have all been broken and discarded to the floor along with the trinkets put on her desk.
"Jaeyun...put it down."
The latter shakes his headâbottom lip tight between his teeth, pretty eyes streaming hot tears that cascade down his flushed cheeks as he swallows his sobs into choked whimpers. "You're not leaving me. Y-you just can't! How can I live without you?? A day without you has me yearning for your soft caresses and whispers! Needing to be graced by your laughter and smiles! Do you think I could survive if you were to be absent for longer?"
'How is that my problem?' (y/n) internally hisses a snarky thought but she remains a solicitous charade. "Jaeyun, you know I have no choicâ"
"You do!" The other interjects, almost in a roar before he swallows harshly to quell himself. "You're the only one who says that! You have the choice to choose me, or any other but instead you decide to be tethered to Sunoo. Yes, he saved you! And yes, he brought you in but I could've done the same! And I can do so much better than he ever did!"
He presses the sharp edge of the candelabra onto his flesh before letting it slice against his skin, drawing blood and (y/n) gasps at this, now turning (appearing, at least) frantic.
"Don't do this, Jaeyun!" She begs as she rushes to him and albeit seeming to be guarded, he makes no effort to push her away when she runs into his chest.
Her fingers curl into the light ruffles of his white shirt and she shakes her head vigorously. "I'll think of something! I-I may not be able to be with you all the time but I will come to visit! I will make sure of it."
He stiffens instantly, expression falling to indifference and gaze hardening as he emits a shuddering breath. "So, injuring myself is not enough for you...?"
She furrows, both amused and gobsmacked at his mindset. It's ridiculous how he thinks he can make her do anything for him. It's laughable.
"Then, will you turn to me if I were to do it to Sunoo?"
(y/n)'s brain quietens almost instantly at that. Shocked.
'He's threatening to hurt...Sunoo?'
Jaeyun tilts his head upon noticing the immediate shift of response from her. He scoffs, lips pulling to a smirk as he wipes his teary eyes and cheeks with the back of his unoccupied hand. "Answer me, (y/n). Will you?"
And suddenly, she's...furious.
The noble is given no room for reaction when she abruptly smashes her lips onto his after a rough yank of his collar.
His brows raise and grip loosensâdropping the candelabra with a loud THUD! against her carpeted floorâhe's roughly pushed before being forced onto the bed when its edge touches the back of his knees.
Jaeyun grunts into the kiss when he feels her teeth pierce his lip and the metallic taste of blood spreads on his tongueâsending an electrifying feeling through him.
He gasps violently when she pulls away, in desperate need of air, especially because of the pleasuring pain but is indubitably titillated by her assertiveness. He breathes heavily as he looks up at her with clouded eyes and flaming red skinâhis head unable to conjure a single coherent thought as he's overwhelmed by his crave for her.
"Just listen to me, hm?" (y/n) hisses deceptively sweet with a raise of her brow and the other gulps, nodding like the mindless little mutt he is. Her hand begins to caress his cheek before she traces the centre of his throat down to the dip between his collarbones and down to his chest, making him arch to her touch.
He mewls loudly but immediately bites his tongue to quieten himself at the disapproving look she throws him. He must be insane. He truly must be, especially for (y/n). To feel more aroused by her anger is unnatural, is it not?
So, why does he feel himself getting stiffer and needier by it?
"What was it that you were saying before?" (y/n) asks and Jaeyun groans, eyes fluttering shut when her hand begins to trace shapes on his chest. "You wish to harm Sunoo? Hm?"
Something tells Jaeyun that by agreeing, it will only further fuel the flame of her anger. So, he does.
"Yes..." He pants out and immediately lets out a choked moan when her other hand finds its place around his throat in a tight hold.
"Don't," she seems to coo and her sickly sweet voice right beside his ear makes his eyes roll to the back of his skull. "Do not even think of doing so. He is my saviour, Jaeyun. You harm him and you'll do the same to me. You will listen to me, will you not?"
He's far too consumed by her to even respond and she frownsâsqueezing his neck until it narrows his air supply and his eyes shoot open to look at her.
"Answer me, Jaeyun. Will you?" She mimics him and the knowledge of that is so ravishing to him. To think that she's outsmarted him using his own words? Oh, he's bewitched.
And the violent nods he performs is enough to tell.
Seeing his excitement makes her scoff. 'How wretched.'
"What a good listener you are. Such a good little thing," she insults, but at his airy whimpers and fluttering eyes, he obviously did not comprehend.
As expected of a despicable, dumb mutt.
â
It was the right choice to entertain Jaeyun. Because now, there is no tail behind her asking for attention for the rest of the day as he's incredibly spent and is recuperating in his chamber with a deep slumber.
"(y/n)? What are you doing here?" Jongseong asks when she steps into the kitchen.
She casts a glance onto the tea set in front of him. "I could ask the same to you. But from the looks of it, are you making tea?"
He nods before closing the pot and walking over to her with the tray in his hands. "None can make the beverage as well as I canâwell, if I were to omit you."
(y/n) giggles and his chest fills with pride.
"Care to join me?" He offers and she replies with looping her arm around his, letting him guide her to the tea table at the garden.
And on the way they meet another, Sunghoon, who naturally invites himself to the table without even regarding their opinion.
"You can drink from mine," (y/n) pushes her cup to Sunghoon and he's glad to accept if it isn't for Jongseong shoving his own into the younger's face.
The latter's luxuriant brows knit at his intrusion but the older only shrugs.
"Any hints to where we are going tomorrow?" Sunghoon strikes up a conversation and (y/n) smiles ambiguously as she keeps her gaze on her cup.
âA place where land meets water,â she replies tersely.
Sunghoon arches a brow. "A beach? It seems you have an affinity for them. That is where Sunoo first found you, after all."
The girl grins as she traces the painted flowers on her cup. "No...and yes. The place I frequent is not a beach, but it is true I am fond of them, or more specifically, water."
Jongseong chuckles, finding her liking for something as simple and abundant as water both mirthful and endearing. "Yeah? What is it about them do you like?"
The sparkle in her eyes and blush on her cheeks are so lovable to them and they stare with faces of adorationâgrins wide and gazes tender as they anticipate her answer.
"Well, water can solve most problems first and foremost. It's one of the essences of life. They quell the thirst of all living thingsâcrops, animals and humans alikeâand they also serve as medicine for certain illnesses. And if there are distasteful people then you can..."
She trails off, suddenly silent until she lifts her stare to meet with theirs. A ghost of a smile on her face. "Drown them."
Despite knowing of her insanity, Sunghoon himself is still shocked hearing it. Meanwhile, Jongseong is purely horrified to hear his sweet girl mentioning something so violent and unhinged.
But do they grow wary? No, not at all. They simply think it's just a personality quirk. A little more 'truth' from her as a sign that they've grown closer. Which in this case, is not untrue at all.
"That's a frightening idea, (y/n)," Jongseong gasps softly as he reaches out to tuck a stray strand of hair away from her face. He looks at her attentively, his touch warm and inviting as he strokes the apple of her cheek. "Now, what gave you such a malevolent perspective?"
She shakes her head and takes a sip of her tea, meeting eyes with Sunghoon briefly as he stares at her with intrigue. "Sailors. They fall into the waters much too often."
Hoon tilts his head and dark brows knit subtly. "How do you know?"
"(y/n)!" Riki beckons and they all turn to the lad who jogs towards them.
He nods to his friends with a small, "hyung" uttered as a greeting to each and they reciprocate similarly. His eyes then shift to the lone girl and his lips curve faintly into a smile before he restrains it by pursing them together. "Sunoo hyung searches for you."
Both Sunghoon and Jongseong acquiesces her request to be pardoned but the former lad finds himself staring at her furthering back with a rather inquisitive stareâdiffering from the other who wears a small pout on his adorable petite lips.
"Let us call it a day. I doubt your inclusion is for the purpose of having tea and biscuits with me," Jongseong sighs out knowingly, ready to retire to his chamber and Sunghoon agrees. The two stand and bid brief farewells before going their separate ways and letting the servants tidy the table.
Riki and (y/n) are already within the safe, warm walls of the mansion. Both embraced by a comfortable silence before the lass breaks it.
"Why have you lied, Riki?"
Her cognizance makes his eyes widen and he whips his face to the other with alarm, mouth parted as he tries to justify himself but failing to.
His sad attempt amuses her and she titters with a soft shake of her head.
"Fret not. I don't mind and neither do I intend to tell the other two," she assures and Riki sighs in relief.
He clears his throat from embarrassment. "I...wanted to spend some time with you. As our ballroom lessons have ceased due to your outstanding ability, we have spent less and less with one another and I, well..."
Riki becomes reticent but it is not as if both he and her are unaware of his sentiments.
Of how he misses her.
After all, absence makes the heart yearn.
"Do you like them? The hyungs," he suddenly asks and (y/n) turns to him briefly, seeing him staring at his polished shoes before facing the front. "I noticed that you seem to be with them for most."
The girl hums in thought. "I have no favourites."
"Except for Sunoo hyung," he adds and it brings a smile on the other's face which is not unnoticed by the young man. It tugs on his heart effectively, in such a way that he wishes to be in the position of his older bestfriend.
In a rare state of distraction from her reverie of Sunoo, she fails to notice how the figure aside her has shifted to her front until she finds herself colliding softly against his chest.
She lifts her head up to meet his sharp, solid gaze that oddly seems to plead for her affections.
"Why? What does he have that I lack?" Riki asks out of the blue, voice in a forced composure.
'It has started,' she thinks as she recognizes that familiar green murkiness swirling in his deep brown orbs. 'The envy.'
"You lack nothing, Riki. How can you assume such a thing?" (y/n) comforts and it works wonders to assuage the young noble's anxietyâhowever, it is much heavier than how it seems.
"Then, why are you fond of him so? Is it not because he's pretty? Everyone tend to admire him for his beauty, his gentleness and elegance that are seamless. All so perfect, so admirableâeverything that Iâ" He halts at the realisation of how emotional and whiny he sounds and he swallows the remaining words. 'That I am not.'
He is uncertain of when it started, but by the time he's regulated his thoughts, his breaths are heavy and eyes are burning as vision blurs from the pools that gather in them. He sniffles but quickly fakes a cough with a turn of his headâarm against his mouth to before he hastily presses it against his glossy eyes.
Exhaling a shuddering breath, he prepares to face her again but his throat tightens and water brims within his lash line once more when she calls for his name so sweetly, warmly.
"Riki, come here," (y/n) beckons softly, barely above a whisper and he gravitates towards her figure at her opening arms. His back hunches as he bendsânow wetting the fabric on her shoulder as he hides his face against it and muffles his sobs with a harsh bite of his bottom lip. "What caused you to think of this?"
'Everyone, everything,' he wishes to say but only manages to think.
Throughout his whole life, he has been labelled as bad news and instead of choosing to work against it, to prove that it is all a misconstruction, he instead chooses to succumb to it. He fulfilled all those rumours they speak of him, conducted every misdeed no matter if it brought misery and ruin to others and became the monster they believed him to be.
To be the miscreant he believes himself to be.
Nevertheless, he reveled in itâthe power and forced reverence he carries from this imageâuntil he met (y/n).
He's never wanted, wished and prayed desperately for anything more than he has for her.
But seeing her so lovestruck and attached with Sunoo, or anybody else for that matter, it torments him. He began comparing them to himselfâlisting his flaws one by one and further digging the grave of desolation. Day by day, he understands why (y/n) prefers them more than she does with him, why she smiles more with them than him, why she likes them more than she likes him.
Why they're so much better than him in every single aspect and why she will undoubtedly turn the other way if she were given the choice to choose between him and anyone else.
And it kills him at every waking moment. And even in sleep, his dreams are haunted by this, like an incessant nightmare woven to cause him everlasting terror.
But he can't let her go. He just can't.
"Why must you come now? Why couldn't I have been to one to have found you?" Riki croaks feebly against her shoulder and the cordial, soothing caresses of her palm against his back only turns the faucets in his eyes even further. "Why am I such a wretched, worthless being?"
He has fallen too deep, feelings too grave that he is unashamed in leaving them bare. She will find out sooner or later after all. All these emotions too foreign and consuming for the young lord to keep them covert.
Her silence however, acts as some sort of balm to his distress. Seeing as she has not rejected him, he feels the slightest stroke of hope and his arms coil around her waist tighterâakin to a predatory snake and its prey yet, their roles are undoubtedly reversed.
âWhy doâŠwhy do you favour Sunoo so much?â He then, asks.
If he canât compete with Sunoo, then at least he can mimic himâtry to adopt his characteristics that (y/n) adores with the wishful thinking that he will obtain even a sliver of her affinity towards the older.
âWhy? HmâŠâ She begins to hum a tune that both acts as a calming lullaby and an anxiety inducing countdown from suspense. âIt is because he listens well.â
âL-listen?â Riki inadvertently stutters at his choked words from emotional vulnerability but then begins to straighten his posture at the feel of her hand gently tugging him back by the nape.
The girls nodsâletting her gaze run across his flushed, dewy face from his tears before offering a beguiling smile that renders him breathless. âIt is simply because he listens so well⊠And for someone like me, that in itself is a miraculous gesture. You see, those with no identity nor statusâand a woman at thatâare often cast aside. So to have someone to listen to me so attentively, to be so uncritically accepting no matter what I say or do, it means the world."
'To listen...' Riki empathizes with her deeper than he expects. Despite being a complete juxtaposition, he is aware of how it feels to be unheard. All too well.
And to have this sort of connection between them rekindles that diminishing aspiration inside of him. He has a chance to earn a place beside (y/n). The only condition is to listen and he would be the biggest fool in the world to fail.
"I'm a good listener..." Riki mumbles and (y/n) brings her hand to cup his damp cheek to which he longingly leans into. His softened sharp eyes flicker between her own deep, inquisitive gaze as his plush lips part to speak feebly. "Give me a chance...please."
His frail tone laden with pure ambition and yearn brings a smile to her faceâtriumphant, wickedâand she nods gently.
"I will, Riki. Who am I to deny you?"
â
"You hide something."
(y/n) pivots on the heels of her feet at the voice that disrupts the silence of the balcony. Her gaze meets with the curious yet cunning eyes of Sunghoon as he approaches her with slow, calculated strides. "You sound certain of yourself."
"And you are not the slightest bit bemused," the noble quips and halts his steps when he looms over her. With a tilt of his head, a corner of his lips hooks to form a smirk. "As if you have been waiting for me to confront you. Is it not?"
His confidence is admirable and she scoffs at the thought of how useful of a quality it is to have as a siren. He would be perfect for the roleâif he only deserves it.
The girl shrugs with a sly smirk of her own before taking a step backâletting her waist meet the white stone gate that protects them from a disastrous fall.
Despite the darkness of the night, the maiden is still radiant. The moonlight shining on her makes her seem to glowâhypnotizing eyes scintillating and beguiling beauty enrapturing him with each breath.
His hands find their way around her hips and his hold tightens momentarily when he takes a step forwardâfigures almost touching now and the proximity is honestly making him dizzy.
The softness of her bod and warmth that penetrates his skin seem to be working against him as wellârendering him dazed and mindless as he is filled with nothing but the thoughts of embracing her.
But no, he has an objective. He shall not let his resolve be so easily broken.
"Tell me. What is it that you have concealed from us? And why do you?" He manages to ask with composure despite the tremble of his limbs as he restrains himself from just pulling her into him.
Wearing a faux face of naivety, she strays her eyes from him. "Why are you so sure that I am hiding anything? I'm just a lone, forsaken girl who was saved by a young, rich noble with too much time and money in his hands. Unless, of course..." She returns her focus to the other as her mien now shifts to a daunting, challenging look. "You have an inkling to what it is that you say I withhold."
Her implication is accurate and Sunghoon's reticence proves it. So she taunts him.
"Come now. I thought you wanted me to reveal my truth so why are you the one keeping to yourself?" (y/n) scoffs and gently rests her hands on his slim bodâfeeling the soft curves and dips of his abs beneath the thin night shirt he wears. She doesn't miss the sharp inhale he takes.
"What am I hiding, Sunghoon? Enlighten me."
Sunghoon shudders when she slides her palms up higher to his chest before dangerously down to the low band of his trousers hugging his hips. "That you...you're a pirate."
Fits of giggles erupt from the girl before they evolve to laughterâhand cupping her mouth to prevent from being too loud and potentially awaking the others as tears brim her eyes.
A pirate? How creative. Although, it is the most plausible answer considering what he knows of her.
Found at the shore wearing ragged cloth, having an affinity for water, is aware of the fact that many sailors have met their doom at the seasâclearly, she is a pirate.
"I am impressed. If this is your way of flirting then I say you have succeeded," she teases with little airy chuckles escaping her and although to woo her is not his main mission, he can't help but feel proud and gratified.
Feeling emboldened, he decides to make a move.
"Does that mean you'll grant me a kiss?"
He will never admit it but he's desperate. His friends have all been graced by her touch and endearment, he knows thatâeven her secret relationship with Heeseung because the latter has become much too blissed out recently to even realise how obvious he's being, especially when drunkâso why has he not received anything from (y/n)?
Is he not ravishing enough? Impossible. Maybe, he's not charming? Not in any universe. Perhaps (y/n) finds him unattractive? Never does anyone find him so. He is the epitome of perfection.
Which means that the only reason why (y/n) has been so conserved with him is because she's bashful and hesitant. What if she is rejected by him? What if he finds her unpleasant? She must be so worried which lead her to be so guarded with him. All she needs is a little push and Sunghoon is more than willing to be the catalyst.
"Why should I grant you a kiss?" (y/n) retorts and the sight of her furrow amuses him.
'Ahh... She truly is a stubborn little dove,' he thinks as a beguiling grin stretches on his pretty, porcelain profile. "Why should you not? You do not need to shy away. I promise, I will not reveal any of our shared experience tonight to any other."
His narcissism oozes so profoundly, it chokes the maiden. And she wishes so badly to rip it from him.
"You're unworthy of it. You have nothing to be rewarded for," (y/n) states casually and his jaw clenches while stare hardens.
Reward? Why is she speaking as though he is a mere pet asking for treats? Does she not realise that him even offering her to touch him is an honour itself? Despicable.
"You think so highly of yourself to call a simple gesture from you as reward. You should know that your worth is decided by othersâsuch as how you're treated like the lady of the house simply because the lord, Sunoo, has decided for it to be. But without him, you are but the same deserted speck of existence you were before."
Sunghoon's words are now venom, voice hissing and gaze akin to slicing blades. His fingers are forceful around her, sure to paint her skin in shades of purple and green but she retains her sangfroid.
The bewilderment on his face is so unbelievably comedic when he sees her completely unrattled and instead, wearing the same kind, inviting mien she always does.
"Were you not the one who asked me to 'grant' you a kiss? If it truly is as meaningless as you say, then why do you ask me for it?" She wittily responds and Sunghoon's visibly rendered speechless but he quickly picks himself up.
"Th-that was just a figure of speeâ"
Once again, he's silencedâbut this time by her lips pressed against his as she hungrily devours him.
Bratty boys have always been her favourite, after all.
Sunghoon's hands on her hips loosen from surprise and she takes the opportunity to press herself against him to which he enthusiastically reciprocatesâbucking his hips forward and wrapping his arms around her before dipping his head forward to deepen their connection.
He groans pleasurably when her tongue slips between his teeth to explore the hot, wet cavern of his mouth. The tightness in his trousers grows and she feels him throb and twitch against her, causing her to skillfully spins their positions to instead, have him pressed against the stone balustrade before grinding into him.
Sunghoon moans loudly at this. The sensation much too stimulating through the flimsy, thin fabric of his slacks and her nightgown. He can almost feel everything.
Almost.
And it drives him crazy.
He subconsciously chases after her lips when she pulls away, craving for more, needing to be satiated and whines pathetically when she rejects by turning her head away. Still, he finds an alternative and latches his wet, bitten lips onto her neck to leave open-mouthed kisses.
"To see you so gravely affected by a worthless kiss, it makes me doubt your words," (y/n) brings up and Sunghoon huffs against her skin. "Anyways, you've gotten what you asked for so I think I should retire now."
She attempts to escape from his caging hold but his grip only tightens and teeth graze her skin.
"Wait," he breathes out heavily as he begins to nip and fingers dig into the flesh of her waist, clawing and squeezing in protest. "Don't go."
"Why? Were you not the one who said I am of no value? There is no reason for you to ask for my company," (y/n) intentionally rejects, wanting to see him surrender on his own accordâfor him to admit himself that he yearns for the touch of someone as irrelevant as her.
Sunghoon is panting now, face buried in the crook of her neck as he shakes his headâlashes tickling her while hot breaths causing her hair to rise. "No..."
"Hm? You didn't?"
"I did! But am I wrong?" He remains egotistic as he raises himself slightly, just enough so his face is at level with hers as he glares stubbornly into her eyes and yet the shake of his dark, hungry pupils belie him.
She softly arches her brow, expressing her dissatisfaction to his remark and he subconsciously winces at it. "It seems I've wasted my time. I shall see you again tomorrow, my lord."
The term she uses to address him sounds foreign albeit it being only right. It makes them sound distant, and the tone she uses is frigid alongside her austere gaze.
He rejects it.
'No, no no!' Sunghoon chants as she manages to step aside and within a breath, he hurries to block her path to the insideâearning him a mien of incredulity from the girl which shifts into intrigue when he brings her hand to cup it against his face.
"I revoke my statement. I-I'm sorry so please, help me," he pleads through broken, wispy croaks and he nuzzles his face into her palm. His other hand then reaches for her other and brings it down to the centre of his slacksâher brows knit and eyes harden when he begins to rub her palm against the stiff bulge, letting her feel his desperation. "You did this to me. It's only fair that you will help me, right?"
To say she's disgusted is an understatement. The shameless act of using her hand to caress his arousal without her consent? Revolting.
"UGH!" A choked grunt emits from the other at her abrupt blow to his hardened core and he plummets to his knees at the agonizing pain. Never did he expect her to be so violent. His eyelids are shut tight before they snap open with shock at the blunt yet forceful affliction against his lower part.
His gaze travels down to the ball of her foot pressing mercilessly before he brings his eyes up to see what he can confidently say is the most lethal yet beautiful sight he has ever seen in his life.
There, (y/n) stands with a bewitching nonchalance, cryptic, that juxtaposes with her typical softness and he's reminded of the first time he spoke to her.
Stretching his lips to a smile, he was finally able to let out a small chuckle. "Are you sure your friends won't be upset with you by giving these to me?"
(y/n) shook her head and stoodâhands dusting her skirt and straightening it before she turned towards the mansion.
"How are you sure?" Sunghoon asked once more as he too, rose to his feet and now towered over the other.
The latter tittered and brought her hands behind her back, clasping them together as she began to amble. "Because I ate them."
The memory kindles an unfamiliar sensation in him and suddenly, the pain she inflicts becomes more welcomed than he anticipatedâhead falling back, eyelids fluttering and tongue almost lolling out his hanging jaw.
(y/n) scoffs, feeling him twitch and throb under her foot and she lifts it before stomping downâeliciting something between a moan and shriek from the other as he shakes, eyes rolling backwards.
The girl's lips curve to a smirk at the enticing sight beneath her and she begins to massage him through the thin fabric which unsurprisingly makes his hips buck and body limp forward.
His forehead resting against her knee as she stands between his graciously parted legs. A shivering, whimpering and moaning mess as he starts to press wet kisses against her leg to try and distract himself from completely losing his brain from the pleasure.
(y/n) is going to have fun tonight, and she's amiable enough to grant him the sameâseeing as it is the last time he will ever be able to.
â
Finally, the day of the trip arrives. Hearty laughter and merry conversations fill the air as the seven nobles rest upon the mats they've laid on the pillowy green grass of the hill. Picnic baskets filled with an abundant of food and beverage surround them, the dawn sky is in a beautiful, amber and pinkish hue while a constant zephyr caresses their figures.
A perfect day.
(y/n) has brought them to a small hill quite a far distance away, on the outskirts of the village and further into the forest. But the journey was not taxing. In fact, it is as nature itself have been awaiting their arrivalânot a single vine nor stone obstructed their path, nor does any insect or any other fauna disturb their peace. The dispersed flora only adds more comfort and almost a sense of magical ambience as they ventured through before finally arriving at a cliff.
The seven understands now why (y/n) brought them to this place.
Grass is greener, sky is clearer and the view... oh, the view that greets them is unlike any other. Below the cliff is the sea and it is vast and breathtaking, stretching further away. The rising sun seems to be magically emerging from the waters as its light illuminates the surface to create the illusion of twinkling crystals.
"(y/n)! Come and have this beverage Jongseong just made! It's sweet and refreshing!" Jaeyun beckons and (y/n) pulls her gaze away from the gentle waves of the sea below them before joining the group.
Heeseung immediately opens his arm, inviting her to sit by his side on the mat while he supports his slightly leaning figure with his other hand.
The girl accepts which undoubtedly ignites some jealousy from the others but she cares not. Her eyes are only set on one, after all.
"Here," Jaeyun offers her the cup but instead of letting her hold it, he brings it to her lips and let her drink. Heeseung notices this and scowls at his excessive indulgence although, he too would do the same if given the chance.
The fiery competitiveness between both men is hilarious but she enjoys the princess treatment. For once, they are using their hands and energy for the sake someone other than themselves.
"Are you feeling cold?" Jungwon then approaches with a blanket in his hands and he sits on his heels before pulling down her lifted dress to cover her legs exposed by her sitting position. With an amiable smile, he gently lays the blanket onto them for extra warmth to which she thanks with her own small grin.
Sunghoon watches from the side with crossed arms and restrains a scoff. "All this coddling is going to suffocate her."
"That so? At least, we're doing something," Heeseung retorts and earns himself a glare but the moment Sunghoon meets eyes with (y/n), he shies away and the tips of his ears and cheeks mantleârecalling the intimacy they shared the night before.
Riki rolls his eyes at the oldersâ childishness and yet he too, finds himself abashed once meeting the gaze of the girl and only manages to flash a sheepish smile before whipping his head away.
Jongseong does not fail to notice the twoâs oddity but he says nothing, assuming that they must have shared an experience with (y/n). At this point, her relationships with his brothers are not a mystery. They've all seen how she's affectionate with each and every one of them but strangely, they do not argue.
It seems they've become aware that by doing so, it will only create more disadvantage for them. To argue means that (y/n) will undoubtedly return to the safe, peaceful embrace of Sunooâs and stay hidden from their sight as to not provoke any more ire.
So theyâve learned to shareâalthough, deep down each and every one of them wishes to monopolize her, to shackle her within their own cages that theyâve prepared just for her.
All except for one.
One who truly sees her as not a mere possession but a living, breathing being capable of her own mind and heart.
âIt is a great day,â Sunoo sighs dreamily as he awes at the clear pink sky before turning his head to look at (y/n) whoâs joyous laughing as sheâs surrounded by his friends. He smiles, eyes akin to scintillating crescents.
Her image now is a stark contrast from how he and her first met. And knowing that sheâs in a far better position now causes his chest to swell with relief and gratitude.
âSheâs happy.â
Feeling his stare, (y/n) turns to him and is instantly greeted by the sight of him watching her with endearment and undivided attention. His hand lifts to wave at her and she feels her heart grow.
âIt was ludicrous! If only theyââ
Jaeyun halts his words when (y/n) starts to rise to her feet, letting the blanket slip off her lap and onto the picnic mat before she makes her way to whom she calls her saviour.
The other 6 watch with apparent flames in their eyes while they turn to deep shades of greenâsentiments burgeoning when they see her naturally falling into his open arms like puzzle pieces.
Sunoo clings onto her before pressing his lips against her crown lovingly, pure adoration oozing from his every gestureâfrom his melting honey gaze to his delicate, lingering touches.
"What a perfect pair," Jongseong mentions and yet, the sarcasm in his voice is sharp and critical.
Heeseung's brows knit further at the younger's statement but he too can't seem to deny as his hardening gaze burns through the initial two. "On the surface they are."
'He is not the only one she adores,' they all selfishly think but appear unbothered aside from their overt jealousy.
"True," Jaeyun agrees confidently, almost vainly. "The only reason why she's so affectionate with Sunoo is because he brought her in."
"Really?" Riki asks curiously and his brows raise. If that is one of the reasons then it's no wonder Sunoo is unrivalled. How can they? Seeing as they took no part whatsoever in saving her.
Jaeyun nods, once again smug. "She told me last time when we were...sharing a moment together. She spoke of how prominent Sunoo is in her life but the only reason being is because she sees him as his saviour. She's indebted to him."
A silence follows as the other five dwell on his words.
"Then...she holds no deep affection for him?" Jungwon asks, wanting assurance as he blinks his cat-like eyes to the older who bobs his head.
"Her affections for Sunoo are as earnest as her feelings for us all."
And all of a sudden, an abrupt greed imbues their chests before it grows and stretches to the ends of each limbâup to the top of their heads down to their toes, the feeling gnaws and festers as a wicked idea surfaces.
If what Jaeyun says is true, that (y/n) likes Sunoo just as she does to them, does that not mean that they are all eligible to gain a position in her heart? The only distinctive factor that separates them from Sunoo is just her sense of gratitude for the addressed due to his heroism.
It is simply just that.
So, if he were to...vanish, per say, does that not mean that they all can vie fairly to be the new conqueror of her heart?
"Why are you all so quiet there??" Sunoo's yell hooks them out of their deviously scheming thoughts and they turn to see him tilting his head at them with a furrow of confusion. "Come! (y/n) says the view will be more wonderful when the sun rises!"
Sunoo swivels on his heels before jogging off to the aforementioned girl who stands near the edge of the cliff while his friends remain unmoving.
The six however, seem to share a similar sound of mind when they turn to one another to exchange ambiguous looks and malignant grins.
They know what they have to do.
"Wah~! The sky is painted in such pretty shades!" Sunoo awes naively with (y/n) by his side, unaware of the approaching six figures from behind. "(y/n), this place isâMMPH!"
A gasp erupts from the girl when she's abruptly pulled back by the shoulders by a pair of strong, large hands while Sunoo is roughly rendered immobile as his wrists are pinned to his back by a brusque grasp while another hand clamps his mouth.
His foxy eyes grow twice their size when he turns to see Heeseung smirking at him with malice glinting in his darkened eyesâimmediately looking around frantically to ask for help from his other friends only to see them sporting the same countenances.
Sunoo blinks rapidly, flustered and panicked but he's still very much aware to check on (y/n)âgrunting harshly below Heeseung's large, muffling palm when he sees the girl being held back by Riki.
"As much as I agree with this plan, I do think it is unwise for us to let (y/n) be a witness. She will only grow to contempt us from watching us kill her guardian angel," Jongseong voices out rationally from the side, arms crossed and sharp eyes darting between the captured two.
Jungwon clicks his tongue, dissatisfied and vexed at his older friends' rashness that lead to such a messy situation. "Well, it is much too late for that now, is it now? She's already seen usâno, she's watching us right now."
"Do not fret," Sunghoon suddenly chimes and his eyes meet with (y/n)'s glossy ones which turn to a glare instantly and he feels himself shiver with twisted delight. "I know someone who can make her forget all this ever happened. After all, my family has funded for the establishment of a mental institution near our home."
"Excellent!" Jaeyun claps his hand once to show his agreement, toothy grin flashing innocently despite being anything but.
They all then approach Sunoo, backfacing (y/n) in the process as if trying to obstruct her from viewing.
Heeseung lets go of his suffocating grip on the younger's mouth and he gasps for air desperatelyâpanting and shaking as the lack of air catches up. But he's quick to recover.
"What is the meaning of this?!" He shrieks, glaring at the others with such ferocity that he almost seems unfamiliar to the rest. "Let me go this instant! Your pranks are not funny!"
Jungwon scoffs, lips pulled to a mocking smirk as he clutches Sunoo's dark locks within his hand and earns a sharp cry from the other. He yanks his head up as he stares daggers into his fox-like eyes. "This is not a jest, Sunoo. What it is, however, is the perfect plan to finally rid you off of your podium and let us have our rightful chance to gain (y/n)'s heart."
His words confuse the older whose brows visibly knit. "Wh-what?"
Jaeyun clicks his tongue with irritation. "Don't feign obliviousness now! You always keep (y/n) by your side, keeping her tethered to you with the excuse of you being her guardian!"
"I never!" Sunoo denies and this in turn, evokes Sunghoon's wrath.
"Is that so? Were you not the one who raged at me, accusing me of trying to 'steal' (y/n) away from you when all I did was suggest for her to get treatment for her wellbeing?" Sunghoon hisses, stepping forward while Won tightens his grip on Sunoo's hair. Hoon scowls at his rival before arching his dark brow challengingly. "Do correct me if I have wrongly misjudged you."
Sunoo can only bite his trembling lip, unable to refute and at his silence, the others begin to bombard him with complaints and cursesâboth aimed to bring misery and demise to the poor, young noble.
Meanwhile, (y/n) has been quiet and strangely compliant within Riki's hold and he is honestly bewildered. But his loosening grip becomes taut once more when she suddenly speaks.
"Riki."
Oh, how his heart skips beats just from hearing her mellow, sweet voice call for him.
"yEsâ" He clears his throat at the unexpected crack in his voice. "Yes?"
"I thought you wanted to gain my favour," (y/n) then, says and he stays mute, not knowing what he should say. "I thought you said you wanted a chance."
He freezes, eyes widening briefly.
"Do you not want it anymore? Or maybe, were you simply just toying me around like all the others do?"
His throat dries. "IâNo! Of course not! I was never toying with you! My feelings are genuiâ!"
"Your actions say otherwise," (y/n) spits abruptly and the ire in her tone makes his knees buckle and face pale.
Is she cross with him? Does she despise him now?
"You betray me," she says coldly, voice firm and rough despite its lack of projection. "You betray us. What we could've had."
The abrupt shift of her tone when he hears it crack and tremble into a feeble whisper makes him shake his head with horror at the realisation that he has disappointed her.
'You betray us. What we could've had.'
Her words echo in his ears and his bottom lip begins to quiver, desperate to justify himself and yet seeing the brutal scene unfolding before themâhis brothers belabouring Sunoo both mentally and physicallyâhe finds little to no chance of him saving himself.
Has he ruined his chances with her?
After she so kindly and graciously offered him one? Even when she's so patient and lenient by only setting him one condition and that was toâ
"Listen," (y/n) shakily says and Riki looks down at the side of her face, heart clenching so suffocatingly he loses his breath. "I thought...you said that you'd listenâthat you're a good listener. But perhaps, I should not have given you the benefit of the doubt."
CRACK!
And just like that, Riki's resolve shatters into a million shards and his thoughts have gone haywire.
He wants to rewrite himself for (y/n). He wants to prove that he can be betterâhe will be better.
And this objective is so strong and overwhelming, it blinded him. So, so blinding that he doesn't seem to notice how his hands have slipped from (y/n) to instead grapple another before brashly and mindlessly shoving them off the cliff.
A loud shout erupts while heads turn with shock and panic, all eyes widening and jaws falling.
"JAEYUN!" Jongseong shouts frantically as he runs to the edge to see the younger emerging from the water. Thank goodness, the sea is sereneâcalm and silent other than the soft splashes made by the smallest waves that hit the ragged sides of the cliff.
He sighs with relief, grateful for natureâs patience and understanding. If the waters were raging, Jaeyun could have suffered a fate much worse.
âRiki! What is the meaning of this??â Heeseung growls, clearly disapproving and upset. âHave you lost your mindâOh."
Ears perk at the sound of controlled surprise that left their furious eldest's mouth and they follow his hard stare to see Riki standing behind (y/n) whose hand is wrapped around Sunoo's wrist.
Heeseung, with the other 4 nobles standing firm on his side, express bewilderment at the sight of the 3 who are clearly against them. But it does not linger in Heeseung as he's suddenly smirkingâa scoff of disdain escapingâand he wets his bottom lip with a swift swipe of his tongue.
"Oh, so this is how it goes? Behind our backs, you've decided to consort with the enemy and betray your lifelong brotherhood," he hisses and Sunoo furrows deeply.
"Enemy? As in...me?" The latter asks with his tone feeble and shaky. The rims of his eyes are already brimming, glistening with hot tears as he recalls what just transpired.
Jungwon clicks his tongue with irritation as a groan of exasperation rumbles through. "Yes, you! Who else could it be, Sunoo?? If you were not such a selfish bastard who hogs (y/n) all to himself, it would not have gone this far."
Sunoo gasps, his wide shocked eyes meeting the venomous feline eyes of the younger who only scorns.
"It's fine, isn't it? After all, they are still outnumbered," Jongseong points out and the realisation fills the majority group with a sense of triumph. Their previously frigid faces now grinning malevolently as they begin to step closer. "Jungwon, make sure (y/n) remains obedient, will you?"
Jungwon snickers, thrilled as a wicked grin forms. "Of course."
However, just as the four are about to commence with their plan of once again, eliminating Sunoo but now with an addition of Riki, a loud, booming thunder roarsâshaking the ground beneath themâbefore being followed by an explosive, sharp lightning that rips the skyâmaking them crouch and cower as they rush to to cover their heads.
The tremble is violent, the sound akin to a banshee's shriek and a heavy storm brews abruptlyâclouds thickening and ridding of any sunlight while its snowy white trait turns into a deep, dark grey. It's all so sudden and unexpected. The previous sunny day seemed to be a mere figment of their imagination from how quickly the weather shifted. It's impossible.
"The waves are picking up! I-I'm starting to get carried away! Find help! AND QUICK!" Jaeyun shouts frantically from the waters. His yell is shaky as the body of water he floats in begin to turn violent. It almost swallows him but he manages to pull himself back up with a sharp gasp of air. His eyes widen with terror as he realizes how precarious of a situation he is in and the colour drains from his face. He flounders in the water as he looks up at the top of the cliff. "HURRY! PLEASE!"
Sunghoon combs his hand through his dark locks stressfully. A sharp hiss sounding as he listens to his brother's desperate calls. "We have to save Jaeyun first. The temperature's fallen and he will soon freeze. The waves will engulf him."
"Sunghoon's right. Search the carriage. There might be a rope or something in the emergency supply box," Heeseung sighs out exasperatedly before approaching the edge to look down at the floundering Jaeyun. "Stay afloat! We will get you some help soâ"
"I've tried to be patient," (y/n)'s feminine, eerily calm tune interrupts Heeseung and they all whip their heads to her just to see her with her head hung down. "I've tried to be patient...just for the sake of Sunoo. I wanted him to be able to laugh with his brothers just a bit longer...for the last time."
As if listening to her hauntingly soft voice, the aggression of the waters have quieten, the winds now absent and even the faint rustles of small creatures have vanishedâcreating a still dead silence that makes her voice seem to echo.
"'Last time?' What are you..." Jungwon trails off when (y/n) slowly lifts her head to reveal her ghostly pale eyes, a mix between an icy blue and an exotic, venomous caledon with shimmering silver flecks surrounding her slit, pitch black pupils.
He gasps with terror, stumbling back on his heels and crashing against Sunghoon who wears the same, pale-faced look of horror just as the rest are.
But what scares them most is when she smiles, malignant and vengeful, and reveals lines of sharp teeth, sharper than razors that even just seeing makes them feel as if their flesh is being torn by rows and rows of blades.
She's a creatureâa terrorizingly beautiful and bloodthirsty monster. They can see it in her piercing, predatory eyes.
"A witch... She's a witch!" Heeseung shouts accusatorily as he attempts to step back but once again, thunder roars and lightning strikes before the heavy clouds begin to shower bullets. The sounds of turbulent waves crashing against the cliff and the deafening rain muffle their ears from hearing anything else.
"DID I NOT MENTION BEFOREâTO NOT GRAZE EVEN A HAIR ON SUNOOâS HEAD?" (y/n) vociferates with a voice shrill and booming throughout the cliff. Her figure stands at the edge as her cutting gaze fixes on a speechless, petrified Jaeyun.
Sheer fright and panic as he struggles to remain afloat from the violent fearful tremble of his limbs combined with the hostility of the waters that exert his limits.
(y/n)âs reptilian eyes narrow as the ire in them bursts. âYet, you still foolishly ignoreâŠand so you shall pay.â
There is no time to wonder on what she means when Jaeyun abruptly begins to scream with excruciating agony. His sounds of pain alert the others who rush to inspect the causeâeyes widening and jaws unscrewing when they witness the horrid sight.
Red begins to diffuse in the water surrounding their fallen brother as he writhes and flails frantically in the pool. Invisible forces seem to be tearing through his clothes and deep into his fleshâcreating cut after cut that seems to increase in severity the more it continues.
Jaeyun gargles a mouthful of salty sea water when he momentarily submerges from the overwhelming pain and yet heâs given not a moment of restâcontinuously yelling and pleading for mercy as his deep injuries sting terribly with a torment like no other.
Itâs as if his whole body is engulfed in flames as the salty liquid seeps into his open flesh and he struggles more and more to stay afloat.
âH-help! HelpâŠ!â Even his desperate cries have grown weakâhis throat burning from the salty pool and eyes threatening to shut as the blood loss sends his consciousness slipping.
âWhat is happening?? Whatâs causing him those injuries? Are there sharks below there??â Sunghoon frantically voices, in panic at the terrifying state of his friend.
Jungwon trembles violently, fearful and yet unable to tear his eyes away and thatâs when he sees it. Sharp, shimmering tails. His face blanches immediately as throat dries, his heart thumping so forcefully and quickly from the terror that it seems to wish to escape on its own. âNoâŠthese are not sharks.â
And as if awaiting for a more dramatic flair, the figures that have been shredding Jaeyun from below the surface like piranhas emerge with mischievous, devious eyes and wicked grins that display their rows of razor teeth.
They bear the same characteristics as (y/n)âpale, icy eyes that drip with malice and an ethereal beauty so deadly it gags them.
"They cannot help you nor can you help yourself," (y/n)'s voice rings and it surrounds them from every angle, from every direction, even through the deafening storm as if she's enwrapped their headsâyet here she stands upon them. "I am your only salvation."
Chills run down their spines as they attempt to maintain a defensive stance but it's an impossible feat with how heavy the rain isâit quickly bringing them to their knees from its sheer intensity and weight. Fear dominates them as they realise how greatly disadvantaged they areâvision greatly blurred and ears deafened but ironically, they also feel a sense of...excitement.
They can't calm the trepidation and yet, neither can they contain their obvious anticipation of what's to come. Their hearts are racing, cheeks flushing as they wonder what sort of deviousness (y/n) has planned for them.
And that hopeful feeling only multiplies when the sound of her giggles echoâsilencing every rational, coherent thought as they physically tremble with titillation.
It's her.
At the end of the day, it's still her. The girl they adore, the girl they admire and have fallen so deeply with to the point of an unhealthy obsession. They've always wanted her, that's the main reason why they even orchestrated to remove Sunoo in the beginning. But now, seeing as how they're so desperately craving her, needing and yearning for her despite seeing her true nature, they realise that they've gone truly insane.
Nevertheless, they think they will truly lose their mind if they are not graced by her presence in the next second.
"(Y/N)! (Y/N), D-DARLING!" Heeseung is the first to crumble as he practically uses all the air in his lungs to howl for the girl. "I'm sorry! I-I never should have acted so foolishly! It is a mistake and I will repent! Justâjust let me join you, my love!"
Another giggle and he jolts in his position at the pleasant goosebumps that rise on his skin. He pants before inhaling deeply, about to holler once more but is halted by a hand clasping his mouth with a harsh slap.
(y/n) looms over him, reptilian eyes cutting into his as her long, forked tongue runs across her razor teeth and despite the horrifying nature of her form, Heeseung smiles beneath her hand.
The girl of his dreams, she's come to him.
"Silence yourself or I shall do it for you," she hisses as her fingers dig into his cheek and bends down slightly only to bare her teeth when he attempts to raise himself, desperately chasing after her. "Disgusting."
Still keeping a hand over his mouth, she shifts her focus to the other three who are already staring at her as much as they can with eyes straining due to the stormâhoping to get even a sliver of the attention that she gifts Heeseung.
"Mmph...(y/n), please. Take me back. I-I'm sorry," the eldest of the nobles muffles against her palm as he presses needy kisses against her cold skin. "Pleasepleasepleaseâ"
"Enough!" She snaps brusquely and he shudders, eyes fluttering at her command to which she recoils at. A pathetic specimen of a man.
This is not what she wantsâshe refuses to let them find pleasure nor contentment from her ministrations and yet, Heeseungâs brain is far too muddled with his affections for her that even her insults are defined as rewards.
She cannot let that be.
Heeseungâs round eyes grow twice their size, bulging out of their sockets and unconcerned for the sharp droplets stinging them as an inexplicable, unendurable pain burns at his cheek.
His voice is untamed, shouting and yelling in pure agony as the taste of his own blood spreads on his tongueâthe result of (y/n) ruthlessly, in the slowest, most excruciating manner, stabbing her sharp nails through his cheek until her fingers press down on his wet pink musclle.
Heeseung writhes and thrashes, desperate to flee from her blade fingers as she continues to viciously rip through his soft tissue, nearly ripping his whole jaw but she stops before she reaches that far. She'd hate for him to die so quickly.
Pulling her hand back roughly, she revels in the way he continues to scream through the pain as bloodshot eyes flow endlessly with thick tearsâhis body toppling over to land on his back harshly as his skull crashes onto the stone ground.
The large hole at the side of his face oozes with thick, dark blood like a waterfall and into his own mouth as he twitches and jumps like a fish out of water.
She then turns to the other three with a sharp spin and she smiles sweetly although the blood of their brother that drips down her hands as she clasps them express otherwise. âHow rude of me to not entertain the rest of my company. As an apology, I will grant each of you your own personal attendee. Now, wonât that be swell?â
The three nobles are rendered speechless from fright, throat dry and body paralyzed both from her horror and the rapidly dropping temperature. Despite it being supposedly early morning, the day is more fitting to be evening with how the sun is completely veiled behind thick layers of dark gray clouds.
Harsh winds blow, adding more to their chill as if the storm is not sufficient enough to freeze them.
â(y/n), please⊠I thought we had something. I thought we were companions,â Jungwon attempts to crack her stony heart and yet the frigid stare she casts him is enough to confirm that she will not be swayedâby any means possible. Tears brim his eyes and he blinks furiously as breaths begin to grow ragged and rushed, desperate.
Sunghoonâs quick to notice that heâs begun to hyperventilate and he grunts, struggling to move his laden figure and clothes to reach the younger. âJ-Jungwon.â
This act doesnât go unseen by (y/n) and yet, she simply turns her head away. They deserve not even a pinch of mercy.
Growing impatient, she thinks she might just finish the job by herself until the melodious song of her people begins to pierce through the air.
Its hypnotizing quality is overwhelming, instantly putting the nobles in a hazy condition, a brief moment of respite, before being abruptly drowned into a sense of deep desolation and uninhibited anguish.
Their previously melodious hums shifted suddenly into bloodcurdling banshee shrieks and wails as they arrive atop the cliffâall wearing white rags and hanging from their shoulders as a poor excuse of clothing however, it only makes them appear more haunting and daunting.
Akin to ghostly, vengeful spirits thirsty for bloodâwhich in this case, is not entirely false.
The fear and shock that imbue in the kneeled noblesâ figures jolt them immediately, even Heeseung who was writhing against the floor and Jungwon who was struggling for breath.
As if orchestrated before, the maidens all divide themselves to stand behind a man each. The ominous ambiguity of whatâs to come fills the humans with a dread alike no other and theyâve begun to plead for (y/n) to âgrant us mercy!â or âwe will changeâbe better men!â
All of which, she disregards.
âAs promised, you all will have a woman eachâis that not to your preference?â (y/n) mocks, tone light as if she is doing them a favour and yet the condescension that paints her features are a telltale sign of her true intention.
Her words make them quickly shake their heads. Theyâve seen the fate that has befallen Jaeyun as he was ripped to shreds in the waters before.
As if hearing their thoughts, (y/n) grins and with a snap of her fingers, another maiden arrives with a limp body carried in her strong arms before itâs dropped carelessly in front of the four.
Their eyes widen and jaws drop to see their brotherâwhom they assumed was deadâwheezing laboriously as blood continues to spill out of his deep, flesh cuts that are carved into every surface of his bod.
His expensive attire now completely stained with a crimson shade while his skin is paled with almost a bluish undertone.
Heâs still aliveâsurviving, to be exactâand yet he already looks like a corpse. Jaeyunâs eyelids flutter as he attempts to lift them but to no avail and he continues to pant and moan feebly at the excruciating torment, not even aware that his brothers are by his side.
âJaeyun!â Jungwon calls out, feline eyes round, but heâs restricted from uttering another word when the siren behind him roughly clasps his mouth with her cold hand, the other grappling his shoulder with long sharp nails that sink into his flesh.
He grunts against her palm as blood seeps through his shirt from his fresh wounds.
(y/n) giggles, a sound too sweet for someone so diabolical and the nobles thrash within the grasps of their captor when theyâre abruptly immobilized by the siren standing behind them.
Each of the mystical being now standing on their knees as their arms wrap around the man relentlesslyâmimicking (y/n) who holds the same pose with the dying Jaeyun in her embrace.
âTheyâve made quite the masterpiece with Jaeyun,â (y/n) starts as her lips graze the shell of his ear down to the crook of his neck, the smell and taste of his blood drowning her sensesâpupils dilating and forked tongue running across her bottom lip. She then turns to the sirens with a glint in her eye. âIf you will, ladies, mirror the art that I hold now?â
And without warning, shrieks and screams of terror and agony rip through the heavy storm as the sirens mercilessly begin to ravage the nobles with their sharp long nails and predatory teeth.
Even when the humans beg to be saved, plead for them to stop, they all fall on deaf ears as the sirens seem to find enjoyment in their torture.
High pitched giggles and laughter emit from the group of enchanting women as they continue their ruthless savagery to the battered lords.
(y/n) stares with sparkling orbs, awed, before she turns her head to the side to face Sunoo and Riki who are held tightly by a siren eachâalthough, not quite in the same predicament as their brothers.
She tilts her head, brows dip and lips in a faux pout. âDo you see what happens to bad men? You should be grateful that you are not among them.â
Riki with dark hair matted to his forehead from the rain, gulps as his fingers twitch by his sides. His eyes refuse to stray from his childhood friends despite the gruesome sight that is displayed. However, deep within his chest, he canât help but feel somewhatâŠrelieved.
With his five brothers gone, there are less rivals to compete with to gain (y/n)âs affections. With his brothers gone, he can finally do as he wishes without their haughty, domineering presences that always overlook him due to his young age.
With them gone, he can finally have (y/n) all to himself. Of course, there is a matter of Sunoo but he has always been the softest, kindest among them. Heâs more than certain that Sunoo will be willing to share. Especially now that heâs lost all of his friends, Sunoo is expected to want to hold anyone thatâs left close to himâand that is Riki.
His dark, twisted mindset is left unknown by Sunoo whose face is flushed red and moist not only from the rain but the thick waterfall of tears that cascade down his cheeks.
The latter is trembling in his stance as his hands are clenched tightly. Watching his friends, his brothers, family, being murdered right in front of him ruins his mentality in a way that canât be reversed.
Heâs despondent, grieving and sympathetic yet at the same time, heâs confused, awed and accepting. Because who is he to deny the accusations that they are men of corruption? Theyâre vile people, wicked and selfish. It is no wonder that they are now suffering from the price of their sins.
Yet at the same time, theyâre his close friends. They grew up together, spent time with each other more than they do with their own families. So to see them being tortured in such inhumane way ruins him.
â(y-y/n),â he managed to croak out and despite it being deafened completely by the raging storm, (y/n) manages to catch itâeyes shifting from Riki to him in an instant. âPlease...â
Hearing his plead, (y/n) ponders for a moment before suddenly raising her hand that previously held Jaeyunâs jaw and the sirens halt.
Despite their pause however, the four men continue to writhe and groan exhaustedly as the pain from their multiple injuries continues to send ineffable agonizing sensations shooting through their limbs and shutting every other sensations.
âSunoo,â (y/n) calls, her voice in that same echoey, haunting yet dulcet quality. Her arm outstretches to him and the siren that holds him easily loosens her grip to which he quickly escapes to instead, run to the maiden that holds his heart.
âPlease stop this,â Sunoo whispers with a crack in his voice, eyes constantly flooding with tears even as he searches her face for an answer. His pale, quivering hands reach up to cup her face as his thumbs gently caress her wet skin. âPlease, please, (y/n). I canât bare to watch this any longer.â
His words are heavy, deep with genuine remorse and desperation before he breaks down into complete sobs. Short inhales and shuddering exhales as he brings his face closer to the girlânose brushing against hers before he places a chaste kiss on her lips. âI beg of you.â
He pulls away, expecting to see that delicate, fond smile that she always graces him and yet what greets him is pure nonchalance, almost like the face of a porcelain doll as she blinks.
âHow brazen. Do you truly think you are innocent enough simply because I do not punish you as I do them? How adorable,â she coos condescendingly and Sunooâs face falls, shocked and bewildered. He yelps when she abruptly yanks his head back by the hairâthe pain stinging and bringing tears to his already brimming eyes. âDo you think that just because I hold affection for you, your past sins are now irrelevant? Because that is simply foolish, Sunoo. There are many, many that have become victims to your iniquitous deeds. And until now, they are still suffering.â
Sunoo can only bite his tongue at her words. Sheâs right. She has always been. It is true that heâs done a great deed of evil and it costed the peace and sometimes even, lives, of others.
And heâs only begun to realise that when she came into his life. He strived to be better for her, to provide his people with a comfort that they rightfully deserve since way before and heâs proved that heâs capable of it. He has changed.
But never once did he ever regret his undoing from the past. Never once did he take a moment to sit and mourn for the people whose lives he has ruined. He has completely forgotten them, hoping to simply conceal them from existence by being good.
âI-Iâm sorry,â Sunoo sniffles, biting his lip with an intensity that draws blood. âIâm sorry.â
(y/n)âs heart aches and she frowns, tightening her grip on his hair before tossing him away haphazardly. âIt is not me you should apologise too, but the people.â
He crashes against the stony ground of the cliff and the sounds of his brothers screaming and howling fill his ears once more as the sirens resume their activity.
Sunoo curls into a ball with hands tight against his ears as if it will drown out the product of his brothersâ misery.
And this goes on and on until theyâre practically holding onto their dear life by a thread. With eyes that struggle to open, mauled chests that rise and drop as if theyâre weighted by bricks and figures completely marred by lacerations on every surface of their skin and flesh. Their faces and limbs mangled beyond recognition.
The storm calms too, now turned into a light drizzle and Sunoo finally rises to sit albeit weakly before whimpering as the sight of his friends lying inert in their own pool of blood greets his vision. He can still hear their desperate, harrowing screams for mercy, to be alleviated from the pain with a quick deathââjust KILL ME! please! PLEASE!ââechoing in his head like an everlasting mantra.
The sirens now completely vanished from thin air as if they were never there. Only the damage they've inflicted on his brothers are proof of their existence.
âRiki, come here,â (y/n) beckons and the young lord immediately moves as soon as he's unboundâbeing in a much better condition than Sunoo although the thick gloss on his eyes, grit teeth and knit in his brows belie his indifferent front.
He lowers himself to one knee beside (y/n) and tries his best not to cast his gaze onto the whimpering, debilitated Jaeyun in her hold and yet his attempts are proven futile at (y/n)'s request.
"Can you help me clean up?"
Riki blinks before nodding without a moment's hesitation. "What do you want me to tidy?"
The girl says nothing although the sly yet, almost sympathetic mien that forms on her visage tells him.
His plush lips part as the air is knocked out of his lungs. Even the light and warmth of the sun that has finally begun to peek from behind the clouds do nothing to comfort him.
"Y-yes?" He sounds shakily, eyes darting to Jaeyun and at (y/n)'s definitive nod, he slumpsâeyes wide and spirit withered as if it wasn't already draining before.
"Is this not exactly what you wanted? To have me all to yourself?" The maiden tempts, voice wispy and melodious, upon seeing the hesitation flickering in his quivering pupils and he inhales sharply at the feel of her cold hand against his cheek before being completely rendered breathless by the proximity of her face.
She smiles against his lips and he feels it through the slight graze she graces him withâadam's apple bobbing as he feels his rationale and kinship towards his brothers beginning to diminish to the back of his head. (y/n) pulls away just enough to run her gaze across his features, seeing the black of his eyes widen as ears blush before angling her head and leaning forward.
However, just as their upper lips touch, she retracts completely and Riki grunts softly at the lack of contactâfrowning in protest and yet, unable to complain.
Her ministrations are brief, fleeting and still, so seductive.
The promise of getting that attention from her is enough to fuel his fire and that's what brings him to the edge of the cliff with the limp body of Jaeyun in his arms.
"R-Riki?" Sunoo stutters, eyes wide with fear at what the younger is about to commit while the latter ignoresâtaking only a few seconds pause before his arms drop and Jaeyun's figure falls freely with a harsh, heavy splash.
And at that moment, Riki can only think of one thing: how truly grateful he is that they're dying. He can't trust himself to be able to do the same thing if they still had the will to fight for their lives.
"Riki, stop!" Sunoo pleads, voice hoarse as he stumbles to his feet.
SPLASH! Down goes Heeseung.
"Riki! Please!"
SPLASH! And now the water is Jongseong's eternal bed.
"STOP!" Sunoo commands as he rushes to reach the younger.
SPLASH! The pearls are returned home with Sunghoon's descent.
"NISHIMURA RIKI!" Sunoo roars, hand tights around Riki's forearm as he brings Jungwon's flailing body in his hold. The youngest turns to meet the furious yet deeply broken gaze of the older as he pants. "What...what are you doing?"
"She asked me to," Riki simply replies, face stoic. "And I listened."
Sunoo's grip tightens. "How could you?? Have you gone insaâ??"
"Have you not?" Riki abruptly interjects and the other flinches backwards when the former turns his whole body towards him. "After witnessing the horrors that have been bestowed upon, you've still retained your sanity?"
The older's fingers uncurl from the other.
"No... Actually, you've lost your mind way earlier before, haven't you? The first of us to," Riki scoffs while the other furrows, unnerved. "You're the first to have fallen into her trap, hyung. You've kept her with you, allowing her to poison our heads and making us her victims one by one while simultaneously making sure you've monopolized herâthat end of the day, she will always return to you."
His accusations are sharp and yet, groundless. It's incredulous. He's ridiculous.
"What on Earth are you saying? I never had such motive!" Sunoo denies.
Riki laughs, head thrown back as his grip around Jungwonâs mangled form tightens, making the weakened man to flinch amidst his state between conscious and unconsciousness. And yet, their youngest barely bats an eye. âYou may think Iâm a fool just like the others always do. Must think Iâm daft enough to not be able to see through that halo you wear on your head. But I am notâI can see how selfish you truly are, how greedy. You cannot tell me that you donât feel the slightest bit of relief knowing that you no longer have to share (y/n) with the hyungs. I know that deep down, youâre just as corrupted as we all areâafter all, you are friends with us.â
The older curls his fingers into a fist, shaking and foxy eyes sharpened. Rikiâs wrong. Heâs not what the younger says he is. Heâs better than them. Despite those adamant refute in his head however, Sunoo canât seem to find his voice to verbalize them.
Because hidden underneath, stuffed inside a heavily guarded and locked chest in his heart, Sunoo himself seems to realise that the youngerâs words are nothing short of truth.
And Riki, the ever so observant Riki who is always overlooked, knows this.
He takes another step forward, practically a hairâs width away from the pretty faced noble if it isnât for Jungwon that remains caged in his arms and separating the two. A long exhale escapes as he looks down at the shorter with crazed eyes paired with the devious smirk that curls onto his faceâbending down slightly to be face-to-face.
âIâm sorry to say however, that you still have to share (y/n),â Ki taunts, wet hair falling over his eyes and making look more insane and villainous than he already is. The drizzle that continues making the atmosphere more grim and Sunooâs eyes widen at his statement. âBecause lo and behold, I am still here and you can do nothing about it. Sunoo hyung is after all, much too soft that even when his lovely girl was having fun with his friends he chose to turn a blind eye. Unfortunately for him, Iâm not as delicate and I will not stop until I make (y/n) mine and mine alone.â
Hearing those words spill past his lips, that declaration that drips with venom, Sunooâs mouth gapes as his whole body stiffens.
âHeâs going to take (y/n)?â His mind asks as warning sirens blare incessantly in his head and deafen his every thought except for that of Rikiâs statement to take his beloved for himself. âHe wishes to rob my love away from me? To deny me of her?â
All while this plays, (y/n) watches from afar like one does in theatreâsitting leisurely on her legs with hands folded on her lap as she stares. Her pupils large as they flicker between the two with interest.
She awaits for the conclusion, to see how long this feud will last and who will remain standing. If she has to choose however, secretly she hopes that Sunoo will prevail. After all, sheâs grown quite fond of him. But at the same time, itâs dangerousâto be attached to someone is daunting.
Not that she thinks that Sunoo will win of course. Because in order to be like her, one must know when to be cold-hearted when needed, to be unafraid to get their hands dirty. To be able to stay by her side and be her companion, she needs not a man who will die for her, no. Instead, she needs someone who will live and kill for her.
And Sunoo is just as Riki says, too sofâ
SPLASH! SPLASH!
(y/n) snaps her head back to where the two stood, momentarily distracted by her thoughts and sheâs just about to stand and congratulate Riki for his victoryâthat is, until sheâs met with the unexpected sight of Sunoo standing at the edge of the cliff with arms quivering violently by his sides and nails digging into his palms so severely that it draws blood.
He standsâŠalone, in all his glory.
The maidenâs tinted lips part as she approaches the young man and her hand gently rests on his shoulder that rises and falls strongly at the heavy yet shaky breaths that he takes. âSunooâŠâ
Her voice returns to how it usually is, soothing and lulling without that haunting echo that follows and the otherâs breaths hitch. She momentarily shifts her gaze to the waters far below them, seeing the fallen bodies of her victims with an addition of one who in fact, did not perish by her hands.
Rikiâs floundering frantically in the pool, struggling to stay afloat and yelling for help but heâs instantly hushed by a pair of bony fingers that cup his eyesâblinding him before they dig into his sockets, ridding him of his pretty orbs with her long, unforgiving sharp nails.
The siren giggles gleefully at his roars and yells of pain before she mercilessly drags him deep down under, prolonging his death as he slowly drowns.
And then, utter silence.
No more rain, no more wind and not a single wave crashing nor birds chirping.
Itâs done. EverythingâŠis done.
âHe threatened to take you from me,â Sunoo suddenly says, voice just above a whisper as his breaths slow to a calm. His eyes still set on the sea below them yet mind elsewhere. âHe wanted to steal you away. To deprive me of you. I abhorred it.â
He turns his head to her, finally facing him and the insanity that swirls in his otherwise hollow eyes brings shivers up and down her spineâeven more so when his hands reach to cup her face. The trembles are unceasing and he stares into her eyes almost manically, searching and digging through them with a sentiment even sheâs unsure of. âNo one can take you from me. No one. I am yours, all yours, just as you are mine. You know that, right? You understand why I had to do what I did, right? Right, (y/n)?â
The need for her to validate him, for her to accept him even after the sins heâs committed is heavy, overwhelming.
He did it for her, she knows that, right? She has to.
(y/n) only smiles as she keeps her gaze on his and that alone is enough for himâinstantly pulling her into a bone-crushing embrace as if the slightest space between them will cause for her to slip away.
His face is deep in the crook of her neck and she stays as he continues to drench her skin with his hot, rapid tears. His amalgamation of each and every emotion sending him into a wreck and he only sobs and pants more when he feels her hand stroking the back of his headâher touches now harmless and tender at the absence of her tearing nails.
âYouâll be with me forever,â he shakily declares, breath steaming against her neck and she nods, imbuing a sense of contentment within him as he sighs.
âYou lived for me, and killed for me,â (y/n) states endearingly and she smiles. âYouâre truly perfect.â
And the two lovers stayed there, in each otherâs warm embrace and silent company before they disappear from the eyes of humans, never to be seen again.
.
...
.....
.......
Many, many centuries laterâŠ
âWalk faster, man! Why are you so slow??â Jake grunts at Jay and the latter rolls his eyes obnoxiously.
"Maybe, if someone helped, things would be much quicker," Jay huffs with a glare directed to the younger as he lifts his arms up to secure his grip on the girl he carries.
Jake shrugs. "I won the drinking game so you and Sunghoon have to do the dirty work."
Not long after, Hoon can be seen tagging behind with another unconscious girl in his hold. His brows knit at the two's bickering but soon their focus shifts as a black, classy van slows down beside them at a distance away from the club they emerged from.
The three young men quieten as the door slides open and Heeseung steps out.
"About time!" Sunghoon complains and Heeseung ignores, his eyes instead zoning in on the two girls the younger three have chosen. His face remains indifferent and...bored. For some reason, Seung can't find seem to feel any spark for anyone no matter how eye-catching or charming they may be.
And yet, he keeps doing it. They all keep doing itâgoing to the club at random nights, hooking up with various different girls and sometimes even going as far as spiking their drinks, getting them intoxicated before bringing them home.
Even after so long, they've remained so...corrupt.
"Jungwon," Jay greets with a nod when the said boy climbs out of the van to let Sunghoon and him lay the girls in. The older's brows knit as he peers behind him. "Where's Ni-ki?"
He's promptly answered when the mentioned guy joins them, black headphones covering his ears and overgrown bangs falling over his eyes.
He only glances at his hyungs and their chosen girls for the night before focusing back on his phone, gaming without end. Unlike the rest of his friends, he's not very enthusiasticânot very involved in their activities and prefers being on his own.
But he and Jake are neighbours, always been since they were young so naturally, he spends most of his time with Jake who spends a lot of his time with the other four.
He's never been the one to take part in their 'hobbies,' and yet he's always the one who cleans them upâto be the one to comfort the girls when they wake up, to explain and apologize with thick, sticky guilt coursing through his veins and clogging up his throat.
To be the shoulder they cry on or the punching bag they strike just so they can feel better before they get sent away with the hyungs giving them hush money.
Itâs a repetitive cycle.
âTheyâre so out cold,â Jake almost cackles when he sees the girls unconscious at the back of their van and he runs his tongue across his bottom lip.
Heeseung sighs, hands in his pockets as he opens the driver seat door. âCome on, letâs go.â
They all start climbing back into the vehicle, the youngest being last but he stops just as his foot makes it inâfocus stolen by another who stands a few steps away from them.
Ni-ki furrows as he meets eyes with the other who seems strangely poised andâŠexpectant as he continues his staring contest. A glint in his foxy eyes while unblemished milky pale skin seems to glitter beneath the moonlight. His lips and cheeks are in a soft rosy shade while bleached, silky blonde locks fall perfectly onto his forehead and eyes, adorning his visages.
Heâs beautifulâtoo beautiful, even. Almost inhumanly at that so why, why does Ni-ki feel a foreboding chill shiver down his spine?
Especially when the other tilts his head with a taunting smirk, eyes squinting to give a playful sentiment with a brow cocking upwards.
âNi-ki! Whatâs going on outââ
Jaeyun too, freezes the moment he sees the seventh presence that watches them from afar and finding his reaction strange, the others make their own exitâeach and every one of them sporting the same look and mannerism upon seeing the unknown young man.
âLong time no see,â Sunoo says from afar, voice slightly raised to reach them as he approaches. The chill of the night seems to peak and the six figures shiver subtly, white puffs of air escaping past their lips. âA really long time, actually. I doubt youâll remember meânot without her help, anyways.â
For a reason unknown (to the six at least), Ni-ki flinches backwards right as Sunoo halts in front of themâalmost as if heâs fearful to which Sun only grins at.
âWhoâŠwho are you?â Jungwon asks, voice only above a whisper but the tension encasing them is so thick and suffocating that the air feels stiff, any other sound deafened that his whisper almost resounds.
Sunoo grins, eyes upturned to a deceivingly sweet extent. âItâs not me you should ask about.â
An abrupt gust of wind knocks them off their feet and they stumble to the floorâall but Ni-ki who remains unaffected alongisde Sunoo.
âWhat the fck?? Is a storm coming??â Jake grunts as he groans, sitting on his heels as he begins to stand but is stopped by another presence that towers above him. A sweet scent surrounds him and his heart skips beat after beat, racing erratically from fear? Excitement?
Heâs not sure but heâs unable to resist the temptation to lift his headâmeeting eyes with whom he can say the most ethereal, breathtaking bell he has ever laid eyes on.
And yet, the smile playing on her lips and gaze that bores into his speaks of a calamitous quality. Her beguiling beauty a mere facade to the devastating catastrophe that she carries.
But does Jake turn away? Not even once.
â(y/n)âŠâ He mumbles, eyes wide and pupils blown as they study her features.
She grins. âHi, Jaeyunâor do you prefer Jake? As that is your name in the present.â
Jake blinks rapidly, confused at his own utterance when she suddenly steps back to review the group as a wholeâSunoo immediately latching himself behind her as he buries his nose into her hair, sighing with an inexplicable relief and delight from her presence.
âAfter all these years, youâve stayed the same. Canât say that Iâm surprised,â (y/n) scoffs, eyeing each and every one of their bemused yet deeply enraptured miens until she stops at one.
Nishimura Riki.
Upon meeting his eyes, the smirk on her face softens and her smile shifts to something more genuine, more endearing and she offers a hand to which he feels a strong, overwhelming urge to hold.
âThis time, youâll help me again, wonât you?â (y/n) asks and although her request is vague, Riki doesnât resist the temptation to acceptâhis hand instantly finding place over hers and receiving a jolting buzz that fires through him.
He gasps, eyes widening as memories from centuries away flood through his mind and he grunts, hands flying to clasp his head from the overbearing pain that knocks against his skull.
But (y/n) pays no mind, only reaching out again to hold his wrist which catches his attention.
She flutters her lashes, sickeningly sweet, as her lips pull to a delicate smile. âBut this time, youâll be by my side just as Sunoo is. Theyâve been bad, havenât they? To you, to everyone?â
Riki sniffs, unaware of the tears that spill past his lash line as his memories return. Trembling lips agape, he lets out a shaky breath before nodding, palms still tight against his head.
(y/n) coos, comforting him before her eyes shift to the 5 others who seem dazed, stuck under an enchantment as they struggle to keep themselves grounded. âYouâll listen again this time, wonât you?â
Again, Ni-ki nods, finding comfort in her being as he melts into her hand that cups his cheek.
The girl titters and her eyes shift to that icy pale hue that both deters and pulls him in. âDonât worry, after just a little change, youâll be perfect. You agree, donât you, Sunoo?â
Ni-ki gulps when he moves his stare to Sunoo whose arms tighten around her waist. He nods, muttering an âOf course,â through the light kisses he plants on her hair but when he turns to the younger, the latterâs rendered breathless by the sight of his icy, serpentine eyes and forked tongue that slithers out as he grins manically.
inspired by âmilk of the sirensâ by melanie martinez and âsirenâ by kailee morgue
đđ sorry for the very late update but i hope you guys enjoy this chapter and hopefully, will meet you all again in my future works!! anyways, donât forget to leave a heart and reblog for some motivation!! but please, do not spam like!! XâĄXâĄ, romi â.àłàż*:
(those in pink bolded cannot be tagged) taglist for this series is closedâthank you for enjoying 'leche of the sirens' until this far âĄ
Summary: It had been a while since Lady Park's firm rejection, and the fourth prince was beginning to believe he would never get over her. Though the heartbreak had made him more mature, one thing remained unchanged: his stubborn reluctance to marry. Convinced he would never find someone who could understand his pain as deeply as the general's wife, he was unprepared for the surprise life had in store for himâone that came in the form of a foreign princess.
Part 1 | Main Story | Spinoff Masterlist
"It's late. We should likely retire for the night. May I escort you back to your chambers, my princess?" Yeosang's deep yet gentle voice sent a ripple through your heartâone that had been starved of warmth ever since you set foot in this foreign land. His genuine kindness touched you deeply, far more than he could ever know. For once, it was not a gesture for the sake of appearances, but something sincere.
"N-no, thank you, Your Highness," you replied, rising from your seat beside him. "I remember the way back and can manage on my own just fine."
A flicker of what seemed like admiration crossed his face as he stood to meet your gaze. "On your own? Are you sure? The palace can be like a maze at night. I don't mind walking with youâ"
"I'm sure, truly," you said, cutting him off with a small, shy smile. "I was planning to explore a little more anyway. You should rest. I'll⊠see you soon, my prince." You bowed slightly, your reluctance was evident as you quietly exited, leaving him behind before he could press the matter further.
As much as you longed to accept his offer, you couldn't bear the thought of him seeing the reality of your living conditions or the disdainful treatment you received from the palace servants. You were far too ashamed to let him witness such thingsâyou didn't want him to see how lowly you were regarded. You wanted to keep things as they were; for him to see you as a person with dignity, not merely as an object or a tool of duty.
It's better this way, Prince Yeosang.
Making your way back to your quarters, you realised the fourth prince had been rightâit was indeed like a maze, and you found yourself stumbling through the winding paths. After a few wrong turns and frustrating detours, you eventually caught sight of the familiar building you were staying in for the time being. Relief washed over you, but it was short-lived. No one was waiting for you anyway, or so you thought. Yet, something was off.
Your eyes widened in surprise as you noticed the lanterns in your chambers were already lit. Who could be there? Panic surged through youâcould it be your father?
Your heart raced as you noticed a line of palace maids standing in the courtyard, leading up to your room. The servants were unfamiliar to you; not the ones assigned to your service. These belonged to someone else. Clearing your throat to steady yourself, you entered cautiously, nodding in acknowledgement as the maids bowed low and greeted you as you passed.
Your heart stopped when he slowly turned to face you, his expression dark and menacing. "Where the hell have you been?" he growled, his voice low and dangerous.
A chill ran down your spine at his words. Why did he care? What did it matter to him? You weren't supposed to be seen together until the morning anyway, so what could he possibly want?
"I⊠I was just taking a walk around the palace, Your Highness," you stammered, your voice shaking. "I thought I'd familiarise myselfâ"
He cut you off with a scoff, stepping toward you. That was when you noticed the slight sway in his step. He was drunk.
"Taking a walk around by yourself?" he sneered, his tone dripping with contempt. "Have you not listened to anything I've said? We are to play the perfect couple, and how do you think it would look to others if you were seen wandering around without me by your side? What kind of husband would they think I am? From now on, you are not to leave this building without me. Do you understand me, woman?"
The harshness of his words stung, your heart sinking as his command set in. This wasn't just about appearancesâthis was control. You opened your mouth to protest, the thought of your newfound friendship with Yeosang flickering in your mind.
"But, my princeâ" you gasped as his hand suddenly gripped your jaw tightly, forcing you to look up into his cold, narrowed eyes.
"I said, am I understood?" he repeated, the menace in his voice unmistakable.
You trembled under his grasp, nodding tearfully. He loosened his grip, his hand trailing down your face and lingering at your neck. "Now, that's a good girl." A wave of fear swept over you as his hand continued to drift lower, sending a shudder through your body. Desperate, you forced yourself to speak.
"Y-you should rest, Your Highness," you whispered, barely able to keep your voice steady. "I fear it wouldn't be appropriate for others to see you here so late. We're not officially married yet."
His eyes flickered with understanding, and his lips twisted into a sly grin. The stench of alcohol on his breath was overpowering.
"Finally," he said with a slurred chuckle. "You say something smart. I'll see you tomorrow then, princess."
With a mocking smile, he turned on his heel and left the room, his footsteps echoing down the hallway as you stood frozen in place, your heart pounding in your chest. You waited until you could no longer hear him before collapsing onto the floor, trembling as the tears you'd held back began to fall.
As you remained in the same spot for what felt like an eternity, your mind raced, torn between relief and dread. A small, bitter smile tugged at your lipsâthank the heavens you hadn't let the fourth prince walk you back tonight. The thought of what could have transpired had Yeochan found him with you sent a shudder through your entire being. What if he had seen? What if no amount of convincing could have diffused his anger? The memory of his disgusting hands on you sent another shiver down your spine.
God help me, please...
You swallowed hard, forcing yourself to breathe steadily, but the reality of your situation weighed heavily on your chest, pressing down with an unbearable force. This was your future, this manâthis cold, vicious princeâwas to be your husband.
The thought filled you with despair. You had heard rumours about royal marriages, about how they were rarely based on love or affection, but to face it in such a brutal, personal way⊠it was more than you could have imagined. Tears continued to stream down your face, soaking the sleeves of your garment as you hugged yourself, wondering how you would survive this life bound to him.
Loneliness had been your greatest fear, but now, as you stared into the empty darkness of your chambers, it seemed that loneliness would have been kinder than the fate that awaited you at the ninth prince's side.
You weren't sure how long you had been sitting there, but you knew that rest was essential if you were to face breakfast the next morning. The thought of maintaining your composureâlooking at least somewhat decent for the final shared meal before your father's departure, as he was finally returning to Ruhonâloomed large in your mind. It wasn't just a matter of appearance; the King and Queen of Joseon would also be present, and you needed all your strength to uphold your act around your father and your soon-to-be husband.
Like a weary spectre, you dragged yourself to your bed, the weight of the evening's events still pressing heavily on your shoulders. With a sigh of resignation, you removed the outer layer of your hanbok, letting it fall to the floor in a crumpled heap before climbing into the bed, the comforter feeling like a fragile barrier against the cold reality of your situation.
You pulled the covers close, seeking solace in their warmth, as a fresh tear slipped down your cheek. "It'll be okay," you whispered to yourself, the words barely audible. As exhaustion finally overcame you, you closed your eyes, trying to find some semblance of peace amid the turmoil.
The following morning, the air in the grand dining hall was thick with formality and unspoken tension. As you sat at the breakfast table, trying to compose yourself, the King of Joseon turned to your father, a hint of concern in his voice.
"Are you truly certain it is acceptable to proceed with the ceremony without your presence, or that of the Queen of Ruhon, or even Royal Concubine Sarisu to witness the princess wed, Your Majesty?"
Your father, seated across from you, stifled a smirk, his eyes gleaming with a wicked satisfaction. He shook his head lightly before turning to you with a smug grin that made your stomach churn.
"No need," he responded, his voice laced with mockery, clearly intended for you to hear. "Princess Sarisu is my most independent daughter. She'll do fine without us. I'm sure her mother would love to see her off, but the lady is too weary to travel the distance. We'll leave our princess in your good hands, Your Majesty."
His words sent a cold shiver down your spine. You could feel the blood boiling beneath your skin, your fists trembling as you clutched the fabric of your hanbok, desperately trying to maintain your composure. Because that was a goddamned lie. Your mother was fine, perfectly capable of making the journey. This was his revenge, his way of punishing you for defying him.
While you were more than fine with the fact that you might never see him again, the realisation that you would miss the chance to see your mother one last time before your marriage struck you like a blow. She had only one daughter, and now she wouldn't even be there to witness your weddingâan event that, though not of your choosing, still held immense significance. The cruelty of your father was overwhelming, and a deep bitterness settled in your heart.
How could this man, the one who was supposed to protect and cherish you, be so heartless? The thought of him returning home to your mother, likely to mistreat her out of spite, filled you with both dread and simmering rage. But there was nothing you could do. You were trapped in this gilded cage, your future bound to a man you did not love, and your past severed by the very person who should have loved you most.
The ruler of Joseon, perceptive as ever, was quick to notice the tension simmering beneath the surface between you and your father. In an attempt to ease the heavy atmosphere, he let out a light chuckle. "I understand. Fear not, we will do well to take care of the princess. Right, Ninth Prince Yeochan?" His Majesty asked, his gaze shifting to his son seated beside you.
"Of course, Father," he replied, his tone dripping with false sincerity. "I will cherish her like the blessing she was bestowed upon me." His sweet words drew a coo from both his father and Her Majesty, their expressions softening with approval.
But your heart only hammered in dread.
Couldn't they hear the subtle sarcasm lacing his words? The forced affection in his actions? You felt as though you were the only one who could see through the facade, the only one who understood that those words, far from being a promise, were a warning. The weight of your fate pressed down on you even more heavily as you realised that no one would come to your aid. To everyone else, this was a union to be celebratedâbut for you, it was the beginning of a nightmare.
"Is that right? I do hope you mean what you're saying, as this is what keeps the ties between Joseon and Ruhon strong."
The unexpected deep voice reverberated through the hall, catching everyone off guard. But for you, it was like a sudden gust of wind calming the storm within. Almost afraid that his presence was a mere figment of your imagination, you slowly lifted your head. When your eyes met the familiar figure standing at the entrance, you breathed a small sigh of relief. It really was the fourth prince in the flesh.
He stepped forward, bowing respectfully to his parents. "I heard a send-off event was being held for the King of Ruhon this morning and thought I'd join," he responded, his tone calm and composed. He then turned to your father, his expression respectful. "I've come to make up for my short presence at the banquet last night, Your Majesty. I apologise for not being very social."
Your father, ever the opportunist, bit his lip to suppress a smirk, clearly amused by the situation. "Why, of course, Fourth Prince Yeosang. Please do join us."
You could almost feel the anticipation radiating from your father, eager for the drama he expected the once-rebellious prince to stir. But you knew better. The fourth prince was far too mature, too composed, to indulge in such pettiness. His presence served as a silent reminder of what true nobility looked like, a stark contrast to the cruel games your father played.
As he took a seat, his calm demeanour brought you a small measure of peace. "Good morning, my princess," he greeted you with a kind smile, acknowledging his younger brother with only a brief nod. For a fleeting moment, the weight of your situation seemed to lift.
"Good morning, my prince," you replied softly, subtly shrugging your soon-to-be husband's hand from your shoulder.
Amid the turmoil surrounding you, at least there was someone who saw through the facade, someone who, though he may not openly challenge it, was a beacon of quiet strength and reassurance.
You swallowed hard, a shiver running down your spine as you quickly averted your gaze from Yeosang. "Y-yes, Your Highness," you murmured obediently, your voice trembling slightly as you tried to suppress the fear gnawing at you.
Unbeknownst to you, none of this escaped the watchful eye of the fourth prince. He had always been perceptive, and though he knew that no arranged marriage could be perfect from the start, especially in a place as politically charged as the palace, what he saw didn't sit right with him. You were the first person within the palace he had ever considered a friend and he would hate to see you trapped in a marriage too unhappy.
Yeosang's gaze softened as he watched you, his heart heavy with unspoken concern. He knew he couldn't intervene openly, not without causing a scandal, but he would find a way to help you. For now, all he could offer was the comfort of his presence, a silent promise that he would be there if you ever needed him.
After a tension-filled meal, it was finally time to send the ruler of Ruhon off. The air was thick with formalities and forced smiles as everyone gathered in the courtyard. Your father, ever the performer, approached you with a sneer hidden beneath a mask of fatherly affection. He leaned in close, his voice low enough for only you to hear.
"Goodbye, my daughter. Have a good life here," he whispered with venom, pulling you into a brief, cold embrace. The act was flawless, his expression one of tender care, but the words he spoke cut deep.
As he began to pull away, you instinctively reached out, gripping his sleeve in a desperate attempt to appeal to whatever shred of humanity he might have left. "Father, please⊠I've done what you asked. Just let Mother be."
He scoffed, his eyes flicking down at you with a mix of disdain and amusement. "You think too highly of yourselves. I have more important things to do than to toy with her." His voice was icy, his words dripping with indifference. "I'd worry more about myself if I were you," he added, his tone dismissive.
With that, he turned on his heel and walked away, heading toward his carriage without so much as a backward glance. You stood there, the sting of his final words echoing in your mind as he disappeared from view. The realisation that you were truly alone in this foreign land, with no family to support you, settled in your chest like a heavy stone.
Before he could take your arm, however, Yeosang stepped forward, his presence both unexpected and reassuring. "Wait, my princess!" he called out, drawing the attention of everyone nearby. "Didn't we agree to exchange more literary knowledge?" His words caught everyone off guard, especially his parents and brother. With infectious enthusiasm, he turned to the King. "Father, you won't believe it! Her Highness is incredibly well-versed in poetry and a great admirer of Shin Sukju's works. Would it be alright if I borrowed her for a bit? We'll just be in the library, and it would be a wonderful opportunity for me to bond with my future sister-in-law."
Before the ninth prince could protest, His Majesty clapped his hands in delight. "Oh, really? That's impressive! Yes, yes, like-minded young people like yourselves should definitely spend time together and learn from each other. Please, go ahead."
The Queen nodded eagerly in agreement, her eyes lighting up with genuine joy. Both she and the King seemed pleased to see Yeosang stepping out of his usual isolation and making an effort to connect with someone, even if it was the foreign princess.
"Thank you, Your Majesties," you said respectfully, bowing to your soon-to-be in-laws, not forgetting to offer a slight bow to Yeochan as well. "I shall see you soon, Your Highness."
Lost in your thoughts about how Yeochan would likely react once you returned from this meeting with the fourth prince, you barely noticed you had arrived at your destination.
"We're here, princess."
His voice snapped you out of your trance, and you looked around with wide eyes, startled by the unfamiliar surroundings. "Wh-whatâI thought we were heading to the library, Your Highness?" you stammered, taking in the serene view of the cherry blossom garden, the very place where you had first met him. The pavilion stood before you, just as it had that day.
Yeosang smirked, gesturing for you to take a seat. "That was clearly a lie. We wouldn't be able to converse freely if we were in the library. Now, come sit with me."
With a soft chuckle, you complied, both of you settling down opposite each other. His mischievous grin hinted at the rebellious side everyone had whispered about, and you found yourself amused by it.
"Besides," he added, his tone more serious now, "I had a feeling you could use some fresh air. I hope this is alright with you. We can always leave if you prefer."
Your heart fluttered at his thoughtfulness. There was something disarming about his considerate nature, something that made the weight on your chest feel a little lighter. You shook your head with a small smile.
"Not at all. This is more than okay."
As your gaze drifted toward the barren cherry blossom trees, the fourth prince couldn't help but notice the sorrow and quiet despair reflected in your eyes. The weight of your situation was not lost on him. To be sent away to a foreign land, bound in marriage to a man you hardly knew, and expected to act as though all was wellâit was a fate he could scarcely imagine. Though he couldn't change your circumstances, he hoped, as a friend, to ease your burden somehow.
"Is... everything alright, princess?" Yeosang ventured cautiously, recalling how the ninth prince had whispered something that seemed to shatter your composure in mere seconds. The change in your demeanour had not escaped his notice, and it unsettled him. What could Yeochan have said to unnerve you so thoroughly? The thought troubled him, especially seeing how uncomfortable you appeared around the man you were meant to wed.
You gulped, offering a polite nod without fully meeting his eyes. "Yes, of course. It will take some time for me to adjust to my new life here, but I will be fine, my prince. Your concern is most kind."
His smile was faint, knowing full well your words were more for courtesy than truth. He was aware that despite the bond of friendship forming between you, there was still much distance between your hearts. He had no right to press further, not yet.
"I see," he replied, his tone thoughtful. "I hope Prince Yeochan is treating you well. My brother is known for his ambition and his... bluntness, but he should make a suitable husband... wouldn't you say?"
You struggled to maintain the smile that barely clung to your lips, biting down hard enough on your lower lip that you feared it might bleed. "I suppose... I cannot truly say. We aren't married yet, after all. He's been kind to me thus far."
In public, at least.
Determined not to dwell on your unhappy thoughts and wanting to make the most of the time spent with your first and only friend, you straightened up, beaming at him. "So, tell me, Your Highness, what are some things you think Joseon does better than Ruhon?"
Yeosang narrowed his eyes playfully at your cheeky question, a spark of mischief dancing in them. "Ah, yes, always up for a good debate, are we? I shall prove to you that this nation is indeed worth leaving Ruhon for," he quipped, his tone light-hearted and playful.
His jest made you chuckle, the weight on your shoulders lifting just a little. You knew, of course, that no argument could ever make you truly feel at ease about your forced departure from your homeland, but his attempt to lift your spirits was enough to make you feel lighter at the moment.
With that, the conversation shifted into a lively exchange. He launched into stories of Joseon's cultural achievements, its rich history of scholarship, and the honour of its warriors. He spoke of the grand palaces, the festivals that brought the people together, and the scholars who shaped the nation's identity. You found yourself engrossed in his tales, the passion in his voice making even the smallest details feel important.
In return, you shared stories of Ruhon, the traditions that bound your people, and the unique customs that defined your homeland. You spoke of the festivals under the moon, where dancers twirled to the beat of drums, and how the scent of spices lingered in the air long after the market stalls closed. You told him about your childhood, the way your mother would braid your hair by the hearth, and the songs the village elders would sing when the harvest season came to an end.
The conversation flowed easily, each of you learning more about the other's world. For the first time in what felt like ages, you felt like you could simply be yourself. Yeosang's genuine interest in your stories and his willingness to share his own made you feel seen, something you hadn't experienced since your arrival.
Through this exchange, you felt the bond between you deepen. It was as though, amidst all the uncertainty, you had found a friendâa true companion who saw you not as a foreign princess, but as someone with a rich life of her own. It gave you comfort to know that in this unfamiliar world, there was someone who shared your love for learning, who appreciated the differences between your homelands, and who, in his own quiet way, made you feel less alone.
After listening to you gush about missing the sweets of Ruhon, his eyes lit up. "Oh, we have this snack called Yakgwa! It's heavenly, you must try it! I'll have the kitchen servants prepare some for us," he said enthusiastically, already rising to get things arranged.
Before he could move further, a sigh escaped his lips as he spotted his eunuch rushing over, looking frazzled. "Your Highness! We were told you were in the library, but you were nowhere to be found. The royal tutor is waiting, and it would not do to keep him any longer!"
The prince's expression immediately darkened, irritation flickering in his eyes. It seemed as though he was about to protest when, unexpectedly, he said something you hadn't anticipated. "I understand, Eunuch Hwang. But shouldn't you first acknowledge the princess and show her the respect due before all else?"
Your jaw dropped slightly at his words. That was the last thing you had expected him to say. He really was different. Gratefulness flooded through you as the eunuch, now flustered, hastily bowed. "M-my apologies, Your Highness! This servant greets Princess Sarisu, the future Ninth Princess of Joseon."
The reminder of your impending title made you shift uncomfortably, but you nodded in acknowledgement, trying to keep your composure. The fourth prince huffed in mild annoyance, then turned back to you with an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry, princess, it seems I have lessons to attend. But don't worry, we'll get you those sweets tomorrow."
Yeosang, oblivious to the turmoil swirling inside you, smiled warmly. "Yes, tomorrow. I'll escort you myself."
Your eyes widened in panic. You shook your head vigorously. "N-no! I'll come meet you myself!" Something flickered in his gaze, a quiet realisation, but he didn't press you. His understanding smile remained, though you could sense that he was beginning to notice something wasn't quite right. "Of course, princess. I'll see you tomorrow, then. Same place, same time."
You nodded, your voice soft as you repeated his words. "Same place, same time. See you, Your Highness."
With one last smile, he bowed his head slightly before turning to follow his eunuch, leaving you standing there, heart racing at the thought of tomorrowâand the inevitable confrontation you might have to face.
That evening, you returned to your chambers with a heart heavy with dread, expecting the ninth prince to be waiting, but to your surprise, the room was empty. Not a single soul lingeredânot even the group of servants assigned to you. It seemed they hadn't bothered to wait for you to return and dismiss them.
With a tired shrug, you went about your routine, refreshing yourself and settling down with one of the few books available in your quarters. But as you read, a furrow creased your brow. The sky outside had grown dark, and no one had come to light the lanterns. You waited for a while longer, hoping someone would arrive, but it became clear no one was coming.
Sighing, you rose from your seat and made your way to the storeroom to fetch the necessary items. It was a menial task, but with your own hands, you lit the lanterns one by one, the soft glow slowly filling your chambers. Dusting off your hands, you gazed around at the lit room with a small sense of pride, but that brief satisfaction was quickly overshadowed by the rumbling of your stomach.
Crap, I'm starving...
The usual time for your meal had long passed, and still, no one had come to bring you food. You stood by the entrance of your cold, lonely chamber, waiting, your stomach growling louder with each passing minute. The chill in the air began to creep into your bones, but still, there was no sign of anyone.
After what felt like an hour, the cold became unbearable, and you retreated back inside, pulling the covers of your bed over yourself. Laying there somberly, you couldn't help but wonder if this was Yeochan's punishment. His way of showing you the consequences of spending time with his brother.
You hadn't eaten much that morning. If only you'd known that would be your only meal of the day, you might have had more. But now, all you could do was hug your empty stomach and curl into your side, trying desperately to fall asleep on an empty belly.
As you curled up beneath the covers, the ache in your stomach gnawing at you, a small smile crept onto your face. Despite the discomfort and the coldness of your empty chambers, the thought of tomorrow brought you a glimmer of warmth. You were going to see Yeosang again, and that simple fact made everything feel a little more bearable.
Tomorrow, there would be no pretence, no masks to wear. Just you and your friend, sharing stories, and learning more about each other's worlds. That hope was enough to chase away the shadows of the evening, if only for a while. You sighed softly, your mind finally quiet, and with that thought, you allowed sleep to take you, clinging to the promise of a brighter tomorrow.
The next morning, your chambers remained eerily quiet, a clear sign that no one had any intention of attending to you. You rubbed your growling stomach, frowning as the realisation sank in that you'd be left to fend for yourself again. Sighing softly, you went about getting dressed, thankful that the task wasn't overly difficult. Back home, you and your mother had grown accustomed to doing things on your own, so you managed just fine. The hanbok, with its simpler design compared to Ruhon's attire, was much easier to slip into, and while your hair wasn't as neatly styled as the palace servants would have done it, it was at least presentable.
The gnawing ache in your stomach remained, reminding you that no meal had been provided. You bit your lip, trying to push the discomfort aside. But then, a glimmer of hope sparked within you as you remembered Prince Yeosang's promise from the day before. He had mentioned getting the kitchen to prepare some sweetsâperhaps that would be your salvation today.
Enduring the hunger, you bided your time until noon, your anticipation slowly building with each passing minute. By the time you made your way toward the cherry blossom garden, your heart was fluttering with excitement. The thought of seeing Yeosang again brought a warmth that softened the cold indifference of the palace. Even if everything else seemed uncertain, you found solace in the one friendship that was blossoming amid the darkness.
As you approached the garden, a smile tugged at the corners of your lips, the sight of the familiar pavilion and the thought of spending time with the fourth prince making everything feel, at least for now, a little more bearable.
"Good afternoon, princess," the familiar deep voice called out, filling you with a sense of warmth and relief. It was all you needed to feel better. As you turned toward the table, your eyes sparkled at the sight of the colorful array of snacks displayed before you. The vivid hues of the treats beckoned, a stark contrast to the dullness of your morning.
"Good afternoon, Your Highness," you greeted Yeosang, your voice lighter than it had been all day. As you moved to settle down, a loud growl erupted from your stomach, the sound echoing embarrassingly between you both. You quickly bit your lip, cheeks heating up in mortification.
His eyes widened in surprise. "Haven't you had your breakfast yet?" he asked, concern replacing his usual teasing tone.
You cleared your throat, scrambling for an excuse. "I-I⊠I was just too excited to try these," you gestured to the snacks on the table, forcing a smile. "You know, had to make space for them."
His brow furrowed as he shook his head, clearly unconvinced. "Absolutely not," he chided gently. "You know better than to skip such an important meal for some sweets." His voice was stern yet filled with genuine care, a tone you hadn't heard directed toward you in so long. "Stay here. I'll get you some proper food."
Your heart squeezed painfully in your chest as you watched his reliable figure move away, leaving your side to fulfill his promise. You blinked back the sudden tears that welled up in your eyes.
God, why couldn't he be the one you were meant to marry? You hugged yourself tighter, the thought slipping into your mind unbidden, making the situation even harder to bear. The fourth prince's kindness, his gentle presenceâit was all you wanted. Yet, your fate was bound to another. Still, in this fleeting moment, you allowed yourself the indulgence of wondering what it would have been like if things were different.
Yeosang returned swiftly, carrying a tray of steaming food with a determined look in his eyes. "Here you go," he said as he set the meal before you. The warm, savoury aroma made your stomach ache even more with hunger, and despite the embarrassment that still lingered, you couldn't deny how much you needed this.
"Eat," he instructed softly, his tone leaving no room for protest. You nodded, grateful beyond words, and dug into the meal. The warmth of the food instantly soothed the emptiness gnawing at your insides, and you couldn't help the small hum of satisfaction that escaped your lips. He smiled, watching you with silent approval.
"You shouldn't go without food, princess. How else will you have the energy to put me in my place when we debate Joseon versus Ruhon?" he teased lightly, the tension lifting between you.
You chuckled, swallowing a bite. "You have a point, Your Highness. Can't have you winning all the arguments, now, can I?"
He laughed, shaking his head. "I wouldn't want that either." His voice was rich with amusement, the sound easing the tightness that had settled in your chest earlier.
Once you had your fill of the warm meal, he pushed the tray of sweets toward you. "Now you can enjoy these without starving yourself."
Your eyes brightened as you looked at the colourful treats. "Thank you," you murmured, popping a piece of Yakgwa into your mouth. The honeyed flavour melted on your tongue, every bite as delightful as he had described. As you enjoyed the sweets, the conversation between the two of you flowed like a river, smooth and endless.
You began with light topicsâfavourite poems, childhood storiesâbefore moving on to deeper discussions. Yeosang shared captivating tales of Joseon's history, recounting stories of ancient kings and battles long past, while you spoke of Ruhon's traditions, the bright stars in its night skies, and... your mother.
"You must be close to her," he observed with a gentle smile.
You nodded, your chest tightening at the thought of your mother. "Very. She's the one thing I truly couldn't bear leaving behind."
He glanced down, his hand twitching as though he wanted to reach out to you but stopped himself. "Perhaps you'll see her again someday."
"Perhaps..." you whispered, though the doubt in your voice was unmistakable. You quickly steered the conversation elsewhere, eager to escape the painful thought, diving back into the differences between Ruhon and Joseon.
Yeosang listened closely, his curiosity evident in the way he soaked in every detail you shared. In turn, he painted vivid pictures of life in Joseon, filled with colour and history. The two of you became engrossed in friendly debates, passionately defending your homelands' best qualities.
As the conversation wore on, it became lighter, drifting toward more personal topicsâhis love for archery, your fondness for dancing, and even the odd rumours that floated around the palace. Laughter came easily between you, the weight of your circumstances momentarily forgotten.
"I think you'd be excellent at archery," he remarked thoughtfully.
You raised an eyebrow, laughing. "Me? With a bow and arrow? I'd probably end up shooting myself in the foot."
"I seriously doubt that," he teased. "But if you ever want to give it a try, I'd be more than happy to teach you."
"Perhaps one day," you replied with a soft smile, savouring the thought of a future where you might be free enough to take him up on the offer.
The hours passed unnoticed as you shared stories, thoughts, and dreams. The afternoon sun cast golden rays over the pavilion, and in his presence, you felt lighterâlike you weren't just a pawn in a political marriage, but a person with your own desires.
You returned to your empty quarters that evening, but the silence and cold no longer bothered you. After the warmth and joy of the day spent with Yeosang, the loneliness felt distant, almost irrelevant. You were more than full, not just from the food but from the conversation and laughter shared under the cherry blossoms. The routine of solitude upon your return had become something you could bear, as long as your afternoons were filled with his presence.
The same pattern unfolded the next day and the entire week after that. Each morning, you would wake to the empty quarters, handle your own needs, and then make your way to the pavilion where he would be waiting. Together, you found comfort in each other's company. He was your first and only friend here, someone who understood your situation without having to ask too many questions. Over time, a mutual understanding and respect blossomed between you, both of you finding solace in these stolen moments.
You learned more about him each day, his quirks and passions, while he listened to your stories of Ruhon with genuine interest. The hours flew by in those afternoons, filled with the easy flow of conversation, laughter, and sometimes, comfortable silence. At this point, you had grown content with the way things were. If nothing changed, you thought you could be fine living like this forever. The thought of it made your heart flutterâan afternoon with the fourth prince, a quiet return to your quarters at night, and no pressure from the palace or your impending marriage to Prince Yeochan.
As the sun dipped low on the horizon one evening, casting golden light over the pavilion, Yeosang broke the comfortable quiet. "Are you sure you don't want me to walk you back?" His voice held a note of longing, his eyes searching yours for any hint of what you truly wanted.
You swallowed hard, feeling your heart stir in a way you weren't ready to admit. "I'll be fine," you assured him, trying to steady your voice and the fluttering in your chest. "I'll see you tomorrow. Same place, same time."
He nodded, though his gaze lingered on you a moment longer. "Same place, same time," he repeated softly, his voice betraying the unspoken emotions that hung between you.
As you walked away, you could feel his eyes on you until you disappeared from view, your heart both aching and content at once. These moments with him had become your escape, a reprieve from the storm looming over your future.
For now, that was enough.
Your steps slowed to a crawl as you neared your quarters, a stark contrast to the usual emptiness. Tonight, the windows were brightly lit, and the servants were suddenly lined up like soldiers, just as they had been that fateful night. The last time this had happened, Prince Yeochan had come, drunk and unpredictable.
Dread twisted in your gut as you took in the scene, your heart pounding so hard you could hear the frantic rhythm in your ears. What was he going to do this time? Memories of that night came flooding backâhis sharp words, his cold grip, the way he loomed over you as if daring you to resist. But you knew there was no escape. This was your fate. Whatever he wanted, you had no choice but to obey. It was your duty. The thought of it made your heart sink, heavy with the weight of powerlessness.
As you neared the entrance, your eyes landed on the palace maids standing by, their smug smiles and knowing looks making your stomach churn. They had seen this before and even enjoyed it. They were eager for your downfall, eagerly awaiting the moment you'd be humiliated, just like last time. Their bows were mocking, insincere, dripping with scorn.
"Welcome back, Your Highness. Oh dear, perhaps we should've given you a heads up," one of them sneered, her voice laced with false sweetness. "The ninth prince has come to visit."
Your throat tightened as the words registered. Yeochan was inside, waiting. You could already feel the walls closing in around you, suffocating you before you even stepped foot inside. The fear of what awaited you on the other side of that door made your legs feel like lead. But you forced yourself to move, to step forward, to face whatever punishment he had in store. Because you had no choice.
This was your life now.
And as you crossed the threshold, you wishedâjust for a fleeting momentâthat you were back in the cherry blossom garden with Yeosang, where everything felt safe and warm. But that dream was far away now, and reality was waiting for you behind that door, cruel and unrelenting.
"There you are, princess," Yeochan's voice slithered through the room, low and deliberate, as you entered the chamber. Your eyes immediately dropped to the floor, your body instinctively bowing deeply before him.
"G-good evening, Your Highness," you whispered, your voice betraying the trembling fear coursing through you.
He eyed you up and down, his silence stretching uncomfortably before a smirk curled at the corner of his mouth. It wasn't one of amusement but of something darker. "You seem well. A little too well for my liking. A week with no one to serve you, and yet here you areâmore content than anything, out gallivanting every single day." He took a step forward, his words laced with accusation. "Care to tell me where you've been all day?"
You felt your hands clutch the fabric of your skirt, squeezing it so tightly you feared it might tear. Your heart raced, the walls closing in around you. "I-IâŠ" The words caught in your throat, terror and shame making it impossible to answer. How could you possibly tell him the truth?
His smirk deepened, his gaze sharp as a blade. "The fourth prince must've been very good to you, hm?" His voice was dripping with venom. "What do you think would happen if word got out? That it wasn't enough he once tried to steal General Park's wife, but now he's after his younger brother's betrothed too?"
His words hit you like a cold slap, your blood running ice-cold as your knees gave way beneath you, sinking to the floor before him. You felt weak and powerless under his cruel, threatening gaze.
A dangerous laugh echoed through the chamber as he watched you crumble. "Perhaps then Father would finally take proper measures against him," he mused darkly, the amusement in his tone quickly vanishing. He turned, his expression hardening into a cold glare. "I've honestly had it with you. But then again, it's no surprise. Your kind would go out and whore around the first chance they get. And of all people, you had to embarrass me by choosing that degenerate?"
Tears welled in your eyes, fear gripping you tightly. While you might've anticipated his wrath, you couldn't allow him to drag the fourth prince into this, to ruin the only thing that had brought you solace in this foreign, suffocating life.
Not Yeosangâhe didn't deserve that.
"I⊠We didn't do anything, Your Highness. We're just friends," you pleaded, the tears now spilling down your cheeks. "If you wish, I promise not to see him again. Just... leave His Highness alone."
For a moment, there was silence. Then, Yeochan's smirk returned, more sinister than before. He knelt before you, his eyes gleaming with cruel amusement. "Really? Is that what you want?"
You nodded frantically, swallowing hard. "Yes... please."
His smirk widened. "That depends on your performance then, doesn't it? Don't let me down, princess."
The weight of his threat hung heavy in the air, suffocating you as he rose and walked past you, leaving you kneeling in the cold chamber, your tears staining the floor beneath you.
I'm so sorry, Prince Yeosang...
"Where is she?" the fourth prince murmured to himself, his gaze fixed on the steaming bowls of food slowly losing their warmth. The servants had prepared everything right on time, just as they had done every day for the past week. And every time, without fail, you arrived promptly, your face lighting up the moment you stepped into the garden. But today, there was no sign of you.
He tried to brush off his unease, telling himself there must be a simple explanation. Maybe you were running into trouble with your quarters, or maybe your attire or hair was taking longer than usual. Yeosang's mind flickered to the oversized shoes you'd been given, his brow furrowing. He'd reminded you to ask for better-fitted ones, hadn't he? What if you'd tripped because of them? The thought made him chuckle lightly, trying to dispel the growing knot of concern in his chest. No need to overthink it, he thought.
Maybe she overslept.
The image of you with tousled hair and sleepy eyes brought a smile to his face, one that lingered a little too long. Slowly, realisation dawned on him. Do friends think of each other this way...? he wondered. Since the day you two had become close, he found that thoughts of you followed him everywhere. Even when he wasn't with you, his mind strayed back to your laughter, the way you spoke about Ruhon with such fondness, the light in your eyes when you teased him about Joseon. He hadn't been able to stop thinking about you.
But now, as he stared at the empty seat across from him and the bowl of stew cooling in front of it, his thoughts shifted from fondness to worry. You'd never been late before. Where were you?
The prince's fingers drummed anxiously against the wooden table. As the minutes stretched on, the gnawing feeling in his stomach grew worse. What if something had happened to you?
No, don't overthink it, he told himself again, trying to keep calm. But with each passing moment, his composure faltered, his mind conjuring all sorts of possibilities. You were alone in this unfamiliar palace, with no allies but him. He knew what kind of dangers lurked in the shadows, especially for someone as isolated as you.
He stood up abruptly, unable to shake the dread that was slowly taking hold of him. He had to find you. Whatever had delayed you, he couldn't just sit there, waiting.
"Please be okay, princess..." he muttered under his breath, his heart clenching at the thought of something being wrong. He grabbed his cloak, striding purposefully out of the pavilion. He wouldn't rest until he knew you were safe.
His feet led him instinctively to your quarters, a place he'd never seen but had always pictured to be grand and befitting of your status. Yet, as he slowed his steps and approached the area, his brows furrowed in disbelief. The quarters before him were anything but grand. They were one of the more neglected chambers in the palace, the kind usually reserved for lesser guests, not for someone soon to become the Ninth Princess of Joseon.
This... can't be right, he thought, his gaze hardening as he took in the sight. The King and Queen never would have agreed to this if they knew. Who had placed you here? His mind immediately turned to the only person capable of such pettinessâhis brother.
His jaw clenched at the thought, but before he could mull over it further, the palace maids stationed at the entrance of your chambers bowed deeply.
"These servants greet Your Highness," they said in unison.
He nodded in acknowledgement, but when he tried to take a step forward, they subtly moved to block his path.
"Deepest apologies, Prince Yeosang," one of them said, her tone laced with formality, "but Her Highness the princess wishes not to see anyone today."
The maid closest to him bit down on a smirk, as if sharing an inside joke with herself. "Yes, Your Highness. Why do you ask? The ninth prince was just here last night. He left after ensuring she was fine."
His heart sank. Yeochan was here? His mind raced. Did he find out about our meetings? Knowing his brother's volatile pride, it wouldn't have been surprising if he had lashed out. The thought of Yeochan taking his anger out on you made his chest tighten.
He cleared his throat, trying to mask his unease. "O-oh, I see... I was just uhh... hoping to meet the princess for another study session," he said, forcing a smile.
The maid bowed again, her gesture more dismissive this time. "Perhaps another time, Prince Yeosang."
He blinked, feeling the sting of rejection but knowing there was little he could do at this moment. He took a step back, his heart heavy. "Perhaps..." he echoed softly.
With a final nod, the fourth prince turned and walked away, his mind filled with worry. His thoughts circled back to youâyour absence today, the state of your quarters, and the lingering fear that something was terribly wrong. He had to find a way to see you, to make sure you were safe.
Wait for me, princess.
"Congratulations, Your Highness. Since you've been good, Prince Yeochan is rewarding you with dinner tonight. Enjoy," one of the maids said, her tone dripping with insincerity as she and the others stepped into your room. They carried trays with the same paltry rice and side dishes they had served you since your first day here. But despite the meagre meal, your empty stomach didn't care. After being starved all day, anything edible seemed like a feast.
Scrambling over to the dining table, you thanked them softly, even though they didn't deserve it. You sat down quickly, hands trembling as you began to eat, the food filling the gnawing ache inside you. But the relief was short-lived. You paused mid-bite when you noticed the smug expressions plastered on the maids' faces. Something was coming, and you dreaded it.
You wiped your mouth with shaky fingers and whispered, "Y-you may go."
One of the maids let out a sarcastic coo. "Oh, but princess, don't you want to hear all about the fourth prince's surprise appearance today? He came all this way to see you."
Your body froze, the warmth of the food in your stomach doing nothing to quell the sudden chill that overtook you. Yeosang was here...? The realisation hit you like a blow, and your heart clenched. You tightened your grip on the utensils, willing your hands to stop shaking.
"If we didn't know any better, we'd think he was your lover... but you wouldn't do that to your betrothed now, would you?" another maid added with a wicked smirk. Her words cut through you like a knife, but you dared not look up, staring at your food with tears welling in your eyes. You blinked rapidly, trying to force them away.
"N-no..." you choked out, barely above a whisper. "I wouldn't."
"That's what I thought," the leader of the group sneered. "After all, what would people say if they knew? The ninth prince would be furious, don't you think?"
You kept your gaze locked on the table, your chest tightening as they circled around you like vultures, feeding off your discomfort.
Finally, with a mocking bow, they left the room, closing the door behind them with a soft click. The moment they were gone, your head dropped into your hands, the weight of their words pressing down on you. The food sat heavy in your stomach now, each bite you had taken feeling like a betrayal.
Yeosang had come to see you, and you weren't there. You could only imagine how worried he must have been, wondering why you hadn't shown up today. And now, all you could think about was the thinly veiled threat in the maids' words.
Tears finally escaped, sliding down your cheeks as you sat in the silence of your room. You hadn't done anything wrong, but somehow, everything felt wrongâlike you were trapped in a cage with no way out.
Lying in bed, Yeosang couldn't sleep. His thoughts kept drifting back to youâhow you'd smile, your voice when you spoke about the things you loved, the way your eyes lit up over the simplest things, like a plate of sweets. He thought he understood love when he'd pined for Lady Park, but this... this was different. The weight in his chest was heavier, the ache more painful. With the general's wife, there was always distance, a barrier he could never cross. But with you, everything felt naturalâlike the world aligned whenever you were near.
He tossed and turned, trying to push the thoughts away, but they wouldn't leave him. His heart was breaking all over again, only this time it felt worse, deeper than before. He had waited for you at the pavilion every day, hoping that maybe you'd just been delayed the first time. But as the days passed and you never showed up again, the hope he clung to slowly withered. Something was wrong. He could feel it.
Each day, he'd pass by your quarters, but the doors remained tightly shut, without a single sign of life behind them. He thought of knocking, but the way the palace maids had treated him before made it clear he wasn't welcome. His mind raced with questions: What happened to you? Were you okay? Were you eating? Were you sleeping soundly, or were you struggling, just like him?
The thoughts gnawed at him, and finally, he couldn't take it anymore. Throwing off the blankets, he pushed himself out of bed. He needed air, something to clear his mind from the torture of endless questions. He slipped on his outer robe and quietly made his way out of his chambers, the palace eerily silent in the late hours of the night.
His feet led him on a path of their own, and before he realised it, he found himself in the garden that faced the small pond where the two of you had sat together on the night of the banquet. The memories hit him with such force that he had to stop and catch his breath. You had looked so beautiful that night, the soft glow of the lanterns reflecting in your eyes. It had been a fleeting moment, but it had meant so much to him. He was sure it had meant something to you too.
To his surprise, the lanterns were still there, hanging gently in the night breeze. They were the same ones from that night. Perhaps they'd been left up because of the upcoming royal wedding, a reminder of what was supposed to be a grand celebration.
The fourth prince stood there, staring at the pond, the reflections of the lanterns dancing across the water. He remembered how you'd sat beside him, how close you'd been, how easily the conversation had flowed between you. And now, you were gone. Not physically, but... gone from his life in a way that made him feel lost, like a part of himself had disappeared too.
A sharp pain gripped his chest. Was this love? If it was, it felt like too much to bear. He had thought losing Lady Park was painful, but this was different. The weight of it felt unbearable, like he was being crushed under the possibility that he might never see you again.
His thoughts were interrupted when his ears caught the faint sound of someone crying. He froze, his breath hitching as the soft sobs pierced the quiet night. For a moment, he dismissed it as nothing more than the echoes of sorrow often heard within the palace walls. The palace staff loved to whisper of haunted spiritsâthe restless souls of those who had taken their own lives, trapped within the suffocating confines of court life. Such tales were frequent, and he knew better than to believe them.
Still, the sound unnerved him, not because of any fear of ghosts, but because it reminded him of the very real torment experienced by so many who lived under the weight of the royal family's rules. Perhaps it was just another of the King's propertiesâa concubine or a servantâmourning their fate. With a sigh, he prepared to leave, thinking it would be better to search for peace elsewhere. But something caught his eye.
A flash of lavender fabric peeked from behind a nearby tree, illuminated faintly by the lanterns. Yeosang's heart skipped a beat, his pulse quickening. Lavender... the exact colour you'd worn the first time he met you. It could be a coincidenceâanyone could wear such a colourâbut the hope blooming in his chest was undeniable.
What if it was you?
He couldn't just walk away. Not now.
With careful, deliberate steps, the fourth prince approached the trembling figure behind the tree. His breath was shallow, his nerves on edge, as the soft weeping grew clearer with every step. The closer he got, the more his heart ached. The sight before him was enough to tear him apart.
It was you.
You were curled up against the rough bark of the tree, your knees drawn to your chest, hands clutching the edges of the lavender hanbok tightly. Your body shook with silent sobs, the sound so fragile that it made Yeosang's chest tighten painfully. He could barely stand seeing you like thisâso vulnerable, so broken.
For a moment, he hesitated. He wasn't sure if you'd want to see him right now, especially in this state. But he couldn't just leave you like this. Not after days of wondering if you were alright, not after the constant worry that something had happened to you. Seeing you now, alone in the dark, crying as if the world had crushed you... it was unbearable.
"Princess..." he whispered softly, his voice gentle as if speaking too loudly might shatter you completely.
You flinched at the sound of his familiar deep voice, your head snapping up in surprise. When your tear-streaked eyes met his, a flood of emotions passed between you. Shock, fear, relief... and something else. Something deeper that neither of you dared to voice aloud.
"Yeosang..." you breathed, your voice weak and trembling, barely above a whisper.
Without thinking, he knelt down beside you, his eyes full of concern. "What happened? Why are you out here like this? I've been so worried... Where have you been?"
You opened your mouth to speak, but the words got stuck in your throat. Tears streamed down your face again as you struggled to find the strength to answer. You were supposed to be stronger than this, to hold everything together, but the weight of it allâthe pressure, the fear, the lonelinessâwas too much.
His heart broke all over again, seeing you like this. He reached out hesitantly, placing a hand on your shoulder, his touch soft and comforting. "It's okay," he whispered. "You don't have to say anything. Just... let me stay with you, alright?"
For a long moment, you simply stared at him, the warmth of his presence slowly easing the tight grip of despair around your heart. Then, as if you couldn't hold it in any longer, you nodded, and he gently pulled you into his arms. You collapsed against him, your sobs muffled against his chest. He held you tightly, cradling you as if you were the most fragile thing in the world.
And for the first time in what felt like forever, you didn't feel so alone.
As your sobs began to fade and your breathing steadied, a heavy silence settled between the two of you. But even as the tears stopped, you couldn't bring yourself to pull away from him. The warmth of his embrace was comforting, grounding you in a way you hadn't felt in so long. You kept your eyes closed, pressing closer to him, feeling his steady heartbeat against your cheek. His scentâearthy and soothingâwrapped around you like a protective barrier from the world outside. For the first time in what felt like an eternity, you felt safe.
You didn't want to move. You didn't want to leave his arms, leave the calm that came with being next to someone who actually cared. The reality of your lifeâyour engagement to the ninth prince, the cruelty of the palace, the lonelinessâseemed so far away when you were here, in this quiet moment with Yeosang.
Letting out a shaky breath, your fingers tightened around the fabric of his robe, clutching onto him like he was your lifeline. And in a way, he was. You whispered, your voice raw and barely audible, "I-I can't do this anymore... wh-why couldn't it have been you, Yeo?"
For a moment, he stilled. Your words hung in the air between you, and he wondered if he had imagined them, if they were just the desperate hope of his own heart. But when you pressed closer to him, trembling slightly as if you'd just revealed your deepest secret, he knew it was real.
He closed his eyes, tightening his hold on you, his arms wrapping more securely around your body. Gently, he pressed your head into the crook of his neck, holding you as though he could shield you from all the pain, all the heartache you had endured. He didn't say anything at firstâhe was too overwhelmed by the surge of emotions in his chest. Relief, sorrow, love... it all mingled together in a way that left him breathless.
And then, softly, he whispered into your hair, his voice hoarse with emotion, "I... I wish it could have been me too."
His confession was quiet, but it carried the weight of all the feelings he'd been holding back. For the first time, he allowed himself to admit itâto say aloud what he'd only been able to think. He had fallen in love with you. It wasn't just a passing infatuation or the admiration of a friend. It was love, deep and consuming, the kind that made it impossible to imagine his life without you in it.
"I... I'll make it better," his voice wavered, his grip tightening around you as if he was afraid to let go. "I'll take you away from all of this. I hate seeing you like this... suffering. You deserve so much more."
His words lingered in your mind, and fresh tears welled in your eyesâthis time not from fear or sadness, but from a deep longing for a life that seemed impossible. "But how?" you whispered, your voice cracking. "The ninth prince... h-he'sâ"
At the mention of his brother, the fourth prince tensed, barely holding back the surge of anger that threatened to overwhelm him. He continued stroking your hair gently, his touch grounding you both. "Tell me," he said, his tone firm but soft, "everything he's done to you."
Fear flickered in your eyes, and you shook your head slightly. "B-butâ"
"It's okay," he reassured you, his voice steady and full of conviction. "I'll protect you. You have my word, princess."
"Father, I have come to report wrongdoing," the fourth prince's voice rang out clearly across the throne room. His heart pounded in his chest, but his resolve never faltered. He had waited too long for this moment, and he wouldn't waste it. The King, seated on his grand throne, raised a surprised brow. His fourth son had never shown much interest in palace affairs before.
"Yes, my son. What is it?" he asked, his voice weary with expectation.
The elderly man sighed heavily, rubbing his temples as if this were a minor inconvenience. "Prince Yeosang, you know there are far more pressing matters in this kingdom than marital squabbles."
The prince's nostrils flared, his temper threatening to boil over. "Listen to me, Father! For once in your life, listen to me. You haven't heard a word I've said for the past 25 years, and I've had enough of it!"
The sharpness of his words silenced the king. He straightened in his seat, eyes narrowing as he studied his son.
Yeosang pressed on, desperation clinging to every syllable. "The princess... she's living in misery. Do you even know where your 'beloved' ninth son has placed her? She's not in some luxurious chamberâhe's hidden her away in a miserable room like she's less than a servant! Did you know he's been denying her basic needs to manipulate her into submission? Have you any idea what he'sâ"
The King closed his eyes, shaking his head. "Marriages aren't all sunshine and rainbows. Especially not arranged ones. You're young, and I understand you're friends with the princess, but you also know how girls can exaggerate things. She'll be fine. They will work it out in time. You must see that this is all for the greater good of our nation."
His Highness clenched his fists tightly, the urge to shout rising within him. He had expected resistance, but this blatant dismissal enraged him. "Don't invalidate her feelings like that, Your Majesty... you just don't get it, do you?"
The ruler's gaze hardened. "What don't I get, Fourth Prince?"
Yeosang let out a bitter laugh, his voice dripping with frustration and scorn. "That you are part of the problem. How can you expect this kingdom to flourish when you don't even care about what happens within your own palace walls? What kind of king turns a blind eye to the suffering of his own people? To a foreign princess, no less, one who was supposed to be under our protection?" His eyes blazed with fury. "You always talk about the greater good, but it's never been about the people, has it? It's about your power. You think the end justifies the means, no matter who gets crushed along the way. What kind of noble king does that make you? Or should I say... what kind of useless king?"
The air in the throne room grew thick with tension, his words hanging heavy between them like an unsheathed blade.
Despite his initial irritation at the prince's boldness, His Majesty felt a surge of pride. Yeosang's passionate defence of the foreign princess was a clear sign of his growth and potential as a future ruler. His newfound affection and protectiveness toward you were a stark contrast to his past obsession with Lady Park. It was clear that he had finally moved on from the general's wife and was now focused on somethingâsomeone he truly loved.
Yet, the King also felt a pang of disappointment. Entrusting you to Prince Yeochan had been a grave mistake, and the realisation that you had suffered under his treatment made the ruler question his past decisions. He clasped his hands together, mulling over his son's words.
"Fair enough. What do you suggest I do then, Fourth Prince?" The elderly man's voice held a rare note of invitation, allowing Yeosang to propose a solution.
His Highness straightened, his resolve clear. "I understand how vital it is to maintain our relations with Ruhon. I'm not suggesting we break the peace treaty over the ninth prince's actions. Instead, I propose we reconsider the current arrangements."
The King almost smiled, entertained by his son's careful diplomacy. "Alright, so what then? Who else would the princess marry?"
The fourth prince's gaze didn't waver as he replied, "I put myself forward as a candidate. I'm confident I can give her the respect and care she deserves."
His Majesty chuckled, amusement dancing in his eyes. "Really? And does she agree with this arrangement?"
"Yes, sheâ" Yeosang froze for a moment, realising he'd revealed more than intended. But after a brief hesitation, he nodded.
The King's expression softened, his earlier irritation dissolving. "You're right, my son. If the princess' happiness is important for the stability of our nations, we must ensure she is well cared for."
Yeosang nodded, gratitude flooding through him as relief settled in. The King sighed, a glimmer of satisfaction lightening his burden.
"As for the ninth prince... I'll make sure he understands the consequences of his actions," the elderly man said firmly, his tone leaving no room for doubt.
The fourth prince's heart swelled with hope and determination. This was more than he had dared to wish for, and he was ready to face whatever challenges lay aheadâwith you by his side.
His Majesty's smile slightly faltered as he watched the visible relief wash over his son. A heaviness settled in his chest. "But my son," he began, his voice quieter, more measured, "you have to prepare yourself for the potential talk that will spread about you... and the princess. This isn't going to be an easy or smooth process."
Yeosang met his father's gaze, his expression unwavering. "I understand, Father."
The ruler sighed, the weight of what was to come settling on him. He knew the whispers in the court would be brutal, the rumours relentless. The nobility had a way of twisting any situation, and there would undoubtedly be those who questioned the sudden change in marriage arrangements. There might be talk of favouritism or worseâof scandal.
But before he could voice more concerns, Yeosang's calm words broke the silence, further tugging at his father's heart. "Donât worry, Father. It's nothing I'm not already used to. I've endured rumours and whispers all my life..." He paused, his expression hardening with determination. "But I won't let them touch her. I'll protect her, and I won't let anyone disrespect her again."
The King felt a surge of pride and sadness all at once. His son had indeed grown beyond what he'd expected, but the fact that he had carried so much weight for so long without ever seeking his father's help broke his heart. The King realised how much he had missed over the years, how distant he had allowed their relationship to become.
"You're a good man, Yeosang," the King said softly, his voice laced with both admiration and regret. "I wish I'd seen it sooner."
His Highness gave a small nod, his resolve as strong as ever, though the lingering pain in his eyes was unmistakable. "I'll do right by her, Father. That's all that matters now."
The King intertwined his fingers, watching his son with a mixture of pride and sorrow. The future of their kingdomâand the princess' happinessânow rested on this new path. He only hoped it would lead to a brighter future for both his son and the Ruhon princess.
"Wh-what are you doing here, Yeo? The ninth prince, he'llâ" Your voice trembled with panic as you glanced nervously toward the door. But Yeosang only shook his head, a soft smile tugging at his lips as he pulled you into his embrace.
"Shh, it's okay," he whispered, pressing a gentle kiss to the top of your head. His touch was warm and steady, a silent reassurance. "He won't be able to come near you again. I promise."
As if on cue, the door creaked open, and a group of palace staff entered. Their uniforms were pristine, and their faces composed, unfamiliar to you. Bowing deeply, they addressed both of you.
"These servants greet Fourth Prince Yeosang and Princess Sarisu. We have come to move the princess to her new chambers."
Your eyes widened in surprise as you looked up at Yeosang. "N-new chambers?"
One of the court ladies, an older woman with a warm smile, nodded eagerly. "Yes, Your Highness. Congratulations on your engagement! May the future Fourth Princess of Joseon live a thousand years!"
"F-fourth Princess...?" You stared in shock, barely able to process the words. Engagement? New chambers? The past few weeks of torment and isolation suddenly felt like a distant memory, replaced by this surreal moment of freedom. Yeosang grinned softly down at you, the light in his eyes unmistakable.
He nodded to the servants, giving them permission to start packing your belongings. Then, leaning down, he whispered in your ear, his breath warm against your skin. "I told you I'd take care of it, my soon-to-be wife."
The words sent a shiver through you, but this time it wasn't from fear or anxiety. It was a mix of disbelief and relief. Your heart raced as the palace staff began gathering your things, their movements efficient and respectfulâa stark contrast to the way you had been treated before.
Your gaze drifted, and that's when you saw himâPrince Yeochan. He stood several paces away, his face pale with disbelief as royal guards surrounded him and his servants. Officer Song led the group with his characteristic sternness, his sharp eyes missing nothing.
You overheard snippets of conversation, catching the words "interrogation" and "treatment of the princess." Your heart quickened. In Joseon, interrogations weren't handled lightly, especially when they involved royalty. You knew for a fact that the ninth prince and his servants were in for a rough time.
Yeosang's hand slid into yours, grounding you in the moment. His touch was steady, his presence comforting. He glanced at you with a soft smile, his eyes filled with quiet determination. "Youâre safe now," he whispered.
As you walked away from the quarters, leaving the past behind, you couldn't help but feel a rush of gratitude for the man beside youâthe man who had promised to protect you and had kept that promise.
Thank you, my prince.
The following week felt like a fantasy you had never imagined could come true. Every moment with the fourth prince was filled with joy, love, and a sense of belonging you had never experienced before. He moved you to a chamber near his, ensuring you were never far from him. Every morning, he would come over, smiling warmly as he shared meals with you, and afterwards, he'd whisk you away to different spots in the palace, if you were not bonding with the Queen. There was always something new to show you, some hidden garden or scenic view you had never seen before.
One sunny afternoon, as you stood together in the palace gardens, gazing at the cherry blossoms in full bloom, his arms wrapped around you from behind. His embrace was gentle but firm, the warmth of his body making you feel safe and loved.
"Our wedding's in a week, can you believe it?" he whispered softly against your ear.
You smiled, your heart fluttering at the thought. "I know, it feels like a dream."
He pressed his lips softly to your cheek, and you leaned into him, basking in the tenderness of the moment. "Is there anything else you want, my princess?" he asked, his voice low and full of affection.
Turning to face him, you cupped his face in your hands, your heart swelling with gratitude. "Enough, Yeo. You've given me more than enough for the past week."
But he shook his head, his gaze softening as he leaned in, resting his forehead gently against yours. "Not nearly enough," he murmured. "I do have one final surprise for you before the big day."
You frowned slightly, about to protest, but before you could speak, he silenced you with a kiss. It was tender, loving, and left you completely dazed. When he pulled away, his lips brushed lightly against yours, leaving you breathless.
"Don't reject me just yet," he whispered, his voice teasing but full of affection. "Go have a look and tell me how you like it. The surprise is waiting for you in your room."
Curiosity sparked within you, and though you tried to suppress it, excitement bloomed in your chest. What could he possibly have prepared now? You smiled up at him, already feeling that whatever it was, it would be another unforgettable moment.
And unforgettable it was.
He trailed behind your excited steps, heart swelling with anticipation as he followed you to your chambers. He stopped just outside, giving you enough privacy while still keeping the doors open. His eyes never left you as you entered the room, eager to see your reaction.
The moment you stepped inside, you froze in place. Your breath caught, and your vision blurred with tears before a sob escaped your lips. You couldn't believe whatâno, whoâwas waiting for you.
"M-motherâŠ" you choked, your voice thick with emotion.
Without hesitation, you rushed forward, falling into her arms. The warmth and familiarity of her embrace washed over you, the scent of home bringing back memories of a time when you felt safe. She held you tightly, her hand stroking your hair as you trembled in her embrace.
"I'm here now, my dear," your mother whispered, her own voice shaking with emotion. She sniffled, pressing her nose into your hair, her tears mingling with yours. "All thanks to my good son-in-law."
Her words broke through the haze of your emotions, and you glanced back toward the door. Your soon-to-be husband stood there, watching you from outside with a soft, tearful smile. He didn't step inside, allowing you this moment with your mother, but the look in his eyes spoke volumes. He had made this reunion possible. He had brought your family back to you.
Your mother's tearful smile reached Yeosang, and he dipped his head slightly in acknowledgement. The silent gratitude exchanged between them warmed your heart even more.
A year ago, if anyone had told Yeosang he would find love, happiness, and purpose, he would've laughed bitterly, dismissing it as nothing more than a foolish dream. For so long, he had drifted through life, lost in the cold shadows of the palace, burdened by duty and the emptiness it brought. He had watched others find joy and love, believing it was something forever beyond his reach. But now, standing there, watching you fall into your mother's arms, he felt a wave of clarity wash over him. He's been wandering this earth alone, feeling lost for what seemed like an eternity...
Until I found you, my princess.
Aaaand, it's a wrap! God, I sincerely hope this was decent HAHA this ended up so much longer and darker than initially planned but oh well, it is what it is. I might consider doing one last bonus chapter for TWTHH, but we'll see~ you know what they say, there will only be supply if there's a demandđ
If you've made it this far, thank you so very much for reading and staying with me throughout this entire journey! I look forward to hearing all your thoughts on the spinoff and this series! Which member's spinoff was your favourite and why? Let me know! <3
