They thought they had left everything behind, but their scars run too deep. Their hands are stained, unable to wash away the blood. Now, the devil is back at their door, and they might just let him in.
PAIRINGS: Jimin & Moon | Yoongi & Aalia | BTS ( OT7 )
GENRE: Dark Romance, Smut, Mature, MafiaRATING: Mature, 21+, NSFW
NETWORKS: @bangtanwritershq
BOOK ONE - ESCAPISM - MASTERLIST
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
Realism is the sequel to a dark mafia romance. It explores desire, deception, and the pull of the forbidden.
Copyright Notice
This work, including all text, characters, plot, dialogue, and related materials contained within Realism, is the property of Valeria & Querida.
No part of this book may be copied, stored, or shared without the author’s written consent. The characters, events, and settings are products of the author's imagination. Violations of this copyright will be pursued to the fullest extent of the law.
Author V & Author Q
CHAPTERS.
CHAPTER 1 - Aalia & Yoongi - FORBIDDEN FRUIT
"Now?" He arched a brow in mockery. "Now I'm not sure if I want to strangle you or kiss you senseless."
CHAPTER 2 - Jin & Jimin & Taehyung - TEAR
Jin grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, his grip the twin of iron. “I will dig your grave with my bare hands, Park Jimin,” he spat through his clenched teeth.
CHAPTER 3 - Jin & Jimin & Moon & Taehyung & Rachel & Theo - WHO?
Almost after all these years, Moon saw his face. Just when she had almost forgotten him.
CHAPTER 4 - Jimin & Moon & Theo - BLACK ROSE
"Park Jimin," he introduced himself, his voice smooth and rich, like fine aged whiskey that lingered on the tongue. "The ex-boyfriend."
→ Pairing: Jimin x reader (female)
→ AU-Genre(s): dark romance, mature, mafia
→ Trope: forbidden romance, sin-evil, passion, slow-burn.
→ Rating: mature/explicit (this is mature/explicit content, so you have been warned.)
→ Word count: 3.5K
→ warnings + triggers: cheating,
→ Author’s note: Realism is the sequel to a dark mafia romance. It explores desire, deception, and the pull of the forbidden.
This story is also written by two authors. Both are working on the two main lead couples as well as the other side couples. Please read with caution. For those who stay, welcome to a world where love and darkness intertwine.
Small note: when you see this font and this font, it means they are speaking French and Korean.
jimin's pov
The sun began to dip below the Parisian skyline, casting long, jagged shadows across my hotel suite. It was nearly six in the evening. Silence felt heavy in the room. Usually, the quiet calmed me, but tonight it felt like a trap. My phone buzzed on the nightstand, cutting through the stillness like a blade. I didn't recognize the number at first. I picked it up with a frown.
It was Rachel.
"Do you want to save your ass?" she asked immediately. Her voice was sharp and hurried.
I stood up, walking toward the window to look at the street below. "What?" I asked. I had no idea what she was talking about.
"Theo isn't home," she continued. I leaned my forehead against the cool glass.
The mention of his name made my blood turn cold. “And you want me to do what? Congratulate him?" I replied. I really didn't care about his schedule.
"You are honestly an idiot. Get dressed," she snapped.
I pulled the phone away from my ear for a second. This woman was lucky she was my sister, or I would have hung up. “Why?" I asked.
"Because you and Moon have a date. Well, I’ll be joining so there is no suspicion, but you will have your alone time as well."
My heart skipped. A date?
“Are you crazy? She doesn't want to see me," I muttered.
"Why, I wonder?" she mocked.
"I'm not doing it. You two go spend time together," I said, trying to sound firm. I didn't want to be rejected again.
"You are really an idiot," she sighed.
I stayed silent, thinking about Moon’s face in the moonlight. I missed her already. The silence stretched between us for a long moment.
“Fine, I’ll come," I sighed. I couldn't actually stay away.
"Good boy," she said.
“You’re weird," I told her. I grabbed a black shirt from the bed. I needed to look perfect if I was seeing her.
"Don't forget to buy flowers and chocolate," Rachel added.
I stopped buttoning my shirt and let out a dry laugh. "Fuck off," I snapped. I knew Moon better than anyone.
“I'm serious," Rachel insisted. She clearly didn't know the truth.
"Moon doesn't like chocolate or flowers," I said. She liked things that lasted. She liked loyalty and the heat of a real fire. The flowers just died, and the chocolate was too sweet.
I grabbed my keys. I knew exactly what to bring.
moon's pov
The clock on my kitchen wall ticked past six. The small apartment felt unusually quiet. You had spent the last hour cleaning the counter, grateful for a night of normal, simple things. Paris felt less suffocating when you was alone.
You wore an oversized hoodie and grey sweatpants. Your hair was tied up in a messy bun. There was no need to look fancy tonight. Jin and Taehyung were busy with the local French mafia families, but it was nothing dangerous. Which left Rachel alone.
She texted you earlier suggesting a girls' night in. You gladly agreed. You needed to drink cheap wine and talk about anything other than the boys. You just wanted a peaceful break from your chaotic life.
A loud knock shook my front door. You smiled, wiping my hands on a towel. You walked over and turned the lock, expecting to see Rachel with a bag of takeout and a bottle of wine.
When the door swung open, Rachel stood there. She looked incredibly stylish in a sleek black dress and heels. Your jaw dropped. She did not look ready for a casual girls' night on the couch at all.
"Why are you dressed like that?" you looked down at my own baggy sweatpants. "I thought we were staying inside tonight and watching movies and making desserts!”
Rachel smirked, pushing past me into the apartment. Her heels clicked loudly against the hardwood floor.
“Change of plans, mon amour," Rachel said. “I have evening plans with Tae later, so I can’t sleep over. But we can still make Eclairs with you.”
You blinked in confusion, closing the door behind her. "I understand you and my brother have plans, but you’ll be married to him for life,” you say. “You can hang out with him whenever.”
Rachel nudged me with her hip and laughed.
A loud, firm knock rattled the front door. you paused, looking over. You thought it was probably Jin or Taehyung returning early, or maybe Theo coming back home from his meetings to surprise you.
"I'll get it," you told Rachel, walking over to the entryway. You turned the lock and pulled the heavy wood door open, a casual greeting already forming on you lips as you looked up.
Jimin stood in the doorway. He wore a crisp black shirt that fit his broad chest perfectly. He looked impossibly handsome, his dark eyes locked onto mine instantly. You breath caught completely in my throat.
"What are you doing here?" you whispered, your heart hammering against my ribs.
You looked past his shoulder, completely stunned. Jimin just smirked, leaning slightly against the frame with total confidence.
"We have a date, baby," Jimin said softly, his voice dropping low. He held up a small, beautifully wrapped package. It wasn't flowers or chocolate. It was a rare, expensive vintage Dior bag you had wanted.
“No, we don’t.”
He leaned in closer. “Yes, we do, My moon.”
You turned back to look at the kitchen. Rachel was grinning, waving her fingers at me from the counter. You realized then that she had planned this entire thing behind your back.
Jimin stepped forward without waiting for an invitation, his tall frame filling the doorway. The scent of his cologne sandalwood and something faintly smoky drifted into the apartment.
He didn’t kiss you. Not yet.
Instead, he reached out with one hand, gently brushing a loose strand of hair from your face before placing a soft kiss on your forehead a gesture so tender it made your knees weak.
Jimin slipped past you, his polished shoes clicking softly against the floor. Without a word, he walked straight to Rachel who was now pretending to be very busy whisking cream for eclairs.
“I,” you said calmly, handing him to the Dior bag. “Don't want this."
Rachel beamed and hugged him—quickly, professionally—the kind of affectionate gesture she’d her brother. She had orchestrated this entire thing with Taehyung’s approval.
You stood frozen in place.
Jimin didn’t react to your rejection. Not visibly, anyway.
He simply placed the Dior bag on the counter beside Rachel, then turned those deep black eyes back onto you—unreadable as always. Calm. Collected.
But something was off.
You knew him too well by now, the slight tilt of his head when he was assessing danger, the way his jaw tightened if a situation went wrong… and right now? His posture wasn't relaxed at all. Rachel cleared her throat dramatically and grabbed her purse from the kitchen stool.
"Alright! I have a very handsome fiancé waiting for me," she announced with exaggerated sweetness before leaning in to kiss your cheek quickly.
"I love you! Have fun!"
Rachel practically bounced to the door, already texting Taehyung on her phone. She shot you one last mischievous wink over her shoulder before slipping out into the Parisian night.
The second the door clicked shut behind her, silence crashed down like a wave. Jimin stood perfectly still in your apartment, too still. Not moving toward you. Not speaking. He simply stared at you with that intense gaze of his, hands resting loosely at his sides but ready—always ready for anything.
"Let's make Eclairs," he smiled.
The unexpected suggestion, so domestic, so normal, threw you completely off balance.
He was already rolling up his sleeves, revealing those strong forearms dusted with faint dark hair. The tattoos peeking beneath his shirt sleeves were hidden from view as always.
Without asking permission—or even waiting for your reaction—he walked to the fridge and opened it like he owned the place. He scanned through your ingredients calmly.
"Where is vanilla extract?"
You pointed muttering, "Top shelf... left side."
Jimin moved efficiently no wasted motion. He grabbed the vanilla, then pulled out eggs and cream with quiet precision. He looked weirdly natural in your kitchen.
He cracked an egg one-handed into a bowl perfectly centered without spilling, not even glancing at it, like this was second nature to him. The soft clink of mixing bowls filled the silence between you two. No words yet. Just… cooking together.
The rhythmic whoosh of the whisk as Jimin stirred cream and sugar filled the quiet kitchen. He didn’t hum or talk, just worked in complete focus, his dark brows slightly furrowed like this task required maximum concentration. You watched him from across the counter, mesmerized by how effortlessly handsome he looked under your soft kitchen lighting. The way his biceps flexed with each movement was hypnotic.
Then suddenly he stopped stirring. Turned. And held out a spoonful of batter toward you expectantly.
"Taste it, baby, come on." he smiled again
Your breath hitched.
That smile was reserved only for you. Only in private moments like this, when no one else was watching.
You stepped closer hesitantly, eyes locked on the spoon he held out. Without breaking eye contact, Jimin brought the batter to your lips and gently pressed it against them. The sweet vanilla cream bursts on your tongue perfect balance of richness and lightness.
"Good?" His voice came out low… almost tender.
You nodded, swallowing the bite. "It's really good," you admitted softly.
Jimin’s expression softened, and something warm flickered in his dark eyes.
He set the spoon down and reached out, wiping a tiny smear of cream from the corner of your lip with his thumb. The touch lingered a second too long… deliberate.
"Can you make chocolate sauce for me?" He murmured again.
Jimin watched as you turned to grab the dark chocolate from the pantry, his gaze tracking your every movement, your messy bun, the way your hoodie slipped off one shoulder. He leaned back against the counter, arms crossed. The quiet intimacy of cooking together settled over you both like a cozy blanket.
When you started melting chocolate in a small pot on low heat, stirring slowly with a wooden spoon. Jimin suddenly stepped behind you.
Close. So close. His chest pressed lightly against your back as he peered over your shoulder at what was cooking.
Without asking this time… his large hands took over, stirring gently, his chest pressing lightly against your back as he reached around you for a spatula.
The sudden closeness sent a shiver down your spine. Jimin’s chest was solid and warm against your back, his clean cologne mixing with the sweet scent of melting chocolate. His hands moved with quiet familiarity as he took over stirring.
You could feel the steady rise and fall of his breathing behind you. No words.
Just this unexpected intimacy in something as simple as cooking dessert together. Then, without warning, his lips brushed lightly against the side of your neck. A featherlight kiss that disappeared before you could even react to it.
"Fuck no..." you whispered.
Jimin’s breath hitched when you cursed under your breath.
But he didn’t pull away.
Instead, his lips found the same spot on your neck again… this time lingering longer. A slow, open-mouthed kiss pressed there that made your knees weak.
"Stop.. We need to focus," you murmured again.
Jimin ignored your weak protest. His lips trailed up the side of your neck, soft, teasing kisses that made your pulse race. Each one was feather-light but maddening in its slowness.
One hand still held the spoon stirring chocolate absently… while his other arm slid around your waist, pulling you flush against him.
"Are you okay, baby?" he murmured.
The deep timbre of his voice, so close to your ear, sent a fresh wave of shivers through you. Jimin knew he was affecting you. The way your breath hitched gave it away every time. He finally stopped stirring the chocolate, setting the spoon down with a quiet clink.
"Let's taste test the chocolate," he murmured. "Deep the eclairs."
Jimin turned off the stove with one smooth motion, then grabbed a small spoon from the counter. He dipped it into the molten chocolate and lifted it toward your lips without hesitation.
His eyes held yours intensely as he brought the spoon closer… waiting for you to take a bite. The rich aroma of dark chocolate filled the air between you two. It looked dangerously good.
You parted your lips slightly, leaning forward to take the bite.
Jimin’s eyes darkened as he watched you taste the chocolate—your mouth wrapping around his spoon.
The flavor was perfect, deep and velvety with a hint of spice from cinnamon he must’ve added earlier without telling you.
"Tell me," he whispered. "I know you don't like chocolate, but you liked it, didn't you?"
Your tongue curled around the rich chocolate, savoring it despite your usual indifference to sweets.
You nodded slowly. "Yes, it was incredible."
Jimin’s lips curved into a small, satisfied smirk, the kind that made your stomach flip. He didn’t say anything. Just took the same spoon back and brought it to his own mouth. Watching you as he licked the remaining chocolate off slowly with his tongue, deliberate, teasing.
The sight of Jimin’s tongue gliding over the spoon so slowly, so sensually, sent heat rushing to your cheeks.
He never ate like that. Never flirted with food around you before. This was new. Dangerous. And it made your stomach flip in a way that had nothing to do with dessert.
Jimin set the spoon down with deliberate care, then turned his full attention back to you. The kitchen air felt thick, charged with something unspoken. He didn’t speak. Didn’t move toward you either. Instead, he just… looked at you. Those dark eyes tracing every feature of your face, the curve of your lips still slightly glossy from chocolate, the way your messy bun was coming loose. His gaze dropped lower for half a second, your hoodie slipping off one shoulder again. Then back up.
"Let's keep going, and I want some wine too. Could you pour me a glass?" he smiled. "Please."
You blinked, momentarily stunned by the politeness—the please slipped out so naturally from him, which was rare. Jimin usually just took things or asked in his usual quiet, direct way.
"Of course," you said softly.
Turning to the fridge again, your movements a little clumsy now with your heart beating faster, you grabbed a bottle of red wine Rachel had left earlier. The cork came out easily as you poured two glasses… one for him and one for yourself. You carried them back to where he stood by the counter, still watching everything about you silently
Jimin took the glass from you, his fingers brushing against yours for a second longer than necessary. He brought the wine to his lips and took a slow sip, eyes never leaving yours over the rim of the glass. The deep red liquid stained his mouth slightly as he lowered it.
"My sister still picks really bad wine," he chuckled.
Jimin set his glass down and reached for the whisk again, resuming his stirring of the chocolate cream mixture with the same focused intensity. The kitchen fell into comfortable silence, with just the soft clink of utensils and the occasional sip of wine between you two. He glanced at you while working.
"Can we eat eclairs on the couch? After?" he asked casually. "Movie too?"
"Yeah…" you said softly before taking another sip of wine. "That sounds really nice."
Jimin nodded once and returned to finishing the eclairs. His movements were precise as he piped perfect layers of cream and chocolate into pastry shells.
The eclairs came together beautifully, flaky, golden pastry filled with creamy vanilla and drizzled in dark chocolate. Jimin arranged them neatly on a plate before carrying it to the living room. He sat on your couch and patted the spot right next to him.
"Come." he said simply, holding out his glass of wine toward you as an unspoken invitation.
"I shouldn't." You looked at him. "No."
Jimin's jaw tightened just slightly. He didn’t push. Didn’t argue.
Without a word, he took another sip of wine and reached for the remote instead, turning on your TV quietly. The screen flickered to life with some random drama show already playing from earlier, the background noise filling the awkward silence between you two now.
Jimin scrolled through channels absently, his expression unreadable. The tension in the room grew heavier with each passing second, thick and uncomfortable. He finally stopped on a rom-com film. The opening scene played softly, the soundtrack too cheerful for the mood right now. Without looking at you, Jimin grabbed an eclair and took a bite. And chocolate sauce spills onto his shirt.
"Oh fuck." he murmured.
Jimin looked down at the dark chocolate stain spreading across his crisp, expensive black shirt, ruined. He didn’t curse again. Just sighed quietly and wiped it with a napkin from the coffee table. The stain didn't fade.
"Okay, come here. Let me help you," you murmured.
Jimin hesitated but eventually shifted closer to you on the couch.
He held out his stained shirt silently, letting you inspect the damage. The chocolate was stubborn, smeared right over his chest. You grabbed a wet wipe from your coffee table and started dabbing gently at the spot.
Jimin stayed perfectly still as you cleaned the stain, his breathing slow and controlled. The wet wipe smeared the chocolate slightly, but didn’t fully remove it, just made a bigger, messier spot. He watched your hands work quietly… the careful way you avoided touching too much of him.
"You can touch me, you can feel me," he whispered.
Jimin's quiet words hung in the air, raw and unexpected. Before you could react, he suddenly caught your wrist gently. And then he pressed your palm flat against his chest right over the stain, letting you feel his heartbeat beneath warm fabric. Thump. Thump. Strong. Steady. His eyes searched yours, dark and intense with something unspoken.
"I'm yours.." he whispered again. "You know that.."
Your palm stayed pressed against his chest, feeling the steady rhythm of his heart so strong, so alive under your touch. Jimin didn’t move. Didn’t breathe too deeply.
"Okay, stain is gone." You pull your hands away and stand up.
Jimin's hand dropped when you stood, his expression shifting subtly disappointed. He watched as you walked to the kitchen to throw away the dirty wet wipe. The movie still played softly in the background, the romantic comedy couple laughing on screen now. Jimin exhaled slowly and leaned back into the couch, running a hand through his hair.
The silence stretched between you heavy and loaded. Jimin picked up his wine glass again, swirling the dark liquid absently. The stain on his shirt was now a dried, dull patch, but he didn’t seem to care about it anymore.
He took another slow sip. Then, finally, the voice was quiet but firm. "Can we talk? Like normal people."
Your stomach twisted at his request. Talk? Like normal people?
That wasn't how things worked between you two. Jimin never talked. He communicated in actions, glances, protective stances, never words about feelings or anything deeper
"I'd rather die," you murmured.
Jimin's grip tightened around his wine glass—knuckles going white for a second. He set it down on the coffee table with too much control. Then he turned fully toward you, one arm resting along the back of the couch behind you, not touching, but caging.
"Okay." His voice was low. Calm. "Then I'll talk."
Jimin inhaled deeply, as if bracing himself. "I love you."
The words came out clear, no hesitation. No stutter. Just direct and heavy like a bomb dropped between you two. His dark eyes held yours, unflinching. Not pleading or dramatic, just stating a fact he clearly believed with his whole heart.
"And you cheated on me." You looked at him
Jimin's face didn't change, no anger, no sadness. Just that same intense stare. He nodded slowly, accepting the truth without defending himself.
"Yeah." One word. No excuses.
Then he added quietly: "But I still love you."
The contradiction was painful, the way his love for you coexisted with the betrayal in your relationship. A muscle twitched in his jaw as he waited for your reaction.
The silence between you was deafening.
Jimin didn’t move, didn’t try to reach for you or soften the blow with touches. He just sat there letting his confession hang in the air like smoke. His eyes flickered briefly to your lips, then back up. Waiting. For rejection? Forgiveness? A scream? He had no idea what came next, but he wasn't taking it back.
Your chest tightened so much that it physically hurt to breathe. Jimin’s confession hung between you, raw and unfiltered. You opened your mouth. Closed it. No words came out. The rom-com couple on TV laughed obliviously at their silly plotline, the contrast too cruel.
"If you want to sleep, the room on the left is empty. I am going to sleep."
Jimin stood up silently, no protest, no argument. He grabbed his wine glass and took it with him as he walked toward the guest bedroom door. Before stepping inside, he paused, looking back at you one last time. Just a long stare heavy with everything unsaid between you two. Then the door clicked shut softly behind him.
Jimin’s eyes lingered on her for a moment longer. Disbelief. “Did you sleep with him last night and with me tonight?” he scoffed. “You're still the same.”
Hello, this is author V of escapismbook. I hope you're all doing well.
I'm making this note to let you all know that I will be removing Escapism from Tumblr. Only Aalia and Yoongi chapters will be removed, but Moon and Jimin will stay.
I have taken Aalia's and Yoongi's chapters and turned them into a novel that is being published this year. The chapters will remain the same as they were here, but with more depth. There are also few extra chapters that did not make it to Tumblr. Those extra chapters will be in the published version of the book which comes out on the 13th of June.
You can follow me on TikTok, author.valie📚 where I post updates.
I hope you will enjoy the published version of escapism.
→ Pairing: Jimin x reader (female)
→ AU-Genre(s): dark romance, mature, mafia
→ Trope: forbidden romance, sin-evil, passion, slow-burn.
→ Rating: mature/explicit (this is mature/explicit content, so you have been warned.)
→ Word count: 10.8K
→ warnings + triggers: none?
→ Author’s note: Realism is the sequel to a dark mafia romance. It explores desire, deception, and the pull of the forbidden.
This story is also written by two authors. Both are working on the two main lead couples as well as the other side couples. Please read with caution. For those who stay, welcome to a world where love and darkness intertwine.
Small note: when you see this font and this font, it means they are speaking French and Korean.
jimin's pov.
I watched the clock crawl toward eleven. Every second felt like a slow drip of honey. I stood outside her door, my hand hovering over the wood. I knew her rhythm by heart. I knew she’d be awake, probably nursing a coffee and trying to convince herself that she belonged in Paris. To Theo. The thought made my jaw ache. Moon don't belong to a ghost or a Frenchman. She belong to me.
I knocked. It was a sharp, demanding sound that echoed through the hallway. I heard her footsteps—light and hesitant. She always was cautious, a trait I taught from back in Seoul.
When the door finally creaked open, her face was a map of beautiful confusion. Her hair was messy, and her eyes were wide. She looked like my Moon again. I wanted to reach out and pull her into my chest.
“What are you doing here?” She asked. Her voice was breathless, a little bit sharp. She wore wearing one of those soft sweaters that made her look small.
I hated that Theo got to see her like this every morning. I wanted to burn this apartment down and take her back to a place where only my eyes could find her. She was my only obsession.
“I was promised a tour,” I leaned against the doorframe, acting like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
I didn't care about the Louvre or the Eiffel Tower. I just wanted to watch her move through the streets. I wanted to see how the Parisian sun hit her skin. I’ve spent four years with the ghost of her. Now, I wanted the real thing right in front of me. Her lips parted, but no words came out.
She was trapped between wanting to slam the door and wanting to let me in. I could see the pulse jumping in her throat. It told me everything her mouth wouldn't. She was afraid of me, but she was more afraid of how much she missed this.
I sat on her sofa and waited. Every muffled sound from her bedroom fed my hunger. I knew exactly where her skin met the fabric of her clothes. I had watched her through windows for weeks, memorising her lonely silhouette.
She finally stepped out, looking radiant and sharp. My heart hammered against my ribs like a trapped animal. I didn't plan on letting her go again. She belonged in my shadow, where I could keep her safe from everyone else.
“You’re not coming home tonight, baby,” I said, my voice dropping an octave.
I watched her eyes flicker with a momentary spark of fear. It thrilled me. I wanted her to know that her freedom was just a beautiful, temporary illusion.
“I believe I am,” she laughed.
That sound cut through me. She still thought she had a choice in this. She didn't realize that I had already woven myself into the very fabric of her daily life.
“But I booked the Ritz for us,” I feigned a pout, tilting my head.
I wanted to see her crumble. I wanted to see her realize that Theo’s bed was cold compared to the fire I could provide for her.
“I am not staying with you, Min-ah,” she said, looking for her shoes.
She was trying to be firm, but I saw the way her fingers trembled. She couldn't hide the truth from me. I knew her body's secrets better.
“Then I’ll come back here with you and I’ll greet Theo by saying your ex is sleeping over,” I feigned a smile.
The thought of his face turning pale gave me a sick sense of satisfaction. He was just a placeholder. Her eyes widened and she gave me a stern look. I just tucked my hands in my pockets and grinned. I liked it when she was angry. It meant she was feeling something for me. Indifference was the only thing I feared.
“Fine,” she snapped, “but I want my own hotel room.” She reached for her apartment keys, her jaw set in a hard line. I nodded slowly.
I didn't care about the walls between us. I knew they would eventually fall.
“Get the most expensive one, baby,” I said, following her out. I watched the sway of her hips as we walked toward the stairs.
My black Porsche Panamera GTS sat idling by the curb, a sleek predator in this soft city. I opened the door for her, my fingers grazing her arm. She shivered. I loved knowing her body still remembered my touch.
She climbed in, and the interior immediately filled with her scent. It was intoxicating. I’ve sat in this car alone for nights, staring at her window, imagining her right here. Finally, the passenger seat wasn't empty.
"Nice car, Jimin," she said, looking at the leather. Her voice was flat, trying to hide her interest. I shifted into gear, my eyes tracking her profile.
I shifted into gear and pulled away from the curb. Her scent filled the small space of the Porsche. I had spent thousands of hours imagining her in this seat. Now, she was finally here, and I wasn't letting her leave.
“It’s just a car, Moon," I said, my eyes flicking to her legs. I wanted to reach over and transition my hand to her thigh. I needed to feel her skin to know this was real and not another fever dream.
She stared out the window, avoiding my gaze. I knew she was thinking about the Ritz. I had already paid for the Imperial Suite for myself and a smaller, lonely room for her. I knew she wouldn't stay there.
I drove through the busy streets of Paris with one hand on the steering wheel. My other hand rested near the gear shift, inches from her knee. I watched her reflection in the glass. She looked perfect, like a captured bird.
"Why are we going to the hotel first?" she asked. Her voice was tight with nerves.
I loved that I could make her feel unsettled. It meant I still had power over her. It meant Theo was failing to protect her.
"So you can pick which room you want before my tour starts," I turned onto the Place Vendôme.
I pulled up to the grand entrance of the Ritz. The valets moved quickly, but I didn't look at them. I only looked at her. I climbed out and walked around to open her door. I wanted everyone to see that she was with me.
I watched her step out of the car. The sunlight caught the gold of her jewelry. I wanted to grab her waist right there. I wanted the world to know she was mine, but I held back. I followed her into the lobby.
We reached the gold-trimmed front desk. The clerk looked at her with practiced Parisian politeness.
“Mr. Park,” the woman greeted me with a smile. “Is everything to satisfactory with your suit?”
I nodded with a smile. “More than,” I said before turning to Moon. “Go on, baby," I lean against the desk, my hands tucked in my pockets and my head angled to the side. “Tell her you want the best. Show me how much of my money you can burn today. Don't be shy. I know you love the view from the top."
I watched her chin lift. That familiar spark of defiance lit up her eyes, and I felt a surge of heat hit my gut. She wasn't shrinking away. Instead, she stepped closer to the marble counter, challenging me.
Moon turned to the clerk with a sharp, beautiful smirk. "I’ll take the Imperial Suite," she said clearly. "The one with the garden view and the private hammam. Since Mr. Park is paying, I want the absolute best they have."
My smirk deepened until my face almost ached. God, she was perfect when she was being bratty with my credit card. I leaned closer, my chest nearly brushing her shoulder, just to see the small hairs rise on her neck.
The clerk’s fingers flew over the keys. I didn't even look at the total. I just stared at the curve of Moon’s jaw. I wanted to bite it. I wanted to mark her right here in this expensive, crowded lobby.
I had watched her through a telephoto lens for fourteen nights, seeing her brush her hair through a half-closed curtain. Now, she was standing inches away. The reality of her was a thousand times better.
My trousers felt tight as I watched her take the gold-embossed key card. She was expensive, and she was mine. Theo couldn't give her this. He couldn't handle her fire. Only I knew how to stoke it until she burned.
"Happy now, Jimin?" she asked, waving the key in my face. Her voice was playful but guarded. I reached out, grabbing her wrist firmly. I didn't let go, feeling her pulse race against my thumb. She was so beautifully trapped.
"I'll be happy when we're upstairs," I whispered, my voice rough.
moon's pov.
You couldn't help but notice how casually attractive he looked, leaning against the wall with his arms folded, his gaze fixed on you in a playful challenge.
You bit your lip, trying to suppress the fluttering feeling in your stomach. There was something about his relaxed demeanor that made him even more attractive. You found yourself admiring the way his arms were defined under the fabric of his shirt, and the way his dark locks fell casually, softening his usually serious features.
Jimin noticed your gaze, the way your eyes seemed to linger for a moment on his arms, and a hint of realization crossed his face. He couldn't help but feel a faint sense of satisfaction, enjoying the way your eyes roamed over him. He smirked lightly, keeping his voice nonchalant. "Hungry? I want to eat some dessert."
You quickly snapped out of your distracted state, realizing you had been caught staring. You cleared your throat and replied, trying to maintain composure. "Yeah, I could go for some dessert." You mentally chided yourself for being so obvious, but secretly, you couldn't deny the appeal of seeing this rare side of Jimin.
Jimin chuckled, clearly amused by your brief moment of distraction. He pushed himself off the wall and walked towards the door, his steps light and almost carefree. "Let's take a shower first and change." he takes it off his t-shirt.
Your heart skipped a beat as you watched Jimin pull off his t-shirt, revealing his broad shoulders and defined back. You tried to keep your cool, but the sight was undeniably attractive. You nodded wordlessly, your gaze still lingering on his exposed skin for a moment before you looked away, trying to compose yourself.
Jimin smirked, noticing your reaction, but didn't say anything. He headed to the bathroom, leaving you with your thoughts and the image of his bare torso still etched in your mind. The sound of the shower starting echoed through the room, and you realized you needed to gather yourself.
You took a moment to collect your thoughts, your heartbeat still slightly elevated from the unexpected view. You sat on the edge of the bed, trying to distract yourself by scrolling through your phone. However, the image of Jimin's toned physique kept involuntarily popping up in your mind, making it difficult to concentrate.
The water continued to run in the background, reminding you that he was just a few feet away, naked and wet. You shook your head, trying to rid yourself of the distracting thoughts. "Get it together," you muttered to yourself, taking a deep breath and focusing on your phone.
The shower eventually stopped, and a few minutes later, the bathroom door opened, and Jimin stepped out, a towel wrapped around his waist. His hair was damp and tousled, his skin glistening with droplets of water. The sight made your mouth go dry, and you found yourself staring again.
You tried to look away discreetly, but it wasn't easy. The towel hugged Jimin's waist tightly, emphasizing the firm muscles of his torso. Your gaze lingered on the V-line disappearing beneath the towel, imagining what lay beneath it. You felt a jolt of desire run through you, and you swallowed hard, trying to compose yourself once again.
Jimin noticed your flushed cheeks and the way your eyes kept darting to his towel-clad body. He smirked, leaning against the doorframe and crossing his arms. "Water is still warm. Go and take a shower," his voice low and teasing.
You blinked, caught off guard by his words. Your heart raced at the sound of his low, teasing voice. His eyes held a playful glint, and you knew he was aware of the effect he was having on you. You tried to regain your composure and stood up from the bed, avoiding his gaze as you walked past him towards the bathroom. "Right, yeah. I'll be quick."
Jimin's smirk widened as you quickly moved past him towards the bathroom. He couldn't help but find your reactions amusing and endearing. As you closed the bathroom door behind you, he chuckled softly to himself, knowing you were probably flustered beyond belief after the sight of him in a towel.
Once you were in the safety of the bathroom, you let out a sigh, trying to will your heart rate to slow down. The image of Jimin's toned chest and the low sound of his voice were still fresh in your mind. You turned on the water, letting it warm up before stepping into the shower. As the water cascaded over you, you tried to focus on anything but the way Jimin had looked, but it was proving to be quite challenging.
As you washed up, you found yourself dwelling on the sight of Jimin in that towel. The way his arms flexed when he crossed them, the defined collarbones, and the hint of a toned stomach peeking out. You groaned softly, annoyed at yourself for being so affected by his appearance. "Get it together, seriously," you muttered, lathering up your body with soap.
Despite your efforts to focus on the task at hand, your thoughts kept straying to Jimin, imagining what he might be doing in the other room. You wondered if he was still in that towel, or if he had already gotten dressed. As you rinsed off the soap, your mind went to dangerous territory, imagining him standing in front of the mirror, towel wrapped around his waist. You tried to snap yourself out of it, shaking your head under the warm water.
After the shower, you quickly dried yourself and wrapped a towel around your body. Taking a deep breath, you mentally prepared yourself to face Jimin again, hoping you had composed yourself enough not to be a total mess. You stepped out of the bathroom, finding Jimin sitting comfortably on the bed, scrolling through his phone. He looked up as you entered, his eyes scanning your figure, wrapped in a towel.
Jimin couldn't help but let his eyes roam over your form, taking in the way the towel hugged your curves. He felt a pang of desire stirring within him, but quickly masked it with a nonchalant expression. He looked up at you, a small smirk playing on his lips. "You took your time."
You rolled your eyes, trying to hide the effect his gaze had on you. "I had to wash my hair, you know." You walked towards your luggage to find something comfortable to wear. The towel slid a bit lower on your chest, exposing more skin, and Jimin's eyes followed the movement unconsciously.
Jimin's gaze lingered on the exposed skin of your neck and collarbone, his eyes darkening slightly as he admired the sight before him. He quickly snapped out of it, clearing his throat and looking away, trying to compose himself. "Well, hurry up and get dressed. I'm starving."
You grabbed the first thing you could find, a soft, oversized T-shirt and shorts, and turned to face Jimin, who was still sitting on the bed. "Can you turn around? please. Privacy, you know."
Jimin chuckled softly, finding your request both cute and amusing. He rolled his eyes playfully and turned away from you, giving you a bit of privacy. "Alright, alright, I'll turn away. Happy now?"
You waited until his back was completely turned before dropping the towel and slipping into the T-shirt and shorts. The oversized T-shirt hung a bit loosely on you, stopping just above your mid-thigh. You cleared your throat softly, signaling that he could turn around again.
Jimin turned back around, his eyes immediately drawn to the sight of you in the baggy T-shirt and shorts. You looked undeniably adorable, the fabric swallowing you up and emphasizing your small frame. He had to fight the urge to pull you onto his lap and hold you close. Instead, he cleared his throat and forced a nonchalant expression. "You look... cozy."
You tried to ignore the heat that surged through your body at his words. You pushed a strand of damp hair behind your ear and shrugged, trying to play it cool. "Yeah, just thought it would be comfortable for now."
Jimin nodded, his gaze still fixed on you, silently admiring the way the T-shirt hung on your frame. He had to resist the urge to reach out and touch you, to pull you closer and feel you against him. Instead, he cleared his throat and forced himself to look away, focusing on the wall in front of him. "Let's go eat. I'm starving."
You nodded in agreement, grateful for the distraction. You followed Jimin out of the room and towards the hotel restaurant, your heart still racing a bit from the intimate moment you had just shared. As you walked, you tried to focus on the surroundings, but your mind kept drifting back to Jimin, the way his eyes had roamed over your body, the low sound of his voice. You pushed the thoughts away, determined to enjoy the evening and not let your hormones take over.
Throughout the meal, Jimin found himself continuously stealing glances at you. Watching you eat, the way your eyes closed as you savored a particularly delicious bite, the way your lips wrapped around the spoon or fork, it was almost torture. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat, trying to will away the thoughts that were coursing through his mind.
Jimin's gaze lingered on your mouth as you sipped your drink, his eyes fixated on the movement of your lips. He watched as your tongue darted out to moisten your bottom lip, and the subtle action sent a jolt of desire through him. He shifted in his seat, the fabric of his jeans suddenly feeling too tight. He cleared his throat and averted his gaze, trying to will away the heat that was pooling in his lower abdomen.
Jimin found it increasingly difficult to concentrate on the conversation, his mind consumed by the images that danced through his imagination. He wanted to reach across the table, to pull you into his lap, to feel your body pressed against his. The thought of your soft curves against his frame sent a jolt of heat through him, and he quickly gulped his drink, trying to cool down his rising temperature.
As you both stepped out of the restaurant, the crisp night air kissed your skin, providing a pleasant respite from the heated atmosphere inside. Jimin walked beside you, his hands tucked into his pockets, his gaze occasionally drifting towards you. The soft glow of streetlights illuminated the sidewalk, casting a warm glow on your features.
The night was quiet, with only the distant hum of traffic interrupting the silence. You walked side by side, the distance between you minimal. Every so often, the backs of your hands would brush against each other, sending a jolt of electricity through Jimin's body each time.
Jimin couldn't help but be hyper-aware of every brush of contact between their bodies. The casual touch of your hand against his was both innocent and charged with a hidden sensuality. He had to fight the urge to reach out and intertwine his fingers with yours, to pull you closer and press your body against his. Instead, he kept his hands firmly in his pockets and continued walking, his eyes occasionally stealing glances at you.
The walk seemed to stretch on forever, with each step bringing you closer to the hotel. The tension between the two of you was palpable, the air thick with unspoken desire. Jimin's mind was filled with visions of pulling you into a secluded alleyway, pushing you against a wall, and finally giving in to the craving that had been building inside him all night.
The thought of having you pressed against a wall, your body flush against his, was driving him insane. He tried to keep his thoughts in check, to maintain the casual distance between you, but it was increasingly difficult with every stolen glance and subtle touch. He clenched his fists in his pockets, his knuckles turning white, as he fought to keep his hands to himself.
As you both entered the hotel, the elevator ride up to your room was filled with unspoken tension. You stood side by side in the elevator, the air thick with mutual desire. Jimin kept his gaze fixed straight ahead, his hands clenching and unclenching in his pockets. Every time the elevator jostled, causing you to sway slightly towards him, he could feel his resolve slipping.
He was acutely aware of the way your body lightly brushed against his, the subtle scent of your perfume filling his senses. His thoughts were consumed with how easy it would be to reach out, to pull you flush against him, and to feel the warmth of your body against his. He clenched his fists tighter, willing himself to maintain control, to not act on the overwhelming desire that clawed at his self-restraint.
Finally, the elevator dinged, signaling that you had reached your floor. Jimin stepped out first, holding the door open for you. As you passed by him, he caught a whiff of your scent again, and it took everything he had not to pull you into his arms and bury his face in the crook of your neck.
The walk down the hallway to your hotel room was agonizing. Every step felt like an eternity. Jimin kept pace behind you, his eyes fixated on the sway of your hips, the way your body moved with each step. He reaches out and places his hand on the small of your back to pull you closer and press his chest against your back.
His touch on the small of your back was a burning brand, a reminder of the intense desire he was barely reining in. Every fiber of his being wanted to pull you against him, to feel your body molded to his, but he held back, trying to keep his touch casual and nonchalant. He took a deep breath, trying to calm his racing heart, as you finally reached the door to your hotel room.
You fumbled with the key, your hands shaking slightly, still acutely aware of his presence behind you. Jimin stepped closer, his chest almost pressed against your back as he watched you unlock the door. The proximity was maddening, the heat radiating from his body causing you to shiver involuntarily.
As you opened the door and stepped inside, Jimin followed close behind, unable to tear himself away from you. The door clicked shut behind him, the sound echoing in the now enclosed space. The atmosphere in the room was thick with tension, the air almost crackling as you both stood there, mere inches apart.
The silence was deafening, the only sound the ragged breaths of anticipation. Jimin's gaze was fixed on you, his eyes dark with unspoken desire. He could see the subtle rise and fall of your chest, the flush of your cheeks, and the way your tongue darted out to moisten your lips. It was all too much.
He couldn't take it anymore. In one swift motion, he reached out, his hand encircling your waist, and pulled you against him. The moment your bodies collided, it was like the dam had burst.
''Oh fuck me.'' His lips crashed onto yours, his kiss hard and demanding. His hands moved to your hips, holding you firmly against him. He deepened the kiss, his tongue sweeping into your mouth, tasting you with a fervor that sent a jolt of heat through your body. He walked you backward, his body pressing you against the wall, his hands roaming over your curves.
He broke the kiss, his lips moving down to your neck, leaving a trail of hot, open-mouthed kisses along the sensitive skin. He nipped and sucked, leaving marks on your neck. His hands slid under your shirt, his palms hot against your bare skin.
Jimin lifted your shirt over your head, tossing it aside, his eyes roaming over the expanse of exposed skin. His hands were everywhere, his touch leaving a trail of fire along your skin. His lips returned to your shoulder, kissing and biting along the collarbone, leaving a path of possessive marks.
Your fingers tangled in his hair, anchoring yourself as he pressed his body against yours. His teeth grazed your bottom lip, his tongue delving back into your mouth. His hands roamed over your body, touching and exploring every curve and dip. The heat between you was palpable, the air crackling with tension.
He lifted you away from the wall, carrying you toward the bed. His eyes were dark with primal need, his touch electric on your skin. He lay you down on the bed, crawling over you, his body covering yours. He kissed you again, deeply, his hands roaming over your body.
"Jimin, stop stop. Look at me, look at me," you murmured.
He froze, his body still covering yours, his lips hovering inches from yours. His breathing was ragged, his eyes still dark with desire, but he obeyed your command, his gaze locking with yours.
You cupped his cheek, your fingers tracing his jawline, trying to catch your breath. "Not today, please. Just cuddle with me," you murmured, your voice shaking slightly.
He searched your gaze, seeing the sincerity in your eyes. His body was still thrumming with desire, but he forced himself to take a deep breath, willing his heart rate to slow down. He nodded, his gaze softening slightly.
He shifted his weight, rolling onto his side, his arm wrapping around you and pulling you against him. He tucked your head under his chin, his body molding against yours. His breathing was still slightly ragged, but he tried to relax, to focus on simply holding you close.
You snuggled against him, feeling the rise and fall of his chest, the steady beat of his heart. His grip on you was tight, possessive, as he tried to quell the lingering desire coursing through his body. He buried his face in your hair, taking a deep breath and inhaling your scent, using it to ground himself.
He closed his eyes, trying to focus on the feeling of your body against his, the soft curves of your body pressed against his rougher form. He could still feel the heat between you, the simmering desire that threatened to boil over, but he pushed it back, instead focusing on the way your breath hitched slightly as his hand rubbed soothing circles on your back.
The minutes ticked away, and he gradually felt the tension in his body ebbing away, replaced by a strange sense of contentment. Here, with you cradled in his arms, he found a sense of peace he'd rarely experienced. He continued to hold you, breathing in the scent of your hair, his fingers tracing lazy patterns on your back.
He could hear your breathing even out, the sound soothing and rhythmic. He opened his eyes, looking down at you, seeing the soft, relaxed expression on your face. A feeling of protectiveness washed over him, a fierce urge to keep you safe and close. He ran a hand through your hair, his touch gentle, as he leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to your forehead.
The room was quiet, save for the sound of your combined breathing. Jimin lay there, content to hold you in his arms, the earlier intensity of desire now replaced by a warm, tender feeling he couldn't quite name. He continued stroking your hair, admiring the way the soft strands curled around his fingers.
"I am sorry..." you whispered
He looked down at you, surprised by the sudden apology. "What are you sorry for?" he asked gently, his thumb brushing against your cheek.
"For ruining the mood," you murmured, a hint of guilt lacing your words. "I know I kinda ruined the moment."
He shook his head, a soft smile playing at the corners of his lips. "You didn't ruin anything," he reassured you, his voice still gentle. "I'm glad you stopped me."
You lifted your head to meet his gaze, a look of surprise in your eyes. "You're not mad?" you asked, needing reassurance that he wasn't upset with you.
He shook his head again, his gaze fixed on yours. He gently pushed a strand of hair away from your face. "No, I'm not mad," he replied, his voice soft and sincere. "I respect your boundaries. I'm glad you said something."
A small sigh of relief escaped your lips, your body relaxing further into the mattress. "I just...didn't want to rush things," you murmured, looking down at the sheets.
He lifted your chin, making you meet his gaze again. "I understand," he said gently. "I want you to be comfortable. We can go at whatever pace you want. I'm in no rush."
Your eyes softened, grateful for his understanding. You snuggled closer to him, wrapping your arm around him and resting your head on his chest. You could hear the steady thumping of his heart beneath your ear. "Thank you for understanding," you murmured, the words muffled against his shirt.
He wrapped his arm around you, his hand gently rubbing your back. "You don't have to thank me for respecting your boundaries," he replied, his voice soft. "I want you to feel comfortable and safe with me."
You couldn't help but smile at the sincerity in his tone, his words like a soothing balm to your anxious thoughts. You nuzzled your face against his chest, enjoying the warmth and the steady beat of his heart. "You're... not upset that things didn't go further?" you dared to ask, your voice still somewhat uncertain.
He shook his head, his hand continuing to brush over your back in soothing circles. "No, I'm not upset," he assured you, his voice gentle. "I'll admit, I was a bit… heated up earlier."
A soft chuckle escaped your lips, your cheeks flushing slightly at his honesty. "A bit?" you teased, lifting your head to shoot him a playful grin.
He chuckled softly, his expression sheepish. "Okay, maybe a little more than a bit," he admitted, his cheeks tinged pink. "But I respect your boundaries, and I'm alright with just being close like this."
Jimin slowly opened his eyes, the early morning sunlight filtering through the curtains and casting a warm glow across the room. He blinked a few times, disoriented for a moment, before his senses registered the weight of your head on his chest, your hair tousled and soft. He let out a soft exhale, his arm instinctively tightening around you. He had slept better than he could remember, his body warm and comfortable with you pressed against him. He looked down at you, a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips as he took in your sleeping form.
He was content to just lie there, holding you close and relishing the feeling of your body against his. The memory of the night before flooded his mind, the intensity of his desire tempered by your words and boundaries. He gently ran his fingers through your hair, admiring the way it curled around his fingers. He was struck by how right this felt, the weight of you in his arms, the scent of your shampoo filling his senses.
The thought of starting the day and leaving the comfort of the bed was almost painful, but Jimin knew it was inevitable. He ran his hand down your back. "Wake up, sleepyhead," he murmured, his voice still rough from sleep. "We have to get up eventually."
You groaned, burying your face further into his chest, your voice muffled. "Five more minutes," you grumbled, your arm tightening around his waist. You didn't want to leave the sanctuary of his arms just yet.
He chuckled softly, enjoying the way you were clinging to him like a koala. He couldn't help but find it endearing, despite the inevitability of having to get up eventually. He continued stroking your hair, his touch gentle. "You say that every time, and then five minutes turns into fifteen."
You lifted your head, your eyes half-lidded and still drooping with sleep. "But it's so warm," you protested, pouting at him. "And you're comfy." You snuggled closer to him, as if to prove your point.
He couldn't help but laugh softly at your sleepy protest. Your pouts and the way you were nuzzling against him only made him want to hold you tighter. "I know, but we really do have to get up eventually," he insisted, his hand still stroking your hair. "We can't just stay in this bed all day, as tempting as it is."
You sighed, your expression a mix of reluctance and acceptance. "Fine," you mumbled, reluctantly untangling yourself from his arms and sitting up. "But I'm allowed to complain about it." You rubbed your eyes, trying to wake yourself up fully.
He propped himself up on his elbow, grinning at your adorable display of reluctance. "Complain all you want," he replied, his eyes twinkling with amusement. "It won't change the fact that we have to get up and see around. Paris is waiting for us."
You rolled your eyes, a small pout tugging at your lips. "You're so mean, making me get up when we could still be cuddling," you whined. "Paris can wait." But you were already swinging your feet off the bed and standing up, stretching your arms above your head.
He chuckled as he watched you stand up, the sheets pooling around your hips, leaving you in just your T-shirt and underwear. His gaze traveled over your form, appreciating your curves and the way your hair was tousled from sleep. "Paris might be offended that you're so willing to ignore it," he quipped, still lounging on the bed, his eyes fixed on you.
You shot him a playful glare, shaking your head at his teasing. "Paris will have to cope," you replied, your tone light and playful. You padded over to the suitcase, rummaging through it for something to wear, still very much aware of his gaze on you. After a few moments, you found a pair of jeans and a cute sweater.
Jimin's gaze followed your movements as you rifled through your suitcase, enjoying the way your hips swayed slightly as you moved. He knew he should get up as well, but he was admittedly enjoying the view too much. The sight of you dressed only in a T-shirt and underwear was sending his thoughts in a direction he knew was inappropriate, given the boundaries you'd set the night before.
You could practically feel his gaze burning into your skin, and it made you both flustered and slightly excited. You shot a sly glance over your shoulder at him, your cheeks slightly pink. "You going to just sit there and watch me get dressed, or are you going to get up and get ready yourself?"
He caught your glance and smirked, knowing he'd been caught in the act. He propped himself up on his elbows, the muscles in his arms flexing slightly. "I don't know, I'm quite enjoying the show so far," he replied, his tone teasing. "Why should I get up and miss out on the view?"
You rolled your eyes, trying to keep a straight face, but a small smile tugged at the corners of your mouth. "Because it's rude to just sit there and watch someone get dressed," you retorted, slipping the sweater over your head. "And because we have places to be, remember?"
He chuckled at your retort, reluctantly sitting up and swinging his legs over the edge of the bed. "Fine, fine, I'll get up," he conceded, standing up and stretching his arms over his head. His gaze was fixed on you, appreciating the way the sweater hugged your curves. "But for the record, I would've watched you all day if I could." And he got up and slightly spanked your ass and smiled. "Sorry, I can't help it."
You gasped softly at the unexpected gesture, your cheeks flushing. "Hey, watch it," you scolded, shooting him a playful glare. "Boundaries, remember?" Despite the feigned reproof, you couldn't help but find his playfulness endearing. You watched as he walked over to the bathroom, enjoying the way his muscles flexed with each step.
He grinned at your chastising, amused by your reaction. "I know, I know," he chuckled, disappearing into the bathroom. "I'll behave myself." He knew he should heed your words and respect the boundaries you'd set the night before, but the sight of you in that damn sweater was making it difficult to keep his hands to himself.
You couldn't help but chuckle at his cheeky remark. Despite your best efforts, his words sent a flutter through your stomach. You shook your head, trying to focus on getting dressed instead of thinking about how attractive he was. You finished getting dressed and took a glance at yourself in the mirror, smoothing down the wrinkles in your clothes and fixing your hair as best as you could.
"Red lipstick or just lip gloss? Which one?" you asked him.
He was just coming out of the bathroom, fixing the cuffs of his shirt, when you posed the question. He looked up at your reflection in the mirror, his gaze roaming over your form. "Red," he replied without hesitation, his eyes lingering on your lips. "Definitely red."
You smiled at his quick response, appreciating the way his gaze lingered on your lips. "Red, it is, then," you replied, picking up the tube of red lipstick from your makeup bag. You applied the lipstick carefully, your lips pursing slightly as you swiped the dark hue over your lips. You couldn't help the little shiver that ran down your spine as you caught Jimin watching you through the mirror, his gaze dark and possessive.
Jimin watched as you applied the lipstick, his jaw tensing slightly. The sight of your lips, perfectly painted a deep red, was driving him crazy. He had to fight the urge to stride over to you and kiss the damn lipstick off your lips. Instead, he clenched his jaw and forced his mind to focus on something else. "Ready to go?" he asked, his voice just a touch hoarser than usual.
You noticed the huskiness in his voice, and it sent a thrill through you. You could tell he was struggling to maintain composure, and it was doing things to you. You turned to face him, a small smirk playing on your lips. You knew you were testing his self-restraint, but you couldn't help it. You loved the way he reacted to you. "Yeah, I'm ready," you replied, your voice purposely low and sultry.
His eyes darkened at the sound of your voice, desire and restraint warring within him. He could see the hint of mischief in your expression, and he knew you were testing his limits. "You're going to be the death of me, you know that?" he muttered, raking a hand through his hair. He held out a hand to you, gesturing towards the door. "Let's go before I lose my damn mind."
You chuckled softly, reveling in the power you held over him. You took his offered hand, linking your fingers with his as he led you towards the door. "Can't handle a little bit of teasing, huh?" you taunted, your voice light and playful. "And here I thought you were all about self-control."
He groaned softly, shaking his head at your words. "You have no idea the kind of control I'm exerting right now," he replied, his hand gripping yours a little tighter. "You know, I'm trying to respect your boundaries, but you're making it really damn difficult."
You suppressed a smirk, enjoying the fact that you had the power to affect him so intensely. The way he was struggling to keep his composure was intoxicating. "Oh, I have a pretty good idea," you teased, giving him a sly glance. "And I have to admit, it's quite fun watching you fight your desires. It's cute."
He shot you a sideways glance, a mix of amusement and frustration etched on his face. "Cute, huh?" he repeated, his voice a low rumble. "You think it's cute watching me struggle to keep my hands off you? Trust me, sweetheart, there's nothing cute about the thoughts running through my mind right now."
You feigned innocence, your eyes widened in mock surprise. "Oh? And what exactly are those thoughts, hmm? Care to enlighten me?" You knew full well what his thoughts probably were, but you wanted to hear him say it out loud. You raised an eyebrow at him, a smirk playing on your lips.
He groaned, realizing you were fully aware of the effect you had on him. "You really want to know what I'm thinking right now?" he asked, his voice lower and huskier. His gaze roamed over your form, his hand tightening around yours. He leaned in closer, his lips brushing against your ear. "Because I'll gladly tell you, in explicit detail, every single thing that I want to do to you right now. But first, please, show me Paris."
You shivered at his whispered words, the low, gravelly tone sending goosebumps over your skin. You swallowed, trying to keep your breathing even. You had to admit, hearing him say it out loud was doing crazy things to you. But you weren't ready to let him break entirely yet. "Paris first," you agreed, your voice slightly breathless. "But later...? Well, we'll see." You gave him a coy smile and a little shrug before leading him out the door.
He followed you out the door, his gaze fixed on the sway of your hips. The way you'd responded to his words had him almost undone, and the promise of "later" was driving him insane. His hand itched to reach out and pull you against him, but he held himself back. adjusting his shirt. "I swear to god, woman, I've never met anyone who tests my self-control as much as you."
You chuckled, clearly enjoying the effect you were having on him. "What can I say? I'm just special that way." You continued down the hallway, your hips swaying just a little bit more with each step. You knew he was watching you, and you were playing it up just to torture him a little more.
''We'll start with breakfast first. Croissants and coffee,'' you said.
He followed you, his eyes still glued to your hips. As you spoke about breakfast, he nodded, half-listening. He was still struggling to control himself, the image of you in that damn red lipstick still fresh in his mind. "Croissants and coffee sound good," he managed to reply, his voice slightly strained.
You caught the way his voice wavered and smiled to yourself, feeling satisfied that you were affecting him so intensely. You led him into a quaint little café, the smell of freshly baked croissants and strong coffee wafting through the air. You found a table by the window, the morning sunlight casting a warm glow over the room.
He took the seat across from you, his gaze still locked on you. He watched you as you perused the menu, his eyes flickering to your lips now and then. He reached out and trailed his thumb over your bottom lip. "Your lipstick, a little bit smudged."
You shivered at the touch of his thumb, the simple gesture sending a jolt of desire through you. You resisted the urge to lean into his touch, instead replying with a sly smile. "Is it bad?" you asked, lifting a napkin to dab at your lip.
He shook his head, a small grin tugging at the corner of his lips. "No, it's not bad," he replied, his thumb lingering on your lip for a moment longer. "In fact, I think it looks damn sexy."
Your breath caught in your throat at his words, the low rumble of his voice sending a shiver down your spine. You tried to keep your composure, but you could feel yourself slipping. "You think so?" you asked, your voice hoarse. His thumb moved from your lip to your jawline, and he leaned in a bit closer. "Oh, sweetheart, you have no idea how sexy you look with that smudge."
Your heart raced at his proximity, the intensity in his gaze making your head spin. You had to fight the urge to moan at his words, your body betraying you in the best way. "It's... it's just lipstick," you said weakly, trying to keep your focus on the conversation and not on the way his thumb was still tracing patterns on your jawline.
He chuckled, the sound low and sultry in his throat. "Just lipstick, huh?" he murmured, his gaze flickering to your lips. "Babygirl, that lipstick makes your mouth look downright sinful." He traced a finger over your bottom lip, his touch light but deliberate. His eyes darkened. "And I have a very vivid imagination when it comes to thoughts about your mouth."
Your lips parted slightly at his words, your breath hitching. You were torn between wanting to smack him for teasing you so cruelly and just throwing yourself into his arms right there in the cafe. "Is that so?" you managed to reply, your voice a few octaves huskier than usual." Anyways, I am hungry, let me order."
"Okay, show me your French side." he smiled.
You shot him a glare, knowing damn well that he was enjoying how worked up he made you. You ordered your coffee and croissant in perfect French, the language rolling off your tongue with a flawless pronunciation. You couldn't help but notice the hint of surprise and admiration that flickered across his face as you spoke. He had to admit, listening to you switch Korean to fluent French was making him even more attracted to you.
His eyes widened slightly, impressed by your flawless French. He had known you could speak multiple languages, but hearing you switch seamlessly between Korean and another language was making his imagination run wild. "Wow, sweetheart," he drawled, his eyes raking over you appreciatively. "I never knew how damn hot it would be to hear you speak French."
You both walked through the opulent halls of the museum, surrounded by priceless works of art. The sunlight streamed through the windows, casting a warm glow over the sculptures and paintings. Jimin's hand rested lightly on your lower back, his touch both possessive and comforting.
He couldn't help but steal glances at you as you walked, taking in the way your eyes sparkled with admiration for the artwork. As you stood in front of a particularly gorgeous painting, Jimin stepped closer to you, his body practically pressed against your back. He leaned down, his lips near your ear, and his hand slid lower, his fingers splaying out across your backside. "Do you know what I'm thinking right now?" he murmured, his voice low and rough.
You shivered at the feeling of his breath on your neck, his body heat radiating against your back. You could barely concentrate on the painting with him so close, his touch setting your skin on fire. "No, tell me." you managed to reply, your voice barely above a whisper.
He chuckled, the sound low and sensuous. "I'm thinking that this piece of artwork doesn't even compare to the masterpiece standing right in front of me," he whispered, his lips now grazing the shell of your ear. His hand continued to wander, his fingertips tracing lazy circles on your hip.
His words sent a jolt of desire through you, and you fought the urge to lean back into him, to feel more of his heat and strength against you. Instead, you forced yourself to focus on the painting, attempting to act as nonchalantly as possible, and replied, "You're ridiculous."
He chuckled again, amused by your attempt to appear unaffected. His thumb rubbed small circles on your hip, his touch teasing and provocative. "Am I now?" he asked, his voice dropping to a low murmur. "Maybe I just have good taste." He leaned in a little closer, his chest pressed against your back, and whispered, "And right now, you're my favorite work of art."
Your knees went a little weak at his words, and you couldn't stop the soft gasp that escaped your lips. You could feel the heat radiating off him, his body so close that it was driving you crazy. "Keep walking Jimin, There is a so many paintings we need to see." you murmured
He chuckled at the way you were struggling to keep your composure, enjoying the effect his words were having on you. "As you wish,baby." He removed his hand from your hip and stepped back a little, though not before giving your hip a quick squeeze. As you continued to explore the museum, he couldn't help but admire the way you moved, his gaze constantly finding you in the crowd.
Every so often, he would touch you—a light brush of his fingers on your arm, a gentle nudge to direct your attention to a particular piece of artwork, or a casual hand on your lower back to guide you through the crowded gallery. Each time he touched you, no matter how brief the contact, it sent a jolt of electricity through your body, making it increasingly difficult to focus on anything else.
As you stood in front of a particularly striking piece, Jimin stepped up behind you again, his body so close that you could feel the heat radiating off him. He rested his chin on your shoulder, his breath warm on your neck, and whispered, "You know, there's one piece here that's even more captivating than any of these paintings."
You fought to keep your breathing steady, your entire body on edge from his closeness. "Oh?" you managed to reply, trying to sound casual. "And what piece is that?"
He snaked an arm around your waist, pulling you slightly back against his chest. His other hand came up to brush a strand of hair away from your neck, the touch feather-light but electric. "It's right here, sweetheart." His lips grazed the sensitive skin of your neck, and his voice was low and huskier than ever. "The most beautiful work of art here is standing right in my arms."
Your breath caught in your throat, and you had to resist the overwhelming urge to melt backwards into his chest. His touch was driving you crazy, and the way he whispered those words in your ear was almost enough to make you whimper. "Stop it," you managed to gasp out. "And next museum please, Louvre."
He chuckled softly at your response, clearly enjoying the effect he had on you. "Always so bossy," he murmured, his lips still against your neck. "I love it." With a final light kiss to the sensitive spot below your ear, he reluctantly pulled away and took your hand in his. "The Louvre, as my lady commands."
You took a deep breath as he pulled away, trying to regain your composure. You could still feel the ghost of his touch on your skin, sending shivers down your spine. Jimin led you out of the museum and towards the Louvre, his hand still holding yours firmly. As you walked, he couldn't help but notice how every man's eyes lingered on you, their gazes filled with admiration and envy. Jealousy flared up within him, and his grip on your hand tightened slightly. He knew it was inevitable that other men would notice how beautiful you were, but it still bothered him immensely.
"Hey Moon, come here. Stay here." he said and looked at you
You looked at him, a little surprised by his sudden command. But there was something in his eyes that made you obey, and you stepped closer to him, tilting your head up to meet his gaze. "Yes?" you asked, curious.
He looked around, making sure no one was close enough to overhear the conversation. Then he leaned down towards you, his jaw clenching slightly. "Every man we pass," he began, his voice low and possessive, "every single damn man, is ogling you. And I don't like it."
You stifled a small smirk at the possessiveness in his voice. You couldn't help but find it endearing and slightly amusing. "Are you jealous?" you teased lightly, a hint of a challenge in your tone.
He shot you a defiant glare, his jaw tensing even more. "Damn right, I'm jealous," he growled, his grip on your hand tightening. "You're too damn beautiful for your own good, and every man out there is practically drooling over you. It's pissing me off."
You bit back a smile, feeling a strange sense of satisfaction wash over you at his words. It was flattering to know that he was so possessive of you. "I can't help it if I'm attractive," you teased, lightly poking his shoulder with your free hand. "Come on, I want to see Mona Lisa."
He grumbled under his breath, clearly not pleased with your casual response, but he reluctantly released your hand and motioned for you to lead the way. "Fine, go see your damn Mona Lisa," he muttered, his eyes flickering around to glare at any stray male nearby.
You smirked at his disgruntled expression, secretly enjoying his jealous attitude. As you made your way through the crowded museum halls, you could feel Jimin's gaze on you, possessive and protective. It was as if he was silently sending a message to any man who even looked in your direction: "Back off, she's mine."
His gaze lingered on every man who dared to glance your way, his jaw clenching and unclenching as he silently staked his claim. "I swear, if one more man looks at your ass," he muttered under his breath, a low growl rumbling in his chest.
You suppressed another smile, finding his possessive behavior both annoying and strangely endearing. You couldn't deny that there was a part of you that found it flattering, but you also wanted to tease him just a bit more. "You know, you're being a bit ridiculous," you said, trying to sound nonchalant. "And I know, my ass looks so good. Even Cho still compliments my ass once in a while."
After spending a long day at the museum, you and Jimin decided to unwind at the hotel bar. The soft glow of the low lights cast a warm ambiance over the room, and a few other patrons were quietly enjoying their drinks at various tables.
Jimin led you to a secluded booth in the corner, his hand on the small of your back. He pulled out the chair for you, waiting for you to sit down before taking the seat beside you. His gaze remained fixed on you, his expression both protective and possessive.
You slid into the seat, your hip accidentally brushing against his thigh. You could feel the heat radiating off his body as he settled in beside you, his leg still pressed against yours. A small shiver ran down your spine, but you quickly regained your composure and leaned back against the booth.
Jimin reached out, his hand resting on your knee under the table. His thumb traced small circles on your bare skin, his touch light but possessive. His gaze remained fixed on your face, his eyes drinking you in like a man starved.
You could feel the intensity of his gaze, the way his thumb was gently stroking your knee making it hard to focus. You cleared your throat, trying to ignore the growing attraction between you both. "You're being kinda clingy tonight, aren't you?" you teased, a small smile tugging at the corners of your lips.
Jimin chuckled in response, not denying the truth of your words. "Can you blame me?" he replied, his thumb continuing to move in lazy circles on your thigh. "When I have to watch every man who looks your way all damn day? I'm allowed to be clingy."
You couldn't help but roll your eyes playfully at his statement. "Possessive much?" you teased, tilting your head slightly. "You're acting like I belong to you or something."
His hand tightened around your knee, his jaw clenching slightly at your words. "You do," he murmured, his voice low and firm. "You're mine. No matter how many times I have to remind you. You're damn mine."
Your heart skipped a beat at his possessive declaration, the intensity in his voice sending a jolt of longing through you. You tried to hide your reaction, shrugging nonchalantly. "And yet, I don't remember signing any sort of contract that says I belong to you," you replied, trying to keep your tone light and teasing.
His grip on your knee tightened even more, his eyes darkening with desire. "Oh, sweetheart," he drawled, his voice dropping even lower. "You don't need any damn contract. I don't need a piece of paper to know that you're mine. Your body, your mind, your heart, they all belong to me. I own every damn part of you."
You felt a sharp heat pool in your core at his words, the possessive glint in his eyes making you feel simultaneously aroused and irritated. You struggled to maintain your composure, your voice coming out a bit breathless. "And what if I disagree?" you challenged, arching an eyebrow.
His hand slid higher up your thigh, his fingertips digging into your flesh. He leaned in closer, his face inches away from yours. "You can disagree all you want, sweetheart," he replied, his voice dropping to a low growl. "But your body betrays you. Every time I touch you, you shiver. Every time I'm close to you, you melt. Every time I speak, you listen. You can claim you're not mine all you want. But deep down, you know the truth."
You walked into the luxurious hotel room, shutting the door behind you with a soft click. The room was spacious and elegant, adorned with plush furniture and soft lighting. Without a word, you made your way into the adjacent bathroom, shutting the door behind you.
The bathroom was equally lavish, featuring a marble-clad walk-in shower and a spacious bathtub. You quickly undressed, leaving your clothes in a neat pile on the nearby counter.
You stepped into the shower, letting the hot water cascade over your body. The tension of the day slowly drained away, replaced by a sense of relaxation. You closed your eyes, sighing softly as the water massaged your muscles.
But despite the peace and solitude, your mind kept drifting back to Jimin. His possessive words, the way his gaze lingered on you, the soft touch of his fingers on your skin... It was driving you crazy.
You found yourself picturing the muscular contours of his body, feeling a pang of desire low in your belly. You shook your head, trying to shake away the thoughts. "Get yourself together," you muttered to yourself, reaching for the soap.
But your mind couldn't help but imagine his hands roaming over your body, replacing the soap and water. You could almost feel the heat of his breath, hear the deep rasp of his voice whispering dirty words in your ear. It was all you could do to bite back a whimper.
You hurriedly finished showering, your mind still swirling with thoughts of Jimin. You stepped out of the shower, wrapping a fluffy towel around your body.
As you dried off, you caught a glimpse of yourself in the mirror. Your damp hair clung to your face, your skin still flushed from the hot water. And for a moment, you couldn't help but consider what Jimin would say if he were standing beside you, his eyes roaming over your body with that possessive gleam.
"Snap out of it," you scolded yourself, grabbing a hairbrush and running it through your tangled locks.
You hastily dressed in a loose t-shirt and shorts, the fabric clinging to your damp skin. You couldn't help but feel a little annoyed with yourself for the way your thoughts kept straying to Jimin. It was as if he'd somehow imprinted himself on you, his presence lingering in every corner of your mind.
You walked back out into the bedroom, collapsing onto the bed with a sigh. Your mind was still racing, caught between irritation and... something else. It was as if Jimin had gotten under your skin, crawling through your thoughts and refusing to leave.
You shook your head, trying to clear your mind. "Just stop thinking about him," you muttered to yourself, burying your face in the pillow. But even the softness of the fabric under your cheek seemed to remind you of him. You groaned, feeling more frustrated and conflicted than ever.
You flipped onto your back, staring up at the ceiling. Your mind kept playing back every little moment from the day, from the way he'd touched you so possessively to the possessive gleam in his eyes. And then there was his words... "You belong to me." They echoed in your mind, over and over again, like a damn taunt.
You groaned again, your frustration growing. You should be angry. Pissed, even. But instead, your body seemed to respond to the memory of his touch, warmth pooling low in your belly. You hated that he had this effect on you. Hated that his touch had somehow carved itself into your skin, leaving an imprint that refused to fade.
You closed your eyes, trying to block out the thoughts and sensations. "Focus," you demanded of yourself. "Think about something else. Anything else." But no matter how hard you tried, your mind kept drifting back to him. You could picture him so clearly, could imagine the way his breath would have felt on your neck, the heat of his skin against yours.
You let out a sound that was half-sigh, half-groan. "Damn it," you muttered into the pillow. "This is ridiculous." You rolled over, burying your face into the downy softness. But even the scent of the sheets seemed to carry a faint hint of Jimin's cologne, sending another jolt of desire through you.
You gripped the sheets tightly, your frustration mounting. It was almost like his presence was everywhere, his scent, his touch, his damn possessive words echoing through your body. You wanted to be angry with him. Wanted to hate the way he made you feel, but instead... all you could think about was how much you wanted him to touch you more.
You groaned into the pillow again, the sound muffled but betraying your frustration and desire. It was a constant battle between your mind and body, one trying to assert dominance over the other. "Stop it," you whispered to yourself, your fingers digging into the mattress. "Stop thinking about him."
"Why?" you whispered, your voice raspy with emotion. "Why does he have this effect on me?" Your body seemed to echo the question, the need for him only growing stronger.
You curled onto your side, drawing your knees into your chest. The emptiness beside you seemed to deepen, the space where he should have been hauntingly empty. "Damn you, Park Jimin," you muttered, your heart aching with a mixture of anger and helpless acceptance. "Damn you for making me feel like this." You buried your face into the pillow, the scent of him lingering there, taunting you.
The worst part was, you didn't want to fight it. You wanted, needed, more of him. Needed what only he could provide. And that terrified you. You'd tried so hard to keep your heart safe, but he'd somehow weaseled his way in, making it damn near impossible to kick him out. It was as if he'd carved out a space for himself, and now the thought of emptiness made your chest ache even more intensely.
You squeezed your eyes shut, willing away the tears that threatened to spill. "I hate you," you muttered again, though the words lacked any real conviction.
→ Pairing: Jimin x Jin x Taehyung x Rachel x Theo (as Hwang Hyunjin) x reader (female)
→ AU-Genre(s): dark romance, mature, mafia
→ Trope: forbidden romance, sin-evil, passion, slow-burn.
→ Rating: mature/explicit (this is mature/explicit content, so you have been warned.)
→ Word count: 5.5K
→ warnings + triggers: none?
→ Author’s note: Realism is the sequel to a dark mafia romance. It explores desire, deception, and the pull of the forbidden.
This story is also written by two authors. Both are working on the two main lead couples as well as the other side couples. Please read with caution. For those who stay, welcome to a world where love and darkness intertwine.
Small note: when you see this font and this font, it means they are speaking French and Korean.
Kim Taehyung occupied the entire fourth floor of the building. Rachel had spent the afternoon running around Paris gathering shopping bags with groceries for tonight’s dinner.
“Are you making Gamjajeon?” Taehyung popped his head into the kitchen.
Rachel held the grater over a bowl, grating potatoes. She laughed when she felt his arms around her waist. He rested his chin on her shoulder. “You were talking about them for days,” she reached for another potato. “So, I’m making them.”
“I have a dream of a wife,” Taehyung sighed.
She laughed again. “Fiancée.”
“Nope,” he kissed her cheek, and then her neck. “Wife."
“I brought wine, and Jin has the dessert,” Moon’s voice danced through the entire apartment. Jin closed the door, with extra grocery bags in his hands that Rachel texted him to bring.
“Rachel, will you be making cold noodles as well?” he asked as he and Moon walked down the long corridor and turned a corner that opened into a massive kitchen.
Taehyung stepped away from Rachel and took a few bags from Jin. “Yes, yes. Everything,” Rachel said.
Moon reached for a wine glass, but her hand froze. “Jjajangmyeon?” she looked at Rachel.
“I smell Jjajangmyeon.” His voice came like a tsunami wave.
Park Jimin into the kitchen with a bottle of champagne and a bag with Soju and beers.
Moon felt like the stove was boiling her blood instead of the pots and pans. She placed this wine bottle down and grabbed another wine bottle with a stronger hit. She poured it into a glass and a large swing.
“Put the beers in the cooler,” Rachel said as she stirred the pot, and Jimin nodded.
Taehyung looked at his brother, Jin and then Rachel. The tension in the air was thicker than the steam from the food being cooked.
He clapped his hands together and nudged Moon with his elbow. “Moon is making snails,” he said. “Although none of us will eat.”
“I am not eating that,” Jin said.
“Neither am I,” Rachel scrunched her nose.
Moon looked at them all as she leaned against the counter for a moment before flashing her middle finger at them as she raised her glass back up to her lips. They all laughed at that.
“Come on,” Rachel fussed. “Moon, wash the vegetables, Jin and Jimin set the table, and my love,” she looked at Taehyung. “Bring the drinks in the boxes.”
As everyone took action upon their tasks, Jin and Jimin took everything off the dinning table in the opposite room of the corridor. But as Moon washed the vegetables, Jimin’s eyes sneaked glances at her.
He had seen her with Theo, and it was like the knife in his heart had been twisted by her own hands. He wanted to storm across the kitchen, pull her close, and erase every trace of another man’s touch.
“Eh!” Jin snapped his fingers in front of Jimin’s eyes. “No looking.” Jin’s expression was a masterpiece of protective irritation, his eyes narrowing into dark slits. “If you keep looking at her, I will personally ensure you never see the sun again. Move it, Park.”
“I’m moving, Hyung. Relax.”
Jin crossed his arms over his chest. “You’ve caused her enough tears to fill the Seine,” he said. “You’re my friend, and Rachel’s brother, but I’ll throw you off the balcony myself if I have to.”
“I’m not here to hurt her,” Jin almost felt sorry for Jimin. The shades his voice was coloured almost softened.
Jin pointed a finger towards the dining table with a flourish of dramatic authority. “Set the forks,” he said. “If one is crooked, I’ll assume it’s a metaphor for your life and hang you from the Eiffel Tower before the food is ready.”
Jimin nodded, moving to the table as Jin watched him like a hawk guarding a nest.
“Hyung!” Taehyung called out to Jin from the room down the corridor. “I need some help.”
Jin sighed and went to Taehyung. The cold water ran over the lettuce in the sink, but Moon’s skin felt like it was prickling with heat. She hated that Jimin was here, acting like he hadn't spent the last four years as a ghost.
Jin and Jimin moved back and forth between the kitchen and the dining room, a silent, uneasy truce holding them together for Rachel’s sake. Every time Jimin passed Moon, he slowed his pace just a fraction. He didn't touch her, but he didn't need to. The scent of his cologne, the same one he’d worn in the bar clouded her senses.
"The table is set," Jimin murmured, stepping up beside the sink to grab a stack of napkins. He leaned in closer than necessary, his shoulder nearly brushing hers. "You’re shaking, baby. Is the water too cold, or is it me?"
Moon gripped a bell pepper so hard she thought it might snap. "Go away, Jimin," she hissed, her voice low enough to stay beneath the sizzle of Rachel’s pans.
"I tried that for four years," he whispered, his voice dropping into that dangerous, honeyed register. "And after seeing how that bastard handles you, I don't think I'll be trying it again."
Moon finally looked at him, her eyes flashing. "Theo handles me with respect,” she said.
Jimin’s jaw tightened. "He handles you like a trophy he's afraid to scratch,” he said. “But I handle you like you’re the air in my lungs. Learn the difference, my Moon."
"Moon! The vegetables!" Rachel called out, oblivious to the silent war happening at the sink.
Moon shoved a bowl of rinsed lettuce into Jimin’s chest, forcing him to take a step back. "Take these,” she said. “Since you’re so eager to be helpful."
Jimin caught the bowl. A slow, knowing smirk played on his lips, mocking the fierce wall of practiced indifference she was desperately trying to keep from crumbling down. "I’m always eager to take what you give me,” he murmured. “Even if it’s just a bowl of greens for now."
Moon turned back to the counter, her hands moving with a frantic rhythm as she sliced cucumbers, desperately trying to ignore the heat radiating from Jimin. He didn’t move. Instead, he lingered in the heavy silence, his eyes tracing the delicate line of her neck and the way her hair fell over her shoulders.
He watched her with a hungry, silent yearning that felt more intimate than any physical touch. The kitchen suddenly felt cavernous yet suffocating as the sounds of the apartment drifted away.
Rachel had hurried into the hallway to answer a buzzing phone, while the low, rhythmic clumping of Jin and Taehyung’s footsteps echoed from the distant dining room.
Alone in the golden light of the kitchen, Jimin finally closed the distance. He leaned over her, his chest inches from her back, casting a long, possessive shadow. He didn't touch her, but the sheer force of his presence made her breath hitch. He inhaled deeply, catching the scent of her perfume mixed with the sharp aroma of fresh herbs.
To Jimin, she was a masterpiece he had lost and finally found again in a foreign land. His heart hammered against his ribs, a frantic drumbeat of regret and desire, as he realized how much he truly missed her.
“Show me Paris,” he whispered, his voice a low vibration that seemed to settle directly into her marrow.
Moon froze, the knife stilled against the wooden board as she processed the sudden request. “Paris?” she asked, her voice small and questioning.
He moved slightly closer, his lips near her ear. “Show me your new world. I want to see everything,” he murmured, his gaze fixed on her reflection in the window. Moon found her courage, tilting her head back to meet his dark, intense stare.
“Say please?” she challenged, her voice gaining a sharp, defensive edge.
Jimin’s expression didn't flicker; he remained as unyielding as stone. “I never say please,” he answered simply.
Moon turned around fully, her chest heaving as she leaned back against the sink. “You should,” she countered, refusing to let him win this silent battle of their wills. Jimin watched her for a long beat, the air between them thick with the ghosts of their history.
Finally, his eyes softened, the arrogance momentarily replaced by a raw, naked plea. “Please,” he said, the word sounding foreign and heavy on his tongue. Moon exhaled, a small, triumphant shiver running through her.
“Good, and then I will show you Paris,” she promised, her resolve finally softening under his gaze.
"Ritz, room 777,” Jimin replied instantly, his smirk returning as he provided the location without hesitation. He was already planning their escape into the night.
Moon nodded, her heart racing at the sheer recklessness of her own decision. “Okay, I will be there,” she whispered.
Jimin’s eyebrows arched in genuine surprise. “Oh? It was easier than I thought,” he teased, leaning in as if to steal a victory kiss. The sharp, insistent chime of the doorbell cut through the tension like a physical blow, vibrating through the walls.
Moon’s eyes widened with sudden panic as she shoved Jimin away with both hands. “Shut up, Theo is coming,” she hissed, smoothing her dress with trembling fingers.
Jimin’s face darkened instantly, his jaw locking in a mask of pure disdain. “I hate him,” he growled.
Moon swallowed hard, whispering, “I love him.”
Moon’s heart hammered against her ribs, a frantic rhythm of guilt and panic as she stepped away from Jimin. She desperately tried to regain her composure, smoothing her hair with trembling hands while Jimin stood like a dark, brooding statue.
Rachel swept back into the kitchen just as Theo’s footsteps grew closer. She began humming a tune, adjusting the heat on the stove, and oblivious to the electricity she had just interrupted. Her timing was impeccable, creating a domestic tableau that looked perfectly innocent.
Moon busied herself with the lettuce again, her head bowed low to hide her flushed, burning cheeks.
Theo waved to Jin and Taehyung as he rounded the corner, a confident smile etched onto his handsome face. He stopped short when he saw the extra guest, his eyes narrowing slightly as he processed Jimin’s presence in the private sanctuary of the apartment.
For a moment, a flicker of suspicion crossed his brow, but it quickly dissolved into a mask of polite, aristocratic surprise as he realized the family connection.
"I keep forgetting that Paris is smaller than it seems," Theo remarked. "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised to find the brother of the hostess here for dinner. It is a family affair, after all." He looked at Jimin, his expression shifting into something far more territorial and sharper beneath the surface
Jimin remained unmoving against the counter, his hands tucked into his pockets to hide the way his knuckles had turned white. He didn't let a single flicker of emotion reach his face, meeting Theo’s gaze with a cold, detached indifference. Inside, he was imagining a thousand ways to dismantle the man, but outwardly, he simply nodded. He was a master of the long game, refusing to give Theo the satisfaction of a reaction.
Theo moved toward Moon, claiming his space by wrapping a firm arm around her waist and pulling her against his side. He leaned down, pressing a slow, deliberate kiss to her lips. "I missed you, chérie?" he whispered loudly enough for everyone to hear.
Moon forced a small, strained smile, leaning into Theo’s hold even though every nerve in her body was screaming for the man standing across the room. "I've been busy helping Rachel," she said.
Theo chuckled, his hand sliding down to rest possessively on her hip, his fingers splayed wide. He was marking his territory with every touch, intentionally performing for the silent rival who watched them from the shadows.
Jimin merely reached for a glass of water, his movements languid and bored as if the display of affection meant nothing to him. He refused to look at where Theo’s hand rested on Moon’s skin, denying Theo the victory of a visible flinch. The battle lines were drawn in the quiet kitchen, hidden behind a facade of dinner preparations.
“Theo,” Jin walked into the kitchen. “Hands off our sister when we are around.”
Theo chuckled and held his hands up in mocking surrender. Theo’s laugh was a polished, serrated blade as he lowered his hands, only to snag Moon’s wrist and pull her back against his chest like a trapped bird. Jimin didn't look away. He tilted his head with the detached curiosity of a man watching an actor fumble a line.
The jealousy was a silent, white-hot nova behind his ribs, but his face remained a mask of arctic indifference. He took a slow, steady sip of water, his eyes never leaving Theo, denying the bastard even a sliver of satisfaction.
Dinner was loud and chaotic. Taehyung was recounting a story about the perfect plan he had for the wedding, Jin was busy critiquing Rachel's noodle-to-sauce ratio, Moon played football with her tomato cherries, but Jimin’s eyes remained on her and Theo.
Taehyung and Rachel on one side, Jin at the head, and Moon was trapped directly across from Jimin. Every time she lifted her wine glass, she caught him watching the way her lips touched the rim. Every time she laughed at one of Jin’s jokes, his eyes would be locked on her.
Moon’s mind was a frantic, spiraling mess of contradictions. Theo’s grip on her thigh remained firm. She would smile ever so slightly, but the light never reached her eyes.
But the knowledge that he was right there had her lungs spasming. Theo’s hand squeezed her thigh, but it felt like he had branded her, and Moon’s vision blurred at the edges.
‘I love Theo. I have to love Theo. Theo, Theo, Theo…’ she chanted to herself, but the words were hollow, drowned out by the thunderous roar of her own blood.
Every time Jimin’s foot accidentally brushed hers, a jolt of electricity surged through her, followed immediately by a wave of nauseating guilt. The air in the apartment was being sucked out, leaving her gasping in a vacuum where only two men existed, both tearing her apart.
Theo leaned in, his lips grazing her ear as he whispered a private joke, his eyes fixed on Jimin to ensure the blow landed. He was weaponizing their shared history, using every touch to remind the intruder that he was the one who held her now. The arrogance in his posture was suffocating, a gilded weight that Moon felt pressing down on her chest, making it harder and harder to find the oxygen.
Across the table, Jimin remained an unshakeable monolith of composure. He engaged in small talk with Rachel, his voice smooth and steady, betraying nothing of the carnage Theo was trying to provoke. It was a masterpiece of restraint, a psychological warfare that only intensified Moon’s internal panic. He didn't need to touch her to claim her; his very existence in the room was a silent reclamation that made her head throb painfully.
The heat from the Jjajangmyeon felt like it was scorching her skin, the steam rising in suffocating plumes. Moon’s fingers trembled so violently she had to hide them in her lap, her nails digging into her palms until she drew blood. She felt like she was drowning in plain sight, a silent scream lodged in her throat as the two men continued their silent, lethal dance of dominance over her shattering, fragile heart.
She closed her eyes, trying to find a center, but all she found was the terrifying, beautiful wreck of her own desire. She was drowning in the middle of a celebration, her heart hammering a frantic rhythm of, "get out" against her ribs.
With a sudden, sharp scrape of her chair that cut through the conversation like a blade, Moon stood up. She didn’t look at Theo, nor did she dare glance at Jimin’s dark, knowing eyes.
Her throat felt like it was closing. Without waiting, she turned and fled down the long, shadowed corridor and closed the door to her bedroom and slammed the door, leaning her forehead against the cool wood.
The silence of the room was a temporary mercy, but her chest still felt like it was being crushed by an invisible vice.
She moved toward the window, fumbling with the latch, desperate for the night to snap her back to reality. Her hands were shaking so violently that she had to grip the windowsill to stay upright.
Back in the dining room, the sudden silence was broken by Theo’s dismissive, airy chuckle as he reached for his wine. "She just can't handle alcohol anymore," his voice dripped with a patronizing fondness that grated against the air. "She’s become quite delicate recently."
He leaned back, the picture of a man who believed he owned the map to her every mood and weakness. Jimin’s voice cut through the room, low and dangerous as a subterranean tremor. "You don’t know what she can handle," he murmured under his breath in satoori, his eyes fixed on the empty chair where Moon had sat moments before.
He didn't need Theo’s permission to know her; he had the original blueprints of her soul long before Paris ever had smelt her perfume.
Theo paused, his wine glass halfway to his lips as he slanted a sharp, suspicious look toward the guest. "Did you say something?" he asked, his tone sharpening with an undercurrent of aristocratic challenge.
The territorial instinct flared in his eyes, sensing a breach in the narrative he had constructed. He didn't like the familiarity in Jimin’s voice, a tone that suggested a depth of knowledge he wasn't yet privy to.
Jimin didn’t even grant him the courtesy of a direct look. He simply studied the remaining wine in his glass, his expression a mask of bored indifference. "No," he replied smoothly, his voice devoid of any readable emotion. "Just talking to myself. The wine is stronger than I anticipated."
Beside him, Jin made a move to stand, his face tight with concern. "I'll take care of her," the eldest brother stated firmly.
Rachel’s hand shot out, catching Jin’s sleeve and tugging him back down with an urgent, meaningful look. "No, can you sit back down," she hissed, her eyes darting between the men. "Jimin will take care of her. Theo!” she looked at the man. “Please tell us about the gallery. Is everything alright? I'm curious about the sales." She expertly steered the ship away from the rocks, her voice rising in a cheerful, forced pitch.
Theo’s ego was easily baited by the mention of his success. "Since the opening, we've had an anonymous buyer who's been purchasing every piece," he began, pride swelling his chest. "I'm trying to reach them, but I can't get through at all."
"Really? Moon did that?” Rachel leaned in, her eyes wide. “I want to hear everything. Oh my god, I am so proud of her. She is the best.”
Jin’s eyes cut to Jimin as Jimin stood up slowly. "I’ll check on her," he said, his voice final.
“And I’m wondering why you’re still here,” Rachel rolled her eyes. “Go check on her.”
Jimin leaned against the doorframe. "Hey, are you alright?" he asked softly. His voice lacked the playful edge from moments ago, replaced by a grounded, heavy sincerity that felt like a familiar weight settling on her shoulders.
Moon didn’t turn around. She kept her forehead pressed against the cool windowpane, her breath fogging the glass in rhythmic, desperate bursts. "No, and leave me fucking alone," she bit back.
Jimin took a slow, deliberate step into the room, closing the gap but remaining careful not to startle her. "Hey, hey, calm down,” he closed the door. “I'm not your enemy, I just want to make sure you’re alright," he murmured, his hands tucked safely in his pockets. "Is everything okay?" He watched the way her shoulders shook, a silent testament to the war raging inside her, and felt a flare of protective fury toward the man outside.
Moon finally spun around, her eyes red-rimmed and flashing with a mixture of exhaustion and cold fire. "Do you think I'm fine?" She looked small against the backdrop of the city, like a bird caught in a storm of her own making, yet her defiance remained the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.
"There must be a problem if you got up in the middle of dinner and came here," Jimin noted calmly, refusing to be baited by her anger. He stood his ground, a solid anchor in her turbulent world. He knew her rhythms better than anyone, recognizing the signs of an impending collapse long before she ever felt the first tremor. He waited for her to exhale the truth.
Moon let out a harsh, jagged laugh that sounded more like a sob. "It’s you. You're the problem. Why did you come tonight?" her hands trembled.
Every time he looked at her, the carefully constructed walls of her new life felt like they were made of sand, ready to be swept away by the sheer force of his presence.
"Taehyung and Rachel invited me to dinner," Jimin explained, his gaze never wavering from hers. He saw the flicker of betrayal in her eyes and felt a twinge of guilt, though he wouldn't trade this moment for anything. The chaos of the evening was a small price to pay for the chance to breathe the same air as her, even if it was poisoned by another man's touch.
"He didn't ask me. I'll kill him," Moon muttered, turning back to the window to hide the fresh tears welling in her eyes. The frustration was a physical weight, pressing down on her chest until she felt like she might shatter.
Jimin moved to the edge of the bed, sitting down with a heavy sigh that echoed the weariness in his bones. "Being in the same room as Theo doesn't make me happy either." his jaw tightened at the memory of the man's hand on her.
Moon finally looked at him, her expression softening into something raw and exhausted. "Then you should go; nothing is keeping you here. When Jin sees you, it's like he's seen Cheon Yeo Gwishin, and so do I," she whispered.
Jimin let out a dry, hollow laugh that didn't quite reach his eyes, though the corner of his mouth twitched with a familiar, boyish charm. "Ouch, isn't that a bit much? Being compared to a vengeful virgin ghost is a new low, even for our history, baby." He leaned back on his elbows.
Moon closed her eyes tightly, the weight of the evening finally sagging her shoulders. "I don't even know what I'm saying, Min-ah," she admitted, her voice cracking under the strain of her own confusion. The anger had drained out of her, leaving only a hollow, aching exhaustion that made her legs feel heavy and weak.
Jimin’s expression softened instantly at the sound of the old nickname, a flicker of genuine warmth breaking through his cold, calculated exterior. "You're the only one who calls me that, apart from my mum," he noted softly.
She turned her gaze back toward the window, watching the distant lights of the Eiffel Tower sparkle against the velvet sky, feeling the ghost of her past sitting on her bed. "It's just habit," she whispered, though they both knew habits didn't usually survive four years of silence and ocean crossings.
"I know," Jimin replied, his voice dropping into a gentle, rhythmic cadence that mirrored the steady pulse of the city outside. He studied the tension in her neck, noticing the way her grip on the windowsill had finally loosened. "You seem better. Your breathing's calmer, you're more relaxed. Yeah?" He didn't move toward her, giving her the space she needed to reclaim her own body from the panic.
Moon nodded slowly, the silence of the bedroom finally starting to drown out the arrogant echoes of Theo’s laughter from the dining room. "I think so," she murmured, leaning her head against the frame. For the first time all night, the crushing vice around her ribs had eased, replaced by a strange, quiet lucidity that only appeared when she was alone with the man she was supposed to hate.
"Good, good," Jimin said, his tone casual yet deeply attentive. He looked around her room, noting the French books and the lunar sketches, seeing the life she had built without him. "Do you need anything I can get you? Water? Another glass of that terrible wine?" He was offering her an out, a simple task to normalize the heavy, electric air that always seemed to follow him into her private spaces.
She finally let go of the window, turning to face him fully, her silhouette framed by the Parisian night. "No," she said, her voice steadying as she watched him sit on the edge of her sanctuary. The chaos in the kitchen felt miles away now, replaced by a singular, focused intensity that made the rest of the world seem like a blurry, unimportant background to this specific moment.
Jimin gestured toward the space beside him on the mattress, though he kept a respectful distance between them. "Okay, then we can just sit here. Let the three of them talk. I don't want to listen to Theo's terrible Korean accent anymore tonight," he remarked, his jaw tightening slightly at the mention of his rival. He was content to hide here in the shadows, away from the performance of dinner.
Moon felt a small, involuntary smile tug at her lips, the first genuine spark of humor she’d felt since the first course was served. "It's not that bad," she defended weakly, though she knew Theo struggled with the honorifics. Jimin just scoffed, his eyes trailing up to meet hers with a knowing, playful glint that stripped away her defenses. "I don't think you're deaf, Moon," he countered.
"I’ve changed my mind,” she sighed. “I’m not showing you Paris anymore. I don’t think I have time for that. You can take the buses. They cover all of Paris quite efficiently, and you will find your way around easily without my help."
Jimin didn’t flinch at her rejection. He leaned back on the bed, his dark eyes sparkling with a playful, predatory light that made her stomach flip. "I don’t think I’ll pay for a tour when there’s a perfectly good, free guide available,” he said smoothly. “I like you.”
Moon crossed her arms, a scoff escaping her lips as she leaned back against the cool glass. "I didn’t know you were so stingy, Park Jimin,” she said. “Surely a man of your stature can afford a ticket for a double-decker bus."
He let out a short, airy chuckle. "I’m not stingy," he corrected, his expression softening into something dangerously charming. "I just prefer to walk around the city with a beautiful goddess. It’s about the company, my Moon, not the cost. You know better than anyone that I have never been one to count coins when I truly want something."
Moon looked away, her heart hammering against her ribs like a trapped bird. "No, thank you. I have work to do at the studio, things I need to get done before the end of the week. I have one buyer, and I want to do something special for them as a thank you. They bought half of my paintings, and their support is the only reason I can stay here and breathe."
Jimin’s posture shifted slightly, his chin tilted with a soft smirk. “Is that so? What's his or hers name?" he asked.
"I don't know," Moon shrugged. "They've remained completely anonymous through the gallery, but honestly, they are saving my ass. Without their purchases, I wouldn't have the financial freedom to tell people like you to leave." She felt a brief moment of pride, a small victory in her new, independent life that she had built.
Jimin hid his smirk beneath a nod. "Then they must really love your paintings," he murmured, his gaze dropping to the floor for a split second before returning to hers. "To buy everything, to invest so much in your vision, they must see the world exactly the way you do. Or perhaps they just see the beauty in the woman who held the brush."
"I guess so," Moon smiled. The thought of her anonymous patron was a small, steady light in the chaos, a reminder that her art had value beyond the possessive games played by Theo or the haunting, relentless pursuit of Jimin. She just wanted to paint and find peace again.
Jimin stood up slowly, the bed creaking under his shifting weight. He didn't move toward her, but the space between them felt electrified, thick with the unsaid truths of the last four years. "Maybe this buyer knows you better than you think," he said, his voice a haunting echo. "Art is a confession, Moon. Someone out there is listening to every word you've painted on those canvases."
He began to stand, his movement slow and deliberate as he reached out to offer the comfort he’d withheld all night. His arms opened slightly, a silent invitation for a hug.
Just as Jimin’s fingers brushed the silk of her sleeve, the door handle turned with a sharp, authoritative click. Theo stepped into the room, his eyes instantly tracking the proximity between the two.
Without breaking his stride or his polished smile, he moved between them, using his shoulder to firmly nudge Jimin aside. He wrapped his arms around Moon’s waist, pulling her back into his chest with a cold, possessive strength.
"Forgive me, Park, I didn't realize you were providing therapy," Theo remarked.
He pressed his face into the crook of Moon’s neck, his eyes locked on Jimin with a predatory sharpness. "But as her partner, I believe I am better suited for this particular task. She is quite sensitive to the energy of strangers, you see? It is very delicate."
Inside, Jimin felt a volcanic fury erupting, a molten heat that threatened to melt the very marrow of his bones. He wanted to wrap his hands around Theo’s throat and show him exactly how 'delicate' he could be. Every instinct screamed at him to tear Moon away, to bury the bastard beneath the Parisian floorboards.
Yet, years of calculated survival kept his face as still as a winter lake, betraying absolutely nothing. Theo sighed against Moon’s skin, his hands wandering down to her hips in a blatant display of ownership.
“You must find our customs so different from Seoul," he continued, tilting his head with mock pity. "In Paris, we cherish what is ours. We do not leave our treasures unguarded for long. I hope your visit has been educational, Jimin. It must be difficult to watch a life you could never provide for her yourself."
Jimin tilted his head, a slow, terrifyingly calm smile spreading across his lips that didn't reach his eyes. He watched Theo’s hand on Moon, memorizing the exact position so he could imagine breaking it later.
“Education is relative, de Guise," Jimin replied, his voice smooth as glass. "Some people study the surface, while others have already mastered the depths. You talk about treasures, but you handle her like someone afraid she might break."
The silence in the room became a physical weight, charged with the lethal intent of two predators circling the same kill. Theo’s grip on Moon tightened, his knuckles white against her dress. He hated the way Jimin looked at her—as if he were the one holding the secrets.
“I handle her with the care she deserves," Theo hissed, the mask of French politeness finally beginning to fray at the very edges.
Jimin let out a short, dry chuckle that sounded like a death knell. He took a casual step toward the door, pausing just long enough to look Theo directly in the eyes.
“Care is a funny word," Jimin murmured. "You shouldn't try so hard to erase the past. I know exactly how she sounds when she’s satisfied, and trust me, she’s never been better than when she was in my bed."
Theo’s expression fractured instantly, his jaw snapping shut as a dark, violent flush crept up his neck. The refined aristocrat vanished for a split second, replaced by a man whose ego had been pierced by a jagged, poisoned arrow.
He moved as if to lunge forward, his breathing becoming ragged and uneven. Jimin had found the one nerve that Theo couldn't protect with money or lineage, and he had struck it
Jimin didn't wait for the explosion. He turned on his heel, his posture relaxed and victorious, leaving the suffocating air of the bedroom behind him.
As he walked down the corridor, his thoughts were a dark symphony of retribution. He had planted the seed of doubt, and he knew Theo’s possessiveness would eventually become the very cage that forced Moon to fly back to the only man who truly knew her.
"You can disagree all you want, sweetheart," he replied, his voice dropping to a low growl. "But your body betrays you. Every time I touch you, you shiver. Every time I'm close to you, you melt. Every time I speak, you listen. You can claim you're not mine all you want. But deep down, you know the truth."
→ Dedication: You’re being such a good girl. Keep making those sounds as you read.
→ Author’s note: Realism is the sequel to a dark mafia romance. It explores desire, deception, and the pull of the forbidden.
This story is also written by two authors. Both working on the two main lead couples as well as the other side couples. Please read with caution. For those who stay, welcome to a world where love and darkness intertwine.
→ Small note: when you see this font it means they are speaking Korean, and when you see this font it means they are speak Italian.
The table at Mugunghwa was lined with dishes. The financial assessor, Mr. Kwon sat at the round table, his head dipped back as he laughed. The two benefactors, Mr. Kim and Mr. Yi had said something only the men at the table found hilarious.
The waitresses replaced the food that had grown cold to something warm and fresh. They made sure their table was well tended to.
The construction owner, Mr. Shin clapped his hands together as he leaned back in his chair while laughing. He added to the joke they all found theatrical.
Mr. Han poured himself another glass of Soju and spilled some over the brim. They laughed again. They faces were flushed and red.
A waitress ran over to clean the mess up, but as she began to dab the cloth onto the surface, Mr. Yun, from the district office cleared his throat at the young woman. She looked at him, her eyes nervous and wide and uncomfortable.
“Ne?” her voice was barely above a whisper.
His friends were too busy laughing to notice. He raised his hand and placed it on her the small of her back, and her bones froze. She felt like she could not move, her heart jumped, seeking for a way to run away and her blood ran with dread.
“You should hang around more,” he said. “You have a lovely face.”
Her face paled.
He tapped his index finger on the small of her back twice before letting her. Every step she took made her knees feel like they were breaking. Her hands shook violently against her chest as she held the wet cloth to her chest and joined the kitchen.
“Still no word from the girl?” Mr. Shin asked.
Mr. Kwon laughed, his chopsticks gathered a piece of saengseon jeon and he placed it on his plate. “She is probably crying to her husband,” he said.
Mr. Yi raised his glass. “They took everything,” he mocked a high-pitched voice.
Laugher broke. Hysterical, disgusting and obnoxious.
“Women are funny,” Mr. Yun brushed the tear away from the corner of his eye. “First they bark, then they cry and remember their place.”
Mr. Shin reached for his glass. “Where is Jun?” he gestured to the empty seat at the table.
“He said he was on his way,” Mr. Yi checked the time on his brand-new, limited-edition Rolex watch.
Mr. Yun caught sight of the young woman again. She stood off to the side with a few other waiters and waitress. Her gaze lowered when she saw him eating her with that disgusting gaze.
“When she calls tomorrow,” Mr. Kwon smirked. “Should we have Aalia begging on her knees in person, or just over the phone?”
“In person,” they agreed. “It will be a sight to see that bitch begging us to rethink everything and come back.”
“This Henry guy wants to meet with us on Friday,” Mr. Shin said, and the rest of his friends nodded. “So you’re your schedules for the day clear.”
One by one, the waiters and waitress moved silently throughout the restaurant. They leaned closer to the guests with polite smiles and whispered. Men and women nodded. Their chairs scraped back softly as they stood and left with smiles.
There was no panic in the way the moved.
Mr. Han noticed first. His shot glass of soju hung in the air, barely touching his lips. He placed the glass back down. “Is something going on?” he asked.
The rest of his friends glanced around and frowned. The staff approached everyone, but their table. The waitresses and waiters smiled politely and bowed.
“It’s not even that,” Mr. Yi checked his Rolex again.
The owner of Mugunghwa came out, but he did not offer an explanation. He did not even bother sparing their table a single glance.
“Where is he going?” Mr. Yun followed the man with is eyes until he disappeared through the doors.
“Did someone famous come?” Mr. Yi asked. Mr. Kwon looked around the restaurant as the busboys, waitresses and waisters disappeared into the kitchen.
“Maybe an idol?” Mr. Shin shrug as he looked around.
The last family to leave was a grandmother with her two teenage granddaughters. A waiter bowed and whispered to them. The grandmother smiled with elegance and murmured a soft, ‘kaja,’ to her granddaughters before they left.
“Hey,” Mr. Yun called out to the manager who escorted the family to the door. “Manager, is something wrong?”
The man bowed once. Barely. “Nothing is wrong,” he offered them a polite smile. They frowned as they watched him walk into the kitchen where the rest of the staff was.
Mr. Yi looked at the empty restaurant and felt the first clean slice of worry cut through the alcohol. This was not normal hospitality.
The front doors opened without an announcement. No greeting, only six men dressed in black three-piece suits tailored to perfection. They did not look around in curiosity the way tourists did. The engraved crest on their shiny cufflinks was like the mark of royalty.
Mr. Yi’s smile stiffened. He tried to laugh again, but the sound refused to climb out of his throat. His gaze darted to Mr. Han, Mr. Kwon, then Mr. Shin, and then Mr. Yun. He was hoping one of them would speak up.
His face was calm in a way that was not open for conversation. Min Yoongi did not rush when he walked. His suit was black, never flashy. His dark eyes swept over the room, counting if he had enough boxes ready. Five.
Mr. Yi’s eyes caught the engraved mark on the cufflinks that these men bore, and his throat went dry. The five men did not know what to do. Should they stand? Should they stay seated?
Yoongi sat in the empty chair at their table. He reached inside his blazer and took out his lighter. The opening and sharp closing of the metal cut through the silence. His eyes moved over the table before returning to the men.
Mr. Han’s hand halted, unsure if drinking was allowed in front of this man.
“If this is about the table-“
“Aniya, aniya," Yoongi raised a hand and waved dismissively. “Eat. Drink.”
One of the men with the engraved cufflinks walked towards the table. He reached for the bottle of soju and poured another round for the five men.
Mr. Shin and his friend smiled as they reached for their glasses and drank. All but one, Mr. Yun. He did not raise his glass and drink like his friends. He sat back, his head slightly tilted as he leaned back and watched this young man with an ugly scar like he was a beggar.
“We didn’t know you would be dining here,” Mr. Shin said.
Yoongi inclined his head, but barley. The metal of his lighter continued to cut through the air.
Mr. Han’s hands trembled as he held onto his glass, Mr. Yi’s leg bounced under the table, and Mr. Kwon’s throat dried even more as he reached for a glass of water.
“Manager!” Mr. Yun called towards the kitchen. He was irritated. “Ouch!” Mr. Kwon kicked him under the table. Hard.
“Ah,” Yoongi said softly as if he had just noticed an extra bottle of whiskey. “District office, correct?”
Mr. Yun straightened as he eyed the man up and down. “Yes, and who are you- OUCH!” another kick, this time by Mr. Yi. This one hurt more than the first one.
“Shut your mouth,” Mr. Shin leaned to his side and gritted his teeth.
Yoongi’s lighter halted to a stop. His eyes moved over the men once before one of them smiled at him. “We didn’t expect company, Mr. Min,” Mr. Shin chuckled nervously.
Yoongi smiled fondly. “I was in the area,” he said. “So I stopped by.” The men laughed as though he had just shared an inside joke.
At the small motion of his fingers, three of Yoongi’s men left without a word and Mr. Kwon sighed softly.
“Mr. Shin,” Yoongi’s voice was calm. Almost friendly. “I heard your project in Suwon is complete. How is that going?”
The men looked at their friend, proudly almost. “Very well, thank you for asking, Mr. Min,” he smiled.
“You’re all doing well,” Yoongi began to open and close his lighter again. “Stable projects, stable accounts. Good schools for your boys. Good seats at charity dinners.”
Mr. Shin laughed too loudly, as if sound could purchase safety. Mr. Kwon nodded, eager, eyes darting to the door and back. Mr. Yi swallowed and forced a smile.
Yoongi watched them. He knew these men wanted a story they could repeat later to calm themselves. ‘He was here by coincidence.’ But there was no coincidence in a man like Min Yoongi.
He rolled the wheel on his lighter, and a flame lit up.
“If there is anything we can do for you,” Mr. Han said. “You only need to say, Mr. Min.”
Yoongi shut the lighter as his eyes found Mr. Han. “’Anything,’ is a dangerous word, Mr. Han,” he said. “My grandfather taught me that. Some people would sell family members because of that one word.”
Mr. Kwon cleared his throat. “We meant no disrespect,” he laughed nervously. “We only do construction, finance and district work. We aren’t part of…” he paused, but what he wanted to say was, ‘we don’t do what you do.’
Yoongi looked at these men the way his grandfather looked at men before shaking their hand. The lighter clicked open. Flame. Click. Closed.
The doors to the restaurant opened, and the three men who had walked out earlier came back in. This time, they carried wooden boxes with carvings. There were five, two of them carried two each, and one of them carried not only a box, but a…
“What’s the sword for?” Mr. Yun stuttered.
Yoongi’s eyes moved over the five men around the table, like he was counting prayers on a rosary he never intended to confess with.
The boxes were placed down on another table, all lines up next to each other. One of the men standing behind Yoongi stepped forward and offered the sword. The sheath was obsidian, straight and polished. From the girth near the guard hung a norigae. Midnight blue tassels threaded with a thin vein of pale silver, a small piece of jade catching the lantern light. His fingers closed around the sheath and the sword, shiny and sharp breathed.
He drew the blade out as if pulling a string. The steel caught their reflections as if their fate had winked at them. Yoongi turned his wrist and swung the sword once as he stood up. He lowered the blade down by his side with one hand in his pocket as he paced around the table with the five men.
Mr. Han’s through closed. Mr. Kwon’s glasses fell off. He did not know if it would be disrespectful to move. The other three men held their breaths.
Yoongi did not rush. His steps were slow, like a wolf circling his prey. The tip of the Min sword dragged along the polished wooden floor, drawing a circle around the men sitting at the table. The scraping sound had sobered Mr. Shin and his friends.
Then it stopped. Yoongi had lifted the sword to hover a breath above the floor. The circle has been drawn like a curtain during a confessional.
His face stayed calm as he paced, almost blank, the scar a pale seam down his brow, his eyelid to his cheekbone.
“You don’t have to be nervous,” Yoongi’s voice was flat, like he had been at an office all day. “You should eat if you’re hungry. Drink if your throat is dry.”
Mr. Han’s fingers twitched toward his glass, then froze. Mr. Yi swallowed so hard it looked painful. Mr. Shin tried to clear his threat, but it hurt.
“I’m going to ask you something simple,” Yoongi continued. “You’ll answer it. Then we can all go home.”
“Mr. Min,” Mr. Kwon fumbled over his words. “If we offended you in anyway, we are-“
“Aniya,” Yoongi paused right behind Mr. Yun. He placed a hand on the man’s shoulder, but it felt like death had closed around his throat.
Yoongi sighed and began to pace again. He flicked his wrist, and he swung the sword around before letting it rest at his side again.
“Mr. Min,” they begged.
“You’ve been circling Cheonsa Orphanage,” Yoongi said, and dread leaned back in its chair with a soft smirk, watching these five men. Yoongi’s gaze did not sharpen but remained calm.
“Ahh, those tricks you pulled,” he tilted his head. “You thought they were smart?”
“Mr. Min, we-“
Yoongi lifted the sword and rested the blade on his shoulder. “Transfers have been stopped to Cheonsa Orphanage, neighbours lied on petitions, permits were seized, and construction firms backed out. Scholarships have been denied and your friend is missing. Do not preach to me innocence.”
Their throats ran dry.
Yoongi lowered the sword from his shoulder down by his side. Two of the men in black moved to the carved wooden boxes and took out an envelope from each box. They placed one envelope before each man sitting at the table.
“Please,” Yoongi inclined his head, and with trembling hands they opened the envelopes.
Glossy photos fell out like knives. Mistresses, secret families they hid from their wives. Others found images of their sons in clubs drunk. A young woman was on the photo with Mr. Han’s son. Overdosed. Reports that had been buried before they became public news thanks to the Min family.
Min Yoongi watched them process their own ruin, the way a man watched rain soak a suit he warned someone not to wear. The sword was not the threat. It was the envelopes.
And then they realized the staff had emptied the restaurant not out of panic, but out of obedience
They looked at Yoongi. He did not look pleased. He did not even look angry, and that unsettled them.
Yoongi rested his palm on the back of the empty chair as if he had all night to wait. The tip of the sword slammed into the floor twice. Mr. Han and his friends jumped.
“Give them a drink,” Yoongi said, and two of his men filled their glasses before stepping back again. Mr. Yun was the first one to lift his glass with a stuttering hand. The others followed and they drink.
Yoongi watched their faces the way an elder watched a son’s posture at sit-downs. “Come on,” he tapped Mr. Yun on the back, and the man coughed. “Don’t be afraid.” Yoongi looked at each man as if coaxing a child through a doorway. “You really think I came here to strain my hand for sport?”
Mr. Shin’s lips trembled into a smile.
“No. You cut ties with Cheonsa? That’s fine,” Yoongi said. “The chairwoman of Cheonsa does not mind. She told me herself.”
Their eyes stretched. They did not know it was a lie, and they didn’t need to. “You thought you were squeezing a young woman,” Yoongi continued. “But you were only inconveniencing a schedule.”
“We didn’t know this would reach you,” Mr. Kwon said. “If we knew—”
Yoongi’s eyes drifted over the man with mild interest. “Of course you didn’t know,” he said. “That’s why you did it. If you had known, you would have been careful. Which is why you will restore what you blocked. Quietly.”
To cross a Min – the head of the family was worse than having a gun to their head. They were not going to meet on Friday. They washed their hands of his name.
The five men nodded like schoolboys in the headmaster’s office. “We did not know this would touch your interests,” Mr. Han bowed his head.
“Children,” Yoongi corrected. “Their home. Their futures.”
“Yes, children,” they quickly nodded. “We will restore everything. The scholarships, the permits. Everything.”
Yoongi did not reward them with relief. He only gave the smallest tilt of his head, as if accepting a bow at a funeral. “Good,” he said.
His gaze moved slowly towards the carved boxes lined up in obedient silence. “Before I go,” he added, “You should all should check Mr. Han’s box.”
It wasn’t a threat, and that made it worse. Mr. Han’s hands floated off the table, unsure what posture was safest. They each pushed their chair back, their knees stiff as they moved.
Mr. Han’s shook as he opened the lid. His friends looked over his shoulder. Inside, a white napkin sat folded too neatly. Mr. Shin nudged him to reached in, and he did.
He unwrapped it slowly, and the napkin loosened. Then, something small and human rolled into view. A finger. Clean at the cut, pale under the lantern light, the nail trimmed like it had been prepared for a meeting. A silver signet ring sat on it, and every man recognized Jun’s taste.
Dread didn’t enter the room like a storm, it sat down politely and folded its hands.
“OH MY GOD!” Mr. Kwon spat three times and spun. His friends jumped back at the sight of the finger.
From the kitchen, the staff emerged as if summoned by a bell only they could hear. They formed along the wall without being told where to stand.
Yoongi’s men didn’t look at the staff. They watched the five men, because the lesson was for them.
Yoongi watched the five businessmen. His eyes didn’t gleam with pleasure. He didn’t need to enjoy this. He only needed them to understand the scale of the world they had mistaken for a playground.
The young waitress from earlier stood among the staff. Her eyes were fixed on the floor, as if the tiles were safer than men. Yoongi’s gaze found her, then moved to Mr. Yun with the slow patience of judgment.
“Mr. Yun,” Yoongi called out to the man casually. As if he had forgotten to mention something. “You forgot to apologies.”
Mr. Yun bowed slightly without hesitation. Maybe Yoongi missed his bow earlier, but he did not care. This would save him.
“Seo Yoon,” Yoongi called out to the young waitress, and she stepped forward. Yoongi stepped to the side for her to be in the view, and Mr. Yun frowned.
“Kneel.”
The word felt like a slap across his face. He looked at Yoongi, but did not dare to question. He kneeled before the young woman, but Yoongi was still no pleased.
The sword lifted again and tapped Mr. Han on the shoulder. “Lower.”
Mr. Han nearly slammed his forehead on the floor. “I am sorry,” he said as tears ran down his face.
Yoongi looked at Seo Yoon, as if asking if this apology was good enough. She nodded and returned back to her post.
Mr. Shin tried first, voice cracking with politeness. “Mr. Min… we’ll do everything tonight.,” he said.
In the stories his grandfather told him, kings did not shout. They waited. He moved the sword an inch, not as threat but as punctuation, and the businessmen flinched anyway.
He handed the sword to one his men without looking. He tucked his hands in his pockets as he looked at the five men one last time. “I’d appreciate it if you didn’t treat my observation as a weakness,” he said. “It’s deeply offensive.”
By nine o’clock, the city’s noise had softened into evening rhythm. The sand of the riding rink held hoof prints, and Aalia had been circling for two hours.
Baekhwa Gungdo & Riding Club sat behind tall pines and stone walls. Inside the grounds, leather, hay, and saddle soap clung to the air, layered beneath the faint bite of spring dust.
The arena lights hummed, white and unforgiving, bathing the ring in a clean brightness. Blueberry’s hooves struck the sand in steady rhythm. The reins were warm against her gloves.
The massive wooden doors to the indoor rink were wide open, letting the last of the daylight spill across the sand like pale gold. But then, headlights pouring in without permission. The brightness caught Blueberry’s eyes. He tossed his head hard, skittering sideways, sand spraying.
Aalia tightened her fingers. “Whoa, whoa,” she her voice was low, coaxing him back into a circle. “It’s okay.”
The tires stopped on gravel, and the engine fell. Aalia looked towards the open doors and her jaw tightened. Blueberry’s ears flicked back, then forward. He still paced in a circle, but the panic thinned.
Aalia stroked his neck and the stallion’s breath steadied in puffs. Min Yoongi stepped out of the car, the gravel annouced his arrival.
“Are you crazy?” the Italian on her tongue came out sharp.
Yoongi stopped at the fence that ringed the sand and rested his forearms on the top rail. She swung her leg over and slid to the sand with a thud. Her knee-high, Hermes boots left shoeprints where she stood.
“How did you find me?” she gathered the reins and threw them over Blueberry’s head.
Yoongi watched as he led the stallion out of the arena and to the stables. He followed after her, his hands in his pockets. “I called Sara,” he said casually.
She patted Blueberry’s neck and sighed once she was inside his stall. “Of course you did,” she sighed. “And your unwanted visit could not have waited until tomorrow? Or been a phone call?”
Yoongi leaned against the wooden frame. “Would you have answered the phone?”
“No,” Aalia shrug. “I’d let it ring.”
The corner of his mouth pushed upwards ever so slightly. He watched her grab a small stool and stand on it. She gave the saddle a tug, but it did not move. She blew her cheeks out with an exhale, and when she tugged again, the saddle slid off.
She carried the saddle to the rack. “So,” she did not look at him, “Min Yoongi, why are you here?”
“Your permits and everything else will be resorted,” he straightened away from the frame.
Blueberry’s ears flickers as if he too understood. Aalia blinked once, then twice as she turned to look at Yoongi. “What?”
Yoongi did not repeat himself. “As for Mr. Jun,” he continued, “he will not be wanting the building back.”
She should have felt sick, but instead she felt victory. The hypocrisy tasted familiar, like the first time she wore her golden to church and realized the women praised modesty while counting each other’s rings.
Cheonsa Orphanage was supposed to be clean of the rot. But now, that very rot protected it. She felt no shame, and that scared her.
Aalia turned back to Blueberry and took off his strap and set it down. She did not want to look at Yoongi. She did not want him to see the approval in her eyes.
She gathered her hair and braided it loosely before grabbing a bucket. “Just like that?” she walked past him to the water fountain.
Yoongi followed her with his eyes. She walked back to the stall, but she stopped right in front of him. “They agreed?” she finally looked up at him. “Without saying no?”
He placed his hands behind his back. “They didn't say no because no wasn't an option,” his tone didn’t gloat.
Her fingers flexed around the handle once. She sucked in a deep breath as she walked past him into Blueberry’s stall. She poured the water into his tub and went to fill the bucket up with water again.
“So…” She turned the tap off again. “All you did was talk?”
“I reminded them who they are,” he said. “And who they’re not.”
Aalia poured the water into the tub again before setting the bucket down. She reached toward the hook by the stall door for the brush, but she halted halfway. Yoongi already held it out to her. A habit resurrected from a life both of them had sealed in coffins.
His hand didn’t tremble. The scar on his face didn’t make him look wounded anymore. It made him look branded under family duty.
She blinked once and took the brush from him. The bristles ran down the stallion’s neck in gentle strokes. Blueberry sighed and his tail flicked. His head lifted from his tub to look at Yoongi, and the stallion’s ears flicked.
“You talk like an elder,” Aalia mumbled under her breath.
Yoongi’s mouth tilted. “And you listen like one.”
“Yeah, well I’m sure your grandfather would frame what you did,” she rolled her eyes, and mimicked the old man. “Ah, my grandson,” her body moved, and her arms swung with hand gestures as she spoke. “You are just like me in my youth.”
The sound built in his throat, but he refused to let it out. He swallowed it before it could turn too warm. It felt like he was betraying himself.
Three years ago he used to stand at the rail and watch her circle the arena. She would laugh so hard her head would fall back against his chest when he positioned her posture during archery. And during those summer days, in that very stable corridor the ground would be splashed from their water fights.
But now, only their ghost haunted.
He stopped visiting for a few months after he had taken over as the head of the family, but he had a meeting at Baekhwa Gungdo & Riding Club, and after it was over, he wondered the grounds.
Yoongi visited twice a week during the last three years. He made use the staff did not call Aalia in London. He made sure Blueberry’s carrots were always the way he liked them; chopped. The same with his apples and plums.
He pushed off the stall door and entered the space. The stallion turned his head and blinked at him. Yoongi reached out and let his palm settle on Blueberry’s forehead. The horse leaned into his touch, trusting.
“Eh - eh!” Aalia said. “Hands off Blueberry. He doesn’t like being touched.”
That was a lie. Even Blueberry eyed her side-ways.
“He doesn’t seem to mind,” Yoongi patted Blueberry’s neck.
The stallion’s head moved in a nodding motion. She gave Blueberry a flat and unimpressed look. “Traitor.”
Aalia did one final stoke before placing the brush back on its hook. She turned to look at Yoongi, and her gaze lingered longer than necessary.
She exhaled and shook her gently. “Thank you,” the words were tight in her throat.
Min Yoongi looked at her like a man holding a blade by the wrong end. Her, ‘thank you,’ sat between them with the weight of something unearned.
He had heard her say it once upon a time, but now it sounded like a treaty signed in a room with no witnesses.
“I didn’t do it for you. I did it for them.” He did not look at her when he said it, as if looking would make it personal, as if the smallest softness would crack the stone he had carved into himself.
“I know,” Aalia nodded.
He heard her Hermes boots, and this his eyes followed as she moved around the stall. She placed the strap where it belonged, straightening the folded cloth, rinsed the bucket and placed it beneath the spigot.
Then, she yawned and pressed the heel of her palm to her left eye and rubbed in a slow circle. Yoongi understood that gesture. Then she did something again. She checked the latch twice because tiredness made her fear forgetting.
“It’s late,” Yoongi said. “I’ll wait for you.”
Aalia scoffed. “I don’t need you to wait,” she said, but he stepped away from the stall and walked out to where his car was parked outside.
The stall settled into quiet. Blueberry lifted his head and looked at her with a steady gaze that didn’t care for human excuses.
She crossed her arms over her chest. “Don’t look at me like that.” Blueberry nudged her shoulder gently. “Traitor,” she muttered.
Aalia checked the latch once more then again before bidding Blueberry goodnight.
Outside, Yoongi’s car sat beside hers. He leaned against the driver’s side, one hand in his pocket, the other holding his lighter down by his side. The flame didn’t catch. It only clicked open and shut.
She walked toward her car, keys already between her fingers, and the gravel announced her arrival with every step. “It’s not like you’re driving me,” she sighed.
The corner of his mouth barely moved.
“No,” his voice was calm and unbothered. “But I’ll drive right behind you.”
Her brow lifted as she shifted her weight to one side. “You’re going to creep behind me all the way to my house?” The smile she wore was dressed in sarcasm.
Yoongi didn’t answer immediately. He didn’t blink, just clicked his lighter once, then again. “Just don’t hit the front bumper of my car,” he said. “You’ll pay for it.” It was the kind of joke a man makes when he refuses to show he has a heart.
“You’re insufferable,” she rolled her eyes and sat in her car.
Yoongi slid behind his wheel as well. For a heartbeat, he watched her through his windshield. Something old – ancient tried to breathe in his bones.
He shoved it down.
‘Not for her, not for her.’
Aalia reached inside her bag and pulled out a red straw. He hated that he knew what it was. The strawberry jelly stick was held between her teeth as she reached for her phone. She tapped a few times before her head started swaying and she placed her phone down on the passenger seat next to her.
His shoulders rose and fell as he inhaled and exhaled deeply. Once upon a time, Min Yoongi would have burned the world for Aalia Vito Hong, but now, he would watch her burn beside it.
Like Henry, she would be allowed to climb into comfort, to believe she was safe. Then he would take what she loved.
Aalia’s car eased out first, and Yoongi’s car followed.
Seoul glowed with its neon lights and busy districts, until they drive up a hill. The neon lights faded behind them, and the air became gentle.
She parked her car and turned the engine off before she stepped out. Yoongi stopped behind at the kerb, watching her in silence.
Aalia walked to her the front door of her tower – her cage and reached inside her bag for the key. She wanted to turn. She wanted to offer one small, harmless word. Goodnight. The old Aalia would have done it without thinking, but this Aalia still remembered how he gave the order for her execution three autumns ago.
She stepped inside and shut the door without looking back. It was quiet inside the house. Lee was not going to be back until the next day. It was better for him to be with his mistresses again than to have him breathing the same air.
She made sure the door was locked before she walked upstairs to her bedroom.
Outside, Yoongi did not drive away immediately. He held his lighter between his fingers as his elbow rested against the door on his side. Open, close, click the lighter sang its tune.
His jaw flexed as he imagined Lee greeting her behind that closed door, and something burn in his bones. The old Min Yoongi would have dragged Kang Lee – bloody and screaming into confession for touching her. But this Min Yoongi still remembered how he could not breathe that day.
His knuckles turned white as snow from gripping the steering wheel. The Book of Proverbs spoke of ruin that followed pride, and he was going to engrave it into her life.
→ Dedication: You’re being such a good girl. Keep making those sounds as you read.
→ Author’s note: Realism is the sequel to a dark mafia romance. It explores desire, deception, and the pull of the forbidden.
This story is also written by two authors. Both working on the two main lead couples as well as the other side couples. Please read with caution. For those who stay, welcome to a world where love and darkness intertwine.
→ Small note: when you see this font it means they are speaking Korean.
(AUTHOR'S NOTE AT THE END OF THE CHAPTER.)
She turned off the engine and stepped out of her car. The two passing weeks Aalia had a driver driving her to board meetings and quick appearances because she would be asleep in the backseat before arriving. Her hands smelt of fresh tangerines after each hospital visit, and her bag barely had any space from all the documents and papers she harboured.
The light from the chandeliers spilled over the foyer and the smell of cooking entered her nostrils. Her body felt heavy from exhaustion and her head began to bound with a budling migraine.
“Aalia!” Suzy ran from the living room to greet her.
Michael and Jaesuk followed right behind her, their cheeks red and out of breath. “Did you bring the sweets?” Jaesuk asked, and Aalia smiled as she handed him the plastic bag of sweets she was instructed to bring.
“We want to watch a movie,” Michael said as Suzy dragged her to the living room.
Michael hid the remote behind his back, Jaesuk unloaded the sweets from the bag on the marble table, and Suzy sighed dramatically at the movies Michael listed. Joon and Jackson sat on the floor putting a puzzle together and they would only chime in when Suzy said, “It’s not fair!”
Aalia laughed as she heard the debate. She closed her eyes and leaned back in the sofa as she rubbed her temples gently.
She could hear the laughter coming from the dining room and kitchen from down the hallway. She would rather eat in the living room with the children than sit at the adult table. Here she felt at peace, heard and seen. There she always felt ignored, drained and suffocated.
“Aalia?” Suzy placed her small hand on her arm. “Are you tired?” For an eight-year-old she was a smart girl.
Aalia smiled and sat up straight before she squeezed her cheek gently. “Should I check if they made pizza for you?”
“Duh!” they all said, and Aalia got up.
She walked down the hallway where the kitchen and dining were stitched together. No one looked up when she entered. Not her cousins or their husbands, not her uncles or their wives, not her parents or her grandparents.
They never noticed her. Not when the Kangs were around. Most especially Kang Do Hyun. Her fingers curled for a moment down at her side, then relaxed. She felt like a stranger in the house she once called home
The feeling didn’t feel bitter as it did before. It felt factual. She walked around the kitchen through the entrance arch and kneeled down to check the oven. Heat kissed her when she opened the glass door. The pizza was ready to be served.
“Aalia,” Anna Hong turned in her chair at the long dining table. Her voice was not warm, but plain. Like she was putting a glass back in the cupboard.
She took the pizza out and reached for the pizza cutter. “Eomma.” It was polite but just as plain as her mother’s voice.
“Come sit,” Anna said as she reached for her wine. The empty chair beside Lee waited for her as if her name had been engraved into. “You should eat.”
Aalia’s fingers tighten around the metal of the pizza cutter. The rule was older than pride. If they told her to eat, she would not. Not because she wasn’t hungry, but because it would look like obedience. It was childish, but it was also the only, ‘no’ they could not take from her.
She could hear their echoes in her ears. ‘See? She’s eating now. Yeah because I kept telling her to eat.’ Aalia had turned food into a border. It was not starvation, just control.
She always had the kind of body the women in the Old Families praised over tea. But during the first year of marriage in London Lee had trained her into discipline. Each time he would look at her or say, ‘careful, Aalia,’ she would eat less.
But when he was not around, when he was away in Dubai she eat a bowl of pasta, two large pizzas, two cups of her favourite Shin Ramyun and three packs of Gunyoung Strawberry Stick Jellies. She would cook herself different dishes.
“I’ll eat in a bit,” she said.
“Lee said you haven’t been eating properly,” Anna’s voice was stern. “You won’t get preg-“
“Please,” Aalia turned to a maid with a smile. “Could you take this to the living room? Thank you.” The maid nodded and took the tray from her.
Anna’s unfinished sentence hung in the kitchen like steam that refused to lift. Aalia did not need to hear the rest of that sentence. Her chest tightened with disgust. She had given them everything and still they demanded more.
The sound of her cousins laughing from the table turned her head as if the sound had gripped her chin. She saw one of her cousins trying to poke her mother in the side and they laughed, another of her aunt’s tucked a stand of hair behind her cousin’s ear and then pinched her cheek.
Aalia tried to recall the last time her mother her hugged her, the last time her mother had laughed and trusted her the same way her aunt’s laughed and trusted her cousins. She could not recall such a memory. Only disappointing looks.
Aalia watched how her mother smiled at something one of her cousin’s had said. She never felt jealous that her mother got along with her cousins. They came to her for advice, they would call her for hours every morning, they would go shopping. That’s just how things were.
Her cousins told Anna everything. From the perfume they bought to the boy they were talking to in secret. Aalia could only imagine the chaos, the reckoning if she had told anyone about a boy during her youth. Most especially him, that Min boy. Her cousins had not been selected by duty as she was. Her thoughts pressed against an old bruise on her heart.
The people at the table spoke loudly and in overlapped voices from, news, gossip and laughter. She did not hate her family. Hate required energy and she did not have the energy, but that did not mean the bruise would not hurt when pressed by accident.
Two years in London had taught her how to sit alone in silence, one year back in Seoul had taught her how to smile through suffocation. She no longer knew how to be Aalia Hong in this house and around these people anymore. Did she laugh at the table like her cousins did? Did anyone ask her about her opinion or waited for her to chime in as the other Hong girls did? She could not remember for the life of her.
Sara leaned her head on her mother’s shoulder, and Aalia’s aunt smiled as she wrapped an around her. Aalia felt something in her chest tremble. It was not envy, but the need for a hug. She scoffed quietly to herself at how pathetic, foolish and embarrassing she sounded.
“Aalia,” Hong Maek Seu called out to her. “Don’t stand there, pompom. Come sit.”
Aalia blinked away the warmth that threated in her eyes. She placed the pizza cutter in the sink and smiled at her grandfather. “I’m sorry,” her voice was light and soft. “But I have to leave.”
“You just got here,” Yoona Hong said. “Wait for Lee. You can leave together.”
Kang Do Hyun watched as his daughter-in-law stood in the kitchen. For three years she did not argue as he expected, she never raised her voice and smiled softly. She adjusted and bowed her head. However, he did not know what his son’s and Aalia’s marriage looked like in their house.
He could still hear the satisfying sound her nails made as they clawed at the balcony banister. She did not beg or cry. She went still like a deer realising the hunter was close. He saw what the others were blind to in Otgol. He saw the way that Min bastard’s eyes lingered on her longer than a friend.
Three years ago the Old Families were truly a family. They ate together, celebrated together and even grieved together. But not anymore. Today, if they crossed paths everyone held their breaths, and the Youth waited for a commanded with one hand behind their back.
The Old Families collapsed the day the first roar of thunder rattled the windows of the Min manor. One by one they bent the knee. One by one brother, a friend betrayed one another all because of greed.
Do Hyun understood that if that Min bastard placed a ring on her hand he would have been forced into silence. That everything he managed to accomplish as Henry would have been impossible. He would have been buried somewhere with an unmarked grave.
Had the Hong family not been in debt to him this would not have worked out.
Aalia tilted her head as she looked at Lee and smiled like an adoring and loving wife. Her cheeks lifted, her eyes softened and Kang Do Hyun blinked. He searched for rebellion but found nothing.
“I need to leave now,” she pouted sweetly.
Lee knew her skin crawled when he touched her, but he did not care if her disgust and hatred for him burned her skin off. To him, that was still attention, and he loved seeing her tense under his touch.
He pushed his chair back and stood up. “Coming, my dear” he said.
He walked towards her and laced their fingers together before waving their goodbyes to everyone. They moved through the corridor, the sound of laughter and chatter echoed faintly behind them as they reached the foyer.
Aalia tugged her hand free from Lee’s tight grip as if burnt by a stove. She flexed her hand once, then twice and sighed. Lee’s mouth curved ever so slightly. His eyes were glued to where her hand was in his and he scoffed.
“You always do that,” he didn’t sound hurt, but almost playful. “Pull away from me.”
“Your grip is too tight,” she said through her teeth.
Lee laughed softly as is she has just said a private joke meant only for him. His gaze slowly settled on her as his laugh faded.
“Do not show up to my work unannounced,” her voice did not rise, and his mouth curled once again out of amusement.
He took a step forward, but she stood still. Chin tilted, eyes relaxed and expression cold. He wanted to laugh again but did not. He wanted to press her against the wall to see if she would still keep this queenly composure.
“You’re my wife, Aalia,” his words were soft and smoked in entitlement. The way he said, ‘my wife,’ made something ugly breathe inside her. “You look at me like you want to spit,” he said softly.
Aalia’s gaze did not move, and her posture remained queenly. “Go to Europe,” there was no jealousy in her because there was none to give him. “Go to Dubai. I do not care where you go or who you sleep with, as long as you stay the hell away from me.”
He took a step closer, and he could smell it. The sweetness of tangerines and the spicy aroma of noodles from a convenience store.
“You know,” he smiled. “I never have to say, ‘careful,’ to those women. They know when to stop so,” he raised a hand to his face and tapped his cheek twice. “Their cheeks don’t get too round.”
She froze as the memories of him giving her that one single look came haunting her. She straightened her back and tried to walk around him, but he moved with her.
“Move,” she said.
“You always talk like you’re holding a sword,” he let out a soft laugh. “It’s so fucking sexy.” He exhaled through his nose as he tilted his head to the side and reached his hand out. She flinched slightly as he tuck a strand of hair behind her ear.
“You hate me so much you would rather chew glass,” he murmured. “You don’t even try to hide it from me. Fuck, it gets me hard, Aalia.”
Her stomach turned like she was going to be sick. “You’re disgusting,” she gritted her teeth.
Lee feigned surprise. “I’m disgusting?” he pointed a finger at himself. “No, I ache for you, Aalia.” Aalia’s face twisted like she tasted something sour.
She moved, but he moved with her again.
He tucked his hands in his pockets as he looked down at her. “End of the year,” he watched as her jaw flexed once, how her eyes refused to lower like an obedient wife of the Old Families. Hate had never suited a woman more. It was in her eyes, the way she breathed when she was around him.
Kang Lee had a wife who brushed past him as though he were furniture, and that was his fix. Her hatred was like wine and he always opened another bottle.
It was May, but come June, July, August, September, October, November, and at midnight on the thirty-first of December, the deal dies. Midnight come and he was going to have her trembling whether she liked it or not.
“You’re in my way for attention,” she said. “It’s pathetic.”
Lee gasped theatrically as he leaned in closer. “There she is,” he murmured. “My bitchy wife. I love you,” He raised a hand and hit the side of his head like he was knocking. “And it drives me fucking crazy. You flinch when I touch you, you avoid me in our house - separate everything. You don’t even look at me..”
“Because you make me sick,” her eyes darkened, and to him it was a drug.
For three years the Old Families believed their marriage to be a fairytale. Perfect like their pictures, but it was a deal. She had her little project, her treatment centre, her orphans and he would get a wife in the end. But tonight his patience was fraying.
He reached both hands out, grabbing her face as he backed her against the wall beneath the staircase. “I am not asking for a fairytale,” he said. “But your hatred is still attention.” His thumbs pressed into her cheeks like he was trying to shape her face into something that would fit in his traditional wife fantasy better.
She flinched under his fingertips, and the corner of his mouth curled into a soft, sadistic smirk. “That twitch. The poison in your eyes when you look at me,” he whispered. “That is the only honesty you give me.”
She turned her head away as he rested against hers forehead against her temple. His nose dug into her cheek as he spoke. “Just…” he was desperate. “Fucking try, Aalia. One kiss. One night. Be my wife.”
Aalia flinched again. The thought of his mouth on hers, his hands, his body on her. She pressed her lips together and she tried not to throw up.
He pulled away from her. Her cheeks were red from how hard he held her face. “You will give me a son,” he said, and a shiver ran down her spine. “Because that’s what wives do. End of this year, as we agreed, and you will look me in the eyes when that happens.”
Aalia bit the inside corner of her mouth and brushed past him. The sound of her heels tapped down on the stone steps as she walked towards her car. The engine purred and the Hong estate faded behind her as she drove.
Rows of convenience stores, shops, and restaurants lined the districts as she drove. Neon signs and lights lit up the city to life. People rushed from busses, taxis and subways to reach home just in time for dinner, high schoolers gathered in groups with their backpacks still on, and couples held hands.
She eased into a stop at the red light. Her head turned and a familiar alleyway waved at her. People stood outside different bars and clubs, women in groups taking pictures, men smoking and laugh. But the neon letters of Kitty Gang’s bright purple and white lights held her chin in place as if reminding her where she four years back.
Before the memories could dance around her head like haunting ghosts, she sucked in a deep breath as the light turned green.
The roads and streets became quiet as she pulled into hers and Lee’s driveway. She turned the car off and walked into the house with her heels in her hand. Lee would not be back until the next day. She did not bother asking where he was. It was better for him to be with his mistresses than to have him in the house.
Their bedrooms were like diplomatic boarders on opposite sides of the house. She locked the door out of habit and threw her phone on the bed by her laptop.
She grabbed a change of clothes and stepped into the bathroom. Steam fogged the mirror, and she threw her hair into a towel as she got dressed before brushing her damp hair out.
She took a look at herself in the mirror above the sink and sighed. The tap water ran a cool and she splashed her face with it before turning it off.
She looked at herself in the mirror again, then turned the tap back on and washed her face for a second time. The water ran down her face, some drops fell past her top and up her elbows.
She turned the tap off but only for a moment before turning it on again for a third time. This time she scrubbed her face with her fingertips. They dragged across her cheeks, her temples – anywhere his hands touched her face.
She turned off the tap and rested her hands on either side of the sink. A deep and slow breath left her lips before she stepped away and buried her face in the towel.
But when the morning arrived she already sat in her car by seven o’clock. The call woke her up at six-thirty. Aalia always walked through the doors of Cheonsa Orphanage at nine o’clock, but her assistant and team insisted she arrived earlier.
The gates parted like sliding doors. She parked her car and answered her phone. “I’m walking in right now,” she told her assistant and hung up.
The heels of her Valentinos knocked on the polished floor. A few teenagers laughed as they walked down the split staircase from their bedrooms. Surprised to see her so early they still greeted her on their way to the dining hall for breakfast.
Aalia walked down the corridor with the French windrows. Cheonsa Orphanage had four buildings connected in the form of a square with a courtyard in the center. In spring the magnolias opened, and in winter the stone paths iced over.
She walked past framed drawings and university acceptance letters hung like trophies and medals. Infants were kept warm and close, toddlers taught to speak without fear, school-age children were on schedule to attend middle-school and be back by home time, and teenagers were treated like people with futures rather than problems with paperwork.
No one here was turned to the street the day they became legally inconvenient. If they wanted university, she made sure scholarships existed and tutors appeared like rain on dry soil. If some of them wanted work, she made sure apprenticeships and interviews happened. Like Cheonsa Children Treatment Center, it did not matter what language or background you were from. Here they were friends and family. She made sure they all had a future, were able to take care of themselves and had someone to protect them.
She opened the door to the meeting room. Her blood ran cold. Three of her investors and two other gentlemen sat at the table. But Min Yoongi sat at the table as if he had always belonged there.
Her body forgot how to move. She did not even register the papers scattered across the long table of benefactors lists, construction renderings, payments due, scholarships and tutors denied.
Her team stood up, their backs straight and faces pale with confusion. Namjoon sat by Yoongi’s right arm, his briefcase on the floor by his chair’s leg.
Yoongi could see how tight Aalia’s grip was on the door handle, but he was not here to visit. He did not stand to greet her or offer his respects. He simply turned back to the papers as if she had walked into the wrong room.
Her assistant’s lips parted, but instead Aalia’s words came out. “Everybody out,” her voice did not rise.
Everybody shuffled past her to leave. She didn’t have to look at Namjoon to know he reached down for his briefcase and join everyone outside. “Not you, consigliere,” she said with her eyes locked on Yoongi.
Namjoon paused for a moment before he sat back in his chair.
The door shut behind the last pair of footsteps, and Aalia closed the door. Her teeth pressed down on each other. He looked very at home, very comfortable, and that did not sit well with her.
The previous night, Yoongi’s phone buzzed as he walked out of a Busan sit-down. Namjoon had found out that a certain development company was traced to Henry’s drug network. The company was now pushing on Cheonsa Orphanage. He’s not here to punish her sins. He was here because those children were his line in the sand.
“You need to make sure you’re prepared when wolves target you,” he didn’t look at her as he said that. His focus was on the paper in his hand.
She walked towards the table and her bag hit the surface with a loud thud. “What’s he waffling on about, consigliere?”
He would have laughed because it was Aalia with her wit and sarcasm, but the last three years had salted everything. “He is saying you’re not properly informed,” said Namjoon.
Her throat tightened as the words settled into her brain. Her eyes shifted back to Yoongi, who shad not bothered to look at her.
“Scholarships have been denied,” Namjoon spoke again. “Two benefactors froze their transfers last night, one has requested a clause review, and another has pulled out entirely.”
He reached across the table and walked towards her with a folder. “The construction firms are considering backing out,” he said. “Permit have been seized and neighbourhood council petitions have been made. Apparently, there is noise during the late hours of the night. The neighbours fear for their security.”
Aalia flipped thought the pages, her eyes wide and frantic. Namjoon almost felt an ache in his chest at the sight of colour leaving her face. “There’s more,” he said. “The man who sold you this building wants it back.”
Aalia blinked. “What game are you two playing here?” her eyes moved back and forth. “If it were true my team would have told me.”
“Because calls weren’t made to your team,” Yoongi said as he stood up. “They were made to someone else.”
“Sangwaneopseo,” her chin tilted upwards. She looked at Namjoon and then Yoongi. “I can still work around this. I still have three benefactors, especially the…”
Her words faded as a pattern began to form. His words took a moment to land. ‘They were made to someone else.’ There was one benefactor who was anonymous. The shadow that never appeared in photos, the money that always arrived a day earlier, contracts that slid through doors that were never open to women like her unless they carried a man’s stamp.
She remembered what happened at Severance. How he looked at her like she was trespassing in her own charity. The sentence sat in her skull. ‘You say that as if the two cannot share a roof.’
“Namjoon, leave us,” it was not a question. Namjoon did not need to be told twice. He could feel the hurricane brewing inside Aalia from where he stood. He took his briefcase and walked out of the room.
Her eyes moved from the scattered documents to the calm line of Yoongi’s shoulders. He was not tense. He was not apologetic. “You’re funding,” she said, as if she’d caught him with blood on his cuffs.
“I fund a lot of things.”
It suddenly made sense to her. Doors always opened easily for her. Permits. Sponsors. Contract clauses that never questioned her name. She now understood it. She had been winning, but not alone.
Aalia slammed the folder down on the table and laughed. “You have got to be kidding me,” she whispered to herself.
Yoongi did not react to her laughing fit. He reached out to the page on the table that had been shuffled. He straightened the paper with two fingers like he was aligning a chess piece before making a move.
“These people won’t stop because you ask nicely,” he said. “You’re not weak, I’ll give you that. But you’re visible. You read those papers. They want you begging, and when you beg you kneel.”
There he was. Min Sihyuk’s grandson. He breathed like he could buy judges, bankrupt mayors and still sleep at night. His scar only added to who he now was.
She turned to look at him. “You sound just like both our grandfathers,” the words tasted like burn of disgusting alcohol. “The same tone, same entitlement. You’re a hypocrite, just like the rest of them.”
“That’s the country we live in,” there was no apology in his voice. “You know very well how deep the iceberg goes. You’re just as part of it as I am.”
“You call corruption, ‘the way things are.” the words tasted like poison on her tongue. “Do not level me with your world. I built Cheonsa and I never once threatened or crawled.”
“Then you should know how to stand,” his voice was calm enough to be an insult. “You’re looking at this like it’s a problem that can be settled over media and courtrooms,” he took a step closer. “It’s about power. They seem to be doing a good job so far. We both have to give them that. But you’re too visible. And soon, whoever is targeting you will be counting how many bullets they need.”
Aalia did not flinch at the mention of bullets, but the sentence lodged behind her ribs and stayed there.
Her eyes remained on Yoongi longer, taking in his posture, the scar he wore without shame. As if he knew who was targeting the orphanage. There were no disturbances. Ever. The children were well behaved, they helped the neighbours with shopping, cleaning cars, gardening. They had a curfew, and it was respected.
Her head dipped to the side slightly and her eyes sharpened. Yoongi cursed himself for knowing what it meant.
“You know who it is,” she did not ask.
His eyes did not flinch. “I understand why,” he said and walked around the table to bring forward documents. “This is what we will do,” he placed the paper down. “We remove the orphanage from the board. A legal veil. All I need is your signature.”
“So your solution is to bury it under your family’s name,” she laughed.
Yoongi’s voice remained even. “Under protection.”
“No thank you,” she smiled. “I will find another way. Not by rot.” the words pushed through her clenched teeth.
“Rot is the very foundation of every country.”
“Do not stand here and preach to me realism,” her voice was cold and sharp.
“Don’t be stupid,” he took a step closer. “I am not doing this for you, but for the children. I do not want to see them the street doing God knows what.” He pointed to the clause list. “This keeps your name on the front. You still cut ribbons, shake hands, smile for cameras. But the land and operations go under a protected and anonymous trust with a board that can’t be bought with a dinner invitation.”
Aalia stared at the paper and felt something cold settle behind her breastbone. The sick recognition of how easily a righteous project could be strangled without a single punch being thrown.
Cheonsa centre and orphanage were created to prove rot – the iceberg were not the only languages spoken. She hated that he was right.
“This all stays yours,” he continued. “But no one will squeeze you because then they squeeze me.”
Her thoughts flickered to the morning corridor, to teenagers laughing on the stairs, to toddlers learning to say words in languages nobody in this city bothered to pronounce correctly.
And now, wolves circled. Something hot and tingling breathed in her system.
She picked up the pen. The motion was not surrender; it was a treaty written in ice. “One condition,” she said. “You do not step into this orphanage or the treatment centre again without my knowledge.”
“You don’t get to ban me from places where children wait days just to tell me the name of their new stuffed animal.”
Her throat tightened. She hated how truthful his eyes were. “Then call it respect,” she said. “Call it whatever language men like you understand.”
He held her gaze for a moment before he inclined his head ever so slightly. “You’ll be informed,” he said. “Not asked.”
With a heavy sigh, she signed her name by his at the bottom of the page.
Yoongi took the documents and slid them into a folder. “Play angel,” he said.
“Fine,” she stepped closer, her chin tilted. “But what about the permits, the-“
“Don’t worry about that,” his tone was cold. Casual. “You continue playing cheonsa, and I’ll do the ugly work.”
He took the folder and left.
Hello.
This is Author V
I am pleased to announce the upcoming release of ESCAPISM. I will be publishing Escapism this year. The book will follow the storyline of Aalia and Yoongi. There are extra and deeper chapters in the published version. Names of Aalia and Yoongi have been changed.
The published version is slightly different due to deeper chapters and with a few more plot developments.
You can follow my TikTok, author.valie for updates. And also, see what the published version will be like.
I am looking forward to your enthusiastic interest and support.
Thank you, Author V.
(don't forget to like and comment. chapter 10 coming soon 💜✨)
→ Pairing: Theo (as Hwang Hyunjin) x reader (female)
→ AU-Genre(s): dark romance, mature, mafia
→ Trope: forbidden romance, sin-evil, passion, slow-burn.
→ Rating: mature/explicit (this is mature/explicit content, so you have been warned.)
→ Word count: 5.8K
→ warnings + triggers: smut, NSFW, +21, drunk sex, crying,
→ Author’s note: Realism is the sequel to a dark mafia romance. It explores desire, deception, and the pull of the forbidden.
This story is also written by two authors. Both are working on the two main lead couples as well as the other side couples. Please read with caution. For those who stay, welcome to a world where love and darkness intertwine.
Small note: when you see this font, it means they are speaking French.
This chapter Moon's pov .
His hot, ragged breathing was so close to your skin, and it sent chills all over your body. Theo's hand moved away from your shirt, and suddenly, he wrapped his arms around your neck and pulled you closer. He pressed his body against yours, and then spoke in a low, shaky voice.
"You… smell so good.."
His words were a little slurred due to his drunken state, but it didn't make them any less clear. Tho moved even closer; his body was now fully pressed against yours, and he started to run his nose gently along the side of your neck.
He inhaled more deeply, like an addict who had just found a new source of his addiction.
Your skin felt so sensitive everywhere he touched, and your heart rate felt like it was increasing by the second. Theo continued to breathe in your scent, seemingly entranced by it. Then he began trailing light kisses down your neck; his soft lips against your skin felt so incredibly good, and it was all you could do to hold back a whimper.
His lips pressed gently against a sensitive spot on your neck, and he let out a small moan, sending shivers down your spine. He continued to kiss and lightly suck on that same spot as if he was making it his territory. You could feel the heat radiating from his body as he held you closer, almost as if he'd never get enough of you.
Theo's hands slid under your shirt, and his fingers lightly caressed your skin, tracing the curve of your waist. His body was completely pressed against yours, and his scent was intoxicating. He continued to kiss your neck, moving up to lightly bite your earlobe. Then he whispered in a low, seductive tone.
"You're driving me crazy...''
The sound of his voice, combined with the way his fingers were running across your skin, sent another wave of goosebumps across your body. You could feel the heat of his breath as he spoke, and it only seemed to fuel your growing desire. You tried to find something to say, but all that came out of your mouth were soft gasps. Theo chuckled darkly into your ear, and then he spoke again. His words were like a drug.
"Make love with me. ''
His words were a command, and you felt a sudden mix of excitement and trepidation. Theo continued tracing his fingers along your skin, his touch leaving a trail of fire wherever he went. Then he suddenly lifted you up, wrapping your legs around his hips and pinning you against the wall, his body pressed so close that you could feel every contour of his muscles. He looked into your eyes and leaned in even closer, his lips hovering inches away from yours.
"Please.."
He whispered, his voice low and rough with desire. You could see the mix of emotions in his gaze: anticipation, need, and a hint of uncertainty. He was vulnerable here, his usual confident facade crumbled beneath the weight of his arousal. He leaned in even closer, his lips barely touching yours, and then he spoke again.
"Let me make love with you, I will make you forget him.''
Your mind was reeling, his eyes boring into yours as he waited for your response. His hold on you was strong, but there was something in his gaze that made you believe him. You took a deep breath, your rational thoughts clouded by the overwhelming desire that was coursing through you.
Before you could even think about it, your hand moved up to his cheek, and then you pulled him closer, capturing his lips with yours in a desperate, hungry kiss. His grip on you tightened as he kissed you back with the same intensity, his body molding against yours as he pressed you more solidly against the wall.
He started tracing his tongue over your bottom lip, seeking entry into your mouth. You let out a soft moan, which he took as an invitation to deepen the kiss. His tongue explored your mouth, as if he were trying to memorize every little detail. His free hand began to roam over your body, touching everywhere he could reach.
He broke the kiss, his lips moving down to your jaw, then your neck, as he pressed kisses in every sensitive spot he could find. He nipped at the skin, making you shiver in pleasure. You could feel his own excitement as he held you so close, his body responding to every little sound you made… Then he whispered into your ear.
"I'm better than him, you know that.''
His possessiveness in his voice made you shiver. It was as if he wanted to erase every memory you had with Jimin. His fingers dug into your skin as he continued to kiss your neck, moving down to your collarbone. He pressed his body harder against you.
''Just say yes, I can make you the happiest person in the world, I can make you happy. Not him.''
You felt overwhelmed by the intensity of his touches and words, your own body responding to his ministrations. There was a hint of desperation in his tone, as if he was trying to convince you to choose him, to give in to the desire that was threatening to consume you both.
He continued to whisper into your ear.
''Let me prove it to you, I'll make you scream my name instead of his.''
He suddenly lifted you up completely, still pinning you against the wall, and you instinctively wrapped your legs tighter around his waist. His hands were everywhere, roaming over your thighs, your hips, your waist, as if he was trying to memorize your every curve. He looked into your eyes and spoke again, his voice gruff and low.
"Say you're mine, baby, just say it. Please.''
The possessive note in his voice, coupled with the sight of him holding you like that, was making it difficult for you to think straight. His eyes were dark with desire, his grip on you firm as he held you in a way that left no doubt who was in control. You could feel the heat radiating from his body, and you knew that you were powerless to resist him.
He waited for your response, his eyes never leaving yours. The tension was palpable in the air, the only sound being your mingled breathing and the occasional moan that escaped your lips. He leaned in closer, his breath hot against your ear as he repeated his words, his voice dripping with desire.
"Say you're mine. Say you want me. Let me show you how good it can be with me.''
You couldn't find the words to respond, your mind and body too overcome with sensations. With your legs wrapped around his waist and your bodies pressed so closely together, you could feel everything- his growing arousal, the tension in his muscles, the heat of his skin. It was all too much. He knew exactly what he was doing to you, and he wasn't about to let you go without hearing those words.
Theo's lips trailed up to your ear, his teeth gently grazing the sensitive skin. He lightly bit your earlobe before speaking again, his voice a low, commanding whisper.
''Say it. I want to hear it from your lips.''
He punctuated the words with a roll of his hips, pressing himself even more firmly against you. You could feel how excited he was, and it only fueled your own desire.
''Tell me that I'm better than him, that you love me, that you want to be with me.''
The words were getting harder and harder to form, your mind clouded with the intensity of his touch and the sensations he was sparking inside you. His body was so close to yours, his touch so demanding, and you started to feel yourself giving in to the desire that was threatening to take over your entire mind.
He continued to kiss and bite at your neck, as he whispered into your ear again, his voice low and commanding.
"Admit it, baby. Admit that I'm better than him. Let me prove it to you."
He pulled back slightly, his dark eyes locked on yours, and he spoke again. His voice was rough, his words more of a command than a request.
"Say you want me. Say you need me. Say you belong to me."
Your mind went completely fuzzy, overwhelmed by the intensity of his touch and the desire that coursed through your veins. You couldn't think straight; you could barely form a coherent thought. All you could feel was him- his body against yours, his hands on your skin, his breath hot against your neck.
Your legs were still wrapped around his hips, and you could feel how excited he was, how much he wanted you. He continued to whisper in your ear, his words like fuel to the fire that was consuming you.
"Just say it. Just say my name, say you're mine."
''You are so drunk, please. Don't. You have to stop. Let's talk about these when you're sober.'' you said finally.
Theo's expression turned dark, almost angry at your words. His grip on you tightened, his eyes narrowing in annoyance.
"I'm not drunk… I'm perfectly aware of what I'm doing, and what I want."
He pressed his body against you again, pinning you harder against the wall. His hand came up to your chin, tilting your head up, forcing you to meet his gaze.
"Don't tell me to stop. Don't even try. Not when I know you want this just as much as I do."
You could see the determination in his eyes, the desire burning bright and strong, and you knew it would be pointless to resist him. Still, you had to try. You shook your head slightly.
"Theo, you're clearly drunk. Please, just let me go, okay? Not today.''
His gaze hardened, and he let out a low, frustrated snarl. He was clearly not used to being denied, and it was angering him.
"I'm not drunk, and even if I was, I'd still know exactly what I want. And what I want is you."
He leaned in, his lips brushing against your ear, his voice low and possessive.
"You're mine. You belong to me, and I'm going to make sure you remember that. No more arguing. No more denying. You're mine, god damn it. Fuck him, fuck Park Jimin. Fuck everything.''
You could feel yourself starting to give in to his words, the heat of his body against yours still so tempting. But you pushed that aside, trying to cling to the remnants of your rationality.
"You don't mean that… you're not thinking straight right now. Please, let me go. We can talk about this when you're not drunk. ''
You tried to push gently against his chest, attempting to create some distance between the two of you, but he only held on tighter.
His words were a demand, spoken with such authority that you couldn't help but shiver. You could feel yourself getting weaker, your willpower crumbling. Your body was responding to his touch, to his words, wanting more despite your protests.
You shook your head again, trying to keep hold of some semblance of resistance.
"Theo… you're not thinking clearly."
He let out an exasperated sigh, his patience clearly wearing thin. He pulled your face closer, so close that your foreheads were almost touching, and he held your gaze with an almost intimidating intensity.
"Stop saying that… I'm more clear-headed than I've ever been. You're the one who needs to open your eyes and admit the truth."
He ran a hand through your hair, his touch both gentle and possessive.
"Just give in, damn it. Stop fighting it.''
You attempted to turn your head away, but he held your chin firmly, forcing you to look at him.
"No more arguing, no more fighting… Just give in.''
His tone was a low, commanding whisper, and you could feel your resistance slipping away.
Your body melted against his, your legs still wrapped around his waist. He could sense your resolve crumbling, and a satisfied smirk tugged at the corners of his lips.
"That's it… Give in to me."
His hand slid from your chin down to your hip, his grip possessive and firm. He pulled you even tighter against him, his own arousal still evident and pressing insistently against you.
Your body was a traitor, responding to his touch, to his words, to every little movement. You knew you should resist, but it was getting harder and harder to think straight. His hand moved from your hip to your thigh, lifting you up slightly, and you couldn't stifle the gasp that escaped your lips at the intimate contact.
He leaned in, his lips hovering just above your neck, his breath hot against your skin as he spoke again.
"Stop fighting this… let me show you what I can do to you."
His words sent a shiver down your spine, igniting a fire within you that you were having a harder and harder time ignoring. His hand continued to move over your thigh, his touch leaving a trail of heat in its wake. He nipped at your neck, his teeth grazing over your sensitive skin, and you couldn't suppress the soft moan that escaped your lips at the sensation.
His voice was a low, guttural murmur, filled with a mixture of desire and possessive certainty.
"No more words, no more resistance. Tonight I'll make you forget everything and that fucking asshole."
His lips moved from your neck to your ear, his teeth lightly grazing your earlobe as he spoke again.
"You're mine, baby. Mine alone. I'll make you forget him. I'll make you see stars. Just give in."
He began to trail kisses down your neck, each one sending sparks of pleasure coursing through your body. His hand continued to roam over your thigh, his touch needy and demanding.
He lifted his head from your neck, his gaze meeting yours again. His expression was a mixture of desire and possession, his eyes dark with a primal hunger that you couldn't deny. He spoke again, his voice low and authoritative.
"Stop thinking about him. Stop resisting. Just focus on me. Focus on the way I make you feel."
He punctuated his words by nipping at your earlobe, his hand still tracing possessive patterns on your thigh. He was determined to make you forget everything else but him.
His touch and words were overwhelming, and you could feel yourself falling deeper under his spell. Your resistance had diminished to near zero, and your body was responding to him in ways you never imagined. His lips found their way back to your lips.
You could feel the heat growing between your legs, a need building that you had never felt before. You couldn't deny the effect he was having on you, the power he held over your body and mind.
He deepened the kiss, his tongue sliding into your mouth and claiming you with a possessive intensity. He moved both hands to your thighs, lifting you up and pressing you firmly against the wall, his body flush against yours. He broke the kiss for a moment, his hot breath against your ear, his voice a low growl.
"Give in. Let me show you what you've been missing. Bedroom, now.''
He looked down at you, his eyes taking in every inch of your body, his gaze filled with hunger. He leaned down, his lips finding your lips again.
He whispered into your ear, his voice a low, possessive promise.
"I'm going to make you forget everything else, baby. Just focus on me. Just let me show you how good I can make you feel."
His words sent a rush of heat through your body, and you couldn't help but shiver at the need in his voice. His lips moved down your neck, biting and sucking at the sensitive skin as he pushed your shirt up, exposing more of your body to his touch.
His hands were roaming everywhere, touching you with needy desperation, as if he couldn't get enough of you.
He pulled your shirt over your head and tossed it aside, his eyes raking over your exposed skin, his expression a mix of admiration and hunger. He leaned down again, his lips trailing kisses down your chest, his tongue tracing patterns across your flesh.
You could feel the heat growing between your legs, the way he worshipped your body, making you shiver with pleasure. His hands found their way to your hips, his grip firm as he pushed you further into the bed.
His lips moved lower, mapping a path down to your stomach, his tongue leaving a trail of fire in its wake. He left love bites across your skin, claiming you as his own with each mark. He nipped and sucked at your hipbone, his hands gripping your thighs as he leaned down to place an open-mouthed kiss just above the waistband of your pants.
He looked up at you, his gaze full of lust and determination. His words were a low, throaty rumble.
"I'm going to make you mine. I'll make sure you forget everything else, every touch, every kiss, every memory… I'm going to make you forget him. I'll claim you, every inch of you."
He moved back up your body, his hands running over your skin, memorizing every curve, every muscle, every inch of your body. He looked down at you, his expression almost feral with desire.
He positioned himself between your legs, his hands on your thighs, spreading them wider. He looked down at you, his gaze filled with a primal need, and spoke again, his voice rough with desire.
"You're mine now, baby. Mine alone."
His hands moved up to your pants, quickly undoing the button and unzipping them. He pulled them down your legs, discarding them somewhere on the floor. He looked back at you, his eyes dark and full of possessiveness.
His hands skimmed up your inner thighs, his touch sending shivers through your body. He pressed a kiss to your knee, then higher, trailing kisses up your thigh as his fingers found your underwear.
He hooked his fingers under the waistband and pulled them down, leaving you fully exposed to him, your entire body shivering with anticipation.
"So beautiful." He whispered, his voice filled with awed wonder.
He ran his hands up your legs, his touch leaving goosebumps in its path. His fingers reached your core, finding you already wet and needy. His breath hitched at the discovery, his eyes darkening further with raw desire. His thumb brushed over your clit, making you moan and arch your back slightly at the sudden contact. He couldn't resist any longer. He removed his pants and boxers, his cock hard and straining.
"You're so ready for me, aren't you?"
His voice was low and rough as he positioned himself between your legs. His hands found your hips, his grip firm as he held you in place. He rubbed his cock against your slit, spreading your wetness across his length and hissing at the sensation.
"So wet… so perfect…"
His voice was a low, gravelly rasp, full of barely suppressed lust.
"Gonna make you feel so good."
And then he sank inside of you, filling you up in delicious inch by inch.
You moaned at the feeling of him inside you, his words and his touch making it nearly impossible to think straight. He started to move, his grip on your hips tightening as he established a steady rhythm. His eyes were fixed on your face, watching your expressions with a mix of fascination and possessiveness. His eyes locked onto yours.
He leaned down, capturing your lips in a passionate kiss, his body pressing you into the mattress. His hands moved to hold your wrists, pinning them above your head, making it impossible for you to touch him. His hips snapped against yours, driving him deeper into you.
His mouth moved from your lips to your neck, leaving a trail of hot, wet kisses. He bit and sucked at your neck and shoulder, marking you with his love bites, making sure to leave his mark on your body. He shifted slightly, changing the angle of his thrusts, and suddenly, he was hitting a spot inside you that made you gasp and whine.
"Right there? Is that good, baby?"
His words were cocky, but you could hear the underlying note of genuine wonder. The way your back arched and how you bit your lip was all the answer he needed.
He continued to pound into you, never looking away from your face. Your eyes were half-closed, your mouth open in a constant stream of moans, and it seemed to drive him even wilder. He kept a steady pace, alternating between deep, slow thrusts and quick, fast snaps of his hips.
His hands left your wrists, moving to grab your hips instead, giving him even more leverage to drive into you with increased force. His breathing was becoming more labored, and you could feel a thin sheen of sweat form on his skin.
"Gods, you take me so well."
He panted, his voice gravelly with pleasure.
His words sent a shiver down your spine, and you knew that he was in control. You were at his mercy, the power he had over you undeniable. His hands were gripping your hips, your fingers desperately gripping the sheets as he continued to pound into you with relentless fervor.
"Gonna make you forget everything else. Just me. Just us."
He murmured, his voice low and commanding.
His pace grew more frenzied, each thrust sending waves of pleasure coursing through your body. Your moans grew louder, your breath coming in short gasps as you neared your peak. He leaned down, his body pressing you further into the mattress, his mouth finding your ear.
"Come for me, baby. Let me see you come undone."
His words were barely more than a growl, his own need evident in the way he held you even tighter, his actions growing rougher.
You could feel your body tensing up, your climax building in the pit of your stomach. His words were driving you wild, the combination of pleasure and possessiveness in his voice sending you over the edge.
You let out a loud, keening moan as you came, your body twitching and arching beneath him. He kept going, pounding into you with a force that bordered on rough, his hips pistoning into you, his grip on you almost bruising.
"That's it, baby, come for me." He growled.
His grip on your hips became tighter, his hands almost possessively clawing at your skin.
"Inside or outside?"
He managed to gasp as he continued to pound into you."
"Out," you finally looked at him
His eyes widened slightly at your answer, and a part of you could practically see a smug look of triumph on his face.
"Fuck, okay.'
He was barely able to speak between his ragged breaths and grunts. With a final, hard thrust, he pulled out just in time, his release shooting onto your stomach. His body shook with the force of his orgasm, his fingers digging into your hip as he spilled himself all over you.
You lay there, panting and trying to regain your breath. Your heart was still pounding from the intensity of what had just transpired. Theo collapsed on top of you, his forehead resting on your chest, his breath coming in deep, even pants. His weight on you was a tangible reminder of their connection.
"Are you okay?"
He asked, his voice a little raspy. He raised his head to look at you, his gaze still clouded with desire. You could only nod in response, trying to steady your own breathing. Theo ran a hand through his damp hair, trying to catch his breath. He rolled off to the side, still panting slightly. He looked at you, a satisfied smirk on his face.
"That was…"
He paused, trying to find the right words to describe what had just happened.
"Good." You tried to laugh.
Theo chuckled at your attempt at humor. His eyes scanned your body, taking in the mess he'd made of you. A possessiveness sparked in his gaze as he saw his release still staining your stomach.
"You're a mess."
He commented, a smirk playing at the corner of his lips.
"Yeah, I know. You did that. I need to take a shower."
Theo's smirk deepened, the possessiveness in his eyes growing. He shifted to lie on his side beside you, propped up on one elbow.
"You're right; I did."
His free hand hovered over your stomach, his fingers tracing random patterns in his release.
"You know you have to wait until I say you can leave, right?"
His tone was playful, but there was an unmistakable edge to his voice. He was in charge, and he wanted to make sure you knew it. Even in this moment, he couldn’t let go of his domination.
You shook your head, trying to downplay the situation, even as a part of you thrilled at his possessiveness.
"Really, I need a shower. I'm a mess."
You tried to sound firm, but your voice wavered beneath the weight of his gaze. Theo's smirk widened at your response, clearly enjoying the effect he was having on you. He shifted closer, his fingers still exploring the mess he left on your skin.
"You are a mess. My mess."
His voice was low and possessive, his eyes never leaving your body.
"And you can take a shower when I say you can."
"I need to clean up, 10 minutes. Okay? Wait here." You kissed him quickly and got up."You can count minutes."
His fingers lingered on your skin for a moment as you pulled away, as if trying to keep a physical connection.
He watched as you moved to your feet, your legs slightly unsteady and weak from your previous activities. His eyes trailed over your naked form, a satisfied glint in his gaze. The evidence of his claim on you was plain to see.
You could feel his eyes on you as you walked away, and it sent a shiver down your spine. You quickly ducked into the bathroom, shutting the door behind you. For a moment, you leaned against the door, trying to catch your breath and regain your bearings.
You glanced down at yourself and couldn't help but wince at the mess that was now drying on your stomach. You turned on the shower. and stepped under the warm spray, letting the water wash away the evidence of your encounter.
And that moment you started to cry.
The hot water washed down on you, the steam filling the shower stall. You reached for a washcloth and squirted some shower gel onto it. You began scrubbing your stomach, trying to erase the physical evidence of Theo's claim. But no matter how hard you scrubbed, it didn't seem to go away.
You felt a strange mixture of emotions… shame, guilt.
The weight of it all crashed down on you, and tears started streaming down your face. You sank to the floor of the shower, the water still running over you, blending with your tears. You hunched over, arms wrapped around your legs, and wept silently. You couldn’t help but feel so damn stupid.
You stayed like that for a few moments, the sound of the shower masking your sobs. Your brain kept replaying the events of the past hour over and over again.
You heard a knock on the door, Theo's voice cutting through the sound of the water.
"You okay in there?"
His voice carried a hint of concern, which only made you cry harder. You quickly wiped at your face, trying to compose yourself before mumbling a response.
"Yeah, fine. I'll be out soon."
Your voice was shaky, betraying your attempt to sound normal.
The silence on the other side of the door was heavy. Theo could tell something was off; he could hear something in your tone.
"You sure you're okay?"
His voice was softer this time, more insistent.
Your heart clenched at his words, the concern in his voice making you feel even more conflicted. You took a shaky breath and managed to reply.
"Yeah, just… give me a minute."
Your voice cracked, betraying your inner turmoil.
The silence stretched on, but it was clear Theo wasn't buying your façade of being okay.
"Open the door."
His voice was firm, leaving no room for argument. You heard the doorknob turn, and there he stood in the bathroom door, his eyes trained on you, still sitting on the shower floor. His gaze was intense.
You stared back at him, your eyes red and watery from crying. Your heart raced as he stood there, his eyes full of a mixture of concern.
Finally, he broke the silence.
"Come here."
His words were a command, leaving no room for refusal. You slowly got up from the floor, the water still running over you. You stepped out of the shower, your body on display for him again. His eyes roamed over you, taking in every inch of your still-damp body. He stepped forward, closing the distance between you. He reached out, his hand gently tilting your chin up to meet his gaze.
"You were crying."
It wasn't a question, but a statement. He could tell by the redness in your eyes and the tear stains on your cheeks. You tried to look away, not wanting to meet his gaze, but his grip on your chin was firm, keeping you in place. You swallowed hard, feeling exposed and vulnerable under his intense stare.
"I'm fine."
Your voice was soft and unconvincing, but Theo saw right through your lie.
"You still thinking about that fucking idiot?"
His grip on your chin is tightening. He was clearly still jealous and angry at the idea of you thinking about him.
"Answer me. You're still thinking about him, aren't you?"
He repeated the question, his tone growing more demanding.
You shook your head, trying to deny it, to deny how right he was. But Theo wasn't buying it. He leaned in closer, his face mere inches from yours.
"Don't lie to me. I can see it in your eyes." His voice was gruff and commanding, leaving no room for denial.
"You can't stop thinking about him, can you?"
You shook your head again, tears welling up in your eyes. You couldn't bring yourself to admit it, to admit he was right. Theo's grip on your chin grew tighter, forcing you to meet his intense gaze.
"Say it."
His voice was low and demanding.
"You think about him even now. Even when I'm standing right here, even fucking you over again. He still has it in your mind when I am doing everything for you, right? Grow up, Moon. Grow fucking up."
His words struck a nerve, and your attempts to maintain composure shattered. Fresh tears streamed down your cheeks as you tried to pull away from his grip.
"I-I don't… it's not like that-
Your voice cracked, your efforts to deny it falling flat.
"Bullshit."
Theo cut you off and look at you.
"Put clothes on, you'll be sick. And when you get sick, I'll be with you, not that motherfucker."
You flinched at his words, their harshness cutting through you. Slowly, you nodded and reached for a towel, wrapping it around yourself. The room was heavy with silence, the only sound the pitter patter of water droplets falling from your hair.
As you finished, you looked up at Theo, finding him watching you closely, his eyes fixed on your every move.
He took a step closer, his hand reaching out to gently wipe away a tear that was trailing down your cheek. His touch was oddly soft and contrasted. Your skin tingled under his touch. Your heart ached at the conflicting emotions coursing through you. As he finished wiping the tears, his hand remained on your cheek, his thumb stroking your skin in a slow, soothing motion.
"Come here."
He gently pulled you towards him, your body now pressed against his. His hands moved to your hips, pulling you even closer. You could feel the heat radiating off of him, the steady rhythm of his heart beating against your chest.
"Look at me."
His voice was soft, a stark contrast to his earlier demeanor. You hesitantly lifted your gaze to meet his, your eyes still glistening with tears. Theo's expression softened at the sight of your teary eyes. His hand moved up to cup your cheek, his thumb wiping away more tears.
"Stop crying."
His voice was gentle, but there was an underlying firmness to his tone, like he was commanding rather than asking. Your bottom lip trembled, and a fresh tear slid down your cheek.
"I-I'm trying… b-but—"
"No buts." His voice cut you off, his grip on your chin slightly tightening. "You need to stop crying."
He repeated, his fingers running through your hair in a way that was almost… comforting.
Your lip quivered more at his insistence, but you managed to nod, your body trembling slightly. Theo's hand moved to the back of your head, guiding you to lean into him, his fingers soothingly running through your hair.
"That's better."
His voice was softer this time, a small smile playing on his lips. He leaned down, his mouth hovering just above yours. His hot breath ghosted over your lips, causing a shiver to run down your spine. He was so close, but he made no move to close the gap between you two. Instead, he kept his face mere inches from yours, his fingers still running through your hair.
His dark eyes locked onto yours, studying your face intently.
"Much better."
He repeated quietly, his thumb brushing over your lower lip. His gaze drifted down to your lips, and your breath hitched in response.
"You really need to stop being so adorable when you cry."
He murmured, and he smiled.
Despite the situation, a small laugh escaped your lips at his words. His smile widened at your reaction, clearly pleased to see that he had managed to lighten the mood. His fingers continued to card through your hair, his nails scraping against your scalp.
"There we go. That's a much better sound than those ugly sobs."
You let out another small laugh, a mixture of amusement and annoyance. His fingers continued their soothing back-and-forth caress, causing goosebumps to spread across your skin.
"You're so cruel."
You mumbled, your voice coming out a little raspier than usual.
"You're calling my crying ugly."
He chuckled, his fingers finding their way to the back of your neck, his touch making you shiver.
"It's not attractive to hear your sad sobs. I much prefer those other sounds you make."